Keep on Going
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"It doesn't seem real." Batgirl rested her arms on the head of the gargoyle and breathed in the air that seemed so much cleaner up here. "I mean, it was all crazy but I never... I guess I always thought Batman would get to him in time." Staring out over the dark night, she noticed that the Bat Signal had not been lit since the end of the crisis.
Black Bat perched next to her, at ease despite the small space and long drop. "It is not the first time he has failed to reach someone in time," she reminded Steph.
"You don't have to tell me, Cass." She twisted a batarang around in her hand, letting the point dig in to the thick material of her gloves.
Black Bat shifted her position, balancing on the gargoyle head in front of Steph, one leg dangling casually over the side. "I was talking of Jason. You... were not truly dead."
"Ouch," Steph grumbled, not turning around. "It's a point I suppose. But everyone thought I was. So... same effect, right?"
Cass made a brief noise of agreement and offered no further comment. She had missed Stephanie terribly during that long year but, like so many other things, it was impossibly awkward to talk about. It was almost as awkward as talking about Damian, which they never did now. It never ended well for Steph.
"Yeah, I know, taboo subject." Steph sighed. When the silence became too much. "I just... We didn't always see eye to eye, you know? But... He was a pretty great guy. And... He deserved better." She shuddered thinking on what he must have gone through at the hands of his tormentors.
"Don't we all... Deserve better?" Cass asked, frowning. "We could all die like that any day."
"I guess so." Steph put the batarang away. She'd almost died like that already. "Can't be helped I suppose. Well, we could quit. Give up and just live a normal life. But that's not going to happen."
"Do you never wonder why we... Keep fighting?" Cass said, looking intently at her friend. "I was... Raised to fight. Now my life is different. I could stop. But I do not. You could stop, you do not. Why?"
"Good question." Steph smiled slightly. "I think people like us, we see the bigger picture. When I started, I was doing this for me. To make my life better. To make my dad's life worse. I did it too but on the way, I changed. I grew." She chewed on her lip, remembering. "And it's been hard and I've learned some painful lessons. In the end though? I look at the good I've done, the lives I've changed and that keeps me going. We hurt so others don't have to. We die so others live. Dick knew that. You know it and I know it. This job will probably kill us. Maybe even more than once. But... I think it's worth it."
Cassandra nodded slowly, Steph's words making sense. Some people were just drawn to give their lives over to the service of others. People like them saw no other options, despite the often harsh consequences. Dick's sacrifice hadn't been the first and wouldn't be the last. However hard it was without him, there was no giving up. "We keep on going then?" She asked.
"Yeah." She blinked as a bright light suddenly flooded the sky causing them both to look up. It was the Bat Signal, but tonight, Nightwing's symbol filled the night sky instead. Steph looked at it, taking in what it meant, what it stood for. What it would always stand for. "Yeah, we keep on going."
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