Give Me Clemency

Chapter 25

Authors Note: Definitely one of my weakest chapters, but I just couldn't get it right. Really sucks, especially since something very important happens that everyone has been waiting for. Hopefully the next chapter will be better.

Thank you so much to DiddlyPanda for helping me with my shitty grammar! I appreciate it so much.

To the Guest who was worried that I would write Dick and Kitten going any farther physically than they did last chapter, I could never! The idea of writing that makes me feel sick, so that's as far as they will ever go. Pinky promise.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans

They were called "Ice Bullets". Simply that, they were small pellets made from ice designed to be fired from a gun. They were perfect in theory. Designed to do the damage, and then melt completely, leaving behind no physical evidence, or at least nothing that was traceable. That's what he needed. They didn't always work though. Sometimes they were simply too brittle and shattered on impact, but he had faith in Tameranian militia.

The car could be heard now. It was coming his way, and it was coming damn fast; that was good for him though. The sooner, the better. The bitch had double crossed him. He always believed that they'd had a mutual understanding, a mutual resentment of sorts that kept them both out of each other's hair- apparently he was mistaken. Not only did she think she could get away with it, but that she could get away from him. There was no way he'd let her take his Star away from him.

Judging by the sound of the ever approaching vehicle, he could tell she'd be driving by soon. He removed the opened the lid of the cooler that resided in his trunk, reached into the special casing, pulled out a single bullet, and loaded it into the gun. He could envision the car veering around the corner right into his line of sight. It was perfect. With a malicious smile, he held up the gun, and got ready to take aim.

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It had been months, four in fact, since the gang had all gone out for pizza, only to come back and have a very eventful night at Wayne Manor. The saying was "April showers bring May flowers", but for Gotham, it really should have simply been "The weathers pretty shitty year round, and you're better off with flowers in the next town over". That just about hit it on the nail.

Gotham had always been a particularly dreary city. The sun rarely shown and most days were simply overcast, heavy clouds hanging low in the sky threatening to bring rain at the most inconvenient moments. It did get moderately warmer however, not that it was too big of an excitement. With the heat came extreme humidity, and nobody enjoyed that.

Regardless of the terrible weather, things had been relatively calm in Gotham, namely in Gotham High. Dick and his group of friends had managed to stay close, especially him and Kory, regardless of the uncomfortable relationship he was still sadly maintaining with Kitten. Just the week before she had forced Dick to ask her to the upcoming Spring Formal. However with Kitten, you couldn't just ask her to the dance. You had to win the opportunity to take her by showering her with expensive gifts, and making her swoon with your eloquently put professions of love…unless you were Dick Grayson; then you could just give some random kid 20 bucks to do it for you, albeit, she would be rather upset.

So Dick had put on his "big boy pants", as Wally had said, swallowed his pride, and taken Kittens hands into his as he gazed into her icy blue eyes that sadly held not even the slightest hint of green. Having mostly remembered a few choice words she had asked for him to include in his proposal, Dick did his best…or almost his best at making Kitten happy, mostly so he and his friends wouldn't have to put up with her attitude.

Kitten's lips had curled into this Grinch-like smile as he'd strapped the dainty, diamond necklace around her neck and said those special words. "Kitten, will you make me the happiest I've ever been and go to the dance with me?" He bit back his tongue to keep several foul words from slipping out between his lips as Kitten made some subtle tone of disapproval because he apparently hadn't been as romantic as she would have liked. Nonetheless, she'd offered him her answer of "yes" without further complaint, and instead focused on how she'd already found the perfect dress months ago and how the necklace he'd given her would go flawlessly with the neckline, as if she hadn't already known it when she told him it was the one she wanted.

He did cringed rather noticeably when Kitten noted how he would have to wear a pink tie, and he would have undoubtedly protested, or made some sort of snarky comment refusing if it weren't for the fact that he had no intentions at all of actually taking her to the dance. Sure he'd asked her and bought the necklace and had carelessly gone along with everything she said, but it was only because he knew it'd all be over soon. That night actually. Vic had finally found and downloaded the ideal program to unlock Kitten's computer. He'd become rather comfortable with using it, and now all he needed from Dick was for him to get Kitten over his place, away from her computer, and distracted for no more than a half an hour, all of which was easily doable and completely worth it if it meant getting Kitten out of his life.

