Chapter 20: Brand New Day
"It's a brand new day
Don't you see me
Changing up my ways
So completely
This time I'm gonna sing and you're gonna hear it
This time I'm gonna show you that I got the spirit
It's a brand new day
And I'm feeling good"
(Brand New Day by Demi Lovato)
Rachel
The next day, it was Alfred who once again woke us up.
This time, there was no longer disapproval on his face, simply a look of resignation. Acceptance. I had a feeling this wasn't the first time Alfred had to deal with situations such as this, considering Damian had three older brothers. I sat up in bed, knowing Damian would take longer to get up. The sky was still dark outside, so I was wondering why Alfred had disturbed our sleep. That's when my eyes landed on the clock sitting at the bed side table. Four am! I turned to Alfred, the shock still evident on my face.
Before I could ask my question, Alfred seemed to have read my mind. "Master Damian starts training early on Saturdays," he intoned, clasping his hands behind his back.
After a while, Damian groaned beside me, his head buried underneath a pillow. "It's Saturday already? I thought we had school today."
I would've been amused that Damian seemed to wish there was school, considering he seemed to hate the place. But I was too busy trying to wrap my head around the fact that it was four in the morning, and Damian had to get up.
"I completely forgot it was Friday yesterday," I murmured.
"Yes," Damian grumbled, finally throwing the pillow off his face to frown at me. "I specifically remember you pulling me to bed last night with the threat that we still had school."
I blushed when Alfred raised an eyebrow at the words you pulling me to bed last night. I wasn't the one who told him to sleep in my room! And those words weren't a threat. I glared at Damian, but he was too busy rubbing the sleep out of his eyes to notice. Alfred simply cleared his throat. "Right then," he bid. "Master Bruce is preparing the training room, and the rest of the family is heading down to breakfast. I suggest you two also get out of bed soon."
Having said that, the trusty, beloved butler strolled out of the room as quietly as he entered. I plopped back down onto bed, and Damian immediately pulled me into his arms. "I wasn't the one who pulled you into bed last night," I murmured in halfhearted disapproval. Half of my brain was fighting the sleep that still clung to me.
"Alfred didn't know that," Damian replied, and I could hear the smile in his voice, even without looking. I rolled my eyes at his response, not having it in me to be too angry at him for putting the blame on me. I was too happy and relaxed in his arms to really care.
"Do you really have to go to training?" I asked. I didn't want to sound clingy and demanding, but I wished we could stay in bed longer, especially after the day we had yesterday. "I still haven't told you what your dad and I did last night."
Damian snorted- something he didn't do often. It made me glance up at his face, only to see he was already watching me. "Somehow, I feel like I don't really want to know."
I poked him in the side, causing his frown to morph into surprise. Even though his stomach felt as hard as a rock underneath my fingers, he still squirmed at the contact. "You need to be a lot nicer to your dad."
"Must we really start this conversation so early in the morning?" he asked in a tone of exasperation, but I could feel he wasn't truly annoyed. He simply wasn't in the mood to talk about his father right now.
"No," I replied, shaking my head and once again resting it on his chest. "We can just go back to sleep."
Damian groaned underneath me, a clear sign of his dilemma. I knew what his answer would be before he opened his mouth. "As tempting as that sounds, my father will be waiting for us. And since you love him so much, we need to go."
I didn't budge from my position, keeping him pinned to the bed with one of my arms and legs wrapped around him. Keeping my eyes closed, I replied. "Technically, you have training. I can stay in bed all day."
"Wouldn't you rather spend the day with me?" Damian asked in a voice that was very tempting. Suddenly I was the one facing the dilemma. Sleep or Damian? It was a hard choice to make.
With a sigh, I withdrew my arms and legs from around him and sat up in bed again. I glanced back at Damian, who hadn't moved, to see him blinking up at me in what seemed like surprise. "Well that was fast," he commented, before his surprise changed into triumph. "Usually, I'd have to argue with you or meet some resistance."
I snorted in a way that clearly meant as if. Damian Wayne easily got his way when it came to me, and he knew it. Not bothering to reply, I walked towards my walk- in closet to change, still leaving Damian in bed. As I glanced at the hundreds of clothes in the spacious wardrobe, I wondered what to wear.
"Need help getting dressed?" Damian suddenly piped up, and I jumped in surprise to find him leaning against the door.
