The Universe's Mixer

It was another beautiful day in the City. Actually, almost every day had the same perfect weather, but Dinah didn't want to think about that right now. She also didn't want to think about the fact that Bruce was gone and they still hadn't Fred or the gigantic frog that could be Fred. No, what she needed was a walk to clear her head. Maybe she was even hoping that she'd spot a certain gigantic frog in the park. It couldn't hurt after all.

Instead, she passed by a woman with a group of dogs and something very strange happened. Dinah wasn't really sure what happened because it was like something came over her, but before she knew it, she had two of those dogs attached to her by a leash. She looked down at the cuff that had attached itself to her wrist and tugged at it. There had to be some mistake here, didn't there? When she realized that she couldn't detach the cuff/leash combo from her wrist, she looked over at the apparent owner of the dogs in some confusion.

"I'm sorry, but I seem to have gotten attached to some of your dogs."

There was a question in her voice, but a lack of suspicion. While anything was possible, including this woman being the cause of her getting attached to two rambunctious dogs, it was just as likely that the City was behind it.

And speaking of the City... Dinah spotted a piece of paper taped to a bench. She was fairly sure that paper hadn't been there before. She moved a little closer and read out loud: "One time you could have a sip of Blood in one corner and talk about ending a few leeches at another. Now you have to make a trip to two places. Try to combine them for one last great night, just don't get (un)dead."

She looked over at the woman, eyebrow quirked.

"I don't suppose you'd know anything about this?"

Dean was reluctant to let Sam go, but his little brother's logic made sense. They needed to find Fred or whatever had hurt her; he had to. He sighed softly as he got into the Impala and pulled out his phone to get a little help from his main squeeze. He knew she wasn't a fan of computers, but he didn't think Dinah would hold back helping him for a friend.

"Pick up, Dinah." It was a habit, talking to the phone and the person on the other end as if anything or one could hear him. He started up the car, hit speaker, and started driving toward the Clock Tower where he'd seen it last.

He continued driving, hoping that it wouldn't take long for the superhero that was his girlfriend to pick up. They'd find Fred; they'd save her. Dean wasn't letting one of his friends disappear again.

Once the planning was underway for her new costume, Dinah knew that it was time to go home and explain things to Dean. She wanted to check on Zoe too, but she couldn’t keep this secret any longer than she already had. It wasn’t that she’d intended to keep the fact that she’d had to have the Hulk come and help her dodge bullets. It was just that she’d wanted to do something about it before she told Dean. She knew that he wanted her safe and she wanted to be able to show him that she was doing the best she could. She also really didn’t want him to worry. Sure, she knew that that sort of thing came with the territory, but at the very least she didn’t want him worrying more than necessary.

She let herself into their apartment and looked around to see if the man in question was home just yet. The apartment itself wasn’t quite as festive as the previous year, though she had made sure that they had a tree. She’d been cautious about putting up much else in the way of decorations because last year she’d been overcompensating in an attempt to keep her mind off Jake’s absence. And it had backfired, really. Taking everything down after Dean had decided to go off hunting hadn’t been that much fun.

She couldn’t help but worry that this year might be a repeat of the last year. Then again, he’d returned not too long after and that had been the first time they’d actually exchanged ‘I love yous’ so it hadn’t been all that bad in the end. Still, she hoped that this conversation went better than the reveal about her talk with Eric.

( We wish you a merry threadmas... )

Dinah had seen the news. Oh, she'd seen it all right. She wanted to go out and find something to pummel, but she knew that wouldn't bring anyone back. Unless she could find a way to make the City human again and pummel it.

"Is this what you think is acceptable?" she asked angrily as she headed down to her bike. "Do you really think that we're just going to sit idly by while you feed on whichever of us you feel like?"

She was angry but she also knew that just shouting at the City or finding a bad guy to beat up on wouldn't help. For now, she needed to keep moving forward and she needed to be productive. Currently, that meant trying to get her new costume worked out. She hadn't told Dean yet about the close call or the rescue from the Hulk. She would tell him, but she wanted to be able to tell him that she was already working on a solution.

She dropped by Fred's apartment and rang the buzzer, hoping that Fred was there. She supposed that she should have called first but she'd just needed to start driving. If Fred wasn't there, she would just head over to Stark tower and talk to Bruce. She just needed to be moving, needed to be doing something.

