A/N: So I'm cranking out these chapters faster than I thought! Well, it's mostly because WE'VE REACHED 100 REVIEWS OH MY GOOD GOLLY GOSH and I've been so excited for this chapter that I wanted to get started on it as soon as I posted the last one. Why? Well, reader, you're about to find out. Let's just say that a few things you've been waiting for finally happen.
BekCholie: Do you watch the episode over again and write down everything it says or what happens, or do you look up the script? Mostly I use the episodes (I have all of them saved in a file on my computer) and watch them in a side-by-side window with the word document. If there's a particular phrase that I can't catch, I'll google the quote before it, and usually I can find what I need. If I can't, than I just bs my way through it.
I'm always open to questions, guys!
Just to let you know, I'm expecting quite a few reviews for this chapter. You'll see why. ;)
(Sorry for the 3 updates, for those of you that are on my alert list [58!], but there were some glaringly obvious grammatical errors and a missing topic in the author's note)
September 7, 9:18 AM, Star City
"Oh, first day of school, how I loathe thee," Mallory began dramatically, waltzing up to Tess's locker with a sort of perkiness that should be illegal for this time of day. Her friend's attitude was the polar opposite, it seemed, as when she finally approached her locker, the blonde seemed to be asleep with her face in between her Calculus and Literature textbooks. Rolling her eyes, Mal reached for the door opened it wider, causing it to slam on the next locker.
"What the f – Mallory!" Tess groaned, almost falling to the ground with her shock. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I'm waking you up, stupid! You're gonna be late for class!" Wiping the drool off of her cheek, Tess's eyes widened and she quickly began scooping her books into her locker.
"Fricking...oh god...first day...shit..." she was mumbling, jerking the zipper closed before sprinting down the hallway. Apparently, she wasn't paying much attention to where she was walking, and ran headlong into another student. She felt her balance leave her, and found herself lying on the ground, with a tanned face peering at her. He had a strong jaw with shaggy blonde hair that hung in his blue eyes, that showed concern.
"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounding muffled in her ears for a moment. His large hand extended towards her, and she blindly reached for it. The stranger hauled her up without effort, before bending down and picking up the books she had lost.
"I'm really sorry about that," he apologized quickly, handing them back to her in a neat stack. "I should've paid more attention to where I was going..."
"No, it's my fault," Tess interjected, shaking her head. "I was the one who ran into you."
"True, but still," he grinned. "I'm Terry, by the way, Terry Osborne. I'm new here. And you are?"
"Tessa Flynn," she shoved the contents of her bag back in and slung it on her shoulder, before shaking his hand. "Under any other circumstance, I would say nice to meet you, but..."
He laughed, the sound reverberating throughout his broad chest. "I know what you mean. This may be the third time someone has ran into me today. Is there something wrong with the people at this school or am I just that attractive that I have people falling all over me?"
"Well, this school is full of idiots, so I'm going to have to say the former," she snorted, rolling her eyes.
"You couldn't give me the satisfaction, could you?"
Tess nudged his arm with her elbow and shook her head. "Not a chance."
"Well, is there a chance that you can help me find my next class?" Terry pulled the schedule from his pocket and unfolded it, holding it out for her to examine.
"Economics?" she rolled her eyes. "Looks like we're in the same class, Terry. We better get there before –" The trill of the bell ringing made her sigh and rub her forehead. "...the bell rings. Alright, let's get moving. Hopefully Mrs. DeMoore is just as blind as she was last year and wont notice us coming in late." Tess grabbed his arm and began pulling him down the hallway, missing the smirk on his face as he trailed behind her.
"Why were you so out of it earlier today?" Mallory inquired as her and Tess walked to their table in the cafeteria. She glanced down at the people that were crowding around it and scowled. "Hey, fresh-meat. Scatter."
They looked up at her with fear in their eyes and quickly disappeared into the far end of the room. Tess rolled her eyes, taking one of their seats. "Why do you have to be so mean?"
"Why do you have to be so nice?" Mallory countered, waving her fork at her.
"Touche."
"Back to my original question of why you were almost dead this morning..."
"I was helping Roy," she muttered, avoiding her eyes as she picked at her salad. "He's on a mission in Rhelasia and I was at the Mt delivering coordinates. I have my com with me just in case he needs me, but I doubt he'll call."
