Still Family

by Tina Titan

Sophie Grayson goes on a walk for her birthday, hoping to find some time alone. But when unexpected visitors want to talk to her, will she be able to stay strong? T for swearing.

2. Chapter 2

Author's note: I've had the idea for this chapter for a while now and been working on it for almost two months. I have been watching the Batman animated movies (the new ones) and researching people in the batfamily. I realized how big Sophie's extended family is. So I decided, let's get another chapter here. Plus the last few fics, Matt and Sophie have hated each other, even though they end up together. Sooooooooooooo… You'll get to see the beginings of the relationship. Mostly I want to show the dynamics of the Batfamily once the Batkids started having kids. Yeah, a few of them might have kids (ok, there is like one other kid besides my characters, but whatever) ;) Ok other notes. Finished I got you, new leverage chapter on it's way. College is hella easy after IB, but hella time consuming. And yeah. Love y'all

Gotham City is gorgeous at sunset. The gothic architecture catches fires as they drive through the city. Sophie doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to be in this city. She doesn't want to see that house ever again. She makes Matt, the only one of her team willing to go, avoid the meat packing district. He doesn't argue. She hasn't minded the car ride with him. Because the zeta tube to Gotham is offline, they'd taken a zeta tube to Steel City and borrowed one of the Titans East's cars. The leader, a resizer named Honey, owed them a favor from a case they'd helped her with two months back. She'd been more than happy to help especially with their extra passanger.

"How's Richie?" Matt asks, looking at Sophie in the back seat. She peers into the carseat beside her. Her baby brother, an adorable 15 month old, sleeps peacefully.

"He's sleeping. Finally," She sits back, looking out the window. She sees a monorail going around a building. She has to bite her lip to keep from throwing up," You need the address?"

"Pulled it from the internet yesterday," He takes a turn towards the upper crust of Gotham. The houses get bigger and farther apart. She wonders if this is commentary on the differences on the poor and the rich. Maybe she's just spending too much time with Matt, who talks about everything and nothing," Hey, Soph, you ok?"

"Yeah," She leans against the window," It's been forever since I've seen my aunts and uncles- well not my uncles. Damian, Uncle Tim, and Uncle Jason I saw a few days ago. But my aunts…"

"How many aunts do you have again?" He asks.

"Overall? Five. My mom has the one batshit crazy sister. I haven't seen her since I was like nine. On my dad's side, I have four. Aunt Kate, Aunt Barbara, Aunt Cass, and Aunt Stephanie. Aunt Steph and Uncle Tim got married like 3 years back," She should smile, but can't.

"If it makes you feel better, I haven't seen my Aunt Jade in over a year."

"It really doesn't, but thanks." She gives him a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Matt lets the rest of the ride pass with the radio on. Sophie tries not to judge his taste in music. If there was a taste. Matt listens to whatever sounds good, regardless of genre. Sophie likes rap. Her dad had taught her hacking while listening to his favorite rap songs. She pushes the thought of her father out of her mind. Fifteen minutes later, Matt pulls up to a set of gates with a giant Cursive M on them. Wait, no, that's a W. She feels embarrassed even though everyone knows she has dyslexia. Another joy of being half human. The gates open with a loud scrapping noise. Richie wakes up," Oh, no, no, no, no."

She's not sure why she's worried. Richie is the easiest of her three siblings. He doesn't cry. Maybe she's just pushing her worry about being here onto him. He looks at her with his bright blue eyes, small hands reaching out for her. He grunts. Matt pulls up the drive way," Sophie, he's ok. What are you 'Oh, no, no, no, no'-ing about?"

"I don't know. I just thought he would sleep longer than this," She hands him a little stuffed elephant," Hi, sweet boy. Did you get a good nap?"

He takes his big sister's fingers, mezmerized by the rings on her fingers. Matt pulls up to the front door. Wayne Manor is huge. Swooping arches and marble steps lead to the front door. He wonders how they get to the batcave. Sophie looks up and jumps out of the car before it's fully stopped," What the hell?!"

"Alfred!" Sophie hugs the old man. Alfred Pennyworth has seen three generations of heroes. Damian had saved water from the Lazarus pits, enough that Alfred could take dilluted portions and live longer and healthier. He looks great for someone pushing 100.

"Mar'i Grayson," He holds her at arms length, taking her in," You're a true sight for these old eyes. "

"I've missed you," She says, meaning it with every part of her heart.

"As you should, young lady," He scolds, making her smile. He's never really angry at her. ," Now where are your things?"

"In the car, but I want to say hi to everyone first," Sophie turns. Matt is unbuckling Richie. He swings the little boy up, making him squeal. She waves him over. Matt holds Richie on his hip," West, this is Alfred Pennyworth. He's pretty much the only reason no one in the family is dead. Alfred, this is Matthew West. We work together."

"Pleased to meet you, sir," Matt holds his hand out," My father always spoke highly of you and your cooking."

"Wally should know. He ate enough of the damn food to feed a city. Who is this little one?" Richie shys away from Alfred. He presses his face in Matt's shoulder.

"This is Richie, Alfred. Come here, little man," She takes Richie from Matt. Richie looks up at his sister and Alfred has to take a sharp breath. Richie Grayson looks exactly like his father," Is everyone inside?"

"Yes, they are all here," He leads them inside. People mill around the first floor. Stephanie smiles at Tim holding their newborn son, Nicholas. Kate and Barbara talk cheerfully about romantic partners. Damian and Bruce discuss work, both clearly irritated. Maybe something about one of their partners being evil. Jason flirts with Cass, who is clearly not interested. The door shuts loudly behind them. Sophie flinches from the sound. Richie cries out, startled. Everyone looks at them. Perfect.

"SOPHIE!" Jason yells. Richie cries out again," Oh, sorry."

Sophie rocks her brother," It's ok, Uncle Jason. It's good to see you."

Tim hugs her for the second time this week. It's difficult with the children in their arms, but they manage. Barbara rolls over to her niece," Why the hell is there a baby in your arms?"

"Really, Babs?" Jason rolls his eyes," We all know that Dick and Kor'i had a shit ton of kiddies before-"

"I mean why did they bring him? Not that seeing that adorable little face isn't the best thing in the world." Barbara reaches up and tickles the little boy's foot. He giggles, tiny face lighting up.

"We had to bring him," Matt quickly jumps in. He and Sophie both feel a tightness in their chests at the mention of what happened last year," Emmy and Sapphy got really sick last night. We didn't want to keep him there."

"Are you sure he didn't get it anyway?" Barbara holds out her arms. Sophie eases Richie onto her aunt's lap.

"He's got the best immune system out of all them, so he should be fine," Sophie looks at Damian. He has bruises on his throat. She tries not to feel guilty about that. Aunt Cass smiles at her, standing behind Aunt Barbara. Aunt Steph gives her a hug and asks," Who's this handsome young man?"

"Matt West," He holds out a hand to her," Pleasure to meet you, ma'am. I'm one of Sophie's teammates."

"West," She shakes his hand," I remember you from Thanksgiving the year before last. You're Wally and Artemis's son, right?"

"Yes, ma'am, but all due respect, I live with your niece, who researches everyone she meets. You all can probabbly tell me when I was born, who delivered me, and what color my blanket was," He laughs. Sophie hates that he can be comfortable around people who are supposed to be her family. She makes eye contact with her grandfather. Bruce's stoic nature pisses her off," Hey, Soph. Why don't we grab the luggage?"

"Yeah, sounds good," She reaches for her brother. Aunt Barbara shakes her head.

"Uh-uh. We are confiscating the baby until further notice." Sophie raises an eyebrow at her aunt. Barbara hugs Richie tighter, giving Sophie a stern look. She's completely serious. She goes to the door and hears Richie begin to cry. He reaches out for her, his little face twisted up. Matt reaches over, pausing to silently ask for Barbara's permission, and picks the little boy up. Richie calms down as Matt bounces him.

"It's ok, con chim nhỏ," He soothes," Your sister and I will be right back. Just got to get our stuff, ok?"

He hands the much happier toddler back to Barbara and follows Sophie outside. They park the car in the garage. Sophie starts to pull her suitcase out of the trunk when Matt stops her. It always startles her when he touches her, which isn't often. Her own skin tends to be much warmer than a normal humans, but Matt's is warmer than her's. Maybe it's because of his powers. Being a speedster required a lot of kinetic energy. Kinetic energy equals heat. He and Jania have explained this so many times she can recite it in her sleep.

"If you want to keep that hand, take it off my wrist." She threatens.

"Are you ok?" He asks, his voice drips with concern.

"Yeah, just tired. It was a long trip," She lies. Pulling her arm away, she grabs her suitcase and backpack. He knows she's lying to him. She moves too rigidly, like she's over thinking just walking. She keeps biting her lips and tucking her hair behind her ear. He knows she doesn't talk to her grandfather because of some shit that happened in the past. He knows she hates feeling anything. She won't talk about it. Not to him or Jania or Lila or Luke or Parker. She doesn't let them see her vulnerable side. She doesn't like that loss of control. He understands. Matt remembers the rules they have and decides, for now, it's best to leave her be. He grabs his gymbag before following her inside.

Inside, Richie has slid off Barbara's lap and crawls around the room. Barbara tries to follow him, but he moves quickly. Richie pushes on a table, trying to stand, but the wood begins to splinter under his fingers. Matt drops his bag and flashes over to the toddler with a loud crack. He grabs the little boy and throws him into the air," Careful, con chim nhỏ. Don't want to break the super expensive table."

"Fenma," The little boy says his first word of the day. His voice is light and brittle, but the word isn't English or even baby language. Sophie looks exceptionally pleased, happy for the first time all day. He looks at his big sister, points at the table,and repeats,"Fenma!"

"Fenma q'i pane dagn fam," Sophie coos. They all recognize Tamaranian, her mother's native language. Richie repeats his sister's words as if they're the easiest thing in the world. She says," Fenma. Break."

"B-b-b-b-b," The little boy babbles. He seems to have issues with English. He grunts in frustration.

"You'll get it soon enough," She assures him,"Heg bran shen bradma."

"Here," Matt moves quickly, passing Richie to Sophie and grabbing her bags," You keep him talking and I'll take the bags."

"I'm stronger than you," She points out. He politely ignores her, instead asking Alfred where he could put their stuff. She rolls her eyes. Her family notices she's more relaxed as she speaks to her brother,"depa qued nep cu ja nana, bumgorf?"

"What are you saying to him?" Damian asks. He's always prided himself in knowing as many languages as possible. He's never been able to grasp Tamamrian. Sophie becomes very self concious.

"Just simple phrases. 'Destroy is a bad thing.' 'The fast boy is very dumb, Bumgorf.'" She tugs his t-shirt down, covering his belly," He's having issues with English."

"Perhaps I can help," Aunt Cass offers. Sophie remembers her aunt grew up not able to speak. She was a badass fighter, but it was at a cost. Sophie hands Richie to Cass. Cass looks at her nephew and clearly says,"No."

"Ka!" He exclaims with a smile.

"No."

"Ka!"

"No.

