Chapter Two
After basking a little in the pleasure at being able to tell someone
about their great news, Barbara looked up at Dick. Quietly, she said, "We have
a couple of other calls to make.... would you rather wait?"
Dick's expression took on a vague tension, but he responded with a negative shake of his
head. "Let's do it now."
Barbara put her hand over his, replying softly, "We don't have to, Dick. I know
that you and Bruce are still having some difficulties."
Dick shook his head adamantly and smiled for her. "Whatever difficulties Bruce
and I have, he'll be happy for us. And Alfred and Tim will want to know, too.
It's okay, Babs." He leaned over to kiss her softly.
Barbara returned the kiss, putting all of her love into it. Then she reached over to
type the commands that would allow her computer to link up with the ones in the BatCave,
waiting several minutes for the BatComputer to notify the inhabitants of the mansion by
ringing a special phone line that there was a video call coming into the cave.
Bruce's face filled the screen finally, and Barbara smiled.
"Afternoon, Bruce... are Alfred and Tim both with you?"
Bruce Wayne raised his eyebrows, the only indication of his surprise. "Alfred's
here, and Tim should be here momentarily. Is everything all right, Barbara?"
Dick leaned slightly forward then from where he'd been out of sight of the monitor.
Bruce simply nodded as he spotted his past partner, betraying curiosity. Barbara
looked up to Dick, a faint smile telling him that he would have to be the one to announce
this one.
Making a small face at her, Dick looked at the screen and said quietly, "We have an
announcement for you both. We're getting married."
Dick's hand slipped into Barbara's, even as smiles cracked through the normally serious
expressions on both of the men in the BatCave.
Alfred looked as ecstatic as a properly dignified butler could get, "Master
Dick! Congratulations, sir! And to you, Miss Barbara!"
Bruce, like Jim Gordon, simply wasn't surprised by the announcement. His words
echoed Alfred's with feeling, "I couldn't be happier for you both. If you'd
like, we'll tell Tim when he gets in."
Barbara nodded, but Dick shook his head negatively. "No, don't tell him. I'll
catch him on patrol this evening and tell him myself, if you don't mind." His
voice was only a little bit cool, and Bruce noted it.
"Dick... " Bruce paused a moment. "I'll send him over on the
West Side this evening, you should be able to find him from there." He smiled
some and said quietly, "Congratulations to you both."
Alfred, in the background, couldn't contain his chuckles, "We shall have to give a
formal announcement, Master Dick, so do let me know when you wish to hold a party and what
I can do to assist."
Dick laughed softly, "All right, Alfred, we will. Thanks... to both of
you." His eyes lingered on his mentor's face and then he smiled.
"Take care, and we'll talk to you both later."
Barbara closed the window and looked up at her fiance, murmuring, "I'm very proud of
you, you know. You mean a lot to both of them." When he leaned over to
kiss her heatedly, Barbara lost her train of thought.
*******************************************
Bruce Wayne closed his end of the link to Oracle's machine, and was
silent as he looked at the screen. Alfred simply said, "I'll be upstairs,
Master Bruce." Then he slipped out in his usual silent way. Left in the silence
of the Cave, Bruce leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. He
was genuinely happy for them. Though he didn't know how to show it so well, he was
truly sorry for the distance that remained between himself and Dick. He was well
aware of his failings when it came to Dick. He was also aware of how dismally he'd
failed Barbara. She was shot on his watch. He should have been able to stop both it
and the torture of Jim Gordon. They were both amazingly strong people. Neither
had ever held him accountable. He was the one who was castigating Batman for not
doing enough. Not doing enough. He was forever not doing enough to protect the ones
closest to him. He couldn't keep his parents from being shot, he couldn't keep Dick
or Barbara from being shot, he couldn't save Jim Gordon from being injured by the Joker,
he couldn't save Jason from being
killed... and now there was Tim to look out for as well. Bruce was forced to ask
himself how all these people had gotten so close to him. It was so easy for people
to be taken away, and yet they had all breached his defenses when he really wasn't
looking.
Rocking his chair slightly back and forth, Bruce tried to work out his thoughts.
Both Barbara and Dick deserved their happiness. Oh, he'd known years before about their
intimacy. Dick was 16 at the time, and Bruce debated long and hard before
approaching Barbara. Dick had seen too much of the gritty side of life to be
considered a child and Barbara had managed to retain the naivete and innocence that
prevented her from becoming a hardcase. He thought, even now, that mentally they'd
been close in ages but he had brought his formidable logic to bear when arguing that their
relationship would go nowhere to the young, idealistic woman. It had been a difficult
confrontation...
