HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEllo guys, I'm back! I've decided I'm updating twice a week. Saturday and Wednesday (SHUT UP IT'S STILL WEDNESDAY EVEN IF IT'S NOT WEDNESDAY ANY MORE WHERE I LIVE).

And here's the first installment of the Visiting Characters series, in which I will invite characters (be they from Batman universe, HMB universe, or whatever) to introduce the chapter!

And now, it's time for everyone's favorite Dark Knight of Gotham!

Bat Wayne: Why the hell am I here again?

Me: You give the disclaimer. And say hi to the audience. Oh, and your name's messed up.

Bruce Man: Shit. Well, hi. Can I go now?

Me: No. Disclaimer. And your name is still messed up.

Bruce Wayne: FUCK.

Me: Still wrong, buddy. You're in the Dark Knight persona right now.

Batman: FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUU. *storms out*

Erm... That didn't go as planned... Anyway, I still don't own shit. DC Comics and Starkid. And then there was Roxanne. I pretty much own her. Except the Belinda/Wally part... Dammit...

Chapter 2

"All right, class, here are your papers. Almost all of you did your paper on the same person, except for one. I will hand these back for now, but if you want to re-write them on someone else, turn them in by Friday for extra credit." I made my way around the classroom, passing back papers and ignoring the groans and complaints from some of the students when they saw their grades.

As usual, Dick greeted me with a cheeky smile and a "Morning, Miss Arthur." I smiled back at him today, placing his paper on his desk.

"Fantastic job, Dick," I said sincerely. "And I want you to know that I am here for you if you ever need anything." He tensed for a moment, but he quickly nodded his head and smiled again, this one a bit sad.

I returned to the front of class, resuming the grammar lesson we hadn't managed to finish the day before. The day continued in the usual, boring manner - reviewing worksheets and going over minuscule amounts of new material in each subject, having lunch, then going back to lessons.

Toward the end of the day I was sitting at my desk, not paying much attention to the papers I was supposed to be grading. I observed my class, checking to see that everyone was working, making no one was doing anything stupid. While I watched, a small movement caught my attention. Dick Grayson lifted a hand to his eye, rubbing it as if he was tired. When he returned to his work, I thought I noticed a purplish mark on his eye, exactly where he had rubbed at it. Did he have a black eye? How had that happened?

I waited for the bell to ring, signifying the end of the school day. As usual, the majority of the students shot up from their desks immediately, bolting from the room at the first opportunity. There were few kids left when I motioned Dick over. He grabbed his bag and walked over to stand before my desk.

"Dick," I asked gently, "did something happen to your eye?" His smile slipped and he froze briefly before shaking his head no. "Dick," I said, more firmly this time, "I can see a bruise. Now tell me, what happened? I need to know if you're all right."

"I'm fine, Miss Arthur, really," he said. "It was an accident. I really am fine." He seemed completely truthful, sincere.

Best damn liar I'd ever met.

"Okay, Dick. I believe you." He turned to go, but I called him back. "Dick, you're staying with Bruce Wayne, correct?" The boy nodded. "Let him know that I would like to meet with him as soon as possible." Dick nodded again, a tad reluctantly this time, and left the classroom, shutting the door behind him.

I stuffed the latest stack of worksheets and papers in my bag. I could already tell it was going to be a long night. I left the class, double checking the lock, and strolled out of the school and in the direction of my favorite old café. The café, in fact, where Wally and I first met.

I entered, waved at the owner, and slipped into my usual booth. A few minutes later the ever-present mug of coffee was set on the table, and I was able to spread out the papers and focus on grading them.

At least there weren't as many memories here... Assuming I didn't count our first date... first kiss... senior prom... his proposal...

Who was I kidding? I tortured myself every day going there, but no one else had to know that. Not even the owners knew me any more. They knew sweet, lighthearted Belinda Thomas... Not dark, somewhat depressed Roxanne Arthur. All they knew was I was a teacher who liked her coffee dark with just a splash of cream. Maybe I would've preferred having them know me, acknowledge me... But at least I didn't have to deal with people assuring me that it was going to be okay, because it wouldn't be.

Not even close.

Never again.

There you go. Next update on Saturday... Or Sunday... The weekend, okay? Sheesh.