Hey guys! I know it is like year late but here is the new chapter!
I'm sorry it took so long but a lot has happened in this year namely my dad passing away and my senior year being extremlly busy, that caused my anxiety and depression to sky rocket and I didn't want to put up a new chapter in any of my stories as I was dealing with all of that. So, I hope you enjoy and review at the end.
Love.
Garfield's POV
"I swear I'm not crazy guys! Just think about it!" I said for the millionth time
It had been a week since they told us the news about Satrfire, and we had made some kind of truce with Kori and she even agreed to let us start from zero, which we all complied to and now we had some kind of forming friendship with her. But at the moment we were all in one of the common rooms of the Manor, and I had tried to explain the situation to the other three Titans but they kept interrupting me, every time I tried to elaborate further.
"Gar, I get it. You're upset and…" Victor said form across me
"I am not just upset Vic! I swear guys just listen to me!" I said interrupting my best friend
"It does sound kind of crazy Gar, I mean Kori? Really?" It was Dick this time
"Listen to me! I heard her talking to Bruce the other day; when he called her to his studio remember?" I waited till they all nodded "Well I turned myself to a fly and overheard their conversation "this earned me a few glares "What? I wanted to see how Bruce told her off so I could rub it later on! Anyways, they were talking and he asked her if there was no hope of her being Starfire again, and she said that she has done much more as Kori than as Star and that she's dead even for her"
There was silence for a couple of minutes while everyone processed the information I had just given them before I continued
"I mean think about it. It is way to convenient both were not here when you came for Jason's funeral, plus we never heard of her and I bet you if we dig deep enough we'll find some major gaps in the documents that support her story"
"That is a brilliant deduction, Gar." Rachel said in a surprised tone "but, we still need proof and someone that can prove our theory right"
"So basically, Bruce and Alfred are out of the question. They will never betray a secret, trust me" Said Dick
"So that leaves pretty much no one that we know of" Vic said defeated
We all sheared a sigh; we needed someone to tell us the actual truth because then we would have spent all of our time for nothing. I heard footsteps coming from the near staircase, it was probably just Alfred coming to tell us something, but when I looked up and idea crossed my mind and I nudged Richard before silently agreeing with the rest of the team.
"Hey Tim" Richard called, making the teenager make his way towards us
"Yeah?" he said with curiosity and awareness all over his face
"Since we haven't spent much time together we thought that you could come and join us to go to the arcade in town?" he said sounding very much normal
"Um, sure I guess" he said his eyes narrowed as if he tried to decipher something
"Cool, meet us at the front door in an hour" Richard said "oh, and tell Bruce or Alfred. They won't like it if you disappear"
"Yeah, I know. I'll see you later then" the teenager said before disappearing down the hall
"Now we have our information source" Richard said smugly
Kori's POV
I threw another knife to the dummy I was practicing with, hitting it right on the chest, before I threw other and so on hitting different vital or important points. When I was down to my last knife I felt a presence coming near me and, on impulse, I threw the knife behind me where I had heard the sound of footsteps.
"Whoa. It's just us princess" Tim said with his hands up in a surrender gesture, while Bruce was next to him looking alert and smirking at me
"Sorry, didn't mean to do it. It was on impulse" I said sheepishly
"Cover that up before Alfred sees it" Bruce ordered and I quickly went to get the knife form the wall it was stuck on and try to cover it with whatever I could find
After that Bruce began to research on the batcomputer while Tim did some experiments and I went back to training only this time I took some bow and arrows Uncle Oliver and Roy had given me last Christmas. After at least half an hour (and two small explosions from the crime/science lab thanks to Tim) we began to talk with each other , it was mostly small talk about nothing in particular and the casual correction or comment Bruce would make to either of us.
"So…I was wondering if it was ok for me to go to the arcade with the titans." Tim said to Bruce
"Sure" was the billionaire's almost immediate response, while he still looked at the computer
"Ok, I'll be back for dinner" Tim said before he dashed out of the cave ditching his lab coat and goggles in the process.
