Part Three:
Gordon's words haunted me. I had suspected the exact same thing, but now it was real. Now it wasn't just a haunting thought. It was terrifying. We were right back where we were eight years ago, minus the Batman. The worst part was Babs was right. There would never be peace in Gotham and we wouldn't survive alone. I'd been training her and I was pretty capable myself, but I felt helpless. I wasn't Batman. That sentence hadn't felt real until now. It hadn't mattered because there wasn't a need for him.
Everything was different. I didn't tell Babs what her father had told me. It was probably a bad idea, but I wasn't sure how I felt about it myself and I didn't have the first clue what to do about it. Also I didn't really want to admit to her that she was right. It was hard.
Barbara Gordon was living with me. This bothered me, but not in the way that it should've. She was an annoying nineteen-year-old girl who didn't listen to a word I said. And now she was walking around my house (it was mine now, it'd been a year) in a towel with wet hair, dripping all over the floor and where I should've been pissed off that she was intruding on my living space I really just wanted to rip the towel from her body and take her against the wall.
It was completely wrong. Everything about our situation. She pops up on my doorstep looking for the Batman and then worms her way into my life, then my pants, and now I couldn't shake her. But the really wrong part was that I didn't want to shake her. I liked her. She was my boss's daughter, she was five years younger, she was obsessed with the Batman and, by extension, me, she had me wrapped right around her finger and I liked her.
Her laptop and more clothes and her schoolbooks joined her and infiltrated my kitchen table. The bathroom and the hallway forever smelled like her perfume and shampoo, we ate breakfast together, trained at night and then, against my wishes, went our separate ways to bed. It was like she was my girlfriend, but we weren't having sex. And I knew it wasn't fair to expect anything out of her just because I was teaching her to be a vigilante, but I wanted her and there didn't seem to be a minute we were together that we were flirting in some way.
I knew we agreed to forget about the night we slept together and I pretended that I did. But I didn't. It was almost like the first time I'd met her all over again. My head was constantly filled with her and, though I thought it was impossible, even more so than before. I thought that the more I learned about her and the ore time I spent with her, the more I'd understand her, but that just presented more unpredictable things about her.
The funny part was I was content the way things were. I mean if it turned out she did want to fuck me there would be no objections, but since she didn't I was fine just being a piece of furniture in her life. It was nice to have someone to talk to and crack jokes at and just be with. I never thought there'd be anyone who I'd never want to be away from. I grew up alone and now I couldn't imagine not having her there. Maybe that was what I liked most about her.
I wasn't fooling anyone. I was different, I knew that. I guess I didn't expect everyone else to notice. It was a pretty busy week at the precinct after the bombing and while everyone else was grim and business I was the life of the party, a role I had rarely played before.
Gordon was out for a week and a half, which just so happened to be two and a half weeks shorter than the doctors and Barbara tried to keep him out. Everyone knew the reality of it. He was the commissioner and we were in a crisis. We needed him.
With Gordon back, though, I wasn't alone. It might not have seemed like much, but without him there was no one else to believe my crazy theory. He didn't tell anyone, but he secretly started organizing teams to connect the two robberies while still making it seem like he thought they were completely separate. It was genius the way he worked. A lot of the other cops thought he was crazy since he had been scheduled to be released just before Bane, but now he had earned his place and he wouldn't be run out. Not while I was still here.
"What are you smiling about, Grayson?" Foley demanded of me.
I shrugged, "It's a new day, the sun is shining, the commissioner's back. What's not to smile about?"
"How about the thirteen injured officers and the dead SWAT member?" Foley suggested.
"Could've been worse," I said.
"Could've been better,"
"Lay off, lieutenant," Jason Todd interjected. "Dick's just all chipper because he's got himself a new squeeze."
"Just where do you get these crazy notions anyway Todd?" I asked.
"The way I see it there's only two reasons a man is smiling in a crisis," Jason said. "Either he's got himself a girl or he's got himself a guy."
I laughed, "I assure you, Todd, I have neither a girl or a guy. This is why I became a cop; to help people. Solve mysteries."
"I don't care what you got, Grayson," Foley said. "There's only one thing you should get and that's your head in the game."
"Head's in the game, sir," I assured him.
Foley snorted as he walked away, but I wasn't bothered by it. Jason snickered next to me and then dropped a square piece of card stock on top of my files. I glanced down at it.
"Policeman's ball?" I asked.
"It's hardly a surprise," Jason said. "It's the same time every year."
"I thought it would've been cancelled."
"Almost was," He said. "But no one wanted to shuck our one and possibly only chance to see who won the heart of Dick Grayson."
"I've told you before, Jason," I said. "No one's won my heart."
"Well, maybe you should let someone," He suggested. "Ball's in a week."
I didn't go to college. Just the police academy. But Gotham University was an establishment everyone was used to. It was the oldest building in Gotham, almost the largest if not for Wayne Enterprises, but it was a thousand times more intimidating than Bruce Wayne's former company. Still I walked in, badge at the ready, straight to the front desk where I asked for Barbara.
"Oh, Babs," The receptionist said. "I know her. She's down in the library."
"Library?" I asked.