<<Crouched on a rooftop overlooking the warehouse district,
Batman awaited the arrival of his protege. With barely a swish of wind as she
descended the grappling line to the rooftop, Batgirl's slim form joined him in the
shadows.
"What's going down?"
Her voice was low, though musical in quality. His eyes raked over her with a mixture
of parental disapproval and disappointment. "Nothing here. I told you to meet
me so that we could talk."
Barbara was surprised, though the mask of Batgirl hid most of it.
Warily, she responded, "Talk? What about?" The slight tension in her
betrayed that she knew it wouldn't be a good talk.
"Your... relationship. With Dick."
Barbara closed her eyes, her breath escaping her silently. She had obviously been
expecting this for some time. She didn't reply, though.
"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Batman's voice contained the hard
edge that denoted he was controlling himself tightly.
Batgirl's response came in slow, thoughtful words. "What would you like me to
say? That I'm a fool? I probably am. That I won't see him anymore?
I.... can't." She paused, her next words painful to hear and obviously to say, as
well.
"Don't you think that I've already said all the things to myself that you want to say
to me? That he's too young for me. That I should know better. How dare I
take advantage of a 16 year old..." Her voice broke slightly, but she regained
her control quickly.
Batman remained silent, studying her intently as her voice continued.
"God, Bruce... I've even thought myself a pedophile or some kind of sicko at
times." She pulled her mask and cowl off to face the wrath of Batman as
Barbara, exposing her face to his view. "But I can't stop feeling the way I
feel about him. Maybe that sounds insane, coming from me. I'm well aware that
he's still in high school and I just graduated from college. It's sick, right?"
Her voice became soft.
"I've dated around the college, Bruce. And I've *never* met someone who is ...
so close to me. We bounce ideas off one another like two halves of the same
brain. We talk about so much... I think we're closer to each other than to anyone
else. He tells me so many things, and I tell him too."
Was she pleading, or simply trying to justify? In his anger, Batman couldn't be sure
and remained silent. He didn't want to hurt Barbara... she was someone he respected,
someone whose input in a situation could be invaluable. He watched expressionlessly
as she struggled for words, looking up at him.
"I can't be ashamed of my feelings for him, Bruce. I love him, no matter how
crazy that sounds. Maybe it's this job and the intensity that surrounds us while we
do it... maybe it's just that we're foils for each other... I don't know. It doesn't
excuse my actions." She paused and swallowed hard. "I'll understand
if you are going to take up legal proceedings. It's well within your rights as his
guardian."
It was then that Bruce Wayne made his decision. When he'd realized how far their
relationship had progressed, he'd been furious.
Now, though... Barbara was no older, emotionally, than Dick was.
Regardless of their physical ages, their mental and emotional ages were very close.
She was obviously having trouble with the situation anyway, he rationalized. So he would
correct it.
"You claim to love him. But you're already well aware that he's just a
child. He hasn't grown up sheltered in any way, no. But a child he is.
The legalities of this situation are untenable, Barbara. You will have to make a
choice. If you choose to continue this relationship without giving him the
opportunities that you yourself have already explored, how can you be certain there won't
come a time that he resents you? He's 16 years old. Do you intend to let him go to
college without being able to learn all that it has to teach, both social and
scholastic?"
Batman's voice was impassive, though there was an undercurrent of steel to the
words. "Just how fair is that to him? Or to you? I will not follow
up on the legal issues of this unless I feel that you have disregarded this warning.
I want for Dick all the things that he deserves. And I want that for you, as
well. Do you think that this relationship will go anywhere at your ages? He
can't bring you to parties as his date. You can't take him out to dinner as your
date. Your relationship, by necessity, would have to be hidden from everyone.
Do you truly believe that it would work that way? One or the other of you would be
bound to slip at some point. You're also jeopardizing your working
relationship. You can't believe that if it goes sour, which it inevitably does,
you'll be able to work together. Think on it."
Leaving it at that, the Dark Knight left Barbara stifling sobs atop the warehouse
roof. He hoped he wouldn't have to step into the situation and confront Dick about
what was happening. He hoped that Barbara would see reason.>>
... He hadn't threatened Barbara, though initially he'd considered
doing so, in his rage. It had been very shortly thereafter that Dick's face had
taken on that closed, confused, hurt expression. As if life had kicked him in the
teeth and he wasn't sure why. Barbara's eyes gained a haunted kind of pain, and
she'd withdrawn from all but absolutely necessary contact with the Dynamic Duo.
