The outskirts of Moscow, Russia

10 years ago

Sasha's P.O.V:

Mama was fiddling with the straps of my booster seat, desperately attempting to click the two pieces together, but failing.

She was in a rush and I didn't know why. One minute I'd been sleeping peacefully, the next she'd barged into my room and woken me in an instant. Now she was fumbling with the clasp of my belt while I stared into her blue eyes.

"Mама, куда мы идем?" (mama, where are we going?) I whined, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

She offered me a forced smile. "Tише, Саша, мы просто катаемся. Мы собираемся навестить тетю Полину." (Hush, Sasha, we are just going for a drive. We are going to go visit aunt Polina.)

She finally clicked my belt in place and slammed the door closed, rushing to the front seat of the car. She slid behind the wheel and fumbled with her keys, her hands shaking as she pushed one into the ignition.

"Но это ночь, мама. Я устал," (But it's nighttime, mama. I'm tired) I replied.

She hit the gas so quickly I would've hurtled forward if not for my booster seat straps.

Mama said, "Я знаю, ты устал, детка. Просто постарайся не спать для меня." (I know you're tired, baby. Just try and stay awake for me).

The road to aunt Polina's was long and windy. She lived up in the hills, where snow capped the mountain tops and littered the roof of her house.

I always made the best snow angels at aunt Polina's. She had the cleanest, freshest snow I'd ever seen.

Mama was struggling to see as she sped up the mountainside. Everything was dark, and it would've scared me if mama wasn't there. She always made me feel better, because I knew she'd protect me. Mama always protected me.

The car eventually came to a stop. Mama got out and ran to my car door. She undid my buckle and lifted me into her arms, sprinting to aunt Polina's front porch. She didn't even close any of the car doors.

Cold air nipped at my face as mama held me close, knocking rapidly on the front door. Aunt Polina answered quickly. She didn't even say anything, just grabbed me from mama's arms almost instantly.

"Я вернусь за ней," (I'll come back for her) mama said, her breathing short and sharp.

Her chest rose rapidly and she was anxiously looking over her shoulder every two seconds, eyes darting all over the place.

She added, "Обещай мне, что ты не позволишь ему прикоснуться к ней." (Promise me that you won't let him touch her).

Aunt Polina nodded solemnly. "Обещаю, Катя." (I promise, Katya).

I was so confused. What was happening to me? Why was mama not coming inside?

Mama placed two cold hands on both my cheeks, cupping my face.

"Я люблю тебя, Саша," (I love you Sasha) she told me.

Tears formed in her eyes for reasons I did not understand.

"Куда ты идешь?" (Where are you going?) I cried.

But mama was already backing out of the doorway. She wouldn't meet my eyes anymore. She looked sad, and now I was clawing at aunt Polina's arms, trying to wriggle to the floor so I could run back to mama.

But Polina had a firm grip on me, adding to my frustration. Now tears were streaming down my face and I screamed, "Мама, нет!" (Mama, no!)

Aunt Polina buried my head into her chest to calm me.

"Тише, Саша, все будет хорошо," (Hush, Sasha, everything will be alright) she whispered.

Then she turned back to mama, who was seconds from getting into her car.

"Катя, куда ты пойдешь?" (Katya, where will you go?) She asked.

Mama looked like she was fighting back tears. "Я должен вернуться, Полина. Это единственный способ." (I have to go back, Polina. It's the only way."

Aunt Polina's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Нет, Катя, ты не можешь." (No, Katya, you can't.)

But mama had already gotten behind the wheel and had started the engine.

"Отец защитит меня," (Father will protect me) she said.

Aunt Polina was still clutching my resisting body, but her face had fallen and she looked heartbroken. "Ты обещал, что не вернешься туда." (You promised that you wouldn't go back there.)

Mama took one last look at us, tears sliding down her cheeks as I cried and screamed for her.

"Мне жаль," (I'm sorry) she said.

She kept repeating those words as the car took off, Polina now racing to the end of her porch -- still holding me -- to catch one final glimpse of mama.

It felt like my heart had been shattered. I was beyond upset, a crying, screaming mess, extending my arms out towards mama's distant car as if I could somehow bring her back.

"Вернись!" (Come back!) I sobbed, Polina's hands wrapping around me tightly and pulling me into a hug.

"Пожалуйста, просто вернись." (Please, just come back.)

If I'd known that would be the last time I'd ever see mama again, I would have done more. Would have fought more. Would have cried more.

But instead I grew numb. I didn't eat for two days. Polina tried to comfort me, tried to sing to me. She kept singing mama's song, the lullaby that always made me feel better.

