Lost Hope
Chapter 14
Lian knew everyone thought she was a sleep. It was best that way since, she knew daddy would not be happy about her doing this. Mr. Alfred was still in the kitchen and Mr. Bruce and her daddy where in the garden talking. It was dark outside and inside too but you don't live with a Navajo daddy and the Batman's son and not learn how to sneak around in the dark. Once in the den, she found her way to the clock.
Her daddy and unca Nightwing talked about the clock all the time, when they thought she was a sleep. It was the door to the Cave. And the cave was where they took her unca Nightwing. She had to tell him she wasn't hurt. she had to show him that she was ok, so he would be "all better". She looked a long time at the grandfather clock. She opened the glass door and looked inside it. She pushed at the sides and back but it wouldn't open. After carefully closing the door she stood quietly for several minutes in front of the trying to think like an adult.
"Unca Dick says always says know your 'ponent think like them and you can beat them. Mr. Bruce is a big man he wont fit in the door." She thought. Looking around the large room there was all kinds of things maybe there was a clue. Nothing in here but books paintings and more books. Then she smiled.
"OPEN SEZME." Nope that didn't work. "... besides I don't think Mr. Bruce ever read that book" she was about to break into tears when she heard someone coming down the hall she quickly hid in the dark corner beside the clock. She was tucking her self deep in the side of the tall structure when it moved. She remained still until the footsteps fell away, and then carefully pushed against the side of the clock. It opened quietly up into a large dark stairway.
She was more afraid now than she could ever remember being but she had to do this not for her but for her Unca. As she stepped into the darkness the stair way lit up in a wash of red light. She remembered to shut the door like her daddy always told her to do. If you put everything back just the way you found it no one will know you've been there, and a good Navajo can stand in front of you and never be seen. She giggled never made sense when daddy said it either.
Lian turned back around to find the room was bigger than any she could remember seeing "Dis is the bat cave. Huh." she whispered to no one special. In the center of the room was computer even larger than the one in the Titan's tower. She walked up into the center of it and turned around. It suddenly lit up with flashing blinking whirling lights. What was she going to do now? She didn't know how to use a computer. "UH... Um... Sorry to wake you ..." she mumbled at the machine. "But I want to see my unca Nighwing. Can you show me where he is?"
Nothing happen the lights still blinked and whirled but it didn't answer her question. She climbed up into the large chair and put her chin on her knees. Tears were beginning to fall from her face. "I wanna see my unca." She cried out still trying to control the tears that fell from her cheeks. She kicked out angrily at the large hunk of metal. "I WANNA SEE MY UNCA" the impact on the computer sent the chair spinning in a circle and bats began to screech overhead. When the chair stopped and she finally got all the tears wiped away from her large green eyes she noticed another light behind a wall. She climbed down softly and peeked around the wall.
It's a dockers office, like the one at the Tower,She surmised
and Her unca nighwing was asleep in the middle of it .
She pulled the large padded high backed chair over to his bed she climbed up on to it.
"Unca Dick it's me," she whispered "Its me, Lian."
He didn't move. Then she realized he couldn't someone had tied him to the bed. "Are you sure, Mr. Batman likes you?" she mumbled not understanding why any one would tie down her uncle. She began to unbuckle the straps around his wrist then the one around his chest. It took her a couple of minutes but she was doing it to help him so she had to do it right, Careful not to hurt the tubes that they hung from him. "You can wake up now I'm here. I take good care of you." His face was wet as if he had been crying in his sleep. Once when her daddy was working he stayed the night with her, he had a bad dream that scared him awake. Her daddy said that bad dreams happen to a lot of people. She gently wiped away the dark curl that fell over his eyes and kissed him on the head like her daddy did to her anytime she had a bad dream. Then she climbed down from the bed and knelt on to the over stuffed chair.
"Mr. God...Um I don't know what I'm spose to call you everyone seems to have a different name for you so I hope at least one of yous are list'ning I need your help. My Unca Dick needs your help too. See he lost his rememory. And because of that it makes him sad. I wan you give him his rememory back. He needs it.
If you not sure which one it is you might look unner Richard Grayson or nighwing. I not spose to tell anyone that they are all the same person but I think it would be ok to tell you. I heard Daddy and Mr. Bruce say he don't rememer his daddy and mommy, he don't rememer all the happy things he used to do with them before they wen to heaven." She paused a moment to peak over the chair and see if Dick had moved but he hadn't so she knelt down by the bed again and continued.
