A/N: Wow! I've gotten ten whole reviews! I'm so happy! I told my roommate RosemarieLynn (shameless plug, check out her stuff! She writes Star Trek fanfics…) that I would throw a mini party when I hit ten reviews, so…[throws confetti, blows kazoo, hands cake and ice cream to everyone] hooray! It may not seem like much to many people, but this has been really refreshing…that and I just found out I get to take Arabic next semester!
As for the plot line, I may be a little lax in updating from here on out, because while I know what problems I want to arise, I don't know how to put them into words (this is what is commonly known as Cerebrum to Paper Deficit Disorder--writer's block). So, please don't give up on this fic! I will try to get as much out as fast as possible, but like I said, next semester I'm taking Arabic, and a Spanish theater course, and an Antisemitism course…among other things. University is so wonderful and so torturous at the same time…
Chapter 10: The Next Morning
Dick left at five-thirty despite Natalie's insistence on his taking the couch. They didn't need to give Kory anything else to speculate on, he said. Grudgingly, she knew he was right. Still, it had been a mind blowing evening--or morning, whatever way you wanted to look at it.
Natalie didn't sleep at all that night. It was all too much to take in, really. She'd gotten into a moral fight with her two best friends, told her mother about her health problems, and, most surprisingly, bonded with her dad. Not in the traditional way, of course, but there was really nothing traditional about any aspect of her family. Hell, her 'uncles' were really just old friends of the family. Not that she cared.
What she was really afraid of was her mother. She really didn't want to continue the agonizing conversation she'd begun last night. She didn't want to talk about it any more, or think about it anymore. She needed a reprieve after last night's drama, however pleasant it ended.
Knowing her mother would sleep no later than nine, regardless of the weekend, she decided to go for a drive. She wrote Barbara a quick note:
Mom--
Needed to think. I went for a drive, I'll probably wind up at Roy's. Be back soon.
Love, Lili
7:23 a.m.
The use of an endearment was more of a distraction than anything. With luck, it would calm her mother down when she realized her daughter had left during the early hours of the morning. It wasn't infrequent for her to go for morning walks or drives, but Barbara certainly didn't like the idea.
Natalie got dressed quickly and quietly, foregoing her usual black attire for a pair of grey sweatpants, a blue tank top, and purple pull over. She grabbed her helmet and keys from her dresser, stuffed her wallet into a pocket, and took the elevator to the first floor. She walked next door to the parking garage and found space N36, and stood for a moment to admire her motorcycle. It had been a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birthday. Rather, until last night she believed her mother to be the gifter. Dick explained that it was actually one of his old bikes, and that he had gotten it detailed to look slightly like Nightwing's bike, with a few changes. The bike was of course black (as only the best are), with the requisite blue wings along the sides. Flanking the wings were purple markings Natalie had long considered to be flames, although they looked a bit like bat wings every once in awhile, if she looked at them just right. Around both designs were balls of flame, in vibrant orange and red.
Surprisingly, the news that this was her father's old bike didn't repulse her. In fact, if she were honest, it only endeared it more. Bikes weren't cheap, and asking a man to part with their bike was practically heresy. If anything, it showed her a side of her father she'd never considered, but now that she knew, she was glad of the knowing.
She rode the highway for an hour before turning back to head for Roy's. She pulled up at about 8:30, knowing that someone would be awake. The Harper place never slept.
Knocking, she called, "Roy? You there? Lian?"
"Natalie?" The door opened and she was greeted by a tall, slender redhead with a green-eyed baby boy in her arms.
"Hey Lian!" She smiled and hugged her cousin. "I would have called, but I was in the neighborhood…" She looked at the boy fondly. "Hello, Kyle."
"Na!" He gurgled.
Lian smiled. "He's been talking up a storm lately. Come on in. Dad's kinda…passed out. Long night, you know how it is." She moved aside to let Natalie through and took in her attire. "Morning ride again?"
"Yeah. I had a long night." She sighed. "Dad came over."
Lian's eyes grew wide. "What? Why? I mean…well, that's good, isn't it?" She offered Natalie a spot on the couch and set Kyle in his playpen.
Natalie sat down and sighed. "Well, yeah…but it was kind of a shock. I mean, I thought he didn't care, but it's totally the opposite…"
"Okay, spill it, girl."
