If you were following this story before I made the changes then I would suggest going back and reading chapter one again, otherwise you are going to be very confused. I made good on the promise to change the heck out of this story. It is a bit of a slow burner but I want my character to have time to develop and experience different events. It is still early, before season one began but I didn't just want to throw my girl out there and hope she would fit in. This way the future events will make more sense too. As far as romance and pairings and all that, I will go a lot of the way that the original set up was for the Young Justice characters. Maybe some minor interference, if you don't like it then don't read it. Simple enough right?
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice...just my OC.
Chapter Two
June 15th 2010
Aaliyah awoke with a start at the sound of thunder and the flash of light just outside of her window. She sat up quickly, maybe too quickly as her head began to throb and spin with the sudden movement. Getting out of her bed proved to be a bit of a challenge as she had somehow cocooned herself into her blanket. She fought with the blanket for a minute before finally kicking it completely off and rolling herself off of her bed.
Lightening flashed again as she stood in front of her window followed by another low rumble of thunder. The soft pitter patter of the rain could be heard as it hit the side of the house and window. Aaliyah could practically feel the boredom creeping up as she continued to stare outside.
Her eyes widened as she saw the slight reflection of herself in the glass. She turned to the large mirror connected to her dresser and let out a sigh. "Sleep was good to me last night, yep." She said as she reached a hand up to her wild hair.
The sound of the doorbell brought her out of her thoughts and with a glance over to the alarm clock on her nightstand, her eyes widened again. It read 9:37 a.m., even though she never got a time for his arrival today she just knew it had to be him. Aaliyah ran to her bathroom and quickly ran a brush through her longish hair putting it into a loose braid.
"Aaliyah! Aaron is here!" The sound of her mother's voice caught her just as she tied a hair band around the end of the braid. She then ran out of the bathroom stumping her toe on the door frame, "Ah! Dang it!" she yelled grabbing her foot with the now throbbing toe. Jumping around on one foot proved to be just as bad as running in the small space that was her room. Her shoes from the night before lay forgotten in the middle of the floor and she tripped on them sending her falling flat on her face.
Aaliyah grumble from her position on the floor and began picking herself up slowly, the pain in her toe still there. "So, it's gonna be one of those days huh?" She shook her head as she stood up completely.
A knock on her door had her spinning around quickly hitting herself in the face with her braided hair. She winced at the contact and then deadpanned at her run of luck so far, it's not even noon and I am ready to freaking hit something! She thought as she walked to her bedroom door.
"Mom, I'll be down in a min-"she began to say as she opened the door to reveal not her mom but Aaron. "Oh…Aaron." Her tone revealing the slight surprise she had at seeing the boy that now stood just outside of her bedroom.
Aaron looked her up and down with a questioning look, he stopped at her face and raised an eyebrow, "Nice pjs. Are those…cats?" He chuckled lightly as he crossed his arms.
Aaliyah's faced flushed as she looked down at herself with wide eyes, seriously?! Of all the days I had to pick out these pajamas! She mentally kicked herself. She really disliked cats yet here she stood in pink pajamas with little gray cats covering them. She looked back to Aaron who now had a smirk on his, handsome, face. He was wearing a pair of worn-out blue jeans, his boots and a simple black t-shirt, but dang he made it look good. She could even see the definition in his arms since he had them crossed firmly over his slightly broad chest.
His hand waving in front of her face caused her to snap out of her observational daydreaming of the boy that stood in front of her. "Never thought I would have to say this but…I'm up here Ali." He chuckled again at her surprised reaction as he gestured up with his thumb. She shook her head and focused on his eyes which seemed to hold even more amusement as a smug look overtook his features.
"Uh, s-sorry." She cleared her throat nervously, "Just, um, give me a minute to change." He nodded, the smirk still on his face as he turned around and headed back downstairs. She closed her door and leaned her back against it taking a deep breath placing a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Come on Aaliyah, why are you acting this way around him? Why now? We've been friends for years but, dang it, it should be illegal to have friends that look that good.
