In the Absence of Martyrs
Summary: Slade's obsession with Robin was something he'd set aside. Then Raptor walked in with a stunning woman in tow, and she piqued his interest with stories of a criminal cabal. If he could not have the son, perhaps his mother would make an excellent replacement.
Author's Note: This is not my first enemies to lovers fic with this idea, but I hope this will be more interesting than my previous iterations of this idea. I'm gonna do my best with mind games and lots of angst!
Mary Grayson lay on the hot sand outside Jump City. She remembered that woman, she couldn't remember her name, she had told her, "Your son is ours, he is the Gray Son of Gotham, it doesn't matter where he goes he will be brought into the fold. Unlike you, you are a failure, we shall let the birds have you, you are nothing to us! Jump City is ours!"
Mary knew she had to survive if only to spite the rich people she hated that did this to her. How many months had they tried to break her, only to discard her when she wasn't "good enough" for them?
Mary took a deep breath, she knew she wasn't in Gotham, Gotham was in New Jersey and this wasn't Jersey. She remembered that Haly's Circus had an annual show in Jump City, California every year.
She felt the birds land on her face; she managed to swat them away before it could gouge out her eyes. Mary sat up and got to her feet. She began wandering the desert, she stopped, spotting a cave, and made her way inside. She groped around in the dark, her hand landing on what felt like a flashlight
There was a sleeping bag and Mary curled up in it and slept. She needed to rest. She'd go into the city the next evening. She rested her head on the sleeping bag and drifted into a dreamless sleep for the first time in so long.
Richard sighed, it was time that he stole from the rich elites of Jump City, he knew that he needed to stand up for the "little guy" as well as line his own pockets with the money of the wealthy. He was an assassin and a thief so being a criminal didn't bother him.
To people in the criminal underworld he was known as Raptor, he killed for money like any other assassin, and while he wasn't famous like Deathstroke, he still charged a fortune for his work.
He crept into the house of Samantha Vanaver, unlike most people; he knew she was the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls, a secret criminal cabal made up of the rich elites in Gotham City and all over the country.
He crept in stealthily and opened her safe, he grabbed the jewels and the money, putting them in a bag, he prepared to leave.
Richard found himself surrounded by dozens of Talons, their blades at his throat, prepared to strike him down.
"I am the Grandmaster of the Court of Owls, we have a job for you, Raptor," Samantha Vanaver told him. "We want you to track down Mary Grayson and bring her to us."
"If you work for us, we shall pay you generously and forgive your transgressions. Can you do it, do you still love her?" Samantha Vanaver asked.
"I loved her, but your offer is far too generous, haven't thought about Marie in years," Richard lied.
He could pull this con job, he could steal their money and rescue her, he could be her savior, then she'd have to love him again like before. This plan was perfect.
"I'll do as you ask, but I want to do this my way I'll bring you Mary Grayson, alive and well."
Raptor turned and left. He began scouring the city for where he knew she would most likely go and found her in an alleyway.
Mary Grayson sighed in exhaustion. She collapsed to the ground, forcing herself to get to her feet again. She stumbled and fell, and felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist.
"Marie, is that you?" Richard asked.
Mary turned her head to look for the voice. She wasn't expecting to see him again. She caught her breath and stared at her ex-boyfriend in surprise. Shouldn't he be more surprised and shocked to see her? She was wary but she decided to hide her suspicions from him.
"I'm glad to see you, Richard, I haven't seen a friendly face in who knows how long," Mary breathed.
"We should go, I'll get you something to eat, you look exhausted," Richard took her to Ben's diner outside of Jump City. It was the place Terra had taken Beast Boy after her betrayal. It was a bar and grill and unknown to most people, a regular hangout for supervillains.
Some of Jump City's notorious villains hung out there, Mad Mod, Killer Moth, some members of the H.I.V.E., and of course Deathstroke, also known as Slade Wilson, the mercenary, assassin, and supervillain. Jump City's most wanted criminal.
Richard and Mary walked into Ben's and Mary spotted him, a white-haired man sitting at a barstool, drinking a chocolate milkshake and a mug of beer.
