Just as the title states. Creatively distorting the Young Justice Universe for your pleasure. Trying to whelm you but forever keeping my fingers crossed.
Genre: Romance (with angst sprinkled here and there)
Summary: It takes a girl with super human strength to carry all that baggage Roy Harper has. Cassie Sandsmark only hopes she doesn’t trip over this.
Warnings: Nothing much here.
A/N: This chapter is beyond late but if it makes you feel less angry/more angry/maybe you just want to know - I was going to discontinue fic writing completely (especially after YJ cancellation, family baggage and losing the draft of this chapter) but guilt made me reconsider. I shouldn't have started this journey if I didn't plan on finishing it...and no matter how slow I do intend on finishing it. Many apologies and tons of love.
PREVIOUS PARTS: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four
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CHAPTER FIVE
Cassie knew she had seconds to react before Devastation did.
She knew this and yet she failed to move an inch.
The monstrous woman was heading right for her at a tremendous speed and Cassie’s legs were still fixed to the same spot. She was drowning in fear that felt like glue she couldn’t shake off.
“Hey Blondie!” A less than friendly growl woke Cassie from the panic induced trance. She was trembling but at least awake, alert and still alive. But for how long, grim thoughts concerning her fate and more importantly Roy’s were tormenting her. Why couldn’t she move? Why couldn’t she just fly off to find out what happened to Roy?
The truth was she didn’t want to know. Yet the villainess’s gloating face told her all she needed. All that she feared.
“I wonder if your head will go splat like the little tin soldier’s.”
Roy.
Hearing the threat out loud was the shot of adrenaline Cassie needed to spring her back to life. A blend of concern and rage propelled her into action instantly. Rage like she had never felt it before, replacing the terror strangling her moments ago. Rage and a smug target begging to be hurt.
Cassie narrowly escaped Devastation’s mighty punch; the concrete where she stood moments ago trembled on impact.
Splat. Cassie’s heart thundered. Roy.
It was her turn now.
“What did you do to him? WHAT. DID YOU. DO. TO HIM?” Flying fists, but none that collided with Devastation. So little air made it to Cassie's lungs as every breath she took was used to let out furious screams. She was functioning on hatred for all parties responsible for whatever happened to Roy. Pure hate for the beastly being in front of her yet the bulk of it was reserved for the true culprit.
One job.
She had one job and she failed. This was all her fault.
Tears filled Cassie's eyes but not enough to hinder the violent onslaught. Devastation, caught off guard by the fury driving the young heroine, fought to keep up her defence but was steadily having to fall back as Wonder Girl kept on coming.
“Ouch. You know this beat down Super Barbie, it feels kinda personal.” The villainess grimaced at the force of Cassie’s attack. She looked rather surprised at the unusual confidence and focus the young heroine was fighting with. However, Devastation did not stay surprised for too long, a toothy grin was plastered on her ugly face showcasing her delight at the new challenge; breaking this improved Wonder Girl.
“Sorry I broke your boy but he was defected to begin with.” Devastation sneered, signalling to her arm and cackling at her own perceived wit. Fortunately, the moment she took to gloat was all Cassie needed and as her opponent turned her head Cassie landed a brutal kick with all of a her weight behind on it.
The monstrous woman went down like a ton of bricks but Cassie knew she wasn’t going to stay down for long. She looked around her for something to properly subdue her enemy with. Something big, Cassie thought, she needed something big.
“Like that truck.”
Hearing Cassie’s voice, the villainess slowly stirred on the gravel. Devastation managed to open her eyes just in time to see a Cassie’s cruel smile as she dropped two and a half ton of cargo.
Right onto her head.
“Where’s your warranty?” Cassie breathed angrily staring down at Devastation’s now unconscious body.
Before Cassie could worry about how long she had before Devastation would rise from this unnatural slumber another threat emerged. The noise had attracted unwelcome guests in the form of Queen Bee’s henchmen and Cassie was instantly under gunfire. She just wanted to collapse in pain and sleep for a month after that tumble with Devastation but Cassie had bullets to deflect and a boyfriend to find.
