Chapter 9
As Wally pushed open the door into Leia's room a quiet growling noise filled the air. He stepped inside, greeted by several shadow hounds that lifted their inky black eyes to him. Lips curled back to a quiet snarl. He wasn't afraid. The hounds weren't new to him and as he moved towards the bed, their heads dropped and vigils were returned to the door. Leia still slept soundly on her bed, as soundly as she ever did really, with eyes that darted rapidly beneath her eyelids. Whatever she was seeing, it probably wasn't any good. He'd glimpsed, just once, what happened in her mind as she stitched together back the damaged pieces. It was enough to drive anyone mad.
He sat down on her bed and took her hand. Images exploded through his mind, fear surging down the momentary connection. Leia surged upwards, sitting upright, a gasp bursting from her chest. She twisted to him; her eyes fully black.
"I need to expel now," she said and pushed herself out of the bed.
She staggered but he was there, catching her. They turned together as the door opened, revealing a portal. Tamara was a step ahead. He wrapped his arm around Leia's waist and raced them through the portal.
Hot air blasted them both as a scorching sun beat down on them. For a moment, he was blind. His eyes adjusted, slowly, and he realised Tamara had taken them to the middle of a dessert. Then Leia was tearing herself away from him. Black wings sprouted from her back and she burst upwards with a single surge of her wings; higher and higher she rose until she stopped a couple hundred feet high. She threw her arms wide and her power exploded from her; waves of black energy surged from her, nearly blocking out the sun itself. It went on and on, then Leia's hands dropped and her power withdrew into herself.
She slowly lowered down. As her feet touched the ground, he was there, his hands on her cheeks, looking at her from head to toe. Every time she expelled, it was a terrifying experience, mainly because he knew that if she didn't do it quickly enough, it'd happen anyway…and that was dangerous. He made it his focus to ensure that she was well out of danger when she needed to do it, simply to keep people safe, which was what Leia's priority was. She trusted him to help her and that was what they did, guarding each other at their lowest.
"I'm here."
She met his gaze, then closed hers and she leant into his embrace, resting her cheek on his chest. Her height never seemed noticeable much before, yet as he wrapped his arms around her, he felt like he was protecting her. Silly, really, since there was nothing fragile about her but if she needed it, he'd be there, offering strength. Give whatever he could. She'd done the same, without blinking, and never counted the price it had sometimes taken on her.
"We can't fail here," she said with the iron tone that he'd seen make grown men falter before her. "This planet is where we make our stand."
There was a humming sound as someone moved through the portal. They turned. Tamara stood there, calm.
"I've been reaching out since we got here, arranging accommodations for us," she said conversationally, as if her background machinations were normal.
It was strange to think how bizarre they'd seemed five years ago. Now, neither Leia or himself blinked at Tamara's news. No doubt Clint, wherever he'd slipped off to, doing god knows what, wouldn't be shocked either. He wondered what his old team would think, of them, of what he'd become – or the things he'd done.
"The League would've seen that display of yours," remarked Tamara uneasily. "Your power makes them uneasy."
Leia carefully untangled herself from him and looked to Tamara, her gaze steady, resolved. "Let them see. We're not here to rule this world or hurt it. Time will reveal Hysteria and I'll be there, waiting for her."
The new apartment was arguably the nicest Leia had ever stayed in, with a gym that overlooked the sprawling city of New York. On the mat Leia pushed up from a plank and flipped up onto her hands, balancing for a moment on a perfect hand stand. She held for three counts, then came down and got back up to her feet. The exercise had left her warm and clear headed, if not with her skin slick with sweat. With a deep breath, she turned from the window and headed out into living area, plucking her gym towel off the railing by the door. She slung the towel over neck and wiped her face dry; as her hand dropped, she realised she heard unfamiliar voices. She slowed her approach, then stopped at the threshold. Someone strode forward and hugged Wally; a guy, a head taller, with cropped black hair and a lean, fit build.
"It's good to see you Dick but I wasn't expecting you," said Wally, pulling back. He pulled back, then saw Leia and manoeuvred this friend to face Leia. "May I properly introduce my wife, Leia?"
She crossed the space between them, ignoring how short she suddenly felt before his friend; her gaze lifted, lit with curiosity. It had to be one of his caped friends. Wally had told him about Dick, hadn't he? Which one was it again? He held out a hand to her, which she took and shook it, like Wally showed her.
"Dick Grayson, isn't it?" She said, inquisitively. "Which makes you…Nightwing?"
Dick glanced at Wally, sharply. Wally held up his hands. "I didn't think I'd be coming back and she's my wife, whom happens to have the strongest mind of anyone I know."
Leia snorted. "I'd ask what you broke of mine to deserve that comment but I'll ignore it." Her gaze flickered to Dick, whom seemed curious and surprised at her humour. "Also, what my lovely husband fails to mention is if my power doesn't detect your identity, I'd give it a day before Tamara blurted it out. Trust me, she's horrible with them. Anyway, what brings you around?"
