A/N: First of all, I just want to thank my AWESOME reviewers, Nos4a2returns, Tesubcalle, and Neptune. I have NEVER gotten that many reviews that are that long! Ever! Nos, it'd be great if you'd be my beta, but I'm not sure how that works…hmm…
Also, you guys talked about this being kinda iffy on Canon. To set that straight, let me explain that this is based on a universe that my friend Carmen Wayne (she's awesome, check out HER stuff!) and I created together. It's got a lot of the same history, but there are some OCs we threw in there, and subsequently, our own history (I.e, Lian is a year or so older than Natalie, and she has a son named Kyle). I welcome any remarks about Canon history if it's off, but most chances are I have a reason for them.
I'm open to any plot ideas! I AM planning to bring the illustrious Dicky into it, but give it some time, I need to establish stuff….
You guys made my day!! You rock!! [throws cookies all over the place]
Chapter 4: Hidden Truths and Consequences
"Come on, Torch! Let's see it!" Twitch's voice brought her back from her buried nightmare. Fine. If he wanted her to dance, she would dance. And she would, as the song said, lose herself in the music.
She hit the button on the CD player and took her place on the floor. She rocked slowly back and forth on the balls of her feet as the intro played, head down. Her steps were sure and solid as she crossed the floor. Her arms propelled her as she spun across it, blending traditional ballet with modern and jazz dance styles. She had done this hundreds of times, knew each movement intuitively, and it had become a sort of stress release over the years…
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it
You better never let it go, you only get one shot
Do not miss your chance to glow
this opportunity comes once in a lifetime
She leapt into the air, kicking back and landing in a spin, dropping to the floor with one leg extended in front of her. She hardly wanted to do this for the rest of her life, despite what anyone said. It was far too competitive for her liking. She was auditioning only because Roy had told her she was good. Roy…He was her compass, he always had been. One word of encouragement from him would give her confidence for a month. There was a time it would have been her father, but--no, she wasn't about to start that again. She had put Dick Grayson, her father, behind her four years ago. She was through waiting for him to wake up. Her feet pounded the floor harder now, as she realized she was thinking about him.
He's grown farther from home, he's no father,
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter…
She hated thinking about him. He had sent a card on her birthday every year, but she hadn't seen much of him in six years--the most time he had spent with her had been at her mother's wedding to Sam Young. There had been the brief conversations on the phone, as he tried to arrange for her to babysit her half-siblings, Dominique and Kale, so that he and Kory could go out. But he never called otherwise, unless he needed to talk to her mother. Roy had tried to convince her that he was only busy, and that he did care. She didn't see how he couldn't find time to call her and actually ask her how she was doing, instead of asking favors. She'd never asked any of him.
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it
You better never let it go, you only get one shot
Do not miss your chance to glow
this opportunity comes once in a lifetime
Just as she was about to spin, a sharp pain pierced her abdomen, and she tripped forward. Shit, she thought, not right now, I told them it had gone away…
"Natalya!" Rab rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the cold concrete. "Are you alright?"
Gritting her teeth, she nodded. "I'm fine, Rab, I slipped, that's all."
"No, you didn't." Twitch said softly. "Natalie, why didn't you tell us you were still having those pains? It's been four years!"
"I'm on medication, they're not so bad…" She stood up and brushed herself off, avoiding Rab's disappointed look as she went into her knapsack to dig out the little orange tube.
"It's not supposed to be bad at all, Natalie." He said. "Like Twitch said, it's been four years since you had the abortion. What kind of medication is it?"
"Just pain medication. I'm fine." She opened the bottle and downed two of the pills.
"Does your Mom know you're on it?" Twitch asked.
"Not exactly. I don't want to talk about it." She made for the bench so she could take her shoes off, but Rab caught her arm.
"I don't agree with abortion, Torch, but you were a special case. Have you even told your parents?"
She was silent. If she denied it, it would only prolong the inevitable.
"They don't know? You need to tell them!"
"No! They don't need to know!" She wrenched out of his gentle grip and plunked down onto the bench, attacking the laces with pointed interest. Shit, shit, shit, she thought. It wasn't a decision she was proud of, and she'd been trying to hide it from the general public. After all, how would it look for the Commissioner's daughter to be pregnant out of wedlock?
"Yes, they do! Have you told anyone? What about Roy?"
"Especially not him."
"Why not?"
"Because as far as he's concerned, that's how Lian wound up with little Kyle." Not that Roy loved Lian or Kyle any less, but he had been out for Ollie's blood when he found out about it. No doubt he'd be after Benz if he knew, using some his martial art knowledge but more than likely blasting him to oblivion with one of the many pieces from his private arsenal. Besides, she wanted to get Benz back herself. For what he'd done to her and what he'd done to her friends.
There was a pointed silence between the three of them. "Look, I've got to go. I told my Uncle Kyle I'd help him ink some of his latest work."
"Natalie, you need to tell someone." Rab said gently. "Or we will."
That was not what she wanted to hear. She grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "I will. I'll see you later, okay? Let me know if there's a car we need to fix." Without another word, she swept out into the waning dusk.
She was royally screwed.
