A/N: Another chapter! A lot of lighter moments in this one. (sort of.) A bit of this will be tying into the sequel. I guess it'll even out because the next few chapters are going to be crazy. Jason, Joker, mayhem...so on and so forth.
If Delilah was worried about how the events of the day were unfolding, she had a strange way of showing it. Navigating the walkways that were lined with people in their oversized coats and hats, Damian Wayne locked his fingers behind his back as his sister all but dragged him through the Gotham Animal Park with a stupid smile on her face. She sure bounced back quickly.
"That's Yuri, the resident Siberian tiger." She said squeezing along the banister with all the children who were gleefully pointing at the graceful cat who was simply laying there in the snow, staring up at them as if they were nothing more than a nuisance.
"Very…quiet." The boy said drolly, he eyes sliding to the children around them that were attempting to get the cat to roar. But his sister simply propped her arms on the ledge, and started to make a strange soft sound, like an exhale and a roll of the tongue all at once. "What the hell are you doing?" No sooner had the words come sliding out the boy's mouth in a thin vale of fog did the tiger's round ears seem to perk. His lazy amber eyes opened and something similar started to come out of the animal. It was nothing more than a soft rumble of air.
It was enough to make Del's lips split into a wider smile. "Just saying hello. But Yuri's even more vocal with Margo, the park owner. When she does it, he'll get up and walk to the edge of his enclosure. He doesn't do that with anyone else." Except for Selina Kyle.
"And how did this Margo end up with all these animals?" Damian wanted to know as the turned back toward the main thoroughfare.
"A lot of them were seized by the police. She takes in the exotic animals that the GCPD finds during busts. Drug dealers, black market exotics, cruelty cases—you name it. Gotham Zoo hardly ever has the space for them. If Margo didn't have this place these animals would've been euthanized." In a few short steps, the girl realized she was suddenly without her brother's shadow. He was just standing there with a strange look on his face. "Mind yourself…"
At her warning the boy felt a gentle tug on his coat. There was a capuchin reaching its grubby little paw into his pocket. "Hey!" The monkey darted, dragging out headphones in his wake.
"Momo!" The primate scaled up from Delilah's boot to her shoulder. "How did you get out, you little sneak?" She asked, her ungloved fingers digging into the breast pocket of her shirt. "Look what I've got. I'll make you a trade." She said showing the little thief something that looked like a cookie. The monkey automatically held out his empty hand. "Ah, give Damian back his headphones first." The second Damian held out his hand, the primate let them fall. He snatched the cookie from Del's fingers and leapt of her shoulder and into the crowd with his spoils.
"So, how much do you know about falconry?" She prodded as they watched the fur ball scamper through the snow dusted walkways like he owned the place.
"My time was used for more practical things." He sniffed. "Are you going to tell me you actually know something about it?" The second her bell like laugh skipped into the air, the child felt his lips falling. "What's so funny?"
"I just never thought I'd have to teach you how to do something. That's what I do here. I help Margo with the birds. Most of them come to her with injuries, and when they're healthy, we release them. You're not the most patient person in the world, but I think you'll manage. You might even like it."
"You know what I'd like? I'd like to stab you."
The sun had made the snow covered ground seem to gleam, and somehow the brilliant light did nothing to stave off the bitter wind. It had turned the tips of his ears to the color of blood, even with his hood pulled over his head. There was certainly an annoying ache crawling through his ears, and yet the boy couldn't think over the pin prick of claws on his gloves. "All you're going to do is pop her in the air, not hard. Just enough that she has to use her bad wing a little." Even though he could see the wisps of his sister's breath climbing into the sapphire sky, Damian found himself blinking at the small hawk that was nervously perched in his gloved hands.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see a small crowd building along the wooden railings that traveled the park. People were pressing in just to get a glimpse of the small speckled hawk. "Just pretend they're not even here. She has no problem doing that, trust me." Feeling Del's hands under his, the boy had to fight not to rip his hands away. Just what the hell does she think she was doing? "I'm just going to show you how much force to use, and then you'll try it on your own." True to her words her hands lifted up with his, it wasn't a very hard thrust, but enough to get the hawk to spread her wings into the sky and then flap safely back down to the safety of his fingers. Del let her hands fall, as she watched the boy push the bird back into the air just as smoothly as before. "Perfect. I thought you might have a knack for this."
"Tch. I'm good at everything I do."
"Well, excuse me." The girl thought to retort further, and yet watching him look up at that hawk with that triumphant face she could do nothing but shake her as she turned to retrieve a bird of her own.
"Are you taking out that big creature?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the little kestrel for a second.
"Atticus?" She asked, glancing at the dark yellow eyes that were peering at them from another aviary. "Maybe when these two are tuckered out. He's a different ball of wax."
"He's a challenge then?"
Del only tilted her head to the sky, preparing her gloved hands for the talons of the little hawk that was sinking back down to the earth. "For you? Yes. Me? No." She had said the words with such certainty it was almost annoying.
"I doubt it."
But the girl only smiled to the clouds above their headsletting the silence fill with the soft flutter of bird wings. Even if she hadn't spoken at all, he could read her loud and clear. You'll see.
