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After helping Artemis get Black Canary out safely, Layla surveyed the area quickly before realizing a very salient fact. Roy was missing. He'd gone back in to make sure there was no one left in the collapsing tunnels, and despite every warning sign telling her to stay out in the sun, where it was safe, Layla couldn't leave him behind.
He's my teammate now. I can't leave him! As much as Red Arrow had ragged on her since the first moment she'd met him, what better way could there be to prove her loyalty? And the tremors were getting worse. What if he's hurt in there?
Layla found herself enveloped back in the darkness of the cave, grateful that her eyes glowed and allowed her some light in the otherwise pitch black underground. The small earthquakes of faulty explosives going off every which way thanks to the broken computer (and Layla, in an indirect way), that had broken the gas lighting inside and left her in utter blackness.
"Red Arrow?" She called through the dark passage, seeing the opening of daylight getting further and further behind her.
Before she knew it, Layla had fallen over an obstruction in the path where a pile of rocks had been heaped, blocking the tunnel to the heart of the maze. Had Roy gotten trapped down there?
A groan alerted Layla to her companion's whereabouts- not behind the wall of rocks, but nearly underneath it.
"Was there anyone left back there?" she asked him in a hushed voice, as if a louder sound would do further damage to the cave around them. Red Arrow only shook his head, clawing his way out from under the mound of debris.
"But you shouldn't have come. We're both done for."
Layla blinked at him confused. Then realized what he'd meant. Red Arrow held his bleeding leg and leaned against the wall of the cave for support. He'd never be able to get back the length of the tunnel to safety.
"If you ran, you might be able to-"
"Don't say it! I'm not leaving you here!" Layla whispered, clenching her hands into fists and taking Roy's arm over her shoulder. "It's not over 'til it's over," she said, more to herself than anything.
Sure he might've been an annoying pain in the butt when I met him, but nobody should… die alone. The chilling thought surged through the weak mental connection still shared by Miss Martian reverberated through both junior heroes, and they both stopped, realizing that there was nothing left to do. The walls of the cave were shaking beyond help. The cave would come down any second.
"Come on. Let's go this way: under the support beams ahead," she advised, seating the limping archer down below the last remaining gas lamp in the whole of the darkness. The light from the cave entrance had already been extinguished, and with a final boom, the walls around them collapsed, leaving only the tiny space between them intact.
Red Arrow wasn't sure if it was humane or cruel what had happened. The two would run out of air, or aftershocks would crush them to death, slowly. Once again, the faint mental connection had Layla chastising him.
In the aftermath and the darkness, the echoing quiet was more than Layla could take.
"Are… are you in any pain?" She whispered. The lamp had shuddered out almost instantly after the final explosion and left only the eerie green glow of Layla's eyes, illuminating the space between the two unfortunate teammates that left Roy feeling like he was looking through night vision goggles.
"Just peachy," he muttered back, adjusting his position against the rugged rock wall behind him, and dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling from the slight movement. "This place is precarious. Move and we're dead."
"What's with all the fatalism?" Layla grumbled in response. Maybe it was because she'd been protected all her life that she assumed this dank, sad situation was not going to be the end, but Roy knew better. The walls would finish collapsing soon enough, and even if rescue arrived, the digging would only lead to another collapse. Nothing could be done.
As Roy lost himself in the hopelessness of the situation, Layla was stuck on another sad thought. Nobody on the team knew who she really was. Of course she knew everything about them; what M'gann liked to cook most, what subjects Wally was best at in school, Robin's favorite movie… little details that weren't in the files she'd read, but what she'd learned from observing, and getting to know them. Even Roy, with his illusive anger, his stony gaze and stern demeanor… he liked Chinese food. She liked Chinese food. Maybe she would never get to share it with him.
"Layla."
The small voice across from him distracted Roy from the imminent situation.
"My name. It's Layla. I never thought I'd be a hero... although I guess I never thought I'd end up like this either, but I wouldn't take any of it back."
"Not even the part where we both get stuck in this tunnel?" Roy asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, maybe that part," she thought, smirking in response. Then jumped to her feet. Roy was quick on the uptake as well. "The mental link! It's still up! M'gann! Robin, KF, Artemis, Aqualad, Superboy… can anyone hear us?!"
"Layla, don't jump around, the cave will collapse," Roy reminded her, cautiously getting to his feet and listening for where the mental link was strongest. "Kaldur, it's Roy. You're right over us."
"Copy that. We'll do our best to-"
Red Arrow and Spyglass looked up hesitantly as debris came raining down on them as the Team attempted to dig them out, obviously with less finesse than they'd hoped.
"No good! The roof is caving in." Roy responded through the mental link and received a collected, frustrated groan.