"Hey Kori, did you open the research tab on the batcomputer?" Bruce asked a couple minutes later, I lowered my bow and arrow before answering him
"No… Do you think they're getting suspicious Bruce?" I said with a hint of worry on my voice
"Not, unless…" Bruce trailed off
"Unless what, Bruce? You know Raven cannot track me nor hear my thoughts or feel my complete aura, Cyborg cannot find the missing pieces in my story, Nightwing is way too determined to see it coming and Changeling misses the obvious most of the time"
"Unless they heard us talking" he said and I gaped at him, how could we not considered that! I ran out of the cave and grabbed my keys and jacket
"Where are you going?"
"To the arcade, I won't be long" I said
When I got to the arcade I could hear the many people inside playing or laughing. I scanned the area looking for Tim, I found him sitting with Richard and Rachel at a table while Victor and Garfield played a shooting game nearby, Tim was the first one to spot me and he looked at me with a slightly sorry face before dragging me over to the table.
"Look who I found" Tim said
"Hey, guys" I said to Richard and Rachel
"Not to be rude but what are you doing here?" Tim said earning a mock glare from me
"I came to ask you if you opened the research tab in the computer back at home." I asked knowing the answer but I kept my eyes on Dick and Raven who both shared a glance, Tim frowned.
"No" he said, confused. "Did any of you guys did?" he asked to Dick and Rachel who looked at their other friends before replying
"No" they said in unison, while keeping an eye on my reaction. This was too easy
"Oh. Well, I'm sure it is a glitch or something then I'll check it later" I said with a small smile and innocent look in my face "Now that I'm here might as well stay for a while. If that is okay with you of course" I added as I looked at Richard and Rachel
"That's fine, but you buy the food" Dick said after collecting himself enough to hide the upset expression he had when I said I would stay
"Deal" I said before we smiled
We spent a couple more hours just playing around before we noticed how much time we spent there, but at some point I decided to go to a dance game with Victor and Garfield.
Seconds later came the voice of Rachel in a high pitched tone.
"SHE WAS LIKE MY SISTER! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"
I sighed and went toward the table, I knew Tim would try to find information about my past but I was the only one entitled to scream at him in public and get away with it, so I just went towards the table, my sister instincts taking over my demeanor .
"What is the problem?" I said putting myself in between Rachel and Tim
"It's nothing Kori, I just wanted to know about Starfire" Tim answered quietly behind me; I sighed and turned to him, my eyes in a mix of the bat glare and my queen one. He shrank a little bit.
"Why do you always talk about her?" I asked in a harsh tone
"Jealous?" Raven asked an eyebrow raised, her lips pursed into a thin line
"I know she was happy when she left you" I answered coldly
"That's IT" Rachel said and drew her arm back to punch me but suddenly seemed to realize something and took control of herself again. "You are not worth my time" she said straightening her posture.
"I never was"
"What is that supposed to mean? You don't really know us!" she said in frustration. My eyes hardened.
"I know enough" I said before grabbing Tim "C'mon, Bruce wants us home"
I dragged Tim outside before taking out my bike keys and throwing a helmet on his direction, he quickly put it on before I started the bike and went through the streets of Gotham. I stayed in silence for the most part of the ride until we were in the nearly empty streets that led to the manor.
"If you want to know you could always ask me as long as you don't ask for much detail Tim" I said before I heard him sigh.
"I'm sorry, but you never tell me much about it, even when I ask it just like it was with Jason before Hood appeared. You evade what hurts you, and that's okay but, I need to know who you were"
"No, you don't because the person you are trying to know is dead Tim. What matters is that you know who I am today"
The ride was silent after that, we reached the manor in a couple of minutes and I stopped the bike on its place in the garage.
"Can you just stop this charade and put them out of their misery? They really regret what they did Kor, just think about it" Tim said as he took of his helmet.
"I know they miss her, but I am not her anymore, you know that. Also you shouldn't be talking about charades, huh Mr. Drake?" I said as I took of my own helmet and got off the bike, Tim looked at me as if I had punched him and nodded
"Touché princess" he said
"That was mean, but true" I said with a small smile on my lips
"I know. I'm sorry I asked the Titans, but now you know they are suspicious "he answered a smug smile on his lips. I laughed
"Dork"
"Hey!" he said indignantly, which just made me laugh harder.
