DJ DIDN'T REALLY LIKE THE COLD.

Being from Southern California gave DJ a slight intolerance for the cold. She spent most of the time at Dick's in Detroit in his apartment, and most of the time since she had met Rachel indoors.

DJ shivered outside the dingy gas station Dick had stopped at, leaning against the car her babysitter traded his expensive car for. She didn't care all that much, she was happy with Gar and Rachel in the back until like a half an hour after they left the Caulder Mansion, then they were arguing over how little space the three teenagers had.

She held her phone up to her ear, waiting slightly impatiently while it ringed. DJ sighed in relief as her mom's voice on the other end said, "DJ?"

"Mom." DJ replied, a smile spreading across her face.

DJ had been unable to call or text anybody since the Convent explosion. She couldn't exactly have a conversation running with Rachel, and she didn't get any cell reception at the Caulder Mansion. And she couldn't really call her parents or siblings and risk Gar or Rachel hearing something that hinted at her family's other job.

"DJ! Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in hours." Laurel replied, the worry pouring over her words.

Another voice spoke on the other side of the phone. "Is that DJ?"

DJ's smile turned into a grin. "Dad!"

"What happened? You haven't updated us on anything. We've been worried sick." Oliver said, and DJ felt guilt crawling into her chest.

"I'm sorry, but I was in a place that like, hated cell phones or something." DJ answered, not even sure where to begin explaining the Caulder Mansion and it's inhabitants and what happened within it's walls.

DJ attempted to start at the convent explosion, and she got to being found in the wilderness by Gar, but Dick had finished filling up the car's gas tank, and was calling for everyone to get back in the car. In addition to DJ hanging around the car, with her parents on the phone, Rachel had gone to the bathroom, and Gar was carrying a shopping bag filled with snacks. Only Kory was in the car, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Hey, I'll text you or something, Dick's trying to get us into the car." DJ said into the phone.

"You better text us, Baby Bird. Get to the part of your explanation where you couldn't call us at all." Laurel said.

DJ smiled. "I love you."

"We love you, too. Stay safe." Her parents said, and hung up the phone.

DJ put her phone back in her pocket and hopped in the back of car. Gar climbed in next to her, pulling the bag of snacks to his lap and opening a bag of candy. "Want one?" Gar asked, offering the bag over to DJ.

She smiled. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though."

Gar waved his hand in a 'don't mention it's kind of way. "So what's the plan?" DJ asked, a smirk on her face.

Dick rolled his eyes. "That totals up to three 'what's the plan's. We're going to find somewhere to stay. Then we'll talk about what we do after."

"Ah. You mean the rest of the plan."

Dick chuckled.

DJ pulled out her phone and went to her family's group chat.

Jedi Master Queen
Okay so to finish my explanation

Half Blood
Oh my God, DJ what did
you do?

Jedi Master Queen
Okay so Rachel blew up the convent

Mi Mi
Jesus

Bitchney
Yeah way to draw us in

Jedi Master Queen
We ran in the woods until we had
to take a break
Then we heard this noise and
it turned out to be a green tiger

Half Blood
I'm seriously amazed at how
you get into these situations.
It's you're special skill or something

Jedi Master Queen
I'm talented like that
Anyway
So he turned into this teenage boy
His name is Gar btw

Mama Bird
He can turn into a tiger and
his name is Gar?

Jedi Master Queen
Actually Garfield but Gar is a nickname

But he took us to where he lived
And he lived with a group of people
who had been saved this Doctor
who they called 'the Chief's
He's more like a mad scientist tho

Papa Arrow
Okay I'm officially surprised

Half Blood
Is anyone seriously surprised anymore?

Jedi Master Queen
Well it's their own business so I won't
spill what abilities and shit they have
But they're super cool
And one of them was the best chef
But then the Chief came back with a new patient
And Rachel used her superpowers
to ease her pain, which
exposed Rachel's powers
And the Chief wanted to expirement
on her

Mama Bird
Is Rachel okay?

