A/N: It's been such a long time since I've updated. :c Remember how my laptop was stupid and deleted my stories? It officially crashed last week, so I had to order a new harddrive for my laptop and install it. ._. For the most part, I have the majority of my stuff back, but now my harddrive with my music's acting stupid. :c So I'm backing up everything right now as I type/post this. :P On the bright side? I'm off for the next two weeks. .w.
Now onto the reviews!
Panda-Chan8: Lol! Thank you! :) Really now (about the play)? That's interesting. It was just a random thought of mine. Hahah.
creamtherabbit77: Thank you!
Xmidniteangel15X: I don't play basketball. :3 I do stats for the boys' team. :) Yeah, I forget too. :P
lovinurbuks: Thank you! :)
Haliston: This series will focus on friendship, but I assure you, those Lovebirds moments won't be lacking! ;)
Sapphire Jade Eyes: Awwwww. THANK YOU. :D You made me so happy.
LadyFelton1994: Thank you! I'm sorry for going MIA after that. :c
piggythelaw: Hahah. ;)
That dorky blonde: You're welcome! :D Thank you for reading!
bluepenquin1998: Thank you! :D
goddess of the nigth: It's okay. I took too long to update again anyway. ._.
Kamil the Awesome: Well, yeah. Would Batman let them do what they do if they weren't? I have plans for those names. ;)
Kelly1432: LOL. It's no prob! When I say I'll introduce someone, it means I'll introduce someone. ;) Hahah. Thank you. :)
bumblebee stinger 101: Thank you! :D
Melissa Fairy: Thank you!
Q&A:
Xmidniteangel15X asks: (1) Are you doing early admissions for your college picks? (2) When you do more H.I.V.E. chapters, will the H.I.V.E. Five (from Teen Titans) make an appearance? (3) Can there be a moment when Verena gets possessive/jealous when it comes to Batman/Bruce Wayne because she's the only girl in the Wayne household? (4) You know in the show, they said Zatanna and Robin who's now Nightwing had a fling, are you going to make it seem like it never happened or make it a twist?
(1) Girl, I was too lazy to even do regular admissions for my schools. LOL. (2) The H.I.V.E. probably aren't gonna even show up again, except to wrap everything up. :P So probably no H.I.V.E. Five. Crossovers make everything more complicated for me. (3) What is with you people and having the characters jealous? I personally don't like that, so... maybe. :| (4) It'll probably never happen, because I have plans with someone else and that's not Zatanna. Zatanna and Verena are good friends.
lovinurbuks asks: Is Dragonfly gonna be an ally?
Nah. She was just a random character I added for progression's sake. I have no future plans for her.
And now onto the story! :o
MOUNT JUSTICE
JULY 21, 2011
13:23 EDT
I blocked out the sounds of grunting and thumps as I continued my research, digging up all I could from where I sat in the Mission Room. I glanced up from my research just in time to see Robin flip Tula over his back, pinning her to the ground before kicking Garth, making the Atlantean fly a few feet before being caught by Kaldur.
"Recognized: Wonder Woman: Zero-Three."
I glanced at the Zeta-Beam and the Amazon entered with a purpose. She headed to the computer on the side of the Zeta-Beam before it announced, "Access Granted: Donna Troy: A-Zero-Four. Authorization: Wonder Woman: Zero-Three."
The rest of the Team stopped their spar and we all watched as a tall, younger version of Wonder Woman stepped through the Zeta-Tube.
She had long, flowing black hair and dark blue eyes, which held nothing but confidence and self-assurance. She was dressed simply in a pair of black jeans and a white tank top, and when she brushed back a strand of her hair, I got a glimpse of her crescent moon earrings.
"Everyone," Wonder Woman began, looking at all of us, "this is Donna, my… sister to make things easier. Donna, meet the Team: Robin, Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis, Aqualad, Tempest, Aquagirl, Zatanna, Rocket, Green Lantern, Kid Flash, and Black Falcon."
