A Family

by BaconYourFace

What happens when two girls enter the Bat Family? Follow Christine Carter and Autumn Cross on their experiences as part of the family. Yes, Tim, Damian and Alfred are in this too (major characters, yes) Warnings: contains some gory scenes, swearing, and NO SLASHES. There are a few funny and fluffy chapters later on. Sucky summary but you get the point. Please read and review!

27. Moments to Remember

Chapter 27: Moments to Remember

Autumn's POV

I climb up the wall and pull myself up the window and fall into my room.

I look at my ankle. It's throbbing, and it hurts. But there's a pack of ice that R bought tied to my ankle with a piece of cloth.

I miss my board. It's okay...I can save up for a new one. But still, that board was legit!

I lean on the wall, below the window, and stare at my leg.

I shrug one shoulder and lean on the wall, letting my head fall to my shoulder.

I close my eyes.

"We found the headquarters, Counselors."

"But how the hell are we going to infiltrate it?!"

"We can't send everyone, we'll lose our entire army!"Another counselors argued

"We need to send just one person"

"But what stupid kid would go on a suicide mission like that?!"

I burst through the doors "I would" I said firmly "they can recruit me, I can be a spy, they've never seen my face and I can always change my name"

"You're not supposed to be here, get out!"

"Listen! I'm just a kid, but I am a powerful meta plus I am an expert who wouldn't want that person on their side? Plan's simple, I get in there, gain their trust, don't get compromised, find out where their other bases are on earth then blow up the damn place and their stupid leader!"

"You wouldn't be able to get outta this alive kid"

"Uh, duh" I said casually.

One councillor shook her head. The councillor known for compassion and understanding.

"We cannot send you in alone. We are giving you a team of at least ten people."

"I'm sorry Councillor Clarisse, but that will risk it." I said respectfully.

"Then seven, at the very least." She nodded. "I will not let a child go in there alone."

I nodded. "Fine." One of the five councillors said.

"Who?"

"Only the best commanders."

"Captain." One turned to look at the tall man who gave the news.

"I want Commanders Mason, Logan, Lucas, Daniel, Aiden, Evelyn and Captain Avery on this mission. Get the supplies ready." FIve guys, three girls. Including me.

"Yes. Councillor." He left after bowing all the way down, running down the hallway.

"Go get ready. Commander." I nodded and bowed. I turned and left to walk to my room.

I started packing some of my stuff, I had to bring a light load, just clothes and weapons.

I couldn't bring any sentimental stuff like pictures, they would've burned in any explosion. All I brought was my necklace.

"Autumn." I turned around to see Jake standing by my door. "I heard, you're going on a mission to destroy the axium."

"Yeah." I zipped my bag and threw it over my shoulder.

He sighed. "Autumn...I know this is an important mission. I would go with you if I was in a higher rank...but Autumn...don't go."

"Why not." I started walking towards the door but he blocked it with his arm.

"I already lost my sister." I tensed slightly. "What about my best friend?" He sighed. "I shouldn't stop you. The first time you came here, the first time we met. You seemed determined to end the war. Now, here's your chance. But no one expects any of you to come back from this mission…not even I do. So I guess..." He held out his hand for me to shake in a sad motion. "This is goodbye."

I let a small smirk tug at the edge of my lips. I move his hand down and swing my arms over his shoulder. "I'm not very good at 'goodbyes.' So, can I just say...see you in the morning?" I let go and smiled with a tiny tear drop running down my cheek.

I let out a sniffle and wiped the tear. Jake was my first best friend in my entire life. And he became the last.

"Okay…" He smiled sadly. "I'll see you in the morning."

I pat his shoulder. "There's nothing to be worried about Jake. I'll be back. Don't worry!"

"Commander Cross! Let's go!" The door behind me closed. I walked away from Jake, leaving him hanging.

I climbed up the ship taking one last glance at the cheering people behind me and at the sad face of Jake.

I entered the ship alongside my acquaintances. Or my teammates. Captain Avery started the engine.

The entire team sat on the bridge with grim faces.

Commander Logan. Known for his tech and stealth skills. Great with any kind of knives. Can turn camouflage. (Hehe like a chameleon.)