"On-campus job," She told me. "She's not in any trouble is she?"
"Not yet," I said.
Finding the library turned out to be harder than I expected, they had added on to it since it had first been built. The corridors were both new and old at the same time and this pattern seemed to be consistent throughout. The library, however, was ancient. High walls, brass, rounded ceilings, archways and shelves upon shelves of books.
"I'm looking for Barbara Gordon," I said, flashing my badge.
The girl behind the desk froze. She was college age, maybe younger than Babs. This was the reaction I was used to when people saw me. The urge to seem innocent and casual even if they had done nothing wrong overtook people and made them seem all the more guilty and conspicuous.
"Commissioner's daughter?" I tried when the girl didn't respond. "Barbara Gordon?"
"Um…" The girl said.
"Relax, Steph," Babs voice alleged. "He's a friend of my dads."
Both of us turned to see Babs walking up to set a stack of books onto the counter. Her red hair was pulled up into a bun and she wore a cream colored sweater and a red pencil skirt and a pair of glasses perched on her nose completed the look.
"Barbara Gordon in a library," I said. "I thought it was too good to be true."
"Am I under arrest, officer?" She asked wryly.
"Babs!" The other girl scolded.
"Detective," I corrected. "And no. I just need to talk to you."
"Well, I'm on the clock," She said. "Walk with me.
She picked up another, larger stack of books and nodded for me to follow her into the labyrinth of shelves. I was watching her ass as she led the way.
"So, Barbara Gordon: masked vigilante by night, librarian by day," I said.
"We all have our secret identities, detective," She said.
"At least mine's somewhat clever," I said. "Yours is just pathetic."
"I like to read," She said. "Sue me."
"I'm just saying," I shrugged. "This isn't a position I imagined you in."
"Oh, believe me, I know what position you imagined me in," She said as we reached an aisle and she set the books down. "Did my father send you?"
"No,"
"Well, then why are you here?" She asked.
"The Policeman's Ball is next week," I said.
"Are they actually still doing that?"
I shrugged, "I think they want to maintain a sense of normalcy. Keep people sane."
"I haven't been to one of those in years," She said.
"You wanna go with me?" I asked.
"With you?"
"Mmm hmm,"
"You asking me out?" She cocked an eyebrow.
"I just need a date," I said,
"Then why don't you ask my roommate?" She suggested. "She'd lose her skirt in a second for a man in uniform."
"Come on, Babs," I pleaded. "I need a quick fix. And you've been to a million of these things."
"A million too many," She sighed, then, "Fine. Pick me up at six. Room 280, west dorm."
"Alright," I said, smiling. "Six o'clock."
"Now go away," She said. "I've got work to do."
College. It was something I never did and never planned to. But I seemed to be doing a lot of things I never thought I would lately. And I wasn't exactly attending a college. I was just visiting. Temporarily.
I got many weird looks from the students as I walked through the dorms in a tuxedo, but I tried not to pay attention. They weren't really what I was nervous about anyway. It's not a date. I kept repeating to myself. I was a guy and she was a girl and we were going to a ball together. I didn't expect anything to come of it, or I tried to. You can't blame a guy for dreaming.
Following the directional signs I found room 280 and nervously wiped my sweaty palms on my jacket before I knocked. The girl that opened the door was not Babs and I don't know why I expected it to be. I knew she had a roommate, but lately I had begun to think of myself as Babs' roommate so this busty brunette girl was a bit of a shock.
She didn't say anything in greeting so I nervously stammered, "Uh, I'm here to pick up Babs?"
The girl looked me up and down, as if judging by only my appearance if I was good enough to be her roommate's escort for the night. Finally she pushed the door open wider and gestured me inside, "She's in her room."
I took "her room" to mean the door to the left with the door shut and I walked over to it, feeling the roommate's eyes on my back as I did. I gently knocked on the door, "Babs?"
"Come on in!" She shouted from inside and I followed her command.
When I let myself in her back was to me and she was fiddling with the fastenings on her dress. It was navy blue and skintight until it reached her thighs where it flared out into an elegant curtain of ruffles. Her red hair was curled and pinned so it fell over one shoulder and I could see the freckled skin of her back and shoulders.
"Wanna give me a hand?" She asked over her shoulder. "I got the zipper but it's this clasp at the top that's being a bitch."
I slunk up behind her, dipping my fingers just under the top of her dress to slide the hook into the eye. It felt like a movie, but I could guarantee that Babs was not feeling the heat I did because as soon as the clasp was done she turned around to face me, smirking.
Her makeup was done up nice and sleek, giving her an older, distinguished look and it was hard for me to remember that she was only nineteen. Her eyes were lined in blue pencil, making the green pop out and grab me. Her lips were red, giving it a nice contrast and accentuating the poutiness that was already there.
"You look… nice," I told her.
"You don't look so bad yourself," She touched my bow tie, running her hand down my chest and into my jacket where my gun was concealed. She had it out of its holster and pointed at me in a millisecond.
"Is this for protection?" She teased.
"Don't do that," I said, taking the gun back.
"Don't let me,"
"I didn't let you," I told her. "You had an advantage."