After weeks of watching a warehouse where criminal activity was suspected, Dinah finally got a break. Unfortunately, with obtaining visual evidence that there was mass production of illegal weapons going on, she also ended up drawing some gunfire. The Canary was many things as a superhero, but bulletproof was not one of them. This was one of those times when having backup would have gone a long way. She could manage on her own most of the time, but there were times when she missed working in a team.

She crouched behind the pillar of a building as bullets whizzed by on all sides. She was out of sight and shielded for now, but it wouldn't be long before they found her hiding spot. A canary cry might take out some of them but she'd be putting herself in the line of fire to even direct it. So for now, she thought of exactly the best way to call for help.

She was wearing the watch Bruce had given her and there was a chance that the scientist could get some help to her in some form or another. She certainly wouldn't have said no to a certain Ironman at the moment. She considered calling Dean on her comm, but she was worried that she'd just be drawing him into a situation where he'd end up risking her life.

So Bruce it was. She pushed the button on the watch and hoped for the best. She wasn't sure if it had a speaker or if it just sent up an alert so she put the watch up to her face. "Bruce, if you're there... help."

When things were going to settle down was a time Bruce could only hope for. Not that his life had really ever run smoothly, even since his childhood which had started off extremely rocky, until now with his marriage and life in the City. If asked about his life now, Bruce probably would've claimed that he wouldn't change the way it was which was true. He wouldn't. He liked the life he was leading. It was actually pretty fulfilling for what it was and had become. He just wished it had more peace in it.

If it wasn't one thing it was something else. He didn't have time to be out on the street either keeping an eye on what his family was up to, meaning the things Edward was getting into and keeping track of Effie.

But when the call had come this time from the City jail, all Bruce could do was sigh, listen to the charges and be both annoyed with and proud of Effie at the same time. He was glad she had the guts to turn herself in to the police for her crimes, but she was just starting to adjust to life...this new chance she had been given and now she wasn't going to be back home for who knew how long. Again.

It was frustrating to say the least but the scientist was determined.

Bruce had called Dinah Lance, a friend he knew that kept an eye on his beloved, and they had agreed to meet at the City Park. Not that they had to meet in public, but it was safer for both of them should his emotions spike. Annie was at the Tower and an outbreak there would be very bad.

So that was how Bruce found himself sitting on one of the vacant swings in the even emptier playground. Dusk was settling around the park, but Bruce didn't mind. The autumn chill tried to hold on to him but his coat deterred any breeze from getting to the sensitive skin. He breathed out a fog of air and hoped Effie would be home for Christmas. The Violetta murders were a pretty big ordeal to claim to have done. And Bruce wasn't seeing any end in sight save for her incarceration in Blackgate. Jail wasn't where Effie needed to be. She needed to be home, but he couldn't make her do what she didn't feel was right in her heart. He had to trust she had turned herself in for a good reason.

This was what it was like when one started to become morally grey. And Bruce hated it.

Dean went home with his treasured booty. He took the time to grind and brew it up; it was quickly poured into a thermos. He headed out the door with one other destination in mind before heading to his final one.

He got yet another bag that made him more than a little happy. It smelled so good. And soon, he was on his way to the correct destination. He had a few places in mind. He touched the ring Dinah had given him, just a light nudge. He wasn’t in trouble, so he wouldn’t activate it; he didn’t want to frighten her.

Instead he used his brain. He knew where she liked to perch, and soon he was standing at the foot of one of the buildings. Pulling his own comm link from his pocket, he sent a signal to her and waited. If he wasn’t in the right place, he would be eventually.

( ---- )

There weren't people here that Dexter had to fake it for. He had his job, and he had to put a good front up for them, but other than that, he was alone. He had not discovered anybody within the City that he had known prior other than Red. Red was only going to continue to encourage him toward the darkness, and more and more, Dexter was beginning to think that she was right.

He had desperately hoped that he might find George. George had been perfect at keeping him in an even keel. She knew what he was, and what he did, and she didn't judge him for it, but she kept him on the right path. He had found he wanted her to look at him and see a guy who was helping, killing for the greater good. But there was no George. There was also no Selina. He had something of a strange relationship with her. He hadn't really known what to do with her, but she had been a friend. And knowing she was out there had helped. There was no Deb. There was no Betty. There was no Angel or Masuka. And there was no Harry.

