Chapter 3 is here! Thanks for the encouraging reviews. Please keep them coming… -krtshadow

Chapter 3: She Did What??

My brain kicked into high gear. If she'd told me about Secret's death in the file, but didn't want to tell me something about Steph, then it must be pretty serious. My mind began running though a multitude of possibilities, ranging from death in the line of duty to turning villain. Barbara must have gathered the gist of my thoughts from the look on my face, because she hurried to clarify her statement. "Oh, gosh, nothing bad, or really bad anyway. It's just kind of complicated…"

"I can do complicated. Just tell me."

"Well, I wanted to tell you personally because none of the others will. It is NOT something you want to bring up to Bruce, ok?" Now I was getting really curious. "I'm really hoping that you haven't been languishing in love for her." Barbara looked at me with a slightly hopeful look on her face. It was no big secret that Babs and Steph hadn't gotten along all that well, but I couldn't figure out why that would effect anything, or why Barbara felt like she had to reassure herself that I wasn't still in love with Stephanie. Not that it was any of her business whether I was or wasn't. I locked my face down and stared at her until she got the hint that I wasn't sharing information until it was mutual. "Well, I guess that's really none of my business. But, since you won't fill me in, I'm not going to pull any punches."

I broke in with a grin. "Honestly, do you ever pull any punches?"

She got a little smirk on her face and answered. "I can not confirm or deny. Now do you want to hear this or not?"

"Yeah, go on."

"Stephanie waited about four weeks after you left and demanded that Bruce give her the Robin role." My jaw dropped. I snapped it shut as Babs continued. "He told her no. Did the usual Bruce thing and didn't tell any of us about it. I don't really know if he gave her a reason for the refusal but she thought that he thought that she wasn't good enough and it made her mad." Barbara's voice had sped up, it was obvious that she wanted to get this over with. "I guess that she thought that if she proved herself, that he'd let her take your job. Anyway, she took one of your costumes and refitted it to her and started acting on her own."

I winced, that would be one way to get Bruce mad in a hurry. If she'd just struck out on her own, that might have been ok, but to take the Robin name without permission… I was beginning to feel rather glad that I had been half way around the world at the time. "Let me make a wild guess that the Boss was not very happy at that."

Barbara grinned at me. "That would be an understatement of the first order. He totally went Bat on her, bawled her up, down, and sideways, and we haven't seen her in costume since. I don't really know if he made her quit or if she gave it up out of anger or what, but she's living in Metropolis with her mom now. Bruce is in the process of paying her college tuition, although she still doesn't know who he really is. Anyway, I can get the phone number if you really want it…" Her voice trailed off into silence. The look on her face clearly communicated that she thought that I was an idiot if I wanted to get involved with Steph again.

I wasn't interested anymore, and any interest that had still lingered had disappeared at the revelation that she'd tried that blatantly to replace me in the clan. I'd actually kind of hoped that she wasn't waiting for me, because I really didn't want to have to deal explaining to her that I wasn't in love with her anymore. Still, it was funny to see Barbara worried about my relationships already, when I hadn't been back even two days yet. Considering that it was really none of Barbara's business in the first place, I felt justified in yanking her chain a little. I assumed a slightly insecure look and asked, "Uh, you don't happen to know if she's… seeing anyone… in that way?"

The look on Barbara's face was priceless, and I knew the answer before the slightly panicked look was off her face. "Umm, Tim, I'm sorry, but, yeah."

"So I don't have to worry about her chasing me down and demanding that we resume where we left off?" I let a smile creep across my face. "Good. Saves me the hassle of finding 'that special someone else' to present to her."

Barbara took about three seconds to compute the meaning of my words and then she started laughing. "Oh my gosh, that was so Bruce. You really had me worried. Someone else. Ha."

"So anyway, to answer your previous question, I have not been languishing in love for anyone, much less Steph." I leaned forward in my chair. "Any other problems, disasters, catastrophes, or weird things you want to tell me about?"

"Oh, maybe. But not now and it isn't bad, so you'll just have to wait. Anyway, I'd better get back to work."

I reined in my curiosity about what she was referring to. As long as it wasn't bad, I could wait. A little while anyway. But I couldn't resist adding one more thing to the conversation. "She really tried to take Robin?"

"Yep. And let me tell you this, and I don't really know this for a fact, it's basically just my own conjecture, but we think that even if she had been good enough for the job, Bruce still wouldn't have given it to her. It was 'your' job."

I gave her a skeptical look. That seemed a little far-fetched. Yeah, I had been Robin, and yeah, I had been pretty good at it, in hindsight, but I'd never thought of my self as the only person for the job. In many ways I was surprised by the fact that Bruce hadn't taken Steph up on the offer. She could have been trained further, and Gotham still needed as many people as Bruce could field. I shook my head. "I don't think…"

Babs interrupted me with a stubborn look on her face. "Dick agrees with me, and who knows Bruce better than he does? Anyway, like I said, no proof on that one, but…" here she paused as if deciding whether or not she would be saying too much if she continued. She must have thought that she would be, because she sighed and didn't finish her original sentence. "Just keep in touch, ok? Disappear again, and I will find you and tell Cass to beat you down. Goodbye."

"Um, bye, Babs." I watched as the screen faded to black. I wonder what the heck that was all about. I was just beginning to run over possibilities of what she had been going to say, but then I glanced at my watch. I sprung out of my chair with a muffled curse. I had about twenty five minutes to get downtown, or I'd be late, and you don't leave Bruce Wayne, or his other persona, waiting. I headed for the cave exit at a fast jog, finding my bike right where I had hidden it the night before. Time for a meeting with the big guy himself.

TBC…