HELLO LOVLIES

To Guest: Your wait is over! Sorry it took so long :)

To BraziaRios: Oh, I def feel all the feels with you :) glad you like Karla and Jaime!

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs. But one day...;)


BLÜDHAVEN

April 1, 08:11 EDT

Dick hesitated outside the door to his sister's room. He usually left her alone on mornings – he knew all too well how exhausting vigilante activities were, and he liked to let her sleep in when she could. Even on school days, such as today, since Karla had first period free. But Karla typically didn't sleep in this late – she was habitually an early riser and was usually up by seven-thirty.

Besides, today was different. Today marked the tenth anniversary of their family's death. Dick closed his eyes at the thought, his heart aching. Yes, a decade had passed, but the pain was as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

"Karla?" Dick called, pressing his hand against the door to her room. There was no response, and Dick sighed. "Karly, come on out, okay? It's still a school day. I know you don't want to, but you need to get to school." His sister still didn't say a word, and Dick frowned. He pounded on the door.

"Karla!" he shouted, louder. "Come on, wake up!" When there still wasn't even a grunt responding to the hero, Dick stepped back, his anxiety skyrocketing. He silently counted to ten, giving her another few seconds to respond, and then shoved the door open.

Karla's room was empty. Before leaving, she'd made her bed neatly, as per usual.

Dick sighed, rubbing his forehead. His best guess was that Karla had left without telling him. Which was...annoying, but not unexpected. His pulse slowed down slightly, and he looked around the room. Sure enough, the window was open, the curtain fluttering in the breeze.

Dick turned to leave, grabbing his keys. He knew where Karla had gone.


TAOS

April 1, 17:23 MDT

Nate clenched his fist, glaring at the floor of the facility. Most of the abducted teenagers had been allowed to go home after talking to the police and getting checked over at the hospital, but he and four other abducted teenagers - the ones who had been abducted for the longest - had been taken to a S.T.A.R. Labs facility, along with Sara and some of her was also another teen there – a bald guy in a white jumpsuit.

Black Canary – who was Dinah, Nate had realized with a jolt of surprise – was talking to each of them individually about what had happened to them. Nate knew that Dinah was a licensed therapist, so he wasn't surprised that she was the one interviewing them.

The silence among the group of teenagers was tense – and well, actually not silent. The speedster teenager was tapping his hands rapid-fire fast against his knees. The slapping sound filled the entire hallway, and it was irritating everyone. However, the speedster was oblivious to all the blatant dirty looks his companions were shooting him.

Finally, the hero next to him seemed to become fed up. It was the hero wearing the same armor that the Reach – apparently that was what the aliens were called – leaned over and slapped his friend's hand down, stilling it against the speedster's knee. The brown-haired speedster blinked, looking down at his hand in surprise. He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, uh. Sorry," he apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. He lowered his hands onto his knees, and they lay flat and still. A moment later, however, another tapping sound filled the hallway. This time it was the speedster's foot against the linoleum of the floor.

Before anyone could murder him, the door clicked open and the long-haired teenager trudged from the room. Dinah stood behind him.

"Thank you, Tye," she said to the departing teen. Her eyes fell on Nate, and she offered him a small smile. "Nate?"

Nate stood up nervously. He wrapped his fingers around the dog tags on his neck, tugging at the chain habitually. As he passed her, Sara looked up and offered him a small, comforting smile.

Upon entering the office, Nate looked around. It was a small room with a desk in the center, and other than that, it was fairly empty. Nate sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk, and Dinah sat opposite of him. She smiled sympathetically.

"Nate," she said. "I'm glad to see that you're okay." Nate smiled tightly, squeezing his hands together. He shrugged uncomfortably, blinking strands of his brown hair out of his eyes. The sensation was unusual – he generally gelled it back, but obviously he hadn't had gel when he'd been abducted by aliens. He fought back a hysterical laugh, and he noticed that Dinah was looking at him in concern.

"Oh," he said. "Did I say that aloud?" Dinah nodded, once, her eyebrows pressed together slightly. "Sorry."

"Okay," she said, after a moment. "I know you've been through a lot," she continued. "But I need to ask you a few questions about the abduction. Is that okay?" Nate nodded slowly, looking around the room again. His eyes fell on a video camera beside the desk. It was pointed at him, and the red light indicated that it was turned on. Nate pointed at the camera.

"Why are you filming me?" he asked Dinah quietly. His hand went back up around his grandfather's dog tags and he pulled at them gently, running his fingers over the metal.

"Just to make sure I remember what you say," she replied to him, sounding a little amused. Nate was guessing he wasn't the first person who had asked that question. "I'm speaking to all of you, not only to find out what happened, but also to provide counseling and support." She nodded at him reassuringly. "This film won't go to anyone, and anything you say to me not directly applicable to the abduction is confidential. No one will find out about it – not my colleagues, not Sara, and not your parents." She looked at Nate steadily. "Okay?" Nate nodded.

"Okay," he exhaled, his breath coming out slowly. He nodded again, steeling himself. "Um. S – so, what questions?" Dinah nodded.

"Do you have any idea why the Reach chose you?" Dinah asked. Nate shrugged.

"I don't know," he replied. He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. I mean – they did all these experiments on us, and I don't know, it just seemed like they wouldn't have wanted someone who had hemophilia, but…" Nate shrugged. Dinah frowned.

"You said…had?" She asked, her voice suddenly sharp with interest and confusion. Nate's head shot up and he nodded, his eyes widening.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. He paused to gather his thoughts before continuing. "I don't know how it happened or – or what happened, or if it was just a weird fluke, but I stopped bleeding." Nate shook his head, still in disbelief. "I got hit across the face. I got a bloody nose, and about five minutes later?" Nate shrugged. "Nothing." Dinah frowned.

