The Next Generation

Rose's eyes narrowed at the man as he walked in and sat down at the table across from them. She wanted nothing more than to jump at him right now and strangle the life out of him, but she couldn't lose her cool yet, not until she'd finished picking her handcuffs. If she dropped the lock pick, then she was stuck. "You bastard," she spat, with venom. "Come to gloat?"

"Something like that," Deathstroke said, folding his hands on the table in front of him. He glanced from one to the other, then ended on Neal. Reaching into his uniform pocket, he pulled out the small electrical device and slid it forward. "It emits a high frequency sonar, harmless to humans, but stimulates certain nerve endings in the brain that causes any hallucinations, such as the illusions you cast, to vanish. It... clears a person's mind, you could say."

"Have you killed the general yet?" Rose asked, trying to stall him. If she could get him talking, then she could get these handcuffs off and be on him before he left.

Deathstroke folded his hands again. "Not yet. That's my next stop... But first, I want to know why you two insist on tracking me across the world."

"Why the fuck do you think?!" Rose shot back. She almost lost hold on the lock pick, but she caught it. "Ever since I met you, you used me, abused me, forced me to kill for you... I was your puppet. You destroyed my life before I ever had a chance to make anything of it! You do nothing but cause the people around you pain, you're a cold blooded murderer, and you deserve nothing less than to rot in a jail cell for the rest of your life. Except maybe my sword straight through your black heart."

"Really, Rose," Deathstroke muttered. "After all I've done for you, after all we've been through, you still think so little of me?"

"The fuck have you ever done for me but use me?" Rose shot back. "You don't care for me, you never have! I was just your good little soldier, doing what Daddy said. Well not anymore. Now, I'm going to take you down, and everyone will know that I am not my father's daughter."

Deathstroke's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea what I've done for you, Rose. But then, you wouldn't. Some things are best left unsaid, after all... you hating me is so much easier. In any case, if you two do manage to escape this, I would advise you not to follow me again. next time, I won't be so lenient." Standing up, he pushed his seat back and started heading for the door, after retrieving his little sonar device. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a contract to complete."

Almost. She almost had him going long enough. Just as he exited the door and locked it behind him, Rose's handcuffs clicked open. "Fuck," she muttered, starting to tug at her ropes. They tore off with little resistance. She quickly moved on to Neal and started to free him, easily snapping the chains on his handcuffs with a hard tug. "Come on, we have to stop him. Quickly, preferably. They're watching us on that security camera, so we don't have long before guards show up."

Neal glanced down at the device that Deathstroke placed in front of him. So in summary Deathstroke really was more prepared than last time? Neal should have known that he would come up with something like this, it would guarantee that Neal and Rose wouldn't be able to sneak up on Deathstroke as they had done last time. Plus, it removed one of Neal's greatest weapons against Deathstroke, it put the fight back into his favor. Neal had seen Deathstroke fight, he didn't need any additional help. Neal and Rose were going to struggle against him as it was.

Neal listened to Rose speak but decided to put in his own few words. "You're scum that will do anything for money, all you care about is yourself. You don't even think twice about the people you kill or the damage that it will cause," Neal said as he looked right at Deathstroke. "It's still my darkest memory to think that I ever wanted to be like you. I came to make sure that you won't hurt anyone ever again. I've redeemed myself to the Titans, but I need to cast away any thought of you"

It wasn't long after that before Deathstroke left. Rose freed herself and quickly went about to free Neal. "You'll have to teach me how to do that one of these days," Neal said as he quickly got the ropes off of him. "Now come on, I doubt that Deathstroke is going to be extremely subtle about getting to the general. The Russians will have increased security after finding us," Neal mentioned before running to the door. It was locked, but thankfully that wouldn't stop people like Rose and Neal. With a quick and powerful kick, Neal sent the door right off of its hinges. "Let's go"

There was no mroe time for subtleties. Rose and Neal sprinted through the corridors now. She figured that the general was likely in one of the back rooms in the bunker, so they had to get there and catch up with Deathstroke before he got a chance to make the kill. With no more illusions hiding them, Rose settled for swift surprise attacks, charging and leaping on patrolling guards before they even had a chance to lift their weapons. They were out cold in an instant.

And then they saw him. The most highly decorated officer in the place, the general, walking towards them around the corner of the next corridor they came to. He was flanked by several other guards, and didn't think anything of it when he noticed another Russian officer walking towards him. But that Russian officer was Deathstroke, not his ally. Deathstroke raised his weapon suddenly, before they would have a chance to react to it.

