CHAPTER 3
Barbara was alone on the platform just enjoying the time by herself. She really wasn't doing anything important; she was just pretending to look busy. Unfortunately, it didn't fool Richard. "Hey, are you busy!"
"Sure, go ahead," Barbara replied, turning her wheelchair around to face him. It was the first time she noticed that Richard still had his long hair that he kept into a ponytail with a rubber band, only now his hairs had a few strands of grey hair peeking through his oily black hair.
"I can't help but feel that there is some sort of resentment between us."
"No, really?" Barbara said sarcastically.
"Did I offend you in any way? Why are you angry at me? I just got here, I couldn't have done something this quickly to get you mad at me."
"That's just it, 'Richard'! You just got here, and how long have you been gone? It's been nearly 15 years! It's been nearly fifteen years that I last heard from you. Since you ran off, not once did you explain why you ran off, and not once did you even try to make contact with me? For god's sake, you didn't know anything that has happened here the last fifteen years. "
"Is that what this is about? I am truly sorry that I disappeared from the face of the earth. That was totally wrong of me, but I did try to contact Bruce several times to find out how you all were doing but I kept on getting no reply." Barbara said nothing as she looked down. Richard could not read her face. "There's something more behind all of this, is there? You had feelings for me, didn't you?"
"What, me? Of course no," Barbara denied.
"You did, didn't you?" Richard smiled as he sat onto the counter top. "You said that you were upset that I didn't make contact with, 'you', not 'us'. Frankly, I have troubles believing that Bruce and Tim would care if I made contact with them or not."
Barbara smiled sheepishly. "Okay, perhaps I did have a crush on you."
Richard smiled. "Well, If truth be told, the only reason I had made attempts to make contact with Bruce was to try to get a hold of you. You were the only thing that made leaving New Gotham difficult to leave."
Barbara rough looking face had finally warmed up with a radiating smile. "Really?"
"It's the truth," Richard replied. "Listen, let's smooth things over tonight. How about a dinner date?"
"What? Tonight? Right Now?"
"Yes, right now! Go put on your best dress! I'm taking you out for dinner tonight!"
"How about Alexander Bane?"
"You are a workaholic! Forget about it tonight. Take the night off. Tonight, you are I are going to spend the night on the town."
* * * *
Alexander Bane stepped out of the front door to his run down shack and took a look at his surrounding. There was a much different feel here in New Gotham than anywhere else he had been. There was so much history in New Gotham, and it was as if he could feel that history through the air. "New Gotham, the place where my father thought could bring to ruins. It's only fitting that it is the next place to push my patches."
Alexander was a hefty young man of the age of twenty-five. He had neatly shaved brown hair and brown eyes. He was well built, not quite like his father, but Alex was still young.
The clicking of a gun grabbed his attention as he felt a gun pointed at the temple of her head. "Gimme ya wallet, punk!"
Alex had a grin on his face. "Today is just not your day, is it?" While he said that, he placed one of his venom patches onto the bottom of his right wrist.
"Shuddup and gimme ya wallet, freak!"
Before the mugger could react, Alex spun around and knocked the gun out of his hand with his left arm. Alex grabbed the mugger by the shirt and lifted him up high off the ground with ease.
The thug was petrified with his display of strength. "Sorry, I'm not much in a forgiving mood tonight, but I will understand if that comes to you as no consolation." Alex lowered him down a little so he could take his right hand, form a fist, and finish him off with a powerful punch, destroying his nasal, causing it to ram up into his brain and killing him instantly. He dropped the thug to the ground and yawned. He turned around and returned inside the shack.
* * * *
Helena and Dinah was downstairs, waiting for Barbara to come out of her room. The two would agree that it was well worth the wait, when Barbara came rolling out of her room. She was wearing a one piece black dress with sparkling glitter. The dress was kept up by black strings going over her bare shoulders. Both arms and her neck were bare. On her feet were her black, slip-on, high heeled dress shoes. "Well, what do you think!"
Helena's eyes were open wide. "Wow, you are absolutely stunning! You're going to kill Richard in that dress."
"You are absolutely amazing!" Dinah voiced her comment, her eyes were also fixed on her dress. "That is a gorgeous dress!"
Barbara smiled at the comments. "I've had this dress for a year now, but never had a chance to wear it until now."
"Knock, knock!" Richard said, walking onto the platform followed by Alfred who had allowed him in. He was dressed up in fancy black pants, and blue Alpaca sweater and a black sports coat over the sweater. He had come in with a bouquet of flowers. When he saw Barbara in her dress, he had almost needed to remind himself to breath. She was absolutely breath taking. "Wow, you are very beautiful tonight!"
Barbara blushed shyly, while Helena and Dinah were snickering to each other. Barbara ignored the two girls and stared at the beautiful bouquet of flowers that Richard was handing her. "Richard, they're beautiful." She smelt the flowers, they had the fresh aroma of spring time flowers.
"If I knew how beautiful you were going to be tonight, I would have done better in choosing the bouquet."
Barbara smiled sweetly at the comment. Alfred had approached her. "Let me put these in some water for you. You two kids go off and enjoy your night out."
"Yea, we can take care of business around here!" Helena replied.
Barbara looked up at the both of them. "Tonight is a night off for both of you. No going out tonight, Helena, not when I am not around. With the police looking for you, it's not worth the risk."
"Go already! I'm not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself."
"Helena." Barbara looked up at her firmly.
"Fine! Just get out of here, will you?" Helena laughed. "You worry too much."
Barbara began to control her chair towards Richard but he ran up to her. "I insist, let me do the honors tonight." Richard ran behind her and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair.
