Finally all settled in my new place and I feel ready to write again :) Woop!

Evil Shadow

37.

Batman

He entered the hospital room quietly through the window, not even the leather of his suit making a squeak. Jim was sitting on a chair, asleep, though Barbara was wide awake. Batman doubted she could sleep, not after what the doctors had told her…

She turned to him, feeling his eyes on her.

"Bruce…" she said quietly, her voice wavering, shaking. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?" he asked, his voice low in case someone entered the room. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"He-He…" Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"I know. I saw the pictures…" he hesitated to say that, though figured it was best she knew the entire truth. "I won't stop until he's found."

"Have you heard?" she asked quietly. "I-I can't walk ever again… I can't be what you want me to be anymore-"

"Don't say that," pressed Bruce, Jim shifting in his sleep which made both quieten down again.

"But I can't… Oh, Bruce." She wept then, and Bruce could only watch. He silently walked over to her bed, his heart sinking at what the Gordons must be feeling now. If this had happened to Millie – he could only imagine, but he liked to believe he knew. At the very least, he knew the pain of losing family members altogether. He imagined that pain wasn't very different from what either Jim or Mrs Gordon were feeling now.

Bruce would never forgive himself for this. If he had been working harder on getting the Joker behind bars again, this would not have happened.

This had not happened because she was the Batgirl though, and while Bruce knew this, it did little to ease his pain. Barbara meant a lot to him and to see her reduced to nothing by the Joker; to see those pictures he had taken of her to send to Gordon… To see her become a victim of something that possibly – no, not possibly – the Batman had created just by being a terror to criminals was…

"Listen to me, I won't stop until he is behind bars. I will make him pay."

Barbara stayed silent. Jim shifted again, his eyes opening. Though before Jim had awoken fully, Bruce had already left the room.

Millie

"There's a possibility it's not true, right? I mean, maybe Anna is my mother and maybe not! And maybe she is and maybe Cobblepot truly was just a friend and… right?" Her voice wavered, rambling mostly to herself by the end as Dick had turned around to focus on his phone.

Instead of replying to her rambling, Dick let out an exclamation ("Damn it!") before sighing, pinching the bridge of his nose. Millie walked over to him, glancing at the phone and seeing Bruce's phone numbers displayed on the screen. Clearly, nobody was picking up.

The two had been waiting for hours for either Alfred or Bruce to pick up their phones, yet none of them did. They were stood by the gate, not having climbed the fence yet to get out of the property. Dick's bike was standing, leaning against a tree, on its own, the lights having automatically turned on when Dick was nearby; key still in the ignition. Immediately after they'd realized that horrible, possible truth, they had decided to confront Bruce.

Though nobody was picking up the phone and, according to the batcomputer, nobody but Alfred was home at the lakehouse.

"I feel dirty…"

Dick looked over at her, his eyes softening at the panicked look on her face.

"Their past doesn't define you," replied Dick, shaking his head placing his hands on both her shoulders, bowing his head slightly to gain the attention of her downcast gaze. "I promise."

"So, you don't see me any differently now that you know what I could possibly be?" she asked quietly.

"No," he shrugged casually before his eyes darkened. "Batman would undoubtedly have known of this. There just isn't a way he couldn't have… He kept this from you. From us. This is unacceptable. And he won't even answer his damned phone!" Upon saying the last part, he turned away from Millie and screamed out over the gardens, as though Bruce would hear him then.

Though as he looked out over the gardens, he realized something and slapped his forehead. "Stupid…" he whispered to himself.

"I still feel dirty…"

Millie watched him recoil, his eyes staring over at her. Slowly he approached her once more, placing a hand on her cheek, "Don't. Because even with this news out, we will still love you. I will… uh…"

Dick kept staring at her, his blue eyes once more seeming electric to her. She was weak in that very moment, confused about what she had just found out and worried what it might mean in the future. She just needed something to make her feel better, and Dick's presence was doing just that.

"I will still… always…" he spluttered.

"Love you."

She might as well just be truthful about everything now. She probably had criminal blood flowing through her veins which made her feel closed in, her skin tightening around her as though she was just a coffin filled with evil waiting to burst through. And yet still, Dick was there, treating her like he always did even though he knew of her possible parents. Love was not a strong enough word to explain what she felt for him right there and then.

"You do?" he asked quietly, his blue eyes widening.

That magnetic feeling overcame her again as she looked into his eyes. It pulled her to him and it felt much like some invisible hand was pulling at the bottom of her stomach; pulling her lower body towards Dick.

