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Chapter Text

Planet: Thanagar

"General, have you had any ideas on how to expand us in such a way that we do not encounter future problems with other alien populations?"

Thanagar General Hro Talak nodded at his soldier's question. "Actually yes, I have an idea."

The Thanagarian army captain, Shayera Hol, straightened her back at her superior's words and anxiously awaited the general's words.

For some strange reason she had a bad feeling about it and she feared that she would not like the general's proposal at all.

And indeed it would, and her negative omens would come true.

"I plan to conquer the planet Earth in the Milky Way and use it as a secondary base to raise and train our new soldiers as well as exploit its inhabitants." replied Hro Talak, clearly proud of his own idea.

His words were accompanied by choruses and excited shouts from all Thanagarian soldiers excluding Shayera, who frowned deeply.

"Didn't Earth have some kind of hero squad or something, though?" asked another soldier.

"You're right. They have the Justice League protecting Earth but we'll eat them for breakfast!" shouted Hro slamming a fist on the table for emphasis and so indeed it was, eliciting more excited and charged shouts.

The general noticed that the captain was not cheering with them, and he turned to her, arching an eyebrow curiously. "Is something bothering you, captain?"

"Actually, yes, general. Earth has done nothing wrong against us to deserve to be conquered and enslave their citizens." spoke Shayera honestly.

"Are you getting soft captain?" the general taunted her.

The red-haired woman showed no outward reaction to her superior's words even though inside she was complaining about what an idiot he was. "Of course not, sir. It just doesn't seem right to exterminate an entire planet by killing and enslaving innocent people."

Hro's face turned stone and he stared at her coldly. "Now I'm going to talk to you bluntly but honestly. I don't give a shit about exterminating a planet if it will help defend us from our enemies." later he turned to the entire army. "Do any of you care about the fate of Earth?" he asked, shouting.

A chorus of "NO!" echoed throughout the area, and Hro turned to the captain with a smirk. "Did you hear that captain? None of us worry about what will happen to Earth and neither should you. Besides, humans might not have done anything wrong to us but they are known as one of the most asshole and selfish races in the whole universe."

You can't generalize the inhabitants of an entire planet just because of certain stupid individuals. After all, I have one right in front of me.

Shayera wisely chose not to speak her thoughts aloud, and instead she simply crossed her arms. "I don't think attacking Earth will be a wise move on our part. There are many other ways to improve defenses toward Thanagar, and I don't think exterminating an innocent population is a good idea, let alone from an ethical standpoint." she retorted stubbornly.

Hro Talak growled annoyed and took a menacing step forward toward the captain who did not let him scare her. "Either we conquer Earth or we can say goodbye to Thanagar. Is that what you want? The destruction of Thanagar by other alien peoples?"

"No sir but-"

"No but! Need I remind you who's in charge here, captain?"

"No general."

"Then shut up and we will conquer Earth. It is for the safety of our homeland and the citizens we must protect. There is no discussion about this. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now we will organize the army, establish a battle plan and leave in two weeks." and having said that, the general dismissed his soldiers.

Shayera Hol gave a long, heavy sigh.

I will do this only for the love of Thanagar.

Chapter Text

 "Are you sure you will be fine without me?"

Current Titans leader Donna Troy emitted what must have been the tenth sigh since the video call was initiated. "If you ask one more time I swear I'll hang up the call." she threatened seriously.

Dick Grayson-Wayne peacefully raised his hands in the air with an amused smile between his lips. "All right! Geez, how mean you are!" he chuckled at the Amazon's glare as he settled better on the couch in his Bludhaven apartment, staring directly at the laptop screen. "Where are the others?" the first Robin asked curiously as he saw that only his Wonder Twin was in the Titans Tower's main living room.

Donna looked around briefly before returning her gaze to the screen. "Gar and Vic are probably arguing about what food to bring with us with Kory watching them to keep them from escalating into another one of their food fights, Rachel is probably controlling her powers to keep herself from killing Gar and Victor, and Garth is probably wondering what he has done wrong in his life."

Dick laughed at his best friends' antics, and Donna smiled sweetly at her best friend's laughter. "Didn't you say Wally and Roy were coming too?" the acrobat asked curiously, noting that his two longtime best friends as well as part-time members of the Titans (like himself) were not mentioned by Donna.

She nodded. "Yes but they are still not coming. This delay I would expect from Wally but not even from Roy!" she complained.

The former Titans leader chuckled. "Probably Wally has infected Roy or something."

"Obviously when I'm the leader." murmured Wonder Woman's sister but he heard her anyway.

"Hey! I have suffered years and years dealing with all of you! Now it's your turn to suffer!" the hero of Bludhaven showed her his tongue.

"Don't talk nonsense, Dick. You were literally the worst of all of them put together." declared the Amazon impassively.

Dick winced dramatically at her words and he faked a hurt look. "Donna! And I thought you loved me! You can't hurt your only Wonder Twin this way!"

Donna good-naturedly rolled her eyes. "You just have to accept the raw truth, Boy Wonder."

"Not if you're lying, Wonder Troy." hummed the last Flying Grayson.

"I told you a thousand times not to call me that." Donna stared at him coldly but the menacing look was marred by the smile that threatened to emerge.

"I know you like the nickname!" Dick smiled when his best friend did not deny it.

Donna let out a dramatic sigh. "At least this space mission will keep me away from you."

Dick pouted. "That was a bad one."

"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures." Donna smiled innocently and then chuckled at her Wonder Twin's offended look.

"Where did you get your badness from?" the Wayne eldest son asked in a mutter.

"Obviously from the best of them all! That is you, dear Dickie!" hummed the Amazon happily.

"Ouch. Now Wally is my favorite best friend!" growled Dick jokingly, showing her his tongue in vengeance.

Donna gasped as if he had just told her the worst thing she could ever hear. "Wally? Geez, you got a really bad replacement Dick."

Dick's typically creepy laugh made Donna involuntarily shudder even though she was on the other side of the screen.

"Years go by but your laugh will always and still scare me."

"Don't worry Donna." Dick gave her a playful wink, ignoring her comment. "You will always and always remain my favorite best friend."

Donna smiled at his words and she victoriously raised a fist in the air, emitting a small cry of victory.

"Don't tell Wally though. He might stay crying in the corner for whole months and Linda would kill me for making her boyfriend depressed."

"Don't worry, Dickie. Your secret is safe with me!" she smiled sweetly before a sudden gust of air sent her long hair backwards.

"What secret?" asked Wally West, staring curiously at Dick and ignoring the deadly glare that Donna was sending him as she readjusted her hair.

"Nothing!" shouted Dick and Donna simultaneously sharing a smirk and a wink.

"Probably something you wouldn't like to hear." speculated another male voice.

"Hey Roy." the archer grunted in greeting. "How did Jade take it?"

"How do you think a highly trained assassin wife might take the news that I have to go on an off-world mission leaving the daughter alone with her for who knows how long?" asked Roy Harper rhetorically.

There was a pause.

"Hot sex?" proposed Wally innocently.

Roy smiled and patted him on the back. "For once you are right my friend."

"Thank-hey!"

"I hope you didn't do that in front of Lian. I don't want my favorite little niece to be traumatized by her own parents."

Roy stared impassively at Dick. "Very funny Dick."

"Lian is also your only niece." Donna pointed out helpfully before pausing. "Unless your brothers have a secret son or daughter."

"They won't have children until they're at least 30!" growled the acrobat protectively, making his best friends laugh.

"I kind of feel sorry for them." chuckled the speedster. He took a sniff in the air and smiled, elbowing the archer. "I smell good food. Let's go before the others put it away."

"Don't finish the food we're going to need!" shouted Donna to the two red heads who ran toward the kitchen. She exasperatedly shook her head and stared amused at her Wonder Twin. "You know, I think you can help before I lose my sanity with all of them."

"Really?" asked Dick with eyes sparkling with hope.

"No! I was just kidding!" groaned Donna exasperatedly.

"See how mean you are?" said Dick pouting. "You just shattered a poor man's hopes to pieces."

Donna laughed. "I bet something will happen during our absence that will require Justice League intervention."

"I hope so or I'll die of boredom." Richard nodded.

"Doesn't patrolling Bludhaven amuse you?" she teased him with a smirk.

"Nah. Missions with a team are the best."

"Quick poll. Are better missions with the Justice League or with the Titans?"

"...You know I think someone is calling you."

"Traitor!" gasped Donna dramatically. "Besides, I'm the bad guy!"

"That's called revenge."

Donna sighed good-naturedly but before she could say anything she briefly glanced to the side for a couple of seconds before returning her gaze to her (secretly favorite) best friend, a pained and sorry look on her face.

"Let me guess: you have to go right?" the acrobat asked with a sad smile.

Donna nodded sadly. "Yes, we have to leave in half an hour and we still have to finish getting ready."

The former Robin sighed and nodded. "Take care, all of you."

"We will be." promised the Amazon.

"You be careful too, Donna. I can't lose you now or ever." confessed Dick seriously.

Donna's blue eyes softened considerably, and she sent him a tender smile. "I'm not going to leave you now or ever." she gently reassured him.

"Good." the Justice League hero nodded in satisfaction. "And don't let the others kill each other."

Donna laughed. "That will be the hardest thing but I'll do my best." she joked and then sent him a mischievous smirk. "And when we return it will be better for you if I find you with a great girlfriend."

The 20 year old chuckled and amusedly rolled his blue eyes. "But if you said earlier that something will happen that will require the help of the Justice League." he pointed out with a smile.

Donna shrugged her shoulders. "One thing doesn't rule out the other." she replied with a smirk.

"Do you know that the chances of this actually happening are almost zero?"

"It had better happen otherwise I will personally find a girl for you!" she growled jokingly.

"I still don't understand why you are so fixated on me finding a girlfriend."

"Because I want the most important person in my life to spend the rest of his life most happily and with his true love." said Donna in a serious and firm voice, no hint of doubt in her voice.

Dick's heart warmed with love at his Wonder Twin's words and he smiled sweetly at her, ignoring the burning sensation in the corners of his eyes. "This means a lot to me. Truly it does. I love you, Donna."

"I love you too, Dick." Donna returned the sweet smile before they both heard a scream coming from somewhere in Titans Tower. "I'd better go before someone dies before we even embark on the mission." she joked.

Dick smiled and nodded. "I'll see you in a while, then."

Donna nodded. "Yes. Bye Dick!"

"Bye Donna! Say hello to the others!"

"I will!"

The laptop screen went black and Dick sighed. The acrobat closed it up and put it back in place, and soon afterwards he walked out of his bedroom heading for the living room.

The last Flying Grayson dropped dead weight onto the sofa and lay comfortably intertwining his legs lazily, mentally thinking about what he could do.

This was his day off from his police job at the Bludhaven GCPD, and Amy would kick his ass if he showed up there (as she had literally done a couple of months ago in fact), so that idea was out.

For once there wasn't some organized crime in Bludhaven that required some monitoring or something, and all the reports he had written were fully completed.

He could use his free time to set up a prank on some of his brothers or his father or even some poor unfortunate Justice League.

His thoughts about a future prank were interrupted when a yawn involuntarily escaped his lips.

Dick decided that the prank could wait and that a nap would do him good, so he closed his eyelids.

Dick suddenly opened his eyes again when he suddenly heard his phone ringing and he groaned desolately. Picking it up he noticed first that it had not even been forty minutes since he had fallen asleep and second that Bruce was calling him.

Fantastic.

"Hey B! Is there something special going on that's worth ruining my beauty sleep?"

"Dick." Bruce grunted in greeting and he got right to the point. "I'm sure the reason will be more than worth it and to find out it all you need to do is turn on the TV by putting on the national news."

As Dick turned on the television he had the distinct feeling that something unpleasant was happening. When he put on the news he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

Some sort of humanoid alien race whose helmets and wings reminded the Wayne eldest son of hawks was attacking Washington and there were many of them.

"The White House was evacuated immediately and the president and other American officials are currently safe." Bruce informed him.

Dick irritably pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned off the television. "Why the hell any alien race, between practically infinite planets, has to attack Earth I will never understand."

He smiled slightly when he heard his father chuckle. "I want you here in seven minutes already dressed and equipped. We'll go together to Washington with the Bat-plane."

"All right, see you later."

Bruce grunted in response and the call ended. Dick chuckled briefly before throwing his phone at the couch as he headed for his secret base.

His steps slowed slightly as he recalled that earlier Donna had said something would happen that would require Justice League intervention and that was already happening.

Damn you Donna! Dick growled affectionately before emitting a small, amused chuckle.

The first part of the notorious prophecy of the wonderful Donna Troy had just come true.

Now all that was missing was that he would become engaged to a female of those Hawk Aliens.

Dick mocked mentally.

As if that could have happened.

I'm sorry Donna but for once you are wrong.

Chapter Text

"Can we go with you?"

There was a tired sigh that echoed through the cave. "No Tim."

"We're coming with you old man, whether you want us to or not."

A nervous tic in his left eye. "I said no Jason."

"But father-"

Bruce Wayne groaned and slammed his head against the desk and the Batcomputer keyboard jumped on impact.

I knew I had to stop with the first son.

Speaking of his firstborn, where the hell was he?

Sure Dick, take your time. Not only do the aliens want to take over Earth but I also have to bear with your brothers who want to come with us. Thank you very much chum.

The billionaire ignored the chatter of his sons in the background and after a few minutes of pure agony he lifted his head sharply as he saw the zeta tube light up and utter the long-awaited name.

Recognized: Nightwing B-01

"Thank you thank you! You don't have to clap for me! I already know I'm awesome but thanks anyway!" strutted the acrobat dramatically as he bowed.

"No one literally said a fucking word Dickhead." grunted Jason.

"Language." automatically scolded him Bruce who didn't miss the annoyed twirling of his second son but he decided to ignore it this once.

Just this once though.

He did not have enough energy to face his second Robin.

"Grayson." nodded Damian in greeting. "Finally there is one other person in this house with a minimum of brain cells, excluding me and Pennyworth of course."

Frankly, Bruce had expected that he would not be included in that list. But still, it hurt him a little.

Just a little though.

"I finally have a brother in this house who has never tried to kill me." Tim released an exaggerated sigh of relief.

Was Bruce a bad parent if he did not give too much weight to his thirdborn's words by considering it as an everyday occurrence?

Probably yes.

Was he going to do anything about it?

Absolutely not. He did not have too much caffeine in his body to solve this kind of problem.

"That's enough!" growled Bruce, slipping easily into his Batman voice. He turned and stared directly at his first Robin. "Nightwing, start getting on the Bat-plane."

"Um B?" asked the Wayne eldest son uncertainly.

"What?" growled Batman, his voice coming out harsher than he really meant.

Fortunately Dick did not linger too long and instead he simply pointed to his brothers. "Why are they wearing their uniforms?"

The Dark Knight stared at his three other sons and sighed as he saw them in their vigilante outfits.

How the hell had he missed this?

Bruce could practically hear Dick's voice in his head.

You're slipping into old age B!

He grunted involuntarily.

He was not old, thank you very much.

"I've told you a thousand times you guys can't come!" he growled exasperatedly.

"And what are you going to do to stop us from coming?" challenged Red Hood, stepping forward.

"I'll tell Alfred to watch over you and not let you out." replied Bruce without missing a beat.

"You do know that we escaped from Alfred like a hundred times?" asked Red Robin innocently.

If Bruce wasn't wearing the cowl now he'd be pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for your rebellion! This is a serious and exclusively Justice League mission!"

Robin opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the Bludhaven hero's voice.

"Can you please stay here? For your favorite big brother?" begged Nightwing softly, making his brothers falter slightly.

"You are my only big brother Dickhead."

Nightwing ignored his Little Wing and removed his mask revealing his puppy-dog eyes. Batman immediately looked away, terrified of being trapped in them forever.

Unfortunately (actually, in this case better to say fortunately) his other three sons were not as lucky as he was, and they didn't stand a chance against Dick Grayson's damn puppy-dog eyes. They sighed in defeat simultaneously and muttered under their breath.

"All right." they grumbled disgruntled but listened to their big brother and slowly headed for the locker room to change.

Bruce did not know whether to be grateful or jealous of his eldest son's infallible tactics.

Not to be mistaken he was both.

"Come on Dick." grunted Batman. "We're already late." he growled annoyed as the two of them headed for the Bat-plane.

"Can I drive?" asked Nightwing hopefully, hopping excitedly in his own steps.

The "No" was quickly escaping the Caped Crusader's lips but he reconsidered and with a mental smirk decided to make his three youngest sons pay for it.

"Yes."

Dick squealed excitedly and hugged him quickly before doing several somersaults to the pilot seat of the Bat-plane.

"Golden Boy is just your favorite old man!" shouted Jason indignantly from the locker room.

Bruce did not respond and with a smirk climbed into the Bat-plane.

He mentally patted himself on the back for his little revenge, knowing that Jason, Tim, and Damian would spend the rest of the day complaining but not bothering him.

Obviously his little revenge had to turn against him because heaven forbid life could be good to him for more than five minutes!

And no instead: the universe never granted him a small moment of peace and serenity.

Should something like that ever happen! It probably would have gone against some law of the universe that categorically denied a moment of tranquility for Bruce Thomas Wayne's unfortunate and hapless soul.

Bruce's idea of having Dick drive the Bat-plane probably ranked in the top ten of his worst choices he has ever made in his entire life and certainly on the list of things not to be repeated again.

Dick had to make the plane perform reckless and completely unnecessary stunts such as spins, rotations, pirouettes, etc. at an absurdly dizzying speed.

Literally dizzying.

Bruce considered himself lucky (and even proud) that he did not throw back the contents of his stomach even once, instead keeping his jewel clean.

Albeit with a great deal of effort and strain.

He had seriously had to use all his vast training to avoid regurgitating Alfred's lunch on the Bat-plane that surely did not deserve such a fate.

But for what the heck in the world did Bruce decide to make his firstborn, famous for his reckless driving with no sense of self-preservation, drive the fucking Bat-plane?

Oh right, to make his other sons pay for it.

Well, he certainly could have done that by choosing another idea without perhaps risking his own life.

In fact with Dick's driving Bruce had lost a minimum of ten years of life.

Bruce was sure that (at a minimum) 99.95% of the world's population (civilians, the strongest and most resilient heroes, and even the worst super-villains) would have vomited if they were in his place.

Batman was not ashamed of the fact that, once they landed, he had immediately stepped out of that damned death trap (he can never see his jewel with the same eyes again, thanks Dick) and practically threw himself without a half-thought into the unfolding battle.

He would have done anything rather than relive the nightmare of being in the Bat-plane led by his firstborn.

Anything.

Superman ducked under the mace blow of one of the aliens, and he hit him with a strong punch to the stomach that sent him violently against two other aliens who were thrown far away.

"Ehy Supes!"

The protective hero of Metropolis turned with a smile, greeting his friend Hal.

"It seems to me that Batman is more brutal than usual. Do you know why?" the Green Lantern asked curiously and also rather worried (and also slightly frightened but will never admit it).

The two heroes turned in the Dark Knight's direction just in time to see him throw a violent kick at the throat of an alien who fell to his knees making muffled noises and immediately afterwards Batman threw a brutal right hook at him. The alien fell unconscious to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

With an inhuman animalistic growl Batman threw himself into the midst of other aliens beating them mercilessly.

"Nah. He's just being his normal self. Don't worry about him." the Kryptonian reassured him with a smile, patting him on the back.

"If you say so." said Hal still uncertain and unconvinced by his friend's words.

"Ehy guys! Do you want to know an Italian tongue twister?" asked Nightwing casually as he jumped into the midst of five aliens, completely unconcerned and casual from their aggressive and threatening stances.

"Kill him guys!" growled one of them and they all flew toward the acrobat.

"Whoa! Do you guys know English? That's great! I know it too!" exclaimed Nightwing smilingly, jumping over the heads of the aliens and turning around with a kick to the back of one of them.

"Anyway, here's the Italian tongue twister I promised you." continued the hero of Bludhaven taking five wing-dings and throwing them at them and disarming them all.

"Andavo a Lione"

Nightwing jumped onto the shoulders of one alien and used all his weight to drop him hard to the ground as he soared through the air performing a triple somersault.

"Cogliendo cotone"

With a vicious kick the vigilante struck an alien in the face followed by an uppercut the next millisecond. He landed on the ground and Dick drew his escrima. Nightwing moved to the side dodging an alien and he threw an escrima that hit him violently in the temple and he fell to the ground with a resounding thud as Dick quickly picked up the escrima.

"Do you ever fucking stand still!?"

"Tornavo correndo"

An alien flew quickly toward Nightwing who struck him brutally in the face with an escrima and his enemy fell with a grunt of pain to the ground. The first Robin turned sharply and with both escrima he hit the jaw and stomach of the last alien falls screamed in pain before landing unconscious on the ground.

"Cotone cogliendo." finished smiling Nightwing nodding in satisfaction at all the aliens he had just knocked down.

The acrobat's head casually followed an alien being hit violently and sent far away in midair destroying a few buildings in the process. Nightwing then turned smiling toward the responsible. "Did you have to hit him so hard?"

Wonder Woman looked at him impassively. "That's funny coming from the man who just defeated five of these aliens while saying an Italian tongue twister."

Nightwing chuckled. "Touché." he conceded with a huge smile between his lips.

The impassive gaze of the princess of Themyscira soon broke into a sweet and amused look, her blue eyes shining with motherly love. "Never change, Dick."

The Bludhaven vigilante's smile expanded slightly, and he gave her a mock military salute. "I'm not going to, aunt Diana."

The demigoddess giggled and she gave him a playful wink before flying away. "Don't get yourself killed or else I'll fly to Heaven and bring you back to Earth by force!" she shouted.

