How the Fox caught the Bat

"I was caught in a love triangle with one dead side."
― John Green, Looking for Alaska

Synopsis:

After the league returns from the future, John Stewart unveils a heart shattering revelation to his past lover; him and Shayera have a son, but he will not be the puppet of destiny. John is both stubborn and determined to write his own fate, so he chooses to stay with Mari McCabe. When John tells Shayera, she is filled with both thrill and outrage because the man she loves, chooses another over her and is the murderer of her only son. But Shayera refuses to give up and she proceeds to pursue John, in the hopes of rekindling what they once had. But … Where does this leave Mari?

Main Cast:

*Mari McCabe, Model, Vixen

*John Stewart, Ex-Marine, Green Lantern (Mari's current Beau)

*Shayera Hol, Ex- Thanagarian Scout, Hawkgirl (John's ex)

*Bruce Wayne, Billionaire Playboy, Batman

Supporting Cast:

*Clark Kent, Journalist, Superman

*Wally West, pending, The Flash

*Diana Prince, Princess, Wonder Woman

* J'onn J'onzz, idk, The Martian Manhunter

~~~Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They are all the property of DC Comics and their writers.

And "IT" begins

The Watch Tower…

Mari is waiting for John in the cafeteria…

"I cannot believe this," Mari thought to herself while she waits for John once again. She looks up from the table, channeling eagle vision in the hopes of spotting him. "Nope, I don't see him anywhere," she says quietly to herself as she begins to get up from the table. This would be the fourth time John was "too busy" or just plain forgot about their lunch date. Mari was fed up, both her heart and her pride were hurt… Sighs, "… Whatever," she makes her way towards and out of the exit. Heading to her room just down the hall.

"This is the fourth goddamn time he has done this. He better have a good excuse for not showing up," Mari shouts to herself while she sits by the window in her room.

"What could be more important than us?" Mari struggles to understand Johns' reasons for abandoning her. Though she has noticed after a mission the league had involving the future, he has been distant, but he reassures her constantly that nothing is wrong. Mari has her doubts, but she still loves John and believes he will her tell when he is ready.

"Mari… Are you there?" John buzzes the intercom to Mari's door.

"It's open." Mari says in a voice of disappointment and slight disgust.

John walks in the room to find a very sad and disappointed Mari.

"Mari, look I am sorry … the tim...e just…" John attempts to layout an excuse for his absence, but Mari cuts him off before he can.

"Let me guess, the league needed you… Oh wait! You were abducted by aliens …" Mari fiercely argues with him as she stands to her feet and begins walking towards him.

"Mari, don't be like that … I'll make it up to you," John reassures Mari as he reaches to for her hands with the intension of holding them.

"Don't be like what?" Mari snatches her hands away, placing them tightly behind her back.

The atmosphere surrounding the two in this moment feels with the emotions of hurt, hatred, and love; as John notices Mari's body language. But John is stubborn and continues to grab for her.

"Come here Mari, Please… I don't want to fight. It has been a long day and I would just like for us to sit down for lunch like we planned to," John says to Mari in soft seductive tone as he walks slowly towards her, all while convincing her to lend him her hands.

Mari is calm now, though she feels naïve. She lets him pacify her.

"Mari, you know I love you, right?" John pulls her closer to him in an aggressive, but gently way.

"Go on," Mari eases up replying with a smirk.

"I know I haven't been the most reliable boyfriend these past months, but things just have been crazy. And yea … yea I know that is not a good excuse to ignore you, the person I claim to love. But these past events brought back a ton of hurt from the past. In the fu…," John stops himself realizing that what he would say next could possibly hurt her.

"In the fu?" Mari looks at John in confusion.

"Nothing, forget it, just know that it is over and I will put all my efforts into making up lost time with you," John tells Mari softly as he leans in for a kiss.

Mari, still confused accepts the kiss, but she does not commit to it right away. Instead of melting in her lovers' embrace, she continues to try and piece together what he was trying to tell her. "Stop it Mari," she says to herself and she begins to let Johns' lips drawn her in for a brief moment of ecstasy. John hand begins to wonder and as things began to heat up …footsteps stop just in the entrance of the door.

Lips separate and eyes wonder to the door to find a winged woman with the facial expression of … shock and a hint of embarrassment.

"Shayera …?!" John looks at his ex – lover with confusion, embarrassment, and slight disgust for invading their privacy.

But Mari sees something different on his face. She sees want… "What the hell is it," Mari lets both frustration and jealously wash away her calm and graceful demeanor.

"Mari, don't be like that," John corrects her tone not realizing his is adding onto Mari's suspicion between the two.

"I didn't mean to interrupt, but I need to talk to you John," Shayera says firmly.

Mari walks back to the window and takes a seat. She lets out a sigh as she lets her body drop into the soft cushion of the window side seat. She looks out the window before giving her attention back to her boyfriend and his ex – lover.

Mari chuckles … "Wow…," She shakes her head at the thought of John scolding her.

"Mari please … Not now," John says in a calm tone as he gives his attention to Shayera.

"Shayera, what is it?" John askes in a curious manner.

"Can we talk somewhere in private?" Shayera motions for John and her to leave.

John looks at Mari for approval. "Go ahead," Mari tells him in an annoyed tone.

John and Shayera leave the room…