Bruce had expected it to be hard, but he hadn't expected the depth of the injury that was
inflicted on both of them that night.
Through the breakup and for a while following it, the two of them wouldn't even work
together. He'd wanted to throttle them both for a while. Each had taken far
more risks over those weeks than should have been required and he'd had his hands full
keeping an eye on them when they were never in the same area at the same time....
<<Swinging through Gotham on a grappling line, Batman tailed
Robin. He was making an effort to be silent and unseen as his partner rode through
the city on his motorcycle, though he could have been wearing a cow bell for all the
attention Dick was paying to the possibility of being tailed. Dick was just looking
for trouble. Inevitably, he'd find it, or it would find him. Two ruffians in an
alley beating up on a homeless man must have seemed like a godsend to Dick, Bruce
realized. A way to get his aggression out on people who deserved it. Bruce
stood silently in the darkness above the scene, making certain his protege had himself in
hand. Robin gunned the engine on his motorcycle, sending the bike flying into the
alleyway. The Boy Wonder launched himself from the seat to tackle the blond hoodlum on the
left. The motorcycle went several yards further before tipping on it's side with its
engine idling. Caught unawares, the blond took the full force of the hit, tumbling
backward with Robin into a pile of trash cans. The dark-haired one looked
stunned.
"Snake??!"
Climbing back to his feet, Robin growled, "Pick on someone who can fight back this
time, creep!"
The dark-haired ruffian abandoned his initial target when Snake didn't immediately climb
to his feet, "You bastard! Ya killed Snake!" A knife appeared in his hand,
apparently from nowhere. Batman tensed, holding his Batarang to the ready. Maybe he
shouldn't have bothered. Robin's pent-up fury exploded into a blur of fists and feet
as he hammered the two troublemakers. He fought completely without regard to the knife,
though it earned him several deep nicks in his arms and legs. Robin checked both
hoodlums once they were down and then went to help the homeless man totter to his feet. He
couldn't take the old man on his motorcycle; he could only make certain that he would be
all right, then leave. Batman watched in silence, letting Dick get a half an hour or
so head start to get back to the BatCave. Alfred would patch him up and since he
wasn't badly injured, there was no point in lecturing him about this incident. For
now.>>
*************************************
<<Bruce spent three weeks trailing Robin's and Batgirl's
actions. Most of the time he didn't interfere. They were well trained enough to
handle themselves. The night that Robin scoped out a drug deal on the docks and got
spotted, though, Batman did intervene. Robin's enthusiasm for the bust caused him to
misjudge the situation, and he'd swung in and landed on the ground just in time for the
second group of thugs to arrive. Apparently running late for the meeting, they were
already nervous and immediately leveled their weapons on the young vigilante.
Surrounded on all sides by men toting machine guns as Robin was, it was up to Batman to
incapacitate them and draw their fire. Scrambling over the rooftop, Batman called,
"Robin, heads up!" Three gas pellets dropped into the midst of the group while
Robin fired off his grappling hook and flew skyward on the attached line. The
staccato sounds of machine gun fire echoed across the water. The two masked
vigilantes raced away from the scene even as police sirens wailed to life several blocks
over. When they'd gotten away from the scene, Batman stopped Robin atop the roof of
another warehouse with a hand on the boy's shoulder. In a rough, grating voice, he asked,
"What were you thinking??"
Robin shook off his hand, furious. "I had it covered, I didn't need your
help."
"Robin, you almost got yourself shot! You know better than that!"
A scowl settled on the young man's features, "You think I always need to be rescued
by you? Think again, Batman. I had it under control."
Batman's voice was cold as he said, "You didn't have anything under control.
Next time, do as you're taught and at least count the number you're facing. Or do a
little research and figure out if two groups is all that's showing."
Robin turned and faced off against Batman, pushing a finger into his chest.
"*You* stay the hell out of my way, Batman. I don't need a babysitter, and I
*don't* need you to fight my battles for me." He turned away and fired his
grappling line off again. "Go find your own damn busts to make."
Batman sighed and let him go. When he'd seen the machine guns, he'd been ....
afraid. It was a new feeling for him, compounded by the guilt he felt at being the
cause of his protege's reckless activities.>>
*************************************
<<Batman watched from the shadows as Batgirl fought three bank
robbers. Common street thugs they might be, but they were carrying knives and were
NOT happy their heist had gone so wrong. She was holding her own when there were two
of them. But adding number three to the mix turned the tide of the fight against
her.
