Fic: Up from the Abyss (Cass/Cassie)
Title: Up from the Abyss
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters/Pairings: Light Cassandra Cain/Cassie Sandsmark, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1781
Summary: In the wake of Zeus' murder, Cassie finds herself powerless and without hope. But a chance encounter in Gotham City offers her a new beginning, and possibly much more.
Author's Notes: This was prompted by a random DCU meme I did, where these two came up as a possible couple. One thing led to another, and I may just have a new random OTP.
"Please, just give me a chance. You have no idea how much I need this."
Batman shook his head at the disheveled girl begging him to train her. He knew Cassie Sandsmark from Tim's time with the Teen Titans, and he knew she'd had a rough few years, but he had no clue just how far she had fallen.
"No. You don't need this. You want this, like a junkie craving a fix. I have no interest in training someone who views learning martial arts as a quick substitute for superpowers."
"You don't understand. It's like my powers were just...ripped away when my father was killed. It feels like a part of me is missing. I don't know what to do next..."
"You've got a life to go back to. You've got family, friends...it's a lot more than some of us were left with after we lost everything." Batman turned away and went back to work at the computer. "Go back to your life, Miss Sandsmark. While you still have it. Alfred, call her a cab."
"Yes, sir." Alfred gently took Cassie's arm and guided her out of the cave. "This way, Miss Sandsmark. I'm sorry this didn't work out for you, but perhaps you should take Master Bruce's advice to heart. You are a bright young lady, with a full life ahead of you. Just because that life doesn't involve heroics..."
"You can let go now, Alfred." Cassie wrestled her way out of Alfred's grip before they approached the car.
"My instructions were to see you on your way."
"Yeah, well...I'm not ready to go home yet. If I even have a home to go back to. Batman made himself perfectly clear. What I do next is on me."
Alfred looked on sadly as Cassie walked off into the rain. Whatever she was looking for, he hoped she found it.
-----
Cassie stared at her cell phone, fighting the urge to call one of the numbers on it. She had emptied her bank account to get to Gotham, and she hadn't planned on a round-trip ticket. After the blow-up she'd had with her mother before she left, she definitely didn't feel like calling her and begging her for help. Conner...she knew Conner would come and pick her up in five seconds, and that made her feel even worse. He had only been trying to help, and she pushed him away, to the point that he finally broke up with her. He would take her back in a second, because he loved her, and understood what she was going through. And that was exactly why she couldn't call him, couldn't ask him for help. Because until she figured out what she wanted to do next, she didn't want to involve anyone else. They all had their lives. She didn't know what hers was anymore. Her father was dead, the father she barely knew. Murdered, by her own half-brother, and with him, her link to the Gods was gone as well. It was as if all connections to Zeus were simply erased.
Cassie felt disgusted with the self-pity she was lapsing into. At one point, she had been self-confident, filled with dreams for the future that were completely unrelated to her powers. But slowly, she had grown dependent on them. After Conner's death, she had thrown herself into being a superhero, using it to mask the pain. Being Wonder Girl had stopped being a side job and became her full life. Now, stripped of them, she had a hard time figuring out what, if anything was left. She was torn between going back home and facing her life, or continuing this quest to find a way to somehow continue being a hero. But before she chose, she would need to find a place to sleep that night. Robin had mentioned a shelter a few blocks from here that seemed like it would work...
"Gimme your money."
Cassie was snapped out of her thoughts by the angry demand emanating from the alley. She turned to see a wild-eyed homeless man pointing a knife at her.
"I said, gimme your money!"
"I...I don't have anything. I'm broke."
"You've got to have something...." The mugger's eyes settled on her bracelets, now powerless but still a priceless link to the father she'd lost. "Gimme those."
He grabbed her arm, and Cassie pulled back. "No. You can't have those!"
The past weeks of anger, frustration, and helplessness boiled over in Cassie, and she wrestled away from the mugger. Grabbing a nearby trash can lid, she slammed it into his face. She knew she should have taken the opportunity to run, but her anger took over, and she slammed the lid into his face again, using this attacker as an opportunity to vent her anger. Before she knew what had happened, he had pushed her back, knocked her weapon away, and stuck his knife into her side. Cassie could feel her head getting light as she bled onto the sidewalk. She told herself she'd find a way to keep being a hero or die trying, she thought bitterly. As the maniac prepared to stab her again, Cassie noticed a figure clad in dark on the rooftop. She saw the figure leap down onto her attacker just before she lost consciousness.
