Fleeting Hope

Chapter 5

Raven's POV:

I woke to the sound of a knock at my door. I opened my eyes, rubbing the sleep out of them as Damian stood up to answer the door. "What is it?" Damian asked, his tone serious. I could tell he was sleeping though because his voice was horse.

"I am sorry to disturb you at such an early hour, but you and your wife's attendance is required in the King's study." The servant said with a bashful bow.

"We will be right there," Damian nods and closes the door. I stand up and go to the closet, slipping into a more appropriate outfit. When I got out, Damian was walking out of his own closet, wearing pants and a white shirt.

"Are you ready?" I asked as I fixed my hair up into a bun.

"Yes," he nods and holds out his arm. I place my hand on him and we walk out, heading straight for Damian's father's study. We were there within seconds, knocking on the door. My heart raced as I tried to imagine what this could be about.

Did they find Emma?

Please say they did.

"Come in," Bruce's voice came from the other side of the door. Damian opened the door for me, and in we walked spotting Dick, Bruce, Kori, Donna, Conner, Jason, Tim, and Barbra. Everyone was here, making me think this was going to be about something important.

"Father, everyone," Damian nodded his greetings.

"Hello," I nod.

"Welcome," Bruce gave a soft smile and pulled out a chair. Damian insisted that I sat (probably because all the other women were already sitting). I took my seat and Damian stood behind me with his hand placed on my shoulder.

"Alright, let's begin," Bruce nodded.

"Spies say that Talia Al-Ghul has been in her place, locked away so not even her most trusted servants have seen her. Rumor is that they hear a babies cry, but there is no proof. Safe to say, we should look into this matter further," Dick gave the report, handing Damian a file.

Damian skimmed the file before handing it to me to look through. Everything in the file was explained by Dick, so there wasn't anything else to read. But in this file, there was a picture of Talia. Damian had his mother's eyes.

"We depart in the next few hours then," Damian said with no room for negotiation.

"We should come up with more of a plan. We haven't even gotten the blueprints of her castle to see if there are any escape hatches in case things go south." Jason came over and stood beside Damian.

"Raven, did you have a map before coming here?" Damian turned to me.

"No," I shake my head.

"Then I fully trust that the two of us can go in there and find a way out without blueprints," Damian said with a newfound confidence. "Nothing you are going to say is going to stop me from getting my daughter back."

"How are you even going to be welcomed inside," Bruce shakes his head, clearly not liking this idea. "What makes you think Talia will let you inside her palace?"

"She has been wanting me to visit her for years now," Damian stepped toward his father, leaving me feeling empty without his warm hand on my shoulder.

"Why did I not know about this?" Bruce said, shocked.

"Because mother paid servants to enter the palace and hand me the note in person," Damian explained. "I thought they weren't important because I didn't need to go see her, but now that she has interfered with my life, I guess it's time to visit my mother."

"We will talk about that later, Damian, but I agree. Raven and yourself are more than skilled enough for this mission. We will be there to back you up whenever you need, but you two would be the best option," Bruce nods.

"Couldn't agree more," A familiar voice causes all of us to jump.

I stand up, leaving the chair as I search for the source of that voice. "Garfield?"

"Sup, sis," Garfield dropped in front of me, coming from the ceiling beams. "I got your message about what happened and Vic and I are here to help however we can." He pulled me into a tight hug before nodding to the others.

"How did you get in here?" Bruce asked, visibly annoyed by the fact that a room full of spies didn't spot Garfield before this moment.

"We have been here all night, and without a blueprint, might I add, we were able to sneak into this 'secure' office. We are caught up." Garfield smirks, proud of himself.

"Where's Vic?" I asked, confused about where he was hiding since the beams were empty now.

"Right here, Rae," the soldier's armor moved and unmade to show Vic. "Nice to see you again!" He came over and hugged me, though it was awkward with all the metal armor.

"That must be very uncomfortable," I joked.

"It was," Vic nodded as he started to take off the armor. "But it was all worth it to see the surprised look on everyone's face.

"Thanks for coming," Dick interrupted. "As you probably heard, we have a plan now, but we could use you as spies. With your skills, you would make great undercover spies for us so we have eyes on the inside."

"Mission accepted," Garfield soluted.

"And after this is all done, I would like to speak to the two of you as well," Bruce scolded Garfield, but he knew better than to blow up at a time like this. "Right now, we have a mission to get to. Damian, Raven, are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Damian nods.

"Yes," I turn to face my father-in-law. "I am ready to get my daughter back."