Batgirl & Robin: The Fairytale Duelling Duo

CHAPTER 1: You Have My Book!

Barbara hissed as she heard another break of giggles. She tried to focus on her assignment, but the distraction was too loud and strong. No, no. This is no doing of the Joker. The master of this crime was Dick Grayson.

She scowled as the crowd of girls around him cooed as he flicked his black hair to the side and gave them a smile. This was no place for a jock like Dick, he should be out on the field. But who resist the hot study mates in the library?

Barbara slumped her head onto the book she had on the study desk as she sighed with frustration.

He is SO annoying! Everywhere he goes, they follow him! Like moths to a flame! Like a group of vultures feasting on a dead lion!

"Oh Richard, you are so intelligent!"

"I know! Is there anything you don't know?"

"Yeah, he doesn't know how to SHUT UP!" hissed Barbara.

Dick stopped smiling and showing off to see where the interruption had come from. His eyebrows raised as he spotted the silky red hair that belonged to his colleague.

Ah, Babs. He thought as he smiled to himself. Batgirl and Robin might be an awesome team, but Barbara in the library plus me, was definitely NOT a good combination.

"Hey Babs! Whatcha reading?" he asked from across the room.

"This is NOT high school, Grayson." he heard her sigh.

"No, but it's College, great place to hook up with people…like you." he called.

There was a sudden tap on his shoulder, as the girls around him giggled. Ms. Dorson, the College librarian, was glaring at him.

"Uh, hi, Ms. Dorson. How are the old books?" he said with a weak smile.

"OUT OF MY LIBRARY!" she shouted.

Dick sighed and left the building with his stuff. The girls cooed and followed him out. Barbara dropped her shoulders with relief.

Finally! I can actually get some work done!

She scanned through the instructions of her assignment, and her eyes widened when she read the requirement list.

"A fairytale book? You've got to be kidding me! I'm nineteen! Not seven!"

She made her way to the fiction section of the library, and began her search for the book. But minutes later, her librarian skills were out-skilled. It was nowhere to be seen. Barbara decided to ask the lady at the desk.

"Excuse me, is 'Enchanted Fairytales' by Sheila Twix still on the shelf?" she asked.

"No, I'm sorry. It was just taken out by someone a few minutes ago."

"Can you tell me who?" she asked.

The lady scrolled the wheel of her mouse and clicked it a few times.

"Enchanted Fairytales was borrowed by Dick Grayson. It'll be back in three weeks." the lady said.

Barbara smiled with her mouth closed and her teeth clenched as she nodded and left the library.

This better be a joke. Because, whenever Richard Grayson is involved with a book, it implies to me that either Alfred is reading him bed time stories, or he's having a laugh with the Joker.

She had time to catch her breath when she reached the gates of Wayne Manor. Her hand opened the lock without fear or sign of anxiety. After all, she needed that book, and nothing was going to stop her.

The front lawn was beautifully trimmed and decorated, another great doing from Alfred. There was nothing unfamiliar, of course. She'd been here millions of times before; tagging along with her dad, party invitation…Batman meetings. When she reached the door, she heard the loud, vibrating sound of rock music, coming from the inside of the house. That would mean either Bruce was out, or Alfred and Dick were playing Guitar Hero.

Barbara rang the doorbell, and waited for someone to open the door. She rang it a few more times before discovering that the front door was already open.

A frown appeared on her face as she peered in and saw Dick on the couch, eating pizza while listening to music on the super amplifier.

"Dick! What on earth are you doing?" she said with her best Bruce voice.

Dick looked startled as he began looking around and clearing everything on the table frantically.

"U-uh Bruce! Bruce my buddy, I uh-"

Barbara stopped giggling to herself when she spotted the old book on the edge of the table. And gasped as she watched it tip over the edge as Dick knocked it his hand. She leapt and her arms lundged for it, catching it from its fall. He looked down as her, his head towering over her.

"You're not Bruce." he remarked.

"And you're not a very good book-carer!" she snapped.

"So what, are we saving books now? Who's after it? Penguin? Riddler? Poison Ivy?" he asked sarcastically.

"Look! If you can't take care of a library book, I'll take it home with me! There are people who actually NEED it!" she growled.

"Hey! I need it for my assignment!"

"Didn't look like you need it!

"Give it back!"

Dick grabbed one end of the book, and Barbara clung onto the other.

"No!"

"Babs!"

"Call me Babs, one more time-"

"Babs, Babs, Babs, Babs, Babs, Babs-"

"Stop it! Just SHUT UP!"

"Make me!"

"You're sounding like a four-year old! Grow up!"

"BABS, BABS, BABS, BABS, BABS-"

Suddenly, they two lost their grip on both ends of the book, as it fell to the ground and opened to the middle page. They were about to pick it up at the same time, when the pages started to flick madly to the right by themselves. Dick and Barbara were shocked as they were paralysed in the spot. Suddenly, a voice came from the book:

Find each item in all eight tales

In order to be ever prevail

Every story an ending must please

Or forever in this book, you will be ceased

The pages stopped flicking, as they saw that it had stopped on the first page. A purple light started to shine, as Dick had time to read two words from the page before they were sucked into the book.

"Snow White…"