A/N: Hey guys! sorry for the super long wait! I hope you're all doing fine through the craziness 2020 has come to. I'm happy to say that for the most part this chapter is kinda and hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm still plucking away at the ending of this story and we're getting close, but before I close thing out, I think I need to go back a reread the first few chapters it's been something like 5 years since I've started this story I need thing I need to refresh my memory on how all this exactly started. But either way I think this chapter has been long awaited and well over due so Please share you thoughts both good and bad.
I have a few side projects coming along. The Rose/Jason fic is nearly done and approaching the editing faze. Unlike many of my older fics this one will be about 5 chapters long and completed before I post the first chapter. Part of the reason I've been able to keep up with this story is because I started writing it a year before I started to post. I also posted a new fic called Meet the Batfam which is more a comedy that I'm slowly working to add to. So anyways keep your eyes open for that. And if you haven't read Meet the Batfam you can find it in my profile.
But anyway I hope you are all taking care of yourselves and staying healthy and sane.
Love you guys and thanks for reading and as always,
With Love, Ophelia
Lost and Found and Lingering
"Young and dumb, and full of tears
It's never a true love until it goes-
Souls faded out, kiss to kiss,
Blackened eyes, bloody lips
And scars.
Don't hide your face.
The people, stare-
We never cared."
-Nothing
It had been a few hours; some of the less prominent Outlaws were left hard at work, trying to clean the handiwork of Gotham's finest, Wally included. Though he was mostly in it for the free booze.
Dick had taken Helena down stairs, asking her relentless questions, going over her story backwards and forwards.
"So what's Mikey's uncle's name again?"
"I told you three times already!" she snapped, clearly upset.
Normally the hero wouldn't have pressed so hard, but he knew something just wasn't adding up. "And you're gonna continue telling me until I'm convinced you're not lying," he replied dispassionately.
"I'm not!" she snarled, "and if you're not gonna help me then I'm leaving."
"I hate to break it to you, Helena, but you have nothing to bargain with and if you leave, frankly, no one would give a shit."
"I'm handing you my father!" she hissed, arms crossed.
"We don't need you for that," Dick reasoned, armed crossed to his chest. "We don't need you for anything, you're here because you need us. So if I were you, I'd keep that in mind before you start throwing demands at people." He heard the cellar door open, soft footsteps following down the crying stairs. He glanced up, noticing Raven making her way down. "Give me a minute, stay here."
He rose from his chair and turned to the empath standing by the stairway, paused at the broken step.
"God, Bullock did a number on this thing," she observed. "How's it going with the Mob Wife?"
"She's sticking to her story," he replied.
Raven glanced back at her and sighed, "I should take a shot at her."
"You sure you're up for that?" Dick questioned, knowing she'd been under steep demand lately.
She nodded. "I've taken on a lot worse, I think I can handle the Gotti Wanna-be."
"Okay," he agreed, "if you need me, let me know," he added with concern as he pulled himself up the stairs.
"I will," Raven nodded softly, Dick squeezing her arm as he passed.
She paused and glanced up, looking back at him with a torn expression. His face was tired, his eyes weary as they held her gaze, but she was still caught between that rock and the guilt that so woefully plagued the love in her heart.
"Go get a drink, you need it," she finally said.
"No kidding," he nodded, hiding his wounded nature and pulled away.
She watched him as he made his way to the main floor, silently scolding herself to varying degrees.
"Lover's quarrel?" Helena asked, recognizing the empath's manner as one of regret and contradiction.
Raven glanced back at her, her deep eyes lit with condescension. "Nothing you need to be privy to," she replied coldly and walked toward her. "Now why don't you tell me again from the top: What happened?"
"Y'know if I wanted to repeat myself all night, I'd have gone to the police," Helena replied with dull sarcasm.
"That would have made you a rat," Raven countered, recalling Helena's prior feeling toward the concept of such a socially unacceptable crime amongst those in the underworld.
"Well thanks to you and your little boy toy, my man ratted and now he's dead…" she paused and glanced away, a deep sense of guilt pouring from her heart. "So what's the point?"
Raven glared back at her, the guilt and pain was real, but there was something about her emotions being abnormally bitter, even for someone as jaded and dejected as Helena Bertinelli.
"You feel responsible," Raven stated quizzically.
Helena's head cocked slightly, the question hitting her just enough for Raven to see. "Of course I feel guilty, he wouldn't be dead if it weren't for me and my family."
"It wasn't a question," Raven corrected, though there was truth in her statement. "I know how you feel, I'm simply commenting on it."
"Then what's your point?"
"Well, it just seems odd that you're trying to convince me of that when it's clear your feelings are, well, at least somewhat, genuine?"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Helena frowned.
"Why don't you tell me?"
She could feel the woman's heart sink, not sure what to make of Raven's line of questioning.
Raven had perfected the art of interrogation, even more than Dick, and her abilities only strengthened this art. She always knew what people felt and she could lead them through their thoughts and feelings blindly. As if a shepherd charged with guiding the sheep off a cliff. The fact she'd studied psychology and philosophy only strengthened her talents, fine tuning her ability to understand the very complexities of the mind, body and personality. She truly was a living lie detector.
"Um," Helena began, her eyes distant as she glanced to the left. "I met Mikey after my dad died…"
"You mean your uncle?"
She nodded. "He raised me, I didn't know Santo was my dad until after he killed my mother."
"He killed your mother?" Raven questioned, finding her allegiance to her father odd.
"She knew too much," Helena replied ruefully through a dim smirk. "She had enough secrets to burn down an empire. She had to go. That's what the bosses told me. The fact she treated me like shit my entire life didn't help. She never wanted me."
"I'm really sorry," Raven replied, the pain bleeding from a deeply seeded place, tightly tied to her being.
"My uncle was the only person I trusted, and when he died, I didn't have anyone. Santo spared me, I don't know why," she continued. "He never made an effort, and even if he had… I would—won't ever forgive him."
Raven looked back at her as she struggled to prevent her voice from breaking. She hated her father, that was clear, but there was still something lingering in her words that was peculiar, but wouldn't quite walk itself into the daylight.
"That was when you met Mikey?" Raven questioned, leading Helena in the right direction.
She nodded. "He was just a guy at the bottom of the ladder, I hardly even looked at him. I thought I was better." She glanced down catching herself. "He tried so hard to impress me, he did anything Santo asked, anything that moved him up so I would see him better."
"It obviously worked," Raven commented, realizing Helena's love was not as unconditional as she previously claimed.
Helena glared at Raven, the slight air of judgement in her eye. Though in Raven's defense, she was unaware she was doing this.
"You do not get to judge me."
Raven drew back a moment, realizing her own feelings had surfaced, but hardly faltered. "Well not all of us live by the same code, especially not when it comes to love."
"So you think your way is so much better than mine?"
"No," Raven sighed. "I mean, there are definitely other people with a more noble sense of love than yourself. Me on the other hand, trust me, I know how to fuck up love pretty good."
"What happened between you and your man?" Helena asked, looking down her nose.
"We're not talking about me."
"I just spilled my guts to you," the girl frowned, "the least you could do is just tell me something about yourself."
Raven leaned back and shook her head. "Okay my mom's dead too, and I hate my father, and just like yours, he killed her."
Helena stared at her hard, trying to figure out how Raven could even say something so dark and unnerving without breaking, especially something that hit so close to home.
"I can't tell if you're lying?"
"I'm a really good actress," Raven said with a slight smirk, "but that's the truth."
"How?"
"I don't have to tell you that, you're lucky you even got that much."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"Not one fucking bit."
Dick entered the bar, taking note of how far they'd come in cleaning up the mess. It also helped that Wally used a fair bit of his super speed to conduct such a feat, but Dick really couldn't complain.
"Wow, it looks great up here. You should really think about changing professions," the hero joked.
"Yeah, I'll call it Flash Cleaning & Demolition since I'm really good at fucking shit up."
Dick laughed. "I can see it now: What do you do?"
A sly smile fell over the speedster's face. "I break shit then clean it up for a living."
"Which is ironic since he's really good at putting shit back together," Jason added as they returned from their meeting with The Horsemen. "How'd it go with what's her face?"
"Raven's giving her the third degree," Dick said, taking note of the Outlaw's return, "her story hasn't changed much."
"Maybe we should turn up the heat," the Hood suggested and opened a beer. "What's Rae think?"
"That she's lying, but she's not really sure about what yet," Dick answered. "What about you? Any luck?"
Jason nodded and sipped his beer. "Yeah, they seem really interested, we're pretty much just waiting on an answer."
"So what's it gonna cost you?" the hero asked, curious.
X glanced over at the Outlaw, the question taking the group off guard as they hid their resentment.
"The usual," Jason replied, "guns and money."
Dick nodded, too tired to notice the slight falter in his tone. "You gonna reach out to Talia?"
Dick noticed Rose's brow immediately furrow, clearly unhappy at the notion, the sight hitting him in a peculiar way. Jason must have noticed as well and he glanced in her direction, gauging her physical response.
"I'm gonna have to. If I ask for a haul like that, Slade's gonna know something's up, and to be honest, I'm afraid he'll try something again. Talia's just a safer bet."
Dick nodded, his eyes still on the young girl as she looked away, trying to pretend she wasn't bothered. Or better yet, that her pride wasn't wounded.
"Sounds fair," the hero agreed. "But in the meantime, what are we gonna do about Helena?"
Jason shook his head tiredly, not wanting the burden. "Y'know it's times like this when I really just wish we killed her."
"We still can," Rose added, "and I'd be happy to do the heavy lifting on this one."
"I second that motion," Jinx added. "I'll help dig the hole."
"I personally think she's more valuable alive," Dick defended, his heroic nature not even flinching.
"Yeah, people say that shit about you too, but I'm still struggling to see the argument," Jason droned. "But unfortunately, we agree. So let's go see what that bitch has to say."
"Well you guys have fun with your little shit show," Wally added, twisting the top of his beer. "I'll be up here drinking."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Jason replied and moved toward the cellar.
Dick followed as Jinx rolled her eyes and placed down her shot glass, nodding for Rose to follow. "You coming X?" the sorceress added.
"I'd rather stay and get shit faced with Gingerbread over here."
"I'm calling you that from now on," Rose giggled, joining the thief in his odd sense of humor.
"Whatever makes you happy, Rosie," Wally chuckled, "I'll just have to find some comedic nicknames for both of you. Fun Fact: Jason's not the one who came up with Dickhead!"
"Yeah that was you," Dick recalled, the redhead saddling him with the unfortunate namesake at age 12. "Thanks by the way, Pumpkin Patch."
"Anytime, Dickhead."
"Hey babe, did you ever have a nickname?" Rose asked, walking toward the stairs.
