Chapter Five

Plans in Motion

"You disappointed me Nightfall." Queen Bee said, scowling down at me. "Not only did you lose the cargo and allow the brats to get away, you also allowed Fox to get away with them."

"My apologies, my Queen." I replied, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Apologies won't do you any good now." She snapped. "But you can rectify the situation. You will travel to Blüdhaven and recapture Fox. You will have a week."

Her words made my heart seize in my chest. "Are you sure that is a good idea?" She glared at me and I added "Your majesty."

"Of course, Aurora Fox has potential, which I doubt the Justice brats see." The Queen said. "There is a jet waiting for in a hanger for you, along with civilian clothing." I nodded and, was about to turn when, she stopped me. "Oh, and take this."

She handed me a necklace, making me raise my eyebrows. "What's this for?" I asked.

"Glamour charm. We can't have anyone recognise you, can we?" She replied, in a slightly patronising tone. "Now go."

"Yes my Queen." I replied, before bowing and walking out of her office. I then headed to the hanger. Sam was already there, making sure the jet was ready for take-off.

"What's going on?" He asked, pulling the petrol pump out of the jet.

"She wants me to recapture Fox." I told him.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "We only just got her away like a month ago!"

"I know but I'll figure something out." I said, climbing on the jet.

"Better figure it out quickly, you know she can't come back here." Sam replied. I sighed and nodded as he added "Good luck."

"Thanks." I replied. With that, Sam stepped off the jet. I started it and took off, flying through the night.

Since I had been given a week, I decided to take my time, monitoring the places Aurora frequented the most, according to the files provided, and trying to figure out a plan. I was sitting on a bench near her home, apparently on the route which she took to school. I wore a baseball cap and kept my head down, letting it cover my eyes. No one had paid me any attention, not yet. Until:

"Hey, mind if I buy you a coffee?" I rolled my eyes at the male voice, still keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Sorry sir, I'm busy." I replied, hoping he would get a hint.

"You don't look too busy." He commented. "Besides, I know a nice place."

"Sir, I'm busy. Please, leave me alone." I snapped. If he didn't take the hint now, there was something wrong with him.

"Would you prefer some champagne then, Elisabetta?" My eyes widened and my head snapped up to face the man. They widened further when I recognised him.

"Dick?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." He replied. "You look like a predator. Now what's going on?"

"I can't talk about it here." I muttered.

"Okay then. Come on, I know a place." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I followed him along closely as we walked through the streets. He turned down the corner and I let out a quiet sigh as he led me down a less populated street. This made me breathe a little easier. I raise my eyebrows as he led me to a small café.

He held the door open and let me in. Dick came through and walked over to the man behind the corner, who was more focused on the small television on the wall, displaying a football game. "Afternoon Gregor, could I get a cappuccino and," He turned to me and asked "Latte?" I nodded and he told my order to the man.

"Of course Mister Grayson, of course!" The man smiled, bustling around the small kitchen area. The place was empty but had a warm, homely feeling.

"Nice, isn't it?" Dick asked. "Come on, let's go sit down." He pulled me over to a table in the corner and we sat down.

"Why did you bring me here?" I hissed. "We're hardly alone." I nodded towards Gregor.

"Relax, Gregor can only hear in one ear and, even then, his hearing isn't great. Besides, they wouldn't expect you to come here, would they?" Dick smiled.

I frowned and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Goal!" Gregor shouted, making me nearly jump out of my seat. My fingers curled around the knife I had hidden on my person.

"Relax, he can be a little…..exuberant sometimes." Dick said, pulling me back down to my seat. "Just relax a little, take off your hat and stretch."

"What if I'm seen?" I asked.

"She can't have eyes on you all of the time." Dick replied.

"You'd be surprised." I said. "Besides, I went missing. Don't you think it would be weird if people saw the missing girl having coffee?"

"Well, they probably won't remember you." He said.

"Thanks Dick." I deadpanned.

"I meant, you've changed Lila. You look like you need a few years to sleep and you look stronger, but kind of gaunt as well." He said. "What's happened to you?"

I smiled cynically. "A lot." There was a moment of silence before Gregor gave us our drinks. Dick thanked him and Gregor walked off.

"Why are you in Blüdhaven?" He asked.

"She wants me to bring back Aurora." I said.

"Bring back Rory! Are you serious?" He asked.

"No, I'm just here for kicks." I deadpanned. "And you call her Rory?"

"Yeah, she prefers to be called Rory. She's been spending a lot of time with the team recently." He told me. I raised my eyebrows.

"As a member?" I asked.

"Undecided." He replied. "She's just learning how to control her shifting at the moment."

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Eh." Came his reply.

"That bad?" I asked.

"She's inexperienced but she's trying." He sipped his cappuccino."Not all of us could be trained their whole life." He replied, raising his eyebrow.

"Not all of us can acrobat trained at the circus." I smirked.

Both eyebrows rose this time. "You've done your research."

"She has some informative files." I told him. "And you can't blame me for being a little curious, you've kept it from us for years."

