Young Justice
One Shot
Word Count: 8152 (22 pages)
Rating: Uhhhhhh T?
Pairing: KaldurxOC
Author's note/disclaimer: I got this idea when I was thinking about my birthday. Which is not today or whenever I post this. It's in March. I do not own Young Justice.
Update: After working on this for a few days, I decided that this will take place between season one and two. Also, I didn't think this one shot would get so long. My original goal was 5,000 words, but things kept happening and I couldn't end it. I wanted to finish this before I continued to my other Young Justice story.
Normally, Fletcher wouldn't participate in team training, but today she woke up needing to blow off some steam. Black Canary paired her with Kaldur, hoping his cool demeanor would temper her…well temper. Every punch, calculated kick and sweeping of the leg was meant for someone else. They were quick, efficient and deadly. Lucky for Kaldur, he had gotten used to these types of attacks.
Fighting against Conner and Roy helped, not to mention the countless missions where the bad guys wanted to take his head off. But the anger flowing off Fletcher was odd. The gifted girl was usually a lot more collected and stoic.
Black Canary called it quits for the day, but Fletcher still felt on edge. That she needed more. She wondered if her body would be able to stand the strain. She was hunched over, her hands firmly pressed against her knees as she took several deep breaths. Her work out shirt was drenched in sweat, anyone could easily make out the outline of her sports bra. Fletcher had tied her hair up ages ago, but parts of it were starting to unravel.
Maybe she would go to the soccer fields at her school and practice her fake crosses. They were getting sloppy. So sloppy that the last team they went up against could see right through them.
Kaldur approached her. "Do you wish to continue?"
Fletcher wiped the sweat off her brow before straightening out. "If you're game."
Kaldur rarely smiled, but when he did it was usually out of mischief. He wasn't the type, not like Kid Flash and Robin, but he would occasionally act like a sixteen year old. He put distance between them and took a defense stance, Fletcher mirrored him. For a brief moment, they were silent—planning out their attacks—trying to predict each other's first move.
Fletcher was the first one to attack. She was quicker than most fighters. She was nimble and agile and could disappear if you didn't keep an eye on her. Her skills in martial arts was above everyone's skill level, which is why it was rare for her to ever show up for practice. The team had difficulty keeping up with her or she'd get bored or fighting against Black Canary or even Batman if he was around.
Kaldur saw an opening after Fletcher's punch and kick combo. Grabbing her arm and throwing her over his shoulder and out of the ring. She landed with a loud grunt, sliding on the floor until she came to a slow stop inches from the wall. The leader rushed to her aid when Fletcher didn't bounce back right away. He towered over her on one knee, a smile tugged at his lips. Fletcher had an adorable perplexed expression mixed with shock and awe.
"Where is your head?" Kaldur asked calmly.
"Currently? I believe you have it." Fletcher flipped herself over to where she was sitting on her knees. From that point, Kaldur helped her to her feet and patted away the dust that collected in her dark hair.
Fletcher watched him out of the corner of her eye as he inspected for any other injury. She wished she knew where they stood. Relationship wise. They hadn't really spoken after their kiss a few weeks ago. Like they had the time. Kaldur split his time between the cave and Atlantis. Fletcher had school and soccer. With the champion ship and finals rapidly approaching, she hardly ever made it to the cave.
She looked up at him through her thick eye lashes and sweaty bangs. "Kaldur I…"
M'gann came flying in with her usual bright smile. "Hey guys, lunch is ready."
And then Fletcher's phone rang.
Fletcher starred down at the screen in disbelief.
"Who is it?" M'gann asked.
"My dad."
"You are his daughter. Why would he not call you?" Kaldur was confused.
"My dad never calls." Fletcher mumbled before answering the phone, "Hey dad, what's up? No one has died, have they?"
Kaldur and M'gann shot the same seriously glare at the girl.
"Dad, what party are you talking about? A birthday party? Why would I go to a birthday party? Especially if I wasn't invited, that's rude." Fletcher paused to listen and then shouted in shock. "My birthday party? Is it January fourth already?"
M'gann and Kaldur nodded, the Martian was a little bit more enthusiastic than the Atlantean.
Fletcher shook her head, already knowing what the alien was planning. "You know how I feel about celebrating my birthday. I'd rather just sit at home and watch a documentary about a 600 pound woman eating herself to death."
The two's happy expressions faltered into curious sadness. Birthdays were a big deal around the cave.
"Is this party going to have a lot of old guys dressed in suits? And are they going to want to talk to me about future stocks and business bullshit that I don't care about?" Fletcher asked and then sighed heavily, "Dad that's not a party. That's a business meeting."
Fletcher began thinking of excuses to evade her impending boring doom. "I wish I could make it dad, but I live in Star City, remember? Not Gotham. So I guess I'm gonna have to…you're in town…of course Ollie is going to be there. At least I'll be able to hang out with Roy."
Fletcher hung up her phone, tossed it in the air and shot a fire ball at it—making explode.
"You really don't like celebrating your birthday?" M'gann asked sadly, with pouty lips and dewy eyes.
"Yea I'm not a big fan of it. Is Zatana here?" Fletcher asked.
