Twins with dark brown hair and green eyes are the first to enter, arguing about a recent win in the rugby league. They are both of normal height but are obviously fit and very tanned from much sporting in the sun. Both fourteen-year-olds wear sport uniforms, Klover with a tennis skirt, top, shoes and visor, Jeremy in basketball get-up.

Ignatier follows them in, blonde and brown blended hair in a tight bun. She wears a wind-breaker over black tight clothes. Obviously she has just been to dancing. She had clearly received the short gene, barely passing eleven year old Logan in height. Her facial features resembled that of her father and Fantasia, despite having her mother's purple eye colour.

When Gordon and Hallow, both with light brown hair and purple eyes try to walk in they encounter a problem.

With Gordon staring down at his Nintendo DS and Hallow's eyes glued to her iPad, they both step to the doorway at the same time, bumping each other. They try several more times with their eyes never leaving their screens, before someone holds Gordon back from behind.

Hallow steps through successfully, waving an arm behind her in thanks before immediately returning to typing. She is obviously the spitting image of Cleopatra, with her twin being very close as well.

Alan Perich shoves his seventeen year old son forward, who stumbles into the room mumbling about noobs.

"Mr Wayne," Alan greets with a smile, shaking his hand. Where the green eyes and brown hair comes from is made all the more clear when Alan Perich moves down the line of black-haired boys.

"Mr Drake, Mr Todd, Mr Wayne," he goes through, shaking their hands. He reaches Dick. "And Mr Grayson."

The future in-laws shake hands with Dick trying to remember everything he had been taught about shaking someone's hand. Looking them in the eyes, keeping fingers firm, nodding stiffly.

"These are some of my children. Gordon, Hallow, Ignatier, Klover and Jeremy," he introduces them, gesturing around the room. Some wave, some nod, some are constantly walking into walls and doorways because they are staring at electronic screens. "Kids, go and get changed."

The five disappear from the room, down the hallway or up the stairs.

Alan looks out the back glass doors, to the beach. He sees Cleo sitting on her board, not doing anything. 

He doesn't frown though, "Please, step into my office." 

◊

◊

The waves move gently, a breeze sweeping through my hair. It's cold out, slightly, seeing as the sun is ready to set.

Paddling in a half circle, I see Mai on the beach. I must have done something wrong again, judging by her stern expression. I head back in, the waves providing need for little effort.

When I reach shallow water I begin walking, pulling my board up underneath my arm.

"What is it?" I ask, bypassing her and reaching the porch where my towel is hanging.

"The Wayne's are here."

The words are nearly lost in the wind, but I hear her and completely freeze. 

"All of them?"

"The four sons and the father. Mr Perich is with them now."

Now of all times? This is soon. Far too soon. The last thing I want to do right now is see my future husband and in-laws.

"Let's go somewhere."

"But...you have to-"

"Mai I'm leaving. You can follow or you can not do your job and get fired." 

My relationship with my 'bodyguard' has always been love-hate. We're frenemies. It's rocky.

I throw my over-shirt on and I sneak around to the garage with a reluctant wet towel in tow. She begrudgingly tells security to open the doors up. We get into my Range Rover and drive off before any of the family can investigate.

"Where are we going?" She demands to know as I pull out onto the road. It's nearly dark now. I slam on the accelerator and Mai gasps, grabbing anything to keep herself stable.

"Somewhere. Anywhere," I reply.

"You realise my job is to keep you healthy, right? From bad driving included," she exclaims. When we reach the main streets I return to normal speed.

Seeing as this is a beach city, it's not unusual to go out in just what I'm wearing. Still, we stay in the car and drive around and around the bustling city streets for about twenty minutes.

"You hungry?" I ask when we pass McDonalds for the eighth time.

"No," she snaps, still holding onto her seatbelt with a death grip. 

I glare at her, "Ghee, I'm sorry Mai. I was just so excited to meet my husband I freaked out," I say sarcastically. 

I past the McDonalds again and decide to go through the drive-thru, finding a few notes in the centre compartment. I order a crapload of food. Usually brides worry about that whole 'How will I look in my wedding dress?' diet thing but I guess it only comes into play when you're willing to get married.

Mai balances all of the food in her lap, some at her feet. I drive to the grassy cliff that overlooks the beach, turn the car around and back towards the edge.

"C'mon," I encourage, climbing out. I open the back up and sit down on it, watching over the water.

Mai looks annoyed as she places the food between us, climbing up on the opposite side of the car to me. I grab one of the chip boxes and begin eating.

"Do you think... it will be so bad? He seems nice," she begins. My eyes move from the sky to glare. 

She gives a snort of derision. 

"Richard Grayson," I mumble, looking away again. A gorgeous man. Pretty blue eyes, nice yet boyish hair. Super muscles. Almost perfect. "But I don't know him. What if he eats like a slob? What if he's a manwhore?... What if he's gay?"

"Your brother did call him a pretty boy."

