An answered prayer... but not the way she wanted...

“Day Three,” Dixie muttered as she got ready.

Dixie had managed to do an entire workout without one slip up this morning. Dixie got dressed in a pair of faux leather leggings, a body suit and knit wool sweater. Dixie sat down and put on the pair of Doc Martens. The knock at her door way got her attention.

“What are you planning on doing today?” Tim asked from the door way to Dixie’s suite of rooms.

“Go into town, walk around a bit,” Dixie went back to tying her boots, “Work on my crowd observation skills.”

“What are you taking?” Tim asked.

“Probably the explorer,” Dixie said, “Did you need it?”

“No,” Tim said, “Steph, Cass and I are going to warp over to the Titans Tower for some training exercises..."

“Co-Ed Naked Twister?” Dixie smirked.

“No, Kori wants us to sneak in on some bank robbery drills as bandits,” Tim smiled a naughty smile.

“Nice,” Dixie said as she grabbed the other boot and put it on.

*

Dixie walked down the street watching everything going on around her. Dixie noted the blonde-haired Asian girl in the pastel Goth outfit making her way towards her. Dixie tried to keep from reacting visibly, and stopped in front of a jewelry store window and looked at the display in the window. The girl came up and stopped right next to her.

“Hello Dick,” the girl said.

“Boston?” Dixie asked quietly.

“Yep, want to go somewhere and have a sit down?” the girl asked.

“Yeah,” Dixie looked the girl up and down, “When was the last time that girl ate Boston?”

“I don’t know, but she didn’t have anything in her place and a stack of bills…” Boston responded, “I think this was thinking of doing the ‘permanent fix’ as they say…”

“Let’s go to the coffee shop in the grocery store,” Dixie said.

*

Dixie sat across from Boston in the girl’s body at the small café table set up in the grocery store.

“So here are some notes from by boss about the changes to the character arch,” Boston handed over the hand written page of paper.

Dixie looked at the scribbles and skimmed over it.

“So I am just suppose to rewrite the whole series based on this?” Dixie asked in response to keep up the charade.

“It’s not that you have a choice in the mater,” Boston said taking a sip of her coffee before fishing out an envelope, “Oh could you forward these on to your friends in the charity foundation.”

Dixie folded up the notes and put them in her purse, then took the envelope and opened it.

“So the lead character got a massive power up because their alt on another world was killed prematurely by a nut job causing the apocalypse?” Dixie asked as she unfolded the sheets in side and started to photograph them with her phone.

“Yeah, that was the plot of that movie with what’s name a few years ago,” Boston noted.

“The One, with Jet Li,” Dixie said, “I watched that like fifty times with my girlfriend.”

“Right,” Boston said, “So like my boss said, crazy guy screwed up his timeline, so the goddess of that… blanket… Anyways, the goddess of that cross stitched the life threads of heroes to their counterparts in other stories, leading to them getting a ‘1up’ as it were.”

“A bit more involved that stomping on an extra mushroom or three,” Dixie shrugged as she finished taking pictures and put the papers back into the envelope.

“Yeah,” Boston shrugged, “But that is what the boss said was the back story for the midseason two parter and recast.”

“The cast isn’t going to be happy,” Dixie noted, “Some of them really liked their roles and the group dynamic.”

Dixie sent the pictures out.

“Yeah, tell that to the boss, or should I say, her divine goddess…” Boston shrugged, “Not much we can do but roll with the punches.

“No, not really,” Dixie shrugged before handing back the envelope.

“Think your friends at the charity can help my sister?” Boston asked.

“We are about to find out,” Dixie said as her phone rang, “Hello Alfred… Yes a case that was forwarded by the Boston Brand Memorial Fund… Very much so, I would also recommend some follow up social services. Well, I am with my buddy at the grocery store right now, I will be home for dinner, I wouldn’t dare miss it Alfred. Alright, I will talk to you later.”

“And?”

“The voice has spoken,” Dixie said, “He is looking into your sisters’ case and will pass judgement.”

“Thanks, I know she is a good kid,” Boston said.

“Lets get some food for the apartment,” Dixie took another drink of her coffee.

*

Jessy Han blinked, she was no longer in the bathtub, she was in the kitchen… There was a plate of steamed brown rice with curry gravy and slices of cooked pork in front of her. On the table was a slip of paper with a hand written note of an address and time, and on the back was a simple note, ‘It’s not your time yet, -Boston’.

“Who is Boston?” Jessy asked aloud.

She nearly jumped when she heard her phone ring, she reached over and picked up the phone.