"Little girl, yer in big trouble.... the big bad Bat ain't here to pull your fat
outta the fire, either." The first guy launched himself at Batgirl, intending
to tackle her to the ground, but she was too well trained to be taken by such a
move. Kicking her foot out, she caught him right in the jaw. "If you
think I need the big bad Bat, you're seriously mistaken. Never underestimate the
power of a woman, boys."
Unfortunately, Goons #2 and #3 were a little smarter and worked together.
Surrounding her, one on either side, the skinny Goon (#2) tried to punch her and while her
attention was engaged there, the heavier goon (#3) threw his coat over her head and
grabbed her.
Taunting in a mumbled voice as Batgirl squirmed and tried to fight back, Goon #1 climbed
to his feet, "Looks like woman power just got overwhelmed by manpower." He
was cradling his jaw painfully. Batman chose to bide his time for another minute to see if
Batgirl would get loose. Her muffled shouts, though, indicated that she was truly
caught. The heavy guy, Goon #3, said to Goon #1, "Hey boss... whadda we do with
the little Bat chick now that we got her?"
The first man responded, "Keep her from gettin' away, Frankie. We'll use her as
a hostage if the Batman shows up and tries to stop us from leavin'. The cops are already
on their way here, y'know... we gotta get outta here!"
"Alright, Rob..."
A Batarang whizzed past Rob's head to smack the second goon, whose name hadn't yet been
used. Whatever his name was didn't matter, since he simply crumpled to the ground
without uttering more than a soft moan of pain.
Frankie's head jerked around to look at the fallen man, "Joey?" Then he looked
upward and screamed, "Aw, god, Rob! 's HIM!!" Frankie shoved the
jacket-covered Batgirl away from himself and took off running. Rob started to say
something, but it was every man for himself when it came to the Batman. He
stammered, "We... we wasn't gonna hurt her, I swear!" He backpedaled
several steps, and then turned around to run as well. Batgirl shoved the jacket off her
head, furious. She climbed to her feet as Batman landed beside her. He asked
in that stern, cold tone, "Are you all right?"
"I had them where I wanted them, I didn't need your help!"
Again, his tone still calm and authoritative, "It appeared more like they had you
where they wanted you. If you're trying to get yourself injured or worse, do it
somewhere else. I don't have any desire to explain to your father what you're out
here doing in that costume."
Batgirl turned her back to him and cuffed the last ruffian, the one called 'Joey'.
"I'll call it in. Get lost."
Batman watched her a moment and sighed, "Barbara..."
Batgirl whirled to face him, "Don't. Just get the hell out of here, I don't
want to see you. I don't need you following me. I don't need you pulling me
out of trouble. And I *don't* need you telling me that it was for my own good! I did
what you wanted. Now stay away from me."
Her voice broke slightly, "Keep him out of trouble."
She launched a grappling rope, "Never mind. YOU call it in." And
then she was gone.
Bruce sighed to himself. Keeping up with her and Robin, jumping into these
situations was a full time job in and of itself.>>
... He still wished there had been another way. They were both
so hurt by the breakup of the relationship, they no longer had a care for their own
health. Though a keen observer of human nature and behavior, Bruce was too
emotionally scarred to do more than remain the aloof, distant protector. They had to
learn for themselves what pain could be inflicted by caring too much. And so he'd
done what he could to protect both of them during their reckless attempts to forget each
other. His 'son' and the girl who'd won her own place in Bruce's guarded heart. The
intervening years brought maturity to both of them. Rediscovering that illusive
something between them, they reclaimed the closeness they shared before the aborted
relationship and had slowly built on it in the intervening years. Somehow, it didn't
surprise him that they would gravitate back toward one another. The intensity of their
feelings and their pain made both exceedingly cautious with giving their hearts, afraid to
be hurt. In part, he felt responsible for that. He watched their friendship blossom
again over the years and known their feelings were still there. The relationship
growing into deeper love over time made sense to him, considering their past emotions. The
boy who came to him so many years ago had never lost the capacity to love, though he
learned quickly not to let too many people close. Especially following the breakup with
Barbara. When he finally trusted someone enough to let her in, with Koriand'r, he
had again had his fragile trust stomped upon.
Regret passed over Bruce's face. He hadn't been certain that his surrogate son would
bounce back from that second injury to his heart, and he occasionally wondered if maybe he
was wrong to have split Dick and Barbara up back then. He just didn't want either of them
hurt. Not then, and not now. He didn't want Dick, the only son he would likely
ever have, to be as alone as Bruce himself was.
