This chapter has been betaed by RabulaTasa, who is awesome, by the way. Thank him for this chapter being tolderable and all out better than what I orginally wrote.

Sammy had grown up.

Christian kept his expression cool despite his stuttering heart as his eyes slid over the curved figure of the once tall, thin, lanky teenager he had last laid eyes on. This… this… woman was not the blushing little girl who had trailed around after him like his shadow. Now, it was like looking at all those women who made him fidgety and nervous when they caught eye contact with him. This was the type of woman who made him tongue tied and all kinds of clumsy because they were just too physically perfect for most men to handle without having naughty thoughts about them- dammit, Sam as not supposed to look like this- but here she was, her amazing face flushed and gold eyes glassy with shock.

He tried to keep his eyes on her face, but it was remarkably hard, considering the shirt she was currently sporting hugged every possible curve of her torso. Her shorts offered him a view of what had to be mile long legs (he was a scientist to a T, but seriously, those legs). Her skin was still the soft tan he had remembered, but now there were scars marring her once smooth flesh. Those simple flaws in her skin made her seem human, instead of those sickening model who flashed around billboards and holographic mannequins.

Her ponytail draped over her left shoulder, the wet strands curling against the curve of her breast and over her waist, leaving damp spots on her white shirt. Samara's hands twisted nervously around her tank, flashing part of an abdomen that was toned with muscle and still slick from her shower. It was enough to have simple, straightforward Christian blushing. He brushed it aside, however, when she went red. "Hey Sammy," he said with a soft grin, dimples deepening when her breath caught ever so slightly.

Sam cursed inwardly at her inability to keep her unruffled façade up. It was only Christian, she snapped to herself. Sweet, clumsy, shy Christian who blushed around the opposite sex if they so much as glanced at him (at least, back when he had been a self-conscious nineteen year old virgin) shouldn't have made her feel like this. She was in love with him, yes, but it was no reason to drool over him.

But oh my God, he's built. Hands still twisting around her shirt, Sam let her eyes roam over the simple collared shirt he worse. It was unbuttoned, flashing a lean throat and smooth tan skin that had an underlay of muscles that he had not had before. He was still as scrawny as always, but when he moved, muscles bunched against the material like a second skin.

Sam debated on her actions for a brief moment. One, she could stand here and look like an idiot blushing for no good reason, or two…Sam damned herself when she found her body moving on its own accord toward him. Before she could wrangle her instincts back in check, she was throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him to her as if her life depended on it.

He stiffened for a brief second before chuckling, hands gently circling her back. "It's good to see you again, Sammy."

"You jackass," she said softly, head turned slightly against him. His cologne was soft and seducing in a way that pulled at her senses in a way she hadn't experienced. Her heart stammered nervously in her chest at being this close to him. "You never called me."

He knew he should pull back, feeling the blush spread over his face at holding a girl for so long (shouldn't the blushing have subsided after he slept with his biomechanic lab partner?) but couldn't find the strength to pull from her. "Sorry, kiddo. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find time to do anything when you're studying how to work those damn mechasurgeons to make sure they do the right thing instead of giving someone an unwanted bypass surgery."

She was the one to pull back now, though her arms were still loose around his neck. Her gold eyes searched his as she asked, "Why are you back?"

He smiled, shoulders lifting in a nonchalant shrug. "I wanted to come back home. I've missed out on a lot of things and I think it's time I catch up."

Grey, who had been fluttering around them waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, giggled. Sam stiffened immediately, head twisting to pin the small witch with a deathly glare at whatever she had planned. Grey brushed her off with a grin. "Well, you haven't missed much with Sam- that much I can assure you."

He cocked an eyebrow as Sam turned an interesting shade of pink. He glanced down at her with a quirk of his lips. "Really now?"

"Yep. She's still the same old Sammy who doesn't know how to have fun for the life of her. You know, she hasn't even gone on her first date yet-"

"Back off, Grey," Sam said in a tone that had even Raven flinching at the painful threat lingering inside the icy slide of words.

But Grey, being as oblivious as her father was when danger was staring her straight into her face, continued. "You're the only boy she's kissed, you know. She's been too busy working on getting equal footing with Kira's fighting abilities to even think about it. That and she's trying to keep her GPA at 4.0."

By this time, Sam had ripped away from Christian, eyes like molten gold. From behind him, he heard Chase murmur, "Scary," and knew his twin nodded in agreement.

Robin's hands fluttered helplessly as Grey continued her Cheshire smile, hands linked behind her back innocently. "Now, now, Sam, let's remain calm. Grey was merely stating that you're more interested in your future than most people, though her wording did have some hidden implications-" When Sam's eyes narrowed into slits, Robin panicked and added hastily, "But I'm sure she wasn't meaning anything by it. She was merely stating a fact, right, Grey? Grey?" His eyes slid carefully to Raven's daughter, mouth set in a tight smile. "Right, Grey?" He hissed. He really didn't feel like mopping up blood at the moment. He had too much to clean up at his dojo to worry about that.

"Whatever suits you," she chirped, sliding Christian a sly glance that promised her words did have a hidden meaning behind them. He didn't have time to use his amazing mind to decipher it, however, for Lucan trotted into the room, a tiny black book clutched in his hands.

"Hey, Christian, ya wanna read what she has to say about you?"

Christian opened his mouth to answer, though he wasn't at all sure what it would be, but Sam had reached her boiling point. He jumped when she growled low in her throat. "That's it, you damn brat. I am going to kill you!" Christian had to question her heritage at the full-blooded demonic hiss that escaped from her throat. She wasn't related to Raven, was she?

Lucan yelped and tossed the book at her before he leapt behind his frowning mother, body slamming against the ground as he ducked for cover. Starfire heaved a sigh at her youngest child's antics.

Sam snatched the book out of the air with a scowl. "I am scanning this into my computer so you can't get into it, you little freak. And I will make sure you see something you really don't want to. Maybe a hologram of me ripping you apart limb from limb until there is nothing left of you but a bloody stump."

Lucan latched onto Starfire's leg, eyes terrified. "Okay! Okay! No more! I swear it! I was just playin', you know, 'cause you don't play with me anymore. You're always training or somethin', and Dahlia's always playin' with her knifes and stuff, and if I bother her she threatens to disembowel me or something like that. Shia's always with some girl, Ada's with Cam, and I can't keep wasting all of Kira's time 'cause she's the only who'll play with me. Dad's got his dojo, Mom's got her work, and I don't have a twin, so I get lonely sometimes." Lucan pouted. "And I don't like having to play with Mac 'cause she hits all the time."

Robin rolled his eyes at the name of Harley's seven year old daughter before they softened. Gently, he knelt down so he was eye to eye with his son. Luc turned his gold eyes away with a stubborn frown, though loneliness danced within the pale irises. "Luc, you know you can come to me anytime you want. I can leave the dojo anytime I want. I'd be happy to do whatever you want to play, kiddo."

Lucan slid his matching eyes to Sam, who studied him with a frown. She couldn't understand why she had never seen her own brother's lonesomeness. "I want Sam, though."

Sam traced her fingers around the edge of her book, her eyebrows drawn together slightly. "Why?" For the life of her, she couldn't understand why her baby brother would want her to be the one to entertain him. She was a bitch to him all the time. The only time she wasn't saying something sarcastic, she was poking him or catching him under her arm to give him noogies. Why would he want her attention?

