A/N: Hey friends! Just a quick note. The next few chapters will feature both Nightwing and friends, and the introduction of the new team. I am referencing the timeline used in in the current YJ series, so this will take place in 2017/early 2018, so a little before season 3 starts off. :)

Winston Marcel

Libby, Montana

October 19th, 2012

The sound of laughter filled the air as a small hand gripped his own, weaving through towering pines and leading him along the snowy landscape toward the frozen lake. The small smile forcing its way across his face only grew as he watched the little girl in front of him wave her ice skates around with her free hand, the other wrapped tightly around his.

"Hurry, Winston, go faster!" She laughed and skipped along in the snow.

"No, you slow down!" He gave an amused scoff, tripping occasionally as the snow became deeper.

The early snow had been piling up for days and all his little sister wanted to do was go skating out on the lake like they did every year. It was a lovely surprise to find that the weather had chilled a bit early that year, it was a late October snow storm that blanketed the fields around their small Illinois farm with a beautiful sheet of snow.

Winston blinked, his vision swimming slightly as he was tugged along, both himself and his sister trudged through the deepening snow toward the lake. The ice shimmered in the early morning sunlight, like a beautiful glass window pane, instantly erasing the unease that nagged him.

"Look, look! It's so pretty!" Winston felt his little sister release his hand as she practically flew forward toward the lake, finding a spot where the snow thinned out to plop down and tug on the ice skates over her favorite pair of fuzzy socks.

"Just be careful, Ella." Winston quietly called after her, the smile never leaving his face as he followed behind her quietly, sitting down a few feet away to put on his own skates.

"I will, I will." The seven year old muttered to herself as she tied the laces on the ice skates and got to her feet with a bright smile.

Winston watched carefully as she unsteadily waddled onto the ice, wobbling slightly before slowly beginning to skate around the edge of the lake. The boy finished double knotting the laces of his ice skates before shakily standing himself, slipping the instant he shuffled onto the ice, his arms flailing about wildly as he slowly regained his balance.

A squeal of laughter erupted from his sister who was gracefully spinning about on the skates. Winston offered a sheepish smile before perking a brow and moving to shuffle forward erratically.

"Think that's funny, huh?" Winston feigned a scowl and continued his comedically slow pursuit, his sister practically skating circles around him.

"Slowpoooke!" Ella's light-hearted giggles sparked a happiness in Winston's heart, a rare and almost foreign feeling to him.

"Am not!" The boy laughed back at her and went to try and grab her wildly, purposefully missing to make himself look goofier to her. He smiled as it worked, the little girl only laughing more as she skated around her brother. The little girl seemed almost fairy like, flittering about on her ice skates and blinking small snowflakes from her eyes.

Winston knew this was her passion, she wanted to be a figure skater when she grew up but their parents weren't much help to her. They loved both of them and supplied them with what they needed, but they worked so hard they rarely had time for their children, so Winston was left to fill the void in Ella's heart. He didn't mind it one bit.

"I'm not the skater here, you know that." The twelve year old stuck his tongue out at his sister, smiling brightly as he struggled to maintain his balance, teetering on the skates slightly.

He glanced down to make sure the laces were tied correctly, there was no way he was that wobbly. To his dismay, the skates were on properly, he was just clumsy as hell. He glanced back up then, opening his mouth to crack a joke at his sister, only to find she was no where in sight. His breath caught in his throat for a moment as he choked back a gasp, looking around quickly.

"Ella-?" He gave a startled cry when he felt two small hands on his back, pushing him forward gently on the ice. A sigh of relief escaped the boy as he glanced back at his sister, smiling shakily.

"Hah! Scaredy-cat!" She teased him loudly, sticking her tongue out as she shoved him forward, helping him to skate around the lake.

"You go too fast." Winston mumbled quietly, his arms out at his sides a little bit as he maintained his balance.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm like the Flash on skates... and a girl. I'm like girl-Flash!" She finally moved away from her brother and grinned, doing a graceful spin before continuing to skate around swiftly.

"Mhmm... Kid Flash has some competition." Winston offered a brief smirk as he managed to start to get his balance, feeling the smooth ice beneath the skates. A sense of calm washed over him, his movements became less jerky and a bit more loose. In truth, he wasn't a terrible skater himself, he just didn't practice every chance he got like Ella. But he probably loved it just as much.