Aaliyah made her way down the stairs after finally getting herself together enough to change out of her embarrassing pajamas. Changing into a comfortable white t-shirt and gray workout shorts was her solution to three things; getting out of those embarrassing pajamas, being comfortable and keeping cool in the hot summer heat. She had seen the day before that it was going to rain until early afternoon then it was clear for the rest of the day. No way was she planning on spending all day cooped up inside, especially once her mom had run out of things for her and Aaron to do. The awkward, although very short, situation when he came up to her room to see her was enough for one day.
"Mom?" Aaliyah called out once she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"In here!" her mother called out from the kitchen.
Aaliyah walked through the opening to the kitchen to see her mom pouring a glass of tea and Aaron leaning against the island with his hands in his pockets. She smiled at Aaron when he turned his head towards her and then she looked at her mother, "So, what do you want to get done today?"
Her mom turned around laying her glass of tea on the island, "Well," she placed her hand on her chin as she thought, "I was thinking a run to town first to get stuff for y'all to eat and drink on the trip so that way the only stops made are to refill the truck. Then you and Aaron can head outside after we get back and clean out the truck and get the horse trailer ready, make sure to pack the tack as well."
Both the teens shared a quick look before nodding their agreement at the plan for the day. When Aaliyah's mother had finished her glass of tea the three of them headed out the door. It was still raining lightly so the three made a dash for the truck and jumped in closing the doors quickly.
"It should be done raining by the time we get back." Her mom said as she fastened her seatbelt and started the truck. Aaliyah and Aaron, both sitting in the back seat, followed her example and fastened theirs as well.
Aaliyah sat in the backseat looking out the window absentmindedly picking at her fingernails, a nervous habit of hers. She didn't know when she started that particular habit but that wasn't the important question right now, the important question was why she was nervous in the first place? Sitting this close to Aaron, so close that their knees touched, was not new to her. They usually sat close to one another so that they could talk in a whisper without adult interference.
Her mom had turned on the radio and began softly singing along with the song that was playing. She felt Aaron shift beside her which caused her to turn her head to look at what he was doing. She held in the gasp that nearly escaped when she realized how close his face was to hers. She simply spoke hoping her voice wouldn't betray her nervousness, "What's up?"
"So, you're moving." It wasn't a question, he simply stated a fact.
Aaliyah nodded her head, "Yeah, I told you that last night remember?"
He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, "Yeah I remember. Doesn't mean I like it any." He leaned back a bit with his head tilted down slightly. After a moment and another long sigh he opened his eyes again to look at her through his long dark bangs.
Aaliyah looked at him sadly but tried her best at a smile, "You can always come visit. I want to keep in contact with the few good friends I have here." He gave her a small smile at that. "Maybe, if we get moved and settle quickly enough, you and the others could plan a trip to visit? If not then we can make plans for next summer and everyone can come stay for a week or so."
Aaron nodded at the suggestion, he opened his mouth to speak again but was interrupted by Aaliyah's mom. "Ok kiddos, we are here. Let's get this over with."
The three of them completed the shopping and found everything that her mom thought they would need during the long trip. The ride back was quiet but less awkward between the two teens, the fact that they had a mound of groceries and random stuff now between them dampened any attempts at conversation. They took a bit longer than expected in town but at least it wasn't raining anymore.
"Ok you two." her mother started as she turned the key killing the engine immediately and turning herself slightly to face them. "I will get this stuff inside. You two can head over to the trailer and get it ready for the trip. Your dad can check the lights and stuff when he gets home so don't worry about any of that." It was now around 2:30 p.m. but they still had plenty of time to get the truck and trailer cleaned out.
"Ok mom." Aaliyah nodded as she opened the truck door and jumped out. She walked around the truck and headed towards the small barn that the trailer sat next to. Aaron did the same and was walking next to her before she knew it. It helped that he had longer legs than her but she always had trouble keeping up with his long strides.
"So, Caroline asked me out the other day." The randomness of the statement cause Aaliyah to stumble a bit which resulted in Aaron placing a hand on her upper arm to help stabilize her. "You ok?" he chuckled.
She looked at him and smiled, "Yeah, just wasn't expecting that one. Took her long enough though, I know you have liked her for a little while now."
"Had." He responded as they continued walking.
