Dead in the Darkness

by Rea2

Robins struggles to make sense of the bizarre circumstances in which he finds himself.

Author: Rea

Title: Dead in the Darkness

Rating: R

Summary: Set two years in the future. Things are unravelling for Timothy Drake as he struggle to come to gripes with the bizarre circumstances he finds himself in.

Author's Note: this is a murder mystery. It's made up of numerous flashbacks, happening at different points in time, so be sure to pay attention to the headers or it can get confusing. -rea

Dead in the Darkness

By Rea

I

The Present

"We can't call Young Justice." Robin's voice was barely audible. "It would be suicide for them to come here. If Batman can take out the JLA, do you really think Young Justice has a chance?"

Batgirl was silent. The slitted contortions of her mask concealed her expression as her bony shoulders gave a nonchalant shrug. Robin wasn't fooled. She was as frightened as he was.

"So, what we do?"

He stared into the inky blackness of the night. He was out there, somewhere. Waiting.

The terrifying realization that there was no place to go had finally sunk in. The night was his. The demons and ghouls of Gotham bowed before his shadow as the servers of the light trembled at it. There was no safe haven. His reach was long. His dedication limitless. His madness absolute.

The fear that had been building in Robin's chest took hold, locking its icy gripe over his slender frame, freezing the blood in his veins as a dark noose tightened around his neck.

"What we do, Robin?"

Her voice was pinched. The usual arrogance he'd come to know and love had diminished to but a faint whisper. Frightened blue eyes searched her face as he wrestled control of his vocal cords. He held up his hands, helpless. "I don't know."

+++++++++++

Two Weeks Earlier....

It was bad. No matter which way one spun the board, it was bad. The Joker was on the loose; one of five dangerous villains escaped Arkham. Poison Ivy and the Penguin had been apprehended within a few hours of their initial escape. Killer Croc, the Joker and a new player, Doc Slice'n'Dice, were still at large.

Oddly enough, Batman seemed unconcerned with the prospect of having the Joker and Killer Croc loose in his city. Rather, his attention was focused on the Doctor. The Cray was running overtime compiling character profiles, case files, victim charts, crime patterns and possible accomplices.

Robin fidgeted as he stood behind Batman, absently shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he watched his mentor pour over the computer files. "What's so dangerous about this one, Bruce? Shouldn't we be searching for the Joker?" He winced as a picture of the Doc's last victim appeared on the Cray's monitor. "Geez, that's gross." The body of a blonde girl that in another life might have resembled his ex-girlfriend, Stephanie Brown, lay in bloody tatters on a coroner's table. Arms and legs lay at odd angles; bones poked through the skin in several places. Large portions of the girl's face were gone, revealing torn muscle and the gleaming white of bone. It looked as if she'd been scalped. "Okay, so the guy's a psycho, but we've seen the Joker do worse." Though not by much. "How'd this guy end up in Arkham anyway? He's not exactly one of the local boys."

The picture changed and Robin found himself face to face the psycho in question. The Doctor was a tall, thin man. His face and head were concealed by a white surgeon's mask and hat. Only his grey eyes were visible. They bulged in an unnatural manner from his eyes sockets, peering forth as if he could actually see the two men viewing his picture. Robin averted his eyes.

"He was a transfer." Bruce didn't turn from the screen. "His crime sprees were centred in Gateway City."

"Gateway?" That was Cassie, the current Wonder Girl's hometown. "How long ago?"

"Only a few months." Bruce's hands flew over the keyboard and the picture changed to a variety of newspaper articles covering the case. "It was handled swiftly, and by today's standards, discreetly. The killings never made national news."

"How come?" Robin's eyes darted over the police reports. Doctor Slice'n'Dice was a man without preference. Male or female, high profile CEO or lowly shop clerk, each victim met a grizzly end at the Doctor's hand. Photo after photo depicted scalped corpses with various parts of their bodies hacked off. Eyes were missing from one man. Fingers from another. The blonde girl from the first picture had lost her entire face. Her eyes had been popped from their sockets, her teeth yanked out, nose, ears and mouth removed. All that remained was dull coloured muscle, and even some of that was missing. It made him want to puke. "This isn't a routine case, Bruce. These people were butchered." He shuddered as a picture of a young man filled the screen. His hands were missing. Various bone protruded through what was left of his skin. "God, they were like rag dolls when he finished."

