Fic: The End Of All Things (9/10)
Title: The End Of All Things (9/10)
Author: BradyGirl
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Diana, Jonathan/Martha, Alfred, Sarah Jean Trevor, Lex Luthor (past implied Clex)(Also, see Author’s Notes below)
Genre: Drama
Rating (this chapter): PG-13
Warnings: There will be character deaths in various chapters.
Spoilers: None
Continuity: Comicsverse (mix of pre-COIE with current canon) and a dash of Smallville.
General Summary: Can a new world rise from the ashes of the old?
Chapter Summary: Diana says her goodbyes.
Date Of Completion: February 26, 2008
Date Of Posting: March 9, 2008
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1332
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: While this was written from Diana’s POV, this story is structured like Strange Brew and The Family Series with multiple characters and pairings. The prominent pairings are Clark/Bruce, Dick/Roy, Ollie/Dinah, and Steve/Diana, and there are other pairings and characters included as well. Each chapter will list those who appear in that particular segment.
All chapters can be found here.
This is a story of loss, grace under fire, and hope.
IX
GOODBYES
The Present
Diana pushed back from the table. “Thank you, Martha.”
“You’re very welcome, dear.” Martha Kent picked up the plates and Jonathan said, “Martha’s apple pie is the best.”
Diana smiled. “No argument there.” She was dressed in jeans and red shirt, her Medal glinting in the late spring sun. “I worry about leaving you and Alfred and Steve’s parents behind.”
“We’ll be fine, dear.” Jonathan patted her hand. He suddenly looked tired.
“Well, I’ll be on my way.” Diana kissed Jonathan’s cheek and he smiled, slowly getting up from the table and walking up the stairs.
“He’ll have a nap and be better by tonight,” Martha said as she finished washing the plates and glasses. “Let’s go out on the porch.”
Diana found it hard to believe that the world was such a war-ravaged place as she sat on the swing with Martha, seeing fields of corn off in the distance.
“How are you going to manage this farm?”
“Just as we always have.”
Guilt flooded through Diana. “I should stay. The world is going to be ravaged by disease, lawlessness, so many governments are gone and leaving nothing in their wake…”
Martha patted her hand. “You have to leave.” Martha’s reddish hair was showing streaks of gray now. “Thank you for telling us about that last battle and Clark’s part in it.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be.” At Diana’s look of surprise, Martha said, “Dear Diana, my son’s greatest fear was outliving all of us by generations. That boy loved with all his heart and soul, and losing everyone around him would have broken him in ways crueler than Kryptonite ever could.” Martha’s expression was serene as she said, “Jonathan and I are getting on. We’ll be joining Clark someday. We have no regrets.”
“That’s…good.”
“I’m sorry about Bruce.”
Diana shook her head. “As you said, don’t be. He was lost…he would have suffered quite a bit. Passing away peacefully in his sleep was probably for the best.”
Thank the Goddesses.
“How are you doing?”
Diana swallowed. “I miss them all so much.” She looked at Martha. “Half my soul is gone.”
“I know.” Martha glanced up at the second floor. “But he’ll be waiting for you.”
“I’m not sure that I can successfully complete this new Mission.”
“You will.”
Swinging on the Kent porch as the wind blew through the fields of corn, Diana thought that maybe she could.
She closed her eyes and let the breeze wash over her, teasing her hair and touching her skin. She felt a light brush against her lips and opened her eyes, but nothing was there.
Still, she smiled.
& & & & & &
Diana climbed up the small hill, enjoying the view of the ocean. She shaded her eyes and saw the elderly man bending over the flowers planted before the massive headstone.
“Hello, Alfred.”
“Oh, hello, Miss Diana.” He straightened up and looked comfortable in gardening clothes and an old straw hat. “You have come to say goodbye?”
She nodded. “I’ll be back, once a year. But for now…Alfred, are you sure you won’t take Martha and Jonathan up on their offer of coming to live with them?”
Alfred smiled gently. “Miss Diana, my place is here.”
