PART
ONE.
Gotham State University, Chemistry Lab…
Barbara Gordon read over her notes carefully.
Playing around with compounds could be a potentially dangerous exercise. Much
like crime fighting, there was no room for a mistake.
Of course it would help if her concentration
weren't constantly being interrupted by the flirtatious giggling of some girls
across the room.
Barbara raised her eyes in a menacing way towards
them, but they ignored her completely, their interest being held very
successfully by Dick Grayson.
Dick spoke quietly to the girls while running his
experiment, seemingly unaware or just not caring that he could make a mistake
while his attention was otherwise occupied. His speech was full of flirtatious
eye movements and sexual innuendo and the girls loved every minute of it.
Barbara rolled her eyes at the spectacle, failing
to see what was so damn special about Dick Grayson anyway.
Sure he was built like an athlete with a face that
was certainly far from ugly, but there were thousands of men like that at the
university.
Barbara looked him over, trying to guess what it
could be. Ok, she admitted to
herself, the guy is drop dead gorgeous
and his sharp blue eyes demanded attention. If
only he would stop tripping over his own ego, Barbara thought.
She allowed herself a small laugh at that thought,
then again, look at his role model; a
playboy billionaire with enough women at his beck and call to form his own
harem. Dick probably didn't know any better.
Barbara shrugged, it still wasn't any excuse to
treat women in the way he did, even if he had grown up with a man rich enough
to have everything he wanted.
That was another thing that really cooked her
goose. There was absolutely no reason for Dick to even be at university. He
certainly had enough money to make his life comfortable and probably a highly
paid job at any number of Mr. Wayne's companies and she doubted that an idiot
like Bruce Wayne had even attended college. He
has no right to be here, Barbara thought heatedly, he should be at Wayne manor flirting with as many girls as he wants,
not sitting in her classroom disrupting her work. More importantly he
shouldn't be able to pay so little attention to his work and still come out
ahead of her in every exam. She shook
her head. That was what annoyed her most about Mr. Grayson. He obviously spent
more time with his head buried in places other than in his books so how did he
always manage to come out ahead of her?
His name was always above hers on the exam results
and he was always so quick to congratulate her and never with a hint of
satisfaction. He actually seemed genuinely pleased for her.
Ok, so Dick didn't share Bruce Wayne's stupidity
and he was one of the only guys in the university that she could hold an
intelligent conversation with, and not have to worry about him looking down her
shirt.
So why did she always feel so heated whenever he
spoke to her, heck, whenever he looked at her. She put her chin in her hand and
lent against her desk, watching him unashamedly making a fool of himself to the
delight of his female audience. Well, his female and male audience, a few of
the others in the class had joined the group. Dick was popular with both.
Barbara scowled. She hated perfect people.
Barbara realized she'd been staring at the group
for enough time for it to be considered suspicious and would have looked away
if Dick hadn't caught her gaze. Dick passed her a surreptitious wink and broke
into a smile that was all charm.
Barbara shook her head in disgust and returned to
her formula.
Dick shrugged off Barbara Gordon's snub, it was
only like the hundredth time she'd done it to him. Dick wasn't blind, he knew
she pretty much hated his guts but he wasn't about to get all upset about it. After
all, there were plenty of other girls that liked him just fine. Dick glanced
around the small circle of adoring faces, many breathtakingly beautiful. But
his eyes kept straying back to the pretty red head on the opposite desk, with
green eyes that shone with intelligence. And
a body that a swimsuit model would be proud of can't forget about that Dick,
he thought.
Barbara was a very accomplished gymnast; he knew
this for a fact as he'd beaten her in the mixed Gymnastics trials by a few
points last week. Something she only resented him more for. Dick sighed, he
couldn't help it. He'd grown up tossing his body this way and that. He'd been
performing aerial tricks that some masters were incapable of before she'd even
seen a set of parallel bars. And living with Bruce Wayne, the Batman, only
served to hone his skills even more. He was the best. He had to be.
There was no room for mistakes when he donned his
Robin costume. He had worked hard to get his body into the condition it was in
and it was nice to receive some acclaim for that now and then - he'd certainly
never get any from Batman. Not even with
the aid of some wild horses, Dick thought wryly.
Dick knew Barbara hated the fact that he always
excelled at his exams. But she didn't know that he'd been studying chemistry,
physics, biology and others along side Batman since he was a kid. He learned
from the crimes of some of the most ruthless yet intelligent criminals on the
planet. And he'd had the best teacher that anyone could ever hope for.
Dick sighed, there had been times, short and sweet
when he'd caught Barbara in a good mood and they'd shared a conversation.
He'd
learned that she was trying hard to break away from being known as the Commissioners
daughter, that she wanted to become a detective in her own right, using her
brains to get her there and not her father's name. Dick understood that, the
need to go out and prove to the world that you can make it on your own, that
you don't always need the help of a certain pointy- eared friend to get you out
of a crisis.
And just when they were starting to get somewhere
Dick would open his big mouth and something totally obnoxious would slip out.
Then he'd see her face form that icy gaze that some of the crooks got right
before they strangled you. Her mouth would shut tightly and her eyes would roll
as though she'd been waiting for it all along. Then she would be out of there
without a glance back in his direction, smiling pleasantly at countless male
suitors on her way out in the way that made their knees tremble. She sure as
hell never looked at him like that.
Dick passed a bored glance over his chemistry
paper, he'd finished it last night without even needing to do the practical
work; he'd done it all before.
"So girls," he said huskily, raising
himself out of his Barbara related depression, "Who's for a pizza? My
shout."
That received unanimous support, and the two
closest girls proudly latched onto his arms, practically pulling him out of the
room.
"Finally." Barbara muttered, happy to
see them leave. But her eyes followed them out of the room, she watched until
she couldn't see Dick's black curly hair towering above them anymore. It was
then that she realized that she was hungry too, and that pizza would quite
nicely fill the gap.
Italian
with extra pepperoni would be great!
Bruce Wayne leaned back in his easy chair and
stared unmoving at the huge computer screen in front of him. The Batcomputer
was an amazing piece of machinery; the only one of its kind in the world. He'd
built it himself, with the aid of some of the most intelligent scientists and
technicians that were on the Wayne Corporation payroll. Not that they had known
that the intricate circuitry and computer components they had been assigned to,
were to end up in the computer that the Batman used every day.
Bruce Wayne was The Batman and the computer was an
essential part of his crimefighting arsenal.
At the present the Batcomputer displayed the
slightly blue face of Dr Victor Fries a.k.a. Mr. Freeze.
Bruce pressed a small button and instantly the
camera's changed, showing Victor Fries long before he had become a criminal,
before he had frozen his wife. Bruce watched silently as the husband clutched
his beautiful, dying wife in his arms and whispered something in her ear that
the speakers failed to pick up. Bruce sighed, pausing the home movie. Dr Victor
Fries had filmed it himself, a running documentary on his research into a cure
for his wife. The film also picked up the accident that turned the Doctor into
a madman hell bent on revenge. Revenge he had tried desperately to obtain and
would have achieved if Batman hadn't arrived and prevented him.
Mr. Freeze was now one of Batman's most dangerous
enemies and undoubtedly one of the coldest when it came to human suffering. He
came in a close second to the Joker, the Clown Prince of Crime, who only came
in first because he was utterly insane.
Mr. Freeze was not the picture of sanity but he
was one of the more intelligent rogues that plagued Gotham City.
He belonged in Arkham Asylum the very place he had
been until his break out last month.
Bruce scratched his head. It had been a full month
since the villain's daring escape, an escape that had left one unfortunate
orderly dead and another badly injured. But since then, other than a few
strange missing people reports it had been quiet, Freeze hadn't been sighted in
all that time.
It brought an uneasy feeling to the Dark Knight's
gut. He knew that Freeze was planning something, taking his time to formulate
the perfect caper.
Bruce sighed. Batman and Robin had scoured the
entire city looking for the escapee. They searched anywhere that was related to
ice or freezing. The local ice cream factories were favourites for Mr Freeze
and also The Penguin. But they were all empty. Robin had headed for the ice
rinks and the new Antarctica display at the Gotham museum. He had managed to
foil a robbery at the convenience store next door but there was no Mr. Freeze.
Batman had tried a different angle. Mr. Freeze
never settled anywhere without his wife Nora and since Nora was frozen in what
could only be described as a high tech sarcophagus there were only a few places
that she could fit into. Freeze would also need a lair with some available
power source, and quite a large one to keep his wife in her frozen state
successfully. His searches, like Robin's, turned up a few low-key criminals but
not the Big Fish.
The frustration was unnerving. He hadn't been able
to sleep or concentrate properly on his extra curricular activities and it
seemed to be rubbing off on his young partner also.
Robin's characteristic quips and daredevil
behaviour had been almost non-existent lately and Batman was surprised to find
that he actually missed it. There wasn't much that could dampen his ward's
carefree manner, but Mr.Freeze seemed to have managed it with relative ease.
The longer he was at large the more it played on the crime fighter's and the
general community. The media took every opportunity to include them in their
publication and when Batman and Robin seemingly failed to do their jobs
properly the media hound dogs pounced, citing any reason they could think of as
to why Gotham could do without the dynamic duo.
Bruce sighed, the same newspaper would be claiming
the opposite the next week when he and Robin secured criminal after criminal,
it was the way the media world worked … they always struck when you were down.
He had taken to wearing his thickest skin whenever
he read the papers but Dick seemed to take every slicing word personally. He
almost seemed to believe that it was exactly what the public thought about
them.
Bruce put it down to his background. He had grown
up in a circus, constantly under the watchful and critical eyes of some very
skilled people. But as Dick Grayson, the third member of The Flying Grayson's
aerial team he had excelled. He was seen as a marvel, a Boy Wonder, and indeed
he was.
In the circus he was part of a large family, a
family that nurtured his self -image to make him a very confident child. The
vicious murder of his parents stole that from him and it took him away from his
large family and placed him into a small, lonely one comprised of Billionaire
Bruce Wayne and his butler Alfred.
Bruce wondered as he had often before, if he had
stunted Dick's growth by adopting him. He had made him a partner and a crimefighter,
a wish come true for any boy his age. But he hadn't been as complimentary as
Dick's family had been, if anything he was more critical. He couldn't risk
Robin being hurt or injured because of a mistake so he was extra hard on Dick.
Bruce wondered if that was why Dick took the newspapers so seriously, because
he had the same doubts himself. His self- confidence had taken quite a beating
in the past years and although Dick seemed happy, Bruce wondered if he really
was.