"Don't blame me for your ineptitude," She said, grabbing a shawl off the back of her desk chair. "You shouldn't be so easily distracted by pretty girls."
"Pretty girls should not go waving firearms around that they have no idea how to use," I countered.
"I would know how to use them if you showed me,"
"I've told you before and I'll tell you again," I said. "There won't be any guns in your training. The Batman doesn't use guns."
"The Batman is dead."
"Tonight is supposed to be about fun," I reminded her. "No training. No fighting. I don't wanna hear the B- word one more time tonight."
"Yes, sir, Detective Grayson, sir," She saluted. "Mandated fun, what fun."
I held my arm out to her, "Shall we?"
She took it, "We shall."
I led her out of her bedroom and back into the common room where her roommate watched warily from the couch.
"Oh, kill the death look, Penny," Babs said. "I assure you Dick has every good intention in the book. We'll be back… whenever."
My car was waiting outside the dormitories and I opened the door for Babs, ushering her inside. She raised an eyebrow at my gentlemanly behavior, but slid into the car all the same, the slit in her dress exposing her smooth thigh. I let out a hissing breath as I shut the door and made my way over to the drivers' side, shaking my head to clear it.
It was a pretty short drive to Gotham's Event Hall and when I pulled up to the valet Babs looked over at me and said, "You ready to cause the scandal of the century?"
"They probably won't even notice," I said.
"You underestimate the Gotham paparazzi," She said.
When I got out of the car, the photographers paid little attention to me. I was nobody as far as this city was concerned. A lowly detective. I was fine with that for the time being. I didn't need any unwanted attention if I was going to make this vigilante thing work. Barbara Gordon was another story.
As soon as they caught sight of her fiery hair, every camera at the scene was turned on her. She ate it up, smiling and posing and fitting into my side like she was made to be there.
"Miss Gordon, we heard you wouldn't be attending tonight," I reporter said, thrusting a recorder in her face.
"I wasn't planning on it," She said. "But I got a last minute offer I couldn't refuse."
"Who is the lucky guy?" Another asked.
"Detective Richard Grayson, of course," She said. "The only member of Gotham's finest that has the credentials to be my date."
No sooner than Babs had dropped my name were questions being tossed at me also.
"Detective what's the word on the bank bombing?"
"How long have you been on the police force?"
"What exactly is your relationship with the commissioner's daughter?"
I didn't have an answer for any of them, being completely unschooled and unprepared for a barrage of sniveling paparazzi. Babs walked through them like she'd done it a thousand times; leading me and answering all questions she could for the both of us.
"You weren't kidding about a scandal," I said into her ear.
"You think that's bad?" She chuckled. "Wait til they get a load of this."
Her lips collided with mine, pulling me down into a dirty kiss right on the steps of the event hall for everyone with a camera to see. I saw the shutters flash and felt the air thin as the entire crowd gasped in shock.
She pulled away from me, smiling, "Now it's a scandal." She wiped the lipstick off of my mouth and turned to make her way inside, leaving me stunned on the steps.
I regained what composure I had and when I looked down into the crowd I could see Commissioner Gordon looking up at me with squinted eyes and a set to his jaw I'd only seen when he was about to rip someone a new one. As his right hand man I'd never expected to be on the receiving end of one of those looks, but it was Barbara's game and we were just pieces on the board.
As I made my way inside Jason Todd, who threw an arm around me, squeezing my shoulder, greeted me.
"Barbara Gordon?" He mused. "She's your mystery woman? The commissioner's daughter? You must have a death wish, Grayson."
"She's not my 'mystery woman,'" I said. "There is no mystery woman. She's just doing me a favor."
"That kiss looked like more than a favor," Jason said. "You got a secret life I don't know about?"
"Believe me, if you knew her, you'd know that's not true," I told him.
He didn't look like he believed me in the least, but he let me go deeper into the party, where I found Barbara with a champagne flute in her hand, laughing with some older cop. It was truly amazing the effect she could have on people. And normally that would've been a turn off for me; a girl who was gorgeous and funny and knew it, but it just made me want her more.
"You know you're in a room full of police officers," I said in regards to her alcohol.
"None of which have the balls to arrest me," She said. "Besides, you said this was a night for fun."
"I don't think 'fun' is defined as you tonguing my brains out in front of your father," I said.
"You complaining?" She questioned.
"No, but he will be,"
"Stop worrying about what will be and enjoy what is," She advised. "We're gonna show these cops what a real party is like."
"I should've known you'd use me for your own personal agendas," I said.
"Who's using you?" She asked. "I could've had any cop I wanted as my date. I chose you."
"I asked you," I reminded her.
"I'll let you keep believing that," She patted my cheek. "Let's dance."
"You know how to dance, too?" I asked. "I've hit the mother load."
"I'm trusting you to not step on my feet," She said.
I led her to the dance floor, taking one of her hands and sliding an arm around her waist so we were chest to chest. She smiled at the proximity and allowed me to lead her into a waltz.
"I'm not sure this type of dancing would be considered proper," She said.
"Compared to that kiss this is child's play," I told her.
"Where does a Gotham City cop learn to dance like this?" She asked.
"I may have only been in the circus for a little while, but I learned a lot," I said.
