Notes: Co-written with InvisibleBrunette. This was an old idea of hers and I just went along.
The snow had long melted, the groundhog had seen it's shadow, the six more weeks of winter had just passed and the blooming flowers were giving everyone hay fever. Spring was definitely in the air in Gotham City, and somewhere in the middle of it, Dick patiently waited for the arrival of both his coke and someone he hadn't seen for months - months since she had left his loft in New York and headed for California.
Cheyenne Freemont had called him a week earlier when he had just finished taking a shower. She just wanted to 'catch up,' as she put it. And all at once, thoughts of half-baked excuses to feed Lucius ran out of Dick's head. He may not have known the woman long, but he knew there was a reason behind her call besides small talk. Cheyenne really wasn't one for idle chit chat.
"My my my." The sultry voice was just as he remembered. He glanced up to see the red-head smirking coyly at him as she approached, and he had to blink twice at her attire. Gone was the fashionable woman who strolls through the streets like a runway model who expected to have everyone's eyes on her. Instead, her plain long coat and boots simply muttered 'practical'. It was as if she chose her outfit for the comfort instead of style. And her hair, once long and curling around her shoulder blades, was now waving just below her jawline. It made her look... like a woman who meant business. "Looking good as always, Mr. Grayson."
Dick rose to his feet to greet her, hiding his wariness in what he hoped was a sincere smile. "Same could be said about you. Nice haircut, by the way"
"Thanks" Cheyenne twirled a strand of her chin length hair and took a seat across from him. "I had to shorten it. You can't pull it if you can't grab it." she said ruefully.
Dick raised a questioning eyebrow.
"I.." she hesitated for a second, dropping her gaze to the table. It was then that Dick noticed the dark bruising under her eyes, artfully hidden by make up. But her eyes were clear when she glanced up again. She took a deep breath and plunging in. "I had a baby."
Dick breathed. "Oh wow. Congratulations Cheyenne." He grinned at her, relieved that Chey's lack of sleep must have been brought on by a new addition to her family. But when she remained silent for several minutes, his grin faded into a frown. "What's wrong?"
"I just can't do it anymore..." she blurted, her dark eyes filling up with tears. "The Pierce brothers have tracked me down, I can't put the baby at risk like that, Barry would kill him."
Dick grabbed her hand, his inner worry rearing its brooding head. "You want me to help? Is that why you're in Gotham?"
Cheyenne shook her head. "I'm just going to come out and say it, Dick." She paused again, meeting and holding Dick's eye. Her next words would change his life forever.
"He's yours."
The entire world came to a standstill, and those two words echoed round and round in the sudden silence. Dick could hardly believe it. He was tempted to call it a bluff, a joke of some sort but Cheyenne's face was too serious for any prank. She couldn't act that well, not for a Bat.
But it still left him with the situation at hand: the baby. Cheyenne's baby. His, according to her.
It was like a switch had gone on in his head and his training took over. When faced with unsubstantiated confessions, get evidence. And for news as drastic as this, he had to know. He had to be sure.
"I'll have to ask for a paternity test..." Blunt Grayson, very blunt.
But Cheyenne neither flinched nor scowled. Instead, she nodded. "I can give you the samples-"
He cut her off. "I want to see him."
She blinked at him at first, then she took a shaky breath. "Alright. But we have to be careful.. If Pierce found him-
"Shh. I know, Cheyenne." Dick rubbed her hand with his thumb. "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at being stealthy."
"Of course," she gave him a wry smile. "How could I forget?"