Disclaimer – Own nothing.
To vi – Thanks for your review! I don't think anyone actually liked the Mirage storyline, or the Blockbuster one, and they also don't like how the writers reacted to the fans reactions. I know I didn't. I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I love protective Donna and since the show writers weren't going to give it to us, I had to do it myself. I mean, in the comics, wasn't she basically the 'Mom' of the team? Not as much Kory or Rachel or Bruce in this chapter, but a lot of Donna along with a surprise visitor. Hope you like it!
To quicksilver123 – Thanks for your review! Not much Bruce in this chapter but there is more coming up. Hope you like this chapter!
AN – Special Announcement! Next week, not only will I be uploading the second last chapter on Friday, but I will also be uploading the very last chapter on Saturday! So at the end of next week, this story will officially be over! This chapter title is from the song Pieces by Rob Thomas. Hope you guys like it!
Enjoy!
Enjoying the twinge of apprehension in Slade's good eye for a second, Donna swung out her lasso so it wrapped around his neck and pulled, causing Slade's head to bang against the table. A sick sense of satisfaction rose inside of the Amazonian at causing the assassin just a bit of pain, but she pushed that down. As much as she wanted the man to suffer, she needed him. If she was going to get the antidote for Dick, she needed Slade alive and able to speak. So she gave the rope a little slack and waited for Slade to sit back up.
Suddenly, the door behind her opened and she heard Roy's voice saying, "Donna! What are you doing?"
Turning her head over her shoulder, Donna saw Roy, Hank, Dawn, Kory, Rachel and Gar flooding the doorway. They must've noticed she left and deduced where she had gone. She didn't know why all of them except for Conner and Dr. Mid-Nite had followed her. Dick needed them far more than she did. And it seemed obvious to her what she was doing. Roy, and Hank and Dawn, had seen her use her lasso before.
"I'm getting the information we need to save Dick." Donna told them, turning her attention back to Slade. He was now sitting upright, the rope still wrapped around his neck. His fingers had grasped part of the rope, but he wasn't trying to pull it off. And his face was completely emotionless, apparently having taken the last few seconds to compose and prepare himself.
Stepping closer to the assassin, Donna stared into his soulless eyes and ordered, "What is the cure for the poison you used on Dick?"
"One that is difficult to make, which is why I chose it." Slade deflected, then asked, "Why is it you blame me for all of this? You started this."
"I started this?" Donna repeated with an incredulous tone. When Slade just stared at her, she punched him right in the nose, hard enough to hear and feel the bones crunch under fist.
Before he could recover from the blow, Donna grabbed a handful of his hair and yanked his head up. Ignoring the blood gushing from his nose, Donna leaned closer and hissed, "You started all of this when you killed Garth."
"And why was he there at the airport that night?" Slade wondered with a casual tone, as though his nose hadn't just been broken and there wasn't a rope around his neck.
"Excuse me?" Donna questioned.
"I follow my targets for a bit before I do my job. To find the best time and way to take them out. My target was Jillian, not Garth, as you undoubtedly know. I had a time picked out already, but then I saw you walk into that building to see her." Slade started to explain.
Suddenly, Donna felt fear run through her blood and was about to pull on the rope harder to shut him up, but before she could, Hank said, "Wait, what?"
With a grin, Slade continued, "Later that day, her computers showed that her arranging for a plane, per your request, according to the emails she sent."
"I thought it was Jillian who decided to take you back to Themyscria." Dawn said, but Donna didn't look at her. She just stared at Slade and growled, "Tell me how to heal Dick."
"Put him out of his misery." Slade responded, his grin turning sadistic. "After all, he has been miserable ever since that friend of yours, Garth, died. From what the mics Rose planted in your precious 'Tower', you never told him that you lied about Jillian ordering you back to your island. Or that Garth jumped in front of the bullet. You started all of this when you lied."
"Shut up!" Donna yelled and throwing another punch at Slade's face, then sweeping a leg under his chair, kicking it away.
Without the chair and with his hands still cuffed to the table, Slade awkwardly fell to the ground, his arms lifted up in the air. The vulnerable position didn't faze Donna at all. She punched him again. And again, and again. Then, she kicked him in his ribs. Once, twice. Before she could kick him a third time, hands grabbed her arms and pulled her back. It wasn't until then that she noticed that Roy had been calling her name and telling her to stop.
Turning around to look at him and the others, Donna saw shock and a bit of horror on all of their faces. It was then that realized what she had done, what they had just found out. Feeling something wet and warm on right hand, she glanced down and saw blood all over it, most likely from when she broke Slade's nose. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed and like she couldn't breathe, she pulled the her lasso off of Slade and walked out of the room. Roy reached out to stop her, but she shrugged his hand off.
Donna didn't really have a destination in mind. She just needed out of the room and away from the other heroes. She could hardly hear anything anymore over the blood pounding in her ears. Her heart felt like it was going to race right out of her chest. And her eyes were starting to burn. She needed to get somewhere private.
