HappyVerse Fic: All's Well That Ends Well
Dec. 9th, 2006 07:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sylph_ficsTitle: All's Well That Ends Well.
Cowriter:
Characters: Most of the combined clans, references to most others, and a guest star some may or may not be pleased to see.
Rating: R, profanity
Word Count: 8,805
Continuity: The HappyVerse. All fic gathered here.
Disclaimer: DC Comics makes the money, people
Notes: It's official... HappyVerse is our refuge from the meaner things in comics--and our one-stop fix-it shop.
Summary: And the next day, recouping, regrouping, and settling in. A few revelations and gifts, as well.
"You're not there." The white haired girl was convinced of her sanity; therefore, the blonde with the bright red lipstick she could see through could not possibly be there.
"You can see me." The saucy voice... Rose knew that accent. It was the one her guardian fell into when she got very excited or angry.
"You're from Gotham." It came out before she could remind herself that the blonde could not exist.
"Pretty good," the non-existent girl said in a voice that was whispery in spots. "Look, I hate to bug you... well, not really; I bug whoever I can. But you're the first one who knows Tim who has seen me."
Now Rose could not help but look at the figure, studying it. As if her concentration sharpened details, she saw the girl was shrouded in purple, a cowl pushed back from that full blonde hair.
"And this matters why?" She clicked her brain through Daddy's files, the ones she had memorized, finally placing the girl. This was Spoiler, heir to the so-called even Robins' curse.
"I'm hoping he can find a way to help me. I kinda got stuck here. And I don't really like hanging with Boston all that much. DiDi is baffled by me, and her sister Delirium is creeping me out." The ghostly girl moved closer. "Tell Tim Steph needs him one more time, please."
"I...sure. When I see him." As soon as she gave her word, Spoiler faded from view. "And that, Ravager, is why Daddy and a needle are never coming near you again."
`~`~`~`~`
Tim had gotten out of Bruce's suite as quickly as possible, checking the hallway to move fast to his room. He knew that expression more than well enough to get out of the way of the fallout coming. He, Dick, and Roy slid silently into the suite he'd been sharing with Dick, where they found that Roy's bags for the next few days had been delivered at some earlier point, and the redhead grabbed one to go change, Dick right behind him. Tim rolled his eyes, and looked around the room.
//Keys on the table, Mia's shoes under it, Kon's are back by the door... They're here, or they locked themselves out... What is that?// low, soft hum, not their voices. //TV? Maybe.// Dressed in civvies and moving in synch again--//thank you God, he didn't blow it//--Dick and Roy headed out again, and Tim walked over to push his door open.
Laying in the middle of his bed, the other one untouched apparently, were his boyfriend and best friend, Kon curled around Mia, her hands over his as they spooned.
Tim blinked slowly //Oh-kaay...// and studied the fast-asleep pair in his bed. Mia's hair was barely mussed, as if she hadn't moved through the day--//right. It's night in the US//--her face peaceful, relaxed... He didn't bother to fight the smile, studying Kon. He had his nose buried in Mia's hair, chest rising and falling slow and deep, dead to the world, holding Mia to him.
A flicker-thought of how right they looked was firmly ignored as he moved easily over to exchange gi and armor for light pjs. He'd slept a little on the plane, but not well, and not since before they'd gone in after Slade. He could go three days without a wink, sure, but why should he? He walked back over and shut the TV off, attempting to decide which side he was crawling in on. //Curl around Kon, or Mia? Probably Kon...//
Kon frowned and shifted in his sleep at the change in the room, but never woke.
Mia cracked an eye open at him, smiling lazily. "Kon, hon... scooch," she said sleepily. The Super Teen grumbled in his sleep, moving away after she pushed lightly at his shoulder. "Warm spot, Tim," she murmured, not even pretending to think about leaving them right now.
Tim nodded and crawled in, stretching out along Kon's side, pillowing his head on Kon's right bicep. It was right there... and a good way to get closer to his mate. Kon nuzzled sleepily, breathing the right smell, and went into deeper sleep again, left arm curling around his Tim possessively. Tim yawned, despite himself, and reached out for Mia.
She moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest, arm looping over him to touch Kon lightly. She closed her eyes, feeling perfectly safe and content, back with both her best friend, and his boyfriend, and not bothered by the oddity of it in the least. Tim settled her against him, holding her. "Everyone's fine," Robin's voice told her softly. "We can rest."
"Good. Tell me later." She pressed a chaste kiss to his shirt. "Sleep, creepy stalker boy, is what we all need." Her tone was light and teasing. His hand said, 'you're talking' against her spine as he stayed quiet, letting his eyes close. She let herself drift back off, knowing she would have to give the boys space later.
Some time later, a soft whisper broke the silence of the room, '"no..." It was Tim's voice, and he was still deeply asleep, though the muscles of his back and chest were tight against some unseen demon. Kon nuzzled sleepily at the back of his neck, not actually aware of anything, but something didn't feel quite right.
Mia twitched, a soft whimper breaking from her as she tried to pull up on herself. She moved and Tim clung, wrapping closer in an unconscious attempt to ward off the dreams.
That safety, remembered comfort, drew her back to him, clinging tightly as silent tears squeezed from sleeping eyes. "Please, don't," she whispered hoarsely.
Kon's eyes snapped open at those words, twisting up, checking on her, and he reached to put his hand on her shoulder. //Aww, no... Tim, wa--// Just then, Tim whimpered, and Kon tensed. //Oh, shit. Not both of you...//
Mia flinched violently, burrowing into Tim, away from the touch that was not quite yet the fully safe comfort. Kon swore mentally. The other time she'd been having nightmares, at the Tower, she'd let him help... "Mia, Mia it's okay..." he said softly, watching them both. "Tim, wake up..."
His voice had a better effect, reaching past whatever it was that haunted her, giving her a rope to hold onto. Her hand convulsively squeezed on Tim's shoulder, before she managed to wake with a broken cry.
That dragged Tim out of his broken, nightmare-filled sleep with a whimper, still holding her close. "M-ia?"
"Tim...you okay?" Kon asked in a deeply concerned voice, as the girl burrowed into her best friend's arms, sobbing softly.
"Sorry, Tim...god, are you okay?" the girl asked when she pulled back, freeing one hand to take Kon's while he rested his free one on Tim.
"I..." he hauled himself together. "Yeah. I'm okay... ssh.shh Mia, I've got you, I've got you...." He held her, hand petting her hair, trying to soothe her.
"I'm fine...fine," she protested, before Kon 'shifted them both firmly to him, wrapping a TTK field around them both in a hug that defied all trouble. "You're both gonna be just fine now, cause I have you." He nuzzled Tim's neck, then pressed a light kiss to the side of Mia's head.
The way Tim's other hand slid hard down Kon's body probably told what he'd had been dreaming, and he shifted to look at Mia, wiping tears away from her face, holding her close, watching Kon holding her.
Mia smiled sadly, eyes still haunted by her dreams, dreams she still had not told the two of them about. "Hey, I think I'm going to go check out the hotel now," Mia said softly. "Been asleep too much." She wanted to make room for Kon to reassure Tim; she had seen that touch, knew just what it was that drove Tim to night terrors so much.
Kon let a moment's hesitation show on his face before he tightened his hold on her. "You don't have to duck out on us..."
Tim frowned at her, worried, not letting go. "You sure?" Kon's words made him nod, agreeing.
"I'm sure." She gave them both a smile. "Come on, Kon, let go."
Kon did so, and pulled Tim even tighter, as Mia left, taking her bags to the other room of the suite. Tim wrapped himself tight around Kon's strong body, stretching up to take Kon's mouth in a deep kiss, wrapping himself in his lover's solid, living presence. Kon decided that was exactly the cure to any nightmare, as he pressed Tim back among the pillows, hands and TTK both stroking and removing clothing as swiftly as possible.
Tim let him, pressing up into his touch, twisting to help strip Kon's clothing off, hearing only too late his whisper of "You're here."
Kon gently griped Tim's face in both his hands, sliding back to tangle his fingers in Tim's hair, before he claimed a long, slow kiss, his body pressing Tim down into the bed, but using his TTK to keep it just comfortable. Tim purred softly, kissing him back just as slow and deep, letting Kon calm him down, blot away the once-reality of the nightmare with his touch and taste.
*~*~*~
Dinah used every skill she had to free herself of her lovers, thankful Bruce was so comfortable with him that her reassurance she was going to the bathroom soothed him back down. She did go into the bathroom, cleaning up as silently as she could and changing into the casual outfit she had left in there before her date, that seemed so long ago.
Getting out of the suite required more skill, moving at the level of noise Bruce would expect, and still not rouse him fully to the sound of her leaving. Somehow she managed it, as there was no immediate pursuit. She moved down to the elevator, and was soon moving out into the early, early morning throngs of Hong Kong, on her way to a meeting she knew she should not be holding like this.
She settled in at the small café she had chosen, one that catered to a mostly European and American clientele, ordering a macchiato as she waited, hiding her nerves, to see if he even came. While she waited, she reviewed in her head just what she needed to make clear to the man, namely that she wanted him to not try and take Rose away from her, not drag his daughter back into life at his side, when Dinah just knew he would be back in business by the summer.
He got within five paces of her before she acknowledged him, turning her body just slightly in her chair. With a casual motion, she offered the other chair to him, and watched him as he took it.
"Thank you for coming, Wilson."
"You piqued my curiosity with your note." He watched her, weighing the way she projected a casual air to see how much was bravado, how much was really there.
"I just... I felt that I had to speak to you before you vanish and we don't see each other again until I have to kick your butt," she said saucily.
"You could try, sister." He smiled easily at her, falling into the banter that came so quickly between them.
She shifted, her eyes acknowledging the past while also marking it as clearly behind her to him. He gave a subtle nod and sat back casually.
"I wanted to talk to you about your daughter," she began in a neutral voice. He nodded slowly, his face more guarded. "I know what happened to her last foster family, Slade." The shift to first name was a conscious acceptance that she was dealing with the sane, rational man who lived by his sword, his honor, and the principle of money.
"She's with the Titans. Do I look that stupid?"
"That you never were." She looked at him with a shake of her head. "I'd appreciate a very simple promise from you, though, concerning her. I know you want to see her, want her to know... well, that you're not..."
"Insane?" His voice came out as a low growl, and she nodded sadly.
"I won't get in your way, but I would like it if you promise not to draw her into your ...business."
"What's the interest?" Slade demanded.
"I took her in, when Dick asked me to." She met his gaze clearly. "I'm not letting that child kill, Slade. If you try to take her away from the life she's building, before she's old enough to legally decide that a jail cell is a cozy alternative to freedom, I'll hunt you down." She flashed that bit of steel at him, and watched as he shrewdly considered.
