Batman & Robin And Me .:rewritten:.

III. Brown Eyes & Cinnamon Soap

HE WAS STILL LOOKING AT ME , blatant curiosity evident in his dark eyes. I flushed, realizing what a mess I must have looked. Thin nightgown, doing no favors to my short, angular frame, untamed golden-brown curls everywhere, and too-big, haunted hazel eyes in a face drawn thin and pale with the injuries I had sustained. I probably looked like a freakin' ghost.

"Hey," he stepped closer to me, holding out a hand. "I'm Dick Grayson."

I mumbled something along the lines of yes indeed you are, definitely are before I pulled myself together and took his hand. "Harmony Sanders. You can call me Harm, if you like," I couldn't keep a sour note out of my tone at the old nickname. "Everybody else does."

He grasped my hand with a sturdy, yet gentle grip and grinned. "Nice to meet you, Harmony."

"Nice to meet you too, R--Dick."

His hair, thick raven locks, fell into his eyes, and as he reached to swipe them away, all that registered was that his eyes were brown, instead of blue, like I had expected. But they was the kind of brown eyes that could hold you captive forever, the kind that were speckled with golden flecks. Heroic eyes.

And that was when I realized that I was still holding his hand. Despite his repeated attempts to unobtrusively pull away.

"Alright then," I stammered, yanking my hand from his and hoping he didn't think I was freaky yet. "I'm...gonna go to the restroom."

Spinning on my heel to exit, I promptly tripped over the carpet.

In fright, I made a belated attempt to right myself by flailing, but it failed, and I fell with an undignified squeak, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Whoa! Careful. You're still gonna be a little sore after all that trauma."

I cracked open one eye to find my nose inches away from the carpet, and knew my ears were never going to be their proper color again. Plus, my face felt like it was on fire, and I had to work hard to avoid Dick's amused eyes as I carefully maneuvered out of his arms.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "Clumsy."

Hopefully, first impressions can be amended...

"Okay, bathroom's this way." He guided me carefully out the door. Happily for my head, it was the door right next to mine, so I only was able to catch a glimpse of the house. However, the glimpse was impressive enough.

My door was only one in a row that spanned the whole upper half of the house. To the right, there was a massive staircase spiraling downstairs, to the left was more doors. There were at least twenty of them, all tall and covered in a dark cherrywood varnish. Directly in front of me, about six feet away, a railing stretched from the staircase to the end of the house, and below and beyond the railing was what I assumed had to be the living area-- a huge carpeted area dotted in couches and other pieces of expensive furniture.

I closed and locked the bathroom door and leaned against it, heavily. My reflection stared back at me, eyes big, cheeks flushed with color, and something like shock in her face.

"I'm in Wayne Manor." I whispered to her, a wild grin creeping across my face. "I'm really here."

Maybe the world had decided to give retribution for my lifetime of bad luck. If so, it sure was off to a good start. I had just met the one and only Boy Wonder. Maybe everything would turn out okay.

...gosh, my hair was a mess.

I stepped out after doing my business and trying to tame my curls, success and failure respectively. Dick was waiting for me.

"Bruce's is gonna be thrilled when I tell him you're awake."

I was promptly pushed back into bed and tucked in, despite my protest that I felt fine.

"You will stay right there," the butler, who had introduced himself as Alfred, fixed me with a commanding stare that almost glued me to the bed right then and there. "You're still recovering, young woman."

"But--"

"Not another word." He swept out of the room, leaving me tucked up to my chin.

Dick laughed as I started to sit up. "Don't try it. He's dangerous when crossed."

"Oh please." I murmured, eyeing the door and wondering if Alfred was still outside. "He couldn't hurt a fly."

"Oh, he wouldn't hurt you." Dick dropped into a sofa in the corner of the room, and smiled fondly. "That's what makes him so terrifying."

"Fine." I closed my eyes and tried go back to sleep, but it was becoming more apparent with each moment; that ship had sailed.

"Calm down." Dick said from across the room. "You look like you're about to vibrate out of bed."

"I can't sleep." I sat up. "I feel fine, couldn't I at least get dressed?"

Dick leaned back, contemplating. Finally, he stood and walked to the door. "I'll give you a few minutes. There a suitcase in the closet. It's the stuff that was...salvaged."

I waited until he was gone, and the door locked, and then I dove for the closet, yanking out the small case.

The grenade must have caught the house on fire. I bit back a sob and yanked open the cover.

There was hardly anything in it, but I grabbed what there was and pulled it close to my chest, trying not to cry. Everything smelled like ash.

There was only a handful of clothing, a bar of cinnamon soap...and Detective Comics #44, the only surviving issue of the extensive, well-loved collection I had poured my heart and soul into.

I couldn't hold back tears anymore, and after I managed to yank on a hoodie and skirt, I dove back into bed, pulling a pillow over my head, and wished that I was home with my brothers and my parents and my comic collection.

"Harmony? You okay?" The door squeaked as it was pushed open.

I drew in a shuddering breath. "Peachy."

From the skeptical silence that followed, I knew my statement wasn't believed, but he didn't press it.

"C'mon. I'll show you around."

Even in my current state, an offer to tour Wayne Manor was too much to resist, so I pulled my head out from under the pillow and eyed him. "What about the whole beware-of-getting-out-of-bed thing?"

"Eh." Dick shrugged. "Alfred's making lunch. He's down in the kitchen. Besides," the soft smile appear again, and he held out a hand to help me down from the bed. "You look like you need it."

"Yeah," I admitted, with a breathy laugh, letting him guide me out the door. "You might be right."

There's a magical star button down on that bar that will show your happiness, and then, magically, grant me happiness.

Go ahead. Click on it.

Aethea out.