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ARTEMIS' POV
I look at Raquel in concern as Dick turns away from us.
Zatanna and Dick found me and filled me in on everything; how Zatanna saw him and went to the circus to get Dick so that they could investigate. And then they told me, and now we are telling Raquel.
"So, you think Conner's in the Phantom Zone?" She questions, her eyes wide.
"Hurt and desperate," I struggle with the words.
"Trapped. For months." Dick crosses his arms over his chest in frustration over the fact that they never thought to look for him... but how could they have known.
"Wait, does that mean you believe Conner's alive now?" Zatanna questions, making him turn around.
"And it hasn't even been 24 hours," He muses before turning to the side in thought.
"Bart's still missing too." I add, not letting them forget about him. My worry for that situation is increasing with the fact that Wally and Barry are also worried.
"Bart maybe on a path parallel to ours," Dick thinks out loud, "He seems to have chosen to be with people Superman finds trustworthy. And I have a hunch they were on the Bio-Ship that destroyed the Projector."
"That's a bit of a leap, isn't it?" I question, not sure about the connection.
"Maybe," He admits, "But Superman admitted he was withholding information from us." He turns to us, "Why would he do that unless telling us could make matters worse? Unless telling us could threaten the time stream itself... What if Bart the Time-Traveler is with two other Time-Travelers? What if they have inside intel about this Kryptonian Time-Traveler, about the Phantom Zone, and about Conner being trapped there?"
"Whoa, Boy Wonder," Raquel stops him, "You're seriously reaching."
"I know!" He exclaims before looking at us again, "But it comes down to this: Bart made a choice, and we should trust him on it. Conner was asking for help, and we need to get him out of the Zone."
Raquel looks at him in concern, "He spends a lot of time hanging upside down from trapezes." She looks at Zatanna and I, "Are we really buying all this?"
"You two dated him. You tell me." I point out.
"Wait," Raquel looks at Dick as if my statement reminded her of her, "Where is Brooke?"
"Probably busy," He answers smoothly despite flinching at the question.
"And you don't want Brooke to know?" I ask with my hands on my hips, already knowing the answer.
He had asked me to make sure she was busy for today. I thought it was just because he was being petty after the game night, but I guess this was the real reason.
Dick winces, "Yeah, I didn't think we should include anyone else."
"You guys still aren't back together yet?" Raquel asks, raising an eyebrow.
Dick runs his face, "Its a complicated situation right now. And right now, I would like to worry about the fact Conner may be alive."
"Right," Zatanna smirks knowingly, "And you think that you are protecting her by not telling her."
Well, at least they can agree about not telling each other things. At least night a first; Brooke said she would tell him about the note, she just needed a few days to figure out exactly how to break it to him.
"Speaking of..." I trail off as I look at my phone, Brooke's name across the front. I click the button, motioning for them to be quiet, "Brooke! How are the papers coming along?"
"Fine," She mutters, "I am just wondering exactly where you are."
We were supposed to grade papers together and I dumped them all onto her when I heard Conner might be alive.
"Still with Wally and Lian," I say with a little guilt, "Sorry, she just isn't feeling well and-"
"I understand... see you soon." She says before hanging up.
"What did she say?" Dick asks somewhat nervously.
"She doesn't know anything. I told her Wally and I were taking care of Lian for Will because he felt sick." I reassure him she won't get involved.
There is a string of two knocks on the door, making Amistad look up from where he is playing.
We all look to Raquel in question, her shrugging her shoulders, "I'm not expecting anyone." She walks to the door and looks in the hole before sighing, shaking her head. She opens it and in storms Brooke.
She crosses her arms, her eyes scanning over us before looking to me. "You suck at lying."
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BROOKLYN'S POV
Artemis looks a little offended at my comment, "I do not..." She says, making me give her a pointed look. She sighs, "How did you know?"
"I was with Will and Lian at the park when you called earlier and left me to do all of your work." I reveal before I add, "Some of the essays were good and some of them you are going to have to give extra tutoring to."
"That's technically your job," She reminds me, earning a glare given I did her work and mine today. She sighs, "Fine."
"So," I look to Dick, "You mind telling me what this is about, Blues Clues?"
Dick's jaw clenches as Raquel says, "Wait, back up, you were with Will?"
"Since when?" Zatanna asks, a new interest sparking in her eyes.
"Stop trying to get me off topic," I say glancing at them, before I look at Dick and add, "I know you are up to something and that Zatanna visited you at the circus about something so important that you dropped out immediately."
"Woah, you stalking him?" Raquel questions, her eyes wide.
"No," I huff out, running a hand through my hair before I look at Dick, a frown on his face, my expression mirroring his, "You didn't tell Haley we weren't together anymore..." I didn't want to read too much into why he hasn't told Haly we aren't together, but I did appreciate the videos he sent me. "He has still been sending me updates on you, so when a random girl came to talk to him, he told me..." I look to Zee, "he described you and I put the pieces together from there."
"Dang," Raquel shakes her head, looking between us, "You are both crazy."
My eyebrows draw together at that, "What do you mean?" I ask before looking at him, "What does she mean?"
Dick sighs, finally giving in, "Brooke, it's just... We didn't want to get anyone's hopes up." I just stare at him, causing him to sigh, "Zee?"
Zatanna nods and walks to me, "Is it okay if I show you something?"
I draw my eyebrows together, "I guess, just don't go snooping."
She nods before touching my forehead, and suddenly I see flashes.
Conner screaming in pain, a beam destroying a machine, a weird place I don't recognize.
I gasp, my eyes looking to Dick's, "Does that-"
"I think..." He looks at me softly, "I think Conner may be alive and trapped in the Phantom zone... Only problem is getting him out."
