Into the Depths – Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven
Faithful Friends

May 11th, 2009. Monday, 9:43 am.

Slade was immovable. No matter how much Dick tugged on the man’s arm, he just would not budge. But Dick was determined. He would win this battle against the man, there was no doubt in his mind. He would just have to pull out all weapons which were at his disposal. There was only one way to win with this man and Dick would use the tactic to its fullest.

Bright blue eyes sparkled innocently up at the man, a bottom lip protruded slightly in a childlike pout.

“Come on, Dad, please?” begged Dick, blinking his eyes a few times effectively. There was a responding twitch of the eyebrow, signifying that his target was weakening. The weakness was brief, however, and Slade hardened his stance.

“No means no, Dick,” growled Slade, glaring down at him. The effect was lessened due to the amount of twitching his eyebrow was experiencing. “Don’t get yourself into trouble over this.”

The threat was loaded, but without any real ammunition. Dick took that as the go ahead to continue his attack; his bright blue eyes blinking rapidly, black eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. He gave the man a deeper pout.

One battle won, as Slade averted his gaze finally. Dick snickered under his breath at his first victory and tugged against the man’s arm again.

“You’re impossible,” snapped Slade, before Dick could try to beg some more. The man still didn’t look back at him. There was another tug. “Would you stop that?”

“No,” said Dick, his tone the epitome of cheekiness.

“Dick, I don’t want to go to the Tower today,” said Slade, now sounding tired. “I helped you and your merry little friends work up a training schedule, but I really don’t want to go back.”

“Please, Dad?”

There was a vocal, exaggerated groan from the man. But Slade was unyielding – he still didn’t move. A moment later, Wintergreen walked into the kitchen, a large bag at his side. The old man gave the two of them a delighted smile as he looked between them. His gaze stopped at Slade for a moment.

“Well, are we ready to go?”

If Slade had appeared stoic and powerful a moment ago, that one sentence now appeared to have thrown him completely off. He looked alarmed at the old man.

“Go? Go where?” demanded Slade.

Wintergreen blinked.

“To Titans Tower, of course,” said Wintergreen, sounding bemused. He paused for a moment, then he gave the pristinely white shirt a double glance. “Are you going to wear that?”

“Yes…” Slade stopped and looked down at himself to double check. The man was wearing his normal, pristine clothes; a white collared, button down shirt and black slacks. After a moment, he looked back up at Wintergreen; giving him a frowning, almost baleful expression. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

There was a forlorn sigh and a gentle shake of the head, almost as if a mother would with her exasperating child, “Nothing at all.”

Somehow, Slade didn’t appear reassured. Dick was glancing between the two men, trying extremely hard not to start laughing through it all. Slade was narrowing his single eye at the old man, who was appearing far too innocent for his age.

“Why are you going to the Tower?” asked Slade, eyeing Wintergreen carefully.

“Not just me, but all of us,” said Wintergreen, appearing far too happy about that fact. “We’re going to have a nice, fun day, I’m sure.” The old man gave Slade an eyeing look once more. “Are you sure you’re not going to change?”

“What I’m wearing is just fine!” snapped Slade hotly, almost defensively. “And I’m not going to the Tower, so the pair of you can just have a nice day.”

“Slade, stop it; don’t be foolish. Of course, you’re going.”

“Would someone please tell me what I’m being dragged into?” demanded Slade. He looked at Dick, obviously trying to get some information. He appeared almost desperate.

“I just wanted you to come to the Tower today,” said Dick, attempting to sound innocent. Slade wasn’t convinced.

“Come now, Slade, we’re going to have a relaxing day with the children.”

“You’re…” Dawning comprehension crossed Slade’s face as he trailed off. Then, he cried, looking absolutely horrified, “Oh, good grief, you’re suggesting another one of those play days!”

“Won’t it be fun?” chirped Wintergreen cheerfully, bouncing forward slightly on the balls of his feet.

