I close my eyes and I remember the night I first kissed Dick, when we were stranded in the middle of nowhere with only each other for company. The sounds of the forest wrapped around me, cool ground beneath me and the warmth of Dick's body to my side. The exhilaration and anticipation and fear mixed into this intoxicating concoction that drove me to all but throw myself at him. But all those conflicting emotions melted away when our lips pressed together. It was a homecoming, of sorts.
If I never get to kiss him again… I don't know how I'll cope with that. I feel like I've lost so much already and the thought of losing Dick — and Jason — is a terrifying one.
I refuse to show any of that on my face as Dawn explains that they checked Dick's last known location and he's gone. Vanished. Almost certainly taken by Deathstroke. Possibly already dead.
"We're going to need to start combing through the city's CCTV footage and try to figure out where Deathstroke might be keeping them," Donna is explaining. Rachel and I stand shoulder to shoulder in the living room, a fire crackling softly beside us. Gar is sitting on one of the armchairs, his face in his hands; he still blames himself for Jason getting kidnapped, for this entire situation. I want to tell him that it's not his fault, that Deathstroke would have found a way to get what he wants, but there's no time right now for feelings.
Hank scoffs and shakes his head. "This is just great. So now Deathstroke has Jason and Dick. What the hell was he thinking? Going off alone like some goddamn lone ranger—"
Hank's spiel comes to an abrupt end when the television in the living room flickers to life. We all turn to look at the screen in shock and confusion.
Dick and Jason are bound tightly to chairs side by side, fabric stuffed in their mouths, acting as gags. Blood trickles out the side of Jason's mouth and Dick has a similar trail of blood coming down his temple. Behind them, looms Deathstroke, a shadowy and intimidating figure.
"How is this happening right now?" Hank demands.
"I have no idea," Gar breathes.
We can do nothing but watch as Deathstroke steps forward and, in a deep voice, issues the following order, "Confess."
At first, it's unclear who he's talking to. But then he reaches down and yanks out Dick's gag.
"Confess," Deathstroke orders again, coming around to stand in front of Dick and Jason. I hear this proclamation echo from the other rooms; this live feed must be playing on every screen in the penthouse.
Dick is quick to retort with, "Let Jason go and—"
There is the sickening sound of leather hitting flesh as Deathstroke strikes Jason across the face with his glove-covered hand. He hits him again, and Jason's cheek begins to bleed.
"Stop! Stop!" Dick pleads, yanking at his restrains to no avail.
"Confess!" Deathstroke demands.
I hurry out of the living room, ignoring Rachel's questions about where I'm going, and run toward the control room. The sound of Deathstroke continuing to hit Jason follows me as I pass by Dick's empty room and see the same live feed playing on his television. In the control room, I sit down and start typing.
Deathstroke has somehow gotten into Titans Tower's servers.
On one of the many screens, Dick yells at Deathstroke to leave Jason alone.
"Confess! Admit what you did!" Deathstroke booms at Dick and I momentarily stop typing. What exactly does he want Dick to confess to? What has Dick done that is so terrible that he'd let Jason be tortured just to keep it secret?
The live stream is being transmitted from somewhere in the city. Now that Deathstroke is in the Tower's servers, I should be able to pinpoint his location. But even if I do…we won't make it in time. Not before Deathstroke decides to kill Jason because Dick won't do as he's told.
Deathstroke draws his sword slowly and, one final time, says, "Confess."
Dick hesitates. Deathstroke puts the tip of the sword to Jason's throat and finally, Dick relents.
"Stop. Stop…" Dick hangs his head, shame written all over his face. My heart twists in my chest at the sight. "I lied."
"Louder," Deathstroke commands.
"I lied!" Dick shouts. "I lied to my friends, to my teammates…" His breathing is heavy. He looks directly into the camera and I go very still. I can almost feel his gaze, from within that pixellated screen. "I was afraid they'd leave me, leave Titans Tower…and if that happened, there'd be no Titans."
"Tell them the truth," Deathstroke orders.
There is a moment of static. Jason is looking at Dick, wide-eyed beneath his black Robin mask.
"I manipulated Deathstroke's son, Jericho. I befriended him, brought him into the Titans, and I used him to get to his father even though…even though I knew I was putting him in danger," Dick pauses and I can see that this is killing him, admitting this. "I promised Jericho that I would let him meet his father alone and then…I broke that promise."