Boyfriend.
Cassie laughed out loud at that statement. She was being chased by a dozen armed men shooting at her yet Cassie continued to cackle like a mad woman. Her face was wet with tears but she just couldn’t stop laughing.
Roy could be hurt, she thought, or worse. Regardless, she felt this insane joy bubbling up inside of her. No more tossing and turning, no more doubts or deflecting her feelings. Clarity replaced all of that. She knew what she wanted and when she finds Roy she was going to let him know.
It only took paralysing fear and fighting off imminent death to make her see sense. Or perhaps the opposite, Cassie wondered if a knock to the head made her feel this way, crazy sure and reckless.
Maybe it was unwise, but this certainty of the fact she was hopelessly in love with Roy Harper was all she had left inside of her.
However, dodging bullets made it hard to think, Cassie frowned. First things first, time to dispose of some merciless mercenaries.
“Okay boys!” Cassie stopped running; instead she turned around to face the men pursuing her. “You got my attention with the firework display. Now is someone man enough to take me dancing?”
A bearded man signaled for the troops to charge in and subdue the intruder. Cassie flew into the first wave of oncoming attackers, knocking them over like bowling pins. There was no time to celebrate, within seconds she was overwhelmed like an ice lolly on an ant hill. It was getting harder to keep up with the attackers. Just as she twisted wrists and threw down bodies, a dozen others would be there trying to get their hands on her.
"Flattered by the attention guys, but how about one at a time?" Cassie grunted. She was getting exhausted, the physical work out and emotional reaction to everything was weighing down her limbs. Sooner or later she wasn't going to be fast enough to react to the punches coming from left, right and centre.
A thunderous motorised sound and the floor was instantly cleared.
"A tank? This is just great. Thanks a bunch." Cassie grumbled. She prepared herself for impact.
“Mind if I cut in?”
A familiar voice.
Cassie glanced behind her. “Conn –”
“Watch it!” Superboy flung himself in front of her and dented the armoured vehicle hoping to crush the young heroine.
“Thanks.” Cassie whispered, she felt like she could breathe for a second. Two against a couple dozen of heavily armed men were odds she preferred. Especially if that someone by her side was Connor Kent, her weekend sparing partner with the physical strength to tear apart a tank.
She couldn't relax for too long without abandoning the entire task to Connor. Instead, back to back, they immobilised a new wave of armed attackers as easily as trained dancers executing practiced choreography. They had a lid on the situation but how long before reinforcements arrived? How long before Devastation woke.
Cassie needed to find Roy.
“Superboy.” As soon as she opened her mouth Connor’s voice came from behind her with news of his own.
“Not exactly easy as pie covert stuff but we got what we needed. Tell Arsenal, it’s time to get the hell out of here!”
Connor took down a couple more men with his trademark aggressive force before realising there was no response from Cassie. “Where’s Arsenal?” He growled. Again, no response.
Connor turned to ask again but the look on Cassie’s face told him enough. Their eyes locked briefly before their attention turned once more on fighting off capture.
Cassie felt sick. She was holding onto the hope Connor had come across Roy.
“He’s– Devastation hur- did – something to him. I don't know!” Cassie finally cried back keeping her eyes on her enemies. She was starting to feel that panic again, she was fighting a war on two fronts and it was draining her. Keep it together.
She dropped two men onto the ground with a forceful kick and felt something change behind her, she turned to find Connor grab her. Together they sprinted towards shelter from an explosive rocket that just hit their last position.
“They’re bringing in some heavy artillery. This is getting out of hand.” Connor had an urgent look in his eyes. “Go find him Wonder Girl and fly him to the bioship. We’re putting into place Exit Strategy Delta.”
Cassie frowned. “How long?”
“We’re blowing this joint in ten.” Connor replied. “I’ll be leading these rats into the opposite direction. You just get back to the ship.”
Cassie nodded, she was about to turn and leave when she stopped.
Connor had an anxious look on his face, they were running out of time.
