Not going to lie, guys, this is kind of a short update. I tried to make it longer and more significant to the story... but still, kind of a filler. I wanted to keep the chapters broken up as they originally were, and this was originally an extremely short not-really-chapter. So yeah, kind of short this week (though I haven't actually gotten to check the word count?). I'm really sorry - but hey, things're gonna start picking up relatively soon!

(And yeah, next time I start a new story, I promise - I'll work a lot more on getting rid of filler, starting the action sooner, etc., but hey, I'm still learning :) )

Disclaimer: I adore Dick Grayson with all of my heart, but, alas, he can never be mine. Nor can any of the BatFam or their associates. Sigh.

CHAPTER NINE

DG

Gotham City First National Bank

The instant the shot was fired, the two heroes and the civilian were on the move. As Robin ran to apprehend the thug, he watched Natalia twist her body and dive out of the way, landing near the doors and skidding until she nearly hit the wall. A second later Batman tackled the thug. Robin, thinking Natalia and the other hostages were safe, instantly joined in. With the combined force of the Dynamic Duo, it took less than a minute to take the second thug down.

"Batman!" an urgent voice called. Not the voice of a cop, but from one of the hostages. Batman turned to look, and Robin responded as well, despite not having his name called. It was second nature by that point - when Batman is called, Robin should respond too.

The hostage who'd called them was probably around Robin's age, his hair dark and mussed, much like the young hero's. The teenager was sitting right where Natalia had landed, and he had his hands pressed onto Natalia's shoulder.

His hands were soaked in blood.

In a flash, Robin was crouched beside the now-unconscious girl, carefully prying the teenager's hands from Natalia's shoulder to find the extent of the damage. A gaping hole, smack in the center of her shoulder, stared up at him. From what Robin could tell, the bullet had gone clean through, and a glance to the wall opposite of where Natalia had been standing confirmed that. The bullet was lodged in the wood paneling, not Natalia.

At least there's nothing to remove... Robin thought to himself. But still, she's bleeding too much...

Indeed, she was. The pressure that the teenager had been putting on her shoulder had helped to an extent, but now that pressure was removed and Natalia's blood ran freely again. Already the girl was far paler than usual.

Robin looked back over his shoulder, where he knew Batman was standing.

"She needs help," he said. "Badly."

"She can get some at the hospital," Batman responded gruffly. "Come on. We have to go."

The teenager cleared his throat, catching the attention of both heroes.

"Um, Batman, she may not make it to the hospital," he informed them as he resumed applying pressure. "She's lost a lot of blood, and Gotham General is on the other side of the city."

"And Batman, the hospital bill may be too expensive for her to pay," Robin said, only loud enough for his partner to hear, "and I've heard some nasty things about the Home."

He could hear Batman's aggravated sigh, but a second later the dark hero nodded once. As the cops flooded into the bank, Batman scooped the unconscious girl off the ground, and the teenager stood as well, keeping his hands pressed on the wound. Robin lead the way out to the Batmobile, ushering policemen and civilians to the side, attempting to speed their progress through the crowd.

"We'll take it from here, sir," Robin said as they reached the Batmobile. "Thanks for your help."

"Not a problem, Boy Wonder," the woman responded with a slight smirk, before reaching down to the hem of his shirt and tearing off a long strip. "Here. Keep this pressed on the wound. Try to staunch the bleeding."

Robin nodded, helping Batman place Natalia in the back of the Batmobile. He immediately slipped in next to her, reapplying pressure to her shoulder as quickly as he could. The fabric was nearly soaked after only a few seconds, and a moment after that they were tearing off in the direction of the Batcave.

I promise, next week's update should be longer. I need to get writing, though, I'm only up to Chapter Twelve... Yeesh.

Also, something very very important -

Guess who's terrible with chapter titles? Me.

Guess who's got like forty more chapters to write titles for?

Also me.

So, to anyone who read the original, please feel free to send in ideas prior to any given chapter's release. If anyone wants to suggest a different title after a chapter's been posted, feel free - chances are, I'll change it. I've got two or three spread across the fic that I like, but for the most part I'm drawing a blank for titles. Help a girl out?