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empressofthelibrary · 1 year

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prompt meme: Bailey x Dick

when a character is taken hostage by the antagonist, and their lover goes absolutely ballistic, doing everything in their power to protect their lover, and the antagonist has to restrain them, but it doesn't stop this character from trying to get to their lover, doesn’t matter what happens to them, doesn’t matter if they get beaten as long as their lover's safe

asdfkf I had meant that reblog more as trope appreciation but that's just too good to pass up tbh

I could go so silly with this, but I won't. I'm gonna do this right

---

It’s been two months and this is so goddamn huge I’m thinking about posting it to ao3 and linking to save everyone’s dashboards good freakin’ mike

Tagging @weirdfishy @amodnamedmel and @hollyjollydjarins because this will already ping Lavie and that’s the taglist I remember

A word of forewarning, Dear Reader. If you have been following Bailey’s story up until this point, you’ll know this is far, far ahead of where she is now. This is a glance into a potential future, something that might be. And what you see herein, some of these events may come to pass, and some of them may not. The ones that do, almost certainly, will not happen in quite this way. The future is always in flux, after all.

So go, and enjoy the trip, but consider this something of a spoiler warning, and something of a caution sign. Parts of this may not make full sense without full context, but that will come in time.

Bailey grinned as she walked down the sidewalk, groceries in hand. Autumn leaves tumbled down from the trees, and the air was alive with the promise of an approaching thunderstorm. It was a mid-October Friday in Central City and she couldn’t feel more alive.

Her boyfriend was coming over for dinner. Her boyfriend.

Bailey skipped a few steps and giggled, twirling. It was still genuinely hard to believe she was dating anyone, let alone Richard Grayson, of all people. Nightwing. Vigilante, hero, leader, pillar of the caped community, friend and inspiration to so many people, in and out of the mask. …And gorgeous as hell to boot.

And he’d picked her. A nobody from a two-horse town in the hills, stumbling her way through one mistake after another. Trying her damndest to live up to the world of legend she’d tripped and fallen into a couple of years ago. A guy who should be astronomically far out of her league… Saw her as someone worth seeing.

Bailey paused to lean against a wall, pressing a hand to her sternum as the thought set her heart racing, butterflies zipping yellow-gold through her veins. She bit her lip to stifle another excited laugh, bouncing on the balls of her feet. He was hers. He was hers! And she was gonna prove she was worth it.

Bailey bounded up the stairs to her apartment, determination and joy spurring her along. Chicken and dumplings, baked potatoes, and a bottle of apple cider might not be anything wildly fancy, Bailey thought, but I did warn him I’m not much of a cook. And, she added with a smile, setting the ingredients out and swapping the chicken for the cider in the fridge, the chocolate-cinnamon cookies are gonna add something special.

Bailey turned the music on, bopping around the kitchen as she cooked. She had just enough time to get things ready by the time Dick was due at six. She’d cut it close, but that meant the food would be good and hot when he got here.

Bailey broke into a grin again, nose scrunching as she smiled down at the celery on her cutting board. “I don’t care if Monday’s blue,” the radio crooned, and Bailey jumped in, swaying and bouncing along.

“Tuesday’s gray and Wednesday too,” her voice rose to nearly cover the music. She knew she sounded bad, but she didn’t much care. “Thursday I don’t care ‘bout you, it’s Friday, I’m in love…” She swept the celery into the pot with a flourish, watching it join the onions and chicken. “Monday you can fall apart, Tuesday-Wednesday break-my-heart…”

Bailey closed her eyes and drummed her fingers on the counter, trying to quell the nervous joy that had her wanting to run around the apartment and scream. I’m gonna tell him. Tonight’s the night; I’m gonna say it out loud. She bit her lip at the thought, stomach flipping. I’m sure he knows – hell, he probably knew before I finally figured it out and that was, oh jeez, almost a year ago holy shit. But I’m gonna say it. Finally. Lanos was staying with Kyle for the weekend, after all, out in Metropolis. They’d have the apartment to themselves, nobody to intrude on the moment. It was the perfect chance, and she was gonna take it.

That was when her phone rang – “I got chills! They're multiplyin'~"

Bailey turned the radio off and snagged the phone, grinning. “Hey, Birdie. I was just thinkin’ about you. You on your way?”

The voice that answered wasn’t Dick’s. “Unfortunately, Lady Sikri, your betrothed is going to be delayed.”

Bailey felt her blood run cold. That voice, with its hollow cheer, still haunted her nightmares. “...Arvak Rul?” Memories of fire and pain, of dying, swirled at the edges of her mind.

Arin laughed. “Oh, you honor me, Lady, remembering me.”

“You’re dead.” Bailey swallowed hard. This wasn’t happening. “You’re dead. I killed you.” This couldn’t happen.

“And so allowed my rebirth in your holy flames,” Arvak smiled. “You have blessed me greatly, Lady Sikri, and I shall continue to serve with grateful devotion.”

"I don't want your devotion," Bailey hissed. "I want you to die and stay dead."

Arvak clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Still trapped by your mortal shell, I see. But you will defeat her, my Lady. I will keep the faith."

"I'm going to kill you again," Bailey replied, her voice cold and dangerous as it finally sank in why he’d been the one to answer. "And if you've so much as touched him –"

Arvak's laugh splashed cold water down Bailey's spine. "Lady Sikri, I would never trust your… pet to anyone else. But if you wish to see his condition for yourself, you would honor us ."

"Where." The question felt so sharp with fury that Bailey could almost taste blood in her throat.

"The temple. I trust you have access to an ultrawarp drive."

Bailey was taking off from the balcony before she knew she'd reached it, wings beating behind her, bearing her aloft. How dare they use him to get to her like this. How dare it work. Bailey knew she was playing right into the Everburning's hands, but what other option did she have?

They had her Bluebird. He was in danger because of her. Because she loved him. And wasn't that just a kick in the teeth?