It didn't work. I wanted mama back. I needed mama back.

But it was this exact song that I sung to myself on the third day, when he came.

The man, dressed in orange and black. He was tall and big and carried weapons I'd never seen before.

He walked with heavy steps and held an aura of coldness around him. Coldness and violence.

He asked for mama first. Polina said that she didn't know who he was talking about. She'd hidden me in the closet, stuffed between her furry coats and knee-length boots.

I sang mama's song to calm my nerves, keeping extra quiet like Polina had told me to.

Sleep, baby, my dearest,

Hushabye, a-bye.

Sleep, baby, my dearest,

Hushabye, a-bye.

More screams from outside, so I hugged my knees closer to my chest and continued;

Quietly the bright moon

Is looking at you in the cradle.

Then there were clattering noises from the living room. Yelling from Polina's husband, Ivan. More clattering and a loud thud that earned another scream from Polina.

I will start telling a story,

Sing a song;

You dream a dream, closing the eyes,

Hushabye, a-bye.

"You have five seconds to tell me where she is, or I shoot," the man was saying, followed by a clicking noise.

I heard Polina begging him not to, yelling that she didn't know where mama was.

But then there was a noise unlike anything I'd ever heard before.

Bang.

I flinched where I was. Something heavy hit the floor, and Polina's following shrieks were even louder than the gunshot.

"Иван, нет!" (Ivan, no!) She screamed.

Another clicking noise, and now the man was saying, "You've had your warning. Now answer the fucking question, or you're next."

Polina was wailing and howling. I wanted to run out and hug her, but I was frozen. I was terrified.

"The closet," she spoke through sobs. "She's in the closet."

Footsteps neared me. They grew closer with every second and I buried my head into my knees to try and stop my body from shaking.

A creaking noise as the bedroom door was pulled open. Eerie light filled the room and peeked beneath the closet door where I sat.

I saw two sets of feet through this space between the floor and the door. Two boots, and slowly, they made their way toward me.

Everything was quiet now. The only sound present was Polina's distant wails. My mind told me to keep singing mama's song, because then I'd be okay. Everything would be okay.

When the closet door opened I lifted my head toward the light that spilled in. The man contrasted against it, his body a black silhouette.

"And what might your name be?" he spoke in a soft, raspy voice. It was so different to how he sounded outside when he was with Polina.

My back pressed into the wall as I attempted to crawl away from him.

"Sasha..."

The man lowered himself to one knee, crouching down in front of me. He said, "Do you know who I am?"

I shook my head quickly. I felt so afraid, so unsure what he was going to do to me.

But then the man reached for his helmet. He clicked something and there was a hissing noise.

Soon he had removed the black and orange headpiece, revealing a head of dark hair and blue eyes.

"My name is Slade, Sasha," the man told me, looking me directly in the eyes.

"And I'm your dad."

-----------------------------

Present day

I was sitting in biology waiting for the teacher to arrive, Rebecca babbling about something to my left.

"He's literally so sweet, and he calls me every night..." she was saying.

Clearly, she was talking about Hamish, but I was honestly not interested. I just felt so exhausted, like I could fall asleep at any second

A girl walked through the classroom door at that moment. My senses picked up on it like they always did, jolting my head to the side. Midnight had trained me to constantly be on alert. It was tiring, but it was a habit I couldn't shake.

There was something oddly familiar about this girl. She was average height, with long black hair and slightly Japanese features. Her eyes were a golden brown color and she had a slim, toned body.

I don't know why I was so interested by her, but when she took a seat at the back of the class I couldn't stop myself from staring. I swore that I'd seen her before... I just couldn't remember where.

The day dragged past slowly. I was bored out of my mind, and having only two classes with Damian made me sad because it meant I didn't see him until the late afternoon. I was hoping to sit with him during lunch but apparently there'd been an incident with Poison Ivy, so he'd ditched to go stop her with Bruce.

I was crossing the courtyard when an explosion rung out nearby, shaking the floor beneath me and earning screams from the students around me.

I whipped around, saw smoke trailing into the sky from one of the school buildings. A small part of me wondered if that was what Damian had been talking about. But why would Poison Ivy be blowing shit up at Gotham Academy? It didn't make sense, and it wasn't exactly her style.

Everyone seemed to think the same thing: evacuate. But I couldn't make my way inside and toward the front doors, as the orange flames had cut all of the west wing off from the rest of the school.

But then it hit me; who needs doors when you're a trained assassin?