“I am not having a merry play day with the Teen Titans!”

“You have with Richard. I honestly don’t see the problem—”

“Dick is my son!” snapped Slade, and Dick felt a glow inside his heart at that statement. The smile on his face was no longer mischievous, but one created of pure happiness. “It’s one thing to spend time with Dick, but a whole other thing having a play day with… with… teenagers.”

The old man rolled his eyes.

“Slade, calm yourself. You need to get out and see the world more. This will be good for you.”

The expression that Slade gave the old man was laughable. Dick had to slap his hand over his mouth to stifle the snickers there; though, his hand wasn’t a good buffer. The poor man looked thoroughly disconcerted as he stared at Wintergreen as if he had said there was going to be an alien invasion and they were going to probe his brain for termites.

Dick was greatly thankful for the old man. After his talk with him, Wintergreen had come later to Dick with his suggestion for the Teen Titans. At first, Dick was hesitant, due to the animosity that his friends generally felt for Slade. But with a little coaxing, he’d been convinced and had been set to the task of dragging Slade to the Tower.

But that part of the plan wasn’t really going all that well. Slade was set against going back there for some reason. No amount of batting those eyes could sway Slade this time. Dick was impressed that Slade had built up resistance to his eyes. Or maybe Dick’s affect had grown weaker. Whatever it was, Slade had been standing firm.

Hopefully, the old man could get Slade going.

“I don’t need to get out of the house, as you say,” said Slade, sounding insulted by the very thought. There was a moment of frowning, before he continued, a little indignantly, “And I get out, I’ll have you know. Just because I’m retired, doesn’t mean I’ve abandoned the outside world.”

“When was the last time you got out?” asked Wintergreen, smiling with a knowing gaze. Slade was shaking his head in small, jerky movements; his grey blue eye flashing dangerously. He pointed at the old man, his lips thinning as his glare was mixed with annoyed amusement.

“You are not doing this to me,” said Slade, waving his finger. “You don’t get out much yourself, so don’t do this.”

“I get out often,” countered Wintergreen, not missing a beat. Dick just stayed silent – well, tried to, in the very least. He was bursting at the seams in the desire to laugh hysterically at this. “I have to go to the grocery store every week, so it’s not like I’m holed up here like you are.”

“I’m not—”

“Honestly, Slade, you should consider your options,” said Wintergreen, and now his tone had taken on a dangerous whiff and flare. Slade instantly caught onto it and narrowed his eye as the old man continued, “You can go to the Tower now or you can go later and resemble the walk of a penguin.”

There was a low, throaty growl.

“Are you threatening me, old man?”

“Slade, do you take disrespect from Richard?” asked Wintergreen. Dick’s eyes widened as his head whipped back and forth between the two of them. That throaty growl was deepening. “No? Then, I suggest you show me the same courtesy or you will be very stiff for quite a few days, Slade.”

There was an audible sound of flesh connecting to flesh as Slade’s hand was dragged over his face; his hand pulling on the white fur that grew in the form of his goatee. Dick’s lips were tucked into his mouth nearly all the way, in his desperate attempt to stop from bursting into endless, unforgivable giggles. Finally, Slade turned his glare onto Dick.

“Did you put him up to this?” demanded Slade.

“Nope!” said Dick, grinning from ear to ear. Slade sighed tiredly, running his hand over his face again. A slightly wrinkled hand gave him a pat on the arm.

“Come, it’ll be fun,” said Wintergreen, his tone soft now; even a tad coaxing in its nature. With a final sigh, Slade’s entire body relented and the defeated man threw his hands into the air.

“Fine! But I am not going to play any games there. You may, but I will not – under any circumstances – be convinced to play anything with the children. And that is that.”

ooOOOOOoo

May 11th, 2009. Monday, 12:07 pm.

