Batman: Nobody lives without love
Prologue - Just another night in Gotham City
'Just another night in Gotham City,' Dick Grayson thought to himself as he perched high on the top of the building, looking down at the busy, bustling streets below. He still hated this place sometimes, but he would remind himself that places were not cursed and that not all people were bad. Just the criminals. The ones that he had chosen to take down. Those that could not be saved or rehabilitated. They were the ones he and Batman would take out.
It had been nearly four years since that awful night where his parents and his brother was taken from him in the blink of an eye and despite the closure, he'd had from Two-faces death, there was still that lingering bitterness he knew would never go away. Even Bruce had told him that it would stay with him, sometimes being bearable and other days, he would end up seeking something to take his mind off things.
Tonight, seemed to be one of those nights and it was surprisingly quiet. For now.
He sensed someone coming down beside him, like a bird landing by his side, lured by the promise of food.
"Anything yet?" His mentor asked as he joined him, standing proud and powerful at 'his city'. Bruce HATED it when Dick teased him about it, but it was still true. Gotham was his city, both as the businessman and as the caped crusader.
"All quiet this side," Dick shifted to turn and looked up at Bruce, though tried to hide his smirk as he asked, "you've been over at east side tonight?"
"Dick-" he said, his tones warning the young man not to push it, but he only got a laugh in response.
"I know, we're not supposed to talk about her. But it's obvious," he looked back down, shaking his head in exasperation at Bruce's ways with women, "you need to talk to her. You can't just go around and pretend like she doesn't exist and then-"
"Quiet."
"Hey, all I'm saying is-"
"No," Bruce said again, this time placing his hand on Dick's shoulder, "listen."
Dick fell quiet as he strained his ears to listen to the night. He heard cars, shouts from apartments, and people on the street, far below. But it was something specific that Bruce had heard.
At first, he heard nothing, but there seemed to be a group of voices coming from someplace. A gang maybe?
And then…
"PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
Without another word to one another, they set off, Dick thinking of it as a race where the prize was to rescue a fair damsel in distress. He hoped he'd get another girl throwing her arms around him, grateful for her rescue and kissing him with wild abandon as the first girl had done so many years ago.
They climbed the buildings, swung around, and came to a familiar alley, known for it's drug transactions and general felonies.
In the midst of the alley, lit only by a single bright light, he could see a group of people hurrying away as fast as they could. In the middle, they had left a figure, curled up on their front.
"You check to see if they're ok," Bruce said before he could disappear completely, "I'll tail these guys."
Dick immediately swooped down onto the ground and ran over. There appeared to be only one woman and the contents of her purse were thrown around her. From what he could see, she'd been badly cut on her arms and legs, but he didn't know if she was dead.
He hoped not. Luckily, he heard her crying and felt relief.
"Hey," he stooped down and carefully took her by the shoulder, turning her over, "it's ok, you're safe-"
Dick had seen a lot in his short time as Robin. He'd seen people die and he'd witnessed the deaths of those he loved. But this girl…he'd never seen anyone so scared. And covered in their own blood.
Whoever had done this to her had intended her to be scarred for life…or be left to bleed to death.
Along with the cuts on her arms, there was a long gash over her cheek and chest and one deep one on the side of her neck. Her cries did not stop when she saw who it was, her face crumpled in pain and terror.
"Please," she whimpered and struggled to get her words out, "I can't-I can't-"
"It's alright!" Laying her on her back, he quickly covered the wound in her neck and applied pressure, desperate to make it stop bleeding, "Help is on its way."
For a few harrowing minutes, all he could do was talk to her and all she could do was cry out in pain. He didn't want to move…he couldn't, because if he left her, she'd be dead. What was he going to do?!
"It's okay, you're ok. Just stay with me, look at me, just keep looking at me!" He could feel himself panicking as he repeated himself, over and over again, the girl eventually quietening down and breathing raggedly as she gazed up at the dark night sky.
Another almost silent entrance and Bruce came back, hurrying to his side.
"They got away, put a tracker on their car but they'll probably dump it," he moved beside Dick and looked down at the girl on the floor, "police are on their way. How bad is she?"
Dick, whilst trying to remain calm and get the words out, tentatively lifted a shaky hand to reveal her bloody neck. Blood…so much blood on his hand.
"I can't stop the bleeding. I-I don't know what to do," he listened to his own voice, almost unrecognizable as it quivered with emotion. He put his hand back where it was, hoping he was doing something.
