Chapter 8:

Daphne got down the stairs. Dick was waiting for her. It was time for the dance. She was wearing the dress Bruce had bought for her with her denim jacket. Her hair was in curls, going down to her elbow. She smiled at her 'date'. Dick flashed a smile back, amazed at what a beauty she was.

"Where's Master Bruce and Master Damian?" she asked.

"They're on patrol tonight. Bruce is after all training Damian," Dick replied.

"Oh… If only Phoenix could help," Daphne sighed.

"Well, you're still in no shape to do any of that work, so please don't. I don't want Master Bruce to be throwing a fit because of you," Alfred remarked.

Dick agreed. Daphne nodded. They set off to Daphne's school with Dick's motorbike. She prayed that no one would take notice of her at the dance. She just wanted to enjoy her one night away from being Damian's maid. When they entered the hall where the dance was held, all eyes were on her. Daphne gulped because she knew what was coming.

"Who is he?" she heard someone whispered.

"How did she get hold of someone?" another whisper came.

"M-Master Dick, maybe we should just go home…" Daphne muttered.

"Hmm? No. Since we're already here, let's have fun. Forget about them. They're not the ones who decide your life. Ignore them," Dick replied, pulling Daphne to the dancefloor, "Let's dance."

He extended his right hand to her, after bowing. It was a slow dance. Most of the girls were dancing with their fathers and some were with their older brothers. Daphne was pulled to dance with Dick.

She opened her mouth and said, "Thanks for coming with me…"

"Anything for my little sister," Dick joked.

"Don't call me that," she smiled.

Dick was relieved that she could form a smile. She had been depressed ever since they got back from the oil rig. There was no trace of Delphinium and she was devastated. As evil as Delphinium was, she is still Daphne's flesh and blood. Daphne loves her no matter what. After the slow dance, they had some people coming up the stage to perform a play. Dick had to make a trip to the toilet, so Daphne was left alone. The girl decided to get some air outside because some of her classmates were glancing up at her. She exited the hall.

"Hey," a familiar voice said.

"Hmmm?" she looked up to see Damian in front of her.

He was wearing a tuxedo…and a mask to hide his identity. Of course, Daphne knew who he was. She went up to him.

"What are you doing here, Master Damian?" she asked him, muffling a giggle with her right hand.

Damian was frowning. "Pennyworth told me where you were. I thought I should observe this so-called dance. Where is Grayson?"

"I'm right here. Just had to make a short trip to the toilet. Why are you here, kid?" Dick said, standing beside Daphne.

Daphne stared at the young man. Then, she turned to Damian. She could feel his glares under the mask.

"Just observing…" Damian replied.

A girl came out and caught sight of Damian. Since he was wearing his Robin mask, the girl screamed in excitement.

"Oh my God! It's Robin in a tuxedo!" she screamed, grabbing some attention from inside the hall.

The girl rushed to pull him into the hall. Some girls were at the entrance, getting all excited over Robin. Daphne muffled her giggles as she looked at Robin's surprised and awkward expression. Dick smirked at the boy. He turned to Daphne.

"One more for the road and then, we can head home," he said.

She nodded. "Alright!"

They both entered the hall again. The girls were pulling on Robin to dance with them. Daphne and Dick laughed at the sight. Robin didn't know what to do. Amidst the dance with Daphne, Dick's phone vibrated so suddenly. It was a call from Alfred, informing him that Batman was fuming up because Robin went missing.

Scratching his head, the guy sighed. "Well, that's my cue to leave and assist him," he said to the girl.

Daphne shrugged. "Sure, why not. I'll get Master Damian. We'll walk home together. You can go ahead," she replied calmly.

Dick nodded. He patted the girl's head before leaving. Robin noticed she was left alone. The boy just stared at her as another girl pulled him to dance with her. Daphne sat down on a chair after getting something to drink and eat. She ignored the crowd and the excitement in front of her. As she was drinking her juice, Robin came up to her. She stared. He extended his right hand to her.

"One last dance…and then we go home…" he whispered, avoiding eye contact with her.

She tilted her head, confused. Robin slapped his forehead. He was embarrassed. He inched his face closer to her.

He whispered, "I want to dance with you, Daphne."

Daphne faintly blushed. She felt like she could see right through his eyes.

She stuttered her answer, "O-Okay…"

He grabbed her left hand, pulling her to the dancefloor. She blushed when he held her waist. He pulled her closer to him. They started to dance. Nobody said anything and even if they do, Daphne paid no attention to them. She felt safe and warm, even though she knew that this boy in front of her is her young master, not more than that.

Delphinium lied in bed, sighing. She was still wondering about Vanaver's proposal. She was tempted, but she was also worried about the consequences. The offer seemed to have something to do with eliminating some people from Gotham City. She didn't like the idea at all because Phoenix may be one of the people Vanaver would want dead, and Phoenix is her sister.

"Miss Aldrin," Tiara said from outside her room, after knocking, "I'm heading out now. Anything you want in particular?"

"Yeah…get my uniform ready. I need to go see Phoenix tonight…" Delphinium said without a second thought.

"Mana has already done that. She'll be tending to your needs for the time being. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon," Tiara replied.

Delphinium walked up to her door and opened it. She nodded to her maid. Tiara nodded once before heading to her room. The girl walked to her changing room. She changed into her uniform. She didn't want to make a scene at her old school after all. It was better for her to hide her identity. Once she was ready, she took off to her school.

"I wonder how she's doing…" she muttered to herself.

She got there just as the dance had ended. She hid on top of a tree close to the hall where the dance was held. She observed the entrance, waiting for a certain redhead.

