Time to leave the nest
Dawn folded another shirt and tucked it neatly into her suitcase. She'd been packing for a little over twenty minutes and was nearly finished. the things she'd brought with her to the titans were few enough, it had been mostly unpacking and repacking as her decision seemed to waver. But she was resolute now,
"'Ey, Dawny, they are gonna order some pizza an I thought you might...." Holly leaned part way into her sisters room, gesturing back toward the common room where the remaining Titans were about to indulge in the weekly sacrifice to the great pizza gods. "What the Hell is this?" The red head stepped over to the suitcase and demanded.
"I need to go away for a while Holly, I need to clear my head and figure some things out." Dawn sighed softly and closed the suitcase, looked at her sister and preparing for what was to come.
"Coulda given me some notice, What should we pack? Where we going?"
"Not we Hol, just me. You need to stay and help the Titans. They need Hawk and Dove now more than ever." She laid a hand gently on her sisters shoulder, a reassuring move her mother had used often enough when she was little.
Holly shook off the hand, stepping back away from the blonde. "What? Whatdya mean just you? And how can there be a Hawk 'n' Dove if yer gone? Kinda half a that whole deal Dawny."
"I have to go Holly, there's too much unresolved. Too much I haven't let go of or dealt with or faced or something. And there is a Dove, Don. He is Dove, he was Dove before me." Dawn retreated and zipped up her suitcase. "And he is better than I ever was."
"What the.. NO! I won't let ya leave."
"You can't really stop me Holly, I have to do this. Don ..." Dawn sighed once more and sat down, she was really going to have to explain this and then Holly would understand. "Don did something I couldn't do, that never even occurred to me to do. He could forgive and even thank Atom Smasher for freeing Hank from whatever was controlling him. He was right, it was what Hank would have wanted. But I never did that Holly. I never took that step and made that choice. And.... I'm not sure I could have. Hank's death has changed me, it's like I can't let him go and because of that I'm not letting either of us have peace really."
Holly stepped forward, she knelt down and touched her sisters cheek in a rarely seen show of affection. "I know ya loved him Dawny, everyone knows that. Sometimes it's hard ta let go of someone when you love them that much. An maybe he was this great guy who got mixed up in the wrong thing, I can tell ya from personal experience it happens, but he is gone. You being gone isn't gonna change that."
It was a heartfelt gesture, and Dawn cursed herself that she couldn't fully appreciate her sisters words. "It might not change anything out there, but in here," Her hand laid over her heart. "this is where I need the peace. I have to find a way to let him go and find peace for both of us, but this is something I have to do on my own because it's like...to me he's never really gone."
The red head stood, then threw herself forward and hugged her sister, softly crying. "Just...ya know how ta find me if you need me. An don't let guys push ya around! Yer too nice to them! Anywhere ya are I can be there in no time, ok?"
Dawn joined her sister in tears, thankful that she had gotten some sort of blessing to do what she felt must be done. "Thank you Hol, and I will call if I need you, might even call just because I miss you."
Holly pulled back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Well I didn't say ya had ta get all sappy on me." She grinned a bit, bravado back in place as usual. "You..uh...gonna tell Don before ya go?"
Dawn stood and nodded, composing herself a bit. "That's probably a really good idea. I think he's around here somewhere. I have a few things to finish up in here, could you find him?"
"Sure." Holly took another look at her sister and nodded, there was always more to be said but she wasn't the one for that sort of talk. She turned and left the room, on the hunt to find that other counterpart code named Dove.
"'Ey, Dawny, they are gonna order some pizza an I thought you might...." Holly leaned part way into her sisters room, gesturing back toward the common room where the remaining Titans were about to indulge in the weekly sacrifice to the great pizza gods. "What the Hell is this?" The red head stepped over to the suitcase and demanded.
"I need to go away for a while Holly, I need to clear my head and figure some things out." Dawn sighed softly and closed the suitcase, looked at her sister and preparing for what was to come.
"Coulda given me some notice, What should we pack? Where we going?"
"Not we Hol, just me. You need to stay and help the Titans. They need Hawk and Dove now more than ever." She laid a hand gently on her sisters shoulder, a reassuring move her mother had used often enough when she was little.
Holly shook off the hand, stepping back away from the blonde. "What? Whatdya mean just you? And how can there be a Hawk 'n' Dove if yer gone? Kinda half a that whole deal Dawny."
"I have to go Holly, there's too much unresolved. Too much I haven't let go of or dealt with or faced or something. And there is a Dove, Don. He is Dove, he was Dove before me." Dawn retreated and zipped up her suitcase. "And he is better than I ever was."
"What the.. NO! I won't let ya leave."
"You can't really stop me Holly, I have to do this. Don ..." Dawn sighed once more and sat down, she was really going to have to explain this and then Holly would understand. "Don did something I couldn't do, that never even occurred to me to do. He could forgive and even thank Atom Smasher for freeing Hank from whatever was controlling him. He was right, it was what Hank would have wanted. But I never did that Holly. I never took that step and made that choice. And.... I'm not sure I could have. Hank's death has changed me, it's like I can't let him go and because of that I'm not letting either of us have peace really."
Holly stepped forward, she knelt down and touched her sisters cheek in a rarely seen show of affection. "I know ya loved him Dawny, everyone knows that. Sometimes it's hard ta let go of someone when you love them that much. An maybe he was this great guy who got mixed up in the wrong thing, I can tell ya from personal experience it happens, but he is gone. You being gone isn't gonna change that."
It was a heartfelt gesture, and Dawn cursed herself that she couldn't fully appreciate her sisters words. "It might not change anything out there, but in here," Her hand laid over her heart. "this is where I need the peace. I have to find a way to let him go and find peace for both of us, but this is something I have to do on my own because it's like...to me he's never really gone."
The red head stood, then threw herself forward and hugged her sister, softly crying. "Just...ya know how ta find me if you need me. An don't let guys push ya around! Yer too nice to them! Anywhere ya are I can be there in no time, ok?"
Dawn joined her sister in tears, thankful that she had gotten some sort of blessing to do what she felt must be done. "Thank you Hol, and I will call if I need you, might even call just because I miss you."
Holly pulled back and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Well I didn't say ya had ta get all sappy on me." She grinned a bit, bravado back in place as usual. "You..uh...gonna tell Don before ya go?"
Dawn stood and nodded, composing herself a bit. "That's probably a really good idea. I think he's around here somewhere. I have a few things to finish up in here, could you find him?"
"Sure." Holly took another look at her sister and nodded, there was always more to be said but she wasn't the one for that sort of talk. She turned and left the room, on the hunt to find that other counterpart code named Dove.