"Vera! Honey, we're late!"
"I'm not coming!"
Richard Grayson, once known as Robin, chuckled softly, looking at his wife grumbling, while waiting for their daughter in the hall. She had her bag on one arm and the trench coat on the other one, car's keys in her hand.
The woman turned to look at him furiously, before shouting again towards the stairs.
"Vera Grayson! You have two seconds to come here, then I'm coming!"
"No! I said I'm not coming!" cried the child, slamming the door to underline her anger.
"Vera!" cried the woman, running on the stairs, trying to open the door. "Open this door immediately!"
"No, no, no, no!"
"Vera! Come out NOW!" uttered the woman, placing her hand on the door.
"I'm not coming, I'm not coming, I'm not coming!" went on the child.
"Vera, I'm losing patience. And you don't want this to happen, right?"
"I don't wanna come!"
The woman sighed, bringing her hands to her temples and massaging them. Then she ran down the stairs and entered in a hurry in the living room, in front of her husband.
"Richard, please, take care of this. Your daughter is exaggerating."
"So, now she's my daughter, nh?" smiled the man, getting up from the sofa.
"Please, shut up!"
"Keep calm, love. I'm going to talk to her" answered him, smiling and kissing her on her forehead. Then he walked towards the stairs.
"Vera?"
"No!" cried the child from the room.
"You don't even know what I want to say. May I come in?" asked the man.
"No!"
'She's just like her mother' thought the man, sighing. "Alright, then. I'll say it from here. Are you listening?"
He took the silence as a yes.
"Why don't you wanna go with mum?" asked the man, placing his arm against the door.
"I don't wanna go to ballet lesson!" cried the child in tears.
"Why not?"
"'Cause I wanna do martial arts like Will and you!" uttered the girl, opening the door and almost making him fall down.
"Honey… You know what your mother thinks about martial arts" he tried to make her reason out.
"But she did that too!" answered the child, crossing her arms and sulking.
"Just because of necessity, believe me. That's why she started to do ballet, when she finally had some time just for her" told the man, taking her in his arms.
"Really?" asked the girl, her big blue eyes (inherited from him) widening.
"Sure! Have I ever lied to you?" asked him, going towards a bookcase in the corridor and taking an old photo album. "See? That's your mum at her first ballet. She was a bit older than you, but she started late, 'cause she had another activity" he continued, showing her a picture.
"She was a hero like you, right?" asked the child, touching the picture of a girl in a white tutu.
"It's heroine, when it's a woman, but yes, she was a hero like me and uncles and aunties" Richard corrected, showing her a picture with all the ballerinas in row, one next to the other. He pointed a slim girl, graceful, the dark hair in an elegant twist. "See how pretty she was?"
"Was?" an annoyed female voice said from behind them.
Guiltily, the man turned: "I said so? I meant is, obviously."
"Obviously" echoed the woman, approaching to them.
"You danced, mommy?" asked the child, pointing at the picture.
"Yes, honey. And I was pretty good at it, having started late" answered the woman, tenderly, looking at the pictures.
"Really? Can I see?" asked the girl, leaning out towards her.
The woman took her from her husband's arms, then smiled. "Only if you show me how good you became."
"Yes!" cried Vera, jumping from her arms and running to her bedroom to take her bag.
"Nice move, taking out my old album" commented the woman, leaning in her husband, who gently hugged her.
"If I may say so myself" answered the man, smiling in triumph. "So… Tonight you're dancing for us?" he asked after a minute of silence.
"I can't disappoint her."
"May I call the others?" Richard asked.
"Don't even try."
"Is that a threat?"
"Think it as you like. Just remember the sofa will be your best friend if you only dare doing it" she replied smiling.
"Nice thanks for convincing a six-year-old girl going to ballet lesson" complained the man, faking an angry expression.
"I thought the ballet was enough" she replied, looking at him in fake wonder.
"Mommy! I'm ready!" exclaimed Vera, running out from her room.
"Wonderful. Say 'bye' to daddy, honey."
The child threw her arms at her father's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, daddy!"
"Be good, honey" greeted him, ruffling her purple hair, inherited from her mother.
"See you later, Richard" his wife greeted, kissing him on the cheek. "Please, make William do his homework and don't do anything stupid."
"Don't worry, Rachel. I'm handling it" he said, smiling and heading her to the door.
