If Souls Return (Then Tell Them I Say Hi) - Tony Stark's Daughter in Gotham

Chapter 27: The What Ifs

Amber's mom had always loved to remind her the grass is greener on the other side so she should be grateful for what she had. To a point Amber knew it was true, but it didn't stop her from day dreaming.

The little saying was something her mom repeated to her daily during the custody battle with Tony, and after she went to live at the tower Amber remembered her mom texting her to ask if things were as perfect as she'd imagined. The guilt ate away at Amber, feeling like she'd betrayed her mom for a better life.

Tony had once tried explaining to Amber that her mom was just hurting and taking that pain out on others in unfair ways. She felt a responsibility to placate her mom though, after all she'd been the one to leave when they'd once only had each other.

It was that idea of things looking better on the other side that made Amber wonder if her thoughts of staying in Gotham were just dangerous temptations.

For her sake and the Waynes, Amber needed to take a step back. Luckily the Titan's Tower provided the perfect escape for her to get some work done. She'd brought Harley's research with her and had taken over the dining table when Red Robin arrived.

Upon seeing her he sighed and spoke into his phone. "She's here Dick don't worry."

Amber hummed a tune avoiding Tim's gaze as she realized they'd been looking for her. She hadn't mentioned to anyone where she would be, but prior to her reveal as Spider-Woman most of her whereabouts had gone unnoticed. She guessed they'd always just assumed she was with Harley.

"You didn't let anyone know where you were going," Tim said hands on his hips.

"Sorry it slipped my mind," Amber said smiling innocently. "I just wanted some space to work uninterrupted."

"This probably wasn't the best place to pick then," he said taking a seat. Tim glanced around as if he expected his teammates to pop out at any moment. "I thought Bruce gave you full range of the cave. Dick was complaining that you were even trusted in the locked cabinets when he's not allowed near them after he almost blew up the Batmobile."

"He did but I needed a change of scenery." She laughed, picturing what Bruce's face must have looked like after seeing such an explosion. Things with Tim were still delicate at best, but falling back into the friendship they'd had was nice.

The pair relocated to the living room, Tim dragging along a laptop claiming he had some stuff to work on for WE.

She laid across the couch, her head propped up by one of the arm rests as she read over the papers that crinkled in her hands. Seeing the name Trigon, Amber did a double take. Where had she heard that before?

"Does the name Trigon mean anything to you?" Amber asked Tim.

"Yeah, I guess. It's Raven's father's name. Why?"

Amber sat straight up. There was a note on the page in Harley's handwriting explaining that he had written off the theory of the amulet belonging to the demon named Trigon as he never believed it was magic that had sent them across universes.

"Is Raven here now? I need to talk to her."

"She should be," he said, his face riddled with concern.

Amber stood, letting everything she had in her lap fall to the carpet. She headed to Raven's room with hope blooming in her chest for the first time. This was a possibility that she couldn't let slip through her fingers.

Amber knocked on Raven's door until it opened.

"Marie?" Raven questioned from where she hovered over the mattress with her legs crossed.