“What if he’s –” Cassie swallowed hard but she couldn’t hide her distress. “Tula –”
Her throat clenched up and heart felt like it was about to explode. There wasn't enough air and if this continued she just wouldn't be able to breathe.
Sensing Cassie's uneasy state, Connor gently placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from dredging up memories of fallen friends. His power blue eyes were serious and had a calming effect on her. After giving her a moment to recover Connor shook his head and spoke.
“Bring him home.” He whispered softly. “That’s all.”
Cassie bit her bottom lip and shook her head in agreement fiercely. She took a deep breath and wiped away a renegade tears in the corner of her eyes. Her hands no longer trembled.
“I will.” She vowed under her breath as she took to the night sky, flying into the direction she knew her deepest fears lay.
She fought back the urge to look back at Connor for comfort and pushed aside her worries about how he would do in his task. She was a superhero with the blessing of deities and the training of Diana Princess of Themyscira. There was no room for doubt or fear.
Cassie had a mission of her own and part to play that went beyond her own feelings.
She just had to get Roy back to where he belonged, with the people who loved him. Not because she cared about him deeply but because this was what she swore she would do.
They were heroes. A team.
No matter what state Cassie finds Roy in, he was – is one of them.
A/N: Final part. Sighs...sorry about it being what it is.
3.
Whether it was running away from danger or running at it with fierce eyes, very few could move like Bart Allen. Right now he was moving.
Moving aimlessly and the fixtures on this planet blended, becoming nothing other than pointless blurs.
Move.
Forward. Forward. Forward. Forward.
Until forward no longer exists and Bart no longer knew where it was, where it would end and what it all meant.
"It will hurt and then you will move on."
But Jaime wasn't someone he could move on from. There was nothing to move towards. This was a truth Bart could not explain to others, or run from and he wondered if maybe this was the kind of epiphany Jaime had when he saved them all.
He just wished Jaime had believed in him more. Believed Bart could have saved him. Believed in him.
But Jaime stopped believing, he stopped fighting to find another way.
That angry thought had been trying creep up on Bart. But Bart was running. Nothing could touch the Allen men when they ran. Not fear, not anger, and definitely not pain.
Bart ran faster than he had ever run before. He was a blur not quite here and not quite there. But it wasn't fast enough, not good enough. He could feel himself wanting to go faster, faster, faster and faster – until he was no longer sure if he was going or just had gone.
And then he'd stop.
He'd be here and there. Everywhere.
Because there was no part of him that would ever stop wanting to be with Jaime no matter where Jaime was. Everywhere or nowhere at all. It did not matter. Bart was sure he was going to see him again. He would see him again because he was going to get there, wherever there was, the same way Jaime did.
Just need to stop first.
Stop running. Slow down to a halt. Decelerate. And finally stop.
Then go beyond standing still. Bart Allen was going to become definition of absolute stillness. Stop. The hammering inside his chest. Stop. Every cell that once ignited with a pure energy that vibrated throughout his entire form. Stop. Everything that ever was or ever would be Bart Allen.
Stop.
And with a thud his small body hit the ground.
His brain still hummed for a moment when everything else had long given up. A flicker of images of places he may or may not have been. Colours. Brown, red, yellow and blue. In the end, so many shades of blue.
And for a moment green eyes.
Bart saw things that may or may not have been. It felt like smiles but might have tasted like tears.
He couldn't be sure, yet somehow Bart didn't care to find out.
If all he had been through taught him anything it was that Bart Allen was the 'choose your own ending' sort of guy. Destiny, time, people. Bart never let how things were stop him from seeing things as they should be. As he wanted them to.
If Jaime lived inside of him like Iris West-Allen claimed, then Bart knew what he wanted to do – turn himself inside out just to see that smile again.
If Jaime Reyes's spirit was all around them, in the air and water, protecting every person he ever touched; in accordance with Mescalero Apache beliefs passed on through the ages all the way to Tye Longshadow who in turn passed on this wisdom to Bart; then Bart knew what he wanted – to undo every last atom that made up his small body and disperse into the atmosphere. So that the contents of his body may somehow find Jaime.
