Love Birds

Chapter Twenty Four

-Athena's POV-

I smiled and sat back in my chair. Grayson crossed his arms and Alfred scowled. Tim looked bored out of his mind as he lazily looked over the room.

"Waiter, bring some drinks in here, will ya?" I called. The three looked up at me, all with the exact same expression. Eyebrow raised, eyes wild and confused. I laughed loudly, trying to appear to the people in the room that we were just happy and rich Waynes.

"Wine? Why the sudden interest in social engagement?" Alfred asked, taking a sip of the newly arrived alcohol. Dick also reached for his, but I swiped it and drained every drop into my glass. He sighed and growled.

"Mmm, delicious," I said sweetly after taking a gulp. "Try some, Tim."

"I can't, I'm fourteen," he said shyly. Grayson took the glass and drank down all of the wine. I smirked. My plan had succeeded in getting Dick drunk. Now, I could easily get some information from him to offer to Joker in exchange for some info on the other villains of Gotham.

"So...since we're all here, why not tell us about you?" Alfred leaned forward, a small polite smile creeping across his face. I took a small sip of my wine and smoothly pushed it towards Grayson's grasp.

"Where do you want me to start, Pennyworth? Want me to talk about my sleepovers with the Bat Family or maybe that time that I killed a thug in the street?" I rolled my eyes.

"Start at when you trained," Grayson shouted out, taking my cup and slurping it down.

"Fine. I went to a school, took a million martial arts classes, and came back here. Done," I sat up, "now tell me about this little city you live in and who I should be fighting."

"No, no. You're not done talking yet," Dick slurred his words. Crossing my arms, I raised my eyebrows and slightly opened my mouth. Another classic look: Nightingale's Sassiness.

"Well, what would you like to know?"

"How about you start with your childhood," Tim encouraged, smiling small. I shrugged.

"All of us heros don't have the best childhoods do we? So why should I repeat the exact same story that all of you have already told?" Dick slammed his fist on the table after he had tossed back another drink that I wasn't aware he ordered.

"Just tell us, god damn!" He shouted, grabbing the attention of others from different tables. He immediately shrunk down in his chair in embarrassment, making me laugh.

"Alright. Just pay attention, because I won't be repeating myself. I grew up in a nice neighborhood with a large group of friends. They didn't last but that's not important. Anyway, my mommy and daddy didn't want a kid and they didn't want me. I was small and weak. I couldn't become a working cash cow for them, so they decided I needed to be roughened up to become what they wanted. I didn't remember much of the abuse, I was only about a year old, but my brother did," I paused, looking down for effect, "He used to hold me when I cried and whisper stories in my ear. That was what I remember most from my life in Metropolis. Jimmy would hide in his closet in my room with me when my parents were looking for us. I always remember that he had these scars all over and he was always bloody and burned. He once came for me and I vaguely remember how funny he walked. I later realized at my parent's court case that they had broken his leg." I glanced around the room at the sad faces that stared back. Good, they were convinced.

"When I was taken away as a tiny baby -- I couldn't even walk yet -- it was right after the death of my brother. My parents had cut his food supply and that was the second week he hadn't eaten anything. My mom had him working like a slave all day and night. When he had finished fixing up their farm in Smallville, he came home to me getting roughed up again. Jimmy snapped I guess. Apparently, he attacked my dad and forced him to stop hitting me. My dad fought back of course and tackled my brother down. My mom grabbed a bat and whacked my brother. They beat him to death and tossed his body in the trash can. Next thing I know, I was being dragged to an orphanage by some cops and my parents were arrested and sentenced to life in prison.