08: Skye's Past Incident
23:56 October 3rd
Skye Lovett
Are you awake, Dick?
Dick Grayson
Yeah, are you alright?
Skye Lovett
Yes, I'm sorry i haven't talked to you in a few days.
I wanted to, but I felt Laura needed me.
Dick Grayson
I get it. I'm glad you texted me, though.
Skye Lovett
Do you want to go out again?
Dick Grayson
Absolutely. If you can, of course.
Skye Lovett
I'm going stir crazy after being with Laura for a week.
A movie night?
Dick Grayson
Sure. Details?
Skye Lovett
You mean you want to know if it's at my place or yours? ;)
Dick Grayson
Never assume. I learned that quickly, LOL.
Skye Lovett
Doesn't matter to me - I do like to have the home advantage, though.
Dick Grayson
Sounds good. Tomorrow night?
Skye Lovett
You mean TONIGHT ;)
Yes, around 6?
Dick Grayson
I'll see you there, Skye. Good night.
Skye Lovett
Good night, Dick.
Dick felt good about that conversation, the banter and the offer to watch movies at her place. He was dozing off, a first this early, when his phone beeped again. Bruce's tone. Dick sighed with irritation as he checked the message.
Bruce Wayne
How much do you know about Skye Lovett?
With a groan, Dick put a hand to his face. Did he do the background check thing? After staring at the ceiling for a moment, he answered.
Dick Grayson
What did you do?
Bruce Wayne
She doesn't have a criminal background.
Skye seems to have been through a rough event.
Dick Grayson
Bruce, stop.
If it's not going to kill me, I'll wait for her to tell me.
Hell, I've been through a rough event. Multiple times.
Bruce Wayne
If you develope feelings for her, it may be a bigger issue.
Dick groaned again.
Dick Grayson
I doubt it. Gotham is calling, I bet.
Or Diana.
That would make Bruce agitated enough to stop bothering him tonight.
Bruce Wayne
I'm ignoring that.
I'll send you the file I found.
The next message had an attachment with a few files of documents. Dick stared at his phone screen, struggling with the urge to look at the documents. What would he find? What had happened? Was it bad enough to have Bruce worried about him? He really wanted to look - his curiosity was overwhelming, but he didn't. He locked the phone and put it on the nightstand, then turned to his side and dozed off.
17:47 October 3rd
Dick would be here in fifteen minutes, and Skye felt like her apartment had the wrong look. It was clean, nothing was lying around, but it looked too clean. What was her problem? Skye huffed and flopped on the couch, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. This was the first guy she was attracted to since… well, for a few years. She would text Laura, but her best friend for the last few years didn't know about what happened.
She didn't have anyone to talk to about it, really. Breathing deeply, letting it out, Skye stood and went to the flat screen on the small TV table across from the couch. Her apartment was a single bedroom and cheap for the city. It was definitely not new, but it was updated enough to be livable. There were a handful of stacks of DVDs on the floor next to the television. On the other side of the TV, there was a blue ray player on the floor.
What kind of movies did Dick like? As she spread out the movies around her, a knock came at the door. Her stomach fluttered, and Skye stood. opening the door, She put a smile on her face. Dick stood there in a blue sweater and jeans, hands in his pockets with a smile on his face. He looked at her for less than a second then frowned.
"What's wrong? You looked stressed. Not for me, I hope." He stepped inside the apartment, allowing Skye to shut the door behind him. Dick stood near her, waiting for an answer.
"A little," she admitted with a shrug. "I don't invite people over all the time." Hoping he would follow her, she moved to the couch and sat down. Dick did, facing her when he sat.
"You seem pretty comfortable with people in general. Look at your job," he pointed out. Skye saw him search her face, and felt like he was waiting for her to say something more. What was with him tonight?
"This is just my personal space. I'm sure you're like that." Clearing her throat, Skye stood and moved to the movies. "I have a ton of movies, but I didn't know what you liked so you can pick." She smiled at him and waved her hand over the scattered DVD cases.
He raised an eyebrow and seemed to hesitate. Okay, now what? Her brows furrowed, and Dick seemed to notice. Standing, Dick moved in front of her and took her hands. The touch made Skye suck in a light breath.
"Sorry, I'm a little nervous, too," he admitted. The light pink on his cheeks made Skye smile. His thumb stroked the back of her hands. "I've been trying to resist kissing you since the moment I spoke to you. Didn't feel like getting slapped," he said, trying to make a joke.
