Alison's POV
(bellamysgirl)

I sighed through my nose, dropping into the metal chair behind the glass. The lanky brunette woman I knew as my mother sat on the other side of the thin sheet glass that separated us. She was the first to reach for her phone. There was a slight hopeful expression to her face, gesturing an inch with the phone, trying to nudge me to pick it up. I paused, making her sweat it out a moment longer.

Then I picked up my black phone and held it to my ear. "Hi," I said, dryly.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you in so long…It's been a while since you visited me," she seemed disappointed.

I squared my shoulders. "There's a reason for that, Mom." She inhaled and looked around a moment. Then she turned back to the glass, hushing her tone just slightly. "You haven't told the boy, have you?" she asked, concerned.

"Have I told him that you work for Hydra and that's why he'll never know his grandmother?" She tilted her head with a lowering of her eyebrows and I sighed. "No. I've been a bit busy lately for that."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, curious, prodding. I remained silent and she scoffed. "You came all this way and you're not going to talk to me? Surely you came for something."

"Yeah, I came to make sure you were still here and you hadn't broken out, yet." That seemed to sting. She sat back a bit in her chair—as far as the telephone cord would let her—and she remained quiet for a long pause. "I'm not that woman anymore, Alison. How many times do I have to tell you?" she asked, pleadingly.

"However many it takes for you to start showing it," I answered, calmly.

She sighed through her nose. "How about instead of insulting me the whole time you're here…you tell me what I've been missing being in this box?" I inhaled. Not a good idea. But, what else was I going to do? I got here early enough that I have at least an hour before Chase's birthday party at Dani's. "Fine. What do you wanna know?" I asked, reluctant.

"Are you still single?" she asked, curiously. I nodded. "Do you still live in that ratty old apartment?" I shook my head.

"I own my own café, now. It has an apartment above the dining area," I explained. "So far it's pretty successful."

"That's wonderful! How is Chase doing? I imagine he's gotten much taller since you last showed me a picture." I dug into my coat pocket and unearthed my cell phone. I flipped to the most recent photo I had and held the phone up to the glass. It was a picture of Chase, Rueben, and I on the fire escape outside my bedroom window. She squinted to see him without her glasses on. "He's eleven, starting today," I told her.

"It's his birthday today?" she asked, in disbelief.

I nodded. "Yep. Happens every year, at around the same time. Imagine that."

She scowled a bit and I slid away my phone. "He doesn't even know I exist, does he?"

"No, he knows. He just thinks you live too far away for us to afford a plane ticket to visit you."

"Why? What would be so harmful about-" she looked genuinely offended.

I inhaled deeply. "Stop right there. What is harmful is having your father die in a terrorist attack, and then having your mother sent to prison two years later. I won't let you do the same thing to him as you did to me. The only thing you could ever bring him is embarrassment," I said, trying to rein in my annoyance. "What is harmful…is knowing you."

I hung the phone back up at a bewildered mother, and then flagged down the guard. I stood and he escorted me out, and I wondered why I even bothered coming when I knew exactly how it would end every time—disaster.

Dani's POV
(Nightwing27th)

"The Bagels," he said proudly.

My eyebrows knitted together as I scoffed, "Do you name EVERYTHING after food?"

"Yes." Chase looked around at us. "And the girls will be called Toast."

I sighed. "Why?"

"Because, when we're done, you'll be toast."

Everyone started laughing. Except me. I wanted to strangle him. We're in the room across the hall from mine, in my building. I had it and the adjoining rooms stripped of everything, including walls. Now, it's one giant floor. I usually use it for training, but today it's Chase's birthday and it's serving as our playground.

"Whatever." I sighed and straightened. "Okay, so per Chase's request, it's boys verses girls. So they're two teams. Chase, Foggy, Matt; Alison, Mary, and myself. The rules are simple; get your hostage back and to your side before the other team does the same." I looked down at Chase. "And no face shots." He smiled sheepishly.

"This is crazy," Mary said.

"Blame Chase." I looked at her while pointing at him. "He's been begging me to do this since he discovered this room. Or rather, stole the master keys and started snooping." I glared at him again. He offered a weak smile and shrunk away. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm not shooting anything. So, I'll be a hostage for the…Toast."

Chase smiled and got all giddy, jumping up and down. "I'm a SHOOTER!" he shouted. Oh. My. Goodness. What did I ever do…? Why me? I sighed. Matt volunteered as the other hostage, claiming it'd be safer for everyone else. I just think it's because this really isn't his idea of fun. Shooting things…that's MY idea of fun. And Chase's, apparently.

