Work Text
Star City: 8 Years AgoIt was a sad Sunday afternoon when the only interesting thing for a teenaged girl and a house full of cats was to watch a microwave as it popped popcorn. It drove the cats crazy, and they pawed at the glass, meowing every time one of the delicious butter coated kernels popped inside the bag. The scent was captivating, and the girl could remember, distantly, telling her mother that butter popcorn was secretly crack for cats. That had been the excited exclamation of a seven year old who had just tasted popcorn for the first time. Now the excitement was just from having something to do. For the last two weeks the house had been muted, a shadow of what it usually was when her mother was home. The girl came and went to school silently, only rousing the cats when her key clicked into the lock.When the doorbell rang, Katherine Kyle hardly gave it any notice simply yelling, "Mom, did you forget your keys again?" There was no response, but the bell rang three times again in rapid succession. "Would you chill out? I'll be right there!" She snatched the bag out of the microwave and walked to the door, deliberately taking her time in order to further exact revenge on her mother for her unusually long absence.But the face that greeted her when she opened the front door to the Star City apartment was not that of her mother. The woman on the other side of the door was Red Claw. "Hello, Kitten, expecting someone else?"Katherine backed away from the door, dropping the bag of popcorn to the ground, causing an explosion of the buttery kernels. "What do you want?" She asked slowly, eyeing the two bulky men that stood behind the masculine woman."You, Kitten, but let's make a deal. I'll give you a five minute head start. That way we both win, you get five minutes to run, and I get one hell of a chase." She bent down, picking up Katherine's disposed popcorn bag. "How sweet are you, now I have a little snack. How's that sound, Kitten?" The older woman asked, grinning.Katherine knew better than to waste time responding, and instead called her protector and his friends into action. "Phantom!" She yelled, dropping to her heels and sprinting to the glass door to the balcony of the apartment as the black cat lunged at the intruder, the rest following behind him, claws drawn.She broke through the glass, apologizing internally to her mother for the shards that now littered the solid white carpet. She flipped up to the above floor and jerked that glass door open. "Damian!"The dark haired five year old rushed from his crouch in the corner to her, throwing his arms around her neck. "Fuzzy?" He asked."They'll find us." Katherine said, soothing the child and walking back to the balcony swiftly, looking down. It took her two seconds to make the decision to jump from the third story window, and the air was nearly knocked out of her as she landed on her feet, hard. She used that energy however, to throw herself into a run, her arms wrapped tightly around the boy.She ran as fast as she could, considering the added weight she held in her arms, but the noise of yowling cats told her that Red Claw wasn't far behind. Desperate to find a populated area to immerse herself into a crowd, Katherine headed for the pier. It was a short distance, but there was suddenly a sharp pain on her shoulder. Her balance was nearly instantly thrown off kilter by what she assumed to be a tranquilizer.She stumbled into a wall only to bounce off and veer off the side of the boardwalk, slipping into the cold water below. Before unconsciousness could completely overtake her, she felt a pair of arms wrap around the child she held.When she woke up, Katherine expected to see Red Claw's face looming over hers, but there was no one. She was in an alley way, and it was dark outside, night having fallen while she was unconscious. Her clothes were wet, but her skin had dried, a thick blanket wrapped around her. Damian was asleep, wrapped in a separate blanket tucked into her own."So why was Red Claw after you?" Said a male voice.Katherine's eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness when she sat up, looking around, resting Damian on the blankets. A boy, about her age, in a red and yellow costume was sitting on a metal barrel. "I don't know." Katherine mumbled.He raised a red eyebrow, "You're a pretty terrible liar."She winced, standing up and rolling her shoulders stiffly before hopping up to sit on top of the dumpster next to her hero. "So I've been told. So what's your name? I need to thank you.""You can call me Speedy." He said curtly.Katherine felt a smile tease at the corner of her mouth, "I meant your real name, not your alias." He just stared at her. She sighed, but hadn't expected for him to tell her. "Well then 'Call Me Speedy', thank you for saving us.""Well I couldn't let you drown, and I couldn't let Red Claw kidnap you." He sighed, looking over the girl he saved. "So what's your name?" He asked awkwardly, unused to talking to a non-League member with his mask on. He usually avoided the public while he was Speedy.She bit her lip to suppress her smile, "My name's Katherine."Her blue eyes were fixed on him, and he found them unreasonably familiar. She was pretty, even with her dark hair sticking to her face. "Pretty name. What's his name?" He asked, looking at the sleeping child."That's my little brother Damian." She said, smiling wistfully at her younger sibling."He looks a lot like you." He murmured, and Katherine felt bold, leaning down towards him."You know, I should give you something for saving us. That's what's done, right?" She asked blithely.He flushed, "I don't need anything.""Of course you do!" Of all the many things she was, Katherine was not stupid. "I need to thank you for not calling the League.""They wouldn't take anything I say seriously. I'm just a sidekick." He said, surprising her with the venom in his tone."Well, Red, sidekicks grow up. You'll get your own place someday, I'm sure." Katherine said brightly despite beginning to shiver from cold."Red?" He scoffed. "Why do you keep calling me that?"She chortled enthusiastically, "I can't very well call you Speedy. Everyone calls you that!" She reached out and ghosted her fingers over his hair, shivering again slightly. "Plus, you've got red hair."Roy Harper suddenly felt uncomfortable, "You're cold, he must be freezing. Why don't you two get going to someplace warm and safe."She smiled indulgently, hopping off the dumpster to stand in front of him. "Well I guess this is goodbye then, Red. I hope we see each other again someday." She began to turn away, but couldn't deny her instincts. "Thank you." She said, catching the stunned hero in a kiss. Grinning wildly, Katherine stepped away, scooping up her brother and disappearing into the night calling, "Bye, Red!"It would be another three years before they would see each other again, but it wouldn't be Speedy that Katherine encountered. It would be Red Arrow.
"No one told me
I was going to find you,
Unexpected,
what you did to my heart,
When I lost hope
you were there to remind me
this is the start"
At The Beginning By: Donna Lewis & Richard Marx
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was nothing more boring than a stakeout. And being forced to work one in the middle of a party with Green Arrow was downright terrible. He had been standing in one corner for the better part of an hour, his eyes darting from person to person, looking for someone who fit Cheshire's description.He currently had his eyes on a young woman with long dark hair who was speaking to Prime Minister Tseng of Southern Rhelasia. She had her back to him, but physically, she fit the profile. She was thin, but her musculature told of a girl who had every ability to be deadly.Red Arrow edged closer, to listen to the conversation the woman was having, but was surprised to hear her speaking fluent Rhelasian. An older woman walked up, and the Prime Minister smiled at her, kissing her outstretched hand, "Ms. Kyle, what a lovely girl you have."This 'Ms. Kyle' laughed smoothly, touching the possible Cheshire on the shoulder, "I've done the best I can, but she does most of the work. She's brilliant, just like her father."The girl stiffened, and pulled out of the older woman's reach, "I need some air.""Darling, please, stay." The woman asked, but the girl walked away towards a set of doors that led to a balcony. "I'm so sorry about that, Prime Minister. My daughter has claustrophobia. It acts up sometimes in such a large crowd."The Prime Minister smiled, "It's no trouble, Ms. Kyle.""Please, call me Selina." She looped an arm into his, a slinky tone to her voice as she asked, "Won't you tell me about those fascinating cats discovered in South Rhelasia?"Red Arrow followed the girl out onto the balcony. He didn't know what to say, not wanting to cause problems if she wasn't Cheshire. "Uh... cool party, no?"She spun to look at him, her deep violet dress swishing around her. "Hah, not hardly." There were tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away quickly.He'd known she wasn't Cheshire the instant he saw her face, her eyes were too innocent, but now he couldn't go away without talking to her. He instantly recognized her, the crystal blue eyes being a center memory. It was Katherine Kyle, the girl who had kissed him when he had saved her and her brother from Red Claw. It had been three years, but she was even more beautiful than he remembered. She'd gotten taller and the angles of her face were sharper, but the beautiful face was the same. Add in a form fitting dress and smokey make-up, and she was breathtaking.But she couldn't know who he was. She eyed him strangely before a wry smile broke out on her face, "So how old are you now? I was fifteen when we first met, and I always wondered how old you were.""What are you talking about?" He stammered.Katherine gave a smile much like the one her mother had unleashed on the Prime Minister, and it sent shivers down Roy's body. "You didn't think I would recognize the man who saved my life? Even without your mask, I'd recognize you anywhere. Don't you remember me, Red?"He openly gapped at her. She stepped towards him, undeniably graceful, and covered his eyes with her hand, making a dramatic humming noise, "Yup, there's my Red." She stepped back, her hand falling to rest over his heart. "I won't tell anyone." Her voice was soft, fragile, and he could tell that if he pushed her away, it would devastate her. She peered at the name tag on his lapel and smiled weakly at him, "Roy Harper, your secret is safe with me.""I'm nineteen." He blurted, marveling at her ability to put him off his guard while on a mission. He should have threatened her into silence the instant she recognized him, or at least locked her in a room until the mission was over.She heaved a sigh of relief and looked at her own hand, strikingly pale against the blackness of his jacket. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. I was so afraid that I'd kissed a twelve year old or something."He couldn't hold back the smile that bloomed across his face when she looked up, her crystal blue eyes seeming to see everything about him. "Your conscience can rest easy now. I'm the older one."She looked hesitantly back inside, where people had started dancing, "We shouldn't be out here alone. My mother will throw a fit if she sees you.""You're eighteen, what could she be mad about?" Roy asked, resisting the urge to touch the skin resting on his chest with his own.The fire returned to her eyes, "You're right, I shouldn't worry about her. She's busy with work anyway." She grabbed his hand, pulling him back into the party, unknowingly sending his mind reeling. She grinned at him, "You can dance, can't you?"Roy felt himself blush, "Not really. That's not exactly something one in my...sort of business...learns.""Then I'll lead, because in my...mother's...line of business, that's something one learns in childhood." She placed the hand she was holding on the curve of her hip, and took the other into her own hand, "Just follow me."For several minutes, they just stared at one another as she led him around the dance floor. They were interrupted by a large hand clasping itself onto Roy's shoulder. "Sorry to break this up."Roy resisted the very strong desire to punch his ex-mentor when Katherine's hand slipped out of his. He saw the change in her again as she smiled pleasantly at Oliver, "It's alright."Oliver smiled at her, holding out a hand, "I don't believe we've met, Oliver Queen."She shook his hand, "Katherine Kyle.""She's my daughter." Said the same slinky voice that had been bending the Prime Minister's ear. "Katherine, I'm so pleased you're feeling better. It's time for us to make our exit.""I'm not ready to leave." Katherine said firmly, her eyes on Roy. "I was only just beginning to enjoy myself.""Well our time here is done." Selina Kyle said, glaring at Roy. "Katherine, do not make a scene.""I'm not making a scene, you are. Besides, I'm sure Roy can manage to take me home." Katherine smiled at him, and he couldn't say no.He looked at Oliver, "I've got some business to take care of with Oliver here, but yeah, I can take you home later."She smiled haughtily at her mother, "See, I'll be fine."Selina Kyle weight her options, and reached in to hug her daughter, "Be safe, Katherine." She left quickly."I can take care of myself." Katherine yelled after her, walking back to Roy, "Do you need to get to your work now, or can we have one more dance?"Oliver gave a tense nod, and Roy took Katherine's hand. She put his hands back where they were supposed to go, and they began to dance again. In the middle of their dance, Katherine looped her arms around his neck, putting her face up against his. "You're looking for Cheshire, aren't you?"He stopped moving. "How do you know that?"She giggled, "If you research my mother, then you'll have your answer. As for Cheshire, her name is Jade Nguyen, and she's over by the VIP table dressed as a waitress. I'll be waiting on the balcony." Katherine slid from his arms, and went back outside.They apprehended Cheshire, and Oliver took her away. When Roy came back to the ballroom in his tux, it was closed, the lights out and all the tables and chairs stowed away. Taped to the door of the balcony was a note with his name on it. Opening it cautiously, Roy read the contents:'Red, sorry I had to leave without saying goodbye, but my mother needed my help with something. I hope that when you find out who I am, that you'll still want to dance with me. My number is 857-555-8713. Call me.'Two hours later, Red Arrow entered Mount Justice and accessed the mainframe, entering the name 'Selina Kyle'. When a file pulled up, he was shocked at the title that hung under a photo of the woman he had met tonight. Catwoman. She had nearly confessed, but always seemed to have an alibi or evidence mysteriously got lost. There was no record of her having children. But the resemblance between Katherine and Selina was undeniable. Katherine was Catwoman's daughter.Suddenly a lot of things made sense. When he had saved her, Red Claw had been after her and her brother because of their mother. And despite knowing who she was, he couldn't stay away from her. Something in his mind couldn't let her go, a part of him had fixated on her these last few years. Her eyes had often been in his dreams, but he hadn't known how to handle her presence in his head.What he wasn't aware of was the reason he didn't know how to handle Katherine. He hadn't been programmed to handle her. His creators had never valued the memory of that night as important because as a hero, he saved people everyday. What could have been the significance of one crystal eyed girl and her little brother?
"Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy
But here's my number, so call me maybe
And all the other boys, try to chase
But here's my number, so call me maybe
Before you came into my life I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad...
I missed you so, so bad"
Call Me Maybe By: Carly Rae Jepsen
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Katherine was waiting on the balcony, perched on the edge, not caring if she ripped her dress. She loved the feeling of the air rushing past her face and through her hair. She was just imagining what it would feel like to be free falling. She was leaning perhaps a bit too far when her cell phone rang in the black clutch strung over her neck. “Hello?” She said, still mesmerized by the lights, wishing she had her camera with her.Her mother’s voice echoed on the line, “Kitten, I need to go out for a bit. Could you come home and watch Damian?”She could hear her brother screaming over the line that he didn’t need a babysitter. “Mom, you told me I could stay.” Katherine said petulantly.Selina sighed, “Katherine, I know, but I really need to go out. Please do as I ask. You aren’t still with that boy, are you? I didn’t figure he’d have a car. He didn’t look like the kind to be at a party like that.”Katherine didn’t miss the harsh edge to her mother’s voice, “No, he’s not bringing me home if I have to leave now.” She said softly, waiting for her mother’s reaction.She laughed, “I knew it. The boy looked out of place. Good thing I left you the car.”“I’ll be right there.” Katherine said, hurt by her mother’s comment, biting back a comment of her own about her mother’s behavior.“Be careful!” Was the perky response. Selina’s mood always instantly lightened once she got her way, making Katherine cringe.“I will.” She said, hanging up the phone and slipping it back into her bag, pulling out the car keys her mother must have slipped her before she had gone home.Katherine felt terrible about leaving, but when her mother called and told her that she needed her to watch Damian, she couldn't really ever say no. As brilliant as Damian was, he was young, and lacked the maturity to be left to his own devices for too long. She went back into the party, and walked through to the doorways, leaving the glamour of the ballroom behind her.She hated those functions. People just seemed to leer at her, or that was how she felt at least. The men would paw at her mother, and upon their eventual rejection, they would come to her. Of course her rejection was usually much less gentle than the smooth one her mother would give.But nothing was worse then when her mother would go to a party without her. Since Katherine had become roughly the same height as her mother, she had been her mother's alibi. Selina would go to a party, and while she was in plain view of the public, Katherine would steal something.Seeing Red Arrow had been a thrill, and she was desperately hoping he wouldn't turn her and her mother in. She had taken a risk telling him the truth. If her mother ever found out, she would probably beat her...or worse. Katherine was greeted at the door by no less than five cats, and her lanky brother.At eight years old, Damien was unusually tall for his age. He only came up to the middle of Katherine's chest, but she was tall too, especially in her pumps. He had the same black hair she did, but he had their mother's golden brown eyes. "How was the party?" He asked excitedly, throwing his arms around her waist."It was pretty good, I met a boy." Katherine told her brother everything, simply in an effort to compensate for all the lies their mother told him."What's his name?" Damien asked, trying to appear disinterested.She grinned, pulling a pair of shorts on under her skirt before ducking out of the room to drop the dress and throw on a t-shirt. "I call him Red." She said, coming back into the room with her brother.Damien scrunched up his face, "Come on, give me a real name, Kat!"Katherine tapped his nose with a finger, "I wasn't born yesterday, brat. You don't need to cyber-stalk him." Damien stared at her, "I've already taken care of the stalking." She admitted bashfully.The eight year old grinned, "I knew you would!"“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, pretending to be offended.“You’re my sister, you can’t not be interested in snooping. I do it all the time!” He giggled cheerfully.Katherine loved bantering with Damian, but was painfully aware that the banter only happened when their mother wasn’t there. “I know, and you’re going to get in so much trouble one day!”“I am not!”“Yeah, I think you will!”She grabbed him in a headlock, and they wrestled on the floor until Katherine's phone started ringing. Breathless, Katherine reached for her phone, her hand on Damien's face to keep him from grabbing the phone from her hand. "Hello?"The voice on the other end hesitated, "Uh...Katherine?"She shoved Damien away and stood up, fixing her hair like Red could see her, "Red, I didn't think you would call."He laughed nervously, "I wasn't sure I would either.""So why did you?" She challenged, walking to her bedroom and locking her door, ignoring her brother banging on the door."I couldn't imagine not calling." He said gravely."I'm so glad you did. So I guess you know who I am now?" She asked softly.Roy sighed, "Catwoman's daughter, huh?"Katherine chuckled, "Yup! Pretty wild, right?"“You don’t seem like the type.” He said.Katherine sighed, "I try not to be. I'm home with my brother, so that’s pretty normal."“How is he?” Red asked, trying to understand how the boy could fit in with two women like Selina and Katherine.She smiled, and he could hear it in her voice, “Damien’s fine. I had to come home to watch him. Usually I don't mind, because he’s a great kid, but I was sad to leave without telling you goodbye.” Roy loved that even with her maternal genetics, she still had a sweetness to her that seemed genuine.He was curious about her, “So what made you leave me your phone number?”“I’m leaving Star City. I’m taking Damian with me to Metropolis. I already have a photo journalist apprenticeship lined up at the Daily Planet.” She could tell that he was stunned, and felt instantly like she shouldn’t have said anything about moving at all, “Red, I couldn’t go another three years without seeing or hearing from you. That’s why I left my number.”“Why are you moving so far away?” He asked, trying to understand what could possibly make her want to move to the opposite coast.Katherine laughed, “You’ve read my mother’s file, haven’t you? I love her, but she’s a terrible mother. I’m her daughter, but sometimes she has me help her do things I don’t want to be a part of. Damian needs to get away from her, or she’s going to do to him exactly what she’s done to me. He’s too innocent for that.”“And you aren’t?” He countered, and Katherine wished he was right with her so she could kiss him for being so kind.But, he wasn’t there, “Sometimes, I think I’m not. I have so much of my mother in me, it’s sometimes hard to remember that I didn’t get my love of photography and my sense of justice from her.”“Are you close with your father?”“He left when I was little. I don’t really remember him, all that well. I guess he’s the difference.” She said, remembering yet again that she and Damian were only half-siblings. At least she thought they were, she had never met Damian’s father.“I think the fact that you want to get your brother away makes all the difference in the world.” His voice was so steady and calming that Katherine could listen to it forever.“We should meet for coffee.” Katherine blurted out.“Like on a date?” Roy stuttered after several moments of awkward silence.Katherine bit her lip, “Yes?”“Where would we meet? Another alley or swanky hotel?” He said sarcastically.“Devereaux’s!” Shouted Damian’s voice over the line, causing Katherine to throw her door open and nearly breaking down the boy’s door. “It’s her favorite!” Damian screamed into the phone he had somehow linked to their phone call, obviously trying to find a way to escape from his sister.Roy was laughing harder than he could ever remember laughing, listening to the sounds of Katherine’s yells, and Damian’s shrill cries of faux terror. “I’ll meet you at Devereaux’s!” Roy yelled into the phone, hoping that Katherine heard him.There was suddenly quiet, “How about nine?” Katherine asked, breathless.“I’ll be there.” Roy said, excited for the first time in several years to go see someone.
"Grew up in a small townAnd when the rain would fall downI'd just stare out my windowDreaming of what could beAnd if I'd end up happyI would pray (I would pray)Trying hard to reach outBut when I tried to speak outFelt like no one could hear meWanted to belong hereBut something felt so wrong hereSo I prayed I could break away"
Breakaway
By: Kelly Clarkson
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Katherine was sitting outside the coffee shop in a pair of grey jeans and a lavender shirt waiting on him. When her blue eyes found him, she smiled broadly, standing to greet him. "See, isn't this better than not seeing each other for three years?" She said in delight.Roy couldn't restrain a smile, "Defiantly." Katherine in the daytime was completely different from a Katherine running for her life or a Katherine in a ball gown. Her hair was down, only a small portion clipped back from her face. She seemed effortless, and in the sunlight, her eyes sparkled. They sat down, both taking the other in."So this is the real Red?" She said, giving an appreciative nod to his jeans and red t-shirt. "I like it." The waiter came and took their order, eyeing Katherine for a little longer than Roy was comfortable with. She looked away, her black hair falling over her shoulders as she addressed Roy. "Would you like to join me?""I thought that was the plan?" Roy said, confused yet again by her.She smiled indulgently, "I meant in the move. You talk about wanting to be more than just a sidekick, but can you really do that while you're in the same city as Green Arrow?"After several moments of thought, Red Arrow looked at the girl who seemingly knew him better than he knew himself. "You're right."She seemed surprised, "I am?"He nodded, "Yeah, you are. While I'm here, I'm living in Oliver's shadow. To be honest, I'd never really thought about it."Katherine shrugged, "I have. I remembered the first time we met. Being a sidekick seemed to bother you.""It did." He said, clenching his jaw. "I'm not a kid anymore, but they still treat me like I am. I deserve to be treated like an adult."Katherine put a hand on top of his, "Then come to Metropolis with me. Get your own place, or stay with Damian and I. Doesn't matter. I'd feel better knowing that you have someplace to call home.""Why?" Roy asked, "Why would you want to do this for me?"She laughed, "Because, Red, you're the only friend I have.""Friend? We hardly know each other." He rebuffed.Slightly crestfallen, Katherine frowned, sipping on her coffee, "I know that, Red, but I think we both need each other. Don't deny that you feel it too. I don't think it's a simple coincidence that we saw each other again at a point where we needed someone to lean on. I need you to be my friend right now.""Why do you need me?" Roy asked skeptically.Her blue eyes seared into him, "Because, Red, you're the only person I trust with my life."Roy laughed in denial, "What the hell have I done for you to trust me so quickly?""You didn't turn me into the League." She said simply, but besides that, she didn't really know. There was just something in her that recognized him as a kindred spirit.After several minutes of deliberation, Roy sighed, "Okay. Let's do this. When do we leave?"Katherine grinned in victory, "Can you be ready to leave tomorrow? My mom's gone until Friday, and I want to leave before then. My apprenticeship at the Planet doesn't start for a month, but if we are going to get""I can be ready to go now." Roy said, looking at his red car that was parked in the lot next to the restaurant, "I've been living out of my car since I broke up with Oliver. I didn't feel right living in the apartment he'd rented me.""Come home with me." Katherine said immediately, putting money down on the table and standing. "Damian should meet you again anyway."Two days later, and Roy was driving his car through Colorado with Katherine asleep in the front seat and Damian sprawled out across the back. The siblings had very little they wanted to bring, a few clothes and Damian's computer hard-drives were all that littered the trunk of his car. They would buy what they needed there, Katherine had explained.A semi-unwelcome addition to his car was the cat that insisted on riding in his lap. Katherine had said that it's name was Shade, but was bemused by the fact that the feline wouldn't leave Roy alone. Even when they had stopped the day before to sleep in a hotel, the cat had shared his bed with him while Katherine and Damian were on the other one.Despite the clingy cat, the last days had been wonderful. He couldn't remember the last time someone made him laugh like Katherine did. He felt lighter than he had in years, and irrationally wanted nothing more than to expand on the fast friendship he had fallen upon with the young woman. She wasn't asking anything of him, and was only giving him the push he needed to make himself better.A week later, and they were settling their few belongings into a small house in a suburb just fifteen minutes from Metropolis.It had three bedrooms, and was furnished with kitchen appliances only. There was nothing particularly fantastic about the house, but to Roy it felt different than any house he had ever been in. He could easily live here with the Kyle siblings and help out the team in Happy Harbor.Katherine disappeared for a few hours, and came back sans the metal case she had insisted on keeping on the floorboard. Instead, she had a wad of cash and a key for a safety deposit box. A short group excursion that night, resulted in them returning to the house with no less than four computers for Damian, a new recliner with the matching sofa on order, cat supplies, three sleeping bags, three pillows, an alarm clock radio, bath supplies, kitchen towels, a few pots and pans, and two boxes of pizza, all of the items distributed between Roy's car and the car Katherine had purchased with cash.After they had their pizza, Katherine and Damian used the empty space of the living room to wrestle. Needless to say, their camaraderie made Roy laugh. Once Damian had finally beaten her, Katherine ushered him into the bedroom that he'd chosen with a sleeping bag and pillow.Collapsing onto the floor next to the chair Roy was sitting in, Katherine grinned up at him, "Enjoy watching me make a fool of myself?""You guys were playing." Roy said, shrugging, "Aren't you supposed to let the kid win?"Katherine was suddenly somber, looking at the door to the boy's room, "That's just it, I didn't let him win." She groaned and pinched her eyes closed, "My mother would never teach me how to fight. I don't know why, but she always refused, even after the incident with Red Claw. I can sneak around and run though. Damian, on the other hand, has been going to martial arts lessons for years." She smiled proudly, "He's really good, all the other kids in his class are teenagers."Roy frowned, and edged out of the chair and onto the floor next to her. "Kids can sometimes get carried away when they have skills like that but lack the maturity to use discretion. Did he hurt you?" The guilty look on Katherine's face told him all he needed to know, "Show me.""It's not that bad. Besides, we fight like that all the time." She insisted, trying to sit up.He moved towards her, "Katherine, you could be really injured. Let me take a look at it."They stared at each other until Katherine relented, laying flat on her back and pulling her shirt up slowly from the hem to reveal her toned stomach, and as she pulled it up farther, an angry red bruise rested along the bottom of her ribcage. "It doesn't hurt."Out of spite, Roy probed it gently, eliciting a catlike hiss from the girl, "Right, it doesn't hurt. You're lucky though, I don't think he broke anything. Let me get some ice."Katherine moaned, "Fantastic, now there's proof I got beat up by an eight year old.""Hey," Roy yelled from the kitchen, "In your defense, you held up pretty well."When he returned and pressed a hand towel filled with ice onto the bruise, she was grinning at him wildly, "So there's hope for me?"The laugh came easily, "Definitely. I can teach you a little if you want."She smiled, pulling her shirt over the makeshift icepack to hold it in place, "I'd love that."Roy stood and held out his hand to help her up. "Let's get started.""Now?" Katherine said, "I thought I was injured!"Roy shrugged cockily, "The pain will give you focus." He went out to his car and came back with a staff gripped in one hand, "This is a Bo staff. I figure this is a good place to start." He stood behind her, and she was innately aware of the small space between their bodies. "Put your hands just inside of mine." She did so, but he laughed, edging closer, "Not quite, flip your left hand over. There you go."While he taught her the motions, he was careful not to upset her previous injury, asking her frequently if she was okay. He made her feel safe. She realized finally what made her crave his nearness. In all her life, she had never felt protected until he came.They went through a few drills, Roy guiding her body with his, coming closer and closer to her until Katherine couldn't stand it anymore. "Fuck it!" She growled, releasing the staff, turning in his arms, and pressing her lips to his. His response was instant, the Bo staff slamming into her lower back, pressing her against him, his lips working against hers feverishly.Once they were both breathless, Roy pulled away and looked into Katherine's blue eyes, "What happened to just friends?"Katherine smirked, "I just can't do that. Are you out?"Roy cupped her cheek, whispering, "Not a chance" before returning to the delightful task of kissing her senseless.
"Is it the face of a child
Is it the thrill of danger
Is it the kindness we see in the eyes of a stranger
Is is more than faith
Is is more than hope
Is is waiting for us at the end of our rope
I say, it's love
I say, it's love"
Love
By: Sugarland
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Gotham Memorial Hospital...11 Years Ago"We're sorry, Ms. Kyle, there's nothing we can do for your daughter."Selina held the tiny child in her arms, shaking in anger, "You won't even try?""She's too premature to survive the surgery to fix her heart." The doctor said, and he was lucky that she was too exhausted to try to hurt him. "We'll give you a few minutes alone with her before we send a hospice nurse in. I'm sorry for your loss."He left, and Selina looked down at her daughter. Helena was tiny, born a month early and struggling to breath. When the baby opened her eyes, they were a familiar crystal blue, and they caused Selina to burst into tears. Couldn't she have one thing that was hers to keep, something she didn't have to steal? She had thought that her baby would be that thing, but she wouldn't even be strong enough to live through the night. On the outside, she was perfect, but beneath the soft skin under Selina's fingers rested a heart too weak to sustain even the tiny child that housed it.The door opened, and a dark skinned woman in dark scrubs entered. "Hello, Selina."Selina's eyes widened. "Zazzala, what are you doing here?"The other woman smiled, "I'm just here to help you. She's beautiful." Helena gasped, and Selina's eyes were drawn back to her, "I can save her." Queen Bee said, sitting on the bed next to the mother and child."What could you possibly do? The doctor said she wouldn't survive surgery." Selina said, not willing to get her hopes up."And she wouldn't, not here at least, but if you let me take her to Cadmus, they can save her." Queen Bee was good at manipulating men, but she couldn't dupe Selina."What's the catch, Zazzala? Nothing comes for free with you."Queen Bee laughed, touching a long nailed finger to Helena's face, "We will save your daughter as long as you agree to do something for us. It's just a small favor, I promise."Selina knew there was no way she could turn down the offer, but she wasn't willing to let the other woman think she would give in so easily. She looked at her daughter again, memorizing her perfect face and short black locks, "What would you have me do?""That, Selina, I can't tell you, but I can assure you that you and your daughter will not be harmed by it in the slightest." Queen Bee held her hands out, "Make your choice, Selina. Let me take her for a week, or watch your beautiful baby girl die a slow and painful death. It's just a favor.""We have a deal." With every instinct she had previously relied on as a thief being overwhelmed by those that were maternal, Selina gave her daughter to Zazzala who whisked the baby out of the room.A few hours later, and Selina had convinced herself that her daughter really was dead. She had spent so long telling the doctors that the child had died and was taken by a nurse that she almost believed her own story. Of course, reasonably, she had to appear to believe it. She didn't need the publicity of her daughter miraculously surviving. She didn't need any publicity at all to be subjected to the visitor she had been dreading.There was a tentative knock on her door, and when it opened, it revealed the face of Bruce Wayne. "Selina." He said, with an indescribable expression."Get out." She spat when he closed the door behind himself."I'm so sorry I wasn't here." He said, approaching the bed cautiously.Selina laughed angrily, "You didn't believe me when I told you I was pregnant, so why should I care if you're sorry now? She's dead, Bruce."He winced, regretting his decision six months ago to push Selina away more than he could ever express. "I know, and I don't know what to say. I thought you were trying to con me.""Why would I have tried to con you, Bruce? We both know you aren't that stupid, and I loved you. I wouldn't have lied about that. It's all your fault. Her condition, it was genetic. Helena got it from you, Bruce. You killed our daughter!" If she hadn't been so weak, she would have been right in his face, ready to murder him, but the most she could do was break into hysterical tears."Helena? That's a beautiful name, Selina." He reached her bed, and wrapped his arms around her, "I wish I'd believed you. I might have been able to do something. I'm sorry.""You couldn't have done anything." She said, tensing in his arms, "You can't fix everything with money, and you couldn't have fought a genetic problem. But you should have been here. I needed you."Bruce's heart was breaking, seeing the usually strong Selina so vulnerable, "I know, but I won't ever be able to forgive myself for not being here for you."In an instant, all the vulnerability was gone, and the Cat returned. "I won't forgive you either, Bruce." She snarled, "Get out. I don't want to see you anymore."He didn't have the heart to fight her, so he left, mourning the loss of the daughter he had never laid eyes on. "Goodbye, Selina."One Week Later"Klarion, are you almost finished?" Queen Bee impatiently asked.The Witch-Boy groused, "Almost. This isn't exactly an easy task. If it was, you could have had Psimon do it. How would you like to try to create a supposedly blissful child hood? Let me tell you, it's not easy, and the brat isn't cooperating."The woman stroked a lock of the female child's black hair, "Now, Klarion, surely you aren't going to let a little girl get the best of you?"He heaved a sigh, "She has a strong mind.""For the love of all that is holy! Klarion, she's a week old!" Queen Bee was afraid that Klarion might have trouble messing with the child's head. After all, she was the child of Batman and Catwoman.Yes, they had saved little Helena's life, by aging her to the approximate size and maturation of a seven year old while she was hooked up to an artificial heart. Once she had reached a physical age that it was possible, Cadmus had fixed her heart, aging her just a little farther in order to remove the scars. She was no longer Helena. Whatever Selina decided to name her, she would always be known to the Light as 'Project Cat'.For the most part, they had left her mentally alone. Klarion was giving her memories that would assure that she loved Selina as well as ones that simulated what life would have been like with Selina as a mother. He was also implanting the frameworks for what they would need her to do in the future. An enhanced protective instinct doubled with her naturally advanced physical prowess would suit their needs just fine.Klarion finished minutes later, and released her from his grip on her mind. "Alright, Kitten, we'll be back in a few minutes." He cooed to the wide eyed child.She sat still for many minutes, looking all around the room, confused, and wondering where her mother was. The door opened, and a boy that looked to be about her age entered. "Hello." She said brightly.The boy smiled, "Hi, I'm Roy Harper!"The girl blinked for several seconds, her mind trying to fill gaps Klarion had left, "I don't know what my name is. I think I'm lost.""That's okay, I'll save you." He said firmly."Why?" She questioned, examining his bright hair, so unlike the inky blackness of her own."Because, I'm a hero!" He said as if it was an obvious fact.She giggled, "You're silly. You can't be a hero, you're just a kid!"He scrunched his red eyebrows together, "One day, I'm going to be a hero!"The girl paused again, "You're going to be a hero." She stated, her mind latching onto the idea."I sure am!" He took a look at the band around her right wrist, "I think you're name is Cat."She wrinkled her nose, "I'm not sure that's it."He just shrugged, "It's a name."Smiling gleefully, she pulled on his red hair, "I think I'll call you Red.""What? Why?" He yelled, jerking away from her touch.The door swung open, inhibiting her explanation. "Zazzala, who's been letting the leprechaun run around? I thought he was supposed to be on ice. Now I have to get back into the brat's mind."Queen Bee just sighed, "Calm down Klarion. You know Guardian has a soft spot for the boy. They share blood after all.""Huh, that doesn't matter. He's messing up my kitten." The Witch-boy growled. When Klarion approached the girl, the boy stood in front of her protectively, "Move, kid, you're just a rouge arrow."The clone's eyes glazed over, and his arms fell limply to his sides. "Red?" The girl cried, shaking his shoulder and receiving no repose. She glared up at Klarion, "What did you do to him?"Klarion grinned, "He's just taking a little nap." He laughed gleefully when the girl shot up at him, "Well look at you, a regular Dark Knight in training already." She too went limp, and Klarion touched a hand to the side of her head, "This will only hurt a little."
"When you have a child
You learn it's a serious business to have a little fun
You give grace and get forgiveness
Not seven times seventy but seven times seventy one
And when you have a child
Those four walls you call a house take on a life of its own
When you bring 'em home, you will cry and you will laugh
When they hurt it cuts you in half, it's your flesh and bone
And year after year, pictures fill page after page
They never really grow up, still your baby at any age
The first time you hold 'em, it's like you see God smile
What a smile."
When You Have a Child
By: Reba McEntire
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Their make-out session continued until Roy accidentally pressed down on her sore ribs, knocking the air out of her. “Shit, Katherine, I’m sorry!”Once she had regained the ability to take a steady breath, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips, “Relax, Red. We did need to cool off. There are some things better left out of the range of a certain child. He may be a genius, but he doesn’t need to grow up that fast.” She took the makeshift ice pack off and put it back into the freezer, “We should get to sleep. I have lots of shopping planned for tomorrow.”“Let’s do it.” Roy said with a nod, laying out their sleeping bags on the living room floor before getting into his own.She checked on Damian and got in her sleeping bag, curling up against Roy’s back, her head barely on her pillow. To him, it was the strangest feeling. He had never had anyone at his back, he’d always filled that role for someone else, but feeling Katherine’s warm body tucked next to him felt right.“Hey, Katherine?” He whispered in the dark, unsure if she was still awake.“What, Red?” She said sleepily.He smiled, “How about you leave the sparing with Damian to me for a little while?”She started giggling, wrapping one arm around his waist, “Okay.”They both slept through the night. The nights after progressed similarly, but things changed a little when the bedroom sets they had ordered arrived. They had slept tumultuously in their own rooms for two weeks before Roy finally gave up and put Katherine to bed in his own.In the following week, Red continued teaching Katherine how to fight, and was surprised at how quickly she caught on. She was even decent with an arrow, but her stance was never right. Of course her bad posture always gave him a chance to sidle up next to her and plant kisses on her neck as he pulled her elbow up.Her hand to hand combat was still iffy, she left herself too open, and sometimes seemed to forget to protect herself. Katherine still got jabbed in the ribs a lot, but Damian didn’t always win their play fights anymore.Katherine woke up early a few weeks later, wrapped in Roy’s arms. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts. He was deliciously clad only in pajama pants so she stayed put for a while, breathing in his scent. He smelled like sandalwood and peppermint, and the scent only served to increase the secure feelings she had while near him. She felt something else too, but she didn’t know what to call it.“Don’t you have to go to work today?” He asked in a rumbling sleepy voice, startling her.Katherine laughed softly, moving so she could look up at his face, “Yeah, I do. My initiation starts today. From nine to five, they get to show me the ropes and introduce me to people before I get thrown in with the sharks next week.”Roy brushed her hair out of her face, “You seem nervous.”She forced a smile, “I am. It’s the first job I’ve ever gotten that was legal, and not something my mother made me do.” She flushed, “I shouldn’t say things like that.”“It’s part of who you are, Katherine. And I know that.” He said, kissing her. “All that matters is that you’ve gotten away from that and want to do better.”“I don’t just want to do better, Red. I want to be better.” She said, rolling away from him.He stretched out an arm and clasped her by the wrist, pulling her back onto the bed. “Kat, you are better.” Red clasped her face in his hands and kissed her heatedly, “How about you stay in bed a little longer? Damian’s still asleep, I don’t have a planned visit to the Young Justice brats. We could do a little more ‘detective’ work. Finish where we left off last night. What do you think?”She moaned when he brought his lips to suck on the hollow at the juncture of her throat. Even though they hadn’t actually had sex, Roy had learned exactly how to render her a writhing pile of goo. Of course, turn about was fair play with them, but she didn’t have the kind of time to devote to what he was trying to woo her into. “I’d love to, really, I would, but I need to get ready before Damian gets up.”Roy sighed, “Alright, you get ready, and I’ll make breakfast.”“You, making breakfast? Cooking? I find that hard to fathom.” Katherine said, laughing softly as she opened their closet.“Come on, Kat. Oliver and I lived together for years. Who would you expect to cook?” He rolled his eyes, “I guess it’s a sidekick thing.”Katherine laid a dress on the bed and crawled up to her pouting man, “Red, you’re not just a sidekick, and you’ve come so far. We both have.” She said, kissing his forehead before grabbing her violet dress and pushing herself back off the bed.”As she headed into the bathroom, she heard him call after her, “I think that’s why this works. We bring out the best in each other.”She grinned at him from the doorway to the bathroom, “Red, you’re absolutely right.”An hour and a half later, Katherine was sheathed in her form fitting, but tasteful dress, giving Damian explicit directions to wait for Red to pick him up from school. She kissed Red on the cheek, complimenting him on his cooking, before sliding into her car for the first of many drives she would take into Metropolis.The idea of her job was scarier than Katherine had anticipated. Alone in her car, the whole thing scared her. She had never driven in a town so densely populated, and certainly never imagined actually working at a news source that could even compare to The Daily Planet.Sure, Star City wasn’t tiny, but Metropolis was huge in comparison. In her eyes, the Daily Planet seemed to dominate the skyline. She wasn’t sure how long she had been staring up at the building when she felt someone stop next to her. “It’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?”“Yes?” Katherine looked up blankly at the tall man next to her.He was thirty or so, with a mussed brown suit and wild black hair. But even his cumulatively unspectacular appearance couldn’t smother the light of his brilliant blue eyes. He held out a large hand, “My name’s Clark Kent. And don’t worry, you get used to it after a while.”Finding her voice, she took his hand, “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Katherine Kane.” The new last name came easily as she stared back up at the building, “Do you work here?”“I’m a journalist.” He answered, holding the door open for her.“I’m just starting an internship to be a photo journalist.” She replied, grimacing, “It’s my first day.” Walking past him, she steeled her nerves.Next to her in the elevator, Clark asked, “Who are you supposed to report to?”Katherine pulled out the slip of paper she’d written the name on, “Jimmy Olsen.”Clark smiled, “Jimmy’s a good guy, you’ll like him.”She did like Jimmy. He was funny, and not as physically intimidating as Clark or as harsh as Perry White, her new boss. In fact, Jimmy spent the latter half of the day trying to convince everyone at the Planet to dress up for Halloween. He wanted everyone to dress up like members of the Justice League.It made Katherine a bit uneasy. She couldn’t imagine herself dressed up like any of the spectacular women in the League. She hadn’t been like other girls, dressing up in a mask for one night out to collect candy. Her mother had never let her participate in the distorted modern version of Pagan tradition.The only costume she had ever worn was the Catwoman cowl. And every time she had ever worn her mother’s uniform, she had felt like the black spandex was trying to suffocate her. Even though it was just cloth, it felt evil. It was like the insanity that lived in her mother seeped out onto the material and made it something sinister, living.“Come on, Katherine. It’ll be your first Halloween with the Planet! You have to dress up!” Jimmy urged while she watched the screen on her phone for confirmation that Red hadn’t had trouble picking Damian up from his school.“No, Jimmy, I don’t have to. Isn’t that whole dressing up thing a little juvenile?” She commented, trying not to let her fear at the idea show.She had quickly discovered that Jimmy was relentless. That tenacity was, however, probably what made him one of the Daily Planet’s best photographers. “But you’d look really...nice. You could totally pull off Wonder Woman.”Katherine hardly noticed Clark walk up, “Why don’t you ask Lois what she thinks?”The younger man skittered off. “Thank you for that, Clark.” Katherine said, clocking out of her new computer.Clark smiled, “No problem. Jimmy can get a little single minded.” He peered at the single photo that graced her small desk. “Your family?” He asked, keeping his voice steady despite the fact that he recognized the young red haired man in the photo with his arms wrapped around Katherine.She nodded, a soft blush coloring her cheeks, “My little brother, Damian, and my boyfriend, Red. That was Damian’s ninth birthday last week. Since we’re new to town, he doesn’t have any real friends yet, so I tried my best to make the most of it.”“He looks happy.” Clark commented, his eyes focused on Red Arrow.Katherine picked up her purse, “Damian claims it was his best birthday ever. I hope we can make the next one a lot better.”“You’re a sweet girl.” Clark said honestly, “If you decide that photojournalism isn’t for you, then feel free to ask to come work with Lois and I.”“Thank you for the offer, Clark, and I’ll keep it in mind, but I’m not sure Lois likes me too much.” Katherine said, shooting the older woman a wary look.Clark looked at Lois longingly, “She grows on you.”Katherine giggled, turning off the lamp at her desk, “I hope so.” She smiled at him, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Clark.”He returned her smile, "You bet."
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Ooh ooh ooh
They don't know how long it takes
Waiting for a love like this
Every time we say goodbye
I wish we had one more kiss
I'll wait for you I promise you, I will
Lucky
By: Jason Mraz Feat. Colbie Caillat
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Her smile remained until she had left the building. A woman in a black wide brimmed hat stepped from the shadows of the shining globe, her perfectly coiffed hair hardly stirring in the wind. “Katherine.”
The smile slid off Katherine’s face as she turned to face her mother. Selina Kyle held a hand out, and Katherine half expected to be slapped. She wasn’t though, her mother slid her hand against her daughter’s chilled flesh. “You look so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Was her stagnant response.
Katherine’s blue eyes showed her mistrust, and Selina hated it. “Will you join me?” She gestured to a nearby bench, and Katherine walked to it, feeling every bit like the little girl she was trying to escape. “Sweetheart, I just want you to know how proud I am of you.”
Katherine couldn’t have been more stunned if her mother had shot her. “W-what?”
Selina pulled a smile onto her face even as tears began to fill her eyes, “You’ve done what I never could, and I’m so proud of you. I needed to tell you that. You are so brave, Kitten, just like your father. He would be proud of you too.”
“I don’t think Anton Renway is very proud of me. He left. And don’t call me Kitten. I’ve always hated that.” Katherine snapped.
Selina sighed dramatically, “That’s another thing I needed to tell you. Anton Renway wasn’t your father. He was just a boyfriend I had when you were little. You called him daddy, so it was just easier to let you think he was.”
“Then who is my father?”
Selina smiled, “I can’t tell you. It would hurt him, to find out you exist. And since I love you both, I won’t tell.”
Katherine stood, “I hate you. Don’t ever contact me again if you aren’t going to tell me the truth. Oh, and Damian’s fine, thanks for asking.”
Before her mother could lie more, Katherine stalked to her car and drove home at speeds far above the limit. If he noticed her acidic mood, Red didn’t comment all through dinner, and the conversation mostly centered on Damian’s day at school.
“I don’t know who I am!” Katherine bemoaned an hour later as they soaked in a bath together. She had let him in on her interaction with her mother, and he was being gracious enough to let her bitch about it. “Is everything about me her? God, I’d think I was her clone or something if I didn’t look so much different from her.”
Red wrapped her in his arms, “I know just who you are.”
She sighed, turning to lay on top of him, her hands on his chest, “Oh yeah, who am I?”
He smiled, and the expression annoyed her, “You’re Katherine Kane, and someday, you’re going to be Katherine Harper.”
Stunned, her eyes jerked to his. “What?”
Red laughed, and she found nothing but love in his eyes, “You’re it, Kat. As long as I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything. I love you, and one day, I’m going to marry you.”
Instantly, her ire dissipated, and she returned his smile, “You mean it?”
“What? That I love you? Of course I do!” He said, giving her a gentle kiss.
She pulled back, biting her lip, “Well, that part, but the other part. Did you mean that? You want to marry me?”
He laughed again, pulling her lip from between her teeth with his thumb, “Kat, I’d marry you today if I thought you’d let me.”
And she wouldn’t, not that day at least, but on Christmas Eve, they got married. Even with Red’s missions, and induction into the League keeping them apart at times, the first week of their new life together was perfect. Neither could remember a time when they felt so completely happy.
But New Years completely destroyed the happiness that had been so great in their house. A uniformed Roy came through the front door and collapsed into a heap, bringing a small snow drift into the house with him. Damian ran up to him, followed closely by his sister, “Red, are you okay?”
He didn’t respond to the boy he had come to think of as a son. He couldn’t look at either of them. He didn’t know why he’d come back here, back to another life that wasn’t his. Actually, he did know why he’d come back to the house he’d lived in with Katherine. He’d come back there because Katherine and Damian were home.
“Roy, what’s wrong?” Katherine said, going onto her knees at his side, gently pulling Damian behind her.
He knew instantly at the sound of her voice saying that name that coming to the house had been a mistake, “Don’t call me that!” He yelled, hitting his head against the wooden floor, “I’m not Roy.”
“What?” Katherine said, touching his hand that was clenched onto the entry rug.
The man in front of her was sobbing, something she had never seen her husband do. True, they’ed only known each other for roughly six months, but she felt like she knew him better than she knew herself. “I’m a clone, Katherine. The real Roy Harper is somewhere else. For three years, I’ve been in his place. I’m not real.”
Katherine was confused, but she knew she needed to calm him down. “Red, you are real. Calm down. I...”
“I’m not real!” He flung a hand out, hitting her across the face, knocking her back. Stunned, but not finished, Katherine had continued to try to sooth him while he paced the entry way.
There was an impulse in his brain, telling him that he needed something, but he didn’t know what it was. He didn’t know who he was. He was a clone. He wasn’t the real Roy Harper. He had almost destroyed the entire Justice League. He had hurt Katherine.
He would always still see the shock on her face as she picked herself up off the floor. She had only been trying to help him. He would always remember her wiping blood off her mouth as she reached out again to him even after he had shoved her away.
He would always remember her voice, “Baby, we’ll get through this together. It will be okay.” Her blue eyes were filled with strength, “I love you. Just stay with me.” When he had continued his mad pacing she grabbed his arm, “Red, please stop. You’re scaring Damian.” She was right, Damian’s eyes were wide as he stood with his back to the wall in the far corner of the room. He would always remember that look.
Looking at the boy, he had felt something in him break. He grabbed Katherine by the shoulders, shaking her slightly so he knew he had her attention, “I have to leave, Katherine. I need to figure this out on my own, and I need you not to follow me.” If it was possible, this moment hurt Red more than finding out he was a clone that had betrayed the League.
Tears had filled her eyes then, “Red, please don’t leave me.”
This had been her fear, before they’d decided to get married Christmas. She had told him that she wouldn’t marry him if he thought he might ever leave her. She had said that the previous men in her life, or more directly in her mother’s life, had always left as soon as Katherine got close to them. She had been so afraid that he would break her heart, and he had promised her he wouldn’t.