Currently, Dick was sitting next to Kory in his car, parked in her driveway. It had been a less than eventful day at school, and she had come over to hang out as they always did. Unfortunately, with Dick's plans with Kitten that he didn't tell Kory about simply in case for some reason something went wrong, he was dropping her off home way earlier than he normally did. He had to keep reminding himself that all of this was worth it. That he'd be a free man again after the whole ordeal was over…but hopefully not for too long.

Today though, Kory was uncharacteristically vocal in her reluctance to get out of the car and say goodbye to Dick for the day. She normally left with little more than a "thank" and "see you tomorrow", never wanting to seem as though she were overstaying her visit. Any other day Dick would be ecstatic by at the fact that she clearly wanted to spend more time with him, but today was not a good day. Soon though, any day would be a good day for Kory, as Dick would never have plans with Kitten to uphold. He just had to make it through the night.

Seeing as she wasn't making a move to open her door, Dick settled on admiring her beauty from his peripheral as he eyed the clock, figuring he could spare five minutes to see what was on her mind. Kory, always being fearsome that she was some sort of burden, which Dick never thought, she was never eager to tell her when something was bothering her. He couldn't outright ask "Hey Kory, what's wrong?" because she would insist "Everything is glorious, nothing is the matter", no matter how hard he tried. He'd have to do a casual checkup.

Clearing his throat so him speaking after such a prolonged moment of silence wouldn't seem awkward, Dick licked his lips and turned his head to Kory.

"So are you going to the dance Saturday?" He asked, doing his best to seem as easygoing as possible when in reality he was analyzing her body language, tone of voice, focus of her gaze, anything to give him a hint as to what was wrong with her. He hated when Kory was bothered by something, and he hated when she felt unable to talk to him about it, as though she would rather suffer in silence.

Kory chewed her bottom lip as her eyes flitted to Dick's and then away just as quick while she struggled to formulate an answer in her head. "I cannot. It is far too expensive to purchase the dress, shoes, and accessories."

Dick rolled his eyes. "You know I can get you everything you need. Now really, why can't you go?"

The red head fidgeted anxiously under his observant glance. "My curfew-"

"Is late enough for you to get home in plenty of time." Dick chuckled at the surprised look she gave him as he flipped the radio station to something a little quieter. "Dance ends at 10:30 Kor. That's a good hour and a half earlier than I normally get you back."

She frowned, wrinkling her forehead and scrunching up her nose in a way that Dick couldn't help but find incredibly adorable, despite the fact that he was growing impatient with her sudden inability to simply answer his question.

"Kory?" He questioned firmly.

She sighed. "I cannot go to the dance Richard. Xavier approached me today. He…"

Her voice faded out as a look of pure rage corrupted Dick's face. Wherever X was involved with Kory, it was bound to piss him off to no end.

"Why was that fucker even near you?" He growled, forgetting Kory's strong dislike of such language as his hands clenched into tight fists at the mere thought of Xavier talking to her without him being there to protect her. It wasn't that he felt like he needed to be around her twenty four seven, just that he felt better when he was. He didn't trust X; he didn't trust what he was capable of.

"He attempted to…persuade me to attend the dance with him." Seeing his baby blues flash, Kory let the next words fly out her mouth in an attempt to appease him, knowing that Xavier had always been a sore spot for him. "I told him no, but then he was rather insistent, so I said was not going at all."

Dick's gaze softened as he took in the beautiful girl in front of him. I'll protect you. "Kory, you'll be with all of us. I won't, we won't let X get to you."

She gave him a small smile while reaching for the door handle.

"Hey, how come I've never met your guardian?"

Kory flinched and froze in her place as Dick cursed himself for so impulsively asking her such a question that he knew she was sensitive about. He couldn't help but be curious about it. She never spoke about him. It was odd to him that her guardian didn't feel the need to be introduced at least once to the guy that Kory spent nearly all of her free time with. Dick knew he worked weird hours, second or third shift or something, but still, it was strange.

"Because he is simply that. A guardian; he is not at all a parental figure for me."

Dick couldn't help but compare him to Bruce. He could imagine her guardian being withdrawn, controlling, but Kory must have felt some kind of immense need to please him, to be cooperative. You can't help but feel as though you owe them something for taking you in. Dick had felt the same way his first year or two with Bruce; he'd gotten over it though. Maybe Kory hadn't.

"He is not very kind, but he gives me a home, and for that I am grateful." She continued. "I just miss…"

Dick could see the pained expression on her face, and he knew exactly how she felt. He had used to feel the same way; he still did sometimes. While he preferred to be left alone at those moments, he felt like Kory would thrive on any comfort he could give to her. Taking her small, trembling hands in his, he coaxed her eyes to meet his. "You know, if you ever need me, no matter what time it is, where I am, what I'm doing…I'll always be there for you. Always, Kory."

