Sell you a Bridge chapter 365

June 1st 2023, Gotham City, Gojo Penthouse 4:00 PM EDT

"I  don't approve." I said firmly. My mood was pretty much in the gutter  despite it being my twenty third birthday (though Reggie had tried to  convince me I got two of those since I was reborn as a Dark Endless).

Zee,  who was curled against me, giggled. "Yes, you've made that incredibly  clear. Sadly for you despite all your powers you don't get to tell her  how to live her life. She's in her twenties now, and if she wants to  date she can. I think it's sweet that she's bringing him to your  birthday dinner."

I sulked. "She's my little girl. I refuse to allow her to consort with  that ridiculous pretty boy." I turned to where youngest daughter was  playing on the floor. "Anna would never do anything like that. Would you  pumpkin?" My pink eyed daughter looked up and gave me a gap toothed  grin, her happy four year old face alight with enthusiasm as she nodded happily while having no earthly idea what I was talking about.

Drea,  who was sitting on the couch next to me, chuckled and took a long sip  of her boba tea. "Keep telling yourself that. Besides, you're being too  hard on Rana. I think Conner is a fine young man, and they have so much  in common." She grinned at me. "Besides, it could have been worse. She  could have started dating Nightwing."

I  narrowed my eyes at her. "I'd have ripped his fucking spine out." I  shot a glance at Wally, who was sitting with Artemis as they watched  their son, Max, play with Anna. Max was a year or so younger than my  daughter at three, but they were close enough in age that my little girl  spent most of her time with her cousin. "No offense dude."

My  surrogate brother in law rolled his eyes. "I'm more concerned with your  language in front of our kids than the threat, dude. I know how you and  Rob love to rag on each other, but watch your mouth."

Artemis  nodded solemnly. "Yeah, talk like that in front of my son again and  I'll kick your ass." Max's slightly pointed ears perked up as his mother  spoke, and Wally gave her a disapproving look. Artemis, not one to let  go of a joke, simply ignored him.

She  could NOT, however, ignore her own mother, who scowled at her from the  other side of the room. "Stop corrupting my grandson. Max is an angel, I  won't have him turning into a hooligan like the rest of you." Paula was  here with Claire and Jim of course, though Claire was off on the  Balcony talking with Bette and Sindella, while Taylor, Reggie, Gojo, and  Suzie were watching a soccer match in the media room upstairs.

My  own mother, who was cooking dinner for me, came in with a smile. "Oh,  are we talking about Rana's new boyfriend? She brought him over to be  formally introduced last week. I think he's very polite." Her grin took  on a bit of a wicked gleam. "He's a hunk too. All that muscle, very  cute."

"What was that?" Bellowed my step father from upstairs. His voice mildly outraged at his wife drooling over a boy half her age.

My  mom smirked and yelled back. "Nothing Sato, shut up and watch your  sportball." I could practically hear him grumbling about not getting any  respect from all the way downstairs, but mom simply ignored him and  turned to my daughter. "Anna sweetie, dinner is going to be done soon  and I need someone to set the table. Go get your Auntie Hana and tell  her to come downstairs."

My  little girl squealed with enthusiasm and stood up to bolt up the steps,  fast enough that I saw Zee tense and prepare a spell to catch her if  she tripped, but our little demigod was just as graceful as Drea, so it  wasn't necessary. Mom watched her go with a smile. "That girl is too  precious for words. She reminds me of you at that age Morgan. So much  energy, at least until you discovered that damned computer."

I  rolled my eyes. "Yes mother. Technology is evil and all the children  were ruined by the idiot box. Your advanced age has officially been  confirmed. I promise not to let it turn my daughter into a degenerate  like her father." I stuck out my tongue at her, and she narrowed her  eyes at me.

"Don't  mouth off to me boy. Just because you're a universe level super god  doesn't mean I can't still make you miserable." I snorted at that, but  decided discretion was the better part of valor and kept quiet.  "Speaking of daughters." She said with narrowed eyes. "Why exactly  haven't I gotten to attend a wedding yet?"

I  cringed. "Mom!" I said in horror. "You can't ask stuff like that. We'll  do it in our own time. We've just been too busy." My mother, having  been raised Catholic by her whackjob assassin family, was pretty  traditional, and despite having accepted my girls hadn't given up on  seeing her boy with a white picket fence, albeit one with maybe an extra  gate. When I'd proposed to Zee and Drea a year and a half ago she'd  been thrilled, but she found me 'dragging my feet' unbearable and  needled me about it constantly.

Zee  looked amused as she watched me get grilled. "It's fine Marie. Dreamer  and I have been talking about venues for a few months now. We were just  waiting to tell him until we had the whole thing planned."

My  jaw dropped. "Wait, WHAT? How the hell did you keep THAT a secret?" The  bond didn't exactly let us read each other's minds, but between that  and my innate sense for seeing through lies I'd have expected to notice  if they were planning a fucking WEDDING without me.

