Just in case you didn't know, I don't own any of the characters
expressed in this story, nor do I own the show in which they are portrayed.
I would be very happy if you all would review when you finished reading. I
thank you for your time.
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"I won't ask to go with you if you swear to me you will both return to me alive. You, Dick, and Alfred are the only family I have now."
"I swear that we will both return alive. I can swear nothing more than that."
I ran to him and hugged him. "Please don't die on me! I've already lost one family this week."
"Of course I won't die on you. I swear we will come back to you."
Dick entered my room just then. I ran to him and draped my arms around his shoulders. He hugged me back gently, then kissed me on my cheek.
"We'll come back to you. I swear on my love for you."
"Love.Do you mean it, Dick?"
"Yes. Sincerely."
Bruce pulled me to him and handed me a box. "I should have given this to you earlier."
I opened the bag and began to cry. It was a beautiful dress. It was white with gold rings across the midriff area. It was floor-length. He had added a pair of glass slippers and a small diamond tiara. "It-it's too nice. I can't take it."
"You are my daughter, now. You must take it because I say you must."
"You both be very careful. You promised me. If you don't come back, I'll never forgive you."
Dick kissed me softly on the lips while Bruce watched. When we were done, Bruce kissed me on the forehead and they left me all alone.
~I swear that we will both return alive. That is all I can swear to you. ~
Those words hung in my heart. I forced myself to believe in them. They would be fine. Alfred entered my room. He handed me another gift.
"This is from me, Sophia."
I opened the box. It was my own superhero costume! It looked like Bruce's, but more feminine. "Oh, Alfred! Thank you so very much!" I gave him a big hug. "I can use it as a Halloween costume."
"You could go and check on Masters Bruce and Dick, if you take my meaning, Sophia."
"Oh, Alfred.Do you think I could check in on them without them seeing me?"
"No, but I don't think they'll know who you are. The costume will make you more "formed". I've placed a modifying chip in it so you can make yourself different in any way that would help you on your journey."
"Alfred, I owe you big time! I've got an idea. Why don't you wait in the car so that when I come back, if they're here before me, you can pretend to drive up and I'll get in the car," I asked. He nodded, "Then you can come in from the main road. I'll jump in as soon as I get back to the car. I'll put my dress on. Here, keep it in the car."
Alfred took the dress, the shoes, and the tiara for my hair out to the car and went for a drive. I got into my costume. I pushed a button to tell it to make me look like I was twenty-one years old. My golden hair grew out to around the small of my back. I had the same belt that Bruce had but my mask was really small. I was afraid it wouldn't cover enough of my face. I followed Alfred's directions.
They were going after the killer. I couldn't believe it. I leapt from rooftop to rooftop until I could feel the presence of eyes on me. They were surveying my body. Suddenly, a hand grasped my mouth and a hand came around my waist. They were pulling me backward. I tried to struggle, but he or she was stronger than I.
I was spun around quickly to face Batman and Robin. Batman spoke, "You wear a bat suit. Who are you? Where do you come from and what is your purpose? Answer quickly or you will have your identity revealed to me by the 'Batarang'." He pulled out a sinister-looking instrument, probably the batarang he was referring to.
"My name is irrelevant. My purpose is to help save the lives of the innocent and punish those who would not uphold the ideals of society. As for where I come from, that does not pertain to you."
I looked Bruce in the eyes and took off my mask. Despite my older looks, I knew he knew. Robin took off his mask and ran his hand along my cheek. "Sophia," he asked me, "is that really you?"
I smiled. He knew who I was as well. I kissed him on the cheek, but it didn't feel the same. He looked so unhappy. I searched both of their faces for some kind of consolation. I got none.
"Go home. You don't know what it's like," Bruce said.
"Don't know what what's like? To lose my parents? I know you did, too. That's why you do this."
"Fine, stay. I won't save you if you if you get in trouble." They both looked away quickly.
"So, where is the scumbag headed to this time of night?"
