[Fic] Titans of Industry, 2/8
Title: Titans of Industry
Author: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Tim Drake, Cissie King-Jones, Conner Luthor and assorted others
Rating: Teen
Warning: Nothing explicit, but remember, this IS for au_bigbang!
Word Count: ~15,800
Summary: Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp and Queen Industries are all vying to win a high-stakes business deal and are sending in their best representatives--Tim Drake, Conner Luthor and Cissie King-Jones. While their fathers can hardly stand each other, they have managed to become friends outside the boardroom. The week before they are to face off for the deal, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries are broken into by someone dressed as Arrowette. When Conner knows too many details about Cissie's business proposal, Tim and Cissie begin to wonder if he isn't following in his father's footsteps after all. But that still doesn't explain who Arrowette is or why someone would frame Cissie.
PART 2
Cissie didn't usually go to her dad's place during the week, but she wasn't going just for a social visit today. She had been unable to concentrate on anything since she realized someone had broken into her office at Queen Industries overnight. When she finally saw the security footage, it had taken all of the professionalism and acting skills she had to finish the work day and not go straight to her father's place to check her old gear. There was no possible way that she could have seen what she saw on those videos. Even though watching them fifty times all showed her the same thing, she wasn't willing to believe it until she could look and see for herself.
She let herself into the house and called out a greeting. She didn't really expect anyone to answer. Ollie had been away on League business, something Cissie had been very grateful for today, and she had no idea if anyone was even home.
Mia came around the corner, frowning, with her arms folded across her chest. "You missed family dinner the other night."
Cissie winced. The last thing she needed after such a stressful day was an argument with her younger sister. "I know. I'm sorry. I've been working a lot lately."
She shrugged. "Like I care. Ollie missed you, though."
Cissie bit her tongue. In the year since Ollie rescued Mia and brought her to live here, Mia had never once been friendly with her. Why Cissie should expect it now was beyond her, but this was not the time to start an argument. "I know. Have you heard from him at all?"
"He said he might be home for dinner." Mia eyed her for a moment. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're never here during the week."
Cissie hesitated briefly. She should have known Mia wouldn't let that go without a comment. "My armguard broke, and I think I had some old ones in the basement," she said with a shrug. "I thought I'd check."
"When do you have time for archery? I thought you were busy."
And after not even five minutes, Cissie was reminded why she didn't come visiting home more often. That had to be a record. "I am. But it helps me think and relax. Some people read before bed. I like to shoot things."
"That's not very PC of you, miss senior VP of operations." Mia raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well, it is arrows at targets and not bullets at animals, at least," Cissie muttered, moving to walk past her and head for the basement. She knew better than to let Mia's digs get under her skin, but she had her limits. "There are worse things."
"You keep spare armguards in the basement?" Mia asked, her voice skeptical.
Cissie opened the door to the basement and shrugged. "I have boxes down there." She eyed her, hoping she wasn't going to follow her. "Don't you have homework you should be doing?"
Mia snorted and turned away. "Whatever, Mom."
Cissie waited until Mia was in the next room before exhaling in relief and heading down the stairs. She wouldn't have put it past Mia to follow her just to annoy her. It never seemed to matter what Cissie did or tried, Mia was not receptive to building any kind of relationship with her, except one of animosity. Ollie chalked it up to age--and Cissie remembered being seventeen; she couldn't really argue that it hadn't sucked--and circumstance. Mia was dealing with issues Cissie couldn't begin to imagine, and even a year was not much time to do more than just begin the process. So Cissie knew there were reasons behind Mia's attitude and snide comments, but it didn't make them any more pleasant to deal with.
When Cissie was fourteen, the state of Pennsylvania declared her mother unfit and sent her here to live with her father. For some reason, Child Protective Services didn't think encouraging a young girl to run around fighting crime in a mini-skirt was good parenting. After Cissie had been in Star City for a few months, her mother sent her Arrowette gear in boxes. Cissie had wanted to throw them out, but Ollie had insisted they keep them. He had a secure storage area in the basement where he kept some of his and Roy's old uniforms, gear and memorabilia, and that was where Cissie went now. She let herself into the storage room and began her search.
