fic: dcu (cass/conner)
For dingogrrl
I've decided that what actually happens when Batgirl ends is that Cass holes up in the Himalayas or somewhere to "find" herself. Away from the polluting influence of, ya know, everybody. *g* So based on that, there's this...
eta: I've decided to call this Cold Mountain. Hee. Part One.
He knows they'll worry, and call him irresponsible, and if something goes terribly wrong with the world while he's freezing his ass off in the mountains of whatever, he'll feel really, really bad when he gets home--but he's still doing it. It's been six months of no word, even if he suspects she's talking to Tim (which does not make him jealous at all), but he has to see her himself.
It's Christmas. He misses her, he wants to know if she even thinks about Christmas, or ever had one; and most of all, he has a few things to say about destiny that the Bat family isn't going to tell her and he thinks she might need to hear. He's been wishing he could talk to her for awhile, but she left the superhero job so suddenly--apparently she didn't have e-mail wherever she was--and basically, he's just worked up the courage to do something about it now. Christmas, and all.
He leaves a note. He's at the Titans Tower for Christmas Break, and the others are flying back and forth between there and homes too often to really keep track of anyone, so he knows he'll make a clean escape before anyone knows he's gone.
It doesn't really take him all that long to find her, because he's been putting together clues ever since she's been gone. He got the weird feeling that Tim was deliberately dropping him hints, as concerned about her as Conner was, but of the firm conviction that she didn't want to be found by any member of the Bats.
Conner just doesn't understand why Cass would want to live in the same frozen mountains where Shiva sent assassins out to hunt her down. Where she made her last stand, was more like it; sticking around afterward was really such a Bat family thing to do that Conner had a hard time taking her estrangement seriously. He kept hearing there was a new Batgirl around, but he hadn't seen her himself so he chose to ignore the very concept. Cass was the Batgirl he knew, just like Tim was the Robin. It wasn't a thing you could substitute. It'd be like believing Clark could bring in another clone to play Superboy.
As incredible as Cass always looked in the skin-tight Batgirl outfit, or a string bikini, the mental image of which he saves from a certain cruise trip forever ago, it's insane how good looking she is in winter clothes. She's wearing a deeply red furry hat and the same color scarf, wound around her neck and tucked into the coat that covers her from ankle to wrist. She wraps her arms around herself and watches Conner, and looks at his uniform as though it's reminding her of something she didn't want to see again. Conner feels bad. But then, if he took it off, he'd probably feel much worse. It's really freaking cold in these mountains.
He just really wishes she could see that it's him, not the uniform, and he's come to see her, not Batgirl.
"Hi," he says tenatively. "Um, Merry Christmas. Or--Happy Holidays, I guess." He shrugs.
She turns her head and looks at him in that curious way she always had. So it's really her, and he's glad he still recognizes her. But she doesn't move, so Conner figures this is gonna be the hard part. "Look, um, nobody sent me. Nobody knows I'm here. I just wanted to see you, is all. See how you were. See--um, not that I don't know you can take care of yourself, but I just--well, obviously you're staying warm, that's good, because it's really, really cold up here..." He shifts from side to side. She never moves, so finally he says in a rush, "I just really wanted to say, I'm sorry you're not Batgirl anymore but I like Cass just as much. So I'm thinking about you. That's all. I can--go now." He turns to go, glances back, turns again, and finally stops and looks at her. "So, you're not going to say anything?"
She frowns at him, as though he's speaking the wrong language or something. "You weren't going to go."
"You were kinda supposed to stop me."
"Why?" Her brow furrows.
"Um, because I came all the way here, and maybe you wanted to see me too. Maybe you wanted to talk to me? Maybe?"
He can't really tell with her, because she's scary, but Cass seems to hesitate. "It is--nice. To see you." She looks uncomfortable. "I didn't want you...to see me."
Conner takes a chance and walks towards her, across the little street in the town made of little, snow-covered grey stone buildings. "Do you live somewhere? I mean, around here?"
She turns away from him and starts walking down the street, so Conner follows. They walk a long distance from town, but Conner doesn't volunteer to fly. Even if she is up here "finding herself" or whatever, he feels kind of embarrassed about being here and bringing his superhero abilities with him. So he just shivers and puts one foot in front of the other, only cheating once or twice even though he's sinking far deeper into the snow than she is, due to her snowshoes and walking in that way she does.
Her cabin is more like a hovel, but he can see smoke leaking out of a chimney, and there's a sort of glow in the windows that looks comfortingly warm. It weirds him out that she's living like this, sort of normal in the way that everybody thinks is, but nobody normal actually lives.
She tosses open the cabin door and closes it behind him when he follows. She peels her snowshoes off, then her boots, and so he kicks his own boots off as well and they both pad around in socks. They sit down near the fireplace still in their coats, and Cass finally looks at him, since they're sitting there, so close their knees touch. "It was sweet," she says.
"What?"
"That you came here. So far. When I didn't want to be found."
Conner hesitates. "If you didn't want to be found, are you sure it's okay that I've come?"
She looks at him. He can feel her fighting for the right words, and he lets her think as long as she wants because once she knows how to say it, she really will. "I think you're the only one I'd want to come."
Conner tries to check the grin on his face, but he can't help it.
Yes, that's as far as I can get before Christmas. Maybe there could be more. Or you could just imagine the cabin sex after that. Heh. Hey, I provided the scene, your imagination provides the rest. Or something. Yes.