So Natalie did. She explained the pretense of Dick's visit, which earned a derisive snort from Lian--she never did take a liking to Kory, for some reason--and what he had said to her, how he had hugged her and kissed her forehead, and how they talked into the early morning. "It was like I was dreaming."
"He's your Dad, Nat. He's always going to care about you, whether you know it or not. Uncle Dick's a cool guy, and Dad wouldn't be beating sense into him still if he didn't think he was worth the time."
"I know, I know…it was just weird…besides, I told Mom about the you-know-what, and now she wants to talk about it…" She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "I didn't sleep at all last night."
"You told your mom about Benz?" Lian winced. "How did she take it?"
"Not so well, but how would you react if someone had violated Kyle?"
"Good point."
They sat in silence for a moment, before Kyle started to cry. Lian moaned. "I didn't sleep last night, either…"
Natalie gave her a sympathetic look and got to her feet. "Come here, Kyle. Give your Mama a break, would you?" She leaned over and picked him up out of the playpen, walking him back and forth across the room, bouncing him on her hip. He quieted quickly and braced himself against her chest, pulling at her sweatshirt.
"You're so good with him, Natalie. You'll make a wonderful mother one day. Just don't follow my example." Lian grinned, watching the pair.
Natalie smiled grimly as she watched the tiny redhead in her arms test his surroundings. "I made my choice, Lian. Now I live with the consequences."
"Oh!" Her cousin's voice cracked and she flushed. "Natalie, you know I didn't mean it that way! And you could always adopt. There are lots of kids out there without parents to look after them."
"I know it. Speaking of parents, has Ollie sent his child support money yet, or am I going to have to hunt him down and beat him?"
Lian chuckled. "Oh, he sent it all right. The last time he 'forgot' was enough to convince him never to 'forget' again."
Natalie smiled at the memory. God, Lian always made her feel better. It had been a few months ago, when Lian was struggling with schoolwork, a job, and keeping Kyle clothed and fed. Kyle was sick, so things were worse than usual. Ollie's check was three weeks late, so one night Natalie and her friends went to pay him a visit. Just as they were about to start setting his flat ablaze, Arsenal showed up. Rab and Twitch had nearly lost control of their bodily functions, but apparently the vigilante was only interested in Ollie.
"I still can't believe a vigilante helped you out." She said to Lian. "Not that it's the vigilante, but…how did he know about that? Sometimes they amaze me."
"You'd be surprised how much they know." Lian smiled her secret smile. Natalie had never understood why, but Lian always seemed to know something she didn't. "Come on, they're vigilantes! They've got to be informed."
"Yeah. Why do you suppose Mom and Dad hate them so much?"
"I'm sure they don't hate them. It's a dangerous job, and some of them are our age, running around, nearly getting themselves killed. It's probably parental instinct." Lian shrugged. "But you know what I think is great, Nat?"
"Hmm?"
"You're calling Uncle Dick Dad."
"You're changing the subject."
"I know, just thought I'd mention it."
Natalie left after an hour. There were two reasons: One, she didn't want to have her mother drive over and forcibly remove her from the house so that they could talk. Two, Lian looked like she could use a nap. So after reminding Lian that she would babysit any time, she made her way back to the apartment, with a knot slowly growing in her stomach.
Thankfully, the talk with Barbara turned out to be much more docile than she'd first imagined. Barbara listened intently while Natalie explained everything in more detail, and said little afterward. There was one stipulation, however: she had to tell her father. So after a quick phone call to Dick to inform him that she would be coming, Barbara packed Natalie into the car with an overnight bag, her toe shoes and a sketch pad.
"Mom, do I really have to stay over there?"
"Your father is making an effort, Natalie. He said he would be more than happy to have you. In fact, Dominique was bouncing around the house when I called." Barbara replied.
"They're not the ones I'm worried about. It's bad enough you're driving me there. Kory'll have a fit."
"I'm sure Dick spoke to her. Besides, your father is the master of his house. What he says goes. Quit worrying."
