Dick woke me up just an hour later.

"Get up, emergency call from a jewelry store. We need to get suited up and leave now."

"I thought I was off of missions."

"Bruce said we'd need you."

We ran into the library, turned the clock face to the designated time for this month, and entered the Batcave. In minutes we were changed into our battle suits with masks covering our faces. The Batmobile slid along the streets quietly.

"Where's Batman?"

"He was on patrol. A jewelry store is being hit, but they're not normal thugs."

"What's different?" Before he answered I knew.

"They can summon fire."

We saw the glow from the fire before we even pulled up. I vaulted out and charged in, unafraid of the flames. Dick coordinated with the firefighters to see if there was anyone trapped inside. I looked around and noticed the fight was still going on. Batman was facing three flame-throwing crazies Batarang to ember. I joined in, kicking and punching from behind. I knocked one out before they knew what was happening, but they quickly regained their composer. One continued to press Batman while the other turned on me. He threw flame at me but my skin simply absorbed it. I stepped on his knee, using the upward force to kick him in the head and knock him out. A quick shocker Batarang put the other out. Bruce was coughing despite the gas mask over his face and I threw his arm over my shoulder to headed for the roof. His cape was on fire, but with barely a thought the flame ceased and didn't retake. The flames bended out of the way and we burst onto the roof where Dick had the Batmobile waiting. I helped Bruce in, turning back to help the fire rescue men.

"They're fine; we need to get out of here. More trouble on the east end." Dick called from behind the wheel. I jumped into the third seat and he carried us over Gotham. Bruce quickly recovered in the night air, although his voice was slightly more gravely than normal.

"Where?"

"An electronics warehouse a few blocks from the docks." We had almost arrived when the police radio crackled to life.

"All units we have a 2314 in progress at Wayne Enterprises. All available units please respond."

Bruce's eyes lit up and the matter of who was going where was dissolved. He dropped Dick and I at the docks and took off at top speed.

"I almost feel sorry for them; they didn't know what they were getting into." Dick shook his head before turning to the building. It was noticeably not on fire and looked very calm. "Police radio said there was a gang out here trying to break in."

We circled the building, noticing a window that had been boarded shut was now pulled open, the crowbar on the ground.

"They made it in." I nodded and climbed through the hole, Dick grappling to the roof to try and corner them.

It was really dark, but I could just make out the shapes of six people on the main floor.

"Faster, faster! They won't be distracted for long." The Joker's voice rang clear through the building and a flashlight was turned on.

"What if they split up?" his sidekick asked. I felt myself filled with hate at the sound of their voices. Anger inside me swirled around, yearning to burst through the surface in an array of heat and light but I held it down, theatrics could come later.

"The let's hope we get the girl; we know how to handle her." The way the Joker said it made my skin crawl.

I emerged from behind a huge crate, allowing my anger to light my hands as I did so. "Handle me? You have no idea what I'm capable of."

The Joker didn't seem the least bit surprised, and turned calmly to face me. "On the contrary my dear, see I made you." He snapped his fingers and the four goonies and the Prince charged at me.

I threw flames at them and all but one goon dodged easily. My aim still wasn't so great. It was easy to dispatch the hired men, and after all the real fight was between me and the Prince.

He apparently had been training with fire users, because he knew how to dodge every single flame-fueled attack I could think of. Because he was paying more attention to my powers, he was more vulnerable to basic hand-to-hand combat attacks. It was incredibly satisfying to deliver one final kick that knocked him through three wooden walls and into the brick. I turned to face the Joker but he was gone, presumably with whatever they had come to steal. I turned back to the Prince, kneeling down to his unconscious body. His face was painted to resemble the Joker's and that paint must have been permanent because even through all the fighting we had done it was immaculate. The second he felt my fingers brush his neck to check for a pulse he jerked awake, grabbing my wrist and flinging it away. He jumped up and ran out of the room, crashing into the door frame as he went. I followed him, tackling him just outside the building. I pinned him down, relishing the feeling of him being at my mercy.

