Summary: Barbara gets back on the streets against Batman's warnings and comes face to face with Dick/Nightwing. Dick takes this chance to discuss certain things with her.
Chapter 3: Back in Action
"I am ready to go back out there! Stop trying to protect me! I'm not a child!" I protested.
"You'll be ready when I say you're ready", Batman replied harshly.
I glared at him, "Why do you insist on treating me this way Bruce? I'm telling you, I'm FINE!"
Batman looked up from the computer, "When you are able to pass the level 10 simulation, then you'll be ready to go back out".
"Even you have trouble passing that simulation Bruce! Not fair", I shouted.
"Then you'll just have to train harder, won't you?" he answered smoothly.
I looked at him disgustedly. I wondered how could actually be living under the same roof with him. But I knew the answer to that. He was so different with me as Bruce Wayne. But I knew he manipulated me as Batman. I wasn't sure how much longer I could take this. It was like two different people in one. And I hated one of them.
Batman stood up from the computer and walked over to the Batmobile. I watched as he climbed in and gave me one last warning look before closing the top, turning on the engine, and speeding off out of the cave.
- No way I'm letting you manipulate me this time Bruce. I'm going out, whether you like it or not -
I made my way over to the suit vault, and grabbed my Batgirl costume from its place.
"Do you think that is a wise decision, Miss Barbara?" a voice asked from behind.
I whirled around to face Alfred; "I'm tired of him treating me like a child. I can take care of myself Alfred. I'll prove it to him tonight".
"I only hope you know what you are doing my dear", answered Alfred.
I smiled at him, "Don't worry Alfred, I'll be fine. I've being doing this for years now, I don't think a few months off is going to affect my ability to fight".
"As you wish, Miss Barbara. I pray you are right", Alfred said with a sigh.
"Thanks Alfred", I said, giving him a huge hug.
I ran to the changing room and emerged a few minutes later in costume. It felt so good to be wearing it again. I ran over to my bike, which was still in its usual spot, right next to where the Batmobile was usually parked. I jumped onto it and started the engine.
"Don't worry Alfred, I'll be fine!" I shouted over the roaring engine.
Alfred looked worried, "It's not your fighting abilities I'm worried about", he muttered, watching as Batgirl rode out of the cave.
- - - - - -
Gotham Rooftops
It felt great to have to wind blowing through my hair again. I felt so free and in control when I was Batgirl. And I was definitely ready to get back to work. I only had to figure out where Batman had gone to and I would be ready to make my comeback appearance.
Parking my bike at the usual spot, I used a grappling hook to take to the rooftops of the city. Once I was up there, I didn't need grapples anymore. A daring series of flips and jumps were all that was necessary to take me to Batman's usual patrol point.
Crouching on the edge of the Gotham International building, I viewed the whole city. I squinted to try and locate Batman, but with no success. I frowned.
- Where was he? -
It worried me a bit that I couldn't locate him. He was usually pretty easy to spot from this point.
- IF he was patrolling. Unless . . . maybe he had run into something already -
Soft footsteps from behind ripped my mind from my thoughts. As they reached me, I kicked a leg out behind, connecting with my visitor's body. Without hesitation, I whipped around, taking the intruder's legs out from under them. In a few moments, I had them securely pinned to the ground, ready to continue my attack.
"Hey! Babs, its me!", came Dick's voice from behind the mask.
My angry features relaxed into a confused look, "Dick?" I asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, it's me! Could you please get off me?", he pleaded.
Realizing that it was in fact Dick Grayson behind the mask, I stood up and helped him to his feet. I looked him over. His kevlar suit was black except for a sort of bird on his chest, which was an icy blue. It certainly went with his eyes. I noticed he had no cape and that his shoulder length hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. I hated his hair like that and hoped he would cut it.
I stared at him, "Who are you suppose to be?" I asked curiously.
"Can't you tell?" Dick joked, then noticing my serious look, he continued, "Nightwing", he said proudly.
"Goes with the suit", I replied.
"That was the idea", said Nightwing.
I stood there watching him. He shifted uncomfortably under my gaze. I realized that this was pretty awkward for both of us, so I moved towards the ledge, reaching for a grappling hook.
"Wait!" Nightwing called out.
I turned to face him, a questioning look on my face. I saw him searching for the words to say before reaching out to take my hand. My whole body tensed in anticipation to what was coming. I knew this would happen eventually, but I didn't think it would happen so soon. He had only been back a few weeks. And I hadn't seen him since the day at the Manor. In a way, I was still getting over the shock that he was actually back. I was in no way prepared for this.
"I need to talk to you Babs", Nightwing said gently.
I firmly took my hand out of his grasp, "Don't call me that out here, you know the rules", I snapped.
Nightwing flinched at my tone, "Please. I have to say this", he said.
I saw the pleading look in his eyes, so I gave him a quick nod in agreement.
Nightwing's eyes brightened a bit. Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me behind a billboard, where no one could see us. Once we were hidden, he took off his mask and faced me again. I made no move to remove my cowl.
