Dawn splashes water over her face and dabs the back of her neck. Being cooped up in a strange house with a palpable tragic, and repressive, fluctuating energy is messing with her newly healed body, it's once supple strength now rigid muscle and weary bones. An uneasy spirit settles between them, an itch, a buzz – pulling her away and she wants to follow, escape the oppressive anger of this house. Its walls breathe damp, warm air, stretching at night with a groan. The wooded floors pop and creak at odd hours in the night. Windows wide open, curtains pulled and a huge hole in the side of the house does little to let the light of the day in. It's mood; shadowy and joyless, creeping under her skin, like a plant growing branches. She wants out. She needs out. Now.
So, she splashes her face again, to chill the fire beneath the surface of her skin. And to take out the notion, this house is anything other than four walls and a roof with a dead body in it. Hidden away in the downstairs bathroom.
Her feet tingle and she smiles because she felt it. She feels everything and more since she woke up, her skin clinging to her muscles, her muscles twitching around bone. All of it.
She's still getting used to walking, and though she doesn't remember much after the fight on the roof back home, she's aware of the miracle of her leaving the hospital on her feet. She owes Rachel for that, even though she doesn't quite understand it, isn't quite sure she wants to.
She also has a tight hold on her compassion – because she knows the girl, Rachel, whom she cares deeply about. The girl with extraordinary abilities. But she does not know the other one. The one who lives beneath the girl's skin, trapped between her rib cage, clawing its way out at any opportunity; when Rachel shows fear or anxiety. That one is dark, and unpredictable, and dangerous, like this house.
She's been hyper aware of Dove lately, too, as though they're separate beings, apart from each other. As though the suit and those perfect wings carry with it, a sense of justice and humanity of its own. She finds herself wondering what she'll do while knowing exactly what Dove will do if faced with an evil Rachel. She will defend the innocent. Always.
When the water can't run anymore and her fingers have pruned, she turns it off and straightens her back. She doesn't glance in the mirror, she isn't there yet – here yet, or anywhere. Trying to find a foothold in the happenings before and during her fall is a slippery slope of foggy, incorporeal proportions. And she isn't ready for the chase.
With a sigh, she leaves the bathroom and the first thing she hears is Dick's voice. His room, or at least the one he's been holed up in for the last two days is ajar and Kory's in there with him. She realizes, she hasn't had a chance to really gauge the woman, but for the fact she's stunning, Dawn has no idea who she is or what she is – what her wants are and how it mirrors or diverges from everything else. She stands out, not in an uncomfortable, misfit way, but something there will not give, and as a reader of people, it's unsettling. Or maybe that's the house, too.
For a split second she pauses, and then decides she's going to walk past casually, and slip down the stairs like a normal person. As she passes though, she hears something in Dick's voice, a tenderness that stops her in her tracks, listening as their voices slip out of the room.
"Kory, I promise – I'm good. I've learned my lesson in not saying anything. I won't do that again."
"I know you don't want to show weakness to the others, but you're going to push too hard to prove you're okay-,"
Dick sighs. "I have to be able to lead them, and in order to do that, I have to show them I can or this whole thing falls apart and we don't get Rachel back – and then what, the world just ends?"
"The world isn't just yours to save. It's everyone's, all of us." Kory counters. "If you want to lead them, show them this you – show them who you are."
"Who's that?" Dick asks.
"Not Robin." Kory says. "Start there."
He huffs, and Dawn knows he's afraid. He's always done two things when he's afraid – doubled down or ran, he did nothing in the middle, not as long as she had known him. Surrender wasn't in his vernacular, but it seemed that was exactly what Kory was asking him to do.
"If you want these people to trust you as their leader," Kory continues, "if you want me to, you have to trust us back. If this is a team it has to work as one. This can't be about control, it has to be about trust, and togetherness. Oh, and be nice."
Dick laughs then. "Nice. You know I think one of the main reasons Bruce liked to work alone was to avoid all that."
"You're not him."
Silence. Dawn is tempted to lean back, peep into the crack, but she resists.
"Dick -," Kory's voice is quiet now, softer. "about last night,"
Dick interjects. "We'll talk about it. We'll talk about everything. Just -," he breathes out. "let's do this first, yeah?" In his voice, she hears him asking for permission, and when Kory grants it, Dawn moves from the door.
