A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to my first Young Justice fic! (Not to be confused with 'my first fic,' which was years ago LOL) As I'm sure you can understand, I've been obsessing over Young Justice quite a lot lately (since Performance, I believe…), and, as usually follows with such obsession, I've been inspired to write a little something. Think of this as my take on Batgirl's origin story – Young Justice style. I hope you all enjoy it!
Important: Since Invasion is still very new, I don't really want to touch that with this story. So, for timeline purposes, let's place this during the time-skip (during that first missed year). Also:
Thoughts
"Mind Link"
Computer
Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters/settings related to it. All of the above belongs to DC Comics (and I bow down to you for possessing such greatness).
Identities
Chapter One
"I don't get it," Robin declared tiredly as he slumped against the side of the tall computer consol in the Batcave. His gestures were muted – another testament to his exhaustion – as he continued, "how hard is it to keep a few de-powered, unarmed, psychopaths locked up? Doesn't Arkham have guards?"
Batman had already reclaimed his seat at the computer, fingers flying over the keyboard and lips drawn into a tight, thoughtful line as he replied, "After the last successful break-out new security measures were implemented in order to prevent any such incidents-."
"Lot of good those did," Robin grumbled, masked eyes flicking to the monitor.
"-Meaning tonight's break-out was no accident," Batman continued, ignoring his protégé's grumblings.
Robin released an exasperated breath, crossing his arms as he said, "Even better. Dirty security guard? Black-market psychiatrist?"
Batman's lips tipped into the beginnings of a visible frown as detailed profiles of the Arkham staff began filling the large monitor in front of him. "Too early to say. It might not be that simple."
"I can hope," Robin defended lightly.
Batman offered no reply as he focused on his task, and for a minute only the sounds of rapid typing filled the room.
The silence quickly made the Boy Wonder restless, and his lips curved into a grin as he moved around the back of Batman's chair, wrapping his arms around it in order to lean over Batman's shoulder as he declared, "You know what we should really be looking into? Batgirl!"
The only sign of Batman's agreement was the slight tensing in his shoulders as he was reminded of the other development of the evening. Instead, however, he said, "Another time. Three dangerous villains are still loose in Gotham; we need to focus on them."
Robin frowned, for a beat disappointed with his mentor's decision, before an undeniable possibility occurred to him and he stepped back, demanding, "Don't tell me you already know! Have you been holding out? You would've told me if you'd been training someone else, right?" He paused for barely a second, thinking now, before saying, "Unless this is some sort of test…. You trained her separately and didn't tell me in order to throw me off. I'm probably supposed to solve this one on my own, right? But I can do that…."
The soft clicking stopped as Batman's fingers stilled above the keyboard, and he turned partially in his chair in order to face his protégé before he said, "Dick."
Robin immediately stopped rambling, his arms falling back to his sides. It was rare when Batman addressed him by his real name while they were still in costume.
"This isn't a test," Batman explained patiently. "I haven't been training anyone and I've never so much as heard of another bat in this – or any – city. Finding Batgirl and containing her before she causes more problems than she fixes is incredibly important. But, for the moment, we need to focus on the ones who are already guaranteed to cause problems."
His mentor's calm logic sapped what little energy Robin had regained and his shoulders slumped slightly as he said, "Right, I knew that." He understood Batman's reasoning; it made sense. And he wasn't disappointed that they wouldn't get to investigate their mysterious new 'ally' – who just so happened to be female and, if her costume was any indication, kind of cute. He wasn't disappointed at all.
Batman inclined his head, offering Robin a full half-nod before turning back to the computer and resuming his search. With his back again turned to his ward, he allowed his lips to twitch just slightly. He had noticed the faint tinge of disappointment in Robin's voice, and, he had to admit, Robin was at least partially correct. Finding Batgirl wasn't something they should be ignoring.
Releasing a heavy breath, Robin turned, knowing they wouldn't be going out on patrol again that night, and took a step toward the stone staircase that led up to the manor.
"Of course," Batman said suddenly, his voice even and unreadable, "if you wanted to run the Batgirl case while I work on this, that could save us time."
Immediately perking up, Robin turned to glance at Batman's profile and allowed his smirk to return. Yes!
Sensing the boy's returning excitement, Batman casually added, "Starting tomorrow. You need to grab at least a few hours' sleep before school."
Robin's eyes flicked to the clock on the computer and he sighed again. It was almost four o'clock in the morning, and he had to be up no later than six-thirty in order to be at school on time. Some days, he reflected, it's not even worth it. "Yeah," he said aloud, "okay. G'night, Bruce."
He was turned, starting up the staircase, when Bruce's voice drifted toward him one more time. "Good night, Dick."
Barbara Gordon offered her best friend a concerned frown when he stopped before her the following morning. His uniform, as always, was impeccable – but judging from the tired light in his clear blue eyes, as well as the fact that he was usually half an hour early to school instead of ten minutes early, she suspected his tidy appearance was all Alfred this time.