Jedi Master Queen
Mom, Rachel's a badass
She broke the Chief's back with her powers

Bitchney
I love her already

Jedi Master Queen
Yeah she's awesome

But then Dick came for us
And Gar came with
And now we're on the road again

Mi Mi
I
I don't even
What the fuck

Jedi Master Queen
Connor's right
How are y'all still surprised
I mean
Mom, dad, and Mia are fighting alongside
an alien, an Amazon, and Bruce Wayne
But you're surprised at the great chef, Larry?

Half Blood
That's a good point to make, actually.

Mama Bird
Yeah, true.

Papa Arrow
Two of the members of this
family have super powers, so
actually DJ's right
Sound the alarm, it's the first
that's happened

Jedi Master Queen
Wow you're hilarious, dad.
You so standup?

Papa Arrow
I'll be here all week :)

Well actually we're supposed to be
coming home soon

Bitchney
Well Connor and I are
on the place back to Star City

Jedi Master Queen
Wait seriously?

Mi Mi
Japan to Star City, no layoffs
with Sidney? Poor Connor

Bitchney
Fuck you, Dearden

Half Blood
She's right and she should say it

Bitchney
Fuck you, Hawke

Mama Bird
Honestly, should I even bother with
trying to get this family to stop swearing?

Jedi Master Queen
No, sorry mom :(

Mi Mi
Yeah <3

Bitchney
Love you 💕
But no

Half Blood
... No. 💓

Papa Arrow
Sorry, Pretty Bird
But the Baby Birds make strong points
💞

The car pulled to a stop in the parking lot of a disgusting motel. DJ frowned. Okay, maybe she was just a rich girl, and it's not like she was expecting a five-star hotel, but couldn't they do better than this?

Jedi Master Queen
Gotta go. Dick just found a motel
But love you guys 💋💖💗💞💞💝💞💝💓💓💞💖💞💝💞💝

DJ put her phone in her pocket. "Seriously? We're staying here?"

"Yeah, there's probably a nicer place down the road." Kory said, siding with DJ.

"We're being hunted by sociopaths. Nicer places draw attention." Dick reasoned, and DJ got where he was coming from, but come on.

"Yeah, well, they also make it easier to sleep." Kory argued back.

"One road in, same road out. Only one point of access we have to watch. And also, it's quiet. If trouble comes our way, we should hear it first. And who said anything about sleeping?" Dick said then got out of the car, presumably to check the group of five into their rooms. DJ groaned; Sidney and Connor were on their way back to Queen Manor, and their luxurious beds that didn't have roaches in them.

Dick came back out with five keys clutched in his hand. "Here. Room for each of you."

He handed them out. DJ took hers with a sigh.

"All right, I'm gonna go get something to eat, but why don't you guys get settled?" He told them, and the other four in the group got out of the car and reluctantly into the motel. Gar, however, who was just excited to get out of the mansion for a while, was grinning about how apparently, he was rooming next to DJ.

DJ smiled. She dumped her backpack and suitcase into the room and followed him into Gar's room with Rachel.

"So, you said yesterday that you liked Star Wars?" Gar asked, literally jumping onto the bed next to where DJ sat.

DJ excitedly answered with a, "Yeah. Do you?"

"Uh, I love it!" Gar said back.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You two are such geeks."

"Geeks with good taste." DJ responded with a smirk.

Gar and DJ discussed Star Wars, favorite characters, favorite planets, etc., until Dick came back with two boxes of pizza.

Gar jumped up and grabbed an entire box, happily saying, "I'll take this, thank you very much."

DJ laughed and grabbed a slice of pizza from his box, and turned to Dick. "So what's the plan?" She asked with a smirk.

Dick sighed. "I'm going to ignore that. We're all in one piece, more or less. We need to figure out where we stand and determine what's mission critical." He said, and DJ felt nostalgia for her years as a preteen, sneaking out on patrols with Roy, Dick, Donna, Garth, and Wally. Beating up bad guys and coming back to where the Justice League were meeting and getting only a little bit of scolding, but mostly pride.

"'Mission critical'"?" Rachel repeated mockingly.

"Is that a cop thing? Sounds like a cop thing." Gar said from the corner.

"I had some combat training when I was younger." Dick answered, giving them a half-truth. DJ, who was sitting on the bed next to Rachel, scoffed.