They both looked shocked at my choice of words. I shocked them both with another rush of adrenaline showing in my speech.
"Well?! What are you two waiting for?"
"He's supposedly taking a truck full of stolen goods to a ship on the dock."
"It's a trick."
"No it isn't, we've been following him for a week and it's all he's been talking about," Robin said defensively.
"Can't you see that he's been leading you on? He's not even here. Did you even think to check into that?"
Both of them looked at each other. I replaced my mask. Robin replaced his, too. He was defeated.
"Luckily, I was smart enough to ask Alfred to check into his profile. It says he likes music. There is a museum that has the world's most expensive player piano."
The next thing we all knew, we were leaping from rooftop to rooftop toward the museum. I suddenly saw something from the corner of my eye: two cars. One was chasing the other and they had guns. Suddenly, I was gliding down to the street, hoping I would be there to save them this time.
The tires on the first car were shot out and the car came to a screeching halt. I ran into the alleyway where my parents and I had just turned. I couldn't do anything. I was too shocked. I took off my costume and began to cry, cringing next to a dumpster. I kept repeating words of encouragement to myself, like "there was nothing you could've done" and "It's not your fault, you weren't as strong as the man that was holding you. Robin came to console me. He held me close as I kept asking him, "Did you see what they did to my mother? My father? Me?"
He just kept shushing me, trying to calm me down. I didn't care if I was alright, I wanted revenge. I asked Dick to go get that cold-blooded murderer for the sake of all children in this world.
"Of course, I will. For you and for me, but mostly for our parents."
He looked back at me, just for a moment. He gave a very weak smile. I did my best in an effort to smile back. He left me in the alleyway. I blacked out for a short time after that and all I could remember was Batman carrying me over one shoulder and Dick over the other. He whistled and a rather large car came gliding around the corner.
"The only reason I say gliding is because it was moving quickly over the rain-covered streets and was hydroplaning."
"Oh, okay."
He set me into the seat and placed Dick limply into my lap. I was still in shock as Bruce tried to talk to me. I sat there silently, just running my hand through Dick's hair. Finally, to get my attention, Bruce slapped me. I recoiled to the door. He let the car move on it's own as the destination was already set for home.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was about time you snapped out of it. Did you have a nice little trip?"
Tears ran down my cheeks once more, as I began to understand that I would never really have any true family again. "I didn't like the darkness. Thank you for saving me." I felt the weight in my lap and looked down. "Oh, Dick, what did you do?! What did they do to you?!"
"He came to me after I told him to stay with you. He said you were in shock, but that you told him not to worry about you and that he should get revenge on the man who killed your parents and Dick's own."
"He shouldn't have listened, I was just babbling. He knows I love him, I know he knows. He shouldn't have." I stuffed my face into Dick's chest, but wrapped one arm around Bruce's shoulders.
Dick stayed in bed all day, every day, for over two weeks. Bruce and Alfred came and went, but I just stayed there. I sat and watched to make sure I was there when he opened his eyes once more. I would only leave to go to the rest room and even then, I would have Bruce watch him. I wouldn't even shower; I was so worried about him. After a while, Bruce was starting to get annoyed with my habits of not caring about myself, just worrying about Dick. He forced me to take a shower and I nearly burst into tears.
"What if he wakes up and I'm not there by him?! I've slept next to him every night. What if-"
"-If he wakes up I'll tell you every little detail and then you can come and talk to him. You really do need to do something."
I walked sullenly to my room as Alfred had been ordered to watch my every move. He walked me to the master bathroom and said to try to relax. I turned on the water and jumped in. Once I got in, it felt so good, I didn't want to get out. I nearly fell asleep standing up. I remembered Dick.
I washed my hair frantically and succeeded in making it out of the shower in ten minutes. I dried off and put a bathrobe on. I ran to my room and put some night clothes on. I went back to Dick's room and climbed under the covers with him. When Bruce left, he said they would have to take him soon. He was dying and there was no way to bring him back. I had to beg, but he said that Dick could stay until my birthday was over.