"Well, that's not fair. They know my real name but I don't know theirs," Donna frowned, crossing her arms. In response to that, everyone began to introduce themselves with their real name, minus Robin and me.
"No real name?" she asked, looking at me.
I shook my head. "Batman's orders," I replied. "Our secret identities are a secret." I smiled at her. She wrinkled her nose, displeased, but nodded.
"Are you joining the Team?" Kyle asked, looking at the younger Amazon.
"Not yet," Wonder Woman replied for her protégée. "I just wanted to bring Donna here to show her how you all interact and work first."
"We are currently in a middle of a sparring session right now," Kaldur explained. "The Team is split into two groups, Team Alpha and Team Beta. The two teams are going against each other."
"It's kind of uneven right now though," Kyle informed. "Since Fal's out of commission and all." He jutted a thumb towards me.
"Two more weeks," I told the artist, before going back to my research. "I hate it as much as you do."
"I'm sure the Team will make you feel right at home," Wonder Woman said, patting her protégée's shoulder. "Now, I must take my leave, but feel free to come home any time you wish."
"Alright," Donna nodded, before Wonder Woman left the Cave.
"You can have a seat right next to Fal," Robin said, gesturing to where I was. I didn't bother looking up from my tablet, since she already knew where I was.
The next thing I knew, the fighting sounds resumed as a presence joined me.
"Why are you not sparring?" Donna inquired, standing next to me. "Do you not have to?"
"I got injured on a mission last week," I told her, narrowing my eyes at some encryptions I ran into. "Black Canary ordered me no strenuous activity for three weeks."
"Then what are you doing?" she asked me.
"I'm just doing some research Batman told me to do," I informed her. "Has Wonder Woman told you about H.I.V.E. and Dark Nemesis?" I looked up at the older girl.
"Only a little bit," she told me. "Di – Wonder Woman doesn't tell me much about her missions."
"I know her secret identity," I said, arching a brow at Donna. "You don't have to worry about correcting yourself around me. And it makes sense, since the League's missions are mostly top secret."
"'Mostly'?" Donna asked curiously, looking at me questioningly.
I paused from my work, choosing to look at Donna. "Well… they are a public group, so some of their missions have been released to the public, of course."
"I… see…" Donna said, though I didn't really see that she saw it. Did that make sense? I nodded my head, nonetheless. "You're Black Falcon… Wonder Woman has told me about you."
"Good things, I hope," I joked, tossing her a smile. "I can't count the amount of times she's thrown me to the floor."
Donna didn't seem to catch my joke, because she said, "They were nothing but praises." She frowned and went on, "She always said to be more like you. Which I don't understand, because I'm obviously much more superior than a human like you."
Um… okay? How was I supposed to respond to that?
"Recognized: Red Arrow: Two-One."
I instead chose to turn to the new entry, glad for a distraction. Though when I saw the redhead, I frowned, noting his appearance.
Roy did not look happy as he entered the room, that much was obvious. He must've hit another dead end with his search for Speedy.
"Hey," I greeted the redhead casually.
He gave a curt nod before noticing the dark-haired female right next to me. "Another one?" Ah, he was referring to the fact that the Team's member roster has grown quite considerably in the past few months.
"Wonder Woman's," I replied. "Donna, meet Red Arrow. Vice versa."
"Hi," Donna greeted, and I immediately noticed the change in her tone. I looked at her curiously and saw her looking up at Roy through her lashes, the corner of her mouth curling.
"Hey," Roy answered gruffly. He took a seat on the left armrest, before leaning back in the seat, sighing heavily.
"When's the last time you slept?" I asked, looking at him. He looked at me from underneath his dark glasses, so I could see his emerald orbs, along with the bags under his eyes. I glared at him through my sunglasses.
"Don't give me that look," he mumbled, before looking away from me. He looked at Donna and asked, "So are you joining the Team?"