By the time the sky had choked out the sun with thickening clouds of the snow to come, Damian began to pick out familiar faces leaning against the fence, though he wasn't sure if he cared for the way Timothy Drake was staring at his sister. He couldn't help but smirk when Grayson weaseled in beside the wretch only to put a fist into his arm. We agree on something. Not that he'd ever tell that knucklehead.
Feeling his hood being pulled from his head, Damian could help but shoot a glare over his shoulder. "Let's put her up, she's had enough." Del said to him. Of course she had no idea how damn lucky it was that his hands were full. No one touched his hood! No one! But as her gloved fingers cupped his frozen ears, the child could feel the sneer sliding from his face. With only an upward glance, he could see the long strands of Del's hair sliding from her black woolen cap. Without so much as a word, she pulled the thing over his head, tugging the edges over his aching ears. "Wear a hat next time, Dummy." She said, flicking his hood back over his head before wandering her way back into the open aviary. The boy just stood there in the snow. There was a part of him that wanted to rip that stupid hat off his head, and yet it was a relief. Not quite sure what to do, the youngest Wayne settled for a glower as he followed her. His sister was a peculiar creature.
"Atticus?" The name rolled off his tongue, summoning a sideways glance from the girl as she lifted her arm to let her hawk hop back onto its perch. "If you can handle him, so can I."
"Okay…" The word came out long and lilting with just a touch of doubt. "Just don't say I didn't warn you." But as Damian and Del crossed the large field to the next giant bird cage, all her teasing and playful nature seemed to slip to the wayside. "Don't do what I do. Do exactly as I tell you." Well now wasn't this curious? Without giving him a chance to make a reply, she handed him a long line with a clip. "Lets him fly a longer distance without getting away from you."
"Where's yours?" He asked, watching the massive bird perk up as the narrow door came open.
Without comment Del slipped inside, shutting the door behind her before the boy could follow. She simply held up her glove, not even hesitating under the golden eagle's shadow. He could hear her soft voice sliding out, but the noise was so low it was barely audible, but the eagle seemed to settle under the soft notes. "You're not going to be testy today, are you?" She crooned, sliding back into the open. "I'm going to let him stretch first, and then I'll let you try."
Stepping into the faint beams of light she had the boy pause. "Hold out your arms."
"What does this have to do with anything?" he grumbled, as he stared down at his shadow trying to pay no mind to the soft murmur of the crowd. Behind him he could hear the sound of feathers unfurling, and suddenly there was the faint silhouette of wings blocking out his shadow. The bird's wingspan was longer than his own arms.
"Look how big it is, Mama!"
"How big is his wingspan, Del?" Damian let his arms fall to his sides the moment he recognized that irritating voice. Didn't that kid have a life somewhere else?!
"About seven and a half feet." Seeing the bird's shadow rise on the snow, Damian lifted his head just in time to see the creature glide through the air, only to circle back on his massive wings right back to Del's hand. The girl was grinning but he couldn't tell if that was because of Atticus…or Tim. "Damian take the clip on the end of that leash, and clip it to the metal band right there on his leg." She said gently between her cooing. "Nice and slow."
With steady hands, Damian reached under the eagle, knowing full well his sharp yellow eyes were watching his every move. No sooner had his cold fingers pulled the metal plunger of the clip down Did the bird raise his head. The meat clutched in the girl's fingers was all but forgotten. The next thing he knew, the eagle puffed himself up and began to rear his head back. His eye's caught the flash of his talons just before Del slung her free arm over his head, forcing the eagle to latch onto her arm rather than his head. "Shit. You're gonna be grouchy, aren't you?" He heard his sister hiss.
"I say…are you sure…" Pennyworth.
"As long as he's with Del, it'll be fine. But if it were anyone else? No. I wouldn't even let the kid try. That bird's old and cranky. He doesn't even like me half the time, and he's been with me almost seventeen years."
Damian tried to tune out the voices as he let his eyes fall back on the bird who was settling back on Del's arm. "You good?" She asked, clipping the line to the bird herself before handing the end to him. With a lift of her hand she sent the eagle back into the air, letting his shadow speed along the frozen ground. "Arm up."
No sooner had he put his gloved hand into the air did Atticus dive for the ground, opening his talons just like before. So certain the creature was going to have another go at him, he ducked, dropping his hand to protect his head. It was enough to force Del to shove her hand out.
"It's okay; he was just getting ready to land." She whispered, watching the color drain from his face. "You don't know his body langue yet. That comes in time. Ready to try again?" He looked so disappointed, but in the space of a breath that stoic face was back in place.
Damian Wayne simply straightened himself out and stared at the bird on his sister's arm. "Yes." At the word Delilah sent the bird back into the air, but as the creature stretched and soared, the thin lead in his hand suddenly became slack. Instead of circling back Atticus went straight for the crowd, as if he knew the line had broken and there was nothing the boy could do about it.
To her credit his sister did curse or even panic. "If he lands near you," she stated to the crowd, "please don't reach for him. Don't try to pet him. I'll come get him. If he lands on you, just be nice and calm." Without wasting any time, she left him standing there as she followed the eagle's path. For a moment he was sure the eagle would perch on one of the tall pines along the walkway when suddenly a leather glove reached up into the air from the crowd.
Del felt the breath rush out of her as she slipped through the small throng, watching Atticus' shadow lower onto someone's outstretched arm. Spying a familiar face the girl paused right there in the walkway as the bird settled himself on her uncle's arm. "Are you following me?" she mouthed, but only a small smile worked its way to the man's mouth as he sent the Atticus gliding to her. "Where's the vet's office?"