“You didn’t say Uno,” said Raven, her mouth twitching in restrained amusement as she caught Beast Boy for the fourth time that game. Beast Boy groaned elaborately, throwing back his head in pure frustration. He tossed his single card onto the table and dropped his head onto the surface. He rolled his forehead back and forth there, muttering over and over underneath his breath.

Cyborg was snickering as he supplied the lamenting green boy his penalty card. Dick was grinning, just as the other remaining two girls were.

Slade honestly found it amusing himself. That boy had a terrible memory. Slade was just waiting for the perfect opportunity to lay down his draw four wild onto the poor schnook that was sitting beside him – who just happened to be a meddling old man.

Some things never go according to plan; thus, that was how Slade was sitting at a table with six teenagers and one annoying old man. Strangling the old man wasn’t an available option, unfortunately. That didn’t stop Slade from visualizing it, though. But he had to admit, as usual Wintergreen was always right about these things. The problem that had apparently been going on seemed to be lessening as the group had the fun play day with each other.

Even Raven, who – Slade had been told – was the most tense of them all, seemed to be having a good time. Or, at least, she was loosening up. At first, the group of Titans had appeared tense because of Slade’s presence. But when Wintergreen unloaded his bag of ‘goodies’, the tension lowered considerably. Some of the goodies included numerous multi player games. Yay Slade. Sarcasm? Heck yeah. How the old man managed to fit a large amount of food and treats in that bag, Slade would never know. The old man was pretty amazing like that.

In the end, Slade supposed that it was worth it to endure this day. Dick looked relaxed and happy – and that was always something Slade wanted to see. There were a few times where the boy would glance over at Slade and give him a beaming smile. That smile alone made it worth all the uncomfortable nonsense that Slade was forced to be subjected to – yes, it was annoying, but he would endure.

The only thing that concerned Slade was the light purple bruising that laid beneath Dick’s eyes. It was fairly faint, hardly noticeable, but Slade could see it. Once in awhile, Dick would rub his eyes, but they were as bright as ever. There was little indication that he wasn’t sleeping. He didn’t appear tired. But that bruising was evidence of a sleepless night.

Why would Dick be having trouble sleeping at night, if it weren’t because of nightmares? Was he not telling Slade about them? But that didn’t make any sense. There was no reason why Dick would keep such things a secret. There was no logic to it. Thus, surely those sleepy eyes weren’t the evidence of that. Maybe it was because of some nightly trouble. Dick didn’t always talk about his hero work.

That had to be it.

Though Slade didn’t realize it, he should’ve gone with his gut instinct again.

As the game continued, there came a point where Starfire was the first to go out. She smiled brightly as she laid her last card down, safe from penalty cards and other tactics. Slade thought that was the end of the game, so he placed his cards with the pile, before a hand stopped him.

“No, we play a last man standing kind of game,” said Dick, handing Slade his cards back. “Going out first is the second place win. But the first place win is the one who beats the other in a final showdown. That’s why we have the rule that you have to play if you can.”

“Oh?” drawled Slade. “Interesting. Then, let the game continue.”

Terra was the next one to go out, followed by Dick and Beast Boy. Cyborg tried to stay in the game, but as drawing cards when you could play was against their current rules, he was quickly found out. Wintergreen was the second to last – due to Slade always targeting the old man. The final two that were left were Raven and Slade.

Slade would never admit it, but he surely did get into this game. Facing the impassive empath was like playing a good poker game. They both were down to their final card and it was currently Slade’s turn. He was pretty confident that he was going to win. Unless, by some rare chance, Raven had a counterattack, this play would end the game.

Slade placed his draw four wild down, giving the girl a wide smirk. The other teens let out a chorus of “Ooooo.” at that play. Raven looked at the card for a moment. Then, she looked down at the card in her hand. Without a muscle betraying her expression, she slowly lifted the card up and down onto Slade’s card; facing up.

The entire group of teens erupted into obnoxiously loud cries of long, drawn out, “Ooohhh!” Dick started laughing and the rest of the other quickly joined in. The only emotion that gave away Raven’s amusement was the single twitch to the side of her mouth.

