Disclaimer: Though Batman and his kids are made of awesome, I do not own them. If you find the real Tim Drake though, send him my way! =D
A continuation/ other side of Hero's Debt. The first chapter explain's the title, this is just the Bat-family's side of things. So yeah, Bruce, Dick, some Alfred and some Gordon. No Slash, just warm family fuzzies at the end.
Hero's Debt
Bat-Fam's Side
Bruce heard the screech of tires, catching his attention without any difficulty. The van door slammed open instantly and guns started firing. Bruce Wayne couldn't move fast enough to avoid being shot, but he did try to dodge. He managed to avoid being shot in vital unguarded locations, but his vest took three shots and a bullet made it through his left thigh.
The shooting lasted no more than ninety seconds, then a second tire screech filled the air. He gripped his leg to stop the bleeding, then looked around to see everyone else's conditions. Alfred was on the ground, unharmed. A few students, teachers, parents and bystanders were hit as well, but not severely wounded. He was the shooting's target then. No one else was shot through the chest. Someone either wanted him dead or out of the way, depending on whether they knew about the Kevlar vest he always wore.
"Call an ambulance!" He heard Commissioner Gordon shout to his junior officer in the squad car. Gordon was at Bruce's side within seconds, just as Alfred managed to get to his feet to help him. He made a show of being in pain, but it was a familiar feeling. He'd been shot so many times before this didn't shock him in the slightest.
What shocked him more was that only Alfred and Gordon had run to him. "Where's Dick?"
Alfred blinked then looked around expectantly. Alarms were sounding in his head. Gordon didn't look up to check but ripped off Wayne's tie to use it to stop the bleeding. "We'll find him in a minute. Right now you need medical attention. Where's the school nurse?"
"I'll get him." Barbra darted out from behind her father into the school. The patrolman joined Gordon a second later, a medical kit in his hands.
'No,' he thought, 'something is wrong.' The SUV stopped directly between Bruce's car and the coffee shop Dick would visit on occasion while waiting to be picked up. Dick wasn't there. He nearly shouted at the officer, demanding answers. "Why aren't you going after the van?"
"I called it in," the patrolman started, unsure himself. "Montoya said she was in route."
"You should have gone after them!" Whoever organized the shooting did something to Dick. He was sure of it. He had to go after the van! Now!
"Wayne calm down!" Gordon shoved Bruce back to the ground, securing the makeshift bandages best he could. "You'll lose your—"
"I don't care about my damn leg!" Fury ranged inside him, fueled by his panic. Dick wasn't there. The van was between them. They aimed at his chest. Nothing was coincidence. "You need to—"
"Master Bruce! Nothing will be solved if you do not receive medical treatment!" Alfred's sharp retort stopped Bruce short, knocking a little sense back into his panicking mind. The officers were shocked to see Alfred's glare, and probably even more surprised he shut Bruce up. "I will find Master Richard. You focus on your leg, and take all medical advice given to you. These men are just trying to do their jobs."
Bruce bit back every objection he had left, knowing he was in no condition to follow. It still didn't rid him of his worry over his ward—his son. "Right Alfred. Of course. Please find Dick."
It was almost a pleading sob, a fleeting hope, that the one person he'd sacrifice everything for was somehow safe nearby in the coffee shop. If by some miracle this was a coincidence, Alfred would reassure him in a few minutes.
"Naturally." With that, Alfred darted towards the coffee shop just as Barbra and the school nurse came out of the building. As the nurse looked over his wound, Bruce secretly smoldered, watching Alfred from afar to see if that fleeting hope could be encouraged.
Instead what he witnessed made his heart drop and a piece of the lonely darkness within him swelled rapidly. Alfred found Dick's cell phone on the ground. He was talking to Artemis who was shell shocked from being next to the SUV during the whole event. From their body language, Bruce knew his suspicions were true.
Dick wasn't where he was supposed to be. He was gone, taken during the shooting.
"I saw him go into the coffee shop," Artemis started, her eyes towards the floor. Bruce could tell she didn't want to relive this event a hundred times that day, but she would if it meant she could help. He listened to her as calmly as he could, rationalizing to himself over and over again why he couldn't blame the girl for doing nothing to save Dick. She didn't have any of her gear on her. She was in her civilian identity. She was on foot. There were several men with semi-automatics. She didn't have the resources he had.
Each rationalization eased his anger from her, but not at the kidnappers. They shot him to keep him in one place, to make sure he paid the ransom, whatever it might be. Bruce Wayne had a tendency to disappear for a few hours whenever his ward was in danger. Being publicly shot condemned him to a hospital with police protection. This was torture.