"That is…odd, to say the least," Dinah replied. She thought for a moment. "Once we're done here, I'd like to have some blood tests run on you, if that's okay." Nate nodded eagerly. He wanted to know if his hemophilia was really gone just as badly - probably more badly - than Dinah did. The superhero refocused on what she had meant to ask about. "You mentioned tests," she repeated his words. "What kinds of tests?" Nate frowned.

"Mostly…mostly electric shocks," he replied. His shoulders hunched in. "They got progressively stronger until…I don't know, all I could feel was electricity." Dinah nodded.

"Do you know how long each shock went on for?" Nate shook his head.

"No idea," he replied. "It felt like forever, and once they got strong it was hard to stay conscious for too long." Dinah nodded again.

"Is there anything else you think I need to know?" she asked him. Nate thought for a moment. A lot of his memories from his time on the ship were shadowy. But he could think of one other thing. Nate sighed.

"Yeah," he muttered heavily. "There were some kids who got taken away and never came back. I don't know what happened to them." Dinah's eyes widened and this bit of information, but before she could ask another question, Nate decided to ask one of his own.

"Look, Dinah…can I call home? I want to talk to my mom…she worries so much, she probably thinks I'm dead. And Amaya," Nate said, thinking of his girlfriend. "And my other friends…I want to talk to them." Dinah nodded.

"I understand that," she soothed. "I know waiting is frustrating, and I don't blame you for being impatient. But for now, please trust me. I need you to wait in the hallway with the others until I finish up." Nate nodded, his shoulders slumping. He stood up, and as he walked out of the room, Dinah called after him. "Send in Sara, okay?"


GOTHAM CITY

April 1, 09:17 EDT

Dick entered the hospital from the parking garage and stepped into the elevator. He felt a pang of guilt as the bell dinged and let him off at the lobby floor. He hadn't been here in almost six weeks. He and Karla usually tried to visit at least once a month, if not every other week. But he had just gotten caught up in everything that had been going on.

Navigating through the crowded lobby easily, Dick signed in at the receptionist's desk. When he signed his name on the visitor's form, his suspicions were confirmed – Karla's name was scrawled in the box two above his own.

"You need help finding someone, hon?" the receptionist asked when she noticed him standing there, holding the pen. Dick smiled politely, placing the pen down next to the clipboard.

"I'm good, thanks," he replied, shoving his hand in his back pocket. "I've been here before." The receptionist nodded, smiling sadly at him. She knew what that meant.

Dick walked through the hallways, passing rooms that looked nearly identical to the one he was headed for. When he got to the hospital room he was looking for, he peeked in.

There were no nurses or doctors currently occupying the space, but Karla was there. She was curled up in one of the chairs beside the bed, her knees tucked to her chest. Dick's shoulders relaxed slightly when he saw that she was there with his own two eyes, and he stepped into the room.

"Hey," he said to Karla. He pulled up a chair next to hers, sitting down with a sigh. He looked at the unconscious man lying in the bed and smiled sadly. "Hi, Uncle Rick."


Nate exited the room, and Sara turned to look at her friend. Nate's shoulders were hunched like they were too heavy for him to carry, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Even so, he tried to muster up a smile for his friend.

"She wants to see you next," he replied, jerking his head backwards to motion towards the room. Sara nodded, getting to her feet and walking through the door. As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Sara ran forward, throwing her arms around her older sister. Dinah hugged Sara back fiercely, squeezing her younger sister.

"Thank god you're okay," Dinah muttered. She kissed Sara's head, stroking her hair affectionately."Mom and Dad would have killed me if I hadn't gotten you home safe." Sara pulled back, looking at her sister indignantly.

"You?" She reproached the other blonde playfully. "If I remember correctly it was my friends who did all the work." Dinah rolled her eyes, sitting down in the desk chair.

"Sit down, baby sis," she commanded. Sara did as she was told, and Dinah leaned forward, her eyes suddenly serious. "Sara," Dinah said. "Can you tell me what happened on the Reach Ship?" Sara swallowed hard, and Dinah spoke again. "I know it was scary for you," Dinah whispered sadly. "I'm sorry, and I hate that you had to go through that. But can you please tell me?"

"Yeah," Sara whispered. She closed her eyes for a moment, both to regain her composure and to gather her thoughts. "They were experimenting on us for some reason, I'm not really sure why. But they were giving all of us the same treatment, regardless of who we were." Dinah nodded.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" she asked her younger sister. Sara nodded quickly, and Dinah frowned. "What is it?" she asked her sister.

"Dinah." Sara looked at her sister, her blue eyes very wide. "I screamed." Dinah frowned, not quite understanding what her sister meant. She shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Dinah asked.

"I mean," Sara spoke slowly, like she wasn't sure of her words herself. "I somehow...I somehow managed to use the Canary Cry."


After about another hour of humoring Karla's sullen silence, Dick had forced her out of the hospital room. He'd told her that she could come back later, and he would accompany her, but at the moment he was needed elsewhere, and he didn't want her to be alone.

"But I hate Gotham," she protested as they walked towards a Zeta Tube.

"You're in Gotham right now," Dick reminded his sister. Karla shrugged moodily, scowling at the ground.

"Only because Uncle Rick is in a hospital in Gotham," she replied. "Otherwise I wouldn't be here." She looked around suspiciously, like she was expecting a Talon to drop down and attack her at any minute.

Not that that was necessarily an irrational fear - Dick had seen first hand how the Talons operated, and Karla's terror was not misplace. Still, Dick ignored her complaints and slid the door open, gesturing for her to enter the abandoned photo booth.