The threads keeping him together, keeping him a well hidden monster, were coming unraveled.

Only one project kept him in focus, and it wasn't anything he could work on consistently. He knew that he wanted to track down Effie. He knew that he needed to put an end to her. She had lied. She had escaped. She was now free to torment the City. He should have put an end to her when he had the chance, and he was kicking himself for thinking that she was actually going to try to be good.

But she was nowhere to be found.

He had not hunted in too long. Effie had mentioned something about bigger fish, and Dexter had given consideration to tracking them down, to ending them, but the need to finish what he'd already started stood in his way. Until Effie was gone, he couldn't turn his focus elsewhere.

The frustration in him was quite high.

Dexter sat at an outside table at a little coffee shop, a cup circled by his hands, but he wasn't drinking it, just staring into it like it had all the answers he wanted.

After her talk with Jonathan, Dinah couldn't get Enigma off her mind. She was concerned for the girl and even concerned for her father. Did she strongly dislike the Riddle? Absolutely. That didn't mean she wanted to see him dead. Behind bars and maybe even beaten to a bloody pulp, but not murdered. That wasn't justice.

She went looking for the pair and her first stop was Stark Tower. She knew that Bruce lived and worked there and if nothing else, he might know where his wife was. Dinah certainly hoped he did, because she could only imagine how crazy he must be going if she was missing.

She wasn't overly happy that Enigma had managed to break out of jail without due process, but that could be dealt with after she made sure the redhead was safe.

Even superheroes sometimes got sick. Dinah wasn’t suffering from the plague by any means, but she was definitely coming down with something. She felt achy and a little sniffly and she really wanted to find some sort of medicine to nip this in the bud before it got worse. And preferably before the germs spread to Dean. Sure, she could have asked him to come and pick up medicine for her but she wanted to take care of this on her own. Besides, she didn’t know exactly what she wanted to take but was pretty sure she’d know it when she saw it. She wandered through the cold and flu aisle, going over every single product twice and trying to find some sort of miracle cure. Or something along those lines.

After all, who had time to be sick? There was a City to look after, a flower shop needing her attention, and not to mention that if she had to take time off from those things, she could think of quite a few ways that she’d rather spend that time and none of those involved being half-lucid on the couch while watching really bad TV.

( Because everyone needs drugs! )

Fred hadn't headed right in to the building. She couldn't; it didn't seem right. She could have done it without upsetting anyone, but she didn't. She just stood there with a bag in one hand and a cup carrier in the other. Four cups of what had to be coffee set in the carrier; she thought this was a good way to thank Dinah, as well as the two fellows along with her. Dinah had warned Fred that Sam would be coming along. Fred didn't know if Sam was prepared to see her or not. She'd suspect so.

"Dinah, I need to use the computers to link up to the City and figure out what's wrong with it? I promise you'll be able to use it later. Probably. I'll figure out a way to fix it. Probably." Her brows furrowed as she worked on the way to ask permission to possibly cannibalize the Clock Tower's computers. She didn't want to do that, but there was a possibility, wasn't it?

The brainy female shifted her weight back and forth as she waited. There was a queasy feeling in her stomach. Sam was going to be there. She was going to ask for something awful without having a real idea of what might have to happen. She looked around and stood a little straighter as the Impala came around the corner.

She hadn't gotten much sleep, but she'd hopefully gotten enough to not look completely out of it.

Sam might have been happy to camp out in the Men of Letters bunker for months discovering all of the secrets within. They'd started out slowly, just in case there were traps. Room by room and so far each room was a marvel. The least exciting place was of course the dormitories and Sam had almost immediately started to move his things in there. The other apartment might have belong to a Sam, but it had never felt like his. He'd dropped into it just like he'd dropped into a life with people who had interacted with the other version of himself. The version that had never lost his soul, never hurt people that he shouldn't have.

In spite of his desire to just hole up in the bunker, life on the outside continued. There were still things to be hunted, still people to be helped. This was a small way to try to atone for the things he'd done.

Currently, they were traipsing through an old house in search of a potential ghost. Of course Dean had called him in on it but there was an extra body involved in this hunt. Sam liked Dinah, but that didn't mean that he was thrilled with the fact that he'd suddenly become the third wheel to what he could only term was the least romantic date ever.