Aaliyah looked to her friend confused, "Had? You mean you said no? Didn't you ask her out a time or two before?"
He nodded, "Yep, sure did. She said no both times."
"Well if you still like her then why did you turn her down when she finally came around?" She shook her head as she looked at him.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Guess I got over her. I don't have time to wait on someone that isn't interested." He looked to her again.
She just shook her head more, "I will never understand you." She looked at him with slightly narrowed eyes.
"What do you mean?" He looked at her with a questioning expression.
She looked forward letting out a long sigh, "Well, you have had the biggest crush on that girl for as long as I can remember. Even if she took a while she finally came around but you turned her down."
"And your point is?" he stopped walking and faced her as she too stopped walking. They were standing by the trailer now and Aaliyah glanced at the trailer before turning her attention back to her friend.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the trailer still looking at him, "Well, any normal guy would be thrilled that his dream girl finally asked them out. Even if she did take a while." She uncrossed one of her arms as to put emphasis on the last part she spoke.
He looked at her with a blank expression placing his hands in his pockets as he started to walk to the back of the trailer. Aaliyah looked at him with a hint of annoyance as he seemed to be avoiding giving her an actual explanation. He stopped at the corner of the trailer and turned his head slightly towards her, "Who said she was my dream girl?" He said with a sweet smile.
Aaliyah didn't say anything as she watched him continue on, disappearing behind the trailer. She stood stock still, processing his words, 'who said she was my dream girl?' Then, he likes someone else? Why didn't he tell me this? We usually tell each other everything.
She heard the sound of the latch being moved and the door creaked open. Finally finding her feet, she walked slowly around to the back of the trailer to join him. They cleaned out the trailer in silence but noticed the small glances they would give one another during the process.
Once they were done with the trailer they headed for the truck in silence until Aaron spoke up. "Random food for thought but you know why we make great friends?"
Aaliyah looked to her friend as they continued on, "Why is that?"
"Well besides all the other obvious reasons, but did you ever notice that we both spell our names with two A's instead of just one?" He held up two fingers when he spoke the word 'two'.
"People spell names different all the time. Nothing really special about that." She shrugged playing like she didn't care when inside she was laughing at his total randomness.
"Well, honestly what are the chances that my parents and yours chose to spell our names with two A's?" He smiled at her, "I'm tellin ya, we were meant to be friends." He winked at her then faced forward.
Aaliyah just shook her head before chuckling, "You are such a dork sometimes. Did you know that?"
He smiled at her as they stopped at the truck shrugging in a nonchalant manner, "Yeah but you still keep me around so I must be doing something right, right?"
She placed a hand on her chin acting like she had to think about it for a minute which made him step towards her. She looked up to his much taller and broader frame with a sly smile, "Eh, your entertaining so yeah."
"That's it, I'm just entertainment for you?" he feigned hurt which made her smile grow.
She nodded as she quickly spun around, smile still in place, and walked around the truck to open the driver side door. "And you're sexy so that's a plus too." She mumbled to herself, or at least thought she said it low enough for only her ears.
It didn't take long to clean out the truck, her mom usually kept it pretty clean. The two teens walked back towards the house once they had finished and took a seat on the porch swing. They swayed back and forth slowly as they stared out at the vast amount of land the house sat on.
Aaron looked down at his watch after a few more minutes of silence, "My dad will be here in about 20 minutes." He looked back up but faced Aaliyah this time.
Aaliyah looked at him and smile, "Sorry about the silent treatment."
"Yeah about that," he said raising an eyebrow, "did I do something wrong?"
She quickly shook her head, "No, no. I was just thinking." She looked away from him for a moment and then back to him, he still had that look of question. "Look I know it sounds stupid but I was." She stuck her tongue out at him which made him laugh.
"Well, what were you thinking about then that caused you to be so quiet?" He asked when he had stopped laughing. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink that she could feel grow darker the more she thought about it. The silence continued to grow until he chuckled, "Must have been something good to make your face turn that red." He pointed to her.
She swatted his hand away trying her best to glare at him but it was so hard when he was smiling like that. The thoughts started to flow through her mind, it's because he is my best friend that I just so happen to find extremely attractive! Those bright eyes in contrast to his dark hair and those dimples that can been seen when he smiles just gives me chills! She screamed in her head.