I frowned at him changing the subject and overall ignoring me, but I'd get him later. Instead, I turned back to my research, finding out what I could on Dark Nemesis and The Veil, who hired them.
"Most likely," Donna replied. "Wonder Woman left me here to get to know the Team better."
"You'll like them," Roy told her.
"What makes you so sure?"
"Well, despite the Team's… eccentricity at times, they're nice guys," Roy explained. "Once you're their friend, they'll stick with you, good or bad. Fal, don't you dare repeat this to the rest of them."
"Don't need to," I replied casually. "I know you're a major softie." I tossed a toothy grin at the male archer. "You act all big and tough, but you're just squishy." I poked him. Okay, maybe not in the literal sense. His abs were rock hard.
He slapped my hand away, but I just kept smiling at him. He sighed, defeated. "By the way, I'm injured," I reminded him. "You shouldn't further injure me."
"Like a little slap like that could actually hurt you," Roy commented sarcastically. "I know you. I know your limits. I'd never do anything that'd actually hurt you."
"Aw, you're so sweet," I cooed, reaching to hug him. I ignored my ribs and wrapped my arms around him, digging my face into his chest. His spicy cinnamon scent filled my nose and I snuggled into him.
"Y-you're unbelievable," Roy sighed, hugging me back.
"Trying to steal my girl, Harper?" Robin's voice teased as it got closer. The training session must've wrapped up, because I heard some shuffling as some went to take showers while others joined us.
"I'd never," Roy replied in a joking tone, but I felt some weight in his words. My eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as Robin pulled me away from the archer. They were giving each other knowing looks, but I was still in the dark. What…?
"We should totally give you a tour of the Cave!" Zatanna exclaimed, looking at Donna.
"I would've offered earlier, but it took quite some effort to sit down," I told her. "I'll deal with this testosterone mess." I gestured to Kyle, Roy, Wally, and Robin.
"I don't think anyone else can," Artemis rolled her eyes. She looked at Donna and explained, "Fal's got this weird control over these guys. They're like, scared of her."
"You aren't scared of me, Artemis?" I cocked my head to the side, looking at the blonde archer.
The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment, "I've always been on your good side. Let's keep it that way." She flashed me a smile, which made my lips curl. "C'mon, Donna."
Once the girls left the room, I leaned back, sighing heavily. "Nothing?" I asked, looking at Roy.
The older redhead shook his head. "Dead end. I searched through pretty much all of Tibet and still nothing."
"Roy," Dick started sympathetically, "Speedy's been missing for almost four years. Chances of survival are slim to none."
"We're just not looking hard enough!" Roy snapped at Dick. He ran his fingers through his hair. "I-I just know he's out there… alive… somewhere. Don't tell me you all have given up." He looked at each and every one of us.
"It's not that," Wally sighed, taking his mask off. "It's more like… we're searching for you in an essence."
"To us, you've always been Speedy, not some knock-up clone that you claim to be," I looked at Roy. "You're the only Roy Harper we know, so stop insisting that you're not our friend."
"We're doing all we can to look for him," Dick assured. "But… stop beating yourself up."
"By the way, you look like crap," Kyle added in his own two cents. The rest of us nodded in agreement. Roy gave us all a half-hearted glare, before sighing.
He rubbed his chin, which had a day's worth of stubble, and frowned. "I should probably go shower, and shave," he mumbled, mostly to himself.
"And sleep while you're at it," Wally piped in. "In that order: shower, shave, sleep. Heh. Cool alliteration." We all rolled our eyes at the speedster, who looked at us before frowning. "What? It is."
"This isn't English class, West," Kyle said, looking down at the younger boy.
"Thank God," Wally sighed out. "I hated my English teacher. Sometimes I think English teachers look into the texts a bit too much."
I rolled my eyes at how off-topic we had gotten. "Go home," I told Roy. "Get some rest."