"Isn't this going to be the happy family reunion." Natalie grumbled, and slumped down into the passenger seat with her headphones blaring. "Hello, Dad, I know we worked things out last night, but now I have to tell you that I've been raped. And no, you can't go after the guy. Just great…"
A/N: Again, many thanks to my reviewers, especially TesubCalle and my new reviewers Teri and Arian3. Arian, I'll get to the dance audition eventually, I'm planning that for the very end/epilogue. Right now I've gotta figure out how to inform Dick without him flying off the handle…and then, Calle, yes, we'll get the vigs into it…heh…
As for the plot line, I may be a little lax in updating from here on out, because while I know what problems I want to arise, I don't know how to put them into words (this is what is commonly known as Cerebrum to Paper Deficit Disorder--writer's block). So, please don't give up on this fic! I will try to get as much out as fast as possible, but like I said, next semester I'm taking Arabic, and a Spanish theater course, and an Antisemitism course…among other things. University is so wonderful and so torturous at the same time…
Chapter 10: The Next Morning
Dick left at five-thirty despite Natalie's insistence on his taking the couch. They didn't need to give Kory anything else to speculate on, he said. Grudgingly, she knew he was right. Still, it had been a mind blowing evening--or morning, whatever way you wanted to look at it.
Natalie didn't sleep at all that night. It was all too much to take in, really. She'd gotten into a moral fight with her two best friends, told her mother about her health problems, and, most surprisingly, bonded with her dad. Not in the traditional way, of course, but there was really nothing traditional about any aspect of her family. Hell, her 'uncles' were really just old friends of the family. Not that she cared.
What she was really afraid of was her mother. She really didn't want to continue the agonizing conversation she'd begun last night. She didn't want to talk about it any more, or think about it anymore. She needed a reprieve after last night's drama, however pleasant it ended.
Knowing her mother would sleep no later than nine, regardless of the weekend, she decided to go for a drive. She wrote Barbara a quick note:
Mom--
Needed to think. I went for a drive, I'll probably wind up at Roy's. Be back soon.
Love, Lili
7:23 a.m.
The use of an endearment was more of a distraction than anything. With luck, it would calm her mother down when she realized her daughter had left during the early hours of the morning. It wasn't infrequent for her to go for morning walks or drives, but Barbara certainly didn't like the idea.
Natalie got dressed quickly and quietly, foregoing her usual black attire for a pair of grey sweatpants, a blue tank top, and purple pull over. She grabbed her helmet and keys from her dresser, stuffed her wallet into a pocket, and took the elevator to the first floor. She walked next door to the parking garage and found space N36, and stood for a moment to admire her motorcycle. It had been a gift from her parents for her sixteenth birthday. Rather, until last night she believed her mother to be the gifter. Dick explained that it was actually one of his old bikes, and that he had gotten it detailed to look slightly like Nightwing's bike, with a few changes. The bike was of course black (as only the best are), with the requisite blue wings along the sides. Flanking the wings were purple markings Natalie had long considered to be flames, although they looked a bit like bat wings every once in awhile, if she looked at them just right. Around both designs were balls of flame, in vibrant orange and red.
Surprisingly, the news that this was her father's old bike didn't repulse her. In fact, if she were honest, it only endeared it more. Bikes weren't cheap, and asking a man to part with their bike was practically heresy. If anything, it showed her a side of her father she'd never considered, but now that she knew, she was glad of the knowing.
She rode the highway for an hour before turning back to head for Roy's. She pulled up at about 8:30, knowing that someone would be awake. The Harper place never slept.
Knocking, she called, "Roy? You there? Lian?"
"Natalie?" The door opened and she was greeted by a tall, slender redhead with a green-eyed baby boy in her arms.
"Hey Lian!" She smiled and hugged her cousin. "I would have called, but I was in the neighborhood…" She looked at the boy fondly. "Hello, Kyle."
"Na!" He gurgled.
Lian smiled. "He's been talking up a storm lately. Come on in. Dad's kinda…passed out. Long night, you know how it is." She moved aside to let Natalie through and took in her attire. "Morning ride again?"
"Yeah. I had a long night." She sighed. "Dad came over."
Lian's eyes grew wide. "What? Why? I mean…well, that's good, isn't it?" She offered Natalie a spot on the couch and set Kyle in his playpen.
Natalie sat down and sighed. "Well, yeah…but it was kind of a shock. I mean, I thought he didn't care, but it's totally the opposite…"
"Okay, spill it, girl."
So Natalie did. She explained the pretense of Dick's visit, which earned a derisive snort from Lian--she never did take a liking to Kory, for some reason--and what he had said to her, how he had hugged her and kissed her forehead, and how they talked into the early morning. "It was like I was dreaming."
