In the morning, Aurelia knows there is only one thing left for her to do. 

She stands in the alleyway behind Hank and Dawn's apartment, checking her surroundings to make sure no one is around. She casts her favourite teleportation spell, but instead of a door, she opens a window. 

A window to the mailroom at her old precinct. Aurelia has a feeling, practically confirmed, that things will only get worse and more illegal from here on out, now that she knows there is a supernatural evil involved. As much as she wants to help Derek Gardiner with this case, this is something he'll have to figure out on his own. Her old partner is a smart person; he can manage something. 

The letter, containing her badge, is addressed to her old partner, thanking him for things and telling him that she's run into dead ends and isn't sure if she can be of help. It's a lie, but she can't really tell the truth. Though the world knows about the existence of superpowered humans and aliens, magic tends to be a very secretive field and most of those who practice it don't like the spotlight. Except some. 

With a last sigh, Aurelia tosses the letter through the window and cuts off her ties to that part of the world.

*

Aurelia fumes in silence as she stands in the stairwell near Hank and Dawn's apartment. She missed her old friends, sure. But being in their apartment only brings up painful memories, memories of a time, of a lost friend that cannot be gained back. She stares at the lily petals in her right hand. She lets go of them and they disappear in mid-air before hitting the floor. 

"You planning on staying there forever?" 

Aurelia looks up at the sound of Hank's voice. "Maybe. I'd rather not go back inside, if you get me."

"That I do," Hank answers gruffly. After a short pause, he asks a not-so-surprising question. "How come you're working with..."

She winces. "I don't know. I was not even supposed to be here. I left this life a long time ago, Hank. But that kid...there's something about her and my magic is not giving me all the answers. I can't abandon her right now. And not with him."

Aurelia doesn't even need to say Dick's name for Hank to understand exactly who she is talking about. She has no clue what happened between them all, but there's no love lost there.

"How have you not..." Hank sounds agitated. "Lost it. He is so fucking full of himself."

"Trust me, I have been trying to ask myself the same question," Aurelia replies. "I know him better than any one and he's not who he used to be. He's hiding a lot of secrets."

She stands up and stretches her arm. "But I am not here for him. Once we figure out what to do with that girl, I am leaving. There's things that I need to do."

"He hurts everyone around him. Don't let him hurt you again," Hank says, squeezing her shoulder. 

And although she wants to defend Dick Grayson, Aurelia can hold grudges for a very long time. "Never." 

Aurelia follows Hank as they walk inside. She has no idea why she feels so utterly jealous at the thought that Dick and Dawn were close. She hadn't felt anything but hate towards the former Boy Wonder for a very long time. (She's just lying to herself)

Inside, Dick and Dawn are sitting around a table and Dawn's grasping his hand. When they see Aurelia and Hank enter, Dick hurriedly pulls back his hand. Hank's face twists into a glare. "Well, isn't this cozy?"

"Hey," Dawn greets softly, though there is a faint hint of worry in her eyes. 

"Just like the old days," Hank says, slowly walking towards the table. 

"We were just talking things through, okay?" Dick interrupts, immediately defending himself. 

"Come and go..." Hank is right at the table and Dawn stands up to meet him. Or stop him. "Or take what you want."

"Hank." Dawn presses a hand against his chest, stopping him. But Hank swipes her hand away and she steps back with a wince.

Dick stands up immediately, angry. And Aurelia cannot lie, the blaze of fury that shoots through her at that protective look is more than she has felt in a long time. She stays quiet though; words spoken in anger when you carry magic can very much become a curse. 

Emotions in vigilantes are like an elastic band though. You pull them far enough and they snap. And so when Dick slams Hank against the closest wall, Aurelia is not all that surprised. She feels Rachel's presence behind her.

"Stop!" Rachel yells as the two grown men engage in a kindergarten brawl. 

Then it happens. Aurelia feels the presence of something dark in the room. And the next second, a demonic voice yells, "STOP!"

Every single piece of glass in the room shatters like nothing. Aurelia barely has time to step out of a broken piece, when she takes a look at Rachel. Lingering threads of darkness surround her body before they disappear completely. Rachel looks at all of them uncertainly and apologetic, before she mutters a quick "I'm sorry" and takes off.

"Jesus," Hank mutters. 

*

Hours later, as the sunset is about to be over and the darkness of night takes over the sky, Aurelia wishes for an explanation. She has a hundred questions about Rachel and the darkness in her soul but no answer she comes up with gives a plausible explanation. She is lost in her thoughts till Dawn presses a hand on her arm, motioning towards the room where Rachel and Dick are currently conversing.

Dawn knocks on the door, asking kindly, "How you doing, sweetheart?"

Rachel doesn't really say anything and stares back, eyes filled with guilt. 

"Hank is sorry," Dawn continues. "He can be a real asshole sometimes."

"We gotta go," She says, more so to Dick and Aurelia. "Hank and I have that thing."

Dick immediately stands up. "Dawn, I really think you should reconsider. Okay? We both know it's too dangerous." 

"Can't believe I'm actually agreeing with him, but Dick's right," Aurelia says. "You're taking a major risk. You both are."

Dawn looks determined as she answers them. "You win some, you lose him." She walks to Rachel and whispers in her ear, though everyone can hear it. "Take care of them, okay? They're both gonna need all the help they can get."

Aurelia can agree with that. 

Once Dawn leaves, the door closing behind her, Rachel sits up and looks at the two vigilantes (or former vigilantes in the room. "She needs your help. I can feel it. Isn't that what you do?"

"What?" Dick says in surprise, while Aurelia can only stare at the girl.

"You help people." 

