Sorry for the long delay- I'm a busy woman!

I stood with my hands on my hips, looking sternly at the Batcomputer as Bruce went through the preliminary police notes from the Iceburg Lounge.

"Nine female hostages were evacuated before police could help them. They said they were hiding in the women's bathroom- they'd locked themselves in and forced a chaise lounge against the door to prevent Penguin's thugs from getting in. It seems their absence didn't go unnoticed, and the brutes tried to force the door open. They held the door closed, not without a few injuries, until apparently…" he stopped pacing in front of the monitors and clicked on the police report to highlight the following selection, "a 'strong man in a red hooded sweatshirt' came in through the small window over the stalls, secured the door closed, and helped the women escape through the window and out of the alley.

"Evidently, one of the women was injured when trying to keep the door closed against intruders. Red Hood directed the remaining women out of the alley in the direction of the oncoming police for help, but he took the incapacitated woman with him. He left on motorcycle- none of the women caught the plates or the make/model, just that it was a motorcycle."

"Where did he take the knocked-out hostage?" I asked. Bruce leaned over the keyboard and hit the space bar, pulling up a medical file for Colleen Bucci.

"Elliot Memorial," Bruce said. "Evidently, an EMT found her body at the ambulance entrance- Red Hood must have left her there less than two minutes before she was found. Strangest part of all this," Bruce said, highlighting Colleen's name on the medical file, "is that this is your alibi." At this, he turned back to face me. I met his eyes and nodded, releasing a heavy breath. "Did you know she was at the Iceburg Lounge tonight?"

"I didn't," I answered semi-honestly, "though I'm not surprised. I spoke with her not long ago. She thinks that… well… she thinks I'm a discreet prostitute for Bruce Wayne." Bruce raised his eyebrows and looked back down at the keyboard. "To her, it looks like a viable and ludicrous career option. She's been trying to… find a client."

"I see," Bruce said, looking back up at her name on the file. "Perhaps it's time we find you a new alibi…"

"No," I said hurriedly, before I could even think of why I wanted her to keep the job. This clearly wasn't a good influence on her life; I clearly wasn't a good influence. Releasing her from this work may allow her to refocus on work more relevant to her studies and her ideal career in anthropology. But she was my friend. "Let me work with her. I can't just… walk away from her, now that she's started down this path. I want to fix it." Bruce examined my expression, and nodded back at me.

"Good," he said. "Perhaps you can start tonight. She spent the most time with Red Hood tonight, and I want to know everything she knows. If she got a look at his face, the sound of his voice, anything distinctive about him… there's a reason he was there tonight, and I want to know what it is," Bruce said as he glared up at one of the old videos from my fight with Red Hood.

"Is it possible we've got the wrong idea here?" I asked, taking a tentative step forward. Bruce's chin turned, but he didn't turn fully to face me. "So far as we know, Red Hood didn't partake in any of the action tonight. He wasn't present when Joker killed the waitress, he didn't aide in their escape… but he did swoop in to save the hostages, who are all now safe, and even went out of his way to take one to the hospital. Maybe his intentions are more altruistic than we had previously thought?"

"It's no coincidence that he showed up at Iceburg Lounge right as Joker left. He may have been at the party before, or part of Joker's escape efforts. Perhaps one of the escaped hostages had a connection to Joker. There's a connection here, and I want to find it," Batman growled at the computer. I nodded to myself, knowing that there would be no persuading him tonight.

"I'll go straight to the hospital," I confirmed.

"And I'll start running reports on the other released hostages now, see if there are any threads we can pick up," he responded. I turned to leave, but stopped when Batman called, "and Barbara?"

"Yes?"

"Good work tonight, with Two-Face. You've come along nicely," Bruce said genuinely. I smiled back at him.

"Thank you," I said, and he returned to his work. I left the cave and went upstairs to the room that had been designated for me. I changed out of my suit and into some leggings and a white tee shirt, throwing my hair into a messy high ponytail. I quietly crept across the top of the staircase, just in case Bruce decided now was a good time to leave the Batcave, over to Jason's bedroom. The door was closed, so I tapped softly on the wood of the door with the tip of my finger.

"Jason?" I quietly called through the door. He didn't answer, but I couldn't tell if it was because he couldn't hear me. I twisted the doorknob and poked my head in the door to see Jason, wet and shining in the light from a recent shower, face down and sprawled across the bed over the sheets. His red hooded sweatshirt was half under the bed, as if Jason had tried to hide it in a hurry. I stepped into the room and used my foot to nudge the red hoodie under the bed the rest of the way.

