Veronica Grey's pov
Gotham
Friday, November 26th, 2010
It's past midnight and Roy and I are up and active. I'm in a good place right now, distracted, carefree, laying underneath Roy in my pajamas on my bed. Everything feels right, his wandering hands, the kissing, the heat, it's just perfect. Not even a sound around the house, my parents fast asleep. Trust me, I checked. Roy's light touch runs over a spot on my side and I can't help but pull out of the kiss to laugh.
"Please tell me I didn't kill the mood." He says quietly, sitting up off me.
"Maybe," I taunt him. He seems defeated but I reach up and pull him back down to me. It soon ends again and I can't help but struggle to stay awake.
"I should probably go home and leave you to it then." He says, getting ready to get up off the bed, but I grab his wrist.
"You could stay here, with me." I pout, not wanting to be separated from him. He sits at the edge of the bed, look back at me. He probably knows I'm borderline delirious from exhaustion.
"And I could get you in trouble with your parents if they see me here." He reminds me. I just groan and with a flick of my wrist the metal in the door locks. He just laughs and lays back down. The nice part, is that the two of us just lay there, him flat on his back and me curled up with my head on his chest instead of a pillow. I fall asleep to the steady rhythm of his chest rising and falling with each breath.
The sun creeps through the grey curtains over my window, the single line of light right on my face, the heat causing discomfort. I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Roy's t-shirt. I sit up and brush all of my wild hair over to one side with my fingers. Roy stirs slightly. I don't want to wake him, so I tread carefully so as not to make noise as I go into my bathroom and quickly brush my teeth. As soon as I climb back into bed, my comm beeps, Roy's eyes squint open before he buries his head into one of my pillows, just like any other teenager would.
"Tesla." I answer. I finally decided on the name, going with the SI unit. Robin and Kid Flash thought it was pretty cool and creative since my primary offensive ability is electrokinesis.
"Training today, and try to convince Roy to join while he's over there." I hear Canary say. I'm taken aback.
"How did you-" I begin to question but she cuts me off with her answer.
"Green Arrow and I are friends. When Roy doesn't come home, Green knows where he is. Last night, it was with you." She says calmly and almost humorously. I fell completely and utterly embarrassed.
"I promise we didn't do anything stupid and I will be at training, and if I can, I will bring Roy with me." I tell her completely worried of sending the wrong idea. The line cuts and I turn to face Roy, still covering his head with one of my pillows. Before doing anything, I slip out of my bedroom and check the house for my parents, all I find is a note.
Ronnie, Your mother and I are at a brunch with the other partners at the firm. Be back sometime after noon.
I return to my room and yank the covers off of him and jump on him, straddling his waist.
"Goodmorning." Roy says to me and I lean down to kiss him.
"Alright sunshine, I'm gonna go make some breakfast. My parents are out so it's safe to leave my room." I tell him, giving him one more kiss before climbing off and going downstairs. Lucky me being a technopath and magnokinetic, cooking is never hard, I can be super lazy and still manage since every tool in the kitchen that I need is metal, especially tongs and metal wires that I can use to carry non metallic items like food. Before Roy makes it downstairs, I've managed to make four waffles with the two presses on the kitchen counter. I'm even in the middle of frying some bacon when he walks in.
"How do you manage to do all of this in ten minutes?" He asks, ripping off a piece of one of the waffles and taking a bite. I walk over to the refrigerator and pull out the orange juice, pouring it into two glasses.
"It's not that hard, we usually have pre-made waffle mix in the fridge and the rest is pretty simple." I tell him as a fork turns over the pieces of bacon and moves them around the pan. I pull out the syrup from the fridge and pour it on the freshly buttered waffles.
"Well I think it's pretty impressive." He smiles as hand him his orange juice and plate of waffles. We sit down at the table and begin to eat what is already prepared.
"So, I have training later today and was wondering-" He puts a hand up to stop me mid sentence.
"If this has anything to do with coming to train with the team, absolutely not." He states simply between bites of his waffles, his blue eyes hardening with slight resentment. I laugh.
