Raven's POV:
I woke up to the sun shining in from the windows. It lit up the room and filled it with more light, so I could really see the room better. Suddenly it hit me that I wasn't in my room, or even in Metropolis for that matter.
An arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me close to them. I turned over, careful not to wake the other person, just trying to get a glimpse to confirm my theory.
I was right. Last night was not just another one of those dreams. Instead, I was being pinned in bed by the man that is always in my dreams. He looked rather peaceful and calm, making me want to touch his face and confirm that this was all real.
I didn't though.
Instead, I carefully slipped out of his grasp and went to the bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, I had messy hair. I tried to comb it out with my fingers, but it really didn't seem to help. I started opening drawers, looking for a comb.
"What are you looking for?" A deep voice coaxed.
I turned around and saw Damian leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. I hadn't even heard him get up.
"I am looking for a comb," I answered, feeling out of place.
"Oh," He nodded, coming over to the left side of the sink and opening a drawer. He grabbed something and passed it to me. "I don't think you need it, but here."
I looked down and saw a comb in my hand. "Thank you." I nod and turn to the mirror. I brushed my hair, glancing at Damian who was behind me still.
He was watching me intently.
"What?" I turned to him and questioned.
"Nothing." He smirked.
"You are staring." I point the brush at him.
"Am I?" He steps closer. "I don't think I am." He takes another step closer.
"You are." I fold my arms.
He takes another step forward.
Then another.
Until he is right in front of me. I suck in my breath, trying to quiet my breathing so he couldn't tell how much being close to him affected me. Just being this close to him makes me lose control.
"What?" His breath hit my lips.
"Nothing," I say breathlessly.
He leans in, and I close my eyes, bracing for our lips to touch.
KNOCK KNOCK
My eyes flash open and I jump back from Damian. He groans and tries to step closer again. "Ignore them." He says.
"No, someone is at the door." I shake my head.
"Let them wait." He leans forward again.
"No," I back myself against the wall. "You need to answer them."
"They will still be there when I am done." He whispers into my neck.
I let a moan escape my lips.
He brings his face up so he looks me in the eyes. A smirk grows on his face. Suddenly I am swept up, into his arms and he is carrying me into the other room. He drops me onto his bed and he climbs above me.
He bends down and is just about to kiss me when...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"UH!" Damian gets up off of me and he allows me to sit up. "I know. I know. I'll answer the door." He says, getting off the bed. He goes to the door and only opens it a crack. "WHAT!?" Damian barks.
"Sir, you are needed for an emergency." Someone said, not confident in his words.
"What sort of emergency?" Damian clenches his fists.
"Your mother." The servent fiddles with his fingers. "She arrived an hour ago and we have been trying to hold her off but she is threatening to come here herself."
Damian sighs. "I will be down in five."
"Thank you, my Lord." The servant bows and scrambles away.
Damian closes the door and walks over to his closet. He comes out a second later, dressed in formal League attire.
"I will be gone the rest of the morning. Stay in this room and rest. If you need anything, ask a servant to fetch it for you." He instructs.
"Why do I have to stay here? I feel fine." I protest.
"You might feel fine, but it is dangerous going out. Especially when my mother is around. Don't leave this room and no matter what, stay away from my mother." He warns.
"Why can't I meet your mother?" I question.
"She is not the type of person I want you around." He turns back at me and his face relaxes. "Rest. When I get back tonight I will take you on a personal tour of my palace."
"Alright." I nod. There was no point in arguing anymore.
"Alright." He kisses my forehead and leaves.
I am left alone. The room seems empty now that Damian is gone, but I push the lonely thoughts from my mind. I get off the bed and straighten the sheets and bed cover-up, then I pick up and fold the blankets that were on the ground.
There was a knock at the door.
"Hello?" I say, opening it a bit.
"Good morning, ma'am." A maid bowed. "Our Lord asked us to bring you a change of clothes and some breakfast." I see the tray of food and a box on a small table.
I nod and let them into the room.
They set up the food and bring it over to the small table for me. "Enjoy, ma'am."
"Thank you." I nod.
"Would you like any assistance getting ready this morning?" She asked politely.