Taken aback by the simple words, the Delilah blinked, aware that there was a bird box by the man's feet. "Follow this path to the intersection, take a right." She murmured, feeling Atticus' weight shift on her hand. Not wanting to draw attention to the man she turned away. "Ready?" The second Damian put his hand out Atticus was off, damn near dwarfing the boy as he gripped onto him, sending the small crowd into a round of applause.
"She taught you well." When the girl finally turned around, the man was already disappearing down the pathway. How long had he been there?
Crouching in the snow under Atticus' hovering shadow, Delilah watched carefully as the Damian slowly won the massive bird over. But in the graying light, she could see something else happening. He looked like a child, even if the moment was fleeting. For just this moment he was only a kid—a kid who seemed extremely pleased with himself. He even looked…reachable.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" He grunted, letting his piercing green eyes fall on her as he sent Atticus back to claim the sky. But Del only grabbed the edges of her coat and pulled them closer around her as the wind swirled through the snow around them. It was almost breathtaking—literally.
The girl pulled herself from her haunches, fingers groping for her inhaler as she watched Atticus' dim shadow glide along the snow, diving and twisting like the wind. "Like what?" She asked, paying no attention as he watched the inhaler slip from her mouth, back into her hand and right back into her pocket.
"Never mind." He muttered, twisting his head to watch for the eagle. "He obeys me now." Oh, wait, that translated to – See? I told you so! But the girl only let her lips pull into a half smile, watching him signal the bird back as she started for the aviary. The bird swooped right over his head and strait to his sister's waiting glove. Touché.
Leaning against the aviary door, Damian could feel the cold metal pressing into his side as he watched his sister's bare fingers slip through the soft edges of the eagle's feathers. Hadn't she warned him against petting the creature? It certainly wasn't like Atticus minded her preening him; his eyes were closed as if he enjoyed it. "How do you do that?" he asked, watching her set the eagle on the nearest perch. But the girl only shrugged as she slipped out of the aviary.
"Hey, by the way, you did really well. I'm sure you'll do even better next time."
"Next time? Who said there was going to be a next time?"
Geez, this kid. Damian Wayne may not have been people friendly. But animals? Animals were another story entirely. She'd seen that for herself, but would say nothing more as Dick yanked the kid by the neck with his arm.
"You did good, Kid."
"It's well, you idiot. I did well. Now get your arm off me or lose it."
"A grouch and a grammar Nazi." Dick muttered, letting Damian duck out from under his arm.
"I'm in a rare mood, if you must know."
"If this is you on a good day, I weep for humanity."
Damian's mouth opened, but before he could work out the words, the knucklehead was throwing his arms around Del. "Hey, Birthday Girl!"
"Hey, Dork."
"Damn, you're mean too! I think he's rubbing off on you."
"Shut up and hug me." Del grumbled, squeezing him back, all the while she could feel someone's hand slipping into her pocket. Only when she broke from Dick did she find Alfred, rolling her inhaler in his hand without so much as a word he let it slip back into her pocket with none the wiser.
"So…Birthday Girl, what'd ya say to some lunch at Mama Lu's?' At the name of their favorite greasy spoon, the girl couldn't help but smirk. But the smirk slid a little when she felt his hands cupping over her ears. "Where's your hat, Dork?" Without another word, he slipped his own cap from his head and tugged it over hers.
"Darn you."
"Zip it. That's what a sibling does. I thought you knew that by now?"
"So how did you end up volunteering there anyway?" It hadn't taken much to drag Tim into their madness. Though it probably helped that Jack Drake threatened to beat him with his cane if he didn't. But as the girl peeled her eyes from the misty gray sky out the window, she caught Dick staring at them in the review mirror.
"She skipped out on Alfred when she was like what? Seven?"
"Yeah, somewhere around there." She murmured, watching the flakes of snow slide across the windows as they fell to the earth. "Me and mom used to go there…not that remember much of it."
"Doesn't seem that far from the house."
"Pfft. Maybe by car. On foot it's another story entirely. Al just about lost his marbles looking for her little ass."
"I guess Atticus got out, because I found him, and then Margo found me."
"Margo just about had a heart attack. Twice." Dick put in. "First she finds this strange kid petting on that bird like he's a pet. She can't even do that. And then here comes billionaire Bruce to collect said kid."
"Oh, he was so fucking mad at me." Del said bluntly, smearing the fog off the window with her sleeve, sure she could feel Tim's eyes on the back of her neck as she stared out into the world that was slowly going white.
"Eh, he was mad at you for how upset you made Alfred."
"He's the one who came for you? Not Alfred?"
"Yeah…" she whispered, watching the sidewalk slither by. It was almost like a ghost town, say for a certain form that was starting to catch her eye.
"Weird, like the park I bet-"
"Dick, stop the car."
"Huh?"
"Stop the car. Stop!" The car had had just started to pull along the curb when the girl shoved the door open and hopped out, paying no mind to Dick's ranting curses as the wind smacked her in the face. Her eyes were on the girl they had just passed. A girl who was trudging through the snow with her coat open, and her gloves dangling, if she knew her hands and face were the color of blood, she didn't show it. "Sam!"
