I am only human!
She resolved herself to get down
to business, so she could get some sleep and allowed her mind to drift back to
only a few hours before…
"This is a little out your league,
Bat-Chick," Robin said, a cocky grin on his face. Behind him, the Batman
remained silent. Obviously, the youth took the silence as the go ahead to
continue. "This is one of the toughest street gangs in Gotham, and they have to
be taken down tonight. You might break a nail."
Batgirl wanted to slap him upside
his juvenile head, but she knew he was laying the manure on thick tonight. He
was trying to impress his Lord and Master. In the recent months she had begun
to tag along with Batman and Robin, she had started to notice a change in the
Teen Wonder's attitude. She assumed it was jealousy. When he was out playing
"group hug" with the Teen Titans, she was backing up the Batman in Gotham City.
Of course, Batman did hang out
with the Justice League now and again, leaving her to fend for herself.
"Listen, little boy," she began in
her most stern tone. He immediately straightened up, which brought him about
one inch shorter than her. She didn't know how old he was, but he couldn't have
been more than 16, whereas the Batman seemed…ancient. "Batman says I'm good
enough to come along, and that's the way it is."
"Who do you think you are,
sister?" he asked, trying to sound manly, but looking funny with the orange
vest and little green booties and shorts.
"Enough."
Both of the younger heroes turned
to the Dark Knight. Robin was about to say something, but then held his tongue.
Batgirl stepped back and then the next thing she knew, she was falling. Over
the side of the Gotham Towers she had gone, so caught up in her rivalry with
Robin she had failed to notice how close to the edge she had been.
She immediately reached for her batline
as gravity continued to pull her to the ground's embrace. It would be simple to
throw it up and snag the roof. The Batman had trained her after all. As she
pulled it out, fear and horror ripped into her brain as she saw that the line
was tangled. She had failed the first rule of Super-Hero 101: always check your
equipment before you went out!
As she plummeted to the Earth
below, a thousand thoughts raced through her mind. She saw her entire life
playing out like a videotape on Friday night. Suddenly, something grabbed her
flailing arms, something strong. Her descent seemed to immediately stop, though
her brain told her that was impossible. She looked up to see Robin's face,
grinning at her. "Don't worry…I won't let you go."
The finality of the words, the
tone of his voice made her believe right then and there that there was nothing
more true. God's promise to Abraham was nothing compared to the conviction she
sensed coming from this boy's eyes. Boy? No, this was a man, albeit a young
man, but in every other sense, this was what he would be as he got older.
She saw a thin cord wrapped around
his ankle and she knew that even with his training and the flexibility of the
line, he must have nearly torn his leg out when he caught her. Only two or
three seconds had passed, she believed, since she had fallen and here he was,
like a guardian angel…no, like a Superman, swooping to rescue her without a
second thought. She saw the muscles of his forearms flex as he held her weight
and she felt the strangest tingle in her stomach. Despite their situation, her
eyes drifted to his legs, the muscles taught with exertion and strain and she
actually found herself thankful for the little green shorts.
They started to move slowly up as
the Batman reeled in the cord. He continued to smile. "You scared me there for
a second."
She tried to say something back
but found her lips trembling. She made a sound, but she might as well have
belched from the expression on his face. She then noticed his smell, a sweet
odor that was not pungent or overwhelming. It was the most intoxicating thing
she had ever encountered. As her mind started to drift, she felt them being
pulled over the edge. As she lay there panting, he stood over her. "Thank you,
you saved my life," she said.
Again the smile, but without the
cockiness. "That's what I'm here for."
And she was sure that was the
truth.
After reviewing the night's
events and putting them into perspective, Barbara finally found herself calmed
down and reached for the robe she kept on the floor (housekeeping just wasn't
something she was very good at!). As she put her hand down, she felt cold
leather on her fingertips. It was her glove, but her mind made it his. Was he
really there? Was she just assuming it was her glove? She could still feel his
grip, holding her arms fast. He had been so strong, so powerful...so sure of
himself…
Her pulse began to race and all
of the feelings she had previously defeated returned with reinforcements.
Not again! Damn him!
I'm still trembling…
