I really wrote myself into a hole last chapter. Let's see if I can write myself out. Please enjoy!

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So, this was happening.

Theodora- she may have had the suit on for identity reasons, but she wasn't Fury at the moment- allowed the woman to lead her into the house. It was as quaint on the outside as it was in the inside. There were two light beige couches and a coffee table in between them as well as a TV in the front. It was simple but very lovely and so different from the actual movie theater in Wayne Manor.

The woman gestured for her to sit down. "Please, have a seat, dear," she beckoned before turning to her son. "Thomas, why don't you get our guess some water?" To her surprise, Tommy complied without hesitation.

Theodora did as she was told and tried not to fidget under the woman's gaze. The woman may not have been a warrior or a superhero, but she was powerful in her own right, Theodora could tell. She knew a fighter when she saw one. This was someone who had been to hell and back but hadn't ever- for one moment- even thought about giving up the fight.

That was something she could definitely respect.

"So, Fury, what brings you all the way here?" the woman asked.

How to respond to a question such as that. Theodora twiddled her thumbs in her lap. "I just needed some space," she answered vaguely. "With my mother off-world, it just gets too hard to be in Gateway sometimes." Well, at least that was half-true.

The woman nodded. "Understandable," she sympathized. "Oh, how absolutely rude of me. My name is Marcy Mathewson. I should have told you my name from the start. Especially since I invited you into my house."

Theodora waved if off. "That's alright," she assured her. "I can't even tell you my real name, so..." Hera, why was she so damn awkward? It was like she had no idea how to function around people. She supposed that this was what happened when one was homeschooled since fourth grade.

However, Marcy chortled at her. "Forgive me for saying that, but I didn't expect Wonder Woman's daughter to have such a sense of humor."

Well, that hadn't been intended to be a joke, but she'd take it. "Well, us Amazons are full of surprises," she said, trying to keep a smile on her face. In hindsight, the Amazons weren't really ones to joke around. And if they did, they had a particularly dry sense of humor that only they thought was funny. Even her mother had to force a chuckle out at their jokes.

"Oh, I can imagine."

After what felt like forever, Tommy came back with two glasses of water in his hands. He handed one to her before handing the other to his mother. "Thank you, Thomas." He nodded and sat down next to her. "Fury, I meant it when I said that you're free to stay here. You can spend the night if you'd like."

However, Theodora already had an answer for her. "I really shouldn't," she replied. "My... father will get worried." Right. More like he was just waiting to force her back into the manor for the rest of her life. No thank you. Still, she couldn't stay here. She didn't even know these people. Besides, the longer she stayed, the more likely they were going to find out who she really was.

Marcy made a face. "I really don't like the idea of you alone at night," she admitted. "Are you positive I can't change your mind?"

She nodded. "Sorry, ma'am," she apologized. "Thank you for the offer, but I really must be going."

Tommy looked at her sadly. "Do you have to?" he asked solemnly. "You just got here!"

Theodora gave him an apologetic smile. "I do have to go." Before she left, however, she took a small device out of her utility belt and handed it to him. It was just a precaution. "Here, I want you to have this."

He took it from her, looking at it curiously. "What is it?"

"A panic button of sorts," she answered. "If you're ever in trouble again, just press the button and I'll know." This was her first time ever giving one to someone. She was supposed to use it when protecting witnesses or targets, but she figured she may as well use it for this.

Tommy grinned. "Cool!" he exclaimed. "Thanks, Fury!"

Theodora smiled down at him. "It's for emergencies," she told him. "Use it wisely." With that, she exited the house and took off into the night sky.

OoOoOo

She still had nowhere to go.

Theodora sighed as she settled on the top of a tall skyscraper, sitting down on the ledge. She really should have formulated a plan before running away. She just couldn't stand to be in that house any longer. It was just so suffocating. Her room had begun to get stuffy and the manor seemed to be even more gloomy than usual. Maybe she didn't have a place to go and maybe she was alone, but at least she could finally breathe out here.

She would just have to settle for a motel, she supposed. She thought that staying at a hotel would draw too much attention for both Theodora Wayne and Fury. A motel would be much quieter and a lot more private. She was about to jump from the roof and find one when a familiar voice came from behind her.

"I think this is my first time seeing you dressed like that."

Theodora gasped and turned around. Standing there was Mareena, clad in her Aquagirl suit. Which, in hindsight, was really a dark green bathing suit. The girl didn't even wear shoes. Though, to be fair, neither did Kaldur until he became Aquaman.

Mareena was smiling kindly at her. "I have to admit, it does suit you really well," she continued.

This... didn't make sense. She wasn't even in New Jersey anymore. In fact, she had the feeling she was in or around Ohio. There was no way the Atlantean would have been able to find her, not coincidentally, anyway. What was Mareena even doing in Ohio, anyway?

Then, it dawned on her.

Theodora's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did my father send you?" she demanded, trying to keep the bite out of her tone. Unlike Cassie and Tim, she didn't want to pick a fight with the girl across from her. Blowing up at your crush wasn't very ideal. Besides, she wanted to hear what she had to say.

Mareena shrugged. "Maybe," she answered cryptically. Which most certainly meant he did.

She crossed her arms. "Well, if he did, you may as well leave," she huffed stubbornly. "I'm not going back and you can tell him that." Perhaps the reason she wasn't angry was that she suddenly found herself nervous around Mareena. Last time they had seen one another, they had kissed. And it had been a wonderful kiss at that. It was definitely a moment that she would cherish forever.