Going straight to the door closest to her, she opened it and went inside. Seeing it was a bathroom, she went over to the sink and turned it on to clean the blood off her hand. As she did that, she felt tears start running down her cheeks, completely beyond her control. Just like everything had been in the last few minutes.
Hearing the door open, she was about to tell whoever it was to leave her alone, but froze when she saw who it was. There, standing in her famous superhero outfit, was none other than Diana Prince, Wonder Woman herself, looking extremely worried.
"Mom." Donna whispered as her sobs completely took over. Diana immediately came over and pulled her into her arms, hugging her tightly. Next thing the younger hero knew, they were on the floor but she didn't care that much. Everything was falling apart and there wasn't anything she could do about it.
2018TITANS2018
Diana whispered soft and kind words as Donna sobbed into her shoulder, one arm wrapped tightly around the younger Amazon's shoulders while the other cupped the back of her head, running fingers through her hair. Donna barely heard what her mentor and mother-figure was saying, but the sound of her voice was as comforting as her tight embrace. She hadn't cried in Diana's arms like this in years. Though she was an adult now, and had been for a while, it was nice to be held so protectively like this.
Finally, her tears ran dry. She felt Diana shifting a little but didn't pay any real attention to what she was doing until a bunched-up wad of toilet paper appeared right in her line of sight. Donna pulled away from Diana, grabbed the toilet paper and used it to wipe away any remaining tears away before blowing her nose. To her credit, Diana didn't react at all. She even took it from her and threw it in the trash when she was done.
"Slade was right. This is all my fault." Donna mumbled, still leaning against Diana though she was staring at the base of the toilet across from her.
"How?" Diana asked, rubbing her back. At first, Donna didn't understand the question. Then remembered that she wasn't there when Donna tried to interrogate Slade.
"I asked Jillian to take me back to Themyscria, but I told Dick that I was ordered to go." Donna said.
"Why?" Diana gently questioned.
"Because of Garth. I had feelings for him, and it was obvious he wanted to be with me, but I didn't want to act on them and I knew if I stayed, I would." Donna told her. "Garth found out I was leaving and followed me. He asked me to stay, and I decided to. But then Slade tried to kill Jillian and Garth jumped in front of the bullet and was killed. If I wasn't such a coward, Garth wouldn't have been there and he'd still be alive. None of this would've happened."
"Oh Donna." Diana whispered, then after a minute, added, "You had no way of knowing that that would happen. You played a part in this, but so did everyone else. Garth made a choice too. He didn't have to come after you and he didn't have to jump in front of the bullet."
"But it still all started with me." Donna objected, feeling tears coming to her eyes once again. "And I didn't tell anyone the truth after he died. And when Dick found out that Slade was the killer and that he had a son, Jericho, and suggested we use him to find out where Slade is, I pushed him and the others to do it. Even when we all started feeling guilty, I kept pushing. I wanted revenge.
"And then, when Jillian told me that she was the target and was taking over the investigation, I didn't tell anyone that either. I wanted revenge and if I told them that Jillian was taking over, then we would stop and I wouldn't get it. So I kept my mouth shut and kept pushing. And when Jericho died, I just left with Hank and Dawn. I didn't tell them anything. I let them blame Dick for all of this. I put the blame on him too. Then, when Dick told us how Jericho really died, or we thought he died, I still didn't say anything. I let the others blame him, and I blamed him too."
Donna paused, taking a minute to try and collect herself. When she thought she had, she continued, "And now Dick's dying and the one thing I could do to help him, I failed at."
"Sh." Diana cooed, hearing from the younger woman's voice that she was about to start crying again.
"I don't know what to do." Donna whispered as a stray tear dripped from her eye.
Diana pulled away a bit so she could like at her daughter's face and said, "First thing's first, you are going to take a minute to clean yourself up. Then, you're going to give me your lasso and go see Dick."
"What?" Donna questioned, completely confused.
"Bruce called me a few hours ago, when he couldn't figure out what the poison is. He wants me to use my lasso. But from what I've just learned, it might be better to use two lassos at once instead of one." Wonder Woman explained.
"But, I can't do it. He got under my skin and he'll do it again." The photographer told her.
"I know." Diana replied, moving a hand to brush a strand of hair from Donna's face. "That's why it's not going to be you using it. Bruce is. I'll use mine, he'll use yours."
Donna almost felt bad for Slade, knowing that. His strength of will against hers was one thing. Against Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne? He didn't have a chance. Whether he had metahuman powers or not. He was screwed. And if that didn't work, the Dark Knight would make sure he paid for whatever happened to the original Robin.
She was pulled from her thoughts when Diana gripped her shoulder and said, "Now you clean yourself up, and go see Dick. He needs you right now."
"Okay, okay." Donna mumbled, wiping her face again. Diana then stood up, and held out a hand which Donna took. Once she was up on her feet, she held out her hand that was holding her lasso and said, "Please save him."
