A/N: Look at this, two chapters in one weekend! I feel very good about myself.
(Translation), ASL, and despite the fact that I hate this for what I use it for but I have to thoughts.
I think that's everything..
Rob: Nope
me: Who invited you?
Rob: I'm in the story
me: What idiot did that?
Rob: -raised eyebrow-
me: Go back to being a cute thirteen year old! You're annoying at fifteen.
Rob: ouch! you know you need me though.
me: As if...Oh yeah! I don't own anything but Jani and Dalyn belongs to SilentStorm1999
Rob: SilentStorm is nicer to me
me: Yeah 'cause she writes your girlfriend not your sister. And even then we both plot your
imminent downfall.
Rob: stop procrastinating and get on with the story.
Me:And you say I'm mean?
"Sit down." Bruce, or rather Batman told me and I attempted at failed to enter the cave quietly. I shrugged and took a seat at the computer. He came out of the shadows, but he was dressed as Bruce Wayne, though I doubted that his Batman voice would be leaving anytime soon.
"You want to tell me what happened last night?" He asked.
"Not really." "Well according to Dick you had Wally lie so you could go off and conduct your own investigation. An investigation that could have made the whole mission a failure, a investigation that I did not allow."
"And yet I have a key piece of information that we could not complete the mission without." I pointed out.
"You went off not only behind your brothers back but also behind mine."
"Like I care. Need I point out all the times you've lied to us about a mission?" I asked rather annoyed.
"I have good reasons when I do."
"So did I! I was the only one of us that would stand a chance going into the Joker's hideout and living to tell the tale. It seemed obvious that I would have to at some point. It's not like the Joker was going to spill everything in the teachers lounge."
"That gives you no excuse to go behind our backs."
"Normally you wouldn't care what I did on a team mission, but suddenly your hurt and it's such a horrible thing. Dick isn't angry with me! I attained information necessary for the mission and while he doesn't like the means at which I got them, he is happy I got it, why can't you be?"
"The means with which you got them are why I'm not happy. You're off the mission."
"Excuse me?" I glared at him.
"You're off the mission. I can't allow someone who lies to be on a mission where people's lives are at stake." He sighed.
"Ich kann das nicht glauben.(I can't believe this)" I muttered.
"Sorry, but you need to learn."
I got up and strode out of the cave without giving a backwards glance to Bruce.
"What happened?" Dick asked me when I stormed into his room.
"El mi-a luat de pe misiunea!(He took me off the mission)" I growled.
"Why?"
"Colectarea de informații aparent dorit este dezaprobat în această casă!(Apparently gathering wanted information is frowned upon in this household.)" I sat down on my bed.
"I'm sure that's not the case, he was just scared and didn't want it to happen again." Dick put a hand on my back.
"If he was scared he has a strange way of showing it." I sighed.
"Come on we have school, and we need more evidence that 'Mr. Kerr' is Joker."
"His alias is literally Joe Kerr, the fact that no one else has figure it out yet is what's scaring me."
"Well, the people of Gotham aren't known for being able to figure tings out."
"No wonder Bruce is called 'the world's greatest detective'."
We pulled up to school, thankfully in our respective cars. Myself and Lyn in mine and the boys in Dick's. No more limo! We went into the school, and through a set of double doors that led to the schools courtyard. Lyn and Wally headed off to the Teams designated meeting spot, where I saw Artemis give me a small glare to which I responded a smirk and girlish wave. Dick again had to drag me away across the courtyard to the table Babs was sitting at.
"I'm gonna go find Jake." I told the pair who were already in a deep conversation about something I math. I rolled my eyes and made my way to the table that held some of Jake's friends.
"Have any of you guys seen Jake?" I asked the group at large.
"Not since last night. He went out again after his mom brought home another new guy." Josh, one of his closest friends, who also lived in his apartment complex, answered.
"Do you know how he did?" Jake's answer to a lot of his mom problems was to be able to somewhat control the men she saw. He didn't want her going with the really bad drug dealers and he drew the line at petty thieves. So he would go out at night and beat up the men that fit this description. That's how we'd met Bats had wanted Sparrow to keep an eye on him so Jake got a scholarship to GA, and I kept an eye on him. Once we'd become friends I tried to convince him to stop beating up criminals, but he pointed out the police weren't doing anything, and he was merely doing the same thing Batman was. Minus the nifty gadgets. His words not mine. Recently though he hadn't been fighting much, I guess last night just was too much for him.
"He tried to break up a drug ring, how do you think he did?" Tyler, another friend, asked.
"He's an idiot." I said, putting my hand to my forehead.
"Yeah, but he's your idiot, so..." Josh shrugged.
"I'm worried about him, but I can't skip class."
"Why not, if he's not here he obviously is really hurt and the rest of us are out of excuses." Tyler pointed out.
I sighed and shrugged, "All right I'll go. Cover for me will you Kris?" I asked the third boy who'd stayed quiet the whole time. He, Jake and I had History together and though he didn't say much, he was easily Jake's best friend. He nodded and went back to his notebook. "Danke.(Thanks)" I smiled at him and headed off for my car.