His cheeks flushed as he realized how mushy and lame what he'd just said sounded, but every word was true. With a quick peck of her lips on his blushing cheek, she was out of the car and up her front steps, fiddling with her house key to open the door.

As she swished inside, her flowy top trailing close behind, Dick couldn't help but envision her in a long dress, her arms around his neck, glowing under the dim lighting of the dance floor with a delicate smile on her lips as they found his.

He waved goodbye through the window and then proceeded to pick up his phone and make a quick call before leaving. After several rings he was greeted by a friendly voice on the other end.

"Hey, this is Dick Grayson and I'd like to order a dozen Boston Cream donuts."

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Her hand brushed sideways across his chest in what could have been considered to many as a soothing gesture, but not to him. She lay her head on his chest, her blonde hair strewn along his neck and cheek. It wasn't nearly as soft as Kory's. Dick focused most of his attention flipping from channel to channel on the flat screen in front of them, and fluffing the couch cushion behind his head. His phone sat on the arm of the sofa right by his ear so he'd be immediately aware once he received the call he was waiting for.

When it finally vibrated and Kitten briefly halted her ministrations, clearly annoyed that his phone was interrupting their private time, Dick tried to appear as casual as possible as he read the dimly lit screen.

Vic: 5 mins.

Dick held back a laugh at the mere thought of how soon this would all be over, but it wasn't yet. He still had to play his part, which would be as the distraction. He curved his head over and pressed his lips firmly against Kitten's mouth, hearing as she gasped in pleasure and immediately let her tongue enter his mouth.

He hated kissing Kitten. He hated it a lot. She was always very vocal in her enjoyment of her and Dick's make out sessions. While most guys might normally find that as an instant turn on, and Dick was one of them, he found himself revolted by her incessant moans, simply because it was Kitten they were coming from.

Breaking the kiss and struggling to steady his breath, Dick looked down to her as she gave him a suggestive smile and flutter of her eyelashes. This had better work.

"Let's go to my room." He suggested, thumbing to the staircase.

Kitten practically purred in response and took his hand, leading all the way up the stairs in a hasty escape, however leaving behind both of their backpacks and laptops abandoned on the coffee table. Everything was going great.

As Dick's bedroom door shut noisily behind them, the young heir struggled to reach his phone as he received another text.

Vic: At the front door. Keep her busy. Give me 20 mins.

Just as he went to reply, Kitten snatched the phone out of his grasp and stuck it into her pocket before lunging at him. "You won't be needing that tonight."

Holding her back by her forearms, Dick frantically struggled to come up with an activity rather than what was clearly on Kitten's mind. "How about a movie?" He suggested as the blonde clawed eagerly at his shirt, eager to expose his rippling stomach.

She raised an eyebrow and puckered her lips, clearly deep in thought until she finally nodded as Dick prodded off to the movie cabinet. "But make sure it's something romantic!" She called after.

"Of course Kitten." He replied in a sardonic tone that she missed as he pulled out "The Human Centipede." This should keep her out of the mood.

As they both sat on the couch, Kitten snuggled up close to Dick while he fumbled with the remote to hit "Play". It was going to be the longest 20 minutes of his life, especially as he felt her foot caressing the back of his thigh. He rolled his eyes and simply sunk deeper into the plush pillows.

Kitten took the opportunity to cuddle closer, completely ignoring as Dick's phone vibrated against her thigh.

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The room was in shambles. Dressers drawers were left open, clothes once neatly folded now a mangled mess. A small suitcase sat by the door, stuffed with large clothing and a small wallet containing no more than fifteen dollars. It was all she had; that, and her will to leave. The feelings of impending doom coursed through her veins as she tossed her toothbrush to the side of her shampoo that was also tucked snuggly into the bag.

"I'll always be there for you. Always Kory."

His words, his voice, him; he was like a drug to Kory, and she couldn't get enough. She was finally ready to ask for help. She couldn't stand to stay, couldn't stand to hide, and she couldn't stand to lie anymore. Kory was done; she'd been punished enough. This didn't keep her from praying to her parents and apologizing over and over the whole time as she packed. She only hoped they could forgive her for everything.

With one last mental plea, Kory zipped her bag shut, and pulled out her phone, dialing Dick.

Her hands shook as they clenched it close to her ear in fear of Slade arriving at any moment. She listened intently as the phone rang once, twice- again and again until it finally stopped and his answering machine sounded.