"I was starting to worry you were sick or something," Barbara said. "You're not usually late."
Dick met her frown with an easy grin, adjusting the single strap of the backpack over his shoulders as he replied, "Technically, I'm still early."
Frown deepening, Barbara turned to walk alongside him and insisted, "You know what I mean. You're late for you."
Deflating slightly, Dick let himself drift to the side enough to bump her shoulder with his and said quietly, "Sorry, Babs. Just kinda lagging this morning, I guess."
Smiling now, Barbara asked casually, "You, too?"
Dick stopped, turning a confused expression toward her.
Barbara couldn't help but giggle slightly at the utter confusion on his face, so she tugged him out of the center of the hall as she explained, "I was in bed when I should've been, but I just could not sleep for the life of me! So, naturally, I slept right through my alarm."
An honest grin was immediately lifting his lips once more and Dick inclined his head with a laugh, saying, "Better be careful, Barbara; you're starting to sound like me. Of course, my alarm refuses to be slept through."
Laughing with him as they started walking again, Barbara replied, "Don't complain; I wish I had an Alfred!"
Dick looped an arm around her shoulders as he reminded her, "I'm happy to kidnap you anytime, Babs."
"I might take you up on that soon," Barbara declared, smirking over at him. "It feels like it's been forever."
"It does," Dick agreed, meeting her gaze with a grin despite the twinge of guilt he felt at her words. He knew exactly why it had been so long since they'd spent any significant amount of time together. His schedule had gotten a lot tighter since the Team had been formed.
"Barbara!" Bette Kane called as she poked her head out of an open doorway slightly ahead of them. Her eyes glanced over Dick, barely acknowledging him, before she focused on their mutual friend and continued, "What's taking you? Get in here!"
Releasing an almost-silent sigh, Barbara stepped away from Dick as she turned a smile toward him and asked, "See you at lunch?"
"Always," Dick replied, slipping his free hand into his pocket and ignoring the strange coldness that was assaulting his arm.
Barbara smiled, waved, and turned to follow Bette into the classroom.
Dick's feet stopped moving, an unexpected thought striking him as he watched her thick, red hair trail after her. Batgirl had hair like hers. Batgirl had also been surprisingly agile and graceful, and at least adequately adept with hand-to-hand combat. And Barbara's father – Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon – had started her young in two very specific classes: gymnastics (at her insistence) and self-defense (at his).
Blinking rapidly, Dick shook his head and forced his feet to continue moving. Now I'm being ridiculous, he lectured himself as he passed the classroom Barbara had disappeared into. His eyes flicked to the tall, narrow window in the door, landing for an instant on the familiar (and entirely unaware) blonde near the back before moving to the more-familiar (and equally unaware) red-head.
He looked away, then, and continued toward his own classroom. There's no way Babs is Batgirl. This random suspicion was probably just his subconscious trying to tell him that it really had been too long since they'd actually hung-out. I'll ask Al if she can come over after school tomorrow, he decided. Bruce would be out later than usual with work, so he knew her presence wouldn't cut into his patrol-time, but he'd have to cross his fingers in hopes that nothing would come up that required him to be in Happy Harbor.
Robin ducked the angry swing of an empty machine gun, rolling forward and between his opponent's legs before springing back to his feet behind the larger man. "Missed!" he taunted as he leapt up and spun, the heel of his booted foot colliding with the startled man's jaw.
A simple, mid-air back-flip propelled him away from the man's collapsing body, and he landed with a smirk. The man was attempting to right himself, despite the obvious pain in his jaw, when the cord Robin had thrown mid-flip finished tying itself around him. He choked in surprise, collapsing back against the asphalt as he struggled uselessly.
Robin had already moved on, leaping out of the way of another gunman who had yet to run out of bullets. He spared half a glance down the street, toward the shifting shadow that was Batman as his mentor dealt with another half-dozen nameless goons. Robin himself had already taken down two, and he had two left, but he wasn't worried. If he was anything it was frustrated; the gunmen had provided the perfect opportunity for Two-Face to escape yet again.
As he landed, crouched and largely hidden by the natural darkness of the night, Robin realized he'd lost sight of one of his remaining opponents. The one before him was reaching for the gun that Robin had knocked out of his hand with a birdarang, and he could hear the other one attempting to sneak up on him. He spun around, prepared to disarm and disable his less-than-subtle opponent, but even as he spun he realized he needn't have bothered.
The broad-shouldered man suddenly found himself stuck to the nearest wall, two – which quickly turned into four – green arrows piercing the fabric of his shirt and successfully restricting his movement. The gun clattered to the ground at his feet, useless now that he could no longer properly move his arms.
Robin grinned, flipping backwards and over the remaining gunman and using his shoulders as a springboard as he called, "Bored?"
"Hardly," a familiar female voice replied as Artemis leapt down from the fire escape on the other side of the alley. "I could hear the gunfire from my room." She quickly loaded another arrow, aimed it at the remaining gunman – who was on the ground and reaching for his weapon – and released.
