That Saturday, Cassandra, Connor, Stephanie and Tim packed into the innocuous looking, deep green sedan Tim kept on campus. "Keeps people from knowing I come from the Waynes and the Drakes," he told Connor on the way to the airport. "I can pay for the break ins of course, but I'd prefer if I didn't have to."
"Roy wants to know if you or Dick are planning to start a new Titans team," Connor said, leaning against the window. "Said he's too old to keep running around with my dad and his solo career never feels like it goes anywhere."
"I dunno, I kind of have my own team around here these days," Tim smiled as he looked at Stephanie and Cassandra in his rearview mirror. "Maybe Roy outta try finding Jason Todd and they can be angry about stuff together."
"Doesn't sound like Roy's style… Jason Todd, the second Robin? I thought he was dead."
"He got better," Stephanie said. "Then I cut his ACL, beat him in a fist fight and might have made him pee his pants. Don't think there's any getting better from that one."
Everyone in the car laughed. Cassandra nearly sank back into her seat. Those kinds of moments, just surrounded and listening to her friends, were among her favorites. At Connor's advice about being frustrated and happy at the same time, she and Sadie had made plans for the night. Tim and Stephanie were coming along with them out to an Italian place downtown right after the drop off, leaving Connor the only rider in the car without either a dinner jacket or a cardigan, though thanks to her fashion blindness, Stephanie had to lend one out. Cassandra told herself this was going to much needed break, including from Sadie's college talk which Cassandra was sure she would avoid at all costs.
Stephanie started putting out her fingers to count. "So there's original flavor Green Arrow, there's Red Arrow, there's Arsenal—"
"No," Connor said. "Red Arrow and Arsenal are the same person. He also used to go by Speedy."
"Finally, there's someone else with as many different identities as me." Another laugh ran throughout the car. "But is Black Canary the only woman you guys have? Not even any teenage girls or anything?"
"There's Lian, but she just started elementary school." Connor smiled and shook his head. "Roy has sworn he'll never let her wear a costume, but I've heard her tell Dinah she wants to dress up as 'Little Red Hood' when she grows up."
"And somehow we made it back to Jason," Tim said.
The talk went on like that for most of the ride, though the subject briefly changed as they passed the giant, wooden skeleton of a building surrounded by cranes and bulldozers. "What is being built there?"
"Church," Cassandra said. "Mega church."
"Wow." Connor rolled down his window and stuck out his head for a better look. "Goodness, who's building it?"
"Church of the Latter Day Open Bible Baptists… of Hope. Let's go with that," Tim said.
"I know it's a joke, but there really are places that are 'Of the Open Bible,' aren't there?" Connor asked. "Are there any churches of closed Bibles? Are there any churches that aren't 'of Hope?'"
"They probably just think they're more 'of Hope' or more 'open' or something. Would you plant a Bodhi tree that promised '25% more zen'?"
"Can't say I've ever thought about that one," Connor said with a chuckle.
A few other conversations occupied the car, but eventually Tim was parked on the "private terminal" side of the airport and the four were climbing out and exchanging hugs.
"Come back soon," Stephanie said. "Don't wait for an excuse or anything, just do it."
"I'll do my best," Connor said.
Connor and Tim had apparently run out of things to say, their handshake into a hug seemed to cover things. He and Cassandra exchanged an embrace last.
"Glad you're doing well," Connor said. "Take care of yourself."
"You too."
With some last smiles and a grab at some oddly shaped luggage from the trunk, Connor Hawke departed.
It was a little before six when Tim's sedan pulled up to Sadie's driveway. Stephanie had moved to the front seat and Sadie slid into the backseat, dressed in a jacket and slacks not unlike Tim's, though her blouse added a feminine touch.
"I kept trying to google that restaurant name you gave me," Sadie said to Tim. "But I couldn't find it. Where are we going again?"
"Django, with a silent, 'D,'" Tim said.
"Yeah, that would explain why," Sadie said. "You said it was a French place or something? I know this sounds ignorant, but about all I know about French stuff is snails and eels."
"It's a lot better than that," Stephanie said with a laugh. "Believe me, Tim scared me the first time he wanted to drag me in here too. But it tastes great."
"Good to hear." Sadie extended a hand and put it on Cassandra's, their fingers intertwined thereafter. "Sounds like a good night."
Tim and Stephanie had made plenty of rounds to the restaurant over the years, but it was a new experience for Cassandra and Sadie. Dinner between the four ranged from crepes to Bourguignonne and cassoulet. Twice over the course of the meal Sadie asked, with a laugh, "What is it we're celebrating again?"
"We don't always need an occasion," Tim said. "Sometimes it's just good to have a night out with people we are about."
"Well, I'm really happy you guys have let me into your little group the way you have," Sadie said. "Cassie talks all the time, and it sounds like you've been hanging out forever. I'm glad I could get in on it."
"I've been waiting to have Cassie out with us on nights like this forever," Stephanie said before turning to Tim. "No offence, babe, but this is fun!"
"It is," Cassandra said, and smiled toward Stephanie and then to Sadie. "We love having you."
"Well I'm always happy to be around."
Conversations wandered all throughout the meal. Tim and Stephanie seemed to carefully tiptoe around the topic of, "college" and kept talk limited to "school." Sadie talked about her cousin and his wife being out of town for an anniversary or some such occasion, so their house was completely silent when she got home from school. Stephanie swore that if the wine was so tasty when it was in with the food, she was going to have to get them all back for her twenty-first birthday so she could try it on its own.
Cassandra, as usual, didn't say much. Through most of the night, she just sat back, either holding hands or resting a palm on Sadie's leg. For a few precious hours, everything was peaceful.
Dinner ended with soufflés and a call for the check. Most of the drive back to Sadie's house was a compliment of the food or a complaint of eating too much. This was only diverted when Tim asked, "Hey, Sadie, Steph and I have some stuff for school we gotta finish up. You mind driving Cassie home?"
"Asking me to spend any longer with my girlfriend than absolute courtesy? That's just cruel, Timothy."
The whole car laughed.
Soon enough the car was parked outside the house again, Cassandra and Sadie were waving Tim and Stephanie off.
"Hey… so I'm still full and all and we have the place to ourselves at the moment," Sadie said. "You wanna come in for a bit?"
"I was hoped you would ask." Cassandra flashed a smile.
"Good." Sadie led her in by the hand. "We haven't had a good night to get cozy for a while."
