Reality Crisis

Reality was falling apart again. Bruce hadn't been sure how you were supposed to fix something like that but other than the rains of strange animals he had thought the world was stable. When part of the cave vanished making parts of the rest of it cave in he'd found out differently. He'd taken the time to pack up what he could take and headed for answers. People were missing. Some might be gone forever and he hadn't been able to find Dinah right away.

It highlighted to him that she'd become a more important part of his world than he'd admitted. The idea of being without her now if she'd disappeared made him shut down into full Batman mode. Of course only someone like Dinah would probably know the difference. There was too much to do to spend all his time looking for her as everyone packed up to move. If Dinah wasn't gone they'd find each other. If she was...well he'd work alone. It wouldn't be the first time.

The first night they stopped groups were slowly joining up to each other. They all traveled at different rates since they were various abilities and carrying different things. Bruce just took his things and went to scout and guard the perimeters without being asked. He'd cooperate and get people there but he wasn't working for any of the big fish in charge of the various groups.

Dinah still hadn't found Bruce. Upon returning to the cave, she'd found half of it missing and she'd had a long moment where she was sure he was gone. Yet, she couldn't convince herself to stop looking. Not just yet. Bruce was always on the move and it was just as likely that he'd be checking on others and helping where he was needed. If he was still here, she could only think of how he'd feel when he found part of their base of operations and the place that was as close to a home as one could get in this world-when he found it missing.

Since she'd checked Sanctuary, she headed to die Festung to see if maybe the Bat was there. He wasn't, though she was there for Belia's meeting. For the news that everyone-from die Festung to Sanctuary to New Troy-was packing up and heading to hopefully safer ground. She also managed to spot some of the people that she cared about who were still in die Festung, to confirm that they were still in this world.

She needed to find Bruce even more now, but she also needed to do what she could to prepare to leave. If she could track down Clark, perhaps she could get him to find Bruce and make sure that he didn't get left behind.

She headed back to the cave to get the supplies that hadn't been obliterated and then she headed toward Sanctuary. Upon asking around, she discovered that at least Bruce had been spotted at the meeting held by Erik. That soothed her for the time being and made it easier to focus on shuttling supplies back and forth using her ATV and helping with the preparations for the move as she could. She just hoped that this entire area could hold it together until the next morning when they'd all head out.

Dinah couldn't remember when she'd last slept. Ever since people and buildings disappeared, she'd been running. A day, possibly longer? There'd been some night hours in there, she knew that. Not that it mattered. Her muscles were weary but she couldn't stop until she figured out who else was missing, or until she found those who were gone. The hut that she'd once shared with Enigma was gone. Enigma and Damon were nowhere to be found.

Neither was Bruce but the cave was still there and Dinah just had to hope that he was out helping. Of course, it was what he'd be doing if he was still here. She just had to hold onto the hope that he wasn't gone too.

She hadn't been able to bring herself to visit die Festung yet. She was helping as she could in Sanctuary and keeping an eye out for anyone that she knew. She also needed to find Kate, who'd gotten here just before things went crazy. Again. Then again, when weren't things falling apart?

They all needed to do something bigger right now. They couldn't keep putting out fires. They had to find out the source and put a stop to whatever was eating away at this world once and for all.

And then what? Then what, indeed. Could they find a way home? Or would they stay and help rebuild? Dinah wasn't sure she could leave even if they did find a way home. She certainly couldn't turn her back on these people who needed help, even if she might be needed at home too.

It wasn't a decision she had to make just yet though. Perhaps not ever. So for now, she searched and hoped.

OOC: Only just slightly pre-event.

They'd left early, just as the sun warmed the cooling fall sky. Arm in arm at first, Leeloo and Eric headed out toward Sanctuary from the safety of the walls of die Festung. There would be more training today with Dinah, more to learn about each other and how they could best work together.

This time, she and he went more quietly, and there were no monsters to defeat during the journey. But there'd been quite a lot of talk, and Leeloo was smiling warmly by the time they entered Sanctuary.

It was mid-day, Leeloo was starving, but still grinning ear-to-ear. She'd just flopped down on the ground beside Eric to munch a sandwich and wait for their trainer. The day was beautiful.