But Rose reacted.

Reaching into her belt, she pulled out a large throwing knife. In the same motion that she grabbed it, she chucked it straight forward through the air. Just as Deathstroke was taking aim and preparing to fire, just as the general and his guards were trying to duck for cover, the knife planted itself straight into Deathstroke's right shoulder, forcing his aim to the side as he unleashed the hail of gunfire.

A lot happened in the next few moments. Deathstroke recovered and noticed Rose and Neal closing in on him. The Russian general sounded an alarm, the sirens blaring and red lights flashing. The guards opened fired on Deathstroke, but couldn't get a clear shot before he vanished down a side corridor. Rose and Neal chased after him, not about to let him get away again. But as Deathstroke made his escape, he pulled out another device, thsi one hacked into the bunker's emergency defense systems. He pressed the button.

"Facility self destruct sequence activated," a calm, feminine voice stated over the loudspeaker, in Russian.

"Fuck," Rose muttered, looking up at the speaker system.

"Two minutes and thirty seconds until detonation."

"I know you don't speak Russiand, but basically," Rose started, sprinting harder after her father. "We have two and a half minutes before this entire place explodes."

Neal and Rose were moving as quickly as they could. The camera would show everyone that they had escaped, and Deathstroke had even willingly spoken to them while on camera. It meant that he didn't have time to be subtle either, he needed to take out the general quickly. Neal and Rose were quick to dispatch anyone that got in the way, using non-lethal force against them. The Russians weren't the enemy here, Deathstroke was.

As they rounded a nearby corner they saw the general being approached by Deathstroke. He was already raising his gun. Ah! If Deathstroke didn't have that device activated Neal was certain that he could intervene! Thankfully, Rose had an alternative plan and threw a knife from one end of the hallway to the other before it implanted right into Slade's shoulder. "Awesome throw!" Neal said as he was amazed at the accuracy of it.

It was at that point that Slade took off, and Neal and rose quickly began to pursue. They ignored the other Russians and everyone else. Deathstroke was injured and he was vulnerable. They needed to move in on him quickly, before it was too late. Neal glanced over to Rose as she cursed and explained what was about to happen. "What!? He's going to level the entire place because he failed!? That seems a bit low," Neal said as he turned his gaze to keep it on Deathstroke. "Do you have any plan besides just hoping that we catch up to him?" Neal asked as he kept moving as fast as his legs would go.

"Yeah," Rose said, grinning a little to herself as they chased Deathstroke up a set of ladders to a higher platform. He was heading towards an exit hatch near the top of the bunker. "Kick his ass." It was a simple plan, though considering it was Deathstroke, that was easier said than done. It was all they could really do at the moment, though. They needed to get to him fast, before he got away, and once they got to him... well, they take him out, just as they'd wanted from the start.

"Thirty seconds until detonation," the voice spoke over the speakers. Hopefully, the Russians would have had plenty of time to evacuate before the place went up.

As Deathstroke kicked open the exit hatch, he ran out onto the proceeding balcony and leaped from it, down the side of the bunker and landing in the soft snow beneath. Rose quickly followed along with Neal, landing right behind him as he started moving as fast as he could through the near blizzard. They got about twenty yards before the bunker exploded in a massive fireball, sending smoke, debris, and fire in all directions. Rose was lifted from her feet by the shock wave, flying through the air and landing face down in the snow.

When Rose recovered a few moments later, groaning and slowly pushing herself to her hands and knees, she looked up to see that the surrounding area was now devoid almost entirely of snow, having been melted by the resulting heat blast. Only a scant few patches lingered here and there. She also noticed that she and Neal were not the only ones down. Deathstroke, too, was on his way back to his feet. Rose wasn't about to let him get anywhere. Fighting the pain from what could only be a ton of bruises beneath her armor, she sprinted at him.

Deathstroke turned just in time to see her lunge, rolling with her attack and hitting the ground, in the process throwing Rose off him. He hurried back to a fighting position, winding up a kick at her head. But she blocked it, twisted his foot, and threw him back. he caught his balance, but Rose was back on her feet just in time. The fight was just getting started.

"Sounds like a plan to me, we just have to stay on top of him," Neal said as they continued to pursue him all the way through the building. Deathstroke had activated the explosion on purpose, he wouldn't have done that if he didn't have any sort of escape plan. There was more to it, he knew exactly how long it would take him to get out and he would leave as little room as possible for anyone else to escape. As long as Neal and Sarah stayed with him, they should be fine.

