I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters.
Explanation
Cassius walked into the warehouse in Blüdhaven, Cassandra and Rose both following, and walked to the center, where Nightwing was staring at a picture of himself without his mask and a surprised Artemis, also out of costume.
"We'll laugh about this someday," Nightwing muttered to himself.
"You ready to talk?" Cassius asked, Nightwing looking up at him.
However, just as he did, a door closed off to the side and Cassius formed his mask, the four of them walking toward the sound.
"Wally?" Nightwing called out softly.
"No," Kaldur said, stepping into view from behind several boxes.
Cassandra and Rose both grabbed their blunted blades, only for Cassius's goo hands to catch them, holding them in place. A moment later, Wally walked into view behind Kaldur, hands in his pockets, and raised an eyebrow at Cassius and the girls.
"I wasn't expecting to see so many faces when I came to hear about what happened to Artemis," Wally said.
"Well, next time you want to fake someone's death, you should make sure to break the skin in case someone wants to check on them," Cassius said. "Your welcome, by the way."
"You didn't have to actually cut me," Artemis said, stepping into view in a blue jacket and pulling the hood down.
"Had to make it convincing," Cassius said. "Nice touch, using a drug to slow her heart rate to one beat a minute."
"You knew?" Rose asked.
"As soon as I got to her and Nightwing, I saw that there was a lot of fake blood, but his blade didn't break her skin," Cassius said. "So I gave her a couple scratches to sell the illusion."
"I take it the ruse was successful?" Kaldur asked.
"Almost too successful," Nightwing said. "The Team and the League are in mourning. They may never forgive us."
"And still only we four...now seven, know the secret?" Kaldur asked.
"This secret and the other," Nightwing said. "That you've been in deep cover within Black Manta's organization since leaving the Team."
"Speaking of people knowing the secret, Megan needs to be told," Cassius said. "If not, she's going to obliterate Kaldur's mind if she gets the chance."
"What do you mean?" Kaldur asked.
"Everyone she 'interrogates' with her telepathy, she rips apart until she gets what she needs and leaves them in a catatonic state," Cassius said. "She'll do the same to you if we don't tell her what's going on."
"We can't risk it," Nightwing said. "Their reactions need to be realistic."
"Thanks to your warning, I will be ready," Kaldur said.
"How'd the ruse go on your end?" Nightwing asked.
"It was successful," Kaldur said. "I have proven my loyalty to my biological father. He is moving me up the ladder, bringing me closer to the Light, and their unknown partner."
"Hold on," Rose said. "If you're still a good guy, why'd you try to burn Cassius?"
"I saw you fighting Nemesis successfully, meaning that your power was functioning, and I made sure to telegraph an attack for Cassandra. There was no chance of Cassius being successfully harmed by those flames. I simply needed a convincing reason to be allowed to escape."
"Yeah, sorry for kicking your ass," Cassius said.
"No," Cassandra said.
Kaldur smiled. "I believe it was well-deserved. And it was nothing that will not heal."
"Kaldur, what happened with the comm sat?" Nightwing asked. "And where is La'gaan? Both of those were most definitely not according to plan."
"It was the only way to save his life and maintain my cover," Kaldur said.
"I'm not blaming you," Nightwing said. "I know you've been forced to make impossible decisions, like choosing between saving the Kroloteans on Malina Island-"
"Or saving my friends," Kaldur finished. "That's why I said there was a bomb even when I knew Cassius had one of the Troopers' communicators. And I will find a way to save La'gaan. You have my word."
"So what now?" Artemis asked, she and Wally squeezing each other's hand for a moment.
Nightwing pulled out a black cloth choker with a small, teardrop-shaped, amber pendant, walking over to her, putting it around her neck and fastening it.
"Uh, dud, why are you giving bling to my dead girlfriend?" Wally asked.
"Glamour charm," Nightwing said. "Courtesy of Zatanna. Physio-morphic spell, I think. She said it backwards."
"Wow," Wally said, turning to inspect Artemis, who looked exactly the same. "You look...exactly the same."
"Quality spell," Cassius nodded. "So incredibly placed, you can't even tell it's active."
"To the now seven of us," Nightwing said. "And only us. But to anyone else, you're an entirely different person."
"The more impressive trick is how you got something so specific from Zatanna without revealing who or what it was for," Artemis said.
"He probably just asked her for it after they fucked," Cassius said. "Or right before hand."
"Dude," Nightwing said. "Seriously. You want to go there right now? With all of us present?"
"It is time," Kaldur said, Artemis nodding.
Wally stepped forward, hugging and kissing Artemis one last time.
"What could go wrong?" Artemis asked worriedly.
Wally laughed. "Don't say that!"
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, not wanting to let her go. Nightwing set a hand on his shoulder and Artemis sighed quietly, turning and walking away with Kaldur. As they did, Cassius and the others headed up to the roof, watching them head into Kaldur's Manta Flier and submerge.
"We're through the hard part," Nightwing said. "They're in."
"Who are you kidding?" Wally asked. "It only gets more dangerous from here."
"You're right," Cassius said. "However, Now that she's hidden on the bad guy side, no one is going to be trying to kill her in every fight like they do the people on our side. As long as her cover remains, she's safer there. And Artemis was raised by Shadows as well, even if it was only Sportsmaster. She knows how it works well enough to not blow her cover."
Wally was silent as well for a moment before nodding. "I suppose you have a point."
"Come on," Nightwing said. "We should get going. You want a lift?"
"Sure," Wally nodded.
They all got on the Bio-Ship, flying to Wally's house first, then to the Cave. Once they'd landed, Cassius turned to Rose and Cassandra.
"Where'd we go?" Cassius asked.
"Wally's house," Rose said.
"Wally got mad and threw us all out of the house, refusing to speak to Nightwing or you ever again," Cassandra signed.
"Sounds about right," Nightwing nodded. "Come on. And...don't tell Megan. Her reaction will be the most telling."
The others nodded, though Cassius still felt like it was a bad idea. As they walked, Cassandra tugged Cassius's sleeve to get his attention.
"I'm going to need to stay with you every night during this," Cassandra signed. "I'll be too worried to sleep well."
"Whatever you need," Cassius nodded. "Both of you."
Both girls nodded and they made themselves heart broken before they reached the living room where everyone was standing around silently. After a few minutes of that, everyone scattered to their rooms without a word. Cassandra and Rose both followed Cassius to his room after changing into pajamas, and this time, Cassandra actually brought a duffel bag filled with extra pairs, just for convenience. Cassius chuckled, nodding, and climbed into bed, the girls joining him a few seconds later.
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