She'd spent so long afraid to love him, so sure she’d hurt him. So sure he’d hurt her. And now…

This was all her fault. Dick had been caught in the crossfire. He was hurt, maybe dying, maybe already –

No. No, Arvak wouldn't do that. He was too smart. He knew that, if Dick was dead, there was nothing in heaven or earth that could stop Bailey from personally hunting down every single one of the Everburning and taking them out. She'd leave Arvak for last. Make him watch as the goddess he mistook her for tore down his church and burned it to ashes.

And then she’d scatter him in pieces across the known galaxy. See him come back from that, if he dared.

It was a short trip over the river to the abandoned warehouse where the Theseus was stored. Wally, Uncle Barry, and Mr. Hal had set it up for her when she and Kyle had come home last spring. Bailey still wasn’t sure where they’d gotten all the parts for a DIY spaceship hangar, but the way Wally had grinned when she’d asked told her enough.

The hangar itself was fairly spartan, with most of the space being reserved for the Theseus. The walls were plain, save for a mural she and Kyle had painted on one side: four shooting stars – two green, one yellow, one violet – over a swirling nebula rippling with color. A way to commemorate their adventures together. On the other side, a staircase led to a small deck with a couple of couches and a minifridge, with the lockers underneath that.

Bailey sighed through her nose, lips pressed into a thin line as she opened her locker and grabbed the mission-bag she kept here. Flying a damn spaceship around in broad daylight is the exact opposite of keeping a low profile, she thought to herself. But enough weird shit happens in this city already; maybe I can slip under the radar. She turned toward the ship, shouldering the bag, and flipped through her mental checklist.

Jason has the spare key to the lockbox in case I don’t come home. I updated the letters a few weeks ago, which is good, because if I hadn’t it’s too late now. Lanos is safe with Kyle. Nothing else I can wait on.

Bailey moved up the ramp to the ship, stepping nimbly over the welding-seams that glued the pieces of differently-textured metals together. She set a hand on the patchwork hull, smiling softly. Laney worked so hard to keep this ship together, the whole time he was crossing the galaxy. He’s such a resourceful kid, but I’m glad he’s not on his own anymore. She rapped the hatch twice, for luck, and walked inside. The ramp slid closed behind her.

Bailey sat down at the control panel, the ship’s nacelles rumbling faintly as she started the engines. The warehouse’s roof split and slid down, the warm glow of the sunset spilling in through the front viewport.

Bailey set her jaw, guiding the ship up and forward, pointing towards open air and launching herself into the sky.

I’m coming, Bluebird. Just hold tight.

—

In Metropolis, half a continent away, Connor Hawke lifted his head from the book he was reading. “...Kyle? What’s that noise?”

Kyle Rayner turned away from the stove, puzzled. “What noise?”

“It sounds like… Something tapping on glass.”

“Probably something I’m doing in here. Dinner’ll be ready soon, by the way.”

“You’re sure you don’t want any help with it?” Connor turned to lean over the back of Kyle’s couch.

Kyle grinned. “I’m almost done. But could you go ask Lanos if he wants to at least sit with us? I know he doesn’t eat, but…” He let the sentence trail off, scratching at the back of his neck.

Connor nodded, getting up from the couch. “Sure.”

—

Bailey broke atmo, letting the Theseus ease into orbit while she fiddled with the controls. “Setting these coordinates is gonna be hard without Laney,” she mused. “But I got this. Bad enough Dick’s in the middle of my fight; no need to drag anyone else into the muck.”

The comm system buzzed – a hail from the Watchtower.

Bailey froze, fingers hovering over the buttons. If she answered, she’d have to lie. If she didn’t, she’d look suspicious as hell.

She tapped the comm.

“Hey, Eagle!” Booster Gold’s grinning face appeared in holo over the console. “What’s up? Just out for a joyride, or…?”

Bailey couldn’t help but return the smile. She didn’t know Booster too well, but it was hard not to find him endearingly annoying. “Something like that. Actually…” She tilted her head, thinking, as an idea crossed her mind. “Is Skeets there? I need ultrawarp coordinates and don’t have much time.”

Booster frowned, eyebrows knitting. “That doesn’t sound like a joyride. You got backup?”

“Yes,” Bailey lied. “And I need to get to Thanagar asap, so please don’t make me answer any more questions.”

Booster’s eyes widened. “Thanagar? Shit, is this when—” He turned. “Skeets, you got her? Awesome, thanks, little buddy.” He turned back, nodding grimly. “Sending you the coordinates now. Tell Kyle I said hi, okay?”

“Uh, sure,” Bailey answered absentmindedly, plugging the numbers in. “And thank you both.”

“Good luck out there. Call if you need help.”

“Will do,” Bailey signed off, punching into ultrawarp.

—

Wally smiled, snapping a photo of Irey and Jai sprawled over the couch and Jay, all three fast asleep. “Oh, Linda's gonna be so sorry she missed this."

The back door blew open as Barry rushed into the room. Wally turned, halfway into a glare before he registered the look on his uncle's face. "What's happened?"

"Iris just called. The Theseus just took off with no warning and in plain sight. There's a fire near 82nd and Perez."

Wally's face paled. "That's where Bailey's apartment is."

Two bolts of crimson slammed through the front door and down the street.

—

Bailey paced the bridge of the Theseus, unable to sit still a moment longer. It wasn’t far to the Polaris system, not by ultrawarp, but anything short of already being there was too long. Her hammer hung heavy at her hip, and she glared out at the rippling rainbow of warpspace, willing it to part and let her through to Thanagar. To Arvak. To Dick.

At long last, the prismatic void split into a burst of light, and Bailey found herself staring at Thanagar – or more acurately, at its moon. She flitted along the console, turning on the cloaking device before turning the ship towards Kalmoran. In and out, quick as I can, she thought. Get him free, get him safe, and get the hell outta Dodge before Her Imperial Majesty knows I’m here. Simple as pie.