The man fell back, cursing, when he found himself trapped in a net.
Robin landed between them, kicking the gun out of reach and toward the pile of probably-stolen weapons that he'd already gathered, before grinning over at his teammate. "Admit it, you were a little bored."
"Yeah, okay," Artemis allowed, her own lips lifting in an easy grin, "I was a little bored, too."
Batman was suddenly stepping out of the shadows, asking, "Did you see Two-Face on your way here?"
Artemis started, the reaction just barely visible to her companions, as she turned her attention to the Caped Crusader. She shook her head. "No, I didn't see anyone."
"Then we know which way he went," Batman declared, turning and disappearing back into the shadows with a sweep of his cape.
Artemis looked back over to Robin, slightly surprised to see that he was actually still standing there, and gave him a curious look.
Robin grinned. "Wanna come with?"
"He's even uglier up close," Artemis whispered to Robin as they watched Two-Face round a corner nearly an hour later. It was the first time she'd seen the villain without the filter of a television screen or a newspaper, and she suddenly realized that pictures just did not do the man justice.
Robin's smirk was apparent in his voice as he whispered back, "Trust me, I know the feeling. He even gives Killer Croc a run for his money."
"Somehow, that's not surprising," Artemis replied. She flexed her fingers around her bow and began to ask, "How much lon-?" but then her question was answered, as an almost inaudible rustle of fabric heralded Batman's arrival from above them.
The trio had split up shortly after Artemis's arrival, when they realized that they had lost Two-Face's trail, and Batman had ordered them to radio him immediately if they discovered the villain first. They had also been ordered to observe only unless absolutely necessary. So they had been crouched in the shadows of the tall buildings, keeping pace with Two-Face and waiting impatiently for their cue.
But it only took Robin a moment to realize that Batman was not the Bat swooping down on their enemy. The barely-defined shadow was too small, and the figure was falling faster – for that very reason – than Batman would have from the same height. And then, of course, there was the freely-billowing red hair.
"Damn," Robin muttered, grinding his teeth in frustration. This was a terrible time for Batgirl to make her second appearance.
Artemis blinked, sure her eyes were deceiving her. "Um," she began carefully, turning to Robin as she discovered that her words were failing her. But Robin was no longer beside her. "Crap!" Guess that's my cue, she decided as she moved quickly to join the fight.
"That's far enough, Two-Face!" Batgirl exclaimed, flipping off of a first-story railing before landing in a crouch in front of the villain. "I'm taking you back to jail!"
Two-Face's lone remaining eyebrow lifted high in something between amusement and irritation, though he did stop, and he asked, "What's this? Batman doesn't even find me worth his time anymore, so he sends the new girl?"
Multiple small, round objects rolled into view between them, before immediately popping open and releasing a thick cloud of smoke. As the smoke rose, unmistakable cackling laughter echoed around them
"I take it back," Two-Face declared, frown obvious in his voice. "He sent both of his children."
Robin ignored his enemy as he swooped down and snatched Batgirl off of the ground. She grunted from the impact, clearly surprised by his arrival, and before she could regain her senses enough to struggle their feet were touching down on the second-level fire escape.
Batgirl stumbled back, wide blue eyes narrowing into a frustrated glare as she registered what had happened. "What are you thinking?" she hissed, keeping her voice low. "We're on the same side!"
Robin narrowed his own masked eyes right back at her, quietly snapping, "I could ask you the same thing!" He gestured out, toward the slowly-dissipating smoke below, and added, "You can't take on someone like Two-Face by yourself!"
That was not what Batman would have wanted him to say. Batman would have wanted him to demand that she stop running around altogether. But he still couldn't shake the ridiculous idea that Barbara might be the girl beneath that cowl, and Batgirl's blue eyes weren't helping. They looked so much like his best friend's blue eyes. And she sounded not a little like that same friend, too.
Batgirl didn't miss a beat, planting her gloved hands on her hips and smirking as she declared pointedly, "Well, I'm not 'by myself' anymore, now, am I? So why don't we take him together?"
She should really be a little more whelmed, Robin decided silently. But before he could manage a verbal response, a different – but equally familiar – female voice was hissing in his ear.
"A little help here!"
Below, Artemis was trading blows with Two-Face, who was managing to keep her from getting enough distance to use her weapon of choice.
Robin reflexively glanced over, toward his teammate, and Batgirl used the opportunity to launch herself over the railing, spreading her cape out to slow her descent enough to control her landing. For a moment, Robin could only watch, feeling strangely stunned. But, should-be-civilian friend or not, he knew he couldn't let them face Two-Face alone, so he shook it off and leapt over the railing to join the fight.
Artemis managed a high back-flip, getting some much-needed distance between herself and her opponent, as Batgirl distracted him. She came up with one knee on the ground and quickly knocked an arrow on her bow, waiting for the opening she needed.
