Nightwing: Out of Time 3 – The Hunt for Black Robin
Chapter 2
By Christopher W. Blaine
e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com
DISCLAIMER: Nightwing™ and all other characters and situations portrayed in this story are ©2002 by DC Comics Inc., an AOL/Time-Warner Company, and are used without permission for fan-related entertainment purposes only. No profit is made from this writing. This original story is ©2002 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express consent of the author.
"I suppose I should have done this a long time ago," Nightwing said as he pulled back his mask. Barbara Gordon looked up at him and felt a slight pain when she looked at his face. They were no longer a "couple", but still remained friends and allies in the war against crime. He seemed to note her expression and put on one of his best smiles. "She told me we wouldn't remain together."
"You said that before, but weren't you supposed to have disappeared before that was supposed to have happened?" Barbara asked as she wheeled her chair into the kitchen to get the whistling teakettle.
"I think she was making an assumption based on how our relationship was going; she knew a lot more about me than I knew about her." He sat down and looked at the various printouts that were scattered over the computer desk. "I really appreciate this."
She nodded and went back to making their tea. There was tenseness between them that didn't belong. They both knew it would pass in time. "I just don't think going over a list of your old girlfriends is something I'm personally going to enjoy."
"Well," he began, rubbing the back of his head, "to be honest, given our current state of relationship, I'm not comfortable discussing it with you."
"Oh," she responded coolly. She should have expected this. Their relationship had been a raging fire that burned itself out too quickly. The embers were still glowing and he was afraid of getting burned. "Some things maybe I shouldn't know about?"
"I'd just prefer to go over those details with Roy and Wally."
"In case you want to get into the explicit details…I understand," she said truthfully. She hoped that was the only reason and she looked down at her unmoving legs, holding back the tears. She knew he loved her, but there was no way they could be together. Their lifestyles and wants and desires were too varied for anything serious at this point in their lives. She didn't want to find out that he had allowed his baser urges to get the best of him at any time they were together. It would ruin her perceptions of him and she couldn't live with that. "So, what do you want me to do?"
"I'm pretty sure that Andrea was enrolled in school, so I'd like you to search the entire country for little girls between 3 and 8 that match her description." He made it seem like it was no small task, and in reality it wasn't. Barbara had already written up a search program that would tap into the National Education Association database and spit out the answers for her. The problem was the time. "It will take a while," she said as she wheeled in with his drink.
He took it and sipped. "Added a little honey…thank you."
She accepted the compliment with a grin. "I can cook you know."
"Boil water at least; must have learned that from your dad," he chided.
"Dad can't unwrap a candy bar without burning it, mister!" she shot back. She then moved into her comfortable spot at the desk and started typing on her laptop. "I'm having Dinah check out anything local that I find."
"Local being?"
"The tri-state area. She doesn't mind and no, she doesn't know why she's looking for this little girl." Nightwing breathed a sigh of relief. The Black Canary was a good friend and slick operative. There was a good chance she knew who Nightwing was, but she never pressed the issue because of his relationship with Batman. It was sort of "don't ask, don't tell", but that also meant that he had to take certain precautions against his secret being let out.
"Tell her I owe her a steak dinner," he said as he took another sip.
"Dinah prefers diamonds and roses."
"Dinah gets a steak."
"I prefer diamonds and roses."
"Barbara gets…" he broke off and she realized the awkward moment she had caused with her light teasing. She looked over at him and thought she saw some wetness forming in his eyes, but then it was hidden as he brought the steaming cup up to his lips.
They continued on in silence for the next half-hour watching as the names began to list on the screen in front of them. No single name and place jumped out at either one of them. Finally, Nightwing stretched and yawned. "I've got to go," he said.
Not too long before, he would have simply gone into the bedroom and lay down, but that was impossible now. Barbara tried to bring up in her mind what the single item was that made it unlikely that they would ever stay together, but it didn't heed her commands. She felt lost and alone and she wanted to reach out to him, but it was too late.
Someday, maybe, the damage could be repaired. They may even get that third or fourth shot at happiness. But that was not going to happen tonight. "I'll let you know what comes up," she said as a good-bye.
He nodded, replaced the mask and caught himself stooping down to give her a kiss. Again, time seemed to stand still and that feeling that you were doing something wrong crept up his spine. He turned abruptly, moved to the window, and jumped into the freedom of the night.
"So, we know that whoever this Andrea woman was, her mother was somebody you had to have slept with," Roy Harper said as he picked his fingernails with an arrow tip. Clad in his Arsenal costume since he was technically on patrol (if you call stopping by Dick Grayson's apartment with a six-pack of beer patrolling), he looked out of place in the rather mundane home of his friend. There was nothing in the apartment to suggest that the occupant was the sole heir to the Wayne Fortune or that he was independently wealthy himself. "This place looks like my apartment when I was in college," Roy said.