It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. The security tapes of the break-in at her office had shown a girl wearing a costume all too familiar to Cissie. Cissie was sure that it was Arrowette on the tape, but she couldn't understand how. Even more alarming was that the costume was one Cissie had never worn, but was definitely one of her mother's designs. Cissie found her old uniforms easily and took a quick inventory.
Nothing was missing. Everything was where she had left them years ago, and there wasn't any sign to show they had been disturbed at all recently. Cissie silently cursed her father for keeping this room as clean as he did--Ollie wasn't one for housework, but he had an absurdly fastidious streak when it came to anything Arrow related. Cissie suspected it had more to do with preserving Roy's old Speedy gear than with Ollie's things, but the end result was the same--there wasn't even enough dust to tell if anyone had recently been here.
Sighing and somehow more frustrated than before she had checked, Cissie grabbed an arm guard she thought might fit her and left to head back upstairs before Mia came looking for her. It seemed that finding "Arrowette" was going to be a bit more difficult than she had hoped.
When she came to the top of the stairs, she heard voices ahead, and smiled a little. Things were always a little easier between her and Mia when Dad was around. "Hey," she called out as she came into the kitchen.
Ollie glanced over at her and grinned. "Hey, princess! We missed you the other night!"
"Hi Dad," Cissie said, smiling and going to hug him. "Sorry. I missed you too. I got caught up with work. How was your trip?"
He grunted a little. "Aliens."
She laughed and leaned back against the counter. "Your favorite," she said wryly. "Everything's all set now, though?"
He nodded. "The world is safe for another day. You sticking around for dinner? I'm pretty sure we still have some leftovers."
"Sure," she said with a smile. "I'd like that. I think the only food I have at home right now is Spaghetti-o's."
Ollie tsked at her, appearing not to notice when Mia rolled her eyes. "Then you'll have to stay! Chili okay? Or--I think there's some steak, too. Is there still a burger left, Mia?"
"I had it for lunch."
"Oh, well. There's still plenty of non Spaghetti-o food."
Cissie laughed. "Chili's fine. And there's nothing wrong with Spaghetti-o's every so often. I just haven't had time to buy groceries lately."
"Aww, Ciss. You should come home more often."
She smiled, ignoring the face Mia was making where Ollie couldn't see, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "No offense Dad, but I think once a week is more than enough. I do see you at work too."
"It's not the same," he said, giving her a wry smile. "I miss having my little girl at home."
Mia made a gagging noise that Cissie ignored. "Dad. I'm twenty-four. And usually I'm very well stocked with groceries. It's just that contract I'm pitching next week."
"Going up against LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises?" Ollie laughed. "I guess you're probably living at the office these days, trying to bang out the details."
She grinned sheepishly. "Basically. The Keurig and the vending machine are my friends. I think I'm pretty much set; I can go over the proposal with you tomorrow, if you want."
"I'd like that." He smiled at her. "I like seeing what you're working on."
Cissie smiled back. "I'll stop by in the morning and we can figure out the best time, then."
Mia made a disgusted noise and turned to leave the kitchen. "I have homework."
Ollie frowned at her. "What about dinner?"
Mia shrugged. "It's not ready yet, is it?"
"Chili heats up pretty quick," he said with a grin. "Sure you don't want to stick around?"
Cissie bit her tongue and went to pull a pot out of the cupboard. "Let her go. It's pretty boring when we talk about work."
"I guess that's true," Ollie agreed. "Who are you facing off against this time?"
She was glad she had her back to him, because she couldn't help a quick grin. "Tim Drake and Conner Luthor themselves."
He let out a low whistle while Mia paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "Well, well," he said. "All of the Titans of Industry in your generation at one table. Are you sure the world is ready for it?"