"Which brother? The one who is a pretty boy, or the one whom likes pretty boys?" I ask.

"W-Wait, you figured out which one of you is gay?" She asks. It's strange hearing those words in her accent. "Who?"

"I can't tell you... I'm not 100% sure yet," I grin, biting into a cheeseburger.

My phone chimes behind me, signalling I've got multiple texts the same as Mai gets a call. I look at my screen to see what I expect; my siblings all messaging me at the same time, as they have a habit to.

'Where u go? waynes here. plan to screw the third youngest brother btw. cute af ;) x' - Hallow

'Yo wtf, if we have to meet ours you have to meet yours. come home' - Demitri

'Where are you' - Ethan

'Sooo....my new brother in law looks like a model!!!!!' - Ignatier

'get these people out of my house' - Fantasia

'bring me Mcdonalds pls' - Gordon

"Your father wants to know where you are," Mai says. I just nod to her, allowing her to tell him. Boy; you go awol occasionally and try to end your life a few times and suddenly your entire family becomes a pack of watchdogs.

"He sending the head of security?" I ask, sipping from my drink when she hangs up. She shakes her head.

"No," she gulps, "he's actually coming to get you. He should be here soon."

I toss my head back and laugh. I can imagine my father rushing around looking for me as the Wayne's sit in the living-room, Hallow probably flirting the crap out of them. Mom probably called an emergency family meeting in the dining room, telling everyone I have gone missing. That must be why I received all of those texts a moment ago.

For the next ten minutes or so, I continue to eat McDonalds. Because who wouldn't, right? 

Soon enough I hear my Dad's Bentley pull up.

Mai stands, gives me a warning look and walks away. She exchanges quick words with my father, before he walks around to the back of the car.

He watches me for a while, before moving to sit where Mai was.

"How dare you..." He opens. I roll my eyes. "How dare you-"

I sing loud and obnoxiously over the top of him, "ABCDEFGHIJKLABCDEFGHIJKLABCDEF-

"Stop."

I do as he asks, silent.

"Bring back memories, Dad?" I ask. 

He sighs heavily and doesn't say anything for a while, and I really do start to worry that I have brought back painful memories. Maybe worry is the wrong word- I hope he's in pain, but not so much so that he can't talk.

"You know, one thing that scares me more than anything at the moment is what Fantasia's planning to do with her life. When you were her age you lied to your mother and I. 'I don't know what I want to do, I don't know what I want to do'. Then one day you're walking out the door in a Marine's uniform. She has no idea what she wants to do and it scares your mother and I half to death that she'll repeat your infamous stunt."

He almost has me, until that last part. I find myself laughing coldly.

"Stunt, Dad? Fighting for my country?"

"Tearing your family apart in the process!" He snaps. I nearly jump. "And when you came back, traumatised, sick, singing your ABC's from A-L, we had no idea what was going to happen to you."

"The ABCs were your fault. When I was over there- Relasia Iraq, Qurac -all I could think about was you and mom and the kids. That's why I used to sing the ABCs to myself, like you and mom used to make us do. 'Alan, Brittany, Cleopatra, Demitri, Ethan, Fantasia, Gordon, Hallow, Ignatier, Jeremy, Klover, Logan'. I used to sing it in my head. It seemed so lame before that you guys named us like that, but it became the one thing that connected me to home."

I'd never admitted that. My mother had thought it was something bad, but it wasn't.

We are both silent for a while; him, staring at his hands whilst I look out over the dark water.

"Sometimes I think about the time I found you in the car, unconscious, after your first attempt. I've never felt anything worse. Not ever," he says in a gentle tone.

"Dad-"

"And Logan. My poor baby. Finding his sister fully dressed, unconscious in the bathtub, nearly drowned, broken bottle on the floor. He'll remember that when he looks at every bathtub, every broken bottle...you."

"I couldn't-"

"Hallow and Gordon are just as worse off. You think they liked finding you on the floor of your bedroom with blood pouring out of your wrists?"

"It wasn't my fault! It was-"

"The nightmares honey, I know," he interrupts. I find myself walking to the edge of the cliff, folding my arms and staring down at the water. "You've been off suicide watch for a long time now. You kicked your narcotic addiction. You've been training to work at my level in the company. Perich is opening a tower in Gotham... This is your chance to have a normal life Cleopatra. I'm trying to give you a life you deserve," he says.

He comes up behind me and latches onto my arm, like he's worried I might jump.

"I see," I announce, "This is a way to get me out of the house so they don't have to see it."

"Cleo-"

"Enough," I interrupt, turning around to look at him. "Have you forgotten, dad?"

Complete and utter fear floods his eyes as I allow just a little bit of my power to seep into my eyes. The dull violet they are flashes brightly, the colour filling my eyes. 

Overflowing, the mana drips down my cheeks as if they are tears.

"Don't try and spout that I'm doing this for you shit," I tell him, blinking the energy away as I step around him and head back to my car.

I'm over lies.