Chpt. I: Alive

"Cheyenne," Richard gasped as he rushed to Cheyenne's side, leaping onto the bed & holding her head up onto his lap. He watched as her eyes fluttered in & out of slumber, & as her breathing grew quieter & quieter.

Richard searched his bedroom for answers. He needed to act quickly. Cheyenne could be dying. What did he have that could help her?

Richard set Cheyenne's head over his shoulder & carried her up with his arms, cradling her like a child. He went to his bathroom door & kicked it open. Richard walked over to the bathtub & set Cheyenne's body down. He turned on the water faucet, then turned the knob 90 degrees towards the hot setting. He watched as the tub filled up with steaming water. He reached for Cheyenne's hand & squeezed it tight. "Cheyenne," he breathed.

She lay still for minutes, not moving, not making a sound, not even flinching at the sensation of scorching heat. This didn't make sense. Was this really Cheyenne? How could it be here, right now? Was this real?

Richard thought to the past week & a half he spent away, chasing down a red hooded vigilante that was dropping bodies from Gotham City to Star City. He discovered the Red Hood to be none other than Jason Todd. Somehow, the fallen Robin had come back to life & was murdering criminals in hopes of gaining enough attention from the Batman to enact vengeance on Bruce.

And now Cheyenne was laying in Richard's bathtub.

Richard rubbed his face with his hands. How were people just coming back to life all of a sudden? Was this just an act of some unholy forces? Something supernatural & demonic? Was this another trick? A trap? Some result of a cloning process that went haywire? Or maybe it succeeded, & Cheyenne was the living proof. When he last saw her, Cheyenne perished in a fire in the hands of John Constantine. Cadmus cleaned up the mess, however, covering up the facts of the event. Could Cadmus have done something? Or was it Constantine?

It didn't matter. Richard would figure that out soon.

Suddenly, Cheyenne bursted out a scream of agony, splashing in the steaming water. Richard rushed to shut the water off, being splashed in the process. Richard grabbed Cheyenne's shoulders & cooed softly, calming her down. "Cheyenne, it's okay. It's me. It's Dick. I'm here now, you're safe."

Cheyenne's breathing slowed to a steady pace. She glanced towards Richard & smiled softly. She laid her damp head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her small frame. "Dick," she managed to breathe softly.

Richard handed Cheyenne a blanket for her hair. She wore a towel around her body as her clothes were left drying over a rail in Richard's balcony. Richard watched as she shivered, still attempted to dry herself off. He honestly wasn't sure about his method of waking her up. He had totally forgotten attempting CPR on her, or even checking for a pulse. After all...it was Cheyenne.

"Do you...need a glass of water?" Richard asked.

Cheyenne looked up at Richard with tired eyes & nodded. "That would be good," Cheyenne said softly.

Richard got up from the bed next to Cheyenne & walked out of the bedroom, making his way through his cozy living room, to his kitchen. He walked to the fridge & opened it, grabbing a bottle of water. He glanced down on the fridge door shelf & noticed a few bottles of beer. Richard scoffed. The last time he saw Cheyenne, the two of them were sharing a beer together.

Richard opened the bottle of water & poured it into a glass. He instantly kicked himself. He didn't need to do that; he could have just given her the bottle. He turned to the fridge to grab some ice cubes, then hesitated. Should he give her ice in her water? She wanted to cool off from the bath, but, she was cold NOW. Richard sighed, walking back to the bedroom, confused & nervous. Richard smiled as he approached Cheyenne, handing her the glass of water.

Cheyenne took the glass from Richard's hand & smiled back, then took a sip from the glass. She gulped as she took down a mouthful of water, as though she hadn't had a drink in years. Richard arched his eyebrow at this.

Cheyenne sighed. She looked around the apartment, then back at Richard. "Dick, uh…" Cheyenne's voice trailed off as she began to say something, although it didn't seem like she had the right words to say.

Richard leaned forward. "I...have a lot of questions, Cheyenne," he started.

Cheyenne nodded. "Yeah. I...I think I knew that. I don't know."

Richard bit his lip. He glanced towards Cheyenne's hand & found himself slowing reaching for her hand. Before the two even made a physical connection, she interlocked her fingers with Richard's.

Cheyenne gasped a pleased breath. "Whoa," she said softly.

Richard smiled, rubbing his other hand around their hands. He brought her hand up to his mouth & kissed it. "Cheyenne, you have no idea how happy & confused & scared I am right now."

Cheyenne took a sip from her water, then set it down on a nightstand beside the bed. She inched forward, towards Richard. "Why, Dick?"