All he could do was listen. Listen, wait, and pay the ransom. So that's what he did. He listened as Artemis recounted what happened on the other side of the van. Three men, chloroform, no plates and make taken off. Men were covered, gloves and ski-masks. They said nothing, just grabbed Dick. The attack and abduction occurred all within ninety seconds. It was a two sided attack.
Bruce took a deep breath, trying to calm himself once again. Part of him prayed the person he suspected wasn't the actual kidnapper, but the other part of him knew it had to be him. Turning on Bruce completely and kidnapping Dick, it had to be him. His insanity had reached a new low.
As Artemis finished her story, Bruce thought of how Dick would be taking this. Not well. If it was him, Dick would be petrified. This was worse than any of his other kidnappings. Far worse. Past trauma because of his Robin identity and Batman couldn't come after him. If he did manage to make it out of this, he'd need time and therapy to recover. May even have to take a break from being Robin. Dick would hate that. Robin was therapy for him in a way. But if it was him…
Shortly after Artemis finished, Bruce nodded and tried to leave his hospital bed. "Thank you miss. If you hadn't been there to see it all, we probably wouldn't have had a chance to help him. Now if you'll all excuse me."
"I don't think so Mr. Wayne." The doctor shoved the larger man back into his bed as an officer escorted Artemis out the door. Bruce gave the doctor a glare, but it didn't stop him from keeping him there. "That shot nearly hit an artery. You need to stay off that leg for two weeks at the minimum."
"He doesn't have two weeks," Bruce growled, batting the man's hand away. Alfred was talking to the commissioner in the hallway. If he could sneak past those two, nothing could stop him from finding Dick.
"Let the police handle it. It's their job after all."
"Are you out of your mind?" Bruce's temper was finally getting the better of him as he pushed himself up. He had to get out of there. He had to find Dick. He had to make the kidnappers pay for what they were putting him through. He had to! "They let the van slip by them! He's with some psychopath with guns! They'll probably kill him once they have their money! I can't stay here! I have to find him!"
"What you have to do, Mr. Wayne," the doctor firmly stated, shoving Bruce back to the bed, "is lie down, stay off that leg, and recover for when they find your son. And they will find him."
"Before or after he's shot!" His voice echoed through the building, rage forcing him nearly to his feet. He had to get up. He had to get out there. He had to—
"Orderlies, restrain him!" Before Bruce could react, two orderlies darted into the room and tackled him to his bed. Behind them, he could spot a surprised Gordon and Alfred. They must have heard his shouting, and neither could believe his desperate voice or raging movements. The orderlies were surprised to a point at Bruce's strength as he fought against them, shouting for them to let him go. He had to get out of there. He had to save Dick! He couldn't lose his family again. He couldn't—
The doctor finally managed to jab a needle into Bruce's skin. A sedative. A fast acting one at that. Powerful even. Bruce's thoughts became a tangled mess as the drug worked its magic. He could almost name it, but it wasn't important. What was important was Dick. He was out there with one of his worst nightmares, and now Batman couldn't save him. Bruce couldn't keep his promise to protect him.
As his mind drifted into unconsciousness, he remembered the last time those two were alone together. Dick was Robin then. Robin was nearly broken, beaten within an inch of his life. Batman had to watch it happen. It hurt them. It hurt them both so badly, he wasn't sure if either of them would recover. But they had, somehow. They were there for each other. But now…
'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Dick.'
Dick tried not to groan when he woke. He kept his eyes shut. Gather as much information as possible while they thought he was helpless, that was training for him. If he could figure out where he was and who grabbed him this time, he might even be able to make it out on his own. It was a big might, but Dick Grayson was an acrobat from the circus after all, not a rich playboy.
He saved himself a smile for when the tape on his mouth wasn't there. Because of his past, he could get away with more than Bruce. A circus brat was still a circus brat, riches or no. He could be sneaky, find a way to escape without any help if he had to, maybe even take down a few morons before running to the cops. That was if he could get his bindings to budge.
His hands were duct taped together, skin to skin. That wasn't going to help. No give and then they came off, it would hurt. Same with the piece on his mouth. The maniac behind this really was a jerk. His legs weren't taped together, but separately to the legs of the chair. An old wooden dining chair if he was right. Easy to break, but hard to tip over if your legs were stuck to it. No give anywhere.
'Great,' Dick groaned inside. 'The only smart thing they did was tying me up. Just wait until Batman gets his hands on them. Then they'll be sorry.'
"Think the brat's waking up?" Dick recognized the voice, just a little. Must have taken him down before. Who with? 'Ah, a Penguin guy.'
"He's been out for nearly five hours."