"You're not going anywhere." I pulled out a pair of handcuffs and began to secure his wrists.

"Please no." the look in his eyes was absolutely terrified. "He'll kill me if I get caught."

"Not my problem." I latched on to one wrist, tightening it more than was probably necessary.

"No!" he reached down and popped open a canister on his belt, releasing a cloud of extinguishing foam. Immediately I began coughing and feeling dizzy, and he kicked me off of him. He ran for the water, jumping in and disappearing. I crawled out of the cloud, taking deep breaths of clear night air.

"I hate it when he does that." I punched the cement before getting up. Dick dropped down next to me.

"Where did he go?"

I gestured to the pier. "Where did the Joker go?"

"I don't know. They expected us to come in from the roof, they had some explosives waiting up there and a huge bomb I had to disarm. By the time I got down to the main floor everyone that wasn't knocked out was gone."

"I had the Prince but he hit me with extinguishing foam and jumped into the water. It's safe to say they got what they came for."

"I guess. Come on." I clicked a button on his belt and his motorcycle came roaring around the corner. "Let's see if Batman did better than us."

I climbed on behind him and we took off for Wayne Enterprises. The building looked a little worse for wear as we walked up, and cop cars were clustered around the entrance. A group of the Joker's clowns were being led out in handcuffs. Batman himself walked out, having a conversation with Commissioner Gordon. Seeing us, he quickly said goodbye and walked up.

"What happened?"

We quickly gave him an account, and his brow furrowed in concern. "I was worried about something like that. Halfway through them trying to enter they just stopped, practically put the cuffs on themselves. I think the Joker got exactly what he wanted tonight. I'll see you at the cave, I need to finish up here."

I placed my mask back on its stand in the Batcave, closing the glass door. On the mannequin, my outfit looked so mysterious and sophisticated. Looking at the sleek black with the yellow bat on the chest made me sad. I wasn't Batgirl anymore. I was something else.

I followed Dick upstairs, collapsing onto my bed again and falling asleep within seconds.

The next morning I attended my masters gymnastics class, impressing everyone there with how much I could achieve given my leg was in a brace. We didn't release until noon, and I didn't pull up to the house until after lunch had been served. I took a sandwich in the kitchen while Alfred did the dishes, and then looked around for Dick. He was in his bedroom glued to his computer, looking at some complicated math problem.

"Business, pleasure, or school?"

"Business; this algorithm is supposed to predict the stock market fluctuations."

"Is that legal?"

"In a way yes, in a way no. We're not using it on that, just testing to see if it works."

"Sounds boring." I flopped on his bed. "I want to do something."

"That's what you have a boyfriend for."

"Roy is busy at work, I already asked."

"Call up one of your girl friends, you guys can go to the mall or something." His eyes never left the screen which was now showing him a line graph.

"You are no help." I groaned and left his room. I took out my phone and bit my lip as I looked at it. Should I? It had been pretty awkward last night, but he usually didn't let things bother him for long.

I didn't have to make the decision, because his name illuminated my phone on its own.

"Hey."

"Hey." He sounded nervous

"Look, about last night, I'm sorry."

"No big deal, we all have our commitments." He chuckled and I instantly felt better. "Sorry I acted so weird I just, well there is a lot going on right now."

"It's fine, really. If anyone understands stress it's me."

"Did you want to go out tonight? A proper date this time, dinner and everything."

"Sounds nice, pick me up at 7?"

"I'll be looking forward to it."

I hung up and, despite myself, gave a small squeal of delight. My phone rang again, this time Stacy.

"Oh my God, Lissa, you are not gonna guess who just asked me to homecoming!"

"We have a homecoming?"

She let out a large breath. "I don't know why I even bother anymore. Okay, pretend to be interested for like two minutes. I was down at the mall and Trevor Stokes from the football team released this huge banner from the little walkway above JC Penny's that said 'Homecoming?' and Ryan Fields came out from behind the fountain with a dozen roses and asked if I'd go with him."

