Fic: Purple Arrow Chapter 14
Title: Purple Arrow
Author: Brokaw22
Rating: T
Summary: Roy encounters a 15-year-old Lian from a different Earth.
Spoiler Alert for Cry for Justice 7
Thanks to Kathy for the beta work.
Previous Chapter: Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen
When they get back to the manor, Lian isn’t sure what to expect. She hasn’t ever really been around a Tim and Dick who fight as much as these two have been, so she hangs back and lets Roy lead the way. He seems to be on high alert, which has her checking every shadowed corner… for what? She doesn’t know, but she continues moving silently, watching his back as they make their way up the stairs. She figures he’s dealt with this enough to know what the protocol is, so Lian doesn’t say anything when his shoulders tense right before he shakes his head at himself. When they get to what she knows is Tim’s room -- thanks to her preliminary search the first day that she arrived -- Lian tries to hide her shock at the state of his room. She knows all about sibling rivalries and how nasty fights between siblings can get, thanks to both school and her night job, but she feels certain that this is a little more violent than any of those instances, even for a Bat.
The look of concern on Roy’s face as he edges into the room and his quick surveillance has Lian feeling worried. She doesn’t know what’s going on, and she hates that. The way that he rips the knife out of the wall once he’s back in the hallway is enough to tell her that this wasn’t caused by Dick and Tim. It scares her to think of someone attacking Wayne Manor, because, other than the cave, the Manor is the safest place in her world. It’s the one place where they can all be themselves and relax without having to think about all of the things they face on the streets.
They make their way down the hall silently, and the entire time, all Lian can think about is how unprepared she is for whatever they might be facing. She berates herself for not finding out more about this world’s villains and how much each of them knows. It seems like something she should have been more focused on, and she knows that if Uncle Tim or Grandpa Bruce were here, she’d be getting so many lectures right now. When they get to Dick’s room, Lian doesn’t miss the blood on the doorjamb, which only makes her more nervous.
She watches silently as Roy fiddles with his lock-picks, knowing that she could get the door open faster, but once again Lian remains silent. Instead, she focuses her attention on making sure that she can defend Roy properly if anyone comes from either side of the hallway, which is why Lian is completely caught off guard when Roy is slammed into the floor by a dark haired blur. It’s not until after there’s an escrima stick pressed to Roy’s throat and the violent movements have stopped that Lian can tell who their attacker is, and she can’t help but let out a scream as she sees Dick’s hand rearing back for a punch.
The discovery that they’re facing a foe that Lian is well acquainted with doesn’t give her any relief, especially since she knows all too well what Harley Quinn and her Checkered Dolls are capable of. However, having a weapon does make her feel a little less out maneuvered, even if she still doesn’t like taking Tim’s bo staff from him. She makes sure that she’s the last one to leave the room, knowing that the others are fully capable of handling themselves should they be attacked, and then they all start making their way down the stairs, keeping Alfred in the middle.
Lian isn’t surprised when two of Harley’s Checkered Dolls leap out at them from the upstairs hallway, and she turns at the same time that Tim does to take them on. She’s staying close to Alfred just like Tim told her to, blocking blows with the bo staff, and subtly pushing the group further down the stairs as Tim breaks away to deal with the Dolls on the upper landing. Lian knows that he’s well trained, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to help him when he lets out a hiss of pain after being hit. However, Lian knows that Roy is right to tell her to keep formation.
She watches silently as Tim keeps the escrima sticks between him and the Dolls at all times, blocking and attacking whenever he can and ducking underneath blows when he can’t. It isn’t long before he has one of the Checkered Dolls down, but by then the rest of them have reached the downstairs landing and three other Dolls are attacking. Lian doesn’t need Roy to tell her to stick close to Alfred. It doesn’t matter that he’s not her Alfred; Lian will protect him with her life if she has to. She has the bo staff in a ready position, and is looking for the best way down past all of the fighting at the foot of the stairs, when Alfred tugs on her arm. “It seems the lads are going to need some help.”