I've decided that what actually happens when Batgirl ends is that Cass holes up in the Himalayas or somewhere to "find" herself. Away from the polluting influence of, ya know, everybody. *g* So based on that, there's this...
eta: I've decided to call this Cold Mountain. Hee. Part One.
He knows they'll worry, and call him irresponsible, and if something goes terribly wrong with the world while he's freezing his ass off in the mountains of whatever, he'll feel really, really bad when he gets home--but he's still doing it. It's been six months of no word, even if he suspects she's talking to Tim (which does not make him jealous at all), but he has to see her himself.
It's Christmas. He misses her, he wants to know if she even thinks about Christmas, or ever had one; and most of all, he has a few things to say about destiny that the Bat family isn't going to tell her and he thinks she might need to hear. He's been wishing he could talk to her for awhile, but she left the superhero job so suddenly--apparently she didn't have e-mail wherever she was--and basically, he's just worked up the courage to do something about it now. Christmas, and all.
He leaves a note. He's at the Titans Tower for Christmas Break, and the others are flying back and forth between there and homes too often to really keep track of anyone, so he knows he'll make a clean escape before anyone knows he's gone.
It doesn't really take him all that long to find her, because he's been putting together clues ever since she's been gone. He got the weird feeling that Tim was deliberately dropping him hints, as concerned about her as Conner was, but of the firm conviction that she didn't want to be found by any member of the Bats.
Conner just doesn't understand why Cass would want to live in the same frozen mountains where Shiva sent assassins out to hunt her down. Where she made her last stand, was more like it; sticking around afterward was really such a Bat family thing to do that Conner had a hard time taking her estrangement seriously. He kept hearing there was a new Batgirl around, but he hadn't seen her himself so he chose to ignore the very concept. Cass was the Batgirl he knew, just like Tim was the Robin. It wasn't a thing you could substitute. It'd be like believing Clark could bring in another clone to play Superboy.
As incredible as Cass always looked in the skin-tight Batgirl outfit, or a string bikini, the mental image of which he saves from a certain cruise trip forever ago, it's insane how good looking she is in winter clothes. She's wearing a deeply red furry hat and the same color scarf, wound around her neck and tucked into the coat that covers her from ankle to wrist. She wraps her arms around herself and watches Conner, and looks at his uniform as though it's reminding her of something she didn't want to see again. Conner feels bad. But then, if he took it off, he'd probably feel much worse. It's really freaking cold in these mountains.
He just really wishes she could see that it's him, not the uniform, and he's come to see her, not Batgirl.
"Hi," he says tenatively. "Um, Merry Christmas. Or--Happy Holidays, I guess." He shrugs.
She turns her head and looks at him in that curious way she always had. So it's really her, and he's glad he still recognizes her. But she doesn't move, so Conner figures this is gonna be the hard part. "Look, um, nobody sent me. Nobody knows I'm here. I just wanted to see you, is all. See how you were. See--um, not that I don't know you can take care of yourself, but I just--well, obviously you're staying warm, that's good, because it's really, really cold up here..." He shifts from side to side. She never moves, so finally he says in a rush, "I just really wanted to say, I'm sorry you're not Batgirl anymore but I like Cass just as much. So I'm thinking about you. That's all. I can--go now." He turns to go, glances back, turns again, and finally stops and looks at her. "So, you're not going to say anything?"
She frowns at him, as though he's speaking the wrong language or something. "You weren't going to go."
"You were kinda supposed to stop me."
"Why?" Her brow furrows.
"Um, because I came all the way here, and maybe you wanted to see me too. Maybe you wanted to talk to me? Maybe?"
He can't really tell with her, because she's scary, but Cass seems to hesitate. "It is--nice. To see you." She looks uncomfortable. "I didn't want you...to see me."
Conner takes a chance and walks towards her, across the little street in the town made of little, snow-covered grey stone buildings. "Do you live somewhere? I mean, around here?"
She turns away from him and starts walking down the street, so Conner follows. They walk a long distance from town, but Conner doesn't volunteer to fly. Even if she is up here "finding herself" or whatever, he feels kind of embarrassed about being here and bringing his superhero abilities with him. So he just shivers and puts one foot in front of the other, only cheating once or twice even though he's sinking far deeper into the snow than she is, due to her snowshoes and walking in that way she does.
Her cabin is more like a hovel, but he can see smoke leaking out of a chimney, and there's a sort of glow in the windows that looks comfortingly warm. It weirds him out that she's living like this, sort of normal in the way that everybody thinks is, but nobody normal actually lives.
She tosses open the cabin door and closes it behind him when he follows. She peels her snowshoes off, then her boots, and so he kicks his own boots off as well and they both pad around in socks. They sit down near the fireplace still in their coats, and Cass finally looks at him, since they're sitting there, so close their knees touch. "It was sweet," she says.
"What?"
"That you came here. So far. When I didn't want to be found."
Conner hesitates. "If you didn't want to be found, are you sure it's okay that I've come?"
She looks at him. He can feel her fighting for the right words, and he lets her think as long as she wants because once she knows how to say it, she really will. "I think you're the only one I'd want to come."
Conner tries to check the grin on his face, but he can't help it.
Yes, that's as far as I can get before Christmas. Maybe there could be more. Or you could just imagine the cabin sex after that. Heh. Hey, I provided the scene, your imagination provides the rest. Or something. Yes.