Height: 5'6

Weight: 180 lbs.

Age: 27

Rank: Commander, Captain

Commander Mason. Tough one. Can hold a sword. Amazing sword fighting partner. Super strength as in break through metal doors kind of super strength. (Like Superman! Eww, heroes.)

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 200 pounds

Rank: Commander, and a trainer for the newbies.

Commander Lucas. Able to adapt the enemy's fighting skills.

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 123

Age: 16

Rank: Commander, trainer

Those were only a few of these skilled and greatly trained people.

They were seated on the seats of the military plane.

Commander Mason glared at me as I stood holding onto the bars near the door.

"So, Cross, what's the plan. This was your idea."

I looked out the open door, the strong wind yelled for us to turn around.

I nodded and kept a straight face. "Once we get to one of their bases, we jump off. We come in stealth mode and make ourselves fit in. That's when we can show our faces. Logan." I looked at him.

"Hack into the system, we need our own clean slates." He nodded and jumped to get his laptop. "We're in as newbies."

I watched Commander Logan type rapidly. "Commander Cross. I've made us our own profiles. We're still in training. They know we're coming in as newbies. They'll be showing us around. Once we get in."

"Alright. Then new plan. Walk in through the doors, causally. As if we really are newbies. Logan. Download all the files you can get from the training base."

He nodded. "Already have. Commander." I nod.

"Avery. Land the ship from afar. Follow us in the base. We'll tell them that you're with us."

"Yes. Commander."

"All of you. Be tough. We need to work to get to the top. Don't know how long this will take. But we need to get to the axis and attack it from the inside out."

I looked at the rest of the team, who are silently glaring at the floor as the plane rocked.

"LIsten up." They all looked up. "I was positioned commander for this mission. I know, by now, that none of you think that I'm just a kid. None of you think that I have some kind of soft spot when I'm on missions." I glanced at Mason. "Because really. I don't. I'm not warm like Evelyn over there."

"So by now. You all know I 'aint gonna give one hell of a pep talk. We're soldiers, in a war. We can't cry, we all have to be tough, if anyone here is soft. Then you better jump off now!" I looked at their determined faces.

"I'm not gonna lie to any of you. We're not coming back alive. You all know that. So if you have any loved ones. There's no turning back now so I suggest you forget about them. But if you can't." I looked at all of them with a determined expression.

"Then I hope you all got to say your goodbyes." They nodded. I stared into their eyes coldly.

After hours and hours of waiting with tense air. We jumped off the plane and landed right in front of the guards of the base. They pinned their guns at us. We raised our arms above our heads.

A general came to us and told us to come in. Captain Avery followed shortly behind us.

After...don't know how long. We had to be confined to that base with no contact of the outside world. The first time we came out of that base was to be moved to the specialist base on a war van.

The new base was hard to live in. But we were tough. After showing The Unknown all our skills, telling them our fake stories. Little by little we gained the trust of the trainees, then the generals. Then we ended up on the axium.

All our things that we brought were burned to the ground right in front of our faces (Thank God none of my sentimental stuff was on that thing). None of us even flinched when we watched the things burn so that we could finally get on the axium.

We walked in the rocket and strapped on our seat belts wearing the really tight black kevlar.

Before the rocket launched I took a glance at Aiden. A tough but skinny teen. His face was tough and determined. He glared at nothing. But I saw a little tear drip down his chin. Poor guy.

I turned back to face forward.

The rocket rumbled and rocked for minutes. Then we launched. The only people that didn't hold on tightly onto the seat was Avery who was so used to ships rocking like this. And me, who enjoyed the ride and smiled.

Before landing on the Axium we took a glance of it. It hovered far above the poisonous atmosphere of Venus. From afar it looked like a hot giant asteroid.

We entered it.

It was full of metas, it was huge and bright. Our headquarters were like dark suits with a far view of Venus.

…

We spent months there. Working our way up.

But nobody really made it to the top but me.

Mason went on a mission that The Unknown leader gave him. He never came back.

I was there when Logan died. The two of us were on a carrier with a bunch of Unknown members. The ship had four propellers that made it fly. The propellers were at the bottom of the ship but still on the inside.

