#reddestrobin

"Merry Christmas, Daddy." The batarangs were out of her hand before he could turn, but as some man dropped, all she heard was her father's laughter. Crap.

"You know, I wasn't expecting you like this. Your mother is going to hate what you did to your hair." 

"She'll live." Stephanie tossed her head, the hat she'd worn falling to the ground while she pulled her bo staff out, extending it with a hard flick of the wrist. Where was he? Steph would kill for any of her gadgets right now, her cowl, something besides her staff and a few smuggled 'rangs.

"Now she will-" 

"Because of me, goddammit, and not you." Her tone was full of hate and disgust as she interrupted him.

"Not me? Not the man who took her to get clean when I could? Who the hell paid the bills? Batman?"

"He's twice the man you'll ever be, you know that? Helluva lot better dad, too."

"Is that why he let you die? Now, now, sweetheart, you can't blame me for that."

"Yeah, then you exposed me. You exposed Mom. You know the shit that put her through?"

"Crystal was awake for it all? That's a surprise."

"Shut up!" There was movement behind her and Stephanie turned. He caught her staff and smiled back at her.

"You shouldn't be awake either. Did you think about my offer? The staff says no, but I think you're going to change your mind." Arthur tried to yank the staff from her hands, but she pulled back too quickly, taking a fighting stance.

"Stay the Hell away from me and Mom."

"Just join me. She'll be safe then."

"Fat chance." She spat at him.

"Too bad." The gun was out before she could react and the bullet hit her high in the leg. You've had worse, she tried to tell herself. You've had death, and you kept going. Run. Please, run. Somehow she managed to get moving, leaving a trail of blood behind her as she did, missing a second shot. "I guess you won't get to stick around for all the fun then."

"Like I'd want to." Steph growled. She'd made it behind the small rooftop stairwell opening. It was old brick and scattered with bullet holes already. Carefully, she tried to glance around the corner and narrowly missed his next bullet. Shit.

"You sure, babydoll? I think having the former Batgirl working at my side could give me some, hmm, interesting situations." His voice grew closer and she slipped to the other side. "Or I could just sell you to the highest bidder, get you out of my hair for good."

She actually laughed at that. "Like you'd let someone else take your things."

Oh, that struck a nerve and he shot at the wall. "You're not my thing, Stephanie, you're my daughter, and you will listen to me!"

"I'm not even that now..." She made a silent run around the roof and came up behind him. Her leg burned, but she ignored it.

"Wha-" He barely managed to get it out before she kicked him hard in the back, his gun skittering across the roof. They struggled until he got the upper hand, near the edge. He slammed her hard into the floor beneath them. Stephanie glared up at him as he laughed in her face.

"You're mine and if you want to live, you'll join me."

Then she kneed him in the balls. 

He was off of her then, doubled over in protest. She tried to sit up, to drag herself out of his range, but too soon he recovered. And there he was, standing over her with his gun retrieved.

"Shoot me!" Stephanie demanded, knowing he couldn't, or wouldn't. As he aimed his gun at her face, something slammed into him and the gun went off again into the night air. Another struggle, but Steph couldn't see, she'd lost so much blood. She was vaguely aware of someone over her again before everything went black.

...