“But it isn’t safe here. Gotham was badly hit, the worst coming in the last days. Gangs are roaming the city and it isn’t safe for you out here all alone.”
“I can’t leave Wayne Manor.” He squared his shoulders. “They’ve already come, anyway, and taken what they could. I managed to stash away some valuables and sentimental items down in the Cave, but I couldn’t save everything. Since there’s nothing left for them to steal, they’ll leave this place alone.”
Diana was saddened at the thought of Wayne Manor vandalized but she said, “I wish you luck then, Alfred.”
“Thank you, Miss Diana. I wish you the same.”
She nodded, then stood beside him as they looked out at the sparkling sea. While humanity was ravaged, Gaia was tending the earth as much as she could. There were places like the Kent farm that was still untouched, and now Wayne Manor, bruised but broken, still survived.
“Master Bruce felt so deeply.” She turned to face Alfred, who was still gazing outward. “People thought he felt nothing. Those who knew him best knew otherwise.” He looked at her. “Thank you for bringing him peace.”
Tears shimmered in Diana’s eyes as he took her hand and patted it.
They walked away from the headstone, carved with many names now.
& & & & & &
Diana laid a spray of yellow roses on the grave, her hand trembling slightly. She heard footsteps and waited until the person stood beside her.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”
Diana looked at Sarah Jean. “I know.”
Steve’s sister brushed strands of yellow hair out of her eyes. They were quiet for a moment, then she said softly, “He was a good brother. He always had a good heart. He teased me, but he wasn’t one of those bullying brothers. He really respected me.” She looked at Diana. “He always respected women.”
“Otherwise, you and Cecilia would have kicked his ass.”
Sarah Jean laughed. “True! He always said that. But Dad is the same way. He and Steve had to have some macho in them to survive the military but you probably got the perfect man for an Amazon when you brought him home to us after he crashed off Paradise Island.”
Diana clamped down on the feelings swirling through her. “He was perfect for what I needed.” She looked down at the stone. “I miss him.”
“I know.” Sarah Jean reached out and grasped Diana’s hand. “I do, too.”
& & & & & &
Diana walked away from the cemetery, Sarah Jean returning to her home. Diana had already spoken to Cecilia and Jim, and now she had to make her final preparations before leaving.
She stopped as she saw Lex in the road.
“Lex. What are you doing here?”
“Come to see you off.” He was dressed in casual black pants and sport jacket over a red shirt.
They fell into step together as they walked down the road. “Should the world be worried?”
He laughed. “Maybe. I will be consolidating power, though I lost a lot of it during the War. But I still have enough money to get things done. It may take the rest of my life, but I’ll do it.”
“Admirable.” Diana looked at his profile. “Clark would have approved.”
His gaze met hers. “You won’t have to worry about Martha and Jonathan. I’ll keep my eye on them.”
“Good. Smallville was relatively unscathed, but the more the people in the cities face disease and starvation, they’ll hit the road and swarm over places like Kansas in search of food.”
“Don’t worry.” Lex put his hands in his pockets. “Also, I’ll be keeping an eye on Alfred and the Trevors.”
“Why?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Maybe because Clark would have approved.”
She wondered about this complex man.
“He still loved you.”
Lex looked happy and sad all at once. “A part of him, maybe. He loved Bruce.”
“But he never forgot you.”
A shrug of the shoulders. “Maybe he should have.”
“I don’t think so.”
She saw a bit of scarlet cloth peeking out of his jacket pocket and remembered the day on the battlefield. Clark had still worn his cape. If Lex had needed that talisman, she would not begrudge him. She touched her Medal and said, “It won’t be easy, this new, broken world.”
He grinned with relish. “I like a challenge.” He paused in his walking and she stopped, too. “You’ll be building a new world. That won’t be easy, either.”
“No, it won’t.” She smiled. “I like a challenge.”
He laughed. “Thank God for Amazons.”
“Thank the Goddesses, yes.”
He laughed again, and they continued walking down the road.
