~.: De's POV :.~
I awoke with a start, shooting up into a sitting position with a breathless gasp as one hand steadied me gently when I swayed weakly in my sitting pose. My head was spinning and all I could hear was muffled voices just barely blocked out by an irritating ringing noise in my ears as I placed my face in my hands with a wary exhausted groan. Every muscle in my body ached, screaming in protest as I tried to scramble to my feet despite looking warily up into Dick's concerned face as he tried to support me. His lips moved as if they were trying to formulate some kind of sentence but I couldn't quite hear him entirely as I tried to shake the ringing noises out of my head when another muffled voice joined his, followed by a tiny figure running towards me and flinging her arms around my waist.
Distantly I was aware that it was Amelia and her mother- Aria- who were now with Dick and I in the bedroom. When did they come in here? How long were we all stuck in that simulation?
"Deanne? De, did you hear me?"
I blinked wearily as I pinched the bridge of my nose before glancing at Aria as I quietly returned her embrace while her daughter backed up a bit to give me some room, seeing how woozy I was clearly feeling. The ache in my leg was back with a vengeance, reminding me of how I'd been tossed like a limp doll into a tree, but I forced a smile and shook my head nervously.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you..." I admitted, rubbing the back of one of my arms while Dick frowned worriedly and took one of my hands in his comfortingly.
"Aria, if Wally really said and meant that, then he'd be a dead man," He murmured, glancing in the direction of where Aria's and Wally's shared hotel room would be across the hall, "And it was just a simulation. I'm assuming that whoever was in charge of that ambush was aiming to manipulate our feelings and twist everything so we'd split up and be easier to come after individually," his gaze is narrowed in thought as I only half listen while limping over to the bed and plopping down on the cushioned mattress tiredly with an exhausted sigh, Amelia hopping up onto the bed beside me as Aria followed right behind her.
"I don't care if it was all part of some stupid elaborate plot," Aria snapped, ice blue eyes gleaming with pain as she wrapped her arms around herself while leaning against me for comfort as Dick ran a stressed out hand through his messy raven black hair, "It hurt me and it... it all felt so real...." Her voice comes out small and shattered and my heart clenches for her in sympathy as I reach out and take one of her hands in one of mine while my other hand is laced into both of Amelia's tiny ones.
"No matter how real it may have felt," I manage to utter in a cracked voice before clearing my throat and swallowing while Dick comes to the bedside and presses a reassuring kiss to my forehead tenderly, "I'm sure that Wally doesn't feel that way at all towards Artemis. Not when he has you and Amelia. You both mean far too much to him. He's stupid sometimes but he's not an idiot," I try to comfort Aria who only deadpans at my words while Dick chuckles softly in amusement, "What?"
"Aren't stupid and idiot the same things, auntie De?" Amelia chirps, giggling as she snuggles against my left side and I blush profusely as I realize that I'd literally made no sense at all just now.
"Yes- no- I mean," I pause and sigh tiredly, rubbing my temples as Dick goes to get some water, "Look, I got thrown into a tree and had to fight a demon that shapeshifted into my exes- gimme a break," I laughed weakly while Amelia stifles another bout of giggles. I smile sweetly down at her before glancing at Aria who is silent as she stares out the window at the now rising sun outside.
"We must've been unconscious for a good several hours-" Dick remarks as he returns to my side and hands me a glass of water which I eagerly take from him and down immediately with a sigh of content, "I hope everyone else is alright.. the simulation broke apart like a bugged video game before we could all meet up... I'll call Mal at the cave and see if he has any news on how the team is doing," he murmurs, concern written all over his face while he takes the cup and places it on the bedside table before kissing my lips tenderly and causing Amelia to gag and cover her eyes.
"I hope everyone is okay... especially Lexie," I murmured as he leaves the bedroom to call the cave, "I really shouldn't have left you two alone like that... I'm so sorry, Aria... You guys needed me and I... I left you guys," I whimper softly, lowering my head guiltily as I close my eyes tightly and shove the internal images of Ryan pushing me off one of the cliffs during the simulation. My body trembles as I bite my bottom lip and wrap my arms around myself, remembering just how terrified we all were before we'd gotten separated. Idiot- why did I run off- why did I let myself get separated from them- Useless. Your friends needed you and you let those stupid monsters in that simulation isolate the three of you.
"Hey," I glanced up from the crook of my arms as Aria placed a soothing hand on the top of my head, stroking my hair reassuringly, "Don't go crying on me now, De. It's not your fault. It's all that stupid Justin's fault- and we're gonna find that asshat and beat his face in when we catch him," she grinned broadly as I felt my jaw drop while glancing at Amelia who'd heard every word.
"YEAH! WE'RE GONNA KICK THAT ASSHAT'S DUMB STINKY FACE IN!!" Amelia cheered, bouncing up and down on the bed beside me as Aria laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Oopsie," she coughs, averting her gaze as I scowl at her before turning to Amelia.
