Part 6

Dick waited patiently for the phone to be picked up, smiling broadly when a familiar little voice answered. "Hello short stuff..." he started, only to have to move the phone away from his ear at the delighted squeal on the other end.

"Uncle Dick." Lian squealed happily.

"Hi sweetheart, it's good to hear your pretty little voice." He said still smiling. They hadn't spoken in what seemed like months, sometimes life just got so hectic that time flew by without him realizing it.

"I miss you Uncle Dick..you haven't called me in a long time."

"I know honey, I've been very busy, but Christmas will be here in a few weeks and we can all catch up then." he reassured.

Lian's voice lit up at the thought of Christmas, "Will Uncle Wally be there? And Aunty Donna and Uncle Garth?." she asked enthusiastically.

"Well.. they're all really busy at the moment, but I'm sure they'll find time to come, even if it's only for a little while." Dick said, all the other Titans were busy with work or their own lives, their annual get together might not be the same this year, but he knew they would all make an effort to spend at least some time together, they were like family and it was important to them all that they keep the tradition going.

"So can I talk to your Dad?" Dick asked.

"Yeah..but he's just with Sammy..He had ta have a bath cause he spilt chocklit milk all over himself."

Dick frowned, trying to puzzle the little girls statement out...Who was Sammy? And how did Roy manage to spill chocolate milk all over himself?

"Daaaady...Uncle Dick's on the phone." Lian yelled before turning back to speak to Dick again..."Sammy pulled my hair."

"Did she?...Well that wasn't very nice...How did your Dad manage to spill milk on himself?" Dick asked attempting to subtlety gain information.

Lian giggled. "Sammy's a boy Uncle Dick...Rach said he was just being a brat, cause he's still a baby...And Daddy didn't spill the milk Sammy did"

Giving up on the subtle approach Dick asked. "So who's Rach?..and why is your Dad looking after Sammy?"

"Rach lives here..but she had ta work today and Daddy has ta look after Sammy." Lian stated matter of factly.

Before Dick could ask any further question's Roy's voice came over the phone."Hey buddy." he said.

"Daaady I never even got to say goodbye." Lian whined.

"Later baby." Roy replied." So man, what ya been up to? I haven't heard from you in ages."

"The question's not what have I been up to, but what have you been up to?...Who's Rach?" Dick asked.

"Rach...Rachael?...She's.."

"Daaad..he's climbing the bookshelf."

"Hang on Dick." Roy said putting the phone down and walking off. Returning a few minutes later.

"Yeah, sorry bout that, Sam's just at the age where they get into every...Hold still tiger..Oww let go." a series of computerized tones sounded as the buttons on the phone where pushed, followed by a clatter as it was dropped.

Dick cocked one eyebrow as he sat patiently listening to the noises on the other end, he heard a toddler squeal, followed by Roy's voice.

"Lian tell uncle Dick I'll talk to him in a minute..."

Lian's sweet little voice came on line "Daddy's putting a video on for Sammy...and Sammy pulled Daddy's hair while he was holding him, and he knocked the phone on the floor and Daddy couldn't catch it." she said explaining the situation to Dick.

Taking advantage of having Lian on the phone Dick asked."So Rach lives with you guys hey?...Is she a friend of your Dad's?"

"Yeah, Daddy like's her a lot..." Lian cut off to call out to her father "Daddy not Barney that's a baby show!"

"Well he's a baby...you can watch something after." Roy replied.

"Here's Daddy." Lian said in a bored voice.

"Yeah..back again..hang on I'll just hand this kid a sipper cup and we'll be right." Roy said putting the phone down again.

"Right all done...Man I forgot how much work toddlers are." Roy said when he returned.

"Ok spill man...who's Rach?" Dick asked again.

"Rach is...Rach is Sam's Mom." Roy stammered.

"And why does Rach live with you guy's?" Dick pressed.

"Well..Lian introduced us and...well we've been seeing each other for a while now."

"Lian introduced you?...Your kid found you a woman." Dick laughed.

"Shut up man...it kinda just happened is all."

"So..how serious is this, obviously if she's moved in..." Dick's words were cut off by Lian's scream.

"Daaady now he's spilled juice all over me."

"Awww..Look man I gotta go, I'll call you later ok." Roy said.

"Ok..but we haven't finished with this discussion yet."

"Yeah, yeah later Dude." Roy replied as he hung up the phone.

Dick sighed, that had to be the most disjointed conversation he'd had with Roy in a long time. He still had questions he had wanted to ask, but that would have to wait now. Obviously whoever this woman was, Roy was serious about her, the fact that she was living with the archer more than proved that, Roy had always loved the ladies but he never introduced them to Lian..not unless he was deadly serious. Dick smiled thoughtfully, could his friend have actually found someone he was willing to give up his flirtatious ways for. It certainly appeared that he had.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why didn't you just tell him?" Rachael asked as she snuggled up against him in bed later that night.

Roy brushed his cheek against the top of her head, enjoying the silky feeling of her hair on his skin. "I never really had the chance...Besides I'm still not sure if I should yet." he replied.

Rachael propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. "It's been a month...Don't you think it's time?..I know your worried about Jade finding out, but really, if she loves her daughter she won't object to having someone else in Lian's life that loves her as much as she does...and I do love her Roy, just as much as I love Sam."

"I know you do...I see it in your eye's, and Lian feels the same...But I don't know...maybe I should try and track Jade down and tell her myself before I tell any one else..That way I can gage her reaction personally..." Roy said as he gently ran his fingers through her hair, watching as the blonde locks slipped through them and cascaded around her face.

Rachaels eye's widened in alarm "No...I mean she's dangerous...You can't face her alone even if you do choose to tell her." she paused for a minute before continuing "Roy...I haven't even met any of your friends and family..I know you've told me about them and I know they have secrets to protect...but I have to wonder if there's not more to why your so reluctant to tell them."

Roy frowned. "More to it?...What do you mean?" he asked looking into her eye's.

"I don't know..I guess I worry a little that...well a lot of the other women in your life have had some link to the hero community..I'm not like that." she said softly.

Roy suddenly realized what she was saying "Are you thinking I'm keeping this to myself because I'm worried about what they'll all think, because your not one of them?" he asked shocked, that thought hadn't even crossed his mind, he was genuinely startled to think she felt that. He flipped her over onto her back and propped himself up to stare into her face, "No way..that isn't it.."

"Well what then..Roy we've been married a month and I have yet to even meet the man that raised you...Wouldn't that seem odd to you if you were in my position?" she asked, her voice breaking with emotion.

Roy stared at her, thinking for a minute before speaking. "Ollie and I...well we can go six months sometimes without seeing each other..." He broke off sighing, he was simply finding excuses, the fact was he was scared, a feeling he would never want to admit to. If his enemies found out ...If Cheshire found out?... It was a hard enough job keeping Lian safe and now he had Rachael and Sam to protect as well, how could he protect them all?... A new thought struck him.. He couldn't if his enemies really went after them, not by himself, he'd been going about this all wrong, instead of keeping this a secret he needed share it...

"You're right..I know you are, I just wanted to protect you that's all..It's time to tell them, I'll make some calls tomorrow night." he said.

end 6