Disclaimer: DC comics owns Gotham, it's schools, it's citizens and all the awesomeness therein. I am merely a fangirl

Hostages

It was just an ordinary day in Gotham City. A smoggy haze kept the sun from burning it's residents. The traffic boomed even during the middle of the work day. And a school was being held up by psychopaths.

It was Gotham Academy this time, and the student body couldn't be more pleased.

"Everybody on the floor!" The automatic fired straight into one of the many cameras around the cafeteria. From every exit a commando swearing a ski mask barged through and pointed their guns at the student population, a few of them taking out more cameras. Screams escaped quite a few students as they dived for the floor, many underneath their tables.

In one corner two tables and several students blocked, by pure accident, the richest kids on the campus. Bette Kane held her head in panic, trying to get control of herself next to Artemis. A little ways over, Dick Grayson and Barbra Gordon flattened themselves on the ground, trying to contact their parents outside the school. Neither seemed scared, but like Bette, they'd seen their fair share of hostage situations.

"Come on dad, pick up. Pick up!" Barbra muttered lowly. "What's keeping you from your phone this time?"

Dick tapped his phone rapidly, glancing up at the gunmen every few seconds.

The first gunman seemed to smiling behind his mask as he spotted several others trying to contact the outside world. "Don't bother calling 911 kiddos! We've blocked every signal leaving this place! All you've got are dead lumps in your hands!"

Barbra huffed out exasperated. "There goes that plan. Dick, put that thing away." Dick ignored her and kept on typing, determined.

The gunman continued, casually pointing with his gun. "Now the rules are simple! We've sent our demands to the Pigs and they've got two hours to comply or you all die!" Gasps and murmurs buzzed around the room, complete with a little crying. "Anyone plays hero and they die! We've got the guns, we've got the know how, we're in charge! You wanna live? Don't do anything dumb and pray your rich mommies and daddies pay up!"

More murmurs and crying followed. Artemis did her best to soothe Bette next to her but couldn't stop herself from becoming scared. Heroics right then and there, especially without any weapons or armor, would be disastrous. No backup, no weapons, and no way for her family to pay up, Artemis' fear overwhelmed her. It took everything she had not to end up like Bette.

A table or so over Dick continued to type. He didn't have his belt on him, nor could he as Dick Grayson make a move. Rules were rules. And it was likely if he tried to run off to get his gear (of course he had a costume on campus. Bruce helped renovate the school) someone would get shot. The only thing he could do was exactly what he was doing now.

He continued to tap away on his phone, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Gunfire exploded again and the hall filled with screams for a moment more. Dick looked over the room to make sure everyone was okay before returning to his typing. "Now everybody, SHUT UP!"

Silence took over the student body, everyone too scared to say a word more. All they heard was the hum of the lights and the foot falls of the gunmen. Dick continued to type away. Barbra kept looking at the gunmen, trying to figure out a way to take them down. Bette sniffled next to Artemis, and Artemis breathed in and out slowly, trying to be brave for the girl beside her.

An agonizing fifteen minutes passed before they heard sirens or saw the flashing lights. Barbra could hear her dad calling out with a megaphone towards the school. His voice was comforting, but she wished she heard it under other circumstances.

"This is the Police! We have you surrounded!"

The head gunman took the school megaphone off its hook and called back, "Yeah? Well we've got your kids surrounded! Isn't yours in here?"

Dick looked over to Barbra who blanched in response. Both kept deathly still to make sure they didn't attract unwanted attention, but it seemed Babs was a target no matter what.

Gordon on the other end tried not to let rage come into his voice. "We don't want a blood bath! Just release the kids and we can all go home happy!"

"You want them to go home happy? Then get fifty mill in cash down here! Get us a van and safe passage to the airport! Then we'll let them all go! Starting with yours if you like!"

Silence followed for a moment, then, "We're seeing what we can do but it's going to take time!"

"You've got until two! Don't be late!" The gunman looked around the cafeteria, grinning. "Or your kid's the first to go!"

"Why you little-!"

