M O U N T J U S T I C E
October 31, 19:34 EDT
Wally was very much channeling his inner Wolfman this Halloween.
Reese glanced up from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cave, lightly sketching out an eagle in her sketchbook, as KF tilted his head back and gave a loud howl.
Wolf, though, who was snoring a few feet away, didn't even react, and Wally sent the canine a dry look.
"Seriously?" the redhead asked. "You're not going to join in at all? What kind of wolf are you?"
"Wally, stop torturing him," Superboy muttered to the speedster from where he was sitting on a table, fidgeting as M'gann wrapped gauze around his head, trying to turn the genomorph into some sort of mummy.
"Hold still, please," Miss Martian told her boyfriend, as Wally walked up next to her, gesturing to Superboy.
"Megan," he said, sounding vaguely admonishing, and Reese flicked her eyes up again. "Stop torturing him. Awkward for him anyway," he hissed from behind his hand. "Being the third wheel on our date,"
Reese rolled her eyes, wondering how exactly it was that Wally still hadn't figured out that M'gann and Conner were dating. They'd been together for almost two months, already, and pretty much everyone knew except for Wally.
"Wally," the martian told him. "I invited the whole team to the dance. Zatanna too,"
"Good," Wally continued, and Reese swore she almost face-palmed. "Keeps us on the down-low,"
Conner looked increasingly put-out as he rolled his eyes, and Reese could barely hold in her giggles.
A small part of her felt bad for Wally, for what he'd feel when he did find out that Megan and Conner were dating, but until then, she was fairly content to see the speedster embarrass himself, even if he had no idea why.
"So," Kid Flash added a few seconds later, still gazing at M'gann. "You going as my favorite martian?"
"Not exactly," she answered, walking a few feet away. Then, much like before the Team had gone up against Mister Twister, color flooded up M'gann's entire body, before she was dressed in an insanely accurate-looking zombie bride costume.
Reese was impressed, though she figured if whatever you wore was dictated by your thoughts, your clothes or costumes could be as accurate as you wanted them to be.
"Whoa..." Wally trailed off, scratching the back of his head. "Babe, eat my brains anytime,"
"That's a really cool costume, M'gann," Reese spoke up for the first time, closing her sketchbook and setting down on the floor before standing up. "Zombie bride. Very Halloween-y,"
"Your costume's gorgeous too, Reese," Miss M responded, sending the brunette a smile, and Reese blushed, looking down at her shoes. "Where'd you get it?"
This year, Rhysalin Queen had decided to dress up as an angel for Halloween, complete with a silvery-white knee-length dress with flowy sleeves, large feathered wings, and a halo headband. It was one of her better costumes, even though it had taken almost six months to finish, meaning she'd had to be sure what she wanted to be back in April.
But, considering Halloween was one of Reese's favorite holidays, she didn't really mind.
"Actually," Reese began, still staring at her feet. "I, uh, I made it,"
When no one said anything for a few seconds, Reese glanced up, to see both M'gann and Conner staring at her, eyes wide. Wally already knew, so he was standing behind the couple, arms crossed, looking smug.
"Seriously?" Superboy asked, raising an eyebrow, and Reese gave a small nod, just before M'gann started gushing.
"Oh my gosh, you are amazing!" the martian flew forward and almost crushed Reese with the subsequent hug she gave, and when M'gann stepped away, a few feathers fell off Reese's wings. "I should've asked you to make my costume,"
"It's not a big deal," Reese mumbled, looking down at her shoes again. "I don't design clothes all that often. Just for special occasions,"
"But, you're so good!" Megan gushed again, her grin threatening to overpower her face. "You should definitely do this more often,"
"I don't know, M'gann..." Reese trailed off, a bit embarrassed at all the attention, just as she heard Captain Marvel's ever-exuberant voice echo as he entered the cave.
"Great minds think alike!" the Leaguer exclaimed, his face painted to look like...something.
Honestly, Reese wasn't sure what he was supposed to be. She didn't mean to sound callous, but the facepaint looked as if it had been applied by a child.
"Captain, you look terrific!" M'gann told him as she turned around, though Reese was able to detect the underlying tone of falsehood.
Miss Martian was lying.
"Are you going to a Halloween party too?" Reese asked as she walked up next to M'gann and tilted her head to the side.
Captain Marvel's smile dropped, and he turned to look at both girls, seeming a little bit shocked.
"Well, sure," he began. "I'm going with--I mean, you did invite the whole Team, right?"
Reese could've face-palmed again.
It wasn't that she didn't like Captain Marvel, he was actually more laid-back than the other members of the Justice League, but if sending him along with them to the dance was Batman's way of keeping an eye on all of them, Reese thought Bruce's tactics were sorely lacking.
M'gann, though, didn't seem to detect the fact that Captain Marvel wanted to come with them.
"Yeah," the martian continued. "We'll all be at the dance. So, don't worry about us, go. Have a good time at your party,"
"Uh, M'gann..." Reese gently tugged on the martian's arm, hoping to gain M'gann's attention long enough to tell her that Captain Marvel wanted to come to Happy Harbor's dance, but before she could, the Zeta tube turned on, gaining everybody's attention.
Recognized Artemis B-0-8, Zatanna Zatara A-0-3
Reese hadn't seen Zatanna since the Team had rescued Red Tornado, and she had missed the other girl dearly.
As it were, Zatanna was dressed as a witch, and Artemis a vampire, but both costumes looked great.
"Oh, hey, Zatanna," Artemis greeted the black-haired girl as they both exited different tubes. "You look great,"
"Oh, thanks," Zatanna answered. "You too. Oh, look," the young magician added as she and Artemis reached the rest of the group, Zatanna's eyes landing on the Leaguer in the room. "Zombie Captain Marvel. That's hilarious. Is the Justice League having a party, because my dad didn't mention it?"
"I didn't hear anything about a League party," Reese added from where she now stood beside Zatanna, having wandered around the entire room. "I doubt Batman would want a rambunctious Halloween party, though,"
"No!" Marvel exclaimed. "No, no, no! See, I'm...fine!" he said after stammering for a moment, making Reese quirk an eyebrow. "I'm going trick-or-treating," he leaped over the heads of Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna, before landing in front of the Zeta tubes. "And I'm not sharing my candy,"
Recognized Captain Marvel 1-5
The three girls nearest to the tubes stared at where Captain Marvel had disappeared for a few seconds, before Artemis turned to Reese, smirking.
"Love the angel costume, Reese," she began, eyes glimmering with mirth. "Robin dressing up as the devil?"
