"Nightwing, come in."
He clicked a button on his communicator. "What's going on?"
"They headed East, into a small town called… Willow Hill." Cyborg's voice sounded more like a computer with the new update to the communicator.
"Got it. I'll head there now."
Richard swerved to the left on his new and improved motorcycle. He didn't have to speed down the highway for very long, when he passed an arch made of willow branches. Welcome to Willow Hill.
It was nearing sunrise, he could see a few soft rays of light peek over the hills in the distance.
He spotted them. Robotic hounds created by Brother Blood.
They were clawing at the door of a regular house.
Nightwing took them on.
They left a few slashes on him, but he managed to dismember most of them.
He was fine. Even as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, he was fine.
He heard a door open.
His eyes whipped to the sound and he saw a little girl.
She was staring at him with her big electric blue eyes. Her skin was a tanned golden, and her hair was dark. She was wearing a floral print dress and light purple sandals.
"Whoa." Her eyes grew in size as she recognized who he was. "You're Nightwing."
Richard tried a weak smile.
"Are you injured? I'll call momma. Wait here." The little girl went back inside her house.
Richard stumbled over to his bike and took off, just as the girl's mother was opening the door.
"Momma, Nightwing was right here."
"Well, he's gone, Flora. Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I'm telling the truth momma, he was injured, right here in Mr. Davidson's yard!"
"He's not here anymore, Flora. He probably has another town to save tonight."
…
Richard grimaced at his abdomen. There was a jarring wound there, from the robotic hound's metal claws. It was deeper than he had expected and he was losing both blood and sanity with each breath.
He tried to reach for his communicator but his arms wouldn't listen to him. His body was shutting down. He had no clue what to do.
…
Flora pouted. "Momma, I have to find it, please."
"You should have told me yesterday. There's no way we're going to find it now."
They were walking by the park where they'd had a picnic the day before. Flora had lost her action figure somewhere.
"We can try! Come on, Momma." Flora pulled on her mother's sleeve.
"Fine. But only if you promise to finish your homework tonight."
"I promise! Thank you, Momma."
The two of them searched the park for the better part of the day.
Nearing sunset, when both of them were covered in dust, dirt and scratches, Flora saw someone, lying on the grass behind an old stone fountain.
"Momma? There's sometime here."
"And?" Her mother called, from beside the pond.
"There's blood."
Her mother was beside her in a heartbeat.
"Flo, stay here."
Her mother walked carefully around the fountain.
She brought her hands to her mouth and knelt down.
…
Richard was polishing his R-cycle, when Raven appeared beside him.
It had been a hard few weeks for the Titans. Starfire had left them suddenly, leaving only a note requesting they not look for her.
But of course they had. They had tried so, so hard, but to no avail.
"Do you love her?" Typical Raven, straight to the point.
Richard looked up at her, slouching and dropping his cloth. "You're my best friend, Raven. You tell me, because I don't really know why I feel this empty."
Raven looked uncomfortable. She was fidgeting with her fingers.
"You didn't tell anyone when you two…"
Richard blushed. "How did you even know?"
"You two were projecting like hell, during and after."
Richard chuckled. "How can you even say that with a straight face?"
Raven smirked.
There was a moment there, warm and bright, before the weight of their world came crashing on them and they sobered.
"Could you ever leave all this?" She asked.
He looked pointedly at her.
"Stupid question." She looked away.
"It's not." he picked up his cloth and began polishing again. "I just don't think I could ever love something enough to let go. Not even Star. Not even you."
Raven nodded and picked up another cloth. "I'll help."
/
Three days after their conversation, Raven left.
'I love something enough' she left on his nightstand.
Richard had never felt so hollow. Robin burned to the ground. Nightwing rose from the ashes.
Richard felt a calming, peaceful sensation on his torso. Like a cool, healing balm being applied to the insides of his wounds. He felt relaxed, sleepy.
He opened his eyes, wincing.
He thought he was dreaming.
Beautiful, cool, dark blue eyes stared back at him. Skin so pale it looked almost greyish.
"Raven?"
The name coursed through his system, ran through his nerves, electrifying them, waking him up from the inside.
He jolted up.
A hand restrained him.
"Don't move. Stay still for a few moments."
"How, why are you here?"
She held up a fist. "Stop moving. I will knock you out."
"Raven! Just -"
…
Richard was on a bed. It was more cushiony than he was used to.
He opened his eyes.
He was in someone's bedroom. The walls and furniture were different shades of blue and grey.
He heard voices from outside.
"Hello?"
Raven came in, holding a tray.
"Figured you'd be waking up soon."
