Hunter's Night
By Serena
A/N: Thanks so much, everyone! :) Wow, a lot of you are eager to get Dick out there...
And someone remarked Cass might be a little young to start out crimefighting. Yes, she is young, but she's essentially more well-trained than pretty much anyone else on the planet. Also, in the Young Justice universe, Robin started out at nine years old. Diana actually berated Bruce for "indoctrinating him into crime-fighting at the ripe young age of nine."
Just have to admit... I really couldn't stand Young Justice Diana. I would really love to see a new cartoon series with a younger, more inexperienced Justice League, like in their early twenties. We really haven't seen Diana in her ignorance of Man's World, and I'd like to see more of her - and the rest of the League - figuring things out, helping her along. Focusing less on the crime-fighting aspect, and more relationship development.
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Dick Grayson
Dinner at Wayne Manor was usually a very overwhelming, sometimes hectic affair. While Bruce would still be late sometimes and leave early, Dick did notice that he was trying to be around more. Bruce would sit at the head of the crowded, often noisy table. Alfred and Alkyone, Grammia and Gramps, as he was starting to call them, would often talk to each other in hushed tones, clearly very much in love. The four women, Diana's aunts, apparently, were often loud and boisterous, but they were really very funny, and he really liked all of them, despite the fact that they could be incredibly intimidating when they wanted to be. Diana would be smiling, laughing, talking to Bruce, to him, to Cass - well, everyone would eventually talk to everyone.
It was loud, it was hectic, it was fun. Dick had never had any other family besides his parents. Dinner was usually a more quiet, reserved affair, only brought to life by him and sometimes his Dad. He had always wanted a large family, and now that he was in one, he almost didn't know what to make of it.
One such night was when Barbara Gordon came over. Dick had never met her before, had only heard of her, and that she'd been shot and was now in a wheelchair. He waited, a bit nervously, sitting at the round breakfast table in the kitchen and doing homework with Cass. Alfred wheeled Barbara into the kitchen through the back door, and Cass immediately started signing rapidly.
Barbara Gordon was a girl about Dick's age, with flaming red hair and a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She wore an oversized GCPD shirt and leggings. She smiled up at Alfred. "I can do it, Alfred, thanks."
Alfred nodded. "Very well, Miss Gordon."
"Hey, hon," greeted Diana from behind the kitchen island. "Want something to eat? I'm teaching Artemis how to make spice cookies."
"I don't need your assistance," Artemis said stiffly, wearing a pair of red oven mitts. "I can complete this challenge on my own."
Dick had quickly gotten used to Artemis's brusque, abrasive manner and found her more amusing than anything. She had a strong accent that he couldn't place, and she seemed to have trouble doing the most mundane things - like using the dishwasher, or using the TV remote - weird things like that. He guessed that she came from another country where she didn't have those things. But still. She was so weird... but not in a bad way. Out of his foster aunts, she was definitely his favorite. She didn't baby him, she didn't treat him differently because he'd lost his parents. And she was funny, even if she didn't mean to be.
"Then do it yourself," returned Diana, shoving the bowl toward her. "I'm just trying to help you."
"I'm not an ignoramus!" snapped Artemis. "Let me conquer this battle on my own!"
"Fine, then," said Diana, stepping away in exasperation. "All you. Let me know if you need help."
Artemis started muttering in another language and stared sullenly at the back of the box.
Dick turned his attention away from their exchange and looked at Barbara as she wheeled up to the table. "Hi," he said, a bit uncomfortable. "I'm Dick."
"Barbara," the girl replied. "Nice to meet you."
"You, too." Dick glanced down at her wheelchair. "Um... I'm sorry... about that."
Barbara cracked a smile. "They're wheels," she said. "I'm not an invalid. I'm just faster than you."
Dick grinned. "So you say."
"Bring it, tough guy," challenged Barbara.
I'll kick both your butts, signed Cass matter-of-factly.
Their conversation was halted by another uproar between Diana and Artemis, who had simply thrown a few eggs into the bowl along with the other ingredients.
"Crack them first!" Diana groaned. "You're supposed to crack them open!"
"It didn't specify!" snapped Artemis. "It simply stated 'three large eggs'! It said nothing about cracking them open!"
"They just assume you know that!" Diana retorted.
"They shouldn't assume anything!" roared Artemis. "Whoever this Duncan Hines is will taste the steel of my sword! Where is he located?"
