Disclaimer: The Characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash are all owned by DC Comics. This story is intended for my own pleasure and is not for profit. It has been posted to this site for others to read. Places and characters not own by DC Comics are my own creation. A tribute to A.A. Fair and dedicated to Jaida Lewis.

Synopsis: The Flash and Hawkgirl dream about each other, but not in a way that either one like.

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Chapter One

"Dreams are often most profound when they seem the most crazy." Sigmund Freud.

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It was shortly after two o'clock in the morning. The doughnuts were stale and the coffee was lukewarm. It's amazing, Wonder Woman thought to herself, as she sat in the dining area of the Watchtower. It must cost millions to keep the Watchtower, home to seven of the world's greatest superheroes, in orbit; yet they never seem to have fresh doughnuts and coffee for those standing duty. She sighed, decided against taking another bite of the stale doughnut and put it down on her plate. She decided she would wait another ten minutes in the dining area before she relieved the Green Lantern of his monitoring duties and assume her shift. She gazed out the large plexiglass window of the dining area and watched the Earth slowly rotate below.

Hawkgirl walked slowly into the dining area toward Wonder Woman's table. Catching Hawkgirl's reflection in the window pane, Wonder Woman turned to look at the winged form approaching her. She was startled by Hawkgirl's appearance. Hawkgirl, who was fastidious about her appearance, wasn't in costume. Wearing only her helmet, a bathrobe and carrying her mace, she appeared agitated.

"Hawkgirl, are you okay?" Wonder Woman inquired softly.

"No...no, I am not... Diana, do you have a moment?"

"I'm supposed to go on in a couple minutes and relieve the Lantern. But, what's up?"

"John...um... the Lantern will understand. You're the only one here I can talk to about this...and I don't know where to begin."

Hawkgirl sat down at the table, interlaced her finger together and brought her hands to her forehead. She squeezed her lips together to suppress crying.

If their relationship had been perhaps closer, Wonder Woman might have gotten up from the table and hugged Hawkgirl in an effort to comfort the obviously distressed woman. But being what the relationship was, that of just teammates, Diana just reached across the table and gently touched Hawkgirl's forearm.

"Sister, do you to talk here or in my room?"

"Here is okay. I just got to talk to someone," Hawkgirl paused, unlaced her fingers and touched the back of Wonder Woman's hand on her forearm and held it in place. She continued, "I think I am having a breakdown...a nervous breakdown. Diana...I don't rattle easily but this is getting to me. And I can't talk to anyone else about this."

Diana smiled weakly. "Go on. I'm listening."

Hawkgirl let go of Wonder Woman's hand, brought her hands together under her chin and then put them together on the table. She took a deep breath and returned Wonder Woman's small smile.

"Every night for the last four nights, I have had the same dream...the same...exact... freaking... dream. It starts the same way every time; the words are the same and it ends the same way every time."

She pounded her fists rhythmically on the table as she spoke, "I think I'm going crazy...you can't imagine what it's like to be afraid to sleep because you relive the same dream every night over and over and over again."

"Every night," she continued, "I dream I am asleep in my bed and in my dream I wake up to find the Flash on top of me."

Wonder Woman sat back in her chair and exclaimed, "Hera forbid."

Hawkgirl shook her head, "No. No. No, we're ...he's not doing anything – he's just on top of me. I tell him to get off me - which he does. He apologizes and says he doesn't know how he got there. He is nude except for his mask. I am nude; wearing my helmet but my wings are gone. He then sits on the side on the bed and says he is just as confused as I am and shows me what looks like a hotel room key with a number on it. But I can't read the number. The Flash points to the key and says "four." Then he gets up and moves over to a baby bassinet that's sitting in the middle of a stream or river of what looks like blood, the bassinet has a sign on it but I can't read it either, then Flash point to the bassinet and says "Speed Hawk" and then holds up a glass of liquid, I not sure what it is, and says Peter Hill can't swim. I walk over to the bassinet and as I reach for the glass he throws the liquid back in the bassinet and yells at me to get back in the bed. I get angry because he told me to get in the bed so I look in the bassinet anyway and I find an apple and then I get really sick and can't stand and crawl back to the bed. Flash lies down next to me and tells me he's sorry I'm going to die and then I scream "no" then wake up sweating."