She grinds her teeth and makes her way down the stairs, smiling at Hank when she finds him waiting for her at the bottom. Gar waves, his grin apologetic though he has nothing to be sorry about, and Jason throws the peace sign up at her, jutting his chin out.
She smells cinnamon and assumes Donna must be in the kitchen, righting her poor night of sleep with a heaping mug of hot coffee sprinkled with cinnamon.
"You've been gone a while," Hank leans close, pressing a tender kiss to her temple.
"Just a headache." She isn't settled and she isn't quite sure what it is she's feeling or what she's feeling it about. Rachel is AWOL with her demonic father, she's up from a coma, Gar's a tiger – any of those things would be enough. She knows it's not. It's Dick, even thinking his name jolts her. He and Kory have a thing, a bond that permeates the house, almost expels the aliveness of the house itself. She saw it the moment she set eyes on them: awkward and unsure, but in fear for one another, and a craving, or a longing simmering beneath that.
There was a current, warm and electrical, pulling them together – she'd seen it even after his collapse. Kory being near even though she wasn't touching, allowing she and Donna to tend to him.
A rock the size of a toaster sits in the pit of her stomach, and she shifts to rid herself of its weight.
"Hey," Hank's voice penetrates her thoughts. "you okay?" it's soft and close, for her ears only.
Dawn leans back and tips her chin up, smiling at him. But the toaster grows warm and heavy, and she shifts again, a little out of his reach. She can't give this feeling a name, it's as if the language for it hasn't yet been formed, something old but foreign, yet to be understood. It isn't pure or romantic jealousy, though she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit in the privacy of her mind that it was there somewhere. But it was more than that, enough to linger on every nerve in her body. "I'm fine," she says finally, curling her fingers in his shirt to pull him down to her mouth.
The noise shrinks and Dawn pulls away to find Dick and Kory descending the stairs.
Watching Dick shift uncomfortable under their eyes, clearing his throat to speak, she drops her head and leans into Hank, but then he whispers her name and she snaps her head back up to find him.
His limp is less visible now as he moves towards her with a light in his eyes.
"Dick," she says as he closes the gap and pulls her into him, holding her tight. "Good to see you on your feet." And relief floods her, but she isn't unaware of the tension growing beside her, tall and blonde and angry.
"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I couldn't see you before, after Trigon – we spoke but,"
"You don't have to explain," Dawn pulls away, glimpsing the clench in Hank's jaw. "I'm just glad you're up, so I could tell you – all of you," taking a breath, she glances up at Hank, who's wearing a mask of confusion. "I think Hank and I should head back," she takes her stand beside him. "If Rachel was able to find us, contact me there, then maybe she can again and then we can figure out-,"
"Dawn?" Hank begins, as his throat turns red.
"It's not a good idea to split up, bro," Jason says.
"I hate to agree with the kid, but we need to be together for when shit explodes."
"Hank's right," Dick adds. "We need to stay close, at least until this thing is over. I know we can't stay here, matter of fact, I think it's high time we haul ass out of here, but there's a few things to do first."
"What does over look like?" Donna asks, emerging from the kitchen with a white mug between her hands. "Just so I know,"
"Trigon destroyed or trapped." Dick offers, and sighs, pushing his hands into his pocket. He glances at Kory and Dawn sees it, a nod of encouragement. "Thanks to Hank here walking around with a mini pharmacy, I'm drugged up good and on the fast road to recovery, but as I said, we have to cover our tracks." He swallows. "and I don't think I'll do anyone much good tagging along, so I'm going sit this out."
"First day on the job and already you're taking sick days." Hank groans. Meanwhile Dawn is trying to figure out how long Kory has been around to have such an impact on Dick. The one she knows would limp out there, broken and bruised to get the job done, and wouldn't listen to anyone. Old Dick was a lone wolf with a plan he kept close to the chest or in that little silver case of his.
The Dick she's looking at is trying something different. He is surrendering. He was never socialized so he's uneasy in crowds, but he's never been insecure and yet she sees a humble man before them. She wonders if Kory is the reason, or Trigon, or maybe both.
"In the meantime," Dick asserts. "We're going to need to train. We're going to need a place to train." He glances at Kory, still holding onto the railing. "And when we do, I want Kory to lead us. She has a natural fighting ability, intuition, skill and form," he shrugs, "and that's without her powers."
"Sweet," Jason shrugs.
Dawn notes the surprise on Kory's face, that tells her his announcement was unexpected, but her smile says, it's welcomed.