"What's in this for me? You know I don't give without taking," he reminded her, putting it on contract terms. In reality it was a weight lifted; he was going to be far too busy trying to rebuild himself to properly take care of Rose, of her training, and the Titans were good kids, but they usually lacked in the adult mentors department.
Dinah considered him for a long moment. "I agree not to actively hunt you, unless you do something that warrants League level intervention?" If he knew that had been her intention all along, her deal was worthless. If he had not...
Slade knew the deal for what it was; Dinah was admitting she did not want to cross his path as an adversary. It would take time to get back to the type of contracts that had kept him in hot water with the heroes, so the deal gave him something he wanted, Rose's protection, without costing him a thing. Still...
"I'll hold you personally responsible for her welfare, Dinah Lance," he growled.
"I already do," she said with a wave at that. She sipped her macchiato, eyes never leaving his face.
"Then we have a deal." He held his hand out, and she slowly brought hers to it, sealing the agreement in a handshake. "Now, I think I'll be on my way. I have no wish to dodge pointed sticks, or break your boyfriend in front of you," Slade said with a smirk.
"Wilson... Slade," Dinah stood as he did. "If Dick or I see any sign you're getting that way again..."
"I'll trust you both on that score," he agreed, the threat in her words welcomed by him. He never, ever wanted to be someone's puppet again. He then walked past her, an 'accidental' caress of his hand over her arm the one indication that he had been quite pleased to talk to her alone.
*~*~*~
Kon left Tim sated and sleeping--much as it almost hurt to crawl out of bed with him--dressed, and went to see if he could find Mia in the suite. The room that had been Dick's was apparently hers now, and she was sitting in the window, looking out over the city, her lap top balanced on her legs.
"Hey," he said softly, standing in her doorway.
She looked over at him, her eyes lighting up. "Hey." She moved, setting her laptop on the nearby table and made room in the window for him.
He walked over and settled in it. "You okay?" He didn't figure she'd tell him what she'd been dreaming, but he wanted to be sure she was okay now. Or at least better.
"Yes. I went out, saw a little of the city, came back and found out Dick and Roy got their own suite."
"Cool. Kinda pretty, isn't it?"
"Busy. Noisy. " She wrinkled her nose. "No one has any concept of personal space."
"I noticed that," Kon nodded. "Too many people."
"Yeah." //So many people, all moving as alone in the world as me.// "Tim okay?"
"Yeah. He's fine. Out like a light again."
"Good. He missed you so much...all the time he's let me be close, you were a subject he'd speak of, in his way, the most."
"..yeah?" half-startled voice.
"Yeah. Once we started really talking... about things we meant, anyway," Mia said. "It's why I worried so much when you did come back...I was scared to see him get hurt, if you didn't feel it."
Kon shook his head, "No chance of that."
She smiled. "And I knew that pretty darn quick too." She laid her hand on his arm. "You're good to him, and for him."
"I try," Kon replied softly. "He's... complicated. Sometimes I don't know what's going on with him... but that's okay."
"Boy of mystery," Mia teased. She looked back out at the city, her eye invariably drawn to the streets, imagining the little signs of who was dealing, who was buying, who was selling, and who was trolling. It bothered her, but she knew, even in upscale places like this, her eye would find them, if she was at the street level.
"That's putting it mildly... What's eating you, Mia?"
"Just remembering things, how they used to be." She turned her smile back on him. "Thankful to know you, Tim...Ollie and the family."
"Same here," Kon told her. "Ya know we're both here, right? If you need something?"
"Yeah." She leaned over and hugged him. "Don't worry about me; I'm fine."
Kon snorted. "Riight. Fine. Thought you were an Arrow, not a Bat." He hugged her back. "I'd tell you to come back to bed, but Tim'd die of embarrassment when he woke up. And that just wouldn't work for me."
Mia giggled. "I think I'm done sleeping for a while. I have some work to catch up on." She let him go and reached for her laptop. "Besides, this way I don't have to hear your snoring."
"I do not," Kon grumbled. "Okay. Me, too, I think, but he'll flip if I'm gone too long. See you in a few."
"Okay. Want me to order dinner in for us all?"
"Yeah, go for it," Kon voted as he headed back to his boyfriend, still worrying over her..
She watched him go, then let the mask slip some, breathing out slowly. There were days she hated the disease in her blood, hated it with a passion. Waking up next to Tim and feeling him so torn up had reminded her of that, and the nightmares only reminded her why she was cursed. Yes, she would live hard and well with it, but it did not mean she had to like the distance it placed between her and a normal life.
Tim resettled against Kon's body as he slid under the sheets, laying on and over him. He'd be down at least and hour more, then up for the night. As long as nothing woke him.
*~*~*~*
Dinah knew good and well she would not get in unseen. They would be awake now, and she would have to endure their suspicions. Even with shopping bags in hand, they would think she had done what they both worried over. And she could not blame them; she just hoped they would not let it get in their way.
They were awake, still in bed but both sitting up... and Bruce's eyes scanned her intently, settling on her lips, reading the lines of her body.
She smiled at him, projecting mischief. "I found the best clothes since I left Italy last time." Which had only been about two weeks prior, Bruce knew, from keeping up with his nightly phone calls to her. Ollie mistrusted that bright cheerful tone, flicking to her eyes.
"Anything interesting?" Bruce asked, trying to convince himself not to fight with her, that she couldn't be with them the way she had been and still want Wilson.
She pulled the three bags' contents out, spilling the comfortably styled kung fu work out clothing onto the bed. One was in grey, another in a dark green, and the last was in black... the smallest set. "I discovered this hotel has a gym," she said, a wicked smile replacing her other one, as she indicated the sparring clothes.
Ollie had to shake his head. "You two are going to kill me," he groaned, falling back among the pillows.
Bruce smiled slightly. "I'm sure I can manage to secure it for us, if you want... at some later point." He reached over to pet Ollie's shoulder. "No. Just making sure you can keep up."
"Have you seen the way she moves? I don't think so," Ollie protested, then sat back up as Dinah slipped onto the bed. He reached for her, having bit back his worries too long, and she let herself move close. "My Pretty Bird," he murmured, burying his face in her hair.
She stroked his neck and back, hearing what his body was not hiding; she had not wanted to worry either of them, but only alone could she be completely sure of Slade's reactions. Bruce moved close, settling along their sides, petting Dinah's side possessively, struggling about rather or not to just get the conversation over with.
She felt him, felt the debate in the way he touched her, and wondered what she could say to put their minds at ease. Admitting to an ill-advised affair at the particular time it had happened was out of the question. Telling them why she thought Slade would listen to her and honor any deal concerning Rose did not seem workable.
Ollie ran his hand up into her hair, holding onto her as he moved to her mouth, letting his kiss show her that he needed her to show him, again, that she really was theirs. Bruce felt that demand from Ollie in the set and lines of his body, and refused to argue. Instead, he breathed into her ear. "Ours, Dinah. Yes?"
"Forever," she whispered, when Ollie pulled back enough to let her answer.
Ollie groaned softly and touched her face. "Show us," he demanded softly. It wasn't often that Ollie took the lead, and Bruce just backed him, hands running over her possessively. For answer, she reached down and pulled off her blouse, shifting to remove the remainder of her clothing, taking her time at doing so. There were no marks on her that were not already firmly catalogued as being battle injuries or passion marks from themselves, as she settled between them again, lightly caressing Ollie's chest.
Bruce purred softly, and started darkening a few of those marks, hands running all over her skin possessively, holding her back against his body.
Ollie moved slightly, his mouth finding one breast as his hand took the other, claiming her with slow, tender skill, a contrast to Bruce's more aggressive style...and Dinah moaned as she lost herself to both of them, banishing the ghost of Slade Wilson hanging over her. Bruce had ideas about making her call their names, and was fairly sure Ollie agreed, as they re-claimed her.
*~*~*~*~*
Roy pulled Dick close again, getting his lover to settle on his shoulder as they both caught their breath. "You still...amaze me when you just...give like that." He had really enjoyed the time together with Dick since they locked themselves in, intending to just make all the hurts vanish.
Dick blinked, confused, and nuzzled against his shoulder. "Huh?" His hand petted down Roy's side, pressed as close as he could easily get.
"You, Dick...when you..." Roy just smiled. "You make me think I am the only person alive on the earth sometimes, when you focus like that...and it feels damn good." Roy turned and wrapped himself around his lover.
Dick nuzzled against him again. "Maybe not the only person on earth... but the only one I want."
Roy chuckled. "Yeah, that too." He laughed even louder when his stomach made a request quite audibly. "Forgot to eat somewhere in the middle of all that working out..." he teased.
"That's what room service is for," Dick told him, and picked himself up to lean and reach for the phone. As he did, Roy leaned up and teased at one of Dick's pecs with his mouth, making his lover shudder and tap at a thigh with his free hand, mouthing 'stop that' with a smile on his lips.
'Make me' was the retort, as Roy slid a hand along Dick's skin. The entire time Dick was ordering, Roy teased by touch and kisses. Dick writhed under his hands and mouth, but his voice stayed perfectly steady. As Dick was getting ready to hang up, his lover finally stopped, standing and looking toward the shower.
Dick considered that. "Sounds good," he nodded. "Ought to be about half an hour..."
Roy got a wolfish grin on his face. "I think I can fill that time."
"Insatiable," Dick told him as he twisted to his feet. Roy caught his wrist, pulling him tight to his chest. "And you've loved every single second," he retorted.
"Absolutely," Dick agreed.
Roy started to nibble on his shoulder, walking backwards with him to the shower. If he had his way about it, they wouldn't see another soul outside of the wait staff until time to leave. The rest of his family could handle themselves. Dick could handle that. Really he could. It sounded just about perfect, even.
"We'll call Lian when the call won't wake her," Roy said as they slipped into the shower. He did keep his fondling to a minimum, contenting himself with helping Dick get clean.
"Mm-hm," Dick agreed, returning the favor, finally willing to believe they were going to make it through this after all.
Roy was certain they would; he had resolved never to question Dick's feelings or loyalty again...even if it wound up killing him inside with jealousy once Slade went active again.
Dick, on the other hand, knew exactly what he had to lose, and wasn't about to risk it. No matter what might look attractive--or have hooks in him.
*~*~*~
Eventually, a late meal eaten in the privacy of their room, Bruce decided to see what he'd been missing for the last... almost day. //What a day,// he thought with a small shake of his head, turning the phone on... and he studied the number of messages with an annoyed look.
"What, Bruce?" Ollie looked at the man in amusement, while Dinah still slept, a sheet barely draped across the small of her back.
"The number of people who have tried to call me since last night," Bruce replied softly, scrolling through them. "Alfred... twice. Clark. Jason. ...Vic Stone. Interesting..."
Ollie went and found his phone, listing off numbers as he scrolled through 'calls missed'. Hal, Kyle, Connor....he growled Clark's name as he came to it.
Bruce looked over at him calmly at that growl "Ssh. You'll wake Dinah."
