Young Justice: Generations

Chapter Six

     It felt like an eternity until her father and her boyfriend came to her rescue at the police station. Mar'i was confused, scared, and tired. She had no idea what she got arrested for or why the police department thought she was involved in the first place. The officer finally released her after an hour of sitting inside of a grimy jail cell. Leonardo was waiting just outside of the door, he looked tired as well.

     She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Any alcohol that was still in here had long left her system after that scare with the police officers. He threaded his fingers soothingly through her long, messy hair and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. It was comforting to know that he was here for her. "Are you alright?" he murmured as she pulled away from the warm embrace.

     The young woman nodded and rubbed her tired eyes with the backs of her hands. "What happened?" she asked as he placed his hand on the small of her back and walked with her to the nearby seating area. They sat down next to each other; she laced her fingers with his and stared at him waiting for an explanation. While being escorted to her cell she was being asked questions by the officer that had incarcerated her. All of them made no sense and she had trouble answering them.

     He gave her a weary smile and looked around to see if anyone was around to eavesdrop on their conversation. Clearly, he wasn't supposed to be telling her. He leaned in, "That friend of yours, Damian had a stash of drugs at his apartment and was apparently selling them to minors. I guess not inheriting your father's company puts a dent in your paycheck." He whispered. Mar'i never imagined Damian to be that type of person.

     Then again she was infatuated with the young man an hour earlier – things changed given time. She felt guilt bubbling in the pit of her stomach, she kissed Damian earlier. Here Leo was making sure she was alright and out of jail, he looked genuinely worried. "Hey, can I tell you something?" she asked, giving his hand a squeeze. Just then her father approached the two of them. Mar'i stood up and let the older man hug her.

     Dick was worried for his eldest daughter more than anything. They pulled away and he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you okay Sunshine?" her father asked. She could see just how much this job had taken a toll on him. With the dim lights shining down on them she could see the dark circles around his blue eyes and the wrinkles starting to appear on his forehead and around his eyes.

     After a moment of studying his aging face, she nodded. She was a tad shaken by the whole event but overall she was okay. The officer wasn't too rough with her and she still had everything intact. "Listen to me when I say this: stay away from him." Her father warned; there was a certain level of darkness to his voice. Mar'i knew her father as a light-hearted, hardly angry, human being. Whenever he sounded like this she knew to take him seriously.

     When she was younger she saw and experienced things no ten-year-old should have. So when her father told her something as serious as this she listened. There were too many horrible things that happened long ago that she did not wish to relive. "Okay, I will – I promise." She promised, flashing her father a small smile. Dick turned to Leonardo and gave him a thankful smile. Without his lawyers, albeit expensive and all-powerful, she would probably be in that awful jail cell all night.

     Her father turned back to her and looked up at her. The young woman got her height from her mama that was for sure. She was the tallest of the bunch; Mar'i and Leonardo were the same height now that she thought about it. Dick dropped his hand onto her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Your mothers are worried so I suggest going home and getting rest. Swing by for lunch tomorrow, okay?" he asked giving his daughter yet another smile.