"I don't care," he responded. "Stay at the Manor and you'll be fine. Alfred will be expecting you." Karla scowled. "Karly," Dick sighed, begging her to be compliant. "I don't want you to be alone today. Please." Her shoulders slumped, and she nodded, sighing heavily.

"Okay, fine," she muttered, crossing her arms. Dick wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently. Karla wasn't big on hugs, but she let him enfold her in a quick embrace before stepping away.


A.R.G.U.S. HEADQUARTERS

April 1, 22:34 EDT

Paityn looked at the clock nervously. She was chewing her nails, a bad habit that she only returned to when she was particularly stressed. The emotion she was feeling right now could hardly even be classified as stress – that didn't even begin to describe it.

Pacing the medical bay anxiously, Paityn glanced towards Jason Todd. The boy was still unconscious and in A.R.G.U.S. care. Paityn had agreed – somewhat reluctantly – to release Jason to Dick once Zatanna had performed the ritual to restore his soul.

Even though she'd received confirmation from the magician that the ritual could be performed a week ago, the appointment kept on being delayed. First Paityn would have to supervise a time-sensitive mission, then Zatanna would be deployed somewhere halfway across the world. It was a vicious cycle.

Now, however, Paityn was wishing that she'd treated Jason's restoration as a time-sensitive priority as opposed to simply an appointment. Of course, she hadn't realized until too late, but Jason's condition was slowly becoming harder to control.

He kept on waking up – the sedative was no longer strong enough to keep him under for more than a few hours at a time. Jason's body just kept on burning through the doses faster and faster, and when he was concious he was more and more lucid everytime. Not to mention the fact that the sedative they were using was already an extremely strong, extremely rare sedative that they were running out off. Akari was the only person who'd likely be able to control Jason if he were to wake up for real. And she was on a radio-silent mission in Toronto.

Paityn looked at the clock again.

Where was Zatanna?


"Recognized: Raptor: B-One-Five." Karla stepped out of the Zeta Tube, exiting into the BatCave. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. Bruce was obviously off-world, she'd just left Dick behind, and Barbara was probably still in class.

Shoving her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, Karla walked across the BatCave and plodded up the stairs to get to Wayne Manor above the cave.

When she exited into the entry hall, Alfred was waiting for her. He smiled, dipping his head slightly as she stepped out. When Karla stepped out from the staircase, the metal door slid shut, and the grandfather clock that blocked the entrance to the BatCave automatically moved to cover her tracks.

"Miss Karla," Alfred greeted the teenager. "It is nice to see you again." Karla smiled slightly. Alfred had been a surprise when she'd come to Wayne Manor. After helping raise Bruce, it seemed to take a lot to scare him off, and he'd always been patient with Karla.

"Thanks, Alfred," she replied with a sigh. "It's nice to see you, too." She looked around the hall. Nothing had changed since she'd been there last.

"If you would like," Alfred told Karla, drawing the girl's attention back to the elderly butler. "I was in the middle of preparing dinner. I will call you when it is ready." Karla nodded, glancing at the clock. It was almost five.

"Thank you," she said again. She chewed on her lower lip. "Is Tim here?" Alfred cocked an eyebrow and nodded once. It was no secret to anyone who knew both of them that they didn't get along. Her and Tim's animosity towards each other had started about five minutes after the first time they met.

And yeah, it was her fault.

*FLASHBACK*

"Karla?" Bruce called from down the stairs. "Come down!"

Karla was sitting on her bed in her room. She wasn't doing anything. She was just sitting. She hadn't really done much since Jason had died other than patrol. She hadn't really wanted to do much since he died. Still, she got up when Bruce called her.

Walking down the stairs, Karla shuffled into the entry hallway where Bruce stood. Next to him was a boy, younger than Karla. He was probably around thirteen years old. The boy looked nervous, and he stared at Karla with wide eyes.

"Who's this?" Karla asked, unimpressed. Bruce frowned a little, narrowing his eyes at Karla. He clearly didn't appreciate her tone of voice. Bruce placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"This is Timothy Drake," Bruce replied. "Tim." Karla sniffed. She could guess why the kid was here.

"Your new ward? Or should I say replacement," Karla asked, sneering. She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Bruce. So what?" Tim's face fell, clearly dismayed at Karla's rudeness. Bruce closed his eyes, not out of anger but out of grief. He missed Jason too.

"Karla," a new voice warned her. Dick stepped in to the entry hall from the kitchen. "Be nice." He nodded at Tim, smiling gently. "Don't worry about her," he told the younger boy reassuringly. "She'll warm up."

"No, she won't," Karla snipped. She glared at the boy in front of her. "If he's going to be living here, then he might as well know my personality." She crossed her arms. "You're not going to replace Jason," she told Tim coldly. "Don't even try. And don't try to make me like you. It won't work. Just stay away from me – you'll never be Jason."

And with that dramatic speech, Karla turned to leave.

*END FLASHBACK*

"Yes, miss," Alfred replied, breaking Karla from her reverie. "He is in his room. I believe he is doing his homework." Karla nodded again.

"Okay," she said. "I'll…be in the gym."


After all the abductees and heroes had received therapy and been questions, a S.T.A.R. Labs employee came and collected the civilian abductees. Black Canary stepped out of the office and looked at the teenage superheroes that remained in front of her. Blue Beetle looked up at the elder hero.

"You five can feel free to do whatever, just as long as you stay on the facility grounds," Black Canary informed the Team members. "Call your families again, call your friends. Get some food or some rest, whatever. Just don't leave." With that, she nodded again at the teenagers, and then walked down the hallway. Blue Beetle had seen Captain Atom and Nightwing arrive onto the facility; she was likely reconvening with them.

