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Chapter Text

She is 8 years old and her world has ended.

Her parent, her beautiful loving parents are gone. (deadfallingandfallingshecan'tsavethemit'sallherfault)

She's crying and alone and nothing is okay. It never will be again. They are moving her but all she wants to do is jump off the platform and fall with them. She screams as they move her and is held back when she moves closer to the edge. She struggles but they don't let her even when she bites them.

The warm hands that are holding her back pull her into a hug and all the fight leaves her as fast as it came. She can't bring herself to care that she doesn't know them because god does she need a hug.

She is 8 and she is sobbing into the arms of a stranger because she has no one else.

The stranger, it turns out is named Bruce Wayne. He is a tall, dark-haired man with lots of money.

She knows this because he pays for all their funeral costs. She thanks him tonelessly and expects that to be the last she ever sees of the kind stranger.

It is not, she finds out later when she is caught investigating by the Batman. Though she doesn't know it is him at the time. He catches her snooping into Tony zocco and his crew. She knows that it wasn't an accident and she is not afraid to scream it at him when he tries to stop her.

Except unlike everyone else he doesn't dismiss her, he listens and says "I'll look into it".

She is so relieved, she could cry.

It only lasts a second because he then scolds her and tries to make her stop anyways. He'll handle it, he says and tells her to go home. She glares through tears in her eyes. She doesn't have a home, she reminds him, she has been put in the detention center.

His eyes flash with something but it is gone so fast she's sure she imagined it.

Get in, he says and motions to the batmobile. She does hesitantly and sulks as he drives her back to her prison. He drops her off at the gate and warns her again before speeding off.

She stomps inside and spends the rest of the night crying into her pillow silently. She learned to keep quiet on the second night when one of the older girls got annoying by her constant sobs and made sure she knew what would happen if she ruined her beauty sleep again.

The next morning she ignores the jeers about her red eyes and sneaks out again. She's immediately caught. He must have been waiting for her because he was all ready there when she arrived. He takes her back with another warning and leaves.

This time she's too angry to cry instead she screams after him and stomps inside. One of the girls gets in her way but this time Dick is so angry she punches her right in the face. Unfortunately for her, the girl is 2 times bigger and stronger so she ends up in the nurse's office after a scolding by the officer on duty.

She doesn't let the pain of a black eye stop her. She goes out the third night and again he is right there. He glares at her and she glares right back.

"You need to stop," he says stoickly

"NO! I need to do this! He killed my parent and I'm going to prove it whether you like it or not!" She screams

He glares harder and dumps her in the batmobile. She fumes silently in her seat. She's so angry it takes her 5 minutes to realize they are going in the opposite direction of the detention center. When she does realize she whips her head around to look at him. He ignores her completely.

After another moment of staring at him, she shirks in on herself and gulps. She's suddenly reminded of all the stories the detention center kids told about him. One in particular about him eating disobedient children. She had ignored it then but now the story wouldn't leave her mind. She scuts as far away from him as she can and hopes this won't be the last time she's seen alive.

After what seems like a lifetime they come to a complete stop at what came only be described as a gigantic cave. Her fears only get worst when she sees the dark and empty cave. All her hopes of him being a normal human are completely erased. What kind of human lives in an underground cave?

"Please don't eat me" she blurts out when he parks.

This time he actually recoils in shock. He turns to stare at her. "I'm not going to eat you," He says finally

She's so relieved she starts rambling "That's good because I wouldn't taste good at allyoucouldaskthelionsatthecircus. Wellnotaskcausetheirlionthey can'ttalkandI'lljustshutupnow."

She snaps her jaw shut and stares at him. He stares back until a cough interrupts them.

"Master Batman, I see we have company," A formal accented voice says, it is attached to an old man dressed in a butler's outfit.

"Alfred, please get Ms. Grayson something to eat and drink shes had a long day"

"Certainly Master Batman" the man, Alfred, quickly walks off to who knows where and disappeared into the darkness. Does batman even have a kitchen she can't help but wonder as she watches

"That was Alfred, he is my butler if you need anything just ask him" The voice rips her from her musing and reminds her of just what's happening.

"I...Why I'm I here" She finally gathers the courage to ask

"You Ms.Grayson are here because you are one of the most stubborn people I have ever met."

"It's Dick, not Ms.Grayson and so what?" she huffs

He smirks "That wasn't an insult" then he turns sharply and walks towards a large computer.

He pushes a few buttons and the screen lights up with images and even a newspaper of her parent's death titled. The Famous Flying Graysons fall to their death.

Her heart squeezes tightly at the reminder and she has to tear her eyes away from it. She turns her gaze towards Batman who is observing her again. "You're right about it being a murder," he says finally " Tony Zocco killed them for not paying his toll."

"See I told you!"

"But" he interrupts "You're going about this the wrong way, you're putting yourself in danger by going after him."

Dick's temper erupts "So! I'm going to stop him! He killed them. I have too they deserve to be avenged, I'll kill him if I have to."

"Do you honestly think your parents would want you to kill someone and recklessly put yourself in danger to avenge them?" He asks seriously

Dick falters "I-"

"No they wouldn't, I may have not have known then but I do know they loved you, they wouldn't want you to live like this"

"So what you want me to just, let him get away with this... He- they..." she stutters through her tears.

"I understan-"

'No, you don't! No one does!" she screams then buries her hands in her hands and sobs

He kneels down in front of her and puts his hands on her shoulders gently. "I do understand"

Then to her surprise, he does something completely unexpected, he lifts his hand to his cowl and pulls it up revealing his face and identity to her. She gaps in surprise and it takes her a minute to understand what is happening "Mister Wayne?!"

"I do understand Dick because I went through the same thing as you. When I was 10 years old my parents were shot and killed right in front of me. Ever since that day I have vowed revenge on the people that did it but killing isn't the answer. It won't stop the hurt" he said as he stared into her eyes

She looks back into eyes just like hers. Not the color they share but the pain. Now that he is unmasked she can see the old wound in his heart that won't heal. She is faced with pain so similar that she can't help... needs to ask. "How... how do I make it stop"

"Time helps," he says softly "but I won't lie I'm not sure it ever does."

It states a new wave of tears but this time she launches herself at him and sobs into his shoulder and once again she is crying into the arms of Bruce Wayne.

 She is still 8 when he offers her a deal, he will let her help with the investigation as long as she follows his two rules. She will come to the cave every day and she will help look through all the evidence but she will not go near any of Zocco's hideouts or go after him. When he sees her hesitation he tells her sternly that this is his final offer.

She glares but agrees to the first rule relatively easily. It's the second that makes her pause.

"After he is caught he will go to jail. No killing him for revenge, no matter how much you want to. Batman doesn't kill" he says firmly

She clenches her fists and nods. Satisfied he also nods and holds out a hand. She tilts her head in confusion. "It a deal after this were partners for the time being" She brightens slightly and shakes his hand "Partners"

This time when he drops her off he tells her to pack her things and wait for him.

She frowns in confusion but does as he says. She finds out the next day what he meant by that when a cowless Bruce Wayne walks through the door of the detention center to take her to her new temporary home. All the other girls gawk at them or bat their eyes prettily at him as they walk by then turn to glare at her when he ignores them.

There is confusion and envy in their gaze and honestly, Dick can't even blame them. Going from a detention center to a mansion is a huge upgrade. That doesn't stop her from smirking at the particularly mean ones as she passes by them though.

She raises her head high and walks to the limousine parked outside proudly. Then turns to her guardian for the foreseeable future with a beaming grin. She'll later remember this memory with a laugh and know that he had also been smiling that day.

"So were too boss?"

"Wayne manor if you will Alfred" he nods to the same elderly butler she had met before.

After about 10 minutes of a mostly silent drive, they arrived at Wayne manor. Dick mentally sighed in relief when they finally arrived. It was obvious that even though Mister Wayne had offered her his home he had absolutely no idea how to talk to her. Honestly, Dick doubted that he had ever talked to kids for extended periods.

Alfred opened her door and kindly ushered her inside. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Wayne manor Mistress Richard. Feel free to ask if you need anything and make yourself at home."

"Thank you, Mister Alfred"

"No need for the Mister I am merely a butler after all" Dick got the feeling that was defiantly an understatement.

"I'll call you Alfred if you call me Dick then."

"Mistress Dick then"

"Just Dick"

"Of course Mistress Dick." He replied and Dick huffed

"Its no use, I've tried to get him to drop the formalities for years but he refuses each time" Mister Wayne voice appeared out of nowhere and Dick jumped when she realized he was right behind her

"It is my duty as a butler of this esteemed family to be proper. I shall not bring sham upon this household." Alfred said properly but she didn't believe he was always that proper for a second, especially after the sass from earlier.

"Of course Alfred" they had clearly had this conversation many times.

"Now I shall allow you two time to talk while I go prepare lunch." Alfred walked away calmly

There was silence for a minute but just as it was about it last long enough to be awkward Mister Wayne spoke.

"Don't mind him. Alfred's may seem very proper but he is the best man I know, he has been with me since I was a child and there is no one I trust more." 

