Another really long chapter here. Hope you all enjoy!
Later that night Cass tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep for long. When she did manage to fall asleep it was in short bursts and full of nightmares. She finally gave up and climbed out of bed. Her long hair was out of its usual braid as she moved towards the closet. She had noticed her hatbox earlier and was pleased to find that her sketchbook and pencils were there. Cass quickly walked over to the arm chair by the window and opened to a blank page. Lines began to form shapes on the page as she completed three portraits that night.
~~LineBreak~~
When morning came, Dick had offered to go and wake Cass up for breakfast. He found her slumped in the arm chair over a sketchbook. Risking a quick glance at it, he was surprised to see his own face staring back at him. He took a closer look. The portrait had been done completely in pencil, but it seemed to come alive. He could practically see the emotion – happiness – in his eyes. It was surreal. He wondered where Cass had learned to draw like that.
Deciding that he had snooped enough, Dick reached out to wake Cass. The moment his hand touched her bare shoulder did he realize his mistake. Sudden pain bombarded his nerves and he hit the floor screaming. He was dimly aware of Cass jerking awake and quickly laying a hand on him. Within seconds the pain had subsided though soreness lingered. Bruce was bursting through the door seconds later with Alfred right on his tail. The moment he saw Dick on the floor he immediately rushed towards him.
"Dick are you okay?" He was frantically checking the boy over for any physical wounds. There were none of course; Cass had directly stimulated his nerves. Dick managed to focus enough to see Cass in the back corner with a panicked look on her face, but he was still too disoriented to respond to – or even make sense of Bruce's question.
"Is he okay?" The question came from the girl in the corner. Bruce suddenly rounded on the girl.
"What did you do?" He yelled and started towards her. Cass seemed to be trying to force herself further into the corner, but her face had become blank.
"Master Bruce, perhaps we should discuss this later when everyone is calm enough to think rationally." Alfred stopped the man with his calm words and a hand on his elbow. Dick finally found his voice as Bruce stood there and glared at Cass.
"I'm fine." He could see Bruce's jaw clench but he managed to reign in his anger. Bruce turned around, scooped Dick up and left without another word. Cass stared after them. Her heart felt like it had broken in two. She had just made the one person who was starting to make her believe in herself again mad at her. No, not mad. Furious. There was no denying it, Bruce was furious with her. And he had every right to be. It was Cass's fault that Dick had been hurt. Cass had only been at the manor for a day, it was logical that Bruce would be mad at her.
"Miss. Cassandra, might I suggest you get changed into a more appropriate attire." She started having thought that Alfred had left the room. Somehow, the fact that Alfred had called her Cassandra instead of Cass hurt more than she thought it would. She gave a small nod and Alfred swept out the door, closing it firmly behind him. Her head thunked against the wall as she slid down it.
I should have chosen Belle Rev. With that happy thought; Cass went to get dressed in another outfit that covered her better.
~~LineBreak~~
When Cass walked into the dining room the first thing Bruce wanted to do was punch himself. He knew that any progress the two of them might have made the previous night had been destroyed with his anger this morning. He knew that Cass had acted instinctually and that it hadn't been her fault, but it still angered him. His ward – his son , had been on the ground screaming because of that girl. But Bruce also blamed himself. He should have warned Dick that touching Cass on the skin to wake her up probably wasn't a good idea. He should have kept his temper. But he didn't, and now Cass was paying the price.
The girl's face was blank but she refused to look at anyone as she sat down. She glanced briefly at Dick as if to confirm that he was still there but quickly settled to looking at her plate again. Alfred had loaded it with scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, but she didn't touch any of it. Bruce realized that it was most likely a form of self-punishment. The rest of his anger faded.
"You should eat."
"I'm not very hungry." Cass still didn't glance at him.
"It's not up for debate." Bruce reached over and pushed her plate slightly towards her. Clearly reluctant, Cass picked up the fork and started nibbling on her eggs. Bruce just bit back a sigh and considered what to say.
"I'm okay you know." Dick's words broke the silence.
"You might not have been." Cass countered.
"But I am. I should have known better than to wake the assassin who could kill with a touch by touching her." Much to Bruce's disappointment (and he suspected Alfred's as well) Cass put the fork down.