Lian doesn’t get a chance to ask what he means before Alfred is rushing down the stairs and Lian is forced to follow behind him, trying her best to protect him from any wayward swords and such. He makes his way into one of the rooms off to the left of the stairs where there just happens to be an old-looking shotgun inside of an even older-looking gun case. Lian wants to laugh, because it’s so much like her own Alfred, but now’s not the time. Instead, she stands ready to defend him as Alfred retrieves the gun. They’re about to make their way back out into the foyer when a Checkered Doll cuts off their exit. This one Lian has fought before, she can tell by the ragged scar across the other woman’s overly made up face. No amount of white face paint and dark red lipstick could hide the deep jagged mark that runs from the woman’s nose down her right cheek, ending at her jaw line. Lian recognizes the scar so well, despite the red and blue make up in diamond shapes over the woman’s eyes, because it came from one of her blades.
Lian sneers at the Doll who gave her one of her least favorite scars near her collarbone, and doesn’t wait for the customary jeers before swinging the bo staff around, connecting with the Checkered Doll’s head, and moving to sweep her legs out from under her. Though the woman is dazed, she doesn’t hesitate to flip over Lian, landing in front of Alfred. Lian sees the Doll pull out a blade, but before she gets a chance to yell a warning Alfred bashes the woman’s wrist with the butt of the gun, forcing her to drop her blade. The Doll doesn’t get a chance to cry out in pain from the blow before Lian jumps onto her back, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck and cutting off her airway. The Doll struggles and fights, nearly knocking Lian off of her more than a few times, but Lian manages to hang on until the woman runs out of air. Once the Doll is out, Lian gets to her feet and moves to check on Alfred, who is standing by the door looking just as composed as always, holding his shotgun at the ready, and then the two of them make their way out of the room.
Lian and Alfred stick close together as they head into the fray, dodging blows and blocking when they have to. Lian sees two more Checkered Dolls heading straight for Dick and Roy, who are already a little busy. She nudges Alfred before pulling him in the direction of the two newcomers. The two of them race to intercept the two Dolls before they can reach Dick and Roy. When they are in range, Lian jump kicks the one closest to her directly in the face, knocking her into an extremely expensive vase and separating the two of them.
Alfred aims his shotgun at the other one, which distracts her just long enough for Lian to swing the bo staff around, connecting with the back of her neck. The Doll goes down with a loud thud, not expecting the blow. She tries to push herself back up, but before the woman gets the chance Alfred slams the butt of the gun down in the same exact place. Lian doesn’t think that she’s getting back up after that one and spins around to focus on the first Doll, who’s back on her feet and pulling a throwing knife from her boot. Lian dodges the knife, and then moves in to take the Checkered Doll down. She feigns a jab with the bo staff, which the Doll brings her hands up to block, leaving her stomach unprotected for a spin kick that Lian delivers with as much force as she can muster. The Doll goes careening into the wall behind her, and Lian follows through with a knee to her gut. The Doll folds in on herself, and Lian brings the bo staff down hard, effectively taking her out.
Lian glances around to find Alfred, whom she spots helping Roy, and makes her way over to them. She drop kicks a Doll along her way, only to come up beside the one Alfred had just hit. Lian doesn’t waste any time before sweeping the Doll’s legs out from underneath her with the bo staff. She moves Alfred out of the way, and ends up beside Roy, who is using his robotic arm to block most of the blades. Lian really wishes that she had her arrows right now or even just her belt. Either way, a projectile weapon would be great right about now, because she can tell they are all getting overwhelmed.
Lian and Roy are trying to stay close together, which is working quite well, until Roy gets the attention of the group fighting Dick and Tim. She knows that it was a necessary evil, but everything gets much harder after that. The Checkered Dolls have far more weaponry than they do, but none of them are giving up. Lian is trying her best to keep from being separated from Roy, but there’s nothing to be done when one of the Doll’s throws a sword directly at her, and Lian has to leap to her left in order to miss being impaled by it. She’s fighting off two of the Dolls when she feels a third grab her pony tail and throw her into a wall. She knows now’s not the time to relive all of the arguments that she’s had with Grandpa Bruce about getting a haircut, but her brain doesn’t seem to agree.
She’s still a little dazed when Roy grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet, but Lian’s sure it’s just because she’s not used to having anyone who isn’t her Uncle Tim come to her rescue. She shakes her head, and picks up her bo staff, and that’s when she sees the Doll who had thrown her into the wall rush Roy. Lian wants to cringe at all of the damage being done to the manor, but she doesn’t really have time to worry about it. She uses her bo staff once again to take out the woman’s knee, and then kicks her in the face. Lian doesn’t miss the look of pride on Roy’s face, and it makes her so damned pleased that she could induce such an emotion in him.