Dick also noticed that Artemis talked about her sword a lot. And fighting. And battles. It was like she was an Amazon. Dick was really starting to wonder where Artemis came from.
"She always talks like that," Barbara muttered to him. "You have to just ignore her. She gets worked up about stuff pretty easily."
"Tell me about it," muttered Dick. "I have to live with her."
Barbara glanced over at Artemis and sighed. "Lucky. She's so cool. I wish she and Aunt Di could teach me. I mean, they're all really cool. They know what they're doing."
Dick frowned, confused. "What? What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," said Barbara. "They're..." But she trailed off, studied his baffled expression. "You mean - " Barbara stared at him, puzzled. "You don't..."
Dick raised his eyebrows. "I don't what?"
Barbara glanced over at Diana. "Nothing," she said. "Never mind."
Dick didn't push it, but now he was burning with curiosity. There was something he was supposed to know...
"I will defeat you!" Artemis roared, now standing on the kitchen island, glaring down at the bowl of ingredients. "I will be the victor in this battle!"
Dick normally would've looked at her very oddly, but... Artemis always did things like that.
"Get off that table at once!" Alfred ordered, reentering the kitchen with a fierce glare to the tall woman.
"No man orders me around!" thundered Artemis.
"Artemis," Diana sighed, "Get off the island. Now."
"If you don't get off that island," Alfred added shortly, "I will never let you set foot in my kitchen again, nor will I ever bake my double chocolate-chip macadamia nut cookies for you again."
The two entered a deathly glare match. For a long few minutes, it looked as though neither one would break. Finally, Artemis's lip trembled, and she spat something under her breath and easily hopped off the table.
Alfred straightened his cuffs. "Thank you," he said graciously.
Diana was just standing there, shaking her head that rested in her one hand, and was making crying noises. "Why me," she muttered, more of a whimper. "Why me?"
Cass, Barbara, and Dick exchanged grins. Dick and Barbara stifled their laughter and returned their attentions to their homework.
Eventually, Bruce came home a few minutes after dinner had unofficially started, taking a seat at the head of the table. He looked weary, as he often did, but his eyes were bright, and he leaned down to give a short but warm kiss to Diana before taking his seat at the table. Dick watched their interaction with a tight chest. His own parents had loved each other very much, and seeing Bruce and Diana... He couldn't help but be reminded of his own family.
He tried to ignore the tears in his eyes and sniffed, rubbing his nose.
"You okay?" Barbara asked, sitting beside him.
"Fine," muttered Dick.
Barbara looked down. "I'm sorry. That was a stupid question."
"It's okay," Dick mumbled.
To his other side, Dick felt Diana take her hand in his and squeeze quickly before letting go. Dick looked at her, and she shot him a quick, understanding smile. Managing a faint smile in return, Dick tried to eat his steak.
The arrival of a new figure caught most of the people's attention, and Barbara shouted, "Dad!"
It was Commissioner Gordon, Barbara's father. Dick had to admit that Bruce's reputation didn't match up to reality. He took Dick in without a second thought. He was friends with the Police Commissioner. Dick slowly chewed, watched as Bruce rose to his feet and shook Gordon's hand firmly, added something in a low voice, something Dick couldn't hear over everyone else talking.
"Jim!" exclaimed Diana. "Come on in, have a seat. We have so much food here. I'll grab you a plate." She hurried out of the dining room and returned a few moments later with a plate.
"Don't mind if I do," said Commissioner Gordon gratefully, looking extremely tired. "Thanks."
He took a seat next to Barbara, across from Artemis. He nodded to the Amazon warrior, but she just glared at him and looked away. Jim rubbed his temples, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead. "Hey, honey. How was school?"
Barbara shrugged. "Fine. My classes are pretty boring. I'll deal with it."
Jim smiled, shook his head, and then glanced over at Dick, who was watching the interaction. "Hello, son. I'm Commissioner Gordon. I'm sorry about your parents."
"Thank you, sir," said Dick.
"We'll catch who's responsible," Gordon told him firmly. "And you can come out of hiding and get back to a normal life."
Barbara snorted, shook her head. "Dad, come on," she said. "Normal? This family?"
Gordon hid a smile and thanked Diana, who passed down the chicken to him.
"Perhaps if your men had been more adept at keeping the streets of this city safe in the first place," interjected Artemis coldly, "then things like this wouldn't have happened."
