Sorry it took so long! School's been pretty hectic so I havent been able to write as much

L.L.A.P

~Laces

Chpt.9

I wasn't expecting to see Mr. Wayne again until the court case, but Wally and Shayera got a call about some sort of work that they needed to do, which meant that Mr. Wayne was going to watch me.

I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the man. He seemed nice but he appeared very serious and intimidating in a way. Almost like he was this big massive shadow that wasn't necessarily bad but held a lot of darkness anyway.

Instead of staying at Wally's while with Mr. Wayne, I was going to stay at the hotel room the man was staying at.

I followed Mr. Wayne into the lavished Hotel and I made sure to stick closely by his side, feeling uneasy. The place was so big and busy, I usually made sure to avoid big crowds because of how uneasy they made me feel.

"Are you feeling alright, Lyf?" Mr. Wayne inquired and I quickly nodded.

"I'm fine. Just… I dunno… but I'm fine."

"You don't know what?"

"I dunno how I feel. It's like… almost like I'm nervous but not… it's weird." I explained and Mr. Wayne looked me over with concern.

"Are you feeling scared?"

"A little bit." I admitted while the two of us stepped into an elevator with smooth tile floor and mirrors all on the sides that were absolutely spotless.

"Lyf, I promise you that you will be safe. I won't let what your mother did to you happen again and neither will Wally." He explained, his voice was serious but gentle.

"Thank you, Sir."

The two of us approached a door and Mr. Wayne slipped out a key card from his pocket. However, he didn't open the door right away.

"For warning, my two sons came along with me. If they get too loud or ask to many questions or anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, just say so, and they'll know to give you some space. Alright?"

"A-Alright." I nodded and then Mr. Wayne swung the door open.

The room was huge with flowing curtains and two beds that looked like the size of a truck. The carpets looked smooth and the room itself was open and large.

This hotel room looks like a palace. I thought as I stared at the area.

Sitting at a desk was a boy with straight black hair that looked like it was getting a bit long. He was typing away at a computer with fingers going a mile a minute. Since his back was facing me, I couldn't see much else from him. At a table in the room was an older boy with short black hair that was more wavy and he was eating a bowl of Lucky Charms. His eyes were a really light blue and he looked fairly muscular unlike the boy at the computer who was toned, but looked more lanky.

"Bruce, you're back." The boy with the Lucky charms smiled as he stood up from his spot. His eyes then rested on me.

"And are you Lyf?" he inquired and I slowly and nervously nodded my head. He stuck out his hand for me to shake and I did so, shaking his hand.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Lyf. My name's Dick. The dork over there who hasn't even realized that anyone's in the room is Tim."

"Huh?" the other boy at the computer, Tim, looked up from his work once hearing his name.

"We have company Timbo." Dick beamed and Tim was quickly up from the computer and smiled at me.

"Hello, you're Lyf, right? It's nice to meet you." Tim was smiling apologetically and I couldn't help but smile back at him and at Dick. They both seemed much more bright than Mr. Wayne. I found that pretty interesting how different they both seemed compared to the older man. Since they were Mr. Wayne's sons I thought they were going to be just as serious and slightly scary as the older man was. But then again, I wasn't much like my mother, so I supposed that I could understand the difference.

"Since Wally had some League business Lyf is going to be staying here until he gets back." Mr. Wayne stated and just as the words left his mouth, his hand went to his ear where I assumed there was a COM link.

He stood for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed.

"I have to go." He stated, looking at Dick. "Things got more serious. I'm going to need you to look after Lyf, Dick."

"Can do." Dick nodded. Mr. Wayne then looked over at me.

"I'm sorry Lyf, but something's come up. I'll be back soon and Dick is going to look after you, alright?"

"O-Okay." I nodded and watched as the man hurriedly left the room. I didn't know how I felt with all these people leaving so urgently.

"Don't worry, squirt. He'll be back soon." Dick stated, ruffling the hair on my head and giving me a comforting smile. "In the meantime, do you want some Lucky Charms?" I found myself slowly grinning and nodded,

"Yes Please."

~*~*~*~*~Later~*~*~*~*~

"Uno." I giggled and Tim shook his head.

"You have the best luck in this game." Dick and Tim had taught me how to play a card game called Uno and I had won the past three games. Tim kept on insisting on a rematch so we kept playing.

"Lyf, are you sure you're not cheating?" Tim questioned, but his tone was light and joking.

"I'm positive. I'm just lucky." I giggled but Dick stated,

"I dunno. We can't really be too sure if you're cheating without us knowing." Dick and Tim then shared a look with a small devious smirk on their faces.