"May we ask why?" Kaldur questioned.
"I'm gonna ask her to magic me up a dress." Fletcher replied bluntly as she took down her sweaty hair.
Kaldur shook his head, "Why do not like celebrating your birthday?"
Fletcher's bounced at her sides. "Oh. That. I just—I don't want to talk about it Kaldur. I really don't. I have to see if Zatana." Fletcher pushed passed the two and headed towards the magician's room.
A few hours later Zatana sauntered into the living room where everyone was watching the news. She looked proud of herself, confident with a smug smirk.
"What's wrong? Did you set something on fire?" Wally asked.
"Not exactly." Zatana stepped aside when she heard the clacking of heels approaching the group.
Fletcher stepped into the light wearing a black tank fit and flare Taffeta dress with a sequin waist. It ended a few inches above her knees and the back was a wide V that stopped in the middle of her back. Her opened toed, black shoes gave her a few inches and her hair was left in curls. The only jewelry she wore was a pair of rustic looking studded earrings and matching bracelet.
"Wow, you look…"
"Hot." Everyone glared at Wally who couldn't shut his gaping mouth. "What? She does!"
"What's the occasion?" Robin asked, smirking. It was obvious that he knew what today was, but Fletcher appreciated the fact that he didn't squeal.
"I'm going to a funeral. My funeral. Because I'm going to die of boredom." Fletcher complained as she checked the time on her phone. Kaldur and M'gann figured Zatana fixed her old phone. "So I'm going to be late. Hopefully Roy hasn't ducked out yet or killed Ollie for dragging him to the party."
"I will see you out." Kaldur offered, already heading towards the zeta tubes.
"I know you probably do not wish this, but I do hope you have a good time." Kaldur spoke as he typed in the coordinates.
"Do you think if I wish hard enough a super villain will crash the party?" Fletcher half joked.
"Fletcher…"Kaldur began, but she put a finger to his lips.
"Joking Kaldur, but…" Fletcher's phone vibrated violently. "It's my dad. Can we talk later?"
Kaldur smiled tenderly, "Of course."
"Thank you." For once, Fletcher didn't have to stand on the tips of her toes to reach Kaldur. With the heels she was wearing, she could easily match his height and give him a quick, but sweet, peck on his cheek.
"This party sucks." Fletcher glared at her glass of sparkling juice.
Roy chuckled, "At least Kaldur got to see you in that dress. Was he drooling?"
Fletcher playfully slapped Roy in the arm. Of course he knew about them. The archer was Kaldur's best friend. She wouldn't be surprised if Kaldur messaged Roy to keep an eye on her. Fletcher wouldn't be lying if she said that she liked the way Kaldur looked at her when she stepped into the living room. It was like he saw an angle and fell over heels in love with her.
"So he was drooling?" Roy teased.
"No, but Wally was. I don't know how I feel about that." Fletcher joked, swirling her drink around.
"He's fifteen. He'll grow up." Roy leaned against the wall, arms folded against his chest.
"Don't hold your breath." Fletcher said sarcastically as she finished off her drink.
Roy was about to make a snarky comment about how happy he was they weren't allowed to drink alcoholic beverages until he noticed a giant a cake making its way to the center of the room.
"Oh look, a cake." Roy dryly said.
"You've gotta be shitting me." Fletcher starred in disbelief at the giant pastry.
"Fletcher, dear, would you care to join me?" Her father asked, waving her over.
She laughed, "Over my dead body."
"Come on. You only turn seventeen once." Roy whispered as he pushed her towards the center of the room.
"I hate you."
"I know." He took her empty glass away and left her standing next to her father like a frozen stiff. "Smile."
"I will. When you're buried neck deep in this cake, ass."
Her father and the other guest ignored their playful banter, except for Oliver, who just laughed.
"I want to thank everyone for joining my daughter and me in celebrating her birthday today."
Don't forget to mention that this is the first time we've actually been in the same room since I've been back.
"It was seventeen years ago, today, that my pride and joy was brought into this world." Her father turned towards Fletcher, "I wish your mother could be here to see you today. A strong, intelligent and beautiful girl. Who will one day be all of our bosses, well except me. I'll be a retired."
Everyone laughed, Fletcher cringed.
You're leaving someone out. The reason why I hate this day.
"If everyone will join me, raise a glass to Fletcher. Here's to seventeen." Her father proudly stated with a gleam in his eyes that Fletcher was caught off guard by.
She awkwardly stepped forward, the material of her dress bunching in her fist. She towered over her cake and took a few seconds to make a wish.
I wish you were here.
The second before Fletcher blew out her candles she heard something ticking. She ignored it, thinking that it was just a loud wrist watch. Then an explosion.
Batman entered the cave quickly, the team was already gathered. "Computer, Star City News."
A screen formed, Cat Grant was large in front of the team, with a grim face. "For those you who are just now tuning in, an explosion interrupted a birthday party that Mr. Avalon was holding for his daughter. It took place in his Star City building only moments ago. We are still receiving reports from those who were attending the party that made it out safely, including Mr. Avalon himself."
