A/N: Some reviews would be nice, just to know what you like, what you don't, etc. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, as usual.
Enjoy!
Chapter: 38
Ali glanced at her watch for the fourth time in the past minute. Liam and Tim would be sneaking into Lex's building by now. They would be at risk of being caught or killed or sent to prison…and she didn't know which scenario was worse. She had been pacing their hotel room all day until she couldn't take being cooped up inside anymore. It had felt like the walls were closing in as she waited for the dreaded moment Tim and Liam finally entered the building's premises. It was nerve-wrecking and she felt like pulling her hair out because of it. Ali had grabbed Cameron and headed to the park hoping the fresh cold air would cool her restlessness. It hadn't, it only made it worse because now she had to watch her brother to make sure he wasn't snatched up by kidnappers at any moment. Apparently the news had gotten wide that the Crowne orphans were visiting Gotham from London and had posted that fact literally everywhere.
Cameron on the other hand had no problem playing around the park's playground. He had happily ran and rolled and climbed all over the jungle gym to his heart's content for the majority of their time out. Now the sun was down and the moon was up and they really need to leave. Glancing back up Ali started to call out for Cameron only to stop when she didn't immediately see him on the playground. Panic roared through her as she stood up abruptly to her feet for a better look. She had literally glanced down for a second! Where could he be,
"Cameron!" She yelled, "Cameron!"
"What! I'm right here," came a voice above her. Ali looked up to find him nestled in the branches of the tree that was rooted right behind the bench she was sitting on,
"You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she cried,
"Why?" he asked,
"I couldn't find you!"
"I'm twelve, not six," came the retort and eye roll,
"Ugh, just get down will you. We need to get back," with a sigh Cameron jumped down and they started off through the city to their hotel room,
"Did you bring any money?" Ali asked as she tried to wave down a taxi,
"No…why?"
"For a taxi dummy!" she said as she patted her pockets for her wallet, "And I left my wallet at home. Crap,"
"Why is that bad?"
"Because we have to walk there,"
"We walked around Gotham all the time…well at least you did…when we were little,"
"That was before we moved to London. Things aren't the same there…and I don't know Gotham like I used to,"
"Nah, you do. It's always home…no matter where you go," Cameron said,
"Maybe for you. But then again you only remember the good stuff about Gotham. Like parks and playgrounds and baseball games and the penthouse. You didn't watch the news or see those fights between the police and our crazy ass villains or get kidnapped," Ali said as they started walking. She picked up the pace because she didn't want to walk out in the dark for long…not in Gotham,
"You never got kidnapped!"
"Liam did…once…sort of. He was held hostage," Ali stated, "And Tori did," Cameron scrunched up his nose,
"I didn't mean I liked it here…it's just. It's where we grew up…well mostly grew up," Cameron said,
"Are you mad at me for bringing us back here?" she asked,
"A little bit…but at the same time I'm glad you did because I actually finally learned the truth," he said shooting her a glare,
"We didn't know how you would handle the truth!" she stated, defending herself,
"I'm twelve not three! I can take the hard facts! I don't need you to baby me anymore! I can take care of myself and—," he was cut off by a hand reaching out from an alleyway and grabbing him and Ali by the backs of their jackets. They were hauled into the darkened alley and slammed into the wall. They stumbled backwards and hit it with a thud, causing them both to cry out. When they straightened up they found themselves eyeing the muzzle of a gun,
"Empty your pockets, give me everything you got!" the man snarled,
"We're kids! We don't have anything," Ali snapped, her heart was pounding…she didn't know why she said anything at all. It would only make this mugger angry. He let out a growl and swiped her with the side of the pistol. Pain blossomed on her cheek as her head snapped to the side. Cameron cried out in fear as she nearly crumpled to her knees. Ali stood up glaring at him, she took Karate, she could take him—yet her legs refused to move and her head hurt to much to think clearly,
"Empty…your…pockets," he sneered. Ali gritted her teeth and threw a kick to his stomach and then tried to knee him in the crotch. The first kick connected, throwing him back and his gun hand wide, but the knee only hit his shins as he impulsively clamped his legs together, anticipating that kind of attack, "You little bitch—," he started before grabbing her by the hair and throwing her onto the hard concrete,
"Ali!" Cameron cried out in fear, "Help! Please!" he called out into the streets. Ali, who worried the mugger would attack her brother next, tried to scramble to her feet but froze at the sound of the safety being clicked off,
"You'll pay for—," the mugger stopped mid-sentence and Ali snuck a glance. He stood there with an almost stunned expression on his face which confused her before falling to his knees and falling face first into the ground, a knife hilt protruding from the middle of his back. Ali didn't know what had happened or where that knife had come from or who had thrown it, but she didn't care. She scrambled away from the fallen mugger before in turn scrambling to her feet and over to her brother and pulling him in a hug,
"Are you okay?" she asked, releasing him and padding him over, looking for cuts bruises or anything out of the ordinary,
"I—I…I didn't mean to," Cameron stuttered, he sounded shocked,
"Mean to what?" Ali asked,
"Throw the knife…he—he was, I mean he was attacking you…and it was the only thing I had and…is he dead?" Ali looked at Cameron and then the bloody mugger,
"You—you threw the knife," she asked, a clenching feeling of worry rushing through her. What would the police think, how would they explain this, "Where did you even get a knife!" she demanded,
"I gave it to him," a new voice said. Ali whirled around to see a tall man in a heavy jacket with gloves and thick boots walk out from the darkness that was the rest of the alleyway and into the dim light near the entrance. He was dark-haired and wore a baseball hat that covered his eyes. Cameron gasped and tried to take a step back but Ali's arm around him prevented him from doing that,
"Who are you and why did you give my brother a knife!" The man smirked before reaching up and removing his hat, revealing dark dark blue eyes that reminded her immediately of her mother,
"You know exactly who I am. I am family, and family helps each other,"
"William Cobb," Ali sneered, "You get away from us right now!"