“Hello?” Jessy answered, “Mister Beagle? With who? The Robert Kane memorial Foundation… My application… Approved? How much? Thank you! Thank you!”

Jessy started to cry.

“What? Oh yes, thank you so much!” Jessy said, “Have a blessed night!”

Jessy heard the phone click and looked at the clock on it, it was dinner time.

*

Alfred hung up the phone and put into his jacket pocket.

“Well?” Barbara asked as she leaned back in her chair.

“Mister Brand’s ‘little sister’ has been informed that her application to have her bills with Gotham General covered by the Robert Kane Memorial Fund and was rather thankful,” Alfred said with a calm and dignified manner.

“This is a whole can of worms Boston opened up!” Kate said looking over the computer screen, “I am going to have to go in with a legal team.”

“That bad?” Bruce said walking into the kitchen, “A glass of… Thank you Alfred.”

Bruce took the offered glass of water. Bruce took a sip before turning to the group of ladies at the table. Dixie was banging her head on the table repeatedly.

“What did you get out of your meeting with Boston?” Bruce asked.

“Here! My life got screwed over because of a costumed crook with a Star Gate Fetish!” Dixie didn’t look up but held out the paper Boston had given her.

Bruce took the paper and read over it.

“A costumed supervillain calling himself King Tut,” Bruce said calmly before taking another sip.

“Yeah, seems he watched Star Gate too many times while he was on his bender,” Barbara said, “I can’t find the records of those charge codes anywhere in the system Kate.”

“Alfred make a note to keep an eye out for any insane Egyptologists,” Bruce called over his shoulder.

“Already done Master Bruce,” Alfred responded.

“I wonder what happened to the rest of the heroes from that world,” Bruce mused before taking another sip and then turning his attention to the two red heads, “What are you two working on?”

“Seems the girl Boston took out for a joy ride lives in one of my buildings,” Kate turned and looked at Bruce.

Bruce didn’t respond any more than taking another sip of water.

“So Boston thought to ask for help in helping her with her financially induced suicidal depression…” Kate continued, “And in the process we noticed a number or irregularities in the bill and from the buildings accounts…”

“And now you are back tracking the irregularities?” Bruce didn’t really ask.

“Yes, why I gave the computer whiz complete access to my networks,” Kate shrugged.

“Flattery won’t get you out of the favor you own me for this,” Barbara interjected.

“Master Tim!” Alfred said as the pantry door opened.

Bruce turn and looked at his last adopted son. Tim was strutting in with a black eye and a shit eating grin as Stephanie and Cass came in behind them.

“So worth it to floor Cyborg,” Tim smirked, “What is going on here?”

“Dixie got her prayers answered and got a meeting with Deadman to get an explanation from his boss…” Barbara said.

“That explains the head banger,” Stephanie noted.

“And the rest of this?” Tim asked.

“The body that Mister Brand occupied was in need of some help, so he brought it to our attention and Mistress Kate noticed irregularities in a bill with her name on it,” Alfred filled in the three college freshmen.

“So heavy metal?” Cass asked.

“You know what, lets get Tim checked out first,” Bruce said, “A hand if you aren’t busy Alfred.”

“OF course, Master Bruce,” Alfred smiled.

*

“Grounded because of a concussion,” Tim said as he reached in for a handful of popcorn.

“At least it didn’t result in a spontaneous sex change,” Dixie noted.

“True, but did you think that it could be worse?” Tim countered.

“How so?” Dixie asked.

“As I remember you mentioned you were T minus one second to becoming street pizza and auditioning to be Boston’s replacement,” Tim noted.

“Oh, yeah,” Dixie noted.

The pair went back to watching the camera feed from the defuncted Riddler headquarters. A group of gang bangers had broken in trying to find weapons and now were having Bat-Attacks.

“Alfred, what’s that in the corner of the second floor hallway?” Tim asked.

“Looks like Mistress Cassandra with a lacrosse stick Master Tim,” Alfred said.

“Really?” Dixie asked.

The camera feed for the larger terminal switched to Near Infra-Red and the image of the girl in the black batsuit and lacrosse stick became clear.

“Ah, cool… Get him Cass!” Tim cheered.

*

Dixie lay in bed wide awake. There was no going back, from what Boston’s note had said, the goddess of the dead world had switched his body with the body of the other version of him so she could escape while his would die like it was fated… But it made Dixie’s head hurt thinking about the fact that it was Dick in Dixie’s body but not Dixie…

‘Maybe I am,’ the thought came to her.

Dixie shot up in bed and looked around.

“Oh god, I hope there is at least a ghost for me to talk to so I am not having a split personality episode!” Dixie snapped.