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Quiet.
It was quiet.
It was so quiet.
It was too quiet.
Neither of them had said a word in hours. Maybe there were no words left between them. Maybe there was nothing that could be said at a time like this. Nothing that they didn’t already know. Nothing that could make this situation any better.
Because they failed.
Failed.
The word made Saturn Girl’s heart sink even deeper, past her stomach and towards her feet.
They really had failed, hadn’t they? They failed when they let Lor escape into the past. They failed when they didn’t completely stop him at the U.N. They failed the future that depended on them and all the people in it. They failed… Superboy.
They failed Tinya.
She inhaled tightly at the thought. Leaning a bit closer to Chameleon Boy as they sat on the floor of their cave, huddled against the wall. She felt him put an arm around her, but it brought little comfort. Across from them was their broken Time Sphere. Completely unusable and completely unsalvageable.
No going back. No fixing any of this. No saving them.
Saturn Girl tried to stiffen a choked sob. She felt the arm around her get tighter.
“Imra.” Chameleon Boy said softly, rubbing her back.
“They're gone.” She whispers tightly. A few tears ran down her face. “She’s gone…”
“I know.” He spoke back softly, voice warbling. He was just keeping it together a little better than she was. She knew she should comfort him to… but there was just… nothing left. Instead she just turned into him, letting him pull her into a tight hug, feeling him press a kiss to her hair. He started to rock them, back and forth, as she cried into his chest.
“Oh Titan above… what are we gonna do Reep?” Imra asked, snuffling harshly.
He hummed. She felt it against his chest.
“Well… Maybe we can find someone to take Superboy’s place in the timeline.” He suggested.
Imra pulled back, staring up at him. “Take-What are you-” She blinked and leaned away from his embrace. “Reep, that won’t fix anything…”
“For us? No.” He agreed, mouth set in a firm, thin line, even if his eyes were miserable. “For the future? Maybe.”
Imra frowned. “But… Superboy and Tinya-”
“Are dead, Imra. We can’t fix that now. All we can do is try and fix the time stream.” Reep sighed, antenna drooping. “Our Tinya is gone. Just like our Querl and our Grath and the rest of our families. We only have each other left.” He paused for a moment, then seemed to steel himself. “BUT someday they may be born again, a thousand years from now. With their own Reep, their own Imra… and we need to make that future safe for them however we can.” He snuggled back closer to her. “Even if we never see it.”
Imra stiffened. Wasn’t that a bitter pill to swallow? Trying to fix something, even if they could never reap any benefits from it. However, as much work as it seemed to be, Imra knew she would do anything for Tinya, Querl and Garth.
Anything for Reep too.
“We need to keep trying.” Imra whispers, still struggling with her emotions.
“Yes… but we can wait an hour or two more.” Reep said. “To Think. To Plan… and to mourn…” Imra frowned deeply as she felt him tremble against her shoulder. Finally she pulled him in as well, squeezing him to her body tightly. They had lost a lot in the last few days. Their time. Their futures. So many people. Just thinking about Tinya, Garth and Querl made her eyes sting and her heart heavy.
Their girlfriend. Their boyfriend. Their partner. All of them are gone. Forever.
But she still had Reep. She still had him and she needed to keep him safe.
No matter what.
After a few minutes they had both settled enough for Imra to make a suggestion. “Maybe Superman could take Superboy’s place?”
Reep wiped his face clear with a slight sniffle. “T-that would seem to be the most logical conclusion…”
Imra couldn’t help it. She gave him a simper and a little, watery chuckle. “You sound like Qurel.”
Reep blinked before he made a short, amused sound back. “I guess I do.” It got quiet again, Imra watching as Reep’s eyes grew dark oce more. He sighed heavily, shoulders dropping. “I miss him Imra. I miss all of them.”
“I know. I do too.” She admitted. “But I also know they wouldn’t want this for us. They wouldn’t want us to wallow in misery…”
“No. They wouldn’t.” He said, face tightening. They sat together for a few more seconds before he took a deep breath and got to his feet. Reep peered towards the entry of the cave. “First things first, we need to find a way back to Earth. We can’t do anything here.”
Imra stood up with him. “We’ll figure out a way.” She was sure they would. The dark pooling dread and sadness inside her melting away slightly under the heat of her anger. “We won’t let Lor get away with this.”
Reep turned back to her. “Like hell he’s getting away with this. Not after everything he’s done.” He exhaled before coming back close to her, bringing up a hand to hold her cheek lightly. “Its gonna be dangerous from here on out. No more redo button.”
“Almost impossible odds.” She admitted with a small smile. “When have those ever stopped us before?”
“God I love you Imra.”
“I love you to Reep.”
They kissed lightly. Enjoying the comfort of their last remaining partner. For however long they would have each other. It linger a few seconds before they parted.
“We’d better get moving.” Reep said, heading for the exit. “Theres nothing left for us here.”
No. There isn’t. Imra silently agreed with him as she followed him out. Though there was a chance to fix the timeline and save the future, there really wasn’t any hope they would be able to see it again.
And they had to accept that.