Them Weekly was going to be at the Wayne house in less than an hour to interview me, and guess who were sitting on the sofa doing nothing?

That's right, the dynamic duo. Thing one and Thing two. Lie father, like son.

"Hey, Babs, want to play a game of chess?" Dick called as I walked up the stairs from the basement, towelling off my wet hair. I shook my head, accidentally spraying water all over him.

"Sorry, Grayson, I have less than an hour to make myself look like I haven't been working in the gym sense sunup." I replied, sniffing my armpit. "Golly, even with two showers I smell like crap and day old sweat."

"Good to know." Dick crinkled his nose. "Come find me when you're in a less disgusting mood."

"I believe Alfred set out an outfit for you Barbara. Not that Them is going to be looking too closely at what you wear." Bruce advised, and I nodded, grateful, before disappearing up two flights of stairs to my room.

I surveyed the outfit that Al had put out for me, admitting with a sigh that Alfred had more fashion sense than I did. Whereas I'd just been dressing in a black tee-shirt and jeans, he'd set out a cute black jumper, one of those weird but cute slouchy hat things, my jeans, and a pair of boots. I was beyond impressed.

I changed quickly, surveying myself in the mirror. Once my hair dried, I'd look acceptable enough for Them, but I still smelled awful. I searched for my deodorant as Alfred knocked on the door.

"If I may?" He asked, coming in. "I believe this is my area of expertise."

"Hair and makeup?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"High class events." Alfred replied with a wry smile. "I do work for the Wayne's, you know." I collapsed on my bed, sighing in relief.

"Oh, Al, you're a lifesaver. I have no idea how to act like some rich kid for Them. I'm pretty sure they won't be impressed with little ol' thrift shop me."

"I am sure they will adore you, Miss Barbara. You're quite a charismatic figure." Alfred replied, picking up my hairbrush.

"Thanks Alfie." I nodded solemnly, allowing him to make me up into a high class lady. He surveyed me and nodded, pulling my hair back from my face with a headband, and sent me back downstairs.

"Hey, Grayson, how's about that chess match?" I called, and Dick looked up with a grin, setting up the board. I lay down on the floor on my stomach and helped get all the pieces together. "I call white!"

"No way, white moves first!" Dick protested, and I rolled my eyes.

"Duh. That's why I called it." I snorted, moving a pawn forward. He surveyed the board with a frown before making his move.

What followed was one of the most intense chess matches I have ever played. Thanks to my photographic memory, I am a freakishly good chess player- Dad played me once and beat me, and after that I spent weeks looking up and memorizing different strategies. I haven't lost a game since.

But Grayson? He was good. Constantly thinking at least 7 moves ahead, I estimated. If my memory wasn't so brilliant, he might have easily trounced me.

"Check." Grayson declared, and I quickly moved out of it as someone knocked on the door.

"That'll be Them. Your move Grayson." I declared, and Dick bit his lip, visualizing every opening. He slid his rook over and I grinned, moving my knight to capture his King. "Check and Mate. Sorry Grayson, there's no where you can go." Dick nodded, surveying the board and found that there was, indeed, no way he could move out of check. He conceded, and I laughed.

"Perfect! This is the perfect shot!" A voice called, and I looked up, right into the smiling face of Francisco Jones, photographer of Them Weekly. "The children playing chess on the floor, the father reading the paper on the sofa, its perfect!"

"Don't forget Alfred." Dick declared. "He's as much of this family as we are."

"And we kind of just finished the game." I added apologetically.

"We can go for a rematch." Dick suggested, resetting the board. "I don't lose at chess. Ever."

"You were one heck of an opponent." I agreed. "I almost didn't win."

"That would be good." Francisco nodded, setting up his camera. "You will all do what you are doing, and I will take the pictures. Don't mind me."

And so Dick and I had our rematch. That I won.

"Dude!" He cried, staring at me in shock. "How did that even happen? I'm- There's only one person besides you who's ever beat me at chess, and that's Bruce. He's the one who taught me."

"Barbara is an incredibly good player." Bruce stated curiously, folding up the paper and peering at the board. "She had you about eight moves back."

"But I always think-"

"Seven moves ahead." I completed. "I figured that out our last match. So I, naturally, had to think eight moves ahead."

"Well then, Holmes." Grayson frowned, packing up the board as Betsy Grant, the reporter for Them Weekly entered the room. "I guess we'd better head out."

"Oh, no, stay!" Betsy cried. "I love the family dynamic. I'm Betsy Grant."

"Barbara Gordon."

"Dick Grayson."

"Bruce Wayne."

"And that's Alfred Pennyworth." Dick added, and Alfred nodded politely.