Fear clenched her heart as she redialed his number again, only for the same results. Her stomach felt as though it were full of cement as it fell straight through to the floor. Dick always answered when she called. "Always Kory."

She dialed once more and heard as it cut off midway through the second ring, sending her straight to voicemail. An anguished cry surpassed her lips as she hit the "end" button and dropped the phone through her fingers where it landed on the floor with a clatter.

Reality hit. Dick was still busy and for whatever reason couldn't make it to his phone at the moment. Sure she could have called a few other people, and didn't doubt that they'd come pick her up, but she wouldn't be able to talk to them like she could with Dick. She wouldn't have been able to explain the suitcase, the gravity of the situation, her current off the wall emotions.

It was all a pretty clear message- a sign. She couldn't leave yet; she wasn't forgiven and her punishment wasn't yet completed. She couldn't run from it.

Kory hastily shoved the suitcase beneath her bed before she curled up on top with her now retrieved phone resting by her head.

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Vic plugged the end of the cord that wasn't already connected to his laptop into Kitten's. The computer made a sing song noise as it powered up before revealing the very familiar lock screen. He couldn't help but notice that it was all so very…pink.

He opened the "Window Password Breaker" program he had downloaded on his own monitor and immediately began filling out all the required information, such as type of computer, model, year, etc. Once finished, his fingers felt stiff, but this was only the beginning of the process, although the rest should require very little work on his part.

A large, green oval with the words "Begin Scan" lit up on Vic's screen. He double clicked it and watched as his monitor became a giant chart, typing different letters, numbers, symbols…it looked like something straight out of "Men in Black". Kitten's screen continued to flash "error, error, error" as the program typed in hundreds of different possibilities for the password. Vic knew it was working though. He'd been practicing on every computer he could get his hands on; it always worked. He was confident, but he was also excited. The whole concept of hacking was very intriguing to him. Computers, while they were simply inanimate objects, Dick couldn't help but see them as some of the most intelligent systems on Earth. To be able to find a way to get around a computer in a way that was not intended…it felt badass.

Five minutes became seven became ten as Vic drummed his fingers anxiously along the coffee table, anticipating for when the computer would finally unlock.

At fourteen minutes the curser began spinning as it finally accepted the correct password. Vic fisted the air, biting back a smile, his celebration being cut short as he heard a loud bump from upstairs and figured Dick was eager for him to finish up.

The rest of the process was a breeze as he opened Kitten's iCloud account, that she thankfully had her password reminder set on. He scrolled through her hundreds and hundreds of photos and videos, feeling slightly guilty at the prospect that he would have to be seeing the dreaded image of Kory again. The thoughts were quickly diminished though, as he was doing it for the greater good.

Vic was mere inches from the screen, scanning though everything, practically laughing at the idea that it would take him more time to find the single photo of Kory than hack into an entire computer.

With a flash of red that Vic could easily identify as Kory's hair from anywhere, he right clicked the photo ad promptly deleted it, be ridding it from all systems connected to the iCloud account.

"Booyah!"

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A particularly gruesome abuse scene was currently displayed on the television. Despite the grotesque amounts of blood and gore along with the agonizing screams that symphonized from the main characters, Kitten continued her relentless attack on Dick's sore lips, all the while teasingly undoing his shirt button by button, puffing out her chest so it would rub against him in her attempts to be enticing. It was clearly all for naught, as Dick could only watch the minutes tick by on his clock, desperate for Vic to hurry the hell up.

His head was swimming with both excitement and fear, along with a tad of disgust fighting for dominance. Kitten's lips were anything but enjoyable, but she did most of the work, allowing Dick to retreat into the recesses of his mind. What would happen when this whole situation was over? He'd be single again, yes, but what would happen with him and Kory? Did he have to allow a certain amount of "buffer time" before asking her out? Or was it simply a mutual understanding that their relationship would be instated once Kitten was out of the picture? Dick figured it didn't matter too much at the moment, and they'd be able to discuss it together. He just couldn't wait to be able to call Kory his. But with his excitement also came fear.

He couldn't help but fret he would end up hurting the beautiful girl in some way. She seemed far too good, far too pure for him to deserve, so how could it ever work out? Why would it ever work out? Former playboy Dick Grayson ends up with one of the most beautiful, selfless girls to ever walk the planet? It hardly seemed likely. He was willing to fight however: fight for Kory, fight for forever. Whenever his moments of doubt invaded his brain, simply envisioning that special smile she seemed to reserve for him made it all go away.

