Complications
a Batman: The Animated Series-based fan fiction
by: Joycelyn Solo
Author's note: This is based on the characters as they appeared on Batman: The Animated Series.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and, as such, I am not making any money. Everything belongs to someone else (who I'd list, but I can't keep all the DC-ownership straight).
Chapter Eight
Arriving at her dorm room, Barbara couldn't get her suit off fast enough.
"Who does he think he is?" She pulled her mask off and threw it into her closet.
"What gives him the right to judge?" Her left and right boot joined the mask.
"'You sure you're up for it?' he asks." She threw her gloves in disgust and watched in satisfaction as the rest of her suit made a pile of kevlar on the floor.
Even after a hot shower, which normally calmed her mind and body after a rough night out, she wasn't any closer to calming down.
Deciding that she needed some air, she grabbed her jacket and stormed out the door.
I'm the biggest jerk in the world. Dick kicked at the ground as he walked through campus.
He hadn't really meant to hurt Batgirl's feelings, he was just looking out for her. She was still new to the crimefighting business and he didn't want to to overextend herself.
He was pretty sure she didn't have the advantage of Bruce and Alfred being helping and advising her along the way. He was just trying to look out for her.
If only she'd stuck around long enough for him to explain.
He smiled at her disappearing act, though. At least I know how she feels when we pull that on her.
As he walked in front of the library, a flash of red caught his eye and for a brief moment he almost thought it was Batgirl.
Blinking to clear his head, he saw that it was Barbara Gordon storming across the courtyard.
"Hey Babs!" he called out.
She turned briefly and quickened her pace in the opposite direction.
"Babs!" he broke into a jog to catch up to her. "What's up, Barbara? Just because I forgot my notes --" he stopped when she turned toward him.
Her face was streaked with tears.
"Go away, Dick."
Never one to take a subtle hint, Dick put a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think something's wrong?"
He brushed away her tears with his thumb. "Well, considering that I've only seen you cry once in the ten years I've known you, this is a pretty good indicator."
Barbara turned her head away from his ministrations. "Go away, Dick. I don't want to talk about it."
"Ah-ha. So there is something wrong." He grinned brightly in his triumph and was rewarded with the barest hint of a smile from Barbara. "Come on, Babs. What is it? School trouble? Parent trouble? Boy trouble?" Please don't let it be a guy, he hoped.
However, at the look on her face when he said 'Boy' trouble, his heart sank. Watch it, Grayson, he chastised, it's not like you've ever told her how you feel -- you can't be jealous of some guy who had the guts you lacked.
Hoping that he wasn't making a mistake, Dick softly nudged her toward a nearby bench. "Babs, talk to me. Maybe I can help."
Staring at Dick, Barbara couldn't believe her luck -- or lack thereof. Of all the people she could have an emotional breakdown in front of, he had to be the one to show up.
Plus, it wasn't like she could really talk to anybody about this problem.
She let out a deep breath. "I'm involved in this...group project...for my dad. Three of us are doing some work for him." Not a total lie -- my dad is the police commissioner and we do help him out with his work.
"The one guy, I think, is okay with me, he seems to consider what I have to say even though he's older. But this other guy, the young one, I just can't figure out. One minute he's all gung-ho about a suggestion I've made, and the next he tells me I don't have enough experience to even be...um...helping them out."
Intent on telling her story with the least amount of incrimination possible, Barbara didn't notice that Dick had taken her hand into his and was softly stroking it with his thumb.
"Every time I think that I'm contributing something, he jumps in with how I'm just interfering. Tonight he insinuated that I couldn't handle the...the group project...along with my regular school work." She took a deep breath, hoping to clear the lump out of her throat. "They wouldn't even know Tu...what the next step should be if it wasn't for me."
"This guy sounds like a colossal jerk." Dick ran a finger along her chin and turned Barbara's head so she was facing him. "Babs, you're the smartest woman I know. Anyone would be lucky to have you around." He looked down at their joined hands, noticing for the first time that he was holding hers. "Any guy would be lucky to be around you." He brought his head back up and met her eyes.
Barbara's felt her heart sped up at the intensity with which he was regarding her. "Dick --"
She was interrupted by a shrill beeping.
Dick reached into his pocket and withdrew his pager. He looked at the number -- one of the codes he and Bruce used -- and groaned. "I hate to do this, Babs, but I have to go."
Relief or disappointment, she wasn't sure, flooded Barbara. "That's okay, really. I'm glad I was able to get it off my chest. Thanks for listening. I'm going to walk home now." she knew she was babbling, but she needed to distance herself, and fast, before she said or did something stupid. "See you around."
"Yeah," Dick stared as she practically
ran away from him. "See you."
~~~~~~~
Tune in next time. Same Bat-Fiction Site. Same Batty Fan-Fic Author.
