Chapter 32: Fate


November 13th

Blüdhaven

Dick

He was drifting somewhere between sleep and drowsy awareness, his body and mind utterly sated. The sweat on his skin had long-since cooled, but he simply pulled the woman in his arms closer, basking in the warmth – both the one her body provided, and the one that bloomed in his chest at the sight of her curled into his side.

Finally.

Morgan's hand was splayed across his chest, drawing lazy circles that made his skin tingle. He reached up and put his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Dick thought distantly about pressing a kiss to the top of her curly head, but he was too close to sleep to really pursue the idea. He let out a small grunt of displeasure when she rolled off him and maneuvered her wings around, so she now lay with her back to him. The movement woke him up a little bit and his thoughts became less drowsy, enough for him to pull his covers over them.

He chased after her, wrapping an arm low across her stomach and settling his temple against the back of her wing. The distinct smell of her wings – something that was not quite animal, not quite human, but entirely Morgan, was familiar and yet exciting.

"Dick?"

"Mm?" he hummed, now shaken entirely out of his near-sleep state. He got up on his elbow and pulled her closer, and as he opened his eyes, the sight of her naked skin proved too big a temptation. He began peppering her neck and shoulder with featherlight kisses and his hand reached up past her wing, tracing along from her hip and up her waist, until it found a soft, warm breast to cup.

He had thought he was done for tonight, but perhaps – well, they still had a few hours before they had to meet with the others.

His hand gently massaged her as his kisses turned into little nibbles, and eventually he started suckling on her neck, intending to leave another hickey. She already had plenty, and he was sure he had as well, but the moan he heard push past her lips encouraged him to keep going. She clearly enjoyed his efforts, as she rolled onto her back and wrapped an arm around him, her fingertips combing through his hair. It felt amazing as she massaged his scalp absentmindedly and he pulled her even closer, doubling down on his kisses. He moved further down, moving his hand to allow his mouth full access to the breast he had been massaging, and she sucked in a breath when his teeth found their mark.

"Dick," she said again, with a much more breathless voice.

"Morgan," he moaned back, and then he moved up to capture her lips in his. He was on top of her again now, and he placed his thigh between her legs, prying them open for him. With a hand on her hip, he worked her against his thigh. She gasped from the friction, and he didn't waste the opportunity to engage her in an openmouthed kiss, which she readily responded to. Desire muddled his thoughts, and it took him a second to realize the hand she had placed on his chest was there to push him away.

He let out a displeased grunt but aimed his lips at her jawline instead.

"Dick," she tried to get his attention. "I'm trying to say something."

"Please, don't say something," he responded playfully, finding the spot behind her ear that he knew would make her stutter and squirm. She bucked at the ticklish sensation, and he was unable to keep in a deep groan when her thigh pushed up against his uncontained erection. "I can't talk right now. How am I supposed to concentrate when you look so delicious, naked in my bed?"

He looked quickly to see her smile at the amorous praise before her face turned serious once more. He got up on both elbows above her then, meeting her gaze. Dick reached a hand up and stroked his thumb over her brow as if he could smooth away the little frown she wore.

"There's something I have to tell you," she whispered, and something in her voice made his relaxed mood evaporate, like a tiny cloud on a desert sky.

"Yeah?" he asked, his voice already cautious. He was shocked when he saw her eyes flood with wetness. She made to sit up, and he got out of the way, placing a blanket in his lap to hide his nudity when she did the same. Morgan finished wrapping the blanket around her body and he already missed the sight, but he was hardly focused on that now that she looked ready to cry.

Doubt pooled into his stomach as he got up next to her. His hands hovered, suddenly so unsure where he had felt confident before.

Did she regret it?

Morgan ran a hand through her hair, pushing big, fluffed up curls out of her face. He had certainly done a number on her hair.

"Please don't be mad that I didn't tell you sooner. I thought I was protecting you, just like I thought I was protecting you by staying away. And I can see now that that was stupid."

"What have you been keeping from me?" he asked cautiously, feeling the warmth in his chest slowly siphon out. The desire that had previously clouded his mind fizzled.