Roy gestures for her to make her way over to where Dick and Tim are protecting Alfred, and she simply nods, fully aware that she’s fighting that much harder in order to make him look at her like that again. Roy and Lian fall back into formation around Alfred, and then Dick and Tim take point as they make their way to the study. Lian is keeping as close to Alfred as possible. She refuses to be the reason that he gets hurt. When two more Checkered Dolls tumble out of the study, Lian wants nothing more than to take them out hard and fast, but she knows that Tim and Dick can handle themselves, so she stays put and keeps herself between them and Alfred.
She can’t see Roy from where she’s keeping Alfred safe, but she would know that particular female voice anywhere. Lian wants to leap into that room and go after Harley, but she knows better. Even without the various warnings she’s gotten from Grandpa Bruce, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Barbara over the years, Lian knows not to go after someone she has such history with without a plan or backup. However, it’s taking all of her control to stay put and keep the Dolls away from Alfred. Dick and Tim are fighting side by side, blocking blows, and flipping over each other, and Lian can’t help but notice how seamlessly they flow together. She can’t ever remember seeing two people work so well together.
Her thoughts get cut off there, however, because the Checkered Doll who was fighting Dick breaks away and starts attacking Lian. She’s good with a bo staff…nowhere near her Uncle Tim’s skill, but still she can hold her own, which is a good thing, because this Doll seems to want to push her to her limit. Lian’s grateful that Alfred seems to know exactly where he needs to be for her to protect him, especially when she has no choice but to roll out of the way of a handful of throwing stars and comes up right in front of him once again. The Doll doesn’t seem to be giving up, and Lian uses the staff to knock away a blade.
She’s blocking as much as she can, but there’s only so much room for Lian to maneuver, and she’s not the least bit surprised when she ends up taking a blade across the face. The laceration runs along her right cheek, but it’s not very deep and there isn’t that much blood, which Lian knows means she got lucky. She smears the blood away with the back of her hand and makes a ‘come on’ gesture towards the Doll. The Doll grins evilly and moves in with a flurry of punches and thrusts with the knife. Lian manages to use the staff to her advantage, blocking and parrying most of the blows, until she can knock the knife away, and when the Doll is in the right position, Lian lets the woman rush her into a wall, and then slams both of her feet into the woman’s chest. The Doll lands flat on her back on the floor, and Lian doesn’t give her a second to recover before she drives her weighted boot into the woman’s face.
Lian doesn’t get a single moment to enjoy her victory, before her head shoots up at the sound of Harley’s distinctive laugh, only to see Dick fall backwards with a knife in his chest. Lian screams and watches as Tim slides under the Doll he’s fighting and gets to Dick’s side immediately. She can’t move. She can’t think. This is all her fault. She knows that this is somehow some way her fault. Harley and her Checkered Dolls probably followed whatever the hell caused that spiraling green light to dump her here, and now another person is dying because of her. Lian can’t take it. She wants to scream, throw something, and hurt someone so bad that she’s practically vibrating with her anger. She can’t handle seeing Harley Quinn taking another life, especially not another Dick Grayson.
Lian barely even registers Tim’s warning to Roy, before she’s moving towards the study, and when she gets inside to see Harley choking Roy, Lian loses it. She throws herself bodily at Harley, and then just starts kicking with all of her might. She has never been so grateful for the weighted boots than right now. Lian is only peripherally aware of the words coming out of her mouth, and all she can see is a haze of red, much like the blood coating Dick’s chest.
It’s not until she feels Roy’s robotic arm wrap around her waist that Lian stops screaming and kicking, and by the time she realizes what’s going on he’s lying on top of her, covering her from some unknown danger. There’s a loud whistle that she recognizes as Harley’s call to her Dolls, and she wants so badly to get away from Roy and go after them, but Lian can’t make herself move. After a few short moments, she thinks that Roy is finally going to allow her up, but before he can there’s a flash and a bang and the sound of shattering glass, and Lian knows they got away. This isn’t her first time dealing with Harley, after all.