Batgirl ducked into a roll as she fell, uncurling in time to deliver a sharp kick to Two-Face's shoulder and send him stumbling sideways. She didn't recognize the blonde archer, but she assumed from the girl's uniform that she was either associated with Green Arrow or – like herself and Batman – just taking inspiration from him. Either way, she figured she could probably trust her for the moment.
Two-Face collected himself, barely a foot from the wall, and turned to partially face Batgirl once more. "What is this?" he began tauntingly, "Attack of the wannabes?"
"Guess again!" Robin declared, launching out of the shadows as he threw his arm forward. His punch connected with Two-Face's jaw before the older man had even properly turned toward him.
Batgirl rushed in, jumping into the air and spinning in order to land a solid kick to Two-Face's stomach. She used the contact to push backwards, flipping and landing half-way between the archer and Robin.
Two-Face slammed into the wall, partially doubled over, and he lifted his head to rake a glare over the Boy Wonder and the red-head. "I think it's time to punish you brats," he ground out as he dipped one hand into his pocket. "Let's see what fate awaits you." He lifted his favorite coin, letting it reflect off of the filtered moonlight, and in that instant it was torn from his grasp by an arrow.
"You little-!" Two-Face began, turning an angry glare toward Artemis. But his words were cut off as Batman's gloved fist curved out of the shadows and slammed into his face.
The teens straightened from their battle-ready crouches as Two-Face slumped to the ground, unconscious, with an obviously-broken nose. Artemis returned her next arrow to her quiver as she lowered her bow and Robin let his arms fall to his sides until they were obscured by his cape.
Batgirl swallowed nervously, her body still tense. She knew – especially after Robin's reaction – that Batman wasn't likely to be grateful for her help. Maybe I can slip away while they're distracted? She shifted silently, ready to spin on her heel and launch back up the fire escape, but before she could actually move she felt a hand land on her caped shoulder.
"Nu-uh," Robin said, clucking his tongue faintly as he turned to face her, "not so fast, Red."
Artemis shouldered her bow as she walked up to her teammate and the new girl. She had long since regained her composure, and she knew exactly what her main reaction was. One hand landing on her hip, she demanded, "Since when is there a Batgirl and why is this the first time I'm hearing about her?"
"There isn't," Batman stated firmly as he joined them, Two-Face secured behind him.
Artemis quietly stepped a bit to the side, making more room for him, and Robin let his hand fall from Batgirl's shoulder.
Batgirl met his obvious glare stubbornly, planted her hands on her hips, and declared, "I'm new, but I'm not going away. You're just going to have to accept that."
"You're untrained and inexperienced," Batman countered unwaveringly. "You'll only end up getting yourself or someone else killed."
Robin barely managed not to cringe at Batman's words. It's probably not her, he reminded himself. And, for that matter, if it was Barbara, shouldn't he agree even more with his mentor? He certainly didn't want her to get hurt.
Refusing to give in to his blatant attempt at intimidation, Batgirl crossed her arms and replied, "Even you were 'untrained and inexperienced' once. If that bothers you, I'm perfectly willing to let you help me learn and train, but I won't let you stop me. This city has more than enough crime for the three – or four – of us; it needs all the heroes it can get."
"We're managing fine," Batman argued.
"Right," Batgirl challenged, narrowing her eyes at her elder, "that's why Two-Face was running free on the streets tonight. And that's why psychos just like him are blowing things up and killing people every night."
Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl as he found himself glaring at a teenager. "If you want to help so badly, then you should understand the importance of getting the proper training first."
"Are you offering?" Batgirl asked pointedly, a slightly-widened eye making it obvious that one eyebrow was lifted beneath her own cowl.
"No," Batman ground out. "I'm busy enough without having to train you. Stay off the streets."
Arms falling to her sides, fists clenched, Batgirl met his glare and replied, "No." She spun on her heel, no longer interested in continuing their conversation, and started toward the fire escape.
Robin automatically moved to follow after her, his stomach clenching painfully as his every instinct argued with his pleading logic. He was so focused on arguing himself out of believing the evidence in front of his face that he walked into Batman's outstretched arm before he actually registered it.
"Let her go," Batman instructed quietly, his own gaze never leaving the retreating figure of their newest problem.
Eyes widening behind his mask, Robin turned to look over at Batman even as the restrictive arm fell away. "What?" he asked. "I thought you wanted me to-"
"I do," Batman assured him. "But the night's still young."
He planted a tracer, Robin realized as his expression fell back to neutral. It was the obvious, logical choice – and it would certainly make figuring out her identity easier. But because it was obvious, Batman was bound to question Robin on why he hadn't already done it himself.
The sound of approaching sirens reminded them that there was still a job to do, and without a word Batman turned and disappeared back into the shadows. Two-Face was barely beginning to stir; he wouldn't be going anywhere before the police arrived.
Artemis turned her attention to Robin as Batman vanished from sight, asking awkwardly, "So, uh…want some help?"