Without thinking much of it, she grabbed his face and planted her lips against his.

Boy was it an awkward kiss. Dick obviously knew what he was doing, but Millie did not. Yet, Dick didn't seem to mind, simply placing his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. Every part of them touched the other and after almost eight years of friendship and hidden feelings, Millie felt completely and utterly freed. Free from secrets about her past. Free from questions about herself and Dick...

And free with the man she loved.

They broke off the kiss after a while, staring down at each other, pressing their noses together. Still embracing each other, the two suddenly began to laugh. It was the strangest thing, but with all those feelings suddenly being out in the open, the joy that followed just made them laugh. Not only that, but both were realizing that all those intense moments, all those cute gestures, had not been because of sibling love… not at all…

Dick pressed one last kiss to her forehead before taking a step back, grabbing her hand instead. Not another word was said about what had just happened. It was a shock, and also not. It seemed like it was just a thing they had always wanted to do, and now that it had happened, it was a casual thing neither bothered to talk about. It was over. Done. And Millie knew that she was now free to always show her affections towards him.

He tugged her away from the gate, a soft smile still on his lips from the kiss, "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to find Bruce," he said, beginning to lead her off towards the gardens. "To confront him. Together."

"Together," she smiled, squeezing his hand a little bit.

"Together, as we'll always do things from now on, i-if you want."

Millie smiled widely again, squeezing his hand, "Only you can turn such a horrible evening into also the best one of my life. Of course I want to. But I don't see how we'll find Bruce in the gardens of his old manor."

"The Batcave."

"Wow, we're slow," joked Millie, earning a chuckle from Dick. "We've been standing there trying to call him for all this time when we could have just checked his location down there? Wow…"

They neared a bush, Dick stopping in front of it. Millie glanced at him with hesitant eyes.

"When the manor burned down, he closed every entrance off so no one would find the cave," began Dick before he smirked at her. "But I'm Robin."

"I- We're standing in front of a bush."

Dick looked down at said bush he had pulled her to and chuckled. "Oh, but it's a very special bush, M. It's magical."

"Shut up." Millie rolled her eyes at his sarcasm.

Clearing his throat dramatically, Dick announced "Open," before continuing to stare down at the bush.

For a second or two, Millie thought he had gone a bit loopy. But then the bush answered him, causing Millie to jump slightly.

"Voice recognition complete. Welcome Robin."

Dick let out a victorious chuckle before he stood up, backing them both up a few steps. The bush to which Dick had just spoken was suddenly raised up in the air, revealing the fact that it was no real bush, but an artificial one standing on a small platform. A square piece of the grass around the bush was, too, elevated into the air, and when it moved aside, it showed an opening in the ground large enough to be a door. Stairs led down into the darkness, and Dick gestured for her to enter.

"Ladies first."

"But it's so dark."

"Trust me," smiled Dick.

Millie stepped down two steps into the darkness when suddenly a couple of automated lamps were turned on, lightening up the staircase. Dick followed her, pressing a hidden button to close the entrance behind them.

About a minute later, they reached the Batcave. Millie had been there once before, though had never really entered it for real. Instead she had been hidden behind a wall, only taking in small portions of the cave while she found out the truth about Dick and Bruce. Now… Now she could actually step inside and walk up to the batcomputer, or the other modules meant for lab techniques or building things; or the parked batmobile; or the suits of Batman and Robin over the years, all placed behind glass to be remembered.

After having gazed around at everything with new, less shocked, eyes, she joined Dick by the computer. Within seconds, Dick had located Bruce.

"He's at the GCPD…" announced Dick, furrowing his brow. He pressed a white button nearby, "Bruce?"

"Robin… What are you doing in the cave?"

"What are you doing at the GCPD?"

"The Joker's planning something. He… He got Barbara."

"What?" asked Millie quietly.

"Millie?"

"Is Barbara okay?" asked Dick. The tone of his voice caused Millie to place a sympathetic hand on his arm. He closed his eyes and placed his own hand over hers, nodding his head at her.

"She… She'll be fine eventually. I wouldn't mind back-up, Robin."

"Actually… We called for a different reason-"

"That can wait," interfered Millie. "Robin will be right over."

"Thank you."

Dick let go of the white button, turning his head to look at Millie with a soft glare in his eyes.

"Taking down criminals comes before personal vendettas, okay? We can talk to him later. Find out why he lied… if he did. Right now, the Joker is out there and he might be caught if you two work together on this one. Okay?"