"Wow, Stacy, that's really romantic!" I sat down on my chaise and pulled out my nail polish kit. I searched for a color to go with my favorite top as she continued.

"And the roses smelled so good and of course I said yes and he swept me up in this really romantic hug and people clapped and it was amazing." She finished in a whoosh of air. "So anyways, who are you going out with?"

"What?"

"I hear nail polish bottles in the background, and you only paint your nails if you're going on a date."

"It's not a date, we're just going out. Roy is at work, but Rin called me and asked if I wanted to go to dinner. What goes best with turquoise?"

"French tips. Rin, really? I know your nice and all, but I really don't think you should be spending so much time with him. You have Roy."

"I know, we're just going out as friends. He knows I'm dating Roy."

"Woah, when did dating become a thing?"

I rolled my eyes. "And you call me slow. Last night when he introduced himself to Rin. Hey I have another call beeping in, send me pictures of the flowers, okay?"

"Fine, but you're not getting out of this conversation." She hung up and I set the phone down. My nails were finished quickly and I walked awkwardly to the library to read a book while they dried. Alfred passed by me on his way to the Batcave, laden down with a tray of fruit and vegetables.

"Would you care for a snack, Madame Lissa? I was on the way to give them to Master Bruce but you need your strength as well."

"I'll take a few apple slices." I peeled a napkin off of the stack on the tray and piled it with apples, grapes, and carrots. "Thank you, and would you tell Bruce I'm going out tonight? I won't be out too late but I'll miss dinner."

"Mr. Harper, I presume?"

"No, a friend from school."

"Oh, Mr. Napier." She said it with a little too much tone for me to ignore.

"You don't like him either?"

"I don't have an opinion, Madam. All I know is what your Father and your brother have told me."

"So you don't like him."

"I never said that." He turned the hands on the clock and descended the steps.

I groaned, eating a carrot. I didn't see what was so bad about him. Everyone was being so harsh on Rin for no reason other than he wasn't rich. I finished my book and my snack, and once my toes were dry went upstairs to choreograph my outfit. Over a dozen skirts and three dozen tops later I stood in my favorite turquoise of-the-shoulder blouse with a white skirt and flats. It wasn't even 6 by the time I finished, so I dragged my brain through an hour of history when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" I shouted, but Alfred beat me to it.

"Good evening, Mr. Napier. Master Wayne has requested your presence in the study before you begin your evening."

"Of course, Pennyworth. After you." Rin stepped in and noticed me, winking as he was led to towards the back room. As soon as they were out of sight I dashed into the library, finding the spot on the back wall that had a hole drilled in to look into Bruce's office. Unfortunately, Bruce must have noticed because the hole was plugged now and I couldn't hear anything. I groaned silently and went into the sitting room, fiddling on the piano to distract myself from being nervous. What felt like an eternity (but was realistically almost 10 minutes) later, Rin walked out with Bruce.

"And if you wouldn't mind, I'd like her home by 10."

"Yes sir." Rin gave a wide smile and shook his hand, offering his arm to me.

The moment we were in the car I pressed him for details. "Oh the usual 'if you're going to date my daughter you need to respect her', 'no means no' stuff."

"That is so embarrassing."

"No, it was refreshing. Most girls I'm interested in don't have Dads who care that much. As long as I don't get her pregnant they don't care what we do."

"That's sad." I looked down "I know I've always been blessed in the fact of never having to worry about money, but sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have a family that loves me."

"Yeah, it's pretty great." Rin's voice was a little dry but I decided to let it slide.

"So where are we going?"

"Taco joint right off the pier. Figured we could go to the festival since it's the last night it's here."

"That sounds like fun. Are there going to be fireworks?"

"Aren't there always fireworks between us?"

"I meant in the sky, you dork."