"I'm glad you resisted, I would have punched you then. Not a good first impression for either of us." Her nervousness had disappeared, and she found herself standing on her toes to press her lips against his. It was just a touch, nothing else, and she pulled back, grinning. Skye wondered what Dick was thinking.
"I can handle that," he murmured after she pulled away, his eyes bright with amusement and attraction. "Again?" That surprised Skye and she put a hand on his chest to stop him from leaning forward.
She hated this part. Moving past the light kiss she had just given him. It made her feel overwhelmed with anxiety, even if she did want to do it again. Usually, the guys asked what was wrong and then left because she wouldn't give in. Skye opened her mouth to explain as much as she could, but Dick stepped back with a grin.
"It's cool, what movies do you have?" He took her hand and pulled her to the carpet to look at the movies. Skye was taken off guard, so sat on the floor without saying anything.
For the length of The Princess Bride, Skye leaned against Dick on the couch, letting him wrap an arm around her as she kept her head on his chest. They chatted about the movie as it played, which Skye found rare in a date in this situation. They decided to watch Skyfall. This time, though, Skye pulled back and sat up, only allowing their hands to be held between them. Dick didn't seem to mind the change.
"Daniel Craig is a fantastic Bond," he commented as the movie started. Skye agreed with a nod of her head.
"A regular superhero. No need for a suit and a mask." Dick laughed at that.
Sometime during the movie, Skye yawned and gave into the urge to lean against Dick. It was still early - especially for her since she worked nights - but the comfort of leaning against Dick was making her relaxed and a little sleepy. Skye dozed off with ten minutes left of the film.
He let her sleep, finishing the movie himself. He let the credits play as he glanced down at Skye. He felt guilty for reading the files on her, but he was glad he did. Her standoffish attitude when it came to getting close made much more sense afterward. Dick probably would have done a stupid thing without that knowledge, like come out and ask why she was acting that way.
.The files had been a surprise only because of the way she seemed all those times he met her. Upbeat, flirty, humorous... it must have been the six years between the incident and now that had helped her. He reached out and moved a blue hair behind her ear as he thought about those damn files.
Six years ago, Skye Lovett had been a freshman at college. The first semester, she had As and Bs and a great GPA. She hadn't joined any clubs, but had made many friends in the dorm she shared with other girls. During the second semester, two weeks in, Skye had attended a party off campus - some of her friends in the dorms had friends who lived off campus. During the party, there was what people thought college parties had - drinking and music and sex.
According to her statement, Skye had headed upstairs of the home to lay down, saying she had drunk more than she wanted. Entering the room, she had walked into two people having sex. Or, so she thought. Through blurry eyes, she saw the girl struggling under the guy, then saw two other guys in the room with her. They were all unzipped and ready to move forward with their little fun.
Even drunk, Skye had made an effort to help the girl. Instead, they had held her down and made her watch as the girl was raped. Before they guys turned onto her, police had coming knocking. She would have been charged with underage drinking, but after she gave them their statement, Skye was left alone.
At college, though, the next few weeks were horrible for Skye. From different emails and social media postings, Batman had found out that Skye had been harassed for her statement about the three guys who had raped the girl in front of her. The guys had left the college, but nothing had been brought against them.
Skye dropped out after being attacked and beaten by former friends in her dorm for getting their party shut down.
As Dick was going over the painful statement in his head, Skye took a breath and opened her eyes.
"Oh, crap, I feel asleep…" She frowned and pushed the hair out of her face. The blu-ray symbol was floating across the screen. Dick took a moment to look at her, Skye's face relaxed and her eyes still blurry from dozing off. She blinked at him and then narrowed her eyes playfully. "What…?"
"Nothing, just enjoying the view." Dick grinned and Skye's pink turned red. She pulled back from him and stood. Dick figured she was putting space between them for a moment. After a stretch, Skye came back and sat down.
"I feel like a dork. I usually work from seven until one, and stay up later."
"I do my best work at night, too," Dick nodded in agreement.
"Oh, really?" Skye snorted.
"What? I didn't mean that," he chuckled. "That's another conversation later."
Skye chuckled, then fell silent. The silence was different than their last time spent together. Dick didn't know what she was thinking, but he was thinking about her past. He stood, and she followed.
"Dick, I…" She stopped, trying to figure out what to say.
"It's time for me to go," he said, knowing she was heading that direction with her words. He put his hands on her arms and moved forward, kissing her forehead. Skye blinked in surprise.