-----
Cassie woke up in a strange bed, as opposed to not waking up at all. She tried to sit up, but was foiled by a sharp pain in her side. Looking herself over, she saw that her side had been carefully sewed up and bandaged. Whoever rescued her was an expert in field medicine.
"You're up."
Cassie nearly jumped out of bed as she saw the figure clad in black watching over her from the corner. The girl had been unnaturally quiet until now.
"I...I know you. You're Batgirl."
"Yes. I brought you here. Let you rest."
"You saved my life. Thanks."
Batgirl shrugged. "My job."
"Yeah, well...I should be going. I've got to get to the shelter before they close the doors, and - " Cassie tried to get up again, but the searing pain in her side forced her to lie back down.
"Stay. You're hurt." Cass slowly took off her mask as she looked Cassie over. "I know you. Cassie Sandsmark. Wonder Girl."
"Yeah. Well, not anymore. I lost my powers."
"I gathered." Cass smiled wryly. "How?"
"My father...Zeus, he was murdered. When he died, his connection to me was severed. I thought my powers were my own, as a demigoddess, but somehow Ares found a way to destroy anyone who drew their powers from Zeus's bloodline. They're gone, and they're not coming back. I don't know what to do next."
"I'm sorry."
"I feel kind of stupid. I should be able to move on from this. The girl I used to be...she would have been able to handle this. She would have been disappointed, but she would have moved on to the next dream. Now, though...I had kind of put everything into this. Wonder Girl became my identity. Now I feel like a part of me's been ripped away against my will. I don't know how I'll ever feel whole again."
"A few months back...I was poisoned. I was forced to hurt my friends, to serve an evil man. I felt violated. I wanted to hurt someone. I understand."
"So what now? I can't believe I actually asked Batman to train me. What was I thinking?"
"Why did you love it so much?"
Cassie looked up. "Huh?"
"Being a hero. What did you love about it?"
"I don't know. The sense of freedom was great. But more than that...it was the feeling of being able to make a difference. To know that I could help people who couldn't help themselves. I had forgotten just how bad it felt to be the one in danger, until tonight. If there's anything I can do to help people who are in a similar situation, I want to do it. That's why I was trying so hard. I can't go back to being unable to help anyone. Tonight I wasn't even able to help myself. I want that to change."
Cass nodded. "Sleep now. You need rest. Still healing."
Cassie lay back down on the pillow, letting exhaustion overtake her. She felt Cass lightly run her hand through her hair as she drifted off to sleep.
-----
Five days later:
"I normally wouldn't be doing this, but Cass was very insistent. I've read your file, Cassandra. You definitely seem to have what it takes - on the surface. But that doesn't matter one bit once training begins. All that matters is how hard you're willing to push yourself."
Cassie nodded intensely as Oracle addressed her. "I'm ready."
"Are you? You've been dealing with innate powers until now. You've never had to train like this. I want you to imagine the hardest thing you've ever done. Then multiply it by ten."
Cassie gulped. "Okay."
"It'll be harder than that. Bruce's training may be slightly more intense physically, but mine will test you in every way. I need to know, are you going to be able to do this? Because I'm willing to put the effort in if you are."
"I've never wanted anything more than this." Cassie said. "Give me a chance."
Oracle nodded. "I intend to. We'll begin your detective training later today. For now, I want to get a feel of your fighting skills, so I'll know how much work we have to do."
Oracle tossed a bo staff to Cassie, and another to Cass, who was standing by the side watching intensely.
"Commence sparring...now."
Cass immediately struck out with the bo. Cassie was barely able to block a direct hit. She attempted to strike back, but Cass easily dodged it and swept her legs out from under her.
"It'll get easier. Trust me." Cass said as she helped Cassie up. Their eyes met, and Cassie smiled. The last few days, she and Cass had spent a lot of time together. Even if Cass didn't say all that much, they had formed a deep connection. When she saw Cass, she felt like she could overcome this, like she could reclaim the girl she used to be and build a new life for herself. And she wanted Cass to be a part of it.
Oracle motioned for them to resume sparring, and Cassie jumped as Cass swept at her legs again. She could already feel herself getting tired, and she wondered just how long she could keep this up. She couldn't wait to find out.