"Ka," Sophie laughs as her aunt and brother repeat this. She looks like her mother when she smiles. At least, her family thinks so. Her green eyes shimmer and her laugh is carefree and light. Matt comes into the room at lightning speed. He trips and slams right into her. There's a lot of swearing and crashing. Sophie lays across his stomach, groaning. Matt holds the back of his head and swears in a different language.

"Jesus," Jason laughs," You ok, Baby Bird?"

"Remind me to kill him later," She rolls back onto her heels," After the mission. That's why we're here, isn't it?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Alfred scolds," No hero talk before dinner. I've earned that at least."

"Yes, sir," They all grumble. Matt sits up, his red hair messier than before.

"What the hell are the floors made of?" He groans," I almost cracked my skull."

Barbara rolls by him, patting the top of his head," If you're anything like your dad, it'll take more than polished marble to crack that thick skull."

"Yeah, Mom used to say the same thing. Soething about I'm my father's son," Sophie hates that he finds it so easy to talk about his parents. The day they were taken shuts him down, but he can make jokes and talk about them like it's nothing. She can't even think about her mom and dad without going numb. Matt just makes jokes. She hates him like crazy.

"Hey, Baby Bird, You learn any new moves since you kicked those guys' asses?" Jason asks. Her aunts immediately look at her.

"Thanks, Uncle Jay," She grumbles. She briefly explains the assholes who attacked her two days ago on her birthday. Matt, who had already heard the story over breakfast, grins at her family's reaction. For the most part, they're all impressed, but he notices Bruce looking at her differently. Not angry, but sad. She raises her eyebrow at Jason," That was two days ago. What makes you think I learned anything new?"

"Because you're my goddaughter and I know how you work," He points out.

"I thought Uncle Conner was her godfather?" Matt asks.

"Nope. He has enough of you to worry about so I got the honor. And Babs is her godmother," Jason gives his teammate a grin, which she returns with an eye roll," We're suppose to give her life advice."

"'Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it,'" Cass recites.

"Proverbs," Sophie notes. Cass nods. Matt looks over at her, confused. Sophie tries not to meet his eyes. None of her friends know she's Christian. Not because she's ashamed of it, but because most of them don't believe in God. Matt and Jania were raised athiest, Luke and Lila are the grandkids of a demon, and Parker gave up on God a long time ago. She shrugs, as if everyone knows where the qoute is from.

"I take it you want to spar?" Sophie asks, not giving Matt time to question how she knows.

"You know me so well," He laughs. Stephanie and Tim have to go, but they promise to see Sophie tomorrow. Barbara has a work issue she has to deal with, so she wheels off. Alfred informs Damian and Bruce they have a conference call. Kate has a date, kissing Sophie and her brother as she leaves. Cass and Matt follow Jason and Sophie into the library. Behind the clock is the entrance to the BatCave.

The Cave should feel cold and damp. It should feel like all caves feel, except it doesn't. Work stations cover the upper and lower floors. The cave is so warm that Matt begins to sweat a bit. Sophie shrugs off her leather jacket, tossing it on to a railing. The dark blue tank top makes her arms look strong. The muscles tense as she stretches her arms above her head, black curls falling down her back. Matt would be lying if he said there wasn't beauty in her strength.

"So what are the rules on powers and weapons?" She asks. Jason cracks his knuckles.

"No powers since I don't have any. Any non lethal weapon."

"So you don't get any weapons because you turn everything lethal?" She asks with a sly smile.

"Touche, Baby Bird. Fine. To make things fair, no powers for you, no weapons for me." She walks over to the array of tools at her disposal. She touches a set of escrima sticks, her dad's weapon of choice. Something warm fills her chest quickly followed by a sharp chill. She moves on. Bo staff. She picks it up, recognizing the weight. It reminds her of the time she spent sparring her dad. Surprisingly, that memory doesn't hurt. She turns to face her uncle.

"Ready?" She asks. Before he can answer, she runs at him. Sophie whips the staff around, throwing her weight into it, hitting him square in the face. Jason stumbles back. He rubs his jaw.

"No fair, Baby Bird. I wasn't ready," He turns, throwing all his might into a punch. Sophie spins out of the way. She fights like she's dancing. Oddly, it's the only time it doesn't look like she's over thinking everything. Time seems to fly just like her. For nearly an hour, her body twists in unnatural ways, like she's made of rubber. Sophie feels alive as she jumps over her uncle, sweeping the staff to knock him down. He rips the staff from her hands. He grabs her shirt, pulling her towards him. She jumps up, swinging her legs up to wrap around his neck. He falls to the ground and she rolls away. She smiles because she's having fun. This, this is her element. This is where she belongs. Everything makes sense. Everything is perfect.

Then she sees her parents. A memory explodes into her field of vision. Not even all there, just fragments. Her mother sparring with her father. Sophie must be a baby because she watches from a swing. Her dad doesn't hold back against her mom and vice versa. But they tease each other. He points out all the places when he could kill her and she tells him all the bones she could break. But they're there. And when she begins to cry, they stop. Her dad picks her up, rocking her and asking her what's wrong. Her mother kisses her soft hair. They look at her like she's the only thing in the world they truly love. She hears her father say," It's ok, Nightstar. Mommy and Daddy are here. We got you."

Sophie screams in pain. Jason had taken the bow staff, slamming it against her face. She falls to the ground, cheek and temple throbbing. Anger swells up inside her. Jason doesn't stop, bringing the staff down, so it whistles as slices through the air. She turns, grabbing the steel. Her eyes burn violet. The metal bends easily under her fingers. Just like her little brother, she has super strength. She can control it most of the time. Except when she's angry. Something about her anger made it hard to control her powers. Jason drops the staff, backing away from her.

"Whoa, Sophie," he holds up his hands. There are many thing Jason Todd is willing to do. Spar with his niece, sure. It helps her learn to protect herself. But he won't fight her when she's angry. He won't lay a hand on her when she's not in control," Hey, you need to breathe."

Sophie's eyes fade back to green. The staff is bent nearly in half. Her hand prints clearly visible on it's surface. Shaking her head, she drops the staff. She rubs her eyes," Sorry. I had a ghost."

"Sophie?" Matt had come to her side, Richie holding onto his fiery hair," Are you ok?"

"Fine," She snaps. She doesn't want him worrying about her. She reaches up, standing on tiptoe because he's so damn tall, and lifts her brother up. He yawns and rubs his bright blue eyes. In Tamaranian, she asks," Are you sleepy, little brother?"

He doesn't answer her rather yawning again. He presses his face into her shoulder, grabbing a fist full of her hair. Matt asks," You want me to put him down?"

"No, I got him. I'm going to call Jania and see how the girls are doing."

"Ok. Alfred had me put your stuff in your dad's old room. You know where it is?"

"Yeah," She gives him a tense smile before heading to the door.

/line break/

There's no magic trick putting her brother down for a nap. He's half asleep as she tucks him into their father's old bed, piling pillows on either side of him. He sucks on his pacifier as his breathing slows. Richie looks so much like her when she was a baby. In pictures, she had the same round face and small body proportions. They both have black hair that curls and straightens depending on the day. They even have the same nose. She kisses his forehead, hoping that he never gets bigger than this. Let him be a little boy forever.

Sophie looks around the room and feels so much. It's hard to imagine her father growing up in this room. Honestly, anything about her dad's past is hard to imagine. Any time before she was born, he used to say, doesn't matter. She and her mom were his future. And what a bright future that was turning out to be she thinks bitterly.

She picks up an old photo of him. He must be about her age. His hair is neatly combbed and school uniform neat as he holds up a math trophy. Nerd she thinks. Old band posters cover the walls. Most of them she'd never heard of, but she recognizes a few names thanks to Lila and her Uncle Gar. The dresser is full of clothes that don't look like they've been touched in years. One of his Robin outfits hangs up in the closet. She touches the soft fabric. The bright yellow under part of his cape looks atrocious, but hell it worked when he was fighting crime.

There's a photo of her dad and his old team. Wally and Artemis are on opposite sides of the group. Aunt M'gann looks so young as she holds Uncle Connor's hand, smiling brightly. Uncle Kaldur holds his head up high, regal by his very existance. Her dad can't be much older than 13, a wicked smile on his face. They're all civvy clothes. On the back a date is written. October 16th, 2010. They look so happy. Sophie wonders if something bad happens to them later.

She sits down at his old desk, pulling out her tablet, her laptop charging nearby. She requests a video chat with Jania and waits. Closing her eyes, she listens to the sounds of the house. She can hear Damian and Bruce bartering with the board of directors. Cass must be training, because all Sophie can hear is her sharp breaths as she hits her targets. Matt and Jason walk near the kitchen, discussing the mechanics of a speedster running at the speed of light. Matt seems happy to explain. Alfred hums a merry tune to himself as he cooks supper.

"Hey, Princess," Sophie opens her eyes to see her best friends. Both of them have wide smiles, Lila's canines sharper than Jania's. Jania's thick blonde hair is tied back in an off center bun while Lila's red and green pixie cut sticks up, unbrushed. Both of them look happy to see her. She manages a weak smile in return," What's up?"

"Just wanted to check in. How are the girls?"

"Sapphy threw up a little while ago. She's been pretty clingy today. Emmy has been in a bad mood all day. Both have fevers, nothing too high but I'm monitoring them, and headaches. They keep crying when someone's too loud. I thinks it's Viral Gastroenteritis."

"It's a 24 hour stomach bug," Lila translates.

"Where are they now?"

"Parker is reading to Sapphy. Emmy should be napping. We gave her a little medicine to help her sleep. They're both safe." That's the word she needs to hear. The word that makes her relax just a bit," How's Richie? Is he showing any signs of nauesa or fever?"

"No," Sophie shakes her head," He's been fine all day. I don't think he likes being at the center of attention, but what can you do?"

"Has your family not met them before?" Jania asks.

"A few of them had. We had that party when Mom and the triplets came home from the hospital. I think the rest of them got the birth announcement, but we didn't do any traveling after they were born. My birthday was pretty small. Then…" She doesn't finish her sentence. They understand," Traveling wasn't really my biggest concern afterwards. They didn't come visit us and I had too much on my plate."

Lila and Jania want to say something. After their parents had been kidnapped, everyone but Sophie shut down. They wouldn't, couldn't process what had happened. Sophie made sure they all ate, slept, bathed, and trained. For two months, she acted like their mother. She took care of three babies and her four friends. She threatened them with feeding tubes and IVs. She baited them into fighting her, calling them names that they hates, hitting every spot that she knew would hurt until they snapped and attacked, never complaining as they essentianly beat her. She went on missions by herself, sometimes coming home battered and bloody. Around Christmas, they began to help out. In little ways at first. Holding the kids while she showered, helping fold clothes, making sandwiches. By April, they had a scheduale they were following. Which they needed when Sophie was served custody papers. She's spent the last two months trying to convince a judge that she could take care of her brother and sisters,. Her case is currently being postponed because the pervious attorney from the state made racist remarks about her being half alien. How she managed to wake up in the morning, they had no idea.

"How's Gotham?" Lila asks.

"Gotham's….Gotham. My family is busy with other stuff, like usual."

"How's Wayne Manor?"

"Fucking enormous. I swear to X'hal, you could get a decent cardio work out just walking from the cave to my dad's room."

"You're staying in Uncle Dick's old room?" Lila asks.