Slowly they get to their feet and Lian goes to see if she can help Alfred with Dick. She doesn’t need confirmation that they’re gone anyway. Alfred is pressing a cloth to Dick’s wound, and Lian kneels down beside him. “Is there anything I can do, Alfred?” She’s sure that she sounds like lost and scared little girl, but she thinks that it’s okay to be in this instance.
Alfred nods. “Go with Master Timothy and get the med bay ready. I’ll have Master Roy carry down Master Dick.”
Lian doesn’t hesitate to go get Tim. He looks angry, frustrated, and tired, but most of all he looks as though he’s going to sob. Lian doesn’t even think twice about going over and giving him a hug. It’s what she always does when her Uncle Tim has that expression on. He stiffens in her arms, before letting out a breath. “It’ll be okay.” He breathes into her ear, but Lian can tell that he doesn’t believe it, so she merely holds him more tightly for a moment.
“Alfred wants us to go prepare the med bay.” She releases him, and watches as Tim sucks in a breath and stands up tall. She can tell that he’s just shoving down all of his emotions, but it’s not something that she isn’t accustomed to seeing, so Lian remains silent as she follows Tim down into the cave.
The two of them work in silence. After all, there isn’t much either one of them can say. They’re both worried about Dick, and Lian knows there are no words to help Tim right now. All they can do is tend to the simple tasks set out in front of them and hope the knife didn’t hit anything vital. It’s not long before Roy walks down the stairs with Dick draped listlessly in his arms. Alfred is right behind him. Roy places Dick on the metal table, and then backs away to allow Alfred and Tim room to work. Lian is standing on the other side of the cave just staring blankly as the two of them work together to hook Dick up to a bunch of machines. It isn’t until Roy places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes that her focus drifts away from them.
He tries to give her a reassuring smile, but it’s more of a grimace than anything else. “He’ll be okay. Alfred and Tim know what they’re doing.”
Lian shakes her head frantically. “What if he’s not?” The rapid movement tugs the skin of her cheek, and she can feel a trickle of blood running down her face, but Lian doesn’t care. All that matters is that another Dick Grayson doesn’t die.
Roy grabs both of her shoulders and forces her to still. “You can’t think about that, okay? You just have to trust that he’ll pull through. And you’re bleeding. I’m going to clean that.” He gestures toward the laceration across her cheek.
Lian shakes her head again. “It’ll be fine. Just leave it.”
Roy huffs out a breath. “I know you were raised by Bats, but I’m an Arrow and when things like this happen I need to focus on what I can do, and right now I can clean and bandage that wound, so just let me, okay?”
Her eyes widen for a moment. She remembers her father saying something similar once…at least, she thinks so. It’s hard to know if she’s actually remembering a conversation with him or if her brain is just inserting memories for what her Grandpa Bruce, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Barbara have told her about her father. “Okay.”
He motions for her to sit in the chair by the computer, and Lian does so without complaint. He grabs a first aid kit from over near where Alfred and Tim are working on Dick, without disturbing them. Roy places the kit on the floor and then kneels in front of her. He grabs her chin gently and angles her face toward the light to better see her wound. He softly runs an alcohol wipe over the cut before pulling out a tube of liquid bandage and applying it to the laceration. Lian hates how sticky it is, and she hates how it pulls her skin taunt when it dries even more, but she remains still and quiet as he looks her over for more wounds. When he deems her all patched up, she gets out of the chair while Roy moves to put the first aid kit back, but he’s halted by Lian’s hand on his arm. “It’s your turn.”
Roy gives an almost smile as he shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
Lian folds her arms over her chest and huffs out a breath. “I may have been raised by Bats, but I was also born an Arrow, and I need to be able to do something just as much as you do, so let me do this.”
Roy sighs as he ruffles her hair. “Okay, you win, kiddo.”
Lian ignores the small ache in her chest at the use of that nickname and pulls out some more alcohol wipes and begins swabbing over all of the cuts over his arms and legs and the really nasty one near his collarbone. She then pulls out the liquid bandage and meticulously goes over every single wound. Once she’s done, they both begin to pace the length of the cave, subconsciously staring at the med table where Dick is still lying unconscious. If he dies, Lian doesn’t know what she’ll do. She does know, however, that either way Harley Quinn will pay -- one way or another.