"I will be fine. Thank you." I answer. "You may go."
"If you need anything, I will be outside the door." She bows and leaves.
Breakfast was huge and far more than what I could eat. I eat what I can and put the food back on the tray. I open the door to the hallway where the maid rushed over to me. I hand over the tray, and after being told that I should have just let her clean up the food, I went back inside the room to change.
I picked up the box and set it on the bed. I lifted the lid from the box, only to reveal an elegant purple floor-length dress with sleeves. Touching the fabric, I could tell it was going to be a warm dress.
I smiled and brought it fully out of the box to examine it. Once satisfied by it, I walked into the bathroom and changed.
I was right and the dress instantly warmed me.
Somehow it was a perfect size and flattered me. I twirled in the mirror, watching the way that it flowed. When I walked out of the bathroom, I noticed someone sitting in a chair. I had never seen them before.
It was an elegant woman with dark black hair with grey streaks. She had green eyes and her posture was very familiar. Even though Damian said I shouldn't be around his mother, he never said that she would be the one to find me.
"Hello, dear." She smiled, faking a gentle smile. I could feel her ora was harsh and resentful.
"Hello." I bowed.
"Good manners." She nodded. "I didn't expect that from you." She explains.
I just nod and slowly walk into the room more. What am I supposed to say? Hello, I am staying in your son's room, but this is not what it looks like. Would she even believe that?
"Do you know who I am?" She questions me.
"Yes." I nod. When she doesn't say anything I add, "Damian's mother."
"You call my son by his first name?" She glares at me. "It is quite disrespectful."
"I apologies." I grit out.
"I assume you are with Bruce and that young man?" She changes the subject.
"Yes." I sit on the edge of the bed.
"Bruce has gotten older these past few years." She sighs. "He and I used to be lovers, you know?"
I nod.
"He was a ruthless man." She smiled at just the thought. "I had hoped Damian would take after his father. Then his father retired and now has come to seek a relationship with his son. How disappointing." She shook her head.
I wouldn't say disappointing.
Wouldn't she want her son and his father to get along?
"And now I find out that my son had a woman stay in his room last night. He doesn't allow women into his room, yet here you are." She stands and gracefully walks over to me. Suddenly she grips my face and pulls me to look at her. "What is so special about you?"
I was about to defend myself when the doors swung open.
"Mother," Damian's voice was cold and unemotional. "I told you to wait in the sitting room."
She let go of my face and smiled. "My dear, I thought I would just come and see if the rumors are true."
"Get. Out." He grits through his teeth.
His tone is threatening and his glare could kill at this point. I stood up, assuming that this was a conversation that I did not need to stick around for. I started to walk when a hand grasped mine.
I turned and looked at Damian who was now fuming. "Not you." He told me.
When he pulled me closer, I did not fight him. Instead, I stood by his side, trying to calm him. I placed my other hand over his.
Damian looked to his mother again. "Mother, I think you have overstayed your welcome."
"Son, I have just come to spend some time with you. I love you, you know?" She stepped forward and opened her arms for a hug.
"Leave, mother." He warned. "This is the last time I ask."
She huffed and her arms fell. "Fine." Then she spun and marched out of the room. I heard the clicking of her heels as she walked down the marble floors. When I could no longer hear her, I turned back at Damian.
He was now taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself. I squeezed his hand and it brought him back down to earth. He looked down at me.
"Damian," I asked.
"Yes," He said, his voice still angry, but he was trying to control it.
"Can you let go of my arm?" I ask. "You're squeezing too tight."
He instantly dropped my arm. "Sorry."
"It's fine." I gave a soft smile. "And just so you know, I didn't leave the room." I pointed out, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, but she came here." He growled.
"Damian, please calm down." I placed my hand on his upper arm. "She is gone now and there was no harm done."
"What did she say to you before I came in?" He turned to me.
"She asked me if I knew who she was and questioned me on why I was in your room," I told him the truth. "I didn't explain too much, so she doesn't know everything."
"Does she know your name?" He asked.
"I am not sure. She never asked and I never said." I shrugged.