"Funny," Reese deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Actually, though, Robin's not dressing up at all, because tonight he had something else planned,"
The "something else" being talking with Red Arrow, Batman, Aqualad, and Red Tornado about whether or not there was still a mole on the Team.
Dick had asked her if she wanted to come, but Reese had said she'd had enough of the mole business. India was proof enough of that.
Artemis looked like she wanted to ask Reese what Robin's "something else" was, but the sound of laughing cut the blonde off before she could speak, and she turned, along with Reese and Zatanna, to see that M'gann was still trying to wrap makeshift bandages around Conner's face.
"So..." Zatanna began slyly, leaning over to the two other girls as she stared at Superboy and Miss Martian. "How long have Conner and Megan been a couple?"
The question was innocent enough, but it suddenly reminded Reese that Artemis was the only other one on the team, aside from Wally, obviously, who hadn't known about the couple.
It also probably didn't help that she was still crushing on Superboy.
"Couple?" Artemis let out a scoffing laugh, obviously in disbelief. "No, they're not..."
She trailed off, glancing again towards M'gann and Conner, just as Miss Martian let out a small laugh.
"Will you please stop fidgeting?" she asked, and though her voice was quiet, Reese was able to hear it if she listened carefully.
"You are so making this up to me later," Conner added, and Reese turned back to Artemis just as the blonde's face turned stern, and she scowled.
As Artemis started to stalk away, Reese leaned over to Zatanna so she'd be able to whisper in her ear.
"About two months, give or take," the brunette hissed, and the other girl gave a small nod before both of them ran after Artemis, catching up to her fairly quickly.
"I'm sorry," Zatanna said as she matched her strides to Artemis's. "It just seemed so obvious. I didn't realize--hey, wait," she added as Artemis went to enter the Zeta tube. "What about the dance?"
"Not in the mood," Artemis answered grumpily as she crossed her arms, before glancing to the side. "Of course, sitting at home with my mom doesn't sound any more appealing,"
"Well," Zatanna began, making both Reese and Artemis glance over at her. "There is another option," Before Reese could ask what the other option was, Zatanna waved her hands. "Egnahc sehtolc otni ruo smrofinu,"
There was a flash of light, and when Reese waved away the smoke that was hovering in front of her face and looked down, she saw that she was dressed in her Silverbird suit, complete with her bow and quiver across her back.
"Girls' night out," Zatanna said simply, and when Artemis smiled, Reese had a feeling that tonight was about to get a lot more interesting.
M A N H A T T A N
October 31, 19:57 EDT
Twenty minutes later, Silverbird, Artemis, and Zatanna erupted out of one of the New York Zeta tubes on their motorcycles, and Reese was itching for some action.
Because Artemis desperately needed to let off some steam.
➳➳➳
Back at the cave, Robin was sitting in a chair inside the same room Dinah had used to give her trauma assessments, and he thought this whole "is there a mole on the team?" thing was wholly unnecessary.
If there was a mole on the Team, wouldn't they have betrayed them already?
But, Batman thought having a conversation about it was needed, so here Dick was, with Kaldur, Roy, Bruce, and Red Tornado, and feeling thoroughly bored.
Zira was sitting in the chair with him, the baby gorilla playing with one of the Boy Wonder's gloves, and Dick was just hoping she didn't accidentally set off the Cave's security measures or something.
"Computer, secure the room," Batman said firmly, before turning to the other heroes gathered. "I'll cut to it," he began. "Do we believe there is a mole within the Team?"
"I am convinced there is none," Aqualad said simply as he walked forward. "When Sportsmaster claimed he had an 'inside source', he was merely sowing dissent,"
"His intel easily could've come by comparing notes with the other villains working with the 'Injustice League'," Robin added, using his fingers as quotation marks. "And think about it," he continued, crossing one leg over the other and lacing his fingers behind his head. "If anyone on the Team was working with those creepoids--"
"He or she would've betrayed us during our fight against them," Aqualad continued Dick's thought. Red Arrow, on the other hand, was not so easily swayed.
"I'm not convinced," Roy grumbled, and it took all of Dick's willpower to not retort with 'no duh'. "Sure, you two, Silvebird, and Kid Flash are above suspicion, but I know Artemis isn't shooting straight. For starters, she's not Green Arrow's niece,"
"What?" Kaldur sounded surprised, and Dick figured he likely hadn't known about Artemis's family tree, though the Boy Wonder also wasn't going to comment on Red Arrow's unintentional pun.
"Well, yeah," Robin said instead, sitting forward again. "In fact, she's related to--"
"Enough," Batman cut his protege off before Dick could finish. "Artemis's relations may indeed make her suspect, but she is still entitled to a secret identity. I'm more concerned about Superboy. We still know very little about what Cadmus programmed into their 'Weapon'. Conner could be the mole, and not know it,"
Robin figured this would probably be a bad time to tell Batman about the fact that he and Reese could see through each other's eyes. Not that he had been planning on telling the Dark Knight about it anyway, but still.
The two hadn't been able to figure out exactly how it worked over the last week, but from what Dick could tell, it probably had something to do with the golden arrowheads, because honestly what else could it be?
What he and Reese had also found out was that the split vision normally happened if their emotions got too high, like when Reese had almost gotten squished by that robot thing she and Conner had gone up against.
Yeah, that had given Dick nightmares for days afterward.
It was kind of interesting though if Dick were being completely honest, and pretty cool. If the danger-sense wasn't weird enough, now he was actually able to see through Reese's eyes.
That could be beneficial on missions too, though how he and Reese would explain it to the rest of the Team, Dick wasn't sure yet. No one else even knew about it.
"Hey, what about Miss Martian?" Red Arrow added after a few seconds, making Robin glance up at the redhead again. "She is Manhunter's niece, but he told Black Canary that he has a few hundred nieces and nephews, and the first time he met M'gann was five months ago when she stowed away on his last trip from Mars to Earth,"
"This changes nothing," Aqualad responded firmly. "I have fought side-by-side with these people. None are traitors,"
Robin settled back in his chair, realizing that they were all back to square one on who the mole could be.
Zira handed Dick a small pen that she had found, giving the Boy Wonder a small gorilla smile, before hopping off the chair and wriggling underneath it.
Robin bent down so he'd be able to see underneath the armchair, only to see the baby gorilla curled around a bunch of random knickknacks.
So that was where Zira had been bringing all her trinkets. The gorilla was like a magpie, drawn to anything shiny or sparkly. She had even tried to take Dick and Reese's necklaces a few times.