Jim looked up, and Diana tensed.
"We're doing the best we can under the circumstances," Jim said, shooting the woman a cool look. "After the corruption that has taken over, and still has a strong hold over Gotham... we're just trying to keep our head above water."
"Corruption," sneered Artemis. "Of course. I shouldn't have expected better from Man's World."
"Artemis," hissed Diana.
Man's World? thought Dick, baffled. What does that even mean?
Jim Gordon swallowed a bit of food and gave the red-haired woman a stern look. "Maybe you shouldn't judge men so quickly," he remarked quietly.
"Maybe I should," she snapped back.
Dick had barely noticed that the entire table had fallen silent, now watching the conversation between Artemis and Gordon.
"Not now, Artemis," Diana sighed, rubbing her temples.
"Oh, just kiss and make up, you two," Philomena said.
The room fell silent.
Bruce sighed, muttering something under his breath, and stabbed a piece of meat. Artemis had turned a deep red - but out of rage, Dick realized. Artemis bolted to her feet, slamming her hands on the table.
"I will cut out your tongue if you suggest something like that again, Philomena," hissed the red-haired warrior.
"Artemis!" snapped Diana. "That's enough!"
"She's not serious," said Philomena airily. "No offense taken, Diana."
"Of course I'm serious!" snarled Artemis. "As if I would ever consider -"
"Oh, get over yourself, Artemis," sighed Philomena, chewing on a piece of asparagus.
"Enough." Bruce's voice had deepened to a low hiss. Dick started. He felt as though he'd heard that voice before... on a cool, horrible night. That voice had saved his life. But no. He had to be imagining things. This was Bruce Wayne.
Bruce set his fork down and glared at the red-haired woman. "Jim Gordon is a friend and a guest in this house," he told her. "Insult him again, and you can leave. Understood?"
Artemis glared back. And Dick wasn't sure if she wouldn't jump across the table and cut Bruce's head off. He wasn't sure why, but he just felt like she would do something like that. He glanced over at Diana - she looked ready to tackle her friend if need be.
Jim shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Bruce," he said. "I'm not offended." He put another piece of meat into his mouth and gazed calmly at Artemis, who slowly returned to her seat, fizzling with rage. "Like I said, we're doing the best we can," he added after swallowing. "If you think we're so inept, maybe you should consider joining the force. Seeing what it's really like out there."
Artemis folded her arms over her chest and did not respond.
"This is great chicken, by the way," Jim added, glancing to Alkyone.
Alkyone smiled. "Thank you, Commissioner. Glad you could make it."
The table slowly returned to low murmurs and conversation. Dick looked around, wondering if this family were... well, real. He glanced over at Barbara, and she exchanged a grin with him.
Just another night in the Wayne household.
Jim Gordon
Jim couldn't help but feel extremely frustrated the next day. Not only did he have to meet with Harvey Dent, a man who he wasn't sure what to make of, but he still felt a tinge of aggravation from the night before. Only, he wasn't sure exactly why. He chalked it up to the fact that they still hadn't been able to find Zucco, who had gone into hiding.
He checked his watch. He was a few minutes late. Entering the restaurant, which was definitely above his pay grade, he looked around and spotted Harvey Dent already sitting at a table, along with a young, blonde-haired woman. Sighing, he tugged at his tie and made his way over, reaching out a hand to Dent. "Mr. Dent."
"Harvey, please," said Harvey smoothly, with a smile. He shook Jim's hand.
"Dinah Lance, Commissioner," said the young woman at Dent's side. "I'm the assistant D.A., interning under District Attorney Dent. It's great to meet you, sir."
Jim shook her hand. Good, firm grip. "Nice to meet you, too, Ms. Lance. I've heard about your parents. Your father was a fine man and a damn good cop."
"Thank you, sir," said Dinah, smiling. "That means a lot to me."
"I'll get right to it, then," said Dent, as Jim took a seat. "The other night... I think we got off on the wrong foot."
Jim raised an eyebrow. He knew Dent wouldn't get into the details here. "I'd say so," he replied shortly.
"But you have to realize my frustration," said Dent. "I can be a great help to your case, Commissioner. We can do great things if we work together. We'll end the corruption that's plagued Gotham for years now. Just give me a second chance."