The scene swayed to Mr. Avalon who was covered in soot and his hair and suit ruffled.
"My daughter, Fletcher, she was about to blow out her candles when…when the cake exploded. Oh god, she was right there." The camera panned away from the man just as he began to break down.
Everyone in the cave turned towards Kaldur. The leader was as stoic as usual, but deep inside. They knew. They knew he was worried.
Robin went to work fast, pulling up the security cameras from inside the gala. "There's Roy." He brought the red head into focus, he stood a few feet away from Fletcher. The boy wonder enlarged the image of Fletcher hunched over her cake, about to blow out her candles. The tech genius let the video play through, showing Fletcher being thrown back when the cake detonated. Everyone cringed or turned away.
"Where did Roy land?" Kaldur asked.
"A few feet away. We've already tried contacting him and Green Arrow." Batman reported, "We've guessed that there was an EMP inside the cake, shutting down all machines. Including Green and Red Arrow's communicators."
"What do we do?" Artemis asked.
"The people responsible haven't made any demands for the hostages that are inside. So we can only assume that an unknown group is responsible for this attack. What we need to focus on now, is getting inside and getting any and all survivors out."
As the others rushed towards the Bio Ship, Batman grabbed Kaldur by the shoulder.
"If you want to stay behind, I'll understand." Batman said softly, "But if you plan on going then you need to be prepared for the worst."
Kaldur thought for a moment, "Fletcher would go if it were me in her situation."
"Roy. Roy!" Oliver shook Roy until he shot up, his hand immediately going to his head. Blood. There was a tiny cut a few inches above his eyebrow, bleeding profusely.
"Where is she Ollie? Where's Fletcher?" Roy struggled to get to his feet. Remembering a flash of light and a loud pop going off near his friend.
"I don't know. Some of the others are looking for her, but they haven't found her." Oliver replied grimly. "I was far away enough to see the explosion. She was right there. She might be…"
"No! No way in hell did Fletcher get killed by a bomb! She's one of the most powerful…" Roy caught himself before he blabbed her biggest secret. "She's too strong to go out like that."
"She's strong Roy, but she's not like Superman. She's not invulnerable." Oliver pointed out.
Roy shrugged off his hand and clenched his teeth. "Is the League coming?"
"All communications are down, but they'll be here." Oliver replied. "In the meantime, let's search for Fletcher."
Roy's shoulders gave when he sighed. "Run me through what you saw. Maybe we can pinpoint where she…landed."
"Team one will enter through the window, while team two watches their backs. Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Superboy you're team one. Miss Martian and Zatana, take to the skies. If you see anyone approaching our boys—you take them out. Artemis will remain in the Bio Ship for additional support. Team One once the area is secure find arrows Red and Green, they'll be in civilian clothes. The Justice League is tracking down the ones responsible for this attack and handling the media. Good luck." Black Canary ended her transmission with a worried smile.
The Bio Ship remained invisible as parts of Team Two took the sky. Once in position, Team One entered the building—covering all sides. The girls kept an out for any bad guys on the move, but all they saw were some of the survivors running around. Kaldur spotted Roy and Oliver around the area of detonation. When he approached the two archers the first thing he saw was the blood coming from his friend's head. The other ex-sidekicks weren't far behind. Robin was the one who handed Roy a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.
"Any sign of the ones that did this?" Robin asked.
"No." Oliver shook his head, "We can't find Fletcher either. We were in the middle of figuring out where she landed."
"Maybe I can help." Robin offered as he pulled up the video footage from before. "By my calculations Fletcher flew straight back."
He pointed to the pile of tables that were stacked on top of one another, "And according to this heat signature there's someone alive under all of that."
"Report what we found to the League. Have a lantern help get these people out of here. Team Two, remain on alert." Kaldur telepathically ordered, "You two should also leave. Get your head checked out."
"But…"
"He's right Roy. We won't be much help dressed like this. Especially you." Oliver intervened and began to drag the stubborn red head away.
Superboy and Aqualad began to tear through the tossed chairs and tables while Robin and Kid Flash helped the other party guest onto Green Lantern's green platform. When it was apparent that the enemy wasn't going to show, the girls charged in. With Miss Martian's help, the debris was taken care of a lot quicker.
Miss Martian gasped when she saw the Fletcher lying on the floor. Kaldur rushed to her side, checking her pulse before carefully turning her into his arms. She fell limp against him, moaning at the pain that stung her flesh.
Robin crouched next to Fletcher, his computer gauntlet magnifying on her skin. "It looks like she's already healing, but it's slow. She'll need help."
"No duh she'll need help. Those are third degree burns." Kid Flash said as he pointed at the blisters covering her face, arms, legs and stomach.
Using his waterpack, Kaldur covered Fletcher's wounds with water. "Take her to Star Labs. They will know how to help her."
"What are you going to do?" Artemis asked as Miss Martian levitated Fletcher out to her ship.
"I will stay behind and help with the investigation." Kaldur sauntered towards the blast zone, glaring at the chunks of cake left behind.
