Melissa was sitting on the couch, in Mount Justice, surrounded by her friends and teammates Connor, M'gann, Dick, Wally, Roy, Artemis, Cassandra, and Zatanna. They all looked concerned and supportive as Melissa took a deep breath before speaking. "I need to tell you guys something. Something really hard for me to talk about. But I think it's important that you know." She rubbed her arm anxiously as she began to emit a dark blue hue. Dick grabbed Melissa hand, squeezing it tightly. He knew what was coming, and braced himself for the heart-wrenching recount he knew would occur. "When I was younger, my biological father...he hurt me. A lot. He raped me, many timesAnd no one believed me. Not even my mother. And, it happened again and again until I came to Gotham. But, when he kidnapped me, it continued." Dick grabbed melissas hand, squeezing it tightly. The room fell silent as Melissa paused, collecting her thoughts. "Oh, God, Mel. Are you alright? Did you tell Bruce?" Wally asked, wrapping his arms around her. "Yeah, he knows. He's helping me a lot through this." She replied. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Star." Cassandra flew over to her and wrapped her arms around her. "We're all here for you, and we will get justice for you," Kaldur said reassuringly. "Thanks, you guys." She smiled at her friends as Cassandra released her from her grip. "Knowing you're here for me helps." Her friends were prepared to help her through this. "Of course, Star. You're never alone, we promise." Zatanna said, smiling warmly at her. "So, have you gone to counseling or anything like that?" Wally asked as she leaned into him. "Yeah, I've been talking with Dinah about everything." She replied, glancing at dick as she answered. He looked back at her and squeezed her hand, a small gesture of comfort. Suddenly, her phone began ringing, and she picked up the phone, and answered it. "Hello?" She was silent for a moment. "Star, are you still at the mountain?" Bruce asked. "Yeah, I am. What's up?" She replied. "Can you come back to the manor?" Melissa began to emit a dark blue hue. Her friends noticed this. It seemed to be her only emotion lately. "Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a minute." Wally's grip around Melissa loosened as she began to sit up. "Dick, Bruce asked me to come back home, I'm not sure why, though. I'll be back." She looked at him before standing up. "Bye, love you. Lemme know what he says." She nods. "Of course. Bye, everyone. I'll see you guys later." Melissa smiled at her close friends, and she waved at them as she exited the room. "We're going to do something about this, right?" Dick said, knowing everyone would agree. "Yeah, of course. We cannot let Justin get away with this. But, we need to get more information about him." Wally hesitated before speaking up. "Shouldn't Batman already be working on this? What if they already have a plan?" He asked, glancing at Dick. "Hes still working on a plan, because Justin's magic is very powerful." He replied. "Well, why don't we do a little covert operation? We could try to find out any weaknesses, just something to help. We can't sit around and do nothing." Connor said. "Well, sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is to be there for them, rather than getting justice or revenge. But, that being said, I'm ready to go kick some ass." Zatanna and Cassandra sat in the same chair. "I agree. But, we're not fighting him blindly., We need to be careful." Kaldur said. "This is unlike any magic I've seen before. Melissa and Justin have magic incomprehensible to you or I." He explained. Zatana rolled her eyes. "I'm a magician, I have all sorts of natural and learned magic abilities." He nodded empathetically. "Yes, we know, Zee. He's not trying to water down your abilities. But Melissa's magic is the kind of magic that, she would need to hold back with all of you, expect for Connor. She's just very powerful. She can use magic to enhance her fighting, so it's almost flawless, and her punches and kicks are like Superman or Wonder Woman. Not to discredit any of you guys, but she's hurt me many times when sparring." Artemis laughed and rolled her eyes. "She can't be that good. Come on, she's only 14. Has she used her magic all her life?" She looked up at Robin and crossed her arms. "No, she wasn't allowed to use her magic growing up." He replied. "Damn, that's messed up." Artemis replied, sitting next to Robin on the couch. "Parents tend to do that a lot. It's sad. But