"Then when I die I will look forward to you! I'm counting on you, aunt!" he shouted back, smiling when he heard her laugh.

Nightwing smiled and deftly twirled the escrima in his hands as he ran to launch himself into another battle with more of these hawkish aliens.

He would not allow them to conquer his planet.

Not over his dead body.

Chapter Text

Shayera Hol had been quite astounded by the masked man in black and blue taking down Thanagarians with an ease and playfulness that was scary to say the least.

From what she had just learned, she understood that this Justice League was made up of some of the strongest beings in the universe and some human beings such as the man dressed in a Bat suit (which, in her opinion, he was not entirely sane), the archer and the blond woman fighting at his side, and lastly the boy in black and blue always with a smile on his face.

Whoever he was he had no power and yet he defeated the Thanagarians as if it were nothing, as if it were an everyday pastime for him.

This unnerved her slightly as much as it impressed her.

Shayera craned her neck and with a smirk flew toward the young fighter.

She would test that stranger's skills and proficiency herself, and she would come out on top in their upcoming battle.

Nightwing kicked the alien's chin, who staggered backward dazed, and the vigilante defeated him with a final left hook, hurling him away.

The Bludhaven hero heard something behind him and he turned sharply just in time to see a female Hawk alien flying toward him wielding a mace. The first Robin rolled to the side, barely avoiding being pierced by the mace, and he flicked back into a fighting stance.

"Take it easy with that mace! You might hurt someone!" joked the acrobat with a smile on his face.

Shayera tilted her head to the side, studying him slightly. "At first glance you would look like an easy opponent to defeat."

Nightwing arched a curious and confused eyebrow under his mask but continued her game. "At second glance instead?"

"You defeated our soldiers with surprising ease and calmness." she admitted honestly. "Despite the fact that you obviously possess no powers."

Now Nightwing was confused.

Was she just complimenting him?

"Were you observing me?" realized the former Robin in surprise.

"I wouldn't really use the term observing." began Shayera slowly, deftly twirling her bat from which Dick never diverted any part of his attention in the case of her attack that was sure to happen sooner or later. "I would say instead that I was analyzing you."

"Do you know that stalking here is a crime?" the Justice League hero asked amused.

"Even at our planet it is." she stated simply, shrugging her shoulders.

Her statement caught the acrobat off guard as he did not expect a real answer from her.

Soon after Nightwing realized that she was not like all the other aliens he had faced and defeated. Not only did he understand this from the way she was talking but also from her body language. From the way she was holding her weapon it was obvious that she knew how to use that mace in a more expert way than the other aliens, and Dick would not be surprised if she was also an excellent hand-to-hand fighter.

In essence, she was a far greater threat than the other aliens.

"I bet you occupies an important role in your species."

She smiled slightly and nodded. "Captain of our army Shayera Hol." she introduced herself.

The first Robin was a little surprised that she had just introduced herself to him but he smiled back and decided to introduce himself in turn. "Nightwing."

"Secret identity, huh?" she murmured more to herself than to the 20 year old. "That's enough talk, though. Show me if you are a true fighter or if my analysis of you has proven unfounded."

The vigilante smirked, accepting her challenge. "All right. The first move goes to the ladies."

Shayera said nothing to his comment and flew toward the acrobat. He waited until the last moment before drawing his escrima from his back and blocking the mace by a breath. She used her superhuman strength to overpower the young man who immediately realized this and he did several backflips before launching himself with a kick toward his opponent.

Shayera got out of the way and she swung her club toward the Bludhaven hero who blocked her weapon with his escrima and he kicked her in the chest causing her to back away a few steps.

Nightwing launched himself at her who tried to hit him with the mace. He twisted his body downward in a way Shayera did not think was even possible and the mace grazed a few inches against the hero's face in Matrix-style.

With both escrima Nightwing struck Shayera's arm wielding the mace and she grunted in pain as she lost her grip on her weapon and she backed away slightly. "Worthy of note." she praised.

The first Robin smiled as he landed on the ground. "Thank you."

"But don't think defeating me will be easy now, Nightwing."

She did not give him time to respond when she flew at top speed toward him. Nightwing threw himself just in time to the side to avoid being run over by her and he performed several backflips establishing a safe distance between him and her.

Or at least it would have been if Shayera had not reversed direction and darted back toward him without ever stopping her flight even for a single second.

Air was expelled from Nightwing's lungs as Shayera's fist connected with his stomach and he was hurled far away. Dick turned the fall into several verticals by getting back on his feet and he was pretty sure that few of his ribs were cracked.

Nightwing ran toward her trying to hit her with his escrima but she managed to skillfully dodge each of his blows. Suddenly Shayera blocked one of his arms and with her other hand threw a punch at it.

Dick grunted in pain and was forced to drop his escrima and Shayera used the next very few milliseconds to her advantage by throwing a violent right hook at him.

The hero rolled painfully to the ground losing his grip on his second escrima and got up spitting blood on the ground, feeling his bruised cheek and he was sure there was a nice dark bruise on it.

Dick cracked his neck, realizing that it was time for hand-to-hand combat without any kind of weapons. He smiled at her. "Ready Shayera?"

They might be enemies but they might as well have fun.

The Thanagarian was momentarily surprised by his little warning before a defiant smile formed between her lips. "I am born ready, Nightwing."

Nightwing smiled before launching himself with a roundhouse kick directed at Shayera's head. She blocked the kick but Dick with his other leg struck her chin and she recoiled stunned.

The hero directed a punch at her that she blocked and she lifted a leg trying to hit him in the stomach. He made a backflip and she flew toward him but as soon as his hands landed on the ground Nightwing leapt into the air performing a double somersault in the air and landing behind her.

Shayera turned sharply but she was met by a vicious punch in the middle of the helmet that still forced her back stunned and soon after she was hit by a kick to the chest that sent her tumbling to the ground a couple of meters. She got back up with a grunt and she flew with a snarl toward her opponent attempting to hit him with a punch.

Nightwing deflected the Thanagarian's punch with an arm and he attempted a kick to the chin. She foresaw it, however, and she darted into the air dodging it and in the air she completed a circle before darting toward the vigilante.

Nightwing rolled to the side and Shayera's fist collided with the ground creating a large hole and she spun around blocking the first Robin's leg in mid-air and she violently flipped him back to the ground on the other side.

Dick groaned in pain as his back collided with the ground and he performed several backflips before doing a handstand and getting to his feet just in time to see Shayera dart back toward him.

Nightwing jumped over the punch and he tried to hit her in the face with a kick. Shayera blocked his leg but before she could do anything Dick stretched his other leg around the Thanagarian's neck and began to choke her with one leg in an exceptional demonstration of flexibility.

Shayera's amazement was almost immediately interrupted when she felt the flow of air stop. She brought both hands to the young hero's leg but she had no time to do anything when Nightwing grabbed her head and connected it to his choking knee.

During the stunned moment Shayera mentally thanked the protective helmet. Soon after, however, the leg around her neck disappeared, causing her to gasp for oxygen for a very short time when Nightwing struck her with a roundhouse kick to the jaw.

Shayera fell dazed to the ground, spitting blood, and she struggled to her feet, staring with helmet-masked eyes that showed her respect for him. "You are proving to be one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced, Nightwing."

The compliment made Dick smile genuinely as he felt his chest light up with a strange but pleasant sensation that he gladly embraced. "Thank you! You're a good fighter too!"

Shayera smiled slightly at his words surprising even herself. She could count on the fingers of both hands the times she had ever smiled in her life since Thanagar is a predominantly warlike planet and not made for fun or lightness.

Yet the boy in front of her made her smile a couple of times already in a relatively short period of time.

It was something strange but something she basically liked, and her heart warmed slightly at Nightwing's pleasant words.

Shayera gave a genuine smile before the two continued their battle.

About ten minutes had passed and they were in a stalemate since they were both excellent fighters blocking each other's blows.

Shayera had never met an opponent who lasted so long in a fight against her and she really began to enjoy her battle with Nightwing every single second since it had begun.

At one point Nightwing dodged a punch by letting himself fall to the ground. When his hands touched the ground he used the momentum to catapult himself over Shayera in a double somersault landing behind her.

Shayera turned sharply, raising her arms to defend from her stomach up but he surprised her when he swept her legs. Shayera fell with a thud to the ground but she did not even have time to think about getting back up when Nightwing nailed her arms to the ground.

She discovered with surprise and respect that despite her greater strength than a human she was finding it difficult to get out of Nightwing's grasp.

"Well? How do you like my performance?" asked Nightwing smilingly, unconsciously bringing his face closer to that of the woman who did not notice.

Shayera found no arrogance or rudeness in the young hero's question: just simple, genuine curiosity. In spite of herself she found herself smiling. "This is definitely the toughest battle I've ever faced." she admitted honestly.

Dick smiled at her words but before he could say anything Shayera managed to throw him off her.

Nightwing fell to the ground performing several flicks before getting to his feet, a pout on his face. "This is rude! You could have at least made me say something!"

Shayera giggled before freezing shocked on the spot.

If smiles were extremely rare for her, then laughter was even more so. This time she could count on the fingers of one hand the times she laughed, and she was sure she would have a few fingers left over as well.

What the hell was Nightwing doing to her?

Shayera shook her head to dispel these thoughts, certain they were unimportant, and she continued the battle against Nightwing hoping to win against him.

Chapter Text

Shayera Hol growled annoyed when she failed to hit Nightwing since he was constantly moving on the ground but also in the air with frankly impressive agility. "Do you ever stand still?" she growled.

Nightwing chuckled as he performed several acrobatic moves while dodging the red-haired woman's blows. "You're not the first to ask me that question and you certainly won't be the last."

Against her will, Shayera felt her lips lift in amusement before she returned to her usual frowning or neutral expression.

They continued like this, with Shayera attempting to hit the hero of Bludhaven but never succeeding, until Nightwing pretended to punch right and instead he turned 360 degrees with a vicious roundhouse kick hitting her in the face.

Shayera fell to the ground with a grunt of pain and the kick was so powerful that the helmet worn by the Thanagarian slipped off her and it was hurled far away.

Nightwing smiled proudly to himself at the effectiveness of his move but when Shayera slowly got back to her feet he lost it quickly.

Dick was sure that it would be extremely cliché to say and that his brothers and friends would probably make fun of him if they ever learned of it but he was sure that at that precise moment time had frozen around him.

For those few seconds (which to him were not really seconds but an infinitely greater amount of time) Dick could no longer hear the sounds of battle in the background.

Instead, his attention was solely focused on the woman (although angel was the first term that crossed his mind when he saw her at that moment) in front of him.

Shayera's eyes were the most breathtakingly beautiful shade of blue Dick had ever encountered. Her blue eyes were clear and limpid in a way that Nightwing was sure they would put the ocean to shame.

Even when she wore the helmet it was obvious that she had long red hair but now that she was not wearing it Dick had the opportunity to see them free without any visual obstruction on them. The world's best acrobat was stunned and speechless when he could finally see Shayera's hair and Richard swore he saw it reflected in the sunlight in a fantastic and exceptional visual spectacle.

And those clean, white, heavenly wings really made Shayera look as if she were an angel who had just descended to Earth.

The Bludhaven vigilante's attention shifted to Shayera's lips, so red and inviting, and for a moment Dick, mesmerized by the woman's lips, with literally his mouth watering curiously wondered what it felt like to have her lips on his and-

Dick furiously shook his head at those thoughts that he didn't know where the fuck they came from and he mentally scolded himself.

Attention Dick Grayson: you are approaching extremely dangerous territory. What the fuck am I thinking? Could it be that their alien race also possesses mental powers? That's the only plausible explanation I can think of...

He doesn't know exactly how much time had passed but he was diverted from his thoughts when Shayera flew with a growl toward him, which made him think that it had been a few seconds at most.

Nightwing jumped to the side dodging the woman's attack and he quickly engaged her in hand-to-hand combat. "Why are you attacking Earth?" he asked, clearly and explicitly trying to gather as much information about this alien race as possible.

The hero of Bludhaven would have done anything to avoid falling back into previous thoughts and thinking about the beauty in front of him.

No Dick, that really doesn't help at all.

"To save our planet!" growled Shayera aiming a fist at the vigilante's stomach.

The first Robin ducked under the punch and tried to sweep her legs but she flew over dodging his move. "I highly doubt that Earth has done anything wrong towards your planet." he commented dryly.

Shayera did not respond and instead she launched into another series of attacks toward the acrobat who managed to dodge them all, infuriating her even more.

"By the way, what are the names of the people of your population?"

Shayera blocked the fist directed at her face. "As if I would tell you!" she taunted him, hitting him with a kick to the chest.

The former Titans leader grunted at the blow sustained and he backed away a few steps but he had no intention of giving up. "You are not like the others I have fought."

She showed no outward reaction to his comment and she continued to attack him, although secretly she was a little curious about what he would say.

"It is obvious that you are stronger than most of the members of your army." the barely veiled compliment made her smile internally. "But you are not fighting with the same ferocity as the others, although I am sure you would be the scariest if you wanted to."

Shayera could not prevent a smile from forming between her lips but she said nothing, neither confirming nor denying the vigilante's words and instead she simply continued to fight against him.

The hero of Bludhaven was not deterred by Shayera's silence and he continued, his detective mind spinning very fast. "From your background it is easy to guess that you are a warlike and violent people and therefore you would not hesitate to attack an innocent planet." Nightwing blocked her arm and he flipped her in the opposite direction. "Yet you lack the ferocity and aggression that characterizes others of your kind, and that leads me to think that you don't really agree with the choice to attack Earth." Dick walked slowly toward the woman who was rising again, one eyebrow arched under his mask. "Am I right, Shayera?"

Shayera was surprised by Nightwing's investigative skills, and she, against her warrior instincts that were screaming at her to attack and kill him once and for all, stopped in her tracks and she crossed her arms in a less hostile position. "I didn't know you were a detective, Nightwing."

He shrugged with a smile. "I was taught by the best." he tilted his head to the side, studying her. "The way you are reacting leads me to think my theory was correct."

Shayera tightened her lips and finally she sighed. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to."

Nightwing smiled at the confirmation implied in her words before becoming serious. "I still do not know the reasons why you are attacking us but whatever they are they will certainly not justify your invasion."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" she growled.

"You're probably right." he conceded in a calm, reasonable voice. "Shayera, it is painfully obvious that you are a warrior and have been trained practically from birth to kill and defend your planet."

Shayera initially stiffened at Nightwing's words but soon she relaxed when she found no sign of judgment or disgust in the acrobat's words.

And that was damned strange and senseless.

She mentally scoffed.

Why the heck should she fear the judgment of a mere human being?

Even though the said human being held his head high against her in the most challenging and hardest battle she ever faced and he almost came close to defeating her several times.

"Yet, unlike the others who feel no remorse in attacking an innocent planet in order to destroy it, conquer it, or for any other motivation that prompted you to do so, I am sure that you do not share their motivations." continued the first Robin.

"Shayera, I am sure that you, deep in your heart, know that what your people are doing is wrong in every way and therefore you do not want to attack us and have innocent victims on your conscience." the acrobat concluded softly.

Shayera narrowed her eyes on her opponent. "If your words are true, and I emphasize if, what are you proposing I do? Rebel and go against my own people? Against my own planet?" she asked masking the surprise and disbelief she herself was feeling at that moment.

Surely she was misinterpreting Nightwing's words.

Right?

Nightwing shrugged, a small smile on his face. "Maybe yes or maybe no. That is entirely up to you and I certainly cannot force you to betray your own planet and by going against your own people. However I am certain that while others would be willing to slaughter innocents to achieve their goals, you are not like them. You could not and would not kill an innocent person."

"Are you saying that I am weak-willed?" growled Shayera, feeling something tighten painfully inside her.

"On the contrary." immediately denied the Justice League hero. "You have a very strong will, Shayera, and you have a heart of gold buried beneath your tough warrior image, warrior that you surely are.

"You have an ethic that while I don't agree with 100%, I understand. I am sure that you have never killed a person who, according to your criteria of evaluation, did not deserve it, and I cannot judge you for that. However, I strongly judge all those who kill innocent people or at any rate people who have not done any thing to such an extent that they deserve to be killed. You certainly do not fall into the last category, Shayera."

Shayera was surprised and moved by the hero's words before her.

Here was Shayera Hol, captain of the Thanagarian army that was attempting to conquer Earth in this moment, yet Nightwing felt no hostility or anger, frankly justified, toward her.

She began to think that this was all a trick on Nightwing's part to lull her into a false sense of security and tranquility and then force her to go against her own people or to enslave her or for any other reason.

As soon as the thought of such probability crossed her mind she found herself immediately discarding it. Certainly she had known Nightwing for a very short time but her instincts told her that he was not a liar or manipulator or, even if he was, he would never make such a move.

It did not fit the description of Nightwing, according to her.

So no, according to Shayera Nightwing was speaking sincerely and he was basically opening his heart to her solely in an attempt to convince her to do the right thing.

She felt sincerely moved and honored by his words, and she felt her heart light up with an unfamiliar but very pleasant and agreeable warmth.

"Why do you say that?" asked Shayera curiously, referring to the hero's last statement.

"Because it is the truth." stated Nightwing simply as if he were stating a fact.

Shayera was torn with herself but before she could say anything she turned her head sharply when she heard the Thanagarian general shout.

"Retreat!" shouted Hro Talak in the middle of the battle but his voice echoed across the battlefield.

Nightwing returned his gaze to the woman in front of her but to his dismay he saw her take flight a few feet off the ground.

"Shayera no!"

The hero saw her pause briefly as she continued with her back to him but his hope was shattered when Shayera flew far away and never looked back.

"Damn it!" growled Nightwing barely managing to restrain himself from throwing a punch at the ground.

He let out an annoyed sigh.

Dick knew that Shayera was not like the others but his instincts told him that she did not want to attack Earth.

He was sure of that and would follow his instincts and, if they met again in the future, he would not give up on her.

Shayera Hol is not a bad person and Dick would not give up on her.

Moreover, if during that meant that Dick would have a chance to see Shayera again, well, that was just coincidence.

Nothing but coincidence.

Chapter Text

"I think we can begin our meeting." stated Superman as he looked around the small table where his friends and teammates were gathered.

All the heroes present at the meeting room on the Watchtower, as well as those who had recently faced invasion by those hawkish aliens, nodded at the words of the hero of Metropolis who turned to Martian Manhunter. "If I'm not mistaken, you had something to tell us."

J'onn J'onzz nodded. "That's right, my friend. I was able to learn which alien race we faced."

"Then tell us! I'm dying of curiosity!" Flash vibrated in his chair with a huge grin on his face.

"If maybe you'd give him time to talk." Aquaman commented dryly, throwing his speedster friend a dirty look.

Barry Allen gave the Martian an embarrassed smile. "Sorry J'onn." he shyly apologized.

Martian Manhunter sent him a small smile. "No worries." then he became more serious. "They are Thanagarians and come directly from the planet Thanagar, which is located in the North Star system. Thanagar is known to be a warlike people and in constant conflict with another alien race, in particular the Gordanians."

Nightwing smiled, satisfied that his intuition about the people of Shayera had just turned out to be correct.

"In addition, Thanagar is also famous for its mineral deposit of Nth Metal, a very strong metal with which Thanagarians' armor, wings and weapons are forged. Nth is not only useful as a defensive mineral but it also allows Thanagarians to have superhuman strength, speed, endurance, a healing factor and much more." continued Martian Manhunter.

There were several impressed murmurs in the background expressing the heroes' general surprise.

J'onn waited patiently for the murmurs to cease before he continued. "As I mentioned earlier, Thanagarians are known to be fierce warriors, trained from birth in as many forms of combat as possible and to fear nothing."

"Worthy of note." commented Wonder Woman nodding, being the only one of the Justice League capable of fully understanding the Thanagarians.

If only they had not just attempted to invade Earth the Princess of Themyscira might have been able to empathize with them.

Instead...

"The fact that we managed to defeat them must have hurt their warrior egos or something." Green Lantern said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair clearly pleased with their work.

"We didn't defeat them definitely." Nightwing corrected him, causing Hal Jordan to frown.

"Why not?" asked Zatanna Zatara curiously.

"We may have won the battle but not the war. They withdrew from the battle but did not escape from Earth, so it is easy to see that they took refuge somewhere to prepare for a second attack." explained the hero of Bludhaven.

"That makes sense." nodded Black Canary.

"And that's why we should start the search to locate and take them down once and for all before they can even attack Washington or some other city again." spoke Batman, as always emotionless.

"By the way, were there any casualties during the attack?" asked Dinah Lance worriedly.

"For now, there are an estimated 30 casualties but the number may increase during more searches for survivors." it was Green Arrow who replied in a somber voice to his girlfriend.

"J'onn." the Martian turned to stare at the king of Atlantis who had just called his name. "Do you know the reason why the Thanagarians attacked Earth?"

The question attracted the attention of every Justice League member who looked curiously at Martian Manhunter waiting for an answer.

He nodded. "Actually yes, I know it. I managed to get into a mind of a Thanagarian I defeated and found out that they want to conquer Earth and use it as a sort of secondary base to expand and train their army and that they want to enslave and exploit humans for minerals, technologies, and more." he informed the others in a slightly darker and lower voice than usual.

Superman frowned as did the other heroes. "So they wouldn't give up so easily." he muttered softly more to himself than to the others.

"What now? What do we do?" asked the blond speedster, his legs vibrating slightly.

"I suppose now we must do our best to locate the Thanagarians as quickly as possible." said Nightwing, who subsequently turned to the sorceress. "Zatanna, can you cast a tracking spell on the Thanagarians or something like that which may help our investigation?"

Zatanna shook her head, her eyes reflecting her displeasure. "I could do it but I would need some object that would personally identify at least one of them. Without the object it would take me days, weeks or even months."

