Disclaimer: See the last seven chapters. I'm too lazy to type it all out. None of this belongs to me.
A/N: Man, I'm horrid! At least two typos in the last chapter! Grr…the title of the movie is Mononoke Hime, or Princess Mononoke. Sorry about that. Heh, I'm proud of myself, four chapters in a week! And all because my wonderful reviewers are taking the time out of their busy days to read my stuff! [sniff, tear] I love you guys!
Also, this is an incredibly short chappie, because Chapter 9 will be bringing in St. Dick, and I will be posting ASAP after this one. I just want to get it up. I DO have a plan…
Chapter 8: It All Comes Down To This
Something changed for Natalie after that night at Kyle's. It was nothing so extreme as to make her permanently cheerful--God forbid. The last thing she wanted to be was some mindless zombie with a fake smile plastered on her face. But it did, to some extent, improve her mood, and even Rab and Twitch's reminders about telling her parents about the abortion over the next few weeks didn't really phase her. With or without Dick Grayson, life was still good. Messed up, but good.
Amazing what a good cry would do. Natalie still wasn't ready to believe that Dick loved her or cared about her more than he let on--it wasn't an easy habit to break--but somehow, it was easier to put it behind her. It helped to have distractions at school, whether it was homework or the mural she was making on the main stair. She was even beginning to look forward to her audition at Julliard in June.
"You'll knock 'em dead, Torch." Twitch grinned one evening. Natalie, Twitch and Rab sat in her apartment with Three Doors Down playing on the stereo and a game of Risk spread across the coffee table.
"Who, France or Ukraine?"
Rab laughed. "You know what he means, Natalya! Julliard, girl!"
"Yeah, yeah…" She replied, letting a small smile pry at the corner of her mouth.
"You've been in a much better mood lately, girl. What happened?"
"I told you, I talked with my Uncle."
"Torch, we get that part." Twitch said. "Does that mean you told him what happened to you?"
She sighed. Why? Why did she have to be plagued with friends like these? "Not exactly…"
"Natalie!"
"What? I'll tell them, don't worry about it!"
"You've been saying that for four years. Either you tell them tonight, or first thing tomorrow, we will." Twitch said. "This isn't something you screw around with, Torch. He raped you! He hurt you, God damn it! And you're still having pain from the abortion you had four years ago because of what he did! How can you not tell anyone?"
"I told you, you ass." Natalie muttered, moving her pieces over. "I attack Ukraine from the north. I get three die, you get two."
"Screw the game!" Twitch cried, shaking violently and sending the board across the room.
"Twitch, man, chill." Rab said quietly.
"No, Rab! She's hurting herself, and no one knows! Her parents are two of the most powerful people in Gotham! Well, her mom, at least. Her father's a fucking head of Interpol! They might as well be vigilantes for all the power they have!"
"You know, saying that will bring them down on us, man."
"You think I'm really scared of--of Arsenal, or the Flash, or Nightwing?" Twitch spat, enunciating the last name with a cruel chuckle. "Her parents can DO something, but she's not saying anything!"
"Twitch." Natalie's voice was quiet, but dangerously so. "It's our own fucking fault if any one of those vigilantes come down on us--they are bringing people who defy the law to justice, and I respect them for that. We're no better than Benz is, with what we're doing, whether we're meaning well or not. So just back. Off."
"Natalie, we're going to go legit, after this month." Rab replied gently.
"Why not now, Rab?" She asked. "Why not now, and offer services for a small fee, low enough that they can afford? It's not like we're getting any compensation as it is. So why not do it legally? What's stopping us? I don't know, maybe Natalie actually had an attack of conscience, God forbid, but I'm tired of living on both sides…" She got up from the sofa and began picking up the pieces of the game from the carpet.
"Excuse me? We're getting off topic!" Twitch yelled.
Rab moved to help her and glared at Twitch. "Dude, you're not going to accomplish shit by yelling."
"Yelling about what?"
The color drained from Natalie's face as Barbara Gordon's voice came from the entry way. She gave the two men a pleading look. "Nothing Mom! We were just having a disagree--" A pain hit her suddenly and swiftly, and she cursed herself again. Weren't these pills supposed to work? She couldn't let her mother see her like this!
"Are you all right, Natalie?" Barbara asked, coming into the living room. "Rab, Twitch, hello."
"Hello, Commissioner." Rab nodded.
"I'll be fine, Mom. I just need to go to the bathroom real quick." Thinking fast, she mouthed 'cramps' to her mother before disappearing down the hall and into said room. Well, it wasn't a total lie…She could hear her mother speaking to Rab and Twitch through the door. Good God, please let them be quiet about it…
"Everything is alright, isn't it?" Barbara asked again, eyeing the bathroom door.
"Well--"
"Sure, Mrs.Young--er, or is it Ms. Gordon?" Rab cut Twitch off as he got to his feet.
"Either is fine."
"Yeah, things are cool. Twitch just had a tremor and the board went, well, everywhere."
She loved Rab. If she weren't opposed to swapping spit, she'd have kissed him right there. Twitch was well-meaning, but sometimes he let it get the better of him. Rab, at least, had the foresight to understand that she needed to do it herself. After all, they had given her the evening. Oh, God…
As Natalie stepped into the living room, she knew she would have to say something. Something to keep Twitch and Rab from spilling it all. Her face pale from the pain that still racked her body, she took a deep breath.