Jim hesitated. "It's not up to me," he said finally. He didn't miss the curious expression on Miss Lance's face.
"I know. But you have friends in high places," Dent added. "I know you're a friend of Bruce Wayne."
Jim tensed. "We know each other, yes. I wouldn't say we're friends."
"Well, I am," said Dent. "We used to go to school together. We've been out of touch for a while, but I want to change that. If we can get Wayne to help us... He's a powerful man, Commissioner. With his help - "
"You mean funds," said Jim sharply.
"Well, yes. But more than that. With his influence, my position, and your leadership, we can change Gotham, get it back onto the right track. Just give me another shot to show you what help I can do."
"Jim?"
Jim looked up to see Diana, in her disguise, holding a few paper bags. "Diana," he greeted, rising to his feet to give her a quick hug. "Good to see you."
"You, too," she replied warmly. "I'm sorry to interrupt - I just wanted to say hi. I'm picking Barb up from school and thought I'd grab some take-out."
"She'll love it," said Jim with a grateful nod. "Thanks."
Dent cleared his throat and rose to his feet. Jim glanced at Diana, saw her look at Dent and force a smile. He hid his amusement at the look on Dent's face. If the man only knew that this woman could snap his neck with two fingers...
"Sorry," said Jim. "Harvey Dent, this is a friend of mine, Diana Prince."
"We've met," said Dent with a smile.
Jim hid a flash of panic.
"At Bruce's party several months ago," Diana said coolly, assuaging Jim's fears. She reluctantly shook Dent's hand. "How are you, Mr. Dent?"
"Harvey, please," said Dent, flashing her another smile.
Jim resisted rolling his eyes. "Diana, this is Harvey's assistant, Dinah Lance."
Diana's smile grew real, and she shook Dinah's hand. "Nice to meet you, Dinah."
"Likewise," replied Dinah. "How do you know the Commissioner?"
"We go a ways back," Diana replied easily, with a brilliant smile. "His daughter Barb comes over to my house when Jim has work. My fiance and I have known Jim for a while."
"Your fiance?"
"Bruce Wayne," she said.
"Bruce?" echoed Harvey Dent, before Dinah could. "You're engaged to Bruce?"
Diana nodded. "That I am, Mr. Dent."
Jim noticed how she did not call him Harvey, as he'd requested.
Dent paused for a moment. "Bruce and I were friends back in high school," he said. "I've been wanting to catch up with him for a while. Talk to him about some things."
"Bruce is a very busy man, Mr. Dent," said Diana. "I hope you're not trying to go through me to get to him." She smiled, but it was laced with a warning.
Dent smiled back. "Of course not. I wouldn't do something like that." He laughed, and added, "No, Miss Prince, I'm just trying to join forces. Strength in numbers, right? The good Commissioner here and I want the same things for Gotham, and I think Bruce could be a great help in in achieving those goals."
"Which are?" demanded Diana archly.
Dent leaned forward. "To get rid of the corruption that's taken over this city, Miss Prince. To make sure that scum like Maroni, like Zucco, and the Russian are wiped out of Gotham for good. To get our streets clean."
Diana stared him down for a good long moment. "And what's your take on the Batman and Wonder Woman?" she finally asked.
Dent leaned back in his chair. "I think that they're... ordinary citizens doing their best to help out. From what I've heard, they were a great asset to the Gotham Police Force during the Gotham War some time back."
"Some would consider them vigilantes," Diana said.
"They're not," Dinah Lance broke in hotly. Diana raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Miss Prince - Batman and Wonder Woman have done more good for this city than anyone else has in years. No offense, Commissioner," she added hastily.
Jim shook his head. "None taken, I promise."
"And look, I may be biased," continued Dinah with a rueful smile. "But it's great to see a woman finally standing up for Gotham's female citizens. She's given us all hope and promise for Gotham's future - a future where a woman doesn't have to be afraid of walking Gotham's streets and worry about getting harassed or assaulted."
Diana studied her for a moment. "I couldn't agree more," she said finally.
"So will you talk to Bruce?" Harvey asked eagerly. "Look, I'll set up a meeting with him myself. If you could, just let him know that he can do a lot of good in Gotham, continue the work that his father did."
"I'll think about it, Mr. Dent," said Diana, rising to her feet. "Jim, great to see you. Ms. Lance, nice to meet you. We should grab coffee sometime. I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on how we can help Gotham's female population." She smiled and turned, disappearing through the doorway.