"Hmm," the woman in question asked, raising up and peering back over shoulder at him. "What?"
"You woke her...can't say her name," Ollie teased.
"I'll keep that in mind. Go back to sleep, Dinah."
She pouted. "No...the bed's gotten cold." She sat up, drawing the sheet around her as she did, her hair very sleep tousled around her face, lips pouting as she held the sheet with one hand and stretched up with the other.
"God...." Ollie had stopped looking at the phone to just stare at her. Bruce's hand stilled on his phone, distracted by the sight of her moving like that.
She finished stretching, then used the sheet as a sarong to join them. "So what is up with the phone thing? Can't leave the world outside even with a naked woman in your bed?" she teased.
Bruce reached out and tugged her down onto his lap. "Just seeing what chaos we've sown..." She'd been so enthusiastic about the idea, that ought to settle her slightly ruffled feathers.
"Oh. Ollie, bring me mine?" She grinned as she pointed to hers on the bureau. Ollie did so, actually listening to his messages. "Barry was worried," he said, listening to Hal's message while Dinah scanned her list.
"Enough to go talk to Alfred, yes," Bruce said, listening to his set. "And so is Clark, of course. Jason... just wants to know when to duck... and Vic wants Dick to call him." He tilted his head expectantly towards Dinah.
"Ted...asking if I'm insane. Jay, lecturing me about putting my life back together in a calmer fashion. Alan, reminding me again that the press beats down on you." She rolled her eyes. "Clark...asking if I'm alright." She then smiled very brightly. "J'onn inviting me to go shopping with him."
Ollie snorted. "Incurable gossip."
"Incurably curious," Bruce replied, "but you know how rarely he shares what he knows... Are we calling them back?"
Dinah considered. "You call Alfred, reassure him. Ollie, call Clark...I know you don't want to, but it is the easiest way to get Barry settled. I'll call my loving uncle Ted."
"Crap, the Boy Scout."
Bruce looked amused, but did as requested, free hand idly petting her.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred answered.
"Good.. morning Alfred. Rather interesting party, but everyone's back safely."
"Indeed, sir. Miss Gordon was kind enough to call." The man let a bit of reproval show at that. "Shall I forward any inquiries to your well-being?"
"Of course. Have that many people been calling?"
"A few...one in particular."
"Oh?"
"You might say he is a study in scarlet."
"Him. Yes, I'd heard he was rather worried. Thank you, Alfred."
"Anytime, sir." Alfred kept his tone perfectly dry.
Bruce chuckled softly and hung up, looking over to see if Ollie was keeping his cool while dealing with Clark.
Ollie called back the number he had been left, and smiled in full politician mode when Clark answered. "Clark!"
"Ollie?" startled voice from the Boy Scout.
"I saw you called...had some business out of town," he said, his voice staying in that warm, 'I'm-your-friend-just-elect-me-and-find-out" range he had been practicing.
Clark didn't say //I'm surprised you called me back//, but he certainly thought it. "Yeah. I couldn't help noticing a certain article out of Hong Kong..."
"Oh, yes...I tell you, my girl certainly knows how to stage a production. Had begun to think she liked the shadows...but that was priceless."
Clark's stare at the phone should have been audible. "Ollie... everything's fine, then?"
"Perfectly, Clark. Dinah's pretty smart, and I could almost kiss Bruce for helping her work out the details of bringing a secret identity back." Ollie's eyes sparkled at the inside joke there.
Clark laughed, shaking his head at the impossibility of that thought, and went on. "All right. As long as you're sure. There's a mutual friend of ours that would probably like to hear that, too. Just... be careful."
"Oh, we are being careful, Clark." Ollie smiled hugely. "Later, Big Blue."
"Later, Ollie."
Ollie hung up and sighed. "There, I played nice."
"No you didn't," Dinah said playfully. She flipped her phone open and dialed Ted's number.
The phone rang twice, then a sleepy Ted came on. "Hello?"
"Ever going to crawl out of bed, Uncle Ted? And if you tell me it's Karen's fault, I swear I'm kicking you in the shin." Dinah took the light tone of his favorite niece.
"Hey Kitten," Ted replied, chuckling. "And wouldn't dream of it. Tell me what's up...seemed a bit splashy."
"Ted...it's perfectly under control. You know Bruce...he never does anything without careful planning, and both Ollie and I have too much riding on this working to let it fall flat," she said with just the right amount of frustration at his meddling to make it sincere.
"Still not sure about that, but...I want you happy, Hellcat. I'll back the other two down, but I can kick both their asses and turn you over my knee if you screw it up between the three of you."
Dinah laughed merrily. "Ted you bawled worse than me, the one time momma insisted you spank me for what I'd done....but thanks. It's good to know you've still got my back."
"Anytime, Di...now let an old man get his sleep." They passed quick parting words, and Dinah hung up, smiling triumphantly.
Bruce had heard all of that, and chuckled softly, shaking his head. "At least he'll handle Jay and Alan," he said before he kissed that smile gently.
Ollie came over and stroked her hair, one hand on Bruce's shoulder. "This is very true...and I'd really rather not get into another fist fight with the man."
Dinah laughed, breaking her kiss to do so. "I'd rather you not either...your face was a mess."
"I'll agree with that. He could probably still beat me, if he was angry for your sake. Now, about that kiss, Ollie..." Bruce was obviously in a much better mood than they'd gone to bed in. "How did Clark handle that comment?"
"Laughed it off," Ollie told him, leaning down and kissing him just for the hell of it.
Bruce kissed him back, hand light in his hair. Being with them was like dreaming, like something not quite real--but at the same time, it felt more real than almost anything he'd ever done. The thought of losing them terrified him when he allowed it to cross his mind... but they were more than capable. The hero life was so uncertain... all he could do was trust them. He shook off the worried thoughts, leaning into Ollie's kiss.
Dinah slipped free from Bruce, and Ollie slowly knelt in front of him, moaning into the kiss until they broke it, resting his head into Bruce's chest. Dinah smiled at the two of them before heading to the shower, pleased at the way her life had shaped up, even if it was so...different from what she imagined.
Bruce sighed softly, hand moving lightly over his back, holding him, then tugged him up onto the couch with him, arm slung behind his back, content--odd a feeling as that was, for him.
*~*~*~
Tim opened his eyes, hearing sound outside the room, and lay still until he recognized Mia's voice //flirting?// and another, then the sound of the door closing. //Food. Must be. Okay. I'm awake.// He nuzzled Kon's chest gently, and slowly sat up, back arching in a stretch.
"Oh, man. That's just cruel, Tim..."
Tim ended his stretch half draped on his lover again. "Why?"
"'Cause Mia's out there with food, it'll get cold and cold Chinese sucks, but...
Tim smiled. "Come on...we can eat." Besides, he needed to be sure Mia was okay.
Kon nodded and pulled him down for a kiss, then let him go, nodding. Tim slid out of the bed and went to go find clothing, then headed for the door.
He stepped into the common area to see the table laid out already, and Mia sitting in one chair, sipping her water. When she saw him, her face lit up and she smiled at him. "Nice of you to rejoin the living."
He smiled back and walked over, standing beside her chair. "Yeah."
Kon stayed in the bedroom, giving them a minute or two. If Mia decided to talk he'd wait, if she tried to get out of it he'd go rescue dinner and then go find something to do to stay away from the room for a while.
Mia reached up and squeezed Tim's hand. "Hope you got some better sleep once I quit hogging the bed," she told her friend, a carefully worded negative on talking about her side of things, but inviting him to open up if he needed to.
Tim rolled his eyes. "You're not the one that takes up most of the space," he replied, eyes dark, and he settled his hand on her shoulder. "What about you?" He wasn't quite willing to let this drop that easily, hand squeezing hers.
"I'm fine... had slept too long as it was. Got caught up on my studies while you lazed around." She grinned up at him.
Tim sighed and decided to leave it for later. "Well, that's good. God... I don't want to even think about testing out, but I'm going to have to..."
Kon walked in and eyed the food hungrily, waiting.
Mia flashed him a smile. "Spicy, tonight," she told him. "Decided to be more adventurous, talked to the cook, and let him plan our meal."
"You and Rose both," Kon said before he thought about it.
She raised one eyebrow at him for that comment. "Something we should know, Kon?"
"No, just, you both do that. Generally works pretty well, though."
Mia nodded. "I'm getting used to this more money than god attitude Ollie uses."
"You think Ollie's bad about that?" Tim asked, eyes wide, as he settled to a spot at the table. "Try living with Bruce."
Kon shook his head. "No, thanks..." as he, too, settled down to eat.
Mia just smiled, and started eating, rather quiet for the meal. Her eyes flickered over the pair of boys from time to time, and she pointed out which dishes she enjoyed. Kon made up for it, telling Tim all about working as a Bird of Prey, how Rose was coping, the way Dinah took care of them. Tim was drinking it up, glad to hear him. He'd actually had Mia's company more than Kon's, odd as that was, but it worked.
Kon finally ran down about the time they were finishing the meal, and he looked at the door kind of curiously. "I'm going to go see if it's safe to bug Dinah, I think, see if I can bribe a couple extra days out of her since she ran off with you..."
Mia looked startled, then laughed. "Good luck for that little mission...she snuck out this morning, from what the cleaning lady told me, and they haven't been out of the room since she came back," Mia said, shamelessly admitting to getting the floor gossip.
"Why would sh--"
"Oh, hell. No. Just. No."
Mia shook her head. "I think the fact we did not hear any yelling says a lot," Mia told them both. "But yeah, she's not so smart sometimes."
Kon blinked. "Okay, someone tell the dense one what you know that I don't..."
Mia and Tim exchanged a glance, then Mia leaned in. "Do you really think she would go out if she was not meeting someone? You know she's not a morning person."
"Yeah, she hates mornings, but... wait. Deathstroke? What? Why?"
Tim dropped his head into his hands, "Mia, you take this one..."
The girl archer sighed softly. "Connor is the one that dropped this bomb in my lap. He got to talking to me about Dinah, and was describing a mission they wound up on, but not together, on this weird little island. And from the way he talked...it was easy to see that he was carefully not saying Dinah and Slade had a thing."
Kon shook his head, spluttering, "I... do not get that. Okay, fine. Damn, they can't be taking that well... Oh, well. I'll go see anyway."
Tim nodded once. "Yeah. That's what I got, too."
Kon shook his head again, and headed out the door. Mia stood and stacked the empty dishes, squirreling away the leftovers in the suite's fridge. Tim helped out with that, then flicked the TV on to a local news network and listened with half an ear, arm flung out along the back of the couch.
When she finished settling things, she came and sat with him, accepting the outflung arm as an invitation.
"What was it, Mia?" he asked softly, hand gentle around her far shoulder.
"Hmm?" She snuggled closer to him, watching the news.
"You woke up crying, and scared... what was it? You know about mine..."