My eyes widen, my chest feeling light as I look to Artemis, "And you believe him?" This can't... I can't believe that he may be alive...
"I'm sure he's right." Zatanna nods firmly, making me look at her.
"Fine, but now what?" Raquel asks now that I am up to speed, despite Dick's pouty face about it, "The Phantom Zone Projector was destroyed."
So that was what I saw with the beams...
"There is another way, but," Zatanna sighs, "you won't like it."
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NIGHTWING'S POV
"Where is Brooke?" I question, a little worried. "She isn't usually late."
"She texted me she would be here soon, Boy Wonder," Artemis reassures me, "Don't worry just yet."
As soon as she says that, a familiar figure drives up on a motorcycle.
"About-" I cut off my sentence as Brooklyn takes her helmet off and untying her coat, a black dress revealing itself underneath.
Damn.
"Where were you?" Rocket asks, her eyebrows skyrocketing.
"Out," Brooklyn says, not meeting my eyes before she looks to Zee, "Could you?"
Zee nods and says a spell, Brooklyn's suit replacing the dress.
And she still looks really good.
"Wait," Artemis says, her hands on her hips, "Will was 'out' tonight too."
"Was he?" Brooklyn asks, walking to us, "Weird. Anyways, what's the plan?"
She finally looks at me, and I forget how to breath for a moment, after hearing what Artemis said.
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BROOKLYN'S POV
The truth was, I was with Will. And not in the way that Artemis was thinking... well maybe.
Maybe we realized we have a lot in common. And maybe we realized that we have fun together.
But we also talked about Cheshire. More importantly, he asked me to get in contact with Ra's al Ghul for him.
And after him nearly begging... I agreed. Which I know wouldn't make any of them happy so Will and I decided it was best to keep it from them.
"Hold your places," Zee says when we are inside. I stand off to the side, ready to protect them in case they need me. "I will summon Klarion to appear inside a Mystic Circle that the five of us
will anchor." She looks to me, "And in case things go south..."
"I happen to love chaos, I think he and I will get along," I smirk.
"While I don't doubt you love chaos, he is definitely not the fun kind," She says before looking to the others, "In exchange for his freedom, we'll get him to access the Phantom Zone, since he's clearly done it before.
"And you believe he will cooperate?" Kaldur asks.
I scoff, "Yeah, how do we know he won't turn us inside-out or something?"
"It is a risk, but his only way out of the Circle will be to exit here. And Klarion won't dare enter the Tower. It's Fate's place of power." Zatanna says.
"Uh, where is Doctor Fate?" Rocket asks.
"Otherwise occupied. But let's not tell Klarion that," She answers.
"Go for it, Z."
"Going for it," She says before taking a deep breath. "Drol fo Soahc, I no mm us Eeht!"
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We should not have gone for it.
The little twerp, of course, didn't do what we wanted and split himself into six to fight us all.
My personal Klarion got his claws around my neck early into my fight with him. He baited me with words like "I remember you; your Ra's al Ghul's pet" and "I don't see what the big fuss over you was."
He did after I clicked my boots together and blades popped out of the sole. And after I aimed a dagger at his cat, leaving him open for me to slice my blades straight into his stomach.
He hissed out in pain and threw me across the area we were floating on. If it weren't for Kaldur, I would have flown clean over the side and fallen. At least until I could get my wits together, but that would have taken a while, because after Zatanna said a spell to get rid of him, after I knew it was safe, I let the black dots fill my vision.
When I came to, Nightwing was the first person I saw, then Kaldur, who was still holding me.
His husband is a lucky man.
I nod my head letting them know I am okay as Kaldur lets me go and I hit my heels on the floor to pop the blades back in. I look at Kaldur thankfully, him smiling and nodding at me.
"You can babysit anytime," Rocket says, eyeing my shoes impressed.
I open my mouth to respond but wince as pain flares in my throat.
Shit.
I lift up my neck for them to see, their reactions telling me it doesn't look so good. I don't miss how the others look to Nightwing who just clenches his fists, as if he is trying not to overreact or reach out to touch me.
I heard him about my name a few times during the struggle, but he couldn't get to me.
"Here," Zatanna says, before muttering a spell, making a warm feeling rise in my throat before I rub it. "Careful, you will still feel a little hoarse. I can't completely heal it."
I nod, "Thanks I say," wincing hearing how I sound.
"Where can I get me some of those boots?" Raquel asks.
I turn to Nightwing and use sign language. He repeats what I say to the others, "Catwoman; apparently it's common for people to try to crush our windpipes."
"That's... concerning," Zee says before looking to the rest of them.
Artemis winces, holding her side, "So..."
Nightwing, who doesn't look much better mumbles, "That could have gone better." My eyes look to him, but his are locked on my throat, where the bruises were moments ago.
I try not to think about how my stomach does a little summer-salt at that fact.
"It could hardly have gone worse," Kaldur says, "Did we have a Plan B?"
"We did not."
"Huh... Maybe we do," Zatanna mutters before saying, "Xedni drac!" She turns back to us looking at Nightwing, "If you can track down a ten-year-old school bus."
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A/N:
we are getting into it!!! almost done with the season four plot and then the real fun stuff for me to write happens hehe.
can you guys tell how much brooke and dick still care about each other bc i can and it makes me melt. and the fact that dick isn't telling haley they aren't togetherrrr
i really want to hear from you guys so plz comment to me <3 also ignore any mistakes, my sister didn't want to read it tonight so they will be fixed later; i wanted to get y'all the update anyways.
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how are y'all feeling?
do you think it was fair dick didn't want her involved?
what about will?
did you like jealous dick?
favorite parts?
are you excited for the next one?
what do you want to see specifically? more jealousy for someone? any flashbacks?
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thanks for reading, don't forget to vote & comment !!
xoxo, author