๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐
Melissa was getting ready to take a shower, by herself. She had Bruce help her with her baths and showers for the past week, but she wanted to do it on her own. She didn't think she'd be able to, but she wanted to at least try. She didn't want to depend on her entire family for everything. Even though they tried to convince her otherwise, she felt she needed to do this on her own. She nervously walked into the bathtub. Little did she know, she had a good reason to be nervous. Justin, who had caused her so much turmoil last year, was spying on her, using a magic crystal ball. He watched as she slipped her clothes off and stepped into the shower, the hot water soothing her temporarily. She smiled to herself a little, blissfully unaware of the threat looming. Justin silently appeared behind her, and as she turned around, before she could even scream, a power dampening collar appeared around her throat, and a magic piece of tape over her mouth, preventing her from making any noise, even small muffled sounds. She tried her best to escape, but he pinned her wrists to the wall. She squirmed, trying to get out of his tight grip, but her attempts were futile.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ-
Melissa knocked on the brown door to Bruce's study, and stood, waiting for his confirmation to come in. "Come in!" He called. She nervously opened the door, revealing her puffy red eyes and pale skin to Bruce. He put his papers down, and looked at her worriedly. "Star, what's wrong? What's going on?" He asked, concerned. "I...I was..um..." She stuttered, struggling to even process what just occurred a few minutes prior. He got up, and walked toward her. He kneeled down to her level, but his hands on her arms at her side. "It's okay, sweetie. Take your time. Tell me what happened." He said gently, looking at her with kindness and worry in his eyes. "It was...Justin. He...he came back." She said, tears threatening to spill once more. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Did he...?" He trailed off as she nodded. "And...I might be..um, oh, god..." She deeply inhaled and exhaled. "Pregnant.." She said. "he...you know..." He immediately understood what she was hesitating to say, and opened his arms, enveloping her in his tight embrace as she sobbed. Her small frame shook against his, her body wracked with sobs. She buried her face in his shoulder, as he stood up, carrying her in his arms. "Sshh, sshh, it's going to be okay, honey. I've got you, and I'm never letting go." His grip on her tightly, his anger and sadness for his niece palpable. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart." He whispered. "But we'll get through this. I'm here for you, no matter what. I promise." He said, hoping to help her somehow. "It hurts, Bruce. I'm so scared. What if he did get me pregnant? I can't have a baby." She whispered, her pain intense. "I know, sweetie. And I'm so sorry. I wish I could take all of this hurt and pain away. But, I'll be here to help you through it. I'll do everything I possibly can to help you through this pain." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he paced back and forth through the room, cradling her in his arms like a young child. He rocked her back and forth in his arms, gently shushing her. She gripped his shirt, and Bruce looked down at her, seeing how vulnerable she looks. "Dad, I'm scared." She said, gripping his shirt even tighter. He looks down at her with a mix of shock and pride. That was the first time she ever called him dad since he adopted her, and he couldn't have been more proud to be her dad. He hated seeing her so torn up, traumatized by what Justin did to her, and seeing her go through all of this emotional pain. He vowed to do everything he could to help Melissa heal, and to shield her from the pain as much as he could. "I don't want to be touched by him again. He made me call him those same horrible names. Master, a-andDaddy. It makes me sick just thinking about it." Her magic reacted to her emotions, causing her to glow green, signaling her disgust at the thought of that. "Shh, it's okay, Star. You never have to say those words again. You're safe now. I'm your father, and I promise to protect you from harm and from this pain." He said calmly. Bruce was disgusted at the thought of anyone treating her in such a way. But he pushed down his own emotions, focusing on comforting Melissa. "But what if he comes back? What if he tries to hurt me again?" She asked anxiously. "He won't. We will take extra precautions to ensure that he can't find you. You're protected, Melissa. You're under my care now, and I won't let him get to you ever again." He said, stroking her hair. "I hate that he made me call him those things. It was like he owned me. Like I was his property all over again." She said, venting her feelings. Bruce noticed she changed from green to gray, representing her mental pain. "Daddy, please don't let Justin come back again." She begged tearfully. "I promise, I won't, sweetheart." Melissa looked up at Bruce with tears in her eyes, still acting like a scared child. "You don't have to worry about anything, okay? I'll take care of everything. You just focus on getting better and feeling safe." Melissa leans into Bruce's embrace, starting to relax a bit. "Thank you, Daddy." She said in a small voice, listening to Bruce's heartbeat as she rested her head against