Dick looked at him, sipping the beer. It tasted bad but he didn't want to seem ungrateful to his friend. "You were in college for a month and you spent it playing the drums and making amateur movies like 'Girls Gone Stupid'."
"Yes, but as I point out to Ollie," he said, referring to Oliver Queen, also known as Green Arrow, "I did got to college."
"Getting back to the subject at hand," Dick said, putting the beer down, "I have to assume it was someone that Bruce would have thought I might have slept with."
"Bruce would have checked everything, that's for sure," Wally West, the Flash, said as he stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a pizza. He was also dressed in his costume and Dick moved over to check the drawn curtains for the hundredth time. "So, is there a chance you actually have a kid out there?"
"I've gone over it a hundred times and I keep drawing a blank. Andrea would have been born around the time I was with Kory," he said as he remembered the exotic beauty of the alien princess. Kory Anders had been a fellow teammate on the Teen Titans, going by the code-name Starfire. They had nearly gotten married only a few years before.
"And you never cheated on her, right?" Roy asked with a big grin. Dick did not immediately answer and Wally soon began to choke. "Dickie, tell me it ain't true," Roy said in an excited voice.
"You were sleeping with the hottest chick on the planet and still fooled around?" a disbelieving Wally asked.
Dick was silent for a few moments, hoping that the darkness of the corner would hide the redness of his face. His friends had always looked upon him as being the "good one", the "stable one", and the guy who knew how to have a great relationship. He wasn't so much afraid to admit his failings as he was embarrassed. He never asked for the titles they placed upon him, but he had never denied them either. "Just a few times…whenever we would fight or…"
"Or some babe took her clothes off? Yeah, I've been there, man," Roy said as he chugged a beer. A belch later he continued. "Hey, at least you didn't sleep with an international terrorist like I did!"
"You fell in love with her, Roy; some people call that sweet," Dick responded.
"So, who was it?" Wally asked, chomping away on the pizza.
"Donna."
"Wally," Roy began, scratching his head, "wasn't Donna a married woman at that time?"
"Yes, dear Roy, I believe she was. Our virginal Wonder Girl obviously fell under the evil Bat-Boy's spell," Wally responded between bites. "Must have been the sock he stuck in those short pants!"
"No, it was the little green booties!"
"Enough, guys," Dick said, his embarrassment starting to get the best of him. "It's obvious that Donna didn't have my child, so who else could it have been?"
"Was there anyone else besides Donna?" Roy asked.
Dick shook his head. "Not that I can remember…well…except Barbara."
"Heard that story already, buddy," Wally commented as he brushed some crumbs off his chest. "So, maybe its someone you didn't go out with but somebody you encountered."
"That's a long list," Dick lamented.
"At least you can remember your list, Dickie," Roy laughed. "I was on so much horse I can't remember anything from 17 to 19!"
"That was your 'my name is Roy and I am gay' stage," Wally said with a grin.
Dick started to nod and Roy looked at them. "That isn't funny! I really can't remember!"
"I'm sorry, Princess Diana," Nightwing said as he entered through the balcony door. Wonder Woman, sans the boots and tiara, was sitting on the couch in Donna Troy's apartment, channel surfing. "I didn't realize you would be here."
The Amazing Amazon smiled and stood up. Even without the heels, she was still taller than him and he felt a little intimidated. He found himself comparing her to the future version he had met. That Wonder Woman had dyed her hair blonde and was equipped with a set of breast enhancements, the result of a battle with cancer.
She had asked him to tell her past self to perform the monthly exams that all women should do, regardless of their heritage. He had done so through Donna Troy, Diana's twin sister. "Its always such a pleasure to see you, Richard," she said with a smile.
Where the redheaded doctor's smile had been sweet, Diana's was heart melting. She was beautiful in a way that words could not describe and she radiated a warmth that made him think of a spring day. He found it hard to believe that she and Donna were identical twins as there was so much different between the two.
He accepted her outstretched hand, wondering if he should kiss it seeing as she was royalty. Luckily, she pulled it away before he could make a decision. "Donna is away, visiting her foster parents for the week. She told me to make myself at home."
"I didn't think you watched television," he said, indicating the television that had held her attention. "Lifetime or Oxygen?" he asked, naming the leading cable channels that had women's programming.
"Cartoon Network," she responded, turning to go turn the television off. Nightwing watched her walk away, admiring not so much her physical form, but the confidence she demonstrated even when she was relaxed. Her body was a weapon and a work of art at the same time. "Are you hungry? I was about to cook some dinner."
He was hungry and his stomach growled at the anticipation of food. "I'll stay if you let me help."