Someone wrestled the megaphone away from the commissioner before he could say something that'd likely get them all killed. Barbra closed her eyes and inwardly prayed somehow her dad would find a way to save them all. She felt Dick put a hand on her shoulder and she turned to look at him.

He smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry. We'll make it out of this. All of us."

Barbra bit back a laugh. One thing she loved about Dick was his endless supply of hope and humor in the face of something bad. The moment passed though and Dick returned to tapping away on his phone, a crease appearing between his eyebrows.

"That should keep them busy for a bit," the head gunman chuckled to his comrades. "Now find Gordon's kid."

Several of the gunmen moved from their posts and around the room, checking out each student individually. One stopped by Dick and Barbra's table after an agonizing twenty minutes and pointed his gun at Dick, who continued to type. "Hey, stop textin'. There's no signal anyway."

Dick pressed send for the who-knows-how-many-times then looked up at the gunman. "I was just writing a good-bye letter to Bruce Wayne. He needs to know a few things before I die. Is that okay?"

"Bruce Wayne? The billionaire?"

Dick nodded calmly as others around him watched exasperated. Barbra looked like she was ready to explode for sharing that information. Bette looked horrified as she heard the gunman make the connection in his mind. Artemis merely stared at the kid as if he was crazy, then finally recognized him as the photo taking freshman from her first day. That kid really was crazy.

"And that makes you… his kid?"

Dick glared a little. "His ward."

The gunman looked up at his leader and shouted, "Hey Pete! We've got the Wayne kid here! What cha wanna do with him?"

Pete waltzed over to their table and glared down at Dick and Barbra. He smiled under his mask. "Well well well. The Wayne kid and the Commish's brat. How perfectly packaged. Our protection and our meal ticket."

"Then why not just take the two of us and leave the rest alone?" Barbra jerked her incredulous stare at Dick, not believing what he was saying. Artemis watched the determination on the kid's face as he continued, standing up to face them. "Or better yet. Just take me. Commissioner Gordon's kinda a family friend. He won't see me hurt either."

'This kid's crazy!' Artemis stared dumbfounded as Dick stubbornly proposed his own kidnapping over the lives of the school. 'How can he just…'

She stared down at Bette who really was ready to go into hysterics. One kid in exchange for a few hundred. One kid who must have been through this before verses maybe three hundred all ready to crack. It was suicide, but the kid had guts.

Pete watched Dick for a long moment then smirked darkly. "Just you? I'm not so sure Wayne. The commish's brat comes too. And one more." He looked straight to Artemis and Bette, grinning. "The Kane girl."

Artemis stopped and stared at Bette who kept on shaking, terrified. Pete waved his gun over to the two of them. "Up and at 'em Kane."

One of the other thugs grabbed the table the two were hiding under and threw it to the side. Pete approached them slowly, his gun focused on their heads. "On your feet girl. Now."

Bette couldn't move at all. Artemis gulped down her fear and stood up in her place. "Fine."

Pete laughed. "Not you, street rat! The rich pretty one shaking like a baby!" He shoved the barrel about a foot away from Artemis' heart. "So get out of the way, hero."

Artemis stood her ground, shaking slightly. This amused Pete and he placed his finger on the trigger.

"No." Dick was instantly between Artemis and the gun, glaring at the crazed gunman. "No one dies, got it? No one. Us in exchange for them."

Behind him Barbra went to Bette's side and helped her stand, murmuring false hopes in her ear. Dick calmly continued, but voice getting dangerous and dark. "No one dies."

Artemis watched for a terrifying minute as this crazy kid boldly stared down the gunman. She could feel the battle of wills between the two and couldn't breathe while someone else's life hung in the balance for hers. At last, the gunman lowered his weapon.

"You've got guts kid. Lot more than most. Fine. She lives." He turned away and Artemis released the breath she was holding. A millisecond later, Pete jerked around and slammed the butt of his gun against Dick's cheek. Bette screamed, Barbra jerked forward and Artemis squeaked as Dick spun to the ground, his mouth bleeding and swelling. Coldly Pete stared down on him. "Don't tell me to do anything again or you'll see those guts."

