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BROOKLYN'S POV
We look around at the many groups of people everywhere. This is going to be interesting to say the least.
"Okay, let's get this done," Dinah mutters under her breath as I read Barbara's messages she is sending to me on the topic.
"Why someone would even willingly do this is so weird to me," Artemis says, to which Dinah and I both give her a look.
Dinah's mentor had a habit of visiting this place. Dick and I have looked into it a few times in the past, but we haven't ever had much of a reason to shut it down; it keeps the villains busy while we take care of the really difficult stuff.
"Thank you both for helping," I say, giving them a grateful look. I know that they didn't want to and are only doing it to be my backup, which means a lot to me.
"No problem," Artemis says before she smirks, "Besides, it was a little amusing to watch Brooke explain herself to you in the car."
I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest, "Glad it was enjoyable for someone," I retort, wincing as I think back to the conversation.
She is officially now up to speed with my relationship status and the ordeal with the whole being targeted again.
"Oh, eyes on you at your three," Artemis says, making me look, and I mentally get ready to put on an act.
The good thing about having Catwoman as my mentor growing up is the fact that I can always pull some sort of mask together.
"Hello, Dustin," I smile flirtatiously, doing my best to pretend I can't see Barbara and Dick's conversation.
"Hello, Hot Stuff," He grins, immediately wrapping his arm around my waist. "When I got your text, I was a little surprised," He admits before leaning in close to my ear, "But not disappointed."
"It's playtime," Barbara says, to me trough the contacts.
"Playtime after the mission, Dustin," I flirt, using Barbara's words so that she knows I can hear her.
It's only after I say them that I realize that it sent to both Barbara and Dick.
"Playtime after the mission?" Dick questions with an edge to his tone, and I don't have time to answer before he says, "Uh, after the mission we should catch a play. Or a movie. You know, we're in Hollywood... Seems like the thing to do."
Oh my gosh, he is talking to Jefferson.
I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing as Barbara sends laughing faces.
"Cat, are you good to disconnect?" Barbara asks, trying to make this less confusing.
She was always going to cut me and my team off, seeing as my contacts can just send her video.
"Yeah," I answer her and I add, "Good luck, be careful." I aim to Dick, not feeling right about breaking the connection up before saying it.
"Umm..." Dustin gives me a weird look along with Artemis and Dinah.
"I mean," I say looking at Dustin, realizing me mistake, "With your door guarding. A place like this has to be a little dangerous," I cover lamely.
He smirks at that before he winks at me, "I like a little bit of danger." It takes everything in me not to burst his bubble, and smile instead. "I will meet you after the main event." He leans down closer to me, kissing my cheek before he leaves.
God, I am scrubbing that cheek clean later.
"Yeah, I would say he still likes you," Artemis mutters, watching him leave with an amused look on her face.
"Not a single word," I glare at her, knowing she is going to tease me with it for the rest of the night.
"You don't want a little danger?" She quips, causing me to groan.
"Artemis!"
"Fine, fine," She laughs.
Dinah joins in, causing me to glare at her too. "What? It is a little funny," She says, trying to cough to cover it up. "And you are back on the market."
"Whatever, let's just get this over with," I say bitterly and move into the main area.
It is impressive to say the least. Rows and rows of chairs and tables, tablets for your bidding, and champagne for your enjoyment.
A lot of people are here, dressed in fancy clothes.
Nightwing and I also let it run because it usually wasn't ever booming. Usually dangerous villains wouldn't lower themselves to something like street fighting, but with the blooming of new meta-humans, I am sure the leader of this little organization has her way of sweet talking people into a deal.
A match is going on right now, and I am surprised to see a few of the low list villains we used to fight. We.
I shake my head to clear my thoughts before I take a seat in a chair close to the exit. Artemis and Dinah follow my moves, looking back at the ring.
"So," Artemis says before she looks back to me. "what do we do now?" She asks.
"We watch," I mutter under my breath before I cross my legs, my eyes studying the fighters for any sign of them being forced.
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I sigh and look to Dinah and Artemis. We have been here for two hours and the only people we have seen are known villains who wouldn't mind doing this sort of thing for free.
"We need to get backstage," I say and stand up, expecting them to follow me.
They do, but not long after we are away from crowds does Dinah pull me back and say, "I really don't think this is a good idea. I don't like the idea of you going in there."
"I'm going to be fine," I reassure her, "Besides, who said anything about me joining the ring? I am just going to slip past."
With that, I find a restroom that no one is in and we all start changing, slipping on our suits and masks.
We wait for everyone to pass before we slip out again and start heading backstage.
"I still don't get why Nightwing didn't want to help with this," Artemis says suddenly, making me nervous.