"He seems nice" she agreed

"He is and more often than not also right so do try to hed his advice"

"Okay" she agreed and began to look around

Mister Wayne caught her eye "I'll show you to your room so you can get comfortable them. We can discuss our... partnership after lunch"

As he walked up the stair and towards the hallway, Dick couldn't help but take note of the fact that when he walked he didn't make a sound nit even a rustle of his clothes.

"This is your room" his voice spooked her

"Oh-right thank you" she stuttered and took a look inside. 

Her jaw dropped immediately the room was huge and beautifully decorated. But what caught her attention the most was the poster that hung over her new bed. Her breath hitched. She recognized it immediately and tears filled her eyes.

"Th-that's how did..." she trailed off as she stared at it hungrily. She made sure to take in every detail she could.

 "I thought you might like something to remind you of them so I asked Mr. Haly for a momento."

She paid no mind to the tear that ran down her face. To entranced by the beautiful poster to care.

Mister Wayne coughed awkwardly "I hope you like it"

"I- Thank you... thank you" she finally said. She's not sure what she thanking him for, there are so many things but she needs him to know. She looks up at him with tearful eyes. "Thank you"

His eyes softened and he nodded silently. They stood in silence but unlike before it wasn't uncomfortable, just the opposite, it was like they were old friends.

Despite her earlier worries, Dick seems to fit into the Wayne household like she had been there the whole time. She wakes up to eat breakfast with mister. Wayne. Who insists on being called Bruce, then waves goodbye as he drives off to work. After that, she simply goes exploring or follows Alfred around as he works. He is always patient with her, answering all her questions and telling her stories when she asks. It is like they are a completely normal family during the day.

However, she knows the truth. Once night approaches the house because almost ominously quiet and the real work begins. Beloved billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes the stoick, dark, and mysterious Batman. He leaves his work suit behind, puts on his cowl, and becomes one with the night.

This is also where she spends countless nights. Right beside him as she shifts through cases and tries to make sense of all there clues she can find. It is a tedious job but she continues with a one-track mind. Most nights she can find him there for a few hours but on particularly hard nights he doesn't return from his patrols until she is long asleep.

Once in particular when the Joker escapes Arkham. He releases laughing gas in the middle of town and destroys a whole city block. It takes Batman two days to catch him. Both of which he is short-tempered and Dick steers clear of his path. She has gotten past the point of fear but she can't help but hide when he is angry even though she knows she is safe.

He never hurt her and tries to be patient but talking is not in his nature so she tries her best to be silent. Though she can't help but chatter unconsciously at times. He continues his work unbothered but she knows he's listening because sometimes he answers her questions. She was horrified that she was annoying him at first but by now she knows he doesn't mind as long as she doesn't get in the way of his work.

They continue like this for weeks on end until finally, they get a lead. Tony Zocco was much better than hiding than he seemed but even then it was only a matter of time before Batman found him. He made the mistake of going back to one of his lars now that he thought he was home free.

"We have to go after him" Dick growled

"We need to be patient" Batman replied

"I have been! I've waited weeks and it finally paid off we got him now, We just have to bring him in!" she argued

"If we wait a few more days more of his thugs will show up. If we go now they'll realize something is wrong and run off before I can catch them. We need to wait"

"What if he leaves! It took us weeks to find him if he leaves there's no telling how long it will take again!" She cried angrily

"He thinks he's gotten away that will make him arrogant. He's not going to leave. If his thugs get away, they could hurt civilians. The risk is too high."

"Batman please you have to understand, he-I, Bruce please" she begged

He continued unfazed by her pleas "I will not be going after him tonight. End of discussion."

Dick's eyes filled with tears. "I hate you!" She screamed and ran up to her room.

Dick screamed in frustration when she arrived. She threw her pillows against the door and yelled angrily. She cursed him in Romani, French, Spanish, Russian, and any other language she could think of. Finally, she grabbed her small elephant figurine and chucked it at the wall.

It hit with a tump and shattered on impact. The noise snapped her out of her anger and she fell to her knees next to the broken figure. She grabbed the pieces and held them to her chest. That is when the first tear appeared. It was followed by another, then another, and another. She didn't try to stop them as they fell and she was sobbing hysterically on the ground.

She reminded like this of hours even when Alfred came to check on her she ignored him and continued. After the first 2, she moved herself to her bed and curled up pitifully around her blanket for comfort. She sniffed and choked on her sob.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers to the empty room "I tried but he wouldn't listen"

She wiped away her tear and looked up at her poster. She looked longingly at her parent's faces and dried her tears. The remainder of their death fueled her sadness but even more than that it fueled her anger.

Tony Zocco was going to walk free if she didn't stop him. If Batman wouldn't do anything then she wasn't just going to sit around while he got away. "He'll pay for this. Even if I have to do it myself," she promised

Finding him was easy. She had his current location and she had the advantage of surprise. Escaping for the manor under Batman's watchful eye was the tricky part.

She used her tears to her advantage. As far as Alfred and Batman Knew she was in bed Crying her heart out. To upset to even move let alone sneak out. She felt a flash of regret at the thought of lying to Alfred but pushed it away and scolded herself. She was doing this for her parents. Besides they would more than likely never see each other again after Batman found out what she did.

Cautiously she stood up and grabbed her pillow off the floor careful not to make any noise as she moved. She tucked it under her blanket and fluffed it out to make it seem real. Next, she snuck to the computer Batman had given her and typed each letter in quietly. C_R_Y_I_NG.

She clicked the first video she saw and lowered the volume so that it sounded real. It was about 1 hour long so plenty of time for her to sneak away after that she just hoped that assumed she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Last she pulled on the darkest clothes she owned. She needed to be discreet for this to work. With that, she grabbed all the allowance she had and shoved it in her pocket. Just her bare hands weren't going to cut it she need supplies and since Batman was definitely brooding in the Batcave that left normal store supplies.

With everything prepared she to a breath and began her climb down the window. she used the ledge for balance and used the stone as a place to put her feet next was the hard part. Carefully she turned around and launched herself at the conveniently placed tree next to her room. It was a far leap and if she had been any other child she might have fallen but she was a flying Grayson so instead, she soared.

She gasped as she caught herself on the tree. She allowed herself just a moment to breathe then quickly pulled herself down to the next branch. She repeated this process until finally with one last jump she was on the floor. Not stopping just in case they had cameras she ran as fast as she could towards the dance. Once there she threw herself over it and sped off into the bushes for cover.

She held her breath. one minute passed, then two, then three then finally she was sure the alarm wasn't going to go off. She sighed in relief.

She probably should have thought this through she thinks as she is stared down by an angry Batman.

That had become abundantly clear after Zocco had managed to capture her with minimal effort and was now practically slapping her in the face now that Batman was glaring down at her.

"Richard," he said, Dick cringed, full name and everything

"Batman" she replied with more confidence than she had

"What exactly did you think you were doing?"

She crossed her arms and glared but to be honest she was relieved he was here to save her. She was sure she was dead meat for a second there. Zocco had tied her up and she was this close from becoming a knife target.

"Someone had to do something"

He glared "I told you to stay put"

"and I told you to stop him but we both know how that went"

He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Yes I do"

Clearly, he was referring to her disastrous plan. If had been fine at first she had the drop on him but she hadn't anticipated him having already called on his thugs so she was quickly overpowered. He had immediately recognized her and began to brag about his luck. He got the full set she remembers he said with a shiver.

"You're never doing this again" Batman growled

"Yes I am" she snapped "I can help you saw tonight I know I can"

"You were captured!" He roared at her. She stilled it was the first time he had ever yelled at her "You could have been killed!"

The words were accompanied by silence. Dick fidgeted before she took a deep breath. "Batman... Bruce, I may not know how to fight but I can learn if you teach me"

He glare but he stayed silent so she took that as a queue to continue. "I want to help people. like you. You understand. I don't want anyone to have to go through the same thing as me ever again. so please let me help you." she begged

He stared her down but this time she refused to relent. She stared back with all the determination she had.

"You'll need a name" he finally said tonelessly

Dick beamed "really!"

He fixed her with a glare that made her standstill. "You will listen to everything I say. You will train until you can do everything with your eyes closed and your hands behind your back and you will not be going on any patrols until I say so. Do you understand?"

Dick nodded vigorously and cheered.

"so?"

She stopped her cheering and looked at him curiously "So what?"

He raised an eyebrow "The name?"

Dick paused. After everything that had happened, she could only think of one fitting name. "Robin" she decided

He looked curious but didn't ask "Well the Robin, it looks like we're going to be working together from now on, Partner"

Dick crackled and stuck of her hand in return "Partners"

Chapter Text

An assassin is in town.

Bruce tells her finally after days of being out of the loop. They're obviously trained and highly skilled he lets her know but other than that he's quiet and she hardly hears a word from him. They must be very high class if even he's worried.

That makes her own worry even worst. She's not trained like Bruce is and the thought that even he is stressed about this is more terrifying than she'd like to admit and even more than that it's making her paranoid.

Every creak makes her jump and even the smallest sounds are enough to make her finch these days. She's not safe from it even in the comfort of her own room, she can't keep herself from glancing at the window every time she thinks she hears a noise. It's even worst when she's out of the manor. Her breath hitches at everything and she's constantly alert, to the point she can't sleep much these days.