The girl barely bobbed her head, her face run with tear marks, glasses dusted with flurries. "Del?" The word ached all the way out of her throat, and before she could utter so much as a sound, the world was blurring again. Tears felt awfully strange on numb cheeks. Her lungs had barely begun to take in their next breath when she felt the cool slick texture of a leather coat against her cheek. When she opened her mouth she fully expected words to come out, and yet nothing but a sob fell into the air. Then there was another…and another. It didn't matter how hard she fought to hold them in, they were bellowing out anyway. Before she knew it the world had fallen, her knees where on something hard like concrete. And here was Delilah Wayne, the heiress, holding her up, letting her cry until she had nothing left. "Oh, fuck…I'm sorry." The girl blurted when her vision cleared enough to see that there was a car, and a concerned Dick Grayson standing outside of it.
"You freaking freezing, Chick. Where were you going?"
"Barb's…"
"From here?! From the Suburbs?! C'mon, in the car."
"No-no!"
"If we let you walk there, she'd kill us. I mean…she knows where we live." Del quipped, winning a strangled sound that could almost pass for a laugh as she helped Sam to her feet. With a bit of musical chairs, she squeezed the girl in the backseat between Damian and herself. The car rode in complete silence, say for the sound of Sam's sniffling.
"Alright, time to spill the beans, what's wrong?" Del asked, watching Tim turn around in the front seat to hand her that handkerchief of his.
"Anyone got a piece of paper?" She croaked
"Glovebox."
Del watched curiously as the pen trembled across the pit of notebook paper, leaving big thick lines spreading across the page. Family. Without so much as a word, the girl simply lifted the sheet up and began tearing it in half. Only when she made those pieces into confetti did she sink back into the seat.
"Ever since I got my transplant, my parents have done nothing but fight." She uttered, trying not to pay attention to the crest fallen look in the girl's face, or the way that Dick was watching her in that review mirror.
If she hadn't—if I had just…"Sam, I'm sor-"
"No, it's nothing you did. It just gave them the excuse they needed to set off the powder keg. Dad slips into his bottles and Mom…just shuts down. They used to do this when I was little." She said it so casually that it almost didn't sound like it had really came out of her at all. "Back in Chicago, Dad used to drink himself stupid, and if my mom wasn't egging him on, she was taking off. I was lucky that my Grandpa lived next door."
Sam stared at the pile of paper in her hand. "I'd sneak over to his house when shit would start to hit the fan. I don't remember, but there was this one time that I guess I had tried to go to Grandpa's. He wasn't home. It was a good thing it was in the Summer because as the story goes, when Gramps got home that night…he found me sleeping on the porch. He flipped his lid. I mean, they didn't even know I was gone." She managed, feeling her lips pulling into a smile. Smiling? Are my eyes that tired of crying?
"So for a while, they had this grouchy old Irishman keeping them in line. Dad went to AA and sobered up. Mom saw a shrink. They had counseling. It was working sort of. I mean you could sometimes tell there was tension…" The girl just shrugged. "Jordon doesn't understand at all. He wasn't around during all that. And I know they want me to pick sides…but I can't. I won't. And it just makes them mad at me. It's like they don't even fucking care that we're caught in the middle. And the only time they do, it's so they can stick it to each other. Mom took Jordon to Uncle Jim's. You should've seen his face when I refused to go with them. You would've though I betrayed him or something." Sam stopped, to smudge her face with the sleeve of her coat. "I'd rather hide at Barb's—take myself out of the equation completely and let them have at it."
"I wish you would've told me!"
"Well, you were busy not being my friend." Sam grumbled, her tingling fingers digging into her pocket, pulling out a small gold box she threw it on Del's lap. "But I know why now, so you're taking those back, Bitch."
Del stared at the little charms inside. "You sure-"
"I didn't stutter." Sam cried, glancing at Damian when she felt his fingers digging into her palm. Without a word he fisted his fingers around the pile of shredded paper, rolled down the window and threw them into the wind as if they were nothing more than bits of snow. "I think I might like that kid." But the boy said nothing. He just stared out the window watching the snow fall to the ground like paper.
There was something strange about watching the four of them, the way their faces would break into smiles or one of them would tilt back a head to let a laugh billow out…like it was normal to be that damn happy. Somewhere between food and the banter, they had ended up here, a place where a handful of somewhat familiar faces were waiting. Barbra, Fox and his daughter, Pennyworth, Father, even Sissy and her aunt Miss Maddox—all these people had been waiting for his sister. They were even happy to see her. When the last time was someone was actually happy to see the likes of him?
He could've enjoyed seeing Drake make a complete fool of himself, since the kid couldn't stay upright on a pair of ice skates to save his dumb ass. But Damian couldn't keep his eyes from the sky. Soon…soon this pale white light would be swallowed whole by the darkness. The devouring of the day couldn't come fast enough.
"Damian." The boy ripped his eyes from the dimming atmosphere only to see his sister skid to a stop. "Come on. Why don't you join us?"
"No."
"Why not? Do you know how to skate?"
"I don't see how that's any of is your business." He sniffed, as if he wanted to look like a fool in front of all these people.
"I bet you'd catch on quick."
"I said no! Now go away, you twit." No sooner had the words slipped from his mouth did he catch sight of a small gloved hand reaching over the barrier, wiggling a pink finger at him. Del simply looked down with that stupid smiling face.