The Theseus came to rest on Kalmoran’s surface, nestling into the shadow of a stony ridge. Bailey slipped quietly out of the ship and kept low to the ground as her eyes adjusted. These assholes are expecting me. As much as I want to storm in and start busting heads, that’ll just get us both killed. I need to be careful about this.

Her fingers tightened on the hilt of her hammer. Every muscle in her body screamed to lunge forward, to destroy everything in sight. It was getting harder and harder for Bailey to contain herself.

The Temple of The Lady Everburning was a cluster of spires, twisting up from the sandy soil like a crown of flames. Starlight turned the golden stone to silver, dancing across the points. In another life, it would have been beautiful, but the sight of it left a cold knot of fear and nausea in the pit of Bailey’s stomach.

“Guess you guys rebuilt,” Bailey muttered, taking note of the new plume of towers in the center, where she’d left a gaping hole and pile of rubble the last time she was here.

The last time she was here… The memory hung at the edge of her mind. Cuffed and bound to the altar, the drugged wine scattering her thoughts like dandelion seeds. Arvak looming over her, the torch in one hand and the Eye in the other. Feeling her soul come unmoored from her body.

The battle with Sikri. Watching Rashel, her great-grandmother, her mentor, bear the brunt of the cosmic phoenix’ attacks, protecting Bailey as well as she could. Rashel using her own spirit to seal Sikri back inside the crystal in a way Bailey still couldn’t quite wrap her head around.

The blur of destruction and manic high of power, fuzzy memories that made Bailey’s stomach turn. Watching her hands snap Arvak’s neck, his body slumping to the ground. Rubble raining down around her. The knowledge that Thanagar was broken, fundamentally. That the whole world, from one end of the universe to the other, was broken. The need to wipe the slate clean so something new could be built.

Bailey shook her head, teeth clenched. This is no time to get wrapped up in my memories. Focus. Keep your head level.

That was when a pained scream cut through the air.

Bailey was moving before she could stop herself, caution thrown out the window in favor of pure fury. Two guards on either side of the Temple’s entrance – Two tawny-feathered piles on the ground, dropped by her hammer.

Up the steps, through the door. Three more acolytes, caught by surprise, but better prepared. One ducked Bailey’s swing and caught her by the wrist, twisting until her hand opened and the hammer dropped. He stepped to pin Bailey’s arm and her wings behind her back, twisting painfully. Bailey threw her wings open, one catching him in the face and making him stumble. Another drew his mace and took a swing. It connected with Bailey’s sternum, driving the breath from her lungs. She fell backwards a step, gasping as she fought for air. The third took the opportunity to pounce from the shadows, something bright and sharp in her hand. Bailey had just enough time to twist to the side, but the taloned gauntlet raked painfully over her shoulder.

But the pain brought focus. The mace-wielder tried to take another swing, this time at Bailey’s ribs. She let it connect, snarling with the impact, but slammed her elbow into her opponent’s head. He stumbled, stunned, and Bailey snatched the mace from his hands as he fell.

She had just enough time to bring it up and block the first guy’s incoming blow with an axe. The hooked blade caught on the mace’s head, and Bailey used the leverage to sweep the weapon out of the way. Both axe and mace went clattering to the floor, and Bailey closed the distance before the acolyte could adjust. Her fist connected with his jaw, and he was down too.

Bailey spun, trying to find the lady with the claws. She was standing in the torchlight, eyes wide and confused as she stared down at her gauntlets.

She stood with her back to a pillar, narrow frame dwarfed by her wings.

She looked so small, so… lost.

She can’t be more than a teenager, Bailey realized. Suddenly Bailey’s anger shifted, and she found herself enraged on behalf of this girl, taught to fight and die for someone else’s cause.

“I don’t understand,” the girl managed weakly. “You… You bleed.”

Bailey blinked, shaken from the adrenaline haze enough to feel the blood running down her arm, hot and wet. She glanced down at her bicep, twisting a little to examine the wound. “Reckon I do.” She started to turn and move further into the temple, but stopped. “...You got a name, kid?”

“...Azra, my Lady. Azra Shar.” She looked at Bailey with wide amber eyes, hands curled against her sternum.

Bailey took a deep breath, forcing her voice into something calm. “Well, Miss Shar, I don’t know my way around this place. Can you point me to wherever they’re keeping my friend?”

Shar nodded, slowly, coming out of her confused daze. “Straight down the hall to the fork, then take the left path. Through the dining hall, into the kitchens, then turn right into the garden. They’ll be in the Grand Hall – the doors are hard to miss.”

Bailey nodded and picked her hammer up from the floor. “Thanks, kid. Now get the hell out of here and go somewhere safe.”

“Y–yes, my Lady. As you command.” Shar turned and rushed from the foyer.

“I’m not –” Bailey sighed, shaking her head as Shar’s wingtips disappeared around the corner. “Whatever.”

Bailey stepped through the halls, vicious anger burning low in her stomach. Arvak’s using child soldiers now. She’s what, fifteen? Relatively, at least. Just a kid. I can’t believe he’d stoop so low, the vile bastard, but I shouldn’t be surprised.

She leaned harder against the wall as pain spread through her ribs, hissing softly between clenched teeth. Kidnapping innocents, dragging people into the crossfire, getting kids involved in his war… All because he wants to see the world burn. Bailey shoved away from the wall. It was true that there was so much broken, on Thanagar, on Earth, everywhere. But ripping it all down in some kind of divine apocalypse wasn’t the solution.

There’s hope, Bailey thought to herself, forcing another step. Her lungs were starting to burn. There was probably some internal damage from the mace. Had one of the guards at the door managed to score a hit, too? She didn’t remember.

There’s hope, she repeated. No matter how broken and bleak and screwed up things get, I know there’s a light to keep fighting for. And I know that because… A series of images flashed through her mind: Dick, as Nightwing, helping her out of the museum window. Wally’s arm slung around her shoulders, both of them laughing about something stupid. Standing with Nelle, Kyle, and Donna at the art gallery, talking and having fun. Watching Wally and Roy argue over the grill at the annual Titans cookout. Learning to fence with Jason and launching into Tybalt and Mercutio’s duel just because.