"Gateway deplores advertising its shortcomings." Bruce scowled at the articles. "When something major happens they handle it quickly, quietly and as soon as possible, ship their problems to Gotham."

"Lucky us." Robin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's funny that Cass never mentioned anything." He shrugged at Bruce's questioning look. "She's usually pretty talkative when it comes to the adventures she's had with Wonder Woman. Did they handle this case?"

"No." Bruce batted his hand away as he reached forward to place an inquiry. "It was handled by the local authorities."

"O-kay." Retreating a few steps, Robin folded his arms across his chest. He watched Bruce log off the Cray, and to his surprise, encode the Slice'n'Dice files. "Um, you just locked me out of the Doctor's file."

"I know." Bruce rose from the cray and stretched. "I'm handling this case. There is some very..sensitive material that I don't want you to have to deal with."

"I'm not a child."

"You're young," Bruce paused awkwardly. "And innocent." He ignored Robin's derisive snort and the blush creeping over his partner's cheeks. "There are a lot of ugly things in this world, Tim and I plan on shielding you from them for as long as possible."

"I've seen and dealt with more shit than you give me credit for, Bruce." Robin drew himself to his full height, narrow shoulders laden with adolescent pride. "I can deal."

"I'm sure. By the way, Tim, Cassandra said you've been sleepwalking again. She said she found you cowered beneath the dining room table, screaming." Sympathetic eyes that glinted too readily to be sincere regarded the boy before him. "Was it Apokolips again? Did you see Kon being ripped apart? Or was it Wonder Girl being burned alive?"

Robin's proud demeanor deflated. Damn him. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Bruce was the picture of demonic innocence as he adjusted his cowl. Opaque eyes blinked with merriment at his prodigy's discomfort. "I'm just concerned. Can't I be concerned for my partner?" His eyes turned cold. "Like the way you and the others were concerned when Vesper Fairchild was killed?"

Tim felt himself pale.

"No matter. That was the past. We're over that. All of it." From beneath the cowl, Bruce smiled, but the motion was odd upon his face. "Water under the bridge. Hey, I meant to ask, how's Stephanie?"

"What are you asking me for?" Tim shivered, and took another step back. "You know we broke up."

"Yes, that's right." Finished with the equipment check, Bruce readied himself for patrol. "Who is she dating now, Kon-el?"

"It's Connor, and why are you being this way?"

"Being what way?"

"That way!" Robin screamed, his anger bouncing off the walls of the cave. "Always insinuating things. Rubbing my face in all my shortcomings! What's the matter with you, Bruce? Do you enjoy watching me suffer? Do you get some perverse kick out of it?"

"I--" For a moment, Tim thought he saw a glimmer of human frailty within his mentor. For the briefest of seconds he was sure Bruce faltered, his unreadable persona momentary open to him, in which time, Tim was certain the Dark Knight regretted his subtle insinuations and hateful concern. Then it was gone. As he blinked, the smarmy sarcasm and cold indifference returned, leaving him to wonder if he'd ever seen the concern at all.

"I am not the one displaying juvenile tendencies." Bruce shook his head slightly and started checking his equipment., "you are acting childishly because I refuse to put you in danger. I said you're too young to view those files, and I meant it."

Unwilling to push the matter further, Tim resigned himself to being benched: again. "So, what now? Where are we heading?"

"I am following some leads." Robin glowered as Bruce stood and headed for the Batmobile. "You are going to stay here and begin tracking the Joker."

"What?" This wasn't happening, not again. "We're partners! Fer cryn' out loud, Bruce, I thought we solved this little inequality dilemma! Don't leave me behind. The Doctor's a homicidal maniac! You need back-up!"

"I have it."

"Not Batgirl." He wasn't going to play second fiddle to her. "I'm your partner!"

