Authors' Note: Some of you might have noticed that this chapter was originally posted a week ago. After feedback from one of our most trusted reviewers and long-time friends, we realized it had been a bit too rushed. The work situation for both of us is chaotic right now, and it's hard to find time and mental energy to write.
Here is the new, improved, edited version of the chapter. (The Talia scene isn't gone, it just got bumped to the next chapter due to length.) We hope you enjoy it!
An hour later they were all loaded up on the bus, and Kala dropped into one of the seats in the first section, not yet ready to take a nap yet. Marlene took the seat beside her, which got her attention – normally Marlene sat up front with the driver. "What's up?" Kala asked, curious.
"We have some catching up to do," Marlene replied, taking out her phone. She showed Kala a photo of herself and a blonde woman hugging in front of a menorah-topped mantelpiece decorated in blue, white, and silver. "This is Heather. I'll have to introduce you two, you'd like each other – she's quirky like you. She likes to tell people she was born Romani and kidnapped by a tribe of wandering Jewish housewives."
Kala laughed at that. "I like her sense of humor. Is your mom still complaining?"
"Of course, she keeps telling me there have to be lesbian Jewish doctors in the world and why can't I find one, but Heather's an accountant. That's a stable job, at least. Not like traveling all over the country with a bunch of goyish musicians." Marlene shrugged; she'd told Kala once that the criticism came from a place of love and concern, and she chose to take it as that, instead of being hurt.
Kala's smile faded a little as a realization hit her. "Wait a minute … Marlene, is this your way of warning me off? Telling me you're taken?"
Marlene looked at her seriously. "Zeeskeit, you just went through a bad breakup, and we have history. Better to mention the girlfriend up front, right?"
That hurt a bit, the implication that Kala had forgotten the agreement they'd made when they last parted. Knowing what she knew now, she knew part of why they had decided it best to end things for good was because Marlene had spoken to Sebast. Not only that, there was no way she would be making anyone a substitute for either man. She'd made her mess, she'd eventually wade her way out of it. "I would never do that to you. I care too much about you to even consider making you my rebound. I'm not making anyone my rebound. My scrambled-up, broken bullshit, my problem. I'll work it out."
"I know, but you're beautiful and funny and sweet, and we're going to be living together on a small bus for a couple of months," Marlene pointed out. "Better to make sure we both know about Heather, so we're not tempted. I'm talking about both of us, Kala, not just you."
Kala just looked at her seriously, still trying to shrug off the sting, but it wasn't as if her ex didn't have a point. That said, as good as it would feel to remember that someone she had loved could still love her, it wasn't worth the additional fallout after. Or the awkwardness of the slip. But it felt freeing to just say what she felt without trying to obscure any of it. "You know I can still love you without sleeping with you. We didn't break up because we didn't have that. And, no matter what happens, I always will. We were good together and I'm glad you're happy. It's about time you let yourself find one you could keep. And I never expected you to just slip back into my bed because you're our manager again. I'd like to think we know each other better than that. I'm not chancing losing you, too."
Marlene slipped an arm around her and hugged Kala close to her shoulder, Kala snuggling in and taking the affection gratefully. In that moment, she could have wept with relief. Just to know that someone she had loved still cared for her was a balm that even being with her family couldn't provide. They had to love her, even when she was an occasional idiot. Marlene didn't have to. But God, was Kala relieved that she did. "I know, and I'm grateful for it. I love you, too. And besides, it's news in my life. We do have a lot to catch up on. Tell me about your brother – and about this idiot boy who broke up with you."
Relating what she could about both situations took most of an hour. Kala had to leave out the superhero stuff, which gave her a pang. The only people she could really speak freely with were family … or Jay, and she wouldn't be speaking to Jay for a while. At least until the urge to shake him until his teeth rattled subsided a bit. Kala frowned a little, at the thought, the ache in her chest and behind her eyes just from thinking his name. Again, that shoving-away of those sharp and broken memories, locking it into the darkness at the back of her mind. Her mother's daughter; she'd keep the thoughts at bay there until she had the time and mental acuity to deal with it. And, if she had to explain herself and 'Bruce Wayne's son', maybe this way she could do it without getting emotional over it.
Marlene was excited for Jason and Elise, and highly annoyed with Jay, even after Kala shared her hypothesis. "If he's afraid of hurting you, then hurting you by breaking up with you is pretty backwards. I can see how it would make sense – I did something similar, in high school. But he's supposed to be a grown man."