"Excuse me." Before any of them could stop her she had scurried out of the room and up the stairs. Dick looked confused.
"I said I was fine."
"Master Dick, I believe that Miss Cass is not all convinced that that's the case." Bruce stood up suddenly and followed after the girl. He knocked on her door a couple times, but after no answer decided to let himself in. He found her curled up in the corner of the closet.
"Hey." Bruce slid down next to her. Cass didn't look at him, but he could see her mask beginning to crack.
"Dick is fine, and what happened was not your fault." Cass glared at him
"How can you say that? I stimulated his pain nerves all at once! I could have driven him insane because of the pain! He's your son!" Bruce nodded.
"That could have happened. But it didn't. You stopped it almost as soon as it started, and Dick is fine." There was a brief pause and Cass glanced back at her folded hands.
"I changed my mind." He was confused, what had she changed her mind about?
"I don't want community service, I'd rather Belle Rev." Bruce couldn't stop the sudden inhale, but he supposed that her decision wasn't surprising.
"No." She looked up at him again and glared.
"What do you mean no?"
"I mean no. You've chosen your path; you have to stick with it."
"What if I decided I don't want this path?" Cass voice was getting louder, while Bruce remained calm.
"It's still something you should see through."
"What if I end up killing someone? Killing Dick?"
"I said we have methods to prevent that."
"What methods? There weren't any methods this morning!"
"They'll only be used when you're with the team."
"Then what's the use of them? Why won't you use those methods while I'm here?"
"I will not use them here because I'm trying to teach you that you don't need to be afraid of yourself." She scoffed.
"Right, and not using restrictive methods will do that. No! All that's going to do is get someone killed!" Bruce continued to take her ranting and yelling calmly.
"No one will die." This time he was able to see the tears in her eyes.
"How do you know?"
"Because I trust you." Cass felt the dam break and the tears release. Those four words. Those four ******* ******* words! Those were words she hadn't ever heard. At least, not directed at her. She shook her head.
"Don't say that." Bruce sighed and got up to leave.
"They're true," was the only thing he said as he left. Cass's head hit the wall behind her.
I'm going to have a concussion if I keep bumping my head against walls. She gave a halfhearted chuckle at the thought.
~~LineBreak~~
Outside in the hallway Bruce was having a mental debate about what to do. He had a feeling that any more words from him wouldn't help Cass at the moment. He mentally reviewed Cass's friends; maybe one of them might be able to help. Artemis was off the list, she was going to the team's Halloween party that night, plus she didn't know his secret ID. Travis was crossed off just as fast. Bruce didn't want that little hacker and Cass's evil partner anywhere near his house or his ID. That just left Roy. He seemed to be the perfect choice – he knew who Bruce was, he knew who Cass was, and Bruce could tell he liked the girl.
Bruce gave a firm nod and went to track Harper down. (Because if he was going to continue dating his sorta-almost-feels like daughter, then Bruce was going to start referring to him as Harper. Significant others of his family didn't get first name privileges.) Harper agreed to come over right away and Bruce's dark mood started to lift. Maybe they could get Cass well enough to come on patrol that night since it was Halloween. Most of the Gotham villains laid back somewhat on Halloween night (with the exception of the Joker who was safely locked up in Arkham Asylum) and it would be a perfect time to introduce Cass to the hero business. Roy arrived via Zeta Tube dressed in his civvies.
"You said Cass was here?" Were the first words through his mouth.
"She's upstairs in the room next to Dick's in her closet." Roy gave him an odd look but continued towards Cass anyways. He invited himself inside her room and moved towards her closet.
"Knock knock." He joked as he rapped on the wood. Her head snapped up and the first thing he saw was relief. But then it was marred as it switched to worry and nervousness. Roy was pretty sure he knew why she was so nervous but decided that this would be a long conversation and that he had better sit down. He stared into her eye as he tried to think of something to say. Tried being the key word. Roy ended up just blurting the first thing that came to mind in a very Wally fashion.
"You're eyes are amazing!" And Roy meant it! Cass's eyes weren't like a yellow or tacky gold; the irises looked like they were made of pure metal. They seemed to shimmer in the light and everything. She blushed at the complement but didn't say anything.
