I do not own any DC comic characters. I've always loved Nightwing/Huntress romance. This takes place mere minutes before no man's land ends, but with a twist. What is No man's land? READ THE FRICKIN COMIC BOOK

Jesus Christ did this hurt.

Multiple thoughts of the sort ran through her head as she attempted to relax her strained neck on the pillow, but still the pain of the wound and the itching of the bandages mad e any attempt of relaxing impossible.

Still, it was nothing compared to the pain she felt that night when it happened. "Fucking clown!" she cursed to the wind. Her anger at the self proclaimed, clown prince of crime, had somewhat relinquished it's hold on her ever since she found out of his punishment.

Shot in the knee, even for Joker that still had to suck like hell. She had commemorated Gordon for his killer right hook to the Joker's face and the shot to the knee, and offered her condolences to hid recent bride Sarah.

From what she heard from Tim when he had snuck back to no man's land, Joker had shot her in the head with that long nosed revolver of his and had just left the station to the crowd of masked crime fighters and cops and plainly said, "I surrender."

But why? Why did the Joker surrender? He could have killed many of the children before Batman and the others arrived. So why? Could Joker had just wanted to fuck with Jim Gordon's family yet again? He permanently crippled his daughter and murdered his bride.

Helena, the Huntress, then turned her thoughts to her fellow masked knights. Tim was probably at home with his father, celebrating the end of the no man's land and maybe planning to return to Gotham. She often admired the young Robin, how he had so many problems of his own yet appeared so clueless to the outside world.

The pain suddenly made it's way back with a vengeance as she was forced to sit upright.

Outside, she could hear the drunken survivors of the long period of disarray and destruction, drunkenly singing around the barrel fire.

The cold air of winter snaked it's way through the tent flap and stung her body that was covered by hospital gown and a thin blanket. She imagined that it would be more comfortable in a newly built hospital yet they weren't to open until tomorrow when Gotham would officially be apart of America once again.

The cold sent violent shivers up her spine. She definitely needed something to distract her from the cold. Warmth, warmth. Her mind drastically began to reel back through her memories to find one that would black out the numbness of the cold.

"When was the warmest I've been?" she asked herself, she already knew the answer. It was that morning when she awoke to find herself in her bed, yet she was sharing it with another.

Her thoughts then drifted away to that man. "Nightwing." She lazily whispered to the air. She had remembered when Joker had shot that final bullet and she slumped against the door of the refuge center, he pointed the pistol to her head and finally, she thought death would meet her. Yet a pair of dark angels had come swinging out of the night.

"Huntress!" he had yelled to the wind as his mentor and him cleaned up Joker and Quinn. She barley remebered what happened till he clutched her in his arms.

"Baby." she had whispered to him almost seductivley, as if it was a pet name for him. Yet even then her damn pride had reared it's head again. "He....he wanted the babies."

"Why you should have seen the young man when he ran in here with you cradled in his arms." She remembered Alfred reminiscing when she had come to. "I told him to rush off and all he said to me was 'Alfred.....Please' my you should have seen the look of desperation in his eyes."

Just thinking about the acrobatic soldier of Bludhaven made everything disappear. Yet the cold stung her spine again when she thought of what he might be doing tonight.

"Oracle." She thought. Now she had no disrespect for this girl, not the night a death of the family was commemorated. She'd often wonder how close Nightwing wanted to be with her.

From what she could tell, Oracle had glasses but she couldn't see the great guy right within her reach. "Knowing him, he's probably with her. At a beautiful banquet hall, counting down the seconds, looking into those eyes of his, waiting for that New year's kiss." She thought a little too wistfully than she should of allowed.

"I've even got real champagne." One of the drunks yelled. "One minute to go."

One minute to the new year. Just then, the tent flap flew open. "Oh god." she thought.

There he was, in his tight fitting blue and black costume, smiling as he came in with a bouquet of red and white flowers.

"Hi......" He said simply. " I brought you some............Weeds." He joked. And for some reason, wether she was tired or overwhelmed, she couldn't speak.

"59.....58....57.....56....55." They continued to count.

"GOD DAMNIT, SAY SOMETHING!" Her mind shouted. "What do you want?" she repled. "NO NOT THAT!" her mind shouted and she almost winced.

He didn't say anything, just walked to her bedside. "What is he doing? Is he blushing?" She thought.

"39 38 37 36 35." More silence, as they both just stared at one another. Nightwing rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess I just wanted......" " 20 19 18 17 16 15 14."

"To wish you a happy new year." He said as he leaned in till his face was mere inches from hers.

"10 9 8 7" They continued to count as her lips, instinctively went for his. Yet he held a finger to halt them. "Wait for it." he whispered with a smile on his lips. "5 4 3 2..." He then set his lips on hers in a lingering kiss.

"1 HAPPY NEW YEAR." They shouted as the bouquet fell from his hand and on to the floor, as if a period to all things that had led to this.

He slowly separated from her lips, her eyes still shut in a dreamy state. "Well?" He asked.

She smiled "You're one second off." He smiled to "Well I guess I'll have to make up for it." He stated as he kissed her again.