Disclaimer: With the exception of Natalie, Twitch, and Rab, Kyle belongs to Carmen Wayne, and everybody else is property of the geniuses at DC Comics.
A/N: Okay, I finally figured out a way to describe the canon at this point--it's after Batman and before Batman Beyond--I'll get more into it in this chappy…
Tesub--you rock, thank you so much! It means a lot that you like my stuff and think I'm decent at this…in fact, this chapter's just for you! ^_^
Now, on with the story…
Chapter 5: You Can't Hide Who You Are
"I'm here to see Dick Grayson."
"Your name, sir?"
"Roy Harper. I don't have an appointment, but he'll see me."
"I'm afraid without an appointment--sir!"
Roy paid no attention to the wormy desk clerk. He looked about as spineless as one, and his suspicions were confirmed when he walked through the double doors and down the hall to Dick's office without any trouble. Grayson would have to wake up, and today was as good a day as any.
Without so much as a knock, Roy burst through the door with the nameplate reading Dick Grayson, Department Head. "Dick, we need to talk."
To Roy's delight, his entrance achieved the desired effect as Dick jumped to his feet, nearly spilling his coffee all over the scattered invoices on his desk. "Roy, what the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"I walked, how else?"
"You don't just walk into Interpol!
"Hate to tell you, 'Wing, but I just did. Now sit down, we need to talk." He closed the door and sank into the chair opposite Dick's desk, resting his feet on the furniture. When Dick hesitated, he continued, "You know I wouldn't bother you at work unless it was important, and don't tell me you don't have the time, you're the head of this whole goddamned operation."
Raising an eyebrow, Dick sat down. "Is everything all right? Lian's handling Kyle well?"
"Lian's fine. She's not why I'm here." God help him, he was about to pour salt on a wound, but it had to be done. He had been Dick's friend for years; he was a good man, but a lousy parent.
"And why are you here, Roy?" Dick's blue eyes went back to the mountain of paperwork, and Roy put his feet down and leaned forward.
"It's about Natalie, Dick."
"She's doing fine, I spoke to Barbara last week." He remarked, not lifting his eyes.
"Richard Grayson, if you do not look at me when I am speaking to you about your own daughter, I have no qualms about giving you a repeat performance of the beating you received nearly eighteen years ago!"
For the second time in two minutes, Roy's bait worked. Dick's eyes snapped up to meet his, but it wasn't a pleasant expression on his features.
"Harper, don't try my patience. I check up on Natalie every week, you know that."
"Do you talk to her?" Roy demanded. His apathy was beginning to work a nerve. Good thing he wasn't armed. Much.
"Well, no, but I can't. I work late, and when I can speak to her, she's either in school or at work."
"Do you even know what she does at work?"
"Babs said she works on cars. What's your point?"
"She and her friends fix cars, all right." Roy muttered. "They steal the cars and fix them up without the consent of the owners. They return them, but as far as the law is concerned, they're breaking it."
"What?" Dick cried. "Why the hell would she do that? She should know better than that!"
"Well, you haven't exactly been around to teach her otherwise, have you?"
The look of shame that crossed his friend's face was enough to make him sigh. It wasn't a happy truth, but there it was. He hardly knew his own daughter, despite the reports from himself and from Barbara. Even they weren't able to be around as much as they wanted.
"She doesn't seem to want me around, does she?"
Roy rubbed his temples. This was so heartbreaking he could hardly stand it. "Look, Dick. She doesn't hate you. She's made herself think that she does, so that you can't disappoint her anymore. It happens when somebody's not around. She's a bright girl, Dick. A really bright girl. And she's very interested in vigilantes." He didn't want to press the issue too much in light of the current barbs, but like everything else, it had to be at least placed on the table.
"Is she?"
"You and Barbara should tell her. Hell, I'd do it, but it's not my place."
Dick grimaced. "Tell her what, Roy? That her mother and I were once the very things that we're trying to outlaw? She doesn't need to know about the things we did when we were kids, Harper. We were young and stupid."
"What am I, then?"
"Look, you know what I mean."
"So what you're saying is that Natalie is a product of stupidity?"
"Damn it, Harper, stop putting words into my mouth!" Dick yelled.
"Then stop spouting bullshit!" He yelled back. "Did you ever stop to think maybe you might be able to explain why you're so opposed to it better if she knew? Or, God forbid you would find some common ground with the poor girl! Barbara brings us up at least twice a week, and every week, Natalie is right there defending us. I agree with you, Dick, it's not good for kids to get into, but you have to admit that it does some good. She recognizes that."
"Then why is she doing something that's illegal?"
Roy scowled and got to his feet. "You know, Dick, I've known you a long, long time, but I don't think you've ever been so goddamned full of yourself and blind to the needs of others. You may have been a cocky son of a bitch when you were wearing the mask, but you cared about our family. Your family. I don't know how to tell you this, Dick, so I'll just come out and say it! That girl is slipping away from you, by no fault of her own, because you are a sorry excuse for a father, too scared to face what you are!"
He wasn't going to last long if he stayed. So he turned on his heel and left before Dick could do anything to stop him. Strange how they'd all changed so much in just a few short years. Dick wasn't this thick-headed, not normally. But bring Natalie into the equation, and he regressed about thirty years, acting like a complete and utter child, instead of the capable and caring--and he was caring, Roy had seen him with Dominique and Kale--adult that he was. If he was going to sway Dick one way or another, he would need reinforcements.
And reinforcements meant Barbara Gordon.
