-Song Choices-

First Part - "Distance" by Christina Perri feat. Jason Mraz

Second Part - "Belong" by Cary Brothers

Chapter One

Not The Past, But A Future

-Gotham City-

July 4th, 2016

19:03 EDT

This is it, I thought to myself as I finished packing the last of my clothes into a single duffle bag.

After so many years of anticipating this moment - half of me desiring it, the other half completely guilty of still wanting it, I finally had my freedom to leave. The Team and I had won against the Light and forced the Reach out of Earth, but I had never felt more exhausted and used up in my twenty-two years of living as I did now. With a groan, I plopped back down on my lumpy mattress and ran my fingers through my tangled hair. The rusted springs creaked underneath my weight - a hundred and twenty-four pounds of curves and muscle.

Many would've found my home of choosing horridly uncomfortable to live on, considering it was a brokendown studio near the East Side of Gotham. Criminals lurked at every corner, and there wasn't a second where I felt remotely safe whenever I chose to stay the night. People would've assumed I could afford a penthouse from all the jewels and winnings I stole during my adolescence, but my hidden stash remained where it was as it had for several years. I didn't return them to their original owners when Batman ordered me to, but I didn't use them either to avoid a guilty conscience, especially when almost all my exes were wannabe heroes. The key word being almost.

The rented studio reminded me of the easier times when it was just me and my adoptive sister, traveling around the world to escape the world itself. Life may have been harder then, but it was simpler and far less complicated in my mind at least. While I had remained clueless at our past travels, I remembered Selina Kyle - as self-indulgent as her personality claimed to be - sacrificing way too much for the people she loved. For Batman, for me . . . And even after her futile attempts to do good and her escape from obligation and a failed love, my adoptive sister had never been evil. She just did what she wished and showed no remorse for it in public, the perfect breathing example of tough skin and total liberty.

Now here I was, drowning myself in nostalgia for the years when I had been a full-time criminal beside her - sitting alone on Independence Day. Somewhat weary with myself, I already knew how much I had softened exponentially since those days. How adorably pathetic I've become . . .

"Meow!"

I glanced down to see my nineteen year old cat and fondly rubbed the spot behind her ears, listening to her purr. The feline was originally Selina's companion, but that all changed when Isis was left in my custody. Okay, maybe I wasn't completely alone . . . "Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?"

"First, you're talking to yourself - a beginning sign of lunacy," a voice retorted in the shadows. Isis let out a hiss at the interruption and leaped down to the floor, stretching her paws. "Still doesn't like me it seems."

Propping myself up with my elbows, my hazel eyes zeroed on the right corner of the studio's ground level. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but I didn't make it a habit to leave the lights on while I pondered. "You're here," I replied as I stood up and leaned against the railing of my second floor bedroom. "How long were you watching, darling?"

A low chuckle echoed through the darkness. "Just arrived actually. The Team's meeting up in the Watchtower, but I guess you already heard from Batman." He didn't sound angry or annoyed, just slightly exasperated. "You met up with him earlier, didn't you?"

Not bothering to lie, I answered, "Around noon if I recall correctly."

I could hear him making his way towards the spiral stairway, his footsteps breaking the silence along with his solemn voice. "You informed him you're leaving."

"That was always the plan. It never changed for me," I pointed out quietly, "but you don't seem that surprised."

"Everyone knew you had a lot to think about over the years. You were the one to experience the most development within the Team, regarding how you began as thief," he admitted, his tone of voice holding in his irritation.

"Development, huh?" Unable to stop myself, I trailed a coy finger over his collarbone, feeling the smooth material of his uniform. It was one of the gentlest touches I demonstrated, but I still managed to make him suck in a hurried breath. "I suppose we had fun the past eight months trying not to develop an us-"

He firmly grabbed my slender wrist to halt my distractions, careful for any skin to skin contact. I may have mastered some degree of my absorption power, but there were instances when people would simply weaken at my touch without my ability witnessing their private memories or copying any powers. "This isn't a joke, Audra."

