Chapter 21

Piper and Tim stayed home from school for the next three days. Bruce called their school and told the office they were sick. Piper's window was fixed and she had moved back into her room, leaving Jason's room the way it was before. Dick and Bruce had been working nonstop to find Joker. But they had been having no luck.

Back at school, as the sky outside threatened to rain, Piper was walking up to her locker when an old friend bumped into her, shooting pain up her arm.

"Hello Pip," Philip sneered. "Where's Dickie boy?"

"He's sick. Why don't you grow up Philip? You've been doing this since middle school."

Philip grinned. "One can never have too much fun." He looked at Piper's arms and saw the bandages peeping out of her sleeves. "What happened to your arms? Did you fall down and get a booboo?"

"I had a motorcycle accident."

"Oh, so does this hurt?" Philip formed a fist and punched Piper's arm. White hot pain shot through her arm and black spots danced before her eyes. She regained her sense of balance and gritted her teeth. She felt her cuts reopen and the blood seep through the bandage. She looked down at Philip's hand and saw blood on his knuckles.

"So that did hurt," Philip said with an evil grin. He laughed.

"Not as much as this will." Piper lifted her foot and kicked Philip as hard as she could in the crotch. He doubled over in pain and fell to the ground. Philip looked up at her.

"So much more physical now. Jason wouldn't be happy with you. Oh wait, he's dead. How silly of me to forget." He smiled a cruel smile.

Anger filled Piper's body. She grabbed Philip's hair and pulled him up so his eyes met hers. He saw the fire in her eyes. "If you say his name one more time, if you even think about it, I will rip your eyes out of their sockets. And I know how to make it as painful as possible. So I suggest you shut your trap!"

"Piper!"

Piper turned and saw Barbara running her way. "Piper what did you do?"

She dropped Philip. "Oh you know. What I should've done years ago."

"Come on, you need to get to class before someone catches you."

"Too late, Miss Gordon." The two girls turned and saw the principle walking towards them. "Miss Baker, would you be so kind as to follow me to my office?"

"On what terms Mr. Wilson?" Piper asked crossing her arms.

"On the terms that you attacked Mr. Marvin."

"If I may Mr. Wilson," Barbara intervened. "I saw Philip attack Piper first. Piper recently got into a motorcycle accident and her arms were badly injured. Philip here punched one of her arms. He also brought in the matter of her deceased brother, and you know as well as I do how that affects Piper. Now I know that her reaction was not subtle, but don't you think that Philip should be accompanying her to your office?"

"I'm sorry that he mentioned Mr. Todd, but I didn't see Mr. Marvin hit her. Where is your proof?"

Piper lifted up her sleeve. There was a large spot of blood on the bandage. She then grabbed Philip's collar and pulled him to his feet, despite his groans of pain. She grabbed his wrist and held up his hand for Mr. Wilson to see the blood.

"Mr. Marvin!" he exclaimed. "I am shocked that you would do such a thing. Miss Baker, you will receive detention for a week for you actions. But you Mr. Marvin, I will be calling your parents and you are on the road to suspension."

Philip turned angrily to Piper. "One day Baker, I'm going to get you. And Dickie boy."

Piper smirked. "I'd like to see you try."

He smirked back. "And tell Jason I said hello."

Piper marched toward him but Barbara held her back.

"Come along Mr. Marvin," Mr. Wilson said. "As for you Miss Baker, get to your class. But I will be calling Mr. Wayne."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

"And Miss Gordon, make sure she gets there."

"Yes sir," Barbara replied. "Let's go Pip."

They walked away from the principle and toward their first class.

"Is your arm ok?" Barbara whispered.

"It still hurts but I should be ok. I should've hit him harder. He's no better than Joker."

"He shouldn't have brought Jason into that. Is Dick coming in at all today?"

Piper shrugged. "I'm not sure. He's been spending all his time tracking down Joker. He disappeared from his usual hiding spot."

"How is Tim doing?"

"He's doing better. He's been having a lot of nightmares. He comes into my room and I sit up with him and we just talk. So if I pass out during class today, you'll know why."

Barbara smiled. They walked into their science class and found the room empty. Or almost empty. Dick and Tim sat in the corner deep in conversation. They turned and looked at Barbara and Piper as they walked int.

"Dick?" Piper asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming to school today."

"I needed to talk to you." Dick looked at Barbara. "Both of you. I talked to the teacher and told her I needed the room for a private conversation. She'll be back soon though, so we need to hurry."

Piper closed the door. "What's going on?"

Dick motioned them to sit down at one of the lab tables. Tim and Dick sat on one side and Barbara and Piper sat on the other. Tim looked nervously at Dick, then at Piper.

"We received a message from Joker this morning," Dick started. "It was a recording, and we couldn't trace it."

"What was the message," Barbara asked.

"That Nightwing gives himself up, or he can kiss his whole Bat family goodbye."

Piper jumped up from her seat. "You're not going to are you?! You can't!"

"Piper, I-" Dick was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. The teacher had come back. Piper plopped back down into her seat.

"Excuse me Mr. Grayson, but I need my room now. It's class time."

"Thank you Mrs. White for letting us use your room."

"Of course dear. Anytime." Mrs. White walked to the front of the class. Dick and Tim rose from their seats and walked to the door. Piper watched them leave and caught a glance from Tim over his shoulder. That look told Piper everything. She jumped up again and ran after them.

"No! Dick you can't!" Her voiced echoed down the empty hallway

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Piper," Barbara whispered. "He won't be alone. Bruce will be with him."

Piper shook off Barbara's hand and ran up to Dick. "Are you out of your mind?! He'll kill you! I won't let you go. Not alone."

"Pip, you're in no condition to go."

"I am! I'm not letting my big brother walk into an obvious trap that'll get him killed! Bruce would never forgive me."

Dick's expression changed. "Bruce…Bruce is busy with his own things."

"Are you saying he doesn't care? Dick that's crazy! You know what would happen to Bruce if the Joker got you too. Remember what happened after Jason died? If Bruce lost you too, we'd never be able to save his mind. He cares about you more than any of us! He's not tired of you. He loves you! You're his son!"

"I'm not though. I'm a Grayson, not a Wayne."

"What's wrong with you Dick? You were nothing like this last night, or last week, or last year. What makes this situation different? Get your head on straight! I'm not going to lose two brothers to the same man!"

"Piper now's not the time." Dick took her hand. "I'll see you at lunch ok?" He walked away and his hand slipped out of hers.

"He's insane," Piper mumbled as she watched him walk away.

"Piper," Barbara said. "We need to get going."

"No, I'm going home."

"Home?"

"Dick's not going to be here at lunch. He's going to the Batcave, changing into Nightwing, and then setting out by himself." Piper punched her fist into the wall. "And I'm not letting him go by himself."

Barbara thought for a minute. "I'm going with you."

"We need to get back before Dick does." They ran for the nearest exit.