The Rider of Young Justice Season 2: Invasion

Happy New Year Part 2: Revelations and Conspiracies

The Jefferson Hotel, Washington D.C: 4:47pm, January 3rd, 2016:

P.O.V: Blake 'Black Bolt' Burton

"Does he have anything better to do with his life then to complain and drone on and on about this?" I signed to my girlfriend, Raquel, as we get ready for our dinner date later tonight. "Think of it from his perspective. A big, pale alien lands on Earth unnoticed, raid one of the most secure and guarded headquarters on the planet, kills countless people and rips the Secretary General in half, revealing to the robot to be a robot, operated by a smaller, uglier alien......I think you can cut him some slack for being a bit worried and afraid." Raquel answers back to me as I raise an eyebrow and turn the TV up. "You need to understand ladies and gentlemen.......our UN Secretary General, one of the highest political positions in the world, is a fake robot being controlled by an invasive alien species. How long has he been a fake? How many others have been replaced by these fake robots and pilot aliens? Better question is.....why hasn't the Justice League come forward and say something about it!? What are they keeping under wraps? Do they have information that they don't want to be public? Do they know who and what these aliens are and what they want? These are the questions that should be asked....no.....demanded!" The subject of mine and Raquel's discussion, G. Gordon Godfrey, states on the news. I turn the TV off and turn to Raquel, a raised eyebrow and smug smile etched on my face. Raquel sighs in defeat before nodding her head. "Ok, ok....it's a little much and very annoying. But this is the reality of our work, Blake. Not everyone is going to agree with what we do, and what we keep away. And he'll continue to criticise us until he is either proven hundred percent right or wrong. There is no middle ground with guys like Godfrey." She says to me as she puts on her backless, red dress. I nod at her reasoning and throw the remote away, onto the hotel bed. "I don't have a problem with his opinion, it's his own and whatnot.....but there has got to be a limit of how much he can go on and on and repeat the same thing again and again. It's getting old and getting more annoying by the day, doesn't help that what he says hurts deep down. We do a lot good.....we have been doing good for years and yet, he has a problem with it. It's a little upsetting, that's all." I sign back as I back the last of my bags, and put my two piece suit on. Raquel chuckles when she sees me struggling with my tie. "Here. Let me." She says as she helps me with my tie. As she is trying, I gaze lovingly at the woman in front of me. I'll admit, first time I saw her......I was smitten. I thought she was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen.....I still remember the embarrassing side eyes and jokes that Dick, Wally and Matt would tease me with. When she joined the Team, I was so looking forward to working with her as a teammate and getting to know her as a friend...hoping that maybe....we could be something more. New Year's might have started out as a nightmare but when that clock struck midnight and she kissed me on the cheek......that hope became even more prevalent. The years since we met have been a wild ride of ups and downs, arguments and wild make ups but we always managed to make it work. I can happily say that I am happy with my life and......tonight, at dinner.....I plan to ask her. Ask her to marry me.

"Not everyone will agree with us, Blake. But we have to take the good with the bad and keep moving forward. The people deserve to have someone to be there and protect them. And that's is, that's what we do. If someone has a problem with that then tough....we are here to stay and to defend. That's the job and I am more than happy to listen to him moan about it then to be deterred by it." She says, bringing me back into our prior conversation but all thoughts of the conversation have exited my mind.....only Raquel will ever, ever, have that effect on me. She fixes my tie as she looks up at me, my eyes conveying love and affection for her and my smile begins to stretch across my face. "What?" She chuckles in confusion as I wrap my hand around her bare back and pull her closer to me, she yelps in surprise as I crash my lips against her. She quickly gets with the program and returns the kiss tenfold, her arms reaching up and wrapping around my neck. We break apart and lean our heads against each other. "What was that for?" She whispers to me as I pull my feet hand up. "You look so beautiful. And it was for you.....for being in my life. I love you, Raquel....with all my heart." I sign as her eyes start teary up. "Oh baby. I love you, too." She says as I lightly kiss her again. She moans softly as I get a bit daring and lower my hand a little bit lower. Raquel chuckles as she pulls away with a laugh. "None of that now. We have a dinner reservation to get to....but maybe later.....we can continue with this." She says suggestively as I smile and peck her lips one last time before we break apart and exit the hotel room.