"Guys, I think you need to go. My mom and I have stuff to talk about."
A/N: Man, I'm horrid! At least two typos in the last chapter! Grr…the title of the movie is Mononoke Hime, or Princess Mononoke. Sorry about that. Heh, I'm proud of myself, four chapters in a week! And all because my wonderful reviewers are taking the time out of their busy days to read my stuff! [sniff, tear] I love you guys!
Also, this is an incredibly short chappie, because Chapter 9 will be bringing in St. Dick, and I will be posting ASAP after this one. I just want to get it up. I DO have a plan…
Chapter 8: It All Comes Down To This
Something changed for Natalie after that night at Kyle's. It was nothing so extreme as to make her permanently cheerful--God forbid. The last thing she wanted to be was some mindless zombie with a fake smile plastered on her face. But it did, to some extent, improve her mood, and even Rab and Twitch's reminders about telling her parents about the abortion over the next few weeks didn't really phase her. With or without Dick Grayson, life was still good. Messed up, but good.
Amazing what a good cry would do. Natalie still wasn't ready to believe that Dick loved her or cared about her more than he let on--it wasn't an easy habit to break--but somehow, it was easier to put it behind her. It helped to have distractions at school, whether it was homework or the mural she was making on the main stair. She was even beginning to look forward to her audition at Julliard in June.
"You'll knock 'em dead, Torch." Twitch grinned one evening. Natalie, Twitch and Rab sat in her apartment with Three Doors Down playing on the stereo and a game of Risk spread across the coffee table.
"Who, France or Ukraine?"
Rab laughed. "You know what he means, Natalya! Julliard, girl!"
"Yeah, yeah…" She replied, letting a small smile pry at the corner of her mouth.
"You've been in a much better mood lately, girl. What happened?"
"I told you, I talked with my Uncle."
"Torch, we get that part." Twitch said. "Does that mean you told him what happened to you?"
She sighed. Why? Why did she have to be plagued with friends like these? "Not exactly…"
"Natalie!"
"What? I'll tell them, don't worry about it!"
"You've been saying that for four years. Either you tell them tonight, or first thing tomorrow, we will." Twitch said. "This isn't something you screw around with, Torch. He raped you! He hurt you, God damn it! And you're still having pain from the abortion you had four years ago because of what he did! How can you not tell anyone?"
"I told you, you ass." Natalie muttered, moving her pieces over. "I attack Ukraine from the north. I get three die, you get two."
"Screw the game!" Twitch cried, shaking violently and sending the board across the room.
"Twitch, man, chill." Rab said quietly.
"No, Rab! She's hurting herself, and no one knows! Her parents are two of the most powerful people in Gotham! Well, her mom, at least. Her father's a fucking head of Interpol! They might as well be vigilantes for all the power they have!"
"You know, saying that will bring them down on us, man."
"You think I'm really scared of--of Arsenal, or the Flash, or Nightwing?" Twitch spat, enunciating the last name with a cruel chuckle. "Her parents can DO something, but she's not saying anything!"
"Twitch." Natalie's voice was quiet, but dangerously so. "It's our own fucking fault if any one of those vigilantes come down on us--they are bringing people who defy the law to justice, and I respect them for that. We're no better than Benz is, with what we're doing, whether we're meaning well or not. So just back. Off."
"Natalie, we're going to go legit, after this month." Rab replied gently.
"Why not now, Rab?" She asked. "Why not now, and offer services for a small fee, low enough that they can afford? It's not like we're getting any compensation as it is. So why not do it legally? What's stopping us? I don't know, maybe Natalie actually had an attack of conscience, God forbid, but I'm tired of living on both sides…" She got up from the sofa and began picking up the pieces of the game from the carpet.
"Excuse me? We're getting off topic!" Twitch yelled.
Rab moved to help her and glared at Twitch. "Dude, you're not going to accomplish shit by yelling."
"Yelling about what?"
The color drained from Natalie's face as Barbara Gordon's voice came from the entry way. She gave the two men a pleading look. "Nothing Mom! We were just having a disagree--" A pain hit her suddenly and swiftly, and she cursed herself again. Weren't these pills supposed to work? She couldn't let her mother see her like this!
"Are you all right, Natalie?" Barbara asked, coming into the living room. "Rab, Twitch, hello."
"Hello, Commissioner." Rab nodded.
"I'll be fine, Mom. I just need to go to the bathroom real quick." Thinking fast, she mouthed 'cramps' to her mother before disappearing down the hall and into said room. Well, it wasn't a total lie…She could hear her mother speaking to Rab and Twitch through the door. Good God, please let them be quiet about it…
"Everything is alright, isn't it?" Barbara asked again, eyeing the bathroom door.
"Well--"
"Sure, Mrs.Young--er, or is it Ms. Gordon?" Rab cut Twitch off as he got to his feet.
"Either is fine."
"Yeah, things are cool. Twitch just had a tremor and the board went, well, everywhere."
She loved Rab. If she weren't opposed to swapping spit, she'd have kissed him right there. Twitch was well-meaning, but sometimes he let it get the better of him. Rab, at least, had the foresight to understand that she needed to do it herself. After all, they had given her the evening. Oh, God…
As Natalie stepped into the living room, she knew she would have to say something. Something to keep Twitch and Rab from spilling it all. Her face pale from the pain that still racked her body, she took a deep breath.
"Guys, I think you need to go. My mom and I have stuff to talk about."