"You actually knocked me out, though." The pain in his abdomen was mostly gone. He checked the wound, briefly, with his hands and just found scarred skin.
"You were re-opening your wound."
Raven placed the tray on her nightstand and helped him sit up on her bed.
"So this is where you've been for the last ten years. A tiny town about an hour's drive from Jump City."
"I told you. I found something to leave for."
"You didn't tell me anything, Raven. Having a weird conversation and leaving an note three days later is not letting me know why you decided to leave."
"Drink the soup. We'll talk when you're less feverish."
Raven sternly, left the room.
Richard felt properly scolded.
He took a sip of the soup. It was nice. The Raven he knew couldn't cook so well.
He left the rest on the tray and stood up.
He followed Raven out into the hallway, which lead to a living room.
"Momma! The man's awake!"
He looked down to see the little girl who'd spotted him, injured. Flora. He touched his face and realised his mask was off. He was wearing completely different clothes.
Raven came in, hearing Flora.
Richard stared at her. "So this is what you found."
"Yeah. And if you're better, maybe you should leave." Raven frowned.
"Momma, can I play some more?" Flora asked. She was holding a little doll wearing a homemade Nightwing costume.
Raven knelt down in front of her. "No. You promised me that you would finish your homework if we found your doll."
Flora looked dejectedly at the Nightwing doll. "This is all your fault." she said to it.
Raven cleared her throat and placed a workbook on a small desk.
Flora trudged over to it, slouching and groaning.
Richard hid a few chuckles behind coughs.
Raven looked at him, pointedly. She pointed in the direction of her bedroom.
He went. And sat down on the bed.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us. Tell me." He said as she walked in.
"It wasn't my secret to tell." Raven said. "Not that she's a secret at all." She added.
Richard groaned. "What does that even mean, Raven? You had a kid! Are you in a relationship? Were you back then?"
"What's it to you, Ro- Richard?" She sighed. "Look, I'm fine. I have been fine for the last six years. In fact, I have been great. It is more than I ever hoped for."
"I'm just trying to understand why you couldn't just tell us."
"I told you." Raven sat down on the floor beside his legs. She sighed again.
"She doesn't look like you. Except your hair. And your contacts, kind of."
Raven put her head in her hands. "I know."
A high pitched squeal came from the living room, followed by a blast.
Raven was gone before the sound was up.
Richard ran to the living room to see Raven's hands and eyes glowing black… and Flora's eyes glowing green.
She was floating. There was a blast hole through the desk where she was working.
"Star?"
Raven zipped down to where Flora was. "Flo, what did I say about using your powers?"
"But Momma, there was a spider!"
"Then you call me. Always. Now I have to explain to your teacher why your homework has a hole through it. Again."
"Momma, I'm tired." Flora yawned. She held her arms up to Raven.
Raven picked her up, patting her back as she took her up the stairs.
Richard was sitting on the couch when she came back down.
"Star and me. Is that why she left?"
"She didn't want to burden you. She knew that you wouldn't leave it for anything and she didn't want her kid to be in danger all the time." Raven sat down opposite him.
"What happened to her? Is she…" He sighed. "Is she dead?"
Raven frowned. "No, but she is weak. Childbirth for Tamaraneans is like a huge transfer of power. She lost a lot of her life energy or essence when she had Flora. She had to go back to Tamaran. Flora's met her once, though. Starfire saved her energy to visit us a few years ago."
"And you just… gave up everything… why would you do that?"
"You know why. I love you. And I love Starfire. It just… I asked you if there was anything that would make you leave and you said there wasn't."
"Well if you had told me…"
"You still can't stay now. I know you, Richard. The longer you stay, the more it will hurt all of us when you leave so just leave. Please."
"Raven, let me get to know her, at least. She's my own daughter."
"She's my daughter, Richard. You know it won't work. You'll just leave her waiting and hoping you'll come home when you never will."
"How could you know that?"
"Because I know you. And I know that this life could never satisfy you."
"And are you satisfied?" Richard ran a hand through his hair, angry and frustrated all at the same time.
"I am." Raven was peaceful. She always was. Like she was a sponge that could absorb any energy.
"Please, Raven."
"Then say you can give up all of this. The hero work, the crime-fighting, the hunting down villains, all of it. Give it all up and you can be her father."
It was the most cruel ultimatum he had faced.
"I love her too much to watch her get hurt, Richard."
"I can't."
"I know."
…
Nightwing came back to Willow Hill sometimes. He would just sit in the park and watch a mother and daughter play and have picnics and talk about everything.
He would sit somewhere far enough, so they wouldn't notice him.
He would sit and think that he had an opportunity to be part of it.
But he wasted it.