Laney’s gigawatt smile when he’d reclaimed his memories. The way he’d been so proud to show her the physical body he’d built for himself, and so eager to learn about Earth firsthand. How determined he had been to find Aya, how shy he’d been to reunite, and how excited they both were to build a siblinghood.

Dick building a blanket fort with Lian and the Tornado Twins when he’d been put on mandatory injury leave. His fingers sliding down her wrist and over her palm, twining with her own. The way he leaned into her when he was tired, pulled her against him when she could hardly hold herself up. Dancing through the air together, turning the city into an improvised trapeze act. Soft words whispered into scalps and palms, gentle kisses and strong arms that let her feel like it was safe to fall apart.

Bailey grit her teeth, pushing herself forward. I can have hope for the world because they’re in it. As long as the people I love are here, there’s nothing we can’t fix. Nothing we can’t do. Nothing we can’t create. Bailey exited the kitchens, glowering across the garden at the massive, shining doors of the Great Hall. They were shaped like two upswept wings, the feathers shaped into stylized points like flames.

And that is why I will never let Arvak or Sikri take anyone else from me.

—

Connor set his fork down, looking over his shoulder in confusion. “Okay, please tell me one of you is hearing that.” A sharp tnk-tnk-tnk sounded from the wall, growing steadily louder as it continued.

Beside him at the small table, Lanos turned to peer in the direction of the noise. “I can hear it, yes.” He looked to Kyle. “Lantern Rayner, is that not the wall-safe where you keep your power battery?”

Kyle’s brow knit in concern. “Yeah, and a couple other – Wait, how do you know where I keep my battery?”

“I took note of its placement in case of emergency,” Lanos bluffed, looking for all the world like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I know the Captain’s orders – no vigilantism until I have acclimated to life on Earth.”

“Mm-hmm,” Kyle replied, one eyebrow raised, as he pushed away from the table and stepped to the wall, taking down the painting that hung there. “Anyway, the battery isn’t the only thing in here, and – Gah!”

All at once, a violet light ripped out of the safe in a plume of drywall dust and blew past Kyle’s head, hanging a hard left and smashing through the window.

“Well there goes my deposit,” Kyle joked, turning to watch it go.

“Captain Adler is in trouble,” Lanos stated, his normally chipper tone fading into something serious. The humanoid hologram he wore dispersed in a flash of emerald. “We need to follow that ring.”

Connor looked between the two, already turning for the bow and quiver he’d left by the door. “Fill me in later. I’ll be suited up as fast as I can be.”

Kyle nodded, already in his green-and-black.

—

Bailey pushed herself towards those massive, shining doors, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat. Time was running out.

Another shout cut through the air. Bailey threw herself across the sand.

The double-doors slammed open, an Everburning acolyte landing in the dust and skidding.

Bailey snapped her head up to see Dick, shirt torn, bruised and bleeding, breathing hard as he caught himself on the doorframe.

“Hey, Angel,” he managed, that crooked grin spreading over his face as he made eye contact. “I was starting to think you were gonna miss the party.”

Bailey jumped forward, grabbing Dick by the waist and spinning to pull him out of the way as another of the Everburning swung a hammer at him. “And let you have all the fun? Never.”

Dick laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss before pulling away and turning to face the fight. “Feel like dancing?”

“Always, Birdie.” Bailey shifted her grip on the hammer, lightning crackling across the head.

"What do you know about these guys," Dick asked, ducking a mace and swerving to trip the guy swinging it.

"Is 'evil space cult' not obvious?" Bailey slammed her elbow into an acolyte's exposed throat, then grabbed him by the breastplate and turned, using him to block an incoming blow.

Dick jerked to the side, managing to get his head out of the way of an Eveburning blow, but taking it on the shoulder instead. He grunted in pain, and Bailey turned, driving her hammer into the opponent’s helmet with a snarl.

"Is that all?" Dick caught one of the Everburning in a hold and twisted, followed by a pop and a pained shout. "You’re out for blood."

"They kidnapped you." Bailey's hammer came down in the soft space under an acolyte's ribcage. "They dragged you halfway across the galaxy." A wing snapped under her hands. "And they were going to kill you." Bailey spun, wrenching an axe from a dropped opponent's belt and swinging it at another.

And suddenly Bailey's arm was frozen, Dick's hand wrapped around her wrist. His other arm looped around her waist, pinning her against him. The axe-blade hovered an inch from the acolyte's neck.

"I'm okay." Dick's voice was strained, rough. But his face pressed close against her temple, breath stirring the hair that slipped from under the helmet. "I'm alive. And we're gonna get out of this." Gently, he pulled at her arm, guiding the axe away from the Thanagarian's neck. "We're gonna go home."

Bailey closed her eyes, letting herself feel his presence, his body against hers. Let herself breathe him in, vanilla and amber.

He was here. He was alive. She could still keep him safe.

Slowly, her grip loosened on the axe, and it fell into the dust below. The acolyte scrambled away, taking off. Bailey didn't give a damn – she turned, burying her face in Dick's neck, tangling her fingers in his hair and trying to muffle the sobs bubbling up around the lump in her throat.

His arms twined around her lower back, under the base of her wings, as he pulled her close. "Hey. It's gonna be okay."

"I don't want them to hurt you," Bailey whispered. "I won't let them hurt you like they hurt me."

"Well this is a beautifully tender moment," a new voice drawled. "But I'm afraid I have to interrupt."

Bailey whirled, pushing Dick behind her, wings flaring protectively. Arvak stood on the steps to the Hall, a serpent’s smile spreading across his face. His hair had warmed from brown to red, and two golden-feathered wings stretched from his back; all physical evidence that what he’d told Bailey was true – He had died. And Sikri had brought him back.

I only legitimized him, Bailey realized. I fucking tied him to me. I gave him exactly what he wanted. I’ll never be free now. Oh, god, what have I done?

Dick’s hand tightened on Bailey’s arm. “Give. That. Back.”

