It's like catching lightning, the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance?
Can I have this dance?
~Can I have this Dance? ~ Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron~
...April 5, 2012...
Currently, Richy, Jason, Bruce, and I are in the Batcave.
"Are you sure you want to go?" Richy asks.
"I think it's time for me to start another mission," I tell him. "Besides, it's not like anything major is gonna happen. It's just a charity event party. I'll be fine. The team still doesn't know your identities yet, do they?"
"No," Jason answers.
"Suit up," Bruce tells us. "We're leaving to the cave in 10 minutes." He turns and leaves to get into his suit.
~~~
"Recognized: Batman, 02. Robin, B14. Nightwing, B01. Bolt, B08."
Batman immediately pulls up the cave's speaker system, calling the rest of the team in for mission briefing. "Artemis, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, and Zatanna, report for mission briefing."
They all arrive at the same time.
Wally marches up to me. "Bolt, you should really leave a note or something when you leave to sleep over at the Bat's house. Mom and dad get worried," he scolds.
"Sorry, nightmares..." I mumble.
He sighs, ruffling my hair.
"Bruce Wayne is having a charity gala tonight. He bought and funded a hospital that was getting shut and knocked down. Many families would've been broken if the hospital was taken. Many people wanted that land. Many of those people aren't good people," Batman says. "It is your job to watch for any suspicious characters and make sure nobody gets harmed."
"I thought Gotham was your city? Why send us?" Superboy asks.
"Robin, Nightwing, Bolt, and I have another 'obligation' to attend to," Batman says, walking towards the zeta-tubes. "I've sent you the location of the gala, Kaldur. Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred, has been notified of your mission and will provide you with the required uniforms you all will be wearing."
The three of us follow behind him back to the batcave, getting ourselves ready for the gala.
~~~
Richy annoyingly grabs at his tie. "God I hate these things. I can never remember how to tie them."
"That's cause you're stupid," Jason points out. "You look ridiculous with your hair slicked back like that."
"Thanks," Richy replies sarcastically.
I exit, making my way up to the three bats. "How do I look?"
"Wow..." Richy mutters. "I'm speechless."
"That good, huh?" I smile.
"Gorgeous," he nods, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You look like Cinderella but prettier."
"Agreed," Jason nods approvingly.
"Good disguise though the tiara is a bit over the top," Bruce says. "Blonde fits you."
I flip a piece of the blonde hair over my shoulder. "I know. Wigs are itchy though. So are these fake eyebrows. Don't diss the tiara. Makes me feel like a princess. Anyway, check this. I even got a British accent and act all proper like Alfred. It's nice to be your date for tonight, Richard."
He smirks and replies in an overly ridiculous British accent, bowing and holding out a hand. "May I take milady's hand?"
Jason laughs.
"You may," I giggle, placing my hand in his.
He swings our intertwined hands back and forth with a childish grin as we head towards the front of the manor.
"Let's get going. We need to be there early to speak," Bruce says with a small smile.
"You need to be there early to speak," I correct.
"I have to have my sons with me too," Bruce says. "It's bad publicity if I don't."
"It's not like anyone cares about us being there. I could say I beat people up and the women will just tell me I'm cute and move to talk to you. All the women just crawl all over you all night. It's annoying," Jason huffs, crossing his arms.
"Jealous, Jaybird," I tease.
"No!"
Richy and I laugh as Jason continues to pout. We all exit the manor, locking it then getting in the limo to the gala. The limo drops us off at the front door. A red carpet is draped from the street all the way to the door and on either side are velvet ropes with press or fans behind them, screaming at us to answer questions or get pictures.
Bruce and Jason continue to walk forward as Richy and I embrace the attention. We pose for the cameras with large smiles and occasionally show our affection for each other to get some gossip going. We make our way inside after a few minutes to meet up with Bruce and Jason.
"You two are ridiculous," Jason huffs.
"What can we say? We love the attention," Richy says.
"So, where's the team?" I ask, looking around the empty room.
"Alfred says he's telling them how everything works," Jason says. "They're about to get everything set up."
"Meanwhile, we need to head back stage to prepare for our entrance," Bruce says, leading the way.
"Dramatic much?" I tease.
"Have you met him?" Jason asks.
I snicker. "Pfft! Oh, yeah! The whole 'I am vengeance! I am the night! I am Batman!' Then a flash of lightning in the background, making you look all scary and stuff!"
The three of us burst out laughing as Bruce scowls.
"How do you even know about that?" Bruce asks.
I smirk. "Cameras everywhere, Brucie. Everywhere. It also helps that I'm electrically connected to all of Gotham."
"Yeah, she sent it to everyone," Richy casually says.
Bruce turns around and glares at me.
I burst out laughing. "You really don't look as menacing without the suit."
He snarls and sighs, dragging a hand down his face. "That's why the league was snickering behind my back a month ago, isn't it?"
The three of us grin.
"Maybe," Richy grins.
"Possibly," Jason shrugs.
"Probably," I admit.
