Hey, guys! Sorry for the long wait! I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that we are going to find out who the woman is!
The bad news is that this story is coming to an end. Sooooooooonnnnnnnn. Hehe
Anyway, no need to worry and just keep reading! Thank you! - (8/13/2016)

Chapter 29:

Daphne stared at the woman in front of her. The woman had the same orange hair and brown eyes as her. Daphne saw her as the adult version of herself. The woman suddenly pulled her into a hug. She rested her chin on Daphne's head. The girl was still stunned and surprised that she didn't react at all.

"Miss Daphne…" Tiara called, popping her head at the door.

Daphne turned to her with a confused look. The woman smiled at Tiara as she bowed to her as a greeting. She went up to the woman.

"I didn't know you've arrived," she said.

"I wanted to surprise little Daphne," the woman explained.

"Tiara, who is this?" Daphne asked.

Tiara turned to her young mistress, glancing up at the woman at times. The woman rested her right hand on her hip, still smiling. She took out a card for Daphne.

"When you're ready to hear everything, Tiara and Mana will send you to meet me," she explained, handing her the card.

Daphne looked at the name written on the card. She widened her eyes in disbelief. The woman's surname was the same as hers. Who is she?

"I'll be heading back now. Say hello to Mr. Wayne and Grayson for me," the woman said to Tiara.

"As you wish, Miss," Tiara replied.

She patted Daphne's head before exiting the manor. Daphne turned to Tiara in disbelief. Her eyes were not even blinking.

"Who…is she?" she asked.

"All will be answered soon, Miss Daphne. Right now, you have a dinner to attend," Tiara reminded her.

"R-Right…" Daphne muttered, following her maid to the dining room.

The guests were already seated. They stood up when Daphne entered. The girl flashed a sweet and nodded to all of her guests. She gave a small speech. They started to eat after that. Tiara, Mana, and Alfred ran around the dining room, making sure all of the guests were well-served. Jaime sat beside Daphne. He felt awkward being in such an occasion, but Daphne and her friends made him feel welcomed.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Daphne asked.

"Well, Grayson is supposed to send me back tomorrow, so maybe at his place?" Jaime replied, shrugging.

"Why don't you stay here? I have a day off tomorrow. We can hang around and then, I'll tag along when Master Dick wants to send you back," Daphne suggested.

"That would be great!" Jaime replied, excited.

Damian and Raven came back from their errand just as Starfire parked the car. Raven was holding three paper bags while Damian was holding four paper bags full of groceries and kitchenware. She flashed a smile when she saw them. The two blinked in confusion at their leader.

"How's everything?" she asked, grabbing a paper bag from Raven to ease her burden.

"Well…this is a lot of shopping you made us do," Damian complained.

"Garfield went to investigate a new case while we were away. I don't think he's back yet…" Raven explained.

"I see…" Starfire muttered.

They got to the kitchen. Raven and Starfire started to arrange the groceries and ingredients that the two had bought. Damian decided to rest in his room. When she is sure Damian had exited the place, she stared at Starfire.

"What?" the woman asked.

"You're wearing a black dress. Where were you?" she asked.

Starfire smiled and sighed. She whispered, "To be honest, I went to visit Daphne with Jaime. I left him there…"

Raven blinked in confusion. She asked, "Why?"

"Her sister died last year…" Starfire replied, sadly looking down at the floor.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Raven demanded.

"Daphne asked us to keep it a secret…" the leader of the team said.

"There were a few explosions at the Aldrin building. Your sister was there when it happened…" Bruce explained.

"Did she make it out?" Daphne asked.

Bruce looked away from the girl. He slowly shook his head. Daphne fell to her knees. Starfire rushed up to her. She wrapped her arms around the girl as comfort. Daphne bit her lip as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry, Daphne…but you need to get back fast. Mana and Tiara are planning her funeral," Bruce said softly to the girl.