"Temper, temper," I chided as I swatted his hand away. His scowl merely deepened, annoyingly immune to my antics. "A few people took temporary leave last week, you know. Go ahead and disturb them too, I dare you."

"They aren't my ex-girlfriend, are they?"

Before I moved to pick up Isis, I threw him a smug smirk. "You unlucky dog."

He let out an impatient sigh. "Be serious for once."

"You of all people should know I don't picture myself as a serious woman." I placed Isis back on the bed and zipped close the duffle bag. "And I gotta confess, I thought you would've taken a vacation after what happened to Kid Flash."

A flicker of unfathomable emotion crossed his handsome face, but his voice remained aloof. "Audra, the world needs its heroes."

"The world can wait," I remarked with distaste, turning to face him fully. After years in the Team's presence, I had yet to acquire their incessant need to constantly help the people. I may had wanted to turn a new page and try a part in their heroics, but I wasn't tied to their sympathetic ideals. "You do realize this is one of the reasons I broke us off, right?"

I watched in triumph as his lips twitched into a reluctant smile; though small, it counted as much as a full-blown grin in my book. "Oh, so it wasn't because you have the tendency to become the typical heartbreaker?"

"Darling, I don't date just anyone." To prompt him further, I offered the appealing man a playful wink. "Consider yourself special."

"Well, your long record states otherwise."

As we bantered, he inched closer to where I stood until his chest nearly brushed against mine. He oddly smelled like firewood, hot chocolate, and fresh aftershave; nevertheless, a blush worked its way to my cheeks and I was thankful for the dark. Our current position impelled me to recall the past circumstances when I had been the one to look down, not him. But it had been humorous to discover why he had such dislike towards the flashy heels I once preferred to wear during our days off. I could presently assume he found them sexy now that he was taller than I was, no matter what shoe I wore.

"I should say the same to you," I breathed out, frustrated to learn he was causing the same effect I had induced him to earlier. Grabbing my bag, I slipped out of his reach and clicked my tongue to grab Isis' attention. "Come, Isis."

"That's it? You'll just walk out on the Team?" He demanded sternly, grasping onto the crook of my elbow.

A tiny frown marred my face, but I didn't try to break his hold. Perhaps because a part of me was still clinging to the idea of staying. "Please stop referring to the Team. It's not so difficult to get the impression you're talking about us."

His eyebrow arched at my claim. "I thought there wasn't an us."

"There can't be one. There's a subtle difference," I corrected, drawing strength from Isis when she brushed her sleek body against my left shin. "Not as long as there's a world to save, we won't have a chance."

"Then tell me what's wrong. I don't understand your . . . hate for the world," he told me warily.

"Hate?" A bitter laugh escaped the back of my throat. I had acknowledged for months that the former sidekick didn't comprehend my feelings, but I was disappointed each time nonetheless. "If I hated it, I wouldn't have stayed around to save it. Think less antagonistic, but more invidious."

Despite his obvious puzzlement, he appeared to know that he was getting closer to the truth. "Audra-"

I interrupted sharply, "The world is always going to be a priority to you heroes. I have to share you with them, and I'm too selfish to accept that. It happened to Artemis and Wally, to Selina and Batman, and look where that got them. It'll always be the mission that comes first."

"Not all the time," he murmured. "It's the reason for our double lives. Batman can deny it all he wants, but there are times when the mission isn't always first to him - rare as they may come."

His intelligent eyes had widened at my confession, but I found myself not stopping there. I was leaving anyways, even if I had to drag myself out the door, so what else did I have to lose? "Then I don't want to be brokenhearted, filled with regret for things that could've been, and I don't want to grieve with everyone else the day you die for them - may it be tomorrow or twenty years from now."

"What are you saying?"

"A clean break, darling. I think that's what we both need." Shaking him off, I muttered, "I'd ask for you to leave with me, but you're too noble for that." Our entire relationship with built on irony - a once-upon-a-time evil doer and one of the Team's most prominent member. It was no secret that those who stalked in the darkness would always have a captivated fascination with those who walked in the light. I was simply caught in the entanglement, an enchanted antiheroine who loved and hated experiencing her conflicting emotions. "You're better than me, and that's what I . . . er, a-about you . . . I - uh, well, you belong in the Team."

