The Rider of Young Justice Season 2: Invasion

Home Part 2: Fire, Blood and a Miracle

Paula Crock's Apartment, Gotham City, 7:13pm, June 12th, 2015:

P.O.V: None

It's been about an hour since Matthew left, and Paula has been by Jade's side ever since. The older woman felt sorrow and heartbreak at seeing her first born....her strong free spirit almost crushed under the weight of the day's events. Paula felt every bit of shame and regret at seeing how her daughter is coping with the news that the Shadows and the Light have never left and are watching, maybe even at the this exact moment. Ever since finding out that Sportsmaster didn't adhere to her wishes when she first went to prison, Paula has been doing with what ifs and regrets ever since. What if she had just put the blame on him? What if she was there for her daughters? All these questions and doubts are eating away at the woman.

"It's not your fault, Mom." Jade's voice breaks Paula from her thoughts as she looks up and sees Jade facing her. Paula shakes her head and wipes away a tear. "It is. I shouldn't have believed him. I knew that he would but I had faith that he loved me more than himself. But I was wrong......and you paid the price for my failure. A life of crime......living with the weight of a terrible father and a worse mother......how you and Artemis forgave me, I'll never know. And just when all seemed right, we were all happy and at peace.....they come in and ruin it, because of my mistakes, you have to suffer the consequences of them......I'm so sorry, Jade. I'm sorry." Paula breaks down in tears as Jade moves from the bed and kneels in front of Paula, hugging the older woman, comforting her. "You made a mistake, Mom. I hated you for it, for a very long time......but Matt made me see.....you did what you thought was right. Crusher broke your trust and he will pay for it, one day. Just like the Shadows and Light will pay for this. None of this is your fault......some of it is mine. I should have known that not everything was going to be alright I became lax and misjudged who I left behind. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." Jade says to Paula, denouncing her words, Paula smiles gratefully at Jade's words but places her hand on her shoulder. "It's not yours either. It's theirs. I don't like the idea but they are going to come and when they do......I want you to be ready. All of you." Paula says as she rests her hand on Jade's stomach. Jade nods in understanding what her mother is saying. The Light are never going to give up, the Shadows will never forgive this betrayal and Sportsmaster will never stop until he gets what he wants. It's better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. Might sound cheesy but the moral of the quote is not. Better to be prepared to fight and die rather than run and get caught off guard. "I called your sister, she's going to Zeta here when she gets off school." Paula says which makes Jade's eyes go wide. "Artemis is coming here?" Jade questions as Paula smirks. "You haven't told her, have you?" She asks with a knowing smile for which makes Jade blush in embarrassment. "No....I haven't." Jade says which earns a laugh from Paula. "Come on then, we better get some dinner ready and some tissues....just in case." Paula quips before wheeling out of the room. Jade laughs at her mother's antics and follows out into the kitchen.

Wayne Manor, Gotham City:

P.O.V Change: Matthew 'Ghost Rider' Spectre

Arriving at Wayne Manor was something that I have only ever done once and I told myself to never come here again. While the building has nothing necessarily wrong with it, the atmosphere of the house, mixed with Zarathos's sharp senses allows me to sense the supernatural weight that the building holds......a foreboding sense of dejection and misery. A lot of history has been passed through these walls, a lot of memories......most of them bad. The building has an ominous feel to it, almost like walking into a wolf's den. You see that it looks harmless, almost welcoming, like a cave on a stormy night......only to find yourself that this place is no safe haven, it's a cage.....with an apex predator lurking within its shadows. When I first walked into this house, I felt the sorrow, pain and anguish that this place holds. The burden of fear and anger, mostly from the owner had permeated itself within the very foundations of the house......turning the welcoming, homey feel into one of sorrow and self hate. Zarathos said that places can be tainted or stained when emotions begin to leak out and pollute it. Graveyards are a prime example. It's a place of death and anguish. Many pass through feeling emotions of sorrow, anger, regret......that in turn makes the graveyard feel very heavy, weighed down by those emotions.