"Nothing clever that rhymed or anything like that," he replied shortly.
"Yeah, we just called him Shithead," Wally replied.
"Correction," Dick interjected, "you and Roy called him that."
Her face lit up with a bit of shock as she glared back at the speedster and said, "Y'know, I'm sorry I asked."
Wally smiled mischievously and looked back at her. "Oh don't worry, you're next."
"Whatever Gingerbread, bring it on."
"Don't fucking temp me Wilson, I'm already a six pack deep and I have no intention of stopping," the speedster warned playfully.
"Seriously, don't," Jinx added before slipping down the stairs. "Once you get him going he'll never stop, and I have to live with him."
"Oh in that case I'm pumping an I.V. drip of Bud Light straight in his veins. Anything to piss you off."
"This is why nobody likes you Wilson."
Raven stared back at Helena, the two women glaring in a silent standoff. Raven, still struggling to pinpoint exactly where her adversary's lie began and ended.
"So he ratted?" the empath finally said. However before the girl could answer the question, she heard a commotion spiraling toward them. The sound of laughter and meaningless threats bantering back and forth.
Dick came down the steps and beckoned to speak with her, "Hey, you have a sec?"
She sighed, knowing she was nearly there, but the moment was gone now. "Yeah." She rose from the chair, her eyes not leaving the battered girl. "We'll finish this later."
"I don't doubt it," Helena replied with an eye roll Raven didn't quite appreciate.
Still, she turned from the girl, not giving into her childishness and took her leave. She looked up to find an assortment of faces glaring in her direction, questioning looks left baited with answers.
"So what do you think?" Jason asked.
She shrugged and shook her head. "Honestly, I don't think we can trust her. There's just something about this that doesn't feel right, but I can't really put my finger on it."
"See I knew that bitch was lying," Rose snapped with a held back fury.
"Did she tell you anything useful?" Jason asked, this time hoping for something they could use.
"Just that Santo pretty much killed her family. He apparently killed Mikey over the failed hit and if we don't help her he's gonna kill her too."
"So nothing different," Dick added, a little over the situation.
"She does realize that we aren't going out of her way to help her, right?" Jinx drawled. "At this rate I'd trade her for a pack of cigarettes and a good bottle of Pinot."
"I like it, let's do it," Rose agreed.
Dick glared at Jason knowing he was a little above that.
"We might be able to reach out to Santo, let him know we have his darling daughter and maybe set up a meeting."
"And what, hand her over?" Dick asked a little detrude.
"No, but we can make it seem that we are, then we pull the plug and take Santo down instead," Jason reasoned, though he wasn't really that concerned with Helena's wellbeing.
"What if that's her plan?" Rose blurted. "We have no idea if she's working with her father to finish the hit?"
"That's a really good point," Raven added. "We have no way of tracking her movements. We don't even know if Mikey is actually dead?"
"Oh he's dead," Enigma said as she stepped off the staircase. "I searched Blüdhaven police reports. Apparently a male victim was found last night in Blüdhaven: shot point blank in back of the head. He was just identified as Michael Anthony Vitagliano."
"Well at least that part of her story checks out?" X shrugged indifferently. "Now the question is, was it actually Santo?"
Dick grimaced. "We should really look into it, see if there's anything further to support her story."
"Yeah let me just throw that on the list, it's not like I have any dead barmaids or y'know, my girlfriend's dad trying to kill me or anything pressing like that," the Outlaw patronized.
"Well to be fair, this is a footnote to the latter part of your statement," Dick corrected in deadpan.
"Shut up Dickhead," the Outlaw droned.
"Well he's not wrong," X added.
Raven exhaled a deep breath and shook her head. "Well whatever we decide to do, it's gonna have to wait till tomorrow. It's been a long fucking day and I don't think there's anything we can do right now."
Dick's brow furrowed as he questioned, "So then what do we do with Helena?"
Everyone sort of looked at each other, Raven even giving Dick a passive glance.
"Goddamnit: Again?"
The night fell over Gotham, the sun setting as the darkness came out for its nightly play. Beneath the stones that formed caverns, the engine of the Batmobile roared, echoing through the hollow stones as it sped through the rocky passageway and toward the city. The driver reached the mouth of the cave, the moon growing bright in the night sky above, the stars muted against the glowing lights of the city. The vehicle raced down the road, crossing the bridge that linked Gotham to its outskirts, the Batman making his way into the heart of the city. The car finally pulled down the alley way and came to a halt, sheltered by the shadows that held it.
The Dark Knight exited the Batmobile, setting the security system before seeking out the night's tasks. He had two missions to accomplish tonight: Investigate the crime scene at the old Opera House: And meet the Commissioner to conclude the body left outside the Red Hood's bar was indeed the one missing from the crime scene in question.
He raced across the rooftops, the moon lonely without the company of stars lit in the blackest blue above. He finally found his way to a stopping point, the Dark Knight retracting for his grappling hook one final time. He took a moment to look out upon the city, years' worth of memories and stories replaying themselves before his aging eyes. His mind humbly wondering how much longer he'd bask in moments such as this. His heart fluttering more than it usually did, but he pushed it away with his unwillingness to accept the writing on the wall.
Below his feet and beyond the many floors of Gotham General, stood the Commissioner waiting in the morgue, the coroner standing across the table before the body of a young woman.
"He's coming, right?" the medical examiner asked, the night growing late for one nearing the end of a 16 hour shift.
"He'll be here," the Commissioner confirmed. "He's never not shown before—"
"And I don't intend to start now," the deep voice said from what felt like nowhere.
"God I hate when he does that," the medical examiner whined, shuddering a moment, but only for the simple fact the Bat could enter his morgue undetected: As silent as the dead.
Gordon smiled, finding the unease somewhat amusing; the Bat was the last thing anyone in good standing had to worry about.
"What am I looking at, Commissioner?" the Bat asked stepping forward.
Gordon turned to the table, his face falling to reality. "We're still waiting on the DNA analysis, but I'm confident that this poor girl is the missing body from today's crime scene. I'm sure you heard all about it?"
"If you mean the old Opera House, then yes, I have heard something about it," the Bat confirmed.
The commissioner nodded. "Well let me first warn you, the brutality of this case is a bit heavy handed, even for someone as seasoned as me."
"I don't doubt it," the Bat replied stoically. "I'm familiar with the Joker's handy work."
"Even so," Gordon nodded, "there's something rather macabre about this kill."
The Dark Knight nodded in understanding, though he'd suffered nothing short of personal loss at the clown's hands. "Please, lift the sheet."
"You heard him, Jones," Gordon beckoned.
The medical examiner shook his head with a resistant grimace, but proceeded. His hands fell to the sheet and lifted it slightly, his brow knitting in disquiet as he did so, and pulled the sheet from her marred face. The Dark Knight flinched ever so slightly, just enough for Gordon to see he was affected by the sight, something he expected. The Bat was hardly heartless, after all.
Her face was cut, her smile carved ear to ear, her lips cut away and her eyelids removed. Bruce inwardly swallowed the sight, her face left crudely in morbid surprise, the words "Dead-Rat" carved into her forehead. As the sheet was pulled further, more injuries revealed themselves: words such as "Hahaha" and "I've been naughty" bore into her cold flesh and across her chest while burn marks and bruises had been scorched randomly over her skin. Her neck and wrists plagued with a heavy rope burn, breaking the skin, her flesh left raw. And many of her bones were broken.
The Bat glared down at her, her blue face gored in a way he'd never quite seen before. "What can you tell me, Doctor?"
He let out a ragged breath, glancing down at the shell of the poor girl, almost thankful she was dead now. "Other than the fact she suffered horribly," he began, "she was alive for every last cut. The cause of death, however, which I'm sure is not so obvious," he added pointing to red eyes. "At first I thought it was strangulation, but upon further examination, it seems to be cardiac arrest.
"How?" the Bat pondered.
"It could be as simple as severe stress, but her heart doesn't show any significant long term damage to suggest that. The trauma her body endured is making it hard to say."
"What about Joker venom?"
"I'm currently waiting on a toxicology report. I've heard Joker Venom can cause cardiac distress, but not to this degree."
"Anything else."
The medical examiner took a deep breath and replied grimly. "Her tongue was removed, while she was still alive."
The Dark Knight's face grew stricken with shock and anger as his head shot up from the gored body and to the medical examiner. "Excuse me?"
"Her tongue, it was cut out," he repeated, "I found blood in her stomach which suggests—"
"I know what it suggests," Bruce interjected as he was no medical novice, but the details seemed to be getting the better of him.
"And as far as I know nobody's found it yet," Gordon added regretfully.
The Bat shot his gaze at Gordon who shrugged at a loss.
"It wasn't with the body nor found at the crime scene. However, Joker's always been one for trophies so that could explain the missing tongue?"
"He's never taken body parts before," Batman countered, somehow pleasantly surprised Joker had never quite gone that far.
"I guess teeth don't count?" Gordon added in morbid sarcasm. "But anyway, what are your thoughts?" the Commissioner asked. "Do you think it's an escalation or do you think there is something deeper to it?"
"Joker's always been very personal with his victims," the Bat began, "Yes he's taken teeth, but only when he's used Joker Venom? Is she missing any?"
The medical examiner sighed as he stood over the body. "No as you can unfortunately see. But her teeth do show some grinding, but I have a feeling that was caused by regular cocaine use."
"Then it could be the tongue was removed as a message: She ratted," the Bat concluded.
"But on who?" Gordon asked. "Joker's never really been an enforcer outside of his own crew."
"What do you think, Commissioner?" the Dark Knight asked perplexed.
"That it may be possible someone else did this to frame the clown…"
"Like who?"
"Maybe Red Hood?"
The hero's face fell, the words almost unreal to him. "The Hood may be a lot of things, but an unhinged savage is not one of them. He would never do this."
"So delivering a bag of severed heads to local Kingpins and killing anyone who stepped out of line isn't unhinged savagery?"
"You know what I mean," the Bat retorted. "He wouldn't do this—he doesn't kill innocent people."
"We have no idea who this woman is, but she worked for him. Maybe she said something she shouldn't have?"
"Or maybe that's why Joker chose her?"
"Or maybe this is enacting some pay back. How many of his people got killed by the Joker?"
"Jim, this isn't the Hood's business as usual, this was fun. The person who did this enjoyed it. And why would Red Hood leave the body outside his own bar in plane daylight for anyone to trip over?"
"That's a pretty good point," the medical examiner added.
The two men looked at him, each with a glare for him to stay out of it.
"Maybe we should finish this conversation elsewhere," Gordon recommended.
"No this conversation is over," the Bat concluded sternly. "I'm going to need several blood and tissue samples, Dr. Jones. As well as a copy of your autopsy report and her tox screen once you finish your examination. As for the Hood's involvement, I think it's best we take him off the suspect list."