The paranoia is so bad it seems to affect even the house itself. The rooms feel even darker than normal and the tall ceilings seem only seem to get more daunting as the days go by. The pictures on the wall seem to stare at her when she passes. Even the soft couches of the library that she loves can't bring her the comfort they once did.

Bruce and Alfred aren't much help either, they're both on edge. They keep her in the house as much as they can and wave off her worries but she can see the tenseness in their shoulders and their shared glances full of worry. Despite her own paranoia, she doesn't understand why they're acting so odd at first. Even criminals like the Joker as terrifying as he is don't make them act like this.

The question sticks with her for days until she's finally struck with a thought. They think the assassin might be after her she finally realizes after Bruce gives one too many worried glances at her window and mudders about the glass being too weak.

She can kind of see why she supposes. Not everyone was happy about Bruce bringing a 'Circus brat' into their 'elite circle.' Some had complained, not publicly, of course, that would ruin their kind image but during galas, she can hear their whispered angry words and discussed glances. She never mentions it but she'd be a fool to assume that he didn't know about them.

Still, part of her can't help but wonder if someone would really go as far as to send an assassin after her. Could someone really be that discussed that she's now the ward of Bruce Wayne that they would do that?  Of course, it could be something else, like his wealth they're after. Now that he has an heir all his eventual inheritance would go to her. As she thinks of all the disappointed faces she saw when it was first announced and it seems plausible.

Well anyway you look at it, the answer is the same, there is a real possibility that someone is after her life. Suddenly all her ridiculous paranoia doesn't seem so ridiculous after all, she thinks with a shiver. The thought is only all the more daunting.

Part of her wishes she was still ignorant to her possible death because now anywhere she goes she can almost feel eyes boring into her. It's like she's being held at gunpoint or about to be stabbed and never fails to chill her to the bone.

Any time it happens she gulps in fear and glances back stiffly but no matter how many times she looks there's never anyone there. She sleeps even less now and it's starting to show. Alfred gives her worried looks and makes her more food but she always refuses with a fake smile. Even Bruce who she hardly sees these days other than to train has started to give her more breaks in between.

Every time she leaves the room she catches them exchanging concerned looks but she ignores them. After a few days, it seem they had enough.

"Dick you know you can tell me anything, right?" Bruce says out of the blue one day.

"I know"

"You also know I'll help you, right? Even if it seems dumb." He continues

She knows what he's looking for but she can't bring herself to say it. He's under enough stress as it is, protecting her and she doesn't want him to have to worry about her silly fears too. Not to mention if she says she thinks she's being watched he might just lock her in the Batcave for the rest of her life.

"Yeah I know"

He and Alfred share another look. "All right then, as long as your sure"

"I am, thank you though," she says as she finishes up dinner. "Well I'm exhausted, I'm turning in for the night so I'll be in my room if you need me."

She scurries off before either of them can say anything else.

Her window is open.

That in itself wouldn't have brought up any warning signs except she had specifically closed it when she had gone to bed. She was too paranoid to leave it open and Alfred and Bruce didn't come into her room without knocking so there was no reason it should be open.

But there it is wide open.

Dick swallowed slowly. Her heart was pounding against her ribs. It was so loud she could hear it and it was beating so fast she was sure it was about to burst from her chest any minute now. With any luck that kill her before whoever opened that window did.

She doesn't dare move even when she hears a creak against her bed. Her heart speeds up even more as a shadow leans over her slowly. She could tell now that whoever this was, was a woman but other than that all she could make out were two protruding figures coming from their back. It was dark but even then it was obvious that they could only be the outline of a pair of swords.

They reach closer and closer to her until finally, she can't stop a terrified scream from escaping her throat.

"AAAAAHHHHHH"

Bruce must have decided to turn it in early for a change because the sound of heavy footsteps immediately came down the hallway and Bruce burst through the door in seconds.

But if she had thought he was fast then it is nothing compared to the assassin because by the time she has even time to think they're already gone.

"Dick!" Bruce called

She immediately flung herself at him and started blustering through an explanation.

"A person was in- they were"

He grabbed her and kneeled down to her level. "Calm down, what happened?"

She shook her head through her tears and started breathing deeply. "Hey it's okay" he shushed her gently

She took a few moments to calm herself and rub her tears away. " Was asleep but I woke up and saw the window open even though I closed it and..." She burst into tears again at the thought

He hugged her again and rubbed her back slowly "Shh it's okay, you're okay. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you"

She hid her face in his neck and tried to stop herself from trembling but no matter what she did they continue. Eventually, she gave up and just hugged him tighter.

Just as she thought he immediately locks her in the Batcave and keeps her as close as possible from then on. It's nice to see him more and the proximity to him calms most of her fears but after a few days, it becomes restricting.

These days she doesn't even have time for paranoia, she's too busy trying to escape from Bruce's overprotective gaze. He's constantly over her shoulder and in her space. Even when he's across the room his eyes are always on her watching her every move. They follow her everywhere she goes. 

Even the training becomes harder. He pushes her to the brink and back every time and demands perfection. Now that she's under threat he can't afford to let her take it easy. They train for hours on end only stopping for her studies. She takes these with Alfred but they're just as tiring and worst they leave her with a headache.

The only time she even has any space is at night when overprotective Bruce Wayne becomes the, equally overprotective but busy, Batman. He gruffly orders her to stay put before he hops in the batmobile and speeds off. It's during this time when she finally relaxes and gets some rest.

She's so tired that she's dead to the world within seconds.

In retrospect, it's why the assassin was able to get her so easily. She's too mentally and physically exhausted to even feel as she carried off.

Even if she wasn't how was she supposed to know they would enter a highly secretive and protected Batcave to get her? Even the thought that someone could find it is silly and unlikely since Batman is ridiculously paranoid.

It only makes the situation she's in all the more chilling.

The moment she comes too she can feel the tight ropes around her, a cloth tied around her mouth, and the dim light that is facing her. She clenches her eyes as it blinds her momentarily.

"Finally awake little one?" A calm almost gentle voice calls.

Dick's eyes instantly snap open in panic. Her heart rate shoots up as she instinctively tries to move away from the unfamiliar person but all she manages to do is almost tip the chair she's tied to back.

"Struggling is useless, now calm yourself before you get injured." The voice says as it catches her before she hits the floor.

Dick ignores it as she continues to pull at the ropes around her even harder. She pulls and pulls but they don't budge even a little. At this point, she's full blown panicking and just barely holding back tears.

"I told you to stop" this time the voice sounds harsh and annoyed.

It's enough to freeze Dick in fear. Her body stops moving against her wishes and her eyes immediately flicker to her capture. It is the same woman from before. She carries the same swords and had the same silent footsteps as she walks towards her.

Though walk might be the wrong word because she moves so gracefully she might as well be gliding towards her and even now Dick takes notice of the way her presence fills the room and the way it draws everyone to her.

The woman reaches into her hidden belt quietly. She pulls out something and reaches towards Dick next. It's only when she gets close enough that Dick realizes that she had pulled a knife out of her belt.

The realization makes her scream. It is muffled by the cloth but it's too loud to be mistaken for anything else.

The woman doesn't stop. She raises her other hand and grabs Dicks face roughly. "Stop" she demands.

Dick trembles but stops. Her eyes clench around her tears and she prepares herself for her death.

Mom, Dad, Bruce, Alfred I'm so sorry she thinks then waits...

...

...

...

A snap sounds throughout the room. Dick flinches but stubbornly keeps her eyes shut tightly. one second passes, then two but nothing happens.

"You can open your eyes now" an amused voices sounds.

This time she can't stop her eyes from opening. She looks up in confusion.

It's only then that she takes notice of the lack of cloth in her mouth. Her eyes snap down to confirm and just like she thought the once tightly wrapped cloth is now gone. Her eyes snap to her captor in disbelief.

"Now why don't you tell me your name," her captor asks

Dick's throat losses its voice. 

The women quirks an eyebrow "well?"

Dick clears her throat hesitantly "a- it's Richard"

Most people she had met make a face or comment the first time she says it but the woman in front of her doesn't bat an eye.

"Richard it is a strong name. Mine is Lady Shiva as the bat will no doubt tell you."

Dick stiffens immediately. She had forgotten where she had been taken from. This woman definitely knew who Batman was. The urge to leave becomes stronger. She forces her breath to calm.

The woman picks up on her discomfort anyway "I knew the bat's identity long before you appeared so try not to worry too much young one"

Dick is immediately thrown by the oddly civil conversation. "Batman? ... does then mean you're letting me go?" She asks hesitantly 

"If all goes to plan" the women confirmed 

Dick almost cries in relief but she's better trained than to take the word at face value. She could just be lying to stop Dick from struggling.

Still, she's hesitant to start again just in case she telling the truth and changes her mind.

Dick pulls at the rope gently, now that she's calmer she takes note of the type of knot and mentally goes through her knowledge. This particular knot is strong but can be removed alone with enough time. She pauses to think. She'd need time to get out but even then there's no guaranty Lady Shiva won't kill her for escaping.

She's torn between following her instincts to flee or her brain. She's too uncertain to decide, she needs more information.

