When First I Knew 
By Jim Greeno (jgreeno@icnt.net)
  
*** 

The Clocktower, Gotham City

 
"Oracle here," Barbara Gordon said into the microphone as she donned her 
headset. 

"Hi, Barbara.  It's Dinah.  The death-defying Black Canary is back in town, 
ready for a bath and a nap." 

Babs laughed at her friend's greeting.  They had grown closer since Dinah 
finally discovered her identity.  It hadn't come about under the best of 
circumstances, but Babs was relieved to be able to share that part of her life 
with her newfound best friend.  It was nice to have a female friend her own 
age...especially one that enjoys dishing dirt as much as she does. 

"I trust everything ended well, Dinah.  Welcome home." 

"It ended very well, with an explosion as usual.  It's always nice to see a drug 
dealer's yacht sink to the bottom of the Atlantic," Dinah giggled in response. 

"Especially when you're not on it...," Babs replied. 

"Good point.  Thanks for the backup.  Aside from being the perfect partner in 
that situation, Tempest is FINE!  That cute scar, those arms, that BUTT...that 
boy makes Aquaman look like a walrus," Dinah retorted.  Babs had long since 
grown accustomed to Dinah's good-natured swooning.  As much as she seemed to 
fawn over men, it was (mostly) all talk. 

She'd also gotten used to keeping Dinah's libido firmly in check, "That 'boy' is 
married with children, Canary." 

Dinah sighed, "All the good ones are.  The next time you send in reinforcements, 
be sure to pick someone who's cute AND single."

Babs laughed, making a mental note to add the Changeling to her list of 
contacts.  A day or two of fending off the advances of Gar Logan would make 
Dinah rethink that request, she mused. 

"I have to break contact in a minute to drop in on a friend.  Anything important 
going on, or do I finally get a night off," Dinah asked. 

"Nope, the night's all yours to do with as you will.  You and your friend have a 
good time." 

"We will if she can cook.  I'm famished.  Later, gator," Dinah said as she 
signed off. 

Barbara removed her headset and wheeled away from her terminal.  As she prepared 
to test some new equipment, she was interrupted by a knock at her window as it 
was being hoisted open. 

Within seconds, Dinah Lance stood inside waving hello, a mischievous smirk on 
her face.  "Oh, don't look so surprised.  How many friends do you think I have 
in Gotham," she asked with a wink. 

Barbara giggled in reply as she waved back.  She was more than a bit unnerved by 
the sudden company, especially since she and Dinah hadn't spent any real time 
face-to-face since she was Batgirl. 

"I just wasn't expecting any visitors, Canary.  It is nice to see you though.  
Make yourself at home," Babs replied, waving Dinah inside with a smile. 
Dinah gave a mock curtsy, then walked about the apartment giving herself the 
nickel tour.  She stopped at Oracle's massive control center, a collection of 
active monitors, keyboards, and a host of other electronic doo-dads she couldn't 
even begin to fathom. 

"Jeeze, your power bill is probably higher than my life insurance payments," she 
said in jest. 

Barbara laughed again.  "These things come in handy when you specialize in 
keeping crazy superheroines busy and out of danger.  State-of-the-art GPS 
location equipment, a few workstations and servers for hacking, the latest in 
communication gear...everything a woman needs to keep your butt out of the 
fire." 

"Hmmmmm...," Dinah said as she inspected the equipment.  She looked over the 
main keyboard, picked up and fiddled with most of the peripherals, tried to make 
sense of the text streaming across the various screens, stopping briefly to poke 
Oracle's little Nightwing doll in the tummy as she tossed Babs a devilish 
glance. 

"Looking for something special, Dinah?" 

"Yeah, where's the 'Pizza' button?  I'm starved." 
  
*** 
  
After sharing a pizza and about two hours of superhero gossip, Dinah's attention 
shifted back to Oracle's terminal. 

"Let's play with your stuff." 

"Ha!  Actually, that's what I was getting ready to do when you showed up.  
Batman installed surveillance equipment all over the city during the No Man's 
Land fiasco, and I've just finished getting it back online," Babs replied. 

"Ooooooo, voyeurism!  Lead on!" 

Laughing, Babs rolled her way over to a workstation whose monitor displayed a 
grid of Gotham City, conveniently divided into numbered sectors.  Dinah pulled 
up a chair next to her. 

"Okay, here's how it works.  By touching one of the sectors on this screen, I'm 
connected immediately to the surveillance cameras in that area, which are then 
displayed on the large screen." 

Dinah looked around, confused.  "What large screen?" 

Barbara smiled as she touched one of the sectors on her monitor.  As she did, 
the wall above the monitor rotated inward, revealing a huge screen on the other 
side.  The screen was divided into eight different camera views in the vicinity 
of that sector. 

"Cool!  Okay, so what are the bright blue dots on the map for," Dinah inquired. 