Dick was abruptly brought from his thoughts as Kitten squealed in shock at a clamoring series of knocks that came from his door before it swung open, revealing Vic, who held one hand over his eyes.

"Y'all better be decent." He simply stated as his hand dropped nervously to his side and his eyes eased open cautiously after hearing no protest.

Dick wiped at his mouth, hoping to remove any pink lip gloss Kitten had left on his lips…or rather anywhere else on his face. He looked eagerly to Vic. The only response he received was a sly smirk and a nod, but it was enough. His mouth broke into a boyish grin as he rubbed his hands through his hair, sighing in relief. Removing Kitten from his lap, he took the hand Vic offered to him and allowed the brawny male to pull him to his feet where he initiated a bro hug, patting his back and muttering his appreciation.

Vic chuckled, stepping back from the shorter boy and gesturing to the blonde who still sat on the couch, a confused expression etched on her face as she looked back and forth between both guys.

"You do the honors man." Vic spoke with an excited tone.

"What the fuck Dick? Tell baldy to get lost." Kitten complained as she stood to face both boys.

Vic growled. "I'm not the one whose about to get lost, Kitty."

She practically hissed, throwing her head back and clutching firmly to Dick's arm. "It's Kitten." Her voice wavered as Dick wretched himself out of her grasp and proceeded to re-button his shirt, glaring her way all the while.

Chuckling, she pulled out her phone and dramatically began to scroll through her camera roll, humming a campy tune. "Maybe I should just remind you whose in control, or actually, why don't you do the honors Dick. Tell him to leave, or else." She snarled, baring her teeth.

Dick was seething by then, tightening his jaw and biting his tongue. He reached forward and snatched his phone from her pocket, taking pleasure as Kitten continued to scroll frantically, obviously unable to find what she was looking for.

He smirked at her expression before speaking. When he did, his voice was steely, cold, intimidating. "Game over Kitten. You have no moves, now get the fuck out of my house. Don't come near me, don't come near my friends, and don't you fucking dare come near Kory ever again."

Kitten's breaths became short and shallow as a cry of despair escaped through her throat, and her face contorted into a pained expression. Then she turned nearly purple. Without a second thought she flung her phone at Dick with a resentful screech as he ducked out of the way, leading it to shatter against the wall. "No one dumps Kitten you dickhead!"

"I just did. Now get the fuck out of here." He growled, finding great satisfaction as Kitten sent him one more loathing look before Vic stepped out of the doorway, allowing her to leave with her tail tucked in between her legs.

Both teens remained silent until they heard the front door slam shut, having not expected Kitten to give up so easily. Once they were sure she was gone, Vic held up his hand and thumped Dick on the shoulder. "Hell yeah man!"

Dick chuckled, realizing the nightmare was finally over. "Thanks Vic. I owe you a beer, or several actually. Six pack's in the fridge; I'll be down in a second."

Vic raised an eyebrow before shaking his head with a wide grin and exiting a room, truly feeling he did deserve a drink.

Now alone, Dick took out his phone, eager to call Kory and tell her the news. He noticed it was a little after midnight and figured she'd be sleeping. Going through his call history he saw he had two missed calls from the girl in question herself from not too long ago. Maybe she would be awake after all.

He bit at his lip as the phone rang. Could one truly classify Dick Grayson in his current state as giddy? With one last ring Kory's voice mail sounded and he hung up, slightly bummed he would have to wait a little while to tell her. That was probably best though, gave him time to celebrate and further thank Vic, as well as process the situation himself.

Rather than leaving a message, he simply decided to send her a quick text, willing to explain everything when the saw each other tomorrow. It'd be something nice for her to wake up to anyways.

Dick: Vic deleted the pic. Kitten's gone.

As much as he wanted to simply go over to Kory's right then and kiss her senseless, he had a plan, and it was perfect. With one final smile, he headed downstairs to join Vic. Drinking on a school night- not wise, but appropriate for the situation.

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Kory's tearstained cheeks were red and puffy as she struggled to keep her face hidden within the depths of her blanket. She couldn't face him, but when could she ever? A sob snuck out from between her lips as she heard her shirt tear and felt as her bra was pushed up to reveal her bare breasts.

"Again." He whispered.

Kory didn't hear it though. All she could focus on was the faint sound of her phone vibrating against her mattress, hidden from Slade's view beneath her duvet. Another tear dripped down her cheek.

"Always Kory."

Authors Note: Ice Bullets are real. They were tested on Myth Busters though, and they did not work. Let's just say Tameran worked it's magic…