Jason's body suddenly jolted awake and he flipped on the bed, coming up to his elbow with panicked and wakeful eyes as he stared at me.

"It's just me!" I whispered with innocent hands raised. His eyes pinched closed as his adrenaline lowered, and he rubbed his eyes.

"Barbara…"

"I'm sorry," I said, placing a hand on his knee to mollify him, "go back to sleep." He crashed down on the blankets, wiping his face. "I just wanted to thank you," I said. He looked up at me curiously. "For… everything tonight," I smiled. He dropped his head back to the blankets with a smile.

"Just doin' my job, ma'am," he responded in a sarcastically playful, though sleepy, voice. I smiled wider back as I removed my hand from his knee. "She's okay," he comforted me as he pulled a blanket over his body. "Knock on the head, but she'll be fine. And no one saw my face… though all of the hostages saw me." I nodded.

"I'll take care of sidetracking Batman," I whispered. "Thank you for helping them. Especially for Colleen, but… for all of them."

"Thanks for trusting me," he smiled back at me with closed eyes. I reached down and affectionately pushed the dark hair away from his forehead. The touch surprised him and he jolted awake a bit; I withdrew my hand a moment, just to show I meant no harm, then continued the gesture until his mussed hair looked semi groomed.

"Get some sleep," I smiled, then turned to leave.

"You too, Batgirl," he sleepily responded. I quietly left the room and Alfred graciously offered to take me to the hospital.

"Did you hear anything else from Nightwing tonight?" I couldn't keep myself from asking. The evening had kept my thoughts occupied, between chasing down Harley Quinn and keeping Jason's identity hidden. But now that things were calming down, my thoughts kept returning to Dick holding me on that rooftop- how his arms wrapped around me when I kissed him, how he rolled over me, how he wouldn't let me leave without another kiss. All I could think about was wanting to revisit those moments.

"No, Miss Gordon. I believe he returned to Bludhaven, after he assisted Master Todd in the Bowery," he said. I nodded to myself, sitting back on the leather seat and trying to get my head right to see Colleen. I needed to stay focused; my thoughts about Dick would have to wait. I checked my phone as Alfred drove, seeing more missed calls from Colleen as well as two missed calls from my dad and a text from him.

Dad, 1h ago
Tell me you're safe

I texted back as quickly as I could.

Sorry, I was sleeping. I'm okay- what's going on?

Alfred dropped me off in front of the entrance to the ER at Elliot Memorial. I thanked him and wished him a goodnight, hoping he'd get more sleep than I would. The ER was plenty busy, thanks to Joker's attack on Penguin's club - though, I was pretty sure one of the guys I passed in the waiting area had been one of Two-Face's men. I walked straight to the desk to a Black woman in scrubs sitting at a computer.

"Hi, I'm looking for Colleen Bucci?" I asked her.

"Are you family?" she replied. I tightened my lips, knowing the truth would not grant me admission.

"No, I'm her friend…"

"Family only, dear, sorry," she answered absent-mindedly.

"Please, if you could just check? I don't think she has family nearby. She lives alone…"

"Sorry, honey, but if you ain't family I can't let you in," she shook her head.

"Could you just see if she asked for me? My name is…"

"Barbara," the familiar voice of my father called me as he emerged from the ER doors.

"Dad," I answered, stumped at why he was there.

"What are you doing here, are you okay?" he asked, immediately wrapping me in a hug as he reached me. I pulled away from him and looked him up and down.

"Yes, I'm fine… what are you doing here?" I asked him. He shook his head, looking around the crowded waiting room.

"Damn Cobblepot… opened a lounge, invited the Joker, then got surprised when everything went to hell," he said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Joker?" I asked, feigning surprise.

"I thought you knew, your friend Colleen was admitted…"

"I know, that's why I'm here… she called me, told me she was in trouble. I figured she went to the hospital- she's still here?" I asked, doing my best to make up a believable and vague story.

"Yeah, she's right this way," he said, leading me towards the ER. An officer at the door unquestioningly let us in, and dad led me directly back to Colleen's bed. She wasn't in a room by herself, but was behind a curtain in an open area filled with hospital beds. Her eyes were closed; she was asleep. I hurried to her side and sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing her hand. "She woke up for a little while there, when the nurses were hooking her up to the machines. But she's been in and out since… we've been waiting to question her, since she was present not only for Joker's attack, but for Cobblepot's 'alleged' hostage situation, and the sudden appearance of this 'Red Hood.'"

"Red Hood?" I asked, genuinely curious about what he thought was going on.

