A/N: This is just a little thing I wrote while thinking about how Rose would have met Slade in the animated series
When Rose Wilson had decided to track down her father, she didn't expect to find much. She had been right to expect to find her father to he in america, but the situation was more complicated than that.
Slade Wilson wasn't an easy man to track down. All she had known about her father was what her mother had told her growing up. He was an American soldier, young, handsome and with an eyepatch. She didn't even know if the name he used was his real or not. But with just the name, the time he served in the army, and an old photograph. She had managed to track down his best friend, William Wintergreen, who had put her in touch.
It had taken a few days before her father had even accepted she was his daughter. A lot of explaining, and even a blood test later, and he was now at least trying to accommodate her. He'd even brought her to his apartment while they decided what she wanted to do now she was here.
Slade's apartment was really nice. A roomy penthouse overlooking the docks and the lower downtown area. From the small balcony it felt like you could see almost all of the city. He even made up a spare room for her to stay in, despite her arriving completely unexpected and unannounced.
Last night, after arriving, she had accidentally stumbled upon an arsenal of weapons hidden away behind a false cabinet. Even though he had explained that it was work related, it was still a lot to take in. She knew they weren't your everyday weapons, they looked more like the kind of artillery the army used, not your everyday American man. "So, what. You left the army and became some kind of assassin?"
"Mercenary." Slade corrected, sitting back in his chair with his coffee, watching his daughter carefully as she wandered around and explored the living space. In the few days since meeting the young girl, he hadn't had much time to get to know her personally. Of course he'd heard her past and where she came from, but they hadn't talked properly, haven't gotten to know each other that we'll yet. Even though she was barely sixteen, she seemed mature for her age. And bright enough to almost work out who Slade was on her own.
"What the difference?" Rose, surprisingly didn't seem too offended at the thought of her father killing people for money. She seemed more curious to learn about the double life that he lead. She had seen his armour, but hadn't heard of his alias.
"Mercenary work is legal." Slade's answered with a knowing smile. "Our own governments use mercenaries all the time." The tone of voice told her that he had this excuse on standby, ready to defend himself against accusations of breaking the law.
"Uh huh. Sure. You're a fine upstanding man who kills for money." But her laugh showed that she found it more amusing than concerning. Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to judge him for his apparent job. She'd seen enough people in her life that deserved to die for what they'd done, to her and her mother or people she saw in the rough streets she grew up on.
"Something like that." Slade smiled, surprised but happy that his daughter seemed to take his occupation so well. But he still didn't know what to do with her. His life was dangerous, too dangerous for him to keep an untrained teenage girl in his life.
He took in her appearance as she curiously poked around the odds and ends on his shelves and side tables, making her way towards the mantle. Her hair was the same naturally pure white as his, long and hanging straight down to her waist. She had shorter bangs and a fringe, framing her predominantly asian features, but her almond shaped eyes were his striking grey-blue hue. It was subtle, but he could see the resemblance. Especially in her slim but strong build. With some patience she could be quite the athlete if she wanted to.
Slade's mind wandered to thoughts of how different this would be if she had tracked him down earlier in his life. If Adaline would have accepted her, or if Rose would have fit in with her brothers. Could he have offered her a normal family life back then?
As if on cue with his thoughts, Rose picked up one of the photos on the mantelpiece that he'd decided not to take down. He didn't keep many photographs of family around, but he did feel sentimental sometimes, especially after a drink or on pain medication.
"Mom said you were a married man." She skimmed over the photo of Slade and his wife, and instead picked up a bigger photo frame of two young boy's. "She never mentioned you having kids though?"
Putting down his nearly empty coffee mug, Slade stood and took the picture from her with a fond smile. "I had two sons when I met your mother. Being a married man, I didn't think it was appropriate conversation." Not many men having an affair would mention their wife or kids. Rose's mother has discovered he was married on her own, but they'd never intended things to as far as they did. "If your birth certificate is correct, then Joseph's only three years older than you." He stroked his thumb against the glass near the younger boys hair, gesturing which son he was referring to.
"And the older one?" When she'd been searching for information on Slade Wilson, she had seen snippets of his life, that he was married, and a father. But she didn't find much information about his kids.
"Grant. I'm sorry you'll never get to meet him. You would have either got on great, or you would have killed each other." He laughed, shaking his head at the thought. He didn't know Rose very well, but he could already tell that she had a wicked streak, and the same stubborn pride he had seen time and again in his oldest son.
"Sorry. I didn't know." Rose's voice was soft, looking down at the two smiling boys that were her brothers. The youngest boy only looked about eight, and if he was a few years older than her, then this picture was very old indeed. "What about Joseph?"
"I don't know." Slade admitted honestly, placing the photo back on the mantle with a bittersweet sigh. "After the divorce, I didn't get to see him much. I lost track of him a few years ago. As long as he's safe, that's probably for the best."
Now her father wasn't holding the frame, Rose got a better look at the photo, and something seemed off about her brother's pose. "What's he doing with his hands?"