"Food," Impulse said, his eyes wide and glassy. "Real food." Without another word, Impulse zipped away in a blur. White Canary nodded.

"Food sounds pretty good to me, too," she said, standing up with a sigh. "And we should probably get there before Impulse eats everything." Lagoon Boy and Beast Boy both murmured their agreement, and the blonde looked at Blue Beetle. "Blue?" She asked. "You coming?"

"In a second," Blue Beetle responded. The girl shrugged and then nodded, turning to leave. The other two heroes followed her down the hallway, towards the mess hall.

Upon making sure he was alone in the hallway, Jaime let his armor be retracted. He realized that he was still shirtless with a mixture of embarrassment and amusement. Reaching into his pants pocket, Jaime pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled through his contacts until he found the one he was looking for.

He'd already spoken to his family; the League and Team had let him and the other Team members talk to their families immediately, but the abductees had to wait until after Black Canary had spoken to them. Jaime thought it was little unfair.

Clicking on the number he wanted, Jaime held the phone to his ear and listened to it ring. She picked up almost immediately.

"Hey there, stranger," Karla said teasingly. Jaime smiled, his shoulders relaxing. It was good to hear her voice again; Jaime had missed Karla.

It was weird. Jaime had had other relationships before, but none that felt as intense as his current one with Karla. He wasn't sure why.

"Mensa," Jaime said in Spanish, affectionately. He was amused, but his heart had started pounding in his chest when he heard Karla speak. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves, and Karla laughed.

"'Idiot,'" she translated. "Clever."

"Shut up," Jaime replied, grinning.

"Everything okay?" Karla asked, suddenly sounding concerned. "Not to be that person, but…you did kinda ghost me for a while there, mister." Her voice was still teasing; there was no malice in her tone.

"I know," Jaime murmured, looking around to make sure no one was listening in. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. "Yo sé, y lo siento. I'm sorry. But I have a good excuse. Promise."

"Well," Karla said. Her voice was soft; she still didn't sound mad or upset. Jaime was relieved - he'd thought for sure she'd actually give him a hard time for hooking up with her and than not talking to her for a week. But she seemed understanding. "Lay it on me." Jaime smiled.

"Right after you left," Jaime told her. "I was goofing off with a friend. I…I did something kinda stupid, and I ended up in the ER." Jaime heard Karla's breath intake, and he rushed to explain further, feeling bad for lying to her. "I'm fine!" he told her. "Really. It's just that when I got home, my parents were furious. I was totally grounded – lost my phone privileges for a week. That's why I haven't called."

"Don't worry about it," Karla replied. "I'm just glad you're okay. You - your are okay, right?" Jaime nodded, even though he knew that she couldn't see him.

"One hundred percent," he promised. "And I'll be coming to see you soon, hopefully. But right now, I need to go."

"Okay," Karla said. "Just let me know when you're in Blüdhaven," Jaime grinned.

"Will do," he replied, letting his armor creep back up and around his body. "Adios, belleza."


The boy was aware of consciousness in the way that someone is aware that they're dreaming. They know, but they can't necessarily control it. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times.

As soon as his eyes opened, the rage filled him. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before – it almost hurt. Grunting, he struggled against the bonds that held him tied to the bed. He wanted - he needed - to get out of here.

Who was keeping him here? Who was keeping him tied down?

Wherever here was, that is.

The boy looked down at his bonds. They were handcuffs. Instinctively, he reached his fingers around, looking for something to pick the lock with. But he had nothing. Growling in frustration, he tugged at the handcuffs again.

Squeezing his thumb all the way forward and then backward, the boy waited until he heard a crack, and then felt the resulting pain rush up his arm. The pain didn't bother him; it was nothing compared to his burning anger.

Once he had dislocated his thumbs, he was able to pull his hand free of the metal cuff. He looked down at the needle in his arm and moved to grab it. As he wrapped his fingers around the IV line, someone shouted. He looked up.

"Jason," the person was saying. It was a blonde woman with - were those wings coming out of her back? She was smiling at him, but there was a wary expression in her eyes. Next to her was a woman wearing a white jacket – she was holding a syringe. Surrounding the two women was a group of people dressed in espionage gear.

"I know you're confused," the blonde woman said. She held a hand out to him, as thought he was a dog that needed placating. "You're going to be fine. You just need to trust me and let me give you this sedative. Okay? I just need to – "

The boy – Jason? Was that his name? – wasn't sure what he was doing, exactly, but he ripped the IV from his arm. Before he knew it, he was across the room, punching the woman. She was stronger than she appeared, but she still felt pain. Jason didn't, not really. That was his advantage.

"Don't shoot!" she ordered from the ground as Jason steamed past the group of agents. "Do not shoot!" Jason ignored the shouts from behind him, and ran through the building that these people were keeping him in.

Before he knew it, he had found himself in front of a machine of some kind. It was a giant tunnel that ended about seven feet deep. Something about it was extremely familiar.

Blinking, Jason walked forward. He stepped into the tunnel, and the machine beeped around him. A keypad turned on, and Jason looked at it. There was a list of locations that came up.

Jason's eyes fell on one location that seemed particularly familiar. He clicked on it, and the machine beeped again.

"Authorization required to Zeta to BatCave," the machine informed the boy. Jason frowned. "Standby, scanning…Authorization Granted. Recognized: Robin: B-One-Four."


