Yes chapter three where I reference Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy… because I can!

Yes you may have noticed the name of the story has changed… Yeah I was never a fan of the original one but I couldn't think of something better at the time so now I have and it's changed hurray!

Chapter 3

"Hey how was the party?" Jay turned away from the cereals he had been looking at to see a familiar blond.

"Stephanie right?

Barbra quickly grabbed a box of fruit loops and chucked it in the basket thinking her brother didn't see her.

"Barb" he put the box back "no offence I don't want the parents yelling at me because I let you have sugary cereal" the girl pouted

"You're no fun you know that?" the blond told him her hands on her hips. Jay cocked his head

"He's just mad because Mum noticed he got in fights at school" Barbra was getting him back for not allowing her to have fruit loops, great...

"Really now?" Stephanie turned her attention to the teenage boy who shrugged

"It's nothing and I'm not fighting in school" he couldn't say how he was getting the wounds. He was running around dishing out vigilante justice, his parents would kill him. Honestly he was shocked he had yet to get killed even if it had only been a couple of months. The name Robin was only just starting to appear as anything more than an excuse for how some guy got caught.

"You know denial never solves anything" the girl put her arm around his shoulder grinning, he shrugged her off.

"It wasn't in school… why are you here anyway?"Stephanie raised her eye brow

"Well I'd say probably the same thing you're here for" she pulled a box of cereal down from the shelf "Does it shock you that a pretty girl like me doesn't have a servant to do her shopping for her?" Jay coughed to cover up his snicker.

"I think you should" they both turned towards Barbra the little girl seemed to be seriously thinking about this. Stephanie lent down slightly so she was eye to eye with the little girl.

"Are you saying I'm pretty?" She asked

"Of cause!" Stephanie's grin grew even bigger

"She's so cute!"

"I'd let you keep her but I think my parents might kill me" Jay replied checking his watch "we need to go Barb…"

"Lunch?" the girl said "Mum gave you extra money so we could go get lunch!" the girl seemed outraged that her brother would forget something like that.

"I know" they really wanted us out of the house he added to himself. His little sister turned back to Stephanie who had now stood up and was checking to see if she had missed anything on her list.

"You should come to!" the girl blinking looking down at the child and shrugged

"You buying?" she grinned and Jay.

/

Jay had realized that now his little sister was quickly growing attached to the blond girl and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Stephanie was kind of… well to put it bluntly insane.

But he shrugged it off because he didn't need Barbra mad at him. He already had his mother asking why he locked his door at night.

So he agreed to take his sister and Stephanie out to MacDonald's and was now sitting in booth as the two girls chatted about nothing. While he was thinking he spotted something.

The man about two tables away was reading a newspaper the front headline was "Who is the Boy Wounder?" complete with a blurry picture of him hook shooting away.

Okay he was most defiantly famous now.

"Fan?" Jay turned to see Stephanie dipping a chip in the puddle of sauce she had created in the lid of her cheese burger container. Jay realized he was smiling.

"It's kind of amusing don't you think? The guys what? A teenager running around fighting bad guys. He's probably crazy." Stephanie nodded

"You are so a fan" Jay rolled his eyes "and in denial, don't worry about it though you're not alone kids cool. Boy wounder though… sounds so circus boy" they both laughed

"Dad doesn't like him" Barbra didn't like not being a part of the conversation. Jay stared down at his burger not feeling hungry anymore.

/

Three days later Jay was sitting on the couch in his living room when the front door opened.

"Honey?" Jay turned his head as his mother called out to her husband. The man walked right past her, angry. Jay lowered his head on the couch the paper being the only tell tale sign of him being in the room. It was then he realized the offending subject was in fact on the front page and that the damage had been done.

"First real photos of Gotham's Boy Wounder!"

Was in big friendly letters on the cover. It really was the first good photos that had been taken of him. The one that took up most of the front page was of him flying across the sky… well it looked like it. Jay's eyes could pick up the thin line that showed he was using his grapple.

The article below was pretty pro boy wounder and it did call him Robin.

He had been worried he'd get saddled with some stupid name the media gave him seemed they just liked calling him the 'Boy Wounder' it was odd that his old school nickname, the one only Rich seemed to call him anyway, had become his new name.

"Why?" he heard his father call. Jay kept the news paper up as he listened to his parent's conversation. "Why is he doing this?"

Because I have to Dad!

"Doesn't this kid realize how dangerous this kind of thing is?"

Yes I'm not an idiot!

"Where are his parents?"

In the kitchen not realizing the subject of their conversation is eavesdropping, hiding behind a newspaper.

Jay turned the page as to not seem suspicious

"Dear…" Jay's mother tired to sound calming "I know this is causing you a lot of trouble…"

"Causing me? Well of cause it is! But the fact still remains that it won't be long till this kid is found dead in some alley unless someone stops him!" Jay gritted his teeth not letting his father's words get to him. "Look at all the adults who died because they wanted to imitate Batman! Barbra I can't let some child… A boy like James end up like that!"

Jay lowered his head his hand subconsciously moving over the new wound he had gotten a simple scratch (though to most people anything involving stiches would be seen as at least a little worrying) something that could have easily been avoided if he had not been so cocky about things. The teenager closed and folded the paper before setting it done on the coffee table and walking over to the front door. Duke looked up from his mat but the boy gave a hand signal to tell the dog to stay.