"Yeah, it's really weird. There's pictures of him when he was like my age."

"Can we see one?" Sophie looks around and grabs the one with Jania's parents in it.

"Oh my god," Jania lets out a small laugh," Mom and Dad look so young."

"They look like they hate each other," Lila points out.

"Said the pot to the kettle,"Sophie says, a phrase her dad used to say.

"When was that taken?"

"October 16th, 2010." Sophie answers. Jania frowns," What?"

"Nothing. The date just sounds familiar. I think my parents mentioned it once or twice. Some training session gone wrong."

"I can imagine they have a lot of stories like that ," Sophie yawns.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"Kind of. I was working on reports and Sapphire was throwing up. Then I was sparring with Uncle Jason earlier," She shrugs," I'll go to bed earlier tonight. No biggie."

Jania and Lila exchange a look, but don't comment on it ,"Any news on the mission?"

"Still has something to do with drugs in the young upper class. I'll probably have go under cover."

"You going under cover as a rich girl? That I'd love to see." Lila snorts.

"I wonder what kind of rich girl she would be. Like Game of Thrones style rich girl. Not early seasons Margaery. She doesn't dress that way and isn't as cunning. Sansa maybe?"

Lila disagrees," She wasn't nearly as hopeful or wanting as Season 1 Sansa. Now Dany-"

"Mar'i of House Grayson, Star of the night, Princess of Tamaran and Earth, protector of the weak, first of her name," Jania laughs. Sophie manages to laugh with them, wondering how long they've been sitting on that joke. They talk for a few more minutes. Sophie feels better when she says good bye, Lila and Jania both saying they love her. She tries to work on a report for the league. Her eyes are uncomfortably heavy. She writes the same sentence five times before resigning herself from the task. Sophie goes over to the bed. Pushing one of the pillows back into it's spot, she lays down next to her brother. She didn't sleep well last night. Maybe closing her eyes for a minute, wouldn't hurt…

She's running down a hall in her dream. It must be in the tower, given the shitty wall paper. She hears her siblings crying for her. I'm almost there she tries to say, I'm almost there, don't worry. No matter how far or hard she tries she doesn't seem to be moving. The walls of the hall way shift into a metal room. She slams into the wall face first. She still hears the gems and Richie crying for her. Turning, her heart stops. A crowbar flies towards her face, hitting her full force. She falls to the ground. No, no, no, no. Not this. Please, dear God, not this dream. Her pray goes unheard. The crow bar hits her face again. Her siblings scream so loudly that Sophie begs,"DON'T HURT THEM! PLEASE DON'T HURT THEM!"

"Oh, little bird, you should know better." An awful face presses into her field of vision. That bloody red smile and green hair makes her want to cry. Maybe she already crying," Begging only makes it worse."

The crow bar flies down again. Sophie bolts up in bed. Sweat covers her skin, making her hair stick to her neck. She rubs her eyes. It was a dream. Only a dream. Just a dream. She plays this in her head over and over and over. She looks down beside her, expecting to see her brother looking up at her. He's not there. Sophie yanks the covers back. He must have crawled under them. Nothing. No. No. No. No.

"Richie?" Sophie jumps up, frantic. She spins around," Richie? RICHIE!"

She tears into the hallway. No one's there to stop her. She screams," RICHIE?! RICHIE!"

"SOPHIE!" Matt runs up the stairs," Hey? What's wrong?"

"I-I-I fell asleep," She's shaking," I wasn't out long, at least I don't think I was. I-I woke up. He wasn't there. He wasn't there!"

"Hey, hey, hey, breathe, Grayson, breathe."

"WHERE'S MY BROTHER?!" She demands, voice cracking. Tears fill her eyes as panic sets in.

"Sophie-" She shoves him away, not giving a damn if she hurts him. Sophie runs down the stairs still yelling Richie's name. Her uncles and aunt try to ask her what's wrong. She ignores them. She flies down to the Batcave, ready to use the supercomputer to find him. Ready to tear whoever took him limb from limb. In the Batcave, Matt and the others find Sophie frozen in her spot. Richie sits on Bruce's lap, happily examining the older man's cape.

"Is something wrong?" Bruce asks, stunned by everyone's abrupt entrance.

"Sophie," Jason reaches out to touch her shoulder. She pulls away from him. Her hands shake as she stares at Bruce.

"You took my brother." Her voice is deadly quiet.

"I went to check on you both. You were asleep and he was waking up. I thought you might apperciate the extra time by yourself." Sophie begins to shake.

After losing my parents, do you honestly think that waking up without my brother would be helpful? She wants to says this. She wants to tear into him, but she doesn't. Instead she walks over and takes Richie from Bruce. Richie smiles up at his sister, cooing in Tamaranian.

"Ka branswuque, Mar'i," He snuggles into her arms. Sophie breathes in slowly. Matt is waiting for her to lose her shit. She's been on edge all day, and given how sweaty she is, the nap didn't help.

"Thank you, Bruce," She hasn't changed her tone," I appreciate it. Next time, please leave a note or tell someone."

She walks past everyone, back unnaturally straight, eyes locked on the door. Matt looks over at Bruce when she's gone," She's been like that the last few months. Since the court order. She can't bear for them to be out of her sight. It took three hours of careful negotiation to get her to leave the girls."

"Unfortunately, Matthew, that's not the only reason she reacted that way," Bruce sighs as he stands. He gives the young speedster a kind smile," Though I do appreciate your candor. My granddaughter and I have a… difficult relationship. But that's between her and me."

"Understood," Matt says. Then his stomach growls so loudly it echoes around the room. His face turns bright red, making the small spray of freckles stand out on his cheeks," Sorry, it's been a few hours."

They all laugh. Matt's very kind and honest personality diffuses the tension in the room easily. Jason slaps Matt on the back," Come on, Flashpoint. I'm sure Alfred has dinner ready."

/Line Break/

Alfred Pennyworth is a gift from God. This comes from Matt. who had never believed in God ever. But this man, almost at a moment's notice, had made a feast. Matt realizes why his parents always told him to treat Alfred Pennyworth with respect. The roast beef is amazing and all the roasted vegtables are perfect. Alfred even made Sophie a vegetarian plate with roasted eggplant and mushrooms. Sophie eats two plates just by herself. She hasn't eaten anything all day. She doesn't have to eat as often as the Wests, but more often than normal people. Richie smiles at everyone, shoving food into his cheeks.

"Is that good, con chim nhỏ?" Matt teases. Richie pats his tray happily, his face is caked in food.

"What are you calling him?" Cass asks.

"It's Vietnamese," Matt explains happily," It means small bird or little bird. Jania and I both have nicknames for the kids. Sapphire is mặt trời, sun. Emerald is Mặt trăng, moon. They already speak English and Tamaranian. Might as well introduce them to Vietnamese."

"I didn't know you spoke it," Damian comments.

"My mom's mom wanted us to be in touch with our roots."

"This was the villainess?" Sophie would have snapped at Damian if he'd been so blunt with her. Matt however smiles.

"Yes. She was a villain. I'm sure you know what it's like to have bad blood in your family."

Sophie bites her lip to keep from smiling. Matt might be polite, almost to a fault, but he could make a snide comment when needed. That's the one part that she tends to enjoy about him. He will put up with everyone's shit, but not laying down.

"Fair enough," Damian's voice has a tiny hint of respect in it for the boy.

"How's your sister, Matthew?" Bruce asks from the head of the table," Is she doing well?"

"Yes, sir. She's doing really well. At least when she's not trying to fire arrows at me," He says with a smirk. Everyone laughs," Jania's great. Being a hero is exactly what she wants to be right now so she's more than happy."

"That's good. How's the rest of your team? The twins and Parker?"

"Luke and Lila have been acting a little weird lately, but I think it's just growing pains. Parker's slowly developing this ability to make things blow up every other day. Other than that, everyone's doing fine."

"Mar'i," Sophie tenses as Bruce uses her first name," How are your sisters?"

"Sick still," She sighs, unable to find the energy to be angry at his question," they have fevers and keep throwing up."

"Are they ok?"

"Jania's monitoring them. She'll call me if anything bad happens. At least she better." Sophie wipes Richie's face. The little boy grunts as he tries pulling away from her. She says," Ognam predragnashon, Richie."

"Ka predragnashon! Ka!" He shakes his head.

"Tegfa. Kneka rambanar shem," She says sternly. Matt looks at her with a goofy smile," What?"

"You seem happier when you speak in Tamaranian."

"It's a language I know. Are you happier when you speak Vietnamese?" She raises an eyebrow. He shrugs, continuing to eat his fourth plate of food. Jason smirks at them," What?"

"Nothing, Baby Bird. Or as your boyfriend here would say, con chim nhỏ," Sophie and Matt both turn bright red. Her family laughs at the sight, not meanly, just the way the two seem to be repulsed by the idea.

"He's not my boyfriend. That would require me to find him attractive."

"Aw, Soph, be nice. I'm sure Matt thinks you're attractive," Jason teasingly winks at the speedster. Matt's face has turned almost the exact same shade as his hair.

"There's literally no way for me to say anything about that without getting murdered." Matt shakes his head," Seriously. I say I do, she kills me. I say I don't, you kill me. I lose, so I ain't playing the game."

"Easy there, speedster." Jason warns, eyes twinkling," Watch out for those 'ain't's'. Alfred might make you write 'Ain't isn't a word.' He made me do that about ten thousand times."

Everyone laughs. Matt helps clear the dishes, making Alfred give a pointed look at the others around the table. Sophie lets Richie out of his high chair. He crawls around the floor, happily explorig the room. Sophie smiles down at him as she talks to Damian about Wayne Enterprises. Being Bruce's granddaughter, she had access to the Jump City Division. She's been involved with the creation of several computer programs that have resulted in an esitmated $7.5 billion profit.

"So, this mission I'm supposed to go on, can we talk about it?" Alfred hadn't returned yet, but it's technically after dinner.

"I can give you the basics right now. Alfred has a surprise for you." Sophie grimaces. She hates surprises. If she could have the next 50 years of her life on a color cordinated calender, she would. She waves her hand for him to go on," Three teens from the upper class have died in the last two weeks. All from over doses of the same drug. Vertigo X."

"I know that drug," Matt comes in, carrying a small stack of dessert plates," Uncle Ollie told me about that once, said that it was running rampet through Star City, like 25 years ago."

"What's it do?"

"Kills you. In concentrated forms, it makes you hullenate, like any other drug. Uncle Ollie said it was like the worst version of an acid trip you could imagine. If it's in it's purest form, it kills you. Painfully and over the course of days in some cases. But Count Vertigo is dead, Uncle Ollie can attest to that. How can there be more?"

"So long as people die, cities turn to rubble, drugs will always be around to help with the pain," Sophie answers," Is there anything else connecting the victims? Besides the fact they're all rich."

"Not were all found dead in their beds, just after attending functions with their families the night before. Two boys and a girl. The girl showed signs of sexual assault just before she died." Bruce pulls up the case on his phone. Matt takes it, eyes flashing across the screen. His heart sinks as he reads about the girl. She was only 15 years old. The same age as Jania. The same as Sophie.

"Matt?" Sophie breaks him out of his thought," You ok?"