"I used to think so," Dick says, grimly. His stare lingers on Aurelia for a moment, before he continues. "I used to think it was one of the things I was best at. Until I realized, the more help some needed, the worse I had to hurt the others. Do you understand?" 

Rachel tenses up. "When I feel the darkness come out, it feels good."

"I get it," Aurelia says softly. She understands it too well. "Things like that can be..." She waves a hand in the air, uncertain of the word to use. What word even is there for a situation like Rachel's? This is not magic, this is some other kind of dark force, and Aurelia has no idea how to help the young girl. 

"You want to help them," Rachel says. "You're just scared. Both of you. Sometimes there's just no time to be scared." 

*

Aurelia feels uprooted. 

She is currently on the couch, blanket covering half her body. Her face is pressed against the cushions, so that anyone who sees her thinks she is asleep. But she isn't. Instead, she is spiralling down the well of her thoughts. She should be out there, helping Hank and Dawn. But she is a coward. She is terrified of her powers. Terrified of stepping back into a world that has taken everything from her. 

(Terrified of losing Dick Grayson if this situation goes south...again.)

After all, Magic will not allow her to control it when she's in a highly volatile emotional state. Small, minor spells? Yes. But accessing her swords, using the Phoenix? No. 

Aurelia shifts into a more comfortable position when she feels a presence enter the room. It's ominous how she can instantly feel Rachel Roth's aura the second she steps in. The young girl has a lot of darkness surrounding her, even when she is not accidentally unleashing her powers. "Rachel?" Aurelia sits up. "What's going on?"

She has a bad feeling when she spots Rachel in the middle of the living room, holding a piece of paper and a stack of money. 'Dick Grayson, what the hell did you do?'

"Did you know about this?" Rachel sounds distressed.

"No!" Aurelia immediately denies. "I swear I didn't. I had no clue."

But that fails to reassure Rachel and the girl takes off, as fast as storm winds. Aurelia curses loudly and magics her boots on and grabs her coat as she rushes after her. Why the hell is she dealing with the fallout of Dick Grayson's mistakes? This reminds her a little too much of them as young, hotheaded vigilantes. This is them as kids all over again. Except this whole situation is infinitely more worse. 

Aurelia finds Rachel standing in front of the bird cage. She breathes deeply before approaching the girl. 

"Rachel," Aurelia speaks in what she hopes is a comforting voice. "I honestly had no idea he was planning to do this. I really didn't. If I had known this was his idea, then I would have stopped him. I swear." (Stopped him. Fought with him. Taken Rachel and gone to her own magical friends without him.)

Rachel doesn't react, instead turns away staring very deeply into the bird cage. Great. She's closed off. Aurelia will kill Dick Grayson. She will actually kill him. 

Silence reigns out on the rooftop as the wind whistles loudly in the night. But it doesn't take too long for familiar presences to appear and disrupt that silence. As she sees Dick approaching, Aurelia sneers at him as she takes a step back. Pay for your mistakes. Regret your mistakes. Regret everything you have done. 

All it takes for the guilty look to appear on his face is Rachel pulling up the envelope. 

"You were going to leave me here," Rachel looks and sounds pained. "You said you weren't, but you lied. You must lie a lot. You're good at it."

'Yes, Rachel,' Aurelia mentally cheers, even though her expression is grim. 'Hit him where it hurts.'

"What's she talking about?" Hank suddenly asks, looking at Dick suspiciously. 

Rachel walks over to him and hands him the envelope with the letter and the money. This is going to escalate, Aurelia thinks. She takes a step back, her back almost pressed against the bird cage. Hank has a sardonic smile as he reads the letter, while Dawn just looks disappointed. The conversation escalates and sharpens, hurtful words exchanged. Being back here was a horrible idea.

The door creaks open and shuts. Then, an unfamiliar voice speaks, "Well, hello there, you five."

Aurelia immediately tenses up. There's four strangers standing near the door, a man, a woman and two teenagers. They dress up like a typical suburban family, but something just doesn't feel right. She watches with careful eyes as Hank makes his way to this weird family. 

And then, as the saying goes, it all turns into hell in a handbasket. 

Aurelia finds herself locked in a serious battle with the teenage girl, who is so fast, that it barely leaves her any opening to actually defend herself. The teenage girl slams her into the ground and she gasps in pain, clutching at her chest. She hasn't been in a proper fight in so long and tonight, it's coming back to bite her in the ass. Before she can even respond, the girl rushes away and throws a lasso, grabbing Hank by his throat and dragging him back.

It all happens so fast after that, that Aurelia barely has time to discern when the old man of the family, grabs Dawn by her throat and sends her flying through the bird cage. Aurelia already knows what's gonna happen and prays and wishes it doesn't, but she can only let out a helpless scream as she watches Dawn fall off the roof. Aurelia presses a hand to her chest, feeling her breath catch in her throat. She breathes heavily, as she slides back to the floor, on the verge of drowning back in her memories. On the verge of going back to that night. 

Helpless, she can't even do anything as the weird but dangerous family takes Rachel away.

Where is Dick Grayson? Is he....? 

As Aurelia stares at the stars and listens to her rapidly beating heart, she only thinks one thing.

(I hate myself.) (I hate Magic.)

I wish I could say that I had some excuse for not updating this story in nearly two years (💀 ) However, I don't. It's hard to write a character into a tv series' plotline, which is why writing for Lumen takes an absurdly long amount of time. On top of that, I haven't seen any of the Titans seasons after season 2 and that includes the final season as well, because I was just very disappointed with how Season 2 ended. 

But I have a plan for this story in mind and I slowly hope to get back to at least semi-regular updates for it. I can't guarantee if the next update will be anytime soon, but I promise it will not be two years.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! Comments and votes are always appreciated <33