I dropped my stuff on the grass and made a run for the fancy stone walls that lined the school's perimeter. I had no fucking clue what I was doing, but then again I never did, so this wasn't something new.

Don't be reckless, don't be reckless, I told myself as I ran at the wall at full speed, using one foot to push myself up it and grip the top with my hands.

I flipped myself over the wall instantly and landed rather gracefully on the other side.

That probably looked so dope, I couldn't help but think.

Kids were running around everywhere, trying to escape through the front entrance. It obviously wasn't working because there were so many people trying to get through one door.

I kept myself slightly hidden, sticking to the building walls as I searched for who the possible perpetrator was. A flicker of black caught my eye first, as something sprinted away from the school.

Bingo.

I wafted ashes out of my face and followed the culprit down the smoky street. I didn't have any major weapons on me, only the military knife in my boot and the razor in my jacket pocket, so I wasn't sure how I'd react if a fight were to ensue.

I ended up in a space between two buildings. It was dark, so I used this to my advantage and remained as hidden as possible in the shadows. Every two seconds I swore that I heard something. Or more like someone, as they were nearby and I could sense it.

They were following me.

"I know there's someone there," I called out, moving out into the open. "There's no point in hiding. Show your fucking face."

So much for not being reckless.

I waited a second longer, my fingers itching for my knife. I didn't exactly expect anyone to jump out at my words, but at the same time I could feel them waiting, preparing to attack.

Suddenly there was a noise, the familiar shing sound of blades slicing through air. A girl emerged from the shadows in all black clothing and a masked face, twirling two daggers in her hands.

She was an assassin. And a familiar one at that.

Wait... where have I seen that before?

I had no time to react because suddenly this bitch lunged at me.

She swung her leg at me in a roundhouse kick and I threw up my arms to block. The force of it sent me back into the wall where I was trapped, and her dagger lodged itself into the wall beside me where I'd narrowly moved my head.

This was when I managed to get free, push her to the ground and run up the wall, flipping over it so that I landed behind her, ready to attack the stunned assassin.

I had to admit, she was good, and managed to get up pretty quickly. When I flicked out my knife to swipe at her face she blocked it with the armored gauntlets on her wrist and caught my other fist in her hand.

Both my arms were trapped now and my stomach was exposed. She wasn't stupid, expertly sending her knee to my gut and her forehead to my mouth. Then she used my momentary weakness to grip my arms and judo-throw me over her hip.

I landed on tarmac and rolled, feeling winded. I tasted blood in my mouth and my side hurt like hell.

But the assassin was going to come at me again in seconds, and I knew I wouldn't be able to get up in time.

I caught a gimpse of her dagger as she prepared to slice my back.

Ugh, what did I tell you, dumbass? Don't be reckless. Now you're gonna get your ass beat.

However all of a sudden, a second blade whipped through the air and clashed with it.

It was her. The girl from my class.

She stood protectively in front of me, a scowl on her face. She held the blade firmly and didn't look like she was going to give in. But the assassin wasn't either, and now they were both standing there, struggling against each other, waiting for one to yield first.

The girl pushed back against the assassin's daggers with one heavy movement and the assassin was forced to fall back. This honestly surprised me, because she was a good head shorter then the assassin and was probably half her weight.

Now the two of them were throwing punches and swinging their knives. I knew I had to help, so I jumped to my feet and attacked the assassin from behind.

She was so preoccupied by the girl that she didn't have time to respond appropriately, instead swiping wildly at me. I dodged her first swing, stepped back and grabbed her arm with her second swing, attempting to twist it.

She weaved out of my hold easily and swiped at my exposed back, though I ducked just in time and dropped to the floor, sweeping my leg under hers.

She toppled backwards and the second she hit the floor the girl grabbed her and threw her into the wall, pressing one boot to her back to keep her down.

I was panting as I stood up, swaying slightly to the side. My head was pounding and I had some minor injuries. Nothing like what I was used to, but they still hurt.

The girl looked at me, and her eyes were narrowed into a squint. She seemed disbelieving, like she wasn't sure who I was and was trying to place me.

But then the dagger she had aimed at the assassin lowered, realization washing over her features.

"Sasha?" She said.

And that was when everything clicked into place.

ITS CROSSOVER TIME BITCHESSS!!

just a clarification sasha is 14 right now turning 15 this year. Same with damian except hes a few months older. i also used google translate for all the russian speech above so sorry if any of it is incorrect.

i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and remember to read TriLyric's book for Victoria's pov!

fun fact the lullaby up there is a traditional russian lullaby