And Away They Go - August 25th
Twisted Shorts August Fic-a-Day Challenge - Day 25
Title: And Away They Go
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Batman/DC
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Batman/DC people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena tries to understand the root of her reasons for leaving.
Notes: Follows Star-Crossed Friends and To Walk Away
Seasons:
Word Count: 1050
Athena took a deep breath as the plane took off. They had taken a small private jet to D.C. before going through the main terminal and boarding as coach passengers for an international flight. They were seated together near the back of the plane.
“Alfred is going to miss you,” Athena said softly.
Bruce nodded. “I’m going to miss him.”
She smiled slightly, looking out the window.
“He got a call from your brother early this morning.”
Her attention snapped to him.
“Alfred denied having seen you since the Christmas party and claimed I left two days ago.”
“Thank you.”
“Alfred will keep your secret,” Bruce promised. “He’ll also be the first person you see when you are ready to return to the U.S.”
Athena placed a hand over his for a moment before pulling out a journal and sinking down to read.
88888888
The townhouse was…larger than she expected. A three bedroom not far from Cambridge, it included a gym.
“This will probably be the nicest place we manage,” Bruce told her honestly. “Since this is as far as Alfred knew I had planned.”
“So, what exactly is the reason for coming to Cambridge?”
“The university.”
She nodded. “Cool.”
“We should get unpacked, then we’ll see about dinner.”
Athena found her room across from Bruce’s, the only full bath was in the hall just down from the rooms. The bedding was simple and teal. She set her bags on the bed and unloaded it into the closet. She set two copies of pictures on the bedside table.
It felt strange, she would admit, being completely off on her own. Sure, there was Bruce, but even living in Smallville for a time by herself, there had been an adult who was looking out for her. If she had been found as the Slayer, her Watcher would have been that person. Since Lex had moved to Smallville he had been the most consistent adult in her life. Not always the most mature, but he was always there if she needed him.
A knock came from the open door. She turned to look at Bruce. “Hey,” he said. “You good?”
“Yeah, all set.”
He entered the room, looking at the pictures on her side table. “I recognize this. What were we…five?”
Athena smiled. “Yep, in front of the New York Planetarium.”
“And this one?” He asked, pointing at the other one.
“Me and Lex and Clark, the first time we met him not long after the meteors hit Smallville.”
“How old were you?”
“Two, I think.”
“What are you all covered in?”
“Fairy dust,” she said sheepishly. “I was trying to cure them.”
Bruce chuckled. “Let’s get something to eat.”
88888888
“So, are you interested in taking classes?” Bruce asked suddenly over breakfast their third day in Cambridge.
She considered asking him something, but refrained. “Yes.”
“Here,” he handed her a catalog.
“Athena Luthor is not supposed to popup anywhere if I don’t want to be found.”
“Already taken care of,” he said dismissively. “You just need to decide what you want to take.”
Athena pulled the catalog closer and poured over the options.
“How is your French? And German?” Bruce asked.
“You do remember my father, right?”
“What languages do you speak?”
“French, German, Latin, Italian, Greek. Can read all of them too, along with a few others.”
“What about Arabic, Russian, or Chinese?”
“No. Though Lex has started to teach me Mandarin.”
He nodded.
She had questions, but she sensed that if she asked, he would just redirect the conversation. She focused on the courses offered. “It’s a good thing I had money put aside,” she muttered.
“You did?”
“When I asked Father for the chance to go to Smallville, I had already started a small bank account through a shell LLC to help me if he said no. I’ve let the money stay there and anything extra I’ve gotten, I’ve put in there.” She shrugged. “You never know when a bad investment is going to leave someone in the lurch.”
“So you are able to pull from it without anyone knowing?”
Athena nodded. “Everything for it was never written down. Just a series of things I memorized.”
“That’s…genius.”
She grinned. “Speaking of genius, what are you going to study?”
“There’s a few courses I’m interested in,” he admitted vaguely.
Athena kept her grin in place, managing not to grit her teeth at his avoidance. “I’m going for a run. I’ll think the classes over while I’m out.”
88888888
Athena pressed more speed into her run. She didn’t care where she was headed, just picked a direction and started moving. The freedom she felt…allowed her to consider her circumstances.
So there were some things Bruce had been…deceptive about. Now, he had advised her that it would not be a luxury trip or even how long he planned to be gone. And honestly, that was not the problem.
Maybe it was her own secrets, her background as the Slayer. The fact that there were vampires and demons and things that would kill either of them without care that they were teens. Then, of course, there was the need to move, to exercise and fight that had started an itch between her shoulder blades.
While starting college sounded like something she would excel at, it did not truly hold her interest. It wasn’t that she did not want to learn, but there was no way she could take the classes under her own name. Any work she did would be just for the experience of learning it. And there was the Council to worry about. Her family may not be looking for her in England, there was always the chance that she was now easier to find, though Angel had suggested the current Slayer was a trained girl already identified by the Council and no one would be looking for another Slayer.
Her feet dug into the ground as she came to an abrupt stop. That was it. Her Slayer side had been partly responsible for making her leave Smallville. What if it was about the things she didn’t know? Demons, vampires, magic, history, the Slayers themselves, they were all half formed information she had. But here, here she could find out.
Maybe there was purpose to this after all.