"'Cause you're cool. All my friends say that they like you best 'cause you're strong and pretty and not as scary as Dahlia is or as shy and freakishly powerful as Kira is. They say that you're like, the perfect combo of them and that you're just awesome and that they're jealous that you're my sister 'cause I get to see you in action all the time and that's why they want to come over all the time-"

"Aww, you have mini admirers, Sammy!" Grey cooed, earning a nasty glare from Sam.

"And that's the third time today someone has insulted me," Dahlia mused monotonously as Kira frowned at having her strength called freakish.

Lucan had never stopped his tirade, however, so when everyone slid back into listening to him, he was saying, "- and that you get all mad when I annoy you and call me names and it makes me feel good 'cause you're finally paying attention to me so it's worth stealing all your stuff and getting yelled at cause then at least you're noticing me and-"

"That's a lot of ands," Shia said as he scratched the back of his head and Lucan took a deep, gulping breath.

"I see where he takes after his mother," Raven said dryly as Lucan started to ramble on again, hands constantly moving. Beast Boy nodded as Malachi stared at the boy as if he had lost his mind. The lazy shape shifter couldn't remember ever hearing someone talk that long and that fast while having so many "ands" connecting the sentences. Was that even grammatically legal?

Sam sighed softly. "Lucan."

But the boy was still on a roll, enthusiastically counting off all the time she had done something to impress him with his fingers. He was already up to thirty-three.

"Lucan."

Shia smothered a chuckle with his hand as Sam's eyebrow twitched. "Damnit, Lucan, shut up and get your scrawny ass over here!"

Luc blinked up at her slowly. "Huh?"

Hands on hips and head cocked, Sam glared at him. "Get up. We're playing dodge ball and I'm going to need you to lay out the weapons and mop up after the boys after we pound them into the ground. Think you can handle that?"

He looked up at her as if she had bestowed him with a wonderful gift. Adara was always the one who set the balls out on the court, so having his sister say it was his job was like her telling him that she loved him. In his young mind, it was just about the same thing. Lucan pumped his fist into the air as all blood drained from the males' faces. "Yes! I'll go get the balls!" Then he was off, darting out of the room like a bullet.

Chase dipped a finger into his collar when the air seemed to clog in his throat. "Dodge ball," he croaked, exchanged terrified glances with his twin brother. "Seriously?"

Dante was slowly starting to inch his way toward the door, where he planned on making a hasty exit, but Dahlia slid out her foot, catching the back of his ankle. He yelped as he tumbled backwards, but Kira reached out and grabbed him by the shirtfront. His back was left nearly parallel with the floor, his shirt rising high on his stomach so it offered a healthy view of a toned stomach. She blushed hotly, but Dante was too frightened to notice.

"I, um, well, you see, I can't play, 'cause, um, I, uh, well, that is-"

"Shut up and be a man, Dante," Dahlia snapped. "I think you can take a little beating with a cushioned ball, can't you?"

"No! You freaking Amazons kill us every damned time! How the hell can we defend ourselves when we're too busy diving out of the way? We're young, but goddammit, we're not invincible!"

Dahlia crouched down to eyelevel with him, smirk dancing in her eyes. "Don't feel bad, Dante. Dad and Uncle B are playing, too. And don't forget Shia."

As Dahlia and Kiranne walked away from them, Dante being dragged reluctantly behind a blushing Kira and Shia giving the smaller boy a pep talk, Beast Boy and Robin managed a heavy gulp. And as their wives grinned and winked, both adults sighed.

"Well, shit."

Christian wasn't stupid.

He had talked with Shia enough to know those who went up against the Grayson woman did not come back in one piece. They walked around with bruises, bloody noses or mouths, and more times than no, jarred bones from diving out of the way of a ninety mile per hour ball thrown by one of the girls.

They were lined up on the white strip of tape Robin had laid down for their game. Thankfully, Robin had been smart enough to have Cyborg lay down a pad for the entire first story room conjoined to the mile wide gym, but Christian still felt his entire body break out in a cold sweat as he watched the girls stretch out their muscles.

Beside him, his father scowled. "Damnit, why didn't you tell me we were up against this when you called all of us over?"

Christian rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Dahlia threatened to cut off a very important part of our anatomy if we didn't call everyone and tell then to come over here. Mom seems happy, though."

Wyatt glared at his wife, who merely waved and blew him a kiss that reeked of smugness. "Of course she is. She's on the team that's actually allowed to hit their opponents."

"I'm going to kick yourasses, Chase, Cameron," Alexander Twain snapped, black eyes fired up and ready to burn anything he could get his gaze on into a smoldering crisp. "I'm too freaking old to be playing dodge ball with a group of hormonal teenagers."

His twin sons exchanged looks before both setting their features into identical smirks. "Yes, but it's fun to see Mom kick your ass," Cameron said, shyness evaporating since he wasn't surrounded by women.

"Yes, but why am I here?" Connor Twain glanced at Sam with a cringe. She smiled innocently at him, making his blood run cold. "I have done nothing to merit this punishment. Sam is still peeved at me for telling her that her driving skills stink and she'll probably keep that in mind while she aims for me. Dad? Yeah, he's probably earned a few bruises from Mom, but me? No, I don't think I deserve this." He tossed his blonde hair out of his eyes, which promptly fell right back to its original place.

Chase slapped his older brother on the back. "Think of it this way," he said as his eyes skimmed over Dahlia's figure. She was currently sitting on the floor; legs spread wide and torso bent forward so it touched the ground, long arms reaching past her slim feet. "At least it's the weekend. The bruises will be green and nasty instead of blue, black and painful. That, and they're usually nice enough to not aim for the face. Oh," he added when Connor glared at him, "and watch your pride and joy. Dahlia tends to aim low."

Connor seemed to fold into himself as Ethan frowned, arms folded over his chest. "I have a speech to make on Monday," he said with a sigh. "And I'm going to be in serious pain, aren't I?"

Malachi Logan cracked open an eye to look at Ethan. He was sprawled out on the ground in all manners of directions, his older brother, Dante, using his chest as a pillow as he caught up on a quick nap. He was going to need it when the game started. "Yep. They don't believe in survivors. Even the human's are nasty."

Dante snorted, having caught his near mini-twin's last comment. "Women are nasty," he corrected. "They love to beat the hell out of us, especially when they have a reason to do so. Damn Sam, giving them a reason to. Roxanne is hanging out with Dahlia too much. She's teaching her the ropes of being a serious bitch."

Nathaniel Hallowell turned his attention away from his older brother at the sound of his crush's name. Christian rolled his eyes, gently ruffling his baby brother's hair. "What?" Nate asked, gray eyes jumping over their faces.

Bastian sighed. "We're talking about the Matthews girls and the rest of the army."

"Ah," he said, nodding his head as he stepped over Dante and Malachi, both snoozing lightly. "Roxanne's temper, I take it?"

"We were getting there," Sebastian said, watching with narrowed eyes as Ryanne laughed at something his mother said. Harley pointed in his direction, mouth moving with a smirk. From where he stood, he could see Ryanne blush before turning toward his mother with a muffled laugh. "Damn women," he grumbled, arms crossing over his muscled chest. "Always gossiping."

Nathanial nodded nonchalantly. "I think if we're to get out of this alive, we need to watch for Melody. That girl can come up with a battle formation in less than ten seconds. If she stays in, we're doomed. She gets her smarts from Hannah, I think."

Dante grunted when he felt his pillow's heart ram against his ribs at the name of Hannah's youngest girl. Damn. Well, it seemed his little brother had a crush. Dante decided he would use it against him later, but now, he had to gather up all the energy he could possibly muster if he wanted to be able to dodge all those damn balls.