Dick glanced up again, only to see Roy staring at him, his face absolutely full of confusion. After a moment, the archer braced his fingers against his forehead and sighed.
"I know I'm going to regret asking this," he began. "But, why do you have a baby gorilla? And why is she under your chair?"
"Reese didn't tell you?" Robin asked, a bit surprised. Roy and his surrogate sister had always been close, though Dick would be kidding himself if he said he hadn't noticed how their relationship had strained since Speedy went AWOL from the Hall of Justice.
Though, during the past couple of weeks, it had been getting better.
"Tell me what?" Roy continued, crossing his arms, and Dick took that as a 'no'.
"Well," he began slowly, wondering how he should explain this without giving Roy a conniption. "A month ago, the Team went on a mission to Africa. We saved these telepathic gorillas from the Brain and Ultra-Humanite, only one of them didn't have any parents, so the troop let Reese bring her back with us. Her name is Zira, by the way,"
"You're kidding," Red Arrow responded, giving Robin a dry look, but the Boy Wonder just shrugged and gave a grin.
"Nope," he answered simply. "All aster, no dis. Well, except for the part where Gorilla City exploded. That was pretty disastrous,"
Roy kind of looked like his brain had just exploded, and he opened his mouth to say something, before he closed it again, and shook his head, though a few seconds later, he did speak.
"Speaking of my sister," Red Arrow began. "Wasn't Reese supposed to be here? Where is she?"
"Girls' night with Artemis and Zatanna," Robin answered simply, giving a small shrug. "Said she'd be back later tonight,"
Dick didn't know what Reese was up to, but knowing her, she wouldn't try to, but Rhysalin Queen would undoubtedly get herself into trouble one way or another.
Robin was just hoping she didn't end up destroying anything.
➳➳➳
Silverbird, Zatanna, and Artemis skidded to a stop in front of the Museum of Natural History, the entrance cordoned off with crime scene tape and cop cars scattered in front of the steps.
Idly, Reese wondered what had happened, but before she could say anything, Artemis spoke.
"Whatever happened here is over," the blonde muttered, still sounding a bit grumpy, and Reese and Zatanna exchanged a glance. "I want some action,"
"But," Reese began slowly, so as not to piss the other archer off even more. "Maybe you need to talk. Artemis, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about M'gann and Conner but--"
Before she could finish, Artemis revved her engine and drove ahead. After a moment, Reese sighed, before she and Zatanna followed.
"What I need," Artemis corrected the brunette harshly. "Is something to beat up,"
Luckily, Artemis got her wish. Though it was no Gotham City in terms of yearly crime rate, there were still plenty of criminals in Manhattan, and plenty of civilians to rescue.
A couple getting mugged at an ATM, two thugs robbing a convenience store, and a girl jogging who got jumped in the park.
That last one was what really set off Artemis's temper, though Reese didn't completely blame her. Zatanna levitated the girl out of the way before Artemis jumped in to confront the would-be attackers, and the way she did it was, in one word...brutal.
One thug managed to escape from Artemis's onslaught, and he made a run for it, but Reese decked him with a punch to the jaw before he could get very far.
When Artemis turned around after defeating one of the last thugs, Reese saw she was smiling, and while the brunette was happy that her friend's mood had improved, there were simpler ways to have done it.
Zatanna, apparently, shared her thoughts, because the magician said as much when the trio were walking back to their bikes after their stint in the park.
"There were easier ways to take them," Zatanna began slowly, but Artemis only scoffed in response.
"They had it coming," the blonde said simply, completely unaffected from her actions thirty seconds ago. "No harm done,"
Abruptly, Reese slowed down, trailing slightly behind the other two girls as she looked around the small block where they were.
Something felt...off, but Silverbird couldn't put her finger on what it was.
She glanced around again, but the street that she, Artemis, and Zatanna were on was deserted, the only people around were a man walking his dog way at the other end, and an elderly woman carrying her groceries late at night.
Then, her vision split, and Reese suddenly heard Dick's voice in her ear.
"Reese, get out of there! It's a trap!"
The brunette snapped her eyes towards where Artemis and Zatanna were still walking towards the motorcycles, and her eyes widened.
"Zee, Artemis!" she shouted, making both of them stop and start to turn around. "Stop! Something's wrong! It's--"
Before Reese could finish, all three bikes exploded, and the subsequent shockwave threw the three girls back across the street.
Reese skidded across the asphalt, and when she looked up again, her ears were ringing. Maybe it was because she and Dick had been practicing with it over the last couple of days, but her vision hadn't gone back to normal yet.
"What happened?" Robin sounded a bit frantic. "Are you okay? Reese, what's going on?"
"I-I'm fine," the brunette managed to say after her ears stopped ringing. "I don't know what happened, just that something did,"
"Reese, who are you talking to?"
Silverbird glanced at Zatanna as the black-haired girl spoke, and when Reese turned to her, Zee's eyes widened, and the twelve-year-old was suddenly reminded of the first she and Dick had seen through each other's eyes.
Conner had said her eyes turned gold and considering her vision hadn't split back yet, Reese had a feeling that her changed eye color was probably why Zatanna looked like she was about to freak out.
Reese opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, movement came from the periphery of her vision, and she turned, just as someone walked out of the smoke resulting from the explosion.
He was tall, with long brown hair, probably as long as Reese's; maybe even longer. Four long scratch marks marred the left side of his face, and his chest was bare, covered only with what Reese assumed was, at one point, a light gray trench coat.
The man was also carrying a sword, and judging from the way he was holding it, and Dick's panicked-sounding mumblings in her ear, this guy was not friendly.
"Indeed," he said, his voice deep. "Harm is not done. Much Harm, left to do,"
Inside her head, Reese concluded that this guy was officially a weirdo, and got ready to scream at him as he advanced on her, Artemis, and Zatanna.
"The its cannot escape Harm," he continued, and Artemis nocked an arrow.
"Escaping isn't on the menu," the blonde grumbled before she shot her arrow, and though the shot was true, Harm it seemed this guy was called, just sliced it, and the following ones, remarkably nonchalantly, out of the air and, taking a page from Robin's book, Silverbird thought that Harm should be incredibly chalant in this situation.
"Its arrows do not impress," Harm said simply, and while the Canary Cry that Reese sent him next made Harm slide back several yards, somehow, he wasn't deterred, and just started walking forward again, letting the tip of his sword scrape along the ground, the noise grating over Reese's ears. "And neither does its voice,"
Okay, Silverbird had no idea who the hell this "Harm" guy was, but she did not appreciate being called an it, thank you very much.