"I think a lot of women underestimate the spark there is in a man that can dance," She said. "Too bad I'm only doing this as a favor."
"You said you wanted a scandal, didn't you?" I asked.
"I did," She said.
"Then let's give them a show," I slid my arm lower around her and dipped her back, pulling her knee up over my hip.
She tossed her head back, smiling and letting me hold all of her weight. I could feel all eyes in the room on us, but it didn't matter. Most people in this room had no idea who I was, and normally that was the way I liked it. Now it seemed the only thing I liked was that smile on her face because of me.
We remained that way, dancing, our bodies pressed tightly together for most of the night. No one tried to break us up, but there wasn't a pair of eyes in the room that didn't see us. It was pure, unadulterated fun; something I hadn't experienced in a long time. That was the magic of Barbara Gordon: she took something completely ordinary, if not even a little boring, and made it the best time of your life. Sure she was strange and loud and different, but that was all part of her allure.
"I know people say that they want to dance all night," She said. "But my feet seriously hurt. Next time remind me to wear flats.
"Now who's doing who the favor?" I teased.
We dispersed from the dance floor, the other couples parting like the red seas for us to make our way over to the tables.
"I think that's the most fun I've had in a long time," She said, collapsing into a chair across from me.
"I think that's the most fun I've had ever," I told her.
"I believe it," She said. "Fun isn't exactly your forte."
"I know how to have fun," I insisted.
"If only you'd cut loose every once in a while,"
"Well, that's what I have you for isn't it?" I asked.
"Ah, so you're beginning to see my usefulness," She mused.
"If you were always in that dress I don't think I could ever call you useless again," I said,
"Down boy," She teased. "This is a favor remember?"
"You're not going to let me live that down are you?"
"Nope," She said. "Never." Her eyes scanned the room and stopped about halfway through, her face dropping. "Daddy dearest isn't happy."
"Told you," I said.
"I'll have to go talk to him," She sighed. "You can entertain yourself while I'm gone right?"
"Please," I scoffed. "I'll be answering questions until I die because of you."
"At least people are noticing you now," She said.
"You seem awfully invested in getting me noticed for someone who wants me to take over for the Batman," I said.
"Bruce Wayne was the biggest millionaire in the city and no one suspected him," She reminded me. "They always suspect the quiet ones."
She stepped away from the table,disappearing through the crowd of formally clad Gotham city cops. I turned back to the tables to see Jason Todd with his eyebrow cocked at me.
Eavesdropping wasn't something I usually let myself do, but I wanted to know what the commissioner thought about me showing up with his daughter. I thought he'd be interrogating me, but as I pressed my ear to the door of the backroom Gordon and his daughter disappeared into, it was Babs that got the third degree.
"You weren't supposed to be here," He told her.
"Neither were you," She said. "At this point you'd have only been out of the hospital a week."
"This isn't about me," He sighed. "What are you doing with my detective?"
"Your detective," She said. "I didn't realize you'd already staked your claim."
"Barbara, we've talked about this," Gordon said. "You stay away from my cops and I don't question the guys you go out with."
"I don't think you have the right to tell me whom I can and can't see," She said. "And in any case I'm not out with him. He asked me and I said yes."
"You've been spending a lot of time with him all of a sudden," Gordon said. "Where does that come from? You've never interacted before."
"We met at a café a couple months ago," She said, not a complete lie. "And you're the one who invited him over for Christmas."
"Yeah, your mother told me she caught you two kissing in the other room while we all ate dinner," He said.
"Mistletoe," She dismissed.
"You can find someone else to spend your time with," Gordon told her.
"I'm 19 years old," She said. "I think I'm perfectly capable of choosing my own company."
"Not with older guys who work for me you aren't," He said.
"Look, dad," She said. "Nothings going on between us. He needed a date and I was the obvious choice. You have nothing to worry about, I promise. Turn off the dad alarm for a second."
"Barbara," He sighed. "I just want you to be smart about this. And the cops are off-limits."
"Fine," She said. "Can I go back to the party now?"
"Behave," He cautioned.
I remained at my spot next to the door because I only heard Babs' heels against the floor and it wasn't as bad for her to find me listening than it was for Gordon. She stopped abruptly when she saw me and sighed.
"How much did you hear?"
"Most of it," I said.
"Yeah, well if he bitches at you later please tell him that you have no other intentions besides ravishing me in the coat room," She said
"He just wants to keep his personal and professional life separate," I told her.
"He doesn't have the right to control my personal life as well," She said.
"I'm as disappointed as you are," I said. "I was looking forward to ravishing you in the coat room."
She laughed, but I wasn't necessarily kidding. There was always the threat that Gordon wouldn't approve of us, but it didn't seem real because we weren't together and I'd never heard him actually voice the opinion. It seemed like my chances with her were smashed before I even got to experience them. I almost felt like I didn't have the right to be disappointed because I hadn't lost anything that was ever mine.
All she said before the gun went off was, "We'll always have Christmas."
The Gotham event hall was a madhouse all at once. Zero to sixty. I heard a gunshot and then all the lights went out. I listened for Babs' heels in the hallway, but there was nothing. Nothing I could hear over the chaos in the main room anyway.