"How many times can you get hit?" Foggy asked.

"It's not so much about you as it is your hostage," I said. "Though, keep in mind, these will sting. But you can tap out at any time. If your hostage gets more than three hits, you lose. If your team is covered in the most paint, but your hostage survives, you lose." I then showed them how to use the paint ball guns. I fitted everyone with vests and goggles, then passed out weapons. "Along with the normal gun," I said, "I have paint ball grenades. You pull the pin and they explode, sending paint everywhere."

"Cool!" Chase ran to the box of grenades.

"This is a game, Dani," Alison said, "not war."

"Do you want one or not?" I held one out to her. She rolled her eyes and then took it. I nodded, as Chase emerged from the box strapped with two belts of grenades, holding about twenty each. "Okay," I sighed. "Everyone to your places." I had two chairs, one at each end of the room, for the hostages. The room was a rectangle, a good hundred yards long. I had plastic barrels and a few pallets here and there to hide behind. Along with the four support beams.

Mary was not happy to be a part of this, but we needed a third person. Others, like Chase and Foggy, were bursting at the seams. Alison looked a little miffed, too. "Cheer up, dude." I straightened my goggles and then adjusted the gun in my hands. "Your kid's leaving here a happy man. Besides," I shrugged, "you know how to use that."

"For self-defense. Against an actual threat."

"Yeah, and you have a threat. He's three feet tall, eleven, and your son." She glared at me. I shrugged. "The other is your ex. The one who cheated on you with the same girl he's still dating…?" I pointed out. She thought for a second and I could see when it clicked in her eyes. Her hands tightened on the gun and I saw an almost wild look in her eye. I looked down the room where the boys are, then back at her. "Hey, Alison. Hit him where it hurts."

"You wimps ready, yet?" Chase yelled down at us. I sighed and glanced at Mary. She had her arms and legs crossed, very displeased. I smiled, catching a glimpse of Alison as I faced the boys. "Ladies, first!" I shouted. I heard someone laugh in the distance. Then a blue smear zipped past my face and struck the wall six feet above Mary's head. She screeched as Alison and I went into attack mode. Game. On.

We quickly moved forward, knees slightly bent, guns at the ready. We were in almost the same position. I veered left as she went right. I ducked behind the first pallet I came to, wedging the tip of the rifle between the slats. I was on one knee, looking through the scoop. So far there's no sign of the boys. And I don't think that's a good thing.

I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up at Alison. She had a questioning look on her face. I nodded, agreeing with her. I pulled a grenade off my belt and then pulled the pin. I stood and chucked it to the far end of the room. I ducked back down, hearing a ting as it bounced off of something. A second later it came rolling back.

I swore under my breath and then got out of there as fast as I could. I twisted around the pallet and then pulled it down on top of me, flattening to the ground. It exploded a second later and I felt the paint smack against the pallet. There is no way they could've known that was coming.

I tossed the pallet and then stood. I recovered my gun just in time to hit Chase as he flew around the corner. I knocked the gun out of his hand as he pulled the trigger. The gun spun to the side, the paint hitting Foggy. "Hey! That's not fare!" he said.

"Like that last move wasn't?" I popped Chase in the chest twice more before he took cover. A paint ball that wasn't mine, struck Foggy between the legs. He instantly went down. Chase tried to pull him behind cover, with no luck. I sighed. This is too easy. I glanced over my shoulder at Alison. The look on her face…said a thousand things.

I walked up to her as the boys retreated. "One of us needs to stay close to Mary."

"Yes!" Mary said. "Please, I do not want to get hit!"

I faced her and smiled. Alison opened her mouth to reply when we were both struck by paint. Alison got hit in the shoulder, splattering my face with yellow as I got hit in the calf. I slightly buckled and then recovered, turning to aim. Alison was still hissing as I popped Foggy between the legs. He dropped to the ground again.

"Not…fair," he said.

"It hurts if a woman is hit there."

"Oh, yeah!" Chase pointed his gun at Alison and hit her with a pink ball. And then, both teams were down one. I sighed, rolling my eyes. I shot Chase before grabbing the back of Alison's vest and dragging her behind a barrel. Alison was soooo not happy. "Hey," I said. "In the end, he's still your son." She almost growled at me as I quickly took cover somewhere else.

The boys were gone again. And this time, it was too quiet. I stayed close to Mary but not out in the open. I went for another grenade. I pulled the pin and then threw it. A second later, it came back. I quickly pulled off my rifle strap, grabbed the barrel and then struck the grenade with the butt of the gun. "Four!"