Her eyes darkened. "Just remembering life before Ollie, Tim...it wasn't pretty."
"Tell me?" He twisted, sitting up to pull her closer protectively.
She shook her head. "I can't, Tim...I don't want it to change things."
"Nothing you could say would change anything, Mia."
She laughed bitterly. "You don't know that, Tim." She pulled away and moved to the other corner of the couch, knees drawn up into her chest as she regarded him. "I was a runaway, wound up on the streets."
He'd let her out of his grip only very reluctantly, and paused to try to figure out which body-language would be best to use, finally reaching out for her, saying 'come back' silently. "Yeah, I do. And I knew that much..." encouraging her to go on.
She compromised, giving him her hand, but still a tight ball of defensiveness. "I found a guy...he made me think it would all be okay." She looked away so she would not see his face. "Turned out he was looking to make a buck."
"Oh. God. Mia," his voice shuddered as he crossed the couch, getting as close to her as he could with her knees in the way, putting his hands on them. He knew this story. He'd heard it from too many working girls, too many broken up fights between pimps and girls, too many times he'd tried to get some of them into shelters and treatment programs... You weren't a Robin in Gotham these days without knowing some of the worst things in human nature.
"It's how I met Ollie...I was a party favor at a gig he busted up." She wiped away a tear irritably. "Something about seeing him fight like that...made me fight back too. Had a talk over the blade of a knife with Richard. Walked into Ollie's shelter the next day." She sighed. "That's why I'm sick. Because of that. Because I was a ..."
"You weren't a whore. You were an abused kid, Mia."
"Did it to myself, running away like that," she said, evenly as she looked back at him.
"Doesn't mean you deserved to get trapped into that. And you must have thought you had reason to run."
She shrugged. "It's all in the past. I live with it, with what happened, with what I have now." She settled behind the mantra of surviving in her mind, the one that told her she would not die without making a difference first.
"Yeah, I know you do," Tim agreed, hand running up her arm to her shoulder. "And you're becoming one hell of a hero."
She looked into his eyes, and slowly unfolded. "Never wanted to tell you, anymore than I wanted to admit the HIV."
"It doesn't change a thing, Mia," Tim told her firmly, trying to get her to settle against his body again. "I... can't say I know what it's like to be in that kind of situation. I don't. But I know who you are... and I like you a lot."
She slowly moved, turning back to his comfort, moving into his space and settling with an almost sob of relief. "God, Tim...you've kept me sane just by letting me be your friend."
"Sssh... shhh Mia, it's okay... it's okay, it's okay..." He really wasn't good with this whole crying woman thing, but he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
She let it go at that one sob, stronger than most girls were supposed to be, by all accounts. "Thanks Tim."
"Let. it. go," he told her. "I've got you."
She laughed softly. "Not my style, Tim...can't waste tears on something I can't change... too much to do in too short a time still."
"Okay." He held her close. "It doesn't change a thing, not between us."
Mia nodded slowly. "I should have known better, too."
"Yeah. You should have," Tim agreed with her.
She lightly fisted him in the ribs. "Would you want to admit to hooking for survival?"
"Well, no. I wouldn't."
"Okay then." She stretched up and settled in a more companionable, less needy manner. "So, you gonna tell Kon?"
"If you'll let me." //Not if you don't, you ought to know that.//
Mia nodded. "He should know why I freak out sometimes, seeing's how he keeps coming to the rescue."
"All right. I'll tell him enough." He shifted, pushing the tension out of his back, and settled. "We've got your back, Mia."
"Yeah, and I've got yours, both of you."
"We know." He leaned against her. "Wonder if Kon's still trying to find Dinah..."
"Not hard to find...hard to get maybe..." She giggled.
Tim laughed. "Definitely that, probably..."
*~*~*~*~
Kon knocked on the door to the suite, and tried not to swallow hard when Ollie was the one to open it, dressed in pants and a hotel robe that was not belted tight enough. "Kon! Can I help you, son?"
"Need to talk to Dinah for a minute."
The blond opened the door more widely and moved out of the way. He walked to the door of one of the sleeping rooms and poked his head in, speaking quietly. After a minute, Dinah came out, and Ollie went back in. Dinah was in a hotel robe as well, but hers was firmly belted and covering her fully.
"Kon?" She could not keep the worry out of her voice; she was very much a mother hen to her kids.
"Hey. So, think you can talk a couple extra days out of O, since she stole my boyfriend for one?"
Dinah smiled softly. "I've already handled that...so go enjoy yourself."
"Awesome. Now, what can I find to do with myself for about half an hour?'
"Tim and Mia catching up?" Dinah intuited. "You could keep me company."
Kon nodded. Catching up worked as a description, yeah. It was better than telling her Mia was having nightmares again. "Um, I think Bruce and Ollie might kill me. I have you all the time."
"They're busy," Dinah said dismissively. "And I need to talk to you anyway."
Kon tilted his head. "Okay, sure then. What's up?"
Dinah paused, took a breath. "I want you to keep an eye on Rose. Her father's free again, and... I just want to know she's got someone to fall back on if she gets confused."
Kon blinked at her. "Y'have to ask? She's a Titan. We take care of her own. Why did you have to let him go, again?"
"On the one hand, a signed pardon. On the other, the government's not going to want to admit he's alive." Dinah frowned. "I don't think he's a threat to her...but she doesn't know that yet."
"Damn," Kon muttered. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on her."
"I'm going to talk to her, but she probably won't believe me until she sees for herself...and that's where I'm trusting you, just to be safe." Dinah was pretty sure of Rose's ability to slip the leash long enough to find her father. And, knowing Slade, he would make it easy on his daughter by learning where Dinah lived.
"Sure. I can follow her. She'll know, but I'll do what I can."
"It might actually mean something to her, that she knows you're there," Dinah bet.
Kon just crossed his fingers. "Here's hoping."
Dinah nodded. "So, have you thought anymore about what you want to do? You know, after you get that diploma?"
Kon sighed. "I really don't know, Di... I mean... a) I hate school, b) I'm a hero more than anything, and c) ...I'm five! I have no idea what I'm doing."
Dinah smiled slyly at him. "How would you like to have your provisional changed to full time, for Oracle? Not cutting in on Titans, but sometimes, we need a Super."
"...Sure, why not?" That sounded pretty good, actually.
Dinah nodded, taking his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks. You're a hell of a lot easier on my nerves than Joe Gardner was," she teased.
Kon grinned and hugged her. "I'm glad I'm easy on your nerves."
She hugged him back. "I still don't do sidekicks," she teased.
"Sure Dinah."
The blonde stood up and smiled. "Do me a favor?"
"Yeah?" That was one of those smiles that worried him.
"There's a florist downstairs...go buy a dozen roses, red, and send them up to Dick's room, unsigned." Her eyes twinkled. "I want to be able to tell Roy with a straight face I didn't do it." She handed over her credit card.
"You... want me to go send Nightwing roses. Why?"
"So he'll think they're from Arsenal, and Roy will agree, and pretend to be smug," she said, as if it was obvious.
Kon blinked, then nodded. "Sure. Okay. Right. Roses. Longstem or otherwise? Anything else?"
"Longstem, and no...unless you want to tweak Tim and send him something," she said with a smile. "Go on. And thank you."
Kon skittered. Actually, now that she mentioned it, that didn't sound half bad...
*****
Dick was the one who got the door, to find a delivery of flowers with his name on them, but no signature. "Har~per..." he took the flowers back into the suite, shaking his head.
Roy sat up on one elbow, saw the flowers, the look on Dick's face, and let a cocky smile shine through. //Dinah Lance, you are a nut.// "Yeah, Dick?"
"These your fault?" He was caught between grinning pleasure and amused frustration.
"Maybe," he replied with a grin. "Want to say thank you?"
Dick stood the flowers on the bedside table and pounced, pressing close. "You are such a nut. Flowers, really?"
"What can I say? Being romantic runs in my family." Roy nuzzled into his lover. //Thank you , Dinah.//
Dick kissed him, laughing, wrapping his arms around him. "Well, yeah, guess it kind of does... C'mere, you." He tangled his hand in the hair Roy was finally growing out and tugged his mate over him.
*~*~*~
Kon finally let himself into the suite after returning Dinah's credit card--he'd heard both of them laughing, it was safe--and went to find a spot to crash with them.
Mia pulled Tim up so Kon could slip in behind him, as she firmly believed Tim always belonged in the middle. "Dinah still in one piece?" Mia asked impudently.
"Yeah, she's good. Grinning, and being mischevious."
"Oh?" Tim and Mia both looked at him.
"Yeah."
Tim twisted around, looking at him. "Kon..."
"What?" Kon blinked innocently.
"What did she do?" Mia asked. "You have to spill the gossip; it's what Titans do."
Kon shook his head--and Tim looked at him. "Okay, okay. She had me go send roses to Dick's room."
Mia covered her mouth and giggled. "Like they're not already having enough sex to wear out a stud farm," she added.
Tim blinked, then started to laugh, leaning back against Kon. "Oh, man... that's a riot. Wonder if Roy'll pull off pretending he sent them..."
"What do you want to bet, she's done this for him before?" Mia said, and Kon grinned. "She said she wanted to be able to truthfully say she had not done it."
"That sounds like a yes," Tim said with a smile.
Kon nodded. "Something like that."
Mia snickered. "Must be cool to have a mom-type figure who gives a damn about your life." She sighed. "She's been great to me, to Connor...she even keeps up with Ollie's other kid...want to bet she ducks over to Japan while we're here?"
"Shado's still there," Tim nodded. "So she probably will."
"Shado?"
"Ollie's other kid's mom," Tim answered.
Mia saw that had not cleared anything up for Kon. "Ollie had an affair with this chic back when the two of them were still living together in Seattle....and she got knocked up. Dinah's kept touch, which Shado allows, because Ollie can't, because Shado forbid it."
Kon blinked. "She won't let him see his kid?"
"Nope." Mia shrugged. "Doesn't want him influencing the boy."
"Oh. Okay." Kon shrugged. "Whatever."
A quick, sharp rap on the door, and Kon didn't move--he was pinned by Tim. Mia stood up and walked over, a casual touch on Tim's arm, then Kon's shoulder before she went to get the door. A member of the hotel staff was standing there, holding a moderately sized stuffed bear and a box of chocolates. He looked startled a moment, then consulted the card. "Tim?"curiously.
Mia stifled her smirk and opened the door fully, turning to look at Tim. "It's for you, stalker boy," she called cheerfully.
Tim got up, padding towards the door... and he started to flush as he realized what was going on. He reached out, took the gifts, thanked the man nicely, then turned around to glare at Kon. "I cannot believe you..."
"What? It's Valentine's Day..."
Mia slipped the man a tip before shutting the door, then very casually went to her own room.
"Chocolates?" His voice was incredulous.
"What? I know you like them..."
"Just... I cannot believe you went and--"
"You mad at me?"
