Carter’s Girls

❝Okay, okay!❞ she laughed.

Managing to hand the empty flute off to her friend before she fully allowed herself to get dragged off towards the dance floor, it was clear Amity didn't suspect a thing. Her niece's exuberance was a bit different than usual, yes, but not enough to set off any alarm bells. She was probably just excited to be at the Gala...

Bex continued to practically drag her aunt ( with a series of twirls and laughs ) to the dance floor, slowly making their way to the other side of it. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded yet but it was rather large going from where she'd been with Sharon to Bex's goal of closer to her sister. And Dove.

"Come on! I don't want to miss this song," she said, covering smoothly for her rushed nature.

Catching Ellie's eye she turned to face her aunt again. "Here's good!" ***___***___***___***

Meanwhile across the ballroom, Dove and Val had been in conversation for some time before Ellie came trotting up and quickly escorted him from the conversation saying something about an emergency.

"Are you okay? What's going on," he began to ask as the small blonde lead him away. She waited until they were out of earshot of Val before shooting him a grin over her shoulder. "I lied."

"El," he scolded lightly as she began to drag him away from his boss further.

"What? You didn't want to be there and I want to dance with my favorite uncle!"

He sighed. There was no stopping her when she got like this. She was just like her parents. When she wanted something, she made sure she got it. And so he let himself be dragged onto the dance floor.

Currently, that blame was resting on Amity.

He knew it wasn't exactly fair of him to place that blame solely upon his friend's shoulders, but as it was currently, he was angry. So that's where it would continue to sit... For now.

His gaze was sharp as Dove moved in front of them, but when the other man gave him that small glance, it softened just a bit. Understanding that he was there to offer help to Bex, Bucky gave an almost imperceptible nod and let him get to work.

And while he wanted to get his daughter up to the medical floor as soon as possible, he also he knew that what Dove was doing would help her with the pain she was currently in... So he waited, his arm a firm presence about Bex's waist as he silently observed the exchange.

Once it was finished, he waited for Dove to take a few steps back before he gently guided Bex into the elevator. Bucky could see by Amity's body language that she was going to stay back for a moment, and honestly, that was probably for the best right now...

Reaching out carefully so as not to jostle the young girl at his side, he pressed the button for the medical floor before lifting his gaze to look at Dove. He made sure to give him a nod of appreciation as the doors of the elevator slid shut.

Slowly she began to feel the pain in her shoulder lower in level and then even in her arm which she hadn't mentioned yet. Knowing Amity, her mom and the others probably knew at least a general gist of her wounds but since her broken arm wasn't as easily visible like the gunshot wound she was pleased to feel Dove working his magic on it as well. Listening to his calming voice, Bex tried to keep from letting her eyes slide closed as the pure relief from the pain caused her to slowly sink more into Bucky's hold.

dialogue prompts from the fourth season of the cw's superman & lois.

i just try not to give into the fear. it's sort of how i'm built, i guess.

i'll answer any questions you have.

why tell me now?

i love you. there's no one else for me.

we just got married. i'm not ready to be a widow.

kind of goes with being in love. you worry.

you're stuck with me. forever.

was any of it real?

i take it you know who i am.

i let my guard down. made myself an easy target.

we're going to get through this like we always have: as a family.

i can't just sit around here all day and do nothing.

when you make an enemy, you have to commit.

the next time you come after me, you'd better be ready to kill me.

you've never been that nice to anyone in your whole life.

i'm your _____. i know you. i know you're up to something.

it's hard seeing you like this.

you never let me down. not once.

can you ever truly explain how much a person meant to you? is it even possible?

every day, you remind me more of _____.

it kills me to see you like this.

you anywhere near okay?

it'll fade, love always does.

all i need to know is that you've got my back.

i can't convince you to walk away, can i?

i know how scary this is for you.

i'll always be brave for you. always.

i promised ____ i would be brave.

we have to have hope.

looks like my time's about to run out.

you're the best thing that ever happened to me.

you have always been my north star.

you were always my hero.

everybody loves weddings.

we need some joy.

am i just never gonna be what i was?

why are you hiding up here?

forget what you're supposed to do. what do you want to do?

you think you're safe now?

i would love a gummy relaxer and like, five tequila shots.

just because the boulder is rolling down the hill does not mean i'm not rolling with it.

not bad, for a dead guy.

starting now, no more running.