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Author: BradyGirl
Pairings/Characters (this chapter): Diana, Jonathan/Martha, Alfred, Sarah Jean Trevor, Lex Luthor (past implied Clex)(Also, see Author’s Notes below)
Genre: Drama
Rating (this chapter): PG-13
Warnings: There will be character deaths in various chapters.
Spoilers: None
Continuity: Comicsverse (mix of pre-COIE with current canon) and a dash of Smallville.
General Summary: Can a new world rise from the ashes of the old?
Chapter Summary: Diana says her goodbyes.
Date Of Completion: February 26, 2008
Date Of Posting: March 9, 2008
Disclaimer: I don’t own ‘em, DC does, more’s the pity.
Word Count: 1332
Feedback welcome and appreciated.
Author’s Notes: While this was written from Diana’s POV, this story is structured like Strange Brew and The Family Series with multiple characters and pairings. The prominent pairings are Clark/Bruce, Dick/Roy, Ollie/Dinah, and Steve/Diana, and there are other pairings and characters included as well. Each chapter will list those who appear in that particular segment.
All chapters can be found here.
This is a story of loss, grace under fire, and hope.
IX
GOODBYES
The Present
Diana pushed back from the table. “Thank you, Martha.”
“You’re very welcome, dear.” Martha Kent picked up the plates and Jonathan said, “Martha’s apple pie is the best.”
Diana smiled. “No argument there.” She was dressed in jeans and red shirt, her Medal glinting in the late spring sun. “I worry about leaving you and Alfred and Steve’s parents behind.”
“We’ll be fine, dear.” Jonathan patted her hand. He suddenly looked tired.
“Well, I’ll be on my way.” Diana kissed Jonathan’s cheek and he smiled, slowly getting up from the table and walking up the stairs.
“He’ll have a nap and be better by tonight,” Martha said as she finished washing the plates and glasses. “Let’s go out on the porch.”
Diana found it hard to believe that the world was such a war-ravaged place as she sat on the swing with Martha, seeing fields of corn off in the distance.
“How are you going to manage this farm?”
“Just as we always have.”
Guilt flooded through Diana. “I should stay. The world is going to be ravaged by disease, lawlessness, so many governments are gone and leaving nothing in their wake…”
Martha patted her hand. “You have to leave.” Martha’s reddish hair was showing streaks of gray now. “Thank you for telling us about that last battle and Clark’s part in it.”
“I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t be.” At Diana’s look of surprise, Martha said, “Dear Diana, my son’s greatest fear was outliving all of us by generations. That boy loved with all his heart and soul, and losing everyone around him would have broken him in ways crueler than Kryptonite ever could.” Martha’s expression was serene as she said, “Jonathan and I are getting on. We’ll be joining Clark someday. We have no regrets.”
“That’s…good.”
“I’m sorry about Bruce.”
Diana shook her head. “As you said, don’t be. He was lost…he would have suffered quite a bit. Passing away peacefully in his sleep was probably for the best.”
Thank the Goddesses.
“How are you doing?”
Diana swallowed. “I miss them all so much.” She looked at Martha. “Half my soul is gone.”
“I know.” Martha glanced up at the second floor. “But he’ll be waiting for you.”
“I’m not sure that I can successfully complete this new Mission.”
“You will.”
Swinging on the Kent porch as the wind blew through the fields of corn, Diana thought that maybe she could.
She closed her eyes and let the breeze wash over her, teasing her hair and touching her skin. She felt a light brush against her lips and opened her eyes, but nothing was there.
Still, she smiled.
& & & & & &
Diana climbed up the small hill, enjoying the view of the ocean. She shaded her eyes and saw the elderly man bending over the flowers planted before the massive headstone.
“Hello, Alfred.”
“Oh, hello, Miss Diana.” He straightened up and looked comfortable in gardening clothes and an old straw hat. “You have come to say goodbye?”
She nodded. “I’ll be back, once a year. But for now…Alfred, are you sure you won’t take Martha and Jonathan up on their offer of coming to live with them?”
Alfred smiled gently. “Miss Diana, my place is here.”