Fandom: DC Universe
Characters/Pairings: Light Cassandra Cain/Cassie Sandsmark, Bruce Wayne, Barbara Gordon
Rating: PG-13
Words: 1781
Summary: In the wake of Zeus' murder, Cassie finds herself powerless and without hope. But a chance encounter in Gotham City offers her a new beginning, and possibly much more.
Author's Notes: This was prompted by a random DCU meme I did, where these two came up as a possible couple. One thing led to another, and I may just have a new random OTP.
"Please, just give me a chance. You have no idea how much I need this."
Batman shook his head at the disheveled girl begging him to train her. He knew Cassie Sandsmark from Tim's time with the Teen Titans, and he knew she'd had a rough few years, but he had no clue just how far she had fallen.
"No. You don't need this. You want this, like a junkie craving a fix. I have no interest in training someone who views learning martial arts as a quick substitute for superpowers."
"You don't understand. It's like my powers were just...ripped away when my father was killed. It feels like a part of me is missing. I don't know what to do next..."
"You've got a life to go back to. You've got family, friends...it's a lot more than some of us were left with after we lost everything." Batman turned away and went back to work at the computer. "Go back to your life, Miss Sandsmark. While you still have it. Alfred, call her a cab."
"Yes, sir." Alfred gently took Cassie's arm and guided her out of the cave. "This way, Miss Sandsmark. I'm sorry this didn't work out for you, but perhaps you should take Master Bruce's advice to heart. You are a bright young lady, with a full life ahead of you. Just because that life doesn't involve heroics..."
"You can let go now, Alfred." Cassie wrestled her way out of Alfred's grip before they approached the car.
"My instructions were to see you on your way."
"Yeah, well...I'm not ready to go home yet. If I even have a home to go back to. Batman made himself perfectly clear. What I do next is on me."
Alfred looked on sadly as Cassie walked off into the rain. Whatever she was looking for, he hoped she found it.
-----
Cassie stared at her cell phone, fighting the urge to call one of the numbers on it. She had emptied her bank account to get to Gotham, and she hadn't planned on a round-trip ticket. After the blow-up she'd had with her mother before she left, she definitely didn't feel like calling her and begging her for help. Conner...she knew Conner would come and pick her up in five seconds, and that made her feel even worse. He had only been trying to help, and she pushed him away, to the point that he finally broke up with her. He would take her back in a second, because he loved her, and understood what she was going through. And that was exactly why she couldn't call him, couldn't ask him for help. Because until she figured out what she wanted to do next, she didn't want to involve anyone else. They all had their lives. She didn't know what hers was anymore. Her father was dead, the father she barely knew. Murdered, by her own half-brother, and with him, her link to the Gods was gone as well. It was as if all connections to Zeus were simply erased.
Cassie felt disgusted with the self-pity she was lapsing into. At one point, she had been self-confident, filled with dreams for the future that were completely unrelated to her powers. But slowly, she had grown dependent on them. After Conner's death, she had thrown herself into being a superhero, using it to mask the pain. Being Wonder Girl had stopped being a side job and became her full life. Now, stripped of them, she had a hard time figuring out what, if anything was left. She was torn between going back home and facing her life, or continuing this quest to find a way to somehow continue being a hero. But before she chose, she would need to find a place to sleep that night. Robin had mentioned a shelter a few blocks from here that seemed like it would work...
"Gimme your money."
Cassie was snapped out of her thoughts by the angry demand emanating from the alley. She turned to see a wild-eyed homeless man pointing a knife at her.
"I said, gimme your money!"
"I...I don't have anything. I'm broke."
"You've got to have something...." The mugger's eyes settled on her bracelets, now powerless but still a priceless link to the father she'd lost. "Gimme those."
He grabbed her arm, and Cassie pulled back. "No. You can't have those!"
The past weeks of anger, frustration, and helplessness boiled over in Cassie, and she wrestled away from the mugger. Grabbing a nearby trash can lid, she slammed it into his face. She knew she should have taken the opportunity to run, but her anger took over, and she slammed the lid into his face again, using this attacker as an opportunity to vent her anger. Before she knew what had happened, he had pushed her back, knocked her weapon away, and stuck his knife into her side. Cassie could feel her head getting light as she bled onto the sidewalk. She told herself she'd find a way to keep being a hero or die trying, she thought bitterly. As the maniac prepared to stab her again, Cassie noticed a figure clad in dark on the rooftop. She saw the figure leap down onto her attacker just before she lost consciousness.