"Yeah," He gives her a small smile," Bruce, anything else on the autopsies or anything peculiar?"

"No. I've already cross refeienced the lists of who was at the all the parties. I can send you it."

"Ok, so why do you need us?" Sophie asks.

"There's an event happening tomorrow. A party of many young heirs and heiresses who are there to promote a foundation for drug abuse in teens. It's specifically for anyone under 25."

"And Damian just aged out," Sophie gives her uncle a side smirk. He rolls his eyes," So you needed someone to infultrate the party. Why did I need to bring him?"

"Teams tend to be preferable when going under cover." Bruce explains. Matt looks back at the file. The girl, 15, sexually assaulted. He understands why Bruce wanted one of the guys. It's easier to pretend that they're a couple than two girls trying to protect each other all night," We can talk later. I think Alfred is almost ready with the surprise, wouldn't you say, Matthew?"

Matt is caught off guard by the stern tone. Meeting Bruce's eyes, he understands what he wants. He hands Sophie the phone and leaves the room. Sophie frowns as she reads," Ok, so we're attending a party to figure out who gave the victims their drugs. Chances are it's the same person who raped the female vic. Easiest plan of action would be to flirt with most of the guys in a low cut dress until I find the one who gives me drugs."

Damian and Cass see the reason behind this plan, but Jason gets a pit in his stomach. He had been the biggest advocate against having Sophie come here to help with the plan. The idea of his goddaughter being used as bait made him want to vomit. He would rather die again than let anything bad happen to her. Jason had a promise to keep. He reaches under the table and pulls Richie out," Hey, buddy."

"Un Jasa," Richie touches his uncle's face. His bright blue eyes takein everything, wise beyond their years.

"What's that in Tamaranian?" Damian looks at Sophie. Sophie doesn't try to hide her smile.

"It's not Tamaranian. He's trying to say 'Uncle Jason.'" Sophie meets her godfather's eyes. She knows what he's done. She's read his file, heard the stories, but she still loves him. Her love is what's kept him walking straight this long. Matt comes in at that moment, holding a large platter in his hands. Alfred follows with forks," What's that?"

"See for yourself," Alfred pulls the sliver dome off. A beautiful cake sits infront of her. In large purple letters, they've written something across it. Her brain takes a minute to translate it Happy Birthday, Mar'i Sophie.

"Alfred, you didn't have to do this," Sophie looks at him.

"I think we can afford to take a day to celebrate your existence. It's been one of the best things to happen to this family," Alfred smiles at her. She returns it. Matt lights the candles and she tries not to die as they all sing Happy Birthday. The cake is her favorite, chocolate with rasberries in the middle.

"Here you go, darling," Cass slides her a small white box tied with a gold ribbon.

"Aunt Cass, you didn't have to get me anything."

"You are getting presents so deal with it." Sophie actually laughs at this. She slides the ribbion off. Inside, on a bed of black tissue paper, is a small necklace with a small spherical charm. Gems are pressed into the metal. Sapphires and emeralds make half of it look exactly like earth, with America in the center. The other half is white gold with pink diamonds spreading out. Tamaran. Sophie lifts it up. She presses a small button on the side. It opens to show two empty spots. Underneath is a note. She takes the time to read it. You are more powerful than anyone else in this world. Because you combine the best of two. Do not let anyone tell you that this is a weakness or makes you undesirable. All my love, Cassandra

"Aunt Cass…" Sophie is at a loss for words. Her aunt smiles. Sophie knows she doesn't have to say anything to express how much she loves the present. Cass knows.

"Here's your present from me and Damian, baby bird," Jason hands her a dark red box. She unwraps it. Insinde she finds a collapsed bow staff.

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow.

"It's specially designed for you. There's special hand grips that can collect the enegry from your starbolts. You can shoot concentrated beams from both ends." Damain explains.

"You made a weapon for something I can do natuarally?" She asks.

"Think of it like this, Sophie," Matt gives her a grin," You can hit someone and fire a starbolt behind you."

She rolls her eyes,"You're an idiot."

Alfred cuts the cake, giving her a massive slice. She doesn't say anything about how Bruce didn't give her anything. She really doesn't like presents to begin with, mainly because she guesses them half the time. After cake and coffee and a much more indepth conversation about their mission, Sophie takes Richie and the file Bruce gave her to her father's room.

"Come on, sweet boy," She sets him down is his travel crib," Time to go to sleep."

"Don't wanna." He shakes his head.

"You have to. How else will you grow to be strong?" She hands him his little elephant," Elinore is sleepy. You should keep her company while she rests."

He takes Elinore, a present from their father, and snuggles down into the blankets. She climbs into bed, grabbing her laptop and the file. Her presents sit on the nightstand. She slides her headphones on. Music pounds in her ears as she begins her case file. In two hours, she has information about the three victims. The girl, Felicity Nickel, had been in rehab twice. Maxwell Rey had never had so much as a speeding ticket. Alexander Ford was the complete opposite. In jail twice, drug possession, agrevated assualt, public disturbance. If they had been born poor, two of them would be in prision. Sophie pulls up the list of people who had been at all the parties where these three died. Not a whole lot of people. As the night wears on, she dives into other people's lives. She learns everything about them that she can. Forgetting everything that's happened that day until the only thing that matters is the case in front of her.

/Line Break/

"Is that really the most appropriate attire for breakfast?" Alfred asks as she comes down for coffee. She's not sure what time she'd fallen asleep, but she was up at 6 am sharp. Richie sits in a high chair, eating dry cearal. Matt had left a note letting her know where her brother was. Richie seems very happy to be with the old butler. She kisses the top of his head.

"I wanted to get a work out in before breakfast," Sophie answers, pouring herself a large cup of coffee. Afred shakes his head in disapproval at her sports bra and running shorts," Don't give me that look, Alfred. It's not like I'm going out clubbing or anything."

"Young ladies-"

"Alfred, I love you, but I'm no lady. Not by any standard." She laughs," I promise once I'm done, I'll change."

"Your parents have a lot to answer for," Alfred murmurs as she heads out of the room. You have no idea she thinks.

Sophie hadn't been the only one with the idea to train before the rest of the house woke up. Matt hangs upside down from a bar, doing sit ups. His shirt lays abandoned on the floor. She tries not to stare at his muscular chest or tan skin. He smiles at her," Morning, Grayson. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine," She answers, wrapping her hands up. She activates an app on her watch that temporarily neutralizes her powers," You?"

"Got a great 45 minutes," He's completely serious. Fucking speedster

"Well, once you're done there let me know." He curls up and grabs the bar. He flips to the ground, streching out his arms. His sweat drenched hair looks brown. Jumping up to grab the bar, She begins doing pull ups," I was doing research on the victims last night."

"I'm shocked," Matt grunts, lifting a barbell above his head," Anything interesting?"

"Two of them had a lot of issues. Drug possession, rehab, assault, whole nine yards. Really fucked up." She keeps count in her head," Something is tripping me up about the third vic."

"Hmm?"

"He doesn't have any prior records. No evidence that he ever had or would do drugs. He also died two days after the female vic. His parents said he had been in a lot of pain."

"You thinking it's a conincendece?"

"No. My theory is he walked in on her being raped, so the dealer took care of him. Gave him a hot shot."

"For a dude who doesn't do drugs, especially with something like Vertigo, it would kill him pretty fast. But the dealer probably knew how much to give him so it would take him days to die." Matt says. Sophie nods," So what's the plan right now?"

"Low cut dress, flirting, 85% chance of punching."

"What's the actual plan?" He grins to himself. She never did anything without a plan.

"That's all I have. We're just getting information. Bruce already has a plan made for us." She finishes her pull ups and drops to the ground. Matt looks over at her. Her black hair swept out of her face in a high ponytail. Taunt stomach marred with scars. He's helped sew up a few of them. Burns on her upper thighs. Sophie holds up herself with an air of regality. A true force to be reckoned with.

"Want to spar?" He asks. She laughs.

"Why? You know you're going to lose."

"Oooo, someone's feeling confident today," He teases.

"It's not confidence. Statisticaly, I beat you 73% of the time."

"Do you keep count or something?"

She gives him a small smirk," I have spreadsheet."

"Dork."

"Said the pot to the kettle." They move over to the sparing mat. There's a moment where they just look at each other. Each noting the other's weight distribution, their stance, the tension in their shoulders, things they've be taught to do since they were little. Matt runs at her. She ducks down as he swings at her, sweeping his legs out from under him. As his legs come up, he wraps them around her neck. He twists them so he's on top of her. Sophie punches in square in the face, and when he's dazed, she shoves him off. Blood trickles from his nose. She tosses a stray lock of hair from her face," Maybe we should avoid face shots. Since we have to look nice tonight."

"Don't think that means I'm gonna go easy on you, Princess."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She kicks his side hard. He grunts in pain. They go at it for thirty minutes. Sophie pushes the feeling that this scene is familiar away. Matt gets a lucky shot to her chest. She falls back and he's on top of her once again. He pins her hands above her head so she can't move. Their faces are inches apart, sweat dripping off his nose onto her cheeks. Their chests heaving," Game over?

"I think I won, Grayson." He smiles down at her.

"Lucky shot." She grins at him.

"You two in the middle of something?" They both look towards the door. Jason leans against the frame with his arms crossed. Matt stands up, holding his hand out for her. She takes it.

"Sparring, Uncle Jay. What's up?"

"Alfred said that you both need to come and eat. Also Babs, Steph, and Kate are here to kidnap you."This last part is directed at Sophie.

"God," She groans," Ok. I can deal with that when I've showered and changed."

About twenty minutes later, Sophie and Matt go into the dining room. Richie crawls around the dining room, smiling widely. Her aunts and uncles all sit around the table, eating breakfast. Matt reaches down and tosses Richie in the air," Hey, bud! Guess who just won a sparring match with your big sister?"

Richie giggles and grabs a fistful of Matt's fiery hair. Matt laughs as he pulls his hair from the toddler's hands. Sophie sits at the table and holds her hands out to Matt. Matt hands Richie to her. Throughout breakfast, as they talk about work and missions, Matt and Sophie hand each other food before the other asks for it. They trade Richie, giving him bites off their plates. It's like they know the other better than they know themselves.

"Alright, Miss Grayson," Aunt Stephanie pulls Sophie up," You are coming with us."

"Why? I have a mission tonight," She points out.

"Which is why we have to go. You need a dress."

"I have a dress!"

"What color?"

"Navy Blue." Her aunts roll their eyes," What?"

"You cannot wear a navy blue dress tonight," Kate tells her.

"I've worn that to meet the President of the United States. She seemed to like it."

"Baby bird, trust me. You can't win this fight." Jason winks at her. She still tries for another minute. But she doesn't have a comment when Cass describes her style as funeral chic. She, reluctantly, goes with them to a fancy dress store. She lets them treat her like a barbie doll, and though she would never let them know it, she loves it. Her aunts make her feel beautiful as she tries on ten different dresses. Aunt Kate and Aunt Barabra tell her about her dad at high society functions. About him being a really big dork at first. How he thought telling people he grew up in a circus was going to earn him points. How walking on his hands did earn him some points. Aunt Cass talks about some of the missions that they went on together. How her dad always made sure everyone got home in one piece and how her mother made sure they were all ok afterwards. Aunt Stephanie teases Sophie, saying that she's so stubborn that no one can figure out which parent she got it from. Sophie stays mostly quiet during this. She wonders if her aunts can tell how much the stories weigh on her.