He wasn't deterred by my argument and replied angrily, "Damn it, Audra. Stop picking up reasons to why you don't belong, and start realizing the reasons why you do."

Tossing the bag to the ground floor with a loud thump, I snapped, "I was raised up to be a criminal! It's been five years - I know, I know, but I've had my relapses. A part of me - Belladonna - she refuses to go away! Then I tried being a full-time hero, but I'm just not made for it."

"You've proven that wrong, and you've gained everyone's trust in the League," he argued in return.

"I can't sacrifice my life for someone else and I refuse to die for a stranger's behalf." My voice softened under my emotional strife. "I spent so many years hiding behind a mask, stuck in a tug of war between being Belladonna the thief or Nightingale the sidekick, that I never took the time to be Audra Kyle . . . or Liviya Luthor."

There was no sign of shock at the name of my long-lost father. It was practically old news to the members of the Justice League and the Team, but it didn't fail to send shivers down my spine. I clearly didn't love my monster of a father after everything he'd done, but no matter how much animosity I threw at him, the fifty year old billionaire just smirked at me - as if he knew my inner, most darkest secrets. And no matter how much I tried to loathe him, I couldn't find it in myself to wish him death. This was publicly proven when Arsenal had attempted to murder him more than a month ago, right after I had treated Connor to birthday lunch.

At my ex's silence, I assumed he had given up trying to stop me; I assumed wrong when he questioned, "What did Connor say about this?"

The half-brother I never expected to have . . . "He knows I'll keep in touch."

He shook his head, a wry smirk on his tempting mouth. "Would you really?" For some reason, this man in front of me was one of the few people I couldn't convince with my lying and I decided to ignore what he said.

"Connor wants me to be happy." I clarified, "The Team . . . They're my family. But how can I be happy when don't know who I am? Try to be a friend and understand that."

"Trying, but failing," he stated blankly.

"The Light is gone for now, and the deal I made with Batman years ago is void. So . . . I'm free." I crossed my arms, tilting my head to study most of the angles of his familiar face. Who knew when I'd see him again? I eventually yielded to temptation and caressed his lean bicep with my bare right hand, questioning, "Wouldn't this be the time you start telling me more reasons to stay, darling?"

He grumbled, "You sound confident with the choice you're making."

"I'm not disappearing forever," I whispered as I tried to convince my heart otherwise. "Like I said, I'll keep in touch."

"I don't need to be a genius to know you're a liar."

"Is that your way of saying something along the lines of 'I'll miss you, sweetheart'?" With a grin, I squeezed his arm fondly. "Oh, stop glaring at me. I'll only tease you more."

"Does the rest of the Team know . . ?" He was the first one to pull away, letting his gaze wander around the room I had spent my nights in since Mount Justice was destroyed. Sometimes in a good night, he'd be here to accompany me and dutifully served as my pillow from dusk till dawn. Then during other better nights, we did more than sleep or talk.

"I never did like public goodbyes. I was hoping that you'd fill them in."

A flash of dejection appeared on his face, but it vanished as quickly as it came when he tried to compose his features. "M'gann won't be happy."

"She'll have Connor. I'm rooting for those two." I edged closer to him again, cupping his right cheek with my gloved left hand. "I'll watch over the Team from time to time. I'll even go out of my way to support the Justice League - something I wouldn't have bothered to do as a child."

"Your compensation?" He retorted somewhat coldly.

When he moved away, I merely stepped forward; I didn't want us to depart on bad terms. "What else do you want me to say? I love you?"

That was probably the wrong thing to inquire since he spared me a scoff and wretched himself away. "For someone so afraid at the basic idea of love, you don't have the right to mock me."

I was bewildered with that reply, stuck in my spot while he walked nearer to the exit. Only when Isis softly pawed the back of my leg did I manage to collect my astonished thoughts. Did he imply what I think he just implied? "Damn," I mouthed.

