Chapter Text
Slade Wilson sighed, another day in Jump City's park, another day of beating nobodies at Chess, it wasn't the most exciting thing he did, but it worked his genius mind and let him win a great deal of money. Nobody recognized him because he was dressed in his civilian clothes.
He sighed, hustling civilians because he was too good at Chess was so boring, but it did help him exercise his mind, and he always won, everyone was so predictable, still, he got money and that helped his plans, still, this was so unbelievably boring.
Just when he was about to put up the Chess set, a woman sat down. She could be in her middle to late 30s, she was beautiful. Unfortunately, she smelled like a homeless person. Still, this was going to be another boring game of Chess.
She was dressed simply, a yellow sweater and green sweats, nothing outstanding about her besides her stunning looks.
"How much will you wager?" he asked.
"Do I look like I have money?" the woman asked, laughing.
"You do have your looks," Slade raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't think you noticed," she settled down across from him on the picnic table.
"You have a name?"
"Slade Wilson," he replied, he didn't care about giving out his real name, she wasn't looking for a supervillain.
"Mary Grayson," she replied, and the expression on her face told him she'd apparently said too much.
"Like the dead acrobat?" he asked, everybody knew that story. Besides, her name was very common, there were several people with the name.
"Something like that," Mary told him, glancing at the pieces.
They settled into a game of Chess. Slade noted her moves were unconventional and interesting. She didn't play like everyone else.
The game of Chess they played was just a game, just another way for Slade to exercise his mind while he planned and schemed away. His eye roamed her figure. She was lovely, too bad she was homeless and not some rich high-class lady, those sorts of women he could use for a fun time and maybe get some connections for his assassination jobs.
She was good, unpredictable, Slade smiled, he'd let her win a few rounds then win all his money back, most people lost and he just took their money.
There was something about her that reminded him of someone, but he couldn't think of who at the moment.
Their games were quick and she caught on to some of his tricks, he had to think of new ones to stump her. Their matches were usually 50/50. He didn't lose a lot of money to her, but he mainly held back because it was more fun that way.
This went on for three days.
"I really should leave, not that I don't enjoy our time together."
"Oh, and why's that?" Slade asked curious.
"Would you believe I'm being hunted by a criminal cabal?"
"Oh really? Which one?"
"The Court of Owls," Mary said.
"That Gotham nursery rhyme? They don't exist."
"What doesn't exist is going to kill me."
"I didn't know you were comedian."
"If only I were joking."
Suddenly a dozen people in costumes landed and surrounded them.
"Mary Grayson, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die!"
"Crap, I've stayed too long! Shouldn't have come back here, enjoying these games too much!" she moved quickly and jumped to her feet, she began running.
"Never heard of you people, I guess you're my competition," Slade moved to draw his sword.
"Don't worry, Deathstroke, the Court has ordered your death too," William Cobb said.
Mary did something automatic that she didn't even think about. She slapped the money into his hand and started to move.
"This a payment for protection?" Slade asked.
"It can be whatever you want!" Mary called back.
Using his skills he kicked their knees out from under them, shot them in the face and used a stolen bo staff to beat them off. But these things were hard to kill and they kept getting back up, they were becoming annoying.
With sweeping blows of his broadsword, the Deathstroke, he stabbed, slashed and cut them down, but they kept coming, they never seemed to end.
He wasn't fast enough, and one of them grabbed her.
"William Cobb…" Mary's voice was a strangled whisper.
William Cobb grabbed his granddaughter-in-law by her neck and crushed it, breaking her neck.
Slade heard the sickening noise he'd heard so many times and watched her drop to the ground.
This shouldn't bother him, he'd broken quite a few necks in his life, he should be unfazed by all this.
"Mary Grayson, the Court of Owls has sentenced you to die."
Then it hit Slade, she was Mary Grayson, the Mary Grayson that was the mother of a certain member of the Teen Titans.
That boy was his mother's son and he hadn't recognized it until she died in front of him. But there was something about her death that deep down, devastated him.
Then he remembered, he'd always gloated and goaded Robin, saying how they were so much alike.
Mary Grayson was Robin's mother, and her death was what created him. In just a few brief moments, she had been his client, she had paid him to protect her, and he failed.
Slade the Deathstroke did not fail. He wasn't a failure, nobody made a fool of him. He had a 100% satisfaction guarantee that if he protected you, you were safe, if you paid him to kill someone, they were dead. Mary Grayson might be a nobody to the rest of the world, and even if nobody else knew he'd failed her, he'd know, and he wouldn't live with that, his ego wouldn't allow it.
He didn't love her, he didn't care, he didn't want Robin to get a happy ending where he got everything back, it's not like having her back would make him "retire" from being Robin anyway.
Still, he wasn't about to fail her, she'd hired him after all.
Letting out and enraged scream, he attacked the Talons, scattering them, even William Cobb fled as the Grandmaster Samantha Vanaver ordered him to retreat.