"Probably, they usually like to go out with a bang. Something we have in common." I rolled my eyes at his wink.

"Pay attention to the road, speedy McGee. Try not to get a ticket this time."

"About last night-"

"Please don't, I really don't want to remember it right now. I'm usually not like that with guys and it was just really awkward and please. I just want to have a nice night."

He looked a little confused but nodded. A moment of silence passed before he responded. "Oh and I forgot to tell you, you look amazing. I think I like casual Lissa more than the formal version."

"I didn't want to wear pants, and shorts just didn't seem to fit the mood."

"Don't lie, you wanted to tease me."

"Maybe a little." I giggled. We reached the pier in no time thanks to his speeding and he bought us chicken tacos from a man who only spoke one word in English: pay. But they were delicious and we ended up going back for seconds before heading to the fair as it got dark.

The dock was lit up with multi-colored lights and cheery music filled the air. Kids ran around laughing, and we passed a strength test game with a bell all of the dads were trying to outdo each other on. The carousel and merry-go-round were at the very back, and we rode both twice. He won me a stuffed tiger at a hoop throwing game, and I won a goldfish at a rubber duck shooting booth. We walked along the edge of the fair and watched everyone have fun. We even went through the oddities tent which was just a bunch of different skeletons glued together to be 'new, never before seen species'.

In other words: it was perfect.

Just before the firework display, we walked back to the car and laid on the front hood, leaning back on the windshield. I showed him the constellations I remembered and we made up the ones I couldn't. Then the first firework went into the sky, starting the show. I was a beautiful display, full of the twinkling golden ones I liked and the bold exploding ones Rin seemed to enjoy. It only lasted a few minutes, but it was enjoyable all the same. Rin reached over with his hand and laced our fingers together. I looked over at him and his face silently asked me to leave it. I sighed but didn't move. After the fireworks we looked at the stars again in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"I best get you home. Your Dad likes me and I would prefer to keep it that way for now." He slid off the hood and opened the passenger door for me. I sat down, deep in thought while he walked around the car.

The ride home was quiet as well, and he didn't speak until he had parked in the driveway. "It's a nice change of pace to be actually welcome here."

"A lot better than sneaking around." I agreed.

He walked me up to the doorstep and I set my prizes inside, stepping back out onto the porch. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at his shoes. Neither of us knew what to say.

"Rin, could you do something for me?"

"I'll try my best."

"Come to my room tonight?"

His eyebrows raised and a huge smile spread across his face. "I'd be delighted."

"You don't have to be such a big dork about it." I shove his shoulder but he only grabbed my outstretched arms and pulled me into a deep kiss.

"Then let me rephrase: it would be my pleasure." He kissed me again, then suddenly let me go and walked to his car.

I walked in and closed the door, fanning my face so I wouldn't be blushing when Dick came to check on me. I asked Alfred for a fish bowl and he produce one from somewhere in the kitchen, along with a jar of fish food. When I asked where he got it, he simply said he tried to stay 'as prepared as possible'. I set the bowl on my dresser and put the goldfish in, feeding him. I set the tiger on the chair by my vanity and rifled through my underwear drawer to find the most appealing thing I could. For added measure, I also slipped on my blue silk bathrobe.

A knock on my door sounded, nearly giving me a heart attack. Dick walked in quietly. "How did it go?"

"Really well actually. We went to the fair."

"Cute fish."

"Thanks, I won him at a game."

"I just came in to check on you. I'm heading to bed, I have early patrol schedule tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm gonna be heading that way pretty soon."

"I am glad you had a nice time." He said the words like they pained him, but that he also really meant them.

"Thank you, that means a lot to me."

"Well, good night."

"Good night."

He left, closing my door behind him. I stood up and locked it, taking a deep breath.

"Well that was sweet."

It took all my restraint not to scream. "You have got to stop sneaking up on me like that."

"But it's so fun." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist. "A silk bathrobe?"

