Selina Wayne's personal secretary looked up across the outer office to where a teenager of 15, with coal-black hair sat waiting. 'He looks so much like his mother' Jenny thought 'but he has his fathers eyes.' The boy in question was also rumoured to have inherited his mother's sly wit and temper, two of the things that had made her such a force in the business world and that had elevated the division of Wayne Enterprises that she chaired; The Wayne Foundation, into the second most successful company in the United States. Still a scant few points behind LexCorp, but as she was fond of reminding her husband a few points ahead of Wayne Enterprises.
"Good afternoon Dick, are you here to see your Mother?"
"Hi, Jenny. Yeah I am, if she's not too busy, I know she's trying to finish confirming the donations for this year's Gala for the Clinic, so I understand if she needs this to wait until this evening." Dick coloured as he finished, "I just needed to catch her away from Bruce that's all."
Jenny looked closely at the boy for the first time, his shoulders slumped and he looked positively lost, Dick looked as forlorn as she had ever seen him. Clearly something had happened and he wanted his mother on his side before he had to go home, it was not lost on Jenny that the school day was very much still in progress for the rest of the fifteen year-olds in the city. She hoped that cutting class would not compound the problem.
"Don't worry, love, I'm sure she'll be glad of the break." Jenny rose to go through to Selina's office, well aware, unlike Dick, the office rule was that if her son needed to see Selina, he got her undivided attention regardless of what she was doing. She hoped today would not be the exception.
"Mrs Wayne?"
"Yes, Jenny what is it?" Selina pushed the stray lock of hair back from her furrowed brows as she eyed her P.A. warily. Today had not been going well, at least a dozen people had told Selina Wayne 'No' since she entered the Wayne Foundation office at 10 that morning. It was not a situation she was used to or in any way enjoyed.
"It's your son ma'am, he's outside waiting to see you, if you're not too busy?" Jenny finished in a rush.
At this news Selina's whole posture changed, the tension and stress that had gathered through the day seemed to melt from her shoulders. As she rose and made her way round the desk the natural grace that was so commented on in the society pages was in clear evidence as she moved with an ease born of many years training. "Send him in Jenny, you know I'm never too busy for Dick."
As Selina waited for Dick to come through, her eyes glanced at the clock, she hadn't thought that it had got that late, she really had hoped to have this all finished before Dick got out of class. Her eyes narrowed, 1:30 p.m., what the hell was he doing out of class at 1:30 in the afternoon, did he have any idea how much trouble he would be in when his father found out that he cut class. Robin would be grounded, and the mood in the Manor was likely not to improve for a good few weeks. God, she hoped this was going to be good, she didn't think that she could be responsible for her actions if she had to deal with the big, bad Bat as soon as she arrived home. After today she was likely to claw his eyes out, maybe Alfred would let her use one of the guest rooms.
Her thoughts rocketed back to the day Bruce had told her he was the Batman, they had only been engaged a week the official announcement was due at a press conference in two days time and she was having.... Selina smiled as she completed the thought ... 'kittens', which was both absurd and strangely appropriate, about telling him she was Catwoman. When he told her of his crusade over a fantastic dinner, presided over with cool efficiency by Alfred, so many things fell into place in her mind she had blurted out that she was Catwoman almost before she had had chance to consider what it might mean to him. Criminal and Crime Fighter co-ruling a business empire, it could have almost been the plot of one of Dick's absurd comic books he was so fond of. She was perturbed to this day how easily she had given up her criminal activities to fight alongside the Dark Knight of the Gotham, they had soon discovered quite how formidable a team they were in so many ways.
At that moment the couple's proudest achievement walked in, looking like he was about to face a firing squad. One glance was all it took for Selina's anger to evaporate, it had been a good five or six years since she had seen that look and it was one she had hoped too never see again. "Dick, honey, is everything alright?"
"I suppose so, Selina, I'm just a little confused, and I wanted to talk to you about something but not Bruce, but if you're busy I can go." Dick's words trailed off into a whisper.