One of the propellers stopped. The Unknown commanded Logan to go fix it. Even if it was dangerous. Logan couldn't say no. I wanted to go instead but then The Unknown didn't want me to. They said that I was too young and that I didn't know anything about mechanics.

Logan and I talked through the com. I told him where he needed to go to reach the propellers and he followed my navigation skills as I looked through the blueprints of the ship.

It was silent at first. All I heard was the sounds of oil dropping and metal footsteps on the other side of the com.

Then I saw on the virtual blueprints that the propeller started moving. My eyes widened. "LOGAN GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

"Cross?" The carrier started to move again and rumble. But by that time. My ears were filled by the screams of a friend. I listened to him as he died. My jaw dropped and I threw the com onto the floor and crushed it.

When we went back to the Axium, the ship was fine, but Evelyn, his girlfriend, and I had to be the ones to clean off the blood from propeller. Evelyn's sobs echoed through the ship as we cleaned the blood of Logan.

Lucas was shot on a mission. Daniel tried to carry his brother through the battle but they both ended up being shot more times than they should have been. I was there when Lucas flat lined on the Axium med bay.

I listened to Daniel's pained words as his life slowly faded. The last words he told me was…"Complete the mission." Then his soul flew where he belonged to.

I was on a mission with Evelyn and Avery when they died. Evelyn died in...an explosion trying to finish the mission. While Avery was killed by Eva. (Who I killed later on).

Aiden and I were the only ones left. But Aiden was caught and found as a traitor.

They tried to make him talk, they tortured him and murdered him slowly. They beat him. But he kept his mouth shut and he didn't say a word. Except one…"Cross." He said that before he passed out.

The Unknown quickly suspected me and the mission would have failed but...when The Unknown gave me a gun and brought me to the execution room. I thought I would end. But then they brought out a jacked up Aiden.

"Kill him. If you and he aren't working together as spies, then kill him." He looked at me as his arms were held. He looked at me with begging eyes.

But what I saw in his eyes...he wasn't begging for me to let him live...he was begging for me to end it.

I let out a small gasp of grief before I turned into a cold hearted member of The Unknown. Then I pulled the trigger...and he evaporated with the kind of gun I used…

A day didn't go by until the explosion when that thing that I did...didn't haunt me.

I open my eyes and rub my neck. Then my pants vibrate. I take out my Cherry Mobile, I open the text and I roll my eyes.

****Break****

Chris' POV

Sarah: "Dance tonight, you coming?"

Me: "Eh, I dunno. I'm antisocial, remember?"

Sarah: "Will you go if everyone else goes?"

Me: "I guess"

Sarah: "K, gimme a min."

What time is it? I look at my clock. It's 5:42. The dance starts at 7:00 and ends at like 10. If I go, I have to get a ride. Alfred has to stay home since Bruce is still stuck at work and Dick's out. Then I have to figure out what to wear...that might take some time. Not because I take forever to decide what to wear, even though that's partly true, but because I don't have that many "socializing" clothes that aren't for rich people events.

And of course, I have to get permission...I wonder how that's gonna go.

Knowing Sarah, she'll find a way to get me to go, so I might as well start looking through my clothes.

As I stare at my open closet, mentally shifting through my clothes, my phone beeps. I walk over to my bed, where my phone, now revealing my Sherlock wallpaper, is.

Sarah: "Matt and Luke are going. Laurel's going since those two and you are going."

Yup...she's making me go...

Sarah: "Tyler will only go if Tim goes, but Tim doesn't wanna go."

Oh thank you Tim!

Sarah: "So I struck him a deal, since you two don't do dances. For every dance that both of you go to, and both of you have to be there the entire time, you'll each get $100. If only one of you shows up, you don't get the money. So Tim agreed to go if you'll be there."

That line...I know he's only going for the money, but if that sentence was all alone...

Me: "Fine."

Tim's going...I also wanna go for the money, since my allowance won't be able to cover the amount of money I'll need to buy clothes for all these dances I have to attend now, plus clothes I need to buy since I'm outgrowing the clothes I have now.

Sarah: "Yes! You aren't going for the money, are you? Your dad's super rich...you're going for Tim ;)"

I haven't told anybody I like Tim, but I've been making it moderately obvious so that people don't start not imagining us together.