Pushing aside his conflicting feelings about Batgirl, Robin let his trademark smirk curve his lips and he said, "If you can keep up."
Robin spent the rest of the night agonizing over the possibility that Batgirl and Barbara might be the same person. He doubted Artemis noticed his lacking focus (at least more than once) but Batman was another story. Multiple times he caught his mentor frowning at him with something between confusion and concern – a look that Robin knew meant they'd be having a serious conversation when they got back to the cave.
It wasn't until sometime after midnight, when Artemis begrudgingly returned home claiming that her mother was likely worried sick about her, that Batman allowed Robin to follow the tracer's signal.
And then, perched on the rooftop that Batman had just vacated, Robin discovered he honestly wished Batman hadn't put a tracer on Batgirl. He had wanted to solve her mystery himself, yes, but, more importantly, if she really was Barbara, he had wanted the chance to stall. Because her being Barbara radically changed his opinion of the situation.
Before, he had assumed that when they inevitably tracked her down Batman would have some rather harsh words for Batgirl. And though Robin had thought it might be cool to have a girl running around with them at night, he ultimately agreed with Batman's sentiment. She was obviously untrained (or at least under-trained), and that was dangerous for her as well as for the people around her. And he knew Batman wouldn't consider taking her under his wing.
Now Robin felt as though he were split right down the middle.
On one hand, the idea of having Barbara fighting alongside him and knowing all his secrets (and, therefore, getting to spend more time with her), was thrilling. She would finally understand why he had to cancel last-minute so often, and – most importantly – he could finally stop lying to her. He already trusted her, so that wouldn't even be an issue.
But, on the other hand, that same idea sent a foreign wave of terror straight through him. She was definitely not trained enough, and she was obviously not going to wait until she was before going out on patrol. And the idea of her getting hurt – of going through even half of the things he himself had gone through – literally made him sick to his stomach.
He just couldn't quite go so far as to say that he still completely agreed with Batman, because he knew her well enough to know exactly how much it would mean to her to do what they did.
Dragging in a deep breath, Robin shook his head. There's no use worrying about things without proof, he reminded himself firmly. He still didn't know for sure, so all he was doing was distracting himself and jumping to conclusions. Time to focus.
Every muscle in his body was tense as he activated the tracking system in his computer. The holo-screen flared to life immediately, and a second later a small, blinking red dot told him that the tracer was still active. It also told him that she was stationary. He activated the overlaying map before he could find anything more to worry about, and he held his breath as he waited to see where the tracer was.
His throat went dry and his stomach dropped to his feet when he recognized Barbara's address on the screen. For once it was not astrous to be right.
But he knew what he needed to do, no matter how much he disliked it, so he shut off the map and pushed to his feet. In no time he was leaping over the edge, and a single swing was all it took to adjust his course for Barbara's house.
Robin tried to let the air relax him as it rushed around him; he tried to let it clear his head and settle the anxious, uncertain nerves in his stomach. But nothing seemed to be helping.
As he neared the familiar street he rushed through a torrent of emotions.
A part of him was strangely proud of her for taking up the fight without any real provocation or even support. He knew exactly how much courage it took to do what they did. But he also knew exactly how dangerous it was, and he was both terrified for her well-being and surprisingly angry with her for risking her safety.
And Babs would be the first to call me out on my hypocrisy, too, he reflected with an internal, bitter chuckle.
He came to a stop as his feet alighted on the roof of the Gordon household. And, after making sure he was properly hidden from the street or a neighbor's prying eyes, he knelt down again and called up his holo-screen. He didn't even have time to hope the signal would have moved before it was blinking practically on top of his own.
So much for that pipe-dream. And that meant it was time to move, so he shut off the screen once again and moved silently toward the edge until he was just above Barbara's window.
Again, he hesitated.
He knew he was stalling. He knew he had a job to do. Batman was probably expecting Robin to meet up with him before they returned to the Batcave that night, and he wouldn't be able to do that until he'd talked to her. But what was he supposed to say? Appealing to her as Dick Grayson was out of the question – Batman would be furious, and he couldn't betray his mentor's trust like that.
Knowing full well that he had a less-than-encouraging chance of talking her into giving up her new-found night life, Robin grit his teeth and swung down to Barbara's window.
She kept her window open just wide enough for him to slip the toe of one booted foot onto the ledge, and it offered no resistance as he slid it the rest of the way open in order to balance properly. The window made a soft, squeaking sound as it slid back, leaving him no delusions of making it inside before she noticed him.
Sure enough, the red-headed lump on the queen-sized mattress several feet over stirred, shifting and sitting up as she sought to investigate the unexpected sound.
Robin remained as he was, crouched on the window sill with one hand braced casually on the frame. He schooled his face into a serious, unfamiliar expression and made a point to remind himself to throw his voice just a little. Batman had taught him long ago to do that – especially when interacting with someone who knew Dick Grayson – but never before had that instruction seemed so important.