"You do realize they know that we'll go straight after her, don't you?" Christian said, mind already turning the possibilities around in his head. "They know that she's their strategist, so they'll keep her protected. Probably Dahlia or Kira, for they have the best hand eye coordination, which means that they'll be able to catch any ball that comes their way no matter the speed. They'll have Sam, Starfire, and Grey on the frontlines. Grey, because she's so tiny she can dodge anything she wants, Sam for her strength, Starfire for her experience with war tactics. Roxanne and Talon will be behind them, because although they have no otherworldly powers, they're hardheaded, stubborn girls who don't take defeat easily. Ryanne, Cleo and Krista will be behind them, because their aim is not as good, but their strength is scary. And then we have our guards, who will defend their strategist until the end. Raven will be hovering in a corner, knowing that no one will think to hit her, so when the time comes, she'll attack, and no one will know when she does. Sophie, well, she won't do anything unless someone tries to hit her, which you know her brother's will. Mac will have her eye on Lucan-" here, said boy flinched, "- so she'll keep her eyes open. We won't know when she attacks either, for she lives by the moment, not by strategies. We'll have Harley, Hannah, and Mallory there to keep up a defense against any balls that might miss someone on the front lines. Then we have Kira and Dahlia. They will protect Melody, but that doesn't mean they won't strike out against us. They are the ones we really have to worry about."

His team goggled at him, causing the genius to blush scarlet. "What?" He asked sheepishly, fingers lifting to idly scratch at his scar. "What'd I do?"

Shia blinked at him. "How do you know all that? You just got back from college, and the last time you were here, you were nineteen." His eyebrows drew together. "I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you that much about the girls, either. Did I?" When he glanced down at Dante for conformation, the lazy teen merely shrugged.

"No, you didn't. I just remember it from the last time I was here…though I clearly remember sitting on the sidelines, not being on the frontlines."

"You remember that far back? Every little detail?" Malachi made a low sound in the back of his throat. "That seems way too annoying for me. I can barely remember what I did this morning much less two years ago."

Robin toed his ribs with a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "That's because you didn't do anything this morning. You're going to end up sleeping your life away, oh-clone-of-Beast-Boy."

Malachi grinned unabashedly as Luc trotted down the halfway mark, setting down numerous neon balls, all varying in size and shape. It was the little ones that hurt the most, so Sebastian made sure to keep an eye on whoever managed to grab that one.

"Damn," Twain muttered. "Are you really going to hit an old man?" He called out to the woman already shifting into their formation. It was just as Christian had predicted, but they knew that even knowing their strategy was useless when up against them.

"You know, I think there was actually a day and time where women weren't superior to men," Christian mused as Twain's wife answered with a, "Chickenshit old man! I'm going to kick your ass!" It was followed by a round of approving cheers from the girls.

The elders sighed. "Yes…yes, there was a day," Beast Boy murmured. "But that was just a distant dream. It almost died the moment Samara was born. Thank God for Shiamar. If he hadn't of been born, the world would be overrun with women."

The younger generation mumbled amongst themselves, all knowing that her birth had heralded the beginning of the end. "We might have had a chance had Kira not been born and joined forces with Sam," Chase muttered as they reluctantly lined up on the white line once again. "I love the girl, I really do, but I always feel so useless when she darts into battle without a backwards glance. And this is coming from a human. You," he said, gesturing at the superheroes with a jerk of his chin, "must feel worse than me. I mean- come on! The last time I heard about a woman not kicking ass in this day and time is those old romance novels that my mom stashes under the floorboards with her guns."

Shia shrugged nonchalantly, plowing his long fingers through his hair and completely ignoring the fact that his friends completely overlooked his strength. He was used to it, however, for he didn't really like to flaunt his power. "I can take Kira on easily, but Sam likes to see me lose, so she joins forces with her. I don't think I've ever gotten a chance to fight her one-on-one without Sam cheating. Now, when Mom joined me, I did beat them. Without cheating, might I add."

Twain snickered as he ignored Shia's comment completley. "Who'da thunk that that little slip of a girl could be so strong? She looks and acts so innocent and shy when she's living a normal life, but stick her in a situation where she or someone else is in danger and damn the girl kicks ass. But I tell you, I would so pay to see Shia and Kira go against each other. That would be one hell of a fight. Shia's much stronger physically, but Kira actually thinks her fights through. Why don't you do that, Shiamar? Next time you spar, pair off with Kira. We'll keep Sam away. It'll be the perfect battle of brain against brawn."

Dante nodded as he eyed Shia's towering- and intimidating- form. "That would be cool. Besides, it's been awhile since I've seen Shia fight. He might be getting a bit rusty."

Shia glared weakly at Beast Boy's oldest son. "All right, then. Next time we spar, I get Kiranne. I really need to get back into hand-to-hand combat. I'm usually with Mom to sharpen up my Tameranian skills, so it'll be a nice change."

Christian blinked when his father let out a random and muttered curse. "You talk about having your kids beat you in strength, but have them beat you in mind too." Wyatt proceeded to glare at his son, who flashing him a wide, almost cocky grin.

Robin lifted a reluctant hand. "Sam and Shia have me beat. But I can't complain, though. All my children are half alien, after all."

Beast Boy sighed. "If Dante wasn't so lazy and Grey not so raw about her height, they'd beat me out… then again, I never had much of a mind to begin with."

Ethan plopped his hands on his hips. "Ha! They only have me beaten in strength, but that's only because I'm mayor. I don't have time to work on my body."

Nate rolled his eyes. "You've lost your mind, Uncle E. Besides, your children are mostly girls and they happen to be stronger than you?"

Ethan deflated. "Maybe…" He crossed his arms over his chest. "But Roxanne bites," he pouted.

Nate grinned widely, but all amusement died when Sam stepped up, hands on slim hips. Every male heart in the room seemed to drop into their stomachs. "Dammit, it's almost time." Robin fidgeted. "Too bad Cyborg had to work on Sam's truck. We really could have used him."

"At least Bumblebee's not here. That's one less woman we have to worry about." Sebastian angled his body so half was hidden behind his father. Colt sputtered. "You are not using me as a shield!" Father and son proceeded to fight over who was going to shield whom when Sam leaned down to pick up a ball. On instinct, every male lined up to fight hit the ground, save Shia. He blinked down at them before sighing heavily. "Cowards."

Wyatt poked his head up, annoyance skittering across his features. "You wouldn't be talking so big if you weren't a Tameranian yourself and didn't stand at six feet seven with a body that is nothing but cushioned muscle. In case you've forgotten, we're human. You know, weak, fragile humans who can't lift a few tons of crap using one hand. When they pop you with a ball, it's like getting thumped. You don't even flinch. When we get popped with a ball, it's like getting hit by a freaking freight train. So shut up and let us cower."

Sam grinned wolfishly as they peeked out from under their arms, Shia rolling his eyes behind them. "Just seeing if you were on your toes."

She let the ball roll back to its position. "Are you really that scared of us?" Kira asked, her voice soft and almost inaudible.

"Yes!" They chorused from the ground, sending Lucan into a fit of giggles. He had wisely stayed behind the grownups to use them as his barrier in case someone was to let a ball fly. He wasn't stupid, after all.

Dahlia snorted. "This is too easy. Shouldn't it take away from all the fun? I mean, it's sad that Shia is the only one strong enough to take us all on. This just isn't fair."

"And he's too damned nice to even throw hard!" shouted Wyatt with a glare in the younger boy's direction. Shia just rolled his eyes, grinning sheepishly.