"Time we don't have." grunted the Dark Knight. "I'd rather we take them down without them starting a second battle with a preparation time on their part."

"So we should start our search as soon as possible hoping to locate them before they get better prepared." Wonder Woman scowled.

Murmurs of assent echoed even the meeting room.

"Anyone want to add anything?" asked Superman, who looked around him to stare at the faces of his teammates.

For a moment Nightwing thought of talking to them about Shayera Hol, captain of the Thanagarian army, and how he was sure she had no real intention of conquering Earth unlike the other Thanagarians.

The acrobat pondered this for a couple of seconds before mentally shaking his head.

Dick decided that this was information that he would keep exclusively to himself as a kind of wild card.

Besides he might be selfish but he wanted to keep Shayera Hol's existence a secret, at least for the moment.

No hero said anything to Clark Kent's question, who nodded. "All right then. From now on, each of us will do our best to try to locate the Thanagarians to the best of our ability, and if anyone discovers anything please inform the others as well." said Superman who stared directly at Batman at his last statement.

There were a few chuckles and Batman merely grunted but did not add anything else.

Nightwing sighed as he and the others stood up once the meeting was over. He and Batman walked side by side as they made their way to the zeta tubes.

"Let me guess: you're going to ask Red Robin for help in locating the Thanagarians." the 20 year old asked amused.

"I'll only do it if I can't find any leads on the Thanagarians." the Gotham City vigilante said gruffly.

Nightwing shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough for me."

More than two weeks passed since that Justice League meeting and no one was able to locate the position of the Thanagarians, not even Red Robin or Oracle. It was as if they had vanished from the face of the Earth but the heroes of the JLA knew that this was not the case but that instead they were preparing somewhere to start a second battle.

Unfortunately for Dick Grayson, this was not the only bad news for him.

Obviously.

The other bad news for the acrobat was the fact that during this period of more than two weeks he was finding himself... more distracted than usual.

Not only did most of his dreams contain Shayera Hol but he, more often than he liked to admit even to himself, found himself thinking about her even when he shouldn't.

Like his work, for example.

Fortunately, at least he was thinking about her during office work and not while patrolling the streets of Bludhaven otherwise there was a risk of endangering not only himself but also his partner Amy.

Speaking of Amy Rohrbach, she too had noticed that there was something wrong with her partner and friend but every time she asked him about it he would respond with an evasive answer or he would change the subject altogether.

It was frustrating for Amy to see Dick so distracted and thoughtful most of the time.

Amy never thought she would say this but she was sincerely missing the old Dick Grayson, the one who chatted nonstop, who annoyed her with his smirks and who made jokes to criminals while they arrested them.

She had done some research on the Internet to check if anything serious had happened to the Wayne family that she did not know about but she immediately found that there was nothing abnormal, so she immediately discarded that option.

Later Amy began to think that perhaps something bad had happened to some of Dick's friends whom she did not know but she found herself eliminating even that idea since her partner would be more distressed and emotional than his current pensive and distracted state.

And Amy would have preferred to deal with an emotional Dick Grayson rather than a pensive one.

The only plausible option that crossed Amy's mind was that the main subject of Dick's thoughts was a girl.

Amy stopped absentmindedly rolling the pen between her fingers and slowly a huge smile began to appear on her face.

She shifted her eyes to the figure of her partner who was staring at a random spot in the barracks from his desk, and she noticed the slight frown of his eyebrows, his slightly half-closed eyes, and the very small, imperceptible blush that covered his cheeks.

Amy Rohrbach smiled and she leaned back in her chair, continuing to smile.

Apparently there was a girl haunting Dick Grayson's thoughts who had managed to worm her way into the acrobat's heart.

She curiously wondered who this woman was before mentally shrugging, deciding that it was currently none of her business to pry about.

Judging by Richard's behavior apparently the two had not yet become romantically involved, but it was clear and obvious that nonetheless this mystery woman had managed to win the 20 year old's heart and that he was genuinely attracted and intrigued by the woman.

Amy would wait until Dick introduced her to this woman.

And yes, she was sure that they would get together because, first, Dick was in love with this woman (although Amy was pretty sure that Dick still did not understand and realize his feelings) and, second, whoever this woman was she would be a real mindless idiot to reject a man like Richard.

And in the future Amy would decide whether this mysterious, nameless woman deserved Dick Grayson's love.

Fortunately for Dick Grayson, during Bludhaven patrols as Nightwing he was able to keep Shayera Hol out of his thoughts so that he would not be distracted.

Also because it would have been difficult to explain to Bruce the reason for his injuries due to his particular distraction.

Dick could already imagine the inscription on his grave.

Here lies Richard John Grayson-Wayne aka the notorious Nightwing, dead because he thought of a Thanagarian named Shayera Hol who was helping her people conquer Earth.

Yeah, that would have been unpleasant and not very honorable.

Anyway, Dick had just returned from his night patrol and was in his pajamas but instead of going to crash on the bed as he always did he sat on it, thinking deeply.

He was realizing that he was acting slightly differently than usual but he couldn't help it: Dick couldn't help thinking about Shayera Hol and he didn't even understand why.

Perhaps the reason was related to the fact that he had seen good in her and that she actually disagreed with the Thanagarians' plan to attack Earth.

And so Dick kept thinking about Shayera because she could be of great help to the Justice League in driving the Thanagarians off Earth.

Dick nodded, accepting the logic of his thinking.

He only kept thinking about Shayera because she would be a great and useful asset to the JLA.

No other reason.

Dick nodded for the second time and he smiled, satisfied that he had solved his little problem and he could finally lie down in bed.

Although he could have done without dreaming about Shayera Hol again.

Shayera Hol admitted that she was not fully following Hro Talak's speech.

In her defense, it was not her fault but that of a masked hero who kept haunting her thoughts without ever leaving her alone.

Seriously, she was getting annoyed that she kept thinking about Nightwing all the time and could not get her thoughts away from him.

However, it was not Shayera's fault but Nightwing's.

After all, Shayera was certain that since Nightwing was the only opponent capable of standing up to her in a fight (and she was yes proud but she was also realistic and she knew that Nightwing would be able to defeat her if only he fought seriously) he remained etched in her mind.

This was obviously the reason why Shayera was constantly thinking about Nightwing.

Shayera came back to reality when she heard Hro Talak shouting at another Thanagarian soldier and she sighed, being aware that in a few days' time they would launch a second attack and thus there was a possibility that she might meet Nightwing again.

She was happy at the idea more than she should have been.

Chapter Text

Dick Grayson returned to his apartment once his police duty was over. He took off his uniform, he put on civilian casual clothes, and he placed his gun in a drawer and closed it.

The Wayne eldest son glanced briefly at the time on his watch seeing that it was six o'clock in the afternoon and with a sigh he grabbed his laptop and sitting on the bed he clicked his fingers, ready to work to try again to locate the Thanagarians.

Actually Dick was slightly concerned that they were able to slip under the radar of not only the Justice League but also the Batfamily, including Oracle.

In any case as soon as Dick started typing his phone rang seconds after he had started. With an irritated sigh the world's best acrobat got up and he took it and answered the call without even seeing who was calling him.

"Who is it?" he grunted.

"I'm beginning to think you're starting to become more like me by the day, chum."

Dick's lips lifted in amusement. "That's the worst insult you can throw at me, B."

Bruce Wayne chuckled. "Did you just insult me, you insolent brat?" he growled, pretending to be angry.

"Wouldn't be the first time." hummed the last Flying Grayson nonchalantly.

Dick heard his father grumble something along the lines of "figure" before the older man took on a more serious tone. "The Thanagarians are attacking Washington again, and it looks like they're even better equipped." he grunted, slipping into the Dark Knight of Gotham's tone.

The Wayne eldest son scowled as he ran to his secret room where all his wardrobe regarding Nightwing was stored. "What do you mean by that?" he said as he put the speakerphone on the call and grabbed his Nightwing costume.

"They also brought a piece of kryptonite with them." the billionaire informed him in a somber voice.

"What?" he asked surprised. "And where the hell did they find a piece of kryptonite so quickly? It's not like they sell it at the supermarket in Metropolis!"

A snort resounded from the other end of the phone line that Dick easily recognized as I-am-amused-but-I'm-Batman-and-I'll-never-admit-it.

Typical of him.

"I don't know but for the moment it's not important to know. It seems only one Thanagarian is holding the piece of kryptonite and Superman is doing his best to avoid it while the others help him."

"Roger." said Dick Grayson donning his mask and becoming Nightwing as he picked up the escrima sticks, stowing them behind his back. "Shall I come to you in the Batcave and return to Washington with the Bat-plane?"

"No!"

Dick stopped confused and surprised in his tracks as he heard Batman's voice suddenly increase in volume.

"I introduced the coordinates of Washington to your zeta-tube. You'll be able to get there directly from it!" grunted Batman in a menacing voice.

"B what-"

"You'll never get on the Bat-plane let alone drive it again!" growled Batman dangerously before abruptly ending the call without even greeting his first-born.

The hero of Bludhaven blinked behind his mask, surprised by his father's gruff and surly tone (or at least more so than usual), and he remained glued to the spot for a couple of seconds before bursting out laughing while holding his stomach to keep from falling to the ground and rolling around like a madman.

Dick could never forget the look of pure terror on Batman's face as he drove the Bat-plane!

And fortunately for him, he also had photos and a recording of that beautiful ride thanks to the micro-camera in his camera.

For blackmail purposes, of course.

Nightwing leaped over two Thanagarians and painfully knocked their heads together as he landed on the ground.

He turned sharply and using their momentary dazed and painful state in his favor he quickly knocked them down with a series of punches and kicks.

The vigilante's attention shifted upward and he saw a Thanagarian holding a piece of kryptonite that radiated its typical green light followed by Superman who quickly fell to the ground where a huge crater was created by the impact of the hero of Metropolis.

The first Robin growled and he ran to help his honorary uncle but his path was blocked by five Thanagarians who barred his way. "Move out of the way and I will go easy on you in the future!" he growled dangerously, not in the mood for smiling and joking when the welfare of his friends or family members is at stake.

"As if a miserable human being like you is capable of taking down even one of us!" taunted one of them, brandishing his mace menacingly.

Nightwing drew his escrima and lunged at the hawkish aliens who did not expect his attack. The former Robin violently struck the first Thanagarian with one escrima across the face and with the other across the jaw. Sounds of broken bones echoed in the air as the villain fell painfully to the ground and Nightwing launched himself into the air in a double backflip positioning himself behind the second invader.

The hero of Bludhaven turned on his escrima, now crackling with electricity, and he quickly connected them to the neck of the Thanagarian who screamed in pain as thousands of volts of electricity shot through his body and after a few seconds of agony he fell unconscious to the ground.

Nightwing rolled to the side dodging the assault of a Thanagarian and with both escrima he blocked the mace of another alien. The vigilante delivered a hard kick to the latter's chest who recoiled as the former Titans leader threw several wing-dings toward the fifth Thanagarian.

The latter raised his bat and the wing-dings stuck on his weapon, harmless. He gave an arrogant smirk in the direction of the human but then he frowned when he heard a strange noise.

Nightwing smiled as he heard him scream in pain when the alien was overwhelmed by a violent explosion caused by the wing-dings that hurled him far away.

The hero of Bludhaven cracked his neck as he saw that there were two Thanagarians left who snarled and flew toward him. The acrobat moved to the side and ran toward one of them as he threw his two escrima hitting the stomach and forehead of the other alien who grunted in pain.

Using these seconds to his advantage Batman's first protégé ducked under the sledgehammer blow and did a handstand and with a kick violently struck the chin of the Thanagarian who staggered backward dazed. Nightwing turned with a 360-degree roundhouse kick and struck his opponent directly in the neck, bringing him to his knees, and Dick knocked him out with a violent uppercut.

The first Robin turned sharply and did a backflip dodging the mace of the last remaining Thanagarian standing. During his acrobatic move, as soon as Dick's hands made contact with the ground he gave himself momentum toward the alien hitting him with a violent kick to the face.

The Thanagarian's head snapped painfully to the other side spitting blood, and Nightwing simultaneously hit him with both a hard punch to the stomach and a brutal kick that broke his kneecap. The Thanagarian fell screaming to the ground in a painful mess before being knocked out with a kick to the head.

Nightwing looked up in Superman's direction and he breathed a sigh of relief seeing that Martian Manhunter had stepped in to help the Metropolis hero.

"That was very impressive." spoke a familiar female voice.

The hero turned and smiled when he saw Shayera Hol a few meters away from him. "Shouldn't you be outraged that I kicked your friends' asses?"

"They are not my friends." she grunted, casting a glare at the five unconscious Thanagarians. "Most of them are just mindless idiots."

"What about the others who are not idiots?" asked Dick curiously, raising an eyebrow behind his mask.

"I have no relationship with them outside the professional one." replied Shayera shrugging his shoulders. "Here, these are yours."

Nightwing picked up his escrima on the fly and it was obvious that his white eyes showed his confusion and surprise.

"It is not valiant to fight an enemy deprived of his characteristic weapons." she smiled slightly. "Not that you are helpless without them, quite the contrary."

The Bludhaven vigilante smiled at his words and for now rested the escrima behind his back.

"In the other battle you were holding yourself back against me." Shayera pointed out, her eyes briefly glancing over the unconscious forms of her similars before returning her gaze to the twenty year old, her voice showing confusion mixed with mild admiration.

"You were holding back too, for that matter." Nightwing smiled at the surprised look on Shayera's face, who, however, did not deny it. "No one hurts, either directly or indirectly, the people I care about without consequence." he growled, throwing a bat-glare at the downed five.

The Thanagarian briefly considered herself lucky that she was not the recipient of the young hero's glare and anger.

Apparently Nightwing had an explosive, incandescent rage that could not be underestimated if you wanted to survive.

Interesting.

Not that she was examining him or anything, of course.

"Very noble of you. Protecting the people you love." she commented in a sincere voice.

The Justice League hero smiled. "Thank you." then he became a little more serious. "But I don't think you are here just to compliment me. I doubt the other Thanagarians would appreciate it."

If Shayera was surprised that he knew her alien race and where they came from, she did not show it. "Indeed you are right." she smirked, taking the mace and pointing it menacingly at him.

"I thought you didn't want to help kill innocent people." said Nightwing perfectly masking his disappointment and sadness and he threw himself to the side with a slight wince, barely avoiding being pierced by the mace.

"It's for my people!" growled Shayera, flying toward Nightwing. "And I will do everything to keep Thanagar safe and secure!"

The acrobat blocked the mace with his escrima sticks. "Is that what you really want?" asked Dick calmly, looking directly at the white slits in Shayera's helmet.

"The only thing that matters is the preservation of Thanagar!" said Shayera in a convinced and unquestioning voice, aiming a kick at the chest of his opponent who dodged it with several backflips.

"There are other ways to keep your planet safe but conquering Earth is not one of them." he pointed out dryly.

Shayera did not respond and continued without a word to fight the hero.

Dick sighed.

Sooner or later I will succeed in making her understand that her and other Thanagarians' actions are wrong, convincing her to switch to our side. I will never give up on her. It doesn't matter if it's the last thing I do.

Nightwing and Shayera fought for a couple of minutes, where they eluded each other without ever managing to hit their opponent even once, until they both turned around when they heard a roar of explosion.

"What the heck happened?" growled Nightwing as he saw a very large crater in the center of the battlefield.

They both noticed that a Thanagarian, whom Shayera recognized as Hro Talak, was holding a weapon in his hand, and they saw Superman flying toward him, extending his arm backwards menacingly.

When Superman was within a very short distance of the alien, the Thanagarian fired his weapon and suddenly there was a very powerful and very violent shock wave that went through and swept the entire combat area, destroying in the process a great many apartment and buildings that collapsed to the ground.

As soon as the violent shockwave hit him, Nightwing found himself thrown very far away and falling into the darkness of unconsciousness.

Two tall, menacing shadows stopped when they saw two unconscious figures at their feet.

"Isn't that the major of that damn Bat?" a male voice asked gruffly.

The other voice, also male, answered in a calmer voice with a non-American accent. "Yes, that is indeed him. And the other one sounds to me like one of those hawkish aliens that are attacking Earth."

"Weren't they fighting in Washington?" there was a nod. "Then what the fuck are these two doing miles and miles away from Washington?"

"I don't know, Crock." there was a pause. "We can use the situation to our advantage. It's been a while since I've tortured and then killed someone. Have you?"

"...Me too, Cain." there was another pause. "I'll transport that damn hero while you transport that fucking alien."

There was a sigh. "All right. Let's hurry before they recover their senses."

"Good."

Chapter Text

Shayera Hol blinked slowly trying to push the darkness and mist out of her view. When she could see freely she found she was chained against the wall by her arms and legs.

This was by no means a good sign.

The Thanagarian yanked hard on the chains but they didn't budge an inch and she moaned in annoyance.

Perfect.

She glared around her and her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the unconscious Nightwing figure to her right. Unlike him however the hero was tied by his hands behind his chair, his head lolling to one side unconscious. She sighed with relief seeing that Nightwing had only a few cuts and no serious injuries.

For Shayera to see Nightwing so helpless, in such a vulnerable position…it made her heart ache and she felt her stomach churn nervously.

She had never experienced this feeling before and soon discovered that she was…afraid. But not fear for herself (no, after all she had been trained since birth as a fierce warrior and she had overcome that fear so many years ago) but fear for Nightwing. Because whoever had kidnapped them it was obvious that he was evil otherwise he wouldn't have kidnapped a hero too.

Even so, Shayera couldn't understand why she feared for Nightwing's well-being. She had only met him twice (among other things, also as an enemy and this was a rather important detail), yet here she was worrying about Nightwing's life.

Maybe it's because he saw the good in you when even you didn't know about it. Whispered a treacherous corner of her mind.

Shayera frowned but she let out another sigh.

She couldn't help but agree with her mind.

Though Shayera was helping her people of Thanagar conquer Earth, Nightwing had seen beyond the barriers she had created and he had seen the good in her.

This must be why Shayera cared about the hero.

"Nightwing!" Shayera whispered frantically hoping to wake up the hero. "Nightwing!"

After a few more tries Shayera sighed with relief as he saw him fidget slightly. She could imagine that he was blinking behind her mask (curious she quickly wondered what color her eyes were before she brushed the question away, deeming it silly and pointless).

"Did I get hit by a truck or something?" groaned Nightwing, still confused and disoriented.

"No, just from a very powerful shock wave."

When he heard the voice of the Thanagarian army captain he jerked his head in his direction, regretting it almost immediately after when he felt the vertigo forcefully overwhelm him. "Shayera?" the hero asked confused.

"Glad to see you awake." although hers contained a great deal of sarcasm, there was also an undercurrent of truth and genuine concern underneath it.

"Where we are?" he asked ignoring her sarcasm.

"Someone had the brilliant idea to kidnap us." she grunted.

"Are they recording us?"

"No, there is no camera."

"Well." there was a pause. "How are you?"

Shayera ignored as she felt warmth blossom in her chest at the genuine concern in Nightwing's voice. "Fine even if I should ask you."

"I've been through worse."

That… wasn't much of a reassurance now that she thought about it.

"Did you happen to see who kidnapped us?" the hero asked.

"No, they haven't shown up yet. Since this is your world, would you have any vague idea who that might be?"

"The fact that they kidnapped both you and me, and tied us pretty tight, makes me think they're professional supervillains. Sadly, most super-villains want me dead."

This wasn't reassuring at all, and Shayera felt anger build in her chest as he told her that many villains wanted him dead.

She blinked, confused and surprised by the fierce anger she was feeling (and has never felt before) but she had no way to think about it when the two of them heard the warehouse door flung open to reveal two menacing male figures.

"Shit." she muttered the acrobat staring at the two men with a flat gaze.

Shayera had a strong feeling that Nightwing knew them and from her reaction it seemed that they weren't two-bit criminals.

"We are pleased to see that you have regained consciousness." spoke with an arrogant grin the masked man whose blond hair could be seen.

"Who the hell are you?" snarled Shayera glaring at them behind her helmet.

If the two super-villains were surprised that she spoke English, they didn't show it.

"Why don't you get your new boyfriend to tell you?" smirked the other white-haired man who stared directly the hero.

Nightwing set his jaw. "The masked idiot is Lawrence Crock aka Sportsmaster, a world-renowned mercenary with bad parenting skills, while the older one is David Cain, a ruthless assassin with equally bad parenting skills."

Shayera felt sorry for whoever was the son or daughter of these two criminals. She wasn't someone she would judge at first sight but she had to admit that the figures of David and Lawrence weren't very promising and fit for a poor child.

Lawrence growled and took a menacing step towards the Bludhaven vigilante but he was stopped by the other assassin who barred his way by placing a hand in front of him. "Don't waste energy on him. At least not for the moment."

Sportsmaster snorted but listened to his partner.

"What the hell are you doing in Washington?" Nightwing asked.

"Do you think we found you in Washington?" laughed Lawrence. "We found you passed out miles outside the city."

How the heck was that shock wave? It was the thought of the acrobat. "And I see you had the brilliant idea of kidnapping us." he commented casually.

Shayera found herself surprised by the casual and casual way Nightwing was carrying himself, as if he were having coffee with two old friends rather than being held hostage by two dangerous assassins who could kill him at any moment.

"Exactly." David Cain clicked his tongue. "You know, it's been a long time since I tortured someone. And you Lawrence?" he asked, addressing the younger man directly.

"Same thing." he grinned. "And you happen to be our unfortunate victims." continued the mercenary in a mock voice of compassion.

Shayera stiffened and glared as deadly as she could at the two assassins. Unfortunately for her, it didn't have much effect when she was chained with no ability to move freely.