"She has the physical ability I need in the field." A black gloved hand pointed at the cray. "Your talents lie in computers and forensics. I need you here."

"This isn't fair."

Bruce shook his head wryly. "Life isn't fair."

++++++++++

The Present...

The normally bright and metallic room stood shrouded in darkness. The only light to penetrate its darkened recesses were the stars glittering softly beyond the viewing glass of the universe. In the centre of the room lay a round conference table accustomed to more figures of legend than the two occupying it now.

"I don't think we can keep ignoring this." The quiet voice spoke with the authority of one who has known and sat amongst gods. "The situation has fallen beyond his control. He is a man. A man cannot control the present just as he cannot predict the future. We should have handled this matter ourselves. It's wrong to keep this situation from the others. It's..." The voice momentarily wavered. "A disservice to the dead. To those who fought and sacrificed themselves for the greater good. It's wrong," Cold steel re-entered the voice. "And you know it is."

"We agreed to handle it his way."

The first closed her eyes to the rumblings of the second. "A failing on our part. How much more are we to bend to him? If anyone else had put forward such a proposal we would have stopped it. What power does he hold over us to sway such an opinion in his favour?"

The second smiled, though the motion was lost in the darkness enfolding his features. "He is what he is."

"That is not an excuse."

"No, it's not."

"His actions and instability of mind are affecting those around him. "

"His son."

"His son will weather this. He is strong and independent with the love of an equally strong woman. That is not who I meant."

".........."

"Robin."

"He's a tough kid. He'll pull through."

"Young Justice tells me he is not. They're concerned. I wonder how they would react if they knew the entire truth of the circumstances surrounding their former leader?"

"Are you going to tell them?"

A pause. "No. It is not my place."

"What do you propose we do then?"

"........."

"That's what I thought."

They returned to silence.

++++++++++

"Life is sucking, Kon." Tim complained over a slice of mushroom pizza. "I mean, I'm his partner. It's not Batman and Batgirl. It's Batman and Robin."

From across the table, Kon watched his friend rant. He regretted accepting Robin's pizza invitation but at the same time, he knew he was his friend's only stable confident. And, he mused, as Robin began complaining over the sorry state of his vigilante career, his friend needed someone stable.

The scrawny, baggy eyed kid before was a bare shadow of the person he'd used to know. Rob-no-Tim, had changed, and not for the better. The self-confident, pompous air was gone, replaced with a nervous, fidgety air that spoke of a being too long borne of heartache and unease. He wasn't surprised; living with Batman and Batgirl could make anyone nuts.

He'd suggested more than once to Tim that maybe it'd be in his best interests to give up the hero gig. He suspected his friend would be happier to leave all the crap behind him. Within the last two years he'd watched the closely knit Batclan unravel as its members struggled with divided loyalties, intimate betrayals and a growing instability that threatened to drop them into an abyss deeper than Secret's. He shot back to reality as Tim's voice started rising in pitch.

"Tim." His interruption went unheard as Tim launched into an all-out bitchfest. "Tim!"

"What?"

"You're attracting attention."

Sure enough, several occupants of Pizza Hut were staring pointedly in their direction. For the second time that night, Tim blushed. "Shit. You think they heard?" Lowering his voice, he went back to his vent. "Anyway, he's all gung-ho about this Doctor Slice'n'Dice case. The guy's a total psycho that hacks up his victims. This is real sick shit, Kon. I'm telling you, these guys and gals could pass as Raggedy Ann and Andy."

"Yeah?" Kon hoped Tim wouldn't go into much detail. He wasn't finished his pizza yet. "So what, the guy escaped with the Joker from Arkham?"

"Yeah, but that's not the screwy part."

"Raggedy Ann dolls aren't screwy?"

"Batman locked me out of the files." Tim swallowed loudly then helped himself to another piece. "And get, this, I can't seem to hack my back way in."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah, I spent the better part of the evening trying to hack the Cray."

"I thought you were supposed to be tracking the Joker?"