"Well, a full blown gang war erupted among some of the still-devastated areas in 
Gotham a few hours ago.  Each blue numbered dot is Batman and/or one of his 
allies, who are no doubt dealing with the gangs." 

"Five dots...do you mean to tell me that Batman actually has four friends?  May 
wonders never cease," Dinah chided.  "What are we waiting for?  Let's start 
spying." 

Grinning wickedly, Dinah reached over and touched one of the blue dots on the 
map.  "Let's see what Mr. Sector 024 is up to." 

The display on the large screen changed abruptly, revealing Batman mired in a 
fight with several thugs, dispatching them with ease. 

"Does he know we're watching?  Can we talk to him?" 

Babs quickly typed some commands on the keyboard, transferring audio output to 
the speakers on her current workstation.  She then positioned a stationary 
microphone on the desk in front of her. 

"You can pretty much always assume that Batman knows what you're doing...and 
what you're thinking, for that matter.  And yes, we can talk to him now," Babs 
replied, signaling for Dinah to remain silent while she established contact.  

"Oracle to Batman." 

"Yes?"  Batman replied curtly as he finished off his remaining opponents. 

"Just checking in to see how things are going." 

"I'm fine.  Check in with the others." 

"Yes, sir!  Anything else, Your Holy Battiness, sir," Dinah said with a mock 
salute. 

One the large screen, Babs noticed Batman come to a sudden halt.  "Oracle?" 

Babs reached over and covered Dinah's mouth as she replied, "Ummmmmm...nothing, 
Batman.  Black Canary is here with me.  If you need an additional hand or..." 

"No," Batman interrupted.  "We'll be fine.  Batman out."  He broke the 
connection and resumed his climb to the rooftops. 

"SNOB!" Dinah yelled at the microphone, unaware that he could no longer hear 
her. 

Babs sighed, embarrassed yet amused.  "Dinah, please let me do the talking.  
It's voyeurism for you, but work for me," she said, giving Dinah a playful elbow 
to the ribs. 

"Okay, okay.  Let's move on to Mr. Sector 117," she responded as she touched the 
dot. 

The screen again changed views, this time to Azrael, who was patrolling the 
docks. 

Dinah's eyes widened.  She leaned over to Babs and whispered, "Can he hear us?" 

"No, not yet," Babs replied. 

Dinah spoke up, "Well then YUM!  Where have you been keeping this guy?  The next 
pizza is on me if you tell him to take off his shirt." 

Babs laughed uncontrollably.  "Let's move on, Canary.  If you drool too much in 
this room, you're bound to get electrocuted."  Babs touched the two overlapping 
dots on the map, which displayed Robin and Batgirl in the midst of about twenty 
opponents.  The two young heroes worked in tandem, assisting each other 
flawlessly as they fought. 

Dinah whistled, "Wow, Batgirl and Robin make a great team."  Glancing over at 
Babs as she nodded her agreement, Dinah detected a hint of sadness. 

Reaching over to give Barbara's shoulder a caring squeeze, she added, "But then 
again, as I recall, they always did, didn't they?" 

Babs smiled at the compliment.  Yes, it was nice to have friends.  Especially 
ones that understand even your most private remorse. 

"Uh oh," Dinah said, directing Babs' attention back to the viewscreen. 

As Robin and Batgirl finished off their remaining attackers, they were charged 
by eleven more.  Their backs near the end of an alley, things didn't look good.  
Robin gave Batgirl a signal, and they turned in unison, sprinting toward the 
dead end. 

As they neared the wall, they both jumped up, pushing off of it with their feet.  
Executing identical double flips, they each took out a thug as they landed.  The 
tide was instantly turned in their favor. 

"WHOA!  Nice move!" Dinah cheered. 

Babs smiled proudly.  "They had a great teacher." 

Dinah grimaced in disapproval.  "He may be a great teacher, but he's STILL a 
snob." 

Babs laughed aloud, shaking her head in amusement.  "No, that's just about the 
last thing Batman would teach them.  That part of their training isn't exactly 
his department." 

"Who then?" 

Barbara pointed invitingly at the city map.  "Mr. Sector 056." 

Sufficiently curious, Dinah touched the last remaining dot on the map.  The 
display switched to the corresponding sector.  There was a lot of activity on 
one camera display in particular, but no clear indication of a struggle of any 
kind. 

"Ooohh, he hasn't engaged yet," Babs said, grabbing a remote control.  With the 
press of a button, seven of the camera displays disappeared, and the last one 
was blown up to full screen.  It showed a collection of about twenty-five gang 
members, most armed, obviously preparing to mobilize. 

"What does that mean," Dinah asked. 

"It means we get to see the whole show, and I'm all out of popcorn," Babs 
replied with a mocking frown. 

Dinah smiled, "So where is he?" 

Babs pointed to the shadows near one of the corners of the screen.  "You can't 
see him now, but I'm willing to bet he's right there.  Hang on a sec."  Again 
signaling for quiet, Barbara activated a paging utility. 

The speakers kicked in, "Nightwing here." 