"I think it is a noble effort you are pursuing, Richard," Diana said. She refused to refer to him as Nightwing even though he was still wearing his costume and mask. "I can understand your frustration over all of this, but some of it is your fault."
Nightwing shoveled some potatoes in his mouth. "How so?" he asked, much to her chagrin.
She handed over a napkin. "You wouldn't be at odds with yourself if it wasn't for the fact of your promiscuity. You were involved in a relationship and still wandered outside of it and you have to wonder if there are some consequences to your actions."
Diana took a drink of spring water. "Too many children are born today to broken homes because too many people are ready to engage in lovemaking at the drop of a hat. To wield the power of creation, the power to create life, is not something to be taken lightly."
"I use protection," Nightwing offered in his defense.
"Sure, to protect yourself. You don't call it birth control, you call it protection. You aren't making love to someone to show your feelings and perhaps delaying starting a family; you are wrapping your little John-Thomas up tight because you don't want to be burdened." She reached over and wiped away some food he didn't get. "This little girl is a special case, I realize, created through a plan that is nothing but evil, but it still has caused you to reflect upon your past and you're worried.
"Like so many women today in this country, you are looking at the specter of single parenthood if you are successful in your pursuit of this Black Robin." She collected the plates and took them over to the sink to rinse. "Don't think me a prude; I am an Amazon, not a vestal virgin, we do know what sex is and we understand pleasure. But we also understand the responsibility that comes with the act. Right now, you are going over every sexual encounter you ever had, over and over in your mind. Many you wish you could take away, many more you don't."
Nightwing only nodded. She was right, of course, because she was looking at things from not only a rational viewpoint, but also an emotional one. He was scared of raising a little girl on his own because his primary example was Bruce and that led down a path of things he didn't want to think of. He also wondered who the mother was and if it had been someone he had slept with, on the off chance that Al Ghul didn't create Andrea, then that woman was raising that child on her own.
What does that do to a child? He knew the answer. How many times had he cried himself to sleep, wishing he had a mother after his own had been killed? Bruce tried in his own way, as did Alfred, but there was something unique about a two parent system that almost seemed to guarantee results.
He reached down to his utility belt and pulled out the business card that held the pretty doctor's phone number. If he were to call her, he knew it was for only one reason. He was not about to give up sex for the duration, but something that Diana said made sense. There was a difference between doing the act with a stranger and doing it with someone you cared about.
After he tossed the remains of the card into the trash, he gave Diana a peck on the check. "Thank you, your highness, you've given me much to think about."
"Before you go, could I ask a favor?" she asked as she dried her hands. He indicated he was at her service. "I would like to join you on your quest. You brought me advice from the future that I am putting to use though the concept of an Amazon getting breast cancer still seems so foreign. Donna says you are an honorable man and some of the 'old guard' has been questioning that of late. This is something that would fit well in my mission to bring peace to the Man's World. Preventing a damaged life is the same as saving one in danger of being ended."
He nodded. "I'd love the help."
She handed him the trash bag. "Good. Now drop this off on your way out." He laughed and headed towards the balcony. "Oh, and Richard, try using the front door as I would hate to have to beat the hell out of you the next time you sneak up on me."
He looked at her, slightly shocked and then considered she was probably more than capable of handing him his hindquarters on a platter. "Yes, ma'am!" he said with a salute. A moment later, armed with a bag of garbage, he slipped into the night.
"Mommy, is my daddy the Batman?" Andrea asked.
The woman looked up from her book. It was late and the bus smelled like feet and diapers and she had hoped the little one would have fallen asleep by now. The mention of the Batman had put a momentary shiver through her. He may have been the greatest enemy of her former master, but he was also the lover of Talia, Ra's Al Ghul's vixen daughter.
The woman was never quite sure of the extent of the relationship between Batman and Talia and that was enough to make her afraid. Would the Batman turn her over to Talia to gain favor? The Dark Knight was simply impossible for the woman to read. "Why would you sat that, baby?"
"The Batman is dark and spooky. He eats kids!" Andrea said with the sureness that came with innocence.
"He doesn't eat children, dear, but no, he isn't your father."
Andrea thought about it for a minute. "Mommy, I think Batman eats kids."
The woman shook her head and put her nose back in her book and several minutes later, Andrea was pulling on her sleeve. "He ate Wobin!"
The woman swallowed hard. "No, he didn't, dear."
"Wobin used wear his panties and a cape, now he has long johns. They aren't the same, mommy! Batman ate Wobin!"
The woman decided not to argue anymore; Andrea was far too intelligent and far too belligerent to continue the discussion with. The little girl had a knack for arguing when she thought she was right. Sometimes that streak turned ugly.
It was during those times Andrea most resembled her mother.