how's Melissa so powerful, then?" Zatana said, curiously. "Well, empath witches and wizards are just born very powerful. But, they still need to train, learn, and improve. But Justin's had time to work on his magic. So he's going to give us a run for our money." Zatanna smiled nervously. "So, what do you want us to do?" Roy asked. "We're going to go in, get intel, find some weaknesses or perhaps he could be planning something else." The team members stood, ready to help Melissa in any way they could. "Well, then it's settled. I'll get the bioship ready!" M'gann said excitedly, eager to help Melissa in any way possible. The team members quickly got into their costumes. Once they all boarded the ship, Miss Martian began to fly it through the night sky. Aqaulad brought up a hologram, searching for information on Justin. "Justin Moon. No offenses on his record. He's an empath wizard, from a long line of Kings and Queens. It seems their family rules the empath kingdom. And melissas next in line." He noted. "Try tracking Justin using his magic. Bats did it to find Melissa." Speedy suggested. Aqaulad nodded, complying. "I found him." He said proudly. M'gann began taking the intended route, and after a while, they arrived One by one, they each stealthily made their way into the abandoned warehouse. Miss Martian created a telepathic link with the team. "He's right over there." Wondergirl observed. Justin sat down at a computer screen. The screen on his computer showed the Wayne Manor, and the Hall of Justice, and then his phone began ringing. He picked it up eagerly. "Hey, man. Got anything?" He asked. "Same old, same old." a voice replied from the other end of the phone. "Listen, I've got a plan." Justin said, confidently. "What's that?" His friend asked. "Okay, so I'll handle her family, friends, whatever pathetic heroes that will be protecting her. And they won't stand a chance against me. So I'll deal with them so they can't interfere with anything, and you'll take care of Melissa. Then, we take her to that safe house I told you about, and then we'll dampen her magic, obviously, so she can't escape." He said, smirking."My goodness," Kaldur said into the mind link. "You guys, we're gonna need to plan this out a little better. He could knock us out in a millisecond." Robin said, worriedly. "Yeah, we need to come up with a plan, and be more prepared. But who's he talking to?" Superboy agreed. "Who knows, but we'll figure it out." As if on cue, Miss Martian read Justin's mind. "Some friend of his." She said, looking at her teammates. "So, what do we do, now?" Artemis asked. "We need to inform the Justice League of what's happening." Kaldur said, standing in front of the team. Aqaulad led the team back to the bioship, determined to get this Intel to Batman, understanding the severity of the situation. Miss Martian flew the bioship back to Mount justice.
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"Bats? We gotta talk to you!" Dick called as his teammates followed. "Bruce!" Wally yelled when they got no answer. They were met with silence, the only sound being the little bit of water dripping in the cave. They walked up the stairs into the manor and found him in the living room. "Bruce." Dick said, getting his attention as they walked into the room. They sat on the couch, prepared to share the new information with him. "Hey, Star." Cassandra sat right next to her. "What's going on, kids?" He asked, as Melissa looked expectant at them. "Well, we went to find Justin, to take matters into our own hands with the team, and he has a warehouse, where he's got a whole setup, watching us. He can see the manor and the hall of justice." Bruce was surprised by this revelation, his face full of frustration. Melissa grabbed her hair, pulling on it. She folded her hands in her lap as she continued. "And he plans to stop anyone who gets in his way, anyone that stops him from getting to Melissa. And he seems to have some friend helping him, and possibly others." Zatanna added. Bruce stood up and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I will talk to the league, and we will stop him. We won't let anyone hurt you." He said, walking towards the grandfather clock that resided in the living room. He went down into the Batcave, leaving the team in the living room. Dick notic e Melissa's intense anxiety and stress, and instinctively put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "I don't want him to come back." She whispered. "We know, Star, and we