When Barbara sat up, her blue eyes quickly going wide with shock as she clutched the comforter a little higher around her, Robin said pointedly, "We need to talk."
"Robin?" she asked, feigning confusion and slightly exaggerating the concerned frown that curved her lips. "What are you doing here…? Is…is it my dad?"
Guilt swirled in his stomach once more. Idiot, he scolded himself, she does have a little provocation. But he kept the feelings from his face as he carefully shook his head, saying, "No. You know why I'm here."
Barbara narrowed her eyes slowly. "No," she said, a level of wariness in her voice, "I don't."
"Don't play dumb with me," Robin argued, keeping his voice calm and quiet. He hated having to corner her like this. "Batman slipped a tracer on you before you left earlier."
Her eyes widened, the genuine surprise overriding her largely-feigned confusion. After a long second she released a breath, loosened her grip (slightly) on her comforter, and looked away. "I never even considered that," she mumbled.
Taking her acknowledgment as his cue, Robin dropped the rest of the way into her room and moved out of sight of the window as he said, "I'm sorry to drop in on you like this, B – Ms. Gordon, but I didn't think you'd want to talk if I followed you earlier."
Her eyes narrowed again, though she let the comforter pool in her lap in order to cross her arms over her chest. The light blue fabric of her loose tank top shifted slightly with the movement. "I'm not your enemy, you know."
Holding up his gloved hands in a passive gesture, palms out, he said, "I never said you were. Honestly, I understand why you'd want to help out."
"But you're still going to try and talk me out of it, anyway, right?" Barbara asked knowingly. Her expression, as well as her body language, screamed her stubborn determination. She wasn't tuning him out, but she was wholly prepared to meet his argument head-on.
Letting his arms drop back to his sides, Robin replied, "I am." He wanted to be as honest as he could, especially since he knew he was going to have to turn into the world's biggest hypocrite. "You want to help us clean up this city because of your father, right?"
"Right," Barbara replied shortly.
"But while you're reasoning that you're helping him," Robin argued, "you're risking doing to him exactly what you're afraid will happen to you." He held her gaze and forced the harsh words off his tongue as he added, "You don't want to lose him to his job – but putting yourself on the line risks him losing you to yours." The very idea made him want to throw up.
Barbara hesitated, her stance slackening almost imperceptibly, and she looked away for a second. Her voice was softer as she admitted, "I hadn't thought of it like that."
For a moment, he was hopeful. Hopeful that she'd see his reason and promise to hang up her cape.
But, when she looked back into his eyes – seemingly seeing through his mask as if it weren't even there – that hope died in his chest. Her resolution was at least as firm as it had been before.
"I understand what you're saying," she said quietly, "but it doesn't change anything. The more people out there who fight back against the evil, the better our chances of survival. So, the way I see it, if I join the fight then we all have a higher chance of living to see the sunrise."
It would have been easier to try and talk her down if he didn't agree with her logic. But he refused to let her see the truth on his face as he replied, "It won't work like that if we're working against each other."
Her frown returned and she began gesturing as she said, "Don't tell me that! You should be talking to Batman – he's the one refusing to work with me! I would prefer to work alongside the two of you. I know I'm less trained and I don't have the weapons you do, but I have the drive, the heart, and the ability to learn. Why won't he consider at least giving me a few pointers?"
Robin barely bit back his sigh before he explained, "Batman doesn't see it like you do. He won't train you, and he'll be wasting time keeping an eye on you that he could be spending taking down the bad guys."
"He's not 'wasting time' on me right now," Barbara challenged, clearly offended by his words. She crossed her arms again as she added, "He just sent you."
"It's the same thing to him," Robin said, cringing when he realized his own tone was a little more harsh than necessary. She was hurt and lashing out and he knew better than to let it rile him.
He took a deep breath before adding, "It would be bet-." He cut himself off when the communicator in his ear beeped and he immediately lifted one hand to tap it, opening the link as he said, "Go ahead."
"Hostage situation downtown," Batman began, "I might need backup."
"On my way," Robin assured him as his arm fell back to his side. His masked eyes returned to Barbara, who was watching him carefully with not a little bit of curiosity, and he said, "Please…just think about what I've said, okay? I have to go, but you should definitely be done for the night."
"I'll think about it if you talk to him for me," Barbara offered, her expression softening.
Hoping it would keep her home for at least the rest of that night, Robin nodded before turning and starting for the window.
Arms falling back to her lap, Barbara called quietly, "Thank you, Robin. And…be careful."
Robin paused, one foot on the ledge and hand hovering over his belt, and glanced back at her. Allowing a faint grin to lift one corner of his lips, he replied, "I always am."
Batman had, as Robin had anticipated, been unhappy to learn the identity of Gotham's newest Bat. They had argued for nearly an hour before Bruce finally sent him upstairs, and before Dick left for school the following morning Bruce was sure to tell him to cancel his afternoon plans.
