The Night Star (ABANDONED)

Chapter 4

Dick Grayson pulled up to Wayne Manor on his motorcycle and parked it near the front steps. He walked up and rang the doorbell. Alfred promptly answered the door.

  "Hello, Master Dick," he said, opening the door wider. "Come in, come in. They are expecting you."

Walking down the hallway, Dick followed Alfred to the kitchen, where he saw Bruce, standing with his coffee in hand, Damian and Tim at the table accompanied by someone he'd never seen before. He guessed that she was the girl.

  She looked up at him. Dick held back a gasp. She looked just like Kori. The only thing different about her was her dark hair.

"Dick, glad you could make it," Bruce said. "Mar'i," he said to the girl and her emerald eyes gazed up at him, inquisitively. "There's someone I'd like you to meet."

   Mar'i got up and stood next to Bruce.

"Mar'i, this is Dick Grayson. He was good friends with your mother."

  "Yeah, really good friends," Damian said and Tim nudged him, hard, with his elbow.

"Hi," Dick said to Mar'i, ignoring Damian's comment. He extended his hand to her and she shook it. "So, you're Kori's daughter?"

"I am," Mar'i nodded. "Have you been in contact with her at all lately?"

"No, I haven't spoken to her since...well, since she left Earth."

"Oh," Mar'i said, sounding a little discouraged.

"Don't worry, Miss Mar'i," Alfred said. "We will find a way to contact her. In the meantime, we need to focus on finding your father."

  "Yes," Bruce said. "Dick, Tim, if you'll follow me to the Batcave, we can get started on that."

Both men nodded and followed Bruce down to the Batcave.

  "So," Dick began. "How're we going to find her father?"

"We figured we'd run some blood tests on people we think might be her dad," Tim said.

  "Great. How many guys do you think could be—?"

"Not that many," Bruce interrupted.

  "I figured. Who are your leads?"

"Well, our strongest lead is you," Tim said.

  "Me?" Dick said in disbelief.

"Dick, you and Kori were together forever. Even if it was on and off."

Dick was uneasy. True, he could be this girl's father. But he also could not be. Who's to say that she wasn't someone else's? Kori could've met someone on Tamaran for all he knew.

"Are you sure?" Dick asked, again.

"Dick... let's face it," Bruce started. "You and Kori were engaged and then she suddenly left the planet. Now, nearly seventeen years later, there's a girl saying that she's Kori's daughter. I won't jump straight to conclusions and say she's yours, but..." Bruce paused. "Your odds don't look so good."

  "So, to be sure, we'll need to draw some of your blood." Tim told Dick.

With a sigh, he nodded and allowed them to.

******

  That night, when back home, Dick thought of the last time he saw Kori.

   She was standing before him, and in her hand, her engagement ring he had given her.

"You're leaving me?"

  "I... I am so sorry, Dick. I truly am, but I am needed on Tamaran."

"Kori, Blackfire is Empress now and she isn't crazy anymore, right? Tamaran will be fine. You don't need to go!" He had exclaimed.

  She started to cry. "Dick, please do not make this harder than it already is. I wish I could stay but—"

"Then stay! Stay on Earth and marry me! Kori... I love you. Please, don't leave me. Please..."

She leaned in and kissed him, her tears wetting his cheeks.

"I love you, Richard. I want to stay, but I cannot. Please, you have to understand. I am so sorry." She embraced him tightly. "I will always love you, no matter how far I am from you."

    And then she left. She had walked out of his life forever, just like that.

******

The next morning, Dick awoke with a heavy feeling in his chest.

   Today, he was to return to the manor for the blood analysis test. He was too nervous the previous night to find out, and had left as soon as he could.

But there was no more putting it off.

When Dick arrived at Wayne Manor, Alfred let him in and informed him that Bruce and Tim were waiting for him down in the Batcave.

"Let's just get this test thing over with," Dick said after entering the Batcave.

  After his blood sample was retrieved, it was analyzed by the Bat-Computer. After a few minutes of processing, the word "MATCH" appeared on the screen. Dick felt his stomach churn as he stared at the results.

After what seemed like forever, Tim broke the silence.

  "Well... congratulations, Dick, it's a girl."

Dick didn't respond. He felt like his breath had been knocked out of him. He has a child. He and Kori have a child and she never told him.

He didn't know whether to be angry, or shocked, or upset, or all of the above.

   Without a word to the others, he left. He hopped on his motorcycle and rode off. He wasn't driving home. He wasn't even driving anywhere in particular. He was just driving. He needed to clear his head.

But he found that difficult, for the same thought raced around and around in his mind: He has a daughter.

   He couldn't have a daughter. It wasn't possible. He and Kori... yes, they had been together for years, but a sixteen year-old? It just wasn't possible. How could she have hidden a child for so long? And his child!

   It couldn't be possible. They were completely different species. He couldn't imagine how they could possibly be genetically compatible. There had to be some mistake, there just had to be.

But deep down, he knew there wasn't.

  He sighed as the thought continued to haunt him.

              He has a daughter.

He was a father.