"Hey, it was a Christmas gift." I slapped his hands away. "I have carefully planned tonight and you are not going to mess it up, okay buddy?"

"You planned tonight?"

"Yeah, why?"

"This is your first time?"

"Of course not." I lied but it was too easy to see through.

"I didn't know." He said simply, running his fingers through his hair. "Look, I understand if you want to wait now. I really had no idea."

"No, I asked you here and I meant it." I lead him over the bed and sat him down. Trying not to blush too much, I untied my robe and let it fall to the ground. He took in the image of me in black lace and grinned.

"You spoil me."

"Shut up." I walked toward him and straddled his lap, kissing him gently.

He took over from there, and it was evident he had done this before. He knew exactly where to touch, where to kiss, and how fast he should get there. He laid me down on the bed and pulled a condom out of his pocket, setting it on the nightstand.

"You won't need that; Bruce has me on the pill."

"Awesome." He kissed my neck and reached for the strap of my bra but hesitated. "Lissa, you know I care about you, right? I've made it pretty clear I hope."

"I know, Rin."

He took a moment and kissed me, completely unrelated to what was going on. There wasn't any lust, or ulterior motive, it was just passion. It was just two people coming together.

I remember the pleasure, and the pain. It was sharp but I had handled worse, and he treated me with care. I had been taken care of my whole life, and more recently been the center of the public attention, but never before had I felt so special. He loved every inch of me.

We lay there in each other's arms for hours. He stroked my hair and I traced circles over his skin with my fingers. We talked about pointless things, just stupid pointless things, but they were all that mattered in the moment. He wasn't snarky or sarcastic then, he was open and sincere. He told me about Boston and about what had happened that forced him to leave.

"My guardian's name is Jack, he took me under his wing when I moved to Gotham. I was only seven but he gave me the tools I would need to be successful. He has a grand vision, Lis. He just wants people to be able to express themselves. He wants the world to embrace who they really are. But he doesn't pay me much attention. He doesn't pay anyone much attention except his…rival I guess you could say."

"Rival?"

"Jack's in local politics. Your Dad knows him probably. He fights for the people, but his rival just beats him back. He calls him crazy and a lunatic. He says he is being selfish. But Jack is so passionate about his cause, it's impossible not to feel the same way"

"He sounds very driven." I smiled. "Will I get to meet him?"

He looked at me. Something seemed to change in his eyes. A wall a meter thick went up around him, blocking me from seeing anymore of his story. He looked almost disappointed, as if I'd let him down. "Maybe one day."

"I'd like to."

"So tell me your story. What brought you to Gotham?"

"A little bit of everything. I only moved in here a little while ago, but Bruce has been my guardian for some time now. He's always watched after me. I was born to American parents in Japan, but they abandoned me right after. He was visiting on business and found me, brought me home. I studied abroad when I was little for gymnastics and traveled a lot. Once I got old enough Bruce brought me here to finish my schooling and start getting into a more sophisticated career path."

"Was Richard here before you?"

"I was Bruce's ward first, but Dick has always lived here since he was around 10. Dick's parents died when he was little and Bruce agreed to take him on as an heir since he didn't have one."

"So if he hadn't come along, you'd be the heiress to Wayne Enterprises?"

"I guess so. I don't envy him, though. I like being able to do what I want. And I couldn't be involved in anything else if I was the inheritor. Dick is up at the office nearly every spare second of the day or if he isn't, working on something for the company. It's a lot to learn in a little time."

"What's the rush? Bruce isn't going anywhere anytime soon."

"Better to be safe than sorry, you know? He doesn't want to leave anything to chance. Dick doesn't mind. He is very fond of Bruce and wants to impress him."

"I understand that one." He mumbled.

We lapsed into silence and I felt my eyes growing heavy. Rin must have notice my breathing even out. He slipped out from under me and kissed my forehead, pulling the covers to my chin. "Goodnight, Princess."