How is a raven like a writing desk?

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.

[terriblymcd-blog]

Off With Their Heads | Daredevil & Spiderman

[wvrning]

The vibrations of bullets shifted around him as he moved, and without his hearing it was harder to tell where they were aimed for before they hit. His heart thumped wildly, and Matt felt all too aware of the parts of his uniform that weren’t made out of kevlar. Somewhere, treacherously, from the complete silence that made up his world, Foggy’s voice materialised itself, dripping with worry, pleading the imaginary officer about Daredevil’s state. His bare hand found the edge of the table, a tremble running through his fingers, but by the time he reached the end of it his friend’s concerns evaporated. Along their path, his fingertips had run across an endless amount of porcelain, but he hadn’t felt anything shaking the table – nor the ground around him. Spider-Man had kept the shots aimed elsewhere. Matt could only hope that also meant he’d avoided them. 

Tasting no blood in the air, Daredevil sucked in a deep breath before he allowed himself to limit his world to him and the woman before him. Though as he stood still, a sudden rush of vertigo tilted the carpet beneath him, and while he would later say it was for cover that he ducked behind the table, shortening the distance between himself and the ground was his main priority. Between throwing himself across the street to save a man, and being viciously knocked to the ground only a short time ago, Matt really didn’t need more bumps to the head.

Feeling his eyes close, he had to will himself not do lean against the table’s edge. Science would probably argue that pulling yourself from passing out was unreasonable, but then the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had always been a man of faith. He’d performed a few miracles tonight; another could surely follow. Clearing his head as best he could, he sensed for Alice. Despite having no idea what she’d looked like in the video, he wasn’t surprised when the radar informed him of a voluminous skirt reaching her shins. It didn’t take much to imagine the character he’d met once, before he lost his sight. The reunion wasn’t a happy one, however. Matt just hoped this Alice’s ending would be rewritten.

The first step was revealing the twist in which the woman hadn’t been the one she’d thought, all along. One light touch to her upper arm told him that there was no hope moving her before her mind was put to it, muscles rigid with enough tension to practically tie her to the chair. Something twisted in his gut at the mere concept of mind-control, knowing that this soul had no control over itself, no voice to raise or fist to shape. He hadn’t been as confident in a move all night as when he reached for the woman’s temple. With his other hand supportively on her shoulder, thumb and pointer finger framed the vile chip between them as he slipped it from her skin a moment later. 

It took a moment, and then he realised what he was waiting for. Questions. Concern. Confusion. Distress. His stomach clenched, jaw aching, and he tried not to consider it, but there it was, louder in the silence than ever before – the possibility that he might never hear it again. The relief, the gratitude, the only acknowledgment the secretely blind hero understood. With a disgusted grimace, Matt pulled himself from his own selfish sorrow, concentrating on the woman who was absolutely not Alice. She never would be. He didn’t know if she knew she had been, but as he felt her pulse rise beneath his palm, he tried to form soothing words. We’re here to save you, he hoped he was saying, and almost forgot to tilt his head towards where her voice might be coming from.

Blocked by the table, Daredevil was unaware of where his partner was. Taste and touch allowed him to register presences in the space around him, but without the rest of his senses location was a challenge. Careful as he rose, in case the Mad Hatter-figure had gained the advantage, Matt exhaled as his radar washed over his surroundings. The slim form of Spider-Man merged with - what the scent of webbing on wool told him - the fallen villain. Hopefully he stayed down. A man who had brain-washed an entire city in minutes could easily have another trick up his hat. 

