J'onnverse: Bedtime Stories_Green Lantern

by Chicago

Pairing: Kyle Rayner(Green Lantern/Jenny Lynn Hayden (aka Jade)

NOTE: Bedtime Stories is a series of vignettes that will make more sense if you've read Waking. All six stories are set within a day or two of the end of Waking and are presented in chronological order, but each one more or less stands alone.

Disclaimers: Characters and setting belong to DC Comics, borrowed for fun, not for profit.

Setting: J'onnverse

Canon notes:

GL: Jenny Lynn Hayden (aka Jade) got her powers back during the "Ion" storyline in Green Lantern (issues 143-150).

Plas: Part of the dialogue regarding Plasticman's fatherly potential is taken from JLA #65. For more on Plas and Woozy, read Darklady's "Thanksgiving is for Families" in the J'onnverse.

Aquaman: We've jettisoned Obsidian Age in favor of the J'onnverse's "All's Fair." There will be similar issues, though, since ripping the capital city out of a nation for several months is bound to have ripple effects. A small general note on Dolphin - I'm playing with her characterization and drawing from earlier than present canon.

Rating: Mostly PG-ish, although the Plasticman segment might move into R territory.

Archive: Batslash and Martian Manlove page

J'onnverse: Bedtime Stories - Green Lantern
By Chicago

Jenny Lynn Hayden came awake suddenly, aware more than anything of the hum of a muted television set. It wasn't what had woken her, she knew, nuzzling against the broad chest her cheek was resting on. She felt an arm tighten around her in wordless response.

"Sorry," came a whisper from above her head, and she opened her eyes.

"Don't be," she answered, staring at the television past the foot of the bed. It was blinking from channel to channel, pausing briefly here and there for global news. Nothing was happening, of course. How could it? Who could possibly have the energy or the will to wish for anything but sleep and companionship after ... after all that?

She raised her head to look up at Kyle's face. He was staring at the screen, his brow furrowed. She dropped a kiss to his chest. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked sympathetically.

His eyes left the television screen for a moment. "Superman called. It was Mars."

She nodded. "And J'onn and Batman?"

"They're back." His fingers continued working the remote, flipping through the channels.

Jen ran a hand gently, soothingly, down his chest. "They're okay?"

Kyle nodded, his eyes still riveted on the TV.

Jen reached out and gently closed her hand over his on the remote. "Hey," she said. "How about you talk about it?"

Kyle's body went tense for a moment, then he sighed and snapped the television off, tossing the remote to one side. "You're right."

Jen slid up in the bed to kiss his cheek. "Of course I'm right," she noted, shifting so they were face to face, so she could see his eyes. She reached out to trace his jaw. "What's wrong?"

Kyle dropped his eyes and stared down at his hands, bare of the ring in case he fell asleep. He traced the space on his finger where he usually wore it. "The world doesn't need any superheroes right now," he said quietly.

"That's probably a good thing, given..." She trailed off. No need to finish the sentence.

"I know. It is a good thing. But it won't last."

"Probably not," Jen acknowledged.

"Don't you wish it could, though?" Kyle pleaded, his eyes meeting hers with sudden intensity. "I mean really wish - don't you feel like you got a glimpse, there toward the end, of what -"

He broke off as if words could never hope to be adequate, and Jen gathered his hands into her own. "Yes, Kyle," she whispered. "Yes, I do. Even as much as I missed my powers before, I'd trade them back if it meant that the world would never need them again.

"The world's not there yet, Kyle. I know what you mean about getting a glimpse of what it could be, but at what cost?"

Kyle sighed and turned his face away. "I know. It's just-"

She squeezed his hands slightly. "Kyle."

He turned back to her, his eyes still haunted. She offered him a little smile.

"I love you, you know."

He blinked at her, then a slow smile started on his face. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Even when you're being a giant angst ball."

He raised an eyebrow. "Angst ball?"

She shrugged. "First thing that came to mind?"

He chuckled and pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I love you, too, Jen," he breathed into her hair.

She kissed his collarbone in response, urging him to settle back into the bed and cuddling up to him. He stayed awake a while longer, staring at the ceiling, but then she felt his body relaxing and his breathing deepening into sleep. She smiled slightly to herself and pressed another soft kiss into his chest.

"You're a good man, Kyle Rayner," she whispered. Then she closed her eyes and joined him in sleep.

End