7s_prompts; Hero
[A/N: Follows the rest of the stories archived here. Characters used with permission.]
Many Gentle Voices
"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father." - Lydia M. Child
Ollie's in the middle of... well, Carol... when he gets the call from Diana. It's his old JLA communicator, the one only four living people have the frequency to, so he untangles himself from the sheets, ignores Carol's grunt of protest, and takes the call. "What?"
It takes him a few minutes to realize why he should care that Wonder Girl's in the hospital, besides the whole "they were really after Diana" thing. Then he remembers his new daughter, Cissie, and he frowns. "Why'd it take this long to tell me?"
"You're not on the top-tier for this one, Ollie. Besides, you're a hard man to get a hold of. So to speak." Diana clicks off with some comment about whatever blonde is in his bed, and Carol laughs.
"Wonder Woman?"
"Wonder Woman." He rolls out of the bed and looks down at her. "Our goodbye party's going to have to end here. Sorry."
Carol props herself up on her elbows and looks at him. "Where you headed?"
"New York."
"Fly me there, Ollie-Ollie, we can say goodbye on the plane."
Ollie grunts an affirmative and goes to collect his gear.
--
New York is the same as ever, which is why he lives on the West Coast. When the plane lands Carol gives him a nice parting kiss, squeezes his ass, and promises not to die. He decides to take her at her word.
His regular cell phone is full of messages from Bonnie, which he ignores before calling Lian to wish her a good night. Roy already knows what happened - because Tim told Dick told Roy - which just makes Ollie angrier. There shouldn't be any such thing as a second tier with them. Or third. Or whatever he is. He makes a mental note to talk to Barbara about it.
The hospital is like any other hospital, until he gets out at the security-cleared-only twentieth floor, where there's a hall full of superheroes. It makes Ollie nervous to see this many gathered in one place, because it's never good. They don't wear their uniforms for weddings, only funerals.
Diana's not there, but Donna is. "She's inside."
"Okay. I'm not here for -"
"They're all inside, Ollie."
He looks at her. "Huh. Even Super Junior?" He'd heard things.
"Even Superboy, yeah."
Huh.
Ollie thanks her and walks into the room. He's surprised that it doesn't feel completely like a tomb. They all turn and look at him when he comes in. He grimaces over at the bed and at the woman he assumes is Wonder Girl's mother. Sandsmark. "Mrs. Sandsmark, I'm sorry to interrupt. I came to see my daughter."
The woman looks over at Cissie, whose eyes have gone as wide as her ape boyfriend - fiancé's - and nods. "You must be Mr. Queen. I've heard a lot about you."
Uh oh. "Well -"
"Don't worry, not from Bart." She manages a small smile before turning back to her daughter. Cissie climbs out of Bart's lap, gives him a peck on the cheek, then goes to Ollie.
"Let's walk."
"Okay."
--
The park near the hospital probably wouldn't be the best place for a girl like Cissie to walk, if a girl like Cissie couldn't kick the ass of anyone who even tried to mug her. Or if she weren't walking with Green Arrow. But both things are true, so she's pretty safe, and Ollie likes it better in the park than on the street.
"Why'd you come?"
Ollie sighs and makes a mental note never to have a kid with Bonnie again. Then shudders. "Because."
"That's your reason?" She gives him a look. "That's dumb, Ollie."
"I wanted to see if you were okay."
"Oh." She's quiet for a few minutes as they walk. "You could have called."
"Overkill is the hallmark of a father trying to make up for missing twenty years of his daughter's life."
"Twenty-one."
"Gee, thanks."
Cissie smiles. "Sorry, it's been a rough few days. You know."
"Yeah," he replies, and there's the weight of two dozen deaths in his words. "I know."
"Oh, of course. I'm - "
He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be. I chose this life."
Her eyes harden a little. "Yeah. I guess we all did."
"Did you?"
She nods. "I did. Beacon."
"Bacon?" He hears her fine, but he also hears the sadness in her voice, so he's glad when she smiles and thwaps his arm.
"Beacon. That's what we're going to call me. I'll be like Oracle, but... not as good, I guess." She shrugs. "If... when. I don't know, it's what we were planning. Bart still wants to do it."
"Bark wants to do what? Besides deflower my daughter?"
Cissie laughs again. "Uh, that wasn't Bart, and you're waaay too late on the Bart front anyway."
