Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They all belong 
to DC comics. The lyrics are from “Yours Forever by John Mellencamp. I do not 
make any money from it and do not intend to infringe on any copyrights.

Summary: Barbara finally gains her second chance. 

Lyrics are set aside in *s, and / / denotes thought. Hope you like. ^_^

***

Rose Petals
By Rose (TempestGal2000@aol.com)

***

Barbara held the old Bible in her grasp. Running her fingers over the soft 
leather cover, tiny pieces broke off in her hands. Carefully, she flipped to 
the center and stared down at the petals pressed neatly between its 
discolored pages. Barbara let her hand hover almost reverently over them 
before grasping the petals in slightly wrinkled fingers. Their color had 
turned from deep scarlet to faded brown, and though they had long lost any 
moisture, they still slid between her fingertips like silk.

Bringing them up to her face, Barbara tried to smell the rich scent of roses, 
but wrinkled her nose at the dusty smell. It did not matter. Closing her 
eyes, she could replace it with an even sweeter scent... that of Dick 
Grayson. To this day, she could still remember it. Bruce had returned the 
college sweatshirt she’d given Dick. Many nights she slept with it, resting 
her head upon it as a pillow. Turning her head into the material, she would 
snuggle and breathe in the young man’s lingering scent, engraving it into her 
memory.

No, she would never forget it. Even now, decades later, Barbara would close 
her eyes and take a deep breath. If she concentrated hard enough she could 
pretend he was there in the room, holding her close.

Barbara looked over to the mirror and noted the silver hair that framed her 
face. Taking a brush in her tired hand, she ran it through silken threads and 
looked into the image staring back at her. The passing of many years and 
hardships had carved many creases into her once vibrant skin. //Soon,// she 
closed her eyes and smiled softly.  //Soon.//

*Here we are in the grays of winter
Here we are just me and you
Hold my hand
Let's face tomorrow
Tomorrow still holds out its hands to you*

Fingering the controls on her mechanical wheelchair, Barbara moved out on to 
the balcony of her apartment. She no longer had the strength to push herself 
around anymore. Unconsciously, Barbara's fingers tightened around the rose 
petals still in her grasp. Dick had proposed to her so many nights before on 
that very same balcony.

He had carried with him a single red rose, and clutching it in her hands, she 
had told him ‘no’ that night. How was she to know that it would be the last 
time she would see him, how was she to know she would regret that night for 
the rest of her life? For Nightwing died not a week later, and Barbara had 
not had the chance to tell him that she had changed her mind.

A single tear traced a salty path down the old woman’s cheek. Wind lightly 
blew at her hair, and Barbara smiled to herself.  Soon. It was her only 
comfort. The chill of late autumn did not effect her, and leaning back in her 
chair, she let her tired eyes close.  //Soon.//

*This precious time
We've only borrowed
The autumn winds have blown on through
A quiet thought will tell our story
Tomorrow still holds out its hands to you*

Tim closed the door behind him as he stepped into the old apartment. It 
amazed him that Barbara chose to stay here all these years. Bruce had asked 
her to stay with them at the manor all those years ago, but she refused. Tim 
smiled. Nothing would ever change Barbara's iron will and strength. So Bruce 
came and visited her every day, and Tim had taken it upon himself when his 
mentor no longer could. Now, he and Barbara were all that remained of their 
close family. 

“Barbara?” he called out.  //Odd,// he thought.  The older woman usually met 
him at the door with a large smile spread across her face. “Barbara?” he 
tried again.

Then a subtle movement drew his attention to the balcony. Dark curtains blew 
softly in the breeze from the open door, and Tim could feel the chill in the 
air. Hugging his arms to his body, he went out to join her, intending to 
bring her back indoors.  //She must be freezing.//

“Hey Babs...” he started to say but halted at the glass door. Taking a long, 
deep breath, Tim closed his eyes and slowly bowed his head.

*Yes, tomorrow still holds out its hands to you*

Darkness. At first she sensed nothing, and then she felt the sensation of 
comforting hands lightly resting upon her shoulders. Barbara turned around, 
somehow already sensing who it was. She nearly cried as she gazed up into the 
twinkling eyes of Richard Grayson.

“Are you real?” she barely whispered. He looked just as he did the night she 
had seen him last.

“Are you?” Standing there, she could actually see the twinkle in his eyes 
grow. She stared into those eyes for a moment and then looked down at 
herself. For the first time in what seemed as long as she could remember, 
Barbara stood on her own. She raised a hand to hold out a lock of hair. Red. 
In amazement she looked back to Dick’s eyes. His warm gaze held nothing but 
love as he reached down to open the fist Barbara did not even realize she 
held clenched.

They both looked down at the rose petals, once again deep scarlet, a moment 
before Barbara spoke. “I’m ready now.”

“I know.”

Silently, he took her hand and they both stepped into the light together.

*So here's some wings
They're yours forever
And here's some dreams that will come true
Take these tears to wash away your sorrow
Tomorrow still holds out its hands to you
Yes tomorrow still holds out its hands to you*

~Finis~