Babs perked up, an unconscious smile played across her lips.  "Hi there, Boy 
Wonder.  It looks like you're about to do something silly." 

A whispered laugh came in response, "C'mon, Babs.  You're wrecking my 
concentration.  I take it you got your surveillance gear up and running again, 
huh?" 

"Had to.  There's just nothing good on TV on Friday nights." 

"Well, far be it from me to disappoint my fans.  Ooops.  They're moving.  Gotta 
go."  He severed the connection. 

Within seconds, Nightwing became a prominent fixture on the viewscreen.  Babs 
wheeled herself several feet backward as he began his attack. 

Dinah looked over her shoulder at her, "Where are you going?" 

Babs smiled in response.  "The problem with watching Nightwing on the big screen 
is that he moves around so much.  If you sit too close, you have to turn your 
head back and forth the whole time, which gives me a headache." 

The events on the screen proved Babs right, and it wasn't long until Dinah 
rolled her desk chair back as well.  Aerial after aerial, kick after kick, flip 
after flip, Nightwing moved about his opponents like a whirlwind. 

Babs split her attention equally between Nightwing and Dinah.  At first, Dinah 
was watching in her stereotypical ogling manner, whistling and cheering as 
Nightwing performed stunts that no one without superpowers could duplicate.  As 
the fight wore on though, the playful facade faded away somewhat, and she became 
more interested in his technique. 

"God, he's amazing.  The combat moves are definitely familiar; you can tell 
Batman trained him.  But the aerials are incredible.  I've never seen anyone 
move like that." 

Babs shrugged, "That's because there isn't anyone else that can.  I've known him 
for almost fifteen years and have never seen anyone as naturally athletic as he 
is, even Batman.  That's why Batman leaves the aerial and gymnastic training to 
him." 

Dinah watched Babs with a sly smile, then started to giggle. 

"What," Babs asked incredulously. 

"You've got it bad for him," she winked.  "Not that I blame you." 

"I do NOT, Dinah." 

Dinah swiveled her chair to face Babs.  "Come on, Babs.  It's just you and me 
here.  You're in love with Nightwing, and don't even try to tell me you haven't 
realized it yet." 

Barbara's cheeks flushed a crimson red.  Her gut reaction was to get defensive, 
but she thought better of it.  Her relationship with Dinah had become very 
important to her.  It went without saying that confiding in her would eventually 
be one of the benefits, so why not start now? 

"Okay, yeah.  I love him.  I admit it.  You got me," she smiled in response.  
God, it felt good to say it, she thought. 

Dinah knew better than to make fun.  She hadn't known Barbara personally for all 
that long of a time, but it seemed obvious that she wasn't one to share her 
feelings very often. 

"Well, you've got impeccable taste.  He's a great guy." 

Babs smiled, "You barely even know him." 

Dinah giggled mischievously.  "I bet in some ways I know him better than you do, 
Babs." 

"You better not mean what I think you mean," Babs replied with a glare. 

Dinah's eyes popped open in shock.  "NO...No...no.  Not like that.  I just meant 
that in the ten years that I've known Roy, I've met Nightwing a few times, and 
have heard tons of stories that you probably haven't." 

"Oh?  Anything good?"  Now it was Barbara grinning. 

Laughing, Dinah replied, "Not really.  Just your typical guy stuff.  Roy and 
Nightwing have run the gamut on emotions over the years.  When they were kids, 
Roy hated him.  A few years later, he admired him.  If you ask him nowadays, 
he'll tell you that Nightwing is his best friend." 

"I don't really know Roy.  We've only met a couple of times." 

"I know.  According to Roy, Nightwing always kept his Titans life separate.  
During those years they had Titans Tower, when he was dating that Starfire girl, 
Roy says he didn't have much contact with Batman." 

Babs nodded in understanding.  "When he moved away from Gotham, we all kind of 
lost touch for a while.  We'd talk every now and then, sent e-mails, things like 
that.  So there's a big chunk of his life that I missed, and vice versa." 

"The stories I've heard are all good.  Great leader, great friend, yadda yadda 
yadda.  The things that really stood out for me though were the things he did 
for Roy.  Seeing him through his addiction as a kid, and especially how 
instrumental he was in getting Roy custody of Lian.  That was a big turning 
point in Roy's life, and he has Nightwing to thank for it." 

Babs smiled warmly.  "Yeah, that's the Nightwing I know.  He's been that way 
since he was little; before Robin, before Nightwing...always taking care of the 
people close to him..." 

They paused as Nightwing finished his battle.  Babs turned the viewscreen off 
and wheeled back to her living room, Dinah right behind her.  They sat in 
silence for a few moments. 

"So...," Dinah began.  "When did you first know?" 

"Know what?" 

"How you felt about him.  All great love affairs have that one moment where you 
just know.  What was yours?" 