"Well, no..."
Cowriter:
Characters: Most of the combined clans, references to most others, and a guest star some may or may not be pleased to see.
Rating: R, profanity
Word Count: 8,805
Continuity: The HappyVerse. All fic gathered here.
Disclaimer: DC Comics makes the money, people
Notes: It's official... HappyVerse is our refuge from the meaner things in comics--and our one-stop fix-it shop.
Summary: And the next day, recouping, regrouping, and settling in. A few revelations and gifts, as well.
"You're not there." The white haired girl was convinced of her sanity; therefore, the blonde with the bright red lipstick she could see through could not possibly be there.
"You can see me." The saucy voice... Rose knew that accent. It was the one her guardian fell into when she got very excited or angry.
"You're from Gotham." It came out before she could remind herself that the blonde could not exist.
"Pretty good," the non-existent girl said in a voice that was whispery in spots. "Look, I hate to bug you... well, not really; I bug whoever I can. But you're the first one who knows Tim who has seen me."
Now Rose could not help but look at the figure, studying it. As if her concentration sharpened details, she saw the girl was shrouded in purple, a cowl pushed back from that full blonde hair.
"And this matters why?" She clicked her brain through Daddy's files, the ones she had memorized, finally placing the girl. This was Spoiler, heir to the so-called even Robins' curse.
"I'm hoping he can find a way to help me. I kinda got stuck here. And I don't really like hanging with Boston all that much. DiDi is baffled by me, and her sister Delirium is creeping me out." The ghostly girl moved closer. "Tell Tim Steph needs him one more time, please."
"I...sure. When I see him." As soon as she gave her word, Spoiler faded from view. "And that, Ravager, is why Daddy and a needle are never coming near you again."
`~`~`~`~`
Tim had gotten out of Bruce's suite as quickly as possible, checking the hallway to move fast to his room. He knew that expression more than well enough to get out of the way of the fallout coming. He, Dick, and Roy slid silently into the suite he'd been sharing with Dick, where they found that Roy's bags for the next few days had been delivered at some earlier point, and the redhead grabbed one to go change, Dick right behind him. Tim rolled his eyes, and looked around the room.
//Keys on the table, Mia's shoes under it, Kon's are back by the door... They're here, or they locked themselves out... What is that?// low, soft hum, not their voices. //TV? Maybe.// Dressed in civvies and moving in synch again--//thank you God, he didn't blow it//--Dick and Roy headed out again, and Tim walked over to push his door open.
Laying in the middle of his bed, the other one untouched apparently, were his boyfriend and best friend, Kon curled around Mia, her hands over his as they spooned.
Tim blinked slowly //Oh-kaay...// and studied the fast-asleep pair in his bed. Mia's hair was barely mussed, as if she hadn't moved through the day--//right. It's night in the US//--her face peaceful, relaxed... He didn't bother to fight the smile, studying Kon. He had his nose buried in Mia's hair, chest rising and falling slow and deep, dead to the world, holding Mia to him.
A flicker-thought of how right they looked was firmly ignored as he moved easily over to exchange gi and armor for light pjs. He'd slept a little on the plane, but not well, and not since before they'd gone in after Slade. He could go three days without a wink, sure, but why should he? He walked back over and shut the TV off, attempting to decide which side he was crawling in on. //Curl around Kon, or Mia? Probably Kon...//
Kon frowned and shifted in his sleep at the change in the room, but never woke.
Mia cracked an eye open at him, smiling lazily. "Kon, hon... scooch," she said sleepily. The Super Teen grumbled in his sleep, moving away after she pushed lightly at his shoulder. "Warm spot, Tim," she murmured, not even pretending to think about leaving them right now.
Tim nodded and crawled in, stretching out along Kon's side, pillowing his head on Kon's right bicep. It was right there... and a good way to get closer to his mate. Kon nuzzled sleepily, breathing the right smell, and went into deeper sleep again, left arm curling around his Tim possessively. Tim yawned, despite himself, and reached out for Mia.
She moved into his arms, resting her head on his chest, arm looping over him to touch Kon lightly. She closed her eyes, feeling perfectly safe and content, back with both her best friend, and his boyfriend, and not bothered by the oddity of it in the least. Tim settled her against him, holding her. "Everyone's fine," Robin's voice told her softly. "We can rest."
"Good. Tell me later." She pressed a chaste kiss to his shirt. "Sleep, creepy stalker boy, is what we all need." Her tone was light and teasing. His hand said, 'you're talking' against her spine as he stayed quiet, letting his eyes close. She let herself drift back off, knowing she would have to give the boys space later.
Some time later, a soft whisper broke the silence of the room, '"no..." It was Tim's voice, and he was still deeply asleep, though the muscles of his back and chest were tight against some unseen demon. Kon nuzzled sleepily at the back of his neck, not actually aware of anything, but something didn't feel quite right.
Mia twitched, a soft whimper breaking from her as she tried to pull up on herself. She moved and Tim clung, wrapping closer in an unconscious attempt to ward off the dreams.
That safety, remembered comfort, drew her back to him, clinging tightly as silent tears squeezed from sleeping eyes. "Please, don't," she whispered hoarsely.
Kon's eyes snapped open at those words, twisting up, checking on her, and he reached to put his hand on her shoulder. //Aww, no... Tim, wa--// Just then, Tim whimpered, and Kon tensed. //Oh, shit. Not both of you...//
Mia flinched violently, burrowing into Tim, away from the touch that was not quite yet the fully safe comfort. Kon swore mentally. The other time she'd been having nightmares, at the Tower, she'd let him help... "Mia, Mia it's okay..." he said softly, watching them both. "Tim, wake up..."
His voice had a better effect, reaching past whatever it was that haunted her, giving her a rope to hold onto. Her hand convulsively squeezed on Tim's shoulder, before she managed to wake with a broken cry.
That dragged Tim out of his broken, nightmare-filled sleep with a whimper, still holding her close. "M-ia?"
"Tim...you okay?" Kon asked in a deeply concerned voice, as the girl burrowed into her best friend's arms, sobbing softly.
"Sorry, Tim...god, are you okay?" the girl asked when she pulled back, freeing one hand to take Kon's while he rested his free one on Tim.
"I..." he hauled himself together. "Yeah. I'm okay... ssh.shh Mia, I've got you, I've got you...." He held her, hand petting her hair, trying to soothe her.
"I'm fine...fine," she protested, before Kon 'shifted them both firmly to him, wrapping a TTK field around them both in a hug that defied all trouble. "You're both gonna be just fine now, cause I have you." He nuzzled Tim's neck, then pressed a light kiss to the side of Mia's head.
The way Tim's other hand slid hard down Kon's body probably told what he'd had been dreaming, and he shifted to look at Mia, wiping tears away from her face, holding her close, watching Kon holding her.
Mia smiled sadly, eyes still haunted by her dreams, dreams she still had not told the two of them about. "Hey, I think I'm going to go check out the hotel now," Mia said softly. "Been asleep too much." She wanted to make room for Kon to reassure Tim; she had seen that touch, knew just what it was that drove Tim to night terrors so much.
Kon let a moment's hesitation show on his face before he tightened his hold on her. "You don't have to duck out on us..."
Tim frowned at her, worried, not letting go. "You sure?" Kon's words made him nod, agreeing.
"I'm sure." She gave them both a smile. "Come on, Kon, let go."
Kon did so, and pulled Tim even tighter, as Mia left, taking her bags to the other room of the suite. Tim wrapped himself tight around Kon's strong body, stretching up to take Kon's mouth in a deep kiss, wrapping himself in his lover's solid, living presence. Kon decided that was exactly the cure to any nightmare, as he pressed Tim back among the pillows, hands and TTK both stroking and removing clothing as swiftly as possible.
Tim let him, pressing up into his touch, twisting to help strip Kon's clothing off, hearing only too late his whisper of "You're here."
Kon gently griped Tim's face in both his hands, sliding back to tangle his fingers in Tim's hair, before he claimed a long, slow kiss, his body pressing Tim down into the bed, but using his TTK to keep it just comfortable. Tim purred softly, kissing him back just as slow and deep, letting Kon calm him down, blot away the once-reality of the nightmare with his touch and taste.
*~*~*~
Dinah used every skill she had to free herself of her lovers, thankful Bruce was so comfortable with him that her reassurance she was going to the bathroom soothed him back down. She did go into the bathroom, cleaning up as silently as she could and changing into the casual outfit she had left in there before her date, that seemed so long ago.
Getting out of the suite required more skill, moving at the level of noise Bruce would expect, and still not rouse him fully to the sound of her leaving. Somehow she managed it, as there was no immediate pursuit. She moved down to the elevator, and was soon moving out into the early, early morning throngs of Hong Kong, on her way to a meeting she knew she should not be holding like this.
She settled in at the small café she had chosen, one that catered to a mostly European and American clientele, ordering a macchiato as she waited, hiding her nerves, to see if he even came. While she waited, she reviewed in her head just what she needed to make clear to the man, namely that she wanted him to not try and take Rose away from her, not drag his daughter back into life at his side, when Dinah just knew he would be back in business by the summer.
He got within five paces of her before she acknowledged him, turning her body just slightly in her chair. With a casual motion, she offered the other chair to him, and watched him as he took it.
"Thank you for coming, Wilson."
"You piqued my curiosity with your note." He watched her, weighing the way she projected a casual air to see how much was bravado, how much was really there.
"I just... I felt that I had to speak to you before you vanish and we don't see each other again until I have to kick your butt," she said saucily.
"You could try, sister." He smiled easily at her, falling into the banter that came so quickly between them.
She shifted, her eyes acknowledging the past while also marking it as clearly behind her to him. He gave a subtle nod and sat back casually.
"I wanted to talk to you about your daughter," she began in a neutral voice. He nodded slowly, his face more guarded. "I know what happened to her last foster family, Slade." The shift to first name was a conscious acceptance that she was dealing with the sane, rational man who lived by his sword, his honor, and the principle of money.
"She's with the Titans. Do I look that stupid?"
"That you never were." She looked at him with a shake of her head. "I'd appreciate a very simple promise from you, though, concerning her. I know you want to see her, want her to know... well, that you're not..."
"Insane?" His voice came out as a low growl, and she nodded sadly.
"I won't get in your way, but I would like it if you promise not to draw her into your ...business."
"What's the interest?" Slade demanded.
"I took her in, when Dick asked me to." She met his gaze clearly. "I'm not letting that child kill, Slade. If you try to take her away from the life she's building, before she's old enough to legally decide that a jail cell is a cozy alternative to freedom, I'll hunt you down." She flashed that bit of steel at him, and watched as he shrewdly considered.
"What's in this for me? You know I don't give without taking," he reminded her, putting it on contract terms. In reality it was a weight lifted; he was going to be far too busy trying to rebuild himself to properly take care of Rose, of her training, and the Titans were good kids, but they usually lacked in the adult mentors department.