"You know I don't care, right?" This seemed to confuse Cass, heck it confused himself.
"What don't you care about?" She questioned.
"Your job, your past, your Meta abilities. I don't care about any of it." Cass gave a sigh as if she had been told this a lot that day.
"You should."
"Maybe, but I don't." He pulled the cup of coffee he had been hiding in his baggy coat out and handed it to her. Her eyes widened and a grin broke out as she snatched the cup. She pulled it up to her nose and gave a long sniff.
"You are amazing." Roy smirked.
"I know." Cass took a small sip of her precious addiction and moaned.
"It's been days!" Roy raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you couldn't go a couple of hours without coffee!"
"Well it wasn't available to me in Japan and I've been so overwhelmed here that I didn't think to ask Alfred for any!" Roy suddenly turned serious.
"So you were in Japan." Cass hesitated.
"Y-yeah. I headed there to hide out, but the Triad found out I was in the city and caught me before I could get very far." Roy stiffened.
"They tortured you." He said it with anger in his voice.
"It wasn't that bad. Anyways, Robin and Batman came and next I know I'm waking up in the cave infirmary and being told that I can either go to Belle Rev. or do community service." Roy sends her a questioning look.
"Community service?"
"Hero work. I have to start patrolling with Batman and then join this sidekick team." Roy nodded.
"I know the team. You should fit right in." He neglects to mention his suspicions of a mole on the team, and that her best friend is one of his top suspects. That would only get her riled up.
"You know the team?"
"Yeah… I was offered a spot but decided to go solo."
"Ah." Thankfully Cass didn't push the topic. Roy stood up and brushed imaginary dust off his jeans before holding out a hand to Cass. She ignored it, not ready to risk physical contact just yet. Roy didn't seem offended, just slightly disappointed. He tilted his head for her to follow him.
"Where are we going?" They seemed to be making their way to the cave again.
"Zeta Tubes. We have to get your coffee levels back up." They passed Bruce on the way, who didn't seem all too concerned about Cass leaving the manor. She supposed it was because Roy would be present. Speaking of Roy, he was currently standing by a silver tube and typing into a control panel.
Curious Cass put a hand against the machine. Her eyes widened at the mass of wires and technology she could sense. This thing was complicated! She put a little more effort into understanding the basics starting at the control panel. Now, Cass didn't know a lot about programming but it seemed that the control panel was sending signals to various biometric scanners. The scanners would then scan the objects it was instructed to scan (Cass realized that they were currently scanning her) and then continue to file away a large amount of data about her body. Everything to how her DNA was coded to the tracking of certain cells as they moved throughout her body.
It began to click and whir as gears shifted and it prepared to do something. Cass couldn't quite follow the process to figure out its purpose. She was pulled out of her curious probing by Roy who had been watching her with a small smile. Cass had looked more peaceful than he had seen her while she was interfacing with the machine.
"As nice as it is that you're making a new friend," Cass sent him a glare, "we really should get going." He held out his hands as if displaying a great prize.
"Ladies first." Cass raised an eyebrow.
"Doesn't that mean you go first?" Roy stared at her for a moment with his mouth ajar though he recovered quickly.
"You do have a sense of humor!" Cass rolled her eyes.
"Brilliant deduction Sherlock." Cass stepped into the tube before Roy could say anything else. She was not happy to find herself completely disoriented in the phone booth moments later. She somehow managed to open the door and get out before Roy came through. She stumbled a few steps away, sure that she was going to throw up. The machine she had just left announced Roy's presence behind her. Roy didn't bother to hide his laughter as he came up behind her.
"Shut up." She growled. Roy held up his hands in a surrendering motion but didn't stop laughing. Cass shivered as she took in her surroundings. They were in a back alley somewhere in Gotham. She could see her breath coming out of her mouth in white puffs and a thin layer of snow rested on the ground. Even through her thick coat and scarf, Cass was still chilly.
