|THREE YEARS LATER|
Gotham wasn't the same after Cam left. News outlets were covering the story from left to right. Bruce never held a press conference on his daughter disappearing. Batman wasn't going out as much which meant the other heroes had to pull through. Cam had a huge impact and to see her leave broke everyone. Including Bruce. He thought it wouldn't hurt him as bad as it did. But the family was worse.
After the blowout, when Cam left, they couldn't stand each other. Steph and Cassie rarely talked and avoided each other the best they could. Damian was more quiet and didn't have as much energy as he used too. Jason was still Jason but angrier and a little bit weaker. While Dick struggled to keep them all together. Duke never knew this family would take something like this badly so one day he pulled Dick aside, before work, to tell him his plan.
"I know your in the police force so maybe you could track her down and bring her back," he said.
"Are you insane? What if she comes back but she doesn't feel right and ups and leaves again? The family will be in a more devastating place than it already is."
"We don't know that. I think it's because y'all never got closure. When she returned home from the hospital she made all these arrangements while never speaking to us. Until the third day when Damian found her, leaving. That's when all hell broke loose."
"So you think getting closure from her will make us feel better?"
"We could try."
"I'll see what I can find."
~
When he returned home he went straight to Duke's room shutting it and locking it immediately so no one will know what Duke and him were coming up with.
"She moved back to Texas which is where she is originally from. But they haven't updated her picture in a two years since that was the last time she went to jail for a bar fight."
"Did you find an address or a place of work?" Duke asked.
"Of course. I'm going to fly out tonight. I need you to tell everyone that I have business to attend to. Just don't say where I'm going and why. Got it?"
"Got it."
~
When Dick landed he was met with a cool breeze under the stars. He hailed a cab to take him to the Best Western where he was staying. It was currently empty since it was the middle of April and summer wasn't until another month. He settled in and slept so he could be rest for what he was about to do the next day.
~
He pulled up to the shop called 'Jay's Tattoos and More'. He climbed out of his car and looked down at the photo of the shop and then at the shop. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket. He walked in and took off his sunglasses. Behind the desk was an older woman, but not to old, with glasses around her neck.
"How can I help you, sweetheart?" she asked not even looking up.
"I'm looking for a Camilla Wayne," Dick responded. She looked up at him and knew exactly who he was.
"Dick Grayson."
"You know me?"
"Know you? Camilla couldn't stop talking about you guys for months. I'm her aunt, Jay. I own this place," she said shaking Dick's hand. "Man, I would go over to her place almost every night when she first got here. She told stories of the whole family. She loved you guys so much. Until that rich prick got into her head. Nearly killed the last person in my family. God what I would give to punch him."
"Yeah. Who wouldn't want a go at him. You see Cam left a big print on our lives. She practically screwed up the family. I need her help to put us back together."
"Follow me. She's back here." Dick followed her to the back where a man was getting a tattoo on his leg of a tiger. Typical, Dick thought.
"She's with a customer but she'll be done in a few minutes," Jay said to him. She walked away to go help another customer at the counter. When Dick saw Cam she wasn't the Cam he remembered. This girl had chopped all her hair off, dyed it black and had a whole lot of tattoos. She wore a black crop top and short black shorts. Dick was mesmerized by the new and improved Cam.
"Those are the finishing touches on your sleeve. Guess this is our last time," Cam said to the man in the chair.
"God, it's so beautiful. Thank you so much, April," he said looking down at the tattoo and smiling. April?
"It's no problem. Just go pay up front to Jay and she'll tell you how to take care of that beauty," Cam said patting his back. The man smiled and walked away. When Cam stood up Dick saw more tattoos than before. They locked eyes and Cam could tell he was studying every little detail.
"Hello," Dick said.
"Dick." She pushed past him and went to the sink to wash her hands.
"Look can we just talk?" She wanted to tell him no and punch him but that would be to aggressive. She wanted to spit in his face but figured that would be to harsh. Instead she threw her towel down and wrote her address on a piece of paper.
"Come by at 8. And bring dinner for 3." She walked past him to help a girl in one of the leather chairs. She looked at her. She looked familiar.
"Babe, is that-?" she asked eyeing Dick. Babe? Is that-?
"No one, Taylor" she said sitting down and looking into the girl's eyes. "Just someone who needed help on a tattoo."
YOU ARE READING
how it all went down {batfam}
Fanfiction"I looked at all of you as a family one night and saw how you all didn't need me. You all were just talking and smiling. I knew that if I walked in that would be gone in seconds because Bruce would talk about something I did that wasn't right."...