A/N: Okay, so again, short. But I rather like writing this way. More updates and such. Tesubcalle, I hope this is what you were wanting. As to the way I wrote Dick and Roy, I hope it was in some small way accurate--yeah, Dick's being a jerk, kinda, but he's got his reasons. You'll see…
A/N: Okay, I finally figured out a way to describe the canon at this point--it's after Batman and before Batman Beyond--I'll get more into it in this chappy…
Tesub--you rock, thank you so much! It means a lot that you like my stuff and think I'm decent at this…in fact, this chapter's just for you! ^_^
Now, on with the story…
Chapter 5: You Can't Hide Who You Are
"I'm here to see Dick Grayson."
"Your name, sir?"
"Roy Harper. I don't have an appointment, but he'll see me."
"I'm afraid without an appointment--sir!"
Roy paid no attention to the wormy desk clerk. He looked about as spineless as one, and his suspicions were confirmed when he walked through the double doors and down the hall to Dick's office without any trouble. Grayson would have to wake up, and today was as good a day as any.
Without so much as a knock, Roy burst through the door with the nameplate reading Dick Grayson, Department Head. "Dick, we need to talk."
To Roy's delight, his entrance achieved the desired effect as Dick jumped to his feet, nearly spilling his coffee all over the scattered invoices on his desk. "Roy, what the hell are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"I walked, how else?"
"You don't just walk into Interpol!
"Hate to tell you, 'Wing, but I just did. Now sit down, we need to talk." He closed the door and sank into the chair opposite Dick's desk, resting his feet on the furniture. When Dick hesitated, he continued, "You know I wouldn't bother you at work unless it was important, and don't tell me you don't have the time, you're the head of this whole goddamned operation."
Raising an eyebrow, Dick sat down. "Is everything all right? Lian's handling Kyle well?"
"Lian's fine. She's not why I'm here." God help him, he was about to pour salt on a wound, but it had to be done. He had been Dick's friend for years; he was a good man, but a lousy parent.
"And why are you here, Roy?" Dick's blue eyes went back to the mountain of paperwork, and Roy put his feet down and leaned forward.
"It's about Natalie, Dick."
"She's doing fine, I spoke to Barbara last week." He remarked, not lifting his eyes.
"Richard Grayson, if you do not look at me when I am speaking to you about your own daughter, I have no qualms about giving you a repeat performance of the beating you received nearly eighteen years ago!"
For the second time in two minutes, Roy's bait worked. Dick's eyes snapped up to meet his, but it wasn't a pleasant expression on his features.
"Harper, don't try my patience. I check up on Natalie every week, you know that."
"Do you talk to her?" Roy demanded. His apathy was beginning to work a nerve. Good thing he wasn't armed. Much.
"Well, no, but I can't. I work late, and when I can speak to her, she's either in school or at work."
"Do you even know what she does at work?"
"Babs said she works on cars. What's your point?"
"She and her friends fix cars, all right." Roy muttered. "They steal the cars and fix them up without the consent of the owners. They return them, but as far as the law is concerned, they're breaking it."
"What?" Dick cried. "Why the hell would she do that? She should know better than that!"
"Well, you haven't exactly been around to teach her otherwise, have you?"
The look of shame that crossed his friend's face was enough to make him sigh. It wasn't a happy truth, but there it was. He hardly knew his own daughter, despite the reports from himself and from Barbara. Even they weren't able to be around as much as they wanted.
"She doesn't seem to want me around, does she?"
Roy rubbed his temples. This was so heartbreaking he could hardly stand it. "Look, Dick. She doesn't hate you. She's made herself think that she does, so that you can't disappoint her anymore. It happens when somebody's not around. She's a bright girl, Dick. A really bright girl. And she's very interested in vigilantes." He didn't want to press the issue too much in light of the current barbs, but like everything else, it had to be at least placed on the table.
"Is she?"
"You and Barbara should tell her. Hell, I'd do it, but it's not my place."
Dick grimaced. "Tell her what, Roy? That her mother and I were once the very things that we're trying to outlaw? She doesn't need to know about the things we did when we were kids, Harper. We were young and stupid."
"What am I, then?"
"Look, you know what I mean."
"So what you're saying is that Natalie is a product of stupidity?"
"Damn it, Harper, stop putting words into my mouth!" Dick yelled.
"Then stop spouting bullshit!" He yelled back. "Did you ever stop to think maybe you might be able to explain why you're so opposed to it better if she knew? Or, God forbid you would find some common ground with the poor girl! Barbara brings us up at least twice a week, and every week, Natalie is right there defending us. I agree with you, Dick, it's not good for kids to get into, but you have to admit that it does some good. She recognizes that."
"Then why is she doing something that's illegal?"
Roy scowled and got to his feet. "You know, Dick, I've known you a long, long time, but I don't think you've ever been so goddamned full of yourself and blind to the needs of others. You may have been a cocky son of a bitch when you were wearing the mask, but you cared about our family. Your family. I don't know how to tell you this, Dick, so I'll just come out and say it! That girl is slipping away from you, by no fault of her own, because you are a sorry excuse for a father, too scared to face what you are!"
He wasn't going to last long if he stayed. So he turned on his heel and left before Dick could do anything to stop him. Strange how they'd all changed so much in just a few short years. Dick wasn't this thick-headed, not normally. But bring Natalie into the equation, and he regressed about thirty years, acting like a complete and utter child, instead of the capable and caring--and he was caring, Roy had seen him with Dominique and Kale--adult that he was. If he was going to sway Dick one way or another, he would need reinforcements.
And reinforcements meant Barbara Gordon.
A/N: Okay, so again, short. But I rather like writing this way. More updates and such. Tesubcalle, I hope this is what you were wanting. As to the way I wrote Dick and Roy, I hope it was in some small way accurate--yeah, Dick's being a jerk, kinda, but he's got his reasons. You'll see…