The others didn't argue, the girls and Superboy took Fletcher to Star Labs while the original three stayed behind. Kid Flash mentioned that they would be able to keep a close eye on their leader if it was just them hanging around. While Kid Flash ran around collecting the blown up pieces of the bomb, Robin and Aqualad sorted through the surveillance footage.
With the help of Batman, John Stewart and The Flash, they were able to piece the explosive together. It was big enough to fit in the palm of an adult's hand.
"It's definitely noticeable." Kid Flash stated. "So how did it go unnoticed?"
Robin thought for a moment and then brought up the part where they rolled the cake out into the middle of the room. His mask widen. "It was the cake topper. It wasn't there when the attendants rolled it out, but when Fletcher goes to blow out her candle…"
Robin played the footage through, but stopped it just before the fireworks started. Kaldur lingered on Fletcher's frozen appearance, how her hair fell over her shoulders, her eyes that were closed as she was making her wish.
"Who put the topper on, though? That's the question." Flash asked, "Can you go back a little bit?"
"What are you looking for?" Robin asked as he rewound the footage quickly, until Flash told him to stop.
"Where is she? Where's my daughter?!" Mr. Avalon ran into the screaming, pushing the officers out of his way. "Someone said that you found her. Where is she?"
The six turned towards the man. Robin, Kid Flash and The Flash shared the same shocked expression—eyes wide, mouths slightly open. While Batman, Green Lantern and Kaldur were all stoic—but obviously angry as they scowled at the man.
"Well? Did you find her or not?" Mr. Avalon demanded angrily.
"Why did you do it?" Kid Flash asked. "She's your daughter."
"I don't know what you're talking about." The accused answered calmly.
Robin blew up the frame they stopped on. Revealing Fletcher's father placing the palm sized '17' on top of the off white cake.
"We'll ask again." Batman approached the man and got in Mr. Avalon's face—glaring death upon the man. "Why did you try to kill your daughter?"
"Was is for money or did you not want to give up your company to her?" Kid Flash asked angrily through clenched teeth. Kaldur put an arm to stop his friend from approaching Mr. Avalon.
"That child never showed any interest in running the company." Mr. Avalon admitted.
"That is not what she told me." Kaldur approached the man, pale green eyes seeing right through him. "When Fletcher returned home from her five year journal you sent her on, you were the one who pushed her away. You never uttered one word to her or even acknowledged her presence."
"Dude what are you doing?" Kid Flash whispered. "You're going to blow her cover."
"There is nothing to blow. He has known about her powers from the very beginning." Kaldur stated calmly, catching everyone off guard. "Her powers manifested when she was ten, correct?"
"You don't know what she was like with those powers." Mr. Avalon said, defending his actions.
"I imagine she was like anyone else who first finds out they have powers. Untrained, out of control? You sent her away to get control of those powers." Batman said. "You just wanted to get her help."
"What is Bats doing?" Kid Flash mentally asked.
"Good cop, bad cop." Robin replied, smirking from ear to ear. "Kaldur is the bad cop, Batman is the good cop. Trying to sympathize with Fletcher's father to coax a confession out of him."
"Ooooooh."
"I did all that to help her, yes. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself or the people around her." Mr. Avalon paused, "But when she came home. She was a different person. I couldn't relate to my daughter at all."
"You thought everything would go back to normal. That she would be your happy little girl again?" Batman asked.
Mr. Avalon nodded.
"I do not see how that's possible. Not after witnessing her twin sister killing herself." Kaldur clenched his fists, eyes stabbing the man over and over.
Mr. Avalon's saddened façade faded, twisting into something harden and dark. "How do you know about Victoria?"
"As I said before, Fletcher told me." Kaldur replied.
Fletcher's father stood there, piecing everything together. "She's one of you."
The heroes neither confirmed nor denied his claim. All they wanted were answers and he wasn't going to give them to them now. Batman ushered a few policemen forward. "Take him to custody. He's the prime suspect for this attack."
"What?!" Mr. Avalon fought as a police officer strapped the cuffs on him. "You can't do this!"
"Actually we can hold you for 72 hours without any evidence. Oh but wait." Kid Flash pointed at the frozen footage and the mini bomb with a smug, sarcastic glare. "We do have evidence.
"We'll make sure you're escorted through the back of the building. Away from the press." Batman half ordered, half suggested and followed the officers out.
Doctor Hamilton gave the rest of the team the good news when Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash entered the waiting room. All Kaldur needed to hear that Fletcher was going to make it before heading into her room. The others wanted to follow suit, but Miss Martian kept them in place. Saying that they needed some alone time.
Kaldur pushed open the door to the sterile room and let it silently closer behind him as he stood there starring at the unconscious girl. With several machines hooked up to her body, Kaldur wasn't sure if the doctor was telling them the truth. However, when Kaldur stepped closer he noticed that the burns were almost gone. The more severe burns were under wrappings and would no doubt be gone by the next morning.
The leader sat to the side and took her hand in his. He wasn't sure what to do next. Talk to her? About what? How her father was probably the one that planted the bomb for unknown reasons? That wasn't something to tell her. Not now. Not while she was laid up like this with tubes running out of her nose and arm. No, not now.
