Clara's POV

The sound of the EKG beeping in the hospital room filled every second as I flitted in and out of consciousness. Sometimes, I thought I felt someone's hand in mine, though I couldn't tell who it was. But I knew that I was in this state for a long time. I needed time to heal after I overused and depleted my powers.

It was a while before I had enough strength to open my eyes. I looked to my side and saw Dick sleeping, still wearing his mask and that ridiculous costume. His head rested on a palm, propped up against the arm of his chair. He looked so unsteady. It seemed like it wasn't an emotion that you would often see on him.

I looked back at the ceiling and settled more into my pillow. I was exhausted, and a headache whispered through my skull. Not to mention the pain surrounding my abdomen. I sighed. I was gonna be stuck here for a long time.

Night Wing's POV

I was startled awake when someone knocked on the door. I glanced at Clara, surprised to find that she was awake. It had taken her six hours to open her eyes. I ran a hand through my hair, straightened my mask, and stood up. Zatanna was at the door. I opened it. "Hey."

She brushed past me and ran to Clara.

"What are you doing?"

"I have something that will be able to heal her faster," she said, holding up a translucent blue stone. She moved closer to Clara and gently pressed the stone against her forehead.

My heart squeezed. "Are you sure? I don't think that's a good-"

She ignored me. "Laeh reh sdnuow," she murmured.

Clara's POV

I tried to protest, but the words couldn't come out of my dry throat. I didn't trust Zatanna. I didn't have the strength to move as the cool stone pressed against my skin. After a few seconds, my eyes widened. All the small aches and pains along my body were gone. I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position and glanced at Zatanna.

"Um, thanks," I said quietly, not meeting her eyes.

"It was nothing. And, Night Wing," she said, turning to him. "Batman wants you in the mission briefing area for a debrief." Dick nodded, glancing at me one last time. My eyes trailed over his back as he followed Zatanna out the door.

Night Wing's POV

Something I definitely didn't miss when I left the Team was the post-mission lectures. Most of the time, I zoned out. Batman never noticed. I think.

When he started the speech, I kept glancing back to the medical station. Was Clara okay? I tuned back in to hear the last line. "You were a little rough around the edges, but you did good, considering that you didn't have the League's help," he said in his monotonous voice. Everyone brightened a little bit. He continued to speak.

Clara's POV

After a few minutes of staring at the wall, my boredom took over. What was the rest of the Team doing? I shifted and tried to stand up on wobbly legs. The pain in my stomach was swirling like a void. Black spots danced before my eyes, and I shook my head to clear it. Everything was fine. I was okay. I walked to the door, noticing that I was back in a hospital gown. Who had been changing me?

I tried the handle. Unlocked. Out of curiosity, I continued down the hall. I heard voices coming from the mission briefing area, and a particularly loud, boring voice that immediately silenced all the others. Batman.

The floor was cool against my bare feet. I continued down the hallway until I found the source of the voices. The first person to notice me was Batman. He was positioned in front of everybody else, giving some sort of long speech. I cast a sideways glance to Dick. He looked bored out of his mind.

"Hello, Clara." His voice chilled my bones. How could Dick put up with this guy all the time?

"I hear that your power is very strong. We could put it to good use here." Even his word choice pissed me off. 'I hear'. Didn't he know that I could decimate him in the blink of an eye?

"I don't usually give offers like these," he began. "Would you like to join us?"

I hesitated. "I can't," I said, my voice echoing around the room. The Team erupted in hushed whispers. Dick shot me a warning glance.

"May I ask why not?" He crossed his arms, which made him look taller. I tried not to shrink back.

"No," I said flatly, hoping he didn't hear the waver in my voice. "You may not."

He stared at me in silence. I fixed my posture and glared back.

"And besides," I added. "You wouldn't understand." I turned on my heel to leave.

"Wouldn't I?" he said. My fists clenched. I was gonna kill him.

"No, you wouldn't." I whipped back around and stared at his smug face as red rimmed my vision. The volume in the room rose. Everything was too loud. My control was slipping.

"Clara." Dick's clear voice cut through the room and he stepped in front of me. Why did he look shorter? He reached out a hand and I snapped out of whatever trance I was in. I dropped back the couple inches that I had raised off the ground. "Sorry," I mumbled. I turned back around and stormed out of the room. I needed to get out of this stupid mountain.

Night Wing's POV

She left the room in uncanny silence. It was so hot in here, but the temperature slowly decreased with every step she took away.

