I just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews :)
They mean a lot to me!

CHAPTER 9

Nightwing glared at his former mentor. How could he just stand there and tell him what to do? He wasn't in charge of him anymore! Dick was no longer Robin, he didn't have to listen to Batman. Nightwing opened his mouth, but froze when he caught sight of Allie. He could see the fear in her eyes. All she wanted was to go home to her family, and here he was dragging her around all over Gotham. She looked so tired…

He searched the rest of her face and saw there was blood caked in her light blonde hair and circles were starting to form under her eyes, making her look much older. His eyes wandered down to her arms and he winced as he remembered how awful they looked. There was no time or reason to argue about this. Batman was right, she needed a doctor and fast. Without another thought he turned on his heel and started walking down the street.

"Let's go." He instructed, not even bothering to look back. Allie jogged to catch up with him and fell in stride once she was close enough. She stared at the ground as they walked for a while before she stopped. Nightwing, noticing her absence from his side, turned and eyed her curiously. Allie turned back towards where they'd left Batman, a look on her face that Dick couldn't quite place.

"Batman?" she called. The Dark Knight made no notion that he had heard her, but Allie continued anyway,

"Hit him hard for me." Nightwing raised an eyebrow and smirked. Well, that certainly wasn't what he had expected her to say. Mostly people just gave a lot of thank you's and I owe you one's. He couldn't be sure, but Dick could have sworn he saw the corner of Batman's mouth twitch upwards before he nodded, and disappeared. Allie stood there for a long time, Nightwing staring at the back of her head.

"Allie?" he called softly. She turned her head slightly, indicating she had heard him. "We have to go." He stated. Allie nodded slowly and turned to face him. Dick was surprised to see her face was streaked with silent tears.

"Allie? What-" he stopped short and his eyes widened as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, her face buried in his chest. Her shoulders shook with quiet sobs, and Dick brought his arms up hesitantly. Slowly, he laid one hand on her back and the other on her head.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I have no idea what I was thinking. All I know is that I had this giant weight settled in the middle of my chest, and the more I cried the more the weight eased off. As for the whole hugging part, well, sometimes you just need a hug. Know what I mean? And Nightwing just so happened to be the closest person at the moment. I wasn't exactly going to hug a random person on the street, especially not in this neighborhood. Who knows how they would have taken it. After practically soaking Nightwing's costume- erm… uniform? Whatever, you know what I mean. After his chest was thoroughly soaked, I backed away and wiped the remaining tears from my face with the palm of my hand.

"I'm sorry." I sniffed, "I'm just… Freaking out right now." I admitted. I think that was it anyway. Getting attacked is kind of a terrifying experience. I wouldn't recommend it. Nightwing eyed me warily and I felt my face heat up again under his gaze.

"So, uh… Who's Leslie?" I asked, attempting to ease the awkward moment we were currently having. Nightwing hesitated a moment before turning to continue walking down the street,

"She's a doctor. The only one Batman trusts, really." He commented over his shoulder. I trailed after him silently.

ooooo

I hopped off of Nightwing's motorcycle and looked up at the decrepit looking building in front of me. The bricks were worn with age and large chunks were missing in some places. The stone steps leading to the door looked corroded, as if they would crumble if so much as a feather landed on their surface.

"She works… Here?" I questioned. After hearing that Leslie was a doctor, I assumed we'd be going to a nice neighborhood closer to the city. A suburb or something. But, nooo, "the only doctor Batman trusts" is in Park Row. Or, as it's more commonly known, Crime Alley. I feel as though I would have been better off by the docks with Two-Face and Killer Croc. At least saying, "She died at the docks," sounds less menacing. It'd be easier for my parents that way. This place was literally nicknamed for the amount of criminal activity that occurred. Nightwing smirked beside me,

"She's lived in this neighborhood for years. It's her home. Besides, Dr. Thompkins is all about helping people who can't afford medical help from a big hospital or doctor's office." He informed me. I frowned as I followed him up the stairs, cautiously applying weight to each one for fear it would crumble under my weight. Nightwing rapped on the door and we waited patiently. A few seconds later the door creaked open, revealing a shriveled looking woman with snow white hair, tied in a bun on the back of her head. She gazed through the crack in the door with intelligent gray eyes, and smiled when she saw Nightwing,

"I was wondering when I was going to see you." She teased. Nightwing let out a nervous laugh,

"Actually, Doc, I'm not here for me." He said, stepping aside so I was in view. When Leslie caught sight of me her eyebrows rose in surprise, and she turned to Nightwing suspiciously,