The End (for now)
Author: Brokaw22
Rating: T
Summary: Roy encounters a 15-year-old Lian from a different Earth.
Spoiler Alert for Cry for Justice 7
Thanks to Kathy for the beta work.
Previous Chapter: Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen
When they get back to the manor, Lian isn’t sure what to expect. She hasn’t ever really been around a Tim and Dick who fight as much as these two have been, so she hangs back and lets Roy lead the way. He seems to be on high alert, which has her checking every shadowed corner… for what? She doesn’t know, but she continues moving silently, watching his back as they make their way up the stairs. She figures he’s dealt with this enough to know what the protocol is, so Lian doesn’t say anything when his shoulders tense right before he shakes his head at himself. When they get to what she knows is Tim’s room -- thanks to her preliminary search the first day that she arrived -- Lian tries to hide her shock at the state of his room. She knows all about sibling rivalries and how nasty fights between siblings can get, thanks to both school and her night job, but she feels certain that this is a little more violent than any of those instances, even for a Bat.
The look of concern on Roy’s face as he edges into the room and his quick surveillance has Lian feeling worried. She doesn’t know what’s going on, and she hates that. The way that he rips the knife out of the wall once he’s back in the hallway is enough to tell her that this wasn’t caused by Dick and Tim. It scares her to think of someone attacking Wayne Manor, because, other than the cave, the Manor is the safest place in her world. It’s the one place where they can all be themselves and relax without having to think about all of the things they face on the streets.
They make their way down the hall silently, and the entire time, all Lian can think about is how unprepared she is for whatever they might be facing. She berates herself for not finding out more about this world’s villains and how much each of them knows. It seems like something she should have been more focused on, and she knows that if Uncle Tim or Grandpa Bruce were here, she’d be getting so many lectures right now. When they get to Dick’s room, Lian doesn’t miss the blood on the doorjamb, which only makes her more nervous.
She watches silently as Roy fiddles with his lock-picks, knowing that she could get the door open faster, but once again Lian remains silent. Instead, she focuses her attention on making sure that she can defend Roy properly if anyone comes from either side of the hallway, which is why Lian is completely caught off guard when Roy is slammed into the floor by a dark haired blur. It’s not until after there’s an escrima stick pressed to Roy’s throat and the violent movements have stopped that Lian can tell who their attacker is, and she can’t help but let out a scream as she sees Dick’s hand rearing back for a punch.
The discovery that they’re facing a foe that Lian is well acquainted with doesn’t give her any relief, especially since she knows all too well what Harley Quinn and her Checkered Dolls are capable of. However, having a weapon does make her feel a little less out maneuvered, even if she still doesn’t like taking Tim’s bo staff from him. She makes sure that she’s the last one to leave the room, knowing that the others are fully capable of handling themselves should they be attacked, and then they all start making their way down the stairs, keeping Alfred in the middle.
Lian isn’t surprised when two of Harley’s Checkered Dolls leap out at them from the upstairs hallway, and she turns at the same time that Tim does to take them on. She’s staying close to Alfred just like Tim told her to, blocking blows with the bo staff, and subtly pushing the group further down the stairs as Tim breaks away to deal with the Dolls on the upper landing. Lian knows that he’s well trained, but that doesn’t stop her from wanting to help him when he lets out a hiss of pain after being hit. However, Lian knows that Roy is right to tell her to keep formation.
She watches silently as Tim keeps the escrima sticks between him and the Dolls at all times, blocking and attacking whenever he can and ducking underneath blows when he can’t. It isn’t long before he has one of the Checkered Dolls down, but by then the rest of them have reached the downstairs landing and three other Dolls are attacking. Lian doesn’t need Roy to tell her to stick close to Alfred. It doesn’t matter that he’s not her Alfred; Lian will protect him with her life if she has to. She has the bo staff in a ready position, and is looking for the best way down past all of the fighting at the foot of the stairs, when Alfred tugs on her arm. “It seems the lads are going to need some help.”
