Hey! I'm back with a new chapter because I like you guys ( :
Special thanks to Skylart! Thank you for the ideas! I'll try to add them as best as I can!
This is just for future reference: I'm sorry if Phantom's personality is a little shaky and not really defined...I'm still ironing the kinks out. I also apologize if Tim or anyone else is ooc. I felt like season 2 didn't really show Tim's character as much, so I'm kind of going off of Dick's personality from season 1...
Disclaimer: HA HA HA HA HA HA...oh, wait you were serious? Fine. I don't own anything. Happy?
Robin:
It was obviously her because a) her skills b) her snarky, but non-genuine attitude. She still managed to look intimidating in jeans and a bloody leather jacket. Her left shoulder was dripping blood from the bullet wound, but she still held on to her other knife, clearly not happy to see me. I smirked at her annoyed expression but instantly became worried at her obviously severe blood loss. Hey, she might have been a villain, but she was still human. Besides, Alfred would kill me if I let someone bleed to death in front of me. I took a step towards her, but she immediately flinched and stepped back as if I had slapped her. "Don't. Touch. Me." She growled. She moved her feet into a fighting stance and clutched her shoulder tightly. Her shoulders tensed up, but she didn't move any farther away. She couldn't, I realized. She was obviously exhausted. "I'm just trying to help, Princess." I snapped back at her. If she was surprised by my reaction, she didn't show it. "I don't need your help. Why would you want to help me? I'm one of the bad guys, remember?" Her voice held an underlying note of bitterness when she asked the last question. "Hey, I'm not the one bleeding all over the sidewalk." I answer back nonchalantly, but I begin to grow concerned against my will. "Just let me look at it." I sighed as the better part of my conscience got to me. "I already told you—"
"I know and I don't really care. I…. just don't want to see someone else die right in front of me, ok?" She looked surprised at my sudden change of attitude. "Fine."
Phantom:
He cautiously moved towards me and I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "I'm in too much pain for me to bite, Little Bird." I surprised myself with my own honesty. I never admitted that I was hurt. EVER. I brushed that fact to the side and studied his face. He seemed…genuine about wanting to help me…that was a first. "Wait. How do I know that you won't hurt me?" I raised an eyebrow. "You don't, but you were the one who offered to help. It's your choice." My voice sounded nonchalant, but I was really begging for help. I couldn't explain something like a bloody bullet wound to Slade! He would punish me severely. The scar on my cheek seemed to throb at the memory of the first time I had disobeyed.
The woman's eyes widened in terror. "No! Please! I have a family!" Slade just stared at her coldly through his mask. "Your husband needs to learn his place. This is just a warning to him from the Shadows." His voice was as cold as ice, but I could hear a smirk in it. "Maybe he'll think twice about betraying them next time." My seven year old self had been too naïve to really understand what happened next. I should have known. He had been giving me subtle hints about it for weeks now: my first kill; my first mark in assassins' history. He turned away from the bound woman lying on the grass in front of us and took out a small hand pistol from his belt. At least I knew that someone was going to die, but I didn't know that I would be the killer. Slade handed me the gun, his one visible eye emotionless. "Kill her." Was all he said. I couldn't hide my surprise. "What?" I squeaked out. "Kill her." He repeated. The gun was forcefully jammed into my hand, and my eyes probably widened comically. Without even thinking I lowered the gun. "Why?" I felt my lip tremble. "Just do it! How dare you question me!" My eyes widened, and even though I tried to hide them, tears began to trickle down my cheeks. "But—but what about her family? They need a mother! Who will take care of them?" His visible eye twitched in anger. "That's not important! Now, do it." His voice was cruel and cold. The woman's eyes traveled back and forth between us. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she said nothing. I hadn't moved, my eyes locked with hers. 'Help me.' They seemed to cry out. "Fine." I heard the click of Slade upholstering another gun and closed my eyes, expecting him to shoot her instead of me. But, I was shocked to feel the cold barrel of his gun press into the back of my head. "Kill her, or I kill you." He whispered into my ear. "Now." I felt my entire frame shake, but I raised the gun so that it was aimed straight at the woman's head. 'I'm sorry…so sorry.' I think before looking away from her pleading eyes and pulling the trigger. I didn't look as I heard the thud of a body falling to the ground. I took a deep to steel myself for a long, loud lecture from Slade, but what I got was a smack across the face with something sharp. I fell to the ground and gingerly touched my cheek. A small trickle of blood wets my fingers. Slade stands above me with a small knife. "Take that as a lesson. Now, get up!" He threw the knife at my feet and began to walk out of the house. "The helicopter will be leaving in exactly five minutes." I didn't say anything. I was crying too much to care. Even though I was deliberately not looking at the body, but the metallic scent of blood seemed to fill my nose and mouth, suffocating me. "I'm sorry." I began to sob and for some reason, I crawled over to the woman's body and gently cradled her head. Blood stained my lap, but I didn't care. My heart suddenly clenched as my sadness turned into anger and hatred towards Slade."I'll avenge you…someday." I whispered and stood up. Something inside me changed that day. I wasn't a little, carefree girl anymore. I was Phantom, and I a killer.