Back home, taking a walk was a good way to clear her head. It was the same in this world but instead of possibly finding a bank robber to stop, taking a walk almost always meant running into a pack of Netvors or some other threat. That was good for keeping her mind off things, even if there were some things that she really needed to start figuring out. Like that future glimpse and how she'd gotten from who she was now to someone who would take a life with her bare hands.

Then again, Bruce had a point that trying to prevent that future might just push her closer to it or might make things much worse. The possibilities were endless and Dinah didn't like it. Hence the need for distraction. Not to mention trying not to think about the fact that women with romantic ties to Bruce-sort of-kept showing up here.

Tonight's distraction arrived almost on schedule. Just as her thoughts had reached that point where they were just chasing each around in circles, she heard the sound of a car. There weren't many cars driving out in the wilds of the mostly destroyed city with its decaying roads an buildings. And there definitely weren't many blue convertibles that looked that well kept up. Which meant a new arrival, most likely.

Dinah took off running toward the car, prepared to run headlong into the group of Netvors that were almost keeping pace with it if she had to.

( Not that archer... )

Dinah visited Sanctuary again a few days after her talk with Enigma and her meeting with Eric. She'd made a promise to herself to be more social and so she was back again, doing what she could to help the people in the area. Currently, she'd taken a break for lunch. She had one of the mystery meat sandwiches in hand as she wandered through the small city.

Even with the grim circumstances facing them all, there was still laughter in Eric's village. Children played and ran through the streets, people shared meals and drinks and swapped stories. There were also whispers of rumors and assumptions and always a bit of a buzz when someone new arrived. Maybe not quite as much as there would have been in die Festung, but people couldn't help but chat among themselves whenever there was a suspected new addition to the town. Dinah caught snatches here and there, but mostly tuned them out. It could just as easily have been someone fleeing die Festung or New Troy. There was no telling these days.

She stopped to chat with a few of the townspeople and then found a place to have her lunch in the makeshift town square amid the metal buildings, near the hut that Erik used for meetings. The ground wasn't soft, but it worked well enough to take a seat while she ate. Dinah's eyes watched as people walked by, some rushing and others taking a slower pace. People-watching was something she didn't get a chance to do much and it was as much getting a feel for the city that she was growing rather fond of as it was watching for any potential threats. That last part was so ingrained in her after years of crimefighting. It was as natural as breathing to keep an eye out, just in case.

After receiving the good news from Enigma, Dinah thought it was best to stick around Sanctuary for a bit. She still felt a need to atone for her bout of indifference when the people of die Festung had needed help the most. There wasn't as much damage in Sanctuary, but she wandered around and found a few people in need of help. Small things, but she was trying.

She had other things on her mind too. She still hadn't found any answers about the possible future that she and Bruce had seen. And she felt like she'd been here for ages and still hadn't found a significant way to help this world with whatever was causing all of these disasters and moving it towards the potential end.

She felt like she was just spinning her wheels, putting out fires as they came along instead of being proactive and trying to do something. If the prophecy was right, she was supposed to be able to do something to help.

The walk helped to clear her head a bit, even if she didn't have any answers yet. She would just have to keep trying.

Fred's wedding had passed quickly and while there had been worries about an incident, nobody had gotten hurt. As far as Dinah was considered, a wedding without bloodshed was a good thing. Fred and Sam were clearly in love with each other and she believed that this world could use a little (or a lot) more love.

Once they'd made it back to Sanctuary, Dinah set off in search of Enigma. She was worried about the vampire for more reasons than one. Aside from being worried about how Enigma had fared in the earthquakes, Dinah knew that there would be temptations in the aftermath. So many people who were wounded and lost, people who might seem like easy prey.

She stopped by the hut first, hoping she'd get lucky and find the redhead without too much hunting. She was tired and wouldn't be able to sleep until she knew that Enigma was safe and the people of Sanctuary were also safe.

( Must be something in the water )

Thankfully nothing came of the rustling. Fred would never say it, but she certainly thought it: something had been out there, but it seemed to be respectful of the moment. At least that moment anyway. No one stuck around to see if there was really something to fight.

Fred didn't force anyone to come to the party the brief yet very important ceremony - important to her anyway. She did mention that everyone was invited to come to a small reception back in the small town. Belia had been nice enough to give some local wine she'd been keeping; she understood as much as anyone that a wedding was a step in healing, even if it was a wedding among the Chosen. Dean had found a few bottles of hooch that wouldn't kill anyone's stomach, probably.

