Hey, guys. Sorry I missed last week's update. The place I was staying had shit wifi, no cell signal, and was generally cut off from the world. I'm hoping to keep the weekly updates going, but I am starting school on Monday and auditions/rehearsals for the musical start Tuesday, so, I'm gonna be pretty busy. Like I said, I'll try to stick to the update schedule as well as possible. Also, I'm going to try to start posting updates for Mario Warfare as well. I was really enjoying that project.

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Batman, Robin, Gotham, Sweet Tooth, Candy, or really anyone else. They all belong to DC Comics/Starkid. Technically I own Natalia, so that's nice I guess. I like her.

CHAPTER SIX

NJ

Gotham Performance Hall

"That was so great!"

"I know, right?"

"So much fun!"

"Can we do something like this next year?"

From the instant the curtain dropped, conversation filled the area backstage, and onstage as well. The dancers moved quickly to the wings, preparing for curtain call, but that didn't stop the chattering amongst them.

"Places for curtain call!" Cyndi yelled, her command barely heard but instantly obeyed by the entire company. It never failed to impress Natalia how easily she was able to gain control over a room.

The curtains drew back, and the first wave of performers entered the stage. Natalia had to wait for a minute or two, seeing as she was a main character. She wouldn't enter the stage last - that spot was reserved for Batman - but she would be after others, like Gordon and Poison Ivy. Either way, it was going to take a while.

Sweet Tooth, Alex, took his bow, and at last it was time for Natalia to talk the stage again. As she ran out, the lights nearly blinded her, all directed onto her as they were. She would never get used to that.

Or that applause, either.

Was that really all for her? Wow.

Natalia took a bow, paused, took another bow, and held out her arm to the side, calling BatNicholas, as he'd been nicknamed, onto the stage. She bowed again, this time with him, and once more with the entire company, all the while scanning the crowd.

No sign of the Dynamic Duo.

She kept smiling for the crowd, kept acting like she had never been happier, like the night could not have been more perfect. To tell the truth, she was extremely proud of the performance, and she really had enjoyed it. Still, the two heroes not coming put a bit of a damper on her evening.

Natalia kept searching the crowd, looking for any familiar faces in the audience. It was largely comprised of the friends and families of the students, but, as always, Gotham's social elite crowded into the first few rows. To her surprise, the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne and his teenage ward Dick Grayson were seated in the front row with the rest of the socialites.

It was strange, actually, that they had come. To the best of Natalia's knowledge, neither had any kind of connection to the studio, and they didn't go to all that many social events anyway. Even more surprising was that their attention seemed to be fixated on her, not the company at large. Why they were paying special attention to her, Natalia had no idea. Maybe they just liked her performance?

Wait... Hadn't there been a rumor going around? About Wayne being one of Batman's supporters, maybe even funders? After all, the Duo had ordered pizzas delivered to Wayne Manor. Maybe... was it naïve to hope that the pair had come in their stead?

Once the curtains drew shut, Natalia raced back to her part of the dressing room. She pulled on an old pair of sweats quickly, not wanting to waste time. If she took too long, Wayne and Grayson could leave, and if they were here on the Dynamic Duo's behalf, they would take with them her lone form of communication.

Natalia had to slow for a moment to remove the wig, eventually having to enlist Mari's help to get the last few pins out. Why hairspray was needed for a wig, she still had no idea...

She lifted the mask off just as she stepped into the main lobby of the performance hall, tucking it into her pocket. Clumps of people were milling around, apparently waiting to greet the dancers. When Natalia entered, several people immediately found their way over, grouping around her and trying to start conversations.

Trying to juggle at least four conversations at once ("About twelve years" - "Fifteen" - "Early November" - "I think seven years, now"), Natalia scanned the crowd for any sign of the famous pair. As bad as she felt about it, she couldn't get too distracted by these people, or too involved in their conversations.

She was determined.

DG

Gotham Performance Hall

Dick and Bruce were still near the doors of the theater, having been some of the last to exit. Dick was chatting with a few random civilians, keeping up his image while searching the crowd for Natalia. It was getting late, and he wanted to find her before long.

"Dick," Bruce said quietly, "we need to get back to the manor. We're wasting time. We have work to do."

Dick rolled his eyes, knowing that Bruce would pick up on his exasperation. Couldn't the man relax for one night?

"Bruce, relax," he said, though he was fully aware that the command would almost certainly make Bruce all the more anxious. "The world won't explode if we leave for work a few minutes late. Besides, we need to congratulate Natalia on her performance."

Bruce sighed, mimicking Dick's eye roll from earlier. "Fine, Dick. If she's not here if ten minutes, we need to go."