"Millie… This is insane. What he kept from you, nobody should keep from you. He's been lying to us from the beginning. I'm done with him."

Millie's heart sunk slightly.

Together.

She might feel dirty and she might be mad at Bruce for possibly lying – which she would never forgive him for no matter what he said – but the matter of the fact was that she still wanted to help Elaine. They could get away from their father together and prove to everyone that blood doesn't make you into what you are. There was still a chance she could help her sister and make up for what she had done wrong in her life… But the way Dick was talking, Millie wondered if he would stay and help her.

Smiling even though her heart hurt, she placed a hand on his cheek, "You do you, Dick. Don't let anyone keep you in the shadows. Grow. Be you."

"You're talking as though you won't come with me," he said, chuckling nervously before his smile faltered. "You are coming with me, right? If I leave?"

"If?"

He looked down at the floor in between them, sighing deeply. "You see, Bruce to you may be a father. But he kept this from you for a reason. And if I know him well, that reason will be because he always sacrifices everything for the sake of the mission. Whatever mission he is on now that made him want to keep secrets from you, it's gonna be ugly. Sacrificing everything for the mission is… selfish."

"If he kept secrets."

Dick sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, "Even if he didn't… I-I think I'm done. That's not who I wanna turn into. I don't want to take over that cowl."

Without saying anything else, Millie simply wrapped her arms around him, softly hugging him.

Batman

The apartment building opposite of the GCPD stretched high up into the sky. From a vantage point up there, Batman was sitting crouched, hands grasping the edge of the vantage point to keep from losing his balance. His cape moved slowly as the wind blew past it. Rain splattered onto his mask and leather suit and his dark, green eyes were focused on the roof of the GCPD building.

The Joker and Harley Quinn were there along with a couple of newly recruited henchmen, preparing a large, purple bomb. Tubes with a green liquid his equipment had identified as a highly flammable toxin were currently being attached to the bomb. They were obviously planning on destroying the building.

With the commissioner away with his daughter at the hospital, it was obvious the Joker was targeting the commissioner in general, one of the few people in the GCPD who still thought this city might get better at some point. Removing the GCPD by exploding it would result in chaos in Gotham, most thugs and criminals gaining the courage to wreak havoc if over half the police force went down in the explosion. It would result in anarchy.

But not only that, it would be the last thing Gordon would have left (seeing as the Joker most certainly thought Barbara was dead). This was the Joker's plan; to ruin those who thought Gotham could be saved; to ruin Gordon - and Batman was going to stop it.

It was not like he couldn't go in on his own, but he wanted Robin with him just in case. Albeit Bruce might never admit to it, it was a huge relief having someone with you to back you up. He was forever grateful Dick was there with him.

"Took you long enough," stated Batman the moment the faint sounds of Robin's footsteps could be heard walking over to him.

Though he was not alone.

A second pair of footsteps could be heard. Batman turned his head and was surprised to find Millie there, wearing a yellow raincoat that matched the yellow colour of Robin's cape.

"Well?" asked Robin coldly, joining Batman out on the vantage point. "A bomb."

"Why's Millie here?" Batman looked at Dick with a scolding glance, though Dick did not even look at him. When he glanced back at Millie, she simply hugged herself, green eyes looking at him guiltily.

Completely ignoring Batman, Robin continued to speak, "I guess you take the lead, distract them and then I come swooping in?"

Batman narrowed his eyes, staring at Robin for a while. The rain made his hair stick to his forehead, dangerously close to his light blue eyes. He was acting out of character. His voice sounded monotonous, as though he was keeping something from seeping into his voice. Bruce quickly deduced he was in for something after the Joker and Quinn were apprehended, though he was unsure of what.

Briefly, he glanced back at Millie, who stayed back. A few raindrops touched her cheeks as she stood there, clearly shivering from the cold. Her eyes were wide, filled with worry now. Bruce could only hope she was only worried about their safety, and not whatever was going to go down afterwards.

"Sounds like a pla-"

"Good." Before Bruce could even finish his sentence, Robin had already grappled off. Millie ran over to the edge, watching him leave with those wide, green eyes of hers.

"We'll be back soon," said Bruce, trying to sound reassuring. Though when Millie looked up at him, her eyes were void of emotions. For a moment, a horrible moment, he thought his mother's dead eyes were looking up at him, though he soon managed to push away that thought before he grappled off.

With his cape forming his signature Bat shape, he landed quietly on the other roof. He stayed there, staring at the Joker and the others until they felt his eyes on them.

"Lookie boys!" squealed Harley, grabbing her hammer in both her hands, already preparing herself for a fight. "We've got company!"