"Rhelasia?" Mallory repeated. "Isn't that the country that was on the news this morning? The Asian one with all the issues?"
"Yup."
"Huh."
"Mind if I join you?" both of their heads whipped around to see Terry standing there, a tray in his hands. He had an award-winning smile on his face, the kind that would have thousands of girls tripping over themselves at the sight of him – Mallory included.
"Of course!" she practically shouted, producing a chair out of nowhere and setting it down extremely close to herself. "Tess, why don't you introduce me to your friend?"
Tess's eyebrow rose in amusement, and she hesitated a moment – mostly to watch Mallory's facial expressions for a while longer – before speaking, "Well, Mallory, this is Terry Osborne. Terry, this is Mallory Winchester."
"Nice to meet you," he beamed, offering her his hand. She took it with a slightly dazed look.
"Likewise." Once Terry had turned to his food, Mallory gave Tess a wide-eyed look and mouthed "Oh my god!" To which she responded by making a heart with her hands and a kissy face.
"So...Terry, how are you liking Star City East?" Mal grinned, lacing her hands together and placing her chin on them.
"Well, it's okay..." he began. "There are a lot of...interesting...people here."
"You can say that again," Tess grumbled, eying the cheerleader table with extreme distaste. Some of them were watching Terry, and scowled when they noticed her dirty look. "Bitches."
"I am looking forward to trying out for the football team, though."
"No!" both Mallory and Tess shouted. He jumped, eyes wide.
"What?"
"We can't lose another to the dark side," Mallory hissed, gesturing with her head to the 'popular table' Tess was just staring at before.
"The dark side?" Terry repeated, baffled and amused at the same time. "How many have you lost to this 'dark side?'"
"One too many," Tess continued before freezing as a beeping noise suddenly filled the air around their table. She reached a hand toward her pocket, which muffled the beeping, and she jumped to her feet. "I've gotta take this."
Once she had made it out into the hallway, she quickly looked to make sure no one was around, before stepping into the janitor's closet. "This is Echo," she muttered, holding her communicator up to her ear.
"It's me," Roy panted, before coughing slightly. "I may, possibly, be in over my head."
"I'm on my way."
"The unification is unthinkable!" Singh Manh Li, the leader of North Rhelasia, shouted angrily, banging his fist on the table. The room flinched slightly, and Lex Luthor – the independent arbitrator – frowned.
"Our peoples no longer have anything in common," Tseng, the minister of South Rhelasia, added.
"Gentlemen, this is mere rhetoric," Lex cut across smoothly with a calming smile. Both leaders stopped and turned their attention to him. I, positioned in the crowd in my civvies with Aqualad, muttered curses under my breath.
"Slimy...conniving...son of a bitch..."
"Despite your differences you still share an appreciation for many things. Such as, the exquisite art of the Rhelasian tea ceremony." The squeaking wheels of a cart made me turn around, and I immediately recognized the face of the server. Even under the facepaint and robes, I knew Jade's face when I saw it. Spending hours cursing a person's existence does that to you.
"That is far enough," Aqualad said as I turned around, scowling. "Cheshire." The group around us gasped and whirled to face us.
Cheshire's eyed widened a fraction, before she suddenly smirked and pushed the cart at me. I jumped backwards, taking a group of people with me, and dove for the columns of the room. Aqualad threw up a barrier of water while Roy, who was up behind the head table, docked an arrow and shot at the cart. An explosion racked the building and blew the windows out, almost sending Jade over the edge.
One of the columns I was near suddenly began to crumble. I froze in horror as I stared up at the statue, and found my body refused to move. That was it, it was going to –
Another body hit mine full-force and we were sent rolling across the velvet green carpet. I landed hard on my back, stars clouding my vision while whoever had saved me was positioned with both arms and legs on either side of me. "Echo!" he shouted over the chaos. "Are you okay?"
Roy? Roy had saved me? "Yeah, I think so," I groaned, staring up into his mask. "Thanks."
He grinned, leaning in slightly. "No problem..." Okay, our faces are really close now. Like, really, really close. What is he gonna do? Kiss me? That'll be the day!
"It's over, Cheshire," Aqualad said from somewhere in the room. Did it really matter where?