"Tomorrow," she cast a glance towards the watch on his nightstand and grimaced, "Today, when we use the machine.. there's a chance I might not make it."

"What do you mean? We've been over this: the machine is going to work. You won't disappear – we'll fix the timelines."

She smiled sadly at him, and he had the feeling that he was missing a key information. Worry started to nudge at him for real.

"I believe the machine is going to work. It's.. the spell."

"The spell?" he frowned.

"It's been.. hurting me." She wrapped her arms around her legs and placed her chin on her knees, looking like a little ball. "There's a chance it won't end well when I activate it on the scale necessary for this to work."

"What are you saying?" he asked, his voice already faltering, even though he knew exactly what she meant. He felt his warmth disappear entirely, replaced by a heavy lump of ice that threatened to choke him.

She gave him a sympathetic look, and he wondered how stricken he looked for her to offer him sympathies when it was her life on the line.

"I'm saying if we don't succeed – I die. But if we succeed.. it's at the cost of my life."

This couldn't – it didn't – how, why would-?

He refused to accept what she was saying. It couldn't be allowed to happen.

"So, you die no matter what? Then what was the point of all this?" he barked, surprised at the sudden anger that blazed up inside of him. Why was she so resigned to this? He shook his head, mind already scrambling with solutions. He could still fix this. "We'll find another way. We-we can wait a bit and find some way to make the power conduct through something that isn't you."

"If we wait, the timelines are going to merge and then a lot of people are going to die," she reminded him with a frown. "This way, Connor, Barry, Artemis, Kaldur – they all get to live."

"But you won't!"

"I accept that!" she shot back, her eyes blazing. But her jaw trembled, and he saw fear behind the fire in her gaze.

"Well, I don't!" He was aware that he sounded desperate, the battle being fought inside of him a horrible contrast to the peace he had felt only minutes ago. He got up on his knees to hover over her, too erratic to stay seated. He grabbed her hand and started massaging it when he realized how cold it was. "I just got you back. I can't lose you again."

Perhaps it was his words, or perhaps it was the deep vulnerability he had spoken with, but Morgan looked at him with wide, tender eyes, her brow drawn like she was in deep pain.

"You can't change fate-" she began, and he realized he was absolutely sick of hearing her say that.

"Stop using fate," he spat the word out like it was the strongest curse he knew, "as an excuse for letting yourself get hurt. I told you I don't give a shit about fate. I can still fix this."

She didn't answer, and he realized he didn't want to fight. Dick sat back down on his haunches and ran a hand through his hair, fighting to settle down. His body twitched with energy.

"When did this start?" he asked, forcing calmness upon himself.

"Since.." he saw her bite her lip and tug at a curl, a clear warning that he wouldn't like her answer. "Since I started carrying the entire spell. I don't think my body was made to withstand all of it."

Horror seized him. Dick's eyes closed and a shuddering breath rushed out of him.

This was his fault.

If only they hadn't had that fight and he hadn't walked away from her – then the spell may not have split from him. Perhaps, if they had been able to share the burden, her body wouldn't be breaking under the pressure.

This whole time.. he had promised her that he would fix this – would save her..

And now, instead, he was the one that had doomed her.

He had failed.

Panic and terror threatened to render him immobile, but Dick quickly shook himself out of it. He wasn't going to give up – not while she was still alive. He was going to find a solution. He was always the guy with the plan, with the ten contingencies and the secret solution. That's how he had been trained – and if he gave up now, he wouldn't be Nightwing anymore. He would be someone else entirely. Someone who had failed to live up to his legacy, to the expectations of not only others, but also himself.

And he would be someone without Morgan.

There was still time.

Dick jumped out of bed and threw on underwear before pulling on his suit.

Morgan watched him from the bed, surprised by the sudden burst of action.

"Let's go," he said, throwing her suit at her. "We still have a couple of hours before the deadline – there has to be something we can do."

Morgan must have sensed he meant business. She got off the bed and headed for his kitchen, where she found her bra. He watched as she let the blanket slide down, revealing her nude form, and he was reminded of statues of winged victories.