"Why?" She asks carefully

The woman looks amused again but Dick refuses to let it faze her, not when she's already gone this far.

"Because he's attached to you, he doesn't just do that for just anyone, so that means there's something special about you and I'm going to find out what that is." She says

Dick pauses, she feels oddly flattered. Her confidence rises with the praise.

"Well did you?"

The woman allows her mouth to fall into a secretive smile "That is for me to know and you to find out"

Dick digests the information as she takes note of all the exits. A door but no windows make sense, she doesn't want anyone to see them and interrupt.

"And if it doesn't go to plan?" the woman pauses then turns to her with chilling eyes

"For your sake let's hope it doesn't" 

And if the isn't the most ominous thing she's ever heard. 

That seals the deal, she defiantly not sticking around for whatever might happen. If this so-called plan fails well, Dick might not be making it back after all.

She continues to loosen the ropes gently but doesn't move her eye from the calm assassin. She still needs more time, so time to improvise.

"You said you knew Batman's identity?"

"You still doubt?" She asks seriously. Dick gulps silently but continues

"Sorry but Batman's not exactly known for being trusting."

"No, he is not, I discovered it alone"

Well, crude, it's bad enough that she's highly skilled but now she's also highly intelligent. Dick's chance of survival just took a nosedive.

"That's impressive bat's more paranoid than anyone I've ever met."

"You are young, continue in this life and I assure you will meet worse."

"Then you've been an assassin a long time?"

"I had been training since I was a girl but I did not become an assassin until later in life."

Huh, she was offering a surprising amount of information. Part of her was starting to worry that it was because she wasn't planning on letting her walk out of here alive.

Thankfully the ropes were almost off, just another second but then comes the tricky part.

"So wha-"

CCCCRRRRAAASSSSHHHHH

Lady Shiva face snapped towards the door then back to her

"Well looks like it's time to stop talking"

She reached back again and this time Dick got the feeling that she wouldn't be just cutting rope.

She's unfortunately right when she grabs one of her swords this time.

She points it at her "Sorry young one but it's time to prove your worth"

"Oh I will" Dick cried just as the last rope loosened and she shot out of her chair and backflipped away from the assassin.

"Impressive, I know of many trained men that wouldn't have gotten out so quickly." Lady Shiva says as she rushes forward

Dick just barely avoids becoming a skewer and jumps back. With a quick glance at the room, she finds there's nothing she can use as a weapon. 

She's thankfully saved from a gruesome death a second later when a large black figure breaks down the door and comes sweeping in.

"Batman!" Dick calls in relief 

"So you've finally come for your student" Lady Shiva calls as she launches herself at him

Dick can only look on in concern as Batman and the assassin exchange a series of hits and move swiftly through the room.

There was no clear winner. They both seemed to get hit after hit. When she got one Batman would give two and when Batman managed to kick her away she relented with a sword slash.

Finally, the two parted for a breath and circled each other.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you came for the girl," Lady Shiva said

"This is between you and me" Batman answer 

"Yes it is" she replied then jumped right back into the fray

They started again but they slowed more and more as time went on. Until finally Lady shiva went down.

As soon as she did Batman was at Dick's side in seconds check her over for injuries.

"Are you hurt?" He asked seriously as he lowered himself to her level 

"I'm fin-"

"Don't take your eye off your opponent until you're sure they're down!" Lady Shiva yelled and threw a dagger right at Batman's head.

Dick's head snapped over and for just a second the dagger slowed and she seemed to see it in slow motion.

One second

She sees it

two seconds

 She reaches towards batman

Three seconds

She grabs at him

Four seconds

He pushes her away

and five

She's throwing a Batarang at the dagger and it explodes. 

BoOoOmmM

The sound rings through the room so loud Dick has to reach up with her hands to cover her ears. Even from this far the heat of the explosion warms the room.

Time speeds back up again.

"Dick!" Batman calls as he rushes to her and covers her with his cape.

"Bruc-" her voice slurs as she falls unconscious.

This whole falling unconscious at the most annoying time thing is starting to get really annoying.

"Bruce?" She croaks as soon as she wakes. She immediately tries to get up but she sways.

"Dick stay down" Bruce orders and pushes her down gently 

"Uh," she groans "what happened?"

"The explosive you let off blocked the dagger but it was too close. You almost gave yourself a concussion."

"Oh, what about Lady Shiva?"

"She escaped while I was getting you," he answers calmly

Dick whence, it's bad enough she got kidnapped but now she let them get away Batman's got to be furious.

"I'm sorry" she whispers 

"Don't be,"

She bites her lip "but... I let her get away if you hadn't had to save me you would have caught her" she lowers her eyes in shame

He crouches to look her in the eye but she looks away. Then he lifts his hand to her face and moves it softly to face him.

It's nothing like Lady Shiva's grip earlier this one is gentle and kind. She finds herself melting into the touch.

"Your life is more important than catching some criminal," he says softly, and even with the cowl on there is no trace of the stoic Batman in his gaze.

"I guess, but-"

"No buts, beside you saved my life too. The batarang explosion was good thinking"

Dick beams at the unexpected praise "Really?!"

His lip quirks almost invisibly "Yes, but next time at least try not knock yourself out."

Dick laughs softly in embarrassment "can do"

Her quick thinking that day impress him enough that he officially allows her onto the field a month later but not without one small change to their original plan.

"But Bruce whyyy?" She whines as she slips into her outfit with her new haircut.

"I already told you it's either you do this or you're staying home." He crosses his arms and stares her down

She glares back so already knows this isn't one she's going to win. "But I don't want to be a boy!"

He sighs "Dick, Gotham is a dangerous place but it's especially dangerous for little girls. If anyone knows they'll try and kidnap you"

Dick gulps and remembers the thing that her parents used to tell her about. What grown men did too little girls if they caught them.

"Okay," she eventually relents with a pout.

Somewhere in a large hidden compound

"Did you do as I asked?" A man asks from his throne-like chair

"Yes, she still has much to learn but she is talented, I have no doubt that she will be a great threat one day." Lady Shiva replies

"Good the detective will train her well, we will see what becomes of her." He answers "As promised your payment is already in your account"

"Thank you" Lady Shiva bows and turns to leave.

She stops at the door and pauses. She turns back to him slowly. "The look in her eye..."

"... keep pursuing the bat and she might be the death of you someday"

With that, she glides out the door quietly.

Behind her the Ra's Al Ghul pauses at the warning "Richard Grayson... the detective is a fool if he thinks he can keep Gotham's Gray Son."

Chapter Text

"Alright just one more box boss"

Theodore, Ted as his friends call him, was a recently down on his luck man, original from Metropolis, who had made his way to Gotham, as most crime does, loaded the last few packages up into a white van.

"Good, the big guy expecting this package by morning so hurry up back there, we still need to drive it out of the city." Luke, spoke with a thick Gotham accent 

Ted grumbled unhappily as he grabbed the last box. "All right, that all of them"

"Finally, let's get going this place is giving me the creeps" 

Ted said nothing but couldn't help but silently agree. The darkness of Gotham was something that definitely took some getting used to. The tall skyscrapers even dwarfed some of Metropolises let alone a human but worse than that was the hopeless feeling that seemed to cover the city at all times.

It would almost feel lonely if it didn't feel like there was someone creeping over your shoulder. Like now, he glanced behind him nervously.

"Hurry up newbie!"

"Sorry!" He yelped as he shuffled towards the van and hurried in

"What took ya?" Luke asked 

"I just- does it feel like we're being watched to you?"

Luke grinned sharply at him "In Gotham, you're always being watched"

Ted scowled as he tried to hide his nervousness "not funny man"

Luke's cruel smile turned serious for a moment "not joking kid, behind granite and lime remember that it could save your life one day"

This time he couldn't hide his fear. Ted shrunk nervously and before looking around panicked and lowered his voice as if the very name might summon him. "Batman?"

Before he could get a word the windshield of the car smashed open sending glass everywhere.

Ccccrrrraaaaassssshhhh!

"Shit!" Ted cried

"Get down!" Luke called as they both dashed behind a building

"What was that?!"

"The answer to your question!" Luke growled as he hurriedly pulled out his gun

Ted fumbled for a second before doing the same. He peaked out the side of the building nervously and managed to just get a peek of something move before it disappeared altogether.

Ted's heart quickened as he spun around with his gun out in front of him.

"Who's there!?" He yelled

An echoing crackle rang around them

It set all of his nerves off at once.

"Sorry to kick in!" A young voice called just as he was smacked right in the face.

"Get it! I said kick instead of step cause, you know" the voice rambled between flips

Ted ignored the terrible joke in favor of getting a good look at his attacker.

To his absolute disbelief there in, bright traffic stop colors stood a small child.

He actually had to take a double-take.

"What, the, fuck" he spoke slowly and tried to make sense of what he was seeing

The little boy frowned "You shouldn't curse, Batman says it's bad manners"

Ted's mind finally caught up to him and grabbed on to the word Batman.

His eyes widened "Batman is here?!" He looked around in fear.

The boy's mask narrowed and he stomped his foot "You're supposed to be listening to me!"

