Young Justice: Red Beetle

Chapter 39 - Taking

—Remy

I only knew Zatanna for a little while, but she still made an impression on my heart. Which was ripped apart at the sight of her dead.

Jaime stayed with me that night. We both cried on my bed until I fell asleep in his arms. Waking up, the pain hit me again. Jaime was there too. Though the pain of my heart and the pain of my body.

The next few days were hard. The whole Team were crestfallen. No one know what to do. Zatanna is gone, and there's no way we can get her back. Slowly, my body healed, but my heart didn't.

Cassie walks into the living room, where Bart, Jaime, and I are all sitting on the couch. Taking one look at her, I rush to her. That's when I walk straight into Wanda.

"Remy, no." She pushes me off her, but remains planted in front of Cassie. Cassie is hurt, but she doesn't stop Wanda.

"Wanda. Don't." I warn. Jaime and Bart are at my side immediately.

"I'm not moving." She states, glaring at me with her dark blue eyes. I lock eye contact with Cassie.

"It's okay, Remy. It's better to be safe..." She says, her blue eyes broken as she looks at me before turning away.

"Cassie, no, wait." I call, but then look back at Jaime. He nods at me. I glance back at Bart, and he smiles. I nod at both of them, then turn back to Wanda.

In one moment, Bart has wound her cape around her body and head, causing her to fall over.

"REMY!" Her yell is muffled as I dart around her and Bart.

"Go, Remy!" Jaime yells as he blocks the doorway so Wanda can't get through. She's already starting to untangle herself.

I race across the mission room to Cassie. I yell her name and she turns around to me. I crash into her and we hug. She clutches onto me tightly.

"I'm so scared that I'm going to kill you, Remy." She whispers in my ear, her voice breaking. "I miss Zatanna. I just... I just don't know what to do."

"Cassie, it's going to be okay. You're not going to kill me. Just keeping holding on and this will all be over soon."

She squeezes me tightly, before letting go. By then, Wanda has gotten through Jaime and Bart and charging at me.

She glances at Wanda than me. "I better go before little miss sunshine explodes." I smile at her as she leaves through the Zeta Tube. Wanda gets to my side, and to say the least she's pissed.

"You know it's really hard to keep you alive." She growls. Jaime and Bart have come over. Jaime walks to my side.

"I can imagine." I reply coldly to her.

Her glare is killer.

"I can't even leave you alone for an hour. Why did you let yourself get captured by the Reach? You should have—"

"Wait," Jaime interrupts, "Where were you anyways?"

Her glare is now focused on Jaime. "That's none of your concern."

"It kind of is," I say. Everybody is focused on her now.

She glares at all of us with her dark blue eyes.

"Don't leave this place without me, ever." She warns me. She starts to turn away but is stopped by Bart's hand.

"Hey, Wanda. It's okay. We're all trying to keep her alive too. You're not alone." Bart says softly. She looks at the red head speedster, and for once her features are scrunched up in hatred or rage. There's a hint of regret.

"If only you knew." She whispers before jerking away from him. Her curly blonde hair swinging in the air as she walks through a shadow portal. 

"What the crap does that mean?" I ask as she disappears.

Jaime shrugs. Bart is still staring at the place where Wanda was, oddly quietly.

We return to the living room, just as quiet as we started out. We decide to watch a movie because the silence is killing us. I go and pop popcorn while Bart and Jaime figure out which movie we should watch.

Just as the popcorn finishes popping, Cassie walks into the room.

"Cassie, hey! I thought you were gone." I walk up to her. She just stares at me as I approach her. Jaime and Bart look up.

"Did you want to hang out with us? We going to watch—"

I jerk forward slightly and stare into Cassie's emotionless face. My eyes travel down to the black electronic scarab attached to her neck, then down to her hand holding the handle of the knife that's in my stomach.

Everything happens so fast. Cassie is hit with a black tendril and I hear someone yelling my name. There's a flash of pain as the knife is pulled out of me. I stumble before hitting the ground. Cassie attempts to get back up, but is attacked by Wanda. Bart rushes to Wanda's aid. There's the sensation of being held, and I look up into warm brown eyes. Jaime. He's scared, and saying my name.

He places his hands on my wound that's right under my rib cage. He puts pressure on it and I watch red slip through his fingers.

I hear another noise and see M'gann and Conner flying into the room. Several bangs and crashes sound, and I think Cassie's fighting everyone.

This doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense. I can't feel anything. I'm cold.

"Remy," a voice finally gets to me and I look back up at Jaime.

"Stay with me, okay? You're going to be okay. I'm not letting you go. I love you. Stay with me, Remy." He keeps repeating over and over, and I see liquid falling from his eyes.

I try to hold on to those warm brown eyes, but I'm taken away into numbed darkness.