If Jaime was in Heaven crashing at what Bart could only understand as some sort of all you can eat buffet past a joint called St. Peter's Gates, then that's where Bart wanted to be – attempting to throw to the back of his throat heaven's version of Chicken Whizees. Getting crumbs all over Jaime's lap. Staring up into those delicious root beer brown eyes. That's where he wanted to be, lying back and feeling Jaime's long fingers though his hair.
But apparently the ability to travel over water and through solid matter wasn't how you got there. Bart thought himself a good person but no matter how good he was St. Peter's gates would not open for the living.
There was always the possibility that Wally West's cynicism proved to be right and Bart Allen didn't have to travel all that far to find Jaime Reyes, because he was where they left him yesterday. Buried as per Catholic tradition in a small plot behind Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, just a bus ride away from Mrs. Reyes' home in El Paso. No heaven. No spirits. Just six feet under the hard ground, pumped full of embalming fluid for Bart to pretend to be kissing goodbye a living, smiling Jaime for the last time ever. These were chemicals that would only postpone the inevitable decay of soft skin that used to feel like sunshine to him. Jaime Reyes could be found there, in his grave, wearing a suit that made him look awkwardly neat – a suit that would someday soon be covered in bugs and dirt and cling instead to a bag of dried skin and bones.
Bart Allen knew where he could find a person called Jaime Reyes so unlike the Blue he fell in love with. An empty shell. A fake. A terrifyingly cold sack of meat they tampered with, airbrushed and put on display for a day or two before boxing the hideously distorted mock-up and throwing it in a pit for the earth carrying its millions of starved insects to swallow and feast on.
Bart knew where to find that Jaime.
But where was his living breathing loving Jaime?
"If Blue goes...I go." When did he make that promise...days, weeks, years ago?
Jaime was gone, or at least not here.
Bart wasn't sure where but he knew how.
Every part of Jaime just stopped. The will to fight the scarab. The words of doom Bart brought with him from the future were stronger than their embraces.
And everyone expected Bart to be able to live with that?
Jaime is a hero, they repeated from morn to eve. As if an act of heroism was something grand. Something that should mean more to Bart than the small things Jaime did, like shake his head and curse in Spanish whenever Bart raided his fridge. Forgive him and then go shopping to make sure there were always more for Bart the next time. Things like translate for him when the pop culture references and slang got too much. Drag him by the arm out of the Rec Room whenever the speedster had outstayed his welcome and Garfield Logan's snarl became more animal than human.
Things like let Bart love him from a distance without complaint.
Heroism. It should have meant more. They crashed the mode. The world was safe. Billions would live. Billions but not Jaime.
Bart couldn't bear to be one of them. They might owe their lives to Jaime Reyes, but Bart's life began and ended with him. There was a difference Bart just could not explain to the rest of the team.
They missed Jaime, yet missing Jaime was not the problem.
It wasn't the seemingly unbearable sorrow that made it so hard. No, Bart was smart enough to know people lost loved ones everyday and still managed to find a way to live on. It was just that he was done.
It was over for him.
He did all that he had set out to do. Strange thing to say at his age, but Bart Allen had lived more than anyone else on this planet. He accomplished greatest feat he set out to do, learnt all about his family legacy, where he came from, who he was and who the world needed him to be. He lost himself, found himself and became so much more. He had been through every form of torment and fought, cried and lived. More importantly, he had loved. Felt loved. A love so perfect he'd couldn't dream of asking for more.
He had done it all.
And there was never a plan for what would come after.
That is what Bart Allen could not deal with, being shrapnel. A relic from a war won and a remnant of a world that would never be. There was no existence outside of that for him.
And if there was a chance of another life, it began and ended with Jaime Reyes.
Maybe it waited for him in one of those many places Jaime could possibly be.
A/N: This was painful to write and I'm finally ready to share. There will be two more parts.
1.
