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She couldn’t help the small chuckled that passed her lips as he mentioned metahumans — the fact that he was sitting next to one of the people deemed crazy was comedic to her. And perhaps not far off. Then again, no one running around Gotham at night in a costume could be totally sane.

The chuckle was short, replaced with guilt as her gaze fell once more. Kori had let Jason down, leaving him on his own. What happened with Roy hadn’t been fair to any of them, of course it hadn’t, but Kori hadn’t realised what she was doing would impact everyone else so severely.

Her face contorted as their eyes met, and Kori pursed her lips in an effort to regain control over her features. She could feel the tears beginning to form and blinked them back quickly. The princess felt horrible — how could she ever forget those who needed her just because she needed her space?

“I’m so sorry, Jason,” she said, still holding back tears. It wasn’t often people saw Jason Todd on the verge of tears, and it was much more effective than Kori wanted to admit. Another long moment passed before Kori gained her composure and began to speak again.

“If you ever need me and I’m not working, just shoot me a text and I’ll come by. We can go on patrol together. I mean, I’ll need to start training again — I had assumed tonight was a one-time thing, but…” She offered him a small smile. “One thing at a time, though. Let’s just go find Dick, yes?”

He cleared his throat, swallowing the lump there. Reaching over, he grasped her hand, holding it tightly. 

“I love you, Kory. I always have.”

Those words held truth, in ways both deeper and shallower than the surface. They’d had a chance to be a power couple, reshaping the city as they’d desired. Gods know there was enough chemistry. But they’d spent their chance on saving Roy from the hell he’d found them in, and quickly, he had realized that this team needed an unbiased leader. Yeah, right.

But he did love her-all of her. The flaws she hid well, and the ones on the surface. From the supermodel body to the shrewd, proud mind so often overlooked by the world, to wounds in her psyche that would never heal, he loved her. He knew her.

He didn’t let her hand go until the Dragon came to a halt, several hundred feet above and outside the cells where Dick was being held. From the scans, it looked like a full blown riot had set in. Blackgate was loose, at least partially, and the inflow of prisoners colliding with the County lockup had caused trouble that GCPD would have had a nightmare with in the best of circumstances. At night, with no power and chaos reigning? There was no chance. They’d have to get to Dick the hard way.

The Outlaw way.

Racking a load into the twin Sig Sauer’s he carried, he shoved them into the shoulder holsters. The Mossberg 12-gauge was loaded to capacity and slung over one shoulder; the compact MP5 went over the other. Two sets of bandoliers and a belt full of ammunition followed suit. Finally, he hefted the hammer he’d stolen off of…well, Mister Hammer’s dead body. He grinned, winking once at Kory before tugging the helmet down and sealing it.

“Ready to bring hell back to Gotham?”

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Jason turned to face her and the princess’ eyes met his dead-on, fingertips curling around the armrest of her seat. She listened to him, silent as he spoke, despite the fact that there were multiple points she could have — and should have — interjected at. He trailed off as he mentioned Dick, and Kori’s gaze finally lowered. How could she forget the true purpose of why she’d suited up, even for a moment? The young boy would always be their priority; they couldn’t necessarily save him from ending up as fucked up as they were, but they could very well try.

Her line of vision was still pointed toward the floor as Jason swiveled back to look out the front of the Dragon, and Kori sighed. They’d both failed Dick. Jason was at least around, but Kori? She’d all but relinquished every responsibility she had, distanced herself from the people that mattered, left Dick in the wake. How was that fair to the boy? She looked up when she heard Roy’s name and had Jason still been facing her, he would have noticed the flare of anger that made itself visible via the brightening of her hair. That was a low card to play, even for him. Kori shook her head at his words, eyes cast toward the ceiling.

“Of course not,” she replied, tone sharp, “My leaving was in my control, yes, but you and I both know I would have been more of a hindrance than a help back then.” Her jaw clenched. “I’m still not of much help as it is, and you seem to be functioning well enough without me, anyway.”

“Functioning, sure. I could have used the backup, though. Why do you think I have this new armor? People out there, they’re crazy. Metahumans. Aliens, for fuck’s sake. Look at what happened to Metropolis! A quarter of the city got destroyed." 

Jason stopped talking abruptly, running a hand through his long hair. With a sigh, he resumed speaking.

"Shit’s rough, Princess. I missed you. Can’t tell you how hard it is to be alone against the city.”

Sad eyes met hers, and the emotion revealed there was unsettling. He never let himself get like this, not ever. Not since the showdown between himself and Bruce had he even teared up. But here he was.

“I need you. Starfire.”

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She scowled at the use of her full name, eyes shooting daggers in Jason’s direction. His next statement elicited a scoff from her, and she was shaking her head before he’d even finished his sentence.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Jason, I wasn’t aware that the only friends I was allowed to have were people who traipsed around the city at night wearing masks,” she shot back, “They’re nice people, good people. That doesn’t make them my family.”