The Dark Knight turned to leave, the Commissioner confirming to collect the items requested and took off after the brooding hero.
"So you're not even going to look into it?" the Commissioner questioned.
"There's nothing to look into," the Bat replied coldly. "And from what I understand, you already did, and found no evidence to support your theory."
The Commissioner remained paused, the Bat staring back at him lividly, adding:
"You know he had nothing to do with this, Gordon. All signs point to Joker, even the part where he left a dead barmaid on the Hood's doorstep. That was personal."
"You're far too lenient with him," the Commissioner replied. "If he were anyone else, you'd never allow him to run around as freely as you do."
The Bat glared back, the audacity of the Commissioner's words rubbing him the wrong way, but they weren't far from the truth.
"Considering what we've had to contend with over the years, the Hood is low on my priority list. He isn't out terrifying the populous, if anything, they like him, he brings order."
"So what? He's some modern day Robin Hood so you look the other way? He kills people, remember?"
"I never said I condone his actions—"
"But you tolerate them."
"Jim this city is full of madmen, hell-bent on burning this world to the ground. The Red Hood isn't one of them. He's not a monster."
"He could be," the Commissioner countered. "What then?"
"Then I'll deal with it," the Bat replied from over his shoulder, "but until then, we both have a murderous Clown to track down."
Jim Gordon watched the hero make his way to the edge of the roof, a scowl pressed deep in his aging face. For all the years they'd spent fighting the good fight, they'd never disagreed on something so disheartening.
"What if you're wrong? I know he's your son, but what if you're wrong?"
"Then I'll do what I have to," The Dark Knight replied embittered. "But for now I'll look into it. But you're wrong."
"I can't believe you're really doing this," Helena whined as Jason and Raven secured her bounds.
"Me either, but you don't see me bitching about it," Raven droned, fixing a set of cuffs around her ankles.
"Yeah, you're lucky you got a bed," Jason added. "I was gonna let you sleep on the cold cement floor."
Rose rolled her eyes from the doorway, livid the girl was getting the level of treatment she was. Especially as she'd given them nothing to even warrant it.
"So again," Helena drawled, "am I supposed to thank you?"
"Y'know your attitude's shit, right?" Jason replied in a dull tone. "You're lucky I don't send you back to your dad in a bodybag."
"Like he'd care."
"Then I suggest you change your tone and stop protecting him," Raven countered. "Cause nobody here is gonna give you any sympathy until you do."
Raven stood, satisfied that Helena wasn't going anywhere as her wrists were chained firmly to the metal bed frame.
"So what do I do if I have to pee?" she asked looking around.
"That's what the buckets for," Jason replied. "You're gonna have to earn some trust before we even think about giving you a real toilet.
"I'll hold it."
"Good, less work for Mutt," he smiled, not giving a shit. "Well sleep tight, princess. And if you need anything don't bother asking."
He turned and exited the room, Raven looking back at the girl as she scowled, unhappy with her situation.
"If I were you, I'd take this all in and really think about what it is you're doing here, because it might not be worth it," Raven suggested as she stood in the doorway.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Helena asked with disgruntled confusion.
"Exactly what you think it does."
Raven turned, Rose still standing by the doorway, glaring back at her handy work.
"I'm gonna go now," Raven said, looking over at the white hair girl, "lock the door when you're done," she added and handed Rose the key. "And Rose, be pragmatic."
Rose smiled at her and shrugged. "I'll do what you'd do."
"See Helena this one learns fast," Raven replied with a smile, "you should take notes," and with that, she left the two to their issues.
Rose looked back at the chained girl and entered the room.
"So what's your deal?" Helena asked as Rose approached her.
"My deal?" Rose replied dispassionately. "Well simply put, I think you're a fucking liar."
"Get in line," Helena said, hardly affected.
Rose smirked and sat down on the bed beside her. "Here's the thing, I'm not here to try and get info out of you, and I'm not here to win a fight with you."
"Then what's your deal?" Helena mocked in a low tone. "You here to kick the shit out of me again?"
Rose shook her head. "No, I'm simply here to tell you that this is my family and if you hurt a single one of them, then you're gonna wish that you'd died beside that piece of shit boyfriend of yours."
Helena said nothing as Rose's eyes bore down on her with clear blue hatred. A warning she'd turn violent at even the slightest whiff of dishonesty.
"You tried to kill them once; if it were up to me you'd already be an afterthought in some police file, but fortunately for you, I'm learning to be a less aggressive person."
"Could have fooled me?"
"It's only day one, don't fuck with me."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"Pretty much," Rose concluded, "We good?"
"I guess," Helena grimaced. "And for the record, I don't wanna be here."
"Then why'd you come back?"
"Cause I'm desperate."
"Then Raven's right, you should really keep that in mind. Cause if you piss enough of us off then there's no need to protect you."
Rose stood up and headed for the door, getting ready to close it when she heard:
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry you tried to kill us or sorry you got caught?"
"Both."
"I guess it's a start."
"Hey," Helena called as Rose reached for the door, "do you think you could let me use the bathroom? I have to pee real bad."
Rose looked at her with a blank expression and… "Bucket's right there. And Helena, I'm not that fucking stupid."
"One could only hope."
Dick entered the bar, his face tired as he stumbled to the counter and started pouring himself a rather generous glass of whisky.
"Damn," Wally commented as Dick raised the glass and took a sip, "long day?"
"Very long day," he replied and set the glass down, "you want one?"
"Fuck yeah," Wally nodded, "you didn't think I was gonna do this shit for free?" he sang motioning to the now clean bar.
Dick laughed cynically and set down a fresh glass. "I'll keep that in mind next time I need work done on my car: Will work for beer. Say when?"
The red head laughed and sat down at the bar, waiting a moment before voicing his cue, "That's good."
"You'd drink this shit out of a troth if I let you," Dick sighed, pushing the speedster his glass.
"Just like the old man," the redhead shrugged ironically. "I can stop anytime, by the way."
"Just don't say that shit around Roy."
"Yeah that's a whole set of demons I don't even wanna know about," Wally drawled. "What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't wanna think about it right now," Dick concluded taking a sip and winced, "I got enough of my own shit on my plate."
Wally watched as he took another large sip, his eyes far more troubled then he'd ever seen. "The Zucco thing still biting at you?"
Dick looked at Wally as if giving him an answer was just a formality. "That really a question?"
"No, what y'gonna do?"
"I don't know yet," the hero replied and downed the rest of his drink, Wally pouring him another.
"Well good news is: you have time to figure it out," the speedster reasoned, "gives y'time t'sort through everything."
Dick glanced into his glass, staring into the amber color. "What would you do?"
Wally paused and looked away, not exactly sure. He loved his parents, but he also felt that their lives weren't worth avenging in that way. Nor was he sure they were worth crossing that line for, or if he had the preverbal means to cross it.
"I don't exactly know what I would do, but I guess I'd do what I had to."
"Is that what happened with Jinx?"
Wally paused, his glass but an inch from his lips. "How much do you know about that?"
"Enough to know that she'd still be in Iron Heights if evidence hadn't been lost?" the hero answered regrettably.
"Your point?"
"I'm not judging you, I get it," Dick replied.
"Funny cause Bruce had a similar conversation with me and he did NOT get it," Wally smiled cynically.
"Oh shit, how'd that go?"
"I denied everything, he couldn't prove it, but he knows I did it."
Dick glanced back at him, his jaw tight. "Y'think he told the League?"
"I don't know," Wally said with a head shake, "Barry never mentioned it, sooo…"
Dick rolled his eyes, the idea of Bruce covering for Wally far more bitter than the whisky on his tongue, but that wasn't Wally's fault.
"So on a different note," Wally began, changing the subject, "how's the whole Raven thing going?"
"What?" Dick replied, slightly ripped from his thought.
"You and Raven?" Wally repeated. "I'm not stupid, something happened between you two: what?"
Dick took a large swig from his glass, wincing as the whisky burned his throat, dulling the pain in his heart. He wasn't really sure how much to share, his loyalty to her holding him back, but he desperately needed to vent.
"Promise to keep your big mouth shut."
"Can I tell my girlfriend?"
"Especially not her," Dick warned already regretting giving Wally that much.
"Okay: Jason?"
"Just don't say anything," the hero barked, "to anyone!"
"Okay, I'm just making sure I'm getting this straight: Jason and Jinx aren't everyone."
Dick shook his head; Wally West was really the stupidest smart person he ever knew.
"Okay, I um… slept with Raven."
A shit eating grin pulled across the speedster's face. "Dude, does this constitute a High Five?" The goofy redhead said with a raised hand.
"Put your hand down," Dick demanded as if he'd commit some cardinal sin, "Christ, we're not 15 anymore."
"Well sorry for being happy for you, man," Wally chuckled off guard. "You sound like X when he catches me checking out Rose."
"That's your friend's girlfriend and she'd not even 20—what the fuck is wrong with you?" Dick sneered.
"Wait how old is she?" Wally said with a hint of concern on his face.
"She's like 19."
"Oh thank God, I thought you were gonna tell me she was like 16 for a second," Wally sighed in relief, "but in my defense I thought she was older," he laughed uncomfortably.
"So you gonna stop checking her out?"
"No, it pisses your brother off way too much, and that girl's really fucking hot. How do you not look at her?"
"Cause it wouldn't be appropriate," Dick grimaced as if the answer was obvious. "She's my Brother's girl-friend."
"You really gotta lighten up," Wally droned and finished his drink. "Now what the hell happened with Raven? I wanna compare notes."
"We are not comparing notes."
"But we're Eskimo Brothers now!"
"I should have never told you this," Dick sighed in contempt. "You are a horrible friend."
"Me?! You're the one who finally fucks the love of his life and is like: No I will not tell my best friend and only Eskimo Brother!"
"Well to be fair, Harvey Jr. is also his Eskimo Brother," Jason said entering the bar, luckily by himself.
"Oh shit, yeah!" Wally laughed.
"Fuck you both," Dick said downing the last of his drink.
"No thanks," Jason smiled vindictively. "You're hitting the sauce awfully hard?"
"Like you aren't right behind me in the race to the bottom of the bottle?" Dick defended pouring himself and Jason a glass.
Jason took his drink and took a sip. "So due to the nature of what I heard I take it you and Raven finally—"
"Do not finish that sentence," Dick warned sorely.
"And yes," Wally confirmed as Dick glared at him, "He's being a fucking girl about it too." The redhead added pouring himself another glass.
"How much of my booze are you two gonna drink?"
"As much as it takes," Dick replied sorely, "and if my memory serves correctly, your Roy's Eskimo Brother."
