Okay, so we finished the fourth movie. For this chapter, we're going to get a little hint about who the woman could be and what Delphinium had planned for her sister, Daphne. Oh! and about the ring as well. So, anyway, we're going to skip a year in the next chapter and see how everyone's doing again. Then, I will go in depth about who the woman that Bruce and Dick met in the last chapter. At the very least, Daphne would know about her.
Anyways, enjoy and if you have questions, you can always ask me directly or leave it in the review. :) - (7/27/2016)

Chapter 27:

Daphne leaned against the wall of the path to Damian's room. She was waiting for him. Damian had just gotten back from his evening walk with Jaime. When he saw her, he turned to look away immediately. The girl smiled and rushed up to him.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"Raven told me you were the one who saved me when I was possessed…" she started.

"So?" he asked, accidentally meeting her eyes.

"I wanted to know how you saved me. You've started avoiding me ever since we got back…" she requested.

Damian shut his eyes, remembering the kiss. He muttered, "I don't think you need to know that."

They reached the door to his room. Daphne puffed her cheeks, dissatisfied with his reply. Damian found that to be adorable. He turned away from her gaze, faintly blushing. The girl blinked at his reaction.

"Please?" she suddenly drawled.

He turned to gaze into her eyes. He pulled at her arm, reducing the distance between where they were standing.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked with a stern tone.

"Yes…" she muttered, looking away from his eyes.

Damian inched his face closer to Daphne, his gaze piercing her eyes. She bit her lower lip because she was nervous at how close his face was. Before his lips could touch hers, Garfield suddenly opened his door to head out. The boy pushed Daphne away and stood up straight. Garfield turned to the two back and forth. Damian was shutting his eyes and acting calm while Daphne was blinking confusedly and touching her lips with her right hand. He wondered what happened between them. He turned back to Daphne.

"Hey, Daphne! Let's go out for a bit," he said, earning a glare from Damian.

"Huh? Why?" she asked, still a bit dazed.

"I found out a new bakery is in town…" he said.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, forcibly trying to make her walk with him. He flashed a smirk to Damian before walking away with Daphne. Damian stared into spaces. Entering his room, he sighed.

Daphne waited for Nightwing at the entrance of the tower. Jaime and Starfire were with her. He flashed a smile whenever the orange haired girl turned to look at him. Starfire had sent off Damian, Raven and Garfield to stop a robbery. Jaime went closer to Daphne.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked the girl.

"Yes. My work here is done. He has learnt everything his father wanted him to learn," she muttered and sighed.

Jaime held her shoulder as comfort. The Batmobile had arrived. They weren't expecting Batman. He nodded to the two before turning to Daphne. She looked confusedly at him.

"Where's Master Dick?" she asked.

"I have news," was his reply.

"I wonder why we're the only ones who have to go on this mission," Garfield thought out loud.

"Maybe Kori has other business to take care of," Damian remarked.

They tied the last robber with his two mates. They waited for the police to come after that. Raven explained everything to the police and they thanked the three superheroes. Then, she teleported them all back to the tower. Starfire and Jaime were waiting for them in the living room. The two turned to them when they appeared through the door.

"How was it?' Starfire asked them.

"It was a cinch," Garfield said proudly.

"It was nothing," Damian said, shooting a glare towards Garfield.

"They beat them up without second thoughts," Raven reported.

"Hey!" the two shouted in unison.

Starfire nodded. She started to fix them up something to eat. Raven announced that she would be meditating in her room. Jaime excused himself too because he wanted to escape Damian's questions about Daphne. The said boy looked around for his servant. Jaime and Starfire exchanged a look before Blue Beetle took his leave.

"Where is she?" Damian asked Starfire.

"She went back…" the woman replied.

"Without a goodbye?" Garfield asked sadly.

"It's not the first time. She did this to me once," the wonder boy explained.

Starfire nodded while Garfield stared in disbelief. He was angry that Damian didn't care about the fact that Daphne had left them. The leader of the team excused herself to go to her room. She was expecting a video call from Dick about Daphne and her sister.

"You really don't deserve her," Garfield muttered.

"I thought I already shut you up about this," Damian replied.

"I like her, okay? Is it too much to ask you to leave her be?" the boy raised his voice.

"I can't let you have her," the wonder boy muttered.

"Why?" Garfield demanded.

