"You're not serious. This can't be real," Weaver said, staring in disbelief.
"Afraid so. She lied to you guys."
"Star, really?"
"I'd prefer if you called me Kori now. And please don't tell the others."
"Why would you lie, though?"
"I grew tired of our group. I loved you all like family, but I was bored."
"You couldn't just say that?"
"I wanted to avoid hurting my friends' feelings. I am sorry, Simon." He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, then took a deep breath.
"It's alright. But you will have to let them know at some point."
"I understand. Thank you, friend." She smiled sweetly, and they moved on to the plan.
"Roy's somewhere in here," Jason explained, making a circle with his finger over a Quraqi prison. "I'll go in in disguise, then-"
"We're both pasty white, Jason. Shouldn't Star be doing this? Not that a little sunburn's gonna keep me down, but come on."
"She's tan enough for both of us. Now, I'll spring Roy, but you need to make a distraction, Weaver."
"I can do that."
"They've got tanks," Kori advised.
"Lots of them," Jason seconded.
"I can keep them down."
"Alright. Kori, you'll be our extraction. Weaver, can you get to the RZ in time?" Jason drew a line between the prison and a field outside of the nearby village.
"If I go through the village, yeah."
"That's going to endanger the civilians. Can't let you do that, buddy."
"So I have to go around the entire village?"
"That appears to be the case."
"Could we relocate the RZ to somewhere I could actually get to?"
"Probably not. There aren't many flat places in the desert, even less nearby, and even less that provide enough cover to hide a helicopter."
"Say we don't use the helicopter."
"Then how do we leave?"
"This is a military base. We could make some money here too. I can see several hangars on this map. I'd be willing to bet at least one of them has an AC-130. That's good money."
"I'm good for it if you are, Kori."
"It would be delightful."
"We ship out at 0300, then. Weaver, you want to train a bit? I'd imagine you're a little rusty."
"Probably a good idea." They strolled out of the crashed alien ship they were using as a base and onto the sunny Miami beach; they were far enough out not to get noticed, but still close enough to enjoy all of the luxuries.
"So, you like it here?"
"Loving it so far. Although I am surprised that you didn't head back to Gotham."
"That city deserves itself. Nothing good has happened there for decades."
"Can't argue with that." They reached a soft sandbar, the blue waves slapping against the pale sand in an uneasy rhythm. A single palm tree stood large over them, casting a shadow that cooled the sand down enough to stand barefoot in comfortably. Jason took a swing at Simon, catching him cleanly on the side of the head.
"Dude, what the fuck?! You've got to tell me before you just start beating the hell out of me!"
"Enemies won't. Got to train for the real thing." Weaver ducked under a roundhouse and tackled Jason's other leg, sending him toppling to the ground as Simon grabbed his ankle and twisted. Jason rolled over and tucked bringing his foot - and Weaver's head - hard into the ground. Simon could barely roll over before Jason grabbed his arm and forced him back onto his stomach, wrenching his arm at an extreme angle.
"Nice, nice, but you're forgetting one thing," Weaver said between ragged breaths. "Always plan ahead!" He looped his legs around Jason's, pulling him off of him. They both scrambled to their feet; while Weaver was out of breath, Jason was doing fine.
"Tired already?"
"Not really, no."
"Bullshit." He kicked Weaver in the stomach, winding him, then slung him over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. He didn't get back up, giving a weary time out signal with his hands. Jason's watch beeped and he checked it, then turned to look at Weaver.
"Raven's coming."
"Think that would be the first time I had warning. How do you know?"
"The ship Kori has has great sensors. It's amazing. I'll have Roy explain it all when we get back. You better take care of your girl."
"Thanks for the heads up." He got up and walked back to the ship, his head swimming. Weaver stepped into his room, laid down on the bed, and waited.
After a few minutes, Raven finally poked her head through the doorway, knocking on it lightly.
"No portal this time?"
"I didn't want to catch you by surprise."
"Never been a problem before."
"It's different this time."
"How so?"
"Because this is probably going to be the last time." His heart skipped a beat, but he'd known this was a possibility since leaving the Watchtower.
"It doesn't have to be like this, Rae, but I understand if you feel it does."
"I hate being so off and on... but I think that I need some time to myself. To readjust."
"To forget."
"Yes. I want to forget everything that happened on Apokolips."
