Love Birds

Chapter Sixty

-Dick's POV-

I hovered near the operating table. Alfred was checking and re-checking her vitals and all the systems. I sat in a chair, watching her. After she had freed me from Joker, I contacted Bruce and he was taken away. He laughed the entire away. I was surprised he could even chuckle with how close Athena was to killing him.

I rushed her to the Batcave as quick as possible. After Joker was safely locked away, the rest of the Bat family took care of the released inmates rather fast. I was glad; I didn't want to leave Athena.

I saw her arm twitch. Rushing to her side, I was blocked by Alfred. "Is she awake?" I asked, looking over his shoulder. He placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse. In a blink of an eye, she grabbed Alfred's wrist in a tight grab.

She hazily opened her eyes. Alfred yanked his hand from her grip. "Oh, sorry. Instinct," she mumbled, sitting up. I pushed through Alfred and rushed towards Athena. She giggled at my urgency.

"Are you okay?" I grabbed her arm and kissed her forehead. She waved me away, but I didn't budge.

"Back off Grayson before I put you on the ground," Athena threatened. Instead of acting though, she rested her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off the table.

"Master Athena, do you know the reason why you passed out?" Alfred helped Athena take out her IV after she had tried to rip it out herself.

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I know, Pennyworth."

"Sarcasm is not unknown to me, Master Athena. You lost lots of blood, maybe gallons," I looked at the girl next to me in amazement, "You are all patched up now, but next time, don't keep going on a mission when you have two bullets lodged in two different limbs."

"Please," she coughed, "I've been through worse."

Batman and Robin came crashing in through the waterfall. Tim got out of the car as fast as possible and ran towards Athena and I. "Are you both okay!? I heard the Joker almost blew you up and then poisoned Athena!" He took off his mask and looked over Athena and I.

"We're both fine, Timmy," Athena patted his head and hugged his shoulder.

"What exactly happened in that warehouse, Nightingale?" Batman strolled up, taking a seat at the Bat computer. I remembered what had just happened.

Athena was tricked by the Joker into almost killing Bruce. And Joker was her uncle.

I looked over to Athena. Her eyes looked distant, like her mind was somewhere else. I had been noticing it in her since the moment I met her. Alfred had once told me it might be a symptom of PTSD. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into me. She took a sharp breath and turned back to Bruce like nothing had happened.

"Joker is my uncle," she said, unwrapping my arms from her and stepping forward. She lifted her chin and pushed out her chest. I always thought she was so brave. Even when she had to do or say something bad, she took it upon herself to not be afraid.

Tim and Alfred gasped, but Batman stayed stone faced. He was already checking DNA databases. "So, he is directly related to you by blood?"

"Yes, but you won't find his identity. My father made up the surname Thomas and even then the League of Assassins destroyed all my real documents," Athena stood behind Bruce.

"Why did your dad make it up?" Tim asked.

"Because he wanted to escape the Black Sharks and start a family," she answered, nonchalantly.

"He was in the Black Sharks!?"

"He was a co-leader," she chuckled, "funny, I was here to assassinate the leader. It turns out my father damned himself by having me."