Shadows Catch

The light tap against her door roused Shayera from her slumber. Her eyes itched and felt swollen, having cried herself to sleep. The knowledge that the League rescued her due to Luthor manipulating them and not because they decided to give her a chance is… crushing.

They never cared then.

That's not true.

They needed a push from the most vile criminals in the universe to even make a rescue.

If they didn't really care then they would have ignored her plight.

They weren't honest.

They were afraid.

They were guilty.

They love me.

They hate me.

The knocking resumed and Shayera got up from her, pushing her fear aside and intent on telling off John to leave her alone. When she opened the door, Carter stood on the other side and making her choke on her voice. Silence made the whole situation uncomfortable and Carter shyly rubbed the back of his head.

"Uhhm, May I come inside?" Shayera, her throat in a vice, nodded and moved aside to let Carter inside her room. Wary about his visit, Shayera kept close to the door in case she needed a moment to clear her head. Carter sat at the foot of her bed and glanced at her before focusing his gaze to the floor.

"What would you like to talk about?" Shayera voice was strained and scratchy, a mix of her apprehension and exhaustion.

"Shayera… I… Maybe…" Carter rubbed the side of head, appearing in conflict. Shayera thought he looked undecided and sat next to him, hoping to coax out what he wanted to say. Of course, she counted herself lucky that she was sitting down, otherwise she might have collapsed in shock when Carter blurted out what he intended to say.

"I want you to come live with me."

"W-What?"

"I know it's a big step but I feel that maybe if you were living in my apartment then perhaps you might find the space and time needed to organize your thoughts." Shayera considered his words. Sure, at one point this man tried to convince her they were reincarnated lovers but throughout everything that has happened after her rescue, he left her alone and allowed her to work at her own pace. He didn't push and he is possibly the only person left in this world that believed in her 100%.

"I-I wish I could."

"Is it the practice sessions?"

"It's… I… maybe if I asked for a week." Carter smiled and nodded in agreement and led her outside her room. It didn't occur to Shayera that most of the heroes and staff would either be asleep or in action. The halls were empty, something she is grateful for. As they made their way to the Monitor Room, Carter allowed her to go in first before locking the door behind them silently.

"Esc-Excuse me?" Shayera moved towards where Mr. Terrific was standing, overlooking the Monitors. As she walked up to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and nearly collapsed in fright when he slumped forward. Looking around, Shayera noticed in alarm that everyone in the room was propped up to appear as though they were working.

"Wha-" A chloroform rag went over her mouth and Shayera tried to spread her wings to knock back her assailant. Her attacker proved to be strong as her wings did nothing to help her.

"Shhh, beloved. Rest." Terrified, Shayera realized that she had foolishly followed into Carter's trap.

"Why?" It came out muffled but Carter still heard her.

"You deserve to be treated like the Queen you are. These fools don't know how to treat you well. I'll protect you." Shayera slumped into unconsciousness as Carter carried her to the Zeta Tube, using his hacking device to teleport them away from the Watchtower and away from the League.

Hey readers, I know it's short but I have a lot on my plate right now. I'm following some advice and decided to try and write my own story with my own characters and world for fun. I'd like to see just how much I am able to push myself. I will not forget about my fanfictions. This story and Fragments are actually almost done. Hope you guys like and thank you for reading.