Dick wiped the blood off of his face, glaring at Pete before getting back on his feet. Pete smirked then signaled to the rest of his men. "Lock the doors! Make sure none of them leave until we're gone. We'll bail you out once we've got the dough. You three, this way. First wave, you're with me."

With that, Pete took the three most valuable hostages with him out the main covered hallway and towards another part of the school building with about nine other men in tow. Five gunmen remained in the room.

Artemis fell backwards on to the ground, sitting with more self loathing than when her teammates were in danger and she debated escaping. She was a hero, Artemis the archery girl. Green Arrow's next apprentice. How could she just let her one friend there get taken away by a pack of gun toting psychos? That kid, that Wayne kid, he was braver than she was. He was willing to take a bullet for her. That hit should have been hers. How could she let him get hurt?

It was a few minutes of dreadful silence before she noticed it. A gas slipped through the vents. The sent reminded her of… 'Oh crap.' In a second she covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and kept low to the ground. It was a minute later when the five remaining gunmen started collapsing from the knockout gas. Another few seconds passed before the Gotham PD broke down one of the doors and started helping people out the door.

Artemis's eyes jerked around wildly, knowing it had to be Batman who did that. Who else could put gas in the vents? He was no where to be seen. Instead, Commissioner Gordon shoved his way through the crowd, his face covered just like hers.

"Barbra! Barbra!"

Artemis ran straight to him, not pausing for a second. "Ten men took her, Bette Kane and 'the Wayne kid' down that hallway!" She pointed to the far exit best she could.

"Good Lord. Barbra!" Envy filled Artemis' chest as she watched the worried father run to the door without a second thought.

Dick glanced back to Barbra and Bette. Babs still supported her and it looked like Bette was going to faint at any moment. Babs could handle this for a while longer, but Bette… Dick turned his eyes forward, straining his peripherals and ears for even the slightest familiar movement. He only hoped he was playing his part right.

Pete led them past two main offices and dozens of classrooms, leading them towards the auto-shop area of the school via covered halls. He was grinning and chattering for ten minutes, repeating over and over again how brilliant he was. Sick of it, Dick muttered, "Arkham's gonna love you."

Of course this rewarded Dick with another blow to the head. He fell to the ground, dizzy and blinded by the pain, sure this one gave him a minor concussion. Barbra called out angrily, but what was exactly said couldn't be heard over the ringing in Dick's head. Pete glared down furiously on him, pointing the barrel at his face.

"Just shut up Wayne. You and your kind have no idea what we go through. If your life wasn't so valuable," Pete's glare intensified, "I'd shoot you where you stand you dog."

Dick bit back his next snarky comment and only glared up at the madman. If he were Robin right then, he wouldn't have to hold back and could say whatever he wanted. He could kick each of these nut-job's heads in and laugh at how badly they were dressed. If he were Robin. But as Dick Grayson he couldn't. Even being an extreme smart mouthed kid wasn't an option. Not in situations like this.

"Now get up Wayne."

Grudgingly Dick got back to his feet, keeping his eyes down to hide his fury. 'Just wait, just wait!' Waiting sucked. Bette was covering her mouth to stop her hysterics and Barbra's knuckles were white as she controlled her own rage. The gunmen pointed their guns at them once again, and they went back to walking.

They were nearly down the last hallway when everyone's cell phones went off. The gunmen jolted in surprise, breaking formation without even realizing it. Dick snapped to attention, spotting an open classroom door just seconds before smoke bombs exploded around them. Without a second thought, Dick grabbed both girls and yanked them towards the open classroom.

"This way!"

With a jolt, the three of them darted in and slammed the door closed. Barbra and Dick immediately grabbed things to bar the door, not leaving anything to chance, then crouched away from the door, out of the window's eyesight. Bette was already out of plain view, going into a new volley of hysterics.

"What was that?" Barbra finally asked, now that they were relatively safe.

"I think that was Batman." Dick felt his new head wound gingerly as he tried to calm his racing heart. Outside the door they heard shouts, gunshot and quite a few painful fighting noises they only heard on TV. Dick smirked a little. "Yeah, that's Batman."