Ted ignored him "Listen kid, get out of here and I'll forget this little mishap, I'm sure your parents are missing you right now" 

The boy huffed. Then before Ted could blink he was running right at him. Ted's eyes widened as he was once again smacked in the face and thrown back.

What?! He sputtered and coughed out blood

"Who are you!" He called in disbelief for a second time

"Robin!" The boy cheered brightly like that explained everything

"What the fuck is a robin?"

The boy tilted his head like a cat "a bird, you're not very smart, are you, mister"

Ted sputtered, there was no way he was actually being insulted by an 8-year-old right now. This had to be a dream, right?

"Robin" a much deeper voice called. Ted's breath hitched and he looked back hesitantly.

There hidden under the shadows, just barely visible was a large bat-shaped man, Batman his mind fearfully supplied.

"Stop messing around" it ordered

"Fiiiine" the boy whined

"Wait what?!" But it was too late he was out cold in seconds

'No one going to believe me' was his last thought before he was out like a light.

"You're still not focusing" Batman scolded as they finished tying up the two crooks.

"Aw come on, there's nothing wrong with having a little fun." She whined back

"This isn't supposed to be fun" and there it is, his infamous bat glare.

"Fiiine" she sighed again, Batman was really cramping her style today. 

Batman gave her a reluctant look like he didn't really believe her but eventually moved on "What did you get?"

Dick paused in thought for a moment "Well there were only 2, so it was a pretty covert mission, to covert for drugs so I'm thinking guns or money."

"It's Guns, people in this town are too paranoid to let anyone handle their money remember that next time" 

Dick winced, right she forgot rule number of Gotham, one trust no one. 

"Who are they working for?"

Dick moved closer and peaked at their faces "no face paint so not Joker but that pretty obvious, he's not one for guns or money."

Batman bearly moved but she had spent enough time with him to pick up his subtlest movements. He stiffened at the name joker so she quickly moved on.

"If it's gun probably not Penguin, he prefers money and drugs, and with this little Black Mask wouldn't even bother so take leaves Two-Face since we had already agreed it wasn't some low tier dealer previously." she analyzed quickly then looked up for approval 

"Good," he said and moved past her towards the truck. 

It wasn't anything special but Dick beamed like it was.

He pulled the door open and grabbed the nearest box carefully and, low and behold there were guns tightly packed into each one.

He moved to quickly take fingerprints off each one and Dick quickly followed the motion and grabbed her own fingerprints set from her belt. Between the two of them, they quickly got everything they could before the cops showed up.

In three, two, one, now

'Whee whoo whee whoo' the sirens rang just as they shot the grappling hooks onto the nearest building.

Dick crackled as she shot into the air. She loved this part of the job, where she really got to spread her wings and fly.

She quickly pulled herself into a roll and added a few flips as she landed.

"Ta-da!" She cried and gave a few overextravagant bows to Batman "thank you, thank you, I'm here all week"

"Robin" Batman scolded

She grinned at the fondness beneath it and looked up to send him a competitive smirk.

"Come on, I'll race you!" She cried then took off in a flash.

"Robin!" He yelled as she laughed herself off the roof and flipped onto another just as quickly.

"Batman!" she cried mockingly back

"Well?!" She asked impatiently 

They had finally arrived from her first full patrol with Batman and she was waiting for the final verdict, if she would be going one any others or not.

Bruce and Alfred exchanged looks until finally Bruce sighed and gave in "yes you'll be joining patrol from now on."

"Yess!" She cheered and did a victory lap around the Batcave. Then a backflip just for fun. "Yes, yes, yes!"

She paused for a breath then tackled Bruce in a hug "Thank you! thank you! thank you!" She chanted

He softened

"Don't thank me yet, I'm still uping your training because of this" he, dare she say it, joked?

"Please, it'll be a piece of cake, I bet I'll breeze through it" she bragged. It wasn't even an exaggeration if she did say so herself,  she flying through his training program.

His mouth twitched "well see"

She laughed happily for a second before slowly letting it turn into a sly grin. He caught it and immediately turned weary. 

"So now that I'm officially your partner we should celebrate, like getting a-"

"No" he immediately denied 

"Aww, you don't even know what I'm going to say"

He let out an exaggerated sigh "You want a dog" he stated tiredly

Dick coughed and let out a slightly embarrassed laugh, okay so maybe she had been a little annoying about this but still, a dog! What more could a girl want?!

"Yes I do, but think about all the fun it could bring us! And I promissee, I'll take care of it" she begged as she squeezed him tighter

He squeeze back for a moment and she was sure she was through until "still no" then he put her down and walked towards the stairs 

Dick stared after him for a moment before she narrowed her eyes, oh she was getting that dog.

For the next week, she made it her mission in life to bring it up at any moment possible.

Training "hey you know what would be nice-" "no"

Eating "Think of all the vegetables we wouldn't have to eat if we had a-" "Miss Grayson" "I was just joking Alfred I love broccoli, see!"

Swimming "you know this could be even more fun with a- gehdhshs" "Are you drowning?!" 

Running "if we had a-" "watch out there's a rock!" "Not a rock a- ooffff"

Using the bathroom "Bruce about that- you're using the-!" "the door!" "Sorry!"

Dick shuddered at the reminder of the last one, never again would she make that mistake, she had seen too much.

She let out a sigh as she threw away yet another failed plan, well it's not like she doesn't have time.

"You want me to what?!" Dick froze in disbelief

"I want you to meet the justice league" Bruce repeated calmly.

No, that was what she thought she heard. 

'I know- well I heard- I mean, why!?" She sputtered 

"There have been a lot of rumors since you first appeared, it's only a matter of time until even they can't ignore them anymore, I'd like them to meet you on my terms before that happens." He said calmly

"Oh," Dick replied softly as she fiddled with her hands. That made sense she had been seeing an increase in newspapers articles in the last 5 months Robin had been active. 

He frowned slightly "you don't want to?"

Dick rushed to correct him "no I do, I really do, they're amazing and they work with you, but... it's just... what if they don't like me?" She whispered

She winced at how pathetic that sounded.

Dick looked down in shame. She was a hero, she was Robin! She shouldn't be so desperate for people's approval but... these were Bruce's coworkers maybe even friends and she couldn't help but...want them to like her. 

"Chum" he called her attention quietly "Robin, they'll like you"

Dick chewed her lip nervously "really?"

He smiled and gained a gleam in his eye "Of course what's not to like? and you know what?" he crouched in like he was about to tell her a secret and Dick leaned in eagerly "What?"

"You're Batman's favorite so it doesn't matter" he whispered

Dick's worry turned into laughed "Bruceee you know that not what I meant!"

Robin stared the large imposing door down with no small amount of fear. This was it.

Batman shot her a look and she instantly straightened up and prepared herself. Just behind the large door in front of her were the most powerful people in the entire world. All of who she would more than likely work with in the future.

"Robin"

She tilted her head to look at her silent guardian and relaxed as she looked into his reassuring eyes. Or well cowl.

She put on a bright grin and looked forward proudly as the large door swung open.

"Batman we were just discussing-" Superman started as soon as they came in

"Who's that?!" Flash interrupted immediately

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Dick gulped mentally and tried not to shrink in on herself.

Batman glared until they reluctantly looked away and brought the rooms attention to himself "This, is my partner, Robin"

"Partner?!" The question came for multiple people at once and soon the room was descended into chaos.

"He's like 8!"

"What the hell Batman!"

"Are you insane!"

"Enough!" Wonder Woman's voice called causing everyone to quiet down, though not without a few grumbles. "We should allow Batman an opportunity to explain himself before we cast judgment!"

Once again all eyes were on them but Batman continued unaffected as always. Robin took a moment to envy his poker face and silently vowed to become even better at it than him.

"As I said, this is Robin, my partner. He has been specially trained by me and will be helping me with my cases from now on."

"You can't be serious! He's like 9!" Green Arrow burst out angrily. Any nervousness she had held to now had evaporated once she realized half of them were idiots and now she was just annoyed.

"I'm 10" Robin spoke for the first time and glared at her green archer.

"Yeah cause that makes all the difference," Green Arrow said sarcastically

"Batman" Superman interrupted " I trust your Judgment but this is going too far. He's a child!"

"He could take out half the Justice League before you realized he was in the room." He said emotionally. Robin's chest puffed out in pride. Batman didn't give compliments easily

"That little pipsqueak please I've seen scarier puppies." Green Arrow grumbled

"Arrow that's enough, stop whaling on the kid." Flash cut in. Then he turned to Batman "but he makes a good point, I'm sure Robin is plenty talented but we are professionals for a reason"

"I am well aware, which is why I didn't say all of the Justice League"

Robin fought back a smirk and beamed in pride.

Superman remained skeptical "Look Batman, we just think we should sit down and talk about this."

Batman glared harder "there is nothing to talk about, Robin is my partner. It is my decision what he can and can't do."

With that, he spun around and began to walk out, completely ignoring the calls of protest behind him and Wonder Women's calls of "wait!"

Robin scurried after him. As they reached the door she was no longer able to resist the urge. She spun around, stuck her tongue out at them, and skipped away merely ignoring an outraged cry for Green Arrow.

As the door closed behind her she smirked smugly for a moment only to look up and see Batman staring at her. She let out a nervous laugh that soon turned into a real one when she caught the amused tilt of his lips.