Five hours? 'Must not have had enough sleep last night,' Dick rationed quickly. Long nights and longer days did that to people. This guy he took down with Riddler.
"Doesn't matter to me. The longer he sleeps, the easier our job will be."
Privately Dick had to agree. If he was asleep until Batman showed up, he wouldn't have to hear all these morons chatter. This guy had worked for Black Mask. A low level thankfully. Black Mask had a large range of thugs, and this one wasn't normally a killer.
"Think the Bat'll come?" He could hear this one pacing nervously. Also a Riddler thug. So far so good. None of them were the killing type.
'Ha! Of course he'll come! Alfred and Gordon combined couldn't keep him away!' Dick really had to fight back a smile at that thought. 'Superman can't stop him when he's this mad.'
That's when he heard it. The one sound that ended all thoughts of a peaceful kidnapping. The sound of a coin being flipped into the air and being caught again. Over and over again. Every drop of color left Dick's face in an instant and he couldn't keep his eyes closed a second longer. He'd see it in his head if he tried. He'd see it all again in his head.
Instead he stared openly at the ground in front of him, praying deep inside that it was someone else. 'Please, please! Please be someone else! Anyone else! Killer Crock! Killer Moth! Calendar Man! Penguin! Riddler! Anyone else!'
"If he does show up," the dreaded voice started, "we'll be ready for him."
Panic tried to take control of Dick's mind as the one person he'd hoped he'd ever have to face again circled from behind him to his front. He saw the man's shoes but willed himself not to see anything more than that. The coin kept turning in the air. Dick slowly, fearfully, grimacing, closed his eyes again, taking hold of his breathing. Last thing he needed was to have a panic attack in front of Two-face.
There were ten thugs. Over half of them Robin took down before, and they weren't killers. They worked with Penguin, Riddler, Black Mask, even Zeus and Tut, before working with Two-face. The ones he didn't know looked like ex-military, tough men with calices from using guns over and over again. They had to be the ones who did the shooting earlier. Dick had heard the guns, seen them briefly, but was a bit busy being kidnapped during the event. He only prayed Bruce, Alfred, Barbra and everyone else was alright.
'Bruce will be fine,' he thought to comfort himself. 'And he'll never let Alfred get hurt, so he's fine too. Babs was with her dad so she's good. Everyone's fine. They have to be.'
These thoughts pushed away the guilt accompanying the realization he had an hour ago. The shooting was a distraction. Dick's kidnapping was the real crime. He was being held for ransom, but to be caught there had to be senseless violence. In a twisted way, the shooting was his fault.
'No one better be hurt,' he thought in desperation. 'No one.'
For probably the twentieth time Dick fought against his bonds. The thug watching him at that moment only rolled his eyes as he cleaned his gun. Two-face was in back, flipping his coin while watching a TV. Other thugs paced the room or took peaks outside to make sure things were quiet. None of them suspected that growing sweat and frequent struggling would make the duct tape weaken.
He had plenty of sweat thanks to Two-face. Dick wasn't ready to face him again. Every time Two-face reared his head, Batman sent Robin either home or on a mission with his friends. Thanks to the team being around, he only heard about Two-face's plans after everything was done. When he was sent home without an explanation, his imagination wandered to worse case scenarios. Batman wasn't the only one who worried for other people's safety. Robin just hid it with a smile, or shared it with a hug.
Worry started to play with Dick's mind as he worked and twisted his wrists. It was long past nightfall. Batman may have waited until the cover of night to save him, but usually he found Dick within four hours. It was seven. Nearly eleven at night, and still no sign of his mentor.
'What's keeping him?' Part of Dick wanted to panic. He wanted to cause a huge ruckus, scream and shout, expose their location, get out of there. The only reason he hadn't already was his training and experience. Oh and of course the duct tape. How could he forget that?
Dick knew if he tried to escape and failed, his life would depend on a coin toss. He knew he might be able to free his hands in time, but his legs would take longer than he had. All he could really do was speed his release in the near future. He'd take care of his hands and mouth while Batman fought the goons off, then when everyone was still busy, he'd release his own legs so he could get out of the way. Maybe even help. That was a big maybe. Sometimes it was best to just let Batman fight and just make sure no tricks came up from behind him.
"And just what do you think you're doing?"
Dick froze, his heart stopping in his chest. Two-face was behind him, coldly staring at his nearly free hands. Before he could think about it, Dick broke the tape apart, jerking forward for a desperate escape. Naturally it failed and he toppled over to his hands and knees. In that one desperate instant he forgot about his legs. The chair's back hit his head and he knew he had bruises on his knees.