"Unca Dick was in the Circus wiff elephants and tigers and clowns an such. He used to miss him mommy a lot, like I do but my mommy not in heaven. Have him memer me and Daddy and aunt Donna too. Cause we had lots of fun together too. I know you can make him all better. I don't wan him scared no more. I don't wan him to think he hurt me I know he loves me, and I love him. So if it's ok wiff you I will lay down wiff him like my daddy does when I get scared. Thanks for lissenin."
She climbed back up into the bed being careful of the tubes tucked her self in to his arms and laid her head on his shoulder.
Bruce watched as the young man known as Arsenal to the other members of the Titans, struggled with the waves of thoughts and memories that washed through him His life was no picnic, the young man survived a lot of things, but few that he can brag on. The death of his parents and consequential feeling of not belonging he first felt being raised on the reservation; he eventually became young partner of a man who was even worse at the personal stuff of parenting then Bruce, Green Arrow. One thing led to another and Roy became hooked on drugs. Later he became involved with the government, which nearly undermined the Titans for good and if his plate wasn't full enough, he became involved with an international assassin by the name of Cheshire. But sometimes the worst mistakes in your life can give birth to your biggest blessings Cheshire is Lian mother. Lian is Roy's anchor it's what holds him to the ground when the world wants to wiz by him. It keeps him from making stupid mistakes because he has something to live for. For Batman it was Robin. For Bruce it was the young man whom lies catatonic in the Batcave. If moments like these taught Bruce anything, it taught him that Bruce Wayne did not die the same night his parents did, if he had this would not hurt so much.
"Penny for your thought Harper." He whispered as they watched the sun begin to push its light over the foreboding veil of darkness. Roy didn't look back but instead stared off in the distance.
"My first thought is to apologize for everything I ever said about you. ...Behind your back of course"
"Of course." Bruce smiled.
"The second would be to run upstairs and hold so tight to my daughter that she would never forget me or how much I love her."
"I'll tell you a little secret, Alfred confided in me, Children are like eggs no matter how hard boiled they may be if you hold them too tight they will break under the pressure and slip away through even the tiniest space between your fingers."
"Your talking about the time you fired Robin/ Dick."
Bruce confirmed Roy's interpretation with a nod.
"Third thought is that; I have spent too much time here, cause I am starting to understand you. Fourth thought is; I am dead tired and should go up to bed. And my fifth thought would be; you're a multibillionaire you should be able to afford a hell of a lot more then a nickel."
Chapter 14
Lian knew everyone thought she was a sleep. It was best that way since, she knew daddy would not be happy about her doing this. Mr. Alfred was still in the kitchen and Mr. Bruce and her daddy where in the garden talking. It was dark outside and inside too but you don't live with a Navajo daddy and the Batman's son and not learn how to sneak around in the dark. Once in the den, she found her way to the clock.
Her daddy and unca Nightwing talked about the clock all the time, when they thought she was a sleep. It was the door to the Cave. And the cave was where they took her unca Nightwing. She had to tell him she wasn't hurt. she had to show him that she was ok, so he would be "all better". She looked a long time at the grandfather clock. She opened the glass door and looked inside it. She pushed at the sides and back but it wouldn't open. After carefully closing the door she stood quietly for several minutes in front of the trying to think like an adult.
"Unca Dick says always says know your 'ponent think like them and you can beat them. Mr. Bruce is a big man he wont fit in the door." She thought. Looking around the large room there was all kinds of things maybe there was a clue. Nothing in here but books paintings and more books. Then she smiled.
"OPEN SEZME." Nope that didn't work. "... besides I don't think Mr. Bruce ever read that book" she was about to break into tears when she heard someone coming down the hall she quickly hid in the dark corner beside the clock. She was tucking her self deep in the side of the tall structure when it moved. She remained still until the footsteps fell away, and then carefully pushed against the side of the clock. It opened quietly up into a large dark stairway.
She was more afraid now than she could ever remember being but she had to do this not for her but for her Unca. As she stepped into the darkness the stair way lit up in a wash of red light. She remembered to shut the door like her daddy always told her to do. If you put everything back just the way you found it no one will know you've been there, and a good Navajo can stand in front of you and never be seen. She giggled never made sense when daddy said it either.
Lian turned back around to find the room was bigger than any she could remember seeing "Dis is the bat cave. Huh." she whispered to no one special. In the center of the room was computer even larger than the one in the Titan's tower. She walked up into the center of it and turned around. It suddenly lit up with flashing blinking whirling lights. What was she going to do now? She didn't know how to use a computer. "UH... Um... Sorry to wake you ..." she mumbled at the machine. "But I want to see my unca Nighwing. Can you show me where he is?"
