Dagger

VI

Dedicated to: Joy_Styles5
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*Tim*

I only remember stories about her, coutless stories from Dick and Alfred, even Bruce. All three of them spoke about her alot when I first got there.

I remember walking into her old room out of curiosity and I could have sworn Bruce was going to murder me just like when I mentioned Jason.

They spoke so highly of her that I almost believed she was just a myth I always wanted to meet. They don't mention her anymore though, not until now.

She was exactly as they described her once the magician left her body.

Bright blonde hair and fair complexion. When we were checking her vitals I saw her eyes, crystal blue that when she was awake would probably be mesmerizing.

Grayson comes to check on her every chance he gets and when he has to go it's almost impossible to get him to leave. Whenever he isn't here, I'm in charge of watching her, keeping her safe.

Bruce is working endlessly to hunt down Tulsa because according to Fate, she didn't die just moved to find another host. He also called in the rest of the league, each to do a specific task.

He has the Flash working in hand with Dick searching case records to find out what happened after she was taken.

Superman, Wonder Woman, Fate and Green Lantern are all searching the globe for Tulsa and The Huntsmen.

Martian Man Hunter, Zatanna and Miss. Martian are in charge of getting Phoebe back to health. We all messed her body up pretty bad and the magician destroyed her mind, leaving it in bits.

I go in with Miss M. every now and again to help rebuild Phoebe's mind but it's shattered. Apparently when I come it helps, something about Phoebe's self defense and her being able to read our minds. If that's the case she knows who I am, she knows my connections to Bruce and Alfred and Dick and even Wally, that's probably how she trusts me. That's my theory anyway....

We go in in about 15 minutes. This will be my 7th time going into her mind, and the 30th time for M'gann.

We both take our places in some chairs and I stare down at Phoebe.

The first few times M'gann or Martian Man Hunter entered her mind, Phoebe would scream a Canary cry, shattering the glass and harming us all. Eventually Black Canary was alerted and her and Batman created a muzzle that could withstand the cry.

"You ready Red Robin?" Miss Martian asks me. I nod.

I abandoned being Robin right after this incident two months ago, I decided it was time that I grow up. I'm 16, it's time I stopped wearing the tights and got a suit.

"You're not going without me this time." A voice rings into the room. Both M'ganns and my head snap to the door way where Nightwing stands.

I stand from my chair and stare into his eyes though both of our masks.

"I thought we agreed that you need to stay out of this part, it's safer that way." I argue.

"We did, but I need to know how she is. It's been two months of her sitting in a bed, only as a shell. If I can help, I'm going to." He argues back at me and my eyes flicker over to M'gann who just sighs as she nods her head.

We all take our seats around her bedside, Nightwing grabs one of her hands.

"Nightwing, before we go in, you need to know how bad it is. Tulsa purposely destroyed her conscious... she left it in bits Nightwing, we haven't even found HER yet. We've only just begun the rebuilding process." M'gann warns.

Nightwing nods stiffly and suddenly we all enter Phoebe's broken mind.

M'gann and I stare at Nightwing, watching his timid movement. He carefully treads the ruble.

I tell M'gann to remove our masks so we can see better. But more so I can see Dicks face.

She complies and I watch Dick take a picture in his hand from the ground and examine it.

I look over his shoulder and see its him and her when they were younger except her face is gone and the more we look at it the more she fades from the image.

"M'gann, the more time we take just standing here, the more our work is undone." I say and she nods in agreement.

"Nightwing." I call to him, trying to get his attention. "Nightwing."

I still get no reply.

"Richard." A female voice echos around us.

We look around and no one is seen.

"Richard." The voice calls again and I look to him. His eyes wonder around him but focus on nothing.

The area around us rebuilds itself into the Manor attic. Seconds later an image, no, a memory begins to play like a simulation.

"Richard!" A young Phoebe squealed as the young Grayson tickled her.

All three of us watched silently.

"Richard please!" She giggled. "I won't hit you with the pillow again I promise!"

It was cute, seeing Dick like this. He was about 11 I think based from how he looked.

Young Grayson stopped tickling Phoebe and smiled at her.

They were both in pajamas and Christmas lights were strung across the huge attic and a fairly big Christmas tree stood just below the loft in the edge of the attic.

"Oh, hey! I forgot to give you your other gift!" Young Grayson cheers as he reaches into a pillow chase and pulls out a small jewlery box.

Young Phoebe rolled her eyes at him and smiled.

"No! You've already given me three gifts! How much money did you spend on me?" She groans in slight annoyance.

Young Grayson chuckles at her. "It doesn't matter, just turn around."

She complies and turns away from him, a small smile playing on her lips.

We watch as he pulls a silver chain from the box, and on the chain, a silver charm shaped like the bird on Nightwings suit.

He moves her hair out of the way carefully and places the necklace on her earning a slight gasp from her.

"Oh, Richard it's beautiful." She says in awe staring at the necklace, her eyes delicately tracing each chain loop and curvature of it.

They hug, and the atmosphere gains a sense of warmth... an 'at home' feeling as the image fades.

The light sreams into the fixed room from the window and the ruble fills in the gaps in the walls.

"That was more progress than we have made in months." M'gann gasps and we get sucked back into our own minds.