Clearing my head, I took no notice of the dark, foggy ribbons that wrapped around my body like a poofy veil. At my next exhale, my body reconfigured itself from the thick cloud and I found myself staring straight into the agitated expression of my teammate, a boy who I hadn't considered to ever become my lover. He wasn't my first love, neither was I his; we weren't each other's first either. But since last November of two-thousand fifteen - a month shy of his nineteenth birthday, Dick Grayson was all I could think about. I started seeing him as a man while I had labeled my signs of endearment as harmless fun.

"Enough, Audra-"

I interrupted him - I always did - but this time, it was done with a kiss. Upon lip contact, my mind was fuzzy with his tender memories of our past trysts. I was made aware of the different versions he saw in me, every single one of them - a playful trickster, a guarded companion, a spontaneous flirt, a lonely sister, an abandoned daughter, a trusted teammate, a beautiful woman . . . I was left gasping, even breathless, at the passion he held towards me. Looking up at him wide eyes, I set aside my amazement for a moment, feeling relieved that he hadn't lost any of his energy during our liplock.

Dick Grayson is in love with me.

"But why?" I murmured, the words tasting foreign in my mind. "When I said fun-"

"It was serious for me," Nightwing defended, not even blushing at the revelation. The ever stoic Batman had rubbed off on him. I couldn't help but wonder how Selina had felt during her own relationship with Bruce Wayne, loving a hero when she herself wasn't. It was unpredictable, contradictory, and feverish - blissful.

"Darling," I paused before shaking my head. It didn't seem right calling him that anymore. When he caught my pointed stare towards his mask, Nightwing shot me a sheepish grin before taking it off. I wasn't sure why he still wore that around me when I already knew his and his adoptive father's secret identities, secrets I was expected to keep to my grave. "Look, Dick . . ."

He misunderstood my reluctant tone and said, "I know I'm not Kaldur-"

I rolled my eyes at his chary statement. "That's not what I was going to say. I've not once seen you as Kaldur'ahm - well, maybe as a rebound guy back in November - but you were Dick Grayson to me. At least that part was real. Kal . . . Kal is a determined friend, that's all."

All I wish to tell you is how sorry I am, the Atlantean had said days earlier, for the pain I put you through. I promised to protect you with my given power, yet I failed and proceeded to do the opposite.

And it was a horrible promise, I had remarked, not trying to hide my bordering-hostile thoughts. My ill feelings had been clear and easy to notice like a children's book on my face. It was never your job to protect me, Kal. I'm not one to play as a damsel in distress.

He had shaken his head. No, you are not.

But I loved you, and you made me believe the cruelest things, I had stated coldly. You humiliated me, turned me into a fool! Even though I know the real reason now, it has been a year since . . . that.

Kaldur's placidity had started to feel patronizing. It was as if he had been speaking to a spoiled child, not his ex-lover. I knew the cost was losing your heart, but I was prepared to take that risk-

I wasn't, I had pointed out. Though I shouldn't be so shocked. I understand why a hero should choose his mission and not his heart.

Audra, I am sorry you see it that way, he had replied.

Not hesitating to glare, a sneer had nearly appeared on my mouth. Were you still in love with Tula when you were with me?

Kaldur hadn't hesitated to tell me the truth, aware how quick my temper worked. I took notice of your jealousy years before. Needing to convince Black Manta, I had to do something drastic that would eventually separate you from the idea of me. You were my strongest link to the Team, therefore your anger further persuaded my father of my change of alliance.

It was a lie then, I had whispered.

At my grimace, he had admitted, There are things I have done that I am not proud of, but I will try to gain back your trust . . . and perhaps obtain your friendship again.

I'm still so angry at you, at Artemis and W-Wally . . . Dick, too. We were supposed to be a team. Against my desire to stay cool, longing poured off of me in waves. Bittersweet smiles were exchanged after I had continued, Trust is difficult to reclaim, Kal, but I suppose we do have history.

Do not forgive me out of nostalgia for that is not what I want from you, Kaldur had earnestly told me.

