Why Heroes Don't Sip Champagne and Apples are a Girl's Best Friend

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Chapter 16: Will You Be Mine and True

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" Politically, you won't technically be married."

Across from them at the Gotham twenty four hour diner -the only one in a five to ten mile radius from Wayne Enterprises' main building, a studious red head with a laptop in front of her always, made clear beside one other of her allies of justice and match making, to be clear on this "deal" Dick Grayson had made with his adoptive father figure.

"Bruce never put his foot down like that for any of us, count yourself sorry for picking a church….wasn't Martha Wayne technically Jewish?" Tim Drake turned to a Barbara Gordon as she typed away to search for a possible loophole.

"Air tight." Tim Drake sat beside them as well, as sucked in a breath and shook his head over the table top. "Sorry, Dick."

"I'll be fine, Timbo. And thanks for tag - teaming your brains together for us. I really do appreciate it….going behind B's back isn't fun stuff."

Dick tried to smile, even if Kori was all alone in the hotel a day after their spat with said billionaire.

"I mean, the only thing is…. Technically, Blackfire is still a threat to the galactic federation. Just saying; we fought Darkseid with the Justice League and I can tell you she's doing well for herself on Ortix Prime."

"The planet that thinks it's still nineteen - seventy six?" Babs gawked. "Is she a disco queen to them or something?"

The group of three, sighed.

"When the Titans took Star's big sister in the first time, Blackfire almost tried to seduce me –

"Dude." Babs blinked up from her screen. "Don't let Kori know she gave it to you –

"AND she taught me an alien martial art move!" Dick defended with his hands up. "WE DIDN'T. And yeah, Star thought-

"You're a jock." Tim shrugged and pulled out his cell. "See? Front page, thanks to Kori's job as a bodacious model."

"Bait, you mean for the Gordanians." Dick slouched in his seat and grumbled.

"Any luck with the loopholes, yet?"

Babs rolled her eyes and just typed without looking up. "It takes a ser –

"Ah! Hatcha!"

"Says the future presidente of the US of A." Tim rolled his eyes to her excuses.

"Why, thank you!" Babs accepted the witty comment, graciously. "Bout time this bird went all out – the dark web is truly a battle ground for those worthy….and, in! Wayne Tech? Really? You need to upgrade your fire wall, before another hacktivist gets messy….ugh. The worst… This isn't Y2K, B."

"Who is your equally fiery – headed ally speaking to?" Dick was still new to Oracle's witty ways about her as Tim easily shrugged off Bab's ranting at her laptop.

"Don't ask, or she may tell you." Frowned Tim as he fished out a manila file folder from his backpack. "You are new school like me on your device, yet I had the knack to bet you'd be second –

"Timmy!" Seethed the red head. "We can't be so….you know?" She nudged her head as a camera above their heads…

"So much for sore losers in this town." Dick chuckled as Tim looked the reddest yet since courting Stephanie Brown.

"Can it, Romeo." Tim slouched in his seat and passed the file onto Dick's lap.

"Right. Are you…"

Dick cringed. Was he –

"Tim's been up as Robin and studying to get into Wayne's faction. His bags even have bags. Welcome to the night – life of my world. Click!"

"Did you find –

Babs put up a finger. "A magician never reveals their secrets, so come on. Lemme run you by it."

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Starfire sat by the phone on their suite's one bed and was restless. Why she had decided to stay here and reject the Wayne's hospitality had to be smartest to do, though she missed the familiar ceilings of her beloved's childhood home.

"Dick…where are you at this hour?"

She wanted to talk, not sit around so…

Kori went to the cafeteria to find the biggest way she could bite down on a pregnant feat for a, ehem…..a pregnant mother to be. She saw right in the lobby how very dark it was and on her own, walked instead of flew.

"Hello?? Is anyone still –

She gasped as a somewhat greater sight brought her to her knees, before a gag was over her lips.

He body pliant and eyes rolling back, as a soft cackle had the princess to shiver while in and out of consiousness.