He frowned at me. "For good reason. Wally knew."

I snorted. "Of course he did." We eased into silence. "Why did you bring me here Dick?"

"You look like you need a break, when was the last time you slept?" He asked.

"Last night." I said. "Dick, I think it's adorable that you care about my sleeping schedule, but I have a feeling that wasn't what you brought me here to talk about."

Dick smiled. "Perceptive as usual." He replied sarcastically. "I wanted to thank you for that pen drive, and ask if there was hopefully another? It was very beneficial."

I smirked. "You're in luck. Unfortunately, it's at my safe house. I'll meet you later to give it to you."

"There's place where I want to meet actually." Dick said. He pulled out a pen and scribbled an address on the napkin, before handing it to me. "Artemis, Wally and Kaldur will be there as well."

I sat up, a hopeful smile coming across my face. "Kaldur's going to be there?" I suddenly stopped. "Wait, why are they going to be there?"

Dick's expression suddenly became grave and he leaned forward. "Lila, you have to understand that a lot has changed."

"What happened to Kaldur?" I asked, my fists clenching. If something's happened to him, I swear to God.

"He found out something-look it would be better for him to explain to you, but long story short, he's gone deep undercover and Artemis is joining him." He told me. "But there's something else."

"What?" I asked.

He swallowed. "Lila, they don't know you're coming. Hell, I didn't know you were coming until I saw you and that was a complete wildcard, I thought I was going to have to get a message to you somehow. But Lila…" He paused. "You've been missing for three years."

He paused again. "They thought you died. There's a memorial of you in the Cave."

I was silent.

How, how do you react to that? How do you react when someone tells you that your closest friends, family and the man you love think you died?

"Lila?" Dick said softly. "Are you okay?"

I paused and sniffed. I sat back and held my hand over my mouth. "I don't know. It's just a lot to take in."

"I shouldn't have told you that." Dick frowned.

I steeled myself. "No, no, its fine, I needed to hear that."

"Are you sure?" Dick asked.

"Yeah." I smiled. "It will give Kaldur one hell of a surprise at least."

Dick still wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine. Thanks for the drink." I stood up and pushed in my chair. "I'll see you tonight."

Dick gave me a two fingered salute as I left the café.

That night, I leapt across rooftops; the slip of paper, with the address on it, was clenched in my hand. I finally landed on the roof of the warehouse, slipping through a skylight to get closer. I was climbing down the boxes when I heard it.

"And still, only we four know the secret?"

Kaldur?

Kaldurkaldurkaldur.

I want to see him.

The sound of his voice had made my foot slip, but luckily, I hadn't given away my position. "Not exactly." Dick replied.

"What!" Kaldur exclaimed, along with other voices. That must be Artemis and Wally. I decided to make myself known.

"Hope I'm not too late to the party." I said, stepping out of the shadows and into the light. The others, apart from Dick, immediately step into battle mode.

"Whoa, whoa!" Dick called, throwing his hands out to stop them. I pulled off my mask, letting them see my face. Kaldur dropped his swords and they clattered onto the floor, the sound reverberating through the silence.

"Uh, hi." I said, after a long moment of silence.

I stand there for a moment, not quite sure what to do, until Artemis launches herself at me in a ferocious bear hug. "Oh my god, oh my god, how- how the fuck- what the fuck happened to you?"

"I'd like to know the same thing." Wally said, pulling me into a tight hug. I looked over at Kaldur and gave him a soft smile, but he was staring at me like he thought I wasn't there.

"Queen Bee." I said, still looking over at Kaldur. I reached out towards him and grasped his fingers. It seemed to pull him out of his trance and he brought his hand up, stroking the side of my face. I held the hand on my face, smiling slightly.

"You're alive." He finally said.

"What did she do to you?" Artemis asked. I pulled away from Kaldur, snapping out of my reverie.

I pulled up my sleeve, revealing the contraption that kept the serum flowing through my veins. "She finally finished Project Super Soldier. She took me away, I got experimented on. There was actually a period of time where I couldn't remember my life before, whether that was amnesia or Psimon's work, I don't know."

My hand slips back into Kaldur's and he squeezed it. My news brought scowls to the others. "How did you know to come?" Kaldur asked.

"I'm on a mission at the moment. I have to bring Aurora Fox back to Bialya." I explained, before turning to Dick. "Which you need to stop by the way, I can't go back empty handed but I sure as hell am not bringing her back with me."

Dick nodded. "I know, I'll take care of it."

I nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Nightwing found me and we talked. He told me to come here tonight."

Dick turned to Kaldur and asked "How did your end go tonight?"

"Successful as well." He hesitated for a moment, glancing towards me. "I have ah, proven my loyalty to my biological father."

"Wait, what?" I said, looking at Kaldur before looking at the others. They avoided my eyes.

"I will explain later." Kaldur said, squeezing my hand in an attempt to reassure me. "He is moving me further up the ladder and closer to the light, and their unknown partner."

"Not without cost, Kaldur." Dick said. "The comsat wasn't supposed to be destroyed and La'gaan definitely wasn't supposed to be captured."

