![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sylph_ficsTitle: And If Not for Christmas
Cowriter:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
merfilly
Characters: Titans, Arrows, Birds, and a few very special guest stars.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 8,896
Continuity: HappyVerse
Disclaimer: DC Comics makes the money, people
Notes: It's official... HappyVerse is our refuge from the meaner things in comics--and our one-stop fix-it shop.
Summary: It's New Years... that means it's party time!
Deep below Wayne Manor, an amused crowd piled into one of the larger Bat-jets, having loaded up a few late presents to take along with to the Titans gathering. Once everyone was strapped in, Nightwing piloted the jet out of the Cave--making Roy and Kon both wince at how tight a fit it was to get the jet out of the hangar--but he kept it low and headed towards the city proper...
"What's up, Short Pants?" Roy glanced over at his lover. "Forget to buy something?"
"No... just someone we need to pick up. I'd been trying to figure out how to manage this, and Vic gave me the perfect opportunity..." he was smiling slightly as he headed the jet towards the East End and set it down on a warehouse roof. "Everybody hang on a minute," he said as he freed himself to slide out of the seat and head off the jet again.
Roy looked over at Tim. "Know anything about this, Spooky Boy?" The nickname was friendly, and the result of learning Tim could actually sneak up on him.
Tim shook his head. "I have no idea what he's up to..."
He walked out into the shadows, looking around, listening... //where are you?//
From a darker shadow, he caught the barest hint of motion before the young woman he was searching for slipped into the light. "I still don't think this is a good idea." Her white hair hung free around her face, and she was in jeans, a sweater, and a white eye patch. At her feet was a bag, one long enough to have her blades in it.
"You've got a better one?" Dick asked as he walked over. "You look good, Rose." He reached out for her. "Selina can't hide you forever, and you'll be safer in the Tower."
"I really hate it when he gets that smile, too," Tim continued.
"Selina is getting big; she needs me," Rose said. "And she's a lot less likely to freak on me for just being who I am." She moved into his reach after picking up the bag.
"Me to, Tim. Me too." Roy tried not to get too nervous.
He hugged her close. "If this really doesn't work, I'll bring you back, but I'd rather have the Titans know you're back on our side--and very few of them will argue with me about it. Come on."
Tim sighed, waiting, and now even Kon looked nervous. Mia just sat back, looking expectant but not nervous. She had decided that if Dick was doing something, there really was neither a point in arguing nor worrying over it.
"Let's get the show on the road. Got the big one; who's with you?" Rose asked, steeling herself for the hate and vitriol she knew she had earned.
"Roy, Speedy, and Robin... and you'll have to see who else. I'm not spoiling this." He'd picked up her bag as they talked, and still had his hand on her shoulder.
"Great." Rose had no desire to face two of those. "The execution begins early."
"He's got something up his sleeve," Roy said.
"That's not news," Tim replied.
Dick squeezed her shoulder gently. "Think of it as getting the worst of it out of the way first?" as he moved them both towards the jet.
"No, the worst will be Raven." She said it low, and he could hear the effort it was taking her to stay in control of her mind. She continued to walk with him up to the jet though.
"Rae knows what it's like to have someone twist her head up, it'll be okay," he said reassuringly as they walked up into the jet.
Tim twisted around at the first sound of a footstep and he tensed in shock, "Dick?!" He couldn't believe who was standing there, even if she wasn't in the armor... Kon turned and stared, pretty startled himself. The last time he'd seen that hair, she'd been trying to help kill Raven...
Rose looked at each of them with defiance stamped on her features...until she saw Kon. For him, she managed to put aside her own turmoil and give a small smile of surprise. "I see you are like Superman," she said.
Roy felt his chest tighten at seeing the girl he had entrusted his Lian to on numerous occasions, the same girl who had proceeded to try to kill one of his best friends. Mia looked surprised, but saw Dick's hand on her shoulder, and stepped up, to show the archers could be as forgiving. "Hi, Rose."
Kon blinked, then just nodded, "Hey, Rose... you look..."
Dick smiled as Mia stepped up, then looked over her at Roy, expression pleading behind the lenses of the mask. "Geeze, I don't think they heard you in New York, Robin, want to yell a little louder next time?"
Tim had the good grace to flush. "What're you thinking?"
"That what Slade did to her isn't her fault, that she's better, and the Titans are the safest place for Rose to be right now--just like it used to be," he answered his brother.
Roy thought about all they had gone through, all the troubles that had come to them through Deathstroke's children. Then he remembered Lian trusting the girl Rose had been, remembered how good Joey had been. "Rose...welcome home to the Titans," he said, having been the team leader during her stint.
"Hey, you can sit over here, while Dick puts your gear up and gets us going." Mia pointed to the seat closest to her.
Dick relaxed when Roy welcomed her back, //Thank you, god...// He turned to stow her stuff, let her get settled, then headed back to the pilot's seat to send them towards the Tower.
Tim was watching Rose intently... and he saw the guilt in the set of her shoulders and recognized the defiance for the bravado it really was. He wasn't entirely sure about this, but Dick normally knew what he was doing...
"Kon, Tim; why don't you two help me fill Rose in on who all will be there, and what we know so far on what's been going on?" Mia smiled sweetly at Tim specifically; they had spent a bit of the last week learning that exact information.
"I'd...I'd like to know who will be there at least," Rose said, hesitating just slightly at Mia's willingness to be nice to her.
Tim nodded. "Cyborg's awake, don't know if we'll see him, or just hear him. Raven's there, Cassie and Donna are both supposed to be... I think almost everyone left is coming in from the older teams..."
"Starfire is still missing, and Kid Flash...well, he has not replied to the invitations." Mia shook her head. "Even the ones that got hurt have been persuaded to come back in. It's been half a year, and we need to touch base with everyone to try and pull the Titans back together."
Robin nodded. "I tried getting to KF, but he's just not answering. Wish I knew why..."
At the controls, Dick ran his hand over to Roy's arm, leaving her on autopilot to turn towards his mate, listening to the kids.
"How long you had her stashed here?" Roy asked as low as he could."
"We'll get him, Robin. I promise," Mia said. "Come hell or high water, we're putting the Titans back the way they should be."
Rose glanced at the blonde, pretending not to hear Roy. She was surprised at how fierce the new Speedy sounded.
"Since just before the end of the Crisis. Soon as I got her away from Slade I tucked her with Leslie, who's been taking care of her. She got her some help. I've been keeping an ear on things, making sure she's doing okay..."
Robin nodded. "Yeah. Maybe with Kon, you, and I back he'll at least come out..."
Kon studied Mia's fierce expression and nodded. Titan through and through. "He'd better. I'll go drag his butt in if I have to, soon as I can get all the way to Central..."
Rose cocked her head at that admission of weakness, then shook off the old way of thinking. "I might be able to convince him to come... at least to make sure I'm not going to kill anyone," Rose said with a black sense of humor.
Mia giggled. "That might work." She glanced at Tim. "Ya think?"
Roy nodded. "I suppose it is for the best. She really did get worked over, and she was such a good kid."
Dick nodded swiftly. "She's a good girl--you know he shot her up with the same serum that made Grant and Addie crazy, right? It wasn't just him playing headgames..."
Tim studied Rose a moment, then glanced at Mia. "It just might... It's worth keeping in mind, if nothing else works."
Roy nodded. "Might want to see if Dinah would like to take her in a bit too," he said. "Not sure what the deal is, but Rose might actually be safest with her."
Rose read the invisible flow of body language between the other three young ones, and saw something that defied a normal explanation.
Dick nodded slowly. "We'll see how the weekend goes, then I'll call and talk to Dinah if that looks like the best route to take." He'd rather have her with the Titans, getting time with some of the other kids, but Dinah would be good for her, too.
Kon shifted and stretched, rolling his shoulders, then settled one arm around Tim's... and Robin leaned back against it. That made one corner of Rose's mouth smirk up. A bit more of the smirk appeared as she read Mia's face beneath her domino, seeing that the girl was perfectly happy to watch the boys be so close. /
"Yeah. Good idea, and I'm sure things will turn out. She is a Titan, and we don't give up on our own."
"No, we don't. And if I have to smack a few people with that history, I will." //Vic and Raven, anyone?//
Tim wasn't listening to the conversation up ahead, not with any degree of seriousness, too distracted by watching Rose's reactions. "Something amusing, Rose?"
"Yes." Her eye sparkled. "So, world's finest should have couple after it?"
Mia laughed at the white haired girl's reply. Kon started to laugh, and even Tim chuckled softly. "Been getting detective lessons from my big brother?" he asked. "We're not planning on making a big deal out of it, Rose, so if you wouldn't mind..."
Dick shook his head, mouthing 'world's finest couple' in disbelief. He couldn't deny the accuracy, though.
"Oh, I won't noise it around, but you both need to tone down your body language." Rose smiled sweetly, but she did relax somewhat. Roy looked highly amused, mouthing back 'trio' to his lover.
"I know. But if he's," the look towards the front made it obvious, "decided to adopt you, it's not worth the trouble of hiding it. Once we hit the Tower..."
"It's back to best friends, I know," from Kon.
Dick half-choked, and leaned to smack Roy across the back of the head. Roy dodged, and reached over to mess with Dick's hair.
Rose shrugged. "He helped make the mess I was in; only fair he help fix it." The grudging words were a mask; even Mia could see the girl was grateful to Dick.
Tim snorted softly, shaking his head. "Whatever, Rose."
Dick tossed his head, dodging Roy's hand, reaching up to grab it. The elder pair were tied up in playfully aggravating each other as Mia curled her legs under her, resting lightly.
Rose gave an enigmatic smile. "Whatever indeed."
*~*~*~*~
Raven stayed settled in the corner of the main den she'd staked out as hers early on, observing the ebb and flow of the gathered Titans. Donna was the current center of attention, as she was telling some story to Cassie, Gar, Miriam, and Toni. Several of the others were nearby, either listening in or holding their own conversations, Bombshell and Miss Martian among them. Zatarra hadn't been willing to come. Kid devil and the Wonder Twins were milling about, talking to just about everyone--She turned as she felt others arriving, it almost had to be either Roy and Mia or Dick and Tim, but...
The door opening revealed the original Robin and the original Speedy, laughing at some joke they had shared recently.
Raven very carefully hid her smile as Donna's head snapped up and she called to them both, "Hold it, guys!" The smile on her face was many kinds of wicked.
Dick blinked and stopped, wondering what on earth Donna was on about...
"Look up, 'Wing, you're caught," Gar added, not trying in the slightest to avoid grinning like an idiot. This was just too funny.
Dick looked up slowly... then his eyes brightened with gleeful mischief as he looked over at Roy. Roy gave the small decoration a mock stern look, then turned back to Dick. "Tradition, right?" His words indicated the mistletoe; his eyes spoke of them, through the years.
"Bad luck to break them," Dick replied, nodding once as he moved closer, into Roy's space in the doorway...
Raven struggled to keep her expression calm as the emotions from the two of them surged--//oh my. Have they really...//
Donna's eyes went quite wide as they called her challenge, in sincere full flamboyance that just screamed the old days at her.