Well Sarah's shipped us from the beginning, so that's different.

Me: "Whatever. I gotta figure out what to wear. See you in a bit."

Sarah: ";) k bye"

****Break****

After picking out a white, long-sleeved collared shirt with tiny black polka dots and a dark tealish skater skirt, I head downstairs to the kitchen, where Alfred is preparing dinner.

"Alfred, can I go to a dance at my school tonight?"

He looks up from his cutting board.

"I'm afraid that is up to Master Bruce to decide, not me."

Aw dang it.

"Ok I'll go call him." I say, portraying my obvious disappointment. I walk out of the kitchen.

I knew I would eventually have to ask Dad, but I was hoping that maybe I could avoid it.

Don't make useless wishes...

I know I shouldn't, since I know in the back of my head that they'll only give me dissatisfaction, but I guess making these wishes gives me a sense of hope.

And everyone needs a little hope.

I pull out my phone and reluctantly dial Dad's number.

"Hello?" Bruce's voice enters my ear.

"Hey Dad..."

"What is it? You either got in trouble or you want something."

Almost forgot that he knows what I'm thinking just by my tone of voice.

"Well there's a dance tonight at school and I was wondering if I could go..."

As soon as I say it, I regret it. I'm asking him to loosen his reins on me...again. After loosening the reins the first time got me shot.

A pause. He's deep in thought. I'm surprised he even has to think about this one. I was thinking that he'd immediately say no.

"Is Tim going?" My heart beats a little faster. He's a detective...of course he knows who I like. He's also my overprotective father, so he makes it his business to know.

"Ummm yea...all of my closest friends are going...why do you ask?" I think he heard the nervousness in my voice. I think my voice became slightly high pitched for a second...dammit I basically gave it away.

"I was talking about your brother."

Ohhhh. Yup he definitely heard it.

"Oh well this is a 7th and 8th grade dance. Tim's in high school."

"Okay. All of your friends are going? Then it should be fine. It's just a dance."

"Wait really? I can go?"

"Yes. Just don't do anything inappropriate, and you'd better be home by 10:30. Alfred can take you since I'm leaving work now. If anything happens, call me immediately."

"Okay thanks so much Daddy!" I run up the stairs and into my room, jumping excitedly the entire way.

"Will you still be able to go out later tonight?"

Oh yea. Forgot about that.

"I think so. If I'm too tired when I get home I won't go, but as of now I can go."

"Okay. I'll have Dick wait for you when you get back."

"Yay! I love you Daddy! See you later!"

"Okay. Have fun. Bye."

Yes! Usually I'm not excited for social events, but anything can be fun as long as I have my friends with me.

I look at my bedside digital clock. It's 6 o'clock! I have to leave in 25 minutes or else I'll be late!

Wait, that means I have to run back downstairs...

I loudly burst out of my room and nearly bump into Tim and Damian. I find it odd that even though those two get into the most fights, I usually find them together. Either just walking or actually fighting...probably just because of their ages.

"Where are you going?" Damian raises his eyebrow as he looks me up and down. "And why are you wearing different clothing?"

"There's a dance tonight. Obviously you don't know about it." I say, looking at his baggy jeans and slightly wrinkled tshirt with some weird picture on it.

"I don't like it. I demand you change immediately."

"Damian, I am not going to change just because I look more like a girl now." That's not exactly true. This is a skater skirt, collared long-sleeved shirts are kinda what boys wear, even though this is a girl version, and I'm not even wearing any makeup. My hair isn't even styled or curled or whatever. It's just down like it usually is.

"That's not the reason I want you to change. It's making Drake a little happy. It's annoying." He gestures to Tim, who's just staring at me, his cheeks a light shade of red. He blushes a lot.

"What?! I just think she looks nice, that's all. Have fun at your dance..."

I smirk.

"Well I'm in a hurry so I'll see you guys during patrol. Bye!" I slip between Damian and the wall and run downstairs and into the kitchen.

Autumn's POV

I glare at my watch. 6:00pm. It's time.

Hehe. R texted me earlier if we could meet up tonight at six.

After taking a quick shower (I feel sticky from chores), I throw on a black long-sleeved top, a gray shirt over my long sleeved top, some jeans, and a pair of black Converse.