The thugs around him laughed before one of them grabbed him by his collar and the back of the chair, pulling him upright. Blindly Dick tried to shove the man's hands away from him, blood pounding in his ears. All this did was make the men laugh even more. Midst his furious struggling, another thug helped grab his wrists and shove them together behind the chair, forcing a fresh wrap of duct tape on them. Dick continued to fight uselessly, not listening to the logical part of his brain in the slightest.
Two-face did nothing, merely watched bemused. Once Dick was secured (though still struggling against his bonds), he walked around to face the boy head on. Dick heard the coin fling into the air and he stopped, feeling colder than before. His fate…
The slap of the coin on Two-face's wrists sounded across the room. He tried not to look at the man but felt his hand grip his jaw. Dick was forced to look straight into the eyes of his worst tormentor, and he couldn't help but to be scared. His fate was decided by a coin toss. That was all. Slowly the man brought the coin up.
Heads. Good heads.
"You're a lucky boy." Two-face shook Dick's head side to side a little, then slapped his face. "Don't try that again. Once the ransom's been paid, your luck will be tested again."
'Batman,' he prayed silently, terror eating away at his insides, 'please hurry!'
It was late, later than Dick was used to staying up and sitting still. Maybe one a.m. Anywhere from two to four the dynamic duo would end their patrols for the night. Running from rooftop to rooftop kept him awake that late, but the past 24 hours weren't like the ones before. Exhaustion from the terrors of the day finally caught up to him, numbing him to his fears and increasing his annoyance as he closed his eyes every few seconds.
"Think he'll really pay up?" A thug overlooked Dick nodding off in his chair toward their boss.
Two-face flipped his coin without blinking an eye. "Of course he will. Wayne's a sentimental fool. He'll do anything to keep his family together. Would have snatched the Butler too if he wasn't so damn close to the man all the time."
Dick tried not to glare at Two-face or the others. He really had no energy to be scared anymore. 'Just wait,' he kept thinking, 'just wait. He'll be here. Batman will be here soon.'
A loud crash jolted him out of his groggy trance. The light high above him was taken out, literally, by an arrow, causing the glass to rain down on them. A second later smoke spewed out of it, filling the room. The thugs coughed, raising their guns to fire at random if they had to. "What was that?"
The smoke swirled around rapidly and men called out as their stomachs where pummeled briefly. Dick tried to figure out which way Batman was coming from, but briefly wondered why he brought in an archer. That was when he heard Artemis' voice.
"Hold still," she muttered in his ear. "We're going to get you out of here."
'What the…' He jerked in surprise. That wasn't Batman, and she wouldn't be first on the list of archers to call for help either. 'What are you doing here?'
As she started working on his wrists, a new light came on. Thanks to the person in the smoke, everyone's vision was clear enough to see Artemis behind Dick, trying to free him. Dick heard the double barrel gun's safety click off. His coin was still going. "Not another move girl, or you'll be breathing through your back."
Dick could feel her whip around behind him to face the lunatic. "Try it," she growled.
"Artemis!"
Dick jerked to his best friend's voice just a second before the two shots sounded. 'Wally?'
Before impact could be made, Dick felt his chair lift off the ground and dart to the side of the room, barely out of the direct line of fire of the thug's guns. He looked around wildly at his two teammates, very confused and becoming worried. 'What are you two doing here? Where's Batman?' was all he wanted to ask them, but his mouth remained sealed.
Kid Flash huffed out in exhaustion. Carrying two people and a chair at that speed couldn't have been easy. "You okay?"
Dick made a few angry noises to get their attention as Artemis nodded. These reluctant lovebirds should show their concern after a crisis. Wally looked back to Dick, realizing his mouth was covered. "Oh."
Without a thought KF ripped off Dick's gag, and the boy winced in pain. "Gah, a little less painful would have been nice."
"That's gratitude for ya."
Dick knew KF was sizing him up, and as much as he'd like to share his ID to him, Batman's orders were to protect both of them and their friends. He couldn't even joke with them as Dick Grayson.
"Free my hands and I'll take care of the rest," Dick started, trying to keep his voice level. He had to act brave at the very least, but it was harder than it looked. Artemis was giving him concerned, yet slightly knowing looks. She'd seen him a little weak before and how he would put up a front, so he knew she'd give him more leeway. KF on the other hand, he didn't know Dick at all. Only Robin. That kinda sucked.
As Artemis worked on his wrists, Dick looked around wildly, hoping beyond hope for a sign of real safety. "Where's Batman?"
"Couldn't make it."