Younger Titans who had never quite believed had to think to close their eyes, while the older ones shook their heads or smiled, accepting what they were doing as either being about time or an elaborate prank.
Dick just kissed him deeper, giving serious thought to thanking them both later. People would believe or not as they wanted, but it was out in the open, for the first time.
An annoyed voice came from behind the two blocking the doorway, "Nightwing, Arsenal..."
Roy broke first, a promise for more later in his eyes and the way his hand was slow to leave the small of Dick's back where it had settled. "The half pints want to come in too."
"Guess we ought to stop blocking the doorway then, huh? Watch it, brats, the door's booby-trapped." He walked on into the room to go hug Donna, trying not to laugh at the slack-jawed shocked expressions on several faces. //You guys think you're shocked now...//
Robin snorted. "I should've known." Very carefully, he stepped through alone, lifting a hand at Cassie.
Cassie looked at him with the half dead eyes of someone here against her will. Donna hugged him tight, then Roy when the red head stepped close. "About time, you two," Donna murmured softly.
"We know, Wonder Chick," Dick replied, just as soft. "Missed you, beautiful."
"Missed you." She looked briefly at Cassie, who finally walked over to Robin, her shoulders squared as if going to meet her doom.
"Don't worry, Donna. I think this weekend will be good for your kid sister," Roy said in her ear.
As Cassie was walking towards Robin, a voice came through the doors, "You guys started the," and the jeans-clad, S-wearing form of Superboy came through the doors a few inches off the ground, "party without me? Without all of us?" He dropped to the ground, propping a hand against his hip, looking in exasperation at all of them. "Not cool..."
Cassie froze, literally unable to take her eyes off him or move.
Donna hit Roy softly in the arm. "You could have warned me," she said in a low voice.
"I did...told you Cassie'd be better this weekend." He rubbed his arm ruefully.
Around the room everyone started to move, a massive pack descending on the one of their own to return to them. However, respectful of Cassie, they waited; Kon had been her teammember, and more if rumors had flown right.
"Hey, Cassie," he said to her softly, walking to her. "It's okay... It's me." He reached toward her slowly, focused on her for now, and trusting Tim to be okay with it.
Raven stared, looking at him with more than normal sight, focused on his heart and soul... and the familiar, young soul she saw was purely Kon's. //He's back...// She wanted to weep for joy--that they'd had one of their own given back was almost more than she could take. She didn't understand how in the slightest, but right now, buoyed in the joy of the combined teams, it was difficult to care.
Cassie reached out and touched his face, as if to reassure herself she wasn't seeing a ghost. "You're real..."
Tim stood nearby, standard Robin pose, watching without any show of emotion.
"Yeah, Cassie, I'm real... It's okay, Cassie, it's okay..." He settled his hand on her shoulder, sliding it towards the back of her neck gently, "I'm here..."
Nightwing watched them, head tilting in concern. Kon sounded... not quite like his brother's lover ought to. Roy tapped his hand, sliding closer to him. He was watching too, but with less concern; he had a feeling that Cassie was as much a concern for Tim as for Kon, but it was Kon who had to settle her down, and redefine things. He knew what it was like, to be faced with a dead lover returned, and how feelings you had held onto might not be the right feelings once they came back.
"Why don't you two go sit down and talk?" Jesse suggested. "We can all get the story from you later, Superboy."
Kon nodded. "C'mon, Cassie," he tugged at her, trying to get her to move with him. Out from under everyone's eyes sounded like a good thing.
Dick turned slightly, looking a question at Roy about the touch...
"Nothing's gonna hurt them," Roy murmured softly. "See?" He pointed out Tim, who was not following Kon with his eyes, looking instead toward the door.
As Tim glanced to the door, even though most people were watching Kon lead a shaken Cassie away for a talk, Mia finally made her entrance...with one hand on Rose's shoulder.
Dick moved that way, intent on being between Rose and some of the more... volatile personalities in the room before anything could happen.
The determination and suppressed fear in the air caught Raven's attention and she looked back towards the doorway--and she came to her feet with a low hiss as the girl that had tried to kill her came through the door at Speedy's side.
"Go on," Mia encouraged the other girl, and Rose turned to fully face Raven.
"Raven..." she began. "I'm asking you for permission to come home, to try and..." She faltered, and Mia squeezed her shoulder. She brought her chin up, refusing to look weak in the stares of hatred and fear coming at her. "To try and prove I'm a Titan, no matter what the past says of me."
Dick blinked behind the mask, startled and proud of her, and stood at her other side, glaring down some of the Titans, while he waited for Raven's answer. //Come on, Rae. Don't you dare slap her down.//
Raven stopped, looking intently at her, listening to her heart and those emotions... The girl was different, there was nothing of the wild insanity that had burned in her the last time they'd met... //I don't trust her, even still... (you trusted Joey, despite that he was Slade's son.) She turned on all--(and you didn't? Vic didn't?) She was insane, brainwashed... How can I not let her come back?//
The silence dragged on as she thought, and a sudden lance of powerful anger slammed against her shields... not from Rose, but from the man beside her. She looked at him, saw everything she was thinking written in the set of his body, the lines of his face that were shifting from anger to disappointment in her... "You're not the first Titan to have a father drive them mad, Rose... and we don't turn away our family when they need our help. You don't need my permission, you're already home. Welcome back."
There was a collective release of breath in the room, and then Mia let go of Rose's shoulder. It had taken a lot longer than Mia liked to get Rose calmed back down and help her find the right way to approach Raven.
Rose smiled slightly at Dick to show she appreciated it, then glanced around to see most, if not all would not be quick to accept her, even if Raven, the one she had wronged the worst, had said it was okay.
Dick ruffled her hair gently, smiling at her--a not-subtle attempt to knock through the skulls of most of them that she was under his protection--then went to talk to Raven. "Well done, Rae," he said to her softly.
She looked up at him, her violet eyes dark. "You had better be right about her, Nightwing..."
"I am, Raven. You said it yourself... she's not the first Titan to turn on us and come back home."
"She wouldn't be the first Titan Slade's used as a traitor, either," Donna said from behind his shoulder.
"Donna Troy. Rose was insane when she put on the Ravager mask. Does that ring any bells?"
Donna flushed. "Still, none of his children ended well, or on our side," she reminded him. "But...if you feel we should, I'll back you."
"Damn straight," Roy said from his spot beside Donna. "I've got no doubts that we could have problems. But once a Titan, always a Titan, psychotic fathers and drugs and insanity aside."
Dick nodded sharply. "Back her, Donna, not me, she's going to need it."
Raven suddenly frowned and slid around them, trying to put herself between Rose and Gar before they could get too close, moving quickly through the few Titans between her and them.
"Oh, damn," Dick said softly, seeing that disaster brewing. //Vic, bud, where are you?//
Mia slipped between the pair as well, her jaw set under the mask. "Beast Boy..." she began. "Please...let's let the weekend speak for her." She tried to radiate calm to the angry changeling.
The crowd milled apart as Vic appeared, going straight to his best friend to head off the first fight that was already brewing. It wasn't a Titans gathering until someone lost their temper, but this was too quick.
Robin had been keeping an eye on the corner with Kon and Cassie, and so was slower to get over to the problem between Rose and Gar. "Hey Vic. Good to see you up and moving..."
Dick seconded that, and couldn't wait for the chance to tell him so, but right now so wasn't the time.
Mia did not take her eyes from Gar's at all, until he slowly stopped bristling, never having said a word. The fact he was not chatty said volumes, before he stalked away.
"Thanks," Vic said. "It's not perfect, but now I can work on rebuilding it myself," he added.
"We tried," the twins chorused as Vic followed Gar to calm him down.
Dick watched that, shaking his head slightly, "I knew that wasn't going to go well, but I didn't think he was going to be this pissed," softly to Roy.
"He's just a bit protective of Rae...I mean, he followed her to the brink of the afterlife and squared off against Grant there," Roy reminded him.
Mia turned back to Rose. "We still cool?" she asked, knowing Rose would have preferred to fight her own battle.
"Yes." Rose gave a half smile, then she drew in a deep breath to get her own bearings.
Dick nodded, "True enough. Time for us to go mingle, I think, answer some of the questions..." //And check on Tim.//
Mia seemed to be keeping up with Rose, but her eyes kept scanning back to Tim and Kon from time to time. Rose found it amusing, as it distracted her from the cold shoulders she was getting from almost everyone.
"Questions? No one said anything about questions," Roy teased, following after him.
Donna watched in amusement, before looking toward Cassie, just to be safe.
Cassie had calmed enough under Kon's reassurances on how he had come back, and that he wasn't going to vanish as so many of her waking dreams had tormented her.
Dick rolled his eyes, amused, and headed off into the milling Titans, handling questions about Kon, about Rose... and just grinning and shaking his head at any and all questions related to him and Roy.
Kon was just trying to keep her calm and get her settled... this wasn't like her. She was generally all temper and passion, this kind of... numbness in her frankly scared him. Tim finally decided he'd left them alone long enough and moved quietly over to actually check on them, questioning Kon with his eyes.
"Kon," Cassie said softly. "I'm...very happy you're back." She looked down, biting her lip. "But...I've been living on New Paradise," she began. "And..."
Tim could read the tension building, as acceptance of Kon's return replaced the shock.
Kon tilted his head at her, "Yeah, Cassie? What's up?"
She met his eyes slowly. "I was in love with you. Still am, to a degree...but things do change, and there's this... person, who's been trying to help me. I saw you, and it was like I was right back there under that tower, with you laying there, but once I move past that...."
Kon nodded once, surprised by how much hearing almost the same words he'd been planning to say coming from her hurt. "It's not the same anymore. You're not that girl, and I'm not, quite, that guy. It's okay, Cassie."
She breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank the gods." She took his hand in hers. "I know. And...well, now I don't have to be mad at Donna for dragging me here this weekend."
Tim was... extremely relieved that he wasn't going to have to fight Cassie over Kon. He hadn't been looking forward to that.
Kon wrapped his hand around hers, then pulled her close again. "I'm so glad you're okay, Cassie. Why were you--oh. Yeah." He winced, remembering what she'd said when Donna died. "Glad you're not gonna stay pissed at her, too."
Cassie laughed very softly, like it was something she hadn't done in awhile. "No, not that, Kon. I didn't want to leave...my friend."
"Really attached, huh?" Okay, some days he was a big dork, but it'd made sense... "Good for you. She pretty?"
Tim barely bit back the low groan. //KON...// Cassie flushed pink across the cheeks, obviously not yet comfortable with having a girlfriend. "Yeah, she is." She hugged him tight.
"Cool." Kon was obviously fine with it. "Donna already given her the "hurt her and..." lecture?"
Tim snorted and walked around the couch. "Kon, leave Cassie alone about it, huh? Hi, Cassie."
Tim got a smile from her, the first real one she had turned his way since before everything went to hell. "Hi, Tim. Kinda weird to see everyone in costume and masks, and yet most of us know each other so well."
He dropped to the floor beside the couch, looking up at her. "Yeah, it kinda is. I wouldn't be surprised to see little groups take over various rooms and throw their own parties before the weekend's over, so the masks can come off."
