PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS CHAPTER 3 again! There are some minor changes, additions however so you may wish to reread it anyway.
I was planning on editing this chapter and making some changes and I ended up deleting it rather than exporting it, so here is the reuploaded chapter. Again there are some changes and it is certainly more readable.
I am writing chapter 4 and hopefully it will be up by 6/15 or so.
Sorry for any confusion.
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Disclaimer: All of the DC Universe: Not mine – not now, not ever.
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Additional Characters and details of the DC Universe mentioned in this chapter:
Nightwing's drinks: the worlds mentioned are all from the Green Lantern comics although I made up all the beverages.
Hawkwoman – Shayera Thal (Thanagarian) – Member of the Justice League. Thanagarians are hominids with wings.
Batrassusian – Hominids with white pupil-less eyes and blue skin. There is Batrassusian Green Lantern.
Grace Choi – no separate hero name – (metahuman) - former bounty hunter and bouncer for the Metropolis bar Chaney's, Grace is a metahuman who joined the Outsiders for the time and had a fling with Roy (Speedy/Arsenal) among many others (Green Arrow, Plastic Man...) and is in a relationship with Anissa Pierce (Thunder).
Thunder – Anissa Pierce – (metahuman) daughter of Black Thunder with superhuman strength and various abilities that effect density. In a relationship with Grace.
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Jukebox
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Chapter 3
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Nightwing remained at the place at the interstellar space station's bar that he had occupied for over 90 minutes of Earth time, reflecting on his life, his choices and the mistakes he made with Starfire.
He was on his 4th different beer-like beverage from different worlds: Pale Ale from Tumbla IV, Xanshi rotgut, C'ythonia port, and the Qwardian Cream Ale. All allegedly beer-like, interstellar laws sanctioned that to be served at such an establishment, all such beverages had to have very small amounts of alcohol in them, reminiscent of the "near beer" Dick remembered sneaking with older friends as a child when he lived at the circus. Of course there was essentially no alcohol in Pablo, Vivo or his favorite, Bevo, those malt beverages he remembered from his youth that were manufactured by major US breweries. And just as there was little alcohol in those, there was very little in what he was currently drinking, so the point of drinking them was only for quenching the thirst and for the taste.
Not that drinking would solve anything. If it would, he was pretty certain that he could get a hold of a variety of alcoholic, narcotic and other mind-altering substances at this bar; perhaps even from the bartender. But then again, for Dick Grayson and for Nightwing, alcohol hadn't ever solved anything.
He certainly didn't need the depressing effects of alcohol to feel bad about the situation with Starfire. He felt terrible before about it and he felt terrible now and the closer he got to Tamaran, the more worse he felt – if that was even possible – and anxious he became that this was the last shot he would ever have to make things right with her.
Dick had been fairly good at brooding earlier in his life when he was Robin and then when he was Nightwing, but after his stink as Batman, he realized he had quite a knack for it. And self-loathing? He could beat himself up with the best of them.
He reflected on yet another way he drove Starfire away: by resenting her powers and shunning the warrior side of her.
She could go toe-to-toe with Superman and Wonder Woman; she had that ability but she always held back. She hadn't crossed the line since that first day when she escaped from the Gordanians, the day she arrived on Earth. Even though she practically destroyed Cyborg's neighborhood in Jump City, no lives were taken.
At that moment, Dick had a revelation: he realized, as he reflected as he stood at that bar, how amazing she truly was. That someone who had been a slave, a captive, who was routinely beaten and abused, in so many ways could have and even should have turned out very differently. Koriand'r somehow came out kinder, gentler. She was better than most people. How could he never have realized that strength of character? He always considered his own high moral standards. Starfire was shown no compassion, treated indecently and brutally by people or rather creatures that had no morals, yet she lived easily within a hero's moral code, transforming before his eyes (as well as the rest of the team's) that fateful day she escaped the Gordanians and the reptilian hominids continued to pursue her.
Sure, he always acknowledged she was special, that she used her powers with enough restraint to get the job done and not go overboard. But for a time, Dick lost sight of even that.
On the day after he came home from Gotham and his stint as Batman, there was a 7 AM call to the outdoor training course. Cyborg and Beast Boy were less than pleased, and even Raven grumbled. Practices were never before 8 AM, but between being on East Coast Time and being used to the Batman way of doing things again, 7 AM seemed like slumming it to Nightwing.
As for Nightwing himself, he had a few hours of sleep after feeling pretty good about that kiss goodnight with Starfire. After he awoke at about 3 AM Jump time, he was back in his office and going over the perfectly executed paperwork done primarily by Starfire. How could thing have worked out so well while he was gone? Surely, things didn't go this smoothly, not in every aspect.
For whatever reason, that made him uneasy. Very uneasy. And for the new and not so improved Dick Grayson, that uneasy feeling needed to be investigated. Thoroughly.
As opposed to the rest of the Titans that morning, Starfire was her bright and cheery self. That time of year the sun was up early. She had some time to bask in the restorative power of Sol, the Earth's Sun, prior to practice.