Tim shrugged. "He'll turn up." An unsteady giggle bubbled from his throat to dance obscenely across the table. "Or a body will show up. It's the way it always goes." Eyes alit with demented merriment, Tim wagged a chiding finger at Kon. "Don't ever let anyone tell you the Joker has a pattern because he doesn't. The man is just like Batman; if he doesn't want you to find him, you won't. Heed my warning: don't go to him, eventually, he will come to you."

"Right." Tim was losing it. Big time. "So, why did Batman lock you out of the Cray?"

"Not the Cray, just Doc Slice'n'Dice." Tim sipped his drink loudly. "He says he doesn't feel I can handle the information contained in those files."

"They probably contain some pretty sick shit. Bats is probably doing you a favour."

"I guess." Tim picked his crumbled napkin off the table. He wiped tomato sauce from the corner of his mouth. "Still, it hurts that he doesn't trust me."

"He's just protecting you."

"I wish he'd stop." Tim sighed. "I wish things were different. I wish I could go back to the life I had, where my biggest problem was what excuse to feed my Dad for disappearing for a couple of days." His emaciated face was pinched. "I wish Steph and I were still friends, and that Batman and I were still partners." His voice hitched. "Most of all, I wish Alfred were still here."

"Yeah well, I wish lots of stuff too, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen."

"Can you ask Cass about it?"

Kon frowned at the abrupt change in topic. Leave it to Tim to be confusing. "About what?"

"About Doctor Slice'n'Dice. The killings took place in Gateway City." Tim leaned over the table eagerly, giving Kon the first indication that his friend was capable of being something other than depressed. "Whether the local authorities handled the case or not, she would still know about it. It was in the Gateway Gazette."

"Why don't you just look up the articles?"

"Besides locking me out of the files, he's also programmed the Cray to curtail any inquiries regarding Doc Slice'n'Dice."

"So go to another computer."

Tim rolled his eyes. "The Cray is connected to every computer in Gotham. Hell, it can intercept inquiries from all over the world. Not even Oracle's system can combat a well placed shut-out from the Cray."

Kon thought about it. If Batman was that adamant about Tim not being on the case, there had to be a good reason for it. "I'm gonna sit this one out, man. If you want info, you'll have to get it yourself. I won't ask Cass. You'll have to call her.."

"Do you really think she'd talk to me?" Tim clenched and unclenched his fist absently. "Aside from you, no one will give me the time of day, remember? Picking up the phone and calling Cassie isn't an option."

After last time, probably not. "Point taken, but I'm not going to ask her."

"Fine, it was just a thought." Tim began drawing rings in his spilt coke. "How's Steph? Did she and Connor finally join the team?"

Relieved at the subject change, Kon released the breath he'd been holding as they returned to neutral ground. "Nope. Haven't heard from either of them."

"Really?" Tim's brow furrowed. "They left Gotham over three months ago. It was my understanding their intent was to hook up with you guys." He chuckled darkly. "Since I'm no longer welcome, Stephie figured it was an opportune time to join."

Ignoring the barb, Kon finished his pizza and reached for his wallet. "I haven't heard from them." He took out a couple of fives. "This has been loads of fun, Tim, but I gotta bail."

Tim waved away the cash. "I got the bill, Kon."

"You sure?"

"I did the inviting." Tim smiled a sad, little smile. "And you actually came. Not many people do that."

Feeling awkward, Kon laid a hand on Tim's shoulder and squeezed. "Dude, I'm always just a phone call away." Tim nodded. "So, I gotta high-tail it. Mister Lee-lee's gonna be hacked I haven't patched up the hole in his apartment yet."

"Sure, " Tim dropped a twenty on the table before following Kon outside. "I gotta go too. Batman has probably noticed I'm not in the Batcave by now."

"Take care man." Kon flashed a grin. Taking to the air, he disappeared in a blur of red and blue. "Call me."

Tim watched him go. The empty feeling he'd been battling all night returned. He wondered if Kon would actually speak to Cassie for him.

+++++++

"Where have you been?" Cassandra Sandsmark arose from the couch where she'd been reading Glamour to embrace her boyfriend. "I was starting to get worried."