But so much had happened since then. Try as she might, she couldn't stop those lingering memories. And, sometimes, her memories would get mixed up. One moment, she would remember kissing Mareena tenderly and then the next, Tryphena's rough hands were all over her body and-

Stop. Breathe. Focus.

She returned her attention to Mareena, who was looking at her with concern. "Your father did send me," she confirmed carefully. "but reluctantly. I think he thinks that I'm a bad influence on you."

Theodora snorted at that. "If only he knew."

Mareena sat next to her and, to her own surprise, she wasn't uncomfortable with how close she was. "I would have come anyway," she assured her. "You're my friend and I care about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay." She blushed slightly. "Besides, I don't know if you realized this, but I have quite the crush on you."

Well, Theodora had an inkling (why else would she have kissed her?), but hearing the girl say it was something entirely different. She felt her own cheeks heat up and had to avert her eyes. However, she couldn't help the bashful smile that graced her lips. "Well, that's good," she responded. "Because I have quite the crush on you too."

Mareena gave her a gentle smile before it fell into a frown. "Theodora, you're going through a lot," she stated plainly. She peered at her with those keen cerulean eyes that seemed like they could pierce her soul. "We both know this." She sighed. "I know it's partly because of what happened in Spain, but there's something else, isn't there?"

Theodora shrugged. "If that's what you think." She tried to ignore the fact that the Atleantean was closer to the truth than she would have liked. "But I'm not going to talk about this, so please don't ask."

"I won't," Mareena agreed. Instead, she simply held her arms out.

Theodora gazed at her for a moment before she practically threw herself into them. And suddenly, it felt like the dam holding in her emotions had finally burst as she began to sob into the older girl's shoulder. She buried her face into the crook of Mareena's neck as she wept. She cried loudly, fat, ugly tears rolling down her face as the blond held her tightly.

This was what she had needed. She hadn't known it at the time, but she needed a shoulder to cry on. She needed someone who wouldn't poke or prod her. She needed someone who wouldn't try to make her tell them what was wrong. She just needed someone to be there.

Mareena wasn't demanding. She never tried to make her talk about things. She was a quiet, comforting presence. She didn't need to know what happened to her and she didn't demand to know. Her only goal was to help her and console her the best she could.

"It's okay," murmured Mareena as she ran her fingers through Theodora's long, dark hair. "Everything is going to be okay. I'm here. I'm here and I'm not going to leave you alone."

And really, that was all she could ask for.

OoOoOo

They returned to Wayne Manor later that night.

It had taken a lot of convincing on Mareena's part, but she had finally talked Theodora into going back. But Theodora only agreed because Mareena promised not to leave her. She knew that if she had Mareena, she would be alright. She would tell her father that too. She would only stay if Mareena stayed with her. If not, she was leaving and it would be a long while before she came back.

The two girls entered the Batcave through the secret tunnels that the Batmobile usually took, Theodora's fingers intertwined with Mareena's. She felt like she was crushing the Atlantean's fingers, but if she was, the blond didn't say anything. She just gave a comforting squeeze back.

Her father was the first one to see them. "Theodora," he greeted monotonously. His mouth was set in a firm line and his facial expression was completely unreadable.

Theodora nodded at him. "Father," she replied in the same way. She could kind of see why people thought she acted like him now. She often buried her feelings, just like he did. The primary difference was that she made it obvious that something was bothering her. He did not.

"Nice of you to join us," her father stated, sarcasm etched in the undertone of his voice. "Are you going to tell me where you were, or is this yet another thing you're going to keep to yourself?"

She rolled her eyes. "You obviously knew if you sent Mareena after me," she pointed out. "Just be glad you sent her and not Tim or Dick." She surely would have run at the first sight of them. It had been a wise move, choosing Mareena. She was the one person- other than her mother- that Theodora minded her tongue around. She wouldn't lose her temper with her.

Her father narrowed her eyes. "Watch it," he warned. "I've half a mind to add another month to your punishment for running away."

But Theodora felt like being a brat, so she ignored his threat. "Father, we both know that this manor can't hold me," she told him, her tone clear and succinct. "It can slow me down, but nothing here can actually stop me from escaping." She inhaled deeply through her nose. "But I will stay here willingly on one condition."

He crossed his arms. "Which is?"

She gestured to Mareena. "She stays with me," she answered him. She stared at her father's face for a reaction, but she gave none. Not that she expected him to. She just waited for a response.

"Absolutely not."

Theodora looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright then." She took her friend's arm, making sure to rest her head on her shoulder. "Come along, Mareena. We'll find somewhere else to stay. Is your castle free? I can always pray to Poseidon to gift me with breathing underwater-"

"Fine!" her father's voice cut through quickly.

Suppressing a smirk, she turned around to face him. "Pardon?"

His jaw was clenched tightly. "She can stay," he clarified. "But it will be in a guest room. And if you run off again, Theodora, she's out and I'll put electric bars on your window."

Theodora beamed. "Glad we're on the same page, Father." She tugged on her friend's arm. "I'll show you to your room." And before her father could change his mind, she led Mareena up to Wayne Manor.

This was going to be interesting.

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...
I couldn't write myself out. This chapter and last chapter were so freaking bad. I promise I'll do better next time. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review