How Daredevil would know, though, was beyond even himself, with his translator across the room. Any defense he could manage to strike up would be out of pure luck, and that didn’t seem to be with him tonight. A sense of helplessness came over him, and his lips pressed into a line as he considered his options. The kidnapee stood beside him, and realisation struck. He couldn’t tell what shape she was in, if she was saying anything, if she was screaming – but she stood beside him, and her rescuer felt close to fainting. His hand moved quickly, unsheethed the billy-club, slipped the control chip inside a compartment – and released a blade from another end. He almost never used it, morals safer with blunt weapons, but Spider-Man was there. That was more of a safe-guard than anyone could ask for. There was a slight smile to his lips when he handed the knife over to ‘Alice’. As nauseau rocked him, forcing him to find support against the table, he knew he was useless, but that didn’t mean she had to be. Not anymore. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

MAD HATTER’s gleeful grin waned some when he heard who had finally come to confront him. It was always going to end this way, that wasn’t the problem; Jervis pulled off his plan beautifully and now the Bat would come and carry him off to Arkham, the end of their delightful chess match. Unless of course, he would be able to kill Batman this time and take that cowl as a prize. Both ways were equally attractive to him, but the problem was that he wasn’t confronted with a bat at all, but a spider.

He pouted and squeezed off a few shots rapidly just out of spite. Of course his main concern in coming to New York were all the New York do-gooders. Over in Gotham you only had to worry about Batman and his birds, and that was bad enough. Here you had all sorts of people, mutants, and aliens in tights, running around and saving the day. It was exhausting. But as much as Jervis loved tradition, he was attracted to the city the same way his peers had been. A new challenge could be nice, yes, a new change of scenery could make things very interesting indeed.

He laughed as Spiderman began to talk. Maybe this would be fun after all. “Mummy always allowed us to get rid of pests! Can’t have insects running all over the table!” He shot all over the place, completely unable to keep up with Spiderman’s darting here and there. “Stay still,” he snarled, sending bullets that exploded tea cups and chairs, ripped holes through lamp shades and bounced off the walls.

This new hero wasn’t Batman, but he ended it quickly as Batman always did. One moment Jervis had a witty retort on his lips, the next his gun was knocked away, then a fist collided with his temples. He saw stars, and cherry tarts, and white rabbits with pocketwatches in their waistcoats, and when he came too again he was stuck with some awful sticky stuff that resembled a spider’s web. He couldn’t move a muscle, and his beloved hat (the violet one with the black ribbon) had flown clear across the warehouse.

“And when you’ve reached the end of your story, stop!” he bellowed. “Goodbye Alice, my love. It’s off to another stay in Arkham. I pray you’ll wait for me until I can return and we shall be wed! Goodbye New York City, goodbye Batsy, my work here is finally done! Callooh Callay, tell the Joker I send my finest regards!”

ALICE was beginning to feel herself slipping away. There were hours of fighting, of struggling to move her rigid arms or even tilt her head, trying to scream or even better, run right out of this nightmare and never return. But now she was just exhausted. She could barely hold a thought of her own before it melted back into that damn poem and she was thinking of the Jabberwocky again. Maybe this was real, and everything else she thought she was holding onto was just a dream...

The gunshots startled her from her daze and she felt herself panic. Please, she begged. Please please please come and get me, don’t let him win. She sensed movement around her, but it didn’t do anything to help her fear. What if they left her? What if they got hurt or died before they could get to her? What if Hatter died too, and she really was alone? She saw flashes of red in her peripheral and then felt a sensation like coming up from under water. Gasping, she slumped in her chair.

At first, she couldn’t tell if she had been helped or injured even worse. But then her thoughts slowly came back to her, and they were hers. Her name was Jenny and she worked at a grocery store in Hell’s Kitchen, and she was supposed to work late tonight to help pay to fix her mom’s messed up plumbing.

She looked up and there he was––Daredevil, of course, thank God––and she grasped the edge of the table, forcing herself on her feet. Her eyes darted to find Hatter, and when she saw Spiderman standing over him, she felt tears gather in her eyes. Because the heroes had shown up, and when that happened everything was going to be okay.

“I was starting to worry you guys weren’t gonna show up,” she joked weakly, and her eyes widened when Daredevil handed her a knife. She blinked at it then set it carefully down on the table with a huff of laughter. There was no way she would ever be able to use something like that, and with Spiderman here she saw no reason why she should even pretend.

“Oh my God...Daredevil’s hurt! Help!” she placed her hands lightly on his arm, unsure of the proper way to offer a superhero help. Her voice rose over the Hatter’s crazy ramblings. “Thank you,” she said, leaning into him.

“Thank you.”

