Second Chances

Twelve Years Later

Miss Martian stood in the briefing room of the Hall of Justice.  Things had changed over the last dozen years.  How she wore her hair, for one thing.  It was now long once more, with a ponytail hung over her left shoulder.  Her superhero costume was different, too.  It was a white top with long sleeves that reached to his wrists.  She wore the signature red X on the front, along with azure blue leggings and red boots.  Gold buttons on her shoulders held a blue cape in the back.

She was looking over the listings on the Hall of Justice computer when the doors swished open, to reveal Zatanna standing there, holding a drink in her hand.  "C'mon, M'gann!  You're missing the party!"  A handful of new recruits had just been officially inducted into the Justice League.  One of them had been Garfield, who went by Changeling now.

Speaking of whom, said monkey man bonded into the room and over to his blood sister.  He had changed a lot in the past years as well.  He was much taller, with much less boyish features, and he donned a new purple uniform.  "C'mon, sis!  Join the fun!"  M'gann shook her head.  "No thanks, Gar.  You go on without me."  She turned back to the computer.

Garfield opened his mouth to argue with her when he heard Bart, now the new Flash, call for him. "C'mon back, dude! Cassie's gonna dance for us!" Forgetting his sister, Gar shifted into a cheetah and dashed back into the party room with a dazed expression. Zatanna rolled her eyes, shook her head, and followed him back in.

Before the door could close, a webbed hand stopped it. M'gann's stomach twisted into knots when she heard that familiar voice in it's suave, flirtatious tone. "Hello, Angelfish." She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fists. "Hello, Lagoon Boy."

Said fish boy leaned in the doorway, one eyebrow quirked and a smooth smirk on his scaly face. "Now, now, Angelfish," he said, strutting over towards her. "Lagoon Boy's retired, remember? Its just La'gaan now." He stood next to her and leaned on the wall, looking at her. "Of course, you can call me whatever you want—handsome, top dog, studmuffin—" "How about I call you 'guy leaving now'?", she asked, her eyes not leaving the computer screen. He only laughed.

"So, how are things going?", she said, now realizing he wasn't going away anytime soon. "I haven't seen you since you moved back to Atlantis." La'gaan shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, y'know. This and that. Have my own business now. I salvage stuff from sunken ships and sell them to people. Making a lotta money off of it. What about you? I don't suppose a beautiful specimen such as yourself has found a suitable mate?" M'gann shook her head. "If you're asking if I'm still single, than yes. I'm not married, not engaged, and not dating anyone."

La'gaan grinned, making the fins on his head stick out. "Great! So am I!" She looked at him. "La'gaan, if you're about to ask me if I wanna go on a date with you, the answer is no. I broke up with you because I didn't feel the same way about you that you did about me. I still don't. Its been twelve years now. You need to move on. Isn't there some nice girl in Atlantis who might be interested?"

La'gaan's smile slipped off his face. "I don't want a girl from Atlantis. I want you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, La'gaan. But the answer is still no. I don't love you. At least not in the way you want me to. You're a great friend. You were there when I needed a shoulder to cry on. But I won't be able to give you what you deserve. You need to find a girl who loves you for you."

La'gaan glared at her for a moment before spinning on his scaly heel and storming back into the party room. M'gann watched him leave the room. She had meant what she said, but there was another reason why she couldn't go out with him, or anyone else for that matter. She turned back to the computer and typed something in. Opening a file, the screen showcased a slideshow of photos—photos with Superboy in them.

M'gann sighed. It had been a dozen years since Conner had left the Team and disappeared, but she still missed him like crazy. No matter how hard she tried to move on, she couldn't get him out of her mind and her heart. She leaned over the keyboard, staring at the photos, and wondered what Conner was up to right now. What if he was married? The very thought made M'gann want to throw up. But it had been so long since she'd seen him, she supposed it was very possible that he had a wife by now.

I wish I knew where Conner was., she thought to herself. Even if he has someone else, it would still be nice to see him again. Shaking off her thoughts, she stole one last look at Conner's photos before x-ing out the slideshow and getting back to work.