"Fine," Zatanna muttered, before turning her hand towards Harm. "Teah taht s'nopaew latem!"
The sword started to glow a splotchy red in Harm's hands, and the man glanced down at it sparingly before turning back to Zatanna.
"Its magic is not impressive, either," He said simply, grinning maniacally. "All three must do better, or suffer Harm,"
"We get it," Artemis snapped as she and Reese both drew their bows and pointed several arrows towards Harm at the same time. "Your name is Harm,"
Harm, once again, seemed remarkably calm. "Their ridiculous garb and rudimentary skills indicate instruction from Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Zatara," Harm then turned his gaze towards Reese, and the girl shuddered under his gaze. "Though Harm does not know how it sensed Harm's trap before detonation. No matter though, Harm will study these three to learn methods for killing their mentors,"
"Oh, you did not just threaten my dad," Zatanna muttered, and Reese said the same thing, as she shot more arrows towards Harm, and Zee began another spell. "Etativel drows ot em!"
Harm's sword started to tremble in his hand as Zatanna tried to call it to her, but the sociopath only glanced at it sparingly before turning back to the three girls.
"It wants Harm's sword?" Harm muttered, before smirking again. "Very well,"
Then, Harm threw his sword towards Reese and Zatanna, prompting both of them to duck, and Reese felt the blade brush the ends of her hair just before it slammed into the wall behind them, all the way to the hilt.
"Big mistake, Harm-ster!" Artemis shouted as she ran to the side, shooting two arrows at once, but Harm managed to catch them before they detonated, and threw them back towards Artemis.
Reese saw the arrows coming and slammed in Zatanna, who got knocked into Artemis and Silverbird managed to successfully get all three of them out of the way.
When she sat up, rubbing her head, Reese's eyes landed on an alley a few yards away, where a young girl dressed in all-white was standing, beckoning with one hand.
For a moment, Reese wondered if she had imagined the girl, but judging from the look on Zatanna's face, she hadn't.
"On second thought," the other girl muttered as she and Reese glanced at each other. "Running..."
"Yeah," Artemis breathed as Reese gave a small nod. "To regroup,"
As she and Artemis started to run into the alley where the fourth girl had disappeared, Reese glanced over her shoulder as Zatanna shouted one more spell towards Harm.
"Erif nrub, nordlauc elbbub!"
Fire exploded around Harm in a wide arc, blocking him off from Zatanna, Artemis, and Reese, and the momentary distraction gave Reese and Zatanna a prime opportunity to follow Artemis into the alley.
"Nice," the blonde shouted as they ran, and Zatanna gave a smile in return.
"Thanks!" she said. "Something I've been practicing since Red Vol--"
"Wait!" Artemis abruptly cut Zatanna's explanation off, and Reese glanced to see the girl in white standing at the corner, still beckoning them. "Who's that?"
"Do you care right now?" Reese retorted.
Even if Artemis did care about who this random fourth girl was, they had bigger things to worry about at the moment, like who the hell Harm was, and why the hell he was after them.
"No!" Artemis answered a few seconds later, and the trio entered the alley where the other girl had disappeared, only for Reese to skid to a stop a few yards in.
"It's a dead-end!" she exclaimed, glancing around. "Where'd she go?"
The sound of metal grinding together caught Reese's attention, and she turned, just as the ladder from a nearby fire escape lowered a foot away, and when she turned her head up towards the roof of the building, the brunette saw the girl in white waving at them from all the way up, though how she got up there so fast, Reese had no idea, but at the moment, she didn't really care.
"I like her already," Zatanna murmured, glancing at Reese and Artemis, who both nodded before they all scrambled up the fire escape, Reese bringing up the rear and pulling the ladder up behind her so Harm wouldn't follow...hopefully.
The girl in white was waiting for them when the three reached the roof, and Reese walked forward a few steps so she could see the girl better.
She was small, shorter than Reese even, and young. Her skin was pale, and her hair was platinum blonde, and she was wearing a light-gray poncho over a dark long-sleeved shirt and light leggings.
"Thanks," Reese said quietly, studying the girl for a few seconds, but she didn't say anything in response. Reese couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something...off about her.
It wasn't the same feeling she'd gotten earlier before Harm's first attack, it wasn't as--ominous, but it was still an odd feeling as if every hair on Reese's arms and neck were standing on end.
"Who are you?" Zatanna asked quietly, but the girl's expression didn't change.
"Secret," she whispered, just as Artemis shoved Reese out of the way and butted into the conversation.
"That won't cut it," the blonde said roughly as Reese was knocked into a support beam of a nearby rooftop water tower, jostling her shoulder. "We need answers. Do you know Harm? Does he have any weaknesses?"
"Secret," the girl whispered again, before pointing over Zatanna's shoulder, prompting the other three girls to spin around just as Harm leaped up onto the roof, sword already drawn and ready.
So much for him not following them.
"At least they make the hunt interesting," the villain murmured, before jumping off the ledge of the roof and making his way towards Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna, waving his sword around, likely as a show of force.
Reese was decidedly not impressed.
"He's fast, I'll give him that," Artemis muttered, just as Reese spun around and shot an arrow straight up at the water tower, the razor-sharp arrowhead puncturing the wood paneling and letting a stream of water gush out as Zatanna directed it towards Harm.
"Dloc dniw wolb!" she cried. "Dloc dniw wolb! Dloc dniw wolb!"
The water surrounding Harm froze, and he was suddenly encased in a thick sphere of ice, though Reese wasn't even able to take a breath before, from inside the sphere, she saw the sword start to glow, along with an intricate symbol on Harm's bare chest.
"Uh, guys?" The brunette began slowly, glancing at Artemis and Zatanna as she started to back away, just as the ice exploded again, making Reese shield her face.
When she looked up again, Harm was free.
The water tower exploded too, and that sent Artemis, Reese, and Zatanna running across the roof to get away from the sociopath currently trying to kill them.
"Where'd Little Miss Secret go?" Artemis cried out, and Reese pointed towards the roof of a building several yards away, where she was able to see 'Little Miss Secret' waving wildly, though how she got over there so quickly, Reese didn't know.
"There!" she exclaimed, just as Zatanna glanced down at her footwear.
"Okay," the magician began, sounding a bit breathless. "These boots? Adorable. But, for a chase sequence?" A few seconds later, she said another spell. "Lacticarp raetwoof won!"