The women huddled, discussing the idea for so long that the boys were half ready to tell them to "make up their minds already" when Dahlia laughed.

"Who the hell am I kidding? Since when have we ever played fair?"

Christian managed to glance up at Sam, and for a moment, he wondered when the hell she managed to grow horns in the short time he's seen her. Or had they always been there? And was that a forked tail he was seeing?

"Okay, quick refresh," Christian said as they scrambled up. They could only let the women taunt them for so long. "We have seventeen men with us since the children can't play. They have sixteen. We have a slight advantage against them in numbers."

Beast Boy held up a finger. "Ah, but your wrong. You see, they have us beat by a good thousand."

"Huh?" Christian glanced at the small group of girls with confusion written all over his attractive face.

"He's right," Robin muttered. "You see, Dahlia has at least the strength of twenty men. Sam, maybe fifty. Kira…well, that's where the thousand comes in. So, in other words, we're screwed."

"Actually, we're not screwed." Heads swiveled toward Christian as he gnawed on his bottom lip. "You all seem to forget we have Shia on our team. In muscle, he's stronger than Kira. Well, actually, he's just all around more of a warrior than she is."

Shia smiled. "I can hit just as hard as they can," he said, gesturing toward the women with a slightly jerk of his head. "Dante, Malachi, you have excellent hand eye coordination, what with your animal blood. If you work up enough energy, you can pop Sam or Mom when they don't expect it. The rest of you need to buck up. We can win this."

Twain snorted. "Nice speech, but the odds are still against us. We have one Tameranian, two lazy-ass Logan's, and a group of pushover men who are scared of a bunch of old woman and teenage girls. They have a full blooded alien, three spawns of said alien, a half demon, her brat, and a group of girls who find confidence in being surrounded by superhero women. That, and no matter how strong Shia is, there is a whole lot to aim for."

Shia frowned at the older man poked his stomach and craned his head back to peer at the young boy. "That is nothing but muscle and he's nearly seven feet tall. It is not easy for a man who could knock you out by thumping your forehead to move out of the way without bumping into one of us. Can you really see all this bulk diving out of the way of a 90 mile per hour ball? I think not, my dear losers. So, let's pray that they're in a joyful mood. And Chase? I promise that will make your funeral service nice, 'cause you ain't getting out of this in one piece, gauging from Dahlia's sinister grin."

Cameron sighed while his bother cursed a blue streak, glancing at his girlfriend with a pout. His father did have a point. The odds were against them when it came to strength. Shia, god bless him, was just too damn tall to be able to dive out of the way of flying balls. Those balls were almost too fast for any of them, Shia included, to catch. Would he ever be able to see her again? Ada caught his gaze and moved toward him from the sidelines. She was a pacifist to a T, so there was no way she could participate in the brawl.

"Aww," she cooed, reaching up to brush her mouth against his. "I'll take care of you, baby." She winked. "You can think about that." Cameron smiled down at her before kissing the soft skin between her brows.

"Oi! No fraternizing with the enemy!" Dahlia snapped, and somehow managed to catch Chase's eyes with a glare despite all the obstacles in her way.

Adara winked at him again. "Sorry, sweetheart," she said as she patted the skin above her heart, "But my heart is with the girls." She turned to her father and brother with a grin. "Good luck, boys!"

She trotted away with a cocky wave before taking to the skies and hovering above the arena. She was officially the referee. She folded her legs under her as she glanced down at the battlefield not yet stained with blood.

"Are you aware of the rules?" She asked in a no no-nonsense voice, eyes as hard as she could make them. The girls' smirks were her answer as was the chorus of groans. The younger children cheered for their teams from the sidelines, for they were too young to participate in such a violet game.

Ada was seconds away from letting out a sharp whistle to begin the game when Shia called out, "Wait!"

Ada paused in taking a deep breath. "What?"

"We have a proposition, of sorts," he muttered. "Christian's idea." Shia glanced back at Christian with a smirk.

Said genius responded with a sharp, "Hey!" and proceeded to hide behind his father who tried to turn back to whack him away.

"What it is?" Ada asked, biting back a snicker when Christian flitted around his father, successfully keeping his father slapping at thin air.

"The old people sit out."

Twain gave a loud, "Yes!" while the women suddenly seemed to vibrate with anger. "Who're you calling old, you brat?" Harley snapped, hands on tiny hips. "I know you ain't talking about me. I have enough energy to beat you into the ground, height difference or not."

Shia raised a brow at the tiny woman. "Twain says that you old people can't take playing with the younger ones. Twain called you old. Christian said it would be wise to let you sit out so you can cheer for your daughters/sons/ and watch us look like fishes out of water. That, and since the children- who are marginally weaker- get to sit out, it's only fair that you do, too." In all actuality, Christian's idea did give them more hope. If they somehow managed to get the full blooded alien and the sneaky half demon off the court, there was a chance that their strengths could almost balance each other out.

"Fishes out of water, huh?" Katelynn Twain pressed a finger against her mouth. "I would love to see you old men get your asses handed to you, but seeing Connor and my twins flopping around sounds mighty interesting."

Her sons glared at her as she herded the older generation to the sidelines. Robin and co looked like they had been granted immortality as they plopped down, leaving the teams evenly matched, both sides having eleven competitors.

Something sick and hot danced in Christian's stomach as Ada threw them a pitying glance before slipping her referee mask on. "Alright, now that we have that settled, is everyone aware of the rules? There is only one game and no more. If you are hit with a ball, you are instantly out. If the opposing person catches your ball, not only are you out, but a person on their sidelines is allowed a free ticket into the game. You cannot cross the halfway mark, and you cannot extend past the white borders. If you do, the opposing team gets a free hit. You can not hold a ball any longer than twenty seconds; else you will be forced to stand on the white line and are the target for the opposing team. You can dodge the ball however you please, but Dante, you cannot lay on the floor the entire time so you don't get hit. Also, you are forbidden from using your powers. Strength cannot be helped, but no barriers or shifting, understood? Does everyone understand these guidelines? If there is blood drawn, then…well, all I can offer is my sincerest apology. Winning team will be awarded exemption from their chores for the week. Losing team will take all duties from the wining team."

"Ha! I don't live here so I don't have to do it." Chase was so pleased with himself that he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

Ada pursed her lips and glanced at Sam. She shrugged slightly. "We'll just force him to become Dahlia's slave if he loses."

His grin fell. "Aww, dude, that's so wrong."

Dahlia looked pleased with this new turn of events and sent him a smile that had his skin crawling. Ada giggled slightly. "Best keep your mouth shut, Chase," she chirped happily. "Now, let's get this started, shall we?"

After thirty minutes of flying balls, muffled yelps, and bushels of bruises, only two opponents were left. Shia and Samara faced off now, balls spilt equally between them. Kiranne eased to the sidelines after her brother managed to nail her and Grey in one throw. She received the worst of the blow, but Grey was currently fuming next to an amused Raven. Kira winced as she rolled her shoulders, the bruise blooming on her upper arm firing up in annoyance. She sat down beside Dahlia (she had gotten out after knocking Chase off his feet –quite literally- and having his brother retaliate while she gloated at her victory, so Ada was flitting around her boy incase her sister decided it was time for revenge) and tried her best not to giggle at how bad of a sore loser her sister was.

She caught Shia's gaze, smiling when he winked in apology. "Sorry, Sweets. I was aiming for Grey, not you."

Said girl gave an angry snort. "That was a cheap shot. Had Kira not moved, that would have-"

"Sailed right over your head, Midget. You aren't that tall."