I cover it and force myself to seem normal as I say, "He said he already had something planned when he dragged me away to scold me for taking over his precious city." I inform them. "He even made me promise to take care of it." Artemis and Dinah share a look, making me narrow my eyes at them, "What?"
"Oh, nothing," Artemis says, but smirks, making me stop in my steps completely.
"What?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips.
"Well..." Dinah says before she sighs, "Are you sure he was talking about the city?"
"Pretty sure, he said, and I quote, 'Sorry for being overprotective of my city,' to which I responded with-" I cut myself off, and roll my eyes, "You guys think he was talking about me. Don't you?"
"Bingo," Artemis grins mischievously. "At least symbolically."
"You have been spending too much time with Wally," I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.
"He is my husband," She bites back, muttering it under her breath as I turn to start walking again.
"He wasn't talking about me," I shake my head, "He can't stand me. And he is still pissed about me k-" I cut myself off abruptly, realizing my mistake.
"What?" Dinah asks, but I don't answer. "What did you do that pissed him off?"
What do I do that doesn't piss him off is the better question.
Jefferson's words ring in my eyes again, but I push them out as I turn to Artemis and Dinah.
"Nothing," I lie, but they don't believe it. And I know they don't believe it when they share a look before they set their eyes on me again. "Fine," I groan, "I accidentally kissed him."
"How do you accidentally kiss someone?" Dinah wonders out loud.
"Accidentally," I defend, not making much sense anymore.
"Now who sounds like Wally?" Artemis raises her eyebrow at me before she smirks and says, "So Wally will be very happy about this development."
"It's not a development," I shake my head, "Don't tell Wally. It happened a long time ago. Thanksgiving. I went to apologize but we fought instead. I kissed him, he kissed me back a little before we start fighting again. Then I left. And he hasn't said much to me since." I explain it all before I look away, and add, "So I would appreciate it if this didn't get out to anyone else," I say softly.
My tone lets them know this is a sensitive topic so they drop it.
We start going around the corner again, only to find a lot of well dressed men looking like they want to punch us.
Oops.
"Ah, I figured it was a matter of time," A woman says behind us.
Oh, big oops.
We all turn, our muscles tense as we get ready to fight our way out of this if we need to.
A woman with brown hair wrapped in a bun on her head walks toward us.
I immediately recognize her, her snake tattoo that covers her body peeking out in the cuts of her maroon dress.
"Hello, Roulette," I grin standing up straight and relaxing from my fighting stance, "I see business is better than it was a year ago."
"Catgirl, how nice of you to join us," She smirks, "Where is that darling boyfriend of yours?"
"Not as darling as he seems, I'm afraid," I sigh as if he has done something wrong like forgotten to take out the trash. "And it is Shadowcat now."
I just have to pay along.
"Pity," She states before glancing to the men behind us. At this, they all pull out guns and aim them at us, "That means he won't miss you after I kill you all," She says, her voice full of fake disappointment.
"Hold on," I say, putting my hands up. Despite the fact that I know Dinah and Artemis really don't want to get in that ring, I know that bargaining is the only way out of this. "What if we sweetened the deal?" I ask, nodding to her.
"I'm listening," She hums, looking at me over her maroon tented glasses.
"I will fight in the ring," I offer, causing her to stand straighter in surprise.
"And why would such an..." She pauses as she circles me, "Esteemed hero do such a thing?" She says, taunting me with the fact that I used to be a villain.
I can't tell her or she may threaten or move anyone who is being held against their will.
So instead I say, "I need to blow of some steam. And I know how much you could use my help. I would bring in a lot of money. People would pay to watch me get punched." I point out, causing her to stop her walking, landing in front of me.
"And what do you get?" She questions, causing me to smirk.
"We get to walk out of here without a problem," I shrug before I slip out my claws, Artemis getting ready behind me. "Or we can do it the hard way. Either way, I am going to blow of some steam." I shrug, my eyes watching her calculatedly.
She studies me for a moment more before she says, "Fine. Are your friends sure they don't want to join?" She questions, eyeing them.
"Nope," The both say together, and I am not surprised. They had to promise Ollie and Wally they wouldn't.
"Looks like it's your show then, Princess," Roulette mocks me with the nickname as she walks away from us, the guards easing up. "Take her to the locker room to get ready."
A man grabs me by the arm roughly.
In seconds, Dinah and Artemis practically beat him off of me, throwing him into the wall unconscious.
Roulette looks like she is going to protect to the violence, but I just hold a hand up to stop her and say, "We will find our own way."
The trip to the locker room and to the tunnel are filled with Dinah and Artemis trying to tell me that this is a bad idea.
Regardless, when they call my name and say I am going against someone named Tarantula, I walk through.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, get ready for a special treat!" Roulette announces, and it almost reminds me of Haly and the circus. This is a lot more violent though. "Blüdhaven's very own Catgirl has returned to make an appearance tonight! Cast your votes and let's see how this reformed villain will fair against my contenders."