The sound of the skates cutting through the ice and the gentle snowflakes drifting around them like a snow-globe with the extra grace of a perfectly cold breeze nipping at his face. Where anyone else might feel uncomfortable in the frigid weather, he felt connected with himself. It happened every so often during the winter, specifically when they were out on the ice. As he glided slowly along the lake he crouched slightly, sliding his gloved fingers across the glossy ice, another smile gracing his face.

It truly was a great day for skating too, the only thing that would've made it better is if it were a little bit sunnier. The sky was already gray and overcast and because of the days becoming shorter, their surroundings were, although blissful, a bit dark already.

"See! You can do it too!" Ella called out happily from her position across the lake, doing another twirl.

"Yep! I'm almost as good as you-" He cut off as he drifted too close to the snow bank and caught his skate on a patch of snow, flying into the snow along the lake.

Powdery snow flew up into the air as he made impact, fortunately breaking his fall. The giggles from his sister grew louder as he pulled himself up from the snow and brushed some of it from his jet-black hair. His sister was turned toward him, laughing hysterically as she pointed at him in amusement. Winston grinned back at her, blinking snow from his eyes as he focused on his sister.

And then on the shadow slowly moving in the trees behind her.

Winston furrowed his brows, the smile slowly faltering as he stared further into the trees. The enormous shadow wasn't a trick of the light, and it wasn't a shadow. It was a silhouette.

"Win? What is it?" His sister tilted her head in confusion at her brother's sudden change in demeanor.

"Ella, come over here slowly, please." Winston's voice was strained and quiet, but carried enough to make it to his sister. She suddenly went pale and went to look over her shoulder.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She asked quickly, the fear in her voice obvious before she caught sight of what was behind her. She gave a panicked gasp and quickly started to skate forward.

"Slowly, Ella!" Winston called out in alarm, but it was too late.

The silhouette gave a grunt then a thundering roar as it lumbered from the trees, confirming Winston's fears while making a very fast pace toward his sister. Winston watched in terror as it stepped onto the ice, pausing in its advance as soon as Ella slid into his arms.

It was a massive grizzly bear, most likely caught off guard by the early snow and beginning to rush its search for food for the winter. Winston wrapped his arms protectively around Ella, offering a comforting squeeze when he felt her trembling in his arms, her wide brown eyes locked onto the bear.

"Be quiet and be slow... okay? It's going to be okay.." Winston whispered quietly to her, but his sister gave no response.

She wasn't stupid, he knew that, they were stuck in a situation few get out alive from. There had been plenty of bear sightings around their small Montana town, and though attacks were rare, if they did happen it was right around the winter months. And it seemed they were about to be the next statistic.

The bear was on all fours, its massive snout tilted upward as its nose twitched from side to side before it took another step closer. Winston slowly backed toward the bank with Ella in his grasp. He knew if they tried to run they'd both be killed, they couldn't out run a bear.

But maybe if one of them got a head start...

"Ella... when I say go I want you to run back toward home, okay?" Winston quietly, but quickly whispered to his sister who tensed in his arms.

"What about you?" She quickly mumbled back, her voice still strained.

"I'll be right behind you, okay?" It was a blatant lie. The bear might not even pursue him and if it did go after Ella, he'd have to stop it. He hated to lie to his sister, but he knew it was the only way to get her home. "Very... slowly... get your skates off.."

"Okay..." Her trembling intensified as she slowly inched behind him, crouching slowly before quickly beginning to untie the laces on the skates.

As Winston moved to do the same, the bear stepped forward at the movement, giving another grunt. Its seemingly soulless black eyes bore into Winston's terrified amber gaze. Ella managed to yank the skates off, prompting the bear to continue its advance on the pair. Winston gave a small flinch when the sound of the ice crackling under its weight reached his ears. He managed to slip his own skates off, even though he was wearing socks, he could feel the frigid ice beneath his feet and it didn't feel as comforting anymore.

Behind him, Ella stood slowly.

"O-Okay... ready?" Winston tensed, slowly getting to his feet as well. Ella gave a whimper as her response. "Just run.. don't look back. Promise?"

