"Who the hell are you and what do you want with Rachel?" Ashley asked, changed out of her batsuit and into a pair of leggings and a tunic tee. Dick stood behind her as they interrogated the parents while Kory, Gar, and Rachel were with the teens.
"Oh dear, you're right how rude of us to not introduce ourselves" The woman said, unflinching.
"I'm Dad, this is Mom" The man said, looking at the woman as she sulked in her chair. "We're pleased to meet you Detective Grayson and Misses Wayne" He continued attempting to sound cordial but they knew it was anything but.
"And what a nice bird and batsuit you two have if I must say so myself" The woman said, annoyance soaking her tone. "That was quite unexpected" 'Mom' said giddily.
"Quite" 'Dad' agreed.
"She was asked the question, not you" Ashley said, looking down on him disapprovingly.
"Yes, you did. My apologies. All the fighting" 'Mom' began. "To deliver her, of course" The woman said.
"To who?" Dick asked.
"Why our employer dear" The woman said as if that made any sense to the two normal people in the room.
"Who's your employer?" Ashley asked as she pulled a chair in front of the two adults and Dick followed her lead.
"I can't answer that" The woman said defensively. "Loose lips sink ships" The woman said with a smile as her head lolled to the side.
"That's true nobody likes a tattle tale" The man.
"Dick my glove please" Ashley said. Dick passed her the glove and she properly equipped it and zapped 'Dad' with her tazer. "I didn't ask for any input from you." Ashley heard Kory enter the room as 'Mom' looked toward her with her distaste. "Eyes on me" Ashley demanded and looked at the Wayne woman again.
"It's my turn" Kory said stepping aggressively in front of Dick and Ashley and going to attack the man.
"Wait, wait, wait" Dick said, grabbing on to Kory and hauling her away from their captives. "Come here" Dick said lowly.
"Help yourselves, give us the girl and we'll be on our way. Lickity split" 'Mom' said with a smile, hearing Dick and Kory argue.
"We both know it isn't going to happen. So your next option and arguably best option is to not speak unless spoken to" Ashley said. "Kory watch things one and two, Dick and I will check the car, we know what to look for" Ashley said and slipped on her tennis shoes.
Dick stomped down the stairs with Ashley on his tail. They went out to the car and Dick began to search the front while Ashley took the back. "GPS" Dick said and powered it on. He looked through the device while Ashley finished combing the car. "Ash, Chicago" Dick said and held it up.
"Goddammit, I hate Chicago traffic" Ashley said with a sigh.
"So Robin and Batgirl? That's the big secret?" Rachel asked as she leaned on the station wagon in front of the two adults. Dick shut the door and the two faced her.
"I was planning on telling you about Robin" Dick said to her. "Look, when I was in Detroit I was planning on leaving Robin behind" Dick said defensively.
"That turned out well" Rachel said and Ashley snorted. "Why?" She asked curiously looking up at Dick.
"When I put on that mask-" Dick began. Ashley leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her and softly smiled when he felt Ashley rub his back comfortingly. "When I put on that mask, I become something that I can't control. Someone that likes hurting people" Dick told her, holding Ash tighter.
"I know the feeling" Rachel told him
"I know you do" Dick told her. Ashley felt horrible that Rachel had to feel the same thing that Dick felt every time he put on a mask.
"Do you want a hug too Rach?" Ashley asked extending her arm out invitingly.
"Only if I don't have to call you 'Mom'" Rachel told her with a smile.
"I'm too young to be a mother of seventeen year old" Ashley teased. Rachel hugged the two briefly before standing back.
"So, uh, Batman!" Gar exclaimed walking into their trio. "You know him?" Gar asked awkwardly with a big smile.
"All too well" Ashley said as Dick tensed beside her.
"Of course they know Batman" Rachel said shaking her head a Gar with a smile.
"Are we gonna see him?" Gar asked. "I'd really like to meet him Batman" Gar said with a laugh.
"I don't think that's in the cards right now" Ashley said as Dick denied his request firmly.
"Any luck?" Kory yelled as she approached the four.
"We're gonna find out who's running this freakshow" Dick said.
"I'll come with you" Kory insisted, stepping forward.
"You'll kill anyone that tries to handle it" Dick said with a frown.
"Oh, I know what to do with them all right" Kory said, not breaking eye contact
"Kory, no killing. Please, there's been enough" Dick said, releasing Ashley and opened the drivers side door. "Ash, with me please" Dick said to her. Ashley nodded but before she could go around to the passenger side, Rachel stopped her.
"I thought we weren't splitting up" Rachel said looking between the two.
"We'll come back" Ashley promised. "Even if I have to drag him back by the skin of his teeth" Ashley swore.
"But what about you?" Rachel asked.
"You're stuck with me for the time being" Ashley told her. "But right now, I gotta dismantle the ladder" Ashley explained.
"Keep them safe" Dick told Kory.
"Yeah" Kory replied. Ashley walked around and climbed in the passenger side and before Ashley even had her seatbelt on, Dick sped off into the night.
♠️♠️♠️
Ashley sighed as they entered Chicago. She saw Dick have a small smile on his face he was audibly reminded of her hatred of the traffic in the city. "It's almost as bad as LA to me" She muttered defensively as she saw the skyscrapers take over her view. "You know, the entire time we were apart before I found you, I didn't pick the suit up for a year" Ashley told him as they merged through the traffic.
"Oh?" Dick asked.
"I told Dad I was done and all I wanted was for you to come home" She told him. "I'm having Alfred sell the penthouse" She told him.
"The Gotham one?" Dick asked to confirm, seeing her nod out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry" He told her suddenly, exiting onto the downtown exit. "For not even talking to you about leaving and just leaving a shitty note" He told her.
"I know" Ashley told him.
"Are we still together?" He asked hesitantly.
