Auroral » Titans

21|| Aftermath

"Hey." Dick spoke as he made his way over to Sophie. 

She glanced up at him and sat back in the old seat of the station wagon. "Hey. How's everything going with the crazies."  

Dick leaned against the open car door and sighed. "They think Rachel's some kind of destroyer of worlds. Besides from that, they aren't talking."

The darkness Rachel had in her wasn't her defining factor but that didn't mean it wasn't apart of her. Sophie wasn't stupid enough to underestimate what Rachel could become, but her good heart forced her to believe that everyone had good inside of them; including Rachel.

"Did you find anything?" Dick asked, breaking Sophie out of her thoughts. 

"Uh, yeah." She quickly grabbed the phone she had found in the car and handed it to Dick. "I found this in the glove box. There's also this." 

She grabbed a thin black box from the passenger seat and opened the lid. Four syringes laid inside. Each one had a name taped to it and a blue residue coated the inside. 

"It's probably some kind of enchantment drug. I can send a sample to Barbara, but it could take a day before she figures out whats in here."

"It's fine." Dick muttered and turned his attention to the phone in his hands. She wasn't surprised that he didn't want Barbara's help, when it came to her, he still had a lot he needed to figure out.

"I got something." Dick said. Sophie's head snapped over. "Dr. Adamson. He's in Chicago." 

"So what's the plan?" She asked as she stepped out of the car.

Dick glanced back at the motel, his gaze lingering on the building as he thought. His jaw tightened before he looked back at her. "You should stay here in case something goes wrong. I can handle this." 

Sophie opened her mouth to protest but she quickly thought better. Her and Dick weren't fighting for the first time in awhile, and she wasn't about to change that. "Just be careful." She huffed.

Dick's lips twitched upwards and a twinkle filled his dark eyes. "I'm always careful."

"Right." Sophie scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's why you have so many scars."

"Hey." His smile widened and he jutted a finger towards her chest. "Some of those are from my circus days."

"Right." She scoffed. A calm, comfortable silence settled between them. 

Dick's smile fell into a softer, more sincere smile. "I missed this."  The look in his brown eyes made her chest tighten. 

"I did too." She said. "I missed you, and your dumb quips." 

Dick chuckled but even through the laugh she knew the words meant a lot to him. A years worth of distance and a mouth of fighting wasn't enough to destroy six years of friendship.

Sophie smiled to herself as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out Dick's key ring. "Here, take the Porsche. I know you miss driving her." She tossed the keys to him and he caught them against his chest.

"So." Rachel's voice came from behind them, momentarily startling Sophie.

She looked over just as Rachel came to a stop. She looked between the two as she arms wrapped around herself to keep out the cold. "You two finally make up?"

Sophie shrugged a shoulder and glanced over at Dick. "We're getting there.".

Rachel smiled sweetly before she looked up at Dick. "So you two work with Batman?" She changed the subject.

"I was going to tell you." Dick said. He paused for a moment, looking off into the distance as he thought of what to say. "When I was in Detroit I was planning on leaving Robin and all of it behind." He said, his eyes darting over to Sophie almost apologetically. 

"No luck, huh?" Rachel asked. "Why?"

Dick breathed deeply. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite recognize. Almost like regret, or guilt. "When I put on the mask, I become someone, someone i can't control."

Sophie looked down at the slush covered cement. She knew exactly what he meant. Being a hero meant there were lines you weren't supposed to cross. But being human meant sometimes you forgot those lines existed.

"I know the feeling." Rachel whispered. 

The clank of the motel door closing once again, caught the three's attention. Sophie glanced up just as Gar made his way over. He had a nervous yet excited look in his eyes, like a child who just saw a lion for the first time.

"So, uh, Batman?" He looked between Sophie and Dick. "You know him?"

"Of course they know Batman." Rachel muttered to Gar.

"Are we going to see him?" Gar asked and Sophie couldn't help but laugh. "I'd really like to meet him."

Dick chuckled and looked over at Sophie. Their eyes met as she silenced her laughter. In unison they looked back at Gar and spoke. "No." 

"Oh." Gar muttered and pursed his lips, a look of defeat flashing across his face.

The click of Kori's heels on the ground caught the groups attention. She walked over to Rachel and Gar, her gaze landing on Dick. "Any luck?" She asked.

"We've got an address and a name." Sophie answered.

"I'm gonna find out whose running this freak show." Dick said as he pushed the station wagons door closed, and began walking over to the Porsche. 

"I'll come with." Kori fell into step beside him. 

Dick turned to face her and shook his head. "You need to stay here in case those people get out. They'll try to kill any anyone who get's in there way."

"Oh, I know what to do with them." Kori said with a proud smirk on her lips. 

"Kori." Dick gave her a warning look. "No killing, please. There's been enough of that already."

She narrowed her eyes before shrugging. "Fine." 

Dick pressed his lips into a straight smile and turned towards the silver Porsche.

"I thought we weren't splitting up?" Rachel called.

He looked over his shoulder at Rachel. "I'm coming back, I promise." He said sincerely before he got into the car and started the engine.

As the car pulled out of the parking lot Sophie's chest tightened. The last time he left he didn't come back and that fear of losing him again sat in the back of her mind. It nagged at her, giving her doubts.