Dick Grayson and Emerald simultaneously turned their gazes just in time to see the other Talia Al Ghul growl furiously and stomp away noisily stomping her feet on the ground.

The acrobat could swear he could practically see smoke coming out of the woman's ears.

The Angel's Head sighed catching his attention. "You'll have to go talk to her before you lose her forever."

Dick frowned in confusion. "Lose her forever?" he repeated, his heart skipping a beat just at the thought.

Emerald shook her head, a small, sweet smile between her lips. "Soon you will understand. Both of you." before the Bludhaven vigilante could ask her what she was referring to she preceded him. "Come on! What are you doing standing here motionless like a statue? You have to run after her!" she growled dramatically, pushing him toward the gymnasium exit.

"What the heck should I tell her?" asked Dick confusedly, not following his new friend's reasoning.

Seriously, he didn't know what the hell was going on.

"Your heart will guide you for that!" replied Emerald enigmatically, pushing him out of the gym.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Man, I'd rather solve the riddles of the Riddler. At least those are easier to answer.

Mentally shrugging, Dick ran toward the direction in which he had seen Talia marching.

As he ran he gave a brief nod of greeting to Floyd Lawton who returned it and then pointed in one direction. "She went that way."

"Thanks, man!" shouted the first Robin behind him the moment he turned direction, distractedly hearing the world's best sniper mutter something he failed to fully grasp.

Dick caught a glimpse of Talia's back and he hurried his steps. "Talia!" he called to her.

Talia stopped abruptly in her steps but did not turn around, her stiff back facing him.

Bad sign.

Dick slowed his speed until he was inches away from the woman and he rested a hand on her shoulder. "Talia what-"

Talia forcefully slapped the hand of the acrobat who jerked it back. "Don't touch me!" she snapped without turning around yet.

Dick was glad that she was still not looking at him so that she could not see the hurt look cross his eyes.

Why was Talia acting so snappy and constantly angry?

It reminded him of the Talia of the early days in this universe who wanted nothing whatsoever to do with him and Slade.

Dick thought Talia was improving, and he was absolutely certain of that since he personally saw many improvements in Talia's behavior that she was becoming more and more understanding and sweet and less arrogant and snappy, but apparently something happened that reset her improvements to zero.

"Can you at least watch me while we talk?" he asked softly, careful in his choice of each word that came from her lips.

Dick didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing and push her away even more.

"There's nothing we need to talk about." Talia stiffly informed, continuing not to turn away.

As soon as Dick heard those words leave Talia's lips he already knew that something was bothering her and he wanted to understand what he could do to perhaps help her.

"Please?" he pleaded with her softly.

He did not care about his dignity: right now Talia was far more important to him.

Dick had promised himself he would not give up on her and he had no desire to do so at all.

Talia sighed in defeat and slowly turned away. When the two were face to face Talia crossed her arms and she stared at him grimly with hard, cold green eyes. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."

The former Robin restrained himself from sighing.

It had been a long time since he had seen such a cold, steely look on Talia's face, or at least not directed at him, and honestly he was beginning to fear that all the woman's improvements had just been thrown out the window.

"I know something has happened that's been bothering you." Nightwing began in a gentle, reassuring voice but he was quickly interrupted by the woman.

"There's nothing bothering me." the daughter of the Demon Head cut short in a clipped voice.

It was only because of his years of practice with his siblings (and his father) that Dick was able to keep the frustration of being immediately interrupted out of his face. "Well, you've pretty much just given me confirmation that there's something wrong." he said with a slight smile between his lips trying to lessen the tension in the air but judging by the woman's furious look he failed.

"There's nothing wrong and even if there was I wouldn't tell you." she spat, immediately regretting her words when she saw the hurt look in Richard's blue eyes.

She felt guilt rise knowing that it was her fault that Richard's beautiful blue eyes, the most beautiful and the most expressive she had ever seen, were less bright than they had been seconds before.

"Talia..." Dick paused briefly before finding the words to say. "Please tell me what's wrong. I want to help you." he implored her.

Talia felt the anger grow inside her again and she growled. "Why don't you go get help from your new girlfriend?" Talia spat the last word with more disgust and revulsion than Dick had ever heard from her before.

The hero frowned in confusion at her words. "New girlfriend? What the hell are you talking about?"