[terriblymcd-blog]

Off With Their Heads | Daredevil & Spiderman

The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast, screamed `Off with their heads! Off--'

The work of Supervillainry meant naturally that one would have to become acclimated to all the places society forgot about. Abandoned hospitals and orphanages, old underground sewers, secret laboratories. Haunted houses on the ends of quiet neighborhood streets. Jervis had made a living inhabiting these dark and eerie places, but he was quite pleased with himself on the renovations he’d made to an abandoned warehouse in Hell’s Kitchen. 

The debris had been swept out and replaced with antique furniture: dark cherry wardrobes and dressers; nightstands with delicate lace clothes draped over them, wrought iron lamps with grey and blue lampshades. On the walls was pale yellow wallpaper with only a few stains left in them. Above them were chandeliers that held the finest white candles, and just below that was the table. Every square inch was covered with tea and cakes, cakes that tasted like tea and even tea that reminded one of cakes. There were teapots of every size with mismatched cups, platters of butter and jam and honey. And at the head of the table was his beloved Alice. 

“My dear, my darling, it is time for a clean cup!” Jervis cried, tossing Alice’s porcelain teacup over his shoulder. It shattered against the floor. He removed a new one from his coat pocket and placed it in front of her with great flourish, filling it with tea. “Now, this is not our permanent abode you must understand. When this is all over and Batman is dead I have a mind to relocate to England, somewhere with plenty of tea. How about a spring wedding, my love? I’ve already designed a hat just for the occasion!” 

“...And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?” replied Alice, staring straight ahead. Her voice was a droning monotone. “Come to my arms my beaming boy!” 

Jervis just chuckled and patted her head, brushing a finger over the microchip attached to her right temple. “You are very singleminded this evening. Very well. Soon we’ll be able to––” he stopped midsentence, and slowly used a spoon to add sugar to Alice’s tea. 

“It appears we’re to have visitors Alice,” he said softly. “Unexpected too, like a hookah with a caterpillar. Or was it, a caterpillar with a hookah? Come out then,” he said, turning around swiftly and narrowing his eyes. He removed the gun from his coat, jostling several other hidden teacups in the process. “You’re late, for shame. It’s time for tea!” he began to fire into the darkness, each shot making the teacups on the table shake. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

10. We’re All Mad Here | Nightwing & Red Hood

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” 

Dick woke slowly. His vision was blurred, and a pounding in his head made it a bitch to think. But he put the pieces together quickly enough anyway. Oh, right. Mad Hatter struck, he went out on his mission, something something, and now he was just waking up in this warehouse. He was upright but his arms and legs were chained to something. A table, he realized, feeling the cold metal against his back. 

So he’d been kidnapped. His mouth was dry as he looked around for signs of the Mad Hatter. He couldn’t be too far away, since this was right up there with his standard nefarious plans. He twisted against the chains some more, but they were too tight, too heavy. 

He heard a footstep, and then another. They moved slowly, heavily, completely unhurried. Arkham crazies and their suspense. There was just a single light above him, and the rest of the room was shrouded in darkness. So Dick didn’t see who emerged from the shadows until he was close. 

A tall man with his face covered by an executioner’s hood stepped into the light. He was covered all in black except for the blood red heart on his chest, and he reached to Dick’s left. There was a squeak of wheels and he brought a cart into view: a rusted metal table that held plenty of peculiar looking instruments. For torture, what else?

MEANWHILE Red Hood knew that Nightwing had been taken because he saw it with his own eyes, before having to turn his attention to the henchman trying to shoot him with a microchip. He had to find him, right now. Every minute with these psychos was one they couldn’t afford. 

Where was he? 

[terriblymcd-blog]

9. The Queen of Hearts | The Winter Soldier & Venom

“My dear, here we must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as that.” 

The chaos had erupted in the city like a bomb. One minute Bucky was by himself in Manhattan spending his evening not doing much of anything. The next, crazy people have flooded the streets and the entire place was like a warzone. Screaming, loud popping noises (that sound an awful lot like a gun but not exactly, and he can’t figure out what it is), and maniacal laughter fill the atmosphere. Christ, he’s got to get out of here. 