David walked to the right of the warehouse entrance and flipped the light switch revealing several tables containing a large array of torture weapons that had previously not been visible due to the darkness. Both Nightwing and Shayera cursed silently when they saw this.

"Hey, wait a minute beautiful people! I know people like you enjoy torturing heroes." Nightwing began in an almost joking tone of voice. "But wouldn't it be better if you two let my new friend go there?" he asked, indicating Shayera with a nod of his head.

The Thanagarian's head snapped sideways at the hero, shock and disbelief written all over her face despite the helmet she was wearing.

Was Nightwing seriously volunteering to be tortured instead of him as well and that she should be set free?

What the hell?

She had to admit that Nightwing had a lot of courage to make such a proposition to their captors. Not everyone would have demanded such a thing and Shayera felt her respect for Nightwing grow even more.

Though she had no desire to leave Nightwing alone at the complete mercy of these two killers. She could never leave Nightwing alone.

Despite the bad situation they were in, Shayera felt a strange but pleasant sensation warming up in her chest.

But she didn't have time to dwell on it under the circumstances.

"Are you seriously asking us to let go of one of those damned aliens who are trying to take over the Earth?" Sportsmaster asked incredulously as he couldn't keep out of her voice the surprise he was feeling at the first Robin's request.

Nightwing managed to shrug, a lazy smile on his face. "Alien or not, she is still a person like all of us and she does not deserve to be tortured."

Shayera could do nothing but stare silently at Nightwing, unable to open her mouth to form the words.

"And you, yes?" David asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"If that means keeping her safe, then sure." Nightwing said with a shrug again.

The two assassins exchanged a brief glance. "Who are we not to satisfy your requests?" Cain said looking back at the vigilante.

"We will not free your little alien friend, we will simply leave her to watch you being tortured until you are killed. After that it will be her turn." declared with a snide Sportsmaster.

"What? No, not even in the slightest! You can't seriously accept her proposal!" Shayera growled indignantly. "Don't you dare torture him for me! Take me instead and leave Nightwing unharmed!"

"I'm sorry baby but it's too late now." David smiled and he and Lawrence walked over to the gun table.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shayera hissed at the hero in a voice too low for the two assassins to hear.

"Trying to save you." Nightwing answered without missing a beat, his voice steady and sure without ever faltering.

Before she could say anything the two assassins returned and approached slowly and menacingly carrying several weapons. "So, ready Nightwing?" Cain asked with a smirk as he rested a knife under Nightwing's chin, the blade grazing his throat.

Shayera felt anger build in her chest. "Try to hurt him and I will kill you in the most painful way possible!" growled Shayera dangerously pulling violently on the chains without success.

However, Nightwing's next words made her stop in surprise.

"Nah. It will be for next time."

Chapter Text

"Nah. It will be for next time."

Before anyone could fully understand Nightwing's words the ropes binding his hands fell to the floor and his fist slammed hard against David Cain's right cheek as he fell heavily to the floor, the knife clattering to the floor.

Shayera's eyes widened in surprise as she saw Nightwing free from his ligaments and she saw him flip in the air to position himself behind Sportsmaster.

The hero of Bludhaven kicked the mercenary in the back who fell to the ground with a grunt and he threw several wing-dings in the direction of David who was standing up holding two pistols. David rolled to the side but he was only disarmed of one gun and with the other he started shooting at the former Robin.

Nightwing performed several flips carefully avoiding the bullets that whizzed past him and jumped on Sportsmaster's shoulders and with all his weight he knocked the mercenary back to the ground as he leapt into the air doing several somersaults and throwing more wing-dings at David Cain who grunted when he was also disarmed of the other gun.

Nightwing landed on his feet and he smirked at the equally angry and annoyed expressions of the two assassins.

"Then we will skip the torture and go straight to your death!" growled Sportsmaster pulling out a knife as David got into a fighting stance.

Nightwing didn't comment and instead squinted at the situation. He knew he was capable of defeating them in one-on-one combat, but facing two ruthless and highly trained assassins in one-on-two combat?

The odds were certainly not in his favor.

But then it's also true that Dick Grayson never flinched from a challenge and that he faced much more dangerous and deadly threats than those two idiots.

So here's his current challenge: Nightwing Vs Sportsmaster and David Cain.

In his mind this announcement was much more dramatic.

Smiling Nightwing threw himself between the two assassins parrying David's fist with one arm while he turned half of his body to dodge Lawrence's knife that grazed his left side by a few millimeters.

With a kick, the vigilante hit the hand of the mercenary holding the knife and with a fist he tried to hit David who, however, ducked under his blow and he retaliated with a punch in the hero's stomach.

Nightwing felt the air rush out of his lungs and he rolled sideways dodging the blows of the two assassins. The former Robin threw several smoke bombs on the floor (he mentally thanked Lucius for having installed electricity as a defense system for his utility belt) and the room was immediately covered in smoke. David growled and lunged at the hero but he only hit the air.

When the smoke cleared of Nightwing there was no trace. Not even Shayera to her surprise could locate him.

"Show yourself, you fucking coward!" growled Sportsmaster frantically looking around.

Throughout the warehouse echoed an eerie laugh (which it was not possible to understand where it came from) that sent shivers of fear both to the two super-villains but also to the Thanagarian.

She never thought Nightwing's laughter was so frightening (and strangely she wasn't ashamed to admit it).

"Now I understand why some other super-villains say his laugh is as scary as the Joker's." Cain muttered as he continued to look around.

Shayera definitely wasn't dying to know who the heck this Joker was.

The two assassins jerked to their right when they heard a noise only to see a wing-ding harmlessly on the ground.

A black and blue blur suddenly appeared out of nowhere and with a violent kick hit David's face and he fell to the ground with a moan of pain. Lawrence jerked his head around as he heard the other assassin's groan of pain only to meet an uppercut that sent him sprawling.

Shayera noticed David's hand work its way into his uniform and she yelled in warning to Nightwing. "Careful behind!"

The first Robin whirled around and dodged just in time as the knife grazed his cheek leaving a small trickle of blood on it.

Shayera didn't even have time to shout another warning when Sportsmaster crashed his full weight onto Nightwing and the two tumbled a couple of feet to the ground until Lawrence (who had slipped off his mask and had his nose and lip split, the Thanagarian noted happily) did not get on top of the hero. The mercenary smashed hard at the vigilante below him with several punches causing his head to snap painfully in both directions.

The former Robin grunted in pain and gritted his teeth as David crushed his left hand with a foot and the sound of breaking bones echoed in the air.

Shayera never felt so useless before now. She could do absolutely nothing to help Nightwing who was taking a painful beating and she hated that more than anything.

Her heart ached every time she saw Nightwing get shot.

It was as if she too was suffering along with Nightwing (and rationally Shayera knew this was a stupid thought but nevertheless this was exactly how she felt at that precise moment).

"It would have been better if you had let yourself be tortured!" growled Sportsmaster.

The vigilante smiled, visible blood that had pooled in his mouth. "And it would have been better if you hadn't just underestimated me." with an exceptional feat of flexibility Nightwing wrapped his legs around Sportsmaster's neck and slammed his head violently on the ground.

David Cain attempted to kick him in the temple but Nightwing rolled to the side dodging him. The assassin lunged at the vigilante with a punch but the hero ducked under him and the first Robin attempted to elbow him in the stomach.

David blocked the punch and swept the legs of the acrobat who, as soon as his hands connected on the ground, he gave himself momentum and hit Cain's jaw with a violent kick who fell to the ground spitting blood.

Sportsmaster came out of nowhere behind the former Titans leader and wrapped his arm around his neck starting to choke him. Without panicking too much Nightwing placed his hands on the mercenary's arm and pressed hard on the pressure points as he kicked back hitting Lawrence's knee and immediately after, once he felt the grip loosen enough, Dick forcefully knocked Sportsmaster to the ground, his breathing harder.

Nightwing tried to hit the mercenary now on the ground but David lunged at him hitting him with a hard punch in the stomach. The hero of Bludhaven coughed up some blood (which genuinely worried Shayera), and backed away slightly barely dodging the kick to the jaw but he couldn't avoid a left hook from Cain.

The vigilante fell to the ground with a pained grunt and he somersaulted backwards to his feet just in time to avoid being stabbed in the stomach. Nightwing blocked David's hand holding the knife and kicked him in the arm causing the villain's weapon to fall to the ground. Nightwing ducked under Cain's punch and grabbed his right arm with both hands and then with a ferocious growl he broke it.

David Cain let out a small scream of pain, his right arm dropping limply beside him, and Nightwing pulled back his right fist slamming him across the face and slamming him against the wall. The assassin feebly tried to get to his feet but was quickly knocked unconscious as the vigilante hit him with a hard roundhouse kick to the temple.

Shayera smiled victoriously as David Cain slumped unconscious but she quickly lost the smile when, across the room meters away from her, Sportsmaster raised her arms pointing a gun at her with a cocky smirk.

She met the mercenary's gaze steadily, never wavering and never afraid to die, and she awaited the shot and the pain that would inevitably come with a single thought.

I hope Nightwing can save himself.

Suddenly a wing-ding flew across the room hitting Crock's pistol arm and the mercenary was disarmed but not before firing.

Shayera never felt the pain coming.

This was because Nightwing had launched himself in the middle between the trajectory of the shot and the Thanagarian.

Shayera's eyes widened in horror as she saw Nightwing fall to the ground with a small cry of pain. She swore she felt a burn in the corners of her eyes but she soon brushed it away.

It was probably nothing important.

Nightwing automatically brought a hand to his left side where the bullet had hit him. Blood quickly began to flow from his wound and the floor was turning bright red.

For the first time in her life, Shayera Hol was scared out of her mind.

Nightwing was too still on the ground and that scared her more than anything in the world.

She was shocked and surprised when she saw Nightwing get up much slower than usual somehow managing to stay on his feet, albeit wobbly in his steps.

Shayera didn't know how the heck a human was able to even stand with so many wounds on his body.

Then, it was also true that Shayera was sure that Nightwing wasn't exactly a normal human being since he was the first person capable of continuing to impress her constantly.

Shayera winced as if she were the one hit when Sportsmaster's fist connected in the face with Nightwing who staggered in a daze until he was leaning against a wall in support.

Barely seeing, Nightwing used all his strength to dodge the next punch and the hero of Bludhaven managed to kick (ignoring the pain from the movement alone) Sportsmaster's throat and he fell to his knees making choking noises. Next Nightwing kneed him in the face and Lawrence Crock fell backwards to the ground and he never moved from that position.

Shayera blinked in disbelief.

Nightwing had just taken down a world-renowned professional mercenary… with a bullet wound in his left side that was still bleeding and with many more wounds scattered throughout his body?

Not to mention he managed to take down two clearly highly trained assassins all by himself?

Shayera had one word to describe everything she had just witnessed.

Wow.

Nightwing staggered wounded towards her and, taking a wing-ding from his black utility belt, after a couple of tries managed to cut the chains that bound Shayera to the wall at both her arms and legs.

Shayera went squatting to the ground but before she could even thank Nightwing, the aforementioned hero fell to his knees before collapsing completely to the ground, blood pooling too fast beneath him.

"NIGHTWING!"

Chapter Text

Shayera Hol felt her heart skip a beat. She felt frozen in place and fear and dread hit her harder than any physical blow she has ever taken in her entire life as a fierce warrior.

For a moment it was as if time had frozen around her, her mind replaying the same event over and over again practically tormenting her.

Nightwing's body falling unconscious to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

At that very moment, Shayera Hol understood for the first time what it was like to feel fear in its worse state.

And it was an absolutely terrifying feeling that the Thanagarian never wanted to experience again for the rest of her life.

Knowing how lucky she was, it was very likely that she would not.

Eventually Shayera awoke from her frozen state and she crouched down to the level of the fallen hero and in the gentlest way possible she rolled him onto his back, cursing in her native tongue as she saw the gaping wound gushing a worrying amount of blood.

For the briefest moment the idea of letting him bleed to death on the dirty, damp floor of that warehouse to track down and return to the other Thanagarians crossed her mind but as quickly as it came Shayera shooed it away, feeling as the worst person in the universe of all time for even thinking such a thing.

Nightwing had volunteered to be tortured instead of her without any hesitation.

Nightwing had freed himself from the ropes that kept him tied up and instead of running away and leaving her alone at the mercy of those two ruthless assassins (and it wouldn't have been difficult for the hero to escape at all) he had engaged in a fight against two dangerous assassins completely alone with little chance of coming out on top.

Nightwing had taken a bullet for her and now he was bleeding for her.

Nightwing had defeated the two assassins and managed to free her before passing out from all the wounds of hers which he took to save her.

Nightwing had saved her life and was this how she would return the favor?

This is not the time to think about how selfish of shit person you are, Shayera. She thought furiously seeing the grave state in which the hero was.

Luckily, Shayera always carried a roll of bandages in her belt in case she needed to stop a wound from her or some other army comrade's bleeding.

Her hands moved at a speed like they never have before and she quickly grabbed the roll of bandages and ripped a couple apart. Then she placed the scroll beside her and Shayera stared at the unconscious form of Nightwing.

With her superhuman strength she tore firmly but as gently as possible part of the kevlar from the hero's armor exposing his bleeding left side where Nightwing's gunshot wound was visible.

Shayera quickly wrapped the bandages around the acrobat's wound and she tightened them while maintaining some pressure, causing a small involuntary whimper from Nightwing but nothing else.

The noise was nothing short of excruciating to hear and it cut its way straight into the heart of the Thanagarian who shivered slightly.

Doing her best to ignore it Shayera continued to press the bandages to his wounds noticing that they were becoming stained with blood.

She took more bandages from the roll and placed the new bandages over the old ones maintaining the same pressure as before to slow the bleeding, even though she knew she couldn't go on that long.

Shayera knew that the bullet had to be extracted from Nightwing's body to allow him to stop his bleeding and that therefore he had to be operated on as soon as possible.

The good news was that her medical knowledge was quite extensive and good and that she had previously already successfully operated on some of her army comrades saving their lives.

It was one of the first things they taught him when she was younger.

The bad news was that she didn't have any medical tools needed to perform the operation.

Shayera considered taking Nightwing to a hospital and leaving him in their care but if there was one thing she had learned it was that he had a secret identity to keep and guard to protect not only his civilian self but also his loved ones.

Shayera didn't know if Nightwing had any hospitals or clinics that he could trust to keep his identity a secret but still she was sure that any hospital she could take him to (but she wouldn't) there might be doctors a little too curious.

Hence the option to take him to a hospital was excluded.

There was only one other option left.

That is, fly high in the sky and locate a hospital, besiege it, request as many medical instruments as possible and quickly return to this warehouse.

Shayera nodded to herself but she hesitated as she saw the still thankfully unconscious figures of the two assassins.

What if they wake up while she's out? They would have an easy way to effortlessly kill Nightwing.

Shayera thought quickly and within seconds an idea crossed her mind. With lightning speed the Thanagarian flew first at Lawrence Crock and she took his arm with one hand and she flew the other way carrying the mercenary with her and she landed next to David Cain. She also grabbed the other assassin and she took a few seconds to better adjust her grip on the two of them.

She took one last look at the unconscious form of Nightwing, her heart pounding fast in her chest. "Don't move from there." she ordered, knowing full well that he couldn't listen to her but that sentence was meant more to reassure herself than anything else.

With a grunt she flew out of the warehouse slamming the doors open and she flew high into the sky taking a random direction, her arms easily carrying the two assassins.

A minute or so passed, where she kept cursing in the Thanagarian language for not finding anything useful, until she spotted a police station and with a smile she darted downwards in that direction.

As soon as the civilians saw her they started running away screaming in terror but Shayera just ignored it. She landed in front of the police station creating a small crater in front of it and she stared at the frightened and fear filled faces of some policemen who came out of the GCPD.

"Here are some assholes!" growled Shayera as she roughly threw Cain and Sportsmaster to the ground at the feet of the cops who gasped as they easily recognized the two killers.

Shayera spun and was about to fly away when she froze momentarily and she only turned her head back to stare at the policemen who looked at her in confusion, surprise and fear. "Where is the nearest hospital?"

One of them silently pointed in a direction and the Thanagarian grunted. Without saying anything about her her wings flapped quickly and she darted through the air in the indicated direction.

In about ten seconds she glimpsed the structure of a hospital and she smiled before picking up her speed.

Shayera slammed the hospital doors open without actually breaking them and she let out a vicious growl staring directly at a nurse. "Bring me medical instruments suitable for surgery and no one will get hurt!"

The civilians inside the facility began screaming in fear and panic soon ensued.

The nurse gulped in terror. "I do not know if-"

"Now!" Shayera roared pissed as she punched the hospital wall which she shivered slightly from the force of her.

The nurse blanched when she saw the hole in the wall and she nodded shakily before walking away with the Thanagarian flying after her.

It took about five minutes before Shayera Hol was holding the necessary medical instruments in both hands and she flew into the air and with one punch she easily broke the ceiling of the hospital which fell to the ground. Shayera flew at full speed in the direction she came from with a single thought in mind.

Please let him still be alive please let him still be alive

That practically became her mantra on the flight home, her heart pounding in her throat.

Shayera would never be able to forgive herself if she couldn't save Nightwing's life like he had hers.

Her guilt would eat her alive and she could not live with herself for the rest of her life if Nightwing died because of her.

Nightwing had to be alive.

He had to.

When she saw the warehouse she felt her anxiety and dread increase rather than decrease.

That's because she didn't know if Nightwing was still alive or not.

Please let him still be alive please let him still be alive

Shayera flew into the warehouse and she landed in a crouch next to the limp form of Nightwing.

She tore some bandages from the roll that was still on the ground and placed them on the ground and then she placed the surgical instruments on top of the bandages to avoid leaving them on the ground.

She knows how fucking dirty the floor was. She didn't want to infect the tools with her who knows what disease, thank you very much.

The first thing Shayera did was slip her Nth Metal forged gauntlets from her hands and place them on the ground and then she placed two fingers on Nightwing's neck, her heart threatening to burst out of her ribcage.

It was the moment of truth.

Shayera held her breath for a few seconds until she felt a pulse.

Weak and slow but it was there.

Only then could Shayera let out a huge, liberating sigh, her relief fully overwhelming knowing she'd arrived just in time.

The first part had been completed successfully.

Now the second part was missing, namely to operate Nightwing.

Shayera was aware of the fact that she was not a real doctor/surgeon and that there were many unknown and unpredictable factors that could have seriously and irreparably compromised the operation, even leading to the death of Nightwing.

Shayera ignored the shiver that ran up her back and wings at the thought.

But this was her only chance to save her savior.

And she would have given all of herself, all of her best to save Nightwing.

"This could hurt." warned Shayera hoping for a response from Nightwing, perhaps with some joke that by now she was used to.

This however never happened and Shayera couldn't decide if this was bad or not.

Be that as it may, she had also obtained some drugs for anesthesia that she should have given to the young hero.

Shayera Hol cracked her fingers and she closed her eyes, letting out a long, deep sigh of utmost concentration.

After a few seconds she snapped her eyes back open behind her helmet, her entire posture oozing determination and resolve.

Shayera Hol wasn't going to let Nightwing die.

Not on her body.

Chapter Text

The first thing Dick Grayson discovered once he regained consciousness was that most of his body was in pain.

What a way to wake up.

Dick slowly opened his eyes and blinked softly, absently noting that he was still wearing his Nightwing mask.

The acrobat attempted to get to his feet but he soon realized that this had by no means been his most brilliant idea when he was overcome by a fit of dizziness and nausea and Dick was forced to lie down again.

Okay, standing is definitely out of the question.

The eldest Wayne cocked his head down to examine his chest aka the area of his body that was most sore and he noticed how the kevlar of his armor covering his left side had been ripped away revealing his left side which had been bandaged and cared for very carefully.

The first Robin frowned, confused as to what had happened and how he took all the pain he felt when suddenly several memories rushed through his mind, increasing the pain in his head.

Concussions were always the hardest to bear.

Be that as it may, this was not important enough. The important thing was instead that the Bludhaven vigilante had remembered what had happened: starting from the kidnapping by David Cain and Lawrence Crock, he who managed to free himself from the ropes and who fought against the two assassins and that in the end he won against them, him taking the bullet that was meant for Shayera-

SHAYERA!

Dick sat up abruptly on the small couch and, doing his best to ignore the dizziness and nausea and pain in his head, he squinted through his blurred vision to try to figure out where the heck he was.

It definitely wasn't the warehouse where Cain and Sportsmaster had kidnapped him and Shayera. Instead, it seemed that he was in some sort of long-abandoned building but that it had been hastily cleaned and furnished.

The former Robin mentally stored this information for the future but for now he had to know where Shayera was and if she was hurt or not.

With a lot of effort Dick got off the little bed (which was in stark contrast to the rest of the building which was mostly empty and desolate) and he stood in his steps to make the dizziness go away which hit him again. When the 20 year old was sure he wouldn't regurgitate last Christmas' dinner as well, he began to walk slowly making various grimaces and hissing in pain when he felt his left side protest.

Nightwing did his best to ignore the burning sensation in his side and he continued to wander around the building, his feet making no sound.

After all, Dick didn't know if there were threats in the building to watch out for or if the place was actually safe. He didn't think there was any threat but his Bat paranoia was getting the better of him.

Not that Richard was able to fight if there was any bad guy. Another bit he couldn't even stay on his feet but still he would still fight at his best.

After a few seconds Dick heard a female voice coming from the direction he had started from swearing in a language he didn't know (or at least he thought she was swearing but he was pretty sure of it since he heard a lot of anger in her voice) and the acrobat turned around contemplating in his head whether to go back or not.

The first Robin didn't think about it when he heard something clicking softly in the distance and suddenly there was an angry looking angel in front of him.