Dinah considered him for a long moment. "I agree not to actively hunt you, unless you do something that warrants League level intervention?" If he knew that had been her intention all along, her deal was worthless. If he had not...
Slade knew the deal for what it was; Dinah was admitting she did not want to cross his path as an adversary. It would take time to get back to the type of contracts that had kept him in hot water with the heroes, so the deal gave him something he wanted, Rose's protection, without costing him a thing. Still...
"I'll hold you personally responsible for her welfare, Dinah Lance," he growled.
"I already do," she said with a wave at that. She sipped her macchiato, eyes never leaving his face.
"Then we have a deal." He held his hand out, and she slowly brought hers to it, sealing the agreement in a handshake. "Now, I think I'll be on my way. I have no wish to dodge pointed sticks, or break your boyfriend in front of you," Slade said with a smirk.
"Wilson... Slade," Dinah stood as he did. "If Dick or I see any sign you're getting that way again..."
"I'll trust you both on that score," he agreed, the threat in her words welcomed by him. He never, ever wanted to be someone's puppet again. He then walked past her, an 'accidental' caress of his hand over her arm the one indication that he had been quite pleased to talk to her alone.
*~*~*~
Kon left Tim sated and sleeping--much as it almost hurt to crawl out of bed with him--dressed, and went to see if he could find Mia in the suite. The room that had been Dick's was apparently hers now, and she was sitting in the window, looking out over the city, her lap top balanced on her legs.
"Hey," he said softly, standing in her doorway.
She looked over at him, her eyes lighting up. "Hey." She moved, setting her laptop on the nearby table and made room in the window for him.
He walked over and settled in it. "You okay?" He didn't figure she'd tell him what she'd been dreaming, but he wanted to be sure she was okay now. Or at least better.
"Yes. I went out, saw a little of the city, came back and found out Dick and Roy got their own suite."
"Cool. Kinda pretty, isn't it?"
"Busy. Noisy. " She wrinkled her nose. "No one has any concept of personal space."
"I noticed that," Kon nodded. "Too many people."
"Yeah." //So many people, all moving as alone in the world as me.// "Tim okay?"
"Yeah. He's fine. Out like a light again."
"Good. He missed you so much...all the time he's let me be close, you were a subject he'd speak of, in his way, the most."
"..yeah?" half-startled voice.
"Yeah. Once we started really talking... about things we meant, anyway," Mia said. "It's why I worried so much when you did come back...I was scared to see him get hurt, if you didn't feel it."
Kon shook his head, "No chance of that."
She smiled. "And I knew that pretty darn quick too." She laid her hand on his arm. "You're good to him, and for him."
"I try," Kon replied softly. "He's... complicated. Sometimes I don't know what's going on with him... but that's okay."
"Boy of mystery," Mia teased. She looked back out at the city, her eye invariably drawn to the streets, imagining the little signs of who was dealing, who was buying, who was selling, and who was trolling. It bothered her, but she knew, even in upscale places like this, her eye would find them, if she was at the street level.
"That's putting it mildly... What's eating you, Mia?"
"Just remembering things, how they used to be." She turned her smile back on him. "Thankful to know you, Tim...Ollie and the family."
"Same here," Kon told her. "Ya know we're both here, right? If you need something?"
"Yeah." She leaned over and hugged him. "Don't worry about me; I'm fine."
Kon snorted. "Riight. Fine. Thought you were an Arrow, not a Bat." He hugged her back. "I'd tell you to come back to bed, but Tim'd die of embarrassment when he woke up. And that just wouldn't work for me."
Mia giggled. "I think I'm done sleeping for a while. I have some work to catch up on." She let him go and reached for her laptop. "Besides, this way I don't have to hear your snoring."
"I do not," Kon grumbled. "Okay. Me, too, I think, but he'll flip if I'm gone too long. See you in a few."
"Okay. Want me to order dinner in for us all?"
"Yeah, go for it," Kon voted as he headed back to his boyfriend, still worrying over her..
She watched him go, then let the mask slip some, breathing out slowly. There were days she hated the disease in her blood, hated it with a passion. Waking up next to Tim and feeling him so torn up had reminded her of that, and the nightmares only reminded her why she was cursed. Yes, she would live hard and well with it, but it did not mean she had to like the distance it placed between her and a normal life.
Tim resettled against Kon's body as he slid under the sheets, laying on and over him. He'd be down at least and hour more, then up for the night. As long as nothing woke him.
*~*~*~*
Dinah knew good and well she would not get in unseen. They would be awake now, and she would have to endure their suspicions. Even with shopping bags in hand, they would think she had done what they both worried over. And she could not blame them; she just hoped they would not let it get in their way.
They were awake, still in bed but both sitting up... and Bruce's eyes scanned her intently, settling on her lips, reading the lines of her body.
She smiled at him, projecting mischief. "I found the best clothes since I left Italy last time." Which had only been about two weeks prior, Bruce knew, from keeping up with his nightly phone calls to her. Ollie mistrusted that bright cheerful tone, flicking to her eyes.
"Anything interesting?" Bruce asked, trying to convince himself not to fight with her, that she couldn't be with them the way she had been and still want Wilson.
She pulled the three bags' contents out, spilling the comfortably styled kung fu work out clothing onto the bed. One was in grey, another in a dark green, and the last was in black... the smallest set. "I discovered this hotel has a gym," she said, a wicked smile replacing her other one, as she indicated the sparring clothes.
Ollie had to shake his head. "You two are going to kill me," he groaned, falling back among the pillows.
Bruce smiled slightly. "I'm sure I can manage to secure it for us, if you want... at some later point." He reached over to pet Ollie's shoulder. "No. Just making sure you can keep up."
"Have you seen the way she moves? I don't think so," Ollie protested, then sat back up as Dinah slipped onto the bed. He reached for her, having bit back his worries too long, and she let herself move close. "My Pretty Bird," he murmured, burying his face in her hair.
She stroked his neck and back, hearing what his body was not hiding; she had not wanted to worry either of them, but only alone could she be completely sure of Slade's reactions. Bruce moved close, settling along their sides, petting Dinah's side possessively, struggling about rather or not to just get the conversation over with.
She felt him, felt the debate in the way he touched her, and wondered what she could say to put their minds at ease. Admitting to an ill-advised affair at the particular time it had happened was out of the question. Telling them why she thought Slade would listen to her and honor any deal concerning Rose did not seem workable.
Ollie ran his hand up into her hair, holding onto her as he moved to her mouth, letting his kiss show her that he needed her to show him, again, that she really was theirs. Bruce felt that demand from Ollie in the set and lines of his body, and refused to argue. Instead, he breathed into her ear. "Ours, Dinah. Yes?"
"Forever," she whispered, when Ollie pulled back enough to let her answer.
Ollie groaned softly and touched her face. "Show us," he demanded softly. It wasn't often that Ollie took the lead, and Bruce just backed him, hands running over her possessively. For answer, she reached down and pulled off her blouse, shifting to remove the remainder of her clothing, taking her time at doing so. There were no marks on her that were not already firmly catalogued as being battle injuries or passion marks from themselves, as she settled between them again, lightly caressing Ollie's chest.
Bruce purred softly, and started darkening a few of those marks, hands running all over her skin possessively, holding her back against his body.
Ollie moved slightly, his mouth finding one breast as his hand took the other, claiming her with slow, tender skill, a contrast to Bruce's more aggressive style...and Dinah moaned as she lost herself to both of them, banishing the ghost of Slade Wilson hanging over her. Bruce had ideas about making her call their names, and was fairly sure Ollie agreed, as they re-claimed her.
*~*~*~*~*
Roy pulled Dick close again, getting his lover to settle on his shoulder as they both caught their breath. "You still...amaze me when you just...give like that." He had really enjoyed the time together with Dick since they locked themselves in, intending to just make all the hurts vanish.
Dick blinked, confused, and nuzzled against his shoulder. "Huh?" His hand petted down Roy's side, pressed as close as he could easily get.
"You, Dick...when you..." Roy just smiled. "You make me think I am the only person alive on the earth sometimes, when you focus like that...and it feels damn good." Roy turned and wrapped himself around his lover.
Dick nuzzled against him again. "Maybe not the only person on earth... but the only one I want."
Roy chuckled. "Yeah, that too." He laughed even louder when his stomach made a request quite audibly. "Forgot to eat somewhere in the middle of all that working out..." he teased.
"That's what room service is for," Dick told him, and picked himself up to lean and reach for the phone. As he did, Roy leaned up and teased at one of Dick's pecs with his mouth, making his lover shudder and tap at a thigh with his free hand, mouthing 'stop that' with a smile on his lips.
'Make me' was the retort, as Roy slid a hand along Dick's skin. The entire time Dick was ordering, Roy teased by touch and kisses. Dick writhed under his hands and mouth, but his voice stayed perfectly steady. As Dick was getting ready to hang up, his lover finally stopped, standing and looking toward the shower.
Dick considered that. "Sounds good," he nodded. "Ought to be about half an hour..."
Roy got a wolfish grin on his face. "I think I can fill that time."
"Insatiable," Dick told him as he twisted to his feet. Roy caught his wrist, pulling him tight to his chest. "And you've loved every single second," he retorted.
"Absolutely," Dick agreed.
Roy started to nibble on his shoulder, walking backwards with him to the shower. If he had his way about it, they wouldn't see another soul outside of the wait staff until time to leave. The rest of his family could handle themselves. Dick could handle that. Really he could. It sounded just about perfect, even.
"We'll call Lian when the call won't wake her," Roy said as they slipped into the shower. He did keep his fondling to a minimum, contenting himself with helping Dick get clean.
"Mm-hm," Dick agreed, returning the favor, finally willing to believe they were going to make it through this after all.
Roy was certain they would; he had resolved never to question Dick's feelings or loyalty again...even if it wound up killing him inside with jealousy once Slade went active again.
Dick, on the other hand, knew exactly what he had to lose, and wasn't about to risk it. No matter what might look attractive--or have hooks in him.
*~*~*~
Eventually, a late meal eaten in the privacy of their room, Bruce decided to see what he'd been missing for the last... almost day. //What a day,// he thought with a small shake of his head, turning the phone on... and he studied the number of messages with an annoyed look.
"What, Bruce?" Ollie looked at the man in amusement, while Dinah still slept, a sheet barely draped across the small of her back.
"The number of people who have tried to call me since last night," Bruce replied softly, scrolling through them. "Alfred... twice. Clark. Jason. ...Vic Stone. Interesting..."
Ollie went and found his phone, listing off numbers as he scrolled through 'calls missed'. Hal, Kyle, Connor....he growled Clark's name as he came to it.
Bruce looked over at him calmly at that growl "Ssh. You'll wake Dinah."
"Hmm," the woman in question asked, raising up and peering back over shoulder at him. "What?"