There was a flash of smoke, and Zatanna's heeled boots changed into a pair more adept for escaping a would-be serial killer.
"Speak for yourself," Reese muttered as she rolled to a stop on the next roof. "I don't think I could survive without my heeled boots,"
Shoes were one of Reese's only material weaknesses. Her closet was full of them.
But, that was off-topic. As she, Zatanna, and Artemis ran across the roofs of New York, a bolt of yellow lightning struck right in front of Reese, and she skidded to a stop in order to avoid it, spinning around on a puddle to face Harm again.
Silverbird nocked an arrow, but before she could shoot it, Harm threw a dagger straight at her head, and while Reese was able to dodge it before it impaled her eye, the blade snapped her bowstring in two, and grazed her cheek, leaving a sharp pain behind.
When Reese gently tapped her fingers against the side of her face, they came away red with blood. Great, that was the last thing she needed right now, but hopefully, the bleeding would stop after a minute or two.
"You two!" Reese snapped her head towards Artemis and Zatanna. "Hold him off while I restring!"
Taking an extra bowstring from her quiver, Reese scrambled to finish before Harm overtook Zatanna and Artemis, and while it looked like the other archer still had some pent-up anger from earlier, she was no match for Harm, and a few seconds later, Harm's sword was flying towards Reese again.
Tossing her bow aside, Reese instead grabbed at the sheath around her right thigh, where she had been keeping a pair of Dick's old eskrima sticks, and crossed them over each other, blocking Harm's strike and digging her knee into the roof to keep the sword in place.
Harm struggled to move his sword lower, and Reese felt her muscles quivering under the strain. She couldn't hold this for much longer. But, while Artemis and Zatanna were still dazed across the roof, that left Reese on her own.
"You want to play without the toys?" she muttered, giving Harm a smirk, and it actually seemed to catch his attention for a few seconds, before he froze, and Reese took her chance while she had it.
Rolling onto her back, the brunette reached up with her legs and locked her ankles around Harm's arm, yanking his wrist downward before twisting up onto his shoulder and slamming him into the roof.
Harm lay there, motionless for a few seconds, before he twitched, and grabbed at her from behind, making Reese scramble off of him.
"It tries to bait Harm," the older guy muttered, thankfully dropping the sword so it sunk into the roof. "Leave Harm weak. But Harm has no weakness,"
Harm ripped off his jacket with a dramatic flair that was wholly unnecessary, before getting into a ready position.
Realizing that this guy had absolutely no idea who he was dealing with--Harm had no idea that Reese was able to see his next move before he made it--the girl holstered her own eskrima sticks again, and faced Harm herself.
For several seconds, as Artemis and Zatanna stood behind Reese, eyes wide, neither Silverbird nor Harm moved, before finally, the villain lurched forward.
Reese dodged, leaning deftly to the side as Harm's fist whistled past her head. He was fast and had learned skills as a proficient fighter somewhere, but he was no match for her.
Silverbird managed to land a punch to Harm's jaw that stunned the young man for a moment or two, but Reese didn't give him a chance to recover. She may have been fighting dirty, but he was the one who had tried to kill her, so Reese called it even.
She kicked at the backs of Harm's knees, straight at his PCL, and while an injury to that ligament usually required a lot of force, it managed to catch Harm off-guard.
It also made him angry.
As Harm glared at her over his shoulder, his face twisted into a terrifying sneer, Reese saw his entire body tense, and she readied herself for the strike.
Harm spun towards her, left fist extended, and Reese braced to stop it, but then movement came from lower, around Harm's right leg, and Silverbird faltered.
She had recognized the feint too late.
Harm's knee slammed into her abdomen, and he threw Reese across the roof, where the girl curled up instinctively into a fetal position as she slid to a stop beside Zatanna.
Artemis, in defense of her friend, leaped forward and took Reese's place against Harm, but even from she lay on the roof, eyes half-closed, Reese could see that Artemis was unfocused, either letting her emotions from what had happened just now cloud her judgment, or she was still pissed off from earlier.
Reese's vision suddenly split, and she saw Dick again, standing in his bathroom at Mount Justice, staring in the mirror, face the most panicked Reese had ever seen him.
"Where are you?" he asked, voice bordering on hysterical. "Pretty bird, I can come and help, but I need to know where you are,"
Reese knew that, through her eyes, Dick could see how Artemis was still fighting Harm, and he would likely be able to see how Artemis was losing.
"No..." she managed to mutter after a few seconds, catching Zatanna's attention as the black-haired girl crouched in front of her, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds at Artemis. "Stay...away..."
"Reese," the magician began, not knowing that the brunette wasn't even talking to her. "I'm not going anywhere,"
"Rhysalin," Dick continued, his voice quieter as he looked down at his hands, and Reese could see that his knuckles were white from where he had been clenching them against the counter. "If you're hurt, if something goes wrong...I can't lose you again,"
Reese felt bad, truly she did. She never wanted to put Dick through what he had gone through during the training simulation again, but she didn't need Harm to get to Robin too.
If Harm learned Dick's skills, he'd be able to go after Batman, and wasn't that his whole plan? To kill the mentors of the proteges trying to fight him?
She couldn't let that happen.
Reese tried to sit up again, but a lancing pain in her abdomen made her freeze, and she pressed a hand against her side. She probably had a cracked rib or two from when Harm had kneed her, and that was just great.
Zatanna, still looking a bit confused at why Reese was talking to the air, glanced over at where Harm's sword was still lodged in the stone roof.
Silverbird finally managed to sit up, still holding her side, just as Zatanna strained to try and pull the sword out, but instead of succeeding, lightning arced out from around the sword, zapping Zatanna and throwing her across the roof.
Everything was starting to swim in front of Reese's eyes, and she was getting dizzy, but she was still coherent enough to hear Artemis call Zatanna's name, just as Harm slapped her, knocking the blonde over to Zatanna and Reese.
"And it cares about others," Harm muttered, sounding equal parts admonishing and disappointed as he picked up his jacket from where it lay in a clump at the base of his sword. "Another weakness. The sword rejected its impure heart. It has not made the sacrifices Harm has to become pure,"
As Reese tried to process that creepy monologue through the haze of pain that came from her broken ribs, Zatanna's voice caught her attention.
"Look," the black-haired girl hissed, jerking her head to the side, prompting Reese and Artemis to both turn, and Reese's eyes widened when she saw the 'Secret' girl standing on a roof a couple of buildings away, waving frantically at them again. "It's...Secret,"
"She hasn't led us wrong so far," Reese muttered, and Artemis slowly drew a single arrow from her quiver, tapping the end of it before throwing it towards Harm's feet, allowing a cloud of smoke to billow out, obscuring their movements.