Cissie turned and couldn't keep herself from grinning anyway. "I'm not sure. It should definitely be interesting, but it's not like this is the first time it's happened."
"You and Drake and Luthor? All facing off across the same table? It doesn't happen that often."
"Once or twice," she said, shrugging. "And I've teamed up with Tim on a few projects before."
He made a face. "I don't like that you're on a first name basis with him," he grumbled.
She rolled her eyes. "Dad. You're on a first name basis with Bruce Wayne. What am I supposed to do, call him Mr. Drake whenever we speak?"
"It'd be nice," he muttered.
"Dad. I'm on a first name basis with a lot of people. Relax, would you? I'm a big girl."
"You're my girl," he corrected. "And Tim Drake is bad news. I mean--anyone raised by Bruce Wayne..."
"Oh, come on," Cissie scoffed. She hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter while they waited for the chili to heat. "Your reputation isn't much better than Bruce Wayne's," she pointed out, grinning to take the sting out. "Tim is a nice guy. So is Conner."
"Conner?" Ollie asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's definitely bad news." He gave her a suspicious look. "You're not seeing him, are you? Because his reputation is as bad as mine--and Bruce's."
"No, Dad," she cried, exasperated. "I have a working relationship with him. He's always been nice, but that's it. You don't want me to date anyone, do you?"
"I should be so lucky," he grumbled.
Cissie threw her hands up and shot Mia a pleading look. "Mia, tell him he's being insane, please."
Mia twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Geez, Ollie, relax. I mean--she's been to college, and all those fancy parties and stuff. Do you really think she hasn't had sex?"
Ollie choked.
Cissie winced and glared briefly at her. That was what she got for asking for Mia's help. "Thanks," she said dryly. "Dad, breathing. It's a little important."
"You--what? Do we need to have the safe sex talk?"
"No. Absolutely not." She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath, "I should be grateful I wasn't waiting for that."
"Hey," Ollie said, eying her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She looked up at him wide-eyed. He was so not supposed to have heard that. "What?"
"Hm." He gave her a disgruntled look. "How's that chili coming, oh disrespectful fruit of my loins?"
Cissie grinned at him and leaned over to give the pot a stir. "Looks about ready." She pushed off the countertop to go wash her hands. "What does everyone want to drink?"
"Whiskey," Mia muttered.
"Soda," Ollie corrected. "Or any of the other fine, nonalcoholic beverages in the fridge. And water for me."
Cissie shook her head, amused, and went to get herself some milk and drinks for Ollie and Mia, bringing them to the table before washing her hands. Mia set the table and Ollie dished out the chili, and soon they were sitting and eating. The chili was Ollie's typical taste-bud searing recipe, but it was a lot better than what Cissie had been eating for the last week. She hadn't really had much time for cooking while she was working on this project. After a few bites, she said, "This is great, Dad. Thanks."
"Anytime, sweetheart." He eyed her skeptically. "When do you leave for DC? You want me to pack you some dinners?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Pack me dinners until I go, you mean? Uh, sure, I guess. But my flight's Saturday. I'm pretty sure I can manage."
"I meant for while you were there--unless you had plans?"
Cissie blinked at him. She did have plans. But they weren't ones she wanted her father to know about. "Dad, I can't take chili on an airplane," she said, hedging.
"Sure you can," Mia said blandly. "Ollie does all the time, when he's heading to New York to see Roy and Lian."
Cissie clenched her jaw briefly, wondering why Mia was so hung up on the damn chili, and took a slow breath before speaking. "Maybe. But I think I'd rather not risk having chili spill all over my suitcase. Tomato stains wouldn't make a great impression."
"Either that or you have a date," Mia said, her voice dripping with honey. "Which one of them are you sleeping with?"
Cissie's jaw dropped open, and all she could do was sputter. "I--Mia! That's--you--what the hell!"