Talia gritted her teeth furiously, which clattered noisily between them.

Is he even pretending now?

She was practically vibrating with anger when she gave him an answer. "The other Talia Al Ghul! Emerald!" she made a scoffing noise when he looked at her shocked.

"What?" asked Richard weakly.

"Don't be an idiot with me Richard! It doesn't suit you at all!" growled Talia making the 21-year-old even more confused.

Did she just give me a compliment? What the fuck-

"I notice how you look at her! Like she's the most beautiful and amazing thing in the universe!" growled Talia again, pushing a finger to the chest of the acrobat who took a confused step back.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked completely confused and surprised Dick, shocked at the direction their conversation took.

"All you've been doing since we've been here is following her around like a damn puppy dog, Richard! It's like you two are stuck together with glue and it's the most deplorable and disgusting thing I've ever seen!"

Dick couldn't believe his ears.

Talia was acting...

"Are you jealous?" shouted a shocked Dick Grayson-Wayne bluntly, ignoring how his scream just echoed through the empty hallways.

Talia turned tomato red (and briefly Dick thought she was really adorable and cute) and the next second her gaze grew even more deadly. "I'm not!" she hissed through clenched teeth.

"Oh my God!" Dick stepped back a foot, a slow, excited, amused smile on his face. "You're jealous!"

"It's obvious you can't have a serious conversation without acting like a child for more than five seconds." Talia declared coldly and moved to turn around.

For a brief moment the fear and terror of losing her overwhelmed him and Dick felt his whole body turn to ice, his heart losing several beats.

In these few milliseconds the acrobat experienced the true concept of fear, fear of losing her, and it was damn near one of the scariest things he had ever experienced in his entire life.

"NO!" he shouted terrified, frantically grabbing her wrist to interrupt her walk.

Talia turned sharply, surprised by his scream of fear, and she noticed how he had paled slightly, which made her worry slightly.

"Please! Don't go!" Dick coughed to compose himself, and for the first time Talia saw fear cross his blue eyes.

If she was the reason for his anxiety, she meanly took some satisfaction in it.

"You are right, Talia. I am sorry for my childish and inappropriate behavior when you are annoyed." apologized Richard sincerely.

Her green eyes softened slightly and she nodded, silently forgiving him.

"I just want to understand why it bothers you that Emerald and I-" he did not finish his sentence that she interrupted him.

"Because that's not you Richard!" snapped Talia angrily, feeling the flame of anger rekindle within her. "I've never seen you so clingy with someone you haven't even known for a month! I've never seen you be so sl-" she interrupted herself just in time to prevent herself from saying the last word.

Her heart soared in her throat when she saw him coldly squinting his blue eyes at her and she, for the first time, understood why the criminals of Bludhaven were afraid to face Nightwing in his darkest days.

He was damned scary right now, no emotion in his eyes and his face of stone.

"Go ahead Talia. Finish your sentence. I'm curious what you were going to say." spoke Richard too calmly, anger barely concealed in his tone of voice.

Talia hesitated but said nothing, remaining silent instead.

"You were going to say slut, weren't you?" hissed Richard dangerously and Talia unconsciously stepped back in front of the acrobat's fury.

She knew that denying it would make things worse. "I'm sorry-"

"We both know I'm not that kind of guy, Talia. Yet you just threw in my face one of the worst insults I could have ever received."

"Richard-"

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

Richard's angry shout made her wince before she coldly squinted her eyes toward him. "No. What's wrong with you is a better question."

"Since when the hell do you care what I do?" growled Dick. "Why the fuck do you care who I spend my time with? Why the fuck are you jealous of me and Emerald?" shouted Nightwing angrily, his jaw clenched in anger and his fists unconsciously opening and clenching.

This was Talia Al Ghul's breaking point.

Talia could no longer hold back her biggest secret of her life that she had been keeping to herself for an amount of time unknown even to herself.

From now on, after those fateful words leave her lips, her relationship with Richard will change drastically for the better or for the worse.

Talia fervently hoped for the better but she was a realist and she knew that hers was merely a paltry and vain hope.

But once again Richard John Grayson-Wayne had the last word to say and he had to astonish her as he almost always did in all the time they had been catapulted into this world.

"Because I love you, idiot!"

"I love you too!"