"Jump City's most notorious, surely I can dig up some info on the Court here," Richard murmured in her ear.
Slade's superhuman hearing heard his voice, the Court? What was that? He'd never been hired by any group calling themselves the Court, he wanted to learn if there were any new players in town and the woman with him seemed to know who and what they were.
"Richard, don't you have other things to worry about, only you would bring me to a supervillain bar," Mary asked her ex-boyfriend.
"Well Mary, you're the closest thing to a saint in a place like this," Richard laughed, leaning in closer to her.
"And you're the only man I know that uses the Holy Saints to flirt with girls. And you always use the ones that have my name," Mary gently pushed him away.
"Listen, Mary, I have to do something very important, I'll be back soon," Richard said, getting up and leaving her alone.
She sat at the barstool, staring at her drink. Mary knew it would be a bad idea to drink, not with the Court of Owls looking for her. Her reaction time and alertness would be slowed. She couldn't afford to be drunk at this time.
Maybe she could pawn this beer off on one of the other patrons. She glanced at the white-haired man sitting beside her.
"Excuse me, do you want a free drink, I can't afford to drink right now," she said to the man.
"That is a little rude isn't it, to turn down a drink from your boyfriend," the man turned to her.
"He's my ex-boyfriend," Mary corrected him.
Slade chuckled, "I see, and you are?"
"Who I am is irrelevant," Mary told him.
"My name is Slade," Slade introduced himself.
"From the valley, that's what your name means," Mary commented.
"My name also means strength," he laughed arrogantly, "Strength I am very proud to use for my benefit."
Slade smiled at her, giving her an easy-going look. He could be friendly if he needed to be, and he never turned down the opportunity to enjoy the company of beautiful women in every sense of the phrase.
She was the woman Raptor had brought with him. Slade peered at her closely, examining her facial features. He felt a sense of…familiarity.
Then he realized it, where he'd seen her before. He'd never "seen" her before, but he had seen her son, her son was Robin, the Teen Wonder. How amusing.
He'd known about Robin's secret identity as Dick Grayson for a long time but he'd not thought much about it, since the boy didn't live his life as a civilian and was "Robin" full-time.
Slade was secretly amused. She had to be beautiful, didn't she? Her late husband had been a lucky man. Still, she'd caught his interest. He also found it interesting that she did rebuff her ex-boyfriend's subtle advances.
"I gotta go take a leak," Richard murmured. Mary watched him leave.
"You like "bad boys" and the persona they put on," Slade intoned.
"Yeah," she laughed, "When I was young, dumb, and 20. I preferred the nice guy I married a long time ago," Mary laughed, the expression on her face became sad.
"What happened to your husband?" Slade asked, knowing her answer.
"He was murdered by a mobster," Mary glanced at him.
"I don't like to work for the mob, too messy, too many mob wars, but it does pay well if I feel like it," Slade said.
"You're a mercenary, I see," Mary looked at him, there was something about him that made her uneasy but she couldn't say what it was.
"I'm Jump City's resident boogieman, it doesn't matter, I'm not on the job," Slade said, chuckling.
"So being a supervillain is your job?" Mary asked, curious. She didn't know about Slade's obsession with her son, and how she had piqued his interest instead.
"I'm a personal security consultant," Slade explained.
"Yeah, well so is my ex, but there are simpler terms for it, assassin, mercenary, it's much easier that way," Mary smiled. "I don't trust him, there's a reason he's my ex."
"You've been hurt," Slade nodded at the wound in her side. He could still see the bloodstains.
"It was a long time ago. I don't know how long but it's healed now."
"Tell me what happened to you, perhaps I can help you," Slade told her.
"People like you don't work for free," Mary scoffed. "I don't want to think about it, being trapped down there for who knows how long, knowing how they drugged the water and the Talons that come for your head. How long did they hunt me?"
Mary clenched her fist.
"I am no longer all alone wallowing in abject solitude. For I am now surrounded by the Furies, the goddesses of Vengeance! In the cold bosom of the darkness I awaited the dawn, and once dawn came I cursed my flesh until night fell once more! I even prayed that I might lose my sanity! But those prayers went unheeded, nothing changed, and when I strove for the peacefulness of death, the Devil's cold, pitiless hand grabbed hold and held me back! Well, it won't be long now…!"
