"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" You cursed as you climbed your way up the fence before, successfully dodging the bullets aimed at you from the men you had unintentionally insulted and, needlessly to say, pissed off. "Can't we talk about this? I mean I really am a just messenger!"

A yell from the other side of the fence made you sputter in a weak protest, "HELL NO! You insulted me and Black Mask!"

Once you reached the sidewalk you twisted to your left, only to yelp when you smack right into a man (you could because you face didn't feel any boobies), "Shit! Sorry, man!" you hissed as you righted yourself before tried going around the man that had yet to say anything at all (or maybe you're more concerned with running the fuck away to listen), but you were grabbed by your left arm firmly. "Hey, running for my life, dude!" You barked as you turned to look at the man in the eyes, but you freeze once you see and realize just whom this man is.

"[Name] [Surname]," the man stated, "The former messenger of some two-bit drug lord, what's his name again… ah, right; Michael Byers."

You stared unseeingly, because HOLY SHIT. "What?"

The Red fucking Hood spoke, his annoyance quite clear, "[Name] [Surname], you are now – oh, for fuck's sake!" He hollered when a gunshot crackled in the air and he pulled you down. "The hell did you do?" he demanded as he pulled the both of you into a corner for cover from the gunfire.

You sputtered at his reproachful question, "Nothing! Though, uh, apparently, I insulted them."

He sighed. Like, the resigned, why the fuck is this MY life kind of sigh.

'Oh, great, I can even annoy the one guy who can either decide to kill me or spare me without even trying. That's just brilliant [Name],' you thought.

How the hell is this your life? Oh, right; that good for nothing brother of yours got you into this shit.

You squirmed in your seat, blue-green orbs drilling into your skull – or at least, it felt like it. Why are his eyes so pretty, anyway? No, better question, why the fuck is he even letting you look at his actual face? "So, um." Oh you are so brilliant [Name], what a fantastic way to start a conversation with the Red Hood. "Why am I here, and why… am I look at your face?"

Shit.

Those eyes of his squinted, a frown appearing. "Good question; it's because you work for me now."

Egh?

"What."

Those pretty eyes rolled – wow, that's the third time since he's met you, the second being after he sent those guys packing – as a snort of annoyance flew through his nose. "You. Work. For. Me. Now. Got it?"

"… Why?" you questioned, your mind buzzing with questions.

"Because."

You frowned, "I'd like to know why because the only reason I was 'working' for Mister Douche is because I have a deadbeat brother who dragged me into this shit in the first place."

You didn't notice, but a small tremor went through his body before he answered, "You are one of the rare few that had actually stayed relatively morally good in this business and you have a way to get people to talk."

Blinking, you nodded. "Okay… that answers that. Why, actually, am I looking at your face instead of your mask – err, helmet though?"

Red Hood sighed the sigh again.

"Never mind," you said hastily. He could get rid of you because you annoyed him too much already and because you know what he looks like. Then a thought came to mind, "Hey, aren't you one of those Wayne boys?"

You've been working for the Red Hood for a couple of months now, and so far you did not expect to be interrogated by the fucking Batman; that weirdo Nightwing (that ass of his is fabulous!); the cutie Red Robin (his cheeks and hair – you want toplay with them); and that demonic child that is Robin.

"The fuck is wrong with this fucking town," you muttered under your breathe as you walked into the apartment that belongs to the Red Hood. "Goddamn Batman and his fucking kid, ruining my supper." You huffed and puffed your way to the fridge and bended down to look inside more clearly.

Beer, stale potatoes, some more beer, cheese, bread, don't even want to know what the fuck that is, mustard…

"Pardon me, but are you the woman Jason has working for him, [Name]?"

You tensed at the unexpected voice coming from behind; you slowly turned your head to look over your shoulder and what you saw took your breath away. Standing behind HAS to be the most beautiful woman you have EVER seen, your mother excluded. 'Oh. My. God.'

Then you remembered she asked you a question, "Ah… y-yes?" you answered hesitantly, "Who are you?"

"Koriand'r, though most Earth inhabitants favor in calling me Starfire." The beautiful woman answered, "Jason would have came, but he had gained an injury that has to keep him within his bed. He wishes to know of how things are here without his presence."

You blinked, "It's been fine, you can tell him I have been keeping most of the dealers in line and away from the children, Koriand'r." You stated before you realized your mistake. "OH, er, can I call you that? Koriand'r, I mean."

"That is my name."

So while the Red Hood (aka Jason) healed up, you took care of his… err, duty as a landlord for him; for the rough patches though, your newfound friend (and secret crush) Koriand'r take care of that for you. Of course you call her Starfire in front of scumbags because – well, you didn't want them knowing her name, even if it is her name translated in English or whatever it was again (you were distracted by her absolutely gorgeous eyes at the time while she spoke to you about it.)

