Note; I used old twitter for the tweet below, just ignore it lol

~

Jason and Roy had begged her to let them keep the spare 'key'. The ship was compact and easy and so much faster than a normal plane.

Of course, pitying her former teammates, Kori agreed and allowed them to take her second set, which meant that they had access to it so long as she was not using it.

Roy had convinced him to leave Gotham after the Wayne Event. Jason came home all quiet and depressed. Before he could hit the bottle hard Roy knocked him out and dragged him out of the city, allowing him one computer to keep a stalking eye on his heart's desire and resentment.

They're on their way to kill one man and obtain a case of something he keeps with him at all times. 

Currently they are on their way to Abu Dhabi, where the target is. The ship is on autopilot and Roy was busy scuttling through Starfire's things, when he noticed Jason staring out of the helm at the passing sky, just thinking.

He looks more peaceful than he did in the scummy apartment back in Gotham, but it was still distressing how sick he looks.

"ETA; five minutes."

The red head stands up, ducking out of the way of things hanging from the ceiling, moving to his driver's seat.

"You ready to go? You can get him, I'll get the item," He says, reaching for his case.

"Yeah," is all Jason says.

Their mission was simple.

~~~VENUS~~~

"Morning," I smile stiffly, walking into the office that morning.

"Hello," Kalie responds in the same fashion.

It's been awkward, ever since the party. I don't know why, at least not a solid reason, which is disappointing. You'd think a couple of College degrees would contribute to navigating social situations.

I step into my office and shut the door, only to have it forcefully open behind me. I sigh heavily as Jonah, my campaign manager comes barging in with Colleen, my social media manager.

"What has someone complained about now?" I ask, placing my bag on the hook beside my desk before collapsing into my chair.

I'm hungry.

"I was thinking it's time to address the media's accusations on you and Kalie," Colleen says, taking her tablet out of her bag. She hands it to me and suddenly I am staring at a bunch of Gotham gossip articles.

Venus Meadow; new girl in the works?

Our DA's new bae!

Something you're not telling us, DA Meadow?

Levelling with her opponent; Venus goes gay for her camaign! Find out more on Juice With Jess!

I roll my eyes, "They don't see me with Jay for a month and with a friend instead, then instantly assume something like that. Sometimes I fucking hate this city."

Handing Colleen (who looks frightened) her tablet back, I start typing out notes on my next speech to address the issue.

"I thought we sent a tweet out about that the night it happened?" I say, not looking up from my screen.

"We did! They're still trying to sell it though. We did get #boycottjuicewithjess trending though."

Flipping the tablet around, I'm looking at my own Twitter profile, tweet composed.

I sigh into my hands, staring at the screen that just moment ago had multiple things counter-arguing the most simple statement.

"I know what your saying. We need proof that I'm...that Jay and I..." I trail off.

They know. Not everything, but they know. I divulged only what was needed and they understand, I think.

"If you have, like an older picture no one has seen, it would work. Or if you two would be in the same place at the same time so the media can report it."

Not possible. First of all being in any sort of proximity with him might get me killed. Second, we actually rarely rook photos together. Maybe one or two for when I ran my own account but that's it.

"Just leave it with me, okay?" I smile tightly at her. Jonah stays a while longer and discusses my upcoming photoshoot for the billboards, before also leaving.

Today I have two cases, an interview at the station and a meeting with the mayor. At the end of the day, I have another long meeting about my campaign.

It might not be safe to bring Kalie into that one.

The image of a table of food starts tugging at my mind, reminding me how hungry I am despite having three servings worth of quinoa salad this morning and three chickpea pancakes.

Oh, yeah, I'm pregnant.

The thought comes like a train, hitting me in the face like I had forgotten.

If I win this election... Ha, who am I kidding; when I win this election, I will have three months of time as the DA before I suddenly have a child.

Plenty of women have done it before. Two weeks maternity leave, have the kid, get back into it. I'd need a full-time nanny of course. I had several as a child. They're all probably dead now.

I could call Caelan. I know she'd take care of it...

This would be so much easier, if I just had him.

Plus, I'm really craving bacon right now. Vegans don't crave bacon.

"Kalie," I say, pressing the speaker on my phone, "What place around here has good bacon?"

~~~

Roy's an idiot.

Why did he have to force him all the way out here? To the United Arab Emirates? Was it just to see him more animated?

All he was doing was trying to get his thoughts under control, and yes, beer tends to help with that.