Now they were engaged. He *was* happy for them, damn it! Wasn't he? They
deserved happiness.... Bruce shook his head, resting his chin on his steepled
fingers. The practicalities. Would Dick continue with his work as Nightwing
now? What about children? Bruce fell deeper into his brooding over the
situation. Was this *really* the best thing for them both? All kinds of
complications could come of their relationship, as they had before. And if they had
kids, Dick's attention would constantly be split between the job and his family.
That could so easily get him killed. And what would happen to Barbara then?
What would happen if Nightwing's identity became known somehow? The nocturnal
activities of vigilante fighters for justice certainly drew more than bad press - it drew
enemies. And Barbara was already made a target too many times. Images of the night
she was paralyzed haunted him...
<<The clues sent by the Joker to the police station had given
away his hideout. He _wanted_ Batman to come. Although Batman already knew
that Barbara was found naked on the floor of her father's home, he did not initially see
the macabre photographs of Barbara used to torment Jim Gordon while the Joker held him
hostage. His view of those pictures did not come until after Jim was rescued and the
Joker incarcerated.
Barbara, spread-eagled on the floor of her father's living room.
Naked.
Bleeding from a gut wound that her hands tried desperately to put pressure on to stop the
bleeding.
Being posed like a marionette whose string were cut.
Biting her lip in agony.
Tears on her face.
Curled in a fetal position so blood from both stomach and back pooled around her hips.
Lying on her stomach so that the gaping exit wound in her lower back was clearly visible
in all its bloody glory.
Her spine shattered by the bullet.>>
.... *NO! Never again!* Sternly quelling the horrific
pictures, Bruce mentally catalogued the various criminals in Gotham and leaned his head
back against the chair to sigh. Had they considered the dangers inherent to this
line of work? How could they be thinking about marriage and kids, when both of them
had seen the kind of repercussions, both physical and emotional, that could come from
their night "jobs." That thought stopped him for a long moment in his
pacing. Here he was, asking 'how dare they?' when the real question was 'how dare I?' How
dare he get upset that they were pulling together like this? Had he learned nothing
from his interference the first time?
Bitterly, he realized he would always stand outside such relationships like a
poverty-stricken child looking in the window of the candy store and wishing for what was
inside. Like that bereft child, when Bruce _did_ attempt to partake of the
sweetness, he inevitably tried to have too much and ruined the heavenly treat. All right,
then, he would admit it. He was envious of what Dick and Barbara found together,
even though he couldn't take the same chance with his own heart. His fears of losing
the ones he cared about were too deep-rooted to be ousted now. But the one thing he
could do was to make sure that Dick and Barbara were as safe as possible. He could
work with Barbara on an extra-good security system, and if they were moving out of her
apartment, he could help them set up their household with extra measures of safety
protocols.
He had watched them both grow from the very young, immature children they were when they
started their vigilante careers to the strong, capable, intelligent leaders they were
today. Perhaps their transformation was in part due to his teaching. He just
hoped they hadn't forgotten what he taught them. Security *should* be as natural to them
as breathing. Without being vain, he'd at least taught them how to stay alive.
In return, they taught him how to work as a team when necessary.
Bruce stood from his chair to pace the Batcave in agitation. He had done very poorly
as a parent, he acknowledged. Perhaps he was _too_ concerned about the safety
issues, but he didn't know any other way to be. Alfred had warned him so many times
over the years that if he didn't find a way to stop operating under the superstitious
assumption that anyone he cared about was certain to die, Dick would be forced to leave in
order to not be stifled. Had that been what he wanted? Bruce considered that for a
long while as he walked. Dick's arrival at the mansion was hard on Bruce emotionally.
Taking in a small boy whose parents just died had been an impulse move, a very rare thing
for him. What on Earth would he do with a child?? It was just that he saw so
much of himself in Dick. And maybe... just maybe... he could help the boy deal with
the pain inside. He couldn't allow the boy's rage to kill his spirit, or his desire
for revenge to warp him into something even worse than what Batman became. Without even
trying, Dick created a place for himself in Bruce's heart and life. It had been so
easy and yet so hard for Bruce...
<<Bruce stood outside the bedroom given to 9 year old Dick
Grayson and listened to the soft sobs. God, how that sound tore him apart. His
grief at his parents' death had been no less traumatic, and he wished he could find the
words to comfort the boy. But the platitudes just wouldn't do it. He paused,
and then hesitantly entered the room. Bruce didn't know what he was going to say to the
young boy, didn't think he was capable of being emotional support... but he had to do
SOMETHING to stop the tears. He moved to the side of the bed and softly said,
"Dick?"
