Disclaimer: this takes place after Nightwing #37, and before #38. All 
characters and storylines belong to DC/Time Warner and such. I don't own 
them, though I wish I did. This story is my own creation, and is not to 
be copied or sold without my consent. 

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Heaven's Light
by Kristina (Nemesis07170@aol.com)

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One of the first things I noticed was the pain. It wasn't a sharp pain, 
the kind of pain you feel like a knife's been jabbed into your ribs a 
dozen times over. It was more of a dull ache; a numbness. I knew it was 
bad. 

The second thing I noticed was her. I could hear her tapping incessantly 
on that infernal keyboard. It was giving me a headache. 

Unconsciously, my eyelids began drifting closed, and I felt my self slip 
back into that world of blackness. I was used to it. 

Bruce lived in darkness for years. He once told me that when I came to 
live with him, for once the darkness disappeared, and he saw Heaven's 
Light. I never understood what he meant back then. I do now. 

She sits there, even now, tapping. My personal angel. The heavenly glow 
surrounding her protrudes from the bluish screen. Her wings, a titanium 
chair. Her halo, her soft auburn locks tumbling to her shoulders. My 
Oracle, my goddess, my angel. 

The fever's setting in. I can feel it, burning, raging inside me. 
Coursing through my veins, pounding in my head. 

Each breath I draw causes a knife like pain to shoot through my chest. 
My injured ribs nearly give way. The pain in my head is like no other. I 
can't tell if its from the injuries or my memories. 

I can see it happen all over again. My parents death flashes through my 
mind over and over, like its stuck in auto rewind or something. I see 
the rope start to break, the bodies start to fall. Hear the screams, one 
in particular coming from my own mouth. I hardly recognize it. 

Then the sickening crack as their bodies hit the earth. Nobody moves. 
Not me, not the audience, and, worst of all, not my parents. 

In one split second, it felt like my heart and soul were creully ripped 
out of my chest. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel 
anything besides the pain... and the rage. 

I had never been alone before. But then, in that moment. I was. Probably 
forever. Then I saw him. 

I sat alone on a cold bench, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I 
hardly noticed it. Didn't know where it came from. Didn't care. A hot 
cup of something was cradled in my hands. Then, suddenly, he was there 
before me. I had to crane my neck just to gaze at his face. Boy he was 
tall. 

Almost wordlessly, he reached out his hand to me. In that moment, the 
dark just seemed to fade away, disappear into the background. And a sort 
of warm glow seemed to envelop him. In that moment, I caught a glimpse 
of Heaven's Light. 

I was content with Bruce. Happy. And for a little while, my life felt 
almost complete. Then I met her. She was my babysitter, my friend, and 
later on, my partner. I was sixteen when I took her to my bed. 

That fateful night, it seemed as if all the heaven's, all the angels, 
and all the beauty of the world shined down upon her. Her face was 
brighter than the sun, her cheek softer than the moonbeams, and her 
beautiful emerald eyes shinned like stars. Their love reflecting in mine 
own. 

Then the light faded away. It was taken from me. She had laughed that 
bell like laugh of hers, and said I was too young. That it was a 
mistake. It wasn't until years later that I found out. That she didn't 
leave at her own will. That the Batman, my mentor, my father forced her 
to leave me. Said I was just a child and he would pursue legal action 
against her if this continued. 

When she left me, I just wanted to curl up in a tight ball and just die. 
She had taken my heart, and I knew she'd never let go. 

Time came to pass, and eventually lost my heart to another. So different 
then Babs. Wild and unruly. A creature driven only by emotions. When I 
laid eyes on her, everything Bruce ever taught me went flying out the 
window. And I fell head over heels in love with Princess Koriand'r. 

One day we were flying so high it felt as if nothing could ever tear us 
apart. But we did. Our wedding... Raven...

The pounding in my head is getting worse. She's by my side now. Funny, I 
didn't even hear her coming. She's leaning over me, and I can't help but 
stare at her... get a grip Grayson! I mentally slap myself. 

God she's so beautiful. 

Even in her tired, haggard appearance, her beauty shines through. Her 
usually lustrous hair hangs down limply on her shoulders. Her sparkling 
emerald eyes are now dull and clouded with tears. Dark circles form 
under her eyelids. 

With trembling fingers, I reach up and gently trace the outline of her 
cheek. Barbara reaches up and tightly clasps my hand. Tears begin making 
their way down her face. 

"You're finally awake," she says in a matter of fact manner, but I can 
hear the worry and desperation in her voice. I give her a shaky grin. 

"Yeah... finally." I look deeply into her eyes. 

I don't know why I waited so long. But its like the cloth was finally 
pulled from my eyes, and I see what's been right in front of me this 
whole time. I can feel my eyes begin to drift close again. And with the 
darkness, comes the hellish memories. 

But let 'em come. 'Cause I've got all the heaven I need right here. 

The End