"No, I'm not busy," Selina lied easily, "but I am thirsty. What say you and I go down to the Cafe for a hot chocolate, they're not as good as Alfred's but they are good? Or we could have some brought up if you'd prefer?"
"It's ok, I don't need anything, but I'll wait here if you want to go down." Dick sighed and took a seat on the leather sofa, Selina left to get her order phoned through and Dick was left looking round the office. The office was clearly the domain of the woman who had become the closest thing he had to a mother in the last few years, brilliantly stylish but ever so slightly chaotic, unlike Bruce's office it actually looked like someone worked and used this office, even if they didn't always put things away once they had used them. He flashed to an incident about four week's go when he had exasperated Alfred past the point of his endurance at the state of his room. He couldn't help overhearing Alfred's muttered comment after the event:
"I'm sorry Alfred, I really am, I'll clean up as soon as I finish my home work." Dick flashed a grin at the butler.
"Well, make sure that you do, Master Richard, a gentleman should take care of his possessions." Alfred turned to leave and started back downstairs to finish preparing for the evening meal. "That boy is getting more like his mother every day." he muttered as he began to descend the wide staircase. In his room Dick smiled at the old man's compliment, he longed to be just like Selina, she could get away with anything, he was certain.
Selina came back into the office and paused, looking at Dick and wondered just how to help him open up about whatever it was that was bothering him. He looked so deep in thought, she wondered what he was thinking, but was immediately gratified by the slight smile, a ghost of his usual but encouraging none the less. "So, Mr Grayson, what can I do for you today?" She asked dropping into the lounge chair opposite, lacing her fingers and grinning at her son.
"I'm fine, Selina, you don't need to be worried"
"I'm not worried kid, but something is up or you wouldn't be cutting class, now would you?"
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok, Dick, and I'll square it with Bruce when we get home as well, but is there anything I can help with?"
"It's just..." Dick faltered. He took a deep breath and Selina could almost hear him fight for the words to best express what he wanted. "I needed to get my head straight about something, that I couldn't deal with and deal with school as well. I'm scared, Selina, for the first time in years, I'm scared. I wish I wasn't and I don't want to disappoint Bruce, or you."
Again he faltered for the words, Selina sat quietly, knowing that she had to let him finish before making any comment or moving, for risk of him never finishing. This she knew from years of practice, but it was never any easier, when all she wanted to do was gather him into her arms and make wildly unrealistic promises that she would make everything ok and that Dick would never have to be scared ever again, regardless of what he was scared of. Remaining still cost her more willpower than she thought she had.
"I'm scared, Selina, of losing you and Bruce and Alfred, of my family being taken away from me again. I don't know why, I mean, Bruce is The Batman," Dick said it like the name belonged in a bold gothic script, "he's as powerful as Superman, more so in some ways, and its all been him, just the power of his mind and training, no special powers. Its the same with you, there is nowhere that you can't get into and out again without being seen, there are days I think I'll never match your skills, ever be worthy of the Legacy that you two have been building, both in and out of costume. But worse than that, I'm scared that I'm going to be in the wrong place and I won't be able to support you like I should and that you'll be taken from me as well." He paused.
"Like I couldn't support my parents." He finished quietly.
"Oh, Honey." Selina crossed to kneel in front of Dick, her mind a whirl. She and Bruce should have seen this coming should have expected this, but they had such pride and trust in this boy, in their boy that they had not even considered the responsibility that they had placed on his shoulders. "Did something happen on patrol, or with the Titans, that has brought this up?"
"No, patrol was fine and it's been pretty quiet for the Titans just recently. Just there was a kid at school, we have some classes together, we're not, like friends, but we get on. His father died yesterday, in an accident at work, and it just got me thinking that's all." Dick lapsed into silence again and stared at the carpet, then looked up and met Selina's eyes for the first time that afternoon. "You won't tell Bruce, will you Selina? Please, he'd want me to stay at home and, and, well I'd rather be there that's all." Dick looked away again.