Meanwhile, Robin was waiting for Daphne who was apologizing to the headmaster about the commotion that he had caused. The headmaster was the only one who could understand her relation to Robin. She didn't mention anything important. Once that was done, Daphne rushed to Robin. He was crossing his arms. She sighed at his behavior. It was all his fault that she had to apologize.

"That was problematic…" he muttered.

"I guess…" she replied, not wanting to explain any further.

They exited the building. Most of the children had already left. Robin jumped onto a tree, close to the one Delphinium was hiding on. Daphne stared before she slowly climbed the tree too.

"Still haven't fully recovered?" he asked.

Daphne smiled, holding her stomach. "Yes. I'm sorry…" she replied.

Damian stared. "Why apologize? It's not your fault."

He jumped onto another tree in front of them. Daphne bit her lower lip before jumping and landing beside him. She cringed a bit. Robin jumped onto the next tree. Daphne rubbed her stomach. She attempted to jump again but slipped. Damian didn't react on time. She fell onto the hard ground.

"Daphne!" he called out, jumping to her side.

Delphinium gasped. She jumped down, close to where the two kids were. Damian held the girl in his arm. She was unconscious. His stomach felt uneasy, imagining how enraged his father would be when he finds out about this. He sensed someone was spying on them. His head snapped towards Delphinium in the shadows.

He shouted, "Who's there?!"

"It's me…" Delphinium said, stepping forward.

Robin held Daphne closer to him. "What do you want?" he asked the girl in front of him.

"Robin…no… Damian. I need to speak with my sister, but since she..." the girl turned to her sister.

"What is it?" Robin demanded, cutting her off.

"I want to apologize for what I did. I have a reason for that, but you don't need to know. I will see her some other time," Delphinium continued.

She stepped closer. Damian hissed, "Don't come any closer!"

The girl smiled. "I won't. Damian, one of these days, she may get into trouble again. I hope you will protect her. I know Phoenix is strong, but Daphne isn't," she said, before backing away into the darkness.

Damian stared into the darkness before gazing at the girl in his arms.

"Why do you have to take the tree when there is a normal road?!"

Daphne woke up from the shout. She observed her surroundings. She was in the Batcave. She saw Robin, scolded by Batman. Nightwing was beside the man, looking as if he was holding his anger. Daphne got up from the chair she was put in. She felt a little woozy and cringed at a sting from her stomach. She walked up to the three.

"Daphne, you're awake!" Nightwing said, noticing her first.

She smiled. "What happened? The last thing I remembered was falling from a tree…"

"It was this kid's fault, right?" the young man asked.

Daphne shook her head and explained, "I chose to do it. I could just ask him to walk with me, but I didn't want to trouble him."

She pulled at Batman's hand. He turned to her. Her eyes were pleading that he should not punish Damian. Batman's anger caved in. He walked away. Alfred made an appearance after he was called.

"Miss Daphne, would you like anything?" Alfred asked.

"No, thank you. I need to change and go to sleep…" she replied, walking towards the exit.

Alfred turned to Robin. "Perhaps you need a little education on being a gentleman…" he remarked.

"I don't think he needs it," Nightwing scoffed.

Robin didn't say anything. He just stared at the girl. She was still having a hard time dealing with her dizziness.

Daphne made her way to the kitchen, looking around for a certain black-haired boy. It had been a month since the dance and the incident. It was finally Winter Break. The girl was glad that she didn't have to worry about school. Bruce had been trying to be more affectionate towards his son which Damian took it hard to believe. He was not used to such attention.

"Good morning, Miss," Alfred greeted he, smiling, "Off for a little brisk walk?"

"Morning, Alfred…" she replied and sighed.

Noticing that Daphne was looking around, he said, "If you're looking for Master Damian, he is with Master Bruce, in the Batcave."

Daphne munched on a sandwich that Alfred had prepared for her. She turned to him and swallowed.

"What are they up to?" she asked.

Alfred sighed, hoping that Daphne wouldn't want to know. However, he knew that Phoenix is always the curious type. He poured some warm tea into a cup for her. Then, he took a seat opposite of her at the counter.

"They have been receiving a few reports on missing children, but they have no clues about them whatsoever," Alfred explained.

"Oh…" Daphne muttered, staring at her cup of tea.

Before she could say anything, Damian made an appearance. She flashed a small smile towards him. He caught sight of the girl and approached her. Daphne bit her lower lip as she saw how serious his expression was.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, a bit concern in her tone.

"Train with me," he suddenly said.

"Excuse me?" Daphne blinked, confused about his request.

"Father said I should be trying to control my bloodlust and anger," he started, blinking once, "So he suggests that I train with you."

"But you're already better than me! I don't think I can teach you anything!" she blurted, waving her hands up and down.

Damian looked into her eyes, freezing her on the spot. She sighed and before she knew it, she was in her Phoenix uniform, facing Robin, inside the cave. She wasn't holding anything, though. Damian explained that all she had to do was parry and defend from his attacks. He was barehanded because he knew how much a sword scares her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Y-Yes…" she sputtered.

Damian charged in to punch her. Daphne back flipped, dodging his attack. He swiped her feet but she jumped as he tried. Damian told her to defend with her arms as he kicked her. She did as told. As they were training, Alfred and Nightwing entered the base. The butler had brought lunch for the two children. Dick decided to stay and watch them train.

"It is good that he is trying to bond with her," Alfred spoke.

"Yeah," Dick said, crossing his arms, "Just don't hurt her or I'll never forgive him…"