Slade briefly glanced at the photo again before realising what she meant. "He's signing." Before Rose could get out her question, he held up a hand to stop her. "No he's not deaf, he's mute. And that's not something I'm willing to discuss right now."
There was an edge to his voice, something that made Rose stop and not push the issue, even with her curiosity bursting at the seems. The fact he didn't want to talk about it meant there was a reason behind it, instead of her brother just being born mute like she would have assumed. And she really wanted to know what could have happened, that could be too tender for him to talk about to her just yet.
"But, that does bring me onto the thing I needed to discuss with you." Slade's somber features had returned to calm and calculating, eyeing up Rose carefully before he voiced the decision he'd made the night before. "You can't stay here." Once again he put up a hand to stop as she started to object. "Rose. You know that I'm a mercenary. I have enemies. Enemies that will, and have, targeted my family before. Wintergreen and I will find you somewhere suitable to live, and keep in contact. But I can't put another child in danger because of what I do."
Rose's eyes narrowed, reading between the lines that whatever happened, either Grant's Death, or Joseph's mutness, happened because of Slade's mercenary work. "I'm not a weak little girl, dad. I can take care of myself."
"No, you can't. You don't know the kinds of people that would target you. They wouldn't think twice about putting a bullet through a child." Slade voice was calm, the kind of calm a parent gets when trying not be too harsh on an unruly child.
There was a silence for a few moments as Rose's brain ticked over different responses to the harsh truth her father had dealt her. To her surprise, he response was equally as calm. No shouting. No getting defensive, or demanding to be treated like an adult. Just a few simple words, that carried a heavy suggestion. "Then train me."
"What?" Slade paused, clearly not expecting that response. His mind worked ten times as fast as a normal man's, but right now he couldn't quite take in the full weight of what she was asking him. "No."
"But." When he tried to stop her again, she took a deep breath and stood her ground. Her soft almond eyes narrowed, and Slade saw her steel blue gaze meet his eye with stubborn determination. "Listen. You're right, it's dangerous. I'm going to be a target. But guess what? I'm not going to just let you walk out of my life. So either you train me, so I can defend myself. Or you refuse and leave me defenceless when that time comes."
Slade's expression didn't change, meeting his daughters stubborn gaze without giving away his thoughts on the matter. She seemed to be serious. And he had to admit, she put forward a valid argument for why it would be a good idea. This wasn't planned, but she didn't rush into this discussion without knowing what she was asking.
But this wasn't just about Rose. He thought back to his sons. How Joseph had been so helpless because of his age, he didn't like to fight, and they should have pushed him harder to learn self defence. How Grant had the same determination in his eyes as he saw in Rose, the drive to prove themselves. Grant tried to become as good or better than Deathstroke the terminator, and he died in the process, never knowing that the mask he aspired to be was the very father he fought with and turned away from.
On one hand, he wanted at least one of his children to have the normal life he couldn't provide for them. But on the other, he could make sure she was safe and could defend herself. Train her to be his equal, so she wouldn't need his protection.
The logical side of him understood the pros and cons, weighing the benefits of training her and keeping her safe, against the danger he'd be putting her in. But the human side of him wasn't as sure. With all the suffering his family had been through, and the knowledge that just being connected to him meant danger for his family. Slade had to be absolutely sure that this was something that was good for both of them. But the thought of having his daughter stay with him. One of his children who wanted to train beside him and could be safe in his company. Part of him longed for that sense of family that he lost when Joseph slipped off his radar. A family bond that Rose was willing, even demanding he share with her.
"I'm not asking to become a mercenary. At least not yet. All I want, is to be trained how to do what you do. So if anything happens, I know i can fight, instead of running away." She had stood by and done nothing while her mother was killed in front of her. All she could do was hide and keep quiet, praying that they didn't notice she was there. She wasn't going to be in that position again. Her father may be strong and feared, but she knew she needed to get on his level. She wasn't going to feel like a helpless child again because she was inexperienced.
Slade raised an eyebrow as she basically admitted that she might be interested in mercenary work in the future. But for now she seemed to have the resolve, and the will, to follow in his footsteps, whether he agreed or not. And if he refused, he suspected she would find someone with decidedly less morals than him to train her. "Fine."
Rose drew breath to continue arguing her point, before suddenly realising what Slade had said. "What?"
"I said fine." Slade repeated calmly, watching the surprise on her face melt into understanding. "If you are serious about training, then I will train you for one week. If after that time you change your mind, or I don't think you can handle it, then it stops, no argument." He laid the rules out plain and simple. It would be a trial run. He wasn't going going to go easy on her because she was young, or a girl, or his daughter. He could see how serious she was about this, but he needed to be sure she was suited to his more brutal way of life. "Any questions?"
Rose's face was serious as she looked up at him. "Just one." When he raised an eyebrow in question, her expression slowly spread into a wicked grin. "When do we Start, dad?"