He took it as a good omen. Today, they were going to achieve victory. And she would be at the forefront of it.

A minute later, they were both dressed, eyeing each other as they stood, looking out of place in their superhero suit in the middle of what looked like a normal, civilian apartment.

"Zatanna is at the Watchtower. Waiting for us. I sent her a message and she's already looking into solutions. Other sorcerers are on their way."

Morgan nodded. She gave him a small smile.

"Thanks for not giving up on me," she said, quirking a small smirk that was so very Morgan. It comforted him beyond anything she could've said.

"I will never give up on you," he said with conviction. He thought about the many months after their breakup where he had tried to get over her, tried to deny his feelings and move on. He hadn't succeeded, as was evident, and he readily accepted that this was for life. "I tried – it didn't go well."

A laugh bubbled out of her. "Maybe you didn't try hard enough."

He shook his head, wishing he could joke around like she did – but the terror that he might lose her within hours, proved too great.

He reached for her, and she eagerly stepped towards him, and he pulled her into a brusque kiss, wherein he poured all his resolve to not let anything happen to her. They were finally reunited – he wasn't going to lose her again.

"You're it, for me," he said against her lips, before leaning his forehead against hers. He could see her smile shakily at his declaration. "So, I'm not letting you die. You're not getting away from me that easily."

"I love you too," she whispered, reaching up to sweetly kiss him again. "Now, let's go."

He grabbed her hand and together they left.

"Time to save the world."


November 13th

Outside Metropolis

Nightwing

His heart was pounding in a slow rhythm, but with each beat he could feel more and more adrenalin course through his system. Nightwing couldn't stop looking at his watch every minute, counting down every second they had left.

The team had almost assembled. Every sorcerer they knew was arriving in one magical fashion after the other. Adam Strange was setting up the machine they had built in the very same clearing where Dick and Morgan had first traveled using one of the rifts. There was no real reason for choosing this spot – it just felt right. This was where Morgan had absorbed the spell, and where they'd gotten their first real reading of the fogs.

Flash and Kid Flash had spent the better part of the night running across the planet to set up the repurposed MFD's, and they were waiting for them to return to the site so they could begin. Nightwing looked up at the sky. It was churning, and he swore he saw giant, colorful fogs flash across it in thick streaks. He knew that the same phenomenon was being recorded across the entire world.

The merger was close. They had hours; minutes.

He'd seen the phenomenon discussed on the news only an hour ago while they had searched for some way to channel the power of the spell through something other than Morgan.

He looked at Sparrow, who stood at the edge of the clearing, talking with Zatanna. They were still working on it. His eyes traced her form, from the tip of her wings, to the new belt she wore on her hips, to her worn boots.

When this was over, he was buying her new shoes. She needed an upgrade desperately.

If she survived.

Dick swallowed back his fear and dread at the thought. He looked bitterly at his own feet, wishing she hadn't been so foolish by keeping it from him. He couldn't blame her, however. He understood.

Zatanna called his name, and his eyes shot back up, homing in on the two women again.

She motioned for him, and he came over. Sparrow looked neutral and he didn't act towards her in a way that would reveal what had happened between them last night. This wasn't the time.

"Did you find anything?"

"We found this," Zatanna showed him one of her many magical books. He couldn't read it, as usual, but on the worn page was a picture. In the picture, he saw a circle of what he assumed were sorcerers, all holding hands as some kind of magical power was shared between them.

"Back in the day, before the magic ability was slowly bred to be stronger in magical people, they often had to perform this hand-holding ritual if they needed to use a particularly powerful spell. It disperses the power through the circle of people, meaning no one person ever carries all of it at the same time."

"This sounds like it could be it!" Dick agreed, feeling hope bloom in his chest.

"As long as no one gets hurt," Morgan said, sounding way less enthusiastic than the others. Dick looked her over. She was deathly pale, but her expression was resolute. He could tell she was fighting through her terror to get this done.

His fingers twitched to hold her, but he kept a polite distance.

"That's why I summoned all of these magic users," Zatanna said. "I'm sure it'll work."