Barbara was alone on the platform just enjoying the time by herself. She really wasn't doing anything important; she was just pretending to look busy. Unfortunately, it didn't fool Richard. "Hey, are you busy!"
"Sure, go ahead," Barbara replied, turning her wheelchair around to face him. It was the first time she noticed that Richard still had his long hair that he kept into a ponytail with a rubber band, only now his hairs had a few strands of grey hair peeking through his oily black hair.
"I can't help but feel that there is some sort of resentment between us."
"No, really?" Barbara said sarcastically.
"Did I offend you in any way? Why are you angry at me? I just got here, I couldn't have done something this quickly to get you mad at me."
"That's just it, 'Richard'! You just got here, and how long have you been gone? It's been nearly 15 years! It's been nearly fifteen years that I last heard from you. Since you ran off, not once did you explain why you ran off, and not once did you even try to make contact with me? For god's sake, you didn't know anything that has happened here the last fifteen years. "
"Is that what this is about? I am truly sorry that I disappeared from the face of the earth. That was totally wrong of me, but I did try to contact Bruce several times to find out how you all were doing but I kept on getting no reply." Barbara said nothing as she looked down. Richard could not read her face. "There's something more behind all of this, is there? You had feelings for me, didn't you?"
"What, me? Of course no," Barbara denied.
"You did, didn't you?" Richard smiled as he sat onto the counter top. "You said that you were upset that I didn't make contact with, 'you', not 'us'. Frankly, I have troubles believing that Bruce and Tim would care if I made contact with them or not."
Barbara smiled sheepishly. "Okay, perhaps I did have a crush on you."
Richard smiled. "Well, If truth be told, the only reason I had made attempts to make contact with Bruce was to try to get a hold of you. You were the only thing that made leaving New Gotham difficult to leave."
Barbara rough looking face had finally warmed up with a radiating smile. "Really?"
"It's the truth," Richard replied. "Listen, let's smooth things over tonight. How about a dinner date?"
"What? Tonight? Right Now?"
"Yes, right now! Go put on your best dress! I'm taking you out for dinner tonight!"
"How about Alexander Bane?"
"You are a workaholic! Forget about it tonight. Take the night off. Tonight, you are I are going to spend the night on the town."
* * * *
Alexander Bane stepped out of the front door to his run down shack and took a look at his surrounding. There was a much different feel here in New Gotham than anywhere else he had been. There was so much history in New Gotham, and it was as if he could feel that history through the air. "New Gotham, the place where my father thought could bring to ruins. It's only fitting that it is the next place to push my patches."
Alexander was a hefty young man of the age of twenty-five. He had neatly shaved brown hair and brown eyes. He was well built, not quite like his father, but Alex was still young.
The clicking of a gun grabbed his attention as he felt a gun pointed at the temple of her head. "Gimme ya wallet, punk!"
Alex had a grin on his face. "Today is just not your day, is it?" While he said that, he placed one of his venom patches onto the bottom of his right wrist.
"Shuddup and gimme ya wallet, freak!"
Before the mugger could react, Alex spun around and knocked the gun out of his hand with his left arm. Alex grabbed the mugger by the shirt and lifted him up high off the ground with ease.
The thug was petrified with his display of strength. "Sorry, I'm not much in a forgiving mood tonight, but I will understand if that comes to you as no consolation." Alex lowered him down a little so he could take his right hand, form a fist, and finish him off with a powerful punch, destroying his nasal, causing it to ram up into his brain and killing him instantly. He dropped the thug to the ground and yawned. He turned around and returned inside the shack.
* * * *
Helena and Dinah was downstairs, waiting for Barbara to come out of her room. The two would agree that it was well worth the wait, when Barbara came rolling out of her room. She was wearing a one piece black dress with sparkling glitter. The dress was kept up by black strings going over her bare shoulders. Both arms and her neck were bare. On her feet were her black, slip-on, high heeled dress shoes. "Well, what do you think!"
Helena's eyes were open wide. "Wow, you are absolutely stunning! You're going to kill Richard in that dress."
"You are absolutely amazing!" Dinah voiced her comment, her eyes were also fixed on her dress. "That is a gorgeous dress!"
Barbara smiled at the comments. "I've had this dress for a year now, but never had a chance to wear it until now."
"Knock, knock!" Richard said, walking onto the platform followed by Alfred who had allowed him in. He was dressed up in fancy black pants, and blue Alpaca sweater and a black sports coat over the sweater. He had come in with a bouquet of flowers. When he saw Barbara in her dress, he had almost needed to remind himself to breath. She was absolutely breath taking. "Wow, you are very beautiful tonight!"
Barbara blushed shyly, while Helena and Dinah were snickering to each other. Barbara ignored the two girls and stared at the beautiful bouquet of flowers that Richard was handing her. "Richard, they're beautiful." She smelt the flowers, they had the fresh aroma of spring time flowers.
"If I knew how beautiful you were going to be tonight, I would have done better in choosing the bouquet."
Barbara smiled sweetly at the comment. Alfred had approached her. "Let me put these in some water for you. You two kids go off and enjoy your night out."
"Yea, we can take care of business around here!" Helena replied.
Barbara looked up at the both of them. "Tonight is a night off for both of you. No going out tonight, Helena, not when I am not around. With the police looking for you, it's not worth the risk."
"Go already! I'm not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself."
"Helena." Barbara looked up at her firmly.
"Fine! Just get out of here, will you?" Helena laughed. "You worry too much."
Barbara began to control her chair towards Richard but he ran up to her. "I insist, let me do the honors tonight." Richard ran behind her and grabbed the handles of her wheelchair.