"The wall's taller than you are." She teased, reaching down to let a blonde haired little girl cling onto the wall. "If you can do it, he can do it, right?" Annabel Collins' little head simply nodded, still trying to beckon him over with her hand. But when the boy simply shook his head, the child put her hand to her chest, letting it scrape over her coat as it circled, Damian felt his lungs shove all the air in his chest out in a heaving sigh, he splayed his hand and moved it out from his chest. "Fine. But only because she said please." He grumbled, shaking off the snow as he slid from the bench.
"You know sign language?!" She called after him. But the kid did nothing more than fist his hand, put it in the air and sign for yes. "Huh, he's just full of surprises, isn't he?"
Did she know he could hear her? Tch. Whatever. Gah, she was a twit. But as Damian sat down to work off his shoes and put on his skates, he often found himself sidetracked by the laugh the twit made. Like her it was a peculiar sound. How did she manage to do that? How could she let go of everything long enough to be that…happy? It didn't even matter that it was all going to end the moment that annoyingly bright star sank below the earth.
The black laces of the skates sat still in his hands as he watched the girl outstretch her hands to the fallen Drake. "You skate just about as well as you dance." She teased, gliding back a little as he worked his himself back to his feet.
"I never said I was good at it." He managed, not seeming to mind that he was soaked through, or that Delilah had him by his hands. Come to think of it, they were both a little red in the face. "So if I go down, you're going down with me."
"You've certainly had plenty of practice on how to take a fall."
"Burn!"
"Dick!"
But the man only flashed them a simpering face as he and Barbra's chair slid right by them. "She's not as nice as she looks, Timmy Boy. She's got some bite."
"Of course, he'd know what a burn feels like." Del jested, but that only made a laugh spill out of the redhead in the wheelchair.
"And yet he still can't take a hint. He hasn't learned a thing. Have ya, Bird Brain?"
"I could, but where's the fun in that? Besides you'd miss this charming face."
"I'd miss you like an idiot misses the point."
"And… she got me."
"Don't believe her for a second." Sam quipped as she slid around them in wide circles. "She'd miss your stupid face."
"See? Even your cousin-hey wait a minute!"
Damian could only shake his head…these people. He had gotten so preoccupied with watching the bunch, that he hardly noticed the bundle of pink with her blonde ponytail sticking out the back of her snow cap. You came to my dance. I saw you. Thank you. She signed. Wait…then she knew…who they were? How?! But Damian forced his frozen fingers to move as he eyed his sister. Surely it had something to do with her.
Who told you? The girl's little smile slipped from her face as she realized he wasn't as tickled by the idea as she was. His eyes were hard, and his mouth with grim. Was he mad?
None of your business.
"You listen to me," he growled, well aware that his sister was closing the gap as his fingers fisted in the girl's jacket. "Don't you breathe a word-"
"Damian, let her go, you're scaring her."
"You told her, didn't you?" Damian took a moment to leer at Del, but no sooner had he done so, did he feel the little girl knocking his hands away. The second she was free she slid behind Del.
"I didn't tell her anything. She figured out it was me the night we had to find her, she knows who you are by process of elimination." The girl said with a roll of her eyes as poked him in the forehead with her finger. "Did you really tell a girl who doesn't speak not to breathe a word?"
"I know she can speak." He snapped, watching the child stick her tongue out at him from around his sister's pant leg. "Oh, grow up."
I'm a child. I don't have to. You're a child too.
"Big baby is more like." Without another word, Del grabbed Damian by the arm and slung him into the ice rink. "Go have fun, you big baby." She said to him, just before his wobbly legs sent him crashing onto his butt.
Damn her! Feeling the dampness of the ice soaking through his gloves, Damian had just begun to crawl to his knees, when he saw Del's skates slice into the ice. "Why do we fall down?"
"What kind of question is that?!" He snapped, his breath heaving out of him in ragged clouds as he made it back onto his unsteady feet. But no sooner had he gotten himself upright again, did his sister sweep his blades out from under him.
"Why do we fall down?"
"You're starting to get on my nerves."
"Oh, I'm so scared. Answer the question."
"I don't know!" He shot out as he climbed back to his feet only for her to knock him down again. What? Was this some kind of childish payback? Father was watching, but why wouldn't he say anything? This time she let him get back up to his feet completely.
"So you learn how to get back up. Your feet are too close together, make them about a shoulder width apart." She could see that glare on his face, but didn't say another word until he moved his skates. "You have inside blades, and outside blades, to get started; you're going to lean on the inside of your skates."
"I wish I could stab you right now."
"Shut up and listen. To glide, you're going to put all your weight on one foot, and push off from the side with the other." Why was she being this way? She hadn't been like this all day long; he could only watch her with curiosity as she slid around him. "And then you're just going to bring that other foot back in. Try it."
"How do I stop?"
"You'll figure that out on your own, now go." What the? When he didn't move immediately, Damian felt his sister's hand giving him a little shove. It took him a wobbly second but he did just as she said, as he tried to balance himself out. "Good. Straighten your chest up as you're going through. Nice."
"Why do you like this?" He murmured, barely glancing at her shadow, as he focused on shoving himself off with his foot.