"Oh fuck," Jason drawled, "he's gonna be really pissed about that."
"To be fair, you didn't fuck his girlfriend," Wally countered, "you fucked Terry Long's wife and that's awesome!"
"That is pretty awesome in context, fuck that guy," Dick laughed as the alcohol began to hit him.
It was then Jinx and X both entered the room, the thief taking a seat with the four. "Well someone is getting in touch with their inner drunk, this oughta be good."
"Fuck you," Dick drawled snidely as Jinx slunk behind him and snagged two bottles of wine.
"Um Jinx, where the hell do you think you are going with my last good bottles of white wine?" Jason asked as she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Upstairs to drink them with Raven and Rose."
"Why?" both Jason and Dick said as their faces fixed into questioning scowls.
"Um because we're gonna get shit faced and do exactly what you guys are doing now,"Jinx replied with a fucking really dude type of expression.
"You mean shitting on each other for advantages and shortcomings alike?" X asked. "Cause that's what guys do..."
"Sorta yeah, but we need white wine under the light of the full moon to bond, it's a chick thing, just like ragging on Dick for having sex with Raven is a guy thing."
"How the fuck do you know that?" Dick bitched, looking up from his half empty glass.
"How the fuck did I not know?" she snapped. "Point is, if you want us girls to get along so you can all get laid tonight, you'll let me take all the wine."
"That's a really fair trade," Wally said evenly. "And maybe if they get drunk enough, they'll make out too."
"Why do I love you," Jinx asked as she glared at him.
"Because I'm flawless."
"You suck and I hate you," Dick laughed, "Jinx is a saint for putting up with you this long. By the way, none of us will blame you if you run."
Jason shook his head. "Just take the wine."
"I'd say thank you, but you owe me this," she shrugged and moved toward the hall.
The outlaw rolled his eyes with a fuck my life kind of expression and took a bottle in his hands. "Well I'm officially getting sloshed, who's with me?" he added in a dull tone and sat down at a table.
"Well I've never needed an excuse," Wally sang and sat down, Dick simply raising his hand as he followed, muttering something to the effect of, "already with you."
"Well since the bar is closed anyway," X added.
"Like that ever stopped you," Jason drawled and began pouring out Old Crow like it was going out of style.
Meanwhile, Raven watched as Jinx poured her a rather large glass of Pinot Grigio.
"I have a feeling you need this," she sang flatly and handed the empathy her poison.
"This is like half a bottle of pinto?"
"Exactly, I want you pliable, this one too," Jinx added as Rose entered the apartment. "I hope you don't mind, I ran out of glasses so I poured yours in a mason jar?"
"Like I'd ever drink out of a wine glass," Rose replied and took the rather large jar filled with wine, taking a seat next to Raven on the couch.
Jinx finally turned with her own glass and lifted it as she sat in a large arm chair. "Alright bitches, let's drink and spill our guts and hopefully become actual friends, so uh... let's make this a nice clean fight."
"I'll drink to that," Rose said, tapping her glass to Raven's.
"Only Jinx will be the first one to bare her fangs," Raven said, taking her first sip.
"Fuck yeah," the sorceress confirmed, "and you're my first victim. So how was fucking the Boy Wonder?"
The empath didn't answer as she practically choked on her wine. Rose giggling, "Low blow, bitch."
"Dude, so like what is the deal with you and Raven?" Wally asked againwith a buzz. "You like…"
"Wally, really?" Dick growled, annoyed.
"Yeah, seriously, Wal, have some fucking class," Jason defended. "But like for real though, Dick what's up with that?"
The hero rolled his eyes and glared into his whisky. "It was once and I don't think it's ever happening again... ever."
Meanwhile the girls continued their personal intrusion into Raven's sex life:
"You could have at least waited 'till I was drunk to ask that question," Raven scowled. "You bitch."
"Well then take a big ol' helping of wine honey cause we are having this conversation whether you like it or not," Jinx declared, her eyes lit like a curious cat. "You bitch."
"You told me you weren't fucking him?" Rose said with a playful insult, Raven begrudgingly sipping her wine generously (as she was told) in an effort to take the edge off the knife.
"Because I'm not, it was once," Raven defended.
"And you should keep doing it," Jinx smiled with a nod. "Tall dark and handsome looks good on you."
"It's not happening again and it can't," Raven said firmly and took another sip.
"Oh my god, was it really that bad?" Rose asked with a spiteful glee.
"No!.. It was fine," Raven corrected though it should not have mattered. "Why am I telling you guys this?"
"Oh I think it was a lot better than fine," Jinx teased. "And because it's fun."
Raven blushed as she glared back at her. "Y'know none of that matters, it's not a thing."
"So wait," X began, trying to understand, "you two, after years of unresolved sexual tension, finally do the thing, and it's nothing? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"No," Dick frowned somewhat drunkenly, "that's not it… She doesn't think it's a good idea."
"It's just not a good idea," Raven explained, "or a good time and I can't," she reasoned, finally starting to feel half the wine she'd drank.
"Yeah like it's ever a good idea," Rose said as nothing she'd ever done was a good idea. "And when would be a better time?"
"Say's the girl who fucks the help," Jinx muttered, earning herself a heated glare from Rose as she sipped her drink.
"I don't know," Raven blurted, "maybe like not immediately after he broke up with is fiancé and my best friend?"
"Oh fuck," Jinx spat as her brow creased, "this is about that bitch?"
Raven took another sip from her glass and stood up.
"Oh this is about that fight you had with his ex?" Rose said coming to the realization.
"Wait you and Kory got into a fight?" Jinx questioned roughly, annoyed that of all people, Rose knew.
"Yeah," Raven said coarsely pouring more wine. "And I don't know how I'm supposed to look her in the eye now?"
"Wait, so you told Psycho Bitch and not me?"
"Fuck you, I was being a good friend," Rose defended between sips.
"What the fuck did she say?" Jinx asked.
Raven shook her head trying to free herself from the noise. "Just that she thought I was sleeping with Richard and at the time I wasn't, but now I have..."
"So?" Jinx replied, glaring at her as if it were nothing.
"So now I am a liar," Raven insisted, plopping down beside Rose.
"Oh that doesn't make you a liar," Rose assured, turning to the empath, "it just means you have shitty timing."
"Not that it should matter because she lied to me too…." Raven muttered bitterly and took another sip.
"I mean, I told her I loved her," Dick sighed sadly, "I said everything, probably way too much… I think I pushed her away."
"You didn't," Jason replied. "But it's possible you may have spooked her a bit. Raven doesn't really strike me as the kinda girl who's into change."
"She's not," Dick affirmed. "I just feel like maybe I waited too long. That maybe if I saw it sooner… it would have been different?"
"Don't do that," Wally winced drunkenly. "I do that shit with everything and it doesn't help because you, A: cannot change it, and B: It doesn't matter."
"For once he's right," Jason agreed with shock. "Just give her some space and time, that girl's not going anywhere."
"Yeah, she's been waiting for you since she was like 15 or some shit," Wally added.
"Seriously, she turned me down because of it," X added with a wounded expression.
Dick's head shot over to X, mid sip. "Wait—what?"
"This oughta be good," Jinx inquired as she waited for Raven to elaborate. "So what did little Miss Starry Eyes lie about?"
Raven smiled mournfully. "She told me I didn't really love him."
Jinx raised a brow and traced the rim of her glass. "And you believed her?"
"Well yeah?" Raven defended, "I mean, I was still trying to figure shit out, I'd never really felt anything that deeply before, let alone accept it. She told me I didn't know the difference between true love and platonic love and well, I wasn't really sure I did either…"
"That was pretty condescending of her," Rose commented, not even remotely drunk.
"Yeah looking back it kinda was," Raven agreed with a slow shrug, "but if I'm being honest, I think I wanted to believe her because it was easier to… It was easier for me to think he didn't actually love me like that."
"And she just let you believe that shit?" Rose asked looking up with her glass.
Raven only nodded somberly in conformation.
"I like Kory, but she's not the authority on love," Jinx finally said. "For starters: You didn't lie to her, and honestly, she has no room to talk because she friggin married some dude and just expected her boyfriend to take that shit lying down!"
"Wait hold the fuck up!" Rose spat with a laugh, "she married another dude and had the balls to get all up in your shit about what you do with her ex that she technically cheated on, if I am taking this all in correctly?"
"Sadly you are," Jinx affirmed, "and everything she said!" Jinx added, pointing to Rose.
"If I'm being fair, she doesn't see it that way," Raven reasoned. "She comes from a culture where monogamy isn't really a thing, people have multiple partners for multiple reasons."
Rose just glared at Raven from over her mason jar, the concept even crossing her personal line of decency, Rose rather shocked she still had one. "That's really a thing? How are people like not killing each other over that? If another girl even looks in JT's direction I wanna rip her head off. Like I would kill both of them."
"Killing people and human trafficking is also kinda a thing there, isn't it?" Jinx asked, recalling some of the colorful details about Kory's home world.
Raven nodded. "Very much so, and Tamaran has basically been at war with itself for hundreds of years."
"Somehow, I'm not shocked," Rose said patronizingly and sipping her wine, still sober as a judge. "When does this shit kick in?"
"Probably another bottle for you, you drunk slut." Jinx droned and topped her.
Rose frowned. "Yeah well I'd have to be drunk for that to make any logical sense. I'm gonna call Jason and see if he'll bring me up something harder."
"So wait," Jason said chuckling at the drunk story Dick was telling, "you spent the night with Kory and Raven?"
"Yep, smack in the middle," Dick laughed with a drunken slur, "and - nothing - happened."
"Which is how you know that story's true," Wally burst out laughing.
"Seriously if that had ended any other way I would have said you're full of shit," X grinned and sipped his beer. "How'd that even happen?"
"We were on a mission," Dick began, "and we were short a bed and Raven was like: I am not sharing a bed with Gar. So Kory was like: Oh you can sleep with us!"
"Did she even have any idea?" Jason asked.
"No, she never did. It was hilarious!" Dick exclaimed. "There was this one time she was talking to Raven about why Gar was being really awkward around her and Kory was just like: Well I did over hear Garfield tell Victor that he thought you possessed a great wrack. Perhaps he simply wants to play the game of pool with you…. I thought Raven's head was gonna fucking explode."
"Gar wanted to play pool with her alright!" Wally yelled with excitement. "But the best was when we asked her where Donna and Roy were and she just replied: Oh they are partaking in the mating ritual! And all I could say with a shit eating grin on my face was: Okay."
"Wait what the fuck?" Jason blurted.
"Oh yeah," Dick giggled, "that was funny."
"Yeah, leave it to Star to share your most personal and intimate secrets with the world. That's how Jinx found out about me and Raven."
