Chapter Fifteen

"It seems to me that the dead only return for love or for revenge. What did you come back for?"

Bruce Wayne could remember when he had first met Arley Gluck. She'd been eight and not yet through boot camp. At the time he hadn't thought anything of the fact an eight year old had been given powers by other worldly beings because she had wanted to help people.

He'd been eight when his parents had been murdered in front of him. When he had chosen to follow a path that led him to the cowl.

He should have thought twice; about her sunken in cheeks and guarded eyes. He should have seen a child and not a mirror image.

But he hadn't.

Nor had he ever thought that the girl he'd met back then— Bruce looked at the picture in his hand and then at the one on the screen and frowned; he knew it was the same girl but it was hard to see it —would become a killer.

A victim of his hubris.

Bruce cast a glance over at the uniform he had displayed in the cave; blood soaked and burnt in certain places.

He hadn't been able to save Jason. He had failed Arley.

But that didn't mean he couldn't save her. Couldn't fix his mistakes. None of this meant he couldn't be a hero; couldn't be the kind of man he had needed all those years ago.

…

It was nearing two in the morning by the time Arley, Superboy, Dubbilex and M'gann were all finished explaining everything to Kyle Rayner. At first they had explained why they had taken Cameron Mahkent, why Kyle was wrong about Superboy; that whoever was in Titans Tower weren't her boys.

Arley had made it clear that it wasn't her Wally.

And once Arley had made sure Kyle had gotten that, a list of who he could and couldn't definitely trust Dubbilex and Superboy had explained that they had been made to be living weapons, that Superboy was there to kill Superman should he ever turn his back on humanity, not that he could; even with M'gann's DNA holding his genetic structure together, he was only half Kryptonian after all.

Kyle's brows had shot up when he had heard Superboys other genetic donor had been Lex Luther.

Arley had then explained why she had been captured; she explained to Kyle why she had jumped on him outside of house and what Cameron Mahkent had told her in the condemned houses' basement had to do with all of that. Savage had something planned for not just Earth and it started with the Green Lantern Corps, she was sure of it.

"How the hell is Sinestro out anyway," Arley snapped, "I thought he was locked up, since when has Voz gotten sloppy?"

Kyle blinked. "Who?"

Arley felt her heart sink; Voz had been in her first round of boot camp, he'd been a hairy, ape-like alien who's strong sense of justice had made him the perfect candidate to not just run the science-cells on Oa for sometime but eventually run the Prison Planet the Corps operated nearly two years later.

He'd been a good guy and while Arley knew she shouldn't have been surprised at the implication that he was dead— Lanterns after all, on average, didn't usually live more than a couple of years once they got their ring —she couldn't help but turn away from Kyle.

How many more friends— how much more family, because that was what the Corps was to her —had fallen in her years of captivity?

"Right," Arley said softly, "Nevermind." She shook her head, "How did Sinestro get out, he was top priority, maximum security. He shouldn't have even been able to dream of being free."

"Abin Sur's son."

Arley felt her head jerk back at the familiar name; she had never met Abin Sur, he'd been Hal's predecessor after all. Nor had she'd known he'd had a son but she did know that it had been Sinestro that had led to Abin Sur's death. He'd been the one to sabotage Abin Sur's transport shuttle in hopes killing him would keep the fact that he'd subjugated his home world of Korugar a secret as the fallen Lantern had been poking his nose far to close for Sinestra's comfort.

It hadn't, in fact it had led to Sinestro's downfall.

"Why?"

"Did you know that Sinestro was married to Abin Sur's sister?" Arley's brows shot up at the juicy bit of gossip; it didn't answer her question whatsoever but still, it was intriguing.

"No!" Kyle nodded. "But Soranik never said she had a cousin." Soranik Sinestro, Thaal Sinestro's only daughter and Arley's first kiss. Katma, after she had first gotten her ring, had introduced them. It had never panned out between them— Arley had loved Wally and he her; they had confesses to one another shortly after Arleys first kiss —but they had still spoken to one another after their kiss. Still been friends.