"You woke her...can't say her name," Ollie teased.
"I'll keep that in mind. Go back to sleep, Dinah."
She pouted. "No...the bed's gotten cold." She sat up, drawing the sheet around her as she did, her hair very sleep tousled around her face, lips pouting as she held the sheet with one hand and stretched up with the other.
"God...." Ollie had stopped looking at the phone to just stare at her. Bruce's hand stilled on his phone, distracted by the sight of her moving like that.
She finished stretching, then used the sheet as a sarong to join them. "So what is up with the phone thing? Can't leave the world outside even with a naked woman in your bed?" she teased.
Bruce reached out and tugged her down onto his lap. "Just seeing what chaos we've sown..." She'd been so enthusiastic about the idea, that ought to settle her slightly ruffled feathers.
"Oh. Ollie, bring me mine?" She grinned as she pointed to hers on the bureau. Ollie did so, actually listening to his messages. "Barry was worried," he said, listening to Hal's message while Dinah scanned her list.
"Enough to go talk to Alfred, yes," Bruce said, listening to his set. "And so is Clark, of course. Jason... just wants to know when to duck... and Vic wants Dick to call him." He tilted his head expectantly towards Dinah.
"Ted...asking if I'm insane. Jay, lecturing me about putting my life back together in a calmer fashion. Alan, reminding me again that the press beats down on you." She rolled her eyes. "Clark...asking if I'm alright." She then smiled very brightly. "J'onn inviting me to go shopping with him."
Ollie snorted. "Incurable gossip."
"Incurably curious," Bruce replied, "but you know how rarely he shares what he knows... Are we calling them back?"
Dinah considered. "You call Alfred, reassure him. Ollie, call Clark...I know you don't want to, but it is the easiest way to get Barry settled. I'll call my loving uncle Ted."
"Crap, the Boy Scout."
Bruce looked amused, but did as requested, free hand idly petting her.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred answered.
"Good.. morning Alfred. Rather interesting party, but everyone's back safely."
"Indeed, sir. Miss Gordon was kind enough to call." The man let a bit of reproval show at that. "Shall I forward any inquiries to your well-being?"
"Of course. Have that many people been calling?"
"A few...one in particular."
"Oh?"
"You might say he is a study in scarlet."
"Him. Yes, I'd heard he was rather worried. Thank you, Alfred."
"Anytime, sir." Alfred kept his tone perfectly dry.
Bruce chuckled softly and hung up, looking over to see if Ollie was keeping his cool while dealing with Clark.
Ollie called back the number he had been left, and smiled in full politician mode when Clark answered. "Clark!"
"Ollie?" startled voice from the Boy Scout.
"I saw you called...had some business out of town," he said, his voice staying in that warm, 'I'm-your-friend-just-elect-me-and-find-out" range he had been practicing.
Clark didn't say //I'm surprised you called me back//, but he certainly thought it. "Yeah. I couldn't help noticing a certain article out of Hong Kong..."
"Oh, yes...I tell you, my girl certainly knows how to stage a production. Had begun to think she liked the shadows...but that was priceless."
Clark's stare at the phone should have been audible. "Ollie... everything's fine, then?"
"Perfectly, Clark. Dinah's pretty smart, and I could almost kiss Bruce for helping her work out the details of bringing a secret identity back." Ollie's eyes sparkled at the inside joke there.
Clark laughed, shaking his head at the impossibility of that thought, and went on. "All right. As long as you're sure. There's a mutual friend of ours that would probably like to hear that, too. Just... be careful."
"Oh, we are being careful, Clark." Ollie smiled hugely. "Later, Big Blue."
"Later, Ollie."
Ollie hung up and sighed. "There, I played nice."
"No you didn't," Dinah said playfully. She flipped her phone open and dialed Ted's number.
The phone rang twice, then a sleepy Ted came on. "Hello?"
"Ever going to crawl out of bed, Uncle Ted? And if you tell me it's Karen's fault, I swear I'm kicking you in the shin." Dinah took the light tone of his favorite niece.
"Hey Kitten," Ted replied, chuckling. "And wouldn't dream of it. Tell me what's up...seemed a bit splashy."
"Ted...it's perfectly under control. You know Bruce...he never does anything without careful planning, and both Ollie and I have too much riding on this working to let it fall flat," she said with just the right amount of frustration at his meddling to make it sincere.
"Still not sure about that, but...I want you happy, Hellcat. I'll back the other two down, but I can kick both their asses and turn you over my knee if you screw it up between the three of you."
Dinah laughed merrily. "Ted you bawled worse than me, the one time momma insisted you spank me for what I'd done....but thanks. It's good to know you've still got my back."
"Anytime, Di...now let an old man get his sleep." They passed quick parting words, and Dinah hung up, smiling triumphantly.
Bruce had heard all of that, and chuckled softly, shaking his head. "At least he'll handle Jay and Alan," he said before he kissed that smile gently.
Ollie came over and stroked her hair, one hand on Bruce's shoulder. "This is very true...and I'd really rather not get into another fist fight with the man."
Dinah laughed, breaking her kiss to do so. "I'd rather you not either...your face was a mess."
"I'll agree with that. He could probably still beat me, if he was angry for your sake. Now, about that kiss, Ollie..." Bruce was obviously in a much better mood than they'd gone to bed in. "How did Clark handle that comment?"
"Laughed it off," Ollie told him, leaning down and kissing him just for the hell of it.
Bruce kissed him back, hand light in his hair. Being with them was like dreaming, like something not quite real--but at the same time, it felt more real than almost anything he'd ever done. The thought of losing them terrified him when he allowed it to cross his mind... but they were more than capable. The hero life was so uncertain... all he could do was trust them. He shook off the worried thoughts, leaning into Ollie's kiss.
Dinah slipped free from Bruce, and Ollie slowly knelt in front of him, moaning into the kiss until they broke it, resting his head into Bruce's chest. Dinah smiled at the two of them before heading to the shower, pleased at the way her life had shaped up, even if it was so...different from what she imagined.
Bruce sighed softly, hand moving lightly over his back, holding him, then tugged him up onto the couch with him, arm slung behind his back, content--odd a feeling as that was, for him.
*~*~*~
Tim opened his eyes, hearing sound outside the room, and lay still until he recognized Mia's voice //flirting?// and another, then the sound of the door closing. //Food. Must be. Okay. I'm awake.// He nuzzled Kon's chest gently, and slowly sat up, back arching in a stretch.
"Oh, man. That's just cruel, Tim..."
Tim ended his stretch half draped on his lover again. "Why?"
"'Cause Mia's out there with food, it'll get cold and cold Chinese sucks, but...
Tim smiled. "Come on...we can eat." Besides, he needed to be sure Mia was okay.
Kon nodded and pulled him down for a kiss, then let him go, nodding. Tim slid out of the bed and went to go find clothing, then headed for the door.
He stepped into the common area to see the table laid out already, and Mia sitting in one chair, sipping her water. When she saw him, her face lit up and she smiled at him. "Nice of you to rejoin the living."
He smiled back and walked over, standing beside her chair. "Yeah."
Kon stayed in the bedroom, giving them a minute or two. If Mia decided to talk he'd wait, if she tried to get out of it he'd go rescue dinner and then go find something to do to stay away from the room for a while.
Mia reached up and squeezed Tim's hand. "Hope you got some better sleep once I quit hogging the bed," she told her friend, a carefully worded negative on talking about her side of things, but inviting him to open up if he needed to.
Tim rolled his eyes. "You're not the one that takes up most of the space," he replied, eyes dark, and he settled his hand on her shoulder. "What about you?" He wasn't quite willing to let this drop that easily, hand squeezing hers.
"I'm fine... had slept too long as it was. Got caught up on my studies while you lazed around." She grinned up at him.
Tim sighed and decided to leave it for later. "Well, that's good. God... I don't want to even think about testing out, but I'm going to have to..."
Kon walked in and eyed the food hungrily, waiting.
Mia flashed him a smile. "Spicy, tonight," she told him. "Decided to be more adventurous, talked to the cook, and let him plan our meal."
"You and Rose both," Kon said before he thought about it.
She raised one eyebrow at him for that comment. "Something we should know, Kon?"
"No, just, you both do that. Generally works pretty well, though."
Mia nodded. "I'm getting used to this more money than god attitude Ollie uses."
"You think Ollie's bad about that?" Tim asked, eyes wide, as he settled to a spot at the table. "Try living with Bruce."
Kon shook his head. "No, thanks..." as he, too, settled down to eat.
Mia just smiled, and started eating, rather quiet for the meal. Her eyes flickered over the pair of boys from time to time, and she pointed out which dishes she enjoyed. Kon made up for it, telling Tim all about working as a Bird of Prey, how Rose was coping, the way Dinah took care of them. Tim was drinking it up, glad to hear him. He'd actually had Mia's company more than Kon's, odd as that was, but it worked.
Kon finally ran down about the time they were finishing the meal, and he looked at the door kind of curiously. "I'm going to go see if it's safe to bug Dinah, I think, see if I can bribe a couple extra days out of her since she ran off with you..."
Mia looked startled, then laughed. "Good luck for that little mission...she snuck out this morning, from what the cleaning lady told me, and they haven't been out of the room since she came back," Mia said, shamelessly admitting to getting the floor gossip.
"Why would sh--"
"Oh, hell. No. Just. No."
Mia shook her head. "I think the fact we did not hear any yelling says a lot," Mia told them both. "But yeah, she's not so smart sometimes."
Kon blinked. "Okay, someone tell the dense one what you know that I don't..."
Mia and Tim exchanged a glance, then Mia leaned in. "Do you really think she would go out if she was not meeting someone? You know she's not a morning person."
"Yeah, she hates mornings, but... wait. Deathstroke? What? Why?"
Tim dropped his head into his hands, "Mia, you take this one..."
The girl archer sighed softly. "Connor is the one that dropped this bomb in my lap. He got to talking to me about Dinah, and was describing a mission they wound up on, but not together, on this weird little island. And from the way he talked...it was easy to see that he was carefully not saying Dinah and Slade had a thing."
Kon shook his head, spluttering, "I... do not get that. Okay, fine. Damn, they can't be taking that well... Oh, well. I'll go see anyway."
Tim nodded once. "Yeah. That's what I got, too."
Kon shook his head again, and headed out the door. Mia stood and stacked the empty dishes, squirreling away the leftovers in the suite's fridge. Tim helped out with that, then flicked the TV on to a local news network and listened with half an ear, arm flung out along the back of the couch.
When she finished settling things, she came and sat with him, accepting the outflung arm as an invitation.
"What was it, Mia?" he asked softly, hand gentle around her far shoulder.
"Hmm?" She snuggled closer to him, watching the news.
"You woke up crying, and scared... what was it? You know about mine..."
Her eyes darkened. "Just remembering life before Ollie, Tim...it wasn't pretty."