"But you're running out of air down there-" Aqualad began, but was cut off immediately by the strong, prevailing presence of Roy in the link.
"I know."
Roy glanced at Layla, whose face had turned from one of accepting the reality, to one with a small glimmer of hope. Her eyes were trained on the sagging ceiling, hoping for her team to somehow figure a way to get them out in one piece. She was hoping for a miracle.
And it came.
"Layla, get down beside me." Roy, turning on his Red Arrow voice ordered, to which the young Leaguer eagerly complied. The change in the emotion of the mental link let her know something was up, something that could possibly lead to escape. Looking up at him from her position on the ground, Roy spoke again, slipping his hand into his fallen quiver and pulling out a very particular arrow. He could tell it was the right one just by the feel of it in his fingers.
"Hold on to me," he instructed, crouching down on his injured leg and holding the arrow in front of the two, where Layla's bright eyes could show her what was going on. "In a few seconds, I'm going to smash this arrow above us. It's filled with an expanding foam that will protect us from the debris, but… we won't be able to breathe inside it." His serious gaze that locked with hers wavered slightly at the prospect of being enveloped in a dark, sticky place that could suffocate her to death. She was trading one prison for another.
Red Arrow sensed her weakness, but moved slowly to show her that he wasn't planning on backing down. They had a sliver of a chance of making it out alive, and they were gonna take it. Unexpectedly, he reached an arm around her crouched waist and pulled her even closer. At least if he was going to die, it was better to be in someone's arms.
Layla squeezed her eyes shut, and the lights surrounding the pair went out.
"Now."
YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ
It felt like an eternity in the black bubble before Layla burst forth, coughing and gasping in fresh air on the surface again. Beside her lay an equally astonished Roy Harper, who could hardly believe the plan worked. But they were safe, and he was still hugging her to him. With a grunt, he released a surprised Spyglass who fell to the ground at his rough realization of their position, and limped to his feet.
"You're alright!" M'gann came racing forward and embraced the sad twosome who'd just emerged from an almost early grave.
"Not quite," Roy coughed in response, still clearing the thick foam residue out of his lungs and resting his hand on his good leg.
"I suppose this is mission accomplished then?" Kid Flash offered with a shrug, giving his uncertain teammates a half smile at the bizarre situation.
"One could say that. Let's get the League back to the Mountain. We will sort out this problem there." Aqualad motioned for the team to begin filling the bioship with the Leaguers.
"Gee, swell. We're literally the only thing left protecting the planet! And it was all thanks to that weird flute guy!" Artemis fumed, flicking an unresponsive Green Arrow in the shoulder to prove her point. They were done for if they couldn't reverse the damage done by the Flute-man.
"No use worrying about it until we're back in the cave," Layla interrupted as the ship took off, taking no notice to the onslaught of worried expressions that followed the archer's words. Really, she was most worried about Roy.
Which was bad. Having feelings for the beings she watched over and had no control over was bad! She lived in the Watchtower! She was a slave to the League and its mission. Plus she knew next to nothing about boys and their antics and-
"You look like you're deep in thought. Care to share?" Superboy poked his head between the seats where Layla resided between Wally and M'gann , and narrowed his eyes at Layla, whose green ones had been flickering back and forth between Red Arrow, and the interesting pattern of tiles at her feet.
"Ahem, it's nothing," she replied lamely, turning to look out the window and glad for the silence that followed. She didn't belong in the world like this. She belonged above it. Making friends and bonds was pointless if they were just going to be severed anyway.
As they got closer and closer to Mt. Justice, Layla knew her time on Earth was coming to a close, and dreaded it as Robin set to work trying to restore the League. She knew he could do it. She'd studied the way he utilized his vast intellect, and his ingenuity often astounded her. But the one team member she couldn't quite fathom was Red Arrow.
"Layla." The object of her contemplation's voice broke through the sea of woes that sloshed about in her mind and she was suddenly very aware of his presence beside her in the medical room. M'gann and Wally had helped Roy take off his ripped pants and were preparing to close his wounds when he spoke to the startled Spyglass.
"Thanks." Layla blinked several times before she even processed that he'd said anything.
Thanks? Thanks for what?
"So, you're name's Layla huh?" the bright eyed girl barely had a second to think before KF turned on his charm and began accosting her with ridiculous questions and pick up lines. It wasn't long before the whole cave knew her name. So much for a secret identity.
"Don't worry. You're an honorary member now! You're secret's safe with us!" Wally flashed her a genuine smile and Layla felt a blush heating up her face. The embarrassment caused her eyes to zoom in on the molecules of KF's bright yellow suit, and she had to snap herself out before she split an atom with the intensity of her gaze.
And it wasn't just Wally smiling: even Superboy had a smirk on his face at her 'honorary membership'.