"She might not know it now, but I assume she has already sent for someone to give you a background check." He sighs and sits on the edge of the bed.
"Why?" I sit beside him.
"My mother wants me to marry. She sees you as a threat to her plans." He explains. "That is why she is not warm to you."
"I just thought it was all this cold weather." I nudge his arm, trying to make him smile.
He turns to me, staring at me like I was some sort of alien for making that joke.
"I was trying to lighten the mood," I explain.
"That reminds me, how are you feeling?" He changed the subject.
"I feel fine." I sit up a little bit straighter. "The dress is surprisingly warm."
"I am glad you like it." He stands up.
"Bruce and his companion have asked that they see you." He reaches out a hand. "I shall escort you."
"Thank you," I take his hand. "And the other man's name is Terry."
"I don't really care." He stares straight ahead.
"Terry is actually very nice, so don't go making a scene," I warn him.
Damian just huffed and led me down a series of hallways. I observed where we were going, in case I needed to remember how to get back, and followed Damian.
"I have matters I need to attend to, so if you just go in there, they are already waiting," Damian said when we stopped at a set of doors.
"Alright," I nod. "Thank you."
He walks away, leaving me to head inside. When I open the door, Bruce and Terry rush to their feet. "Rachel!" They both say almost at the same time.
"Hey." I smile. "I am sorry I couldn't come sooner."
"No need to apologies." Bruce pulls out a chair for me.
Once we are all seated I am handed a cup of tea.
"Where were you?" Terry asked. "I was looking for you this morning and couldn't find your room."
I decided it would be best if I didn't tell them I had stayed the night in Damian's room. If I did tell them, they would just assume things, and I didn't need to explain all of that to them. Besides, I didn't want to say something if Damian was keeping it a secret.
"I was in the other hall. I am not sure where but it was close to the medical wing." I lied.
The one thing I love about my powers is they give me the ability to lie and cover all traces. Even the great Bruce Wayne wouldn't be able to discover this lie.
"Are you alright now?" Bruce asks.
"Yes." I nod. "After sleeping, I feel much better."
"Good. We have to go home soon." Bruce glares at Terry, who looks away.
"What?" I ask, sensing something off between the two.
"I received a Justice League message from Superman. He is looking for you." Terry explains. "He knows that you went on a mission. He found out that we talked the other day and is now looking for us."
"Oh." I nod.
"It gets worse." He sighs. "To read the message, I had to turn on my GPS, so he is probably headed here."
"OH!" I realize what this means.
"We need to go." I stand up.
Just then the doors open and in walks Damian. He looks at me and then back at the others. I could see how it looks when I am standing up in a rush and the others are grabbing their things. It looks like we are running.
I mean that is kind of what we are doing, but not really.
"What is going on here?" He asks his father.
"We appreciate you allowing us to stay here, but now that Raven has recovered, we will get out of your hair." Bruce stood up. "I have left my number if you ever want to reach out, but I understand that I can't become your father overnight."
There was silence.
"Damian," I stepped forward.
"Your leaving?" He looked directly at me.
"We must." I nod.
"Why?" He asks, stepping closer to me.
"I was only supposed to be gone a couple of days. I have to go back home. We all do." I gesture to Terry and Bruce behind me.
"You can stay longer." He offers.
"I would have to go home anyway." I shake my head.
He just looks at me and then at the others. He studies us and based on Terry's obvious nervous glances, Damian is able to understand that there is more to this than we let on. I glare at Terry.
"What is really going on?" Damian asks after a second.
"We need to be leaving." Bruce stands up. "It is a matter of importance and we are on a time crunch."
"I won't allow you to leave unless I know what is really going on." Damian folds his arms and waits for one of us to say something first.
I defiantly didn't want to be the one to explain it, so I kept my mouth shut.
Just then a few guards came rushing through the doors.
"My Lord, we have a problem." One of them spoke up. "Something just flew into our atmosphere and is heading our way."
"What is it?" Damian turned to face his guard.
"My dad," I answer before the guard had a chance to.
I looked at Bruce who gave me a nod. I opened a portal and stepped through it, transporting me to where my father was flying.
"Rachel Loren Kent," My father scolded me. "Your mother and I have been so worried about you."