"Because, once you get the hang of it-it's almost like flying." She said, stretching her arms out as she twirled around him. Suddenly she was in front of him, and before he could stop himself, she grabbed him by the front of his coat; she didn't lose balance, not even for a second. "Don't ever do that to her again. She's just a little girl."
"Warning me, Sister?"
"Simply telling you, Little Brother." She said as she let him go. "She looks up to you, you know? She was happy that Robin came to watch her dance. That you came to watch her dance."
"I didn't ask-"
"That's the funny thing; you don't get to decide who likes you. Now I'm not telling you to apologize, that'd be a waste of breath. But give the kid more credit; seriously, she's brighter than you think. Her taste in people…eh...it's a little questionable…but maybe she see's something in you that we haven't yet."
The sky seemed to grow darker with each passing second. And then…and then he'd be free to roam the city. He'd be free to give the assassins something to fear. After all, Gotham would be left to him one day. He'd gotten so lost in the shadows that he didn't feel her fingers until she started tugging on his arm.
"What?" The blonde thing simply pointed across the rink where everyone seemed to be bunched together, the warmth of their breath ballooning into the air in a giant cloud. Feeling his shoulders sag, he let the girl pull him across the rink, still unsure of what the fuss was, until he spotted a robin sitting in his sister's palm, eating crumbs of birthday cake like it was nothing at all.
"I don't know how she does that." Dick murmured.
"I've seen her do it before." Their father put in, resting his chin in his hand as he watched the bird crawl up the sleeve of his daughter's coat. "But I still can't figure out how she does it either."
"Sorry guys, I don't know how to explain it. I just do it." Del said gently as she turned about. "Damian, hand out." Sissy's fingers slid from the boy's glove as the boy held out his hand, so unsure of what she was up to. "Keep your hand relaxed no matter what." She whispered, setting her bare hand over his glove.
Before he could utter a sound, he could feel the pinprick of tiny claws as the creature ran from his palm up his arm only to take off from his shoulder. "Th-that was a wild bird, right?"
"Yeah."
"How come I've only seen you do that with robins?" Dick asked as he leaned on the back of Barbra's chair.
"Because blue jays are too pissy and sparrows are too shy. Or maybe I just really like robins."
Out of the corner of his eye, Damian could see young Annabel Collin's slipping out the exit. He watched her for a moment as she slid off her skates only to jam her feet back into her shoes. He thought nothing of it, until the girl started heading for the innards of the plaza rather than making it to her aunt's side. Like she was chasing after something…
"What is that girl—Annabel!"
"I'll get her." The words were coming out all on their own, and before Damian could decide against it, he found himself sliding for the exit too. Staring into the crowd he watched the blonde head disappear into an ally as he ripped the skates off pulled his boots on.
"Ana!" The boy had just begun to push his way through the foot traffic, when the blood curdling scream rose over the bustle. "Ana!" He found the girl, shaking in the shadows of the alley, blood rolling down her hands from the gray marked cat she had clutched to her chest. "What the hell is you're problem?!" but the girl only pointed, leading the boy's eyes to a soft shape in the murky snow that had built up along the wall. A body.
Pushing her back, he wandered closer, listening to the sound of rushing feet as they closed in. "Oh, God. Is that—"
"It's a girl…" He said slowly, barely making out her pale face through the snow. Just what had her wide eyes seen? Damian tucked his head, as his father's hand gripped on his shoulder, pulling him back. Had it not been for her outstretched arm, no one would've known she was there…not until the snow melted.
"I'll call the police."
"Jesus, she doesn't look like she's more than eleven years old." He heard Del murmur.
"What's on her arm?"
At the words Damian found himself staring down at the pale white arm, pale say for the burn marks that seemed to scar her flesh. Were they only a few days old? Circles…small circles. Nine of them to be exact. "The nine circles of hell…"
"Circles?" The question was a faint one, before it gave to the sound of vomit splashing onto the icy pavement. Miss Maddox was on her knees, her fingers digging into the concrete as she trembled under Alfred's gentle hand. She could barely hold her head up as she continued to heave.
Grabbing the girl's hand, Damian realized she was shaking. It's just a dead body. But the boy pulled from his father's grasp as the girl worked her little hand from his and proceeded to put down the cat and pull off her coat. "She can't feel anything, Anabel. She's-" But as the girl began to roll up her sleeve he could see what had caused the panic. Circles had been burned into the girl's arm. But unlike the poor wretch before them, Anabel's were incomplete.
The girl's fingers moved fast through. She's like me. She's like me. She's like me. The panicked motions only stopped when Bruce Wayne grabbed the girl himself, forcing them both into the light on the street.
"What'd she say?" Del could hardly register Tim's whisper. "That they're the same… " She croaked, unsure of how to make the knot in her throat disappear. It was almost surreal, seeing this frozen child laying here in the alley. Had it not been for the feel of Tim's hand, she may have let herself believe it was all one big nightmare.
"Now do you understand why we have to leave this city?"
"From what Barb told me, it's a human trafficking ring. GCPD's been following them for years." She should've been happy to be curled up on the couch. It'd been so long since she actually had a girl's night, and yet, through the glow of the movie that blurred soundlessly through her study, she could only stare out the window.
"St. James was taking her somewhere when I found them. He was running with her. But I can't see how he…It just doesn't…"
"Doesn't fit? Are you sure? Think about it Del, what would they have done with you if Batman didn't show up when he did?" God, how many times had she asked herself that?