I didn't know how dangerous she was. I couldn't believe that something so simple as a few words could set her off like that. But it must've meant more to her.

With a subtle nod, Batman dismissed us. I headed for the little balcony that connected to the side of the mountain, suspecting that Clara would be there. When I was angry, I always let the cool sea breeze calm my rage.

Sure enough, there she was, leaning her elbows against the railing.

"There's nothing you can say to me that's going to change my mind," she said quietly. She didn't even turn to look at me.

"Why didn't you say yes?" I asked, crossing my arms with a frown. "I... I wanted you to stay here with us. With me." She twisted around to look at me and sighed.

"Dick, you know that nothing good can come from my power," she said as she stared at the ground in shame. "I can't risking hurting you. Or any of them, either." She turned her back to me and stared out across the bay.

We stood in silence, other than the crashing of the waves and the screaming of the gulls. I managed to rack up enough courage to stand beside her, even going as far as placing a gloved hand over hers. Instead of pulling away, she laced our fingers together. Her hands were so cold, even through the gloves.

I didn't know how afraid she was of herself. Of what she could do. She had lots of control over her power. It seemed as if she only lashed out when she was angry. That's why she crushed her emotions down into nothing.

"Clara, you're not going to hurt anyone."

"You don't know that," she said lowly. She fidgeted with our entwined hands.

"The people here... they can teach you how to control your power," I said, grasping at straws to get her to stay. I knew it was for the better. The Team could really help her. "They can teach you how to trust yourself."

She turned to me and pulled her hand away. I couldn't tell what emotion fell across her features.

"Take that ridiculous mask off," she said. I did. She stared into my eyes, then looked down. She took one of my hands, making circles with her thumb on my palm. She took a shuddering breath and moved her gaze back to my eyes.

"Okay. I'll... I'll join the Team," she said quietly. I tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"Thank you."

Clara's POV

His gentle touch still lingered on my cheek, even after he informed Batman that I was staying, even after he showed me to 'my room,' like this was some kind of hotel. I wish he hadn't been wearing his gloves. Instead of the worn leather, I wanted to feel his rough fingers against my face.

I walked into the large room, noting escape routes and places to hide. I would have to move all my stuff into here. Dick leaned against the doorframe.

"Clara," he said, and I turned back to look at him. "We'll make sure that your father serves his sentence." I nodded evenly.

"Thank you for stopping me from going over the edge," I said quietly. He looked at me with concern, and I knew that a million questions were racing through his mind. I shook my head slowly, and he turned to leave.

"Call me if you need anything," he tossed over his shoulder. He closed the door and left.

I sat down on the bed, staring at my hands. I thought about summoning my mother, like I did every time I was alone. Did she even want to see me? I'd always remembered the last look on her face as disappointment. Maybe ignorance was better than knowing the truth.

I knew that I was being a wimp, but I also knew that I would do something bad if the truth wasn't what I wanted. I sighed and closed my eyes.

Three gentle raps came from the door, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Come in," I called, though I wasn't in the mood for companionship. Zatanna peeked her head through the door.

"Hi," she said nervously. I glanced warily at the necklace she was holding. It was a deep emerald jewel, set in sterling silver.

"What's that for?"

"It's for you, actually. To help you contain your power."

My breath caught in my throat. "What?" I whispered.

This couldn't be happening. The answer to all my prayers to whatever gods were out there. A way to control whatever was inside me? Impossible. I leapt at the opportunity.

"T-Thank you," I said, my mind still processing the information.

She handed me the necklace and pressed the glittering green stone deep into my palm. "Of course, anything for you," she said.

The stone felt cool at first, but it started to heat up, getting hotter and hotter until I had to drop it. A red circle had been branded into my palm.

"Oh my god," Zatanna muttered. She quickly pocketed the piece of jewelry.

"What? What... does this mean?" My voice was hoarse.

She looked me dead in the eye. "Your power is stronger than any of us could have ever imagined." She opened the door and left swiftly, leaving me with more questions than I had before.

Zatanna's POV

Dumbass. Did she actually think that I was trying to help her? I almost chuckled to myself. I had to find a way to get her out of here. To get her paws off Night Wing, before it was too late.

'Too late' marched closer and closer with every second that they were together. With every touch they shared. In some ways, I envied her, but she could never know that. And there was something strange about her, something that was a little bit odd. I had to get her away from him before my chances were ruined.

Now that she trusted me, now that she thought I was trying to help her, I could make my move. I also knew what minerals reacted to her power. I grinned. This was too easy.