3

AAH! Robin time! Hehe, I love that boy…must be the cape…or tights… ;)

"So remind me again, Commissioner," Cassie began with her recurring catchphrase that seemed to crop up now and again in her conversations, "Why are we even going?" Cassie was sat in the backseat of the Gordon's car with Barbara, whilst the Commissioner drove.

"Because Wayne Manor hosts an annual party for the Police Force of Gotham," was the reply, "and Cassie," he looked in the mirror to stare her in the face, "how many times must I tell you to call me Jim? Not one more, I should hope."

Cassie had spent a great deal of the last two weeks round the Gordons'. Artemis usually couldn't make it, but nearly every evening after school had been spent doing homework with a girl that Cassie regarded as a genius – Barbara Gordon. Whilst not working, the two usually spent that time discussing Robin and Superboy and the other 'lovelies' of the superhero world. Cassie found an ally in her longing to be a superhero. Whenever they discussed such mattes at school, Artemis would either get really bored and tell them to discuss something other than superheroes, or laugh her head off. Both (as in grumpy Artemis or drunk on laughter Artemis), in Cassie's view, were funny.

Cassie had a single mother. Artemis had a single mother, not that the others had met her. Barbara had a single father. The three girls found confidents in each other. Cassie shared how her mum had been rejected by her whole family for falling pregnant before marriage. Artemis even told the others that he father was 'not nice', and left it for the other two to realise what she meant. And Barbara explained her mother's death and the hands of a criminal robbing a grocery store. The girls had formed a strong mutual bond in under a fortnight.

"And you're here to support me whilst I watch my dad get tipsy with a load of fat, old men," Barbara chimed.

"Babs!" Jim exclaimed, before changing to a calmer tone, "Actually, I'd rather you found my colleagues disgusting than attractive, I'll happily have you remain in that view about older men forever."

"How can she when there are men like Batman around?" Cassie joked, causing a melodramatic sigh from both herself and Barbara. Jim chuckled but inwardly hoped that they really were joking.

Upon arriving at the manor, Jim jumped up and opened the door for both Cassie and his daughter. Cassie took one step into the manor and lost her breath for a moment. The place. Was. Stunning. The place, even more so than her school, oozed the word: money. Cassie felt a shiver go down her spine as she looked at the ornaments, glazed floors, and chandeliers. Real chandeliers.

"Bye!" Barbara cried to her dad, before grabbing Cassie's hand and hauling her to the dance floor, after seeing that her father's fat and old colleagues were quite the opposite. Cassie briefly smiled a goodbye to Jim.

Cassie and Barbara were enjoying dancing with the attractive men aged twenty to thirty (living the dream of fifteen year old girls), and managed to avoid the older members of the Police Force.

Whilst dancing, the two bumped into a boy that was their height (but they were in heels, remember), but had a young-looking face.

"Oh!" Cassie exclaimed. "You can't be part of the police."

The boy had midnight-black hair that was slicked back with gel. He wore an expensive suit and his Caucasian features lit up when he saw who Cassie was dancing with. "Babs! So nice to see you!"

Barbara's face clouded as she looked at he boy. "Dick, how nice to see you." The sarcasm dripped off the words. Now, Barbara had warned Cassie about Dick. He was two years their younger yet attempted to flirt with Barbara at every opportunity. They had met at science club the previous year and, before Cassie and Artemis filled up her breaks at school, Barbara had found herself wound up most lunches talking to him. Being overly smart meant that friends were not always easy to acquire, Barbara found. Only Artemis, Dick and Cassie weren't fazed by the fact that she got not far off 100% in every, single test (Artemis was a little jealous, but that was just Artemis' nature). Barbara tolerated Dick, and he occasionally managed to make her laugh.

"Cassie, this is Dick. Dick, this is Cassie," Barbara introduced the two.

"Hi," Dick grinned at Cassie and she found herself unable but to smile widely back at his cheeky grin. If he wasn't two years younger, she wouldn't be far off saying he was handsome…

Their conversation that had barely begun was cut short as a loud gunshot was heard from the entrance. Dick disappeared and Cassie and Barbara were left in the middle of the dance floor, both unaware of what to do.

Drunk screams and intoxicated shouts was all that was audible as in walked the clown that had plagued Cassie's memories for years.

"Oh my gosh, the Joker," Barbara whispered, in full shock. Her father had told her about the super criminals he dealt with, and she also could hack into his computer and read his files when she felt like it.

"That's what the clown's name is?" Cassie asked, as she'd never expected it.

"Yeah, haven't you heard of him?" Barbara was surprised – didn't everyone know of the Joker?

"I've met him, actually," Cassie nonchalantly replied, much to Barbara's surprise again, "I just never knew the name".

As the Joker and his crew terrorised the tipsy police officers, Barbara clung to Cassie's hand and yanked her down an empty hallway. "We're running away?" Cassie exclaimed, both shocked at Barbara's sudden cowardice and saddened because where the Joker was, hopefully Batman and Robin weren't far behind.

"Oh, no, Cassie." Barbara had a glint of mischief in her eye as she saw through a slightly opened door a conveniently placed box in one of the rooms that had, what appeared to be, dressing up costumes falling out of it along with plenty of masks. "We're going to do the opposite."