her chest. "You're welcome, darling. I'm always here for you." As they say together, Bruce started to sing a soft lullaby, rocking Melissa back and forth in his arms. Her breathing slowed down as she listened to Bruce's soothing voice. "It's going to be alright, honey. You'll get through this, I promise. And I'll be there for you, helping you, and loving you, like a father should. I promise I'll never ever leave you." She smiled as she sniffled, glad to have Bruce in her life. "Having you here, helping me through all of this, means everything to me. I love you so much, Dad." She said. Bruce's heart swelled when she said that. He held her close, kissing the top of her head. "Now, how about some hot chocolate, Star?" She nodded, perking up a little. "Can we tell the others?" She asked. He nodded at her request. "If you want to, then of course." Bruce replied smiling as they walked through the hallway. Bruce walked down the stairs, Melissa cradled in his arms. They entered the kitchen, where Terry, Tim, and Jason stood, talking amongst themselves. They turned to look at Bruce and Melissa as entered. "Hey, sweetie." Terry said, smiling at her. "Hey, honey. How're you holding up?" Tim asked. She sighed. "Not so good. It...happened again." She said, hesitantly. Terry immediately scooped her into his own arms. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. We're gonna help you through this." Jason said, rubbing her back soothingly. "Thanks, you guys. But, there's more. I...might be...pregnant." She said as Terry hugged her tighter. "Oh, Star, we're so sorry. But we'll be here for you every step of the way." Tim said. Terry nodded. "Don't you worry, Star. We'll support you through all of this." Jason said. "Thanks, you guys. Just knowing that all of you are here for me helps me feel better." Jason ruffled her hair and began running his fingers through it. "We'll always be here for you. You're never alone, kid." Jason said, smiling softly at her. Bruce handed her a cup filled with hot chocolate. She took a drink and relaxed in Terry's warm embrace. She was in a lot of mental pain and anguish, but her family helped her feel better, and they were always able to comfort her, always putting her safety and security first. Just then, Alfred walked into the kitchen, walking up to her. "Miss Melissa, it's almost 3. Isn't it time for you and master dick to head to Mount Justice?" He asked gently. She nodded. "Yeah, it is. Tell dick I'll meet him in the bat cave." Alfred nodded and patted her head before walking away.
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ-
"Justin...he did something terrible to me. Again." The team already guessed what happened. "He raped me...again." She said, tearing up. "Oh, Star," Dick wrapped his arms around her. She sniffled. "We're here for you, whatever you need, hun." Cassie said. She flew up to Melissa and grabbed her hands, squeezing them. "We love you, Star. We're here for you, no matter what." She said. Zatanna stood up and sat on top of the back of the couch. "Sweetie, we'll be here for you every step of the way. We know how much it hurts, but we'll always be here to pick you up when you fall. And I know it's hard to believe, but you'll heal from this." She smiled at her friend. Zatana grabbed her hand, intertwining her fingers with Melissa's. Wally wrapped his arms around her from the opposite side, embracing her tightly. She felt the warmth of his embrace and snuggled into his arms. "We'll get him, Star. You just gotta have a little faith. I know it's hard." She nodded. "I...I just can't believe it. It's been a few hours, and I'm still in shock." She said. "I know it's so much to handle, and it may seem impossible, but I'll be here for you through everything." Wally, said. Melissa was so glad to have such a kind-hearted boyfriend like Wally. He always held her when she was going through hardships, and he always knew how to help her feel better. He was always there for her, day or night. He loved her and hated seeing her in so much distress all the time. He knew that being hurt so often was taking its toll on her, but he wasn't sure how to help her other than being there for her. So he was going to do just that. "It's okay, sweetie. You're not alone. You're never alone." Dick said, rubbing her back as she leaned into Wally's arms. "We're gonna get him, Mel. Don't you worry." Connor nodded. "We won't stop until he can't harm you anymore." M'gann stood up and began baking brownies for Melissa. Melissa's phone sat on the coffee table, vibrating. Bruce's name appeared on the screen. Melissa looked at it and proceeded to ignore it. "Star, you gonna get that?" She shook her head. "He'll call again if it's that important. Besides, I kinda just need a break." Dick sighed, smiling before taking the phone himself and answering it. "Hey, bats." He said. "Hey, dick, where's Star?" He asked. "Oh, she's in the bathroom. Why, what's up?" Dick asked, looking at Melissa. "I just wanted to check in on Star, see how she's doing. Did she tell you yet?" He sighed. "Yup." He replied. "So, you know she's going through a lot, and I just wanted to check on her." Dick understood Bruce. "I get it, Bruce. But she's fine. We've got it handled over here." Dick said, confidently. "Alright. Thanks, dick." Dick hung up the phone. "You know you're gonna give Bats a heart attack if you don't answer the phone." Dick said laughing as he handed her phone back to her. "Ugh, I