[ a l i n a ]

"Is there really nothing in this?" Taliana mutters, searching through the folders. The floor is a complete mess. Files and contracts everywhere. Me, Taliana and Aria had been staying up late, searching through my father's files.

"There must be something." Aria mumbles, her light brown hair tied in a messy bun. For someone who usually is clean and preppy, that's surprising.

I sigh, my eyes wandering, contemplating every single folder. "There." I mutter, my finger pointing towards a yellow folder, and instantly, it was in between my fingers.

"Alina, you can't use your powers in here." Taliana scolds me. I shrug, inspecting the paper. "It's just the three of us. No one's watching." I respond, a sly grin on my face.

"Well, it seems like my job here is done, I'm craving brownies, I'm going downstairs." Aria smiles, standing up, walking towards the door. "At this time? 3 am?" Taliana whisper-yelled, before joining her outside..

..and I'm alone.

I groan internally, reading the paper carefully. It's a contract. Between my Mother and the Al-Ghul's. She was supposed to hand me over to Talia Al-Ghul when I turned eighteen, which was two years ago. She died before that, terminating the contract.

Ever since, Talia has been finding ways to get to me.

I place the contract back in the folder carefully. I stand up, sighing at the sight of the messy office. Papers everywhere. I click my fingers, and in an instant, the room was squeaky clean, everything in it's place. Perks of having extra abilities, I guess.

I close the door carefully, and found myself in the dark hallways of the castle. This place always creeped me out as a kid, with all the chandeliers hanging from above, the paintings too.

I reach for my phone, in my pocket, and dial my brother's number. After a few seconds, the familiar raucous voice appeared.

"Hey sis."

"Hey. How are you doing?" My voice trembles a bit. He's all I've got left now. His voice reminded me of home.

"Well enough, thank you. How are you handling things?"

"Well, being your replacement.. It isn't easy. At all. But hey, don't think about me. Just focus on yourself. You need this."

"Thank you, Alli, I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, big bro."

After Mom and Dad's death, Nathan really just.. forgot himself. After Michael's disappearance, it really broke him. He needed time for himself. He's now residing in my aunt's home. Aunt Margaret, Aria's mother.

I trot down the butler's stairs, because it is closer to the kitchen than the main staircase, which in my opinion is too immense. This is a castle, after all. What am I thinking?

I walked into the smaller hallway, leading towards the kitchen. The butlers and maids were fast asleep, the only ones awake were the guards, whom just glanced at me.

I open the kitchen door, slightly taken aback. Ariana and Taliana sat down on the barstools, and they had been eating all of the brownies.

"Really?" I hiss, staring at the empty container.

"Not sorry." Taliana shrugs, gulping a glass of milk. Ariana rolls her eyes, pouring a bit of cola into a glass.

"I've only gotten three bites. She ate them all." Aria sighs, sipping her drink. This wasn't surprising. Aria had a small body, and she's a bit short, and she eats very slowly; whilst Taliana spends her time eating. The surprising thing is, she's as thin as a wooden stick.

I laugh, opening one of the cabinets, reaching for a jar of pickles. This is a private kitchen, only available for the royal family.

There's another kitchen downstairs, where all the food is prepared. This kitchen is mainly for snacks.

I stop, my attention catched by the shiny bracelet in my right hand. Flash of memories plays inside my head, as I blankly stare at the familiar item. The one Damian gave me, years ago. I've worn it every single day.

He doesn't know.. he doesn't know that I'm closer to him than he thinks. I'm now tied to the Al-Ghuls. A part of me urged to tell him, but no, this is my problem, I'm solving it by my own. And besides.. I haven't seen him in three years. Things have probably changed.

"You okay there?" Aria's small voice comforted me, and I nod.

"Yeah."

~

[ d a m i a n ]

I stare at my window, eyes fixed on Titus. He's been enjoying the weather lately, as he spends more time outside. With BatCow. As for Alfred, it seems that he has developed a new hobby: following me everywhere.

Speaking of the devil, he miaws, rolling on the bed, exposing his belly.

"I'm not scratching your belly." I glare at him, walking out of my room. That cat loves cuddles.

I walk down the stairs, Alfred following me. I can hear his soft paws against the carpet. I turn right, heading for the living room. I notice Dick, typing on his phone, sitting on the sofa. The seat across of him looks comfier. Sitting down, I grabbed a book from the coffee table and start reading it. Alfred jumps into Dick's lap, curling up.

"You good?" Tim asks, entering the room, patting Dick's shoulder. I kept reading my book, ignoring these two idiots. Dick nods, and I know it's a lie. It's been tough for him ever since the breakup, Barbara really struck him this time.

Apparently it was worse, worse than Barbara getting pregnant with father's child, years ago. He managed to forgive her at that time, but now, he simply couldn't. Nobody knows what happened. He decided not to tell any of us, and I respect that decision.

Tim sits next to him, on the couch. He changed a lot, these past few years. He grew up a beard. He retired, about a year ago, just like Grayson. More like, he faked his death. He owns a bar now, and goes by the name of Cal, Cal Corcoran. In my opinion, he could've picked a nicer, classier, name. I strongly disagreed with his actions. A bar? Is he out of his mind?

But then again, we are talking about Tim Drake, who has absolutely no class.

And so I am left alone, with my three pets, holding the title of Batman. As for Father, he had decided to take a break. That's fine. I can handle this alone. With Alfred. And even sometimes, Grayson kindly offers me a hand.

"Reading again, Damian?" Tim asks, bore in his tone. I offer him a quick glance, and before I could open my mouth, my phone buzzes. I reach for it, in my pocket, and held my breath as soon as I read the name on the screen.

"Is that her again?" Dick smiles, teasing me. I roll my eyes, accepting the call anyways.

"Hey babe, are we still on for dinner?"

"Yes, Olivia, we are." I respond, ignoring Dick and Tim's annoyed faces.

"Great! I've missed you. I'll see you soon, okay?" I close my eyes for a second, her face appearing in my mind.

"Okay. Bye, Livia." I disconnect the call, before placing the book down into the coffee table, standing up.

"Excuse me, I've got a date."

~

{(Barbara Gordon impregnated with Bruce Wayne's child : in the comics, Batman Beyond 2.0) and there's a scene showing their "affair" in the recent cartoon Batman : The Killing Joke) In the comics, it states that she got pregnant while she was still in a relationship with Dick Grayson. Later on, she miscarries.}

{Tim Drake fakes his death, owns a bar and changes his identity into 'Cal Corcoran' : Batman Beyond Series.}

____________________________

Hey guys! I'm really sorry about the extremely late chapter 😭
(Since when am I on time?)

I've been very sick the past few days, and I really couldn't do anything. So I tried writing more than a 1000 words. I know this is still a very short chapter though! Sorry!!

Thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to vote!

Love you guys! <3

-Sophia ⚜️