Babs thought for a moment.  "It was about 5 years ago.  He'd been with the 
second group of Titans for about a year, and was just getting involved with 
Starfire.  I was working an arms smuggling case as Batgirl and needed help.  
Batman wasn't available, so..." 

*** 
  
Dick Grayson sat alone is his room at Titans Tower enjoying some much needed 
quiet time.  The past few weeks had been nothing if not hectic for the Titans.  
Between their run-in with the Disruptor, Brother Blood, an intergalactic war on 
Tamaran, and the emotionally grueling runaways case, the entire team was long 
overdue for a vacation. 

For Dick, leaving the Tower meant dealing with Bruce and Alfred, working on the 
handful of solo cases that still remained unsolved, unpacking and cleaning his 
apartment, and countless other obligations and duties that would cause nothing 
but frustration.  The Tower offered solitude, which Dick tried endlessly to 
convince himself he needed. 

The Titans commlink chimed and came to life, revealing the face of the 
Changeling, who was currently on monitor duty as he caught up with his 
schoolwork. 

"You've got a call on the priority line, Robbie." 

Dick looked at the comm in annoyance, "I'm not working today, Gar.  Tell them 
I'm not here."  Dick reached over and severed the connection. 

A moment later, it chimed again.  "Hiya, Robbie!  It's me!  Gar!  Remember me?  
Did I mention that your incoming call was from a civilian on the priority line?" 

Refusing to look at his teammate on the screen, he replied, "Is it Alfred?" 

"Nope." 

"Tell them I'm not here."  He broke the communication. 

It chimed again, "Dick, we have to stop meeting like this.  Do you know that you 
have, right this instant, a call coming in on the priority line from a FEMALE 
civilian?  A really hot and sexy female civilian that's really anxious to talk 
to you, even though you're the only superhero in the world that doesn't wear 
pants?" 

Dick tried to stifle a smile, but was still very annoyed.  "Gar, please...I'm 
really busy right now and just need some time to myself, okay?" 

"You got it, Robbie!  I'll handle it.  One date with me and she'll forget you 
even exist, pants or no pants!"  The commlink went dead again. 

Maybe a nap is what the doctor ordered, he thought to himself.  He moved over to 
the bed to lie down.  As soon as his head hit the pillow, the comm chimed yet 
again. 

"Robbie!  It's Gar again.  Your mysterious caller has threatened me with bodily 
harm if I do not deliver a message, which she made me write down.  I told her 
that I might enjoy a good spanking, but I don't think she's going for it.  So 
here we go," Gar paused to clear his throat.  "'Richard John Grayson, if you 
don't answer the comm immediately I'll tell the whole world that you wore 
Superman Underoos until you were twelve.'" 

Dick sat bolt upright in his bed.  "Babs!" 

"Yeah, Barbara Gordon.  Didn't I say that earlier?  Anyway, I told her you 
wouldn't care since your Robin costume is pretty much just Underoos with a 
cape..." 

Dick cut the communication to Gar, picked up the priority line and activated the 
small viewscreen.  "Babs!  It's great to see you!  How are you?" 

She smiled at the warm welcome.  "Aside from being verbally accosted by your 
green receptionist, I'm fine.  He said he needed my phone number for 'the file.'  
Just what kind of operation are you running over there, Boy Wonder?" 

"Bah, don't mind Gar.  He came with the building.  So what's up?" 

Barbara's demeanor changed a bit, "I wish I could say this was a social call.  I 
kind of got in over my head here in Gotham and could really use your help.  I 
stumbled onto something big that I don't think I can tackle by myself.  Bruce is 
away with the Outsiders, and if I mess this up...well...you know how he is..." 

Dick nodded briefly.  "You at home," he asked. 

"Yeah.  If you have time..." 

"I'm on my way." 
  
*** 
  
Dinah sat back on the couch.  "So you hadn't seen him in over a year, make one 
phone call, and BAM, he's on your doorstep?" 

Babs couldn't help but laugh at the generalization.  "Yeah, pretty much." 

"So what was the big emergency that Batgirl couldn't handle alone?" 

"I'd been tracking an arms dealer for a while.  He was putting together a big 
sale, I got all the info, but the day before it's supposed to take place, I find 
out the buyer is a runner for Ra's Al Ghul," Barbara explained. 

Dinah grimaced.  "Ouch, there's a guy you don't wanna cross..." 

"Tell me about it.  So Robin came and helped me break up the deal.  It went down 
at the old airfield.  We took out the perimeter guards easily, destroyed the 
shipment, and rounded up most of the goons.  But the buyer and a few of his men 
bolted in their cargo plane.  So we hop on Robin's motorcycle, fly down the 
runway, and manage to get aboard just as the plane goes airborne..." 

*** 
  
The wind coming in through the open cargo door was throwing off his balance and 
equilibrium.  The three men in the back of the plane were firing on him and 
Batgirl, and it was all they could do to find cover in time.  Unable to use 
their batarangs reliably, the Dynamite Duo deployed a few flash capsules to 
blind their opponents. 