Now, just over a week later, most of which he had spent away from her, he was breaking that promise. He was breaking her heart. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I love you, but that’s the only thing I’m sure of right now.” He wiped a tear off her face, “Don’t follow me. I don’t want to hurt you anymore then I am right now.”
Damian threw himself at them, wrapping his arms around them both, “Please, Red, don’t leave us.” The boy was strong, but Red was stronger, and pried him off easily.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered before he walked out, their voices ringing in his ears. He wandered through alleys, trying to find what he was looking for...whatever it was.
Red’s discovery of heroin was the worst thing that could have happened to him while he was in such a vulnerable state. It made him forget, just to let things go. When he was high, he wasn’t Red, the husband who had abandoned his wife, and he wasn’t Roy, or rather the clone of Roy, who had abandoned his team. It was bliss.
Back in Metropolis, Clark Kent was watching Katherine closely, waiting on her to self destruct. She hadn’t said anything to anyone, but he knew something was wrong. He knew it had to have been Red Arrow. Katherine had taken to staring at the pictures of them on her desk, and dark under eye circles were increasingly common.
She looked bad. Before New Years, she had been glowing, but now, she could have passed as a Halloween zombie. “Hey, Katherine. Are you feeling alright?”
She looked up at him slowly, as if she hadn’t quite heard him. “Huh?”
“Are you feeling alright?” He repeated slowly.
Katherine nodded, “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
Clark sat down next to her desk, “You don’t look alright, Katherine. What’s wrong?”
She laughed bitterly, “Everything!” Clark managed to get out of her that Red Arrow had left her as well, and that she had no idea where he was.
Over the years, she put on a bright face and did her job, but there were few days when she seemed genuinely happy. Those days usually aligned with Red Arrow sightings near the area. Katherine became closer to Clark, the two sharing drinks frequently so she could try to give him advice on Lois.
After her depression returned one time, Clark even took her and her brother to his parents. Katherine loved his parents, and they loved taking care of her, often sending her things courtesy of Clark. He found her brother to be odd for a nine year old, and he almost thought sometimes that Damian knew he was Superman. He could have said the same thing about Katherine too. The boy seemed to adore him though, and had taken to calling him ‘Uncle Clark’ soon after Katherine had introduced the two. As he grew older, Clark passingly thought that Damian was taking on a familiar facial structure, but he didn’t want to think about it. Katherine and Damian had joined the small group of people that genuinely cared for Clark, and he didn’t want to mess it up.
Even as things got grimmer in the search for Red Arrow and the real Speedy, Clark kept the two humans close, trying to protect them as best he could. Katherine sometimes complained about him being over protective, but she never meant it. She enjoyed feeling like she had a big brother, and Clark was more than willing to oblige her.
"Weather man said it's gonna snow
By now I should be used to the cold
Mid-February shouldn't be so scary
It was only December
I still remember the presents, the tree, you and me
But you went away
How dare you?
I miss you
They say I'll be OK
But I'm not going to ever get over you"
Over YouBy: Miranda Lambert
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
~Five Years Later~
Black Canary held him slightly over the edge of the building, “Best shape of your life? That was me holding back, way back. Roy, you used to treat your body as a temple.”He fell to his knees, “My body’s no temple. It’s a cheap knock off. A clone.”“Roy, come back to Star City with me, it will be like old times. You and me training, fighting crime. Just hanging out.” Oliver pleaded.Red stood, “You’re confused. You’re probably thinking of the other guy. The original. The one you stopped looking for. Me I’m just a...”“We get it, you’re a clone, but you’re not the only clone on this rooftop. And I know from personal experience how tough it was to come to terms with being a copy of someone else. That’s why I gave up my identity of Guardian. So that I could figure out exactly who Jim Harper is supposed to be.” Jim said.“He already knows who he’s supposed to be. He’s just being pig headed.”All eyes turned to see a young woman standing at the top of the fire escape with a Bo Staff in one hand. Red’s eye widened. “Kat?”The young woman nodded, and glared at them as she knelt next to Red, “Touch him again, and I’ll kill you.” Katherine peered at him, “Are you okay?” She asked softly.“What are you doing here?” He asked, staring at her.“I’ll get to that, promise.” Katherine pushed his hair out of his face, “She’s right you know, you look awful. You need to shave, and that landing earlier was terrible.” Katherine on the other hand, looked amazing. Even in her baggy hoodie, she looked great, and Red couldn’t do anything but continue to stare at her. “I’ll cut your hair soon, it’s gotten so long since you were home last. Don’t let me forget, okay?” She said, running a hand through the dull mass on his head.“Who are you?” Black Canary finally blurted the question all the others wanted to ask.Katherine turned her head to look up at the woman, “I’m his wife.”“His wife?” Dinah echoed, stunned.“For five years.” Katherine added, “And I don’t appreciate you beating up on him. If anyone has the right to do that right now, it’s me.” She put herself between him and the group, looking into his eyes. “You’re not high.” She commented in surprise.Red shook his head, “No, not for a while. I finally kicked it. I couldn’t look for Speedy and be messed up.” He paused, “I couldn’t be with you and be messed up.”She kissed him, “I love you.”“You shouldn’t.” He said steadfastly. “I’m a clone.”Katherine smiled patiently, “Red, for the last time. I wouldn’t care if you were a monkey. I love you. I might be crazy for feeling like that, but it won’t ever change. It hasn’t in the last five years, and God knows I tried to stop loving you. I thought it would be easier, but it looks like you’re stuck with me. I can’t be happy without you.”He sighed, closing his eyes, “I’m not real, Katherine. How can you want to be with me?”She narrowed her eyes and grabbed one of his hands, slipping it into her hoodie, “Does this feel real enough? We did this together.” She said in a whisper, putting his hand against the side of her stomach. Red felt something nudge against his hand.His eyes shot open wide, and he stared at her, his mouth hanging open. “You’re pregnant.” He said quietly.She nodded like it wasn’t a huge life changing deal, “Yeah, remember when you came around five months or so ago? You were there, and I know you weren’t high, because I never let you in the house when you’re high.”“I wore...” He started to hiss in protest, but she glared at him.“Red, I know you did, but those things aren’t one hundred precent!” She looked down at where his hand was still on her stomach, her eyes misty. She sniffed, wiping her face, bringing her voice back to a level that the others could hear, “We can talk later, Red. We have to, but right now I need to have a word with your friends here.” She stood, bringing him up with her. “This afternoon, men came into my home and kidnapped my brother. They were looking for this.” She held out a silver box.Nightwing took it from her hand, “It’s a hard drive.”She rolled her eyes, “Just because my brother is a genius child prodigy doesn’t make me stupid. I know it’s a hard drive. He was trying to crack into it’s system when I took it from him. He was being a brat because he was frustrated that he couldn’t figure it out, but right before I unplugged it, the Cadmus symbol popped up on his monitor. I took it to work yesterday, intending to get rid of it.”“Why take it to work?” Nightwing interrupted.Katherine gave him a malicious glare, “My brother can pretty much pick the lock on any safe I could ever buy. With him, distance is the only way to keep him from getting his grubby little hands on something he wants.”“Grubby?” Red asked, surprised to hear Kat say anything negative about Damian.Katherine gave him a tired look, “Damian’s decided to become a hell raiser these last five years. He’s into everything. That’s actually why I need to speak with more of the League, and why I need you all to help me find him.”“What is it?” Oliver asked, still staring at the girl he remembered from the fundraiser all those years ago. In the black pants and hoodie, she hardly looked like the same girl, but the defiance in her crystal blue eyes was the same.“He hacked into your main computers about a year ago, and he knows all the specifications for your fancy new shield. He told me he was playing around with ideas to get around it.” Red saw the sincerity in her eyes but Nightwing didn’t.“A child did all of that?” He scoffed.Katherine nodded, “He’s fourteen.”“No child could get around our security, Batman designed it himself.” He countered.She shrugged, “Like I said, Damian’s not your typical child.” A small sad smile flitted across her face, and she looked up at Red, “I think he took after our mother more than I ever wanted him to, but she’s not near as intelligent as he is.”“Not a typical child? What kind of game are you playing?” Nightwing accused, taking an aggressive stance in her direction.Katherine tilted her head slightly, and then pulled a silver throwing star from her pocket. Fluidly, she spun, flinging the weapon into the air where it sailed into a strange flying contraption. “Those things have followed me since I got away.” She leveled her glare back on Nightwing, “My brother and I aren’t exactly Status Quo, so I’d watch your tone.”“You’re Catwoman’s apprentice.” Oliver remembered the slinky woman she’d been with.When Katherine didn’t respond, so Red answered for her, “Kat isn’t Catwoman’s apprentice. She’s her daughter.”They all stared at her. In the baggy hoodie, she didn’t look like the daughter of the elusive Catwoman, but the way she moved belied her maternal parent. Katherine shrugged, “I’m nothing like her. I don’t lie to the people I love.” Her eyes went to Red, “Which is also why I need to tell you that I think I know where Speedy is.”“Cadmus disposes of source material.” Jim countered assuredly.Katherine smiled at him, “Not always. I’ve been doing my own type of research. I find that a man will tell you whatever you want to know if he thinks you’re interested in him, and the dumber you act, the more you learn.” She looked uncannily like her mother when a strange smile spread across her face. “One of their clean up crew members is a little loose lipped, and let slip where a few of their facilities are hidden.”“You think we don’t know where their bases are?” Nightwing asked.Nightwing was getting on her nerves, and she really wanted to hit him. “Did you know one was in Tibet? It’s a storage facility. That’s where I think he is.”“You’re sure?” He badgered.Katherine felt lightheaded suddenly, and clutched her Bo Staff to her chest, “I think so.”Red knew her well enough to recognize that the expression on her face wasn’t a good one, “Kat, are you okay?” Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she slid down using her staff to steady herself. “Kat!” Red yelled, kneeling next to her, “Talk to me.”“Dizzy.” She whispered, putting a hand just above her heart. “Happens a lot these days. Clark kept trying to get me to go to a doctor about it, but I’ve been focused on the baby.”Red stroked her hair, “You never were one for a doctor’s visit.” He held onto one of her hands, discreetly checking her pulse. “I’m not a doctor, but I don’t think this is normal.”Katherine chuckled, “Who knows. My OBGYN thinks it’s just a baby thing.” She whispered as she attempted to stand, but swayed erratically.Red steadied her with a stern look, “And you got on to me about taking care of myself?”She gave a little guilty smirk, throwing up her hands a bit, “You got me. That happens a lot. Mostly when I get pissed off.”Red turned on Nightwing, his face rage filled. Katherine scrambled out of Oliver’s grip and grabbed onto Red’s shoulder, “Stop. I feel fine now. I faint when I get stressed, it’s not entirely his fault. Remember, Damian’s been kidnapped. I dealt with you, so right now Damian is all that matters.”“Do you have any idea where they took him?” Nightwing asked gently.Katherine shook her head, “I have no idea. They came in, I stabbed one with a kitchen knife, another yelled something, and the next thing I know, they’re all gone. All that was left was the one guys blood on my floor, the roast in the oven is burning, and it’s ten minutes later. It’s like the time is just missing.” She looked at Red, “It’s why I came looking for you. I knew no police force would take me seriously.”Oliver decided it was time to go, he didn’t want anything else bad to happen. “Nightwing, why don’t we take them to Happy Harbor and we’ll see what we can do.”
Red had been expecting some sort of violent reaction, but Katherine handled the Zeta-Beam like a pro. Immediately, she went to the computers, seemingly unbothered by her unusual transportation, ignoring the stares of all the present team members. “Holy shit. This thing is huge.” She looked to Oliver, reaching a hand out to the computer, “May I? Might be easier for me to pull his stuff up so you can see what he was working on.”Oliver shrugged, “I have no idea how to work most of that stuff, so knock yourself out.”Katherine’s fingers flew across the control screen, and about thirty seconds later there was an image on the screen, “There it is. That’s what my brother was building, and if you don’t want him creating it for Cadmus, I suggest you help me find him. I still don’t know how they got him away. The kids’ a powerhouse, a martial arts fanatic. He’s grown like a half a foot in the last year. He’s almost six feet tall now.” She took a shaky breath, finally coming off of her adrenaline induced high. Her chin trembling, she looked up at Red, “What am I going to do if something’s happened to him?”Red hugged her, “The team will help, I’m sure.”“Not for me, for you, and to save their own butts.” She said dryly, sniffing back tears.“Um...hello?” M’gann said, standing hesitantly in front of the pair. Katherine didn’t seem too shocked to see her green skin, so M’gann held out one of her hands, “I’m M’gann. Welcome to The Cave!”Katherine gave a small smile, “Hi, M’gann. I’m Katherine. I wish I could’ve met you all at a normal time, but I’m glad to meet you just the same. Red told me all about you all.”“He did what?” Oliver snapped, his attention off the simulated image Nightwing was messing with and back on her.“I’m his wife. Even before we got married, we told each other everything. Red kept mission details to himself, but I always knew about his friends.” Katherine smiled at M’gann, “He always told me you were the kindest person he knew.”M’gann beamed, pulling Katherine over to the sofas, “Really? What else did he say?”Katherine nodded, “He did say that your cookies were terrible, but I’d like to help you with that sometime. I’ve got cookies down pat. I used to tease Red here about eating too many to fit in his suit.”Red glared at her, and Oliver laughed, “I tell you what kid, you sure picked a feisty one.”Red nodded, a smile on his face, “I know. I don’t deserve her, but I learned the hard way that I can’t function without her.” His expression turned somber, “When I left, I left to keep everyone else safe. I can’t help but notice the irony of how well that turned out.”The attention returned to the woman when M’gann quizzically asked, “Are you hungry?”Katherine stared at her like she was insane, “I couldn’t possibly eat right now.” A few seconds passed before she said, “Oh! I’m pregnant. You must be hearing the baby!” The two woman began an animated conversation that resulted in Kat finally stripping down to a black tank top so M’gann could ‘talk’ to the baby.Red was so enamored with watching her stroke the small swell of her stomach, that he didn’t notice Jim Harper walk up. “It’s not your’s, you know. It’s impossible. Cadmus renders clones genetically incompatible to reproduce. It’s one of their procedures.”Red shook his head, “She wouldn’t lie to me.”“You’ve been off the grid...” Jim started, but Red cut him off.“I’ve been going back to her. For the first two years, I was too messed up to even remember my own address, but for the last three years, I’ve been going back four or five times a year.” An unwitting smile quirked on his face, “I was home five months ago. We slept together. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you where babies come from.”“And I’m telling you it’s not possible. Cadmus clones cannot reproduce with humans.” Jim said steadfastly.Red shrugged, “She might not be. Katherine has no idea who her father is. He might not have been human. Hell, her mother might not be human. Have you heard of all the impossible things Catwoman has done?”“Yes, but...” Jim began.“No, Jim. I didn’t want your advice earlier, and I don’t want it now.” He walked back over to the girls, sitting on the sofa next to Kat. “What are you two up to?”Kat shrugged, “M’gann says the baby is hungry, but if I tried to eat something right now, I’d just throw it back up.” She looked at M’gann. “Could you try to find my brother using my mind? We are siblings after all.”M’gann thumped the side of her own head, “Hello, Megan! I could definitely try!” She got a distant look on her face, “I think I’ve got it. He’s in Gotham...I think.”“You...think?” Katherine said slowly.“He’s asleep. I’m going to try to speak with him telepathically.” A few seconds of silence passed, “He’s uninjured, he tried to fight back, but they knocked him out. He’s worried about you.” M’gann said after she opened her eyes, holding Kat’s hand.Katherine nodded, and M’gann walked over to input her newly discovered data into the computer. “He’s always worried about me. I swear, I’ve raised a neurotic teenager.” Kat said, and looked at Red, “I’m not going to lie. These days, he sort of hates you.”Red sighed, but smiled back at her, “At least someone does. When we get him out of there, I’ll have someone else to tell me how terrible I am. It will actually make me feel better.” Kat put a hand on the side of his head and playfully pushed him away.
-----
Over in Nightwing’s room, he was inputing his own data. Batman’s face popped up on the screen, “How is the Team?”Dick sighed, “Red Arrow’s back.”Batman’s mask shifted just enough to hint at eyebrow movement, “How’d that happen?”“We staged an intervention.” Another hinted eyebrow movement, “It wasn’t really going well, but then this girl shows up claiming to be Red Arrow’s wife.” Dick shot a picture of Katherine to his mentor, “I don’t trust her. Red Arrow said she’s Catwoman’s daughter.”Bruce stared at the picture, his mask noticeably slack. The girl was dressed in a black hoodie, sitting next to M’gann, smiling broadly as Red Arrow stood close by. Her hair hung long and dark around facial features that were intimately familiar to him, but it was her eyes that stunned him. They were crystal blue. Selina’s were green.From a hidden pocket of his suit he pulled out a picture of his own. It was a composite of Helena, of what she would have looked like. He’d gotten a photo, taken of Helena before she’d died, from a nurse at the hospital, and had commissioned an artist to base a picture off of that as well as photos of him and Selina.The old artist had been kind to him, and had helped him grieve for his daughter, sending an updated picture every year or so. He looked at the most recent one. The girls were nearly identical. The real girl’s features were a bit slimmer, her eyes a little paler than depicted, but they were obviously the same girl. “Run her DNA.” He snapped at Dick.Dick looked taken aback a bit, “It’s already running. The system has at least already determined that she’s organic and not a clone, but I still don’t trust her.”“Search my private database.” Bruce said, relaying the pass code to his protege. As it ran, Bruce found himself asking softly, “What’s her name?”Dick responded, “Katherine.” They lapsed into silence. When the results came to his screen, Dick was stunned. “Bruce, it says you’re her biological father. Her mother is...”“Selina Kyle.” Bruce finished, anger welling up in him. “I’ll be back on Earth as soon as I can. In the mean time, keep this information to yourself.”Selina had screwed him over for the last time.
--------
"Hello world, hope you're listeningForgive me if I'm young,Or speaking out of turn,But there's someone I've been missing,And I think that they could be,The better half of me.They're in the wrong place trying to make it right,But I'm tired of justifyingSo I say to you...
Come home, come homeCause I've been waiting for youFor so long, so longAnd right now there's a war between the vanitiesBut all I see is you and meTo fight for you is all I've ever knownSo come home."
Come HomeBy: Faith Hill
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
------Back in the main room, Red had managed to get Katherine to himself. They were on the far sofa, Katherine curled up in his lap, her head against his chest. She’d gotten a little worked up when the Team had told her that neither of them could go on the mission to retrieve Damian. “Are you really alright?” He asked gently, kissing the side of her head.
She looked down at where their hands were entwined on her stomach, “Mentally I’m a mess, with my crazy hormones, I’ve been a complete basket case. I’m sure you’ve noticed that though. I cry constantly, but I’m just fine physically. My OB said that sometimes a pregnant women’s heart has a hard time dealing with sudden rises in blood pressure. As long as your buddy Nightwing doesn’t piss me off again, I’ll be fine.”
“He’s not my buddy.” Red groused.
“He should be. I heard what they said about you having been the one that was their friend.” She said, and he smiled into her hair.
“I know that, but...I’m being pig headed.” He said, rubbing his thumb on her stomach where the baby was kicking, “Do you know what it is?” He asked her softly.
Katherine giggled, “A little girl.”
“Shit.” Red muttered. That had been her reaction too.
She giggled again, “I know! What business do you and I have raising a girl?” Her face fell, and she peered up at him, her blue eyes swimming with sudden tears. “You’ll stay won’t you? You won’t leave me again?”
It broke Red’s heart to see her look so fragile because of him, and he kissed the tears from her cheeks, “Never again, Kat. I should have listened to you before I left, but by the time I realized what I’d done, I was already hooked on the drugs. I couldn’t really stay with you. I can now. I’m through with the drugs. I’m tired of being away from you.”
Katherine clutched his shirt, “Then don’t leave again.”
He held her close, “I won’t. The team’ll get Damian, and we’ll all go home. I’ll work out my issues with Damian, and we’ll take care of our baby girl together. I promise.”
“I love you.” She said, yawning slightly, “That sounds absolutely perfect.”
“I love you too.” Red held her until she drifted off to sleep. He was glad she had fallen asleep because soon after, the Team left to get Damian. Red knew that if something happened to him, Katherine would never forgive herself. Irrationally, in Red’s opinion at least, she loved him, but the kid was her life. Nothing Red could do would help her if Damian didn’t come back. It would destroy her.After privately convincing his alien hosts that he needed to return to Earth to take care of his daughter, Bruce was sent home. They had decided that as a human, he hadn’t been responsible for anything, and had offered to send him home weeks ago. He had stayed with the rest of his fellow League members to speak for them. To his annoyance, they insisted on sending Clark back with him. Apparently, they felt bad for him since his own alien race had been completely wiped off of the universe.
Back in his cave, Bruce set to finding Selina. As his computers searched for the location of a necklace he’d given Selina, Clark came up behind him. “What are you looking for?”
“Who am I usually looking for? Why are you down here?” He snapped at his best friend.
Clark pulled up a stool next to him, “You seemed unusually upset. Besides, no one knows we’re back. The way I see it, I’ve still got a few hours off.” Bruce just shrugged, “So you’re looking for Selina.”
“And trying to find more about this girl.” Bruce said, handing him the photo of Helena.
“I know her.” Clark commented, looking at the picture.
“What?” Bruce exclaimed.
“Her name’s Katherine, she works at the Planet with me.” Clark said, trying to figure out why Katherine was in the Happy Harbor cave.
Bruce pretended to look interested in the program on his screen, “Tell me about her.”
“Bruce, she’s my friend. Why are you looking into her?” Clark asked, becoming defensive of his human friend.
Bruce looked at him, rage in his eye, “Apparently, she’s my daughter. Selina told me she died. Needless to say, I’m going to have words with Selina.”
“Katherine? Your daughter?” Clark laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Bruce said darkly, not sensing anything humorous.
“She’s so nice, and usually really easygoing.” Clark said, trying to control his inappropriate amusement.
“She’s nice?” Bruce said in a hushed voice.
Clark nodded, returning to his serious mindset, “Unfailingly kind. A little brash sometimes, but she means well. She’s observant too, I guess that makes her kind of like you. My parents love her. She and her brother...”
Bruce’s eyes snapped to him, “Her brother?”
Clark realized he’d said something his friend hadn’t needed to hear, “Yeah, his name is Damian.” He peered at Bruce, “No wonder he always reminded me of you.”
“How old is this boy?” Bruce asked, looking up Katherine Kyle.
“He’s fourteen.” Clark said gently.
“He’s not mine then. I haven’t been with anyone since Selina, and I haven’t seen her in sixteen years.” Bruce stated adamantly. Katherine’s public file popped up on the screen, and Bruce couldn’t believe what he saw. “She’s twenty three?”
“Yeah, she turns twenty four in a month or so.” Clark supplied.
“Helena was born sixteen years ago. Helena’s the only child I’ve had.” Bruce mumbled.
Superman heard him though, “Helena? Are you alright, Bruce? Her name is Katherine.”
“When she was born, her name was Helena.” Bruce said, and he suddenly didn’t want to confront Selina yet. He had to meet this girl.
He went to the Zeta-Beam, not caring if Clark followed or not. Once he reached the Cave, his eyes found the girl almost instantly. She was seemingly asleep, laying under a fleece blanket. Bruce found himself kneeling next to her, amazed by the perfect blend of him and Selina present on her face. Her blue eyes flickered open and she gasped, jolting back.
“Get away from her.” A voice snapped. Bruce looked up, to see Red Arrow coming through the door from the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand.
Katherine raised her hand, waving at him to be quiet, “Red, it’s okay.” Looking unsure, Red came to stand behind her, handing her the glass of water. She stared at the masked man in front of her, at the eyes staring back at her. “Who are you?”
“I could ask you the same thing.” Bruce said. It was undeniable. She had his eyes. “What does the name Helena mean to you?”
Katherine sat up, pulling her hair over to the front of her right shoulder, “When I was eight, my mother would sometimes call me Helena. I thought it was weird, but with my mother, weird is a relative term.” She reached her hands out and fingered the edge of his hood, she bit her lip and pulled her fingers back, “Are you my father?”
He nodded, “I think I am.”
She traced his eyes, “Me too.”
Bruce looked at the blanket that covered her and the water in her hand. His heart sank, “Are you sick?”
Katherine blushed, and Red wanted to crawl away. What a hell of a way to find out Batman is your father-in-law. “No, not sick.” She pat her stomach, bringing Bruce’s attention to it, “I’m pregnant.” Bruce knew he didn’t have the right to be pissed, but he was. He knew that this girl was twenty three, not sixteen, but he still wanted to beat Red a little. Katherine grinned at his expression, “I see where I get my evil eye from.”
“Yup, definitely the same.” Red said, looking at the ceiling to avoid Batman’s glare.
She rolled her eyes, catching Red’s hand in her own, “Relax, or I’m going to start freaking out. Kay?” Her voice was thin, and Red pressed a kiss to her hand.
“Sorry, Kat.” He said, “Let me go check on the Team.”
“Thank you.” She said, sipping from the water, “The Team’s gone to find my half brother. Cadmus took him.” She informed Bruce.
“I know.” He said, sitting a seat away from her.
“She told you I died, didn’t she?” Katherine said, rubbing a small circle into her stomach.
Bruce nodded, “She did.”
Katherine let out a catlike hiss, “Typical. I really hate her.” Bruce couldn’t say he disagreed with the girl. Selina had obviously gone to some less then legal efforts to keep her alive, but had he been given the chance, he would have done the same thing. It was Selina that had kept him from his daughter.
They just stared at each other, and he wished they were in a more private place so he could show her his whole face. He didn’t get the chance to suggest going somewhere else, however, before the Team came in with a tall boy amongst them, “Damian!” Katherine cried, relief in every line of her body, standing, and rushing to them.
Damian clung to her, burying his face into her shoulder, “You’re alright!”
She stroked his short hair,, “Yes, I’m fine. Red’s been taking good care of me.”
“I don’t want him here.” The teen grumbled, glaring at Red over her shoulder.
Katherine couldn’t help but smile, “Be nice, D. This is more his place than ours.”
The boy nodded, “Alright.” Katherine looked over, and smiled at Red in triumph. No one was prepared for what Damian did next. He pulled an Auto-injector from his pocket, and pressed it into his sister’s stomach. Katherine gasped, but the boy was already throwing himself at Red, screaming. “You did this to her!” Katherine removed the now empty injector from her skin, staring at it in shock. Nightwing grabbed Damian, trying to wrestle him off of the clone. When Dick finally got him off, blood covered the boy’s face.
“Let him go! You’re hurting him!” Katherine yelled when she saw Damian wince in pain. She couldn’t rationalize her brother as a threat, even though he’d just injected her with an unknown substance. She didn’t feel any different, and could still feel her little girl kicking her ribs every few seconds.
“Did you see what he just did?” Dick yelled back at her, surprised by Damian’s strength.
“Yes, but you’re hurting him!” Katherine grabbed his arm, and pinched a nerve, forcing him to let Damian go. She then pulled his arm behind his back, threatening to break it. “You don’t ever seem to listen.” Katherine let him go, and knelt next to her brother.
He immediately started sobbing, “I couldn’t stop myself! Kat, I’m so sorry!”
Katherine held up the Auto-injector, “Damian, what was in this, and why attack us?” She asked calmly, finally sparing Red a look. She mouthed to him that she felt fine, and he glared harder. Although holding his bloody shoulder, Red looked more pissed than in pain, watching every move Damian made. Like Katherine, he knew how the kid was, especially when emotional.
“I don’t know what it was!” Damian screamed, “Kat, I’m sorry! The doctor told me if I didn’t give you the medicine, you’d both die!” He sobbed, and she didn’t bother to ask why he attacked Red again. Damian had been expressing his hatred of her husband for five long years. That was one of the reasons she’d continued her training. Deep down, Damian terrified her. Selina had made him resilient, but Red had made him hate.
She tried again, barely controlling her own fear, “Damian, why would we die? And what exactly was in that thing?” Damian looked down, and Katherine forced him to look back at her face, “Don’t you dare look away from me. Why would we die?”
“I don’t know! All she said was that your heart’s too weak, and the medicine would help you both.” Damian mumbled. Bruce felt that sentence like a punch in the gut. Cadmus had fixed her heart, but not well enough. He understood, and so did a pale Red. Her heart could support her easily, but the added strain of a growing baby was too much.
Bruce picked up the discarded vial, and handed it to Dick, “Find out what was in this.”
“I’m not your protege anymore.” Dick hissed, pissed at the whole situation.
A slow grin took over Bruce’s masked face, “I know you aren’t, you’re my adopted son. She’s my daughter, and I want to know exactly what that boy just stuck her with. I’d go use your lab myself, but somehow, I think you like that option even less.”
"So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong.
Hold me when I'm scared and love me when I'm gone.
Everything I am and everything in me,
Wants to be the one you wanted me to be.
I'll never let you down even if I could,
I'd give up everything if only for your good.
So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong.
You can hold me when I'm scared, you won't always be there,
So love me when I'm gone, love me when I'm gone."
When I'm GoneBy: 3 Doors Down
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Katherine had consented to them locking Damian in one of the spare bedrooms, but wouldn’t let them tie him down. It went against her nature to see him hurting at all. “Let me see your shoulder.” She said to Red after they had drawn blood from her, checked on the baby, and taken scans of her heart.
“Aren’t we going to talk about what he said?” Red asked her, removing the towel Oliver had handed to him so she could see his wound.
“No.” She said firmly, gently probing the bite. “He got you pretty good.”
“He’s strong.” Red replied. “We need to talk about this.”
Katherine pinched her eyes shut, “No, Red, we don’t. Not until we know what was in that vial. I feel just fine. Hold still.” She ordered, cleaning the bite with some antiseptic M’gann had scrounged up after Red had refused any less than normal aid. That aversion seemed to be new, but rational considering his experience with advanced science.
Red hissed at the sting of antiseptic, and a grin lit up Katherine’s face, “You did say you couldn’t wait for Damian to hurt you. Karma, my love.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He mumbled, staring at her stomach. “Is it all my fault?”
Katherine sighed, and cupped his face in her hands, “No. It’s my mother’s fault. Had she told me that I had heart problems, I would have been more cautious these last five months.” She spared a glance at Batman, her father, “She took me from him too. I won’t let her take me from you now that we’ve just gotten back together.” She kissed under each of his eyes, and returned to dressing his ravaged shoulder, “You still look awful. When was the last time you slept?”
Red shrugged his uninjured shoulder, “I’m not sure.”
“You kept watch while I slept, so I’ll do the same. Go!” She chirped, pointing to the sofa she had slept upon earlier.
Red smiled fondly at her, took her hand, and led her to the sofa. She sat, putting a pillow in her lap. He took the queue and laid his head in her lap. “I love you, Katherine.” He said, looking up at her.
Katherine looked anxious, but gave him a small smile. “I love you too.” He rested with his eyes closed for a while before she spoke again. “She could be alright, you know.” Red opened his eyes to see Katherine finally looking vulnerable. “I’m far enough along. She could be just fine if...”
Red sat up, touching her face gently. “If what?”
Her chin began to tremble, and she bore into him with her crystal blue eyes, “If I have a heart attack or something, promise you’ll do whatever needs to be done to save her.”
Red knew that nothing but his agreement would satisfy her, “Okay.” She looked slightly less anxious, “Come here.” He said, opening his arms to her, mindful of his ravaged shoulder. She leaned against him, and he propped his chin on the top of her head, “Have you though of a name?”
Kat shrugged, “Not really. I kinda hoped it would come to me when I saw her for the first time.” She chuckled slightly, “I keep tossing around the name Lian though. It’s kind of weird, but I’ve liked it since my mother and I went to Rhelasia. Our guide’s name was Lian.”
“It’s not that weird. I like it. Besides, what else about us is normal?” Red quipped. “What does Lian mean?”
“Graceful Willow.” Katherine answered with a smile. She kissed him abruptly, “I don’t know what I’d be like if you weren’t here with me right now.”
“I imagine we’d both be in trouble.” He said running his hand through her hair. “You’re going to be fine, and we’ll figure out what’s up with the man-child.”
“Man child?” Katherine asked with a giggle.
“He’s gotten so tall!” Red exclaimed, Damian was probably taller than he was.
“I know. He sort of scares me sometimes, but I still love the stupid kid.” She peered up at Red, “You know what? I sense a trend. I must be a masochist.”
“Nah.” Red said dismissively, “Damian and I are just very lucky.”
“You’re supposed to be sleeping.” She said with a false tone of chastisement.
“You’re the one that started blabbing all doom and gloom.” He retorted cockily, but his teasing grin fell from his face when he saw her wince, “Kat, are you alright?”
Katherine let out a ragged breath of air, her face changing to a wry smile, “Yeah, she just kicked really hard. She’s going to be a fighter, just like her parents.”
He didn’t really ever fall asleep after that, paying attention to every time she so much as twitched. “It was dexomethasone.” Dick announced, finally emerging from his room.
Dick looked excited, and that made Red nervous. “What’s that mean?” Katherine asked.
“It’s a drug to promote prenatal lung development. The kid wasn’t lied to. It really is supposed to help.” He explained. “Br-Batman and I were looking at the scans of your heart, and it looks like there’s still damage to your heart. Basically, if your blood volume reaches too great a capacity, the free wall of your left ventricle will give out. If that happens, there’s a large likely hood that you would die.”
“That makes sense!” Katherine exclaimed, but she seemed to sense Red’s confusion, “The drug was to help the baby develop without putting on too much more weight. Whoever gave Damian that drug was trying to clue me in on what would happen if I got to full term. I just need to hold out as long as I can so it’s safer for the baby.”
“Katherine, we don’t know how big is too big.” Red said darkly.
She smiled, “I’ll be fine. Besides, Clark can probably hear if my heart starts acting funny.”
Bruce stared at his daughter, and then his eyes shot to the room Clark had been lounging in for the last hour or so, “Clark?”
Katherine looked at him like he was stupid, “Yeah, tall dude, sort of awkward. I’m not a self absorbed idiot, and I sometimes spend all my work day with the dude. It’s really obvious. If you’re paying attention that is.”
Clark joined them, still in uniform, laughing at the impish grin on Kat’s face, “Hey, kiddo.”
“Hi, Clark.” She replied to his usual greeting.
He pulled her into a hug, “How long have you known I was Superman?”
She giggled, “Pretty much since that first day of work. You’re just too clumsy to really be that clumsy. Most people wouldn’t notice, but...” She glanced at her newfound father, “I guess being the kid of the world’s greatest detective makes me a little different.”
Clark sighed, he should have known. She covered too easily for times he needed to run out, “You’re clever kiddo.”
Katherine stared down the hallway Damian was being housed in, “Not clever enough.”
“I can hear it. Your heart. It does sound different. I’m sorry I haven’t been around recently to help you out.” Clark said, giving her another slight squeeze.
She shrugged away, “You’re here now, so I expect you to help me out now. ‘Kay?”
Clark smiled at Red, “She’s a ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” He looked back at Kat, “Of course I’ll help you out. Besides, you did say I get to be ‘Uncle Clark’, right?”
She pursed her lips, raising an eyebrow playfully, “That was quite a few months ago, you ass. Don’t think being cute works. You know it already doesn’t work on Lois.”
“Not fair.” He mumbled.
“Are you two always like this?” Red asked stunned, he’d never seen Superman act so...human.
The odd pair looked at each other and said in unison, “Pretty much.”
“He’s pretty much been my best friend for six years. The big brother I never had and all that gooey stuff.” Katherine said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Clark looked at Bruce, “I should have figured out she was your daughter way sooner. She hates having friends almost as much as you do!”
Bruce glared at him, “I put up with you, don’t I?” Katherine laughed, and embraced her father for the first time. Her movement was so quick and instinctual that even she stilled, her breath catching. Bruce folded his arms around her, and they both sighed. Holding her in his arms for the first time was nothing like he had ever imagined. Deep down, his heart had ached for Helena, and now here as Katherine, he felt complete.
“I hate her.” Katherine murmured, “Things would’ve been so different.”
“Was she cruel to you?” Bruce asked, fearing the worst. At best, his relationship with Selina was violent, and he hoped that aspect hadn’t reflected onto their daughter.
Katherine stepped away, but smiled up at him, “No. I always had strict rules of what I could and couldn’t do, where Damian had none, but she was always, in her own way, very loving to me. That didn’t keep me from hating her, but I never felt like she didn’t want or love me. On the other hand, she acted like Damian didn’t exist most of the time. That’s kind of why I already hated her. And for not telling me who my father really is. She would never even give Damian a fake name like she did for me.”
“Is she going to be looking for you?” Dick asked.
Katherine shook her head, “I haven’t spoken to my mother in over five years. And for the half year before that, we talked only a handful of times. Damian and I sort of ran away with Red in the middle of the night.”
“Did you keep my car?” Red asked abruptly.
His wife rolled her eyes again, “It’s still in the garage, but I’d look it over before I tried starting it. Damian does have a propensity for explosives.”
Red groaned, “Damn, what the hell has the kid been up to these last five years?”
“I don’t really know.” Katherine admitted, “He’s sort of withdrawn from me. He hasn’t been as clingy as he was earlier in years. Things between us weren’t the same after I tried to k...” She abruptly shut her mouth, and looked at Clark, looking ashamed.
Bruce looked at Clark as well, “What?”
Clark looked upset, “Kat, they should know.”
She started to protest, but thought better of it. Clark was right. “I tried to kill myself three years ago. Clark found me on the bathroom floor after Damian called him because I wouldn’t come out. There, I said it! I’m a messed up psycho!”
Clark plopped a heavy hand on her head, “Relax, kiddo. You’re passed that. You were a messed up psycho, now you’re just plain messed up. I’d blame that all on Bruce.”
Katherine looked wearily at her father, “Does he annoy you as much as he annoys me?”
There was a hint of a smile on the Dark Knight’s face, “All the time.”
“You two are impossible.” Clark said.
“I can’t believe you tried to kill yourself!” Red yelled, his temper getting the best of him.
“And you don’t get to be mad about it, you left me!” She yelled back at him.
Tears filled her eyes, and they seemed to knock the anger out of Red. He approached her cautiously, “I know, Kat, and I’m sorry. I’ll always be sorry for that.”
She wiped her face, and tucked herself against him, “I know that. I just missed you so much, and that day, it was too much for me to handle. I’ve regretted trying to do it ever since.” She sighed, looking at the thin scars on her wrists before reaching up to kiss him, “I’m going to go see if Damian has calmed down.”
When Katherine unlocked the door to where they had stashed her brother, she expected him to be sitting on the bed or pacing, but when she opened the door, he was no where in sight. Instead there was a large orange cat sitting on the bed.
Looking around the room, Katherine moved towards the feline. As soon as she was in range, the cat jumped into her arms, “Hello, kitty.” Having lived so long with her mother, she wasn’t unused to cats coming out of nowhere, but she found a cat in this room to be strange, “Where’s my brother, pretty kitty?” She chirped, stroking the cat’s fur as she went to check the bathroom.
Damian wasn’t there either. A chill went down her spine. He couldn’t have gotten out. That was why the Dick had put him in this particular room. Katherine looked down at the purring cat in her arms and had an odd sense of deja vu.
“Teekl always did like my Kitten.” A thin voice behind her said.
Katherine spun around to be met with a strange looking young man in a suit. “Who are you?” She asked, clutching the cat, who rubbed blithely against her neck.
He smiled, “I know you don’t remember me, but we’ll get reacquainted shortly. Back to Cadmus for us, my naughty baby Dark Knight.”
Her whole body froze, and she couldn’t do anything as he took her hand and they were engulfed in red light.------Red went to follow her, but the Batman stopped him, “You make her cry again...”
He let the threat hang in the air, allowing Red to imagine all of the painful ways he could hurt him before moving out of the way. Red couldn’t get out of the room fast enough.
Clark grinned at his friend, “Well, while unexpected, I think you’re taking this father role very seriously.” All he got in response was a very serious glare.
A few seconds later, Red came running back into the room, eyes wild, “They’re gone!”
“What?” Bruce snapped.
Red could hardly breath, “I went to the room Damian was in. They aren’t there!”
"I'm the voice inside your head you refuse to hear.I'm the face that you have to face, mirrored in your stare.I'm what's left, I'm what's right, I'm the enemy.I'm the hand that'll take you down, bring you to your knees.So who are you? Yeah, who are you?Yeah, who are you? Yeah, who are you?"
The Pretender
By: The Foo Fighters
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Katherine woke up, she was sitting on a bed in a strange room. “Hello?”
A door on the far wall opened, and a beautiful African woman walked in, holding a silver tray, “Good, you’re awake!”
“What happened?” Katherine asked.
The woman smiled, but it didn’t comfort her. “You got away when we picked up your brother two days ago, and then whisked yourself off to that brat camp. Such an inconvenience. We had hoped to collect both of our assets at the same time, but we had to send Klarion in to get you. I think he was quite good at tricking everyone into believing he was your brother.”
“Where is Damian?” Katherine demanded.
“He’s resting. Poor baby tired himself out fighting us. See for yourself.” The strange woman pressed a button, and a window opened itself in one wall. Damian was just behind the glass, laid flat on a table, apparently asleep. It didn’t slip Katherine’s notice that he was tied down. Looking at her own wrists, she found that she to had been handcuffed to the bed she was laying on. She instinctively yanked on the restraints. “Oh, don’t do that. You’ll hurt yourself. Relax.”
“Everyone keeps telling me to relax.” Katherine hissed, giving both restraints a hard jerk.
“I’m Zazzala. You and I go back a long way, Kat. I held you just after you were born.” The woman smiled like she was remembering a fond memory, “You were so tiny. I thought for sure you wouldn’t amount to anything, but I was wrong.” She leveled her gaze at Katherine, “You’ve done very well.” She sighed, setting her tray down, “You’ve gotten out of hand though.”
“Out of hand. I don’t even know what you want with me.” Katherine said.
“We saved your life sixteen years ago so your mother would work with us. We’ve let you live for that reason, but you’ve always been trouble. When your mother would come here, she’d bring you, and without fail, you would always find the little leprechaun. Low and behold, he knocks you up. You both should have been sterilized. Some heads rolled over that little mishap.” The sweet smile was still in place.
Katherine put a hand protectively on her stomach, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. “Sterilized?”
Zazzala nodded, “All Cadmus projects are. Oh, don’t worry, you’re not quite as much of a project as much, more like a hobby horse. Your brother, now he’s a real project.”
“What do you want with us?” Katherine demanded.
“We don’t want you.” Zazzala said like it was obvious, “Well, Klarion might, but the only reason you’re here is because of that baby.”
Katherine had her eyes on the metal tray Zazzala had brought in, if she could reach it, she might be able to use it as a weapon. “What are you going to do to my baby?”
Zazzala pulled a needle off of the tray, “Well, if you stay pregnant for too much longer, you’ll die, and then we’d never get your brother or mother to cooperate again. They value you too highly. They are assets to us, but you, my dear, are just collateral.”
“Don’t touch me with that!” Katherine yelled when Zazzala took a step forward.
Zazzala smiled again, “You really should relax. I wanted to be the one to do this because I wanted to see you. I feel invested in you, Kat, like an aunt. The injection Klarion gave you earlier was just to strengthen your baby. This will start labor. Or so I’ve been told.”
“No.” Katherine said firmly, struggling into an odd kneeling position, pulling one of her chained hands behind her back. “It’s too early. She could die.”
“Nonsense, we’ve taken precautions. You just need to relax.” Zazzala stepped closer, and Katherine held her breath. Once the woman was within reach, Katherine lunged at her, using her fingernails like a cat would it’s claws to scratch the other woman’s face.
Zazzala hadn’t anticipated the girl getting free, and that surprise worked to Katherine’s advantage. She freed her other hand in a seconds, and slammed the silver tray into Zazzala’s head with all of her strength. Zazzala cried out, and a small scuffle ensued, but ended when Katherine managed to get her hands around the queen’s throat. “You should have known my mother would teach me to slip restraints. Your loss.”
In her adrenaline fueled attack, Katherine hadn’t felt the needle find purchase in her skin, but she felt it in her arm when she let Zazzala fall to the tile floor. Pulling it out, she was relieved to see that it wasn’t empty. “When did I become a freaking pincushion?” She whined as she examined the glass between her and Damian, and determined it to not be reinforced. That was all the reason she needed to take her trusty silver tray and throw it like a throwing star. It shattered the glass, and, being mindful of the shards, she climbed through the the pane. “Come on, you lug.” She groused, shaking Damian’s shoulder. “Damian!”
At the sound of his name, his eyes jerked open, and he focused on her a second later, “Kat? Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” His hands shot to her slightly bleeding wrists.
Katherine couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation, “I’m fine. I had to slip some cuffs, and I’m out of practice. We can catch up later, but do you think you could get us out of here?” She gestured to a computer off in the corner.
Damian hopped off the bed, and went to the computer, “It’s no use. This computer doesn’t back up to the main frame.” He grabbed her hand, “Let’s go. I think I saw a computer I can use when they were dragging me in here. Or maybe a door.”
“I hope you fought like hell.” She asked.
Breaking the lock on the door, he nodded, “Of course. I’m not your average fourteen year old.” Katherine couldn’t contain her smile. This was her brother. There was no one else who could possibly pull off his cocky manner so easily. No wonder the other one had unnerved her so. Damian was never that messed up, and he hand’t cried since she’d tried to kill herself.
And then he shoved her in a closet, “Shh...someone’s coming.” He whispered before closing the door.
Katherine tried not to get pissed about being closed up while he obviously put the hurt on a few individuals. When he opened the door, his face was flushed and he held his hand back out, a gun in it, “Hey, I got you a present!”
“How thoughtful.” She said as she rolled her eyes at him, but took the weapon. It was nice, and well maintained. She tried not to look at the bodies they walked past, and kept her eyes on the gun in her hands, “I can work with this. You going to shove me in any more closets?”
“Nah.” He said, reclaiming her hand. “I wouldn’t come at you when you’ve got a gun in your hand. That’s just suicide. You’re a better shot than me on one of your bad days.”
“That’s just because you fry your eyes with all those computer screens, you imp.” She retorted, so glad that talking to him wasn’t uncomfortable like it had been with the Klarion-Damian.
“Hey, it’s my eyes who are going to get us out of here. I know what to look for.” He popped back.
“And I don’t?” She asked.
Damian cracked a small grin as he checked around a corner, “Sure you do, but I think Little Bit has been frying your brain recently.”
The baby gave a stiff kick as if she knew they were talking about her, “Not that much.” She said, wincing slightly. “Let’s go, Damian.”
“I think if we go this way there should be a do...” He cut himself off abruptly when they rounded the corner. An atlantean was standing there, water-bearers drawn. He was young, and Damian seemed to recognize him. “You’re Aqualad.”
“I am no longer Aqualad.” The young man replied in an odd accent, looking them over. He seemed startled by Katherine’s distended stomach, “I was not aware you were with child.”
She nodded, remembering more about Aqualad, “My baby’s father is Red Arrow. You were his friend. He spoke about you a lot.”
“Red Arrow?” Aqualad said, taken aback, “He’s back?”
Katherine shrugged, “He’s my husband, my brother got kidnapped so I sort of dragged him back to his senses. He’s stubborn, you remember that, right?” He lowered his weapons slightly, but Katherine wasn’t taking any chances. Damian flinched when she pulled the trigger. The bullet skimmed across the side of Aqualad’s skull, disorienting him. “Run!” She yelled to her brother, who snagged her hand before hauling butt to what he hoped was the nearest exit.
“Why did you shoot him?” Damian exclaimed when they got outside.
Looking around at the forested area Katherine sighed, “I don’t know, maybe because it’s been pretty well reported that Aqualad has disappeared? I may be pregnant, but I’m not that far gone.”
Damian noticed her wince, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” She snapped, as he pulled her over a fence. “Any idea where we are?”
Damian looked at the moon, and then the watch on his wrist. “I’d say not too far from Metropolis. A little north, maybe.”
“Then let’s head south.” Katherine decided, starting to walk.
“Uh, Kat?” Damian said, and she looked back at him. He had an impish look on his face, “South is that way.” He pointed far left of the direction she had been heading in.
Katherine threw up her hands, “Fine! You lead! Smart ass.”
“Don’t forget it.” He said cockily. A few minutes later, he asked in a hesitant voice, “Red’s back? You told Aqualad you’d dragged him back.”
Katherine nodded, “Yeah, I went looking for him right after they took you. Things are okay. Not great. He wasn’t particularly thrilled to hear about my little suicide jaunt, but I went to check on you...well fake you and ended up at that place.”
“Fake me?” Damian asked, watching her wince again.
Katherine was trying to ignore the pain she was in, “Yeah, to get me, they sent their creepy witch boy as you. I really must be out of to not have noticed. He cried.”
Damian scoffed, “I don’t cry.”
“I know.” She said drolly.
After seeing her wince a few more times, Damian pulled her to a stop, “You’re not alright.”
Katherine wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t anymore, “I think I might be in labor.”
“Shit.” Damian cursed.
“Language, Damian.” Kat chastised.
He glared at her, “What, I’m not the one who’s been lying this whole time.”
She glared back, “I’m trying to be in denial, Damian. Get with the program.”
Like she weighed nothing, Damian scooped her up, “I am with the program. Now hush. I may only be in ninth grade health, but I’m pretty sure having an early baby in the middle of a forest isn’t safe.”
“It’s not.” Katherine said solemnly.
“Then let’s go! You were being slow anyway.” He said as he started trekking with her in his arms. He was right, even carrying her, he was going faster than they had been. “How long do you think it will take Red to notice you’re gone?”
“Not too long.” Katherine sighed. “We’d just had a little spat. I’m sure he was probably just a minute or two behind me.” Damian clicked his tongue, and she was sure a rude comment was to follow. “Don’t be mean.” She warned.
