When Children Play
By The Seitz (no1swinger@hotmail.com)

***

"Oh God Alfred, it was an accident." Dick tells me again.  "It was just 
supposed to be a joke."

He's explained his actions four times already, but I don't stop him 
from speaking.  He needs to vent, to distract himself from the horrible 
reality that one of his allies is lying on a hospital bed on the verge 
of death thanks to him and a childish act.

'When children play,' I think to myself.  Funny, but I can't remember 
the rest of the quote.  I'm getting old, to old for this.

Hunched over in a chair in the waiting room, Dick retells his story.  
"It wasn't' supposed to hurt her.  I barely used any, I've been hit 
with lots more and it never hurt me.  Oh God!  Alfred what have I 
done?"

Mustering up my own inner strength I place a hand on his shoulder.  He 
looks up and meets my eyes.

"Take a deep breath Master Dick, then tell me what happened."

He obeys, filling his frame with air and then letting it out.  Turning 
his eyes back to the floor he continues.

"I was talking to Babs and she said that Cass was starting to worry 
here again.  All she did was go out to patrol.  Her tracer had showed 
that she hadn't even left her cave during the day for almost two 
weeks."  He runs a hand through his hair.  "So one night while she was 
on patrol, I toilet papered her cave.  Just a prank, you know?"

I most certainly did not know, but nodded my head in understanding.  
'When children play.  . .' I think.

"And she came back and threw a fit." Dick continues.  "I stayed in the 
cave and hid and watched her just spaz out!  And then, when it looked 
like she had calmed down some, I came out of hiding and explained to 
here what I did.   She didn't know what a prank was until I explained 
it Alfred, she's an 18 year old girl and she had no idea of how to have 
normal fun."

I refrain from reminding Dick that his idea of "normal fun" might cost 
a team member their life.  'When children play. . .'

"So it started a prank war between us.  You should have seen it Alfred, 
she's so good at it.  She came into my apartment and moved my mattress 
onto the kitchen table.  So I snuck one of those little electronic fart 
noise makers into her utility belt and turned it on when she was 
talking to Batman, then she went out and bought a bunch of roses and 
delivered them to Huntress, saying they were from me, then went back to 
the Clocktower and told Babs that I had her give Huntress roses."

Dick looks up at me and tries to continue, but that would require 
justification of his actions.  He can't look me in the eye justify 
doing what he did.  He looks back to the floor.  'When children play... 
'

"So I thought I should get her back.  It had to be big though," he 
says, "something to top what she did to me, but . . . I didn't think it 
would hurt her."  I put my hand on his shoulder to stop the story.  I 
don't want Dick to going over it again out loud, as it will only serve 
to distress him further.

Besides, I know the story, I know how he had snuck into the cave and 
taken a smile vile of Scarecrow toxin.  I know how he invited Miss 
Cassandr overa to his home for a "truce" and then slipped the toxin on 
whatever it was she had been eating.

I also know that Richard has never seen the file Master Bruce keeps on 
Cassandra.  In the file Bruce explains his reason for the forbidding of 
Cassandra's engagement of costumed villians.  Dick doesn't know that he 
has done the exact thing Bruce feared Jonathan Crane doing.  Dick 
didn't know that Miss Cassandra's fragile mental psyche could very well 
shatter at the smallest exposure to any fear toxin, and it did.

The quote taunts me.  'When children play. . .'

Dick is still hunched over in thought.  I can only assume that he is 
remembering the parts of the story I must imagine.  How Miss 
Cassandra's eyes widened in fear, how she must have stumbled out of her 
seat, staring off at her greatest fear, trying desperately to escape 
it.  About watching the 18 year old girl go into shock, and then, go 
into Cardiac Arrest.

Dick sits next to me, no longer staring at the floor, but instead to 
the doorway where Miss Cassandra is being observed.  Her heart has been 
restarted numerous times, but her mental state is slipping.  It seems 
the only thing that is keeping her alive is her desire to live, which 
is dwindling minute by minute.  Bruce remains by her bedside, with 
J'onn J'onzz.  Together the two are trying desperately to coax the girl 
back from the edge.

'When children play. . . '

The sound of a door opening brings Richard and myself to our feet.  
J'onn comes through the doorway.  The look on his face tells me 
everything I need to know.  Richard waits until Bruce comes through the 
doorway, looking lost and broken, before it dawns on him.  With a 
choked sob he falls back into his seat, burying his face in his hands.  
Across the room I can see Barbara pull Tim into a fierce embrace as 
J'onn walks to me.

"We tried as hard as we could." He says in an almost soothing baritone.  
"In the end it was her choice."

"Thank you Master J'onn," I say, trying to hold back tears.  "Your help 
was greatly appreciated."

'When children play. . .' the quote screams through my brain, but I 
shut it out.  I have a feeling that the children in my life will never 
play again.

fin