I walk down the hallway, and as I get closer to the stairs, I hear loud voices, and shouting.

I keep walking and once I reach the beginning of the stairway, I find...Mr. Wayne, Grayson, and Jason yelling at each other, blocking my way downstairs.

"You can't keep me from doing what I want to! It's my choice!"

"I know Jason! But it may not be the wisest decision!"

"Why not? I can handle it!"

"No you can't! We're not even completely sure!" Grayson's voice rises.

"You can't decide for me! None of you can! "

"You moved in here Jason."

"So? That doesn't change anything! I can ditch the guns, the killing! But I need to get back in the game!"

"Why?!"

"Because!"

"Yo. Shut up." They all turn to me.

"Stay out of this." Jason glares in my direction. He's obviously pissed off.

"Whatever."I walk up to Grayson who's blocking my way. I push him out of the way, but not hard enough to make him fall down the stairs.

I start walking down. "But I'm just saying. It's pointless to fight. Fighting with each other is useless. It will get you nowhere." I say without turning around to look at them. I just keep walking.

I open the door and walk out of the manor.

I walk down the dark streets of Gotham. I walk past some drug addicts, and some smokers. They all glare at me as I walk past them.

"Help!" A woman yells. I don't need to turn my head to know that, in a dark alley, a woman is being raped. But I turn my head and look. A man's back is faced towards me.

I walk towards the man and tap his back. Before he turns to face me and yell, I punch his nose and he falls to the floor, with blood dripping down his nose. I clench my fists and glare down at the man. I turn to look at the lady.

She's holding herself and crying."Th-thankyou." She doesn't look up at me as she says this.

I turn around and walk down the sidewalk again. I just keep walking down the sidewalk and glare at anyone that glares at me.

I walk down the dark alley, stepping on wet puddles.

Then I hear soft voices, and I see a few boys surrounding R. I get closer and they all look at me before they get on their skateboards and leave.

"See ya, R."

"Bye." They pass by me as they skateboard out of the alley.

"What do you want? And how'd you get my number?" He only smirks at my questions and brings down his bag on the floor.

"What's that?"

He zips open the bag and pulls out an epic skateboard. The background is completely black with flames coming from every edge of the board, the fire has touches of icy blue lightning surrounding the bright red flames.

"Wow." I say quickly.

He holds the board up. "Cool huh?"

"Yeah, that's your board?" He just smiles at it.

"Yeah, I just bought it. Well, it was my board."

"Was?"

"Yeah."

"What are you gonna do with it? You just bought it."

He looks at me. "I'm gonna give it to you." He smirks.

I cross my arms. "What's the catch?"

He leans on the wall, holding onto the board. He shakes his head. "No catch."

I let most of my upper body weight fall on one hip. "Really? Cause all my life, I've learned that there's always a catch."

"Not tonight. I'm just kinda guilty that I got your last board lost. So." He gestures to the new board. "I'm giving you a new one."

I smirk. "Really? No catch?" He ponders for a while.

"Actually…" He smirks.

****Break****

Chris' POV

The dance is almost over. I can finally go home soon! My feet are hurting like hell.

There's so many people and the music is so loud I can barely hear anyone.

Well at least we're having fun and acting silly.

The five of us are all together in an area with a bunch of my other classmates I'm kinda close to, just being weird and stupid and yelling the lyrics and watching other people do weird dances.

The song that I was playing ends and the DJ's voice comes on.

"Okay guys this is the last dance of the night. And it's a slow one."

The first few notes come on and I immediately know the song. Risk It All by The Vamps. I love this song!

Some of the boys leave the circle to find some random girl to dance with, leaving me, Tim, Laurel, Luke, Tyler, and Sarah in a group surrounded by people dancing. We're all just staring at each other and around the gym. Sarah's the one to break the awkwardness.

"Tim, Chris, I need to ask you guys something." She has a mischievous look in her eye. Uh oh.