He heaved a great exaggerated breath, “I’ll try not. But...If you two have really made up, I wouldn’t let him start that car of his.” Katherine wasn’t surprised. “You’d already figured that out, hadn’t you?” He said at the expression on her face.
“You taking that mechanics class last summer was a huge red flag.” She answered, groaning as a contraction hit her. “God this sucks.”
“Language, Katherine.” Damian mocked.
She pinched his nose, “Don’t be a brat.”
He was about to be said brat when a voice echoed around them, “There you are!”
"I'm so heavy, heavy,
Heavy in your arms.
I'm so heavy, heavy,
Heavy in your arms.
And is it worth the wait,
All this killing time?
Are you strong enough to stand,
Protecting both your heart and mine?
Who is the betrayer?
Who's the killer in the crowd?
The one who creeps in corridors,
And doesn't make a sound."
Heavy In Your ArmsBy: Florence + The Machine
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Fuck.” The word slipped from Katherine’s lips before she could stop herself. “Damian, put me down.” He obeyed, only because she was cocking her gun.
“Kitten, I can’t believe it! I leave for five minutes and you go running away again!” Klarion let Teekl jump from his arms. Katherine leveled the gun at Klarion. He just laughed. “Kitten, you can’t hurt me with that!”
“No, but last I checked, you can kill a cat with a bullet.” She said as she swung the gun in Teekl’s direction. Klarion screeched when she shot a bullet into the cat’s side. He then began to flicker, grabbing Teekl before disappearing into thin air.
“How in the world did you know that would work?” Damian asked, aghast.
Katherine leaned against a tree, “I didn’t. I was just hoping it would distract him. You killed one of Mom’s cats, remember?”
He shook his head, “No, I don’t.”
She smiled through the pain she was in, “Yup, it was an accident, but Mom was so mad. I thought she was going to strangle you. He’s as crazy as she is about cats. I figured it was worth a shot.”
Damian studied her closely, “We aren’t going any farther, are we?”
Katherine shook her head, “We have to.”
“I don’t think we can.” He stated firmly, gesturing to the dampness seeping down her legs.
“No, Damian. We can’t stay here. We can’t go back there.” She didn’t know what to do, and she was terrified.
Damian looked up at the trees around him, “Hey, remember when we would climb those trees at the Kent’s?” She nodded, “Think you can climb up a little? If we can just get far enough out of sight, we should be okay.”
Katherine grabbed the side of his head and kissed his cheek, “You are brilliant.” Her last contraction was easing, “We need to get started. I’m gonna guess I’ve got another four minutes before my next contraction.” It was a slow process, but with Damian’s extensive help, Katherine made it up high enough to be hidden from anyone on the ground.
“I’ll be back.” Damian said before dropping off of his branch.
“Damnit, Damian! Get back here!” She yelled.
His head popped back up from the leaves, and he stage whispered, “Kat, hush! I’ll be right back!”
She cursed some more, but tried to keep as quiet as possible, taking to talking to her baby, “Sweet girl, you’ve got to hold on. Okay?” She’d never been a religious person, but she was praying now. It was all she could do.
Damian’s head popped back up, and he had a broad smile on his face, “I brought you another gift!”
M’gann’s smiling face appeared and Katherine sighed in relief, exclaiming, “Thank God! Would someone please get me to a hospital before I have this baby in a tree?”
M’gann giggled, “Let’s go then!”
It didn’t take long to get Katherine into the Bioship where she was immediately smothered by Red, “Don’t ever get kidnapped again.”
She laughed, breathing in his scent, “I’ll try not to.” He kissed her hand, and let her squeeze the living crap out of it when her next contraction came.
At the hospital, they caused a flurry of excitement. There were several causes. First, Katherine was revoltingly filthy and in labor. Second, Damian was interrogating Kat’s doctors on their credentials every time they tried to leave her room. Third, M’gann, in human form, was acting like some hysterical aunt off a TV show. When Katherine voiced the last observance to Red, he laughed and made some vague comment about some television character named ‘Megan’.
Several hours of agonizing labor later, and Lian Harper was born. Upon examining the small baby, the doctor had turned to glare at Katherine, “This baby is not four months premature. I don’t appreciate being lied to.” He dismissed the NICU nurses that had been sent to look after Lian. “You should have been honest and said you hadn’t been putting on enough weight. Besides being small, she’s perfectly healthy.” He put Lian in Katherine’s arms, murmuring, “Congratulations.”
Katherine and Red stared at their daughter in awe. She certainly didn’t sound premature
in the least, her tiny face screwed up as she screamed her little heart out. Red kissed Katherine, not caring that she was sweaty and hadn’t seen a shower in days. “She’s beautiful, Kat.”
His wife nodded, carding her fingers through Lian’s dark hair. “I guess there was more than just dexomethasone in that vial. Is it wrong of me to be relieved by that?”
“Not at all.” Red assured her.
Katherine smiled at him, “Why don’t you go bring M’gann and Damian in? They’re probably driving the nurses crazy, and I want to sleep soon.”
“Got it!” Red replied, brushing a kiss on both her cheek and Lian’s.
Alone with her daughter for the first time, Katherine couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face. She now knew that the term ‘Love at First Sight’ was very real, and now it was even more inconceivable to her that their mother had hated Damian so much. Lian seemed to have cried herself out, going rigid for a few seconds before relaxing completely, “There you go, sweet girl. It’s all okay now.” And everything was okay. With Red back in her life, Damian safe, her father tentatively in her life, and Lian healthy, nothing else seemed to matter.
“Let me see!” Damian screeched the moment he crossed the threshold into the room. There were times he acted like the child he was, and not a child genius. This was apparently one of those times.
Katherine smiled patiently, “Come on, you crazy thing. Come meet your niece, Lian.”
Red came to stand next to her again while Damian perched himself on one side of her bed, and stared at Lian. A tall man with dark hair standing in the doorway, who Katherine instantly recognized as Batman by his eyes, also stared at them, “Lian. That’s a lovely name.” He said softly.
“Thank you.” Katherine said, pursing her lips, “You know, I’ve never had a dad or a baby before, but I’m pretty sure grandpa’s are allowed in the room.”
Bruce’s face lit up for a split second before returning to his usual blank expression. He stepped in, looking at the family in front of him. It seemed so strange to think that he was a part of it. He hadn’t been part of a real family since his parents had died, but here Katherine was, with her husband, her brother, and the tiny squirming baby. Putting aside the facts that he was the Batman, Red was Red Arrow, Katherine was over seven years older than she was supposed to be, and her little brother was a veritable assassin, the moment seemed very normal.
Red took the baby into his arms, staring at her with the awe Bruce had wished he’d gotten the chance to do with Katherine. “Here.” Red said, suddenly in front of him, holding Lian out. “I think we can trust you not to drop her.” Damian protested, but Bruce didn’t hear him. He was too enamored with Lian. As soon as she was in his arms, her eyes flicked open. Red laughed like a kid on Christmas morning, “Look at that!” He turned around to Katherine, “She’s got your eyes.”
She gave a small chuckle, “I kinda wished she had yours.”
“Gah!” Damian groaned, “If you two are going to get all mushy, I’m out!”
“No.” Katherine said firmly, “You’re not leaving my sight for a very long time.”
Bruce sat down, ignoring the fight that ensued between the siblings. Lian wrinkled her face up a few times before seemingly going back to sleep. Clark came in not too long after, making a loud self introduction which woke the newborn. Bruce glared at his friend, “Is there any particular reason you had to wake my granddaughter?”
Clark was reasonably intimidated by the deathly expression, and looked desperately at Katherine, only to find that she was asleep. “Sorry.”
Bruce continued to glare, but passed Lian back to Red. “We’ll leave you three alone. I think the boy should come tell me more about his little plans.”
Damian made a catlike growl, “The boy has a name, mister.”
“Go, Damian. Don’t wake your sister up. She’s had a very long day.” Red scolded. Bruce walked out, Damian and Clark close behind. Red kissed Katherine’s temple and settled into the chair next to her with Lian in his arms, letting a long needed calm fall over him.
Just outside the doorway, Bruce turned to Damian. “You killed those men in Cadmus. Why?”
Damian straightened, his face hard, “I was protecting my sister. They could have hurt her if I didn’t get rid of them. She was in no condition to fight.”
“You didn’t have to kill them.” Bruce said, and Clark rolled his eyes.
“Give it a rest, Bruce, he’s just a kid.” Clark advised, not liking the look on either of his companion’s faces.
Damian spared a quick glare at his long time uncle figure, “I’ve got it, Uncle Clark.” He looked back at Bruce, “You’re right. I didn’t have to kill them. Had she not been in labor, Kat would have bitched at me about doing it. The way I saw things, it was kill or be killed. Kat and I protect each other. She shot Aqualad, and you’re not giving her crap about it. I don’t see why what I did is any different. At least the men I killed attacked me first.”
Bruce’s jaw clenched a few times before he started walking to the parking lot. Clark followed, looking exasperatedly at Damian, “Way to go, Kiddo. You just pissed off Batman. Not your best move.”
The teenager shrugged, “Oops.” It wasn’t a struggle for him to keep up with the two League members. He was actually used to slowing his pace when walking with others, but with the two men, he didn’t need to. “So...” he began awkwardly, “you’re Kat’s dad?”
Bruce looked at the boy, who seemed to have something on his mind, “Yes.”
A sardonic smirk found it’s way onto Damian’s face, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dark jeans, a perfect image of an American teenaged boy, “Our mom always told us we were half siblings. She lied.”
“Katherine isn’t your sister.” Bruce said, feeling sorry for the kid.
Damian shook his head, “No, that’s just it. She’s more than my half sister. Our DNA is 60% similar. I’m hardly Selina Kyle’s son at all. Her DNA was just a bonding agent. My real mother’s DNA is unstable, they used Selina’s to stabilize my genetic material.”
Bruce stared at the boy, “Are you saying...”
“That you’re my father too? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.” Damian pinned Bruce with his golden brown eyes. “I always felt like I was different, but while I was at Cadmus, I got the truth off one of their computers. I’m a glorified science experiment. I don’t want Katherine to know.”
“Why not, Dai? She’s your sister!” Clark chimed in.
Damian looked at the white tiled floor, his hands curled into tight fists, “Kat’s the only one who’s ever cared about me. She’s the only one who doesn’t call me a freak. I don’t want her to look at me differently. I don’t want her to look at me the way our mother did.”
“I care about you.” Clark said quietly.
Damian shrugged, “That’s not exactly what I meant. Kat’s been more like my mom than either of the women I got my test tube DNA from. I can’t lose that. With Lian here, I know she won’t have as much time for me, but I don’t care. As long as she still loves me, I can handle that.” A smile worked it’s way onto his face, “Besides, I can fill my time with making Red’s life hell.”
Clark started in on Damian then, lecturing him about not blowing things up and generally making life harder for his sister. Damian kept shutting down each of Clark’s concerns with a rational answer that belied his genius intellect.
Bruce just kept staring at the boy. An aged Helena, he could handle, but this boy? There was something about the boy though, in the way he held himself. For fourteen, he was almost unnaturally tall, Bruce had been too. Even though his eyes were Selina’s brown, they were shaped like Bruce’s. “Who’s the forty precent?” He found himself asking.
Damian’s eyes shot to him, seemingly startled by the question. “Uh...you sure you want to know?” Bruce arched an eyebrow and Damian winced, “I only looked at the file for a few seconds, but I have an eidetic memory. Kat didn’t even notice I was looking at a file. Anyway, it said my primary X genetic code came from a woman named Talia al Ghul.”
"Life's like a novel,
With the end ripped out.
The edge of a canyon,
With only one way down.
Take what you're given before its gone.
Start holding on, keep holding on.
Cause when push comes to shove,
You taste what you're made of.
You might bend till you break,
Cause it's all you can take.
On your knees you look up,
Decide you've had enough.
You get mad, you get strong,
Wipe your hands, shake it off.
Then you stand, then you stand.
Every time you get up,
And get back in the race,
One more small piece of you,
Starts to fall into place."
StandBy: The Rascal Flatts
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They settled into an odd little family unit after that. Katherine vehemently refused to go back to the house she and Red had shared all those years ago, so they had taken up temporary residence at Wayne Manor with Bruce. After a week of feeling like they were imposing, she insisted they stay in the Cave until another solution could be found.
They hadn’t met all of the Team yet, and Superboy and Jaime had been very concerned to find Katherine, Red, and Damian sitting on the sofa a week later.
“Who are you?” Superboy asked.
Red looked away from Lian to flash a smile to Conner, “Hey, long time no see!”
“What are you doing here?” He asked, and Jaime was just trying to place the red head.
Katherine put Lian in Damian’s arms and stood up gracefully. She pinned Conner with a bright smile as she walked towards him, “You must be Conner.” She folded her arms around the stunned clone, “I’ve been wondering when we would run into you. Clark said you’d been busy, but I didn’t realize it would be a week before we’d finally meet.” She let him go, still smiling as she held out a hand, “I’m Katherine Harper, Red’s wife, and a long time friend of Clark’s.”
“Clark’s friend.” Connor echoed.
She giggled, “He may lack a certain way with words, but he does have friends.”
“I see you’ve met Connor.” Clark said dryly hours later when he came to check on her. It was well after midnight, and Katherine was the only one still awake.
Connor and Jaime were asleep on two of the sofas, Damian was curled up against Katherine’s side. She smiled at her friend, “He’s a tough nut to crack.”
Clark smirked, “Tell me about it.”
Katherine eased her brother off of her and stood, covering him with a blanket. “Don’t get mad at me for saying this, but you all are hurting them.”
“What?” Clark exclaimed, narrowing his eyes at the young woman.
She glared back at him, “Don’t look at me like that. You all are treating them like weapons. Like they’re your own private hit squad to do things you don’t feel deserve your attention.” Clark opened his mouth, but she held up her hand, “Hear me out, Clark.” He gestured for her to continue, “That’s fine. I’m not knocking that, but in all of your high mindedness, you’re forgetting something very important.” She looked at the trio of sleeping boys, “They’re children, Clark. They need parents, not overseers. They don’t feel like they can trust you with their feelings.”
Clark shook his head, “No, I’ve made progress with Conner. We’re getting closer.”
She shook her head as well, “Did he tell you about M’gann? About what happened?” Clark shook his head again, at a loss as to what she was getting at, “He told me. I met him just a few hours ago, but he told me. Know why? Because I’m not someone who’s evaluating him on his every move. Damian and I are the first people the poor kid’s had contact with that know all about who and what he is, but aren’t members of the League. They didn’t tell me this outright, but I got it by the fact that the moment Red went to put Lian down, they started actually talking to me about more than missions. They don’t feel like they can entrust their personal issues to you all, not even to Red. They are terrified that you will pass judgment on them for what they feel.”
“What can we do?” Clark asked, wondering why Katherine wasn’t a therapist.
Katherine sighed, “I don’t know, Clark. I’m not sure there’s anything you can do. I want to stay here. I think I can help them. They need someone to talk to. I’ve only really spent
time with the two of them, but if the others are anything like this, then you League members are lucky you aren’t having more problems.”
“So you want to be their den-mother? Red Tornado lives here, and Black Canary already works with them.” Clark posed hesitantly.
“Yes, I want to be their den-mother!” Katherine exclaimed brightly, “The android isn’t the best at gauging human emotions, especially adolescent emotions, and Black Canary is a member of the League. Don’t worry about me. I’d already decided I’m not going back to work. I’d hit a wall there anyway. I was going to just spend all my time with Lian and Damian, but you know me, I’m a multi-tasker!”
Clark mulled the idea over, “That’s great, but you do realize that some of these ‘kids’ are older than you are, don’t you?”
“It occurred to me, but some of them are much younger than even Damian is.” She shot a pointed look to Connor, “Please, Clark, ask the League.” Katherine threw her arms around the Kryptonian. “Please?”
“I’ll ask.” He conceded, looking at the sleeping boys, “Should we move them?”
“Nah,” Katherine said with a fond smile, “let them be. Sometimes, it’s nice to wake up on a sofa. It keeps the memories of the night before at the front of the mind.”
Clark cringed, “That sounded so wrong.”
Heaving a huge sigh, Katherine said, “Nope, not like that. Besides, no funny business so soon after the baby. I’m not even allowed to start working out again for another week. I’m convinced my doctor is out to ruin all the fun of finally having my family all together.”
“I’m sure that’s not her intention.” Clark said dryly, walking to the exit. “I’ll ask the League soon. For now, try to stay out of trouble.”
“Always.” She said blithely, going to the bedroom she and Red had commandeered. Red was asleep, curled around Lian. A broad smile overcame Katherine’s face when she approached the bed. Lian was awake, her large blue eyes looking at the world around her, “What’s up, baby girl?” Katherine asked softly as she lowered herself onto the bed on Lian’s other side. Red grunted, and Katherine started to run her fingers through his loose hair.
She’d been thinking a lot about what had happened at Cadmus. After lots of tests, there was nothing unusual about Lian, but something about the whole thing still set Katherine off balance. Damian. Why had they wanted him so badly? Yes, he was brilliant, and an incredible fighter, but there wasn’t anything about him that a League member or five couldn’t do. It worried her, but she couldn’t keep it in the front of her mind. Damian had been really quiet before Connor and Jaime had come in, but he’d opened up to them quickly. He was happier at Mount Justice than he’d been in a long time. Red was too.
Even if she’d wanted to, she wouldn’t have dared to drag them away. Photography had lost it’s glamor anyway. She loved it, but making a career out of it wasn’t as enjoyable as she had hoped. Tickling Lian’s stomach, leaving her hand in Red’s long hair, Katherine marveled at how her life had changed in the last five years. She could never have anticipated what would happen. She fell asleep, her knees and forehead up against Red’s, a hand holding one of Lian’s.
Up in the Watchtower, Clark posed Katherine’s idea to his fellow League members. Over a comm. link, Wonder Woman was first to voice an opinion. “I don’t like it. Can we even be sure we can trust them?”
Martian Manhunter, sitting next to her, said, “I’m sure M’gann has already ensured no more Cadmus controls are affecting the three.”
“She has.” Clark assured.
“I still disapprove.” Diana said stubbornly.
Bruce stood beside Superman, “Katherine is my daughter, Diana.” They’d been keeping that bit quiet before more testing had confirmed the original test. Not that Bruce had doubted it, she looked too much like both him and Selina.
The League members still on Rann gapped at him, “You are sure?” J’onn asked levelly.
Bruce nodded, “Very sure. Cadmus aged her after she was born so chronologically, she’s only sixteen, but physically and mentally, Katherine is twenty three. Along with Red Arrow and their daughter, she and her brother spent the last week living with me. None of them gave any reason for me to distrust them. The boy needs training though.”
Clark’s eyes shot to Bruce, “What’s wrong with Damian?”
Bruce ran footage he had obtained from the Cadmus facility. He shoved his sister into a closet, and charged at the approaching armed guards. In an impressive show of acrobatics, he flipped over the men, and once behind them, took one of them by the head. With a quick jerk, he snapped the man’s neck before the other one had so much as blinked. Apparently armed with a scalpel, he slashed out, slitting the second man’s throat.
Standing up, he took guns off the men, dismantling one and putting the other into the waistband of his pants. Shoving both men to the wall, he opened the closet door, dragging his sister away.
“He needs to never do anything like that again.” Bruce growled. Since finding out the boy’s parentage, he had been obsessing over the footage, trying not to see the madness in Damian’s face that had so often occupied Talia’s.
Clark stared at the screen in horror, at the frozen image of the look on Damian’s face. He had known that Damian was quick and skilled, but he’d had no idea just how lethal the teenaged boy was. He had killed two grown men without a noise being made.
“You want that in the cave with the Team?” John Stewart yelled, “Are you both crazy?”
Bruce gave an animalistic snarl, “He’s not a thing, John. I don’t believe he’s a danger.”
“Of course, your Robin’s are trained the same way, are they not?” Diana snapped.
“I’ve never trained anyone to kill. He’s young. He looks older, but the boy is only fourteen. I believe he over reacted while protecting his sister. They’re very close.” Bruce played another clip, of earlier in the night.
Katherine was sitting next to Red, Lian in her arms as they talked to Connor and Jaime, Damian on the floor, resting his head on her knee. Red got up, taking a fussy Lian and kissing Katherine before moving out of the frame. Damian jumped up, filling the vacated spot and curling up next to his sister like an overgrown house cat, a wide smile on his face. Katherine rolled her eyes, but put an arm over his shoulder. Conversation flowed easily between the siblings and Jaime, with some increased participation from Conner.
“I see why keeping him near will be helpful, but would your daughter not be safer somewhere else?” Hawkwoman posed.
Bruce almost smiled, “Katherine isn’t helpless, Shayera.” He pulled up the Cave video from two weeks earlier, when a pregnant Katherine pulled Nightwing off Damian, nearly breaking his arm. “Katherine proved then that she’s not helpless, but I really have no idea what she’s really capable of. I hear she’s already chomping at the bit to start training again after having the baby.”
Clark winced, “Yeah, she’s going a little stir crazy.” Bruce raised an eyebrow underneath his cowl, “As her father, you don’t really want to know.” He addressed the others, “It would be good for the Team to have someone they can talk to. Katherine would be perfect, she’s always had a way with kids, and she’s insanely protective. It’ll work out, Damian can get some guidance, and maybe Red Arrow can find a place in the League.”
“Any luck finding the original Speedy?” Wonder Woman asked.
Bruce shook his head, “Katherine was right when she told us where to find him, but when the Team went to rescue him, he’d been moved. We’re still trying to track him, but at least we know for certain he’s alive, there was recent footage still on the cameras.”
“I propose that the Kyle-Harper family stay with the Team at the Cave. Red Tornado will monitor things. We can make further decisions at a later date should an incident occur.” Martian Manhunter offered.
The vote went easily, and just like that, Bruce was ensured that both of his children would be nearby where he could keep an eye on them. He wished that they had stayed in the Wayne Manor with him, but he had gotten the impression that Katherine hated being a burden on Alfred. Before he disconnected the line, Diana smiled kindly at him, “You have a beautiful daughter, Bruce.”
“Thank you.” He said softly, ending the connection. He had a son too, but on the boy’s request, that fact was staying just between the three of them. At least for now, but after doing what he was about to do, all bets were off. “I’ll be back.” He told Clark, heading towards the Zeta Tubes.
“Where are you going?” Clark asked.
“Its time I spoke with Selina.” Bruce answered.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t see that ending well.” Clark cautioned.
“I have to, Clark.” Bruce sighed, “I need to get over her.” Clark gawked at him, “There’s a thin line between love and hate, Clark, and I’ve never been sure what side I’m on. I have to figure it out. Thinking about it has been distracting me.”
“Bruce, kids are distracting enough on their own. I’m not sure this will help.”
Bruce gave a growl, he would never say what he was about to say to anyone but Clark. He was his only friend after all, “I know kids are distracting. I worry every day about Dick and Tim. I’ll never forgive myself for what happened to Jason, but Selina, she takes over every part of my mind. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep myself from drowning in it. For Katherine and Damian’s safety, this has to be done.” Clark nodded because any other response would only serve to piss Bruce off, and watched with a heavy heart as his friend went to confront Catwoman.
"I'm going away for a while.
But I'll be back,
Don't try to follow me.
'Cause I'll return as soon as possible.
See, I'm trying to find my place,
But it might not be here where I feel safe.
We all learn to make mistakes,
And run from them, from them,
With no direction.
We'll run from them, from them,
With no conviction.
I'm just one of those ghosts,
Travelin' endlessly.
Don't need no roads.
In fact, they follow me,
And we just go in circles."
Misguided GhostsBy: Paramore
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next morning, Katherine nudged Red. "Wake up.""What?" He said blearily. Lian gave a small giggle and his eyes shot open, "Good morning, my beautiful girls."Kat rolled her eyes, kissing him, "Come on, Lian and I can't fix breakfast on our own."Red scrunched his face up, pulling on a pair of pants, "You don't cook.""I learned." She said, her voice icy. "I had five years to get it down, so I'm pretty good.""Shit." Red cursed, realizing what can of worms he'd opened. "Kat, I'm sorry. I didn't-""No, Red, it's okay." She said, forcing a smile back onto her face, "Let's go make breakfast before Dick for brains comes in to yell at us.""Dick for brains? Ouch." Red remarked, following her into the kitchen."What can I say, at the moment, it fits!" She actually giggled like a child, the tension melting from her shoulders, "He's going to flip a shit when he finds out we're staying here! It's going to be great!" The malicious glee on her face was frightening.Searching the fridge for some eggs, Red felt the need to slam the door on his head. Dick had been annoying enough as a kid, and that was before he had someone like Kat who genuinely disliked him. He watched her from the fridge. Her dark hair piled on top of her head, Lian in one arm as she rummaged around in the kitchen cabinets, she was achingly beautiful. It killed him that he'd hurt her. It was obvious by their earlier exchange that she wasn't over what he had done, even though she refused to talk about it and pretended she was fine. Although knowing now who her father was, Red supposed that made perfect sense."I'll do the toast and bacon if you do the eggs." She offered.Red nodded, "Sounds like a plan."While doing the toast and bacon, Kat talked to Lian the whole time, telling her exactly what she was doing. "Hey, what smells so good?""Morning Gar!" Kat chirped at the green skinned boy."Food?" He said, hopping up onto one of the stools."Hopefully!" Kat said. "Should be ready soon. Why don't you go wake up the others."Garfield arched an eyebrow, "Wake up Superboy? I'd rather eat an antelope.""Well, just bother Jaime and Damian then." She offered. The thirteen year old nodded and hopped off the stool. "Oh, why don't you go get your sister too?"The green boy stopped in his tracks, "What?"Kat looked over at Red to see if she'd said something heinously wrong, but he was still busy churning out a prefect fired egg. "M'gann? I'm sorry, I assumed she was."Gar was delighted by her assumption. "Yeah, she's my sister!" He yelled as he ran off."Oh..." Kat whispered, totally confused. Lian gave a shrill screech.Red's head jerked up from what he was doing in worry, "Is she okay?"Kat looked down at her baby, who's eyes were fixed on something in the distance. Following Lian's stare, Kat smiled, "Hey, Connor. I think Lian wants to say hi."Superboy was standing awkwardly next to the divider separating the kitchen from the living area. "Hey." He grunted, obviously not feeling chatty now that he was rested.Smiling broader, Kat went up to him and took his arm in her hand, "Here, hold you arm like this to support her head." Without his consent, she tucked Lian into his arms, "Just don't drop her, and you can't go wrong!" Katherine said cheerily.Conner looked like she'd just handed him a lit bomb, "Uh, I really don't..."Huffing, she pulled him into the kitchen, pulling out the stool Garfield had been sitting on, "If it will make you feel better, you can sit. My arm was starting to go numb."Red laughed at the horrified look on Connor's face, "Come on, Superboy, she won't bite." Kat glared at him, and he caught on, "Well, Conner, Lian won't. Kat on the other hand, she's been known to bite."Proud and irritated by him, Kat wound up a dishtowel and snapped it against Red's butt. "Take that back."He popped a cocky grin at her, "What? You do!""Conner didn't need to know that!" She shrieked playfully, a smile on her face. She approached the clone again, brushing a kiss to the side of his head, "Sorry about him."Conner just nodded, and looked back at the baby in his arms. She was tiny and seemed so fragile, but when she caught his finger in her little hand and squeezed, he looked to Katherine in shock, "She's strong."Red nodded, "Babies have really strong grips. It's totally a human thing."Katherine looked over at Red, aghast, "When did you learn that?"He shrugged, "I've been reading.""Dude, that is so not like you." Damian said, striding into the room."Good morning to you too." Red said when Damian walked past him without a glance.Damian rolled his eyes, wrapping his arms around his big sister, slouching against her like he was a foot shorter, "Hey, Kat."She draped an arm over his shoulders, dropping an absent minded kiss to the top of his head, "Morning, Damian. Go find some silverware and set the table."He groaned, "But Superboy was here first!""I know that, that's why Conner is holding the baby." Katherine snapped back, disentangling herself from Damian's loose grip. "You should have been up sooner. Then you could have held the baby.""She's my niece!" Damian protested, glaring at Superboy.Katherine grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her, "Damian, don't talk back. You're a teenaged genius, not a whiny eight year old. We're going to earn our keep here, so set the table." She let him go, satisfied that the cocky grin had slid off his face. Like a kicked puppy, he started slamming drawers open. "Damian." Katherine hissed, and he looked up at her guiltily, opening the next drawer quietly."I can set the table." Conner offered softly."Nah, Damian's got it!" Katherine said, leaving the kitchen to find Garfield and Jaime.The screaming clued her in. A wry smile on her face, she wandered towards the noises. M'gann was levitating on the opposite side of the hangar, yelling at Jaime and Gar, who were in the midst of a fight. "They won't stop!" M'gann cried, coming to rest at Kat's side.Katherine giggled, "Just watch." She stepped forward and put an angry expression on her face. "Garfield! Jaime! Stop this right now!" Both boys froze, looking wide eyed in her direction. Garfield took his human form again, releasing Jaime, and the Blue Beetle receded from Jaime. "That's better. Come on, breakfast is almost done."She turned around, giving M'gann a wink and thumbs up. M'gann could only laugh, and follow the boys. When they got back to the kitchen, M'gann found herself staring at Conner with Lian in his arms. He was rocking her gently, one of his large fingers in her tiny grasp. "He's a natural." Katherine whispered, startling M'gann who could have sworn Katherine was in front of her.A blush stained M'gann's green skin. "I wasn't looking at Connor."Kat just smiled, shaking her head, "Sure, but he is great with her. I figured he would be. Superman was always great with Damian when he was younger." Their conversation ended when La'gaan came in.Settling the Team down at the table, taking Lian from an endearingly reluctant Conner before putting her down, Katherine remembered one member they were missing. "I'll be back, you guys go ahead." She walked to Nightwing's room, knocking on the door before entering any way, "Red and I made breakfast, you want to come eat?"He glared up from his computer screen, "I need to start working on the Malina Island intel we got off the Kroloteans.""You need to eat, Dick." She said, stepping farther into the room. He just glared at her, "Dick, you may not like me and I may not like you, but I'm offering free food.""I'm not hungry." He mumbled, thinking that her persuasion tactics needed some work.Kat sighed, "You didn't eat last night, you have to be hungry.""Go away." He growled."No, Dick for brains!" She yelled, "I won't go away! You need to talk to me!"He turned away from his computer, "Why do I need to talk to you?"Katherine perched herself on the arm of his sofa, "Because, Dick, Bruce told me that you were adopted by him. I'm his daughter, and that makes you my brother. I don't want it to constantly be like this between us."He stared at her, taking in her eyes that were so like those of his mentor. They were just like Bruce's in color, but there was a warmth in them that made him want to trust her, to believe what she was saying to him. "I'll try." His voice was tepid and anxious.Kat jumped up and hugged him, "Thank you, Dick. That's the best I could have asked for." She stepped back, a smile on her face, "Now will you come to breakfast, and maybe work on your intel in the mission room so people can help?"He nodded, "We'll see about the second part." A smile teased at the corner of his lips.Kat laughed, "Bless me. Was that almost a smile? I swear, you're surlier than Bruce is. I think he smiled like three times at Lian the whole time we were staying with him.""He smiled?" Dick retorted, hiding his own smile from her."I know, right? Totally uncalled for!" Katherine said, throwing up her hands.Breakfast was a tense affair, but not as terrible as Kat had feared. M'gann continued to give Conner longing looks as he ate with one hand, his other having been reclaimed by Lian. La'gaan kept trying to keep her attention, but Garfield and Jaime kept the meal from being too awkward, even luring Dick into conversation a few times.Clark showed up just as they were finishing clean up. Like his clone, he stood awkwardly just outside the kitchen, his features pinched, "What's wrong?" Kat asked as she passed by him with a pile of dirty dishes."Who said anything about something being wrong?" He said, trying to pass off a joke."Your face did." She said, handing the dishes to Red and going back to Clark, "Spill."Neve one to lie intentionally to his young friend, Clark did just that, "Bruce just left from the Watchtower to go see your mother. He was pretty upset, and that's unusual."Katherine's face contorted in anger, "You let him go?""I couldn't really stop him!" Clark said. Her glare made him wince, she was her father's daughter after all, "He's my friend. If I'd tried, he'd have pulled his Kryptonite on me. He said he needs to figure out how he feels about her.""Nothing good can ever come from talking to that woman. Last time we spoke, she told me that the man I grew up thinking was my father wasn't my father at all. And don't get me started on how she treated Damian. There's a reason I ran away, Clark. She's crazy. I tell her that Red Claw broke into our apartment to kill me and Damian and she laughs. What kind of mother laughs at someone trying to kill her children?" She wiped her hands furiously on a towel, "I have to go play referee, or they just might kill each other.""They're adults, Katherine." Clark said.She put a fist to her mouth to hold back a scream. "I know that, but they're my parents.""Let them figure it out." Clark implored her. He saw the vacillation in her eyes, how she glanced towards her daughter and husband, "They'll be fine. I'll monitor if you'd like."She looked up at him, appearing significantly calmer, "You'd do that?" She nodded, answering her own question, "Of course you would, he's your friend. Just make sure they don't hurt each other.""I'll keep them safe, Kat. Promise." She gave a faint nod and went back into the kitchen
"You've got the best of both worlds,
You're the kind of girl who can take down a man,
And lift him back up again.
You are strong but you're needy,
Humble but you're greedy,
And based on your body language,
And shoddy cursive I've been reading,
Your style is quite selective,
Though your mind is rather reckless.
Well I guess it just suggests
That this is just what happiness is.
And what a beautiful mess this is.
It's like picking up trash in dresses.
Well it kind of hurts when the kind of words you write,
Kind of turn themselves into knives.
Don't mind my nerve you could call it fiction,
But I like being submerged in your contradictions dear.
'Cause here we are, here we are."
A Beautiful MessBy: Jason Mraz
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Entering the dark Star City apartment where the necklace with the tracker was located, Bruce didn’t expect to find what he found. Selina, laying on the floor, face down, her hair fanned around her. “Selina?”
“Go away.” Was the groaned response.
Once he took in the scene in it’s entirety, he gave a heavy sigh. The once high end apartment looked and smelled like it hadn’t been taken care of in months, there were empty take out boxes on the floor next to the table, and he would have expected the rest of the mess to draw out a herd of rats if a few of Selina’s cats weren’t still slinking around. They darted behind furniture and hopped over piles of glass alcohol bottles. Selina obviously had no qualms about mixing her drinks.
Seeing a frame on the floor, Bruce picked it up. It was a family photo of her, a young Katherine, and a very young Damian. The Selina in the photo reminded him of the woman he’d once known, not the woman lying on the floor next to him. He sat it down on the table, his heart aching at the identical smiles on the three’s faces. Damian might not have been entirely Selina’s, but he had her smile, Katherine did too.
“I said go away!” Selina whined, shaking a bottle at him, still face down in the carpet.
“I won’t leave you like this, Selina.” Bruce said, prying the almost empty bottle of whisky out of her firm grip. There was a cigarette in her other hand, burning a hole in the dirty carpet. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”
“Couldn’t hurt.” She mumbled as he rolled her over, snuffing out the cigarette with his foot. She blinked up a few times, “You?”
“Who else were you expecting?” He asked, baiting her.
Selina pulled her torso up, reaching for the bottle in his hands. When he kept it out of her reach, she fell back, “Figured you were a buyer coming to kill me.”
“If I were a buyer coming to kill you, you’d already be dead.” He grumbled, grabbing one of her arms and pulling her up into his arms like she was a rag doll. She was painfully thin, boney, and her hair was stringy. “When was the last time you ate?” Trying to flick on the light to see her more clearly, Bruce came to the realization that the power in the apartment had been cut. A stack of two week old mail sat abandoned on the counter top. It was like she’d stopped living and just let everything go by the wayside.
“How should I know?” She said, her entire weight on him. “I’m flattered. No cowl?” Her voice was hoarse.
“Not for you, Selina, not now.” He answered.
“Good.” She whispered before falling unconscious.
Bruce picked her up bridal style, heading out to where his driver had been instructed to wait. The man didn’t say a word about the limp woman, he was paid well to keep his mouth closed. “Take me back to the air strip.”
Selina remained unconscious for the entire drive and even the take off of his private jet. He kept her wrist in his hand though, making sure her heart was still beating. He couldn’t possibly show back up at the Cave and tell Katherine that her mother had died while he was with her. At least that’s what he told himself.
When he approached the doors to the Wayne Manor, Alfred swung them open. “Master Bruce.” He stared at the nearly unrecognizable woman, “Ms. Kyle?”
“Would you start a bath in the master suite. I need to get her cleaned up.” Bruce said, not offering any more of an explanation. Laying her out on his bed while Alfred entered the bathroom, Bruce handled her gently. She had a pair of sneakers on, strikingly dissimilar from her usual high class foot wear, a stained t-shirt, and a pair of worn running shorts. Methodically, Bruce stripped her to her underwear. She was painfully thin. “Damn it, Selina.” He cursed, carrying her corpse like body to the bathroom.
He bathed her tenderly, like one would a child, terrified that he would break one of her thin bones. She didn’t stir even as he carded soap through her long dark hair, and he was beginning to fear that she’d slipped into a coma. He dried her, trying not to let his mind wander farther into the unknowns.
He dressed her in one of his few t-shirts and a pair of soft cotton sleep pants, tucking her into his bed, instructing Alfred to call up a doctor. Selina looked very young, swaddled in his big bed. She was young though, she’d only been twenty when Katherine was born. This thin, and only thirty six, she looked much younger. Neither of them had had much of a young adulthood. With the alcohol and cigarette smoke gone, Selina smelled like she always had. That scent alone brought back memories he didn’t want to remember.
Sitting next to her on the bed, Bruce couldn’t be angry. He was certain that as soon as she woke up, that would change, but he was willing to just sit and hold her hand, pretending that everything was normal.
The doctor came and went, assuring Bruce that his ‘young lady friend’ had simply passed out due to too much alcohol, and that he shouldn’t let her drink so much next time. To ensure her lucidity upon waking, he injected her with a drug cocktail designed to relieve the effects of alcohol.
Alfred tried several times during his night long vigil to lure him into conversation, probably to learn why the thief was in his bed, but Bruce steadfastly ignored him. He alternated staring at Selina and the photo next to his bed. It was of Katherine, Lian, Red, Damian, and himself. Alfred had taken it while they were staying in the Manor, and he wished she was still staying with him. She was exactly what he imagined Selina would be if she hadn’t been so damaged in her childhood.
After only two weeks of knowing her, Bruce had to say that he already loved the girl. She was bright, feisty, and tried so very hard to make him smile. Lian seemed to have the corner on that market though. Sure, Bruce had been around plenty of babies throughout his life, but there was something about knowing that a fourth of Lian was from him that made everything she did that much more enrapturing. Of course due to Selina, he would never know if Lian looked like Katherine had as a baby, if Katherine had been as quiet and observant. He had lost all of that.
As Selina began to stir, he was angry again. Her green eyes fluttered open, a look of shock flitting across her face before she gave a weak smile, “Hey.”
“Selina.” He acknowledged stiffly.
She sighed, “Figures they’d send you to torture me in hell. At least I’m not hung over here. Get with it. ”
“I’m not here to torture you, Selina. And you’re not dead either.” He said darkly.
Another sigh of disappointment, “Then why are you bothering with me?”
“We need to talk.”
“Why, Bruce? I told you sixteen years ago I didn’t want to see you again.” Selina knew what he wanted to talk about. He could see it in her eyes.
“You lied to me then.” Her lack of response was acknowledgement enough, “You told me Helena died.”
She stiffened, looking around the room for an escape point. Her gaze finally settled back on him, “I had to. They wouldn’t save her if I didn’t tell you she died. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” He barked, “You took her from me! You can never make up for that.”
“I know.” Selina said, looking defeated.
“Katherine had a baby two weeks ago. Her name is Lian.” He said, handing her the photo from beside his bed.
“She’s alive?” Selina gasped, tracing their daughter’s face. Bruce nodded, “They told me our deal was off. I thought they’d killed her. That’s why...”
“You tried to drink yourself to death?” He supplied, glaring disappointedly at her.
A small version of her perpetually self assured grin came back when she looked up at him, “What can I say? I’m a coward. A selfish, useless coward. Are you going to kill me now? I wouldn’t blame you. I’d kill you if you’d done to me what
I’ve done to you.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Selina. I wouldn’t do that to Katherine. Because somewhere under all of the hate she says she has for you, she’s just like me. She doesn’t know wether to love you or hate you.” He took the frame from her, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose to calm down, “I’m giving you a chance, Selina. Don’t screw it up.”
Tears filled her eyes, “I’d do anything for her to not hate me anymore. You too.” She added softly, not meeting his gaze.
“Tell me about Damian.” He asked, his voice direct.
A tear fell, but all emotion fled from her face, “I can’t.”
“Damn it, Selina, of course you can!” He yelled, standing up. As usual, the longer he spent with her, the more his decision to be nice to her seemed less than golden.
“If I say anything, they will kill me.”
“Who’s they?”
Selina fiddled with the hem of the t-shirt she was wearing. “Cadmus, the Light, a combination of the two? I’m not really sure anymore. He wasn’t supposed to be my problem. All I was told I had to do was give birth to him.”
“Why you?” Bruce asked.
Selina shrugged, “I guess they figured since I’d become indebted to them to save one of your children that I’d do the same for him. They didn’t say he’d look like me.”
“His smile.” Bruce affirmed, “It’s because they used your DNA to solidify Talia’s, to repair the damage from the Lazarus Pit. That’s why he has your eyes and your smile.”
“I didn’t give them permission to do that. I didn’t give them permission to age her either, but they handed her back to me, a perfectly innocent eight year old who looked so much like you and I. I couldn’t say no to her. I had nearly two years with her before they called up their ‘favor’. They impregnated me with Damian, gave me some rules, and sent us on our way.” Selina pulled her knees to her chest, “Katherine was so sick when she was born, but he was perfect, I resented him a little. Even more when Katherine ran with him. I know it’s not his fault. It was her programing. It still feels like he took her from me.”
Bruce’s hand stilled mid swipe through his hair, “Did you say ‘her programming’?”
She looked at him in shock, “You didn’t know? I figured the Martian would pick up on it.” From his aghast expression, she could tell he really hadn’t known, and couldn’t resist the sly smile that spread across her face, “Katherine is programmed to be Damian’s protector, unconsciously of course. They did do that for me, so I wouldn’t be raising a zombie and her brother.”
“What exactly does that mean?” He asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
Selina couldn’t help but be a little gleeful. Bruce was thinking that he was going to get her daughter, but he wouldn’t. “Katherine would jump in front of a train to save him. If Damian’s in danger, she loses all sense of self preservation. That’s why she took him and left. I wasn’t nice to him. If I’d made any outward threat to him, our daughter would have killed me, and not known exactly why. Don’t ever threaten the boy near her.”
Bruce thought it over, and it made sense. Not to the degree that Selina described, but it did seem like Katherine unconsciously tried to protect her brother from harm. What made Bruce distrustful of Selina’s information was the incident that had brought him to them. Katherine hadn’t gone on a killing streak to get to Damian. He knew what was ‘wrong’ with Katherine, and almost thanked Cadmus for not telling Selina. Katherine was Damian’s big sister, that was simply it. They played on Selina’s selfishness to build tension between Katherine and the woman being cruel to her brother.
“You need to rest, Selina.” He said, heading to the door.
“What?” She said, her dark green eyes full of shock, “That’s all you’re going to ask me? That’s all you have to say?”
Bruce was a bit taken aback by her anger before remembering that she strove on conflict. It was when she thought she was always going to be alone, that she’d thrown her little pity party. He wouldn’t feed her ego, not now.
He opened the door and she lunged at him, wrapping her body around him and giving a harsh cat-like bite to the pliant flesh of his neck, “Aren’t you mad at me?” Her bite dented his resolve, and with a growl, he grabbed her upper arms, pushing her against the wall. She stood on her toes in his grip, a broad smile on her face, “That’s better.” She leaned in, pressing an open mouthed kiss to his lips, “I’ve missed you.”
Her words should have chilled him to the bone, but they only served to fan the fire spreading through his body at her touch. He was suddenly burning for her, aching to touch her. He crushed his mouth to hers, and she hitched her legs around his waist. “I said you need to rest.” He growled into her skin, hating himself for what he was doing.
“Make me.” She challenged, pressing herself tightly against him, scratching his scalp salaciously as she ran her tongue along his jawline.
Throwing her on the bed like a doll, he stripped off his shirt and fell upon the woman he loved to hate. She was his addiction, and it’d been sixteen long years since his last fix. He’d get more answers later, but for now, he would try to exorcise his demons by more carnal means. It wouldn’t work, they’d tried it before, but he just couldn’t stop.
"There's an old voice in my head that's holding me backWell tell her that I miss our little talksSoon it will all be over and buried with our pastWe used to play outside when we were young,And full of life and full of love
Some days I don't know if I am wrong or rightYour mind is playing tricks on you, my dear
'Cause though the truth may varyThis ship will carryOur bodies safe to shore
Hey! Don't listen to a word I say.Hey! The screams all sound the same, hey!