The stun from the capsules enabled them to work their way forward.  Two of the 
thugs fled the cargo area while the third covered them with sprays of automatic 
gunfire.  The plane began to pitch violently now that the pilot was informed of 
their uninvited presence. 

As they tried to move within range of the gunman, the plane pitched again, 
causing Batgirl to lose her handhold.  She tumbled quickly toward the open door 
as she scrambled to find something to hold onto. 

"Robin!" she screamed.  He turned to her quickly, but only in time to see her 
fall helplessly out the door. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he yelled.  He tossed another flash capsule in the 
direction of the gunman and covered his eyes as it detonated.  As the flash 
cleared, Robin pulled his grapnel gun from his utility belt, aimed, and fired. 

The grapnel line hit the gunman squarely in the chest, shattering several ribs 
in the process.  The man's body went limp and with the continued pitching 
movement of the plane, he fell toward Robin.  Robin grabbed hold of him and 
quickly began removing the parachute strapped to his torso.  Once it was free, 
Robin flung himself out of the open cargo door without a second thought. 

Clutching the parachute to his chest, he angled his body downward, vastly 
increasing his rate of descent.  Within a few moments, he caught sight of 
Batgirl and altered his course to intercept her.  He grasped her around the 
midsection as they collided, the impact causing them both to spin out of 
control. 

Though she was still consumed by the initial terror of her plight, not to 
mention dazed from the dizzying blow she suffered from Robin, she knew to go 
limp and trust the young aerialist to  steady them both.  In seconds she found 
herself once again in proper freefall position, only now Robin was astride her 
back, his legs wrapped around her waist.  She felt him remove her cape, and a 
huge wave of relief washed over her as she realized he was fastening a parachute 
to her back. 

He then reached across and grabbed her right hand in his left, released his 
legs, and swung around to match her position.  Facing her, he grabbed her other 
hand, looked her in the eye and shrugged.  She gasped in horror as she noticed 
he wasn't wearing a parachute of his own. 

She tried fruitlessly to call out to him in protest as he released her hands and 
pulled her ripcord. 

*** 
  
"He did NOT," Dinah squealed. 

Babs smiled knowingly and halted her story.  "He most certainly did." 

"If he didn't hang on when he pulled your cord, how did he survive?  I mean, for 
him to have had time to catch up to you and pass off the chute, you guys must 
have been somewhere near fifteen thousand feet." 

"I suppose we were, though I couldn't really be sure.  To be perfectly honest, 
I'm not sure how he landed as safely as he did, but it was our capes that slowed 
his descent," Babs replied. 

"Your capes?  And just how does that work?" 

"Our capes had a very strong elasticity to them.  If we ever found ourselves in 
a position where we had to jump from some insane height, we could remove our 
capes, make a couple of quick modifications, and use them as mini-parachutes.  
Batman designed them to slow your fall enough to provide options," she 
explained. 

"Yeah, from a few hundred feet or so...but from as high as you guys were?" 
Babs shrugged, "Well, he had both of our capes.  But like I said, he never told 
me how he did it.  After what he did for me that day, I figured I owed him that 
one secret..." 

*** 
  
His plan was working, but not nearly as well as he'd hoped it would.  Even with 
one modified cape on each shoulder he wasn't losing enough speed to land 
normally.  As the city below him grew closer and closer, his mind raced for some 
kind of alternative solution. 

Launching a grapline wasn't an option.  He'd have to slow his fall considerably 
before even the longest grapnel swing would be possible.  At his current rate of 
descent, he wouldn't be able to hold the line. 

"Face it, Grayson.  You're going to have to do this the hard way." 

He began swinging his legs back and forth.  If he was to have any chance at 
breaking his momentum, he'd have to release at a downward angle than was no 
greater than seventy degrees; and even that was pushing it.  If he continued 
straight downward, he was dead for sure. 

He unfastened his tunic and carefully eased himself down until he was hanging 
from its arm holes.  The added distance from the chutes gave his swing a bit 
more form.  The buildings below him were coming up fast.  It was time to move. 

Releasing his hold on the tunic at the highest part of his forward swing, Robin 
quickly tucked and rolled.  Solidifying his center of gravity would help him 
achieve the angle he needed to survive the fall.  As he neared the corner edge 
of a tall building, he stopped his spin and stretched out.  He bent into a 
perfect pike position just before his feet made contact with the ledge. 

With his weight centered squarely in his shoulders, the impact with the ledge 
was only enough to slightly change his course and speed.  He repeated the move 
four more times between the two nearest buildings, each time adding as much 
spring as possible when his legs made contact.  Unable to sustain another 
"jump," Robin brought his grapnel to bear and fired high.  The line caught and 
held, and Dick began his swing. 

He wrapped the line twice around each hand, then trapped the lower part of the 
line between his feet, clasping them together as hard as he could manage.  The 
sheer force and momentum of the swing wrenched both of his arms from their 
sockets, but he managed to hang on, dangling from the line for several minutes.  
The pendulum he became eventually slowed enough for him to slide down and drop 
safely to the ground, where he dragged himself into an alley and collapsed. 