"You would think so," she replied, and suddenly a helicopter appeared where the windows used to be. Reality hit both Roy and I hard, and we quickly jumped to our feet to see Sportsmaster standing there with a group of masked men. They hopped onto the floor, and Sportsmaster took his time walking toward us.
"Zhua tzuh sa so!" Tseng shouted, and the body guards ran forward to fight off the others.
"Take Sportsmaster!" Roy commanded Aqualad, drawing his bow. "Cheshire's mine."
"So territorial and only our third date," Cheshire smirked, drawing her sais.
"Date?" I repeated accusingly, glaring at Roy.
"I'll explain later," he replied. "Get after the others." I scowled at him for a moment before throwing myself into the throng, flipping over one man's shoulders and onto another. He went down easily, but tried to block me while I aimed for the knockout blow to his neck. One of Tseng's bodyguards clubbed his head, and I nodded as I flipped off of the ninja and ran at another.
"You called some of your little sidekick friends!" Cheshire remarked. "But didn't you tell me they weren't in your league?"
Aqualad and I both froze, giving the ninja an opportunity to throw me off of his back while Sportsmaster closelined my teammate. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a ball and chain, whipping it at Kaldur, who barely had time to roll over. Figuring the guards could handle the other ninjas, I sprinted to his aid and aimed a kick at Sportsmaster's side. He deflected it easily, and grabbed my ankle, throwing me into the head table.
Pulling myself out of the broken wood, I sent a glare at Lex Luthor. "Aren't you going to do anything?"
He simply stared at me, face void of any emotion. What the hell was his problem? Sure he was the bad guy, but honestly, these people tried to kill him earlier today!
"Not bad, lad," Sportsmaster began, staring down at Aqualad while I ran up to join him. "Better than your team did at Santa Prisca – or Bialya."
Our eyes widened. "How did you –"
"Let's just say I have an inside source – very inside." He turned to me, and I could tell from his eyes that he was grinning behind his hockey mask. "I'd watch yourself, Baby Canary. Word on the street is, there's a storm coming."
"Aqualad, Echo, let's end this," Roy shouted before we were all suddenly doused in water. The sprinkling system let off enough water to form a tidal wave, and just by looking at Kaldur's expression, I knew that's what he was thinking, too. I ran to join Roy on the pillars just as Aqualad raised his arms, water surrounding him in a cocoon. It morphed into a giant snake, which lunged at the ninjas, sweeping them up easily. Just as it was about to swallow Cheshire and Sportsmaster, Jade put on her mask and threw a smoke bomb into it's mouth providing enough time and cover for them to escape.
I coughed, doubling over with the effort to expel the smoke from my lungs. Just as I looked up again, one of the ninjas came flying over our heads, duel swords drawn and aiming to kill both leaders of Rhelasia.
"Mercy," Lex muttered, and his assistant raised her arm. The cloth of her suit fell away as the arm pulled apart to reveal a cannon, which fired at the assassin. He fell, unconscious, with the sword landing at his side. When the three of us turned around, weapons at the ready, the rest were gone.
Mercy's arm went back to normal and Luthor grinned. "Gives new meaning to the arms race, doesn't she?"
Both ministers sighed in relief and went to shake his hands. "That technology is most impressive," Singh Manh Li commended.
"We owe you our lives," Tseng added.
"They owe him their lives?" Roy repeated angrily.
I shrugged, glaring at Luthor, before sighing. "Does it really matter as long as they're safe?" I asked, heading towards the door. "C'mon boys, we've got a peace treaty signing to witness in an hour."
"Yes, quite a coup for Lex Luthor," the reporter for GBS, Cat Grant, began, talking into the camera crew in front of her. Behind her, the treaty was being signed in front of the press. "Under his leadership, North and South Rhelasia are signing a treaty, which eventually could lead to reunification."
Red Arrow, Aqualad, and I all shook our heads, before making towards the exit. Our jobs were done here, it seemed. "I can't believe we just did a solid for Lex Luthor," Roy remarked as we walked.
"Not for Luthor, for peace," Kaldur corrected, making me roll my eyes.
"Peace seems to be the last thing on Luthor's mind," I snorted as we walked outside. "Guy's getting money out of it somehow."
"Beyond that, if Ra's and the League of Shadows wanted to sabotage the summit, the signing of the treaty renders their contract moot. It is over."
"Is it?" Roy asked. "I heard what Sportsmaster said. Do you really think there's a mole on your team, feeding him intel?"
