Part 2

Love letters straight from your heart,
Keep us so near while we're apart,
I'm not alone in the night,
When I can have all the love you write.
-- Victor Young and Edward Heyman, 1945

The late-afternoon sun shone throught the windows of Gotham's clocktower. The old-fashioned service flag2 in one of the windows cast a shadow on the room's sole occupant. Barbara Grayson looked at the envelope in her hand, a rueful smile on her face. Dick had insisted the letters, like the heavy gold ring on her left hand, were traditional. He sent her emails fairly often, but once a month or so, he would send a letter instead. She had teased him about writing real pen-and-ink letters to Oracle, the uber-hacker, but he only responded that letters had more personality. And they were traditional.

Her smile became a smirk as she thought back to Dick's proposal two years ago. She had known he was coming by that evening; he was shipping out soon and wanted to see her before he left. She just hadn't expected to see him outside her door wearing dress whites. When he actually proposed, she just sat there in shock. It must have completely unnerved Dick, because he began babbling something about wills and inheritances and powers of attorney, until she had finally hushed him by pulling him into her arms and kissing him.

As Dick later explained, he had proposed for three reasons. The practical reason was that he had written his will so that she would inherit almost everything if he should be killed, and the whole process would be so much simpler if she were married to him. The emotional reason was that he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The third reason was the one that made her cry: Dick's maternal grandfather had proposed to his grandmother just before leaving to fight in World War II. Dick had very little knowledge of his mother's family; she had practically gone into exile by marrying his father and joining the circus. This was one story she had told her young son many times.

Of course, Alfred was able to pull together a truly amazing ceremony in the short time he was given. Wally was Dick's best man, Dinah was her maid of honor, and almost all the other Titans managed to gather at Wayne Manor to celebrate with them. Even Bruce managed to unbend enough to converse with Dick and the others.

Jim Gordon had said he was not pleased at the speed with which the wedding occurred. Barbara rather suspected that he was not pleased that the wedding was occurring period. She knew he liked Dick, and he even approved of the idea of their getting married ... eventually. He just wasn't ready to lose his "little girl," and he was genuinely worried about her marrying someone who was going off to war. She thought she heard a few sniffles from his direction as he escorted her down the short aisle Alfred had arranged in one of the smaller ballrooms, but she wasn't sure. He smiled at her as he placed her hand in Dick's, but his voice was huskier than usual as he answered the minister's traditional question of "Who gives this woman?"

Dick had given her a simple diamond solitaire ring when he proposed, but when she asked about wedding bands, he had gotten that twinkle in his eye that said he was up to something. He wouldn't even let her see his ring, instead giving it to Dinah with strict instructions to keep it hidden. When it was time for them to exchange rings, he finally gave her the explanation.

"Sweetheart," he said, taking the ring from Wally, "this was my mother's wedding band. Before that, it was my father's mother's wedding band. Inside is engraved 'Sutho' which means 'Forever.'" He held it so she could see the engraving on the ring, before he slid the simple, heavy gold band on her finger. "It represents my past, and I give it to the woman who represents my future."

She still sighed when she thought of that moment. With one short sentence, he had humbled her, thrilled her, and made her fall in love with him all over again.

When Dinah handed her Dick's ring, she saw that his ring also had the same word engraved on the inside. She raised her eyebrows to him in question, and he nodded.

"My father's ring," he murmured before she began reciting her vows.

The crackling of paper brought her out of her reverie. She looked down at Dick's letter again. He was right -- she had come to cherish these simple pieces of paper and ink. Although Dick would usually go into more detail about his activities in his newsy emails, he used the letters for sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings. Before the war, she had never really faced how intertwined her life was with Dick's, and now that he was so far away, she felt as if a part of her were missing. The idea that she was touching paper that he had touched, comforted her in a way she hadn't thought possible. She never admitted to him that she looked forward to his letters, but she always took the time to write him letters in reply.

She began reading Dick's letter, smiling at one of the pranks his wingman had pulled, and then crying as Dick wrote that one of the pilots had been killed the previous day. From the water marks on the paper, she could see that he had wept as well.

