All recognized characters belong to DC comics. The poem is original work, please don't use without permission or crediting me at least.
Nightwing lays Acacia back down as soon as she falls asleep. He has never seen this side, a scared and lonely little girl. He takes a few more moments to make sure that nothing has started bleeding again before turning around and walking back toward Batman, where he sits at the computer.
"What was that about?" Red Hood leans against the side of the massive computer.
"Her childhood." Batman's voice is short and clipped.
Robin walks over saying, "I am assuming she has not had the best life."
"I thought you checked out her homes first." Tim walks over, pulling the last of his costume on.
There is a pause as Batman pulls his cowl off, then typing into the Bat Computer so that the file on Acacia Elise-Rachel Dent appears on the multiple surrounding screens. Her picture appears in a smaller screen; she is unsmiling and her eyes are a cold violet. Her black and red hair is cut jaggedly, clearly a home job, and too large of clothing. The young teenager's face is gaunt, with sharp edges.
"What the hell happened to her?" Jason walks over, his helmet under his arm, voice light with a darker undertone.
"Her foster families didn't appreciate having the daughter of one of Gotham's Rouge's in their house. She was removed from each of the families for child abuse, neglect, endangerment, the list goes on." Bruce leans back in the chair and scans over the girl's file.
Dick reads the file, the words abuse and neglect standing out to him. He begins to realize that the only time the girl was unharmed and healthy was when Two-Face was sent back to Arkham and she was recovered from the various homes by said criminal. He can begin to see why the girl hates Batman, Nightwing, Red Robin and Red Hood. Acacia's father is the only one who treats her properly. Even now she lives in a small apartment in the Narrows, furniture and clothes second hand.
He glances over at the now sleeping girl and sees that her face isn't relaxed, but tense, as if waiting for someone to come over and hit her. She doesn't relax, not even in sleep, he realizes, remembering all the other times he saw her. Acacia looks relaxed to an untrained eye, but Dick can see that her muscles are coiled and ready to take a hit or give one.
He walks over and brushes the hair out of her face, shushing her when she moans in pain. She always gives off an appearance of confidence and security, but really, he now sees that Acacia is a broken little girl, hiding in the corner and praying that someone will come and put her back together.
"So, what are we going to do with her?"
Grayson turns to look at Bruce's reaction to Jason's question. It is a valid question. What are they going to do? Drop her off at an empty apartment where no one will check up on her? Wait, didn't she bring someone to meet her father a couple weeks ago? He would probably be willing to take care of Acacia until she is recovered.
Tim speaks up. "She has a friend, Crowe Moore. He will do anything for her, so asking him to take care of her for a little while wouldn't be met with a no."
Bruce agrees to this and they all place their masks back on. Nightwing cradles the teenager gently in his arms, trying to have her lower body move as little as possible. He walks over to the Batmobile and waits for Batman to open the roof. It slides open with a soft hiss and he lays her down in the back, making sure Acacia is secure and as comfortable as she can be.
"Nightwing and I will take Miss Dent to her friend's. Red Hood, you take the Narrows. Red Robin and Robin will cover the rest until Nightwing and I are done."
Red Hood makes a lazy salute. "Sure thing, boss man." He then gets on his customized motorcycle and speeds off.
Both Robins give confirming nods, before mounting their own bikes and taking off.
This leaves Nightwing, Batman and Acacia alone in the Bat Cave, but not for more than a minute as Batman goes topside.
Crowe Moore hasn't heard from Acacia for almost a day now. This makes him uneasy, because he normally gets a call from her whenever the Rouges are on the news. Hearing a knock at his door makes him tense and reach for his pistol. He peers through the peep hole and receives a shock when he sees Batman and Nightwing, the latter holding an unconscious and heavily bandaged Acacia.
Crowe throws the door open, dropping his handgun behind it and reaches for his best friend. He cradles her gently to his chest and gives a curt nod to the vigilantes. He kicks his door close and hears the limp girl murmur a part of the song Cell Block Tango from the musical Chicago.
"I grabbed the shot gun off the wall
And I fired two warning shots
In. To. His. Head."
He laughs softly and places her on his bed. Even unconscious and in pain she has a greeting for him. Crowe has a vine pull the covers over her as he looks for some ointment. He can only guess where her injuries come from, but knows the Bats have something to do with it.
He clenches his fist tightly around the jar, before relaxing his grip and turning back to Acacia.
They would soon find that pissing off the son of Poison Ivy was an unwise decision.
She used to be a beautiful woman
No, she is still beautiful
She used to be one of Gotham's socialites,
One of the rich and powerful
There were endless parties,
Endless nights of men she who's face she can't recall
Nights of wine and champagne,
Conversations with hidden meanings behind every word
She strolls to a group of carnations
Red, yellow, white, pink, lavender—all reach out to greet her
She gives a wistful smile and caresses the petals tenderly,
There are no lies and secret meanings with nature, everything is pure
She remembers Bruce Wayne,
Gotham's richest and most powerful man
How genuine he was in their talks,
The secret smile he would give her during a dinner for two
The sincerity in his care for the world and preserving nature,
How he would listen to her talk, looking in her eyes the whole time
She loved, still loves, that man
He is her only regret from the life she had before
Red hair trails softly, tenderly, against a mostly bare back
She shivers and looks up into the night
Gotham's hero is out wandering tonight
He leaves her alone, in her sanctuary of nature
She causes no harm to Gotham
And she is left to be with her babies
She wanders into her kitchen area,
One of few places not covered in plants
Looking at the calendar laying on the counter
She realizes Bruce's birthday is coming up soon
There will be a massive party,
One that he will not enjoy, for he hates them like she
Does he still, she wonders
For she has not seen him outside of a newspaper for so long
She will send anonymous flowers again,
Ones that will not wilt for a year
What kind this time, she muses
Roses, lilacs, daffodils, tulips?
Or a bouquet of dark red, a lighter red, and white
Yes, she decides, this will do
Then the Queen of Nature makes a bouquet for her King of the City