No, not an angel but a very angry looking Shayera Hol.

Dick was sure they were one and the same.

As soon as Dick saw her he found himself releasing a huge sigh of relief that he didn't even know he was holding back.

Shayera was fine and she had no visible injuries.

This was the important thing.

Dick opened his mouth to speak but he was immediately interrupted by the Thanagarian's angry voice. "Now you have to explain to me how the hell you could think that walking around after being shot would be a good idea!" growled Shayera crossing her arms, her visible blue eyes filled with fury but the twenty year old also noticed genuine concern in them as well as in her voice.

"Are you worried about me?" Nightwing asked in surprise raising an eyebrow under his mask.

Shayera blushed slightly and her glare increased in intensity. She opened her mouth but after a few seconds she closed it, unable to find the right word to say. "I don't want you to die for your stupidity after all the hard work I've put in." she finally said.

At Nightwing's confused look she rolled her eyes annoyed and mumbled something so quietly that he couldn't understand.

"You tore off the stitches I put on you, you idiot." Shayera said impassively.

Dick stared down only to notice his bandages had turned a faint bright red and that little drops of blood were oozing from them.

"Oh." he said very cleverly.

Shayera rolled her eyes again and this time Richard was pretty sure she was insulting him in the Thanagarian language.

Dick would never admit even under torture to his surprised scream as Shayera picked him up and carried him bridal style.

He had a damn reputation to maintain, thank you very much.

"Do you know I can walk?" Nightwing muttered, a blush blooming on his cheeks hiding the fact that he strangely liked being carried around like this.

In fact, it's better to say that he strangely liked being carried like this by Shayera Hol.

Strange.

"Do you know that it is because you walked that you pulled your stitches?" she retorted in a flat voice, smiling slightly when Nightwing crossed his arms but remained silent.

Before long Shayera was back in the room where Dick had woken up and she carefully set the hero down on the cot, giving him a deadly glare as he moved to sit up.

Dick soon discovered that Shayera's gaze was far scarier than a Batman bat-glare and he found himself lying back on the couch, unwilling to face the wrath of the Thanagarian captain.

Shayera nodded satisfied and she slightly flew away heading towards some shelves a bit covered in dust and cobwebs. "Where we are?" Dick asked looking around curiously and when he saw that there was nothing of interest he returned his gaze to the Thanagarian who was flying towards him with something in her hand.

"It's some kind of abandoned shelter or something." she said shrugging and placing a stool (where the hell had she gotten that? Dick started to think he was faltering. Surely it was his injuries) in front of his little bed.

The hero of Bludhaven noticed Shayera holding a box of needles and stitches and he smirked at her. "Now I have to sit up when not even five seconds ago you said I had to lie down?"

If after Shayera's death glare Dick moved quickly to sit up without adding anything else for the safety of his own life, well, no one else will ever know.

The Thanagarian's lips lifted a few inches before she returned to her carefully neutral and impassive expression.

Dick much preferred to see her smile: her smile was hands down the most beautiful he's ever seen.

The former leader of the Titans blinked, confused where that thought came from but he didn't have time to think about it when the bandages were gently ripped off causing him a small gasp of surprise.

Shayera obviously noticed but she didn't say anything, which Richard really appreciated.

As Shayera removed the old stitches to put on new ones the two had a quiet civil conversation despite the fact that the two are technically supposed to be enemies.

"Where did you learn this?" Dick asked curiously.

"I learned this when I was about ten." Shayera answered without looking up, busy sewing up the hero's left side.

The first Robin made a small noise in surprise. Of course, Dick also knew how to sew himself up in the event of a gunshot or bullet wound, but he learned this shortly before he became Nightwing.

After all, when he was Robin, Alfred was sewing up every wound of him and Bruce, so Dick learned this in his late teens, around 15-16 years old.

Which was still impressive given his young age but still ten years was too young.

Not that he can speak since he went out patrolling the streets of the most dangerous city in the world at just eight years old but still the point remains.

"Cool." was the only thing he could say before taking a short pause. "How old are you?"

God, he hoped Shayera didn't puncture his left lung with the needle.

To his lucky and relief, she didn't. "How many would you give me?" she asked instead.

"Slightly older than me, so early 20s I guess."

"I am twenty one Earth years old." she informed him. Shayera froze slightly in her stitching before continuing. "You?"

"Twenty." Dick smiled even though the Thanagarian couldn't see him. "Eh, we are only one year apart." he thought idly.

Shayera let out a distracted murmur but Dick knew she was interested in that too.

Or at least mildly interested.

Shayera continued her work for a few minutes in silence before she was the one who broke it, which surprised even herself. "I'm curious how a human being like you is able to take down multiple Thanagarians at once and alone."

Dick smiled as he heard her sincere and genuine curiosity (and maybe even respect for her but he didn't know if he was imagining it or not) in her voice: no anger or disgust in it. "Well, let's just say I have a lot of experience on my side and I've seen literally everything in my life."

"How long have you been a hero?"

If Shayera noticed his hesitation she said nothing. "Since I was eight years old."

Shayera stopped short (thankfully without accidentally hurting him) and she jerked her head up in his direction, blue eyes clearly shocked. "Eight years?" he nodded with a small smile. "I didn't know that Earthlings also train at a young age."

"We don't actually do that." Nightwing clarified and at the confused look of the Thanagarian he continued. "This only concerns me since my situation was particular."

"Oh?" she murmured, picking up where she left off.

Dick nodded. "Yes. To make a long story short, I was taken in by a hero when my parents were killed in front of me when I was eight years old."

"I am sorry." she spoke, genuine sincerity in her voice.

"Thanks, but I'm long over it now. Like I said, I was taken in by a hero and I felt the need to bring justice to the man who killed my parents by taking him to prison, which is why I sneaked out in an old circus uniform in an attempt to track him down."

"Valid reason but idiotic action."

Dick chuckled. "I admit it wasn't my best idea but eventually Batman and I defeated him and took him to prison. From that moment on I understood that I wanted to do good, that I wanted to save others and prevent the tragedy that befell me from happening to others as well and I basically forced Batman to train me."

"Batman is the one dressed in a bat costume?" a nod. "And he took you in?"

"He is my adoptive father." he said, confused where Shayera was getting at.

"I'm sorry to say this but a man who dresses as a bat and beats up criminals doesn't seem sane to me."

Nightwing blinked in surprise behind his mask and just at the moment when Shayera feared she had upset him, insulted him or something he burst out laughing, surprising her slightly before she gave a small smile upon hearing his laughter.

"Well, I can't blame you." chuckled the hero once his laughter was over.

Eh, Shayera Hol had a great sense of humor.

It was another great quality of Shayera.

Chapter Text

As Shayera continued to stitch Nightwing's left side a pleasant silence fell in the room which unlike before was broken this time by Dick.

"It is obvious that the bullet was extracted from my body." the Thanagarian nodded in confirmation even though it wasn't a real question. "It was you?" the acrobat asked curiously.

Dick had been asking this question for some time and he sincerely wished he knew the answer.

"Yes. I was the one who operated on you and took the bullet out of your body." Shayera said quietly, secretly curious about Nightwing's reaction.

The last Flying Grayson raised both eyebrows under his mask in surprise, not expecting such a response. "Can you also perform surgical operations?" asked the surprised and impressed Bludhaven vigilante.

"I am not a real surgeon but I have already performed several operations on my army comrades to save their lives." she shrugged, a small smile when she noticed Nightwing's impressed look. "It doesn't bother you that I operated on you, does it?" she asked fearing to know the answer (although she didn't even know why).

"Of course not!" Dick answered immediately without any hint of doubt or lie in his voice and Shayera gave a small smile as she continued her work. "I was just surprised: that's all."

"I assumed that since you are a hero and must keep your civilian identity a secret for the welfare of yourself and your loved ones, I figured I couldn't take you to a hospital since I was sure there would be some too curious doctors. Also, just to be sure, I also cleaned your blood from the fight site."

Nightwing smiled. "You did the right thing, Shayera."

Shayera felt warmth creep into her chest and spread throughout her body. Not knowing how to react to that, she mumbled a quick thank you before they both fell into another pleasant silence again.

After a few minutes Shayera had finished her work and she gave a slight proud smile before glaring at Nightwing. "Now stay on that couch before you tear your fists apart again otherwise you'll manage next time!" she seriously threatened.

Nightwing peacefully raised his hands in the air and he smiled at her. "At your orders, Captain!"

Shayera couldn't hold back the amused snort that escaped her lips, which made the hero's smile widen. The Thanagarian glared at him before turning and flying to the shelves where she stored all the tools.

Dick Grayson lay down on the couch and put his hands behind his head. "You know, I didn't thank you for saving my life." Shayera whirled around with a confused and surprised expression. "Thank you, Shayera."

Shayera stared at him with a surprised look for a couple of long seconds, which made the vigilante slightly nervous. "Are you serious?" she finally said.

"Huh? What?" he asked intelligently.

"Are you seriously thanking me when if it wasn't for you we'd still be in the hands of those two killers now?"

Dick opened his mouth but he was preceded by the Thanagarian who kept talking.

"I'm the one who has to thank you. You saved my life, Nightwing, and for that I can never thank you enough."

"Well, you saved my life right after so I assume we saved each other's lives." smiled Nightwing.

Shayera smiled back slightly before flashing a full blown smile, her blue eyes twinkling slightly.

Nightwing held his breath at the sight of Shayera grinning broadly: it was as if her smile could light up the whole world and the sight of it warmed his chest with an unknown but welcome emotion.

"Would you really have done that?" Shayera asked after a moment of them staring at each other. "Let you torture for me, I mean." she explained to the confused look of the hero.

"Yes."

"Even if you wouldn't have been able to free yourself?"

"If that meant that you would be fine and unharmed for as long as possible, then yes: I would have done it without hesitation."

"After you freed yourself you could have easily run away and saved yourself."

"I did not."

"Instead you decided to face two ruthless and highly trained assassins alone to save me."

"I did it."

"You volunteered to be tortured for me and then faced them alone when the odds were against you."

"Yes."

"And you would have given your life to save mine?"

"Without any doubt. I would do it again every single time."

Shayera found no lie in his voice and she believed him. "But why?" she asked in frustration. "We are enemies: why should you die for me?"

Shayera could not understand this and it frustrated her more than she would ever admit. She had been asking this question ever since Nightwing had taken a bullet for her.

Why would he do such a thing?

"Is this really who we are? Are we really enemies?"

"Well, I'm helping my people conquer your planet." Shayera pointed out flatly.

"Then you could have let me bleed to death in that warehouse if you truly considered me your enemy." said Dick with a shrug. "Instead you pushed yourself beyond the limits of your possibilities and made sure that I survived and on top of that you also operated on me."

"Well then." Shayera rolled her eyes. "You're right, I can't consider you my enemy. Not after everything you've done for me. But that doesn't mean we've become best friends. So why would you risk your life for me? Because is your hero work?"

"Not just for that." the first Robin sighed and stared directly at Shayera who was waiting patiently. "Because you are a good person, Shayera."

The Thanagarian's eyes widened, surprised by the hero's response.

"Maybe you don't see it but I can assure you that you are a good person, Shayera."

"How can you say that when you don't even know me?" scoffed Shayera.

"Because you and I are much more alike than you might think." he said in the most serious voice she heard coming from him.

"What?"

"We both underwent a lot of tough training from a young age, we both saw and witnessed things most people couldn't handle, we both fight, breathe and shed blood to protect our respective peoples. I could list other reasons for hours as well. Trust me when I say we are very similar."

"I doubt you killed." Shayera murmured softly but he heard it anyway.

Nightwing smirked somberly that made her shiver slightly. "Does it count as a kill if the bastard is dead because I beat him to death but my father saved him at the last moment?"

Shayera didn't know what the fuck to say.

She had already understood that Nightwing did not kill and that this concept has been implanted in him since he was young (probably by this Batman).

So she absolutely didn't want to know what the heck this "bastard" did to the point of pushing Nightwing to beat him to death by killing him.

Maybe she would know another time.

"We're getting a little off topic." the twenty year old chuckled but Shayera noticed that the laugh was more forced than usual.

She didn't like how it sounded.

"Basically, I would have given my life for yours either because I'm a hero but that's only 1% of the reason. You're a good person Shayera, and I've kind of grown fond of you too." Nightwing admitted, averting his gaze so that she wouldn't notice his sudden blush.

Was it him or was it suddenly much warmer?

Shayera gasped at his admission and she could feel her face warm noticeably.

What the hell was happening to her?

As the silence that had fallen between them grew more awkward she cleared her throat. "I suppose you could be much worse."

Nightwing turned to her, his blush subsiding, and he sent her a bright smile that made her heart beat faster.

She just told herself that it was nothing of importance.

Suddenly the hero of Bludhaven frowned and he stared at the Thanagarian. "Now that it crossed my mind, what on earth triggered that massive shock wave that blew us all out of Washington?"

Shayera contemplated to herself whether to give him an honest answer or to lie to him. Finally she mentally shrugged and she opted for the first choice. "It was a weapon that we were able to build thanks to the Nth Metal and with other Earth minerals that we were able to recover."

Dick let out an impressed and interested murmur that caused the beautiful woman to smile slightly and the two fell into another silence.

…

"So… now?"

The last Flying Grayson looked at her curiously. "Now what?"

"I think now I should track down and return to my army comrades." she murmured ignoring his question.

Richard stiffened.

Dick didn't want Shayera to go back to the other Thanagarians.

If before he was absolutely sure that Shayera had a real heart and that unlike the others she didn't want to conquer the Earth, now he would have bet both of his legs on it.

Dick not only was certain that Shayera didn't want to take over the Earth but he also knew that she was a woman who would do anything to defend innocent people and she would be a great superhero and a great addition to the Justice League.

The former Robin did not doubt this even for a second.

Also if that meant Dick would get a chance to see  her  often, it was just a double win.

"And would you like to leave me all alone?" Nightwing joked, mentally going over everything he could have told her to stay with him.

Shayera stared at him and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your babysitter." she declared dryly.

"Obviously not. However as you said I can't move without risking tearing my stitches. You don't want all your hard work to go to waste and I bleed to death afterwards, do you?" he asked innocently.

Shayera continued to stare at him impassively, not buying his act in the slightest. Instead of sending him to hell and walking away to go back to her people (as the rational side of her was prompting her to do), she found herself sighing deeply and grumbling in defeat.

"Well. But you try to annoy me too much and I'll throw you out a window." she seriously threatened him.

Nightwing smiled and she was pretty sure he had winked behind her mask. "You wouldn't do it because you would hurt me badly and you couldn't hurt your new friend, could you?"

"Friend?" she repeated incredulously.

"Yes friend. Why, after everything we've been through together, aren't we friends?" Nightwing asked innocently, his bottom lip starting to quiver slightly.

Shayera couldn't believe her eyes. Nightwing, a ferocious hero unafraid to sacrifice his life for that of others… pouted at her?

Now she must be dreaming.

Also because the aforementioned pout was actually working on her.

Was Shayera, trained from birth to be a fierce warrior with no hesitation in killing anyone, Captain of the Thanagarian army who has participated in many violent wars against other alien peoples, giving in to a frown of a human?

A Human being able to effortlessly take down multiple Thanagarians at the same time and two dangerous assassins with wounds all over his body but these were just details.

It is not fair.

How can a grown man pout and make her resolve and inner strength waver when said man was wearing a goddamn mask?

The Thanagarian let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, we're friends." she grumbled.

Shayera ignored the fact that the bright smile she got from him was beautiful and capable of lighting up the entire galaxy and that it filled her chest with welcome warmth.

Shayera ignored how she longed for her and Nightwing to be friends.

Shayera ignored all of this and she just smiled back at him, suddenly much more content and lighthearted than she had ever been in her entire life.

Chapter Text

Shayera Hol's eyes widened when she saw Nightwing's hands reach toward the mask. "What are you doing?" she whispered surprised and shocked.

"Taking off my mask." replied slightly confused Nightwing, still lying on the small bed.

"Why?"

"Well, you may not know this but it's quite annoying to keep a mask on for too long." the acrobat paused. "Both literally and metaphorically speaking." he then added.

"That's not what I meant." stated the Thanagarian in a flat voice. "If you remove it I will discover your civilian identity and that of your loved ones." she pointed out in a tone of voice that suggested the hero was performing a foolish action.

"You are literally from another planet."

"But I may still be able to identify you because of the various technologies." retorted Shayera, still confused.

"I know." said Dick simply shrugging his shoulders without making a big deal out of it.

Shayera squinted her eyes at the lying figure of the vigilante, analyzing his relaxed and tension-free posture. "You're just implicitly stating that you trust me with your secret identity." came out more as a statement than a question.

"Of course." said the hero of Bludhaven.

"Why?" Nightwing opened his mouth to answer her but she beat him to it. "And don't answer me with 'because we're friends' or I'll kick your ass."

The first Robin chuckled and he smiled amusedly at her. "Well, that's definitely one of the reasons."

"I'm still waiting."

"Because I trust you, Shayera." simply declared Nightwing as if he were stating something obvious, such as that the sun is a star.

Shayera found herself surprised and genuinely impressed by how much trust Nightwing placed in her to the point of showing her his face, not caring if she identified his civilian identity.

The Thanagarian knew that Nightwing did not show his face to the first person who walked by and that she was probably one of the few people he told his identity to.

No one before had trusted her to such an important and special degree in her entire life.

Shayera was moved by the level of trust Nightwing gave her, and she mentally promised herself that she would not tell anyone his true identity, even under torture.

She would not break his trust in such an ungrateful and petty way.

Shayera forced herself to ignore the feeling of heat practically burning in her chest and she merely nodded, suddenly her mouth not working, hoping to convey her gratitude to the hero and how much it really meant to her.

Judging by Nightwing's smile, she succeeded.

The hero slowly slipped off his mask, probably to create a suspenseful effect (and unfortunately for her he was succeeding), and after a few seconds the Thanagarian barely held back a surprised gasp.

Because she found herself staring into the most beautiful pair of blue eyes that she thought hands down existed in the entire fucking universe.

Nightwing's blue eyes were so bright and brilliant that Shayera for a brief moment actually feared that she might be blinded by them.

Nightwing's blue eyes and smile were a match that Shayera soon found that she could not take her eyes off them.

She was diverted from her thoughts when Nightwing held out a hand to her, his smile still present.

"Richard John Grayson-Wayne, to friends simply Dick."

Shayera raised both eyebrows.

"The jokes later thanks. I've heard literally all of them already." said Nightwing impassively -no, Dick- but he was betrayed by the playful gleam in his beautiful blue eyes.

Shayera smiled amusedly and reached out a hand in return, shaking his. "Shayera Hol. It is a real pleasure to know you in every way, Dick."

The smile she got could light up the entire galaxy.

"Me too, Shayera."

The two of them smiled at each other and they both felt something move in their chests but for now they put them aside, focusing exclusively on each other.

They did not know exactly how long the two of them smiled at each other without breaking eye contact but eventually they noticed that they were still holding hands and they hastened to withdraw them and they looked away, both of them missing the blush that covered the other's cheeks.

Yes, it was going to be a very long temporary cohabitation for both of them.

From then on, the relationship between Dick Grayson and Shayera Hol grew significantly as the days went by.

They spent the rest of the day telling their respective stories, starting with Dick explaining to her his first eight years of circus life, his first period as a vigilante as Robin and the Dynamic Duo with Batman to his time growing up when he assumed the identity of Nightwing forming with his friends the Teen Titans led by him (which Shayera was initially surprised about before she thought she should have seen it coming) for a couple of years before leaving the team and claiming Bludhaven as his city when he turned seventeen, including the year he officially became a member of the Justice League as the youngest of all (but still one of the most experienced).

He also told her about his younger brothers who proudly continued his Robin legacy. Dick also confided in her about when Jason was killed by the Joker (before coming back to life, which shocked her quite a bit) and how much he suffered, and the acrobat also told her about his brutal beating on Joker before the clown could actually be resurrected by Batman.

Shayera did not judge him for his act and indeed, she even gently held his hand when she noted that Jason's death was still a sore subject for him.

The gesture of comfort greatly helped Dick who gently squeezed her hand, sending a grateful smile that made her heart beat faster.

The last Flying Grayson even spoke to her about his short period lasting less than a year as Batman and Damian as his Robin while Bruce was lost in time.

"Wow, so you weren't exaggerating when you said you had seen it all in your life!" Dick chuckled and nodded. "And you're only 20 years old!"

"Sometimes I feel like I'm much older than I am." Dick admitted, and Shayera nodded understandingly, knowing full well and firsthand what he was talking about.

Next it was Shayera's turn to confide in Dick. She told him how she was trained from birth to be a fierce warrior because of her parents, how they forced her to join the Thanagarian army at a young age around ten years old, and how she participated in her first war against an alien people when she was only thirteen years old.

"Surely mine are not the parents of the year." huffed Shayera bitterly.

"Are you still in contact with them?" the Bludhaven hero asked cautiously.

"No." the Thanagarian shook her head, fighting the urge to snarl. "I haven't seen or heard from them since they forced me to join the army."

"So for more than eleven years." murmured the acrobat softly more to himself than to the woman but she nodded anyway.

"That's right. As for me, I don't even consider them as my parents. To me they are like complete strangers and I don't care about them." she said with a deep and tired sigh but it was very clear the anger and disgust present in her voice.

Dick nodded, not being able to fully understand her since he had three amazing loving parents but he could only imagine the pain, anger and betrayal she could feel.

How unfair. Shayera did not deserve this.

After that the Thanagarian continued to tell about her life and when she became an army captain at only eighteen years old, one of the youngest ever.