Frowning at him, I finally replied. "You need to get dressed yourself, so I suggest you get back to your own room."
With a look of mock hurt, he walked further into the closet. "Are you throwing me out, baby?" he asked.
I would've laughed at his antics if the way he said 'baby' hadn't sent my heart racing and blood rushing to my face. Trying to ignore the fact that I was blushing, I placed a hand on Damian's chest to stop his approach. "Get dressed before Alfred comes back in here and drags us out," I spluttered.
I was met by my favorite sound in the world- Damian's laughter. Ignoring the hand still keeping him at bay, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in for a short, but sweet, kiss. "Catch you later... baby." He said this with a wink before disappearing out of my closet as quietly as he came.
A few seconds after he left, I was still staring at the spot where he previously was. I would never get used to Damian's mood swings, or how young he actually seemed if he wasn't all brooding and sulky. And for someone who acted like he detested his older brothers, he was just as good at charming and flirting as they were. Maybe they all learned from Bruce who, I had come to learn, was quite the renowned player before he met the Amazon princess. Shaking my head to clear it of the lingering kiss that Damian had left, I went back to my original task: looking for something to wear.
It's not like I was training. I didn't know the first thing about exercise or hand- to- hand combat. But to be sure, I began searching for some sportswear. After sifting through the many racks of dresses and semi- formal clothes, I finally found a drawer of t- shirts and yoga pants. After pulling on a plain black shirt and matching yoga pants, I stared at the many pairs of shoes. What did Bruce think I was going to do with all of these? I only had two feet like every normal human being! Shaking my head at Bruce's expensive ways, I decided on a pair of comfy looking purple sneakers. I tied what I could of my short hair before considering myself ready and heading out of the closet.
I had just finished splashing some water on my face when Damian returned to my room. I jumped a little when I saw him sitting on the bed. "I wish you wouldn't sneak up on me like that," I grumbled as I approached him.
He stood up, the smirk I was beginning to be familiar with easily appearing on his face. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to," he admitted, actually looking sheepish. "I promise I'll try not to move too quietly."
I rolled my eyes, knowing he was making fun of me. Just as I grabbed his hand, my stomach grumbled loudly, making Damian raise his eyebrow. "Someone's hungry."
"This is a bad sign you know," I teased Damian. "It means you're not feeding me enough."
"How much do you need to eat anyway?" he asked as we left my room and began walking to the dining room. The hallways were silent as we walked hand in hand, taking our time.
I shrugged, not knowing how to answer that. "I don't know. Probably a bit more than an average person. Using magic takes up a lot of energy."
Damian frowned, as if recalling something unpleasant. "Yes, Asteria always used to feel weak after using her powers. She's gotten better at it, but that's because of practice."
"Maybe we could practice our magic, while you guys are training," I offered with a smile, knowing how much Damian cared for his adopted sister.
"Maybe," he mused. "You should probably ask Asteria how her meeting with Doctor Fate went first."
My jaw fell open at the reminder! How could I forget? After everything that happened between me and Damian, I'd almost lost track of the reason why I was here in the first place. Damian chuckled when he saw the look on my face. "It's alright, witch girl," he murmured before pressing a kiss on top of my forehead. "I know how distracting I can be."
I pursed my lips as I glared up at him. "Too distracting," I grumbled.
"Remind me to feed you enough," he teased with another laugh. "You're grumpy when you're hungry."
"Good job, Damian," someone suddenly commented, and I realized we'd reach the dining hall. Jason was grinning at us. "It took me a while to figure that out."
"Excuse me?" Dr. Anders suddenly asked.
Jason turned to his wife with a sheepish smile. "I wasn't talking about you babe."
Dr. Anders looked even more appalled. "Oh, so it was another woman?"
Jason rolled his eyes before replying to his wife, but whatever he was saying was drowned out by the twins' loud crying. Dick and Asteria grabbed their kids and tried to calm them down, while Diana and Bruce strolled in from the other side of the dining hall. Damian sighed beside me. "I'm thinking staying in bed was a much better idea," he murmured beside me.
I met his wary green eyes and gave him a wink. "Don't be silly. This is going to be fun." Then I let go off his hand and strode towards Asteria and Dick.