At that, Kala found herself opening her mouth to try to explain more of his history before she realized there was so much that she couldn't tell. Again, she remembered why she had always kept the two sides of her life separated, but this conversation made her appreciate just how hard it must have been for Dad all those years. Once again, she was having to relearn how to be as honest as she could without giving everything away. God help her. "He is, but he's a man with issues," Kala said ruefully, finding herself defending Jay out of reflex.
"Not to sound like my mother, but there are people out there who don't have issues. Or at least, not as many issues. When are you going to find yourself one?" Marlene arched an eyebrow, and Kala laughed a little.
It was easy to give a teasing answer, even if the insinuation of trying another romantic relationship anytime soon made her sick to her stomach. Hell, she hadn't even tried for one last time. It was all too much. "I don't know. Introduce me to one; unlike my mother, I can't seem to find them on my own," she managed to joke weakly.
"I'll find you a nice Jewish boy, then," Marlene said, patting her arm. "God knows my mother can find them. Before I came out, she would send me photos she took on her phone from the dog park and the grocery store."
This time, the laugh was more genuine, as Kala found her footing a little better. "Nah, Mom and I had a talk. If I'm even going to consider it at all, I'm done with boys for a while. Give me a few months and then find me a nice Jewish girl, Marlene."
"Oh, right. You know how long it took me to find one?" Marlene teased, Kala chuckling softly against her shoulder, and things were all right between them again.
That was a good thing, because the driver pulled off the main road. Kala sat up a little straighter, knowing where they were headed. The band had a tradition set up for every trip after the break, when they rolled out of the studio. Just as they left the city limits, there was a wonderful little bakery that reminded Kala of her favorite place in the mountains. Except this place also did savory breads that were utterly drool-worthy. Speaking of which, her mouth was already watering.
And here they came, the boys pushing one another as they came in from the back of the bus. They had to have been watching out the windows in the living room space in the far back, which was essentially a converted master bedroom space. No surprise; with this lot, it was always as if they didn't fully-stock the bus or have food delivered after the shows. Bottomless pits, all of them. And somehow she got teased about the amount she ate. That was fine; she only needed to work out when and how she left like, unlike the other four. Kala couldn't resist a silent smirk at that. "Next stop, Community Loaves!" Robb called, swinging up front. "Dibs on the pecan braids!"
"I'm getting at least one," Morgan complained, right behind him.
"Not if I get there first," Ned added, looming over them both.
Marlene just sighed and let her head fall back against the window. "You children are making the Glades Park Five look mature."
Kala scoffed, standing up. In this case, she had to admit, they were justified in their greed and avarice. On the tour circuit, the only restaurant that topped their love of this bakery was the positively evil chicken biscuits at Maple Street in Portland. "All's fair in love and war, and when it comes to pastry, both apply. Just let me get my olive bread and couple of cheese danishes and I'll leave you to fight over the rest. Unless they have the eggnog scones still. Then you're all out of luck."
The driver chuckled at them, and swung in toward the curb. The band plus Marlene piled off, and Kala noticed a man sitting on the bench outside. He had a bag between his feet and was wearing a hoodie pulled up hiding his face, and she thought to herself that he might be homeless. There wasn't a cup at his feet for change, though, and figured she'd buy a pastry for him at the very least. It had to be torture, sitting outside the bakery and smelling all the delicious wonders within, but not being able to afford any of them.
She was distracted from her charitable impulse when she stepped inside, and Howard, the baker, gave her an apologetic frown. "Sorry, some guy just bought all the olive bread we had left."
"All of it?" Kala asked mournfully.
He smiled sadly at her. "All six loaves. It's a popular one. I've got some striata you might like, though." Kala ended up buying two hand-sized loaves of the striata topped with cheese and poppy seeds, and a cheese danish.
She went outside to let the boys decide what they were buying, and glanced at the guy on the bench. He turned slightly toward her, and though she still couldn't see his face, she heard his voice, low and hoarse. "Hey. You wanna buy some olive bread?"
Kala froze, her heart clenching.
…
Dinah was on her way back from the kitchen when Steph strolled past her. She did a double take, but the girl just smirked and kept walking – unarmed, looking unassuming, but Dinah couldn't help remembering that punch she'd landed on Bruce.
