Family

Chapter twelve

Before we even reached the zeta tubes, we were stopped by Artemis.

"Where do you two think you're going? We were ordered to stay here" she asked suspiciously

"Artemis this doesn't concern you, please step aside" dick asked

"Oh please, you two have been acting super suspiciously, and I want to know why" she demanded, the scene she was causing attracted the attention of the rest of the team causing them to congregate to see what was happening. the noise level having woken them up.

"What's going on" Connor asked.

"These two were trying to leave, even though Batman ordered everyone to stay here" Artemis accused

"Artemis just stop" dick's patience was running thin, I couldn't trust myself to say anything without completely breaking down. "This doesn't concern you, and Batman gave us permission to leave, but just us two not the rest of the team"

"And why's that?" Artemis asked

"Because he said none of you are stealthy enough to go around Gotham, plus there is a matter that both of us must attend to" dick retorted

"Perhaps the Batman could handle it? We were ordered by our mentors to stay here" Kaldur said.

"It's not something that Batman can just handle, alright" I finally snapped. Today was not my day and I didn't need someone just being mean. Sure Dad could talk to me and we could have a family day but I need to deal with the grief and that is something that not even Batman can do for me.

Dick put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Look, I know you're all very curious but this is something that the two of us need to handle, the team is not required" dick finished. My hands were shaking as flashes of my parents dying started flashing in front of my eyes, as if I were witnessing the horrid event for the first time again, and my whole body froze up while simultaneously having my hands shake at the same time. Dick must have seen me start to have a panic attack because he immediately turned from glaring at the team to putting his hand on with one of my shoulders and gently trying to pull me from my nightmarish daze.

Before I knew it I was being pulled into his chest and I just fell into the comfort that he gave.

Dick turned his head to see the shocked faces of our teammates, he nodded at Wally, and without letting me go, put the coordinates in for Gotham before stepping into the zeta tube, the last thing I remember is "Recognized Robin B0-1, Amethyst B0-8" before we were zetaed to the Gotham zeta location.

Wally's POV

The team turned to me as soon as dick and Daphne left.

"What the heck was that?" Artemis demands

"As rob said, it's something that doesn't concern the team, so could we all just back off?"

"Why did robin nod at you?" M'gann asked.

"You know what's happening don't you?"

"Yeah I know, and it's nobody's business so stop asking"

the team all looked at me with a determined look

"No, not saying a word, this is something that doesn't concern the team so drop it" he marched off into the other room.

. . .

Hours later

Daphne's POV

It was hard seeing my parent's grave stones like that. I pretty much cried though the whole thing. Dick and I bought pansy flowers, they were the ones that my mom had in her wedding bouquet and the same flowers that she'd keep in a flower vase on our dining room table. Dad used to replace the flowers every week so mom would never go without her flowers.

We walked to uncle Jim's house, only to find a limo parked outside the place. I ran to the car just in time for Bruce to get out before I hugged him.

"Hi daphne, how are you feeling?"

"Today has been really hard"

"It alright, how about we go into uncle Jim's house, how does that sound?" He said while stroking my hair.

I nodded and pulled away from our hug. The boys all piled out of the car.

"Daphne!!!" All three exclaimed.

"Hi guys!!" I said right back.

Together we all walked to the commissioner's front door.

It was kind of funny how uncle Jim had no idea that he'd been letting the Batman, robin, and now Amethyst into his home for years. He still didn't know any of our identities.

. . .

Back at the cave

Wally's POV

I was sitting on the couch, playing some video games, before the entire team was surrounding me.

"Hey guys what's up?"

"Wally we have come to an agreement" Kaldur began.

"We want to know why batman gave robin and Amethyst permission to leave the cave when we're under lock down, when he was the one that gave the order for us to stay here" Artemis interrupted.

"Well I mean they are his protégés so maybe he needed them" I just shrugged. "I don't know"

"Well shouldn't they be home by now" M'gann asked

"Guys I have no idea"

Complete lie, I knew they went to the graveyard and probably to the commissioner's house.

"He's obviously lying" Artemis exclaimed "M'gann read his mind." She demanded.

"No M'gann you know that's wrong, you can't just read people's minds unless they're the bad guy, and last I checked I wasn't a villain, I'm your teammate so I don't know why I'm being interrogated" I huffed. When nobody responded I jumped up and walked to the kitchen to get a snack. 

The team didn't follow and I knew that they knew I was right. 

. . .

A few hours later

Daphne's POV

Today was Tuesday, that meant the midnight meeting with ivy. Over the past few months ivy and I have become closer and she hasn't committed any crimes so that's pretty good.

I got dressed in my extra suit because mine was back at the cave.

Once I was ready I went to the batcave to retrieve my motorcycle, dad was sitting at his computer, probably going through some files.

"Bye dad, I'm going to go see ivy but when I come back I'll go back to the cave Alright?"

"Okay, I'll send dick back, but we need a cover because your friends are getting suspicious"

"Um just have dickie say you needed us for a mission, and I was knocked unconscious so you had me lay in the infirmary for precaution in case in was a concussion and that you just sent dick back."

"Good, it's decided then"

I nodded and got on my bike starting it up and smiling at the purr of the engine, taking off through the hidden door and heading to Gotham's garden.