Lian doesn’t get a chance to ask what he means before Alfred is rushing down the stairs and Lian is forced to follow behind him, trying her best to protect him from any wayward swords and such. He makes his way into one of the rooms off to the left of the stairs where there just happens to be an old-looking shotgun inside of an even older-looking gun case. Lian wants to laugh, because it’s so much like her own Alfred, but now’s not the time. Instead, she stands ready to defend him as Alfred retrieves the gun. They’re about to make their way back out into the foyer when a Checkered Doll cuts off their exit. This one Lian has fought before, she can tell by the ragged scar across the other woman’s overly made up face. No amount of white face paint and dark red lipstick could hide the deep jagged mark that runs from the woman’s nose down her right cheek, ending at her jaw line. Lian recognizes the scar so well, despite the red and blue make up in diamond shapes over the woman’s eyes, because it came from one of her blades.
Lian sneers at the Doll who gave her one of her least favorite scars near her collarbone, and doesn’t wait for the customary jeers before swinging the bo staff around, connecting with the Checkered Doll’s head, and moving to sweep her legs out from under her. Though the woman is dazed, she doesn’t hesitate to flip over Lian, landing in front of Alfred. Lian sees the Doll pull out a blade, but before she gets a chance to yell a warning Alfred bashes the woman’s wrist with the butt of the gun, forcing her to drop her blade. The Doll doesn’t get a chance to cry out in pain from the blow before Lian jumps onto her back, wrapping her arms around the woman’s neck and cutting off her airway. The Doll struggles and fights, nearly knocking Lian off of her more than a few times, but Lian manages to hang on until the woman runs out of air. Once the Doll is out, Lian gets to her feet and moves to check on Alfred, who is standing by the door looking just as composed as always, holding his shotgun at the ready, and then the two of them make their way out of the room.
Lian and Alfred stick close together as they head into the fray, dodging blows and blocking when they have to. Lian sees two more Checkered Dolls heading straight for Dick and Roy, who are already a little busy. She nudges Alfred before pulling him in the direction of the two newcomers. The two of them race to intercept the two Dolls before they can reach Dick and Roy. When they are in range, Lian jump kicks the one closest to her directly in the face, knocking her into an extremely expensive vase and separating the two of them.
Alfred aims his shotgun at the other one, which distracts her just long enough for Lian to swing the bo staff around, connecting with the back of her neck. The Doll goes down with a loud thud, not expecting the blow. She tries to push herself back up, but before the woman gets the chance Alfred slams the butt of the gun down in the same exact place. Lian doesn’t think that she’s getting back up after that one and spins around to focus on the first Doll, who’s back on her feet and pulling a throwing knife from her boot. Lian dodges the knife, and then moves in to take the Checkered Doll down. She feigns a jab with the bo staff, which the Doll brings her hands up to block, leaving her stomach unprotected for a spin kick that Lian delivers with as much force as she can muster. The Doll goes careening into the wall behind her, and Lian follows through with a knee to her gut. The Doll folds in on herself, and Lian brings the bo staff down hard, effectively taking her out.
Lian glances around to find Alfred, whom she spots helping Roy, and makes her way over to them. She drop kicks a Doll along her way, only to come up beside the one Alfred had just hit. Lian doesn’t waste any time before sweeping the Doll’s legs out from underneath her with the bo staff. She moves Alfred out of the way, and ends up beside Roy, who is using his robotic arm to block most of the blades. Lian really wishes that she had her arrows right now or even just her belt. Either way, a projectile weapon would be great right about now, because she can tell they are all getting overwhelmed.
Lian and Roy are trying to stay close together, which is working quite well, until Roy gets the attention of the group fighting Dick and Tim. She knows that it was a necessary evil, but everything gets much harder after that. The Checkered Dolls have far more weaponry than they do, but none of them are giving up. Lian is trying her best to keep from being separated from Roy, but there’s nothing to be done when one of the Doll’s throws a sword directly at her, and Lian has to leap to her left in order to miss being impaled by it. She’s fighting off two of the Dolls when she feels a third grab her pony tail and throw her into a wall. She knows now’s not the time to relive all of the arguments that she’s had with Grandpa Bruce about getting a haircut, but her brain doesn’t seem to agree.
She’s still a little dazed when Roy grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet, but Lian’s sure it’s just because she’s not used to having anyone who isn’t her Uncle Tim come to her rescue. She shakes her head, and picks up her bo staff, and that’s when she sees the Doll who had thrown her into the wall rush Roy. Lian wants to cringe at all of the damage being done to the manor, but she doesn’t really have time to worry about it. She uses her bo staff once again to take out the woman’s knee, and then kicks her in the face. Lian doesn’t miss the look of pride on Roy’s face, and it makes her so damned pleased that she could induce such an emotion in him.