As if in answer, Dick appeared. He was speeding
across the floor of the Batcave in a series of perfect backflips, while
shouting out a running commentary on each move as though he was judging a
gymnastics competition. He finished with a leap in the air, tucking into two
backwards somersaults and landed gracefully in a gymnast's salute.
He gave himself a perfect ten.
Bruce smiled inwardly; perhaps he was wrong about
Dick's self- confidence.
He took a welcome break from the computer to watch
Dick's display.
The young man had moved to the parallel bars and
he was swinging around them with such grace and ease that they seemed to almost
be attached to his arms. Bruce watched proudly; though he'd never admit to
having that particular emotion.
He wished he could put all of Dick's considerable
skill down to his own training but he knew that it was Dick's parents that won
that acclaim, and of course Dick himself. He was a natural athlete, taking to
any form of sport with ease.
Dick was swinging in a continuous circle around
the top bar, when he had gained enough momentum he let go, launching himself
into the air.
He soared through the cave his arms out wide and
his body neat and taunt. As gravity took its turn he arched in mid - flight,
his head being the weight that began his descent. Dick held his position
beautifully; he could see his target below and had already determined his
landing.
As he came close to the wide balance beam, Dick
brought his legs up, shifting the weight from his head to his feet. The shift
caused his body to turn swiftly so that he landed on the beam on his feet and
not his head. Dick landed with his knees slightly bent to avoid locking his
knees and doing terrible damage. He followed the momentum through, coming down
into a crouch that he used to once again push off into the air. He executed a
neat tuck, and landed on the edge of the beam, the momentum used up
brilliantly.
Dick saluted then punched his fist into the air,
"Yeah! Another perfect performance from Dick Grayson! And the crowd goes
wild!" He cupped his hands to his mouth and imitated the sounds of a
cheering crowd.
"He's definitely stolen the gold tonight
folks!" Dick continued.
He ungracefully dropped from the beam and grinned
at Bruce, "Sad but true folks!" he quipped, "Bruce Wayne will
have to settle for the silver again!"
Bruce raised an eyebrow at the challenge to good
to refuse, "Perhaps since you've so successfully conquered the gymnastics
world, you can move on to the martial arts arena?" He asked dangerously.
Dick hesitated for a second, he might out-do Bruce
in aerial artistry but he was yet to better him in the Martial Arts. Bruce was
an expert in countless forms of Martial Arts, boxing, street fighting and many
others. He had taught Dick much of what he had learnt but Dick doubted he would
ever be as good as Bruce and he wasn't really sure if he wanted too be.
He shrugged, "I'm game!"
Bruce smiled, it was one of the things he admired most about his protégé; he was always willing to take up a challenge. And a challenge he would get.
********************************************************
Alfred allowed himself a small smile as he made
his way down the long staircase that led to the Batcave. The cave was echoing
with riotous laughter from the two men wrestling on a large mat in the centre
of the cave.
This was the only time Alfred enjoyed the walk
down, when he could hear the two men he loved most in the world actually
enjoying themselves in that cave, instead of pacing back and fourth with
the weight of the world on their young shoulders.
"C'mon – give in!" Bruce challenged, holding his
ward in a headlock.
Dick was grinning widely, seemingly oblivious to
the large arm wrapped around his neck, "Never!" He managed to croak.
He rolled suddenly, taking his mentor with him and
Alfred almost cried out in alarm when they threatened to roll off the edge of
the platform they were on.
Neither would allow that to happen though. Dick
managed to twist his lithe body like a contortionist and ram his knee into the
strong stomach of his adopted father.
Bruce grunted and released the hold enough for
Dick to flip him over his head and away from the precipice.
Then, with a war cry he threw himself on Bruce and
the fight was on again.
Alfred rolled his eyes. Placing a tray laden with
enough lunch to feed a small army on a nearby workbench. Or for feeding two
growing boys Alfred thought, if growing was the appropriate word. Presently
they seemed to have reverted back to childhood.
He cleared his throat, "Lunch Master Bruce, Master
Richard."
The two ignored him, locked around each other in
an array of wriggling arms and legs.
"Oh Well, I guess the dogs will eat it." Alfred proclaimed,
picking up the tray and starting up the stairs. He was met by a pitiful cry
from the two down below and an epic tale of the end of Batman and Robin due to
starvation.
Alfred sighed, the satisfied smile on his face
waxing to deadpan when he returned to them.
They both ate hungrily, swallowing the food at a
remarkable rate.
Alfred closed his eyes, forbidding his
straight-laced English upbringing to be affected by the appalling lack of
manners displayed before him.
"Have you finished your homework Master Richard?" He asked, fully aware that the young man hadn't even looked at his work since he arrived home.
Dick swallowed his last mouthful loudly and stared dismayed at the butler.
" It's the weekend!" He moaned, " I'll do it when
I go back to the dorm Alfie."
Alfred lifted his nose and stared at the younger
man with an unaccepting glare.
Dick almost seemed to tremble under the strong
grey eyes fixed on his, he looked to Bruce for support but only gained a
sympathetic glance back. Bruce knew that look and he knew not to fight
it.
Alfred didn't say a word, which was five times
worse than any of his sermons and eventually Dick couldn't stand the silence
anymore.
"Ok." He said, starting up the stairs, " But I
can't wait till I've finished school!"
Alfred raised an unforgiving eyebrow at Bruce.
"And what about you Sir? Shouldn't you be on your way to dinner with Miss
Lamont?"
Bruce smiled, knowing not to argue. He was
constantly amazed that Alfred could sound so polite and yet so demanding at the
same time. He worded his sentences to sound like a question when they were in
fact an order.
"I'm on my way Alfred."
Bruce shook his head in amusement as he followed
after Dick. He wondered how many other butlers could say that they were the
head of the family, not the servant to them.
Alfred moved wordlessly around the mansion as Dick
studied and Bruce showered and dressed. He alternated between the upstairs
study and Bruce's room, straightening Bruce's wayward suit and dusting the
countless, priceless statues that littered the many rooms at the same time.
He had Bruce dressed and ready with minutes to
spare and deposited him neatly into the limousine waiting outside.
Then he made Dick a small snack and took it up to
the young man.
Dick was sitting obediently at his desk, with his
textbooks open wide, but he was more engrossed in the music radiating from his
headphones than his work.
He shouted in surprise when the volume doubled
suddenly and wrenched the headphones from his ringing eardrums. Dick's eyes
widened a little in guilt when he saw the butler by the stereo.
"I apologise Master Richard." He said in mock
sincerity, "I meant to turn the music down. I haven't quite the knack for these
electrical instruments as you do."
Dick rubbed his ears. He knew full well that
Alfred could take apart his stereo and lecture on what every piece was used for
better than he could, but he wasn't about to argue with him when he had his
"unforgiving" face on.
"That's Ok Alfred." He answered meekly, "Thanks
for the sandwich."
Alfred passed him one more warning glance then
left quietly, dusting various objects as he went.
Dick bit into the sandwich and grumbled to
himself. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was look at schoolwork.
It seemed to be all he was doing lately. Exams were coming up and he knew it
was important to study for them, but he was restless and studying was only
making him more so.
"What I wouldn't give for the Bat signal." He
muttered.
Of course, that would ruin Bruce's date with Sarah
Lamont, the daughter of the very wealthy Gerard Lamont. But Bruce was only
dating her to keep up his Bruce Wayne persona. And if what Dick had heard about
her communication skills was anything to go by, Bruce was probably wishing for
the Batsignal also.
*****************************************************************
Commissioner Gordon's face was a vivid red as he marched
towards his office. If there was one thing he hated about his job it was
meeting the press on the steps of the Gotham Police Department. Their questions
were becoming impossible to answer without making the entire police force look
like fools - that was how the media liked it; bad news sold newspapers.
But this time they had been right. The police were
unable to do anything about the escaped Mr Freeze, except look for him and ask
questions. But if Batman hadn't gotten any answers the police certainly
wouldn't fare any better.
Gordon was worried. Gotham City was his
responsibility and until Freeze was recaptured, Gothamites - his Gothamites were in danger.
Batman was also frustrated. It was obvious in
their last meeting that he was anxious to find the King of Iciness before
someone was hurt. Even Robin was quiet! Gordon found that quite disturbing, the
youth's bright demeanour often helped him feel at ease as much as it helped
Batman.
He huffed out loud, ignoring the officers that
were wisely moving out of his way, he threw open his office door and would have
slammed it shut if he hadn't noticed his visitor.
James Gordon's face lifted in surprise and his
anger fell away like a large tidal wave. His worn face broke into a delighted
smile and he opened his arms to the young woman standing in front of his desk.
Barbara Gordon laughed softly, hugging her father
tightly. "You look very happy to see me Dad!" She exclaimed.
Her father squeezed her slim form closer,
"You're a God send my girl!" He replied. Since Barbara had started
college he had seen very little of her and had missed her sorely. He extended
her back to arms length and gazed at her lovingly. Her green eyes sparkled with
warmth and her pretty face was alight with greeting. She flung back her shoulder
length red hair and giggled, "You look like the cat that got the cream
Dad! Anyone would think you don't have any other visitors."
"You're the only one that matters to
me!" He laughed, and perhaps one
other, Gordon thought, the figure of Gotham's Dark Knight flashing before
him.
Barbara lowered herself into a nearby armchair,
her tiny figure almost disappearing into its enormous belly.
Her father smiled wisely as he watched her. She
was only a slip of a girl but she had more strength and power than most people
gave her credit for. She was a gifted gymnast, every muscle in her body was
taunt and strong and she had been practicing Judo ever since she was old enough
to request lessons.
She sat up sharp and erect, her eyes full of
intelligence and love.
Gordon sighed, she wasn't his little girl anymore.
"How's college?" He asked casually,
trying not to let the animosity he felt towards the institution that had stolen
his daughter show.
Barbara waved a hand in the air, "Fine,
fine." She answered, "I've finished for today and I was hoping
someone might shout me dinner." She levelled him with a mischievous
eye," If he can find the time to take out his only daughter!"
Gordon's heart melted as it always did when she
was around. " I wouldn't miss the opportunity! Considering I see so little
of her these days."
Barbara's gaze became sympathetic, "I know
Daddy and I'm sorry. " She gave a soft sigh, "But I've been so busy
with papers and exams and the Gymnastics competition. I've hardly found time to
sleep let alone socialize."
