Making Waves

Chapter 17

A woman with thick dark hair twisted and tucked haphazardly at the nape of her neck stood at the edge of the parking lot. She tapped her foot on the sidewalk separating concrete and grass, and slowly swept her face across the streets, scanning for something. When her head turned their way, bright green eyes found his.

Dick waved, with a grin, pushing down all thoughts of wondering if he had been hoping for one or the other. Percy, though her gaze looked somewhat confused, waved back, smiling just as happily. Like at the gala, he felt his feet instinctively take him over to her. This time, his siblings followed suit, one of his brothers muttering 'So much for family time', but it was said too softly to distinguish who.

"Hi," she said, voice tinged with pleasant surprise.

Dick didn't know if they were on hugs-as-greetings terms yet, so he kept his hands firmly at his sides though they itched to reach out.

"Hi," he said, in the same tone.

They stared at each other for a beat too long like that, just smiling, before Tim pushed his way to Dick's side and interrupted them.

"Yeah," he snorted, "Hi."

"These are my siblings," Dick started, smile strained, as he looked down at Tim's smirking face, "You know Tim and Cass, but that's Jason, and Damian."

Jason crossed his arms casually and jerked his head up in greeting, while Damian just looked Percy over once and sniffed. Dick tried to send her an apologetic glance, but Percy, after giving Cass a brief hug didn't seem phased by them in the slightest. Instead, she just said hello back, good-naturedly, before her eyes scanned the park again.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Dick asked.

"My mom's bringing Estelle for the day," she replied, looking past him for a second to continue searching.

The fond, excited look on her face was contagious, and Dick found himself smiling wide at the thought of seeing the little girl again.

"Do you want to—"

Dick was in the process of asking if they wanted to spend the day with his family, something that he knew all of his siblings picked up on, with varying reactionary opinions, when a loud voice called out, "Percy!" from the side, across the street.

They all turned to the source, to see Estelle walking hand in hand with someone who looked not at all like Percy had described her mom. Tall, blond, and the same classic American handsome that Clark was. Dick hated him already. Well, 'hate' was a strong word, but the way he gently tugged Estelle through the crosswalk and grinned at them, gave Dick an appropriately strong feeling, if the immediate pit in his stomach was anything to go by.

"Sparky?" Percy gasped, giving him a friendly hug when he and Estelle finally reached them, "What are you doing here?"

"I was at camp this week and went into the city to visit Sally. She got pulled into a meeting with her publishers last minute so I told her I'd bring Estelle," he explained, letting go of the girl's hand so she could give her sister a tight hug.

This guy was on visiting terms with Percy's mom? Percy's mom trusted this guy to travel with her young daughter? This guy went to Percy's summer camp? It was October, for god's sake, Dick thought, gritting his teeth.

Estelle let her sister go and jumped at Dick with an excited giggle, and he put aside those thoughts so he could pick her up and toss her into the air. Estelle squealed on the way down, landing in his grip, and Percy laughed at the two of them.

"I'm Jason," the stranger offered, shaking his now free hand.

"Dick," he replied, with as much enthusiasm as he could force at the moment.