/

It took him a moment to realize he had rung Lonnie's bell after all since Rich's death the two had barely spoken. It had taken Lonnie some time to get used to Rich since they were completely different… Lonnie was a brain he liked pulling things apart, spent most of his time at his dad's work, Machin'mechanics (Lonnie said the moment his dad retired the place was getting a new name) being his insane self and that was all he ever seemed to talk about.

Rich… sometimes had issues with a toaster and he preferred to not sit though an hour long explanation that amounted to "press the red button and pull this down".

Jay admitted he didn't even understand a third of what Lonnie said but the two of them had known each other since they were four; there were too many memories for that to get in the way.

But with all of that the three of them somehow meshed perfectly even if Jay wasn't around Rich and Lonnie could have fun. When Rich had died the two became unable to talk. Lonnie buried himself in his mechanical obsession and Jay… became Robin.

So when the red haired boy answered the door in jeans and a t-shirt he stared for a short moment before holding the door open for Jay and closing it behind him.

The Machin house was pretty normal other then the darker coloured décor; this was due to Lonnie and his father dragging in so much oil and grime that Mrs Machin had given in and decorated in a way that the stains would be less visible.

Jay also noticed the lack of 'projects' around the place. Lonnie had a habit of carrying his work around the house with him and leaving it randomly about. The fact that he couldn't see any though led the dark haired teenager to be even more wary of one appearing out of nowhere and tripping him.

Lonnie took him into the kitchen and after getting some drinks they sat at the table in silence.

"What are you doing here Jay?" the boy who had been staring down at his coke looked up at his friend, getting a good look at him for the first time and it shocked him what he saw.

The way that Lonnie looked… Jay wondered if that was how he looked like that. Lonnie had this… air of missing something and his eyes looked so much older and like he was hiding behind a mask.

No wonder people are suspicious if I look like that. He mused taking a sip while he thought about what to say next.

"Honestly Lon… I just needed to get out of the hou…"

"Why?" the red head interrupted.

"I was about to… you know what never mind. Dad's going insane over this Robin thing and I just couldn't be bothered being in the house with that" Lonnie nodded and smirked slightly taking away from the weird aura he had had earlier.

"Doesn't surprise me he's like the Golden boy of the press. Batman's a horrible monster though, worse thing that could happen to Gotham… But some kid comes along doing the exact same thing and he's God's gift to the city" Jay couldn't stop himself from flinching from the comments, but he hid it by grabbing his drink again.

"You're not a fan then?"

"…Haven't made up my mind yet" silence "You?" Jay looked down at his cup

"…I have to hate him or you know… Dad…" he knew the look Lonnie was giving him that scowl he always did, it was like a disappointed parent.

"Seriously?"

No not seriously

"You who dished out his own 'vigilante' justice the moment he saw a student getting bullied… hell even if it was a teacher doing it! You're telling me that you "have to hate him"?" Jay nodded "What did you lose that back bone since Rich…" They looked at each other and didn't speak. For a long time nether of them attempted to restart the conversation just listened to the clock and the street outside the window.

During this period they both heard the front door open and not to long afterwards Lonnie's mother appeared carrying to big bags of groceries. Putting them on the counter she noticed the two boys at the table.

"Jay? How are you?" she asked smiling, Jay returned it with a fake one of his own and stood up.

"Ummm… not hat badly but I need to be going… See you around Lon!" he called as he hastily left.

Where the hell am I going to go now?

He looked about himself confused about where to go. He checked his wallet to find twenty dollars so he decided to head to the nearest coffee shop and calm his nerves down.

When he got to the Starbucks it didn't at all surprise him that he saw a familiar blond. After all she just seemed to be everywhere at the moment.

"What are you doing stalking me?" she asked "You're not a vampire right?" she was ginning, the look on her face made Jay feel all the duller as he was sure that was an infectious grin. She seemed to pick up on that so she changed the subject.

"So did you see how the news papers are going wild about this whole 'Boy wounder thing"?" Jay payed the counter guy and looked at her. "Be an exciting life don't you think? Fighting crime" he shrugged

"Maybe?" he said seeing the look she was giving him

"I get it you're not in the mood to talk at all" he nodded before getting his coffee and leaving.

/

Yeah maybe I was! She glared at him as he left the coffee shop. Maybe I was going to tell my life story and then we'd walk off into the… She stopped herself because if she continued the laughing would have caused everyone to stare at her.

She needed that though after all she had a feeling he was doing the same thing she was… Avoiding something or someone…

That said… Can't be out to long I've run out of excuses and daddy dearest is probably waiting.

/

"Master Bruce?" the butler put down the silver tray he was carrying on a metal bench, the man in front of him was sitting in an office chair looking at several screens. He was using them to look into the new vigilante of Gotham. "Perhaps if you went to bed for a few hours you would have a fresh look on the subject"

"I can't allow a boy to go running around the town getting himself killed Alfred" the look Alfred gave the back of his head was scathing. "He's different though from the other people trying to be Batman…"

"This could be because he's not trying to be Batman… Notice that he dresses differently and calls himself Robin" Bruce Wayne finally turned to look at the man who had cared for him for many years. "It seems to me that you two may have some things in common, this boy isn't a criminal Master Bruce he could just need a few words" the younger man nodded more to himself at least Alfred knew he had heard the words "you could think on it while attempting to sleep" he tried again. Bruce smirked at him before returning to his desk and putting files about a particular criminal up on the screen.

The old man sighed he at least tried.

I wonder what's in store for Jay after all Batman wants to have a chat!

Oh and for now I'm not planning on extending the cast too far past this for now…

If you have any ideas or theories feel free to share I actually don't have much planned for right now in this story.

And remember folks don't flame without an extinguisher!