Her father became suddenly concerned, noting that
she was a little thinner than she had been at home. "Are you eating
properly Babs? You know you can always come home if things get too rough."
His daughter leapt from her chair, "No you
don't!" She exclaimed, "You spent days telling me how good
independence would be for me and you were right." She shook her finger at
him, "Now there will be no more mention of me coming home for the rest of
the day OK?"
James Gordon grinned again, and reaching out he
took her hand, leading her out into the hallway, "Agreed. Now let's go get
the biggest meal that Gotham has to offer. I want to spend as much time with my
daughter as I can."
Barbara beamed, waving at a few of the officers
that had known her almost all her life as they started down the corridor.
"Besides." He whispered, poking her
ribcage, "You need fattening up!"
"Dad!" She exclaimed, nudging him
roughly, "No personal jibes allowed!"
Gordon laughed, walking with a face full of pride
through the police station.
They found a table at a nearby all-you-can-eat and after filling their
plates they fell easily into conversation.
"So," Barbara said suddenly, easing away
from the small talk they had been sharing, " What was with the angry face?
Freeze?"
The Commissioner nodded. "The press is really
going to town with this one, not that I can blame them. The number of times
thugs like Freeze have escaped Arkham is inexcusable!"
Barbara grunted in agreement, "Has Batman had
any luck?"
Only she and a select few others knew of his
meetings with the Batman. The Batsignal on the roof of the police headquarters
was a secret that they all shared. What he didn't know was that his daughter
already knew the answer to the question he had asked. He didn't know that for
almost four months now his slip of a daughter had been fighting alongside
Batman and had saved her father's life on more than one occasion. James Gordon
had no idea that his little girl faced death almost every night, battling against
the same criminals he did from the opposite side of the law. His lovely
daughter was Batgirl! And night after night her lovely hands slammed into the
faces of criminals and she used her tiny feet to kick a crook into submission.
Barbara allowed herself a secret smile, if her
father were proud of her now she wondered what he would be if he knew the
truth. Of course she would never tell him. She had been deceiving him for too
long now, and she was terrified how he would react, and what he would do to
Batman for allowing his precious daughter to join his dangerous world. Not that
Batman exactly knew who she was. She had never told him, but sometimes she
wondered if he knew. After all he was Batman.
"No." Her father answered resignedly.
"There has been no sign of him at all. Batman and Robin have exhausted all
their avenues and they both look pretty beat."
Barbara had to agree with that. Some pictures that
a lucky journalist had managed to snap showed the two in less than perfect
condition. She hadn't donned her Batgirl costume for a few weeks due to exam
preparation, but after seeing the despair on her father's face she was certain
she would put it on tonight. If the dynamic duo were looking a little worse for
wear, perhaps they could use some fresh help.
"He's up to something." She said softly,
"And God help us all when he does turn up."
Gordon took her hand, squeezing it gently,
"With God's help and Batman and Robin's I'm sure we'll more than meet his
challenge."
Jim yawned and rubbed at his eyes. Barbara watched
him anxiously, "There's more isn't there Dad? You looked stressed to the max."
Her father offered a weak smile, "I'm worried
about Adam Hill. His little girl is getting worse."
Barbara grimaced, she'd grown up with Mayor Hill's
daughter Jenny. The two had formed a strong friendship in all the time that
they had spent together at the functions that their fathers' had to attend.
Jenny had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour two months ago and her
condition had been steadily declining.
"I saw her the other day – she was pretty tired,
didn't want to talk." Barbara murmured.
Jim squeezed his daughters hand again, "Yes, Adam says she hasn't much time left. It's hitting him hard – poor guy. I don't know what I'd do if that was you in that hospital."
Barbara met his eyes and smiled at the fear she
saw in them. "I'm not going anywhere Daddy – I have too much to do!" If only
you knew just how much Dad.
"I know Honey, I know." He took a long sip of his
coffee, "On top of all that he's got the press breathing down his throat and
mine about these missing people."
Barbara frowned slightly, mentally gathering all
the information she had taken in from the newspapers, "Yeah that is kinda
strange, all sick or elderly aren't they?"
Jim rubbed his forehead, trying to massage away
the heavy, compacted feeling in his brain, "Yes, all left the hospital of their
own accord, most against their doctors wishes and they haven't been seen since.
The really strange fact is that in most cases the immediate family weren't the
ones to raise the alarm – they don't seem to be too worried about their missing
loved ones."
"That is strange." Barbara agreed, "Any leads?"
Jim smiled, "I don't want to bother you with this
Honey. Let's talk about something else, I'll have to head back soon."
Barbara offered up a sweet smile, she was curious
but confident that her father would solve the case. "Okay Dad. Let's get a
cappuccino to go and I'll walk you back to work."
*******************************************************************
Barbara strolled away from the Police Department
with a content smile on her pretty face. She had missed her father, more than
usual lately and it had been a weight off her shoulders to see him again.
The city was still steaming under its heat wave,
but Barbara didn't mind. It gave her the opportunity to walk at night without
having to worry about dying of exposure. Of course there were other things to
worry about in Gotham City, but Barbara Gordon had more than one reason to feel
safe.
Firstly and foremost, she was Batgirl, and
therefore more than capable of taking care of herself. And secondly she was
Commissioner Gordon's daughter and God save anyone from his wrath if she was
hurt.
The thought of her protective father reminded her
of Jenny Hill. They had often compared stories on the difficulties of being the
only child of a high profile member of the public. Both had been plagued by
photographers most of their short lives and there had been a few kidnapping
attempts made along the way.
Barbara sighed, she would miss Jenny terribly if
she died, she had been her only companion at the society events that her father
dragged her along to. With Jenny there the parties weren't half as boring as
she was finding them now.
Barbara scrunched up her face, of course Jenny had
admitted that one of the main reasons she kept attending the various benefits
was not only for Barbara but also to see Dick Grayson. Jenny had found that the
best way to pass the unbelievably long hours at such events was to sit back and
watch Barbara and Dick try to out do each other in insults. Dick also had to
attend the same benefits, as most of them were organised by his guardian Bruce
Wayne. Jenny said that the highlight of the night was when Dick and Barbara met
head-on and engaged in a battle of wills. It was all the more amusing as they
had to do it whispering, neither wanting to make a scene but not willing to
admit defeat by walking away. Dick was the only disagreeable factor in their
relationship; Jenny couldn't get enough of him and Barbara couldn't stand to be
around him for any longer than ten minutes.
Over time however, Dick had began backing down
early. Her insults certainly hit their mark but Dick just shrugged them off and
left, without uttering a single bad word about her.
Barbara glowered, that was when he wasn't
purposefully ignoring her as he had started doing lately. Now she really was
alone at the benefits, her best friend was in hospital and her worst enemy was
making a game out of ignoring her – and seemingly enjoying her obvious boredom.
He made her more furious than any of Gotham's villains.
Barbara found her mind wandering to Mr Freeze.
He was capable of terrible things and the thought
of him out there – plotting and planning – was enough to make her stomach
churn.
She nodded her head in silent agreement with her
superhero radar, as she called it, the feeling that Gotham needed Batgirl was
nagging at her and she was more than ready to don her cape and cowl.
As if in answer the sky lit up suddenly, the
figure of a bat imbedding itself in the stars: The Batsignal.
Barbara grinned and started the short run back to
her dorm room.
*************************************************************
Dick's head rose hopefully from his books when his
beeper sounded.
"Please be Batman, PLEASE!" He whispered.
Dick checked the number and hooted in joy. He tore
from his room, almost colliding with Alfred who had come to investigate.
"Master Dick!" He admonished.
"Batsignal!" Dick replied simply. He vaulted over
the stairs and used the tapestries against the wall as a sliding post to the
ground.
Alfred watched him, cringing all the while. He'd
given up telling Dick to use the stairs, the fact the he could ruin the ancient
artworks was apparently beyond Dick's understanding.
Alfred sighed and made his way slowly down the
stairs, he wondered if there was anything good on television.
*******************************************************************
Batgirl sped through the streets on her batbike,
headed for the Police department. However, the batsignal disappeared before she
arrived and all she found when she finally made it was an empty rooftop.
Batgirl frowned, it wasn't much fun being a crime
fighter if you didn't know where the crime was.
She listened intently to her police scanner as she
scoured the city for the dynamic duo without luck. For a moment she though she
might have to go home without seeing any action when a movement to her right
caught her attention.
There was a light flashing from an isolated
warehouse and Batgirl turned her bike at once. Gunning the engine she headed
straight for it.
Batgirl crouched beside an old oil drum and
surveyed the expanse around her. The warehouse was old and abandoned, but
tonight it was alive with activity. There were men everywhere, rushing about
quietly in the darkness, filling a van with something she couldn't quite make
out.
Batgirls photographic memory kicked in and she
recognised the warehouse as an old food packaging plant. If she remembered
clearly it had been closed down almost two years ago, after a terrible accident
killed two of the head engineers. They had been working on flash-freezing food,
keeping it at it's freshest for a long period of time. Unfortunately, all that
had been achieved was the flash freezing of two men in a devastating accident.
They could not be revived and certainly not reheated.
Everything around her was hinting at Mr Freeze and
Batgirl hoped that Batman and Robin were nearby; she was going to need help.
************************************************************
Batman and Robin were closer than she thought.
They were presently easing themselves silently through the roof and into the
warehouse.
They slid down opposing support beams and
disappeared into the darkness where the roof met the surrounding walls.
Batgirl crept stealthily around the perimeter and
slipped through an open side door. She waited in the shadows, eyes and ears
alert and mind racing.
There were more than twelve men in the warehouse
and they were spread out in a fashion that made it impossible for her to take
them all down without risking injury to herself. There was no sign of Mr
Freeze, but somehow Batgirl knew he was there; She could feel it in her bones.
Batgirl shook herself to clear the feeling then
surveyed the area again, it was time to develop a strategy.
Robin glowered in his dark spot and tried to
concentrate at the job in hand and not the red head in the bat costume below
him. Of all the lousy luck! They finally get a fix on Mr Freeze and SHE shows
up. Robin was not impressed. Batgirl may have proven herself to be capable
crime fighter when it came to the small time criminals, but she was not ready
to face Freeze. If she messes this up! He thought heatedly. Okay, so she
had helped with Two Face and done some of it on her own, but most of that was
pure luck, she was still just a rookie when it came to the big villains.
Batman's strong, deep voice cut into his thoughts
and Robin listened intently to the orders given through his earpiece. Batman
had seen their new ally also and didn't seem to be too anxious about her
involvement. In fact, Robin could have sworn that Batman sounded glad to see
her. Minutes later Robin silently began his descent.