I got to Jake's apartment in fifteen minutes, and sighed when I saw his mom standing on the sidewalk in front of the building. She was holding a sherry bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. I pulled the first aid kit from my glove box and got out of the car. "Hello Mrs. James."
"Oh look, it's my sons good for nothing girl." She grinned at me.
I held in my look of distaste, "Jake home?"
"Hell if I know little girl, shouldn't you be at school."
"So should Jake, which is why I came here. He wasn't." I explained.
"Why should I know what my son does? He never helps me, I do all the work and the thanks I get is him staying hold up in his room or out with you or his hoodlum friends." She began complaining.
"Mhmm." I answered as I headed up the stairs to the second floor.
"Where are you going?" She asked me indignantly.
"To check on Jake." I answered slowly as I pulled out my key.
"Oh, well if you see him tell him I'm going out"
"Will do Mrs. James." I smiled then let myself into the apartment. I stepped inside and began flashing the light in the living room. After a few seconds I saw the light to Jake's room flashing also. I headed over to his room and stepped inside.
The place was a wreck. He desk chair was knocked over, the bedclothes were all over the place, his jacket was thrown on the floor, and bloody towels lay by the bed. "What happened to you?" I asked after seeing his face, which looked more like shredded meat then his face.
"Fight. Bad." Was all he managed to sign before collapsing on the bed. I shook my head and joined him on the bed, opening the first aid kit while doing so.
I pulled out the hydrogen peroxide and got the closest towel soaked with it, the began dapping his face. He immediately pulled back and glared at me. "You need this so you don't get a infection. You know this" Jake's a medical genius, he was more capable of taking care of wounds then I was, but that wasn't saying I had no idea what I was doing.
He nodded and scooted closer so I could continue to clear up his face.
"Time?" I signed, which he understood to mean what time did he get in.
" Around five." He shrugged. "Kris covering?"
"Yeah." I signed quickly before going back to his face.
"His parent were fighting again last night." Jake told me. I grimaced.
"About?"
"No idea, I could just feel the vibrations from them yelling, they're right next door."
"Yeah...He was outside when I left."
"He say anything to you?" I asked curious.
"Only that it was they're normal fight. About going back to Austria." I rolled my eyes at that.
"Every immigrant set of parents has that fight. My parents did, but of course they couldn't go back. For whatever reason."
"Yeah I know, I just think about how much its messing him up."
"Of course it is. Jake, look you can't think about that, or you'll forget about yourself. I used to live here too, I wished I could help all of my friends, but I couldn't and in the end they all made it. So far. That's all we can hope in this horrible town." I replied before reaching back into the first aid kit for bandages. "I can't do anything for your eye, but those cuts will all get a Band-Aid."
I put the bandages on his face and then made to get up, but Jake reached out and grabbed my arm "That's not all."
I groaned and gave him a look that stated 'you idiot.' He smiled at me before pulling off his shirt. I sighed as I saw his chest and stomach covered in purple bruises. "Well I'm sure you have at least one broken rib, if not more."
I grimaced and then looked down at his chest. One he saw how bad it was he put his head back on the pillow and laid there completely still.
I began poking his rib cage, lightly, but enough to detect if he had anything broken. Thankfully he didn't full back to much, showing me that he most likely had only bruised his ribs, no broken.
"I'll wrap them, but I would rather you see a doctor."
"Can't pay for a doctor." He sighed, then let out a pained gasp. I groaned but went on to my plan. I'd send Leslie over later. I bound his chest with gauze and then left him to see what I could make for a somewhat suitable breakfast.
"Natürlich. kein Essen nur Alkohol (Of course. No food, only alcohol)" I muttered under my breath. I sighed and went back to Jake's room.
"I'm going to the store, I'm gonna ask Kris's mom to watch you until I get back." I signed and then headed out the door.
I walked down the stairs, and then went up the other set that led to the apartments that were next to Jake's wall. I knocked on A234 and was greeted by a very tired looking Frau Wristen.
"Hallo Frau Wristen, Jake im Kampf bekam ich letzte Nacht, und ich muss in den Laden laufen, können Sie ihn zu beobachten für eine halbe Stunde? (Hello Mrs. Wristen, Jake got in fight last night I and I need to run to the store, could you watch him for half an hour?)" I smiled at her. She glowered at me, but nodded all the same.
"Vielen, vielen Dank! (Thank you so much)" I continued smiling as I went back to my car and got in.
I got back to Jake's apartment to hear a string of German swears coming from the open door. I sighed and made my way in with my arms full of groceries. "Problematik? (Problem?)" I asked Frau Wristen.
"Ja ,diese verdammte Junge versucht, sich aus seinem gottverdammte Bett zu bekommen, wenn er sollte eindeutig nicht, und er wird nicht auf mich hören. Er ist eine reine und einfache Idiot! (this damn boy is trying to get out of his goddam bed if he was not unique, and he will not listen to me. He is a pure and simple idiot!)" She growled.
"Ich kann ihn jetzt zu behandeln, danke für den Versuch. (I can handle him now, thank you for trying.)" I smiled at her. She rolled her eyes and stormed out of the apartment. I set down the groceries on the counter and went into Jake's room.
"She's right, you are an idiot."