Starting to Heal?
Even though it made his very soul despair, Pagan knew that his parents would have to leave him and go back to Heaven where they now belong. They had been taken from him far to soon and now they would have to be taken again. Pagan was... better thanks to them, slightly healed from what had been done to him. Pagan was nowhere near healed completely but his parents had to go and despite how much it hurt, he was okay with that. They were needed by the universe, not just him. So with a half real smile, Pagan said goodbye and watched them go. They had stayed for three months and Pagan appreciated that.
Once they were gone, Pagan almost retreated into a cocoon again but Patience managed to stop him. As Lillian had warned her what might happen once they were gone and she was ready to help her father. He was all Patience and her siblings had after all and there was nothing she wouldn't do for him. So she forced him to take her to the Watch Tower, wanting to see it and wanting Pagan to see it again. To be reminded that Pagan was needed and that he did good, Patience might not know what had happened to her father but she knew it had been bad. As Pagan had cast the power blocking spell on himself that prevented any of their powers from working on him. Thus no telepathy, empathy or premonitions.
That made Patience see that it was something truly horrific and made her fear for her Dad but her Grams had asked her to be brave and so she would. Once in the Tower, Patience looked out the Observatory window. While she had seen the Earth from above thanks to a little spell her twin, Payton and her had come up with, it was still memorizing. To think of how all of the Earth was below them. Seven billion people and who knows how many animals. Pagan smiled at his daughter's wonderment, for a moment he let everything go and just hugged her and looked at the Earth he spent his life defending.
As the father and daughter gazed at the Earth, Diana watched them from the shadows and smiled. Her niece was healing Pagan when all else had failed. Even his parents had only helped to a certain degree. Yet she had gotten him to smile and to reach to touch someone first. It was a start at making Pagan forget what had been done to him by that...Godless beast of a Lord. Diana wished she had been the one to kill him instead of Bruce. Not that Pagan knew that or ever would know that as Clark, Bruce and her had discussed it after the deed and decided that Pagan just needed to know he was dead. Of suicide, not exactly a lie as Bruce was the one to kill him after all.
Of course unknown to all of them, Pagan suspected the truth but simply could not deal with it so he willing buried the suspicions deep within him. Forcing himself to forget what they were all capable of when it came to him. It was simply easier that way and it preserved what was left of Pagan's sanity.
Patience turned to where she 'sensed' her Aunt and of course found her there. So she reached out a hand toward Diana. "Come over here with us, Auntie Di and watch the Earth with us. Who knows it could disappear if we don't watch it every single second." She grinned at that and Diana couldn't help but to grin back as it was contagious. Diana looked at Pagan for permission and who granted it reluctantly. He had known she was there, of course, but had wanted her to simply go away and had thus ignored her presence it what was essentially a private moment with his daughter but here they were. Still though, he would not make his child unhappy.
"Your welcome to join us, Diana. I don't think the Earth will disappear without us here...but why jinx it." Humor was a good way to leave a situation behind that made him uncomfortable, a fact that he had discovered after losing Richie. Humor made him and everyone else forget his troubles. This time though it failed utterly in both regards as all Diana did was smile sadly at him while he just sighed sadly. Diana moved to their side and Patience hugged her while Pagan held onto his daughter's hand. The three of them watched the stars together, holding onto each other.
After almost an hour, Diana touched Pagan lightly, causing him to look at her to see that Patience had fallen asleep while leaning against Diana. He smiled softly at her and moved to take her in his arms but Diana beat him to her and lifted her up gracefully. They put her on the coach in the rec room Pagan had to beg Bruce for. They watched her silently for a while before Diana grabbed Pagan's hand and pulled him away. Pagan reluctantly went with her as he knew that no matter what she wanted to speak of, it would not be fun and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. Nor did he want to hurt her though as despite everything he did love her.
Once they were far enough away as to not wake Patience, Diana stopped and turned to Pagan and took a breath before blurting out. "I know that after what happened to you, you wish to hide away from the world and not deal with it. Your parents help you do that but..you can't. Pagan, you have people who are willing to help you...I am willing to help you..I just want to make you better and I know that it won't be easy but I am willing to try." Pagan looked at her and couldn't help but to smile softly at her, he wasn't ready to talk about it with her but he did appreciate what she was willing to do for him. So instead of refusing, Pagan looked at her and spoke.
"I'm not ready to speak of it but...Would you do me the honor of going with me to a movie?" Then he smiled as charmingly as he could manage. Diana laughed while she blushed becomingly.
"Yes. I would like that." Then they returned to Patience and Pagan orbed the three of them back to Earth, unaware that they had been watched by the security cameras.