There was a pause.

"I promise.."

"Good..." Winston's breathing hitched slightly before he finally muttered to her. "Go.. go!"

Ella took off like a bullet, scrambling through the snow. In the same instant, Winston moved forward toward the bear slightly before darting to the side, hoping to steal the bear's attention away from his sister. To his relief and horror, the bear turned its massive head toward him, releasing an aggravated roar.

"Come on..." Winston slid across the ice, struggling to keep his footing as he carefully maneuvered himself to be toward the opposite side of the ice so the bear would be facing away from Ella's direction.

The bear growled quietly before turning its head back toward Ella and taking a step toward the other side of the bank.

"No!" Winston called out, toward the bear before looking around. He swiftly scooped up a handful of snow, packed it in his hands and slid forward, hurling a snowball at the bear.

The makeshift weapon collided with the back of the bear's head, prompting the creature to whip around and begin to lumber forward toward him. The sound of crackling ice grew louder as the beast continued its advance, stealing Winston's attention away from the drooling muzzle to the ice beneath its massive paws. The closer the bear got to the center, the less the ice was able to support it. Winston slowly made his way around the bear, slowly luring it toward the center. If he could get it to move forward at a quick enough pace, the weight could be enough to crack the ice.

Winston carefully positioned himself toward the center of the lake, watching with wide eyes as the bear approached, listening for the crackling beneath its paws before leaning backward slightly. With one swift movement he whipped around and made a dash toward the bank of the lake, barely keeping his balance as he slipped across the ice.

The sound of thundering paws behind him spurred him to keep moving. He didn't look back to watch it happen, but he heard the horrible sound of ice splitting apart and the gargled wail of the bear behind him followed by a loud splash. His balance finally gave away as the ice beneath him shook slightly, sending him sliding forward a few feet. Silence fell over the lake for a moment or as Winston lay on his back, staring up at the overcast sky, gasping for air. He very slowly propped himself up, slowly moving to stand before the silence was shattered by the sound of faint crackling beneath his feet. Winston's heart dropped as he glanced down, noticing a long crack between where the bear had fallen into the lake and where he stood. Tiny splits in the ice were forming beneath his feet as he stood there.

He quickly looked around, focusing shoreline about fifteen feet from where he stood. Very carefully he inched forward, cringing as the crackling grew louder. Then suddenly the sound of something large bursting through the ice behind him stole his attention. The grizzly bear frantically paddled toward the ice, gripping onto it, only to break it away and fall back into the water. The more it repeated this, the larger the crack became.

Winston turned back around and darted forward, the shoreline getting closer and closer, then suddenly the ground gave away beneath him.

Within an instant his breath was drawn from his lungs, he gasped in shock before the cold water enveloped him. It was beyond cold, it hurt, as if a million little needles were jammed into every part of his body. And then everything gradually started to become numb. He forced his arms and legs to move, swimming frantically for the surface. He broke through the icy water and grappled for the nearest patch of ice. He could barely feel the sheet of ice he grabbed onto and tried to pull himself out.

The ice beneath his hands crumbled away, plunging him back into the dark water. Tears of frustration and fear sprang to his eyes as he quickly scrambled to grab onto the next patch of ice, this one significantly more solid. He placed his hands firmly onto the ice and began to haul himself up, giving a quiet cry as pain shot up his arms and into his shoulders. This time, he succeeded in pulling himself up onto the ice, immediately collapsing.

The sounds of the struggling bear behind him had become fuzzy. He slowly rolled onto his stomach and pulled himself to his hands and knees, struggling to regain his breath. He took a moment to peel off the soaking wet gloves sticking to his hands before slowly dragging himself toward the shoreline, the feeling of solid, steady ground sparking hope in his heart as he attempted to get back to his feet.

Winston's legs immediately gave out when he stood, sending him back to the ground with a pained grunt. He screwed his eyes shut for a moment. Maybe if he waited here, Ella would find him.. or the bear would find a way out of the lake and get to him first. When he opened his eyes again, his vision blurred, the shadowy trees before him appearing taller than he remembered and more distorted. He couldn't tell if he was even on the right side of the lake. He closed his eyes again, exhaustion beginning to overtake his rapidly numbing body.

