Chapter 1- An Unexpected Call
Author's Notes: I reference a lot of material from The Killing Joke which this story is based on. It is the events that happens afterwards, keep in mind that this is not explored in any way in the comic book, so enjoy. It's just to give background information to you if you did not read the graphic novel.
Gotham City
Commissioner Gordon's Home 5:20pm
"I hate this. Whenever we jail him, I think "please god, keep him there." Then he escapes and all we sit around hoping he won't do anything TOO awful this time." Jim Gordon said, clipping out news articles about the Batman and his war on the crime of Gotham, it was something he did for fun.
"Dad, just once could you leave your work at the office and relax? I made you cocoa."
"Thank you, sweetheart. I'll drink it when I've pasted this latest clipping in."
"Y'know, I found that Catwoman scrapbook you said was missing. It was behind the wardrobe. Some day you ought to let me work out a proper filing system, like we used at the library," Barbara said setting down a tray with two cups of cocoa on the table.
"Urrgh. Look, you used too much paste! It's all squidging under the edges of the clipping. You're going to get it on your pants…" Barbara said, holding a cup and extending her hand so he would see what she was pointing to.
"Barbara, you're fussier than your mother wa… Was that the door?" Jim said wondering who could be at the door this hour.
"Yeah. It'll be Colleen from across the street. Tonight's our yoga class. C'mon DAD… company! Put your scrapbooks away."
"Heh. Look at this one. First time they met. Now what year was that?"
"Well. I remember you describing the white face and the green hair to me when I was a kid. Scarred the hell out of me."
"I thought you'd be interested."
"Yeah, well, I had some interesting nightmares." Barbara said gripping the doorknob.
Barbara opened the door to see a man with a white face in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. He was pointing the revolver at waist level.
Before she knew it, a pain was shooting throughout her whole body. She fell back on the glass coffee table, head first, gripping her wound tightly.
"Barb?" Jim said, checking her for a pulse to see if she was still alive.
"Please don't worry. It's a psychological complaint. Common amongst ex-librarians. You see, she thinks she's a coffee table edition. Mind you, I can't say much for the volume's collection."
"I mean, there's a hole in the jacket and the spine appears to be damaged."
"You, you scum, my daughter, I'll…"
One of the men punched Jim in the stomach.
"Frankly, she won't be walking off the shelves in that state of repair. In fact, the idea of her walking anywhere seems increasingly remote. But then, that's always a problem with softbacks."
"God, these literary discussions are so dry. When you're finished with the old boy, you know where to take him. And please… do be careful! After all, he is topping the bill."
"You know, it's a shame you'll miss your father's debut, Miss Gordon."
"Sadly, our venue wasn't built with the disabled in mind. But don't worry… I'll take some snapshots to remind him of you."
"Wuh… Wuh… Why… Are You…. Dhh… Doing this..?"
"To prove a point, here's to crime."
Gotham General Hospital
"The bullet went through her spine. I'm afraid her legs are completely useless. Putting it bluntly, she may well be in a chair for the remainder of her life." The doctor stated, not having even a little bit of hope.
"Some woman inna same yoga class as Miss Gordon found her, name of Colleen Reese. She found the, uh, victim in a state of undress. But otherwise the place was empty. The commissioner was…"
"Undress?" Bruce asked.
"They didn't tell you? He'd removed her clothing after shooting her. We, uh… well, we found a lens cap on the floor that didn't fit any camera in the place. We believe that, uhh…."
"Well, he took some pictures. of her."
"Jeez, look, really, I'm sorry. I thought you knew. It's pretty sick, ain't it."
Bruce's face became filled with rage about what he did to Barbara, after all she was like a daughter to him.
"Yes. Pretty sick, Please leave us alone for a moment." Bruce said crushing the joker card in his hand.
"Barbara?" Bruce said, running his hand on Barbara's check to make sure she was breathing.
"Barbara, can you hear me?"
"It's me."
"It's Bruce."
"Bruce?..."
"Bruce… It was him… took Dad… H-…He…"
"Oh god! Oh God! I remember! Oh, Bruce, What he did…" Barbara said gripping him in a vice lock, wondering just what the hell happened to her.
"Barbara, take it easy. It's okay…"
"No! No, it's not okay! He's… He's taking it to the limit this time… You didn't see. You didn't see his eyes.
"H-he said he wanted to- puh- prove a point… said… Dad was… top of the bill. Wh- what's he doing to him, Bruce?"
"What's he doing to my father?"