Now, you are wringing your hands and biting your lip as you wait for Red Hood (Jason) to show up as Koriand'r had told you that he would show up for the next meeting because he'll be all clear to go out and about by then.

You both happy to know that (as Koriand'r and told you a lot things about him and found that you quite like what you hear) and slightly depressed as Koriand'r will probably never show up again on his behalf.

However, in a way, you feel grateful to both Red Hood and Koriand'r, as they made you feel normal – as normal as you can be – or well, confident in yourself as you never have before; like you had escaped the shell you've lived in for years as a result of all the negative in your upbringing and teenage years.

You decided you'd thank Red Hood once he gets here; maybe that'll surprise him! So, with that in mind, you sat with your back and shoulders straight, an easy-going smile stretching your lips that –

"What're you smiling about."

Vanished as quickly as it came, your heart thudded against your chest and thundered a drum in your ears as you felt the hair on your neck stand up. His was so cold with… with… "R-Red Hood, what–"

"I asked you," he whispered into your ear, his breath tickled your ear, "What are you smiling about."

Trembling, you answered. "I – I was g-going to th-thank you…"

He snorted, almost as if he was disgusted, and he walked within your eye range. You quivered with fear once you made eye contact with him; he burned you with just his gaze alone, it was so full of anger. "For what."

"F-for making me feel whole…"

"Well, sorry to break it to you, but you are fired."

"What! Why?"

He sneered, "You know why, don't pretend you don't. Now get out of my flat, you little bitch."

Lips and chin trembling, you got up and left the apartment building in record time. And you cried your heart out the moment you had gotten out of the Red Hood's territory; terrified he'd hunt you down for simply being within it.

"Why…" You gasped out, "What… what did I do wrong…!"

'Why am I so damned useless… worthless… she must hate me now, too…'

It took about a month before the Black Mask henchmen were able to find you and bring you to Black Mask himself; and when you were face to face to him, he had a large grin that would have had you quacking in your boots – if you weren't so numb to everything; you were too caught up within your mind, wondering where you had gone wrong to have lost the one person that made you feel worth more than a mat for people to walk all over and stomp on.

"Well, well, well," Black Mask drawled, "If it isn't the woman that helped me shut down Red Hood's little drug ring."

All he got was a unseeing stare, making him frown before turning to his assistant, "What's wrong with her?"

His assistant pushed up her glasses, "It would seem she has mentally shut down; lost to the world within her own thoughts. I'm amazed she's been able to hide from us for this long, if she's been like this the entire time she's been out of Red Hood's protection."

"Well, how am I suppose to get satisfaction from this! Am I suppose to just get satisfied from sabotaging Red Hood's messenger!"

"Well," Black Mask's assistant started, "You could always get her to be tortured for information on the Red Hood or place her within one of your trades. "

Black Mask thought for moment on that, before he grinned at the unseeing eyes of the young woman in front of him. "Let's see if she can still sing for us."

A two months later, and Red Hood was still arguing with Starfire about a certain messenger and Roy is forced to listen to this.

"Jason, I find it highly illogical for [Name] to have betrayed you by giving away information to the Black Mask. She was entirely loyal to you and you alone while I was there." She stated, feeling a slight bit irritated as this conversation continued.

"Yeah? Then how the hell did one of my–!"

Roy started to tune them out and focused on the television when the news turned on and took over though he ignored most of it.

"… A sex trade had been discovered… police took precautions… forty-five minutes ago… many of the women have been found badly treated… multiple injuries, malnourished… in some extreme cases, mentally shut down…" Here the camera focused on one of the women being led to a ambulance; her eyes were dead and her body was almost a skeleton. Her hair was a mess and she was just covered in bruises.

He then realized something before glancing over to a photo that Kori had displayed on a side table.

Roy's eyes widen.

"Hey… guys… I think your little lady friend may have been rescued from a sex trade."

Teal green eyes watched the young woman's chest fall up and down, her breath wheezing with each intake and exhale before they zipped over towards the shadow. "What happened," the young man demanded.

Everything but the young woman's chest and breathing became quiet.

Then a tall, imposing shape took a step out of the shadows.

"Jason–"

"Don't test me, B," Red Hood shook his head, and aimed a gun towards his past mentor. "What. Happened."

The Batman's lips thinned but he replied, "Black Mask; he had someone sabotage your little messenger, then once she was out of your protection, he had her tortured, likely for more information on you before shipping her off to the sex trade that Nightwing had discovered in Bludhaven."

Jason took a shaky breath that had his upper body quivering; and he had thought [Name] had betrayed him. "Did he succeed?"

Batman stood over the broken body of [Name] [Surname], watching her breath and listening to her throat wheeze. "No, she was already broken when she was brought to him."

Koriand'r had weaseled her way into getting [Name] released to her once she was in the clear, though the princess was sadden by the fact that her once quirky, little messenger was not her usual self but a shell.

However, she'll take care of that.

She would get her messenger back, one way or another.