"Brat" he grunted as he ruffled her hair and them moved swiftly towards the batwing. Robin crackled and chased after him.

"So about that dog?!" 

"Robin!"

"That's not a no!"

The second time she meet them was in the field. Both Batman and Robin were in the batwing when a request for backup for the League had arrived and interrupted their post-mission banter.

He had sent her out of the room as the call arrived but from what she got from him afterward there was an alien invasion happening in Metropolis right now and Superman needed some backup.

Robin bit her lip. If Superman needed back up then it must be pretty bad. She told him as such and got a grunt of agreement in return

"So when are we going?" She asked as she leaned on his chair

"Not we, me" he grunted and typed something into the batwing's computer system

"What! but batman! I can help!" She cried

"No," he said without even a glance. Robin huffed and stood in front of him and blocked his view of the screen. He glared at her

"Oh come on! I'll be fine I'll even stay in the batwing and provide Arial support!

"No, you're not going. It's too dangerous you're not ready"

"Yes I am, you made sure of it! I have all the training you gave me and I have all your alien invasion plans memorized. I'll be fine!" She glared back

Batman glared harder but this time she held his gaze stubbornly.

"You will do everything I say and if you even think of disobeying you'll be benched until you 30" he gritted out eventually

"Yes!" Robin cheered and jumped into her seat. She strapped in her seat belt "I'm ready boss!"

She could have sworn she heard a sigh but when she looked he was as emotionless as ever. He quickly pulled the batwing into gear and they shot off towards Metropolis.

Robin let out a whoop of excitement.

Metropolis was completely overrun by aliens by the time they arrived. They were large grey lizard-looking things with giant pincers that looked deadly. This was quickly proved true when she saw one chomp a car clean in half.

"They called Hamiins. They rely mostly on their pincers and are immune to most attacks. To stop one you need to shoot it right between its ribs. There should be a faint glow coming from there. It's what keeps them alive. Make sure to aim for it and stay away from the nest." He ordered as he handed her the controls and hopped out of the batwing and into the nest.

The nest itself was actually not an actual nest but a large ship that was hovering over the daily planet. It was obvious by the way they were swarming it that didn't want anyone getting in.

Robin bet her name on their leader being in there right now.

Their objective wasn't clear but given they were grabbing anyone they could, they probably needed humans to do it. Robin thought to herself as she blasted yet another on the aliens right in its weak spot.

A sudden flash of red caught her attention. Flash had been put of rescue duty and was getting any civilians he saw to safety. He gave a quick nod of thanks to the batwing and rushed off to the next person. He probably thought that Batman was the one flying it.

Robin turned all her attention back to the battle at hand. She shot the closest alien and managed to get two at the same time with her next shot. She whopped slightly at the impressive shot before regaining her focus.

She flew after a few more and managed to get a few shots in before she saw another hero. This time it was Green Arrow shooting arrows at the aliens.

Robin ignored him as she shot but just before she moved on she shot one last blast at the alien effectively stealing Green Arrow's kill. She heard a distant "Hey!" as she moved to the next one.

Robin smirked to herself and shot a blast at an alien that was about to get Green Lantern from behind while he was distracted by one in front of him. He also nodded and flew off.

She continued to shoot and see the other heroes as she flew through the city. Finally, after what seemed like an hour a large roar was heard throughout the city. It was so loud that even the batwing shook as the sound traveled past her.

That was when a gigantic version of the aliens burst out of the ship and screeched.

Robin immediately set her sights on the huge monster and flew towards it ignoring the voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Batman telling her to stay away.

As she got closer she could see Superman circling and showing lasers at it. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman had one of its arms held down with her lasso.

Batman was nowhere to be found but Robin stamped out the flash of worry from her head and moved forward.

She circled it but it wasn't until Batman finally made his appearance that she was able to get sight of its weak point.

Batman's voice crackled through her comms. "Robin shot it now!"

"Roger!" She called and pointed all her firepower right at it's weak spot.

A powerful blast immediately shot out at the alien. So powerful that it sent the batwing of course. Robin grabbed the controls and pulled up ,just barely avoiding hitting a building.

"Robin!" Batman called urgently

"I'm good!" She called and slumped back into her seat.

She caught her breath and turned her sights alien. It was now in pieces since it had completely exploded from the blast. It pieces were scattered in the ruble and Robin felt a flash of sympathy for whoever was tasked with cleaning this mess up.

"bin- Robin can you hear me?! are you hurt?!" Robin snapped or of her daydreaming and answered her guardian hurriedly.

"I'm fine! Not hurt, manage to get control of the batwing before it hit anything. Coming down now" she called as she grabbed the controls and set the batwing down gently.

For a moment the other side of the line was quiet
"... good job partner"

Robin beamed and set down the plane happily.

She arrived right in the middle of a conversation "Wait if you're out here,  then whose in the plane?!" Flash asked suddenly causing everyone to look at the plan curiously

She hopped out as they were talking and quietly approached them from behind.

"Yah I got a bone to pick with them! They totally stole my shot!" Green arrow added

"Sorry about that Green Bean I got carried away." She finally revealed herself causing them to tense and whip their head back at her.

"Where did you come from!?" Flash screeched

"Robin was the one flying the batwing," Batman said emotionlessly said causing Flash to once away yelp.

"Why! It's like you're a ninja!"

Everyone ignored him in favor of giving their opinions of what Batman just said.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"You let a kid fly your plane you don't even let me touch it!"

"Why is he even here?"

"Batman you've gone too far!"

"Enough" Batman called and glared "That child just helped stop those aliens and saved us hundreds of casualties. So maybe you should stop to think for a moment instead of accusing people of things you clearly know nothing of."

Most of them stopped and shuffled awkwardly as they took in his words. Some still retained their skeptic's faces but one dared go against Batman's word especially now that she had proven herself capable by helping out.

Finally, Wonder Woman interrupted "Well said, my friend! For now, we shall take your word for it. Young Robin is clearly skilled and brave in the face of battle, it is an honor to fight with him."

Clearly following her lead the other eventually let all awkward agreements and nodded.

"Now I believe it's time that we begin to search for anyone left under the ruble. Superman and Green Lantern will take the sky, the rest of us will search the ground, now get moving" she commanded and they all flew off without protest.

Robin was reluctantly impressed.

Wonder Woman waited for everone to leave before she turned to them and looked Batman dead in the eye. "I have vouched of you because you are my friend and you have my trust. Do not disappoint me."

Then she flew off and Robin's reluctant impression turned to admiration.

I took the courage to look Batman straight in the eye and say that. Well that, and maybe some crazy but really, all the best people were.

"I like her" Robin voice once she was out of sight.

Batman just sighed and walked towards the batwing.

"Aw aren't we going to stay and help out?" She asked as she trailed after him.

"No, we've been out of Gotham long enough"

"Guess your right" Robin conceded as she hopped into her seat "city too bright from my liking anyways."

Robin sighed and closed her eyes. It was completely silent except for their breathing. It was comforting to have him within arms reach again.

"Don't think we're not talking about how you approached the nest even though I told you not to"

And silence gone

"Oh come on!"

"And I know you've been messing with Green Arrow on purpose"

"We both know he had it coming!"

As it turns out it is the third time she meets them that she earns their respect.

She challenges Green Arrow to a spar after one too many short jokes and kicks him right in crown jewels. The scream he lets out earns her both the fear and the respect of the heroes.

Dick let out an annoyed groan when she heard her alarm go off.

She tried to snuggle deeper into her blanket to no avail. The sound was too loud to sleep and the clock was too far to turn off without getting up.

With an annoyed sigh, she finally dragged herself out of bed. What time was it anyway?

Dick blinked sleepily at her alarm clock.

5:00 am it read

She did a double-take "5:00 am?!"

What?

Why would she set an alarm for 5:00 am on a Saturday? What was today? She didn't have school, and they didn't start training until at least 8 so what? The only holiday she could think of is Christmas.

Wait Christmas 

"Christmas!" she cried and promptly cartwheel out the door into Bruce's room.

She yanked the door open and hopped onto the large bed

"Christmas! Bruce! Christmas!" She screeched into his face like all other excited children on Christmas.

Bruce groaned and hide his face in his blanket.

She continued to screech at him until finally, she got so impatient that she did a front flip right on him. "Wake up!!!!"

He was in pain and shot up "okay, okay"

Dick cheered as he let her lead him to their gigantic tree. "Presents, presents, presents!" She chanted as they walked.

Finally they arrived at the ocean of presents under the Christmas tree. She had to restrain herself from launching herself at them.

"One second Dick" Bruce called

Dick took one more look at the present and sighed longingly before flipping over to Bruce.

"Bruce what's wrong, we need to open the presents." She demanded 

He looked amused "yes I know but I figured you might like this one more."

"What?" She asked and peaked behind him only to freeze from pure excitement.

There was Alfred holding onto a leash connected to the source of her excitement.

"Is that" she trembled excitingly

"It is" he confirmed 

Dick took a deep long breath then let out a ear-piercing screeched of excitement "Puppy!!!"

The German shepherd puppy let out a yip of excitement when he spotted his new playmate.