Bailey blinked, gaze refocusing. Sitting over Arvak’s heart, holding his tabard over his breastplate, were three golden feathers fixed to an amber cabochon.

The feathers she’d given Dick. The favor she’d placed in his hand, trying to tell him how she felt. The pin he’d made from it, to tell her he finally understood what she meant.

And the wrong man was wearing it.

“That isn’t yours,” Bailey hissed. “And you have no right to it.”

“Oh, but I have every right, My Lady.” Arvak’s voice dripped with false sweetness. “Far more than he does, anyway. I was the first you chose. The first you blessed. He –” Arvak jabbed an accusing hand forward “-- is nothing. Mortal. Powerless. He isn’t even Thanagarian – he’s worse than the Wingless.”

“Bailey, what the fuck is he talking about,” Dick asked in a whisper. She didn’t answer, too focused on Arvak coming down the steps. More of the Everburning fell in beside and behind him, silently surrounding the scene.

“I have no aspirations of courtship, Lady,” Arvak continued. “I know my station as your humble servant and vassal. But if you’ll allow me –”

THOK!

Bailey drew her arm back, knuckles stinging. “How dare you,” she spat. “This man is everything to me. He is a source of comfort when I have none. The light that brings me out of my darker days and guides me home. The example that inspires me to be my best, the person who reminds me who I want to be. I can keep fighting for each new dawn because I know he’s right there beside me, fighting for the same thing. The same dream of a better tomorrow. He is the reason I have a future to hope for.” She drew back, glaring down at Arvak in disgust. “I love him. And you will never. Touch him. Again.”

Arvak pulled himself to his feet, one hand still holding his jaw. A bruise was already forming, and blood colored the space between his fingers red. Likely a split lip or a broken nose, Bailey thought. Maybe she’d gotten lucky and managed both.

Arvak lifted his hand away from his face, wiping away the blood. He stared at his hand, contemplating, as he assessed the cut in his lower lip, the missing tooth, and the crimson still running from one nostril. “I… See,” he said, clicking his tongue. “I know that’s simply the shell talking, Lady Sikri. I know that isn’t you.” He motioned to the Everburning around them, and the circle tightened. “But we will hear your truth soon enough. And then this world will meet the end it deserves.” He turned, hands behind his back, and started to walk away.

“No,” Bailey snarled, lunging forward. Her hand closed on his wing, but the acolytes grabbed her and pulled her back. There was shouting behind her, and a too-familiar voice in pain. “Dick?!” Bailey swerved, trying to get to him. But there were too many to fight, was too much pain under her ribs. She screamed, half raging anguish, half futile warcry, as hands forced her to her knees in the dirt.

The cuffs came down around her wrists with a sharp click, arms now bound around her own wings, behind her back. A rough hand jerked her up by the shoulder, forcing her forward.

This is all my fault, Bailey thought to herself. We can’t beat them. And now they’re gonna kill us both, summon Sikri into my corpse, and destroy the goddamn universe. And it’s all because of me! I’m literally gonna be responsible for the end of everything!

“So,” Dick whispered as the Everburning shoved him into step beside Bailey. “Somethin’ you wanna tell me?”

Bailey blinked, dragging her thoughts out of the downward spiral to replay the last few minutes over again. Her eyes went wide when she realized what she’d said. “Aw shit. That… That wasn’t how I wanted to say it. Fuck.”

“I was talking about you being worshipped by some kind of apocalypse cult, but sure, let’s focus on you using the L-word.”

“Right, bigger things to worry about.” They climbed the steps and were marched into the temple proper.

“We are talking about that later, though.”

“If we live to later,” Bailey hissed back.

“Oh, don’t worry, Angel.” Even beaten half to hell, Dick’s crooked little grin was infectious. “We’ll live. Trust me.”

“Always.” Bailey could feel hope sparking in her chest again, dim though the light was. “If there’s anybody that can come up with a plan to get us out of here, it’s you.”

“You’ve beaten them before, right? How?”

Bailey’s stomach churned, seeing the stone dias under the skylight ahead of them. Arvak standing at it, waiting. “I lost, actually.”

“...Ah.” Dick looked away, gaze fixed on some indistinct point in the distance. Something bitter twisted into his grin. “Y’know, Angel, when I said I’d meet you at the altar one of these days, I don’t think this is what I meant.”

Bailey blinked, stumbling over her own feet as she was shoved down the steps. “I – gah – What?!”

Dick turned, something akin to a laugh in his voice, as they were both forced to their knees again, in front of the altar. “Had I not said that out loud yet?”

Bailey’s mind was spinning, struggling to keep up under the emotional whiplash. He wanted to marry her?! They were about to die – everything was about to die – and he was talking about getting married?!

“You picked a helluva time to bring this up!”

Dick shrugged with one shoulder. “We might not get a better one.” He shifted to look at her, cornflower-blue eyes burning like stars. “I love you, Bailey Adler. And I wanna marry you one of these days.”

Bailey’s heart leapt into her throat, tears stinging in her eyes. “I… I love you too, Bluebird,” she whispered. “With all my heart.” A moment’s pause, followed by a half-hysterical laugh. “But please tell me this isn’t how you’re actually proposing.”

“If you two are quite done,” Arvak drawled, “we have our own ceremony to complete.”

Bailey snapped her head up to look at Arvak, already holding the Eye in his hands. It pulsed and flickered with an orange glow, filled with Sikri’s fire. But then something over Arvak’s shoulder caught Bailey’s attention.

“No, actually, I’m not,” Bailey quipped, dragging her gaze back down to Arvak. “I’m not done talking and interrupting your ceremony. You really think I’m Sikri? Really think I’m your Everburning Lady of Holy Destruction or whatever the fuck?” She shoved herself to her feet. “If that’s true, why do you need to force me to be here? Why do you need to kidnap my boyfriend and use him as bait to drag me across half a galaxy? Why do you need to bind my wings?!”

Dick glanced up, watching with cautious concern. Meeting her gaze, he nodded once, barely perceptible.

