Maybe One Day...

It was her pale lips that curled into a raisin that made Garrett fall to his chair and sink his head into his book. It was too late by then. He could feel her menacing presence loom closer and closer until she was staring down at the two children, her blue eyes, staring icicles into Garrett. He darted his eyes up for a millisecond, giving her the moment she was waiting for. “Finals, Mr. Thompson. You do remember those yes?” the librarian, her name, a fleeing mist in Garrett’s mind, as he replied back to her. “Oh I can't forget, Mrs…?”

The librarian wouldn't budge. “So you fully acknowledge that it is important for every other student, including you, to be studying for his semester, yes? Because it seems you have forgotten that!” she waved a hand and Garrett eyed the students in tables around him, half of them holding in laughter, the others holding in surprise, while his old friends from the comic book club barely able to hold in their chuckles, except for Emma, who only stared down at her world history book. Garrett nodded to the librarian. “Yes. I do.” Garrett scratched his head. He eyed Sasha who was across from him, her face blank but he knew that inside, the ex-assassin was cackling on the inside. “I...apologize...for my loudness.” Garrett waved a hand to the library.

He felt the librarian’s finger aim it's hot ray towards him. “You can always go somewhere else to goof off. Remember that. The world doesn't revolve around you Mr. Thompson.” she said before walking away. The library was truly silent for a good while, until, after hushed conversations later, Sasha broke, Garrett’s wave of embarrassment. “Your earth’s school system is weak, to say the least. So yeah, I had C.O.D.Y. ‘cheat’ for me.” she put up finger quotes. Garrett nodded. “And why do I have to study then?”

“Because it's like you said earlier,” Sasha leaned towards him. “Education is the foundation for the world.” it came out warmer than he thought it would. He felt a rushing wave of something he couldn't describe. It was odd hearing Sasha speak in such a soft tone. It made him relax a little instead of feeling irritation at her mocking him, something that even after all the time they spent together, he still grew mad at. He leaned in closer to her and whispered back. “You know one of these days, I’m going to Judo flip you instead.”

“Dollar to a dime Thompson,” Sasha grinned. 

“What?”

“It's a phrase.”

“...”

“My Captain used to say that. He was an old timer.”

“....And I’m the dork?”

Sasha did something that made Garrett forget about the multiple choice study guide for Biology in front of him: she giggled. At first, he was confused. Maybe he misheard her. But the soft tone made his heart jump and it was like a switch came on in his head. He stared at Sasha. The ex-assassin wasn't garbed in black camo and straps and belts of ammo and knives like usual, instead of with help from Garrett’s sister, decided that denim was her new choice of clothing(though she hated the blue, opted for gray instead). Her hair which was usually up in a bun was flowing down to her shoulders, curly and her menacing hazel eyes that usually sent fear into enemies was soft. Garrett felt himself be pulled closer to Sasha. He didn't know he was staring too hard at her until she flicked him on the head.

“Ow.”

“Big baby.” Sasha grinned.

“I’ve fought dragons before.”

“And you still wine when you get tapped out.”

“You had me in a very hard armbar.” Garrett protested.

“It was ten percent.”

Garrett stopped himself from raising his voice. He eyed the librarian who was in fact, eyeing him right back. He made a smile that looked more like gritted teeth, before looking back at Sasha. “I’m letting it go…”

“Yep. Go ahead mini Raizen.”

“You know I’d expect you to be silent, not so i don't know… Shit-talk-ish.”

“Well, that movie you made me watch got me thinking.” 

“What movie?”

“night...Night something-”

“Nightwing. It's not hard to remember.”

“Yea the one with the Crow actor.”

“Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee!” Garrett clamped his mouth shut from having what his sister Veida called a Nerd-outburst. He leaned back in. “Do you know how many earths it took for me to find one where they made a 90s spinoff movie of Grayson? With Him??”

Sasha flicked his forehead. “Shut Up. As I was saying. I see the tactile advantage of upsetting my opponents with insults. I see why you do it. So I’m trying it out.”

“Is that why you called that gladiator a ‘bloated bitch’?” 

“It worked didn't it?”

Garrett thought for a moment. “You’re correct.” Sasha shrugged. “There you go.” she grabbed Garrett’s head and aimed it at his notebook. “Now back to your studying.”

“Don't grab me like that!”

“I can grab you any way I want to.”

“You-you know what? We’ll settle this later.”

“Sparring or grappling?” Sasha bounced her feet.

“With rock paper scissors, you enjoy hurting me too much.”

Sasha's face became blank. A grin spread across her face. Garrett felt it again. That surge of feeling in his heart.  He found himself looking at her hand. For a moment he wanted to hold it, and keep holding it for a very long time. He saw Sasha look at him for a moment longer.

-----

Garrett awakened from his trip down memory lane. He had forgotten where he was, taking in his new surroundings. He was in a lush room of complete lavender, from the furniture to the drapery and the canopy around the bed he was laying on. Everything started to flashback into his mind until he remembered that he was in the Orrery, the middle ground of the multiverse. He turned and the Orrery’s keeper, one of the most powerful demons in the multiverse and one of the most important, the key holder, the one that could open any door in the multiverse, Surgat looked at him.

Surgat closed his book with a black paw and adjusted his glasses over his feline eyes. “Good dream I hope?”

Garrett scanned him from top to bottom. Surgat decided to be in the form of a humanoid leopard in a casual sweater, tan slacks, and brown loafers. “You were watching me while I was asleep,” Garrett stated.

Surgat stood and stretched his long frame. “Well, it's not often I get to see you humans sleep. My brothers have all the fun. And you, my friend, love to drool.” he chuckled then left the room. Garrett sat on the edge and stared out into the window where a swirling portal sucked away collapsed buildings in the distance. He felt it then. That warm feeling in his heart. Sasha's face flashed in his mind. He felt anguish then. She could be dead for all he knew. The last they saw each other, he was being tossed into a dimension made of pure darkness while she struggled against assassins. Garrett was on the verge of tears. He should have told her. Told her how he felt about her. Even if he didn't know what he was feeling then, he could have expressed it to her.  Now he might never get that chance.

The Nomad’s voice rang in his head, her last words to him before he left the daughter of a god to claim her place to restore the post-apocalyptic earth back to glory. Hope is always there. You just have to tap into it.

Somewhere, out in the vast multiverse, he knew, his family was still alive. He knew that C.O.D.Y., Raizen, and Sasha were still alive. Maybe they were looking for him. That’s if they knew he was alive. As far as the world knew, Garrett Thompson was dead. Garrett choked out a laugh as he gathered his things and went for the door. He touched the knob and the familiar humming of a whole new world on the other side came to him. He remembered a story arc in the Batman mythos. After Final Crisis, when the world thought the Dark Knight was dead, in reality, he was just back in time, finding his way home, back to his time, to Gotham. 

Garrett hoped to do the same. To see Sasha again. Maybe he’d be able to hold her hand after all of this. Maybe one day.