They continued to chat for some more time until they realized that the sun had set. Dick had suggested ordering takeout, and when Shayera asked him why, the vigilante rubbed the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

"Well, I'm not exactly the best at cooking." Shayera arched an eyebrow. "And besides, it's not like we have any food here." the Wayne eldest son then added helpfully, who later furrowed his brow. "We don't have a phone." he muttered.

Immediately afterwards Shayera showed him a disposable phone and, to Dick's confused and surprised look, she explained that she had taken it from David Cain's pockets when she was taking him to the police.

When the pizza delivery man arrived after half an hour or so Shayera managed somehow or other to open the door of the shelter in such a way as to perfectly conceal her wings and quietly take the pizza boxes without arousing suspicion.

Dick did not want to know how she did it.

"You absolutely must try the pizza." Dick declared in a deadly serious voice, slowly placing himself on the small bed as Shayera brought other clean chairs.

Dick did not even want to know where she was getting them from.

"What's so special about this pizza?" asked Shayera curiously as she stared with a raised eyebrow at her food.

"Trust me." the former Robin smirked, taking a slice of pizza. "It will be one of the best things you've ever tasted."

Shayera said nothing and merely took a small, curious bite of the pizza. After a few seconds that she had chewed slowly her blue eyes lit up with a bright sparkle that ignited something in Dick's chest.

She finished swallowing and sent a surprised look at the acrobat who was smiling knowingly at her. "This is so good!" she exclaimed. "It's the best thing I've ever eaten!"

Dick wondered curiously what Thanagarian food was like but he decided that would be the question for a next time. "You should try Italian pizza. It's the best."

Shayera tilted her head slightly, silently urging him to continue as she greedily took more bites from her slice of pizza.

"Italy is known to the world as the motherland of pizza. If you want to eat real pizza, you'll have to do it in Italy."

"You seem to be speaking from personal experience." noted the Thanagarian curiously.

"I was once there with my parents while our circus was performing in Naples." Dick smiled, his blue eyes shining brightly. "That pizza was the best ever."

"Did you ever go back there in Italy?"

"Once when I was about ten years old. Bruce took me to Italy, specifically to Rome, for a little one-week vacation."

Shayera nodded and she finished her pizza with a huge bite. She finished eating it after about ten seconds and her hand reached for another slice.

Dick chuckled. "Someone is hungry." he teased and he laughed when she only nodded. "Maybe one time I'll take you to Italy to eat real pizza."

Shayera froze, the hand that contained the slice of pizza freezing a short distance from her mouth before in seconds she was able to move her muscles again. "I'd like that." she said softly, sadly aware that such a trip would never happen.

And the thought pained her more than she would admit.

Nightwing smiled, oblivious to her thoughts, and they continued to eat and chat quietly.

Dick felt his heart rate increase frighteningly when he noticed a small tomato stain on Shayera's face, inches from her lips.

Suddenly Dick felt the urge to gently run his thumb over it to wipe it away, or run his tongue over it-.

The first Robin blushed furiously, and soon he was sure his whole face was redder than the tomato sauce coating his slice of pizza.

Shayera noticed it and she frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Dick's voice came out rougher than he imagined and he embarrassedly cleared his throat. "It's probably just the heat." he said with a goofy smile as he absentmindedly waved a hand for air.

It was obvious that Shayera did not fully believe him but she dropped the subject much to the relief of the Bludhaven vigilante.

I don't know what the fuck is happening to me but the danger is over.

About four days passed since that evening with Dick healing quite well although Shayera continued to monitor his movements, making sure he did not overexert himself.

Initially Dick was slightly annoyed by this but after Shayera gave him the deadliest and most lethal look he had ever seen in his entire life, Grayson decided that it was not so bad after all.

Not least because it moved him how Shayera genuinely cared for him.

They had spent the week mostly chatting, especially sharing their different cultures improving their relationship even more.

Dick had also asked her if she could teach him the Thanagarian language. Shayera had opened her jaw wide in shock and when Dick began to think he had said something wrong she gave him a fierce hug that almost broke his ribs.

If getting a hug from Shayera meant having broken ribs, then it was definitely worth it.

They both missed the fierce blush that covered both of them.

Not only had Shayera been giving him Thanagarian language lessons since that time, but from then on they shared more physical gestures, however slight: like the casual brushing of their hands, a hand on the shoulder that lasted a little too long, or other such things.

They had become somewhat more intimate with each other, and although they never discussed it out loud, both were happy about it.

Currently the two friends were sitting on a couch (Dick was getting seriously worried wondering where the heck Shayera was finding all this from), the gap between them only a few meters.

"May I touch your wings?" blurted Dick suddenly, the words coming from his lips even before he could register them and when the acrobat did so he blushed but he did not withdraw his question.

The damage was done now.

Shayera almost choked with her own saliva and she turned to stare at the hero, her blue eyes wide and an adorable blush making its way down her cheeks. "What the hell? Where the heck did it come from?"

Dick shrugged, an embarrassed smile on his face. "I honestly don't know either but I'm curious." he replied honestly. At Shayera's still shocked look Richard raised his hands in the air, suddenly nervous and agitated. "You don't have to be forced to accept. If you don't like it then-"

"All right." interrupted Shayera surprising both Dick but especially herself.

Shayera had never, ever allowed anyone to touch her wings. They were something exclusively personal to her that she did not want to "share" with anyone.

The last Thanagarian who had done so by ignoring her had three fewer fingers.

Literally.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think you have to let me do this." Dick asked in a serious yet sweet voice. "If you don't want it then that's fine. I won't be offended, don't worry." he assured.

This only strengthened Shayera's decision. "I said it's fine with me." said Shayera with a small smile and her white wings flapped gently between them (without her permission, she noted confusedly) as if it was a demonstration of the woman's words.

Dick smiled slightly and he anxiously approached the Thanagarian with his heart pounding in his chest.

Shayera noticed his anxiety and she rolled her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to bite you Dick!" she said sarcastically, getting a giggle from the 20 year old.

Dick slowly extended his right hand and after an encouraging nod from Shayera his fingers gently traced the woman's wings.

The wings were softer than Richard had expected. It was like stroking the wings of a small bird but the last Flying Grayson was sure Shayera's wings were softer.

Dick smiled softly when Shayera's wings fluttered between them, clearly showing happiness and pleasure, and when he stared at her he found himself surprised when she was looking at him with a small but tender smile that made his chest flutter with a good feeling.

"You can go on... if you want." offered Shayera shyly, who gave a small smile when she saw Dick's lips curl into a tender smile.

Nightwing's right hand moved slowly up and down the white wings in gentle, affectionate, soothing movements that made Shayera's eyes close.

The woman had never felt so light and she had never experienced this tranquility that instilled in her a feeling of peace and serenity she had never felt before in her entire life.

It was something absolutely pleasant and beautiful to experience.

It was as if Dick's fingers were meant to match her wings and it warmed her chest.

Another three days passed where they continued to spend pleasant time together while Dick's wounds continued to heal without any problems.

It had become like a kind of their daily routine to spend varying amounts of time on the couch, with Dick gently stroking Shayera's wings in a pleasant and agreeable silence where the only noise was the gentle flapping of the Thanagarian's wings.

Dick could have spent hours on end stroking Shayera's wings and he would not have complained in the slightest.

Suddenly they both heard several pairs of footsteps coming from behind the door of the shelter and they both looked at each other briefly before Dick put on his Nightwing mask and before Shayera picked up her mace.

Suddenly the door was flung open and the two found themselves staring at some members of the Justice League.

Dick opened his mouth to say what, even he did not know, but he was preceded by Batman.

"Superman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Zatanna and Green Arrow have been captured."

Chapter Text

"Superman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary, Zatanna and Green Arrow have been captured."

Dick Grayson slowly blinked behind his mask as he mentally processed the Gotham City vigilante's words.

"Shouldn't you be saying 'Hi son, haven't seen you in a while' or something like that?" he said instead, momentarily putting aside the fact that some of his teammates had been captured.

The acrobat's words wrung chuckles from the remaining members of the Justice League but they stopped when they received a bat-glare from Batman who later turned to his firstborn. "And why didn't you warn anyone for a whole week?" he accused him.

Dick gasped but had no time to retort when the Caped Crusader continued.

"Your brothers are ready to literally destroy everything they encounter to find you. It's a miracle I was able to convince them to stay in the cave." continued Batman with a fierce snarl. "And you stayed in here for a week without alerting anyone that you were okay? We all thought something had happened to you!"

Nightwing winced again at the harsh but rather deserved words from his father, and the last Flying Grayson felt the guilt grow out of all proportion.

How the hell did it not occur to him to warn someone by telling them that he was all right?

Dick knew that if anyone else behaved as he did the first Robin would search everywhere for that person.

So yes, he fully understood his father's reaction and he knew that he deserved it.

Richard could only imagine how scared and panicked his father and brothers were, and the mental image of them distressed and terrified was enough to make him feel like the worst person in the world.

Dick swallowed a few times before he managed to find his voice again. "Batman I-" he was interrupted by his father.

"You had us worried for nothing!" growled Batman again, his white eyes never leaving the figure of his firstborn.

Dick gasped for the third time in a few seconds but before he could say anything Shayera intervened.

"Wow. You don't even ask your son how he is. Pretty rude for me if you ask." she said sarcastically.

It took a few seconds before the Bludhaven hero realized that Shayera had put herself in a protective position between him and Batman.

On any other occasion Dick would have laughed if Shayera had put herself protectively between him and his father, the man who would rather die in the worst possible way than raise a hand over his children.

Still, though, the acrobat appreciated the woman's thoughtfulness.

Now all the Justice League's attention was focused on Shayera, and the heroes stiffened when they finally noticed her presence.

Dick immediately saw his teammates ready to attack Shayera, and he moved quickly, grabbing the red-haired woman by the wrist and putting her behind him.

"What are you doing?" asked Wonder Woman in a snarl who had already drawn her sword.

Dick opened his mouth to answer his aunt but he was once again interrupted by Batman who had several batarangs in his hands.

"Why the hell are you protecting a Thanagarian? If you've forgotten, her species is trying to take over our world!" growled the Caped Crusader.

"Shut up and let me talk before I kick your ass so hard you won't be able to sit down for the next ten years!" snapped Nightwing finally looking fiercely at his father.

The other heroes backed away unconsciously, each of them not wanting to loom in Nightwing's wrath while Batman's only sign of surprise and annoyance was his jaw clenching minutely.

Shayera should not have been surprised that the superheroes of this world respected so many Nightwing after she had known both the hero and the person behind his mask, yet she was anyway.

"Now put down your weapons and relax for a couple of minutes, hell!" growled Nightwing, looking intently at the heroes who slowly relaxed into less offensive but still suspicious positions.

Dick moved to pinch the bridge of his nose but soon remembered that he was wearing the mask. With an irritated sigh he turned to the JLA. "Come in and I will answer any questions you may have." he said in a calmer, more reasonable voice.

A few minutes later the heroes were gathered around the couch with Hal and Barry the only ones sitting on it.

If anyone noticed how Shayera never left Nightwing's side, no one commented on it.

Shayera briefly introduced herself to the heroes, and the fact that she was the captain of the Thanagarian army certainly did not help matters.

With another sigh Dick took off his mask and threw it heedlessly on the coffee table, which made the heroes, especially Batman, stiffen.

"What the heck-"

"Dad, I love you more than life itself, but keep it up and I'll tell some very interesting stories in such a way that your reputation will be destroyed in a matter of minutes."

Batman shut his jaw tightly and merely threw a bat-glare at his son who was obviously unaffected, however.

"I want to know these stories." Flash said with a smirk.

"Maybe someday I'll tell you." Dick winked at him before turning to the room at large. "So what are your questions?"

"What is a Thanagarian doing with you? And why are you protecting her?" asked Batman gruffly, anticipating everyone else.

"Heck, you don't even ask your son what the hell happened to him or why he couldn't contact you." huffed Shayera sarcastically, and Dick elbowed her gently in the arm, giving her a glare of the not-helping-at-all kind.

Batman looked at her grimly, and she fiercely returned the gaze, not in the least afraid of the Dark Knight.

"Because she saved my life." Dick replied to his father's question, and his words drew everyone's attention to him.

"After you saved my life." Shayera helpfully recalled.

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" proposed Barry with a small smile.

"After that shockwave that was unleashed-"

"Because of your species."

Shayera ignored Batman's accusatory interruption and she continued as if nothing had happened. "We were miles away from Washington and were kidnapped by Lawrence Crock and David Cain."

There were several surprised gasps as the heroes immediately recognized the names of the two deadly and lethal assassins.

"Somehow Nightwing managed to free himself from the ropes that held him bound and he faced them."

Wonder Woman's head snapped toward the nearest thing she had like a nephew. "You faced two of the world's most dangerous assassins alone and won?" she asked incredulously but there was no lack of a hint of pride in her voice, which made Dick smile.

"As you can imagine he did not come out of the fight completely unscathed." the Thanagarian continued. "He won but not only did he have several wounds inflicted throughout his body but he took a bullet that was meant for me."

Batman looked frantically at Dick for any visible wounds. "Don't worry, dad. Shayera saved my life and if it wasn't for her I would have bled to death in that warehouse."

Dick probably should have chosen his words more carefully since it sounded as if Bruce wanted to hug him fiercely but could not given the audience and his Batman reputation.

"That's why you couldn't contact anyone: you were hurt!" realized Green Lantern who snapped his fingers for added emphasis.

"And the shockwave probably destroyed all the tracking devices your suit had." muttered Batman.

For a brief moment Dick wanted to ask his father why he hadn't used the tracker that had been implanted in his skin but then decided he didn't really want to know why.

"So basically you saved Shayera's life, Shayera saved your life, she took care of your injuries, and you became sort of friends?" asked Flash summing it up and both Dick and Shayera nodded.

"That doesn't explain why you told her your real name." said Batman barely holding back a growl.

"Because I trust her."

Shayera felt her heart warm at his words and at the absence of doubt in his voice.

"Her people plan to conquer our planet. How can you trust her?" asked Batman, his tone less gruff than usual.

Probably because he trusted his son's judgment, and the thought made Dick smile as he gave an answer.

"Because she is not like other Thanagarians. She doesn't want to conquer a planet that has done nothing wrong, and she certainly doesn't want to kill innocent people."

"Did she tell you that?" asked Diana, staring first at Shayera and then at Dick, her mind traveling to a fairly likely scenario to which she did not know whether she liked it or not.

"No. I figured it out on my own."

Shayera became secretly more nervous as all the heroes pointed their eyes at her.

"What do you think?" asked Green Lantern, asking aloud the question we were all wondering about.

Shayera refrained from saying that she stood right in front of them but she chose to remain silent instead.

"I trust Nightwing's judgment." said Batman simply, making a smile imperceptible by anyone but Dick when he saw his firstborn send him a sweet smile.

"...So do I." said after a few seconds of tense silence Wonder Woman and soon Hal and Barry agreed with them as well.

"By whom were all the others kidnapped?" asked Dick in a grave and serious voice.

Barry looked first at Shayera with an indecipherable look then at his nephew. "The other Thanagarians."

Both Shayera and Dick inhaled shakily at the speedster's answer.

Damn.

This was not a good thing at all.

"Would you happen to have any idea where your people took our friends?" asked Hal directly to the Thanagarian.

Shayera hesitated for a couple of seconds before nodding slowly. "I might have an idea." she finally admitted. "But..."

"You're not sure you want to betray your people." Dick guessed softly, and Shayera nodded, lowering her head slightly for fear of discovering what the last Flying Grayson was feeling.

Nightwing gently lifted her chin and Shayera briefly forgot how to breathe when she found herself staring directly into the acrobat's beautiful blue eyes.

"We will not force you to betray your people. We could never make you do such a thing. I know you are conflicted right now but I want you to know that I will not think less of you if you would not betray your people. I would fully understand that."

For several minutes Shayera and Dick did not look away from each other, both lost in each other's eyes and the vigilante's words.

The room remained in complete silence, the heroes waiting for Shayera's decision.

She was torn in half.

What should she do?

Help her people and conquer Earth while killing innocent people to keep her home planet Thanagar safe?

Or help the heroes drive her people off Earth and thus betray her own people?

Should she help her military comrades to whom she is not related to them for any reason if strictly professional?

Or should she instead help her first and only friend, the only person who made her feel like she was not just a living weapon and that she had other goals besides killing and making war with other alien peoples?

The only person who trusted her more than anyone else ever did with her?

The only person who ever showed her what it means to be loved and trusted and the only one who saw good in her when no one else, including her, ever saw that?

Thanagar?

Earth?

Her own people?

Dick Grayson/Nightwing?

What to do?

Be remembered in Thanagar as the one who led to the conquest of Earth?

Or be remembered in Thanagar as a traitor who stabbed her own people in the back?

...

...

...

"I... want to help you."

Chapter Text

"I... want to help you."

Shayera's words brought a smile to the face of Nightwing who impulsively wrapped her in a big hug without thinking of the possible consequences.

Shayera initially stiffened but then slowly she melted into the warmth emanating from Dick and she hesitantly returned the embrace.

The four remaining members of the Justice League were shocked by what they were seeing.

After all, it was not every day to see Nightwing embrace an alien whose people plan to conquer Earth.

Hal Jordan opened his mouth, probably to say some joke or some other nonsense, but Diana Prince slapped the back of his head, preventing him from speaking. Green Lantern stared fiercely at the Amazon but then he curled in on himself as she stared grimly at him and he wisely decided to remain silent.

Barry Allen, on the other hand, was still completely shocked and his mouth was wide open and his eyes wide. To top it off Batman was as stoic as ever but the only indication of his surprise and disbelief was the fact that the Caped Crusader was too still and stiff.

Dick smiled softly as he felt Shayera return the hug, and he closed his eyes, feeling blissful and at his happiest in a way he has never felt before.

Unknown to him, Shayera was also feeling the same emotions as him.

They slowly pulled away from the embrace and looked away from each other, thus missing the blush that covered both of them. It made Hal and Barry snort amusedly, made Diana smile sweetly even though she was still a bit suspicious of the Thanagarian's intentions, and made Batman frown heavily as he stared blankly and impassively at both of them.

"So" Dick began with a smile to finally break the embarrassment he was beginning to feel. "what's our next move?"

"For me we should regroup on the Watchtower and we'll see what to do from there." suggested Flash.

"Are you seriously going to bring a Thanagarian onto our base?" Green Lantern asked shocked to his best friend. "No offense." he added quickly, looking at the red-haired woman.

"None taken."

"It is our best course of action. On the Watchtower we could quickly locate the position of the other Thanagarians thanks to Shayera and then we can start planning." the blond-haired speedster said with a shrug.

"That's a very good idea for me." nodded the last Flying Grayson in agreement and Shayera smiled slightly.

"I suppose that's the only thing we can do." Wonder Woman said with a brief sigh after she reflected with herself for a couple of seconds.

Everyone turned to the one man who still hadn't said a word about Barry's idea, and Batman let out an almost inaudible sigh. "The majority wins." he said dryly.

The heroes were about to leave the shelter when Batman rested a hand on his son's shoulder. "We need to talk first. Preferably alone." added the Dark Knight of Gotham, staring at Shayera who returned the gaze suspicious and wary.

The world's best acrobat sent a reassuring smile to the Thanagarian. "Don't worry. I'll get to you quickly."

Shayera sighed and nodded reluctantly, and she cast a meaningful glance at Batman before flying away. In a short time the only ones left in the shelter was the first Dynamic Duo that ever existed.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" asked Dick curiously as he moved to pick up the escrima sticks (kindly retrieved from Shayera a few days earlier) and then stow them behind his back.

"I wanted to... apologize for how I acted earlier with you."

The younger man turned his head sharply, and he with surprise found himself staring directly into blue eyes, the cowl lowered back.

"I'm sorry for acting like a real jerk before, Dickie." Bruce continued as he approached his eldest and stopped a few steps away from the former Robin. "I was just..."

"Scared?" offered the last Flying Grayson softly when his father interrupted.

The billionaire pondered for a few seconds and nodded. "Yes. I was scared. I had no news about you for a week, and I didn't know if you were okay, if you were hurt or w-worse." Bruce stumbled slightly on the last word.

"I'm sorry too." Dick hastily interrupted him. "I'm sorry that I didn't contact you or anyone else." he shook his head and looked away, ashamed of himself. "I don't know how it's possible that it never occurred to me to warn anyone. I'm sorry for worrying you unnecessarily."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Dick." Bruce stated seriously. "You didn't deserve to be treated the way I treated you. You were shot and I took it out on you anyway." he gritted his teeth.

"You didn't know that at the time."

"But I still shouldn't have treated you that way regardless. It's just that..." Bruce swallowed once before he could speak. "I can't lose you, chum. I couldn't handle it."

"Oh Dad." murmured Dick softly, who wrapped his father in a fierce and comfortable hug. "I'm right here, B. I'm not going anywhere."

Bruce gave a shuddering sigh as he wrapped his arms around his son. "A week not knowing if you were okay or..."

Damn. Dick was feeling like the worst person in the world for worrying his father so much.

Anyone who said Batman had no emotions was a fucking idiot.

"I'm sorry." murmured the first Robin. "I didn't mean to make you worry so much. I'm sorry, Dad."

Father and son remained in this position for a couple of minutes before Bruce reluctantly broke away. "I'm still proud of you that you were able to take on two assassins of the caliber of Sportsmaster and David Cain by yourself."

Richard smiled radiantly, his eyes twinkling slightly. "Thanks, Dad!"

The older man gave a small smile before staring seriously at his son. "Is there something going on between you and Shayera?"

Dick almost choked at the completely abrupt question and he stared at him, his cheeks flushing slightly. "B! What the hell?"

Bruce continued to look at him impassively with one stoic eyebrow raised.