With that Bruce pulled her hands of his Kevlar armor. He wanted to it be okay but it won't, since he called Dick and Wally to get here as soon as possible.
He figured that he would track Joker down after they both got here or at least one of them.
After all that happened, he could not leave her alone, not now.
Gotham City, 2007
7:30 EST
Richard and Wally were out on patrol, just a routine patrol; run around the streets of Gotham and stop any crime simple enough. It was something that they did every Friday night, just the two of them; no one else except this time.
It brought them closer as friends. Batgirl was supposed to be with them, but she took the night off to spend with her father, something she neglected for a while.
"So what's been going on with you and Barbara?" Wally asked. "Nothing, we're just friends."
"Sure and I'm the fastest man alive on the planet." Wally said sarcastically.
"But you aren't Barry is!" Dick explained.
"You sure do know how to hurt my feelings."
"That I do even after all these years."
The news they were about to receive would change the team forever.
Dick's phone rang from the inside of his outfit; without thinking; he picked it up and answered in his usual voice.
"Dick, it's Bruce; Barbara's been shot."
"What do you mean shot?" Dick asked.
"Joker shot her in the spine, he wanted to get back at her father; this was his sick way of doing just that."
"Where is she?" Dick asked frantically; wondering if Barbara was still alive; he did not want to admit it, but he cared for her more than just a friend.
"Gotham General Hospital, fourth floor, room 414."
"We'll be right there."
"Dude, what happened?"
"Batgirl's been shot, let's go."
Wally was the fastest way to get there, Dick thought to himself; without thinking, Dick hopped into Wally's arms, since their vehicles were about a mile away; he just hoped he was not too late. If he was he would never forgive himself.
Gotham General Hospital
8:00pm
They arrived about twenty minutes later, Wally was out breath; he stopped to catch his breath since that was the most running he did in a while, he was planning to take the weekend off anyway he figured he did not need to run.
"You go on; I need to get something to eat, running makes me hungry what can I say."
"Ok, meet me in room 414."
"Ok, see you there."
Dick ran to the stairs since the line for the elevator was out the door. Running up the stairs was something he made a habit after losing to Slade Wilson back in the day, when he was still with the Titans.
Arriving at the door of room 414, he walked in; not knowing what he would find on the other side.
Looking around, he found Barbara on the bed, staring out the window, looking like she lost something and desperately wanted it back.
"Dick, take care, I got to leave, JLA business." Bruce explained. As soon as Bruce walked out the door, the doctor who was taking care of Barbara came in, a look of sadness was written all over his face.
"I have some bad news". The doctor said.
"Get on with it doctor, I haven't got all day." Barbara snapped at him.
"The bullet is lodged in your spine, I'm afraid you'll never walk again."
Barbara broke down crying, tears flooding her eyes; thinking about all the things she will never get do again; walking, fighting crime or even gymnastics which was something that was near and dear to her heart.
Dick took the chair and pulled it to the side of the bed.
"I can't even begin to understand what you're going through." Dick said.
"You don't get it, I'll never walk again." Barbara said in a slightly depressed and angry voice, crossing her slender arms together like used to do whenever she was mad at Dick.
Dick stared into her cerulean eyes, not blinking not even for a second. Barbara just say there, brooding, thinking about all the ways her life was over.
"I know, but Dick, I'm never to going to walk again." Barb explained.
"Can I tell something?"
"Sure, I'm not going anywhere."
"Years ago, I fought Deathstroke one on one; he stabbed a sword through my stomach, piercing an artery, I laid there in a pool of my blood for hours. I thought I was going to die; the one thing that kept me going was my will to live and to do good for humanity… and you." Dick explained.
"I have never told anyone that, not even Bruce."
"Dick."
"Barbara, listen to me. I love you; I always have since the day you made your own bat costume. There is nothing in this world I would not give for you. Seeing you like this is killing me, I just want you to be happy." Dick said.
"I know you do, I knew from the first moment you laid eyes on me; you were dumb struck like you had been hit by lightning." Barbara laughed, a smile appearing on her face.
They both hugged and embraced each other's presence; knowing that no matter what happens they will always have each other's back, no matter what. The rain pattered on the window sill, as they both looked up from each other; they saw the batsignal in the dark moonlight sky.
"I guess duty calls."
"I guess it does, go get them tiger."
Dick grabbed Wally running out the door and Barbara just sat there; knowing that they were the one thing right now in her life that mattered the most to her. She was content with that; remembering something Bruce told her when she first started out.
"Remember that if you make yourself more than just a woman, if you devote yourself to an ideal… you become something else entirely. A legend."