Title: Of Broken Promises
Author: Xmarksthespot
Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice
Words: 1,100+
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When they were nine, Dick had met Barbara.
He told her all about being in the circus and Barbara had told him all about the police force.
He had promised he'd take her flying one day.
She believed him.
.
"You saved me... Thank you, Robin, I – Oh, you're hurt!"
.
When they were ten, Dick had promised Barbara that she wouldn't get lost while playing hide and seek in the manor.
She believed him and he apologized to her two hours later.
.
"Don't worry about it."
He chuckles, but coughs out blood.
.
When they were ten (and a half), Dick had promised he'd marry her one day. Even though they were in a school play and Dick was just reading the lines off of his part, Barbara honestly hoped that one day, he would tell her those exact words without having a book in his hand.
It was then that she decided that she was definitely getting too girly for her liking and needed to convince Bette to stop making her watch Disney princess movies.
.
"I'm feeling asterous." The Boy Wonder tries to assure them. His teammates tell him to stop talking, and one tries to contact the league.
Barbara knows that in the midst of this crisis happening on earth, getting league attention would be hard. Even if it's Robin, and the person they're trying to contact is Batman.
.
When they were eleven, Dick had promised her that they would split their candy fifty-fifty after Trick or Treating.
She believed him and Alfred ended up taking it all away after it was discovered that a gang had illegally smuggled drugs with the shipment of chocolate to Gotham. The old butler did, however, give her some of his famous, freshly baked cookies to compensate, but Dick ended up taking more than his fair share.
.
Batman doesn't respond; all they get is static.
She feels even guiltier. It's her fault that Robin got hurt, despite him telling her that he was already injured prior to rescuing her.
But she knows he could've made it if it weren't for her. Besides, she could see the blame in his friends' eyes.
It was all her fault.
.
When they were twelve, Dick had promised to protect her from anyone who made fun of her red hair.
She believed him, but after Dick hung Tommy Hicknell onto a hook by the hood of his sweater one recess and receiving an in school suspension, Barbara continued to be taunted by classmates during lunch breaks, and Dick wasn't there to save her.
.
She asks if there is anything she could do to help, but being surrounded by a team that had hated her guts before getting to know her, and being trapped in a building whose ceiling could collapse on them at any given moment didn't give her much opportunity to do much.
Superman's son – or whoever the boy with the large S on his shirt is – tries to remove all the rubble that was blocking their escape routes, but when the building starts to shake, he stops.
They are stuck.
Robin is dying.
Barbara hates herself more and more.
She just wishes that Dick, wherever he is at that moment, is okay.
.
Six months ago, Dick had promised to tell her his biggest secret – it made her heart flutter like crazy.
But after seeing the sour expression on his face after Bruce had dropped him off at her house one day, Barbara realized that she wouldn't get to hear this secret any time soon.
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"Hey, can you come here for a sec?" Robin asks and Barbara realizes he is talking to her.
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Five months ago, Dick had promised to spend more time with her after school like the old days, despite being on a "fencing" team that travelled regularly.
She's still waiting for that dinner and movie date.
.
She's as equally confused as the rest of Robin's teammates when he asks her to hold his hand and all he does after is smile and close his eyes.
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Four months ago, Dick had promised things would never change between them.
Artemis Crock showed up the next day as a new student and Barbara had a feeling that their friendship was slowly dying.
.
She is about to let go, when she hears the familiar, "Babs" escape from his lips.
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Three months ago, Dick had promised Barbara that he would be safe before leaving with Bruce on a trip to Europe.
Then she heard that there was an explosion where the Hadron Collider was in Geneva (and where Haley's Circus was travelling), and she prayed that wherever Dick was, that he was okay.
She also realized that she may like him more than she originally thought.
.
"Oh my God…"
"Babs, don't."
"Oh God!"
"Babs, please."
"No, no, no, NO!"
.
Two months ago, Dick had promised her he'd see her at the masquerade later that night.
Barbara had spent two hours curling her hair and doing her make up. She had spent her allowance buying a mask and dress that Bette had picked out, and had really hoped Dick would be surprised by her new appearance that night.
Her heart had been beating against her chest rapidly all that night while she waited for Dick to show up, until he had come up to her (she almost didn't recognize him with his mask on) with a black haired girl by his side, joking about some magic tricks.
.
Despite the number of people in the room, Barbara feels like it's just the two of them and that she's suffocating.
"No, no, Di – Robin, no! Oh my God, it's all my fault. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
.
Last month, Dick had promised her that he had done nothing wrong and he didn't understand why she was getting so mad at him.
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"Babs, please, ju –" He coughs out more blood, but raises his hand to keep his friends from crowding around him again. "Just listen to me, please," he begs, but Barbara refuses to stop crying.
Suddenly, she feels him tighten his grip around her hand and she turns to stare at him.
He looks weak and pale; most of all, he looks exhausted, like he could pass out at any given moment. Barbara feels that even with the mask on, she can finally see those bright, blue eyes that she desperately loves so much.
He says only one thing.
.
Yesterday, Dick had promised her he would never be so stupid again.
She had also realized she was in love with the boy.
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"I'm sorry I never took you flying."
.
Last night, Barbara promised to herself that she would tell Dick that she loved him.
.
His smile fades and he lets go of her hand.
.
.
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Please review - I'd really appreciate your opinion. I've been dying to try this out for months, and I'm a major Babs fan, so I'm hoping it's good.
Note: Tried to write a sequel, it wasn't what I wanted, so for now, I'm just going to call this a oneshot. Maybe in the future when I write something I like, I'll post a sequel. Until then, this is a stand alone.