Daphne nodded. She stood up and turned to her two friends. Jaime and Starfire gazed at her face.

"Please, don't tell the others about this. Master Damian has been doing great. I don't want him to shift his attention back to me…" she requested.

"Okay, we promise…" Starfire said as Jaime nodded.

Daphne forced a smile. She hugged Starfire and shook hands with Jaime. Then, she hopped into the Batmobile. Bruce nodded to the two before they started off to head back. Jaime and Starfire looked at each other. They sighed.

"I wonder... How would Damian react if he knows?" Jaime muttered.

"Over the past few days, he hadn't been nice to her. I don't think he would care…unlike Garfield," Starfire remarked.

"I guess…" the boy sighed, staring at the sky.

"So…why are you telling me now?" Raven asked.

Starfire handed her an envelope. "It was in the goodie bag she gave to me," she explained.

Raven stared at the envelope. She opened it. It was a simple note addressed to her. There was an email address.

"She wants to keep in touch with me…" the girl muttered.

"That's great! You are her age, so you two can be great friends," Starfire exclaimed.

Raven gave out a small smile, muttering, "I guess so…"

Meanwhile, Damian was tossing and turning in bed, trying to shake off his thoughts about Daphne. His was happy with the Titans. He wanted to stop thinking about her for the time being. He was sure that he wasn't ready to face his true feelings even though every time Garfield brought her up as a topic, Damian would shot a death glare. He stared at the ring he was wearing. He groaned.

"Yo, Damian!" Garfield called out from his room.

"What?" Damian asked in irritation.

"Let's have a little sparing," the boy invited.

"I'm not in the mood…" Damian sighed.

"Aww…come on!" Gar barged into his room.

Damian shot a glare and asked, "Can't you knock first?"

"Heh…as if you don't know me," he replied casually.

Damian huffed angrily. He stood up, scratching the back of his head. Garfield smirked. They went to the training grounds.

Daphne kept on thinking about the woman and staring at the card. Tiara and Mana were busy cleaning up the manor after the event. Jaime was helping them. The two maids took a glimpse at their young mistress. Tiara turned to Mana who shook her head. Daphne had to make the decision on her own.

"I'm going to take a bath," Jaime announced.

"Oh! I'll show you where the guest room is," Mana volunteered.

She gestured Jaime to follow her. The boy took a glance at Daphne before following the maid. Daphne stood up, approaching Tiara.

"Hmm? Is something wrong, Miss?" Tiara asked.

"I…I want to meet this woman," Daphne spoke up.

Tiara smiled and nodded. "Okay. After we send Master Jaime back, we'll go meet her."

Daphne nodded. She excused herself to take a rest. Tiara went to her room once the dishes were done. She put on her uniform to continue her spying job that night. Her communicator started to ring.

"How is she?" the woman's voice came.

"Mana and I will send her to meet you tomorrow night," Tiara explained.

"I can't wait…" the woman chuckled.

Tiara sighed. She exited the manor once she was sure Jaime and Daphne were fast asleep. Mana busied herself, getting things ready for tomorrow night.

Morning came and Jaime woke up a little late. Daphne was waiting to have breakfast with him. Tiara was still sleeping, exhausted from last night. Mana served the food and took her seat beside Daphne.

"It has been a while since I ate your cooking," Jaime said.

Smiling, Daphne replied, "Which is why I cooked a lot, so eat up all you want!"

Jaime gobbled up the food in front of him: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon strips, bean sauce and much more. Daphne knew that he would manage to eat a lot considering he is a superhero as well.

"I've been meaning to ask…" she started.

"Hmm? What is it? This scrambled egg is great by the way," Jaime replied.

Daphne smiled and nodded. "Does your scarab make you twice as hungry?"

The scarab made an unpleasant sound. Jaime laughed. He stopped gobbling up his food. He took a sip of his hot milk.

"Well, sort of, I guess. I've been working as a superhero for quite some time already, so I've always been hungrier than usual," he explained.