It's not that she doesn't think about her parents. She does. Every single day when she wakes up, she thinks of how much she wants her parents to be there. How much she wants to wake up to her dad making pancakes and her mother singing. She wants more than anything in this world to see her parents. To hug them and kiss them and tell them how much she loves them. But it hurts. It hurts every single day that they are gone. She doesn't look at photos of them or join in group discussions about odd thing parents used to do. Instead, she just listens. Listens and lets her heart grow heavier with each word.

They stop for lunch in some diner that Kate suggests. Her aunts turn from talking about her parents to asking her questions.

"How's school?"

"Good. We're still doing online classes. The mayor proposed an idea that we be allowed to take the GED early. West's going to take it next month, I think. I'm probably going to take it within the next six months."

"College?" Aunt Barabra asks.

"Yeah, Jump City University. They have a great Computer Science program that I'm looking at. Our police commissioner said as soon as I have the degree, I can go work for her," Sophie smiles as she bites a french fry," Something about how I know their systems better than them."

"We're so proud,"Stephanie smiles at her niece," Any other reason you're not looking at other schools?"

"I want to stay with my team. I can't exactly take three little kids across the country by myself. We have a good system in place. Plus, Jump City is my home. I can't imagine living anywhere else." she shrugs," and I'd miss my friends."

"I think you'd miss some of them a little more than you're willing to admit."

"What do you mean, Aunt Steph?" Sophie looks genuinely confused.

"I think Stephanie is refering to you and Matt and the yearning looks you've been shooting each other." Sophie chokes on her grilled cheese. Kate smacks her on the back.

"I'm sorry, but the only looks I've been shooting at West haven't been yearning. I'd classify them more along the lines of what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you." None of her aunts believe her. She can tell by the looks on their faces," I'm serious. I don't like him. I can barely handle having him as a teammate. He's-he's immature and arragont and annoying and-"

"It's really cute watching you explain why you don't like him. I love that shade of red on your face." Sophie shakes her head.

"I don't like him. He's my best friend's brother. Even if I did think of him like that, I would never do that to her."

"Guys, leave her alone. She's got enough on her plate without worrying about boys." Barabra scolds Kate and Stephanie," How's the trial going, honey?"

"Great considering the fact that the other lawyer called me 'an abomidable heathen without a single brain cell' in my head. Or something along those lines." She shakes her head," I just want to keep my siblings at home. Not replace Mom or Dad or anything. I just don't-I can't lose them. I can't."

Cass picks up on her niece's agiation underneath the sadness. She isn't just upset by the idea of her siblings being taken away. She's angry. The fork in her hand creaks a bit as it bends. Cass slips the fork away from Sophie, without letting the others see," Tell me about your sisters. We haven't seen them in so long."

"Yeah, I thought about bringing them, but then they got sick. They're good," Sophie smiles.

"Emerald and Sapphire, right?" Barabra asks.

"Don't pull the Batfamily 'ask a question to distract the mark' tactic on me. That was the first thing Uncle Jason taught me. You know their names," Sophie says," Yeah. We call them Emmy and Sapphy or the gems if we're talking about both of them. Sapphy reminds me of Dad so much that it's scary. She's bossy. She's the only one that speaks full English and she's just always telling Emmy and Richie what to do. She's not mean, she just likes things going a certain way. Emmy doesn't care. God, Emmy is just like Mom. She slips in and out of Tamaranian. She's always happy. Always smiling and laughing and she's just so-so happy. We pratically have to tie her to her crib so we don't wake up with her on the ceiling. You think they'd hate each other. Hell, sometimes I think they might."

"But?"

"They don't. They love each other, best friends really. They throw tantrums if the other has to go somewhere without them. First thing Emmy asks in the morning is 'where sappy?'" Sophie chuckles," Emmy has a lot of words she can't say just yet, mostly names. So Sapphy is Sappy. I'm Sopie. Richie is Riri. West is Map. Jania is Ganja. Parker is Parer. The twins are Lup and Lala."

"What would she call us?" Barabra asks.

"I've talked about you all often enough that she has names for you. Baba, Step, Kat, Caz, Jay, Dami, Im, Alfed, Gampa." They laugh. Sophie seems to relax as she talks more about her siblings. She tells them how much Sapphire loves bubble baths and how Emerald hates shots. How Richie always spoke to her because she'll always understand him. She even admits she broke down in tears the day before their birthday because their parents weren't there to celebrate with them. She talks about the stories that she tells them, the songs she sings. She talks and they listen to her.

They have to get home so she can get ready. On the way to Wayne Manor, they drive through the meat packaging district. On 149th and Bedard, she makes Stephanie stop the car. She climbs out of the car, not answering their questions. Sophie looks at the meat packaging factory. The windows are all broken. Graffiti covers the walls and trash litters the ground. Her arm throbs for the first time in years. She can hear screams from inside. She doesn't move. Her aunts don't hear the screaming. No one does. The screaming makes her fists curl up and her eyes squeeze shut. She takes a shaky breath before sliding back into the car.

"Sophie?" Kate asks.

"I'm ok," she says. Her voice is strong," I just needed to see it."

"See what?" When she looks at her aunts, her eyes are sad. Like she's a hundred years old.

Her voice is soft ,"The last place where I felt like Mar'i."

/Line Break/

Matt has spent the whole day with Sophie's uncles and Richie. He trained with them, getting his ass thoroughly whipped and getting plenty of good hits himself. Sophie's uncles notice how much Matt cares about Richie. The little boy is held by pretty much everyone that day, but the second he starts crying, Richie reaches out for the speedster. Matt never seems to be annoyed with this. He takes the little boy and rocks him, humming or cooing in Vietnamese. Matt shows him everything, getting him to say a few words in English. When Sophie gets back, Matt takes Richie with him as he goes to change. Richie plays with a truck as Matt pulls on his tux.

"Ragpra da," Richie says.

"Really, bud? Then what?" Matt asks. He pauses with his shirt open. In the mirror, he sees his scars. Deep cuts in his stomach that should have killed him. Bullet wounds that pucker his tan skin. He hears his dad's voice. Being a speedster doesn't mean you don't get hurt, bud. Something hurt you, but couldn't kill you. Every scar you get is another reminder that you aren't dead. Another story you get to tell. With his father's words, he buttons his shirt up and tucks it in. Richie pulls on Matt's pant leg. Matt swings him up in the air before plopping Richie on his hip," What's up, little man?"

"You're really good with him." Tim leans against the door.

"Thanks," Matt smiles at Richie," Just trying to help Sophie out. She likes to control more things than she can really handle."

"Yeah, I get that. Steph was the same way. She was convinced I couldn't do anything by myself."

"Well, Sophie isn't that extreme. I do think she forgets I don't know certain things," He nods at the tie on the bed," like how to tie a tie."

"Your dad never showed you?"

"You've met my father. Known him for years. He was more concerned that I know all the Doctors or could qoute Star Wars. We weren't exactly going to black tie events every other month." Matt sets Richie down on the ground," Could you help me please?"

Tim takes the tie, shaking his head. Matt is very polite, even sits on the edge of the bed so Tim doesn't have to reach up. Tim clears his throat,"So, Jason is going to be here in a few minutes."

"Is he going to threaten me to watch out for Sophie?" Matt jokes.

"More like interrogate you about her." Matt frowns. Tim goes on," He's under the imperssion that you have a crush on her."

Matt scoffs," Me have a crush on Sophie? That's crazy. She's my sister's best friend. She's annoying and infuriating and-and she makes me want to scream sometimes."

"Strange," Tim straigtens the tie," I said the same thing about Stephanie."

"Sir, with all due respect, I don't like her. She's a great hero and a-a great friend, but I don't feel that way about her."

"Ok," Tim nods his head once," I'll accept that, but I'm going to give you a piece of advice. If you ever do get feelings for someone, don't wait. Especially if they're a hero. Don't ever wait to tell someone how you feel. You never know what can happen in, really, a matter of seconds."

"Something you learn?" Matt asks.

"Something my wife taught me." Tim admits," In this life, Matt, you don't get a lot of second chances. So take every oppertunity you have."

Matt nods. He thinks for a second before sying," Jason wasn't coming to interogate me, was he?"

"Nope. I thought his name might scare you a bit."

"I was raised to have a healthy fear of your family," Matt says," My mother made damn sure of that."

"Not your dad?"

"My dad had a very bad habit of making fun of the Batfamily behind you all's backs. Mom's honestly surprised she wasn't a single parent," Matt's face flushes," Not that Dad ever said anything really awful. Just smack talk. I'm going to shut up now."

"Don't worry, Matt. If we were afraid of a little smack talk, none of us would be here. Hell, Sophie's dad could smack Jason down pretty well."

"Really?"

"Where do you think Sophie got it from?"

Jason knocks on the door," You ready yet?"

"Yes, sir," Matt says, tucking his phone into his pocket. He turns to Tim, who now holds Richie," Thank you for helping with the tie."

"Anytime." He winks at the young speedster. Downstairs, Bruce gives Matt an overview of how the evening should go. Arrive, mingle, talk more with the people who had been at the other functions, try to get solid evidence on which of them is selling Vertigo X. He's supposed to play the part of Sophie's boyfriend. That detail made Sophie gag last night, but they'd both agreed to it. Jason also makes a comment that they would be monitoring so Matt should keep his hands to himself as much as possible.

"Where's Sophie?" Bruce asks.

"I'm coming!" Sophie calls from down the hall. As she turns the cornor, Matt forgets that he's surrounded by her heavily armed family. Her dress is emerald green. The top hugs her body and the skirt flares out at her hips, brushing the floor. Her dark curls fall loose down her back. Her eyes look normal for once. The whites actually white and the pupils black, but the irises are that same out of this world green," Sorry, Aunt Barabra had to adujst the holo-earrings."

"It's ok," Matt says," You look great."

She looks him up and down with an impartial look," You clean up pretty well too."

"You need an update on what to do?" Bruce asks.

"Flirt, get drugs, don't die," She summarizes.

"A simple no would have sufficed," He says, handing her an ear piece," Keep this in. It will record anything anyone says to you."

"That's exactly what a girl wants to hear before a big party," Sophie mutters. She slips the chip into her ear. Matt notices her earrings glow the same shade of green that her eyes usually are. She lets her hair fall back into place," Do I need to do a test run?"

"No. Remember, you need to check in-"

"Every twenty minutes, I know. Also," She looks at Jason," I can take care of myself, Uncle Jay. I don't need you to threaten my partner."

"So he is your partner," She doesn't rise to the bait. Instead she goes over to Damian, who sits in a chair with Richie in his lap. She takes her little brother and holds him up in the air.

"Oh, my sweet boy," She coos," I'm gonna miss you tonight. Be good for Uncle Jay and Uncle Damian, ok? You all have my list right?"

"Yes, Grayson," Damian rolls his eyes," We also watched you when you were an infant, so we aren't completely helpless."