Batgirl had decided that the most important factor
was the cargo that the men were loading. It held obvious importance to them as
they treated it with great care. If she could stop them from taking whatever
was in the crates she would have done her job. Batgirl nodded, there were three
men in the back of a van and three more passing them various boxes. The
driver's seat was empty. If she could slip behind the wheel she could take the
truck and the bad guys straight to the police station. Batgirl frowned
at a sudden thought. She had no idea what their cargo was, and it could be a
potentially dangerous chemical that shouldn't been thrown around in the back of
a van while she sped to the police station. And then there was no telling if it
was hazardous to people, by taking it to the police she could place them in
danger. She sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought. To add to her
problems, Mr Freeze appeared suddenly, a dark, formidable figure in his special
cold suit. His size and obvious strength alone was enough to make her want to
retreat. But she didn't, she couldn't, she was Batgirl and she had a job to do
– if only she could decide the best way to get it done!
Her mind was so involved in her little dilemma
that she failed to pick up on the figure behind her. She had no inkling that
someone was there until two strong arms closed around her, covering her mouth
and forcing her to the ground. She could feel the weight of a knee pushing into
her back and she gave a low growl, struggling in his grasp.
" Quit it!" Came the short retort, whispered harshly
in her ear. "You'll have them all over here in a minute!"
Batgirl recognised the boyish voice instantly and
she relaxed, nodding to show him that she understood. Robin shifted his knee
and crouched back, giving her room to sit up. She glared at him for a minute,
quietly daring him to ever try anything like that again.
Robin gave a smug grin, "You should be more
careful."
Batgirl forced her hostility aside, it was
overshadowed by her joy anyway. If Robin was there, Batman wasn't far off. The
odds had improved considerably.
"What's the plan?" She asked softly.
Robin debated telling her that his plan was
to have her get her pretty little self out of there but he knew the likely hood
of her obeying was slim, so he sighed and relayed Batman's orders.
***************************************************************
Batgirl spun, raising her leg as she turned to
kick the thugs neatly on their jaws. They went down, only to be replaced with
four more.
She stole a look at Robin, who was fighting his lot
with his usual array of skill mixed with plenty of bad puns. He was grinning
all the while as though he was having the time of his life.
Batgirl could understand that. There was a lot of
honour that went with the job but there was also a lot of satisfaction in
beating men twice your size.
A henchman reached for her, snapping her back into
attention. She grabbed his meaty arm while sidestepping and twisted it sharply.
He gave a cry of pain that was followed by a shout of astonishment as she
grabbed his shirt- front and tossed him over her head and into a group of men
that had moved behind her. The human bowling bowl took his co-workers down with
him and they stayed down.
That left one.
Batgirl ducked as his fist shot out and she struck
out with the heel of her hand, jabbing him in the solar plexus region.
He gasped as the air in his lungs was violently
forced out and he offered no resistance as she leapt into the air and executed
a perfect flying kick into his face, knocking him unconscious before he had even
hit the ground.
She allowed herself a triumphant smile and turned
to Robin. He was still fighting bravely, having had double the amount of men to
deal with. But he was making easy work of them and Batgirl could see that he
neither needed nor wanted her help.
She looked around for Batman and gave a start when
she saw him. He was on the thin walkway
far above her, and Freeze had managed to deliver a hard blow to the Dark
Knight's temple momentarily stunning Batman. Mr. Freeze used the distraction to fast - freeze Batman's hands to the
floor. Then he took to his feet and headed for the nearest exit.
Batman struggled to free himself and Batgirl
figured that he would manage to do so in little time. But that was all the time
Freeze needed to escape.
Her eyes dropped to the unconscious men at her
feet. She should have been tying them up at that moment but they weren't going
anywhere fast.
Batgirl made a split minute decision. Batman's
orders had been to take care of the thugs but Freeze was certainly more of a
danger than they were.
She fired her Batgrapple into the air and it
wrapped around a protruding pole inches from Freeze's head.
Robin gave a shout of surprise as she took off,
but he was too busy with his own thugs to pay her any real attention.
Batman had already freed himself and was tearing
along the causeway. Batgirl was nearly upon Mr. Freeze, she saw his eyes narrow
in his strange helmet and suddenly his hand shot out grasping the thin wire of
her Batgrapple. With inhuman strength he reefed it from the pole. Batgirl felt
the line instantly sag as he let go and she knew that she was about to fall a
very long way.
Batman gave a low growl stopping abruptly his eyes
moving from Freeze to the tumbling Batgirl. She was searching for something to
grab on to, something to break her fall but there wasn't anything but air.
Batman grimaced, he passed a warning gaze to
Mr.Freeze then dove off the shelf. He fired a Batgrapple in the air as he
gained on her and it wrapped itself around an overhanging support.
Batgirl closed her eyes as the ground rushed to meet her, then suddenly she felt a strong arm grip hers and her eyes opened to see Batman above her. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms and swung her away from the ground.
Batgirl didn't have time to register the relief that had flooded her body for a loud BANG! rang out suddenly and Robin gave a sharp cry. She and Batman turned as one to check him and found that one her thugs had regained consciousness in the time that had passed.
He had also gained
a handgun.
Robin was gripping his arm where he had been shot
and he unarmed the man with a simple jump - kick. The other thugs - including
two more of hers, had taken the opportunity to escape with the van and
its cargo.
But Mr Freeze hadn't, he had watched Batman rescue
Batgirl and while the Dark Knight's attention was on her, Freeze formulated the
perfect escape plan.
Batman would never sacrifice the safety of his
young protégés'; it was a well- known fact and
weakness, thought Mr. Freeze.
So in the time it took for Robin to be shot and
then overpower the shooter Mr. Freeze had raised his own gun and aiming
carefully he pulled the trigger.
A ray of ice leapt from the fancy barrel, Batman's
head shot up sharply as it caught the corner of his eye but he was unable to do
anything but watch as the ray hit its mark, enveloping Robin's head in an icy
death- mask.
Robin fell to the ground under the weight of the
ice and he pounded it helplessly with his fists, he was suffocating!
Batman released Batgirl, tucking herself into a
ball she somersaulted neatly to the ground close by. As soon as her feet
touched the concrete floor she spun on them, racing towards Robin's struggling
form.
Batman had beaten her there. He was working fast
but methodically. He knew the ice could not be broken with fists so he had
instantly pulled out his heating laser. But the ice was thick and the laser was
only small.
Robin was fighting for air, beneath the ice she
could see his terrified face, Batgirl had never seen anything so awful. His
movements became slower as his air ran out and Batgirl was looking for anything
that could help him quicker than the laser.
Her eyes rested on a piece of pipe lying
innocently nearby and she grabbed it. "Here!" She exclaimed
breathlessly thrusting it at Batman.
Batman snatched the pipe, tossing her the laser,
"You keep defrosting!" He ordered.
Batgirl did as she was told. Batman struck at his
partner's entombed face time and time again. With every sharp WHACK! Batgirl
winced, she almost felt like crying. It's
all my fault was playing over relentlessly in her mind.
Finally, though it seemed like years, the ice gave
way. Batman put the pipe aside, not willing to risk injuring Robin with another
strike. He pulled at the ice with his hands, and it fell away with remarkable
ease.
He instantly lowered his ear to Robin's blue
mouth, his fingers searching for a pulse on his neck. But Robin answered for
himself. He gave a sharp intake of air and swallowed in hard gulps. Batman moved
him gently to his side and turned his attention for the first time to where Mr.
Freeze had been standing.
He was met with an open door swinging in the
breeze. Freeze was long gone.
Batgirl pulled out her first aid kit and started
work on Robin's arm.
"It's just a flesh wound." She managed
to croak. Her body was trembling with the shock and relief of the whole
adventure and she kept her eyes fixed on Robin's arm, not daring to meet his
partner's eyes.
Presently Robin groaned and lifted himself from
the ground. Batman's arm went around his shoulders instantly and he helped him
to his feet.
Robin swayed a little. He lifted a hand to his
head and grimaced when he felt his hair plastered to his skull by the icy
water.
"Bad hair day." He muttered weakly.
Batman lifted Robin's arm over his shoulder,
"I need to get you home." He said stiffly.
Robin waved a hand in the air, "I'm Ok, let's
tie up the bad guys first." He looked groggily in the direction of the few
remaining thugs and frowned.
"Is that all we got?"
This time Batgirl couldn't avoid Batman's eyes. He
stared hard at her, his look relaying a thousand strong words. "That's
it." He answered his partner.
" I'll call the Commissioner and have some
police sent to pick them up. After I
get you home I'll go after Freeze." He levelled her with a dark look,
"Alone."
Batgirl swallowed the urge to answer back. She was
in the wrong and Robin had almost been killed because of it. She watched with a
thumping heart as Batman helped the younger man out of the warehouse.
Humiliation flooded her when they were gone. She
turned a violent shade of red and abused herself mentally.
It had seemed like a good idea to go after Freeze,
even if it had meant disobeying Batman's orders. She had thought that Freeze
was the most important part of the whole exercise … She was wrong.
It was the thugs that she should have taken care
of that wounded Robin and escaped and if she hadn't gone after Mr. Freeze they
would have captured all of his gang instead of the insignificant five that
Robin had subdued properly.
Batgirl tied them up roughly, venting some of her
anger on them.
The worse thought however, was that instead of
helping to catch Mr. Freeze she had actually allowed him to escape. Batman
would have freed himself in time and been able to give chase if she hadn't
inadvertently put herself in danger. Batman had no choice but to save her and
let the villain go.
And in saving her Batman had lost his focus on
Robin. Batgirl should have been with Robin, watching his back as he watched hers.
Instead she'd decided to do her own thing and it had cost them everything.
Batgirl badly wanted to leave, to go and bury her
head under her pillow and never have to face Batman again. But she couldn't do
that; it would turn her into a quitter, and she hated quitters.
So she waited for the Police Commissioner. Hidden
in the darkness she watched the gang members taken into custody. But she walked
away when she saw her father's look of surprise and unease when met with the
small amount of thugs and no Batman or Freeze.
She knew she owed him an explanation, or at least
someone did. But she had never been able to tell her father that she'd failed
him and she had failed him like never before that night.
***************************************************************
Barbara gave a delighted laugh as Jenny Hill Ooed
and Aahed over the stack of magazines she'd brought with her for the visit. A
weight seemed to have lifted from her ill friend's face and Barbara was elated
at seeing her smile.