"This is the girl that's been all over the news." She informed him. Nightwing feigned surprise,

"Has she really?" he asked innocently, and the woman frowned at him, rolling her eyes. I frowned as well, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. If I was all over the news, what would happen if Two-Face happened to watch it, he'd be able to learn a lot about me. Where I go to school, what I did in school, even where I lived. Ugh, why did reporters have to be so thorough? I looked up as someone cleared their throat. At some point while lost in my thoughts, Nightwing had informed Dr. Thompkins of the current situation and moved inside the building. Now the elderly doctor was staring curiously at me, probably wondering if I were mentally ill as well as physically. Flushing with embarrassment I scurried inside.

The inside of the building was much nicer than the outside. The walls were a creamy tan, and the floor was polished wood. Pictures and newspaper clippings of patients lined the walls all the way down the hall. A door to the left had a lock on it, and I assumed led to Leslie's home. There was a waiting room directly to the right, and it seemed to be empty except for the familiar dark haired, masked man lounging in one of the chairs.

"This way." Leslie placed a gentle hand on my elbow, leading me down the hall. I looked over at Nightwing uneasily and he offered a small smile,

"Don't worry, I'll be right here." He assured me. I hesitated a moment longer, but eventually allowed myself to be led into an observation room. The door closed with a click, and Leslie turned to me with a kind smile.

"Now, Nightwing informed me that your arms are what's really concerning him, but you've also had a scrape with some hooligans. I'll tend to your arms first and then we'll go from there, all right?" She said kindly. I nodded, shrugging off the backpack Selina had given me and lowering the sleeve of my sweater to reveal the injury. I winced as Leslie un-wrapped the gauze Batman had applied. Some of the cloth had stuck to the wound, making it rather painful to remove. When she was finished, the older woman made several tsk-ing noises before moving over to the counter set up on the far side of the wall.

"You're very lucky. The infection isn't too severe." Leslie announced, "Any longer, and you might have lost your arms." She added, giving me a stern look over her shoulder. I blanched and tried to swallow. My throat suddenly felt very dry. I guess Nightwing had told her about my reluctance to tell him about my injury... How long did I space out for, exactly? "Cleaning your wounds isn't going to be a pleasant feat." Leslie said, setting a bottle of antiseptic beside me as she pulled on a pair of plastic gloves. Okay, so I probably should have said something to Nightwing sooner…

ooooo

I emerged from the back room an hour later. My arms were throbbing, but clean and properly bandaged. My other scrapes had been attended to, and she even checked my ribs. It turns out they were bruised, by the way, not broken. It feels like they were broken, though. Leslie handed me a Styrofoam cup of water and I gulped it down gratefully, throat sore from choking back sobs. Nightwing was still sitting in the waiting room where I'd left him, as promised. He looked up as I entered and gave me a small smile.

"Hey… You okay?" he asked.

"She'll be fine." Dr. Thompkins said, appearing beside me before I could answer.

"She just needs to keep clean bandages on her arms, and take these antibiotics every morning and every night to keep out any further infection." She instructed, handing me a small bottle. I placed the pills in my backpack before I turned back to Nightwing. He was staring at me again, with the same intent, thoughtful look as when he had been cleaning the wound on my head. I couldn't fight the blush creeping up my neck at the thought. I remembered hugging him, and my face darkened a shade more.

"If you're done, we should probably get you home." Nightwing stated simply, standing up from his lounging position. I nodded and turned back to Leslie.

"Thank you for your help, Dr. Thompkins." I said, and the older woman smiled at me.

"It was no trouble." She said kindly. Nightwing placed a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at him. He offered an encouraging smile, though it seemed rather strained. I guess he was getting tired, too.

"Are you ready to go home?" he asked. A smile stretched its way across my face.

"Home…" I cooed dreamily, shouldering my backpack as we headed towards the door. Nightwing opened it for me, and I grinned at him as I stepped outside. I had only placed a foot out the door, though, when I froze on the first step. A cop car was parked on the street right next to Nightwing's bike, and two policemen were leaning against the hood of the cruiser, looking up at the doorway expectantly.

"Are you Allie Valentine?" one of the cops asked in a thick, New Jersey accent. I stared at him for a moment before I nodded slowly.

"We have orders to escort you home." The second cop spoke up. I raised an eyebrow, eyeing the cops curiously. Nightwing was beside me then, a protective shadow, and glared at the officers,

"Orders from who?" he demanded. The New Jersey cop tilted his hat back, sizing up Nightwing.