Tears appeared underneath the helmeted eyes of Hawkgirl and fell silently to the table.

"Every night, it's the same. Nothing changes. I can't change what I say or do and he doesn't change what he says or does. Damn it all. This is killing me. Diana, I think I am going out of my freaking mind."

Wonder Woman sat silently stroking Hawkgirl's forearm. Finally, Wonder Woman broke the silence.

"I have to tell you I don't know what to say. I mean that's some dream, rivers of blood, a bassinet named speed hawk. But I have to ask for my own curiosity, is there anything between you and the Flash? Maybe your..."

"No," Hawkgirl interupted. "There nothing between the Flash and me. Nothing. I am very close to John...the Lantern. Is that clear?"

"Oh, it very clear to me and you sound like you're trying to make it very clear to yourself. – Have you talked to the Flash about this?"

Hawkgirl forced a small laugh. "Princess, you may not have a lot of experience in this area but trust me on this. The last thing I want to do is tell the Flash is that I had that kind of dream about him. I would never hear the end of it." She looked at her trembling hands. "Besides, I am more concern that I've had the exact same dream for four nights. I don't know what it means but it can't be good."

At that moment, the Flash walked into the dining area. He yawned and appeared haggard despite most of his features being hidden by his mask. As soon as he saw Hawkgirl, he stopped, "Am I interrupting something? I...I can come back later."

Without waiting for a response, he turned to leave.

"Wait!" said Woman Wonder; looking first at Hawkgirl and then at the Flash, "Did you have trouble sleeping or maybe a bad dream?"

"Princess, I've had the same bad dream for the last four ...." He stopped and looked at Hawkgirl, his face flushed with color. "Maybe, I should just come back after you two have finished talking."

Wonder Woman pushed her chair back, stood up and said, "Hawkgirl, Flash, I'm late for duty. But you two should talk about your sleeping problems while you're awake because apparently you are unable to talk about them in your sleep."

Hawkgirl shot an angry look at Wonder Woman who smiled a cat-like smile and left.

The Flash stood behind the empty chair Wonder Woman had just vacated. "This is embarrassing for me. May I sit down?"

"Please," Hawkgirl said, quickly wiping the tears away from her face and pointing to the empty chair.

The Flash sat down opposite Hawkgirl, his look was subdued. He put his hands on the table being careful not to touch Hawkgirl's hands which were still clenched in a fist on the table.

"Hawkgirl, I've had the same dream for the last four nights and I am embarrassed to say that you are in them."

She knew he expected her to bite his head off or snap some terse remark at him. Instead, she said softly, "Tell me about your dream."

After a couple of seconds of silence, the Flash spoke very quietly as if wanting to ensure that no one else would overhear.

"You and I are in a room together...um...I'm not wearing my costume and you don't have wings. You show me what looks like a hotel room key with a number on it. You point to the key and say "four." Then I...um...um...get up and walk over to a baby carriage that sitting in the middle of a river of blood or something like it, the baby carriage has a sign on it but I can't read it, You point to the carriage and say "Speed Hawk" and then before I know it, you're at the carriage and you hold up a glass of water and say Peter Hill can't swim. I walk over to the carriage and I take the glass and suddenly throw the glass of water back in the carriage and yell at you to get back in the bed...er...to get away. You don't go and take an apple out of the carriage and become really sick and I tell you that you're going to die and then I wake up."

Hawkgirl smiled weakly. "Well, that's the essence of my dream too but mine was a little more 'R-rated' and shall we say with more 'adult situations'."

She paused trying to read the recognition of embarrassment in his face. Her smile brightened a little. "Flash, I can appreciate that you might wish to spare me some embarrassment, but I need to know if we... you and I, are sharing the exact same dream and why"

"Okay... okay...," he said softly, bowing his head and not making eye contact with her. "We're both naked in my dream, except you're wearing your helmet and I am wearing my mask. And the dream always starts with us in bed in position. There I said it and...and...Hawkgirl, I'm so sorry."