With a thick swallow, I had managed a strained smile. Forgiveness isn't impossible, but just give me the time to . . . I need time. A lot of it.

He had nodded, expecting worse. As you wish.

I had every intention of leaving at that moment, however, my curiosity had been too much to resist. Has Impulse . . . Did he speak with you? Or, um, mention anything by accident?

There had been an odd look on his face at first, and I instantly assumed Impulse had blurted out a detail of the future; but I had allowed myself to sigh when Kaldur shook his head. No . . . he has not. Is it important?

No, I had lied, feeling the guilt of that fable crash against my conscience. It's probably just nothing. I hadn't needed to look at his face to know he wasn't convinced, or to realize that he had spoken to Impulse.

About the future . . . About an alternate us if Kaldur hadn't gone undercover . . . About her . . .

Aqualad and I were together, continuously on and off for four years, until we decided to break up for real last June. To be honest, he could've been the second one who had really torn my heart apart - my once prince charming, my once darling, my once everything . . . just like he had been with his dyed hair and haunting, devious gray eyes. But all good things must come to an end, Selina had warned me.

While many equations and variables had added up to our possible reconciliation in the future, there was just too much water under the bridge. Of course, I couldn't exactly forget Kaldur like I had never fallen for him in the first place - four years was a long time to be in love with someone; the same thing went for Dick and Zatanna, Dick and Racquel, Dick and Barbara. I grew a little jealous at his lists of heartbreaks and patched-up friendships, but I knew my scandelizing record was just as worse - though I never went so far as to fall deeply in love with all of them. Aqualad would always be an epic love, someone who owned a small piece of my heart.

But I apparently moved on without realizing it . . . and with someone two and a half years younger than me. Oh, God.

"Then I won't be asking you to stay anymore, if that's what you want." He looked a bit pained just saying the words. "But if you at least feel a scrap of emotion for me, tell me before you go-"

Impulsively, I tip-toed in my boots and crashed our lips together. While my gloved hand brushed against his cheekbone, the other playfully tugged on his jet black hair. My warm breath fanned over his tempting lips as I said teasingly, "Has anyone told you that you talk to much?"

Dick immediately responded by pulling me closer and wrapping his arms around my waist, his fingers skimming the edge of my sweat jacket. All caution seemed to have been thrown out the window. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"It's more than just a scrap - so yes," I moaned into his mouth.

A giggle left me when my back suddenly met the cool brick wall of the studio, our lips still involved in a heated dance. Things got a tad warmer when my leg was hitched around his hip, my nails digging into the back collar of his uniform as if to rip it off of his chest. I realized seconds later that my jacket had dropped to the ground, and I was left in my camisole which was also being pulled over my head; but before things could go too far, I pushed him back a bit. Much to my amusement, Dick let out an impatient noise and moved to pepper my neck with kisses.

"W-Wait, wait, what a-about the m-meeting?" I asked, giddy from all the skin contact. It was getting harder and harder to keep my absorption power under control and it became even more difficult to maintain a clear head. Control, control, control - oh! My thoughts instantly turned sluggish when his lips massaged a soft spot on the crook of my neck.

"We have more than an hour," Dick slyly answered over the curve of my ear. His inner, younger Robin was coming out of his shell after a whole year of locking it tight inside a box. The mission was finally over and done with. It was just the two of us now - alone, our passions waiting to be spent.

Suppressing another moan, I whispered reluctantly, "Dick . . . tonight I'm-"

"Don't think," he suggested before kissing me in a way that almost made me lose track of the world. With that single statement, my hesitation disappeared and I returned his shows of affection with equal zeal. We fumbled around blindly until we slammed against the railing of the circular stairway.

It didn't prove to be a hassle that we had to overcome when clouds of darkness covered our eager bodies, and in a heartbeat, we reappeared in my second floor bedroom. Slipping my fingers in my pocket, I took out a crystal Zatanna had charmed for me. Even while I was dating her ex, we had surprisingly gotten along well. Tiny bolts of lightning sparked in my hand as I absorbed the static energy into my limbs with a sharp gasp. Electricity, or the faint ongoing distraction it caused to my mind, was the only temporary neutralizer to my power-stealing ability, the solution and my weakness both founded by Batman and Lex Luthor.