There was no reply. Damian ate his food quietly. Garfield shot a glare before ignoring him. Beast Boy finished his food and went to his room before Damian. The black-haired boy turned his gaze away from his food. He sighed.

Because I love her.

The next day, it was Delphinium's funeral and the Aldrin house was full of guests. Daphne stared out of the window in the music room. She was wearing a black dress. She couldn't care less about the visitors. Tiara and Mana had busied themselves welcoming the people who claimed to have known Delphinium. Arnold was helping out where he could. He felt responsible for her death even though Tiara had insisted that it wasn't his fault.

"Dick! Mr. Wayne!" Mana greeted them.

"Alfred's here too," Bruce said with a small smile.

Alfred nodded to Mana and Tiara. "How is she?" he asked.

"She's in the music room. She hasn't spoken a word after hearing the news," Tiara said.

"I'll go see her…" Dick decided, walking up to the music room.

"The coffin is in the living room. Food is served in the dining room," Mana explained.

"It sure helps if you could entertain some of the guests. We've had our hands full since morning," Tiara said.

Bruce nodded. He went to look around. Alfred decided to help with the food. Tiara went back to the living room after that. Mana stood at the front door to greet more friends of Delphinium's.

Meanwhile, Dick peered through the door of the music room. He saw Daphne, sitting by the piano. She noticed him. He was surprised to see her in such a state. Her eyes were empty and swollen, her body looked weaker than usual. She didn't say anything as he approached her. She stared down on the piano keys. Dick pulled her into a hug. She didn't react but her tears started to trickle down her cheeks. She started to come back to her senses. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, gripping onto his strong arms.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. "Everything's going to be okay… I promise."

Bruce came in with Shirley and Max. The man squatted in front of her. He flashed out a smile. Daphne wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he stood up. He made sure that she was comfortable in his embrace.

"I'll never let you go, Daphne," Bruce assured her.

"She's dead… I have no sister anymore…" she sobbed. "I have no sister…"

Bruce rubbed her back as comfort. Dick patted her head to comfort her. Max and Shirley turned to each other before looking at the girl in Bruce's arms. They didn't know what to say to comfort her. Dick and Bruce looked at each other. Dick sighed. Daphne gripped onto Bruce's suit tighter. She was still sobbing. Tiara came in.

"Lunch is served. Most of the people have gone back," she reported.

Daphne glanced up at her. She gave a small nod. Tiara smiled before exiting the room. Bruce put Daphne down. She looked at all of the people in front of her. Shirley pulled her into a hug. Daphne returned it. She turned to Max who flashed an apologetic smile. She nodded again with a faint smile. Dick and Bruce were glad that she was able to smile again. They decided to have lunch with her. Dick scooped the girl into his arms as they walked to the dining room.

"My, my, you sure are spoilt, Miss Daphne," Alfred remarked.

"He's my big brother after all," she replied.

Alfred nodded. They all sat down to eat. Mana and Tiara were still entertaining the guests. Shirley and Max started to tell Daphne about school while she was away.

"Most of the bullies lost their purpose when you went away," Shirley said, chuckling.

"Yeah, they don't have anyone to pick on," Max agreed.

Daphne flashed a smile and nodded. "I appreciate your company everyone…but I want to be alone for a while…" she muttered so suddenly.

The others turned to look at each other. They thought that they had made progress in cheering her up. Daphne's body trembled for mere seconds. She excused herself after that, with another smile on her face. Shirley sighed, sad that she wasn't able to cheer her up. Max comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder. Alfred could feel the tension in the room.

"Don't worry. We should just give her time," he spoke up.

"Yeah, but how long?" Dick muttered, sighing.

All of them ate quietly after that. All they could think about was how to cheer Daphne up because her sister and her company were no more.

Raven and Damian waited for their turn to train. Damian was staring at something in his hand. It was a ring left beside his sword. He knew it was from Daphne but he wondered what it was for. Raven kept on stealing glances at the boy.

"You didn't tell her," she abruptly spoke up.

"I told you I don't know how to tell her," Damian replied, putting the ring away.

"She deserves to know, Damian," Raven said.

"Raven, come on up!" Garfield called.

Raven held Damian's hands in hers. "Go…see her," she muttered.

Damian blinked. Raven started to train with the rest of the team. Starfire decided to take a break. She caught a glimpse of Damian's confused face. Her lips curved into a smile.