"Oh I wanna hear that story!" X droned, his attention roused.
"It's not really funny," Dick replied. "It was more that Wally and Jinx got back together and Raven was trying to pretend nothing ever happened, Kory wouldn't leave her alone about it. Raven insisted she was fine, Kory didn't believe her. Jinx pretty much overheard the whole thing."
"So you two used to share a man; what was that like?" Rose asked.
"I thought you were calling Jason?" Raven asked as Rose had clearly not acted on her declaration.
"I'm gonna after this story. Now tell it, I'm bored and under informed."
Jinx shook her head and leaned back, bringing her wine to her chest as she recalled the tale:
"Well little Miss Starry Eyes unknowingly threw Raven under the bus when she famously said, very audibly may I add: But how can it not bother you that friend Wally has done the getting back together with Jinx? I mean, you would not have slept with him if you did not care for him, yes?"
Rose laughed, "That's the most formal way of saying: So he got back together with his girlfriend after you fucked him and you really don't give a shit, I ever heard?"
Raven blushed and nodded. "Pretty much."
Jinx giggled at the description. "Yeah, so I was right around the corner from this little exchange and immediately lost my shit."
"Holy shit, were you scared?"
"Not scared," Raven replied, "just ashamed and like humiliated."
"You could tell it was not one of her proudest moments when I was like: You fucked my boyfriend, and she had nothing to say."
Raven simply nodded.
"So anyway, I'm all in her face, and Dick and Wally come running from out of nowhere, and I'm just like seething: Tell me the truth you fucking bitch! And Raven was just like: Yes, but it was nothing—and before she could even finish her fucking sentence, I slugged her so hard she practically fell over."
"I would have but I caught the counter," Dick caught me.
"Yeah he was pissed I hit you," Jinx added and continued "And Kory was trying to defend Raven and I started screaming at her too because she clearly knew and didn't say anything. That was about when Wally tried to hold me back and I fucking lost it on him too."
"And poor Dick was like everyone needs to calm down. We can talk about this," Raven added recalling the metallic taste in her mouth as she wiped the blood from her chin.
"And I screamed something like: Fuck you, Bird Boy! Fuck your team and fuck your demon girlfriend! I fucking quit!"
"I was hoping that would be more entertaining," Rose said, sipping the last of her wine. "But it could just be that I'm not nearly drunk enough to laugh at that," Rose added and took out her phone.
"Well we can't all go ape shit and destroy our frienemies car with a fucking sledge hammer, Rose."
"Gets the job done and makes for one hell of a story."
"What is the deal with that, what happened?" Raven asked as she'd heard of the incident, but knew not of the circumstances behind it.
"Jason cheated on Rose with Kitten."
"What?" Why? Eww?"
"Thanks for sharing my life story, Jinx," Rose said with annoyance. "But that yeah, eww."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he was an asshole and he thought it would push me away."
"Did it?"
"I'm sitting right here aren't I?" She pressed a button on her phone and it rang. "I'm gonna be really pissed if he doesn't answer."
Below, as the boys were laughing at some obnoxious story X was telling about stealing a Deuce and a Half, Jason's phone rang.
"It's Rose," he stated looking down at his screen.
"Dude, don't answer it," Wally snickered, "this is guy time, if you interrupted girl time she'd never let you live it down."
"True, but I wanna get laid later," he replied and answered the call. "Hey babe."
"Y'hear that boys, that's the crack of a pussy whip," Wally teased.
"Dude no one is more whipped than you," Dick chuckled truthfully.
"Which is how I know what a pussy whip sounds like," Wally countered gleefully. "Plus I think we all learned from Roy what happens when you don't appreciate your super hot girlfriend."
"Jesus Christ, I literally sat in their apartment one night and listened to Donna ask Roy to take the trash out like 7 times before I finally got up and did it myself," Dick recalled before the pair broke up
"And let me guess, she was cooking and cleaning?" Wally added knowing the song and dance.
"Oh yeah."
"Why can't you just come down and get it?" Jason asked as Rose replied, putting her on speaker. "Cause I'm having girl time and I don't want to."
"And I do?"
"Please, I'm lazy?"
"No you're just spoiled," Jason corrected. "Plus I don't think we have any Vodka left and I'm drinking what's left of the whisky."
"What the hell!" she whined.
"Well if you want I'll give you money and you can go to Remy's?" Jason replied.
"Can you go?"
"Only if you wanna pay for it."
"Fine," she droned, "I'll be right down."
"Ha," Wally chuckled richly, "typical woman, wallet opens and she comes."
"Fuck you, you double dipping piece of Gingerbread!" she protested, the howls of laughter immediately ensuing.
"Oh my god what the fuck is wrong with you," Raven yelled audibly over the phone, causing more laughter to follow.
"Seriously," Jason snorted, "you always take things to the next level. Wally's like: I'm gonna deliver a 10 and you're like: Well then I'm gonna fuck this thing in the mouth! Her words not mine!"
"God, I never thought I'd see the day Jason was offended by something someone else said!" Dick laughed, shaking his head.
"Rose is a long day," Jason retorted, trying to fight his laughter.
"That you just keep on reliving," Rose added over the phone.
"And people ask me why I wanna hang myself."
"Oh don't let me stop you, I'll bring the rope," Rose teased in a bitter sweet voice.
"You gonna kick the chair out from under me too?"
"You bet, I have to get my own fucking vodka cause you're too lazy to go."
"Me, you're the one who wants it!"
"You're the man, you're supposed to bring home the bacon and the vodka: I have the babies."
"Which we have none of."
"Give it time."
"With the way you take birth control…"
"You two are so perfect for each other," Dick slurred.
"You really are," X added dismally. "You're both completely fucked."
"Well anyway, I'll be right down with some burn cream for Wally. See you assholes soon!" Rose drawled and hung up.
"Oh it's on now!" Wally professed.
"Dude, you're a glutton for punishment," Dick sighed.
"Seriously," The Outlaw agreed. "Whatever you say, she's just gonna shoot back at you with something even more fucked up."
"I'm not scared, fuck it—fuck her!"
"You should be, she makes me blush," Jason concluded.
It was then Dick's phone rang and he sluggishly answered it. "Hello…"
"Dick?"
His eyes opened wide, the sound of her voice shattering his mind like a stone crashing through glass. "Kory?"
As this conversation was taking place, both Raven and Jinx were trying to catch their breath. Rose failing at getting either of them to commit to taking a trip to the liquor store with her.
"Come on guys, I don't wanna go by myself. I'm not even old enough to buy alcohol."
"That sounds like a real you problem," Jinx replied very blazè.
"Yeah we have our wine, we're good and drunk," Raven added.
"But what about girl code?" Rose countered. "You can't let me go alone; I might not come back," she whined.
"That rule only applies to bathrooms," Raven corrected. "Plus you already broke girl code by forgoing the bond of white wine so you're on your own now, Padawan."
"And the odds of you not coming back are slim at best. Like I'd feel bad for anyone who dared fuck with you."
"Oh that's the nicest thing you ever said to me, Jinx," Rose replied with a halfhearted smile.
"I mean because Jason would cut their nuts off and your dad would lop off his head," she teased. "But you'd probably get a few good whacks in," she added playfully.
"Well it was nice while it lasted," Rose said with a shrug. "But anyway, I'll be back bitches."
The silver girl turned and exited the room, closing the door behind her.
"Do you think she's coming back?" Raven asked, cradling her wine as she leaned back.
"Nope," Jinx answered, looking at her phone, "She's a goner."
Raven chuckled, still kicked back with her wine.
Jinx glanced over at the empath, feeling inclined to ask an important question now that Rose was gone. "So, what are you gonna do about Dick?"
Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she lifted her glass. "I don't know. My heart wants one thing, but my mind just won't let me have it. Good things aren't something I'm meant to have."
Jinx watched as Raven sipped her pinto, thinking of all the sacrifices the empath had made for the safety and happiness of others. "Sometimes thinking about things is overrated, Rae."
"Yeah well the last time I didn't think about it, I slept with your boyfriend."
"Well we were broken up," Jinx reasoned, "I know you'd have never done that if we weren't."
"That still doesn't make it okay," Raven replied sorely.
"We've all done stupid shit we're not proud of, Raven."
"I'm really sorry for all the shit I gave you. I just… I didn't trust you and I should have. Maybe if I had you'd still—"
"Be a Titan?" Jinx said, finishing her thought.
Raven nodded.
"That's a nice thought, but probably not. You were just a convenient excuse to give up, Raven. I don't blame you for not trusting me. You shouldn't have."
"But I was wrong."
"No you weren't," Jinx replied weakly. "I was gonna leave before any of that shit with you and Wally happened. Again, you just gave me a reason to do it sooner. But if it makes you feel better. I forgave Wally and I forgave you too."
Raven smiled at the sorceress, ready to reply to their drunken heart to heart, when a knock rapped at the door.
"Little bitch can't be back already?" Jinx grimaced.
"Maybe it's Death, come to resolve me of all my problems," Raven groaned jokingly.
"That was grim, even for you," Jinx laughed, rising to her light feet to answer the door. "But if it is Death, I hope she brought food."
"Oh please that psychopomp always comes at the last minute and empty handed."
"Seriously, the Endless are Endlessly cheap," she cackled and opened the door. "Oh, if I knew it was you, I would have had a Dick joke prepared," she said as Dick stood before her, "Do you have food?"
"No, like Death I too come empty handed," Dick replied. "But I'm really drunk so you can just call me Whisky Dick."
Jinx could hear Raven start laughing behind her.
"Okay then Limp Dick," Jinx replied dryly, furthering Raven's drunken laughter. "So what brings you to our doorstep. Rose take your place in the boys club?"
"Well her dick's bigger than mine," he joked, "but um, Raven has a phone call."
Her head peaked up, her eyes filled with inebriation.
"It's Kory," he added holding his phone out.
Her eyes grew wide as she sat up with alarm, Dick quickly recognizing her expression and tried to ease the tension.
"You should really talk to her, Rae," he reasoned, moving toward her. "She's your friend, and whatever was said between you two, she'd really like to clear it up."
Raven glanced away from him a moment, her face fixed in a deep grimace.
"Please Raven?"
She looked up at him and let out a deep breath, knowing it would mean a lot to them both. "Fine."
"Thank you," Dick replied as she took the phone and headed toward the bathroom, Jinx glaring in her direction as they shared a silent exchange. The empath closed the door, leaving the hero and the sorceress to themselves.
Jinx took a sip of her wine and cradled her glass over her knees. She and Dick had little in common and never really held a conversation between them that wasn't about something stupid Wally did. So Jinx decided to turn the tables:
"So tell me, Limp Dick, what the fuck was up with that coat?"