won't let him." Roy said, looking sincerely at her. They could all see the vulnerability in her eyes, her deep bags from the sleepless nights. "We know how hard this has been for you, but we're always going to be here for you." Wally said, wrapping his arms around her. "No matter what, if you need to talk, we're all here for you." Artemis added, hoping to bring even a small sense of comfort to her. "We know words aren't always enough, but listen to ours. We love you, and we always stick together, no matter what. We're all here for you, and each other." She smiled gratefully, her eyes spilling with tears. She quickly wiped them away, trying to suppress her urge to cry. "I really appreciate you guys being here me. And, you know, sometimes words are the best way to help someone." M'gann flew up from her spot and hugged Melissa tightly. She released her hug, sitting back down next to Connor. Melissa ran her hands through her hair, clearly slightly stressed. She looked nonchalant and relaxed to her friends. Melissa wanted to believe her brother, and her friends, but something in the back of her mind nagged at her, making her doubt their words. "Melissa, I'm here for you, okay? We all are. You're safe now." Dick said, tightening his grip on her. "How do you guys know? He could still be out there, waiting for me." She argued, tears springing to her eyes once more. "Because the Justice league is looking for him, and they'll catch him soon. They're gonna come up with a plan to make sure they can apprehend Justin." Kaldur said, hoping to reassure her. She groaned. "I'm sorry, but what if they don't find him? What if he comes back and hurts me again?" She asked anxiously. She began to sniffle, and dick brushed her tears away with his thumb. Roy sat next to her, and put his hand on her leg. "That's not going to happen, Melissa. You're safe now. We won't let anything happen to you. None of us will let anything happen to you." He said gently.
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Later that night, Melissa and Bruce were sitting on the couch. Melissa was sobbing uncontrollably in his lap, as he held her tightly. "Sshh, it's okay, sweetie. It'll be alright. You're safe now." He said, hoping to comfort her. Bruce looked over at the clock, which showed it was 3 am. He had been comforting her for an hour, after she woke up from a nightmare. "Uncle Bruce, I-it hurts. I don't want h-him to touch me ever again." Bruce tightened his hold. "I know, babygirl. I won't let him hurt you again." Bruce's face was filled with sorrow for his niece. He felt so terrible that she was going through this. And he couldn't take away her pain. He would gladly transfer her pain to himself if he could. But he knew he couldn't take her pain away completely, but he would do anything to help her. "I love you so much, honey. Maybe talking about your feelings will help you feel better. Do you want to talk about it?" She hesitantly nodded. He looked into her red, puffy eyes, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Justin...he made me please him, whenever he wanted. He made me submit to every demand he had, a-and he s-sold me to his friends. And he made me call him M-master...a-nd D-daddy. I-I don't wanna be his little girl anymore. I don't wanna be owned by him anymore." She buried her face in Bruce's chest. He put his hand on the back of her head, cradling her in his arms. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. But, I promise, you're safe now." As she sobbed and cried, Bruce couldn't help but feel so much sympathy and sadness for what she endured. "I know you're hurting, and I'm not able to take this pain away from you, but I know that you can get through this, and we'll all help you through this. Me, the boys, your friends, we'll always be here for you." She sniffled as she continued crying. He stood up, and began rocking her back and forth in his arms as she sobbed. Bruce noticed she was beginning to mentally regress, acting like a young vulnerable child. "Uncle Bruce, he hurt me so bad. It felt like something big w-was inside me, and it hurt so bad." Bruce's eyes welled with tears, hearing her small voice speak of such horrors. "I know how much you're hurting, babygirl. But I'll be here for you no matter what. I'm always here to hold you, to remind you of just how loved and cherished you are. And I'll always protect you." He said, as he rubbed her back soothingly. "Did...did you talk to mommy?" Melissa asked in a small voice as Bruce carried her into the kitchen. He sighed, knowing the difficult conversation he needed to have with Melissa. "Listen, Star." He sat her on the countertop as he began making a cappuccino to soothe her nerves. "I did call her, but...she refused to believe, or accept, what Justin did." Her face visibly fell, a look of astonishment on her face. "What do you mean?" She asked, her voice trembling. "Well, she...she said that Justin wouldn't do something like that, and figured we were lying because we simply don't like him." He finished making her drink, adding cold foam on the top for her. He handed it to her, rubbing her back. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I...I don't know what her problem is." He said solemnly. "Well, she didn't believe me when I told her. She said I must've made it up, but I know that she knew what he did to me, but didn't care." She admitted. "Oh, Melissa, sweetie." Melissa set her drink down next to her and he wrapped his arms around her. "I...I read her mind, Uncle Bruce. S-she knew what he did, a-and she just...let it fucking happen." He could tell she was out of her mental regression now. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she relayed this information to him. "Oh, babygirl. I'm going to make sure you don't have to go back home at the end of the summer." She looked at him, clearly dependent on him for support and care. "R-really?" He nodded. "If you're alright with it, I'd like to adopt you. But I want to make sure you'd be okay with it before I went any further." She smiled up at him. Bruce felt like it was the first time in a while since she had smiled, and he was happy to see her beaming brightly. "I'm gonna take that as a yes." He said, chuckling as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!" She replied eagerly. "Uncle Bruce, I can't thank you enough for this!" Melissa was in was in awe, thankful for her uncle doing this for her "No need to thank me, Star. I love you so much, and I'd do anything to keep you safe and happy." She leaned into his embrace, and she began emitting a yellow glow. "I love you, Bruce." She said, contently. "I love you more, honey. I'll always look out for you, I promise." He caressed her cheek with his thumb as he held her face. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure I can get custody of you, and adopt you." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up in his arms. "Grab your coffee." She released one arm to grab her coffee, as Bruce made sure she was supported in his arms. He walked back to the living room, as Melissa began emitting a light blue glow. She had a long side braid. "I'm glad you're feeling relaxed, Star. But, I think I have something that'll help. It'll definitely help with your nightmares and sleeping." He sat on the couch, with her on his lap. "What is it?" She asked. He reached into a nightstand next to him. "I'm gonna assume you know what weed is." He said as he grabbed a package out of the nightstand drawer. "Of course." She replied. "I have some THC gummies if you want to try them. I just think that they'll help you." She smiled excitedly. "Sure, if you think it'll help." She said. He opened the package and handed her an orange gummy. "Here you go, sweetie. Now, I want you to be very careful once you start feeling the effects. Just relax and enjoy it." She giggled as she popped it in her mouth. "And don't tell a soul outside of this house, or Alfred." He said playfully, holding his pointer finger to his mouth. "My lips are sealed, Uncle B." She replied as she leaned into his chest. "Bruce, do you think...I'm...dirty? Impure?" She asked, meekly. "No, Star. You're still innocent and pure. What happened to you wasn't your fault, but you're the same sweet, kind Melissa you've always been. You are magical, from yoir magic as a witch to your loving heart, and pure soul." He held her hands in his, as she looked up at him hopefully. "Really? You really think so?" She asked vulnerably. "I know so, sweetheart. I'm here to remind you of how wonderful and innocent you are. I know you feel broken, but, you know what?" He brushed a little bit of hair behind her ear. "What?" She asked with a tone of fragility. "If you're broken, we're gonna fix you right up, I swear it." She smiled softly at him. Bruce looked down at her, and couldn't imagine how anyone could ever hurt her like that. Bruce felt a sense of pride, being able to take care of her. He loved all of his children, and he was praying that Melissa would soon be one of them.