Mia smiled sweetly at her before turning back to her dinner. Ollie, on the other hand, was scowling. "I never should have sent you to summer camp," he grumbled.
Cissie was still struggling to find her footing again, unsure if Mia knew anything or if she was just bluffing to get a reaction. Well, she certainly got one. She looked at her father, unconsciously mirroring his scowl. "Camp? What? Mia's being ridiculous. What does camp have to do with anything?"
He waved a hand. "You met them there, didn't you?"
"Ugh," she grunted, dropping her spoon and slouching back in her seat to glare at the ceiling. "If I hadn't met them there, I would have met them somewhere else. Just because we're acquainted, it doesn't mean I'm sleeping with them," she said pointedly, turning her glare on Mia.
Mia just shrugged, looking back at her. "What, we're supposed to believe you're celibate? Come on. And it's not like you spend much time with anyone else. My money's on the Wayne kid."
Ollie choked on his mouthful of chili. "You're not sleeping with Tim Drake," he sputtered.
Cissie was torn between rage and horror at Mia's words, and indignation at her father's. Mia couldn't know. They had always been so careful. Finally, she managed to sharply say, "You know, it's nobody's business who I do or do not sleep with, thank you very much."
"I'm your father," Ollie said, frowning. "Of course it's my business."
Cissie shoved her hands into her hair and groaned. This was just perfect. She had a feeling nothing she said would be the right thing, and she couldn't even try to deflect some of this back to Mia. Mia and sex were touchy subjects, and irritated as she was, Cissie wasn't cruel enough to go there. "Dad. I am not sleeping with anyone," she said finally. "So will you please relax and trust me to make my own decisions?"
"Fine," he grumbled. "Just--judgment, okay? I mean--Tim Drake is just like Bruce Wayne, and Conner Luthor... well. You did see the news this week, right? You deserve a lot better."
"Thanks, Dad," Cissie said wryly. "I'll keep it in mind."
Part 3
Author: lady_sarai and zoe_chan
Fandom: DC Comics
Characters: Tim Drake, Cissie King-Jones, Conner Luthor and assorted others
Rating: Teen
Warning: Nothing explicit, but remember, this IS for au_bigbang!
Word Count: ~15,800
Summary: Wayne Enterprises, LexCorp and Queen Industries are all vying to win a high-stakes business deal and are sending in their best representatives--Tim Drake, Conner Luthor and Cissie King-Jones. While their fathers can hardly stand each other, they have managed to become friends outside the boardroom. The week before they are to face off for the deal, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries are broken into by someone dressed as Arrowette. When Conner knows too many details about Cissie's business proposal, Tim and Cissie begin to wonder if he isn't following in his father's footsteps after all. But that still doesn't explain who Arrowette is or why someone would frame Cissie.
PART 2
Cissie didn't usually go to her dad's place during the week, but she wasn't going just for a social visit today. She had been unable to concentrate on anything since she realized someone had broken into her office at Queen Industries overnight. When she finally saw the security footage, it had taken all of the professionalism and acting skills she had to finish the work day and not go straight to her father's place to check her old gear. There was no possible way that she could have seen what she saw on those videos. Even though watching them fifty times all showed her the same thing, she wasn't willing to believe it until she could look and see for herself.
She let herself into the house and called out a greeting. She didn't really expect anyone to answer. Ollie had been away on League business, something Cissie had been very grateful for today, and she had no idea if anyone was even home.
Mia came around the corner, frowning, with her arms folded across her chest. "You missed family dinner the other night."
Cissie winced. The last thing she needed after such a stressful day was an argument with her younger sister. "I know. I'm sorry. I've been working a lot lately."
She shrugged. "Like I care. Ollie missed you, though."
Cissie bit her tongue. In the year since Ollie rescued Mia and brought her to live here, Mia had never once been friendly with her. Why Cissie should expect it now was beyond her, but this was not the time to start an argument. "I know. Have you heard from him at all?"
