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Hatman approached the paragon of power from behind, then tapped the bigger man on the shoulder. Mr. Epitome turned to face him, his arm firmly wrapped around Kat Allen. He looked Hatman up and down, then extended his free hand. “Hell of a fight Boaz.†Hatman accepted his teammate’s outstretched hand. “Same to you Dominic.†Kat uncoiled herself from Dominic and gave Hatman a hug. “Good job,†she congratulated him. “Same to you. You’ve been invaluable in our campaign against the Parody Master,†Hatman complimented. Before Kat could return to Dominic’s arm, Hatman spoke again. “Can I have a moment of your time Dominic? I’ll keep it quick, I promise.†Dominic looked ready to object, but a quick but stern look from Kat prodded him to do otherwise. “Of course.†He bent down and gave Kat a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back.†The two heroes managed to find an alley that was somewhat separate from the party. “Well then, what is it?†asked Dominic, clearly anxious to get back to Katarina. “Look Dominic, I know we’ve had our differences in the past-,†Hatman began, but the star-spangled splendour cut him off. “This isn’t another bury the hatchet talk is it?†Mr. Epitome groaned. “Because that can wait.†“No, no it’s not,†Hatman assured him. “I want you to be deputy leader of the Lair Legion.†Of all the things Mr. Epitome had expected Hatman to say, he hadn’t expected that in the least. “Even I think it’s a bit much to fire Foxglove while the corpse of the Parody Master is still warm.†“I’m not firing Dream. I’m promoting him to team leader until a membership meeting can be called. I’m leaving,†Hatman said, not meeting Mr. Epitome’s gaze. Dominic didn’t say anything for a long time. Then he focused his eyes on the capped crusader and spat, “Coward.†“What?†Hatman looked up at the paragon of power, surprised by the vehemence of his reaction. “I thought you’d be happy. You’ve never thought much of me as team leader.†“Whatever my personal feelings regarding you were, I never thought of you as a man to quit when the going got tough.†The exemplary man turned and began to walk away, then threw one final remark over his shoulder. “And especially not when the going got easy.†Dominic walked away as Hatman digested his comments. While he stood there CrazySugarFreakBoy! bounded over to him and almost slammed him into the wall. “I just talked to Whitney-“ he began before Hatman shrugged him off and pulled out his Winnipeg Jets cap. “Yeah yeah, power and responsibility. Got it.†With that said, Hatman flew off into the sky. Dream almost followed him, but he knew from past experience that he could not keep up with the capped crusader in the air. He watched his friend fly away. “Actually, I was going to say I understand,†said the father of one softly to himself before rejoining the party. Whitney met Jay on the tip of Parody Island. The wind whipped through Whitney’s hair and curled Jay’s cape. He stood before her with his hands in his pockets. “Thanks for coming,†he began. “Of course I came,†she said, her eyes tearing slightly. “Have…have you made your decision?†Jay sighed. “I have.†He gestured to the path before them. “Take a walk?†The two fell in step with each other, Whitney almost scared to ask him what he had decided. Jay was first to break the silence. “I did a lot of thinking Whit. I thought about how I wanted to meet that life I snuffed out, that we had created.†“You did no such thing. We were both manipulated-“ she began to protest but Jay stopped her. “No, it’s okay, I get that. I do. Still, when Lisa said that we could have perfect happiness if we jumped in that bubble, the first thing I thought was I could meet my child.†Hatman kicked a stone in his path as he continued. “It’s almost scary how many Legionnaires have kids. Vizh, Lisa, Donar, Dream, Al, Mumphrey, heck, he has grandkids. And I’ve been watching them, and I think that these kids get put in danger because of us, but we’re here to take care of them, to protect them. “Then I think of all the civilians caught up in this war, and their kids. A lot of parents lost their kids, and a lot of kids lost their parents. And then I think, how many more would have been lost without me?†“A lot more,†Whitney said forcefully. “Probably,†Jay acknowledged. “We needed every last member we could scare up to take down the Parody Master and then some, even the ones who had lost their powers. And as a result the Earth, the whole universe, was saved. But a lot of damage was done, and people still need me.†Jay stopped and turned to face Whitney. “I can’t go off to some happy land knowing that people need me. I’ve realized my happy ending is ensuring everyone else gets their’s. That’s what I’m here for, and that’s what I’m going to do.†A new fire burned in Hatman’s eyes that had been missing after the battle with the Parody Master. Whitney was all smiles as she hugged him. “There’s my Hatty!†she beamed. “So then Leader Man, you’ve just saved the entire universe from oblivion, what do you do now?†Jay’s face fell a little. “Have a very awkward conversation.†“Thank you for coming,†said Hatman, making himself comfortable in his office chair. Liu Xi sat with her feet tucked underneath her on his bed. She looked uneasy, so Hatman did the first thing he could think of to put her at ease. “I’m not leaving.†“That’s wonderful!†Liu Xi grinned. “Why did you change your mind?†“I did some thinking. I can’t leave while people still need me. It wouldn’t be me,†he summarized. “But we do need to talk. About your…offer.†Liu Xi looked down at the bed, her hair obscuring her face. “Oh.†“It’s very generous, Liu Xi, but I can’t accept.†Liu Xi looked up at him then, and could not hide the brief flash of relief before she managed to hide it. “You see, you misunderstood why I was going to go.†Hatman removed his standard cap from his head before continuing, running his hand through the hair that had grown back during the Parody War. He hadn’t had the time to even think of maintaining the shaved look. “It wasn’t that I want a child and a family that badly. I don’t need to jump through a magic bubble for that, I can have that here.†He considered his phrasing. “Umm, let me rephrase that.†“I understand what you mean,†Liu Xi said. “With Zdenka.†“Maybe.†Hatman didn’t want to go into his conflicting thoughts on that subject. “The point is, I wasn’t going to jump in there just to have a family. It was because I had a child once, a child the Hooded Hood took away. I wanted to meet that child, to raise it. I thought it was my opportunity to undo a mistake I had made, to rid myself of the guilt.†Hatman looked Liu Xi in the eye then. “But I didn’t make a mistake. I put things back the way they were supposed to be, because that’s what people like me do. We do the right thing. And doing the right thing to ensure people are protected, that’s my happy ending. “But please understand Liu Xi, while your offer was very kind, I could never accept it. Do I want a family someday? Sure. But a family just for the sake of having one? That’s not my style. And more importantly, it’s not fair to you. Don’t think you need to brush into a relationship to be complete.†Hatman stood from his chair and knelt before the Asian girl. “Just worry about being you, and the rest will come.†Liu Xi considered his words. “I will think about that,†she promised. “Good,†Hatman smiled. “But if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.†Liu Xi hopped off his bed and gave him a hug. “Leader of the Lair Legion stuff?†Hatman nodded. “I haven’t been leader that long, eh? I think I’ve still got some things to prove,†he grinned. “Good. The team still needs you.†Liu Xi tuned as she left the room. “I will think on what you said.†Hatman gave a quick wave as she left, then turned to look out his window at the city beyond the bay. “I’m not going anywhere.†END Author's Notes This wasn't really how I had intended to do this chapter (I wasn't quite sure to be honest), but Shrike's comments inspired me, and then I changed what I was going to do to coincide with Jason's story (which fits in between the first and second part of the story). All in all I think it worked out alright. Since this story could be seen as my possibly leaving the PV I thought it cruel to not finish it before I go away for the week-end yet again (quite honestly I have yet to spend a week-end in my new place, and it's not going to happen soon with work and other commitments). And hopefully Ian's question about my wanting Hatman in the Legion has been answered. | |||
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