WELCOME BACK!
two months ago-Third pov
With the holidays coming up it felt like everyone was missing out on the opportunities to be celebrating. Balls, banquets, weddings to plan. All of it seemed to be put on pause. Batman sits in front of the League his hands on the table folded together. He looks out at the long table of his co workers that fight tirelessly to protect this world they live on. He looks to Wonder Woman whom gives him a kind smile. A smile of encouragement.
"We need to talk about mistakes" Batman says, he sits up tall in his chair his eyes dancing from person to person. He can tell some of them are uneasy, thinking of their past mistakes and hoping this doesn't turn out to be about them. He looks to Superman who seems to also be giving him kind eyes and the urge to go on.
"What mistakes?" Aquaman asks
"We made a mistake, and then as did I." Batman says, everyone looks to each other uncomfortable with the Batman admitting and accusing mistakes.
"This energy is kind of heavy dude, what's going on?" Flash asks Batman looks to the side as the half demon herself walks in sucking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out as she walks across the floor to the League table taking a stand beside Batman. She feels as though she is 16 again standing before the Justice League, the grown adults who even as a child thought she would turn out evil. Waited for the day they would be able to kick her out and put her behind bars.
"What is she doing here?" Superman asks as grumbles around the table begin. Superman never hid his distaste for the demon girl. Batman slams his fist down onto the table ringing silence throughout the table.
"We made a mistake. We all expected she would turn to evil. We thought it was in her nature. We were wrong. We cast her aside and let her assaulter go free. If what happened to her happened to any one of your sisters...mothers...friends...you would have had the League bring hell on earth." He growls Raven doesn't look up from the floor. She feels ashamed thinking about what happened to her, she feels exposed knowing everyone here knows.
"She's half demon-" Doctor Fate begins but is silenced by Wonder Woman shooting him a pointed glare.
"I have fought along side her. She isn't the person we all assumed she was." Wonder women replies
"Batman is right...if what happened to Raven happened to my wife...or my teammates...I wouldn't stop until I brought the man down" Flash says he shoots Raven his support in a glance and she accepts it clutching onto it as she tries to keep her emotions in check, her nerves.
"As would I" Superman agrees looking down into his own lap. He begins to realize where he might have gone wrong in his assumptions, similar things begin be felt or thought in other members of the League.
"Even if we were worried for the safety of the city, keeping her under a closer eye keeping her with the Titans should have been our first move. Our next move should have been putting Slade Wilson behind bars" he replies he gets nods around the table for the first time on this subject.
"We made the mistake of not doing so. Even if we did banish her. She deserved Justice" Wonder Woman admits.
It takes a lot for Raven to keep her emotions in check. Not in a negative way, more of a she never thought she would hear it from the mouth of the women who shamed her. The mouth of the women who hated her once.
"I have worked with her closely for the last two years. She has been a great ally and I have watched her put herself in danger to protect my family. She is also about to be family as she is engaged to my son. I want us to officially unbanish her, I also want us all to just learn from this so we don't make the choice next time" Batman replies
Everyone agrees.
"You said you made a mistake as well...what is it?" Aquaman inquires when everyone is in agreement. Batman looks over to Raven allowing her to take over, she exhales sharply looking up from her feet.
"Nightwing Murdered two people. As of right now we don't know motive, he doesn't know we know. We are trying to get evidence to figure out why but as of now we need to take action." Raven says, all eyes are on her but they are shocked. Nightwing is the guy everyone thought was a straight arrow. If any of the Titans were going to turn evil it wouldn't be him.
"Why would he do something like that?" Flash asks
"We don't know, Red Robin found the footage of him killing one man and demanding the explosion of another building killing another. We would have never known if he hadn't caught that" Batman replies, Flash sits back in his chair in shock.
"What do you plan on doing about it?" Green Arrow asks
"That's where we need the Leagues help. For now we want to have him held here...in the prison meant for the people we can't contain on earth" Batman says
Gasps all around break out.
"He is just a human" Doctor Fate replies
"A human who was trained by the Bat. We don't know what he wants or why he is killing. Meaning we don't know if he plans on stopping there" Raven speaks up, she almost feels as though it is wrong to do so. However by the nods of some in agreement with her she feels more comfortable about it.
"Are you going to be the one getting to the bottom of this?" Green Arrow asks
"Yes. Yes I am, even he has to be brought to Justice" Batman says ignoring the ache in his heart.
Two months later-Dick
I bounce the ball off the wall of my room. If you could even call it my room at this point. The thick glass of the room they have kept me in glows a slight blue color every time the ball makes contact with it. It sends the ball back with more force than normal I don't mind it, I actually like that it keeps my instincts going. Where is something going to land and how fast can I grab it. It's a talent I very much enjoy having. I sigh loudly dropping the ball as it reaches my hand for the hundredth time today. I look up at the cameras in each corner and at the door to my right outside the glass cage.