Ollie knows he deserves that kind of candor, but it's still a little weird. He pretends otherwise. "So what's he want to do?"
"Start up a team."
Huh. It doesn't surprise him that these kids are going to reform a team. He knows they'd been the Teen Titans before, and some Justice thing before that, but the fact that it's the Allen that wants to form it... huh. "I'm glad you didn't fall for a Bat. No offense to your friend in there."
Cissie purses her lips. "I don't know if that's a compliment to Bart or an insult to Tim."
"Yep."
She shakes her head. "So... you think we should?"
They pass a park bench and Ollie sits down, pulling Cissie with him. "I think you guys know what's best for you. What's Barf say?"
"Bart says we're stronger as a team. That we compliment each other. And that things like... this... won't happen as often." Her eyes get shiny, and Ollie puts his hand on hers, trying to be comforting. He has no idea if he's helping.
"Sounds like a smart guy, this Brat." Ollie likes that the kid is realistic. Things like this will always happen. You just hope they don't happen to much and that when they do, you end up at the hospital instead of the cemetary.
"Bart."
"Yeah."
Cissie stares at him long enough that he almost gets uncomfortable. Almost. It helps that he's got his mask on. "Thanks for coming, Ollie."
"You'll be as good as Babs."
"What?"
Ollie shrugs. "Give it time. You're smart. You care about these people. You're not going to be the Oracle, because only she is, but you'll be as good in your own way. Beacon."
He sees a blush creep up her cheeks, even in the dim light. "Thank you, Dad."
Now Ollie blushes. "Eh. Don't mention it. Come on, I don't want to keep you from your friend too long."
"Okay." Cissie stands up. Ollie follows. "How long are you in town for?"
"As long as you'd like."
"Really?"
"Really."
She reaches down and takes his hand, and they walk back to the hospital together that way. When she goes back into the building, Cissie kisses him on the cheek. It's as good a goodbye as he got from Carol, in its own way. "I'll call," she tells him. He has a feeling she will.
"Invite Bart."
Beaming, Cissie nods. "I will. Night, Green Arrow." There are people milling about, after all. His daughter's no fool.
Ollie suddenly realizes he's kind of proud of her, and wishes he could take more credit for the woman she's become.
"Night, Kid."
Many Gentle Voices
"Blessed indeed is the man who hears many gentle voices call him father." - Lydia M. Child
Ollie's in the middle of... well, Carol... when he gets the call from Diana. It's his old JLA communicator, the one only four living people have the frequency to, so he untangles himself from the sheets, ignores Carol's grunt of protest, and takes the call. "What?"
It takes him a few minutes to realize why he should care that Wonder Girl's in the hospital, besides the whole "they were really after Diana" thing. Then he remembers his new daughter, Cissie, and he frowns. "Why'd it take this long to tell me?"
"You're not on the top-tier for this one, Ollie. Besides, you're a hard man to get a hold of. So to speak." Diana clicks off with some comment about whatever blonde is in his bed, and Carol laughs.
"Wonder Woman?"
"Wonder Woman." He rolls out of the bed and looks down at her. "Our goodbye party's going to have to end here. Sorry."
Carol props herself up on her elbows and looks at him. "Where you headed?"
"New York."
"Fly me there, Ollie-Ollie, we can say goodbye on the plane."
Ollie grunts an affirmative and goes to collect his gear.
--
New York is the same as ever, which is why he lives on the West Coast. When the plane lands Carol gives him a nice parting kiss, squeezes his ass, and promises not to die. He decides to take her at her word.
His regular cell phone is full of messages from Bonnie, which he ignores before calling Lian to wish her a good night. Roy already knows what happened - because Tim told Dick told Roy - which just makes Ollie angrier. There shouldn't be any such thing as a second tier with them. Or third. Or whatever he is. He makes a mental note to talk to Barbara about it.
The hospital is like any other hospital, until he gets out at the security-cleared-only twentieth floor, where there's a hall full of superheroes. It makes Ollie nervous to see this many gathered in one place, because it's never good. They don't wear their uniforms for weddings, only funerals.
Diana's not there, but Donna is. "She's inside."
"Okay. I'm not here for -"
"They're all inside, Ollie."
He looks at her. "Huh. Even Super Junior?" He'd heard things.
"Even Superboy, yeah."
Huh.
