Chapter 51
Kori sat on top of the Tamaranean war ship as is floated in the Metropolis Bay, her eyes transfixed on the horizon,
"This wasn't your fault" She hadn't heard Barbara walk up behind her,
"None of this had to happen, there were so many of us who could could have done something" Barbara crouched down next to her,
"You can't change that now, all you can do is learn from it, take your time, and then move past it" Kori turned her face away,
"It feels wrong, I blame my parents, my people, myself, but I'm still mad at her, is that wrong?" Barbara shook her head,
"It's normal, the important thing is that you let yourself be angry, and then let it go, the longer you hold onto it, the harder it becomes to let go" Kori looked at her,
"How would you know?" Her voice was laced with anger, Barbara closed her eyes and took a breath in, recalling a bad memory, she reached up and pulled her red hair back away from her left ear, beneath it, was a 2 and a half inch scar, that ran back from the edge of her jaw,
"My brother, he kidnapped me and my best friend, held us at a cabin, when we tried to escape he shot my friend, the bullet grazed me, I was close enough that it damaged my eardrum" Kori looked away, her face softening,
"Sorry" She said quietly,
"It's ok, I just want you to know I'm here for you" Barbara assured her,
"Did forgiving him help you?"Kori asked, Barbara looked away, blushing,
"No, I waited too long" She answered, Kori leaned over under Barbara's arm, "It's gonna be ok".
"It looks like the invasion is over" Robin announced, the team gave a few tired cheers and exchanged high fives, "I'm proud of how all of you handled yourselves, even when Batgirl and I couldn't instruct you, you worked as a team and saved lives, thank you, all of you, now I want you guys to head back to the tower, fuel up, rest a little, I'm gonna wait for Batgirl and Starfire to get checked out, when we get back, we'll debrief" He pointed at Prophet, Supergirl, and Beast Boy,
"Make sure to set Wondergirl, Artemis, and Kid Flash up with some food and a place to get some sleep" The teens nodded and started back toward the tower,
"I'll catch up" Kid Flash called as he held back.
"It's been awhile man" He said squeezing Robins hand as they bumped shoulders,
"Dude, it's great to see you, how've you been?" Robin asked,
"I don't know, you started a team and didn't invite me, what's that about? Thought we were best buds" Kid Flash said, lightheartedly,
"Seemed like you had a better deal, I mean your basically the new Flash, with Barry so busy with the Justice League" Robin said, punching his shoulder,
"I can do both, anyway, who's gonna keep you in trouble, if not me?" Kid Flash laughed,
"Are you and Green Arrows new sidekick, together?" Robin asked, Kid flash smiled and blushed a little,
"We tried it out, it got complicated, we decided partners was a better fit" He answered, before saying, "Hey, so, we actually came to Metropolis to see if you had a couple spots on your team" Robin nodded,
"You know if it was up to me I'd say yes, but I can't make that choice without talking to Babs" Kid Flash put up his arms in front of him in mock defense,
"Trust me, I'm not looking to undermine her, or get on her bad side for that matter" He said,
"Don't sweat it, she likes you, now go get something to eat" Kid Flash nodded, they fist bumped and he took off.
Wondergirl, Artemis, Kid Flash, and the Titans stood in the briefing room, yawning and stretching, Robin stood at the front of the room,
"We have more work to do, if anybody needs to take the rest of the day, we understand, there's no shame, you've all done enough" He paused giving the team a chance to decide, nobody moved to leave, "Thank you, ok, the city still needs our help, Wally, Garfield you're on reconnecting people, citizens need to know their loved ones are ok" They nodded,
"Kara, Donna Coordinate rescues, and stabilize residential homes. Barbara, Kori work with law enforcement to set up shelters for people who need it, Artemis, can you drive?" She nodded "You, me, and Rachel are gonna go get building materials, when we get back we'll help repair what we can, go ahead and get changed into civilian clothes, something actually comfortable, we'll give you masks, but we want to show them that we're not just here to fight, we're a part of their community" The team started to filter out,
"Artemis, Wally, can we have a word?" Dick asked, he and Barbara had stayed behind, her left ear had a bandage over it,
"Of course" Wally said as he and Artemis stepped over,
"I'm Oliver's niece, it's nice to finally meet you 2, Wally and Oliver speak highly of both of you" Artemis said, offering her hand,
"We know you're not his niece, we know who you are, and about your families history, and it didn't factor into our decision, you're both welcome on the Titans" Barbara said, shaking her hand,
"We understand the wish for anonymity, and we respect it, the other Titans don't have to know" Dick said,
"Thank you" Artemis face had turned red,
"Just don't mention to Oliver that we know, okay?" Dick said,
"Ok" She nodded, Barbara padded her shoulder,
"Rachel should have something that fits you, if not you can borrow something of mine" Barbara said, offering her a smile, Artemis smiled back,
"Thanks."