Selina sighed, now she understood why he looked the way he did, there would be nightmares tonight again she was sure, she'd have to warn Alfred. Jenny knocked quietly, looked across and quietly placed the mugs on Selina's desk and left. Selina gathered Dick into her arms briefly, "Just give me a minute," she whispered into his hair. She crossed room and left.
Dick heaved a sigh and stared at the ceiling, he felt a little better, as he always did after talking to Selina. He'd spent the whole morning trying to decide who to talk to, he felt a little silly now, of course he needed to talk to Selina, Alfred was his first choice as always but Selina, understood.
Selina strode back into the room and went straight to her desk and began to gather her things from the drawer's, as the last drawer slammed Dick, looked up, "Come on, Dick, grab your things, we're leaving." With that Selina swept from the room, as he followed her out he heard her giving Jenny instructions about rearranging her afternoon appointments and contacting Bruce's secretary and Alfred to let them know that she and Dick were together, but that they might be late back to the Manor that evening. Despite how he was feeling, he was more than a little intrigued as to where they were going.
A short while later Dick found himself in the roof of Dr Thompkins' clinic, staring down into the centre of Crime Alley. Why had Selina brought him here? This was merely the embodiment of what he feared, the example of how random violence can change lives forever. Did she want Dick to give up being Robin? Did she want to drive home his fears? Did she really think that he could do that, God to stay home night after night like Alfred, not knowing if they were going to come back? He would rather carry the guilt of their deaths for the rest of his days, knowing he had done all that he could, than remain behind to wonder if he had been there. Dick shot a glance at the woman he considered to be his mother, what was her motives behind this? Why here?
Selina stood erect on the edge of the building, enjoying the sensual pleasure of the uninterrupted wind through her hair, finally preparing what she would say to Dick.
"When I first met Bruce here he wanted to end it, he couldn't deal with losing someone else to this alley. I had to fight tooth and nail to convince him that I at least had started this because I could and because it was a game for me. That is what he could never understand that for me all this is a game. I love the fact that we make a difference to people's lives every single night, but this is a game, nothing more. A game any of us could stop playing at any time if that was what we really wanted to do. But I don't think any of us will." She sighed and looked up at the sky again. "This is what we do Dick, this is now we live. I know that sometimes it can be scary as hell but it's who we are. I could no more give it up than he could, or I suspect than you could." She turned to look at her son. "Dick, this is a question only you can answer for yourself, but I suspect you know in your heart what that answer is going to be. Could you give it up? Could you, even to escape the fear and the dread and the fact that we see the absolute worst of humanity every night, never fly again?"
Dick looked out over the rooftops, and as always saw past the grime, the filth and the smog, to see 'his' rooftops, the area of Gotham that he patrolled, where people were grateful not to Batman, not to Catwoman, not even to the new Batgirl, but to Robin. His patch, where night after night he flew to the aid of those that could not, or in some cases would not, defend themselves. He looked back across at Selina, to find her smiling at him.
"Doesn't make it any less scary, does it?" She said.
"No." He replied, "but it does go some way to make it worth the fear. And you're right by the way; I couldn't give it up now. Maybe if there was just me to worry about, but there isn't is there; it's everyone else who relies on us."
Selina smiled at her son, so responsible for his age, she had one more thing she needed to say. "Dick, you realise that we will all fall one day. One day, be it by accident or design or blind luck, Bruce and I will fall. Then, it will be your turn. Our little Robin who has grown up to be better than both sets of his parents, because your skills are all of our skills in one." She reached over and pulled Dick into her arms, her eyes stinging, "We are so proud of you Dick, we may not say it enough, but we are, and whether you choose to carry on our work here or set your sights even higher, you will succeed. And Bruce and I will never leave you, just as John and Mary have never left you."
And when, later that evening, the small family took to the air over Gotham once more, it was the little Robin who raced ahead of his parents.