She also had her dear Richard back. Sure, it was a somewhat disappointing reunion. Well, at least at first, but there was that goodnight kiss which was glorious. His earlier mood she attributed to jet lag – she had learned that because of human's lack of light speed travel, they do suffer from such a thing – but he was home after so long and to her that was what was important. Not that her love for him faded for a moment during his extended absence. Sure, he did not communicate regularly, but he was busy; and yes, he spent time with Babs, his former teammate and girlfriend, but he must have been lonely without his teammates. It was understandable, forgivable.
In her world, they would be considered soul mates, and she knew that they should be together always.
Nightwing was there first of course, ready to put everyone, including himself, through their paces. Lord only knows how much they were slacking in his absence. In fact, he had been quite concerned about that. Even though they had somehow pulled off the paperwork, at least from what he had seen so far, he was certain that their training must have suffered. At least everyone was on time, which was a good sign, Nightwing did have to concede that point. And Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven kept their annoyance for lack of a better term in check. Starfire as expected was exuberant. Very, very exuberant.
Nightwing took to the course first. Naturally, he had to set the example. He pushed himself harder than ever: he was moving faster, handspringing over a boulder as if it were a vaulting horse, using spinning sidekicks to knock down the robot hazards, using his escrima sticks to bash the face of the crash test dummies, then shooting a grappling hook to swing across a large ravine. It was a bolder, bigger, more fluid and downright more impressive mastery of the course. He had improved during his time in Gotham, and even though Starfire was the only one on the team that actually knew that he was there and not training off-planet, his teammates were in awe of their 'powerless' leader.
Starfire's heart soared. She was so proud of her beloved. He worked so hard, sacrificed so much. He would truly be a most accomplished leader on her world as well. And that is perhaps why she took it so hard when he was so critical of her.
Maybe in the back of Nightwing's mind was the information on the complete report of all the things that Blackfire had done. Things that Starfire was unaware of. Things he hoped she would never learn. In his thoughts would also have been what Bruce had him read about when Superman became evil. Of course that was a not too subtle way for Bruce to warn Dick about what can happen when a very powerful alien turns deadly, goes rogue, and stops fighting for truth and justice. Bruce was quite direct when he pointed out that Starfire escaped from the Citadel, from the Psions, and from the Gordanians. That for her there was no Kryptonite – there was nothing that at least Bruce knew of that could stop her.
Of course Nightwing knew there was one way to stop Starfire, or at least partially disable her for a time, and he was the only one who could: he could break her heart.
Starfire attacked the course. She was fast but accurate. Surgical in her strikes using just enough force. But Nightwing saw a different picture. She could be deadly. She could lay ruin, do so much damage. Although she in fact minimized collateral damaged, knocking over rather than destroying many of the obstacles in a minimum of hits and starbolts, it was her momentum and her intensity that struck a cord with Nightwing and not surprisingly he came out yelling.
"Stop! Stop it now Starfire! Halt!" Nightwing yelled. At that point, she was through roughly one-third of the robots, and only about one-fourth of her set course.
She flew over quickly, looking anxious. "Yes, Richard?"
"Rein it in Starfire, if those were people, you'd be killing them!" he barked, his nostrils flared.
"Very well-"
Cyborg interrupted, "Are you crazy man? Her strikes are just pushing those robots over! Your sidekicks could kill easily if you caught someone in the trachea!"
"Cyborg, this isn't about me, it's about Starfire-"
"Who is doing a great job-"
"Cyborg, I am going to ask you to stand back and be quiet. I am leading this exercise. Starfire, resume the course where you were but I need you to hold back."
Starfire's shoulders slumped, the amplitude of her hovering dropped to only inches above the ground, "Very well Nightwing."
He bristled at being called 'Nightwing' by Starfire, as he tended to do. However, home under a day, it was affecting him less. He decided he didn't really care. He had to be the best leader he could be, not worry about his girlfriend. If worrying about her was going to get in his way well... he'd have some things he'd need to reconsider. Maybe Batman was right about dating on the team, about Metahumans, about Aliens... and what Blackfire was capable of. Well they say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree – that has to apply to siblings also, right?
Refocusing on the present, he saw that Starfire was soon back on the course. Her speed was roughly the same, but her strikes were almost gentle, the targets rocking back and forth before falling over. Nightwing only saw the speed.
"Hold up Starfire! Get over here!" His tone was sharper, harsher. It bit into her.
Starfire flew up. She was perturbed now, annoyed really. Her strikes were obviously light. They would not have slowed down a toddler, let alone a Sladebot.
It wasn't her fault and she couldn't control it: her eyes glowed green. And it was intimidating to Nightwing.
His voice rumbled, coming out from deep in his chest, "What is that for? Are you angry with me?" Nightwing said, pointing at her, toward her eyes.
It was an autonomic response. Out of her control, the glow only brightened in response to Nightwing's confrontation. Had he not been so out of his mind with anger, he would have remembered that.
Seeing them intensify to his words, he felt threatened, "Starfire, you are done! And if you can't control your eyebeams..."
Cyborg interrupted again. If anyone knew Starfire's physiology, he did, "Dude, it's not her eyebeams, remember, her eyes glow when she is stressed or upset or angry-"
"Cyborg, if I needed your so-called expertise, I'd beat it-"
"Do not finish that threat, Dick." Cyborg said, straightening up to be sure to tower over him.
