Chapter 16
A week later, Piper and Tim sat in Piper's room on the comfy chairs by the window overlooking Gotham. They were having the afternoon snacks that Alfred brought them. The sun was hidden behind the dark storm clouds, casting a dark shadow over the otherwise cheery room. The subject of the conversation changed many times, but they always came back around to the Joker. Since the incident last week, Dick and Bruce had been working twice as hard to find him. But they've had no luck. Piper and Tim threw in multiple suggestions to his whereabouts, but each time they looked it up on Piper's computers, results came up empty.
Piper could now put more pressure on her foot. She still had a limp, but she stopped using her crutches. Her arms were still bandaged, despite her pleas to remove the bandages. She had also decided that she might need sleeves on her costume. Tim suggested she change it completely, which resulted in a ten minute argument over the design.
Outside the rain started to come down. Piper was busy drawing in her sketchbook, trying to figure out the new design. She still had the black pants and boots, but now the shirt was long-sleeved, skin tight with a shield design in the center. She stopped drawing and showed it to Tim.
"Looks ok to me," he said with a shrug.
"I feel like it's missing something."
"A utility belt?"
Piper laughed. "That would ruin the whole image. Everyone knows Athena is the only one in the Bat family that doesn't have a utility belt." She laughed again. "No, wait. I know what it's missing." She went back to the drawing and added the belt that held her retractable sword and throwing knives.
Tim leaned over and watched as she drew. "Now that's more like you."
Piper closed the sketchbook and sighed with relief. "I'll show this to Bruce when he gets home from work. I can take the plates back into the kitchen. Don't go anywhere."
"Not planning on it."
Piper stood and took the plates. She walked out of the room and down the stairs. She peered into the living room. Alfred had a fire going in the fireplace, the light flickering through the room. She remembered the day Tim arrived, standing in front of the fireplace with is tired eyes. She looked over at the couch where Dick had come home from a mission with that long jagged cut. He still had a scar from that. Every now and then, Piper would spot a speck of blood on the couch from when Alfred patched Dick up that eluded the cleaning. She also remembered when she and Jason would just sit and talk on those couches.
Piper continued into the kitchen and set the plates down in the sink. Alfred was nowhere in sight, which meant he was probably down in the Batcave dusting the equipment. Piper took in the silence. She leaned on the edge of the counter and looked out the small window above the sink. A few yards away sat the Wayne family cemetery. Piper could see the gray headstones rising out of the earth. The rain was coming down harder now. Puddles were forming in the grass and mist hung around the tops of the trees. Guilt formed in the pit of her stomach. If she had seen that wire earlier, she could've avoided it. The Joker would be behind bars and in a straightjacket. Her train of thought then switched to Jason. A wave of sadness spread throughout her body. She and Jason were never the closest, but they were close enough. He trusted her and she trusted him. They always had each other's backs. She looked back out the window and saw Jason's headstone facing towards her. Tears stung her eyes. Her mind went back to that day.