"My dear Alison, why make me go away when I can help make this whole incident disappear?"
"I—is he dead…did I really kill him?" Cameron nearly whimpered. Cobb glanced dispassionately at the mugger,
"No," he said simply before something flashed from his hand, "Now he is," there was a new dagger now stuck in the man's throat,
"Why did you do that!" Ali cried,
"He may be a mugger but he didn't deserve that!" Cameron yelled. Cobb looked at them with a perplexed expression,
"He tried to mug you both…he tried to kill you," he said pointedly looking at Ali, "Don't you think he deserves exactly what he would have wrought on you?"
"We're not executioners," Ali said, thinking of Tori, Dick, Tim and all the rest, "There's the justice system for a reason,"
"And when that system's corrupt?" Cobb asked. Ali opened her mouth to speak when sirens blared in the distance, "Hm. Either someone heard your brother shout or that's for something else, but either way you must make a choice,"
"What choice? There's nothing to choose," Cameron stated looking confused,
"I can make this body, this whole attack disappear and it can become a distant memory…or you can try to explain how your brother got ahold of a Talon knife,"
"Why would it matter where he got it from?" Ali challenged. She wasn't making any bargains with this Mad Hatter, not unless there was no option,
"Your presence in Gotham is known. Your faces are known…if you have a Court knife in your possession I am sure Commissioner Gordon will make connections in that detective head of his,"
"What do you mean?" Cameron asked nervously,
"Like what Talon has been seen in Gotham…what Talon has caused unrest in Gotham most recently?"
"Tori," Cameron whispered in realization,
"And a Crowne with the same dagger seen in November, who else would have given it to her dearest most youngest sibling?" Cobb's smile could be a shark's smile,
"There's no way of knowing that's what they'll think!" Ali snapped, "We can't trust you!"
"But at the same time there is no sure way of knowing that is not what they'll think. This is still a murder even if it was in self defense. There are fingerprints on this hilt and they all match his,"
"I'd rather go to jail than be indebted to you!" Cameron growled, "You set this whole thing up. You wanted to see what I would do…what Ali would do and decide,"
"You're not going to jail!" Ali cried, glancing back at Cameron before rounding back on William, "And you, you ass! I thought you and Tori had a deal!"
"An understanding is hardly a deal. We mutually agreed not to kill or attack each other, I never said I would not put any interest in my other descendants," Ali glared,
"We are not going to agree to this,"
"The sirens are getting closer. Do you really want to possibly throw your sister under the bus? Have the whole of GCPD chasing after her? Do you want to destroy her future…however grim it may be? Do you want to destroy her dreams?" Ali gritted her teeth. He was manipulating them. Like it was some psychological test or something. She couldn't go through with this. She wouldn't, not even if Tori hated her for the rest of her life for it. Even if it ruined any chance of normality for her sister. She was not going to be bullied by some half dead assassin great-great grandfather zombie. Ali was not that corruptible. She opened her mouth when she felt a tug on her jacket sleeve,
"We have to do it," Cameron said in a half-whisper, he looked regretful but determined,
"What?" Ali hissed, facing him so they formed an almost huddle,
"We can't ruin Tori's life. She's already been through so much. She's already gone through hell and back," Ali thought back to all that had happened in the past three years. All that had been sacrificed and torn apart and destroyed. All that had been said and hurt and scarred emotionally as well as physically,
"But if we do this…we're—,"
"—We're letting our sister, who may be forced to be on the run for the rest of her life because of that stupid dagger and because of us, have a normal life and future. You said that's what she's wanted since she became a Talon. How can we ruin that,"
"But Cami—,"
"—Ali. Tori died for us. She died for me. Tori suffered for us so that we wouldn't have to. Don't make her suffer anymore," Cameron looked at her with grave eyes and Ali knew he was right. Tori had given up so much already, this wouldn't be worth the destruction it left in it's wake…if that even was the case. There were too many variables and unknown factors to really sway them from taking up Cobb's proposition. Ali gave her brother a curt nod and they broke from their small huddle. Cobb was glancing at an old and battered pocket-watch,
"Tick tock children," he stated looking bored,
"We'll do it," Cameron said firmly. Cobb grinned darkly. As if pleased it was Cameron who made the final decision. Ali stepped slightly in front of Cameron, but he moved away from her gesture with a slightly annoyed look,
"Excellent," he said before pulling the dagger Cameron threw out of the mugger's body and wiped it off on his pants before holding it out to Cameron hilt first, "A very fine throw. A little more force and it would have pierced his lungs more. Keep it, you never know when you will need it again,"
"I'm never using that thing again," Cameron stated, stepping back from the weapon,
"Take it or the deals off," Cobb said flatly,
"Really?" Ali said, "What are you two?" Cameron let out a huff before taking it and putting it back in the loophole on his pants. William then lifted the man up and over his shoulder,
"I hope you appreciate this," he said as he turned and started down the alleyway. Right before he was engulfed in the darkness he stopped as if remembering something and turned to face them again,
"oh, and don't forget…you owe me." With that he was gone. Ali shivered at those words.
The part that filled her with the most dread was the fact that she didn't know if that was directed at her…or Cameron.
A/N: Hmmm, what's Cobb up to? :) To find out you're going to have to review...and wait for the next part in Tori's Story...its start to be determined!
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Next chapter on Monday!