"Owwwwwwwwww," he muttered as he woke two hours later.  After tending to his 
dislocated shoulders, he made his way to the Wayne Enterprises building some 
forty blocks away, where he could arrange for transportation back to the Cave... 

*** 
  
"Okay, so you land safely, he lands safely...then what?" 

"Oh, we landed safely all right, but miles from each other.  I thought he was 
dead.  I was devastated...so I headed back to the airfield to get his 
motorcycle, drove around for a while to gather my wits, then went to Batman's 
lair to relay the news," Babs responded. 

*** 
  
Batgirl angled the motorcycle toward the holographic wall that led to the 
Batcave, passing into the tunnel beyond.  Tears fell freely from her eyes, 
welling on the inside of her helmet's visor.  She glided the motorcycle to a 
stop just inside the parking bay and let it fall on its side as she climbed off.  

She removed her helmet and hurled it at a nearby trophy case in a fit of rage 
and despair, causing a thunderous crash.  She pulled off her cowl and dropped to 
her hands and knees, her body wracked with uncontrollable sobs. 

"BABS?!?" 

The raised voice coming from the entrance to the medlab across the Cave startled 
her, and she raised her head in response.  It couldn't be... 

Standing there, dressed only from the waist down in sweatpants, was Dick 
Grayson.  He dashed to her side in an instant, though he seemed to be having 
trouble with both of his legs.  He gently pulled her into a sitting position as 
he knelt beside her, then did his best to wipe the tears from her eyes. 

"Babs?  Are you hurt?  God, I thought I lost you." 

She looked up at him with wide eyes.  It took her a moment to find her voice, 
"No...not hurt.  You...you're okay?" 

He smiled down at her, "I won't be running in any marathons for a while, but 
I'll live.  I can't tell you how glad I am to see you.  When I got back here and 
couldn't raise you on the radio, I thought...well...I'm just really happy you're 
here, Babs." 

Dick helped her stand up and held her at arms' length.  Tears got the best of 
both of them, and they pulled each other into a tender hug. 

Babs pulled away from him after a minute in his arms and looked deeply into his 
eyes... 

*** 
  
"And you kissed him!  Side-by-side in battle, together in a moment of INSANE 
danger, barely cheating death, both thinking you'd lost each other, reunited at 
last, our favorite heroine grabs her man by the ears and kisses him like he's 
never been kissed," Dinah shouted gleefully. 

Babs blushed profusely again and turned away, silent. 

Dinah stopped her cheering and considered her friend for a moment.  A look of 
disbelief began to creep across her beautiful features.  "No.  Awww, Babs, no!  
Don't tell me you let him walk away without showing him how you feel!  Or at 
least telling him!" 

Babs sheepishly returned Dinah's gaze.  "Well, not exactly..." 

*** 
  
Dick put his hand to his mouth tenderly.  His lips were tingling, almost numb 
from the sensation.  Logically, it was an emotionally charged moment, and he 
supposed he couldn't blame her for reacting as she had.  But to expect THAT?  
From Babs?  It was almost unthinkable.  He finally admitted that at 18, he 
hadn't learned all that much about how women work.  If he wanted to know where 
that came from, he would simply have to ask. 

"Ummm, Babs?  Look, I just don't want there to be any misunderstandings about 
what's going on here, so I'm just going to ask."  He continued nervously, yet 
determined, "I understand that you're probably feeling a million things toward 
me right now because of what happened today, but...ummmmmmm...Did you really 
have to PUNCH ME IN THE MOUTH??" 

He stood up from the ground and tried to stop his bleeding lip with the back of 
his hand. 

She stared daggers at him.  "How dare you, Dick Grayson!  How DARE YOU scare me 
like that!  You had NO RIGHT to do what you did today!  No right!  What happened 
on that plane was MY mistake, and you had no business putting yourself in that 
position!" 

"Babs..." 

"NO!  What if you'd been killed, Dick?  Huh?  What if I'd lost you?  How would I 
live with that?  How could you expect me to ever be able to live with myself?"  
The tears burned hot trails down her cheeks. 

"I'm sorry, Babs..."  Dick walked over to the practice mat, pulled a fresh towel 
from the rack, and wiped the blood from his lips.  He suddenly looked over at 
her and threw the towel in her face.  "No!  You know what, Babs?  I'm NOT sorry!  
There I go apologizing yet again for being who I am.  Well not this time, 
Barbara.  No way..." 

Babs turned away from him and began to walk away.  "I don't want to talk about 
this anymore, Dick." 

He limped his way over to her as quickly as he could and seized her by the arm.  

"No, Babs!  We ARE going to talk about this.  For once in my life, SOMEONE is 
going to listen to ME in this damned cave!" 

She abruptly pulled her arm from his grasp, but didn't turn away. 

