Requested by: blackblur 5729 - Can you write about white tiger losing her memory?
Enjoy!
The Reach was defeated and the Light was broken and scattered. But it was accompanied by an extremely close call,,,,, and a terrible price.
Wally was nearly killed, and Ava,,,,,,,,
Ava was fighting Black Beetle. She got nicked by a blast from one of the Reach's guns. It was enough of a distraction for Black Beetle, he shifted one of his hands into a club and rammed it into the right side of her skull. It knocked her out cold instantly.
That's how Jamie and Garfield found her.
-Flash Back-
They did it.
They won.
Dick, Wally, and Artemis were trying to convince Kaldur that they won.
"Kaldur you won!"
"You defeated the Reach and Broke the Light in half. This was a good-"
"NIGHTWING!"
The four looked and saw Jamie and Garfield sprinting towards them. Jamie was carrying an unconscious Ava bridal style.
Garfield looked really panicked. "We tried but she's not waking up!"
Jamie's face looked down at the unconscious tigress with a grim expression on his face before looking back at Dick and the others. "The beetle says that she has sever head trauma. There's blood."
Dick immediately took his girlfriend from Jamie's arms and laid her on the ground. Jamie was right, the forehead and left side of Ava's mask was stained with blood. He lifted her mask up and checked for a pulse.
Artemis looked at her comatose friend with a worried expression. "Is she,,,,,"
Dick found Ava's pulse and sighed with relief.
"She's still with us."
-End of Flashback-
After that, they brought her to the Watchtower for medical attention. Dick didn't leave Ava's side once.
A few weeks later, that's where Bruce found him.
After he helped start the repair of Mt. Justice, Bruce walked through the Watchtower to the Med-Bay. His eyes went to his son in everything but blood sitting next to Ava's bed. He was holding Ava's limp hand in his own.
"Dick."
The acrobat didn't turn around let alone acknowledged his mentor.
Bruce sighed before walking forward and putting a - surprisingly - gentle hand on Dick's shoulder.
"This wasn't something you could-"
"I should have been with her."
Bruce looked at him curiously. Dick was holding Ava's hand a little tighter now.
"I should have been by her side in the fight. I should have been there to protect her."
Bruce pulled a chair up and sat before pulling his cowl off. "Ava was never one that needed or wanted protection. You know that."
"This is all my fault."
"Dick-"
"NO! All of this is my fault. If I hadn't placed Kaldur as a double agent none of this would have happened. Ava wouldn't be in a coma."
And Ava and I wouldn't have fought the way we did.
Dick choked up and squeezed Ava's hand a little harder. "You wouldn't understand."
Bruce's eyes were somber. "Why wouldn't I?"
Dick looked at his adoptive father curiously.
"Every time I see Selina get hurt in any way, shape, or form, or doing something that I know will destroy her one day, it kills me."
Dick looked surprised. "Bruce,,,, I didn't know."
A small smile decorated the Dark Knight's face. "I've been told that I'm a man that doesn't share a lot."
For the first time in weeks Dick smiled and even laughed a little. "No joke."
Bruce gave his son one last smile before pulling his cowl down and standing up. "Martian Manhunter and Doctor Fate already worked on healing her?"
The protégé of the Bat nodded. "They said all I can do now for her is to wait." (Author's Note: Don't you just hate it when Doctors tell you that?)
Bruce squeezed Dick's shoulder comfortingly. "Ava's strong. She'll pull through this."
Dick looked at his girlfriend. "I really hope so."
-Time Skip-
After Barbara and Tim forced him to take a shower and change his suit, Dick continued his vigil at Ava's bedside. He held her hand to his lips.
"Please wake up Ava. I'm sorry for lying, I'm sorry for everything."
He remembered the fight they had when she found out that Artemis was alive and Kaldur was a double agent.
-Flashback-
"ARE YOU INSANE!"
Powered by her tiger amulet, Ava's eyes were green and cat-like as she glared at her so-called boyfriend.
"What the hell motivated you to put Artemis and Kaldur at risk?!"
Dick's eyes were cold behind his mask. "We need to find out who the Light's partner is. By any means necessary."
Ava scoffed. "Yeah, even if that means Kaldur and Artemis's life. Artemis and Wally were happy with a life outside of hero-work. Why did you ruin it for them?!"
Dick clenched his jaw. "We needed another person to watch Kaldur's back. We both know Artemis can take care of herself, and Kaldur's father wouldn't let anything happen to him."
Ava glared and crossed her arms. "Yeah, even if he's betraying him."
Dick sighed before running his hand through his hair. He didn't like fighting with Ava.
"If one of our teammates gets captured for who the hell knows what-"
"Kaldur and Artemis wouldn't let anything bad happen to them."
"Which would mean blowing their cover and getting them both killed."
Ava sighed sadly. Her eyes held pain and sadness. Pain because her boyfriend - who she has been loyal to since the moment they got together - didn't trust her or the team with a secret this big. And pain because,,,,,
"You were wrong, you know."
Dick looked at his girlfriend in confusion. "What?"
"You told me you didn't want to be 'The' Batman. But in reality..."