School itself had been awkward for Dick, and for once he hadn't felt too horrible for having to tell Barbara that they'd have to take a rain check.
And then he found himself stepping into the Cave, and he couldn't help but feel like he was being punished. He knew exactly why Batman had sent him to the Cave instead of letting him go on patrol, and it was the same reason that Dick had had to cancel his plans with Barbara. He hadn't yet decided how to handle the situation with Batgirl and he knew that he and Robin didn't see eye-to-eye this time.
"Rob!" Wally called even as the light of the zeta-tube faded, waving over at his friend with a broad smile, "Wasn't expecting to see you 'til tomorrow!"
Robin struggled to lift his lips in a lopsided grin as he returned the wave of greeting (with far less enthusiasm) and called, "Hey, KF."
Zatanna, who had been talking to Wally, smiled over at Robin and said, "Long time no see."
"Yeah, sorry," Robin replied as he moved to join them. "Had some things come up in Gotham."
"We kinda figured," Wally assured him with a grin. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward the large hall that led to the bulk of the living space, and added, "Zee says Megan's working on a Chex-Mix recipe; we should get in there before Supey eats it all."
Laughing teasingly, Zatanna said, "I think the only one liable to eat it all is you, Wally."
Wally staggered back, holding a hand over his heart, and declared, "You wound me! Of course I'd leave you guys some!"
"A handful each?" Superboy asked with a teasing smirk as he and M'Gann walked into the room.
Turning toward his friends and meeting Superboy's smirk with a grin of his own, Wally replied, "Exactly!" He glanced over to M'Gann, then, and asked, "Is it ready yet?"
With a soft laugh, M'Gann replied, "It's cooling."
Recognized: Artemis B07.
The Team turned at the sound of the computerized declaration, waiting patiently for their friend and teammate to join them.
The blonde archer stepped through the portal a moment later, clad in her civilian clothing like the rest of them, and she raised a pointed brow at the sight of them all gathered together. One hand landing on her hip, she asked, "What, am I late for the meeting?"
"No," Zatanna assured her, "no meeting."
Wally rushed to his girlfriend's side, draping an arm over her shoulders as he declared, "You just have perfect timing is all. Megan just made Chex-Mix!"
Artemis rolled her eyes, a grin tugging at the corners of her lips anyway, and asked, "Is there any left?"
Laughter greeted her question, nearly drowning out Wally's exaggerated, "Not you, too!"
"Come on," M'Gann said, turning and gesturing down the hall, "it's probably cooled enough to try a little. I separated some for everyone." She lifted off the ground, then, and flew quickly back toward the kitchen.
Superboy and Zatanna followed silently, and Wally made to dash after them as Artemis's eyes slid sideways, toward Robin's stationary figure.
He looked distant even despite the sunglasses, his hands shoved deeply into his jeans pockets and a frown worthy of Batman curving his lips. He had been the only one who hadn't laughed (and it wasn't hard to distinguish his laughter in a crowd) when they'd been teasing Wally.
Frowning with concern, Artemis turned to face him properly and asked, "Something wrong, Robin?"
Her words seemed to get Wally's attention, because the speedster froze mid-step and turned back to look over at his friend.
Robin looked up, his frown smoothing into a neutral line as a slim, dark eyebrow lifted above the sunglasses. "What makes you think something's wrong?"
Frown deepening, Artemis crossed her arms and said, "You're usually the first to laugh at Wally, for one thing. And you never let someone catch you spacing out like that."
"I wasn't spacing out," Robin defended, managing not to cringe at himself. He wasn't being particularly convincing and he knew it.
Wally was immediately standing beside his girlfriend, a rare serious light in his eyes as he declared, "Yeah, you were."
Robin slid his gaze to his friend, glaring at him from behind his sunglasses. Way to back me up. Releasing a heavy breath, he pulled his hands from his pockets and said, "Look, it doesn't matter. I guess I'm just a little distracted today."
Wally frowned, knowing that that was code for something bigger, but before he could speak Artemis was asking, "Is it about Batgirl?"
"Wait, what?" Wally demanded, turning wide eyes back to his girlfriend. He immediately returned his attention to Robin and added, "Who? There's a Batgirl? Why didn't I know?"
Grinding his teeth, Robin looked away for a second before replying, "You didn't know because she's new. Like, two-nights-in new. And if Batman has his way she'll be one-night-old come sunrise."
"What, so he doesn't like the competition?" Artemis asked incredulously, crossing her arms over her chest. "Or is he secretly chauvinistic?"
Wally cringed, knowing Robin wouldn't like the accusation, but turned his focus to the younger teen anyway and asked, "Yeah, why would Batman run her out of town already?"
"She's untrained," Robin replied, disregarding Artemis's questions for the sake of his sanity. "And she didn't exactly ask permission before taking the mantel, so he's probably a little upset about it."
"Would he have given his permission if she had asked?" Artemis questioned, one eyebrow arching pointedly.
"Probably not," Robin admitted.
