A/N: As always, leave me a review and let me know what you think about the chapter!
[1]: "Mother, I love you."
[2]: "Thank you, Anastasia."
[3]: "Who is that?"
[4]: "You're lying. Are you sleeping with him?"/"Tell him to stop looking at me like that."
[5]: "My name is Dick Grayson."
Resurrection
The Calm Before the Storm
More and more of their training sessions had been cancelled, but Anastasia had failed to notice the pattern until a month had passed since her meeting with Batman. When there was a training session, it was much more intense and much more deadlier than it ever had been before. All that she could guess, since she had learned to never question Talia, was that she was nearing the end of her tutorage under the older woman which meant that her final test with said woman's was approaching and that thought was something that had kept her up more than one night.
Ra's al Ghul, who had been visiting their training sessions about as much as she and Talia had them, was becoming a source of terror for Anastasia because she was more scared about him finding out her secrets than Talia. Each time he took over her training, she could feel his gaze on her, piercing as he watched each move she made, almost like he could see inside her–as cliché as that might have been.
Most of the time, she thought about breaking down and seeking out Batman to help her, run Ra's and Talia al Ghul out of Gotham for good, but she figured he had more on his plate and didn't have the time to sweep up a mess she made. Sure, he had tried an intervention, but she had been hostile–which is putting it mildly–toward his attempt and she was sure he didn't give out second chances.
When it came down to it, Anastasia was running out of time, running out of options and she was terrified of the future.
"Ana," she blinked toward the person waving a hand in front of her face and gave her best friend a sheepish smile while he frowned. "Are you whelmed? You seem stressed out."
"I'm fine. I appreciate the concern, but…yeah. A little exhausted, but doing fine." She breathed out while glancing toward the bus stop the two of them were approaching. "We should stop talking about me and talk about how you need to go home and rest. You look awful, Dick. You shouldn't have walked me here."
Her companion's gaze narrowed at her, but he subconsciously wiped an arm across his sweat-covered forehead. "I'm serious, A. If something is up then tell me."
"The sky is up and I'm telling you. Happy now?" The frown stretched across his face widened and he opened his mouth, but she smiled wryly and cut him off. "Get back to Alfred before he starts throwing a fit about you exerting yourself while being sick or something like that with a British accent thrown in."
As Anastasia climbed onto the bus that pulled up in front of them, waving her friend off, he caught her wrist and she turned around, noting his reddening cheeks. As she cocked her head to the side, dark hair tumbling over her shoulders, he looked away from her and rubbed the back of his neck.
"We should go out Friday." Dick commented while glancing back at her. "We can go to the movies or get something to eat or both. Oh, but not like out. I meant like…doing something other than hanging out at my place. I thought we could celebrate your birthday early since you're going to Russia for spring break which your birthday is on."
"I'd love that. You can text me when you're feeling better and we can talk about the time and all that." Biting her lower lip, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I hope you feel better."
Taking a step back, the door to the bus closed and with a grin plastered on his face, Dick turned around and dashed back toward his waiting ride home. When she turned around, she was in such a good mood that she ignored the glower the bus driver was giving her.
With her best friend out of commission and her entire body still aching from the previous botched patrol night, Anastasia decided to reel in the vigilantism and work on her controlling her elemental abilities better. Throughout the past month, she had switched back and forth between patrolling and practicing with her natural abilities.
The dark-haired teenager walked through the dead construction sight, stalking toward the large iron beams stacked on the ground and surrounding that was a large puddle. After glancing around one more time to make sure there was no one left at the sight, she shoved down her hood and shoved on her mask.
Sucking in a deep breath, she stared at the iron beams and as she imposed her mental will on the metal, she could feel the burden weighing down on her arms. The experience she gained over the past month taught her that the larger the object and the less pure it was from the natural four elements, the more of a strain it would put on her. Of course she could use more experience with the natural elements, but she needed more practice with the less pure elements.
The invisible pressure was hard for her to push against, but she raised her arms somewhat and the beam groaned before it raised in the air about an inch. The next few minutes were spent with her trying to get the beam up–which moved inch by painful inch–until the point that there was sweat trailing down her forehead.
When someone tapped her shoulder, she gasped in terror and grabbed the person by their wrist, flinging them over her shoulder while the beam slammed back down with a loud boom that echoed throughout the surrounding area. With an erratic heartbeat, she was panting and looked down at the person she had thrown on the ground. Her mouth fell open when her emerald gaze landed on the large R brandished across said individual's chest.