Dick tried not to show how truly horrified he felt at KF's quick statement. He suddenly felt hollow, abandoned. It was only the pain from having duct tape torn off his wrists that brought him back to reality. He rubbed them as he tried to organize his thoughts. "Couldn't make it? How couldn't he—"
"Talk later, escape now." Thugs were getting back on their feet, their guns poised to shoot at them all. Capes arriving made the hostage a liability, so not even a coin toss could save Dick now. "There's an exit about twenty feet to your right. Take it. Your dad's worried about you."
At Artemis' last statement, Dick felt a little hope. He looked up to her, trying to suppress his fears and anxieties, then realized he had to get out of there for his answers. He choked back his horrible whelming feelings and started working on his legs. 'There's a good explanation for this,' he thought quickly. 'Bruce didn't abandon me. Maybe the shooting?'
KF was off like a rocket, punching every man in the room he could find while stealing their guns to dismantle them. Artemis shot her arrows around the room, taking out artillery and pinning what thugs weren't KOed. Rapidly Dick ripped off the tape from his legs, then dived behind some crates so Artemis could physically join the fight. With no one to worry about, it'd be easier for both young heroes to take down these morons.
Dick looked around the crates to watch, seeing if their was an opportunity to help them out. Most of all, he looked for Two-face. He could be slippery, but he wouldn't think these kids were a threat. If given the opportunity, he'd take them down.
That's when he saw him. Two-face, during the commotion managed to slip behind a wall of crates to reload his gun. The double barrel made it jam quite often. Once it was reloaded, he got up to rejoin the fight. Judging from the bolt on the ground and the blood coming from Two-face's shoulder, Dick guessed who his first target would be.
Quickly Dick leapt forward, grabbing the chair he escaped from and darted towards Two-face. He was nearly behind Artemis and she hadn't noticed. Kid Flash barely did, just as he was about to fire. "Artemis!"
He didn't hesitate. Dick swung the chair high over his head then crashed it down onto Two-face's back. The man fell forward, unconscious just as Artemis turned around to defend herself.
Dick couldn't hide his rage anymore. He hated Two-face. He hated him for all the things he'd done. To him. To Bruce. To Gotham in general. Mostly it was personal, he knew that, but he really hated him. He scared Dick, gave him nightmares, beaten him near to death, tortured him in front of those he cared about, hurt people just for being at the school, just to take him for ransom! He was even going to hurt his friends. He wanted nothing more than to hurt this psychotic killer until he couldn't breathe anymore. He really wanted him gone.
But something held him back. Maybe it was the oath he made as a kid to seek justice, not vengeance. Maybe it was his habit to just knock out the bad guys, not needlessly beat them to a pulp. Maybe it was deeper, back to when he saw his parents lying on the circus floor, all their warmth leaving them. Whatever it was, it stopped him, held back his rage, his terror.
Instead he dropped what was left of his chair, straightened himself and tried to control his breathing. He looked over to Artemis and Wally, making sure they were okay. They were fine. Slowly he forced a shaky smile.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."
Kid Flash stared at him, flabbergasted. "Wow, that was cool."
"Yeah…" Artemis breathed out. Really, their faces were priceless.
Almost in a trance, Dick stepped away from Two-face, looking around to the walls that held him prisoner for nearly twelve hours. Exhaustion and normal human functions were starting to work again, yet he felt light headed, as if a weight was suddenly gone from him. He gripped his head lightly as his teammates tried to figure out what to do next. Clean up is what Batman would have called it. Just tying up the bad guys so the cops could handle the rest.
Dick could hardly understand what they were saying for a moment, then a stray thought brought him back to reality. 'What am I going to tell the cops?'
"Um… I know this is a little late in the game and all that," Dick started, getting their attention like a regular kid would, "but who are you? Just so I know what to tell reporters and stuff."
KF and Artemis looked at each other blankly for a moment, taking a break from duct taping some baddies together. "Um…"
Kid Flash got to his feet and gave Dick an incredulous glare, somewhat disbelieving his question. He tapped his chest and immediately was in his regular colors. Dick faked surprise. "Oh! Flash Kid!"
"Kid Flash!" As much as Dick didn't want to get on Wally's bad side, he had to pretend he didn't know a lot.
"Whatever. Close enough. But don't you live in Keystone?"
"Central."
"Central what?" Now he was just teasing.
KF gave him an irked glare, then turned to Artemis. "We came here to save this?"
"Give him a break will ya?" Artemis finished binding off the last guy and made her way to Two-face near their feet.
"And who are you? Green Arrow the second?" Dick tried to keep it up. "Or a Green Speedy? I know, Arrowette!"
"My name isn't important," Artemis tried to brush off.
"She's Artemis!" KF objected loudly. His defensive glare nearly brought a smile to Dick's face.
"Goddess of the hunt, okay. She looks like one too." He tried to smile but he still felt shaky. Where was Batman anyway?