Despite Neal's enhanced physical form, he still wasn't on the same level as Deathstroke and Rose. They both got knocked down by the blast and so did Neal, but it took him a bit longer to recover as he slowly pushed himself up from the snow. He shook his head for a moment in order to regain his vision, looking just in time to see that Rose and Deathstroke had started the fight again. Last time Deathstroke had wounded Rose so that he could escape, this time they needed to keep him so busy that his mind would be focused only on them.

Neal quickly got up and ran towards Deathstroke as Rose engaged him in the fight. Neal quickly ran in and ducked down to try to aim a lower punch towards Deathstroke's back. He knew Deathstroke was fast and smart, Neal figured the only way to beat his mind was to be unpredictable and not act rashly.

Deathstroke saw the attack coming in. His senses were too good not to. Turning slightly, he brought one arm down to deflect Neal's attack, while using his other to catch Rose's arm and spin it away, then countering with a hard kick to her face. She tumbled backwards, catching her balance, before preparing for another attack. Deathstroke then spin down low to trip up Neal onto the ground. In the process, he pulled out his sword, just in time to deflect a series of slashes from Rose, as she, too, drew her blades.

Rose sliced, stabbed, spun, didn't let up in the least, but she still couldn't hit him. He was too good, he knew her every move before she did. Every time she came in for an attack, he parried, or dodged, then countered with his own attack. But he never once attempted to cut her down with his blade, or inflict any kind of debilitating injury on her. She couldn't figure out why, maybe he was just getting sloppy, but she wouldn't be showing him the same courtesy.

Deathstroke finally pushed Rose back to distance himself from her, while keeping his eyes on Neal to defend against whatever he had in mind. It was about this point that Deathstroke pulled his pistol out with one hand, taking aim and firing three shots, two at Rose, one to get her to dodge, the other to hit her leg, and one at Neal, aimed at his shoulder.

Damn it, this wasn't working. Even as Neal had purposefully tried to shake up his strategy it wasn't working, Deathstroke was too skilled to be fooled by any of Neal's tricks. Neal had barely any time to react before Deathstroke spun and attempt to trip Neal to the ground. Unfortunately it worked and caused Neal to stumble. He had an enhanced brain for his illusions, but his body didn't respond as fast as Slade's.

By the time that Neal had gotten up and recovered, he saw that Rose and Deathstroke were fighting with swords. There was no way that Neal was going to get in close if he didn't have a blade to defend himself. Deathstroke could easily lob his head off after all. Neal quickly drew his sword, the one that Deathstroke had once given to him, and now quickly rushed in. However, Deathstroke once again tried to change the game.

As the bullet came, Neal knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge, and so he decided to merely run through it. The bullet fully penetrated his shoulder and hurt like hell, but Neal had dealt with pain before. He quickly went up to Deathstroke and began to slash at him several times, attempting to put him on the defensive or at least occupy him long enough for rose to join back in the fight.

And that was one thing that Deathstroke hadn't been counting on, for the bullet not to stop Neal. He hadn't been aiming for a lethal shot, of course, but the shock and the pain still should have been enough... but whether it was adrenaline or something else altogether, Neal kept coming. Still, Deathstroke adjusted, putting up his sword in defense and parrying off to the side, while whirling around with his other hand to pistol whip his opponent in the back of the head.

Deathstroke had been so concentrated on Neal, who hadn't anticipated to still be attacking, that he didn't see Rose coming at him. He also hadn't expected her to be charging him full force still, even with a bullet wound to the leg, which should have hindered her movement. But it didn't so much as stagger her. She'd been ready for it, prepared to fight through the pain, and it paid off, as Deathstroke's hands were completely tied as Rose's knee drove into his nose, shattering it and throwing him backwards to the ground.

Rose was on him in a second. She dropped the point of one of her blades straight into his left shoulder, pinning him to the ground. Deathstroke's only response was a mild grunt of pain. He wouldn't show just how much he was hurting, no matter how painful it was. And then, just like that, Deathstroe was staring up at his daughter, her other blade pressed tightly against his neck.

"Finally," she uttered, leaning on her uninjured leg. "I can finally end this nightmare!"

Neal didn't realize how much his actions had thrown Deathstroke off of his game, but it had clearly worked as he was forced to use both hands to take down Neal. Neal's shoulder was still hurting despite how much he was trying to fight through it. He had no defense against the pistol whip that soon smashed into Neal's face and sent him down to the ground in a crumbled mess. Neal began to pick himself up, but his eyes had missed everything that happened next.