God, Babs, she was only 22 years old! We used to joke together because we were married on the same day -- we were going to try to get you and her husband to meet on our anniversary, so we could all celebrate together. And now she's gone. And the Skipper wants me to write the letter to her husband, because she was in my wing. I don't know how I can do that, but I know I owe it to Jennie and to her husband.

Barbara knew he would do it and do it well. As anyone who knew him might have anticipated, Dick had become a leader among the pilots in his squadron. He had quickly jumped from ensign to lieutenant junior grade to full lieutenant. He was the leader of the first wing on the Texas, and de-facto executive officer to the CAG3.

I'm so tired of this stalemate! I think I told you about the "space mines" we've been up against? That's what killed Bobcat (Jennie). We can't detect them, so we can't destroy them -- the only way we know they're there is when someone gets killed! I got an email from Roy last night though, and it got me thinking. Not the email itself (you know Roy), but his note reminded me I have friends who might be able to figure this out.

Earth's forces had set up a defensive perimeter around the solar system that was gradually widening. They had already taken over several worlds that had previously been colonized by the Ch'ton. In each case, the Ch'ton remaining on the planet chose suicide rather than surrender. Using translation programs borrowed from the Tamaranians, the Earth forces tried to explain that the Ch'ton would merely be taken prisoner, to no avail. The best explanation the scientists and behaviorists had come up with was that once the queen in command of that colony left, the rest of the colony had no reason to live.

As the Earth offensive got closer to the actual Ch'ton homeworld though, progress slowed to a crawl. Dick had written of a vast minefield that the Ch'ton ships were able to navigate, but the Earth ships were not. They had already lost an entire carrier, the Challenger, to the minefield, as well as dozens of fighters. Perhaps it was selfish of her, but Barbara remembered weeping in relief that it wasn't Dick or his ship which had died.

Could you contact Vic for me? Ask if he and Toni can come out here to study these things. I think, between the three of us, we could lick this!

Even though Dick and Barbara were fairly certain that their letters weren't being read by anyone else, they used caution when they referred to any aspect of their "other jobs." So, Vic was obviously Victor Stone, who was now working at S.T.A.R. Labs, but Toni? Babs had to think a minute before the connection hit her: Toni Monetti, or Argent, could manipulate plasma energy and perhaps create an effective shield for whatever Dick had in mind.

Oops! Jake just yelled that the supply ship is about to leave, so I need to hurry up and get this posted. Thanks for the goodies you and Alfred sent -- I'm always a very popular guy when your packages come. My favorite thing, though, was the new picture of you. Please thank Dinah for taking it. It's going straight to my cockpit to remind me why I'm out here fighting, and what I'm going home to. As promised, I'm enclosing a picture HD took of me so you won't forget what I look like.

Barbara looked in the envelope again, and sure enough, there was a small photograph she had overlooked in her haste to read Dick's letter. She quietly smiled as she looked at the handsome young man in the picture. Dick was in his flight suit, and it looked as if he was laughing at one of the other pilots. She knew he'd chosen such a cheerful picture on purpose, but it still comforted her to know that he could laugh in the midst of war. She put the picture aside to make copies for Alfred (i.e. Bruce) and Tim, and picked up the letter again.

Be careful, sweetheart. Don't let Bruce give you too hard a time. Tell everyone I said, "Hi!"

I love you.

Dick

Barbara gave a little sigh as she finished the letter. She put it back in its envelope and slipped it into the pocket of her jacket, where it would be handy for re-reading. Pulling up her phone directory, she selected an entry.

"S.T.A.R. Labs"

"This is Barbara Grayson. May I speak with Victor Stone, please?"

** End Part 2 **

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2 Service flags were flown by households in WWI and WWII that had family members in service. The banners were usually rectangular in shape and hung length-wise in the window. They were white with a red border, and each family member in service was represented by a blue star. If a member was killed, his star was covered by a gold (or yellow) star.

3 CAG stands for "Carrier Air Group Commander." It is actually a throwback to the early days of naval aviation. The official title of the officer in charge of a ship's fighters is "Commander, Air Wing," but the old acronym lives on.