She stalked forward and looked him dead in the eye.
"That's exactly who you've become."
She turned around and didn't look back. Leaving Dick with a searing pain that spread through his heart.
-End of Flashback-
Dick leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Ava's temple, which was wrapped with a bandage.
"No more secrets. No more lies, I promise... Please just..."
He took Ava's hand again and pressed his lips to the back of it.
"Wake up."
Not long after he said that, Ava's hand slightly twitched. The first boy wonder's eyes shot to his girlfriend's face as her eyes tried to open.
"Where am I?"
A huge smile spread across Dick's face as he quickly wrapped his arms around Ava.
"Oh thank god you're awake! I missed you so, so much!"
Dick felt Ava blink rapidly. "Who are you?"
The acrobat froze.
No.
She didn't say that...
SHE DID NOT SAY THAT!
He pulled away shakily. "Ava... it's me. Your boyfriend?"
The tigress's head tilted to the side in confusion. "I don't remember-"
At the same time, Bruce and what looked like the entire Young Justice team burst into the Med Bay. Ava balked at the heroes and creatures.
"WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"
The Dark Knight walked forward while Barbara and Tim dragged a shocked protege of the bat away from the bed.
"Your name is Ava Ayala, and you're in the Watchtower. The central headquarters for the Justice League. Do you remember anything that has happened recently?"
Ava shook her head in confusion.
Bruce frowned. "Do you remember anything about your life in the past?"
The confused tiger tried to think for a moment before shaking her head.
"Nothing... I don't remember anything."
Dick felt his entire body go numb.
The one girl he cared about,,,,, the one girl he gave his heart and soul to,,,,,,, didn't remember him. Or anything for that matter.
That was the last thought in his head before everything went black.
After the man dressed as a bat told all of the weirdly dressed people and the creatures to leave, she thought back to the boy that hugged her when she woke up...
...And who seemed really hurt that she couldn't remember anything.
"Until Martian Manhunter and Dr. Fate return from their current missions, I'm afraid your stuck here until then."
The man - who instructed her to call him 'Batman' - finished telling her about the two members of the Justice League that could help her fix her memory.
A he turned to leave, Ava thought back to the boy again.
"That boy,,,, the one the other two dragged out of here,,,,, who was he?"
The tigress saw Batman stiffen. She heard him sigh before giving her - what she felt like was extremely rare - smile.
"Someone who's very important to you... And you to him."
-Time Skip-
Over the next two weeks, the members of Young Justice, and some of the Justice League-ers, came to the Med Bay and told Ava stories about her life in the team.
During those two weeks however, she didn't see the boy that was dragged out of the Med Bay once.
When she asked the girl who instructed her to call her 'Batgirl' or Barbara, she just sighed sadly before shaking her head.
The manner was dropped after that.
At the moment, she was with the martian girl, M'gann.
"You can go into people's minds?"
M'gann nodded. "Yes. I can see through their subconscious's... Why?"
Ava bit her lip uncertainly. "Can you maybe go into mine? And retrieve my lost memories?"
The martian looked nervous. "The only time I went into someone's mind to do something like that was to repair the damage I did. I could destroy your entire subconscious completely."
"And you'll be able to fix it."
Ava sat up and covered M'gann's hand with hers.
"Please, M'gann. I have to know."
M'gann sighed before looking into Ava's begging eyes.
"Fine."
The two sat across from each other cross legged and pressed their hands to the others.
"Are you ready?"
The tigress nodded, eager to get her life back.
The martian sighed before transporting herself and Ava into Ava's mind.
"You need to see her."
Dick didn't acknowledge Barbara and kept his eyes on the computer.
Barbara huffed irritability and defended her tiger-themed friend. "It's not like she asked to lose her memor-"
Dick whipped around. "I'm not angry that she lost her memory."
Barbara raised an eyebrow. Unconvinced.
"Okay, maybe a little angry... But not at her."
Dick's shoulders sagged sadly. "But to know that every amazing moment Ava and I had together is erased from her mind hurts, Babs. It hurts a lot."
The female protégé of Batman walked forward and hugged her childhood friend.
"Help her then. Everyone's been telling her stories about her life in Young Justice. Tell her stories about your relationship together."
Ava watched with a blissful smile as younger her was chased around by her father.
M'gann smiled. "Ava, your childhood was beautiful."
Dick took a deep breath as he walked into the Med Bay. He stopped when he saw Conner and Wally standing next to Ava's bed. Ava and M'gann were sitting with their hands pressed together, and M'gann's eyes were glowing.
"Are they-"
Wally nodded. "Yep. We don't know long they've been under."
Dick's eyes were hopeful as he looked at his girlfriend.
I just have to wait a little longer.
M'gann wrapped her arms around Ava's shaking shoulders as they witnessed her father's death.
The martian kissed the top of the tigress's head. "It's okay Ava. It's okay."
It's been six hours since M'gann went into Ava's mind. And neither of the girls have moved. Except for now Dick saw a tear trickle from Ava's eye. Dick resisted the want to brush the tear away, knowing that he would be transported into Ava's mind. He didn't want to risk ruining the progress she and M'gann hopefully made.