Slade searched the bodies of the dead Talons and found a strange serum, he injected it into her veins on a whim, not knowing what he should do but it was worth a try.
He heard the sounds of her bones moving back into place and watched her eyes snap open.
"Let's get out of here!" he scooped her up on to his back and ran to his nearest lair, keeping out of sight. Battered and bleeding, they had escaped, and he was going to make them pay for humiliating him.
They needed to rest and he needed to plan his next move.
He collapsed the moment he stepped into his lair, she had to haul him to the infirmary.
Slade spent an entire day in a coma, Mary changed his bandages.
He woke up, and glanced at her as she brought him eggs and bacon for breakfast. She looked painfully normal in comparison to his "supervillain" lair.
He took the food, "Thank you."
"I didn't think you could say stuff like that."
"I learned gratitude."
He continued eating.
"Give me your money, Mary," Slade said, his voice left no room for debate. "Empty your pockets."
"Why?" she did so and handed him the money, not sure what he wanted.
"It's a contract, you're paying me to protect you from the Court of Owls," Slade the Deathstroke said.
"I don't want to stand at their podium, I'm not out to rule Jump City from the shadows, I'm not ambitious."
"But you want protection, and that's my skillset."
"This isn't about me, jackass, this is about you, and your bruised ego that the big boogieman supervillain of Jump City lost to a criminal cabal he didn't believe existed."
"Yes, but you want them dead all the same, I can tell, don't think I don't know about you Mary Grayson," Slade looked at her with an irritated expression.
"Ah, did you hear about me from my ex, he never got over me," Mary sighed.
"Richard never stops talking about you, at first I thought he was just exaggerating, but maybe I like you, just a little," Slade said, leaning in dangerously close.
"If only you weren't my type, Mary smirked.
"Really, how interesting."
"Unfortunately for you, I don't get the luxury of a one-night stand," Mary turned away from him.
"You know, I actually like working for someone else, it makes things interesting. You might be the most fascinating client I've ever had."
Slade slipped his arms around her waist.
"The only thing you're working is getting me into your bed," Mary laughed.
Slade smiled, was he so obvious?
"I know about your "relationship" with my son, you can't play the role of father for him. I didn't marry you. A guy with your ego would never look at me, let alone darken the door of my trailer."
"I travel a lot, I could have met you at any time."
"You come from a world of the rich and powerful, that's the world I hate. All your clients are rich people that decide a nobody like me dies at a whim."
"I died over money, you know."
"Yes," Slade glanced at her.
"Why are you pretending to care?"
"I don't, but there aren't many people like us, who died and came back, that make us special, better than the rest of them."
"The Court talks like that, you'd like it there, you'd be right at home."
"Nah, too many complications, my way is easier, less to deal with."
"I do have to pay you back for playing "daddy" with my son.
"And how are you gonna do that?"
"Like this," Mary turned around, leaned over and kissed him.
Slade was too stunned to move, but he felt pain in his side.
"I don't kill so easily, sweetheart, but I do applaud you for trying."
He returned the kiss as he took the knife from her, he pulled away.
"You got more stones then the other "heroes", they'd give some speech about how if they killed me, there's no going back, blah, blah, blah."
"I suppose backstabbing is expected in your "career", is this the part where you kill me?"
"No, if I'm going to kill you I'm going to be paid for it. Besides, the fringe benefits are quite enjoyable."
Slade clapped his hands, giving a genuine laugh, "You're very smart, I'll give you that. But you're a good person, and good people don't hire me."
"Who says I'm good?"
"Me, I'm not such a nice guy myself."
Slade crossed his arms, "So tell me, Mary, where do we start?"
"I only heard one name, and it was only because they talk too loud. Samantha Vanaver. Ever heard of her?"
"She's a rich socialite, pays money to Titans Tower, makes their lives quite comfy. Ugh."
"They called her Grandmaster, but I do know someone who knows all about them."
"Who's that?"
"My former boss, C.C. Haly, Jump City is an annual stop, you can pay him a visit, he can tell you everything."
"You want Deathstroke to pay him a visit?"
"No, the Court of Owls has their Talon costumes hidden on the circus grounds. Steal one and give him a good scare, I can give you a script to put on a show if that's what you'd like. Just tell him that Mary Grayson sends her regards and he'll understand."
"Interesting, I think I like this job. So answer me a question, how did you come back to life?"
"Something called Electrum, it brought me back, but the issue is I can't exist without it and I don't have a lot of it, and I don't know how to make more."
"So you're dying," Slade observed.
"Very slowly I suppose, but yes, I'm dying, but if I'm gonna die, I'll take the Court of Owls with me."
"Is that what you're paying me for?" Slade asked.
"Yes," Mary replied.
"Our contract is now sealed. Put me to work and I'll keep my end of the bargain."
"How am I supposed to keep paying you?"
"Keep playing our games and I keep getting my money."
"Manipulating me amuses you, doesn't it?"
"Maybe."
"I do live to entertain."
"Heh, well boss, I'll be off to work now."