Kon rolled his eyes at Tim. "What, I can't want to check up on one of my best friends?"
Cassie rested a hand on Tim's hair, playing with it idly as she was distracted by seeing him at peace. "It's okay. Just still not used to it, and Donna would kill me if she knew who it was."
"Just remind her it could always be Rose," Tim replied, actually letting her get away with trying to disarray his hair, "and I think she'll calm down pretty quickly. "
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, probably."
Kon was surprised he was letting Cassie play with his hair, but didn't care. Now if only Bart was there, everything'd be fine...
Slowly Cassie realized who had been mentioned and looked at Tim, confused. "Thought she vanished in all that ...Crisis. I'd say good riddance, but I don't even want to give her that much consideration."
Tim snorted. "Be nice. She's..." he sat up slightly, looking for Mia, and found Rose's hair right next to her. "Over with Speedy, talking to... Kid Devil. Took me a second."
Cassie's face twisted from confused to angry. "The little witch is here?!"
"Be nice, I said," Robin told her. "Nightwing's already glared Raven into playing nice and bitched out Donna, I'd rather not have him make it two for two with the Wonder Girls. Rose's better. I'm not quite sure how far I trust her, yet, but she deserves the chance, Cassie."
Cassie started to open her mouth, then remembered who she was sitting next to, and nodded instead. "You're right, as usual."
Tim nodded once. "So, what's life like on New Paradise? I haven't heard anything out of you in months."
Kon settled in to listen to them, ears open to the whole of the Titans. Once the others saw Robin over there and Cassie moved somewhat away from him, they dropped by in ones and twos to welcome him back.
*~*~*~*
The Speed Force was getting to be a crowded place. Barry had come to terms with the fact he himself was the Speed Force, circling endlessly in time, touching everything, all times at once early on after taking on the burden of beating the Crisis. Even with that concept, the part of him that was still Barry the man had not truly decided to do something about his lot until his former protege showed up. Max had been good company, and Johnny til the latter moved on to some other existence, but having his protege there had rattled Barry. Wally was too young to be lost. And when Barry had a problem, he typically solved it. Gathering up Iris and Linda and the twins had been more difficult, as the women did not tap the Force, but Wally had helped. Wally had pointed out the key to it all as well, showing Barry that overloading Bart with the Speed Force was likely the way to go.
And Max had insisted all along that he would remain, would be the one to ride the lightning, and insure that there would always be a Flash to save the universe. As he had put it, he was too old, too cranky to go back now that he was at rest.
Wally hadn't argued with Max, not when he was so determined, distracted as he was by his wife and children and his worry for everyone outside... He was still the impatient kind. "Are we ready to do this?" He asked Barry.
"Yes...we are." Barry smiled. "You grab the boy, and I'll guide the lightning."
Wally... reached, tapping through the connection still in Bart's blood, throwing most of what he had into dragging the youngest speedster in with them despite the world itself fighting him... //Come on!//
There was a slight wrenching within them all, as he managed to drag the youngest speedster in. Bart felt the pure rush of speed in every fiber of his being, and saw both Wally and Barry, with their ladies, and Wally's children. He was also having to look up at them, as the return to the speed force stripped away the artificial aging that had pushed Bart to adulthood too soon.
"Hey Bart," Wally said, "Things are about to get a little wild, hang on..."
"Whoa," Bart said, staring at his younger hands in amazement.
"Here it goes...found one of them..." Barry said under his breath, concentrating hard on breaking the energy just right. Bart's sudden addition to the Speed Force had it just at the overload point, and he could use that.
Dinah snuggled under Ollie's arm as they walked slowly toward the Needle. They had enjoyed the early part of the night, pleased the date was a costumed affair, as they had gotten to practice their skills on some toughs trying to ruin New Years. Neither of them had truly broken a sweat, but it was nice to wander the town where they had almost been perfect.
"Look," Ollie murmured, pointing to a streak of lightning in the night sky, clear for once.
"That's odd," Dinah said, just before a second bolt arced through the air, even closer to them.
"Be good, kid," Max told Bart sharply, ruffling that wild cap of hair before he lost the chance.
Wally tensed, hand tightening on Linda's arm as the entire Speed Force reacted to Barry's will...
"I will Max...missed you, but I know where you are," Bart said impudently.
"I'm not going anywhere without you, Wally West," Linda said, her own hands resting on the twins. Iris reached out to take Bart's hand, just before their world abruptly shattered.
Ollie could smell the ozone sharply as every hair on his body rose. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on Dinah just before the loud crash of noise and burning air accompanied a final bolt, this one straight down to the ground, leaving behind a huge scorch mark on the asphalt. Nor was that all, as Ollie's eyes slowly took in the scene.
Dinah tensed, expecting to have to fight some new menace, before she processed sight of Wally, surrounded by Linda and two small children. She looked beyond them, and her heart started to hammer, seeing a small form that was recognizably Bart, at his age from before the Crisis, holding the hand of a woman she had known, envied, and even loved as a part of another man's life. She was taking in the presence of a seventh person, but she hardly dared hope...
"Nnngh..." Wally shook his head hard, trying to settle the spinning, then looked around, wondering where they, "Seattle? Why Seattle?" He dropped to check on his kids, hands sliding over both of them, having seen that Linda was fine.
"For her," Barry said. "The only one of my team I could get us too...Dinah?!"
The shock of seeing that it really was Barry hit Dinah harder than any other return; he'd been gone for so long. Ollie had to catch her and ease her down as the speedster zipped to their side.
"Hell of an entrance, Bare...but could you not make my girl fall down like that?" Ollie said, just as shocked, but coping better. "Hiya, Iris."
"Hello, Arrow," the woman said with a smile, walking over slowly.
"Oh damn....I mean, shoot..." Bart looked positively frazzled. "Great seeing you but I gotta go!" He vanished, then reappeared next to Wally, grabbing his wrist. "Come on, Titan's All Call!"
Dinah looked up into two concerned faces, and slowly shook herself to a clearer frame of mind. "Barry, it's really you?!"
"What, on New Year's, hell! I've got the kids to try and get home, Bart, you go, I'll be right behind you..."
"Wally, we'll be fine," Linda said. "We're home, honey...just go!"
"Yeah, just go," Bart said impatiently.
"Yes, Dinah. I'm really back," Barry said. "Got tired of Wally complaining about the lack of burgers." That drew a weak laugh from her, before she accepted Ollie's help in standing. She looked at Iris, smiling even more. "Welcome home," she said, before she and both Allens managed a hug amidst laughter and relieved tears. Ollie shook his head, trying to process it all, before he went over to Iris and the kids, crouching to be on their level.
"Hey there," he greeted before looking up at Linda. "Lovely as ever, Linda."
"Okay, okay, what's the problem?" Wally asked, hanging on to Impulse to keep him still a minute, even as he leaned to kiss Linda.
"Big New years' party...Vic was pretty miffed I wasn't going! Now hurry up; be mushy husband guy later!" Bart tugged as Linda returned the kiss with a smile.
"Have fun." She then looked at the Ollie as he successfully charmed her children. "And you haven't changed a bit, rogue," she told the archer.
Dinah got herself completely together and looked at the gathering of civilians forming well out of range. "Jay's house is likely the best place to try and get you all situated; I have a plane at a local air strip," she offered.
Wally growled softly, then nodded. "Come on, kid, race you there!" He let go and took off, running for the Tower at as much of his speed as he felt safe using.
Bart, true to his first name, was more impulsive with his use of the speed running through him freely now.
"Good idea, though I would have expected him to be the one with the plane." Barry cocked his head back at Ollie.
Dinah shook her head, smiling. "I've changed the way I work a bit," she said. "Canary to Lady B," she said as she cut her transmitter on. "Hate to break up you breaking hearts, Lady B, but I've got a need for wings...six plus me."
"That's okay, Canary...this town thinks coffee outranks liquor," Zinda replied on the receivers. "See you at the strip."
Ollie straightened up. "I could have buzzed Hal," he offered.
"Except he's gone right now," Barry said. "Siberia, from what I could tell."
*~*~*~
Inside the Tower, everyone was gathering around to watch the Ball drop on the East Coast, and various drinks were coming out. The usual toast was always after the ball dropped, and the younger Titans were happily yelling the count, "Nine, Eight, Seven.."
Kon, Tim, Cassie, Mia, and by default, Rose, had a small grouping going on, while Donna and Roy stood with Dick. Both Raven and Vic were with Gar, keeping his bristling to a mimimum, and there were various other groupings all over the room, as Titans banded together along old patterns. The new ones, the ones that had been trying since the Crisis were floating, trying to make it look like they belonged.
"Two, One..." Nightwing flicked the sound off on the TV as the shriek of Happy New Year went up in Time's Square, "To ab--" the voices of everyone that knew joined him, "--sent friends, until you--"
The doors opened rather roughly, and a yellow-ish blur zipped in. "Yes!"
"--return!" came the tale end of the toast, even as people turned to see Kid Flash had arrived.
Four voices shrieked, "BART?!" In stereo and Rose got left behind as Kon, Cassie, Tim and Mia headed for the doorway.
Just behind him, a taller figure in the full red whipped around the corner, "Hey, guys--aw, man, we missed--"
"Flash?"
"Fleetfeet?"
"Wally?!"
Nightwing dropped remote and glass to whip around and vault the couch, Donna passing him up as she ran across the room, but he was still right behind her as they reached him.
Roy barely fell behind them, as he followed. When he reached them, his arms were squeezing everyone together as the original Titans, minus one, reunited.
Bart stared up at Kon. "Whoa. ThoughtIwasdreaminggotmyspeedbackmeback andnow...you'rehere,Kon!" It all came out much to fast to decipher, but the hug he grabbed Kon up in spoke for itself.
Kon held him tight, "Hey, KF, slow it down, huh? I can't hear as fast as you're yakking..."
Robin--in echo of his elder brother--wrapped around both of them tight, and the girls shoved in to find ways to hold on, voices falling over each others'.
"God, Fleetfeet," Dick breathed against his ear, holding on. "Welcome back."
"Good to be back, man... C'mon, guys, I can't breathe..."
"Tough," Donna told him and hugged him harder.
Mia caught Tim's eye, reminding him of her comments earlier that they'd get Bart back, amused she had been proved right so soon. Cassie squeezed everyone she could reach, trying hard not to drip tears of joy again.
"Get used to it, Wally," Roy said, laughing. "We've all damn well learned the lesson of showing what we feel," he joked.
A low cough came from behind the eldest Titans. "Ahem. The rest of us would like to say hello..." Raven's voice was dark with amusement as she waited for one of them to get out of the way, arms crossed over her chest.
Tim grinned back at her, a much more Tim-than-Robin smile, as he held on to Bart and Cassie.
Wally blinked, tilting his head at Roy, then Dick slowly moved out of the way for Raven to say hello--and everyone stared as Raven hugged Wally. "Welcome back."
"Umm...thanks." Wally thought of the history between them...and decided it did not matter. He hugged her tightly, knowing what an effort it was to let herself be tactile or affectionate at all. She nodded sharply and slid back out of his arms, getting out of the way for the rest of the mob. The others followed in the opening that had been made, as the elder Titans welcomed Wally home.