"This man in a red hood saved a group of hostages… 'alleged hostages' from Cobblepot's lounge. He's the one who brought her here. We've been waiting to question her," he explained. I nodded understandingly, wondering if she had anything incriminating she might share about Jason. I looked down at her face, still covered in makeup with one bruised corner of her forehead. I turned back to dad.

"I'll let you know when she wakes up, if you have other things to do?" I offered. He turned aside, as if he were expecting someone else to call after him. No one did, but he still turned back to me as if he were needed elsewhere.

"Thanks, Barb," he said, just collegially enough to be familiar without being too colloquial around his employees. And he turned away and left. I stayed by Colleen's side, stroking the top of her hand with my thumb and wondering if it would be a matter of minutes before she woke up or a matter of hours.

Luckily, it was less than an hour before Colleen awoke, but it was enough time for me to realize that it was past 3am and that I was more tired than I cared to admit.

"Barbara?" she groaned, which woke me from the semi-slumber I had found at her side. I jolted awake, my head rising from where it had been lying atop her hand. I realized that the hand that interlaced her fingers had gone totally numb, and I resisted the urge to pull it back from her and shake it to life.

"Colleen," I whispered in a groggy voice. "How are you? Are you okay?"

"You came," she smiled groggily at me. I smiled widely back.

"Of course I came," I said. "You had me so worried… what were you doing at that club…"

"You know what I was doing there," Colleen waved me away with sleepy hands, but then a tired hand came to her face as she realized how much energy it took to ignore me. I leaned forward and grabbed her hand back, clutching it in mine.

"Colleen, I need to tell you something," I said, rubbing her fingers nervously. Her attention refocused on me, though I couldn't quite decipher if she was just confused or annoyed. "I'm not… what you think I am," I said. At this, she pulled her hand back and propped herself up on her elbows.

"What do you mean?" she asked. I couldn't hesitate long or she would grow suspicious; but I also couldn't tell her the truth.

"I mean," I answered slowly, formulating the thoughts as I spoke them, "that I'm not… what you think I am. I'm… a self-defense coach." Colleen's eyes narrowed suspiciously at me.

"That…"

"Makes no sense?" I anticipated the question. "Yeah, I realize that."

"Why do I only ever cover for you at night?" she asked.

"Look… my clients aren't looking for run-of-the-mill self-defense training. This is intense, fight for your life training. For people that might not have other options, you know? When bodyguards and stuff aren't enough," I clarified. Her head cocked suspiciously at me.

"So… you creep up on millionaires… and try to kidnap them? For self-defense training?" she asked. I shrugged, then nodded.

"Not exactly, but… essentially," I said. She turned away a moment, contemplating a question that had her mouth hanging open. But she closed her mouth, swallowing the question. Then she turned back to me with another.

"So… you're not a…"

"No," I clarified.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked. I turned away and let out a sigh, then a shrug.

"Confidentiality is very important to my clients… I just assumed you'd been told that, and I was meant to roll with it. Then I realized you weren't and… I felt really stupid," I laughed out. "I felt really stupid," I repeated, and she laughed at me this time. "I'm so sorry… I wish I'd said something sooner…"

"No, don't…" she waved me away again. "I'm the one… God, I can't believe I… woof," she tried to laugh away, and I laughed with her in support. "Can we… maybe, turn the clocks back and pretend none of this ever happened?"

"Absolutely," I nodded, but I scooted closer, "but not before you tell me about tonight. What happened?"

"Oh my God, you would not believe," she started, suddenly more energetic than I had seen her all night. "So this waitress was killed, I don't know why, but the club owner like freaked out. Even after the guy left, he was furious and, like, yelling at us that he wanted us to continue the party but his goons were like manhandling people. One of them grabbed me and like threw me towards the dancefloor, like he could somehow force me to have fun," she said, raising her arm and showing me the already bruised circles of fingerprints from the man that had grabbed her. "We all kept trying to leave, like, obviously the party was over, right? There was a dead waitress just collapsed by one of the booths! But he wouldn't let us leave, and his goons started pulling out their guns and firing at the ceiling and threatening us.

"It was around then that you called me back, finally- and I did what you said. There were a bunch of other single women like me that were just there to have a good time and maybe meet someone, so I grabbed a bunch and took them to the bathroom like you said. We locked the door and pushed the couch against the door, but one of the guys must have seen us go in there. At first, he was like knocking and trying to get in… I think he was trying to like.. hook up with someone?" her voice began to strain- the story was no longer wild, but a scary memory. "But then he started getting angry and throwing himself against the door and yelling. And then he called more guys and they were all pounding on the door, so the girls and me all pushed back against the door- we didn't know what would happen if they got to us, but it wouldn't be good, you know?

