Jason Todd x OC

Word Count: 1,436

Summary: A fateful night in Gotham City sends a young girl spiraling as she discovers a part of herself that could spell disaster for those around her.

A/N: This one was a bit intense; I wasn't entirely sure how to go about it at first, but the overlapping idea really felt right. Sorry if it feels like too much of a rehash of the previous chapt.

/

The sky was a mix of grey shades, dotted with dark looming clouds that promised rain in the evening. It was an average late summer day, not too hot, not too cold, but as always with anything in Gotham City, change could happen in the blink of an eye. There would most likely be some freak cold snap within the day that would turn to sweltering heat late into the night. Ayida would wake up in a ball of sweat, turn on her small box fan and spend several hours tossing and turning in her queen size bed, praying to just pass out instead of having to endure the heat.

Setting down the small cup of espresso, she set down a twenty-dollar bill to cover her late lunch, picked up her manuscripts and waved at the cafe owner, an old friend who had been close friends with her parents before their passing. She had originally stopped in on occasion to check in so Mr. Grumby wouldn't worry about her, but the quiet little cafe slowly became her favorite midday spot, especially on gloomy days like today. Less customers and meaningless chatter, and more of a relaxing atmosphere as the blenders filled the empty air. Checking the time, she sighed and left the shop, starting the twenty-three block walk to her apartment.

The walk itself wasn't bad, just more of an annoyance than anything. Thirty minutes of angry shop owners complaining about homeless people setting up camp out front of their stores, car drivers swearing at the traffic they had gotten stuck in, and the mobs of businessmen getting out of work at 5:15 on the dot. She would have called a cab had the streets not been so clustered, nor had the cab drivers been known to be complete sleaze balls. So a thirty minute walk it would be. Turning on her Bluetooth headphones, she played several upbeat songs, smiling as they drowned out the sounds of people yelling and cars honking.

No sooner had she passed the fifteenth block, the skies decided to open up and rain poured down onto the city, as if trying to cleanse it of the smog and filth that littered the streets. As if to make things worse, Ayida was not carrying an umbrella with her, hoping it wasn't going to rain till nightfall. She ducked down the alleyway to her left, making sure she could still see the street as she gathered her thoughts and began packing her electronics into her bag to keep them dry. She had gotten things all settled and tucked away and was going to head back to the street when something rattled behind her, and as Ayida was turning around, a pair of arms wrapped around her, one on her waist, the other around her neck. As her vision faded to black she could hear a harsh whisper in her ear.

"No running away this time."

After that things were fragmented bits, a blur of light, a cold chill against her skin, a sharp pain in her neck followed by a flood of warmth through her body, then numbness. A voice kept whispering in her head as if on loop.

"If you don't fight me Lily then I won't have to hurt you again."

The first time she gained consciousness the sky had just hit dusk, a slight pink hue to the dark clouds that crossed the sky as the rain continued. The man's voice echoed as he scuffled across the room.

"Hold still Lily! Before you ruin your dress."

A flash went off and she flinched away unsure of what it was, her eyes shut tight against the harsh light. That gained her a slap to the face and another pain in her neck, then that warmth as she felt herself going limp. The next time she woke, she could feel the ache of her shoulders and was more aware of her surroundings. Night had taken over and the air had chilled considerably. The room they were in was lit only by a small fire, it had been tucked under what remained of the rotting roof above them. Her body was weighed down by a heavy white gown, long silky sleeves draping down from her shoulders, the skirt rustling with her movements. Her wrists were bound above her head to a ceiling beam with a thick rope, her knuckles and fingers stained red with blood. Her leg ached and her head pounded as she tried to grasp the situation. Her own fragmented memories were giving no help as the man approached her, a scowl plastered across his features. He held a serrated blade knife and waved it in front of Ayida's face to make it clear he was in control before gagging her.

"You ruined everything Lily. You ruined your dress, you ruined the photos, just like you ruined our wedding. You ran off to the cops so you could be a whore without getting any punishment from me. Well you can't run away now, can you Lily? No one left to save you."

She let out a muffled, panicked whimper against the musty gag as she wriggled her already bruised wrists against the rope bindings, her last ditch effort to get free using what little strength she had left in her. Her attention was taken for a moment by the sound of a tumbling brick, most likely the building crumbling away from the weather. She glanced back at the man in terror as he stepped ever closer repeating his words like his life depended on it. Ayida however, panicked, her thoughts racing how she would be dead in this room with no one wondering where she was, or if she was safe. Her gaze flickered around the room, then back and forth between the man in front of her and to what looked to be a man creeping through the empty window.

The figure lightly shook their head at her as if to say 'I'm not here', however she had ruined his chances of staying hidden. The man had been staring intently at her, watching her gaze lock onto something behind him, causing a grin to creep up. Just as the stranger had gotten close enough to hit the man with the gun in their hand, the man whipped around, smacking them across the face and shoving him to the ground. After that Ayida felt like she was watching everything happen in slow motion. The man cut her bindings from the ceiling and dragged her towards the exit of the room, picking up the gun that had clattered to the floor as he did so.

The poofy wedding gown he had put her in as well as the gash in her thigh made movement hard and only served to slow the man down despite the gun he held to her temple. Shutting her eyes hoping this wouldn't be the end, Ayida flinched when she heard a soft click. Opening her eyes she watched as the man angrily shook the gun he aimed at the stranger then cried out against her gag as she was shoved to the floor, watching the two figures devolve into a mess of fists, punches and grunts as one lunged at the other. A slap to the face, then a punch to the ribs, followed by a knee to the stomach, the psychotic man sending the stranger rolling across the floor. The stranger retaliating by throwing a brick at the man, then pouncing onto him like a wild beast. This continued for several minutes before the man's serrated knife sunk into the stranger's shoulder while the gun slid across the floor in her direction.

She had to help, otherwise the two of them would be dead by this psychos hand. Gathering what she could of her courage, Ayida crawled forward, grabbing the gun and clicking off the safety. She struggled to hold it steady, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she tried to line up the shot. Closing her eyes, she fingered the trigger praying she wouldn't miss and that the man would shut up for good.

BANG. BANG.

A deafening crack of thunder filled the room as she pulled the trigger not once, but twice, dropping the psycho to the ground, the stranger rolling from underneath him. She felt lightheaded and the room began to spin as the gun dropped from her grasp. An arm wrapped around her as the world went black once more, a soft voice whispering to her.

"Don't close your eyes on me, you can't die yet, not here."