She let out a frustrated breath, "It's nothing." She turned her head so that she was looking out over the vast area again.
"Oh?" His eyebrows shot up before he smirked playfully at her, "I thought it might have been because you thought I was 'sexy'." He did the air quotes at the word 'sexy'.
Aaliyah immediately snapped her head back to look at him with wide eyes. "Wh-what?!" She breathed heavily, "Why would you think that?" her voice broke a little at that last question and she internally punched herself for having the reaction that she did.
"Well isn't that another reason you keep me around other than entertainment?" He was really getting a kick out of this and she could tell which made her eyes narrow at him. "I'm pretty sure I heard it correctly." He smirked.
"That word doesn't ring a bell." She tried her best to play it off.
He leaned in closer, the smirk and his amusement only seemed to grow as she seemed to grow redder the closer he got. "You're turning red again." He was close enough that she could feel his breath on her face but she continued to try to keep her composure.
The heat on her face was rising but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting on that he was the cause of it. She put on an emotionless mask, "It's hot outside so of course I'm red."
He leaned in closer making her suck in a breath, "It's hot outside huh?" His nose was touching hers at this point and she could feel her hands start to shake. "Am I making you nervous?"
"No. What makes you think I'm nervous?" She faltered in her attempt to keep the mask.
"Your hands are shaking." He whispered. Her eyes widened slightly and she placed both hands on her lap and dug her nails into her legs to stop them from shaking. An audible gulp was heard as she tried to swallow the knot in her throat, he was slowly moving closer and closer. She couldn't move, as much as she wanted to she just couldn't. Part of her was hoping he would stop but another part was hoping he wouldn't. He angled his head slightly as his lips neared hers, the touch was so light and she went to move in on instinct. Just as she did so the front door swung open causing them both to pull apart quickly and stare at the door with wide eyes.
"There you two are!" Her mom's cheery voice broke the silence, "Aaron I was going to ask if you were going to stay for dinner tonight or not?"
Aaron stood from the swing and scratched the back of his head, "Actually Mrs. Valentine, my dad is on his way to get me. He should be here soon but thanks for the offer."
Her mom smiled at the boy and looked to Aaliyah, "Well in that case dinner will be ready in about an hour or so." She looked back to Aaron, "And there is plenty of room if you decided to stay." She smiled one last time before turning to walk back inside. Both teens let out a relieved sigh and looked at one another.
A second later Aaron's phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached in and took out the phone to see that he had gotten a text message from his dad.
"Everything ok?" Aaliyah asked as she took a slow step towards her friend.
"Yeah, my dad will be here in a few minutes." He sighed putting his phone back into his pocket.
He looked at the dirt road that led out to the main road a set of headlight in the distance indicating an approaching vehicle. He then looked to the girl that stood next to him also watching the approaching vehicle, it's either now, or never. He thought as he stepped closer to her.
Aaliyah wasn't paying much attention so the sudden contact made her gasp in surprise. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around Aaron to return the hug. Once again she felt her heart speeding up at the close proximity and prayed that he couldn't feel her heart beating through her chest.
He pulled away slightly his arms still loosely wrapped around her shoulders, "Ya know, you might actually get to see one of those superheroes out there?"
Aaliyah furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?" Once again he was being totally random.
He shrugged his shoulders a bit, "Well, they have been seen all over the place by people…you know when they are out saving the world and stuff. But most of them are up close by where you will be moving, at least the cool ones."
An amused look came across Aaliyah's face, "And who would you define as cool?"
The boy looked down at her and smirked, "Well Batman of course. He has that whole mysterious, will-never-frighten-me vibe and all time intimidating look. The guy could make a crook wet himself with one look, its freaking awesome!" he exclaimed.
"You are such a dork." She laughed.
"Hey I'm just sayin, if you come across any of them get an autograph or something!" he said raising his eyebrows.
"I'll make sure to do that." She thought about it for a moment, "then again, if I'm that close then I am probably going to be in some kind of trouble."
"Well stay out of trouble. We all know how you are when you are bored." He gave her a knowing look.