"Hmmm…I see. I'm just curious," Daphne shrugged.

After breakfast, Daphne showed Jaime around town with Shirley and Max's help. They took him to their favourite café, bookstore, souvenir shop and the park. Jaime enjoyed his time with them. Max helped take photographs as gifts for Jaime as well.

"Your friends are really nice," Jaime remarked.

"Thanks!" Max and Shirley said in unison.

"Yeah, they are my best of the best friends after all," Daphne beamed.

Jaime smiled. He patted the girl's head. Shirley and Max smiled at the two. It was time to send him back. Shirley and Max dropped them off at the Aldrin manor. Dick was already waiting for him. They went inside to change into their uniform.

"Put on your cape," Dick said to Daphne.

"Not gonna happen," Daphne puffed her cheeks.

Dick chuckled, patting her head. Jaime came out in his uniform.

"I've already parked the Batmobile at the back," Dick explained.

The two nodded. They boarded the Batmobile and off they went to the Titan Tower. Daphne was quiet during the whole journey. Jaime and Dick knew why.

"Are you nervous?" Jaime asked.

"I think so… I mean, it has been a year since I left," Daphne muttered.

They arrived at the tower. Raven and Starfire were waiting at the entrance. Starfire waved when she saw Daphne. The girl jumped out of the mobile, running up to the two. She hugged Raven who felt awkward. She replied with a pat on the back.

"How have you been?" she asked the shorter girl.

"Good, I guess…" Daphne replied.

"She's been moping around in the car, thinking about Damian," Dick spoke up and laughed.

"Master Dick!" Daphne pouted.

All of them laughed. Starfire invited them to have tea and take a rest before heading back to Gotham City. They took the offer. Jaime announced that he was going to take an afternoon nap. Daphne took off her mask as she sat down at the kitchen counter. Raven served her and Dick a cup of tea each. Dick took a sip of his tea now and then. He started to talk with Starfire, ignoring Raven and Daphne.

"So, how have you been?" Daphne asked.

"Better," Raven replied, serving a plate of cookies next, "I think I've become better at healing people as well."

"Really?" the orange haired girl asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Garfield and Damian came back from their morning training. Gar was delighted to see his crush again.

"Daphne!" he said, running up to her.

He attempted to hug her but Raven blocked him with her magic. The boy shot a glare at the smirking young witch. Damian went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of plain water. He was trying to ignore Daphne. The said girl was staring at him, hoping that he would take to her.

"Damian, don't you want to say something to her?" Gar asked.

Damian glanced up at the three before proceeding to the door. Garfield grew impatient of Damian's attitude towards Daphne. He ran up to the boy, stopping his action.

"What?" Damian asked him, irritated.

"She's right in front of you! Say something!" Garfield shouted angrily.

"It's okay, Garfield… It's my fault for coming here," Daphne stammered, earning everyone's attention.

Dick disagreed. "What are you saying, Daphne? It's not your fault you're here!"

"Yeah!" Garfield said, pointing and accusing finger at Damian, "If it's anyone's fault, it should be his for not caring about you!"

"Hey! I never asked her here!" Damian shouted angrily.

He stormed off out of the living room. Daphne looked sadly at the floor. She didn't how to react to what Damian had just said. All attention turned to her again. Dick reached out for her. She hid her face in his arms.

"I'll talk to him," Raven volunteered, rushing to Damian's room.

"M-Master Dick…I wanna go home…" Daphne whispered.

"Yeah, okay," Dick said, turning to Starfire, "I'm sorry I can't stay long."

"It's okay. I'm really sorry about Damian. I never thought he would act that way," Starfire replied.

Dick nodded. He picked the girl up into his arms and exited the tower. Daphne fell asleep on the way back. When Dick got back to the manor, he carried her to her room. He informed Mana about what had happened.

"Thank you for bringing her home," Mana bowed to Dick.