The younger members and hopeful members gravitated to the former Young Justice, making Cassie smack her forehead. "Phone! Have to call Greta and Cissie and 'Nita!" She felt Mia slip a cell into her hand and nodded in thanks before going to call all three girls.
Kon ruffled Bart's hair, holding him close. "I was gonna come drag your butt home if you kept staying away."
Tim looked after Cassie, "Bart, I think you're going to be running around very shortly, the girls are going to want to see you and Kon for themselves..."
Mia perked up even more at that; she had heard much about the former Arrowette but not met her yet.
"Don't mind that...be back in a second," he said, starting out the door to go get Greta first, without waiting for Cassie's calls.
Tim looked after him, expression... a little startled. "I.. think we got Impulse back, guys..."
Kon nodded. "You might be right..."
"That's good right?" Mia asked, smiling.
Tim and Kon turned identical looks on her, a mix of concern, pleasure, and nervousness. Tim spoke up first. "It's both. Impulse is... Impulse, and that can make life difficult, but with what happened to make him Kid Flash..."
"It was weird," Kon nodded. "Good to have Imp back."
Mia shrugged, and grinned as the boy in question showed up with a younger teen Mia slowly placed as being the former ghost, Secret.
"Cassie?" Bart asked.
"Cissie next!" Wondergirl called, and Bart zipped off to steal Cissie away. Greta's response had been so fun; Cassie had not yet called her, so it had surprised her to be whisked from her bedroom by Bart.
Tim walked over to Greta, Kon at his shoulder. "Hey, Greta. Been a while."
Kon just smiled at her, waiting for the reaction to hit. Raven was watching them, shaking her head slightly. She, too, could see the change in Bart... and she dreaded seeing what he might do now. Which didn't change the fact that she was overjoyed to have him back in the slightest.
Greta took in Kon, looked with wide eyes at Mia and Tim flanking him, as if their presence proved she had not slipped back to the incorporeal form, and then flung herself at him, arms wrapped around his waist. "Oh Kon!!!!"
Cassie laughed as Cissie yelped over the phone in her ear. "Incoming!" she warned, hanging up to dial Anita quickly.
Kon pulled her tight, "Hey, Greta. Sorry I didn't get a Christmas present to you..." He petted her hair, trying to tell her everything was okay. Tim just stayed close, watching some of the other teens eying her warily, and just shook his head at them.
Greta peeled herself off Kon, just as Bart's trademark wind ruffled them, and Cissie appeared next to her with a blur.
"That was no Kid Flash," Cissie said, before looking evenly at Kon. "And I knew you'd be back." She smiled at him.
"You're probably right, Cissie," Tim agreed. "Good to see you. Cissie King-Jones, meet Speedy. Speedy, meet the former Arrowette." //PLEASE play nice!// his expression begged them both.
Kon grinned at her. "Had faith, huh? Thanks, Cissie."
Cissie appraised the other teen archer with a neutral face. "I hear you do pretty good things in Star City," she finally said. "My Mom's from there."
"Yeah...kinda got the four one one on that from the other Speedy," Mia said with a friendly tone. "I'd really like to watch you shoot one day, Cissie...I saw the footage from the Olympics, and you have a slight difference in your draw that might help me."
The former Arrowette could not help but look pleased and flattered. "I think I'd like that," the Young Justice archer said warmly. Cassie came back on the tail end of that, and looked impressed. She had not realized in their previous team ups, just what a natural Mia was at smoothing feathers.
Tim's shoulders eased as Mia managed to say just the right thing to Cissie, and he relaxed. He hated getting in the middle of fights between girls, especially when he had ties to them both. Nice to know he wasn't going to have to tonight. He looked around, running a quick count, "And the archers currently outnumber every other 'clan' in the room... That's a new one."
Kon, too, had relaxed when Mia and Cissie apparently decided to play nice. "You get to 'Nita before Bart did, Cassie?"
"He's there with her now...they have to get babysitters for her parents."
Mia moved back from the Young Justice Crowd as Greta and Cissie settled close in with
the boys and Cassie to talk. She wound up back by Rose, just watching and observing.
"You're a lot like the younger Arrow, aren't you?" Rose asked, having also been watching everyone. "I heard he's good at making people get along."
Mia rolled her eyes. "Only because he won't argue with anyone," Mia said, smiling when Bart and Anita did arrive. The magic-using fighter did not stop with a hug; Kon got kissed on both cheeks, his neck almost wrung by the tight hug Anita gave.
"Heeey, 'Nita. How're the brat-parents?" as he held her every bit as tight. "Good to see you, girl."
Tim settled in, then flicked a long look back to check on Mia, making sure she was okay.
When he looked back, Rose had her head bent down near Mia's and they seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation.
"The two of them getting bigger, mon," Anita said, before she hugged everyone else, even Tim. Tim had turned just in time to hug her back, and since Mia looked like she was fine, he started working on catching up with his team, watching Bart to see if he was actually right.
Bart managed to stay with them, mostly, for all the getting reacquainted, then zipped all around the room, talking to everyone and anyone. There was very little of the geeky book referencing going on, either.
Wally noticed the behavior, and frowned, earning him a hard poke from Roy.
"Let him be a kid," the red head said. "God knows we let out own childhood escape us."
Dick was equally ready to smack Wally if he had to, but Roy seemed to be doing fine for the moment. Wally started to protest, then thought of everything Jay and Max had ever told him...and he knew, somehow, Barry would not approve if he kept pushing Bart. "You're right...let him enjoy it...he almost lost all the steps in between."
Dick reached over and ruffled that red hair lightly, nodding. "Not like you never did anything stupid, Fleetfeet... He'll grow out of it on his own, just like you did--or at least, most of the time I think you did."
Wally rolled his eyes at Dick, then grinned. "We all did." He flashed a wicked smile at Donna. "Right, miss Priss?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the former Wonder Girl said, but a blush did cross her cheeks.
Dick laughed, low and rolling as Donna flushed, and the sound carried through the room. The younger Titans looked curiously, and the rest of the elders smiles broadened slightly--too damn long since they'd heard that laugh, so good to hear it...
*~*~*~*~
It had been a short ride by cab from the Aerie One to Jay's house, using two taxis. Barry did not have as much trouble being still as his younger succesors did. Dinah made everyone stand behind her, out of sight of the door, as she knocked. She was glad she had, as Joan answered. "Hi, Aunt Joan. Is Uncle Jay in?" She used the familial words to reassure Joan that, despite her costume, it was not business.
"He'd got a bad headache, dear, but he's always available."
"You should be warned...we got back a few heroes tonight," Dinah said, letting Joan steel herself. The older woman looked surprised, and cautiously joyed as Dinah led in the Allens and the Wests, Ollie bringing up the rear.
"Ma'am," Barry said to the elder lady of the Flash family.
"Oh my," Joan whispered.
Ollie hung back, but he kept a close eye on his lady. That almost-faint had rattled him, it wasn't like her.
Dinah led them all into the living room, as Iris took Joan's arm and reassured her it was al real, that Barry had found the way.
Jay looked up to see the invasion into his home, and every feeling of miserable pain died away, seeing Barry there, surrounded by family. "By god, boy, that was you that gave me that headache," he said, standing from his chair.
Barry crossed the floor, clasping hands with him. "Afraid so, Jay...and I come begging. Dinah thought you and Joan might put our families up for now, until we...well, until we figure out how to be part of society again."
"Of course you'll stay!" Joan said. "Oh, Linda, what angels...let's get them to bed, show you the rooms you can have." Joan went to pick up a child, but Iris and Linda both beat her to it, not letting her strain her back. They followed her upstairs, leaving the heroes to talk.
Ollie moved close to Dinah once they were into the house, having said his own hello to Joan. "Evening, Jay. Bare threw us for a loop, falling in front of us like that..."
"I can imagine, Arrow." Jay shook his head, smiling fiercely. "Wally too, I take it?"
"Yes," Dinah said. "And I think you and Joan may need to pull Bart's things out of the attic, Uncle Jay." Dinah's eyes sparkled. "He's a kid again."
Jay stared at her, then back to Barry, who smiled. "It's amazing what the Speed Force can do if you're real careful with it," he said.
Ollie just shook his head, "Days like this I'm glad I'm just a plain old human," he said softly, feeling slightly out of place... but that was probably more because of Dinah's relationship with Jay and Joan than anything.
In answer, Dinah turned fully into his body, moving close and laying her head on his shoulder. "So speaks the back from the dead, ten years younger archer," she murmured, uncaring that Jay's eyebrow had risen at that open display of affection between his honorary niece and the man who had been the cause of her greatest heartache.
"Seems I've got a lot to catch up on." Barry said it with a rueful grin.
Ollie slipped a hand to the small of her back, shrugging. "Not my fault, not my idea," he replied idly, then looked over at Barry. "Yeah. You do, but that's okay. We'll catch you up."
"Sure you will, Ollie." Barry settled in a chair that Jay indicated. "Right now, I get the distinct feeling Dinah would like to continue what ever I interrupted."
"Barry!" Dinah said, blushing like a schoolgirl, earning a chuckle from Jay and Barry.
"Oliver Queen," Jay began, his voice a little more stern as he leveled the concerned uncle gaze on the man. "I suggest you be mighty careful with her."
"Jay!" Now Dinah was mortified, hiding her face into Ollie's shoulder.
Ollie looked back at him, eyes level--he deserved that. God, did he ever desrve that. "Planning on it, Jay," then he returned his attention to Dinah, "Easy, pretty bird. I earned that one."
"Come on before he gets a shotgun out or something equally patriarchal," Dinah said. "It's not Seattle, but I think we still have a few minutes to find the perfect spot before midnight hits there, and we can pretend," she said, holding onto Ollie's hand and pulling him toward the door.
Ollie chuckled softly, letting her drag him towards the door. "We'll catch you tomorrow?" he asked Barry.
"If I don't catch you first," Barry told him. "Be good, Dinah."
"I always am, Barry," she purred, before dragging her lover out of Jay's house. Ollie did not comment on that, smiling at the back of her head as he flicked a goodbye at them both and pulled the door shut behind them.
Cowriter:
merfillyCharacters: Titans, Arrows, Birds, and a few very special guest stars.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 8,896
Continuity: HappyVerse
Disclaimer: DC Comics makes the money, people
Notes: It's official... HappyVerse is our refuge from the meaner things in comics--and our one-stop fix-it shop.
Summary: It's New Years... that means it's party time!
Deep below Wayne Manor, an amused crowd piled into one of the larger Bat-jets, having loaded up a few late presents to take along with to the Titans gathering. Once everyone was strapped in, Nightwing piloted the jet out of the Cave--making Roy and Kon both wince at how tight a fit it was to get the jet out of the hangar--but he kept it low and headed towards the city proper...
"What's up, Short Pants?" Roy glanced over at his lover. "Forget to buy something?"
"No... just someone we need to pick up. I'd been trying to figure out how to manage this, and Vic gave me the perfect opportunity..." he was smiling slightly as he headed the jet towards the East End and set it down on a warehouse roof. "Everybody hang on a minute," he said as he freed himself to slide out of the seat and head off the jet again.