Neal turned his gaze back towards Deathstroke to see how the fight was progressing, and to Neal's surprise he was on the ground and Rose was on top of him with her blade pointing right at his neck. They had really defeated him? He was down for the count! As Neal started to smile though, he remembered the words that Raven had said to him about five months ago. The look in Rose's face was frightening, and he could see what she was thinking.

"You're right Rose, the nightmare can end now," Neal said as he brought himself to his feet and kept holding onto his sword. "We can make a call, get the other Titans here or the Justice League. We can have everyone take him to the Watchtower, he'll never escape there. He'll be in prison for life"

Rose swallowed a lump in her throat, staring down at her defeated father. She heard Neal's words to make a call, to lock him up, but her mind didn't let her accept it. "No... no it isn't good enough," she growled. "He'll... he'll just escape again! If I don't stop him now... if I don't stop him permanently... then it won't be over. It won't ever be over. I... I have to end it! I have to!" The look in her eyes was indeed frightening. Cold, bloodthirsty, vengeful. She raised her blade, holding it high above her head and ready to bring it down, to end the nightmare once and for all.

Deathstroke just stared back up at his daughter, not making an attempt to get out of the situation. He'd been defeated, yes. By any other person, he would have been doing everything within his power to fight back out of this corner. But with Rose... with Rose being the one standing over him, after so long, he couldn't. He wouldn't. Right now, he could honestly say that he was proud of her.

"Go ahead," he said, dropping his head back against the ground. "Make it quick."

"If you kill him now you'll be holding onto it for the rest of your life," Neal said as he stared right at Rose. He also tried to keep an eye on Deathstroke, just having some sort of feeling that he still might try to make an escape. Neal didn't want Rose killing her own father, but he also didn't want Deathstroke to get away because of his own reasoning with Rose. "You told me that you want to prove everyone that you're not your father's daughter. Prove it now, killing is what he does for a living it's not what you do Rose. We capture the bad guys and do everything we can to make sure that they get justice," Neal began to plead with her.

"I can't stop you, and I'm not going to turn my powers or my blade upon you. But I beg you Rose, don't just kill him in cold blooded murder. You are so much better than that. You're so much better than he is"

Rose held onto her sword, but she didn't strike with it yet. Her arm was shaking, visibly conflicted. ears were even beginning to well up in her eyes as she tried to make the right decision. Neal's words made sense, and she knew they were right, but every fiber in her body wanted to end her father right there. After everything he'd done to her, after all the pain he caused, she wanted to make sure that he never ht anyone else again.

"I... I..." she uttered, glaring a hole into Deathstroke's chest. It was her target, if she brought her weapon down.

After a short few moment of contemplation, which to her seemed an eternity, she let out a shout and finally drove her blade down. The point struck with a sickening thud... in the dirt next to her father's head. In the end, she couldn't do it. As badly as she wanted to kill him, her conscience wouldn't allow it.

"He's right," she said, still staring at her father. "If I kill you... then I'm no better than you are. But guess what, I am better, better than you ever were, or ever will be." She dropped both of her arms to her sides now, bowing her head further. "I... I am not like you. I will never be like you. And now, I'm finally free of you."

Neal watched in silence, knowing that Rose was going to make her decision one way or another and there was nothing that Neal could do. He had said what needed to be said, the only decision lay with her now. As she brought up her sword, Neal couldn't peel his eyes away as the sword came down. Thankfully, Neal was glad to see that it hit the dirt next to Slade rather than right into his skull. Neal smiled, she had done the right thing.

"I'm proud of you Rose, you made the right decision," Neal said as he walked over and looked down at Deathstroke. "So what DO you want to do with him now?" he asked curiously. "Want me to make a call? Or should I stab his leg to ensure that he doesn't run away?"

"Don't stress yourself, I got it," Rose said, lifting her blade again and this time slicing down and piercing it through his ankle, severing his tendons and bone. Deathstroke uttered a low groan of agony as his left foot was all but ruined. "He won't be walking again for a while now, even with his enhanced healing."

At this time, the Russian soldiers from the surrounding base were gathering to see that the man who had made an attempt on their general's life was subdued and not going to be hurting anyone else. Speaking of the general, he approached them and asked a rapid series of questions to them. Rose replied in Russian, explaining the situation to him, and once everything was sorted out, they were allowed to leave the premises with Deathstroke in their custody.

"Alright... now you can make the call," Rose said. "The Justice League should do... I seriously doubt he'll be escaping from them any time soon."