"Destruction, betrayal, revenge, how interesting," Slade smiled. "Tell me more."
"No, what I know could get you killed," Mary glanced at him, "For people like you, I won't give you information for free, I have to have some leverage."
"Clever girl, perhaps we should get to know each other better," Slade glanced at her. "I can help you."
"Really, why are you trying to make it sound so noble? I thought your goal was more focused below your waist!" Mary laughed.
"This is marvelous; youth is such a wonderful thing. Endless possibilities, hopes and dreams, and passion unencumbered," Slade smiled, Mary could see his expression and she knew that look well. Her husband John Grayson used to look at her that way.
Mary wasn't ignorant; she'd had many guys give her looks even after she'd been married. But Slade was different somehow and it troubled her.
Slade smiled, he was intrigued. She had information he wanted, he would get it from her. He was going to enjoy the games he'd play with her and when she'd given him everything he wanted, he'd use it to break Robin, not for him to be his apprentice, but as revenge for all his foiled plans. And he was going to enjoy every second of it.
"I don't trust you, Slade," Mary said, keeping her gaze on him. "My son doesn't know but I am a criminal. It takes one to know one I suppose."
"Fascinating. Trust is easy to destroy but takes time to build," Slade told her. "But you can trust me more than your ex-boyfriend."
"Of course it does, and you don't trust anyone but yourself," Mary stared down at her half-eaten food.
"I understand something awful happened to you, and that you want revenge. I can help you with that, you and I are so very much alike," Slade placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You have no reason to be interested in a nobody like me," Mary replied, she did not brush his hand away from her shoulder.
"No one understands you, no one else can help you, I'll be waiting, besides, I think your ex-boyfriend is going to betray you to whoever's looking for you. He's been gone far too long."
"I already knew that was going to happen," Mary glanced at Slade. "He is my ex-boyfriend."
Slade was already formulating a plan, he'd have to find ways to get the information out of her, and her ex-boyfriend had been planning to betray her to whatever was chasing her.
Still, the guy did seem to be in love with her, but he suspected since Raptor was known for being greedy that her pursuers had paid him a fortune to bring her in.
Slade used his "civilian" smartphone to do a quick search on Mary Grayson. All that was there were old interviews, generic information, nothing that would be particularly useful.
Slade found her fascinating, and that's why he wanted her.
Still, he never turned down a challenge. She would be his, he didn't need an apprentice, that ship had sailed, but he would have an excellent prize, and getting what he wanted out of her would be an amusing pastime, and if he took out some new player trying to move in on the city, all the better.
He watched Richard come back, wearing a smile.
"So Slade, you moving in on my girl?" Richard asked.
"I don't belong to anyone," Mary warned him.
"Yeah, you're free as a bird, those robins you always loved," Richard smiled. "I wouldn't mind being a bird myself, a robin."
"But you'd never be happy going after the bugs and worms. You'd want to go after the big, fat prey. You'll always be a raptor."
Slade had thought that Richard had just been infatuated with her, but he realized how much Mary Grayson had influenced him. She'd given him an origin story and a codename. Interesting, she'd also done the same for her son.
Slade heard the footsteps on the rooftop, he saw Mary looking up at the ceiling.
"You'll always be a Raptor, Richard," Mary's eyes were raised. Both she and Slade were already moving away from the table as the ceiling shattered and an army of Talons descended on them from above.
William Cobb spotted her first, "Mary Grayson and Slade Wilson, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die!"
"How interesting, how 'bout I put you all in the ground instead," Slade brandished Robin's bo staff, one that Terra had stolen for him. He was going to fight his way out, and he could gain Mary's trust by "rescuing" her.
It was all a game that he was going to enjoy, and at least he could be entertained by the prospect of manipulating her into giving him more information about her son.
He was going to have a great deal of fun and when he was finished, he'd get his revenge on Robin for defying him. He would have his revenge, and they would pay, they would both pay for being a thorn in his side.