"And he's a cop." Rachel said.

Kory, leaning against the wall behind Dick, asked, "I'm sorry, you were referring to 'we'?"

"'We' as of right now are a group of people who share a common enemy." Dick answered.

"Which makes us what?"

"Let's call it an alliance. One born of mutual need."

God, Dick Grayson is such a Wayne, DJ thought to herself.

"And what is that?" Kory asked.

"To stay alive." Dick answered. "We have no idea how long we have until they find us."

"You just said 'they.' Who are they? What do they want?" Gar asked in a slightly panicked way. DJ felt guilt gnaw at her. Gar hadn't been warned about the psycho family that was after Rachel and her powers.

"We don't know who they are, but they want me." Rachel explained.

"It's because of her... abilities." Dick said.

"They make violence look like an art form." Kory added in.

"Well, you don't have to scare him." DJ said, slightly irritated.

"The people that attacked us fought in unison. They were perfectly coordinated, we're not. We can't fight like that unless we learn each other's moves." Dick went on with his team-motivating speech. But he seemed to get his pep skills from too much time around Bruce, because Gar was freaking out and DJ felt guilty.

"Inspiring." Kory said sarcastically. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

"We stick together and we train." Dick answered.

"Are we getting the team back together?" DJ asked. "Dick and DJ take on the world?"

Dick chuckled. "Maybe not like we used to, but yeah, pretty much."

DJ laughed. "Admit it, Dick. You missed it."

"Maybe just a little."

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

DJ stood alongside the rest of the group, feet on the floor of an abandoned barn out in the middle of nowhere. Dick brought the group out there to test out their powers and abilities in a little more seclusion. DJ was a little wary about letting her Canary Cry be used in front of Rachel and Gar. Rachel had already gotten a sample of it, but Gar hadn't and DJ was afraid he'd connect the dots from her to the White Arrow.

"Okay, in order to work together, fight and defend yourselves like a coordinated team, we gotta see what each other can do. Any volunteers?" Dick announced to the others. None of the four volunteered, so he turned to Kory to try to get her to go first. "Kory, Rachel said you can create light. Heat. Is that right?"

"Honestly, I'm still trying to figure it out." Kory said apprehensively.

"Okay, so let's figure it out together. How exactly does it work?" Dick questioned further.

Kory frowned, the lack of memory about her powers and her past failing her. "I think it comes from the sun. I can absorb its power and direct it. I'm weaker at night, though. I'm sometimes empty. And it takes me a while to recharge."

"How long?"

"A few hours, a day, I don't know." Kory said.

Dick pointed to a tractor on the other side of the barn. "Could you hit that tractor?"

"Watch." Kory took the request and walked in front of the group. They all stepped back, and Kory took a deep breath then raised her arm in front of her. A jet of bright, hot flames emerged from her hand, her entire body turning the color of lava. She missed the tractor completely, but burned a hole in the barn wall.

Kory ceased the flames and her skin turned back. She turned to Dick. "I suppose I could use a bit of practice."

"Sick!" Gar explained, holding out his hand for a high-five. Kory slapped his palm with hers, the contact making a 'sizzling' noise.

Dick turned to Gar. "Your turn."

Gar excitedly ran to the front of the group. "Okay, I just, uh... Give me a second." He stretched his arms. "Okay."

Dick said, "Any time today would be good."

Gar turned around and awkwardly said, "It's, uh... I can't... It's a little weird with you guys watching and all. The first time I transformed, I tore through my clothes and, uh... Oh, and, like, this is my favorite jacket."

Dick frowned. "Hold on. You have to be naked to..."

"Yeah, but it'll be worth it. I promise."

"Heard that before." Kory said, and the group turned around away from Gar.

"Yeah, me too." DJ said.

Dick turned all protective. "And where the fuck have you heard that?"

"I was kidding." DJ said with a laugh. But she shook her head at Kory, who smiled.

They waited for a few more seconds. "If this wasn't a drill, we'd all be dead right now." Kory called out.

A loud growl emitted from behind them. DJ smirked and turned to the prowling green tiger.

"Oh, shit." Dick said, pacing away from the tiger.