She wanted to stay! She wanted to be part of this team, part of this family…
YJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJYJ YJYJYJYJYJ
"You did well, Spyglass." Superman put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as Aqualad gave the main League members a status report of the damaged systems, and the recovery of their stable brain waves.
"Must be scary for you, seeing everything up close like this. But don't worry. You can go back up to Watchtower if you want now," the Man of Steel continued. Layla's green eyes lowered under the bangs that had fallen out of her ponytail. How could she disappoint Superman? Would he be mad, if she asked to spend more time on Earth?
"Let's go little lady. The zeta tubes wait for no man… or woman," Green Arrow called out, beckoning the reluctant little heroine into the warm orange glow of the transport beam.
"No, no! I want to stay! I want to live in the world, not sit on the sidelines."
Spyglass clenched her fists and raised her green gaze level with Green Arrow's, but to her surprise, he had a knowing smile. Unknowingly, Ms. Martian had tapped into the mental comms just in time for the whole mountain to hear the former lookout's little outburst.
"M-M'gann! What if I had been thinking something weird?! You woulda broadcast it to everybody!" the indignant Layla cried, looking back and forth between her mentors- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Martian Man-hunter… they all looked so-
"We're proud of you, Layla. I think you're ready to step out on your own. But you had to be the one to leave the nest, so to speak." Black Canary came up behind Spyglass with a comm link stamped 'YJ' in her hand and the girl thought her heart was going to stop.
"I get to stay? Wow! I never thought I'd say this, but this is the happiest day of my life!"
Layla held back an excited squeal, but was once again getting weird looks from the League and YJ team.
"That's great kid. You guys take good care of her now." Superman gave a final wave before disappearing with the rest of the League in the zeta tubes. Layla's face was bright red.
"M'GANN! Stop doing that!"
Artemis smiled at her green teammate's cleverness and crossed her arms, replying to the renewed outburst with a rather haughty laugh.
"Come on Layla! If she hadn't, you never come out and admitted that you liked hanging with us!"
"Even if you were almost crushed to death in a twisted underground rock maze. That really puts the 'dis' in 'disaster'!" the Boy Wonder added, looking slightly tired after all the mental reprogramming. He wasn't sure he ever wanted to look inside the brains of the Justice League. Ever.
"Hey! There's someone who doesn't know about your recent addition. Why don't you go tell you-know-who?" Artemis sidled up next to Layla, who was still reeling with the news, and prodded her in the ribs playfully. Everyone had seen the interaction between the two after the cave incident. The way Roy and Layla's awkward side glances kept meeting, only to have the two snap their heads in the opposite direction when they saw the other looking their way. Unfortunately, Layla had yet to learn about 'playing it cool'.
"What're you talking about? Me and Roy? Are you crazy, haha! Yup, that's funny! You… crazy. Heh…" Layla cleared her throat and took a step away from Artemis only to bump into Aqualad who even wore a smug look.
"Not you too Atlantean!" she cried out in vain, trudging toward the infirmary with apprehension, if only to get away from the eerily expectant looks on her new teammates faces.
"What is wrong with me? This is so awkward! Why did I have to be so obvious! I didn't think I was that obvious."
"You were pretty obvious."
Layla's heart jumped into her throat, hearing Roy's voice responding to her thoughts. "How come I'm the only one that that works on?" she wondered despairingly. She hoped that it would quit it from then on.
"Seriously, quit it. I'm easy enough to read as it is."
"Like a book. At least now I know you're not a threat to the League anymore." The bright, angry glow of Layla's super eyes lit up the white hospital room.
"I was never a threat in the first place! And don't get any ideas about what you heard from my… brain a few seconds ago! I just thought it was cool the way you saved us from dying young, untimely deaths, that's all! You're still a total jerk!" the normally shy girl barked at her former aggressor, hoping to cover her tracks with brash rudeness. Even Red Arrow noticed the change in the girl from even a few hours before.
"I think I liked it better when you were afraid of me," Roy mumbled as the auburn haired girl stalked off in a huff. There would be a time to chase after her, but right now, he didn't mind watching her walk away. The way the tight spandex hugged her hips-
"Is she wearing underwear?"
Layla stopped cold in the hallway as echoes of laughter rung through the base.
They would have to get that mind link thing fixed soon.
Semi-note number one: I'm well aware that my intro to that villain was totally stupid and contrived, and in my head it went better, but hopefully you guys liked it anyway. Also, I'm a total Roy fan, so *spoiler* I just ignore the parts of the show where it talks about him and Jade… and their baby. Blegh. Jk tho, I actually love Invasion.
Semi-note number two: I actually wrote this in two main sittings, so if the characters seemed a bit weird and bipolar, I apologize. I haven't posted anything in a while and I wanted to crank this puppy out.
~Dmar.