know. But don't act like you don't ignore his calls sometimes." She said, smiling as she scrolled through her phone. A while later, M'gann gave Melissa a plate of brownies and a vanilla cappuccino. "This is my first cappuccino, but I hope it turned out." Melissa took a sip, and M'gann stood eagerly, awaiting her thoughts. To the rest of the team, it was obvious it wasn't good, but she swallowed it anyway. They could tell she just didn't want to hurt M'gann's feelings. "Thank you, M'gann. I really appreciate it." Dick stood up and immediately went into the kitchen. He began making coffee. "Dick, I could make you one, too. All you have to do is ask." She said, smiling. Melissa almost choked on her coffee, suppressing her laughtet. "Come on, it can't be that bad." Wally whispered in her ear. "Oh, walls..." She handed it to him to try. M'gann turned away from the team, as she talked with dick. "Don't let her see you, Wally." Kaldur warned. "Yeah, I get it may not be very good, but just choke down some of it." Zatanna said. "Look, Melissa's taking it like a champ." Cassie giggled as she watched on. Melissa had taken a few sips, so it seemed like she actually drank it. After a few moments, Dick sat down right next to Melissa. He took a sip and smirked as Melissa glared at him. He offered her a sip of his coffee, while M'gann was still turned away. She smiled and reveled in the warmth of the drink. She handed it back to dick as M'gann turned back around and sat down, snuggled into Connor on the couch. Melissa snuggled into Dick, as he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her hair, offering a soothing presence for her. Dick was scrolling through his phone with one arm still wrapped around Melissa as she laid on his stomach. Terry's name popped up on the screen. "Why's he calling me now?" Dick asked. Melissa shrugged as he answered. "Hey, Ter. What's up?" Dick asked. "Hey, we're looking for you know who again, and we may have got some leads. Don't tell Mel, but Bruce told me to keep you updated, and I figured you'd probably wanna know." Dick sighed. "Thanks for letting me know, Terry. And keep me posted, but I hope that you find what you're looking for." He replied, before hanging up. "What did he want?" Melissa asked, looking up at him. "Apparently they've got some leads on the joker, and he wanted to let me know." He lied, looking at her. "You know I can read your mind, right? I mean, I dont care enough to look for what it was about, but I know that phone call wasn't about the Joker."
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ-
Later that night Bruce entered her room after knocking. He and his older sons had been doing their best to help Melissa, and make the nighttime more calming for her, to help ease some of her stress and pain. They always helped her with daily tasks that were daunting for her. "Melissa, sweetheart, are you ready for your bath yet?" Bruce asked, walking over to the bed and kneeling down beside her. She shook her head, curling up in fear. "Th-that's wh-where it happened...earlier," She said, trembling. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, and he comforted her. "I know it's scary, sweetie. But I won't let anyone hurt you in there, and I promise I won't leave you alone unless you say otherwise. Is that okay?" He released his grasp on her and backed away, holding his hand out for her to take. She nodded as she uncurled and slowly took his hand. He picked her up and carried her in his arms, as they entered the bathroom. Melissa's breath quickened, and he started to rock her in his arms. "It's alright, pumpkin. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I'm right here." He said. He set her down on the ground and held her hand. He put one hand on her back. He turned the faucet on, and Melissa became nervous. Bruce once again embraced her. "It'll be alright, Star. You can do this." He said. With his help, she stepped into the tub. She sat in the water, the tension leaving her body. She scrubbed herself, and Bruce couldn't help the guilt when he noticed the white substance on her legs and stomach, as well as the hickeys left on her. Melissa scrubbed harder, hoping to get clean. "I feel so dirty...tainted..." Bruce looked at her with sympathy. "Sweetie, you're not dirty. You're the same wonderful person you were before. You're still strong and beautiful." He said as he watched over her, ensuring her comfort. "Really? You think so?" She asked in a small voice. "I know so, Star. I know it hurts, but we're going to help you through this. Me, your brothers, Rose." Rose was Bruce's girlfriend of three years, and Melissa and her siblings had come to see her as a motherly figure. "We're going to help you heal, Star, I promise." She sniffled and smiled as he lifted her out of the tub, wrapping her in a towel. He led her out of the bathroom into her bedroom, and he waited for her to pick out a pair of pajamas, he helped her dry off and put them on. When they were done, she leaned into Bruce's embrace. "Sshh, sweetie, it's okay. You're going to be okay. I'm always gonna be there for you." She began crying quietly, clinging to Bruce. "Uncle Bruce, I'm still scaredโฆ" She said, anxiously. "I know, and it's okay to feel that way. It's okay to be scared, but I promise we will protect you at all costs. Your brothers and I will not let anyone hurt you." He said, smiling reassuringly. "I swear to you that we won't let him win." He promised.