Another draw four wild had been placed onto Slade’s card.

He’d been beaten.

Slade inclined his head slightly, acknowledging her victory. The twitch stopped and her mouth tugged slightly upward. The chattering rose to a high level as the teens attempted to decide what game they were to play next. Raven continued to study him quietly as the others debated heatedly. Slade decided to give the girl a moment of ease. He gave her a very slight, yet gentle smile. Something soft glimmered in her eyes and a shy, unnoticed smile was returned, before it faded away.

This play day was actually doing some good. Who knew that old man knew what he was doing?

The next game, after much deliberation, was Scrabble without the board. Apparently, something had happened to the board – something about a green changeling throwing it out.

“What kind of person plays games with letters and words?” asked Beast Boy incredulously, as if the very thought of such things was appalling to him.

“Smart, normal people,” retorted Raven.

Unfortunately – for Beast Boy, that is – Beast Boy’s vote for an intense round of stank ball was vetoed by every person at the table – Slade and Wintergreen’s votes counting as two each, they demanded.

The chosen game required each player to take seven letters and attempt to use every letter in words. This is where the game actually got interesting. unfortunately, during the first round, Slade had gotten a Q without a U, so there was no going out first there. However, to the utter shock of the entire group, it was Beast Boy who completed the first set.

Sadly, someone had to set the boy straight. And that one had to be Raven.

“Beast Boy, doomray together is not a word.”

“Hey, yes it is!” said Beast Boy.

“Not really, BB,” said Dick, smiling weakly.

“But it’s from Clash of the Planets!”

Slade snorted as a full blown battling conversation flared up. The group continued to argue the point of what words should be allowed. If TV terms were to be allowed, then other terms had to be as well. Dick only grinned, joining in his statement about using other languages – he certainly did have a wide repertoire at his disposal. At this, Starfire demanded that Tamaranean be allowed for words as well.

Wintergreen seemed to take this as an excellent opportunity to start lunch. Slade leaned back in his seat as the game was stalled due to the ‘discussion’ that was still occurring. He didn’t really mind it. Though it was tiring to be with these over excitable teens, it was also entertaining. It took quite a bit of restraint on Slade’s part from smirking the entire time.

Wouldn’t do to have those teens think he was actually enjoying himself, now would it?

Only a few minutes had passed since Wintergreen had gotten up, when there was an unearthly shriek of a low tenor quality and a horrified gasp. Slade groaned slightly, wondering what had the old man going on like that. The Titans didn’t notice when he stood up from the table. He walked up to the kitchen area and came to Wintergreen’s side. The old man was standing outside the closed door of the fridge with a shocked, horrified expression across his aged features; his wrinkled hand trembling on the handle there. He slowly looked to the side at him, just as Slade put a hand on the old man’s shoulder.

“Slade… I have been subjected to much atrocities, but never in all my years have I seen something so… so appalling!”

“What is it?”

Wintergreen replied by opening the door of the fridge. Slade’s eyebrows receded into his hairline. The fridge was a disaster. There were all sorts of things in there, not all of them food. Slade could’ve sworn he was seeing a few car parts in there. Was that a tire wheel, too? There was rotting fruit, bread, and cheese; among other things. On top of it all, everything was covered in a dark blue mold.

That was a health hazard waiting to happen right there.

“Well, it’s not too bad, now is it?” drawled Slade lightly. The old man merely gave him a look.

“Do you want me to cook with this stuff?”

“I’m pretty sure if there’s anything that could kill me, it’s that nonsense right there.”

The edge of Wintergreen’s mouth twitched in amusement. However, it instantly faded when he glanced back at the fridge. Slade could see the irritation rise up inside his old friend’s demeanor. It quickly capped and burst forth in a single snap. Slade felt mildly sorry for the owner of the name. Mildly.

“Richard!”

