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August 1945:
The hundreds of soldiers had all disembarked their ships, running forward into the arms of their waiting loved ones. Maggie hung back, watching nervously. She had received many letters from Kate over the last few months, since the war had ended in Europe. Her hopes that Kate would be home immediately were dashed, as Amanda Waller quickly called Batwoman away for a last-minute rescue mission in the far east, but that theater had concluded as well. Victory belonged to the allies. Now all that was left was the waiting.
Once the last of the Carriers had unloaded, there came the sound of a helicopter whirring through the air, and it landed, opening its doors to allow Amanda Waller to exit. The imposing commander of the Bombshells held open the door, and Maggie finally saw the sight she had been waiting years to see again.
Kate certainly looked worse for the wear, considerably thinner with her arm in a sling, but she was here. Alive. Whole. And Maggie couldn't contain herself anymore. The crowds had dissipated, and any worries she had at being seen were eclipsed by the sheer emotion she was feeling right now. She tore forward, racing up the boarding ramp of the carrier and embracing Kate.
"God, I missed you." Maggie wrapped her arms around Kate, careful to avoid her injured side. "You're..."
"Oh, this?" Kate motioned towards the sling with her good arm. "Caught a bullet twenty miles outside of Nanking on our last run. Fortunately, I had a good medic on hand."
Kate waved her hand at the helicopter, and two smaller figures emerged. The first, a girl of about seventeen with Mediterranean features, had her arms crossed as she viewed everyone suspiciously. The other, a Japanese girl who couldn't have been older than fourteen, hung back hesitantly.
"This is Helena and Tatsu. I met them both abroad. Helena was a freedom fighter in Europe, helped me out of a few tough scrapes. Tatsu's the daughter of a Japanese General. She's the reason we were able to liberate the POW's on our last run. Also bandaged me up when I took a bullet."
"I should have known you'd pick up a few strays along the way." Maggie said wryly.
"Yeah, well..." Kate ran her hands through her hair. "They really didn't have anywhere else to go. This war ripped apart so many families. I can't do much about it overall, because it's too big for any one person. But these girls helped me, and I can help them."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Maggie leaned in for a kiss.
"Besides, these girls are two of the best natural fighters I've seen in years!" Waller interrupted. "I had my way, I'd be inducting them into the Bombshells right now, but Miss Kane insists they've seen enough combat for the year. You can better believe I'll be following up, though."
Amanda Waller cracked a rare smile, stepping out of the helicopter and extending her hand to Kate. "We might not have won the war without you, Miss Kane. You enjoy your happiness, and give anyone who causes you any trouble a punch from me."
"Count on it, Captain." Kate said as Waller turned back to her flight, heading off to her next mission. Helena and Tatsu hung back, watching Kate and Maggie warily.
"I told you, I was perfectly fine in Europe. I know how to take carte of myself." Helena said defensively.
"Of course you do. You showed me that pretty often in the field." Kate said with a smile. "But wouldn't be it be nice not to have to for once?"
Maggie stepped forward, tentatively approaching Tatsu, who stood back at the edge of the dock.
"She still doesn't speak English very well, Mags. I was tutoring her in between missions, so she's getting there."
Maggie extended her hand to Tatsu, who didn't respond immediately. "I just wanted to say...thank you. Thank you for helping her come back to me."
After a moment's hesitation, Tatsu grabbed Maggie's hand and shook back, tentatively smiling at her.
"I'm still going to get to fight Nazis, right?" Helena said with a half-joking snarl. "I heard there were a lot of sympathizers running the streets here."
"Believe me." Kate said with a laugh. "I am the last person who will stop you from giving Nazis a good beating. Why don't you take Tatsu to the car, we'll be along in a minute."
As Helena guided Tatsu towards the waiting automobile, Maggie turned to Kate. "Bette's been keeping the city safe while you were gone, but I think everyone will be happy to have Batwoman back. Especially me. I still can't believe you're actually here."
"Well, get used to it. Waller tried to talk me into another mission. I told her it would be a cold day in hell before I left again. And now that I'm back, there's just one thing left to do..."
Maggie gasped as Kate dropped down to one knee. "Are you insane?"
"Maggie Sawyer...will you marry me?"
"Yes! I mean no! I mean, how would we even - it feels like you've been gone forever, but not that much has changed since you were gone!" Maggie shook her head. "I would love to, but - "
"Don't worry about it. Let's just say I met some friends abroad who would be more than happy to help us. How does a tropical island wedding sound?" Kate grinned. "So, should I take that as a yes?"
Maggie answered Kate with a long and passionate kiss.
-----
It was two months later when the Invisible Plane crossed over the water of the south Atlantic and the mysterious island came into view. Kate carefully stepped out, holding her hand out for Maggie to follow. Neither was exactly used to the high heels and dresses they were currently wearing. Helena and Tatsu quickly followed as they made their way down the path to the great wedding chapel of Themysrica.
"Sister." Diana extended her arms as Kate embraced her old friend. "It's so good to see you again."
"Better circumstances this time too, Di." Kate said. "Far away from the hell of war. Thank you so much for doing this."
"Themysrica is always open to love." Diana said with a smile. "The rest of the world may not have caught up yet, but your union will always be acknowledged and blessed here."
Diana whistled, and two blonde girls flew down from the sky.
"Kara. Kortni. As Amazons in training, you are responsible for guarding this wedding ceremony." Diana motioned to Helena and Tatsu. "Outfit our young guests in the proper warrior's attire and show them to their posts. Don't worry - you should all have a good view."
"We get to be Amazon warriors for the day? Awesome." Helena grinned.
"Awesome." Tatsu nodded in agreement. The younger girl had picked up english quickly, largely from her older sister.
As the four teenagers headed towards the ceremony and Diana flew over to take her place at the head of the altar, Maggie turned to Kate. "I still can't believe you pulled this off. Are we really about to get married on the island of the Amazons?"
"Nothing's too good for the love of my life." Kate smiled. "So how about it? Are you ready to be wife and wife?"
"It feels like I've been waiting forever."
Maggie took Kate's hand, and the two walked down the pathway towards their future. It had been a long, winding journey, but they had earned this moment. Now and forever, they would be one.