Damian
I watched as Rachel strode towards the two wailing babies. Kate was in her father's arms, while Thomas was crying into Asteria's hair. Rachel took Kate off of Grayson's hands, and I saw the young girl immediately quiet down as she watched Rachel in curiosity. Not being able to help myself, I walked towards the group and stood behind Rachel. Kate turned her large, grey eyes towards me, and I made a face at her. I hadn't forgotten how she loved to throw her cream puffs at me. She blew a raspberry at me before turning back to Rachel, who was grinning at the little monster. Kate took hold of Rachel's face and began squishing her cheeks.
I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. I got distracted when Thomas stretched out towards me and tried latching on to me. Asteria tried to hold him back, but was obviously struggling. Thomas began to wail louder, and Asteria sighed. "Damian, could you hold him for a second? He obviously wants you to carry him."
"Me?" I repeated incredulously. "I'm going to drop him on his head and he'll grow up to be like Grayson!"
"Hey!" Dick immediately shouted, while Jason howled in laughter somewhere behind me.
Asteria simply rolled her eyes and held out Thomas towards me, who successfully grabbed a fistful of my shirt. I had no choice but to catch him, otherwise, he really would've fallen. I was taken by surprise when he quietly placed his head on my chest and shut his eyes in contentment. The whole dining hall suddenly turned as quiet as a tomb, as I watched the son of Grayson and Asteria relax in my arms. With wide, green eyes, I turned to Rachel, not knowing what to do.
She simply gave me a smile, before placing a kiss on my cheek. Kate was still watching us curiously. I swear that girl was going to grow up to be a troublemaker, and she would give Grayson a heart attack. Not that I cared. "Uhm... how am I supposed to eat breakfast now?" I asked no one in particular.
***
I laughed when Rachel missed the target.
Breakfast had come and past, with me having Thomas on my lap as I tried to eat my food. It was like a whole new training routine. Rachel was grinning like a crazy woman beside me every time she saw Thomas dozing on me, while father remained quiet all throughout the meal. Conversations were kept at a minimum level so as not to wake up the sleeping baby, while Kate watched her twin brother from across the table. Today, she didn't throw her food at me, and I wondered if it was because of her brother.
Training had been pretty much the same. We started with some basic conditioning. Asteria joined in, and so did Jason and Razel. The kids were left to the care of Alfred. Rachel had no choice but to join in, and I could see her struggling as we ran our usual three kilometers on the treadmill. After that, we proceeded to do some weights. Asteria assisted Rachel and Dr. Anders, while my father seemed to be torturing me, Grayson and Todd. By the time we reached hand to hand combat, I felt like crawling back to my room. Dr. Anders and Rachel were getting basic instructions from Asteria, while Grayson and Todd were sparring. That left me with my father. And he seemed to be extra hard on me today, but that was because he knew I was good at this. After all, I was trained by the League of Shadows.
Finally, we reached mastery of different weapons. I chose to shoot some arrows today, and Rachel came to stand beside me. She looked exhausted, too, but there was color in her cheeks and a twinkle in her eyes. I didn't need to be an empath to know she was somewhat enjoying. "You want to try?" I asked her, offering the bow. She took it from my hands, and I positioned myself to help her.
We'd been in the same position for the past half hour, but she was yet to reach the target. I couldn't help it. I laughed when her latest attempt ended with the arrow sticking up from the floor. She glared at me, while the others watched in amusement. "You're laughing at me," she stated glumly.
"I'm sorry, baby. You're just so adorable," I said in between snickers, not really thinking about what I was saying.
I yelped when I felt the floor beneath me disappear, and I watched as I was lifted off the ground. Rachel's hand was glowing with black energy. "Rachel," I said as I teetered a few feet above the training mats. "I was just joking."
Still glaring at me, Rachel waved her other hand and five arrows immediately flew towards the target, meeting the red dot painted on the center. When the arrows met their mark, I also fell to the ground. Rachel crossed her arms over her chest as I stood up. She was glaring at me, but I smiled as I walked towards her. "Maybe we should skip weapons for now?" I asked, wrapping my arms around her waist.
She tried to fight her smile, but I saw her lips twitching. "Maybe," she finally relented. I leaned in to give her a kiss for her efforts, but father loudly cleared his throat.
"I almost forgot!" Asteria also cut in, as if they had talked about it. Maybe they did. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret Prevent Damian PDA maneuver I didn't know about. With how crazy my family was, it wasn't that far- fetched. "We have to go shopping for the Mayor's Charity Ball."