"I always assumed that they'd kill me...but now?" I won't know, I won't know until I ask him myself.
"I was sure I'd have to tell you ladies to keep it down by now." Alfred said gently, as he pushed a cart full of trays through the door. "I took Miss Collins and Miss Maddox home myself you know. They're shaken, but they'll be fine." Watching the girl sag like a deflated balloon, the man could only sigh. Oh, she'd certainly learned how to brood from the best of them.
"A black and white was posted by their house, right?" I should be out there. I should be-
"Yes, Miss. You should also know that Master Damian is keeping a watch on them himself."
"See? I knew I'd like that kid."
"And may I remind you, that the cave is off limits to you until further notice."
"Did Dad tell you to remind me?" She uttered glumly.
"Indeed he did, he thought you might get a wild hair or something. Now, if I slaved all day on this sponge cake for nothing-" There. There was that wisp of smile.
"You should join us, Alfred."
"No, no. I'll let you ladies gossip amongst yourselves about whatever it is that girl's talk about. Boys, near kisses and such."
"WHAT?! How the hell do you know about that?! She cried as the old man made his way to the door. But Alfred Pennyworth did nothing more than tilt his head to her.
"You're the Bat's daughter, figure it out."
"What the hell is he talking about, huh? Delilah Wayne, you better not be holding out on me!"
"You and Tim?! I knew it!"
"Excuse me?"
"Chick, I had him pegged even before he asked me for your number." Sam jabbered, watching as Del froze in place, fork and all. Oh? Had the sponge cake become that hard to swallow?
"He-you-you gave him my number?!"
"Well, yeah. I had to help the guy out. I mean, when you stopped coming to school, he started hanging around. You know hanging with me does no favors for anyone's popularity in that joint." Sam said, waving her fork. "You guys are always making faces at each other anyway…like you were having conversations without even talking."
"Gah, between him and Jason…Jesus, just shoot me." The girl groaned, pulling the blanket on her lap over her head.
"What? Don't you like Tim? I think he's good for you—who's Jason?"
Oh, no. Pulling the blanket down, Del forced her lungs swallow the air as she climbed over Jax to shut the open door. Did she want to tell someone? Yes! God, she had never wanted a mother, sister, grandmother…some woman to run to after that point. "I need you to hear me out completely…" She said slowly as she plopped back down on the couch, watching the girl's face fall as she recounted the details about Jason.
"Isn't he the guy that, oh, I don't know, kidnapped me?!" Sam cried, shoving her plate to the nearest coffee table.
"Yeah…that was before I removed the chip they stuck in him. Otherwise, he never would have done that to you."
"Jesus, Del! And he's-"
"Twenty-six."
"That's grown damn man!"
"He certainly doesn't look it! The Lazarus pit not only screwed him up mentally, it regressed his body. He looks like he's not a day over twenty. It's crazy. "
"Yeah well, he acts like it apparently." Sam snipped. "Please tell me you didn't let him kiss you!"
"I didn't…but-"
"But?"
"It didn't stop me from wondering about it."
"Delilah!"
"I know! I know! I mean it's weird, it's not like I feel comfortable with the idea. I've never thought about him that way. But I—fuck, it's just confusing."
Hearing Samantha sigh, Del peeled her eyes from the scars on her hands. "You're sixteen. It's supposed to be confusing. Maybe he didn't mean it, I mean if the guy was drugged out his gourd like you say-"
"Oh, he was stoned all right. He was being bitchy so I gave him a little extra."
"Remind me to call you next time I end up in the hospital." Sam teased. "Seriously, Del. Maybe he was just being a guy. An immature guy, but a guy none the less."
Maybe she was right. Maybe it was something that just came out of him for no reason at all. But it still didn't take the memory of his lips from the pads of her fingers. It still didn't make that uneasy feeling crawl back into its hole. "Maybe you're right." She murmured, rubbing her hands against the blanket. "I don't even know what to think." She muttered, letting her head lull back. "What a freaking mess."
"You got that right. And what about Tim and this near kiss? You didn't stop him too, did you?"
"Nope. The train did that."
"Oy vey. But it didn't make you feel uncomfortable, did it?"
"No. Not until we smacked heads. Now it's just embarrassing. I almost don't know how to act around him now. I mean, I think about it ever freaking time I look at him."
Even in the faint light of the TV she could see that scandalizing smile curling around Sam's face. "No wonder you two were red in the face!" She howled, chucking a pillow in Del's direction.
"And now that I know Dad's been reading my texts-"
Sam fell over into the empty space of the loveseat, the sound of her laugh rising up to the beams above their heads. "Oh, God. Batman's reading your text messages?!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
"I'm sorry, that would just suck." The words came in bubbles as the laughter ebbed its way into the quiet. "It's funny, you know…how perfect your life looks from the outside. And yet no one has a clue just how crazy it is." Sam murmured, letting her fingers wrap around her still warm cup, as she eyed the girl across from her. The girl who always looked like she had everything in the world. Strange the one thing she didn't have was all that Sam had ever had. A normal life. "So, what's he think about you and Tim?"
"I think he's waiting to see if we can still manage to work together…"
"Can you?"