"You're in a good mood." She exclaimed, laughing
as Jenny pretended to pant over a half naked male on the front page of one
magazine.
Jenny nodded, "Yep – you caught me in a good mood
Babs." She winked at her redheaded companion, "I just had a visit from the
luscious Dick Grayson."
Barbara's surprise was obvious, "Really?"
Jenny glared at her, "Hey –just cause I'm in here
doesn't mean I'm still not a magnet to the boys!" She giggled, " Well actually Mr
Wayne was checking out the Cryogenics department in here that he funded so Dick
thought he'd come and see me instead."
Barbara smiled tightly, "That seems more like Dick
– only visit when he has no other choice."
Jenny made a face, "That wasn't it at all Babs,
he's been to see me before. We have known each other since we were kids
you know! He bought me the flowers." She motioned to the large bunch of red
roses with her head and Barbara admitted defeat, "Okay – so he's not a total
scumbag."
Jenny eyed her suspiciously, "What is it about him
that you don't like, other than the mutual need to insult each other. I think
he's wonderful."
Barbara groaned, "There's your answer. Everyone
thinks he's so wonderful and he knows it! I just don't happen to think that
someone that perfect can be all good, he certainly enjoys making my life
miserable."
Jenny sent her a knowing glance, " He's just
returning what he gets Barbara Gordon. Still thrashing you at school is he
then?"
Barbara shrugged, "I really don't care anymore.
School is the last thing I want to talk about at the moment – that and Dick
Grayson."
"Oh come on – we haven't even gotten to the secret
attraction you harbour for each other."
Barbara was annoyed to feel her whole face flush
with colour, "I am NOT attracted to him Jennifer!"
"Of course you are." Her friend jibed, "You two
are always throwing insults at each other but I've seen the looks you give him
when he's not looking – and vice-versa. You're perfect for each other!"
Barbara growled, "I will never feel anything for
Dick, except hostility."
Jenny sighed, "Whatever. It's just a shame. You
both like gymnastics, you both have high profile fathers, you're both single
children, you're both geniuses and you're both gorgeous!" She grinned,
"Perfection! "
Barbara shook her head, "Never going to happen."
She stared at her friend for some time, noticing the paleness of her face and
the dark circles under her eyes. Apart from the smile she looked exactly the
same as she had the other day.
"Okay – why the happy face. Is there something
you're not telling me?"
Jenny noted the change of subject with a cheeky
jeer but moved on without complaint. "No not really. No change in my condition
if that's what you mean."
Barbara frowned, there was definitely something
else – she'd seen crooks hiding information and Jenny had the same, nervous
look on her face.
"C'mon Blondie –spill!" She said, smiling at the
old nickname.
Jenny hesitated, she wound a lock of lifeless
looking blonde hair around her slim finger and bit her lip. "I'm not supposed to
say anything." She whispered.
"Why not?"
Jenny shrugged, "I don't know, but he said not to
tell anyone or the deal is off."
An unpleasant feeling found its way to Barbara's
stomach, "Well I won't tell anyone if you don't want me too."
Jenny lay back in her pillows, debating with
herself. Eventually she smiled and nodded, "I don't suppose it would matter if
I told you, just don't tell anyone else OK."
Barbara nodded, silently hoping that she wouldn't
have to break that confidence.
"Yesterday this man came here when dad was
visiting. He said that he knew someone who could cure my cancer."
Barbara jolted, panic instantly flooding her body,
"Jenny – "
"I know, I know" Jenny cut in, waving her hand in
the air, "I thought the guy was nuts too. I mean if the specialist can't cure
me then what makes this guy think he can! " She stared at Barbara soberly, "But
then I thought that maybe it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Not hurt!" Barbara exclaimed, trying to keep her
voice under control, "You don't know that Jenny. This could be another way to
get at your father – they could use you as a guinea pig. Anything could
happen!"
"Yeah." Jenny agreed, "I could even be cured."
Barbara shut her mouth tightly, the despair and
hope on her friend's sickly face was heartbreaking. "What did he tell you about
this cure?"
"That the man behind it was only offering this to
a few people and there were plenty in line behind me. He's kinda quiet so he
doesn't want any publicity and the cure he has found isn't exactly recognised
by the medical community so that's why I have to keep it quiet."
Barbara swallowed hard, " I really don't like that
sound of this Jenny. If he has a cure the medical community wouldn't care – not
to mention all the money he could get if he did go public. Is this going to cost
you anything?"
Jenny nodded, "It's expensive but Dad says it
would be worth it if there really was a cure."
Barbara looked away, unable to look at the
helplessness anymore, "And what if there isn't a cure Jenny – what if this is
just some scam to get your money."
Jenny was quiet for some time and when Barbara
looked back at her there where tears forming in her tired eyes, "What's the
worst they can do to me Babs? Kill me? I'm dead anyway. " She motioned to the
bed she was in, "I have no future, the doctors can't do anything – I have to
try this. I'm dying Barbara."
Barbara swallowed the urge to sob, she could see exactly where Jenny was coming from but she knew that if this was a scam, those responsible knew that she wouldn't have any other choice.
"There are worse things than dying Jenny – believe
me."
Jenny shook her head, "You wouldn't say that if
you were the one going to die - Believe Me!"
They sat in silence for some time then Barbara
cleared her throat, "Did they give you a name or a number or anything?"
Jenny hesitated again, and then nodded, "I have a
number to call when I've decided." She pulled out a small piece of paper and
handed it to her friend, "Dad's checking it all out Barbara, don't worry."
Barbara instantly memorised the number and handed
it back to Jenny. "I might have a look around also." She smiled at the panic on
Jenny's face, "Quietly Jenny I promise. I won't tell anyone, not even dad. I'll
just go through a few files, see if anyone's tried this before."
Jenny nodded, relaxing a little. She eventually
let a smile return to her face, "This could be the best thing that's ever
happened to me Barbara."
"Yeah." Barbara agreed, " I hope it is all that
was promised." And if it isn't, Batgirl is going to kick in some heads!
Jenny sniffed, wiping away her tears, "All ready for your Dad's fortieth?"
Barbara grinned, gladly changing the subject, "I
am! He's not!" She giggled, "I swear he's threatened not to show at least ten
times!"
Jenny laughed, "What I wouldn't give to see his
face! Bring me pictures!"
Barbara promised.
"So" Jenny began, mischief creeping into her eyes,
"Dick's going to be there isn't he?"
"Jennifer!" Barbara scolded, and their laughter
echoed down the hallway.
Barbara smiled at the welcoming light her father
had left on. The path in front of her was spotlessly clean and it warmed her
heart to once more be walking upon it.
The humiliating defeat of last night and her
conversation with Jenny was still painfully prominent in her mind and she was
trying desperately to lighten her mood. She could hear the sounds of a party in
full swing to the left but she went straight for the front door. Her home was warm and its smell made her
instantly calm and relaxed. This is where she had grown up, her safety net that
never failed to cheer her up.
And coming towards her was the one person in the
world who made her home what it was.
"Barbara." James Gordon exclaimed
enveloping her in a huge hug.
Barbara hugged him back tightly, "Hi Daddy." She whispered.
"You look tired", her father commented
as he led her away from the noise and a quieter room.
Barbara sighed, "I am a little", she
admitted, "It's just the exams catching up with me." And I made
the biggest mistake of my life and nearly killed Robin. Batman is going to give
me the longest talking too ever recorded in history, and my best friend is
being scammed by the most heartless person on the planet. She thought bitterly.
James Gordon gave a soft smile that he always had
on reserve for her. "You'll do fine Barbara, top of your class no
doubt."
Barbara shrugged, "I don't really care where
I end up as long as I pass."
Her father laughed, "How could you not pass!
You got your brains from me my girl!"
She laughed with him and hugged him once more.
"Let's get out to your party Dad. Harvey's probably devoured all the food
all ready!"
He nodded grasping her hand and heading out to the
back yard.
Barbara searched the crowd of police officers and
influential people for someone she knew. She beamed at Detective Harvey Bullock
who hadn't eaten all the food but was in the middle of digesting two hot dogs.
Next to him was his partner Renee Montoya who's slim figure looked even smaller
beside Bullocks monumental form. She was watching her partner with something
akin to horror as he simultaneously swallowed both hot dogs.
Barbara waved at her and followed her father as he
headed towards the Mayor of Gotham City.
"Happy Birthday Jim!" Mayor Hill greeted,
"Quite a milestone."
"Thanks," came the gruff reply and
Barbara got the impression that her father didn't exactly want to be at the
milestone he was.
"You'll be up for retirement soon I
suppose."
Barbara had to laugh at that, "Don't bet on
it Sir, if I know my father he'll be running the police department till the day
he dies."
The Mayor laughed in agreement, "To true Barbara,
too true." He raised his glass to her father, "And I'll be there with
him all the while!"
"I'll bet" Jim Gordon replied.
Both father and daughter could see the emotional
strain on the face of Gotham's Mayor. Barbara debated questioning him about the
supposed cure but thought better of it. "I saw Jenny today. She seems to have
picked up a little."
The older man eyed her curiously then forced a
smile, "That's my girl!" He nudged Jim, "We breed them strong here in Gotham."
Jim laughed, his eyes gleaming at his daughter,
"That we do Adam – Your Jenny is one of the toughest."
Adam nodded happily but his eyes betrayed his otherwise
cheery demeanour, "Speaking of which I'm going to have to be rude and leave
Jim. I promised Jenny I'd see her tonight."
Jim gripped his hand and shook it warmly, "Well –
I'd gladly come with you if I could. Give Jenny my best wishes."
"Will do Jim, goodnight."
Barbara watched him leave, wondering if tonight
was the night that they made their decision. She sighed, latching on to her
father's arm, "Let's mingle Daddy."
Her father nodded, "Ahh there's Bruce"
The father and daughter made a quick turn and
pulled up beside Bruce Wayne.
"Bruce, good of you to come!" The
Commissioner greeted, shaking the billionaire's hand warmly.
"Well you know me Jim, any excuse for a
party!" The handsome playboy smiled warmly at the two, "Besides it's
a beautiful night and I couldn't turn down an invitation to your fortieth
birthday."
Jim grimaced at the reminder of his age and
sighed, "I wouldn't have blamed you if you had - I nearly gave it a
miss."
"Dad!" Barbara scolded, nudging him.
Bruce just laughed, "Nothing to be ashamed
about Jim! If I look as good as you at forty I'll be a happy man."