"I am sorry dad," I say really fast. "I know I should have told you where I was or at least called, but there really wasn't cell reception."
"Did you think writing a letter to tell us not to worry would just solve everything?" He folded his arms. He was angry.
"I am sorry," I say again.
"You're coming home right now!" He demands.
"Dad, I am twenty. I have a right to go on missions and be here." I argue. "I know you are trying to keep me safe, but I also have to make decisions on my own."
"Don't play that card." He warned. "You are in trouble. Your mother is beside herself with worry over you. She didn't sleep at all last night because of you."
I felt bad.
Mom has always been protective and loving toward me. When she found out she couldn't have kids, she was so sad, but when she met me she poured all that love into me. I felt guilty.
"Dad, I will come back, but I need to at least say goodbye," I told him. "Bruce and Terry also might need me to portal them home."
"Fine." He agreed reluctantly.
We flew down to the ground, greeted by hundreds of armed men, and to lead them all stood Damian. Once my feet touched the ground, he came forward. At the same time, so did Bruce and Terry.
"Bruce, what did you pull my daughter into." Dad scolded Bruce.
"It wasn't supposed to play out like this. We planned to be home yesterday but..." Bruce stopped talking, not wanting to explain what happened yesterday to his daughter.
"But?" He tapped his foot, waiting for a response.
"I got cold." I jumped in to ease the anger.
Dad took one look at the snowy land surrounding us and then looked back at Bruce. His anger was now turning his face red.
"You took my daughter to a cold climate." Father stepped towards Bruce.
"I forgot," Bruce stated plainly.
"You brought my half-demon daughter to a fringed ice land and you 'forgot'!" My dad raised his fist.
"Dad!" I stepped between them. "Let's just get out of here?"
"Fine." He huffed.
I turned to Bruce and Terry. "I can portal you both home if you would like."
"That would be nice." Terry agreed.
I opened a portal and sent them both home. When I closed it, I saw that Damian was glaring daggers' into me.
"Dad, how about you head out first?" I turned to my dad. "I will be right behind you."
"Alright, but no funny business." He agreed.
I nodded and he flew off at record speed. Damian waved off his soldiers and we remained the only two people outside.
"You must have questions." I walked forward. "I didn't mean to hide the fact that I was half-demon."
"I knew." He said without emotion.
That threw me off. "You knew?!"
"Yes." He nodded. "I read your file this morning."
"Oh." I nod. I guess I should have seen that coming. The League of Assassins always does background checks.
"So you are leaving." His tone now sounded grim.
"I have to." I step forward. "Although I..." Should I even admit this? "I would like to come back. I mean to visit. If you would allow that?"
When he didn't say anything, I took that as a 'No', and I had to admit I was disappointed. I looked down at my feet, trying to compose myself once more to walk away strong. Then I felt a hand on my chin pulling my face upwards.
"I would... Like that." He sounded nervous. "If you came."
"Really?" I smiled.
"Yes." I nodded. "I will inform the staff that if they are to see you, they allow you to enter the palace."
"I can always just teleport," I smirk.
"That too." He smiled a genuine smile.
"Alright." I smile, unable to truly hide how happy I am at this moment. Then I think of it. The perfect idea is to communicate with each other. I open a pocket dimension and pull out two bells. "Here," I hand him one.
"What is this?" He takes the bell.
"Ring it when you want to see me," I explain. "My bell will also ring and I will know to teleport to you."
"Okay." He nods, examining the bell.
"It's a magic relic," I answer the question I know that is on his mind.
"It's odd." He says.
"But it will be useful." I ring the bell in his hands. "I do have to leave now."
"Alright." He nods.
Just as I am about to leave, I feel his arms grab mine and spin me around. Before I know it I feel warm lips touch mine. Strong arms wrap around me, and I lose all my senses. I kiss him back, unable to control my emotions now.
When we pull away for air, I can't help but blush.
"I will see you again soon, beloved." He whispered in my ear.
I blush even harder and step back. I open the portal, and just when I am about to walk through, I turn back and look one last time at Damian.
"I'll be back." I wave before leaving.