"You really questionin' cops, kid?" at Nightwing's cold stare, he sighed and continued, "Look, the Bat told the Commish about the girl, then the Commish told us to come and get the girl. Ain't that how it usually goes?" he questioned, giving Nightwing a level stare. Nightwing held the man's gaze for several minutes before heaving an exasperated sigh. He turned to me, a solemn look on his face.

"Looks like I'm not taking you home after all." He said tiredly, and I frowned.

"Yeah… I guess not…" I replied halfheartedly. To tell you the truth, I was kind of disappointed. I hadn't known Nightwing that long, or even that well, but he'd helped me out quite a bit. I was kind of looking forward to him being the one to take me home. So, for the second time that night, I threw my arms around the masked boy in front of me.

"Thank you, for everything." I said. I pulled away, offering Nightwing one last tired smile, before I walked down the steps. I cast a wary look at the officers before me as I reached the car. The cop with the Jersey accent opened the door for me and gave a mock bow, sweeping his arm towards the car. Jerk… I thought to myself. I frowned at him as I slid into the back seat. The door closed behind me with a rather unnecessary slam, and I jumped at the noise.

I looked out the window to see Leslie and Nightwing standing in the doorway to Leslie's office-slahsi-home. Leslie had a kind smile on her face and gave me small wave, which I returned sheepishly. Nightwing's arms were crossed, and a mixture of anger and sadness battled across his features. I offered him a weary smile and a small wave. He didn't return either as he continued to stare at the cruiser as it drove away. Maybe he wasn't as disappointed in my leaving as I was…

Oh well, I sighed with relief. Home… I'm finally going home… I thought happily. Thoughts of seeing my parents again filtered through my mind, and I thought of all the things I would tell Lindsey when I got home. Especially about one rather attractive crime-fighter, but, let's not name names. All these thoughts and more raced through my head, and I leaned against the cruiser-window contentedly. I was asleep within minutes.

The sound of car doors slamming woke me with a jump. I yawned, stretching tiredly, and winced at the throbbing in my arms. The pain had died down since my visit to Dr. Thompkins, but it was still there. For a moment I wondered if the wounds would scar- a permanent reminder of the events that occurred over the past two days. Considering how bad they were, I'd say yes. Oh, well, at least it was over now. Smiling, I thrust open the car door and jumped out of the cruiser, excitement giving me a sudden burst of energy. In my eagerness to see my family I ran forward, paying no mind to my surroundings. I hadn't gotten too far from the cruiser, however, when I realized that absolutely nothing looked familiar. Again. I took a look around, and all of the color drained from my face. My legs felt as though they'd been turned to jelly, and I sunk to my knees.

Those cops hadn't taken me home. Instead, I stood in the middle of an abandoned parking lot, staring up at a large funhouse in an abandoned carnival on the docks of Gotham Bay. Trash littered the streets, street lights flickered from above, and old fliers were scattered everywhere. The upper half of a large clown head sneered down at me from atop the funhouse entrance. It seemed to laugh at how quickly my hopes were crushed. "Ha ha ha!" was spray painted sloppily all over the building in bright neon colors, merely rubbing salt in the wound. It was as if the whole building had been designed simply to mock me.

A figure emerged in the entrance of the doorway to the funhouse, hidden in the shadows, though the streetlights and moon offered some help in seeing their outline.

"Well, well, well. The guest of honor has finally arrived." A cartoonish voice called out playfully, sending shivers down my spine. I squinted into the darkness in an attempt to see the figure better. That voice… I've heard it before. I know I have. It gave me the same feeling then as it does now. I felt scared…The figure stepped into the light, and for a moment I thought I was going to faint. I definitely recognized him. It was kind of hard not to. The purple suit, the green hair, the pale skin, and the blood red lips curved upwards into what appeared to be a permanent smile. It was his trademark look.

"Let's get the party started!" the Joker threw his hands up in the air, laughing gleefully.

A/N
Sooo, yeah, there's that :) I just love the Joker.
He's my favorite villain, and when I saw the opportunity I kind of threw him in. :)

Also, I'm having a bit of a Pirate kick. I've been watching a lot of One Piece, Pirates of the Caribbean,
I'm even going to read Treasure Island when I get finished with the book I'm reading now. Does anybody
have any suggestions for some pirate-y things?
Also, I was just wondering, what are some things that you guys are really interested in at the moment?
My obsessions change periodically, and randomly, and I was just curious as to some of yours :)