It had been a rough few months for the team. Tara sat at the couch watching her friends and boyfriend playing video games and talking. She was thinking about everything that had been happening lately. The visit from the Forever People, adults being turned into children, Wally's birthday crazy heart trip, Me'gann's physical image issues, and then Cadmus coming back up with new super team. Tara felt like she was almost running on empty these days. Even Batman had Robin pulled out the side doing side missions almost over other night. The nights he wasn't, he was catching up with school with Tara's notes. Tara was no better being pulled on side missions with Black Canary and Green Arrow. Dick and Tara hadn't really hung out since their last date. They were on break for the next two weeks from school and Tara was happy the team was taking a break together.
So much had happened and sometimes the team had almost had forgotten they were all teenagers. Older teenagers than before, but still only kids. And it was moments like this Tara couldn't believe how much her life had changed in the past year. From being a foster kid in the system, to a now adopted daughter. From hiding her abilities to saving the world on more than one occasion. Smiling she brought her knees to her chest to place her head on her knees looking over to Robin and smiling at him. She had him now too, her first love.
Everyone was talking about what movie to watch while Tara just listen to their bickering. She enjoyed moments like this. These were the moments when she was older she would look back and smile. Well that was until she heard her name being called over and over again.
"Earth to Tara!" Wally said waving his hands back and forth while everyone rolled their eyes. "Get it, Earth to you? HA! You talk to the Earth!" Wally started to laugh before Tara scrunched up her nose and placed her hand on his face and everyone's eyes snapped to Tara before they all started to laugh when she took her hand back. Wally had a muddy hand print on his face and mud in his mouth. "I hate then you do that!" Wally explained before running to the kitchen washing off his face. Tara giggled before putting her feet on the ground and something made her head turn to the door.
"I got to go." Tara said fast as Robin stood up fast and grabbed her wrist. "What? Come on he was just playing around." He said while Tara shook her head. "Not Wally, Aquaman is here. I'm out." She said fast while the door from the main room to the living room where the team opened and Tara rolled her eyes. She should've put her feet on the floor earlier, then she would've known that he was there. Kal'dur seemed to get up fast and walk infront of Robin and Tara. "My King is everything okay?" He asked before Aquaman nodded at Kal'dur.
"Yes, I am here to talk to Tara." He said while everyone seemed to get the hint to leave the room. Well that was for Kal'dur and Robin who seemed to stand between the two of them. "My King I understand you have been requesting to see her, but she has asked for space." Kal'dur said formally while Aquaman walked up to Kal'dur and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Kal'dur leave now. I understand, but there are things that the queen and I have discussed and I am here to talk to Tara alone." with that Kal'dur was out of the room, giving apologetic looks to Tara who sighed.
Robin stood there not looking at Tara, but looking at Aquaman. When Aquaman took a step forward Robin took a step toward him. "Aquaman." Robin didn't know what to say. Tara had expressed to both Robin and Kal'dur in detail on why she didn't want to meet them. She felt abandoned every time she thought about them. He didn't want her to close up to him or the team because of this stunt. He didn't really know how to stop Aquaman though. "Can we maybe talk about this another time? The team we were going to watch a movie and relax." Robin tried to use the team.
"No. Robin leave." Aquaman was now stern. "I've talk to Batman, he knows I'm here." Aquaman said knowing that would make Robin listen. Though to Aquaman's surprise Robin stayed put. "Just because Batman knows your here doesn't mean he will agree with it either. Tara doesn't want to talk to you or your wife. She doesn't want to talk about personal things and you should respect that." Robin was now standing stronger then before. Tara standing behind Robin her eyes grew. He was protecting her from her fears.
"Robin." Tara whispered grabbing his arm. He turned to her and she could tell he soften his look down to her. "Maybe if I talk to him they will just leave it alone." She suggested while Robin gave a side smirk. "I'll come get you when we are done." She said while Robin let out of deep sigh. "You don't have to talk to anyone on the League about personal things. You've proven you can be professional during the Cabmus mission." Robin said putting his hand on hers. Tara loved this about Robin and sometimes hated it. He would try and talk her out of things and reassure her all at the same time. "But it looks like they can't. So go, I'll come get you after okay? Just go pick a movie." Tara said while he sighed again before leaving the room.
"Shall we sit?" Aquaman said pointing the couch at Tara cocked an eyebrow and if looked could kill Aquaman would be a fried fish. "This is going to be short so I much rather we didn't." Tara said while the door opened again and Aquaman's wife came in. Tara's aunt was standing infront of her and all Tara could think about was throwing up with how many emotions were swirling around her. "Maybe we should sit." Her voice made Tara's skin crawl.
"You can sit, I'll stand." She said now with her hands in her short pockets. They both looked at each other with concern before they sat down on the couch infront of Tara. "We know you don't want to hear from us. We have been talking to Kal'dur and Batman and we." Her voice cracked. "We want you to know we didn't know." She finished before Tara narrowed her eyes. They kept talking about their son and how Aquaman lost his hand and how Kal'dur and how he was struggling listening to Aquaman and staying respectful to Tara. Tara couldn't believe how much these two could talk and pretend that Tara would just accept them after saying those words.
"You didn't know?" Tara asked. They both stopped looking at Tara suprised she was hung up on that part. They looked at each other and wondered if Tara listened to anything else they had said. How Tara's mother who was the Queen's sister was a great Elemental Magical powers. About how the ones they trust the most betrayed them and threatened their sons life, leaving Aquaman with one less hand. They wondered if she heard any of that. "You didn't know?" Tara said again while she started to pace back and forth.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Tara boomed as the ground below her shook a little. "Tarr'ah calm down!" The woman stood while Tara looked at her like she as crazy. "My name is Tara Daniels. I am Black Canary's daughter. Adopted or not, Green Arrow and all of them are my family. Not you." Tara said taking a few steps toward her. "Because you knew." Tara said pointing at her. Aquaman was now up and placed his normal hand on Tara's arm pulling her away from his wife. "Tara stand down." He demanded looking at her with a stern face.