"Dick?" A weak voice asked.
"Babs?" I asked. "You okay?"
"Dick," She said again.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I can't- my arm-" She stammered.
"Where are you?" I asked. "I can't see a thing."
"I'm over here," She ground out. "I think- my arm hurts. I think it was- augh!"
"Babs!" I shouted.
There were more footsteps now in the hallway. None were heeled. I had my hand already on my gun, ready to shoot, but I didn't know what I was shooting at or where. It wasn't long before I was knocked to the ground as well and a flashlight shone in my eyes, my gun skidding across the floor.
"Alright, pretty boy," A gruff voice said. "We'll ask the questions now and you'll answer them if you want your girlfriend to keep breathing. Where's the commissioner?"
"Right here," Gordon said from the shadows.
The flashlight fell to the ground and I was released so I could grab the gun out of my ankle holster. I still didn't know where I was shooting, but Gordon seemed to and I could hear the sounds of his fist hitting flesh and the grunts as the men fell to the floor. I punch hit my gut, but it was too big and too forceful to be Gordon so I attacked. My eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness and my survival instincts kicked and I was able to drop the attacker in under a minute. Which wasn't much to say because Gordon beat three men in just about the same time as me and he had at least 20 years on me.
"You okay, Grayson?" He asked. I was always Grayson when police matters were involved.
"Fine, sir," I told him, breathless.
"Good," He said. "As my right-hand man I am trusting you to get my daughter out of here."
"Sir, there are hundreds of people out there," I told him. "Wouldn't I be better off-"
"She's shot in the arm, detective!" He shouted. "Don't make me ask again."
"Yes, sir," I agreed, reluctantly.
"And if you can, find a way to get these damn lights on," He gave me one last look then raced off down the hallway.
I gritted my teeth together as I knelt next to Barbara. It wasn't that I wasn't worried about her or that I was reluctant to help her, but I wasn't used to sitting on the sidelines, even when I was told to. This time, though, I didn't seem to have a choice.
"Babs, hey," I reached down and turned her face up. "You awake."
"I'm… fine," She said.
"You're shot," I said.
"Grazed."
"Let's go," I slid an arm around her, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you out of here."
"I'm fine, Dick," She strained. "Really. Go help my father-"
"I was given orders to get you to safety," I interrupted. "And that's what I'm gonna do. We can either do this the easy way or the hard way."
"What's the hard way?" She asked.
I cocked an eyebrow at her and stood her upright, then proceeding to throw her over my shoulder. She gasped, probably half in pain, and pounded an indignant fist against my back. I carried her down the hallway to the emergency exit at the end hoping that the power outage had disabled the alarm.
"Dick!" She shouted. "Wait. I can help you."
"The only way you're going to help me tonight is by cooperating," I told her.
"No, the lights. We need the lights," She said. "If you take me to the fuse box then I can fix it."
"Babs," I bent down, setting her feet on the floor. "I can't protect you and get this done."
"You don't have to protect me," She said. "Just take me down to the basement, I'll fix the fuse box and then you can Casanova me out of here all you want."
"What makes you think you can fix the fuse box?" I asked. "And with a bleeding arm."
"I'm good with that kind of stuff," She said.
I let out a hissing breath, my eyes narrowed at her, "I swear to Christ if you get me fired…"
"I'd be doing you a favor," She said.
"We'll need to wrap your arm up first," I said.
"Are you gonna need to rip up my dress as gauze?" She asked wryly.
"Babs, can we not do this right now?" I sighed.
"Hmm, so serious in the eyes of danger," She said.
"If you're going to stay and help I'm gonna need you to be serious," I said. "This isn't a game. This is a hostage situation."
"Yeah, hostage of cops," She said.
"That may seem ideal to you," I said. "But if all the cops are here whom do you suggest we call for help?"
"We don't need help," She said. "You're here and I'm here and my father's here, along with hundreds of Gotham's finest. If we can't fight our way out of this then we deserve to die."
"Babs you're not helping," I sighed, taking of my jacket to wrap around her arm.
"Who has the power and motive to attack a building full of cops anyway?" She asked.
"I was just thinking the same thing," I said.
"I think it's even darker down here," Babs said as we descended into the basement.
"Just be quiet and stick close to me," I said. "We don't know if there's more of them down here."
"How many do you think there are?" She whispered.
"I don't know. There were at least three in the hallway earlier," I said. "They've got to have enough to overtake 200 hundred cops and their dates."
"This situation is really fishy to me," She said.
"It's fishy to everyone."
"I'm just saying. All these robberies and hostages and bombs all happening within the same few months?" She said. "Stuff like this doesn't usually happen unless-"
"Unless Gotham has a new Bane," I finished. "I know."
"What are we gonna do?" She asked.
"Right now we're gonna find this damn fuse box," I said. "We'll deal with the bigger picture once we're not stuck in the dark."
"Alright," Babs said, halting in front of me. "I can't see a thing. Even if I find this fuse box I won't be able to do anything to it if I can't find the right switches. You don't have a flashlight or anything on you?"
"I have my cell phone," I offered.
"I guess that'll have to do," She said and took the phone from me.