Most unfortunately, my birthday was in a week. I asked Bruce if we could do everything in Dick's room so we could all say goodbye in a special way. I hoped he would be awake when my birthday came, but he wasn't. I got ready for the day by wearing a ruby red dress that Bruce had bought me for Christmas, along with the shiny, red ballerina- type shoes he had added. Who could forget the diamond tiara? I had to wear it. When it was time, I opened the presents. I did it gratefully, but with a kind of sadness that was surrounding the room as Bruce stared directly at Dick.
Finally, Alfred had finished making dinner and he had brought it up. We ate quickly, as we wanted to get cake and take our final time to say farewell. Bruce had already explained to me that he had to take Dick the next day. The moment arrived when Alfred brought the cake with the candles up.
Thirteen candles rested on the layers of icing. I looked into Bruce's eyes. He was starting to cry. None of us wanted Dick to go. I made a wish and blew out the candle.silence.a cough.weight shifting on the bed.
Dick woke up. He sat up and said something to the line of "Man, am I tired."
I looked startled and so did Bruce. "What's all this, then," Dick asked.
"I-I-I."
". . ."
"What," Dick asked.
"You.coma.month.my birthday wish.I."
"Your wish did bring me back. I heard a voice in my dream telling me to wake up. It kept repeating 'Dick, I want you to wake up'."
I began to cry hard. Bruce hugged Dick, then came around to my side of the bed to hug me from behind. Dick hugged me from the front and whispered the happy birthday song into my ear. I shook my head in amazement. I just couldn't believe that the day before they were going to take his life, to put him out of his misery, he woke up.
"Sorry, I didn't have time to get you anything," said Dick, "will this do?"
He kissed me softly, yet passionately on the lips. I enjoyed this present more than any of the others I got that day.
"What was the best one you had gotten that year, Sophia?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sophia said, smiling slyly. She ran out of the room and jumped on Dick, kissing him all the while.
"What was that for?!"
"I love you."
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"I won't ask to go with you if you swear to me you will both return to me alive. You, Dick, and Alfred are the only family I have now."
"I swear that we will both return alive. I can swear nothing more than that."
I ran to him and hugged him. "Please don't die on me! I've already lost one family this week."
"Of course I won't die on you. I swear we will come back to you."
Dick entered my room just then. I ran to him and draped my arms around his shoulders. He hugged me back gently, then kissed me on my cheek.
"We'll come back to you. I swear on my love for you."
"Love.Do you mean it, Dick?"
"Yes. Sincerely."
Bruce pulled me to him and handed me a box. "I should have given this to you earlier."
I opened the bag and began to cry. It was a beautiful dress. It was white with gold rings across the midriff area. It was floor-length. He had added a pair of glass slippers and a small diamond tiara. "It-it's too nice. I can't take it."
"You are my daughter, now. You must take it because I say you must."
"You both be very careful. You promised me. If you don't come back, I'll never forgive you."
Dick kissed me softly on the lips while Bruce watched. When we were done, Bruce kissed me on the forehead and they left me all alone.
~I swear that we will both return alive. That is all I can swear to you. ~
Those words hung in my heart. I forced myself to believe in them. They would be fine. Alfred entered my room. He handed me another gift.
"This is from me, Sophia."
I opened the box. It was my own superhero costume! It looked like Bruce's, but more feminine. "Oh, Alfred! Thank you so very much!" I gave him a big hug. "I can use it as a Halloween costume."
"You could go and check on Masters Bruce and Dick, if you take my meaning, Sophia."
"Oh, Alfred.Do you think I could check in on them without them seeing me?"
"No, but I don't think they'll know who you are. The costume will make you more "formed". I've placed a modifying chip in it so you can make yourself different in any way that would help you on your journey."
