A/N: Yay, another chapter for my MOST FOLLOWED STORY (I think)
This one is my favourite, because Barbara. I decided upon her mode of transport because all other AUs have her in a wheelchair, and wheelchairs are boring. Woop.
Guess who Anne is supposed to be. Hint? What's "Silver" in French?
Review, enjoy ad infinitum. Please!
Red Ribbon: IX
The journey to Worcester took several days. Out of which Richard gained a total of sixteen minutes sleep; because he insisted upon remaining awake while Rachel slept, which she protested against, but couldn't dissuade him from doing so.
When they eventually rode into the city, Richard steered Cassie the horse through the busy streets towards a slightly shadier district.
"Are you sure about this?" Rachel asked, shrinking behind him.
"Calm yourself down. I've done this a million times, and besides, we're only here to see a friend of mine." he chuckled, then caught sight of this "friend" and spurred Cassie forward ever so slightly.
When they reached an alley a few metres away from what Rachel judged to be an expensive inn, Richard stopped the horse and dismounted.
He helped Rachel down, then gestured for her to follow him.
"I hope you aren't planning anything in this conveniently dark alley." Rachel remarked.
A short bark of laughter followed by the sound of metal scraping along cobblestones sounded from the shadows. "To be honest, lass, I wouldna put it past old Handsome Dick here." said a female voice tinged with a Scottish accent.
Richard rolled his eyes. "How droll. Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Barbara?"
A very pretty young woman with a bob of short, slightly haphazard auburn hair dragged herself out of the corner of the alley. "My bloody mistake, Dick. Barbara Gordon." She stuck out a hand.
The first thing Rachel noticed about Barbara Gordon was the fact that she didn't have any legs, and was seated in an iron bowl which she dexterously manoeuvred around the street. Rachel sort of stared helplessly for a minute.
Barbara looked down. "Ach, I forgot about the old bowl."
Rachel looked away ashamedly and Barbara laughed.
"Dinnae worry yourself, lass. Everyone does that. Hell, sometimes I even do that. It is a fair unusual thing."
Richard jumped in, saving Rachel from finding a topic of conversation. "Actually, I'm here because I needed to shift something."
Barbara regarded him cuttingly. "You're always bloody here because you need something shifted. Do you never come just because you missed your poor crippled adopted sister?"
"Don't start with that, you're about as rich as the Queen as it is. But, if it's any consolation, some of the things I need shifted are fairly shiny." Richard offered.
"You have gained the Oracle's attention, laddie. Now let me see these shiny objects you speak of." Barbara said, raising her eyebrows and leaning forward.
Richard got out a flax bag from his belt and placed it on the cobbles in front of her. It fell open to reveal several rubies and emeralds, and a large sapphire.
"Well, roll me in oats and call me a bannock, you've actually got somethin' worth having this time." She picked up the first ruby.
"Glass." she said after a moment's inspection, and threw the fake ruby away. It smashed on the side of the building on the left.
"Glass."
"Real." she announced, dropping an emerald into her bowl where it landed with a clang.
"Glass, glass, glass, real, real, glass, real, glass, real, glass." Barbara rattled off, until she came to the big sapphire. She held it up to the light and clicked her tongue thoughtfully.
"Now this yin is interesting. I think it's actual legit."
"Legit? Seriously?" Richard asked, slightly bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Barbara looked up at him. "Have you ever kenned me to be wrong?"
"Well...no." Richard conceded. "How much do you think you could get for it?"
"Easily double the take for all the others."
"Got a target to donate the take to?" Richard asked.
"There's a bloke down Market Street by the name of Doctor Barnardo. Runs a wee home for orphans and the like. Figure he'd appreciate a wee dram of funding, no?"
"You make it look so easy."
"It is easy." Barbara said, scooping the real jewels into a small satchel at her hip. "Now away with you, and next time dinnae drag your pretty lass all the way here just to do some business."
"We're actually not-"
"Shut it, you are. You cannae fool your ain sister."
"Adopted sister."
"Shut up." Barbara told him, and winked at Rachel. "Dinnae mind me and my teasing, lass. You ken he's actually no bad for an English layabout highwayman, aye?"
Rachel smiled. "He does have his moments."
"Aye, that he does." Barbara agreed. "That he does."
On the ride back to Chessington, Richard and Rachel managed to catch a wagon going in that direction. Rachel sat in the back with a willowy black-haired girl from Manchester called Anne Silver, who told her she ran a little fortune-telling stall in London, by the Thames. Richard rode his horse alongside the cart, listening idly to their conversation.
Upon reaching Chessington, Rachel got back on the horse behind Richard and Anne dropped out of the cart and walked in the direction of the army camp.
"I liked Barbara." Rachel said to Richard as they gently trotted back. "She seemed like the kind of person who could keep you in line."
Richard laughed quietly. "You could say that. Just be thankful you never met my father."
"Who was your father?" Rachel asked curiously.
"You remember the highwayman who ruled the night in the 30s-50s? People thought he was an evil spirit or something?" Richard asked.
"The Bat-Man? The monks used to say if I wasn't good he would come and drag me down to the fires of Hell."
"You were raised by monks?"
"My mother abandoned me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's in the past."
"Anyway, the Bat-Man was – is – my adoptive father."
Rachel took in a sharp breath. "He's still alive? And what happened to your real father?"
"He died. With my mother. They didn't, or rather they couldn't, pay a corrupt landowner's extra rent, so he set the house on fire. I was outside, so I saw it all happen."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." he said humourlessly. "Bat-Man found me and the rest is history."
"Did you have any other siblings bar Barbara?" Rachel asked, changing the subject away from Richard's parents.
"One. He's called Tim and he lives in Scarborough. Sometimes he writes, sometimes he doesn't. I don't mind too much."
Rachel fell silent as they neared the town. Upon riding to Garfield's farm, he welcomed them with a shout and fussed over the horse, then told them to "Get lost so Ah can work my magic on the poor sugarcube."
So they did – Richard practically collapsed from tiredness on his makeshift bedroll in the storeroom.
Rachel gave in to herself and cautiously placed the tiniest of kisses on the cheek, then went up to bed herself.