He pulled ahead just a bit and waited for Dean to catch up with him, hoping that they were out of earshot of the superheroine.

"Dean," he said in a furtive whisper. "What is she doing here?"

After all, ghosts weren't exactly in the Black Canary's wheelhouse. She didn't even have a gun. She had a container of salt, but that was about it. Even Jo had been better equipped on their first outing.

Dinah wanted to help River. She still felt a great deal of guilt over not apprehending Poison Ivy while the ecoterrorist was still in the City. There had been a lot going on around the time that Ivy had showed up, but still... Dinah had been the only one in town who had experience with the redhead with a penchant for mind control and she hadn't done anything to stop the woman. As a result, a man was dead and another young woman was looking at potential life in prison for the crime.

Helping River wouldn't bring the park ranger back from the dead, but it was still a way of doing penance for letting Ivy slip through her fingers. After the meeting, Dinah had called Lindsey to set up a meeting of their own so she could discuss the ways in which she might be able to help with the case. She'd even pulled a few files on Ivy off the Clocktower's computer system-and yes, she'd managed that on her own for once.

Since the meeting itself ran the risk of being rather serious, Dinah had suggested that they grab a drink while they discussed it. There was only one bar in town that felt truly safe and so Caritas it was. Besides, Dinah hadn't seen Lorne in ages and she couldn't help but wonder how the green-skinned bartender was doing these days. He'd been one of the first people she'd met in the City and he'd certainly shown her kindness. Besides, she'd liked him pretty much from the start.

She'd suggested mid-afternoon so that hopefully it would be Lindsey's last meeting of the day yet they wouldn't be competing with the happy hour or later crowd. Once inside the bar, she grabbed a seat and kept her eyes out for a certain blond lawyer.

Life very rarely slowed down for Dean and Dinah. She'd given him gift certificates for couples' cooking lessons for Christmas. Her intentions had been good. After all, she burned just about everything she tried to cook. And though he said he didn't mind that they lived on take-out, she'd thought that a lesson or two might be fun for an outing for them.

She just hadn't expected over half a year to pass before they finally used them.

Even now, there was a lot going on and taking a night out seemed like something that probably wasn't the best idea. Even so, Dinah firmly believed that even superheroes and hunters needed a night off sometimes. Which was why she'd all but insisted that they put aside their current worries (barring the City being on the verge of destruction, of course) and go to a cooking class together.

They'd even managed to make a meal together that was... well, a little better than edible. It wasn't too bad at all, actually. Nothing had been burned and perhaps that was because Dinah had been determined to live in the moment for the night. To truly be present and not thinking about the dozen or so things that probably needed her attention.

Small doggie bag of leftovers in hand, Dinah smiled as she took Dean's hand and started to walk toward the Impala.

Dinah hadn't acted right away after her encounter with the blonde vampire who claimed to be covered under the truce with Eric. It wasn't that she was ready to let that slide, but she didn't want simply react. She wanted to take her time to think the situation over and go in with a clear head and a game plan. This wasn't going to be like when he'd blindsided her while she was Christmas shopping.

She also knew that she needed to talk to Dean. Whatever step she took next needed to be something they both agreed on.

On the night that she'd chosen to talk to Dean, she beat him home. She even had dinner ready. Take-out Chinese, since that would probably be more conducive to coming up with a plan of action than her cooking.

It was perhaps funny and sad that almost half a year after she'd given Dean the gift certificate for them to take a few sessions of a cooking class together and they still hadn't made it to do that. It seemed like this year had yet to have any downtime for either of them.

She waited in the kitchen, stealing a few nibbles from the egg rolls as she hoped that Dean came home soon. It was long past any normal dinner time, but they usually had dinner together later at night when she came home from patrol and he from any hunts he might be doing. So this was the 'normal' for them at least.

Dinah hadn't given much thought to Poison Ivy lately. The botanist turned eco-terrorist seemed to have disappeared from the City ages ago. After the phone call she received from Lindsey, it would seem that Ivy had left destruction in her wake. She would need to speak to Lindsey's client to be certain, but it certainly sounded like Ivy's M.O. The victim had been cutting down a tree near the park when River had killed him.

Dinah regretted the man's death, but she also didn't want to see someone go down for a crime that she'd committed under Ivy's influence. She would hate to see two lives ruined because of Ivy's skewed morals.