"So I was on top of the couch, pushing my whole side against the door, and they hit it really hard- I don't know what happened, but my head started throbbing. I just kept pushing against the door, I couldn't think of what else to do, but things got really fuzzy and I couldn't hear the other girls as well anymore. And, like, out of nowhere, this guy in a red hoodie sweatshirt comes up and he's got this pipe and I swear to God- he bends it like it's nothing and wedges it around the door handle so it stops budging. And he shouts, 'the window, now!' And that's when I realized, he'd come in through this tiny window in the bathroom that had been sealed shut. He broke out the glass and helped us use some of the girls' shawls to keep us from getting cut, and he was helping them climb out.

"Right about then was when my head started killing really bad- I was dizzy and everything felt really fuzzy and I thought I might puke. But he seemed to know something was off and he caught me before I could fall. He basically held me up until all the other girls had gotten out the window, then he helped me climb through. And Barb, this guy was like… seriously hot."

"You saw his face?" I asked, panic igniting in my stomach.

"No, I have no idea what he looks like. But he was so strong, but his grip was like soft, you know? Like, gentle? Like, this guy knows how to treat a lady. And when he spoke, his voice was like… serious and urgent, but soft and gentle, you know? It was pretty hot."

"I think maybe your head was fuzzier than you realized," I smiled with a breathy chuckle. She smiled back.

"Probably. But getting out that window took everything out of me; I couldn't even stand, I was so dizzy. The other girls tried to help me, but he told them to get out of the alley and go down the block with their hands raised, and that the police would help them. And he scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing and he carried me out of the alley, then he, like, swooped down onto the lower level of the Bowery like it was nothing- it had to have been like a twenty foot drop! And his motorcycle was there, and he sat me in front of him on the bike like that, like I was riding side-saddle on a horse, and he drove me to the hospital. And the whole time, I was just like… cradled against him. It was so…

"You know, I guess I did get a little bit of a look at him," she thought to herself, and my jaw tensed as she meditated on the memory. "Yeah… he was white, no beard… really strong jaw… you know, I guess I just saw his chin," she laughed. "But I could tell, just from how he carried himself, he was really cute. And when we got to the hospital, he laid me down on the ground by an ambulance and told me not to get up, to just wait and someone would come help me. And I asked who he was… he didn't answer, obviously, but he turned back and gave me this little salute. How cute is that?"

"Super cute," I said, more to mollify her than anything. I needed to make sure her small descriptions of him stayed to herself; these were breadcrumbs that would eventually lead either the police or Bruce back to Jason, and we couldn't have that. "He sounds amazing."

"A knight in shining armor," she said dreamily as her head leaned back on the pillows. "Only, you know, it was a hoodie and a jean jacket."

"And he didn't, like, hurt you or anyone, right?"

"No, God no," she shook her head. "He was a perfect angel. He's like… better than Batman." I nodded thoughtfully.

"You know, some of the cops think he was there to help Joker," I told her. Colleen's eyes doubled in size.

"Joker was there?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he's the one that killed that waitress," I said. Colleen exhaled deeply.

"Oh my God…"

"And they think this guy might be involved somehow," I said again.

"There's no way. I mean, this guy couldn't have had anything to do with Joker. He saved me, he saved all of us, and he didn't hurt anyone," she said. I nodded, looking down the hospital corridor to see my dad talking to an officer. I'd have to tell him she was awake soon.

"You should tell the police that," I said, but returned my cautious gaze to her, "but maybe don't tell them what he looked like?"

"Why not?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I mean… if he's not involved with Joker, the cops don't know that yet. They might be trying to hunt him down and arrest him. If he's as good a guy as you say… I'd hate to see him get arrested before we can prove he's innocent," I shrugged. Colleen's shoulders relaxed as she thought that over.

"Oh… yeah, I think you're right," she said. I nodded and reached forward, softly brushing the hair away from her bruise.

"Wait right here," I said as I stood. "I see my dad- he wanted to talk to you about all this." She nodded, and I began to step away.

"Hey Barb?" she called after me, and I stopped at the foot of her bed, "I'm really glad you came over tonight." I smiled back, grabbing one of her feet and squeezing to share that the feeling was mutual, then I fetched my dad for his report.

When the report had been filed, the doctors gave Colleen something to calm down and get more sleep. She asked me to come back the next day, if I could, since they wanted to keep her a while longer for observation. But it was late, so I gave my dad a kiss on the cheek for the night and I walked out of the emergency room lobby, my phone raised as I opened the Uber app on my phone. When I saw two feet in boots leaning against a motorcycle on the curb, I slowed and raised my gaze.

