Sorry it's taking me FOREVER to update.

I dont own Lewis Carroll's The Jabberwocky

But... Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Erin Go Bragh!

L.L.A.P

~Laces

Chpt.5

friendship

Cairdeas

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!

The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand:

Long time the manxome foe he sought -

So rested he by the Tumtum tree,

And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,

The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,

And burbled as it came!

"Aoife!" exclaimed her teacher, and she jumped, the voice tearing her mind away from the book she was reading. A book of poems.

"Y-yes Ms. Given?" Aoife questioned with some confusion, still dazed from being torn away from her book.

"Pay attention." The teacher scolded, then turned to the rest of the class. "We have a new student here. This is Danielle Harris." Aoife had to look over a tall boy in front of her to see the new girl.

She had black curly hair and skin the color of milk chocolate. Her eyes were a deep brown and she wore a purple sweatshirt with a yellow Batgirl symbol on it.

"Can you please call me Nell?" Aoife could hear the girl whisper to Ms. Given, but seemed to be disregarded.

"Danielle, your seat will be next to the girl in the back with red hair, the one who was reading." She informed, and Danielle, or Nell, as she wanted to be called, made her way to the empty desk next to Aoife.

"Hello." She smiled in a hushed voice at Aoife, and Aoife smiled back.

"Hi. I'm Aoife." She introduced.

"I'm Nell." The girl stated with pride, then looked over at the book Aoife was reading. "Poems?" she questioned. Aoife shyly nodded.

"Yeah. I'm reading one right now by Lewis Carroll. It's really good because there's this Jabberwocky and all these made up words and…" Aoife trailed off. Nobody really cared much about what she read.

"That's so cool." Nell grinned. "I read that poem before." Aoife couldn't help but smile at Nell.

Class went on and when Recess occurred, Aoife found herself not alone.

At first, she sat on one of the benches on the playground, quietly reading her poem book while the other children played tag and kick ball.

"Hello." Aoife looked up to see Nell again.

"Hi again." Aoife smiled and the girl sat next to Aoife on the bench.

"You look kinda lonely sitting here alone. Wanna play?" Nell questioned and Aoife smiled broadly. Nobody ever asked her to play with them unless they needed an extra for a game.

"Okay." Aoife nodded happily as she shoved her book into her small duffle bag that she carried around and followed Nell to the swing set.

The days went on and Aoife and Nell became close friends. They always sat next to each other in class, passing notes about the books they were reading and what was going on in them and other various subjects.

They also always swung on the swings.

Aoife's dreams progressed as well, but she never got any valuable information. She only got restless nights due to the crazy man saying tick tock and she never had anything new to tell Jason.

However, Nell seemed to make thing much better. She enjoyed having a friend who she could easily talk to.

One day after school, the two of them walked to the nearby park and started to swing and talk.

"Hey, can I tell you a secret?" Nell inquired as she swung.

"Okay, I promise I won't tell." Aoife nodded. Nell slowed down the swing, and Aoife did the same. Nell got close to her and looked around, as if no one was around to hear what she was about to say.

"I'm gonna be the next Batgirl." Nell stated seriously. "I've been taking gymnastics and karate and I've been trying to learn all I can in and outside of school. One day I'm gonna be Batgirl. I just know it." Nell said with hope.

She looked at Aoife, as if she expected the girl to laugh at her.

Instead, Aoife smiled at Nell.

"You'd make an awesome Batgirl." She grinned and Nell hugged Aoife tightly. Once she released he friend, she inquired,

"What are you gonna be when you grow up?"

Aoife frowned. She had never put much thought into it. However she smiled,

"I wanna be a leprechaun." She answered.

"A leprechaun?" Nell repeated with a giggle.

"Hey, if you want to be Batgirl, then I want to be a Leprechaun."

~*~*~*~*~Elsewhere~*~*~*~*~

Jason wouldn't deny that the smell of rotting flesh didn't bother him. He was rather used to it actually.

It was an acrid stench, but he had smelt much worse. To be honest, his sense of small wasn't as sharp as it used to be, so he counted himself lucky.

"Poor bastard." Jason sighed, kneeling next to the dead body. "You thought you'd be able to stand a chance against Slade Wilson?" he took out the wallet from the corpse pocket.

"FBI agent Benner, huh?" Jason questioned. "Some FBI agent. Got yourself killed pretty easily." He sighed, looking the corpse over.

"Slade didn't leave any evidence either. Pity really." Jason looked through Agent Benner's wallet again.

"Well, at least I have a 25 dollar gift card for Olive Gardens." He shrugged as he walked out of the warehouse where the dead body was and walked down the street innocently going nowhere in particular.