"Bye," Karla murmured into the phone. "Jaime." He hung up, but Karla stood there for a moment longer, a stupid smile stretched across her face. She lowered the phone from her ear and slid it back into her pocket. She'd just left dinner – an awkwardly silent one with just Tim – and had been heading back up to her room when Jaime had called.

Normally, Karla would have retreated to the safety of her room before accepting the call, but she had wanted to talk to him. She was worried about him – and all the others, too. She'd already spoken to Sara on the rescue mission, but Raptor couldn't talk to Jaime to way she could to Sara. Only Karla could.

"Jaime?" a voice repeated. Karla froze, and she turned around slowly. Tim was standing at the other end of the hallway, like he'd just come up the stairs. His arms were crossed tightly across his chest, and he was glaring at her.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked him, cursing herself for not being more attentive. Tim's eyes narrowed further at her accusatory tone.

"Long enough to understand what you're doing," he told her coolly. He stalked forward, glaring at Karla. "I can't believe you." Karla rolled her eyes, her defenses going up.

"Oh, please," she spat, shaking her head in disgust.

"Excuse me?" Tim asked, his voice cold. "'Oh, please?' Believe it or not, Karla, this is actually kind of a big deal. It's not only irresponsible and an endangerment to our secret identities, but it's also unfair to Jaime." Tim scowled again. "You shouldn't be doing this."

"What, jealous?" Karla muttered. She rolled her eyes, sniffing derisively. "Just cause you're too much of a prude to do something with anyone – "

"That is so not the point!" Tim shouted, his face going red. He stepped forward, and Karla had to lean up slightly to look at him, as he was taller than her. "Jaime happens to be my friend," he told her. "I don't want you hurting him." Karla rolled her eyes.

"It's fine," she told him, her voice tight and clipped. On the outside, she was irritated with Tim and his accusations, but on the inside, she was stewing with guilt. Tim was reinforcing all the guilty thoughts she'd had about her and Jaime's relationship.

"No, it's not," Tim replied. He straightened his shoulders. "Dick's coming for patrol tonight. I think you should tell him." He raised an eyebrow at her in a challenging manner, and Karla's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not talking to Dick about this," Karla replied definitively. Her mind would most definitely not be changed on that matter. Tim shrugged, like oh well, and turned away.

"Well," he said, flippantly. He'd been expecting this - he wanted it to go this way. "I guess I will, then." Karla's eyes widened with shock, and she grabbed onto Tim's shoulder, pulling him back to face her.

"Don't you dare," she hissed at him through clenched teeth. Tim didn't even flinch. "Drake – " she began.

"Let go of me," Tim told her icily.

"Don't tell him," Karla warned the boy. "Leave this part of my life alone."

"Let go of me!" He struggled out of her grip and shoved her, hard. Karla reeled backwards, her back slamming against the wall hard enough to make her grunt. She was temporarily stunned by the blow, and she stated at Tim in disbelief.

Tim's eyes were stretched wide with chagrin. It was clear that he hadn't meant to push her that hard, or maybe even push her at all. A bigger person would have let it go, but Karla wasn't a bigger person.

She lunged forward, tackling Tim to the ground. Even though he was younger, Tim was bigger and slightly stronger (biology sucked), but Karla had more experience.

Not to mention the fact that she was angrier than he was.

Wrestling Tim, Karla pinned him to the ground. He struggled underneath her, his teeth grit in concentration. When Karla let go off his wrists with one hand, probably meaning to punch him across the face, Tim reared upward and shoved her off.

Karla landed on her back, and Tim scrambled to his feet. Before he could do anything more, Karla swept her foot out, knocking Tim's feet from below him. Tim fell, landing awkwardly on his shoulder, and Karla was leaning over him again.

Karla raised her fist, but before she could land a blow, someone grabbed her arm. Struggling against the person, Karla was surprised to realize how strong they were - she'd thought it was Alfred. Dick planted his feet and dragged Karla backwards, scowling hard.

"What the hell is happening here?" he almost shouted. Karla leaned against the wall, her arms crossed petulantly over her chest. Dick pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

"It was – " Tim began. Dick held up his hand.

"I don't actually want to hear it," Dick snapped. Tim's eyes widened. He wasn't used to being scolded by anyone, much less by easy-going Dick. Dick rubbed his hands over his face. "You guys really just cannot get along, can you?" Neither teenager answered, and Dick sighed. "That's it," Dick decided, turning away. He shook his head in disappointment. "You're benched. Both of you."

"What?" Tim cried in dismay. He shook his head, and scrambled to his feet, holding his hands out. "Dick, you need us!" he said. "With Bruce off-world – "

"Batgirl will have to manage for one night," Dick responded. "I have to attend to other business, unfortunately. If there's a true emergency I'll tell her to call for backup, but unless that happens you will stay here. I don't think either of you are operating with clear enough heads to be in the field tonight."

"Personally, I feel great," Karla muttered from where she was still perched against the wall.

"Save it, Karla," Dick snapped at his sister. Karla dropped her head, scowling. Dick cast one last, disappointed look over his brother and sister and then descended down the stairs, shaking his head. Tim glowered at Karla.

"Coward," he muttered. Turning around, Tim stomped down the stairs, heading towards the BatCave. He needed to beat something up.


After about twenty minutes of alternatively being angry with Tim and feeling bad about the way she'd reacted, Karla gave in to the angel on her shoulder. She would apologize. Sighing, Karla left her room and headed down the stairs. Alfred was coming out of the kitchen when she reached the bottom level.

"Ah, Miss Karla," he said. "I was just about to call you. I prepared some dessert; I was wondering if you would care for some? I'm about to leave for the grocery store." Karla smiled at the elderly butler.