"Before, you wanted to talk about something." Kaldur spoke softly, rubbing her palm with this thumbs. "I can only assume that you wanted to talk about the kiss we shared. Where we stand or if we are to remain separate."
Fletcher remained silent. Asleep.
Kaldur sighed, "My every thought has been consumed with Tula. How much I missed her once I was here. I even considered leaving the team to be with her. But she chose Garth. My best friend in Atlantis. I am not angry about their decision, not anymore. I wish them happiness. I realized that I want that happiness as well."
Fletcher stirred, but didn't wake.
Kaldur continued. "My every thought during this crisis was full of you. I was angry and scared. I thought I was going to lose you. I am not sure if this is love or just worrying over a dear friend, but I…"
"Kal…" Fletcher squeezed his webbed hands weakly. He stood, the chair falling backwards, but Fletcher caught it (telekinetically) before it crashed on the ground. "If you ask how I'm feeling I'm going to slap you with the chair."
Kaldur sat on the bed, still holding her hand. "Then do not move. Your injuries are still healing."
"Congrats, the chair remains on the floor." Fletcher sarcastically mumbled as she tried to adjust herself into a more comfortable position.
"Fletcher about the attack…"
"I am way too drugged up to have that conversation at the moment." Fletcher slowly blinked, thinking that would make the room stop spinning. "Can you just do me a favor?"
"Anything."
"Keep talking. I really like your voice. It makes me feel safe and…" Fletcher giggled, "Happy."
Kaldur laughed, realizing that her change in personality was because of the pain killers that pumped through her veins.
"You're not talking. Did you lose your voice?" Fletcher panicked but also giggled when she touched his Adam's apple. "Hey Kaldur."
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"Do you know why I hate celebrating my birthday?" She asked innocently with a sullen face.
Kaldur shook his head.
"It got lonely after Vicki. No not Vicki, she hated that nick name. She liked being called Victoria, I dunno why. She was weird. Anyway." Kaldur chuckled at her randomness. "For nine years we celebrated everything together. We shared everything. Except for maybe soccer. She was more into crafts and painting and artsy stuff. Then on our-my tenth birthday—I remember feeling really sad and angry and alone. I didn't want to do anything even though my father and the maids tried to get me out of my room."
"What happened?"
"I set my room on fire. Everything went up in flames, except me. It was like the fire was trying to shield me from the outside. Does that sound crazy? It sounds crazy."
"You were just a child."
"So was Victoria." Tears formed in her blue eyes. "I miss her so much Kaldur. I would give anything to have my sister back. To have someone to talk to and to know someone will always be there for me no matter how much I screw up. Kind of like you."
"You did not screw up, Fletcher." Kaldur promised. "The person who attack you…"
"Not the attack Kaldur. I know that wasn't my fault, but her death was."
"What are you talking about?"
Fletcher sniffed and wiped the tears from her eyes. "When I was home last, I went through her room because I wanted to remanence and I found a shoe box under her bed. It had a bunch of random stuff inside of it. A rose from our mom's funeral, a school lunch menu for some reason and her letter."
"Letter?"
"It was her good bye letter. It was addressed to me only and I read it. I read it over and over and over and over until my vision doubled."
"What did it say?" Kaldur inches closer, capturing her hand and squeezing it a bit roughly.
Fletcher didn't seem to mind. Or the pain killers masked how hard he was holding her hand. She took it as a sign that it was safe to talk to him. That she could tell him anything without having to deal with the consequences. She recalled the main details that she took away from the letter, "She saw our mother die, but we already knew that. But when I was a kid I thought she meant that she found our mother's body because everyone told us that she had killed herself. We were only six at the time and they didn't want us to know what was going on."
Kaldur nodded.
"But then she wrote that couldn't handle the guilt of knowing. That got me thinking that maybe our mother didn't commit suicide so I asked Batman to look into it because I don't know the first thing about snooping around for answers. And he found the original medical report with her autopsy inside. All the evidence pointed to murder." Fletcher paused to take a deep breath, "her wounds weren't self-inflicted. She was stabbed by a person that was left handed. She was right handed. And the fact that she was stabbed indicates that she didn't kill herself."
"I do not understand."
"Neither did I, but then Bats explained it to me. Women, when they kill themselves, they generally don't like to leave messes. They either take pills or cut their wrist or something to that effect. But my mother was stabbed fifteen times. No hesitation marks. She was murdered and Victoria saw the whole thing."
Kaldur was at a loss for words. He kept opening and shutting his mouth.
"She was six years old and kept it a secret to protect the monster who killed our mother for three years."
"Why would she protect him?"
Fletcher took a few more deep breaths, to gather up the courage. "At the end of her note she told me not to trust him. To stay far away from him. That he was probably going to kill me too if I wasn't careful."
"Who was it?" Kaldur asked even though he had a pretty good idea who she was leading up to.
"My father. My father killed our mother, Victoria saw the whole thing." Fletcher was in hysterics now. The computers were ringing violently. A nurse came rushing in and jabbed Fletcher with a syringe that calmed her down in a matter of seconds.