I was pulled back to the present by a jolt of pain running through my arm. My teeth gritted in pain. "Careful!" I snapped at Robin. "Calm down! I just need to look at it! Do you always yell at people who are trying to help you?" (A.N. season one reference…sorry, I couldn't resist) I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses. "No. You're just special, Little Bird. " I growled sarcastically, but tried to remove my jacket with my good hand to let him examine the bullet wound…. without much success. 'Way to look stupid' I thought to myself. 'Now, I may actually have to kill him for seeing me so weak.'
Robin:
I stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "Let me get it." I reached out, but she tried to move away again. I was about to make some comment about her being too arrogant to accept my help until I saw the expression on the visible part of her face. She looked….scared, almost. "Hey. I won't hurt you. It's against the Bat code to attack an already injured and bleeding to death assassin." She seemed to relax at my sorry attempt at humor. I slowly pried the jacket off her shoulders to reveal a fitted black tank top which clearly showed off the bloody wound in her left shoulder. I squinted at the wound for a long moment, but it is way too dark to see the true extent of the damage. "It's too dark down here." I glanced around, looking for a better place to clean the bullet wound. My eyes suddenly freeze on the rooftop above us. "Can you stand up?" She struggled to get to her feet. "Of course." She wobbly stood up, only to have her knees give out on her. Without thinking, I stepped forward and caught her. "Umm…thanks?" she said breathlessly, yet awkwardly. I had caught her by practically dipping her like we were dancing. (AN: Its awkwardly worded, I know)"Yeah…no problem." I mumbled, not moving for a long moment. Our faces were only a few inches apart, though it wasn't like I was paying attention to any of that….how juvenile would that be? She leaned in for a moment, but quickly pulled back and awkwardly cleared her throat. "I guess that I'm weaker from blood loss than I thought." I swallowed hard and nodded. "Here, I got you." I picked her up bridal style and scaled the building, ignoring the fact that she was unhealthily light. She didn't protest or say anything, but was completely stiff as I carried her and set her down on the rooftop. With the light from the skyscrapers, etc., I was able to tell that the bullet had cleanly entered and exited her shoulder. All it would need was cleaning and stitches. I carefully began to clean her wound with a disinfectant I store in my utility belt (Batman always said to be prepared) and tried not to seem like I noticed the way her breath hitched as it obviously stung. Her hands were clenched in tight fists and I could see little red crescents where her nails bit into her flesh. Her mouth was set in a grim line, but she stayed silent through the entire procedure. The silver knives that she usually wore in her hair, apparently, were scattered on the rooftop a few feet away from us. I could sense her eyes keep flicking towards them, but she didn't move.
Phantom:
It hurt. Honestly, it seemed like he was trying to inflict the most amount of pain on me in my state. But…somehow I knew that he wasn't. Curse heroes and their genuine need to help people. It made my job so much harder. It piled on guilt and shame all the time, but I guess that us "villains" were used to it. What was the point of trying to be someone you're not? I glanced at my knives once again. How was I going to get away when he was done? He obviously was going to take me in for questioning, but he had decided to patch me up first before sending me to prison. What a gentleman. I rolled my eyes behind my sunglasses and bit my lip to keep from crying out when he poured more disinfectant onto my bullet wound. But I guess I could be grateful for the fact that the bullet went clean through my shoulder. I tried to think of something happy to get my mind off the pain as he began the stitches. Umm...I didn't really have any happy memories to go off of...well, maybe except meeting Jade...and even Robin, I guess. He was much more talkative than Slade at least. I felt my cheeks flush a little at the memory of leaning forward to almost...kiss him? No, why would I do that? I mean, seriously: me and a hero? How juvenile would that be? He probably hated me, anyway. I had screwed up his mission earlier and now he had to patch me up: not exactly a win win for him.
I was brought to back to the present when I realized he was talking. "Why were you in Gotham?" My lips formed a smirk as I resumed my sassy facade. "Wouldn't you like to know." He ignored my comment and continued. "Why did you start that fight in the first place, anyway? And why didn't you bring out your weapons at first instead of waiting till the end?" The smirk dropped and openly stared at him. "You were stalking me?" "Not exactly." He didn't elaborate, and I rose an eyebrow. "Should I be flattered or creeped out?" "Shouldn't you be used to people trying to watch your every move?" He countered smoothly. I raised an eyebrow. "Not many people know that I exist. Im more covert...until recently. You should feel special that you do." My voice held a sarcastic edge to it. "Gee, I'm honored, Princess." He halfheartedly mumbled while finishing up the stitches. I stiffen as that nickname finally starts to get to me. "Don't call me that." "Why not? You do act all high and mighty anyway." I brush off the comment and try to ignore its sting. " I'm not a princess. I'm an assassin." I deadpanned before pushing him away as I sat up, not willing to go through the whole "Our faces are only two inches apart" thing all over again. My eyes immediately travel towards the row of neat stitches along my left shoulder. He really did do a good job. "Thanks." I said quietly, torn between wanting him to hear it or not. His shoulders tensed up in surprise, but he nodded. "I'm going to have to take you in for questioning." He informed me while reaching to his utility belt for a pair of handcuffs. I rolled my eyes and sighed. This is where it got ugly. "I can't and won't go with you." "Wanna bet?" My narrowed eyes met his masked ones. "You're on, Little Bird."
Yay! Another cliffhanger...sorry about that. BTW: Italic paragraph=flash back. Please R&R!