While she stood there in shock, Babs rolled up. Dinah glanced to make sure Steph was out of earshot, and hissed, "You let her out?! You're supposed to be the genius! I thought we were going to wait and make sure!"
"I'm as sure as I can be," Babs murmured. "You weren't any trouble immediately after your exposure. She's rational, she doesn't have any immediate plans for violence, and the first thing she did was cry on my shoulder. Confining her would just increase her frustration and paranoia."
"I didn't die and I wasn't even in that long to start with. And Jay wasn't exactly enthusiastic about her odds," Dinah replied.
"Let's go see what she's doing right now," Babs said, and Dinah rolled her eyes as she did exactly that, with Babs following her at a leisurely pace.
Alfred was in the kitchen, and he had just removed a macaroni and cheese casserole from the oven. He put the oven mitts aside to reach for Steph's hands as she hovered uncertainly by the door. "Miss Stephanie, it is so very good to have you home again," he told her warmly.
"Is it?" she asked, looking at him searchingly.
"Of course. I could wish that Gotham was less unsettled, and that you were not brought home by unfortunate circumstances, but it is always a pleasure to have you here, my dear." He squeezed her fingers lightly, his smile as close to beaming as British reserve would permit.
Steph managed a smile of her own. "Thanks, Alfred. You're the best."
"I've been told so, at any rate. And I was given to understand that one of your symptoms might be hunger. Some comfort food would not go amiss, I believe." He gestured toward the casserole, and Steph's smile brightened.
"You're right about that. I'm starving," Steph said.
Alfred soon had her seated at the table, and Dinah sat down across from her. So far she seemed like an ordinary teenage girl … but there was something about the quickness with which she turned her head at Dinah's approach, the flicker of suspicion in her eyes, that was more wild animal than anything else. Like Selena's mostly-serval that had been running around the Manor over Christmas, Steph had a kind of feral energy to her now that had never been there before.
"I was hungry, too," Dinah said. She'd been the one to warn Alfred about Steph's potential symptoms. Jay either didn't remember, or he'd been too caught up trying to survive to pay attention to them.
"You got the Lazarus Pit special?" Steph asked, some of the wariness fading.
Dinah nodded. "Yeah. Ra's al Ghul wanted some metahuman babies with me, and that was his solution to me having lost the voice and having had my tubes tied."
"Gross," Steph replied with a sneer.
"In hindsight, very gross," Dinah told her.
"Isn't he like, a thousand years older than you?" That was very much an amusing question from an eighteen year old, and Dinah cupped her chin in her palm to answer it.
"I don't know, maybe. Bruce thinks he's only seven hundred or so, but who really knows?" Dinah shrugged, still eyeing Steph. Aside from that twitchiness, she seemed almost normal. "I used to have a thing about older men, so sue me. Luckily I grew out of it."
That earned her a sunny smile. "Good for you. At least you have good taste in women."
"That I certainly do," Dinah admitted.
Babs rolled in right on cue, just in time for Alfred to set down plates for her and Dinah as well. Steph applied herself to her food with a smirk. "I told you she was fine," Babs said with a flicker of a smile.
That stopped the young blonde for a moment. "Okay, I'm not like, hanging off the ceiling and trying to stab people. But I'm not fine. Even I know that."
"Yes, but a long time ago, Dinah taught me that I had to trust my people. So I trust you to tell me if it's getting out of hand. We can get you help, medical if necessary." Babs seemed so serene, but Dinah knew there were lots of calculations going on in that brilliant mind. So far, she was feeling better about what she was seeing.
Steph toyed with her fork for a moment. "Maybe that's a good idea. I don't know. I think I've got it under control, but … I died. And I'm really, really pissed about it, you know? Like for a moment there, everything was okay, and then I got slammed back into life like being hit by a car. Now it's like there's something inside me that wants out, and the fastest route would be just smashing my fist into somebody's face until we're both bleeding. It feels like if I did that, all the random bolts of pain would stop, and the jumpy feeling like I'm being watched would stop, too."
Dinah sighed. "The best I can give you is a good workout on the heavy bag, and sparring with pads. I remember feeling like that, too. The bad news is, even if you do lose control and bash somebody, the feelings don't go away for long."
"Oh, great," Steph grumbled, but she ate another bite of the casserole, and her furrowed brow softened a little.
