Chasing Shadows (John Blake/Robin Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Blake's POV:

True to his word, a package arrived exactly three days later, and it contained the armour that was promised, along with an updated cape. A note was included, with the words, 'Hope these come in handy.'

That night, I put it on. The new ones were more flexible, and I found myself at the top of the building.

"Here goes," I said to myself and jumped of the edge, spreading my arms to catch the wind. The red underside of my now rigid coat showed as I banked to the side, gliding over a building. Now all I needed was to find a way to go up, instead of jumping off of buildings all the time, and I would be set.

After about twenty minutes of gliding, I swooped down to a parked car and landed on the roof, denting it only slightly.

Pretty good landing for my first time.

Kate's POV:

The Shadow came back to the warehouse one night, one of those rare times that he had left me along because 'I would be a distraction.' He seemed to be bleeding heavily from his side, and I got up when I saw him come in.

"What happened to you?" I asked and he chuckled in between groans.

"Like you care."

"I don't. I was just curious."

"Well, if you really want to know, it was one of my men. Turned against me, tried to take this operation for himself. I took care of him of couse, but I got a pretty bad cut in the process."

"You took care of him?"

"Shot him."

"I didn't need to know."

"Yes you did. Get me some bandages."

"I'd rather not, seeing as how you just killed a man. I don't help murderers."

"You do now. Get me the bandages, and some needle and threat, now."

I obliged, and tried to hand them to him, but he waved them away. "You do it. I can't reach."

"I'm not going to help you stitch yourself up. Fetching the needle and thread is one thing, but doing the work is another."

"Kate. Please."

Something in the way he said it, it reminded me of somebody that I used to know. I had a lot of friends in Gotham, but he didn't sound like any of them. Which was good, I guess.

I pulled back his costume and set to work on the stitches, pulling on a pair of gloves. I threaded it through the skin, trying not to be sick.

"Why do you do what you do? Hurt people, kill them?"

"Once upon a time, I was normal, like you. I had a girlfried, who I loved, even after she left me. For something I didn't even have a part in!"

"What was that something? Have you ever gotten her side?"

"No. I don't need it; I know how the story goes. I set off to find her, and when I did, she was with somebody else. It had been a few years after she left me, but I still wasn't over her. I never will be," he said with a glint in his eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"The story isn't over yet," he said.

"But why turn like this? Go bad?"

"Prehaps I'm mad. Or prehaps I'm just angry."

My heart softened, and I had to remind myself that he was a killer. Even though he was broken, that was no excuse for what he was doing to me.