"I think you could really help us get the edge we need," then he glances at Donna, "I want you to help," and back to Kory. "if that's something you'd be willing to do?"
Kory nods. "I'll give it a try."
He nods, a thanks. "Before we go, we need to erase our presence here. Donna and I will wipe this place down, in the meantime, I'll need my briefcase, the police radio and Kory's book on Trigon. It's important we get it."
"I got it," Jason springs to his feet.
"Wait," Dick says, "I appreciate that," he clears his throat and looks at Hank. "Would you go?"
"Fuck no," Hank says.
"I don't need a fucking babysitter," Jason spits. "Gar can come with,"
Hank grins wide. "OK, yes. You've convinced me."
"Actually," Dick starts. "I think Gar should stay here with me - and Kory,"
Gar sits up, suddenly alert and in the room with everyone else. "Why?" he swallows, and then stands, straightening his clothes. "I'd rather go with Jason and Hank – to, you know, get some fresh air." He smiles, but it doesn't do much to hide the weariness in his face or the dark circles shadowing his eyes. Poor kid. He brushes his shoulders up by his ears, almost as though asking for permission. "I'll be okay,"
Dick glances at Kory, and she sighs, before nodding. "Alright fine," he relents. "but we need to talk when you get back, okay?"
"Right," Hank huffs out, rubbing his hands together. "What do you say we get out of this heavy shit – C'mon kids." His farewell kiss is chaste, and then he's out the door.
Gar hurries out behind him and Jason winks at Dick. "I got him." before leaving on their heels.
"I'm going to head back to the warehouse." Kory says. "I have something I have to do before we go." She gives him a look, and he seems to understand and agree without saying a word. "Maybe I'll find something that can help us."
"Good idea." Dick nods. "You shouldn't go alone though-,"
"I'll go with you," Dawn offers, noticing how rigid Dick gets, and how Donna's face freezes. "If that's okay?" and now she's the kid who got to class ten minutes late and missed everything.
"I'll be fine," Kory smiles. "I can take care of myself."
"Yeah, of course," Dawn says. "But we don't know who's out there, how many followers Trigon has. The last one I went up against broke my body." She swallows then, pushing her tongue between her teeth to stop her mouth from sticking. "I'm sure you can take of yourself, but you don't have eyes at the back of your head. I can be your eyes."
"I'll go," Dick moves towards the door. "Dawn, you stay with Donna, one of you can watch Angela while the other wipes this place down."
"Dick," Donna says with a heaviness in her voice.
"I thought you were taking it easy," Dawn says. "If you ran into followers, you'd be potentially, leaving Kory vulnerable and yourself."
"He's staying here," Kory glowers at him.
"Kory," Dick's voice fades.
"Look, what's going on?" Dawn asks. "Is there something Hank and I should know?"
"It's okay," Kory says. "Come on," moving closer to Dick, she adds. "If you trust her then so do I. Do you?"
Dick glances at Dawn, and nods. "Yeah. I do."
Dawn sees his hesitation, senses fear in him, a protectiveness over Kory and shrinks where she stands, wondering if she's overstepped. They glance at each other and there's moment of heavy silence between them, and she is compelled to look away, feeling like she's looking in on something intimate and private.
"Be careful," Dick says.
"I'll see you both soon," Kory saunters out the door without a second glance and Dick's shoulders sag a little, like he's carrying something on his chest that grows heavy at the sight of her leaving. Like he's never going to see her again.
Dawn follows behind her without a word, to she and Hank's truck.
"Mind if I drive?" Kory asks.
"Lead the way," Dawn hurls the keys over the hood and Kory snatches them out of the air.
Hank's boots are heavy, and he's heavy in them, but he's hot so he doesn't give a shit that he's stomping ahead, forcing that little wank stain and the baby tiger to hustle after him. He wants out of this shit show already, and the curtains haven't even been fucking lifted yet.
He wishes Rachel had left more than a footnote in Dawn's head about what they were getting themselves into, at the very least a warning about what a dick Jason was. Something, anything, to prepare him for the indeterminable amount of time he was going to have to spend with these people, especially Dick 'Fucking' Grayson.
His blood boils and his face flushes with heat, all involuntarily, at the mention of the man's name. Arrogant fuck. He's sick of him thinking he can waltz where he wants, take and do what he wants with no repercussions. He hates it. He also hates how powerless he is to not be pissed – how just beneath it, like a thin sheet of skin, he panics every time Dick comes around Dawn. How his inaccessible nature was like catnip to a healer like her in the past, because all she does is fix and heal, and repair and mend people. Because it's who she is, if her being with him is anything to go by.