The basement of the event hall was dank and unfinished, filled with boilers and furnaces galore. It was like the opening scene to a horror movie, complete with the scantily clad, bleeding damsel. Babs had ditched her heels in an effort to be stealthier and I had ripped the sleeve off my jacket as a wrap for her arm.
As far as we knew, any other bad guys weren't aware of our presence, but it would only take them finding their unconscious comrades to lead them to us. I didn't exactly feel right disobeying orders, but I figured I was helping the greater good by employing Babs to fix the lights. Plus, I was fairly certain Gordon was used to his daughter doing whatever she pleased and as long as I didn't get her shot again I hoped he'd understand.
"Alright, well the fuse box wouldn't be anywhere near water," Babs said. "So I think the safest bet would be away from the boilers. Also they kinda freak me out."
"Will it take long to fix it?" I asked.
"I don't know," She admitted. "Everything else down here looks insanely old, so why wouldn't the fuse box be too? I should be able to figure it out though."
"Yeah, how exactly are you so skilled in the art of electricity rewiring?" I asked.
"James and Tony were always pretty useless and my dad was working all the time so I had to step up," She said. "And then Bane happened and that skill became even more useful. I can do all sorts of stuff with technology."
"And yet you choose to use that skill to hunt me down and work in a library," I said.
"Well, I'm putting it to good use now, aren't I?" She said.
"With a hole in your arm, no less," I said.
"So I was thinking; they had to have someone down here to turn the lights off right?" She said.
"Right."
"So, what if he's still down here?"
"Shit, Babs," I hissed. "You're just thinking of this now?"
"Don't bitch at me," She said. "You didn't think of it either."
"Alright, well if there is someone down here why haven't they attacked us yet?" I asked.
"I don't know," She replied. "Maybe they're waiting for the right time."
"You should get behind me," I told her.
"No way," She said. "If someone sneaks up behind us it'd be better if they sneak up on the one with the gun."
"Are we at least getting close?" I asked. "The more time we waste down here the more damage they could do up there."
Babs waved the cell phone over the room once again, "That room over there looks promising. Cover me."
"You're just loving this aren't you?" I said.
"It's fun to play police woman," She said and reached forward to jiggle the doorknob. "It's locked."
"Alright, step aside," I said.
"It's locked, Dick," She reminded me. "And if you try to shoot it open they'll hear."
"Step aside," I repeated and she did with a roll of her eyes.
I'd kicked doors open before, but never in front of an audience I was looking to impress. The door swung open with a crash and Babs gasped in surprise.
"And shooting it would've made too much noise," She said.
"Just do your thing, please," I said, pushing her inside.
"Yes, sir, Detective Grayson, sir," She saluted and slid past me, into the room.
I followed her in shining the cell phone light over the walls. Her bare feet quietly padded over the concrete floor, following the digital blue light- that I had to constantly renew- until it came across a long black cabinet-type thing in the far corner. I accompanied her over to it where she opened it up with a jerk.
"Bingo," She alleged.
"How long does this usually take?" I asked.
"Depends on how long it takes me to find the right switches," She replied. "This building must be hella old because there's practically roman numerals on these switches."
"Look as soon as you get the lights on we're gonna have to haul ass out of here," I said. "Because as soon as they realize someone is down here they're going to charge us like a bull in a china shop."
"And if they catch us?" She asked.
"We're most likely dead," I told her.
"Well," She said. "Isn't that just peachy. I have the switch. Do I flip it?"
"You ready to run?" I asked.
"Ready if you are," She said.
She counted down from three and she flipped the switch with a loud thunk. I took her hand and led her back through the basement (it was considerably easier with lights to guide our way.) and up the staircase. I could hear the commotion from the main room as we neared the top and as much as I would've loved to rush in and see what was happening I had to follow orders so I steered Babs towards the exit at the end of the hall.
"Dick.." Babs cautioned as she glanced down the hallway to their hoard of muscly guys hurtling towards us from the ballroom.
"End of the hall," I said.
"That doesn't look too good either," She said.
Sure enough, at the end of the hall, guarding the doors, were two more guards, these ones harboring guns. All I had was my half empty hand gun and a pocket knife. Babs was completely unarmed and injured and untrained. It didn't look good.
"Keep out of the way and keep your head down," I said to Babs as we got closer to the exit.
I started with the first gunman, grabbing the barrel of his gun and twisting his arm around so his back was to my chest and the gun was pointed at his partner. I squeezed my finger over his, launching a bullet at the second one. Babs yelped as the blast went off but I didn't have time to see if she was okay because the first gunman had dug his elbow into my gut.
We faced each other and he had the gun pointed right at me, but I didn't bother to pull mine because it would be useless if he fired first. I saw his arm tense as he went to pull the trigger and dove forward, knocking him to the ground and the gun across the hall. It was old school street fighting now. He punched me in the jaw and I elbowed him on the side of the head, knocking his head against the concrete wall in the process. He was out.
A scream pierced the air and I quickly got to my feet once more. One of the guards from down the hall had Barbara in his iron grasp, a hand pressed over her bullet wound and the other pressing a gun to her temple. A tear rolled down Babs' cheek, but she kept a brave face. I could see her clenching her teeth to avoid crying out in pain.