Bailey stomped up onto the altar, spinning to face the crowd. “If I’m your damned goddess, why does your high priest have to fight me? If he’s Sikri’s chosen mouthpiece, why doesn’t he listen to me?!” The words left her chest in a roar, righteous anger filling her lungs. “I know you are all so tired, so angry and jaded with the world. I know what Thanagar is like! I’ve walked the lower levels! I’ve seen your pain, your misery! But there is hope, and it isn’t in the form of some – some divine doomsday!”

“Don’t listen!” Arvak snarled, gripping Bailey’s wrist and trying to yank her off the altar. “This isn’t Sikri talking, it’s the shell she’s trapped inside! There’s only one way to make things right, and you all know it!”

“I know what it’s like!” Bailey ripped her arm free of Arvak’s grip. “I know what it’s like to feel alone! To feel like there’s nothing you can do to fight against the evil in this world! To feel like there’s nothing worth fighting for!”

A faint violet light started to spill into the room as Bailey continued. “Things are bad. I won’t deny that! You wouldn’t be here if they weren’t. You look ahead and all you can see is more of the same, more pain, more sorrow, more lonliness and suffering.”

“Because that’s all there is anymore,” Arvak argued, trying to take control of the crowd.

“No,” Bailey cut him off. “No, that isn’t true. You all came here because you were hungry for something, for some shred of hope, connection, community!” The violet light was brighter now, radiating from behind her. “Alone, we can’t find our way out of the dark. We need friends, family – we need love to guide us out. To give us hope, a reason to fight, to make things better.” Bailey glanced down, meeting Dick’s wide eyes, and smiled. “I found my star to follow.”

There was the faintest clink of metal, and the flicker of a grin across Dick’s face. Bailey closed her hand around her prize. Perfect timing.

Arvak snarled, grabbing Bailey with one hand on her wings, the other pulling her leg out from under her. She hit the altar with a grunt, but kept her fists clenched at her back.

Dick sprang over the altar, slamming his knee into Arvak’s face with a wordless growl.

Bailey dragged herself up to one knee, spitting out blood from where she’d bitten her tongue. How did Gigi start this again…? Right, I remember.

Taking a deep breath, Bailey started the oath. “For hearts long lost and full of fright.” She shoved herself upward, climbing to her feet. “For those alone, in blackest night!” She could feel the power surging through her hands and up her arms, making a beeline for her heart. Fitting. “I accept the ring and join the fight! Love conquers all, with violet light!”

And suddenly Bailey was suspended in a glowing crystal cocoon. Power flowed around her, through her, melding the broken rib, burning away her exhaustion and fatigue. She smiled, bright and joyful, as she pulled her hands free from behind her back, the shackles long gone, and drove her fist into the crystal wall. The gauntlets she wore now were pink and sliver, knuckles studded with red-violet crystals.

Fractures spiraled out from that point of impact, and with a loud KR-KRACK, the cocoon shattered, fragments spiralling away and dissolving into light. Bailey threw her arms out, pale pink wings stretching, as she leapt into the air. Her breastplate and the skirt of armored plates were the same rosy red-violet, detailed in silver, and with the starburst of the Violet Lanterns encircling Sikri’s upraised wings on her chest. The helmet was gone, replaced with a winged headdress, violet, pink, and silver. She grinned, whirling. A brilliant, giddy feeling poured through every vein, inescapable and enrapturing. And there was someone Bailey needed to share it with. Where is he?

Arvak had Dick pinned against the altar, a knife in his hand. Suddenly all the joy in Bailey’s heart turned to something else, something violent and vicious and sharp. With a wordless snarl, she dove, catching Arvak’s wrist and shoulder, wrenching the limb backwards.

Arvak screamed as something snapped, but Bailey didn’t relent, snatching him up by the back of his robes, driving the both of them into the air with a powerful beat of her wings.

“I told you,” Bailey hissed, “what would happen if you hurt him.” She carried them higher and higher, through the skylight and up into the air. The ring gave her speed, and soon they had left the ground far behind them.

“Let me go,” Arvak howled, arm hanging uselessly at his side while he thrashed.

“You sure about that,” Bailey asked, feeling the manic grin spread across her face. She held out her arm, letting Arvak feel the distance to Kalmoran’s surface. “I’ll do it. Ask nice.”

“Bailey, no!” A streak of emerald light shot up from below, and suddenly Kyle was hovering in midair beside her.

“Hey, Glowstick.” Bailey didn’t take her eyes off Arvak. His eyes were wide with terror, his one good arm wrapped around hers. His wings flapped behind him, one bloody and pierced with a green-fletched arrow. “Connor’s here too, I take it.” If Bailey dropped Arvak, it would be to his death. Something in Bailey enjoyed that thought, enjoyed this sight.

“Nobody needs to die.” His hands were out, palms up, trying to reach her. “C’mon, look at him, he’s not worth it. Let’s just go home.”

“...He killed me, you know.”

“What?” Kyle’s tone was one of disbelief. “You, uh, look pretty good for a dead woman.”

“I came back. It’s fine. I’m fine.” Liar. “But he was gonna kill Dick. And I can’t let that happen.” Bailey relaxed her grip, just for an instant, and bit down on a laugh as Arvak screamed, his nails digging into her exposed arm.

“It’s not like I didn’t warn him,” Bailey continued. “Told him at the start I was gonna kill him again. And that I’d make him suffer, this time, if he hurt him.”

“So why haven’t you dropped him yet?” There was something cold in Kyle’s voice now. Almost like his objections were withdrawn.

Bailey shrugged with the shoulder that wasn’t holding Arvak. “Dunno. Figure Dick’d be pretty pissed about it, I guess.” She drew her arm back in, leaning down into Arvak’s face. “Speaking of? You have something that doesn’t belong to you.” Bailey reached forward and ripped the brooch from Arvak’s chest, the torn fabric sliding off and spinning away into the air.