Dent leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Well... that went slightly better than I'd hoped."
"She seems like a smart woman," said Dinah. "I'm surprised she's marrying Bruce Wayne. She doesn't seem like his type. But then again... you never know these days," she added with a smile.
"You never do," agreed Jim, deep in thought.
Dick Grayson
It was late, but Dick was so engrossed in his game that he had completely lost track of time.
"I think it's time for bed, Dick," said Bruce, entering the kitchen.
Dick blinked, looked up, and realized how late it was. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."
"It's a Saturday," said Bruce. "You're fine. Just don't let Diana catch you." He shot Dick a small grin and took a case of protein powder out of the cupboard.
Dick grinned back, but he quickly grew somber. "Hey Bruce... can I ask you something?" When Bruce nodded, he asked, "How did your parents die?"
Bruce tensed, his back towards Dick. He slowly twisted off the cap to the case, and finally said, "I lost my parents when I was your age. Shot in front of me by a mugger."
Dick swallowed. "Did they ever catch him?"
A pause.
"Yes," Bruce said finally. "They did. Didn't bring them back, though."
Dick looked down at his hands, opening and closing his gaming device. "How did you... get over it?"
"I didn't," said Bruce. "There are some things you can't get over."
"So... how do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Get through it. Deal with it."
Bruce was silent for another moment. "I was taught how to deal with the pain. You do the best you can. Everyone deals with it differently." His voice had turned odd.
"What do you do?"
"Certain things," Bruce said evasively. "Meditation. Boxing. Martial art."
Dick's ears pricked up at that, and he gave Bruce a second look. "Oh?"
"It helps keep your mind in focus," said Bruce.
Dick stared at him sharply. Boxing. Martial art. Knew Batman.
He knew he wasn't imagining things.
"That's... cool," he said finally. "Do you think you could show me some of what you do?"
Bruce hesitated, then nodded. "All right. But not right now. It's past your bedtime, and the last thing either of us want is Diana to find you."
Dick nodded, slid out of the chair. "Goodnight, Bruce," he said.
"Goodnight, Dick."
Dick had heard a lot about Bruce Wayne before coming to Gotham. Even as a kid, he knew that Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy, had a reputation, and an infamous one at that. The man's face was plastered on almost every magazine in the world, and he was one of the richest men on the planet. But this Bruce Wayne... the one that he was starting to know... didn't add up to all of the rumors.
Bruce Wayne had adopted him. He'd lost his own parents. He had a secretly adopted daughter who couldn't talk, a secret fiancee, and a very large, very strange family.
Something wasn't adding up.
And instead of making his way up to his room, he entered the living room and curled up on the couch.
Our lead in Hanover Street had turned out to be a dead end. However, tonight, we were going do to some more digging in the Italian section. Helena and I had been in contact, and through her own family contacts and work as the Huntress, she'd told me that Zucco was more than likely hiding out in one of his brother's homes in Little Italy. We had names, addresses, and were set to go. However, before we left, I did further research on Gotham's D.A... and found some other curious information.
"This is interesting," I said, staring at the screen.
I heard low, fast breaths, and then Bruce grunted, "What is?"
I glanced back, seeing him doing fast-paced sit-ups, hanging upside down from one of the gymnastics bars. His torso was gleaming with sweat. I felt my mouth go dry, and I completely forgot what I was saying.
After a pause of watching him do sit-ups, he finally stopped, hanging upside down. "What is?" he repeated, staring at me.
"What?" I said, dazed.
He looked at me. "You said something was interesting."
"Did I?" I found himself looking over his torso.
"I think so," he said dryly.
I blinked, forced myself to look away. "Oh, yes. Well. Um, well, we were looking more into Harvey Dent..." I let out a slow breath. "And his assistant, Dinah Lance... she has an interesting history of her own. Her father was one of the best, most honest cops of his age.. Lawrence Lance... and his wife was a vigilante known as the Black Canary."
"That is interesting."
"Her mother was in the Justice Society, it was called," I added. "And one of the members, Wildcat... he's still in Gotham. He's a brawler, still one of the best fighters today. Ted Grant."
"I've heard of him," said Bruce. "I was actually considering training under him. He's the best boxer and cage fighter in the world."
I tapped my fingers on the keyboard. "Well... maybe we could both learn a thing or two."
