Forbidden Connections

Date Night

Caroline responded, and they exchanged texts. Eve then texted Tim, but hesitated to meet up after class due to Lily's disappearance. Tim replied, "I would, but I just got a text from Bruce. Lily's missing." Eve apologized, feeling responsible, but Tim reassured her, "Don't blame yourself. We'll find her, don't worry." Eve still worried, but Tim reminded her, "Like every being in this world. We have class soon; I'm sure Lily will turn up by the end of the day. If not, then we worry." Eve agreed, putting her phone away and heading to class. As the day ended and there was still no word on Lily, Eve put on her suit and started searching for her. She found Lily at the back of a club, smoking a cigarette with Daohne and Jackson. Eve called Tim and told him where she was, and Tim, Jason, and Dick went to the club as civilians. They managed to get past security and headed to the back of the club, where Tim followed them, trying not to get lost. Lily was talking with Jackson, having a smoke, when he pointed behind her. She turned around to see the three of them. "What do you want?" she asked simply, as if she hadn't been missing.

"Where have you been? We were worried sick!" Jason asked, slightly relieved she was okay.

"I was at my mom's place. I'm fine," Lily replied, not wanting to elaborate on why she left.

"How did you even find me?" she asked, curious.

"Tim somehow did," Dick replied. "But dad is worried sick."

"I have my sources," Tim said, looking at them.

"Okay, got it. See you guys later," Lily said, turning back to Jackson.

"OK," Jason said, pushing Lily behind him and grabbing Jackson by the collar. "Scram," he said, and Jackson ran off. "Let's go home, Lils. Dad's worried sick, and so are we," Dick said, trying to defuse the situation. Tim nodded in agreement. "Come on, come back home, Lils," he said, looking at her. "What? I don't want to. After that whole thing with Eve, it got me thinking, and I don't want to go home." "Eve is gone; she won't bother you anymore. Come back home," he said, looking at her with a sad face. "Why do you want me back so badly? I've completely messed up your reputation around school with that picture."

"I care about you, Lily," he said softly. "I don't care about my reputation. I just want my sister back."

She sighed, knowing she had to go home. "Alright, let's go."

As they arrived home, Bruce hugged her and apologized again. Lily seemed unphased, brushing him off and going to her room. Tim thanked Eve for her help and asked her out on a patrol date. Eve smiled and agreed, putting on her suit and teleporting to a random roof.

Tim put on his suit and headed out, texting Eve a location on a different rooftop downtown. Eve teleported behind him and tapped his shoulder, making him smile. "Hey beautiful, ready?" he asked, lifting her up and spinning her around. "Well, of course, I am. I'm always ready," she replied, looking at him with a smile. Tim led her to a picnic blanket and food laid out around a vase with roses. "How did you manage to do all of this??" she asked, surprised.

"I have my ways," Tim said with a smile, walking over to the area and sitting down with Eve. "I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I got everything." He shrugged, pulling out a variety of food from the picnic basket. Sandwiches, sushi, fries, pasta, tacos, salads, tofu, and vegan options - "we'll have to stop by a homeless shelter after this, I think." Eve laughed softly. "Better to make more food than you can save or give than to make less and be hungry," Tim said, echoing Alfred's words. He pulled out a bottle of sparkling lemon water and two glasses. "I know you're not a big alcohol person, so this will do." Eve's smile faltered as Friday alerted her to a crime in progress. "We'll have to put this date on pause," she said, getting up quickly. "Someone's causing a crime." Tim sighed, following her lead as she ran across rooftops. "We really need to find a better day to do this," he said. "What's the crime in progress?" he asked, curiosity piqued. "Theft? Assault?" Eve crouched, her eyes scanning the bank. "What if I said both?" she replied, her voice low. "There are about six guys inside. They're separating the males and females." She focused on their conversation, her expression grim. "They're ordering them to strip down to their undergarments..." Tim nodded, his jaw clenched. As one of the girls tried to escape and was struck by one of the attackers, Eve sprang into action. Tim tossed a smoke bomb through a window, and as it detonated, he slipped in, taking down each attacker silently. "I hate dealing with pervs," he muttered. Eve teleported in, saving the girl who was being assaulted, but another attacker caught her off guard and dragged her to where Tim was.