He turned a corner and saw a woman come stumbling by. She didn’t look like the others; her left palm was clutched tight, holding something and she was crying, falling to pieces right there in front of him. Instinctively his eyes swept over her to see if she was hurt. But all she did was take a step forward and show him what she was holding. There, laying on her palm, was some kind of chip. 

“They put this on me....And then....And then I lost time and I don’t know what to do....and this fell off but it was controlling me, I could feel it,” she gasped. Now that was strange and too familiar all at the same time, and just before he could ask any questions a small explosion had him jumping back, pushing the woman out of the way. 

MEANWHILE Agent Venom was out on official orders and had just finished taking out a group of henchmen that had attacked a line of SWAT Team who were protecting the streets. His attention caught when he saw an actual explosion, something he hadn’t encountered so far tonight. Very quickly he saw it all: a man with a metal arm protecting a woman on the sidewalk, a scorched piece of concrete beside them. And a woman standing on top of a roof, wearing a black and red body suit and throwing bombs that were made to look like tarts at innocent people running by. 

Seriously? 

[terriblymcd-blog]

8. The Mock Turtle’s Story | Miss Martian & Zatara

'Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.’ said the Duchess. 

Robin and the rest of Young Justice needed her help, and that’s where Miss Martian was headed when she came across a street that had been completely transformed. It wasn’t a street at all anymore, but a chess set, large enough that she could stand comfortably in a square. There were pieces too, taller than she was, shaking slightly. Around her, people were running into buildings, hiding in their cars, too afraid to step on the board. 

From behind the white king piece stepped a man wearing a green mask and a strange, formal green costume. He was the Mock Turtle, he said, and no one could pass until they played a game. And then he waved his fingers and a rook lifted into the air, spinning for a moment before flying straight towards Miss Martian’s head. 

MEANWHILE Zatara was in Manhattan for a show when everything went horribly. The theater was on lockdown so naturally he decided to leave to see what all the fuss was about. The image was astounding: people running and screaming, some with injuries. Others walking around dazed as though they had been brainwashed. And an enormous chess set in the street, where Miss Martian and some jerk in a green suit were battling each other. Hmm, maybe a little magic is just what the situation needs...

[terriblymcd-blog]

7. How Doth the Little Crocodile | Daredevil & Spiderman

“How cheerfully he seems to grin, How neatly spreads his claws, And welcomes little fishes in, With gently smiling jaws!”

When the news broadcast switched to Alice, the whole city held its breath. While people called their loved ones and clogged the subway, and while heroes alerted their teammates and sidekicks, Daredevil listened. He listened to each and every little sound in that recording, figured out Alice’s approximate age, how large the room was, what the walls were made with. Each and every bit he picked apart, and by the time it was over he knew. 

Alice was being held in Hell’s Kitchen, in a warehouse. And he knew where it was. 

He was out in the street, heading right to the location when he noticed he was being followed. The Mad Hatter really hadn’t expected him to leave Daredevil out of his plans, did he? If he could plan for Batman, then he could surely make the necessary precautions for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, especially if he was hiding his precious Alice in there. And that precaution was a crowd of dozens of innocent people, brainwashed and provided with weapons, roaming Hell’s Kitchen in search of a man in a red suit. They were conditioned to attack him on sight, and that’s what they did.

MEANWHILE, if Spiderman had known that there was a hoard of angry people trying to get a guy in a red suit, he almost certainly wouldn’t have come here. But he’s in Hell’s Kitchen now, so he swings to land right beside Daredevil. All they have to do is get around the heavily armed brainwashed mob without hurting anyone and save Alice before she gets hurt. When you think about it, it’s not too different from what he has to put up with on a regular basis, so there’s that.

[terriblymcd-blog]

6. Have I Gone Mad? | Robin & Superboy

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle.” 

Batman had gone silent several minutes ago, and Tim was working on tracking him down. Then Nightwing went silent as well, and TIm knew something funny was happening. Not ‘ha ha’ funny. More like distressingly worrying funny. He had to get the group together and find out what was going on. But first he had something of a mess to handle in one corner of Manhattan. He sent out a call to Young Justice to get the dozens of henchmen who had swarmed the place in control. Superboy showed up first, and he was just about to yell a warning about the microchips when he saw Superboy’s eyes widen. 