Dick had to hold herself from rushing to pet him, she knew for the circus that was an easy way to scare animals but it took all of her self-control.

Finally, she reached him and slowly put her hand out for him to smell.

He did slowly. Then turned to give her a wet snobbery lick right on the cheek.

She let out a crackle "I love him!"

Bruce chuckled deeply and ruffled her hair "I think he likes you too"

She beamed at him.

"May I ask what you plan to name him Miss Richard?" Alfred asked politely

She held him up to her face and took a long look into his eyes "Ace, his name is Ace" she proudly proclaimed

"Well then welcome Master Ace" Alfred replied much to Dick amusement 

Dick beamed at her family.

Chapter Text

It's not often Dick and Bruce have the house to themselves, more often than not Alfred is around to keep them in check. So it's very odd that he's gone most of that week.

but it's not until Monday that she's finally told why.

Dick made a face "A gala?" they were in the Batcave currently and for once Bruce had removed his cowl.

Bruce sighed obviously already anticipating her disagreement. "Yes, a gala, one that you will, be attending"

Dick began to protest immediately "but why?! it's sooo boring, all I get to do is listen to old people suck up to the richest person there, and that's always you."

Bruce smirked slightly "Sorry chum but Alfred already spent hours getting you a perfect dress, it be a waste to not go now."

Dick perked up, she loved the beautiful dresses Alfred always got her. She and her mother used to gush over them the times they had gone into the big cities but there had never been a good reason to spend that much money on one.

"A blue one?" she asked hopefully

"The one you saw at Marylin," he confirmed

Dick bit her lip thoughtfully as she weighed her options. On the one hand, there was the dress she had her eye on for a while but on the other, at least 3 whole hours of listening to the wealthy of Gotham gossip and insult each other under their breath in between fake laughs.

"Is there any way I could convince you to let me wear that dress to the movies instead?" She asked hopefully as she plastered on her most endearing smile.

"You could try, but I doubt Alfred would budge after last week's incident."

Dick cringed slightly and immediately changed the topic least Alfred be nearby and be reminded.

"What's the gala for anyways? No wait, let me guess, charity auction for the Gotham orphanage who will probably only receive like 10% of the money."

Bruce pursed his lips "...yes"

Dick snorted, of course, those billionaires just wanted to look good for the press, at least when Bruce did it all the money actually went to the charity.

"So whose throwing it this time?" she asked as she slumped back into her chair

"The Clarington family will be hosting the event"

Dick groaned loudly "oh come on, really, it couldn't have been anyone but them?"

"they're not that bad"

Dick scoffed "they might as well have been born peacock with the amount of strutting around they do, and would it really kill them to go two sentences without mentioning their money?"

" You don't have to speak with them much, you can just go off to play with the other kids"

"Like that's any better, their son might actually be worst them, if I have to listen to him brag about the latest vacation or video game he got for three hours I might not make it" she sighed despairingly as she slumped onto him

He snorted which was really the Bruce equivalent to a full-blown laugh so Dick grinned at him despite her annoyance.

"I'm sure you'll manage for one night, besides you'll be too busy to pay much attention to him"

Dick straightened immediately, she knew that tone very well.

Bruce's lighthearted posture shifted. Not quite the Batman but not quite Bruce Wayne either

"Between the last 3 months, the Clarington company has made several large investments into obscure businesses. At the surface level, they are largely comprised of tech or medical studies as they work mostly in technological advancement in medicine."

"But?"

"As far as rumors are concerned they've been working with some heavy-duty drug dealers and been blackmailing a few mildly important people but most importantly, Charles Clarington was seen near the ports last week."

Dick's eyebrows frowned in confusion "Is that all? That's speculative at most, even gossip papers wouldn't write that"

"Don't be so sure, there's almost nothing the Gotham people enjoy more than watching the wealthy fall from grace."

"I guess so" Dick admitted "but still that can't be all, so what's really up?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Bruce's lip twitched "Batman's been patroling the ports this week, the west ports"

Dick inhaled sharply "they've been human trafficking?!"

Bruce smirked as she caught on to his train of thought. "Not that anyone has any proof"

Dick let out a delighted crackle "yet!"

The dress was just as amazing as she had remembered, it swished gently with every step she took and only accentuated her grace as she moved.

Still, she thought it might not have been worth it as she took Bruce's arm and stepped out of the brand new expensive car Bruce had chosen for the event because God forbid he ever show up in the same one.

Only the fact that she was going to get to do some detective work kept her from running back into the car as she was blinded by flashing lights.

Dick calmed herself before flashing her show-winning smile at the bright cameras as they elegantly walked into the large mansion. Why anyone would still choose to have a charity event in their own house in a place like Gotham, where there was always a 30 percent chance someone would try to rob the place Dick would never understand.

"Mr. Wayne! It's nice to see you, so glad you could make it, I know it must be hard to get away from work with how busy Wayne tech is after that break-in you had a few weeks ago" Mr. Clarington smiled brightly with fake sympathy

'Catwomen had a lot of fun with that' Dick thought back with some fondness. She rather liked Selina much to Batman's annoyance.

Bruce just smiled cheerfully at the bearly concealed jab "Actually we got that figured out days ago, but it's nice of you to be concerned, especially since I've heard your company's been a bit tied up recently."

Clarington's smile turned slightly strained to Dick's amusement.

He cleared his throat and turned to Dick instead. "And the lovely miss Grayson, I see Bruce brought you with him tonight, what a surprise he's usually so careful not to let anyone get a glimpse of you, because he's so protective I'm sure"

Ashamed is what he meant, not like she hadn't heard that one, a thousand times.

Dick followed her guardians lead and gave him a sunny smile

"He really is, but I'm glad he did, it's nice to go out once in a while, like last week we went to our summer home all weekend" she paused and looked around curiously "Is this your summer home, it's much smaller than our manor," she asked with her most innocent smile.

Clarington turned red but before he could get a word out Bruce cut in with a loud laugh as he ruffled her hair lightly just enough to not ruin Alfred's hard work.

"Haha, now Dick you know you shouldn't ask things like that, not everyone is as lucky as us" he turned to Clarington "kids am I right, just say the first thing that pops in their little heads, they really don't know any better."

Clarington forced a laugh as well. "Yes they are... unpredictable now Nicholas!, come here"

Dick hid a grimace as he called his obnoxious son over.

"Nicholas, you remember Mr. Wayne right, and of course Mrs. Grayson, I believe you're in the same school?" He asked with a tight grip on Nicholas's shoulder unlike the strong but gently one Bruce had hers in.

"Yes hello, Mr. Wayne"  Nicholas grumbled out. Obviously eager to go back to his friends.

Bruce offered him a smile, this one was much less fake than the others. "Nicholas you've grown since I last saw you"

Nicholas shuffled awkwardly before Mr. Clarington cut in

"yes, that is what kids do, after all, grow, now, Nicholas why don't you show miss Grayson around the manor while Bruce and I have a chat" it was an order poorly disguised as a request. 

Nicholas made an annoyed face but did as asked without protest. He turned to Dick with a glare and motioned her forward wordlessly.

Dick looked at Bruce hesitantly he gave her a small but genuine smile this time and set a hand on her head softly. "Go on"

Dick slowly but surely made her way towards Nicholas before throwing him one last look. He watched after her protectively as she went.

Dicks eyes snapped forward as Nickolas tugged her forward sharply. "Come on" he huffed.

She wished more and more each step she took that she had stayed with Bruce.

"Can't you go one minute without him" Nicholas snapped as she took another glance back

Dick glared forward this time "Can't you, go one minute without complaining?

Nicholas huffed "look I don't like you and you don't like me so why don't you just go stand in the corner or something while I go do something actually important."

Dick inner Alfred was appalled by his rudeness but she wasn't about to complain about her new convenient freedom. "Whatever" she mutter then turned to leave.

Nickolas caught her arm and Dick fought down the instinct to punch him "and don't break anything or you're dead circus girl"

Dick crinkled her nose at the cheesy insult "Really circus girl, are you trying to be a Disney movie bully or does that just come naturally to you?"

Nicholas glared harder "I mean it, I don't need you breaking anything expensive"

Dick rolled her eyes he wasn't going to let her leave until she agreed "Fine, it's not like Bruce couldn't afford to fix it though."

She said it as casually as possible just to make him angrier. Was it the most mature thing to do, no, but she was bored and annoyed so she really didn't care all that much.

Nicklos turned red before looking around and realizing people were getting closer to them and might hear.

"Whatever," he mumbled "don't know why he keeps you around anyway, you're not even his real kid"

Despite herself, she felt a sting of hurt as she walked away.

Dick sighed as she reached yet another dead end. Both figuratively and literally. Despite her earlier words, the manor was actually rather big, and with as little time she had spent there, she had managed to get herself lost while looking for clues.

Finding any evidence was equally frustrating. So far she had checked 2 dozen different rooms. An art room, a library, a kitchen, where she had been offered a ridiculous amount of food and so many more.

The most promising had been an office she had found but after a few minutes of searching she had come up with a grand total of nothing and not even a moment later she had almost been caught as she snuck out. Thankfully it had just been a little old lady who had pinched her cheeks as she pretended she was looking for a bathroom.