Tim and I exchange glances and walk over to her. We become a mini circle. I look back and Laurel and Luke are dancing. That's not really anything special, those two are like cousins. They're probably only dancing because neither of them has danced with anybody this entire dance. Tyler's just standing next to them, hugging himself and dancing with himself. Haha. We all did that for most of the slow songs. The rest we ran to the bathroom...well Laurel and I. I don't know what Sarah did. Tim ended up dancing with a bunch of girls because of some girls going up to him and some of his friends (who are girls) making him dance with their friends.

No competition there, though. They're all just friends. I can see the look in Tim's eyes. Just earlier, he, Laurel, and I were walking to get snacks when one of those friends, who is a girl, grabbed him and said, "Dance with my friend!" and when he was with her, he looked at us, shrugged, sighed, and gave us the "I really don't know..." look. So we left him for the free food.

"You two gotta dance with each other." Sarah says, a smirk on her face.

"What? But why?" I ask her. I'm shocked...I hope I'm not blushing. Butterflies start flying in my stomach.

"Because if you don't you won't get the money." She's still smirking. I wanna wipe that smirk off her face right now.

"What? We don't have to dance with each other because we want the money!" Tim states.

"So you're saying you aren't gonna dance with Chris?" She's staring into Tim's eyes.

I look over at Tim. He's glaring back at her.

"Yes I will. Not because of some stupid bet, but because I want to. You can't make me do things because of money."

Because I want to...because I want to...

"Heh...fine. So do you still want the money?"

"Ugh. C'mon Chris." Tim grabs my wrist and drags me away from Sarah and the rest of the group to the corner of the dance floor. He's holding me! As he drags me away, I look at Sarah, who has a wide grin and a thumbs up. I roll my eyes in response, but I really hope I'm not blushing.

"Sorry for dragging you away like that."

"It's okay. I don't like the whole money thing anyway." I try to sound calm and normal, but it's hard.

"Well yea, you're dad's rich."

"Yea. That's why I didn't come for the money. I just thought it might be fun since everyone else decided to come." Lie.

"Yea same. So...are we gonna dance? I'm pretty sure Sarah's watching us somewhere in this crowd." I smirk. He smirks back.

"I bet she is. And yea...we'll dance. " I put my hands on his shoulders and he puts his on my waist. Together, we start swaying back and forth.

I'm really nervous...I hope it isn't obvious. Is he nervous? Probably not...it's not like he likes me anyway...

I let my mind get swept away with the music as I stare into Tim's brown eyes.

I'd risk it all. I'd rather crash, I'd rather crawl.

Than never have your love at all.

With only bricks to break my fall.

For you, I'd risk it all.

"So..."

"So..." I reply.

"Umm..."

"Is this kinda awkward for you?" I ask him.

"A little...since you're a close friend, but it's not a big deal." He gives me an...encouraging smile? I dunno...

I just shyly smile back.

We're quiet for a moment, and again I get lost into the song. I sigh.

"What are you thinking about?'

"Nothing really, just getting lost in the song." And whether or not you like me...BECAUSE THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION ON MY MIND NOW.

"Ah ok. I don't know this song. Do you?"

"Yea. It's Risk it All by The Vamps."

"They kinda sound like One Direction."

"Well yea. They're both British boy bands. But I like The Vamps' songs better." This is why I'm not like those other girls who are way too shy or flirtatious with the guy they like. I know that it's possible for me to have an actual, normal, human conversation with him. And the fact that I'm so comfortable around him is usually what calms me down.

The song ends.

Immediately, Tim and I let go of each other.

"Well...this was actually fun." We just stare at each other.

"Yea...it was." I think that we're gonna go rejoin our friends, but he doesn't move, so I don't either. Then he speaks again.

"Is The Vamps your favorite band?"

"No."

"Then who is?"

"Probably Good Charlotte."

"Ah ok. Never heard of them."

I roll my eyes and smirk. "Of course you haven't." He smirks back.

"Let's go rejoin the group."

"Okay." I reply.

And together, side by side, we walk through the crowd of people, with super short skirts and inappropriate attire, in the direction of our friends.

Autumn's POV

We're just sitting on the curb of the road. I listen to the loud cars pass by as I hold my bottle of softdrink that's not even halfway gone yet. I'm not a huge fan of soft drinks. But this night was interesting so it was worth it.

R holds onto his bottle as he looks at the puddle of water in front of him. "What school do you go to?" He asks casually.