His mind goes from picturing her smile to picturing his mother's to picturing a gun to both of their heads. He knows which one he is pointing, too.

So yes, Roy's an idiot. Because Jason was so distracted during the whole operation that they had ended up barricaded in the basement of a fifteen story building on the outskirts of the city.

There were men at every entrance and all they needed was an escape.

"Jay! Help me, will you?" Roy growls. Jason was busy firing at the building guards through a hole in the door, dodging their shots at the same time.

After all, he had just put three in their bosses chest.

"This is the gas line," Roy says, pointing to the pipe beneath the flooring he had pulled up. "paired with one of my explosives, a little boom and we are out! I've called the ship outside."

Jason frowns behind his helmet, "How do you know the gas line doesn't extend? It might be bigger than you want it to be."

Roy scoffs, "There's the beginning," he points, "there's the end," he points again, "Each floor has its own. I'm sure their not connected! Hold on to the case."

Jason grabs the case from the other side of the room as Roy produces an arrow donning a particular sign that Jason knows means boom. 

He give him a maniacal grin from beneath his trucker's hat, before getting up and nocking the arrow.

The moment he releases it Jason know's he was wrong. The sudden explosion is like an Earthquake, and if he or Roy were standing any closer being thrown against the wall would not have been their only payment.

His head is fine, thanks to his helmet. Though his spine aches and his tailbone has been jarred, freedom is there.

Both make for the hole created, climbing out into the hot sunlight. Jason tosses Roy the case and hoists himself up, when a piece of glass rushes down past him.

It slices the outer-leather of his jacket open. A chunk of window, at least a few feet in width.

The two men share a weary, frozen glance, before their gazes travel up to the tenth story of the building.

It's already coiling over, the entire building collapsing due to explosions on every single floor. 

"I told you they were connected!" Jason shouts, as the two begin sprinting out of the falling building's range.

The sun is beating down, the wind is dusty, the ground is sandy and slippery. It's shaking with every piece of building that hits the ground hard and heavy.

He might die.

Jason doesn't look back. But Roy, who is way ahead of him does. The panic in those eyes isn't just for the building, but Jason.

Did he look like he was slowing down?

"Jason! Fucking move!" Roy screams.

There's a shadow now, the building coiling over him.

Hell, maybe he really might die.

The next rubble falling is so close he can feel the dust on his skin, itchy and uncomfortable. Roy's shout of terror is only drowned out by an odd, out of place rushing sound and a blood red light.

One moment, he was running for his life along a dessert landscape, failing to escape a collapsing building.

The next, he is somewhere dark, then back in the dessert, but this time beside the ship and Roy, and he's pressed into someone's skin.

It's a girl and those are definitely some large breasts.

Is it...is it? 

Someone pulls his helmet off and he opens his eyes, expecting anything but blonde hair and caramel skin. The strange girl draws back, getting to her feet.

To Jason, she looks no older than sixteen, with a curvaceous figure, donning a red uniform that he feels like he knows.

The girl has her hands on her hips and is staring down at Jason disapprovingly.

She had rescued him.

"I wouldn't save you, Jason Todd, if it weren't important. You're lucky I was watching you this time instead of one of the others. Their powers would have been useless. They can't teleport."

She does on odd little shoulders stretch, before folding her arms and giving him that disgusted look again.

"You are the Empress' lifeline. If you weren't, I would have let you die," she explains calmly, like he knows that the heck she's talking about.

When she holds his helmet out, Jason reaches for it. Just as his hand brushes the surface her fist collides with his face, not too hard, but enough to whip his head to the side and make his teeth cut into his cheek.

"Motherfucker," she murmurs, dropping his helmet before turning around and striding off.

Glaring, and ignoring a dumbfounded Roy, Jason spits violently and drags himself up, moving towards the girl.

"Hey, who the fuck are you? How do you know me? And...what the fuck was that for!?" Not that he was complaining. She saved his life, she can punch him all she likes.

The girl doesn't turn around to face him, she just looks to the side so he can hear her.

"My job is to keep you alive, Jason Todd, not keep you informed."

With that, she disappears in a dispersed red cloud.

He looks at Roy, who is staring at the building with a scrunched up face. He looks at the ship, covered in dust. He looks at the chunk of debris that might have crushed him.

He looks at the spot where the girl he was sure was a Warrior of Red was.

He gives an exasperated gasp, "What the fuck!?"