A/N: And I totally fail at writing filler chapters -.- Sorry about the terribleness and shortness of this chapter. I didn't want her opening up too quickly and I just needed a semi-short chapter to add a little length in. Next chapter will be more Stevie/Robin interaction. I do have a lot of plans for this story and I'm planning on doing a whole part about the five-year time gap and having it go into season 2, so buckle up for a long ride! xD In terms of length, it's probably going to be the longest I've written. I don't have a specific chapter-count, but I'm guessing 30 or more chapters, maybe even 40? Depends. Anyway, before I end this ridiculously long Author's Note, I would just like to thank those who reviewed, favorited, and followed! You guys really push me to write and make me smile when I see your reviews! I can't thank you enough! :)

Chapter 4: Curiosity

After the team dinner, Stevie's thoughts about the team had been more conflicting. Especially with certain members of the team. A few of them she rather liked, but she didn't want to because they didn't really care about her. They cared about getting information out of her. She might be a threat to them - a threat that they didn't want to deal with. Robin and Aqualad had been very open and nice to her and that was where she was having the conflicting feelings. Her natural instinct was telling her that it was okay to open up to them, but her mind was telling her no.

Frankly, she wasn't sure which to listen to, and at the moment, she was listening to her mind. It was the only thing she really knew how to do because she had to think to be smarter than the doctors back at the League of Shadows. She had to think for herself. Sighing, she turned over to look at the television, which had been on nonstop since she got there. A superhero cartoon was on. Ironic...

She had still taken to staying in her room, but as the days passed, she had begun to feel the need to get out and stretch her legs and suddenly, she knew that was what she wanted to do. She hadn't heard from the rest of the team in a little while. Maybe they were out on a mission?

Slowly, Stevie got to her feet and walked silently over to the door. She hesitated for a moment before pressing the button next to the door that would open it. The door slid open to reveal an empty hallway. It was definitely lucky, unless they were somewhere else. She hadn't explored the building, so she figured now would be as good of a time as any.

As quietly as she could, she moved down the hallway, cautiously glancing left and right for anybody that might be watching. She remembered the way Aqualad had showed her to the kitchen area and she decided to head that way. When she reached the doorway, she ducked down to the ground, scanning the area carefully.

It appeared to be empty. Stevie slowly stood back to full height and padded into the room, or rather, rooms. It was pretty clean, even though teenagers dominated the building, and the only thing that seemed to be cluttering the room were snacks scattered across the room. She suspected that it was probably Kid Flash because he always seemed to be eating.

As she moved through the room, a few grunts and thuds reached her ears. What was that? Putting her guard back up, she crept over to the doorway that was open. The noises became louder as she got closer and the hair on the back of her neck rose at the subconscious thought of being caught spying. What if she did? Her imagination began to run wild with possibilities, but she pushed forward anyway when she heard more of the sounds.

Slowly, she peered around the corner, spotting the whole team in the circular room, along with Black Canary. Superboy and Black Canary were brawling in the ring. Black Canary was quickly getting the upper hand and Superboy was becoming more angry as he was beginning to loose.

The rest of the team was off to the side, chatting and watching the fight. Miss Martian, Artemis, and Aqualad were in a little group, not really indulged in conversation, but sharing comments every now and then. Kid Flash and Robin were chatting away, laughing and joking around. Despite Superboy's anger, it seemed to be a very...happy environment. It was something foreign to her.

Stevie leaned a little closer, curling her hand around the doorframe. Somehow, this caused Robin to become aware that something different was going on in the environment and he stopped talking to look in her direction. As soon as she saw him turn his head toward her, she vanished from the doorway, looking around in panic. She leaped over the couch, clumsily falling to the ground and crouching behind it. She rubbed her elbow which was already beginning to bruise as she looked underneath the couch to see if anyone was coming into the room. Would she be in trouble for interrupting them?

Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw a pair of feet entering the room and her muscles became stiff like cat being threatened. She exactly sure who it was, but she figured it was probably Robin, since he had caught a glimpse of her before.

Robin moved around the room for a moment before he left quickly because of Canary calling after him. She let out a huge sigh of relief and sat up straighter. She was sure that Robin would have found her if it wouldn't have been for Canary. Stevie waited a few moments before she stood up completely, edging toward the hallway.
She was almost there when she heard footsteps once more.

She spun around to see an angry Superboy stomping into the room, covered in sweat. He reached out to the fridge door to get a drink and Stevie went to sneak away, but he quickly turned and his sharp blue eyes landed on her. Like a deer in headlights, she froze, a frown worming its way onto her face. She didn't want to be in this situation. She just wanted to have a look around and now she was probably going to be confronted by Superboy.

"What are you doing?" he questioned bluntly.

Stevie shrugged, looking down at the ground. She glanced back up at him just as he gave an intimidating glare. She hated to admit it, but he made her feel a little nervous. She clenched her fists, taking a step back.

"Can you answer my question?" His voice came out hard.

"...I-I was looking around, but now I see that was a mistake." She turned abruptly and headed back down the hallway and to her room. She glanced back just in time to see Superboy stalk back into the other room. He was going to tell the others.

Stevie plopped back down on her bed, fisting the blankets that surrounded her. Great going, Stevie. Now everybody is going to come running back again to try and get you to come out more... She already had a "therapy" session with Canary later (it was a new thing) and she knew that she would bring it up. This was not good... With a frustrated groan, Stevie fell back onto her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Great, great, great...


Stevie sat down in the chair across from Black Canary, crossing her arms tightly together and criss-crossed her legs in the green chair.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me today?"

She shook her head, looking away and frowning. Canary leaned forward in her chair, eyes narrowing slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Stevie nodded, getting the feeling that she was going to bring up her little escapade today.

"I heard that you decided to get some fresh air today. I think it's a good idea. You should come out and socialize more. A girl your age should be enjoying life and friends."

"But I'm not!" Stevie burst out, suddenly angry at her for not understanding. How was she supposed to just be happy and normal after what she had been through? "You don't understand anything, so don't act like you do!"

"So that's it? You feel like everyone is trying to understand you, but you think that they don't? Sounds to me like you're making yourself an outcast. I'm not entirely sure what you've been through, Stevie, but some of the others have been through just as much. If you just open up a little, maybe you'll see it too."

Stevie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, but said nothing. The room was silent for a moment before Canary leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.

"Why is it that you're not opening up? It's been over a week since you've gotten here. Is it a trust issue, or is it because you're being stubborn, perhaps?"

Scowling, Stevie jumped to her feet, glaring harshly at Canary. Without another word, she stalked out of the room, shoving the door open and stomping down the hallway. Maybe it was rash, maybe it was childish, but she didn't care. She didn't want to sit and have someone poke and prod at her until she told them something useful. No, she wasn't that easy to crack.


A/N: Wow that was terrible -.- Sorry guys! Next chapter will be more exciting, I promise! I wanted to add a little bit of interaction with a few other characters (Superboy and Canary) before I did a full-out Robin and Stevie chapter. Unfortunately, I do have to update a few of my other stories before I return to this one, but I'll try to squeeze a little bit of writing it in while I'm working on my other stories. I also might be picking up another story soon. Anyway, I hope you'll forgive me for this hideous filler chapter and if you have any suggestions/comments/critiques, I'm totally willing to take them (as long as you're nice about it)! Anyway, thanks again for reading and hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than I'm planning! :)

Mo