There was a startled gasp as Dick jumped in shock from the sharp, terse tone that had echoed through the main room. The argument between the Titans didn’t cease, but Dick excused him from the table without anyone really noticing. He quickly came to the two men and looked inquiringly between them.

“What’s going on?” asked Dick.

“Richard, what is this?” demanded Wintergreen, opening the fridge again. Dick smiled sheepishly at the sight that was there.

“Yeah, we haven’t cleaned it out recently…”

“Young man, please tell me you don’t eat out of here.”

“Um… no?”

There was a yelp, as Dick dodged the old man’s try at grabbing him by the ear. Slade felt two hands press against his back as the little imp peeked out from behind. There was a playful smile on his face, but he was still a smart lad. He was wisely avoiding any reprimands from the old man by staying safely out of reach.

“This could kill you, you foolish child!” cried Wintergreen, putting his hands onto his hips. “I’m cleaning it out immediately.”

“You know Starfire, she’s got a bit of an obsession with fungus.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of Koriand’r’s liking of such things.”

Slade frowned at the name, while Dick took a double take at the old man.

“How’d you know her real name.”

“I know the name of every child in this room, Richard, and I prefer to use such things instead of your silly nicknames,” said Wintergreen, beginning to dig through the cabinets. He came to a drawer and found a pair of standard yellow gloves; slipping them on immediately. With a garbage bag wielded in his hand, he began his attack against the fridge.

“But you haven’t addressed any of them.”

“I would probably make waves if I did so, child,” said Wintergreen, grimacing as he pulled out an extremely old sandwich, before shoving it into the garbage bag.

“Terra,” whispered Dick, leaning in closer. “Do you know anything about her?”

“Tara Markov,” said Wintergreen without missing a beat. “Illegitimate daughter of a king who is skilled in geokinesis. I’m not sure how or why she is so far away from home, however. Though, being an illegitimate princess probably isn’t easy. She’s very young. Twelve, thirteen or so, I believe.”

“She’s a princess?” hissed Dick quietly, glancing nervously at the group of teens, who were still arguing about the words. They weren’t even noticing the sensitive conversation that was currently going on. “How do you know that?”

“My sources for information are boundless, Dick,” drawled Slade. “Surely you knew I had an inside man.”

“Don’t even try that, Slade. Not even you knew those children’s real names. Now, would the two of you give me some space, so I can clean this abomination out. Lunch will be a little delayed, but will be coming shortly. Shoo!”

Slade knew that this old man in cleaning mode was a dangerous thing to intervene, so he steered Dick away and stood at the back of the couch. The table that the children were playing out – they finally continued the game, still not noticing their missing players – was settled at the other side of the first area of the room. Slade thought this was a good time to talk with the teens about something that had been weighing heavily on his mind.

“Children,” said Slade, speaking up loudly. They didn’t notice at first, although Starfire’s head perked up briefly. “Children.” At that repeated message, Starfire nudged Cyborg and turned around to look at him. “I would like to speak with you. Please, sit down on the couch.”

The Titans glanced at each other, looking confused. Even Dick wasn’t sure what was going on. Why was Slade asking them that? It was like he wanted… to talk to them. Dick’s eyes widened immediately.

Crap, that’s what he wants!

“Sit down on the couch,” said Slade, his eye flashing once with impatience as he pointed at said sofa with a finger. Dick gulped slightly, glancing at his friends. They seemed to look uneasy as well. Dick knew that tone of voice. It was one of those ‘You’re in big trouble if you don’t listen carefully’ voices. There was much hesitancy between the Titans, until Slade’s firm tone made them jump into action. “I don’t have all day for this. I suggest you move, now.”

Six teens scrambled to sit on the couch.

“Now, as I understand it, there has been some… issues here at the Tower,” began Slade, walking to stand in front of the large couch; clasping his hand behind his back and beginning to pace the floor in front of the group. All six of them were clustered together.