"What the hell?" Anastasia hissed under her breath, stepping back from Robin. "What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?"
Robin rolled his shoulder forward and back while rubbing at his wrist and sending her a pout that she found familiar. "We were in the area and heard something. Batman sent me over here to check it out." He frowned at her. "I thought we told you to keep your powers hidden. I don't think you get how easily someone could find out about them and–"
"I've got more of an advantage against them than you do." She retorted while glancing at the ground and sending a rock soaring past his head.
Quicker than she comprehended, his hand flew down to his utility belt and then back up, his personalized batarang chasing after the rock. The batarang hit the target, knocking against the rock before exploding, sending chunks of the rock all over the both of them.
"You were saying?" Robin replied with a smug grin.
Gaze narrowing in anger, she raised her hand up while flames erupted in her palm. She spun back around toward the steel beam, intent on completing the task she had set out to do in the first place and hoping that Robin would leave her alone if she didn't acknowledge him being there with her.
"Does that happen with each element?" Anastasia was near the point of screaming out in aggravation or dousing the Boy Wonder in flames or both. "The whole eyes lighting up thing?" He reiterated while leaning closer to her.
"I have no idea." She held out her hand, as if she was holding something in her palm, and flung it toward him, a large patch of mud splashing over him. "You tell me."
"I was right. They turn different colors, though. The fire was red, earth was green, and I can be sure water will be blue and air will be gray or white." Robin analyzed while attempting to wipe the mud off him, a frown on his face.
Anastasia glanced toward him, scowling. "Am I in trouble for messing around inside this site? Because I'm sure this could be considered cruel and unusual punishment."
"Original," he commented sarcastically. "You need to stop flaunting the powers. You don't want the wrong person finding out about them. Oh, you might want to keep low on the Batman radar. He's given his final warning."
When she ran a hand across her face and looked back toward him, he was gone. With a sigh of frustration, she tore the mask from her head and shook out her dark hair, stalking toward the exit of the construction site.
That was the end of her brief training session.
An hour before she was supposed to meet Dick, she was staring at the bed with her best clothes, wondering what she should wear. Most of what she had, which wasn't much, were what her grandmother had sent her from Russia. And although she was sure he wouldn't care about her appearance, she still wanted to look nice for him even if it wasn't a date.
"Someone is going on a date, aren't they?"
Anastasia glanced over her shoulder at her mother who was leaned against the doorframe, smiling in a knowing manner. Sonya stepped forward, closing the door behind her, and glanced at the bed.
"Is it with Dick?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "But this isn't a date. This is for my birthday."
Her mother's smile grew. "There might be a date in the future. Stefan…he was my best friend then we fell in love and got married and, well, you know the rest." With a nostalgic sigh, she sat on the edge of the bed, tears in her eyes. "Anastasia, I'm sorry for how we've treated you. Because of us not being there, you had to take care of Karina. You had to grow up too, too fast. We've ruined your childhood and I'm so, so sorry."
"Don't…" Anastasia sighed and fidgeted with a shirt on the bed. "I don't–I know that it didn't turn out like you both wanted it to when you came here to Gotham before I was born. And I know it must have been hard after I was born. I'm sure going back to Russia would have been a blow and–" she shrugged. "Some people have a hard time dealing. I understand that."
Sonya pressed a hand against her daughter's cheek, the two of them staring into matching emerald eyes. "We never deserved to have you." She murmured with a bitter smile, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Mat?"
"You should wear the pink one. You look beautiful in pink." Her mother suggested as she wiped at her face and walked out of the room, giving Anastasia one last smile.
The teenager poked her head out of her door, blinking at her mother's back. She watched as the older woman grasped at a needle resting on the kitchen table, staring at it with a trembling hand. As Anastasia was about to turn back around and head back her room, she saw her mother toss the needle onto the ground, instead holding onto a chair. The woman doubled over, sobbing while letting out a small whimper.
Sucking in a deep breath, Anastasia padded out of her room and hugged her mother from behind. After Sonya wiped away her tears, she turned around and returned the embrace, burying her face into the dark hair of her child.
"Mat, ya lyublyu tebya." She murmured against her mother's stomach. [1]
"Spasiba, Anastasia." [2]
While brushing her dark hair, waiting until she had to leave to run toward the bus stop, there was a knock on the front door to the apartment. Both mother and father sleeping in their room, she walked out of her room and opened the door, her face heating up when she saw her best friend standing there.