Though the truth may varyThis ship will carry onOur bodies safe to shore"
Little Talks
By: Of Monsters and Men
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Clark didn't need to say a word when he returned early the next morning. The look on his face said it all. He opened his mouth, but Katherine held up a hand, her face contorted in anger, "Don't tell me. They slept together.""How do you know?" Clark asked, taken aback.Kat rolled her eyes, "She's my mother, Clark. I'd like to think I know her better than anyone, and sex is her go to method when things aren't going her way." She put Lian down and started throwing a bag of clothes together. "Were they in Star City or Gotham?""Katherine, I really don't think that's a good idea." Clark said."You're right, it's not, but I'm their kid. I know it's a new gig as far as Bruce goes, but my mother's been my problem for a while. She's my responsibility." Kat said, writing a note for Red when he woke up, leaving it on their door. She wrote a similar one to all the kids, apologizing for not being there, sticking it to the fridge where Wally would undoubtably be the first to find it.Clark sighed, "I can't let you go.""I'm not asking permission." Kat snapped. He moved to stop her, but she ducked under his arm, swiping his feet from under him on the slick tile floor. The man of steel fell with a thud and he stared up at her. With an expression that was distinctly from her father, Kat said, "Don't underestimate me, Clark. I'm not a damsel in distress. Just because I want to stay here and take care of these kids does not mean I'm weak.""I didn't..." He protested, but she was already gone.Red skidded into the room a few minutes later, a baby in one arm and Kat's note in his other hand. "You let her go by herself?" He yelled, pulling on a jacket and shoving Lian into Clark's arms, "Please watch Lian until Conner wakes up. That's the least you can do right now."Red found Kat in a tree on the Wayne Manor grounds. She looked up at him when he struggled onto a limb next to her, "Look at them." She said, pointing to the house. Through one of the windows, Red could plainly see Bruce and Selina curled up in bed together. "How can I be mad about that?" Kat asked him. He knew better than to answer her. He couldn't. Bruce was leaning against some pillows, languidly tracing patterns onto Selina's bare back as the cat burglar slept peacefully. "I've never seen her like that. It's like a rule. My mother doesn't cuddle, she kicks men out of her bed as soon as she's done with them. She's never slept with someone else in bed with her. Not even me.""People change." He said quietly, rubbing circles into the back of her hand.Kat shook her head, "Not her. She's been the same way my whole life.""I changed." Red said, "I changed for you. I would still be out of my head if it wasn't for you. Maybe your parents change for each other?"Kat sighed, "Is it selfish of me to wish they were fighting?"Red stifled a grin, "Just a little.""I don't know how to handle this." Kat admitted, letting one leg dangle from the tree."You don't." Red said cautiously, kissing her temple, "You're their child, Kat. You can't control what they choose to do." She glared halfheartedly at him, "Hey, don't look at me like that. They've never gotten the chance to really be your parents. You are the most hard headed woman I've ever met, and I don't think that's something you just came upon. Let them figure their stuff out together. We've got our own stuff to figure out.""Like what?" Kat asked in confusion."Like actually living together as a family, like convincing Damian not to kill me, not to mention the thought of me getting back into the suit. We need to really talk." They hadn't really talked since Lian had been born, and had hardly done much before.Red expected Kat the fight him, to get mad, but she just nodded, "You're right. We do need to talk." She grasped his hand, "Let's find some swanky Gotham diner and grab breakfast."They jumped down from the tree and landed right in front of Alfred. To his credit, Alfred didn't seem the least bit startled by their appearance and smiled slightly, "So good to see you, Mr. Harper, Ms. Wayne.""Alfred, it's Mrs. Harper." Kat corrected with a smile.Alfred returned the warm expression, "I am well aware, Ms. Wayne, forgive me for being so excited to finally have a Wayne around besides Master Bruce."Kat laughed, she and Alfred had gone through this same conversation every time they were near each other, "Well, Alfred, you do have Damian now. Last I checked, he should be Mr. Wayne."Red stilled, his smile falling from his face as it did from Alfred's. "You know?" Red whispered, staring at his beautiful wife in shock. Damian had only confessed just two nights earlier to him that he was also Bruce Wayne's child. He'd also begged Red not to tell Kat."Of course I know." Kat said, shaking her head with a sad smile, "You all think I'm stupid, don't you. It's obvious. Everything about Damian that was never like our mother is from Bruce. I've known that since I first saw Bruce without his cowl on. Damian looks just like him." She sighed heavily. "He doesn't want me to know, does he?""He told us not to tell you." Red confirmed solemnly.Kat rolled her eyes and laughed hoarsely, "He's always out to protect me. I couldn't care less though. All that matters to me is that he's my baby brother. I know what he's capable of, all of the hacking, the explosives, the blood. Why he thinks finding out that he's more my brother than we thought would upset me, I can't fathom."Red shifted uncomfortably. So Kat didn't know everything. She didn't know about Damian's test tube heritage, and somehow, keeping that from her was going to be much harder. "He loves you." Was all he could say."I know." Kat sighed.Alfred plastered a smile back onto his face, "I've just finished setting out breakfast, if you'd care to come inside."Kat grinned at him, slinging an arm around the butler's shoulder, "We'd love to." As the walked through the imposing doors, Kat leaned into Alfred, "Just how long did you know we were up in that tree?"Alfred laughed, "Who do you think disabled the Manor's defense system?"Red and Kat laughed heartily, looking towards the house. Something caught Kat's attention though, and, arm still around Alfred's shoulder, she turned her head to look out at the manor grounds, "Did you turn the defense system back on?"Alfred stuttered, "Not yet, Ms. Katherine."Red caught on to the look on Kat's face, "What is it?""I hear something." She said distractedly, putting Alfred between her and the door, "Alfred, go inside. Get my father, and turn that system back on."The butler obeyed, but shared at look with Red, who began to tug on Kat's arm, "Let's get inside."Kat nodded and took his hand. He was halfway through the door when the shots rang out. By the time the first one had made the distinctive sound, Red jerked Kat into the house and two more bullets slammed into the door."Is everyone alright?" Bruce barked, running into the foyer.Red nodded, checking Kat over, "Yeah, we're alright.""Katherine!" Selina cried out, sliding past Bruce and falling to her knees in front of Red and Kat.Kat gave a small grin, "Hey, Mom. You look like shit."Selina laughed hoarsely, "I've been better." She cupped Kat's face in her hands, "I've missed you.""We can talk later, someone just shot at my front door." Bruce said, hauling Selina to her feet, "You need to get down to the Batcave while I call the police. I can't have the notorious Selina Kyle being seen lurking around." He quipped, brushing a kiss to Selina's forehead as she pouted at him."You aren't going to go see who just shot at us?" Kat asked, standing up.Bruce chuckled, "If the Batman showed up every time some one shot at Bruce Wayne my secret identity wouldn't be very secret.""Okay." Katherine said with a smile, "We'll head down to the Batcave then too. Unless you want to reveal the fact that you have a daughter.""No need, Ms. Katherine." Alfred said, holding a newspaper out to Bruce.Bruce cursed when he saw the title of the news paper, and Kat took it from him, "What the hell?"The newspaper boasted: 'Bruce Wayne spotted with possible love child!'. The picture below was from the one day Katherine had convinced her father to go out. The cameraman had caught Katherine looking into a store window while Bruce was holding Lian. The article went on to claim that the unnamed woman was Bruce's jailbait girlfriend, and Lian was their secret love child.Katherine huffed, "They think Lian's your daughter? Oh, I am so staying up here."Bruce laughed, "Yes, yes you are. You all are. I'm not usually one to react to what the press says, but I will not have them claiming that I've got a child with the girl who is in fact my daughter. That's...wrong."Bruce called the police, and when they came to the Manor Commissioner Gordon was with them, "Bruce, exciting morning?""You could say that, Commissioner." Bruce said, shaking the Commissioner's hand. "I'd like to introduce you to my daughter, Katherine."Gordon's eyebrows shot up as he looked Katherine over, "So you're his
daughter?""Yes, I am. The darling little cherub on the front page is
my
daughter, Lian." Katherine said easily, ignoring the slight twinge of pain in her shoulder as she shook his hand."And you are?" Gordon asked, looking at Red."Redford Harper, Katherine's husband." The redhead answered, putting an arm possessively around Kat's waist."So what were you all doing right before the shooting occurred?" Gordon questioned."Ms. Katherine and Mr. Harper were sitting in one of the trees outside, waiting on me to finish readying breakfast. Mr. Wayne was still in bed. I retrieved Ms. Katherine and her husband, and we were shot at on the front porch." Alfred said helpfully."So that's what happened?" Gordon asked, scanning the rest of the group. They all nodded. "Now where was Lian during all of this?""She's at home. Red and I were just here to have breakfast with my father before we go shopping in the city." Kat said, putting her head on Red's shoulder.Gordon smirked at Red, "You're a brave man. Shopping in Gotham?"Red shrugged, "What can I say? I love her.""If you're done speaking with us, Commissioner, I think we'll all go grab something to eat in the city. Alfred can let you all out when you're done." Bruce said, not wanting to keep Katherine under Gordon's eye any longer than necessary.Red led Kat towards the garage, but Gordon stopped Bruce. "Bruce, how long have you-" He paused, "Are you sure she's your daughter?""Yes, she's my daughter, and her brother is my son too. Their mother thought it was best that they not find out about me. Katherine sort of came looking for me. I'd like for your new knowledge of her to get out. I think someone might have already found out, and that's why my daughter was almost killed today. There are a lot of men at Wayne Enterprises that wouldn't be very happy to learn that I have heirs now."Gordon laughed awkwardly, "That is true. She's a lovely young woman though."Bruce looked the direction Red and Kat had gone and smiled fondly, "Yes she is." Once Gordon left, Bruce headed towards the garage, his heart rate jumping when he saw blood droplets on the marble floor. "Katherine!" He bellowed.A bored response followed from the back sitting room. "In here."Bruce bit back a curse when he came into the room to find Alfred digging a bullet out of Katherine's shoulder blade. "Why didn't you tell me you were shot?" He snapped.Selina hissed at him from Katherine's side, where she was holding a trashcan in front of their daughter's face, "Bruce, be nice."Katherine laughed a little, and Red looked pissed, "Sorry, didn't realize I had been. I've got a pretty high pain tolerance.""Just like someone else we know." Selina said, shooting Bruce a dark look.Alfred raised his hand triumphantly, "There you are, Ms. Katherine, I've got the bullet out. That's usually the worst part for Master Bruce."Red chuckled, "She only puked twice. I'm impressed."Katherine glared at him in much the same way her mother had looked at her father. "Shut up, Carrot Top."He shrugged, "Just trying to lighten the mood, Kat.""We need to get back to the cave soon. I'm having separation anxiety." Kat grumbled, just as Bruce's League only line rang.
"Let me apologize to begin with,
Let me apologize for what I'm about to say.
But trying to be someone else was harder than it seemed
And somehow I got caught up in between.
Between my pride and my promise
Between my lies and how the truth gets in the way
And things I want to say to you get lost before they come
The only thing that's worse than one is none."
In Between by: Linkin Park
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“The Team found Roy.” Bruce said when he returned to the study.
“Where is he?” Red asked, clutching Kat’s hand.
“Metropolis General. Someone brought him in a week ago. He’s still unconscious.” Bruce said, gesturing Alfred into the Batcave.
Kat let go of Red’s hand, shaking him off. “Go, you should be there. Oliver will need your help.”
“What about you?” Red asked, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
Kat’s eyes drifted closed for a second and she leaned into his touch. “I’ll get Lian and meet you there. I need to check up on the kiddos anyway, make sure they haven’t blown up the damn mountain while Clark’s sitting on his ass.”
“You’ve only been back a month, and you’ve already taken in a bunch of kids.” Red said, shaking his head.
“What can I say, I’ve got this parenting thing down.” Kat said with a cheeky grin before looking seriously at Red, “Be gentle with him.”
“Got it.” Red said brusquely, heading to where he’d parked his car.
Selina stopped Kat before she could follow her husband, “Katherine, when do I get to finally meet that sweet granddaughter of mine? The way your father talks, she already hangs the moon and the stars.”
“Lian does. She’s incredible, and...soon.” Katherine said, being alone with her mother hurting worse than the bullet in her shoulder had. “I can’t do this.”
“You have to, Katherine. It’s the only way we can keep them safe.” Selina cooed, running a hand through her daughter’s long dark hair, “Everything will be alright, Kitten. I promise. Just bide your time.”
“That’s getting really hard.” Katherine mumbled, embracing her mother for the first time in years.
Selina sighed, breathing in the scent that was uniquely her daughter’s, but also reminded her how much of Bruce’s Katherine was. She smelled of leather and vanilla, a combination of light and dark, “I know, Kitten. The more it hurts, the more you know it’s the right thing to do.” Selina kissed Kat’s cheek, “You’re strong, Katherine, even stronger than Cadmus thought. Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.” Kat said softly.
Selina let her go, “You should head out. I know when Damian was a baby, he couldn’t stand to be apart from me for more than a few hours at a time. I love you, Katherine.”
Katherine nodded, mustering up words she hadn’t spoken in over six years, “I love you too, Mom.”
Selina smiled and said, “I’ll go mind your father.” She stopped however, just at the door, “For the record, Katherine, I never meant to hurt either of you, and I’m so glad that he already loves you as much as I do. You deserve that love. I should never have hidden you from him. But then again, there’s a lot of things regarding you that I never should have done. Give Damian my love. I was never the mother I wanted to be to him, but that wasn’t by choice. I’m sorry for that.”
Katherine faltered, “Mom, you’re talking like we’re never going to see each other again.”
Selina nodded and then gave a small, sad smile, “I would do anything to protect you, your family, and that little terror I raised so poorly. I’ll be honest. If the Light finds out about what I’m planning, they very well may kill me. You’re grown, Damian is almost exactly what they wanted him to be, and I’m no longer of any use to them. I’d like to see my granddaughter at least one time.”
“Tomorrow. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Katherine said, clutching her mother’s hand, “What was the name of that bistro we used to go to when we were in town? Javert’s? Meet me there, noon. I’ll bring Lian. Do you want me to...bring Damian.”
“No, he wouldn’t understand. I’m sure he hates me more than you did. But you’re more his mother than I ever was, so if you think he’d be alright, then sure, bring him. I don’t want to upset him though.” Selina gave Kat’s hand a squeeze before pulling away, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Katherine left the Manor with a sense of finality ringing in her bones. Lian was happy to see her when she got back to the Cave though, squalling in Clark’s arms, “I don’t think she likes me today.” Clark mumbled, pushing the baby into Katherine’s arms where she instantly silenced.
“Nah, she loves Uncle Clark. She just missed her mommy.” Katherine said as Lian grabbed onto her hand. “Bye, Clark.” Katherine drawled, not looking up at him.
“What?” He sputtered.
“I’m still mad at you. Now get out. Don’t you have some superhero-ing to do?” Katherine asked, grabbing a bottle of milk from the fridge for Lian and sticking it in the microwave.
Clark scratched the back of his head, “Uh, yeah... Do you want to talk about it?”
“My parent’s or your superhero-ing?” Kat snapped, “Neither.”
Clark could tell she was in one of her moods, like a cat, there wasn’t anything he could do to get her out of it. If he tried anything, she’d only get worse. “Okay, I’ll just go then. Nightwing, Beast Boy, and Robin are in the Mission Room.”
“Great, thanks for watching Lian!” Kat chirped, retrieving the bottle just second before the time went off. Cooing to Lian she said, “Let’s go see what the big boys are doing.”
Kat didn’t even spare Clark one last look, striding from the kitchen and towards the Mission Room. The boys hardly looked away from the screen. Garth did throw a ‘Hey, Kat!’ her direction, but that was pretty much the only reaction. Lian went to town on her bottle, and Kat just watched her, not paying much attention to the raising excitement in the room once the translation of the Krolotean intel had been completed.
She did however, hear the computer bust out with. “Warning: Unknown Meta-gene Impulse Detected.” A bright sphere of light filled the room, and a large object dropped into the center.
“Stand ready.” Dick ordered, and Kat clutched Lian in one arm and pulled a pair of the throwing stars she always kept on her out of their sheath at her side. With Lian, she couldn’t afford to engage in close combat, especially not with the fresh flesh wound on the back of her shoulder.
She almost had a heart attack when a young boy hopped out of the contraption, throwing up his hands and shouting, “Ta-Da!”
The security system kept babbling on about an intruder, and Nightwing locked down the Cave, seemingly forgetting Kat and Lian were there. The intruder zipped between the boys, calling them each by name, skidding to a stop in front of Katherine. He peered at her, “Who are you again?” He seemed to realize something once he saw Lian, “Ahh, Huntress. That’s right!”
“Who?” Kat found herself blurting out.
The boy laughed, “Awkward, we must not be there yet...forget I said anything!” He zipped across the room, towards the hall leading to the rest of the cave, “Is Blue Beetle here too? Never mind, Impulse can find that out for himself!” He laughed as he ran impossibly fast down the hall.
“You two, take him down. Now!” Dick snapped at Tim and Gar, turning to Kat, “You, stay here.”
Kat wanted to protest, but the warm weight of her daughter in her arms made her think otherwise. “Got it, I’ll watch the cameras.” She was talking to herself though. Dick was already gone, and she clicked her tongue, rocking Lian in her arms, “Uncle Dick for Brains sure is living up to his name!”
They caught the intruder in a few minutes, although Kat was pretty sure it was mostly Dick’s capture. He might be a dick, but he was good at what he did. Her father had trained him that way.
“You’re a tourist from the future?” Tim said skeptically, and Kat was totally with him.
“Why so surprised? Half the meat at Comic-Con are from my era.” Like the boys, Kat was not impressed. “Look, look, guys, we should all
be friends. I’m really one of you! Part of the heroic legacy, right? My name’s Bart Allen. You know? Grandson of Barry Allen. The Flash!”
Gar tipped his head back, “Noted, not believed, but noted.”
‘Bart’ scoffed, “What’s not to believe? I’ve clearly got Flash’s speed, his amazing good looks. Frankly, I can’t wait to meet him! Uh...you know, back when he was in his prime.”
Dick came in and had water for the boy, who saw through his ploy for DNA, and then began spouting off the real names of the people in the room. When his eyes fell on Kat, he smiled, “And Huntress, Katherine Wayne.”
Gar commented on Dick and Tim’s names, and Bart flinched, “Oops, spoilers. This secret identity thing is so retro. I mean, you can call me Impulse or Bart or Bart Allen or Impulse-Allen. It’s all crash!”
A short conversation about the mode later, and Katherine was tired of sitting on the sidelines. “Why did you call me Huntress?”
Bart looked up at her in awe, “Man, your a lot prettier than I remember your history book photo being. Who could forget though, Helena Katherine Wayne, Bats daughter. I’ll let you figure out the Huntress part on your own.”
Kat scoffed, “Last I checked, I was Katherine Harper.”
The Cave interrupted the beat down Kat wanted to have with the boy by announcing Mal’s arrival. Bart was gone in a...flash..., and then Tim and Dick got really excited over some micro tracker. Kat on the other hand, had pulled out her cell phone and pulled up the list she’d been fiddling with before Clark had come back to the Cave so early in the morning. It was a list of names she’d been imagining as her code name, and third from the top rested Huntress. “Huntress it is then.” She said to herself, heading back to her room to put Lian down for her after meal nap.
She set up a monitor and returned to the Mission Room to watch the whole thing in Central City unfold. Damian had finally pulled himself out of his room, “What’s going on?”
Dick shot Katherine a look, “Did he really sleep through all that?”
Kat sighed, “He sleeps like he’s dead.” She leaned into her brother when he came to stand between them, “Dai, you should really not do that again. They could have used your help.”
Once all four ‘Flash’ had returned to the Cave, Lian was awake again, and before Dick started on with all his science mumbo-jumbo, Bart cooed over Lian. “She’s so cute at this age!”
When Bart got back into his time machine, however, nothing happened, and after several minutes, he got back out. “It’s not working! The whole thing’s fried!” He ended his rant with, “I’m so moded!”
Everyone just stared at him after he said he didn’t know how to fix it, but Kat took it in stride, shoving Lian at Damian and drawing Bart into a hug, “Come on, kid. It’s not all bad. Things will be alright.”
Bart clung to her, “I can’t go back.”
Kat sighed, “We’ll see what we can do, Bart. For now, though. Why don’t you stay here. Barry and Iris will apparently be having their hands full, but you need a place to call home. Let’s go get you guys some food. I know you have to be starving.”
Dick balked, “You can’t just decide to let him stay here!”
Kat bristled, glaring at him, “You know what, Dick For Brains, suck it! Take it up with Dad!”
Damian just chuckled behind Dick as Katherine stalked off, Bart tucked securely under her arm. “Dude, she really doesn’t like you.” Lian chortled in her uncle’s arms, seemingly in agreement.
Dick was smiling though, “Nah, she just knowns I need to be reminded not to be such a tyrant. She’s a good sister.”
“Hey, dude, she’s my sister! Back off!” Damian barked playfully.
“Red’s going to have a stroke when he finds out what happened today.” Dick commented as they followed the assorted Allens.
Damian laughed again, “It’s going to be great!”
“Did you really rig his car?” Dick asked curiously.
“Like a fourth of July display!” He admitted proudly, glad Kat wasn’t in hearing range.
"Smile, though your heart is aching
Smile, even though it's breaking
When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by
If you smile through your fear and sorrow
Smile and maybe tomorrow
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
If you just smile
Light up your face with gladness
Hide every trace of sadness
Although a tear may be ever so near
That's the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what's the use in crying
You'll find that life is still worthwhile
If you just smile
If you just smile, smile."
Smile
By: Celtic Woman
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Bart seemingly attached himself to Jaime, and Kat found herself having to grab him up by the back of his suit to stop him sometimes, "Bart, he's going to the bathroom. I don't think he needs a babysitter."Bart pouted as Jaime slipped away, "Sorry."Kat shrugged, "It's crash, just lay off a bit."After that, Bart looked at her like she was the greatest person on the face of the planet, always trying to help her out. He never got to help with Lian though, Conner had the baby covered, and it was almost unusual not to see him with her. Kat welcomed the help. Red hadn't been back to the Cave in over two weeks, and had even gone back to Star City with Roy and Oliver. They talked on the phone constantly, but Kat was almost to her breaking point. Her nerves were getting the best of her, but Dick and Damian had apparently been formulating a plan.Damian dragged her into the Medical where Dick was waiting. "What are you two up to?" Kat said suspiciously.Dick smirked, "You look like you need to punch something, but I'm not about to have one of my team members spar with you before I know everything about your abilities."Kat nodded understandingly, "Okay, so what first."Another smirk. "Vision and hearing."Kat squinted her eyes at him, "Awesome."Dick seemed astonished by the results of her hearing test. "You picked up on the 64 kHz ring. That's an octave and a half over what a normal human can hear. You've got some cat in you."Kat laughed tensely, and Damian threw an arm over her shoulders, "Her eyes glow in pictures too!""Oh, put a sock in it, Dai, they do not!" Kat screeched, shoving him off, looking bashfully at Dick as she admitted, "They do glow in the dark sometimes though."Sure enough, in the light, her vision was something like 20/22, but in the dark, it was 20/6. Dick seemed overjoyed, well at least for him, but Kat was just pissed, pouting with her head on her knees. "I'm cat enough, thank you very much." She picked her head up, looking at the exit, "Someone's burning something in the kitchen."Dick and Damian exchanged a look when she got up and left the room, "Do you smell anything?" Damian asked. Dick shook his head, marking another box on his chart, looking far too pleased with himself.Bart had burned popcorn in the microwave, and Kat had just laughed at the sight of Jaime and Bart trying to defuse the smell in the room, "Really guys, I'm gone for half an hour and you're trying to burn the cave down?""Kat, they couldn't burn the cave down. It's a cave." Damian rebutted, looking at his sister like she was stupid. Kat launched at him, catching him across the face with her fist. "What the hell, Kat!" He shrieked in surprise, dodging another blow from his sister who looked gleeful."Come on, Dick. Take notes, this is what you really wanted, right?" She threw out to Dick, who had indeed started scribbling on his chart.It took Damian a few minutes to get into the swing of things, but then the siblings were chasing each other around the kitchen and living area, flipping over furniture and just generally trying to put the hurt on each other. Katherine was quick, and her thin frame kept her well ahead of her brother when she wanted to be. He was stronger though, and when she sprung off the kitchen cabinet at him, he threw her to the ground and pinned her there. "Got ya!"Kat started laughing, and Damian joined her, laying next to her on the stone floor. "You two are so crash!" Bart yelled.Dick just shook his head, looking back towards the mission room when the security system announced the arrival of both Batman and Superman. Katherine stood, shoving Damian off as soon as she saw them. "What's wrong?"Bruce said nothing, and Clark looked like he wanted to hurl.Katherine approached, Conner edging into the room with Lian in his arms, not seeming to care that the baby was drooling into his black shirt. Kat 's hand flinched towards her fathers, but he stepped back. When he spoke, his voice was cold, devoid of any of the surly warmth Kat had become so accustomed to. "Superman and I have been summoned back to Rimbor."Kat's hand flew to her mouth, "No!" Damian was behind her in an instant, holding her up when she stumbled backwards. "I thought they let you go!"Clark nodded, "They did, but only for a short reprieve. They had sympathies to Batman dealing with his daughter, and me because my own planet was destroyed. When knew it wasn't for good. We just didn't know when they'd demand us back.""I can't do this." Kat rushed to Conner and snatched Lian back, escaping to her room.Damian approached their father, menace in every inch of his being, "You couldn't have warned us? You're just like Red. Kat's got enough problems! She's barely been holding it together with Red being in Star City. Kat has abandonment issues, and you've only made it worse. There's a reason she tried to kill herself." He hauled off with one fist, taking his father by surprise and catching him in the jaw, "That was for my sister, jerk."He went after his sister, leaving Bruce holding his jaw in awe. Clark laughed awkwardly, "Did I tell you he's a force when Kat's upset?""I never thought she'd react like that." Bruce muttered.Only Conner and Clark heard him, and the younger Kryptonian glowered at Batman, "To be the world's greatest detective, you really are stupid sometimes." He went down the hallway and sat outside Katherine's door, just to make sure she was okay.Kat had curled up on her bed, Lian tightly in her arms. Damian sat next to her, trying to stem her tears. "Kat, he's just going back to Rimbor.""They could kill him, Damian." Kat snapped through her tears. "Everyone leaves me.""Hey, that's not fair. I'll never leave you." Damian whispered, pulling her dark hair away from her overheated face."You can't promise me that, Dai. Don't try." Kat mumbled."But I can try. And Red left, but he came back, Kat. He came back for you. I may not like the guy, but he's proof that just because something leaves it doesn't mean it can't return."Kat rolled onto her back, staring up at her baby brother, "When did you get so wise?""I had a good teacher." He held his com-pad to her, "Why don't you call Red?"She took the pad from him, and dialed. Damian slipped out the door and took a post opposite of Conner. Relief flooded through her when Red's face filled the screen. "Hey, beautiful!" He noticed the tears on her face, "What's wrong? Is Lian okay?"Kat nodded, pulling Lian up into the frame, "She's fine, Red."He sat down, "Then why are you crying? Are they giving you a hard time?""No, the kids have been great. Bart's a little hard to keep up with, but everything is fine on that front." She paused, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. "Bruce is leaving. He and Clark have been summoned back to Rimbor."Red flinched, understanding why Kat was so upset, "Do you want me to come home?"Kat shook her head, "No, Red. I don't need you to come console me. I'm a big girl. I'm not even sure why I lost it like I did. Before they came in, I'd had a really nice day. Dai and I beat up on each other, Lian drooled on Conner, a normal day. Then Bruce drops that on me and I just snapped. I feel like a crazy person."Red laughed softly at her, "You aren't, Baby. I screwed you up. It's my fault.""I should have called you earlier, when I found out what today was." Kat said sadly."What?" Red asked anxiously.She inhaled sharply, "March eighteenth. That's the day Helena Kyle was born. It's my seventeenth birthday. My head's been spinning all day." Kat chuckled, "It's karma I guess, on my real birthday, my real father tells me he has to leave. The worst part is, is that he can't even promise me he'll be able to come back. They could kill him." Red's heart ached when he watched Kat press a kiss to Lian's forehead before she continued, "I want her to have every opportunity to make him smile. Somethings are just so unfair.""I'll come back, Katherine." Bruce said from the doorway, cowl in hand. "I will do everything in my power to get back here, to you, to Damian, and most certainly to little Lian. I'm not leaving you, I'm just going away for a little while, but I'll be back." He'd moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her thin frame and resting his bruising chin on the top of her head.Katherine took in a few stuttered breaths, "Okay. I'll let you go and try not to lose it again." She half chuckled, "I'm only human, right?"Bruce caught himself before he laughed out loud. "You, my dear, are resolutely human. No matter what Dick's charts may say."Kat smiled, wiping her face, "I think he half expects me to start sprouting whiskers.""I didn't mean to upset you. I'm new to this whole dad thing." Bruce mumbled into her hair."I know you are, and you're doing a pretty good job. Damian's only hit you once. That's impressive. He used to beat on Red all the time." Kat commented, giving her father another tight squeeze."I'm still on the line, Kat." Red grumbled.She picked up the screen again and blew him a kiss, "I love you, Red."He smiled, "I love you too, Kat. I promise I'll be back soon. I think we just need a few more days. The doctors say he could wake up at any moment.""Take your time, Roy needs you, heaven knows Oliver needs you. I'm a big girl, and I'll be okay. I just needed to melt down a little. I'll see you when you get home." Kat told him, waving Lian's hand at the screen, "Say bye to Daddy, Lian!"The infant just giggled, but that was all her father needed, "Awe, I love you too, Princess. Daddy will be home real soon."Kat closed the com-pad, scooting past her father on the bed to stand up, "I need to go check on the kids. They get stir crazy when there's not been a mission in a while."Bruce nodded, "Clark's been filling them in on one. We thought we'd be here to handle it, but we won't. Again, I'm sorry."Kat smiled at him, "Don't be. I understand, it's part of being a superhero. It's been so long since Red was constantly leaving that I'd kinda forgotten that feeling. Like having a part of your heart walking around outside your body."Bruce studied his daughter, every bit as lithe and deadly looking as her mother, there was a very fragile side to her. That was him. He knew it in his heart because she was it now, "I understand." Ever since finding out that she hadn't died, Bruce had felt like his heart was in his throat. Those hours when she had been missing had been some of the most terrible hours of his life, topped only by the death of Jason Todd and the day he thought she had died. When Katherine looked up at him with his own eyes, Lian's matched stare just below, he couldn't help but embrace the two again. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you...all three of you."Kat leaned into the comforting warmth of her father. "I love you too, Dad. Where ever you are. I—"Clark appeared in the doorway, interrupting Kat, "Sorry, guys, but we need to get going."Kat pulled away from her father and stalked towards Clark, "You bring my father back to me, you hear? If you don't, Ma Kent is going to have to set one less plate at the holiday dinner table."Clark jerked her into a hug, careful not to hurt Lian, "Won't be an issue, Kat. We'll be fine."Clark and Bruce left the Cave shortly after, leaving Kat to wander back to the others with Damian as her six-foot shadow. They had apparently finished their meeting and were now all circling the kitchen for food. As usual, Kat handed Lian and a bottle to Conner before setting out to cook dinner. Things quickly returned to normal, and no one mentioned the incident, for which Kat was immensely grateful. She had a strong suspicion that Dick had threatened them all, but she would never ask him about it. It had probably done them good to see so blatantly her flaws, and she had no problem taking one for the team.That night, there was a knock on her bedroom door, and Kat laid Lian in her crib before opening the door quietly. Conner was standing there holding a bowl of ice cream with a lit candle stuck in the center. He grinned, "I overheard you earlier. Happy birthday, Kat."She had to laugh, "Oh, Conner, that's so sweet." She blew the candle out, grinning like a fool at him, "You are so sweet."He shrugged, "You and Lian are the only people who don't make me feel like a failure. I figured you could use some ice cream anyway. I hear you sneaking into the kitchen at night to get some almost every night. I just saved you the trip."Kat rolled her eyes, "Wow, am I really that transparent?"Another shrug, "I just don't sleep much.""Well, you've got a mission tomorrow, so you need to get some sleep." Kat said gently, gesturing with the bowl, "Thank you for the ice cream. It means a lot."Conner nodded, "Any time. I know you'd do the same thing."She laughed, "Of course I would!"He smiled at her, "Night Kat.""Night, Conner." She said, returning his smile and closing the door, promptly devouring the light night snack. "Jeez I love that kid." She said to herself, stretching out on her bed, "Shit, I was totally sixteen and pregnant. How lame." Even though she was embarrassed at her sudden realization, Kat was feeling calm again for the first time since her father had entered the Cave.The calm wouldn't last, however, because the very next day, everything would change. Late in the afternoon, Artemis arrived, eyeing her skeptically, "Who are you?"Kat smiled, "My name's Katherine. I'm Batman's daughter." She pulled her hair back into two pigtails, "But, back when you knew me, I was just Catwoman's daughter."Artemis gasped, recognizing the blue eyes and black pigtails. "Kit Kat?"Kat laughed, "Yup, straight from the super-villain kiddie table!"Artemis threw her arms around Kat, "It's been like ten years! No way!" She pulled back, studying the girl that had often been with her and her sister during big bad meetings. "We used to have so much fun!""You guys would bring me candy because my code name was Kit, but I acted like a cat." Kat remembered fondly."Yeah, we did. That last meeting was right before my mom got hurt and she quit the business. How did you end up here?" Artemis asked."Uh, married a hero." Kat said, waving her hand with the gold band Red had given her.Damian loped in with Lian in his arms, coming up short. Artemis stared at him, "Jelly Bean? Kit Kat, when did he grow up?"Kat laughed, relieving her brother of his squirming load. "He's fourteen now, and growing like a weed! But this is my baby, Lian."Artemis stared at her old friend, "You named her after me?"Kat nodded shyly, "You were my only childhood friend after all."Artemis shook off her shock, and cooed at the baby, "She's adorable!" Looking back up at Kat she asked. "Who's her father?"Kat bit her lip, "Red Arrow."She'd been told about the animosity between Red and Artemis so the look of disgust on Artemis' face wasn't completely unexpected. "Him? Really Kit? That's the best you could do? Roy?""Well, he's not really Roy you know. The whole clone thing..." Kat said trailing off."Oh, yeah. He's still a jerk though!" Artemis groaned. "Where's he anyway?""They found Roy a few weeks ago. Red's been keeping tabs on Ollie. The guy's a mess right now. The four of us have been staying here with the Team. I'm like the den-mother." Kat explained.Dick interrupted, "Artemis, we've got to go."Kat glared at him, "Alright, Dick for brains, be careful with Artie. We've got a lot more catching up to do." There was a strange light in Artemis' eyes when she pressed a kiss to Lian's forehead and hugged Katherine."Bye, Kit Kat. It was great seeing you again." Artemis left with the team, and Katherine was left not realizing that the friend she'd just regained wouldn't be coming back.
"Take forgiveness, take a prayer, take the deepest breath,
Take the answers in your heart.
When you wake up and the world is cruel and cold,
My love follows you where you go.
Future like a promise, your a city of Gold.
Stubborn in your bones and Jesus in your soul.
Seeing you stand there, staring at the unknown,
I won't pretend that it's not killing me,
Watching you walk away slow.
More freedom than a field of flowers in the wind,
More beauty than a morning after rain.
Up the steepest hill, a dark and crooked road,
My love follows you where you go.
Future like a promise, your a city of Gold.
Stubborn in your bones and Jesus in your soul.
Seeing you stand there, staring at the unknown,
I won't pretend that it's not killing me,
Watching you walk away slow."
My Love Follows You Where You Go
By: Alison Krauss & Union Station
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was after midnight, and Lian was asleep. Katherine was only up because her brother was, and she’d been nodding off on the sofa since eleven o’clock.
Damian had been on his computer for hours before he staggered over to Katherine, looking pale, and passing her the laptop, “Look.” He whispered brokenly.
There was a video playing, and it made Katherine’s whole body jerk, her hand flying to cover her mouth, “What the hell happened?” The news was reporting on the death of Artemis.
By the time Kat had pulled herself together, the team returned home. Jaime had run straight to Kat’s open arms, murmuring in Spanish too low for her to hear. Most of the others had seen loss, felt it in their bones before, gotten a taste of that awful feeling, but Jaime hadn’t. It didn’t matter that he had only just met Artemis, he was feeling the reality of hero life. Katherine did the only thing she could do, held him to her and tried to soothe him. Bart arrived just minutes after the team had, looking wary. He only took two seconds to zip over and add himself into Jaime and Kat’s embrace. “I thought I should be here.” He whispered in explanation.
“Thanks, Ese.” Jaime returned, and Kat pressed a maternal kiss to both of their foreheads.
“Jaime, you should hit the showers. You’ll feel better.” She told him, and he nodded mutely, leaving Bart with her. The speedster looked up at her, lost, and she sighed, “Why don’t you go stay outside the door. Come get me if it sounds like he’s losing it. Try to get him home too, but you can both crash here if you’d rather.” Bart nodded and followed after his new friend. Kat moved to Conner, who was watching M’gann intently. “Go to her, Conner.”
He shook his head, and Garfield slid in next to his sister. “Too late now.”
“You okay?” Kat asked, unnerved by the solemn disposition he was displaying.
“I’m fine.” He snapped, noticing that Mal and Karen approached, “We’re going to find L’gann. And Aqualad.”
“No doubt.” Mal replied in his usually gruff voice. He scanned the room again, “Where’s Nightwing? He should be here.”
Conner looked ill, and Kat put a hand on his arm to keep him from exploding, “He went to tell Wally.”
In the terrible minutes after that, Kat made a circuit around the room, trying to wheedle out the ones that, like Conner, were on a very short fuse. They mostly seemed to be in shock still, but she was sure that in the morning, she would have a very different group on her hands.
M’gann was the worst, sobbing into the fur of Garfield’s head, still in her uniform. “M’gann.” Kat said gently, “Sweetie, you need to change clothes.” The uniform faded away into her casual wear, and Kat nodded, “Good. I know you don’t feel like it, but you need to go to bed. You need rest. It’s four o’clock in the morning.”
“How could this happen?” M’gann said hollowly.
Kat sat on an ottoman in front of the green pair with a heavy sigh, “I don’t know. I don’t think anyone expects their friend to betray them like that. That alone is enough to deal with. Not to mention that Artemis was friend to us all as well. We will find La'gaan. Somehow, you need to pull yourself together so you can help.”
“How?”
Kat wasn’t sure if M’gann’s words were an answer to her statement or just another bout of shock, so she didn’t answer, but she took the Martian’s hands anyway, “Come on, you’ll feel better in the morning.” M’gann allowed Kat to pull her to her feet, and with Gar’s assistance, Kat managed to get them to M’gann’s room. The alien seemed like a rag doll, allowing herself to be tucked into bed, Gar curled up like a giant cat next to her, rubbing his own tail for comfort. Kat kissed his forehead, “Come get me if either of you need anything.”
When she returned to the living room, it was empty, so she moved through the cave, making sure that no one was freaking out in a room somewhere. She stumbled upon Dick in the Mission Room, hands clutched onto the console. “Dick?” She called, hoping she wouldn’t startle him.
He looked up at her, something strange in his eyes, “I should have saved her.”
Kat sighed, that was the problem with heroes, they all took every loss so much harder than an average person. “You did everything you could. No one is blaming you.”
“They should.” He growled, flinging his mask across the room. “I let her die!”
“You did not!” Kat protested, something about his words ringing false in the back of her head.
“I’m team leader! It should have been me!” He yelled, jerking off his utility belt and tossing it with a heavy thud against the console.
In fear of him pulling off his entire suit in front of her, Kat rushed forward, “Come on. Fight me. Get it out. All that guilt and self pity. It will not help your team. If they are expected to pull it together, you have to be more together than all of them. That’s what a leader is supposed to do. You can’t let them see you like this.” When he didn’t lunge, she did, getting in a swift gut shot, “Come on, Dick for Brains, man up! Fight me!”
He was sloppy and slow in his anger, but he started fighting. That was when she realized he reeked of alcohol. She laughed sarcastically, “Really Dick? Drinking in costume? You’re going to traumatize some poor kids.”
Dick caught her with a particularly strong punch across the face, and sent her rolling across the floor, where he pounced on her. “Don’t you ever stop talking?” He growled, staring down at her as they both panted from exertion. He touched the bruise forming on her cheek, “Sorry.” Katherine shrugged, her mind wandered to her brother, the one person she’d yet to talk to, but Dick wasn’t finished with her. He yanked her to him and covered her mouth with his in a hungry kiss. She responded immediately, knotting her hand in his short dark hair and working her lips over his.
It took Katherine a few seconds to realize exactly what she was doing, and she pushed him away like she’d been burned, “What the hell, Dick? I’m married!” Her cheeks were stained red in embarrassment as she scrambled to her feet.
He looked drunkenly up at her, “You didn’t seem to mind.”
Kat didn’t really know what to say, the last thirty seconds were just another hurdle in the last day of emotional roller coasters. “I don’t feel that way about you, Dick. I have no idea why I kissed you back. I love Red with all of my heart. I didn’t even think you liked me.”
“You grow on people. It’s infuriating. And not like Bruce at all.” He mumbled, laying his right cheek against the cool tile.
“Clean yourself up, Dick. None of the others need to see you like this. And about what you just did. I won’t bring it up if you won’t. It never happened. And it will never happen again.” Kat said harshly, stalking from the room. She called Red once she reached their room though.
“Hey, you okay, babe?” He said
He stared at her a second in sympathy before frowning, “What happened to your cheek?”
“Dick and I got in a fight.” Kat explained vaguely
“Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head, “No, not really. He kissed me though.”
In typical Red fashion, he threw a fit, but when she reminded him that he’d had a bona fide affair with Cheshire, he piped down, returning to the level headed man he almost always was. “Are you sure you’re alright? I’ll catch the nearest Zeta Tube back. Just say the words.”
She hadn’t wanted to pull him away before, but in that moment, she needed him. Losing Artemis had left a great hole in her heart, and Dick had made her feel gross, “I need you.”
Red smiled understandingly, “I’ll be right there. Give me ten minutes.”
“You got ‘em.” Kat said, ending the call.
She went to peer into Damian’s room. The sight made her smile. Damian had apparently felt the need to snuggle with his niece, so Red found Kat in the doorway of Damian’s room, watching her brother and daughter sleep.
“They’re both so cute like that.” Red whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist. “It’s almost easy to forget that he’s a veritable freak of nature.”
“Oh, hush.” Kat slapped the back of his hand and pulled him down the hall to their room. Red picked her up off her feet and laid her out on the bed like she weighed nothing before draping himself over her. Their closeness felt nothing like what Dick’s body pressed against her had. With Red, every nerve in her body was on fire, and he knew exactly how to have her breathless.
They kissed languidly, Red asking her about her memories of Artemis, admitting that he and Artemis hadn’t exactly gotten along, but mostly, it was him being there for her that meant the most.
“Is this okay?” He asked in the midst of pulling off the worn purple shirt she was wearing.
“I’ve been back training, Red. I think this is more than okay.” Kat groaned, her heart hammering in her chest. “I need you.” She whined, needing to be near him as much as she needed to put Artemis’ death out of her mind for just a little while.
“Are you sure?” He asked playfully, rubbing a circle on her abdomen with one of his thumbs.
Kat bit at the arm connected to the hand in her hair. “Yes!”
Red gave her a pleased smile. “Good.” He kissed her, hard, his possessiveness coming out in full force, “I am going to make sure every inch of you is Dick free.”
Kat laughed, her whole body alight at the feel of his skin on hers, “You might want to rephrase that.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, “You are wicked, my love. Fine, I’m going to make sure every inch of you is Nightwing free. Better?”
She kissed him again, setting to work on the button of his jeans, “Much.”
They drifted off to sleep in one another’s arms, their physical exertions the only way they got past the grief enough to let themselves wind down. Katherine had only gotten five hours of sleep when she woke up smelling food. Dressing herself to cover up the hickeys Red had left, Kat headed to the kitchen. According to the clock on the wall, it was eleven, but everyone looked and felt like it was still three in the morning.
Conner had reclaimed Lian and was ignoring the glares Damian was sending him as he attempted to feed her. “Morning.” Kat said quietly as she passed him, planting a sloppy kiss on Lian’s cheek. “Hi baby girl!” Lian wasn’t interested in either of them though, her little blue eyes focused on the cooking range, where Red, dressed in a red hoodie over a grey T-shirt and jeans, was apparently making brunch. Seeing where her daughter’s gaze was, Kat smiled, and held out her hands to Conner. He looked tired, but he grudgingly gave Lian back to her mother. “Thank you, Conner.”
Kat sidled up next to Red, peering at the stove, “Wow, omelets?”
He nodded, kissing both of his girls, “Yeah, I figured a good, hearty meal might help everyone through today.”
“My alarm didn’t go off.” Kat commented, holding Lian so she could reach out and touch her tiny fingers against her father’s arm.
Red leaned down to kiss playfully at Lian, causing her to giggle, “You needed sleep.”
“Thank you.” Kat said, stealing a chunk of ham before he could stop her.
“Food?” Came the sleepy voice of Garfield.
“Red’s cooking.” Kat chirped, “Morning Gar. Is M’gann sleeping?”
He nodded, “Yeah, I’ll take her something later.”
“Sounds good!” She responded brightly, handing him a plate.
Mal and Karen joined the group, followed shortly by Jaime and Bart, and they ate in silence only interrupted by Lian’s cheerful cooing when her father made faces at her. Red stood once everyone was finished, “Why don’t you all go out today and get some fresh air. None of us need to stay cooped up in this cave all day.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Karen said, tugging Mal to the garage. The others disbursed as well, and Kat even glimpsed M’gann being pulled out by Gar.
Conner, however, stayed. “I was going to take Kat to Star City for the day. You want to come with us?” Red asked his fellow clone.
Kat smiled encouragingly at him, and he nodded in agreement, “Okay.”
Damian seemed displeased, but with a quick look from his sister, he acquiesced to Conner accompanying them. When they arrived at the hospital in Star City, Red was informed that his brother had woken up, and that his father was already in the room. At the look Kat gave him, Red shrugged, “It was easier than telling them I’m his clone.”
Before they reached Roy’s room, a nurse stopped them...well Red at least. “Redford! You’re back!” The petite blonde shrilled, not seeming to notice anyone but Red.
Red winced, “Hey, Susan.” The nurse encroached flirtatiously, and Red stepped out of her reach, “Susan, this is my wife, Katherine, our daughter Lian. Kat, this is Susan, she’s been one of Roy’s nurses.” He lowered his voice, “She won’t leave me alone.”
Kat planted a kiss on his lips, and Susan looked crestfallen. Only a short exchange of words occurred between the two woman was needed before Susan scrambled away and the quintet resumed their trek through the hospital. Outside Roy’s door, Kat squeezed Red’s hand, “We’ll stay out here. It’s probably best that he gets all this one bombshell at a time. Good luck.”
Red sighed, hearing a raised voice from inside, “Thanks, babe. I’m going to need it.” Roy yelled again, and Red resisted the urge to recoil, “If you hear screaming, feel free to come break up the party.” Kat saluted him as he walked through the door.
"Halfway around the world
Lies the one thing that you want
Buried in the ground, hundreds of miles down
First thing that arises in your mind while you awake
Is bending you til you break
Let me hold you now
Baby close your eyes
Don't open til the morning light
Baby don't forget
You haven't lost it all yet
Don't know what your made of
Til the one thing that you want
To come in with the dawn and suddenly changes
Monday, syndicate meets everyone the same
But all we've lost to the flame
Listen to me now"
Syndicate
By: The Fray
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everything was quiet for several hours, and Katherine was just falling asleep when she caught sight of a doctor walking down the hallway. “I’ll be right back.” She murmured, passing Lian to Damian.
She scrambled through the hallways after the figure, and grabbed onto it’s arm once she got close enough, “What are you doing here?”
Her mother sighed, “My job, Kitten. They needed someone to keep an eye on Roy Harper.”
“Why would they care? They usually cut their losses and run.” Kat snapped.
Selina pulled off the blonde wig she’d been wearing and shook out her own dark caramel locks. “Not him, not yet. I volunteered to keep an eye on him. It’s not hard to pretend to be a doctor in a hospital. Everyone’s too busy to notice that you only go into one room.” She pouted, “You didn’t bring Lian with you. She was so cute when we had lunch.”
“I wasn’t about to risk my daughter running after you!” Kat hissed.
Selina sighed, “You’re still angry about the other day?”
“Of course I am.”
“Kitten, it’s a good plan.” Selina said.
“It’s crazy, that’s what it is, Mother. You would have to be crazy to think I would even consider it. Tell your Light pals no, I won’t do it. I won’t be a pawn in their wicked game. They might have turned Aqualad, but they won’t turn me.” Kat said, shivering when her mother reached out to touch her.
Selina looked pained, “Those children trust you, Katherine. All the Light is asking is that you have one little conversation in a few weeks with a boy you haven’t known for more than a month.”
Kat shook her head vehemently, “I can’t betray him like that. When someone trusts you, Mom, it’s because you’ve given a part of yourself to them. I have no intentions of hurting any of them. Not like that. It’s Jaime’s choice. I’ll make sure he knows that, but I’ll say nothing more.”
“They aren’t going to be happy with that.” Selina warned, “I’m offering a way to make sure that Red, Damian and Lian don’t come to any harm, Katherine. You’d be wise to take it.”
“I’m not like you, Mom. I can’t just pick sides when it’s easier to be on one over the other. I couldn’t live with myself.” Katherine said, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.
Selina smiled fondly, “You are so much like your father. So noble and brave, but you are both entirely too self sacrificing. Maybe I am the crazy one, for loving the both of you. That’s one thing about your brother, he’d be able to do it.”
Kat’s head snapped up, rage filling her, “Have you been talking to him?”
“No, but once I tell the Light you said no, I can only imagine that it’s only a matter of time before they send someone to talk to him.” Selina answered honestly.
“He wouldn’t do it either. He’s too strong.” Kat said adamantly.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Kitten. There’s a lot about him you don’t know.”
Kat sneered, “Like forty precent of his DNA being from a woman named Talia al Ghul? I’ve known for a while now. Everyone underestimates me. I’m not as air headed as I look. And Damian had to learn basic hacking somewhere!” She took a menacing step towards her mother, “If they lay a hand on his head, I’ll kill them all.”
“They would kill you first.”
“Don’t be so sure. According to Future-Boy, I become a hero. So I must be doing something right.” She stepped back, heaving a deep sigh, “I love you, Mom, I really do. I always will, but I can’t see you until things settle down. That afternoon at the cafe and today reminded me why I left with Damian in the first place. Please, leave.”
Selina’s eyes filled with tears, but she was still smiling, “You are so much like him.” She stepped forward and embraced her daughter, “And like him, I’m going to have to let you go. That’s the only way I’ll ever get you back.” She kissed Kat’s forehead, “Be careful, Katherine. There are infinite futures. You can never be certain which one that boy is from. Here, you’ll be needing this.” Selina pressed a piece of paper into her daughter’s hand.
“A seamstress?” Katherine said, reading the information on the business card.
Selina smiled, “She’s very discreet, and she’s the best.”
“Thank you.” Katherine gasped out in realization.
Selina nodded, and let go of her, disappearing into the shadows with a whisper, “I love you, Helena.”
Kat had to sit down, sliding down one wall and sticking her head between her knees. This was exactly the way she’d felt at the cafe when her mother had told her that crazy scheme to keep themselves safe. She laughed at herself, “Jesus, Kat, you’ve had more panic attacks in the last month then you had in five years.”
She picked her head up when she saw Ollie running down the hallway, looking like he was about to cry. A small part of her was glad she wasn’t the only one having a bad afternoon, but once she saw Red striding after him looking pitiful, she shakily stood and followed. She stood at the back of the chapel while Red spoke with Oliver, pride filling her. Just a few months earlier, Red wouldn’t have been in the right mind to be able to comfort anyone. For her, Roy, and Lian, he had pulled himself together. On the other hand, she was falling apart.
As they headed back to Roy’s room, Red slid his hand into hers and pulled her close to him. “Damian said you ran off.”
Kat shrugged, “I had to go to the bathroom.” Wether or not he knew it was a lie, he didn’t say anything.
Roy was still in bed, rolled on his left side facing the window. Red and Oliver started to walk away, but Katherine stopped them, “He’s not asleep.”
Roy rolled over, glaring at her, “How would you know?”
Kat grinned and entered the room, not minding her husbands stifled protests. She gestured back to Red, “He can’t sleep on his left side. And if he can’t, I’m pretty sure you can’t.”
Roy stared at her, recognizing the sharp blue eyes and black hair, “You’re that girl I saved, aren’t you? The one who fell into the river with her little brother. Red Claw was chasing you. Katherine?”
Damian stepped to his sister’s side, “Yup, that would be us.”
Roy looked at Damian in shock, he certainly wasn’t a baby faced five year old anymore. “It really has been eight years, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, Roy, it has. We’re here to help you.” Kat said gently.
“Why you two? I mean I get Oliver and...Roy, but why you two?” Roy stammered.
“I call him Red.” Kat said, smiling back at her husband who was looking rather ill, “We met up about three years after you and I met. We ran away together, and we’ve been married for five years.”
“So I’m married!” Roy shrieked.
Kat couldn’t help but laugh at him, “No, you’re not. Redford Harper is married to me. Originally, we did that so the League wouldn’t find out, but now...I think we both knew deep down.” Roy tried to take it all in, and naturally, Lian took that opportunity to start screaming out with Conner in the hall. The Kryptonian clone poked his head in the room, his face saying plenty. Kat shot Red a look, “I think she wants you.”
Red jumped at the chance to leave the room, and Roy looked quizzically after him, “What was that?”
Kat sighed, sitting in the chair next to him fluidly, sending a shiver down Oliver’s spine. “Red and I have a daughter. She’s six weeks old.”
Roy looked down at his remaining hand, fisted into the starched fabric of his sheets, “I could have had all of that?”
“No.” Katherine said harshly, “Roy, you couldn’t have. Red and I met long before I met you.”
“That’s impossible.” Oliver interjected.
