Chapter 7
Dick awoke, nearly ten minutes later. He was either in bed again or the ground of the cave had been changed to down feathers. "Welcome back, sweetheart." Leslie whispered to him " how do you feel."
"Tired," sounding more angry than sleepy.
"That's gonna happen till all the knockout gasses clear your system. Do you hurt anywhere else."
"I'm fine. Leslie where is Bruce?" he hissed, trying to sit up. "What did he do to S`lea."
"Tim said she is still her elfin self, they have her behind a force field in the caves." She answered. "Everyone has been forbidden downstairs but I am sure she is fine she seems to have a way to heal herself if she is hurt."
Dick assessed the situation he could feel the warmth of the heat coming through the vent. To the right of where he lay and the sound of someone messing with something on a nightstand beside him "I'm in my room?"
"Yes,' she replied "Bruce brought you up about ten minutes ago."
Dick slipped out of bed, Making sure he was still dressed and ignoring Leslies pleas to remain in bed for a while he guided himself to the door.
" Where do you think your going young man?" Alfred insisted as Dick ran into him on his attempt to leave.
"Where do you think." He growled trying to push by his surrogate grandfather.
"My guess is back to bed. S`lea is still asleep, I went and checked on her right after Master Bruce left."
Dick leaned against the heavy wooden doorframe "Alfred, Bruce is wrong she wasn't trying to harm anyone." He babbled "We can't keep her pinned up like some kind of animal. She was only trying to get us to understand. She told me, and I didn't catch on. She said she had to sometimes face her inner beast to make people understand. God I'm a fool. Alfred she told me out right."
"Lad if you don't calm your self I will give you a sedative."
"She told me." He insisted, "For some reason she feels her Dyeta, her dragon-self, can express better the needs of her soul. Alfred, she has done nothing but try to help me and when she needs someone to listen I panic."
"I am not one to go against master Bruce's wishes, but I too feel as if I can trust her. I have since the day she brought you home." Alfred awed "when she is awake I will set her free. After all what is he going to do fire me? I wouldn't be the first time."
"no this is my fault my responcibility I'll go" Dick persisted.
"NO young sir you are going to stay here and get some rest. I will handle this."
"Then I want to go with you."
"Me too." Tim announced as he came running up the stairs ... "Where are we going?"
"Down stairs to free S`lea." Dick informed him
"Uh I don't think so. Bruce will kill us."
"'Us' wasn't invited." Dick acknowledged, "S`lea is my responsibility. If I brought her through the portal as she thinks then I am responsible for her actions. Well go back to Bludhaven and figure out what this Golnac is doing.
A "gasp" from Leslie broke up there debate.
"Leslie?" Dick worried suddenly found two pair of hands holding him in place.
"My Word" Alfred breathed.
"COOL" Tim stressed. "Maybe she really is Vulcan."
"Someone tell me what the Hell..."
"Calm down Master Dick, it appears that we don't have to rescue the young miss she is materializing as we speak." This only seemed to make him more agitated.
"No! Leslie, she told me it hurts her to do 'magic' There is know telling what the force field is doing to her." He announced. Sure enough as soon as she completed her materialization she collapsed in a convulsing heap on the ground. Tim still had a firm grip on Dick as both Leslie and Alfred moved in to help her.
"Let them help her." The younger man whispered. "She is having some kind of fit."
"Oh, god this is my fault." Dick whispered.
"She is waking." Leslie announced. "Sweetheart, are you ok?" she whispered, to the wide Blacken Eyes looking up from the floor.
"Hurts," She hissed Blinking back the unshed tears.
"Is there something, we can do to help?" Leslie asked.
"No. It will pass I..." she closed her eyes and went the limp in there arms.
"Let's put her in the bed." Alfred stated.
" I'll get her. Tim volunteered as he pushed passed them picking up the unconscious figure. By the time he turned around Dick had disappeared.