"You'll get through it. We'll help you," Babs said staunchly.
"We all will," Dinah added.
Steph paused, and smiled slightly. "I'll remember you said that, when I wanna spar at four in the morning."
"We might pass that off to Jay," Babs said, and Dinah raised an eyebrow at her.
"Jay? As in Jay Todd? Oh, sure, I'll happily punch him around. I still owe him for Tim," Steph said, with a fierce grin. Her eyes seemed to have a greenish cast for a moment, too, but Dinah wasn't sure if she was just imagining that.
Dinah and Babs shared a glance. After a moment, Babs said, "Apparently Talia told Cass to bring you to him. She said he would know how to help you."
"Although, he wasn't too specific when I called him earlier," Dinah added.
Steph lip curled in a sneer. "Well, Talia did let us go, I remember that much. She killed two guys so we could escape without leaving witnesses. So I might be willing to give like, a half-ounce of consideration for her opinion."
Babs frowned, and Dinah knew by her expression that she was thinking. "Still, it would be a good thing for Jay to feel like he's helping someone right now. He's in a tough spot at the moment."
That statement earned a telling roll of Steph's eyes. Not much sympathy from that quarter, but with their past, Dinah could understand. "What's wrong with Red Hood?" she asked flatly, taking another bite.
"He just broke up with Kala," Dinah told her.
Steph almost choked, and Babs put a concerned hand on her shoulder. Once Steph got it under control, she looked at them both with comically wide eyes. "Wait, wait, Jay and Kala? Jason Todd and Kala? Not Kala Lane-Kent, come on. No way."
"Yeah, that Kala," Dinah said.
"We all had a lot of time to get used to the idea," Babs said. "They met over the summer, they were dating by fall, and they broke up on New Year's."
"Eventually they were dating," Dinah corrected with an arch look. Babs smiled wryly.
Steph looked from one to the other, her expression still shocked, and then she turned in her chair. "Alfred! Are they serious? Was Jay really dating Kala? The Supers' Kala?"
The butler turned away from the dishes he was washing, and answered, "Indeed he was, and they seemed quite happy together. Alas, I cannot fathom his decision to end the relationship. We shall certainly miss having her over."
"We already miss her on the street," Dinah said ruefully. That wasn't saying much, but then, she didn't want to give too much away.
Dinah liked the girl, that was the problem. Kala had all of her mother's fire, and all of her father's heart. The combination was pretty damn amazing in action, once she got out of her own way. Everyone had to learn that, even Dinah herself had. Kala had become a hero anyone would want on their team, and then Jay had tanked it for everyone. Dinah couldn't blame her. There was a reason she didn't hang around Star City for too long, even now. The memories hurt too much. For Kala, all of Gotham would remind her of Jay. He'd been too much a part of her time here. Eventually they might be able to win her back, but it wouldn't be easy.
Steph just leaned back in her chair, obviously scuttled again by that news. "Wow. Just … wow. I go to Africa for a couple years, get murdered by Lady Shiva, get resurrected, come back, and in the meantime Kala decided to break her no-capes rule. For Jason freaking Todd of all people. What the hell? Did she get hit with Joker venom or run across Poison Ivy or something? Did you make sure she wasn't out of her mind?"
Dinah just leaned back and laughed. "I'm sorry you missed all of it. She did run up against most of our rogues, but it was one hundred percent mutual attraction. They were cute, honestly."
Steph wrinkled her nose again. "See, this is why I can't leave. You finally get a Super in Gotham for more than ten minutes, and you guys let her sleep with Red Hood and then they break up. You should've kept her in the Birds."
"Trust me, I've felt that way too," Babs admitted, patting her hand. She and Dinah shared a look. In hindsight, perhaps they should've done things differently. But second-guessing themselves wouldn't accomplish much now.
Steph sighed. "Well, I'm back now. I'll keep you in line." And her eyes sparkled with her old, merry humor, none of the new sharp-edged mockery, which made Dinah and Babs both laugh with her.
…
Kala knew that voice. Even in a rough whisper, Kala knew that voice. And knew the heartbeat running swiftly behind the words, now that she listened. It couldn't be anyone else, though she'd never expected to encounter him here or now. For an instant she froze, her own heart pounding, as memories flashed through her mind. From the first words he'd said to her, to the bitter words that had sundered them.