We went up the stairs while we joked around. We were in the middle of a mock discussion when we reached the main living room of the manor finding Bruce and three other figures sitting there. We immediately stopped and pulled ourselves together before greeting our unexpected guests.
"Glad to see you made it" Bruce said without even turning and I simply knew he had a mischievous glint in his eyes, no matter what people think Bruce was actually quite mischievous and never turned his back in opportunities to tease me or anyone for that matter.
"Sorry we are late but I didn't know we had guests" I said back, to whoever heard my voice it was normal but Tim and Bruce knew there was a promise of revenge laced with it.
"That is because we weren't supposed to come" One of the guests spoke sheepishly and I smiled
"It is alright Uncle Clark. You know we enjoy having you around here" I answered
"Hey! What about me?" The 18 year old kryptonian protested
"Oh… so he came" was Tim's teasing answer and I laughed at Connor's expression before he launched at Tim and they started wrestling near me. I moved towards the man of steel and his wife to greet them both with a hug and settling down next to Aunt Lois so we could talk.
"So we heard you escaped…" started the female reporter before I groaned
"Seriously? You guys can't keep a secret. I'm pretty sure the whole JLA knows by now because of you" I said somewhat annoyed
"Well, just Oliver and Dinah actually" Clark answered a smirk playing on his lips before I groaned again.
"I'm so killing Roy when I see him again" I said drawing a chuckle round the room. We stayed silent for a while and the only sound we heard were the ones of the wrestling match taking place a few feet from us.
"Kori, would you mind showing me to the gardens, Alfred and I talked about them the last time we were here but I haven't seen them." Aunt Lois said smoothly her eyes fixed on me, the meaning behind her words clear. We need to talk.
"Sure, let's go. We will be back before dinner" I said to the two superheroes who just nodded.
We walked outside only to find the gardens engulfed in orange light, we both smiled and I led the way to one of the seats located under one of the trees. We sat there contemplating the scenery for a while before Aunt Lois began to speak.
"You are not one to make rash decisions Kori"
"I know"
"Care to tell me exactly what happened that you ended in Jump City?"
And I did, exact to the last detail. She knew all of my secrets anyway. She had stepped to the role of a mother that was needed in Metropolis, with Connor, and Gotham, with me and Tim. Aunt Lois understood and did not judge, she had an open heart for everyone, showed kindness to anyone, but when you got to her bad side she could be scary. I think Uncle Clark is more scared of her than of Kryptonite.
"So now we need to get them to stop being suspicious" she declared
"Not exactly, I don't mind leaving Gotham without a trace and changing identities again but I know I cannot leave forever, as much as I wanted to become someone else my past seems to be finally catching up to me first Jason and now them. I can't seem to outrun it. I guess I just wanted more time as a normal person, not a super heroine or anything like that. I wanted a family and I found it, but when I come clean, I don't know how much I will lose"
Aunt Lois hugged me before I can process what I just said, we just sit there in silence for a while before we finally separated, but she kept holding my hand. I smiled up at her, the only way I could express my gratitude right now. She smiled back at me and in that moment I knew I could never lose her and no matter what she will stand by me.
"C'mon it is getting late, we should head back inside" and with that we left the enormous gardens and headed inside the manor again.
Once inside we went back to the living room and found Uncle Clark and Bruce still deep in conversation, most likely about weapons or battle strategies, so Aunt Lois and I sat in another couch and started chatting away about nothing in particular, we were finishing our talk about Aunt Lois' ideas for a book when the Titans strode in, talking amongst themselves. They stopped once they realized they were not the only ones in the room.
Uncle Clark smiled and went to hug the first Robin while Aunt Lois stayed back and watched the interaction with an almost invisible frown on her face. She squeezed my hand before putting a polite smile and went to greet the Team of young heroes.
"Bruce, we didn't know you had company" Richard started
"He didn't know either, we just wanted to see how things were here" Uncle Clark said
"And Connor wanted to visit Kori and Tim" Aunt Lois finished for both of them, Richard smiled widely at the man of steel and I took that as my signal to leave.