Jason shakes his head in disbelief whilst Deathstroke tilts his head up, like this is long awaited retribution.
"I lied to you, Donna, Dawn and Hank. I told you that Jericho was dead when I got to the church. But he wasn't. He was alive. He died trying to save me from his father. I'm sorry…You all deserve more." Dick looks down, his hair hanging over his forehead, distress written into every line of his face.
The trace I've been running on the live stream comes back with a location just in time; a sky scraper under construction downtown. As Dick's confession comes to an end, the live stream cuts out.
I jot down the address, jump to my feet and run back to the living room. "I've got the location!" I pant. "We gotta go."
Dawn, Donna, Hank, Rachel and Gar are all frozen in place. No one moves.
"Guys! Snap out of it! We've got to go," I insist. Gar is the first to move, standing from his chair and coming toward me. Donna follows closely behind but the others remain unmoving. "What are you doing?" I am hurried and worried and frustrated. "We need to go and rescue them! Deathstroke is going to kill Dick!"
"Maybe he deserves it!" Hank bursts out. "Maybe he brought this on himself!"
"Hank," Dawn gently chastises.
I glare at Hank. "Are you fucking kidding me? If that was you right now, Dick wouldn't hesitate for even a second to go and get you! No matter what you'd done. Suddenly you're Mr. Perfect? Fuck you, Hank! You're useless anyway."
"Enough," Donna cuts in. "Hank, you need to suck it up right now and focus, alright?" She looks at Gar and I. "You guys are going to stay here. Dawn, Hank and I will get Jason and Dick back."
"No fucking way. You aren't sidelining us, not now." I look at my best friend. "Rach, let's go."
She slowly stands, pulling her sleeves down over her hands. Her eyes meet mine and in them I can see just how truly betrayed she feels.
"Maybe we should let them handle it," she says quietly.
"What?!" I can't believe this — are they really abandoning Dick in his time of need? Over some lie from years ago? "Rachel! Dick has always been there for us, we can't leave him now."
"That's not what I'm saying. I just…I don't think I'm up for this," she says quietly. "After what happened with Rose…"
She's afraid to use her powers and lose control; I understand that and the last thing I want to do is push her.
"Fine, you stay here and keep an eye on Rose. Dawn, are you coming?" I question.
"We both are," she declares, taking Hank's hand and all but dragging him down the couple of stairs from the living room. "But you and Gar are staying here with Rachel."
"No—"
My protest is quickly cut off by Donna, "If Dick knew that we let you anywhere near Deathstroke, he'd kill us." Donna gives me a meaningful look and I wonder just how much Dick has told her about our relationship.
With gritted teeth, I begrudgingly agree and hold out the half-crumpled piece of paper. "Fine, go. Here's the address."
Dawn, Donna and Hank head toward the elevators. As soon as they're gone, I am grabbing Gar and yanking him forward.
"What? Where are we going?" He asks.
"Where do you think we're going? After Jason and Dick!"
"The Titans said they'd handle it—"
"I thought we were the Titans?" I shoot back. "Come on, Gar! We can't just sit here and do nothing while Dick and Jason are…" I shake my head, worry squeezing my throat so hard that I can scarcely breathe. I feel like I just started to heal from the death of my sister. If I lose Dick and Jason now, I'm afraid it might break me.
"The last time I left the Tower when I shouldn't have, Jason got kidnapped. If we leave and you get hurt, it'll be my fault," Gar explains. I do understand what he means, but I can't sit on the sidelines. Not right now.
"Fine, then I'll go by myself."
I'm halfway to elevator when I hear Gar heave a sigh and say, "Wait. I'm coming with you."
"Be careful," Rachel warns us as the elevator doors slide closed.
~O~
Police choppers fly overhead and the distant wailing of sirens steadily grows closer.
Soon, this sky scraper will be surrounded by cops, which isn't surprising considering the profuse amount of gunfire currently coming from one of the top floors. It can be heard even from Gar and I's position down on the street. We rush toward the building but stop in shock when there is an explosion and a large metal structure flies through the air and crashes onto the ground. I crane my neck back and, up far above, I see Jason dangling in the air. He is held up only by his fingertips gripping onto the ledge of the building.
My heart in my throat, I can do nothing but watch the terrifying scene unfold.