Dick took a deep breath to reign himself in a bit.  "Look, Babs, if there's 
anyone in the world that understands what you're saying, it's me.  No, it's not 
fair to ask someone to live without the people and things that help make them 
who they are.  It's not fair that either of us had to grow up without our 
parents.  It's not fair to have to lose my second father because he can't accept 
that I've grown up. 

"But Babs, it's also not fair for you to stand here and ask me to stand by and 
do nothing as someone else I care about disappears from my life; someone I care 
so much about...someone I love.  I did what I did today because I didn't want to 
lose you.  Yeah, there was a real chance that I wouldn't make it and it scared 
the hell out of me.  But if I had to do it over again, I wouldn't do anything 
differently. 

"And if there ever IS a next time, and I don't make it, I'll tell you exactly 
how to live with yourself...Live every day knowing that someone loved you THAT 
much.  But don't ask me not to try or hope, because in a lot of ways, that's all 
I have left." 

She looked at him for a moment, then turned and walked away.  She stopped 
briefly in the medlab to tend to her own minor wounds, then showered and 
changed.  As she entered the main area again, she noticed Dick sitting on the 
stairs, taping his ankles. 

He stood as Babs neared the stairs.  "Can I ask you something?" 

Babs hesitated a moment before responding.   "Sure," she said without looking at 
him. 

He looked at her as if confused or embarrassed.  "Would you have let me fall, 
Babs?" 

She started to answer him, then looked into his eyes and realized the true 
gravity of the question.  For the first time since she'd known him, Dick Grayson 
doubted her. 

Babs walked up to him and gently took his face in her hands.  Using her thumb, 
she carefully brushed some of the dried blood from his lower lip.  "I am so 
sorry for what I said, Dick.  I was upset, and I didn't mean it.  Any of it.  
And no, Boy Wonder.  I will never let you fall, because I love you THAT much." 

The words surprised her as they escaped her lips.  She wanted to look away, to 
run, but she couldn't.  She stood captivated by his crystal blue eyes, warmed by 
the relief they betrayed. 

Dick looked down at her in sudden awe.  It wasn't her words that held him 
steady, it was her touch.  He leaned into her hands slightly and found his own 
on the small of her back, pulling her to him. 

The kiss began tentatively, expected by neither, initiated by both.  There was 
no sense of urgency or hunger, no overwhelming abundance of passion.  It was a 
caress, a sensual expression of shared emotion.  Her arms moved around his neck, 
his around her waist.  Time stood still as they tasted one another.  And when 
they stopped, they moved into a warm, satisfying embrace. 

Dick and Babs pulled away from each other, sharing a loving smile. 

"I should really go, Dick.  Dad will be worried." 

"Me, too.  I have a Titans meeting, and should probably have Leslie give me a 
once over." 

They parted ways that night, never again discussing what had transpired. 

*** 
  
"Earth to Babs!" 

Barbara shook herself from her reverie.  "What?  I'm sorry.  What did you say?" 

"I asked you, for the millionth time, why you didn't tell him how you felt, or 
just plain plant one on him?" 

Babs giggled, "Oh, I don't know, Dinah.  I guess I was just too flustered right 
then." 

"And what about now?  I'm sure we can get that huge hunk of equipment over there 
to make an 'I Love You' e-mail," Dinah chided. 

"Things are different now.  I think we genuinely love each other, but things are 
so complicated anymore.  I don't think he loves me the way he used to.  I mean, 
I don't think he cares any less...he may even care more now.  But it was so 
simple then." 

"It didn't seem very simple then, either.  You just told me that the moment you 
knew you loved him was spread over a roller coaster day five years ago." 

Babs shook her head, "That's not what I said at all.  That was just the story 
surrounding it." 

"Well?  When was it?" 

"I knew I loved him the very instant he pulled my ripcord, I've known ever 
since, and I never stopped.  Before that day, that moment, I'd always seen him 
as a kid.  But he grew up while I wasn't looking, in a million different ways." 

"Good answer!  And you don't think that his answer to the same question will be 
just as simple?" 

Barbara laughed, "Not anymore, Dinah.  With his life the way it is, mine as 
distracting and hectic as it's been the last couple years, and this wheelchair, 
nothing is that simple anymore." 

The computer terminal began to beep. 

"Uh oh.  I'm being paged," Babs said as she rolled over to her workstation and 
picked up the microphone.  "Oracle here." 

"Hey, Babs.  Anything good on TV yet?" 

"Nope, still waiting for the midnight edition of Nightwing's Night Out," Babs 
joked. 

Nightwing chuckled.  "Well, there will definitely be a midnight performance, but 
unless we get a guest star or two over to the studio, the title character just 
might get his butt kicked." 

"Oh, we can't have that, now can we?  What's the situation?" 

"I'm looking at twice what I ran into back in the warehouse district.  Looks to 
be about 45-55 down there, all armed.  Anyone close to my location available?" 