"I never said anything about you being helpless, but if the shoe fits," Sophie bounces Richie on her hip, talking to him more that Damian.

"The car is ready," Alfred announces. Sophie begrudingly hands Richie to Damian.

Matt holds out his arm to her," Ready?"

"I'm ready, but I'm not holding your arm." She marches right past him. He sighs. This is going to be a long night.

/Line break/

Sophie hates the party the second she walks into the mansion. It's way too loud for her. That's mostly because of her alien hearing. She takes a deep breath and slowly relases it. A trick her mother taught her. It helps her adjust to the noise. Matt looks around at the room, a wide smile on his big stupid face. She forces a smile on her face. About two hundred people mingle around the room. She hates every one of them. They all have the luxaries of growing up in the shadow of her life. They were still afraid of the people that they love being killed or being attacked, but she doesn't get bodyguards. She has to fight for herself. Every single goddamn step of the way.

A beautiful girl with long white-blonde hair approaches them," Hi, I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Elizabeth Hayes. My father is CEO of Hayes Technologies. My family is hosting this event"

"Mar'i Grayson." She holds out her hand. Elizabeth shakes it.

"Pleasure, Marie" Sophie tries not to correct her. MUHree, not MahREE,"I don't recognize your last name."

"My father is Richard Grayson." Elizabeth snaps her fingers.

"Bruce Wayne's eldest son. I thought he lived in Bludhaven?"

"He moved after marrying my mother. We're in Jump City right now. I'm here visiting my family."

"That's great. And you are?" Elizabeth turns to Matt. Matt smiles and nods his head.

"Matthew West. I'm Mar'i's boyfriend." Sophie tires not to wince when he says her real name. He says it right, just a little more force on the first syllable than the Earth version. It shouldn't bother her as much as it does.

"Nice to meet you, Marie and Matthew. I have to go, but I hope we can talk more later." She hurries off. Matt raises an eyebrow at Sophie.

"Mar'i?" He asks.

"Sophie isn't exactly as fancy as Mar'i." She shakes her head," And don't start with me, Matthew."

"I at least own my first name," He scoffs.

"Both of you stop," Bruce's voice comes from their ear pieces," you're supposed to be playing a loving couple. So put aside your differences for one night."

Sophie wants nothing more than to tell him to go fuck himself, but reminds herself that won't do anything. So she puts on a smile and kisses Matt on the cheek," Come on, let's dance."

Matt takes her hand, pulling her to the dance floor. She threatens to break his wrist if his hand goes anywhere below her waist, smiling as she says it. Sophie looks down at her feet as they move. He can't stop himself from commenting," Don't tell me the great Mar'i Grayson can't dance."

"I can dance," She says," I'm just not used to dancing with someone else."

"Well, this is just a waltz. Most important thing, is to find a partner who knows what he's doing."

She rolls her eyes," I know you're qouting something."

"And you hate that you don't know what it is," She resists the urge to punch him. After a while, she forgets that they're even undercover. He spins her around and dips her. They talk to other people slowly making their way to the people that had been at the other parties. She causually flirts with a few of the guys, hoping to get some information out of them. Matt goes to get food, kissing her cheek. She catches herself before she can turn and kiss him square on the mouth.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Sophie turns and finds herself face to face with a boy her age. His black hair is cropped short, dark eyes meeting hers. She smiles.

"No, just a close friend. He plays for the, uh, other team, but my parents insisted I bring him for protection. Acting like a couple was their best idea," He grins at her. It reminds her of a wolf's smile. Too toothy to be real.

"Then let me introduce myself. Thatcher Mills." She takes his hand. He kisses the top of hers, maintaining eye contact.

"Mar'i Grayson."

"Bruce Wayne's granddaughter. You've quite a reputation already. The mysterious one that never comes to parties."

"Not easy to make it to a Gotham event when you live in Jump City."

He smiles even wider," Fair enough. Would you like to go somewhere a little more quiet?"

She nods. They disappear from the room. Sophie can't deal with her family in her ears. So she subtlely turns the sound off of her communicatior. They can hear her, she can't hear them. Matt talks to a few girls about Felicity Nickel, the female vic. Bruce's voice comes through his com,"Matt? Matthew!"

"Excuse me, ladies, I'm getting a phone call." Matt pulls his phone out and walks away," Yeah, I'm here."

"Do you have eyes on Sophie?" Bruce asks.

"She's-" Matt turns around, scanning the room for her," She was here like ten minutes ago."

"She's turned off the speaker on her comm. We can't talk to her. I think she's in trouble."

"Do you know who she's with?"

It's Jason who answers," Some guy called Thatcher Mills."

"Mills, Mills. Why does that name sound familiar?" He searches Thatcher Mills on his phone. Mills Pharmacutials. He was at the parties where the victims died," Do you have a tracker on her?"

"That would be wrong," Jason says.

"Do you have a tracker on her?" Matt asks again.

"Yes. She's three floors up, about fourteen metters to your right. Matt," He freezes,"You can't use your speed. If you do, the whole thing is blown."

"Bruce,even at my fastest normal speed, it will take me ten minutes to get to her."

"What would Sophie say?"

"She'd tell me that time's wasting. I'm on it." he beings moving through the crowd. Smiling at people, trying not to think of what might be happening to Sophie right now. I'm coming, Grayson. I'm coming.

Sophie looks around the library. Elizabeth had told her that it was ok for them to go in there, it was massive, saying there were cameras in case someone tried to steal any of them. This comes as an after thought, not an accusation. It's not as impressive as the library at Wayne Manor, but X'hal help her, it's gorgeous. She almost wishes Matt was in here with her. He'd be in awe with the oak bookshelves and books of every subject covering the walls. Thatcher seems pretty interested in her.

"Siblings?" Leaning against a bookshelf.

She sees her brother and sisters smiling at her, holding their hands up for her to carry them,"Only child I'm afraid. Mom and Dad had issues having kids."

"That ever bother you?"

"No. My parents let me do whatever I wanted."

"Always working?"

"Sounds like you know something about that."

"My dad cares more about his buisness than his son."

"What does your family do again?"

"Pharmacuitculs." Sophie notices he's leaning closer to her.

"Don't take this as offensive, but would you happen to know about that new drug that's going around?"

"Which one?"

"Vertigo X." He gives her that too toothy grin again.

"What's a pretty girl like you want with Vertigo X?" She leans in closer , looking at him through her lashes.

"Same thing a pretty guy like you would want with Vertigo X. To feel good." She doesn't think about how much Bruce or her uncles must be screaming in her ears. That she needs to stop. But she can't stop. Not when she's winning. Thatcher looks over his shoulder before he pulls out a vial with a purple liquid inside. She reaches for it, but he pulls it away.

"Ah-ah. Gotta pay first."

"Do I really look like I have any money on me?" She asks. He's so close that she can feel his breath on her lips.

"I'm sure we can work something out," He kisses her. His lips are warm, but they don't feel right. They're demanding and unforgiving. His hands run down her body, pulling at her skirt. She pulls away, stepping back," Where do you think you're going?"

"I think my friend has some money." She tries to pull away. He grips her arm.

"You can't leave a guy hanging. Besides, I know you want this."

"Let go." He doesn't hear her.

"Flirting with practically every guy at the party. Showing off your chest in that slutty dress. You want it as much as I do." Before she can argue, his lips are back on hers. His tongue plundges into her mouth, uninvited. Her instincts kick in. She bites down as hard as she can. He yells in pain, pulling away. She shoves Thatcher away. He should go through the wall, but he just stumble back a few steps. That's when she remembers. The bracelet. Her aunts said she should wear it so she doesn't have to deal with controling her strength. He lunges at her. Her fists slam into his jaw, making him stagger back. Even without her super strength, she has quite a bit of power. He tries to grab her neck and she bites his hand, a metallic taste filling her mouth. He grabs the closest thing to his other hand (Naturally a book) and slams it against her skull.

She opens her mouth in surprise, giving him another chance to take a swing at her. She can't see straight and knows she's going to lose. Sophie tries to run. He grabs her, pulling her to the ground. He pins her arms above her head. Her mind is racing. She knows what to do. There's a hundred things she can do right here. But she freezes. His hands are pulling her skirt up. She closes her eyes.

"GET OFF HER!" Matt's voice rings out in her head. Thatcher is pulled off of her. The sound of Matt punching him in the face makes her eyes open. Matt's never been this angry. His face is dark red. His stormy gray eyes are practically black with rage. She should be scared of him. But she isn't. Matt slams his fist into Thatcher's face," If you touch her, or anyone like that ever again, I will find you."

Thatcher runs off, holding his bleeding nose. Matt kneels down beside her. His eyes are soft and his voice kind," Hey, hey, Sophie. It's ok, I got you."

He picks her up, bridal style. She wraps her arms around his neck and lets him carry her. Elizabeth comes flying down the hall as he heads down the stairs.

"What happened? Marie?" Elizabeth's blue eyes are wide with panic.

"I was looking for her. I found Thatcher on top of her in the library. He tried to rape her."

"Oh god," She's shaking," What should we do?"

"I'm getting her out of here. Is there a back way?" He asks. Elizabeth leads them down two more flights of stairs and through the kitchen. Alfred pulls up not ten minutes later. Matt hasn't let go of Sophie. He holds her and promises that no one is going to hurt her anymore. Not while he's here. She doesn't hear him. Doesn't feel the heat of his body through her dress. She's caught in a ghost, far away from this moment.

/Line break/

"How long do her ghosts normally last?" Stephanie asks. Sophie lays on an examination table, curlled on her side. She hasn't moved in almost an hour. Her eyes stare off into the distance, unmoving and unresponsive. Her skirt hangs off the table. Her breathing is normal, but nothing they do can wake her up.

"A few minutes, maybe? She doesn't exactly broadcast them when they happen. Jania says her ghosts mimic petit mal seizures in the way that they present themselves. But there's no telling when it'll stop. Her longest one was 2 hours, " He can't imagine what's going on in Sophie's head. He's not sure he really wants to.

"Come on, Baby Bird," Jason reaches over to take her hand," It's ok. You're ok."

"NO!" Sophie suddenly snaps up on the table. She yanks her hand away from Jason looking around, but not really seeing anything," NO! NO!"

"Hey, hey," Matt flashes over. He grabs her hands and forces her to focus on him," Grayson. You're ok. It's ok. He's not here. I kicked his ass."

"Richie-"

"He's asleep. Hey," Matt grabs her face, making her look him in the eye," You're ok."

"No, no. They knew. Matt, they knew," if she had screamed this it would have scared him more, but she speaks softly. She slides off the table, away from everyone. Her head spins as she tries to think through what she saw.

"Soph, you should lay down." Jason says. She looks at him, her dark hair falling in her eyes, dress torn in several places, make up smearing with her tears.

"They knew."

"Who knew what?" Matt asks.

"My parents." She looks around at everyone," I-I saw them. That last day with them. I-I saw them. My mom, she hugged me and kissed me and told me she loved me. I helped her cook brunshan. I saw my dad. He-he called me Starshine. He-he was there. They- they came into my room that night."

Her words are running together now becoming more and more frantic, like she's trying not to cry. Her breathing comes faster and faster. No one moves. No one knows what to do.