"He said he might be home for dinner." Mia eyed her for a moment. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're never here during the week."
Cissie hesitated briefly. She should have known Mia wouldn't let that go without a comment. "My armguard broke, and I think I had some old ones in the basement," she said with a shrug. "I thought I'd check."
"When do you have time for archery? I thought you were busy."
And after not even five minutes, Cissie was reminded why she didn't come visiting home more often. That had to be a record. "I am. But it helps me think and relax. Some people read before bed. I like to shoot things."
"That's not very PC of you, miss senior VP of operations." Mia raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well, it is arrows at targets and not bullets at animals, at least," Cissie muttered, moving to walk past her and head for the basement. She knew better than to let Mia's digs get under her skin, but she had her limits. "There are worse things."
"You keep spare armguards in the basement?" Mia asked, her voice skeptical.
Cissie opened the door to the basement and shrugged. "I have boxes down there." She eyed her, hoping she wasn't going to follow her. "Don't you have homework you should be doing?"
Mia snorted and turned away. "Whatever, Mom."
Cissie waited until Mia was in the next room before exhaling in relief and heading down the stairs. She wouldn't have put it past Mia to follow her just to annoy her. It never seemed to matter what Cissie did or tried, Mia was not receptive to building any kind of relationship with her, except one of animosity. Ollie chalked it up to age--and Cissie remembered being seventeen; she couldn't really argue that it hadn't sucked--and circumstance. Mia was dealing with issues Cissie couldn't begin to imagine, and even a year was not much time to do more than just begin the process. So Cissie knew there were reasons behind Mia's attitude and snide comments, but it didn't make them any more pleasant to deal with.
When Cissie was fourteen, the state of Pennsylvania declared her mother unfit and sent her here to live with her father. For some reason, Child Protective Services didn't think encouraging a young girl to run around fighting crime in a mini-skirt was good parenting. After Cissie had been in Star City for a few months, her mother sent her Arrowette gear in boxes. Cissie had wanted to throw them out, but Ollie had insisted they keep them. He had a secure storage area in the basement where he kept some of his and Roy's old uniforms, gear and memorabilia, and that was where Cissie went now. She let herself into the storage room and began her search.
It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. The security tapes of the break-in at her office had shown a girl wearing a costume all too familiar to Cissie. Cissie was sure that it was Arrowette on the tape, but she couldn't understand how. Even more alarming was that the costume was one Cissie had never worn, but was definitely one of her mother's designs. Cissie found her old uniforms easily and took a quick inventory.
Nothing was missing. Everything was where she had left them years ago, and there wasn't any sign to show they had been disturbed at all recently. Cissie silently cursed her father for keeping this room as clean as he did--Ollie wasn't one for housework, but he had an absurdly fastidious streak when it came to anything Arrow related. Cissie suspected it had more to do with preserving Roy's old Speedy gear than with Ollie's things, but the end result was the same--there wasn't even enough dust to tell if anyone had recently been here.
Sighing and somehow more frustrated than before she had checked, Cissie grabbed an arm guard she thought might fit her and left to head back upstairs before Mia came looking for her. It seemed that finding "Arrowette" was going to be a bit more difficult than she had hoped.
When she came to the top of the stairs, she heard voices ahead, and smiled a little. Things were always a little easier between her and Mia when Dad was around. "Hey," she called out as she came into the kitchen.
Ollie glanced over at her and grinned. "Hey, princess! We missed you the other night!"
"Hi Dad," Cissie said, smiling and going to hug him. "Sorry. I missed you too. I got caught up with work. How was your trip?"
He grunted a little. "Aliens."
She laughed and leaned back against the counter. "Your favorite," she said wryly. "Everything's all set now, though?"
He nodded. "The world is safe for another day. You sticking around for dinner? I'm pretty sure we still have some leftovers."
"Sure," she said with a smile. "I'd like that. I think the only food I have at home right now is Spaghetti-o's."