"I'm going to check on Tim and Connor, hopefully they haven't destroyed the room they're in" I said with a small smile as Aunt Lois chuckled.
I went towards the gaming room Tim had claimed as his only to find the two boys immersed in a video game, I chuckled as they tried to outdo each other but somehow failed and ended up messing up their own game. I decided to watch from the doorway as the two boys who were my brothers in everything but blood fought over who was better at a game.
"You cheated!" finally said Connor while Tim still laughed at the sore loser.
"I did not! Just accept it I am way better than you" Tim said while still trying to control his laughter. The two boys continued to banter oblivious to my presence. I decided to intrude when it started to have an underlying tone of anger
"Boys, don't' fight. You both know I am the best in anything" I sated to calm the younger heroes
Both of the looked startled for a second before matching grins appeared in their faces. I knew that look and before I knew it I was being tackled to the ground with both sidekicks trying to tickle me, my attempts to fight them were futile as both proved to be too much for me to handle and I ended up being tickled to the ground.
"Stop" I managed to say between laughs
"Not until you surrender!" Connor cried dramatically
"I surrender!" I said and immediately both boys let me go and helped me to my feet. Both of them were grinning madly at me and I took that as my cue to leave the room in a sprint before they started chasing me. The three of us ran around the manor while I tried to escape both boys. We eventually found our way back to where the Titans, Bruce, Uncle Clark and Aunt Lois were. I ducked behind the Dark Knight before the teenagers had a chance to catch up with me. Bruce looked startled for a second before he understood the situation and decided whose side he was on.
"I will catch her!" he stated almost instantly while turning around to face me.
"Traitor!" I called before I ducked and dived behind the man of steel and his wife, the Titans just looked at us slightly confused as Bruce, Tim and Connor chased me around the room.
It wasn't long until a full blown tickle war was happening in the room. Aunt Lois and Uncle Clark were trying to defend me while my adopted little brothers and foster father tried to tackle me so they could attack. A couple of minutes later Alfred came to the room to see what the commotion was about and found Uncle Clark trying to tickle Connor and Tim while Aunt Lois was pinning Bruce to the floor and I was tickling him. He just eyed us with a slight smile on his face, while the Titans still looked confused as to what was going on.
"I must admit that Miss Anders and Master and Mistress Kent have finally won a round of this game" The elderly butler said loud enough with a knowing smile before all of us looked at him and started laughing at our situation "Although who would have thought that the almighty Superman and the fearsome Batman could be brought down with mere tickles"
That remark made us all laugh harder while the Titans just looked on. They were clearly confused by the cherry and mischievous aura that surrounded us, as Bruce and Clark tended to be quite serious most of the time.
"I don't remember anything like this happening while I was here. Who are you and what have you done with Bruce?" Richard stated amusedly but a hint of awkwardness was still present in his body language. We composed ourselves before I answered the Titans, my voice distant and somewhat cold but not uninviting
"Jason could never stand still or stand the silence for too long, so when he was bored he'd often start a tickle or prank war. Naturally, Bruce eventually found out and got involved in them, he is quite the prankster when he wants to. It eventually became a tradition, even after Jason died, and as such it was passed down to these two little monkeys here who would just randomly start one. Aunt Lois and Uncle Clark were quick to get the hang of it and something like this happens quite often when we are around each other, except when we are on missions of course"
"Oh. That explains why it didn't happen a lot when I was here" Dick said, trying to break the awkwardness that was slowly building around himself and his team.
"Anyways, how long are you staying for?" Tim asked the Kryptonian
"Lois and I were going to leave tonight, maybe tomorrow morning but I'm sure Connor will want to stay for a couple of days, maybe a week. If that is alright with you Bruce" Uncle Clark said with a slight glint of humor in his eyes directed towards Bruce who just sighed and looked at him with an annoyed expression which was quickly covered up.
"You know there is always room for you here" he finally answered. Connor beamed at him
"Thank you Uncle Bruce!" he said before hugging him and running off with Tim towards his room planning who knows what.
Once the two teens were out of sight I turned to Bruce smiling slightly.
"I'm guessing we are going out tonight"