The Commissioner looked over the large and
well-built physic of Bruce Wayne and doubted that the man would ever look
anything but perfect.
He didn't know what it was about the young
billionaire that even made him worth talking to. He certainly wasn't known for
his intelligence or conversation skills but the Commissioner had never known
such a giving and kind rich man. There was just something about Bruce Wayne
that demanded attention and Jim Gordon considered him one of his close friends.
"Nice of you too say Bruce." Jim
answered politely.
Bruce glanced sympathetically at Barbara,
"And I suppose you're devouring your exams are you Barbara?"
Barbara smiled, "I'd say escaping was more appropriate."
"Amen to that!" Said a cheerful voice
and Dick appeared out of the crowd.
Barbara felt herself tense almost immediately,
"Dick." She greeted coldly.
Dick grinned, ignoring it completely,
"Babs."
James Gordon missed Barbara's sudden change and
shook the hand of Bruce's young ward. "You look a little tired also Dick.
These exams are rough aren't they?"
Dick shrugged, "I don't think anyone enjoys
an exam Commissioner I'll be glad when they're over."
Bruce patted Dick's shoulder, "Don't let him fool
you - Dick loves a challenge. I have a hard time trying to hold him back."
Gordon nodded in agreement, "Oh yes, ready to
take on the world and conquer all. I remember that age, do you Wayne?"
The billionaire smiled his characteristically
charming smile, "I'm still there Jim! Still conquering whatever I
can."
Barbara and Dick's eyes met and for the first time
they were in total agreement; this was no place for young adults to be.
"I need a drink." Barbara announced,
peeling away from her father.
"Great idea!" Said Dick, following
closely on her heels.
Barbara sent him a less than welcoming look but he paid her no heed, even going as far as fetching her drink.
Barbara muttered some sort of thanks and would
have escaped if he hadn't stood in front of her, blocking her way.
"How are your exams going Babs?" He asked.
"Fine" She replied, "Probably not
as well as you are but we can't all be top of the class can we?"
Dick caught that
cold shoulder and for a moment he just stared at her. Then he shrugged and glanced
around at the other party- goers.
"Do you think all these people are really
past the "conquering all" age?"
Barbara found herself considering the question,
"Does anyone ever get past that age? "
"I guess not." Dick answered. He nodded towards
her father, "Your father doesn't seem overly pleased with all the attention."
Barbara smiled a little, "He doesn't like
admitting that he ages – no one does." She glanced at Dick, "That is –those of
us that do age and grow up."
Dick raised an eyebrow, "Ouch Gordon! Hit me where
it hurts!" He grinned to highlight the fact that he wasn't ashamed of his Peter
Pan-like persona.
Barbara shook her head. She was tired, and the
thought of another battle of wills with Dick Grayson was not in the least bit
alluring.
"Excuse me." She said, handing him her drink, "I
need some air."
Dick stared at her drink in surprise and blinked
at her retreating figure, "But you're already outside." He muttered.
Barbara made her way to the basement and regarded
a set of parallel bars. Maybe a workout will help clear the cobwebs. She
slipped in her favourite CD and chalked her hands. The soft, lulling song of a
violin floated out across the small gymnasium and Barbara swung up on to the
bars.
She went through her entire routine. The same routine
that had won her first place in the women's gymnastics competition. Then she
switched to the routine that had come in second best to Dick Grayson's in the
mixed trials. Her moves were perfect, full stretches, tight tucks and
impeccable aerials. But it definitely lacked the grace and skill that Dick's
routine showed. She pulled her body into a handstand on the top bar and held
her position, running Dick's routine over in her mind. Most of his points were
earned by his difficult manoeuvres – not that they looked difficult when he did
them. With great concentration she dipped on the bar, using the muscles in her
arms to propel her into the air. She caught the bar again and swung wide, and
hard. There was one of Dick's moves that she had been dying to try out. A
quadruple somersault.
Her pace was perfect, her form spot on. She flew
into the air, tucking instantly and beginning the spins. One, two, three … Her
fourth spin was totally wrong, she hadn't enough space to finish before the bar
came into reach. Barbara missed the bar and braced herself for the hard fall.
It never came, two long legs wrapped around her
midsection and carried her through the momentum, enough for her to grasp the
lower bar and swing herself a little heavily to the ground. Her face flushed
when Dick dropped gracefully from the top bar and regarded her curiously.
"What on earth was that Barbara? Death by
somersault?" He pointed at her, "You should know better – you don't do that
without a spot!"
Barbara's fists clenched, it was bad enough having
to be saved by him, but being lectured! Humiliation galore!
"I would have been fine." She muttered, ignoring
his outstretched hand and crawling to her feet.
"If you call two broken legs fine then so be it."
He answered back.
Barbara punched the stop button on the CD player
and picked up a towel, gladly covering her ruby red face with it.
Dick remained standing by the bars, his eyes fixed
on her as though he was debating what to say. Barbara met those crystal blue
eyes and narrowed her own, "Who invited you down here anyway?"
Dick shrugged, "It got boring outside, I came to
see if you'd cooled down."
He eyed her silently, "Obviously not."
Barbara flung her towel at him, "Well you can
leave then! I get more than enough of your perfection at school – I don't need
it at home too." She went to storm off, her nose in the air and her dignity at
her feet but her grabbed her arm, swinging her back to face those eyes that she
hated so much.
"You think I'm perfect?" He said incredulously,
"Look who's talking Miss Perfection! Did it ever occur to you that perhaps you
only think I'm perfect because you want someone that you can fight with!
Someone that you can argue with because you think that's a reason too!" He
scowled at her, "I can't help the way I am Barbara. It's not my fault that I
can do a quadruple somersault and you can't and I'm sick of you hating me for
that fact! I grew up doing gymnastics – my parents were aerialists for crying
out loud! Of course I'm going to be able to do things you can't." He flung her
arm back at her, "I'd let you win if I thought it would be an improvement but
then you'd just find something else to hate me for!"
Barbara's eyes widened, she had actually been a
little ashamed of herself in the beginning but now … "Let me win!" She screamed, "You arrogant, pretty boy piece of! …
" she cut off, pushing him suddenly and catching him off guard. Dick landed
with a SMACK on the gymnasts mat and fury flooded his face. He twisted on his
hands, his feet swinging out and knocking hers from beneath her. Barbara landed
beside him, winded herself and her anger doubled.
The next few minutes were a blur of gymnastics and
martial arts as Barbara vented her anger out on him. Dick was angry, but not
enough so to do her any real damage, while Barbara was just plain furious. Her
temper matched her hair and she was quite prepared to spread him all over the
mat. Dick blocked all of her moves, which infuriated her even more as she
hadn't realised that he even knew martial arts. And she was aware that he was
holding back, something she only resented him more for. Eventually Dick's anger
subsided and he stared at her shamefully, "Look Babs, I'm sorry I said that.
This is nuts! I'm not going to fight you." Barbara dropped into her favourite
fighting position, "Then you're going to get hurt."
She advanced with all the speed of a panther but
Dick just stood there, waiting. When she was within arms reach he turned
suddenly and caught her wrist, flipping her over in a move she had never even
seen before. Then he straddled her, holding her hands over her head and staring
down at her with a flushed face.
Barbara struggled beneath his weight but he
wouldn't budge. Slowly she lowered her resistance until they were both
motionless, staring at each other and out of breath.
Dick released her hands and removed his body from
hers, he stood, watching her without emotion as she got to her feet. His senses
were returning and he felt the sudden need to lighten the situation.
"Did anyone ever tell you you're beautiful when you're
angry." He whispered, then reddened a little when he realised what he had said.
Barbara stared at him, trying to determine if he
was mocking her or not. She was incredibly ashamed of her behaviour; she always
let her anger get the better of her. Dick's lips began to twitch and suddenly
she found herself laughing, he joined her moments later.
Presently he glanced to the bars and smiled, "Want
me to show you that quadruple somersault?"
Barbara smiled at the gesture, "No. I think we'll
just consider that move to be yours and I'll find one of my own."
Dick nodded, he bit his lip as an awkward silence
descended on them and his eyes dropped to his feet.
Barbara retrieved her towel and wiped her face for
the second time. She stole a glance at him and a smile crept to her face when
she saw that he was actually shuffling his feet. Barbara had never seen a grown
man do something so childlike and was vexed to find that she found it
absolutely adorable.
She cleared her throat and he stopped, his eyes
meeting hers again. "We'd better get back to the party." She said, "I need
another drink." Wait till Jenny hears about this one!
Dick grinned and followed her up the stairs.
There was a slight difference in the way that
Barbara farewelled Bruce and Dick early that night. It was gentler and genuine
and gave Dick the small hope that perhaps Barbara might consider him a friend.
He laughed a little as he walked with Bruce up the driveway. If only he'd known
that the way to get Barbara's friendship was to have a fistfight with her – he
could have saved a lot of time.
*************************************************************
Batman regarded his protégé with a stubborn eye.
"I said you're not going Dick and that's final!"
Dicks' fists curled and his bit his lip to avoid
shouting, "That's not fair Bruce and you know it – I'm fine, no side affects,
nothing!"
Batman sighed, long and hard. These arguments with
Dick were becoming more and more frequent lately. He guessed it was just a
natural part of growing up. Dick didn't want to take orders anymore – he was
too old for orders, he wanted respect and the chance to make his own decisions.
The only problem with that was that Dick hadn't made a decent, adult decision ever
in Bruce's opinion, and it was hard to treat him like an adult when he so
successfully acted like a child.
"Look" he said, as gently as his thinning patience
would allow, "It's not about last night Dick, it's about your future. You have
exams coming up and I don't want you to use crime fighting as an excuse not to
do as well as I know you're capable of." He put his hands on Dicks shoulders
and stared into his angry blue eyes, "If there is any trouble at all I will
call you – I promise. It's just some routine checks, talking with Freeze's old
associates. You know you hate that part."
Dicks anger melted a little, he did hate that – it
was boring and usually useless.
"You promise you won't go after Freeze without
me?"
Batman smiled, an almost frightening sight beneath
his mask, "You're my partner Dick. I don't have to do anything alone anymore."
That earned him a smile and Dick nodded his
acceptance.
"You get some study done Son."
Batman made his way to the batmobile and dropped
lightly into the drivers seat.
"Hey" Dick called suddenly, "What about Batgirl?"
Batman pondered for a moment, "I'll be speaking to
her also tonight."
Dick leaned against the console as though debating
what to say, "Don't be too hard on her huh, she did her best."