"Of course I knew all that." Betsy laughed, taking a seat in a chair across from me. I stood up to sit in a chair, but she interrupted me. "Oh, no need to move. This is a very informal interview, so if you're more comfortable on the floor that's just fine." I shrugged and sat back down, resting my back against the sofa. "Shall we get started then?"

"Sure." I nodded.

"Barbara, this is your first time going to the Olympics, correct?" She waited for me to nod. "And how are you feeling about that?"

"Well, it's a little overwhelming." I declared. "Just a few weeks ago I was Barbara Gordon, ordinary teen, and now I'm going to the Olympics? It's pretty exciting. But it's kind of bittersweet too. I just wish my dad could be here, and I feel kind of bad for the girls who didn't get to go. Everyone at the qualifiers was amazing."

"Barbara, let me be the first to tell you I'm so sorry for your loss." Betsy stated, shaking her head sadly. I smiled thankfully, but couldn't help thinking that she wasn't the first to tell me that. Not by a long shot. "Do you think the loss of your father will hurt you in the Olympics?"

"Well, it definitely tripped me up in the first event." I answered, my voice becoming choked up. Grayson slid an arm around my shoulders and hugged me loosely, and I glanced up at him. He grinned, and I nodded, ploughing on. "I really wish he could be here, but I'd like to imagine him watching me from wherever he is. I hope I'll make him proud."

"I'm sure you will." Betsy nodded. "You've sustained some injuries that made the try-outs rather difficult for you, haven't you? Why don't you tell me about that?"

"Well, uh, as I'm sure you know, an attempt on my life was made at my father's funeral. I ended up getting shot in the shoulder and dislocating my kneecap. I've obviously gotten well enough that I can compete again, but I don't have the same arm strength that I used to, and that made holding onto the bar fairly difficult. I'm definitely going to have to work on building up my muscle strength before I compete."

"Do you think you have a shot at a gold medal?"

"I really don't know as of yet. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I'm really good at the vault. If I medal anywhere, that'd be it. And of course it's my dream to go to the Olympics and medal in everything, maybe even get gold in the All Around, but the team comes first. I'm part of Team USA before I'm Team Barbara, so I'm going to give my all for my country and see what happens in individual. No matter what I'm so excited for this opportunity to represent my country and to help out my team."

"Great answer." Betsy laughed, scribbling on her notepad. "All of America is really excited to get to see your floor routine. Did you ever think you would get an automatic entry without even having to do floor?"

"It pretty much came down to the order of the events. If floor was before vault, I probably would have had to complete all events, but since vault came first… I was lucky. Luck really plays a huge role in who gets to go and who doesn't. You can be the best gymnast in the world and have one off day, or you can be a lucky duck like me who the universe just smiled on that day."

"I don't think it all came down to luck." Betsy shook her head. "That vault was astounding! The height you managed, the way your rotations were all under control, and you stuck the landing."

"Well, I miss-stepped a little." I shrugged.

"Modest to the end." Betsy laughed, as Dick rolled his eyes.

"She has trouble accepting complements." He piped up. "Always thinks she needs to be even better."

"Ah, Richard, how do you feel about Barbara going to the Olympics?"

"Oh, we're all really excited for her. Babs is one of us now, and we're all here for her no matter what." Dick shrugged, and I pulled a face at him, mouthing the words 'suck up'. He laughed at me, turning back to Betsy. "I'm just really happy for her. I haven't seen her smiling and laughing this much since… well, since before she moved in with us."

"Let's talk about your relationship for a moment, shall we?" Betsy asked. "Are you two legally siblings?" Bruce looked up at her from his spot on the sofa, wondering what this had to do with Barbara's Olympic career.

"Um… It's a complicated relationship." I frowned, trying to remember all the legal terminology. "Bruce is my legal guardian. He's my foster father, so I don't think we're legally related. The government appointed him as my keeper, I guess. I'm not exactly sure."

"But I'm Bruce's ward." Dick added. "It's kind of different. I don't think Babs and I are related."

"I don't think our legal relations need to be discussed." Bruce cut in smoothly. "Shouldn't this interview be about Barbara?"

"Isn't her family important?" Betsy returned. "Is it awkward, Barbara, living in the same house as three unrelated people?"

"Not at all." I shook my head. "The Waynes have been really great about making me feel at home here. I kind of knew Grayson from before, since whenever my father and Bruce were talking I'd end up stuck with him." Dick feigned hurt, and I elbowed him in the side. "But they've been really understanding about it all. I couldn't have gotten back on my feet without them."

"Hey, we orphans have to stick together." Dick shrugged, glancing at me.

"Well, I think that's about all the time we have." Betsy nodded, standing up. I stood up with her and shook her hand, and Francisco got a few more shots. "I wish you the best of luck, Barbara. And Congratulations!"