"Ouch, way to be effective," Neal muttered as he saw the blood that came from the severed tendons. He was going to be feeling that for quite some time. Thankfully it was the perfect way to stall him until the Justice League was to arrive. "Alright I'll make the call, just going to need a minute," Neal said as he pulled out his communicator.

"Justice League, this is Fade here. I'm outside a Russian military compound that was just under attack. The situation has stabilized and the threat has been taken out. Ravager and I just defeated Deathstroke and are now holding onto him. Some backup in order to transport him to prison would be greatly appreciated though"

The Justice League responded promptly. After all, any time that someone called in about taking into custody a dangerous super villain, they were always eager to go collect. Rose and Neal sat for what seemed like forever at the edge of the military base's tarmac, waiting for the Justice League pick up. Considering they were in the middle of Russia, it could take a while. Question was, who would they send? Batman? Wonder Woman? J'onn? Rose kind of hoped it was whoever had doubted her the most, just so they could see what good she'd done now.

Eventually, bright lights appeared in the darkened night sky, through the white haze of the driving snow. It was a Watchtower Javelin, gently hovering down to land on the tarmac. When the door slid open and the landing bridge lowered, two shadowed figures appeared, walking down slowly to greet them. When they finally came into view, it was revealed to be, indeed, Batman and Wonder Woman.

"Neal," Donna greeted, with a smile. "It's been a long time. How are you?"

Batman, on the other hand, was looking at the beaten and defeated Deathstroke, who was currently tied up with meta-strength cables. His gaze shifted slowly to Rose. "You did this?"

Rose only stared back at him, trying not to lose her nerve in front of the Dark Knight. "Yes, sir. you're damn straight I did. We did."

Neal glanced up slowly as lights appeared in the sky. What he saw he'd recognize anywhere, it was a Javelin from the Watchtower. He had seen the ships many times in the months that they had used to prepare for the arrival of Darkseid. Like Rose he also wondered who was going to show up, he smiled as he saw that it was Batman and Wonder Woman. "Hello Donna, it's been a very long time," he said as the last time that he had seen Donna was Superman's funeral. He figured it best not to bring that up though. "I've been doing well, getting a lot accomplished," Neal said as he glanced back at the tied up Deathstroke.

As Batman began to speak to Rose, Neal couldn't help but overhear. "We've been working together the past few months to monitor Deathstroke's movements and shut him down. We've prevented two assassinations that he was supposed to be paid for. We engaged him here before Rose defeated him," Neal added. He had helped sure, but Rose was definitely the real hero today. If anyone still had doubts about her......than they were fools.

"I see," Batman said, glancing back at Deathstroke. The mercenary wasn't looking back, or even acknowledge their presence. He simply sat there in silent contemplation. "We'll transport him to Stryker's for now, where he'll stay until his court appearances. And don't worry, we'll be taking extra precautions this time around. He won't be getting away again."

Donna nodded. "Yes, he will face the legal system, and judging from his past, he'll be going away for a very long time." Turning back to Neal, she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "I'm glad you're doing well. Now, I don't suppose you both would like a ride back to the States?"

"A ride... yeah, I guess we could use a ride," Rose said, limping towards the Javelin. "I've had just about enough of the cold."

Once they were finally aboard the Javelin, which was one of the larger models, with separated rooms and facilities for longer flights, Deathstroke was placed in the holding cell. Batman then took a few moments to treat Rose and Neal's bullet wounds, before returning to the cockpit with Wonder Woman to fly the craft home. This left the two alone in one of the small room near the back of the Javelin, a room that included a television set, a bed, and a separated bathroom.

"I almost can't believe it..." she said, breathing a long sigh of relief. Given that she'd had to strip off her armor again so her wound could be treated, she was once again down to her underwear. "It's really over... God, I can finally just... relax."

"I'm glad to hear it, we should have one of the Titans stay with him last time. We had too much on our minds at the time though," Neal admitted as he glanced back at Deathstroke. "I just hope that he's locked away forever this time. I don't want to fight against him again," Neal said before turning his gaze back over to Donna who had placed her hand on his shoulder.

Neal once again gave a nod as Rose voiced that they would prefer a ride. "Yeah, I need to get used to fast travel again. We've been pursuing Deathstroke discreetly and had to use normal forms of transportation. I forgot what it was like to be in a car again," Neal admitted.