"I'll never get used to it," Dick admitted, his breathing already uneven as I shoved him to the bed.

Teleportation? Us? It? Whatever he was talking about, I merely grinned and hugged his body close to mine, staring straight into the favored shade of blue that were his eyes. My stomach flipped with anticipation, impelling me to also feel like we were heading towards uncharted waters. "Probably not."

-Gotham City-

July 4th, 2016

20:35 EDT

"Do you remember what Impulse told us - you?" Dick questioned, his voice soft.

My fingers halted their gentle endeavors, as they were tracing invisible lines on his bare chest before his inquiry, and I languidly looked up, an eyebrow arched on my weary face. Our breathing had yet to slow, our bodies lightly veiled with sweat. I was somewhat amused which was strange since usually, I reacted with alarm whenever Impulse was brought up into a conversation. "You mean what he blurted out by accident?"

He chuckled and ran his hand through my dark hair, playing with the strands that I had dyed in magenta and electric blue shades. "Yeah, that's what I meant."

A coy smirk twitched on my lips and I teased, "Aren't you a bit too young to be thinking of children, Mr. Grayson? I know we're narrowly reaching the double digits, but I didn't think you had an ulterior motive with sleeping with me."

Dick flushed, stammering incoherent words before he cleared his throat uncomfortably. Nonetheless, his cheeks adorned a faint pink blush. "I just thought it was interesting."

"Well I think it's weird," I remarked as I studied his reactions. Unfortunately, he was just as good as I was with pokerfaces and I couldn't make out what he was currently feeling. "Me being a mom?"

"You're a good sister to Connor," he told me honestly. "Who knows? It's in the future."

"Exactly - it's in the future." When a tinge of remorse touched my mind, I lied back down and snuggled closer to him. He, in return, tugged on the sheets that clung to our bodies like a second skin. Our limbs remained entangled, satisfyingly close and addictively toasty. "I'd rather like to keep it there and out of mind."

There was minute of silence before Dick asked, a little perplexed, "So you're not the least bit interested? Even if he claims it'll ruin the mode - whatever that means, Impulse has a loose tongue. I bet any pretty girl could sweet talk a few details out of him."

"I'm just pretty?" I questioned back, listening to his heartbeat when it quickened. The buzz from Zatanna's electricity charm was disappearing, but I didn't show any signs that it did. I had already grown accustomed to the faint headache the tiny crystal brought. "Huh, I'm almost insulted."

"You're avoiding the subject." He observed out loud. "I know you, Audra. You're overly cautious so naturally you'd try to take advantage of meeting a time traveler, yet all you've done is turn a blind eye."

"I guess I haven't given you enough credit," I sighed, smacking him when I caught sight of his smug expression. "But don't worry about my lack of curiosity. I know as much as I want to - too much, if you asked me." My future daughter; her hair color - dark brown, her eye color - pale green, and her name - Ah'stra . . . Atlantean. "C-Can we just enjoy this moment?"

Dick stared at me, nearing the point of scrutiny when he nodded. Imagine my shock when he suddenly held me in a vine grip, prompting me to squeal in pleasant surprise. "Can't have you running off, can I?" He murmured at the nape of my neck.

"From you? Maybe." I joked, enjoying the sharing of heat.

As I pressed my fingertips on his shoulders, I could feel the tension in his muscles and sensed his hesitation. I tried not to smirk when I also felt the messy layers of scratches I had bestowed on his skin during the height of our passion, but it inevitably grew on my face when Dick winced. Perhaps it was a territorial thing to desire to mark your lover's body, a sort of imprint to shamefully show anyone who would see it that he was mine . . . or had been mine. When he noticed the direction of my pompous stare, Dick allowed his gorgeous blue eyes to study the trail of swelling hickeys around my collarbone and followed it past my cleavage to my bellybutton.

I gave him a light kiss, chuckling. "So what's bothering you now?"