The image of Ella flashed in front of his eyes. She was terrified, she might not even know what to do. What if she didn't make it back to the house, what if something happened to her?

She needed him.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open again, the snowflakes were bigger now and falling quicker, the piercing wind picking up and sending them cascading around him. It was almost peaceful, the faint throbbing pain throughout his body was present, but quelled if he didn't move. Besides, he was so tired, all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep.

But if he did, he'd die. And Ella would be left alone.

Winston clenched his chattering teeth together, slowly heaved himself back up onto his hands and knees and began to drag himself forward toward the forest that he hoped would lead back to his family's ranch. He was vaguely aware of the sensation of the powdery snow beneath his now bare hands. Everything began to ache the moment he had decided to move. It was dull, but persistent, despite his inability to really feel any part of his body. The only thing he was aware of was the pain and the sound of the wind that whipped at him from all angles.

He presumed the bear was dead, or retreated back into the forest because he hadn't heard any noise coming from the lake since he had fallen in. Maybe it drowned, maybe it froze to death.

He killed a bear. How badass was that? Ella was going to freak out when she heard.

A shaky smile found its way onto his face as he continued to slowly crawl forward. A laugh bubbled up from his chest and escaped him through the form of a hoarse, pained exhale. Then the tears began to form in his eyes, a stinging sensation filling them as his vision blurred slightly.

She wouldn't hear about it. He was going to die. He could feel it.. or well, he couldn't. The pain was subsiding, as was his strength. His arms began to tremble under his weight as he continued forward. Then it happened. His left arm gave up, causing him to crumple into the powdery snow beside a shadowy pine tree. He slowly curled up, leaning against the practically frozen bark, shivering violently.

The tears spilled over onto his face, he gave a strained sob as he hugged his knees to his chest before squeezing his eyes shut. Nothing hurt anymore, but that was the scary part, at least in his eyes. Because he knew what that meant. He was never going to see Ella again, he was never going to get to ride the horses, or play his guitar, he was never going to ice skate again.

The skating. He remembered how the ice felt under his feet. It felt solid and safe, it felt right. He was naive to believe the snow was gentle, that the ice was beautiful, that the cold air was refreshing, that he could relate to it. It was all cruel and unforgiving, it was going to kill him and he was afraid of it, he should've been from the start.

The wind whipped at his face, causing him to retreat further against the tree. He didn't recognize where he was, if anything he was on the other side of the lake, he wasn't even going the right way. No one was going to find him.

He was going to die alone.

"Can you hear me? Hello?"

The gruff voice was faint, echoing around Winston's pounding head as he tried in vain to open his eyes. They almost felt glued shut. He tried to move but his body wouldn't respond, everything felt numb, cold.

"Jesus, Chief...is he even alive?"

There was a more feminine voice this time, one he found oddly soothing. Slowly, he tried to move again.

"If he wasn't we wouldn't be here, would we?"

He was vaguely aware of a very faint warmth along his left side, as if someone were carrying him.

"I'm just saying, this is a long shot."

"But it's a shot nonetheless, hurry along now."

Everything was a fuzzy blur. The voices, the light behind his eyelids, the strange warmth yet the lingering bitter cold. He was disoriented, he barely even remembered what he was doing, how he ended up this way. What had happened? Where was Ella? The ice skates, the lake, the snow.

"Set him down gently.. gently I said! Now quick, get me that briefcase."

The warmth was gone, replaced by an overwhelming cold.. then crippling heat. He tried speaking, no noise came out. He was conscious, but could barely react to anything. Desperate to escape the discomfort, he tried to distract himself with remembering what was happening. Ella, right. Ice skates, the lake, the snow. The sky, yes, the sky was beautiful.

He managed a small whimper of pain, before he felt what he guessed was a hand pressed gently onto his forehead. The same hand gingerly brushed his hair back in a soothing manner, before it stopped.

"He's ice cold..."

"He's alive. What did he tell you?"

"I told you to get me that damn briefcase, and get it fast."

The cold surface beneath him slowly began to feel gradually more hot, as if a fire were burning beneath it. He managed to shift slightly, his eyelids beginning to budge.

"Listen to me, stay still okay?"