Rachel
Shopping.
The word seemed so foreign after getting our butts kicked by interdimensional demons and a day of training, yet somehow, I found myself dragged into the whole mess. After Asteria's announcement during training, everyone scrambled to get ready for lunch and head out. I was about to head towards Damian, but Asteria pulled me away to talk about dresses and gowns- which I knew nothing about. On the other hand, Damian was swarmed by his brothers and father, all talking about getting new tuxedos. He gave me a look of pure horror, as if pleading for my help. I just gave a shrug in return and felt his rising panic as we left the cave.
After nodding my head at what Asteria and Dr. Anders were saying about gowns, I got a little alone time and escaped back to my room. I quickly showered, already beginning to feel the pain in my body. If Damian trained this hard every weekend, I was beginning to see why he was in great shape. Why they were all in great shape. I pulled on a plain black top and some jeans, deciding that the most comfortable clothes was the best way to go if I was going to be walking around the mall the whole day.
Just as I pulled on my sneakers, I heard a knock at my door. "Come in!" I called, already knowing who it would be. Damian strode in, his red hoodie bringing out the green in his eyes. His damp hair fell across his face, and I smiled. He really needed a haircut. There was a scowl on his face as he plopped onto the bed beside me.
"I hate going shopping," he grumbled. "I have more than enough tuxedos. I don't see the need to buy another one."
"Just think of it as a good bonding experience for you and your brothers. Besides, maybe your dad likes buying you stuff," I said in reply, not really knowing what else to say. I wasn't exactly too keen on shopping, either, but the other girls seemed excited. I wasn't about to ruin their fun.
Damian rolled his eyes at my lame response, but he still gave me a smile for trying. I patted his leg in reassurance. "It's going to be fine. We'll go to the mall and have fun. This will be good for you."
He grabbed my hand as I was about to pull it back and looked at me with serious and unwavering green eyes. I immediately felt my stomach somersault inside of me, the way it usually did when Damian looked at me like that. As if he could see right through me or like he was going to eat me. "You're good for me," he whispered lowly. I blushed at the way he was looking at me, but he was already leaning in and...
A knock at my door made me jump from bed. I could feel the heat return to my face in full force as I blushed profusely. Damian simply chuckled behind me as I straightened my shirt and opened my door. When I met the blue eyes of the man standing outside, a smile immediately made its way onto my face. "Bruce!" I exclaimed in delight. Damian seemed to materialize out of nowhere by my side, while I swung the door further open.
Bruce returned my smile, but his eyes darted to Damian momentarily. There was a thoughtful look on his face, but it was gone quickly as he turned his attention back to me. "Hello Rachel. I just came to call you down for lunch and to give you this." He held up a black card that seemed to gleam in the morning light streaming into my room.
"What is it?" I asked in confusion as I took it from his hand and turned it over. There were numbers on it, and the silver 'W' on the upper right hand corner.
"It's your very own, personal credit card. You can also use it in case of emergencies, but right now, you're going to need it if you're going shopping with the girls," he explained, his hands going to his pockets.
I looked up at Bruce in surprise. He was giving me... money? Bruce was looking back at me with his light, blue eyes. Although he remained calm on the outside, I could feel his nervousness on the inside. He was like an older and taller version of Damian, and I couldn't help but throw my arms around him. "Thank you!" I exclaimed fervently, unbelievably touched by the gesture. I knew he was also doing this for his son, and I wondered what it was like to have a father who cared that much. Damian was lucky to have Bruce in his life.
"You're welcome, Rachel," Bruce replied, his arms wrapping around me in return. Damian impatiently cleared his throat, and I rolled my eyes in amusement when Bruce pulled away. "Right. I think we should head down to lunch, don't you?"
Damian raised an eyebrow at Bruce, as if he weren't the younger of the two. "After you, father," he said gesturing for Bruce to go ahead.
I would've scolded Damian for the callous way he acted towards his dad, but I could feel the joy emanating from the both of them. I simply shook my head at the two complicated boys accompanying me, hoping they could get over their indifferent facades and show each other how they really felt. But the day was just beginning, and maybe the shopping would do them some good.
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Please read author's note after this chapter. Thank you!
Love always,
Angel
(writing again)