JADE (young justice/robin)

43. crisis

"I just don't want Dick to see them anymore, or anybody else for that matter."

"Find your purpose, Carter Mae. And you will find that your scars will heal themselves."

"You're saying there's nothing you can do?"

"Fate has decreed your path. Now it is up to you to follow it."

"And if I don't?"

"It cannot be avoided."

This conversation made me sick to my stomach. It was bad enough he couldn't give me what I wanted, but to insinuate that the best parts of my life weren't good for me either? This past year has been the most tame period of my life, and now some asshole in a helmet is trying to negate all of that.

"I want to leave."

Fate's voice rang throughout the entire room, surrounding me from every corner. "Very well."

I blinked and found that I was outside again in the same field Zatanna had brought me to. Only a couple hours must have passed because she was gone, the cold was biting at my skin, and the sun had fully set.

Blüdhaven
June 14, 00:00 EDT

"Recognized: Jade, B-08."

"The Team freed Blue Beetle and Green Beetle from Reach control," Dick told me. "How'd your meeting with Fate go?"

"It didn't really..." My confusion began to grow. "I thought you guys weren't deploying for that mission until tomorrow."

"Uh... it was tomorrow, yesterday."

"But Zatanna and I just..." I trailed off. "How'd you know I was with Fate?"

"Because Zatanna told me this morning after you didn't come home." Now it was his turn to look confused. "Is everything okay?"

As a former professional assassin and world-class martial artist, I'd like to think I'm slow to shock. But coming to the realization that I'd been in that tower for over twenty four hours made my heart drop. "I thought I was gone for a few hours at the most."

"Well, that's okay." He approached me, grabbing my arms to provide me a calm foundation. "It's the weekend, you didn't miss any skating." He glanced down at my arms. "And it looks like your trip was worth it."

"What?" I followed his gaze, staring at my bare arms. What was he looking at them for? There was nothing on my bare skin—wait. There is nothing on my bare skin. The scars... they're gone. Instantly, I grabbed at the side of my shirt, lifting it to find that the scars were missing from my stomach too.

"I'm not really used to seeing you this thrown off." Dick was finding my confusion a lot more amusing than I was. "And can I just clarify, I like you with or without the scars."

I didn't have an answer, because I still didn't fully get it. If I was really gone for over twenty four hours listening to Fate say he couldn't heal me, then why are they gone? Was Zatanna right? Did I just wear him down enough that when I left, he last minute agreed?

"I'm glad you're back, though." Dick turned back to his monitor to show me a thorough mission briefing. "The Light's summit is coming up and I wanted to talk to you about it."