Something Reese wouldn't recommend? Running while you had broken ribs. It was definitely not one of her favorite activities, and it hurt. A lot.
Especially when she had to jump off of one building onto the roof of another that was significantly shorter.
Usually, Reese would've been able to make the leap no problem, but her balance was off, and she took a tumble when she, Zatanna, and Artemis landed on the roof, scraping her hands as she rolled, eventually stopping to lean against the ledge.
"Robin is so going to kill me," Reese muttered sarcastically, gaining a small laugh from Artemis, who helped the brunette stand as Zatanna glanced around, presumably looking for Secret, who was nowhere to be found.
"She's gone again," the magician said, beginning to sound a bit crabby. "Now what?"
"Looks like this is the end of the line," Reese added, as she peered over the ledge. There weren't any clear shots to the next street unless they all wanted to leap it themselves, and Reese certainly couldn't do that in her current condition. "And we definitely can't go back the way we just came, because there's a homicidal maniac chasing us,"
"We'll zipline to that magic store," Artemis offered, holding up her crossbow, and Reese went to nod in agreement, just before the sound of electric sizzling reached her ears, and she dove to the side, just as a bolt of lightning from Harm's sword struck the spot on the roof where she'd been standing a few seconds before.
Harm leaped down so he was standing in front of the three girls, and he was mad.
Madder than usual but Reese was talking about the angry sort of mad, not the crazy-mad, though she figured Harm was that too.
"This can be no coincidence!" he cried, voice getting angrier and more belligerent by the second. "They alight on Harm's very roof? How did they know? Tell Harm! Now!"
"Wait?" Artemis cut in suddenly, gesturing to the general surroundings. "This is your place?"
Harm didn't dignify her with an answer. "No more games!" he shouted, just before taking the sword off of his back and slamming it into the roof.
Lightning flew off it, traveling across the roof for a few seconds before hitting Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna with what felt like the force of an entire power station.
After a few seconds, Reese felt herself falling to the ground, and then everything went black.
But, not before she glanced up at Harm, who was staring down at all of them triumphantly, and saw Secret standing just behind him as if she had been there the entire time.
➳➳➳
Robin was getting tired of waiting.
It had been almost an hour since he'd heard anything from Reese, and he knew that she was hurt, and he knew that something had gone wrong, so, completely ignoring the fact that Reese had told him to stay away, Dick stood up from where he had been impatiently tapping his foot against the floor, grabbed his jacket, and walked over to the garage of the cave, where his motorcycle was waiting.
Deciding that it'd be a bit hard to explain what Robin, the Boy Wonder was doing in Manhattan, Dick decided to go in civvies but bypassed his usual dark shades for a pair that included night vision, so it wouldn't be as weird as wearing sunglasses at night.
Also, considering the fact that Happy Harbor was a good three-and-a-half-hours away from New York, zeta-ing from the cave to Manhattan would probably be Dick's best bet if he wanted to get to Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna in time.
He just hoped he wasn't too late.
➳➳➳
When Reese finally blinked her eyes open, the first thing she noticed was that her head hurt. A lot. The brunette also noticed that she and Zatanna were sitting side-by-side on separate chairs, both of them tied up with rope, a crossbow pointing at them from across the room.
Reese moved her lips, trying to speak, but a slight pressure indicated there was something over her mouth--probably duct tape. Glancing over at Zatanna, Reese saw that the magician was trapped the exact same way.
Artemis wasn't in the room with them, which Reese noticed was decorated like a little girl's bedroom. Odd, that this was where Harm had decided to detain them, though if Secret was working with him, maybe this was her room?
Reese honestly had no idea what was going on anymore.
Speaking of, Secret suddenly appeared on the other side of the room, and Reese started to struggle against the ropes tying her to the chair.
This girl looked harmless, but if she really was working with Harm...Reese didn't want to risk it. As it were, the quiet blonde walked closer to her, and Reese tried to lean away as far as she could, which admittedly, wasn't that much, but instead of attacking her, Secret reached up and tore the tape from across Reese's mouth.
Yeah, it stung a little bit, but other than that, Secret didn't do anything, only walking over to Zatanna and taking the tape off of her mouth as well.
"Sepor, emoc esool!" the magician said quickly, and the ropes binding her and Reese to their chairs suddenly came loose, both of them standing up, with Zatanna rounding on Secret as soon as she was free. "First, you lure us into a trap," she began sharply. "And now you free us? What's your game?"
"Secret," the smaller girl said, and Reese couldn't help but roll her eyes. At this point, this 'secret' stuff was getting pretty old.
Glancing around, Reese's eyes landed on a nightstand across the room, and she walked over, Zatanna and Secret following behind.
On the nightstand, along with a bunch of other toys and dolls, also stood a picture frame with two people inside.
Grabbing it, Reese studied the photo for a moment. When she saw it up close, her eyes widened. One of the people in the photo was undoubtedly Harm, only he was smiling, which was really weird, and he looked happy, which was even weirder, but the other person...
"Is this your room?" she asked, spinning around so she and Secret were facing each other, wanting to see if her theory was correct. "Are you actually living with this--this psycho?"
"Secret,"
"Secret," Reese echoed sarcastically, tossing the picture frame onto the pink-covered bed and walking back across the room. "Right,"
Grabbing the crossbow from where it stood in front of the chairs, she glanced up, outside the bedroom door across the hall, where she was only just able to see Artemis tied to another chair, Harm pacing in front of her.
Zatanna suddenly slapped a hand over Reese's mouth, causing the other girl to let out an indignant sound, but she paused when Zatanna motioned for her to be quiet.
Briefly, the magician waved her hands over Reese, whispering "Leah," under her breath, which the brunette mentally translated as heal, just as the pain in her side completely disappeared.
Then, muttering another spell she wasn't able to catch, Zatanna pulled Reese to the side, and the two ducked just past the door, mere moments before Harm rushed in, bolting towards the illusion of the two girls that were crouching in front of the chairs.
While he was distracted, Reese and Zatanna ran out into the hall and into the other bedroom, freeing Artemis and booking it just as Harm realized that he had been duped.
As they ran down the stairs, Secret reappeared--how she moved around so fast, Reese didn't know--and Artemis instantly pointed her crossbow at the pale girl.
"Wait!" Reese cried, blocking Artemis's shot, and the blonde shot her a look.
"Reese!" she retorted. "She's his partner!"