Dick leans over the ledge and grabs Jason's hand and for one blessed moment, I think everything is going to be ok.
But then Jason slips and he begins to fall.
I think I scream or maybe Gar does. Most likely, we both do. Jason plummets toward the earth, nothing below him but a concrete sidewalk and parked cars.
He's going to die.
There is a whoosh and Gar pulls me down like we're being swooped by a bird. I look up to see that a figure is flying through the air and catches Jason in his arms.
"What the…?" Gar breathes as both Jason and the unknown figure fall and crash onto the roof of a car.
Without hesitation, I begin sprinting over to them, Gar not far behind me. "Jason!" I shout. "Jason!"
He's already sliding off the destroyed car, shattered glass haloing the street around us. Other than some scrapes and bruises, he looks fine.
"Thank fucking God." I grab him and pull him into a tight hug. After a moment, he returns it. Our arguments and fights are forgotten; I'm just glad he's alive.
We break away from each other to look at this mysterious man. He's got pale, smooth skin and black hair that's slicked out of his face. Classically handsome and well-built, there is something of an innocence in the way that he looks at us. A bright S symbol, typically worn by Superman, is printed on his shirt.
"Who the fuck are you?" I ask.
"I'm uh…not super sure yet," he admits.
"You just saved my life," Jason breathes. "I don't know how to thank you."
The man smiles and opens his mouth to say something but instead the deafening sound of a gun shot rings through the air. Blood bursts from the man's chest and he falls to the ground. Jason rushes forward as I sway back in shock, nearly falling into Gar.
Too many shocking events just happened in such a short timeframe.
"There!" Gar points at a shadowy figure down the street, slowly lowering a gun.
"Go!" I tell him and he takes off after the person. A white dog trots up to us and begins to nuzzle at our saviour's arm as he gasps for breath. I crouch down beside Jason but when I hear the pounding of footsteps approaching, I look back up. Dawn and Donna — a little bloodied but not too worse for wear — are running toward us.
"Jason!" Dawn shouts, her eyes pinging between Jason, me and our saviour.
"I'm ok!" Jason calls back.
"Gar just went after the shooter. Go help him!" I yell at them, pointing in the direction that Gar took off in. They hesitate, but only for a moment before racing down the street in pursuit of Gar. "Put pressure on it," I urge Jason, who presses his hands to the bleeding wound. "I have to check on Dick. Stay here; Donna and Dawn should be back soon."
"Wait Will! Deathstroke could still be in there," Jason warns as I stand up.
"I know but I have to find Dick. I'll be back." I don't wait for his response, instead running inside the building and toward the elevator. I've just pressed the up button when the entrance to the staircase bursts open.
And there's Dick.
He's a little bloodied with his cut temple and split lip, but he seems ok. We stand, staring at each other, both panting harshly.
"Jason?" He questions.
"He's fine. He's ok," I assure him. I want to hug him, to kiss him, to slap him in the face for going off alone. Instead I just stand there and stare.
He takes a step toward me and reaches out his hand, but before his fingers can brush mine, Donna rushes in. Dick quickly pulls back.
"Dick, Will, we need you!"
Of course. There's a shooter on the loose and a bleeding saviour outside; duty calls.
~O~
Daylight has barely begun to break. Sunlight peaks over the horizon, bathing San Francisco in a beautiful yet chilly early morning glow.
I stare out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the living room of Titans Tower. My hands smell of antibacterial soap; I've just scrubbed them clean to rid them of blood.
Jason's saviour is currently in a coma in the infirmary. Dawn, Rachel and I did everything we could to help him but…it's not looking good and we're really not sure if there's anything more to be done. He muttered a few things in his sleep, the name 'Conner' among them. So that's what we're calling him for now; Conner.
Gar managed to track down the shooter, who works for Cadmus Laboratories. They're in police custody now and an investigation into Cadmus has been opened, so hopefully we won't see them again.
Hank got pretty beat up in the fight with Deathstroke — he was half unconscious on the top level of the sky scraper when we found him. He's definitely got a concussion and possibly a fractured rib or two but he'll be fine.
I think I saw Jason slip into the training room not long ago. He's almost certainly traumatised and probably still pissed at Dick. I suppose everyone must be. Though I haven't yet had the chance to talk to Rachel, I know she's going to be upset based on the look of betrayal I saw on her face earlier.