"I'll be back grandma! Back in a flash." Iris West-Allen was used to dealing with the men in her life zooming past her before she was able to even react. But this was one of those times she was determined not to be left standing there with the wind flapping her red locks angrily against her face. After years of being successfully married to a man who moved like lightening Iris managed to learn a trick or two when it came to dealing with such inconveniences. For example, there was one sure way of getting to the door before a speedster – be there already waiting for them before they got the idea to flee from the conversation.
There was a soft thud, as predicted, when Bart Allen walked straight into her. An immovable force, her stance warned the young boy, Don't even try.
Iris sighed, the stern look on her face relaxed as she grabbed her grandson gently by the shoulders, pulling his small frame into her chest to stop him from falling back or turning to escape.
Mostly she just wanted to hold him.
Close.
The men in her life always thought they could outrun their problems, but she knew them well enough to know it wasn't always possible.
Bart looked up at her with a small embarrassed smile on his face. It took Iris everything she had not to burst into tears right there.
He wasn't ready to talk to her.
Pain, she could see it clearly in the depths of those two green eyes that looked so much like her own. He was still trying to escape it, fast feet to carry him away from the ugly truths in life.
Shield his agony from the world with what he mistook for an unbreakable smile.
He wasn't ready to share but he had to at least try.
"Where would you be going at this time Bart?" Hands on her hips, eyebrows furled with concern Iris had to do something. Her best bet was that Bart would somehow respond to her as the stern voiced matriarch.
"Just a quick stroll around the city. Stretch my legs, molecules. Vibrating shakes off the mode in a microsec." His face beamed but as he blinked she could see the wetness on his eyelashes. "It's late but, I have been out later. Superhero remember. Baddies in darkened alleyways don't scare me."
Iris swallowed hard. He wasn't super anything right now. Just a small boy she had to look after and help through unbelievable tragedy.
"Bart..." It was all she could manage before her voice began to quiver with uncertainty. Bart Allen's large grin remained unfazed. Like it was violently attached to his pale face with a staple gun.
That had to hurt and therefore by default it hurt her.
"Bart..."
"I know." His interruption caused her nod grimly. A child of just thirteen should not know about heartache and loss. He should not have to be facing this. Why couldn't she have protected him from all this?
Iris wanted to scream at him to tell her how she could help. She wanted violently shake him until his tears would fall without hesitation and she could wipe them away. Mourn and be done with it, mourn and let me be your grandmother. But Bart's face remained still, other than well-rehearsed deliberate smiles for the benefit of all to see there wasn't much else. He was like a doll on in a toystore.
It was not okay how okay he was trying to be.
"A whirl around the world won't change anything but..." Bart paused for a moment and Iris selfishly prayed it was a sign his mask would drop and tears would begin to fall.
If he mourned like the rest of us, it would give her something tangible to deal with. It was for her as much as it was for him. Iris tried not to feel ashamed about it, but somehow she couldn't help but feel exactly that. Shame.
I am failing him. Every day this goes on, I am failing him.
"Jaime Reyes was a good kid." Words that felt infinitesimal compared to the truth were all she could muster to comfort him. But she didn't need to remind her grandson how special his best friend was. Jaime Reyes was more than just a good kid. He was an incredible human being who made the ultimate sacrifice so the others like her Barry, Wally and Bart didn't have to.
Sacrifices her boys would have happily made if needed be, the thought caused chills to run down her spine.
Iris West-Allen was no heroine. She was a wife, aunt and blessed to be a grandmother. She hated herself for such thoughts but if it meant she could be holding Bart in her arms every day – she would be thanking God for sending the world brave boys like Jaime Reyes and continue to pray her boys would never have to be as brave as that.
"He was...a hero. I know you were close, sweety."
You don't know half of it, the look in his eyes told her. She could never know.
Golden hair, easy smiles, warm kisses, flashes of yellow and red.
Iris shuddered.
She didn't need to know to feel his pain. More than that he didn't want her to. Not ever.
"God. Bart. I'm just so worried about you. We are all worried about you." Iris whispered, she was on her knees now, holding his face in her hands and crying. "Baby, what can I do? Please. I need to know what can I do?"