"Tell me?" He twisted, sitting up to pull her closer protectively.
She shook her head. "I can't, Tim...I don't want it to change things."
"Nothing you could say would change anything, Mia."
She laughed bitterly. "You don't know that, Tim." She pulled away and moved to the other corner of the couch, knees drawn up into her chest as she regarded him. "I was a runaway, wound up on the streets."
He'd let her out of his grip only very reluctantly, and paused to try to figure out which body-language would be best to use, finally reaching out for her, saying 'come back' silently. "Yeah, I do. And I knew that much..." encouraging her to go on.
She compromised, giving him her hand, but still a tight ball of defensiveness. "I found a guy...he made me think it would all be okay." She looked away so she would not see his face. "Turned out he was looking to make a buck."
"Oh. God. Mia," his voice shuddered as he crossed the couch, getting as close to her as he could with her knees in the way, putting his hands on them. He knew this story. He'd heard it from too many working girls, too many broken up fights between pimps and girls, too many times he'd tried to get some of them into shelters and treatment programs... You weren't a Robin in Gotham these days without knowing some of the worst things in human nature.
"It's how I met Ollie...I was a party favor at a gig he busted up." She wiped away a tear irritably. "Something about seeing him fight like that...made me fight back too. Had a talk over the blade of a knife with Richard. Walked into Ollie's shelter the next day." She sighed. "That's why I'm sick. Because of that. Because I was a ..."
"You weren't a whore. You were an abused kid, Mia."
"Did it to myself, running away like that," she said, evenly as she looked back at him.
"Doesn't mean you deserved to get trapped into that. And you must have thought you had reason to run."
She shrugged. "It's all in the past. I live with it, with what happened, with what I have now." She settled behind the mantra of surviving in her mind, the one that told her she would not die without making a difference first.
"Yeah, I know you do," Tim agreed, hand running up her arm to her shoulder. "And you're becoming one hell of a hero."
She looked into his eyes, and slowly unfolded. "Never wanted to tell you, anymore than I wanted to admit the HIV."
"It doesn't change a thing, Mia," Tim told her firmly, trying to get her to settle against his body again. "I... can't say I know what it's like to be in that kind of situation. I don't. But I know who you are... and I like you a lot."
She slowly moved, turning back to his comfort, moving into his space and settling with an almost sob of relief. "God, Tim...you've kept me sane just by letting me be your friend."
"Sssh... shhh Mia, it's okay... it's okay, it's okay..." He really wasn't good with this whole crying woman thing, but he wrapped his arms around her tightly.
She let it go at that one sob, stronger than most girls were supposed to be, by all accounts. "Thanks Tim."
"Let. it. go," he told her. "I've got you."
She laughed softly. "Not my style, Tim...can't waste tears on something I can't change... too much to do in too short a time still."
"Okay." He held her close. "It doesn't change a thing, not between us."
Mia nodded slowly. "I should have known better, too."
"Yeah. You should have," Tim agreed with her.
She lightly fisted him in the ribs. "Would you want to admit to hooking for survival?"
"Well, no. I wouldn't."
"Okay then." She stretched up and settled in a more companionable, less needy manner. "So, you gonna tell Kon?"
"If you'll let me." //Not if you don't, you ought to know that.//
Mia nodded. "He should know why I freak out sometimes, seeing's how he keeps coming to the rescue."
"All right. I'll tell him enough." He shifted, pushing the tension out of his back, and settled. "We've got your back, Mia."
"Yeah, and I've got yours, both of you."
"We know." He leaned against her. "Wonder if Kon's still trying to find Dinah..."
"Not hard to find...hard to get maybe..." She giggled.
Tim laughed. "Definitely that, probably..."
*~*~*~*~
Kon knocked on the door to the suite, and tried not to swallow hard when Ollie was the one to open it, dressed in pants and a hotel robe that was not belted tight enough. "Kon! Can I help you, son?"
"Need to talk to Dinah for a minute."
The blond opened the door more widely and moved out of the way. He walked to the door of one of the sleeping rooms and poked his head in, speaking quietly. After a minute, Dinah came out, and Ollie went back in. Dinah was in a hotel robe as well, but hers was firmly belted and covering her fully.
"Kon?" She could not keep the worry out of her voice; she was very much a mother hen to her kids.
"Hey. So, think you can talk a couple extra days out of O, since she stole my boyfriend for one?"
Dinah smiled softly. "I've already handled that...so go enjoy yourself."
"Awesome. Now, what can I find to do with myself for about half an hour?'
"Tim and Mia catching up?" Dinah intuited. "You could keep me company."
Kon nodded. Catching up worked as a description, yeah. It was better than telling her Mia was having nightmares again. "Um, I think Bruce and Ollie might kill me. I have you all the time."
"They're busy," Dinah said dismissively. "And I need to talk to you anyway."
Kon tilted his head. "Okay, sure then. What's up?"
Dinah paused, took a breath. "I want you to keep an eye on Rose. Her father's free again, and... I just want to know she's got someone to fall back on if she gets confused."
Kon blinked at her. "Y'have to ask? She's a Titan. We take care of her own. Why did you have to let him go, again?"
"On the one hand, a signed pardon. On the other, the government's not going to want to admit he's alive." Dinah frowned. "I don't think he's a threat to her...but she doesn't know that yet."
"Damn," Kon muttered. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on her."
"I'm going to talk to her, but she probably won't believe me until she sees for herself...and that's where I'm trusting you, just to be safe." Dinah was pretty sure of Rose's ability to slip the leash long enough to find her father. And, knowing Slade, he would make it easy on his daughter by learning where Dinah lived.
"Sure. I can follow her. She'll know, but I'll do what I can."
"It might actually mean something to her, that she knows you're there," Dinah bet.
Kon just crossed his fingers. "Here's hoping."
Dinah nodded. "So, have you thought anymore about what you want to do? You know, after you get that diploma?"
Kon sighed. "I really don't know, Di... I mean... a) I hate school, b) I'm a hero more than anything, and c) ...I'm five! I have no idea what I'm doing."
Dinah smiled slyly at him. "How would you like to have your provisional changed to full time, for Oracle? Not cutting in on Titans, but sometimes, we need a Super."
"...Sure, why not?" That sounded pretty good, actually.
Dinah nodded, taking his hand and squeezed it. "Thanks. You're a hell of a lot easier on my nerves than Joe Gardner was," she teased.
Kon grinned and hugged her. "I'm glad I'm easy on your nerves."
She hugged him back. "I still don't do sidekicks," she teased.
"Sure Dinah."
The blonde stood up and smiled. "Do me a favor?"
"Yeah?" That was one of those smiles that worried him.
"There's a florist downstairs...go buy a dozen roses, red, and send them up to Dick's room, unsigned." Her eyes twinkled. "I want to be able to tell Roy with a straight face I didn't do it." She handed over her credit card.
"You... want me to go send Nightwing roses. Why?"
"So he'll think they're from Arsenal, and Roy will agree, and pretend to be smug," she said, as if it was obvious.
Kon blinked, then nodded. "Sure. Okay. Right. Roses. Longstem or otherwise? Anything else?"
"Longstem, and no...unless you want to tweak Tim and send him something," she said with a smile. "Go on. And thank you."
Kon skittered. Actually, now that she mentioned it, that didn't sound half bad...
*****
Dick was the one who got the door, to find a delivery of flowers with his name on them, but no signature. "Har~per..." he took the flowers back into the suite, shaking his head.
Roy sat up on one elbow, saw the flowers, the look on Dick's face, and let a cocky smile shine through. //Dinah Lance, you are a nut.// "Yeah, Dick?"
"These your fault?" He was caught between grinning pleasure and amused frustration.
"Maybe," he replied with a grin. "Want to say thank you?"
Dick stood the flowers on the bedside table and pounced, pressing close. "You are such a nut. Flowers, really?"
"What can I say? Being romantic runs in my family." Roy nuzzled into his lover. //Thank you , Dinah.//
Dick kissed him, laughing, wrapping his arms around him. "Well, yeah, guess it kind of does... C'mere, you." He tangled his hand in the hair Roy was finally growing out and tugged his mate over him.
*~*~*~
Kon finally let himself into the suite after returning Dinah's credit card--he'd heard both of them laughing, it was safe--and went to find a spot to crash with them.
Mia pulled Tim up so Kon could slip in behind him, as she firmly believed Tim always belonged in the middle. "Dinah still in one piece?" Mia asked impudently.
"Yeah, she's good. Grinning, and being mischevious."
"Oh?" Tim and Mia both looked at him.
"Yeah."
Tim twisted around, looking at him. "Kon..."
"What?" Kon blinked innocently.
"What did she do?" Mia asked. "You have to spill the gossip; it's what Titans do."
Kon shook his head--and Tim looked at him. "Okay, okay. She had me go send roses to Dick's room."
Mia covered her mouth and giggled. "Like they're not already having enough sex to wear out a stud farm," she added.
Tim blinked, then started to laugh, leaning back against Kon. "Oh, man... that's a riot. Wonder if Roy'll pull off pretending he sent them..."
"What do you want to bet, she's done this for him before?" Mia said, and Kon grinned. "She said she wanted to be able to truthfully say she had not done it."
"That sounds like a yes," Tim said with a smile.
Kon nodded. "Something like that."
Mia snickered. "Must be cool to have a mom-type figure who gives a damn about your life." She sighed. "She's been great to me, to Connor...she even keeps up with Ollie's other kid...want to bet she ducks over to Japan while we're here?"
"Shado's still there," Tim nodded. "So she probably will."
"Shado?"
"Ollie's other kid's mom," Tim answered.
Mia saw that had not cleared anything up for Kon. "Ollie had an affair with this chic back when the two of them were still living together in Seattle....and she got knocked up. Dinah's kept touch, which Shado allows, because Ollie can't, because Shado forbid it."
Kon blinked. "She won't let him see his kid?"
"Nope." Mia shrugged. "Doesn't want him influencing the boy."
"Oh. Okay." Kon shrugged. "Whatever."
A quick, sharp rap on the door, and Kon didn't move--he was pinned by Tim. Mia stood up and walked over, a casual touch on Tim's arm, then Kon's shoulder before she went to get the door. A member of the hotel staff was standing there, holding a moderately sized stuffed bear and a box of chocolates. He looked startled a moment, then consulted the card. "Tim?"curiously.
Mia stifled her smirk and opened the door fully, turning to look at Tim. "It's for you, stalker boy," she called cheerfully.
Tim got up, padding towards the door... and he started to flush as he realized what was going on. He reached out, took the gifts, thanked the man nicely, then turned around to glare at Kon. "I cannot believe you..."
"What? It's Valentine's Day..."
Mia slipped the man a tip before shutting the door, then very casually went to her own room.
"Chocolates?" His voice was incredulous.
"What? I know you like them..."
"Just... I cannot believe you went and--"
"You mad at me?"
"Well, no..."