"Maybe in a little, thank you Alfred," she replied. "I…is Tim in the gym?" Alfred paused to think.

"I believe," he said after a moment. "That Master Tim is in the BatCave, using the training gym below." He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?" Karla shifted uncomfortably.

"I – I think I need to apologize to him," she muttered under her breath. Alfred's eyebrows shot up, and he nodded, a small, pleased smile crossing his face.

"Very good," he replied. He leaned over and grabbed his hat from the coat rack, putting it on his head. Just before he left, he turned and looked at Karla sternly. "Please keep in mind, Miss Karla," he told her. "That blood does stain substantially. I would prefer if you and Master Tim could work this out with words, not fists." Karla smiled bashfully.

"I'll do my best, Alfred," Karla promised, walking towards the entrance to the BatCave.

Despite having fought with Tim, Karla was strangely proud of herself. Weird, yes, but she had a reason.

When she'd been fighting with Tim, she'd been in control. She'd been angry, but she hadn't once lost her concentration. She hadn't once reverted to Raptor's thinking, much less the Talon's. So yeah, she was a little proud. Her control was better than she had originally thought.

When she descended the steps, Karla realized something was wrong. She couldn't hear Tim, which was odd if he was training. She should be able to hear his hands against the punching bag, at the very least.

"Hey, Drake?" she called hesitantly. "Um. Tim?" She stepped further into the BatCave, and her breath caught suddenly. Karla froze, staring at the person across from her.

Karla couldn't breathe. Standing across the Batcave from her was Jason. He was alive – well, she'd known that – but he was here. That had to be a good sign. Zatanna must have completed the ritual; Jason was okay!

Karla smiled to herself. That must have been the "other business" that Dick had been referring to. He probably just hadn't wanted to get her hopes up, in case it hadn't worked for some reason or something like that.

"Jason!" she cried his name. She stepped forward, about to hug him, but when he looked up at her a chill ran down Karla's spine. This boy wasn't the friend she remembered. His eyes were wild and unfocused. For the first time, Karla's eyes dragged off his face, and she looked at the ground in front of him, and her stomach dropped.

Tim was lying prone on the floor, his face bloody and his eyes closed. Karla's heart thudded. As she watched, Jason's eyes fell from her back to Tim, and he leaned down, hauling the younger boy up with one fist. Tim's body was limp, but Jason was strong enough to hold him up and punch him with the other hand.

"No!" Karla shouted. She crossed the room in two bounds and threw herself at Jason. She was smaller and lighter than he, but she was strong enough to knock him backwards. She landed easily in front of Tim's body.

Karla spared a glance at Jason. He was down on the ground. Taking his – most likely momentary – distraction in order to check on Tim, Karla knelt next to the Boy Wonder. She noticed with a flash of relief that he was breathing, and that his injuries, while numerous, where mostly superficial.

"You're okay," she muttered to him. Before she could try to check his injuries further, or get him out of the way, Jason had gotten up and had hit her across the room.

Karla landed on her back with a pained grunt. Jason was crossing the stone floor, his hands balled into fists. His hair was wild, sticking up everywhere. His eyes were dark and his mouth twisted into a furious snarl, and he looked altogether insane. Karla shoved herself to her feet.

She and Jason circled each other. Karla was wary, but Jason was simply waiting for his chance to hit her. Although Karla preferred her weapons, she was no stranger to fist fights. She could take down almost anyone, especially if she wasn't holding back.

But this was Jason – her best friend, even if he didn't recognize her, even if he was dangerous. She would be holding back. And Jason most definitely wouldn't be.

Karla made the first move in a desperate attempt to gain the upper hand and make her victory swift and as painless as possible for Jason. She flipped over his shoulder, avoiding his hands that grabbed for her waist as she flipped past him, and grabbed onto his neck.

Planting her feet against the ground, Karla attempted to throw Jason over her shoulders. Actually, she managed to throw Jason over her shoulders, but her grabbed her on his way down and made her lose her balance.

Instinctively curling into a backflip and landing on her feet, Karla landed in a kneeling position, trying to anticipate Jason's next move. Her bright blue eyes tracked him as he got to his feet again.

Karla swallowed hard. He didn't recognize her. But she recognized him, and that made it hard to fight him. When Karla stayed on the ground, Jason walked back over to where Tim lay. The knowledge that Tim would be hurt if Karla didn't do something was what made her get to her feet.

"You're my best friend, Jason," she whispered despite knowing that if he could hear her, he didn't understand. She stepped forward, falling into a fighting stance. Karla's eyes filled with tears as she stared at her friend's back. "And I love you. But I can't let you hurt him."

With that, Karla launched herself forward again. She grabbed his fists and shoved his arms down and outward, holding him as still as she could. Planting on leg firmly for leverage, Karla shoved up with her other knee, slamming her leg into Jason's stomach.

Even though he didn't seem to register pain like a human should, Jason reflexively buckled forward. Karla took advantage of this moment of weakness and twisted, slamming Jason to the ground so that he was on his back.

Throwing her legs over his waist, Karla wrapped her hand around his throat, pushing him into the ground. Using her other hand, she began to hit him across the face. She grimaced as his blood splattered across her fist.

Go unconscious, she begged him mentally. Please go unconscious, please…

Suddenly, Jason stopped struggling underneath her blows. He fell limp beneath Karla, his limbs and head falling flat against the ground. Karla froze, her fists trembling in midair. His struggling hadn't slowed down until it had completely stopped. It wasn't like he'd slowly lost consciousness, it was like he had suddenly…died.