Kat shook her head, “It’s not. They already had Roy’s DNA for at least eight years before they took him. I don’t know why they removed his arm, but it wasn’t for source material.”
“How can you know that?” Oliver said softly.
“Because when I first met Roy, I was physically fifteen, but I met Red when I was much younger. During my own Cadmus days. I remember now, I mean...I’d always remembered, but I thought it was a dream. I was physically seven, and so was Red. We found each other. I think it had happened before, Klarion was complaining about the Leprechaun ruining his work.” She took a deep breath, “I think that was before they had given me back to my mother. There were other times too. I think every time I saw or did something they didn’t like, they had me go back to Klarion. And every time, Red and I would find each other.”
“So that’s why you always asked me those strange questions.” Red said from the door.
Katherine looked back at him weakly, “Yeah, it was. I guess my mind is just more resistant to Klarion.” She returned her attention to Roy, “Thing is, Red and I have always had a connection. You have to think of him as a brother, Roy. You would not have lived the same life. No one knows what kind of life you would have lived, but now’s the time for you to figure it out. We’ll leave you alone for now, okay?”
He nodded, but when she stood to leave, he gripped her hand, “Has he been good to you?” Everyone in the room inhaled sharply with only two exceptions, Lian, and her mother.
Kat smiled down at Roy, “Yes, he has. I love him and our daughter more than anything in the world.” She ruffled Roy’s hair with her free hand, “And I’m looking forward to getting to know my brother-in-law.” He let her hand go, eyes wide, and she turned away again, ushering the others out of the room. Once the door had shut, Katherine slid down the wall again, “Holy shit!”
“Holy shit is right, Kat!” Red hissed, sitting on his heels in front of her, “You just lied right to his face. You know I wasn’t good to you. Why did you do that?”
“Keep your voice down.” Kat snapped, “He doesn’t need to know that yet. The kid just lost his arm and eight years of his life. He doesn’t need to start out with a vendetta against you.” She put a hand on his shoulder to give herself some leverage to stand, holding out a hand to help him up.
He took it, and pulled her into a tight hug, “You’re right. I love you.”
Kat giggled, breathing in the familiar scent of his skin, “I love you too. Why don’t you all go grab some lunch? I have an errand to run, but I’ll join you if it doesn’t take too long.”
“An errand?” Red echoed, quirking an eyebrow up at her.
“Some shopping, that’s all. Rocket invited me to the bridal shower. I need to grab a gift, and I’d much rather shop in Star City than in Gotham. Especially with the paparazzi floating around everywhere.” Kat explained offhandedly.
“You want to take Lian?” Red asked.
Kat knew the look on her face, “Nah, there’s formula in the diaper bag for her lunch, and I think she wants some Daddy time.”
Red grinned, picking up Lian’s carrier and putting his face next to hers, “What do you think, Princess? You want some time with Daddy?”
As her natural reaction to her father’s proximity, Lian giggled shrilly. Damian made a face at his sister, “You know what, I hate to say it, but he’s actually good at this dad thing.”
Kat nodded, staring at her husband and daughter, “I always knew he would be. I mean, look how good he was with you in those early days.” Damian nodded in tepid agreement. Kat picked up the messenger bag she always carried with her, “I’d best be going. Meet you guys back at the Zeta Tube.” She stopped next to Conner, “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your birthday. We’ll do something small tonight. ‘kay?”
“How did you know?” Conner stuttered out in surprise.
“I told her.” Damian drawled from behind them, and Kat blushed furiously.
“Guilty!” She called back as she walked off.
"I pray you'll be my eyes,
and watch her where she goes,
and help her to be wise.
Help me to let go.
Every mother's prayer
every child knows.
Lead her to a place
Guide her to a place
Give her strength so she'll be safe
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your faith
Lead her to a place where she'll be safe.
I pray she finds your light,and holds in her heart.As darkness falls each night,Remind her where you are.
Every mother's prayer,every child knows.Lead her to a place,guide her to a place.Give her faith so she'll be safe.Lead her to a place,Guide her with your graceTo a place where she'll be safe.
"
The PrayerBy: Celine Dion
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Once Katherine and Red had emptied out the Cave, Dick had moved his work to the Batcave. Alfred had been thrilled to find him in the darkness so he was eating some crumpets with hot tea while he worked. Things were moving forward now that Artemis was undercover, and everything seemed to be going along with what he'd planned. Well almost everything... When he and Wally had gotten drunk to help them pull off grief more easily, he hadn't intended to come back to the Cave and kiss Katherine. She'd proved what kind of woman she was, however, pushing him away when she could have just let things continue. Her loyalty would be helpful in the future.Not to say kissing her hadn't been an enjoyable experience.Deep in thought, he was startled when the computer started beeping, alerting him to a video message, not thinking about it, he pressed accept, and realized his error when Selina Kyle's face filled the screen. She was sitting in what appeared to be her bedroom, the camera showing not only her face and her door, but the pressed black dress she had on that fit her like a second skin.The time stamp in the corner of the screen said that the message was a few hours old."Hi Bruce." Selina started softly, her expression nervous. "I-uh. I have to go away now." She sniffed, but smiled sardonically a few seconds later, "The Light asked me to get Kat to do something, but she wouldn't do it. I knew she wouldn't. She's too much like you, so good, so brave. It won't be long until they figure it out, and they'll be wanting my head. I'm going off planet." Selina's lower lip quivered, "Oh, Bruce, I wish I could tell you where, but..." She giggled slightly, "You'd tell me not to, wouldn't you? Yeah, you would. You're smarter than I am, you always were. Only reason you never put me in prison is because most of the time I'm faster. That, and you've always seen the good in me."She bit her lower lip, a habit Dick recognized instantly as one her daughter had inherited. "I wish I could get them to come with me, but I know they wouldn't. There's too much for them here. Kat has Red and our precious granddaughter, and Damian has all three of them." Selina scoffed, "They're all I have worth anything in this world."Selina stared into the camera, suddenly sober, "And you, Bruce. I know I'm not the best at expressing my feelings honestly, but I do love you, with all my thieving, petty little heart. I love them too. I didn't treat Damian the way I did by choice. He was three when the Light gave me new instructions. I love that boy, even though he's not entirely mine. But Talia...she didn't want him to be close to me. She didn't want him to feel like he had a mother, so that when she came for him, he'd be eager to have one." She sniffed, closing her eyes in an effort to control her emotions. "Katherine took over that role though. Talia and I both lost out. All that crap I said about Katherine being programmed when I was drunk, it's nonsense. It's just what I've been saying to make myself feel better. These last few weeks, I've come to some realizations."Selina laughed slightly, her dark hair framing her face, and, once again, the resemblance to Katherine was startling, "I'm a coward, Bruce. Here I am, running from another fight. Something's coming, Bruce. I'm not a valued member of the Light, but I've been near enough to know that their Partner is coming to Earth soon. I needed to warn you before I left." She brushed her hair back away from her face with a sigh, twisting it into a meticulus bun, afixing it with pins she picked up from the desk in front of her, "You've got to keep your guard up. And, Bruce, I know in a few days, or weeks, Kat's going to start trying to contact me and I won't be able to answer. Just tell her how sorry I am for leaving without truly telling her goodbye. She'll understand in time, Damian will too. I sent her to Maggie, I figured it was just a matter of time before she started trying to get out there. Maggie will take care of her, and I'm sure she'll enlist Mr. Fox's help."Selina paused, frowing slightly, her eyes looking down for a moment before she returned them to the camera, the frown fading back into ernestness, "Don't try to stop Kat. She'll only find a way around you, and she won't be as safe as she will be if you support her. I'll come back when I can." Suddenly Selina stood, spinning to face the door. "Someone's here." She turned back to the desk, panic on her face as she scrambled with something out of the camera's view, eyes darting back to the camera as she said firmly, "Bruce, I love you."The door behind her busted open before she could disconnect the recording, and Selina ducked out of the frame. Red Claw stood in the doorway. "Long time no see, Selina." She tossed a limp tabby cat to the side of the room. "I learned from your Kitten to take the cats out first. Like a rat in a trap, Selina. At least your daughter was able to jump out a three story window. There are no windows in this room." Red Claw smiled maniacally, "The Kitten may have gotten away at first, but we caught up with her. She should have died anyway, Selina, the poison in that dart should have killed her. They wanted her dead, some of them still want her dead, but she won't die. You, on the other hand, you're mine. You've nowhere to go, and the Light doesn't need you anymore."Red Claw jumped onto the spot Selina had dove off camera, and Selina's screams accompanied steady thumps of a fist on flesh and ripping cloth. Minutes passed by as Dick watched in a horrified trance as blood splattered against the walls and Selina cried out. "Stop! Please stop! Let me go!" Selina had screamed, but, gradually, the screams had turned to whimpers and then there was silence. Red Claw reappeared into the camera's field of vision and hoisted Selina Kyle's barely clothed body up onto her shoulder. Selina's long dark hair, having been pulled out of the bun she'd put it in, covered her face, but blood dripped steadily from the tips of her bruised fingers, leaving a trail of blood droplets behind her as Red Claw exited the room, and also leaving no doubt to the serious injuries she had sustained.Once the women were out of sight, Dick's brain switched back on and he began feverishly trying to find the location, so he could try to help, even though the rational side of his brain knew that with the message being hours old, they were long gone. There was nothing. Selina Kyle had no apartment leases in her name. If she was paying her rent under the table, it would be nearly impossible to track her down based on a generic windowless room with cat pictures on the wall. Until someone reported something, there was no way to locate the bloody apartment. Dick took a few minutes before he decided what to do.Nothing.He couldn't do anything. Selina was gone, probably dead, most certainly dead by the time Red Claw was done with her. If he sent this to Bruce while he was off planet on Rimbor, it would kill him, and he certainly couldn't tell Katherine now, not when she was so close to becoming a true asset to the Team. With Artemis and Aqualad currently unavailable, and L'gann kidnapped, he'd need her to make up for the lost finer points of his Team. Feeling like a villain, Dick downloaded the video to a spare thumb-drive and erased all evidence that Selina had ever sent anything to Bruce's computer. He'd keep it, and check into the situation when time allowed, but there were bigger things going on, things Selina herself had confirmed.The Light really did have a Partner, and, whoever they were, they were coming to Earth.It didn't take too long for Kat to get out of the hospital and find the street written on the business card her mother had given her.
Madame Devereaux's Clothier & Knife Shop
was situated on the poorly lit end of the street, where it dead-ended into one of the many apartment structures that created the maze like area. The smell of Chinese food was overpoweringly strong from the restaurant next door, but once she opened the door to the shop, she smelled only the strangest mix of orange and vanilla."I was wondering how long it would be before I saw you again." An aged voice with a Creole accent said from amongst the many racks of dresses and fabrics."Excuse me?" Kat asked, looking around for the owner of the voice. A frail old woman had emerged from the back of the shop.A thick mess of silvery-white hair framed an old face with even older eyes, "You came here once, when you were just a little girl. Your mother brought you." The old woman took one of Katherine's hands and pulled her into the light from the single overhead lamp, "Let me get a good look at you." The woman made a humming noise as she walked in circles around Kat, "You're taller than your mother, only just though. Last time I made something for you, you were shorter. It's been ten years though, you've grown.""Who are you?" Kat asked the woman who seemed to know exactly who she was warily."Madame Devereaux, but you can call me Maggie, Ms. Kyle. Or should I say Ms. Wayne?" The old woman stared into her face, smiling at her stunned reaction, "You look a fair bit like your mother, but when you know a body as well as I do, your resemblance to your father is telling. You hold your shoulders like he does." Maggie jammed a finger into the center of Kat's back, "Straighten up.""My mother sent me here. Why?" Kat asked, disgruntled, but straightening herself as instructed.Maggie laughed, "Sweet Girl, do you not remember your visit here? Your mother needed a new suit and she brought you with her. You were fascinated with all the knives. I told your mother right then that you were going to be a fighter, and sure enough, I got a missive from her three years later asking for a slightly scaled down duplicate of her costume. Can I assume that you're no longer going as your mother now?" Kat nodded slowly, "Very well, let's go in the back so I can get some measurements and we can chat." Kat followed Maggie through the doorway she'd entered from, and stood on the spot she was ushered to, "Now tell me, Sweet Girl, are you hands-on like your mother, or do you prefer weapons like your father?""You make things for my father?""Mr. Fox may be wonderful at designing things, but his fashion execution leaves much to be desired. So yes, I am the woman trusted to put everything together well enough that your father isn't killed needlessly." Maggie replied, taking out a measuring tape."I'll need weapons." Kat offered, blushing when Maggie moved to measure her bust."My, my, you're a bit larger here too." Maggie commented. Kat's face flamed further, but Maggie continued downwards, "You're a little thicker around than I imagined you'd be."Kat pushed down a flare of annoyance, "I just had a baby."Maggie stopped and looked up at her, "Oh, well then congratulations are in order. You'll work this off soon enough then, so I'll just take in my measurement a little." Kat wanted to protest, but Maggie was done with her measurements, "Let's see if I've got anything to strike your fancy." She pulled out a tray of weapons, handing a silver hunting knife to Kat, "Your father usually likes these. Most of his weapons are creations of Mr. Fox's, but he respects a well designed knife. I happen to make some of the best.""My mother doesn't use knives." Kat comented, staring at the hunting knife in her hand and the ankle holster in the other."But your father uses them, non-lethally of course, and I can tell you're more like him than you are your mother." Maggie said, looking her up and down again, her ancient eyes lingering on the purple scarf around Kat's neck, "You do like purple though, don't you? Your mother did too when she was young. I'll take that into account." She hummed, walking in a circle around Kat, "You aren't covered in cat hair, so I doubt you share your mother's dreadful obsession with cats. That's a very good thing. It's far too difficult to coat Kevlar in a fur resistant coating. I'll have to get some more items from Mr. Fox, but I doubt he'll mind. He's always seemed to fancy me when he's come to visit."Kat smiled as the old woman continued to ramble, "Thank you. How much do I owe?"Maggie looked up at her, "I'll have Mr. Fox pay for the materials, but you don't owe me any money. You do owe me a favor, however.""What kind of favor?" Kat asked warily.Maggie grinned, leading her to the exit, "Don't look so worried, Sweet Girl. It's lunch time, and I'd like some Dim-Sum from down the street.""I don't mean to be rude, but it's just next door." Kat said, shifting from foot to foot.Maggie gestured to carvings above the door, "In this shop, I am protected from any wishing me harm. No one can find me as long as I remain inside. I haven't left this shop in fifty years. Please, Sweet Girl, Dim-Sum is such a favorite of mine." Kat went down the street and ordered from the restaurant, and stared down at her watch in shock. It read the same time she had entered Maggie's shop. When she exited the Chinese restaurant, she half expected the shop to be gone, but Maggie was waiting by the door to receive the take-out, "Thank you, Katherine. I'll let you know when the job is done."The door shut gently in her face, and Kat stared at it for a few minutes, trying to figure out what had just happened. She shrugged off the confusion and called Red to find out where they had gotten off to.They were only a few blocks away, so they met up easily. To Kat's delight, Lian seemed just as happy to see her as she usually did her father. "Ha!" Kat exclaimed, scooping up the infant, "Daddy's not so special, now is he?"Red scoffed, "She's totally a Daddy's Girl."Kat ignored him, instead pondering Conner, "Why don't we go visit Ma and Pa Kent?""What?" Conner asked, his usually stoic expression no where to be found.Kat grinned, "I may have made a call a few days ago..." She trailed off, enjoying the look of awe that spread over his face, "I hardly got my first sentence out before Ma Kent was planning a cake. They'll be disappointed if we don't show up."Conner was visibly wavering, but he wasn't sold, "I've only met them a few times, and Superman was always there.""They think of you like a son, Conner. They wish you'd come around more often." Kat told him.Conner scoffed, "When did they say that? When they'd had too much eggnog?"Kat frowned at him, "No, jerk. It was Christmas though. They're possibly the most kind, open hearted people I've ever met though. They took Damian in while I was getting myself together, and they didn't complain once about how much of a maniac he is.""I'm not that bad!" Damian barked.Kat arched an eyebrow at him, "Not recently, but I'm not about to think you won't try to rig something up when my back's turned.""Would not!" The teen groused."Yeah, you would." Kat said, looking back at Conner, "What do you say?""Let's go." Conner said after a few seconds, a small smile spreading over his face. Oliver waved them on, saying that he had some things back at his place he needed to take care of. They made the quick jaunt back to the Zeta Tube and took it to Metropolis. Kat led them to Clark's apartment complex and stopped in the parking garage in front of a silver car."Alright! Let me at it!" Damian chuckled, cracking his knuckles.Kat shook her head and pulled a set of keys out of her purse, "Not so fast, you nut. Clark gave me his spare key.""So no breaking and entering?" Damian said with a pout.Kat shot him a look, "Definitely not, you little monster."
"I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame."
I Dreamed A DreamFrom: Lés Miserables
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Red drove and Kat sat in the passenger's seat, Lian, in the car seat Clark had bought when he found out Kat was pregnant, was nestled safely between Conner and Damian. Kat kept up enough chatter that the three hour drive wasn't excruciating, but Conner kept reminding them that he could run faster than they could drive there. Kat adamantly refused to let Red stop to let him out.They'd barely pulled into the entrance of the farm when Martha stepped onto the front porch, waving wildly. Red pulled up just short of the white stair leading up to the front door of the yellow house, and Kat was out almost before he'd put the car in park shrieking, "Ma!"Martha embraced the younger woman, laughing at her enthusiasm, "It's been far too long, Katherine.""I know." Kat said mournfully.Martha's eyes were trained on Red, "So that's the boy that's given you so much trouble?"Red ducked his head into the car to unstrap Lian, but heard Kat's awkwardly giggled response, "That's my Red!"Damian and Conner sauntered up to the women and Martha hugged them both, "Conner, happy birthday. And Damian, you've been growing like a weed!" Her eyes fell on Lian in Red's arms and she raised an eyebrow at Kat, "Why have I not seen this little girl before now?"Kat bit her lower lip, "Sorry, Ma. Things have been kinda crazy."Jonathan opened the door behind them, "Nothing crazy around here, so why don't you all come inside." Kat skipped happily to him, brushing a kiss to his wrinkled cheek as she passed him. He clapped Conner on the shoulder, "Happy birthday, son.""Thank you." Conner mumbled, hiding the effect the word son had on him.Martha had taken Lian from Red without sparing him a second glance, so he was pretty certain he'd made another shit-list. Damian seemed overly pleased. The Kent's dog, Shelby, seemed pleased to see Conner though, and managed to rouse the clone into a game of tug of war while everyone else settled in. While Shelby wasn't as strong as Wolf, he still gave Conner enough of a challenge that a smile actually graced his usually stoic features.Kat and Martha watched with glassy smiles, and Damian edged next to Jonathan, "Hey, Pa, what's with that stupid look on their faces?"Jonathan laughed and slung an arm around the genius' shoulders, "I believe they're pleased with themselves."Damian looked at the Kent patriarch like he was crazy and went to scavenge for food. "Hey, Conner, come look!" He called in excitement. Conner paused his game with Shelby and went into the kitchen. Damian gestured to the fridge, "Ma Kent made you cake!" He shook in excitement, "That's so awesome!"He reached towards it, but Martha slapped his hand, "Damian Alexander Kyle, don't even think about it. We have cake after dinner, and not before. Set the table."Damian pouted, but he didn't talk back like he would have if she had been his sister. By the end of dinner, Conner felt the warm haze seep into his bones, and for the first time, he knew not to be afraid of it. Clark wasn't there watching his every move, and no one was acting like he was going to explode. They all just moved, and suddenly, he wasn't an outsider at all. Red was, in a very strange way, since Martha refused to address him, but Conner had the distinct impression that she wouldn't remain that way for long.He hadn't gotten to hold Lian since they'd arrived, but he hadn't needed to. Since her arrival, he'd felt like he'd needed to always be near her. At first, he'd thought that it had been a reaction to how small and fragile she seemed to be, but more and more, he realized that she'd become a safety blanket of sorts. It was hard to feel out of place when those big blue eyes of her's looked up at him the way they did. She was in Jonathan's arms across the room, but nothing in Conner felt that either of them was in danger or out of place, so he didn't feel any need to sneak the infant away from Jonathan and go sit in a corner.They sang happy birthday to him, and even though all but Damian were terribly out of key, it brought a broad smile to Conner's face. Kat cut the cake and gave a slice to him, a matching smile on her face, "Having a good time?" Conner nodded, and Kat laughed, "I'm proud of you, little brother.""Brother?" Damian and Conner said in unison.Kat nodded proudly, "Of course! What's one more acorn on our crazy family tree?" They all laughed...well not Conner and Damian, but Kat took a bite of cake, "Ma, this is wonderful!" She arched an eyebrow at Conner, "Isn't this great?""The best." Conner said, looking straight at Martha.The older woman cooed and embraced him, his cake only being saved by Kat snatching it from his hands before Martha made impact. "I'm so glad." She squeezed him, "You have no idea how good it is to have you here, Conner."He put his head on her shoulder and relaxed into her warm hug, "It's great to be here." He said, noticing that yet again, that glassy pleased look had covered Kat's face, and tears of pride threatened to well out.They ate their cake and even Lian ended up with icing on her nose, courtesy of her mischievous uncle. Martha had put the kibosh on Lian actually consuming any cake, but Damian had done well enough painting her face with icing.Red's phone rang so he stepped outside, taking an anxious Shelby with him. Martha took that opportunity to fix Kat with a questioning glare, "Are you sure about letting him near you again?"Kat sighed, "Ma, I love him."Martha set her jaw, "He hurt you, Katherine. I will never get the image of Clark bringing you here out of my head. I've never seen a more lost creature in my life."Kat could only imagine. Clark had brought her to the Kent farm after she'd tried to kill herself. Wrists wrapped heavily in gauze and drugged out of her mind, Kat knew she had to have looked awful. She couldn't remember that first meeting though. The first memory she had of the Kents was waking up to Martha's gentle face. Apparently by that point, she'd been there for two weeks and hadn't spoken a word the entire time, she'd just been going through the motions like a living doll. "He's changed, Ma, really, he has. No more drugs, and last week, they found Roy."Martha cast an eye over to Damian who was still playing with his niece. He seemed all too aware of what her glare was asking, "Ma, he's changed. He be dead if he hadn't."Martha's glare changed at his last sentence, "Damian Kyle, do not threaten murder under my roof."His blue eyes widened and he held up his hands, "Sorry, Ma."Martha and Kat both laughed at the fear the older woman wrought in the boy. Conversation died down when Red came back in, face grim, "That was Ollie. He went to make sure Roy was good for the night, and he's gone. I need to get back and help look for him."There was a few moments of silence before Jonathan stood, "You take Clark's car back, I'll drive them all into Metropolis in the morning."Red shook the older man's hand, "Thank you, sir." He went to Kat guiltily, "I'm sorry, I..."Kat cut him off, "No, don't be sorry. Roy needs you and Ollie. Just, be as kind as you can." Red kissed her, and she pulled away smiling, "I love you, so be careful."Red nodded, "I will, Kat, I will, and I love you too." He scooped Lian up, kissing her cheek, "Daddy loves you, Princess. Be good for Momma.""She's always good." Damian growled.Red ruffled his hair and put Lian back down, "Of course she is. Daddy's perfect little Princess."He leaned down again, but Kat pushed him away gently, "Red, you need to get going."Red laughed, kissing her one last time before heading out the door, "I'll call when I know something!"Martha came to stand with Kat on the porch as she watched Red pull away, "Well he's certainly not the crazy drug addict I had pictured in my mind."Kat smiled wryly, "I'd like to think it was me that changed him, but that's not true. It was Lian. When he's around her, he just melts, and I think she reminds him that he's human. I always knew he'd be a good dad, but seeing him with her, I can tell, he's a great dad."Martha was skeptical, but gave a small smile, "As long as he doesn't hurt you again."Kat sighed, thinking back to her encounter with Maggie. "Actually, I think I might be the one doing the hurting next time. Ma, I'm..." She trailed off, not sure what to say.Martha took her hand and squeezed it gently. Somehow, Kat got the impression that Martha already knew what she was going to say, "Do what you think it right, Katherine. If you want to join Clark and the others, that's your choice.""I expected you to tell me not to." Kat admitted.Martha kissed the side of her head, "I raised Clark, remember. You're not so different. But you've got a daughter now, Katherine. You have to think of her before yourself.""I am." Kat said quietly, "And if the bad guys win, she won't have a world to grow up in."Jonathan had apparently joined them, and Kat cursed herself for being startled when he spoke, "With great power comes great responsibility."Kat leaned up against the porch railing, giving Jonathan a dry stare at his quote, "You sound like the side of a cereal box."The Kent's laughed heartily, and Jonathan clapped her on the shoulder, "Katherine, I used to say that to Clark all the time! He turned out alright, didn't he?"Kat straightened up, smiling again, "You haven't been to his place in Metropolis recently, have you? It's a mess! I don't understand sometimes, he can move faster than a speeding bullet but he can't make sure his clothes end up in the hamper?"Martha sighed, "I'd hoped he'd outgrow that habit.""Nope!" Kat chirped, "Fortunately, Conner didn't inherit that trait. He's the neatest male I've ever met. That's why he gets the most time with the baby!"Martha chuckled, "I'm so glad you and your brother got to meet him. The first few times Clark brought him here he was so...angry.""He's still angry." Katherine confirmed, "But not as angry. I think it comes and goes depending on who he's around, and how comfortable he feels. I'd like to think he's had a good birthday. I mean he spent the first half sitting in the hallway of a hospital, but I think coming here has to have made up for it.""It has." Conner said from the doorway, a smug look on his face, "You do know I can hear every word you're saying, right?"Martha stepped past him, shaking her head fondly, "You wouldn't be who you are if you couldn't!" She turned back to look at Kat, "Why don't we get you all settled in for the evening. That baby's been up a long time."Kat followed the older woman inside, taking Conner's hand and pulling him after them. He got one last cuddle in with Lian before Kat and Martha took her to one of the upstairs rooms. Damian set himself up rewiring some of Clark's old handheld video games, and Conner and Jonathan talked about the future. "I don't grow any older." Conner complained, not understanding why Jonathan was pushing it."I've seen a lot of things in all my years, and I'm sure that somewhere, someone knows how to kick start those genes." Jonathan leveled his eyes at Conner, "Even if they did, you wouldn't have a human life, Conner. Clark looks almost exactly the same. He keeps telling me that in a few years he's going to start adding some grey hair dye to his hair.""I can't imagine that." Conner mumbled.Jonathan sighed, "Conner, you're too young to be worrying about getting older." He gestured to Damian, "Who knows, give him a few years to brush up on his genetic research and he might be able to find a way to help you."Damian looked up from the jumble of wires he was trying to turn into a taser. "If it means Conner can get busy and make his own babies so I can actually have time with my niece, then sure! Totally doable, Man! Just get Kat to fork over the money for research materials and I'm game!" Jonathan rolled his eyes at the kid genius.Kat was edging down the stairs, "What exactly am I paying for?"Damian smiled mischievously at his big sister, "I'm going to become a master genetic scientist from books you're going to buy me so I can figure out how to let Conner get all wrinkly and grey four hundred years from now.""Okay then..." Kat said, looking at all three men questioningly, "Glad you boys made good use of your bonding time. Should I go back upstairs so you can figure out a cure for world hunger?"Damian burst into his theory, "Well if everyone only consumed the minimum number of calories to fuel the human body there would be a surplus allowing for...""Dai!" Kat groused, "Got it! I was joking! When you become president, you can yammer all that to rooms full of people getting paid to ignore you.""Can I become president?" Damian asked, "I thought I was born in Aberdeen.""You were, Aberdeen, Washington, not Scotland." Kat corrected, smiling as she curled up like a cat in an arm chair."So Kurt Cobain and I were born in the same place?" He was delighted, "Awesome!"He continued to fiddle with his wires, and the other three kept talking until Kat stood up, stretching noisily, "We should get to sleep. We've got a tough day ahead of us tomorrow. We've got to drive back to the city, head back to the Cave, gather everyone else, and get to Gotham by four.""What for?" Damian asked."Artemis' funeral." Conner answered, looking grim again."I knew her too, Conner. Dai might not remember her, he was a baby, but I remember her. She wouldn't want us to be so sad. She'd want us to remember her for her life, not her death." Kat said, catching his eyes with her own."Aqualad deserves to pay for what he did." He growled.Hate burned in Kat's gut, "Yes, he does, but tomorrow's not about him, it's about her."Conner nodded in understanding, and suddenly turned to embrace Jonathan, "Thank you for today. I haven't been this happy in a really long time."Jonathan chuckled, hugging the boy, "I'm glad. Don't forget to say that to Martha. She did most of the work.""I will." Conner assured, stepping away with a small, yet genuine smile on his face. He gave Kat a quick hug too, "Thank you...sister."She couldn't have smiled any wider, "Anytime, Conner, anytime." She then grinned at the two boys, "You guys realize that makes you brothers, right?" This time, both boys protested, but the Kent home settled into restful slumber.The next day was sober, everyone moving efficiently through breakfast and keeping up conversation during the three hour ride to Metropolis, but the bright mood from the night before couldn't be salvaged. Red had already called and told Kat he wouldn't be able to make it to the service because they hadn't caught up to Roy yet. He was apparently more of a handful than anyone had anticipated.The mood in the Cave was worse than the one in the truck had been. Jaime was in a sour mood, and no amount of gentle coaxing could get him to take his imaginary claws out of Bart. As such, Kat had no choice but to separate them and insist that Bart just run to Gotham. Garfield and M'gann were practically zombies. By the time they made it to her father's city, Kat was nearly a basket case. She kept it together though, and managed to get them all through the service without any major out bursts and to the grave site.It was there that Kat got the chance to talk to Artemis' mother, "Paula." She said softly.The Asian woman's head shot up and she gasped, "Katherine. How...""I'm with the Team now." Kat explained, "I'm so sorry about Artemis."Paula shook her head, her eyes drifting to where Lian lay, tucked in a baby sling around Kat, "You have a child now?" She scoffed softly, "I feel so old.""Her name's Lian." Kat blurted out. "Artemis was my best friend when we were kids, and even though I hadn't seen her in years, it felt right. I was so happy to see her that day, I thought we'd have time to catch up, to talk about everything we should have all these years. I hardly got the chance to tell her Lian's name! I didn't know what was going to happen. I swear.""No one can ever really know." Paula said, holding out her hands, "May I?" Kat nodded, carefully extracting the infant and placing her into Paula's arms. Paula smiled gently when Lian blinked at the sudden brightness of the sun, "She's beautiful, Katherine. I know Artemis was be very pleased to know that you named your daughter after her." She stared at the baby for a few moments, "She's got a fighting spirit."Kat pulled herself together and smiled, "Yes she does.""And now she has Artemis to look over her." Paula said, kissing Lian's forehead, "Mind your mother, little one." She looked back up at Kat, "Never take her for granted, Katherine. You never know what the last words you say to her might be."Kat nodded, tears filling her eyes, "I understand." She took Lian back and brushed a kiss to the fingers of her left hand, pressing them onto the top of Artemis' tombstone, remembering all the times they'd had together. Her voice broke as she said goodbye to her old friend, "Rest in peace Artie. One day, I think we'll see each other again."Warning, this song is a bit of a tear jerker!
"My old friend, I recall,
The times we had hanging on my wall.
I wouldn't trade them for gold.
Cause they laugh and they cry me,
Somehow sanctify me.
They're woven in the stories I have told,
And tell again.
My old friend, I apologize,
For the years that have passed,
Since the last time you and I,
Dusted off those memories.
But the running and the races,
The people and the places,
There's always somewhere else I had to be.
Well time gets slim, my old friend.
Don't know why, don't know why
Don't know why, don't know why
My old friend, this song's for you,
Cause a few simple verses,
Was the least that I could do,
To tell the world that you were here,
Cause the love and the laughter,
Will live on long after,
All of the sadness and the tears.
We'll meet again, my old friend.
Goodbye, goodbye
Goodbye, goodbye
My old friend, my old friend
Goodbye, goodbye."
My Old FriendBy: Tim McGraw
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Red and Oliver found Roy, but not after he’d done a number on Lex Luthor, gotten a tricked out prosthetic arm, and changed his call name to Arsenal. They brought him to the Cave where Kat immediately lit into him, arms crossed tightly over her chest, looking every bit the mother she was. “How dare you pull a stunt like that!” She yelled.
All eyes were on her in shock. She was usually so even tempered. “W-what?” Roy stuttered, staring at her in fear. She certainly didn’t seem like the sweet girl he had met in that alley.
“Do you even realize what you put us all through? We were all worried about you! There’s been too much effort put into finding you for you to pull crap like this on us. We are on your side, Roy William Harper Jr., and don’t think for a second that you aren’t grounded.” Kat fumed.
“You are not my mother.” Roy growled, not happy at all with her use of his full name.
Kat grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, “No, I’m not your mother. She’s a druggie who probably died years ago. And while we’re on that subject, did you even realize what today was? We buried Artemis today. Now I know that name doesn’t mean much to you, but she meant a lot to Red and Oliver, and they couldn’t be there to say goodbye to her because they were too busy chasing you!”
He tried to pull out of her grip, but Kat surprised them all again by disarming him...literally. He wasn’t sure how she’d been able to ascertain the sequence of all the latching mechanisms, but when she stepped back, his new prosthetic was hanging from her fingers. “Hey! Give that back!” He yelled in protest.
“Not a chance.” Kat snapped, holding it out of the reach of his hand. Since she had a few good inches of height on him, it wasn’t too hard, “Roy, I tried to be nice to you. I really did, but now I see that, like Red, you’re going to go on one of those annoying pity parties. Get over it, Roy. You’re alive now, and you have a really good chance at making a life for yourself.” She took a step back, saying sternly, “This arm is mine unless you’re leaving the Cave or training. Got it?”
Red, standing next to Dick grinned like a fool, “She is so hot like this.” Needless to say, Dick had no response, and Red was grateful. If the team leader had agreed, his wife wouldn’t be the only one resorting to violence.
Roy stared at her in shock for several moments before shrugging, “Yeah, whatever. Can someone show me a room? I’m tired.” Garfield led him away, chortling about Kat’s reaming of him.
Once they were out of sight, Kat turned to Oliver and Red, looking weary and uncertain, “Was I too hard on him?”
Red laughed, stalking towards her. He cupped her face in his hands, shaking his head, “No, you were perfect.”
He leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged away, “Sorry, but I really want to get rid of this thing. Too weird for me!” She said, holding up Roy’s arm like it was a snake. Impulse ran to his room in a flash and held a duffle bag out to her. Kat smiled appreciatively, “Thank you, Bart.”
He grinned widely, showing more teeth than a normal person would have, “Any time, Mama Kat, just as long as you never ever yell at me like that.”
Kat turned in a panic to Red, “I was too harsh. Shit, I should go apologize.”
Red shook his head, “Nah, let him chew on that for a little while.”
Damian chuckled, “Man, I am so glad that wasn’t me.”
Kat glared at her brother, “I haven’t even started on you trying to use your little improvised taser on Conner in the truck, so I suggest you go to your room and keep yourself out of trouble.”
The satisfaction fled from Damian’s face and he practically sprinted to his room. “It didn’t hurt.” Conner said quietly.
Kat rolled her eyes, “That doesn’t matter, Conner, had he used it on anyone else, he could have killed them!” She turned to Dick, “You, we need to talk. Damian, come watch Lian.” She yelled so he could hear her, and grabbed Red’s hand, striding toward the Mission Room. “Mal, Karen, M’gann, Conner, you come too!”
Once the group reformed, Kat plugged away on the keys of the computer, “Kat, baby, what are you doing?” Red asked, sidling up behind her.
“I’ve got an idea.” She said, slapping his hand away when he tried to put it around her waist.
“Care to share with the class, Katherine?” Dick growled.
Kat shot him a glare, “There’s a benefit in Gotham tomorrow night. I’m going.”
“What?” Dick barked in shock.
“Katherine Harper, Bruce Wayne’s long-lost daughter will attend in his stead.” Kat said, pulling up the information for the event.
“Absolutely not.” Dick said sharply.
Kat turned on him, “Dick you don’t get to tell me what I can and cannot do. We need information on the Light and their Partner, particularly their location, and I’m very good at getting information.”
Red stared at his wife, “That’s what worries me.”
Kat glanced over at him, “What?”
“We don’t know what this Partner is or what it looks like. You could be captured.” Red explained, knowing that she was capable of protecting herself, but not willing to see her out in the field on her own.
She shrugged, “I doubt it. By the time I’m done with most of my targets, they’re too far gone to realize I’ve just conned them out of information. Trust me, they won’t even remember my face.”
“How?” Dick asked.
Kat slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out a tube of lipstick, “Aunt Pamela sent this to me last week. She heard we’d gotten back together.” She answered, playfully to Red.
He cursed, “Shit, Kat, does everyone you know hate me?”
“Pretty much.” Damian answered, dropping from one of the air vents. “You were the topic of many late night talks with Aunt Pamela and Aunt Quinn. Of course Kat only called them when she was particularly angry. She’d cry to Uncle Clark every other time.”
Kat glared at him, “Didn’t I ask you to watch Lian?
He shrugged, enjoying the guilty look on his brother-in-law’s face, “Gar’s got her.”
Red and Kat shared a nervous glance, but Dick wasn’t swayed, snatching the lipstick from her, “What is this?”
“It’s a neurotoxin.” Kat said blithely, pleased to see Dick jerk his hand back from the now exposed chemical stick. “Don’t worry, it’s not concentrated enough to kill. Aunt Pamela would never send me something like that. It just...loosens the tongue and affects short term memory. I’ve used it plenty of times before. I’m very familiar with how much time I have. The most anyone remembers is meeting a vague pretty girl with a sweet voice.”
“You’re a Cadmus subject, Kat. You can’t very well expect people not to recognize you.” Dick rationalized.
“No one who’s had access to Kat’s file is going to be there.” Damian offered, earning a smile from his sister.
“How do you know that?” Dick rebutted, but Red was already coming to terms with the fact that she had all her bases covered thoroughly. She’d obviously been planning for quite some time.
“I have an eidetic memory.” Damian explained, perching himself on top of a stool, “I hacked into our Cadmus files when Kat and I escaped from that facility. They didn’t notice, so I’ve been monitoring them this whole time. No one with the security clearance level needed to access the files has even so much as sneezed in the direction of this party. They won’t know her any other way then as the girl on the front page with Bruce Wayne.” He added as an after thought, “Besides, some of us can be chilling in M’gann’s ship right outside.”
“I don’t like it.” Dick growled.
Red turned on him, “They’re very competent, Dick, and they’ve obviously put effort into this plan of theirs. It seems perfectly reasonable.” He stepped closer, straightening up so he was ever so slightly looking down at Nightwing, “What’s got you so against it?” He hadn’t forgotten the fact that Dick had kissed his wife, and while at first, he’d been able to shrug it off as the actions of a drunk man, Dick’s whole demeanor through Katherine’s proposal seemed anything but.
Dick’s eyes widened, realizing that the repercussions he’d thought he’d avoided had merely been biding time. “Uh...I just don’t think it’s a safe plan. I’d like to call the League in on this one.”
Kat took Red’s hand before he had the chance to fight any more of her battle, “That’ll be fine, Dick. Thank you.” Red narrowed his eyes at the dark haired beauty, but didn’t try anything else, and was very satisfied when she let him wind his arm around her waist. She did ask the others what they thought, but Dick proved to be the only one truly against her outing. While Red and Conner were wary of her going alone, the thought of being nearby in the Bio-Ship was enough to quell their protests.
“I could go.” M’gann had offered halfheartedly.
Kat had smiled her gentle, maternal smile, and taken M’gann’s hands comfortingly in her own, “You need to rest, M’gann. I can handle a recon mission on my own, and you can be ready for whatever comes our way. I know you’re missing La'gaan, and I’ll do my very best to find out where he is so we can bring him home, promise.”
M’gann hadn’t been able to say anything else, and had just thrown her arms around Kat and proceeded to bawl. An hour later, and Kat was finally able to curl up in her bed with Red and Lian. “You’re going to be the death of me.” Red whispered into her hair, admiring at how lovely she was, laying there cuddling their daughter.
Kat smiled, carding her fingers through Lian’s dark red hair, “I could say the same about you.” They sat in peaceful silence for a few minutes before Kat spoke again, “I know everyone is less than ecstatic about me doing this, but I think you all forget that that’s what I’ve trained my whole life to do. My mother raised me to be a thief. It’s the fighting that’s new.”
“You shouldn’t need to fight.” Red said assuredly, knowing that there was no chance he would let her get that close to danger.
“You’re right, I shouldn’t need to because I’ve got other ways of getting what I want.” Kat said with a smirk, “Goodnight. I love you.” Red murmured his agreement with no idea of what was in store for him the next afternoon.
The next morning went as usual for once, everyone coming to get breakfast and then splitting up to train or hang out. They all got tense, however, when Black Canary called to say she and Captain Atom would be coming to talk with Kat. Kat on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, slipping into her room an hour before they were set to arrive. The League pair waited for a few minutes in the Mission Room for Kat to show up, accompanied by Red and Dick.
When she strode into the room, Red threw up his hands, “Sorry, guys, I can’t help you. Not when she’s wearing that.” Kat smirked, already in the vindictive mindset her mother had honed in her. She knew she’d have his complete cooperation the instant he saw her in the long, silky deep violet dress she’d worn the night they’d first met. It had been form fitting nearly six years ago, and on her post-baby body, it was even more devastating to his psyche. Her long dark hair tumbled down her shoulders, the leg slit showed off more of her legs than he remembered, and he wanted nothing more than to do very naughty things to her, but certainly not in present company. Dick would get too much enjoyment out of that. That thought dimmed his attraction, and he resumed glaring at Dick.
“So...uh...Dick was telling us about your little recon plan and uh...” Atom couldn’t seem to get through his sentence without stuttering so Kat shrugged on her black duster. That seemed to help, “Are you sure you’ll even be able to get any information?”
Kat shrugged, “I’d like to say I’m very certain, but I know certainty makes some people nervous, so I’ll just say...relatively sure. What’s the harm if I don’t? The Team could use a brainless mission anyway.”
Since Dick had been stunned into silence, the League members had nothing much to say, but Black Canary did pull Kat to the side, “Don’t get in over your head. If you feel threatened at all, just call the Team.”
“I will.” Kat assured the older woman.
“Okay.” Canary said, and then smiled conspiratorially, “That dress is amazing.”
Kat grinned, “I know. It’s my favorite.” She ticked her head in Red’s direction, “His too.”
Canary laughed, “Wow, you are good.”
Kat shrugged again, “Meh, he’s not the hardest man to convince. He’s in love with me so I think he’s biased, but I know this dress will be enough to get the attention I want.”
“Happy hunting!” Black Canary called as she left with Atom, leaving Kat with two very off color hotblooded young men.
“We should get a move on.” Kat urged after a few awkward minutes of silence. Both men agreed, and soon the small group of Kat, Red, Dick, M’gann, Conner, and Damian were in Gotham.
Kat blended in to the red carpet event easily, and it took several minutes for someone to recognize her. All of the yelled accusations from the reported began, and Kat smiled disarmingly at them all, “I am not Bruce Wayne’s paramour, I’m his daughter, Helena Wayne-Harper.” The questions then centered on why no one had ever heard of her before, “My parents thought I’d be better off not being exposed to all the drama that has followed my father around. I was raised in Europe by my mother.” Then came the questions about Bruce’s absence, “He caught the flu, and has been pretty much under house arrest in order to get better. He did ask me to come show his unwavering support for the Gotham Boy’s Home.” Each of her responses were calculated, presented in a slightly foreign accent, and more than enough to quell questions after a short time, allowing her to mingle into the group of celebrities and socialites.
Then men were mostly surrounding the bar, and while she wasn’t so high and mighty as to refuse to hunt out a female subject, she’d much rather find a male one. They weren’t terribly hard to pick out. None of the air headed camera ready young men would have anything to do with the Light, two older men sticking to the corner of the bar however, they were more than fair game.
Kat sidled up to the bar and ordered a martini, precariously in the space of the two men. Waiting on her drink, she slid her black coat from her body, unmasking the dress that had Red so mesmerized. It showed off pretty much everything in a way she wasn’t that uncomfortable with. Yes, she’d make heads turn and Red faint, but everything was properly covered. It was her personality that sold it, the slow, slinking catlike mannerisms her mother had so frequently modeled, coupled with the bored, adventurous ones of Bruce Wayne’s untested heir. That mood allowed her to scan the two men without so much as catching a second glance from them as they stood awkwardly with drinks in their hands that they hadn’t touched. The taller one was handsome, with long silvery-white hair that didn’t seem natural on a person his age, and of the two, he seemed slightly more relaxed. The other was just slightly more broad shouldered, with dark hair and a pronounced five-o’clock shadow, and just as handsome as his slick companion. “You two don’t look like you’re having much fun.” She said, sliding off her barstool and encroaching further on their territory. The white haired one looked interested, and the dark haired one looked wary, but that didn’t stop her from flashing a devastating smile, “I might be able to help you two enjoy yourselves.” She stepped closer, locking eyes with each of them in turn, “If you want to, of course.”
White Hair smiled, “What would a pretty young thing like you want with two old men?”
Kat would hardly have called them old, in all likelihood, they were both in their early thirties, but who was she to correct him? “Sometimes the young thing gets tired of young men out to put another notch in their belts with no real talent.”
“Aren’t you Bruce Wayne’s kid?” Asked Shadow Face in an Australian accent as White hair asked, “Aren’t you married?”
Kat laughed, “Yes, I am, but I suppose the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”
Both men appeared to understand, and she was grateful that not even a continental divide could slow the spread of the well known fact that a younger Bruce Wayne had been a relentless playboy with a different woman on his arms each night. White Hair held out a hand, “Well then, Ms. Wayne, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Billy Wintergreen. This is my associate Slade Wilson.”
When she held her hand out to take his, he brought it to his mouth and brushed a kiss to the back of her hand, a move she had already planned for. The back of her hand had been coated with the neurotoxin her aunt had so readily supplied. She’d only have to hold Billy’s attention for a few minutes longer before he’d tell her anything she wanted to know, but she had a feeling Mr. Wilson would be the harder mark. “It’s Helena, please, and the pleasure is mine. At least with two gentlemen like yourselves, I don’t have to worry about you stealing my jewels.”
Billy laughed, his eyes lingering on the diamond necklace that rested temptingly between her breasts. “Well, Helena, my associate and I are here on business, and we are certainly not gentlemen.”
She drew her eyes slowly to Mr. Wilson, “I find that hard to believe. Your friend here seems worried about my innocence. I think he’d like something else to drink.” She put herself directly in front of Wilson, peering at him with heavy eyelashes, “Please don’t worry, Mr. Wilson, I’m far from an innocent little girl. Relax, this is a party, not an execution.”
Billy laughed, the toxin clearly working, “It might be.”
“Why’s that?” She asked innocently, noting the alarm on Wilson’s face.
He smiled broadly, and his face appeared unaccustomed to the expression. “I’m here to see if I’m getting a job. It’s long term, but should be very rewarding.”
“Billy!” Snapped Mr. Wilson, and Kat was out of patience for him.
“Mr. Wilson!” She scolded teasingly, as she looped her arms around his tense neck. He seemed to tremble as she brought her lips to his ear to whisper, “It’s rude to interrupt.” Before crushing her lips to his in a kiss that guaranteed his compliance for the evening.
"I'm hell on heels, say what you willI've done made the devil a dealHe made me prettyHe made me smartAnd I'm gonna break me a million heartsI'm hell on heels baby I'm comin' for you
I'm hell on heels, say what you willI've done made the devil a dealHe made me prettyHe made me smartI'm gonna break me a million heartsI'm hell on heels, Sugar Daddy I'm comin' for you!"
Hell on Heels
By: The Pistol Annies
So... what you think? We've got some stick in the mud Dick, and sexy Kat, or should we say Helena. Next chapter will be her interrogation of our Deathstroke and his haphazard companion (Yes, like the tv show Arrow, I've kinda switched them), followed by butt kicking and some explosions. No big deal, right?Thanks for all of the comments and kudos! They make me smile, and I'm always open to questions, comments and suggestion! :)-Jenn
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Stepping away from a bamboozled Wilson, Katherine sent a smarmy look Billy’s way, “Now where were we?”
Billy looked hazy, and she noticed that his right eye seemed strange, like it had been scratched. “I was...talking about the rewards of my job.” He half mumbled.
“Ah, yes! Please, tell me more!” Kat urged, drawing her gaze from his damaged eye.
He looked outright drunk, “Money, lots of it, and honor. I get to be a part of something”
Kat took one of his hands, rubbing it encouragingly, “A part of what?”
“The Light.” He answered, and Kat couldn’t help but shiver. Sometimes, she didn’t like being able to read people so well. Why couldn’t he have just been an accountant?
“What will you do for them?” She forced herself to ask.
Billy leaned into her, “I’ll be their enforcer.”
Kat made a startled sound when Wilson put his arms around her waist, “That means he’s going to be their bully, Lovely.”
Kat reached back and pat Wilson’s face encouragingly, at least he wasn’t trying to get Billy to shut up anymore. “Where will you be doing this?” She asked Billy.
He shrugged, taking a swig from the drink in his hand that had previously remained untouched, “Under the ocean at first. I’m to start out as Black Manta’s errand boy.”
Kat tried not to let her emotions flicker onto her face, “That sounds terribly dull.”
Billy grinned, “A girl like you waiting for me on land might liven things up.”
She laughed girlishly, “I couldn’t possibly wait on a man. I’m Helena Wayne!” She glanced over at the crystal clock on the wall, realizing she had only minutes to leave their company. If she dosed them anymore, she really would run the risk of killing them both, and somehow, she felt the League would be less proud of that than her Aunt Ivy would. She gently took Wilson’s hands off her waist, “Well, boys, I’ve got to go mingle. It’s been a real treat.”