The boy jerked upright, wiping his face and trying to look brave.
"I'm sorry, Mister Bruce. I just..." He stopped, tears welling in
his bright blue eyes again. "I just couldn't help it."
Bruce looked surprised, asking as gently as he could, "You don't think I'm angry at
you for crying, do you?"
Dick hesitated and then said, "No... I just thought maybe I woke you up or
something."
Bruce smiled faintly, "No, son... I was already awake. I've been... trying to
find a way to help you, and I have to admit to being a little out of my
league." He stopped and then continued in a voice softer still, "I
remember when my parents were killed, too. I wish that I could take that pain away
from you."
Dick scrubbed his face and scooted closer to Bruce, leaning his head trustingly against
the large man's arm. "I miss 'em. This place... it's so different from
the circus. And I don't know what to do and what not to do, or what I'll get in
trouble for," he confided in a tiny voice.
"If I mess up, are you gonna kick me out?"
Bruce was startled enough to wrap his arm around the small boy, "No, Dick, I'm
not. I don't have any experience at this, so I might do it badly... but I won't kick
you out when you mess up. Messing up is a part of learning the right way to do
things."
Dick's small shoulders sagged with relief, and he hugged Bruce tightly. The slight
tension in Bruce's frame communicated itself, though. As Dick started to draw away,
Bruce stopped him by hugging him a little tighter.
"Don't be afraid of anything in this house, Dick. There's *nothing* you can do
that would make me kick you out. I want to help you, and I can't do that by kicking
you out." Bruce sighed. "I'm sorry that I haven't been available
much since you got here. I'll try and rectify that as soon as I can."
Dick shrugged and snuggled his small body against Bruce's.
Sleepily, he muttered, "Y'don't have to spend lots of time with me. My parents
did, but that's cuz we were a team. We always had to rehearse and stuff."
Bruce was surprised to realize that Dick felt safe enough with him to cuddle up like that
and start to fall asleep. Exhaustion had to be a constant companion to the boy's
sorrow. He helped Dick climb back under the covers on the bed and murmured quietly,
"We're a team, too, pal. You'll see... we just have to learn how. Both of
us."
Bruce watched the young boy fall asleep with his hand trustingly in the large man's.
This feeling in his chest... what was that? Without even trying, the boy had touched
him in ways he'd always feared. His expression inscrutable, Bruce studied the child
who had already wormed his way past the stout emotional barriers that Bruce had defended
for so many years. He wondered what the hell to do now.
Bruce whispered softly, pushing dark hair off the sleeping boy's brow, "Nothing's
going to hurt you again, Dick. And we're going to make that bastard pay for what he did to
your parents." Didn't want the boy? Maybe Dick Grayson was exactly what
he'd been searching for in his life...someone who would understand.>>
... But it hadn't worked out. He had driven Dick away in the
end, too emotionally attached to face the fear of losing him too. He hadn't *wanted* Dick
to leave, but seeing him get shot by the Joker had almost stopped Bruce's heart with
fear. So he had reacted instinctively to protect himself, and tried to forbid Dick
the mantle of Robin. That knee-jerk reaction destroyed their relationship
completely. It had lost him Dick, just in a different way. But Bruce could
live with that, if Dick was still alive.
Even now, years later, they were still not very close. He did keep tabs on Dick
through mutual friends. Barbara and Alfred were his main sources of information
about how he was doing. He'd been lonely after Dick was gone, and it was only then
that he understood the depth of his own love. He had come to depend on both Dick and
Robin. His halting admission of that to Dick met with derision, and their
relationship remained on the footing of an armed truce.
Bruce finally nodded to himself. He interfered between them when they were younger,
but he sure as hell didn't have the right now. And he didn't want to, really. He
wanted them to be happy in their love, he was just concerned about what might happen
later. As always. All he could do was the same thing he always did, and that was to
watch out for them.
They were going to make it, those two, if anyone could. They were too stubborn and their
lives too intertwined already for it not to work. And maybe they'd teach him
something about how to get past the past... but he doubted it. He reminded himself to send
Tim over to the West Side tonight, and then stood to go take care of some Wayne
Enterprises business before nightfall. Tonight, he'd swing by Barbara's apartment
and see just how well she'd applied what he taught her about security, just in case.
Chapter Three
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