Nothing happen the lights still blinked and whirled but it didn't answer her question. She climbed up into the large chair and put her chin on her knees. Tears were beginning to fall from her face. "I wanna see my unca." She cried out still trying to control the tears that fell from her cheeks. She kicked out angrily at the large hunk of metal. "I WANNA SEE MY UNCA" the impact on the computer sent the chair spinning in a circle and bats began to screech overhead. When the chair stopped and she finally got all the tears wiped away from her large green eyes she noticed another light behind a wall. She climbed down softly and peeked around the wall.
It's a dockers office, like the one at the Tower,She surmised
and Her unca nighwing was asleep in the middle of it .
She pulled the large padded high backed chair over to his bed she climbed up on to it.
"Unca Dick it's me," she whispered "Its me, Lian."
He didn't move. Then she realized he couldn't someone had tied him to the bed. "Are you sure, Mr. Batman likes you?" she mumbled not understanding why any one would tie down her uncle. She began to unbuckle the straps around his wrist then the one around his chest. It took her a couple of minutes but she was doing it to help him so she had to do it right, Careful not to hurt the tubes that they hung from him. "You can wake up now I'm here. I take good care of you." His face was wet as if he had been crying in his sleep. Once when her daddy was working he stayed the night with her, he had a bad dream that scared him awake. Her daddy said that bad dreams happen to a lot of people. She gently wiped away the dark curl that fell over his eyes and kissed him on the head like her daddy did to her anytime she had a bad dream. Then she climbed down from the bed and knelt on to the over stuffed chair.
"Mr. God...Um I don't know what I'm spose to call you everyone seems to have a different name for you so I hope at least one of yous are list'ning I need your help. My Unca Dick needs your help too. See he lost his rememory. And because of that it makes him sad. I wan you give him his rememory back. He needs it.
If you not sure which one it is you might look unner Richard Grayson or nighwing. I not spose to tell anyone that they are all the same person but I think it would be ok to tell you. I heard Daddy and Mr. Bruce say he don't rememer his daddy and mommy, he don't rememer all the happy things he used to do with them before they wen to heaven." She paused a moment to peak over the chair and see if Dick had moved but he hadn't so she knelt down by the bed again and continued.
"Unca Dick was in the Circus wiff elephants and tigers and clowns an such. He used to miss him mommy a lot, like I do but my mommy not in heaven. Have him memer me and Daddy and aunt Donna too. Cause we had lots of fun together too. I know you can make him all better. I don't wan him scared no more. I don't wan him to think he hurt me I know he loves me, and I love him. So if it's ok wiff you I will lay down wiff him like my daddy does when I get scared. Thanks for lissenin."
She climbed back up into the bed being careful of the tubes tucked her self in to his arms and laid her head on his shoulder.
Bruce watched as the young man known as Arsenal to the other members of the Titans, struggled with the waves of thoughts and memories that washed through him His life was no picnic, the young man survived a lot of things, but few that he can brag on. The death of his parents and consequential feeling of not belonging he first felt being raised on the reservation; he eventually became young partner of a man who was even worse at the personal stuff of parenting then Bruce, Green Arrow. One thing led to another and Roy became hooked on drugs. Later he became involved with the government, which nearly undermined the Titans for good and if his plate wasn't full enough, he became involved with an international assassin by the name of Cheshire. But sometimes the worst mistakes in your life can give birth to your biggest blessings Cheshire is Lian mother. Lian is Roy's anchor it's what holds him to the ground when the world wants to wiz by him. It keeps him from making stupid mistakes because he has something to live for. For Batman it was Robin. For Bruce it was the young man whom lies catatonic in the Batcave. If moments like these taught Bruce anything, it taught him that Bruce Wayne did not die the same night his parents did, if he had this would not hurt so much.
"Penny for your thought Harper." He whispered as they watched the sun begin to push its light over the foreboding veil of darkness. Roy didn't look back but instead stared off in the distance.
"My first thought is to apologize for everything I ever said about you. ...Behind your back of course"
"Of course." Bruce smiled.
"The second would be to run upstairs and hold so tight to my daughter that she would never forget me or how much I love her."
"I'll tell you a little secret, Alfred confided in me, Children are like eggs no matter how hard boiled they may be if you hold them too tight they will break under the pressure and slip away through even the tiniest space between your fingers."
"Your talking about the time you fired Robin/ Dick."
Bruce confirmed Roy's interpretation with a nod.
"Third thought is that; I have spent too much time here, cause I am starting to understand you. Fourth thought is; I am dead tired and should go up to bed. And my fifth thought would be; you're a multibillionaire you should be able to afford a hell of a lot more then a nickel."