All five henchmen turned around towards the Batman, guns in their hands. Though the Bat was not fazed by those guns.

"Why, how nice!" exclaimed the Joker, letting out a loud laugh. "I mean, I should've known you'd be around. After all, it's a perfect night for a large, brooding man to be out!"

With his hands up in the air to feel the rain, the Joker twirled around. His pale skin was a strange contrast against the dark night, and some of his red lipstick had begun to melt, dripping down his chin along with the rainwater. Harley looked worse than him though as her skin was not naturally pale as the Joker's. All her makeup was drifting off, and that dark, hateful look in her eyes was only given more effect when all her dark makeup had run down to stay underneath of her eyes.

"What are you doing, Joker?" asked the Batman, beginning to slowly walk forwards, still not fazed by the fact that the henchmen were aiming guns at him.

The Joker walked forwards, a sadistic grin on his lips.

"Well, what does it look like?" smirked the Joker. "Like my strangely obvious plan?"

The Batman halted at the Joker's words.

"Me too! It's so fun!" he giggled, placing an arm around Harley who looked ready to faint at the gesture. "Because," he took out a detonator, "I'm assuming you think this is for the large, purple bomb right there, right? The big one I placed conveniently enough for you to see from the other side of the road? The other side of the road where there is a large vantage point strong enough to hold a grown man dressed like a bat?"

Harley bit her lip, trying to keep in a giggle.

"What are you on about, Joker?" growled the Batman.

"This."

He pressed the detonator seconds before Robin swooped in to grab it from him. The roof Bruce was standing on caved in with a bang. It was a large enough hole for him to not be able to grab onto a ledge, but luckily, the Batman had other gadgets. Without really panicking, he latched his grapple onto the roof ledge, hindering his fall down into the main hall of the GCPD. There, police were staring up at him, some already reacting, running over to the stairs to get up to the roof, while some were simply completely shocked at what they saw.

He began to climb up, though gunshots were aimed down at him when he tried. They hit his suit hard and he quickly deduced those were shotguns. They wouldn't hurt him too much, but they would tear through his suit quicker and he knew he would not be able to climb up fast enough before his suit was ripped apart and he was killed.

Instead he was trapped hanging there until Robin could get rid of the shooting henchmen.

Millie

Her hands gripped the edge of the roof she was standing on tightly as she watched. Bruce was down, somewhere inside of the GCPD. She saw two henchmen staring down at the hole with their guns ready to shoot him. Dick was fighting off the other three henchmen with ease, though Harley soon joined the fight which proved a bit more of a challenge.

Millie watched as the Joker ran back to the large, purple bomb, continuing his work with a gleeful smile on his face. She wanted to run over and help, but she couldn't. Mainly because she was not that good at fighting, but also because she was still Millie Wayne. Sure, she wore a raincoat nobody had ever seen her in, but her face was still very recognizable.

And a part of her also didn't want to let them see her face in fear of hearing them recognize her as Elaine… There was something about that which made Millie shiver.

Luckily, Robin managed to knock Harley off her feet which gained him enough time to throw something at the two henchmen by the hole in the roof. In surprise of whatever hit them, they dropped their guns straight down the hole. In any other circumstance, it would have looked funny to her to see them glance at each other in shock before they turned and tried to run as the Batman shot up from the hole and landed straight on top of them. Though Millie was too worried to even smirk a bit.

Robin was back to fighting with Harley while the Batman ran straight over to the Joker.

With her heart in her throat, she could only wait and watch...

Batman

It was obvious the Joker had seen him before the Batman had managed to land an attack on him. Batman had even seen his reflection in one of those tubes himself, so the chance of the Joker having missed it was small. Therefore, the Joker dodged easily, landing a few punches in Batman's side before backing away.

"Stupid idiots…" grumbled the Joker dodging and trying to hit the Batman over and over again. "… have to do everything myself…"

Rolling over underneath the Batman's legs, the Joker quickly made his way over to one of the dropped guns, grabbing it and pointing it at the Batman.

"Adios!" he called before pulling the trigger.

A/N: I remember sometime in my childhood watching an animated Batman series where Dick's reason for leaving was because Barbara/Batgirl fell and broke her back - Batman had known Barbara, Dick's girlfriend, was Batgirl and had put her in danger without consulting Dick and that drove him to leaving (along with other factors). I liked that version and took inspiration to that though added in Millie's factor and changed Barbara's fate to the Killing Joke version.

Hope you guys liked this chapter! :)