Richard shook his head. "I don't know. A lot has changed since the last time I saw you. I mean...after Roy & I found you in Chinatown back in Gotham, I...I thought I lost you."

Cheyenne stared at Richard as he continued. "I have been through so much since that night. I fell in love again, but...I also was hurt. A lot. I hurt a lot of people, too. I...I became a vigilante, working alongside the Batman. Then...things got stranger. Metahumans kept appearing, & criminals got stronger. I...I lost a lot of people, Cheyenne. People died, people changed, & I lost trust in a lot of friends, & a lot lost trust in me. I...I had to get away from everything." Richard smiled, reminiscing. "I remember when Roy told me, after what happened in Chinatown, that he needed a familiar face. And you appearing now...it could very well be an omen, but, I'd like to think it's a blessing."

Cheyenne smiled, rubbing her hands around Richard's. Then she sighed, & her face shifted to something sadder. "Dick, I...I don't remember what happened in Chinatown. I have a vague memory of something happening there, & I remember some nights with a girl named Kori & Rachel, but...it's in pieces. What happened that night?"

Richard caught himself at a loss for words. Had she really lost her memory, or was it a ploy? It didn't matter. "You...you died, Cheyenne. There was a fire. This...man, John Constantine. He set the place on fire. He...he killed you. But he was sent by this other man, Nolan Drake. He called the hit, burning the warehouse down. It was just to hurt me. Nolan...he wanted to destroy me by killing you."

Cheyenne nodded slowly, glancing down at her feet. Somehow, the notion of her dying seemed to fly right over her head. Cheyenne cleared her throat. "Are...are you sure I died?"

Richard scoffed. "I really don't know, you tell me!"

Cheyenne rubbed her hands over her thighs. "I mean...I remember Chinatown, but, it's all faded. I remember life from after Chinatown. I remember studying to become a fashion designer in Metropolis, & moving here to Blüdhaven. But...I don't remember that fire. A few nights ago, I just got a feeling, some feeling. I knew I needed to come here, but I wasn't sure why. One of your nice old neighbors let me in. She called me 'Barb', & gave me a spare key that she said you left with her. I've just been here for a few hours. I wasn't sure why, but, I just a feeling."

Richard stared at Cheyenne, trying to read her sincerity. He wanted to believe her, but, something still kept him from being able to fully open his arms up to her again. But...part of Richard just didn't care. He just wanted to hold her again, after having lost her for so long.

But Ms. Goldstein confused her with Barbara. That much just hurt & confused Richard even more.

"So...fashion design, huh?" Richard asked, trying to get Cheyenne to reveal more to him that he could use to piece together the mystery.

Cheyenne nodded. "Yeah, my parents managed to send me there after all of the time I spent making dresses out of scratch in high school."

Richard arched his eyebrow. "Your...parents," he started. He grew up with this girl in an orphanage, where she left after years to be adopted by the Fosters. These were the cruel parents who emotionally abused her, causing her to run away.

Cheyenne smiled. "Linda & Xavier were really kind to me, to be honest. I was happy to be with them."

Richard bit his lip. She was scarred by the supernatural occurrence that caused her parents to shun Cheyenne & disown the poor girl. She...she hated them. Right? Richard sighed. "There is definitely something up, here. Things are different. I...I need a second opinion on this."

Cheyenne nodded softly. "I...I guess that's understandable. I'll let you do what you need to do."

Richard nodded, standing from the bed & walking out of the bedroom. He swung the door, letting it close slightly, but not wanting to leave it completely shut. He sighed & rubbed his temples as he walked towards the balcony. He leaned over the rail, looking out into the skyline of Blüdhaven. He wanted to be done with the abnormal & crazy things in his life. He wanted it all to be over, but...it would never be that way. Richard groaned, running a frustrated hand through his hair. How could the dead just...come back? With new memories?

Richard shook his head. It was a clone. Cheyenne was a clone, programmed with new memories. Cadmus had done it before, with Jim Harper. They could have done it with Cheyenne too. After all, they were at the crime scene after the fire destroyed the warehouse, along with Cheyenne.

It was a clone. Right?

Richard took his phone out & stared at it. He needed someone, anyone to talk to. Part of him wanted to dial Roy's number, but...he was just getting settled into a life off the grid again. He couldn't bother him so soon. He thought of Tim, but, Tim never knew Cheyenne. No one else knew about Cheyenne, other than Bruce. But...he couldn't go to Bruce.

Richard sighed. He knew exactly who to call. He was just scared to call her.