I half expect to see someone walking in but no one does. The door doesn't move and no one talks over the intercom. It's just me. Tucking my legs in so I am sitting with my legs crossed I sit up against the plain metal bedframe. They could have at least brought my actual bed in here. Make me feel less like I am a prisoner in my own god damn home. My first week here I threw the books and things they put in here with me. It made a mess but all it did was prove to them I deserve to be in here in some way.
I hear the unlocking off the big metal door and see it swing open with Alfred walking in with a meal plate. Sometimes he is the only person I want in here. He still treats me like I am not in a cage. I could only hope that it's not him acting like everything is fine. I can only hope it means for him I am still someone he cares about. I can lose everyone else...but not Alfred.
"Good afternoon Master Dick" He greets, I smile as I walk to the glass slit where he puts the meal through. It allows oxygen in and it also serves as how they hand me things. If it can't fit through there it doesn't go in here after the fact.
"Morning Alfred, any news today?" I ask he shakes his head.
"My apologies Master Dick, there has been no changes to your situation." He says I sigh
"You know I didn't do it right? I would never break Terra out of prison you have to know that" I say he purses his lips taking a step closer to the cage.
"I know the Dick that I helped raised would never. I cannot fight against camera footage sir" He says he sounds almost sad to say it. I don't blame him I am sad to hear it. This is the second time they have gotten me on camera doing something I didn't do.
"I didn't do it" I say sitting down with the tray of food. Alfred offers me a kind smile.
"The truth is always revealed Master Dick, if you truly didn't we will find out. Then everything will be back to normal" He says I have to believe him so I try to as he walks out of the room leaving me to eat my lunch in peace. If it wasn't for the homecooked meals and some human interaction I would go completely crazy. I don't know why they shoved me in here, I don't know if what they say I did was true or if they are all going mad. Sometimes I feel like I am the only one with my head on straight. Sometimes I even question that though, the way I can tell everyone now see's me. Raven won't even talk to me, she couldn't understand why I would let Terra out, after everything she put her through. It's not that I don't understand. I just don't see how even Raven couldn't tell it wasn't me.
I guess can count myself no longer invited to their wedding. The last I heard of the wedding Raven was still confused on if she should do an actual wedding or something small and intimate. Fighting with her inner child's dream I guess. None of that compares to the look Jason gave me when he found out. It was like he knew I was fucking up and that I crossed a line. I thought he was going to kill me, punch me, kill me even. He had his hand on his gun so I wouldn't have been shocked.
I have to hope that Alfred is right, I have to hope that the truth will be revealed and that eventually everyone will know I am innocent, that I didn't do what they think I did. If only I could get someone to listen to me.
Later that Day- Tim
At this point I felt like talking to girls a bit out of my league in general. Not only have I never really had a girlfriend the only kind of girls whom I felt comfortable talking to were either my future sister in law or someone I was about to kick in the face. Neither of which could describe Stephanie Brown. She was beautiful, and as I am learning recently also super skilled at combat. We recently got help from the Titans to take down Cluemaster, a villian with the sane motives and same wants to bring Gotham down. However as his plans started coming out of the woodworks, as did Spoiler. Someone who for a long time seemed to be on our side even though they wouldn't team up with us. However, when we finally helped bring ClueMaster down she warmed up. Showing me who she really is and allowing for us to spend some time together as she fan girls about the Bat Family.
She isn't what I expected Spoiler to be like. She's fun, beautiful, hyperactive, and supersmart. All these things and more make my heart beat a little faster and my brain a little slower.
"Do you think having a flashbang would be too much?" She asks looking at blueprints of my next project. I swipe it from her hands rolling it up nervously.
"uhh...I don't know It's supposed to be a special op utility belt" I reply
"So?"
"So it needs to be sneaky, flashbangs are loud." I reply she nods as it clicks with her.
"Good point, do you think you could make a silent one?" She asks in all seriousness.
"Uhh Maybe, I mean it would have to be a mini silent explosion but bright enough to blind the opposite team" I counter she thinks to herself equally as confused, probably for different reasons though. Her blue eyes stay fixated on hands as she does the math of something in her head. I don't know what it is about her that makes me so addicted to hanging out with her. She makes me feel like I am not the only person who thinks about ways to make fighting easier.
"When do you think Damian will be back?" She asks looking up from her math which I am sure she figured out
"He should be back any minute actually. His school lets out around ten minutes, Alfred is never late picking him up" I answer, I think about the couple times Alfred picked me up from anywhere. I was always on time. he has a very big thing about being on time. I don't blame him. Probably something he learned in butler school.
"Cool, do you think he will show me how he does that spin kick thing?" She asks. I don't know if he would. I don't even know if he is okay that she is over. He has shown distrust to her since we found out she was Spoiler. For obvious reasons he doesn't trust anyone he doesn't know everything about.
"What about Jason do you think he will show me how to take apart a glock?" She asks I smile lightly
"He probably would if you asked him to. He loves his guns" I tell her, she smiles happily. She is excited about learning how to shoot. About learning everything. We get along so well.