"Babs, I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what happened. I never meant to hurt you, I was just so angry with Bruce and then when I found out that you were Batgirl, well, it didn't make things better", he ran a hand through his hair nervously.
I looked at him coldly, "Didn't mean to hurt me? What did you think would happen if you left Dick?", I spat out the word 'Dick'.
His eyes dropped, "I was angry Babs, I wasn't thinking. It was a mistake", he continued.
I laughed angrily, "If it was a mistake, then why did you stay away for TWO YEARS?"
"I was confused. I needed to be on my own for a while. Needed to live my own life. By myself", he said in defense.
"Confused? Needed to be on your own? What about me, Dick? Didn't you think of how that would affect me?" I cried out emotionally.
Nightwing remained silent.
"Do you realize how much it hurt me that you never said good-bye? That you never sent so much as a post card saying you were okay? I lost you that night Dick. I lost the man I loved. Did you ever think about that, Dick?" I continued angrily.
"I'm sorry Babs, I'm so sorry", said Dick softly.
Tears had started rolling down my cheeks, "Sorry is not enough Dick. Sorry will never be enough for what you did to me that night. I DIED that night", I choked out.
Dick grabbed my face in his hands, "I know you will never forgive me Barbara. I know that I ruined my chance with you. I just wanted you to know that I never stopped loving you. I was stupid and I did the wrong thing", he said.
- Are those tears in his eyes? -
I snapped my head out of his hands, "That's not fair Dick. You can't just come back and say these things to me and expect me to feel the same!" I yelled.
"I'm not expecting anything Babs. I only hope that you can understand why I did what I did. I wasn't running away from you, I was running away from Bruce. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out. I had to Babs!" he shouted.
"Well you should have thought about the consequences before you left!" I hissed out, wiping the tears with the back of my glove.
Dick slowly reached over and gently pulled off my cowl. He wiped the remaining tears away with his gloved hand. Then, he cupped my face in his hand and brought it up to his face.
"I'm so sorry", he whispered, kissing my cheek.
I closed my eyes tightly, "Dick, its too late. I can't . . . I'm seeing someone".
Dick's eyes narrowed, "Bruce? Bruce is just using you to fill up the loneliness he feels. The loneliness he chooses to feel instead of letting people in. I don't want to see him hurt you Babs", he said.
Barbara's eyes turned cold, "I am not some prize to be one, Dick. Just grow up and realize that I am in an adult relationship with someone. Not just a teenage fling like we had", I said severely.
Dick gave me a hurt look, "Is that all it was for you? A fling? You didn't love me?" he asked.
My stomach felt sick as I said the next words, "I thought I did Dick. But we were just hiding from each other. Hiding behind the people we were pretending to be".
Dick stared at me in shock and opened his mouth to speak, but a huge explosion behind us cut off his words. We both whipped around to face it. A huge cloud of smoke had formed over a blazing building. Recovering from the surprise of the explosion, we started to run towards the edge of the rooftop.
I pulled my cowl back on with one hand and reached for a grappling hook with the other. Beside me, Dick was fixing his own mask. I dived off the roof first, shooting the grapple as I started to freefall. Nightwing flipped off the roof and spread his arms wide, opening the gliders underneath them. He glided silently down to the ground next to me.
Batgirl glanced at him, "You don't need me to take you, right?"
Nightwing eyed me, "No, I got my own bike", he answered.
"I'll meet you there then", I replied, running into an alley. A few minutes later, I sped out of it on my bike. Nightwing stared after me for a second before hitting a button on his belt.
"Not if I get there first", he muttered as he jumped onto his own bike as it sped past him.
- - - - - -
Downtown Gotham
"He's in there", called out Nightwing as I screeched to a halt beside him.
"How do you know?" I asked, looking curiously at his bike.
"I just know. Common, we've got to find him", he ordered as he ran into the blazing building.
"Nightwing, wait!" I shouted after him.
Nightwing slid to a stop and turned to give me a questioning look. I opened a compartment on my bike and pulled out two gas masks from it. I tossed one to Nightwing, who caught it and slipped it on. Giving me a thumbs-up sign, he jumped through the fire and into the building. I slipped on my own mask and followed him into the burning inferno.
I had to shield my eyes at first until they got used to the bright light of the fire. My kevlar suit was supposed to protect me from the fire, but the heat was so incredible that I could still feel it. I looked around wildly, searching for Nightwing. He had disappeared into the flames. I didn't like the idea of being separated in this fire, but I seemed to have no choice but to go on alone.
Nightwing looked back to see that Batgirl had disappeared. He turned to go back to her, but the ceiling above him collapsed and blocked his way. He was trapped. His only option was to continue upward. Up to the rooftop. He shielded his face as he jumped through the fire.
I dove forward to escape the falling concrete as the ceiling collapsed. I landed on my hands and pushed up into a somersault. I landed in a crouch a few feet from the stairwell. I knew Nightwing would go that way, so I ran to it, covering my face as another explosion made the fire rise closer. When I reached the stairwell, I ran up the steps. I had to hurry because my mask was running out of air. I only hoped Nightwing was already up there.