"Oh, you're coming." I say nonchalantly as I continue to eat. He puts his fork down and I know he is staring at me.
"And why would I?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. The bacon smells like it's finished so I will the pan to come to us and divvy up the pieces among the two of us.
"You are going to come and help train me, maybe I'll gain better control if I'm training with someone new." I look at him this time, waiting for an answer as I take a bite of my bacon. He just smirks.
"We can train somewhere else than the cave." Roy starts on his own bacon. I may not be able to convince him, but I sure as hell will try.
"Just join the team, it can't harm your chances of getting into the League. Might even put you on better terms, be the step closer that you need." I put the idea out there. He stops eating and everything goes completely silent in the kitchen, but only for a moment. I take the opportunity, getting up from my chair and sitting on Roy's lap, leaning close and my arms around his neck.
"I'm not going to join the team." He looks me square in the eye, but I just lean in and kiss him. It shifts from my control to his when he deepens the kiss, but I take the power back when I pull away from him.
"Join the team, please." I hold his face in my hands, "for me." Roy doesn't seem to think twice before pulling my back into that kiss, maybe to distract me, or maybe to give me his answer. It's becoming mind numbing and seductive, so I assume he is trying to distract me, so I pull away again and look him in the eye with slight agitation.
"Fine. I will come with you today, but it doesn't mean I'm joining the team." He finally admits. This time, I let him pull me back in, let that mind numbing feeling wash over me. His wandering hands remind me of last night. For the last time, I pull away. I get up off of him, put the dishes away, grab his arm and take him back upstairs to my room.
"Parents won't be back home for a while longer." I say as we enter my bedroom. I pull his shirt off of him and he bends down slightly to kiss me. I feel his perfectly sculpted body beneath my hands. I feel Roy's hands find their way to the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head. My skin against his is a whole new feeling. We move so Roy is against the wall, the two of us shirtless. But the scenario switches when he picks me up and keeps me up by my thighs. He turns so my back is up against the wall. My hands run through his red hair and over his body, feeling the perfect muscles on his upper body. We move off the wall and Roy puts me down on the bed. He reaches for my shorts, but the two of us hear a knock at the door. We both run to get shirts on and I rush to put on a real pair of pants. We run down stairs, and I open the door to two police officers.
"Veronica Grey?" The one on the left asks. The other eyeballs Roy. I nod.
"Yes, is there something I can help you with, officers?" I address the two of them, standing aside as to invite them in. They enter and look around before facing me.
"There was an accident, we are to bring you to your parents." One says, the words hang in the air like a fog. I begin to go from euphoric to nauseated. "I have to ask who your friend is for the record." He speaks again, but slightly cautious after watching my change in facial expression after his statement.
"Right," I look to Roy, having trouble believing the situation. "This is Roy Harper. I-I have to ask you, where are my parents?" I look to the police officers, getting extremely nervous to the point where I reach to Roy to steady myself.
"Ma'am, we came to get you because you are a minor and we need you to identify them down at the morgue." The other officer just puts it right out there, no emotion in the statement at all. The other seems sympathetic. But it's only identification right? It's probably not even them. I seem to calm down.
"Just identification?" I ask for confirmation, the first one nods and I look at the floor. "Might not even be them." I whisper in a low tone. I go to the front closet and slip on a pair of shoes and pull on my coat. Roy grabs his jacket and runs upstairs to get my phone as I tie my shoes with the police officers standing patiently by the door.
"Your friend is joining us in the police cruiser?" One of the Officers asks. I nod as we all walk out the door and I lock it.
"I'm not going anywhere without him." I say in a low tone as Roy and I get in the back of the police car. The two officers get in up front after us and the car gets moving. I watch the scenery roll by as I wait to get to the morgue. I just want to get in and get out.
"Ronnie," Roy tries to get my attention but I just put my hand up to silence him.