Just a little longer.
Ava watched wide eyes as she and the boy - Nightwing, Dick - kissed. The memory was of their first date. The two were having a picnic.
M'gann looked at Ava with a smirk. Which the tigress met with a slight glare.
"What are you looking at?"
The martian smirked and chuckled.
"Nothing."
-Time Skip-
"M'gann, I feel like this isn't everything."
The martian nodded. "It's not. If this was something did by someone else with abilities like mine, I would help you retrieve it all. But since what happened to you was physical, I'm afraid that I'll destroy your subconscious if I force the memories out."
Ava sighed before nodding and hugging her friend. "Thank you, for everything that you could do."
M'gann smiled and returned the hug. "Of course. Now come on, there are some people really want to see you."
-Outside of Ava's mind-
Ava and M'gann broke from their trance and smiled at each other. The Martian stood from the bed and offered the tigress her hand.
"Ready to see everyone?"
Ava took a deep breath before taking M'gann's hand.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
-Time Skip-
The members of Young Justice looked up as Ava and M'gann walked into the cafeteria.
"AVA!"
Garfield rushed to his other surrogate sister to give her a hug, but stopped short.
"Wait, are you,,,,,, you, again?"
Ava smiled. "M'gann went into my mind and retrieved most of my memories."
As Garfield jumped into Ava's arms in his house-cat form, Conner looked at M'gann with furrowed eyebrows.
"Most of her memories?"
M'gann, looked at her boyfriend. "If her memory loss was caused by someone with me then it would be easier. I didn't want to risk her mind."
Ava gently placed Garfield on the ground and looked around the room for a very specific person. The team noticed this and smirked.
Wally pointed down the hall smugly. "He's down there."
-Time Skip-
Ava walked down the hall until she came to the room where the Justice League honored the members of both Young Justice and the Justice League that were dead.
She found him standing in front of Jason's hologram.
Ava took a deep breath to calm her nerves before altering Dick of her presence.
"Hey Birdbrain."
Dick whipped around at the familiar nickname, his eyes wide behind his mask.
"Ava?!"
The tigress smiled awkwardly. "Hi."
"H-how-"
"M'gann went into my mind and retrieved most of my memories."
Dick walked forward cautiously. "Most of your memories?"
Ava leaned against one of the gaping windows of the Watchtower that showed space. "Yeah. M'gann was afraid that she'd damage my mind if she forced them out. But I remember the important things. I remember training with my father and brother. I remember S.H.I.E.L.D.. I remember Bruce bringing me to Mt. Justice. I remember our first kiss. It's just bits and pieces that I don't remember."
It didn't escape Dick's attention that she didn't mention the fight.
Dick leaned against the window. "So what did M'gann say about the bits and pieces you don't remember?"
Ava gazed out at the stars. "She said they would either come back in time or J'onn will help me find them when he returns."
Dick nodded and looked at his girlfriend. He smiled before reaching over and gently took her hand in his. "I'm glad your memories are back Ava."
Ava smiled and squeezed Dick's hand. "I am too."
The young couple smiled at each other before staring out into space.
Literally.
After awhile, Ava frowned.
"That fight we had,,,,"
Dick looked at Ava, surprised.
"You remember that?"
Ava shook her head. "I only remember we had it, not what it was about. That's what I meant by bits and pieces."
Ava looked at Dick with a nervous expression. "Was it bad?"
The first boy wonder sighed and stared out the window.
He wanted to lie.
He wanted to lie and say that it wasn't bad. He wanted to lie about what the fight was about.
But then he remembered the promise he made her moments before she woke up.
No more secrets. No more lies.
Dick sighed before looking at Ava.
"Yeah. It was bad."
Ava's nervous expression became panicked. "What was it about?!"
Dick rushed to reassure her. "The whole thing was my fault really. You just found out that Artemis was alive and Kaldur was a double agent. You said that I turned out just like Batman. Risking everything for the sake of a mission. And you were right."
The protégé of Batman pulled his mask off, his sapphire blue eyes staring into her caramel brown ones. He took her hand that already wasn't in his and grasped it with his free one.
"Ava, I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry that I lied to you, I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you when you were when you were fighting Black Beetle. I'm sorry-"
Ava cut him off with her lips.
Dick's eyes widened for a split second before they closed blissfully. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back with everything he had. Ava responded with the same amount of energy.
When the couple pulled away, Ava pressed her forehead against Dick's.
"What happened with Black Beetle wasn't your fault."
Dick kept his face pressed against hers and gently applied gentle kisses to the right side of her face. "Yes it is."
Ava purred briefly because of Dick's kisses before pulling away and cupping Dick's face with her hands. She looked deeply into his eyes. "No, it's not."
Dick looked into Ava's eyes before smiling, knowing that he wasn't going to win the conversation.
If it was possible, Dick pulled Ava closer. He pressed his lips to hers gently before pulling away.
"I love you."
Ava smiled and pressed her lips to Dick's cheek.
"I love you too."
Author's Note: blackblur 5729, sorry for the long wait. Hope you liked it.