Apparently, Nicholas had managed to shake her more than she thought if even an old lady had spotted her.

Dick sighed as she slumped against the wooden railing of the balcony she found herself on.

.   . . .  .

She straightened almost subconsciously but continued to act relaxed as she heard footsteps approaching.

There was something distinctively not normal about them. They were very inconsistent almost as if the person had to constantly remind themselves how loud people normally stepped.

Dick gripped the skirt of her dress as they approached. she counted the footsteps and listened as they skipped steps.

. . .

.  .

. ..

The person must have realized and in a hurry to fix it they overcompensated.

Dick guard lowered if only slightly, they weren't very well trained, too many obvious mistakes. If it came to it she could probably take them or at least getaway.

"Who's there?' she finally asked as the steps stopped

"Sorry I didn't know anyone was there, I'll go" Dick blinked at the obviously young voice

"No wait" she called as she turned completely around to spot a red-haired boy looking distinctively uncomfortable.

He paused and turned to look at her in confusion giving Dick a good look at his face. If he was an assassin he definitely wasn't a very good one. His hair was too easily recognizable and though it might be dyed, Dick doubted it for some reason.

Red she decided she'd call him for now.

"It's fine, you can stay" she answered his unspoken question wordlessly "I don't mind"

Red hesitated for a second before nodding and moving to stand by her.

He shuffled over quietly and stayed stubbornly silent as they looked out into the garden awkwardly.

"So I've never seen you before" Dick tried to cut through the atmosphere

It only seemed to make him even stiffer.

"First time at one" he mumbled

"First time?" she asked "Did your parents not make you come when you were younger?"

he closed up even more. "I'm not here with my parents, I came with my guardian."

Dick perked up "Really, me too! usually, Bruce lets me skip these things but Alfred insisted this time"

Red's posture loosened slightly. "Bruce like Bruce Wayne?"

"that's the one! I'm Dick, Dick Grayson"

Red snorted before hurriedly covering it up.

Dick laughed disarmingly "It's fine you can laugh, I know my name is kind of funny"

Red loosened further.

"So what brings you to this side of the manor?"

"Galas aren't really my style" he grimaced then hesitantly looked over to her "What about you? Wayne doesn't keep you close by?"

"Same and not usually, he says it's good for me to socialize with the other kids but you know, they're... a lot"

Red laughed " That's one way of putting it, I would have gone with rich Assholes"

Dick's smile grew into a mischievous grin oh she liked him, now she really hoped he wasn't an assassin.

"no kidding, did you know that most of them don't even know have to wash dishes, literally I had to explain to someone in my class that no they don't just wash themselves, he's 11" she had lost a lot of faith in humanity that day

He laughed again, it was a nice sound "Ya but try telling that to my guardian he thinks I'm just being antisocial."

"If you try telling mine, he the exact same"

They shared an exasperated look "Rich people" the toned together

They laughed and talked together until Dick finally took a look at the clock and almost choked.

"Shoot that's the time! Bruce is going to kill me!"

Red took a look at the time and blinked too. "It's that late? Time really flew, well, I guess I better get back to Oliver now it was nice meeting you, Dick."

"Wait, you never told me your name, I rather not keep calling you Red in my head anymore"

Red laughed "Guess I forgot, It's Roy, Roy Harper"

Dick blinked "Like Oliver Queen's new ward, Roy harper?"

"That's me, is that a problem?" he asked casually as he leaned back but Dick saw threw it easily

She smiled cheerfully at him "Nope just curious, well it was nice knowing you, Roy! let's do this again some time."

Roy smiled back kindly "sure thing kid," 

"see you" he called over his shoulder as he walked away

Dick's cheeks heated up slightly and she shouted back "Bye Roy" before booking it back towards Bruce

Dick was halfway across the manor before someone grabbed her again, Dick almost groaned what was it this time?

Dick snatched her arm back and glared when she found Nickolas at the other end of it.

"oh you again, what do you want this time?"

Nickolas scowled at her "Just making sure you kept your word, you didn't break anything right? I haven't seen you all night."

"No, I didn't, if that's all" Dick prepared to stomp away.

"Whatever, not like I'll have to deal with you much longer anyway"

That caught her attention. She stopped mid-step.

"What?"

He seemed to realize she had heard him because he turned a little smug "don't you know? Everyones talking about it"

He motioned around them as she snapped her head to see the people in the vicinity whispering and taking glances at her before looking away quickly when they noticed her gaze.

Dick tried not to hunch into herself self-consciously.

"Talking about what?" she asked again

"Oh you know the usual, some gossip here a rumor there, that sorta thing."

Dick scowled, well she wasn't going to beg if he did want to tell her then fine she'd find out some other way.

"Don't tell me then" she huffed and turned away.

Nicholas just followed her, stepped in front of her, and grinned.

"Since you really want to know, I'll tell you, if only out of pity since you could use a heads up." He leaned in closer and Dick did so too despite her reservations.

"Everyone been saying Wayne's going to get rid of you soon" he whispered

Dick scoffed and all her interest disappeared, she rolled her eyes at him "really that's all you got, Way to be original, should have known you were full of hot air"

"Hey! I'm not, think about it, idiot! You're almost out of your little kid faze, soon you're going to hit your growth spurt and any extra brownie points Wayne got with the press are going to disappear and he's going to realize you're not worth the effort anymore!"

Dick turned around

"If he really wanted to keep you he would have adopted you already!"

Dick falter for a second before she shook her head and continued her walk back to where Bruce was hoping he would be done talking. She was so done with today.

"Well don't say I didn't warn you, Grayson! It wasn't nice knowing you!" He called after her

Dick's gloomy behavior brightened when she saw Bruce. Before once again faltering when she noticed his stiff posture and distressingly blank face.

"Bruce?" She called out carefully as she approached taking note of the beautiful woman he had been speaking with.

He glanced at her just for a second before he snapped back over to the stranger "Dick"

Dick almost froze at his cold tone.

She moved closer slowly "who's this?" She asked quietly as he stepped between the two

"No one important, now-"

The woman moved forward with grace to deadly to be a civilian.

"Now beloved, you wound me, why don't you introduce us I believe it's only fitting for the most important women in your life to meet"

Dick almost scoffed, who did this woman think she was.

"Talia" Bruce's voice turned icy and pierced the air around them effortlessly. Stopping any and all of Dick's thoughts in their tracks.

The woman however remained unfazed "now, now, beloved let's not forget" she purred

Dick shifted uncomfortably, at the low breathy tone.

She had obviously known that women often flirted with Bruce, he was after all a single handsome, rich, and young guy so it was bound to happen but most of them usually backed off as soon as Dick arrived.

Sometimes Bruce stopped them, he didn't tolerate it with her near but this woman seemed to get more and more flirty as time went on and Bruce just stood there.

She leaned away subtly, not subtly enough if the amused smile the women sent her was any inclination, and turned back to Bruce for reassurance.

There was non to be found, he was too busy staring at the women with an odd look in his eyes.

"Bruce" she reached out to grab his sleeve as she had done on countless occasions.

He moved it away from her.

Dick faltered and she moved her hand back like it had been burned. Dick stared at him with large, lost eyes.

"Go to the car" Bruce gruffed out roughly

"But... but the galas not over til-?"

He finally snapped his eyes over to her full of emotion, something she had never seen but paralyzed her all the same. All her breath left her "get to the car, go home, Richard"

It was all she needed to flee

Dick practically ran there, she only dared pause to look back once she was at the exit, when she did he wasn't looking at her at all this time, he was still staring at the woman.

Nicholas Clarington stood by the door and he mouth "I told you so" as she hurried by

Alfred gave her an odd look as she stepped into the car but she ignored it.

"Master Richard?"

"Bruce told me to go home" she intoned blankly as she stared down at her hand in a trance.

"May I ask why?"

Dick tried not to shake as she remembered the cold blank look he gave her. "Don't know, there was a woman"

Alfred raised an eyebrow "woman?"

"Yes" Dick answered, "She said her name was Talia" she added

Alfred inhale sharply and Dick's finally looked up.

"Talia, Talia al Ghul," he asked her seriously 

Dick curled into herself further "she didn't say, just Talia"

Alfred seem to notice she was frightened because he calmed himself immediately 

"Yes of course, probably not then"

...

"Alfred is Bruce going to be okay?" Dick asked thickly as tears threatened to overwhelm her.

He sighed and seemed to grow older before her eyes "he will be fine... he has to be"

Bruce didn't come home that night, or the next, or even the next. Batman could still be sighted around Gotham but Robin didn't dare join him. Not when more than not criminals came back in full-body casts.

Gotham seemed even darker and colder those nights.

It was on Monday that Batman finally pulled into the Batcave looking pale and injured but he refused Alfred's help and moved around Dick completely.

He stayed there for the next week and hardly spoke a word to anyone.

"He'll be fine" Alfred tried to reassure her, Dick wasn't sure he believed it either.

She didn't approach after the first night, the reminder of rejection stung too much to try again.

She hadn't seen Bruce in days, Batman was a poor substitute.

Richard John Grayson decides she hates Talia Al Ghul that day, more than anyone.