"They made me promise to protect the triplets. Made me swear I would never stop fighting for them. Of course I would protect them, but why? Why? Something bad might happen and they want to be ready. They knew. They knew," Sophie focuses in on Bruce," Did you know?"

"Mar'i-"

"DID YOU KNOW?!" She screams.

"There were rumors," Bruce admits ,"We- everyone was on high alert. We didn't think something would happen."

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH?! ANY IDEA WHAT IT'S FELT LIKE THE LAST YEAR?!" Everything she's been holding back comes flying out," I NEED ANSWERS! I CALLED YOU, ALL OF YOU, BEGGING YOU TO TALK TO ME! I NEEDED YOU!"

"Sophie-"

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES!" Her eyes glow purple. Matt flashes over, grabbing her before she can attack him. She still has her bracelet on so he doesn't worry about her super strength. She's crying in his arms, her back pressed against his chest as she struggles. She's not thinking clearly enough to break free," I NEEDED YOU! I NEEDED MY FAMILY! I NEEDED MY GRANDFATHER! I NEEDED SOMEONE TO TELL ME EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE OK! WHERE WERE YOU?! WHY DIDN'T YOU PICK UP THE PHONE?! WHY?!"

She's crying now, screaming at Bruce, at everyone," WHERE WERE YOU?! YOU LEFT ME! YOU LEFT ME ALONE, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?! I HATE YOU!"

She'd said it. The one thing she'd wanted to say to them the last year. And the second the words leave her lips, she wants to take them back. Bruce doesn't react to them, but her aunts and uncles do. Sophie can see their faces fall. She hears their breath catch in their throats as the words hit their mark. Jason takes it the hardest. She could have shoot him through the heart and it still wouldn't have hurt him as much as hearing her say those words. Finally breaking away from Matt, she's left facing her family. The diplomat in her wants to talk her way out of the situation. The warrior wants to fight. But there's one part of her that she decides to listen to. The scared girl who just wants to run away.

"Sophie!" Matt calls as she runs down the batcave. He doesn't come after her. Her bare feet slap against the metal. It takes her a few tries to activate her flight, but she's flying as far away as she can. Not sure if she'll ever stop.

/line break/

She flies over Gotham until her tears over take the happy memory she clings to. Falling onto the roof top below, she tries to compose herself. Sophie wants nothing more, absolutely nothing more than to go back twenty four hours. Take her brother and just go home. Not deal with everything that happened earlier. She never would have said the things she did. She never would have said-

Or would she still have said it? The feelings had been there all along. She's held her tongue the last year. She's been pushing every single awful thought and feeling down. Anything that she thinks might hurt or be slightly uncomfortable. Eventually she would have let it all rise to the surface and spill out. She would have had no choice. Sophie stands on the edge of the roof. She closes her eyes and letting the sound of the city fade away. She pulls her most recent ghost up. She tries to focus on each of her parents. Her mother's bright voice, her soft hands brushing hair behind Sophie's ear, the sweet smell of the brunshan as they cook, her laugh as Sophie throws Sapphire in the air. Her dad teases her as they spare, he pulls her into a tight hug afterward, him playing with her sisters, asking Richie how they're ever going to survive the crazy females in their family, smiling the whole time. She hears them calling her Nightstar and Starshine, the way only they can say it. Then she sees the part of the memory she forgot. The ghost washes over her once again.

Sophie sits in her easy chair, breaking her attempts at reading to look at the moonlight dancing on the waves. Her windows face away from the city, so her view's almost all ocean and sky. She forces herself to look at the book in her hand. The glasses Uncle Victor gave her enlarge the text and read them aloud to her. Even though she thinks they're kind of dorky, she loves that he took the time to find a way to help with her dyslexia. She gets half a sentence in before hearing a knock on her door.

"Come in," She calls, placing her glasses and book on the ground. The door opens and her parents walk in," What's up?"

"We just wanted to talk to you about something," Her father says. Sophie's interal alarms start to sound at his tone.

"Whatever I'm being accused of, I am about 88% sure I didn't do it," She's running through a mental list of anything she might have done wrong when her parents laugh.

"Not that kind of talk, honey," They sit on her bed and she goes to sit between them. For a second, it feels like old times, before her siblings were born. Her parents looking at her like she was the only thing they needed to get through the day. Her dad pulls her into a side hug, and she can smell his mint cologne. She smiles because that smell has always made her feel safe.

"Star," Sophie looks at her mother," You love your sisters and brother, yes?"

"Of course, Mom! I mean, yeah, it's been weird having to share you two with them, but they're family. I can't imagine life without them in it. Why do you ask?"

"We just- your father and I realized that in the last nine months, you have gone from being our only Nightstar to sharing the sky with a sun and two moons." Sophie knows her mother is talking about the necklaces her siblings wear. Sapphire's a sun, Emerald's a full moon and Richie a cresant moon," You have taken it with as much grace as we might have expected from you."

"It's been a big change yeah. If I had been, five or six or something, it still would be a big change. Being 13 just means I can help you guys more. And I want to help. Babysitting, feeding, changing diapers, taking missions," Her parents laugh at the last one and so does she.

"We'll keep that in mind. Kind of what we wanted to talk to you about is more on being the oldest." Dick tells her," When you're the oldest, you have to watch out for your younger siblings. They can be annoying and mean and claim you're the favorite because you were there first. But you love them. You protect them, even-especially when you don't want to."

"If you want to know if I'll protect them, then yeah. I promise I will always protect them. From monsters, villians, bullies, assholes who use God to hate people who are different, anyone who would hurt them," She looks between her parents, noting how they relax once she says this," Are you guys sure everything is ok? You're acting weird."

Her mother lies. Now, looking at it in a ghost, her mother lies as she smiles, saying," Of course, my bumgorf. We are just making sure our family is ok."

"Yeah," Her dad tugs at a stray curl," After all, you're 14. God only knows what you'll be doing a year from now."

"Whatever that maybe, just remember we love you. And you will always be our baby, no matter how old you get." Sophie smiles as they squish her in a tight hug. Her mom is so much warmer than her dad, but she doesn't care. Because she's safe and loved and happy. The moment fades away until she stands on top of the apartment building roof again, the Gotham skyline coming into view.

"Three ghosts in two days, that's never a good sign," Sophie turns to see Matt sitting against a wall. She steps off the ledge and he tosses her the black duffle bag at his feet," You can't exactly fly around Gotham in a ballgown. I grabbed whatever was on the floor from when you changed earlier."

"Thanks." She takes the bag and goes to the other side of the roof access point. She pulls her sports bra and shirt on over the dress and her leggings on she steps around again, dress shoved into the duffle bag, she almost feels like herself again," You didn't have to come."

"I know. But you seemed like you needed-"

"I mean to Gotham. Ever since we've gotten here, I've been dealing with my family."

"Yeah, must be nice."

"Nice?" She looks at him like he's an idiot," It's awful. I just told my family I hate them. Do you know how much it's going to take for me to apologize for that?"

"No and I wish I did," Matt meets her look with one of his own," I haven't talked to most of my family in a year. I haven't talked to Uncle Roy since Lian's two year anniversery, and original Roy doesn't count. I don't even know if Aunt Jade is alive or dead in some foregin country. I haven't seen my grandma in a year, and last time we called her, she cried. Do you know what it's like listening to your grandmother cry?"

"No!" she snaps," Because both of mine are dead! I never got the chance to meet the! They fucking died decades before I was even a thought! All I have is Bruce, and he's-"

"HE'S NEVER TRIED TO KILL YOU," Matt can't take it anymore," HE NEVER TRIED TO SHOOT YOU FOR CRYING TOO MUCH BECAUSE YOU'RE A BOY! HE NEVER KILLED YOUR COUSIN IN FRONT OF YOU, AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE SHE PUSHED YOUR SISTER OUT OF THE WAY! YOU HAVE NEVER WATCHED SOMEONE YOU LOVE CHOKE TO DEATH ON THEIR OWN BLOOD AT 7 FUCKING YEARS OLD!"

"I WAS TORTURED BY AN INSANE CLOWN AT 3 YEARS OLD! I WAS HERE AND HE BEAT ME WITH A CROWBAR! WHEN HE WAS DONE, HE CARVED MY NAME INTO MY ARM! BRUCE BERATED MY FATHER BECAUSE HE WANTED TO KILL THE JOKER!" It feels good to admit that to him, even if it's to prove a point," YOUR GRANDFATHER HAS AT LEAST BEEN HONEST WITH HOW HE FEELS ABOUT YOU!"

Matt is about to shout, but holds himself back. Screaming is going to get them nowhere. He takes a deep breath," Fine. Let's say you're right. Bruce is an awful person who doesn't give a rat's ass about you. Why did you come? Don't say it's for a mission or because of some canned answer that you think will explain the situation away. You came back because you wanted to. You wanted to see your family, even Bruce. Especially Bruce. Because you've had all this anger building up against him. For what? Something you heard as a kid? Him not calling you back?"

"I lost my parents."

"He lost his son and daughter-in-law. We all lost our parents that day-"

"But you all got to mourn," She meets his eyes with tears flooding hers," You all got to scream and cry and-and feel. You got the chance to feel what you lost. I didn't because I had to take care of you. I had to take care of everyone and I didn't get to feel and it isn't fair."

Her voice breaks on the last word but she keeps going," It's not fair that you all get to work through your feelings and then you can talk about your parents. Just thinking about mine makes me feel like I'm drowning. Being around my family- hearing them talk about my parents and saying how much like them I am- it doesn't make me feel better. It makes me feel like I am screaming but no one can hear me."

She hadn't noticed how close they were to each other. They're almost nose to nose, and she is forced again to think about how damn tall he is. He shakes his head,"Grays-Mar'i, if we made you think you had to take care of us, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about all of this, ok? I'm sorry that you feel like you can't fall apart. I'm sorry that you've had to be strong even with the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. I'm sorry that I don't know how to be there for you, even though I want to be."

"Why?" She asks," Why do you care? I'm not your best friend or your girlfriend or-"

"You are my friend. At least I hope we're at a point where we're friends. Even if we aren't, we are still teammates and allies. And I know you hate being on a team. Because they are messy and you can't control everyone. Right now, I think you do want a team. Not just to help with the kids, which we're all more than happy to do, but because you like being a part of something. Because someone is always in your corner. Hey," he makes her meet his eyes," I'm in your corner, Mar'i. I want to be here for you. I swear I do. No matter what you need or decide to do, I'm going to help you. We're a team. That's never going to change-"

He would keep going, but she grabs his shirt collar, pulling him down towards her. She kisses him full on the mouth, surprising both of them. And to both of their surprises, he kisses her back. The kiss is angry and demanding, but Sophie notices his lips are warm and soft and, even in their battle for dominance, welcoming. Like they were made specifically for her to kiss. One of his arms wraps around her waist, pulling her close, while his other hand slides into her hair. She still hasn't let go of his shirt collar. If anyone saw them, they might think the pair had been together for years. For a moment, just a breif moment, Sophie actually believes him. She actually believes that he's in her corner.

When they do eventually come up for air, Matt studies her," Soph-"

"That never happened." She pushes him away," That never happened. Forget about it."