My question managed to sober him up since I heard his reluctant sigh. He didn't release me from our embrace as he boldly told me, "About Impulse-"

Oh. "Dick-"

"No, let me explain," he interrupted, pulling back to look me directly in the eye. "I brought him up because he reminded me of W . . . Wally." To comfort him, I reached up to caress the edge of his jaw. "It made me think that life's too short."

"Obviously . . ." I bit my lip, the realistic side of me dreading to hear his next words. "C'mon, might as well say it if you-"

"I'll wait for you," Dick vowed.

Almost losing grip on my sentence, I shook my head and cursed my words. "I-I . . . I can't ask you to do that-"

He stubbornly retorted, "You don't have to. I'm content with waiting."

"But I don't want that for you, Dick," I gritted out. He sounded so sure of himself that I wouldn't be surprised if he really did keep to that oath. Then again, he had learned a thing or two from Bruce Wayne's playboy book - not that Dick would ever admit his past Casanova status. "I don't want you to hold onto old memories - what I want is for you to move on-"

"Well, what you want can go to hell," Dick said bluntly, determined like I was some mystery to solve. "If you want me to say it again . . . You are stuck with me."

I could've cried, but I had no clue if they would be tears of joy or tears of frustration; so I settled with murmuring, "You're an absolute idiot."

"If you secretly mean legendary genius, then yes, I am." He grinned at his short victory before he lowered his head to meet my lips. It was a bittersweet gesture - gentle, caring, but sad. Then the kiss grew angry when Dick made a choking noise and tried to pull back. My absorption powers had returned; our time together was up. "Au . . . Aud-!"

"Be selfish once in a while. I wouldn't blame you," I advised delicately, relishing at our last moments of touch. Perhaps that was the last thing he heard me say before he collapsed beside me, unconscious. I wasn't sure how long I stared at the back of his head, sitting far at the edge of the mattress but still close enough to share the heat of his body. It astonished me to notice my left cheek was stained with a tear trail and I quickly wiped away the evidence; I needed to leave soon.

"Meow!" Isis trotted to where I sat, but with one sniff of my bare knee, she let out an irritated hiss. Aside from Kaldur'ahm, she never did like any of my boyfriends, especially Dick.

Kaldur'ahm, I repeated in my head, melancholic. There was no denying that I'd love him for a long time - that he was someone important in my heart, but it wasn't fair to the nineteen year old next to me. Dick had been there during the hard times when he couldn't be. I'm sorry, Kaldur . . . about everything, about Ah'stra . . . but I refuse to become another puppet of Fate's.

"Meow!"

"Oh, shush!" I mumbled, giving my sweaty skin a long whiff. To my delight, my natural perfume of coffee cake and guava lotion mixed together with the homey smells of Wayne Manor's fireplace - Dick's favorite hideout - and the stench of sex. "You know I prefer it like this." Isis' large golden eyes narrowed at me before she sauntered off, and I spared a minute to wonder if the intelligent cat had the same exact experience with Selina years ago.

Teleporting around the empty studio to collect my fallen articles of clothing, I changed into a cleaner set of clothes and picked up Zatanna's charm off the ground. I dug it into the pocket of my jeans and glanced back at Dick, twisting the borrowed, old-fashioned batarang around my hands. Honestly, I felt a bit hypocritical when I had planned to bring it along, but technically Dick had given it to me as Robin around two-thousand thirteen. It was a year before he officially became Nightwing, the silent partner to my sidekick alias - Nightingale.

A bit grudgingly, I placed it on the bedside table. Dick and I weren't seen as the sentimental kind, but we had our teary-eyed moments from time to time - like right now. I pressed a short kiss on his temple since I had enough control to reign my power in, doubtful Dick could hear me when I whispered the quietest "I love you' against his skin. Then without another glance, I managed to grab both Isis and my duffle bag and teleported out of Gotham's East End. Using the last ounce of energy I stole from Dick, I managed to reanimate myself to the nearest interstate terminal and took out a ticket for the nine P.M. bus.