Slade is close. Chances are he's watching me right now… then again, I'm not his target. For whatever reason, Barbra is. Or rather, Oracle is. Either way, she's not safe and neither is Aoife.

Speak of the devil, he noticed Aoife at the park with a little African American girl. Both were laughing as the swung on the swing set.

Good girl. Finally got yourself a friend. Jason thought with a smile.

"Hey Jason." Aoife smiled when Jason approached them.

"Hey Kid." He nodded.

"Jason, this is Nell." Aoife informed. "Nell, this is Jason. He's kinda like my Uncle." She informed.

Jason felt some pride swirl in his stomach with Aoife comparing him to an Uncle figure in her life. Normally people denied being acquainted with him.

"Hello Mr. Jason." Nell smiled and Jason chuckled at the girl.

"Just call me Jason, Nell." He smiled.

"Is everything alright, Jason? You look worried." Aoife informed and Jason shook his head.

"Nah, I'm fine. I was just in the neighborhood and saw you here. Just wanted to drop by and say hey." He shrugged. "I'll talk to you later, okay kid?"

"Okay Jason." Aoife smiled. "Bye."

"it was nice meeting you, Jason." Nell grinned.

"You two, Nell. Stay safe you two." Jason grinned as he walked down the street, back to his hide out.

"Hey Aoife, what was that red stuff on Jason's hands?" Nell inquired.

She really does want to become Batgirl with her awesome detective skills. Aoife thought to herself.

"Oh… probably paint."

"Finger paint?" Nell inquired skeptically.

"He's a hands on kinda guy,: Aoife chuckled. I really hope he didn't just kill someone with his bare hands. Aoife thought, but didn't want her worry to be apparent.

Aoife knew Jason had a taste for killing people, however, she knew that with him, it could become an addiction.

I know there is good inside. Just… baby steps I guess.

~*~*~*~*~*~Later that Night~*~*~*~*~*~

Barbara respected Jason Todd, but she knew not to get too comfortable around him. he was crazy, unpredictable, and he had murdered several people in the past. Needless to say, Jason Todd wasn't a person who she wanted Aoife to hang around.

However, Barbara couldn't prevent who Aoife talked to on the roof.

"So, has Dickie Bird stopped by and talked to you?" Jason questioned as he sat next to Aoife on the roof, mindlessly twirling his gun around.

The action didn't bother Aoife. She saw him do it enough to know that that was simply something he did to keep his hands occupied. It was like tapping your foot or playing with your hair only more… dangerous.

"Yeah, he stops by a lot actually. He likes talking to Barbara." She informed and Jason chuckled.

"of course he does."

"Dick took me fishing a few days ago, it was fun. I caught a bass." She informed with pride.

Jason nodded his head, but frowned slightly.

"I never liked fishing much. The payoff doesn't seem worth all the patience." Jason informed and Aoife shrugged.

"I guess, but it was a fun way to pass time. Catching the fish was just a bonus." Jason nodded again.

He enjoyed talking to Aoife. It made him feel human. Almost like he deserved to live, because he told himself often that he didn't.

"It's great to see that you have a friend. Nell, right?" Jason questioned.

"Yeah, she's a lot of fun to hang out with. Y'know she's a Black Belt in Karate?" Jason couldn't help but laugh.

"Majority of the people you know, know over ten different ways to fight, and you get excited over how your friend is a black belt in karate?"

"Well, she's not like everyone. She's not a Superhero." Aoife then giggled to herself. "Not yet anyway. She really wants to be Batgirl one day. She loves Batgirl."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you want to be Batgirl?" Jason questioned. "I mean, once Steph gives up the suit." Aoife sighed, looking down at her feet.

"I don't think I deserve the Batgirl title."

"What are you talking about?" Jason questioned. "You'd be an awesome Batgirl. And you'd bring back the original 'red head' Batgirl." He smirked as he messed with her hair.

"I guess, but… I don't know." She sighed. "I mean, I want to become one of you guys one say, but I'm… just not really sure. Batgirl is a pretty big thing. So many people look up to her. And all that pressure…"

"Kid?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a lot of time to think about this, so don't feel pressured." Jason then took in a deep breath, looking into Aoife's golden eyes. "But if something ever happens to me, you'd be the only one I'd want to take over for Red Hood. I wouldn't want anyone else to." Jason informed.

Jason felt the girl hugging him tightly. No doubt she hung out with Dick. Her hugs were just like his. Warm, long, and comforting. Jason stiffly patted the girls back. He was never god at hugs.

"Jason?"

"Yeah Kid?"

"Did you mean that?" she questioned.

"'Couse I did." There was a pause between the two, and Aoife finally whispered,

"Thank you, Jason." Jason smiled and ruffled her hair.

"No problem kid."