"Gotham Academy."

"Rich kid." He scoffs looking away from me.

"Not exactly...I'd consider myself, poor with the people I'm living with, how they treat me. And how much I hate them."

He looks at me with curiosity. "How do they treat you? Wait, you live with them. Aren't they family?"

"I would never consider them as family. They don't consider me as family."

"So how do they treat you?"

"Well, I've been through worse." They're nothing like Papa, he was abusive. They're nothing like those pedophiles on the streets who would pay a child just to have...pleasure. "Well, we hardly talk to each other. I prefer to be alone in my room and starve to death than eat dinner with them."

"Yikes." He puts on a sour face.

"You? Family issues?" I ask, brushing my fingers through my hair and pushing my bangs away from my face.

He looks down on his bottle, he sighs and shakes his head.

"Well, it's complicated." I cock my head. But I mentally smirk, not as complicated as my life...

"What do you mean?" Are they dead or something?

"Well, my older sister works day and night, she wasn't even able to finish grade 10 when she had to start working to send me to school."

I scoff. "I don't know much about dads, but I'm pretty sure that that's the dad's job to send their kids to school."

"My dad's a lazy ass. He's a drunkie. He doesn't do anything all day but finish bottles of beer and order me around to do things that he's too lazy to do."

"What about your mom?"

"She's...mute and deaf now..." He looks at the ground.

"Oh." My eyes drop.

"I hardly understand a word she says." He furrows his eyebrows.

"Is she mute from birth?"

"Yeah. I can never understand her! She just moves her hands around or grumble things I can't get, whenever she talks to me! She doesn't know anything! She doesn't know how to read, cook, write! She can't do whatever a real mom can actually do!" He sounds like he doesn't want her around anymore.

"We don't have any money to get her a teacher. We don't have enough money to buy her medicines!" Nah, he cares about his mother. He just doesn't know it.

"Why does she need medicine?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.

"She's sick! She has Lymphoma…we only found out two months ago. The doctor says, she needs therapy. But we hardly have enough money for two sessions! My mom's mute, she's deaf, she's sick. She's gonna die!" His voice rises in slight anger.

"She just sits there doing nothing. Dad became a heavy drinker since a long time ago. My sister had to work just for the food and to pay the bills." He balls his hand into a fist.

"What about you?" I look at his face.

"Me? Well, I do whatever I can to help my sister out."

"Your school?" I look at his short hair.

"I go to a public school. But I really don't want to go anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because, I need to help out at home. I need to help my sister to pay for the bills." I can see his other hand tightening around the neck of the bottle.

"By stealing from thugs? Yeah, that'll get you somewhere." I look away from him. "It'll get you to hell." I nod at nothing.

I can feel him shift. "What do you want me to do? Let my sister work her ass off day and night until she gives out and dies?"

"Listen." I stare at his eyes with a firm expression. "I never met your mom. She can't talk, she can't hear. But she can see you. Do you think your mom would want to see you like that?" He looks down at his drink. "Don't you think that she'd want you to go to school and maybe, just maybe have a successful life when you get older? Why do you think your sister pays for you to go to school? For you to be able to live. So that when you get older, you can have a better life than you do now."

He clenches his jaw. His expression turning grim. "I don't know where you're from, Autumn. But here in Gotham, no one ever succeeds in life." He nearly whispers.

I look at his bottle. I open then close my mouth. "They either end up dead, or as a criminal. I know." He looks at me with a questioned face.

"I know." I repeat quietly. "Gotham is my home. I've lived in it's very heart and soul. I never really had much hope in my life. But hey." I look at him with a small smile. "Your life is different from mine. You could still have hope. Go to school. Make your mom proud. Make her eyes smile. Make her proud. It may sound like you hate her for what she can't do right now. But you still need her, even if she can't do the things a normal mom can do. So make her proud. They say; a happy patient can get better."

He cranes forward to look into that same puddle on the ground. A car passes by and that loud noise of tires on the road enters my right ear and leaves the left ear.

"What about you? Who's your family?" He asks, not looking up at me.

I brush my fingers through my hair again and look the other way. I let out a heavy breath.

"I don't know…" I sigh. "I just moved in with these people. But...they kinda hate me."