Roy looked over at Tim. "Know anything about this, Spooky Boy?" The nickname was friendly, and the result of learning Tim could actually sneak up on him.
Tim shook his head. "I have no idea what he's up to..."
He walked out into the shadows, looking around, listening... //where are you?//
From a darker shadow, he caught the barest hint of motion before the young woman he was searching for slipped into the light. "I still don't think this is a good idea." Her white hair hung free around her face, and she was in jeans, a sweater, and a white eye patch. At her feet was a bag, one long enough to have her blades in it.
"You've got a better one?" Dick asked as he walked over. "You look good, Rose." He reached out for her. "Selina can't hide you forever, and you'll be safer in the Tower."
"I really hate it when he gets that smile, too," Tim continued.
"Selina is getting big; she needs me," Rose said. "And she's a lot less likely to freak on me for just being who I am." She moved into his reach after picking up the bag.
"Me to, Tim. Me too." Roy tried not to get too nervous.
He hugged her close. "If this really doesn't work, I'll bring you back, but I'd rather have the Titans know you're back on our side--and very few of them will argue with me about it. Come on."
Tim sighed, waiting, and now even Kon looked nervous. Mia just sat back, looking expectant but not nervous. She had decided that if Dick was doing something, there really was neither a point in arguing nor worrying over it.
"Let's get the show on the road. Got the big one; who's with you?" Rose asked, steeling herself for the hate and vitriol she knew she had earned.
"Roy, Speedy, and Robin... and you'll have to see who else. I'm not spoiling this." He'd picked up her bag as they talked, and still had his hand on her shoulder.
"Great." Rose had no desire to face two of those. "The execution begins early."
"He's got something up his sleeve," Roy said.
"That's not news," Tim replied.
Dick squeezed her shoulder gently. "Think of it as getting the worst of it out of the way first?" as he moved them both towards the jet.
"No, the worst will be Raven." She said it low, and he could hear the effort it was taking her to stay in control of her mind. She continued to walk with him up to the jet though.
"Rae knows what it's like to have someone twist her head up, it'll be okay," he said reassuringly as they walked up into the jet.
Tim twisted around at the first sound of a footstep and he tensed in shock, "Dick?!" He couldn't believe who was standing there, even if she wasn't in the armor... Kon turned and stared, pretty startled himself. The last time he'd seen that hair, she'd been trying to help kill Raven...
Rose looked at each of them with defiance stamped on her features...until she saw Kon. For him, she managed to put aside her own turmoil and give a small smile of surprise. "I see you are like Superman," she said.
Roy felt his chest tighten at seeing the girl he had entrusted his Lian to on numerous occasions, the same girl who had proceeded to try to kill one of his best friends. Mia looked surprised, but saw Dick's hand on her shoulder, and stepped up, to show the archers could be as forgiving. "Hi, Rose."
Kon blinked, then just nodded, "Hey, Rose... you look..."
Dick smiled as Mia stepped up, then looked over her at Roy, expression pleading behind the lenses of the mask. "Geeze, I don't think they heard you in New York, Robin, want to yell a little louder next time?"
Tim had the good grace to flush. "What're you thinking?"
"That what Slade did to her isn't her fault, that she's better, and the Titans are the safest place for Rose to be right now--just like it used to be," he answered his brother.
Roy thought about all they had gone through, all the troubles that had come to them through Deathstroke's children. Then he remembered Lian trusting the girl Rose had been, remembered how good Joey had been. "Rose...welcome home to the Titans," he said, having been the team leader during her stint.
"Hey, you can sit over here, while Dick puts your gear up and gets us going." Mia pointed to the seat closest to her.
Dick relaxed when Roy welcomed her back, //Thank you, god...// He turned to stow her stuff, let her get settled, then headed back to the pilot's seat to send them towards the Tower.
Tim was watching Rose intently... and he saw the guilt in the set of her shoulders and recognized the defiance for the bravado it really was. He wasn't entirely sure about this, but Dick normally knew what he was doing...
"Kon, Tim; why don't you two help me fill Rose in on who all will be there, and what we know so far on what's been going on?" Mia smiled sweetly at Tim specifically; they had spent a bit of the last week learning that exact information.
"I'd...I'd like to know who will be there at least," Rose said, hesitating just slightly at Mia's willingness to be nice to her.
Tim nodded. "Cyborg's awake, don't know if we'll see him, or just hear him. Raven's there, Cassie and Donna are both supposed to be... I think almost everyone left is coming in from the older teams..."
"Starfire is still missing, and Kid Flash...well, he has not replied to the invitations." Mia shook her head. "Even the ones that got hurt have been persuaded to come back in. It's been half a year, and we need to touch base with everyone to try and pull the Titans back together."
Robin nodded. "I tried getting to KF, but he's just not answering. Wish I knew why..."
At the controls, Dick ran his hand over to Roy's arm, leaving her on autopilot to turn towards his mate, listening to the kids.
"How long you had her stashed here?" Roy asked as low as he could."
"We'll get him, Robin. I promise," Mia said. "Come hell or high water, we're putting the Titans back the way they should be."
Rose glanced at the blonde, pretending not to hear Roy. She was surprised at how fierce the new Speedy sounded.
"Since just before the end of the Crisis. Soon as I got her away from Slade I tucked her with Leslie, who's been taking care of her. She got her some help. I've been keeping an ear on things, making sure she's doing okay..."
Robin nodded. "Yeah. Maybe with Kon, you, and I back he'll at least come out..."
Kon studied Mia's fierce expression and nodded. Titan through and through. "He'd better. I'll go drag his butt in if I have to, soon as I can get all the way to Central..."
Rose cocked her head at that admission of weakness, then shook off the old way of thinking. "I might be able to convince him to come... at least to make sure I'm not going to kill anyone," Rose said with a black sense of humor.
Mia giggled. "That might work." She glanced at Tim. "Ya think?"
Roy nodded. "I suppose it is for the best. She really did get worked over, and she was such a good kid."
Dick nodded swiftly. "She's a good girl--you know he shot her up with the same serum that made Grant and Addie crazy, right? It wasn't just him playing headgames..."
Tim studied Rose a moment, then glanced at Mia. "It just might... It's worth keeping in mind, if nothing else works."
Roy nodded. "Might want to see if Dinah would like to take her in a bit too," he said. "Not sure what the deal is, but Rose might actually be safest with her."
Rose read the invisible flow of body language between the other three young ones, and saw something that defied a normal explanation.
Dick nodded slowly. "We'll see how the weekend goes, then I'll call and talk to Dinah if that looks like the best route to take." He'd rather have her with the Titans, getting time with some of the other kids, but Dinah would be good for her, too.
Kon shifted and stretched, rolling his shoulders, then settled one arm around Tim's... and Robin leaned back against it. That made one corner of Rose's mouth smirk up. A bit more of the smirk appeared as she read Mia's face beneath her domino, seeing that the girl was perfectly happy to watch the boys be so close. /
"Yeah. Good idea, and I'm sure things will turn out. She is a Titan, and we don't give up on our own."
"No, we don't. And if I have to smack a few people with that history, I will." //Vic and Raven, anyone?//
Tim wasn't listening to the conversation up ahead, not with any degree of seriousness, too distracted by watching Rose's reactions. "Something amusing, Rose?"
"Yes." Her eye sparkled. "So, world's finest should have couple after it?"
Mia laughed at the white haired girl's reply. Kon started to laugh, and even Tim chuckled softly. "Been getting detective lessons from my big brother?" he asked. "We're not planning on making a big deal out of it, Rose, so if you wouldn't mind..."
Dick shook his head, mouthing 'world's finest couple' in disbelief. He couldn't deny the accuracy, though.
"Oh, I won't noise it around, but you both need to tone down your body language." Rose smiled sweetly, but she did relax somewhat. Roy looked highly amused, mouthing back 'trio' to his lover.
"I know. But if he's," the look towards the front made it obvious, "decided to adopt you, it's not worth the trouble of hiding it. Once we hit the Tower..."
"It's back to best friends, I know," from Kon.
Dick half-choked, and leaned to smack Roy across the back of the head. Roy dodged, and reached over to mess with Dick's hair.
Rose shrugged. "He helped make the mess I was in; only fair he help fix it." The grudging words were a mask; even Mia could see the girl was grateful to Dick.
Tim snorted softly, shaking his head. "Whatever, Rose."
Dick tossed his head, dodging Roy's hand, reaching up to grab it. The elder pair were tied up in playfully aggravating each other as Mia curled her legs under her, resting lightly.
Rose gave an enigmatic smile. "Whatever indeed."
*~*~*~*~
Raven stayed settled in the corner of the main den she'd staked out as hers early on, observing the ebb and flow of the gathered Titans. Donna was the current center of attention, as she was telling some story to Cassie, Gar, Miriam, and Toni. Several of the others were nearby, either listening in or holding their own conversations, Bombshell and Miss Martian among them. Zatarra hadn't been willing to come. Kid devil and the Wonder Twins were milling about, talking to just about everyone--She turned as she felt others arriving, it almost had to be either Roy and Mia or Dick and Tim, but...
The door opening revealed the original Robin and the original Speedy, laughing at some joke they had shared recently.
Raven very carefully hid her smile as Donna's head snapped up and she called to them both, "Hold it, guys!" The smile on her face was many kinds of wicked.
Dick blinked and stopped, wondering what on earth Donna was on about...
"Look up, 'Wing, you're caught," Gar added, not trying in the slightest to avoid grinning like an idiot. This was just too funny.
Dick looked up slowly... then his eyes brightened with gleeful mischief as he looked over at Roy. Roy gave the small decoration a mock stern look, then turned back to Dick. "Tradition, right?" His words indicated the mistletoe; his eyes spoke of them, through the years.
"Bad luck to break them," Dick replied, nodding once as he moved closer, into Roy's space in the doorway...
Raven struggled to keep her expression calm as the emotions from the two of them surged--//oh my. Have they really...//
Donna's eyes went quite wide as they called her challenge, in sincere full flamboyance that just screamed the old days at her.
Younger Titans who had never quite believed had to think to close their eyes, while the older ones shook their heads or smiled, accepting what they were doing as either being about time or an elaborate prank.
Dick just kissed him deeper, giving serious thought to thanking them both later. People would believe or not as they wanted, but it was out in the open, for the first time.
An annoyed voice came from behind the two blocking the doorway, "Nightwing, Arsenal..."
Roy broke first, a promise for more later in his eyes and the way his hand was slow to leave the small of Dick's back where it had settled. "The half pints want to come in too."
"Guess we ought to stop blocking the doorway then, huh? Watch it, brats, the door's booby-trapped." He walked on into the room to go hug Donna, trying not to laugh at the slack-jawed shocked expressions on several faces. //You guys think you're shocked now...//
Robin snorted. "I should've known." Very carefully, he stepped through alone, lifting a hand at Cassie.
Cassie looked at him with the half dead eyes of someone here against her will. Donna hugged him tight, then Roy when the red head stepped close. "About time, you two," Donna murmured softly.
"We know, Wonder Chick," Dick replied, just as soft. "Missed you, beautiful."
