Princess and the Pauper—Chapter 3
Robin and Luna walked out into the main room of the Tower. He spun to confront her.
"Don't you ever tell me what to do in my own home!" he asserted.
"Rachel is my responsibility, Robin!" Luna folded her arms. "I was not able to eliminate the bond between us—my father's magick is too layered into it for me to do that. I isolated it into a remote part of her brain, but it may not stay dormant. As long as it is there, he can track her. If she leaves this Tower without a tracker, then we may be facing a bigger problem than what you're used to."
Robin's tension had eased as she talked. Now he looked at her as he would another member of his team.
"So what do you propose we do?" he asked.
"I would prefer if she could stay here," Luna sighed. "I could keep a better eye on her, and defend her should Dimitri show himself. For now that we are separate entities again, he will become aware of both of us and come to correct it. He fears me, and we can use that to our advantage—but he will also attack Rachel if he thinks there is anything between us, anything at all. We need the Tower on full lockdown, do you understand?"
"Understood," Robin turned to go, "Hey, Luna, you're alright?"
"I'm fine," Luna smiled. "Thank you, now go."
He nodded, and turned and exited the room.
"Robin, wait," Luna sighed. He turned his head. "I'm...sorry. I know you don't like me, and—"
"Hey, who said that?" he smiled.
"It's a plain expression on your face whenever I walk into a room."
"As long as you don't pose an immediate threat, we'll be fine."
And with that, he left to secure the perimeter.
"No, I want to leave!" Rachel screamed.
"Rachel, please—" Beast Boy cautioned.
Luna ran into the medical room, sneakers screeching on the floor as she skidded to a halt.
"Luna, tell them I can go home!" Rachel pleaded. "Tell them I can leave! I don't want to be here!"
"Rachel..." Luna looked down on the weeping girl with concern. "You can't...go home."
"WHY NOT??" Rachel wailed.
"I have to keep you here...keep you safe," Luna wiped at her eye brimming with moisture.
"And what if I call the police?" Rachel asked. "They can protect me from whatever you can, right?"
Luna sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.
"No, they can't. My father may pay us a surprise visit."
"SO?"
"So," Luna explained, voice shaky, "he's dangerous, and as long as I can't keep an eye on you, he can't get to me through you."
"It's always about you, isn't it?" Rachel laughed. "Always your problems, always your life. WHAT ABOUT MY LIFE, HUH? I'm going to miss school. I have no friends ever since YOU came along. I can't do well in school because there's always some problem you're trying to figure out for YOU. Well?"
"You're right," Luna conceded. "I have been selfish with you. Trying to live my life as me, instead of compromising with you. But I wasn't able to abolish the connection between us, Rachel. It's isolated within a dormant part of your brain, but it can still be used to track us down. I can't risk my father finding you, Rachel! I can't risk someone I care about dying because of me!"
"YOU? care about me?" Rachel guffawed. "That's a laugh! All of this is just so you can control everything!"
"That's not true," Luna steeled herself. "I have a duty to protect those I become close to, Ms. Swan. Like it or not, you are counted amongst those persons. Now you will stay here, and you will accept my protection with or without a grain of salt, and you will like it."
Luna spun on her heel and walked out of the room.
Rachel sat on the end of the examination table, head in her hands. She had reacted in anger, and had hurt the one person who had been there for everything.
Sure, Luna could be a total bitch sometimes, but she'd been there for Rachel when no one else had. She had shared her fear and had helped her gain confidence in herself—though sometimes that didn't show at the best of times.
Getting up, she made her way to the door.
"And where are you going?" Cyborg leaned against one side of the double doors.
"To go apologize to Luna," Rachel mumbled.
"Robin hasn't completed—" Cyborg's communicator beeped, "Looks like he's done. Go ahead. Don't leave the Tower."
Rachel stiffened at his order, but said nothing. She walked out of the room, looking both directions. Making her way to the main room, she froze as the big window—which had been reinforced with a strong metal exterior shield—shattered inward. Shards and metal fragments flew everywhere. Luna stood in the middle of it all, her arms crossed over her chest, legs parted in a neutral stance. Her face displayed bitter hatred at the man who floated just outside the remnants of the window, his hand outstretched, shimmering a blackish-green. His eyes blazed hellfire.
"Knock knock," he sneered. "Did you miss me, Princess?"
"Go back to your Demons, Dimitri," Luna spat. "You have no business here."
"Oh, but I do," his eyes found Rachel, who crouched halfway behind the breakfast bar. "You separated yourself from the human."
"Leave her out of this!" Luna commanded, her voice raised. "As Head Heiress—"
"You have no authority over me!" Dimitri blasted her.
Luna raised her arms, shielding herself from the blast. The magick hit her shield, and she was moved backwards about five feet, but remained standing.
"Luna!" Rachel squeaked from her position.
"As for you...." Dimitri lifted his other hand towards Rachel.
Luna sent a blue bolt of magick into Dimitri's side, nearly knocking him off of his rock. Taking position in front of Rachel, she let out a snarl.
"Luna..." Rachel shuddered. "I'm sorry."
"I know," Luna gave her a quick smile. "I won't let him get you."
Dimitri recovered, pinning Luna with a death glare.
"You will regret that, daughter."
"I'm no offspring of yours," Luna snarled.
"Like it as not, you came to be because of me! I am a part of who you are!" He laughed.
"As far as I'm concerned, my father left when I was three and never came back. You never loved any of us! We're all just pawns for your stupid game!"
"Ha! Finally, you figure it out!"
"I always knew, I just like watching you squirm."
"Then you know that it wasn't Damion who really banished you? That Setthire and Dianne had to abandon their search because they believe you're dead?"
Luna's face paled. "You lie! They wouldn't think I'm dead!"
It was her lapse in attention that Dimitri took to knock her off her feet with a large blast of magick. Luna fell onto her lower back, hitting her head on the Titan's fridge. Jumping to her feet, she sent another blast back at her father. Dimitri dodged it, flicking Rachel into the air like a rag doll and bringing her to him. He held her by the neck as she stood on the rock in front of him. Rachel struggled, but he held her firm.
"One more step, daughter dear, and your precious Human dies."
Luna froze. Damn him.
"Take me instead!" she seethed.
"Luna, no!" Rachel gasped. Dimitri tightened his grip.
"Why?" Dimitri asked.
"I'm of more use to you than she is."
He pretended to consider.
"Fine."
Dimitri released Rachel, flicking his wrist. Luna's arms were bound behind her back in cuffs.
"No magick or the Human gets it," Dimitri attempted an Earth gansta accent.
"Don't do that," Luna snapped. "I'll come quietly."
She stepped on to the rock with Dimitri just as the Titans all ran into the room.
"Luna!" Rachel screamed.
"Don't try anything." Dimitri had a grip on his daughter's neck.
"I'll be fine, guys." Luna shrugged. "Just going to pay a little visit to my paternal dungeons."
And with that parting remark, Dimitri blinked them off of Earth.