Oh no.

Superboy blinked and suddenly it was as though he had no control over his own mind. Because he didn’t. His expression went from confusion to pure hatred as he laid eyes on Robin and he went after him, destroying anything in his path to get to Robin. 

MEANWHILE Conner was trying to fight it, he really was. But the chip was stuck to him now, sending waves that affected how he processed information. He was at the mercy of whoever was at the end of the remote, playing with his mind and making him hate Robin. Soon, Conner felt himself slip away completely and he was just a shell to tear lamp posts apart and smash cars on his way to hurt, destroy, to kill. Robin needed to figure something out, and fast. He couldn’t keep this up forever. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

5. Contrariwise | Harley Quinn and Batgirl

Contrariwise,’ continued Tweedledee, `if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn’t, it ain’t. That’s logic.’

Batman, and now Nightwing. Batgirl couldn’t contact either of them now, and that was very, very bad. Both of them had suddenly went dark, and she had no clue what they were up to. It meant trouble, but there wasn’t much she could do about that at the moment. She was currently fighting off a group of cards (a six of clubs, eight of spades, and a four of hearts) who had attacked an innocent man who was trying to escape the fray. And sure, she was doing just fine, but she didn’t know if Batman and Nightwing were just fine, and that was cause to worry. She threw a punch, a kick, and tried to think of a plan. 

MEANWHILE Harley was out in the street with what seemed to be the rest of New York City. And you can’t blame a girl; this is the most fun this city’s seen in at least three or four days. She’s had an eventful night already and now she’s barreling down the street in a stolen car, chasing two henchmen who call themselves Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Her reasons are her own business, thank you very much, and she swerves through chaotic traffic after them. 

She sees one of the little Batbabies, troublemakers sure, but she can’t help but turn the wheel when she sees one of the Hatter’s henchmen aim some kind of silver gun at the sidekick. All it takes is a little more gas and that car runs that henchman right down. Now she and the babybat are staring right at each other. All Harley has to do is open the door and offer Stephanie a seat so they can go catch those stupid Tweedles. What’ll it be, Harley? 

[terriblymcd-blog]

4. Down the Rabbit Hole | Black Widow & Falcon

“Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!” the White Rabbit cried. 

There was a hostage situation at a nearby hospital. They heard it on the news as they navigated through the streets: someone affiliated with the Mad Hatter had taken a group of people hostage in the emergency room. They had multiple weapons with them and were warning that they’d harm anyone who tried to get in their way. Outside, the police had their guns raised but there was no way to get inside without risking someone getting hurt. So that’s why Natasha and Sam arrived. 

They had a mission: find someway to get inside the hospital and disguise themselves as hospital personnel. Then they’d get down to the ER and stop the White Rabbit before anyone got hurt. But there was a catch: when the White Rabbit broke in, he shot several doctors, nurses, and staff with brainwashing microchips, and they roam the halls making sure no one tries to stop the plan. 

Natasha, obviously, was a master at slipping into places without being noticed, and Sam’s skills as a para rescue may come in handy with all the injured and sick people who are being refused treatment in the ER. But there is very little time to plan, because the White Rabbit has already escalated to injuring one victim. There are people crying outside, reporters fearing the worst. They cannot be too late. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

3. The Lobster Quadrille | Hawkeye and Catwoman

'No, no! The adventures first,' said the Gryphon in an impatient tone: 'explanations take such a dreadful time.'

Clint was readying his favorite arrows on one of the top floors of Avengers Tower. In moments he would leave with them and do whatever task was needed. Sticking to rooftops or fighting below, stopping these grown ass adults dressed as cards from hurting people. In moments he would be out there, Avenging everything in sight. 

And then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a child, tiny and completely alone, standing in front of the front entrance of Avengers Tower. He was alone but there’s something stuck to his shirt and Clint can barely give a warning to Tony before he hurries out onto the street. The child is maybe eight, with tan skin and curly dark hair. He’s just waiting expectantly out front while people run terrified around him. As it turns out, the kid has a note pinned to his shirt. It reads:

"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail. "There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail. See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance! They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?