Morgan chewed on her thumb.

"Sparrow?"

Her head shot up, turning towards Adam Strange. Flash and Kid Flash had arrived.

"We're ready," he said, and he seemed to notice the way her face fell and her skin lost all remaining color, because he looked concerned.

Morgan looked at Nightwing, and he felt something at the core of his being shake. He couldn't help the feeling that he was sending her to her death, despite all their planning. His fingers twitched once more with the need to pull her close and run off with her so nothing could hurt her.

Doubt gnawed at him.

He said he didn't believe in fate, but right then, it felt like fate was the dealer at their table and by the time he found out if they had a winning hand or not, it would be too late to change it.

She took a step towards Strange, and Nightwing could feel himself panic. He was about to walk towards them, but Zatanna grabbed his arm and gave him a firm shake of her head.

"You can't stop her."

He must've looked lost, because Zatanna's face was all sympathy.

"She's not going to die," she said.

"But how can you know that?" he asked, feeling conflicted in a way he couldn't remember experiencing before.

"Because that's not her fate."

Dick scoffed. That didn't comfort him at all.

She allowed him to walk towards the machine, then. The two of them watched as Morgan was strapped into the headpiece that connected her to the machine. Dick could see her hands shake and his insides squeezed until he could barely gasp out his breaths.

Zatanna was gathering every sorcerer, showing them the page in her book and what they were to do. Adam Strange and the Flashes were calibrating the machine.

No one was looking at them, so Dick stepped closer and took her hand, his gloved fingers playing with hers.

"Are you ready?" he asked, as he bent closer to better gauge her face.

She gave him a tired smile that they both knew was unconvincing.

"As ready as I'll be," she mumbled. "I'm fine."

His chest throbbed again. So many things could go wrong. If only they had more time - maybe they could've laid a better plan then.

"I wish you'd told me sooner," he was surprised at how his own voice wobbled, and the crestfallen look on her face told him she noticed it too. "Maybe I could've done something."

Morgan huffed out a breath that sounded like a failed laugh. "You always think you have to do something."

He frowned.

"Alright, the machine is ready." Flash came up beside them, and Dick took a step back. "Time to give this a go."

Morgan looked at Dick with wild eyes and he saw a tremor run through her body.

"Dick, I'm scared," she finally admitted and he felt like he would burst from the storm rushing through his body.

"Z, now or never!" Nightwing called for their friend over his shoulder, and the sorcerers present started piling around Morgan. They all grabbed each other's hands, and Zatanna went to hold Morgan's left hand. Dick quickly grabbed her other – he wasn't a magic user, but he would be damned if he left her side. He didn't see who grabbed his right hand, but it didn't matter.

"We'll do this. Together," he told her, pulling their intertwined hands to his face to plant a kiss on her knuckles. She took a deep breath and gave him a wobbly smile.

Strange lightning started flashing across the sky. The merger was approaching. They all looked up and saw the rifts burst open, the entire sky shimmering in every color of the rainbow like the surface of a bubble in sunlight.

"Now!"

Morgan closed her eyes and released a breath, and he swore he could feel the sound of it vibrate through his very bones. Everything grew quiet, as if the entire planet waited for her to take action. His very heart seemed to stop beating.

Then, her eyes burst open and golden rays shot out of them like she was the sun. Dick felt the power surge through him, coming from the hand she was holding. It traveled through his body, and he felt a distinct sting at his heart before it went past it and through his right hand and onto the next person. There were a few seconds of stillness, and then a new surge went through him. It felt like a heartbeat. Golden tendrils snaked across his body, weaving in and out of his hair and around his arms and legs. It traveled onto the next person with the next hit of power.

A minute later, the entire circle had been completed, every person present surrounded by golden tendrils. The air was shimmering like a tub of glitter had been poured into water. His brain started humming again, but this time it was a distant, deep rumble like he was underwater.

Then, Dick felt a tug at Morgan, and her feet rose from the ground. She began floating, and he held tighter on to her hand, to keep her firmly in his grasp. He wouldn't let go.