A/N: Sorry it's so short AGAIN, but I think I have a mini-plot in my head now. This may seem overdone, but you'll see where I'm going with this--please just be patient! I'm a college student with a killer Russian History class. Stupid pop quizzes…I'll leave you with some questions to ponder: Why hasn't she told anyone (aside from the guilt), what has Benz done to her friends, and will she hold to her word and tell someone? I'm considering doing the next chappy in Dick's pov with a little argument with Roy…what d'you think? If I get reviews, I shall review much faster! [Hint Hint]
Also, you guys talked about this being kinda iffy on Canon. To set that straight, let me explain that this is based on a universe that my friend Carmen Wayne (she's awesome, check out HER stuff!) and I created together. It's got a lot of the same history, but there are some OCs we threw in there, and subsequently, our own history (I.e, Lian is a year or so older than Natalie, and she has a son named Kyle). I welcome any remarks about Canon history if it's off, but most chances are I have a reason for them.
I'm open to any plot ideas! I AM planning to bring the illustrious Dicky into it, but give it some time, I need to establish stuff….
You guys made my day!! You rock!! [throws cookies all over the place]
Chapter 4: Hidden Truths and Consequences
"Come on, Torch! Let's see it!" Twitch's voice brought her back from her buried nightmare. Fine. If he wanted her to dance, she would dance. And she would, as the song said, lose herself in the music.
She hit the button on the CD player and took her place on the floor. She rocked slowly back and forth on the balls of her feet as the intro played, head down. Her steps were sure and solid as she crossed the floor. Her arms propelled her as she spun across it, blending traditional ballet with modern and jazz dance styles. She had done this hundreds of times, knew each movement intuitively, and it had become a sort of stress release over the years…
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it
You better never let it go, you only get one shot
Do not miss your chance to glow
this opportunity comes once in a lifetime
She leapt into the air, kicking back and landing in a spin, dropping to the floor with one leg extended in front of her. She hardly wanted to do this for the rest of her life, despite what anyone said. It was far too competitive for her liking. She was auditioning only because Roy had told her she was good. Roy…He was her compass, he always had been. One word of encouragement from him would give her confidence for a month. There was a time it would have been her father, but--no, she wasn't about to start that again. She had put Dick Grayson, her father, behind her four years ago. She was through waiting for him to wake up. Her feet pounded the floor harder now, as she realized she was thinking about him.
He's grown farther from home, he's no father,
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter…
She hated thinking about him. He had sent a card on her birthday every year, but she hadn't seen much of him in six years--the most time he had spent with her had been at her mother's wedding to Sam Young. There had been the brief conversations on the phone, as he tried to arrange for her to babysit her half-siblings, Dominique and Kale, so that he and Kory could go out. But he never called otherwise, unless he needed to talk to her mother. Roy had tried to convince her that he was only busy, and that he did care. She didn't see how he couldn't find time to call her and actually ask her how she was doing, instead of asking favors. She'd never asked any of him.
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it
You better never let it go, you only get one shot
Do not miss your chance to glow
this opportunity comes once in a lifetime
Just as she was about to spin, a sharp pain pierced her abdomen, and she tripped forward. Shit, she thought, not right now, I told them it had gone away…
"Natalya!" Rab rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the cold concrete. "Are you alright?"
Gritting her teeth, she nodded. "I'm fine, Rab, I slipped, that's all."
"No, you didn't." Twitch said softly. "Natalie, why didn't you tell us you were still having those pains? It's been four years!"
"I'm on medication, they're not so bad…" She stood up and brushed herself off, avoiding Rab's disappointed look as she went into her knapsack to dig out the little orange tube.
"It's not supposed to be bad at all, Natalie." He said. "Like Twitch said, it's been four years since you had the abortion. What kind of medication is it?"
"Just pain medication. I'm fine." She opened the bottle and downed two of the pills.
"Does your Mom know you're on it?" Twitch asked.
"Not exactly. I don't want to talk about it." She made for the bench so she could take her shoes off, but Rab caught her arm.
"I don't agree with abortion, Torch, but you were a special case. Have you even told your parents?"
She was silent. If she denied it, it would only prolong the inevitable.
"They don't know? You need to tell them!"
"No! They don't need to know!" She wrenched out of his gentle grip and plunked down onto the bench, attacking the laces with pointed interest. Shit, shit, shit, she thought. It wasn't a decision she was proud of, and she'd been trying to hide it from the general public. After all, how would it look for the Commissioner's daughter to be pregnant out of wedlock?
"Yes, they do! Have you told anyone? What about Roy?"
"Especially not him."
"Why not?"
"Because as far as he's concerned, that's how Lian wound up with little Kyle." Not that Roy loved Lian or Kyle any less, but he had been out for Ollie's blood when he found out about it. No doubt he'd be after Benz if he knew, using some his martial art knowledge but more than likely blasting him to oblivion with one of the many pieces from his private arsenal. Besides, she wanted to get Benz back herself. For what he'd done to her and what he'd done to her friends.
There was a pointed silence between the three of them. "Look, I've got to go. I told my Uncle Kyle I'd help him ink some of his latest work."
"Natalie, you need to tell someone." Rab said gently. "Or we will."
That was not what she wanted to hear. She grabbed her bag and got to her feet. "I will. I'll see you later, okay? Let me know if there's a car we need to fix." Without another word, she swept out into the waning dusk.
She was royally screwed.
A/N: Sorry it's so short AGAIN, but I think I have a mini-plot in my head now. This may seem overdone, but you'll see where I'm going with this--please just be patient! I'm a college student with a killer Russian History class. Stupid pop quizzes…I'll leave you with some questions to ponder: Why hasn't she told anyone (aside from the guilt), what has Benz done to her friends, and will she hold to her word and tell someone? I'm considering doing the next chappy in Dick's pov with a little argument with Roy…what d'you think? If I get reviews, I shall review much faster! [Hint Hint]