Batman felt no need to answer that. Her best had nearly resulted in the end of Robin. "I won't say anything that isn't necessary – Goodnight." The roof closed abruptly and Dick watched as the Batmobile tore out of the cave. He stood motionless for sometime, his thoughts on Batgirl and the lecture she had coming. Part of him wanted Batman to rip through her, she was so cocky and sure of herself that a good talking too would do her some good, but another part of him felt incredible sorry for her – he'd been at the receiving end of a Batman lecture and he knew that they could sting for days. Besides, she hadn't meant for him to be hurt and she was relatively new to crime fighting. Dick felt a grin creep to his face, she did kinda look hot in that batcostume, and it would be shame if he never got to see her in it again. Dick sighed and headed for the costume vault.
Batman might not need his help tonight but Batgirl sure as hell would.
****************************************************************
Robin mounted his bike and went to kick it into
action when an inquiring voice startled him from behind, "Am I to assume
that you have finished the English and Physics papers Master Richard?"
Robin turned and grinned at the old butler, Busted he thought quietly.
"All done Al!" He lied swiftly.
"Really." Alfred said, "You
finished both papers in under an hour? Perhaps we should inquire about finding
you some more challenging study to undertake?"
Robin shook his head, sighing in exasperation.
There was nothing worse than an all- knowing butler, especially one with
Alfred's wry sense of humour. The fact that Alfred probably would inquire at
the university for more work had Robin admitting defeat and stepping away from
his bike.
"Ok Alfie, you win!" He sighed, making
his way back to the desk and dropping himself down in the chair. "I just
thought saving Batgirl was more important than this." He waved his hand
over the various papers at his desk.
Alfred began dusting the Batcomputer. He bided his
time knowing that Dick was waiting for him to comment on the strange statement
he had just made.
"I didn't know Batgirl was in any danger
young sir? Isn't she with Batman."
"Precisely!" Dick exclaimed, "He's
killing Batgirl as we speak!"
Alfred fixed a hard eye on the young man, "I
don't need to tell you how preposterous that thought is Master Richard - are
you ill?"
Robin pulled of his mask becoming Dick; he knew
he'd have a better chance with Alfred that way. "Alfred at the moment
Batman is having the talk with
Batgirl. You know the one where he says you're not ready to be a crimefighter
and you should hang up your tights until you can perform to his high
expectations."
Alfred cleared his throat, "I seem to be
familiar with that particular talk young Sir."
"Well you should be!" Dick continued, "He's used it on me often enough."
He met the older mans eyes, the soft grey eyes of
a wise and loving surrogate father, "And every time I heard that speech I
was ready to give up, to throw it all in. But then you'd come and talk to me
with a totally different speech about how much of an honour this job is and how
Batman needs me!" He put a hand on the fast moving duster, "Every
time you pulled me back from making the worst mistake in my life and even
though you hate what we do and wish that I would give it up you always manage
to talk me into going back to it. You know it's what I'm meant to do."
Alfred was silent, everything that Dick had said
was true, but he'd always wondered if Dick had actually listened to any of it.
Obviously he had.
"Yes." He agreed, "I didn't want
you back in that suit but I knew it was where you should be and where you
really wanted to be. It was your pride that held you back."
"Right." Said Dick, "And it's that same pride that's going to have Batgirl chucking in her cape and giving it up for good. Batman is testing her but she won't know that if she gives up. " He stared pleadingly at the butler, "I had you to show me that Alfred, But Batgirl doesn't have an Alfred at home. She doesn't have anyone." He stared at the butler, wondering if he was getting through to him, " We three have each other, we depend on each other and we can turn to each other when we need to. Batgirl doesn't have anyone Alfred, no one knows who she really is. She doesn't have anyone to talk to about these things. Except me."
Alfred smiled, "I see your point Master Dick.
But you do not know how she will handle Batman's talk, perhaps she will see
things differently to you?"
Dick shook his head, "There's only one way to
take that speech Alfred.
Offensively!"
Alfred returned to his dusting. The boy had won
him over almost before he had started but he
didn't need to know that. " I suppose you can finish those papers by the
due date?"
A smile crept across Dick's face, "Easily
Al."
"Then you had better hurry, Batgirl could be
tying herself a noose this very second!"
Dick grinned, acknowledging the small insult on
his own speech but allowing it.
He replaced his mask and ran for his bike.
***************************************************************
Batgirl landed hard and cursed herself for it.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" She shouted into the night. The
last half hour she had spent with Batman had been a highlight in Barbara
Gordon's most humiliating moments. He hadn't allowed her a word in her defence
and his had been sharp and slicing. Her ego was battered and she had been
terrified that she would burst into tears in front of him. She had been saved
from that indignity with the knowledge that Robin was fine, uninjured, that her
mistake had not been a fatal one. It was the only good thing that had come out
of her conversation with the Dark Knight.
She paced the length of the roof, furious at
Batman and herself.
"So stupid!" She growled. Batgirl searched
for something to throw, or at least something to hit. Anything to let off some
steam.
Her eyes fixed on a nearby billboard and she swung
at it, landing her foot in the centre of the advertisement and getting it stuck
quite nicely there.
Batgirl gave a frustrated shriek. She yanked her
foot free, staring lividly at the boy painted on the billboard, his mouth
wrapped around a spoonful of cereal and a hole in his nose where her boot had
hit.
"Have to agree with you on that one." A
voice said gently, "That cereal has no right to be on the shelves. Tastes
too much like cardboard."
Batgirl whirled, fists clenched and her face a
vivid angry red.
Robin put up his hands in mock defence,
"Whoa, down girl!"
"Go away!" She shouted, "Leave me
alone."
Robin sighed, ignoring her completely and taking a
seat on the edge of the rooftop.
Batgirl shook her head, his arrogance was
infuriating. "I suppose it's your turn is it?" She demanded,
"Now you get to pick out all my faults and talk me down because I made one
lousy mistake."
He shrugged, "Everyone makes mistakes."
That floored her, "What?" she muttered.
" You're allowed to make mistakes Batgirl as
long as you take the responsibility for them."
Batgirl strode up to him, " Who do you think
you are! My big brother? What gives you the right to tell me how I should do
things?"
Robin stood, staring at her in that way she hated.
His eyes held so much understanding; they were so very different from Batman's.
"Because I've been there. I know what you're
going through. At the moment you're angry at yourself for making a mistake and
you're angry at Batman for making an example out of it." He gave her a
soft smile, "You've tried so hard and he only seems to pick out the flaws,
he never acknowledges the triumphs."
Batgirl crossed her arms, scowling. He was right
of course, which didn't make her feel any better. And she knew she was behaving
like a three-year-old child. She took a deep breath and relaxed, trying to push
away the utter humiliation that she had felt when Batman had scolded her.
"I made a real fool of myself didn't I?"
Robin grinned, "Never mind, you're not even
close to my record."
Batgirl gave a soft huff, she sat down on the
roof, crossing her legs and leaning back against the billboard for support.
Robin lowered himself down opposite her. He propped himself up with the roof
edge and waited for her to start.
Batgirl raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you be
off fighting crime?"
"I've been officially laid off for the night.
I'm supposed to be studying."
"You go to school?"
Robin nodded, "Can't make a career out of
busting heads. Well … you can but it's good to have something to fall back on,
just in case it's your own head that gets busted."
She smiled, "So, I guess you're in training
to be a brain surgeon or something like that. I doubt Batman would settle for a
middle class working protégé."
"He doesn't mind what I do as long as I like
it and get good grades." He shook a finger at her, "But we're getting
off track here missy. Want to talk about your little Boo Boo."
Batgirl grimaced, "I stuffed up, simple as
that. The bad guy got away and it's all my fault." She flung her hands in
the air, " But it's not like I didn't try. I didn't want him to get away.
I … I," She lowered her head, " I went against Batman's orders and I
got it wrong. Two bads in the one night."
She sunk a little lower against the billboard,
"I don't even know why I'm doing this any more."
Robin looked a little surprised, " You don't
want to do it?"
"I keep making mistakes - I only did it in the
first place on a whim and now…" She broke off, "Now I'm wondering if
it's even worth it. It's too hard."
Robin nodded, "Yeah it's hard all right. But
that's what I like about it. It's a challenge and there aren't many people who
can do it."
" I seem to be one of them." Batgirl
huffed.
Robin shook his head, " So you made a few
mistakes. Do you think Batman got it right every time when he started
out?"
"Probably!"
"Well he didn't. And believe it or not he
doesn't always get it right these days either. But he knows when he's wrong and
he accepts the responsibility for it. He doesn't tolerate mistakes in himself
or anyone else, it has to be perfect and it has to be his way - he's learned
what does and does not work the hard way." Robin smiled secretly; he'd just
stolen a line right out of one of Alfred's little talks.
"That doesn't mean that he's always
right." She shot back, " I should be allowed to use my own judgement
- I'm not a moron!"
Robin laughed, "Of course your not. But when
it comes to fighting crime you have to admit that he's going to know a lot more
about it than you are and sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and do
what he says."
"Or what!" Batgirl growled, " I
don't get invited on the next caper?"
" Or you risk the chance of getting it wrong
and having to throw in your cape."
Batgirl raised her head defiantly, " I don't
need his permission to wear my cape!"
Robin stared back at her hard, " Then you
should have worn something other than the Bat on your costume."
Batgirl deflated again, he was right. She was
wearing the one thing that meant everything to Batman and every time she messed
up it reflected back on him. It was his symbol the criminal world feared and
respected, and when she wore that costume she gained a little of that fear and
respect - whether she deserved it or not.
" You know I was always a little
disappointed." Robin said with a sneaky grin, "I mean you could have
become Robinette!"
Batgirl met his gaze and burst out laughing.
Robin shrugged, "Sure it doesn't have the same
ring to it as Batgirl, but you could have been the "Girl Wonder" I
wouldn't have minded."
"I can see why he keeps you around." She
said between laughs, "You have a way of putting everything into
perspective."
"That and he hasn't worked out how to get rid
of me yet."
Batgirl smiled, She felt much better and perhaps a
little silly.
"And you know what?" He said, serious
for the first time, "I've seen a lot of costumed freaks in my time, both
on the bad and the good side. You're the real thing Batgirl. Some people are
just born for this job and you're a natural." He smiled at her dubious
face," You're a little green, but practice makes perfect. It took me years
to get where I am now and I'm still learning everyday. Lucky for me I have the
best teacher available. He just also happens to be the strictest. "
Batgirl frowned in thought, "It's easier for
you Robin, you were invited into the club. I just showed up."