Artemis couldn't help but to smile, just as much as Wally couldn't help but to glare darkly. Making his best friend hate his everyday persona really hurt Dick inside, but Bruce wouldn't have it any other way. Besides, making cracks made him feel a little more confident. Confident enough to stay standing at the very least.
"Cute. Really cute," she started, "but I don't think either of us where here tonight." She gave Wally a knowing look. They were a covert team after all. If they were suddenly seen outside their regular territories, people would notice. The media might even get wind of their team, alert the rest of the super villain community, and get them all killed.
"Yeah, why are you two in Gotham anyway? And why me? Shouldn't it be Batman saving me?" 'Please come up with a good cover story. I don't feel like adlibbing tonight.'
"Batman did save you," Artemis persisted, making KF give her a double take. "Him and Green Arrow. He was in town to visit… Robin. He's a friendly enough kid. Got it?"
Dick gave them confused looks, but inside he was glad Artemis was a fair liar. "Ooookaaaaay… I guess… but why are you two—"
Sirens blared outside the building, attracting each of their attentions. Dick kept his eyes on the windows to give the others time to run off. Sure enough, within a few seconds he heard a quick goodbye and felt the wind rush past him. He did a slight jerk around in case they were watching him still, then smirked to himself.
"Thanks guys," he whispered to himself, then looked down to Two-face, starting to wake up. Glaring, Dick kicked his face then gut for good measure. The maniac blacked out again, making the teen smirk, pleased.
"Richard!" Gordon flew to Dick's side, looking him over to make sure he was in one piece.
"I'm okay," he told the commissioner quickly. He had a swelled cheek, bruised knees, raw wrists and his mouth smarted from the duct tape, but over all he was fine. Most of the damage was psychological, he was sure.
Course, hitting Two-face a few times helped fix that.
"I'm… I'm just shaken, that's all."
Still, Gordon looked him over as a concerned parent or uncle would. "Who wouldn't be. Barbra was between yelling and tears when she heard about this. And Bruce Wayne—"
"Where's Bruce?" he asked desperately. He looked around and over the cops, the vans and bad guys to see him. Yet his face was no where to be seen. Where was he?
"First I need you to calm down and tell me what happened." Dick jerked his gazed into the older man's. He was about to tell Dick why Bruce wasn't there, why Batman hadn't saved him, and in an instant decided against it.
"What happened? What happened to Bruce?" Fear choked in Dick's throat. He had to know! He had to know where he was and why he didn't come for him. He had to know now!
"He's fine. Safe. I'll take you straight to him in a few minutes. But first you have to tell me what happened here. Who saved you? How did you escape?" Gordon tried to use soothing tones to get Dick to calm down and talk to him, so Dick took a breath to humor him. The faster he got through this, the quicker he got his answers.
"Batman and Green Arrow. GA shot out a light and Batman got me out of the way. There was a fight and then it stopped. Someone took off the tape, I think it was Batman, 'cause Green Arrow was taping up bad guys." He gave vague descriptions, shaking his head in confusion. Though he could have tried a play by play, it was late and he was shaken from the ordeal. An accurate story would have to wait until the following day, and anyone who thought otherwise didn't know victims.
A medic came over to them, wrapping a blanket around Dick's shoulders before starting first aid, mostly on his wrists. The commissioner nodded, though a little confused. "Green Arrow? From Star City?"
"Looked it. It was kinda dark." Dick let the medic work on his wrists, then with pleading eyes asked Gordon again, "Where's Bruce?"
Gordon said nothing for a moment, then sighed. "You two are so much alike. The only thing he's thought about since the shooting was you."
Hearing that lifted Dick's heart a smidge. Then came a fresh wave of worry. The shooting…
"Wayne was shot, four times." Dick's eyes grew wide, horror coming to his face. Quickly Gordon continued. "Three times in the chest, and once in the thigh. Did you know he wore a Kevlar vest?"
Dick nodded numbly. Bruce was paranoid, and had every right to be. His parents were shot in front of him. Wearing a Kevlar vest under his clothes would almost be a natural reaction.
"It saved his life. The bullet in his leg nearly hit a main artery. He's at the hospital, and if it weren't for the staff sedating him, he'd have run out of his bed to go find you. He almost didn't go to the hospital to begin with. That Alfred practically forced him to go into the ambulance."
Shot. Sedated. "So he's alright? His leg's going to be okay? He's alive?"
"Very much alive. And his leg'll be fine if he stays off it for a few weeks."
Dick gripped his mouth and choked back his erratic breathing. He tried his hardest not to cry. Not then, not there. Bruce was alive. He wanted to go after him, but others wouldn't let him. Did he call Artemis and Wally? No, Bruce would have called Clark, maybe Black Canary. That is, if he had the chance. Hospitals, surgery, police, questioning, he probably didn't have a moment alone before they put him under.