He lost sense of time. They could've been standing there for seconds or hours – he had no idea. He could barely hear over the sound of the spell and his own blood rushing in his ears as his heart pounded. All he focused on was not letting go of her hand. He wouldn't let go.

"It's working!" he distantly heard Barry shout. Adam Strange let out a whoop of joy. "Keep going!"

"What. Do you think. I'm doing!" Morgan bit out through her teeth, and it was comforting to know she was still present, still aware of what was going on. He felt the feeble hope in his chest grow stronger. It was working. They were doing it!

The pressure on his hand became stronger as the spell pulled at her. He didn't let go.

But the pressure grew. Dick could feel his own feet begin to let go of the ground, as gravity lost its fight against the strength of the spell. He didn't let go.

He rose higher, enough for the person beside him to start getting pulled up too.

"Hold on!" he shouted, feeling his arms shake with the strength with which he kept his grasp firm. They couldn't break the circle. If they broke the circle then-

Morgan let out a gasp and then a shockwave of power shot out from her. It hit Dick with the strength of a furious bull, and he felt all air leave his lungs.

He let go.

His back hit the ground and he felt himself cutting off from the spell. He was on his knees instantly, but the sight that greeted him almost knocked him back down. Every person had been felled, and they all lay across the grassy clearing, some knocked out, and some getting on their feet like him.

"No," he whispered when his voice failed to produce more sound, and his eyes turned upwards, towards Morgan.

He heard her let out a whimper and then a scream, and it terrified him because it was the same scream she had let out when she had held up the Fortress of Solitude.

"Sparrow!" her name was ripped from his throat then, as he jumped up and raced towards her. He pulled out one of his escrima sticks and tied it to the line on his grapple hook. Then, he threw it at her, his heart thrumming a desperate rhythm in his chest. It tangled around her leg and he started pulling. They had to get her down, had to reestablish the circle before-

Another shockwave burst out of her, and Morgan screamed again. The escrima stick and grapple-line disintegrated.

He looked up. The golden light coming from her eyes was almost blinding and he shielded his face to watch her. Wind was picking up, like the spell was forming a tornado to keep them from being able to reach her. Gravity shifted and he had to hold tight to keep from getting swept up in the wind. He saw several of the sorcerers trying to control it, while others, still unconscious, were thrown helplessly around. Dick held onto the machine and started climbing by his fingertips towards her. The only thing keeping her within reach was the thick power cord going from the machine and into the helmet she wore.

He had to reach her – he could still.. could still fix this. He could still save her.

"Morgan!" he shouted, not caring about aliases. "No!"

He could see gold shimmer beneath her skin, as if all that was left was the spell. She writhed, like she was being eaten up from the inside, and he knew the sounds that left her would haunt his nightmares forever.

He grabbed the cord and worked his way up. She was almost within reach.

His fingers grazed against her foot. The wind was howling, beating at him as if wise to his plan. Shimmers and golden thread writhed around her like a thousand angry snakes.

He lunged forward and grabbed her hand with his. Immediately, it felt like someone had poured lava into his bloodstream, and he almost let her go in shock.

But he held on.

"Morgan," he called for her, and she must have heard him through the prison of pain she was in, because her screams halted for a moment and her golden eyes roved around, searching for the source of his voice. "I'm right here."

He grabbed her other hand, and involuntarily let out his own cry of pain. The link had been reestablished and the pain was excruciating.

Instinctively, he pulled her close. He knew distantly that his heart was beating wildly and adrenaline coursed through him. He knew he was afraid. He knew his body was under an extreme amount of pain.

But all he felt was her returning his embrace, clinging tightly to him.

Another shockwave shook the ground below, but he didn't let go. He would never let her go.

Another. And then another. He could feel his body breaking down under the pain, but he didn't care.

Another shockwave hit, this one bigger than the rest, and then the wind stilled. The gold in her eyes flickered. The shimmers in the air died down.

The shift in gravity disappeared and Dick found the two of them crumbling to the ground. His body felt broken, so broken that he couldn't catch her and soften her fall. He saw as she landed wrong on her wing, and it gave a loud crunch, bending at an unnatural angle.