As Raven and Starfire pinned Grey to the ground to keep her from pouncing the slightly older boy, Sam grinned good naturedly at her brother. "It's nice to be up against you for a change. Usually, you and Kira are the last one's still standing."

"I would have gotten you, but after that last low blow Grey tried to get me with, I couldn't just let her get away with it."

"So you took out Kira instead?"

Shia picked up a small, blue ball and tossed it in the air. It was always like this with his twin. They always had to bicker before they fought. With Kira, it was merely gauging opponents movements in search of an opening. Kira usually won that, for Shia didn't have much patience and always threw without really thinking things over. With Sam, however, it was all in the words.

"Since Grey is so small-"

"Take that back, you jackass!" Grey squeaked indignantly.

"- I figured that Kira would be my best bet. And who are we to talk? If I'm not mistaken, you took Cameron and Christian out in less than two seconds after Dahlia took one to the thigh."

Sam glanced at Christian from the corner of her eyes. He scooted away, pout finding refuge on his mouth. "I had to get him back for asking you if I had a tail."

Shia laughed heartily. "You and your hearing." He watched as his twin bent down to retrieve a ball. She chose one of the same size, mimicking his movements by tossing it up nonchalantly.

"So how do we end this?" She asked, tone mild as her eyes scanned his stance in search of any offensive moments.

"With the men winning and you doing my laundry all week."

His smile was slow and smug when his sister went scarlet with rage. "There is no way I'm cleaning any of your crap, Shiamar! You are going to be the one folding my clothes and babysitting the younger kids when Mom and Dad want some alone time."

"You know, I think you would do well as a housewife. What do you think, boys? I can just see Sam puttering around a house, baby on her hip while she vacuums the rug, or fixes her man's meal or does his laundry."

"Sexist pig," she snarled, and as predicted, reared back and let a ball fly. He jerked to the side, flinching when the ball cracked against the wall hard enough to send plaster raining down to the mat.

He smirked at his team, for Christian and he had devised a plan before the genius had been sent to the sidelines. Sam was like an iPod set on repeat. She always played the same tune after someone pressed the right button.

"You know Shia, I wouldn't mind toting around your kid while doing your laundry," Grey purred from the sidelines.

Shia jerked, head swiveling toward her in shock as she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously. He felt his mind short circuit as images of Grey cooing to a green-eyed baby fled past his eyes.

"No! Damnit, Shia, don't-"

The air whooshed from his lungs as Sam's ball slammed into his abdomen, the unsuspecting force lifting his feet off the ground so his back crashed against the floor. He could only lay there, shocked, as Sam leaned over him with a wicked grin spreading across her mouth.

"-let yourself get distracted," Christian finished lamely as his team moaned their disappointment.

"So, big brother, how does it feel to have your plan backfire?" Sam nearly cooed as she pinned Christian with a horribly smug smile.

He managed a weak glare as Sam offered her hand to him. "Cheater," he muttered. "How long did you have that planned?"

Sam weaved an arm around his waist as he gained his footing, wincing as pain shot up his chest. "Shiamar, sweetheart, I think there's something you should know." He grunted as Grey slapped him heartily on the butt with a giggle before skipping off to poke at her younger brothers'. "My weakness, dear brother, is also my strength."

He sighed moodily as the victim's of the dodgeball game trudged to the infirmary to take away the heat of the bruises. "So," she chirped happily when she had him sitting down on a cot, "when should I drop my laundry off, maid of mine?"

Christian decided that he was stupid.

He sat in the infirmary, naked from the waist up as the winning team watched the parents scurry around to offer ice packs. They snickered- Kira and Ryanne frowned- as Robin tallied the wounds. As usual, the women walked away with minor injuries- bruises that you could hardly noticed, since Shia never really used much of his power behind his throws – while the men, well…

"Ouch," Robin murmured when he made his way to Christian with a dripping blue bag in hand. "That looks painful." He gently pressed the ice to Christian's bruised collarbone, flinching when Christian let out a pained hiss between his teeth.

"It is. Believe me." Why he was stupid enough to let himself be a target for the devil once called Samara was beyond him. Wasn't he supposed to be a genius? His IQ was way above two hundred, he could remember information word for word after a mere glance, he was able to figure out a problem almost without ever being taught the solution, and yet here he was, his collarbone a nasty painting of a multicolored bruise, all because he happened to be friends with ball-happy women.

He really was stupid.

"Oh, it can't be that bad." His body stiffened at the soft timber of Samara's voice. She weaved her way between the patients to stand before him, face slightly flushed as her gold eyes trailed over his torso. He had the insane urge to fold up into himself, never being one who liked being appraised- hopefully that was what she was doing- so openly. Robin decided he was no longer needed, so he bustled over to Chase, who was being mercilessly tortured by Dahlia. She had managed to hit his hip once again, so at the moment, he was nearly writhing in pain. Christian flinched slightly.

"You're a nasty player," he pouted when she pulled back the ice to see the damage she had caused. "Plotting like that is not very ladylike."

She raised her eyes to his as she gently prodded the sore skin around the bruise. "I know," she said with a slight smirk, replacing the ice pack and holding it to him. She made no move to leave, so he made no move to shoo her away. He did however let his eyes roam over her in search for that tail he had seen earlier…

He stopped his search, however, when Dante let loose a yelp. "Damnit, Kiranne, why am I always your bloody target?" He bellowed as she pressed an ice pack to his ribs. "You nearly cracked them this time!"

She went red, teeth sinking painfully into her lower lip. "I-I'm s-sorry."

He scowled down at her. "Yeah, well, now you have to play doctor for as long as I have this damn bruise as consolation for all the pain you've caused me. It's only fair." He was smirking now, arms folded over his lean chest. Dante, like Christian, was not built like Shia was. Shia was pure muscle and all strength, whereas Dante was merely lithe. There was muscle there, beneath the pale skin, but his chest and stomach were merely flat with the play of muscle beneath the skin. Shia was ridged with muscle that was so prominent that they shifted with each breath he took. It was enough to have Christian a bit jealous, for his chest was just…there. When he glanced down, he could see the slight padding of muscle across his chest, the hard line of abs, but it was like looking down at a scrawny teenager's body when compared to Shia.

He pouted as he poked at his abs with a long finger. Sam glanced down at his action, flushed slightly, then managed a smirk. "Problem, Doctor?"

He glanced up at her, blood pooling in his cheeks when he realized she was watching his childlike antics. "Umm…no. Not at all."

She glanced down at his stomach with a raised eyebrow. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Christian," she said, her smile widening when he went crimson. "You're looking at Shia, right?"

He managed to look insulted. "I'm not gay!"

Sam's eyebrow rose slightly. "I wasn't insinuating that, Christian. I was just pointing out that most guys can't look at Shia shirtless without getting just a bit self-conscious."

He glanced down at her hand, still pressing the ice against his now numb bruise. Tears of water skimmed down his chest as he muttered, "Well, I am human, you know."

She smiled at him. "Exactly. Shia's not, so there's no reason to be jealous of him. Besides," she said softly, eyes dropping down to his chest again. "You're pretty built yourself. Most human men don't take the time to look like you do, especially when they're one their way to becoming a doctor."

He went scarlet now, eyes lowering to stare at anything but her. He settled on watching Malachi drag himself to his brother and throw himself on the bed, eyes imploring as Kiranne glanced up at him. "Aww, why does my brother get all the attention? I hurt too, you know."