There was silence for a while where father and son looked at each other without making a sound.

Finally Dick let out a loud sigh. "No. Shayera and I are just friends." he emphasized the word just for better emphasis.

Bruce grunted but it was obvious that he did not fully believe the acrobat.

The former Robin huffed and rolled his eyes. "Hell B! I'm just trying to help Shayera who is confused right now! That doesn't mean I've suddenly fallen in love with her!"

"Hn."

"You're impossible."

"Thank you."

"It wasn't meant as a compliment."

"I know."

Dick tried to maintain a serious and annoyed facade but soon he felt an amused smile blossom between his lips.

God how he missed joking with his father.

Bruce returned the smile slightly before rummaging through his utility belt, grabbing something and throwing it to his eldest son who easily caught it on the fly.

"Is that a phone?" asked Dick, frowning in confusion.

"Call your brothers before they set the whole world on fire," grunted Bruce, smiling slightly as he saw his son pale.

"Shit. I'm fucked right?" asked Dick, staring at the phone in his hand as if it were a time bomb that would lead to his death.

It probably would have been but details.

"Language." Bruce automatically scolded him. "But still, yes you are."

"Great." sighed Dick, who looked up at his father. "You will be present at my funeral, right?"

"Dick."

"Sorry but I couldn't resist."

"Hn."

Recognized: Shayera Hol 10

"Wow." was Shayera Hol's exclamation as she stepped onto the Watchtower and she looked around in amazement.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" gave Hal Jordan an arrogant and satisfied smirk and the Thanagarian nodded distractedly.

"Don't brag about it, Jordan, when I'm the one who spent the money to make the Watchtower." said Batman impassively, tearing up a few giggles and making Green Lantern sputter incoherently.

Nightwing cleared his throat and Batman sighed.

"And even when it was Dick when he was only nine years old who improved the Watchtower designs and upgraded all the security systems." the Dark Knight added, letting out some pride in his son.

Shayera turned sharply toward Dick, her blue eyes shining impressively behind her helmet. "Only nine years old?"

Nightwing merely smiled, and Wonder Woman rested a hand on her nephew as she fixed the other woman with a small smile. "Dick has always been an out-of-the-ordinary genius even when he was younger." smiled the Princess of Themyscira.

"I can easily imagine that." Shayera gave a small smile.

"Alright, don't we have a reunion to arrange and friends to rescue?" asked the hero of Bludhaven rhetorically but everyone noticed a very small blush on his face at the Thanagarian's comment.

"Nah, it's good to tease you." Flash said with a mischievous grin, elbowing his nephew.

"Just like it's nice to tease you with all the blackmail I own about you, uncle Barry."

Immediately there was only a yellow and red trail left beside Dick, and Flash found himself across the hall.

Within minutes the heroes reached the meeting room and the heroes sat in their chairs except for Shayera who sat next to Nightwing in Superman's chair.

"So Shayera." said Batman staring directly at the Thanagarian. "You can begin."

Shayera closed her eyes briefly and she let out a long sigh. She opened them again and a determined expression crossed her face.

"So this is the place where the Thanagarians are holding our friends prisoners?" asked Flash, peeking out from behind a tree and staring at an old abandoned but nonetheless still functioning prison some 20 meters away.

"Yes." confirmed Shayera, her blank gaze fixed on the building in front of them. "As I said before, there is no guard watching the building and the ground floor has never been used by us."

"Well then." grunted Batman just as Wonder Woman landed from the flight next to him.

"She's right. The building is not surrounded by any guards." reported the demigoddess to her friend.

Batman nodded abruptly and together he and his teammates ran or flew to the entrance. Nightwing slowly opened the door without making a sound and they quietly entered.

"This seems too easy." whispered Green Lantern doubtfully, who looked around frantically.

His comment was mostly ignored to his dismay and the heroes continued on. They took a few steps when suddenly alarms sounded loudly and the room they were in was illuminated entirely with a red light.

"You said there were no security systems!" growled Wonder Woman at the red-haired woman.

Shayera did not have time to respond when about seventy armed and equipped Thanagarians sprang up from different directions surrounding the heroes.

"If you want to survive and see your friends again, I advise you to peacefully raise your hands in the air!" growled one of them who took a step forward.

As the Thanagarians began to handcuff the heroes Batman turned to Shayera who had stood by, fury painted all over his face despite the cowl.

"You betrayed us!"

She said nothing and stared blankly at the heroes being rudely escorted away by the Thanagarians. Her helmet-hidden eyes met Nightwing's masked eyes and her heart jerked painfully.

Despite his masked face Shayera had begun to know how to read the hero of Bludhaven even with his mask on.

And what she saw in those blue eyes behind the mask made her heart clench painfully.

Once the heroes were taken to the cells Shayera Hol suddenly felt alone despite the fact that there were many others of her kind in the room with her.

The Thanagarians had won and in a short time they would conquer the Earth.

Thanagar would be safe and her planet would not be in danger of being destroyed by other alien peoples.

But then why did Shayera Hol feel as if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life?

Chapter Text

"Well, whatever your rescue plan was I guess it went wrong for you."

"Shut up Green Arrow!" growled Batman dangerously, and the archer wisely chose to remain silent for the safety of his own life.

Each hero was individually locked up in a medium-sized cell that were arranged vertically and horizontally from each other.

Next to Superman were kryptonite rocks that made him weak and unable to get up from the ground but still kept him a life, Wonder Woman was bound by chains of Nth Metal that the Amazon could not destroy, no matter how hard she kept trying, Flash had a collar that took away his powers, and he was walking restlessly in his cell.

Aquaman was sitting on the floor against the wall farthest from the bars and had crossed his arms with an angry expression, Green Arrow was lying on the bed in his cell, both Zatanna and Black Canary had gags covering their mouths that prevented them from using their powers, Batman was standing stiffly in the middle of the cell without moving an inch.

Green Lantern had been stripped of his ring and he had pouted, Martian Manhunter was enveloped in flames that made him very weak and unable to move from where he was lying on the ground, and finally Nightwing was completely immobile staring unreadably at a random spot in the cell.

The hero of Bludhaven heard his teammates arguing among themselves but for the first time he just could not keep up. His mind had flown elsewhere and it was as if it was completely off and absent.

Nightwing was experiencing many different emotions but they were all negative and Dick was sure that if he did not turn his mind away from her he would have a huge headache and he would feel worse than he already was.

It was as if his heart had been ripped out and cut into a thousand pieces and then burned with the heat vision of Superman. Dick had never felt so bad mentally and emotionally in a long time now.

Dick did not want to think about her anymore but his mind did not agree with him and he bit his lip feeling his eyes sting.

He was not going to cry.

He was stronger than that.

He had been trained better than that.

Yet it was as if his trainings had just been thrown out the window.

The first Robin sat on the ground ignoring the dirt in the cell, brought his knees up to his chest, curled in on himself even more, and began to cry silently.

He knew that now his teammates of the Justice League were talking and were worried about him.

Maybe they were even talking to him.

He was not fully sure.

His brain could not register the words of the other heroes and to him they were just background noises.

He was locked in on himself.

Both physically and mentally speaking.

He had given her his heart.

He would always continue to give her his heart.

She had thrown it away.

He had opened every single part of himself for her.

He will always continue to open every single part of his being for her.

She had ignored it.

He had confided in her.

He would always continue to confide in her.

She did not care about it.

He had believed in her. He had seen good in her.

He would always continue to believe in her. He would always continue to see good in her.

He had trusted in her.

He will always continue to trust her.

He...

He...

He loved Shayera Hol.

He will always love Shayera Hol.

Shayera Hol was sitting alone on a stool that she had found by accident. She did not know how long she was sitting there but in the end she did not care so much.

She was diverted from her thoughts when a hand fell on her shoulder and the Thanagarian resisted the urge to break the arm of anyone who disturbed her.

She turned her gaze and found herself staring directly at Hro Talak. "Can I help you, general?" she asked in a dry voice.

Apparently he was in a good mood since he did not mind her tone of voice and he smirked. "You know, at first when you were missing and we couldn't find you I had started to think that you might have betrayed us."

Shayera felt a knot forming in her throat but she forced the words out of her lips. "It wasn't like that, right?"

It was harder than she thought to force herself to speak.

The Thanagarian general continued to smile and he crossed his arms behind his back. "It wasn't like that." he confirmed, nodding slowly. "In fact, you were brilliant to have won the trust of the remaining members of the Justice League and to bring them to us. You came up with a smooth and nothing short of perfect plan, although you could have at least warned me but I'm okay with that anyway." he said, shrugging his shoulders lazily.

The more Hro complimented her the more Shayera felt her nausea, guilt and self-loathing grow out of all proportion.

"You know, you've been a great help and we would be able to conquer Earth and save Thanagar in no time." Hro continued without noticing the woman's discomfort. "So when we return to Thanagar you will be promoted and rise in rank."

A week earlier Shayera would have been proud of herself for earning a promotion and taking on a more important role in the army.

Right now, however, she was anything but proud, and the only thing she felt was revulsion at herself.

Nevertheless she had to nod and pretend to smile gratefully. "I thank you, general." she said.

"You have earned it."

"May I ask you a question, general?" she asked point blank.

Hro nodded and she continued.

"What are you going to do with the heroes?" asked Shayera perfectly masking her anxiety and fear with a more casual, nonchalant tone.

"We're going to laugh in front of them and then kill them." said the general with an evil smirk, and with that he flew away.

As soon as the general left the room Shayera fell back sitting on the stool and she released a huge, pained sigh.

Dick Grayson's lifeless body, without the light that illuminated his beautiful blue eyes....

She wearily ran her hands over her face without helmet, and she sighed for a second time, barely restraining herself from regurgitating.

Shayera should feel happy for being so close to conquering Earth!

Shayera should feel happy for saving Thanagar!

Shayera should feel happy for getting a promotion!

She should feel happy and proud of herself for achieving this!

...

Except that she wasn't.

Shayera felt like she was the worst person in the entire universe.

She probably was.

She betrayed the trust the JLA gave her and she stabbed them in the back.

She should be happy.

After all, she only helped her people.

She was far from happy.

She was completely disgusted with herself, and what she did was the lowest blow she could have ever inflicted.

She was not a fierce warrior.

A true warrior would not have broken and violated such a moral, honor-filled and prestigious value as the value of trust.

She could not call herself a valiant warrior.

Not after what she did.

What she did was not valiant at all.

Nightwing's gaze crossed her mind and Shayera jumped back up noisily moving the stool but she ignored it.

Shayera leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, Nightwing's gaze imprinted in her memory as if it were an indelible and indelible memory.

Certainly it was.

Even though Dick was wearing the mask, she still knew him well enough to know the emotions that flowed across his eyes.

And nothing she saw pleased her in the least.

Nightwing's gaze was so betrayed, so pained, so broken and heartbroken that Shayera felt bile rise up along her stomach and she had to rest a hand on the wall to keep from falling.

She swallowed heavily and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Shayera could easily imagine Dick's eyes, his beautiful bright blue eyes, duller and more broken.

Because of her. Because all she bore was only ruin and destruction.

Dick had opened up to her in a way that no one else had ever done with her in her entire life, and what had she done?

Betrayed his trust. One of the worst things one could ever accomplish....

Dick Grayson had shown her the true meaning of trust, the most important values in the whole universe.

Dick Grayson had saved her life.

He had shown her what it means to be accepted and to be loved.

Love.

Shayera fondly remembered those few but wonderful hugs and other small gestures of affection they had shared.

Shayera fondly recalled the time the two of them had spent on the couch where Dick gently stroked her wings sending her into a state of pure bliss and peace that she had never experienced.

She recalled all the time the two had spent together for a week where they shared their different cultures, where she gave him lessons on the Thanagarian language and in return he showed her the peculiarities of Earth such as that delicious pizza.

She let out a soft, inaudible sigh at the realization she soon came to.

For the first time in her life she had fallen in love. And the person in question was none other than Richard John Grayson-Wayne aka Nightwing.

This only increased even more her guilt that had already skyrocketed, and a sob escaped her throat.

Shayera slowly reopened her eyes and she shakily brought a hand to her own face, finding small drops of water.

She was ... crying.

She, Shayera Hol, fierce warrior of the Thanagarian army, was crying.

Shayera could not remember the last time she had cried.

"I made a mess." she murmured, wrapping her stomach with both arms.

She stayed like that for about ten seconds before her arms fell along her sides. Her blue eyes became determined and steely in resolve.

"I messed up... but I'll fix it."

She could and should fix it.

For Earth and its innocent inhabitants.

For the Justice League.

But most of all.

For Dick Grayson.

The best person she had ever met.

The only one who believed in her when no one else, including her, ever did.

The only one she will ever love.

Chapter Text

Nightwing was still in his state of complete sadness, betrayal and grief when he heard sounds of fighting coming from outside the hallway, where there were Thanagarian guards, from where their cells were contained.

He walked forward and absentmindedly wrapped his fingers around the bars and he stretched his neck to see what the heck was going on out there.

Turning his gaze left and right the world's best acrobat noticed that the other heroes (excluding Martian Manhunter and Superman who were still aching from their respective weaknesses exposed to them) were also curious and suspicious of what was going on.

The sounds of fighting ceased within seconds and soon after the door was flung open revealing a very familiar figure to the Bludhaven vigilante that made his heart beat faster.

Nightwing's eyes went wide when he saw Shayera Hol and his whole body stiffened, his mind racing as it never had before.

Why was Shayera there?

And why had those fighting noises been heard?

"Who the hell are you?" asked Green Arrow confusedly, staring at the red-haired Thanagarian woman as if she had two heads.

"She is Shayera Hol aka the Thanagarian woman who betrayed us!" growled Wonder Woman fiercely staring at Shayera as if she wanted to have a fight to the death with the other woman.

Which was quite likely.

"What the hell are you doing here? Gloating and making fun of us because of your pettiness and how shitty a person you were to have betrayed us all?" scoffed Hal Jordan bitterly, casting her a disgusted and angry look.

Shayera kept her gaze impassive while internally she winced.

More than deserved.

"I came here to free you." she said calmly, taking a key from her belt and opening the nearest cell first, namely Aquaman's.

The king of Atlantis got up slowly but when he left the cell Shayera had already moved on to open other cells.

"We don't have much time before someone notices that the guards have been knocked out." declared Shayera opening Black Canary's cell and removing her gag, earning a grateful look from the blonde.

"Why should we trust you after what you did?" growled Batman taking a menacing step forward toward Shayera and resisting the urge to strangle her with his own hands.

Batman could never forget the hurt and broken look on his son's face when they had discovered that Shayera had betrayed them.

"You are right. You have no good reason why you should trust me." admitted Shayera as she continued to release the heroes. "But now I am your only chance of escape."

Wonder Woman as soon as she was released said nothing but she walked past her whispering: "Hurt him one more time and it will be the last thing you do."

The red-haired woman swallowed not because of the Amazon's threat but because she was already aware that she had hurt Nightwing but having it confirmed was a different story.

Shayera flew toward the last remaining cell and she hesitated briefly when she found herself staring directly at Nightwing. "Hi." she greeted shyly as she inserted the key into the cell lock.

The hero of Bludhaven merely nodded at her in greeting but he said nothing, continuing to stare at Shayera with a blank stare that was indecipherable to the woman.

I deserve much worse than the silent treatment.

When the cell was opened Nightwing walked past Shayera before stopping and without turning around he muttered a "thank you" before continuing on.

Despite herself, Shayera felt her lips twitch into a sad smile before flying toward the JLA heroes.

Fortunately, it seemed that Superman and Martian Manhunter looked better than before even though they were probably still not at their best. In addition, Shayera had also opened the collar that removed Flash's powers with great relief to the speedster.

"Follow me. I'll escort you to the room where they stored your things." said Shayera but before she could begin to lead them she was quickly interrupted.

"Who says you would not betray us a second time?" asked Zatanna putting her hands on her hips and looking grimly at her.

There were murmurs of agreement and everyone stared at Shayera with various looks of disgust, distrust, anger and betrayal.

Shayera knew that she deserved everything they would throw at her but this knowledge did not mean it hurt her any less.

Surprisingly to her assistance came the last person she could have ever expected to intervene.

"We have no choice but follow her."

Everyone turned to Nightwing, who had his arms crossed and a serious expression in stark contrast to his typically friendly personality.

It was a little frightening for Shayera to see Nightwing completely serious without any hint of playfulness or levity in him, and she felt like an even worse person for being the cause of Dick's change.

"Nightwing are you sure-" attempted Flash but he was quickly interrupted.

"Yes." abruptly interrupted him Nightwing, who walked past several heroes to exit the cell room with the others in tow.

They noticed four Thanagarians, the same ones who were watching, unconscious on the floor with several patches of blood on the floor. The heroes were momentarily stunned when they saw the beating the Thanagarians had taken but Nightwing was the first to awaken.

"Come on Shayera. Lead the way."

Shayera shuddered at the acrobat's emotionless tone of voice but she managed to nod anyway. "Follow me."

In a few minutes they reached a room, managing to avoid being seen by the other Thanagarians, and eventually they reached a locked room. Shayera took another key from her belt and she silently opened the door and they all entered and the redhead closed the door behind them.

The room was filled with weapons and Justice League items that the Thanagarians had taken: from Aquaman's trident to Wonder Woman's sword and lasso to Nightwing's and Batman's utility belts, etc., and the heroes rushed to re-equip themselves with them.

"What now?" asked Green Arrow after everyone had equipped themselves.

Shayera opened her mouth but she had no time to answer when suddenly the door to the room was smashed hard and it flew off almost hitting Martian Manhunter in the process and he narrowly dodged it.

The attention of all the heroes shifted to Hro Talak who walked menacingly into the room, few of his soldiers visible behind his back but it was very likely that there were many more Thanagarians out there.

Hro's gaze landed on Shayera and he growled. "I see you've made your choice." he affirmed, casually brandishing his mace.

Shayera nodded and she straightened her back. "The Earth does not deserve to be conquered and its inhabitants exploited."

"You have been swayed by their foolish nonsense." sighed the general, shaking his head in disappointment. He stared ahead and said only two words.

"Kill them."

Nightwing dodged a punch from an enemy soldier and he hit him with an escrima on the jaw and then immediately swept his legs. The Thanagarian fell to the ground with a pained grunt and the Bludhaven vigilante finished him off with a kick to the head before he could get up.

The first Robin kept a firm and tight grip on the escrima sticks and his masked eyes roamed the entire battle zone aka the entire prison.

It was literally a war and Dick was pretty sure that if they continued to fight so violently sooner or later the building would collapse.

But in the end he didn't care whether the building would collapse or not.

The only thing that mattered was defeating the Thanagarian army and sending them away from Earth.

Nightwing stiffened when he saw Batman surrounded by a dozen or so Thanagarians, and he ran toward his father. He made several forward flicks and with a momentum he leapt into the air, landed on the shoulders of an alien, with all his weight he knocked him abruptly to the ground as he jumped again performing a triple somersault and landing behind the Dark Knight just in time to ward off an enemy and, taking advantage of his surprise, finish him off with a violent roundhouse kick to the chin sending him flying away.

"Don't worry my princess: your valiant warrior is here to save your life!" joked Nightwing deftly twirling his escrima as he and his father stood back to back.

Batman grunted masking his amusement. "I see you're back to your old self." he said but they both knew that was a lie.

Nightwing's smile vanished immediately and he knew the Gotham vigilante knew it. "Let's kick these assholes' asses!" he growled eager to punch his opponents in the face.

Unhealthy coping attempt, he knew but could do nothing about it.

"Language." admonished him Batman and soon after the two vigilantes sprang into action against the Thanagarians.

Nightwing huffed as he kneed a soldier in the stomach. "Are you seriously scolding me for my language when we're in the middle of a fight against aliens who want to take over our planet?" he asked hitting his opponent with a right hook and then ducking under the sledgehammer blow of yet another.

Batman grunted a second time blocking the mace with both his arms and spinning around with a roundhouse kick that struck the Thanagarian's jaw. "Point one, it wouldn't be the first time." his son grunted in amusement. "And besides, Agent A would not approve."

"Man, you're right." said Nightwing jumping on top of a kick and he struck his enemy with his escrima: the first blow hit him full in the face and the Thanagarian's helmet slipped off while the second blow hit him directly in the skull and the alien fell motionless to the ground.

Batman moved toward his first Robin and he threw a pair of batarangs that hit a Thanagarian in the back of his son. The alien grunted in pain and he shifted his gaze just in time to be hit with a vicious uppercut from the Caped Crusader that sent him far away.

At the same time Nightwing leapt onto his father's shoulders and he used him as a springboard to launch himself. In midair he performed a quadruple somersault and with a kick hit the face of one Thanagarian and with an escrima hit the neck of another who fell to his knees before being finished off by a roundhouse kick to the temple from Batman.

The hero in black and blue landed easily on his feet and rolled to the side dodging a mace and the acrobat stretched out a foot hitting with a kick the kneecap of the Thanagarian who fell to the ground with a scream of pain.

The first Dynamic Duo continued to fight in perfect synchronicity for some more time until in front of them were a dozen or so Thanagarians on the ground all groaning in pain.

With a nod Nightwing began to move away but was stopped when his father put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go to her."

Nightwing stared at him in disbelief before nodding slowly and running off.

Shayera Hol ignored the insults that another Thanagarian was hurling at her in their native tongue, and she knocked him down with a vicious mace blow to the face.

She turned sharply and flew back, dodging Hro Talak's fist, and the two stared at each other for about ten seconds.

"You are a traitor!" spat the general venomously, fixing her with a disgusted, grim look. "You would rather help an alien planet than your home planet!"

"You're the one who disgusts me, Talak!" the use of his last name made Hro squint menacingly. "Killing and enslaving innocent people!"