Bruce groans and slumps the rest of the way to backstage. We all hang backstage as Bruce rehearses for his speech. About half an hour passes before Wally comes back to serve us some food. The room is beginning to fill with people as we're starting to hear a few voices.
"Wow, almost didn't recognize you, sis," Wally says. "You look good."
"Thanks."
"How you holding up?" Richy asks.
"Horrible," Wally answers with a groan. "All this food and I can't eat any of it!"
Jason and I laugh.
I take whatever the snack he brought us is and pop a few in my mouth. "Pretty good."
"I hate you..." Wally grumbles.
I smile. "Love you too!"
"What about everyone else?" Richy asks.
"Artemis says she hates these servant clothes," Wally says, grabbing at the collar of his dress shirt. "Conner agreed, calling it a monkey suit."
"That sounds like them," I say.
"I should go before Alfred yells at me," Wally says, disappearing to the ballroom.
I sigh. "How much longer till this event starts?"
"About an hour," Richy says.
"Ugh."
~~~
"Welcome, everyone to the Wayne Foundation Charity Gala," Bruce greets.
I tune him out as I've already listened to his mumbled speech backstage and decide to look around for each team member in the sea of people. I quickly take notice of Wally and Artemis. Their bright hair colors easily gave them away.
Richy hooks his arm in mine, giving me a smile. "You ready?" he mouths.
I nod, returning the smile.
"Enjoy the party," Bruce finishes his speech.
The four of us walk down the stairs to mingle with all the upper class people. After a little while of socializing together, Bruce and Jason go off and do their own thing while Richy and I search for the one waiter with juice instead of wine. He finds us before we find him.
"Juice?" he asks.
"Thank you, sir," I thank, British accent strong.
We each take a glass and drain it, taking another glass and setting the original on his tray.
"Man, I was thirsty," Richy says.
The waiter disappears to serve more to the other underaged guests.
"That's what happens when we need to talk so much," I say.
"I noticed."
A song begins to play and the two of us snicker recognizing the song from a Disney movie.
"Do you think they realize this is a Disney song?" I ask.
He smirks, holding out a hand. "Can I have this dance, milady?"
I laugh at his wording, placing my hand in his. "Of course, my lord. I don't know how to dance though."
"I'll teach you. I'm sure you'll learn fast."
"Of course you would know how, Alfred probably taught you."
He grins, giving the back of my hand a kiss. "Guilty. I did also take dance class for a few years after though."
"You'll have to dance for me some time then," I flirt.
"I wouldn't plan on you to miss it," he says, pulling me up.
We twirl out to the floor as we continue to flirt and tease each other. After a few seconds, the partners switch and I end up with Jason.
"Hey, Jaybird," I greet. "I see you got dance lessons too."
His cheeks flush. "I told you not to call me that..."
"Everyone gets a nickname, Jaybird," I chastise him. "It means I love you."
"Then I'm calling you Cinderella from now on," he huffs.
I laugh in reply. Another 30 seconds pass and I'm traded off again. "Hello, Bruce."
"Aura."
I accidentally step on his feet. "Oops, sorry. Still trying to get used to dancing."
"Well, if you're going to be part of this family, you're going to need to learn how to dance," he says. "I'll get Alfred to help you."
I look at him a little shocked. "You really think–"
"One day," he nods. "I see the look you two give each other. It was the same look my parents gave each other."
"So, I'm an honorary bat," I grin. "Cool."
He gives me a smile before we are switched again, landing back in Richy's arms.
"Hello, beautiful," he greets.
"Hello, sexy ass," I grin, giving his butt a little squeeze.
He chuckles. "What is it with you and my butt?"
"It's perfectly sculptured," I reply, looking up in his eyes. "But the best part..." I lower my eyes and drag my hand down his chest, going lower and lower and lower. He tenses. I sneak my arm around his waist, looking up at him again with a smirk. "...are your eyes. They're gorgeous and I find myself drowning in the deep blue."
"You are such a tease," he groans.
I laugh. "And you love every second of it."
"Of course I do," he smiles, leaning down and placing a deep kiss on my lips.
"That was nice," I flirt and wink. "Let's do it again later when we're alone."
"Damn..." he groans. "I want to leave now."
I chuckle.
After the song, we get a round of applause here and there. We move to the side as the next song plays.
"Let's find some food next. I haven't had anything decent since Alfred cooked breakfast," I say, tugging him along to the food table. I fill up a plate of food. Then we go to sit at a table in the corner.
"Hey, I'll... be right back," Richy says, standing up slightly wobbly from our table.
"You okay?" I ask, eyeing his flushed face.
"Yeah, just need to use the restroom real quick," he responds. "Brb."
He leaves and I continue to eat my food until it's gone. I drink the rest of my juice. This time it tastes kinda funny. My eyes widen. "It's been drugged." I rush around the room, looking for Wally.
"Aura?" Wally calls out, noticing my frantic state.
"The juice was drugged. I couldn't tell before with my metabolism," I tell him. "Where's Jason and Richy?"
"I haven't seen them. I'll ask the team," Wally says. He thinks out in the mind link. "Nobody's seen them."
