A/N: And I know, I took FOREVER to update. I actually didn't even update the two stories I said I was going to before I did this...you guys are lucky! xD So I had some coding issues with this, so sorry if some of it's messed up or anything. I hope you enjoy and I also want to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and followed and favorited this story! It means so much!
Chapter 5: Breaking Through
Two days later, Stevie was back in her room, sitting on her bed and staring at the sheets. She hadn't been bothered by Canary or the team for the last two days, so she was expecting them soon. She wasn't exactly sure how they were going to approach her this time and she wasn't sure if she was going to get in trouble for yelling at Canary. It wasn't unusual for her to get in trouble because it was something that occured often when she was back at the League of Shadows, but these people weren't the same and she was unsure of what they would do.
It was that feeling of being unsure that scared her the most - the not knowing. She wasn't sure if she should expect to be kicked out and on her own or to be completely forgiven. It could probably go either way. She hated being scared. It made her feel weak...and yet it seemed like she was always scared or unsure. Did that mean she was always weak? The small girl slowly sank back into her matress, rolling over onto her side and clutching the blanket next to her.
Stevie didn't want to go back to sleep, but she didn't want to be awake either. There wasn't anything for her to do, yet she had spent so much time sleeping already that she didn't want to do that either. Her more rational side was telling her to just go out and mingle with everyone. Talk, it'll do you good. Maybe you won't go crazy. But her stubborn side was telling her to keep doing what she was doing. They'll give up eventually. Don't give up before they do.
She closed her eyes, breathing slowly for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she was instantly jumping back against the wall and letting out a startled gasp. Robin was standing right in front of her, head cocking to the side as he watched her.
"What do you think you're doing?! How did you even get in here?!" she blurted out.
"Standing in your room. Came from that vent." He pointed up to a vent near the ceiling that had been opened.
"Well then just go back out the way you came!"
"Hmmm I dunno. Sounds kinda boring. It was more fun sneaking in, ya know? The thrill and all..."
Stevie crossed her arms and stood up, glaring at him. It was almost like a showdown. Would she speak first or would he decide to leave first. They stared at each other for several moments and as each moment passed by, a smirk began to grow and grow on Robin's face until it couldn't get any bigger. It irritated her.
"Why are you even here? To try and get me to 'come out and socialize' or to try and get me to talk on the information Canary wants from me?" she asked coldly.
"Hmm...is there a third option? I don't think mine fits under either category."
"What are you saying?" she asked warily, eyes narrowing.
"That maybe I'm just here to talk to you without any ulterior motives? Is that so hard to believe?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Robin chuckled a little, but became more serious a moment later. "Well honestly, Canary and Batman do want information, but only to prevent what happened to you from happening to anyone else. But me...," he paused, blowing out some air, "I know some of what you're going through."
Stevie sent a wary glance his way, not really sure what to make of his honesty and personal experience. She simply, shifted her weight to her right and fiddled with the fabric of her shirt, deciding to say nothing.
"Look, I know that everything is different and you don't really know us that well, but if you do tell me anything, I promise that I won't tell anyone."
She looked up at him, eyeing him carefully to search for any signs of dishonesty. Should she tell him? Her mind was urging her to tell him; she hadn't properly socialized in so long, but she hated the thought of being needy for someone to talk to... Letting out a small sigh, she slowly sat down on the edge of her bed, glancing up at Robin. Ok, I'm going to do it. I'm going to tell him some things...not everything, just some things...
"I don't remember how I got there... I think they erased my memory or something... I don't even remember my parents..." She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling some of the tension in the room ebb away as she became more relaxed. "They were trying to use me for some sort of nanobot technology...FOG, I think... That's how I escaped. I used it against them."
Her fists clenched around the sheets surrounding her and she looked back up at him again. He remained silent for a moment before letting out a huge sigh.
"You know that you're not the only one who's had a hard time... A lot of the rest of us have too. Don't get me wrong, what you've been through is probably the worst, but...we've all had our fair shares of hardships. It comes with the job."
Stevie wasn't sure how to respond to that. She bit her lip, glancing away and trying to think of something to say, but she was drawing up a blank. How was she supposed to respond to that? Had she made herself seem like she was trying to get sympathy?
"I...I'm not trying to get sympathy, I just-"
"didn't think that other people can have rough times too?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah..." She let out a slow breath and her shoulders slumped slightly.
The two remained silent for a moment, only exchanging a few awkward glances in each other's direction.