She once more felt like a failure when Bart hugged her.
"It's okay grandma. Blue's a hero, he crashed the mode. He saved everyone. And I did what I had to do." He whispered in her ear and rubbed small circles on her back. She was surprised by how strong his small hands seemed to be and it made her tear up even more.
How could he be comforting her when she should be comforting him.
She gently pulled herself free and looked him in the eyes. "No one expects you to go for a walk and just get over all that has happened. You're just so young." Iris tried to control her sobs by taking deep breaths. "Too young to have to watch your friend-"
"Friends."
Iris stopped breathing at Bart's statement.
"Friends." He repeated in a grim hardened voice she was surprised to hear escape such youthful lips.
"I have watched many friends die grandma. Many. Jaime wasn't one of them. You might not know, maybe because to you I'm just a baby your baby will one day have. But Jaime wasn't my friend. He never was just a friend. And what we have – had – could have had... was crash." His voice was breaking.
"But..."
It was then that Iris finally knew. What that look in her grandson's green eyes meant. Why it terrified her so.
Green eyes like my own.
"Oh God..Bart..Oh God..."
Bart looked away and for the briefest moment they just stood. Unable to react. Being consumed by their worst nightmare.
Then Iris remembered. Bart was living his.
"Gonna go now. Need some air you know. Be back in a flash." And before she could react, he was gone.
Leaving her with tears in eyes, a shaking hand over her mouth and an awful realisation in the pit of her stomach; no amount of motherly love would fix Bart Allen.
Genre: Romance (with maybe a hint of angst sprinkled here and there)
Summary: It takes a girl with super human strength to carry all that baggage Roy Harper has. Cassie Sandsmark only hopes she doesn’t trip over this.
Warnings: Nothing much here.
A/N: This chapter is late. I am sorry but I have been finding it hard to write because of all the real life baggage. I have not quit on this and updates should be more regular for those of you kind enough to have stuck with me.
PREVIOUS PARTS: Part One Part Two Part Three
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CHAPTER FOUR
“Maybe it’s because of something in the air.” Cassie muttered to herself, she stepped out of the bioship and took a glance at the vast Bialyan desert that surrounded her. What was it about this place in particular that caused her insecurities to act up like a bad allergy?
The air was cool almost chilly and the night sky provided perfect cover for the three heroes. Yet Cassie felt more exposed than ever. The last time she was here, everything fell to pieces and although she somehow managed to salvage the mission earning congratulatory hug from her friends, she could not shrug off that bad feeling that things would be much harder this time round.
They were still a considerable distance from their target, an ancient palace turned tactical base in a country crawling with corrupt government officials and proven impervious to the scrutiny of the international community. It was a delicate mission requiring absolute discretion so as to not spark an international incident. So, Cassie wondered, why had Nightwing trusted the three of them with extracting crucial information from right under the nose of the deadly despot and ally to the ominous Light, Queen Bee?
Surely the Batfolk would have been the obvious choice when it came to espionage?
“Listen up guys.”
Cassie had no more time to dwell on her doubts as Conner began to address her and Roy. “No psychic link on this mission and complete radio silence.” He reminded them.
“You know what that means?”
Cassie felt herself groan internally for the hundredth time.
It means no one to bail me out when I inevitably screw up.
“It means keep to your objectives.” Conner responded as if he read her mind, it somehow made her feel even more uncomfortable.
“And if something goes wrong?” She whispered trying not to sound as anxious as she felt.
“Kryptonian super hearing.” He added with a small smile like a period at end of a sentence. Cassie knew the smile was just for her benefit so she gave him a nod and prayed she wouldn’t let him down.
Roy was silent and stood beside her. The archer traded in his usual smart-mouth charm for this new taciturn identity. If Cassie hadn’t witnessed Conner berate him earlier on the bioship for asking too many unnecessary questions, she would have taken this cold shoulder personally. But somehow everything with Roy Harper felt personal.