Clint’s just finished reading the letter when Natasha and Sam leave because there’s something going wrong at the Hospital nearby. And something else is going wrong nearby so that means the others rush off too. But Clint can’t just leave the kid here, not alone, not with this creepy note. So he picks him up and tells everyone that he’s getting the kid out of the way first, then he’ll catch back up. 

MEANWHILE Catwoman is perched on a nearby roof, watching everything unfold (and unfurl, and unravel) below. Going around playing the hero usually isn’t her thing, but she was just in the middle of a job when everything went to shit, so she’s taking a moment to see what’s going on. It’s almost as bad as Gotham down there. Almost. But then a little bird catches her eye, scurrying through the crowd carrying a child like precious cargo. And sure, curiosity, cats, it’s a whole cliche. But that doesn’t stop her from wondering. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

2. Impassable| Oracle & Wonder Woman

“Why it's simply impassible! “Why, don't you mean impossible?” said Alice. “No, I do mean impassible,” said the Doorknob. “Nothing's impossible!” 

Barbara was in the street when it happened, which was bad enough. But when her communication with Batman went silent, she knew that it had gotten so much worse. She was armed with her escrima sticks, and all this time in the city ensured that she knew her way around, the fastest way back to her apartment. But in just minutes everything had descended into chaos. A car was on fire just ahead, blocking the street. There were people screaming and shouting and running in all different directions. But she had to get back to her apartment and figure out what happened to Batman, track the Mad Hatter, and send the rest of the sidekicks off to stop him. And how was she going to do that? It just felt impossible. 

MEANWHILE Wonder Woman was in the street, fighting off henchmen and clearing a pathway for people to leave in. Hundreds of these goons couldn’t match her strength, and for now she fought them with ease. Superman was somewhere nearby, and Hawkgirl was on her way. She could handle this crowd, no problem. It was the rest of the city she was worried about. From what she could tell so far, plenty of disasters caused by Hatter had popped up all over the city within minutes. But for now she would focus on clearing this street and––

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement, a flash of red hair. Oracle? The henchmen were surrounding Oracle, closing in, preparing to harm. 

[terriblymcd-blog]

1. Do Cats Eat Bats? | Batman & Darcy Lewis

“And here Alice began to get rather sleepy, and went on saying to herself, in a dreamy sort of way, 'Do cats eat bats? Do cats eat bats?' and sometimes, 'Do bats eat cats?' for, you see, as she couldn't answer either question, it didn't much matter which way she put it...”

Despite the fact that they were in New York City, the mission began as it always did. Suit up in record timing, get the information from Oracle, take orders from Bruce. Fly out into the night and save the day before the madness spreads and the city really starts to crumble. Back in Gotham, Bruce hadn’t needed anything other than his sidekicks to clean up the mess Gotham created and Arkham housed. But now, there were dozens of people trying to contact him, asking him where he was and what he was going to do. But he just gave coordinates to Tim and continued on. 

He was swinging through buildings, a part of the night itself, when he felt a sting on his left cheek. It was someone below, someone with impossible aim who had shot him. He fell to the sidewalk, his mind hazy and disoriented. But instead of blood he felt a small metal device engrave itself in his chin. And then he went under, his mind overtaken with bliss. Fond memories and daydreams, beautiful images flashed through his mind, and he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do than lay down right there on the sidewalk and enjoy it. He smiled to himself. 

MEANWHILE, Darcy Lewis was trying to get to Jane, because whenever some shit went down they always went through that shit together. The streets were a mess: sirens and people in military uniforms and SWAT gear all fighting people dressed up as honest to God children’s characters. She sidestepped some douche dressed as a dodo bird and tripped over a man. When she looked down, she saw that it was none other than Batman, and wasn’t he supposed to be saving the day or something? Instead he was sprawled out like he was on the beach and drooling a little. Jesus. Well, Darcy can’t just leave him there like this, can she? Isn’t he the hero New York needs but not the one it deserves?