The Lanterns of Earth had received the same message as those across the galaxies, setting their rings aglow with the sorrowful voices of the guardians.

While Hal sped ahead to Oa, Jessica carried the message to the bleeding Justice League (many of them still on the battlefield), "Darkseid's forces are attacking across the universe."  She spoke in to the coms.

Face to face with the Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, and Flash in the Hall of Justice, the Lantern ran her hands through her hair and sighed. Her ring bugged her again, a-summoning.

"The Earth it- it has so many protectors and I'm a Lantern in the Corps- we have to-" Jessica hopes to explain what felt to her like abandonment of her home.

Cyborg lay a hand- it's metal dented in places- on her shoulder and smiled sadly, "We understand. Duty calls, huh? Not all planets have a Justice League."

"We've got this covered." Barry said. He glanced down at his propped-up leg; it was still healing from a wound sustained a hour ago. Once it had sufficiently recovered, the Flash would be back out. 

Jessica looked between the two and pursed her lips. She drew Vic in to a tight hug, "I'll see you guys again soon, Kay? We're a team."

"Of course." Her teammate answered, pouring all the conviction he could muster in to his words.

For fear of upsetting his wounds, Jessica squeezed Barry's shoulder and he smiled up at her, "Good luck Jessica."

She thanked him and parted for an alien front.

***
Any misstep could be their last- so bad and bloody was the war.

Damian's soul felt the warmth of fortune breathe upon him as the sprigs of death groaned. The wraiths were in full flow around the streets and mourned the loss of his death. Raven had liberated him from an encaging ring of parademons.

He thanked her by slicing clean-off the head of one whose jaws snapped towards her. Around the two of them, no more than two metres in any direction, Raven snapped up a protective dome of near-black. Damian viewed the colour with a flickering concern at what it said of the hold on her demonic side. She retrieved a thin chain from a concealed pocket and made quick hanging it around his neck. A circular disk, inscribed with characters that Damian hadn't the time to decipher, was it's only embellishment: of a dull bronze hue and with a yellow, roughly cut stone of some kind suspended in its centre.

"What is-"

"Jut for protection." Raven shushed him, pressing her forehead to his. "Please...Just for protection..."

He nodded and the shield dropped.

Damian spun and kicked a parademon across the head before plunging his katana in to its chest. Raven splayed her arms and demanded her soul-self rise. The spiritual raven, an immense bird of shadow, as much herself as her hair and eyes, descended upon a group of advancing parademons. Like a thunderstorm, clouds of doom, the soul-self consumed the parademons and left in their place only mangled remnants.

Three parademons slammed in to a car on Robin's left and Starfire descended. Her hair was ablaze and ran as if fire and water had become one. With the ferocity of a mother lioness, she regarded her cubs with a fleeting softness in her eyes; before a parademon screeched the summons of battle once more and her starbolts burned a hole through its chest.

The Tamaranian carved her way through the air and land, silhouetted formidable against the night sky of one looked upwards. Her green bolts seared the forces of Darkseid in to submission. With Robin slicing through hoards immobilised by a freezing spell of his love's working, the Bluebeetle pushing a joint attack with Wondergirl, and (at the neck of the road, further ahead) the great Khadija Al Azraq clearing hoards of parademons with the very wind and earth gladly submitting to her will, the attackers were sent in to retreat. Such situations had happened in other places of combat across the world- the peoples of the gods and heroes of all continents were a sufficient match for parademon pawns.

The last few days had presented an unmistakeable pattern to the protectors of the Earth: Darkseid's hoards would take no more than half a day to recuperate if they'd been forced to flee. That left the Titans some hours to rest and regain their strength.

It was in these few hours that Koriand'r stumbled upon an image that both warmed and broke her heart. The Titans were family, and the teenagers were her children- no matter how reluctantly they might accept the title.

Those bloodstained and weary children of hers were huddled on to a sofa, all breathing at different rhythms but singing the same song of exhaustion. Kori could cry. They were so young, all of the.

How cruel a world to spoil their youth?
Donna's face ought to have been lighted by a smile, not the frown that remained even in her sleep.

Raven put her arm around the younger girl and Jaime let his head rest on Donna's shoulder. Gar, in the form of a golden retriever, instinctively nestled in to her lap. Her eyebrows lifted and she settled contently, hugging Damian's right arm, leaning across Jaime: Conner was attached to his left. They sought and found warmth in one another, individuals but members of a whole.

Kori wished that Dick were there, but he had gone to Gotham with Batman and Catwoman, battling one of the worst fronts in the country. She could lose him just as she risked losing the rest of her dearest ones. Whatever would she do if she answered an ominous ring only to hear of her Nightwing having died without her?

Any misstep could be their last- so bad and bloody was the war.

Khadija, Robin's grandmother entered the living room with two steaming mugs and handed one to Kori, who accepted it with a tight smile.

Ancient and beautiful, the sorceress looked to the children and smiled.

"I have seen many a war. Wars that ran entire cities with blood. Wars for love, for dominance, for pride," she spoke like time, "wars that have decimated and destroyed. But do you know why we continue? Why we rebuild?"

Kori knew exactly why and smiled in that knowledge. Damian's grandmother was a wise, wise woman.

"It is for them." Khadija said, as Conner snored softly. "The children are the promise of tomorrow. They carry a million more tomorrows within- if only we let them. We rebuild for hope. Hope that our children will do right all that we have done wrong, and hope that each generation will smile more than the last."

Koriand'r thought that she might listen to her speak without end for an eternity and only ever be more content in her words- as though she had an unquenchable thirst and Khadija was a bottomless well.

"I love them like they are of my own making, my own children." Koriand'r confessed.

The warrior's eyes were soft in understanding, "There is no other way to truly know our young. They are precious indeed."

Slumbering, Raven pulled her knees up

"I do not wish to lose any of them." Starfire said, throat closing in on itself.

"I know...I know my dear." Khadija raised her black tea to her lips and sipped.

Kori followed suit, surprised at the flavour that met her.

"Ah, soothing mint tea." Khadija noted her confusion. "It clears the mind, warms the soul and relaxes the body. You must finish your cup then get some rest."

"Oh no I-"

"Please," Khadija entreated, "get some sleep. I shall watch over you all." She regarded them all, from the sofa to the fiery woman besides her with sadness. "I have walked the Earth for so long. You are all children to these old eyes." She patted Kori's shoulder and the Tamaranian went dutifully to her room.

The warrior settled in to an armchair and glanced at the soft spirits fluttering around her and the teenagers bundled together.

"I shall watch over you all."

In another corner of the universe, Darkseid himself had brought another galaxy to it's knees.

A.N:

Hello my darlings! How are we feeling about today's chapter??? I think we got a bit of everything in! Some action, some friendship, a dash of Damirae, and some wisdom from Damian's grandmother! All in all a very lovely chapter to write. ^-^

Thank you my lovelies

-Bats :)