The girl, losing energy to keep on crying, opened her mouth and let out a hoarse whisper. Unfortunately, the sirens from the police in the distance sounded and Bruce looked away.
"Help is on its way."
The girl's eyes fluttered open and looked at Dick as she tried to whisper again.
"What?" He leaned down, his ear close to her mouth, "What is it?!"
"I….I want my Ma…"
He pulled back to look at her and saw that her eyes were now shut.
"No!" He called out and turned to Bruce, "Is-is she-"
"She's alive," Bruce reached down and carefully touched the other side of her neck, feeling the weak pulse beneath his fingers, "Ambulance will be here soon, we can go-"
"Come on," Dick said, but not to Bruce. He took his hands away from her neck and this time, slipped his arms around her. He carefully but quickly got her up and stood, walking away, even as Bruce attempted to stop him.
"Dick, you don't have to, they'll find her easily and-"
"Stay with me," he continued to walk, talking to the girl even if she was out.
"Dick!" Bruce stopped, calling only once after him, wondering what had gotten into him. Usually, they'd leave once help was on its way, but this girl…he had never heard him sound so worried.
"I'll meet you after!" Boy wonder finally called out but didn't even stop to yell it, choosing instead to look forward and concentrate on getting her out of there and to safety.
She was as light as a feather, but he still held her tightly, afraid to let her go. Keeping her close in his arms meant he could feel her breathing, even if it was light and gentle.
He exited the alleyway onto the street to be met by two squad cars, a police officer coming at him with his hand on his holstered gun. But when he saw who it was, he did not pull out his weapon.
"Holy Cow, it's-"
"She's hurt," Robin walked up to him and looked around, "where's the ambulance?!"
"On its way. Here," he ran over to the back of his car and opened the door, "lay her down. Thompson, get the first aid kit!"
Carefully, Robin placed her in the back seat of the car but sat her up so he could look at her. Her head lolled back and she didn't see to stir, even when he held her face in his hands.
"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" He lifted her head so she could look at him, but she only let out a weak whimper.
'Robin' only moved when the other officer asked him to so he could take a look at her and use what was needed in the first aid kit. He stood by silently as the woman worked over the girl, his eyes not leaving her first.
"Boy Wonder!" The officer he'd talked to before came back over, patting him on his shoulder, "You saved the day again!"
He talked jovially to Robin, commending him as a hero and joking about 'not arresting him this time', but Dick wasn't really listening. Before, he'd have soaked it up and allowed it to feed his ego, but his focus was solely on the young girl.
He watched. He waited. Finally, after a few more minutes of watching her get poked and prodded with bandages, her eyes flickered open again and she groaned in obvious pain. But she was alive and as the officer attending to her spoke and got a response, he knew she'd make it through.
"Hey, your ride is here," his attention was drawn as a noisy engine rumbled up and the Bat mobile pulled across the other side of the street, "tell Bats my kid is a big fan. Thanks for the help!"
Reluctantly, taking one last look at the girl and seeing she was in safe hands, Robin nodded his head and ran over to the car. It opened on one side and he hopped in, staying silent as the door closed and the car pulled away.
Despite being away from the situation, tonight he'd never felt so out of control. He didn't feel like a superhero, he just felt…like a boy that had wandered into the wrong scene.
"What happened back there?" Bruce asked but it was a long minute before Dick could answer. His gaze fell to his hands and he just looked at the blood that was beginning to dry on his gloves. Her blood.
"We've always got there before anyone gets hurt like this," he said quietly, knowing that they'd been late before but never like this.
"We have. But I've gotten there too late before," he said, his voice staying level, "she's in safe hands."
For the rest of the ride, they stayed silent, Bruce knowing there was nothing more he could say to reassure Dick that they'd done all that they could. And Dick, unable to think about anything else but her.
He'd never seen anyone look so scared before. He'd saved girls and women before and they'd been so grateful, some fawning and one even kissing him. The perks of being a hero.
And now this girl who may or may not die, had left her blood on him and had begged for her mother, believing she was dying? What was he supposed to do...maybe he should try to find out who she was? As they pulled up to the secret entrance leading to Wayne manor, Dick turned to Bruce.
"She asked for her mother. We could-"
"Her ID was in her bag. I left it for the officers. They'll contact her family. You've done enough."
Apparently, that was the end of the conversation because as they arrived home, nothing else was said.
He'd done enough. So why did he feel he should do more?