No, Artemis must have been there, seen what happened. Her bus stop and his coffee shop were across the street from each other, in perfect view of everything. She must have called Wally. Good choice. Wally's experience with forensics would help track Dick down. Between the two of them, they could find him. He knew what he was doing and she knew Gotham. That had to be what happened.
Gordon placed a hand on Dick's shoulder, knowing he was holding back tears. The kid was very expressive, but he did his best to act grown up. All teenagers did. He took in a deep breath before speaking again.
"Was anyone else… hurt… during the shooting?"
Gordon debated lying but knew the kid would find out soon enough. "Several others were shot, but nothing near as lethal as what Mr. Wayne got. We're pretty sure they were planning on killing him."
"They didn't say—" Dick stopped short, holding back tears with all his might. "They didn't say he was dead. They said Bruce would pay the ransom because he's a sentimental fool. I… I think they knew about the vest."
Gordon nodded slowly, watching the kid battling his tears. He looked around to the other officers, then to the medic. He'd finished bandaging Dick's wrists, he just needed to check the kid out. But the kid needed something else.
"So everyone else is okay? No one's dead?"
"Not a soul." He placed a hand on the kid's back and started guiding him to his car. "Come on. I'll take you to him." The medic was about to object, but a quick pleading look from Gordon, plus watching Dick light up a little as they walked, silenced all objections about protocol. They were going to a hospital in the end.
Bruce groaned awake at 1:43 a.m. It was the most sleep he'd had in weeks. One of these days those sedatives would have to stop working on him. Quickly his mind reviewed that happened before he passed out. Being shot. Dick missing. Artemis reporting. Orderlies pinning him down.
Dick.
His eyes jolted to perfect clarity. There was only one thing he had to do. Find Dick and bring him home. He glanced to either side of him, spotting Alfred reading a book in a chair next to him, a cell phone settled on his knee. For some reason he seemed calm, and it irritated Bruce to no end. Dick was missing and Alfred was reading a book.
They weren't alone in the room. There was a nurse, a visiting doctor, and a large policeman. Apparently Bruce's attempts to leave the building before, plus getting shot, warranted him needing extra protection. This was not going to go over well.
Slowly Bruce pushed himself into a sitting position, immediately getting Alfred's attention. "I'd advise you lay back down Master Bruce. It would do you and Master Richard little good if your wounds reopened."
Alfred's comment did exactly what it meant to do: inform everyone else in the room he was awake and ready to bolt again.
"It hardly does him any favors just laying here either Alfred." He kept his growl to a minimum since he was already mentally in Batman mode.
"Don't worry Mr. Wayne," the officer started, waking up from his nap. "The Gotham PD is working it's hardest to find your boy."
"That's what you always say," Bruce started, loosely shaking out his legs so he could use them in a minute. "And how many kidnapped kids have you managed to return to their parents?"
"We're doing the best we can," the officer bit back, obviously offended. Truth be told, it was mostly Batman, Robin and Gordon who saved kidnapped kids and hostages. But who was going to save Robin if Batman was stuck in a hospital bed?
"Have they even made a ransom demand? Do you know who took him?" It was impossible for Bruce to hide his anger. The only thing he could control was how violent it would get.
"They do in fact. And they have."
Bruce looked at Alfred as he put away his book, leaving the cell phone in it to keep his place. Calmly Alfred got to his feet and proceeded to tuck the bottom half of Bruce's bed in, trapping him in the covers. "It appears Two-face left a note in the get-a-way vehicle asking for 2.2 million non-sequential bills."
"Two-face!" Bruce didn't bother to hide the panic in his voice. Fears were confirmed. He had to get out of there. He had to get to Dick! Again he struggled with his sheets. Why did Alfred keep him there?
"The time for the delivery of the money is roughly the same time you were shot and Master Richard was taken, at the exact same location."
"If they want money, they can have it!" Bruce shoved himself out from under the covers quicker than anyone could stop him. Angry determination grew on his face. He was going to get Dick back. In one piece. Alive, healthy, and if he could manage it, smiling. He just had to go after him. He had to!
"Mr. Wayne, calm down!" The nurse tried to clamber to his side to stop him, but Bruce couldn't be detoured.
"I'm not leaving Dick in the hands of a psychopath!"
"Oh great. Simon! Get in here!"