Christian chuckled when Kira went red before laughing softly. Malachi beamed when she took her ice pack from Dante, who looked like he was well on his way to throwing a tantrum, to press it against Malachi's shoulder. It bloomed with a midnight bruise that was a stark contrast to his gray skin, but it was nothing compared to the nasty whelp across Dante's ribs.

"Hey! Go find your own doctor, you lazy little brat! She's taken!" Dante reached over to grab Kira's arm and pull her back toward him, ignorant of the way her face went red. "She nailed me with that damn ball, so now she has to fix it."

Malachi scowled. "She doesn't want to doctor a wimp like you, anyway. I'm much better."

Dante's eyebrow twitched. "You little- she's mine, so back off."

"Wanna fight for her?" Malachi pinned him with a smirk, violet eyes dancing with mirth. It was rare for him to show any sort of emotion, but for some reason, he was feeling a bit playful. Besides, his brother always managed to get twisted up when it came to Kiranne. He let his eyes slid to her, mouth slipping into a wide grin, and knew exactly why his brother was so different around her.

"Fight? What the hell? Have you lost your mind?" Dante gawked at his almost identical younger brother. "I'd kick your ass before you could even think to take a swing."

Malachi's dark brows rose. "Oh? Wanna put that theory to the test?"

Dante's grin was feral as he said, "Oh yeah. You're going down, brat."

Before they could so much as lift their hands to pummel each other, Kira threw herself forward. "Wait!"

Both brothers' were currently sandwiching her, causing all three teens to flush. "Umm, c-can't I just d-doctor both o-of you?"

Dante scowled as he reached over her to cuff his hand across the side of Malachi's head. "No. You nailed me, so you fix me. End of discussion. Besides," he added when he glanced over at the hovering Melody near them, "Melody isn't busy. She can 'doctor' you." He turned to the blonde girl with a cocky grin. "Right, Melody?"

The youngest Matthews girl flushed and ducked her head so her golden hair curtained her face. "Umm…if he…wants me to."

Dante nearly burst at the seams when his baby brother flushed pink before glancing down at the white sheets with a slight shrug. He winced as the movement pulled at his shoulder. "Hn."

"Translation: he would love for you to be his doctor, Melody." Hannah's daughter blushed again when Kira handed her an extra ice pack and she pressed it hesitantly against Malachi's wounded shoulder.

Kiranne and Dante exchanged amused looks when Melody tried to start up a conversation with the lazy boy. Dante took notice that it was the first time Kira did not blush when making eye contact with him. And that, for some reason, caused him to smile.

"Um…you played well, Malachi."

Grey noted that her baby was blushing and couldn't help but ease closer to the shy teenagers, dragging Shia along with her by the ear. She was, after all, still paying him back for stealing that kiss earlier.

"Thanks," he muttered, his eyes refusing to meet hers. "It would have been better had my brother not used me as a shield." He turned to glare at his older brother, but Dante merely beamed at him. Malachi cringed. His brother was scary when he smiled like that.

"Hmm…but until then, you were…really good. You did get me out, after all." He went red as she ducked her head slightly, concentrating on keeping the ice pack against the bruise. Ethan flitted behind them, mouth set into a straight line. He wasn't fond of the fact that his baby girl was currently conversing with a boy, even if it was Beast Boy's son. Hannah rolled her eyes and jerked him back to her so he didn't do something stupid.

"Hn." His hands twisted in his lap as he worked up the courage to glance up at her. He felt himself freeze when she looked up shyly at the same moment and found himself mere inches away.

Grey merely leapt with joy as the both jerked away with a bright blush, tugging on Shia's ear until he yelped. "Aww, that was so cute!"

Dahlia rolled her eyes at the commotion as she smacked Chase's hand away from the ice pack, only to use her own hand to keep it there. "Dude, that's freaking cold!" He snapped, meeting her scowl head on.

"Ice has that trait," she retorted monotonously. "Go figure."

He laid his hand over hers, sending her a withering glare when she lifted her eyes to his. "It's dripping," he snarled. "And it's killing me."

Her eyebrow danced upwards. "Well then. Why should I remove it?"

He brought his face close to hers, his black eyes going gray with anger. "Move it, Dahlia."

But she didn't back down. "Or what?"

She regretted the retort the minute it slipped from her lips, for his eyes dropped down to her mouth, something dark coating his eyes. Her heart plummeted painfully into her stomach. "You do it and I will kill you."

She nearly lost her cool when he merely smirked at her. "Go right ahead, Dahlia. Be my guest."

And when he leaned in, she jerked back, eyes going wide for a split second as the ice bag tumbled to the ground. She schooled her features in an instant, however, and watched as his face slid back into its usual mask.

"Coward," he said softly, his eyes dead despite the smile on his lips.

She kept her eyes on his as she murmured, "I know."

"How about we head to the ranch tomorrow and ride horses?" Ethan suggested as the gathered around the main room, the adults lounging at the table with drinks place before them. The teenagers and children were sprawled around the couch, the eldest of them taking refuge on the couch. The boys- Shia, Dante, Christian, and Chase- were engaged in a four way battle on the GameStation, while the rest of the male population watched the screen with eager eyes. Malachi merely yawned, his head pillowed beneath his arms as Melody scooted closer to him with a book in hand. Kira was clattering around in the kitchen, pulling together desert for after the two dozen pizzas that Sam and Dahlia had gone to get. Sophie was settled on the counter, long legs folded under her as she offered Kira a conversation.

Grey was sprawled at Shia's feet coloring with her baby sister, Haven, while Cameron and Ada cuddled together on the far side of the floor, her back pillowed against his chest as the watched their family and friends bicker. Lucan was currently fending off Mac with a pillow while she tried to beat him to a bloody pulp, while Cyborg's twins twisted around on the floor in their daily brawl. All in all, it was complete and total pandemonium.

Or just life, as Robin liked to say.

"Hey, watch it! That's cheating!" Dante leaned in front of Shia to block his view as he tried to swerve his car back onto the virtual track from where Shia had rammed him. The older boy merely scowled, using his elbow to try and shove Dante away.

"Is not. It's called friendly competition- hey, Christian, that wasn't cool!"

Christian snickered as Shia's car fishtailed and crashed into Dante's car, sending both of them into the wall. The scowled at him as their cars burst into flames and the screen happily stated:

PLAYER ONE, TERMINATED! PLAYER THREE, TERMINATED!

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Shia tossed down his controller with a pout. "Cheater," he added when Christian tried to drive Chase off the road.

Christian grinned. "Friendly competition."

Shia scowled, arms folded over his built chest. "Payback is in order, I think."

Christian jerked the controller to him when Chase swerved in front of him and kissed his car's fender. "Ay! Cheating-"

"Friendly competition," he smirked as his car darted through the finish line. Christian gawked, wide eyed, before he slipped into a pout.

"Aw man."

Shia plunked down on the ground beside Grey, watching nonchalantly as she outlined Cinderella's dress in a bright, neon pink marker while Haven happily ran her own color wildly on the opposing page.

"I'm not much into Disney Princesses, but last time I checked, Cinderella's dress was blue."

His eyebrow arched high when she dropped the marker to replace it with black and proceeded to draw tiny skulls on the skirt. He chuckled when she said, "Its called diversity. How would you like to wear the same color all the time?"

"Okay, okay, don't get defensive." He blinked when Haven shoved a book at him. She locked innocent eyes with him and stated loudly, "Color."