He found him sitting at the top of the stairwell. He knew the look on his face. hell he knew the feeling. Dick's biggest problem was he cared too much, Tim never thought growing up that those words could be used in the same sentence that was until he became Robin. Dick seemed to be haunted by the feeling that he would never be as good as Bruce needed him to be, Dick needed to be everything to everybody. Tim felt the same way with Dick Grayson and Bruce the only difference between the two Robins was; he had Dick Grayson there to say. It's ok, just be as good as Tim Drake needs you to be. The visible pride and caring where the broad shoulders that kept Tim sane in their chaotic world. How sad that he never had that kind of balance to cling to. How strange he couldn't understand that those same shoulders that held up Tim Drake lifted Bruce Wayne in times when he couldn't see past the Batman.
"S`lea is fine Dick. " Tim whispered, "She said she just needed rest. I think you could probably use some to it has been a long night Bruce should be home soon. Maybe we could all get a night's sleep."
"No, I have to get her out of here." Tim, do you think you could drive us back to Bludhaven."
"And why in the world would he do that your not going anywhere." The boys turned to where Leslie stood.
"Leslie I have to, when Bruce finds out that she is loose he is going to go nuts. I can't put her through that and I don't want to fight with Bruce anymore." He admitted
"Your not ready to live alone. Dick you haven't even been back to apartment since this happened." She objected.
"Leslie I appreciate all you have done, but Bruce trained me to be prepared for almost any situation including this." He returned. "And to be honest I can't stand much more of this feeling."
"And what feeling is that?" Leslie asked. Her soft voice comforting like a loving parent.
"That everybody's watching me. That everyone needs to protect me. The feeling that I screwed up again. I always seem to let everyone down."
Leslie wrapped her arms around him like only a loving mother could. The stress and fear pain and confusion was beginning to weld up and he was just too tired to fight it anymore he eventually fell into an unfit sleep against her shoulder at the top of the stairs of Wayne Manor.
"Your shoulders are so strong." She whispered rubbing gently his back as she cradled him. "...but they were never intended to carry so much. Sleep now; baby. God willing tomorrow will be a better day.
Dick awoke, nearly ten minutes later. He was either in bed again or the ground of the cave had been changed to down feathers. "Welcome back, sweetheart." Leslie whispered to him " how do you feel."
"Tired," sounding more angry than sleepy.
"That's gonna happen till all the knockout gasses clear your system. Do you hurt anywhere else."
"I'm fine. Leslie where is Bruce?" he hissed, trying to sit up. "What did he do to S`lea."
"Tim said she is still her elfin self, they have her behind a force field in the caves." She answered. "Everyone has been forbidden downstairs but I am sure she is fine she seems to have a way to heal herself if she is hurt."
Dick assessed the situation he could feel the warmth of the heat coming through the vent. To the right of where he lay and the sound of someone messing with something on a nightstand beside him "I'm in my room?"
"Yes,' she replied "Bruce brought you up about ten minutes ago."
Dick slipped out of bed, Making sure he was still dressed and ignoring Leslies pleas to remain in bed for a while he guided himself to the door.
" Where do you think your going young man?" Alfred insisted as Dick ran into him on his attempt to leave.
"Where do you think." He growled trying to push by his surrogate grandfather.
"My guess is back to bed. S`lea is still asleep, I went and checked on her right after Master Bruce left."
Dick leaned against the heavy wooden doorframe "Alfred, Bruce is wrong she wasn't trying to harm anyone." He babbled "We can't keep her pinned up like some kind of animal. She was only trying to get us to understand. She told me, and I didn't catch on. She said she had to sometimes face her inner beast to make people understand. God I'm a fool. Alfred she told me out right."
"Lad if you don't calm your self I will give you a sedative."
"She told me." He insisted, "For some reason she feels her Dyeta, her dragon-self, can express better the needs of her soul. Alfred, she has done nothing but try to help me and when she needs someone to listen I panic."
"I am not one to go against master Bruce's wishes, but I too feel as if I can trust her. I have since the day she brought you home." Alfred awed "when she is awake I will set her free. After all what is he going to do fire me? I wouldn't be the first time."