Winston felt a firm hand on his shoulder, pressing him further into the burning table. He gave another groan of pain before slowly trying to move his arm, the lethargic feeling in his body slowly began to lift.

Ella. Ice Skates, the lake, the snow, the sky... the water...

He was suddenly aware of a bright light behind his eyes, one that was very uncomfortable. It was too bright, it hurt.

The lake, the snow, the sky, the water... the bear.

And finally his eyes fluttered open, he squinted in the bright light, giving a small, startled gasp before turning his head slowly. He tried to move his arms, but despite regaining feeling in them, he found he was still unable to move. Slowly, he glanced down to find his arms and legs restrained by a set of metal rings keeping him in place on a metal table.

A burning metal table.

Panic flooded his senses, quickly he tried to jerk his arm upward, sending a shockwave of pain up into his shoulder.

"I said stay still!" The curt voice sounded much more clear now, he tracked it to someone seated beside him.

That's right. There were people, people were here. People he didn't know.

"What's happening..." He wanted to say more, he thought he said more, but those were the only words he could muster in his confused haze.

"We're going to help you, okay? Just calm down..."

The burning grew more intense the more he moved, but if he didn't move, he wouldn't escape, he couldn't get home. Allowing fear to dictate his actions, he quickly pulled up on the restraints again, before going rigid at the fiery pain that flooded is body.

"Chief, his temp-!"

"I know! Damn it, the briefcase!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, okay?"

Winston's frightened gaze flickered about to the various blurry figures standing around him, fueling his panic. He glanced down again to notice something white slowly spreading across the restraints. It looked like frost.

His breath caught in his throat as he tried to pull his wrist loose. The sound of something clicking open beside him stole his attention. He glanced over, squinting as he tried to focus his vision. The figure beside him was either really short or sitting down, he looked... fairly old from what he could tell. And he looked like he had some sort of gun in his hand.

Winston quickly turned his head the other way and screwed his eyes shut, flinching away from the man who drew closer.

"This is only going to hurt for a second, but it'll help you."

He felt something press against his arm, and then pain jolted through his upper arm, causing him to give a cry of pain. There was an alarmed squeak from the other side of him, then a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The pain lingered for a moment before it slowly dissipated, the overwhelming heat surrounding him slowly subsided, replaced by a soothing coolness. Winston's rigid posture melted away into one of ease.

Whatever it was, it worked fast. Gradually, the voices around him once again turned to mere indiscernible echos as a deep drowsiness washed over him. The desire to know where he was at the time slowly faded, leaving him with only the desire to sleep.

Chicago, Illinois | 7:21 PM

Five Years Later

Winston sat up from the couch with a quiet gasp, glancing around the room with narrowed eyes. Everything was normal. No bright lights, no fires, no guns, no bears. Only himself in the small apartment on the third floor with Ella and his father.

"You okay?" The gentle voice across the room broke him from his stupor.

The teen blinked and shifted his attention from the floor to where his sister sat at the tiny excuse of a dinner table, a text book laid out in front of her. Winston smiled softly and gave a small nod.

"Terrific."

"I thought you'd say 'cool'."

"No, ew.. That's an awful pun."

"Yeah but.." Ella offered a sheepish smile and pointed toward the blanket over her brother.

Winston frowned and glanced down, giving a small huff at the sight of the fuzzy blanket partially frozen over, splotches of ice discoloring the natural bright red of the fabric. With a grumble, Winston dragged himself off the couch and bunched up the old family blanket, tossing it into a nearby laundry basket.

"Sorry, I'll get us a new one." He responded dryly, shuffling to the kitchen.

He noted that Ella remained uncharacteristically quiet, something that troubled him slightly. Normally his sister was a walking ball of uncontrollable energy, but for the past few days, she'd be unusually serious.

"You mean steal a new one?"

"What?" Winston glanced over his shoulder at her as he reached for a glass crammed into the singular cabinet above the kitchen sink.

He quietly poured some water into the cup as he awaited a response, turning to face his sister while leaning back against the counter, taking a small sip.

"Don't act dumb, Win, I know how you and dad got all that stuff for my birthday." The girl quietly looked back down to her homework, aggressively punching a few numbers into a calculator.