Mari is overcome with sadness and a tear trails from her light brown eyes as she sits alone in her room wondering. What has her relationship with John come to and why does she have a feeling Shayera has something to do with the sudden downfall of John's affection towards her. She could not put her finger towards it, but she knew something wasn't right between them and as she waits by the window seat an answer reveals itself to her. "Future," Mari said to herself … John was attempting to tell her about what happened in the future, but what?

In the Meeting room…

John feels bad, not only has he stood up Mari, but he also left her on her own so that he could leave with his ex. But, he was curious to what Shayera wanted. The two walk through the halls of the league tower ending up in the meeting room. Why the meeting room?

"Privacy, like always no one is here," Shayera says to John answering the look of confusion he had on his face.

Shayera motions for him to have a seat, so he did and she follows swiftly. Shayera sighs before she sits down. She looks at John nervously and begins to fidget with her fingers. Shayera had been bringing herself to the courage to ask him this question for a while, but now as she sits here, her clear thoughts become cloudy as her eyes drift away in the green eyes of John. Her words are lost, tangled in the taste buds of her tongue.

"What is it Shayera?"

"I brought you here to ask you a very important question and be honest with me, John."

"Ok, I will. Go on, please."

"This may sound silly, but I have notice you have been advoiding me after the mission were the league went to the future. I unfortunately wasn't there, but I want to ask you what happened on that trip to make yourself distant yourself away from me?"

"Shayera, why does it matter if I avoid you? We are no longer together and I am with Mari now," John becomes defensive because he does not want to answer her question.

"It matters because we work together and the tension is making our workplace uncomfortable. So … spare me the crap and tell me what happened on that mission John?"

John decides to get up and attempts to leave, but Shayera stands in his way.

"John! Tell me what happened? Please, just tell me and I will leave you alone…if it's that bad," she begs him fiercely.

"Fine …" John finally gives in.

"In the future we have a son together…"

"John! That's wonderful, this means you and I ca…." Shayera is cut off by John.

"This means that I will be staying with Mari, the women I love."

"But John, it's destiny for us to be together and have a son."

"I refuse to be controller by destiny, I want to make my own fate and it will be with Mari."

"Do you realize you are taking away my option to have a son? It's like murder! How can you see the person we created together and look me in the eyes, the mother of your unborn son and tell me you don't wanna?"

"I made up my mind … I am staying with…"

"Mari, I get it, but if you were so set on your relationship with her why did you have to give this little bump in the road such thought? You still love me, don't you? Admit it, you scream your love for Mari from the heavens, but deep down inside and when your alone in thought you are thinking about me … Not her because you are in love with me and settling for her."

John looks at the now flushed face of Shayera realizing it was a mistake to tell her. He wore the look of shame all over him and she could see it… By the expression his face gave way to, he knew that she knew she was right. But Mari does not deserve this, so he tries again to leave. But she stops him with a kiss. John wants to pull away, yet he doesn't. He secretly dreamed of this moment, the moment him and her would share a kiss again.

Seems like hours had passed, but here he was still lost in the woes of forbidden love and cheap thrill as he emotional cheats on the woman he claims to love and jeopardize the birth of his unborn son for. Emotions run deep and he forgets where they are, how open the room really was. Just as john gets a grip on reality and how wrong the current situation was…the door flings open.

The mood is shot by the bat. Shayera removes her lips from his and stares at the man in black as the expression of embarrassment consumes her face.

"Bruce! We were just talking … mostly," Shayera says after she fixes her mouth and moves away from John.

"Listen, you didn't see anything that went on here just now, Ok?" John tells Bruce is a defensive tone.

"I told you, I don't care about what you do in your private lives as long as it does not put the league in jeopardy," Bruce begins walking towards the mischievously behaving two.

Out of shear embarrassment, Shayera quickly excuses herself from the room leaving John and Bruce together alone in an awkward silence. John proceeds to walk out too, but Bruce stops in front of him. What does he want?

"But, as your friend … I would have to ask you to think about what you were doing. What about Mari? How will she react when she finds out?"

"If she finds out."

"Don't tell me you plan on hiding this from her."

"It was a mistake, I got caught up in old emotions and well … it just happened. A mistake nothing more and nothing less. She doesn't need to know, so I won't tell her and neither will you."

"And if I decide to tell Mari? What will you do then John?"

"You won't tell her," John replies as he makes his way out of the door.

"Why won't I, John?" Bruce asks him out of curiosity

"Because it would make you a hypocrite."

John leaves the room…

Bruce glares at the man disappears behind the closing the door. Bruce felt sorry for Mari, no one ever deserves to be lied to especially about things dealing with emotions. Bruce stood in the room alone lost in thought until a ring became present in his ear. He answered and it was Alfred.

"Master Bruce, don't forget you have a charity event attend at 8:00 pm."

"Thanks Alfred, I am on my way," Bruce hangs up the phone while swiftly making his way to exit of the watchtower.

To be continued …