Nothing But the Rain Who: Dick and Cass Where: Midtown Rooftops; The Batcave When: September 1, 2012. After 3:00AM. What: Nightwing finally tracks down Batgirl, and the two reconnect. Rating: PG-13? Status: Completed
The rain covered the night in a second layer of darkness, its thunderous tempo blending with the din of the city, covering Nightwing in his perch atop the building. He peered down at a black form in the corner that could easily have been a gargoyle save for the dipping of its head.
The girl was a master at stealth. He'd known it for a long time. Her skills were uncanny, near inhuman, though they had come at a great cost. Cassandra had only ever been taught the language of violence. She could read body movement and expression with almost no effort, but had difficulty getting people to understand her. It was a solitude, a prison sentence that hadn't been broken until Bruce had discovered her.
More accurately, when she had discovered him. In all the world, only a handful could understand Cassandra's solitary language, most of them assassins and mercenaries. Then there was Batman, and he gave her a hope and a sense of belonging that must have been like water in a drought. At first, Dick had fought tooth and nail about his adopted father's choice to turn her into one of his soldiers. He thought - and to a degree still did - that it was not right to deny her a chance at a normal life. What he didn't know was how much she needed... this. Being Batgirl.
And this girl, now a young woman almost five years later, remained one of the single greatest hand to hand combatants in the world. That wasn't hyperbole. That was the work of two fathers. One who saw her as a tool, to be shaped into a deadly assassin. And one who saw her as capable of a greater legacy. Before she came along, Dick had thought it would only ever be him and Bruce. They knew the cost, the sacrifice they were making, to protect people from the tragedy that had taken their parents. She became a symbol of Bruce's fanatic devotion to his cause, but also to a concept Dick had been too scared to believe. They were not alone. There were others who understood, who were willing to put everything on the line.
And here she was, in the pouring rain, on the rooftop below. At first he thought she was staking out a criminal, or a lead on Bruce's murder. Then her head dipped, and snapped back up, and dipped again. She had pushed herself to the limit. Fatigue and hunger and the weary pain of a body pushed to its limits. Bruce was his father, true, but in a way he was also hers. A mentor, a strong guide. With him gone, it fell to Dick to take care of her. She was at once ally, friend and sister. But no matter what label one could put on it, she was his responsibility.
He should never have let it get this far.
Dick descended to the edge where she crouched, sneaking up on her. The closest he'd ever gotten was four meters, but she was beyond her limits now. The rain poured on them, unrelenting, and Dick spoke just loudly enough to be heard over the pounding of water on the rooftop. "Hey, kid. It's time." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Time to come home."