And he knows, he'd be way more fucked up without her. Dawn loves him. He knows she does, but sometimes he catches himself wondering if their life is enough. If he's enough. He's never been brave enough to seek the answers.
He breathes deep into his belly, and stops in his tracks, turning his shoulder back to where he came from, where the boys are coming from, waffling on about whatever the fuck teenage boys waffle on about these days. "Where the fuck, are we?" He asks.
"Um," Jason stops and turns in a circle. "Good question."
"What the fuck?" Hank bellows. "We're going back – I don't even know why we're out here, none of us know where we are because we weren't out here two nights ago fending off some lumpy ass demon."
"Wait," Jason says, and already, Hank's temperature is spiking for the insufferable, cocky, shit. "Gar knows."
Gar's ears and brows perk up. "Huh?"
Jason crosses his arms. "You agreed you should practice, right? Well, here's your chance."
"Tell me how Gar turning into a lizard, or whatever is going to get us out of this Blair wood's project?"
"Ignore the raging dumb ass," Jason says, cupping Gar by the shoulder. "Look at me – you don't have to turn. Just listen – feel. Vibe it."
"Are you serious?" Hank goads. "We've been walking fucking circles, so we're going back."
"You have instincts," Jason says. "not just human ones. Use them. A smell. A feeling in the air. The skills of a fucking tracker. You can do this. Find the scent. Tell us where to go."
Gar gives a small nod and steps forward. Hank crosses his arms, sighing impatiently and watches the boy crouch, running his hand over the dirt. He closes his eyes and sniffs deep into the air. When he opens them again, they're glowing green and a growl rustles in his chest, deep and primal.
"That's it," Jason goads.
Gar stands and exhales. "Kory and Donna were here." he says. "We're going the right way, it's up ahead,"
"Alright," Jason holds his fist up and Gar fist bumps him. "Nice."
Hank rolls his eyes. "Alright, let's get a move on," he says, adding, "good one, kid." With the boys on his heels, he pushes through the branches. As they near the edge of the wood, several voices come into focus. He holds his fist up and the boys pause, then he lifts his finger for them to be quiet, and they hush their questions on cue.
He moves slower, lighter in his boots when he needs to be and stops on the cusp. Yellow tape stretches far and plenty along the road. The toppled truck lays on its side with markers around it, but there's no sign of any bodies.
Jason kneels slowly beside his leg, and Gar peers from behind his arm to get a look.
"First the explosion down on Dayton, and now this," a uniform says as he passes them, unaware of their presence. "can't be coincidence,"
"And now with the chief AWOL," another adds. "something is not adding up. You think it's all connected?"
"We'll find out. Deputy's heading to the Chief's home. He took a few personal days, Dep said he probably got laid – but when he didn't show up this morning – what with this catastrophe and no bodies. Vehicle not registered. I'll say it's the most fun this town has seen in a minute."
Hank slowly steps back until they're far enough away to speak and turns to the boys. "Maybe this little shit was onto something back there," he says to Gar. "I'm going to need a favor from you. Two actually."
"What?" Gar asks begrudgingly.
"We're going need some kind of large animal to get their attention long enough for Jason and me to loot the truck."
"Or we could kick their asses," Jason adds.
Hank glares at him. "Don't be an idiot," and then back to Gar. "And then, I'm going to need you turn into the fastest animal you can think off and get back to the house to warn the others."
"Cheetahs, right?" Jason guesses.
"Heh," Gar cries, as he shrugs out of his jacket.
Dick busies himself wiping down the piano as Donna skips down the steps. "How is she?"
"Watered," Donna says. "So," she sings, and Dick rolls his eyes, because he knows her songs so well, too well, though he knows she doesn't care how obvious she is. "earlier – that was intense,"
"Stop," Dick groans.
"Last night – the two of you-,"
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Dick sighs, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"I don't think I am," Donna shrugs, snatching the cloth from him, she starts on the railing. "be careful, it isn't the worst thing you could've said, it's sweet, to the point, but weak in the grand scheme of things, considering the gigantic thing you both went through together. What were you going to say," she steps back to look at him. "No, what did you want to say?"
"It's complicated,"
"Isn't everything when it involves you?"