A wild thought insisted that Kala should run, just light out for the horizon. She'd figure out how to explain her disappearance later. She just wasn't ready for this. Not now, not here, not with her heart so fragile and her mind trying to be so firmly focused on business.
But she couldn't.
She couldn't run. She wasn't a coward, and all she'd done for months was run from her problems. No more. It was about time she faced everything amidst the shambles of her personal life. Now was the time, like it or not, and she honestly did not. The moment was here and she knew what she had to do. Still, her voice squeaked a little on his name. "Sebast?!"
He threw back the hood, and pulled his hands out of his pockets, a fresh loaf of olive bread in each one. That handsome face was set in an earnest, hopeful smile as he held out the bread and said, "Peace offering, mi Kala?" His voice had a bit of a tremor in it, as if he too wasn't quite ready for this, despite the fact that he'd obviously planned it.
Despite herself and all the mental coaching she had given herself for the moment they would come face to face again, her lip started to tremble, and Kala bit it, trying to control herself. So much for locking up her emotions for the time being. If she was honest, what she wanted was to fling herself into his arms and sob. She hadn't seen Sebast in so long, hadn't even spoken to him more than very briefly in longer than they'd ever gone without contact before this disastrous year. And yet, she held back. There was too much between them for her to brush it all aside so blithely. Jay, of course, and her complicated feelings for Sebast, and his complicated feelings for her, and the fact that he now knew he was talking to a half-alien part-time superhero. It couldn't ever be as blissful as ignorance had been.
The bells on the door jangled as Marlene hurried out, Kala turning to look at her in wide-eyed surprise, the sound breaking her out of her chaotic mind and overwhelming thoughts. "And what exactly is this bullshit, Mr. Vélez?" the manager asked, stepping between them. "The label said you'd be meeting us later."
Again, completely off-balance, Kala opened her mouth to defend him. But in the end, she could only look at first one and then the other. Sebast himself did a double take at Marlene's appearance, and asked a question of his own. "What the hell are you doing here, Marlene?" Well, it had to be a surprise to him, as well. It had seemed that no one had been told of the label's plan.
That earned him a thunderous frown from her, coming to stand by her side. "My job," she shot back. "What are you doing here, Sebast?"
"My best," he said, and it wasn't a joke, despite how it sounded.
For a long moment, Kala made herself meet Sebast's gaze, as much as it genuinely hurt. He just looked back, seeming just as rattled as she was. But the look in his eyes, the flash of desperation, made her stop. She knew that expression, knew he was struggling with all of this, too. Finally, Kala found her voice and shook her head, never looking away from him as she spoke. "Stop, Marlene, it's okay," Kala said, even as her three boys piled out of the store and came to back her up. "Really. It's all right. I just, I didn't expect it today. Or like this."
Sebast shrugged, glancing between her and Marlene and the rest of the band. "Did you really think I was gonna let the label make this into some kind of mediated bullshit PR stunt, where we shake hands in front of a camera? Fuck that. Kala, you mean too much to me for that. If I'm coming back, you and I need to talk without some lawyer from the label holding our hands. We're not that bad off yet." The look in his eyes added, Are we?
She couldn't help but wince at that. After all they had been through over the years, they had never found themselves in this kind of situation. But, no matter what they did or didn't say, they had always been there for one another, through laughter and tears. And even now, after finding out the biggest secret she had ever hidden from him, after the way she had thrown him out of the band, he was here. He had come back, despite the way they had ended.
Kala sighed, keeping her emotions in check. No, they weren't that bad off yet. And he was right, they needed to talk about certain things without witnesses. Especially the giant red blue and yellow Super-elephant in the room. And that wasn't a conversation they could have here. "And they probably will. You have a point with that. It's smarter to try to make a united front and do it our way," she said, trying to be practical when she really wanted to just hide somewhere and have an emotionally-charged sobbing session. With or without her prodigal best friend.
Marlene crossed her arms and glared. "That doesn't mean you have my permission to get on the bus. You wanna talk, you better talk fast. We're rolling in ten minutes."
Support came from a startling quarter. "Aw, come on, Marlene," Robb said, coming to stand beside she and Sebast. "Sebast's part of the band, too. Even if he's a dumbass sometimes." That was … unexpected, but then she might have expected him to be able to make peace with the boys first. Kala glanced at him, one dark brow ticking up, wondering how much Sebast had talked to all three of their bandmates, and what they knew.