"I let you go if you want," she said, catching his attention.

He turned to her and shook his head. "No. I want to stay. I'm a titan."

"If you say so..." the young woman said, walking away.

Jaime called Damian to join their training. He unsheathed his sword and ran up to them with a smile. They started to train together with Raven and Garfield. After three hours of gruesome training, they decided to take a rest. All of them went back to their rooms. Damian changed into his casual clothes and lied down in his bed, staring at the ring yet again. It was his size but he was still confused why Daphne had left it. Was it really for him?

"Daphne..." he muttered.

"You missed her, huh?" Jaime startled him.

"Can't you knock first?" he shot a glare.

"Yeah, whatever," Jaime chuckled.

Damian looked away. He was not in the mood to deal with anything at. Jaime smiled at the boy. It was his first time seeing Damian so troubled. He is always the calm type. Even when Raven was taken away during Trigon incident, he didn't panic. When Daphne felt ill, Jaime caught him once in a while, standing in front of the girl's door and hesitating whether to go in or not but his calm expression never leaves his face. When Daphne was almost hit by a car when chasing off a burglar, he looked as if he would kill the driver but he didn't show it at all. He knows how to keep his composure and calm himself.

"I've never seen you like this before..." he muttered.

"You knew...that she was planning to leave?" the boy asked.

"Yeah. Starfire let her. I'm just her loyal listener. She's not the type to open up to people...like you, I guess?" Jaime shrugged.

Damian shot another glare and then, sighed. He showed the ring to Jaime. Jaime recognized it because Daphne was wearing a matching one. He told Damian that it was from her sister.

"I see... That sister of hers is up to something again. It's good that she went back," Damian remarked.

"Oh...are they always like this? Daphne did tell me that her sister is quite intelligent," Jaime asked.

Damian nodded and said, "One time that sister of hers made her put on a dress to impress me."

"She's good..." Jaime muttered, smiling.

Garfield interrupted their conversation. "We're going out for dinner. Get ready," he said.

Damian and Jaime nodded. Garfield raised a brow at the ring Damian was holding. He shrugged and then, went back to his room. Jaime excused himself too. Damian blinked a few times, thinking of what to do with the ring. He went to change his clothes. Once he was done, he went down to the garage where everyone was waiting for him. Raven was the first to notice what was on his finger.

"Is that a ring?" she asked.

He shut his eyes and replied, "It was a gift."

"Who knew you're the type to accessorize?" Garfield joked.

Damian shot a glare. Starfire came in her casual clothes. She shook her head at Damian and Garfield's behaviour. She started the car as they got in.

"Where are we going?" Damian asked.

"We thought of eating pizza tonight," Garfield said.

"We ate pizza yesterday…" Jaime complained.

"We're going to eat properly and healthily as requested by Daphne," Starfire explained.

"But, she's not here to lecture us about food anymore," Gar complained.

"Yes, but she's still in our heart," Raven muttered.

The others were taken aback by her words. They put on a dejected look after that. Garfield looked away and so did Jaime. Damian stared at his palms because he was sitting between the two boys and didn't know where else to look. Raven looked out through the window from her seat. Starfire focused on driving. Deep down, all of them actually missed the orange haired girl.

Daphne woke up one morning with another headache. She didn't like it one bit. Mana came in to inform that Dick, Bruce, and Arnold were here to discuss some things with her. She nodded to her. She got out of bed and got ready to meet them. Mana made her bed as Daphne exited the room in a t-shirt and sweatpants. She went to the living room where they were waiting for her.

"Daphne, so good to see you again," Dick said to the girl.

She flashed a smile, turning to Arnold, "Is something wrong?"

Arnold turned to Bruce. The man took out the envelope addressed to Daphne. The girl took it with a confused expression. She opened it to read the contents.

"Your sister handed the company over to me," Bruce started.

"She told me to take you in as my sister," Dick said.

"The man that killed Miss Delphinium...he doesn't know about you. It's better for you to keep yourself hidden, so I suggested to her to keep you under Grayson's care," Arnold explained.

"She kept me a secret?" Daphne muttered.

Arnold nodded and said, "Yes. If he had known about you, you would be killed as well. She wanted you to keep living."