"Thanks! Hey, Grayson, I'm going to get back to training. Want to join me?" I asked, remembering his days at the circus. I figured I could do with some company.

"Course, Gordon." He nodded. "I'll take any chance I can get to show you up."

"Oh, come on. Olympic athlete here? You think you can beat this?" I snorted. "Let's go Grayson. It was nice meeting you Ms Grant!"

"You are so on." Dick snorted, rolling his eyes. We made our way down to the gym after seeing the Them staff off, getting changed in the locker rooms. Because of course the Waynes had locker rooms in their basement. Who doesn't need a locker room in their basement?

I met Dick out in the gym, the one I'd begun to think of as my own. I nodded at him and walked over to the bars, popping up onto the lower one.

"You'd get more momentum if you ran." Dick commented, climbing the ladder to a trapeze.

"We're not allowed to." I shook my head, concentrating on swinging around the bar. I popped up from the lower bar to the upper bar, but the weight of my body was too much and my shoulder gave out. I fell to the matt with a THWUMP, sitting up with a pout.

"You're gunning it." Dick shrugged. "If you have more momentum it's easier to support your body weight." He took a leap off the platform, catching the trapeze bar, and I sat on the matt, watching him.

"All true, but how do I get that momentum?" I asked with a frown. "I don't get to cover the same huge area that you do."

"Fair enough." Dick agreed, switching from one bar to the next, throwing a double sommi. "Could you do your routine before the accident?"

"Mostly." I shrugged. "Bar's never really been my strong suit. Too much upper body strength. I could at least support my weight though. Nice double, by the way, but you totally had room for a double sommi and a half."

"I had room, but I wouldn't have ended in the right position to grab the bar. Physics." Grayson replied, and I rolled my eyes.

"Good ol' physics, controlling our lives." I snorted, standing up and popping back onto the bar. I swung my body around it a couple times, pointing my toes and trying to keep my legs in close to my body so I wouldn't strike the other bar. When the time felt right, I jumped up to the upper bar, catching it and holding on this time, though I winced when I swung back, my full bodyweight on my arms. I tried to pull up my body so the bar rested on my stomach, but I fell back to the matt again.

"Gravity's a killer, isn't it?" Grayson nodded, watching me. "Is there a way you could go completely over that first swing, so you don't get yanked back down to Earth so hard?"

"Maybe if I build up my momentum." I replied, frustrated. "But how?"

"Can you go any faster on the first bar? If you had a higher velocity when you made the jump, you might be able to go completely over."

"Maybe…" I frowned, surveying the bars. Dick's eyes lit up as he had an idea.

"Train with me, Babs." He declared, and I raised an eyebrow.

"What? Aren't I doing that already?"

"On the trap." He explained. "It might help you."

"Um… I don't see how trapeze would help me." I stated carefully, trying not to hurt his feelings. " You're good, don't get me wrong, but it's not exactly the same thing."

"Not the same thing?" Dick asked, letting go of the bar. I winced as he fell, but he just landed in the net and bounced back up. "Well, that's true. It's not exactly the same. But I bet trapeze training would help you. Watch."

And so I stood back and watched as Dick mounted the bars and performed my routine perfectly, to a T. The little stinker.

"You suck." I frowned, and he grinned.

"I think it's high time you became an aerialist, Babs. Get up on that ladder."

I climbed the ladder to the top nervously, staring down to the empty net down below. Ok, don't get me wrong- I'm not afraid of heights. At all. I was Batgirl for Pete's sake, swinging high above the city without a safety net! But I never let go of the jump line. I wasn't ever afraid of falling.

"Nervous?" Grayson asked from his platform opposite me. "Don't worry, the safety net will catch you if you fall. I learned that lesson the hard way."

"Oh, Dick, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you. Look, we can do this another time."

"You're not getting out of it that easily, Barbie doll." He laughed, and I frowned.

"Don't call me that." I snapped.

"Fine, Babs. But I'm not going to let you fall. Get on the trapeze."

I took a deep breath and launched myself off the platform onto the trapeze, and Dick nodded, pleased.

"Now go with the momentum. Don't let it jerk you around, that's it. Now start building velocity. I'll let you know when to go. Throw down as many tricks as hard as you want. The air can't hurt you."

"But the ground sure can." I replied with a snort, moving the same way he instructed. "I would be switching right about now on bar."

"But you're not on bar." Dick reminded. "Give it just a little more. Get the feel of a higher velocity. We have to be in sync too. I'll correct for that." He waited a few moments until we were moving towards each other at the same time. "What are you going to throw down? How much time do you need?"

"A double pike. Head over heels." I explained, figuring it was the easiest thing I could bust out in that space.

"Make it a triple. You've got more room than you're used to. Keep your arms over your head and just go, on my count. I'll catch you."