Behind the closed door, the empath took a deep breath, trying to clear her hazy mind, regretting that she'd accepted the phone call in her current state.
What am I doing? she thought as Kory's muted voice finally spoke:
"Raven?"
"Yeah," Raven droned painfully, "I'm here… what's up?"
She was silent for a moment, Raven practically able to feel the alien's discomfort. "I um… I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night," she finally said with embarrassment. "It was wrong of me to say those things to you… and about you. I am truly sorry and I really hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me?"
Raven's eyes closed with intoxication and shame as she sunk to the floor. "No Kory, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it personally. You weren't in a good place and I didn't help."
"No Raven, please do not make excuses for my poor behavior. I am a grown woman and I was wrong to speak to you in that manner. I realize now how childish and petty I must have come across."
"Well I wasn't any better," Raven added. "I mean, I said some pretty hurtful shit too."
"But only because I pushed you to," Kory insisted, sadly.
"No," Raven corrected, "I also can't allow you to make excuses for my behavior."
"So you forgive me then?"
"Only if you can forgive me?"
"So we're friends again?" Kory said moments from smiling.
"We were never not friends," Raven said with a sluggish smirk.
"Oh friend, Raven! I am so overjoyed!" she squealed, loud enough Raven had to remove the phone from her ear.
The empath giggled and rolled her eyes in a relieved manner. "Well that's good to hear," she added, not really sure what to say as her mind was swimming, "glad I could help make your night."
There was a moment of silence between them and Raven could feel a question about to roll off the alien's tongue.
"You love him?"
Raven's head fell back with drunk heaviness, her eyes fluttering toward the ceiling at a loss.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, Raven, but I just need to hear it from you. I promise not to become angry."
She shook her head as her shoulders fell with the weight of the world. "I do," she finally admitted aloud, "I love him more than you could ever know."
It was more of the truth than Kory was ready for, but she stuck to her promise. "You are mistaken," the alien sighed, Raven's face falling a bit at the words, "I do know. He loves you too," she sighed, her heart breaking as the words left her lips. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of the connection you two share. That's why I told you he didn't… I am sorry."
A bitter lump welled up in Raven's throat and a tear fell from her eye as Kory bared her own difficult truth. She glanced down at her fingers as they pulled at the strings of her pant hem. There was a lot she could say, but wouldn't. It wouldn't change anything, it would only leave her empty and even worse, it would empty her friend.
"It doesn't matter anymore Kory, we can't change it, but we can move past it."
"Do you really mean that, Raven?"
"I do, Kory."
"So does that mean we can still have our meet up?" the alien asked hopefully.
"Of course," Raven smiled over the phone. "But um, can we talk about it more tomorrow? I'm kinda drunk right now and I'm already getting emotional."
Kory giggled and shook her head. "Then that makes two of us," Kory said gleefully as she wiped a tear from her cheek. "And Raven, I am truly sorry. I guess it just hurt to think of Dick with someone else, but, he has to move on and I have to let him."
Raven didn't say anything as she continued.
"I just wish he could be happy with me, but I have to accept that he will not. But I made that choice. I cannot ask either of you to live with it."
"We've all had to make choices like that, Kory."
"I know," she replied with a defeated sigh. "I… I guess I just wish that we didn't."
"Yeah well it comes with being an adult."
"Being the adult is hard." And there it was.
Kory loved Richard Grayson and she always would. He was her first love, the man she'd known in his boyhood and that was why their relationship would never work. She loved the boy she fell in love with, but he was a man now, with troubles and pains, the kind he had to face and no longer make excuses for. She wanted the freedom their childhood offered, not the ball and chain that would bind them in contempt and misery. But she didn't realize that until that very moment. So what did that say?
"It is," Raven replied, "but it's who we need to be."
"Have you told him about the Horsemen?"
"No," Raven replied regretfully shaking her head. "I'm waiting for the right time, but every time I try, it's like the whole fucking world comes crashing down. The last time I tried, he found out the guy who killed his parents was getting released from prison."
"I thought he died?"
"That's what Dick thought too, fucking surprise," Raven slurred sardonically, waving her hand.
"That is most awful."
"Yeah, it really is," Raven agreed dimly. "But I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure," Kory nodded kindly. "And please, Raven, all I ask is that you take care of him."
"Like I never have?"
"I know," Kory smiled, though somewhat sadly. "But it is my way of giving you what you would call."
Raven paused and pondered a moment. "Thank you, Kory. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Raven."
Raven ended the call, happy the phone was still intact as their last conversation hadn't gone so well. You know, you were there.
Just outside the door Jinx and Dick carried on their conversation:
"It seriously looked like she killed someone's fluffy dog," Jinx giggled as her ex leader laughed.
"I will have you know 101 Dalmatians died for that coat," Dick recited in a serious tone, overcoming his alcohol.
Jinx laughed and snickered. "What the hell was it even made of?"
"I honestly, to this day, have no damn clue! It wasn't mink or rabbit and was too fluffy to be trash panda."
"Lol it looked like she pulled it out of the trash!"
"It did," Dick lamented at the thought of the coat, a long 70's style fur of unknown origin. "But case in point, I have no idea what that coat was made out of. I don't even know where she bought it. But I feel like she stole it from Rob Zombie's wife." No for real, his wife wore the same coat in the Halloween remake!
"That's cause it's a vintage 70's stripper coat," Raven added, lifting her wine once again.
"It looked like she pulled it off the body of a stripper," Jinx added coaxing Raven on. "Fleas and crabs included."
"And something else," Raven mumbled crassly and sipped her wine. "God she wore that thing like it was the empty shell of who she used to be," Raven droned on, recalling the legendary garment.
"Don't even get me started on that wig," Jinx added, drudging yet another bad fashion moment up in time: Learning to abide by earth's dress code had been a daunting task for the alien girl.
"Then we won't," Raven replied holding up Dick's phone.
"How'd it go?" Dick asked as Raven handed him the device.
"Everything's fine," she replied and lifted her glass as she sat down beside him.
"Did you tell her about—"
"Nooo," Raven drawled in a low tone and sipped her alcohol. "I figured we could wait until A: the pain dulls and B: See if we even have to."
Jinx giggled and shook her head with an obvious eye roll.
"What?" the two birds questioned.
"You two," she replied flatly and topped off her glass. "I mean, you two have been fawning over each other for well over a decade and you finally do something about it and you're still beating around the bush like a pair of assholes. It's frankly painful to watch. I mean, just get on with it for fuck sake."
"It's not that simple, Jinx," Raven replied as she was, shockingly enough (but not really), the hold out.
"Only it is, Raven," Jinx countered unamused with the empath's argument, "you're just making excuses."
Raven closed her eyes as her face fixed painfully with contempt. "I'm gonna take a walk."
"Good, you should think about everything we talked about," Jinx added, not even remotely offended she'd crossed Raven's personal boundary.
Dick glanced up at her, feeling a little foolish and out of place. He rose to his feet as he called for her to wait, but she exited into the hallway regardless. However, before she could close the door on him, he caught her.
"Raven, hey," he said, trying to overcome his alcohol induced clumsiness.
She turned and heaved a heavy breath, not wanting to be bothered. "Dick, I really just need to be alone right now."
"I know," Dick urged, "but… I don't know, I just need to see if you're okay?"
"I'm fine," she assured tiredly. "I'm just shitfaced and tired of everyone telling me what to do..."
He glanced away as he was guilty of the very latter part of her statement. She glanced up, taking notice of the defeat spilling from his eyes as it radiated off him like a thick smog.
"Are you okay?"
He looked at her, his face still stricken with loss. "I will be."
She shook her head, her own guilt and responsibility taking over. He noticed her shoulders fall, as if she wanted to become smaller.
"Hey," he said softly and reached out for her, "we're gonna be okay. Things between us might be different now, but we're gonna figure it out."
She smiled weakly and placed her hand atop her head and grimaced. "I know, but it's hard."
"It is," he agreed, cupping her shoulders, "but so is everything else."
"That's sorta the problem," she sniffled, weakened by the irony, "it was never hard with you."
"It doesn't have to be. I'll do whatever I have to to be who you need me to."
Raven smiled at his words and for the fact that he'd do anything for her, but it hurt just the same. "What about you though? I mean, I should be the one worrying about you and how what I did is affecting you."
"I'm fine."
"You're not," Raven countered. "I know you're not. And even with everything, you're still standing here telling me everything will be fine when I put this on you."
"Raven, we both made that choice."
"But you were vulnerable and I should have known better," she said as she began to step past him, Dick grabbing her by the arm.
"It's not like that."
"Only it is, Richard. How can you even look at me?"
"Raven has it ever occurred to you that maybe that's what I needed? To feel connected to someone I love?"
She paused and glanced down, not really sure what to say.
"If you're not ready that's fine, I'll wait. You waited for me."
"What if I'm never ready?"
"You can't run from what you want forever, Rae. You're allowed to be happy."
"Me being happy means people get hurt. You could get hurt."
"I'm already hurting, Raven."
"Dick stop," she softly ordered. "You said you'd give me time. I'm taking it."
"I know, but you need to know that I need you, that you mean more to me than one night. Okay?"
"Okay?" she nodded in understanding. "Now can I please go be drunk and emotional?"
"If that's what you want..."
Rose had returned from her quest to buy the right alcohol, however she decided girl talk was not as fitting as shooting the shit with the boys.
"So where'd Dick go?" she asked, taking a seat on her boyfriend's lap.
"The old battle ax called," Wally said tiredly and opened a beer as he'd switched from hard liquor.
"Kory?" Rose questioned, pouring herself a glass.
"That would be the one?" Jason replied with an unamused sigh.
"What do you think she wants?"
"Who the hell knows," the Outlaw drawled. "I'm not getting involved, I have enough shit to worry about and I've had a shitty enough day."
"Yeah, finding your missing barmaid dead on your doorstep is kinda a shitty way to start your day," Wally added, though his comment was hardly amusing.
"Well you're not wrong," Rose replied and began topping everyone off. "But maybe we should dedicate a round to poor Trilby?"
"We're already drunk, might as well," Jason agreed and raised his glass. "To Trilby: She wasn't exactly the most competent bartender, but…" Jason began, but stalled as he didn't actually know all that much about her.
"But she was hot," Wally attempted as X glared at him. "No?"
"She was truly a shitty bartender," X began, taking over the toast, "but she had a way of making people like her. She was funny and knew how to get people to open up. I'm gonna miss that about her. To Trilby!"
"To Trilby!" the group sang and clinked their glasses together.
"Speaking of Trilby, how you holding up," Wally asked, addressing the thief.
"I'm fine," X replied, swigging his drink.
"Yeah, but you were really the only one who ever took the time to know her, other than Eddie, he's pretty upset."