"Alfred, I owe you big time! I've got an idea. Why don't you wait in the car so that when I come back, if they're here before me, you can pretend to drive up and I'll get in the car," I asked. He nodded, "Then you can come in from the main road. I'll jump in as soon as I get back to the car. I'll put my dress on. Here, keep it in the car."
Alfred took the dress, the shoes, and the tiara for my hair out to the car and went for a drive. I got into my costume. I pushed a button to tell it to make me look like I was twenty-one years old. My golden hair grew out to around the small of my back. I had the same belt that Bruce had but my mask was really small. I was afraid it wouldn't cover enough of my face. I followed Alfred's directions.
They were going after the killer. I couldn't believe it. I leapt from rooftop to rooftop until I could feel the presence of eyes on me. They were surveying my body. Suddenly, a hand grasped my mouth and a hand came around my waist. They were pulling me backward. I tried to struggle, but he or she was stronger than I.
I was spun around quickly to face Batman and Robin. Batman spoke, "You wear a bat suit. Who are you? Where do you come from and what is your purpose? Answer quickly or you will have your identity revealed to me by the 'Batarang'." He pulled out a sinister-looking instrument, probably the batarang he was referring to.
"My name is irrelevant. My purpose is to help save the lives of the innocent and punish those who would not uphold the ideals of society. As for where I come from, that does not pertain to you."
I looked Bruce in the eyes and took off my mask. Despite my older looks, I knew he knew. Robin took off his mask and ran his hand along my cheek. "Sophia," he asked me, "is that really you?"
I smiled. He knew who I was as well. I kissed him on the cheek, but it didn't feel the same. He looked so unhappy. I searched both of their faces for some kind of consolation. I got none.
"Go home. You don't know what it's like," Bruce said.
"Don't know what what's like? To lose my parents? I know you did, too. That's why you do this."
"Fine, stay. I won't save you if you if you get in trouble." They both looked away quickly.
"So, where is the scumbag headed to this time of night?"
They both looked shocked at my choice of words. I shocked them both with another rush of adrenaline showing in my speech.
"Well?! What are you two waiting for?"
"He's supposedly taking a truck full of stolen goods to a ship on the dock."
"It's a trick."
"No it isn't, we've been following him for a week and it's all he's been talking about," Robin said defensively.
"Can't you see that he's been leading you on? He's not even here. Did you even think to check into that?"
Both of them looked at each other. I replaced my mask. Robin replaced his, too. He was defeated.
"Luckily, I was smart enough to ask Alfred to check into his profile. It says he likes music. There is a museum that has the world's most expensive player piano."
The next thing we all knew, we were leaping from rooftop to rooftop toward the museum. I suddenly saw something from the corner of my eye: two cars. One was chasing the other and they had guns. Suddenly, I was gliding down to the street, hoping I would be there to save them this time.
The tires on the first car were shot out and the car came to a screeching halt. I ran into the alleyway where my parents and I had just turned. I couldn't do anything. I was too shocked. I took off my costume and began to cry, cringing next to a dumpster. I kept repeating words of encouragement to myself, like "there was nothing you could've done" and "It's not your fault, you weren't as strong as the man that was holding you. Robin came to console me. He held me close as I kept asking him, "Did you see what they did to my mother? My father? Me?"
He just kept shushing me, trying to calm me down. I didn't care if I was alright, I wanted revenge. I asked Dick to go get that cold-blooded murderer for the sake of all children in this world.
"Of course, I will. For you and for me, but mostly for our parents."
He looked back at me, just for a moment. He gave a very weak smile. I did my best in an effort to smile back. He left me in the alleyway. I blacked out for a short time after that and all I could remember was Batman carrying me over one shoulder and Dick over the other. He whistled and a rather large car came gliding around the corner.
"The only reason I say gliding is because it was moving quickly over the rain-covered streets and was hydroplaning."
"Oh, okay."