"Missed you." She looked briefly at Cassie, who finally walked over to Robin, her shoulders squared as if going to meet her doom.
"Don't worry, Donna. I think this weekend will be good for your kid sister," Roy said in her ear.
As Cassie was walking towards Robin, a voice came through the doors, "You guys started the," and the jeans-clad, S-wearing form of Superboy came through the doors a few inches off the ground, "party without me? Without all of us?" He dropped to the ground, propping a hand against his hip, looking in exasperation at all of them. "Not cool..."
Cassie froze, literally unable to take her eyes off him or move.
Donna hit Roy softly in the arm. "You could have warned me," she said in a low voice.
"I did...told you Cassie'd be better this weekend." He rubbed his arm ruefully.
Around the room everyone started to move, a massive pack descending on the one of their own to return to them. However, respectful of Cassie, they waited; Kon had been her teammember, and more if rumors had flown right.
"Hey, Cassie," he said to her softly, walking to her. "It's okay... It's me." He reached toward her slowly, focused on her for now, and trusting Tim to be okay with it.
Raven stared, looking at him with more than normal sight, focused on his heart and soul... and the familiar, young soul she saw was purely Kon's. //He's back...// She wanted to weep for joy--that they'd had one of their own given back was almost more than she could take. She didn't understand how in the slightest, but right now, buoyed in the joy of the combined teams, it was difficult to care.
Cassie reached out and touched his face, as if to reassure herself she wasn't seeing a ghost. "You're real..."
Tim stood nearby, standard Robin pose, watching without any show of emotion.
"Yeah, Cassie, I'm real... It's okay, Cassie, it's okay..." He settled his hand on her shoulder, sliding it towards the back of her neck gently, "I'm here..."
Nightwing watched them, head tilting in concern. Kon sounded... not quite like his brother's lover ought to. Roy tapped his hand, sliding closer to him. He was watching too, but with less concern; he had a feeling that Cassie was as much a concern for Tim as for Kon, but it was Kon who had to settle her down, and redefine things. He knew what it was like, to be faced with a dead lover returned, and how feelings you had held onto might not be the right feelings once they came back.
"Why don't you two go sit down and talk?" Jesse suggested. "We can all get the story from you later, Superboy."
Kon nodded. "C'mon, Cassie," he tugged at her, trying to get her to move with him. Out from under everyone's eyes sounded like a good thing.
Dick turned slightly, looking a question at Roy about the touch...
"Nothing's gonna hurt them," Roy murmured softly. "See?" He pointed out Tim, who was not following Kon with his eyes, looking instead toward the door.
As Tim glanced to the door, even though most people were watching Kon lead a shaken Cassie away for a talk, Mia finally made her entrance...with one hand on Rose's shoulder.
Dick moved that way, intent on being between Rose and some of the more... volatile personalities in the room before anything could happen.
The determination and suppressed fear in the air caught Raven's attention and she looked back towards the doorway--and she came to her feet with a low hiss as the girl that had tried to kill her came through the door at Speedy's side.
"Go on," Mia encouraged the other girl, and Rose turned to fully face Raven.
"Raven..." she began. "I'm asking you for permission to come home, to try and..." She faltered, and Mia squeezed her shoulder. She brought her chin up, refusing to look weak in the stares of hatred and fear coming at her. "To try and prove I'm a Titan, no matter what the past says of me."
Dick blinked behind the mask, startled and proud of her, and stood at her other side, glaring down some of the Titans, while he waited for Raven's answer. //Come on, Rae. Don't you dare slap her down.//
Raven stopped, looking intently at her, listening to her heart and those emotions... The girl was different, there was nothing of the wild insanity that had burned in her the last time they'd met... //I don't trust her, even still... (you trusted Joey, despite that he was Slade's son.) She turned on all--(and you didn't? Vic didn't?) She was insane, brainwashed... How can I not let her come back?//
The silence dragged on as she thought, and a sudden lance of powerful anger slammed against her shields... not from Rose, but from the man beside her. She looked at him, saw everything she was thinking written in the set of his body, the lines of his face that were shifting from anger to disappointment in her... "You're not the first Titan to have a father drive them mad, Rose... and we don't turn away our family when they need our help. You don't need my permission, you're already home. Welcome back."
There was a collective release of breath in the room, and then Mia let go of Rose's shoulder. It had taken a lot longer than Mia liked to get Rose calmed back down and help her find the right way to approach Raven.
Rose smiled slightly at Dick to show she appreciated it, then glanced around to see most, if not all would not be quick to accept her, even if Raven, the one she had wronged the worst, had said it was okay.
Dick ruffled her hair gently, smiling at her--a not-subtle attempt to knock through the skulls of most of them that she was under his protection--then went to talk to Raven. "Well done, Rae," he said to her softly.
She looked up at him, her violet eyes dark. "You had better be right about her, Nightwing..."
"I am, Raven. You said it yourself... she's not the first Titan to turn on us and come back home."
"She wouldn't be the first Titan Slade's used as a traitor, either," Donna said from behind his shoulder.
"Donna Troy. Rose was insane when she put on the Ravager mask. Does that ring any bells?"
Donna flushed. "Still, none of his children ended well, or on our side," she reminded him. "But...if you feel we should, I'll back you."
"Damn straight," Roy said from his spot beside Donna. "I've got no doubts that we could have problems. But once a Titan, always a Titan, psychotic fathers and drugs and insanity aside."
Dick nodded sharply. "Back her, Donna, not me, she's going to need it."
Raven suddenly frowned and slid around them, trying to put herself between Rose and Gar before they could get too close, moving quickly through the few Titans between her and them.
"Oh, damn," Dick said softly, seeing that disaster brewing. //Vic, bud, where are you?//
Mia slipped between the pair as well, her jaw set under the mask. "Beast Boy..." she began. "Please...let's let the weekend speak for her." She tried to radiate calm to the angry changeling.
The crowd milled apart as Vic appeared, going straight to his best friend to head off the first fight that was already brewing. It wasn't a Titans gathering until someone lost their temper, but this was too quick.
Robin had been keeping an eye on the corner with Kon and Cassie, and so was slower to get over to the problem between Rose and Gar. "Hey Vic. Good to see you up and moving..."
Dick seconded that, and couldn't wait for the chance to tell him so, but right now so wasn't the time.
Mia did not take her eyes from Gar's at all, until he slowly stopped bristling, never having said a word. The fact he was not chatty said volumes, before he stalked away.
"Thanks," Vic said. "It's not perfect, but now I can work on rebuilding it myself," he added.
"We tried," the twins chorused as Vic followed Gar to calm him down.
Dick watched that, shaking his head slightly, "I knew that wasn't going to go well, but I didn't think he was going to be this pissed," softly to Roy.
"He's just a bit protective of Rae...I mean, he followed her to the brink of the afterlife and squared off against Grant there," Roy reminded him.
Mia turned back to Rose. "We still cool?" she asked, knowing Rose would have preferred to fight her own battle.
"Yes." Rose gave a half smile, then she drew in a deep breath to get her own bearings.
Dick nodded, "True enough. Time for us to go mingle, I think, answer some of the questions..." //And check on Tim.//
Mia seemed to be keeping up with Rose, but her eyes kept scanning back to Tim and Kon from time to time. Rose found it amusing, as it distracted her from the cold shoulders she was getting from almost everyone.
"Questions? No one said anything about questions," Roy teased, following after him.
Donna watched in amusement, before looking toward Cassie, just to be safe.
Cassie had calmed enough under Kon's reassurances on how he had come back, and that he wasn't going to vanish as so many of her waking dreams had tormented her.
Dick rolled his eyes, amused, and headed off into the milling Titans, handling questions about Kon, about Rose... and just grinning and shaking his head at any and all questions related to him and Roy.
Kon was just trying to keep her calm and get her settled... this wasn't like her. She was generally all temper and passion, this kind of... numbness in her frankly scared him. Tim finally decided he'd left them alone long enough and moved quietly over to actually check on them, questioning Kon with his eyes.
"Kon," Cassie said softly. "I'm...very happy you're back." She looked down, biting her lip. "But...I've been living on New Paradise," she began. "And..."
Tim could read the tension building, as acceptance of Kon's return replaced the shock.
Kon tilted his head at her, "Yeah, Cassie? What's up?"
She met his eyes slowly. "I was in love with you. Still am, to a degree...but things do change, and there's this... person, who's been trying to help me. I saw you, and it was like I was right back there under that tower, with you laying there, but once I move past that...."
Kon nodded once, surprised by how much hearing almost the same words he'd been planning to say coming from her hurt. "It's not the same anymore. You're not that girl, and I'm not, quite, that guy. It's okay, Cassie."
She breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank the gods." She took his hand in hers. "I know. And...well, now I don't have to be mad at Donna for dragging me here this weekend."
Tim was... extremely relieved that he wasn't going to have to fight Cassie over Kon. He hadn't been looking forward to that.
Kon wrapped his hand around hers, then pulled her close again. "I'm so glad you're okay, Cassie. Why were you--oh. Yeah." He winced, remembering what she'd said when Donna died. "Glad you're not gonna stay pissed at her, too."
Cassie laughed very softly, like it was something she hadn't done in awhile. "No, not that, Kon. I didn't want to leave...my friend."
"Really attached, huh?" Okay, some days he was a big dork, but it'd made sense... "Good for you. She pretty?"
Tim barely bit back the low groan. //KON...// Cassie flushed pink across the cheeks, obviously not yet comfortable with having a girlfriend. "Yeah, she is." She hugged him tight.
"Cool." Kon was obviously fine with it. "Donna already given her the "hurt her and..." lecture?"
Tim snorted and walked around the couch. "Kon, leave Cassie alone about it, huh? Hi, Cassie."
Tim got a smile from her, the first real one she had turned his way since before everything went to hell. "Hi, Tim. Kinda weird to see everyone in costume and masks, and yet most of us know each other so well."
He dropped to the floor beside the couch, looking up at her. "Yeah, it kinda is. I wouldn't be surprised to see little groups take over various rooms and throw their own parties before the weekend's over, so the masks can come off."
Kon rolled his eyes at Tim. "What, I can't want to check up on one of my best friends?"
Cassie rested a hand on Tim's hair, playing with it idly as she was distracted by seeing him at peace. "It's okay. Just still not used to it, and Donna would kill me if she knew who it was."
"Just remind her it could always be Rose," Tim replied, actually letting her get away with trying to disarray his hair, "and I think she'll calm down pretty quickly. "
Cassie nodded. "Yeah, probably."
Kon was surprised he was letting Cassie play with his hair, but didn't care. Now if only Bart was there, everything'd be fine...
Slowly Cassie realized who had been mentioned and looked at Tim, confused. "Thought she vanished in all that ...Crisis. I'd say good riddance, but I don't even want to give her that much consideration."
Tim snorted. "Be nice. She's..." he sat up slightly, looking for Mia, and found Rose's hair right next to her. "Over with Speedy, talking to... Kid Devil. Took me a second."
Cassie's face twisted from confused to angry. "The little witch is here?!"