"Probably because they hated each other."

"You know Sora?"

Kyle wore a roguish grin on his face as his fingers swept through his hair, pointedly not answering.

"No!" Arley cackled, clapping. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like this, loud and carefree, smiling so wide that the scar on the side of her face pulled and ached in the most delicious of ways. "That's great, you-Sora is amazing. Congrats."

"Thanks."

The conversation hit a lull for a moment leaving Arley to study Kyle Rayner; he had long ago dropped his suit leaving him in a pair of ratty looking converse, worn out jeans and a dark colored long sweatshirt. He looked kind, sweet.

He didn't look like a soldier or a warrior. And yet there he was, after nearly two years service with a ring on his finger.

"How long are you guys going to be in town?" Kyle asked.

"Why, wanna join us?" Arley asked somewhat sarcastically. It wasn't that she didn't want him riding shotgun next to her, or chiming in with contact whenever she told the others a story from her past about the Corps, but she knew his place wasn't there. Wasn't with them.

Her job was to take down Savage, it was to dismantle the Light. His wasn't. The Light had been secretly in charge of the Earth, running things from the shadows for however many years, Kyle was a hero. Everything about him screamed that he was too soft to be a soldier so Arley knew she had to rely on him in the way Hal and Kilowog had taught her to rely on her fellow Corps men and women; fully, completely and without a shroud of a doubt.

"No," Kyle laughed and Arley knew their heads were in the same place. In another universe they'd probably be the best of friends. "But after I talk with the Guardians and get Icicle checked in somewhere safe I'm sure you've waited long enough to power up your ring."

The smile fell off Arley's face.

Kent Nelson's voice rang through Arley's mind, his You're damaged goods caused the girl's gut to knott itself up because he was right. Arley was damaged, she'd known that long before she escaped her cell. And the thought of powering up her ring and watching fly off her finger because she wasn't worthy anymore was enough to make the former hero's throat tighten.

"I'm fine."

"What?" It was Superboy that spoke up, he'd been quiet ever since Kyle had told them about how Roy's clone had caused the League— Hal and Guy —he was the kind of person to put his hands on a comrade. "Arley you love the Corps, how can you not want to charge your ring?"

Because it'll tell me what I already know.

Sportsmaster had once told her that, That if you ever get out of here they'll still want you? There's lines girly, on how broken you can be before everyone has to recognize you're unsalvageable. You realize that right? That no matter what, here or there, no one will want you. So just make it easy on yourself, tell me what Savage wants to know and I'll end it quickly. You'll never have to face that kind of rejection.

And he was right.

But she couldn't tell them that, not when Arley knew they— Superboy, Dubbilex, M'gann —all looked to her for some semblance of stability. How could prove that she wasn't worthy of leading them and then ask them to follow her into a bloodbath?

"Because we don't need that kind of attention right now," Arley said, "If I had my ring and Savage is working with Sinestro and who knows who else, he could have a way to track the energy and I won't take that risk, not when I know we're safer like this."

"How can I find you again then?" Kyle asked, "I mean, Hal, the others, when I tell them—"

"—The fuck you will," Arley snapped harshly, Kyle's head jerked back, as did Dubbilex's. Superboy's eyes went wide and M'gann's mouth opened. Arley felt the air leave her lungs, "Look I didn't mean it like that I just, you found us. That means Savage can, I can't have Hal calling me up asking me if I'm okay in between hitting warehouses and rolling heads."

She wouldn't be able to bear it.

Years ago she'd feared that Hal wouldn't want her if she wasn't worthy; if the Corps didn't want her then Hal would have no reason to keep her around anymore. Afterall he'd only ever taken in her because a fellow Lantern shouldn't be scrounging around for trash so as not to die of starvation.

That fear had only slightly changed.