Kori looked away from Jason then, her gaze falling to the floor. No, her work friends weren’t here family. If anything, they were just a distraction from the growing distance between she and Jason, and the loneliness of her empty apartment. She knew Jason was only saying what he was to upset her, but damn it, he knew better than to think she’d ever value the people she hung out with from work over him — even if they had barely spoken in a year.

Her definition of family had always been a bit skewed; Kori had always been a firm believer in the fact that people chose their own families. Sure, she had a mother and a father, but they hadn’t raised her since she was twelve… she hadn’t even seen them since then. To call them her parents would be a stretch at best. At that age, she wasn’t even old enough to truly know them. Even if she’d only known Jason for a few years, he was her family. They shared a bond Kori would share with no one else, a bond that transcended arguments and distance. He knew that.

“Oh, really?”

She heard enough through the grapevine about what he’d been up to, but Kori was still unclear of any details. Of course, she wanted to know. That was the whole point of the conversation, wasn’t it? He could beat around the bush all he wanted, but they both knew she’d get him to talk in the end.

He took a deep breath, making sure the Dragon’s controls were set to autopilot. Then, he swiveled the seat, facing his angry former best friend in full.

"Kory. Look, man. It’s been months since we had a meaningful conversation. Other than that, I’ll send you a text when I need a pickup for a friend in the bus, or you come over and hang with Dick. Let’s not act like there’s love lost between us. If there was, we’d have worked something out. So focus, Princess. We have to rescue the wayward son, and I…" 

He blinked, suddenly emotional. Dick was his legacy. His duty. His brother. And he’d let him be lost, let him be hurt and captured. 

He swiveled back to the controls, focusing on the Gotham skyline, the small points of light still visible in the darkness.

"They’re more important things than our squabbles. Roy wouldn’t have wanted us to stop working together after his death. I mean, for fuck’s sake. I’ve been working solo. Is that what you wanted?”

It was quiet, barely veiled anger. He already knew the answer.

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“But she’s with him.”

That was enough in Kori’s eyes. If the other woman was an assassin, wouldn’t her talents be wasted fighting alongside Batman? What good could she possibly do? Even more-so, what could she gain from it? She wouldn’t be working to her full potential, so what was the point?

Of course, Kori hadn’t exactly been working to her full potential this past year, either, but that was different. She was shattered by Roy’s death, smashed into little pieces and scattered in the wind. For the first time in the princess’ life, she was selfish. She was afraid. She ran away and tore herself from anything and everything that would remind her of what she lost — Jason included.

Kori knew it was wrong and it only made her more upset at herself, but she couldn’t stop it. While she’d dealt with so much pain and suffering in her life, she’d never lost someone she loved before. She’d never loved anyone before. Being there for Jason, for Dick, wasn’t an option, as much as she wanted it to be. At the time, she couldn’t even look at them without her heart breaking. It killed her to be away from them, to leave them in the dust, but at the time, it seemed to be the lesser of two evils.

Her brows furrowed at the little slip, lips turning downward into a small frown. Great, something else he clearly wasn’t telling her.

"That’s not the point, Jason,” she said, shaking her head, “I shouldn’t have to even think about needing to level whatever they throw at me. I’ve been retired for a year, it shouldn’t be an issue at all.”

She had tried to start over since Roy’s death, cleanse herself of all the negative energy in her life. While Jason wasn’t necessarily negative energy, Kori needed time to figure herself out. After a few months, she realised that she may have taken too long. It wasn’t that she was afraid to go back, per se, she just thought it may have been too late.

Kori’s jaw clenched again at the word family. The little bat certainly wasn’t her family, so if she was Jason’s, then Kori must not have been a part of his anymore. She’d done it to herself, she supposed, but that was a two-way street. Jason had made no move to try and get her to come back to the Outlaws, or even to just come over and hang out. It went both ways.

“I’m done asking,” she said, albeit a bit bitterly, “But, if there’s anything you wish to tell me, perhaps now is a good time to do so.”

It was, in a sense, a veiled threat. She wanted to know what was going on with him — not because she felt entitled to, but because she really did care. Kori was guilty that she’d severed her bond with him; however, that didn’t mean she was going to force information out of him. If he valued their relationship as much as she did (despite her not being very good at showing it as of recent), he’d tell her on his own.

“I don’t care who she’s with, Koriand’r.”

The jibe stung, just like he knew it would. He never used friend’s full names; always a nickname. 

“Besides. You can’t seriously be challenging my definition of family, can you? What with your siren friends you have now?”

He was pissed, but her last statement pushed him into sarcasm and venom. He chuckled, darkly. 

“Bit of a loaded question, isn’t it?”

There was nearly a year’s worth of shit to tell her. From his own sabbatical to Batgirl to the new government contract Redstone had on High Altitude, Low Orbit combat vehicles, he hadn’t been in a sharing mood since she got her new job. 

“I’ve been working alone for a long time now. I don’t-haven’t-gone for flashy since you left. It’s time to change that. We’ll be at the Prison in fifteen minutes.”