"I don't know…I hope so. I mean, I haven't been on duty; we have this rotational thing going. Damian and Tim can't get along, and he doesn't want me and Damian by ourselves. The only night that Dick has off is when it's Tim and I on patrol; even then he's still on call."
"Hey…Tim said something to me." The careful words were enough to have Delilah Wayne's full attention, geez what was it about her gaze that made her skin crawl? "About Mr. Collins…that I might have his liver and kidney. Is—is he telling me the truth?"
"I can't believe he opened his big mouth to you like that." Del growled, but watching the girl's dark eyes fall to her hands, she felt her body relax. "When Mr. Collins was found, his eyes, a part of his liver and one of his kidneys were missing. It could be just a weird coincidence that you found a match for both organs right after his death but…"
"But you don't think so… he said something running a test to be sure…but at that point I just—I couldn't listen to him anymore."
"We can run one, but Sam, that's up to you." She said quickly, throwing off the blanket so she could sit on the floor beside Jax.
"Okay…" Sam murmured, watching Del's fingers as she smoothed out the dog's inky black coat. "He almost looks cute." She said suddenly, feeling her muscles tremble as she let herself slide to the floor. "He's not gonna get up if I-"
"Nah, he's too lazy. He might roll over for a belly rub, but that's about it." She said gently, watching the girl stretch out her fingers, but no sooner had she finally made contact, did the dog make a liar out of her, he sprang to his rust colored paws, forcing poor Sam to rip her arm back as he jumped for the door and the three weary bodies that were pushing through. Without a word, Dick hopped over the back of the couch.
"What'cha girl's watching?"
"Has to be something better than what we were watching all night." Tim grunted, slithering his way to the loveseat as he peeled off his cape.
"Sissy?"
"She'll be fine. Catwoman just up and decided to help."
"What?! And you trust her?!
"Not exactly. But Gordon's taking the last shift, I trust him."
Hearing the hiss of a cat, Del felt her head snap toward the door, just in time to see Jax jump for the gray and white cat in the crook of Damian's arm. "Down, down you stupid dog."
"Is that…the same cat from the alley?" she asked, watching the cat claw its way over Damian's arm only to leap to the floor. Before the Doberman could even get to it, the feline zipped right under the sofa.
"Bat-cat." Damian stated, watching as Jax pathetically whimpered at the couch. "His name is Alfred."
"Cat's as wild as a March hare." Dick said with a yawn, as he toed off his boots.
"I can socialize him."
"Believe it when I see it."
The only thing Dick ever saw was the back of his eyelids. "I love how they just plow through and take over." Sam murmured, paying no mind to the chorus of snores and hissing sighs. Sitting with her legs crossed in the floor the only thing she feel was the faint touch of the sun on her shoulder.
Del's face creased with a soundless laugh. Dick was passed out on the couch; Tim was hanging over the loveseat, out like a rock. And Damian? The kid was curled up in the papasan chair with a cat in the crook of his knees and her dog stretched out just below them. "I don't think we'll be sleeping." Del managed as she worked herself up to her feet. "Coffee?"
"You're speaking my language." Sam muttered, as she tried to force the tingling things she called legs to work. But as she did so, she could see Delilah frowning at her phone.
"What's wrong?"
"One of the families from Page for Parents…their house burned down last night." The words came thick as she stared down at the screen. Any way you can help? Before she could even stop herself she sent a response. Yes. If they can find somewhere to go for the next few hours, I'll have somewhere they can stay.
"Del? You okay?" Sam asked, seeing the glint of tears marking the girl's cheeks.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." She murmured, "Can..uh…can you help me today?"
"Sure, sure whatever you need." But Del only mopped her face with her sleeve, before reaching for the blanket that had made it into the floor. It left Sam standing there so unsure of what to make of the sudden display.
"I need to empty my mom's house…for real this time." She uttered, letting the blanket fall over Dick.
"Are you sure? That's-"
"They need it more than I do. I-I have to let it go." The words came out so thick they made her throat ache. She could feel Sam's gaze on her back as she kneeled by the loveseat and ever so carefully she peeled the mask away from Tim's face, more than aware that her lungs were holding every bit of her exhale. Oh, yeah, trying explaining that one if he wakes up!
"What about him?"
Del felt her shoulders sink as she stared at the boy. "Crap. I can't leave him there." She muttered, feeling her hands slide from her hips. "You grab Alfred the cat and I'll pick up the kid?"
"Yeah and where are we going with Robin and Bat-cat?"
"Put him in my bed I guess. I'm not toting his ass all the way to his room, forget that." She grunted, ignoring the small gray feline's hissing as she worked her hand's under the boy. He wakes up, he's gonna kill me. But the thought slithered to nothing more than the feel of his weight in her arms as she slid out from her study and into the hall.
"You just might get the hang of this." Sam teased as she peeled the blankets on the bed back.
"Get the hang of what?"
"The sister thing." She said, helping her peel the boy down to his shirt and leggings.
"Alfred's carried him all the way from the batcave to his bed. I'm just being lazy." Del mumbled, rolling her eyes when Jax hopped right on the bed and settled his head on the boy's side. "Traitor."
"How long would it take?" Delilah had barely slid through the door as Sam's words continued to echo through the hall. "The test I mean…"
"Thirty minutes or so. Are you wanting to…"
"I have to know. I have to know if these organs came from Mr. Collins."