This should be easy.
Tarantula goes down fast, me kicking her in the head after I dodge a lame excuse for an attack before I slam her into the cage and punch her, knocking her out.
A few people boo at that fact, but I don't listen to them. I just have to win a few more, because the more I do, the more time Dinah and Artemis have to snoop around.
They didn't want to not be able to see me, but I insisted it would be fine.
The next person, or should I say, people I had to fight were twins. They called themselves double dare.
It's when I am fighting them that I suddenly get a bad feeling. A ready bad feeling.
My mind immediately goes to worrying about Dick and Jeff, because this is what it would feel like when something would go wrong for him when I was not on the mission.
The feeling and distraction earns me a few blows to the stomach before I snap out of it and quickly take them out, flipping over them and kicking them down before slamming their heads together.
That's gonna leave a nasty bruise.
The crumble to the floor and I wait, because this is the final person. My eyes go to the floor as someone new comes in.
No, two new people.
And when their names get announced, I am very surprised.
"Harley?" I question, causing her to gasp loudly.
"Oh, my, it's my kitten!" She exclaims and runs to me, giving me a hug.
This makes everyone else in the room boo, but I hug her back before she goes, "Oh, Ivy!" She waves to someone in the audience, "Look who it is! It's Kitten!" She laughs, "Crazy right!"
Sure enough, Ivy is there in the audience, smiling at us as she waves.
This makes sense. Harley has a thing for being in sketchy places and this is one. And, she loves just beating up people. And money.
"So, Kitten, how is-"
She is cut off as I push her down, getting down myself as I roll out of the way as fire nearly burns us to death.
Meta, and not very polite at that.
Harley and I share a look before we share a twin grin and look back at the girl that just tried to kill us.
"Oh, it's on."
We both run at her, Harley swinging her mallet at the girl as she shoots fire out of her hands.
I dodge and go low, managing to upper cut her jaw before I spin around and kick her. Harley uses this as a way to then hit her with the mallet as if her head were a baseball and her mallet were a bat.
That's gotta hurt. Andddd she is down.
I look back to Harley, and smile before Roulette comes onto the speaker again. "Now, now, this is not allowed. Only one of you can be the victor. Start fighting."
Harley looks to me and shakes her head, "No."
I frown, but agree. I wish she would just make me out so we could leave.
"Not apart of the deal I made," I turn and find Roulette in the crowd, glaring. "Now, I am done."
Roulette seems upset by this for a few moments, her glaring back. She doesn't like to be challenged. But neither do I.
"Fine."
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"You know, I actually had fun." Dinah laughs, "Watching you and Harley together was interesting to say the least."
"That's fair," I smile, "It was really unexpected too."
After Harley and I refused to fight each other, Roulette made us fight a few more people to make it even. By then, Artemis and Dinah had decided everything was of free will so we couldn't shut the place down.
"My favorite part was when Brooklyn turned down Dustin," Artemis smirks.
I cringe thinking back to the incident, "He is gross!" I defend, causing them both to laugh.
I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes for a few moments.
Artemis offered to drive so her and Dinah are up front, which is why when I open my eyes, I contact Oracle.
"Mission report?" She questions, assuming that's why I contacted her.
"All clean and everyone is safe. Even ran into my aunts." I inform her.
"Oh no," She says, causing me to smile a little before I ask her what I actually contacted her for.
"Everything is okay with Nightwing and Black Lightning, right?" I ask, my eyes staying glued to the screen as I wait for the response. My heart seems to skip a beat before she finally texts back.
"Yup, all clear."
I smile lightly, leaning my head on the window as I look out at the city I almost called home.
I should have known my instincts with him are a little rusty. I should have known I was probably overreacting.
I breathe out a sigh of relief before I focus on the city.
Having grown up in Gotham, it's hard to adjust to life on the farm now. I miss the city. I miss the skyscrapers I can jump off of and the busy streets and loud sounds and blinding lights; I miss it all.
I look down in my lap as we pass a park Dick and I used to go to.
Maybe I missed more than just the city.
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A/N:
if you found that little birds of prey reference, i'm proud of you.
also just pretend it's thursday.
sorry if this was too rushed, i wanted it get it out to you guys. any thoughts?
anyways, dick went going on his mission with jeff to granny's... if you watch the show then you know that means that he is about to be in a lot of pain next chapter. barbara lied to brooke that everything was fine...
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how are y'all feeling?
why would barbara lie?
did you love the harley and ivy scene?
what do you think it's going to happen with dick's situation?
do you think the team will tell her he is missing or get him back first?
who do you think will tell her?
and how do you think she is going to react?
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thanks for reading, don't forget to vote & comment !!
xoxo, author