"No," she whispered, sure that she'd gone too far, sure that she'd killed him. She scrambled backwards. "No," she whimpered. "No, no, please. Jason," she whispered. "Jason!" Someone grabbed Karla, yanking his backwards. She struggled against them, screaming. "Jason!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" A voice shouted. It was Batgirl, she was the person who had grabbed Karla. "We just sedated him." The words were an antidote to the poison burning in Karla's veins, and she fell limp, her muscles slackening. Batgirl let go of her, and Karla slumped to the ground, exhausted. She looked up.

Kneeling next to Jason was Paityn Wren, Dick's friend and former teammate. She was also the head of A.R.G.U.S., and the person who had kept Jason's resurrection a secret for months. Normally, that thought was accompanied with a flash of anger, but now, Karla was too tired to be angry.

"Are you okay?" Batgirl asked Karla as she got to her feet slowly. Karla nodded airily, her head spinning as she staggered forward. She put a hand out, bracing herself against the wall, the other hand clutching her waist.

"'M fine," she mumbled reassuringly, right before passing out and falling flat on her face.


GOTHAM CITY

April 2, 02:37 EDT

Dick looked at Jason's sleeping form. His face was relaxed as he slumbered; he looked at peace. And he probably was – Zatanna had performed a successful ritual on Jason in a private wing of Gotham General, with the help of her friend John Constantine. Constantine was surprisingly a teenager and not the grown man Dick had been expecting.

From what Dick had gathered, Jason had managed to escape from A.R.G.U.S. Headquarters. Paityn had called Batgirl as soon as Jason had disappeared, and Batgirl had granted Paityn access to Zeta to the BatCave and then Zetaed there herself. Once there, the two girls had found Karla and Jason fighting, and Tim unconscious.

Once Jason was sedated, Paityn had called Zatanna again. The magician had been held up at the Hall of Justice, battling an alien. Once the barrier keeping them trapped in the now-destroyed hall had been taken care of, she came to Gotham right away.

Once Zatanna and Constantine had performed the spell, Dick and Barbara had brought Jason back to the BatCave, where he was now lying in the med bay section. Tim and Karla were both recovering in their rooms in Wayne Manor. Dick was slightly more worried about Jason's condition, and had elected to keep him in the med bay, at least until he woke up.

Approaching footsteps made Dick turn his head. He had been expecting Barbara, but instead Paityn was walking up to him. She cleared her throat awkwardly, putting her hands in her pockets and shifting her weight.

"Um. I'll leave, if you want me to," she told him. "But I just wanted to say – and I really do mean this – that I'm sorry." Dick nodded, looking away. He appreciated the apology, but he wasn't sure that it was enough.

"Thank you," he said. He looked at Jason. "I don't like the fact that you kept it from me," Dick said. "But I'm grateful that you kept him alive." Paityn nodded.

"You're welcome," she replied. "I'm just glad it worked out this way." Something about Paityn's words gave Dick pause. He looked at his old friend, his eyes narrowed.

"Worked out this way," he repeated. "You mean, you would have killed him if it hadn't." Paityn didn't answer, and Dick's shoulders limped. "Fuck, Paityn," he hissed. "Did - did you ever consider it?" he asked her, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer. Paityn laughed bitterly at his question.

"What, putting a gun to his head while he was unconscious?" she asked. She looked away, her face twisted into a sneer. "Slipping a three-drug cocktail into his IV?"

"Well?" Dick asked, resolutely not looking at Paityn. He'd changed his mind. He wanted to know – he needed to know how much his friend had changed. She sighed.

"Maybe," she replied, her voice hardly over a whisper. Dick looked at her. Her green eyes were half-closed, and she looked tired. "I'm glad I didn't."

"I can't believe it," Dick whispered. He closed his eyes. He heard Paityn exhale slowly, and when he opened his eyes, her expression was peculiar.

"That surprises me," she told him. Dick raised an eyebrow. "That you can't believe I wouldn't think about it," Paityn clarified, her eyes dark.

"Why?" Dick asked. He was looking over at Jason again, watching the heart monitor beep reassuringly. It was comforting. He just wished he could tell Bruce somehow.

"Dick," Paityn drew his attention back to her. "I'm not a good person. I was made as a weapon and raised as a spy." Dick shook his head vehemently.

"You're more than that," he protested. "Or you were. I just…expected more from you." Paityn looked at him. Her eyes were surprisingly steady.

"Do you remember the mental exercise?" She asked quietly, referring to the psychic test that the original members of the Team had undergone their first year – a test that they were meant to fail, a test where everyone died. It had turned into a disaster when M'gann had incidentally started controlling the test and accidentally convinced all the Team that the deaths were real. Dick nodded.

"How could I forget?" he muttered, looking away. He remembered how he'd been so broken after the test, when he'd realized that he didn't want to be a person that was willing to give up anything and anyone for the sake of the mission – something that he was doing now.

"My reaction was so different than all of yours," Paityn whispered, not realizing the true reason for Dick's sudden change in mood. "I was…sad when Artemis died in the exercise, and then when everyone else passed but…" she shook her head. "I didn't feel it. Not deeply." Paityn's voice shook slightly. "The mission was the only thing that mattered to me; I'd been raised to expect loss." Paityn sighed. "And now she's gone for real, and I…"

Paityn broke off suddenly, her eyes falling to the ground. She cleared her throat and shook her head.

"Never mind," she said after a moment. "The point is, I've always been like this. And I'm sorry for that." She waited for a few minutes, probably wanting Dick to respond. When he didn't, Paityn shrugged and turned to leave.

"You weren't," Dick said at last. "Always like this, I mean." Paityn snorted incredulously, but Dick shook his head, refusing to back down. "I mean really – what happened to the teenager with bright eyes and a smile?" Dick asked Paityn. He meant it to come out as a joke, but it really just sounded like an accusation. Her shoulders hunched forward, slumping.