I stood in the open and watched it. Foggy stepped out from behind a barrel and hit it. "What the-" I sighed as it rolled back. I ran up to it and kicked it. It made it half way before exploding. "I know that's you, Murdock!" I shouted. "You're not supposed to use your hostage as a stinkin' grenade GPS!"

They chucked a grenade, aimed too well at Alison. She shot it, causing it to explode on the ceiling. Okay. So that's how it's going to be. Matt can hear and 'see' everything we do. I glanced at Alison and she seemed to know what I was thinking. It's time to play dirty. I nodded toward the boys and she started walking toward them, firing.

She kept them distracted while I tried to even the playing field. I ran to the grenade box and then pulled out a small flat disk. I dug a little and then found another. I smiled as I returned to the battle ground. I stopped, standing in the middle of the road. Alison slowly backed up behind me, still firing.

I pressed and held down the centers of each circle for three seconds. Then, I threw them like stars. One going left and the other right. They slide across the floor, coming to a stop. All gun fire ceased as we all waited for them to start working. A second later, the devices started emitting the same frequency as a dog whistle. It won't hurt Matt, but it will scramble his radar.

I smiled to myself as we moved in. Foggy and Chase had split up to find the devices and turn them off. Alison and I walked back to Matt like we owned the place. Because now we do. As soon as they try to shut off the device, it'll spray paint in their faces. Land mine. I heard Chase's explode as we reached Matt.

"Hey, honey," I said as Foggy's exploded. "Miss me?" He looked relieved once the noise had stopped…but that wasn't the same expression he gave me.

"Let's go." Alison got him to his feet and then we were on our way back. I lead, watching for the two knuckle heads. And yet, they were nowhere to be found. We were taking their hostage and they had vanished? I don't think so. Foggy made a break for it, running at Mary. I sprinted forward and shot him in the back. I kept shooting until I knew he was down.

We were twenty feet away. Just twenty more feet and The Toast, the expected loser because of our gender, was going to win. Now fifteen feet. Almost there. Chase appeared from the far left. I turn to shoot as Alison grabs Matt's arm and pulls him forward, rushing him to the finish line. Chase starts running forward, charging. I'd shooting and he'd bounce back. I'd shoot him again and he kept coming.

That's when I noticed what he was doing. As he was running, he was pulling out every pin of every grenade on both belts. A suicide bomber. I just barely got Alison's name out as the whole thing exploded in an array of fruity colors. Paint washed over me like someone had let the dam out on the river of paint.

I released my gun and then brought up my hands. I peeled the goggles off and placed them on my forehead. I was nothing—NOTHING—but paint. I spit out a wad of paint and cringed. Chase looked worse than I did, being the source. I turned, glancing around the room. Foggy, Alison, and Matt were all caked.

"Looks like a draw," I said, spitting out more paint. Chase smiled, his bright teeth the only human feature currently on his body. Alison started laughing and I looked at her. I followed her gaze. She was staring at our hostage, Mary. Mary lowered her umbrella, which she had used as a shield, and then stood.

"Looks like we one." She shook the umbrella and then folded it down. Not a speck of paint on her. I looked at her questioningly. She looked at me and shrugged. "I told you, I am not getting paint on me."

I glanced around at the others. Foggy was standing now. He didn't look happy. No one was happy with their new appearance. He raised his gun and fired, shooting Mary in the stomach. She screamed and jumped back. "Franklin Nelson!"

We all burst out laughing at that. After a few minutes, and once she deemed wiping off the paint futile, she joined in. She started chuckling and then pointed at Foggy. "You're gonna get it. When you least expect it."

I started flinging off paint and shaking out my goggles. "Yeah, and she means it, Nelson. When a Dylan makes a promise, it's until completion," I said. Foggy shook it off like it was a joke. He'll learn. Matt walked up to me as I pulled off my vest. Chase started screaming about how much fun it was and for us to do it again. And, in unison, we all shouted, "NO!" The vote was unanimous and Chase lost his election.

I glanced up at Matt, dropping my vest on the floor. "You mad?" I asked sheepishly. I'd be.

He shook his head. "No. You just out cheated the cheaters." We both smiled. Off in the distance, Chase and Alison started arguing. She wanted him the change his clothes and he didn't want too. Typical. "Chase, don't make me come over there," I said. "Remember the last time I had to strip you?" He instantly snapped to attention and then quickly did what his mother said. I looked back at Matt. "You're filthy."

He chuckled. "So are you."

I pulled at the paint on my face and then flicked it at the ground. I spit out more paint, nearly choking on it. "You got that right."