Arley was terrified that Hal would call and have her charge up her ring because she loved him, she'd never known her father and Hal Jordan and Kilowog were her dad's, as were John and Guy. They were her family and if they asked her to do something Arley knew she would and it terrified her because they'd see she was no longer worthy— no longer the girl they had all helped raise —and turn their backs on her.

It would kill her faster than the Light ever could.

"I can't not tell Hal."

"You need to," Arley pressed, "Tell the Guardians everything. They need to know a force is mounting against them but Kyle, please," Arley begged, "Don't tell my dads. Please."

It was quite for a moment, Arley watched as Kyle's face hardened and softened before hardening once more.

"Okay."

Arley let out a sigh of relief. She held her hand out to him, "Thank you."

Kyle just shrugged it off as he grabbed her forearm in a way Arley could remember so many different cultures doing when they greeted or thanked her. Kyle stepped closer.

"I want you to have my number though, after I talk to the Guardians I won't leave Earth. I'll let them know I'm your point of contact and Arley," Kyle said steadily, "Don't do something stupid like go after Savage without me there. You're going to need your ring for that."

That was what Arley feared. If the only was to kill Savage was with her ring, and if she wasn't worthy of the ring anymore—

"Yeah," she swore nodding her head, ending that doom spiral train of thought, "I'll call you if we need help, and I'll let you know when we make our final move okay?"

"Thank you."

"Please White Circle, Kilowog hasn't given you the talk?" Kyle's brow quirked upwards, "The Corps is a family. You don't need to thank your family for basic stuff."

"You really are everything they said you'd be, aren't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyle shrugged.

"Don't worry about it." And Arley didn't because that girl, the one Kyle thought he saw in her, the one everyone had known years ago, she was dead and gone and the person she had become was all that was left in the husk of that long deceased girl.

…

Wally West had woken up at the bare ass crack of dawn on the roof of Titans Tower to John Stewart standing over him, obviously concerned at the fact he was asleep outside, in somewhat cold temperatures. Sure they were in Southern California but the desert got cold at night, especially during winter.

"Shit," Wally swore, he hadn't meant to fall asleep during his time stargazing; he'd just drifted off somewhere amidst his daydreams. Wally's elbows slipped under him, pushing him upwards until he was sitting in front of a kneeling Lantern.

"Kid?"

"I'm fine," Wally waved him off, "I fell asleep waiting for you actually." That was a lie, he hadn't even known John was due but nonetheless, the speedster smiled. If he grinned the way he had been the past three years people— John —would stop looking at him like that. How could they focus their worry on him when they all had something bigger to worry about.

Arley.

Aside from the occasional disaster and the pop from whatever supervillain of the week who had decided to show their ugly mug, everyone's sole focus should be Arley.

But John didn't stop looking at Wally like he was worried about the speedster collapsing in front of him, he didn't stop looking like he had a hundred and one different things to say to him, instead, he sat down next to Wally. John's knee was against his chest.

"John—"

"Shut up." Wally blinked.

Hal had always been the cool Lantern, the first hero to make their public debut and Arley's adoptive father. Guy was rough around the edges but fun, he used to be the one Wally and Arley would go to before they did something stupid because Guy had to be the patron saint of stupid ideas.

John though had always been standoffish. He'd been quiet and methodical, Wally knew it was John who Arley went to with her problems whenever she had them and Katma— John's wife —wasn't available. He'd always been the stereotypical father Barry liked to joke about Wally almost missing out on.

It'd been John who had opened the door when Wally first asked Arley out, the one who had set a curfew despite not living in the state.

He'd also been the one that had raged.

And where were you? Why the hell weren't you with her?

"Jordan says you're wearing yourself thin."

"I don't know what Hal's talking about," Wally denied instantaneously.

"Sure you don't. Bet you don't know why Guy thinks you're losing it either."

"The hell I'm losing it!" John looked at Wally as if he'd just been proven right. And maybe he he had; the more time passed without Arley the more Wally felt himself reverting back into that sixteen year old kid he'd been right after her initial disappearance.

