16|| A Friend And A Home

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Sophie sat hunched forwards, her foot bouncing against the hardwood floor. Tension rolled off of her in waves.

She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in the alley way. It wasn't like her to lose control of her emotions like that. She spent years training herself to stay level-headed when she put on her costume. But even mentioning the Mutationist got under her skin.

He was her father, even if he hadn't been in her life when she was growing up. But when she looked at him all she saw was another twisted criminal running around Gotham's streets.

The door to the fridge thunked closed, taking Sophie out of her head. She glanced over at Barbara as she made her way over to the sofa. She smiled kindly and handed her a cold beer.

"You ok?" She asked as she sat down on the sofa.

"No." Sophie muttered and took the brown bottle from Barbara. She stared down at the dark glass and began to pull at the blue label. "That monster, my own father, is out there somewhere poisoning children."

Even calling that man her father made her want to puke. She didn't understand how she could be related to such a horrible person.

Sophie let out a deep breath and took a sip of her drink. "I was his success. Everything he's doing is because his sick experiments worked on me." She tried to keep her voice steady but tears began to crawl up her throat.

"Don't say that." Babs shook her head, sending her red ponytail flying. "Henry Dane is a terrible person. You can't blame yourself for his actions."

"I know." Sophie looked over at Barbara. "He's crazy, but that doesn't mean I didn't get a part of myself from his psycho experiments. I wouldn't be who I am today if he hadn't done those experiments on my mom."

"Your powers don't define you Sophie, neither does how you got them." She spoke with a look in her green eyes that told Sophie she couldn't fight her on this. "Even without your abilities you'd still be you."

Sophie forced a weak grin as Barbara pulled her into a comforting side hug. "I couldn't do this without you Babs." Sophie sighed.

"I know." She muttered as she squeezed her friend just a little tighter.

The comfortable moment was disrupted by the annoying buzz of Sophie's phone ringing against the glass coffee table. Sophie sighed as she grabbed her phone. A photo of Dick appeared on the screen with a green and red answer and decline button.

"It's Dick." She muttered as a frown worked it's way onto her face.

"Are you going to answer?" Barbara asked and leaned over Sophie's shoulder.

She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head. "He's going to be pissed at me for ditching him and I don't really feel like fighting right now."

She pressed the decline button and her phone went back to it's home screen. Six missed calls appeared on the screen, all from Dick. Sophie's heart tightened in her chest as a feeling of worry built in the back of her mind.

"Sophie, he's probably worried about you." Barbara motioned to missed calls.

"It's fine." She quickly turned off her phone and placed it down on the table. "I'll text him before I leave. I'm sure everything's fine."

"Who are you trying to convince?" Babs chuckled before she grabbed the tv remote and switched it on. "Come on, let's have a girls night before you run back to my ex."

Sophie knew Barbara was joking but a part of her still grew tense at the mention of Dick being her ex.

She sighed through her nose and sat back on the sofa. She really needed to relax before her head exploded. "As long as you don't put on a chick-flick."

****

Leaving Gotham was harder then Sophie had been expecting. She stood in front of Babs door. The first rays of sunlight were just starting to peak over the horizon, basking everything in a golden glow.

Barbara smiled as she walked over to Sophie and handed her a travel mug of hot coffee. She smiled at her friend as she took it. "You're coffee was always the best, Babs."

Barbara chuckled and rolled her green eyes. "I'm gonna miss you." She said sincerely.

"I'm going to miss you too but I made Dick and Rachel a promise." Sophie said and Barbara nodded.

"Which is why you need to get going. But maybe stop by the manor, Jason misses you even if he's too stubborn to admit it." Barbara chuckled.

Sophie grinned and dragged a hand through her hair. "Yeah, maybe. But only for Jay, god knows I hate everyone else there."

Barbara laughed and shook her head. "Remind me, who was the one crying when you were saying goodbye to everyone?"

"You?" Sophie joked as laughter shook her chest.

"Ok, go before I keep you here forever." Barbara pulled Sophie into one last hug.

Sophie embraced the warmth and sighed. She was really gonna miss Babs, even if she wasn't going to be gone for long.

The two pulled back from the hug and Sophie smiled sweetly. "Alright, I gotta go but send me whatever you find on that Beck guy. We're one step closer to getting Henry locked up for good."

Barbara nodded. "The moment I find anything I'll let you know. Drive safe."

"I will." Sophie waved as she grabbed the cold door handle and turned it. She casted one last look back at Barbara before the door was closing behind her.

No matter how many times she came or went from Gotham, it always hurt to leave the city behind. The city would always be her home, and the people in it would always be hers to protect. Bruce made sure of that.

****

Sophie tapped her thumbs rhythmically against the leather covered steering wheel. The quiet hum of the engine did little to ease her ever growing nerves. The closer she got to the address Dick had texted, the more she realized she was going to have to explain this all to him.

Guilt tugged at her heart. She knew she was hurting Dick by keeping these secrets from him but how was she supposed to explain that her father was a murderer. That she got her powers from a sick science experiment.

She just didn't want him to think any different of her.

Sophie sighed as she pulled off of the busy highway and on to a longer, quieter strip of road. A thin layer of snow covered the fields and thick grey clouds blocked out any remnants of blue sky. The whole day felt grey and gloomy and Sophie's mood wasn't any different.

She pulled into the large empty parking lot of a two story motel. There were only a few cars in the parking lot and none of them looked like Kori's. She pulled into a parking space and grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket.

Dick's name rested at the top of her contacts list, right above Barbara's and Bruce's. Her thumb floated over his name and her stomach began to knot.

It felt stupid to be so tied up over something as simple as calling Dick to make sure she was in the right place. She gritted her teeth and went to press his name when movement in the distance caught her attention.

She glanced up and scoffed at the sight of Kori's fluorescent pink hair and shiny purple dress. Right behind her was Rachel and the same green haired kid from the roller skating rink. And just behind them was Dick.

Sophie pushed the car door open and stepped out. "Where are we heading?" She called out to them.

Rachel's eyes shot up and a smile spread across her lips. "You're back." She said happily.

"Of course." Sophie smiled back before her eyes caught Dick's.

His jaw clenched and he glared at her. "Just follow us." He said with a bite to his voice.

Sophie sank back into the Porsche and slumped against the leather seat. She knew Dick was going to be mad but that didn't make it any easier.

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