"Ah, yes, okay." Skye seemed a bit off after the kiss on the forehead. Dick squeezed her hand and headed to the door. She followed, holding it open. "Tonight was fun. Even if it was just a few movies."
"Definitely," he replied. He wanted to kiss her, but that wasn't gonna happen, not yet, he knew. "I'll text you tomorrow and we'll go out again soon."
"Definitely." Skye grinned and shut the door.
The drive back to his apartment was thoughtful and silent. Dick didn't turn on the radio as he usually did when he was driving alone - most of the time actually. Just as he was pulling into the garage for his apartment building, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He looked at the contact.
Unknown
It's Bart. October 8th, J'onn place. The whole crew will be there.
That can be here.
Dick Grayson
I'll be there.
Is this a COSTUME gathering or normal people gathering?
Dick made his way up the elevator to his small apartment as he waited for the answer. J'onn's place was actually in Chicago, if he remembered correctly. On the other side of the city, though. A few bedrooms in a large apartment, J'onn lived on his own. Dick thought maybe he had a cat and some plants, but he wasn't sure. He got a reply as he entered his place.
Bart Allen
Why, do you want to bring a date?
That's cool, I know Barbara is bringing a civilian.
Dick Grayson
We'll see.
Bart Allen
Is she hot?
Dick Grayson
None of your business, kid.
Bart Allen
I am legally an adult. Need to stop calling me kid.
Dick Grayson
Isn't it past your bedtime?
Bart Allen
Shut up.
Dick chuckled and made a note on his phone for the party at J'onn's place for Connor and Megan's engagement party. It was still early, barely 11:30, so Dick decided to take the suit out for a bit.
It didn't take long for trouble to pop up. Dick made his way over a few rooftops of apartments, then flipped onto another one, seeing the lights on in a upscale club. He made his way down into the alley and picked the lock to the back door. The club should be closed and very dark. Something was wrong, Dick's gut told him. Slowly opening the door, he took his time moving through the door and hallway to look into the main area.
Dick wasn't surprised with what he saw. Two big guys - enforcers in block - stare down at a bespeckled man that was about to wet his pants. Tall, thin, and in his 60s, he didn't look like he ran the club. Apparently he did, though. They had their big arms crossed over their chest. He watched silently, taking in what he saw. The room was only mildly lit, with shadows in the corners and booths. Classy chandeliers were above the frightened man's head, lit only enough to cast a shadow.
"You are late in your payment." A feminine voice said from behind the wall of enforcers. The two guys stepped to the side, allowing a plump, blonde woman in her 50s through. She was dressed in a pants suit with her face done up in a classic make-up look. She was only 5'5", but the set of her chin and look in her eyes made her look extremely intimidating.
"M-Miss Falcone…" Donny stuttered. "One more week, and we'll be able to make the p-payment." He started to stutter when the enforcers glared at him, stepping forward. The woman kept her stance. She pulled a cigarette for a gold-decorated holder.
"You said that last week, Donny." She lit the cigarette and took a puff. Slowly letting the smoke out of her mouth, she pointed the top at Donny. "Your week is up. Show me your payment, or my boys will have to deal with you." She puffed again, looking bored. Her two 'boys' stepped forward and reached for the man. Donny ducked, squeaking in fear, and Dick decided to move in.
He tossed out a metal sta with sharp edges, catched the man's arm that was reaching for Donny. The man looked surprised, but not hurt. Of course, Dick inwardly groaned. All muscle and no brain. He could work with this.
It didn't take long to confuse the two blockheads and have them laying on the floor, out could. Miss Falcone watched with mild interest, smoking a second cigarette when he stood in front of her with narrowed eyes.
"I've heard about you," she said slowly, puffing the stick. "Nightwing, they call you. Gonna hit an old woman?" She raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Maybe," he replied, voice low and throaty. He had his batons in his hands, and he flipped them to show off a bit. Dick couldn't help it. She looked so bored with him, it was mildly insulting.
"Let's cut to the chase. I'm going to get my money." She put out her second cigarette on the floor, then pulled a tiny, shiny gun from her purse. It was pointed at Dick's chest. His armor would protect him from the bullet, but she didn't know that.
"I-I thank you for saving m-me," Donny stuttered behind him. "B-but you're making it worse."
"Donny, you are smarter than I thought." Dick resisted the urge to roll his eyes at both of them. Miss Falcone continued. "I'm in a good mood tonight. Donny, one more week. Nightwing, we shall talk. Very soon," she added in a threatening tone. She turned, stuck her gun in her purse, and walked out. Her goons were still out on the floor, and she didn't care.