Kaldur remained by her side even though the nurse told him to leave. He eventually fell asleep in the extremely uncomfortable chair. He could barely make out the voices of Dr. Hamilton and various nurses. He didn't wake when he heard his king calling to him. Or Batman giving the team an update on Mr. Avalon's confession that they were still dragging out of him.
All he knew was that when he woke up the next morning Fletcher was still asleep. Her injuries were completely healed and there was a small army of reporters outside the Star Labs building. Turning on the television, Kaldur went straight to the news.
"This is Cat Grant reporting live from outside Star Labs. A handful of reporters are here, waiting to finally get a word from Fletcher Avalon. She was injured in the explosion at her seventeenth birthday party yesterday evening and we've been told that she is in stable condition and will be released in a few weeks. It is unclear if she knows that her father was found dead in his prison cell early this morning."
"Wha…" Kaldur whipped around to find Fletcher sitting up in bed. He went to turn it off, but she grabbed (telekinetically) out of his hand.
Fletcher flipped the channel. She could never stand Cat Grant. The reporter was too perky, even when delivering bad news.
"Jacob Avalon was found in his cell by police officers and members of the Justice League. It is unclear on the details of how he passed, but he did leave a note behind claiming responsibility for the bomb that injured his daughter and the murder of his late wife Elizabeth Elise-Avalon. We're also finding out that Fletcher had a twin sister…"
"No." Fletcher breathed.
"Victoria Fletcher Avalon was only ten when she…"
Kaldur turned towards the girl behind him with confusion sparking in his eyes. "Fletcher…"
"No. No, no, no, no, no! Kaldur, why are they talking about her?" Fletcher threw the remote, breaking the screen with a loud crash and sparks flying everywhere.
Kaldur lunged towards her, grabbing her arms and pinning them to her sides. While she screamed at the voice of the television that wasn't working, Dr. Hamilton and a few nurses came running him. They ordered Kaldur to keep her as still as possible, but with her injuries completely healed and her strength slowly returning she was too strong for them. A Green Lantern, Hal, flew in and immediately cased Fletcher and Kaldur in a box.
Aqualad held her close to him, cradling her head to his neck and a tight arm around the small of her back. He whispered things to her in Atlantian. He had no way of knowing if she understood him or not, but it seemed to help her calm down. When Hal took down the barrier, Dr. Hamilton was able to administer a sanative and the girl fell limp in Kaldur's arm—curling up in his lap like a cat.
Under strict orders from Dr. Hamilton, everyone was to leave her alone. Reluctantly, Kaldur left her room. She wasn't attached to the machines anymore, but she still looked just as weak and vulnerable. Her wrist were strapped to the bed, wishful thinking on the staff's part.
In the middle of night, she heard the door slowly creak open. Her adrenaline began to pump through her system. When she heard the figure approach her, she shot up—ready to attack with her strapped hands.
"Careful Lydia, we wouldn't want to alert the doctors. It would be a shame to kill them." Ra's al Ghul emerged from the shadows.
"What are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"You forget who you're talking about. Or have you forgotten your teacher already?" Ra's glanced around the room and chuckled at the wrecked television. "I take it you saw the news today. Such a tragedy."
She refused to speak.
"Lydia you should know the truth. Your mother would want you to know everything." Ra's nodded towards the chair beside her bed.
She signed, "You can sit. It's not like this is my home."
After situating himself Ra's continued, "As you know your mother and I were very close. Besides Talia's mother, I never loved a woman as much as your mother. I kept a close eye on her after she left me and married your father. She knew what he was, but remained by his side—hoping to change him."
"He was a monster."
"Yes and I tried to tell her that, but she couldn't leave you or Victoria. After she died I suspected that Jacob had something to do with it. I placed several of my agents in your home, your school, the park where you used to play…"
"You stalked us."
Ra's shook his head, "No my dear. I was protecting you."
Lydia scoffed, "A lot of good it did. Look what happened to Victoria."
"That was an unseen and unfortunate tragedy. Had I known, I would have gotten your sister the help she needed." Ra's gently grasped Lydia's hand and peered into her stubborn eyes with sadness.
Lydia sensed that he was holding something back. She could see it in his dark eyes, the urge to tell her something. "Whatever your hiding just tell me."
"Very well. But I must warn you, it will change the very way you think." Ra's built up her anticipation to the point where she was getting annoyed. "Tell me something Lydia. How is it do you think you're so well accomplished in martial arts?"
"You were my teacher."
"But you learned quickly. Far quicker than any of my other students, including Batman. Why is that, do you think?"
Lydia rolled her eyes. "You were a really good teacher."
"It's more than that. What if it had to do with blood?"
"You've lost me Ra's." Lydia dryly said, bored out of her mind.
"What if you inherited the ability to fight like a warrior?"
Lydia's eyebrows rose at the idea, "Except my father always hired body guards and I don't remember my mother well enough to know if she was a bad ass so…"
Ra's laughed. "Yes well, your father was useless and your mother only dabbled. She walked away from me with only a few lessons under her belt."
"Can you get to the point, I'm really tired." Lydia sighed annoyingly.
"Of course." Ra's smiled, "Did you know that your mother birthed you and Victoria eight months after she left me?"