She scoffed at him and looked to the side, "As if! I will probably end up locking myself in my room and never see the light of day again up there. You know how I am around people I don't know and up there I know no one." She let out a long sigh, "I'm going to become a freaking hermit!"
He laughed at her childishness, "You will be fine. A girl as pretty as you should have no problems making new friends." The words left his mouth so fast he didn't have time to stop himself.
She stiffened in his arms and looked at his face, his expression was of slight shock. She blinked slowly, "You think I'm pretty?" her voice was low.
He looked at her in slight embarrassment and moved one hand behind his head while the other stayed wrapped around her. Scratching his head he spoke, "Well, actually I think you are beautiful but that's beside the point." He said quickly. "Point is you seem like the type of person that is easy to approach and talk to. Even if that is not like you at all that is the way you look to outsiders."
She just stood there stunned as she looked at her best friend, the one that she was developing a major crush on and the one that just said she was beautiful. Before she had the chance to speak the vehicle that had been coming up the long driveway stopped in front of the house. The warmth he created around her was lost when he removed his other arm and backed away from her a step. Even in the hot summer air she felt a cold sensation run throughout her body at the loss of his touch.
"Hey dad!" he yelled waving his hand and receiving a wave from the older man.
Aaliyah stood still on the porch now looking at the truck that sat in the yard and the man that sat in the driver seat. She waved and smiled at him as he waved at her with his own friendly smile in place. When the older man turned his attention to the trucks radio Aaliyah turned her attention back to Aaron.
"Well, I guess I will see you in a week or so?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question but it did.
He smiled and nodded opting not to speak as he might say something again that would make him hate his big mouth. Instead he did something else, as he turned to walk off the porch he planted a soft kiss on her cheek before completely losing his senses. He didn't notice the blush on Aaliyah's face but he could feel the one on his as he hurried to towards the waiting truck.
Aaliyah touched her the cheek that he had kissed, it tingled underneath her fingertips. She could feel the heat on her cheeks as she watched the truck pull away and grow smaller and smaller. "Why did he have to make this move ten times harder that it should be?" she questioned out loud.
"Because as hard as this move might be for you, it is equally as hard for him." Aaliyah spun around at the sound of her mother's voice. Her mom smiled warmly at her as she stood in the doorway of the house.
"Um, how long have you been standing there?" she asked with horror written all over her face.
Her mom chuckled, "Long enough to be able to tell you that, that boy cares about you more than a friend my dear dense daughter."
Aaliyah deadpanned at her mom's statement, "I get it honest." She said pointedly towards her mother.
Her mom bursts into laughter, "Yes, yes you do."
Aaliyah rolled her eyes and made to walk passed the laughing woman but was stopped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked over to her mother who was now smiling brightly at her, "I knew from the moment that you two became friends that this would happen. Yes he is 15 but you will be turning 14 in the next few months so it's not that big of a gap." Her mom pointed out using her hands to mimic a scale to weigh the age difference.
"I don't think he likes me like that mom." Her head fell a bit as she spoke.
Her mom's smile grew warm, "Trust me sweetie, he does."
Aaliyah threw her hands into the air in exasperation, "Well what difference does it make now? We are moving so that pretty much kills it." Her arms dropped limply at her sides and she let her head fall back with a groan. "What if I meet someone up there? Then what?" She said still looking up.
Her mother sighed, "Your feelings will let you know."
"Huh? What is that supposed to mean?" the confusion was very evident on Aaliyah's face.
"It's hard to explain it. I dated of course before I met your father. I thought I loved them but when I met your dad, there was something different. I felt free, like I finally found the one thing I was meant to find to make my life happy." She smiled to her daughter, "Make sense?"
"Um, sure. Anyways can we get off the topic of love and all that? I mean I'm 13 going on 14, I really don't need to think that deep into it right now." She started walking passed her mom and into the house. "I'll think about that stuff when I have time. Right now I got this move and this long trip on my mind and I just want to chill out and watch some movies." She smiled at her mom as they both entered the house together.
Okay reviewers do what you do! For those wondering where the Young Justice characters are, be patient they are coming soon I promise. Otherwise I wouldn't have put this story in the YJ category.