Even if peace, quiet and distance was what she asked for it still felt strange. It was as if her entire body was humming, panicked skin dancing whenever Roy stood next to her. Things should have been different now, but for some reason they weren’t – she was still a mess.
All of sudden she felt Conner’s steely blue eyes on her, examining her tense face.
“I’m good!” She cried out. “Retrieving disks. I get it. Be your shadow.” She quickly muttered before he could comment on her clear uneasiness. “I know what I’m doing. Provide cover. Extraction if necessary. Let you do your job by doing mine.”
Conner nodded.
“And if Devastation rears her ugly head, I brought fireworks and pretty lights to distract her.” Roy spoke for the first time since they left the bioship and it surprised Cassie to see he was looking right at her. Especially since he had avoided her gaze throughout the entire flight. “You two just worry about looking pretty.” He added with a bright comforting smile.
Cassie didn’t blush fiercely or even twitch nervously at the casual comment. Instead she found herself giggling.
“If you wanted pretty Arsenal, you should have kept the tights.” She whispered back. She hadn’t expected this, she hadn’t intended on it being this easy to fall back into their usual routine of casually flirting but for some reason Roy was smiling at her and she was smiling at him.
“Alas, no tights. But you got my back Wonder Girl, so I’ve no reason to worry about anything happening to this handsome face.”
Roy winked at her.
And I got yours, it said.
She believed him.
So this was what denial felt like. She had always thought it must be exhausting for Roy Harper to keep that carefree cocky smile sitting so perfectly on his handsome face but she finally understood how easily one could end up believing the lies they told themselves.
As easy as laughing at his jokes. As easy as wanting to rely on him. As easy as a peck on the cheek.
“Arsenal - “
“Yes, I have Nightwing’s little gift for Queen Bee.” Roy’s retort came in quick, before Conner had even asked the question he was about to ask. “Yes, I know how to upload it and corrupt the network. Yes, I won’t leave my post. Yes, I got it all covered.” Roy sounded a little more agitated than he intended and Cassie could tell he was getting annoyed with the way Conner was persistently checking him. She couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him; it couldn’t be easy trying to fit in a group where you were being constantly scrutinised.
However, when Cassie thought back to Tim’s account of Roy’s renegade side mission at LexCorp Farms, she couldn’t deny the fact that Roy never intended on making things easier for himself in the first place and for that reason, Superboy was probably right to keep a watchful eye on him.
For a brief moment, Cassie wondered if she would have felt better with Tim watching her back but it took one glance at Roy’s determined face for her to dismiss any doubts she had.
She could trust him. They all could. They just had to give him another chance.
“Watches synchronised?” Conner asked.
A quick check confirmed it.
“Go.”
And on that gruff command they dispersed, each making their own way to the base with nothing in between them and the enemy but the comforting darkness.
----
Flying helped Cassie’s nerves subside and her mind began to wander. Mission aside, her thoughts were now firmly fixated on the archer who raced off in the opposite direction. Would he be okay? He looked confident enough but then again when didn’t he. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that Roy Harper was a brilliant actor.
Pretending must be better than the alternative, Cassie thought grimly as she stealthily flew over the desert fortress and quite easily took her position, a security blind spot as identified by Nightwing's mysterious source. There would be no interference from the enemy combatants so long as she kept proper watch and didn’t get too distracted by her thoughts concerning Roy.
She caught a glimpse of him as he made his way to the first security tower.
Years and limbs lost, Cassie felt sadness at the pit of her stomach as she watched him scale the walls using his robotic arm. So many years he can never get back. Roy had his problems, but it made sense to her why he was so determined not let Cassie’s lack of better judgement be one of them.
She didn’t want to add to his pain but she had to stay away. And that saddened her more than she wanted.
Fifteen minutes passed since she last saw Roy and Cassie knew it was time to move from her location and assume her secondary position. She made her way to one of three security towers opposite the one Roy entered a little while earlier. Cassie moved quickly, making no real effort to sweep the area before lying on her belly behind one of the satellite discs. She was confident that Roy had been successful in disabling security protocols and had taken out the small security detail that were positioned there earlier.