"Start looking," I demand, speeding off towards the bathrooms. I slow to a stop when I'm alone, walking the rest of the way to the bathroom and knocking once there. "Richard? You've been in the bathroom for a while. You okay?" A pain flares from the back of my head and darkness takes me over.
~~~
I'm awoken to a few whispers.
"Aura."
"Aura. Aura, wake up," Richy whispers.
"Richy? What time is it? And why does my head hurt?" I ask. "And why are you whispering?"
"Ssh," Jason hushes me.
I open my eyes and sit up with a light groan.
"We've been kidnapped," Richy whispers.
Everything comes back to me. "The juice. It was drugged," I gasp. "I wasn't affected so they snuck up and knocked me out from behind."
"Yeah, we figured that out. We're still really woozy," Jason whispers.
"We're in the back of a van," Richy whispers. "We're being held hostage until Bruce hands over the land for the hospital."
I shake off my hand cuffs, moving over to break off theirs. "Not for long we're not."
"Ah, looks like the princess is awake," the man in the van's passenger seat says.
"Do not call me princess," I spit.
"Looks like you got a tough one, huh boss?" the driver chuckles.
"Seems like it," the first guy replies. "Watch your mouth, little girl. I have a gun that I'm not afraid to use."
My eyes narrow and I smirk. "Go ahead."
He chuckles. "In time. Now, I don't know how you weren't affected by the drugged drink. I even upped the dose on your drink repeatedly. I eventually just used the whole bottle of pills and that still didn't get you."
I smirk. "I can't get drugged with any mere sleeping pill. I have a kind of immunity to those."
"I noticed," the boss responds.
"Hey, boss. It seems like we have a few tails."
The boss smirks, turning back to us. "I told Bruce Wayne not to tell anyone or one of you will die." He stands up, opening the gate door to us. "How about I take the first son first?" He points the gun at Richy.
"Aww, I thought you were gonna pick me?" I ask.
He turns the gun to me. "If you insist." He shoots and I quickly catch the bullet, bringing my hands behind my back again.
"Your gun seems to be a fake," I smirk.
"What? How are you–" He shakes his head. "No matter. Let's try this again."
He shoots and I do the same thing.
"Yeah... is that thing empty?" I ask.
He snarls and quickly does a check to find four bullets remaining in his revolver. His eyes widen. "What happened to the other bullets? Whatever, I'm done trying to kill you." He turns it back on Richy. "Say goodbye."
"Don't you dare," I growl. My eyes glow, electricity sparking.
He looks back towards me and his eyes widen. "What the–!?"
"You messed with the wrong bitch," I scowl, dropping the bullets to the ground. His eyes follow the bullets then moves to my hands as electricity cackles at my fingertips.
His eyes widen. "Y-You're Bolt!"
"You realized?" I clap a few times. "Good job."
One of the tires pop on the van and we go swerving off the road into a tree. I hold down Jason and Richy as much as I can as the boss and his lackey smack against the sides. His lackey blacks out but the boss comes at us. We throw open the back doors and tumble out into our teams arms. The boss grabs Richy by the scruff of his suit, pointing a gun at the back of his head. The team shoves the two of us behind them. Miss M helps Jason stay upright. Kid Flash checks the two of us, worry sketched across his features. Each of us are roughed up from the crash, our hair is all messed up and disheveled. He catches the healing bruise across my cheek and the cut on Jason's arm from the crash.
"No!" the boss shouts, aiming his gun. "I will not be taken down by children! Make any advances and this kid's head is gone!"
KF turns around in anger, shoving quickly to the front and giving a hard sped up punch affectively knocking the guy out. He continues to punch him until Aqualad stops him. The boss has blood running down his face and both eyes are swollen.
"Jesus, Kid," Artemis says. "You could've killed him!"
"Yeah, is Dick okay?" KF asks annoyed, his tone laced with anger.
Artemis moves to Richy, helping him up. "Yeah, I'm sure he's feeling the aster."
Richy's eyes widen. "Kid Flash?!"
"I didn't say anything I swear!" KF shouts with his hands raised in defense.
"You didn't have to," Aqualad says. "It was shown in your emotions and your actions."
I chuckle. "Guess the gig is up." They turn to me confused. I pull off the wig, revealing my pinned up pink hair.
"No way," Superboy huffs.
The police and a medic arrives to take away the two thugs and patch up Jason and Richy. Richy earned a nasty cut to his forehead, blood dripping down his face.
A female medic is pressing pressure to stop the flow. I move to the other side of Richy, moving my arm under his and sliding my hand into his to intertwine our fingers.
A fancy car pulls up and Bruce jumps out running to us. "Dick! Jason!"
"Wait if–" Miss M starts, seeing Bruce hug Richy and Jason.
"Yeah," I nod, cutting her off.
Bruce looks to me. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Brucie. I'm already all healed," I smile.
He turns to the team. "Thank you." The team's eyes widen before nodding. "We'll take care of things from here."
Wally makes his way up to me. "Are you coming home tonight?"
"Nah, tell mom and dad I'll be at the Wayne's."
He smiles. "Alright. Make sure he gets a good sleep. Both of them."
"I always do."