"Please don't repeat the things your momma says, okay, Amelia?" I sigh, brushing her unruly hair out of her face as she beams up at me cheerily.
"Mkay, auntie De," she chirps then hops off the bed and makes her way to the doorway, "Ima go find Daddy now!" She calls out over her shoulder with a broad smile and Aria groans in exasperation as I laugh in amusement.
"She's such a handful," Aria sighs as she turns to me with a deadpan look in her gaze as I stifle my giggles with one hand, "Just like my idiot Wallykins- I can't t even call him that right now, I'm so mad at him... stupid dirty two timing son of a-" I lightly smack her knee while Dick walks back into the room, his gaze dark with anxiety before it fixes on the both of us inquisitively.
"What's going on now? And..." he trails off for a second, looking about the room, "Where'd Amelia go? Wasn't she just in here?"
"She went to go find her daddy," Aria mumbled irritably, starfishing across the mattress in front of me as Dick makes his way over to us, sliding his phone into one of the pockets of his jeans.
"Please don't say that word again in front of me again, gives me PTSD," Dick coughs, shuddering a bit as he settles in Amelia's spot beside me while I snuggle against his side.
"Why? De's always calling you that now~ isn't that right, De?" Aria snickered mischievously as she fiddles with the blankets while my face burns bright red at that.
"Why? Why now? Why do you gotta bring that up right now?" Is all I can whimper pathetically while cuddling up into Dick's arms who blushes as well, "ANYWAY. Did you get ahold of anybody at the cave?" I sighed, peering up at him inquisitively.
He shakes his head, frowning worriedly.
"Nobody answered. I think we should get back to the hideout as soon as possible..." he sighs softly, wrapping his arms around my waist while resting his head on one of my shoulders.
"Might be a good idea..." I murmured in response while Aria just silently stares up at the ceiling as though in another world completely, "I'm starting to miss the twins and Brodie..." a motherly ache washes over my senses and I feel a slight pang in my middle but I shove it aside as a stupid cramp.
"I'm sure they're missing us too," Dick murmurs softly into my hair before kissing my cheek sweetly, "We'll see them soon."
A cheerful giggle sounds in the doorway and the three of us glance upwards to see Amelia happily holding hands with a totally exhausted looking Wally who flashes us a dumb grin.
"Aw, you guys having a reunion without me?" He chuckles weakly though his gaze shines in concern when it meets Aria's, "Ari... are you okay?"
Dick and I glance at each other as Aria hmphs and turns around so her back is to him.
"Oh boy..."
~ .: Tim's POV :.~
"Lexie... you're okay," I breathed in relief, feeling much better now that I'd seen her finally after that horrible simulation, "I was so worried about you- especially after last night and everything- are you hurt?" I murmured, moving forward as she slumped against the wall at her back. When I took a step closer to her though, her ice blue eyes flashed warily and she waves me off hurriedly.
"I- I'm fine!" She squeaks, somehow managing to find the strength to use the wall as a support while scrambling to her feet as the distance closes between us, "S- sorry for worrying you- and s-sorry for last night too..."
I raised an eyebrow at her in confusion as I gently took one of her hands in mine, "Hey, don't apologize, it's okay. Really," I murmured reassuringly and she hesitates, glancing warily at our hands intertwined before she yanks herself away from me, "I'm here for you, okay? Please don't push me away. I just want to make sure you're okay- I care about you, Lex..." as those words leave my mouth, Lexie's gaze becomes pained and broken as she backs away with a pitiful smile.
"I don't need you... and you don't need me. None of you do..." she murmurs in a soft, broken little voice and my gaze widens as she hurries down the hall towards her room again to isolate herself.
"Lexie! Lexie, wait-!" I called out to her, moving to follow her but as I do another door- Acacia's and Jared's- flies open and out storms my sister, her gaze smoldering with unsaid words as Jared follows after her, looking like he's lost for words.
Seems like we're all at each other's throats today...
~.: Jason's POV:.~
"Don't touch me!" Octavia hisses at me as I grab one of her arms to turn her to face me as she attempts to storm away from me, "Leave me alone- you tried to kill me!" She cries out, yanking her arm out of my grasp as I try and explain myself.
"Octavia, listen to me!" I exasperatedly sigh, "I wasn't myself in that simulation. Your brother twisted everything and manipulated us all," I tried to explain while Octavia holds herself in an attempt to soothe herself as we pause in the middle of these dark woods.
"Ju- just leave me alone, Jay... don't follow me! I can walk myself back to the hideout!"
"Will you just let me explain-"
"No!- AND YOU'RE STILL FOLLOWING ME."
"I'm literally going in the same direction as you, O... in case you forgot, I'm also a team member at the cave..."
"Tch..." is all Octavia can grumble in annoyance and I shake my head in slight exasperation.
Well, this is going to be one hell of a ride. And we still had no clue where Justin had disappeared to.
~.: TO BE CONTINUED :.~