As they were now on the Javelin back home, Neal took some time to truly think about their victory. They had really done it, he and Rose had done it! They had followed Deathstroke for months, and even without Neal's illusions that had managed to find and defeat him and prevent two of his assassinations! It was a huge accomplishment, and one that Neal was very proud of himself for.

Since Batman needed to treat Neal's shoulder, he only needed to remove his own shirt in order for the wound to be cleaned and treated. The bullet had passed all the way through, so at least it didn't need to be yanked out like the last time Rose had been shot. He glanced over to her as she commented that she could barely believe it. Neal only just smiled before turning to look right at her.

"Hey Rose, for what it's worth I'm really proud of you for what you did. I know how hard that must have been, but you showed your true colors today and I'm proud of what I saw," Neal said openly. "I'm glad that I decided to follow you"

Rose smiled back gently at Neal's comment. It actually meant a lot to her to hear him say that... and she didn't know why. Maybe because she felt she was finally getting the recognition as a hero she knew she deserved. Even batman hadn't seemed quite so disgruntled to see her. Then again, it was hard to tell with him. "Thanks, Neal," she replied, reaching over to give his hand a firm squeeze. "I'm glad I had you with me, too... for more than one reason. I don't know if I would have stopped myself from killing him if it hadn't been for you... you really saved me back there. Again."

She chuckled, then letting out a cool breath and leaning back on the bed. Though her leg was throbbing, it was a good throb. It was the last pain of any kind that her father would ever give her, and soon enough it would heal and be gone forever. There was one other thing on her mind, though, a thought that she couldn't shake now, with her lying there in her underwear, and Neal siting across from her with no shirt on.

"You know..." she said, reaching a hand over to her belongings one the table next tot he bed. "It's a sixteen hour flight back home... and I just so happen to still have a pair of these." She lifted up a pair of handcuffs, dangling them from her fingertip. "Why don't we keep ourselves... entertained?"

Neal returned the squeeze of the hand gently, wanting Rose to know that he truly meant what he had said. Being a hero, you had to put certain things aside and act like you were the better person. It was hard at times, especially when the mission became personal, but Rose had done what she needed to. She confronted her past, defeated it, and now was going to move forward. She was a hero now, and Neal would stand up to even Batman if he still had suspicions. She had earned her good name back.

As Rose spoke again Neal tilted his head, not certain where she was going to start. As she picked up the handcuffs though, Neal had to admit that he started to figure out what direction it was heading. He just gained a tiny smile and scratched his chin. "And uh...what exactly did you have in mind?" Neal asked as if pretending that he had absolutely no idea what Rose was talking about.

Rose merely smirked, as she tossed the handcuffs over at him. She then took a seductive pose on the couch, tilting her head to the side and running her hand down her side slowly. "You know. It's been months know since we had that conversation in Paris, you know... and with everything that's been going on, we haven't had a chance to... well, build on it. even though we've both wanted to. Quite a few times... but we never got around to it. Well, now I'm saying it's time. I said we'd have to wait and see where things went, well things are going right here."

She softened her eyes a little as she continued. "And just because I threw in some cuffs, doesn't mean I don't want to do it just for the sake of doing it... because I do care about you, a lot. After what we've been through together, after you helped me take down that bastard, how could I not? But... you know, sex is never boring with me. You'll come to learn that. Now, are you just going to sit there, or are you going to put those handcuffs to good use, Mister?"

Neal quickly reacted and grabbed the handcuffs in midair. Neal looked at the handcuffs for just a moment before looking back up at Rose and listening to what she had said. Yes, he remembered their conversation in Paris and had thought a great deal on it ever since. He had wanted things to go this direction, but he didn't want to go there unless Rose wanted to. Besides, he didn't want to distract her from her mission. She wanted Deathstroke badly after all. And yet, now she had him captured.

Neal listened to Rose for a moment, hearing that she said she wanted to do it more than for the sake of doing it. He looked up at her and gained a small smile. "I'll tell you what, I'm all in on one condition," he said as he moved closer to her. "Once we're back on our feet and have decided what we're doing next with our lives.......you let me take you on a real date. I really like you Rose, and if you're interested I would very much like to see if things could work between us"

Rose held a hand to her her cheek, as she tilted her head and gave Neal an amused look. "A real date, huh? Can't say I've been on one of those in forever... alright, you go yourself a deal." Smirking, she sat up a little straighter an brought her hand down to rest on her thigh, eyeing the handcuffs carefully. Eventually, she reached up and started to slide the strap of her bra over one shoulder. "Alright, now you're just stalling... let's get this started already."