NINE: A Most Mysterious Sanctuary

We were safe, at least for the moment. I studied the house we'd arrived in. It was huge, and the fire burning in the fireplace was kind of soothing. Billy set Kara down on the couch. Constantine immediately began to heal her.

"Shazam!" Billy shouted, turning back into his younger self. He wiped a couple of tears from his eyes.

"You should sit down, Billy," I said. "You're exhausted."

"I'm okay," Billy replied in a trembling voice.

"Billy-"

"I'm fine!" He shouted. Then, the dam burst, and he started sobbing. He sank to his knees and wept so hard that his entire body shook.

Raven wrapped her arms around him and started to cry with him. Oddly, this seemed to calm Billy down, and eventually, his hysteria passed.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Raven sniffled and released him. Zatanna scooped her up into a hug and said, "You're safe here, Raven. And I understand having powers that make you different than other kids. I'll help you learn to control it."

As Zatanna continued comforting Raven, Damian turned to Constantine. "So where exactly are we, Constantine?" He demanded.

"Welcome to the House of Mystery," Constantine replied. "We'll be safe here. Nothing enters this house without my permission."

"We have to go back," Kara whimpered. "We have to save him... We have to save all of them."

"Easy, luv," Constantine said soothingly. "I healed you, but you need to rest to fully recover."

"But Kal-"

"Will be there when we go back," I replied. "We're not giving up, Kara, but we can't go back there yet. We're in no condition to fight."

"Robin's right," Zatanna said.

"Dick," I said softly.

"What?" Billy asked in confusion.

"My name is Dick Grayson. I don't keep secrets from my team... And Robin is dead."

"Dick-" Zatanna began gently.

"Robin was a little boy who died as soon as he watched his mentor get ripped apart in front of him. I don't know what my new secret identity will be, but my name is Dick, and you guys are my team, and you deserve to know that much."

"Nice to meet you, Dick," Constantine said with a nod that almost felt like a sign of respect.

Raven yawned. "It's late," I said. "Constantine, is there somewhere that everyone can sleep?"

"The House of Mystery has many doors," he replied. "Some lead to other dimensions, some lead to hell, and some don't lead anywhere but into the walls, but yes, some are just regular bedrooms. The house is constantly changing, so let me set each of you up." He motioned for us to follow him.

I helped Kara stay on her feet. She was still shaky. Constantine pointed toward a door. "That's my room. Zee, take the one next to mine. Raven, you can have the next one." He opened the door for her.

"I'm scared to stay alone," she said softly.

"I'll stay with you," Damian volunteered.

Constantine nodded. "That's fine. Anyone else prefer not to sleep alone?" He asked.

None of us raised our hands or spoke up. Constantine put me next to the kids. Kara was in the next room. Finally, Billy was given the last room. We all settled in and tried to rest.

***

An hour later, I still couldn't sleep. I was in a strange magical house where a weird drunk British guy I barely knew lived, and my mind was in hyper vigilant mode.

Suddenly, I heard screaming coming from nearby. I slipped out of my room and headed into Kara's. She wasn't under attack, at least not physically. It seemed that her mind was doing the attacking as she tossed and turned violently in her sleep.

"Kal-El!" She shouted. "I know you're in there! Don't do this!"

I knelt beside the bed and gently shook her awake.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed. Her heat vision kicked in and I had to dodge the red ray before it fried me. It singed the nearest wall.

"Kara, it's okay," I said quickly.

"Dick?" She asked in confusion as she fully woke up. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. Besides, I understand nightmares, remember?" I hesitated before sitting down on the bed beside her. I patted my shoulder, so she rested her head on it. I could feel her pulse racing in her neck, but as I slowly stroked her hair, she started to calm down.

"He's my cousin, Dick," she said softly. "And I couldn't help him... It was like he knew who I was but didn't care. He just wanted more power and he enjoyed hurting me..."

"That wasn't Clark, Kara... But he's still in there. He's still fighting," I said. "Raven can feel him."

"Then I'll keep fighting, too. I won't give up on him. I can't."

"You should try to get more rest."

She hesitated. "Can you stay with me? I don't want to sleep alone right now."

"Of course I can. I'll be right here," I promised.

"Can you...? Um..." Kara looked incredibly embarrassed. "Can you hold me while I sleep? I wouldn't ask, but I just... I feel safe in your arms, Dick. And right now, I need to feel safe."

"Okay," I agreed. I shifted so I was lying down. I opened my arms and let her snuggle into them. Her exhaustion soon won out and she fell asleep. I continued holding her, focusing on the sound of her breathing rhythmically in and out, until I fell asleep as well.

Barbara stood in front of me. She was laughing as she held Bruce's severed head in her hands. "Looks like our mentor's really lost his head over all of this," she said with a cackle.

I was about to react in a rage when Bruce's eyes opened. "What's the matter, Dick? I thought you enjoyed bad puns," he said as he stared at me accusingly.

"Bruce... I'm sorry," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"You're not sorry, Dick. You're pathetic. You're a disappointment and a failure. But soon, you'll be just like me." Bruce's head began laughing, his voice eventually turning into the Joker's familiar cackle.

Suddenly, I woke up. Kara was holding me instead of the other way around. I felt moisture on my cheeks and realized I was crying.

"It's okay," Kara said softly. "It's okay, Dick. I've got you."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Bruce... Head... Barbara... Joker..." I rambled.

"It was just a dream."

"Dead... Everyone dies... Everyone..."

I was surprised when Kara kissed my cheeks, wiping my tears away with her lips. "Shhhh," she said soothingly. "You're okay, Dick... And there are survivors..."

"But, Barbara... She..." I shook my head. "And Bruce is... He's... I couldn't save him! All I feel anymore is pain, Kara!" I finally shouted a coherent sentence.

Suddenly, Kara pressed her lips against mine. That was enough to shock me out of my rambling. After a moment, my body relaxed, and I found myself returning the kiss, slowly working my mouth against hers.

For the first time in three months, I didn't feel pain, or grief, or anything else. For just a minute, I forgot what the world had become. I forgot everything that I'd lost. I forgot everything except how good it felt to hold Kara in my arms and kiss her.

Reality sank back in as our lips parted. I'd been feeling the Aster. I'd been Whelmed. Now, I felt guilty. I hated myself for taking even a single moment to feel something good.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted you to feel something besides your pain, even if it didn't last long," Kara said softly.

I looked into her eyes and felt even guiltier, but for a new reason. "Don't be sorry, Kara," I replied. "I liked it... A lot. I just feel guilty, because the apocalypse came, and instead of grieving what was lost and saving who I can, I'm making out with a really pretty girl and trying to forget how much everything hurts."

Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink. "You think I'm pretty?" She asked.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" I replied. "You're beautiful, Kara... And not just on the outside. Your beautiful heart has been shining ever since I met you. You care about others so much."

She looked embarrassed as she shyly replied, "I think you're beautiful, too." She smiled as she added, "You don't give up. You kept fighting even when you thought no one else had survived the apocalypse. You take care of everyone you meet like they're family."

"Well, that's because I lost my family," I said. "First, I lost my parents... But then Bruce took me in, and Alfred helped raise me, and the Bat Family expanded to include Batgirl and a few others... They became my second family, but I lost them, too... Now that I've found all of you, I'm not losing anyone else. The third time's the charm, right?"

"Right," she agreed.

"Kara..." I said softly.

"Yes?"

"Would it be alright with you if I kissed you again?"

She smiled shyly. "I'd like that," she replied.

I pulled her a little bit closer and kissed her. This time, I let myself process everything. The world was falling apart, but I wasn't alone. We were in this together.