"Then why did she help me and Zatanna?" the brunette countered, but Artemis just shot her a dry look.
"I don't know," the other archer commented, deadpan, using her fingers as quotation marks. "Secret,"
Suddenly, the sound of crackling that usually accompanied one of Harm's lightning sword blasts came from behind the trio, and Reese turned around to see Harm standing on the landing just above him, sword already glowing as it powered up.
"Look out!" Zatanna cried, just as the blast hit the stairs above her, Reese, and Artemis, throwing the three girls forward onto the floor, eventually blasting them through the floor, and into the kitchen below them.
Realizing that they were running out of time and that Harm was catching up, Reese looked around wildly for something, anything, that might give them an advantage.
Which was when her eyes landed on the stovetop oven, and a metaphorical lightbulb went off above her head.
Old house...gas stove...explosion.
Probably one of the only times she had ever done anything willingly concerning fire, Reese grabbed an arrow from her quiver and turned towards Artemis and Zatanna.
"Okay, listen," she said quickly, standing up before she opened the oven door and turned it on. "I have an idea, but we have to be very, very careful,"
➳➳➳
Robin had been driving around the dark and deserted streets of the Lower East Side for the last twenty minutes, and he hadn't found anything related to Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna.
He'd seen the wreckage of their exploded bikes about two miles back, and now he was standing on the roof where Reese had gotten hurt fighting...whoever it was that had attacked the girls.
Dick really wished this whole split-vision thing was easier to work with. He wished he could get it to work whenever, rather than whenever his or Reese's emotions got heightened. Then maybe he'd know where Reese was.
Just as Robin was turning in a circle on the roof, trying to figure out where to go next, a resounding 'boom' echoed across the city, and the Boy Wonder spun around in time to see a cloud of smoke and fire erupt into the air a few blocks away.
It could be nothing, there were old buildings in this part of the city, it might have just been a gas main that exploded.
But, what were the chances that it didn't have something to do with Reese?
Honestly? Dick wasn't willing to take that chance.
➳➳➳
Hiding in the cellar had been Artemis's idea, and Reese had to admit, it was a good one. There was no way the three of them would've been able to get out of the house and out of the blast zone in time before Harm ignited the natural gas, so hiding in the basement was the next best thing.
She couldn't believe they'd blown up a house.
As she and Zatanna threw open the cellar doors, Reese glanced around. It seemed the three of them were in the tiny backyard of the dilapidated house and in front of them...
In front of them lay a grave.
Slowly walking forward, Reese knelt down in front of the flattened dirt and read the headstone, which was really nothing more than a wooden board with words carved into it.
"Great Hayes..." she began quietly. "Beloved sister,"
Suddenly, a form rose up out of the surface of the grave, making Reese, Zatanna, and Artemis all stumble backward from shock.
When the flash of light faded, Secret was standing on top of the grave in front of Reese, and all of the dots started to connect inside her head.
"This is your grave," Reese said slowly, turning her head to look at Secret--Greta-- as the ghost (ghost!) stood silently in front of her. "This is your secret. This is you,"
Greta's face suddenly turned morose, and Reese figured she'd be sad too if she died at such a young age.
Artemis, meanwhile, looked like she was having an existential crisis.
"A ghost," the blonde muttered, seemingly still in shock. "An actual ghost,"
As Reese stood up, Zatanna turned to Greta. "How did you die?" the magician asked, and the ghost gently held out her hands, just as a picture of a blade appeared in the air above them.
A dagger.
Reese recognized this dagger, and so too, it seemed, did both Artemis and Zatanna.
"Harm's dagger!" Artemis whisper-shouted, just as the door behind the quartet exploded, signifying that Harm himself had just arrived.
And he was definitely not happy.
"They defile Harm's holy place!" the murderer shouted, just before Artemis shouted back at him.
"We defiled it?" she echoed, pointing towards Secret's grave. "You did this! To your own sister!"
But, instead of getting angry, Harm just tilted his head to the side, looking at the young heroes from the corner of his eye, and smiled.
"You're happy about that?" Reese asked, her mind barely able to process how someone would be able to be proud of killing their own sibling. "And you had the gall to write 'beloved' on her headstone?"
"Not gall," Harm retorted simply. "Truth. She was the only thing Harm ever loved. That's why she had to go. Harm's heart had to be pure, Greta had to be cut out--excised like an infection,"
Suddenly Harm's face turned to a look of surprise, and glancing sparingly over her shoulder, Reese saw that Greta had appeared above her grave again.
"Ah," Harm began, seemingly unaffected by the sudden ghostly appearance of his dead sister. "It cast another illusion spell,"
"Except I didn't speak," Zatanna explained, after she and Artemis and turned to see Greta as well. "Harm knows it can't cast a spell without speaking,"
Greta walked between Reese and Artemis, moving closer to her brother, and this was when Reese was able to finally see Harm start to lose it.
"You asked how we found this place?" Artemis asked, lowering her crossbow the smallest smidge. "Face it, Harm. Your secret's out,"
"No!" he shouted in response, holding his sword straight out from his body, the blade starting to spark again. "Harm's heart is pure! Harm's not sorry. I'm not!"
But, Greta said nothing, not even "Secret", and instead only walked forward until Harm's sword went right through the base of her neck, but because she was a ghost, there was no visible damage.
Then, as if this entire night hadn't already been weird enough, Greta reached up and into Harm's chest, closing her hand around the glowing orange thing, and then taking it out.
Harm fell to the ground, shocked, but he was up on his feet again a few seconds later, in time to see the orange ball of evil magic disappear in Greta's hand.
He tried to use the sword to slice through Greta, but it didn't work, and instead, the sword stuck fast into the ground, sheathing itself again and falling to the cobblestones, useless as it had been in the museum when this had all started.
But, Harm wasn't deterred, and instead only rounded on Reese, Artemis, and Zatanna again.
"Tch," he scoffed. "I don't need the sword," Again, though this time he used his dagger, Harm tried to attack Greta, but he went right through her and found himself face-to-face with Artemis, who slammed her foot into his wrist, knocking the dagger to the ground.
"So unfocused!" the blonde exclaimed sharply, though there was an undertone of smugness in her voice. "It can't fight us while fighting itself!"
Realizing that she desperately wanted to get Harm back for kneeing her in the ribs earlier, Reese took Artemis's place, ducking easily under Harm's fist and slamming her fist into his abdomen, knocking the wind out of Harm and making it even easier for Reese to defeat him.
Which she did, by spinning around and kicking him in the head.