"That's right, lover boy," The guard said. "Drop the gun and your little girlfriend doesn't get her brains blown all over the wall."
I narrowed my eyes at him. He would do it. I could see it in his eyes. I didn't know who he was or why he was here or why he was willing to shoot an innocent girl in the head, but it didn't matter. If I didn't do what he asked there would be one less Barbara Gordon in the world.
I turned the gun up, holding my hands up in surrender and dropped in on the floor.
"Like hell," Babs ground out.
I could tell she was going to do something, but I couldn't react fast enough. Soon she had dug her toe into the guard's foot and spun around to elbow him in the temple, just as I had the other one. Only she wasn't as strong as I was or as tall and she wasn't near a wall so all she did was deter him for a moment. I wanted to jump in and help her but the two other guards behind them were charging forward and I knew that if either or both of them got involved with Babs it'd be over.
The first one dropped with a bullet to the shoulder and the other one hit me with a nice punch to the stomach, but I couldn't let a little windedness stop me. I attacked again, but this one was quick. I still had my gun but he was never in position for me to fire. We went around and around for a moment, he didn't have a gun, but he was skilled and I never really liked using my gun, it was more of a scare tactic for me, but I was beginning to fear I'd have to use it for it's intended purpose tonight.
He came up close to me, upper cutting right beneath my jaw and I instinctively pulled the trigger. He dropped to the ground, but I didn't have time to feel bad because Babs was still fighting off her own guard. She was doing pretty well for a wounded girl with only a few months' training, but I came up behind the guard all the same, wrapping my arm around his neck in a sleeper hold until he, too, fell to the ground unconscious.
"Is he dead?" Babs asked, breathlessly.
"I don't think so," I said. "Lets not stick around to find out."
She nodded and then her eyes started to drift closed, her stance wavering. I quickly stepped forward, catching her before she fell to the ground, "Hey, hey. You're okay. You're alright."
"Dizzy," She breathed.
"You lost a lot of blood," I told her. "And you're probably in shock. Let's get you out of here, okay?"
"What about…" She gestured lazily to the ballroom as I scooped her into my arms.
"It's fine Babs," I said. "Like you said all of Gotham's finest are in there."
It was a feat in and of itself keeping Barbara awake and driving home. I did manage it though, despite my own exhaustion and guilt for not staying at the event hall. Babs was still wobbly as I helped her out of the car, but she was able to walk inside with assistance from me.
I deposited her on the couch where she fell back against the pillows a hand to her head, "I have a headache." She told me.
"I'll bet you do," I sat next to her and took her chin so I could check her eyes' responsiveness. "I'm gonna go get the first aid kit. Stay awake."
"No promises," She said as I left.
Once I was alone I allowed a moment to myself to assess my own wounds. I definitely had a few bruised ribs and my jaw felt like it'd been knocked out of place. My arms ached from the fighting and carrying Babs to the car. It was a close call and we were both ill prepared and if we ever hoped to take over for the batman we'd have to step it up.
I dropped my suit jacket over the back of the kitchen chair and loosened my tie as retrieved the first aid kit from the upper cabinet. My side burned in pain as I reached.
I returned to the living room with a glass of water for Babs, the first aid kit, a bucket of ice and a stack of towels. Babs was fighting her drooping eyes on the couch. The blood from her arm had soaked through the makeshift bandage I made and was streaked down her arm. The guard pressing on it definitely didn't do it any good.
"Are we having champagne?" Babs asked, eyeing the ice bucket. I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.
"I don't have any ice packs," I said.
"You're probably gonna need to work on that if we're gonna be getting in these brawls all the time," She said.
"Call me crazy but I'm actually not expecting to get into brawls all the time," I told her then handed her the water. "Drink this."
'Your face looks like it hurts," She said.
"My face is fine," I said. "Right now we need to deal with the gash in your arm."
I expected her to protest, but she just relaxed against the couch cushions and let me take her arm. She winced as I removed the material as carefully as I could and laid it aside. The bullet had cut through about four layers of her skin and it was raw and bright red from not receiving proper treatment. I gently took an ice cube and a towel and tried to clean it as best I could.
"Ow!" She yelped. "Jesus, Dick. Easy."
"If I don't clean it now it'll get infected. If it's not already," I dipped a cotton ball in the disinfectant. "This is gonna sting."
Babs let out a drawn out groan as I cleaned the wound, but, surprisingly, didn't pull away. Her hand fisted in the material of my dress pants for a moment. I didn't want to spend too much time torturing her so I gave up on the disinfectant and taped a square of gauze over.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" I asked.
"Not as bad as being shot," She agreed.
"Grazed,"
"I think my ribs are bruised," She said.
"Join the club," I wrapped a handful of ice cubes in a towel and pressed it to her stomach. "Drink the water."
After a moment of silence Babs reached forward and made herself an ice pack and held it to the bruises on my jaw. I slid forward so I could sit with my back against the couch and pulled her legs over my lap. We sat like that for a long time, silently breathing and fighting sleep as the minutes ticked by. I kept my phone in my pocket in case the precinct called, but they didn't. I was selfishly glad because I wanted to stay on the couch with Barbara until my face stopped hurting.