Fred hadn't mentioned that the card with the bottles of wine had also said something about the future, heavily implying children. While she thought Sam would have beautiful children, she wasn't ready for whatever large creature he would spawn inside her. The thought about it actually made her laugh and wince; she knew a good bit of his past after all.

She'd gotten a few donations of food and sweets to fill the stomachs of any guests. She didn't mind if anyone came from off the street. She'd even found a stringed instrument that looked like a guitar and someone to play it! So, it wasn't overly fancy or big, but it would do.

Now all the party needed was party people. She hoped people came and enjoyed themselves.

Back home, weddings might have taken months of planning and putting things together. Sam didn't much care for the idea of waiting. Not in a world that could just as easily rain death on you at a moment's notice. He loved Fred and he wanted to marry her.

She'd asked for a wedding in the fairy forest and while Sam didn't love that idea, she had a point about getting married somewhere that still looked alive and mostly untouched by the devastation that was everywhere you looked in this world.

They weren't too far in the forest. Just far enough in that they couldn't see the ruins, but not so far that they were in the very heart of faerie territory.

Sam had managed to scrounge up clean clothes that were nicer than his every day clothes. He hadn't found a suit, but he did have a nice button-up shirt, a jacket, and some slacks. Some of the locals had been excited to give clothes that had long since been forgotten in closets because they weren't practical. Weddings were a happy occasion and die Festung didn't get to see enough happiness.

Sam thought it was nice that even amidst all of the destruction, life still went on. That was why this day was important. Even if legal marriages weren't a thing anymore. Even if this was a symbolic ceremony, it was still important.

He loved Fred and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Even if the rest of his life was only a few more days or years, and even if it might be decades. He thought that it was important to stop and acknowledge that and celebrate it. Because this was the sort of thing that made it all worth fighting for.

Sam tugged at his collar as he stood in between Dean and Cas and waited for Fred to make her appearance. There was a little case of nerves as he worried that maybe the bride would have second thoughts and wouldn't show. He did his best to dismiss that paranoia and watched the small opening in the trees for any sign of his future bride.

Somewhere in between helping people get out of buildings and whatever else needed to be done, Dinah had stopped caring whether or not she got anyone else out safely. She also wasn't worrying about Bruce or Enigma or anyone else that she'd been worried about previously.

It was a nice break from the concern that was a default setting with her. She didn't stop much to think about the change in attitude, save to wonder why she hadn't found the secret to chilling out earlier. She even had a small smile as she picked through the wreckage in search of something fun. The quaking seemed to have stopped hours ago and people were still running around like chickens with their heads cut off. There was some buzz about the hole in the wall, but Dinah didn't see what the fuss was about for that either. Someone would fix it eventually and until then, maybe it would just be a little exercise in natural selection.

She finally found what she was looking for in a bar that had mostly survived the earthquakes and falling debris. It was a low slung, one story building and there were a few cracks in the wall but it looked otherwise stable.

It was also unmanned so Dinah helped herself to a bottle of the finest swill she could find and a few of the nondescript loaves of grains that were behind the bar. She settled into one of the chairs at the bar and propped her feet up on yet another nearby chair.

She certainly couldn't complain about having the place to herself, could she?

Dinah hadn't seen much of anyone lately, besides Bruce. Even Bruce... well, he was Bruce. There were days when they occupied the same space and yet felt worlds apart. She was starting to get used to that and she accepted that it was part of who he was. Maybe with time, it would change. Or maybe not.

There were days when she needed the space as much as he did. She was still trying to make sense of the vision of a future that she still didn't understand or want. Trying to figure out ways to avoid it. And she couldn't help reflecting on what this world had already changed about her.

Not that it was all bad. It certainly wasn't. There were good things about this world. Good things about the Bruce that had landed in this world.

But for today, she needed to get out and reconnect with some of the others. Clark especially. If anyone could keep an eye out and keep her from stepping too far over the line that shouldn't be crossed, it was Clark.

She had some idea about his usual routes thanks to Bruce's need to keep tabs on everyone. But mostly, she just started to head in the direction of die Festung in the hopes that she would run into a certain Kryptonian.

For now, things were quiet and tranquil. If she had any clue as to what was to come, perhaps she would have stayed closer to the cave or perhaps she still would have headed toward the nearest settlement to help as she could.