"Yeah. Tell her I'm sorry," Dick replied.

Mana nodded. When he went off, Daphne woke up. She took off her uniform. She changed into one of her dresses. She was getting ready to head out.

"Are you sure you're ready Miss? After all, Master Damian," Mana's words were cut off.

"I'll be fine. I'll forget him soon enough…" Daphne muttered.

Mana nodded to her words. Tiara came to fetch them in a car. Daphne was hesitant at first. Who was the woman? Why did she look like her?

I have to find out!

The orange haired woman waited for her three guests at the entrance of her manor. She smiled as Daphne stepped out of the car.

"Welcome, my dear," she greeted her.

Mana and Tiara got out of the car as well. The stood behind Daphne and bowed to the woman. The woman nodded to them. She invited them into her home. Daphne refused to go inside.

"Explain to me now…please…" the girl muttered.

The woman smiled again. She went up to Daphne and squatted in front of her. Daphne noticed the locket of her necklace.

"I'll explain everything inside. I promised you that, remember?" she said in a soft voice.

Daphne nodded slowly. Tiara and Mana showed the girl to the living room. The woman was already waiting. Mana excused herself to go prepare some snacks for the two.

"Tiara will be taking care of you, Miss," she said to Daphne.

"I guess I should start…" the woman said, sitting down on a sofa.

"Please do…" Daphne muttered.

The woman nodded. "My name is Dahlia Aldrin and I am your eldest sister."

"My sister?" the younger Aldrin was surprised.

"I was the one who sent you and Delphinium out. The parents that took care of you were paid by me. I told them to give you two a nurturing environment to live in. You were just a baby when they took you," Dahlia explained.

"Why? Why would you do that? Is the company a lie as well?" Daphne asked.

"No. The company is rightfully ours. I let them borrow it until you turn 18. I didn't know that they had made another contract with Rick beforehand," the woman continued.

Mana served a cup of tea for the two of them. She placed a plate of cookies and two slices of cake on the coffee table.

"Mana and Tiara are my best friends. They decided to help me after I found out about Rick. I sent them there after your 'parents' died. The rest of the event were planned by Delphinium by herself. She knew nothing about me and I told my friends to play along and give me progress reports once a month," Dahlia continued.

"Are you saying that we're your puppets?!" Daphne shouted angrily.

"Of course, not. You two are my sisters, my flesh, and blood!" Dahlia exclaimed, taking a deep breath to calm herself, "I knew about Rick two years after I let you two go. By that time, I asked them to hand you two back to me, but they refused because our contract said that once your turn 18, then I can you and Delphinium back…"

Daphne was surprised. Tiara and Mana nodded to Dahlia's words.

"We tried everything as well, to help Miss Dahlia…" Mana explained.

"We stayed there because we didn't want any harm to come to you two," Tiara was next to speak.

"When I found out that you move in with the Bat and Delphinium turned against you, I refrained from thinking about you. I believe you two can work it out…" Dahlia continued.

"But, Delphinium died…" Daphne sighed.

"Yes, but she left us with a very thorough plan to save the company. I am proud of her…and of you, for becoming a superhero and assisting Batman," Dahlia said.

Daphne looked away from her gaze. Dahlia stood up, approaching the girl. She knelt down beside her, trying to meet her gaze. Daphne shut her eyes. Tiara and Mana glanced up at each other. They turned to watch the two siblings.

"Will you…ever forgive me for abandoning you and letting Delphinium die?" Dahlia's voice cracked.

Daphne bit her lower lip. She could see her sister's eyes welling up. She knew that Dahlia meant well. There must be a reason why she sent them away instead of taking care of them by herself. Everything happens for a reason after all.

"Yes…" Daphne said.

Dahlia pulled the girl into a hug. Daphne hid her face. She was crying again. She lost Delphinium but gained another sister. Fate had it worked out for her in the end. She hoped that Dahlia could stay with Dahlia from now on.