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milleniumrexTitle: Long Time Gone
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters: Lian Harper, Dick Grayson/Roy Harper
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1134
Summary: Lian's back. It's one year later, and everything has changed.
Author's Notes: Spoilers for JL: A Cry for Justice. More of a fix-it than a retcon. This is my new canon, and any attempts to contradict this will be met by biting.
She was Lian Harper, that much had been made clear by the DNA tests, the debriefings, and the psychic scans. In every way that mattered, she was the girl who died in the collapse of Star City. A cloned body and a psychic transfer of memories, courtesy of her mother's alliance with the League of Assassins, had restored her to life. No one knew how long she had been with them, or what had been done to her in that time, but the 9-year-old girl they had rescued from their base was safe, and that was all that mattered. It had taken a while to break her of Cheshire's brainwashing, but she was starting to resemble the girl who had stolen all their hearts from the moment she entered their lives.
Lian tightly gripped Dick's hand as they entered the maximum security wing of Belle Reve penitentiary. Dick had his doubts if this was a good idea, but Lian had been asking about her father for weeks now. Maybe this would help fix Roy, bring him back to them...
"Lian, kiddo...I need you to wait here, okay?" Dick bent down and ruffled Lian's hair as they entered the security zone. "I'll let you know when to come in."
Lian nodded. "I will, Uncle Dick."
The maximum security wing of Belle Reve was usually reserved for the absolute worst super-criminals, something Roy Harper didn't exactly fit. But he had been transfered here after his last breakout. When the guards entered to deliver his meal, he had attacked them, carefully injuring them just enough to put them in the hospital while not causing any permanent damage. But once he made his way to general population, he had killed 17 meta-criminal child killers in the worst massacre in Belle Reve history. The prison wasn't taking any chances now, even though they were more than glad to be rid of most of the casualties.
"Hello, Roy."
"Dick." Roy didn't turn around from his place in the cell. "I thought I told you not to come back."
"And since when have I ever listened to you? I told you I was going to help you, and - "
"Help me? You put me here." Roy growled. "I did what had to be done, and you threw me in jail like a common criminal."
"You weren't going to stop. You were going to keep going until you were dead. I had to." Dick said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. What they had...it seemed like a lifetime ago now.
"I am dead, Dick. I died the minute she did. You cost me my chance to make this shell of a life worth something." Roy turned around, a twisted smile on his face. "Although I've been doing the best I can from the inside. Did you hear?"
"Roy..."
"You can't save me, Dick. Not this time. Go back to your life, and don't come back this time."
"Roy...we found her. We found Lian."
Roy stopped dead in his tracks. "What? That's impossible. You said they found her body. You said..."
"It was Cheshire. She cloned her, had a psychic implant the proper memories. We did every test we can...and it's her." Dick said, somewhat afraid that if he said it out loud, this second chance would disappear like dust on the wind. "She - She's right outside. Would you like me to bring her in?"
Roy nodded, very slowly, and Dick tried to read his face. Tentatively, Dick stepped outside and motioned Lian in. Lian stepped into the room, approaching the glass separating them from Roy's cell. They had told her that Roy had lost his arm, but it was still strange to see him with that metal arm. But more than that...he looked old, and tired. She had never seen him like this, and it scared her.
"Daddy?"
Roy's eyes fell on Lian. For a second he didn't move or speak at all. But as she approached the glass, Roy's face suddenly took on a look of pure rage, and he lunged forward, pounding on the glass.
"No! It's a trick! Who the hell are you? Everyman? Clayface? I'll find out who put you up to this, and I'll make you pay! You hear me? You do NOT defile my daughter's memory! You tell your boss he's dead! You hear me? Dead!"
Dick hurriedly grabbed Lian's arm and tried to usher her out of the room, but Lian pulled out of his grip, running towards Roy.
"Daddy! It's me! Please - "
"Liar!" Roy screamed, swinging at the glass.
"Daddy...remember the Princess and the Archer?"
Roy froze. His heart seemed to stop in his chest. He had come up with that story, and told it to Lian whenever she asked. Only a few people knew about it - Mia, Dinah, and Dick. No one who'd be able to use it against him. He sank to his knees, allowing himself to look at Lian closely for the first time. She had grown a lot, but looking into her eyes...it was her."
"Baby girl...I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, daddy. I love you." Lian said, tears running down her face. She pressed her palm up to the cell, and Roy hesitantly pressed his against it.
Dick didn't interrupt, letting Roy and Lian be close for as long as they wanted. When visiting hours were about to end, he ushered Lian out into the waiting area before turning back.
"You'll take care of her, right?" Roy asked, the bitterness slowly seeping out of his voice. "I know you'll keep her safe."
"Of course. But Roy...I'm going to get you out of here. You made mistakes, yeah, but people have come back from worse."
"I killed people, Dick. There's no coming back from that."
"Bull." Dick growled. "Hal killed people. Ollie killed people. Hell, even Barry Allen killed someone. You're paying for it - and you've paid enough. After what Prometheus did to you, you snapped. Anyone who wants to judge you for that can answer to me."
Dick pressed his palm up against the cell wall. Roy followed suit.
"So...I guess this means you'll be back."
"Whenever I can. With Lian. What we had, Speedy...it's way too strong to kill. We're going to be a family again. You have my word."
As the alarms rang in Belle Reve, signaling the last warning for the end of visiting hours, Dick walked out of the cell and into the waiting area, where Lian took his hand. Together, they walked out of the prison. The first thing tomorrow, Dick thought, he was getting all of Wayne Enterprises' best lawyers on Roy's case. Their nightmare was over, and they could finally start looking forward to the future.
