Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars
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It was the day after Starwing was born.
Nightwing had stayed at Starfire’s side all day and the day before as well.
“She has your eyes, Dick,” Starfire said, the embodiment of pure joy.
“Yeah, I know.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.
“Kylan has your eyes as well, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I adore yours.” Starfire said.
“I’m glad you’re happy. But I wouldn’t have minded another pair of your eyes in the house, Star.”
“Little Mar'i has my eyes, Robin. Is not two pairs enough?” Starfire still liked to call him Robin, even though it had been a while since he dropped that name. Nightwing didn’t correct her and merely smiled.
Just then, the door opened, revealing the slight form of Raven, with both Kylan and Aaron on her shoulders.
“Give me a hand, will you?”
“Momma!” Kylan murmured, reaching out to Starfire.
Nightwing took him from Raven. “Dada!”
“You know, it still feels weird when he says that.”
“He’s five years old, Richard.” Raven said in her usual monotone.
“Yeah, but he’s only been talking recently, and Mar'i never said ‘dada’.”
“Recently, as in four years ago.” Raven remarked dryly.
He handed Kylan to Starfire. She kissed her son on the cheek, which made him giggle.
“Why don’t you go back to the tower, Nightwing?” Raven said, shifting the sleeping Aaron to a better position.
“Yes, I am sure I am feeling the fine. Please, rest at the tower like friend Raven suggests.”
So he was at the tower, in the Ops room to be exact, with Nightstar at his side. Beastboy and Cyborg was in the garage, making yet another crib for the newborn, as they had done for each of the children - Nightstar, Skyfire, Danny and Aaron in order. He had considered helping, but they both told him to go look after Nightstar, and anyway, Cyborg had enough on his hands, what with Beastboy making a mess of things.
So Nightwing was sitting on the sofa in the Ops room, Nightstar snuggled close to him. It was just the beginning of spring, and the night was rather chilly. It was dark, but neither had bothered to turn on the lights. The silence that surrounded them was so thick it was almost tangible.

“Daddy?” said Nightstar, breaking the silence.
“Hmm?” Nightwing said, looking down at her dark hair.
“When is Mommy coming home?”
Nightstar gazed solemnly at Nightwing with those green eyes so hauntingly like her mother’s.
“She’ll be home in a few days, sweetheart. Your mother’s a Tamaranian warrior – they can’t keep her there for long.” Nightwing replied, smiling gently at his daughter. Nightstar clung to his arm, wiggling closer still.
“I miss her,” she spoke into his sleeve, voice muffled by the fabric.
“Me too.”
Silence. Then a small sniff from Nightstar.
Nightwing put his arms around her small form. Looking out of the large window of the Ops room, he caught sight of the brilliant stars glowing in the sky. Nightwing had a sudden idea. Picking Nightstar up in his arms, he stood up.
“Come on, Nightstar, I’ll show you something.”
After dressing her warmly in a sweater, Nightwing carried her to the top of the tower. There, he set his daughter on his shoulders.
“What are we doing, Daddy?” she asked curiously.
“Hold on tight, okay?”
“Daddy–!” she protested, obviously not pleased with his answer.
“Shh, in a minute, sweetheart.”
He looked up into the heavens, searching the star specked skies.
“Look over there, Nightstar,” he said, pointing up at the sky. “Do you see those three stars lined up in a row?”
“Where?”
“Over there, with four other stars surrounding it in a rectangle, see?”
“There?” Nightstar raised a small hand.
“Yeah, there. That’s called Orion, the Hunter.”
“Why?”
“Long, long ago, people looked up in the stars and saw pictures there. Sort of like connect-the-dots. Then, they made stories about them.”
“I don’t see a hunter,” complained Nightstar.
“See, the three stars in the middle are his belt, and the four stars around it are supposed to be his arms and legs.”
“Still don’t see a hunter…” murmured Nightstar.
“Use your imagination, sweetheart.” He hugged her legs lovingly.
He moved his hand to another place in the dark night sky.
“And there, there’s the constellation Lyra.”
“Cont-still-?”
“It’s a group of stars that make up a picture, Nightstar.”
Nightwing gazed up at the brightest star in the constellation.
“Do you see that really bright star?”
“Yes,” she answered, marveling at its brightness compared to the others.
“That’s Vega, and around that star is a planet– the planet Tamaran.”
Nightstar cocked her head a little to the side. “Tamaran?”
“That’s where your mother is from, and I thank the heavens that she came to Earth, to me.”
“Daddy, then where are you from?”
“Me? I’m from here, Earth.”
Nightstar was quiet for a moment.
“Then where am I from?” she asked, tugging at Nightwing’s long ebony hair. Nightwing was stumped. Then he began to speak, choosing his words carefully.
“I like to think you were sent to me from the heavens, which is neither here nor there. But I guess you’re from both, which makes you all the more precious to me.”
Just then a brilliant streak of light slashed the darkness.
“Daddy, Daddy, did you see that?!” Nightstar exclaimed.
Nightwing smiled. “That’s called a falling star, and you’re supposed to make a wish when you see it.”
“A falling star?” she asked, involuntarily hugging Nightwing’s neck a little tighter with her legs.
“It’s just a piece of rock that’s burning, don’t worry.” Nightwing told his daughter.
“Look, there’s another one!” he said, pointing.
Nightstar looked, but it had already passed. “Where?” she asked.
“It’s already gone – ” Nightwing began, but before he could finish his sentence, another flash of light lit up the sky.
“Daddy, look!” Nightstar shouted excitedly, but she needn’t have said a thing. The sky was now filled with bright blazes of numerous shooting stars. Nightstar looked up with an expression of complete awe on her face.
“Wow…” she murmured.
Nightwing twisted his head around so he could see Nightstar’s expression, and smiled. It was nice to see that she had taken her mind off her mother, and was also extremely pleased with the natural fireworks display.
Nightwing turned his head towards the sky once more, reveling in the breathtaking ceremony of the heavens as well.
And from a certain hospital window, a red-haired woman was smiling up at the same sky.