Once Roy saw she had composed herself, he gently grabbed her (gloved) hand and pulled her towards the mouth of the alley. Both just enjoyed the comfortable silence as they headed towards a nearby coffee shop. Their hands stay entwined the entire way there. Once they got to the place, Cass ordered the largest black coffee she could find while Roy ordered a hot chocolate. He chose a booth towards the back and when she reached him with their drinks, Cass did something completely unexpected. Rather than slide into the seat across from him, Cass slide into the same side of the booth. She sat as far away from him as she could and kept her jacket and gloves on, but it was close enough that their arms still brushed fairly often.
Roy smiled into his cup. He understood the hidden we're going to take this very slow. Maybe he was reading too much into the motion, but that's what it seemed to say to him. Roy was surprisingly okay with this. Usually he followed more in Ollie's footsteps (or his old ones anyways) and would just pick up a girl for the night or if he did go for a relationship it moved forwards quickly. Very quickly. But Cass made him want to slow down; not just because it was what she wanted, but because it was what he wanted too.
"You're doing it again." Cass's words broke him out of his thoughts.
"I'm doing what again?"
"You're staring at me." Cass turned to look at him and suddenly covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to muffle her laughter. Roy's eyebrows furrowed. What was she laughing at?"
"You have a…" she gestured idly at her own upper lip and Roy flushed and quickly wiped off the chocolate mustache. He quickly turned it into a joke.
"What? You don't like the mustache?" Cass rolled her eyes.
"No, I like the 'stache."
"They you wouldn't mind if I grew one."
"Oh, I would mind. You are not growing a mustache."
"I thought you just said that you like the mustache!"
"I did, but I will not kiss a guy with a mustache." Roy gave a dramatic sigh.
"You're so high maintenance!" He exclaimed then what Cass had said caught up with him. He smirked down at the shorter girl.
"Does that mean there'll be more kissing in the future?" She seemed to debate something before coming to a quick decision. Suddenly Cass was leaning up and her lips were on his. It barely lasted a second before she retreated; blushing madly and looking anywhere but at Roy.
"Does that answer your question?"
"Uh huh." Roy's eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open. The guy looked like he was in shock and he kept staring at Cass. She suddenly put her mug down.
"Okay, you can stop staring now." Her face was still bright red and Roy realized that his staring probably wasn't helping that and quickly stopped, instead choosing to stare at his hot chocolate. He couldn't help it though. Cass was so cute and when she did things like kiss him suddenly (something he was sure was a huge thing for her) he couldn't help but stare in wonder. He was thankful that their sudden departure from the manor hadn't allowed Cass any time to put her contacts in. Roy really, really liked her eyes. He took a quick glance at the time on his watch.
"We should get you back to the manor. I can hang out with you for a little while there, but both of us left our phones back there and I'm sure either Bruce or Alfred is very worried at the moment." Cass gave a thoughtful nod and stood up to scooch out of the booth, Roy followed.
"Okay." This time as they walked towards the Zeta Tube there was no hand holding. Roy had a feeling that Cass had had as much physical contact that day as she was ready for. When she stepped through the Zeta this time Roy did not find her hunched over and practically throwing up. Cass seemed very pleased at this fact. They moved upstairs and back to Cass's room to find something to do. They ended up playing a very competitive game of Uno.
~~LineBreak~~
When Alfred went to check on Cass later (and to apologize) he found Roy sitting across from the girl as they played Uno. He watched unnoticed from the door frame as Roy managed to make Cass laugh and his smile getting bigger. Alfred gave a smile himself as he thought about the cute couple they made. Though Cass didn't initiate any physical contact and Roy worked hard to only initiate contact when he felt she was ready, the pair seemed to fit perfectly together. They both were teasing and laughing as they tried to one up one another. Alfred realized with great amusement that the pair were extremely competitive. He made a mental note to get Bruce to give Roy the shovel talk. Alfred would be sure to follow it with some threats of his own. Cass noticed him standing in the doorway and gestured for him to come in. Roy twisted halfway to see the man.
"Hey, Alfred! You gonna join us for a game?" Roy called out. The man almost said no, he did have several things to cook and dust. But the cocky smirk Roy held quickly stopped those thoughts. Alfred would teach the boy a thing or two about cards.
And teach him, Alfred did. Cass gave yet another bark of laughter as Alfred not only creamed Roy, but creamed herself as well. And he did so with a calm demeanor; completely opposite of Roy's sour one.