35 minutes later
"Oh my gosh, Uncle B! This is so cool! I feel like I'm floating." Melissa said, giggling as she watched television on the big flatscreen above the fireplace. She flew out of the her spot on the couch, floating in the air. "Bruce, will you sit by the fireplace with me?" She asked, almost pleadingly. He nodded, amused. "Of course, sweetie." He stood up, and followed her to the fireplace, sitting down in front of it. He gently pulled her out of the air, sitting her on his lap as she continued watching her Adult Swim shows. "It's like nothing I've ever felt before. I feel like I could talk on and on and on." She began giggling, and Bruce laughed at her bubbly expressions. "Oh my gosh, Uncle Bruce, did you hear about Family Guy? They took it off Adult Swim, like, forever! And now it's not the same without those nostalgic bumpers." Bruce kept his arm wrapped around her, holding her hand in his. "I see you've been watching too much TV, Melissa." He joked. "Haha. No way, Uncle Bruce. I just kinda miss the old days when they used to play "Robot Chicken" after midnight. It's on occasionally, but not as often as it used to be. It's so nice to be here, in Wayne manor, with you, and watching adult swim. Just, feeling like...everything is right when I'm here." Bruce kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad that you feel so comfortable here, hun. That's all I want is for you to be comfortable and happy." He replied, smiling softly at her. "Thank you, Uncle Bruce. For everything. You being my guardian angel, for taking care of me, a-and making sure I'm safe...I don't know what I would do without you." She added, turning around and hugging him tightly. "Oh, babygirl, I love you more than life itself. I'll always do all of those things. Of course I want to take care of you. You're like a daughter to me." He embraced her warmly, squeezing her and holding her extra tight. She smiled and giggled as he squeezed her. "I'm so lucky to have you as my uncle." She looked up at him. "Hey, are there still brownies from earlier?" He nodded and chuckled as she flew out of his embrace. "Alfred makes the best brownies ever. Did...did he put powdered sugar on them?" He nodded, and she flew towards the kitchen, inches above the ground. "Bruce, I think Jason or Terry ate all the brownies!" She called from the kitchen counter. Melissa landed onto the ground, and went into the living room, and walked up the stairs. She passed by Jason on her way. "Did you eat the rest of the brownies that Alfred made?" She asked, giggling. "Sorry, sorry." She said, attempting to stifle her giggles. "Um, yeah, sorry, Mel. But, what's up with you?" He asked, noticing her giggling. "Nothing...nothing. I'm fine." She said, before continuing her walk through the hallway. "Where are you going?" He asked, curiously. "Gonna have Terry make me some brownies. I have the munchies." She said. She followed her. "I'll come with you. I need to ask him a favor." She smiled, welcoming him. "Do you...do you think there's a room, or some, that we haven't even seen in this manor. I mean, it's just huge, and there are probably some rooms in here...that, that I've never even been in. Like, it's crazy." Jason looked at her. "Yup, you're right, Melissa. Are you...like..." He took a moment to examine her face, noticing her red eyes and constant giggling. "What, Jay? What're you thinking?" She had a look of realization in her face. "Oh my god, wait, I could just read your mind." She rolled her eyes and laughed at herself. "You're fucking stoned, aren't you?" She looked at him and nodded. "Maybe." She said, as the appeared at Terry's bedroom door. Melissa knocked. "Who the hell got you high?" He asked, laughing. "Bruce." She replied. Just then, Terry opened the door. "Hey, guys. What's good?" Melissa laughed a little. "Can you make some brownies?" She asked. "And can I borrow one of your games? Call of Duty, perhaps?" Jason requested. Terry laughed and nodded. He walked back into his room, before coming back out and handing him a disc. "Anything for you guys." Melissa looked up at Terry. "Guess what Bruce told me." She said excitedly. "What's that? He asked as they walked through the hall and down the stairs. "Did he tell you what Sarah said?" He nodded as they entered the kitchen. "She's kind of a bitch, no offense, Star." Jason said. "None taken, Jay. I completely agree with you." She replied. "So, he said he would get custody of me, and fight Sarah in court, so I don't have to go back at the end of the summer." She said. "Oh, thank god. I was really worried you'd have to go back there, Mel. And it's just not right." Terry picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. "That's great, sweetie. I can't wait to see the look on her face." Melissa laughed a little as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I hope you do become our sister. I think you'd fit in great around here." Jason said. Although he didn't know her all that well, he had gotten to bond with her as she stayed with the family, and he hoped for the best for Melissa, knowing she had been through hell and back.