"Hey I had to earn my right too you know! I
trained for years before he let me join him." He sighed, searching her
face for understanding, " You have to accept that he is numero uno Batgirl and let him teach you
what he knows. If he can't trust you to do things right then he can't trust you
not to get hurt. He won't let you risk getting hurt."
She nodded, "Ok, fair enough. I don't want to
be a burden; I don't want him to always have one eye on the crooks and the
other on me. How do I get him to trust me?"
Robin smiled, "By doing it right. By training
yourself to always get it right. You can make a few mistakes but not when they
could have been avoided."
"How am I suppose to train myself with you
guys if I only see you at night."
"You're almost there Batgirl. You're
confident and you're highly skilled. Now you just have to learn to work in a
team, to think like a team." He stuck out his hand, "If you quit now
you'll never get back in, he knows you can do it, you just have to prove it.
Partners?"
Batgirl stared at his hand, wondering if she was
making the right decision. Then the breeze blew through her cape, taking it
into the wind behind her.
She glanced at her shadow on the ground and she
liked what she saw.
Her hand gripped his and she nodded,
"Partners."
They settled back down into their seats and
regarded each other quietly for a moment.
"So," Batgirl began, breaking the
silence "Are we going to sit here all night and moan to each other
partner?"
Robin gave a dirty smile," Well I can think
of something else to do, something to consummate the partnership."
Batgirl found herself playing along, enjoying the
gleam in his eyes and happy nature. "Oh really," she said, feigning
stupidity, "Can I keep my belt on?"
Robin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped a
little, " Well I was talking about calling for a pizza and some champagne
but …"
Batgirl laughed, "Oh you're quick Bird
-Boy"
"Hey I've been in the wise crack business for
years now. I've even matched wits with the Joker himself!" He nodded
proudly.
"Who won?" Batgirl asked with a cheeky
look.
Robin chuckled, "Well I would have if the
Joker hadn't whacked me over the head with a rubber chicken that he'd been nice
enough to fill with lead first."
Batgirl shook her head, tears forming in her eyes.
Robin sighed, " It wasn't that unpleasant
actually, I mean he could have used that acid squirting flower or one of the
many guns he had stored all over his body - in the end I was lucky." He
plucked a mobile phone seemingly from thin air and looked to her questionably,
" Do you know of a pizza company that does roof top delivery?"
***************************************************************
Barbara crawled into bed that night a little after
2.00am. But for the first time since she started her life as Batgirl she did it
with a smile.
She snuggled down into the pillow and closed her
eyes, wondering if she'd be able to sleep with the champagne and pizza in her
system. Robin hadn't been joking when he mentioned the private party. He'd
ordered a pizza that had been delivered to the rooftop by a very overwhelmed
delivery boy. Robin and Batgirl had signed his cap for him and watched him
practically skip back to his car.
Then Robin had disappeared for a few moments,
swinging off into the darkness and returning with a bottle of champagne and
glasses. It was an expensive champagne and she wondered where he had retrieved
it from.
Robin had just grinned and winked, pouring her a
glass and toasting to a "batty" partnership with her.
Barbara giggled sleepily, she couldn't remember
the last time that she'd had such a good time or when she shared such good
company. She was aware that when she thought of Robin, his cheeky smile and
glowing eyes, that her whole body seemed to flush with warmth and she knew what
it meant. She doubted that Batman would approve of her starting a less than
professional relationship with his protégé in her first few days and it didn't
really bother her. She wanted to be part of the team and she wasn't a silly
schoolgirl anymore. Batgirl could work alongside Robin without a difficulty,
strong feelings or not - she was a professional. But after the work, Barbara
hoped there would be a lot more picnics on the rooftops.
******************************************************************
Dick stared with boredom at his assignment. He had
always found it difficult to settle down and study after all the excitement of
the fight, especially in his old room. Dick liked to come home on the weekends or
whenever he had some time off, as it was the only way he could become Robin
without raising suspicion. More than a few classmates were already curious at
his late hours and he had taken to climbing out of his dorm window on the
nights he became Robin to avoid any confrontations.
He leaned his chin into his hand and rested his
elbow on the desk in front of him. His conscience was prodding him to find the
answer to the complex algebra equation in front of him but instead he found
himself wondering if Batgirl could indeed wear her belt while engaging in the
activity he had hinted at. The mental
picture he formed brought a huge smile to his face and made his heart beat
faster.
" I had no idea Algebra could be so riveting
Master Dick." Alfred said suddenly, standing beside him with an amused
expression.
Dick realized he hadn't even seen Alfred enter, or
heard anything that he had been saying for the last few minutes.
"Sorry Al." He apologized, enjoying the
look of disdain Alfred displayed whenever he used that particular nickname.
"I was miles away. Did you say something?"
Alfred huffed, "Evidently nothing that was worth
listening too." He fixed a fatherly eye on the younger man, "I was
merely suggesting that you might retire to bed. It is after three in morning
and you have school tomorrow."
Dick shrugged, "I'm taking the first half off
Alfie and I'm not really tired." He stifled a yawn as he spoke and glanced
sheepishly at the old butler to see if he had noticed, which of course he had.
"Well if you're unable to fit in school and
your …err… nightlife. Then perhaps I ought to have a word to Master Bruce about
letting Robin retire until after your final exams."
Dick smiled, it was a well-known fact that Alfred
had been extremely disappointed when Bruce had become the Batman. He had
however remained by Bruce's side. Becoming a partner in his own right while
also being a doctor, psychologist and surrogate father. And he still managed to
be the best butler the world had ever seen.
It was with even greater disapproval that he
watched Dick follow in Bruce's footsteps. The young man had a very different
personality to Bruce and Alfred had hoped that crime fighting would not agree
with his carefree manner. Unfortunately Dick had fallen under Batman's wing as
Robin with all the ease of the practiced athlete that he was. When Dick started
college Alfred had been hopeful that he would give up Robin, to do what Bruce
had never done and become somewhat normal.
But it was not to be, Dick took to college the way he took to everything.
Excelling in his work and still finding plenty of time to don the Robin costume
and fight evil.
Alfred had been looking and would continue looking
for a way to get the spirited young man out of the darkness of the night that
Bruce had let take over him and into the light so to speak. But if he had
thought it would be easy, the grinning face before him said otherwise in a
language to loud to ignore. Dick loved what he did and Alfred knew he would be
miserable without it. The last thing Alfred wanted was to see that face
miserable again.
He still shuddered when he remembered when Dick
had first come to them. His spirit broken and his dreams smashed by the
horrific death of his family. Bruce had worn the same sorrow on his tiny
shoulders when his family were murdered and it seemed that the young acrobat
was to fall prey to the same despair and sorrow that had stunted Bruce's
growth.
Alfred had wondered if the young boy would ever
smile again. But Dick had proven to be more than they had expected. He became a
Son to them both then a partner to the Batman and unlike Bruce, he learnt to
smile again, to be truly happy. He didn't see crimefighting as the be - all and
end - all and for that reason, Alfred knew Dick would become one of the most
exceptional adults he had ever known. If he ever grew up! Which sometimes
seemed utterly impossible.
"Aw you wouldn't that Alfie." He said
teasingly, "Besides you're still up and it's way past your bed time! I
might have to talk to Bruce about giving you a vacation if you fall behind in
your butler duties."
Alfred raised a rather regal nose into the air,
" I have not and never will fall behind in my duties Master Dick. But I
will not allow you to spend half the night sleeping at your desk when there is
a perfectly good bed behind you."
Dick looked at Alfred with an almost giddy gaze,
"I wasn't sleeping Al, I was daydreaming." He said ruefully.
Alfred sighed, "Might I be so bold as to ask
what you were thinking about that caused such a lack in your
concentration?"
"Batgirl." Dick answered. He shut his
book as he spoke and flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling with a
love-struck look.
"Batgirl." Alfred repeated, "She's
back in the cowl then sir?"
Dick nodded, "She's back and looking sharper
than ever." He winked at the butler, "I think I'm in love Al."
Alfred allowed himself a smile at that one. He had
known love, lost love and learned to live without it, and he doubted seriously
that the young man in front of him was feeling any of the emotions that
constituted love.
"Are you sure it's love your talking about
Master Dick? If you find Batgirl as …ahem… sharp as you do, might I suggest
that you merely like the
girl not love her?"
Dick stared at him blankly.
" It's understandable that you would have
feelings for her. She can after all understand what it is like to be in your unique position. Perhaps your
similarities are what you are mistaking for love or perhaps you feelings
towards her have more to do with her … sharpness … than true feelings."
Dick was now looking at him with one eyebrow
raised, "Geez Al. I'm not going to ask her to marry me or anything."
"Glad to hear it sir." Quipped Alfred
without missing a beat.
"But I know the difference between like and
love. There are tons of girls at school that I like, I like em a
lot! But it's different with Batgirl. I could do without those other girls, no
worries, but I don't think I'd like to be without Batgirl."
Alfred opened his mouth to speak, wondering how on
earth Dick managed the grades he did with such a poor grasp of the English
language. But Dick cut him off, he sat up on the bed a passed a knowing glance
at the older man, "And I know what lust is Al and yes I certainly feel a
large portion of lust for her - I mean have you seen her in that Batsuit! She's
delicious!"
"Really Master Dick!" Alfred objected,
almost outraged, "She's not part of the food chain!"
Dick chuckled and flung himself back onto the bed,
" I just really like her Alfred and the more time I spend with her the
more I like her. It's nice to know that there is someone else out there
swinging on a bat rope that I can talk too. It's a bonus that she happens to be
really hot!"
Alfred sighed and decided he was too tired to continue with the conversation. And he knew full
well that Dick was trying his hardest to shock the older man - really! It
hadn't worked for Master Bruce so it certainly wouldn't work for him. Alfred
doubted anything could shock him these days, after all, he spent most of his
time serving meals to a man dressed as a giant bat in a mammoth cave beneath
the mansion. Nothing had ever come close to matching that one.
He picked up the scraps of a snack Dick had insisted on making himself then made his way to the door. He paused for a moment then said something that he had relayed once to Bruce when Catwoman arrived in Gotham and before they had known who she really was.
"Remember Master Dick, Batgirl may be
everything you've ever wanted but you still don't know exactly who is under
that cowl. People wear masks for a reason, maybe you should ask yourself what her reason is."
And he closed the door on Dick's frowning face.