Title: And Away They Go
Author: hermione2be
Rating: PG/FR13/K+
Crossover: BtVS/Batman/DC
Disclaimer: I do not own any of BtVS/Angel or Batman/DC people, places, or ideas. This fiction is done simply for pleasure and I receive no profit.
Summary: Athena tries to understand the root of her reasons for leaving.
Notes: Follows Star-Crossed Friends and To Walk Away
Seasons:
Word Count: 1050
Athena took a deep breath as the plane took off. They had taken a small private jet to D.C. before going through the main terminal and boarding as coach passengers for an international flight. They were seated together near the back of the plane.
“Alfred is going to miss you,” Athena said softly.
Bruce nodded. “I’m going to miss him.”
She smiled slightly, looking out the window.
“He got a call from your brother early this morning.”
Her attention snapped to him.
“Alfred denied having seen you since the Christmas party and claimed I left two days ago.”
“Thank you.”
“Alfred will keep your secret,” Bruce promised. “He’ll also be the first person you see when you are ready to return to the U.S.”
Athena placed a hand over his for a moment before pulling out a journal and sinking down to read.
88888888
The townhouse was…larger than she expected. A three bedroom not far from Cambridge, it included a gym.
“This will probably be the nicest place we manage,” Bruce told her honestly. “Since this is as far as Alfred knew I had planned.”
“So, what exactly is the reason for coming to Cambridge?”
“The university.”
She nodded. “Cool.”
“We should get unpacked, then we’ll see about dinner.”
Athena found her room across from Bruce’s, the only full bath was in the hall just down from the rooms. The bedding was simple and teal. She set her bags on the bed and unloaded it into the closet. She set two copies of pictures on the bedside table.
It felt strange, she would admit, being completely off on her own. Sure, there was Bruce, but even living in Smallville for a time by herself, there had been an adult who was looking out for her. If she had been found as the Slayer, her Watcher would have been that person. Since Lex had moved to Smallville he had been the most consistent adult in her life. Not always the most mature, but he was always there if she needed him.
A knock came from the open door. She turned to look at Bruce. “Hey,” he said. “You good?”
“Yeah, all set.”
He entered the room, looking at the pictures on her side table. “I recognize this. What were we…five?”
Athena smiled. “Yep, in front of the New York Planetarium.”
“And this one?” He asked, pointing at the other one.
“Me and Lex and Clark, the first time we met him not long after the meteors hit Smallville.”
“How old were you?”
“Two, I think.”
“What are you all covered in?”
“Fairy dust,” she said sheepishly. “I was trying to cure them.”
Bruce chuckled. “Let’s get something to eat.”
88888888
“So, are you interested in taking classes?” Bruce asked suddenly over breakfast their third day in Cambridge.
She considered asking him something, but refrained. “Yes.”
“Here,” he handed her a catalog.
“Athena Luthor is not supposed to popup anywhere if I don’t want to be found.”
“Already taken care of,” he said dismissively. “You just need to decide what you want to take.”
Athena pulled the catalog closer and poured over the options.
“How is your French? And German?” Bruce asked.
“You do remember my father, right?”
“What languages do you speak?”
“French, German, Latin, Italian, Greek. Can read all of them too, along with a few others.”
“What about Arabic, Russian, or Chinese?”
“No. Though Lex has started to teach me Mandarin.”
He nodded.
She had questions, but she sensed that if she asked, he would just redirect the conversation. She focused on the courses offered. “It’s a good thing I had money put aside,” she muttered.
“You did?”
“When I asked Father for the chance to go to Smallville, I had already started a small bank account through a shell LLC to help me if he said no. I’ve let the money stay there and anything extra I’ve gotten, I’ve put in there.” She shrugged. “You never know when a bad investment is going to leave someone in the lurch.”
“So you are able to pull from it without anyone knowing?”
Athena nodded. “Everything for it was never written down. Just a series of things I memorized.”
“That’s…genius.”
She grinned. “Speaking of genius, what are you going to study?”
“There’s a few courses I’m interested in,” he admitted vaguely.
Athena kept her grin in place, managing not to grit her teeth at his avoidance. “I’m going for a run. I’ll think the classes over while I’m out.”
88888888
Athena pressed more speed into her run. She didn’t care where she was headed, just picked a direction and started moving. The freedom she felt…allowed her to consider her circumstances.
So there were some things Bruce had been…deceptive about. Now, he had advised her that it would not be a luxury trip or even how long he planned to be gone. And honestly, that was not the problem.
Maybe it was her own secrets, her background as the Slayer. The fact that there were vampires and demons and things that would kill either of them without care that they were teens. Then, of course, there was the need to move, to exercise and fight that had started an itch between her shoulder blades.
While starting college sounded like something she would excel at, it did not truly hold her interest. It wasn’t that she did not want to learn, but there was no way she could take the classes under her own name. Any work she did would be just for the experience of learning it. And there was the Council to worry about. Her family may not be looking for her in England, there was always the chance that she was now easier to find, though Angel had suggested the current Slayer was a trained girl already identified by the Council and no one would be looking for another Slayer.
Her feet dug into the ground as she came to an abrupt stop. That was it. Her Slayer side had been partly responsible for making her leave Smallville. What if it was about the things she didn’t know? Demons, vampires, magic, history, the Slayers themselves, they were all half formed information she had. But here, here she could find out.
Maybe there was purpose to this after all.