"I could use some rest too," Kyle groaned, stretching. He then paused and pulled out his phone. He grimaced slightly and ignored the call before putting it back into his pocket.
"Who was that?" Wally asked before I could.
"Alex," Kyle explained, frowning slightly.
Dick cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. "You sure it's alright to ignore a call from your girlfriend?"
"Ex," Kyle corrected. "She broke up with me last week. She's been calling me non-stop for the past couple of days."
I frowned. "Why would she break up with you?" Kyle's a great guy. He was funny, artistic, and always there for you. Yeah, his vigilante activities took him away from some time off, but all of us had that problem. Maybe it was because she didn't know. "Is it because of our job?"
Kyle shook his head. "Said I was too childish. What the hell is that all about?"
"You should use Ren to scare her off," Roy commented, gesturing towards me. "She makes a good female-repellant."
"What?" all of us asked, looking at the archer, confused.
Roy rolled his eyes. "Not like a pretend girlfriend, dumbasses. I'm talking about just being there. Girls are really insecure, and when they get a taste of how independent, smart, and full of inside jokes Ren is, they'll back off."
Kyle turned to me, looking at me with his forest green eyes that were a close shade to my own. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well… you could be a really good bitch."
"Did you just say my girlfriend is a good belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, rudely intrusive, arrogant, and/or aggressive female in a denigrating term?" Dick questioned.
"Dude, did you just hear how Kyle's words could have a double meaning?" Wally asked, looking at his best friend. "And all you're wondering is how she's good at acting like a bitch?"
I rolled my eyes. "You guys have foul mouths."
"Comes with the job," they all responded. Huh, it was true. I mean, we worked with criminals. What were we going to ask them, 'Please come with us silently?' No. We go, 'I'll give you three seconds to surrender before I beat your ass.' Or we just don't wait and proceed with the kicking of the ass.
"Your thoughts are really weird," Dick looked down at me. His hand that was on my side moved down so they were resting on my hip.
"I hate it when you two have that stupid Lovebird connection-thing," Wally grumbled. I looked at him strangely. "What? It's not a psychic link, so it's some Lovebird connection."
"Your logic sometimes makes no sense," I concluded.
"I believe science is the answer to everything, not logic. Science is ever-changing," Wally replied diplomatically.
"I'm getting out of here before it gets even weirder," Roy concluded. "I'll see you all later." We said our goodbyes to him, and Roy headed to the Zeta-Tube.
"Recognized: Red Arrow: Two-One."
"I'm heading out too," Kyle sighed. "Come over any time and bitch out at my ex, alright?" He ruffled my hair and kissed the top of my head before leaving.
"Recognized: Green Lantern: B-One-Three."
"You heading over to our place or you going home?" Dick asked, looking over at our speedster friend.
"I'm gonna hang out with Artemis a bit," Wally grinned. "See you two later." Without waiting for a reply, he dashed off.
Dick squeezed my hand, making me look up at him curiously. "Shall we?" he inquired, gesturing to the Zeta-Tubes. He led me over to one of them before inserting in our destination and we stepped through.
"Recognized: Robin: B-Zero-One. Black Falcon: B-Zero-Two."
We stepped into the Batcave, and sighed. Another boring day. I hated being out of work.
"You're one of the few people I know to actually want to go to work," Bruce commented from where he sat in front of the Batcomputer. He was observing some a video feed, and I stood behind him.
"Facial recognition says it's Catwoman," I read the information, when the screen zoomed in on a buxom blonde.
"She's after the next jewel exhibition this weekend," Bruce explained. An image of a dark, intimidating jewel appeared on the screen. "The Cat's Eye."
"That just screams her name," Dick commented, sipping a cup of milk that Alfred had given him. "You want us to take care of it?"
"I will," Bruce shook his head. "It's not like Verena can do much anyway." I narrowed my eyes and looked at my adoptive father. He raised a brow back at me challengingly. I harrumphed and walked away, heading up the stairs and out of the Batcave.