"Sophie-"

"Matt," Her voice is soft and uncertain. It's the first time she's said his name like that this whole trip," I can't. There's too much on my plate. I do need you in my corner, but just as my friend."

"So...it was a one time thing?" he asks. She nods. He tries not to let his disappointment show," Ok. I'm going to go back to the house. When you're done out here, when you're ready to talk about what happened, you know where to find me."

With that, he's gone. And she's left more confused than ever.

/Line Break/

It's late when she gets back to the manor. She'd spent hours flying around the city, trying to think of a plan to fix everything. Once her plans began to involve researching isolated areas to live, she knew what she had to do even if she doesn't want to. She flies through the batcave, shocked that no one's in there. She goes up the entrance into the library and, almost to her dismay, finds Bruce. He doesn't look up from his book, but she knows he sees her.

"I don't hate you," She says after a quiet minute. She takes a shaky breath, making a promise that she will get through this without crying," I don't hate you, Bruce. I never have. I just-fuck I'm just frustrated. My whole life, people look at me and they see the half. The half human or the half alien, but never just me. The part that makes it whole. People look at me and they hate me or they're afraid of what I can do or they think I'm inferior. I'm not good enough for them."

"Mar'i," He sets down his book," You have always been enough for me. For this family. You have always been enough. More than enough really."

"It hasn't felt like that," She swallows hard," After Joker hurt me, you and Dad fought. I remember hearing my name and you were both yelling."

"Oh, sweetheart," He gives her a soft look," We were fighting, but it was about how he tried to kill Joker."

"Why didn't you let him? I was three. Do you have any idea how scared I was? I cried for you, for you to find me."

"I wanted to let him kill that bastard. I wanted to. More than that, I wanted to kill him. Joker took one of my sons away from me. When I saw he had done the same thing to you, I saw how he'd beaten you and later when I saw your arm, I wanted to murder him. It hurt worse because you were so young. I remember hearing you cry afterwards, how you clung to Di-your dad. But I couldn't let your dad kill him."

"Why not?"

"Because that would make anything better. It wouldn't erase what had happened."

"I would have felt safer."

"But how would you feel knowing your father murdered someone for you?" She doesn't answer," Exactly."

Sophie hesitates before asking the one question she wants an answer to," Why didn't you pick up the phone?"

His voice dies in his throat. She takes his silence as not understanding what she means," Last year. After our parents were taken, I called you. I called everyone, Jason, Damian, Tim, Cass, Barabra, Kate, Steph, Alfred. I cried for days, begging you to please, please call me. I was terrified, there were three little kids that I had to take care of. I thought you all were dead."

"Mar'i, I-I don't know what to tell you," He shakes his head. Sophie remembers a time when she didn't know Bruce adopted her dad. She actually thought that he was her biological grandfather. The hair was a definite contender until she was told about their family dynamics. Even without sharing a single chromosome, Sophie notices very small gestures that they share. The way his shoulders tense up, running a hand through his grey streaked hair, biting the inside of his lip. Habits she picked up from her father, he picked up from him. Bruce gestures for her to sit in the chair across from him. She does so without a fight, but pulls her hand away when he tries to take it," I want to say the right thing. I want to say what you need to hear and for us to be a family again."

"But?"

"But I can't. No matter what I say to you, you will always hold some amount of anger and resentment towards me. So I am going to just… tell you the truth," She meets his eyes for the first time since she arrived," I heard your messages. Every last one of them. I knew you were scared and needed us, but I was afraid too. I was afraid that you would be another ring in our family's curse. An child who's parents were taken away far too soon. I didn't want to see that look on your face. I didn't want to see you and feel like I lost my son. So I thought next time I talked to you, I could give you a lead or-"

"So you left me alone? Bruce, I needed you. I didn't need Batman to bring my parents back to me. I needed my grandfather. I needed you to just let me know we were going to figure out everything. Not letting me feel like I was alone," She folds her arms over her stomach," I prayed to God and to X'hal for you to answer me. When you didn't, I thought they had abandoned me. God and X'hal finally looked at me and saw what everyone else sees- an abomination."

"You are not an abomination," He says sternly. She wipes her nose, unable to look at him anymore," I have something for you."

"I don't want it."

"At least look at it before you decide that." He goes to his desk and pulls out a wrapped package. She takes it with uncertainty. She reads the small white note on top of it. When the world tries to push you down, remember that there will always be someone to help you up. With love, Grandfather. She opens the gift to find a book.

"You know I'm dyslexic right?"

"I also know you devoured every single Stephen Hawking book that I've sent you." There's a twinge of a smile in his voice. She looks at the front cover. A single word is stamped across it. Memories. She opens it and her breath catches in her throat. Her parents smile up at her, dressed for their wedding. Her mother's dress is Tamaranian and her fiery hair falls loose and wild down her back. Dad looks like he could fly away and never come down. She turns the page and there they are again, a little older this time. Mom holds her swollen stomach. A picture of Dad kissing Mom's belly. Them with a sign that says Mommy and Daddy's shining star. On the next page there she is. Newborn, staring up at the camera half curious half irrated, with a head full of dark curls. Underneath the picture is her birth announcement. Her mother showed it to her just before her brother and sisters were born, and she's read it almost every day since. On Sautrday, July 10th, 2021, at 5:42 pm, Richard John Grayson and Princess Koriand'r Grayson were blessed with a healthy baby girl. Mar'i Sophie Grayson was 8 lbs 7 oz and 20 inches at birth. Both mother and child are doing well. 'Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.' (Jess Lair)

Bruce sits there and watches her as she looks through the pictures. Pictures that Dick sent him. Sophie with her mother, not long after she was born, Kor'i rocking her daughter as they look out at the ocean. Pictures of Sophie with her aunts and uncles. Halloween pictures, Christmas pictures, Fourth of July pictures, birthday pictures. Sophie with the twins, playing on the rug to sparring to just hanging out. Sophie with her team, all of them smiling widely. Sophie being hugged by her parents, her mother extremely pregnant. Sophie holding Richie and Emerald and Sapphire. A picture of all four of them asleep on her bed. The story of her entire life with her and her family. She tries so hard to keep the pain inside, but it's too much. The book slides out of her grip as she tries so damn hard not to let the sobs rack her body. She loses. She cries and cries and cries. Everything she kept buried down in the last year comes up. She slides off the chair and onto the floor, screaming. Bruce places a hand on her back. She doesn't pull away, still screaming and crying. He takes a leap of faith and pulls her to his chest. She doesn't fight him. She just lets everything wash over her. Bruce holds his granddaughter, letting her feel everything she needs to feel.

When their family arrives, most of the having stayed here to hear about the mission, they see a scene none of them ever thought they would see, especially after her breakdown. Bruce Wayne, the feared Batman, holding his invincible, stoic granddaughter. She cries and cries and cries. Each one of her sobs more heart breaking than the last. Through the incoherent tears, they hear her says," I want my mom and dad."

"I know, sweetheart," Bruce rocks her slowly," I know."

Jason slowly walks over to them, kneeling down beside the pair. Sophie looks at him and she sobs harder. She untangles herself from Bruce, launching herself at Jason. Gripping the back of his jacket, like he'd leave her too if she let go, she gives an incoherant apology. Her aunts and uncles, even Damian, come and envelope her. She cries and cries and cries. Her parents are gone. She might be an orphan. The triplets might never meet their parents. She might have to raise them. There's the courts trying to take them away. The people who use God to hate her.

Everything she cried about alone in her bedroom three days ago hits her twice as hard now. She's no longer an invincible force, a hurricane of intelligence and power that no one ever wanted to challenge. She's 15. She's parentless. She's scared and thousands of miles away from her home. But there's one thing she isn't now. She's not alone. Her family holds her tight, Bruce tighter than anyone else. She lets her world come crashing down, but this time she won't face the aftermath alone. Her family will wipe the tears from her cheeks, draw a smile that she doesn't think will ever come back, and help her see what can be built from the rubble.

/Line break/

"You'll call once you get home." Sophie rolls her eyes at the command worded like a question. They'd spent a few extra days in Gotham so Sophie could really make an effort to fix things with her family. There's still miles and miles to go, but they're better than when she got there.

"Grandpa, you really need to work on your 'this is a request' voice." Sophie turns. There's more life to her. She seems more at ease, not as much tension in her shoulders. Her hair is pulled out of her face and her shirt isn't some dark shade. The lavender blouse glows against her skin," Ok, Aunt Kate, I need my brother back."

"We can keep him here. It's no problem," She teases.

Sophie pulls Richie away from her aunt, laughing," Say bye-bye, Richie."

"Bye-bye," Richie waves. Cass practically screams in frustration.

"Now the kid speaks English," She grumbles. Sophie buckles her brother in and hands him Elinore. She hugs her aunts and uncles.

"You be good," Jason says.

"I don't make promises that I have no intetion of keeping."

"That's my girl." He chuckles as he hugs his niece.

"Be good," Alfred says as she hugs him.

"Yes, sir."

"Oh so you argue with me, but not him," Jason scoffs.

"You don't argue with Alfred Pennyworth. First thing Dad taught me." Sophie laughs. She turns to Bruce.

"You'll call when you get home?" This time it comes more as a question.

"Of course, I will. Once everything settles down, I'll come back with the girls and you can get to know your other granddaughters."

"If they're anything like their sister, we'll need a few days to batten down the hatches."

"Christ, you're old." She laughs. Hugging Bruce isn't as painful as it use to be. Now she actually feels sad, because she doesn't want to leave," I love you."

"I love you too." He kisses the top of her head. Matt comes out of the house with his duffle bag in hand," Matt."

"Sir," He shakes Bruce's hand with pride.

"You take care of our girl, understand?"

"She wouldn't be your girl if she needed me to take care of her." Matt laughs.

"Smart man," Bruce winks at Sophie, making her blush dark red.

"Ok, Grayson. We have a 6 hour drive ahead of us." He slides into the driver's seat. Sophie looks at her family, one hand on the passanger door. Her family watches the smile spread across her face. For the first time, she doesn't remind them of her mother or her father. She doesn't seem like a harden hero or a little girl running around with pigtails. The young woman smiling at them, with her hair pulled into a high ponytail, her eyes shining with ideas and mischief is her own person. Their shining star.

"Don't do anything stupid," Tim calls.

"So don't act like a West, Stone, or Logan. Got it," She slides into the car. Her family waves good bye as they drive down the road. Sophie buckles up as they pull out of the gate. They sit in silence for a minute," Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"What are you talking about?" He doesn't look at her, keeping his eyes on the road," Nothing happened. Just like you said."

"Matt-"

"Y'know, Grayson, I think I prefer West right now." She sighs, leaning back in her seat. She made progress with her family, but lost whatever footing she might have gotten with Matt. Closing her eyes, she prays to God and X'hal that whatever plan they have for her, it works out. She doesn't want to lose her friend for the sake of her family.

Author's note: Jesus christ, this was long. I started this like two months ago. So I have been in college about a month and a half now and (compared to IB) it's pretty easy. I will most likely add one more chapter to this, just because I like the family interaction. Also I can't leave my Matt and Sophie like this. Please, please, please review, like, follow, etc. Also follow me on tumblr (secondgenerationnerd). Love y'all.