"Run away." He advises.

"I wish. But...there are at least two people in that…'house' that might actually care about me. And one of those people...I made a promise...I wouldn't leave him…"

"So he's your brother?" He looks at me. "That person that you made a promise to. He's your brother, right?"

"Yeah. He is." I look down at the bubbly drink in the bottle. "He could possibly, maybe care about me. But...I already lost a brother once...I'm not gonna leave this one."

"Oh…"

"So...I'm stuck with his family. He belongs with them. But...I don't…" I can feel the heavy weight on my shoulder get even heavier...punching me into the cement. "I don't belong there...they're not my family...they can't be." I swallow that huge lump in my throat.

"But, you sound like...you want them to be family…"

I just look down. "Honestly...I really want a family. I'm...I'm jealous...I'm jealous of them...they're a family...maybe they're not exactly...the best...but they're a family. And...I'm not a part of that family...I just live under the same roof with them…"

"Yeah, I follow." He says, marking that he's still listening. "But why aren't you a part of that family?"

"The answer is simple. They hate me, they don't want me to be a part of their family. Ever."

"Why?"

"It's...complicated...I guess I'd hate me too, if I were them."

"Why would you say that?" The doubt in his voice is obvious, but to me...I can't tell if the doubt is real or fake.

"Because…I suck."

"Now, that is true."

I just shrug off his teasing.

"Autumn...why don't they welcome you in?"

The hard lump jumps back up to my throat. "To me, R. Family...is just a word." That cold icy feeling spreads through my chest.

"It only exists to the people that actually have one. I don't have one. So to me, it's just a word that means nothing. I don't think that it will ever mean anything to me anymore. It doesn't matter whether they welcome me in or not." I breathe, furrowing my eyebrows and tensing my shoulders.

"W...why would you say that?"

"Because I had one...now it's gone. I can't ever bring it back. My family left. And now all I ever wanna be is alone. Because I know, that if I let myself care for another family again. They'll just end up leaving, or breaking, or throwing me away like…" That part trails away. But I was gonna say...like Mama, like Dad...like everyone else that I thought cared for me.

"Everytime...I care about someone...they end up having to say 'goodbye.' Forever." I whisper.

A short and heavy silence clings to the air, and flows with every breath that leaves our lungs.

"But…" R breaks the short silence. "What about your brother? You care about him. Right? Doesn't he take at least one part of your dream family?"

I can feel my eyes burning, as I keep the hot tears in them. "Isn't he your only family left? Isn't he still counted as family?" He asks.

"Yeah, he's my brother. But...he has his own family, he has a place where he belongs now-"

"So? He's still family? Isn't he?"

"I don't know. Family cares about each other. Right? But I don't think my brother could care about me anymore."

"Why not?"

"His dad, his siblings. They don't care about me, even if we live under the same roof. I don't care about me. My mom, my dad, they didn't care about me. So, why would my brother care about me? He might have...before. But love doesn't last forever."

"Why would he stop caring about his sister?"

"It's possible. After everything he's gone through. After all the s*** that's happened in life in general. It's possible for people to just. Stop. Caring." Like my mom did. Like Sheila did with my dad. Like I stopped caring about my little brother's safety...which was technically the cause of his death. Because I thought that he'd be okay and safe going with mom to work. But no. I was wrong. I'm always wrong. Because it's difficult for me to choose right.

"Nah. I don't think so." He leans back a bit.

"Yeah...you go ahead. Believe that, and be naive." I look at him with my glassy eyes turning back to it's usual hard and cold state.

"No. My mom cares about me. I know it." He says determined. I hide my tiny smile. Then that happy feeling leaves.

"My mom forgot about me." I mumble. I look down at my wrist, where I know, under the sleeve, the exact spot of that scar. She forgot. She left. They all did. But I'm not leaving.

A/N: So we really hope you guys are liking it. Please review, because we're dying just to know what everyone thinks...but don't vent all of your feelings out please. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, reviews, (this is sounding like what people say at every business place) just post it in the reviews! And also, please cast your vote in the poll on our profile page. I just realized that we haven't really said anything regarding this, so I'm going to say this now. HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY BATMAN! Can't wait for Robin's 75th anniversary!