"Whatever," Wally snapped, "Look, are you here to gossip or yell at me some more cause I don't need your help beating myself up."

"I'm here to find my kid," John replied coolly, "In the meantime though I figured I'd knock some sense into you. You shouldn't be a total wreck when we get Arley back, she's gonna need people to lean on after all."

"She can lean on me!" The fact John thought she couldn't set Wally aflame; of course Wally knew everyone would be there for Arley once they got her back, but the fact John didn't think he'd hover was insulting.

Wally didn't plan on ever letting Arley out of his sight again once he got her back. He didn't care of that meant hanging up the mask or taking out a new identity so that she'd feel safe. He didn't care if that meant living in Winnipeg, Canada. Wally wouldn't leave her again.

He wouldn't let her down a second time.

"Yeah? How much have you been sleeping?" John quizzed, "How much have you been eating?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Wally, kid, I'm not here to yell at you—"

"—Really cause it sounds like you are!" Wally got to his feet. He picked up the blanket he'd brought with him that night and began folding it.

Wally had never been the angry one between the five ex-sidekicks; he'd never been anything but the court jester— class clown, peace maker, whatever you wanted to call it —but he could hear his blood thrumming away in his ears.

John got to his own feet, he grabbed Wally's arm and the red head looked at him.

Really looked at him.

All the Lanterns looked older but gray peppered John's hair, wrinkles littered his face and a heaviness that hadn't been there before blanketed the older man. John Stewart didn't look sensible and stable, he didn't look like the man who read Wally the riot act after he'd nearly blown himself up, scaring Arley.

He looked like the parents Wally's had to break the news to over the years; the kind of parents he had to tell Sorry to because he had failed.

"I'll be fine," Wally said softer, "When we get her, I'll be able to sleep. I'll be fine for her."

"Be fine for yourself Wally, you know she'd want that."

"I guess." But how could be okay when Wally really knew what Arley would want would be to be okay herself. Safe and happy and not tortured and brutalized; how could he be okay when he knew she wasn't?

…

Artemis Crock had awoken with a bang, almost quite literally. She had shot up from the couch with a gasp, her hand had flown outwards to her sides, almost as if she was checking to make sure she wasn't restrained.

Arley, who had already been in the room, watching the blonde, jumped, her hand flew halfway to the weapon she had tucked against the small of her back before stopping. M'gaan and Dubbilex both practically flew into the room; Superboy was outside with Wolf.

"Where the hell am I!" Artemis Crock demanded as she held her fists out in front of her. She looked terrified as her eyes darted between Arley, the genomorph and the Martian.

"You're at our safe house, right now. I'm Arley."

"You kidnapped me!" Arley shrugged, still in her seat.

"I didn't have all the information. Sorry." Artemis blinked,

"You're apologizing for kidnapping me?"

"Do you not want me to?"

"What do you want with me?" Artemis asked sharply, Arley gestured to the couch she had watched Artemis spring up from. Artemis hesitantly looked between the couch and Arley and Dubbilex and M'gann.

She was scared. She was outnumbered and not dumb enough to think she could win.

Nothing like Arley. That made the former Lantern like her more already.

"Look if I wanted you dead, you never would have woken up and if I was going to hurt you, you'd be strung up in the basement, not stretched out on the couch. Please," Arley gestured to the couch, "Just sit."

Slowly Artemis sat down on the edge of the seat. Arley flashed the girl a closed lipped smile.

"Awesome," Arley nearly rolled her eyes, "Like I said, my name is Arley."

"Artemis."

"I know." Artemis' eyes narrowed. Arley couldn't help but think that she looked like her sister had in that first memory. "Myself, along with Dubbilex here, M'gann and Superboy—"

"—Supermans here?" Artemis squeaked.

"No," Arley shook her head, "Superboy. He's the somewhat clone of Superman. His DNA's been mixed with both Martian and human."

"Oh?"