Kon returned the embrace. Cass felt great. So strong and warm. After the impersonal cold of Gotham it felt good to be back in the presence of optimism and stability. "I was out." He planted a kiss on her forehead. "Just out."

"Out where?" Cassie eyed him suspiciously. Kon was rotten liar. While he could pull off a good impersonation of righteous indignation, his eyes gave him away every time. "You were with Tim."

Sighing, Kon released her. He flopped onto the couch, carelessly propping his feet upon the cracked coffee table he'd rescued from the garbage last week. "He needed to talk."

"What he needs is a psych exam." Cassie shook her head. Tim was a loose cannon. While she didn't pretend to know or understand his circumstances, she wasn't willing to forgive his indiscretions as easily as Kon-el. "And some damn strong medication."

"What he needs is to get the hell out of Gotham."

"And go where?" Cass waved her hand around the run-down apartment she and Kon currently shared. "Here? We can't accommodate a third person! We can barely accommodate ourselves!"

"Not here."

"You gonna stick him at the YJ Resort with Secret?" Cassie's blue eyes rolled heavenward as she beseeched the gods for a revelation. "That'll go over well. They can try to kill each other again."

"That was a mistake, Cass. He never meant to hurt anyone, least of all Secret. He was upset."

"Demented, you mean. Insane. Nuts. Los Locos. Cuckoo-"

"His Dad was missing."

"A Dad he didn't seem to care too much about before." Cassie paced the worn carpet, kicking up dust as she went. "Oh wait, I forgot, he was upset because he and his stepmom couldn't collect any money until the old boy was declared dead!"

"That's harsh, Cass." Anger crept into Kon's voice. "Tim never cared about the money and you know it. If money was all he was after he could have hacked the bank and transferred it to some off-shore account where no one would find it. It was his stepmom that wanted the cash."

Cassie closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she dropped herself into a quick tranquillity trance she'd learned from Troia. She re-opened her eyes to find Kon staring at her, a small half-smile upon his face.

"Are you calm?"

"I'm calm." He held up his arms and she went to him. "I just get a little excited. I don't mean anything personal against Tim. He's your friend and in his stabler days was an asset to Young Justice. Kon, I know things are tough for him, but I can't allow him back on the team. At least not until he proves to me he has a handle on things again. You understand, don't you?"

Kon kissed her tenderly, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips. "I hear you." He left her lips to nuzzle her neck. "You're responsible for the well-being of the team. I get that."

He was trying to change the subject. She hated when he did that. Trying not to enjoy the feel of his lips sucking that oh-so-tender spot on her neck, she tried one last attempt to explain her position. "He knowingly tried to hurt Secret. He was using our computers to gain access to Police and bank files that weren't his to look at. I couldn't stand by. Not only would he get himself into trouble, he'd take the rest of us down with him too."

"You're a great leader Cass." Kon's hands were under her shirt now. She moaned as his hands found her breasts.. "You're a caring and responsible person. You did what you had to do. I don't dispute that. Tim certainly doesn't."

"Tim's a headcase." Giving herself over to the throes of passion, she allowed Kon to carry her to the bedroom. Any further thoughts of Tim and his problems were miles away.

++++++++

The Present

"We go."

Robin stared blearily into Batgirl's face. Where had he been just now? "What's the game plan?"

"We leave Gotham." Batgirl grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. "Not safe here."

Robin felt the familiar hopeless laughter bubbling in his chest. "No place is safe."

"We take midnight train to Bludhaven." Batgirl was already shooting out a line. " Nightwing help us."

"Nightwing's dead."

That got her attention. Lowering her arm, she turned to look at him. Even with the mask, he knew she was surprised. "Barbara?"

"Dead."

"When?" She was advancing on him now, moving with all the stealth of a panther ready to devour its food.

He felt himself step back. "Yesterday."

"You knew and not say anything?" A black gloved hand shot forth to encircle itself around his neck. He didn't fight her. "I try to call. I not get answer. You knew? Why not tell?"