"Because  we weren't lying about it, we just never bothered to mention it." Zee  said matter of factly. "I love you to pieces baby, but you are not an  expedient person. It probably has something to do with sometimes  experiencing the universe from a nearly omnipotent state of perception.  If we didn't hurry things up we would be in our hundreds when we finally  got our ceremony."

That...was  fair. This body was an incarnation, but it wasn't my first. I sometimes  dispersed them when I took time to check in on my main self, who was  still training with Death. During those short times (I always made sure  to set up measures to prevent me from getting lost in my head for a few  years because of the inhuman perception of time) even my normal mental  faculties could skew slightly.

I  shrugged. "I'm fine with it. I love you both, or I wouldn't have asked.  Just surprised you managed to keep it a secret." Before I could  continue speaking, there was a knock on the door, though it opened  before anyone had a chance to respond.

"We're  here!" Called my oldest daughter cheerfully as she dragged her half  kryptonian boyfriend over the threshold. She held up a huge bag of  boxes. "And we brought presents." I grinned, standing and opening my  arms for a big hug from Rana.

"Good  to see you, love." I said warmly. "Thanks for coming. I hardly get to  spend any time with you anymore." I shot a harsh glare at Conner, as if  to blame him for that, but the stoic man child barely responded. I  rolled my eyes. Goddamn kryptonians and their lack of sensible fear. The  two of them had bonded a few years ago after Rana joined the League  officially (I blamed Cassie) about being artificial beings born with  fully formed minds. I guessed she could have done worse, but he was too  close with Nightwang for my comfort.

Conner  gave Artemis and Wally stoic nods, which they returned, and muttered  happy birthday to me as he wandered off to lurk in a corner and brood  while holding up a wall. I glanced past him to see the next two guests,  but was beaten to a greeting by my ten year old sister squealing 'TINA!"  And hurling herself from the second floor into the arms of the edgy  (pun very much intended) blonde girl who had followed my daughter  inside.

Cassie,  who was the last of the group, clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Oh, I  see how it is, I don't get a hello? GUess I'll have to take back some of  those presents I brought, since some of them were for you."

"Hey!"  I said indignantly. "It's MY birthday? Why does she get presents?" I  didn't actually care much, but I couldn't miss a chance to rile my  little sister.

Hana  stuck her tongue out at me. "Because I'm way cuter than you, duh." She  had a hot pink blindfold with a picture of a rabbit on it tied over her  eyes, covering the six-eye she'd inherited from Gojo. He'd told me a few  years ago there was actually only supposed to be one, but he was pretty  sure he didn't count since he wasn't from this universe. Still, even  with years of training she found controlling it taxing and chose to  follow in her father's footsteps and cover her eyes.

Gilotina,  who my mother had all but adopted, nodded stoically. She still wasn't  really an EMOTIVE person, but the quiet wasn't as angry as it had once  been. Mom had some experience with edgy teens, and had gotten the former  Fury to open up to her after a year or two. She was basically part of  the family now and came to most of the big gatherings.

My  mother gave Hana a stern look. "You can  say hi to Tina and Rana after  you set the table. Dinner is going to be ready in a minute and I want to  make sure everyone has somewhere to eat. That means put the leaf in the  table and go get the extra chairs from the closet."

Hana  moaned indignantly, but did as she was told. Much like Gojo and I, Hana  did whatever mom said. For being a vanilla human my mother was in  charge of a shocking amount of power through the rest of the family.  Though I'd been looking into possible transformations to extend her  life, I was still working on finding one she could accept. My mother  wasn't the kind of person who would agree to become a devil after all.  It said something about my powers that the transformation was the easy  part, it was getting her go ahead that was proving tough.

As  me sister headed off to set the table (she was much stronger and faster  than any girl her age had a right to be and putting in the table leaf  would be easy enough for her) I turned to my daughter. "So. I want to  hear all about the new moon base. I hear the League actually contracted  the Doormouse to set up a permanent link to the Watchtower and the Hall  of Justice."

Rana  smiled happily. "Of course, dad. I knew you'd be excited to hear about  that." She reached into a pocket and pulled out her phone. "I even  brought pictures." I snickered at how annoyed Nightwing would be to know  I was getting to see pictures of the inside of his new base, and Rana  rolled her eyes.

We  talked for another twenty minutes before mom called everyone down for  dinner, stopping to gather at the table for the amazing Jambalaya she'd  made (it was still my favorite). As we all gathered around the dining  table I looked at all my friends and family and loved ones. We'd come so  far, been through so much, but I wouldn't have traded a second of it  for anything. Sure, I still had work to do back in the Dark Multiverse,  but life never stopped, you had to take the time to enjoy every minute  of it while you could. It was pretty good to be me.