Ollie thanks her and walks into the room. He's surprised that it doesn't feel completely like a tomb. They all turn and look at him when he comes in. He grimaces over at the bed and at the woman he assumes is Wonder Girl's mother. Sandsmark. "Mrs. Sandsmark, I'm sorry to interrupt. I came to see my daughter."
The woman looks over at Cissie, whose eyes have gone as wide as her ape boyfriend - fiancé's - and nods. "You must be Mr. Queen. I've heard a lot about you."
Uh oh. "Well -"
"Don't worry, not from Bart." She manages a small smile before turning back to her daughter. Cissie climbs out of Bart's lap, gives him a peck on the cheek, then goes to Ollie.
"Let's walk."
"Okay."
--
The park near the hospital probably wouldn't be the best place for a girl like Cissie to walk, if a girl like Cissie couldn't kick the ass of anyone who even tried to mug her. Or if she weren't walking with Green Arrow. But both things are true, so she's pretty safe, and Ollie likes it better in the park than on the street.
"Why'd you come?"
Ollie sighs and makes a mental note never to have a kid with Bonnie again. Then shudders. "Because."
"That's your reason?" She gives him a look. "That's dumb, Ollie."
"I wanted to see if you were okay."
"Oh." She's quiet for a few minutes as they walk. "You could have called."
"Overkill is the hallmark of a father trying to make up for missing twenty years of his daughter's life."
"Twenty-one."
"Gee, thanks."
Cissie smiles. "Sorry, it's been a rough few days. You know."
"Yeah," he replies, and there's the weight of two dozen deaths in his words. "I know."
"Oh, of course. I'm - "
He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Don't be. I chose this life."
Her eyes harden a little. "Yeah. I guess we all did."
"Did you?"
She nods. "I did. Beacon."
"Bacon?" He hears her fine, but he also hears the sadness in her voice, so he's glad when she smiles and thwaps his arm.
"Beacon. That's what we're going to call me. I'll be like Oracle, but... not as good, I guess." She shrugs. "If... when. I don't know, it's what we were planning. Bart still wants to do it."
"Bark wants to do what? Besides deflower my daughter?"
Cissie laughs again. "Uh, that wasn't Bart, and you're waaay too late on the Bart front anyway."
Ollie knows he deserves that kind of candor, but it's still a little weird. He pretends otherwise. "So what's he want to do?"
"Start up a team."
Huh. It doesn't surprise him that these kids are going to reform a team. He knows they'd been the Teen Titans before, and some Justice thing before that, but the fact that it's the Allen that wants to form it... huh. "I'm glad you didn't fall for a Bat. No offense to your friend in there."
Cissie purses her lips. "I don't know if that's a compliment to Bart or an insult to Tim."
"Yep."
She shakes her head. "So... you think we should?"
They pass a park bench and Ollie sits down, pulling Cissie with him. "I think you guys know what's best for you. What's Barf say?"
"Bart says we're stronger as a team. That we compliment each other. And that things like... this... won't happen as often." Her eyes get shiny, and Ollie puts his hand on hers, trying to be comforting. He has no idea if he's helping.
"Sounds like a smart guy, this Brat." Ollie likes that the kid is realistic. Things like this will always happen. You just hope they don't happen to much and that when they do, you end up at the hospital instead of the cemetary.
"Bart."
"Yeah."
Cissie stares at him long enough that he almost gets uncomfortable. Almost. It helps that he's got his mask on. "Thanks for coming, Ollie."
"You'll be as good as Babs."
"What?"
Ollie shrugs. "Give it time. You're smart. You care about these people. You're not going to be the Oracle, because only she is, but you'll be as good in your own way. Beacon."
He sees a blush creep up her cheeks, even in the dim light. "Thank you, Dad."
Now Ollie blushes. "Eh. Don't mention it. Come on, I don't want to keep you from your friend too long."
"Okay." Cissie stands up. Ollie follows. "How long are you in town for?"
"As long as you'd like."
"Really?"
"Really."
She reaches down and takes his hand, and they walk back to the hospital together that way. When she goes back into the building, Cissie kisses him on the cheek. It's as good a goodbye as he got from Carol, in its own way. "I'll call," she tells him. He has a feeling she will.
"Invite Bart."
Beaming, Cissie nods. "I will. Night, Green Arrow." There are people milling about, after all. His daughter's no fool.
Ollie suddenly realizes he's kind of proud of her, and wishes he could take more credit for the woman she's become.
"Night, Kid."