"I don't know if we could be" Ashley said and Dick quickly took her hand. Dick quickly took her hand she watched him let out a breath of release. "It's not that I don't still love you" She began and watched him tense. "You left me there and I broke, Dick. I was broken" She told him. "I felt like I was drowning for months before Roy convinced me to even walk outside because I sat there wondering if it was me that caused you to just...disappear" She said as a tear rolled down her face as she recounted the time. "Who's to say it won't happen again? I can't put myself through that again" She said and wiped the tear away.
"I'm sorry" Dick told her.
"Yeah, I am too" Ashley said and they exited the car. They walked inside and Ashley looked at the directory by the front. Dick tapped the screen and saw there was only one name listed. "That's suspish" She said and they walked past an old woman and up to the elevator. Ashley began eyeing all of the security cameras and knew Dick was doing the same
"Butterscotch?" The old woman from earlier asked.
"Thank you" Dick said, taking the butterscotch from the woman.
"You're very welcome dear" She told him and walked off.
"At least you remember one lesson from Alfred" Ashley told him.
"It's bad luck to not take the butterscotch, but never eat the butterscotch" Dick said quietly. Ashley nodded and was ready for this all to be over. The elevator doors opened and Dick stepped inside with Ashley right behind him. He moved her to stand behind him, so he would be in the line of fire first if something happened. They arrived at the top and Ashley and Dick looked around.
"This feels like a setup" Ashley murmured, taking in the points of access. They made a left and went down the stairs and walked into a kitchen.
"Detective Grayson!" The man said too enthusiastically.
"Are you Mister Adamson?" Dick asked
"Doctor Adamson" He corrected. "Miss Wayne" He greeted. Ashley waved awkwardly because of the tension in the room. "Are you hungry? I've got something on the stove" He asked cordially.
"Stalling" Ashley whispered.
"You're not a vegetarian, are you? I do prefer an animal-based protein" He said matter-of-factly.
"Who are you people and what do you want with Rachel?" Dick asked, not entertaining his antics any longer. Ashley raised an eyebrow and waited for the man to answer the question.
"As much as I'd like to have a lengthy conversation with you Rachel Roth, Detective I'm afraid there's no time" He told Dick. "You found me" He explained as the two adults looked at him with confused expressions. "I've been exposed, so the Organization is sending people to kill us. We have one minute unless we leave right now" Adamson told him. "Or we could stay for one last glass of champagne" The man attempted to entice.
"No one knows we're here" Dick told him.
"I know you're here, and so does the old woman downstairs. We're everywhere" Adamson said and took a sip of his champagne.
"Does this organization work for Rachel's father?" Dick asked, his face remaining an impassive visage.
"Is he still looking for her?" Ashley asked, her eyes narrowed as she sized the balding man up.
Adamson sat the glass down and said "You could say that, yes" and leaned his weight against the counter. "Oh dear, my crepes are burning" He said disappointed as he looked down at the skillet.
Dick rushed forward angrily and Ashley stared at the scene without a word but silently moved to stand behind him as he grabbed the man by his vest and pulled him up. "If you don't give me some answers, I'm gonna stick your face in it." Dick told him angrily.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry Detective but we have ten seconds before the final answers come for both of us" Adamson said uninterestedly.
"Dick grab him and let's blow this place" Ashley said, wanting to move along to a place she could deem safe.
"What do you want with Rachel?" Dick said, his anger clear in his voice
"I do love a good champagne" Adamson mused staring Dick in his eyes.
"I want answers" Dick said, not moving a muscle.
"Five, four, three..." Adamson began to count down.
Ashley heard quiet foot falls and said "It's time to go."
"You're coming with us" Dick told him, letting go of him aggressively.
"One" Adamson and Ashley heard a gun click.
"I hate it here" Ashley complained and ducked behind the island as the gun went off. Dick threw the burnt crepes into the attacker's face. Ashley popped back and grabbed a kitchen knife and threw it into the man's neck. Dick took on the second that came into the room while Ashley spotted two more. She cracked her neck and grabbed two more knives and began her assault. Ashley used the knife in her right hand to stab the third attack at the joining of his neck and shoulder. Ashley looked at the fourth and dodged a punch that he threw. "You know, you fuckers are ruining my Saturday" Ashley vented as she stabbed the man in the hand and aggressively shoved the hand with the knife through into the wood cabinet. The man's head snapped to her and she broke his neck. Ashley turned around as five more assailants flooded the room and heard more footsteps above. "Dammit" Ashley swore a kneed a man in the crotch before removing the knife from the cabinet and stabbed the man she had just kneed and he fell down with a scream of pain. More men came into the room and went straight for Dick and Ashley took in a deep breath and grabbed stomped on the foot of the closest attacker to make him bend himself down to where she could grab his head and slammed his forehead into the side of the counter. Ashley heard something roll across the floor and she let out a brief cough when the smoke was admitted. "What the fuck" she said to herself as she saw someone she had never seen before in the room fight the assailants. She took a step to the right and made her way to Dick when she saw he was down. "Dick" Ashley said as she heard bones cracking behind her and ran her hand through his hair "Are you hit?" She asked as she rolled him over to look for any bullet wounds.
"I'm fine" Dick said, his nose currently bleeding and Ashley wiped the blood for him.
"Okay" She told him and started helping him out.
"Wow Ashley Wayne and Dick Grayson in the flesh" The new person said, walking toward them attempting to be intimidating. Ashley looked at him in confusion as she saw the Robin uniform on him. "Nice to meet you, bro. I'm the new Robin" He said and outstretched his hands to help them up. Ashley and Dick couldn't help but stare in disbelief.
"Remind me to maim my father" Ashley said as she processed exactly what she was seeing in front of her. Dick clenched his jaw and took Ashley's hand.