Ollie tsked at her, appearing not to notice when Mia rolled her eyes. "Then you'll have to stay! Chili okay? Or--I think there's some steak, too. Is there still a burger left, Mia?"
"I had it for lunch."
"Oh, well. There's still plenty of non Spaghetti-o food."
Cissie laughed. "Chili's fine. And there's nothing wrong with Spaghetti-o's every so often. I just haven't had time to buy groceries lately."
"Aww, Ciss. You should come home more often."
She smiled, ignoring the face Mia was making where Ollie couldn't see, and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "No offense Dad, but I think once a week is more than enough. I do see you at work too."
"It's not the same," he said, giving her a wry smile. "I miss having my little girl at home."
Mia made a gagging noise that Cissie ignored. "Dad. I'm twenty-four. And usually I'm very well stocked with groceries. It's just that contract I'm pitching next week."
"Going up against LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises?" Ollie laughed. "I guess you're probably living at the office these days, trying to bang out the details."
She grinned sheepishly. "Basically. The Keurig and the vending machine are my friends. I think I'm pretty much set; I can go over the proposal with you tomorrow, if you want."
"I'd like that." He smiled at her. "I like seeing what you're working on."
Cissie smiled back. "I'll stop by in the morning and we can figure out the best time, then."
Mia made a disgusted noise and turned to leave the kitchen. "I have homework."
Ollie frowned at her. "What about dinner?"
Mia shrugged. "It's not ready yet, is it?"
"Chili heats up pretty quick," he said with a grin. "Sure you don't want to stick around?"
Cissie bit her tongue and went to pull a pot out of the cupboard. "Let her go. It's pretty boring when we talk about work."
"I guess that's true," Ollie agreed. "Who are you facing off against this time?"
She was glad she had her back to him, because she couldn't help a quick grin. "Tim Drake and Conner Luthor themselves."
He let out a low whistle while Mia paused in the doorway to the kitchen. "Well, well," he said. "All of the Titans of Industry in your generation at one table. Are you sure the world is ready for it?"
Cissie turned and couldn't keep herself from grinning anyway. "I'm not sure. It should definitely be interesting, but it's not like this is the first time it's happened."
"You and Drake and Luthor? All facing off across the same table? It doesn't happen that often."
"Once or twice," she said, shrugging. "And I've teamed up with Tim on a few projects before."
He made a face. "I don't like that you're on a first name basis with him," he grumbled.
She rolled her eyes. "Dad. You're on a first name basis with Bruce Wayne. What am I supposed to do, call him Mr. Drake whenever we speak?"
"It'd be nice," he muttered.
"Dad. I'm on a first name basis with a lot of people. Relax, would you? I'm a big girl."
"You're my girl," he corrected. "And Tim Drake is bad news. I mean--anyone raised by Bruce Wayne..."
"Oh, come on," Cissie scoffed. She hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter while they waited for the chili to heat. "Your reputation isn't much better than Bruce Wayne's," she pointed out, grinning to take the sting out. "Tim is a nice guy. So is Conner."
"Conner?" Ollie asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's definitely bad news." He gave her a suspicious look. "You're not seeing him, are you? Because his reputation is as bad as mine--and Bruce's."
"No, Dad," she cried, exasperated. "I have a working relationship with him. He's always been nice, but that's it. You don't want me to date anyone, do you?"
"I should be so lucky," he grumbled.
Cissie threw her hands up and shot Mia a pleading look. "Mia, tell him he's being insane, please."
Mia twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Geez, Ollie, relax. I mean--she's been to college, and all those fancy parties and stuff. Do you really think she hasn't had sex?"
Ollie choked.
Cissie winced and glared briefly at her. That was what she got for asking for Mia's help. "Thanks," she said dryly. "Dad, breathing. It's a little important."
"You--what? Do we need to have the safe sex talk?"
"No. Absolutely not." She reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath, "I should be grateful I wasn't waiting for that."
