Chpt.23

Livy batted her eyes open only to be greeted by darkness.

"Wha-" Livy noticed that she was on her feet leaning against something strange feeling. She placed her hands foreword and noticed that it felt like thick wood. She stretched her hands to the side and was met with the same feeling. When she went to touch whatever was behind her, a pair of hands grabbed hers and a voice whispered in her ear,

"Are you done feeling around?" It was Damian. Livy could feel his breath when he talked to her, and she suddenly felt uneasy.

"Robin… where are we?" Livy questioned, her voice shaky. I'm in a box! Oh god I'm in a box! No! I can't be! Calm down Livy! Calm down! OH GOD I'M IN A BOX!

"I believe we are in a box. I heard one of Penguin's men talking about how we were going to be sold to the highest bidder."

"Sold?" Livy whispered, trying to keep herself as calm as she possibly could. When will needles start to stab me? When will this start to fill up with water? When will the pain start?

"Yes. Many people want me dead and I suppose you have some sexual appeal that would be worth buying." Damian grunted. Livy was silent, but he could hear her breath. It was getting quick and heavy.

"Little Red, instead of breathing so heavily, maybe you should help come up with a plan to get us out of this box. They took away my tools when I was unconscious." Damian stated.

"Plan? Right… right. Plan." Livy nodded, her voice wobbling.

"Are you alright?" Damian questioned, his voice hinting at some concern. Livy's back was flushed against his stomach so he could feel how tense she was.

"Gotta get out." Livy whispered, and Damian could hear her fumbling around for a weak spot. After a while she ended up pounding on the wall with her fist desperately.

Damian grabbed Livy's shoulders, and he could feel her shaking.

"Calm down." he growled as he wrapped his arms around Livy, keeping her still. "Punching the walls will do no good."

"We have to… to get outta here. Robin, we have to get out of here. Please." Livy whimpered as she shook. Damian had no idea what was bringing this on, but he had never seen Livy like this. She seemed terrified.

"We'll get out of this." He whispered, trying to calm her down. "Somehow we'll get out of it. Calm down." Damian awkwardly patted her head, trying to reassure her somehow.

Damian was surprised when Livy turned around hugged him tightly. Her fingertips dug into his back and she buried her head into his shoulder. She was trembling and Damian held her tight, trying to be some form of comfort.

Damian brought his hand down to his belt, looking for something he could use to get out of the box.

He felt a small COM link. However, it wasn't one that Batman issued him. It was one that Colin had given him.

Damian quickly placed it in his ear as he continued to hold Livy.

"Abuse. Abuse come in."

"Robin?"

"Abuse, ask Oracle to trace this signal and then come and get Little Red and I as soon as possible. This is urgent." Damian stated.

"I'm on it."

Damian could hear Livy's breath quickening and he knew that he needed to get her to calm down or she was going to pass out.

"Little Red, you're going to hyperventilate if you keep breathing like that. Slow down." Damian whispered. "Take in slow, even breaths. Breath in." Damian instructed and Livy did so. "Now breath out." Livy did so, however there was a thunk against the box, and Livy's breathing spiked again and Damian heard her make a soft whimpering sound.

Just then Damian heard the sound of body's hitting the floor after a solid punch. The top of the box was ripped off and light quickly shone into it. Colin in his Abuse form smiled at the two of them.

"Should I come back later?" Colin questioned with a smirk as he ripped off one of the walls for them to get out of the box, but Damian didn't return the smile. He continued to hold Livy tightly, but knew that he would have to let her go.

"Thank you." Damian stated coldly as he shoved Livy foreword, out of the box entirely and she stumbled a bit.

Damian noticed the men unconscious and they were still in the warehouse.

"You got here fast." Damian stated.

"I was actually nearby." Colin shrugged, then looked over at Livy, noticing how she was regaining her breath. "Is she-"

"Did you see Penguin?" Damian cut him off, trying to let Livy regain her breath and calm down without interference.

"No." Colin informed, shaking his head.

"He's most likely cutting all his ties to this place as we speak." Livy sighed as she looked at Damian and Colin. She looked calm and composed, as if she wasn't breaking down only moments ago.

"I'm sure it's fine. Penguin can never be caught, and even if he is, nothing much evidence wise can stick." Colin shrugged.

"I can't believe that that man actually sent me a Christmas present." Livy mumbled, and Colin looked at her in surprise.

"Penguin sent you a Christmas present?"

"Yup. He sent me my first doll house." Livy nodded. "I didn't play with it much, but Penguin knew that my Mom was raising a daughter so he was sure to send presents during Christmas." Livy informed, but shook her head. "I never really liked dolls much."

The three decided to call the cops to pick up Penguin's goons and some of the guns, and then went different ways. Colin had to get home, and Livy wanted to go back to the hospital.

However, Damian stopped her from leaving.

"What was all that about?" he questioned, and Livy raised an eyebrow.

"All what about?"

"The box! You just completely lost it. Why?" Damian said in a demanding tone.

"I… I'm just a bit claustrophobic." Livy informed with a small stutter, which struck Damian a bit odd since it was so out of character.

"What made you like that? What made you so deathly afraid?" he questioned, but Livy's face hardened.

"Why do you even care? It's none of your business either." Livy stated firmly.

"Fine." Damian shrugged. "If you don't tell me, I can always ask your father. I'm sure he'd be interested to hear about how his daughter clung to me for dear life for just being trapped in a box." Livy's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No. You can't tell him. He doesn't know…" Livy trailed off, looking at her feet.

"He doesn't know what?"

"You have to swear not to tell." Livy whispered. Damian looked her in the eyes and nodded.

"You have my word." Livy took in a deep breath, then sighed heavily.

"Jason thinks that I no longer have PTSD and that I'm no longer claustrophobic." She informed. "

When I was younger, Joker shoved me into this small box…" she shook her head. "The thing would fill up with water and prick me with needles and all other types of hell. And I was stuck in their for two days." Livy shuddered. "It was awful. Once I was rescued, Jason worked to try to make me feel better. He would try to help me with my claustrophobia and PTSD. After a while, I could keep the feelings at bay. Small rooms still make me uneasy, but I can bare it."

"So he thinks that your fine?" Damian questioned, and Livy nodded.

"Yeah, he thinks that I don't have a single thing wrong with me. I'm his perfect daughter. I'm not damaged or any of that crap that I really am." She shook her head. "You should have seen him when he took me home after being stuck in that box. I was in bed for days, and he was so worried about me. He was always worried about me after that. What father would be content having to worry about their damaged child? That's why I knew that I couldn't let him know that I wasn't truly alright. That there is still stuff wrong with me." she said as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Livy… I didn't know…" he whispered as he walked toward her.

"NO!" Livy exclaimed as she pushed Damian away. "Don't you dare see me differently now. I am not weak! I'm not someone who needs help with this! I can deal with my crap by myself, you got that? Don't you dare treat me any differently now that you know this." Livy growled.

Damian was speechless.

"I'm… I am sure if you told your father what you are dealing with, he'd understand." Damian said in a gentler tone.

"Yeah, right. He'd be worried sick every time I left the house. If he'd let me leave the house if I told him." she mumbled.

"Livy, if you need any help-"

"I'm fine. You wanted to know what was wrong with me, now you do. Now, I have to get back to the hospital." Livy stated as she turned on her heels to leave. Damien quickly grabbed her hand.

"Wait. You are going back to that hospital? Into that small room?"

"I can't let being a bit uncomfortable get in the way of helping Lancy." Livy stated as she tore her hand away from Damian's grip.

He watched as Livy ran away, back to the hospital. Back to sitting in a room where she felt like the walls would close in on her at any moment.