"What happened to the thirteen-year-old with the creepy giggle?" she asked him, unmaliciously. She shrugged, her eyes dark and tired. "Dick, we all change. We all grow up. It just depends on how much. How fast." She touched his elbow and traced a line down his arm to his wrist, catching his fingertips. Dick's hand moved to wrap around hers, but she was already pulling away from him. "How apart."


Tim was faintly aware that his entire body hurt, but the pain felt far away; almost like a dream. But it was getting ever closer as he was slowly drawn back into consciousness. As he woke up, he began to remember. Someone had been attacking him…someone had infiltrated the BatCave…Jason Todd!

Tim shot up with a gasp. He was no longer in the BatCave, he was in his room in Wayne Manor. His brain was slow and took about six seconds to process the pain and then he groaned as it caught up to him. He gingerly raised one hand and pressed it to his shoulder with a grimace.

"Easy," someone cautioned him. "You're going to be sore for a while." Tim grunted affirmatively, and a small hand pressed against his chest. "Lay down," the person ordered. Tim didn't have to turn his head to know who was talking.

"What are you doing here?" Tim griped, closing his eyes again. "Come to mock me for getting my ass handed to me?" Karla snickered next to him.

"Well, it was a spectacular loss," she murmured, unable to resist the jibe. She sat down gingerly on the foot of his bed. "But no, I'm not. And speaking of getting beat up…open your eyes." Tim did as he was told and yelped when he saw Karla's face.

Her left eye was bruised, and her lip was split in three different places. She had a line of stiches above her eyebrow, and her jawbone was bruised purple. Tim winced sympathetically.

She smirked at his expression, and then grimaced in pain when it hurt. He expression made Tim laugh, which in turn then made his ribs ache. He groaned, pressing a hand to his side gently.

"Do I look that bad?" Tim asked her, curious. His voice raspy from pain. Karla laughed slightly, and shook her head. She got up, and grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table. She handed it to him, and he drank from it gratefully before gulping down the pain pills she handed him next.

"Not even close," she told him.

"Then why am I still lying in bed and you're not?" Tim asked. Karla smirked at him, the expression particularly mocking and creepy with her bruised countenance. Tim sighed. "Okay, don't answer that."

"Seriously," Karla said, mostly to herself. "I'm trying here, Tim. At least make it hard for me to make fun of you." Tim rolled his eyes.

"So, why are you here?" he asked again, sidestepping her remark and returning to his original question. Karla shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the ground. She muttered something under her breath, and Tim leaned forward, cupping his ear. "What?"

"To apologize," she repeated more loudly. She sighed. "I'm sorry," she told him, sounding genuinely regretful. "For…not just for tonight, but for being an asshole to you in general." Tim stared at her in shock, and Karla scowled. "What?"

"Is this an April Fool's Day joke?" he asked her. Karla rolled her eyes.

"It's April 2nd, now, actually," she snarked. Tim sat back against the pillows, shaking his head in slow wonder.

"Wow," he said. "I wish I'd gotten that on camera. A true apology from the girl who hates me." Karla scowled again and shook her head.

"Believe it or not." Karla rolled her eyes and looked away. "I don't actually hate you." She shrugged. "I was just a bitch because…well, I don't have a reason, really. I just was. It's easier." She stopped talking, and the silence stretched between her and Tim, long and awkward. Tim cleared his throat.

"Thank you," Tim said. Karla shrugged, standing up.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied. "I'll let you rest." Tim watched as Karla left, his stomach churning as he debated whether or not to call after her. He decided to.

"Karla," Tim said. She paused at his doorway and turned back. Tim hesitated, not really wanting to break this fragile truce with a sensitive topic. "I know you don't want to hurt Jaime," he said clumsily. "You should – "

"I know," she replied, sighing. "I'll do something. I will."


Jason sat up slowly, looking around. He was in a medbay – it looked like the one in the BatCave. Jason held his head in his hands, trying to remember what had happened to him, why he was injured.

"Jay?" a voice said. Jason looked up. Dick was standing in front of him. The expression on his face was strange – his eyes were wide with disbelief. Also, Dick looked…taller than Jason remembered, a little older.

"Dick," Jason said. "What happened? Why am I – " Before he could say more, Dick was hugging Jason. He held him tight enough that Jason knew Dick wanted to squeeze him, but loose enough to ensure that the embrace didn't aggravate Jason's injuries. "Okay, what?"

"Sorry," Dick said, pulling back. His voice was gravelly, like he was holding back emotion. "It's just…a lot of things have happened." Dick paused. "What's the last thing you remember?" Jason frowned.

He looked at the sheet, thinking. He remembered tracking the Joker, desperate to prove himself. He remembered being caught, and Harley Quinn and the Joker torturing him. After that…almost nothing. But just almost nothing.

Jason pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to remember. And suddenly, he did.

They didn't make sense, the memories. He remembered Talia al Ghul lifting him out of some pool, the expression on her face stranger. He could just remember wandering around aimlessly. He could remember not being able to remember anything during these times.

And then…Karla's face, bloody and bruised above his as they fought. Another boy, one that Jason didn't recognize, lying on the ground a few feet away.

"Dick," Jason whispered. "What happened to me?"


well that's that.

this chapter...was difficult to write. there were a lot of moving parts, but i like the way it turned out in the end.

that being said - this chapter mostly doesn't follow the plot of one of the episodes, so it really tested my writing. i would LOVE some feedback, whether you loved it or hated it.

please leave a review and let me know what you think!

:) thanks!