Lydia eyed him suspiciously, "Going into early labor with twins is ordinary."
"That's what she and the doctor told Jacob as well, but that was to hide the truth." Ra's reached into his pocket and pulled out a faded piece of paper. It was a paternity test. "Your mother was six weeks pregnant when she left."
Lydia's eyes grew wide as she slowly took the piece of paper. "This is a blood test."
"Your mother had us tested just to be sure and everything turned out positive." Ra's confirmed Lydia's suspicions, "When I found out that her twins were actually mine I begged your mother to leave her husband. But she couldn't."
Lydia struggled to breathe, "You're…you're my…father…"
"Lydia?" Ra's stood, starring down at her trembling body, tears forming in her eyes.
Her voice stuck in her throat, "I can't…I can't breathe…"
"Dr. Hamilton, your assistance please." Ra's called out, the doctor entering the room immediately.
"She's having a panic attack."
"…Outside…" Lydia gasped, "Take me…outside…"
Without questioning her, Dr. Hamilton untied her hands, Ra's picked his daughter up and carried her to the back of the building. Through cracked eyes, Lydia could barely make out the silhouettes of Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage as they rushed through the empty corridors. If they were expecting her to call them Uncle Luthor and Uncle Savage they had another thing coming.
Once she felt the cold breeze on skin, Lydia pushed herself out of his embrace—stumbling to her feet. Ra's reached out to help her steady herself but she shoved him away with her powers.
"Just-just leave me alone." Lydia slowly levitated into the air until she was high enough to fly away without being seen by the few reporters that remained.
"What do you mean she disappeared?" Kid Flash questioned, "How do you lose a patient?"
Doctor Hamilton shrugged his shoulders, "She must've left after my nurse made her last round."
"Then how do explain the surveillance cameras going out?" Robin asked, pulling up static on his wrist gauntlet.
"She must've shorted them out with her powers." Dr. Hamilton suggest, pushing his glasses up with his fingers. "We've never been able to full understand Fletcher's powers. As far as I'm concerned they are limitless."
The team turned towards their leader, all sharing the same concerned glare. "Thank you for your help doctor. Please contact us if you hear from her."
In the Bio Ship they sat in their usual seats, concocting a plan to find their friend.
"Maybe she flew away?" Artemis suggested.
"Would she be able to?" Miss Martian asked, "Did her powers fully return?"
"She did heal pretty quickly." Zatana offered. "What do you think Robin…Robin?"
The Boy Wonder pulled up surveillance footage from another building. All they saw was Fletcher taking off in a short white dress. "That answers the question."
"But where would she go?" Superboy asked. "There are reporters everywhere."
"Maybe she went back to her apartment." Artemis said.
Kaldur thought for a moment, his finger scratching his chin. "M'gann how fast can you get us to Gotham?"
"Thirty minutes tops, why?" Miss Martian asked, already setting course for the dark city.
"You don't think she'd go back there, do you?" Kid Flash.
"Put yourself in her shoes. She was almost killed, her father is dead. She is alone. She will want to be somewhere where she feels safe and at home." Kaldur drew those feelings from his own home sickness. "She will be in Gotham."
Aqualad wasn't wrong. When the elderly maid opened the door with a handkerchief in hand, she pointed them in the direction of Lydia's location. They were all a little intimidated by the tall, dark door embedded with medieval looking wood carvings itched into the frame. Except for Robin.
"Maybe you should go in Kaldur." Artemis said, attempting to hide her hesitation, but failed.
Kaldur pressed against the door anyway, finding it unlocked. He peered into the dark room before looking over his shoulder to his team. "Perhaps all you should wait with Miss Brink."
He had no way of knowing if they took his suggestion as an ordered and did what they were told or if they waited outside. But he couldn't focus on them now. The room was dark, the only light sprinkled in from the cracks of the closed curtains. He could barely make out the ultra-king sized canopy bed. It was musty and humid as if the outside air hasn't touched the room in years. Blankets covered majority of the furniture, to keep the dust off the surface.
He stubbed his shoe against the bed and heard something shuffle under the covers.
"Fletcher." He whispered and heard a moan. His hand found the tallest lump and he shook the girl gently. "Fletcher."
Her head wiggled around until it propped up from underneath the pillow. "Kaldur? Whatareyoudoinghere?"
He fell to his knees, lowering himself until he found her eyes. "You went missing."
"No I didn't." Fletcher yawned. "I left without telling them where I was going."
"Fletcher."
"Stop calling me that."
Kaldur remembered the report from the other day. Fletcher was Victoria's middle name. "Then what do I call you?"
"Lydia." She replied and sat up. She didn't bother to fix her matted hair or straighten her hospital dress out. "Why are you here?"
"We were concerned."
Lydia's eyes widen, "The team isn't in here, are they?"
Kaldur shook his head, "No. They are helping Miss Brink. It is just you and me."
"Thank god." Lydia fell back against the cushioned head board. She glanced around the room, taking in all the covered up furniture. "I haven't been in this room since I was ten."
"Was this Victoria's?" Kaldur asked, standing, but then sitting on the edge of her bed.