"You're an Amazon. You trained under the best fighters in centuries."
"You can always learn more, can't you?" I said archly. "I take a note from your book, hon. Always learn something new. And power means nothing. Superman's an invincible powerhouse - but he's got no training. I bet if I went up against him, I'd beat him."
"I bet you would."
"We should make a visit there, after we get Zucco."
"Agreed. I'm looking into acquiring the Daily Planet."
I glanced back at him, curious. "You never told me."
"I'm telling you now." He grunted, let out a sigh as he hung upside-down again, stretching out his arms. "It's a recent idea."
"Why would you want to buy a newspaper?"
"Good investment. Plus, it'll make sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands. I have competition - someone else wants to buy it."
"Let me guess. Lex Luthor."
"Yep."
"I hate that guy," I said, disgusted.
"You're not the only one. He's got it out for Kent. Doesn't like something that he can't control or buy off - and Kent's not a man to be bought off." I heard grudging admiration in his voice. "Luthor is like his father, but worse -he's got that same sadistic, ego-maniacal blood in him, but he's brilliant - much more so than his father."
I shook my head. "He's a dangerous man. His father's death was actually fishy... rumors were Lex killed him."
"Wouldn't surprise me. I don't know Lex well, but he's become a big competitor in recent months, mostly because I came back..."
"Keep your friends close and enemies closer, right?"
"Right. We'll head to Metropolis soon. I have to meet with the EIC there, a Mr. Perry White. He doesn't like Luthor anymore than I do. We have to make sure Lex doesn't get control of the paper, or else Lois Lane and Kent will be out of work."
"We can bring the kids and the rest of the family," I said. "Make it a vacation. The beauty of home-schooling is we can take off whenever we want."
"The family," he said.
"Yeah."
"Meaning everyone?"
"Sure, why not?"
"All of the Amazons?"
"They're family, too, Bruce."
"I know..." His tone was grudging, although I knew he'd become quite fond of them.
"Don't worry, they won't be staying with us for much longer. They're bored, cooped up. They need to get their own lives. Artemis wants to go into something involving warfare. Charis wants to work with animals, and I think Myrto would like to go into marine biology or husbandry, I think. Or maybe run her own sailing company. She's not sure, but she's looking into options."
"Artemis going into something involving warfare... that sounds like her."
"I was hoping you could help them with false IDs, everything like that."
"Of course." He paused for a moment. "You didn't mention Philomena."
"I'm not sure what she wants to do," I said. "She's a quiet one. She and my mom were close friends, from what Mom's told me. I think she's feeling a little lost. But then again, it's so hard to read her."
"She's the smartest one of the bunch," he said, starting up his sit-ups again. "I could see her as a lawyer or a detective."
"Speaking of Detectives," I said, amused. "Did you - "
"How could I not."
"Glad I wasn't the only one to notice."
"Nothing about Artemis is subtle."
"But I don't think he noticed - "
"He was so exhausted he could barely stand upright -"
"But he was checking her out, too! The tension is so bad I just want to shove those two together and shout 'Now kiss!' Even Philomena noticed it. I think she's been watching too many TV shows, though. She's picking up on modern phrases very quickly."
Bruce let out a grunted chuckle, and let himself hang once again. Then, he released himself, doing a handstand to finally come back up on his feet. He stretched out, and I had to restrain myself from staring again. It didn't work well.
"I'd recommend Artemis to join the force," he said, "if I didn't think she'd strangle or slaughter all of her instructors by the time it was all over. She's too independent."
"She can follow orders if need be," I argued. "Look how long she was in my mother's service. She's loyal."
He raised an eyebrow. "She left Hippolyta for you."
I scowled, looked away. "Hippolyta is the one who betrayed the Amazons long ago."
"Most of them still seem to follow her."
"Why are you bringing my mother into this?" I demanded sharply.
"I'm just arguing your point of loyalty," he said. "Don't get me wrong - Artemis is a fine woman. But why did she leave? Boredom? The urge to kill? What happens if she doesn't get the bloodlust she wanted? She can't go around killing people like she used to."
"She's not a bloodthirsty maniac," I snapped.
"No, but she's a born and bred fighter."
"Maybe she could teach boxing," I suggested. "Bruce, she left my mother not because she was bored, but because Hippolyta made a deal with Ares. Hippolyta betrayed us first."