Hawkgirl reached across the table, grasped the Flash's hands and smiled. "Flash, it's okay...really it is. It was a dream and wasn't real. What is real is that we both have been having the same dream over four days and we have to find out why and what it means."

The Flash raised his head and smiled at her.

"I want to hear more about the compromising position." It was the baritone voice of the Green Lantern. Standing in the doorway with his arms folded, he glared at the couple seated at the table. The Flash immediately withdrew his hands from Hawkgirl's and stood up.

"Lantern, the Flash and I are comparing notes about a case we're working," she said angrily. Her eyes narrowed into an icy stare at the Lantern

Then looking at the Flash, she continued in a softer tone, "Meet you in thirty minutes at the computers and we'll finish comparing notes."

"Right." The Flash said as he trotted past the Green Lantern, not making eye contact.

"What's this all about?" The Lantern asked as he unfolded his arms and walked toward the table where the seated Hawkgirl now rose.

"Indeed, what is THIS all about," she snapped. Her eyes and voices softened.

"John, you know how I feel about you. But we still have to work with other members of the team without being jealous. Right now, Flash and I need to work together to solve a mystery."

"You must trust me," she continued softly, looking in his eyes and stepping toward him until she was inches away, "because I trust you."

The Lantern smiled and placing a hand on each shoulder gave her a kiss on the top of her helmet.

Looking up, she grinned at the Lantern and cooed, "Marine, I know you can do better than that."

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The greenish light of the computer array cast a warm glow in the computer room. Seated in front of the computer keyboard, the Flash made notes of his dream as he awaited the arrival of Hawkgirl. He had just written his third entry when Hawkgirl arrived, fully dressed with her mace clipped to her belt. Standing behind his chair, she leaned over his right shoulder.

"You know, Flash, I think Freud would have a field day with these dreams."

"I would welcome Freud's help with this. I mean don't get me wrong," the Flash said flashing her huge grin. "At the risk of getting hit by you, I will tell you that I've had dreams about you before but you usually don't die in them. In fact, you want to keep living so you can continue to keep me company."

Hawkgirl rolled her eyes at the Flash and grunted trying to suppress a grin of her own.

"By the way, is Lantern okay...he seemed a bit upset when he overheard part of the dream," the Flash continued.

"Lantern is okay. He and I had plans but we both agreed that this was more important."

"Well, let's get started," the Flash said, "let's put down what we know or at least what we think we know about this dream"

"Okay, we have a couple of names: speed hawk and Peter Hill. Let try those first and see what we get."

The massive array of computers went to work digesting the input the Flash keyed in and within seconds displayed a report on the monitor in front of them.

"Look at this," the Flash exclaimed. "No hit on people named 'Speed Hawk' but there was a hit a seventeen year kid named Peter Hill who was reported missing four days ago." He paused then added. "Maybe four as in the room key number."

He turned his head to look at Hawkgirl who was looking intently at the screen. He turned his head back to the screen. The disappointment was clear in his voice. "Okay...okay, I know it's a stretch. Anyway, his home town is Taos, New Mexico."

"New Mexico," Hawkgirl echoed. "Hmm...just suppose Speed Hawk is not a person but a place."

The Flash changed the search perimeters and re-keyed the data in the computer. Seconds later the search result flashed on the monitor.

The Flash laughed. "Say, you ARE a pretty good detective. How about the Speed Hawk Motor Lodge outside of Red River, New Mexico.

They both looked at each other and said at the same time, "a river of blood."

"Okay, so maybe our river of blood is supposed to be Red River. How far is Red River from Taos?" Hawkgirl asked.

"About 40 miles...that number four again. I don't know about you, I'm starting to get creeped out by this."

Hawkgirl folded her arms and shifted her weight on to her left leg. "I would only admit this to you and if you tell anyone I'll...I'll...well...just don't tell anyone... but I am bother by this too."

She looked back up at the computer display and then at the Flash. "Why don't we split up on this? Why don't you go to the Hill's house and I'll go to the Speed Hawk and check out room four. We can meet back at the Speed Hawk tonight and then compare notes."

Flash stood up and grinned. "Okay, but I want you to be the one to explain why we paid for a motel room out of petty cash."

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