~A Few Days Later~

I walked around the mall, scanning the clothes in the windows. Briar Pond was the most popular mall in all of Gotham and as I walked around on Saturday afternoon I realized just how many people loved to shop. Clothes never held much particular value to me. I was satisfied with Wal-Mart brand whereas some didn't even want to be seen in Aeropostale. I'd gained a little extra money recently and had decided to splurge ever so slightly. I hadn't bought anything for myself in a while. I ignored all the high end perfume, jewelry, and purse stores and moved on to the regular clothes stores.

Picking out a top for my date later that week and some jeans, a pair of shorts. I was getting ready to try on a skirt when my stomach growled. I returned the skirt to the rack and went up the escalators to the food court. I stood looking over the balcony, chewing on my pretzel, and glancing at the people below me. None of them realizing that I was there.

"Come on! Let's go!" Bruce said, from the intercom, "Bomb tip!"

Tim slid off the couch and sprinted down to the cave, quickly fitting into his suit, "Where?" He asked as his mentor jumped into the black car.

"Briar Pond Mall"

Tim jumped in after him, "I had been meaning to do some spring shopping"

I stood there for a good ten minutes until I clapped the salt off of my hands and began to turn around. When I heard the familiar boom of explosions. Oh crap, I thought as the ground rumbled beneath my feet. Am I really this unlucky? I thought. First the school, now this. I heard a few people scream and my heart started to beat faster. This is not gonna be good. Some flakes of ceiling started falling and I felt the balcony start to shake under my feet when another boom shook the mall. The railing broke that I was next to. I saw it and made a note to avoid it when the ground shook again and I lost my balance.

"Joker…" Batman said, looking at the mad clown that was holding a silver remote in his gloved hand. The clown lifted his thumb and Robin flung his hook at it attempting to yank it from his grasp.

Harley cart-wheeled in and snatched the chord, yanking it towards her. Robin fell off balance and toppled to the floor. Harley whipped out a knife and snapped the chord in half.

"I guess little bird-y won't be flying today" she squealed happily, attempting a kick to his stomach. The boy somersaulted away then flanked back, trying to land a kick in her back. She flipped over him and kicked him in the back, sending him to the floor. He landed hands first and sprung back up in a front handspring. He ducked a punch and was ready to right hook her in the jaw when the whole building started to shake.

Harley giggled fiercely and flipped backwards, "My queue to leave."

The floor shook and Robin caught his balance, then proceeded to run out of the mall storage room and out into what looked like the food court. People were screaming and running in all different directions, but nobody looked to be in real danger.

The second bomb went off near the pretzel stand and Robin saw the balcony lose its support. A girl, there was a girl over there. She was trying to keep her balance and when she finally lost it she fell backwards, turned towards him and he saw her brown eyes…brown eyes.

Maddie.

He sprinted forward just as she fell off the edge. He leapt after her.

Crap, he thought, realizing that his wires had already been cut when he went to reach for the hook. He managed to grab her forearm and then a banner with the other. Her scream hurt his ears because she was so close, but he was glad that he was so close to her. He'd caught her. The banner burned through his glove and cut into his hand. He winced as he squeezed harder so when he let go and they tumbled to the ground it wouldn't hurt as bad. She landed on top of him and he stood quickly to hide his blush of embarrassment.

"Thanks" she said, breathing hard. Her arms scratched up and her pant legs torn and a bruise beginning to swell up on her arm.

"No problem" Robin said. I wondered why he was just standing there looking at me and I rubbed the spot where he'd grabbed my arm, it was turning blue. My face was hardening with tears that I hadn't noticed I'd shed when I'd fallen off the balcony. My whole body ached.

He waved slightly and turned to run off when I grabbed his wrist. There was a huge gash across his palm. "Your hand!" I said.

He pulled free, "It's nothing. Get out of here." He turned quickly, his cape flashing behind him.

When Tim got home that night he pulled off his ruined glove and tossed it in the trash. He wrapped the gash in a bandage and stared at it. That was going to be really hard to cover up…