Well, being a Justice League and a Lantern was one thing, but having his neighbour right across the hall move out and someone new move in was another. Hal had only ever seen a man going and coming from the apartment, he’d had yet to see the woman, but that was it.

And for the first few hours it was quiet. Peaceful even. Until the arguing began. The walls were thin but not thin enough for him to hear everything from across the hall. It was mostly the man yelling, Hal didn’t hear much of the woman. It lasted for an hour, with the infant baby screaming in the background out of fear before the apartment went quiet as the door slammed shut and footsteps retreated down the carpeted hallway.

For four hours Hal thought it was done. He heard what he thought was the man coming back. The door open and close quietly. The door locking and the deadbolt chain rattling as it’s locked. And he thought that was it.

But it all came to a head when the baby started crying again from across the hall, at 2:37 in the morning. Poor babe was screaming like its life depended on it. But it woke Hal.

Hal, being Hal, figured he’d leave it alone. Walk over and check on his new neighbours in the morning. Lying back in his bed, he slung an arm over his eyes and fell back asleep.

But that sleep soon came with an interruption. More crying coming from across the hall. But this time, it was more feminine and less infant like. Like a woman crying quietly and trying to not be heard. It wasn’t loud, not in the way you’d think. It was quiet yes, but the quietness was loud enough in a way that said the woman didn’t want to be heard crying, but needed to break down.