"Back To You" (Aqualad x OC)

Part Two

"Do you really want Mara to have free access to all your files and crap?" Emma nodded towards the closet, connecting both girl's rooms.

Tim sighed in defeat, "You have a point."

"Just ask Bruce to open up another study! Even if he won't, Alfred will," Mara shrugged.

"Okay, but later. Now, we have to go through everything on this list," Emma said.

Tim and Mara grinned up at her, "Oh, so now you want our help!"

Emma shrugged, sorting her big pile into smaller piles. Satisfied by how calm she was now, Justice settled into her lap. Emma's heart jolted, and she held her cat very close. She could still remember the day after she got her powers, when Rick came to her with a kitten that Bruce had found in the alleys of Gotham during his nightly patrol.

"Emma?" Mara asked, sliding down to sit next to Emma on the floor.

"You okay?" Tim joined them, shutting his laptop.

Emma let Justice go and sighed. She had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time she did that today.

"I'm going to miss you guys," She sighed.

Mara hugged Emma tightly. "If you're sad about it, and you don't like Kaldur anymore, then why are you going?"

Emma pulled Tim into the hug. "I made the choice to be a hero a long time ago. To protect others who couldn't help themselves. Kaldur may be able to protect himself, but after all he's been through, he's going to need all the support he can get."

"What if he has to stay there? Forever?"

Emma stopped in the middle of rolling up one of her graphic t-shirts. "I don't know, Mara. Maybe after he's settled in, I'd come back."

"That's mean."

"Look, no one asked you, Tim!" Justice meowed in agreement, and Emma threw one of her old stuffies at Tim. He caught it in his hand.

"Hey, isn't this the dragon that Kal-"

"Hey guys!" Rick grinned as he leaned against the doorframe. "Are you all having fun without me?"

"Richard!" Mara leaped up to hang off his leg. She loved it whenever Rick came over.

"Can you please tell Emma to stay if she hates Kaldur so much?"

"I don't hate him..." Emma stammered.

"You act like you do," Tim snorted.

Emma sighed, "I don't know what I'm feeling. Everything's just happened so fast."

"How are you doing?" Rick asked. He boosted Mara up onto his shoulders.

Emma debated on telling them, but she really shouldn't be making a big deal out of it if she wasn't going to need them for the foreseeable future.

"It's the anxiety. It's been acting up ever since we took down the Reach." Rick and Mara nodded understandingly.

"And got Kaldur back?" Tim added insightfully.

Emma sighed, though it came out more like a groan. "I can't make up my mind about anything, and I feel like I have to make a decision immediately, but I can't ever decide. I thought maybe getting away from everything would give me time to think."

"Well, how about you think over a nice, warm dinner of Alfred's?" Rick prompted, making finger guns at the bedroom door, "I'm pretty sure he was making chicken alfredo with pasta in honor of your big mission."

"Yuck!" Mara mimed barfing.

"Mar, if you get anything in my hair, I will force feed you an entire jar of Alfred's alfredo sauce." Richard threatened.