He glanced down at the innocent coloring book, already marred with the signature of a four year old, and couldn't help but smile. "All right. Sounds good." He deftly ignored Grey's softening expression as he flipped open the book to find a blank page. He regarded the prince from Sleeping Beauty with a frown. "Diversity, huh?"

She burst into laughter as he started to color the prince's hair a bright green. "Nice," she added as he leaned closer to sketch an eyebrow piercing into the poor Prince's left eyebrow. "We're so horrible," she mused as Cinderella suddenly sported purple hair. "Poor Walt would be so disappointed."

"Neh, but like you said, they need diversity." He cocked his head slightly. "So, Haven, who's your favorite Disney Princess?"

"Belle." She answered almost automatically, still making wide, sloppy circles on the paper.

He raised an eyebrow when Grey glanced sheepishly at him. "Ah, that's my fault. I happened to say that she was my favorite Disney character, for not only was she a smart ass who didn't care what others thought, she feel in love with an ugly beast because of his heart, and not his looks. That, and she could handle herself pretty well when it came to protecting herself. She didn't need to be kissed by a prince like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. She thought for herself and loved without seeing merely the cover of the book."

"True, but if memory serves, Jasmine was like that too. She loved a man who was not in her social caliber, yet never succumbed to letting someone mold her into who they wanted her to be. She was a smart ass, too, and did not let people walk all over her."

Grey regarded him with a soft smile. "Watching Disney movies again, Shia?"

Instead of blushing like she expected, he merely grinned. "Ah, you caught me. I'm a sucker for classic Disney movies riddled with romantic mush." He sighed melodramatically. "So much for my hidden secret."

She shook her head in amusement. "You're so weird, Shiamar."

His eyes went wide with feigned astonishment. "Why, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

She nudged him with her shoulder, sliding him an amused glace from the corner of her eye. "Jackass."

"Bad word!" Grey blinked when Haven pointed her marker at her with displeasure playing over her face. "Momma says that's a bad word meant for Daddy only."

From behind them, Beast Boy gave a disgruntled, "Hey." She knew without glancing up that her father was sporting a heavy pout. This caused her to chuckle as she offered her baby sister an apology. "All right, I'm sorry. I won't call him a jackass anymore. 'Kay?"

Haven stared her with a purse of her lips before settling down to resume her craft. Shia made an amused sound in the back of his throat as he added sparkles to Prince Philip's red pants. Grey choked on a laugh.

"Wow," Dante said slowly as he studied the picture. "Looks like something my dad would wear."

Shia laughed. "Yeah…you're right. Betcha anything we could find something like this in his closet."

"Hey! I used to have pants like that when I was twelve!" Beast Boy chirped as he glanced at the picture from over the couch. "Nice."

"Dude…that is so wrong," Chase managed with an arched eyebrow. "That's... wow." He scooted to the edge of the couch when Sam and Dahlia swept in with the heavy aroma of tomato sauce and melted cheese. "I have nothing to say about that."

"Dahlia," Shia pouted as he lifted to his feet. "Chase cheated again."

"We all cheated, you tattletale," Chase huffed as Dahlia cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "Sheesh. Do you really want her to kill me?"

Dahlia lined up the boxes on the counter as she stated blandly, "I can't kill stupid people. It's against my religion."

"Thank God," he mumbled as he plopped down in his father's lap, cackling when Twain huffed and tried to shove him off. "Then Shia and I are safe for another day."

He grinned when Shia sent him an affronted look, ignoring his father's incessant pokes. Shia glared halfheartedly as he pushed himself from the floor, easily sidestepping both Logan girls as he moved to lift the lid open to the closest box. "Mmm, yummy."

Dinnertime, as usual, was loud with laughter and bickering. Lucan was currently squirming ecstatically beside Sam, who had dragged his chair next to her in her attempt to make him feel as if he were a part of her crowd. Shia and Chase were forcing Kira into a chair between them as she tried to get up top scurry to the counter, Dante watching them with amusement playing over his features. Christian was struggling to answer every medical question Dahlia asked him, trying to figure out who the hell she had killed when she asked how long it would take for a man to die if she scraped his throat with one of her arrows. The rest of the brood- every possible child created between the victims of the White Rose- were talking amongst themselves loud enough to have Beast Boy cringing.

"Eighteen years and I still can't handle all the noise," Beast Boy said as he swiveled in his chair to watch the pandemonium.

Robin snorted. "Things will never be calm around here, Beast Boy, so I suggest you get used to it. Once our babies grow up, they'll be bringing us their own babies."

Before Beast Boy could complain on that, Raven added, "And with all the children we have- and prospective romances, if you count all the blushes floating around- we are going to have a butt loads of brats again."

Even Starfire flinched at that one. "And I am sure they will bring them all here, as well."

Robin pinned Cyborg with a nasty glare. "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have an indoor pool, or arcade room, or the perfect place for teenagers and children to hang around. Our retirement is still going to involve bustles of kids. Who told us it was our job to repopulate the world?"

This time, Robin was on the receiving end of a smoldering glace. "Are you upset with our children, Richard?"

Beast Boy snickered at the unease that flickered across Robin's unmasked eyes. "Umm, no, not at all. But…six kids? Well, okay, so a set of twins and a set of triplets were out of our hands. But look at Beast Boy and Raven. They've got four…which isn't so bad, but have you noticed that none of us have less than two? Even Cy has three. That is a butt load of teenage hormones."

From down the long line of adults, Twain snorted. "Try raising four boys and a girl who cares more about sports and rough housing than Barbies and make up. You ain't got nothing on us."

Katelynn rolled her eyes. "Twain, you idiot, they're raising superheroes. Come on, Shia was flying around the room when he was a year old and Sam was trying to shoot him down with star bolts. It took them six hours to find Grey when she was two and thought it would be funny to morph into a fly and ride around on Beast Boy's shoulder. And do we really want to think about Sophie and her knack for becoming smaller than a bee and hiding in Cyborg's tool box?"

Twain scowled, but before he could say something snarky, his compactor vibrated in his pocket. Katelynn, Colt, Harley, and Twain paused as the older teens stopped talking to glace over at them when each brought forth their communicator.

Grumbling, Twain fished out the black oval compact and flipped it open. He held it in the palm of his hand as a mini-hologram flitted in front of him. A tall, lanky man shifted nervously as Twain barked, "What the hell do you want? We've got tonight off, Masters."

"Um, I think there is something you should know, Captain. Do you think you can have me transmitted to a larger screen? This is something that the Titans need to see."

Robin frowned as Twain handed him the compacter. Robin walked to the mainframe and slid it into the drive, quickly keying in a set code. Moments later, a screen drifted down over the bay windows, the man's face spreading out across it.

"What is this about?" Twain asked as he pushed himself off the stool. The room was quiet now, all attention turned toward the screen. The redheaded officer flushed as his eyes swept over his audience before his shoulders stiffened.

"Sir, we interrogated the wind demon as you ordered."

"Oh? And what about the sweep of the crime scene? Did you find anything?" Colt's eyes went hard as the man blanched. "What did you find?"

"Well, firstly, I think you should see this."

Masters turned around when a uniformed cop offered a tiny disk. "This is from the interrogation screening. We…we thought you should see this before we show you what we found." He was seconds away from slipping in the disk when he paused. Twain cursed. "Dammit, Masters, what the-"

"I think it would be best if you did not let your children see this. At least the ones who are not yet teens or don't really understand...sex."

Twain faltered for a moment before he turned to Robin. He nodded in understanding. "All right, we have some things to do. Sam, Kira, Dahlia, Grey, get the younger kids to-"

"Captain, they're the ones who need to see this the most."