"no this is my fault my responcibility I'll go" Dick persisted.
"NO young sir you are going to stay here and get some rest. I will handle this."
"Then I want to go with you."
"Me too." Tim announced as he came running up the stairs ... "Where are we going?"
"Down stairs to free S`lea." Dick informed him
"Uh I don't think so. Bruce will kill us."
"'Us' wasn't invited." Dick acknowledged, "S`lea is my responsibility. If I brought her through the portal as she thinks then I am responsible for her actions. Well go back to Bludhaven and figure out what this Golnac is doing.
A "gasp" from Leslie broke up there debate.
"Leslie?" Dick worried suddenly found two pair of hands holding him in place.
"My Word" Alfred breathed.
"COOL" Tim stressed. "Maybe she really is Vulcan."
"Someone tell me what the Hell..."
"Calm down Master Dick, it appears that we don't have to rescue the young miss she is materializing as we speak." This only seemed to make him more agitated.
"No! Leslie, she told me it hurts her to do 'magic' There is know telling what the force field is doing to her." He announced. Sure enough as soon as she completed her materialization she collapsed in a convulsing heap on the ground. Tim still had a firm grip on Dick as both Leslie and Alfred moved in to help her.
"Let them help her." The younger man whispered. "She is having some kind of fit."
"Oh, god this is my fault." Dick whispered.
"She is waking." Leslie announced. "Sweetheart, are you ok?" she whispered, to the wide Blacken Eyes looking up from the floor.
"Hurts," She hissed Blinking back the unshed tears.
"Is there something, we can do to help?" Leslie asked.
"No. It will pass I..." she closed her eyes and went the limp in there arms.
"Let's put her in the bed." Alfred stated.
" I'll get her. Tim volunteered as he pushed passed them picking up the unconscious figure. By the time he turned around Dick had disappeared.
He found him sitting at the top of the stairwell. He knew the look on his face. hell he knew the feeling. Dick's biggest problem was he cared too much, Tim never thought growing up that those words could be used in the same sentence that was until he became Robin. Dick seemed to be haunted by the feeling that he would never be as good as Bruce needed him to be, Dick needed to be everything to everybody. Tim felt the same way with Dick Grayson and Bruce the only difference between the two Robins was; he had Dick Grayson there to say. It's ok, just be as good as Tim Drake needs you to be. The visible pride and caring where the broad shoulders that kept Tim sane in their chaotic world. How sad that he never had that kind of balance to cling to. How strange he couldn't understand that those same shoulders that held up Tim Drake lifted Bruce Wayne in times when he couldn't see past the Batman.
"S`lea is fine Dick. " Tim whispered, "She said she just needed rest. I think you could probably use some to it has been a long night Bruce should be home soon. Maybe we could all get a night's sleep."
"No, I have to get her out of here." Tim, do you think you could drive us back to Bludhaven."
"And why in the world would he do that your not going anywhere." The boys turned to where Leslie stood.
"Leslie I have to, when Bruce finds out that she is loose he is going to go nuts. I can't put her through that and I don't want to fight with Bruce anymore." He admitted
"Your not ready to live alone. Dick you haven't even been back to apartment since this happened." She objected.
"Leslie I appreciate all you have done, but Bruce trained me to be prepared for almost any situation including this." He returned. "And to be honest I can't stand much more of this feeling."
"And what feeling is that?" Leslie asked. Her soft voice comforting like a loving parent.
"That everybody's watching me. That everyone needs to protect me. The feeling that I screwed up again. I always seem to let everyone down."
Leslie wrapped her arms around him like only a loving mother could. The stress and fear pain and confusion was beginning to weld up and he was just too tired to fight it anymore he eventually fell into an unfit sleep against her shoulder at the top of the stairs of Wayne Manor.
"Your shoulders are so strong." She whispered rubbing gently his back as she cradled him. "...but they were never intended to carry so much. Sleep now; baby. God willing tomorrow will be a better day.