"Cause he has a soul," X replied dully.
"Like you don't?" Jason quipped and finished his drink.
"I think I'm gonna call it an early night," X replied as he rose from the table.
"But you're going in the wrong direction?" Rose noted as he headed toward the back entrance.
"That's cause I'm too drunk to make it home," he shrugged.
"But all the rooms are taken?"
"The roof's not," the thief replied.
"Wait he's gonna sleep on the roof?" the girl replied, confused.
"Kid's like a fucking gypse, he'll sleep anywhere," Jason replied. "He once tied up his hammock to the side of a mountain and slept there."
"Where do you think he goes after parties? It's certainly not home. And it's obviously not Trilby's… anymore," Wally droned.
"You think that was ever anything serious?" Rose asked, staring into her glass.
Jason shook his head. "No, but that doesn't mean he's not bothered by it. X acts like shit like this doesn't faze him, but it does and he'll probably never talk about it."
"Sounds like my dad," Rose mused, taking it in.
"Mine too," Wally droned in a dull tone.
"Your dad's an asshole too?" Rose asked looking at the speedster.
He nodded. "A drunk one."
Jason tapped his glass to Wally's, "You're not too far behind."
"Oh no I'm way ahead."
Raven stepped out on the roof, hearing an odd sound, something like steel grinding against stone.
"Hello?" she called as the cool wind blew through her dark hair.
It was then she saw the culprit as he smiled back at her. "Hey there, Sunshine. Miss me?"
She couldn't help but smile at his tone. If nothing else she could always count on him for that. "Actually, a little bit," she confessed, mostly because her relationship with the thief was rather simple in its own way.
"Enough to cash in my invite?" he asked impishly. "The hammock gets awfully cold at night."
"I'm sure it does, but not quite," she smiled coldly, extinguishing his flame.
"Then you just came up here to be alone?"
"Pretty much."
"Me too."
Raven glanced at him as he finished fastening the hammock, not shocked that was where he planned to sleep for the night. And if her circumstances were different, she'd have probably protested this and given him her own invitation. But that was something for another life.
"So what are you trying to escape from," she finally asked and stepped forward.
"Honestly, myself," he replied, "and everyone else."
"Story of my life," she mused and took a seat, her arms wrapped around her chilled frame.
"Yeah, I kinda got that from you," X said and jumped down to meet her. "Let me guess, the whole you and Chuckles thing?"
"So you heard about that?"
He smiled sheepishly and glanced away. "Yeah, the guys sorta dragged it out of him. I will say, Dick was very respectful about it though."
"Y'know for a guy who wants to fuck me in his hammock, you're making an awfully good wingman for his competition," Raven teased dully.
"Com'on Sunshine, you and I both know if this was a competition you've jumped in my hammock by now."
It was a valid point.
"Then why are you still trying?" Raven quarried.
"Because much like my father, I never know when to accept defeat. I'm just building myself up for when Chuckles blows it."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Every man has a contingency plan," the thief replied, taking out a joint.
"And if I blow it?" Raven said with a sadness in her eyes. One that actually made the thief pause.
"You're not gonna blow it, Sunshine," X assured.
"Then why do I feel like I have?"
"Because, you're not the kind of girl who sleeps with someone she doesn't care about," he replied simply. "But someone you actually love, that's a whole different ball game."
"Did you love Trilby?"
"Honestly, no," he replied with a hint of guilt, not because he should have, but because she was gone.
"That's what I thought."
X nodded, though he couldn't be mad at the truth. "Don't get me wrong, I liked her, she was someone I could let go with, or at least as much as I could allow myself to. But she wasn't anyone I could ever love like that."
"Have you ever loved anyone?"
"That answer is more complicated," the thief signed hesitantly, like he wanted to tell her, but just couldn't find enough conviction to. "But what I mean is: could I ever love a girl like you? Then yes. Because I know you on some level. You think you're not good enough for him, but you are and more, Raven. Any man would be lucky to have you."
She stared back at him as he peered back at her with clear eyes, his expression telling her everything she needed to know. "Okay," she nodded.
"Good, now go get your man. The faster Chuckles fucks this up, the faster I can whisk you away from him."
"God, if I were a few years younger and stupider," Raven smiled, shaking her head. "Jason better watch out."
"Yeah, Rose isn't really my type," X replied with a painful grimace.
"Too young?"
"That too," X confirmed, "but... let's just say… Have you seen SOA?"
"A little bit, yeah?"
He nodded. "Then let's just say, that would be like dancing in Tig territory."
Her brow furrowed as she tried wrapping her head around the words he weaved, but was too drunk to make the correlation. "Okay then… I guess I should head in?"
"Yeah, shit I'm beat."
"As am I. Goodnight," Raven began, but paused before she fled the roof. "And X?"
He turned as she walked toward him and her arms wrapping around him, kissing his cheek.
"Thank you," she added as his arms fell around her. "And it's not because I don't care about you."
"I know," he smiled. "But y'know, if I thought for a minute I could give you the life you deserve. I'd have fought for you a lot harder."
"Y'never know," she replied flatly.
"I do," and he did: as long as Richard Grayson was alive and breathing, he'd never have her.
"I'm really gonna go now."
"Night Sunshine," he smiled slyly, wishing he could steal her, if only for a moment. "But if you have any sexual tension you need to work out, or y'know just wanna let go, you know where to find me."
She turned and smiled at him, shaking her head. "Y'know one of these days I might take you up on that offer?"
"Maybe in another life… or Red Right Cuts."
"What?"
"Nothing, night!"
He laid in bed, his drunken eyes looking up at the ceiling dizzily as he floated in his head. He heard the sharp sound of the door creek and a stream of light spilled in from the hall. He glanced over to find Raven swaying through the doorway, leaning back on the door as she closed it. She looked back at him, the moonlight cutting away at the blackness.
"I didn't wake you, did I?"
He shook his head. "I thought you were gonna stay with Jinx and Wally tonight?"
She shook her head. "No, I wasn't really comfortable with that."
She pushed off the door and moved toward the bed, unbuttoning her pants and slipping them off. He couldn't help but watch her, knowing he shouldn't, and a part of him always had. Especially in his teens. She always had this effortless grace about her, even if she didn't see it in her youth. Her movements were gentle and her mannerisms subtle. Her expression always held a warmth when she looked at him, and only him. It was something that set him apart from the world. She cared for him in a way she cared for no other. It was only now he saw that look for what it really was, only now he wasn't sure he could have her again.
She leaned down and crawled onto the mattress, lifting the blanket as she laid down beside him.
"Is this okay?" she asked as he looked back at her, confused.
He smiled and nodded once more. "Yeah." He watched as she smiled back, his longing for her heavy in his heart. "Raven, I'm really sorry for the other night," he began, "I shouldn't have tried to push you…"
"It's okay," she hummed softly. "I know things aren't easy for you right now, I get that."
He took a deep breath and rolled onto his back as his blurry eyes peered into the ceiling. "I just haven't felt this way in so long, everything is so heavy, it's like I don't wanna feel anything anymore, but with you…" he paused and looked back at her, "with you I feel something good. I've always felt good with you."
Her brow knit as her eyes softened. "I know, I feel that way too," she sighed, "but Dick, I'm not saying no, I'm just saying we need to think about this."
"I know."
"It's not just about us."
"I know."
He looked back at her, his eyes peering deep into hers, something he only did when he needed her to understand.
"Can I ask you something really personal?" Raven asked after a moment.
"Shoot."
"Have you ever slept with anyone you didn't care about?"
"No," Dick replied without hesitation. "You?"
"No."
He smiled. "Okay…"
"Okay," she repeated with a soft smile.
She rolled over facing her back to him. She felt his body shift and his arm gently wrapped around her.
"Is this okay," he asked, resting his head beside hers.
"Yeah," she breathed.
Dick closed his eyes, feeling her close to him again. She could hear his mind quiet, his arm pulling her closer as he calmly rested his head against hers.
They'd been emotionally bound to each other since their teens, Raven something of a young love he'd never actually had. But that was what had made her so different, from Barbra or Kory. Raven was the friend he needed, she was his constant, that beacon of safety he could flee to when the world grew dark. Like his mother once was. She knew what to say and when not to say it. She knew how often his heart ached and that he wanted to scream at the sky as it cried back: that he hated when it rained. And she knew, that deep down, he loved her: like he loved the moon in the sky.
She took a deep breath as her eyes fell closed, his chest to her back and his arm coiled tightly around her. She slowly reached down, taking his hand in hers, their fingers tangling as she brought his hand to her chest. His arm tightened around her, a protective nature spilling from his hold.
She glanced back at him as if pondering a moment. She rolled over to face him, their eyes meeting again, but not a word shard between them. They began to lean in, but before they could indulge any further, the door flew open.
The two birds looked up with alarm as Rose and Jason came stumbling in a fevered huddle, the two practically tearing each other apart.
"What the hell!" Dick spat, the two glaring over in confusion.
"What the fuck are you guys doing in my apartment?" Jason slurred, not realizing where he was.
"This isn't your apartment!" Dick barked sitting up.
"That can't be right," Jason mumbled, still confused and flipped on the light. "Wait this isn't my apartment?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you," Dick snapped.
"Wait, but this the third floor?" Rose replied with a drunken giggle, "or maybe…. it…..the fourth?"
"There is no fourth floor," Raven sang dully.
"There isn't?" Rose replied, her eyes squinting quizzically as she attempted to count. "Does the basement count?"
"No!" Raven and Dick growled rather annoyed.
"I think it counts," Jason replied with a smile and proceeded to kiss her again, tongue and all.
"Um," Raven began as her hand fell over her brow painfully, "As we've established this isn't your apartment."
The two hardly listened, as they just kept on with their sloppy display.
Raven looked back at Dick, the two staring at each other, both questioning if dousing them with cold water were necessary or not.
"Hey guys," Dick questioned. "Do you think you could take this upstairs or anywhere else?"
"Why?" Jason managed through the smacking of his girlfriend's lips.
"Because this is not you're apartment," Dick replied, "Therefor you cannot have sex in here!"
"I own the building, I can have sex wherever I want," the Outlaw replied drunkenly.
"Well can you not have sex here?" Raven asked sardonically. "I'd prefer not to be a part of, or witness, whatever the hell you two plan on doing."
Rose giggled as Jason bit her neck. "Oh come on, Rae, I'm game for a three way," she teased though Raven wasn't amused.
"Get out."
"Oh relax, I'm kidding," Rose laughed as Jason nibbled on her ear. "Or am I kidding?"
"Doesn't matter," Raven once again asserted.
"Okay fine, I am kidding," Rose said with sore, soberly disappointment. "Jinx was right you are no fun."