"He's the product of a Light experiment." Arley watched Artemis' face fall, at the organization's name. "You know about the Light?"

Arley knew from Artemis' memories that she sort of knew of her father's exploits, that hadn't meant though, that she knew a whole lot.

It appeared though, that she knew at least enough.

"Somewhat." Arley nodded.

"The Light also created Dubbilex, they used DNA they harvested from M'gann-she's a Martian—"

"—Like Manhunter?"

"Yeah," Arley nodded. "They used her DNA to create both of them."

"And what, how'd they make you? You look pretty normal."

Arley couldn't help but laugh, she looked far from normal. With dirty, sunken in cheeks due to not eating constantly, or showering every other day, and with the scar that cut across her face she knew she looked far from normal; though Arley supposed, next to a blue Dubbliex or a nearly translucent skinned M'gann she did look pretty normal.

"The Light didn't make me," Arley said with a shake of her head, "They captured me. I was investigating a fire when I found Superboy due to the brainwashing he'd been put under, he ended up attacking me despite the fact I was just trying to help him."

"I said sorry for that," Superboy chimed in. His head poked over Dubbliex's. Wolf didn't hesitate in knocking both Superboy and Dubbilex into the room as he moved towards Arley— Artemis lurched back on the couch despite Superboy's assurance that Wolf was safe —the genetically modified dog sat on Arley's feet.

"He did," Arley nodded.

"That's nice," Artemis croaked, her eyes on Wolf, "No offense though but what does any of that have to do with me. It seems like everything's working out for you."

"Working out? Have you looked around the room you're in?" Arley scoffed, "Look, since we've escaped the four of us are fighting back and we're not going to stop until the Light is gone—" Arley's fist hit her open palm. "—I wanted to offer you a spot here with us. I am offering you a spot."

"Why?"

"Because you want Sportsmaster dead practically as much as I do." A crease formed between Artemis' brows.

"You want him dead?"

"I wasn't born with his scar." Arley pointed to her face, she watched as horror etched its way across Artemis'.

"I'm sorry," Artemis whispered.

"For what?" Arley asked in return. Even though she had thought differently in that alleyway, Arley had come to know, "You're not your father."

Artemis bit her bottom lip. "And you really want me here? After what he's done?"

"Are you going to stop going after him?" Arley wondered rhetorically. She could— if she thought hard enough about it —still remember the anger that had flared up in her when she and M'gann had been in Artemis' mind. She could still taste the blonde rage at her mothers funeral.

"No way!" Artemis jumped to her feet. From the corner of her eye Arley saw Superboy twitch in her direction, as if he was going to leap across the room and shield her from any harm.

"Than running together, it's better than constantly fucking up each others plans because we keep running into each other, isn't it? I mean we're after the same people."

"It doesn't bother you that I want my father dead?"

"It doesn't bother you that I want you to kill him?"

Arley met Artemis' dark gaze, she could feel the other girl sizing her up, trying to measure to see if she was at least somewhat trustworthy.

"Okay," Artemis said heavily after a moment, "But I have a few questions."

"Sure," Arley nodded, "Shoot."

"I was with someone in the alleyway, where is he?"

"Mahkent?" Artemis nodded, "He's fine, Lex wiped him and a friend of ours is gonna help him set up somewhere; he said he wanted out of the game. Think of it as an anti-Light version of Witsec." There wasn't a lot Arley could do but there was some and despite being a weasely piece of shit he had given Arley the information she needed.

Helping him start over was the least she could do.

"Oh. Okay I guess," Artemis nodded, "That's good, I mean, Cam never wanted this anyway. My next question, why were you investigating the Light?"

Arley smiled thinly at Artemis' question, she put her ring hand forward and held out her fingers for the girl to see. "I told you my name was Arley. Three years ago though, you might have known me as Earth's second Green Lantern."

A myriad of emotions passed over Artemis' face.

"Three years?" She didn't need to ask the real questions, the ones she couldn't get out nor did Arley have to be in her mind to know what the blonde was actually asking.