They protested mildly, but she was able to slink away mostly unmolested. She continued to mingle for the next half hour, seeing if anyone else might have fit her suspect order, but none did. She made a quick stop in the restroom before leaving, bumping into Billy on the way out. “Sorry!” She cried, reaching out to help steady him.
Billy grunted, “Watch where you’re going.”
Satisfied that he had forgotten her, Kat left the party in a flurry of camera flashes. Just the fact that she was Bruce Wayne’s mysterious daughter had the paparazzi climbing over each other to snap a picture of her. Alfred was waiting with her father’s limo, which made the reveal more genuine, and he smiled fondly at her as she slid in, “Successful evening, Ms. Wayne?”
Kat smiled back at the old man, pulling off her necklace, “Yes, thank you, Alfred.”
“Back to the manor?” He asked pleasantly despite the late hour as he slid into the front seat.
Kat laughed softly, “Not tonight, 15th and Dent please!”
Alfred sighed playfully, “Back to the Team it is then.”
“Sorry, I’ve got to give a report.” She said earnestly.
They were almost to the rendezvous point before Alfred spoke again, “I don’t like seeing you go down this path, Ms. Wayne.”
“What path?” Kat asked.
Alfred tried to keep his voice steady, but the words that he’d been bottling up since she and her brother had come into the light bubbled up, “The hero one. You’ve got a child, Ms. Wayne, and a brother who depends on you. I can’t bear to see another Wayne hurt on my watch. I’ve lost too many of you already and now Master Bruce is off on some other planet getting charged for things most heinous. I can’t be the one in charge of Wayne Manor because there are no Waynes left.”
Kat was silent for a few minutes, trying to piece her rapid thoughts together, “Alfred, this life has already been chosen for me, Damian too. I can’t promise we’ll be alright, but I will fight until my last breath to protect those I care about. That being said, I want you to take Lian. Not today, not tomorrow, but soon. I don’t want her to get hurt because of the life her father and I live.”
Alfred nodded, knowing that she couldn’t see the tear rolling slowly down his cheek, “Very well, Ms. Wayne.”
Red was in a cocky mood when they met up, and she handed Dick the recorder she’d been hiding between her breasts, along with the necklace he’d given her to alter her appearance. The spell hadn’t changed much, but it was enough to keep people from connecting Helena Wayne in Gotham with Kat Harper from Star City.
She grabbed Red’s hand, “I want to go out.”
“Out? You don’t want to go back home to Lian?” Red asked, surprised.
Kat shook her head, “I can’t be around her right now, not like this.”
When they were out of hearing range, Red asked, “Like what, Kat?”
She was setting a furious pace, proving once again that she had been raised on how to make a speedy exit in five-inch heels. “Like a villain.”
“What?” Red said in confusion, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to a stop. She wouldn’t look at him, “Kat, baby, what are you talking about?”
Her blue eyes were completely empty when she finally looked up at him, “That’s what I am, Red. I’ve been a fool to think otherwise these last few years. Tonight, I thought I could handle it, but I can’t. I can’t be that girl anymore. I shouldn’t have tried.”
“You did amazing tonight.” He tried to assure her.
Kat pressed a hand to the center of her stomach to keep from vomiting, “That’s the problem, Red! It was too damn easy! Those two men were hardly a challenge. What’s worse is...” She trailed off, pulling her hair off of the back of her neck.
Red wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest, and taking control of her curled hair. “Kat, you can tell me.”
She didn’t answer for several minutes, and he was about to suggest moving off of the street before she pulled back slightly, looking him in the eyes, “Red, I loved it. I wanted it to be harder. I wanted to keep going. My mother, when she uses that toxin, she has them tell her everything. Every last inconsequential detail of their lives, and then she picks something, something they’re ashamed of, a secret buried so deep that they’ve never spoken a word of it to anyone. She takes that, and extorts them for all they’re worth before disappearing again. I wanted that. I wanted that power. I’m just like her.”
Red winced, kissing her head, “Baby, you aren’t just like her.”
“Yes, I am, Red. I can pretend I’m good all day, but in the end, even a taste of that power is enough to send me into a tailspin.” Katherine tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Kat, I was like that too, when I first found out I was a clone. You aren’t sure what you’re looking for, and you just reach for the thing that’s most accessible. I’m here for you.” Red told her, but she was done listening to him.
“Red, I need some time.” She said softly, stepping out of his arms.
He grabbed at her again, “Kat, no. Don’t do this. I did the same thing, and it nearly destroyed you. Don’t do this to me, Lian, and Damian.”
Kat evaded him, pulling her jacket around her body tighter, “Red, relax. I just need some time alone. I’ll be home before lunch tomorrow.” She surged forward, kissing him on the cheek, “Promise, you’ll hardly known I’m gone. Go have some quality time with Lian, and just make sure not to burn breakfast in the morning, Damian is testy about burnt bacon.”
Red took a deep breath, “Okay, just, please Kat, be careful. If you aren’t back by noon tomorrow, I’m hunting you down.”
She gave him a small smile, “You got it. I’ll be back. Red, I love you.”
He smiled back at her, “I love you too, Kat.” He held his breath as Katherine disappeared into the shadows.
Kat made her way to a club she’d heard her mother mention a time or two. It was one of Gotham’s more elite clubs, but many things that went on were illegal, as such, paparazzi tended to avoid it. She threw herself into the music, and just let it wash over her, not caring who she was grinding against. She headed to the bar out of breath, but feeling a little less tightly wound.
“Can I buy the lady a drink?” A man asked her.
She looked up at him, but gave him a sad smile, “Sorry, I’ve got a husband at home.”
The blonde headed man laughed, “Sweetheart, he’s not here, like you said, he’s at home. Live a little.”
Kat stilled, a small smile on her face, “You’re right, he is at home, and I need to be there with him.”
The man sobered, his smile changing from flirty to fondness, “Good decision, Sweetheart. Maggie sent me.”
“What?”
He pulled back the edge of his coat, revealing the hilt of a knife, “Maggie made it for me. The only payment she wanted was for me to track you down and tell you she’s done with your order.”
“Oh...” Kat replied dully.
He nodded, “Be careful, Sweetheart. Maggie’s last favor is always harder than the first.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kat said, slinking into the shadows, out of the club, and to the nearest Zeta Tube. She was in Star City in less than ten minutes, shedding her dress and coat in favor of the black undergarments she’d chosen for the occasion. They looked enough like a jogging outfit to pass on the street, and with her hair pulled up away from her face, she looked like any other young woman enjoying the warm Star City sunset.
It took her a little while to remember how to get to Maggie’s shop, but she already felt better after her run, more in control. Maggie was waiting by the door, “Hello, Katherine.”
“Your messenger found me.”
The old woman smiled, “He’s a particularly good finder that one. How have you been since last we saw each other?”
Kat sighed, “I buried an old friend and am having identity issues, but all in all, I think I’ll be okay.”
Maggie smiled sadly, “I heard, I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Kat shifted from one foot to the other, jittery from her run and the abrupt time change, “Me too. That guy said you were done with my order.”
She laughed, holding out a stack of leather with leather boots perched on top. “Yes, I am. If you need help with anything when you leave, give me a call. I’ll be making my nighttime tea in the kitchen. Goodnight.”
Kat looked towards the dressing curtain, “You want me to leave without trying it on?”
Maggie scoffed, looking back at her, “I’m the best at what I do, sweetheart. Trust me, everything will suit you perfectly.” Her eyes softened, “Besides, costumes, like prom dresses, aren’t meant to be tried on to show the seamstress, but to show the mother how much the right outfit can change a girl.”
“You want me to show my mother?” Kat said numbly.
Maggie nodded, “Yes, Katherine.”
“We haven’t spoken in nearly two months.”
Another nod from the old woman, “I know. Remember, my messenger said my second task was harder than the first.”
“I didn’t think he meant like this!” Kat protested.
Maggie scowled, “Just do it, Katherine. Mothers and daughters should never go so long without speaking. The bonds between a mother and her child are one of the strongest in the universe, but they unravel in a much shorter time then they are created. Could you imagine going so long without contact from your daughter?”
“No.” Kat answered honestly. Even the thought of being separated from Lian made her chest contract painfully.
The smile returned to Maggie’s face, “There you have it then. Your mother is difficult, and you are just as bad. She might give you a hard time, but you and your brother are two of the most important things in her world, she’ll be grateful to see you. Not to mention, she’ll be delighted to see her daughter all grown up and in her own costume.”
“She’d be happier if I was in a costume to steal something.” Kat said wryly.
Maggie laughed, “Sweetheart, have you looked at your parents? You come from two of the darkest costumed individuals in the world. I wouldn’t dare put you in bright colors. It wouldn’t suit you. You hide in your delicate lilac in the light, but you’re of the dark, Katherine. Your father is a hero, but just like your mother, he rose from the darkness.” Maggie trailed a hand across one of her knives. “Your daughter was forged in fire, and like the darkness did for you, that will only make her stronger.”
“I don’t want her to be like us.” Kat whispered.
Maggie sighed, “She will be to a point. It’s in her blood. Your daughter is different though. You need to listen to me. She’s not from the darkness, she’s from the fire. Very different things, but equally as powerful.” She smiled again, “You’ve been blessed with her, Katherine, just as your mother was blessed with you.”
“Who are you?” Katherine asked, exasperated.
Maggie grinned slyly, “I’m far older than I look, Helena Katherine Wayne-Kyle Harper. I wish my daughter would come visit me, but she’s passed on ahead of me. Go, visit your mother, and show her the woman you’ve grown up to be.”
Kat nodded, heading out, the leather outfit clutched to her chest. She went to her mother’s closest apartment. She knew without opening the door that her mother wasn’t there. They’d come up with a sort of system after so many years. If Selina was home, the mat outside the door would have cats on it, if she wasn’t, the mat would have sunflowers. Kat went to three more addresses before she finally found the cat doormat.
It took her another ten minutes just to knock on the door. For some unknown reason, her heart was pounding in her chest, and unfamiliar nerves had her pacing up and down the all white hallway, bouncing on the balls of her feet before she finally stilled in front of the door.
“Mom? Are you in there? It’s Kat.” Silence answered. “Mom?” Again, nothing. A chill went down her spine. Not even feline sounds were coming from inside the apartment. At least at the others, she’d been able to tell that a handful of cats had taken shelter through the window Selena always left open for them. Not a sound escaped from 3130 North Mesa Drive Apartment 204, but an awful smell did. With her heightened senses, she knew what it was, but that didn’t stop her from praying that she was wrong, from needing to see inside.
Her hands shaking, Kat ran back down the stairs to the Supers room, “Excuse me! Anyone in?”
An aged man opened the door, “Can I help you?”
Kat took a deep breath to calm herself, “Yes, my mother lives in 204, and I can’t get her to answer the door. Would you mind letting me in?”
He looked her over, “204?” She nodded, and he sighed, “Well, you certainly look like Ms. Keaton. I haven't seen her in a few days, but she's not exactly one of my most regular lessees.""Yeah, she travels a lot."
The man nodded, "I’ll have to supervise you if she’s not in, but let’s go take a look.”
Kat knew the instant the door opened that something was terribly wrong. Four feet from the door was the partially decomposed corpse of a cat, laying in a sea of disinfectant that covered the floor. Someone had dumped out her mother’s array of cleaning supplies in an effort to hide the scent of decomposition, as well as scattering kitty litter just inside all the windows and doors.
The man uttered a curse and crossed himself. In a daze, Kat approached the little body, oddly relieved to find that she didn’t recognize it. She moved slowly through the apartment, careful not to slip in what she was sure was a toxic mix of chemicals. The cats were everywhere though, all with differing fatal injuries, and regardless of that, the apartment was in shambles, vases shattered on the bloody tiles, lamps knocked over, nothing like the meticulous abodes her mother usually kept. The apartment also showed no signs that her mother had tried to clean anything up.
Vaguely, she could hear the man on his cell phone with 911, reporting a break in and animal abuse, but all she was focused on was finding her mother. Nearly a dozen cats were strewn across the apartment, but that wasn’t what made Kat lose the little food in her stomach.
Opening the door to her mother’s bedroom, Kat felt her knees go weak. “Mom?” A small voice said, a little girl’s voice coming from her woman’s body as she stood frozen in the doorway. The room was covered in blood splatters, the stench the distinct iron tang of human blood. Kat sat huddled against the doorway, staring at the macabre room, hardly moving when a skeletal Isis curled up in her lap, mewling for her mistress as Kat cried hysterically for her mother.
"All around me are familiar facesWorn out places, worn out facesBright and early for their daily racesGoing nowhere, going nowhereTheir tears are filling up their glassesNo expression, no expressionHide my head I want to drown my sorrowNo tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kinda funnyI find it kinda sadThe dreams in which I'm dyingAre the best I've ever hadI find it hard to tell youI find it hard to takeWhen people run in circlesIt's a very, very mad world mad world."
Mad World
By: Gary Jules
Whew! Everyone survive? I feel like this chapter was a roller coaster! Next chapter won't be in the current time, but mostly in Bart Allen's apocalyptic future! Chapter after next will pick up where this one left off.
-Jenn
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
March 23, 2016- 21:05 EDT
Yeah, Bart knew that Nightwing was yelling at him, but he didn’t really care. He counted today as a win. He and Jaime had gotten into a scuffle on their own and escaped. Bart looked up as the doors to the room slid open and Damian Wayne entered, Lian Harper in his arms. He tried not to stare at her, but it was really hard.
It had been easier when he’d first arrived. The helpless newborn had really looked so little like the Lian he knew that it was easy to forget, but now, as she was gaining independence everyday, he almost lost it every time she looked at him with those huge blue eyes he missed so desperately.
Of course, Nightwing was right. No sooner had he put painful thoughts to rest, Aqualad and his goons had infiltrated Mount Justice. Bart did all he could, evading Icicle Jr., but the Terror Twins got him. Right before Tommy knocked him out, he saw the bright red soles of Damian’s favorite shoes disappearing into one of the air vents. Satisfied that Lian and Damian were safe, Bart slipped into unconsciousness.
When he came to, he was strapped into the cockpit of Aqualad’s ship. He had a clear view of the mountain through the window, as well as of Tigress. He saw her take a deep breath before she depressed a button in her hand. He started screaming as the whole mountain exploded.
Aqualad looked away from the fiery image and to Bart, who had crumpled in his restraints, tears running down his face as he spoke rapidly, repeating a name over and over again: ‘Lian’. “Put him in a containment pod.” He said as unemotionally as he could. In all his planning, he’d forgotten about the new civilian residents of Mount Justice.
Lian, that was the name of Red Arrow’s daughter. She was just a few months old. Dick had mentioned her. How could he have forgotten? Easy, he spent too much time in character these days. Artemis looked pale, “Kaldur...”
He hushed her, whispering, “I’m certain Nightwing would have gotten them clear.”
She set her jaw, “If we just killed that baby, I won’t have a life to go back to. Kat was my best friend when we were kids. She’d never forgive me!”
“Tigress!” Kaldur growled, pulling her to the side. “We must wait for Nightwing’s signal before we panic. We have more immediate persons to be concerned about.” He said, gesturing to the captive Team members. Tigress pulled herself together and did her part when they docked at the Manta-Sub, watching her former team mates get sent off to the mysterious Partner. “While we’re waiting, why don’t you go over some of the security tapes for my father’s ship. He had visitors earlier.”
“You got it, boss-man.” She said grudgingly, going into the computer system and pulling up the day’s recordings of the main room, fast forwarding until she saw Red Claw enter, speaking with Kaldur’s father.
Artemis looked at the dark haired woman at Red Claw’s feet, and realized in horror that she knew that face. Long stringy brown hair fell down to the ground where the woman was knelt, looking far thinner than Artemis had ever seen. She was almost naked, dressed only in a filthy underwear set.
“Something troubles you, Tigress?” Kaldur asked softly from beside her.
“I know her.” Artemis said, her voice wavering.
Kaldur stood to look over her shoulder at the tape, “I do not recognize her.”
Artemis flinched as Red Claw kicked the skeletal woman halfway across the room, her thin limbs seemingly unable to stop the movement of her body as she hit the far wall. “Kaldur, that’s Selina Kyle.” She stared at the screen, frozen in horror as Red Claw approached the cowering woman with a harsh looking whip held high above her head. Artemis turned her face away and was grateful that the sound wasn’t transmitting. “Oh, God, Kaldur. That’s Kat’s mom.”
Kaldur killed the video feed, sickened. “Who is this ‘cat’?”
“Katherine, she was pretty much my childhood best friend. Her mother is...was Catwoman.” Artemis explained, trying to shake the image of Selina’s dead eyes.
Kaldur sighed raggedly, “Let me see what insight my father can give me on her.”
“We have to help her, Kaldur.” Artemis said firmly.
He nodded, “I know, but our mission comes first. We will do all we can.”
Artemis allowed her eyes to trail back to the screen, watching Red Claw drag Selina by her hair to the exit, and whispered, “I hope it’s enough.” She slammed her head into the console, “This day might go down as the worst in my life.”---------------------The Scientist was intrigued by the new sample that had been brought to her. He’d stuck out because in his containment pod, he had stirred before he should have, prompting one of her grunts to pump him full of the sedatives, dangerously close to killing him with the dose.---------------------Looking at the metal covered room outside of his pod, Bart Allen, Time-Traveller extraordinaire, could see aliens he recognized all too quickly. One of them noticed he was awake and seemed panicked, pressing a button, causing gas to fill Bart’s chamber. He held his breath as long as he could, and felt drowsy as soon as he took in a ragged breath.
Bart felt her hands on him the instant his eyes closed, “Bart, there’s no time for a nap. We have a world to save, remember?”
He blinked his eyes open, blinded by bright light. Wasn’t he in his time machine hurtling to the year 2016? Wasn’t she dead? “Lian?” She smiled down at him, dressed in a white sundress, her auburn hair pinned out of her eyes with what looked to be tiny delicate silver twigs. She was beautiful. He’d seen her before since his return to the past, but she had never felt so real. He’d see her standing on the street, still bloody and broken, and every once in a while, when Kat held him to her, he could swear he smelt Lian instead. Never in all of those glimpses and terrible moments of deja-vu, had he ever felt her touch him, and he had never ever heard her voice.
Lian ran a hand gently through his brown hair, “Yeah, you idiot. It’s me.” He pinched his eyes closed, but the warmth of her hands didn’t fade away. He felt her lips brush a kiss onto his forehead, “If you’ve lost my gloves, I’m going to kill you.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her words, opening his eyes to look into Lian’s crystal blue eyes, “Li, I think I’m already dead.”
Lian shook her head, a small frown on her face, “You’re not, Bart. Trust me. I would know.”
“I’m sorry.” He said, sitting up and turning to face her, startled to find they were on a beach.
Lian shrugged, following his gaze across the scenery, “I always promised to take you to a beach. Now’s as good a time as any.” He kept staring at her, his chest aching. She glared at him, “Stop that, idiot. I’m not bitter, and you shouldn’t be either.” He couldn’t breath when she pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss, pulling away with her usual smug grin on her face, “I regret nothing, Bart. You have to realize that.”
What was there to regret, really? They’d only known each other for a few months, and they had been the most wonderful months of his life. He’d never regret her, and he would never regret loving her. She was the only person he’d ever loved.
“I miss you so much.” Bart admitted, holding her right hand, rubbing a finger along the rough circular scar in the center of her palm. He missed everything about her, her wicked sense of humor, her breathtaking eyes, her ferocity, her brilliance, but most of all, he missed touching her, missed holding her hands in his, missed falling asleep with his hand wrapped in her long auburn hair, feeling safer with her than he’d felt in his whole life.
“I miss you too.” She said softly, catching his eyes again, “Bart, you aren’t done. You know that, don’t you?”
“I don’t understand. I’ve been watching Jaime Reyes.” Bart said, confused.
“Things changed, Bart, but not enough. You cured Nate, but Blue Beetle still takes over.” Lian explained, standing up.
Bart stood with her. He had to look up slightly to look her in the eyes, but that was expected. She was older than him by two years after all. “He’s my friend, Li.”
She scoffed, rolling her eyes, “You make the most terrible choices in friends, Bart. I had hoped that after me, you’d have learned your lesson.”
“I’m an idiot, remember?” He said, winding his arms around her waist and linking his fingers together at the small of her back.
Lian laughed, “I remember.” She looked sad as she traced the side of his face with a hand, “I have to go soon.”
“Why?” He said, pulling her closer to him.
Lian looked around, “This isn’t for us, Bart. You know that.”
He forced a laugh, “Why’ve you always got to be a kill joy?”
Lian kissed him again, more forcefully than before, “I’m being serious, Bart. The time line needs to change, and when it does, I won’t be the same.”
“What do you mean?”
She gave him a small, mournful smile, “Bart, when you fix the timeline, I won’t be sent with Etrigan to the Hell Realm. I’ll grow up with my parents.”
“You’ll be twenty-sixteen’s Lian Harper. I’m stuck in this timeline. I’ll be twelve years older than you.” Bart said, frowning at the realization.
Lian squeezed his hands reassuringly, “I’m twenty-six years older than you right now.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, “Only by a calendar, Lian. Two years, that’s how much older you are than I am.”
She sighed in amusement, stepping away from him, “Always so technical, Bart. You amaze me.” She tugged absently on the end of her ponytail, one of her nervous habits.
He realized then that her clothes had changed. “No.” He half reached towards her, wishing desperately for the glinting twigs and white dress to come back, “Lian, no.”
Lian looked helpless, “I have to go, Bart. Just remember. The timeline has to change, but just because it does, that doesn’t mean I’ll be any different.”
“Li, you were raised by a demon and his magician human bond.” Bart bemoaned.
She rolled her eyes again, “Keep in mind that my grandfather is Batman. I think I’ll be just as world weathered. Granted, hellfire is a little brighter a background than the waterfall of a cave, but I promise I won’t be anyone’s princess.”
Bart scowled at her, “Lian, you’re telling me that I should love someone who’s not you.”
“No, I’m not. We’re the same person, Bart.” She looked like she was going to punch him, and it wouldn’t be the first time.
“Who’s to say that Lian will even like me?” Bart hissed out.
Lian pulled her black fingerless gloves on, the same one’s he had worn into the past. “I love you, Bart.” Out of the pocket of her black cargo pants Lian pulled a worn notebook, waving it at him. He recognized it, knew that every page was covered in Kat Harper’s tear stained writing as she wrote down a whole lifetime of advice for her daughter to take with her in her absence. He’d read some of it, enough to know that sending her daughter away might as well have killed Katherine two months before her actual death.
Lian slipped the book back into her pocket, “My mother knew too. She knew my father was the one for her, just like I know that no matter how I grew up, you’re the one for me. So yeah, save the world, go on with your life with the family you were robbed of, but in seventeen years or so, give me a chance. You’re annoying and off-kilter, but you are the singularly most hopeful human being I’ve ever met. You made me a better person.” She adjusted her weathered black combat boot. “Do it again, Bart, make me a better person again.”
He reached out to her, but she was just an image, “Lian, what do I do?”
“To make me a better person? Be yourself. I’m sure I’ll follow along. I did last time.” She checked the belt around her waist, speaking again without looking at him, “I don’t want you to forget this version of me though.” Tears welled up in Lian’s eyes and she blinked them away furiously, “If you can, I’d like for you to tell my parents what I did. I want them to be proud of me.”
Bart nodded in agreement, holding in his own tears, “They will be, Li, and yeah, once this is all over, I’m gonna have a long sit down with Huntress, Red Arrow, and Baby-Lian. They’ll know.”
Lian gave him one last genuine smile before she looked to the horizon, “I think I’m going on a walk. I don’t need you to see me like this twice.” She pressed a hand to her stomach, but he could see the blood spreading under her fingers. Lian hardly seemed effected by it, “You need to go now, Bart. The Reach gave you too much sedative to compensate for your metabolism. If you don’t leave this level of consciousness, you might never wake up, and then everything we’ve done will be for nothing.”
Bart nodded, that was the Lian he was most familiar with. Above all, the mission. He gave her a weak smile, “Maybe one day we’ll go to the beach for real.”
Lian nodded superiorly, “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I love you, Lian.” Bart called after her as she shuffled down the beach, leaving a macabre trail of blood drops behind her.
She looked back over her shoulder, her smug grin fully in place, “I know.”
He woke to another Reach alien’s face before being promptly put out again, only that time, dissolving into real dreams, memories of Lian.
November 18, 2055
Of course he’d heard the news. Who hadn’t? The last visage of the Justice League had appeared through a portal in the middle of the ruins of Gotham. In the year since, the remaining human population, all living in hiding, had named her their last hope. After vanishing exactly thirty-five years earlier, Lian Harper had walked out of a portal flanked by Jason Blood and Etrigan the Demon. She’d been about four years old when she went into the demon realm with the men, but coming out, she was about fifteen. Bart hadn’t seen her himself, but he’d certainly heard a lot about her. Apparently, she was beautiful, and very very smart.
Already, she was making strides to improving the quality of life for many of the remaining free humans, but in doing so, she’d already made herself a huge target. Stupid. You only made yourself a target if you wanted to die.
Neutron kicked at his shoe, “Hey, Bart. Get out of your head. You making another run?”
Bart nodded, “Yeah, I need to find something to power this hunk of metal. All the science in the world won’t help if we can’t find a battery.”
“We’ll find something.” The man assured gently, rubbing the skin under his collar, “If we could get this thing off me...”
“You’d accidentally kill everyone around you, Nate. For the last time, no, not until we figure out how to cure you.” Bart said, tightening one last bolt.
Nathaniel sighed, “Yeah, yeah, Bart. I hear you. Minor detail. Besides, I think I’ve almost got a cure ready. I’ll give it a try in a few days.”
Bart glared up at him, “I swear, you blow up and I will kill you myself, Reach be damned.”
The grown man sighed again, “You’re getting cranky, go run.”
Bart stood, brushing his hands on his pants, “Okay, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He shoved what was left of the candy bar he’d found the day before into his mouth. Sure, the thing had an expiration date of twenty years ago, but it hadn’t grown mold or anything, so it was a pretty great find.
He was used to running on limited energy so the sugar rush made him feel like he was high. Everything was going great until he tripped. Next thing he knew, he was pinned to the ground under the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. Red hair framed her face, and, as he was studying her pale blue eyes, he became aware of how angry she looked, “Who are you?”
“What?”
She curled her lip up at him, pushing his head to the side and checking the back of his neck for a Scarab. When she pushed his head back even with his body his head bounced against the concrete. She didn’t seem to care that his head was throbbing, and pulled out a vicious looking hunting knife to hold at his throat. “Are you an idiot? Who are you?”
He may have been only thirteen, but he was definitely aware of how warm she was, straddling his waist. “My name’s Bart.”
The girl pressed the knife tighter against his throat, “How did you get in here?”
“I ran in.” Bart answered honestly, staring at her face.
“Impossible.” She scoffed.
“It’s what I did.” He shrugged, regretfully choosing to move from underneath her faster than she could blink. He stayed in the room though, smirking at her. He rarely got to stop and show off, and she was pretty. Definitely worth the time.
She stared at him in awe, “You’re a Meta-human.”
“I sure am, hot-stuff.” He said cockily, giving her a once over. She made wearing all black combat gear hot.
“I’m Lian Harper.” She said stiffly as she eyed the bag of loot in his hands. “Now, would you mind telling me what you were here to steal from me?”
"I-I-ah-I-I can't get you out of my head
God knows I've triedBut I just can't forgetThose crazy nights andAll the things that we didI-ah-I-I can't get you out of my head
Oh Oh
Maybe it was the way you talkedMaybe it was the way you laughedI don't know just what it isBut I know I want you back"
"Out of My Head"
By: Theory Of A Deadman
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Kat shivered under the blanket one of the officers had wrapped around her, “Are you alright, miss?”
Kat coldly looked up at the officer who’d spoken to her, “No, I can’t say I am.”
He gave her a pained smile, “I don’t blame you. That was a stupid question, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry, but I have to ask you a few questions. When was the last time you spoke with your mother?”
“Two months ago.” Kat said hollowly, looking down at the phone someone had handed to her, and debating who she should call first. Her brother was the obvious choice, but he and their mother had gotten along even worse than she had with her.
“Why so long?” The officer asked, pulling her thoughts away from the phone.
Kat pinched her eyes shut for a moment to keep the tears at bay, “We had a fight.”
“About?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, “Not that it’s any of your business, but we had an argument on how I’m raising my daughter.”
He raised his eyebrows, “You have a daughter?”
Kat nodded, “And a husband, who I really need to call. God, he’s probably worried sick.”
“Katherine!” Her head shot up, expecting to see Red, but her blood chilled when she saw Ollie, dressed in a business suit looking panicked and disheveled.
She was on her feet again in a second at the look on his face, “What’s wrong?”
He nervously eyed the caravan of police before putting a hand on her shoulder, “Kat, there was an explosion.” She started swaying, the phone falling from her hands, “Woah!” Ollie caught her by her elbows when she fell, the officer putting a hand on her back to help ease her back to the ground.
“Where’s Red?” Kat asked, her voice cracking.
Ollie put a paternal hand on her cheek, wiping up a tear, “Kat, Red’s fine. He wasn’t there. Lian was, but she’s just fine.” He winced, looking her straight in the eyes, “Damian’s hurt, Kat, pretty badly, he was shielding Lian. Red wanted to come get you, but he knew you’d rather him be looking after Damian.”
The officer looked between them, confused, “Who’s Damian?”
Kat’s head was spinning, “My little brother. I have to go.” She tried to surge back to her feet, but Ollie held her down.
He made a tutting noise, “Hold it, Kat. You aren’t looking so good. What’s going on here?”
“My Mom.” Kat said, her voice hardly a whisper, “Someone took her. There’s blood everywhere, and the cats...” Ollie looked down at her feet where possibly the most terrifying feline he’d ever seen was curled around her ankles. The thing had dark grey fur, looked like it hadn’t eaten in weeks, and was marred by partially healed cuts, “Isis. My Mom’s favorite. She’d die before she let someone hurt Isis like this.” Kat pulled the feline from the ground, clutching the scary looking thing to her chest.
“Speaking of the cats, why so many?” The officer asked, obviously feeling the need to get more questions in before Ollie punched his lights out.
“I suppose my mother suffers from ailuromania.” He opened his mouth to ask what she meant, and she snapped, “Look it up! I have to go see my brother.”
The policeman yelled at her as she walked away, but she heard Ollie giving them his card and asking them to set up an appointment if they wanted to talk to his daughter-in-law again. In the back of her mind, Kat was touched by the title, but she burst into a run before skidding to a stop, “Where am I going?”
Oliver was huffing behind her, tugging on the legs of his tight suit pants. “These may look nice, but they’re a bitch to run in.” He draped the blanket back over her shoulders and rubbed comfortingly at the center of her back, “Come on, they’re at the hospital in Happy Harbor.”
Kat let him lead her, and when they were nearly to the Zeta Tube, she finally asked, “How are the others? I didn’t even ask. Shit, I’m so selfish. Ollie, how are the kids?”
His face was stoney, “As far as we know, everyone is alive, but in addition to your brother’s injury, they took Bart, Jaime, and Garfield.”
Kat punched the concrete wall they were passing, “I was supposed to be protecting them! I should have been there! Instead I was out at a club trying to make myself feel better! Ah!”
Oliver let her get a few more punches in before he pulled her back, “This isn’t your fault, Kat. We’ll get them back. No one could have known.”
She didn’t say anything for the rest of their travel, but burst into a run once they were back in Happy Harbor, making a beeline for the hospital. Her speed unnerved Oliver. He was a superhero but he was human, and he couldn’t keep up with her. She probably ran as fast as a female Olympic track runner, but Oliver had never seen anything to indicate she ran more than an evening run with Red around Happy Harbor. What unnerved him the most was the fact that the half-dead cat kept up with her better than he could. Her mother was certainly not completely human, and Oliver would bet money that it had everything to do with the cat.
Katherine burst into the hospital Emergency entrance, “Where’s my brother? Where’s Damian Kyle?”
The receptionist looked dumbfounded. “Kyle? Let me look.”
“I need to see him now!” Katherine yelled, just before arms wrapped around her, pinning hers to her side. She started struggling.
She felt lips against her neck, “Kat, it’s just me.” Kat sank back against Red, and his arms went around her waist so he could assure himself with skin on skin contact that she was alright. “Lian’s with Alfred at the Manor, and Damian...”
Kat gripped his muscled arms, “Oh God, please tell me he’s okay.”
He nodded into her shoulder, “He’ll live. That kid’s too hard headed to let an explosion do him in. I’m so glad you’re alright.”
Kat stiffened in his arms, “You’re lying to me.”
“What?”
Kat’s voice wavered, “I can tell it in your voice. You’re not sure he’ll live.”
Red sighed, “He looks really bad, Kat. The doctors are still working on him, but they’re optimistic.”
“I need to see him.” She said steadfastly, pulling away from him so she could turn and face him, “Where’s my brother, Red? Where is Damian!”
Red was silent for a second, but just when he was about to tell her, a scream rang through the cold tile halls, “KAT!”
She ripped away from Red, racing in the direction of the terrible cry. She skid to a stop in front of one of the ER rooms, and threw the door open, ignoring the closed blinds. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him laying on his stomach in a sea of nurses and doctors.
He was burned, badly.
A nurse tried to move her, but she brushed the woman aside, moving towards him, “Oh, Damian.” They must have given him a sedative after his howl, but he blinked his eyes open, and put a hand slowly out in her direction. She rushed forward to take it. “I’m his sister. I’m Kat.” Kat explained when one of the doctors tried to shove her away. The man nodded, and said something about her keeping Damian calm and staying out of the way.
Katherine didn’t look at what they were doing to Damian’s back and legs, she just kept her focus on his face as she rubbed circles into the back of his hand. She couldn’t get the acrid scent of burned flesh out of her head though, nor the putridity of feline decomposition and human blood.
“Lian?” He asked, his voice wane as he licked at blue tinged lips.
Kat forced a smile onto her face, “She’s fine, Dai. Red says she’s with Alfred. Thank you.”
He smiled, and his eyes fluttered shut. The computers went crazy, high pitched beeps spurring the medical personnel into action, flipping Damian onto his back and starting CPR. Kat stood aside, stunned into shock, dimly aware that Red was at her side, holding her up.
Some deal of time passed, but just as the lead doctor looked to the wall clock to call time of death, Damian shot up with a yell, his eyes wide, chest heaving as he gasped in air.
Instinctually, Kat lunged at him, grabbing his hands and pressing them quickly to her shoulders so she could move her hands to cup his face, “You’re alright, Damian. Just breath. There you go, breath.”
He pressed his forehead to hers, using her to ground him. They’d taken the intubation tube out of his throat just before they’d gone to call time of death, so his first words were nearly unintelligible. It took him a few tries before she could finally understand him, “What happened?”
“I don’t know.” Kat said honestly. She could only guess it had something to do with one or both of his maternal DNA sources. Perhaps their mother’s abilities were supernatural after all, or perhaps his revival was related to Talia’s use of the Lazarus Pit. Kat didn’t know, and she really didn’t care.
The doctors and nurses were stunned, some shrieking, one or two fainting, but a few of them approached and began to resume treatment on his back, wary but working. He was alive, and his overall situation had improved, but his burns looked no better. Kat helped the doctors guide him back onto his stomach while Red made furious calls on his battered cell phone. Kat talked steadily to Damian as his back was being covered in all sorts of different things before portions were wrapped in white gauze.
She didn’t tell him about their mother. How could she? Kat did know that he resented their mother as much as she did, but she knew Damian, he would be consumed by the need to find Selina. She had that talent, to make even people who loathed her risk their lives for her. As far as Kat knew, only Oliver and the police even knew her mother was missing. Just before he’d shown up, she had convinced herself that she would find her mother, but now, Katherine knew she couldn’t leave. She couldn’t be like Red was on his search for Roy.
Kat spent the next two hours on Red's phone with Dick, alternating between screaming at him and strategizing.
He was insistent that her father be notified about what had occurred in the last day, but she wanted him to leave her mother and Damian out of any report he sent to the off-world Leaguers. “It will only mess with his focus. If he’s ever going to come back, he needs to be focused, Dick.”
“He needs to know!”
“No, Dick, he doesn’t!”
Red sat next to Kat, bouncing Lian on his lap, Alfred watching in bemusement. “I never thought Master Dick would find his match in stubbornness.”
“They act like siblings.” Red said wryly over Kat screeching at Dick.
Alfred smiled, “They certainly do.”
Red’e eyes flicked to the room Damian was in. “That injury will take even Damian a while to recover from.”
Alfred nodded, “I’ll take him back to the manor as soon as his doctors will let me. There’s no real rest in a hospital.”
“Has their father ever done that?” Red asked haltingly, rephrasing his question, “Has he come back from the dead I mean.”
Alfred sighed, “I’ve been with Master Bruce his whole life. While he’s gotten out of tight spots on many occasions by feigning death, he’s never truly died and come back to life.”
Red smoothed out Lian’s dark red hair nervously, his daughter scowling at him, “I always wondered.”
“About what, Master Red.” Alfred asked, disturbed by the pensive look on the younger man’s face.
“When I....well when Roy first met Kat, Red Claw’s goons shot her with something and she fell into the river. The label indicated it was a poison derived from belladonna, but Kat wasn’t dead, so I’d always thought that the vial had been mislabeled, that it really was just a tranquilizer.” He shook his head in frustration, “Now though, I wonder if they really did try to kill her to get Damian, but it didn’t work. I pulled Damian out first and then went back for her. She could have been dead right after she hit the water and I wouldn’t know. By the time I pulled her out, her heart could have restarted and her body could have already burned out the toxin.”
Alfred looked closely at little Lian, the smallest Wayne, and wondered what the future had in store for her. After all, her father was a clone, and both her mother and uncle had been genetically engineered to be impervious to death by external causes. Alfred looked back to Kat, the sound of her dispute with Dick seemingly muffled, his eyes focusing on the thin lines of paler skin that transversed her wrists. According to everything he’d heard about her suicide attempt, she’d almost succeeded.
“Master Red, perhaps Ms. Katherine was merely the prototype. After all, she barely survived trying to take her own life, and would have died had Master Kent not found her in time. Also, before Ms. Lian was born, even her makers were suddenly concerned with the fact that her heart might give out. Both were either self-inflicted or congenital. The attempt on her life was not. In Ms. Katherine’s case, the more likely conclusion is that they made her immune to poisons.” Alfred said carefully, smiling at Lian, who had a firm grip on one of his fingers.
Red nodded, “That makes sense.” He laughed softly, “You’re a smart guy, Alfred. Don’t you ever get bored watching after us?”
Alfred chuckled, gesturing around him, “Master Red, there’s nothing boring going on when you’re with a Wayne.”
Red stood, handing Lian to Alfred. He approached Kat with cool determination. Plucking the phone out of her hand and snapping it shut, he pulled her into a heated kiss. "Don't you dare leave me like that again." He said once he'd let her go.
Kat stared at him, making a little sound of awe, "I won't." She promised him.
"Good." Red crushed her to his chest, relishing in the fact that all things considered, they were all right. They could find the others and get them back in the morning, but they all needed some rest.---------------------“We’re all going to die.” Lian said firmly, dodging another blast, her injured arm crossed over her chest in an effort to slow her blood loss from a gash in her shoulder.
She’d yelled when Bart ran behind her, scooping her up and running back to the base with her in his arms. “No we’re not. We’re not going to die. Maybe tomorrow, but not today.”
Once the Reach realized Lian was gone, they stopped, allowing those remaining to scurry back to the base where Bart was slowly stitching up Lian’s shoulder. “Why don’t you use your speed to do that?” She said, teeth gritted, “‘Cause that would hurt a whole hell of a lot less. Idiot.”
Bart chuckled, “I could also end up hurting you worse. Trust me, this is the neatest way, and you’re going to appreciated it later.”
She narrowed her eyes, “Why do you keep telling me what to do? I don’t like it.”
“Well, Li, it’s in my nature to be bossy.” He replied, unconsciously running his hand down her uninjured arm.
Lian shivered at the sensation before reigning herself back in, “It’s in my nature to lead, and you just pulled me away from people I’m supposed to protect. And don’t call me Li!”
“I can take you back.” Bart offered, pulling the thread through her pale skin again.
She hissed at him, “They’re all back now, you idiot.”
“Exactly. You’re Enemy Number One in the Reach’s book. They don’t care about everyone else right now.” Bart said, finishing off the last stitch, “Almost done, and then you can get back to beating me up.”
“You’d enjoy that.” Lian blurted, startling herself but making Bart laugh.
“Yeah, I would.” He trailed off nervously, trailing his free hand over the back of her exposed shoulder with more intent than before, “I always do.” She’s still under his hands, probably in some kind of shock, but he couldn’t stop himself from kissing the skin above her wound when he’d finished, “There, all better.”
He was halfway across the room cleaning off the needle and medical scissors when she finally found her voice, “Why did you do that?”
He shrugged, “My mom used to do that when I’d fall and scrape my knees.” He laughed, “Which was a lot. It’s hard to learn to walk when you’ve got super speed.”
Lian looked down at her gloved hands, “You remember your parents?”
Bart nodded, “Yeah, I guess. I mean for the most part, just my mom. My dad was too busy trying to save the world.” He clenched his jaw, “He died anyway.”
“I don’t remember mine.” Lian said softly, and Bart turned to her in shock, surprised by the sadness in her voice. Vary rarely did Lian show any kind of weakness.
He stared at her, “You don’t?”
She shook her head, “No, I don’t. I was four when Jason and Etrigan took me into the portal. I can’t even remember what my parent’s look like.”
Bart stayed quiet for a minute, “Do you want to?”
Lian’s blue eyes shot to him, “What?”
“Do you want to know what they looked like?” Bart said evenly, looking back at her and feeling like he was meeting the real Lian for the first time.
Her face fell slack, and she stared at him. “How? Jason couldn’t even show them to me. He’d never met them. He took me out of obligation to my grandfather. Best Jason could do was show me my grandparents in their outfits. A lot of chiseled chin and breasts, not much else. I don’t understand how you can show me something that the...”
“Lian, shut up.” Bart said, taking hold of her hand.
She narrowed her eyes at him, “Shut up? Did you just tell me to shut up?”
“Yes, I did, and I’ll tell you again if you don’t stop fussing.” Bart told her, turning his back to her. “Hop on my back.”
“I’m no one’s princess, you idiot. It’s my arm that’s hurt, not my legs.” Lian hissed.
Bart looked over his shoulder at her. “I know that, but you don’t run as fast as I do. If we go by your pace, we’d never make it.”
Lian put a hand on his shoulder, moving is along his collarbone, “Where are we going?”
He laughed, “You and I, Lian Harper, are going to the Hall of Justice.”
“That was destroyed before I even left with Etrigan and Jason, it was nothing but ruins.”
Bart smirked, “I’ve done some salvaging in my spare time.”
“What is it with you and garbage?” Lian said, shaking her head as she put her other arm gingerly over his shoulder. She was taller than him, so it surprised her when he squatted down slightly and pulled her legs from under her.
Lian’s arms tightened around his neck involuntarily, her stitches pulling taut. “Ow!”
Bart laughed, “Careful, you pull those stitches, you’ll be in trouble.”
Lian buried her face in the back of Bart’s shoulder, feeling the urge to bite him out of spite. “That hurt.”
“Guess I should have warned you.” Bart said, settling her on his slightly smaller frame. “Hang on!” She shrieked, her legs wrapping tightly around him until he slowed a few minutes later, setting her back on her feet. He put a hand on the hand against his collarbone, “Look, Lian. The Hall of Justice.”
ailuromania~An abnormal love of cats
"When life leaves you high and dry
I'll be at your door tonight
If you need help, if you need help.
I'll shut down the city lights,
I'll lie, cheat, I'll beg and bribe
To make you well, to make you well.
When enemies are at your door
I'll carry you away from war
If you need help, if you need help.
Your hope dangling by a string
I'll share in your suffering
To make you well, to make you well.
Give me reasons to believe
That you would do the same for me."
"Gone, Gone, Gone"By: Phillip Phillips
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Panting, Lian lifted her head from it’s place on his shoulder, “Wow.”
Bart nodded, appreciating the rubble as he sat her back on her feet, “Can you imagine how beautiful this was?” Lian was silent, and for her, that was strange. “Li?” He said, turning to look at her.
Lian had a hand held over her mouth and if he didn’t know better, he’d say she was about to burst into tears. Her chest heaved and she made a strange sound before saying with an unusually thin voice, “Bart, my parents died here.” She took a staggered step back before shaking her head and clenching her eyes shut, “I know they’re dead, that’s not news to me. Why am I doing this?”
Bart put his hand on her face, “Li, you don’t have to keep it all bottled up. I lost my parents too. There’s not a day that I don’t think of them.” He moved his hand to take her’s, “Come on, let’s put some faces to those names. I think it’ll help you.”
Amazingly, she let him pull her towards the rubble, and left her hand in his. As they wandered through the abandoned hallways Lian asked, “Why are you so nice to me? I’m ill tempered and harsh. I know most people can’t stand being near me too long.”
Bart shrugged, “You’re not so bad. At least you’re not trying to kill me anymore.”
Lian laughed, and the noise actually startled Bart, and he snapped his head to the side to look at her. He regretted it instantly. With the small little smile on her face and the light sparking in her eyes, she was a hundred times more beautiful. They flushed in unison, but Lian was the first to avert her eyes, “Thank you, Bart. For everything.”
“Yeah, yeah. What are friends for?” Bart said, trying to quell the bulge growing against the zipper of his jeans.
Lian’s hand squeezed his tightly, an instinctual reaction to her shock, “Friends? I’ve never had a friend before.”
“What about Mr. Blood and Etrigan?” Bart asked, trying not to look at her again.
Lian scoffed, “They’re not my friends, Bart. They’re the men that pulled me away from my mother. I remember that much. She didn’t want to let me go. I remember we were both crying. I didn’t understand what was happening, and she was yelling about not being ready. Etrigan grabbed me. My mother screamed for me until the gate closed behind us.” She took a deep breath, “I didn’t speak for four years Hell time. Here, that’s nearly a decade. I didn’t say a word.”
Bart forced a chuckle, “That seems hard to believe.”
Lian bumped him with her good shoulder, “Oh, hush.”
“Look there.” Bart said suddenly, pulling her towards the remains of one wall. Nestled under two slabs of concrete was a data drive.
“What is that?” Lian asked, crouching next to Bart.
“Data drive.” Bart said absently, reaching for the smallest screwdriver he had on him.
“You are such a gear-head.” Lian said, rolling her eyes and continuing to wander down the hallway on her own. There were little pieces of history scattered all over. Lian stooped to pick up a batarang that was mostly intact. “Wonder who’s this was. My grandfather, my mother, Dick, Tim, my Uncle Damian?” She looked mournfully at all of the damage, “So much pain.”
Burt whistled, “Li, come look. Oh, this is clever. Pictures, Li. Just the thing we were looking for!”
Lian jogged back to him, “Oh my God.” She sank to the dusty broken floor next to him, “That’s her, isn’t it?”
“I think so.” Bart said, looking at the image being projected onto the wall.
“She was so beautiful.” Lian said, taking in Katherine Harper, her Huntress mask removed as she stared unseeing back at them, her long inky hair curling over her shoulders and framing her distinctly Wayne features in a way that was entirely Kyle.
“You look just like her.” Bart whispered. It was the truth, Lian had the same eyes, chin, and mouth as her mother, but in his mind, she was even prettier than her mother.
A smile actually formed on Lian’s face, “Well, except for the hair.”
Bart smiled back at her, tugging playfully on a strand of fiery dark red hair that had escaped her tight ponytail, “Yeah, except for the hair. Let’s see if we can find more of that red hair.” Lian nodded, and leaned up against him, a small smile on her face.
Looking at a picture of her father, Lian lost it. “I want them back, Bart! I want them to know me.”
Bart put his arm around her shoulder and held her as she dissolved into tears. “They do know you, Li. They had four years with you, and I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a thing you did that they weren’t right there for.”
“Why do you say things like that?” Lian said, wiping her face, but remaining nestled against Bart.
“Like what?” Bart said teasingly, a smile in his voice.
“Hopeful things. How can you be so hopeful? We are in the middle of the end of the world, and you spout off things to make me feel better. I know you’re not happy. I can see in your eyes that you’re just as miserable as I am most of the time.” Lian said darkly.
Bart tipped her face so he could look her in the eyes, “In all of this, have you ever thought that all I want to do is make you happy? I know my yammering isn’t much, but...” The wide open look on her face killed him, “Screw it.” He whispered before he pressed his lips to hers.
She slapped him, skittering away like he’d burned her, kicking the data drive, sending it spinning down the hall. “What the hell was that?” Lian yelled at him, scrambling to her feet clumsily, not taking her eyes off him.
It took everything Bart had not to show the hurt on his face, “I just kissed you. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.”
Lian had her hand against her lips, “Oh. That was a kiss?”
Bart wanted to drown, “I know I’m not that experienced, but I don’t know what else that could have been...”
“I’ve never been kissed before.” Lian blurted, cutting off his self deprecating rant. Lian looked at her feet, going up on the balls of her feet before lowering back several times like a child, “My mother wrote about kissing a bit. I don’t think I mind.”
Bart’s eyebrows shot to his hairline, “What?”
The corners of Lian’s mouth twitched up, “I don’t think I mind kissing you, Bart. You just...startled me. I’m not used to being taken by surprise. You surprise me.”
“So I can kiss you again?” Bart asked.
Lian smirked, looking just like the photo they’d seen of her grandmother, “Maybe. Someday. Only if you’re good though.”