"I think we should interrogate her." Tim smiled and I was completely confused.

"What?" next thing I knew Dick's hands went to my armpit as Tim's went to my stomach and it took no time for me to be a giggling mess.

"No fair!" I exclaimed as I continued to laugh and squirm. "There's- Hahahaha! Only one-haha! One of me and two- two of you!"

"That's what happens when you win too many times at Uno." Dick stated as they continued tickling me. I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes from laughing so hard, however suddenly Dick and Tim stepped away from me as I was left laying on my side with remnants of giggles still bubbling out of me.

I looked up at them to see why they stopped when I noticed the look of horror and worry on their faces.

"What?" I questioned, looking between the two. I then looked to where their eyes were fixated. My shirt had rode up slightly during the tickle match and there was that ugly mark on my body stating that ugly word. Worthless.

I froze when I saw that word, and looked back up at Dick and Tim, who were still staring at me.

"Lyf-" Dick began, but that's when I panicked. I panicked and then I ran.

I sprinted out of the hotel and through the busy city streets until I reached the woods where I had used to stay when I had first ran away.

In the safety of the woods, that's where I let myself cry and shake. Since I was alone in the woods, I felt like it would be okay if I cried there, where no one would have to see me and think I was weak. I hated that scar and I hated that word carved into me and I hated my mother and I found that I hated myself as well.

I sobbed for several minutes, letting all the tears out. I then took deep breaths, trying to get my brain to work again and not focus on awful memories.

Wait. I just left Dick and Tim! I realized my mistake and swiftly sprinted back to the building to see Dick and Tim scrambling around the hotel room with worry.

"Thank God you're back!" Dick exclaimed in relief. "Bruce would've killed me if I lost you." He then gave me a strong hug. "How are you feeling? Are you alright? We didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Why would your mother carve something awful like that into you? How-"

"Dick. Shut up." Tim whispered and I found tears streaking my face again. Dick looked down and saw me crying, his eyes softening immediately. I felt him hug me tighter, close to his chest.

"Lyf, shhh. You're okay." He whispered gently.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't cry. It's stupid-"

"It's not stupid." Tim stated. Dick led me to the couch where I sat in-between the two, but Dick was still hugging my tightly.

"Feel free to let stuff out around us, alright?" Dick smiled at me. "We all have some troubling pasts and experiences. That's why we stick together, because that's how we'll get through it."

"Did your mom beat you too?" I inquired, honestly curious if he was or even Tim. I had never met anyone who had gone through the same thing as me. Dick and Tim frowned but didn't look upset. Only sad.

"Well, no." Dick sighed. "But my parents were both murdered, the same with Tim's parents. We've also been in our fair share of fights that can get physical. What I'm saying is, we can help. If you even need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, Tim and I'll always be there. Just give us a call." Dick grinned.

"Now, wanna watch a movie, Lyf? Have you ever seen Hercules?" Tim inquired, trying to move onto a happier subject.

"I've never seen Hercules but the name sounds cool." I stated with a small smile, and Tim quickly put the disk in and played the movie.

It was nice sitting next to Dick and Tim. Dick reminded me a lot of Wally since he was so nice and smiled a lot and even looked about the same age. Tim was also really nice and he felt like an older brother that I never had. The two of them made me feel so welcomed and I couldn't believe that there were people like this on Earth while I was being tormented by my mother.

I liked Hercules a lot. I especially liked the muses who sung the entire time and narrated the story. Some of the songs even got stuck in my head.

"That movie was so good!" I smiled once it was over.

Just then the door creaked open and Mr. Wayne slugged into the room. He looked exhausted with a black eye and several bruises.

"Mr. Wayne! Are you alright?" I questioned, running over to the man and he nodded.

"Fine. Just got more rough than I thought." He answered shortly.

"You could have called me in if it was that rough." Dick stated from behind me and Mr. Wayne shook his head.

"We handled it. That's all that matters." I was really confused what was going on and Mr. Wayne seemed to pick up on that. "It's nothing you should worry about, Lyf. Now, I can take you back to Wally. He's going to be at his apartment soon. Sound good?" he questioned.

"Yeah… yes it does. Thank you." I then looked over and Dick and Tim. Both of them smiled and gave me a tight hug.

"We'll see you soon." Dick grinned. With a wave, I was headed back to Wally's apartment. I enjoyed the day with Dick and Tim despite my crying outburst, but I was happy that I could see Wally again. I really missed him, and I hoped that he wouldn't be as injured as Mr. Wayne was. I didn't like thinking about the possibility of Wally getting hurt.