They had you for three years? My father had you for three years?

"Yeah," Arley said solemnly. She could feel the numbness crawling up her spine; after a certain point your nerves go numb to the voltage of electricity coming into contact with them. At a certain pain threshold the human body just shuts off. "It doesn't matter though," Arley said suddenly, standing up, needing fresh air, "Lex and Supes got me out and we got Megs out and now we have you and we're gonna stop the Light."

"You say it so easily," Artemis breathed with wide eyes.

"I'm saying it because its the only fucking thing to do. There's no other choice, there's no not stopping them." Artemis took in Arley's words, slowly digesting them as the former hero— the former Lantern —walked out of the room and into the cold morning air.

…

Though Wally and John had spoken to each other on top of the Towers roof for another hour or so after he had initially woken up, Wally still found Jinx leaning against the door of his room. There were bags under her eyes, her skin was ashier than normal and her hair had been pulled back instead of done upwards.

Blood rushed to his cheeks as he caught her eyes on the blanket folded over his arm. Like an albatross, guilt settled in his chest, weighing him down.

"You fell asleep outside again." It wasn't a question.

"I didn't mean to." There was a lot Wally didn't mean to over the years; the older he got the more his regrets piled up.

"Right," Jinx said slowly, "Wally, we need to talk."

The speedster nodded and slowly, something he was rather accustomed to doing, followed the ex-villain into his room where he'd forgotten corkboard and photo albums and maps, all of either Arley or the Light. Wally watched as Jinx's shoulders bunched together.

"Lucky—" he tried.

"—Shut up!" Jinx snapped. "God, whenever I let my guard down she's there! Jesus!" Jinx spun on her heels, "Do you love me!"

"What?" Wally replied, startled, his eyes wide.

"Do you love me?" Jinx demanded, her voice raised, "Because I love you!"

Wally felt the air leave his lungs at his girlfriend's declaration. In the year and a half or so they'd more or less been together they'd never talked feelings. One day they'd just started holding hands and the news outlets had begun running that they were together and Wally— at all the congratulations he was getting; at the fact his parents had expressed how happy they were at him finally starting to move on —had done what he did best, and ran with it.

And sure he liked Jinx; but no.

"What?" Wally asked. Jinx took two steps forward, scooping up his hands in hers.

"I love you Wally. I need to know you love me too."

"I—" Wally felt his throat tighten. "Linda," he said softly using a name she had only ever told him, "Lucky."

Tears quelled up in Jinx's eyes.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't love her. How could he when he'd found his soulmate at nine.

"Go to hell." And then she left; leaving Wally to stand alone in a room full of pictures, clues and half baked conspiracy theories. And though the hiss of his rooms door echoed behind Jinx Wally stared at the pictures of Arley he had strung up.

He was coming. He would find her.

He had to, there was no other choice. There was no not finding her.

…

When the home's front door shut behind Arley several minutes after she had walked out she expected Superboy to be behind her, she hadn't even hazard that it would be Artemis. The blonde wore Superboys coat; Arley had stolen it from a house they'd broken into two states over back when the weather had started to change.

"Hey," Arley nodded, her knees pulled up to her chest as she sat on the house's rotted out porch.

"Mind if I sit?" Arley shook her head as she turned back around to look out at the dirt road that led out to the road. "Thanks."

Arley just nodded.

Kyle had been so sure that she still had it in her, that her ring wouldn't fly off and find someone new the moment it had an iota of juice in it.

It would've been sweet if it wasn't sad.

Arley almost wanted to cry, the girl Kyle Rayner had heard everything about— because he had made sure to let her know that all Hal or Guy or John or anyone else in the Corps ever talked about was her —was dead.

How could she tell them that their partner— their daughter —was dead and all that was left was her?

"He was nicer." Artemis whispered, Arley jerked out of her train of thought and turned to Arley.

"What?"