Dinah knew that they would need to talk to Erik soon, but she needed a little time to think on her own first. She had a lot to think over. From what to do if Erik kicked Enigma out of Sanctuary to the glimpse she'd had of the future to Selina showing up and setting her sights on Bruce.

A walk could be dangerous in this world, but Dinah needed to risk it. She needed the chance to get out and clear her head. She usually gravitated toward people, but there were times when even she needed her space to think. This was one of those times.

She set out in the morning with a backpack filled with survival supplies, including a large knife to use if she encountered any of the Netvors. Her senses were on high alert as she kept her eyes out for anything that could be a threat-Bane included.

They had seen something or been somewhere different and Bruce didn't understand what they'd seen or where they'd been. It would help if he could at least decide if they'd actually been there or if they had just seen it. There wasn't any way to track if they'd lost time or left the location though since there wasn't anything like security cameras to check and there hadn't been anyone else in the room.

For now it was safer to retreat to the cave and talk it over. Neither he or Dinah said much on the way back which either meant he was rubbing off on her or she had something to say she didn't think he'd want to hear.

On his end he was just thinking too hard about the flash and not enough about the conversation with Lehnsherr. He should be thinking about both but he was fairly sure that the man hadn't been lying and he didn't think he had a lot to worry about with Bane attacking Lehnsherr. It would be very hard to get past someone that paranoids guard.

Once they were back at the cave and everything checked out he put water on to boil so they could at least have something hot to drink.

After the talk with Selina, Dinah and Bruce had finally made it to Sanctuary and requested an audience with Erik. Dinah was tense at the idea of walking into territory that housed the man who had done so much damage to two different Bruces that she knew by now. Any feelings brought up by Selina's arrival were shelved as she focused on keeping her eyes open for any sign of Bane or Scarecrow or anyone else that might pose a threat. She stayed close as they walked through the small town and didn't move away once they were inside alone with Erik. She had her reservations about the man who ran Sanctuary, but that was just heightened now in the face of whom he was allowing to live there. She still saw good in him, particularly in the way he cared for his people and in the fact that he'd been willing to give them a place to stay. That wouldn't be forgotten. And that was the main reason why she thought it was best to see if he knew who Bane was and what he was capable of.

They didn't get much past the niceties of greeting each other before something seemed to happen. Suddenly the room shifted and she was somewhere else entirely, with her brain struggling to keep up.

It appeared to have been a parking garage once, though the cars that were left were vandalized, rusting, and some were buried in ivy or some other plant type growth.

There was something cold and metal in her hands and the coppery smell of blood was thick in the air. Worse still, Dinah looked down and realized she was standing over someone who had bled out from a wound in his chest. She raised her now-shaking hand and realized that the weight in it was a bloodied knife.

What she didn't see was the scar that ran down one side of her face. She also didn't immediately notice the scars on her arms, or the fact that she was dressed in a tank top and light cotton pants instead of bundled up for winter weather. None of that mattered. Not when she couldn't fight the feeling that the man at her feet was dead because of her.

Bruce was healed thanks to Peter, but that didn't stop Dinah from sneaking peeks at him as they walked to Sanctuary. She just couldn't get the image of him bleeding, bruised, and broken out of her mind. She knew that this might be a suicide mission, but they needed to talk to Erik and see if the leader of Sanctuary knew who exactly he was housing. They also needed to give him a heads-up about Enigma and Damon being vampires.

Dinah wasn't exactly looking forward to that conversation. She still had to tell Bruce too, come to think of it. There had been so much that had happened since Enigma's change that it had just slipped through the cracks.

"Bruce, there's something that you need to know about Enigma," she said by way of opening the conversation.

Now was as good a time as any, she supposed.

Dinah wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Bruce felt badly enough to let her got to Peter or if she was concerned about that. She hated the idea of leaving him, but there was no other choice. They really did need to get some sort of communication system in place. She'd made sure that Bruce was set up on his mattress and had food, pain pills, and water within his reach.

She maneuvered her ATV carefully over the snow as she left the cave and started to head out. She still wasn't quite sure where she should check for Peter, but Sanctuary would be her first stop.

She didn't know if it would work, but she also tried calling out for Peter in her mind. He was telepathic, after all. Maybe if she just thought loudly enough in his direction.

