"Barbara... I need you to come to the cave... It concerns Dick...

" Bruce's hoarse voice spoke into the

comlink as he canceled the transmission soon after. Never had he thought he'd have to experience the
loss of losing another son... Never had he thought it would be the first boy he opened his heart to...
Bruce looked at the table where his first son, Richard Grayson had been laying in a seemingly peaceful
slumber, still in his Nightwing Armor but without his face mask. Alfred could be heard and seen
weeping by said table... But Bruce didn't have time to weep as much as the pain hurt he had to take
action, he had to do something. He had to stop what Superman was doing... It was what Dick died for,
it was what Damian killed Dick for... Damian... Bruce didn't know how to feel about the boy, his
legitimate son. He thought he had trained and raised him better than any of his other sons... And now
Dick's fiancee was on her way to see why her future husband wasn't coming home... How her child
wouldn't have a father... Yes he knew, how could he not he was the Batman and he did care about his
family and subordinates to know why one of his first prodigies had started to take nights off from her
shifts patrolling Gotham.... He would have to tell her everything that had happened in Arkham
afterwards, he would allow her to weep, then he would ask Alfred to drive to her Father's then Alfred
could have his turn to spend the night how he seemed fit... Then Bruce would spend the night how he
would...
Minutes slipped by into hours. The red-head had long since given up on sleep, opting to pace around
their vacant bedroom. She had been so close to telling him of their unborn child. Stroking her stomach
for a moment, a serene look crossed her face. It had been a complete accident. She had even been on
birth control at the time of conception. Barbara liked to think of the child as a miracle, but chance was
more like it. A frown passed over her face as she continued to pace, half tempted to chew on her nails.
'A trip to Arkham shouldn't take this long. Okay, so stopping Superman and co. in their tracks is
definitely not an easy task, but still...' Looking to the closet, she gazed at her Batgirl attire that had been
put up for the time being. She couldn't go charging into a gun fight while carrying their child, though
she had found excuse after excuse to even prevent her from going out on patrol. Easily the red-head
could remember waking one morning with her hair held up to vomit. 'And to think I didn't figure out
what was going on until a few days later.' Her expression softened once more as she looked to the
clock. Something just wasn't right. She couldn't place her finger on it, but there was a sinking feeling in
her stomach and she definitely didn't mean the baby. Jumping as her comm-link spoke, she knew that
voice anywhere. Bruce. Why hadn't Dick contacted her, though? Was he hurt? The sinking feeling
turned into a giant pit. What had happened to Dick that Bruce couldn't tell her over the comm-link? She
didn't have time to ask as it clicked off. Pushing her thoughts aside for the time being, she grabbed a
pair of jeans and sweater, throwing them on before slipping on a pair of shoes. Pulling her keys off of
their hook, she stepped outside their home, locking it up and hurrying outside. 'This isn't like him... He
must be in pretty bad shape if Bruce has him at the manor...' A thought crossed her mind. 'No, no, no.
He can't be dead. He just can't. He's far, too smart to get killed in Arkham.' The red-head wanted to cry
at just the thought, but shoved it away once more. There was no sense in fretting about it until she saw
Dick. He was probably sitting on one of Alfred's operating tables with that goofy grin of his and just
chatting it up as Alfred stitched him up. That thought put a smile on Barbara's face as she climbed into
their car and started the engine. Seconds turned to minutes as she finally arrived in front of the manor.
Turning off the engine, she got out of said car and made a bee-line for the front door. Rather than
knocking, she let herself in, half expecting to see Alfred shaking his head at Dick's antics. That pit in
her stomach seemed to grow larger and larger still as she didn't see Alfred and didn't hear him either.
"Oh god... Please no..." Taking a deep breath, she made her way down to the cave, stopping on the last
few stairs. There he was on that table... Alfred was crying... The red-head froze. She knew that sooner
or later one of them would go down in the field, but never Dick. It was always an option, but she had
never thought he would be die from something so simple as going to Arkham to stop Superman and the
rest of the Justice League from harming the criminals they had put away. Feeling the wet, warm liquid

running down her cheeks, she turned her attention to Bruce. If he hadn't taken Dick from her that night,
this wouldn't have happened. The former boy-wonder would be curled up in their bed, caressing her
stomach and holding her close. She didn't know which emotion was more over-whelming. The sorrow,
pain, or anger. Storming over to Bruce, she snapped. "What the hell happened!? What did you let
happen!? WHY HIM!?" The tears didn't stop falling as she glared up at Bruce, expecting to receive
something of an answer from him. She knew Alfred's gaze was on her, but she didn't care. The man she
loved was dead. Their baby was fatherless. She was angry and wanted revenge. "Who did this
dammit!?"
"Who isn't here Barbara?"
Bruce answered her the best he could to shield his own grief. Damian Wayne was the reason why Dick
was on that table... It was an accident, Bruce knew it to be true, however he didn't care. The minute he
saw Dick's lifeless body that went the Father he wanted to be to both Dick and Damian... Tim and
Jason... They didn't know yet. They were off doing whatever it was they did... Tim was bitter with
Bruce taking in Damian so he became Red Robin and left Gotham to fight crime on a global scale....
Jason on the other hand, well after the incident with his failed attempt to assassinate the Joker, he left
Gotham too. The last Bruce heard was he had become a mercenary taking care of criminals his own
way elsewhere away from Gotham and Bruce. It was only Dick, Barbara, and Damian for the longest
time and in the mean time Bruce didn't mind. Then this whole thing happened, first Metropolis and
Lois dying, then Joker dying, and now Dick had been killed and Damian was gone... Superman not
only had went too far but now thanks to him, his rise to power was claimng those he cared about...
Perhaps Bruce was to blame? Perhaps he jumped the gun too soon... Perhaps it was his fault Dick had
died... "Alfred could you take Barbara to her father?" There was more he had wanted to say to the
young woman, but nothing he did or say would or could comfort her, nothing could bring back his son
or her future husband, or her child's father... All he could do was prepare his son's funeral and prepare
for the next upcoming conflict against Superman...