Cass had expected it, Alfred was undoubtedly good at all games and knowing that Alfred would call her on it – she didn't bother to cheat this time. Eventually though, the man had to leave claiming that he had to go pick Dick up before completing his duties. Roy had to go not long after. He said something about a lead for an investigation somewhere in Germany. She let him go.
After twenty minutes of Cass wandering around the empty manor in a bored… well… manner, Cass decided that she might as well draw something. She quickly scooped up a sketchbook other than her portraits, grabbed her pencils and markers, and headed outside. It was colder than it had been earlier, but she had thankfully put on a warmer coat. She headed towards the woods at the edge of the estate and quickly climbed up as high as she could go in one of the giant pines. Her sketchbook was brought out and Cass flipped to a new page. She carefully balanced her drawing instruments on a nearby branch and angled herself towards the manor.
She could just barely see the tops of the windows of the top floor over the trees. The picture started out as just plain gray lines penciled in, but she soon added the magnificent colors visible. At this height, it seemed as if every color was suddenly more vibrant. The sky was a bright, clear blue and the trees a Christmas green. The building seemed unnatural throwing in such a dull tan but it all seemed to blend together as Cass smoothed out some of the lines. Instead of keeping its distinct edges and recognizably, the picture was steadily morphing into something surreal. She blended the tops of the tress on the right into the sky. An edge of the manor was blurred into the trees. Writing filled the windows and clouds. Simple words, such as her favorite quotes by her friends. These all contributed to make everything seem softer, more connected, more believable.
"Cass!" The voice yelling below startled her so much she almost fell out of the tree. She peaked through the branches to see Dick walking down below.
"I'm up here!" His head snapped up to look at her and relief showed on his face. Dick didn't seem to hesitate in climbing up the tree next to her. Only once he was eye level with her did he bother to say anything.
"There you are! Alfred and Bruce were a little worried!"
"Why were they worried?"
"Because we came home and you were nowhere in the manor! I just barely stopped Bruce from organizing the League to search for you! I figured you had just grown bored in the manor and came out into the woods. I do the same thing." Cass processed this information.
"How long have you been out here?" Dick asked.
"Um… I'm not entirely sure. What time is it now?"
"It's close to four o'clock."
"Huh. I would have been out here since just before three." Dick raised an eyebrow.
"We should probably get you inside."
"That would probably be a good idea." Cass said with a grimace. She had been so wrapped up in her art that the cold temperature had worked its way to the back of her mind. Now she was feeling just how cold she was. Cass scuttled down the tree after Dick. When she was safely on the ground again Dick gave a mischievous grin.
"Race you to the manor!" He challenged before taking off. Less than a second later, Cass was chasing after him. She caught up pretty quick since she had longer legs, but man was Dick fast! As they dashed through the snow Dick somehow managed to pull a little ahead of her. It was because of this that he managed to make it through the back, kitchen door first – where he nearly ran into Bruce. Dick managed to stop just in time, but Cass wasn't so lucky. She slid into Dick and pushed him forwards into Bruce. The three of them landed in a large tangle of limbs as Bruce overbalanced. They wiggled around a bit, trying to untangle themselves. There was a bright flash and a click as Alfred somehow managed to snap a picture. Bruce gave the man a playful glare.
"You could help you know." He said. Alfred raised an eyebrow.
"I could, but I am more inclined to watch you struggle." Alfred turned and headed out the door, camera in hand. The trio finally managed to get untangled a minute later. Cass quickly put some distance between Bruce and Dick and tried to catch her breath. She hadn't been much help with the untangling as she was more busy trying to minimize any accidental skin contact and the repercussions for said contact. Thankfully she had managed to keep focus enough that no one got hurt, but Cass had been at her tolerance for physical contact hours ago. Bruce gave a little huff and glanced at her.
"Where were you?" Cass shrugged.
"I got bored here in the manor so I went into the woods. I was sketching from on top of a tree." Bruce blinked.
"You were sketching… from on top of a tree?"
"Yes." Bruce threw his hands in the air.
"Why should I even be surprised anymore?! Next time, leave a note, okay?"
"Of course." Bruce left without another word.
