CHAPTER 199

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[David Lance POV]

As Wioska, Dex-Starr and I flew back to Earth, I could not help but dwell on the bleak future that awaited me, that awaited everyone. 

I knew it was only a matter of time before Darkseid and Brainiac unleashed his forces against the universe, both trying to destroy each other, and I trying to destroy them.

Every time I closed my eyes, I felt a cold dread in the pit of my stomach at the thought. 

Even then, amongst all my worries and fears, I could not help but marvel at the beauty of our universe as we soared through its depths. 

There was something about being up in the stars that brought a sense of peace with it, if only for a short while. I guess now that Raven was here, things didn't seem so bad.

"Worrying won't solve a thing, you know?" Wioska said, interrupting my thoughts.

"I know," I replied.

"You know, but what do you intend to do about it?" Wioska said, a faint smile adorning her wearied face.

"I intend to win," I answered, closing my eyes, exhausted from the long intergalactic voyage, and the worries that haunted my mind.

"I have a question, why are you fighting this war?" Wioska asked. "You have no responsibility with this universe, no chains holding you back. You could leave, and let them fend for themselves, so enlighten this old woman, and tell me… why are you fighting?"

"It is not why I fight for, it's who I fight for," I replied without missing a beat.

"I see," Wioska chuckled, understanding my answer. "I suppose that's as good as any reason."

I was determined to win this war, not for me, not even because I owed this universe that. I was determined to win for Raven, to keep intact the image she has on me.

Perhaps it was foolish.

But when has the heart ever been wise?

Lucifer was right.

I loved her.

I always have.

And I always will.

I don't know how I didn't see it sooner, but it was my truth, I loved Rachel, and it was liberating to admit that to myself.

Perhaps it was the fact I was risking my life, and the threat this represented made this clear, putting my life into perspective.

So, for her, I can be a hero, one last time.

I will save this reality, and live to tell the tale, that much I vow to do.

"Good reason or not, it is the wind beneath my sails," I replied, clenching my fists as we flew through the vacuum of space, ready to take on whatever laid ahead of me.

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[Two hours later.]

As I descended to earth from my long out of space journey, I noticed Raven waiting for me at my landing spot.

My eyes locked with hers, as I pondered about my feelings, and I looked into her, she looked into me, smiling in a way only she could, barely noticeable, showing there was some kind of connection between us that transcended physical boundaries between us. 

Her beauty left me speechless; her presence was breathtaking, so strong, yet so delicate. Death's embrace does put things into perspective, I ought to thank her later, if I ever see her again.

"How was your mission?" Raven asked calmly.

"Good," I replied. "Kind of… I managed to recruit the Green Lanterns, and the Red Lanterns. The Yellow Lanterns attacked me, and the blue ones, well, they have no reason to help me."

Raven frowned. "No reason? And what do you call saving their universe?"

I cracked a smile at her. "You'd be surprised how blind some people can be."

"Well, two corps are better than none," Raven sighed, before a smile took over her face. "I succeeded in my mission, I managed to get the wizard Shazam to help us, he even said he would make more than one Shazam, something about changing the way things work."

Multiple Shazams, I wonder how that will work.

As Raven continued to talk about how her mission had gone, the warmth tone melted away my apprehension; her presence was comforting and filled me with a sense of belonging. 

Love truly is a confounding emotion and when it strikes it is hard to ignore and even harder to control.

"Rae, if you died today, would you regret anything?" I asked, cutting her short.

"You're not dying," Raven shot back, clearly not pleased with my question.

"I don't plan to, but please humor me for a second, would you regret anything, at all?" I asked once again.

"A few," Raven said after a while. "What about you?"

Before she could say another word, my arms were around her,  brushing her hair with one of my hands, letting it slide beneath my fingers.

"I would regret not doing this," I said, and before she could withdraw her shocked mind from its far places, I bent back her head across my arms and kissed her, softly at first, and then with a swift gradation of intensity that made her cling to me as the only solid thing in a dizzy swaying world. 

It felt like an eternity, our lips connecting in a way that felt like nothing else mattered. For a few brief moments, the air around us hung heavy. 

Then the moment was gone, our kiss having come to an end. 

For a single second our eyes locked together and then we both looked away, suddenly embarrassed by what had happened between us. 

We had broken the kiss and so much more, destroying everything we had known about us so far. 

"So… I guess that's out of your list, right?" Raven asked, a heavy blush on her pale face. "Of the things you would have regretted?"

"Yes, but I would regret not doing it again," I replied, my voice shaky, even thought it was coming from my ring. I guess the ring was reading my emotions and acting accordingly.

"Then don't die," Raven replied, turning around.