Or maybe it was a longshot. All the same, she tried thinking his name very loudly.

Aidan had thrown his bag over the wall in order to not raise too much suspicion about his leaving. He didn't want questions asked, and he thought he might be slightly too high profile for Belia to let go of easily. His work in the hospital had surely made him known to her, so while he still hadn't met her face to face, he could feel her eyes.

It wasn't until he was outside himself that Aidan realized night might not be the best time to try to cross the ruins to get to New Troy. He'd only been once, which was a great way to get lost. Adding to that the amount of unknown creatures out there and his lack of knowledge when it came to Netvors and dog packs as to their habits at night, he found himself turning to the fae forest.

He knew there was a settlement within, Sanctuary. There was a chance he'd be able to find help within. Maybe a place to go. The idea of being so close to die Festung sat badly with him, however. Going somewhere where he might relive this entire ordeal in any way didn't appeal to him in the least, either. New Troy was where he needed to go. A place with vampires who didn't hide. A place where he would be mocked for trying to sustain human life instead of accused of taking it actually sounded good. He knew John there, and Pam. He had no idea if their sire, Eric, would accept him, but he had to try.

So the only thing to do was find a place to be for the night. He might have laughed at that, a vampire trying to bed down while the moon was up, if he'd had any trace of humor left in his body. Currently he was sitting in the numb denial phase, his brain refusing to play back the trauma of his encounter with Dean, staunchly refusing to accept that it had actually happened despite the fact that he was standing outside the wall of his home, trying to figure out where to go.

The yellow bag dangling from one hand was heavy not because of the things shoved hastily into it, but because of the meaning it carried. Aidan stood staring at it, unmoving, blanking out entirely to everything around him.

(takes place shortly after the Bruce/Bane confrontation)

The zombies were gone and still, Bruce was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't unusual for him to go off on his own for hours or sometimes days at a time. But it was unusual that he wouldn't check in at some point. Especially after something like the dead rising and declaring war. She was trying not to worry. She really was.

She decided that it was time she checked the cave. There was a good chance that he would be there. He might have lost track of time, or he might have something pressing that needed time alone to deal with. She hoped that was all it was. She didn't worry too much about interrupting whatever quiet time that Bruce might need because she felt a little like it was her job to make sure he didn't retreat too far within himself. Especially when he didn't have Alfred there to keep an eye on him and give him a little bit of company.

The snow was starting to melt so Dinah trudged through a mixture of slush and mud on her way to the cave. By the time she got there, her boots were caked in it, but she was there without incident. Knowing Bruce, he probably knew she was coming by now. If he was there. She was sure he'd set up some sort of alarms for when people were on the perimeter of the cave.

Once she'd gotten past the entry, she headed for the living quarters first.

"Bruce?"

She tried not to think about how much she really hoped to hear an answer. Tried not to think about what might be going on if he wasn't here and wasn't in Sanctuary or anywhere else she'd looked.

(Warning: Adult Content - Sexual Situations)

Enigma stretched her arms over her head, working the kind out of her back from sleeping on the cot in Dinah’s hut, before checking the bandage on her sprained wrist, sighing as she walked through the small area that made up their new home.

She was regretting agreeing to Di’s plan, finding the lack of entertainment to bore her. On the other hand, she was in close contact with one Bruce Wayne...also known as Batman, so that kind of made up for it.

In a way that totally didn’t as she was having zero luck seducing the man.

Making a face at her own thoughts, she bent backwards, attempting for a back handspring...and promptly collapsing as her injured wrist gave way. One might think her a morn for continually attempting it with the same results, but as her wrist healed, she would get more height, and thus could keep a better track on the injured limb by trying.

Plus, she was just really freaking stubborn.

--

Damon had decided that he would explore this new place that he found himself in just a little. Maybe he’d just into more of those things that himself and Faith had ended up fighting and he would be able to kick some ass. Not that he really wanted them to show up, but it was a bit of a rush fighting them and he was a little bored. He was going exploring after all.

He was making his way through the camp when he heard what sounded like someone falling over in one of the huts. He decided he would go check if the person was alright. ‘What has Elena done to me?’ he thought to himself as he made his way to the hut. There was a time he would have just laughed and walked by, but now things were different. Now he he was different.

He reached the hut. “Hey, you okay in there?” he asked, deciding against just walking in.

( Vampiric Desires )