"Egnahc sehtolc otni sgnidnib," Zatanna said slowly, and Harm's jacket wrapped around him as if it were the bindings of a mummy, and then he was down for the count.
For good, this time.
Now that the fight was over, Greta walked back to her grave and stood on top of the dirt. Giving the young ghost a soft look, Reese tilted her head.
"We'll make sure you receive a proper burial," she said quietly. "We won't forget you, Greta,"
Greta said "secret" one more time, before sinking back into the grave, disappearing. After a couple of moments of silence, Artemis finally spoke up.
"I still can't believe anyone could do that," the blonde began slowly. "And to his own sister. If my--"
Reese's eyes widened at the sudden almost-confession, but judging from the way Artemis snapped her mouth shut a second later, she hadn't meant to say that.
"Your what?" Zatanna asked quietly. "Artemis, you can talk to me and Reese. Secrets don't stay buried. Obviously," the magician added after a moment, gesturing to Greta's grave, but regardless of what the three of them had been through, Reese knew that Artemis wasn't going to open up that easily. "It's better to bring them into the light,"
"I don't have any secrets," Artemis said firmly, just as someone dropped down beside her, making the blonde jump and spin around, pointing her crossbow straight at...Robin.
"Geez, Artemis, calm down!" Dick cried out, holding his hands up as if to placate the archer who was currently pointing a crossbow in his face. "I come in peace,"
"Robin?" Artemis asked, only lowering her crossbow after Dick nodded his head a couple of times. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to figure out why you three just blew up this kitchen," he said simply, gesturing over his shoulder to Harm and Greta's destroyed house. "Cops are en route, by the way. And I figured you probably don't want to get arrested,"
Reese had no idea what Robin was doing there (or why he was wearing sunglasses in the dark), but what she did know was that Dick was lying about his reason.
But, there was time to worry about that later. Now, they had to turn Harm over to the cops and get back to the cave before any other homicidal maniacs decided to crawl out of the woodwork this Halloween.
M O U N T J U S T I C E
October 31, 22:30 EDT
Reese had dressed in her angel costume again and was currently bent over a table in the center of the cave, using a hot glue gun to glue the feathers that M'gann had shaken loose a few hours ago back on.
Zatanna and Artemis actually had ended up going to the Happy Harbor dance when they had all gotten back, meeting up with Wally, M'gann, and Conner, and Reese was planning on joining them, as soon as she finished with her wings.
Footsteps made her glance up, only to see Dick walking towards her, sans his sunglasses, dressed in what she could only guess was his Halloween costume.
And she couldn't believe it, but he was the devil. Or, at least, some sort of demon.
Reese didn't know where Dick had gotten the suit, it was probably something to do with Wayne Tech, but the dark red dress shirt, black slacks, and blazer made him seem like some sort of hellish businessman, and the fake horns sticking out of his head completed the look.
Reese couldn't help it, but she started laughing, making Dick give her an odd look as he reached her, standing on the other table across from her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, and Reese stifled her giggles as she almost glued her hand to her wing.
"Fixing the feathers," she answered after a moment. "M'gann shook a few loose earlier, and I wanted to glue them back on before going to the dance,"
"You're going?" Dick asked, and Reese glanced up at him, quirking an eyebrow.
"Uh, yeah?" she said. "Aren't you?" Dick rubbed the back of his neck, and his face suddenly turned red, making Reese realize he was blushing.
"I was going to," he began. "But, then I remembered that Gotham Academy's doing their own Halloween party. It's late, but if we leave now, we could probably still make it,"
Reese blinked.
"I thought you told Wally we were coming to the dance in Happy Harbor?" she asked, and Dick nodded.
"I did," he answered simply. "But, that was before I remembered the Gotham party, so I was just wondering if you, uh, wanted to go? With me, I mean,"
"Sure," Reese said after a moment, lowering her glue gun and unplugging it. "Can you help me put my wings on first? I want to see how they look,"
Giving a small nod, Dick walked around the table and picked up the large pair of feathered angel wings, and helped Reese pull the straps over her shoulders.
While he was distracted, Reese spoke up. "You came to check on me tonight, didn't you?"
When she felt Dick's hand freeze from where they had been moving her hair out from beneath one of the straps, Reese knew she had caught him.
"Yeah," he said quietly, still standing behind her. "I did,"
"Dick..." Reese trailed off, turning around so she and Dick were facing each other. "I can take care of myself. You know that,"
"Yeah, I know," he said quietly, reaching forward and gently taking Reese's hands in his, his fingers brushing against hers as Dick stared down at his shoes. "But...I just... during the simulation..."
"I know, Dick," Reese said quietly, but this time, Dick looked up and met her eyes, navy blue meeting chocolate brown.
"No, Rhysalin, you don't," he said firmly. "I know you told Dinah that you didn't want to lose me, but I lost you. Do you have any idea what that felt like, watching you die right in front of me?"
Reese didn't know what to say to that. What could she say? Instead, she just leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dick in a hug that signified that she was okay and that she was here.
After a moment, Dick returned her hug, and though it was a little awkward maneuvering with Reese's angel wings, they managed.
"I'm okay," Reese whispered, feeling Dick's entire body shake as he leaned his head into her shoulder. "You know that, right?"
Dick nodded again before he took a deep breath, leaning back, but not stepping so far away that he and Reese weren't still face-to-face.
"You look beautiful, pretty bird," he said quietly, giving a small smile, and this time, Reese was the one who was blushing, and she looked down at her shoes.
"Thanks," she said after a few seconds, before looking up again and gently bumping her hip against Dick's. "You're pretty handsome yourself, Boy Wonder,"
"You ready to hit that party?" Dick asked, some of his usual Robin charm returning, and it made Reese smile even more as Dick extended his arm.
"Of course," she answered, linking her arms with his. "Lead the way, Grayson,"
-----
Dick and Reese are basically together at this point, but they're not *official* because they're both dumb little idiots who are content to pine after each other for the time being but don't worry, we're getting there. T-minus 5 chapters.
It's also physically impossible for me to write normal fluff. I can write angsty fluff, but anything fluffier than that? I physically can't do it.
This won't be the last time that Reese encounters ghosts, but the next time will be during the five-year gap.
Also, remember the fact that Reese's favorite holiday is Halloween because that will not be the case later, but that's a story that will be developed during the five-year gap as well.
(Reese and Dick will both eventually hate going underground, but that is also a story to be told later)
Next up: Misplaced (sad Zee hours coming soon)
~Matia~