Once Upon A Time

"Can I have a story?" asked a little girl. Her red hair was twisted back into small pigtails. Although the child's hair was long, it was shorter than her mother's hair, which fell to the woman's waist. The little girl climbed up onto her mother's bed.

"A story?" asked the woman.

"Yes. A good one with a red-haired girl like me and a charming prince."

"I suppose I could…" murmured the pink-haired female. The child smiled happily and pulled the blankets towards herself. "Once upon a time, there was a pink-haired witch who lived with her HIVE friends."

"No, red hair," corrected the girl.

The woman looked benignly at her daughter. "In this story, the witch had pink hair."

"Like you?" wondered the child.

"Yes," confirmed the mother. "And one day, while she was carrying out a raid with her friends, a young red-haired boy who could run very fast stopped them. He left her a rose."

"Why did he do that?"

"Mayhap he wanted to show his affection. Well, the HIVE FIVE, as the girl and her companions were called, returned to their home. A little after, they planned a trap for the red-haired boy."

"What happened? Did they get him?"

"They managed to capture him, but neglected to put him into the proper containments. He escaped and a powerful agent from the Brotherhood of Evil came. She was a shapeshifter and went out to look for the boy herself."

"Did she find him?"

"Yes--- she did. They had a battle, but the red-haired boy managed to get away. The pink-haired witch found him and planned to give him to the shapeshifter."

"Did she?"

"She nearly did, but she chose not to. The boy was released and he ran away. The shapeshifter was furious."

"What did she do?"

"She started to attack the pink-haired witch again, but the witch was faster. The shapeshifter then left."

"What about the boy?"

"He left, also, but he left behind a rose as well."

"It's a sad story."

"Yes--- but they met again eventually."

"What happened then? What about the shapeshifter?"

"She disappeared for the time being but kept an eye on the witch, because the shapeshifter thought that the witch had some promising qualities."

"Is this the end of the story?"

The woman paused for a moment. "No, it is not. A few years passed and the boy came back. The girl and her friends had risen up in their society and were even greater enemies of the "Good" people. Soon, they fought again."

"What happened?"

The mother's eyes darted to meet her daughter's gaze for a moment before speaking. "It is getting late. You must sleep."

"But I want to hear the story," protested the girl.

"You will, but you must sleep for now," said her mother firmly.

Sighing, the child left her mother's room. The woman followed to put the red-haired girl to bed. After tucking the child in, she returned to her own rooms. The stars glistened brightly above, and she remembered someone she had lost a long time ago. She stepped out onto the balcony and breathed in the cold air.

"How does it end?" she thought to herself. "I seduced him over to the "Evil" side, and he soon embraced it for my sake. Then, he fell deeper into it and became a willing agent of the Brotherhood of Evil. Surprisingly, it had been his own choice when he did that further betrayal against his old companions."

There was a soft click of the sliding door locking. A red-haired man stepped out onto the balcony with the woman. He looked affectionately at the pink hairs of his wife with his blue eyes. "Jinx, I am sorry for being late. I had problems with Nightwing. You know how those fools on the "Good" side are."

"You have changed too much. I do not know if I know you anymore. Before, you would have never spoken of your former friends this way."

"I remembered to bring you a rose," he continued, unaware of the thoughts running through the mind of his wife.

"Mayhap I was wrong to bring you here, to my world. This place was never meant for you, but I drew you in, anyways. We were both wrong in our own ways… me, for taking you here, and you, for following my call."

"The Brotherhood of Evil is electing a new leader and replacing council members. Kyd Wykked, you, and I, have all been nominated for both. Madame Rouge nominated us."

"Madame Rouge… it had been that shapeshifter who had recruited us over to the Brotherhood of Evil. That woman had seen the potential in both of us. If I think back far enough, it stems from her. Of course, she has a hidden agenda and plans to manipulate us as she always tries, but I need not think of that now."

"The Brotherhood is sending me over to Gotham City tomorrow with Kyd Wykked and See-More. They are letting you stay here, to watch our daughter. I will be back at night."

"Our lives are controlled by the Brotherhood of Evil now. I wonder if this is what they had planned from the beginning. We were both directed by what we thought was our free will, but what was truthfully the Brotherhood's hand. Is that what happened? How could we both have been maneuvered in such a way."

"I know I am away often, but duty calls that way."

"We are married, and we have a daughter--- but what does that symbolize, if our lives are a lie created by the Brotherhood for the purpose of keeping us here. I love him. I love our child. I care for them both… but if it is a lie… is our love a lie, also?" She sighed, half to herself, before continuing with her thoughts. "Do we even have love?" she unintentionally questioned aloud.

In response, he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck lightly. "I love you," whispered Kid Flash sincerely in her ear.

She let herself sink into his embrace, grateful for his reassurance. "I love you, also," replied Jinx. She looked up at him tentatively, worried of what he might say after hearing her verbally seem to doubt his faith.

She need not have been apprehensive. The confident smile she had loved for so long came back to his face, and he pulled her closer. He placed a crimson rose in her hands.

"So this is how it ends for the Once Upon A Time…"