"Got it." I nodded, biting my lip. It'd been a long time since I was up in the air this high.

"Remember to go with the momentum, Babs, that's what this is all about. It's a bit easier learning with a human than a bar, I think, because a person has a little bit more give. You ready?"

"Uh-huh."

"Aaaaaaand….. Go!" He cried, and I launched myself off the bar, pulling into a triple pike with my arms vertical above my head. Just as I was sure I was about to face-plant into the ladder he had climbed up, I felt his hands close around my wrists, and he laughed with ecstasy.

"Go with it Babs, go with it!" He called, and so I followed his advice, not trying to control my momentum, and I swung back into place easily like a pendulum. "See? I think you might be able to incorporate that into your routine. If it doesn't hurt you to get back into place you might last longer."

"Yeah, that felt really natural." I nodded. "I'm not sure if I have to room to though. Bar is all about tight, controlled motions."

"Well, then, let's find out!" Dick cried happily, and his grip on my wrists loosened.

"Richard Elizabeth Grayson you are not dropping me!" I shrieked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Elizabeth?"

"Well I don't know your middle name!"

"It's not Elizabeth, I can promise you that." He laughed, and then grinned. "Relax Babs. Would you feel more comfortable if I fell with you?"

"No." I replied adamantly, and he chuckled.

"Well, too bad. My grip is slipping. Oops!" He cried as he unhooked his knees from around the bar, and I shrieked loudly as we dropped quickly. He managed to turn so he would hit the net first, never letting go of me, and I shrieked again as we crashed into the net and bounced back up again. I waited until we stopped bouncing to crawl out of the net and stick my tongue out at him.

"I hate you." I frowned, and he laughed.

"Love you too." He grinned, and I raised an eyebrow. Did he really just…?

"Whatever. I'm getting back on the bar."

I'm very pleased to say that I managed the jump between bars that time without falling. I don't know if it was sheer desperation like the try-outs or what, but I managed to secure my grip on the bars and the kickback didn't hurt near as much. I squealed, pleased, and proceeded to finish my entire routine, even throwing in some of the harder jumps that I was afraid to try earlier. I caught sight of Dick's face- a mix between admiration and contemplation, and I dismounted with a double sommi and a half tuck, throwing up my arms, and turned to him.

"Something wrong?"

"No, you just really remind me of someone." He declared, biting his lip.

"Oh? Who?"

"You wouldn't know her." He shook his head.

"Oh, well in that case I'm going to head on upstairs. I've been training for…" I stopped, glancing at the clock. "Eight hours."

"You've been here since five?" He asked, astounded, and I nodded.

"I don't get this good naturally. It takes practice." I shrugged, heading out of the gym. "Thanks for the help, b- Grayson." I bit my tongue as soon as I left the gym. Stupid, Barbara, stupid! Being up there on that trapeze had reminded me so much of being Batgirl that I almost called him Boy Blunder. Even if I wasn't currently on the streets, I couldn't make that mistake! It would keep me from ever leaving again.

I needed to be more careful.

Babs had been in her room for a few hours now, and Dick was getting worried that she was really mad at him. So maybe he shouldn't have dropped her, but he thought she could take a joke! Honestly! He sighed, marching down the hall, and knocked on her door.

"Babs! Barbara! Dinner's in ten, you're going to be late. Come on, Barbara, I'm sorry! Talk to me, will you?"

She didn't answer.

That's when Dick started getting worried. Barbara wasn't the type to hold a grudge. Even when he'd almost drowned her, she'd forgiven him by the next day. Something was wrong.

He pushed the door to her room open, revealing that it was empty.

"Hey, Babs? You in here?" He asked, spying a note on her bed. His hand shook as he picked it up and read it.

My dear friends,

You guys have been such a big Help these past few months. Please don't be mad at Me. I just miss my dad so much, and I want to leave, just like he did. I'm not vying for Attention or anything. This isn't some Fake Suicide Note like some people write, just to get their friends to love them or something. By the Time you five find this, we'll be gone. Together in heaven at last.

Please, don't think this was your fault. There was just no way to Save Me from myself.

Dick, do you remember what I told you my first day in the gym, when you showed me the pool? Please, remember me fondly.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Barbie

She was so happy earlier on.

She was a fighter.

Babs would never give in like this.

"Bruce!" Dick yelled, turning and running downstairs. "Bruce, come quick!" He found a mildly startled Bruce sitting at the dining table and shoved the note in his face. "Barbara's gone. She left this."

Bruce scanned over the note once, and then again with grim determination. In the blink of an eye he slipped from Bruce Wayne to Batman.

"That clever girl." Bruce declared, looking up at Dick. "It's not a suicide note, it's a code. She's been kidnapped."