"We have to do this to save Thanagar! Earth has resources and technologies that we do not have, and with them we will be able to save our planet!" retorted the general angrily.

"Your only goal is not only to save Thanagar but the conquest of Earth will also serve you to satisfy your most selfish desires! I will not allow you to get away with this!" growled Shayera, pointing her mace menacingly at him.

"You're not so innocent either, Hol." he smirked. "Do you think helping those pathetic heroes will get you back in their good graces? Poor deluded one."

Hro took a step forward while continuing to smile, and he continued.

"You betrayed them, Shayera. Do you really think they will welcome you back with open arms?"

Shayera did not let any emotion of sorrow or regret show in her voice. "I don't care what they think of me." was a lie and they both knew it. "The only thing that matters is to send you back to Thanagar and away from Earth!"

"And you?" Hro shook his head amused at the woman's confused look. "Do you really think you belong here? You are not like them, Hol. And the only chance you had to be accepted by them you threw away by breaking their trust."

Shayera froze in place, the general's words echoing in her mind.

He... he was right.

She did not belong on Earth and she could never do that, no matter how much she would like to.

What right did she have to remain on Earth after what she had done?

None.

Shayera felt her eyes tingle but she ignored this feeling. "The important thing is that you will leave Earth!" she said, cursing herself as her voice came out more shaky and wavering than she had intended.

Hro smiled. "You will have to return to Thanagar with us, Shayera. You have no choice." he emitted a low, dark laugh that sent chills down her spine. "And do you know what the punishment is for treason on Thanagar?"

"Death." she whispered, hating Hro's smirk.

The woman bit her lip and looked around, her eyes wandering throughout the fight before returning to Hro. "If I return to Thanagar without fighting," she swallowed heavily before continuing. "do I have your word that you will immediately withdraw the army and flee away from Earth?"

Hro looked around briefly before nodding slowly. "We are losing and by a lot. The Justice League is stronger than I thought. I underestimated it." he admitted. "So yes, surrender without a fight and we'll be off Earth in no time. You have my word."

Shayera studied Hro's face looking for any sign of a lie. When she found none she sighed and threw her mace to the ground, raising her hands in the air and crossing them behind her head.

Hro gave an evil smirk and he walked toward Shayera. When he was a few steps away from her suddenly a black and blue blur fell between the two of them and a hard kick hit Hro in the stomach who grunted in pain and he was forced back a few steps.

"Stay away from her."

Chapter Text

Shayera's eyes widened in shock when she saw Nightwing in a protective position in front of her.

What the hell was Dick doing there?

And why had he come between her and Hro?

Hro Talak turned his gaze toward the hero in black and blue, and he sneered. "And who might you be?"

"Nightwing, the one who is going to beat you so hard you won't be able to walk for a whole year!" growled Nightwing dangerously, and Shayera was stunned by the anger he was emanating.

"What the hell are you doing?" hissed Shayera.

"I'm not letting that asshole bring you back to Thanagar to sentence you to death!" growled the vigilante a second time catching her off guard.

Why should Dick care what would happen to her on Thanagar after what she did to them but especially to him?

She would be lying, however, if she said she was not pleased.

Hro stared first at Nightwing then at Shayera and then returned his gaze to the hero, his face taking on a tinge of disbelief and disgust. "Is it because of him that you are betraying your own people? For a garbage being like him?"

"You could only wish in your dreams to be even 1 percent of the person Nightwing is!" growled Shayera.

"Enough talk and let's get this over with!" growled the hero of Bludhaven impatiently, crossing his escrima sticks menacingly.

"This will lead to your death!" chuckled Hro before the two began to fight.

Shayera was completely surprised and shocked by the brutality and violence with which Nightwing was fighting. There was no sign of levity in him.

Only a frightening and brutal efficiency.

She had understood long ago that Nightwing was a fierce hero and not to be underestimated, yet she did not know that he also had such brutality in him.

Her respect for Dick could only increase.

And frankly said, it was more exciting than she would ever admit to see Nightwing fight like that and, although she could easily help Dick defeat Hro, she decided not to and leave him in Dick's hands.

Nightwing deflected the mace blow with his escrima and he hit hard on the stomach of Hro who grunted. The vigilante tried to hit him with a right hook but the General flew up dodging it and the villain came down from the dive toward him.

The first Robin made several backflips dodging him and ducked back under the Thanagarian's fist. Nightwing hit him with a vicious punch to the stomach followed by a violent uppercut that threw his opponent into the air.

Hro stopped the flight in midair and he spat blood, massaging his jaw in pain. With a snarl he flew at top speed toward the twenty year old, who with a huge leap found himself on the other side.

Nightwing turned sharply and narrowly dodged the punch but Hro managed to hit him with a kick to the chest that sent him backwards. The former Robin turned the fall into backflips and got perfectly back on his feet and he threw himself to the side dodging the Thanagarian's lunge but Hro reversed direction and managed to wrap a hand around Nightwing's ankle and he slammed the hero violently to the ground.

Nightwing groaned in pain as his back slammed hard against the ground but he managed to kick Hro's hand that held wrapped around his ankle and the Thanagarian suddenly withdrew his hand with a grunt.

The former Titans leader rolled under Hro's legs and, when the General turned sharply, the vigilante gave him a violent kick to the throat that forced him to fall to his knees making muffled noises, the mace falling to the ground with a loud clang.

Nightwing turned with a brutal 360-degree roundhouse kick that struck Hro violently in the jaw and the Thanagarian fell to the side spitting blood. With effort Hro shakily rose to his feet but when he looked in front of him there was no sign of Nightwing.

He jerked back with a punch but it was easily blocked and before Hro could blink Nightwing broke his right arm causing him to scream in pain, bone clatter echoing, and soon after the hero forced him to fall to his knees with his broken arm bent painfully behind his back before the vigilante knocked him face first to the ground.

As soon as he hit the ground the acrobat removed his helmet and he threw it away. Next Nightwing drove a knee hard into Hro's back right in the center between the wings and he increased the pressure on his broken arm causing him to grunt in pain.

"Make your army retreat and go away." growled Nightwing menacingly directly at the enemy's ear.

Hro clenched his teeth making them clatter noisily. "Never!" he shouted, attempting to free himself from the vigilante's potentially deadly grip.

His attempt only increased Dick's grip on him, and soon after Nightwing swung an escrima hard against his temple.

Hro's vision became blurrier and he felt his head explode in pain. He could barely remain conscious when suddenly the weight on his back disappeared. It took him a couple of seconds before he was able to get to his feet and he squinted his eyes to get a better look in front of him and he saw Nightwing waiting patiently and lazily for him, as if Hro was a one-cent enemy who was not worth his time.

Hro roared with anger and indignation and he flew toward the acrobat although his trajectory was less precise and straight.

The next second Hro found himself lying painfully with his back to the ground, the imposing figure of Nightwing looming over him.

"I will not ask you a third time. Make your troops withdraw and leave. Now."

"Not without Shayera! She must die for betraying us!" said Hro barely between several coughing fits that made him spit blood.

Nightwing growled, raised one leg and crushed Hro's right hand painfully breaking all his fingers, making him cry out in pain. "For you Shayera Hol no longer exists and you will not dare even think of harming her. Do I make myself clear?" hissed the hero of Bludhaven menacingly.

Hro nodded shakily.

He knew when a battle was lost.

"W-We'll g-go away from Earth!" he stammered fearfully.

"You will never set foot on Earth again."

Hro was about to protest but Nightwing's deadly stare changed his mind and he nodded several times. He stood up shakily and began to fly wobbly toward all his remaining soldiers who were still fighting. "Retreat! Mission failed! Transport your comrades and let's get off Earth!"

Within minutes the prison was free of the Thanagarians who left under the watchful eye of Superman and Martian Manhunter.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the mess, Nightwing approached Shayera who was staring at him surprised and confused. "Why did you do it after everything I did to you?"

"Because you don't deserve to die."

"But I betrayed your trust! How-"

"You do not deserve to die nor do I want you to be dead." Shayera fell silent at Dick's words and she let him continue. "You are a good person, Shayera. You were just confused and couldn't decide which side you were on. And it is not an easy choice to decide to betray your people.

"It is true that your betrayal hurt me more than any physical pain I have ever received, and I suffered greatly for it."

Shayera swallowed at his words but the acrobat was not yet finished.

"However, you still decided to come and free us at the risk of getting caught and allowed us to defend the Earth."

"You are too good and kind a person." Shayera said softly.

Nightwing smiled and took off his mask, revealing deep, beautiful blue eyes that she loved so much. "So are you, Shayera. I'm sure sooner or later you'll be able to see the same thing I see."

"And what do you see?"

Dick smiled and slowly stretched his hands over her helmet, and when she made no move to stop him he removed it and his smile grew sweeter and more loving at the sight of beautiful blue eyes and fantastic red hair.

"I see a fierce Thanagarian warrior who is not afraid of anything and she dedicates her heart and soul to save the innocent. I see a woman with a heart of gold who is strongly dedicated to justice and the collective good. I see a very good person, one of the best I have ever met."

Shayera's heartbeat increased and she felt her heart melt at Dick's soft words, a blush making its way to her face. "I-"

She interrupted when Dick gently placed a hand on her cheek, and unconsciously Shayera leaned into the touch, making the last Flying Grayson smile.

With his heart pounding in his throat Dick slowly brought his face closer to Shayera's, giving her time to pull away if she wanted it.

She did not.

As soon as their lips joined fireworks exploded in their chests. Dick put his hands on her hips, drawing her to him, and Shayera wrapped her arms around his neck without ever breaking the kiss.

Dick's tongue eagerly explored her mouth before their tongues gently intertwined and moans of pleasure rang out from both of them.

They continued kissing for a couple of minutes before they had to pull apart in need of oxygen. Their faces remained inches apart, however, and their noses brushed lightly against each other, two pairs of fantastic blue eyes trapped in each other.

"It was beautiful." murmured Shayera softly, who at that moment was experiencing the true meaning of happiness and joy.

"It was beautiful." confirmed Dick with a warm smile that made the woman's knees tremble slightly.

Shayera gently placed her hands on Dick's chest and she leaned in to claim a second kiss, which the twenty year old happily accepted.

The second kiss was as great as the first.

They pulled away slightly and exchanged sweet smiles. Suddenly Shayera frowned and she looked away.

"Hey." murmured Richard softly, gently taking her chin and turning her toward him. "What's going on?" he asked softly.

"I don't belong here." said the Thanagarian deeply saddened. "I do not belong here and I cannot stay on Earth. I am not like you and your friends. I-"

Dick put a finger to her soft lips (to which he was already becoming heavily addicted and it pleased him greatly) interrupting her gently, chuckling softly at her pouty look.

"Shayera, you have proven time and again that you belong to Earth and it is because of you that it is safe and secure." the hero stated with genuine sincerity in his voice. "Do you understand it?"

Shayera nodded slowly and the acrobat smiled as he removed his finger from his lips.

"I want you to stay on Earth." Dick took Shayera's hands and he squeezed them gently. "I want you to stay with me, Shayera.

"If there's one thing I've realized in this whole adventure, it's that I've fallen in love with you, Shayera. I have never felt so good, so happy as I have been with you with anyone else in my whole life."

Shayera had a big, bright smile on her lips: a smile that made Dick fall even more in love for her.

"I have realized something important too, and it is that... I love you, Dick. I love you much more than I could have ever imagined." Shayera confessed with a tender and loving smile wrapping her arms around his neck.

Her wings flapped gently between them confirming the joy and love she was feeling and Dick chuckled softly and then he kissed his fiancée one more time who happily returned the kiss.

"You are the only one who has seen good in me when no one else has. You are the only one who has seen good in me when i have not seen it either, and for that I will be forever grateful to you, Dick."

"They're cute, aren't they Batman?" asked Superman with a smile, giving Batman a gentle nudge who glowered at the Metropolis hero.

"How quickly children grow up." Green Lantern pretended to wipe away an imaginary tear.

"So give them a few years and you'll already be a grandfather." Wonder Woman smirked at the Dark Knight, and the Amazon laughed at her friend's deadly stare.

"Grandpa Bruce. Eh, that sounds good." the Flash lazily reflected aloud.

Batman let out a pained sigh.

I knew I shouldn't have joined the Justice League.

Chapter Text

Bludhaven Police Officer Dick Grayson gave a weary sigh as he opened and closed the door of his apartment behind him and he took a few steps before crashing onto the couch.

"Busy day?" came a female voice from the other side of the house.

The voice brought a smile to the acrobat's face as he spun around with his back lying on the sofa, and he found himself staring directly at an angel descended to Earth. "Very much."

Shayera Hol returned the smile and she sat down beside her fiancé. She giggled when Dick gave her a meaningful look and with a sweet smile Shayera lay comfortably on his chest, sighing blissfully.

"You're so soft and warm." murmured Shayera contentedly, snuggling even more into him.

Dick chuckled softly and placed a tender kiss on his girlfriend's beautiful red hair, wrapping his arms around her. "And you are just amazing."

Shayera smiled softly and she lifted her head to kiss him gently. Shayera gently bit his lip smiling smugly when she heard him moan and she used her surprise to stick her tongue in his mouth. They both moaned in pleasure as her tongue explored his mouth and after a few minutes Shayera pulled away slightly from his lips to begin kissing his neck.

Dick tilted his head back and shivered at her touch and his reaction only made Shayera smile as she gently bit his neck before running her tongue over it making the last Flying Grayson moan.

"I love you so much Dick." whispered Shayera, her warm breath on his skin making him shiver again.

"I love you so much too, Shayera." declared Dick softly, who lifted his head to meet his fiancée's lips in another kiss.

When they broke away Shayera snuggled into Dick who wrapped his arms around her and the Thanagarian leaned her head on his muscular chest snuggling into him and enjoying the warmth he radiated.

Dick smiled softly and began gently stroking her hair, absentmindedly thinking about how Shayera Hol had changed his life for the better.

It had been two weeks since they had managed to drive the Thanagarians away from Earth once and for all, and since then, given the relationship that had blossomed between them, Shayera Hol had moved to Bludhaven with him.

Although for obvious reasons she could never put feet out of his apartment but as for it Dick was planning to change it.

It is true that it might have been a short time since he and Shayera had confessed their feelings to each other but Dick could already tell that he was head over heels in love with her.

And fortunately, his brothers also seemed to like her although they could not resist threatening her with death if she ever broke his heart.

Those brats...

"Tomorrow afternoon I have a surprise for you." murmured the acrobat to his fiancée while continuing to gently caress her hair.

"Are you going to tell me?" asked Shayera rubbing her nose on his neck making him chuckle softly.

"Of course not."

She pouted. "Party pooper."

"I love you too." giggled the Wayne eldest son, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"My bad luck." sighed Shayera dramatically, who lifted her head briefly to kiss his jaw softly before snuggling back into him.

Dick playfully rolled his eyes before closing his eyes, letting the calmness and love that only Shayera could give him wash over him.

In fact, it took him little time to be able to fall asleep.

Recognized: Nightwing B-01

Recognized: Shayera Hol 10

"I ask you for the tenth time: why are we here?"

"I'll answer you for the tenth time: in a little while you'll know why."

The Thanagarian sighed as she followed Nightwing, and within minutes they reached the room that Shayera recognized as the Watchtower meeting room.

Shayera arched an eyebrow under her helmet when she noticed that there were members of the Justice League that in one way or another she had known. "What is this? Some kind of party I was invited to?"

Her comment drew a few chuckles and Shayera even swore she saw Batman's upper lip lift a few inches but of this she was not sure.

"Nope. That will be for another time." smiled the hero of Bludhaven. "We're all here because we decided it was time."

"More like you decided." muttered Flash.

"Not even as if you were an unscrupulous cruel dictator." said Green Arrow.

"More like you threatened us through a multitude of blackmails." Aquaman added helpfully.

"Most of which we were not even aware of." pointed out Green Lantern who shuddered dramatically.

"And you made threats to us that even Batman shuddered at." Superman gave a small half-frightened half-impressed smile.

There was silence for a couple of seconds before Shayera turned to his fiancé. "Now you're seriously scaring me."

Nightwing chuckled as if scaring the entire Justice League was nothing serious for him. "They're just overreacting." he said, nonchalantly waving a hand.

"No we're not." Wonder Woman immediately denied.

Unfortunately for the Princess of Themyscira, the first Robin blatantly ignored her. "We are gathered here because we have made a decision that concerns you directly, Shayera." Nightwing said with a huge grin before casting a deadly glance at the other heroes causing their mouths to shut.

"Will I have to wait for the sun to explode before I hear this news or will you tell me later today?" growled Shayera impatiently.

Nightwing chuckled and his smile widened and he rested a hand on her shoulder.

"We have determined that you possess all the skills to officially be one of us and that you would certainly be an excellent addition.

"Shayera Hol, we all extend an invitation for you to officially join the Justice League and become a hero capable of making a difference."

The Thanagarian gaped, surprise and shock suddenly running through her.

She was definitely not expecting this.

Were they seriously asking her to join them?

To join the Justice League and become a real hero?

After what she had done to them?

It was basically impossible.

Yet...

Eventually she managed to look away from Nightwing and she stared at the other JLA heroes, curious and at the same time fearful of their reactions.

To her surprise she found that they were smiling at her reassuringly and without any sign of judgment.

To become their teammate and perhaps even friends...

The idea appealed to her more than she might have thought.

She went back to staring at her boyfriend who had a sweet smile between his lips and Shayera could easily imagine his beautiful blue eyes shining behind his mask. "So? What's your answer?"

A bright, excited smile broke out on the Thanagarian's face. "I am immensely honored! I would love to!"

Shayera flew toward Nightwing and gave him a fierce, passionate kiss that totally stunned him. She pulled away after about ten seconds, leaving him still dizzy, and she turned back to the other heroes who were smiling sweetly at the scene. "It would be my great honor to fight alongside you."

"Hell if you would!" nodded Hal Jordan with a smirk that made much of the JLA roll their eyes.

"Finally another woman will join this bunch of mindless apes." sighed Black Canary dramatically, making the other three women laugh and outraged most of the male heroes.

"Good. Now we'd be even more screwed." sighed Arthur Curry. "Thank you Nightwing."

"You're welcome, uncle Arthur." smiled the acrobat who encircled with one arm his girlfriend who reflexively leaned on him.

The scene made the Justice League smile softly.

Suddenly Zatanna approached the couple with a smile between her lips, her blue eyes shining knowingly. "Nightwing asked me to make something for you." she said.

"I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you."

"Don't worry." Zatanna said as she continued to smile, shaking her head. She reached out an arm and opened her hand, revealing a necklace with a brilliant diamond set in the middle.

Shayera was amazed by the beauty of the necklace. "As much as I like it I doubt it is an ordinary necklace." she said without ever taking her eyes off it.

The sorceress nodded with a smile. "Exactly. It is a magic necklace that will make your wings disappear only when you wear it. As soon as you take it off your wings will reappear."

"What?" asked Shayera incredulously, staring shocked at Nightwing.

Make her wings disappear?

Wings that she has since her birth?

What the hell?

"I thought this way you'll be able to get out of the apartment and roam around Bludhaven as well as the world without any problems regarding secret identities." Nightwing explained, smiling. "Also, there will be no problem when the press finds out about the relationship between Dick Grayson and Shayera Hol."

That made sense to the Thanagarian, and the idea of going out freely with her boyfriend, even if only for a quiet walk, sent shivers of happiness through her.

Shayera ventured a glance toward the first Robin and she saw beyond his smile full of confidence: the uncertainty that gripped him and was eating him alive.

This was enough to make her make a decision immediately and on the spot.

"Thank you. To both of you." thanked Shayera warmly, taking the necklace gently. She admired it for some more time before she carefully placed it back in her belt. "It means a lot to me."

She sent a grateful and appreciative smile to the sorceress who returned the smile and the Thanagarian gently kissed her fiancé's cheek making him smile and the tension disappeared from his shoulders.

"Once you wear the necklace, it will be visible only to you. No one else will be able to see it anymore." added Zatanna.

"This is to avoid trouble in case some random thief steals your necklace in the middle of people." Dick explained and she nodded.

It made a lot of sense.

Be that as it may, it was a very nice thought on Dick's part to think of it all just for her and to allow her to enjoy life on Earth without trouble.

She could not imagine that her love for him, already practically infinite, could grow even more and reach an incredible peak.

Soon the couple was the last to remain on the Watchtower and Nightwing and Shayera were staring at Earth from the observation room, the stars shining brightly in space.

"It's a beautiful planet." she commented in an amazed voice, unable to look away from the planet.

"It is." nodded the hero of Bludhaven who encircled his fiancée with one arm. Shayera rested her head on his shoulder while continuing to stare at Earth. "You need a superhero name." said Dick out of the blue after a few minutes of relaxed and pleasant silence.

"True." paused. "I'll take suggestions."

"I've been thinking about Hawkgirl for some time. What do you say?"

"Hawkgirl." repeated Shayera, trying out the name suggested by the acrobat. The Thanagarian broke away slightly and smiled sweetly at her fiancé. "I like it."

"I'm glad." Dick smiled back and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, making her murmur happily. "Nightwing and Hawkgirl: the heroes of Bludhaven."

A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine and Shayera sent a bright smile that made his heart beat faster. "It is a beautiful title." she affirmed, kissing him softly.

"I know." he said mock arrogantly, making her giggle. Shayera leaned on the muscular chest of her boyfriend who wrapped his arms around her. "Soon I will take you to Italy."

Hawkgirl looked back up meeting directly beautiful blue eyes that always managed to draw her in. "You remembered." she declared softly.

"How could I not remember." smiled the vigilante, kissing her nose softly. "I always keep my promises."

"I love you, Dick."

"I love you too, Shayera."