Dick felt slight horror and mortification begin to flood over him. He’d never thought Slade would outright say anything on the matter and just thinking about what the man might say was making him fear greatly. Surely Slade wouldn’t say anything improper. He wouldn’t embarrass or harshly scold anyone, right?

Slade seemed to have a good knack at proving Dick wrong.

“If you haven’t been able to tell, but this has been putting a great deal of stress on Dick,” said Slade, his grey blue eye flashing dangerously. Dick felt his cheeks heat up. “This will stop immediately. I don’t care if you have issues with each other, I don’t care if you’re angry at the world, I don’t care if you’ve been wronged in some way, I don’t care if you’re constipated, I don’t even care if you’re PMSing—”

There was an embarrassed squeak from Terra. The entire group of Teen Titans had their own reactions to this statement. Terra was now an extremely bright red, rivaling the color of a fresh tomato. Cyborg’s mouth had dropped considerably, his expression greatly resembling that of a trout. Even Raven looked shocked by Slade’s blunt boldness on the matter and there was a faint, pink blush gracing her cheeks. Only Beast Boy and Starfire looked confused by the one term.

And Dick wanted to die at that moment.

“Dad!” gasped Dick, horrified; his cheeks heating bright red as well. He glanced over at his friends, who were all being affected in one way or another. Wintergreen looked greatly amused by this and was attempting not to chuckle out loud; his hand over his mouth and his gaze looking up at the ceiling.

“I’m just stating facts here, Dick,” said Slade, not even cracking a smirk at the discomfort he was causing. He stood erect and firm; his stance unwavering and the stern expression still present on his face. “You’re the Teen Titans, not some passing music group. Get along with each other. Are you friends or aren’t you?”

At this pronouncement, the other Titans began to become uncomfortable; some squirming and guilty expressions appearing on their faces. Dick was actually impressed, once the heat faded from his cheeks. He honestly couldn’t believe that Slade was chastising the Titans for their poor behavior. And on top of it all, they were receiving it. Even Cyborg looked nervous for once. Normally, whenever the subject of Slade came up or the man was in his presence, Cyborg had a sour glare.

But at that moment, Slade seemed someone more. Dick could feel the respect, grudgingly or otherwise, but respect nonetheless for the man who stood in front of them. A man who had once been a mortal enemy was now an adult figure in their lives. His entire presence both demanded and expected respect; requiring absolute obedience.

Dick had figured that out within the first week of being with Slade. Now, it would seem that the Titans were discovering this same fact for themselves. There was no doubt in the minds of every teen in that room that Slade could take them all down, at the same time. His power was supreme here. He knew it and they knew it.

“This isn’t a moment to lightly reflect and consider my words,” continued Slade, his tone turning sharp. “This isn’t a request. This time tomorrow I expect the Teen Titans to be in perfect harmony or else the consequences will be most… unpleasant.”

There wasn’t a teen in the room who wasn’t nervous at that – although, only Terra didn’t know the implications of such a statement. Dick couldn’t help but go pink. The rest of the Titans were more than aware of how Slade ‘kept him in line’. However, Dick wasn’t sure what ‘unpleasantness’ Slade could or would dish out to the other Titans, but Dick had a pretty good idea what Slade would resort to with him if he didn’t listen. And that just didn’t sound like a good plan right there.

By themselves, the Titans might revert back to their old arguing ways. But if they had an adult around constantly… Slade being around all the time might curb some of the more biting fights. If anything, that alone was worth any effort on Dick’s part.

“Hey, Dad, will you train with us again, if we get along?” asked Dick, blinking his eyes a few time innocently in the hopes it would convince the man to do so. “You should totally come to the Tower every day to help us out.”

Cyborg looked over at Dick, his expression horrified. Slade also shared that same expression. The man shook his head, his hands splayed in front of him as he waved them.

“No, no, no, I do not think that is a good idea,” said Slade.