Raven had had enough, "Stop it. This arguing is pointless. The emotions here are running far too high for us to be at all productive today."
Starfire was barely able to hold back her tears, "Nightwing, I believe you are doing the pulling of me from the training today, yes? If that is th-the ca-case, may I-I be ex-excused, p-pleased?"
Nightwing looked at her hard. The glow in her eyes had lessened, tears were evident and part of him felt regret. But only part.
"Starfire, you are excused and also off missions until further notice."
"Dude, what?" Beast Boy finally had said something. He had watched all this, increasingly uncomfortable in what Nightwing had become, wondering if Nightwing had his own version of the Beast that had been unleashed.
Starfire just turned and walked away. Yes, walked. So it was proven to Dick. It was true. If he ever had to stop Starfire he could. He just had to break her heart. But in his current state of mind, he didn't consider that no one should have that kind of power over another person, let alone the person that they love.
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As he leaned on the bar, one hip cocked, Nightwing could feel many eyes on him. Friendly and unfriendly, eyes were on him, not that it was something unusual. He wore his black and blue uniform, with his mask in place of course, escrima sticks at the ready attached to his back and bird-a-rangs and various other items tucked here and there just in case.
He almost smirked when one particularly attractive Thanagarian female was taking an interest in him. She stood purposefully just inside his peripheral vision, preening the iridescent feathers of her wings, a particularly provocative gesture.
After the display, she the approached Nightwing, shoulders squared, chest out, intent on getting his full attention. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was some space along the bar to the right of Nightwing. Such company was not necessarily what he needed at the moment.
"An Earthling and one who appears to be a Hero gracing our little way station. So, on a mission, handsome?" She purred as she leaned in with her chest, batting her eye lashes at him.
But even if she had been as attractive as Shayera, and she wasn't, he wouldn't be interested. He was a one woman man, by God, he was. Well, he was going to try. Really, really hard. Because she was worth it. Starfire, Koriand'r, his Star, his Kory was worth it.
"I'm Tyva, and I asked if you were on a mission," she said with a pout.
"Something like that," he replied, looking forward, keeping a stone-cold expression.
"Buy a thirsty girl a Thanagarian Brandy Alexander?"
"No thank you."
"Well, that wasn't nice at all, Hero, and I should inform you the I can be very appreciative. And by appreciative I mean-"
"No. Not interested."
She leaned in, a sneer on her face, "Your loss. Earthlings are weak anyway, not worth the effort to undress."
He didn't take the bait and fortunately she turned and walked away, stalking a poor unsuspecting Batrassusian.
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Nightwing was surprised by the rush of relief he felt that he was able to brush off the winged beauty. All he would have needed was Cyborg to have observed the interchange, no matter how innocent. But for the moment, his glass was empty and he figured he might as well have another.
He notice a very tall woman, even taller than Kory, behind the bar. There must have been a change of shift for the bartenders. He was off his game: that was the kind of thing he would always notice.
"Excuse me," he started, the bartender turned and he nearly gasped in shock, "Grace?"
"My, my, my... what are you doing here Nightwing?" Grace Choi asked. The 7' tall Eurasian Metahuman had known Nightwing well when he lead the Outsiders and she was a member.
"Long story, my friend, long story," he replied with a sad smile.
Grace had some secrets: her part-Amazonian heritage and the source of her Meta-powers that only Nightwing had any idea about, and those he only knew by deduction. Those were her secrets and he knew how to respect that. She appreciated that greatly. But that wasn't to say that they didn't know a great deal about each other, that they hadn't shared a lot as team members and friends.
"Well lucky for you, this bartender is an outstanding listener and I can provide you with some excellent advice," Grace said with a smile.
Nightwing couldn't help but smile back, "I could use a friendly face... and ear."
"But not any other kind of friendly, I'm still with Thunder," she said, still allowing her tone to be flirtatious.
"How is Anissa?" Dick asked of her long time girlfriend.
"Good, real good. Who knew that monogamy could be so... satisfying?"
Oh, Nightwing knew, and that was pretty much the reason he was on his little trek.
"It can be really something, can't it?" he said with a smile.
Grace looked at him knowingly, her bartender's instincts kicking in, "I have a feeling there is quite a story there. I have my private stock if you'd like it..."
"No thanks, I'll have the Rhoon Porter. I don't need the hard stuff."
"I have the Apokolips Hard Cider, it's amazing."
"Anything from that planet, anything with that name, I won't touch out of general principle, no matter how highly you recommend it."
"Alright. I'll get the Porter. And then you can tell me what you did this time to the Princess and we'll figure out how you can win her back."
"How did you know it had anything to do with Koriand'r?" Dick asked, surprised. Was he that readable?
Grace shot him a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look, "Why else would you be all the way out here, heading toward the Vega Star system? Plus, only for Starfire would you turn down a hot Thanagarian!"
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To Be Continued...
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Please read and review
And again, sorry about the reupload of this chapter. Chapter 4 should be up soon!
LJ