His airway was closing. He'd suffocate before he could tell her anything. Stupid Cassandra. All brawn and no brain. He gestured towards his neck. Understanding dawned and she released him. He fell to the cement. Shuddering, he took in deep, lungful of air. "They're dead. What's to tell?"

"You see bodies?"

He shook his head. Poor Cassandra, she was completely clueless.

"Robin, tell me!" Desperation crept into her voice. She was close to losing it. Losing it like him. Losing it like everyone who had ever dared gain entry into the house of the Bat. "How you know they dead?"

A mirthless smile donned his lips. "I killed them."

++++++++++

"Timbo!" Dick threw open the door and embraced his little brother. "Kiddo, how goes it?"

Tim bit back a harsh reply and instead dropped his suitcase on Dick's foot. He knew damn well how things were. "Fine." Pushing past Dick into the apartment, he pretended to not be impressed by the new lay-out and decor. The hardwood floors were shiny enough to let Tim see the bags beneath his eyes. Deep red walls, bamboo window shades, candles and wicker furniture adorned with pillows helped bring together the whole chi feeling. If situation weren't as dismal as it was, he might have uttered a witty comment to the current state of cleanliness. No dirty underwear or socks anywhere. Instead, he fixed Dick with a bored look. "Where's my room?"

Dick picked up his suitcase, the dopey grin still plastered over his face. "This way. Babs and I were gonna turn it into a nursery," he paused there, as if expecting Tim to comment. "but um, I convinced her you wouldn't like sleeping in a room with Winnie the Pooh on the walls."

"Thanks." He followed Dick wordlessly to the rear of the apartment. To his surprise, he discovered his room was Dick's. "Uh, I think there's a mistake here."

Dick swung open the door, tossing his suitcase onto the bed. "No mistake. This is your pad. Barb and I added on another room beside the kitchen. We've got our very own master bedroom equipped with Jacuzzi and skylight for easy access."

"Cool."

"I'll, um, leave you to unpack." Dick inched around Tim as the younger boy stood routed at the threshold of the room. "Since Babs is helping Dinah with recon tonight, I was thinking you and I could order pizza for supper and watch some movies. That okay with you?"

Not receiving an answer Dick left, casting concerned glances over his shoulder as he disappeared into the kitchen. Tim was still standing in the doorway when he poked his head in to see what topping the kid wanted.

"Tim?"

"What?"

Dick clasped his hands on the boy's shoulder, directing him to the bed where his suitcase lay. "How about we get you settled in?" Tim stood at the foot of the bed, making no move towards his suitcase. Dick sighed and opened the suitcase, laying its contents on the bed. "Do you like the room?"

"It's okay." Tim slowly surveyed the decor, his blue eyes unblinking as he took in the work desk, obviously new, in the corner. His computer and stereo were already hooked up. "It looks like the living room."

"Yeah," Dick dumped an armload of socks and underwear into the top drawer of Tim's new dresser. "We thought you could use some good vibes. Totally chi."

"Sure you did." Dick froze at the comment, spoken so quietly, but with such hate, Tim might as well have shouted. "Everyone was falling over themselves to see who would get stuck with me."

"That's not true." Facing his little brother, Dick searched the boy's eyes carefully. He was shocked to see the lack of life dancing within them. "It's just that....everything sort of happened at a bad time. Bruce isn't exactly himself yet. Alfred had um, he'd just..."

"Walked out?" Tim supplied and flopped down on the bed. "You and Babs got married. This week is supposed to be your honeymoon, but instead, you're getting saddled with me."

"Tim." Dick flopped down next to the dejected boy. "I know you feel like we don't want you. You feel like you're unwanted or imposing...I get that. I know how it feels."

"Alfred was there when you came to the manor. You don't know how it feels." Tim rolled away, curling into a fetal position. "You have no idea what I'm going through."

"When my parents died, it was hard. In a matter of minutes my life was ripped apart. Everything changed. I changed."

"You're forgetting one very big difference."

"What's that?"