"I thought we were meeting at the theatre." Anastasia hissed while glancing down the hall to make sure no one was around before dragging him into the apartment. When he raised a brow, she made a face. "People are desperate around here. You could get mugged or worse and what are you doing here?"
"I'm being a gentleman. Is there a problem with wanting to escort you style?"
Placing a hand on her hip, she sent him a look. "And how do you plan on doing that? Is Bruce driving us in the Lamborghini?"
"That's for me to know and for you to find out."
Before she could open her mouth to retort, there was the sound of a door opening and she glanced over her shoulder, watching her father walk out of the bedroom with growing dread. As he mumbled under his breath in Russian, she started shoving Dick out the door while whispering curses and promises to explain later.
"Kto eto?" Her father's voice boomed from behind her. [3]
Anastasia turned around, glancing up at him with a blank expression. "This is Richard, my friend. We're going to get something to eat. Mat knows that we're going." She glanced to her parent's bedroom where her mother was poking her head out the door, glancing fearfully at her husband.
"Vy lzhete. Ty spish's nim?" Stefan accused while glancing toward Dick who was now frowning. "Skazhite yemu, chtoby perestat' smotret' na menya tak." He hissed. [4]
"Menya zovut Dik Greyson." Dick introduced and stepped forward with an outstretched hand. [5]
Running a hand over his head, Stefan glanced at his daughter who was hiding her face in her hands then back to the teenager in front of him. "You speak Russian? How do you know to speak?" He snarled while crossing his arms over his broad chest.
Dick shrugged with a forced grin. "My dad wants me to be a well-educated person."
"Bring her home early. No messing around."
Considering the fact that he hadn't spoken a word since the two of them walked through and out of the apartment building, Anastasia was sure that Dick was going to end the night short. But then he led her into a nearby alleyway where there was a motorcycle waiting. She glanced at him and his mischievous grin before shaking her head.
"Are you even old enough to drive this around?"
"Nope."
"So, we're breaking the law?"
"Heavy on the break."
"Well, if we get caught, I'm sure daddy can pay someone off."
"Now you're getting it."
"I wasn't scared at all, Dick."
"The lady doth protest too much. I saw you jump, A."
"The sire doth…see what is not there…ith."
The two teenagers shared a laugh while walking through the nicest park in Gotham after their movie had finished. As they walked toward the large pond, she sipped at her drink still left over from the theatre, and glanced over at her best friend, grinning wider when seeing his own large smile.
"Thank you for the night. It was nice. A great start to the big day that isn't for a week."
"I'm getting a head start. Sue me."
"You're a great friend." When he opened his mouth to protest, she caught his hand and gave him a warm smile. "I mean it."
"I get it. I'm awesome."
Anastasia dropped her hand out of his grasp, laughing with him. When she glanced at her cell phone, at the time, she sighed. "I guess we should go back soon. I hope the beast has gone back to his lair." She dropped her cup into a trash can. "I didn't think he would wake up. I hope you weren't too offended. He was…you know." It embarrassed her to acknowledge her father being loaded.
"You could come live with us, A. You don't have to live like that. You have people that care about you if you don't think that you do." The both of them stopped walking and he caught her hand now, grasping it tight.
"I know that. I'm not going to defend what the two of them do, but I don't want them to loose another daughter. At least not now. Plus, there are memories there. There are things there I'm not ready to let go of. But…thank you." She explained while breathing out a nervous sigh.
Dick gave her a sad smile. "You're welcome. The offer is up until you take it. And here is your present." He dug into his pocket and brought out a small box. He opened it and showed her the silver necklace with a small Adangling from the chain.
"This is…" She took it in hand and stared at it with a open mouth. "Thank you so much. This is so beautiful, Dick." After she clasped it around her neck, she leaned forward and hugged him–which she had been doing a lot of the past week.
"I saw it and it reminded me of you."
"Gorgeous," she struck a pose. "Why thank you, sir."
"Someone is full of themselves."
"I take after my best friend on that."
"You're hilarious."
Anastasia stepped through the door of her bedroom, taking a deep breath while dropping onto her mattress. There was a large smile stretched across her face and she knew that she had to get up and throw on her pajamas, but she wanted to bask in the happiness. There should've been more on her mind, but she was grateful for all that she had at that very moment.
But then someone broke down the front door and all hell broke loose.