Winston furrowed his brows, watching her do so with a worried gaze. He started to respond, then quickly stopped. There really wasn't a point in trying to argue, she was right. But what else were they supposed to do? Their mother had cut them off from the ranch and the family, sending them off to live with their dad's relatives in Chicago. Their dad barely got a place for the three of them. Money was tight but birthdays were important, so was eating in general.

"It was only a few things, El.. the guy won't miss them, he restocks the store every week." Winston took another sip from the glass, almost choking when Ella spun around in the chair with her gaze possessing the very wrath of God.

"I'm twelve years old and I understand better than you do." she slowly got to her feet, snatching the TV remote from the kitchen counter before marching into the living room. She pointed the remote at the TV and switched it on, displaying a newscast.

"With metahuman crime developing into an uncontrollable international crisis, the United Nations and the Justice League have agreed on the establishment of a number of metahuman camps designed to both contain and train young metahumans."

Ella switched the volume down slightly but left the news up before turning toward Winston who slowly set the glass back down onto the counter.

"That's a prison, Winston." she continued curtly. "They're putting you in there just for being a meta-human, imagine what they'd do with you if they knew that you're an actual criminal."

"I'm not a criminal."

"You steal!"

"I steal for a reason, Ella!" Winston snapped back instantly. "And that reason is you and dad. He's out there every day working himself to death and still just barely making enough to pay rent. How do you expect us to get away with even one meal a day in this kind of position?"

A pang of guilt struck Winston like lightening as he practically deflated, watching his sulking sister with a sympathetic gaze. He was silent for a moment before stepping forward slowly. He paused a few feet in front of her then gently wrapped her up into a hug, holding her close for a few moments. The girl hesitantly returned the embrace after a few seconds of extra brooding.

"I'm sorry.." Winston quietly muttered.

Ella was silent for a moment, simply hugging her brother before speaking softly.

"I just don't want them to find you.."

"They won't find me, Ella."

"Promise?"

Winston finally released his sister from the hug and turned away, leaning heavily on the counter before glancing out toward the dark window.

"Winston."

"I'll be right back to make dinner, okay?"

He then moved away from the counter and toward the back rooms where his bedroom was located. He couldn't lie to his sister, but he also wouldn't straight up take any hope away from her either.

In truth the government had really been cracking down on the whole meta human stuff. They sent out a notice weeks ago alerting families of the new rules and they wasted no time in rounding up meta kids and sending them off to those camps, but he didn't register and he sure as hell wasn't going to let them know his location. But he most definitely used his powers from time to time in order to get what he wanted. It was only a matter of time before they tracked him down, especially with the Justice League on their side.

Winston slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his hands over his face as he attempted to calm himself down. The sound of ice beginning to creep over the window behind him forced him from his attempted meditative state. He gave a small huff and glanced over his shoulder at the window before slowly getting up. He went over to it and stared out at the city lights before him, obscured by the thin sheet of frost and ice.

After a moment he turned away and moved back toward the door, taking a deep breath as he listened to the sound of cars rushing past on the street below. Then the sound of a door banging open and Ella's harsh voice.

"Get lost! I don't care who's with you!"

Winston quickly darted from his room, skidding to a stop at the end of the hall as he stared at the scene before him. The door was wide open, various people in fancied up suits stood in the doorway, one of them towering over a furious Ella.

"Step away from my sister... now..." Winston slowly stepped forward, a sudden chill filled the room, familiar to both Winston and Ella, but foreign to the intruders.

The intruders instantly tensed, hands reaching for the weapons at their belts or hidden under the coats, but paused at the sound of footsteps from the hallway

"We're not here to hurt anyone, kid. Settle down." A deep, yet familiar voice emerged from the doorway, halting Winston. "We just want you to come with us peacefully and quietly. We want to help you."

Winston heard his sister give a small, surprised gasp, his gaze locked onto the man in the ridiculous tights who now took up the entirety of the door frame. Any hope of getting out of the idiotic meta-human prison camp headed straight for the drain.

Winston's face scrunched up into an irritated scowl.

"Son of a bitch..."

A/N: Hey howdy, that was a long introduction but uH, hope you like this heckery. Please let me know of any thoughts, opinions or criticisms you may have, I welcome all of it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and I really hope you enjoyed it.

Have a great Easter!