"Can I see your sketch?" Dick asked. Cass was about to say no when she saw the puppy dog eyes. They were big, bright, vivid blue and projected the very core of innocence. She quickly looked away.
"Oh, don't give me those!" She glanced back at him and scowled when she saw that he persisted. A heavy sigh tore through her and she held the sketchbook out.
"Fine." Dick grabbed it eagerly and plopped down on one of the kitchen stools.
"Thank you!" Cass rolled her eyes and watched him quickly flip to the most recent page. He stared at the piece for several seconds.
"It's kind of based off of surrealism since that's what everything was like up there." Dick glanced up at her and back down to the book in his hands, his mouth gaping like a fish.
"You did this in an hour?" He questioned.
"Um… Yes. It's not completely finished yet. I have some smaller things I want to add, mainly shading and such."
"This is crazy." He handed the sketchbook back to Cass.
"Hey, if you ever decide that the hero business isn't working out and you don't want to work for the other side either, you could have a great career as an artist."
"Thanks Dick. By the way, I don't think I ever apologized for this morning." Dick waved her apology off.
"Relax and be more chalant! I told you it was fine and that I should have known better! Let it go!" Cass didn't meet his eyes for a moment, but when she looked up again they were filled with mischief.
"Let it go! Let it go!" She sang while doing the Frozen motions with her hands. Dick groaned and clapped his hands over his ears.
"La, la, la, la! I can't hear you! La, la, la, la, la!" He continued to hum as her ran through the door. Cass just chuckled and ran after him. Every time Dick had thought she had stopped and he pulled his hands from his ears Cass would start up again. They ran through the manor until Dick finally made his way down to the cave and grabbed ear plugs. He shoved them into his ears and gave Cass a triumphant smirk. She just rolled her eyes and walked away. Dick kept the ear plugs in as he trailed back into the manor. He found Cass setting up a movie in the living room and grabbed a book to read before plopping in the arm chair next to the couch. He glanced up curiously to see what it was and was highly amused when Big Hero 6 was displayed on the screen. He glanced back down at his book and then back up to the TV.
Well… My homework is done and this book is less then interesting. Dick snapped the book shut with a thud and tossed it back on the table. He removed the ear plugs and relaxed into the chair to watch the movie with Cass.
They were just reaching the part where Hiro displayed his microbots at the science convention when Bruce walked in. He was just going to pass through and head up to his office to do some paperwork, but the sight of the movie stopped him. It was one he hadn't been able to see yet and Bruce ended up sprawled on a corner cushion of the couch. Once Cass realized that Bruce hadn't seen the movie yet she insisted that they start from the beginning. Just as she started it back up, Alfred walked in with several bowls of popcorn. He handed them out with a firm warning not to ruin their appetite and sat in the other armchair to watch the movie with them. When the movie was done Dick cast a subtle glance at Cass and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Apparently the girl had a soft spot for marshmallow health care robots. The family moved towards the living room where Alfred served dinner. The Bats ate quickly before heading down to the cave to prepare for patrol.
"Here." Batman tossed Cass her Ghost gear.
"I'm going with you?"
"What did you expect? I told you we would start your community service today. Halloween in Gotham is as good a time as any to start." Robin cackled from his perch on the Batmobile.
"Plus sometimes the officers will give us candy." If patrol wasn't required already, Cass would have guaranteed her participation at that statement. What could she say? Cass had a weakness for food of any kind! She quickly suited up in her Ghost gear slipping into the persona easily. Though she remembered last minute to tone it back a little. None of the Bats killed, and she wouldn't redeem herself by killing more. Ghost toyed with the idea of a new name and costume for a new personality. She made a mental note to talk with Roy about it. He would have some ideas for her. Batman headed towards the Batmobile.
"So… Can I drive?" G questioned. The Bat gave a little smirk.
"Not on your life."
~~LineBreak~~
Whoop! Chapter 10 is up!
winterandsnow: I'm so so glad you liked it! :)
NerdySkittlez: Yeah, no problem!
Preview:
"Please tell me there's candy involved this time." Robin grinned at her.
"Relax G! We've got plenty of time to get your sugar fix taken care of."
"My coffee fix taken care of would be nice too."