"When your parents died, you knew they loved you. That's not the case with me. My Dad is gone and I don't know if he truly loved me. God knows Dana didn't. As you can see, I'm here instead of in Colorado with her."

Dick floundered. He didn't know how to handle this. He wasn't a parent. Barbara was the maternal one. She should be here dealing with this. Christ, he was still working on conquering his own emotional baggage without getting dumped with someone else's.

"Stephanie and I broke up."

Shit. "Timmy, I'm sorry bro."

"No you're not. You didn't even like her."

"I don't have to like her to feel badly for you." In a sudden burst of paternal warmth born of a man burned by love too many times, Dick drew Timothy into a hug. "It hurts," he tapped Tim's chest. "In here, but I promise it'll go away. When you least expect it you'll meet some amazing girl and that will be it. The only thing you'll feel again is happiness."

"That's bullshit."

"That's my advice," Dick half-joked. "take it or leave it."

"I'll leave it, thanks." Tim pulled away. Sitting up, he slowly began sorting clothes. "As much as I appreciate these male bonding moments, I'd like to be alone right now."

Dick nodded. Once again at a loss, he rose slowly. "I'll call you when the pizza arrives."

"Don't bother." Tim scowled at him. "I'm not hungry."

Dick jumped as the door slammed behind him.

+++++++++++

Batgirl wished Kon would come to visit her. She'd spotted his blue and red form flying towards Gotham Heights and suddenly realized why she couldn't get a hold of Robin. Scowling beneath her mask, she settled herself into a more comfortable position for a long drawn stake out.

Batman was no where to be seen. He'd barked a few orders, most of which were to stay put, and then vanished. Steamed, but not willing to dispute him, she'd picked a spot beside a particularly grotesque gargoyle and settled in for the night.

She didn't know why she had to stay put. Nothing ever happened at the Gotham Cathedral except weddings and funerals. Dick and Barbara got married here. She had been the bouncer. Well, technically she'd been an usher with Robin, but the only people she'd ushered were the reporters not invited to the wedding, but who still showed up with their cameras. She'd been scolded later and Batman had said something about a lawsuit, but those were words she didn't understand and didn't particularly care about.

That was the first time she'd been to the Cathedral. It had been a happy a visit. Her second visit was not quite so pleasant. She'd been here for the funeral of Robin's dad. She'd sat beside him in the front row. That had been a sad day. Robin had been very upset. At least the entire event had not been suck. She brightened as she remembered the pretty black dress Barbara had bought her for the occasion. She liked black.

She wished she had a place to wear her dress. She wished she were inside the church instead of sitting outside with the gargoyles. Why did Batman have her sitting here, anyway?

"Is suck." she gravely informed the gargoyle, who had no response other than the leering smile upon its chiselled face. "I want fun with Robin and Superboy."

"Let's go."

He startled her. It wasn't often people could sneak up on her but lately, he'd been doing a good job.

"Batgirl, we're leaving."

She didn't know why he bothered to talk to her. She could read his body language better than she heard his words. The tense ripple of muscle over his shoulders and ramrod straight poster were verbal enough. He was mad. About what she didn't know, but then Batman always seemed to be mad. "Where go?"

"Home."

She glanced towards the sky. "Is early!"

"Home."

Not waiting for her to follow, he shot out a line. Batgirl scowled but followed. Shooting out a line, she sped to catch up with the dark figure ahead. She caught him at the train yards. "Where car?"

"I left it." He pointed to the crisscross of trains momentarily stopped as the lines changed. "We'll take the train home."

"Okay." Train rides were fun. Robin took the trains to see Nightwing in Bludhaven. Sometimes she went with him to see Barbara. "Why not use car?"

"I have my reasons." They climbed onto the roof of the number seven. It would take them right past Wayne Manor.

"What about the Doctor?"

Batman's entire body tensed. His jaw was clenched so tightly she could hear his teeth grind. His face hardened to that of a statue's. The opaque lenses in his cowl were narrow slits. "I'll deal with him."

"Okay." The train lurched and they were off. As they sped towards home, she wondered again why they'd gone to the church.

~tbc~