"My dad. Over the past few years he was nicer. He still beat on me whenever I was stupid enough to come back around but there were times," Artemis said, "Times when I thought I had the dad my sister and I always dreamed about. Sometimes he'd laugh or make a joke, something he wouldn't have done before." Artemis turned to Arley fully facing the former hero. "I should have questioned it. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Arley said with no hesitation, no wavering or bite in her voice. "It's not your fault." Artemis didn't look like she bought it. Arley put her hand on the blondes shoulder, "Look I was going to be tortured no matter what, knowing something came out it that wasn't fucking terrible it's—" Arley paused for a moment, nothing would ever make what she went through worth it or better but, "—It's whatever," she said instead.

Artemis looked at Arley as if she'd sprouted a second head. Like she'd turned her skin blue and had started speaking in tongues only to then turn and face the road with Arley.

"Being a Green Lantern," Artemis asked, "That means you've meant Green Arrow?"

"Ollie? Yeah. He's like an uncle to me."

"He's always been my hero," Artemis said, "He arrested my mom."

"And you like him?"

"He saved her life when he arrested her." Arley's brows knitted together, almost as if she was urging Artemis to go on. She didn't. "Is he as cool as the news makes him out to be?"

"Nah?" Arley snickered, "Ollie's always been a loser. Dinah, she's where it's at though."

"Who?"

"Black Canary," Arley said, "The Corps trained me, even up until I was caught but Canary, she never let me slack."

"She sounds nice."

"She is. Was?" Arley had no idea if she was a clone, a sleeper agent or anything. If the Black Canary on the six o'clock news was really her, the one Arley had known since she was a child. "That's why I can't stop," Arley said, "I'm not going to stop going after the Light until they're gone or I'm dead. I don't ask that of the others, I have an exit plan for them if they ever want out, so I'm not going to ask the same of—"

"—You won't have to," Artemis cut Arley off. "I will. I'm after my father-after Sportsmaster for my own reasons. I'm not someone who just gives up. If we're going to do this then we're doing this until the end." Arley felt the corner of her lips upwards.

"Okay," she said with a nod.

"Awesome."

One day she would have to face Hal and Guy and the rest of the Corps. One day she'd have to show them the girl they knew was dead. But that day wasn't then or now, it wasn't anytime soon. And so Arley would wallow in her brokenness in a way that made her knuckles bloody and the rage inside her lick at the loves of her lungs.

…

Two days later, haggard but determined, Kyle Rayner entered the Titans' Main Tower. He leaned against the door as the room he had called together watched his every movement.

Kyle had never been like Hal or Guy, never good at being the center of attention. Having all the eyes in the room on him made part of Kyle want to curl up and shut out the world until they all went away because he knew they were all expecting him to puff out his chest and be someone he wasn't.

Kyle never had someone to believe in him. To trust him so fully; even the people he saved looked at him with an underestimating gaze. If he caught them in midair they clung like they expected him to drop them, if he saved them from being crushed by one thing or another they acted as if he couldn't hold his construct.

And yet Arley just looked at him. She trusted him. He was going to make her proud. That was why he needed Arley back. She didn't know him anymore than he knew her and yet she looked at him in a way no one else ever had.

"I found Arley," Kyle announced loudly and for a moment the room got quite. And then suddenly, with all the tact of an atomic bomb, room exploded around him.

Notes: HAPPY NEW YEARS MY PEEPS!

And thank you Guest; so to answer your question: So when I would picture Arley and Will it was always because they were two single parents, ex-heroes who had spiraled because of what the world had done to them and come back from that for their daughters. They would relay on each other because they were the only other person who understood what they were going through. Also, I don't know, Arley as a step-mom was something that gave me life because of how much she loves and then knowing how much Will cares for his friends and knowing Maria was Wally's daughter as much as she was Arley's was something that would also give me life because these are two characters who want to love and who do despite everything they've gone through.

Feel free to let me know all your thoughts about this chapter in the comments down below!