"Aquaman your wife is a liar." Tara said taking her arm back. "She knew about me! I know this because I have a boyfriend who is a great friend of one of the best detectives." Tara snapped. Aquaman was taken back by the young woman's outburst. "When I was taken off the beach I was left at. There were pictures taken by people before and after I was left. There are pictures of her!" Tara pointed at her again. "In the background of pictures of people smiling, and even in the background of a video of her leaving me. She knew of me, and she as my Aunt left me on the beach." Tara snapped pulling out her phone and taking a cord out of a drawer and plugging it into the t.v to show the pictures.
Aquaman and his wife stood there completely still watching the young woman. As Aquaman's wife had tears running down her face. Those tears turned into sobs as the pictures started to show on t.v screen. "You see that Aquaman. You see that person in the background with a baby that was being placed on a beach towel?" Tara yelled and questioned. "Oh here's the best part the news article of me being left and in the background in the ocean. In the ocean you see her just watching!" Tara said before turning to point at the photo where his wife was.
"Guess who that is?" Tara smiled at them with sarcasm. Tara tore the cord out of her phone and looked at them both. "Tell me what is your guess!" She screamed. "My own mother didn't leave me because she was probably already dead. When I was found I was then what?" Tara said walking up to the woman ignoring Aquaman. "I was a bastard child? I wasn't Atlantean enough? I wasn't good enough for you to care about? Was I an ugly baby?" Tara asked while the woman now grabbed ahold of Aquaman to cry on his shoulder.
"No, you weren't. You weren't ugly. You were beautiful. You are beautiful. I didn't know what to do at the time. We were at war at the time. I thought you didn't make it. I couldn't find you afterwards." She said while Aquaman held his wife tighter as Tara looked at them and sighed. "I did make it. I made it when I was beat. I made it when I was starved. I made it when I had to steal. I made it when I was kicked out on the streets. I made it so good that I'm here now. I made it all happen without you." Tara said looking at them with pride in her eyes.
"I'm not sorry I hurt your feelings. I am sorry I yelled." Tara said looking at them and sucking in her lips. "I am scared of the feelings you make me feel." Tara said with tears in her eyes as both of the adults infront of her looked at her. "Not you Aquaman because you didn't know. You are a friend of mine." She said to him, but looking at his wife she looked like a mess. "It's you. The one that makes me scared." Tara admitted.
"I feel unwanted. Unloved and empty like the infant on the beach again. You make me horrified that it all can happen again. Because you are so close to what I hold dear. I hold this team and these people so close to my heart. I am scared you will take it all away. Take it away with magic or with just words. I hear you are such a wonderful woman. I hear you love is pure and you care about both land and Atlantian. You scare me so much because I'm scared you'll take this away from me." Tara said holding her hands up. Both Aquaman and his wife let go of each other to walk closer to Tara for her to only take a step back.
"I can't and wont do that to you." she said looking horrified at Tara. This young woman thought they were there to destroy her life. "I won't ever do that to you. Please let me explain why I did what I did. I have my reasons and it was for your best interest. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. A secret that burned my heart for so long. Let me tell you why." She pleaded while Tara glared at the woman.
"No. You lost that." Tara said while taking a step back. "You lost that chance when you left me on the beach. You lost the chance to justify yourself. I promise I won't tell anyone what you did. As long as you don't come around me. As long as you let Kal'dur keep teaching me how to talk to the ocean. I'll keep your evil side secret as long as you leave me alone and my family." She said almost in a pleading voice. Tara started off angry, then she insecure and now she was scared.
"My wife is not evil Tara apologize." Aquaman hadn't said much because he was in shock his wife would lie, but also how Tara has reacted to all of this. He wasn't expecting so much pain. Now Tara took another step back.
"I wont apologize. What she did was evil to me. It was evil to leave me on a beach. To not tell her own husband the truth. To have you fight for her. To cry infront of me when the only person that was hurt by her actions was me. I deal with issues today because of what she did to me. It's hard to not blame your wife for every time I forget the fridge is fool, that every times Green Arrow raises his hand I flinch mentally, or that every day I wake up wondering if this is all a dream. It's hard to not blame her. I'm trying to everyday though." Tara took a breath and looked up.
"I'm trying everyday to forgive. I'm trying to forgive everyone. I need more time to deal okay." Tara said while Aquaman's wife had stood there looking disgusted with herself. Tara watched at they looked at each other and nodded. "Can I come by once and awhile and see how you are doing. I wish to get to know you and someday maybe we can bring you to our home." Aquaman said while Tara nodded yes. "Can I go now?" Tara asked. They moved out of her way as she walked to the door. Stopping at the door Tara turned to them and looked.
"I'm scared of how you make me feel. But I don't hate you anymore okay." Tara said looking at the woman. She could see they looked a lot alike. "That's all i have for you. And again, I'm sorry I yelled." Tara said while the woman nodded and Aquaman sighed before Tara opened the door to see her entire team standing there. Tara smiled at her little crazy family.
"What we were worried." Conner admitted while Wally nodded and Artemis scratched the back of her head. Tara walked out of the room and looked at them. "Lets all go get pizza." Tara breaking the silence. "I need to be with your guys today." Tara admitted making everyone look at her in a little bit of shock. She normally ran off to sort herself. "Is that okay?" Tara was put off by the way they looked at her before Kal'dur placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tara that would be great." He admitted before Tara smiled and they all took off.