Second Chances

A Tempting Offer

M'gann was sorting out some League files when two strong hands placed themselves over her eyes. "Guess who?" She giggled. "Rodger Rabbit?" Conner laughed himself as his hands moved to rest on her hips. He smiled as he gave her a peck on the lips. "Hey." She leaned back to rest her head on his shoulder. "Hey."

They had been dating for nearly a whole year now, and M'gann had never been happier. She had gotten Conner back, after so long, after so many lonely years having to go without him. It was as if a hole in her heart had been filled, a hole that had been empty and hollow for so long. Her life—and her soul—felt complete again.

He kissed her on the cheek. "I gotta get to work, but I just dropped by to pick up some paperwork." She smirked. "You sure that's the only thing you came for?" He smirked back. "Well, maybe not just that." He firmly pressed his lips against hers and held her closer to his person. She happily returned the gesture as her hands slipped onto the back of his neck.

"Hey!" They immediately broke the kiss and quickly looked to see a certain fishy ex glaring at them through narrowed red eyes. "La'gaan!", M'gann gasped. "Wh-What are you doing here?!" "Kaldur called me and some others to discuss a crisis in Atlantis.", said La'gaan, his eyes never leaving the couple. "He told me to meet them here." "Oh, he didn't tell you?", M'gann asked, looking everywhere but at her former boyfriend. "He moved that meeting to Mount Justice."

La'gaan walked towards Conner, his eyes still narrowed as he stared the Kryptonian down. "No one told me you were back." Conner shoved his hands in his pocket. "Well, I'm not really. I'm justing helping with briefings and stuff." He rocked back and forth on his heels, trying to think of something to say to his former rival. "So...M'gann tells me you quit the hero life?"

"Yeah,", La'gaan said, folding his scaly arms over his chest. "Started my own business in Atlantis. Salvage treasure from sunken ships and sell them. Made myself a fortune. What do you do for a living?" "I...I'm a police officer now." "I see. Still busting the bad guys." La'gaan looked back at M'gann. "So, I see you're dating again. You just, waltz in and grab my girl."

That's when Conner got peeved. "She's not your girl anymore. She dumped you like, thirteen years ago." La'gaan hung his head, avoiding Conner's gaze. "Whatever." He smirked at M'gann, making his ear fins stick out. "Just remember, if it doesn't work out, I'm here for you, just like last time." He strutted off, leaving the two aliens behind.

Conner frowned. "He's still hung up on you after all these years?" M'gann shrugged her shoulders. "I can't understand it. Isn't there any nice girls in Atlantis he could ask out?" Shaking it off, Conner gave her one last peck on the cheek before heading for the Zeta tubes. "I'll see you tonight." Recognized—Superboy, B06.

Seconds after he was gone, M'gann's cell phone buzzed, her ringtone of Katy Perry's E.T. blaring out to get her attention. Still on cloud nine from her rendezvous with Conner, she picked it up without stopping to look at the caller ID. "Hello?" "Hello, is this M'gann M'orrz?" Realizing she didn't recognize the voice, M'gann put her guard up. "Yes, this is her."

"I'm Martian Ambassador Y'unn O'mmar." Her eyes went wide. The Ambassador of Mars was calling her? This was a great honor for any Mars native, especially a White Martian like her. She was at a loss for words. "Your-Your Honor! This is such a shock! May...May I ask why you're calling?"

"I understand that you overcame White hate and have become a beloved superhero on Earth.", the Ambassador said. "You are a hero to your fellow White Martians. They say you're a role model, an inspiration to them all. You've made quite a name for yourself, young lady." M'gann blushed. "Its nothing. I'm just glad I can inspire others."

"Now, I'm calling because some of us on the Council have come up with a great idea.", the Ambassador continued. "We want you to tour Mars with the Equalists." M'gann gasped softly. "Really?" The Equalists were the most famous group for civil rights among all Martians. M'gann had idolized them nearly all her life.

"The group thinks that you are a model example of what can happen when White Martians are given a chance to thrive and prove themselves. They want you to tour with them and share your story with the rest of Mars as a tale of success." M'gann could hardly speak. Tour with the Equalists, and share her story of rags-to-riches to inspire hope in other White Martians? It was a dream come true!

"That sounds amazing!" "Great! We'll need you to come back to Mars immediately! I suggest you pack all your things, it will be a long journey." M'gann's smile faded as she remembered something. "Wait...how long will this tour be?" "Oh, it'll probably take a few years. Maybe longer." Her heart stopped. "Years?!"

"This isn't a musical tour with some sleazy Earth pop star.", said the Ambassador. "This is a civil rights movement. The whole purpose of this tour is to rally up supporters of civil rights. We'll be touring for as long as White Martians are treated less than equally." M'gann's eyes went wide. While she did want her people to have equal rights, she couldn't imagine leaving Earth for more than a few months. Even with their best work, it could take years for laws to be passed to help Whites. Justice wasn't served overnight. It was a hard fact that she had learned over the past seventeen years.

She bit her lip, thinking very hard. "Um...I'm sorry. I'm going have to call you back about it. It sounds like a great opportunity, but I have a lot of commitments here on Earth. I'll have to think it over for a while." "I understand.", the Ambassador said. "You have three months to decide. After that, I'm afraid, we'll have to do the tour without you. But we will do it either way."

M'gann sighed as she hung up the phone. Sure, it was the chance of a lifetime for her, but she didn't think that she leave Earth now. She loved her life here. All her friends were here. Her uncle and her little brother were here. Conner was here. She had finally gotten the love of her life back, and she didn't want to let him slip away again. Going to another planet for who-knew-how-long would surely let that happen.

Besides, they said they were going to do the tour whether or not she agreed to do it. They would still rally supporters for White Martian rights. And she would find other ways to contribute to their cause. But the truth of the matter was, while Mars was her place of birth, Earth was her home and culture. It was where she belonged. With J'onn, with Garfield, and with Conner.