"I'm with you there."
"I just don't think that I can while I'm around you. I mean, I know that I'll never forget it, but I can at least get over it. You'd just be a constant reminder."
"I'm okay with that. Not being a reminder - I mean that I know what you mean."
"Damn it, Simon, stop taking this so well. You're starting to make me feel bad."
"If you didn't, I'd be a little worried."
"In all seriousness... I'm glad you understand. At the risk of sounding cliche, you've come a long way from that immature little brat you used to be."
"Dying'll do that to you sometimes." He smiled and invited her over to the bed; she obliged and laid down, the two of them staring at the ceiling together.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Jason needs me to help him with something. I'll take care of that first. From there, I don't know. I might try and stick around for a while. I don't know how long I'll go without killing somebody without some help."
"That's a good idea. He's a good guy, deep down."
"And you?"
"I have no idea. I might go back to Azarath, see if the monks can help me. I can't say I have as many options as you do."
"I have one."
"Exactly."
"You could try the Justice League Dark."
"No, too many of those people were on Apokolips. I can feel the the echoes of that assault radiating off of them."
"You don't seem to be too bothered by the memory. Do you really have to leave?"
"It's very painful. You know how my powers can be sometimes. If I don't control the pain-"
"Bad things happen. I'm not going to come after you or try to stop you. You do what you need to do, Raven. When you come back, I swear to whatever deity I haven't pissed off yet that I'll be here. I'm done jumping from girl to girl. Kitrina was a mistake, and I see that now. All she did was distract me from what really mattered."
"What if I never come back?"
"Then I guess I'm going to be alone forever." They turned to each other, face to face.
"Hmph."
"Was that the right answer?" he asked, smirking, his mouth twisted slightly to the side.
"You know, I've always loved that look on your face, when you know you're being an ass, but you also know that you're being too adorable for me to hit you for it."
"Adorable. That's a new one. I much prefer devious, or hilarious, or just plain awesome, maybe even badasstacular..."
"I could just take that back and hit you, you know." They were both smiling now, staring into each other's eyes mournfully.
"You wouldn't."
"I'm going to miss you." Weaver wasn't expecting the sudden turn into seriousness, but took it as it went.
"I'm going to miss you, too."
"I promise, I'll come back as soon as I feel that I can."
"Just keep in mind that no matter what happens, I'm your friend, and I'm here for you." They settled into a comfortable silence for several minutes, content to just lay there and wait; neither of them were thinking about a thing in the world, simply glad that it wasn't over yet, but knowing that it wouldn't last as long as either of them wanted.
"I love you, Raven."
"I love you, too."
A/N - Aaaaand that's a wrap! Keeping the various time lapses in mind, Nightweaver - and some of the Titans - had outgrown the "teen" part, and I felt that I had to chronologically move forward. If you want to continue reading in this series, you'll have to either go through my page or head over to Red Hood and the Outlaws in the Comics section. As I did with Years One and Two, it will continue to take largely from the entire DC Universe, but with a focus on the title group.
Plans for Nightweaver, Year Three!
- Incorporate storylines from the actual Red Hood and the Outlaws comics, but changed to accommodate Nightweaver's presence, changing the outcome of things; not only that, but he'll dramatically increase the group's notoriety, possibly causing them more harm than good.
- Keep tabs on the dismantled Teen Titans, most likely in mini-chapters in between the main ones. This will consist of Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Nightwing - Raven and Starfire wouldn't be included, because both of them play more major roles in the story.
- Not disclude the other characters from the team! As I'm currently actually keeping up with RHATO, I'm a lot more up to date on the state of affairs, and I personally love the dynamic those three have together (so of course, my first instinct it to throw my own spin on it!). In short, I'll be correcting something I've felt was a large mistake on my part in leaving out the rest of the Titans for the most part.
- I'd very much so like to include some original villains to keep the DCU on its toes.
- Some large, universe-changing events controlled by the largest powerhouses that DC has to offer.
- The real truth of what happened along the way to turn Simon Weaver into the person that he is today, from the odd details of his birth to what really happened to his parents, and who was involved the whole way through.
Well, that's all, folks. Hope you enjoyed the read. If not, tell me why! Just don't be a dick about it, 'cuz I'll be a dick back. If you plan on being an ass, to quote one Stephen King, "fuhgettaboutit."