Dick comes down the hallway and toward the living room. His footsteps are quiet, but I can sense him in a way, can feel that he's close to me.
I turn to face him. He's freshly showered and changed clothes, a hardened look on his face. I wish to comfort him in some way, but I'm so useless at it.
"Shitty decision to go off on your own," I say instead of something actually useful.
He hangs his head, lips pressed together. "I know."
Shit. I don't want to make him feel worse.
"I need to go and talk to Jason. And Hank and Rachel. And check on the guy who saved Jason—"
"Just stop," I interrupt him. "Take a moment. I'd like to appreciate the fact that you're actually alive, if that's alright."
He puffs out a breath. I think I've said the wrong thing, again.
I step toward him and reach out to touch his arm, my fingers skimming up to his elbow. I may not be good with words, but I can offer comfort this way. He slots his hand onto my waist, a warm presence, and draws me a little closer.
"I thought you'd be—"
He's cut off by the sound of Hank's angry yelling coming from down the hall. "I said I'm fine! I'm not staying here for a second longer in the same fucking tower as that lying piece of shit!"
Dick and I quickly separate, putting an entirely appropriate amount of space between us. Hank storms out of his room where Dawn was treating him and into the living area. He's limping and clutching his middle as he goes. The ruckus he causes draws Rachel and Gar out from their bedrooms and Donna comes out as well. Dawn is following behind Hank, trying to placate him. Dick and I head down to the kitchen, closer to them.
"No! I'm fucking done. We're leaving," Hank declares. His eyes lock onto Dick. "You're a lying sack of shit."
"Hank, that's enough." Dawn lays a hand on her boyfriend's chest.
Donna is glaring at Dick as well. "Exactly how many fucking half-truths have you told us?" She demands.
"At least you got a half-truth," Rachel says quietly, folding her arms across her body.
Jason emerges from the training room and it seems Rose must have been in there with him because she follows closely behind. "So was it all true then? What you said to Deathstroke?" He asks, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Dick can't meet his gaze, his jaw clenched. "It's true."
"Fuck this. I'm out," Donna mutters and heads toward the elevators.
"I'm going too," Rachel says as she takes a few steps toward Donna, who stops to wait for her.
"Rachel." Gar is wide-eyed and begging her to stay with his expression.
But she shakes her head. "I can't stay here. I just can't." Then, she looks at me expectantly.
I am stuck in a very difficult position.
In the past, I would have followed Rachel anywhere. She's my number one, my main priority, the reason I'm here. My best friend.
But now…
I look over at Dick. I don't want to leave him, nor do I want to leave Titans Tower behind. It's just started to feel like home.
"Rach…" I trail off. Shock and betrayal pass over her face and it hurts. She's so used to me putting her first. I look around the room. "Don't you think you're all blowing this a little out of proportion? Yes, Dick lied and yes, he fucked up. But don't forget who the real enemy is here."
Hank scoffs and Rachel looks affronted.
Rose is glaring daggers at me. "He got my brother killed."
"To me, it sounds like your father killed your brother so maybe you should take it up with him." It's a snarky and nasty thing to say but in that moment, I don't really care.
"Will, it's ok," Dick says very quietly to me. "You don't have to—"
"Of course you're defending him," Jason snaps, glaring at me. Seems our fleeting moment of friendship is over again.
"Cut it out, Jason," I say.
"He lied to us! To you!" Jason stops and looks at me for a moment. "…Unless he didn't lie to you. Did you know about all of this?"
"What? No!" I protest.
"Nobody knew," Dick presses.
"Wait, why would Will have known?" Rachel questions and my eyes go wide.
"Oh come on, Rachel! Wake up!" Jason shouts. "They're screwing each other!"
Silence falls over the entire room, everyone turning to look at Dick and I. My heart pounds in my chest, blood rushes in my ears.
Rachel and I stare at each other. I am frozen in place, unable to move, when she asks, "Will…is that true?"
~O~
A/N: Lots of action in this chapter. I hope it didn't feel too rushed.
Thank you to anyone who is reading this. I would also LOVE to hear any thoughts you have in a review. They mean a lot to us writers.
Sorry to leave you on a bit of cliffhanger, but I'll get to work on the next chapter. Also…how great is Titans S4?
Thanks guys!