Bart rolled his eyes. “Who’s bossy again?”
“I am. I make the rules.” Lian said, tipping her head back, smirking at him.
Bart shook his head, a wry smile on his face, “Sure you are.”
She chucked a piece of rubble at him, and it clipped the side of his head, “Ouch!”
“You deserved that.” Lian said, picking up the data drive and cradling it close to her chest, “Can we go back now?”
Bart nodded, stepping down a still standing step so she could wrap herself around him again. He stooped his head to kiss the hand in front of his mouth, “Let’s go, Princess.”
That time, when her arms were clenched around his neck, they were far more tender.
Things had changed a little after that. Well...a lot. He’d unknowingly created a monster. Lian grabbed him all the time to jerk him into a corner so they could make out. Bart didn’t mind in the least, of course, but now Lian freaked everyone else out even more. It was like they’d decided that she wasn’t human, and seeing her with someone scared them.
Lian didn’t seem to let it bother her, and she had shut Jason down when he’d begun a long winded lecture, “Jason, you are not my father. I like Bart, and for some reason he likes me too. We can kiss if we want to.”
Lian also took to falling asleep next to him, and nothing made him happier. “You’re so warm, like my own personal sun.” She’d explain as she’d curl up under his arm to rest her head on his chest. That always made Bart smile, and he’d wait until she was asleep to finally close his own eyes, running his ringers through her red hair until he joined her in dreamland. Lian was always gone when he woke up, and the first time, he’d been angry, until he realized that before she left, Lian had taken the care to tuck him into their blankets, and she left him a candy bar. Lian did it every day, and he still had no idea where she got the candy from.
She was still sharp towards him sometimes, but she’d shoot him a little smile that made him forget to be frustrated with her. She’d go right back to reaming someone about breaking safety protocol of course, and everything in their little camp continued as it should.
He kept the time machine from her. Most of the time, he couldn’t justify his actions even to himself, but he kept quiet, sneaking off to work on it with Nate pretty much any time Lian wasn’t looking. She never asked about where he vanished to, but that made it pretty clear to him that she knew somehow. She confirmed it when just after the new year, she walked up to him and Nate.
“So this is where you’re always zipping off to.” She said, eyeing Nate critically.
Bart started stuttering, “Li, I...”
Lian held a hand up, stopping him, “Hush, you.” She stood toe to toe with Nate, looking just about as intimidating as Bart had ever seen her. “Are you two doing something that could get Bart killed?” Nate nodded slowly, obviously alarmed by the teenaged girl’s aggressive demeanor. “Then today is the last day you two work on this without me. I won’t have some prisoner getting the only person I care about killed.”
She didn’t know much about temporal imbalances and time travel, but Lian was very quick. In about two hours, she was pointing out program errors to them. Nate was overwhelmed and scared of her. Lian had no problem with that. Nate sidled up next to Bart, who was watching Lian skim through their code and make changes every tenth line, “Is she normal?”
Bart shrugged, “She’s a genius who was emotionally stunted after the age of four. I think she’s just about as normal as can be expected.”
“She’s pretty.” Nate commented.
Bart glared at the older man, “Yeah, and she’s mine.”
Nate snorted, “I think you’re hers, Bart.”
Bart gave a dopey smile, “You’re probably right. I don’t mind though. She’s stopped trying to kill me!”
Lian looked back at him over her shoulder, “I can start that up again if you want, Bart.”
“No, I’m good!” Bart said, holding his hands up, a smile on his face.
Nate looked at him, “I’ve never seen you like this. She makes you happy.”
Bart nodded, “She does.” He sidled up behind Lian and kissed the side of her neck, “You want to go find something to eat?”
“I’m not...” Bart bit the spot he’d just kissed, and Lian stopped protesting, “Know what, I could probably eat something right now.” That was all he needed to hear, and he took her back to the small cave in camp where they’d made their home to kiss her senseless.
With Lian’s help, they completed the machine, and it was her idea to look in the Hall of Justice for a power source. Bart fooled around, trying to lighten the sour mood she’d thrown herself in, “Smile!”
Lian glared his direction, but when she saw the data drive in his hands, her face broke into a small smile. They were his favorite smiles, and his heart leapt at being able to get one down permanently. The next time she got pissed at him, he’d have something to console himself with. She took his hand and kissed his cheek, “My Gearhead!”
Bart laughed, tugging gently on her ponytail, “Yup!” They approached one of the only unbroken doors, some power still keeping it locked, and Bart went to the keypad, furiously trying to figure out the code that would bypass the hand scanner.
“Let me.” Lian said, easing him aside, handing him her black fingerless gloves, and placing her right hand on the scanner. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but when the door whirred open, Bart gapped at her in shock, “My mother wrote that they’d wired me into all the security systems. Glad it’s finally been of some use.” They both wandered through the hall, a still memorial to powers long gone. “I’m not seeing anything.” Lian said, audibly dismayed.
Bart sighed, looking around, “We’ll find som... Get down!”
He heard Lian grunt as she barely dodged a laser beam. “Shit!” He shivered when he saw what she’d seen. Blue Beetle.
Lian scrambled to her feet and grabbed his hand, and he could see that she hadn’t dodged, the first shot had grazed her abdomen, “We need to get out of here!”
An explosion buckled the ground beneath them, pitching them apart. Blue Beetle was laughing, “Aww, sorry to break that up!” He raised his cannon shaped arm, “This is the end, Visage. Say hello to your parents for me!” Bart caught her before she hit the ground. For all his speed, he was too late. The beam had sliced into her upper thigh, and that wound alone poured out blood. Lian, brilliant as ever, shot her hand down and started digging, whining against the pain as she tried to pinch off her severed femoral artery. She was quick enough, and once he had her on the ground at a safe distance, her hands were slick with blood but her leg had slowed it’s bleeding. The wound on her stomach oozed blood too, but at a slower rate. Either wound was deadly.
Lian’s face was pale as she looked down at her ravaged body, “Bart?”
He kissed the side of her head, moving her so she was in his lap and he could press his hand onto her stomach, trying vainly to keep her blood in her body, “I’ve got you, Li. Shh, catch your breath and I’ll take you to get help.”
Lian smiled up at him, lifting her left hand to pick up her gun and shoot at something behind him, dropping the metal back to the ground, pale at the effort it took just to lift something she’d been carrying since she was a child. “It won’t make a difference.”
“No, Lian. I’ll get you help.” Bart said firmly.
She laughed shallowly, her eyes going wide in pain. She worked up the air to speak, “I’m going to die, Bart. Not even you and your speed will change that.”
Bart clenched his teeth. “If I have to run faster than I’ve ever run before, I’ll get you to help. Don’t give up. Damnit, Lian! Don’t you dare give up.”
Lian was looking down at her leg where her own fingers were stuck inside, “You’d have to move me, Bart. As it is, I’ll bleed out within a half hour. I’ll have maybe a minute once my fingers leave my artery.” A tear ran down her face, “I’ll be dead before we’re out of Happy Harbor. Besides, you have to get to the machine before they do.”
“I’m going to save you.” Bart said pleadingly.
Lian shook her head, looking at him with as much peace and love as she could muster, “No you aren’t, Bart. You’re going to save the world.”
“I don’t care about the world!” Bart yelled, his chest heaving as he started to cry. “I love you!” He’d never said those words to her before, but he wished he had.
Lian’s smile grew brighter as her face grew paler, “I love you too, Bart Allen. That’s why I have to do this. They’ll kill you if you stay here, and then it’s all over. Nate can’t do what you can. It has to be you, Bart.”
“It’s supposed to be the both of us.” Bart protested.
Lian struggled to lean up to him, kissing his lips, “It was always just you, Bart. I wasn’t ever going to go. You can do it on your own. I know you can.” She took a deep breath, “And you’re going to have to do it without me.” Lian kissed him again, and he froze when he felt her right hand on his cheek, slick and warm.
He ripped back from her lips, “No!”
Lian’s heart was racing, and she grabbed his face with both of her bloody hands, ignoring the warm feeling of her blood pulsing out of her body through the gash in her leg, “It has to be this way. Trust me, Bart. You trust me, don’t you?” She kissed tears from his cheeks, her movements slowing with every pump of her heart.
He nodded furiously, “Always, Lian.”
She smiled, tucking one of her hands into one of his and resting it on her sternum, “Okay, than just hold me until I fall asleep. Once I’m asleep, you go, as fast as you can, and you change the world. You made me a better person, now make the world better.”
Bart smiled despite his tears, “God, you’re even bossy while you’re dying.”
Sweat beaded on her face as her body fought to keep up with her blood loss, “Have to keep some things the same. Don’t hate him...for this.” Lian said, and Bart almost fought her. Blue Beetle had just mortally wounded her, and she wanted him to play nice in the past? Her breaths came in short pants and she shivered in his arms, “I’m cold.”
Bart tightened his arms around her, kissing her forehead, all thoughts of argument fleeing from his head, “I’ve got you, Li. You go to sleep now, and when you wake up, it’ll all be better.”
“I’m tired.” Lian said breathlessly, tilting her head to rest over his heart. “Goodbye. I love you, Bart Allen.”
Bart let go of a sob, “Sleep, Lian. I love you so much.” He watched her eyelids flutter shut, locking their crystal blue away forever. A small smile on her face, she was still breathing, shallow and quick, but he knew deep inside that she was asleep and that she would never wake up again. Bart pulled one of his bloody hands across her pale cheek, “We should have had more time. I’m so sorry, Lian. Don’t leave me!”
His cries fell uselessly across the barren landscape, and in one terribly visceral shudder, Lian let go of her last breath, going completely limp in his arms. Sobbing soundlessly, he stood with her body cradled against him, and ran as fast as his uncoordinated legs would take him toward Nathaniel and the time machine.
Nate’s smile at the sight of him fell when he saw Lian’s still form. His eyes darted from the blood dripping from Lian’s right hand as it hung below her to the tears on Bart’s heartbroken face, “Oh no.”
Bart pulled himself together, laying her against the rocks that hid their machine at the base of the ruins of Mount Justice. He looked down at their joined hands, and realized numbly that she’d been pressing the Lantern’s ring into his palm. She must have seen it right when they’d gotten attacked, and she hadn’t let go. Bart kissed her lips for the last time, pulling away from her, “I love you, Lian Harper, forever.”
He stood, pouring water from his flask over his hands to wash away her blood before taking her fingerless gloves from his backpack and pulling them on, setting to work. Nate watched in silence as Bart added the final piece to the machine, “Finished?” Bart nodded, attempting to wipe the tears off his face, but only smearing her blood across his cheek. Nate ached for the younger man, “I’ll bury her, Bart. They won’t get her.” He held a small box out to Bart, “That should strip me of my powers.” He closed his eyes, “The jump will fry the circuits, you won’t be able to come back.”
Bart looked over at Lian’s corpse, her head tilted to the side and the rest of her covered in blood. “Is this really a place worth coming back to? She’s all I had. All I’ve ever had.” He smirked, “Now I won’t feel so bad if I have to take a few aliens with me.”
“Good Luck.” Nate said tightly.
Bart sighed, “Got to get into character! I know, Nate! Big job, big mission, I’ve got to go!” His bluster failed him, and he looked at the other man, “You’ll take care of my girl?”
Nate nodded, “You have my word, Bart. She’ll be at peace.”
Bart nodded back, “Thank you.” With the Green Lantern ring acting as it’s power source, his machine had had no trouble leaving the future behind.
Bart opened his eyes and found himself looking into crystalline blue eyes.
Katherine.
“I’ve got you, Bart!” She cried, catching him as he fell forward out of his containment pod and out of his nightmarish dreams at last. As usual, the familiarity of her mannerisms slowed his brain, but a few seconds in her arms and he was off, finding Jaime.
He made the decision then to tell Jaime what was in his future. Jaime had stared at him in shock, “You’re lying. I would never let him take over like that!”
Bart pulled the data drive out of it’s home inside his belt line. “This is Lian, Bart. I loved her, and your Blue Beetle is what killed her. I would never lie about that. You can’t let them get control over you, or this is what the future will look like.” Behind Lian and her smiling face were the ruins of the Hall of Justice. “Blue Beatle did that, and killed over half the League by himself when he did it. He killed her.” Bart’s eyes were riveted on Lian’s face. “I can’t let you do that, Jaime.”
Jaime blanched, “Ese, are you going to kill me?”
Bart forced a laugh, putting the data drive safely away, “Nah, Jaime, as long as you’re in control, we’ve got no issue. We’re crash!”
“And if Blue Beetle does get back in the mode?” Jaime asked, although the creature in question was already answering.
Bart’s smile turned hard, “If you’re ever moded, it will be my job to take you offline.
Permanently.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Waiting For Superman:
Kat stared at the cafe TV along with everyone else. "You have got to be kidding me."M'gann, Barbara, and Tim all started yelling in unison in protest, and were only stopped when Lian, in Red's arms, let out a pitiful wail. Kat was beside them in an instant, a hand on both of them. Red kissed the side of Lian's head, "Oh, baby, it's okay."Out of the corner of her eye, Kat caught Bart staring at them with an odd expression on his face, like he knew something they didn't, and for the thousandth time, she was tempted to interrogate him about the future. She didn't do it, but she felt his eyes on them as she and Red calmed their fussy infant. The others continued to yell, getting nasty glares from the cafe owner, making Kat pray that they didn't get kicked outDick arrived, effectively ending all conversation about how easily the Reach were being accepted by the ignorant human world, and sent them all on their way, mainly, Red and Kat back to their house where Damian was being sent home from the hospital to.For the first hour back, Kat poured most of her energy into making sure Damian was set up comfortably in the living room, but once he was settled and he and Red had started talking about cars, her mind had drifted to other things. She wandered into the kitchen, all the memories in the house, both good and bad nearly overwhelming her. Red's delighted voice from the other room drew her out of the void."Hey, look what Gimpy found in the sofa!" Red said, tossing a small object to his wife.Kat caught it on instinct, and stared down at the little piece of metal and glass, a happy smile coming to her lips, "My phone!""Don't call me Gimpy!" Damian growled sleepily from the sofa, Lian laying on his chest. His injuries had weakened him significantly, and he tired easily. Fortunately, Lian was enamored with her uncle, and was completely satisfied to nap with him whenever he needed one.Kat narrowed her eyes at Red, cracking open the seal on a bottle of water she'd grabbed from the fridge, "Are you stressing him out? You know the doctors said he needed to relax and rest."Red laughed, bouncing Lian on his hip, "He is relaxing! I'm just reminding him that just because he's a computer genius does not mean he's a video game wizard."Kat shook her head and rummaged around for a phone charger that would work with her phone. "When do you think the others will be here?"Red shrugged, "I don't know. I think Dick was showing them the new digs at the Hall of Justice, and working on getting us clearance to go there. I'm sure they'll be headed here soon."Kat nodded, looking around the house she'd almost forgotten she loved. It was odd to be back in it, but with Red there, the eerie feeling that had usually overtaken her when they'd first lived there was gone. Everything was just as she and Damian had left it. Granted, someone had cleaned up the blood and debris from their attack, but it would do to house a few super teenagers for a few days so Dick could get his act together.Kat's cellphone rang, and she answered it without thinking, despite the fact that she'd been apart from it since before Lian was born. "Hello, this is Kat.""Where the hell have you been?" A harsh female voice shrieked.Kat couldn't hold back the curse, "Oh, uh, hey, Lois. How've you been?""I've been calling you once a day for the last few months. I was about to think you'd gotten yourself killed." Lois bit out."Uh...I lost my phone?" Kat answered lamely."Don't lie to me Harper!" Lois yelled.Kat winced, "Sorry, Lo. Seriously, I lost my phone and then I had the baby, and then I had no idea where it was. I just found it deader than a doornail in the sofa cushions.""You had the baby? You're not even due yet." Lois said, all the anger out of her voice.Kat sighed in relief at the change in tone, "Yeah, she was way early, but she's totally fine now. Beautiful, and growing like a weed. What have you been up to?"There was a long pause on the other end of the line, "I need to know where Clark is.""Clark?" Kat echoed, looking panickedly at Red, who chuckled and continued playing with Lian, leaving his wife to sort Lois out on her own. "Uh...Why would you think I'd know where he is? Hasn't he been to work recently? If you don't recall, I quite."The edge came back to Lois' voice, "Yes, Katherine! I do recall you quite! And NO! Clark hasn't been to work in weeks. Perry said he was in Smallville with his parents, that Mrs. Kent was sick, but that's not true.""Who says it's not true?" Kat offered, struggling to come up with anything better to say to the irate woman.Kat could hear Lois suck in an angry breath of air, "I drove there, Kat! He's not there! Mrs. Kent was baking in the kitchen and looked just fine!""Lois, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he just needed to clear his head, get some distance. No offense, but you're the first woman he's been so serious with. It might be a little overwhelming for him." Kat said, making a face, hoping Lois would be appeased by her answer.The woman was not. "Clear his head? He's from a town in the middle of friggin nowhere! Where else would he need to go to 'clear his head'? Outer space?"Kat choked on the water she had in her mouth, making a mess of the countertop in front of her, and spluttering until she could breath again, "Outer space? Seriously, Lois? Like he'd be in outer space. That's ridiculous.""You know, Kat. You're a terrible liar in person, but you're even worse on the phone when you can't bat those big baby-blues at someone!" Lois let out a shaky breath at the end of her exclamation, "You're Clark's friend, Kat, and I need to see you."Something in Lois' voice unnerved Kat. There was a weakness that seemed so unusual on the other woman. Kat, daughter of the beguiling and fearless Catwoman, had always envied Lois' disposition, had felt insignificant and mousy next to the woman. In a lot of ways Lois reminded her of her mother. "Um... I'm at home, so I can probably meet you outside the office in an hour.""I'm not at the office." Lois said stiffly.Worry seeped into the back of Kat's mind, "Lois, are you okay?""No, Kat, I'm not. I need to see Clark." Lois said quietly."I'm not sure where he is, Lois, but I can try my best to help you." Kat said gently.Lois sighed heavily, "Okay, okay. I uh, I'm outside Metropolis at a little diner." She laughed harshly, "I had to clear my head.""Where's the diner, Lois?" Kat asked, stirring the contents of a kitchen drawer trying to find a pad of paper and a pen."Across the street from Clark's place." Lois answered guiltily.Kat frowned, leaning against the counter, "Okay, Lo. Hang tight, I'm on my way.""What's up?" Red asked when she sat her phone back down on the countertop.The frown stayed on her face, and she shook her head, "I'm not sure. Something's up with Lois."Red frowned back at her, "Lois? I thought you two hated each other."Kat chuckled, "There's a fine line between love and hate, hun. Lois and I like to dance around it. She's a real bitch most of the time, but we've got each other's back. She got a lot nicer to me once she realized I wasn't after her job or Clark. I'd like to say we're frenemies on a bad day and best friends on a good day. Today I'm the best friend apparently.""I wanna see Lois." Damian piped up from the couch. "She's kinda nice sometimes, always gives me candy.""Yeah, Dai, she does that to shut you up. Does the same thing with Jimmy most days." Kat turned and glared across the bar at the back of his head, "Wait, Damian, you can hardly move without wincing. Either you're playing it up, or you're delusional to think I'd let you go out on the town the night we get you home."Damian sighed, a hand on Lian's back as he shifted some of his weight off his right leg, where the damage had been the worst. His shoes had protected his feet and his knees had been treated well enough that the burns did not limit his mobility, but nearly his whole right thigh was still blistered and red, extending up onto his back. He was constantly griping about how tired he was of laying on his left side. He was on his back for the moment, a flat ice pack against the burns on his back that still ached even though the skin had healed into scars already. The doctors had said he'd need some physiotherapy to keep those scars from contracting, but Kat had made mention to his therapist that he was an adept gymnast, so the woman had given him exercises to add to what he already did. Still, she knew that being cooped up was driving him crazy. At his core, Damian was half computer nerd, half acrobat, just like their father, and since they were finally home and not at the manor, he was all Kat's problem now. She almost wished she'd taken Alfred up on his offer to keep Damian a little longer."You taking Lian with you?" Red asked, following her to their bedroom.Kat shook her head, "Nah, she and Damian are too cute."Red wrinkled his nose, "But that means I have to take care of both of them. Damian's a bigger baby than Lian is."Kat spared a glance back at her brother, who had fallen asleep again. "You'll be fine. He'll probably sleep till I get back, and if he does wake up, feed him, give him his pain meds and he should sleep all night. If he wants to take a walk around the neighborhood before his meds, let him, he won't get too far. You know the drill with Lian, so just really make sure she doesn't get too gassy after you feed her."Her husband rolled his eyes, "I got this. Just don't let Lois take you out and get you drunk without me. She's a bad influence."Kat snorted, "It was one time, Red! And she mostly did it because her usual girl friends were all out and she wanted to complain about boys. You got to come the next time!""True, true." Red conceded, sticking his cheek out so she could kiss it as she grabbed her coat. He grabbed her wrist as she pulled away though, "Hey, Kat. When you get back, will you tell me what's wrong?""With Lois? Sure..." She caught the look on his face and sighed, "You mean with me...I'm sorry I haven't talked to you about it it's just..." She peered over at Damian, making sure he was still asleep, "I didn't want to say anything to Damian, and one of us needed to be totally focused on him.""Okay, well he's fine now. Let me help you, babe." Red urged, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.Kat took a deep breath, "Our mother's missing. The uh...night Aqualad blew up the mountain, I went looking for her, and found one of her apartments covered in blood and dead cats. Isis was there, but my mom wasn't."Red looked to the dark cat stretched out on the back of the sofa, watching Damian and Lian's every move. "So that explains why Isis showed up here." Kat nodded. "Is your mom just laying low or...""There was human blood on the walls, Red. Someone beat the living shit out of her before they dragged her off. The police weren't sure she could have even survived a beating like that." Kat said, feeling sick, "Ollie's been helping me look, but with everything else going on, we haven't been able to put 100% into looking for her.""Have you told your dad?" Red asked.Kat shook her head, "No, he'd come running back like before, but the next time he comes back, I want it to be for good. Besides, he was upset enough about Damian being hurt. I can only imagine how he'd react to it being my mom. And on the grand scheme of things, she's one woman in a situation of global take over. She's not important."Red cupped her face in his hands, "She's important to you."Kat nodded, "She is, but if I can't find her, there's not really much I can do. The most I can do is keep one eye open and hope Ollie and I can find some sort of lead before Damian and my dad start asking questions." She surged forward and kissed Red on the lips, arms tightly around him, lips lingering over his. "I love you."He had an eyebrow arched in annoyance, "I love you too, but next time, don't wait weeks to tell me your mom has been snatched, okay?""You're implying there will be a next time." Kat said playfully.Red shrugged, kissing her again, "Knowing your mother, there probably will be. Wherever she is, Kat, I wouldn't be too worried. She's a fighter, just like you. For all you know, she could have escaped weeks ago, and is on some beach laying low drinking Mai Tais."Kat smiled, "You're probably right. Anyway, I've got to go before Lois starts calling wondering where I am. When I get back I'll show you all the stuff Ollie and I have been working on and see what you think.""You got it. And don't worry, I won't let Damian blow the house down while you're gone." Red quipped. Kat left with a smile firmly fixed on her face, feeling better than she had in weeks. Whatever Lois had for her, she could handle it."I was not prepared for this." Kat found herself blurting out, staring at the older woman.Lois glared up from her seat, "Neither was I. Now do you understand why I've got to find Clark?"Kat nodded numbly, staring at the definite baby bump on Lois's abdomen, "You're pregnant."Lois glared harder, "Oh, really Kat, that's brilliant. I don't know how I never noticed CONSIDERING IT'S MY BODY!"Kat winced, sliding into the seat across from the very pissed woman, "Woah, chill out.""CHILL OUT? That son of a bitch KNOCKED ME UP!" Lois yelled.Kat noticed the looks they were getting and reached out to get a hold of Lois, "Hey, why don't we take a walk? I think you need some air.""Oh, I need a whole lot of air, and a whole lot of time spent kicking his ass!" Lois hissed.Kat led her outside, slipping the hostess a twenty dollar bill and an apologetic smile. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Kat got up the nerve to speak again, "So...uh...you and Clark."Lois set her jaw, "Yes, Harper. For months. Things were really great. He disappears, and BAM! I'm puking every half hour for two weeks, eating everything in sight the next, and the forth week I'm missing my period. It wasn't rocket science to figure the rest out." Lois stopped walking, looking a little lost, "Kat, please, I need to see him.""Is there something wrong with the baby?" Kat asked, putting a hand on Lois' arm.Lois shrugged, "I don't know, I've been too terrified to see a doctor.""Lois!" Kat admonished, "You've got to see a doctor!""And tell them what, that my baby's father is an alien?" Lois snapped back. Kat stared at her in shock for a second too long, and Lois looked crushed, "I was right, you do know. He trusted you but not me."Kat felt horrible about Lois' expression, but was also horrified that she knew Clark's secret and he hadn't been the one to tell her. "He didn't tell me, Lois. I guessed."Lois looked a little relieved, but kept ringing her hands in the lapels of her jacket. "I've known for years. Well, I say that, but I think on some level, I've always known." She sighed, putting a hand on her stomach, "I'm terrified, Kat. I don't know what's growing inside of me, and I can't find him to ask." Lois scoffed at herself, "Shit, Kat, does he even want me? Would he want...whatever this is? I don't know! I don't know anything!"Lois burst into tears, and Kat instantly pulled the older woman into a hug, "Oh, Lois. Trust me, he'll be thrilled, and he does want you. I've known that from the first day I met you two. He's loved you since before you knew he existed. As for what the baby is, I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's probably a little boy or girl." She pat Lois' back, "Come on, let's get back to my car. You'll spend the night at my house, and in the morning, I'll get you a call in to Clark.""I can't wait any longer, Kat." Lois said mournfully.Kat nodded, "Okay, let me call Red and let him know I won't be home tonight."When Kat returned to Lois' side after calling Red, Lois looked at her apologetically, "I'm sorry for putting this all on you."Kat grinned at her frenemy, "No you're not. Besides that, it's all okay. Trust me, had Clark known, he never would have been gone for so long.""Thank you, Kat."Kat gave her hand a squeeze, leading her to her car, "No problem, Lois."Lois wrinkled her nose, "Does this mean we're friends now?"Kat shook her head, "Nah, let's not go there.""Okay, good, just checking." Lois said, opening the car door and sliding in, her eyes lingering on the carseat in the back.Kat sighed, still standing outside her car, "Oh, Dick is going to hate me for this."
"She's talking to angels,
Counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers,
Falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah
Waiting for Superman
She's out on the corner trying to catch a glimpse
Nothing's making sense
She's been chasing an answer, a sign lost in the abyss,
This Metropolis"
"Waiting for Superman"
By: Daughtry
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Turn It Off:
Kat caught Lois as the older woman stumbled out of the Zeta Tube. “Whoa, careful.”
Lois looked positively green, “What the hell was that, Harper?”
Kat smiled cheerfully at her, “Zeta Tube. Top secret transportation. We’re not in Metropolis anymore.”
“I’m gonna be sick.” Lois said, and Kat barely had time to grab a trashcan and shove it at her before the woman was losing the contents of her stomach.
Kat pat her back, “There there, you’ll be fine once your organs catch up with you.”
Lois glared up at her, wiping her mouth and setting the trashcan aside. “You could have warned me.”
“Sorry!” Kat chirped, pulling Lois behind her and assuming a protective stance, “I’m about to get my ass kicked for bringing you here. Hang on!”
They were surrounded in an instant. Oliver, Dick, Canary, and Barry Allen all staring at them. “What are you doing here?” Dick growled.
Kat smiled, despite being terrified that he was going to kill her, “Oh, hey, Dick, didn’t see you there. I was just going to show Lois around a little bit.”
Barry stammered, “Lois? As in Lois Lane? You brought a reporter here?”
Kat shrugged, and felt Lois take her hand. “Lois isn’t so bad. Somedays she actually can be nice.” From the woman’s hold on her hand, Kat knew exactly when it all got to be too much. Lois swayed, and Kat jerked her into her arms, lowering her to the ground, putting her back to the Leaguers. Lois blinked at her dazedly. Kat brushed her hair out of her face, “You’re okay, Lo. I’ve got you. They’re not going to hurt you.”
Lois’ eyes were fixed straight ahead of her, “Just got really dizzy.”
Kat hissed in sympathy, “Yeah, being pregnant kind of sucks, doesn’t it?”
“Don’t gloat, Harper.” Lois grumbled, breathing deeply.
“I’m not, Lois. It really does suck.” Kat said kindly, “You feeling better?”
Lois nodded, cracking a tiny grin, “Think my organs caught up. I’m still gonna kill Clark.”
Kat smiled back at her, “There’s the man-eater. Glad to have you back with us. Up!” She ordered, helping the older woman stand.
Lois was still getting her bearings, but she looked up at the Leaguers, staring them each down, a hand unconsciously on her stomach, “I want to talk to Clark. Or Superman. I don’t care what the hell you call him, but I want to talk to his sorry alien ass right now.”
Kat winced. Lois was certainly back to full force. Kat had almost forgotten what a demanding bitch Lois could be. Almost.
Barry was two feet from Lois in an instant, his eyes glued to her small, but noticeable bump. “You’re pregnant, and you want to talk to Clark. Is it...”
“His?” Lois snapped, cutting him off, “Better be, or I’ve got a worse alien problem than I thought I did. Now, can I talk to him?” She glanced back at Kat, “Where is he anyway?”
Kat sighed, “He’s not here Lois, but you can talk to him from here.”
“If you say he’s dead and we’re about to have a seance, baby or not, I will end you.” Lois said threateningly.
Kat and Barry burst into laughter, and Barry threw an arm around Lois’ shoulders, “Oh, man, Kat, she’s great. No, Miss. Lane, he’s not dead. Although he might wish he was once you get a hold of him!”
Lois gave a weary smile, her bluster gone for the moment. “That’s good.”
Barry led her towards the screen, sitting her on the chair in front, chuckling, “I wanna see this.”
Dick glared darkly at Kat, “What were you thinking?”
“That you’re not the boss of me?” Kat snapped, really not wanting to deal with him.
Canary came up beside her, her presence dissuading Dick from making more of an ass of himself, “M’gann, Mal, and Conner just got back from looking at your place. They seemed pretty happy.”
Kat smiled, “I know Conner was probably just happy to see Lian.”
“Also, I talked to the kids that were taken by the Reach today.” Canary said tentatively, “I’m worried about Bart.”
“Bart? Why?” Kat asked, coming to a stop.
“I’m not sure what they did to him, but he’s not in a good place. He won’t talk about what he remembers, but he’s angrier than I remember him being.” Canary explained.
Kat sighed, “I’ll talk to him.”
“Has he told you anything about where he came from?” Canary questioned.
“No, just that he’s from the future. He’s a tightlipped kid.” She paused, and they both waved at Captain Atom as he walked towards the Zeta Tubes. “Red mentioned his time machine was salvaged from Mount Justice, right? Has anyone looked closely at it?”
Canary shook her head, “I don’t think any one has really had the time to bother with it. That might not be a bad idea though. He said he built it, there may be indications of his personality in it’s construction. We’ll have to take a look at it.” She glanced at Oliver, “Later though, Ollie’s taking me to dinner.”
Kat grinned, and Oliver flushed in embarrassment, “Ooh, have fun you two!”
She waggled her eyebrows at the Green Arrow, and he rolled his eyes, snatching her into a headlock that was almost a hug, “Don’t pull shit like that with the Zeta Tubes again. We almost killed you two. Next time, call!”
Kat rolled her eyes back at him, “Got it, Ollie. I’ll call ahead next time.”
He let her go, staring at her with a sigh, “You better. Red would kill me if I shot you with an arrow.”
“Meh, he loves you, he’d mostly just glare at you for a few years. Dick on the other hand, he’d kill.” Kat said, noting that the call was almost connected, “Anyway, you two kids have fun!”
They left together, and Kat went to stand behind Lois, “You ready for this?”
Lois shook her head, standing, “No, would you talk to him first?”
“Me? Lois, surely you don’t want me to tell him.” Kat said, but Lois stared back at her levelly, “You want me to tell him you’re pregnant. Really? No, sorry Lois, but I won’t do it. I’ll introduce you, but that’s it. Okay?”
Lois nodded nervously. “If that’s the most you’ll do, then yes, it will have to be enough.”
The computer beeped, signaling that they’d been connected, an instant before Kat’s father’s face filled the screen. “Hey, Daddy!” Kat chirped brightly. She heard Lois gasp, and realized her error. He was wearing his cowl.
A half smile was visible, “Hello, Katherine. How is everyone?”
“Um...good. For the most part. Damian’s healing up nicely, and Lian’s growing like a weed. If we could just get the Reach taken care of, everything would be great!” Kat said, searching the area behind him.
“Looking for someone?” Bruce asked, glad to hear that Damian was better.
“Yeah, actually, it Clark around?” Kat asked, smiling apologetically.
Bruce was suspicious, “Is that clone of his causing trouble?”
Kat glared at her father, “No, Conner’s doing just fine. I just have someone here that needs to talk to Clark for a little bit. Is that okay?”
He looked skeptical, but nodded, “I’ll go get him.” He paused for an minute, “Katherine, have you heard from your mother recently? I’ve tried to call her a few times to make sure she wasn’t back to her old ways.”
Kat felt her heart jump into her chest, “I haven’t heard from her, but I’m sure she’s not back to all that.” She looked down at her hands, “I’ll call you later. I’ve got somethings we need to talk about.”
“She’s missing, isn’t she?” Bruce said firmly.
Kat looked at the floor, “Like I said, we need to talk, but I think you need to get Clark for the time being. Kay?”
Bruce ached seeing the weakness on Kat’s face. He’d never seen her look so young, “Alright, but we will talk. Don’t hang up once you’re done with Clark.”
“I won’t, promise.” Kat said, giving him a small, ernest smile. Neither of them noticed how ill looking Dick had gotten.
When her father left the screen, she felt Lois join her, “Kat, why didn’t you say anything?”
“What, about my dad being Batman or my mom vanishing in a bloody chemical mess? Those just didn’t quite fit with our conversations of morning sickness and stretch marks.” Kat said frankly.
Lois put her arm around Kat’s shoulders, squeezing lightly, “Keep this up and I might start feeling sorry for you.”
Kat let her head loll onto Lois’ shoulder, “Good to know you’ve got my back.”
“Hey, Kat!” Clark said jovially, sitting in the chair her father had vacated. He looked at the screen in front of him and stuttered, “L-lois?”
Lois disentangled herself from Kat. Glaring at the man on the screen, her left hand still on the small curve of her stomach, “Hello, Smallville. You and I have a lot of talking to do.”
Kat ushered Barry and Dick out to give them some privacy. No one needed to witness the Superman getting his ass handed to him by a reporter. Kat looked up at Barry, “I know you’re going to eavesdrop anyway, so would you mind coming to get me when it sounds like they’re wrapping up? I’m going to snoop around Bart’s time machine.”
Barry nodded, “I’m not missing this!”
Kat left with a wry smile on her face, aware that Dick was tailing her. “What do you want to say, Dick?” Kat called behind her as she knelt next to Bart’s machine.
“I’m sorry about your mom?”
“No you’re not.” Kat threw back at him, opening the cockpit of the machine and staring, “This was made for two people.”
“What?” Dick said, suddenly over her shoulder, looking in. “Who else was supposed to come with him? Has he ever mentioned any one else from the future?”
Kat shook her head, “No, never.” She sat in the seat behind the one they’d seen Bart sitting in. “Whoever it was, she’s smaller than I am. Possibly younger, given Bart’s age.”
“How do you know it was a girl?” Dick asked, messing with the computer system.
Kat held up a wad of cloths she’d found in a bag that had been shoved under Bart’s seat, “Improvised pads for well...you know. Anyway, a girl packed this bag, unless Bart’s hiding a whole lot more from us than we thought.”
“No, he’s definitely a he.” Dick assured her.
Kat felt under the seat she was in, and gasped softly, “She hid something here.”
Dick turned to face her, “What?”
She pulled the item loose and gasped softly, “It’s a diary.”
“Open it, let’s see who this girl is.” Dick ushered.
Kat cracked the book open, and wished she hadn’t, “Me. This is my handwriting. Dick, I haven’t written this yet.” She shoved it at him.
He read for a minute, and held it back to her, “Kat, it’s not a diary. It’s a goodbye letter. From you, to Lian.”
“What?” Kat said, taking it back. She read a few lines, a hand over her mouth, “Oh, God.” She flipped to the back half, and mourned the change in handwriting:
“Mom, I met a boy today. Well, I almost killed him, but that’s not really a big deal these days...I’m not sure why I’m writing in this thing. It’s not like you’ll ever read it, but I guess it’s nice to imagine you will. There’s something about this boy that I can’t shake. I think I’ll have to go looking for him soon. He said his name was Bart, and, Mom, he’s a Meta-Human. Before Bart, I thought they’d all been killed or turned into Reach slaves. He’s not one though, I checked.”
A page towards the end read:
“I’m tired, Mom. Bart and Nate seem so hopeful, but I can’t get past this feeling that something’s going to go terribly wrong. Bart’s so excited though. He’s going to get to see his family, he’s going to get to reunite us...in a way. I hate that I won’t be able to tell you that I’m your daughter, but I have a feeling it won’t take you too long to figure it out. After all, Bart’s shown me that I look just like you do...with Dad’s hair though. Regardless, it will be nice just to be near you again, even if you don’t know who I am.”
The last page broke Kat’s heart:
“Dear Lian,
I know you’re probably really confused by reading a letter written to you in your own handwriting, but just try not to think about it. Hopefully, if you’re reading this, it means that Bart was able to change the past, and that you’re home, safe with Mom and Dad. I don’t want to spoil too much, but I hope you’ve got Bart with you. I know, you’re probably horrified right now, because he’s probably twelve years older than you, but please just give him a chance. I wouldn’t trade a minute of the time I’ve gotten to spend with him. I never thought I’d find love. I honestly thought I was above all that, but then I met him, and he changed my life. He changed me. I’m a better person now because he was in my life, and I think you deserve to know him too. Yes, he’s a bit odd, but I hope that, like me, you learn to love all his idiosyncrasies. Mom wrote to me saying that I would know who was meant for me, and I truly believe Bart is. Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, it means I didn’t make the time-jump. The only reason that would be is that I’m dead. If that’s the case, then Bart is alone, and scared. He’ll put on a good show, but you and I will both know how he’s really feeling. Don’t let him wallow in his misery and act like an ass. He will if you let him. He’s stubborn like that. We’re about to go looking for a power source to get this thing running. I hope I get the chance to rip this page out and destroy it, but, if I don’t,...he’s all yours Lian Harper. Give him a chance, and he will give you the world. I love him, and I know you will too. We’re the same person after all. Hopefully reading about my life will help you with yours.
Good luck,
Future Lian”
“She died.” Kat said softly, putting the book back where the girl had obviously wanted it to be, not wanting to know anymore. “In the future, Lian died. She was supposed to come back with Bart, but she died.”
“In my arms.” Kat and Dick looked out of the machine to see Bart standing there. “The circuits may be mostly fried, but it’s got enough juice for a silent alarm. Did you find what you were looking for?”
Kat was seeing him in a whole different light, and he seemed much older than he was, just like he’d looked those time’s she’d caught a look at him out of the corner of her eyes. “Yes, now we know why you hate the Reach so much.”
“I won’t tell you anymore.” Bart said firmly, “I’m not sure how you figured out about Lian, but I won’t tell you any thing else, not yet, not until I’m sure the timeline’s changed and she’s safe.”
Kat pushed her way past Dick to stand in front of Bart, “You really loved her, didn’t you?”
Bart nodded, tears filling his eyes. “With all my heart.”
“Oh, honey.” Kat said, pulling him into her arms. “I’m so sorry.”
“Not your fault. It’s the Reach’s. I’ll stop them, for her.” Bart muttered into Kat’s shoulder.
“We both will.” Kat said, pulling him back so she could look him in the eyes, “No more secrets, okay?” He nodded, and Kat looked back to Dick, “Would you take him back to the house? I’d take him, but I need to stay with Lois.” She ruffled Bart’s hair, “Go hang out, get some rest. We’ll get them, but not tonight. It’s late.”
Dick was tempted to tell her about the message her mother had left Bruce, but he held his tongue when Kat looked sternly at Bart, “Keep this in mind, Bart. I am not okay with you making eyes at my baby when you’re twelve years older than she is. Okay?”
Bart grinned, “I’ve got a plan for that. Trust me, no pedoness here, promise.”
“I’ll hold you too that.” Kat called as they left to go to the Zeta Tubes.
The instant they left, Kat heard a voice cry, “Greetings and salutationisms, Earth champions! I am L-Ron. Majordomo to the great master, and you are my prisoners.”
The lights dimmed, and Kat sprinted back towards Lois. For her part, Lois appeared less perturbed by the sudden black out and mysterious voice than she had by the Zeta Tube travel. The screen that had held Clark’s image when Kat had entered had gone dark, “Okay, time to go.” Kat called, hoisting Lois to her feet.
“What’s going on? Did something happen to Clark?” Lois asked.
“No, I think it’s something happening to us!” Kat said, shoving Lois out of the room and back towards the Zeta Tubes.
M’gann stopped them, “The Zeta Tubes are down.”
“What is going on out there?” Kat asked.
M’gann hesitated, eyes on Lois, “We’re under attack. There’s no where for us to go. This alien wants to fight us. We have to fight him off until the rest of the League can figure out a way to get to us.”
“We can fight, she can’t.” Kat said, gesturing to Lois.
“Tell me where to hide, and I’m there.” Lois said, looking less daunted by an attack than telling Clark he was going to be a father.
M’gann mulled it over for a second, “There’s some subbasement storage, for extra uniforms and stuff, you should be safe down there from any carnage up here.”
“M’gann, take her there, make sure she’s safe. I’ll check on the others.” Kat told her, pulling her outfit on from where it had been in her bag the whole time before running in the direction of most of the ruckus.
An hour later, Kat’s bloody and bruised, just like the others. M’gann phased through the rubble with Lois in her grasp. The reporter was thankfully unharmed, but visibly pissed, “Really, Harper? You let the Hall of Justice fall on top of me?”
Kat waved a hand at her, wheezing from a punch from Despero to her ribs, leaning against Conner, who was nursing his own wounds. “Who’s she?” Conner asked gruffly.
“Lois!” Clark yelled, landing on the other side of where the force field had been, setting Batman aside and running to the reporter, embracing her.
Kat hauled herself to her feet, patting Conner’s head, “Your future sister-in-law. Enjoy.” Bruce opened his arms to her, recognizing his daughter even when she was dressed in black leather, and she half fell into him, “Please tell me you’re back for good.”
Bruce sighed, kissing the top of her head, “If we’re all found guilty, I’ll have to go back for sentencing, but they heard about your mother and Lois, and decided to send the two of us back for now. We’ll find Selina, and then we’ll prove our innocence so I don’t ever have to go again.”
“I hope so.” Kat whispered, blocking everything out, relieved that, for now, her dad was home. All they had to do was bring her mother home, and maybe everything would be okay. She knew it wouldn’t be, not for a while at least, but it couldn’t hurt to hope.
"And the worst part is, before it gets any better
We're headed for a cliff
And in the free fall I will realize that
I'm better off when I hit the bottom
The tragedy, it seems unending
I'm watching everyone I looked up to breaking, bending
We're taking shortcuts and false solutions
Just to come out the hero
Well I can see behind the curtain
The wheels are cranking turning
It's all wrong the way we're working
Towards a goal, that's non-existent, it's non-existent
But we just keep believing"
Turn It Off
By: Paramore
Alright everybody! Three chapters left! Quick polling question, does Kat tell Red that, in the future, their daughter dies, or should she keep that a secret? I haven't decided yet. And yes, Clark's back for the time being, so Lois is his problem, not Kat's. Although I'm not opposed to name suggestions for their baby for future reference!Thanks for reading and reviewing!-Jenn
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Artemis stared at her face in the mirror, pondering how terribly wrong her mission had gone. Yes, they hadn’t blown Kat’s baby to pieces, but now Kaldur was in a coma. There was something she could do to make things a little better for someone. She’d pick pocketed a cell phone off of one of Manta’s men, and sent a single set of coordinates to Dick’s phone.Taking a deep breath, she turned away from the mirror, heading back to Kaldur’s room.
----------------------
Dick looked down at his phone as it beeped, an unknown number flashing up with coordinates.Kat glared at him, “Who’s that?” He didn’t answer her, so she snatched the phone from him. Trying to be quiet as to not disturb M’gann, who was probing Green Beetle, Dick lunged at Kat.To his surprise, she didn’t move, and he had the phone from her easily. Concern took over his annoyance, “What’s wrong?”“I know those coordinates. I have to go.” Kat muttered, running from the room. She met her father in the hall, on his way to observe M’gann’s interrogation, “I think I know where she is!”Bruce ran after his daughter, listening to her theory about the coordinates someone had sent Dick. Red Claw. It made perfect sense actually, the terrorist had always been obsessed with Selina.By the time Bruce caught up with her, Kat had stripped down and was pulling on a leather suit with deep purple accents. “You went to see Maggie.”Kat nodded, “Yeah, she’s a weird one, but this thing is perfect.”Bruce turned his back to her, “I don’t suppose I have any right to tell you I’m not thrilled with you joining the family business?”Kat stilled, thinking of the Lian from the future, the girl that had died so Bart could change the future. When she answered her father, her voice was quiet. “No, you don’t. Besides, Alfred already beat you to the lecture podium. It’s in my blood after all.” An odd feeling of pride mixed with dread in her gut, “Lian’s too.”Bruce turned to look at her, not liking the distant look in her eyes, “We’ve got a location to start with now. We’ll find her.”“In what state? Red Claw is ruthless. She killed me before because Mom wasn’t doing what the Light wanted. Now that she’s been kicked out of the Light, who knows what Red Claw is doing to her.” Kat slid her utility belt around her waist and stared at her father vacantly.“We won’t know until we find her.” Bruce said, wishing the string of pearls he’d given Selina hadn’t been broken in the struggle of her kidnapping. He’d never taken the tracker off, even though he’d given up years ago on Selina. It had been nice enough to know that if she ever reached out to him, he’d be able to find her. Now, however, when she really needed him, he had no way to track her down.The coordinates led them to an abandoned warehouse, “Damnit. They’re not here.”“Look.” Bruce said brokenly.Kat followed his gaze. “Oh, God.” There was a bed covered in old, dried blood, a black dress they both recognized in a tattered puddle at the foot of it. “That’s Mom’s.” She whispered before stumbling a few steps away and vomiting. Once her stomach was empty, she spun back to her father, “She only wears that when she’s traveling. Did she tell you she was going anywhere?”“No, she didn’t.” Bruce answered honestly.Kat felt the air stir behind her, and spun around, her knife in hand, almost slicing Dick wide open, “Woah!”Kat lowered her weapon, “What the hell are you doing here?”“I’m here to help.” Dick said, looking at the ground.“You’re guilty of something, what is it?” Bruce demanded at the look on his protege’s face.“I knew she was leaving, and I knew she’d been taken.” Dick rushed out.“What?” Bruce asked, dread in his gut.Dick looked from Kat to Bruce, preparing at any moment to be gutted by either one of them as he played the damning video on his communicator. Kat attacked him as soon as it finished playing. She managed to get her knife through his suit and would have gutted him shortly after had Bruce not hauled her off the floor into his arms. “Enough, Katherine.”She went limp in her father’s grip, but if looks could kill, Dick would be dead and buried. “She could be dead by now because he sat on this. I swear to God, Dick, if my mother is dead, and you could have saved her by showing this to us when your nosey controlling ass saw it, I will kill you.”“Understood.” Dick said shortly. He picked his comm of of the floor where it had fallen when Kat attacked him. “I’ve been keeping an eye on Red Claw chatter. She’s been spotted in Metropolis as recently as last week.”Kat stormed out, and Bruce went to follow her, pausing directly in front of Dick, “You’re my son, Dick. Kat is angry, but I am livid. You betrayed me. I can’t trust you anymore.”“Bruce, wait!” Dick yelled after his mentor.Bruce turned back around, jaw set, enunciating every word with punches that ripped through Dick worse than anything he’d ever felt, “Unless you’re going to tell me where Selina is or it’s League related, I don’t want to hear it.”“I’m sorry, Bruce.” Dick said weakly.Bruce nodded, looking back at the door, “Me too. I thought family meant more to you then that. I thought I meant more.”Dick fell to his knees as Bruce left. He’d tried so hard to keep everything together, to keep the Team safe, save the world, keep Bruce and the others from being executed on another planet, and it had all ended in this. Something had to give after all. The look in Bruce’s eyes had killed him though. If they found Selina dead, Kat wouldn’t have to kill him, he’d do it himself for disappointing his father so badly.April passed in a blur.The middle of May hit an odd note. Jaime was visiting the group living in Kat and Red’s house, which wasn’t out of the ordinary at all. Had Kat not been so preoccupied with trying to find Red Claw or her mother, she might have noticed the oddities before.Lois was at her side, chattering about baby things when she found herself staring at Jaime, “Hey, Earth to Harper!”Kat jerked her attention back to her friend, “Huh? Sorry.”Lois narrowed her eyes, “Have you heard anything I’ve said?”“Yeah, mostly...” Kat said, eyes wandering back to Jaime. “Jaime, can I steal you for a second?”Jaime nodded, pausing the video game he and Bart were playing and joining her and Lois, “What’s up, Mama Kat?”Kat smiled a little, playing off the chill that had gone down her spine, “You’ve never called me Mama Kat before.”Jaime shrugged, “Bart does. Figured I’d try it out.”Kat let that slide, but put a hand out to press against his forehead. “You feeling okay, Jaime?”“Yeah.” He said, pulling back slightly. “Why do you ask?”“It’s nothing. Just thought you looked a little blue.” Kat said, mostly for Bart’s benefit. As she’d hoped, the speedster turned in his spot to lock eyes with her.“Blue?” Jaime echoed, “Don’t most people say you look green when you’re sick?”Kat laughed, “Jaime, I am not most people. Anyway, relax, just a joke!”Jaime smiled at her, and she could tell that the alien inside was deciding just how much she knew, “It’s all good, Mama Kat. Can I have a glass of milk though?”“Sure.” Kat said, back rigid as she turned it towards him to get the milk out of the fridge. When she turned back around, he hadn’t moved, and she almost sighed in relief when he took his glass and went back to an unusually subdued Bart. “You two keep it down.” Kat reminded them, “Lian’s sleeping.”Lois was giving her an odd look, “What was that all about?”Kat shrugged, voice low, “I’m not sure yet.” She gave Lois her full attention again, confident that Bart would keep both eyes on Jaime. “So, what were you asking me about?”Lois remained a distraction until Jaime went home. Bart was at her side an instant later, “Do you think...” he trailed off.“Maybe. We just need to watch him closely from now on.” Kat said, patting the young man on the shoulder.“I watch him any closer, I’ll be taking showers with him.” Bart quipped.That got a genuine smile from Kat, “That’s totally up to you, bud.”Red came home as Bart walked out with Lois, “Anything on your mom today?”Kat was just about to answer the negative when her phone rang, Dick’s number on the screen. “What, Dick-less?”“One of my contacts has tracked down Red Claw.” He said without preamble.“And my Mom?” Kat said, legs weak.“I don’t know.” Dick whispered, audibly wary of her reaction.Kat took a deep breath, “Give me the coordinates, and we’ll all meet there, okay?”“Bruce is already on his way.” Dick answered. “Kat, he’s armed to the teeth. We can’t let him kill someone. He’d never recover from that.”“I know.” Kat said softly, “See you there.”“He found her?” Red asked when she ended the call.Kat nodded, “Red Claw at least. I’ve got to go.”Red caught her up in his arms, “You’re mother is a survivor. I’m sure she’s okay. Let me come with you?”Kat shook her head, “No, one of us has to be here with Lian. I’ll be fine, and I’ll call when I know what’s going on.”“I love you.” Red whispered, kissing Kat.She offered him a smile, a quick, “Love you too”, and then she was out the door.