"What kept him?" Babs gained a little courage and got to her hands and knees to approach the door's window. She wanted to see the man whom her father praised and got the most upsetting calls about. "Shouldn't he have been here sooner?"

"Maybe there were too many hostages in a large closed space, too many variables." Dick tried to sound like it was all guess work, but it was dead on. The cafeteria was too large and spacious. There were too many hostages. It was likely a good sized chunk of the school would either die or go to the hospital in critical condition. So Dick took it on himself to cut down the variables as much as possible.

"Maybe." Barbra heard the commotion outside slowing and she peeked out the window for a good view. A second later she gasped and fell back, more out of shock than fear. Dick looked up to the window and saw Batman's face glaring through it. He just stared at them for a moment, nodded, then left.

"What the…" Barbra gaped at the window, flabbergasted. "What was that about?"

Dick shrugged, lightly gripping his head. "Wanted to make sure we were alright I guess."

Barbra peaked back through the window, only to see dissipating smoke and ten beaten bodies on the hallway floor. Each of the guns were dismantled and every piece was scattered on the ground. "Well, they're out cold. Maybe we should—"

Dick shook his head then winced, remembering his wound. "Wait until your dad shows up. Better safe than sorry."

"But—" She stopped when she saw Dick pressing on his head wound. He really wasn't feeling well. Then she looked at Bette, still going through hysterics. That girl was going to need lots of therapy after this. Resigned, she sighed. "Fine. We'll wait."

Dick smiled as Babs sunk back to the floor, finally letting a little of the adrenalin in her go. Brave as she was, she was still human. It took a lot more than just guts to pull through this.

They didn't wait long. Within five minutes they could hear Commissioner Gordon's voice down the hallway, shouting his daughter's name. Barbra jumped to her feet, ripped away the barricade they made earlier, flung open the door and ran straight to her dad. Dick didn't have to see it to know they were giving each other tight hugs at that moment. A smile crossed his face as he knew now everyone was safe.

Artemis did her best to avoid the camera men and reporters as she sought out the three big hostages of the school. She had to know how Bette was doing, and that Wayne kid. Bette was her first friend there, and that Wayne kid… Artemis shivered a bit remembering how she was nearly shot for trying to cover for Bette. That crazy kid put himself in the line of fire for her, twice. That kid probably saved everyone by making himself the better target for these criminals. If her father only knew…

She shivered again. Her father wouldn't hesitate to take the Wayne kid and ransom him. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt the kid either. That kid had guts.

Slowly she made her way towards the central hub of people's attention. The three hostages were near the ambulance and squad cars, just resting. Bette was asleep on one of the medical beds, having to be sedated in the end just to calm down. Barbra sat next to her father, just listening to the commands and reports the police were giving on this situation. Dick sat upright on the bumper of the vehicle, his head bandaged up and his eyes closed. It almost looked like he was meditating.

Artemis bit her lip as she watched him. She owed the kid. She really did. Somehow she managed to get over to him, trying to find the right words to say. She stopped short about three feet away from him, still unable to say a word. She tried opening her mouth but nothing came out. Instead…

"It's Grayson."

Artemis blinked in surprise when he spoke first. Dick's eyes remained closed and he didn't move.

"Richard Grayson, but I go by Dick. I'm not the 'Wayne kid'. Bruce is my legal guardian, and if you have to know, my parents died when I was eight. Murdered actually but it looked like an accident. Bruce took me in, but he didn't adopt me. He doesn't want to replace my dad. So don't think of me as the 'Wayne kid'. I just did what my dad would have done."

He opened his eyes slowly and for a brief moment Artemis could see the pain inside them. Slowly Dick looked over to Artemis but it was obvious it hurt him to move. Those blows to the head did a number on him, more than he would let on. Artemis looked down a bit and shuffled her feet. "You must really love your dad."

Dick smirked sadly. "More than you'll ever know."

"I wanted to thank you," Artemis pushed out, "for saving my life. You didn't have to—"

"Don't sweat it. You would have done the same for me. You were doing the same for Bette." He slowly turned his head to look at Bette knocked out on the bed. "She just can't take the kidnappings and death threats these days."