Starfire and Raven went stiff as said girls stopped in rounding up the children. "I'll take them," Sophie offered, followed by Hannah's daughters.

"We can take things from here," Melody said quietly, already plucking Haven from her chair. Tension clogged the air as the last of the younger children were ushered away.

"Dammit, Masters, I'll have your hide if you got us worked up over this for no reason." Twain bit out, but Masters shook his head.

"Captain, please, just watch. I think you might need to sit." Colt glared at the screen, causing the younger officer to stoop his shoulders, but the adults followed the offer. The teens lingered behind the couch, confusion written across their faces.

"Why do we need to see this?" Ada questioned, her eyes immediately jumping to Sam and Kira. "Does this have to do with the fight this morning?"

The officer gave a curt nod. "She, the wind demon, wants to talk to you personally, but we did not have direct orders, so we merely recorded what she had to say."

"Can you get her on?" Harley asked. "If this is as bad as you say, then we might be able to get more information if we talk to her through the screening."

The officer faltered. "Um…Captain, I don't think-"

"Get it set up, Masters. You have ten minutes." Twain's jaw clenched. "Malachi, Sebastian, Nathaniel, I want you to keep watch on the door in case anyone tries to come through."

They nodded and headed off to do as they were commanded, but the door slid open and the Matthews girls walked through. "Sophie's taking care of the kids," Roxanne said, eyebrows drawn together. "She said we should come back."

Melody bit her lip as Ethan frowned before answering them with a curt nod. Ryanne shifted nervously when they passed the three teens intent on guarding the door. She knew something was not right. She couldn't remember her parents ever being this somber since the graveyard incident. She flinched when her eyes landed on Kiranne's scar. Though she had been young, she couldn't help but wonder why Kiranne didn't hate her for what she had caused. It had been her fault that Kira had nearly been killed.

Kiranne caught her gaze, eyes softening when the younger girl fidgeted and refused to look up from the floor. Roxanne had always handled Kira's scar better than her twin, but knew that Ryanne couldn't come to terms with what had happened in the past. So Roxanne sighed softly, gently pushing her identical sister towards Kira. Ryanne turned with a glare, but Roxie merely shrugged innocently.

Ryanne glanced up at the older girl, who scooted over so Ryanne could take a place next to her. Shyly, Ryanne edged between her and Dahlia, both of them towering over her by a good foot. She eased a hip against the back of the couch while officers darted around in panic on the screen, Masters stumbling over his words as he ordered for them to set up a meeting between the demon and the heroes.

"Dammit," Beast Boy cursed, his carefree mood vanishing as his body stiffened. "There is only one reason why they're so dead set on us seeing this."

"We can't jump to conclusions," Robin reasoned, but a hard glint sharpened his gold eyes. "It's been eighteen years this January. If she hasn't attacked by now, it's likely she won't do it now."

"But why else would he be so adamant about us seeing the screening with the demon? She knows something and has told everything she knows." Raven risked a glance at her children, mouth turning down when Dante and Grey locked violet eyes with hers. Both were shadowed with confusion, but mostly, they were hard with knowledge. They knew of the White Rose past, but all answers had been vague. They had barely scraped the top, merely summing it up.

But Raven had a sinking feeling that things would no longer be a horrifying memory to them anymore.

Masters appeared on the screen again, pale face flushed. "We have things set up, Sir, but…I don't know if this is the best way for things to go about. She's been screaming…things all day."

"What things?"

When his eyes flickered to every girl lined behind the parents, the White Rose victims stiffened. "Dammit," Raven muttered, her heart sinking in her chest. "Not now."

Sympathy danced in the officer's brown eyes as he managed to say, "I'm so sorry, Captain. I'm transmitting her to you now."

Hélène sat at a scarred metal table, broken wrists laid before her and eyes locked on the screen. She smiled slowly, pointed teeth flashing against the florescent lights as gaze jumped over each face at the Titan Tower.

"Well, well, looks like the gang's all here," she purred.

"What do you want?" Robin seethed. "Haven't you caused enough trouble today?"

She shrugged lightly, the vision of calm. "You can never cause too much trouble, Robin. It's why people like you are here." She leaned forward, flinching when the movement jarred her wrists. "But I'm not here to talk nice with you. I have a message."

She grinned when his face went pale and his teammates stiffened. "You catch on quickly. It's been eighteen years since then, hasn't it? But you haven't stopped looking over your shoulder, have you? You haven't stopped wondering when she'll appear again, and snatch your daughters right out from under you. She doesn't want your men. Oh no, your baby boys are safe. But again, this is something I'm sure you know as well. After all, you don't spend that much time in the hands of a rapist without getting to know their mind. You've gone over every possible way to shield them from her, haven't you? Training them to defend themselves, forcing them to strengthen mind and body so they can get out of any situation."

"Why are you saying this?" Colt ground out, trying to ignore the way his wife's breath caught in her throat when memories swamped her. He tried to forget about the feel of her blood on his hands, tried to forget the raw terror of knowing he could lose her, tried to forget everything that those bastards had done.

"Well, you see, I have two choices. One, I rot in prison knowing she'll get me, yet unable to find out when. Two, she finds me and tortures me for failing. I figure I might as well leave my imprint before she gets me. Not even prison bars will keep her away."

She stood up, weaving around the table until she faced the screen. Head jerking up, Hélène smiled. "Boys, you might want to leave. This is between me and those little whores standing next to you."

Dante gave a low, lethal growl as green power flashed through Shia's eyes. "Do not speak of them like that," Beast Boy snarled.

"I gave you fair warning," she sighed. "I fear my time's running short, so I must relate my messages quickly."

She shifted her eyes, and to everyone's unease, locked dead eyes with Kiranne, and Kiranne only. "Get ready, bitches. You're all going down." She grinned slightly. "And I can promise you this, sweetheart. That scar you harbor now? That ain't got shit on the things she'll do when she gets a hold of you. That," she added when Robin and Shia leapt up, intent on ripping the screen to shreds as Dante jerked her to his side without thinking, "goes for more than just you, Kiranne."

Officers piled into the room after her last comment, binding her broken wrist behind her back as she howled in pain. But before the line could be cut, she screamed out, "They're paying for you, you know! She auctioning off the ones she doesn't want! No one is safe anymore! No one will be safe until she kills off every goddamn one of your little daughters'! Keep that in mind when you sleep at night. Better enjoy the time you've got. She will not stop until you kill her and every one of her lackeys."

They could only watch as Hélène was shoved out of the room, still screaming out about Rebecca's plans. Suddenly, the feed cut and Masters stricken face filled the screen. "Captain," he started out slowly, "I…what she said…it was mere child's talk compared to what she said on the interrogation disk. On that…all she talks about is…their rape. Nothing more." Masters's young face went green. "It…went into explicit detail, Captain. Some…well, some of the officers couldn't handle listening to it. It's…why I didn't want the children to hear it, if you had chosen to watch that.

"But, Sir, that's not all."

"Oh, this is fucking great," Twain snapped. "What else?"

Masters straightened his shoulders, throwing another apologetic look at the victims of the past. "Well, at the scene, we found this."

He moved away from the screen to zoom in on a string of white, un-bloomed roses lined on a metal desk. "Sir, we did a count," he said softly. "Given the circumstances, we knew there was a hidden meaning behind the quantity." When Twain merely stared at him, eyes hard, Masters swallowed hard. "There…there is a rose here for each daughter of the White Rose survivors."

No one made a sound when Starfire burst into tears.