Fight For Your Life, Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own any of the characters! Don't sue!!!!

Barbara's POV

I woke up and winced in pain. My head hurt like hell, and everything was blurry when I opened my eyes. I felt tired. Very tired. I saw Dick Grayson coming toward me. What was he doing here? Where was here? I tried to get up as my vision cleared. This sure wasn't my apartment. Couldn't be Dick's, he lived too far away. This was probably the hotel he was staying at. I looked up, and there he was.

"Babs, you okay? You got hurt pretty bad back there," Dick said, concern in his voice. "Don't try to move too much."

"Why the hell are you here? And why can't I move?" I retorted. I found the answer to the latter question a few moments later when I tried to stand. A sharp pain shot throughout my body and I screamed in pain, tears welling up in my eyes. It was a pain that felt like none other, so painful I still can't describe it. The tears I tried to keep in started streaming down my face. Dick picked me up and held me in a reassuring grip. I calmed in his grasp. I missed when he did that, and wanted him to do it again.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright. That's why you can't move. Three days ago, when you fought the Joker, he used the laughing gas and the syringe, right?"

He paused as I nodded. Three days, had I really been out that long? Dick took my silence as a gesture to continue.

"The syringe contained a virus that disables most of your muscles, so when you try to move it hurts a lot. I gave you the antidote, but it'll take a couple more days before you heal fully. There was a lot of venom in that syringe, and Bruce can't make more because… you know why. So… don't worry, you'll get better, it will only take a couple of days."

A couple of days?! Damn! I hated waiting. I was energetic and impatient as a kid, and that didn't change. Wait, I thought, if I wasn't out defending Gotham, who was? Dick, duh!! Boy, this virus thing is really not good for you, Babs. My eyes widened at the next thought. Who was going to take care of me?! I was an invalid for the next couple of days! Who was going to take care of me?? I chose to voice that question aloud.

He said without hesitation

"I will."

*Dick's POV

I saw a small smile light her beautiful face up, then a look of confusion cover it.

"Wait…" she drawled out the question, "if you're here with me, then who's defending Gotham? Is Tim coming back from Europe? Or…Or…is-"

"Babs!" I laughed. "Bruce took care of it. He called his 'friend' from Metropolis, so I don't think we'll have a problem. Don't worry though! The next two days will be the best!"

"I am sooo bored! This is the WORST day EVER! Isn't there anything EXCITING here?!" Barbara complained.

"Hey! I don't own this hotel. It's not my fault I'm here with 'miss can't-walk-can't-even move-superheroine-girl?" I regretted it the moment the words came out of my mouth. That had hurt, and I knew it. I was just frustrated because there was nothing to do. I immediately apologized. Twice.

"Omigod, Babs, I am so sorry. You know I didn't mean that, I was just frustrated and all… You know I love you! As a friend!" Or maybe even more, I hoped silently to myself. Babs moved her arm to wipe away the tears, but only more came as pain wracked her body. I took her and held her in my arms, it had worked the previous twenty-something times, and it also worked this time. She calmed down almost immediately. I felt sorry for her. She was usually so strong, so confident, but she was reduced to this. I was going to get the Joker for this. I was determined to make her cheer up.

"Know any jokes?"

"No," she said weakly.

"Anything funny?"

"No."

"Um…" I was running out of ideas. "Any insults you wanna dish out at me?"

"No."

"Wanna just talk then?" This wasn't like her at all. She was usually dishing out the wisecracks and insults right along with me. I still held her in a tight embrace.

"Fine." She snuggled in as best as she could without causing her body to hurt more than it did already. "Why did you come back again and how did you know about all the stuff happening?"

"I came back to save your ass. I found out about Bruce before the rest of you, and I learned about Arkham and Blackgate on the news. I came as fast as I can. I'm sorry."

"For what?" Babs looked up. She could move her head around without any pain.

"Not coming in time. I could have stopped the Joker if I hadn't been so slow."

"Don't blame yourself. I should have been more careful."

There was an awkward silence for a while when we turned away from each other. Then we resumed talking. We talked for the rest of the morning, blabbering about useless subjects.

*Barbara's POV

A few hours later…

"No WAY you could have done that!" I said, laughter and disbelief evident in my voice.

"Yea I could, since I was seven! Still can!" Dick said, looking proud.

"In the house?"

"I did! No lie!!"

"I would have paid to see Alfred's expression when he saw you doing that in the living room!" I started laughing again for the umpteenth time. I found out the limits of my movement, and I had stopped moving excessively. "I shouldn't be surprised. You were always the gymnast and acrobat. I hated it when you used to beat me all the time in the competitions!"

"You still hate me?"

"No, of course not!" I giggled. I straightened my face, and asked in a serious tone

"Dick, why did you leave?"

*Dick's POV

"What?" That question shocked me. It came right out of the blue.

"I left because I had a fight with Bruce, you know that!" I said, knowing that I hadn't answered the answer that she wanted to know.

"No, Dick! Why did you leave me? You left without even saying goodbye! Do you even know how much you hurt me? I loved you so much, and you left me. I missed you for two years! Two years! I still had my responsibilities like studying or serving as Batgirl, but I was hurting every single day! I was thinking of you and wanting you. It wasn't just me! Bruce was hurting too! He closed up even more after you left! And Alfred! Poor Alfred, he had continued to serve as if he was unfazed, but he was hurting inside, as much as I was. And you, you didn't even have the heart to comfort us! All you did was send a lousy postcard saying 'I'm alright. Tibet next.' Was that supposed to comfort us?! You are heartless, aren't you?"

Now I was getting angry. I know she had reason to be angry, but heartless? That was pushing it a little too far.

"Heartless? If I were heartless, I would have left you to die with the Joker instead of saving your ass back there. I if were heartless, I wouldn't have come back here to help you. If I were heartless, I wouldn't even have come back the first time! I came back for you, you know?!. You and Alfred and even Bruce. Yeah. I would have stayed but the people in Blüdhaven needed me. It's not like it didn't hurt leaving, but Blüdhaven was also close to Gotham, and that meant it was close to you. I thought it was better. For both of us."

"Well, maybe it wasn't!!" Barbara said angrily. "I had just moved on when you came back, and all that work was destroyed. I was trying to get over you for two years. That's how long it took me. And when I finally stopped thinking about you constantly, you came back. I had wanted to stop loving you. I still want to stop you. The only reason why it's not working is because YOU are so close, and I still thought of you. So, no, it isn't better," she finished.

Now I was really angry. If she didn't want me to stay, I would leave gladly. I would leave Gotham, Blüdhaven, I would leave America. I would just go on another world tour. I threw Barbara back on the couch. I knew it hurt her, it hurt me too, but I couldn't let her see it. Instead, I told her,

"If I LEAVE, it'll be better right?! That's what you want, isn't it? You want to make it better. If I leave Gotham, if I leave Blüdhaven, that will make it better, won't it. Then you can stop thinking of me constantly. That's better, right? Fine, I'm outta here."

Then, without letting her have a chance to speak, I stormed out and slammed the door. Before leaving, I signed Babs out and paid the bill. She would be up and at it tomorrow, anyway.

As I boarded the train that led to the airport, I took a last look at the city around me. This is silly, I thought, This was the exact same thing I did last time. Still, I took in my last sights of the city that I grew up in, the city that I defended time and time again, and the city that held the girl I loved.