“Oh, come on, Dad. It’ll be fun—” Dick turned to his friends and gave them an overexcited smile. “Won’t it, guys?”

There were a few ‘Yeah’s…” in unexcited tones. Dick didn’t really care at that moment, though he was amused by it. Hey, whatever it took to keep discord to a low roar – Dick was more than willing to pull some tactics on his friends. Thank you, Batman. Thank you, Slade.

“Sooo, please, Dad?” begged Dick, laying it on thick now; blinking his eyes rapidly and giving his father his best pout yet. The universal sign of Slade weakening to it occurred: the man’s eyebrow twitched. Then, finally, Slade let out a long sigh, placing a hand to his forehead.

“Very well. I suppose we can begin a daily training. I’ve trained with you once so far, so I believe I know what each of you need.”

The man paused for a moment and Dick had to suppress a grin. Even though Slade might protest about having to come to the Tower, he still did it – and even if he complained about training the Titans, Dick could already see the man thinking up what to do for them.

“I think we should start with some simplified training for the five of you,” began Slade, after another moment. “Dick, I would suggest you train with Raven. I want you to work on technique and power. As for you three—” Slade pointed to Cyborg, Starfire, and Beast Boy. “—you will be training with me. Once again, we’ll be working on technique.”

There was a grumbling sound from Cyborg, but he didn’t fight on it. Starfire actually looked excited, while Beast Boy had a tentative expression on his face – as if he were excited, but he was a bit too nervous to actually display it.

“As for you, Terra,” continued Slade. “I’ve noticed something and I suggest we do some specialized training with you. I realize that controlling your powers is difficult right now, but with some—”

Slade broke off, suddenly appearing alarmed at the horrorstruck expression that instantly filled Terra’s face at those words. She whipped her head to look at Dick with betrayal written over her features.

“You told!” cried Terra.

“Terra, wait, no—”

“You swore you wouldn’t!”

“But I didn’t—Dad—”

Terra didn’t stop to listen any more. She bolted up off the couch and quickly darted to the sliding doors; completely out of the room. Slade stood there, looking around and appearing to grab at whatever answer he could. Dick jerked his glance to Cyborg.

“Cy, put the Tower in lockdown!” cried Dick, jumping to his feet and rushing forward to the door.

“W–what?”

“Hurry!”

Dick burst through the sliding doors, nearly knocking into them as they opened part way. He could hear the Tower responding to Cyborg’s lockdown. His socked feet slid against the floor of the hallway. He pitched forward, catching his fall with his arms. But he continued to rush forward, pushing off the floor with his hands. He could see Terra near the end of the hallway. She reached the elevator door and tried to get it open. When the doors didn’t comply with her wishes, she gave out a frustrated cry; clenching her fists and smashing them into the doors.

“Terra!” cried Dick. The girl whirled around and Dick could see large tears in her eyes. Her head darted from side to side; the girl desperately looking for a way to escape. She chose to her right, but she didn’t get far. Dick grabbed her by the wrist and forced her to stop.

“Let me go!” cried Terra, trying to wrench Dick’s hold on her with a hand. Dick didn’t listen to her.

“Stop it, Terra, and listen to me!”

“Why should I? You lied to me! You told—You—”

With one jerk, Dick pulled her back. Her words were cut off as she fell backwards. Then, a moment later, she was surrounded by arms. There was a soft gasp inside Dick’s chest. She stilled in the hug for a brief moment, before she began to fight him on it. She pushed against his chest vigorously.

“Let me go!”

“You have to listen to me,” demanded Dick. A moment later, Terra shoved him completely away and broke from the hug. She glared at him and curled her arms around her chest as she took a step back.

“You lied to me. Why should I listen to anything you say? You promised!”

“I didn’t break my promise!” cried Dick. “If you stop jumping to conclusions, you’d realize that.”

Terra looked at him balefully, but she didn’t try to run away again. The betrayal was written all over her face.