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Red Claw took one look at the trio, and ran, leaving them to search the compound for signs of Selina.Bruce found her, Kat close behind. Kat and Dick stayed in the doorway, too stunned by the horror filled room to move, but Bruce couldn’t move fast enough to get to Selina.Up close, Bruce’s heart ached. Selina was ten times worse than she’d been when Bruce had picked her up off the floor of her apartment all those months ago. “Selina, can you hear me?” Her eyes fluttered open, and he brushed away a bead of blood that threatened to drip into her eye. Her eyes were sightless, but he kissed her forehead. “I’ve got you.”Kat scrambled to their sides, “Hey, Mom. You’re gonna be okay. We’re right here.”A vague smile graced Selina’s face before she fell back into unconsciousness. Bruce freed her from the chains binding her to the St. Andrews Cross. Kat caught her mother, her hands much more gentle than he could ever hope his to be.Selina didn’t wake up for the next three weeks, Damian and Kat nearly always with her, only Bruce spending more time at her side in his own vigil.In that time, M’gann returned, it was revealed that Kat’s suspicions of Jaime were true, most of the Team vanished inside of the War-World, Roy had been kicked off the team and went with the Reach’s runaways before Kat could even try to pull him back, and there was a plan in production for how to save Jaime. The Wayne’s were little help though, so all of the progress was Dick’s doing.She woke while they were asleep. Damian was snuggled next to her on the bed, Bruce next to the door, and Kat was perched in the chair next to the bed. Selina didn’t make a noise, too afraid it was a dream.It wasn’t. She took a shaky hand and brushed strands of Damian’s hair out of his face, marveling at how much he looked like Bruce. Her touch woke him, and the eyes that blinked up at her were her own. All she’d been able to do while she was being tortured was to think about all the things she’d done wrong. Her treatment of Damian had been one of her deepest regrets. He smiled tentatively at her though, and leaned into her touch, closing his eyes again. They jerked open a few seconds later, “You’re awake!”Bruce and Kat were alert in an instant, their identical blue eyes on the bed. Selina tried to shush them, but couldn’t seem to make any noise. “Mom, you’re okay, but don’t try to talk for a while. Alright?” Kat asked gently. Selina nodded, remembering all the ways her throat could have been injured in the last weeks. She shivered, the urge to cry overwhelming. Something about having her children and Bruce so near kept the tears from spilling over though. She looked down at her arms, not surprised by the marks all over them, but rather surprised with how well they’d healed. “M’gann came to visit and brought some Martian herb from her uncle’s garden known for it’s healing properties.” Kat explained, “Things are looking up for the League right now. I mean things are still shitty and all messed up with aliens, but they’ve been able to function with us here and Red on baby duty.”When Selina tried to ask about Lian, she finally realized that she had a tube jammed down her throat. Bruce put a hand on the side of her face, his eyes full of all the love she’d always tried to ignore as he told her, “You’ve been unconscious for weeks. They had to put a breathing tube in to make sure you didn’t just stop breathing. We’ll go get someone to come take it out.” He glanced at their daughter, and she nodded, leaving her seat hurriedly. Outside the room, Kat’s phone rang. “Bart? What’s wrong? How’d it go?”“He’s off-mode.” Bart said, and she could hear the smile on his face.Jaime’s voice came from the back ground, “Hey, Kat.”Kat dissolved into tears. Her mother was awake, and now Jaime was saved. “Thank God.”She pulled herself together, and threw herself back into caring for her family and providing Dick with more help. Her mother improved far faster than a normal person would have, was home at the Manor in days, up walking around in three, and mothering over Damian and Tim before Friday came. She was still weak, and the scars on her body would stay there for the rest of her life, but she was mostly herself again, only much less bitter. Kat loved this version of her mother, and could only wonder how different things would have been had her mother always been that way. Isis recovered as well, resuming post as Selina’s bodyguard, and curling between her and Bruce when the woman would wake screaming in the middle of the night because of nightmares that would plague her for at least the next three years.Kat was happy though. A week and a half after her mother woke up, Aqualad rejoined the Team, and her father and the others were declared innocent.The same day though, was the beginning of the end. “We’ve got to split up.” Dick said, knowing they were stretched thin. “Blue Beetle, there’s possibly one in the Arctic, but we can’t find it from here. You need to go there and find it so we can disable it.”“I’ll go with him.” Kat offered.Red shot her a look, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”Kat sighed, “Red, he’s back. It’s Jaime in charge now, not the Reach technology. He won’t hurt me, and he’ll have a better chance fighting off anything we run into while I’m looking for the Magnetic Field Disruptor.”“Solid plan, we need to get a move on.” Damian urged. Dick nodded, and the remaining heroes split up.“You’re sure there’s something up here?” Kat said later, looking around at the frozen scene, glad her suit was doing a fair job of keeping her warm.Jaime nodded, “The other locations were all in geographically vulnerable locations, following that pattern, there’s either one here or at the other pole. Beetle and I flipped a mental coin as to which one to investigate first.”“Looks like you picked the right side of the coin.” Kat said, pointing to a swarm of the Reach drones. “Let’s get cracking, Blue!”They fought their way to the Disruptor, but it was too late, “It’s gone...”“Chrysalis.” Jaime finished. He was silent for a moment, “Lex Luthor thinks there might be a way the Flashes can siphon off the energy with a massive amount of kinetic energy. They’re on their way. Red and the rest are heading here too, but there’s been a drone convergence, they’ll clear a path for the Flashes. Until they get here, we just have to keep drones away from here.”He looked her over, “You’re bleeding.”Unconsciously her hand went to her stomach, where one of the drones had slashed her, cutting through the material of her suit, “It’s just a scratch.”“Doesn’t look like a scratch.” Jaime said skeptically, although Blue Beetle helpfully informed him that the wound wasn’t anywhere near fatal, as long as she got it looked at.“I’m fine, Jaime.” Kat said absently.“Fine.” Outvoted two to one, Jaime shut up in favor of listening to the comms and Blue Beetle strategize in their head.Kat just couldn’t stop staring at the Disruptor. There’s nothing they could do to stop it. Even if the Flash arrive in time, there’s no guarantee that they will be able to stop it. This is it. She pulled her eyes away and glanced at the blue egg in Jaime’s hand. “Give it to me.” Kat ordered, holding her hand out.She didn’t need to see his face to know he was confused by her request. He gave it to her anyway, “It won’t work.”“It might.” Kat says firmly, holding the device in her hands, a plan sluggishly forming in her tired head. “Blue Beetle said my regeneration has the appearance of utilizing kinetic energy, right? It might be enough to transfer and link these two, right?”Jaime nodded, slowly before recoiling in horror, “Kat, no!”Kat reached towards him, placing a kiss on his covered forehead, “It’s okay. Be good, Jaime. Look after my brother and my little one, will you? Especially Lian. If she’s anything like me, she’ll need her Uncle Jaime to keep her out of trouble.” She stepped away, staring into his yellow eyes, tears filling her own as she addressed the alien in front of her, “Blue Beetle, don’t let him stop me. He didn’t see what I was doing. We didn’t get to it together. Don’t let them blame him for what I’m about to do.” She wiped her eyes and pat his shoulder gently, pulling away as a battle began inside the blue suit.Shaking, she strode towards the machine, not noticing that her brother had stumbled onto the scene. Blue egg in her right hand, she edged closer, the winds pulling at her suit and hair. Kat closed her eyes as the egg made contact with the Magnetic Field Disruptor. For an instant, nothing changed. Kat opened her left eye slightly to look at the machine, and saw the moment it faltered, a sharp sting going up her arm.After that, there was an instant of searing pain all over the right side of her body.Then...nothing.
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A Place Called Home
By: Kim Richey"It's not hard to see anyone who looks at me
Knows I am just a rolling stone
Never landed any place to call my own
To call my ownWell it seems like so long ago
But it really ain't you know, I started off a crazy kid
Miracle I made it though the things I did
The things I didSome day I'll go where there ain't no rain or snow
Till then I'll travel alone
And I'll make my bed with the stars above my head
And dream of a place called home"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
I am so sorry for the coming angst, but this has been in the works for a while now!
Say Something:
The sounds of the storms faded, but just as they did so, a loud boom echoed across the bare space, and a horrified yell filled the air, "Kat!"Eyes turned to see Damian kneeling next to a still figure an instant before he scrambled up and stumbled away with a sharp cry. Red took to that direction at a run, shucking gear as he went.Red fell to Kat's side, "Baby? Baby, look at me. Look at me! Damn it!" He shook her, hard, anger coursing through him. "Kat, you can't do this to me. Open your eyes!""Red-" Bruce starts from behind him, but he wheeled around."Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Red yelled at his father-in-law, knowing that his temper would upset Kat, but not caring. He'd apologize later. She lay in his arms, still, and eerily quiet. It wasn't like Kat to be so quiet. Red raised a shaking hand to her face, the unmarred side, "Hey, baby, you can stop fooling around. It's over. We won. You can get up." Behind him, he heard Jaime speaking to the others.Kat said nothing. She did not move. He felt tears fill his eyes, but blinked them away. "Kat, we've got to go get Lian. We've both been away so much, I know she misses us. She misses you." Red trailed a shaking hand over the warm damaged skin on the right side of her face, "We'll get you fixed up. You'll be fine."She didn't respond.He laughed shortly, "Come on, say something!" Unwillingly, his chest started heaving in panic, "Kat, damnit. Say something! You don't get to leave me!" A sob burst out from him, "Say something!" Red felt hands on his shoulders, and looked up. Bart.Bart's own eyes were glistening with tears, "Come here, man. You need to put her down.""Why?" Red asked, tightening his grip on his wife, "She's just unconscious. She'll wake up. She's done it before. I need to be here."Bart sank to his knees, "No, Red. She's not waking up. Not this time. Look at her."And Red did. He wished he hadn't, wished he'd stayed in his hysteria a while longer. At least there, she still felt alive.She wasn't.Katherine Harper wasn't alive.Not anymore.Half her face was burned, her right eye seared shut, the unburned portion of her lips tinged blue, her left eye was open, staring up at him blankly, there was a slashing wound on her stomach, her left leg had been cut to the bone, other cuts and burns littered her body, visible past the remnants of her suit, and her spine was very obviously broken.He was holding a corpse. A corpse he loved. Red jerked her to his chest, cradling her head against his heart, "No. No. No! God, Kat, say something. Don't be dead. You can't be dead. I can't do this alone!"He howled in pain, and felt fingers pry his off of her. "Pull yourself together. She's gone." He heard Bruce order.Red lunged towards the man, his blood slicked hands around the older man's throat in an instant. He stared into clear eyes. "How can you say that? How can you act like she didn't matter to you? She's your daughter for God's sake, and she's dead! Dead, Bruce! Dead! Kat is dead!"It hit them both at the same time. Red's grip loosened, and they both stared heartbrokenly at each other. Red heard a yell. "Let me through, let me through! She's my daughter! Why is no one helping her! Katherine!"Bruce pulled himself away from Red and grabbed Selina before she could get any closer. He held the mother of his children tight to his chest, ignoring how she yelled and clawed at him with her still weak limbs. She had come a long way since her abuse at the hands of Red Claw, but she didn't need to see their daughter like that, "Selina, Selina, stop. You can't help her." His voice quivered, "She's dead. Our daughter is dead." The sound that came from the woman was one that no one would ever be able to forget. She screamed, howled, her heart audibly breaking. Bruce held her closer, burying his face in her hair to hide his own tears, "I'm so sorry, Selina. I'm so so sorry. I should have protected her. She's dead. Our girl is gone."Red looked away, kneeling next to Kat again. He closed her left eye gently, kissing the unblemished skin there before kissing her lips one last time. He sat up straight, holding her mostly undamaged hand in his, staring at the band of metal on her ring finger. "What am I gonna do without you?"He burst into tears then, uncontrollably, rivaling Selina in her grief. Together their cries of agony filled the still air, the surrounding Leaguers still too stunned to make a noise. He felt Bart's hands on him again, but this time the younger man pulled him into an embrace. "I've got you. Let it out."Red did, head against Bart's shoulder, the speedster holding him tightly, he cried and screamed. He felt more arms on him and opened his eyes to a flash of metal crossing in front of his chest. Roy.In the future Red would remember that moment as the one he gained a brother. The trio stayed next to Kat even as Selina's cries turned to hoarse wails and Bruce fell to his knees with her in his arms. Artemis sobbed into Wally's shoulder, M'gann into Conner'sSomeone, Red thought it might have been Artemis, managed to get them all onto the Bio-ship. Red registered Superboy being comforted by M'gann just before they got back to the Watchtower.Back to Lian.The toddler was squalling in a confused Black Canary's arms, "She started this when I took her from Wolf."Bart took a sharp breath at Red's side, "Her power. It's emerged."Red gazed sluggishly at the younger man, "Her power?"Bart nodded, grimacing, "They called her Visage, not because she was the last, but because she seemed to be a telepath. She's not. Lian's an empath. You saw what happened, you touched her, and you sent your emotions right into her.""I don't understand." Red said rubbing a hand against his face.Bart felt sick, "She can tell what we're feeling, Red, but she's a baby. She doesn't understand grief. We're upset, so she's upset, but she doesn't understand why. It's not good for her." Lian howled, and Bart held his gloved hands out to Black Canary, "Let me hold her, you're upsetting her. She's too young to push your emotion back.""Push it back?" Red echoed.Bart nodded again, straightening his gloves, "When she grows up, she'll be able to control her power, keep others emotions out of her head when she doesn't want to know." The instant Lian was in Bart's arms, she stopped crying, but stared at him in confusion, hiccuping a few times, blue eyes wide. Bart forced a smile, "Hey, Princess. I know it's scary right now, but you're going to be okay." He slipped a glove off and touched a single finger to her anxiety reddened face. Her confused expression faded into a smile, and she giggled at him."What did you do?" Red demanded.Bart sat her on the sofa gently, "I reminded her that she's loved, that she's safe here. That's all she needs to know right now. I learned how to channel my emotions with a much older Lian who could tell me what she was getting. No one should touch her bare skin for a while unless we want her freaking out again. She doesn't need to have those feelings in her head." He looked at Red, "She deserves to be a kid, that shouldn't change." He gave the toddler a smile, full of so much more than he was saying.Red picked his daughter up, thankful someone had pulled a jacket on him, "I'm right here, Li. I won't leave you. We'll be okay." Lian clung to him, and he stayed for hours holding her, staring into her eyes.Artemis and Wally found him what had to have been three days later. "Hey, my mom sent some food. You hungry?""No." Red answered hollowly. He'd been sneaking into the kitchen, avoiding everyone, but he'd only done so to grab bottles and formula for Lian. He hadn't eaten since the morning of the day Kat died.Artemis scowled, "You have to be. Red, you've got to eat. It's been days.""I'm not hungry." Red said firmly.Artemis surged forward and snatched Lian off the bed, "Come on, Red. You can't keep Lian in here anyway, it's not good for her."Lian did seem thrilled to be held by someone other than him, so Red trailed after Artemis. Looking at Lian broke his heart. She looked so happy in Artemis' grip, but that was just because she was too young to realize the hole that would be there her entire life. Lian was never going to have her mother."I wasted five years." Red mumbled to himself at the table Artemis had sat him at."What?" The blonde asked.Red looked up at her blankly, "With the drugs, I wasted five years with Kat. I took her for granted, and now she's gone."Artemis and Wally shared pained looks, and the woman rubbed Red's shoulder comfortingly, "Yeah, you did, but you can't check out now. None of us want to have to explain to a five year old Lian that her daddy can't go outside and play because he's hooked up to a feeding tube or shooting up drugs. You've got to hang in there for Lian. You're all she has now.""No, I'm not." Red protested, "She's got Selina and Bruce. They'd be good for her. More stable than I am. They're grieving like normal people, and all I want to do is jab a needle in my arm to make it all go away.""You can't abandon her." Red looked up to see Bart had joined them. "I've already lived through a time where Lian has no parents, I won't do it again. Without you, she'll be hardened, even cruel sometimes. Lian's power, it's a gift, but she didn't always see it that way. She didn't have anyone to tell her it was okay to feel, so she tried her best not to feel anything at all. Lian needs her father." Bart put a box of Wheeties down in front of him, "She needs you."The two stared at each other for an eternity until Red reached out and picked up the box, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. From then on, he ate his meals with others in the Watchtower and even socialized, but he kept clear of Kat's family.That lasted until the day before Kat's funeral.Selina met him at the door of his bedroom. She was still severely underweight, but the cuts on her arms were healing nicely, so he supposed that meant something for the lacerations that were all over the rest of her body. "Red." She said softly."Selina." Red echoed back.She reached up and touched his cheek, "My poor boy." She opened her arms, "Come here." Lian in his arms, he didn't really hug Selina, but she really squeezed him, "We're gonna be okay."Red scoffed softly, "Really?"Selina nodded, "Really, Red. Because Kat would want us to be. We're gonna get through life because that's what Kat would have wanted. She wouldn't want us to spend the rest of our lives being miserable, and she wouldn't want her daughter to grow up without her father.""I know." Red answered, finally believing the words.They buried Kat, in a beautiful closed casket service. Lian stayed in her grandmother's arms through the whole thing, Red staying with the casket until the very last moments, Roy at his side acting as a bodyguard. Lois sobbed noiselessly into Clark's shirt, one hand clutched against her very rounded stomach, and the alien held back the tears he wanted to shed to be strong for her. Bruce did the same for Selina. In the end, they all cried.Artemis' mother was at the service. Red was standing near Selina while Bruce forced himself through a conversation with the rabid media. Selina stared at her long time friend, and Paula wiped tears off her face, "Hello, old friend.""Paula." Selina said brokenly. Paula opened her arms, and Selina collapsed into them, "My baby girl is gone."Paula rubbed her back comfortingly, "I know, Selina. I'm so sorry. I know how you're feeling, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. You didn't deserve all of this.""She didn't deserve it." Selina gasped out."We didn't deserve her." Paula postulated, "She was so brave. That's all we can ever ask of our children in this world, is that they're brave. Braver than we were.""Will you help me?" Selina asked softly, "I was never the mother she deserved. I don't want to keep being a disappointment. You changed. Bruce doesn't understand, I need help."Paula pushed Selina to her feet, brushing off the woman's black dress, "I'll be here whenever you need me."After the public funeral, the few closest to Kat went back to the house she and Red had shared, Paula included. Lex Luthor sent flowers that someone, Red thought it might have been Conner, dumped in the garbage shortly after their arrival.Damian wasn't at the house though. He'd seen Kat get too close, and hadn't stopped her. Days before the funeral, Red had pinned him to a wall and told him in no uncertain terms was he to be there, or ever attempt contact him and Lian again.If Bruce and Selina wanted to see their son, Red wouldn't stop them, but he didn't want the damned kid anywhere near his daughter. Not knowing that Blue Beetle had been the one that failed to stop his sister, Damian took on the guilt, packing his things from the Watchtower and house before they even returned from the funeral. He spent the night in one of his mother's apartments before moving on. Damian settled into life as a drifter, only showing up at the Manor to visit his mother a handful times a year. On those nights, Red and Lian would spend the night in Starling City with Ollie and Laurel. Damian never caught a glimpse of his niece. The rest of the time, Damian would call Selina and Bruce when he was in town, and they would meet up somewhere. Red was grateful for it.Lian wouldn't stand for that though.By the time she was twelve, she was actively tracking his movements behind her father's back. Her grandmother helped of course. Selina may have turned over a new leaf, but she would always nurture her granddaughter's rebellious streak. The little redhead was such a good girl anyway, so terribly much like her mother.Lian was crafty though, and so very very clever. Selina was rather proud of that trait. Bruce begged her not to interfere, that Red had made his choice as Lian's father, and they had to respect that. Selina only listened to him when she felt like it though. She did respect Red though, so she never told Lian when Damian was coming into town, not directly at least.Lian was very very clever after all.
"Say something, I'm giving up on you
I'll be the one, if you want me to
Anywhere, I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I am feeling so small
It was over my head
I know nothing at all
And I will stumble and fall
I'm still learning to love
Just starting to crawl
Say something, I'm giving up on you
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you
Anywhere, I would've followed you
Say something, I'm giving up on you
And I will swallow my pride
You're the one that I love
And I'm saying goodbye"
Say SomethingBy: A Great Big WorldThe last two chapters are completely done. I'll put them up time and comment willing! Let me know what you guys think!-Jenn
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Cinderella:
Lian was thirteen when she snuck out of the Mansion in the middle of the night and found him. Damian hadn't seen the girl since she'd been an infant, but the teenager in front of him was unmistakable. Fire red hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders, and she stared him down with crystal blue eyes. "Damian?" He nodded slowly, putting his weapon down. She'd startled him, and if it hadn't been for her eyes, he'd have killed her. Lian gave him a sweet, yet nervous, smile, "I'm Lian Harper, your niece.""I know." He said softly, his voice breaking. He couldn't believe it. He'd respected Red's wishes, his own guilt about Kat's death making him feel like he deserved to miss out on Lian's life, like he deserved to float through the world alone doing good to try to make it outweigh the bad.Lian sat cross-legged in front of him. "You look like my grandpa.""You look like your mother." He told her.She smiled, looking down at her hands, "You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself.""What?"Lian looked up, and looked a whole lot more lethal. "I'm an empath. You're a blood relative. For the last thirteen years of my life, you've been a constant thrumming in the back of my head. You were there all the time when I was a baby, and then you were gone. My power reached out and never came back. I still need touch to get specific readings, but not with you." She smiled again, shrugging, "Basically, you're my uncle, and I miss you. I know my father told you to stay away, but that wasn't my decision. I want to kick him every time my grandparents talk about running into you.""He's your dad. He's only doing what's best for you. And he's right, you don't need to be around me." Damian said firmly, standing and packing up his gear.Lian clapped a hand on the bare skin of his arm and he froze, overwhelmed by a tide of loneliness and grief. She stepped back, looking uneasy, "Please, don't push me away. I want to get to know you. I want to get to know my mother's baby brother. She loved you, and I want to know why.""How do you know?""That she loved you?" He nodded, and Lian pulled a worn journal from the bag on her shoulder. Lian opened the book, holding a page open to show him a picture of him and Kat he'd forgotten had been taken, "I found Mom's diary a few months ago, there's a whole chapter about you. Do you still like Chinese food?"Damian laughed in disbelief, sitting next to her again. "Yeah, yeah I do."From that night, Damian would make an effort to go to Gotham anytime he was near, and she would always find him. Sometimes they'd even go get Chinese food.Alone for a change, sixteen year old Lian wandered around the Watchtower, tugging idly on a red curl. She walked past room after room until her surroundings became less familiar. She knew she should stop, go back to where her Grandmother was supposed to meet her, but she just couldn't help herself. Usually, when she was on the Watchtower, her Dad, grandparents, or one of her various pseudo aunts and uncles were with her. There was a new alien threatening Earth though, so just as she'd arrived to be tutored in Martian law by M'gann, the majority of the present League members had filtered out. Those who stayed never noticed the redhead slip out of the main room. There was a reason she was a step away from taking up a Super-Hero identity.Lian let her empathy guide her, unfurling her power more than usual so she could avoid the few strays in the Tower, reaching for the someone in the back of her head she knew she had to find. Her father called this particular tendency of hers her "treasure map". She'd been finding lost League members this way since she was five. She could do it intentionally, but sometimes, someone would ring through into her head, spiking a compulsion to search for him or her. It worked best with family, those she was close to, but this person wasn't anyone she could place. Like her Uncle Damian's signal had been at first, this one was distant, unfamiliar, but no less compelling.There was a lock on the door, but it didn't take her long to hack it using her cellphone and an algorithm she and her Uncle Damian had come up with the week before when they'd had lunch aside the Rhine in Switzerland. The door clicked open, and she couldn't help the smile that bloomed on her face. "Can't wait to tell him that worked!"Her smile faded into an expression of pure awe at the room in front of her. It was a bedroom, just like all the others, but it's contents were extraordinary.The room looked like it hadn't been touched in years, but there was no dust. Not even on the time machine in the center of the room. She was more a computer programming genius, but even she could appreciate a beautiful piece of mechanical art. Her father would throw a fit when he found out what she'd been up to, but Lian couldn't resist taking a look inside the machine.There were two seats, and what she found under the front seat chilled her to the bone. It was a journal, with contents not unlike ones she'd been given on her tenth birthday from her father, filled with letters from her mother. This one though, had more writing, more from her mother, with dates past the day her mother had died, and the addition of letters in her own hand. Startled, Lian dropped the book, and when she picked it up again, it was open to the last page, where a letter written to her from her lay.Sitting outside the time machine, Lian read with her heart in her throat, suddenly realizing where the hum was coming from. Behind the time machine was a cryotube. Drawn by that same invisible force, she put a hand on the glass, wiping away the water that had condensed there. Bart Allen lay behind the glass, eyes closed, looking more peaceful than anyone she'd seen in a cryotube before.Palm against the glass, she leaned closer, analyzing every line of the man's face, mesmerized at the fact that at some point, some version of her had loved him beyond belief. She could believe it though. Time-Traveler Bart Allen had always captured her attention in history classes and League files alike. "Guess I know now why Dad never liked me talking about him." Lian muttered to herself.The computer next to the cryotube roared to life at her voice, "Recognized: Lian Harper. Exit protocols: Overridden."The seal on the tube broke, and beyond ice cold fog spilled out. Lian had a second to react before a tall body fell out and into her arms. Surprised, she stumbled under the sudden weight, lowering him to the floor and rolling him onto his back. "Don't be dead. Oh, please, don't be dead. That would suck."He was breathing though, and, eyes still closed, reacted to her voice, whispering, "Lian."Lian cradled his head in her lap awkwardly, wondering if she should go get help, "Uh, hey, Bart."Eyes opening slowly, he smiled up at the girl, who looked a few years older than the Lian from his past, "Look at you, all grown up.""Look at you, not dead." She quipped, trying to remember all she could about the Speedster in her own time and reconcile it with what FutureLian had written. "You're naked." She said suddenly, realizing she could see a lot more skin than she should.Bart looked down, flushed brilliantly, and sat up quickly so he could cover himself from her view with his leg, "So I am. Sorry."Lian laughed, and it was just how he remembered it, "It's okay. I'm not the fragile flower everyone thinks I am."He stared at her, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, "No, you're not, are you?" She leaned forward, stunning him by planting a kiss on his lips. "What the hell was that?" Bart asked slowly when she pulled away.Lian grinned slyly, "That was a kiss, and don't tell me you didn't enjoy it, because I know you did." The grin faltered and she shrugged, "I was just testing what this old journal said.""That damned thing." Bart cursed when he saw the journal again. It had gotten him in so much trouble over the years. He paused, "You know there's other ways you could have read me. I am naked after all." She glared, and he rephrased, blushing again, "I meant you could have grabbed an arm!"Lian nodded slowly, "Sure that's what you meant.""Oh God, I'm making a fool of myself." Bart murmured, using his speed to run across the room to grab a towel.Of course, he stumbled and spilled awkwardly onto the floor. Lian stood, grabbed the towel for him, laying it over his ass, and kneeled next to his head, "I'm not for sure, but I think after being frozen for so long, you should take things a little more slow speed.""Got it." Bart mumbled into the floor, embarrassed beyond belief. Of course Lian would find him before the time he'd set would go off. How would his luck work any differently?Lian threw something at him, "Here, put those on before you embarrass yourself even more."Bart did an awkward rendition of 'The Worm' as he wiggled the boxers she'd thrown at him on while staying under his new towel friend. "Thanks.""Don't mention it." Lian muttered, looking away from him as he finally stood."Did I scare you?" Bart asked, unconsciously stepping towards her.Lian shook her head, her riotous red hair bouncing around her face, "No. Not scared per-say. When you've lived with Tim for as long as I have, you kind of get used to people jumping out at you.""Tim?""Yeah, Tim Drake. He's still jumping out of nowhere at all of us. You think for someone pushing thirty, he'd slow down a little." Lian huffed a shallow laugh. "Not that anyone at home slows down. Hell, my dad is still going on missions. Grandpa too on a good day.""Your dad, is he okay?" Bart asked carefully.Lian nodded, smiling again, "Yeah, he's pretty good. You guys knew each other, right? I'm sure he'll be glad to see you.""He'll probably want to kill me." Bart told her honestly."Why?" She asked, though she already knew the answer, turning her back to him and staring blankly at the time machine. That kiss had told her more than she'd bargained."Because I have every intention of having you fall in love with me." Bart said darkly, standing right behind her.Lian reached back, taking his hand in one of hers, blue eyes still fixed on the machine he'd made, "I'd like to see you try."Bart chuckled, stepping to stand next to her, relishing in the feel of her hand in his again, "I plan on it, Princess."Lian glared at him, and proved to him that she was the same girl as she retorted, "I'm no one's princess, you gearhead."Four years after their initial reunion, Lian showed up to meet Damian with a speedster in tow. "Man, you got older. That's crash." Bart exclaimed before hugging his old friend.Damian eyed the younger pair closely, Lian's hand lingered on Bart's, "You two dating?"Seventeen year old Lian nodded happily, "Yeah, he's been out for six months now."Bart groaned, "Li, when you say it like that it makes it sound like I was in prison, not like I froze myself in a cryotube when I was eighteen."Lian hugged her uncle, "He's a mess, but I wanted you to know we were officially dating first."Damian chuckled, "You haven't told Red yet?""No, not yet. Bart's being a baby about it, but we're going there now." Lian answered, falling back to loop her arm in Bart's."I'm just hoping no one kills me." Bart said, looking nervous.Damian smiled at the young pair, "I think they'll all be fine. Secretly the League is thrilled when the whole superpower thing is kept in-house."He was right, most of the League members that were present when the pair made their announcement were pleased. Her father and grandfather however, were not, and even her grandfather's laboratory created son, Terry, voiced his opinion. "You have got to be kidding me!"Lian launched at her uncle, who was a year younger than she was, "Shut up, McGinnis!"The two scuffled while Bruce and Red stared the speedster down. "Hurt her, and we'll kill you." Bruce said stiffly.Selina Wayne sighed at his side, "Honey, give it a rest. She's not a little girl anymore, she can make her own decisions." She pat her husband on the arm and approached her granddaughter and stepson, "Lian, Terry, cut that out." They continued to tumble around, ignoring her. Selina arched one eyebrow, voice no longer indulgent, "Terry, it's time for you to go home. Your mother just called."The uncle-niece duo flopped apart from each other, both heaving in exertion and laughter. Terry poked Lian in the ribs, "Let me know and I'll beat him up for you."Lian rolled her eyes, "Really, Terrence? Not sure you could take him on just yet. You can barely handle me. He may have been a popsicle for eleven years, but Bart's got more experience than you've got in your pinky."Bart held a hand out to Lian, and pulled her to her feet. "I wouldn't beat him up. You've got the corner on that market, Li."Lian eyed her young uncle, "You're right, I do."Terry, who had been a member of the Bat-family since his arrest at fourteen, and the stint in juvie that had pinged his DNA on Dick's computer, sulked over to Selina. His stepmother cooed to him, "Oh, Terry, don't let her bully you like that."Terry hugged the woman, who'd treated him like her own since they'd met. "I'll try."Bruce snorted, leaning on his cane, his knee throbbing as much as his head was, and Selina glared at him, "Hush you."A similar exchange occurred six months later when Lian came home with a ring on her left hand. "What is that?" Her father asked, cleaning an arrow.Lian smiled incoherently, "Bart proposed. I said yes."Red frowned, "Lian, you've hardly known him a year." He'd known Bart had been planning to ask her, but he'd thought that the speedster was going to wait a little longer.The smile quickly turned into a frown, "That's long enough to know.""Know what?" Red asked."That he's my soulmate." She replied simply."So you're going to marry him? You're so young, what if there's someone else?" Red protested, tenderly brushing her hair away from her face.Lian stared up at him, determined, "You married Mom soon after you met her. Besides, what are the odds that my alternate timeline self and I would both fall in love with him? All she wrote to me was to give him a chance. I did, and I've fallen harder than I could've imagined." She could tell he wasn't wholly convinced, but he was wavering. So she softened her voice, touching his arm, filtering her emotions to him to relay her sincerity, "You and Mom taught me never to waste a minute of life. I don't want to end up like my grandparents either, married after their two kids are grown, one dead, because they couldn't both pull it together. I love Bart, and I want you to respect that."Red sighed, pouring himself a finger of whiskey, "Oh, Li, no father is going to respect the boy stealing his little girl."Lian kissed her father's cheek, pushing the filled glass back onto the counter top. "He's not stealing me, Daddy. I'll always be right here. Or at least in some wing of the manor. There is that whole thing about Bart not having money after all. Anyway, we won't get married until after I graduate, which, if I don't go study for my Political Science test, will be a very long time from now."Red grabbed her hand before she could escape, "Hold up. One dance to calm down your old man?"Lian smiled lovingly at her father, "You're not old. Alfred's old, you are not."He turned the radio on, and pulled his little girl into his arms, chin on the top of her fiery red head, "I love you."Lian nestled against his chest as they swayed to the music, "I love you too, Daddy.""Don't forget that." Red murmured, squeezing her shoulders, remembering all the other times they'd danced together over the years. He'd never take for granted the wonderful relationship they had with one another. She'd always been a 'Daddy's Girl' after all.The only thing he ever regretted was Kat's absence. She was a festering wound in his chest every time he was with Lian, because she should have been there. He shouldn't be waiting on the day he's old enough to let go without it devastating their daughter, just because he wanted to see Kat again. Even so, he sometimes felt her near, and could close his eyes and imagine that she was standing in a doorway, watching them dance with a proud smile on her face. Nevertheless, sometimes Lian would look at him and she'd look just like her mother, and that somehow made it all just a little easier to bear."I'm happy if you're happy, Pumpkin head." He whispered to her.Lian looked up at him with her mother's crystal blue eyes, "Oh, Daddy, I am happy. Deliriously happy.""She spins and she swaysTo whatever song playsWithout a care in the worldAnd I'm sitting here wearingThe weight of the world on my shouldersIt's been a long dayAnd there's still work to doShe's pulling at meSaying "Dad, I need you.""There's a ball at the castleAnd I've been invitedAnd I need to practice my dancingOh, please, Daddy, please?"So I will dance with CinderellaWhile she is here in my arms'Cause I know something the prince never knewOh, I will dance with CinderellaI don't want to miss even one song'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnightAnd she'll be gone..."CinderellaBy: Steven Curtis ChapmanOne chapter left folks! Hope you guys liked this one! I really liked writing the Lian/Bart scene, and hope you enjoyed it too. Not sure when the last one will be up, but chances are the more reviews, the sooner!-Jenn
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Here it is, everybody! The last chapter of Red Mirror! I want to thank every one of you for all the comments, bookmarks, and for hanging in with me through my bouts of writers block and school delays.So, without further ado, I cordially invite you all to the wedding of Lian Harper and Bart Allen!
Come To Me:
Red watched Lian walk towards him. "You look so beautiful."Lian bit her lip to keep her tears at bay, "Thanks, Daddy. You look handsome."Red pulled his daughter into his arms, "I wish your mother was here to see you."Lian smiled, her chin shaking, "She is, Daddy. I know she is. She's always with me.""She would be so proud of you." Red said, wondering where his little girl had gone. Seeing her in her wedding dress, from the snow white gown to the tiny weaving of diamonds in her hair like little tree branches brushed with snow, was incredible.Selina came forward, brushing Red to the side, "Come here, sweetheart, let me get a good look at you." Lian and her grandmother locked eyes, both glistening with tears, but for the first time in her life, Lian didn't feel like an ugly duckling compared to her ever radiant grandmother. It was an incredible realization. Selina squeezed her tightly, "You are so gorgeous. You couldn't have found a better suited dress.""Aren't you going to insult my boyish figure?" Lian asked, a wry smile on her face.Selina laughed, "Oh, sweetheart. You haven't had a boyish figure in a long time, Lian, and in this dress, you look like a woman. I couldn't be more proud."Bruce cleared his throat, smoothing his hair, "We need to get started before Bart faints."Lian laughed, hugging her grandmother again, "He'd do that, wouldn't he? My idiot."Red held his elbow out to her, "You ready?"Lian nodded, taking a deep breath, "I've never been more ready for anything in my life."Bruce grunted, Selina taking his arm, "You're eighteen. Couldn't this have waited?"Selina chortled, leading him to where they were supposed to enter the chapel, "You're just jealous. It took me twenty years to marry your sorry ass after all."Lian watched them go, a smile on her face, hoping that down the road, she and Bart would be like that. Her father squeezed her hand, "Let's go, Pumpkin head.""I'm ready." Lian said resolutely.Red put on a smile, knowing she could sense his grief, "Save me a dance?"Lian nodded, "Always, Daddy. You don't need to ask. Ever."He chuckled, heart soaring in pride and love, "I'm glad."And when they walked through the curtains, and were surrounded by their family and friends, Lian had never been happier. And looking straight ahead, where Bart was standing, his tie crooked, Lian put the past behind her. She would move Heaven and Earth for him, and nothing else mattered. Bart's goofy smile greeted her at the end of the aisle, and she didn't even hear her father give her away, she was so focused on him. "Took you long enough, Li."Lian laughed, tears dripping from her eyes, "Sorry, I had to take a little time to catch up." She could hear her father and grandfather grumble in near unison at her words, but Lian wasn't about to let them upset her on her wedding day. Fortunately for her, Selina subtly pinched both of them, glaring hard when they turned to look at her in indignation.Bart's grin widened, reaching out to gently brush tears from her face, "I'd wait for you forever." And he would. She might not be exactly the same girl he'd had at the end of the world, but she was everything to him. He was hers, hopelessly and eternally.Her Uncle Clark had been wrangled into performing the ceremony, and even he had a difficult time not rolling his eyes at the couple's exchange. He went through the motions, and, like Red and Bruce, had to fiercely tamp down his instinct to swat Bart away when they kissed. When they parted, Bart let out a loud, "Woohoo!" Lian laughed, rolling her eyes and grabbing him in another kiss, sharing with him all the love she was feeling.Looking at her smiling face, Bart couldn't regret anything. He'd kept himself alive to have a shot at being with her in the beginning, and then he'd had himself frozen cryogenically so he wouldn't be creepily older than she was. Sure, his personal timeline was one giant maze, but physically, he was barely two years older than Lian was. He got the distinct impression that that was the only reason Red and Bruce hadn't killed him when he'd come to ask their permission to marry Lian in the first place. Bruce had said no. Red had given him a hard time and only agreed if he was sure he could make Lian happy. Selina had barged in and overridden Bruce's vote. A few weeks later, he'd tracked down Damian and asked him. Damian had stared at him with dead eyes and nodded, slinking away into the shadows.No one really talked about Damian, Lian's father refused to acknowledge he existed, but she didn't miss the sight of him in the back of the crowd. Like his father, he was strikingly handsome, and stood out in a crowd even if he didn't want to.He'd moved with them all to the reception room. It was difficult as the bride, but easy for someone with her training to make her way to him, "You came." She whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder. She'd hoped he would, sent invitations to everyplace she could think to find him at, their favorite Chinese place included, despite being discouraged by Bart at every turn out of fear that her father would try to kill him.Damian nodded, pulling his niece into a tight hug, "I wouldn't miss it.""You were leaving." Lian commented, spotting the exit feet from them."Didn't want to upset things." He said nervously, obviously meaning her father.Lian let out a hiss of annoyance, "It's been seventeen years! Someday, the two of you are going to have to put all this aside."Damian sighed, pulling back from her, "He thinks I'm the reason your mother wasn't here to be with you today, and, for the life of me, I can't find it in my heart to disagree with him. She was my sister, and I failed her."Lian resisted the urge to slap him, not willing to draw attention to them that would undoubtably have him disappear again. "Well I don't blame you, and I got married today. It's all about me. So for the love of God, would it kill you to stay an hour? Have a drink, mingle, I don't care. I want you here though."Bart sidled up next to his new wife, putting an arm around her waist and fixing Damian with a forceful glare hidden behind a lazy smile, his specialty, "You'd better listen to my bride here. She only asks nicely once."Lian glared and elbowed him, but Damian nodded, a fraction of a smile coming onto his tired face, "I guess it won't kill me." He gestured to the bar where Selina was perched, a cocktail in her hand, "I'll take you up on that drink. Mom'll flip if I don't say hello anyway."Lian watched, the warmth of satisfaction and happiness bubbling up as Selina gasped, sat her cocktail down, and embraced her only son as tightly as she could. Bart kissed Lian's temple, "I love you."Lian laughed, looking up at him giddily, "I love you too.""What do you say we get out of here?" Bart asked, watching Jon Kent dance with his little sister, Riley, the seven year old chortling with delight.Lian gave Bart a wry look, "Do you really want to make me a widow so early in our marriage?" Lian clutched the lapels on his jacket in mock sternness, "At least let there be a villain involved, not just my crazy family."He laughed, "I'll do my best. To not get killed by your family, that is. I could probably take your old man though.""We could always go on patrol with him tonight." Lian said blithely, letting him lead her to a side room.Bart shook his head, "Not happening. I'd be so distracted he really would kill me.""He wouldn't kill you." She protested, leaning against the open door frame, a smile on her face, "He might seriously maim you, but he loves me too much to kill you."Bart blanched, "I would like us to have children someday!"Lian nodded, "Me too, I can work and you can watch them."Bart grinned, "I'm good with that!""I knew you would be." She said smugly. A loud crashing noise got their attention, and Lian growled at the robot that had just crashed through one of the reception rooms glass windows. "Well that didn't last long. We haven't had our first dance yet."Bart held a hand out to his new wife, "We can still dance."Lian bit her lip, "Let me get more comfortable first." She pulled her hair up and to the side, "Unzip me?"Bart quirked an eyebrow up, saying flirtatiously, "Li, aren't we getting ahead of ourselves?" as he did as he'd been told. A few inches down, the white silk gave way to glistening black material he knew was bulletproof, "Worried I was going to shoot you?""We're never off duty, Bart." Lian said snidely, looking over her shoulder at him, "That's why you're wearing your uniform under your tux."Bart jerked her into a kiss, "You're so hot when you're observant."Lian grinned, "I'm not observant, you're just predictable. Always prepared.""I learned from the best!" Bart replied, unbuttoning his suit.Lian rolled her eyes, "Really, Bart? Buttons? At least I had the sense to put a zipper in my dress."He grinned at her, "Eh, I was just giving you a show." He used his super-speed and was in uniform in seconds. "Love you."Lian pulled the sleeves of her suit on, "Show off." Bart knocked a robot away from her as she pulled her cowl up. She kissed him as she pulled one of the guns she'd stashed around the reception hall out. "I love you too, idiot."He chuckled, "I don't always finish last you know. I'm adding that insult to our to-do list.""Can't wait." Lian said, shooting one of the robots out of the air as her grandfather nailed another with a batarang. Her father was crouched behind a nearby bar with her grandmother, both looking viciously disappointed that they hadn't thought to stay armed at her wedding. She wasn't the Batman's granddaughter for no reason.Ten minutes later, when the things had been dispatched, Lian stood in front of Bart, cheeks flushed from exertion, "Welcome to the family, babe."He kicked a destroyed robot with the toe of his shoe, "Eh, I'm used to it. Can we have that first dance now?"Lian motioned for the DJ to come out of hiding, "You're on, Gearhead."They danced for a little while, and everything was perfect. Terry was nearly asleep standing next to her Uncle Dick when Lian kissed Bart deeply, "Ready to go?"He smiled at her like she was a dream, "Yeah, I am.""Good, me too." She whispered, leading him to the limousine that had been waiting patiently on them.They kissed leisurely all the way back to the Manor, only coming up for air so Bart could loosen her hair from the bun it had been wrangled into and to unzip the front of her suit halfway. By the time Jacob, Alfred's nephew makes it around to open the door, Lian's hair was back up out of her face, and her zipper had been returned to it's previous position. Once inside the Manor, that lasted all of five minutes.It was strange, Lian thought to herself, to be running through her childhood home with the express intent of consummating her new marriage. It had to be that way though. Empathy, not very hotel friendly. So, in a show of gracious reasonability, all of the Manor's usual inhabitants were in a hotel for the night so Lian and Bart could be alone.They lay in bed together, blissful, "We'll be on the beach tomorrow."Lian nodded, forehead pressed against Bart's, "I can hardly wait."Bart chuckled, "Won't lie, the private beach is gonna be pretty stellar. Why have we never been before?""Missions." Lian said, tracing patterns idly on his bare chest, relishing in the contentment he radiated, "Family drama, clone drama, there's really no end to the drama. This next week though, no drama, just us.""You got it, Princess." Bart assured her."I love you, Gearhead." Lian declared with a smile.Bart pulled her to his chest, settling down to sleep, "I'll always love you, Lian."Lian woke them both up in the early morning screaming.Bart grabbed her shoulders, holding her to his bare chest, "Woah, baby, you're okay. You're fine. I'm right here." Her breathing was rapid as she stared unseeing at him, sweat dripping from her bare skin. He pulled her sweat dampened curls out of her face, "Nightmare?"Lian nodded slowly, pulling her robe on from the end of the bed, "I think so."Bart kissed her, "I've got you. You're safe.""I know I am." She said softly, standing and going to the window of their room, scanning the yard for any movement, "I think it was a nightmare, but it felt weird."Bart stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Was it about us?""No, it was..." Lian sighed, "I'm not sure, I'm already forgetting it, but I was in pain, and I was alone. I felt like I was on fire." She shivered both from the chill air and the kisses Bart was leaving up and down her neck."Li, I'll never let anyone hurt you." Bart said softly, trying to coax her out of her head.Lian smiled at his words, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I know you won't." She sighed, "I'm gonna get some water." Bart went to follow her, but she kissed him firmly, "I'm fine, go back to bed." He obeyed, only because he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. In any time, Lian was the same when she wanted to be alone, and he respected that. That didn't stop him from laying down and staring at the ceiling, listening intently for the slightest noise signaling her return.Ace met her in the hallway, the Great Dane puppy bumping his nose against her hand. Lian scratched him behind the ears, "Hey, big boy." He was Terry's dog, but he'd get affection from anyone in the family he could, especially when Terry wasn't around. The cats and her grandmother hated him, but Lian didn't. Her grandfather didn't either, no matter how much he complained when Ace drooled on his tailored pants after a particularly vigorous head rub. They were a family of misfits after all, so Ace fit right in.Lian was particularly fond of his loving personality and soft ears, and settled in a chair in the kitchen so she could pet him. She stared out the big bay window. "I got married yesterday, Ace. I should be having sweet dreams." He stared at her with his big black eyes, and for the thousandth time, she almost wished her power worked on animals too, just so she could have some idea of what he was feeling behind those black depths. "Thing is, Ace, that didn't feel like a dream, not really. More like my empathy pulling back more than it should from someone, but...there's no one out there." She whispered to him as they stared out solemnly into the darkness."Come to me my sweetest friendCan you feel my heart againI'll take you back where you belongAnd this will be our favorite songCome to me with secrets bareI'll love you more so don't be scaredAnd when we're old and near the endWe'll go home and start againStart againToday's the day I'll make you mineSo get me to the church on timeTake my hand in this empty roomYou're my girl, and I'm your groomCome to me my sweetest friendThis is where we start again, again."Come to MeBy: The Goo Goo DollsThanks again for reading this far! As always, your theories and thoughts are more than welcome!Now we come to a big question: Who's ready for the sequel?Let me know!-Jenn