____ has made it impossible for you to love anyone.

sometimes the only way to reach someone is through their heart.

some part of you has to want this cycle of anger to end.

you weren't supposed to be home for another hour.

feels like forever and an instant, all at once.

i've always shown you who i am.

if there's anyone who knows the real me, it's you.

you are the one good thing i've done in my life.

even now, you can't take responsibility.

i should have been there to take care of you.

you just want me to suffer.

just look at me and try to remember.

i didn't think i'd be around this long.

no matter who you are, you're still allowed to have friends.

how low are your expectations?

you can't let tomorrow ruin today.

you'd be surprised what a pair of glasses can do.

what do you most want people to know about you?

day by day: that's how we got this far.

we are celebrating like high schoolers whose parents are out of town.

just because something is new doesn't mean it isn't right.

editorializing isn't being a journalist. it's being a carnival barker.

you think people care about the truth?

are you questioning my judgment?

i'm coming after everything you've ever loved.

you and me, we are unstoppable.

when you hit a wall, trust your gut, retrace your steps, and go back to the beginning.

you had a choice. you just made the wrong one.

the thing about a pattern? it always ends the same.

we have to accept what we can and can't do.

that was a real risk you took.

is anything between us even real?

you know me. remember?

breathe. look at me. in through your nose, out through your mouth.

you know i would spend more time with you if i could.

It was supposed to be a low stakes mission.

Sharon and Bucky had trusted Amity to watch Bex. They had trusted her, and now Bex had gotten hurt.

Most of it was a blur... What she did remember, was her niece getting kicked halfway across the room, and a sickening crack reaching her ears when she collided with the concrete wall. Then there was the gunshot, Bex crying out in pain, and Amity saw red.

They were the only ones who left that room alive.

When she had assessed Bex's injuries, Amity had been determined to stay a strong and steady presence for the younger girl. Schooling herself, she went into the situation calm, methodical... Logical. Because if she even for one second let herself get emotional, she knew she wouldn't have been able to keep it together.

With her arm firmly about Bex's waist, they had reached the car without any further encounters. After stabilizing her broken arm, and applying pressure to the bullet wound, they were speeding off down the road.

The second they were on their way back to the Watchtower, Amity had called Sharon to inform her of what had happened. It had been a 20 minute ride to the mission site. They made it back to the tower in 10.

Peeling into the underground parking garage, Amity pulled up right next to the elevator. She was out of the car before it had even fully stopped running, driver's side door slamming shut with enough force that it was almost certainly damaged now. She didn't care.

Moving around the vehicle, she wrenched the passenger side door open, immediately helping Bex out of the vehicle and to the elevators. Bucky and Dove were there waiting for them.

❝She's in a lot of pain, but she's stable.❞ The petite blonde could feel the tension radiating off of the other super soldier, could see the angry clench of his jaw, but also the look of intense concern in those stormy eyes.

Focusing on that quiet fury was so much easier than chancing a glance at Dove. Amity's composure was already basically in tatters... One look into those dark eyes and she would break. She knew it.

Bucky immediately moved to take Amity's place, and she quietly stepped aside to allow him room. ❝I've got her,❞ his voice was firm, a definite edge to it that he couldn't hide.

Slipping an arm carefully about Bex's waist, he paid extra attention to not jostle her further... The last thing he wanted to do was to cause her more pain. And although it had been clear from the moment he'd seen the two of them approach that Amity hadn't made it out unscathed either, she was not his priority right now...

It didn't matter that Bex was from a different timeline, she was still his daughter. And she was injured. ❝C'mon, let's go and get you fixed up, alright?❞ his tone was softer as he gently led the young girl over to stand in front of the elevator doors, a sideways glance confirming that Amity had just reached to push the 'up' button.

Boy how wrong they all had been.