Hey, guys! I was super-excited to see the Cheshire and Red Arrow interaction in "Targets", and this spawn out of my mind earlier in the day. I'm sorry if it's badly-written at the end. I'm currently having to listen to my retarded neighbors talk outside my window near the computer. Wish I could close it, but I need the air conditioner... God, my neighbors don't know shit about life. They're all so fucking stupid.

Anyways, let me know what you think, or if anything should be added.

Also, if any of you watched Ep. 10 before it got taken off ,(it's still on youtube) did you find the first scene with SB and MM funny? I did. ;)

Facing the Music

He would have laughed if he weren't the one in this situation. If it wasn't him, and he were watching the whole thing from afar, the moment would have simply given away a comedic air found like that in the movies, a moment where something even more awkward would follow after an awkward silence. He supposed it was saying a lot, since he didn't find many things to be funny. At all.

But apparently she did. She stood before him, only feet away, with a chilling smirk upon her full lips. The smirk widened, becoming a full-fledged grin and letting words escape her mouth. She didn't seem to care about or even notice the shattered glass that crushed beneath her feet as she inched closer and whispered the words across the empty room.

"Well, this is convenient, don't you think?" she murmured, "After all, we are both dressed for the occasion. All we'd need to add the finishing touch would be some butlers with some trays in their hand and a—"

Hell had a way of pissing him off, it seemed, because at that very second, the lights flickered, then stopped working altogether. All. Except. For one. In. The. Center.

"Oh, never mind; we've got that covered. Guess the butlers don't really matter that much, now do they?" Her thick black hair was illuminated as she stepped into view, getting closer… closer … and then waaaay too close. All of a sudden, there was only a finger's width between his face and hers. He watched her grin again, and the glare that he wore only hardened more—if that was even possible.

"I suppose you wouldn't want any witnesses," he growled out between closed teeth, "Not that you wouldn't have taken care of them beforehand, anyway. Where's Smith?"

"That," she whispered—no, purred—in his ear, "Is another thing that doesn't matter. Don't tell me you're not enjoying this, Arrow. Are you really as heartless as my little sister says you are?"

"I'm currently tied to a column in the middle of a trashed ballroom with no weapons and just happen to be next to deranged assassin whose masters just kidnapped one of the most influential politicians on the western hemisphere. It's not exactly an endearing moment." He spat.

"Perhaps it could be, though. Why don't you let me unravel you from your displeasure?"

He froze as he felt his shoulderblades and wrists be relieved of the uncomfortable position they'd been in for almost an hour, his eyes widened and his mouth agape.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she said, peeking out from where she had been crouched behind the pillar, dropping the ropes that had trapped him, "I'm untying you."

"Why?"

"Wow, you are such a gentleman… You know, before you try to run off, you could at least consider the jellyfish toxin that's running through your veins right now."

"You poisoned me?"

"No, Hook did. Don't worry, though. The components of the toxin have been modified so they don't fatally harm you, and you're not feeling anything now because it's only a small dose, and very slow- acting. If you try anything, you'll just pass out before you can escape."

"I think I'll take my chances," he huffed, making his way toward the exit, only to find it locked.

"Well I most certainly wouldn't. Your options aren't really that open, Arrow."

"I guess I'll just have to make a new option for myself, then," he muttered.

With the fluidity of an assassin, his 'companion' swiftly appeared to his right, effectively holding him against the wall with a simple nudge, knowing that the archer wouldn't realize the toxin's reaction to his body had made him weak. "Or," she suggested, an edge in her voice, "I could make one for you."

The archer didn't reply.

"How about…" The assassin tapped her chin in false thought. "you dance with me."

"You're kidding."

In some strange way, he'd both expected and hadn't expected her impending question. Maybe the not expecting part was more of an 'I'm noticing what's happening, but dreading what will happen if she actually is doing what I think she's doing and I'll be so screwed if I can't find a way out of it' kind of emotion. He didn't know, and didn't really want to think about it, because this wasn't funny in the least.

"Actually," the girl hummed, grabbing his arm tightly and dragging him near the spot where he was tied up, "I'm not."

He wasn't sure of when—or how—he'd actually managed to grumble down his defeat, grab the assassin's green-gloved hand, and move his feet to the faint rhythm of the slow song in the background. He just knew that this was ridiculous and completely unlike the Cheshire he knew—to an extent. He recognized her methods, her smug air, and her eyes—Wait, scratch that last part. He did not remember her eyes because he distinctly remembered how he had not stared into the dark depths of her pupils during their encounter in Taipei. Especially not in that jail cell. No.

"Why so tense?" Cheshire asked. There was that damn smirk again. "The toxin shouldn't be working that fast…"

"This isn't funny."

"Not from where I'm standing. Actually, this couldn't get any funnier! All of your little sidekick friends are out on another mission and therefore unable to help you, you're rendered powerless and poisoned, and all because of one thing. I'm sure you've already guessed why the Shadows even bothered determining your location when you went completely off the grid after that whole little fiasco in Taipei… You see, my masters like their… investments… protected."

"And by investments, you mean Tigress."

"Mhmm. Since you know everything—and by the way, it was very impressive how you managed to put the pieces together; not even Wayne or your old partner could figure it all out—the Shadows have decided to make some new adjustments on their new ally's demand." Cheshire leaned just a little into his chest and cupped his chin, stopping the waltz.

"Do these adjustments consist of killing me?"

"Of course not. If they did, you'd already be dead."

"What do they consist of, then?"

"Let's just say…" Cheshire let go of his chin before smiling darkly at him. "that you'll see the light."

The dance picked up once more, but this time it left Roy with a pit of dread settling into his stomach.