I didn't hear Dick's footsteps behind me, and knew that he was just changing out of his uniform. He'd find me later.
Instead of heading to my room, I made a beeline towards Dick's. I pushed open the door and then entered, leaving the door wide open.
I walked over to the bed and climbed on top of it after kicking off my boots, ignoring the pain of my ribs being stretched as I did so. Shut up, ribs. I'm going to fluffy heaven for you guys.
I snuggled into the bed sheets, taking in the pine and mint scent of Dick that was slightly mixed with my sunshine and vanilla.
I felt his presence before I heard him, but I didn't pull myself away from the sheets. "You're practically having a love affair with my sheets," Dick commented amusedly.
"I could be without you realizing it," I replied back, my voice muffled.
"You better not," Dick teased, before I felt him climb onto the bed. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his chest. I couldn't see, because my face was still buried in the sheets, but I felt him close around me.
I poked my head out from underneath the sheets and looked up at him. He smirked back at me, leaning down so our noses were touching. "There's my little groundhog." He gave me an Eskimo kiss, and I beamed.
I moved and then angled my head before giving him a peck on the lips. When I pulled back, he quirked an eyebrow at me. I was smiling so hard I felt my cheeks begin to sore, and that was when Dick climbed over me and then pinned me to the bed.
I let out a laugh that was abruptly cut off when he kissed me. I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him down towards me, wanting to get closer to him.
I felt the sheets from under me tug slightly and I wondered what that was about. I pulled away just in time for something long and soft to climb onto me, effectively keeping Dick away from me.
Dick leaned back so he was kneeling. He frowned at the furry creature and asked, "Really, Andrei?"
Andrei simply cocked his head at Dick before nuzzling his face into the crook of my neck. I giggled softly before reaching up and stroking Andrei's small head.
Dick heaved out an exaggerated heavy sigh before making me scoot over in the bed. I did so and he lied down beside me. He circled an arm around me and was about to scoot me even closer to him, when Andrei climbed off of me, going in-between Dick and me.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Dick mumbled out.
Andrei looked up at Dick lazily before resting his head on my shoulder. My pet looked at me with wide, cute eyes and I couldn't help but coo before moving my arm from around Dick to Andrei.
"Should've gotten her a cat or something," Dick mumbled, but I pretended not to hear him, cuddling with Andrei instead. "Hey, V."
"Who's a cute little ferret?" I cooed, reaching to tickle his stomach. Andrei dooked happily and squirmed, but still remained on his side.
"V~" Dick almost-whined. Actually, I think he's whining right now. God, I have the most adorable boyfriend ever. I continued to pretend to ignore him, focusing on my pet ferret. "V~"
I snuggled my face into Andrei's warm body, before I felt the sudden heat disappear. I sat up curiously, wondering what was going on.
Andrei was squirming as Dick held him up in the air by the back of his neck. Andrei let out a squeaking sound of protest, but it went ignored as Dick stood up from the bed. He walked over to the open door and said to Andrei, "Go hunt some rats. I think I saw a couple yesterday."
Without another word, Dick placed Andrei on the ground before closing the door.
My boyfriend turned around, his face quite triumphant.
"Should you really be proud you kicked my ferret out?" I inquired, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Were you that jealous of Andrei?"
He arched a brow at me and sauntered towards me slowly, yet deliberately. He climbed onto the bed and over me, leaning down at me so closely that I could feel his hot, minty breath against me as he took slow, deep breaths.
"So what if I was jealous of the little weasel?" Dick inquired. "You're my girlfriend." He leaned down, closing the short distance between us, placing his soft lips over mine.
I automatically wrapped my arms around his neck and he reached to cradle my face. I smiled into the kiss before my eyes fluttered shut, content.
A/N: Usually I'm in a good mood after posting, but I'm just so fed up with all the problems my laptop's dealing with. Drop a review to make me feel better? .w.