She didn't like it. Didn't like
any of it.Her mother's younger brother, Dave had rocked up to the house unannounced, and decided he was staying for a while, because he was
'between jobs'.
Sure, whatever, Crystal loved her little brother. But something was just… off about him. How do you come to your sister and nieces house, with a plush crocodile for a child and actually say the words
'I been away so long I didn't realise you grew up, Stephanie'What sort of mental deficiency did Dave have?
Did he not understand how
TIME worked?!
Ok,
OK. So maybe Steph was being a little defensive. She had not long managed to get her dad some serious time after all, her mom was starting to come good, she didn't want anything messing with that.
And Uncle Dave was a major loser.
While she was trying to compose her thoughts, scribbling away to herself in her journal on her bed, a figure filled her doorway.
"Little Stephie, all grown up."
Hearing 'Stephie' leave his mouth set her teeth on edge. The only person that got away with calling her that was her mother. Closing in her journal and shifting to sit up, Uncle Dave continued.
"Guess you're old enough to drop the 'Uncle', huh? How 'bout you just call me Dave."
He threw in a wink, for good measure.
Narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest, as red flags started being raised, Stephanie chose her next words very deliberately. Growing up around world class jerks that liked to play games sometimes had its advantages after all.
"How long are you staying, Uncle Dave?"
Leaving her doorway, with a snap and shooting of finger guns, Dave gave a promise (or what felt more like a threat to Steph).
"Don't you worry. We'll have plenty of time to spend together."
Returning to her journal, only absently drawing circles in the corner of a page, dread started to set in.
Uncle Dave used to idolise Arthur. With that sort of role model, he needed to be watched. She wasn't going to deal with that in her house again.
Uncle Dave bought the three of them dinner. Way too much dinner. That also meant there were the three of them gathered around the kitchen table.
"You shouldn't have bought so much food, Dave!"
"S'ok, sis. I'm loaded right now. And plenty more coming."
'But, didn't you say you were between jobs, Dave?'
Trying to keep the squint from her face as she decided to start her probing, Stephanie adjusted her grip on the chopsticks.
"You win the lottery or somethin', Uncle Dave?"
She hadn't have bothered trying to keep her face neutral. They weren't looking at her. Dave too busy trying to open the champagne he bought with dinner, Crystal too busy being proud of her brother, for some reason.
"Naw, but I have some pals I'm meeting up with here in Gotham later tonight. We're gonna go into business."
Crystal beamed at him, prompting Steph to roll her eyes.
"That's great Dave! There's so many opportunities now that the city is open again."
'Mom's lie detector is malfunctioning again. This could be Dad at the table…'
Dave moved to pour the bubbly into Steph's glass, a motion that was swiftly shut down by her covering it with her hand. What was he thinking?!
"I don't drink. Mom doesn't drink anymore either."
"You gotta loosen up a little, Stephie."
That was it. She was about to throw a fit. Getting to her feet, abandoning her half eaten meal she stormed from the kitchen.
"I don't feel good. I'm just going up to bed."
Crystal turned in her seat, concerned.
"Maybe I should stay home from work?"
"It'll be OK…"
Stephanie didn't go to bed, however.
She used the time she had of her uncle spinning bullsh*t downstairs to raid the spare room, where he was staying.
He only had the one bag, so it wasn't hard to go through everything and put it back.
Uncle Dave had a brown paper bag full of cash, and a rubber gorilla mask in that bag. But no gun. Which meant if he had one… it was on him.
She didn't like that at all.
She thought about confronting him as Steph. But that probably wouldn't pan out too well. But if he wanted to 'start business in Gotham'... he should learn what happens to crooks in Gotham.
Leaving the spare room, Steph made a beeline for the garage, the voices still coming from the kitchen.
'Jokes on you, Mom. You might have found the one in my room, but Robin taught me to have a spare handy.'
"Need help looking for something?"
Uncle Dave's voice sounded from the door behind her. Pivoting, tucking the suit bag behind her, she just word vomited the first things that came to mind.
"OH! I'm getting along fine, Uncle Dave."
Leaning against the door frame, he leered at her.
"You sure are Steph. You sure are."
More red flags. She didn't like that look on his face. She had been here before. She needed to get out of here. Her only way out was past him. Keeping her head up, she moved towards the door, towards Dave.
He leant out to her, lifting her chin with a finger.
"Y'know, your mom's gone 'til morning and I'll be back in a few hours…"
Her temporary reluctance flared to anger, and disgust.
'Ewewewewewewew'
Barging through him, she made for her room, to suit up, his voice following her.
"See you later then, Stephanie."
The first time out since the baby was born, her first time out in a year. She felt a little rusty, but it felt good.
And Uncle Dave was a nice easy target to get back into it again. He didn't know to watch his back. He didn't know to watch the skyline or rooftops.
He and his 'business associates' were a bigger losers club than her dad and Uncle Eddie, and that was saying something.
Watching as they gathered outside a liquor store and stopped to put on their masks, she couldn't help herself as she got in position behind some trash in the alleyway.
'Smells like armed felony. Let's do this. Three armed men, twice my size. Surprise is all I've got.'
The Spoiler launched her attack. Pelting them with puker grenades (a gift from Robin), she moved fast, her cowl protecting her from the super supreme stink bomb.
Goofy mask got a kick to the knees, ending up face first in the cloud of gas. He took himself out, gagging and retching.
Pikachu mask? A gut punch, winding him, forcing him to take in deep breaths of the puker.
Gorilla mask? Uncle Dave? He was a little smarter than she gave him credit for. He moved out of the cloud of gas.
'Can't outrun gunfire. Work in close. Just like you were taught.'
Darting at him, Spoiler slipped up under his arms, twisting behind him and sweeping his legs from under him, grabbing his wrist that held the gun and twisting it back, hard, until he dropped it. For good measure, as he dropped in elevation, Steph drove her elbow into the side of his face from along his arm repeatedly. A little aikido plus a little Steph flair goes a long way.
With the growing approach of the sirens, Spoiler fled the scene, switching on her terribly cobbled together scanner to listen to the report.
Turns out, Uncle Dave had a record. And that was his third strike. An automatic fifteen year stint up the river for mom's little brother.
What a shame.
Stephanie may or may not have sent him a little gift in jail. The little crocodile, and a letter.
'Thinking of you'