"You've broken one of your family's most sacred of laws, dear sibling…Did you not think that I would allow you to mix our royal blood with an outsider to spite me?? Queen of your beloved home and my desired conquest…"

The world grew dark as the knock out drug did its job, while that voice….the laughter turned to bellowing echoes while the dark of night took them far from her haven…

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Bb and Raven with Cy had decided to leave the new Titans to handle the tower while they'd see to the groom and his wife to be.

However, Raven had gotten them slightly lost, which took hours to remedy. Only to wind the three up in front of a five star hotel in the heart of uptown Gotham.

"Dick's got the digs…"

Rich boy stuff." Bb snorted. "I know, but at least this wasn't what the Doom Patrol told us to do with our hundred grands. Sheesh."

"Quiet, both of you." Raven looked ahead.

"Is it ok in there, can you –

"No…" She rushed to the door as a few guards were in there, knocked out.

"Something took them down? But, who?"

"Heloo??? This is Gotham – Murder ca –

"Don't care. Kori should be on the list. Raven?"

"I'm on it." She flipped through and with a ping and no staff present to stop her, there it was.

"Grayson. He used…aww!" Bb made goo – goo eyes as Raven sniffed with annoyance. Right now, there was a big problem.

"One of you has to call Richard. NOW."

Cy got on the line, while Raven did some scoping of the last eve –

"no…." She hoarsely whispered…

"How?"

"Rae??"

"Rae, what happe –

"Blackfire…." She gasped, fists clenched and her eyes shut.

"Blackfire took Koriand'r!" She shouted out to her team, just as Dick had heard it all and went to the scene of such a sick crime.

Between sisters, siblings.

All because Starfire was what she was, always.

A princess in a galaxy far, far away.

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Mostly, Bruce AND Dick were devastated.

"I'm bringing in the League to hold them accountable."

"We can help!" Dick exclaimed in desperation to his father figure.

Bruce shot him a cold glance. "After promising to watch out for one another, you left her at the hotel. You knew she'd be a target if word got out of your engagement."

Dick's eyes fell, looking at his knees as a fire always seemed to crackle at the perfect time within Bruce's study.

"You can't do anything else." Bruce brought a hand to his temples and huffed. "Let us take care of rescuing Starfire. You can worry about the implications –

"But, I can't wait. She's pregnant, Bruce. With our child….Mari…she already had a baby growing and….you can't make me sit on my ass for this!" Shot the eldest, his love stronger but yet, so foolish to assist.

"You won't go into space to save her if Blackfire ends up hurting Mari….Starfire, and if she's doing this because of what I did –

"The child might be destroyed." Bruce saw as Dick's face went chalk white at his prediction.

"And there is a chance you can try again, she's not even developed yet Dick. Use logic for this, not your heart. You'll only get her hurt if you can't handle a thing out there in space at all." Bruce reprimanded stoic as ever in his approach.

"Blackfire is after revenge, that's it." B said with a wave of his arm. "For now, Tim and the Titans will be in charge of keeping you from running after them. You can't fight if you can't live with the pain of knowing what could happen."

"For her…." Dick stood to face his mentor, a hard look in his eye as the acrobat thought of the time he'd confronted Slade without a mask.

"I'd give my life to see them both survive." He was more that sure, and Bruce saw that it could be, yet was it a problem to lighten up this early. To reduce his harsh words or warnings to allow Dick to travel to Tamaran with a team of elite heroes on a search and rescue mission.

It could end up bloody. Tamaran was again taken over by Blackfire, and she didn't mind seeing the world burn while laughed her head off at the outcome.

She'd run Kori to insanity, bludgeon her until her eyes no longer sparkled like twilight.

"I have to go. I won't weigh down your crew." Dick promised, Bruce considering the events to follow should he do as his son wished.

"AS long as you don't go outside. I want you in to be there when we need back – up. If the mission is lost, you have the radio." Bruce told the hero. "You have some control left, so utilize it well, Dick. For their sakes."

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Oh, it was supposed to be at the wedding, heck I have to see about what comes next. Read and find out! Stay curious for more!

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