Fair enough, the teen thought, knowing that he wouldn't be getting any better of an answer. He continued searching for her, figuring he could recognize her from a distance by her blonde bun, even if he couldn't see her face. This particular method seemed to be flawed in many ways, as Dick realized almost instantly. Dancers were emerging from backstage, yes, but they were being mobbed so quickly by audience members that it was all but impossible to make out who was who.

One group of people, slightly larger than the rest, appeared to be slowly gravitating in their direction. Straining his eyes, Dick was only just able to make out a person, with blonde hair and a medium build, in the center.

"Hey, Bruce," the teenager said, calling the man's attention with a nudge to the shoulder. "Pretty sure that's her." Bruce's eyes immediately went to the group of people, and he nodded in agreement. A second later he was on his cell, likely sending a text to Alfred about getting the 'office' ready for 'work' tonight.

Dick kept his eyes on the group, and after a minute or two it began to thin. He could see the figure in the center now, and indeed it was Natalia. She took notice of him a few seconds later, and her face lit up.

"Please wait. Just a minute," she said - mouthing the words, really. Dick wouldn't have been able to hear her anyway. Didn't make a difference, though; reading lips was one of the easier parts of the job.

It took another fifteen minutes or so, but the crowd began to clear, slowly trickling outside or moving toward the doors to the dressing rooms, wanting to meet the last few remaining cast members. Natalia slipped past the last few people, quickly finding her way over to the pair by the doors.

"Thank you for coming tonight," Natalia said as a greeting, a wide smile on her face. "It means a lot to me, to the entire company, that the performance was such a success."

Dick grinned, responding, "It took a while to get Bruce to come, but I convinced him. We both loved the show."

Bruce smirked, his next comment coming out as a low, sarcastic murmur. "Convinced me? More like pestered me into submission."

Dick glared at Bruce for a second, and he could hear Natalia's soft chuckle when he did.

"I've heard a lot about you both..." she said. "You two really are like father and son."

Simultaneously, Dick and Bruce rolled their eyes. Natalia laughed a little louder, and both men smiled.

"Anyway, that was a fantastic performance, Miss Jordyn," Bruce said, returning their conversation to the initial topic.

"Absolutely amazing," Dick pitched in. "You did a great job as Robin."

This comment seemed to remind Natalia of something. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I nearly forgot. I actually have a question for you. Both of you."

Dick and Bruce glanced at each other, instantly on alert. Mentioning Robin had sparked a question... what could that question be?

"Can you keep a secret?"

This conversation was getting more and more suspicious by the second...

"Well, I certainly can," Dick said, trying to gloss over the bit of tension and cover up the fact that Bruce was obviously on edge, about to freak. "What do you want to tell us?"

Natalia leaned closer, her voice much quieter than before. "Is it true... Are you two involved with Robin and Batman?"

Dick started, and Bruce tensed, his shoulders shooting up a fraction. They looked at each other again, both far more nervous than moments before.

"Yes..." Bruce said, "You could say that we are."

Natalia smiled again, visibly relaxing. Instantly, the worry and tension all but vanished from the air. "Awesome! I just, um, had something I wanted to say to them."

"You know them?" Dick asked innocently, feigning surprise.

"No, no, not at all," she replied, shaking her head. "It's just, the other night, they kind of... um, saved my life. And I asked them to come to this performance... sort of as a thank you, I guess? But they couldn't come, and since you're friends with them... could you maybe give them a recording, or something?"

Her speech, while a bit disconnected and jumpy, was still said rapidly. It took Dick a second to actually respond to the question.

"Of course we will," Dick said, grinning. "We'll tell them you said thanks. Just don't forget - it is still a secret we know them, so don't tell anybody."

"Of course not. I wasn't planning on it anyway, I just wanted to be sure that Robin and Batman know how much I appreciate their help. And thank you both so much for coming, really. Five year anniversary, first really major role... Big night for me tonight. For everyone."

"It was great," Bruce said simply.

"Congratulations again on the performance," added Dick.

"Thank you so much." Natalia checked her phone, her eyes widening when she noticed the time.

"Shit..." she muttered, before freezing, looking back up at them. "I mean, um, I've got to go. Thank you again for coming tonight!" She nearly bolted from the lobby, headed out into the cold night.

Bruce chuckled as she left. "Strange girl."

Dick was immediately on the defensive. "No she's not!" he protested, glaring at the older man. "She seems nice, and she's an amazing dancer too."

"I was kidding," said Bruce, the following eye roll more pronounced than usual. "Come on, let's get back to the manor."

The pair left the hall, avoiding the crowds on their way out. Dick walked a bit before Bruce, quietly humming a bit of music from the ballet. His smile widened as he walked away, on a bit of a high.

It had been an amazing night.