Auroral » Titans

4|| Long Road Ahead

A gentle hand shook Sophie's shoulder, stirring her out of her sleep. Her green eyes fluttered open to the sight of bright sunlight glittering off of the Porsche's windshield. They were parked in front of a diner maybe an hour or so outside of Detroit.

"Morning." Dick said. The sound of his voice so early in the morning was strange to Sophie.

Something about it brought back memories of those long nights after her mother died. Back when Dick would sleep on the floor beside her bed to help quell her nightmares.

Sophie's heart constricted inside of her chest and she turned her gaze to the rearview mirror. "Where's Rachel?" She muttered, noting that the back seat was empty.

"I told her to go get us a table." Dick said. He was silent for a moment, his eyes darting across her face like he wanted to say something. His shoulders deflated after a few seconds, seemingly giving up on whatever was on his mind. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess." Sophie nodded. She pulled the door to the car open and stepped out. A cool breeze tousled her blonde hair and nipped at her skin through her grey sweater.

She heard the driver side door slam closed and she glanced over her shoulder at Dick. He was looking at her in a way she could only describe as longing. She knew that just like her, he missed the easy going friendship they once had.

A shrill ringing sound cut through the tension between them and Sophie quickly grabbed her phone from her pocket. "I'll be in in a second." She told Dick and he nodded. She waited till he was out of ear shot before she answered the phone.

"Hey Babs." She said as leaned up against the side of the Porsche.

"Hey. I wish I could say this was a social call." Barbara's usually cheery voice was oddly serious. "Sophie, he's back."

Sophie's brow furrowed as she tried to figure out who Barbara was talking about. A million names ran through her head before she realized who Babs was talking about. "I thought he had a life sentence after the shit he pulled."

"Turns out life in prison means nothing in Gotham anymore." Barbara sighed. "How soon can you get here?"

Her eyes darted over to the diner and she bit down on her bottom lip. She had told Dick she'd help him, and a part of her didn't want to leave Rachel on her own.

She huffed and pushed her hair out of her face. "I can't, I'm working a case right now."

"Alright." There was rustling on the other end before she spoke again. "I'll keep an eye on him, just do me a favor and look into Susanna Cooper. She was the judge who signed his release papers."

"Got it. Thanks for the heads up." Sophie nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I want this prick gone just as bad as you do." Barbara said solemnly.

"I've gotta go, I'll call if I find anything." Sophie pressed her lips into a straight smile.

"Same goes for me. Talk to you soon Soph." A click came from the other end of the line as Barbara hung up.

Barbara had always been like an older sister to Sophie. She had taught her things about being a female superhero that Batman never could. And maybe that's why she was the first person Sophie went to when everything went wrong.

Sophie made her way into the diner and quickly spotted Dick and Rachel sitting at a booth near a far window. She made her way over and scooted into the booth beside Dick.

"Here." He pushed a mug of coffee towards her and Sophie muttered out a thank you.

"So what was that about?" Rachel asked. Her eyes flickered up to meet Sophie's before she turned her attention back to the mug in her hands.

Sophie shrugged and picked up her cup of coffee. "Nothing, just an old friend checking in." She answered before she took a sip of her coffee.

She could feel Dick's curious gaze on the side of her head. They both knew her only friends were the same people he was trying to avoid.

"Who?" He asked quietly, the question only meant for her ears.

Sophia glanced over at him and forced a small smile. "Nobody important." At least not important to him. She knew if she told him it was Barbara a part of him would completely lose focus. No matter how many times the two of them broke up they'd always still love each other.

"How long have you two been friends." Rachel piped up again.

Sophie glanced over at her, silently wishing Rachel would understand that she really didn't feel like talking about her and Dick's relationship. "He's known me since I was around your age."

Rachel nodded and sipped her coffee. "So," She spoke again, her eyes darting between the two of them. "Why are you mad at him."

"Ok, why don't you eat something." Dick spoke quickly, motioning to the plate of food the waitress was bringing over. Rachel slumped in her seat as she realized the boundary she had over stepped.

Sophie's green eyes fell to the mug in her hands as she began to mindlessly pick at the white paint. Tension seemed to create a bubble around her and Dick and it felt like there was no way to escape it.

She knew she needed to talk to him. That they worked best together when their heads weren't clouded with what if's and whys. But the idea of talking to him and bringing up all of her pain and anger just didn't seem worth it to her. Not right now at least.