Stevie closed her eyes for a moment, sighing. "Robin...? What will happen if they can't find my parents?"
Robin opened his mouth to speak, but then quickly changed his mind and closed it, looking a little puzzled as a small frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "Well...honestly? I don't really know... You'll probably stay here with us...or...," he trailed, biting his lip.
"Or what?" Her green eyes stared at him intently.
"You might be sent to an orphanage."
Stevie's eyebrows furrowed together at the thought. Orphanage? A place where kids were crammed together in bunks until they were adopted? No. She did not want to go there. She would rather stay here without a doubt.
"If I can have a say in whether you stay or go, I'd want you to stay...," he said quietly.
She looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Thanks..."
"It's...no problem. Oh and by the way, Batman actually wanted to see you so he could tell you how the search was going. He's probably wondering where we are, so we should probably go find him... Not to try and change the subject or anything..."
"Oh, um, okay."
Stevie pushed herself off the edge of the bed as Robin headed for the door. She followed him out, silently hoping that the others wouldn't be around to hear about the search for her parents. They probably already knew, but she still didn't want them to be around. No one else seemed to be there, though and they went through the doorway and into the main room that they had been training in a few days ago. Batman was standing there waiting for them.
"You took your time," he said.
"Yeah..." Robin shrugged, approaching the man.
Stevie followed Robin, stopping when he stopped and looking at the Batman. He watched her carefully for a moment before turning to an array of holographic computers. One of them had a picture of her face on it with all of her information that they knew while the others had multiple searches and possible candidates.
"As of now, we haven't been able to locate your parents. We are doing the best we can, but with little information, it is increasingly difficult. If we knew more, the search could go more quickly and positive results would be more likely..."
She looked down at the ground, biting the inside of her cheek. It was almost like a hint that she needed to tell him more. She didn't want to, but she wanted to find her parents...
"I don't really remember anything, so...I can't really help," she muttered softly, keeping her gaze on the ground. Batman looked unfazed by her information.
"I was expecting that. The League of Shadows are very good at covering their tracks. I don't think we will find anything any time soon, but I have some of the League working on it."
"...what will happen to me until you find my parents?"
"You will remain here with the others. Your rules from before are still the same: don't interfere with the team's business and do not leave the cave unless you are told to do so by Black Canary, me, or Red Tornado."
Stevie sighed a little and nodded. "Okay."
"But while the team is on downtime, you are permitted to spend time with them if you'd like."
"Maybe I can teach you how to play video games?" Robin suggested with a small smile. "Wa-Kid Flash is the only one who really plays with me. Maybe we could have tournament?"
She bit on the inside of her cheek to try and prevent the grateful smile that threatened to engulf her face, but it slowly spread. "I...I'd like that."
"If we come up with anything, we will let you know as soon as possible," Batman interrupted.
She nodded slowly, taking that as her cue to leave. Robin followed her out of the doorway and down the hall. Still, no one else seemed to be there. It was possible that Batman had told them to stay away while they updated her on what was going on. Or maybe they were just somewhere else, like on a mission that Robin didn't need to go on. The two walked in silence to her room, not really knowing what to say to each other now. Once they reached her door, Robin stopped and she did too, turning around to face him.
"Uh, thanks for everything I guess. Especially for um...keeping my secrets..." Stevie shrugged. She was really grateful that he was promising to keep anything she didn't want the others to know private. It was having someone to talk to that she could trust. She never had that before.
"Ah it was nothing. Whenever you want to try out video games or just talk, I'm the first door. If I'm even here, that is..."
"Thank you. I'll...see you around, Robin."
"Yeah. See you."
She gave him one final smile before retreating to her room and shutting the door behind her. Collapsing on her bed, she exhaled and looked up to the vent that Robin had come in through earlier. He was definitely...different. The good kind or the bad kind she wasn't sure of yet, but he was definitely an unforgettable person...
A/N: So I was thinking that either next chapter we could do some more team bonding or maybe we could have Robin teach her some fighting. Do you think the fighting is too early or would you rather see that? If you'd rather have the fighting, I can save the team bonding for another chapter or I could write a separate oneshot for it. I apologize if anyone was ooc in this chapter. I was pretty distracted when I wrote it and I'm still trying to adjust to the characters. Constructive criticism is welcome and wanted, but please no flames! I want this story to be as good as it can! :) I hope you liked it! :D
Mo
