Love Birds

Chapter Twelve

-Dick's POV-

"We don't. If you haven't noticed, we all still have a party to attend to," I snapped, taking off the top of my suit. Victoria rolled her eyes and glared at me.

"Nightwing is right, we all have to get back to the party. We all have been gone for about two hours without any reason to be so. We have to get back. We'll start training tomorrow. Be here by six thirty in the morning." Bruce grabbed his classy tuxedo and walked away to change. Tim had already changed, as had I. Nightingale still was in her red dress. That beautiful, tight dress...Look at her ass in that dre- DICK! She's the enemy! I looked back up at the computer screen, kicking myself for getting distracted.

"Hey, you can't make me leave! I was invited to this party, after all," Victoria smirked, reaching for the green vial of poison. I snatched the vial up with one hand and gripped her wrist with the other.

"Don't even think about it, Smith," she pushed past me and walked to the exit of the Batcave. She easily pushed passed the door and left. "I still don't trust her." I straightened my bowtie and followed behind Bruce. It was about eleven thirty, so the party would be over soon.

"I know, but you know this is the only way. For the time being, we have to trust her," Bruce said. Tim ran ahead of us, claiming he wanted to talk to Victoria about her hacking skills. Tim was always quick to trust people, especially ones that had powers that rivaled his own.

I spent the rest of the party dancing, flirting, and drinking. I only drank a couple glasses of champagne and I was no lightweight, so I still kept all alerts up. I hadn't seen Victoria all night after she left the cave which raised my suspicions. I ran into Tim right after Bruce's speech.

"Where is Nightingale?" I asked. He shrugged and looked around.

"I don't know. I have been searching all night for her, but I never ran into her. She might've went home, after all," Tim laughed, heading to his room. That would make sense. I figured I should've just went to sleep, but I had a lingering thought in my mind that Victoria wasn't asleep either.

I got back into my Nightwing costume and hit the streets. It was quiet and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I swung from building to building, looking for something to do. I landed across from a tall casino. I used binoculars to look into one of the windows. Just as I had expected, a man was being held at gunpoint.

"You are a high member, you deal with the money profits of seling your damned drugs in this dirty casino! You know who he is!" Of course, Victoria again. I sighed and watched from the roof of the building I crouched on.

"I can't tell you! I promise! If he found out that I told you, he would kill everything I love. His little slut has been manipulating me for weeks, if I gave her boyfriend up-," he cut himself off, regret running across his face. Nightingale cocked her pistol and stepped closer.

"So, the Boss has a girl doing all his dirty work," she smirked and jammed the pistol under the man's throat, "keep talking before I paint your office with your own brains."

"She threatens all of us and uses our families against us so we don't snitch. We also give ninety percent of the profits to her every month or she sends her assassins after us and everyone we love. Every Black Shark member who sells the Sharkies has to report to the Boss and her. That's all I can say!" The man screamed. Nightingale groaned and shot him, walking over to the window. She looked at me and winked, smashing through the glass and landing on my building.

"I suppose you were listening, hm? Did you hear what he said? The Boss has a girlfriend who collects the money. I could catch her once she is on her routine run and interrogate her," Nightingale put her hands on her hips smirked, "pretty important information, right?"

"Retrieved in the wrong way. Killing is not the way we do things here," I grappled away, but heard that she was following me. I swung a bit faster, trying to lose her, but she kept the pace.

"How else do you get anything out of those guys? You, Batman, and everyone else; you guys use fear to keep the bad guys at bay. Good plan, but what about everyone who has tussled with you and just isn't scared anymore? Everyone fears death, not everyone fears Bats," she swung beside me, typing information into her computer.

"Murder...well murder is kind of like eating potato chips. Once you take one, you can't stop. It's just another one dead after another. You can't stop. That's why your way is complete bull shit," I said, turning toward Victoria and glaring. She narrowed her eyes at me and cut my line with her dagger.

"I get things done twice as fast as you do. I've had twice as much training. I'm twice the hero you'll ever be," she growled, swinging away to her house. I followed her path from the ground, but decided it was pointless and headed back to Wayne Manor.

The house was completely empty. Alfred approached me with a plate of sandwiches and milk. "I didn't see you eat before you left, Master Dick. I prepared some snacks," I took two slices and a glass of cold milk. Alfred retreated back to the kitchen as I headed up to my room.

~~~~VERY short chapter, but I was trying to break through my writer's block and I don't think this one is very good...Vote, comment, and follow~~~~