"He's your Dad, Nat. He's always going to care about you, whether you know it or not. Uncle Dick's a cool guy, and Dad wouldn't be beating sense into him still if he didn't think he was worth the time."
"I know, I know…it was just weird…besides, I told Mom about the you-know-what, and now she wants to talk about it…" She leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "I didn't sleep at all last night."
"You told your mom about Benz?" Lian winced. "How did she take it?"
"Not so well, but how would you react if someone had violated Kyle?"
"Good point."
They sat in silence for a moment, before Kyle started to cry. Lian moaned. "I didn't sleep last night, either…"
Natalie gave her a sympathetic look and got to her feet. "Come here, Kyle. Give your Mama a break, would you?" She leaned over and picked him up out of the playpen, walking him back and forth across the room, bouncing him on her hip. He quieted quickly and braced himself against her chest, pulling at her sweatshirt.
"You're so good with him, Natalie. You'll make a wonderful mother one day. Just don't follow my example." Lian grinned, watching the pair.
Natalie smiled grimly as she watched the tiny redhead in her arms test his surroundings. "I made my choice, Lian. Now I live with the consequences."
"Oh!" Her cousin's voice cracked and she flushed. "Natalie, you know I didn't mean it that way! And you could always adopt. There are lots of kids out there without parents to look after them."
"I know it. Speaking of parents, has Ollie sent his child support money yet, or am I going to have to hunt him down and beat him?"
Lian chuckled. "Oh, he sent it all right. The last time he 'forgot' was enough to convince him never to 'forget' again."
Natalie smiled at the memory. God, Lian always made her feel better. It had been a few months ago, when Lian was struggling with schoolwork, a job, and keeping Kyle clothed and fed. Kyle was sick, so things were worse than usual. Ollie's check was three weeks late, so one night Natalie and her friends went to pay him a visit. Just as they were about to start setting his flat ablaze, Arsenal showed up. Rab and Twitch had nearly lost control of their bodily functions, but apparently the vigilante was only interested in Ollie.
"I still can't believe a vigilante helped you out." She said to Lian. "Not that it's the vigilante, but…how did he know about that? Sometimes they amaze me."
"You'd be surprised how much they know." Lian smiled her secret smile. Natalie had never understood why, but Lian always seemed to know something she didn't. "Come on, they're vigilantes! They've got to be informed."
"Yeah. Why do you suppose Mom and Dad hate them so much?"
"I'm sure they don't hate them. It's a dangerous job, and some of them are our age, running around, nearly getting themselves killed. It's probably parental instinct." Lian shrugged. "But you know what I think is great, Nat?"
"Hmm?"
"You're calling Uncle Dick Dad."
"You're changing the subject."
"I know, just thought I'd mention it."
Natalie left after an hour. There were two reasons: One, she didn't want to have her mother drive over and forcibly remove her from the house so that they could talk. Two, Lian looked like she could use a nap. So after reminding Lian that she would babysit any time, she made her way back to the apartment, with a knot slowly growing in her stomach.
Thankfully, the talk with Barbara turned out to be much more docile than she'd first imagined. Barbara listened intently while Natalie explained everything in more detail, and said little afterward. There was one stipulation, however: she had to tell her father. So after a quick phone call to Dick to inform him that she would be coming, Barbara packed Natalie into the car with an overnight bag, her toe shoes and a sketch pad.
"Mom, do I really have to stay over there?"
"Your father is making an effort, Natalie. He said he would be more than happy to have you. In fact, Dominique was bouncing around the house when I called." Barbara replied.
"They're not the ones I'm worried about. It's bad enough you're driving me there. Kory'll have a fit."
"I'm sure Dick spoke to her. Besides, your father is the master of his house. What he says goes. Quit worrying."
"Isn't this going to be the happy family reunion." Natalie grumbled, and slumped down into the passenger seat with her headphones blaring. "Hello, Dad, I know we worked things out last night, but now I have to tell you that I've been raped. And no, you can't go after the guy. Just great…"
A/N: Again, many thanks to my reviewers, especially TesubCalle and my new reviewers Teri and Arian3. Arian, I'll get to the dance audition eventually, I'm planning that for the very end/epilogue. Right now I've gotta figure out how to inform Dick without him flying off the handle…and then, Calle, yes, we'll get the vigs into it…heh…