He set me into the seat and placed Dick limply into my lap. I was still in shock as Bruce tried to talk to me. I sat there silently, just running my hand through Dick's hair. Finally, to get my attention, Bruce slapped me. I recoiled to the door. He let the car move on it's own as the destination was already set for home.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was about time you snapped out of it. Did you have a nice little trip?"
Tears ran down my cheeks once more, as I began to understand that I would never really have any true family again. "I didn't like the darkness. Thank you for saving me." I felt the weight in my lap and looked down. "Oh, Dick, what did you do?! What did they do to you?!"
"He came to me after I told him to stay with you. He said you were in shock, but that you told him not to worry about you and that he should get revenge on the man who killed your parents and Dick's own."
"He shouldn't have listened, I was just babbling. He knows I love him, I know he knows. He shouldn't have." I stuffed my face into Dick's chest, but wrapped one arm around Bruce's shoulders.
Dick stayed in bed all day, every day, for over two weeks. Bruce and Alfred came and went, but I just stayed there. I sat and watched to make sure I was there when he opened his eyes once more. I would only leave to go to the rest room and even then, I would have Bruce watch him. I wouldn't even shower; I was so worried about him. After a while, Bruce was starting to get annoyed with my habits of not caring about myself, just worrying about Dick. He forced me to take a shower and I nearly burst into tears.
"What if he wakes up and I'm not there by him?! I've slept next to him every night. What if-"
"-If he wakes up I'll tell you every little detail and then you can come and talk to him. You really do need to do something."
I walked sullenly to my room as Alfred had been ordered to watch my every move. He walked me to the master bathroom and said to try to relax. I turned on the water and jumped in. Once I got in, it felt so good, I didn't want to get out. I nearly fell asleep standing up. I remembered Dick.
I washed my hair frantically and succeeded in making it out of the shower in ten minutes. I dried off and put a bathrobe on. I ran to my room and put some night clothes on. I went back to Dick's room and climbed under the covers with him. When Bruce left, he said they would have to take him soon. He was dying and there was no way to bring him back. I had to beg, but he said that Dick could stay until my birthday was over.
Most unfortunately, my birthday was in a week. I asked Bruce if we could do everything in Dick's room so we could all say goodbye in a special way. I hoped he would be awake when my birthday came, but he wasn't. I got ready for the day by wearing a ruby red dress that Bruce had bought me for Christmas, along with the shiny, red ballerina- type shoes he had added. Who could forget the diamond tiara? I had to wear it. When it was time, I opened the presents. I did it gratefully, but with a kind of sadness that was surrounding the room as Bruce stared directly at Dick.
Finally, Alfred had finished making dinner and he had brought it up. We ate quickly, as we wanted to get cake and take our final time to say farewell. Bruce had already explained to me that he had to take Dick the next day. The moment arrived when Alfred brought the cake with the candles up.
Thirteen candles rested on the layers of icing. I looked into Bruce's eyes. He was starting to cry. None of us wanted Dick to go. I made a wish and blew out the candle.silence.a cough.weight shifting on the bed.
Dick woke up. He sat up and said something to the line of "Man, am I tired."
I looked startled and so did Bruce. "What's all this, then," Dick asked.
"I-I-I."
". . ."
"What," Dick asked.
"You.coma.month.my birthday wish.I."
"Your wish did bring me back. I heard a voice in my dream telling me to wake up. It kept repeating 'Dick, I want you to wake up'."
I began to cry hard. Bruce hugged Dick, then came around to my side of the bed to hug me from behind. Dick hugged me from the front and whispered the happy birthday song into my ear. I shook my head in amazement. I just couldn't believe that the day before they were going to take his life, to put him out of his misery, he woke up.
"Sorry, I didn't have time to get you anything," said Dick, "will this do?"
He kissed me softly, yet passionately on the lips. I enjoyed this present more than any of the others I got that day.
"What was the best one you had gotten that year, Sophia?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sophia said, smiling slyly. She ran out of the room and jumped on Dick, kissing him all the while.
"What was that for?!"
"I love you."