He knew she’d call him out, but he wasn’t going to just give up any information ffreely. She was his friend, not his guardian. He didn’t owe her anything, not anymore.

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“And now she’s a Bat.”

There was acid oozing from her tone, dripping from it. Her contempt for the Bats was no secret — at least, not to Jason. She didn’t like their holier-than-thou attitude and, more than anything, she didn’t like Batman. Anyone affiliated with him was just as bad. They were collateral damage.

Perhaps she was jealous. For as long as she’d known Jason, she’d been the only woman consistently in his life. They were like siblings, told each other everything, and now… now there was this tiny little bat flapping about that Kori wasn’t at all prepared for. How was she supposed to take that? Jason was the only family Kori had, but he had others he never even bothered telling her about.

“Honestly, Jason,” Kori said, sighing and running a hand through her hair, “She’s not what I’m worried about.” That much was true. Jason could be friends with whoever he wanted, that was fine. If he wanted to hang out with the Bats, more power to him. She didn’t understand the desire, but it’s not like the princess was in any place to stop it.

They hadn’t been talking for a long time, Kori knew. Drifting from Jason was something she regretted very deeply, but she needed her space, she needed to mourn, and she thought Jason understood that. Then again, Kori thought Jason understood a lot of things that seemed to be completely missed. Maybe they weren’t as close as she thought.

She sighed again before speaking. “How much do they know about us?”

“Yeah. She’s a Bat.”

He shook his head, trying to clear away the memory of asking her to join him, watching as she shook her head, casting a glance back at Bruce. All but telling him that he needed her help more than Jason did. 

“She’s not like the others. Not like…him, at least." 

He didn’t talk about Batgirl. He never did. She was his secret, his link to sanity away from the Outlaws. After all, Kory hadn’t done a thing for Jay after Roy died, didn’t attempt to help him through his own grief. Just shut herself away from anyone she knew, made a whole new set of friends at her paramedic job. 

Left Jay alone.

"There’s nothing to worry about. Black Bat, Batman, Batsi-Batgirl. None of them know who you are. and even if they do, there’s not much they can do. You can level anything they throw at you with ease.”

That was one thing he’d missed. He and Henri and the rest could cook up all sorts of gadgets and weapons, but there was just no replacing her firepower. They’d done the math. Her blasts hit upwards of a terajoule in testing, probably higher when she was good and pissed off.

“Look. She’s family. Next question." 

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Silence was not really a virtue for Koriand’r. She knew when to keep her mouth shut if it was necessary, but the truth was, it was very hard for her to keep from speaking her mind. When it came to Jason, that feeling was ten-fold. Until Roy’s death, everything she said to Jason had always been no holds barred, regardless of what it was about. Kori knew he could handle it and, when he couldn’t, it was often because he just needed to hear it. Things weren’t like that anymore. No, since Roy’s death, speaking to Jason so freely just didn’t seem… appropriate.

The thought of any formality with Jason just seemed wrong, and Kori knew she was at fault for that — she had been the one to stop suiting up, she had been the one to stop coming around the Complex — but she’d been in the thick of grief for a long time, and part of her was upset with him for allowing her to go through that alone. She’d told him she needed space, but she’d also spent nearly a month on her floor of the Complex immediately after Roy died. Home was too painful to be alone in; Jason should have known, had to have known, that something was up.

She may have put the costume away, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still an Outlaw.

In all fairness, there wasn’t really much of the Outlaws left. With Roy gone, it was just the two of them and, in her mourning, Kori lost sight of what was important: the people she had left. Distancing herself from Jason, and even from Dick (though they remained closer than she and Jason had), was her mistake and she should have known better. For all the spats they got in and as often as they pissed each other off, remaining close to Jason would have retained the only bits of normalcy she had left… but she gave all that up.

This, though… suiting up, riding along — it was all a lot to take in. Kori would have been lying to herself if she said she didn’t miss it, but she was too preoccupied with certain other details of their evening to revel in her return to vigilantism. She’d been staring, rather blankly, out the front window of the Dragon as she thought about the scene she’d just witnessed, bright green eyes intent on the night before them. It was only when she heard Jason’s chair swivel toward her that she tore her gaze from the windshield. At his words, an almost bitter smile pulled at the corners of her lips. I’m not pissed, was the first response that popped into her head, but she didn’t say it; though Jason and Kori may not have been as close as they used to be, she certainly wasn’t going to lie to him.

“How did she know your name, Jason?”

“I’ve known her since she was an infant. She was an assassin, just like me. That’s…that’s about all I can say. She’s very near to my heart.”

And it was true. Cass had been a constant companion throughout his life, and it was only after David stole her away that they lost touch. 

He’d changed her diapers. 

He’d splinted her broken bones.

Fuck, he’d even held her as she cried over losing members of the League, held her hand as the funeral pyres burned.

“I found out she was a Bat when Bruce and I tangled this year. I didn’t say anything to you because…well, because we weren’t exactly talking then.”