"Gotham City to Tallahassee - gate B-12," someone announced half an hour later, their voice booming around the transportation hall. It was a three-day ride of utter contemplation before I would board an airplane and head off to wherever I felt like escaping.

Three days before I truly disappear off the map . . . A cutesy giggle took my attention and I saw a cuddling, doting couple rising up from one of the benches; we were apparently heading off to the same bus. I raised a silent eyebrow at my disbelieving luck. Great.

Glaring at their loving expressions, the fact that I was completely alone finally kicked me in the head like a straight punch to the gut . . . and it hurt. It was as if the past hour with Dick had never happened - one of my happiest moments exchanged for a lonely walk to my intended bus. I glanced upward, my eyes meeting the gentle glow of the quarter moon. Its docile warmth was mocking me. "This is it," I repeated weakly.

Isis pawed my shirt. "Meow!"

"Shh, I know, I know." I fought back the urge to look over my shoulder at the city I was raised in. "I'll miss it too."

I claimed the furthest seat at the back, hiding Isis under my trench coat. She rubbed her wet nose against my shirt as if comforting me with the decision I chose; it was the same decision Selina had made. How I missed her. As the city limits drew farther and farther from my line of sight, I closed my eyes to relish the moment I had waited six years for. Instead, tears and silent sobs were released. My family, my friends, my heart . . . I was leaving them behind as well as my regrets. Paying no heed to everyone else in the bus, my mind wandered back to the past - during the time Belladonna almost ended and Nightingale began.

This is my story . . .

Lady Shiri's Note: I don't own Young Justice! Or Catwoman! Or any other hero/villain I may chose to refer in this story that aren't my OCs! They do not belong to me!

I'm sure you guys have questions. This is a prologue that turned into a chapter about my OC's future, but the rest of this story will go back to 2008 and work its way up the timeline until 2016. This is actually my first time doing something like this, but after seeing a few books using this "peek of the future" method, I just wanted to see how well it would work for me.

Most of the major points of my story are out in the open, which I kind of don't like since it ruins the surprise, but I have a bit more plot turners in store - Lex Luthor being her long-lost, biological father; Conner being her half-brother; Seline Kyle - or Catwoman - being her adoptive sister {I have no idea why Catwoman didn't make an appearance on YJ - she's AWESOME!}; her power is absorbtion {I'll explain more about it in the future chapters}.

This is NOT a love triangle. As much as I like them, I'm writing enough of those right now and I won't be expanding my literature skills by making another one. Keep in mind that around 2011 - 2015 timeline, it's already stated that my OC loved Kaldur'ahm/Aqualad. And only when it was in the late 2015 - 2016 timeline did my OC fall in love with Dick Grayson/Nightwing {though not as Robin}.

So really, this is more an Aqualad/OC story until it reaches second season. The endgame is most likely Nightwing/OC, but you won't read much of that for now.

Yes, I know my OC's two and 1/2 years older than Dick Grayson - and no, it's not gross. I have friends whose mothers are 4 - 5 years older than their fathers. It's a bit cougar of my OC, but I wanted something different - a strong, confident OC who falls in love with someone she didn't expect to. It happens, people;) And to those of you who think their relationship is something perverted, Dick is 19 1/2 and she is 22. If guys didn't know, M'gann is 53 and La'gaan is 17 when they were dating.

Also, I wanted to put a realistic edge to YJ. This is a YA version of it that I wanted to create, for 15 years old and up {if you're 13 or 14, read at your own risk I suppose}. In reality, not everyone ends up with their childhood best friend or high school sweetheart. People have went out with a list of other people before they found "the one." The same will go with my OC. Plus, she's a flirt so Kaldur obviously won't be the first to catch her eye.

This first chapter was a bit angsty with a lot more dialogue than I had expected. Did anyone think it was too much or just blah? Honest criticism and reviews are very welcomed. Updates will vary from time to time, but they will most likely be SLOW. I do not quit my stories if you guys are wondering! Just be patient with upcoming chapters - may they be a week or a month or even half a year from today; I will STILL be working on them until I write THE END on the last chapter.

Enjoy it, read it, and review it if you can!