"Be nice, I said," Robin told her. "Nightwing's already glared Raven into playing nice and bitched out Donna, I'd rather not have him make it two for two with the Wonder Girls. Rose's better. I'm not quite sure how far I trust her, yet, but she deserves the chance, Cassie."
Cassie started to open her mouth, then remembered who she was sitting next to, and nodded instead. "You're right, as usual."
Tim nodded once. "So, what's life like on New Paradise? I haven't heard anything out of you in months."
Kon settled in to listen to them, ears open to the whole of the Titans. Once the others saw Robin over there and Cassie moved somewhat away from him, they dropped by in ones and twos to welcome him back.
*~*~*~*
The Speed Force was getting to be a crowded place. Barry had come to terms with the fact he himself was the Speed Force, circling endlessly in time, touching everything, all times at once early on after taking on the burden of beating the Crisis. Even with that concept, the part of him that was still Barry the man had not truly decided to do something about his lot until his former protege showed up. Max had been good company, and Johnny til the latter moved on to some other existence, but having his protege there had rattled Barry. Wally was too young to be lost. And when Barry had a problem, he typically solved it. Gathering up Iris and Linda and the twins had been more difficult, as the women did not tap the Force, but Wally had helped. Wally had pointed out the key to it all as well, showing Barry that overloading Bart with the Speed Force was likely the way to go.
And Max had insisted all along that he would remain, would be the one to ride the lightning, and insure that there would always be a Flash to save the universe. As he had put it, he was too old, too cranky to go back now that he was at rest.
Wally hadn't argued with Max, not when he was so determined, distracted as he was by his wife and children and his worry for everyone outside... He was still the impatient kind. "Are we ready to do this?" He asked Barry.
"Yes...we are." Barry smiled. "You grab the boy, and I'll guide the lightning."
Wally... reached, tapping through the connection still in Bart's blood, throwing most of what he had into dragging the youngest speedster in with them despite the world itself fighting him... //Come on!//
There was a slight wrenching within them all, as he managed to drag the youngest speedster in. Bart felt the pure rush of speed in every fiber of his being, and saw both Wally and Barry, with their ladies, and Wally's children. He was also having to look up at them, as the return to the speed force stripped away the artificial aging that had pushed Bart to adulthood too soon.
"Hey Bart," Wally said, "Things are about to get a little wild, hang on..."
"Whoa," Bart said, staring at his younger hands in amazement.
"Here it goes...found one of them..." Barry said under his breath, concentrating hard on breaking the energy just right. Bart's sudden addition to the Speed Force had it just at the overload point, and he could use that.
Dinah snuggled under Ollie's arm as they walked slowly toward the Needle. They had enjoyed the early part of the night, pleased the date was a costumed affair, as they had gotten to practice their skills on some toughs trying to ruin New Years. Neither of them had truly broken a sweat, but it was nice to wander the town where they had almost been perfect.
"Look," Ollie murmured, pointing to a streak of lightning in the night sky, clear for once.
"That's odd," Dinah said, just before a second bolt arced through the air, even closer to them.
"Be good, kid," Max told Bart sharply, ruffling that wild cap of hair before he lost the chance.
Wally tensed, hand tightening on Linda's arm as the entire Speed Force reacted to Barry's will...
"I will Max...missed you, but I know where you are," Bart said impudently.
"I'm not going anywhere without you, Wally West," Linda said, her own hands resting on the twins. Iris reached out to take Bart's hand, just before their world abruptly shattered.
Ollie could smell the ozone sharply as every hair on his body rose. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on Dinah just before the loud crash of noise and burning air accompanied a final bolt, this one straight down to the ground, leaving behind a huge scorch mark on the asphalt. Nor was that all, as Ollie's eyes slowly took in the scene.
Dinah tensed, expecting to have to fight some new menace, before she processed sight of Wally, surrounded by Linda and two small children. She looked beyond them, and her heart started to hammer, seeing a small form that was recognizably Bart, at his age from before the Crisis, holding the hand of a woman she had known, envied, and even loved as a part of another man's life. She was taking in the presence of a seventh person, but she hardly dared hope...
"Nnngh..." Wally shook his head hard, trying to settle the spinning, then looked around, wondering where they, "Seattle? Why Seattle?" He dropped to check on his kids, hands sliding over both of them, having seen that Linda was fine.
"For her," Barry said. "The only one of my team I could get us too...Dinah?!"
The shock of seeing that it really was Barry hit Dinah harder than any other return; he'd been gone for so long. Ollie had to catch her and ease her down as the speedster zipped to their side.
"Hell of an entrance, Bare...but could you not make my girl fall down like that?" Ollie said, just as shocked, but coping better. "Hiya, Iris."
"Hello, Arrow," the woman said with a smile, walking over slowly.
"Oh damn....I mean, shoot..." Bart looked positively frazzled. "Great seeing you but I gotta go!" He vanished, then reappeared next to Wally, grabbing his wrist. "Come on, Titan's All Call!"
Dinah looked up into two concerned faces, and slowly shook herself to a clearer frame of mind. "Barry, it's really you?!"
"What, on New Year's, hell! I've got the kids to try and get home, Bart, you go, I'll be right behind you..."
"Wally, we'll be fine," Linda said. "We're home, honey...just go!"
"Yeah, just go," Bart said impatiently.
"Yes, Dinah. I'm really back," Barry said. "Got tired of Wally complaining about the lack of burgers." That drew a weak laugh from her, before she accepted Ollie's help in standing. She looked at Iris, smiling even more. "Welcome home," she said, before she and both Allens managed a hug amidst laughter and relieved tears. Ollie shook his head, trying to process it all, before he went over to Iris and the kids, crouching to be on their level.
"Hey there," he greeted before looking up at Linda. "Lovely as ever, Linda."
"Okay, okay, what's the problem?" Wally asked, hanging on to Impulse to keep him still a minute, even as he leaned to kiss Linda.
"Big New years' party...Vic was pretty miffed I wasn't going! Now hurry up; be mushy husband guy later!" Bart tugged as Linda returned the kiss with a smile.
"Have fun." She then looked at the Ollie as he successfully charmed her children. "And you haven't changed a bit, rogue," she told the archer.
Dinah got herself completely together and looked at the gathering of civilians forming well out of range. "Jay's house is likely the best place to try and get you all situated; I have a plane at a local air strip," she offered.
Wally growled softly, then nodded. "Come on, kid, race you there!" He let go and took off, running for the Tower at as much of his speed as he felt safe using.
Bart, true to his first name, was more impulsive with his use of the speed running through him freely now.
"Good idea, though I would have expected him to be the one with the plane." Barry cocked his head back at Ollie.
Dinah shook her head, smiling. "I've changed the way I work a bit," she said. "Canary to Lady B," she said as she cut her transmitter on. "Hate to break up you breaking hearts, Lady B, but I've got a need for wings...six plus me."
"That's okay, Canary...this town thinks coffee outranks liquor," Zinda replied on the receivers. "See you at the strip."
Ollie straightened up. "I could have buzzed Hal," he offered.
"Except he's gone right now," Barry said. "Siberia, from what I could tell."
*~*~*~
Inside the Tower, everyone was gathering around to watch the Ball drop on the East Coast, and various drinks were coming out. The usual toast was always after the ball dropped, and the younger Titans were happily yelling the count, "Nine, Eight, Seven.."
Kon, Tim, Cassie, Mia, and by default, Rose, had a small grouping going on, while Donna and Roy stood with Dick. Both Raven and Vic were with Gar, keeping his bristling to a mimimum, and there were various other groupings all over the room, as Titans banded together along old patterns. The new ones, the ones that had been trying since the Crisis were floating, trying to make it look like they belonged.
"Two, One..." Nightwing flicked the sound off on the TV as the shriek of Happy New Year went up in Time's Square, "To ab--" the voices of everyone that knew joined him, "--sent friends, until you--"
The doors opened rather roughly, and a yellow-ish blur zipped in. "Yes!"
"--return!" came the tale end of the toast, even as people turned to see Kid Flash had arrived.
Four voices shrieked, "BART?!" In stereo and Rose got left behind as Kon, Cassie, Tim and Mia headed for the doorway.
Just behind him, a taller figure in the full red whipped around the corner, "Hey, guys--aw, man, we missed--"
"Flash?"
"Fleetfeet?"
"Wally?!"
Nightwing dropped remote and glass to whip around and vault the couch, Donna passing him up as she ran across the room, but he was still right behind her as they reached him.
Roy barely fell behind them, as he followed. When he reached them, his arms were squeezing everyone together as the original Titans, minus one, reunited.
Bart stared up at Kon. "Whoa. ThoughtIwasdreaminggotmyspeedbackmeback andnow...you'rehere,Kon!" It all came out much to fast to decipher, but the hug he grabbed Kon up in spoke for itself.
Kon held him tight, "Hey, KF, slow it down, huh? I can't hear as fast as you're yakking..."
Robin--in echo of his elder brother--wrapped around both of them tight, and the girls shoved in to find ways to hold on, voices falling over each others'.
"God, Fleetfeet," Dick breathed against his ear, holding on. "Welcome back."
"Good to be back, man... C'mon, guys, I can't breathe..."
"Tough," Donna told him and hugged him harder.
Mia caught Tim's eye, reminding him of her comments earlier that they'd get Bart back, amused she had been proved right so soon. Cassie squeezed everyone she could reach, trying hard not to drip tears of joy again.
"Get used to it, Wally," Roy said, laughing. "We've all damn well learned the lesson of showing what we feel," he joked.
A low cough came from behind the eldest Titans. "Ahem. The rest of us would like to say hello..." Raven's voice was dark with amusement as she waited for one of them to get out of the way, arms crossed over her chest.
Tim grinned back at her, a much more Tim-than-Robin smile, as he held on to Bart and Cassie.
Wally blinked, tilting his head at Roy, then Dick slowly moved out of the way for Raven to say hello--and everyone stared as Raven hugged Wally. "Welcome back."
"Umm...thanks." Wally thought of the history between them...and decided it did not matter. He hugged her tightly, knowing what an effort it was to let herself be tactile or affectionate at all. She nodded sharply and slid back out of his arms, getting out of the way for the rest of the mob. The others followed in the opening that had been made, as the elder Titans welcomed Wally home.
The younger members and hopeful members gravitated to the former Young Justice, making Cassie smack her forehead. "Phone! Have to call Greta and Cissie and 'Nita!" She felt Mia slip a cell into her hand and nodded in thanks before going to call all three girls.
Kon ruffled Bart's hair, holding him close. "I was gonna come drag your butt home if you kept staying away."
Tim looked after Cassie, "Bart, I think you're going to be running around very shortly, the girls are going to want to see you and Kon for themselves..."
Mia perked up even more at that; she had heard much about the former Arrowette but not met her yet.
"Don't mind that...be back in a second," he said, starting out the door to go get Greta first, without waiting for Cassie's calls.
Tim looked after him, expression... a little startled. "I.. think we got Impulse back, guys..."
Kon nodded. "You might be right..."
"That's good right?" Mia asked, smiling.
Tim and Kon turned identical looks on her, a mix of concern, pleasure, and nervousness. Tim spoke up first. "It's both. Impulse is... Impulse, and that can make life difficult, but with what happened to make him Kid Flash..."