Gar growled and walked around in front of them. He jumped on top of one of the stacked hay bales and snarled.

"What do you know, it was worth it." Kory said with a laugh.

"That's him?" Dick asked fearfully.

"I know, right?" Rachel said.

"How?"

"Got sick or something."

"The flu turned him into a tiger?"

"Man, imagine what a wicked sinus infection could turn you into." DJ said.

"Okay, you can turn back now." Dick said, warily stepping away from Gar. "Into Gar."

Gar in his tiger form began to crack and twist until the tiger was replaced by the green-haired boy, who smiled proudly. "Ta-da!"

DJ laughed and put a hand over her eyes. Gar had seemingly forgotten he had shed his clothes.

"Gar." Rachel said, turning away.

Gar curiously looked down, and was reminded that he was totally naked. "I, uh... I forgot." He said awkwardly, then pulled back on his clothes.

"So have you eaten anyone before?" Dick asked.

"'Eaten'?" Gar repeated with a chuckle. "No. Dude, I haven't even bitten anyone before. 'Eaten anyone.'"

"Be a lot scarier if he wasn't green. Or vegan." Kory said.

DJ smiled. "Yeah, but I'm glad you are." She told Gar.

"Okay, so we have sun woman and tiger boy. There's definitely potential here." Dick said. "DJ, you're up."

DJ grinned and walked to the front.

"Uh, before I start, I should warn you that you should definitely cover your ears." She told the group. Rachel and Dick, already knowing what the eighteen-year-old's ability was, immediately clapped their hands over their ears and kept them there tight. Kory and Gar, however, who hadn't been let in on the secret, curiously placed their hands over their own ears, not tight enough to keep the least amount of noise out.

"Uh, tighter." DJ said to Kory and Gar, who tightened their grip over their ears.

DJ turned to the other side of the barn. She crossed her arms in front of her mouth, and let them go to her sides. What took her arms place was a long, wide stream of clear, circular rings that emitted it's shrill noise. DJ let the sonic waves shoot out of her mouth for a few seconds, some of them making the hay bales fly into the barn wall, and the tractor to move a foot back. She stopped the sonic scream, and turned back to the rest of the group.

Dick was smiling. It had been awhile from the last time he had listened to the Canary Cry, or at least the bigger version.

Rachel was smiling, too, almost in a proud way.

Kory and Gar seemed amazed. Kory whistled. "Damn." She said, impressed.

"That was badass." Gar said excitedly, and DJ grinned and joined him back in the line.

"I've missed that." Dick told DJ.

DJ raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Even though you've been on the receiving side of it?"

"Okay, maybe not that part." Dick said with a chuckle. It happened more than once; Dick would either irritate the younger girl, or forget to get out of the way, or DJ would utilize it during sparring, mostly when Dick got too cocky.

Dick turned to Rachel. "Rachel, you're next."

"No. No, I could hurt someone." The fourteen-year-old replied nervously.

"Hurting people is kind of the idea here." Kory said.

"I could hurt one of you." Rachel said back.

"It's a part of you. You gotta stop being afraid of it." Dick tried to reason.

Rachel sighed, trusting the older man.

She walked to the front of the group. Rachel let out a shaky breath and rose her arms from her sides. A tendril of black smoke slipped from her mouth and circled above the fourteen-year-old. DJ nervously stepped away a little bit. She trusted the younger girl, but whatever was lurking inside Rachel wasn't something that could be controlled.

"Rachel? Okay, bring it back in." Dick said.

Rachel gave no sign of having heard Dick, and the black smoke swished down, through Rachel's core and charged at the others.

Kory sprung into action, using her flames to fight the black smoke. It disappeared, and Rachel let out a distorted scream.

"Stay back." Rachel said, voice coming out strange.

Rachel took a few seconds. "I'm fine." She said.

Kory asked, voice full of concern, "Did I hurt you?"

"I just... I just need a little more practice, that's all." Rachel said.

"So, uh..." Gar said, trying to go past the moment. "We all did our thing. What's your thing, man?" He asked Dick.

"I can keep you alive."

Dramatic, DJ thought to herself.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

STAR CITY
2012

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