“My – My Lady, please –”

“Not your anything, creep,” Bailey snarled. “How many times do I have to tell you that?” She drew back, holding him out again. “Doesn’t matter. You did ask politely.”

“What are you – No!” But Arvak’s protests were cut off as Bailey let go – catching Arvak in a crystalline bubble.

Kyle let out a breath. “I’d have understood. But I’m glad you didn’t.”

Silently, Bailey turned, diving back towards the temple. Arvak, in his hamsterball, followed behind.

The sound of combat rose to meet the three of them as they neared the ground. Diving through the skylight, Bailey realized the entire temple had been thrown into chaos.

The rest of their party was still trapped at the altar, slowly trying to carve their way through the crowd to the door. Around them, the Everburning seemed to be fighting themselves, voices shouting and blows flying. Dick was leaning on Connor’s shoulder, the two of them trying to dodge and defend, aided by the figure hovering above them.

“LANEY?” Bailey’s tone was outraged. “Kyle, what the fuck–! Why is the kid here?!” Turning, she smacked her friend upside the head. “What is wrong with – Ooh, we are gonna talk about this when we get home.” Without waiting for a reply, Bailey dove into the fray.

“Yes ma’am,” Kyle snarked, rubbing the back of his head and following.

“Greetings, Captain!” Laney’s greeting was chipper as ever. “Are you well?”

Bailey braked in midair, wings flaring, as she caught the little android by the shoulders and held him out at arms’ length. “Forget about me, kiddo, are you okay?”

“I am operating at optimal capacity,” Lanos chirped. “Minor surface damage, but nothing worth concern.”

Bailey wrapped a hand around the back of Lanos’ head and pressed his forehead to hers. “Good. I need you safe.” Letting go, she turned and dropped to the ground. “Dick!”

Dick turned, pushing off of Connor’s shoulder, a strained smile on his face. “I’m here.”

Bailey wrapped one arm around his chest, pulling him into her, sinking her fingers into his hair again as she dragged him into a searing, hungry kiss. Something surged up from her chest, flowing forward, through her and into him. Pulling away, Bailey wrapped herself around Dick, folding her wings around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck. “I love you.”

“I know,” Dick replied, pulling away and holding Bailey’s face gently, thumb tracing an arc over her cheekbone. “I love you too.”

THWAK!

Connor winced, turning, as the Everburning member dropped to the ground. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt the moment.”

“No, we need to get out of here,” Dick acknowledged, and then paused as a puzzled look crossed his face. “Bailey? Did you… Heal me?”

“Mmmaybe?” Bailey blinked, letting her eyes skim over Dick’s chest. The cut that had crossed from his left shoulder to his sternum was gone, as were the bruises that had formed. “I, uh, don’t know everything this thing can do yet.” She held up her left hand, indicating the ring with a wave.

“The Star Sapphire rings have the strongest healing capabilities of all the Lantern rings,” Lanos offered, pushing the battle back with a wall of green light. “A Sapphire with a strong enough love can even bring their loved one back from death’s door.”

“The Princess Bride jokes write themselves,” Kyle chimed in. “Can we skip to the part where we get the hell out of here?” A winged horse leapt from his ring, galloping in a downward spiral and landing in front of Connor with a whinny and a toss of its head.

Connor laughed and swung onto the horse, grinning. “So sentimental.”

“So dramatic,” Bailey corrected, words eased with a fond grin. She closed her eyes, smiling, tapping into the warmth lodged in her chest, letting it expand until it felt like her ribcage would burst. Violet light burst from the ring in a flare, coalescing into a sleek, angular motorcycle.

Dick raised an eyebrow, throwing one leg over the seat. “Now who’s being sentimental?”

Bailey shrugged wordlessly, swinging on behind him. “I have far less hesitation about holding on, this time.” Her arms wrapped tight around his waist, pulling herself close against his back as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder.

A low chuckle rumbled through Dick’s chest as he pressed a hand against Bailey’s clasped ones. He revved the bike’s engine, and Bailey could almost feel the grin on his face. “Laney? Can you clear us a path to the door?”

“My designation is Lanos,” Laney corrected, the note of cheer in his voice turning hollow. “And yes, I can. Lantern Rayner? I am handing crowd control over to you.”

“On it, bud.” Kyle raised his hands like a conductor, and a platoon of skeletal emerald warriors surrounded them, forming a shieldwall.

Laney turned, and bright green energy flowed from his hands, forming a plow. Smart kid, Bailey thought, pride swelling in her chest. Just push ‘em aside, minimize injury.

“GA, you got the door?”

“I think I can handle that,” Connor said, already nocking an arrow.

“Alright then.” Dick’s voice was level, focused on the mission. “We move on three. One. Tw–”

“Three,” Laney interrupted, shoving forward.

The rest of the party stumbled into action behind the android, Kyle’s shieldwall breaking and moving along to hold the gap as they moved. Two shafts flew from above, landing in the joints of the door’s hinges. A faint beeping rose into the air, and a moment later, twin explosions erupted from them. With a creaking groan, the doors dropped from the wall, falling to the ground with an echoing boom.

The room fell quiet for a moment, as the riot stilled to look at the remains of the door. And then, slowly, everyone turned to stare at Bailey and her companions, wreathed in emerald and amethyst light.

“Go faster,” Bailey urged. “Go go go go go go now go –”

Shouting erupted around them again, louder this time. Some were calling out to Bailey – “Lady Sikri!” – others calling for blood – “Liar! Pretender!” Bailey tucked her head against Dick’s shoulder and willed the bike to move faster. The five of them tore through the doorway in a blur of green and violet, Arvak trailing behind.

“I left the ship over there,” Bailey yelled, pointing over Dick’s shoulder. “Behind that ridge!”

The team hung a hard right, and they tore across the landscape, sand and gravel flying up behind them. They shot over the open space, the bike roaring up and over the ridge.

“Hold on,” Bailey yelled, the bike dissipating as her concentration shattered. Dick’s arms locked around her neck, her arms sliding underneath him. Swooping down into a landing, she raised an irritated eyebrow.