"Not since October, he isn't. At this point, letting him on the bus is a liability issue," Marlene replied frostily.
That lead to a mutter of disbelief from the boys, Ned sighing and rolling his eyes. "Seriously? Even if Kala even agreed he could stay? Come on, Marlene," Morgan said. Well, that answered that question. Phone calls and apologies and permissions had to have been going on while she had been in Gotham, if they were all this calm about the situation. And, of course, he would have held her for last. She would be the one to make the final decision.
Sebast, meanwhile, just looked steadily at Marlene. "If I have to rent a car and follow until the official meet-up, I can do that. It's just, Kala and I were friends long before we signed with the label. I'm not letting them manage our friendship."
As Marlene continued to glower, Kala let her gaze travel over the others, turning to look them all in the eye. After how furious they had been with him before the break, all three were watching her, serious and solemn. Kala wasn't a fool; the last leg of the tour before Christmas had still been successful, despite Sebast's own fans being on vicious rants and she herself exhausted and distracted, but all of them were not looking forward to that again. Having Marlene to take over the managing duties helped Kala, but it didn't make them whole. They had been missing a piece, a large piece, forcing them all into other unfamiliar roles. They had all been close for years, having been living and learning in such small spaces. No matter their issues, KLK wasn't KLK without Sebast and never could be. They would have to work it out. Finally, Kala touched her arm. "Sebast has a good point, Marlene. If we're going to make this look as if all is well, we need to get a head start on putting things back together. I'll take responsibility. Let him ride along with us."
"Great, now we're picking up hitchhikers," Marlene said archly.
Kala scoffed at that. Though she couldn't resist a little dig, as cautious as both she and Sebast should be. A shot at his vanity was never amiss. "Well, I did take one look at the hoodie and the backpack and think he was a homeless guy for a minute."
Sebast looked affronted. "Excuse me, my shoes are way too nice for me to be homeless. And I smell like cologne, not body odor."
As soon as he snarked at her, without considering her response, Kala retorted the way she always did. "I don't know if you noticed, querido, I didn't get close enough to smell your cologne," she shot back, raising her chin as well as her eyebrows. "Bench there, door here, and zero clue that you weren't three thousand miles away at home! Last stop before the road, I was focused on my olive bread!"
"Speaking of which, eat this, or I will. I've got more in the bag," Sebast said, holding out the small loaf.
At that, she couldn't help smiling a little, though it was a wistful smile, meeting his eyes. Kala took it from him, their eyes met as their hands almost touched, and she knew by the snarking and the sincere offer that they were going to be all right again, somehow. It might take time, it might not ever be the way it was before, but neither of them wanted to give up on each other. That was what mattered most.
…
Post-workout and a very brief patrol, Jay wanted a snack, so he wandered into the kitchen. He'd gone back with Dick, since they'd patrolled together, and Dick still wanted to keep an eye on him. He'd tolerate it, for now. He for damn sure wasn't ready to deal with his apartment, and all its reminders of Kala.
Cereal was a decent snack, didn't take any preparation, and he knew where Dick kept it. When he opened the cabinet, though, he jumped back and damn near fell on his ass.
For one second, Jay had thought he was in some kind of crazy horror movie. There was a little Asian girl sitting in the cabinet, folded up like a contortionist in the small space, and he hadn't expected anyone else in the apartment.
In the next instant, he realized this wasn't a horror movie, she wasn't a ghost, she was a real person – but she was still sitting in Dick's kitchen cabinet looking at him like he was the crazy one. "DICK!" he bellowed. "Dick, your security sucks, get your ass in here! You, who the fuck are you and why are you hiding in the goddamned cabinet?!"
She blinked at him, and said, "Not hiding." As if to illustrate her point, she dipped a spoon into the mixing bowl cradled between her knees, and ate a bite of Lucky Charms that looked to be mostly marshmallows.
Dick rushed in, skidding to a halt. Jay had dropped his hand to his gun, but hadn't drawn it, and with one glance at the intruder, Dick just smiled. "Hi, Cass. I didn't realize you were out of debrief yet."
"Cereal's gone," she told him.