"It was weird," Kon nodded. "Good to have Imp back."
Mia shrugged, and grinned as the boy in question showed up with a younger teen Mia slowly placed as being the former ghost, Secret.
"Cassie?" Bart asked.
"Cissie next!" Wondergirl called, and Bart zipped off to steal Cissie away. Greta's response had been so fun; Cassie had not yet called her, so it had surprised her to be whisked from her bedroom by Bart.
Tim walked over to Greta, Kon at his shoulder. "Hey, Greta. Been a while."
Kon just smiled at her, waiting for the reaction to hit. Raven was watching them, shaking her head slightly. She, too, could see the change in Bart... and she dreaded seeing what he might do now. Which didn't change the fact that she was overjoyed to have him back in the slightest.
Greta took in Kon, looked with wide eyes at Mia and Tim flanking him, as if their presence proved she had not slipped back to the incorporeal form, and then flung herself at him, arms wrapped around his waist. "Oh Kon!!!!"
Cassie laughed as Cissie yelped over the phone in her ear. "Incoming!" she warned, hanging up to dial Anita quickly.
Kon pulled her tight, "Hey, Greta. Sorry I didn't get a Christmas present to you..." He petted her hair, trying to tell her everything was okay. Tim just stayed close, watching some of the other teens eying her warily, and just shook his head at them.
Greta peeled herself off Kon, just as Bart's trademark wind ruffled them, and Cissie appeared next to her with a blur.
"That was no Kid Flash," Cissie said, before looking evenly at Kon. "And I knew you'd be back." She smiled at him.
"You're probably right, Cissie," Tim agreed. "Good to see you. Cissie King-Jones, meet Speedy. Speedy, meet the former Arrowette." //PLEASE play nice!// his expression begged them both.
Kon grinned at her. "Had faith, huh? Thanks, Cissie."
Cissie appraised the other teen archer with a neutral face. "I hear you do pretty good things in Star City," she finally said. "My Mom's from there."
"Yeah...kinda got the four one one on that from the other Speedy," Mia said with a friendly tone. "I'd really like to watch you shoot one day, Cissie...I saw the footage from the Olympics, and you have a slight difference in your draw that might help me."
The former Arrowette could not help but look pleased and flattered. "I think I'd like that," the Young Justice archer said warmly. Cassie came back on the tail end of that, and looked impressed. She had not realized in their previous team ups, just what a natural Mia was at smoothing feathers.
Tim's shoulders eased as Mia managed to say just the right thing to Cissie, and he relaxed. He hated getting in the middle of fights between girls, especially when he had ties to them both. Nice to know he wasn't going to have to tonight. He looked around, running a quick count, "And the archers currently outnumber every other 'clan' in the room... That's a new one."
Kon, too, had relaxed when Mia and Cissie apparently decided to play nice. "You get to 'Nita before Bart did, Cassie?"
"He's there with her now...they have to get babysitters for her parents."
Mia moved back from the Young Justice Crowd as Greta and Cissie settled close in with
the boys and Cassie to talk. She wound up back by Rose, just watching and observing.
"You're a lot like the younger Arrow, aren't you?" Rose asked, having also been watching everyone. "I heard he's good at making people get along."
Mia rolled her eyes. "Only because he won't argue with anyone," Mia said, smiling when Bart and Anita did arrive. The magic-using fighter did not stop with a hug; Kon got kissed on both cheeks, his neck almost wrung by the tight hug Anita gave.
"Heeey, 'Nita. How're the brat-parents?" as he held her every bit as tight. "Good to see you, girl."
Tim settled in, then flicked a long look back to check on Mia, making sure she was okay.
When he looked back, Rose had her head bent down near Mia's and they seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation.
"The two of them getting bigger, mon," Anita said, before she hugged everyone else, even Tim. Tim had turned just in time to hug her back, and since Mia looked like she was fine, he started working on catching up with his team, watching Bart to see if he was actually right.
Bart managed to stay with them, mostly, for all the getting reacquainted, then zipped all around the room, talking to everyone and anyone. There was very little of the geeky book referencing going on, either.
Wally noticed the behavior, and frowned, earning him a hard poke from Roy.
"Let him be a kid," the red head said. "God knows we let out own childhood escape us."
Dick was equally ready to smack Wally if he had to, but Roy seemed to be doing fine for the moment. Wally started to protest, then thought of everything Jay and Max had ever told him...and he knew, somehow, Barry would not approve if he kept pushing Bart. "You're right...let him enjoy it...he almost lost all the steps in between."
Dick reached over and ruffled that red hair lightly, nodding. "Not like you never did anything stupid, Fleetfeet... He'll grow out of it on his own, just like you did--or at least, most of the time I think you did."
Wally rolled his eyes at Dick, then grinned. "We all did." He flashed a wicked smile at Donna. "Right, miss Priss?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," the former Wonder Girl said, but a blush did cross her cheeks.
Dick laughed, low and rolling as Donna flushed, and the sound carried through the room. The younger Titans looked curiously, and the rest of the elders smiles broadened slightly--too damn long since they'd heard that laugh, so good to hear it...
*~*~*~*~
It had been a short ride by cab from the Aerie One to Jay's house, using two taxis. Barry did not have as much trouble being still as his younger succesors did. Dinah made everyone stand behind her, out of sight of the door, as she knocked. She was glad she had, as Joan answered. "Hi, Aunt Joan. Is Uncle Jay in?" She used the familial words to reassure Joan that, despite her costume, it was not business.
"He'd got a bad headache, dear, but he's always available."
"You should be warned...we got back a few heroes tonight," Dinah said, letting Joan steel herself. The older woman looked surprised, and cautiously joyed as Dinah led in the Allens and the Wests, Ollie bringing up the rear.
"Ma'am," Barry said to the elder lady of the Flash family.
"Oh my," Joan whispered.
Ollie hung back, but he kept a close eye on his lady. That almost-faint had rattled him, it wasn't like her.
Dinah led them all into the living room, as Iris took Joan's arm and reassured her it was al real, that Barry had found the way.
Jay looked up to see the invasion into his home, and every feeling of miserable pain died away, seeing Barry there, surrounded by family. "By god, boy, that was you that gave me that headache," he said, standing from his chair.
Barry crossed the floor, clasping hands with him. "Afraid so, Jay...and I come begging. Dinah thought you and Joan might put our families up for now, until we...well, until we figure out how to be part of society again."
"Of course you'll stay!" Joan said. "Oh, Linda, what angels...let's get them to bed, show you the rooms you can have." Joan went to pick up a child, but Iris and Linda both beat her to it, not letting her strain her back. They followed her upstairs, leaving the heroes to talk.
Ollie moved close to Dinah once they were into the house, having said his own hello to Joan. "Evening, Jay. Bare threw us for a loop, falling in front of us like that..."
"I can imagine, Arrow." Jay shook his head, smiling fiercely. "Wally too, I take it?"
"Yes," Dinah said. "And I think you and Joan may need to pull Bart's things out of the attic, Uncle Jay." Dinah's eyes sparkled. "He's a kid again."
Jay stared at her, then back to Barry, who smiled. "It's amazing what the Speed Force can do if you're real careful with it," he said.
Ollie just shook his head, "Days like this I'm glad I'm just a plain old human," he said softly, feeling slightly out of place... but that was probably more because of Dinah's relationship with Jay and Joan than anything.
In answer, Dinah turned fully into his body, moving close and laying her head on his shoulder. "So speaks the back from the dead, ten years younger archer," she murmured, uncaring that Jay's eyebrow had risen at that open display of affection between his honorary niece and the man who had been the cause of her greatest heartache.
"Seems I've got a lot to catch up on." Barry said it with a rueful grin.
Ollie slipped a hand to the small of her back, shrugging. "Not my fault, not my idea," he replied idly, then looked over at Barry. "Yeah. You do, but that's okay. We'll catch you up."
"Sure you will, Ollie." Barry settled in a chair that Jay indicated. "Right now, I get the distinct feeling Dinah would like to continue what ever I interrupted."
"Barry!" Dinah said, blushing like a schoolgirl, earning a chuckle from Jay and Barry.
"Oliver Queen," Jay began, his voice a little more stern as he leveled the concerned uncle gaze on the man. "I suggest you be mighty careful with her."
"Jay!" Now Dinah was mortified, hiding her face into Ollie's shoulder.
Ollie looked back at him, eyes level--he deserved that. God, did he ever desrve that. "Planning on it, Jay," then he returned his attention to Dinah, "Easy, pretty bird. I earned that one."
"Come on before he gets a shotgun out or something equally patriarchal," Dinah said. "It's not Seattle, but I think we still have a few minutes to find the perfect spot before midnight hits there, and we can pretend," she said, holding onto Ollie's hand and pulling him toward the door.
Ollie chuckled softly, letting her drag him towards the door. "We'll catch you tomorrow?" he asked Barry.
"If I don't catch you first," Barry told him. "Be good, Dinah."
"I always am, Barry," she purred, before dragging her lover out of Jay's house. Ollie did not comment on that, smiling at the back of her head as he flicked a goodbye at them both and pulled the door shut behind them.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-01 01:36 am (UTC)Thank you!
I love his nickname for Tim, it just fits so wonderfully.
It does, doesn't it?
Yay! Rose!
Yena did it!!! FTW!!!
well, have hope of winning anyway.
Well, yeah….
I love the interactions between all the teens. Love Mia and her trust that Dick wouldn't bring someone who would kill them in the air in the plane, and Tim and Roy not being so sure, but willing to give her a chance.
Yes, I did enjoy the interaction, the cross up of everything between the four.
Oh, god, you mean we're going to have to get Cass back to figure the trio out?
Who said Cass went away?
They are so cute together.
And still confusing the hell out of me.
Roy, you're so bad.
And so good at it.
I love them being in such a playful mood together, although I'm seriously hoping the jet is on autopilot.
Is. *eyes fic, could have sworn that detail was written…*
Ever the showmen.
Very much indeed.
Surprise!!!Ah, SB, the party can't start without you, they were just getting warmed up.
True…good way to look at it.
Tim, baby, your home, your safe, they actually do know Robin is human, smile sweety.
Yes…but all is right in his world when he is Robin.
I love protective older brother Nightwing. He's so refreshing.
Yes he is…I love him muchly!!!!
And that's chocolate icing on the cake. Protective Nightwing going to bat for Rose as well.
He took full responsibility for her, apparently…and she is letting him.
purrfect. Just perfect.
Mia sweated while Rose said it….
That's the Titans I know and love. Well done, loved Raven. So good.
Yena is of the awesome with most Titans…but Raven is hers and hers through and through.
A)Beast boy angry=scary.
I agree.
B)Is losing thier temper like swiming, have to wait at least a half an hour after everyone arrives before going at it?
He just did not expect tempers to fray before midnight.
Glad there wasn't any fuss between Kon and Cassie and breaking it off. Glad Cassie found someone, that's a load off. Made me laugh when Kon offered to give the shovel talk. He does have that right.
I was so glad it worked so well, to be honest. The cassie relationship came last minute.