Chapter 51

  Kori sat on top of the Tamaranean war ship as it floated in the Metropolis Bay, her eyes fixed on a random point on the horizon,

  “You know this wasn’t your fault, right?” Kori hadn’t heard Barbara walk up behind her,

  “None of this had to happen, there were so many of us who should have done something” Kori said, Barbara crouched down next to her,

  “You didn’t know, and you can’t change it now, you’ll never get over it, all you can do right now is try to learn from it” Kori turned her face away from her,

  “I can’t help but blame my parents, my people, myself, but there’s also a part of me that’s still mad at her, and it feels wrong” Barbara nodded,

  “That’s normal, and you have to let yourself be angry at her, and then let it go and forgive her, the longer you hold onto it the harder it becomes to let it go” Kori glared at her,

  “What makes you think you know anything?” She asked, her voice laced with anger, Barbara closed her eyes and took a breath, bringing herself to recall a bad memory, she cleared her throat and reached up to pull her hair away from her left ear, beneath it was a 3 inch scar that ran to the edge of her jaw,

  “My brother, he kidnapped me and my best friend, held us at a cabin, we tried to escape and he shot her, the bullet grazed me, and the gun was close enough to my ear that it permanently damaged my eardrum, but it wasn’t completely his fault” Kori looked away, her anger replaced with guilt,

  “I’m sorry” She said, quietly,

  “It’s okay, I just want you to know that you’re not completely alone” Barbara said, Kori wiped at her nose,

  “Did forgiving him help you?” Kori asked, Barbara looked away,

  “No, I waited a little too long” She answered, Kori watched as Barbara tried to compose herself, she waited a moment before leaning into Barbara’s shoulder, Barbara wrapped her arm around her.

  “It looks like it's over” Robin announced, the team gave a few tired cheers and exchanged high fives, I’m proud of how you all handled yourselves, even when you didn’t have me or Batgirl around to advise you, you worked as a team and protected this city, thank you, all of you, head back to the tower and fuel up, get a little rest, I’m gonna hold back and wait for Batgirl and Starfire to get checked out, we’ll debrief when we get back” He motioned to Prophet, Supergirl and Beast Boy,

  “Make sure to set Wondergirl, Artemis and Kid Flash up with access to food and a place to get some sleep” The teens nodded and the group started back towards the tower.

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  “I’ll catch up in a minute” Kid Flash called after them, “It’s been way too long man” He grabbed Robins hand and they bumped shoulders,

  “Dude it’s great to see you, how’ve you been?” Robin asked,

  “I’m not fully sure, you kinda started a team and didn’t invite me, what’s that about? I was under the impression we were best buds, did I make you mad?” Kid Flash said, lightheartedly,

  “It kind of seemed like you had better deal, you might as well be Flash with Barry so busy with the Justice League, even had your own partner” Robin said, giving him a punch on the shoulder,

  “I can do both, who’s gonna keep you in trouble if not me?” Kid Flash Laughed,

  “So you and Ollie’s new sidekick, you two… together?” Robin asked, Kid Flash glanced away,

  “Yeah, no, we tried, but it got complicated, we decided we were better fit as partners instead” He answered, “We actually were already gonna come to Metropolis to see if you guys had a couple spots open on your team” Robin nodded,

  “You know if it was just up to me I’d say yes, but, I can’t make that decision without talking to Babs first” Kid Flash smiled,

  “Trust me, I wouldn't dream of trying to undermine her, I do not want on her bad side” He said,

  “Don’t worry too much, I’m pretty sure she likes you, now get back to the tower, get something to eat, I’m sure you’re starving” Kid Flash nodded, they bumped fists and he took off.

  Donna, Artemis, Wally and the Titans stood in the briefing room yawning and stretching, Dick and Barbara stood at the front of the room,

  “I want to thank you all again for your hard work today, but the jobs not over, if you need to take the rest of the day off then we’ll understand, there’s no shame, you’ve all done more than enough” Dick paused to give the team a chance to decide, nobody moved to leave, “Thank you, ok, the city still needs our help, Wally, Garfield, you’re on reconnecting people, everyone needs to know their loved ones are okay” They nodded.

  “Kara, Donna, coordinate rescues, stabilize any residential homes you can, Barbara and Kori will work with law enforcement to set up shelters for the people who’ll need a place to stay, Artemis, can you drive?” Artemis nodded, “You, Rachel and I are gonna go get building materials, when we get back we’ll help with what repairs we can, everyone can change into civilian clothes, something actually comfortable, we’ll still wear masks but we want everyone to know that we’re not just here to fight, that we’re like them, part of their community” The team began filing out,

  “Artemis, Wally, can we have a word?” Dick asked, he and Barbara staying back near the front of the room,

  “Sure” Wally said, he and Artemis stepped over to them, they waited until they were alone, Artemis offered her hand to Barbara,

  “I’m Green Arrow’s niece, it’s nice to finally meet you 2, Wally and Oliver speak highly of both of you” She said,

  “We already know that you’re not, we know exactly who you are, Batman had me do the check on you when Oliver first took you on as a sidekick, so we know about your family history, but it didn’t factor into our decision, you’re both welcome into the Titans” Barbara said, shaking her hand,

  “We understand the want for anonymity, and we respect it, none of the other Titans have to know” Dick added, Artemis face had turned bright red and she was having trouble keeping eye contact,

  “Thank you” She said,

  “We do request that you not tell Oliver about this conversation, it’s better if he thinks we believe that story” Dick said, Wally narrowed his eyes,

  “Okay” Artemis agreed, Barbara placed a hand on her shoulder,

  “If you need to borrow some clothes I think Rachel is probably about your size, if her clothes is too small for you then I can give you something” She suggested, offering her a smile,

  “All my clothes are still on the way, so, thanks.”