Just as she adjusted wrist watch she spotted Conner make a turn in the court yard.
Behind him a couple of armed guards.
Cassie was about to react when she realised there was no need. Conner neutralised the threat swiftly and surprisingly enough without a sound. Not waiting for a fire-fight to erupt, or for a hero’s rescue from Cassie, Conner simply disappeared into night continuing with his task of retrieving the disks.
Cassie pouted feeling slightly disappointed at the lack of opportunity to do anything other than lie in wait. She couldn’t help but feel like her placement in the areas less prone to action was intentional. Her job, to be perfectly honest, was boring.
Except for the first position, her subsequent locations would be places the boys had already been and disarmed security, providing her with no reason to test out her combat skills on Bialyan troops. Just covering our butts, Nightwing had explained when he first gave them their orders. Exploiting their strategic weak points without exposing ours.
Strategic weak point. Cassie felt that phrase summed up her pretty well.
Even Roy despite the team’s suspicions was trusted to run on his own. Cassie tried not to feel too bitter, instead she reminded herself of the way both Nightwing and Conner quizzed the young archer.
Roy had it far from easy.
However, feeling 'sorry' for someone cannot be the basis for a relationship. She wanted a John Hughes film kind of first love, something to gush over with the girls. Stress-free with cake and candles in a school canteen. Not something as angst filled and problematic as a Stephanie Meyers novel.
She could imagine what M’gann would say to her – a relationship with Roy would be the kind of unnecessary drama a sensible cheerful girl like Cassie could do without.
The kind I probably couldn’t handle, Cassie thought, if I'm trying to be brutally honest.
But she couldn't be nor did she want to.
A couple of words with Roy and she would always be yo-yoing between being in a state of constant doubt and a place of desire and overcompensating confidence. It was obvious she would end up getting hurt and it wouldn’t just be his fault. It would be hers too, for not heeding warning signs.
On some level, despite the awful things he said, Cassie knew that Roy Harper didn’t want to hurt her and that's what made it hard. Harder to let go of what could have been between them.
Cassie had excellent rapport with all her team mates but with Roy it was different. Primal attraction, fierce and foolish.
And quite possibly fantastic.
Cassie glanced at her watch. Twenty-two minutes, Roy should have returned by now. Then again, he was running late by just two minutes.
But that was two minutes too long for Cassie. Anxious to prove herself and worried about Roy, Cassie was about to propel herself off the building and go after him when suddenly she caught sight of something or someone.
It must be Roy, relief washed over. Just the anticipation of seeing him was like experiencing fireworks on a subatomic level – it thrilled and terrified her.
To Cassie the sheer intensity of that feeling was something unexpected.
However, nothing could be compared to overwhelming panic she felt the moment Devastation's large figure emerged from the shadows; standing where Roy’s should have been.
With a predatory yet satisfied smirk on her vicious face the giantess looked up and straight at Cassie.
“No.” Cassie’s heart sank; another word fell out of her mouth.
Dear people who believe this, were we even watching the same show?
The Miss Martian/Superboy relationship might not be everyone’s favourite but it did wonders for both in terms of characterisation and Superboy fans especially got tons of crap out of it.
It allowed him to show sides to him you would have never seen otherwise, he got to be dorky, sad, angry, sweet, awkward, mature, understanding, smart and downright awesome.
It made his character, otherwise he would have been Daddy Issue dude and that’s all.
He got to be complicated and so much more because of it.
Feel how you want about M’gann (because that’s where the issue lies…thinly veiled M’gann hate, probably irrational in terms of origin) but Supermartian weakens the character of Superboy?
….here at the plaza I stopped coming to after that day, staring at the dead leaves, I think of those days. As I watch a swan cross the clouded sky…
…those unforgettable memories stir up in my heart like dead leaves stirred up in the wind, the memories flood me…however many times I come here.. I think of that person the birds…the sky…
I stare at the distant person the pavement…the sound of bells…the fallen branches…the tears…the tears…the pointless tears, without end, flood my eyes… [x]
