The Summer of her Discontent by dotfic

Word Count: 7808

Characters/Pairings: Barbara Gordon/Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth

Summary: Batgirl contends with her feelings after Dick leaves Gotham.

Excerpt:

There was no wind in the still, limp, hot summer air. Below and around her sprawled Gotham city, like a living creature restless even in its time of rest. The lights of a bridge glittered beyond the rising bulk of another building and a luminous moon blotted out the starlight. It was a massive moon, almost frightening. On hot clear nights like these, it seemed very close, as if she could shoot her jumpline and swing across to its mountains and valleys.

“And maybe grab a quick snack—hey, what if it’s made of white chocolate instead of cheese?” The imagined, playful voice echoed in her mind, as did her glib reply: “If it were made of chocolate, bird brain, we definitely would have gone back.”

Her gloved hand reached out to the roof border to steady her. She shook her head, clearing it. There would be none of that.

The neighborhood spread below her was trendy, recently gentrified. Turn-of-the-century rowhouses, relics of Gotham’s troubled past, had been converted into galleries and shops.

Most crooks would prefer to go stealthily, avoiding any noise. They might use glasscutters to slip in and out without mess or fuss. But the convertible burned rubber as it took a screaming turn off 4th, then barreled to a chaotic halt outside Dixon’s Fine Jewelry.

Sometimes she thought he enjoyed being caught. It gave him more opportunity to make fun of the members of the GCPD, the staff of Arkham, and the vigilante he hated.

Four broad-shouldered, massive hulks of men in white face paint, red-and-black striped shirts, and absurdly delicate toe shoes leapt out of the car. They were a troupe of mimes that followed the spinning dance of a laughing, screaming, whooping green-haired clown of death.

The darkness suggested the memory of a familiar, brash, male-bravado voice remarking, “Hope they don’t start the party without us.”

Shut up, she thought. Shut up. Don’t remember. Not now.