Everyone in the room was trying to get Bruce back into his bed as he managed to put his feet on solid ground. His leg hurt, fine. He'd just lock it away in one corner of his mind. He only had a few seconds before the orderly was there so he had to take out the cop quickly, dodge another syringe, and run for the door before—
The door opened with a snap, taking everyone back. Bruce could almost not believe his eyes. There in the doorway was Dick Grayson. Worn out, a little banged up with bandages on his wrists, and messy clothes proving he fought as best he could as an ordinary teenager. His eyes said it all. Everything from fear, to agony, to hope, to relief danced in those blue eyes of his. Bruce could only guess later something similar played in his.
They only took that second to see how the other faired, then Bruce opened his arms gladly as Dick ran to him, tears forcing their way out. They sunk to the floor, holding on to each other as if nothing else mattered. Tears streamed down Dick's face as he sputtered off things incoherently. Something about being scared, being sorry, Two-face, and many other things he could hardly make out. Bruce just held him tightly, rubbing his back a bit and saying it was alright, everything was fine now and not to worry. Holding each other, they felt their individual darkness leave and a warmth take its place. Everything was alright now. Everything.
The others in the room watched awkwardly for a moment or two, then the officer muttered something about getting coffee. The doctor followed him out, since the only reason they were there was to keep Bruce from running after Dick again. The nurse decided to busy herself with tasks around the room. Only Alfred smiled as he watched them.
After a few minutes, enough to reassure each other of their existence, Bruce shook his head, baffled. "I don't understand." He eased his grip on Dick so they could look each other in the eye. "How did you… who helped you… how are you here? I thought…"
"Batman and Green Arrow saved me." Saying 'Batman saved me' or 'Robin saved me' was code between them for I'll explain later, but it only worked when they referred to themselves individually. Dick look a little sheepish when he added, "I really should call Wally later. He's probably worried about me."
'Ah.' Bruce remembered Artemis telling him what she saw once more. 'She must have called Wally and they managed to solve this together. I'll have to congratulate them on their case later.'
He pulled Dick back in but not as tightly as before, then looked up to Alfred who held a controlled smile on his face. Bruce knew that look. "You knew."
"Both Batman and Commissioner Gordon called, informing me of Master Richard's condition. And speaking of conditions, I believe yours will worsen if you two stay on the floor like this."
Dick gasped, realizing what they were doing, and looked at Bruce's leg. "That's right! You were shot!"
"And sedated." The annoyed tone in his voice spoke volumes to the young man. Dick bit back a short laugh. "Not happy about that."
"Sir, it was necessary considering your condition and circumstances." Alfred was trying to be patient, but it was late. "Now, if you would return to your bed, I can assure the hospital staff neither of you will be running around on rooftops and be on my way to rest."
Both boys bit back laughs, but obediently stood up, Bruce favoring one leg over the other. Dick helped him get in, making the nurse smile for a bit, then clambered in himself. Bruce and Alfred bit back loving chuckles as Dick grinned impishly at the shocked nurse. Gordon had finally made it to the hospital room, and he too had a smile growing on his face.
"I trust he'll be safe here for the night?" Gordon asked playfully.
Bruce smiled calmly as Dick threw off his shoes and nestled down next to him. Alfred pulled a spare blanket over the boy, also smiling gently.
"Of course. Thank you commissioner."
With that, the Commissioner nodded and led the nurse out of the room. Alfred drew the curtains closed before picking up his things and turning out the lights. A soft glow came from the monitors in the room as the door closed behind him. Dick was already falling asleep.
Bruce watched him drift off, not really thinking much about anything. Dick was right there next to him, safe and sleeping soundly. Neither one of them were likely to have nightmares that night, now they were together again.
Two-face didn't do too much damage it appeared. Roughed him a bit, scared him some, but it looked like Dick did something that made up for it. He seemed almost at peace. Almost. He wouldn't have climbed into Bruce's bed like he used to when he was little if it weren't for a good reason.
'A little extra security never hurt anyone,' Bruce thought as he watched his little robin. He rubbed Dick's hair affectionately, then slowly drifted off to sleep himself. Sedatives didn't give him the real rest he needed. Not having to worry for a few hours did. And with Dick there, what was there to worry about?
END / Bat-Fam
A/N: I think it's clear. I like to do two things: torture people to death, and give out warm fuzzies. Hope you loved the daddybats moments! I adored them. 3
I'm debating doing an epilogue where Bats congratulates Artemis and Wally for their work in Gotham, thank them for working the case, then watch Robin hide his embarrassment as he lied to them about where they were. Just can't figure out a case yet that they could fabricate requiring absolute radio silence. It'd be a very short bit anyway.
Hoped you liked it! First chapter is all Wally/Artemis and the second is all Bat-Fam. Had to push to get the bat-fam side done right. Please review. They make me giddy.