Dick looked between them. "Anyway, I came to let you know the League has agreed to start searching for Hysteria. They're investigating the threat."
"She came to this planet searching for a device that can puncture into another universe like ours. Superman has it but considering she hasn't gone after him, either she doesn't know he has it or…"
Wally met her gaze. "Or she's planning another Carinsar."
"What's Carinsar?" Dick asked.
"A city. Once a bastion of the old rebellion, the one before I escaped the lab. For ages, Hysteria tried to breach it or take it by force but she failed, time and time again. Then, one day, everything went quiet. Months passed and everyone thought nothing was wrong. Then ships came from above and bombed the city. The shields that had been protecting it for so long weren't active. Hysteria had disabled every defence that city had and levelled it to the ground." Leia looked out across the city, feeling the old demons within her stir and hiss. "She'll sneak in when they don't expect it. The League needs to be careful and Superman needs to guard his private world like this world depends on it."
Dick digested the story carefully, betraying little with his face. Afterwards, he grew grim, then sat down and rubbed the back of his neck. He exhaled deeply, then lifted his head to Wally, that gaze searching and full of so many questions. To her surprise, he didn't ask anything; instead, his gaze fell on her.
"Glad you're okay. Startled everyone when you just left."
Leia smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. The damage in my mind meant a lot of built up energy, which I normally vent safely, and few stable walls keeping it in check. Through the chaos I sensed Wally and came to; guess it was experience that told me that Tamara wouldn't be far behind, so I made a quick exit. Couldn't risk hurting anyone."
"You can sense Wally?" Dick sounded curious, his gaze flickering between Wally and Leia. "You guys aren't just married, are you?"
Her gaze flew to Wally. The truth of their connection lay in a story that was really just their story, a private and tragic one. They seldom spoke of it between each other. Gods, they'd never even told Tamara and Clint, though she suspected the former knew anyway. She always knew about stuff like that.
"It's a long story," said Wally. "I'll tell you some other time."
The air grew thick and heavy for a moment. Gazes exchanged a myriad of unsaid conversations. Eventually, Leia stepped back.
"I stink, so I'm going to go have a shower. I'll leave you two to catch up," she said, needing to make a quick exit.
In her mind, the demons started to cry.
It was evening when Wally ventured into the kitchen, finding Leia standing by the stove, stirring a pot of soup. She'd donned some baggy shorts and a singlet, exposing her strong arms and pale skin. Unlike her usual braided hairstyle, her hair was free and tumbled loose down her back like a waterfall. He liked it longer, though he knew Leia preferred it short and had only grown it out because she hadn't any time to cut it the way she liked. In the buttery light thrown from the kitchen downlight, she looked as beautiful as the day he realised he'd fallen for her.
He closed the distance and wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging from behind. Then he peered at the soup.
"That smells almost like that soup you used to cook," he remarked.
She made a happy sound. "Clint came in before, said Tamara gave him a list of food to buy. Guess she knew what the closest ingredients were." She twisted in his embrace, a few locks of hair framing her face. "Hungry?"
He made a show of looking up and down. "For?"
Her eyes rolled back and she snorted, playfully pulling out of his embrace. "For food."
"I'm a speedster."
In reply, she got out an extra-large bowl from the cupboards, plus a fractionally smaller one for herself. She held out the larger of the two to him, along with the ladle.
"Since you like all the juicy cuts of meat and gods know if you don't get them," she said with a wry smile.
Once he finished pouring his, he grabbed her bowl and poured hers, taking care to pick all the cuts of vegetables and meat she preferred. She smiled, dipped her head, and together they walked back out into the living room. As they sat down together Leia was struck by how the moment felt so domestic, an old fantasy of hers made real. She kept this to herself as she finished off the dinner, enjoying simple and banal conversation between them. When they were done, he grabbed the bowls and put them in the kitchen, returning a moment later. He sat down beside her and instinctively, she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I wanted for so long to come back here," he murmured. "Now I'm here and everything is different. It's-"
"Not how you imagined," she said softly. "It's only been a few days. Give it time."
"I hurt Barry," he confessed, after a long pause. "He just touched my shoulder and I flipped out."
"You didn't mean it. I know that and they know that." She pulled away and sat up, turning so she looked at him square in the eyes, with her legs tucked beneath her. "I've stared into the eyes of monsters and when I look into your eyes, do you know what I see? I see the man I love, whom like myself, has been through hell and came out. We've got scars that run deeper than anyone will ever really know but that's okay. Some days we will screw up so badly but we're there for each other, dragging the other out of the muck."
He kissed her, his mouth hot and desperate, and she forgot what they were talking about as she dragged him closer.