Nightwing searched each floor as he made his way upward. When he reached the seventh floor, he saw two men unconscious on the ground. He knelt next to them and checked their pulses. They were all alive, but they seemed to have been knocked out. A smile spread his lips. Batman must be nearby. He started pulling one of the men towards the stairwell, when he saw Batman crouched by a third man, pulling on an air mask.
I was rounding the corner of the seventh floor staircase, when the stairwell door opened and Nightwing entered, lugging a man by the arms. I ran over to him and touched him on the shoulder. He craned his head around. He grinned at me. I gave him a small smile. Then, he signaled the room he had just come out of and raised two fingers.
- Two more left -
I nodded and ran past him into the room. I saw Batman with one of the men slung over his shoulder. I grabbed the last one and dragged with towards the stairwell.
Once we had the three men safe in the stairwell, we took a moment to rest. Then, Batman signaled us to continue up the stairs. We each grabbed one of the men and made our way up again.
When we finally reached the eleventh and top floor, we dropped the men to the ground. Nightwing grabbed at the doorknob and turned it. It wouldn't move. He rammed the door with his shoulder, but it didn't budge. Batman grabbed his arm and signaled him to take a running start. They both took several steps back. Then, they ran at the door together. The door flew opened as they rammed it.
I dragged the first man out as Batman and Nightwing went back in to get the others. After laying the man on the ground, I leaned against the wall and ripped off my gas mask. I breathed in the fresh air deeply. Batman and Nightwing came out moments later and lay the other two men next to their comrade. They both slipped off their masks. Batman looked grimly at me.
"I thought I told you to stay at home", he growled.
I looked at him defiantly, "I felt that I was ready to get back on the streets. So I did."
Batman's eyes narrowed, "I thought we had agreed that you were not ready", he said icily.
I frowned, "No, YOU thought that I was not ready. I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself", I said angrily.
Batman towered over me, "I make the rules. Not you. It's my rules that keep us alive night after night. And as a part of this team, it is your duty to abide by those rules. Do you understand?" he said menacingly.
Nightwing thought to cut in, but Batman spoke before he had even opened his mouth.
"You stay out of this. This is between me and Batgirl", Batman snapped.
Nightwing's eyes darkened, "I wasn't planning on it", he affirmed.
Batman did not even glance at Nightwing. His steely gaze was glued onto me. I realized that my breath had quickened and that I was sweating under my suit. I had let him walk over me so many times because I was always too scared to speak my mind. And I was sick of it. I had to let him know that I was my own woman and that we were PARTNERS, not master and student anymore. I had learned all I needed to take care of myself. It was time to let him know that.
I raised my chin high in defiance, "You may make the rules, but I DO NOT have to abide by them. That may have been true a year ago, but I do not need you hovering over me like if I were going to mess up any second. I KNOW what I am doing. You trained me to be able to handle any situation and be able to take care of myself. You might have been able to manipulate me with that line before, but its not going to work anymore. Save it for Robin", I declared.
Batman just glared at me. He stood up tall, towering over me. This might have intimidated me before, but now . . . now I finally had stood up to him. He would have to accept it, whether he liked it or not. I was NOT going to back down.
"If that is the way you feel, then you have no place on this team anymore", Batman said firmly. He was gone before I had a chance to let his words sink in. I ran to the ledge of the roof he had jumped off of.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! IT'S NOT FAIR!" I screamed after him.
I turned around and rammed my fist into a wall. It hurt like hell, but I was so angry that I didn't even feel it. I was so angry . . . so angry. He can't do that to me, after all we had gone through together, after everything he had said.
- I can't believe that I actually believed him -
"It's not as bad as it looks".
I had forgotten Dick was there. I turned to face him.
"Oh really? And how could you possibly know that?" I barked.
Nightwing actually laughed. I just stood there, wondering why the hell he was laughing. He noticed I wasn't smiling or laughing and stared at me.
"You're kidding me, right?" he asked in disbelief.
"If you mean, am I kidding about failing to see the humor in the situation, then no", I replied.
Nightwing jaw dropped a bit, but he recovered quickly. He studied me for a minute before speaking.
"He never told you, did he?" he asked me.
I was confused, "Tell me what?"
His gaze fell to the ground, "Why I left".
My entire face darkened at the statement, "He didn't have to".
Nightwing looked at me in the eye, "So he never told you then?"
"I told you, he didn't have to. I know you two were having problems, you know, butting heads. And then when you found out . . . about this . . . I knew that was it for you".
An amazed look fell over Nightwing's features.
"Do you really think that I left because of you?" he questioned.
- - - - - -
TBC . . .
Sorry to pull a cliffhanger on you guys, but I couldn't resist (grins evily). Now what do you think could possibly happen now? Think Babs and Dick will get back together? Check out next chapter, until then . . . REVIEW!
- Lady Artemis -