A Bat and Her Beginning

Chapter 6: Hope

Dick's POV:

I grapple from building to build as fast as I can, dressed as Robin the Boy Wonder. I have to save Barbara. She can't meet the Joker. He will break her spirit, the spirit that I love.

I finally get the courage to ask her to be my girl friend, and she says yes. She is finally completely mine. And right after telling me she loves me too, as soon as she gets home, the Joker is wondering around her house. It's been twenty minutes since her phone went dead. But I can still hear her screams ringing in my ears.
I love her. Why? Why did this have to happen?

Batman must be behind me some where, I left the Batcave as he was just beginning to suit up. There are so many things that could have happened to her if I had waited for him.

I'm two buildings away. One building. I shoot my grappling gun at her apartment building and swing to where I roll through the wind shattering it.

Along with glass from the window there is the glass of a syringe, and residue that I guess used to be the liquid that was in the syringe. I look into the bathroom where half of the door is barely hanging on by the hinges and the other half is laying on the ground. Barbara's phone is in two pieces sitting in top of the broken door.

I run to her dad's room where there is just a broken lamp lying on the ground. Then I run to the kitchen where the table is flipped over and the door leading out of the apartment is wide open.

"Maybe she it to her car and escaped" I think to myself.

I run out the door lean over the railing of the steps leading toward the garage and scream her name, "BARBARA!" There is no answer.

I run down the three flights of steps and into the garage. I turn the corner and look at where her car is normally parked it's gone! She's safe!

Then tearing me apart I look to the opposite end of the garage and see her car wrapped a round a column. No, no, no!

As I get close I see the door is open. I look inside, she's not there. Now I'm really beginning to panic. I walk around the back end of the car and see blood all the way down her trunk lid and dripping to the ground.

I look to the concrete floor and realize there's drops of blood all over the floor not just at the car. I look and follow the drops as they get bigger.

They lead me to the opening of the garage where there is puddle of blood, twice the size of a manhole cover.

I feel tear well up in my eyes. I push then back down. When my vision is clear again I see a clump of Barbara's beautiful fiery red hair lying there. Now the tears are back.

I collapse to the ground. Landing right in the puddle of her blood. I scream her name again, " BARBARA!!!!!!!!!"

I start punching the concrete until my gloves rip and my knuckles begin to bleed. I look up and see Batman standing on the sidewalk, under a street light, across the street. He just stood there staring at me. I didn't know how long he had been standing there noir did I care. Batman didn't know yet that me and Barbara had just officially became boy friend and girl friend less that two hours ago. I just sat there and continued to cry.

He walked toward me. Silently. He just continued to look at me. I don't think he knew what to do. The last time he saw me truly cry, without being able to control myself, was the night I saw my parents murdered in front of me.

He eventually spoke, "He won't get away with this."

This didn't help, I obviously knew, that if nothing else, I would make the bastard pay. So I continued to sit there and sob.

I heard him speak again, "She's the commissioner's daughter Robin, she's used to this by now..."

This shuts me up immediately. You know why, this statement just pissed me off. I take a deep breath.

I look Batman in the eye, and begin to yell, "Used to it? WHAT A JOKE! She DIDN'T ask to be JIM GORDON'S DAUGHTER! She DIDN'T ask to be KIDNAPPED and STABBED! She didn't ask to bleed all over the parking garage of HER OWN APARTMENT BUILDING! You didn't hear the ABSOLUTE TERROR in her voice! She didn't sound used to it..."

He just starred at me.

I soften a little, " I've known this girl since the 3rd grade. And you know I've had a crush on her for a year now. Well Bruce, I finally told her how I feel," Bruce's eyes widen, "You know what? She loves me too, we kissed like four times tonight. She is finally mine to hold, and then she's taken! You're right, this sick little bastard won't get away with this!"

Batman moves towards me, his face unreadable. Once he's right in front me he wraps his arms around me. Once again I begin to weep.