"It was. I wanted to search for that shoe box again, but once I got here I was dead tired and just fell asleep. I guess Miss Brink tucked me in." Lydia smiled sweetly. "She's been with my family since my…uh…father was a kid. I'm surprised she's still kickin'."
"She seems sweet." Kaldur offered a heartfelt smile.
"She is. Until you mess with her flowers. Then she turns into a dragon lady. Like Poison Ivy." Lydia laughed, remembering the time she and her sister ran through the garden and trampled over Miss Brink's tulips. They thought the old woman was going die after her face turned fifty shades of red.
They sat in silence for a moment. Kaldur watched her struggling happy face slip into despair.
"Why did you leave?"
"I couldn't breathe. I needed air."
"You got more than just air." Kaldur noted.
Lydia sighed, crossing her legs and took his rough hands into hers. "Kaldur, I need you to keep a secret."
He nodded, silently agreeing to the promise with an intense glare.
Lydia took a deep breath, closed her eyes tight and quickly rattled off. "Ra's al Ghul showed up and he told me that he's my biological father and here's the proof."
With a swish of her wrist a lamp turned on and a folded up piece of paper floated out of the drawer and towards Kaldur. Kaldur was still trying to grasp what she just revealed when it landed in his lap. Reluctantly Kaldur unfolded the crumpled up paper and carefully read it. Lydia drew her legs to her chest and rested her head against them, waiting for him to finish.
"Lydia this is—"
"It's horrible, isn't it?" Lydia interrupted.
"How so?"
"My biological father is Ra's al Ghul. A man who is best friends with Lex Luthor and Vandal Savage. A man who sides with evil. This man was a better father to me than Jacob Avalon." Lydia admitted. "He trained me Kaldur. I was a member of the Shadows before I left to come home and have some semblance of a normal life."
"So what if Ra's al Ghul is your father. You are nothing like him." Kaldur inched himself until he was leaning against Lydia's legs. "And no one will think otherwise."
"The League—"
"Will not find out." Kaldur caught her off guard. He cupped her face, smoothing his thumb over her check. "As you said, this is a secret and I intend to keep it."
Kaldur leaned forward, still holding onto her face, his fingers lingering in the roots of her hair. Out of familiarity, Lydia slowly closed her eyes, sat up straight—dropping her legs until they were crossing each other. With more room to maneuver, Kaldur was able to get close and lock their lips together. Fitting each other with stunning perfection. She loved feeling his arms around her, the strength behind them. He smelled like the sea and tasted like chocolate.
He couldn't believe how easily she fell into him, how vulnerable she let herself get around him. Someone as strong as Lydia just melted into him. Her hands traveled up his chest until her arms were locked behind his neck. Kaldur pulled her into his lap, holding her tightly against him. Deeply kissing a few more times until they parted for air.
The team sat around in posh living room, bored out of their mind as Miss Brink taught Miss Martian how to knit.
"What's taking them so long?" Superboy asked, his leg bounced with frustration.
"Maybe we should go check on them." Zatana offered, but wasn't exactly making an effort to move.
"I'll do it." Kid Flash jumped up and was already heading towards Lydia's room before anyone could stop him.
Kaldur had pushed Lydia down on the bed, hugging her to him with one arm while the other held her hand above her head. His face was buried in the nook of her neck, teasing her flesh with his lips. She clawed at his bare back, loving the feeling of him in between her legs. He was enticing a lovely moan from Lydia by nibbling on her ear when there was a loud knock on the door.
"Hey guys!" Kid Flash shouted, "We were just wondering if you were alright and when we were leaving."
"Go away Wally." Lydia warned.
"Oh hey Fletcher, I hope you're feeling better. But seriously, we need to leave before Miss Brink starts acting like stereotypically old lady and starts to force us to eat the candy that's been in the bottom of her purse since 1945."
Kaldur rolled his eyes and sighed. He put his grey jacket back on and slipped on his shoes before heading towards the door. "We will leave in a few moments. I want to be sure that L-Fletcher is well enough to be alone."
"I will be once Wally leaves."
"Have Miss Martian prep the Bio Ship. I will be there momentarily." Kaldur kindly ordered and closed the door when Kid Flash saluted and ran away.
When Kaldur turned towards the bedroom, Lydia ambushed him, hugging him against the door and buried her head into his chest. Kaldur embraced her, resting his chin on the top of her head. Adjusting her head so her chin laid against Kaldur's chest and smiled up at him.
He observed her melancholy behavior and questioned her, "Is something the matter?"
Lydia shook her head, "No. I actually feel a lot better. Talking with you helped."
"Good, I am glad." Kaldur lowered his head at the same time Lydia raised herself up. Kaldur and Lydia mirrored each other, tilting their heads and closing the small gap between them until their lips met. At first, the kiss was small. But it grew bigger and more intense until they parted for air, bringing their foreheads together.
"I will stay in touch." Kaldur said as his knuckles swiped Lydia's cheek.
Author's note: I'm just gonna end this or else this one shot will go on forever. I didn't mean for it to get so long. But I'm glad I beat my record. I might go back and change some things in Things Are Never What They Seem.