Dick leaned against his bike, watching me as if he had been waiting for me. As if I had called him there. "For a minute there," he smirked at me, "I thought you might be avoiding me." I stepped closer, smiling coyly.

"Not avoiding," I confirmed, "just busy."

"Got a minute for me now?" he asked sweetly. He leaned forward and I could sense his hands moving to grab me, his lips eager to be on mine.

"Not here," I said quietly, lowering my gaze as I nervously scanned the sidewalks. "We don't know who's watching." I felt him scan the sidewalks, then turn back to me.

"Let me take you somewhere," he said, though I knew it was a question more than an insistence. I stepped around him, grabbing the helmet from the back of his bike.

"Your place?" I asked. He paused and looked at me a bit surprised, then smiled a wide grin.

"Uh yeah," he affirmed and mounted his bike. I kept my hands tight around his waist as he drove us to Bludhaven and into the parking garage under his building. Once in the elevator, we realized we hadn't spoken a word to each other. He turned with his mouth open, words caught in his throat, before closing it again and laughing a little to himself. I breathily chuckled back.

"It's late," I finally said as the elevator climbed to his penthouse.

"Technically, one could argue that it's early," Dick said. "Some psychos start their days at 4:30." The elevator dinged as it released us on his floor. He led me into the kitchen, placing the motorcycle helmet down on the edge of the counter as he moved on. "Are you still game for a nightcap?"

"Absolutely," I said as I passed the counter and walked to the windows of the penthouse, looking out over his balcony and over the city. It was a quiet hour, late enough that the criminals had gone to sleep but too early for the pedestrians to be on the streets. It was peaceful, nothing to worry about and no immediate action to take. We were alone in the city for now.

"Pinot noir?" Dick said as he offered a thin stemmed glass to me.

"I'm partial to a cabernet, but won't object," I smiled as I took the glass, and he clinked his against mine. Our eyes locked as we each took a sip, the thick and earthy wine sliding down my throat and coating my lips. As I lowered the glass, I lowered my gaze as well. "We need to make some ground rules," I said as I turned back towards the kitchen.

"Ground rules?" Dick asked after me.

"Rules of engagement," I said as I turned back to him, taking another sip of my wine. "Bruce doesn't want me dating you."

"It doesn't matter what Bruce wants…" Dick started, stepping closer to me.

"And what he doesn't know won't hurt him," I said before Dick could wrap his arms around me and distract me. Dick's eyes searched my own.

"You want to keep this a secret from him," he confirmed.

"From everyone," I confirmed. Dick stepped away from me towards the kitchen counter. "Bruce, Alfred… even Jason."

"Why?" Dick asked, turning back to me with a forced smile. "That embarrassed of me?" I hurried to his side and put my hand softly on his arm.

"It's none of their business," I said, "what we are and what we do on our own time." Dick placed his wine glass down and leaned back against the countertop, facing me and pulling me closer.

"And what are we?" he asked, looking at me seriously. It wasn't a seductive and taunting question, but a legitimate one. I reached around him to place my wine glass down on the counter, then reached up and pressed a kiss on his lips. His hands held onto my upper arms as I kissed him, but pulled me away before our heat grew too intense. "That didn't answer my question," he said with a playful, but nervous smile. I shrugged one shoulder nervously forward, all too aware that I felt vulnerable offering the first response.

"We're… giving things a shot," I said vaguely, letting my palms come to rest on his chest. But the answer clearly didn't satisfy him. His hands ran down my arms and grabbed my hands.

"I don't want this to be a one-night thing," he shook his head. I felt my jaw tense and my cheeks turn red as he lifted one of my hands and kissed the heel of my palm. "And I'm not going to share you- not with Daniel or anyone else. Can you agree to that?" I met his eyes.

"Can you agree to keep this between us? And professional, when we're at work?" I asked. He smiled.

"Come on, when am I not professional?" he joked. I smiled back, but kept serious eyes on him. "Can you?"

"I can," I agreed. His hand wrapped around the back of my neck, and his thumb brushed against my cheek.

"Then so can I," he agreed. I felt a weight lift off me, like all my burdens had been taken away. My neck tilted back as he pulled me to him. "Can I kiss you, Barb?" he asked, and I felt my breath leave me in anticipation.

"Please," I whispered up to him, his lips so close to mine that I could hardly bear to wait for him. His eyes closed and he pressed his lips against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him; I'd be getting no sleep tonight.