"It's not going to be them. I'll see my parents when I get home." I tell him this without breaking my gaze out the window. Roy stays silent. When the car finally pulls to a stop, I feel this pit in my stomach, like I'm losing hope, but I'm completely sure that they won't be my parents. It would be ridiculous. We just had Thanksgiving, I saw them less than sixteen hours ago. They are my only family and there is no way that I've lost them. Not like this. The last thing I said to my mother was to run if I said so, that is no way to say goodbye. I'm gonna see her and my father when they get home. This is just going to be some random couple and I'm not going to have any problem.
The police officers lead me and Roy through the precinct and the labs down to the morgue. There are two bodies on two metal tables, each covered in a kind of tarp. Everything slows down as the pathologist pulls the tarps down from the faces of the two bodies. I walk up to the bodies and look at each blue face, my own hand flying to my mouth. The woman, with the split lip and gashed forehead, is unmistakably my greying mother. Then, all hope is shattered when I look at the next body. Despite the facial bruising and the snapped nose, it's still my father on that table. The tears just begin to fall, like water works, dripping from my jaw to the floor. I look to the pathologist.
"Can they be signed over to my custody? I can get coffins and plots as soon as possible, I just need to be able to take them." I tell them, they just look at me as the tears fall.
"You are a minor. You and your parents have to be released to next of kin." The pathologist says blatantly. I can't help but glare at her, she has no idea.
"There is no next of kin. Both parents were single children and all four of my grandparents died a while ago. It's just me." I snap, looking at her with anger. She just sighs.
"There is the option of foster care, or adoption. Emancipation could be achieved, but that is a lengthy and difficult process if all family is deceased. Your best hope is if your parents gave your custody to someone in their will, which is being delivered by the family lawyer at the moment." She states emotionlessly to me. I look back at the bodies and the tears intensify. I'm alone, the last one left of my family.
"My parents are dead, and you're saying that I can't do anything until a stupid piece of paper gets here, and I might have to be taken in by some strangers? All because I'm a minor?" I look the pathologist in the eye and it all hits me in a wave. I collapse on the floor, just crying. I sit on the floor, leaning on one hand and the other covering my mouth the muffle the sobs. Roy kneels down next to me and pulls me into his chest, the embrace barely muting the pain happening inside. After Roy finally gets me up and into a chair, about ten to fifteen minutes and the lawyer shows up. I watch the pathologist, the two officers and the lawyer go over the document, all of them looking at me simultaneously when they finish.
"Ms. Grey," the lawyer begins, "your family's entire estate has been left to you, and as for your personal being," he looks at me with nervousness in his eyes. "As of October 17th, of this year, you have been left in the custody of Bruce Wayne here in Gotham." He announces and I am completely confused. October 17th was the day I met Bruce and Mr. Fox. Did he really think something was going to happen that I would need to be placed in his custody, of all people?
"I-I don't understand." I look at all of the adults in the room.
"He is being notified as we speak. An officer will return you and Mr. Harper to your residency." The pathologist says as the officer approaches to take Roy and I. We follow him mindlessly to a car. When we are dropped back at my house, it seems to big, to quiet. The place feels so empty now. But, I just go and find my communicator.
"Batman." Bruce answers. I'm shaking as I get ready to speak.
"It's m-me. You've been notified, and I know. But I just want to be home alone until tomorrow, please." I say into the comm link. There is a silence before I hear a response.
"I understand, I'll be over tomorrow morning." He says before the line goes dead. I just remove the comm and lay on my bed, the tears still flowing. Roy comes in and lays down next to me. We are face to face but I won't meet his eyes. His head brushes my cheek. I finally look into his fathomless blue eyes.
"Make me forget." I look at him, blinking the tears away. He looks at me in confusion.
"What?" He ask, scanning my face for something. I kiss him and start pulling off his shirt like before.
"Help me forget, Roy, please. Even if it's only for a little while." I half sob, pulling off my own shirt and sliding off my pants.
"I don't think this is what we should be doing after what's happened today." He says, trying to stop my but I grab his wrists with clear eyes this time.
"Roy, I want you to make me forget." I say in a just barely shaky tone. He stays still. "Please." I plead one last time. He sighs and gives in to my need of something to distract me from this empty house.