"Kidnappings? Death threats?" Artemis gaped at the crazy kid before her. He talked about it so casually.

Dick chuckled. "Yeah. In our positions, they're pretty common. I've been taken probably six or seven times already. Twice I was drugged, and this other time I ended up in a coma for three days. I wonder if this'll count on the list."

The kid winced for a moment then settled his head back against the ambulance door, resting his eyes. His head was killing him. Artemis step forward concerned. "Are you okay?"

"The painkillers haven't started working yet. I'll be alright. Been through way worse."

"You really need to start thinking about yourself Dick." Artemis jolted and Dick's eyes snapped open when they heard the new comer speak. Both stared at a slightly haggard Bruce Wayne coming towards them. His unpleasant expression made Artemis take a step back as he approached and Dick shrink away slightly. The billionaire huffed out frustrated. "Sacrificing yourself like that? Ending up in this condition? Can't you ever watch your mouth?"

"Heh," Dick smiled awkwardly, "sorry Bruce."

Bruce Wayne stopped a foot away from Dick, one hand running through his hair in frustration. "You're lucky Batman keeps tabs on us and the Kanes in case things like this happen, again. If we hadn't upgraded your phone last month—"

"I said I'm sorry," the smile shrinking away on Dick's face.

"Sorry's not going to cut it. You need to be more careful." Frustration flowed to worry on Bruce's face, and suddenly Artemis really felt like she shouldn't be there or really wasn't there. Carefully she backed way into the croud, trying not to hear their conversation anymore. "Do you want to die?"

Dick said nothing in response, just hunched his shoulders and tried not to look too guilty for putting his life in so much danger. Secretly he was glad everyone else around them was backing away, because no one should have to hear what they were likely to say next.

Bruce gave a heavy sigh and sat on the bumper next to Dick, trying to find the words to say. Both of them felt bad about putting Dick's life in so much danger as a decoy so Batman could save the school. It was a high risk, but in the end it succeeded. The reason the two had texted so long in the cafeteria was because they were arguing about the tactics. Batman was willing to do whatever to took to get the job done, but not while sacrificing Dick's life. Dick though would gladly step in front of a bullet if it meant no one else would die around him. Dick gingerly fingered the bandage on his head.

"It's only a small concussion."

"You shouldn't have mouthed off to him."

"He's nuts."

"More reason not to. Lunatics are unpredictable when offended."

"Didn't think he could hear me over his huge ego."

"Don't take that chance." Bruce hunched over, rubbing his chin in thought. "How'd you hurt your cheek?"

"Um… stood between Artemis and a gun actually. It looked pretty cool but I think I'm still shaking from it."

Bruce jerked his eyes straight at Dick, a fresh wave of worry and alarm crawling on his face. Dick tried to smile and hold out against his fear, but it shook. Dick's cool facade was dissolving quickly. Usually as Robin he was fine with danger, but as Dick it took a lot more out of him. Dick didn't have twenty pounds of Kevlar on to protect him. Dick Grayson was only an acrobat who tended to do reckless things and got scrapes from them. Dick didn't always have Batman nearby for backup.

Carefully Bruce wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders and drew him into his chest. Dick's injury gave him some pain in the process but he didn't care. Desperately he held onto Bruce and let himself break down. Being a hostage wasn't easy. It never was. It was the only bad thing about being Bruce's ward; Dick was always going to be a target.

"I'm sorry."

Dick forced a laugh. "Heh, it was my choice."

END

A/N: truth be told, I didn't know where to go after Bruce hugged Dick and they admitted this life wasn't easy. Just thought it'd be good to make it clear Bruce doesn't force this way of life on him. It's always been Dick's choice. And being Dick Grayson isn't easy in the slightest.

Why did Dick's phone work while everyone else's didn't? Not sure. Just some upgrade in it making it impossible to block his calls/texts unless he was really in the middle of no where. Maybe it's linked to the watch tower. *shrugs* Don't matter. Common slightly crazy criminals just couldn't stop the two from talking.