“But it isn’t safe here. Gotham was badly hit, the worst coming in the last days. Gangs are roaming the city and it isn’t safe for you out here all alone.”
“I can’t leave Wayne Manor.” He squared his shoulders. “They’ve already come, anyway, and taken what they could. I managed to stash away some valuables and sentimental items down in the Cave, but I couldn’t save everything. Since there’s nothing left for them to steal, they’ll leave this place alone.”
Diana was saddened at the thought of Wayne Manor vandalized but she said, “I wish you luck then, Alfred.”
“Thank you, Miss Diana. I wish you the same.”
She nodded, then stood beside him as they looked out at the sparkling sea. While humanity was ravaged, Gaia was tending the earth as much as she could. There were places like the Kent farm that was still untouched, and now Wayne Manor, bruised but broken, still survived.
“Master Bruce felt so deeply.” She turned to face Alfred, who was still gazing outward. “People thought he felt nothing. Those who knew him best knew otherwise.” He looked at her. “Thank you for bringing him peace.”
Tears shimmered in Diana’s eyes as he took her hand and patted it.
They walked away from the headstone, carved with many names now.
& & & & & &
Diana laid a spray of yellow roses on the grave, her hand trembling slightly. She heard footsteps and waited until the person stood beside her.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year already.”
Diana looked at Sarah Jean. “I know.”
Steve’s sister brushed strands of yellow hair out of her eyes. They were quiet for a moment, then she said softly, “He was a good brother. He always had a good heart. He teased me, but he wasn’t one of those bullying brothers. He really respected me.” She looked at Diana. “He always respected women.”
“Otherwise, you and Cecilia would have kicked his ass.”
Sarah Jean laughed. “True! He always said that. But Dad is the same way. He and Steve had to have some macho in them to survive the military but you probably got the perfect man for an Amazon when you brought him home to us after he crashed off Paradise Island.”
Diana clamped down on the feelings swirling through her. “He was perfect for what I needed.” She looked down at the stone. “I miss him.”
“I know.” Sarah Jean reached out and grasped Diana’s hand. “I do, too.”
& & & & & &
Diana walked away from the cemetery, Sarah Jean returning to her home. Diana had already spoken to Cecilia and Jim, and now she had to make her final preparations before leaving.
She stopped as she saw Lex in the road.
“Lex. What are you doing here?”
“Come to see you off.” He was dressed in casual black pants and sport jacket over a red shirt.
They fell into step together as they walked down the road. “Should the world be worried?”
He laughed. “Maybe. I will be consolidating power, though I lost a lot of it during the War. But I still have enough money to get things done. It may take the rest of my life, but I’ll do it.”
“Admirable.” Diana looked at his profile. “Clark would have approved.”
His gaze met hers. “You won’t have to worry about Martha and Jonathan. I’ll keep my eye on them.”
“Good. Smallville was relatively unscathed, but the more the people in the cities face disease and starvation, they’ll hit the road and swarm over places like Kansas in search of food.”
“Don’t worry.” Lex put his hands in his pockets. “Also, I’ll be keeping an eye on Alfred and the Trevors.”
“Why?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Maybe because Clark would have approved.”
She wondered about this complex man.
“He still loved you.”
Lex looked happy and sad all at once. “A part of him, maybe. He loved Bruce.”
“But he never forgot you.”
A shrug of the shoulders. “Maybe he should have.”
“I don’t think so.”
She saw a bit of scarlet cloth peeking out of his jacket pocket and remembered the day on the battlefield. Clark had still worn his cape. If Lex had needed that talisman, she would not begrudge him. She touched her Medal and said, “It won’t be easy, this new, broken world.”
He grinned with relish. “I like a challenge.” He paused in his walking and she stopped, too. “You’ll be building a new world. That won’t be easy, either.”
“No, it won’t.” She smiled. “I like a challenge.”
He laughed. “Thank God for Amazons.”
“Thank the Goddesses, yes.”
He laughed again, and they continued walking down the road.
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