Training with Dick was great, and it did wonders for the boy. It had been a month since I had taken him under my wings, a month since his parents died. I was there when it happened, but I wasn't strong enough to stop it. The training was not only for him, I needed to get better as well. Richard Grayson grew up in the circus as part of a trapeze act with his parents. He was extremely agile and flexible. We were just testing his top speed, when my screen started flickering.
The joker was out on the town. That man was supposed to be locked up in high-security facility miles outside of town, but not anymore by the looks of it. I told Dick to grab his Robin costume while I hastily put on my own. As I drove through town, I sent Barbara a text on her phone. She was clearly not responding to her beeper, but I really needed her tonight. I had acquired her phone number in case of emergency.
TOWN HALL. JOKER.
I stared at the message for a moment, then I went back and added I NEED YOU. I didn't feel the need to add my name. She would understand.
Robin was losing his fight with Harley Quinn, and Joker was kicking the shit out of me while some of his followers held me down. I wondered what he'd given his men this time, because I wasn't used to having such a hard time breaking loose. The odds weren't looking good for us. And that's when I noticed her. From the corner of my eye I saw her lean figure landing on top of Harley Quinn. This distraction was all I needed to get loose.
That was the moment I realised I had missed that purple outfit. Whether I had wanted it or not, Barbara had become a part of my life, and I had started to count on her. It wasn't something the clown boys had taken, it was me. I was out of shape. I was out of shape without that little girl by my side.
I threw myself at the men around me. It took me a matter of minutes to have all of them, the Joker included, on their stomachs with their hands tied behind their backs.
'Can you give me a lift?' Barbara asked. It was barely more than a whisper.
Even though tonight was a success, the ride was silent.
'Bats… Batman, you drove past my neighbourhood,' Barbara finally said. I didn't answer.
'What?! You're taking her to the cave?' Dick's voice skipped. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared out the window, sulking.
Barbara's face started to light up, though. She couldn't repress a smile. I knew this would make her feel better. I knew I had hurt her when she met Robin, made her feel insignificant by choosing him over her to train with. I felt bad about it, hell, I had been distracted by it ever since, but things with Robin had just gone so fast.
'So Barbara, how old are you?' was the first thing Robin asked when we entered the cave.
Barbara instantly went back to bad place. 'You told him my name?'
I raised my shoulders. It seemed like the logical thing to do. I took of my cap.
'Bruce Wayne…' there was a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice. I don't think she was really surprised, though. She probably guessed after our first job together. 'So that makes you… Richard Grayson.'
Dick grunted. He knowing more than her, like it made him more important, but my secrecy towards Barbara was over now I'd seen how much it had hurt her.
It was never my intention to hurt her.