"I cannot rule out the possibility," Aqualad frowned, catching my eye.
"We will investigate – quietly," I added.
"Not tell them?"
"I do not want the unit unraveling under baseless suspicions. If there is a mole, I have no wish to tip him – or her – off," Kaldur said.
"Good luck with that," Roy smiled, saluting us, before turning to walk away. That was it? He was just going to leave? Jerk.
"One moment my friend. Tonight, you could've called Green Arrow for help, or the Justice League. Instead, your first instinct was to call the Cave."
"You're right," Roy sighed, turning around. "The Team deserves, has, my respect. I'm still getting used to this solo act stuff, but if you need me, I'll be there." Both boys shared a smile and shook hands.
I squealed behind closed lips and jumped on Roy, hugging him around the waist. "Oh, we're all friends again!" I cheered as he hugged me back slightly, before I pushed him off and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, Red, I always wanted to go shopping in Rhelasia!"
"I will see you back at the Cave soon?" Kaldur called, sounding amused even though I couldn't see his face.
"Yeah, okay!" I agreed, pulling Roy around a corner and out of his sight.
"So, what was with the whole 'date with Cheshire' thing?" I asked awkwardly after another two hours of roaming the city with Roy by my side.
He laughed, shaking his head and putting an arm around my shoulder. "Do you really think I'd do that to you, Tess?"
"Do what to me?" I repeated with a nervous giggle. "You can go out with whomever you want, my friend. Even if it is that she-witch. I can't stop you."
"No, you can't," he agreed, making my heart feel like a deflating balloon. "But maybe...maybe I want you to."
"You want me to do what?...I don't get what you're trying to say."
Roy sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop walking, and tugged me into an alley we had stopped in front of. I leaned against the wall while he began to pace. "What I'm trying to say is..." he trailed off, pausing, before starting again. "I'm not good at this, so bear with me."
"Roy, you're starting to scare me..." I said, eyebrows knitting together in confusion as I reached towards him. "What are you talking about?"
"Just, just stay still," he grabbed both of my arms and guided me back against the wall. "Don't move."
"Wha –" Before I could ponder his actions further, he yanked me to him and covered my mouth with his in a hungry kiss. I felt my body freeze in shock, before slowly responding, which surprised myself. When did I start to feel this strongly about him? His mouth was so warm, the caress of his lips softer than I could have ever imagined...not that I spent a lot of time imagining such things. He tasted tentatively with his tongue, and I opened my mouth with an accidental low moan. He laughed slightly into the kiss, but gasped as my hands made their way to the front of his uniform and tugged him closer.
Suddenly, he backed up, making me release my grip on his shirt. His hand ran through his hair as he panted, looking everywhere in the dark alleyway except for me. "Oh god...I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" I repeated, laughing breathlessly. "Why are you sorry?"
"I just crossed a major line," he answered, shaking his head as he backed farther away. "This needs to stop, now."
"I don't understand...Roy!" He had turned around, jogging down the alley until he was completely shrouded in darkness and I could no longer see him. I pushed off of the wall and sprinted after him, hands outstretched to grab him, but all I grasped between my fists was air. "Roy! Red Arrow!" It wasn't long before my palms hit a brick wall and I realized that he was really gone.
How could he do this to me? How could he just leave like that? After kissing me? What the hell am I supposed to do now? Just pretend like it didn't happen? "Goddammit!" I growled, punching the wall with as much strength as I could muster. When I pulled back, my knuckles were scraped and blood dripped down my hand. I winced, eyes tearing up at both the pain and my real emotions as I turned around and headed back for the mouth of the alley.
My hand, the undamaged one, reached for my communicator as I called for the only person I could think of in a time like this.
"Yes?" the person picked up after only one beep.
"Artemis?" I sniffed. "Can you set up a zeta beam from Rhelasia to the Cave?"
"Are you in Rhelasia?" she asked, bewildered, before pausing. "And have you been crying?"
"Yes and...maybe," I muttered. "Can we just not talk about it right now?"
"...Fine," she sighed. "But we will talk about it when you get here. The transporter should be up on your left. It's a photo booth."
"Thanks, Artemis."
"No problem, Tess."
"Zhua tzuh sa so!" translates to "Stop the assassins!" in Chinese :)