The beat of Dick's shoes hitting the wooden floor had a clock like consistency. He paced in front of the long black table, hands shoved in his pockets as he thought about what Kori had told them.
Rachel watched him intently, leaning partially over the table. "I need to talk to him, alone." She stated.
There was a confidence in her voice that almost made Sophie smile. She had come a long way from the girl Sophie had met over a month ago.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Dick stopped pacing and turned to look at Rachel. She was practically glaring at him.
Gar sat beside her with messy hair and tired eyes. He looked lazily between the two, looking more lost then anything else.
"Why?" Rachel asked. "Cause I can't take care of myself?"
"It's not that, Rachel." Sophie sighed. "That man's going to know things about you. He's going to try and get inside your head."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "And you think I can't handle whatever he says?"
"Sophie's right." Dick said and glanced over at her. There was a silent appreciation in his eyes that she didn't expect. After their tiff this morning she almost expected him to shut her out again. "He'll try to manipulate you. You can't trust what he tells you."
"What's not to trust. The mans tied up." Kori scoffed. She was leaning against the table, fiddling with her large gold ring. She seemed more onboard with this all then anyone else.
As much as Sophie trusted Rachel she didn't want to risk something happening. She still didn't have control over her powers and if that man sets her off, she could kill him. And Sophie knew Rachel would never forgive herself for that.
"Just because he's tied up doesn't mean he won't talk circles around her." Sophie crossed her arms.
Kori barely seemed phased by the warning look Sophie was giving her. She shrugged her shoulders as a smirk tugged at her lips. "One word from Rachel and i'll put my foot through his face."
Dick sighed and dragged his hand through his tousled hair. She knew he was running on fumes. After everything that happened with his circus buddies and Jason, he was more then a little stressed.
"Guys, please." Rachel pleaded. "Sophie?" She looked at her with her best puppy dog eyes.
Sophie glanced down the hallway where Dr. Adamson was being kept. Rachel was strong and if anything did happen, she knew Kori would cook the doctor like barbecue.
"Ok." Sophie nodded and glanced back at Rachel "Five minutes, but if he hurts you i'll gut him."
The corners of her lips twitched upwards and she let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."
"Um," Gar raised his hand, his eyes half closed, "can I eat breakfast now?"
****
Tired. That's the only thing Sophie could focus on. She sat on the large L shaped sofa in the foyer. Her tired eyes were locked on the hallway that lead to the washroom where Dr. Adamson was restrained.
She was waiting for any movement or sound, anything that might indicate that Rachel was in trouble.
Dick was leaning against the wall of the hallway, Kori sat on the other end of the couch, picking at the last remnants of her nail polish; and Gar, he was eating one of the biggest bowls of fruit loops she had ever seen.
The entire room was silent asides from Gar's chewing. It was almost peaceful until Sophie remembered what Rachel was doing.
Still, her eyelids felt like they were being weighed down by cement. Every time she blinked her eyes stayed closed just a little bit longer. The idea of falling asleep played in the back of her mind, dancing around her worries and fears.
Sophie shifted on the couch and dragged her hand over her face. She wasn't going to let herself fall asleep. Not now, not when Rachel could be in danger.
A thud came from the hallway but Sophie's mind couldn't find the power to care. Instead she sat back against the sofa. Her eyes drifting to the bright white ceiling.
The plaster was smooth unlike the painted cement ceiling of her apartment in Detroit. She missed that place. She missed the simplicity of her life before Dick showed up on her doorstep. But he did, and he dragged her into the middle of this mess.
She missed their adventures. She missed him.
The quiet room was suddenly broken by Sophie's deep breaths as she slipped into a needed rest.
****
Sophie used to dream of big houses far away from Gotham city. Twinkling stars and college books the size of her head. Then she met Robin in that alley just shy of downtown, and suddenly her dreams changed.
Twinkling stars became bloody knuckles. College dorms and texts books were twisted into crime lord's mansions and endless nights. Still one dream always stayed the same.
It always started the same way. She would be standing at the very top of the red bridge between Gotham and Bludhaven. Wind would blow through her hair and the smell of murky water filled her nose.
The dark waters shimmered under the glow of headlights and a faint pink began color the horizon.
Sophie never understood why she was there. It was one of the best places to watch the sunrise, sure, but the roar of cars racing across the bridge always stole the peace from the moment.
She'd look down at the black oily river and wonder what it'd feel like to fly.
The dream always changed after that. As the sun began to peak over the murky waters, shinning golden light against her skin. She'd hear a voice. It used to be her mother's. A soothing sound that relaxed every bone in her body.
She'd just sit there with her mother, watching the city come to life.
But with time the voice changed. Suddenly the comforting sound of her mother's voice faded away and in it's place was that sarcastic loving tone.
That peace and comfort she use to feel was replaced by adrenaline and childish excitement.
"You plan on jumping?" Dick would ask. There was never any fear or worry in his voice. Instead it was humorous. That teasing undertone that told her he was smiling even if she couldn't see his face.
"You know." He'd walk over to her, still dressed in his Robin costume. "You'll never know if you can fly unless you take the risk of falling."
"What if i'm afraid?" She spoke but the voice she heard didn't sound like her own. It was younger, shaky. The voice of the girl who found him in that back alley.
"It's ok to be afraid, besides i'll always be there to catch you."
Taking that step, giving up her control and letting gravity takeover; that's what scared her. Because once you start falling the only thing that can stop you is the cold hard ground.
But maybe some things were worth that risk.