Jay just scoffed, noticing the empty box beside her at last. "It's not gone, you're eating all of it. Out of a fucking mixing bowl. Jesus fuck, Dick, this is Cass? This fucking gremlin child in your cabinet is the uber-ninja?"
She cocked her head at him, and Dick rolled his eyes. "She's not a gremlin, you jerk. She didn't have a normal childhood, give her a break," he chided. "Cass, come sit at the table, you're freaking him out."
"This coming from the kid who grew up in the fucking circus. Jesus fuck on a tightrope," Jay muttered as the girl unfolded herself and moved gracefully to the table.
He'd heard about Cass, read up on her in Bruce's files when he hacked his way in, but never actually met her. And most of what he heard was everyone fawning over how incredibly skilled she was. Jay knew the backstory, too. Shiva owed Cain a favor, Cain wanted a kid he could train to be the ultimate martial artist, Shiva loaned out her womb. Which was really goddamn fucking cold of her, but not as cold as what Cain did.
Raising a kid with no verbal language at all, just so she'd learn body language so fluently she could be the perfect assassin. It put Jay's hackles up in a major way. He hated anyone exploiting kids in any way. Creating a kid just for some fucked-up experiment? It was sick. Twisted. And of course, it all went back to Ra's al Fucking Ghul. Cass was supposed to be his bodyguard or something. Except David Cain had screwed up, and made her kill someone, and the second she'd seen death she'd understood it was wrong. She'd ended up with Bruce, who of course was in love with the whole idea of a highly-trained assassin who refused to kill, because it was his own history with the League of Shadows all over again. No wonder Cass was the favorite daughter.
All of that was just history. What Jay saw in front of him was a slightly-built young woman, all lean muscle and poised grace. She moved like what she was, with the elegant economy of motion he associated with top-tier martial artists. Her eyes were dark, and watchful, but not cold. There was a kind of innocence in them, still, open and curious despite everything she must've seen. She certainly didn't look to be judging him, despite his outburst.
Jay had no illusions; if he made an aggressive move toward her, she'd lay him out. But right now she was willing to sit cross-legged in a chair and just watch him while she ate. Then again, he probably didn't seem like much of a threat.
Dick cut him a look and just said, "Cass, this is Jason Todd. He's had a rough couple of days. Excuse the profanity, it's part of his charm. Jay, this is Cassandra Cain. She's also had a rough couple of days. Difference is, instead of cussing you out, she'll just fold you up and toss you in the trash can."
"No," Cass said around a mouthful of cereal. When Dick looked at her speculatively, she swallowed, and nodded at Jay. "Hurt enough."
"Shit, patrol wasn't that bad," Jay said. They hadn't had to deal with much more than the usual drug deals and muggings. He didn't think he was even bruised.
She shook her head. "Not bruises. Hurt." And then hunched her shoulders a little, drawing her elbows in close to her sides. It was an eerie imitation of Jay's own protective posture, exaggerated beyond what he was actually doing, but he could see what she meant.
Dick just smiled sadly at Jay. "Turns out reading body language is pretty close to reading minds, most of the time. You don't keep secrets from Cass."
"That's uncomfortable," Jay said, looking at her warily.
"You get used to it," Dick said, a little too flippant for Jay's taste. He turned to Cass then. "How's Steph?"
"Angry," she replied succinctly. "With me, herself, everyone. Most with me."
Dick touched her arm gently. "She'll come around. It's the Lazarus Pit, Cass. It makes people paranoid and angry."
She shook her head, and Jay felt a twinge at the obvious sorrow on her face. "No. I left her behind. Steph cannot forgive."
A chill ran through Jay's belly. Did everything have to remind him of himself and Kala? He'd kicked her out, said everything he could think of to hurt her, and he knew she had more spine than to meekly forgive him for it, even if she'd figured him out by now. No, he'd thoroughly burned that bridge, and if he wasn't trying like hell to pretend it didn't hurt, he'd look as mournful as Cass did.
Dick just rubbed her shoulder in a commiserating way, and she set down her spoon to lean into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her for a long, silent moment … that also reminded Jay of the way he and Kala communicated best without words. The way her warm body snuggled up to him, the way her slim hands touched his face, the way he pressed his forehead against hers, all declaring the things they'd been too afraid to say to each other.
Fuck, he had to get out of this rut before he turned into a fucking Hallmark movie. Complete with learning the real meaning of Christmas and all that nauseating bullshit.