The doorbell woke me up even though I didn't remember falling asleep. The clock on top of the TV said it was three am. Babs was still half draped over me holding the ice pack against her abdomen. It had melted and left a wet mark on her dress. She apparently hadn't heard the doorbell and I was slightly worried until I saw her chest rise and fall.
I carefully tried to slip out from underneath her legs, but the action woke her, "What happened?" She asked, alarmed.
"It's okay," I told her. "It's just the doorbell."
"Who would ring your doorbell at three in the morning?"
"I don't know," I said. "You're already here."
"I don't think you should answer it," She said.
"Relax," I told her. "It's probably just another cop checking up on me. I'll be right back."
I rubbed my eyes as I made my way to the front door and the bell rang again. I opened it to see Commissioner Gordon on my doorstep. Why were Gordons the only people who came looking for me?
"Is she here?" He demanded, pushing past me.
"She's in the living room," I said.
He didn't wait for me to escort him and stalked into the living room at a pace that was way too fast for a man who'd been up all night, most likely fighting off bad guys. He looked a little roughed up, but altogether okay. Better than Babs and me at least.
When I finally joined them in the living room he was kneeling before his daughter, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, dad," She said. "Dick fixed me up. Took a few for the team too."
Gordon stood up and came over to me, dropping a hand onto my shoulder, "Thank you, son."
"My pleasure, sir," I told him.
"That place wasn't anywhere I wanted my daughter to be," He said.
"If I may ask, sir," I said. "What exactly was that?"
"We're not sure yet," He said quietly. "They wanted jewels, valuables. At least that's what they said. What they really wanted was to show us what they're capable of. I don't know why, but at least we're not dealing with a faceless assailant now."
"More like a hundred faces," I said. "Who are they working for?"
"We're not sure yet," He told me. "We have one of them in one of the holding cells back at the precinct, but I don't know what we're going to get out of him."
"Should I be there, sir?" I asked. "I feel like I haven't done anything to help."
"Nonsense, detective," He dismissed. "You got my daughter to safety. I couldn't ask any more of you. Looks like you got in quite a scuffle too."
"Nothing I can't handle, sir," I said.
"Good man," He clapped me on the shoulder. "I can't thank you enough. I'll be in touch with the debriefing as soon as possible. Babs. Lets go."
"What?" Babs asked. "Go where?"
"You're staying at my house tonight," He told her.
"Daddy I have work in the morning," She said.
"Work?" He scoffed. "You're not going anywhere for a couple days. You need to let that arm heal."
"It's fine, daddy," She said. "Dick got it all fixed up."
"I don't care what he did," He said. "I don't want you to be alone right now."
"I won't be alone," She said. "I'll stay with Dick. I'm already here and it's closer to the school anyway."
"Dick has done enough for you tonight," Gordon said, but I could tell it wasn't just that he wanted to relieve me. "Come back with me and rest. Work will understand."
"Daddy, I really don't want to make a big deal out of this," She said. "I just want to get back to normal and show them I'm not scared."
"You should be scared, Babs," Gordon said. "They could've killed you with a better shot."
"She can stay here, sir," I cut in. "I have more than enough space. I can find her a room for the night."
"I couldn't ask that of you, detective," He said.
"Really it's no problem," I said. "She's dead tired and if anyone is looking for her they wouldn't come here in a million years. You could stay too if you like."
"I'd just be at your house alone anyway, daddy," Babs said. "You have to get back to the precinct. This is the best bet we have. And if it'll make you feel better I won't go into work tomorrow."
"I can bring her back to your house or the precinct or her dorm tomorrow," I said. "We can figure it all out in the morning."
Gordon was silent for a moment. There wasn't a reason for him to say no and really everything we'd said was true, even though it was made up completely on the spot.
"Fine," The commissioner sighed. "But I want a call in the morning. From the both of you."
"Yes, sir," I said.
"Thank you for checking on me daddy," Babs said. "Go nab some bad guys."
"Be careful," Gordon said, kissing his daughter's forehead. "I'm serious. Get some sleep and take it easy."
"Of course,' Babs agreed.
Gordon stood up and came back over to me, "Good work, detective. You take it easy, too."
"Thank you, sir," I said.
I showed him out, feeling the hostility steaming off of him. He was grateful I'd saved her, but he also wanted me away from her, but he didn't have a reason to. I felt an odd sort of triumph at getting the blessing of the Police Commissioner to have his daughter in my house. I reentered the living room, yawning and Babs was sitting on the couch, smirking.
"What are you so chipper about?" I asked. "You were just shot."
"I think you just turned into every guy I ever dated in high school," She said. "A lot smoother thought, because none of them ever convinced my father to let me sleep in the same house as them. Not that I didn't do it anyway."
"I was hoping that being shot would have eliminated your sarcasm ability, but no dice apparently." I said.
"You know what we have to do now, right?" She asked
"What do we have to do now?" I asked.
"We have to go see Lucius Fox."
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was distracted with school and life and practical things, but I did pull through eventually. Hope I didn't disappoint ;)