Second Chances: Stargirl - Rough Draft

Chapter 7

FYI, I'm well aware of why Legends, Batwoman and Naomi were canceled. It was because Warner Bros was too cheap to continue leasing studio space for those shows, and yet they're more than willing to throw away as much money as possible on DCEU movies that aren't nearly as good as they could be. At least in my opinion. I just wanted to get that out of the way. However, hopefully HBO Max will correct the mistakes of the CW and Warner Bros soon. Now on with the story.

Also, this chapter will put a new twist on an idea from the original version of this story. I hope you'll like it.

"So, Yolanda, was happy by the offer to actually move in with us?" Pat Dugan asked his wife over the phone.

"Yeah, she was thrilled, especially with her claws showing up. Has Jay had any luck figuring out what caused that by the way?" Barbara asked.

"No luck yet. But then again, I don't really talk to Jay a whole lot, so it's hard to know for sure." Pat said.

"Does he know the real reason you're in Civic City?" Barbara asked him.

"No and neither does Rex." Pat said.

"Pat, they have a right to know." Barbara said.

"I didn't want to potentially get their hopes up and the reason I didn't tell Courtney and the others is because they'd insist on coming with me for something that could end up being nothing." Pat said.

"But if it turns out to be right?" Barb asked.

"Then I need answers before I let Rex or Jay know about this." Pat said.

"Okay, I hope you're right about this Pat. Just because I don't want to see you be disappointed by this." Barb said.

"And make sure that Courtney and the others don't know the real reason I'm here either, since as far as they know, I'm just running down another cold lead on the ISA." Pat said.

"Courtney's still upset that you're in Civic City without her. You know how much she loves visiting the JSA headquarters." Barbara said.

"And if this were a regular visit, I'd take her, but right now, not only am I keeping her out of this to avoid her getting her hopes up about anything, but I also don't trust her not to turn a trip to the JSA headquarters into a shopping spree." Pat said.

"What stuff is left there anyways? After all, you've already cleared out Rex's hourglass, Wildcat's suit and Dr. Midnite's gear and the cosmic staff was never stored there and Jay's helmet is nothing more than keepsake." Barbara said.

"True, but there's still plenty of other stuff there she could use for recruiting purposes and honestly, I feel bad enough we dragged her, Rick, Yolanda and Beth into this." Pat reminded her.

"Aren't you planning on stopping there to get one of those items if you end up being right?" Barb asked.

"Yeah. But that's beside the point. There's still a lot of stuff there I don't think should be brought back into the world." Pat said as he thought of all the artifacts still in the JSA's headquarters. Artifacts that were safe as long as the ISA never found them. Artifacts like Green Lantern's power battery, the Thunderbolt and Dr. Fate's helmet among others.

"Fair enough." Barbara agreed.

"I'll let you know what I find out." Pat said as he hung up before finally getting out of his car, only to bump into someone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Pat said, only to be stunned at who he saw he'd bumped into.

"No worries. As long as you tell me why the hell you're stalking my family Pat." Carter Hall, aka, Hawkman, aka the latest incarnation of Prince Khufu of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt asked.

"Carter?" Pat asked.

"Been a long time hasn't it Stripesy." Carter said with a smile.

"Carter, what the hell?" Pat asked as Carter sighed.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about don't we." Carter said and Pat nodded, wondering why the hell Carter hadn't reached out sooner.

"Come on, I'll get you a coffee and then we can chat." Carter said and Pat nodded as he let Carter lead him to a nearby coffee shop.

"So you and Kendra weren't killed in the attack? But I thought I saw the Wizard destroy you two?" Pat asked as he and Carter sat down at a table in the back corner of the coffee shop, talking quietly.

"No, he didn't kill us. My best guess is that the ISA didn't want to deal with the potential repercussions that could bring." Carter said and Pat nodded, knowing that Carter was talking.

"But I'm guessing they didn't just let you go." Pat said.

"They didn't. SInce they couldn't kill us, they did the next best thing. Had Dragon King work his scientific voodoo on us, essentially returning us to the State we were in before our powers emerged in this lifetime, except with the memories of our regular selves after we met." Carter said.

"So what happened, since you clearly remember me?" Pat asked and Carter chuckled.

"Ito is good, but even his science can't counter an ancient curse, at least not permanently. Besides, my resistance to it was always strong, always chipping away at the walls he put up until I was finally able to remember everything." Carter said.

"And Kendra?" Pat asked and Carter shook his head.

"She still doesn't remember anything and I never tried to make her remember, she's safer this way." Carter said.

"What do you mean?" Pat asked.

"Pat, I'm almost certain that the ISA is still keeping tabs on us in some way. If they were to discover that our memories had returned, I don't even want to think about the consequences. Especially since it's not just Kendra and I to worry about. We have a family." Carter said.

"Really." Pat said, honestly happy for them, since he knew that Carter and Kendra had both wanted kids, but tried to refrain from it, if only because it was so hard to lose them or to put their kids through the pain of losing them.

"Yeah, we have a son, Hector, he's around 15 and about a year ago, Kendra gave birth to a daughter, Alda." Carter said and Pat smiled.

"I'm happy for you Carter, but you know that eventually you're gonna have to let Kendra remember, since the ISA isn't the only enemy you're hiding from." Pat said.

"Pat." Carter said.

"You told me once that Vandal Savage was even more dangerous than the entire ISA put together and that he could sense you anywhere. You and I both know it's only a matter of time before he finds you here and if he does, he will kill you and Kendra. The only way to get ahead of that is if you both remember who you are. And you're not the only JSA members to have a family. Rex and Sylvester both did too. And both Rex's son and Sylvester's daughter have picked up their father's legacies. Even though Rex is still alive and so is Jay." Pat said.

"I know you're right and I do honestly miss the JSA, but I'm also a husband and a father. And I know before I cherished being a warrior, but not anymore." Carter said.

"Maybe so, but we need you to return. Both you and Kendra. Besides, it's time that you stop hiding. Come back to Blue Valley with me. Get back in the fight." Pat said and Carter chuckled.

"Still got a way with words I see. Fine. But first we need to wake Kendra up and there's something at the old headquarters that can help with that." Carter said and Pat nodded.

"Then that's where we go next." Pat said and Carter nodded as they finished their drinks.