Fallon woke up groggy and slow that morning, despite her instincts advising against such behavior. Sunlight streaming into her bedroom window, she stood up and stretched before grabbing her phone off of her nightstand to check anything she might have missed.
Sitting back down on her bed with eyes sinking into the groupchat her brother had initiated the night before, Fallon pondered the right reaction. Fallon was drawn out of her thoughts as a ring coming from the phone indicated an incoming message. Looking at her messages again, blue eyes once again scanned over what the other occupants of the conversation had said.
John- "Hey guys we need to meet up ASAP"
Fallon- " yup it's important"
Avon- "okay when, where, and why?"
River- "we'll meet at my place"
John- "Riv you don't even know why I'm calling this meeting"
River- "aaaaaand your point is?"
Avon- "alright so we'll meet at Riv's but, John, what's up? Why the sudden meeting?"
John- "Let's just call it a 'parent intervention meeting,' and trust me, it's much needed"
Nathaniel - "ooo sounds like your brain's working Johnny, count me in"
John- "Cool, so were all good to meet up tonight?"
Avon- "Fine with me"
River- "Duh man"
Fallon- "Sounds good."
Fallon sighed before falling back onto her bed, running a hand over her face before throwing her phone lazily on her bed and walking downstairs for some late breakfast. Walking into the kitchen, she gazed at a post-it-note on the refrigerator, before John cleared his throat from his seat at the breakfast nook, snapping her back into reality.
"Dad's at work till later." her brother called, spooning a bite of cereal from his bowl.
"Figured." Fallon stated, grabbing a pan out to cook an egg with, "So this meeting tonight, it's what I think it's about right? last night?"
John nodded, taking another bite.
The two siblings fell into comfortable silence for a while, each in their own thoughts.
The morning went on without much trouble, Fallon leaving to go hangout with a friend from her upcoming 7th grade class in downtown Bludhaven while John went to a gym he frequented.
Fallon walked back into the small townhouse later that afternoon to her father laying on the couch, still in uniform, and her brother still not home yet.
As discreetly as possible Fallon attempted to examine her father's condition. He looked dreadful, and again was covered from head to toe in bruises, slashes, and markings of all sorts. With every movement Dick made Fallon could see and practically feel the pain radiating off of him. Fallon flinched at this, earning a raised eyebrow from her father.
"Something wrong?," Dick asked, curious to his daughter reaction, he figured she would be happy to see him home from work before dinner.
"Nope, everything's fine," She lied smoothly before flopping onto the couch next to her father. "How was work, things go alright?"
Dick nodded before replying.
"Not too bad, how was your day?"
Fallon grasped immediately that her father was trying to change the subject and veer it towards her, and she wasn't going to let him get off so easily. Deciding instead it better to craft her response to not only answer his question but to get him in a position to have to spill more on his day.
"My day was great. I was able to hang out with a friend from school. We did some shopping downtown, and we also went to this new coffee shop right by the book store. Their coffee was to die for, you'd love it," looking up at him with a smile full of intriguement and energy. "So, tell me all about your day." making sure to emphasise the word 'all'.
Dick shrugged before answering ", My day wasn't too bad…." giving a noticeable pause to cough before continuing, "I was able to catch the man responsible for dozens of robberies in Bludhaven this past month, along with making progress on some research for a ongoing investigation. So overall, I'd say today was progressive."
Fallon was suspicious of her father's response. He seemed to include way too many positives, and the markings on his body told a different story. She felt relief, however, knowing there was a meeting tonight, and soon she would be able to do something about whatever problem was going on that was big enough for her father to lie to her and John.
The two fell into silence as a show played on the television, though neither one was paying much attention. After an episode or two, Fallon got up to start dinner, the task of cooking distracting her from the swarm of thoughts that had been plaguing her all day. As she was finishing cooking, John waltz through the door and the three sat down, making small conversation as they ate.
After dinner, John and Dick went to clean the dishes as Fallon went up to her room. Pacing, she went over how her and John could sneak out to the meeting. Pondering it for a while, she decided that sneaking out the window of their bedroom while Dick was on patrol was the best option, though she would run it by John before putting it into action.
Some time later, John walked in, a hand on his hip. Fallon slumped on her bed before relaying her plan on how to get to the meeting without raising anymore suspicion out of their father. After thinking on it for a minute, John nodded, saying it would best, and that they could take John's motorcycle, as he was old enough to drive it at 15.
9 o' clock came quick, Fallon looking up as Dick poked his head into their room to alert the two that he was leaving for Patrol and would back around 1 or 2 that morning. Nodding and wishing him luck, Dick left to change. Hearing the window open and shut next door, Fallon knew they were good. Gathering their things, the two headed out the window and got on the motorcycle. The half hour drive to Gotham went by in a blur, the two avoiding running into their father. Pulling up to where they were meeting outside Wayne Manor, they saw Nate and Avon walk up to them as John parked in the grass, making sure to leave little jumped the fence to join as the group congregated together before guiding them to a secret meeting place within the highbush edges of the manors massive garden maze.
"Took you all long enough," River scoffed in greeting once the had all settled. A chorus started of voices, a rebellion towards their lateness kicked in.
"Do you know how hard it is to avoid my dad's motion detectors and other gizmos meant to keep him and I safe!" Avon complained, "Outwitting Tim Drake is no simple task."
River, almost simultaneously to Avon, cried out as well, "I had to be extremely careful too! Father could track me down in seconds and drag me back home in the blink of an eye if he figures out I snuck out!"
It was John who ended up shushing then into silence, and then carried on to lead the meeting. Fallon was thankful for the reprieve from the others nagging voices.
"I'm just glad that you all made it," John stated, glaring at River before continuing." Regardless of how or when you got here, let's just all be glad that we all somehow managed to outwit our parents, for once." finishing his statement with a proud smile, which all of the others radiated back. Fallon couldn't help but appreciate John's natural born leadership skills, the particular treat being one she was still working on herself.
River threw out the first question after sensing hesitation, "Why exactly are we all here again? You weren't extremely specific."
Nate smiled, intercepting John before he could respond, "We're here because you insisted we should meet up at your place Rivy. Don't you remember."
"You know what I mean!" River exclaimed whilst crossing his arms over his chest.
"Alright, would everyone focus please." John said, trying to ease the tension. After everyone returned their attention back to him, he finally began revealing his thoughts and plans. " We can all agree on the fact that our parents are keeping information from us. Vital information that affects not only ourselves, but the safety of our cities and themselves."
Fallon looked up at her brother, than at the others, to find that there was nothing but understanding in their eyes; John gave a sigh next to her before progressing on with newfound rawness and emotion to his voice.
"I can't stand to see my dad come home each night in a condition so horrible that he can barely keep himself up on his feet." John's voice giving the slightest of cracks as he finished his statement. "I'm tired of the lies made to so call "protect us" .
Fallon noticed John looking up again at each individual, and upon seeing agreement in their eyes, noticed her brother's confidence grow before finally proclaiming,"I just want to help them, and to accomplish that, we all need to work together."
Everyone hummed in agreement, glancing at each other as moonlight shone through the thick hedges.
"I guess it's all in how we begin now," Fallon breathed out quietly, as faces turned twords her sudden voice.