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters: Lian Harper, Dick Grayson/Roy Harper
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1134
Summary: Lian's back. It's one year later, and everything has changed.
Author's Notes: Spoilers for JL: A Cry for Justice. More of a fix-it than a retcon. This is my new canon, and any attempts to contradict this will be met by biting.
She was Lian Harper, that much had been made clear by the DNA tests, the debriefings, and the psychic scans. In every way that mattered, she was the girl who died in the collapse of Star City. A cloned body and a psychic transfer of memories, courtesy of her mother's alliance with the League of Assassins, had restored her to life. No one knew how long she had been with them, or what had been done to her in that time, but the 9-year-old girl they had rescued from their base was safe, and that was all that mattered. It had taken a while to break her of Cheshire's brainwashing, but she was starting to resemble the girl who had stolen all their hearts from the moment she entered their lives.
Lian tightly gripped Dick's hand as they entered the maximum security wing of Belle Reve penitentiary. Dick had his doubts if this was a good idea, but Lian had been asking about her father for weeks now. Maybe this would help fix Roy, bring him back to them...
"Lian, kiddo...I need you to wait here, okay?" Dick bent down and ruffled Lian's hair as they entered the security zone. "I'll let you know when to come in."
Lian nodded. "I will, Uncle Dick."
The maximum security wing of Belle Reve was usually reserved for the absolute worst super-criminals, something Roy Harper didn't exactly fit. But he had been transfered here after his last breakout. When the guards entered to deliver his meal, he had attacked them, carefully injuring them just enough to put them in the hospital while not causing any permanent damage. But once he made his way to general population, he had killed 17 meta-criminal child killers in the worst massacre in Belle Reve history. The prison wasn't taking any chances now, even though they were more than glad to be rid of most of the casualties.
"Hello, Roy."
"Dick." Roy didn't turn around from his place in the cell. "I thought I told you not to come back."
"And since when have I ever listened to you? I told you I was going to help you, and - "
"Help me? You put me here." Roy growled. "I did what had to be done, and you threw me in jail like a common criminal."
"You weren't going to stop. You were going to keep going until you were dead. I had to." Dick said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. What they had...it seemed like a lifetime ago now.
"I am dead, Dick. I died the minute she did. You cost me my chance to make this shell of a life worth something." Roy turned around, a twisted smile on his face. "Although I've been doing the best I can from the inside. Did you hear?"
"Roy..."
"You can't save me, Dick. Not this time. Go back to your life, and don't come back this time."
"Roy...we found her. We found Lian."
Roy stopped dead in his tracks. "What? That's impossible. You said they found her body. You said..."
"It was Cheshire. She cloned her, had a psychic implant the proper memories. We did every test we can...and it's her." Dick said, somewhat afraid that if he said it out loud, this second chance would disappear like dust on the wind. "She - She's right outside. Would you like me to bring her in?"
Roy nodded, very slowly, and Dick tried to read his face. Tentatively, Dick stepped outside and motioned Lian in. Lian stepped into the room, approaching the glass separating them from Roy's cell. They had told her that Roy had lost his arm, but it was still strange to see him with that metal arm. But more than that...he looked old, and tired. She had never seen him like this, and it scared her.
"Daddy?"
Roy's eyes fell on Lian. For a second he didn't move or speak at all. But as she approached the glass, Roy's face suddenly took on a look of pure rage, and he lunged forward, pounding on the glass.
"No! It's a trick! Who the hell are you? Everyman? Clayface? I'll find out who put you up to this, and I'll make you pay! You hear me? You do NOT defile my daughter's memory! You tell your boss he's dead! You hear me? Dead!"
Dick hurriedly grabbed Lian's arm and tried to usher her out of the room, but Lian pulled out of his grip, running towards Roy.
"Daddy! It's me! Please - "
"Liar!" Roy screamed, swinging at the glass.
"Daddy...remember the Princess and the Archer?"
Roy froze. His heart seemed to stop in his chest. He had come up with that story, and told it to Lian whenever she asked. Only a few people knew about it - Mia, Dinah, and Dick. No one who'd be able to use it against him. He sank to his knees, allowing himself to look at Lian closely for the first time. She had grown a lot, but looking into her eyes...it was her."
"Baby girl...I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, daddy. I love you." Lian said, tears running down her face. She pressed her palm up to the cell, and Roy hesitantly pressed his against it.
Dick didn't interrupt, letting Roy and Lian be close for as long as they wanted. When visiting hours were about to end, he ushered Lian out into the waiting area before turning back.
"You'll take care of her, right?" Roy asked, the bitterness slowly seeping out of his voice. "I know you'll keep her safe."
"Of course. But Roy...I'm going to get you out of here. You made mistakes, yeah, but people have come back from worse."
"I killed people, Dick. There's no coming back from that."
"Bull." Dick growled. "Hal killed people. Ollie killed people. Hell, even Barry Allen killed someone. You're paying for it - and you've paid enough. After what Prometheus did to you, you snapped. Anyone who wants to judge you for that can answer to me."
Dick pressed his palm up against the cell wall. Roy followed suit.
"So...I guess this means you'll be back."
"Whenever I can. With Lian. What we had, Speedy...it's way too strong to kill. We're going to be a family again. You have my word."
As the alarms rang in Belle Reve, signaling the last warning for the end of visiting hours, Dick walked out of the cell and into the waiting area, where Lian took his hand. Together, they walked out of the prison. The first thing tomorrow, Dick thought, he was getting all of Wayne Enterprises' best lawyers on Roy's case. Their nightmare was over, and they could finally start looking forward to the future.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-07 02:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-07 02:55 pm (UTC)