Roy gestures for her to make her way over to where Dick and Tim are protecting Alfred, and she simply nods, fully aware that she’s fighting that much harder in order to make him look at her like that again. Roy and Lian fall back into formation around Alfred, and then Dick and Tim take point as they make their way to the study. Lian is keeping as close to Alfred as possible. She refuses to be the reason that he gets hurt. When two more Checkered Dolls tumble out of the study, Lian wants nothing more than to take them out hard and fast, but she knows that Tim and Dick can handle themselves, so she stays put and keeps herself between them and Alfred.
She can’t see Roy from where she’s keeping Alfred safe, but she would know that particular female voice anywhere. Lian wants to leap into that room and go after Harley, but she knows better. Even without the various warnings she’s gotten from Grandpa Bruce, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Barbara over the years, Lian knows not to go after someone she has such history with without a plan or backup. However, it’s taking all of her control to stay put and keep the Dolls away from Alfred. Dick and Tim are fighting side by side, blocking blows, and flipping over each other, and Lian can’t help but notice how seamlessly they flow together. She can’t ever remember seeing two people work so well together.
Her thoughts get cut off there, however, because the Checkered Doll who was fighting Dick breaks away and starts attacking Lian. She’s good with a bo staff…nowhere near her Uncle Tim’s skill, but still she can hold her own, which is a good thing, because this Doll seems to want to push her to her limit. Lian’s grateful that Alfred seems to know exactly where he needs to be for her to protect him, especially when she has no choice but to roll out of the way of a handful of throwing stars and comes up right in front of him once again. The Doll doesn’t seem to be giving up, and Lian uses the staff to knock away a blade.
She’s blocking as much as she can, but there’s only so much room for Lian to maneuver, and she’s not the least bit surprised when she ends up taking a blade across the face. The laceration runs along her right cheek, but it’s not very deep and there isn’t that much blood, which Lian knows means she got lucky. She smears the blood away with the back of her hand and makes a ‘come on’ gesture towards the Doll. The Doll grins evilly and moves in with a flurry of punches and thrusts with the knife. Lian manages to use the staff to her advantage, blocking and parrying most of the blows, until she can knock the knife away, and when the Doll is in the right position, Lian lets the woman rush her into a wall, and then slams both of her feet into the woman’s chest. The Doll lands flat on her back on the floor, and Lian doesn’t give her a second to recover before she drives her weighted boot into the woman’s face.
Lian doesn’t get a single moment to enjoy her victory, before her head shoots up at the sound of Harley’s distinctive laugh, only to see Dick fall backwards with a knife in his chest. Lian screams and watches as Tim slides under the Doll he’s fighting and gets to Dick’s side immediately. She can’t move. She can’t think. This is all her fault. She knows that this is somehow some way her fault. Harley and her Checkered Dolls probably followed whatever the hell caused that spiraling green light to dump her here, and now another person is dying because of her. Lian can’t take it. She wants to scream, throw something, and hurt someone so bad that she’s practically vibrating with her anger. She can’t handle seeing Harley Quinn taking another life, especially not another Dick Grayson.
Lian barely even registers Tim’s warning to Roy, before she’s moving towards the study, and when she gets inside to see Harley choking Roy, Lian loses it. She throws herself bodily at Harley, and then just starts kicking with all of her might. She has never been so grateful for the weighted boots than right now. Lian is only peripherally aware of the words coming out of her mouth, and all she can see is a haze of red, much like the blood coating Dick’s chest.
It’s not until she feels Roy’s robotic arm wrap around her waist that Lian stops screaming and kicking, and by the time she realizes what’s going on he’s lying on top of her, covering her from some unknown danger. There’s a loud whistle that she recognizes as Harley’s call to her Dolls, and she wants so badly to get away from Roy and go after them, but Lian can’t make herself move. After a few short moments, she thinks that Roy is finally going to allow her up, but before he can there’s a flash and a bang and the sound of shattering glass, and Lian knows they got away. This isn’t her first time dealing with Harley, after all.