He huffs. "Weren't you the one reminding me of how bad I screwed things up with Dawn just a few days ago, and now what, you're pushing me into Kory's arms?"
"Into Kory's arms, huh?" Donna ticks her head to the side with a goading smile, but when he doesn't take the bait, instead sighing and walking out onto the front porch, she is close behind. "I just want you to do what you feel for once. No risk assessments. No logic. Go with the feeling wherever its leading you."
Dick settles on the swing, and Donna hoists herself up onto the porch railing, leaning against the column for support. He isn't sure he can bring himself to say it aloud, to relive the horrors he witnessed inside Trigon's dream, but he isn't so sure he can live with it any longer either. "It's complicated."
"Okay, Dick Grayson, you tell me what you saw in that hellhole or I'm calling your daddy."
Dick humphs, glaring up at her.
"I know you're worried about her," Donna says, and he looks up at her, disarmed for now. "Kory – you are, aren't you?"
"The less people know about her, and the - ship," he still can't believe that's real, or rather, that she is. "the better."
"I get it, but it's more than that," Donna's brows knit tightly together. "I want to help you, Dick. I want to support you because that's what friends are for. What family's for. OK – yes, you screwed things up with Dawn, but you were a dummy then." he peers up at her, "what I mean is, you've grown. You're not Robin now, so you can't keep walking around emotionally constipated – or you risk screwing up again."
"It's not that simple," Dick frowns at her. She doesn't get it.
"Oh my God," Donna smiles. "You have actual feelings for her. I mean, there's something there, I saw it from her, but – this is real – you have real feelings for Kory and you're terrified. Why?"
"Because she died." Dick blurts.
"Come again,"
"The hallucination – dream or whatever. He killed her." Dick takes a deep breath and leans forward, pressing his elbows into his thighs. "Bruce killed her." he waits for her to break the tension, to reassure or settle him with her premature, but age-old wisdom, but she doesn't. and the longer she forces him to sit in his confession, the more time he has to remember it all, and feel it again.
His tongue remembers Kory's taste, his nose, her scent and his fingertips re courses the map of her skin, both real and imagined. Mixed. Confused. Infused. Experienced and fantasized. He aches. He grieved her, and then she was there, in his room, kissing him. It was like the other stuff never happened.
Dick shifts on the swing, leans back. Donna is never lost for words, and yet. "Really?" he finally speaks. "Nothing?" Clenching his jaw, he stands to his feet and crosses the small distance to the swinging door, and pauses, turning back to her. "You know, you told me to talk, and I did. I know I screwed everything up, Rachel being gone, Kory risking her life to pull me out – is all my fault," he chokes. "And Gar, he-,"
"He manipulated you, Dick," Donna jumps down. "Trigon. He manipulated you. He still is."
"No," Dick frowns. "He's not in my head anymore, I would-,"
"I don't mean he's still controlling you," Donna clarifies, pulling him to sit down on the swing. "I mean this second guessing, all the guilt. The fear. He tried to break you by showing you all the ways your life could go horribly wrong. He wants to disarm you by stripping you, so he can take the world without a fight." She squeezes his knee. "Well he chose the wrong person."
Dick scrubs his hand over his face. "What about Dawn, and the kid? Even you said I screwed things up – so did Rachel. The way I handled things back then -,"
"He used it against you," Donna growls. "Yes, I said you screwed up, because you did, but you knew you weren't in love with her, she did too. You wanted to be because you never want to hurt anybody, but when that didn't work you ran. It was a dickish way to end things, but you can't make yourself love someone, not in the real world and clearly, not even in a dream. Dawn moved on. She's happy."
"Yeah," Dick let's go of a weary sigh. "She is."
"Kory is here, safe and sound." Donna says. "You got to figure out what that means – what it could mean."
"She has a ship." Dick says. "I'm the least of her problems. She deserves to know where she comes from. After we get Rachel back, she'll probably do just that. What reason would she have to stay?"
"I can think of three," Donna says. "And I don't know her as well,"
"It's only a little over a week, almost two," Dick laughs. "It's insane, right?"
"And yet," Donna says. "Standing outside that house with her the other night – it felt like an entire month. It's messed up but trauma. What someone does when the chips are down, how they react to danger, it's like a cheat sheet into who they are. You learn things faster. Feel things that maybe would take a little longer in normal circumstances. This isn't one of those times."
