A/N: Okay, for all of you who have been following the fic, I'm sorry I haven't updated in months. I was in another country for three months where they don't have electricity for hours at a time. Plus, you know, life and TV shows and other stuff distracted me...

The reason there are only two chapter now are because I took off the rest and I'm going to write some extra ones so that everything goes according to the time-line, in order, and not like the random way I was posting them up before.

Needless to say, I was depressed for ages after YJ was cancelled. Instead they keep dumbass other shows which I'm pretty sure the creators came up with when they were high (you know which ones I'm talking about).

Disclaimer: Too long of a list so I'm just going to say I own none of it.

Sorry for any inconsistencies, grammatical errors and ignorance on my part.

CHAPTER 1

Her life used to be so peaceful, she remembered. And then that day had arrived, the day she had met that black haired, smart-mouthed boy with the glint in his eyes.

She remembered meeting him for the first time in her father's office. She had come to the police office after the commissioner had called for her to come there straight after school. He said he had some work and he didn't want her home alone.

'There's a boy in there,' James Gordon bent down and whispered, pointing to the door of his office. 'His name is Richard Grayson. His parents were just killed and he has no one so I'm going to have to ask you to take care of him for a while, okay Babs?'

She nodded her little eight year old head seriously and went on to push open the door. A boy was sitting there on the couch, hugging his knees and shaking uncontrollably.

'Ar- are you Richard Grayson?' she asked slowly.

The boy looked up and she saw that his eyes were bloodshot. She had a little experience with this, she had seen and comforted a few kids sitting in that office before, after they had been orphaned. Her father would call her to keep them company until some arrangement was made. Despite only being eight years old, James knew she would hold their hand and help them, she was good like that.

This was the part she hated the most, seeing them so broken, so hurt and dissapointed at the cruel world.

'Yes, that's me,' he murmured, wiping his nose with one sleeve and staring at her. Or maybe at her bright red hair.

She walked over to him and sat down beside him. He had stopped crying and was just now slouching there, having given up.

'It's okay to cry you know,' Barbara said to him. 'Even if you're a boy.'

He looked at her. 'No, I don't think I could keep doing that. I'm pretty sure my tear ducts are empty by now.'

They were silent for a moment.

'Are you scared?'

'I don't know,' he replied at length. 'They shouldn't have died like that, none of them. They didn't deserve it.' He squeezed the pillow he was holding, the anger clearly showing on his face; he was lost in the horrible memory.

She reached out and took his hand and he looked up in surprise. 'Reliving it never helps. And anger, it's even worse; you'll be stuck in this vicious cycle.'

When his jaw didn't unclench, she sighed.

'My mother died in an accident, when I was five, right in front of my eyes. She was the nicest person anyone could have ever known. She gave charity to the poor, she helped the disabled, she worked to pay the bills, and she always made time for me and dad. She shouldn't have had to die; it wasn't fair, I was angry at the world. That's how I thought in the beginning anyways. Then I realized that the anger wasn't helping anyone, anything, it wasn't going to bring her back. I was just making myself miserable. After realizing that, I began to regain my life, talking to my friends, really living again. Because I know that wherever she is, it has to be better than this place and wanting her back would just be selfish.'

His eyes had cleared and he was looking at her with his eyebrows furrowed, examining her. 'How old are you?'

'Nearly nine, why?'

'You sound about thirty.'

'Thanks,' she grumbled.

More silence then-

'Thank you,' the boy said and ruffled his black, currently really messy hair. 'That helped.'

Barbara smiled. 'You'll survive kid.'

'I hope so,' he snorted.

'Yeah, you certainly have enough sarcasm.'

Just then the door opened and comissioner Gordon stepped in, accompanied by none other than billionare playboy Bruce Wayne.

The two children's mouths fell open.

'That's him,' James said to who nodded in approval.

'Yes that's him,' his latter nodded sternly.

'Well then, we'll just need you to sign some documents,' James led him back out.

'What was that about?'

Barbara shook her head. 'No idea. Unless-'

James came in again and bent down in front of Richard. 'Mr. Wayne wants to adopt you. Is that fine with you? Take your time, we don't need your answer immediately.'

Richard's eyebrows shot up, along with Barbara's. For a minute he didn't say anything, contemplating.

'Y-y-yes. Of course,' he finally managed to stutter out. 'Better than staying at an ophanage.'

James nodded and got up. 'Well then, that's settled. I'll come and get you in an hour or so. Babs, keep him company.'

More shocked silence filled the room once the commisioner left the room.

'Well that was sudden,' Barbara muttered.

...

Richard gave a sudden yelp.

'What?' Barbara asked, alarmed.

'Bruce Wayne. Bruce freaking Wayne wants to adopt me. I'll be able to buy as many candy bars and computer games as I want!'

Barbara rolled her eyes. 'Hello, your parents, just died.'

'Right, right, I know,' he calmed, his eyes watering again. 'But you just gave me a long lecture about getting over it and I'm sure my mum's celebrating from heaven right now too.'

She rolled her eyes once again and smiled at the boy, squeeezing his hand. He was her kind of person.

They were still quipping at each other when the commissioner came to take Richard and officially give Mr. Wayne custody of the child.

She got up and hugged him, much to the boy's surprise. 'I'll be seeing you around Richard.'

'Why's that?'

'Well firstly because my father and Bruce Wayne have meetings on many occasions and secondly Gotham academy is run by him, and I happen to go there, which means you will most probably be going there too, and so, I will be seeing you around.'

He grinned, though not as widely as she later found out he could. 'Okay. Oh, and its Dick. Richard sounds too formal.'

'Okay, Dick Grayson. You can come to me about anything, okay?'

'Thanks,' Dick nodded.

It was just as he was out the door, one arm grasped by the commissioner lest he should get kidnaped before Bruce Wayne could at least say hi to him, that a thought occured to him.

'I never did catch your name!' he called out.

'Barbara! Barbara Gordon!'

And that was how she went home, still smiling like an idiot, knowing that she had found a friend in that, black haired, smart-mouthed boy with the glint in his eyes. What she didn't know was that her life would never be the same after.

A/N: Don't know exactly what age he loses his parents but I just liked around nine. And I used this version of Barbara's mother's story.

Thanks for all the review, follows and favorites. They keep me going =)

I'm going to go and cry in anguish over Wally now. Peace out.