Arranged Marriage - Distance (A Nightwing/Dick Grayson Fanfiction)

Fifteen: Jacks

Traditionally, the night before a wedding holds celebrations and a night of freedom.

The buck's night is the groom and his friends, acting like idiots and dancing with strippers. The hen's night is, well, the bride and her friends, acting like idiots and dancing with strippers.

Not in an Arranged Marriage, however.

Even though both Cleo and Dick see their matrimony as even more binding than a real marriage, because of the fake contract, there is no reason to celebrate any freedom.

Both are alone. One, driving down the coast as the sun begins to pass the afternoon and the other contemplating staying in to help with the investigation or visiting the circus in town.

Cleo likes driving alone.

With no Hallow, she can listen to Linkin Park and not have to compromise with every second song being the Weeknd. Logan is not there to kick at her car's upholstery. Gordon can not backseat-drive. Fantasia is not taking selfies every two minutes. Klover and Jeremy weren't hanging out the window. As annoying as her siblings could be, Cleo had volunteered to drive them around as often as possible, to make up for lost time.

Whether it was taking Ignatier to her private dance lessons or getting Demitri home completely wasted, it was time with them, which was all that mattered.

Cleo is a few miles out of the city, as Dick steps through the entry gate to the circus. With his hood up, not too suspicious in the cool summer evening, he ventures forth towards the sideshow alley.

He knows why he's there, but for now, he's happy to ignore it. He watches the children try and fail at the games, sees shy boys winning bears for their girlfriends.

Haly's Circus is due for Gotham again soon, and whilst technically being where he is at the moment is supporting the competition, he feels like he is home.

Especially, when his eyes are set on the big tent at the end of the park, sparking memories in his mind that appear like a kaleidoscope. 

He makes his way towards it.

Just like Cleo, making her way towards a town just out of the cities. Before the Elites, she had never been there. It was just a place people passed through, when going from Sunset to Palm Beach. A dip in the road.

It only became important after him. 

Upon returning to America, it felt like it was her job to deliver him to his family. The officials had only told his family that their son was dead and his ashes were with his Major.

Cleo drove them there, still in pieces, still hyped on whatever narcotics her fingers touched. He sat in the front seat with the belt crossing the simple black box the retrieval team had given her.

His parents and siblings had cried, when she had handed it over, and in return thanked her.

When she tried to leave they tried to stop her, already knowing about this girl he had fallen in love with because of the letters he had sent home. They had begged her to stay, but Cleo ran, returning almost half a year later to apologise. They seemed to understand why she felt the need to escape.

Jack had written about Cleo and their squadron. He wrote to his parents about the competitions Lief and Cameron would have. He wrote about Jean's incessant obsession with writing every single thing down. It was never his intention to tell his family the dangers they faced.

Belby, the coastal town between Sunset and Palm Beach comes into view over Cleo's dash. Just before the city's entrance however she takes a sharp, sudden turn to the right, inland to a hill overlooking the town.