Dick bites his lip. He doesn't want to be bonded by trauma, but the truth is, they are. Everything they've been through since running into Rachel has been one huge event after the other, with each other, in front of each other. He's seen Kory afraid and strapped down, tears on her face and she's seen him lose control. Seen his mask and the face behind it.
He needs her, trusts her, and wants her though he doesn't quite understand how to make it work. Something deep down has been reaching for her since they met. He doesn't believe in fate and destiny, but nothing comes closer to describing the weight and shape of this thing they have. This inevitability he can't shake.
"It's embarrassing how obvious you are," Donna teases, punching in him in the leg. "My god."
"Shut up," Dick shoots back. "Why are you-"
"Always right? C'mon," she smirks. "Do I have to remind you every time?" A sigh. "If after this, Kory wants answers – who better to help her find them than a detective?"
Dick blows through his nose. "Donna,"
"Dick, you're not that little boy anymore. Your pain doesn't have to be your story now. Those people out there who found you. They can be your new story. They need you and you need them, so just surrender already, and quit being stubborn."
Dick stands up and pulls her up with him. "The upstairs bathroom needs wiping." He hands her the cloth. "I'm going to wipe down the kitchen – once everyone's back, I'm calling the cops. The Sheriff's been here too long already."
"Good talk," Donna calls after him, and he smiles.
Gar growls at the small crowd of uniforms, trotting away from the taped scene as they give him chase. Angela's words ring in his head: 'You're a weapon to them.' But he pushes it aside, not only because he doesn't want to lose focus and get shot, but because she doesn't want to believe it could be true. Doesn't believe it.
He watches between them as Hank and Jason slip under the tape and disappear behind the truck, but his attention is stolen by the sound of a shot gun being cocked back. Gar growls low into his belly and they stumble back into each other – then he darts for the wood.
"Where'd it go?" a uniform screams, firing a shot into the air. "Yeah, you better run."
Gar slips into the bushes and turns human, relieved to find Hank and Jason jogging back. He's immediately reminded he's naked when Hank groans and turns his head. "Oh, sorry. Heh." He laughs nervously.
"We got everything," Jason holds up the brief case and the book. "Thanks dude."
"Now get a move on. Go." Hank says, gripping the radio. "We'll be right behind you."
Gar crouches down into a tiger, hoping it'll be fast enough to outrun the Deputy who has god knows what kind of head start. Hank and Jason's voices fade into the wind as he takes off, thudding through the mud and leaping over bark and mounds.
He hopes he gets there before it's too late.
Dick wipes down the last of the kitchen, but even with all the windows and doors open the smell of death reeks into everything. Kory wanted to bury him, but he couldn't. The man had a family, friends, and work colleagues who would wonder what happened to him. The least they can do is lead them to him once they are free and clear.
He frowns. "You know, this guy's the town's Sheriff." He says as Donna comes down the stairs. "Two days and no word?"
"Yeah," Donna agrees. "I guess, we were all so preoccupied with you waking up, we didn't consider that,"
"It's strange though, right?" Dick drops the cloth on the back of the sofa as he leaves the kitchen. "No police activity. None. You think the force field Trigon put up extended to the roads, maybe blocked them?"
"Maybe, but it's been down," Donna says.
"Right," Dick says. "We need to move on before our luck run's out. If he lives close, it's only a matter of time before their search broadens."
"Everything's been wiped. All we need is the team and we're out of here." Donna says. "We taking mummy dearest with us or leaving her cuffed to the bed post? Homicide solved."
Dick considers the latter, and sighs. "With us," he says. "For now, after we get Rachel back, she goes to jail for murder." He moves to the stairs. "We should get her down here."
"I got it." Donna skips past him.
"Donna," Dick says firmly, when she blocks his passage up the stairs, and she rolls her eyes and moves.
"I'm telling Kory."
"Love that the two of you are friends, by the way." Dick says, sarcasm dripping from his lips as he follows her up.
Gar leaps out of the wood and gallops towards the house, stopping himself with his nails raking through the mud when he sees a uniform closing in on Angela's house. Three cruisers sit at the bottom of the hill out of sight full of men. He can hear their hearts beating, smell their sweat.
He turns back and stands, stretching his back, his chest pounding, and his breath harsh as he watches the man creep forward. The butt of his hand is rested on the gun attached to his hip. Gar just wants to howl to let them know he wasn't fast enough, and escaping is too late.
Note: So, I wrote Hank and Dawn...