"Somehow I'll live," Raven mocked and rolled her eye's.
"I guess we should probably try and find our way upstairs?" Rose suggested, leaning on the wall for balance. "Plus I have to pee."
"All the more reason to go," Raven urged.
"I'll only be a second," she drunkenly assured, slipping from her boyfriend's arms and loped into the bathroom.
The drunk Outlaw practically fell over, but sloppily caught himself on the cold wall.
"You okay, Jay?" Dick asked.
"Yeah," Jason droned, "and don't call me that, Dickhead. I Fucking hate that name."
The bathroom door swung open and Rose came waltzing out. "You guys know there's no mirror in there, right?"
"What the fuck happened to the mirror?" Jason hissed.
"She's drunk she has no idea what she's talking about." Dick reasoned nonchalantly as Raven's face turned red.
"He has a point," Rose replied. "I thought I saw a dead mouse under the sink too, or was it alive?"
"Are you two done?" Raven questioned sternly.
Rose looked at Jason a little selfconsciously and earnestly said, "Um well, I definitely didn't finish so…"
"What the," Dick stuttered, "get the fuck out!"
"You're not very polite," Jason sneered as though offended.
"Polite!" Dick screamed, "There is nothing polite about any of this so fucking go!"
"I'm trying! You're yelling at me!" Jason barked back in a wounded tone.
""Because you need to go!"
"We are!"
"Then do it!"
"Oh my God just let them," Raven insisted.
The two drunkenly stumbled out still whaling on about not being loved enough as well as other nonsense, leaving the two birds to fall back in an exhausted huff.
"What the fuck was that?" Raven questioned staring at the ceiling.
"Um," Dick slightly laughed, "I think I just got cock blocked by my little brother."
"Uh!" Raven burst out. "What makes you think I was about to have sex with you?"
Dick smiled, already in pretty deep, but drunk enough not to care. "Because I've had sex with you once and I just thought that maybe you wanna do it again?"
"That's ah… bold of you?"
"I know… is it working?"
"Um… normally no," Raven admitted slightly, "but I'm a bottle of Pinto in so, there's hope," she added and rolled over to face him.
"For real?" Dick said with a little shock as he glanced over at her.
"Maybe?" Raven smiled weakly with a little hesitance. "I miss you."
"Me too," he replied with more conviction and began to lean in… but before they could allow themselves the freedom to let go, a loud creaking came crashing down from above. Mixed with the cries of obnoxious moans and groans.
"Well that's a boner killer," Dick whines, knowing his chance of getting laid was officially dashed.
"Are they fucking serious right now?" the empath growled, her brow furrowed as she glared overhead.
"I don't know if serious is really the word you're looking for?" Dick replied. "But um, this is frigg'n ridiculous."
"What'da we do?"
"I don't know," Dick shrugged in a ruffled manner. "We could try hosing them down like cats in heat, but something tells me we'd probably regret walking in on whatever unholiness is going on up there."
A particularly heavy squeak came from the ceiling, Raven wondering if Jason and Rose were actually having sex or just plain killing each other. "It sounds like the damn ceiling is gonna cave in or a crime scene in the making... We should probably just go straight to formulating our revenge."
"And what does that entail?"
She only smirked with an evil glint in her eye.
"Okay Rae, I'm listening."
Meanwhile upstairs:
Rose was whaling at the top of her lungs as she jumped on the bed like a giddy 5 year old. Jason trying not to laugh too hard as he too partook in the faux fornication and lifted the foot of the bed frame.
"What are you doing?" Rose whispered as she plopped down on the bed and began slamming her palm on the wall, still faking a rather ridiculous orgasm.
"This," Jason chuckled and dropped the bed frame on the floor. "They are gonna be so pissed. I hope that bitch next door can hear this too."
"Dude, you're gonna make the plaster fall," she giggled between her false moans. "But this is for that bitch, Helena," Rose added with a shit eating grin and started stomping her feet against the wall like a child.
"Oh I hope it does and hits Dickhead right in the face!" Jason laughed pushing the bed frame back and forth a few times, the pair laughing too hard to keep up their ruse as Rose fell to her back a bit drunk.
"Do you think we've fucked with them enough?"
"Not nearly," he smiled catching his breath and crawled on top of her. "Time for the real deal."
He leaned down, pressing his body against hers, her open mouth crashing against his. The girl breathing in the taste of whisky on his breath, his firm hands encompassing her face. She snaked an arm across the width of his shoulders, her free hand combing through the nape of his neck. The embrace grew more heated as their tongues tangled, the muffled sounds of sincere moans finding the air with what little breath could be stolen between them. She raked her teeth against his bottom lip before they broke from each other for a minute.
He looked down at her with a warm look, the pair still somewhat humored by their prior antics. He ran his thumb down her temple, drinking in the view from beneath him. He always looked at her as if she were the only girl in the world.
He kissed her again, this time less fevered, more gentle, letting his fingers comb her hair back, looking into her earth shattering blue eyes.
"I love you?"
She smiled up at him as the words fell from his lips. "I love you too, you fucking Sally," she teased.
They shared another slow kiss, their arms and legs coiling around each other like they'd never let go of the other.
"Who would have ever thought we dysfunctional retards would ever actually be happy?" Rose sighed taking a breath.
"Not this retard," he chuckled against her lips.
She giggled and pulled herself up on her elbows. "On that overly emotional note, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you, but I've never really had the balls to…"
"You wanna ask me what it's like to die?"
She bit her lip, feeling foolish and nodded slowly.
"It's okay, I'm not gonna cry," he smirked pushing himself up a bit more.
"That's a nice change of pace," she joked, trying to lighten her question.
"You cry all the time, it's like you can do it on queue."
"Shows how much you know," Rose said with insult, "every girl can cry on queue."
He let out a light laugh as she looked back at him with bated breath. "So really you wanna know?"
Rose shrugged. "Is it like some big secret, like are you not supposed to tell?"
He shook his head. "No. Do people think that?"
"I don't know," she sighed, "you just never talk about it and as far as I know no one really asks you about it, so...?"
He let out a long breath, Rose watching his shoulders fall as his chest dropped. "Well it's not really something people can relate to, it's kinda specific."
"I can see that," she smiled vaguely. "Does it hurt?"
"No."
"So what does it feel like?"
"It's easy," he replied simply, recalling the feeling of just letting go.
"What do you mean easy?" Rose asked oddly struck by his admission. "Weren't you scared at all?
"Don't get me wrong, the idea of death is scary. You have no idea how and when Death will come for you. Everything that led up to my death was a nightmare: The pain of being beaten, the taste of blood in my mouth, the sound of Joker laughing over my battered body, but the worst part is the lonely feeling that you're all alone."
"That's awful," Rose said feeling sick, sorry she asked.
"Yeah, definitely one of my worst memories," Jason said with a little cynicism, Rose knowing if he didn't laugh about it, he'd cry—they'd both cry. "But that's the hard part, fighting, dying is easy. You simply take Death's hand and you go."
"You make it sound so poetic?"
"Because life is filled with poetic irony," he sighed finally looking at her.
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"A girl."
"It's always a girl with you, Todd," Rose teased playfully.
They shared a slight smirk and the Outlaw continued. "But yeah, the last thing I remember was a girl: pale, dressed in all black, with wild black dark hair and black eyes like a crow. Pretty in a way… She just... appeared out of nowhere."
"So the Angel of Death is real?"
"Yeah maybe?"
"And she takes the form of your adolescent goth fetish?"
"Fuck off, I don't have a goth fetish," Jason said trailing off as the memory hit him with a chill in his heart.
"So what happened?" Rose asked, perplexed by the account.
He shrugged glaring upward passed the confines above him. "Like I said, it was easy. She just looked down at me and smiled... She told me to Take her hand… and I did… and that's it… that was all there was," he concluded from a distant place in his heart. Whatever happened in that moment forever a part of whoever he'd became thereafter. "I don't remember anything after that."
A tear fell down Rose's cheek, the concept dark, but oddly beautiful and somehow comforting. Though a more cynical part of her had a hard time believing that such a thing actually happened, chalking the experience up to manifestation of his trauma. A logical conclusion. For as rough as Jason seemed, deep down, he possessed the soul of a poet. And the thought of dying on the battlefield, only to befall the mercy of a beautiful woman, was a comfort if nothing else.
"Thanks for telling me that," she said regardless of her thoughts. "I know that's giving a lot of yourself."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
She glanced to the right, she always did that when she lied. "I believe that's how you experienced it."
"But you don't believe it happened?"
"More like I won't know until I die," she replied. "Are you mad?"
He shook his head, "No. I can't ask you to believe something most people don't comeback from. Plus you could be right; maybe there was no girl, maybe death doesn't exist like that. I just know that she's real to me and I know the next time we meet not to be afraid."
There was moment of silence between them, and just as Rose was about to reply, the phone rang. Jason turned his head and lifted his burner from the nightstand answering it.
"Yeah?"
"Ah, Darling," he heard her say in her regal accent, "I just received your message. Meet me tomorrow night at the Gotham State Hotel, Penthouse Suite. We'll make a deal then."
Before he could reply, slightly frozen by surprise, she hung up.
Rose sat staring at him a moment, his silence eluding that something was off.
"Everything okay?"
He glanced back at her and faked a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, Wally just butt dialed me."
She stared at him a moment, not convinced, but kept it to herself anyway. "Okay."
He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her, pulling her close as she rested her head in the croak of his neck.
"If something were wrong you'd tell me, right?"
Jason glanced down at her, keeping his guard tied down. "Everything's fine," he insisted. "I just feel really bad about Trilby."
On some level he did, but she knew that wasn't the source of his troubled nature.
"What are you gonna do about that?"
"I don't know, but this feud with Joker has to end before somebody else gets killed."
"Do you think you could pass him off as Nightwing?"
"I couldn't think of a better person to die like that, but there's no way that plan would work. It's gonna have to be someone else."
"You know if Dick finds out, he might not forgive you."
"He won't, but if that's what it takes to keep him alive then it's what has to be done," Jason said, accepting the consequence.
"What are you gonna do about Talia?" Rose asked daringly, only letting her suspicion creep out slightly.
He paused at the question, but refused to crack. "That's nothing you need to worry about, Rose," Jason replied and kissed her forehead.
"She gets to you."
"Some people do."
"Then why would you ask her for a favor?"
His brow furrowed and his heart sank, the bitter taste biting at him. "Rose, it's late and I'm drunk and I don't wanna talk about it. Okay?"
"Okay, sorry," Rose replied defensively, a little hurt by his tone. "But Jason," she sighed as she sat up, looking down at him and warned, "don't lie to me."
He looked back at her, his face held still as he intimidated the man who's raised him. "I'm not."