-----
Cassie woke up in a strange bed, as opposed to not waking up at all. She tried to sit up, but was foiled by a sharp pain in her side. Looking herself over, she saw that her side had been carefully sewed up and bandaged. Whoever rescued her was an expert in field medicine.
"You're up."
Cassie nearly jumped out of bed as she saw the figure clad in black watching over her from the corner. The girl had been unnaturally quiet until now.
"I...I know you. You're Batgirl."
"Yes. I brought you here. Let you rest."
"You saved my life. Thanks."
Batgirl shrugged. "My job."
"Yeah, well...I should be going. I've got to get to the shelter before they close the doors, and - " Cassie tried to get up again, but the searing pain in her side forced her to lie back down.
"Stay. You're hurt." Cass slowly took off her mask as she looked Cassie over. "I know you. Cassie Sandsmark. Wonder Girl."
"Yeah. Well, not anymore. I lost my powers."
"I gathered." Cass smiled wryly. "How?"
"My father...Zeus, he was murdered. When he died, his connection to me was severed. I thought my powers were my own, as a demigoddess, but somehow Ares found a way to destroy anyone who drew their powers from Zeus's bloodline. They're gone, and they're not coming back. I don't know what to do next."
"I'm sorry."
"I feel kind of stupid. I should be able to move on from this. The girl I used to be...she would have been able to handle this. She would have been disappointed, but she would have moved on to the next dream. Now, though...I had kind of put everything into this. Wonder Girl became my identity. Now I feel like a part of me's been ripped away against my will. I don't know how I'll ever feel whole again."
"A few months back...I was poisoned. I was forced to hurt my friends, to serve an evil man. I felt violated. I wanted to hurt someone. I understand."
"So what now? I can't believe I actually asked Batman to train me. What was I thinking?"
"Why did you love it so much?"
Cassie looked up. "Huh?"
"Being a hero. What did you love about it?"
"I don't know. The sense of freedom was great. But more than that...it was the feeling of being able to make a difference. To know that I could help people who couldn't help themselves. I had forgotten just how bad it felt to be the one in danger, until tonight. If there's anything I can do to help people who are in a similar situation, I want to do it. That's why I was trying so hard. I can't go back to being unable to help anyone. Tonight I wasn't even able to help myself. I want that to change."
Cass nodded. "Sleep now. You need rest. Still healing."
Cassie lay back down on the pillow, letting exhaustion overtake her. She felt Cass lightly run her hand through her hair as she drifted off to sleep.
-----
Five days later:
"I normally wouldn't be doing this, but Cass was very insistent. I've read your file, Cassandra. You definitely seem to have what it takes - on the surface. But that doesn't matter one bit once training begins. All that matters is how hard you're willing to push yourself."
Cassie nodded intensely as Oracle addressed her. "I'm ready."
"Are you? You've been dealing with innate powers until now. You've never had to train like this. I want you to imagine the hardest thing you've ever done. Then multiply it by ten."
Cassie gulped. "Okay."
"It'll be harder than that. Bruce's training may be slightly more intense physically, but mine will test you in every way. I need to know, are you going to be able to do this? Because I'm willing to put the effort in if you are."
"I've never wanted anything more than this." Cassie said. "Give me a chance."
Oracle nodded. "I intend to. We'll begin your detective training later today. For now, I want to get a feel of your fighting skills, so I'll know how much work we have to do."
Oracle tossed a bo staff to Cassie, and another to Cass, who was standing by the side watching intensely.
"Commence sparring...now."
Cass immediately struck out with the bo. Cassie was barely able to block a direct hit. She attempted to strike back, but Cass easily dodged it and swept her legs out from under her.
"It'll get easier. Trust me." Cass said as she helped Cassie up. Their eyes met, and Cassie smiled. The last few days, she and Cass had spent a lot of time together. Even if Cass didn't say all that much, they had formed a deep connection. When she saw Cass, she felt like she could overcome this, like she could reclaim the girl she used to be and build a new life for herself. And she wanted Cass to be a part of it.
Oracle motioned for them to resume sparring, and Cassie jumped as Cass swept at her legs again. She could already feel herself getting tired, and she wondered just how long she could keep this up. She couldn't wait to find out.