"I'll do everything in my power." Diana promised. While she hadn't approved of Bruce letting a child help him fight crime, she had grown attached to the boy almost as soon as she met him. When Donna met him, they quickly adopted each other as siblings, leading to Diana practically adopting him as her nephew. She didn't want him to die either.
With that said, Diana took the lasso and walked out of the room, leaving Donna alone. Turning to the sink, Donna turned on the cold water and splashed some on face, cooling her burning cheeks. Once she felt composed, she grabbed the hand towel and dried her face. After that, she took a deep breath and headed towards her little brother.
2018TITANS2018
Conner watched with growing concern as Dick started to shift uncomfortably in the large tub filled with cold water and ice beside the clone. After they got Dick to stop seizing, Dr. Mid-Nite asked for his help in making a bunch more ice while he pulled out the metal tub from a different room. He then filled it half-way with cold water, instructing Conner to put in the ice he had made. After that, the two of them managed to lift Dick off the hospital bed and into the tub.
Dick struggled at first, but that didn't last long. He was too weak to fight them, the fever taking its toll. However, an almost pained expression remained on his face. And every now and then, he'd moan and try to move. It was really beginning to worry Conner. While he hadn't known Dick for very long, he didn't like the idea of the older man being in pain.
"I don't like this." Conner finally spoke up. Seeing Dr. Mid-Nite looking over at him, Conner added, "He looks like this is hurting him."
Dr. Mid-Nite sighed before sitting down on the floor by Conner. Looking over at his patient, the doctor/hero said, "It most likely is. Extremely cold temperatures are very painful to normal human when they first feel it. Until they go numb that is. Then they don't feel anything."
"Isn't there any other way to lower his fever? To make him feel better?" Conner asked, his eyes darting back and forth from Dick to the doctor.
"If there was, I'd be doing it right now." Dr. Mid-Nite answered sadly. "As it is, this isn't going to help him for much longer. The only thing that can truly help him is the antidote to whatever he was poisoned with."
Conner frowned, then looked back at Dick. He was beginning to wonder if maybe he should just use his freezing breath power right on Dick. That would definitely cool him down. Before he could ask about it though, he heard the door open again. Looking over, he saw it was the girl, Donna. Her hair was a little messy and her face was red. A distant memory that was not his told him that it seemed like she had been crying.
Without saying anything, Donna walked over to the tub where Dick was lying and sat down beside him, on the opposite of Conner and Dr. Mid-Nite. She barely looked at the clone or the doctor. Her eyes were locked on Dick. On his shivering body, his wheezy breathing audible through the oxygen mask that was now strapped to his face. He looked awful. At least he wasn't seizing anymore.
Reaching her hand out, she started stroking his cheek, wincing when she felt how hot his skin still was despite the ice and freezing water. She hated how sick he was, hated that she couldn't help him. She had her chance and she blew it. Just like she blew everything. Slade was right. This was all her fault. Garth's death, Jericho's supposed death, Dick dying in front of her. It was all on her.
Moving her hand, Donna gently pushed Dick's head towards hers and leaned her forehead against his temple. With tears running down her cheeks again, she whispered, "I'm so sorry Dick. So sorry. Please, please don't leave me too."
Feeling a hand fall on her shoulder, Donna slowly turned her head to find Conner right behind her, giving her a small smile. She didn't even notice that he had moved. While they didn't know each other, it was really sweet that he was trying to comfort her. From the few interactions Donna had with Conner, he seemed like a really kind and sweet boy. A lot like how she pictured a younger Clark Kent. Which, in a way, he was.
Giving him a small smile in return, the photographer turned her gaze back to Dick. Conner's hand stayed on her shoulder for a few minutes before he dropped it. He stayed by her side though. She didn't say anything and neither did he. She had no idea what was going on his head, but his presence was oddly comforting. It actually felt a bit like the times whenever she was struggling and Dick was there for her. And that brought even more tears to her eyes. Dick had always been there for her when she needed and where was she in the last five years? Running off and pretending like everything was his fault and he deserved it. It should be her dying, not him.
Donna sat beside the tub, her head leaning against Dick's, her arm awkwardly wrapped around his shoulders, trying to give him her strength. She wasn't sure if it was working though. She was so focused on Dick, hoping, praying that he'll be okay that she didn't notice Dr. Mid-Nite walking around the room or his quiet conversation with Conner. Didn't notice the time passing either. It felt like minutes and hours all at once. It wasn't until the door was thrown open that Donna lifted her head and refocused on her surroundings.
Batman, the person who had opened the door, strode right over to Dr. Mid-Nite with a small, glass vial in his hand. Behind him, the rest of the Titans, Rose, Roy, Wally and Diana came in, all looking anxious and hopeful. As Diana came over to Donna's side, Batman handed the doctor the vial and said, "We got it."