Slowly they get to their feet and Lian goes to see if she can help Alfred with Dick. She doesn’t need confirmation that they’re gone anyway. Alfred is pressing a cloth to Dick’s wound, and Lian kneels down beside him. “Is there anything I can do, Alfred?” She’s sure that she sounds like lost and scared little girl, but she thinks that it’s okay to be in this instance.
Alfred nods. “Go with Master Timothy and get the med bay ready. I’ll have Master Roy carry down Master Dick.”
Lian doesn’t hesitate to go get Tim. He looks angry, frustrated, and tired, but most of all he looks as though he’s going to sob. Lian doesn’t even think twice about going over and giving him a hug. It’s what she always does when her Uncle Tim has that expression on. He stiffens in her arms, before letting out a breath. “It’ll be okay.” He breathes into her ear, but Lian can tell that he doesn’t believe it, so she merely holds him more tightly for a moment.
“Alfred wants us to go prepare the med bay.” She releases him, and watches as Tim sucks in a breath and stands up tall. She can tell that he’s just shoving down all of his emotions, but it’s not something that she isn’t accustomed to seeing, so Lian remains silent as she follows Tim down into the cave.
The two of them work in silence. After all, there isn’t much either one of them can say. They’re both worried about Dick, and Lian knows there are no words to help Tim right now. All they can do is tend to the simple tasks set out in front of them and hope the knife didn’t hit anything vital. It’s not long before Roy walks down the stairs with Dick draped listlessly in his arms. Alfred is right behind him. Roy places Dick on the metal table, and then backs away to allow Alfred and Tim room to work. Lian is standing on the other side of the cave just staring blankly as the two of them work together to hook Dick up to a bunch of machines. It isn’t until Roy places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes that her focus drifts away from them.
He tries to give her a reassuring smile, but it’s more of a grimace than anything else. “He’ll be okay. Alfred and Tim know what they’re doing.”
Lian shakes her head frantically. “What if he’s not?” The rapid movement tugs the skin of her cheek, and she can feel a trickle of blood running down her face, but Lian doesn’t care. All that matters is that another Dick Grayson doesn’t die.
Roy grabs both of her shoulders and forces her to still. “You can’t think about that, okay? You just have to trust that he’ll pull through. And you’re bleeding. I’m going to clean that.” He gestures toward the laceration across her cheek.
Lian shakes her head again. “It’ll be fine. Just leave it.”
Roy huffs out a breath. “I know you were raised by Bats, but I’m an Arrow and when things like this happen I need to focus on what I can do, and right now I can clean and bandage that wound, so just let me, okay?”
Her eyes widen for a moment. She remembers her father saying something similar once…at least, she thinks so. It’s hard to know if she’s actually remembering a conversation with him or if her brain is just inserting memories for what her Grandpa Bruce, Uncle Tim, and Aunt Barbara have told her about her father. “Okay.”
He motions for her to sit in the chair by the computer, and Lian does so without complaint. He grabs a first aid kit from over near where Alfred and Tim are working on Dick, without disturbing them. Roy places the kit on the floor and then kneels in front of her. He grabs her chin gently and angles her face toward the light to better see her wound. He softly runs an alcohol wipe over the cut before pulling out a tube of liquid bandage and applying it to the laceration. Lian hates how sticky it is, and she hates how it pulls her skin taunt when it dries even more, but she remains still and quiet as he looks her over for more wounds. When he deems her all patched up, she gets out of the chair while Roy moves to put the first aid kit back, but he’s halted by Lian’s hand on his arm. “It’s your turn.”
Roy gives an almost smile as he shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
Lian folds her arms over her chest and huffs out a breath. “I may have been raised by Bats, but I was also born an Arrow, and I need to be able to do something just as much as you do, so let me do this.”
Roy sighs as he ruffles her hair. “Okay, you win, kiddo.”
Lian ignores the small ache in her chest at the use of that nickname and pulls out some more alcohol wipes and begins swabbing over all of the cuts over his arms and legs and the really nasty one near his collarbone. She then pulls out the liquid bandage and meticulously goes over every single wound. Once she’s done, they both begin to pace the length of the cave, subconsciously staring at the med table where Dick is still lying unconscious. If he dies, Lian doesn’t know what she’ll do. She does know, however, that either way Harley Quinn will pay -- one way or another.
The End (for now)