He was sure she would have cried out, if she had any more voice to give to the pain. But at some point, her screaming had snapped her voice in half, and only whimpers and croaks had come out.

The clearing was utterly quiet. Dick lay on his side, facing Morgan, gasping as he worked through the pain, the most intense pain he had ever experienced.

"You did it!" someone shouted, and cheers erupted across the clearing. "The rifts! They're gone!"

He hardly noticed their celebration, only shortly feeling a stab of relief that they had resealed the rifts. Dick found the strength to get up on his elbows and then on his hands, and he stumbled in a crawl towards Morgan.

He turned her over, her head falling limply into his lap.

"Morgan?" he spoke her name with a voice that already shook. With trembling hands he pressed two fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse.

Please, no. Not again.

She suddenly spluttered awake, coughing and moaning in pain.

Relief coursed through his system, to the point where he felt lightheaded, and he let out a shuddering breath as he pulled her close.

"I thought.."

"Dick," she whispered with a hoarse voice. She opened her eyes, and he could see her vision was unfocused and delirious. "I- something's wrong."

"No, no see you did it – we fixed the rifts." He was aware he sounded desperate, pleading. His trembling fingers raked through her hair. "You'll be okay. We-we're all okay. Just hold on and we'll get someone to fix- SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR!"

He didn't look to see if anyone heeded his cry, because Morgan coughed again and this time her lips stained with blood. Red trickled out of the corner of her mouth, and he wiped it away.

"So, the world is saved?" she asked, unfocused eyes managing to lock onto his face.

He smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He didn't care that they were being watched by the others. Not now.

"Yeah, you did it. You saved the world."

Morgan smiled a tiny, weak thing. "Bet Aquaman has to let me go on some of the cool missions now."

Why wasn't anyone doing something? Why were they all just standing there and watching as the life slowly siphoned out of her?

Dick laughed through his tears. "I'll put in a good word for you. Just stay with me." He pulled her closer, watching as the spark began to fade from her eyes. A deep shudder ran through her body.

No, no, no, no no nononono-

Morgan's smile faltered.

"I'm sorry, Dick," she whispered, the words sounding like they were a struggle to get out. "I really did want to stay with you."

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and he resisted the urge to shake her, knowing it wouldn't be helpful.

"Morgan? Honey?" Tears flowed freely down his face, landing on her cheeks, but she didn't react to it.

A piece of shimmering dust floated past him, and then another. He looked and saw that her body was coming apart, slowly turning into golden, shimmering dust.

"No! Please!"

But his pleading didn't matter. The spell that had destroyed her body hardly cared what he had to say.

Her weight rapidly lightened in his arms, and he watched in frozen horror as she dematerialized, golden dust carried off by the wind.

She was gone.

He couldn't feel her anymore.


I've always wanted to write a super dramatic death scene. And now I finally got to!

Anyway.. I'm sorry I killed Morgan. To be fair, it was VERY heavily foreshadowed.

The completely stupid reason why the Fates told them they had a month before the merger, was that I wanted Morgan to die on my birthday, aka the 13th of November. Yay!

So fun fact, I had also considered uploading the chapters sort of like Dracula Daily. For those that don't know about Dracula Daily, it works like this: since every chapter of that book is dated, you can read it "in real time" by reading the events of a specific date on the real date. I've heard it gives a much better understanding of the timeline of the story. So the idea was basically that I would have uploaded this chapter on my birthday! I ended up scrapping the idea bc some chapters do jump a bit in time so it wouldn't really work.

I'm sorry this chapter took me so long to get out - the honest, downer truth is that the last two chapters got basically no reactions and it really demotivated me, and I just didn't feel like getting on with the next chapter. Reviews and comments truly have power, ya'll, and how quickly the story gets updated does rest with you readers, since my own motivation isn't really enough to keep me going anymore. I need a little encouragement, otherwise it just doesn't feel worth it. The only reason I found me motivation again was because the lovely Ultraasterous suddenly showed up and left like six really nice comments on Ao3, and it made me want to post again. So everyone say thank you Ultraasterous!