"It was the only way to save his life and maintain my cover." Kaldur replied.

"I'm not blaming you." Dick said. "I know you've been faced with making impossible decisions, like choosing to save the Kroloteans on Malina Island."

Kaldur finished the sentence. "Or saving my friends, and I will find a way to save La'gaan, you have my word."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Kaldur's been deep undercover in Black Manta's organisation." Dick explained.

"So that means Black Manta's your….." I trailed of when I saw the look on Kaldur's face. "Oh."

"So, what now?" Artemis asked.

As Dick pulled out a necklace, Kaldur leaned down towards me. "May I speak to you in private?" He asked. I nodded and he glanced at Dick. He nodded as well and Kaldur pulled me behind one of those crates.

As soon as we were blocked from their view, Kaldur put my face in his hands, letting his emotions come through. "You are alive." He whispered. "I thought- I thought-"

"I know." I replied, grasping his hands in mine. He pulled me into a kiss, fierce and desperate and like he knew he wouldn't see me for a long time, so he was getting his feelings out now. He pulled closer, hands running through my hair and along my neck, my arms wrapping around his neck.

Kaldur pulled back, letting his forehead rest against mine. "I thought, I thought you were dead, they told me you were dead, they said that it was the most likely situation. I thought- I thought-"He stopped as his voice started to choke, the tears threatening to pour.

"I know." I replied, the only words I felt I could say.

"I feel like I am dreaming." He said.

"I could pinch you, if you want." I replied, smiling slightly.

He grinned, placing gently kisses on my forehead and my cheeks and my lips and my throat. I suspected that he was trying to prove to himself that I was there. God, it felt good to be kissed by him again, to look at him, just to hear his voice.

"Great Neptune; I missed you, I missed you so much. When you didn't come back, I thought you were busy but didn't come back at all and I tried to not assume the worst but…." He trailed off.

"The League told you I was dead so you could have some closure." I assumed.

"Scarlett was furious, she wanted to keep the search going, but the League had practically searched the globe and they could not find you. I always thought you were alive, but there was a small part of me…." He trailed off again.

"That believed it"? I asked. He nodded, looking ashamed. "Hey, hey, I'm here now, let's not thing about that." I leaned forward and kissed him again.

His hands slipped down, tracing my sides. "Oh Lila, what have they done to you?" Kaldur whispered.

"A lot, but don't think about that." I replied, putting my finger under his chin and pushing it up so he was facing me. "I'm going to get out of there and you are going to get away from Manta and we'll just go somewhere. Rome, Paris, England, wherever you want."

He frowned. "But what if you cannot get away."

"Then you better be sending a big ass search party for me." I replied.

He smiled, pulling me closer. "I intend to."

"Good." I replied, before pulling him into another kiss. "We better get back to them." I said.

"You have no idea how much I want for us both to run away." He said.

"I know, God how much I would love to, but we can't." I said. I gave him a final kiss, this one far softer than the others. "I will see you soon. I will see you even if it kills me."

"I would rather it did not kill you, I rather like you being alive." He smiled, stroking my cheek. I smiled and grasped his hand. We walked back to Dick, Wally and Artemis. They explained to me that Artemis was going undercover to work with Kaldur, that the team thought she had died.

(That makes two of us)

I pulled Artemis into a hug. "Be careful." I murmured into her ear.

"You too." She replied.

"It is time." Kaldur said, sounding weary. He gave me one last final kiss, before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too." I said back, my heart sinking as he let go of my hand and walked away with Artemis. He looked behind his shoulder and I gave him a soft smile, one that he returned. With that, he and Artemis left and the rest of us made our way to the roof to watch their departure.

We stood in silence as the pair boarded the ship. "We're through the hard part. They're in." Dick said, breaking the silence.

"Who are you kidding?" Wally asked. "It only gets more dangerous from here."

"Wally." Dick said, about to continue when Wally cut him off. "Just stop Dick. I need to get home, Brucely needs fed." Wally pulled me into a hug. "Take care Lila, don't let Queen Bee get you down."

I smirked. "Don't worry, I won't." With that, he let go and left. I turned to Dick and he sighed.

"I still have to deal with your mission, don't I?" He asked. I nodded and we hatched a plan, that the team would take me down and bring me to the Cave, hopefully he would be able to smuggle me out. "Be safe." Nightwing said, before he left.

I smiled as he gave me another two-fingered salute.

Hope you guys enjoyed the Kalila reunion! They will have more interaction after this, particularly chapter nine, which is called Never Let Me Go. Goddamn, Florence + The Machine really is inspiring this story. I pretty much had Cosmic Love on repeat while writing this. But anyway, hope you guys enjoyed!

mayemerald9- Thank you! It's pretty much a guarantee to make them stay.

purplemonkey36- Thank you! The smut will come in later chapters.

Taeniaea- Thank you!

Johanna- Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed the reunion! (I love you too)

Koren Flashblade- Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the reunion!

Guest- Hope this was soon enough!

The-Moyashi- Updated!