"Hey," Ollie said, eying her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
She looked up at him wide-eyed. He was so not supposed to have heard that. "What?"
"Hm." He gave her a disgruntled look. "How's that chili coming, oh disrespectful fruit of my loins?"
Cissie grinned at him and leaned over to give the pot a stir. "Looks about ready." She pushed off the countertop to go wash her hands. "What does everyone want to drink?"
"Whiskey," Mia muttered.
"Soda," Ollie corrected. "Or any of the other fine, nonalcoholic beverages in the fridge. And water for me."
Cissie shook her head, amused, and went to get herself some milk and drinks for Ollie and Mia, bringing them to the table before washing her hands. Mia set the table and Ollie dished out the chili, and soon they were sitting and eating. The chili was Ollie's typical taste-bud searing recipe, but it was a lot better than what Cissie had been eating for the last week. She hadn't really had much time for cooking while she was working on this project. After a few bites, she said, "This is great, Dad. Thanks."
"Anytime, sweetheart." He eyed her skeptically. "When do you leave for DC? You want me to pack you some dinners?"
She looked at him in surprise. "Pack me dinners until I go, you mean? Uh, sure, I guess. But my flight's Saturday. I'm pretty sure I can manage."
"I meant for while you were there--unless you had plans?"
Cissie blinked at him. She did have plans. But they weren't ones she wanted her father to know about. "Dad, I can't take chili on an airplane," she said, hedging.
"Sure you can," Mia said blandly. "Ollie does all the time, when he's heading to New York to see Roy and Lian."
Cissie clenched her jaw briefly, wondering why Mia was so hung up on the damn chili, and took a slow breath before speaking. "Maybe. But I think I'd rather not risk having chili spill all over my suitcase. Tomato stains wouldn't make a great impression."
"Either that or you have a date," Mia said, her voice dripping with honey. "Which one of them are you sleeping with?"
Cissie's jaw dropped open, and all she could do was sputter. "I--Mia! That's--you--what the hell!"
Mia smiled sweetly at her before turning back to her dinner. Ollie, on the other hand, was scowling. "I never should have sent you to summer camp," he grumbled.
Cissie was still struggling to find her footing again, unsure if Mia knew anything or if she was just bluffing to get a reaction. Well, she certainly got one. She looked at her father, unconsciously mirroring his scowl. "Camp? What? Mia's being ridiculous. What does camp have to do with anything?"
He waved a hand. "You met them there, didn't you?"
"Ugh," she grunted, dropping her spoon and slouching back in her seat to glare at the ceiling. "If I hadn't met them there, I would have met them somewhere else. Just because we're acquainted, it doesn't mean I'm sleeping with them," she said pointedly, turning her glare on Mia.
Mia just shrugged, looking back at her. "What, we're supposed to believe you're celibate? Come on. And it's not like you spend much time with anyone else. My money's on the Wayne kid."
Ollie choked on his mouthful of chili. "You're not sleeping with Tim Drake," he sputtered.
Cissie was torn between rage and horror at Mia's words, and indignation at her father's. Mia couldn't know. They had always been so careful. Finally, she managed to sharply say, "You know, it's nobody's business who I do or do not sleep with, thank you very much."
"I'm your father," Ollie said, frowning. "Of course it's my business."
Cissie shoved her hands into her hair and groaned. This was just perfect. She had a feeling nothing she said would be the right thing, and she couldn't even try to deflect some of this back to Mia. Mia and sex were touchy subjects, and irritated as she was, Cissie wasn't cruel enough to go there. "Dad. I am not sleeping with anyone," she said finally. "So will you please relax and trust me to make my own decisions?"
"Fine," he grumbled. "Just--judgment, okay? I mean--Tim Drake is just like Bruce Wayne, and Conner Luthor... well. You did see the news this week, right? You deserve a lot better."
"Thanks, Dad," Cissie said wryly. "I'll keep it in mind."
Part 3