“There were safer ways to get to the ship.”

“I thought a straight line would be faster,” Dick replied, head tilting as he grinned down at her. “And you can’t tell me we’re not both enjoying this.”

Bailey’s grip on Dick’s thigh tightened. “Y’know, if you wanted me to scoop you up like this – “

“Hey, lovebirds!” Kyle was standing on the Theseus’ boarding ramp, hands thrown up in exasperation. “Get your asses in the ship before we leave without you!”

“Right, escaping, sorry!” Bailey kicked into the air, Dick still in a bridal carry. “He’s just. He’s very distracting,” she managed, setting him down as the hatch hissed closed behind her.

“Yeah, well, save the honeymoon for when we get home,” Kyle sighed, the fond smile taking the bite out of his words. “And preferably when I’m not around.”

“They’re as bad as Ollie and Dinah,” Connor teased, leaning on the wall. “Can’t blame ‘em though, being newlyweds and all.”

“What.” The word came out of Bailey’s throat in a strangled cough. She’d blame the way she half-fell into Dick on the Theseus’ rough takeoff.

“They’re joking,” Dick reassured, rolling his eyes at the commentary and easing Bailey back to her feet.

“I do remember an altar and vows,” Kyle pointed out. “And a ring.”

“We even have a priest," Connor added, gesturing towards Arvak, slumped in the corner of the brig, unconscious. "Almost lost him when you dropped him a minute ago, but he's here."

Bailey sighed hard through her nose, crossing her arms as she glared into the cell. "He sure is. Question is, what do we do with him now?"

"Well," Dick said in a half-drawl, "in my experience, crazy bad guys usually go to the authorities."

"No Earth court has jurisdiction over this dirtbag," Bailey replied. "What authorities do we take him to?"

"The Lantern Corps can take authority," Kyle offered, face scrunching. "There'll be, like, paperwork and stuff. But he was, technically, arrested by a Green Lantern and a Star Sapphire."

Bailey felt her own face mirror Kyle's. "Ew, paperwork." She shook her head. "I'm gonna go check in on Laney. I know he said he's fine, but the way we jerked just there, I don't like it."

Dick nodded as she stepped away. "We'll give you two a minute."

Bailey turned and caught Dick's hand, pressing her lips to his knuckles. "Thank you, love."

"And I thought the pining was bad."

Bailey shoved Kyle's shoulder as she went by. "Aw, shuddup, Glowstick. You ain't got room to talk."

Kyle stammered, caught off-guard, as Bailey swept onto the bridge. She grinned as she heard Connor behind her: "Kyle? What did she mean by that?"

The doors hissed shut before she could catch Kyle's reply, and Bailey found herself striding towards the Captain's chair.

"Hey, Laney-bug. You doing alright?"

Lanos turned his head to glance sidelong at his Captain. "I believe I have answered this question already, Captain Adler." All the false cheer was gone from his voice. "I am in optimal condition."

Bailey sighed and turned to lean against the console, peering out the viewport at the stars. "Physically, maybe." She turned back and set a hand on his shoulder, thumb running back and forth over his pauldron. "But something's bothering you. You... don't have to talk to me about it now, not unless you want to. But if and when you do, I want to listen."

After a long moment, Lanos looked up at Bailey, his eyebrows knitted. "...Thank you, Bailey."

"Hey, what are starship captains for, if not that?" Bailey wrapped a hand around the side of Laney's head and kissed the top of his helmet. "I take care of my crew."

Laney's expression shifted into a smile as he laid his hand around Bailey's wrist. "What's our course, Captain?"

"Oa. We're dropping our guest into a sciencell and throwing away the key." Bailey crossed her arms over her chest, jaw set in a grim line.

Laney drew back, shocked. "Are you certain, Captain?"

Bailey shrugged. "I know it sounds harsh, but believe me, Arvak's getting off light. If it were up to me, he'd be in the airlock, not the brig." Her tongue clicked as she sucked on her lower teeth. "Which is why, I suppose, it isn't up to me."

"Oh!" Laney heaved a sigh of relief. "The prisoner. I had thought you were referring to the young woman in the ventilation system."

"The who in the what."

Skreee-THOOMPH!

Bailey spun on her heel to find a pile of brown feathers and lanky limbs picking itself up from the floor. A panel hung loose from the ceiling, dangling by one bent screw.

"Azra?!" Bailey could feel the headache building behind her eyes. "Kid, how the – what the hell are you doing here?!"

Azra bit her lip and pushed a lock of long blonde hair out of her face, shoulders high. "You told me to go somewhere safe, My Lady."

"I just meant – I didn't mean – Argh!" Bailey dragged her hands down her face and sighed, trying to calm down. "Kid, you need to go back to Thanagar. Your parents–"

"Are dead," Azra interrupted. "I'm an orphan. No family to speak of."

Bailey opened her mouth, then closed it. "Friends, then. School? A life!"

Azra's eyes were downcast. "...I was just a child when Arvak found me. The Everburning was all I had."

There was a full marching band playing between Bailey's temples now. "...Well. I can't really send ya back there, now can I?"

Azra looked up at Bailey, expression uncertain. "My Lady, I–"

Bailey held up a hand. "We can sort this out after we deal with Arvak. But hell if I'm gonna drop you off at some spaceport, so don't even ask. You are too damn young to be out on your own."

"Captain?" Laney had moved to the navigator's seat. "Shall I set course for Oa now?"

Bailey nodded with a sigh, falling into the Captain's chair. "Roll out. And tell the boys they can come in whenever they're ready."

#Bailey gets kidnapped enough as the story goes along it's Dick's turn okay #i'm posting this at 12:30 at night so please forgive any typos this is 100% a rough draft #i decided halfway through that this isn't how i actually want to handle... pretty much any of these plot points #but it's way the HELL in the future so we'll see what happens when we actually get to this point #oh wow by the time the formatting got fixed it's 1:15 in the morning #wheeeeeee i hope you guys like this

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