Daphne shook her head. She kept on reading her sister's final letter. The letter was full of explanation of what was happening while she was away and before she went away. Her sister told her about a man named Rick who was their father's best friend after Slade. She added about her wish for Wayne Enterprise to take over the company because the Aldrin family was declared bankrupt when Daphne was away. She explained that Rick had been bribing their partners and shareholders to withdraw from the contract. Daphne's eyes widened in disbelief.

Shaking her head, she turned to Bruce and asked, "My sister handed over the company to you?"

"Yes. You can have it once you turn 18," he explained.

"That is if you fulfil her request..." Dick said.

"Her request?" Daphne turned to look at Dick.

"She wanted me to take you under my wing," Bruce explained.

"Yes, you will be working with Mr. Wayne, that is if you agreed," Arnold explained. "Miss Delphinium only wished for your safety."

"You mean I have to live with Master Bruce and work as his maid again?" she asked, confused.

Arnold nodded. He showed her the explanation in Delphinium's letter. She read it out. It was understandable why her sister would do such a thing. The man that killed her was smarter than her. Sooner or later, he would find out about Daphne. Their only hope was to delay the time when he would kill her. Plus, she is Phoenix and that could give her away as well. She closed the letter and put it back into the envelope.

"Very well, I will do as she asked. I will leave this house and live with you again, Master Bruce," she said with a smile. "It has been two weeks since she died. I will only return to this house on the date that she died."

Smiling, Bruce and Dick nodded to her declaration.

That very same day, Tiara and Mana went away after dropping Daphne off at Wayne Manor. The woman who they met that one day, wanted to see them. They bowed to the woman when they saw her. She was chilling out on her balcony, looking at the ocean. Tiara had reported to her about Delphinium's letter to Daphne and the rest of them. Mana was busy cleaning up her room. The woman smiled and nodded to Tiara's stories.

"I see she's up on her feet again…" she muttered.

"Yes, Miss… What would you like us to do?" Tiara asked.

"Tiara, I would like you to search for this man. Hunt him down and bring him to me," the woman ordered.

"But, that's just too dangerous!" Mana exclaimed.

The woman turned to Mana. "Don't worry. I'm asking her because I trust her, Mana."

Mana looked away, mumbling, "But still…"

The woman looked at them back and forth, saying, "You two are my best of the best friends. We grew up together, we know each other's weaknesses and we support each other till now. If it weren't for the two of you, I might be dead."

Mana and Tiara smiled to the woman. She heaved a sigh of relief. Then, she turned to Mana.

"I would like you to keep an eye on Daphne and Daphne's home. Make sure no one knows about the place and her, of course," the woman said.

"Understood," Mana nodded.

"I will need your progress report every week. Inform me if there is any trouble regarding her…" the woman said.

Mana and Tiara nodded. "As you wish, Miss…"

Daphne stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a black suit and a matching black flare A-line skirt. Inside was a simple white blouse. Her hair was cut into a classic bob. It was a new look for her. Alfred came in to check up on her. She spun around in front of him.

"Well? How do I look?" she asked.

"Exquisite, Miss Daphne. Come along now, Master Bruce is waiting to have breakfast with you," Alfred replied.

"I'm nervous…" she muttered.

Alfred flashed a smile as he approached her. "You'll be fine," he whispered in her ears.

After breakfast, Bruce and Daphne headed straight to his main office. The reconstruction of the Aldrin building had already begun under Bruce's request. The person in charge was Luke Fox, also known as Batwing.

"I wanted to make you my secretary but the boards didn't approve of that," Bruce started.

"Oh, I'm okay with anything you and the boards want me to do. I'm only here because my sister asked me to be," she said.

"Don't say that. I love having you around here," he reassured her.

Daphne smiled sweetly at her boss. Bruce told her that she would be a clerk on his floor. Her job is to run errands for people of the floor. Daphne was more than happy to be doing it. It would help her to stay in shape as well.

"So, your job officially starts today. This is your desk, quite near to my office," Bruce explained, glancing up at the door a few feet behind him.

Daphne nodded. "I will do my best, Mr. Wayne…" she bowed to him.

Bruce patted her head with a smile. The girl was back to her old self and he was glad. He wondered how his son was doing with the Teen Titans. Daphne took a sit on her chair. She suddenly decided to look around and introduce herself.

"What plans do you have in stored for me, Delphinium…" she muttered to herself.