Babs looked at her monitors for a moment.  "Actually, Nightwing, we're the 
closest to you," she looked over her shoulder at Dinah, who nodded as she put 
her boots back on. 

"And who exactly is 'we?'" 

"You'll see.  It's sweeps time, so we'll get better ratings if we have a 
surprise guest star," she replied. 

"Can they be here in ten?" 

Babs looked back again only to find herself alone in the apartment.  "They're on 
their way now, Former Boy Wonder." 

*** 
  
"The new suit has style, but I sure miss those bare legs of yours, Nightwing." 
Nightwing grabbed Black Canary by the wrist and tugged her to the ground beside 
him. 

"On the first date?  You didn't even buy me dinner," Dinah said, feigning 
exasperation. 

"Nice to see you, too, Canary.  Ready to go to work?" 

The playfulness subsided as Dinah surveyed the opposition.  "What've we got?" 

***
  
This time Babs made popcorn.  The midnight edition of Nightwing's Night Out 
didn't disappoint, and the surprise guest star was outstanding in her supporting 
role.  As they cut through the myriad collection of goons, their lips never 
stopped moving.  And with two characters like Dinah and Dick, it was almost 
painful to not be able to hear what they were saying. 

She'd just have to get Bruce to install audio pickups in the surveillance 
units... 

*** 
  
It took the better part of an hour before Nightwing and Black Canary completed 
their task.  51 men lay in various states on unconsciousness around them.  
Satisfied with their work, they headed back to the rooftops. 

"So, were you just in the neighborhood, or did Babs drag you down here for our 
little gang war," Nightwing asked. 

"Nope, we were just hanging out.  Ate pizza, spied on Batman, lotsa girl talk.  
Think of it as a Girls' Night In," Dinah replied with a wink. 

"Sounds like fun.  How's she doing?" 

"She's just fine, though I think she could use a night on the town.  Hint, hint, 
hint." 

Dick shook his head with a laugh, "Babs has made it abundantly clear that she 
doesn't need me for that.  I think the exact quote was, 'I don't like to be 
pushed.'" 

"Nightwing, for a couple of people so endlessly smart and talented, you and 
Oracle are two of the dumbest and most stubborn people I know." 

Dick bowed elegantly.  "Why thank you so much for saying so, Ms. Canary," he 
laughed.  "It's just not as simple as some people make it out to be." 

"It's exactly that simple," Dinah said incredulously.  She smiled up at Dick as 
she secretly activated her communication equipment.  "Do you love her?" 

Dick blushed a little, but responded, "Of course I do.  It's no big 
secret...never has been." 

"When did you know that you loved her?  Was there any one particular moment," 
Dinah asked, holding his gaze steady. 

"That's easy, Batman's birthday, 14 years ago.  Batman was going out, and I 
needed a sitter.  That was the first time I ever saw her.  Dark blue jeans, red 
sweater, white turtleneck underneath, tennis shoes, hair in a ponytail...I'll 
never forget that," Dick said shyly. 

"And now?" 

He shrugged, "Dinah, I fell in love with her that night, and all over again 
every day since.  I'm a better person just for knowing her, and every time I see 
her, or think about her, I feel it.  It's one of the few certainties in my 
life..." 

"Sounds pretty simple to me..." 

He ducked his head a bit as he spoke, "Yeah, well, that's how I feel.  It's how 
I've always felt, and I think she knows that." 

Dinah giggled as she turned and readied her jumpline.  "Well, if she didn't 
before, she does now."  Black Canary launched her line and felt it take hold.  
She raised her canary pendant to her lips as she winked at Nightwing.  "Good 
night, Oracle.  My work is done here."  And with that, she leapt from the 
rooftop, swinging out into the late night sky. 

"Wait," Dick called after her.  "Was she...did she hear...Oh, man." 

*** 
  
Babs sat back in her chair, a stray tear making its way down her cheek, but a 
wistful smile playing on her lips.  She glanced over at the large viewscreen 
showing Nightwing on one of the many rooftops just outside the warehouse 
district.  The stricken, embarrassed look on his face was priceless. 

Babs leaned forward again and opened a communication channel.  "Oracle to 
Nightwing." 

The reply came a few heartbeats later, "Nightwing here.  Hi, Babs." 

"I need a hand with something, if you have time," she said. 

"Sure, what's up?" 

She hesitated, her defensive shyness temporarily getting the best of her.  "I'm 
stuck somewhere between the past and the present, and I'd like to start heading 
toward my future." 

Babs giggled as she saw the smile spread slowly across his handsome features. 

"Sounds like a tough one, Babs.  How can I help?" 

She paused again, half nervous and half teasing.  "Well, I could use a push in 
the right direction..." 

"I'm on my way," he responded as he closed the communication. 

Babs watched as he leapt at once from the rooftop, flawlessly executed his 
patented quadruple spin, launched his jumpline, and began his northbound 
swing...to her... 

Which is exactly where he belongs, she thought with a smile. 
  
  
END