Blackbird~A Young Justice Fanfic

Chapter 3

Bart and I stand in the cave's grotto, looking up at the holographic memorials for their fallen heroes. Just a few days ago Artemis, one of the original members of the Team, came out of retirement for a one-time mission. I didn't get the full details, but all I know is that she didn't come back. 

I shift my gaze from Artemis' hologram to Jason's. It's still strange to think that he's still dead as of now. Jason and Dick were both like uncles to me. Sure, Tim and Damian were there too, but they weren't as involved in my life as Dick and Jason. After Mom-um you know- Dick took me in and raised me as his own. Jason would come over every couple of days to check in on me. They would try to get me to talk, but I refused. I don't know why, but I just can't. It's like something just snapped inside of me and I just can't bring myself to talk. 

I'm brought out of my thoughts by Bart's obnoxious chewing. I nudge him with my elbow and he notices everyone staring at him. 

"Um, sorry. Mourning makes me hungry," he explains. 

I guess I can't really blame him for being hungry. In the past few days I've seen more food than in my entire lifetime, back in the future. It's a relief that we don't have to wait in those horrendous lines just for a baby sized portion of food anymore. Now, we can literally just walk into the kitchen and grab a snack. It's still a foreign concept to me, so I usually just wait until mealtime to eat. 

Jamie yanks Bart by the shirt to a corner in the grotto. I assume to talk about Bart taking Jamie's Chicken Whizzies. I told Bart not to do it, but of course, no one listens to Delilah. 

I go back to looking at Jason's memorial and am so lost in thought that I don't see Nightwing walk up next to me.

"Did Bart ditch you?" I jump at the sound of another person in the room. I turn and see Nightwing standing to my left. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." "It's okay. I wasn't paying attention," I respond. 

"So, whatcha up to?" Nightwing asks. "Oh, um nothing really. Bart's talking to Jamie over there, so I'm just chilling here," I sign back awkwardly. How is it that I can still be awkward when I don't even talk?

After a moment of no one saying anything, Nightwing asks me, "So, were you looking at Jason's hologram?" Nightwing asks, motioning to the memorial in front of me. 

"Oh, uh, I guess," I reply. What do I do if he starts asking questions? It's not like I can just say, 'Oh yeah, I'm just looking at the memorial of my dead uncle who get's brought back to life, but you don't know that yet because you're not from the future.' 

"So," Nightwing started, trying to fill the awkward silence in the room, "The other day you said that your mom was a hero. Are you a hero as well?" 

I don't know how to respond to that. I mean, I was trained by Mom and Dick, but that was mostly just for survival. Dick didn't want to bring me into the hero business at such a young age, and it's also kind of hard to be a superhero when you, yourself need saving. We were all too busy fighting for our lives to worry about fighting for other people's lives. That may sound a little cruel, but it's the truth. You can't save other people if you let yourself be killed. 

I realize that I zoned out and I quickly respond, "Something like that. I guess you could say a hero in training?" 

"Oh. Cool. How old are you?" he asks. 

"12" I sign back.

He nods his head before asking, "What's your name?"

I give him a puzzled look before replying, "Um... Delilah, I told you this already"

"No, no. I mean your hero name, like your alias," he replies after figuring out my confusion.

"Oh, um it's Blackbird"

"That's a cool name. How'd you come up with it?" 

My mind flashes back to when I came up with it. I was 8 and still living with Dick.

I walk into the main area of Dick's apartment. Dick is staring out the window, over the destroyed city of Gotham. 

I sit next to him on the couch and snuggle into him. Dick wraps an arm around my shoulder and says, "Hey Baby Bird, what's up?" 

I shrug my shoulders and sign, "Nothing much. Although I've been thinking." Dick looks a little nervous before asking, "Thinking about what?" 

"If I was a superhero, like you or Mommy, I know what my hero name would be."

"And what is that?" He asks me, obviously curious.

"Blackbird. It combines Black Bat and Nightwing. This way I'll always have a piece of you and Mommy with me, no matter what." 

Dick is speechless. He just stares at me with, I don't know, pride(?) in his eyes. I look at him curiously, wondering what he was going to say.

Instead of saying something, he just puts both his arms around me and wraps me in a hug.

I smile in his warm embrace, as I attempt to wrap my tiny arms around his torso. 

"I love you Baby Bird"

"I love you too"

I'm yanked out of my thoughts by someone calling my name.

"-ilah, Delilah!" I feel a hand touch my shoulder and I jump back.

"Hey, are you okay kid?" Nightwing asks me, worry present in his eyes. I come to the conclusion that I must've zoned out or something. 

I nod my head and sign, "Yeah, sorry. I must've zoned out or something. It happens a lot." 

Nightwing nods his head, seeming to relax a bit. "I-It's okay kid. You just had me worried there for a second, that's all," he says. 

"I should head back up. Bart is probably done talking to Jamie by now and I don't want him to leave me." I sign to Nightwing. 

"I doubt he would do that. You two are joined at the hip." 

I tilt my head, clearly confused. 

Nightwing sees my confusion and says, "It's an idiom. It means that you two are practically inseparable." 

"Oh. That's makes a lot more sense," I sign before continuing, "I should still go though. I'll see you later." 

I quickly walk out of the room and run up the stairs to meet Bart.

A/N 

So, third chapter...What do y'all think? I tried to give you a little, teeny, tiny bit of what Delilah and Dick's relationship was like (when I say relationship, I mean like family relations. Not like dating or anything. That's just...Ew). Trust me, there's more to come. 

Remember to get traught, stay whelmed and feel the aster!

~ Ann