She'd had Lindsey arrange the meeting and at the scheduled time, made her way to the hotel that River was supposed to be staying in. She checked in with the front desk and got directions to the room in question. Once she got the approval, she headed upstairs and knocked on the door.

There were rules. Rules that kept the small vampire from misbehaving. Rules and spells really. They made sure the petite blond did nothing bad to the silly humans, especially the hunters. Of course, when they were outside the bar, far from the bar, nowhere near the bar, that was another story.

There had been a hunter who had seen fit to come after her and a possible playmate, outside the bar. As they were outside the bar, the hunter felt that he could attack. That or he was simply too stupid to realize that if he did not down the vampire and do it without anyone else knowing who had done it, he was going to be killed by said vampire's hand - somehow. He might have had a death wish.

Though, as she followed the idiot from the bar, slipping through the shadows with ease, she began to wonder if perhaps there weren't a better punishment. Turn the moron into a fangbanger? Her smile pulled even more as she did so like this idea.

Pam was about to make a man wish he had been killed the night he had been born. There was nothing like self-loathing to ruin a person's life.

"You really should have finished the job." She said softly as she moved quickly to catch the hunter's hand in a vice like grip and lead him to a near-by alley. "It would have saved you so much misery."

Enigma winced as her leg almost hit a shard of broken glass, resting back against Marcus who was there in an instant, before lifting the leg and flipping backwards, over the man, landing lightly on her feet. She checked her leg, giving a sigh. “I’ve been out of practice,” she muttered, before moving past the three men she had brought with her, slamming her cane down on a jewelry case.

She stared down at the shiny gemstones, gloved hand hesitating for a moment before she grabbed the long strands of diamonds, stuffing them into the bag at her hip. She had made a promise to her father, and she intended to fulfill it....even as it hurt the part of her that was trying desperately to do the right thing for Bruce...for Tony..for everyone who had given her a chance.

Her father had always come first in her life.

As she moved around the small shop, she didn’t see the faint blinking red light, the silent alarm that she had missed the first go round, and was now calling for help.

( Capturing An Enigma )

Dean made sure Sam was comfortable. He also made sure that the weird basket from Fred had been set to the side, almost hidden. It was a basket full of waffle related items: batters, preserves, whipped cream, syrups, even little pitchers and dishes. No waffle iron, but when he was putting things away, the older Winchester found the waffle irons; he didn’t think too hard about that one, just chalked it up to the City. He really hoped whatever version of his brother that had lived here before the current one...he hoped that Sam hadn’t shared a weird waffle fetish with the brainy loon.

The basket had come with a card, and wanting to see if it was safe or not, Dean had read it. So, I heard you got your soul back... Dean stopped right there and shoved the card in a drawer with cooking utensils, not thinking Sam would go looking through those drawers anytime soon.

“Okay, Sammy, I’m heading out for a bit. Call if you need anything.” He didn’t go kiss the guy on the top of his head, nor did he pat him on the shoulder. He just gave Sam a wave and headed out. He had a plan.

( ---- )

There was finally a lull in the seemingly nonstop action over the last few months. The Sherwood Florist had stayed open, but Dinah hadn’t had much time to actually work full days at the shop. She was glad that she had a rare day where she could drop by work and spend the day doing something that almost resembled normal. She was worried about how Dean and Sam were both coping in the aftermath of Sam getting his soul back, but she believed that the best thing she could do right now was give the two space.

Thus, time to work. The shop was buzzing with early orders for Mother’s day and the usual business. It seemed like everyone wanted flowers this week, which was good for business. There was something so cathartic about creating floral arrangements that would be used to express love, affection, or simply to beautify someone’s home or special event. This wasn’t just her cover story, but a job that she loved and Dinah was happy to throw herself back into it for now.

Once she’d done some of her arrangements, she thumbed through the appointment book and spotted a familiar name. She winced as she remembered the wedding invitation that she hadn’t yet RSVPed to. She really needed to talk to Enigma, though she still wasn’t sure how to react to the fact that the tip she’d followed from the younger woman had led to a less than pleasant confrontation with The Riddler. She didn’t know what Enigma’s part was in that and if she’d purposely sent Dinah into a trap or if it had just been coincidence, and Dinah had yet had the chance to figure out how to react to that and how to get the truth.

She supposed that this appointment would be as good of a time as any.

( The request )