Bruce, swinging his arms back and forth to stretch, sighed. "All right. I didn't mean to accuse her."
"I know, love," I said, rubbing my temples. "But I would trust Artemis with my life, in any situation. I'm not saying she's not a bloodthirsty warrior... but honestly, I'm the same way. Maybe even more so," I admitted. I rose to my feet, stretching and rubbing my neck.
A pair of strong, muscular arms came around me from behind, wrapping firmly across my waist, and I sank back into Bruce's chest. My breath hitched slightly as he pressed a warm kiss to my neck, then my shoulder.
"You're a warrior, Princess," he said. "But you've got a better sense of things than she does. You're smart."
"Well, I'm no twelfth level intellect like you," I said, tapping my fist to his forehead.
"No, we can't all be geniuses," he said, his voice teasing and deep.
I grinned and turned around in his arms to kiss him -
A pair of hands tugged on my shirt, and we both looked down to see Cass glaring at us.
Time to go, she signed eagerly.
Bruce and I exchanged amused looks.
"All right," I said, defeated. "Let's go."
Dick Grayson
Dick had dozed off, curled up on the couch, when a pair of tiny feet awoke him. He froze, as the rest of the house was dark and quiet, and heard the footsteps hurrying closer. The pair of feet raced near him, past the couch, and down the hall. He raised his head and peered after Cass, who disappeared around the corner.
Dick glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight. What was she doing up?
He jumped off the couch and hurried after her, being sure to be as quiet as possible. Sneaking around the corner, he followed her until she reached the library. She reached up, pulled out one book, slid it back, and did the same with another book. A row of books slid back into the wall and moved off to the right, revealing an... an elevator? The doors slid open, and Cass stepped inside, disappearing as the doors closed behind her.
A second later, the section of books slid back into place.
What... Where had she gone?
Sal Maroni
Salvatore Maroni was not a happy man. He was still recovering from a shattered collarbone, and he knew that if something didn't happen, the police would be breaking down his door at any moment. He'd gotten out of jail due to bail money and a judge on his payroll, but he knew it would only be a matter of time before he was finally put away for good, if Batman and Wonder Woman had their way.
He sat in the back room of his cousin's strip club, smoking a cigar and glaring across the table at a sullen Zucco.
"I can't do nothin' from in here," muttered Zucco. "I gotta find that stupid kid before he rats me out."
"I want the Bat and the Bitch dead," snarled Maroni. "And I'll pay whatever it takes to get them dead."
"Perhaps I can help with that," replied a smooth voice. A shadowed figure entered the room.
Maroni jumped. "Who the hell are you?"
"Someone with a mutual interest," said the mysterious figure. He was shadowed by his hat and thick, collared overcoat. "You've been going about this the wrong way. Hiding in the shadows. Letting them come to you."
"So what do you propose?" demanded Maroni.
"Take the fight to them," said the man coolly. "Fifty million dollars to kill them."
"And who's gonna be stupid enough to take fifty million for BOTH of them?" sneered Maroni. "The bitch alone is worth twice as much."
"You misunderstand me," said the man. "I meant fifty per kill."
Maroni eyed the shadowed figure with suspicion. "And who's gonna pay for that?" demanded the Roman sulkily. "Money don't grow on trees, and that last war didn't do us any good. We all took a huge hit on that, and I lost a lot of men."
"I'll pay for it," said the man. "I'll fund the hit. "
"Even the Amazon bitch?" demanded Maroni sullenly. "In case you haven't heard, newbie, she's bullet-proof."
"No one is completely bullet-proof," said the man. "There are ways to kill them. It just takes time and careful planning."
"And what's in it for you?" demanded Maroni. "Why do you want them dead?"
"That's my business," said the man. "You put out the hit. Advertise it. Tell your people. I know of several of the best assassins who will be more than willing to take them down. I'm sure you know of others."
Maroni nodded, a sudden eager glint in his eye. "Yeah. Yeah, I know a few guys."
"Good," said the man. "I'll be in contact." And without another word, he disappeared into the shadows.
"Who the hell was that?" muttered Zucco.
"I don't know," said Maroni, leaning back and taking a puff of his cigar. "But I'll find out."
Thoughts?
So sorry for the long delay. I've been working double-time on my latest novel.
Expect more cameos coming up. And for everyone who's clamoring for Dick to become Robin... we'll get there! :)
- Serena