“Look, I didn’t tell Dad anything,” said Dick, feeling irritated. “He figured it out on his own. He’s the one who taught me how to be observant. It’d be stupid to think that Dad couldn’t figure it out on his own. You shouldn’t be so quick to think and judge that I would betray your trust like that so easily. Friends don’t do that.”

Terra scoffed.

“Anyone can betray anyone else easily. Even your so called friends can betray each other.”

“We wouldn’t do that. Even if that were to happen, we would still believe in them and be their friend.”

Terra’s eyes darkened.

“What if one of the Titans did something horrible? Something unforgivable?”

“They wouldn’t—”

“What if they did?!” shouted Terra. “What if one of your friends did something bad, really bad? Would you still be their friend?”

Dick was reminded of how he felt upon returning to the Tower just a few months ago. His friends hadn’t been happy with his choice in a father, not that he really blamed them, of course. However, it still showed how they felt about someone who wasn’t perfect.

But in the end, Dick had come to realize that no one was perfect. Everyone made their own mistakes. Just because someone made a different mistake, didn’t mean they should be shunned. Because Dick had seen past all the mistakes and had discovered the gem that was Slade’s core, he found someone special – someone he wanted to be like. He wouldn’t make the same mistakes Slade did, though, Dick was pretty sure. He would make different ones. But that didn’t mean either of them were condemned for such things.

There was always hope. There was always a chance. The only thing that needed to be done was to press forward.

“Even if one of my friends did something horrible, I would still be there for them,” said Dick, his eyes softening at the thought. “Because, if I don’t stand beside them, who will?”

“You wouldn’t,” whispered Terra. “I don’t believe you.”

“Then, I suppose, you’ll have to believe with time.”

Terra’s eyes widened. Dick hoped that he had retained her trust now. She seemed so fragile, as if she were an autumn leaf in a dying tree; easily swayed by the whims of the wind. He wasn’t sure how to deal with her any more.

Large tears filled at the sides of Terra’s eyes. She sniffled and quickly drew her hands to wipe away the tears. Dick felt bad for the girl. She was young, like Beast Boy. She was alone, like they all had been at one point. She ran away from home, just like they all had in their own way. Now, there was so much and so little knitting them together. Dick instantly felt a huge responsibility for this.

He was truly thankful for Slade. The man had actually lectured the Teen Titans. Who would’ve seen that one coming? Slade, lecturing the Teen Titans? It was absolutely hilariously ridiculous. Hopefully, now the others would be able to get along a little better. Maybe things would settle down now. At least, Dick hoped they would.

The voice from his dreams rose upward, sinking its mocking words into his mind like deep fangs.

Dick pushed it back down, feeling disturbed. He took a step closer to Terra and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, let’s go back,” said Dick, tugging her against his side in a hug. She sniffled and nodded once. “No one minds, by the way. So, it’s okay. Let’s go back and have some lunch, because I’m sure Will has something prepared for us by now.”

With that tentative smile spreading across her young features, the two of them walked back to the main room. When they entered, there was a tense air within the room. A moment later, Terra was greeted by a shy Beast Boy. Dick pulled away and let his young friend have a moment with her. As Dick drew up to Slade’s side, he noticed that Beast Boy got Terra to smile more.

Of course, that only put a frown on Raven’s face and it was obvious to Dick when she turned away. It was a sad sight to see, but hopefully no fighting would occur – and none did. Dick smiled and leaned against Slade for a moment, just resting his weight against the man. A hand snaked around his waist and tugged him once. Then, Slade sighed, almost grumpily.

“It would seem that my presence at the Tower will be frequent,” said Slade, sounding annoyed and tired at the same time at that thought. Dick gave him a grinning smile, still leaning into the inconspicuous half hug that he was getting from the man.

“It’s like you’re an honorary Teen Titan now.”

He received a very dark glare.

“Don’t even joke like that.”

ooOOOOOoo

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