"Yay!" She says smiling brightly.
The front door opens and closes, excited Stephanie gets to her feet heading out to meet Alfred and Damian there. Damian mutters something in response to Alfred. He stops to look at Steph glaring at me from behind her and stomping off.
"Master Damian seems to have had a bad day" Alfred offers without question. I don't bother asking about Damian's moods lately. They have been off since Dick was...uncovered.
"How old was he when he started this thing you guys do?" She asks looking back at him curiously.
"He started training as soon as he was old enough, he didn't get into hero work though until he was like 10" I answer, Steph widens her eyes she looks to Alfred.
"Does any of this phase you?" She asks seriously
"I work for a family of super hero's in Bat Costumes, and I personally know a demon whom cast spells and is the most polite young lady I have ever had the honor of meeting. Nothing surprises me anymore" He says she laughs kind of nodding in a 'yeah that checks out' kind of way.
"Well still, I mean it has to be a strange life" She says
"Strange indeed. I happen to enjoy it. The excitement is never gone" he replies with a bright smile as he takes his leave vanishing into the house. I worry about him sometimes. Sure he seems okay but he helped raise almost all of us when we got here. Having the first one he raised put in a cell and he has to take care of him must be difficult. However, Alfred wouldn't let Bruce send him anywhere else. Stephanie looks back at me seeing the look on my face, she cocks her head to the side poking her cheek with her tongue.
"I'm sorry. I forgot everything that is going on with...your brother" She says I shake my head
"No don't worry about it. That's not your fault...it's just tough" I admit Sometimes I feel like I am the reason our lives went to shit. If I didn't try to go through the security cameras I never would have seen that happen and I never would have sent it to Bruce. I never would have started keeping an eye on him. The front door opens again as Jason and Raven enter, Jason's leather jacket wet with the on and off rain outside. Raven isn't wearing a jacket which makes me shiver just thinking about it.
"OH YOU'RE HERE!" Stephanie booms rushing to his side "Can you teach me how to pull apart and put back together a gun and also shoot it!"
Jason look to Raven who's face doesn't change.
"Yeah, sure that sounds fun" He says Stephanie claps jumping up and down slightly as Jason guides her to the training room or the Batcave I will never know. Raven steps to me putting a hand on my shoulder, her face still unchanged.
"How are you doing?" She asks, I know she cares but her voice is monotoned.
I gesture for her to follow me, she does so floating behind me as I walk to my bedroom. I know she is monotone and emotionless to keep herself in control however, sometimes I wish she would show me what she is feeling. It's weird having to guess. I kind of hope that it being just the two of us she would show some kind of emotion. However with the topic of conversation it's probably best that she doesn't. As soon as all this stuff happened with Dick she started pulling back. We enter my bedroom, she closes the door behind her without using any hands, using her powers to pull my desk chair to my bed. I sit on the bed tucking my feet from under me.
"What is going on?" She asks as she gets comfortable. At first I don't know where to start looking around the room trying to jumpstart my brain. "You feel guilty, start there"
"What if me catching Dick is the reason he broke Terra out of prison, like what if I set everything in motion?" I say she furrows her brow slightly, the only hint I have of her emotions. She knows how concerned I have been about the timeline. Ever since Wally explained to me that such small things can choose the timeline. A butterfly missing the bird that wants to eat it when it was supposed to die could cascade into WWIII. It's not hard for me to think that maybe me finding out and sending it to Bruce could have sent Dick to Terra. I spend countless hours a day wondering what choices I make will ruin the timeline, what choices are the right one.
"Dick killed two people before you caught him on camera." She replies we both fall into a silence while I try to take in what she said. Tried to believe it. "You need to stop worrying so much about your choices"
She isn't wrong it takes up a lot of my time as of late. Wally does it to, once he found out about Dick he started doing the same thing. Wondering what he did or changed in the past that sent this into motion. I can't help but wonder the same.
"What if we just needed to be there for him" I say as a rock begins to form in my throat. He was going through so much and we all kind of just swept it under the rug. If there is any family good at ignoring people's emotional states it's this one.
"I think...regardless of what people go through, regardless on who is in their corner. If they are going to do evil things they had those capabilities to start. It is a matter of when they would show them and not if." She explains, I guess she is someone who would know. Everyone expected her to go to the dark side. Everyone pushed her away and she went through what seems like hell for years. She didn't kill two people. She didn't try to kill an old teammate.
"I just feel like there should have been something I could do" I say, she nods putting a hand on mine. I feel like a weight is lifted off me as she does so.
"Blaming yourself isn't going to change things. We need to focus on where to go from here. I need to find Terra and put her back where she belongs. Garfield has gone into hiding with Rae to keep her safe. Those are the people we need to be there for right now." She explains, she is right...of course.
As she exits the room I can say I feel better. However it doesn't stop me from realizing what she did. She took the negative emotions into herself. She absorbed them and pushed them down. She does that a lot lately, to help everyone from suffering with the heaviness of what is happening. I wonder who is doing that for her.