Wally's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he studied his best friend. "You're not happy with his decision, though, are you?"
Turning his glare to the floor and clenching his fists at his sides, Robin replied, "It doesn't matter."
Wally and Artemis exchanged wide-eyed gazes, surprised at their friend's open display of frustration.
Understanding passed between them and Artemis dropped her arms, saying quietly, "I'll leave you two alone for a minute," before she turned and started down the hall, toward the kitchen.
When Artemis was far enough away, Wally stepped up to Dick and dropped a hand on his shoulder, saying quietly, "Tell me about it."
Hands unclenching, Dick lifted his gaze and asked, "Remember Barbara?"
"Gorgeous red-headed gymnast? Of course," Wally replied with a lopsided grin.
Rolling his eyes, Dick shrugged Wally's hand off his shoulder and said, "It's her."
"Wait, what?" Wally repeated, eyes widening. "She's Batgirl?"
"Yeah," Dick replied quietly. The pit in his stomach seemed to be getting bigger by the second.
Wally whistled lowly, suddenly understanding. "Wow, Rob…that sucks. Does she…you know…know?"
"No," Dick said. "But that's actually part of the problem."
"Right, right," Wally said, nodding absently as he began pacing. "And Bats kicked you our way to buy himself time to, what, decide her fate?"
"Basically," Dick grunted, hands returning to his pockets.
"Batman to Team," Batman's voice called as a large holo-screen blinked into existence before them.
Dick and Wally turned, both frowning, toward the screen as their teammates ran into the room behind them.
As soon as the teens were all within earshot, Batman continued, "A situation has developed in Star City that needs immediate attention. Green Arrow and Black Canary are out on League business, and we haven't been able to raise Red Arrow. If we can, we'll send him in to help, but for now it's up to you."
Smaller holo-screens popped up on either side of Batman's, showing live satellite footage of Star City's central park. At least two-dozen civilians were gathered in the park, clustered together and surrounded by a group of large men with menacing guns. There was a police barricade several blocks away in every direction, shutting down traffic, but it was obvious that they were at a standstill.
"Suit up," Batman instructed firmly. "Aqualad and Rocket will meet you there."
The weekend arrived in a rush, and Robin was relegated to spending most of it in Happy Harbor. Batman sent them on several small missions, and whenever Robin tried to talk to him about Batgirl he shut down the conversation. By Sunday Robin's temper was fraying and the entire team had picked up on the unusual tension between the Dynamic Duo. Robin had been ordered to stay the night in the Cave on Saturday, since Batman was out of the country on League business, and after breakfast on Sunday Robin went straight to the gym.
Wally and Artemis strolled into the large living room, finding Superboy aimlessly channel hunting while M'Gann curled up next to him with a book and a bowl of chips.
"Let the party begin!" Wally cried as he struck a pose in the entryway.
"Hey, Wally; hey, Artemis," M'Gann called without lifting her eyes from her book.
Clapping her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, Artemis grinned and said, "You can stop posing, Drama Kid, they're not interested."
Wally deflated and adjusted his position until he was standing properly, and he flicked his eyes around the room as he noted the lack of the other two teens. "Where're Rob and Zee?"
Zatanna's voice came from behind him as she entered the room, saying, "I think Robin's in the gym."
"Seriously?" Artemis asked as they turned in order to greet their friend. "It's not even ten in the morning."
M'Gann telekinetically set her book on the couch by her feet as she shifted in order to look toward her friends, her voice slightly hushed as she said, "I think he's really upset. He barely said a word at breakfast."
"That's true," Zatanna agreed, her hands landing on her hips. Turning her gaze to Wally and Artemis, she asked, "Do either of you have any idea about what's going on with him and Batman lately?"
The couple exchanged a long look and Wally's eyes were downcast as he carefully replied, "There's a…newcomer in Gotham, and they're sort of disagreeing about how to handle it."
One dark brow lifted, Conner turned his attention toward the speedster and repeated, "Newcomer?"
"She calls herself Batgirl," Artemis supplied.
Three pairs of eyes widened and Conner turned off the television as he and M'Gann pushed to their feet.
"And I take it she didn't take up the mantel with permission?" Zatanna asked carefully.
"Exactly," Artemis replied.
"I'm surprised they'd argue about something like that, though," M'Gann said softly.
All eyes turned to Wally as he admitted, "It's kinda complicated. She's not exactly trained."
"Well neither was I," M'Gann declared with a faint shrug. "This time last year I was barely even on Earth."
Wally stared at her as if she'd unknowingly grown a second head.
Suddenly self-conscious, M'Gann shifted awkwardly and asked, "…What?"
Snapping her fingers in front of Wally's face, Artemis called, "Earth to Wally – you in there?"
Wally blinked rapidly, glancing between them and mumbling, "Sorry, sorry." With barely a pause, he stepped forward slightly and declared, "But I just had a thought!"
Smirking, Artemis mumbled, "I can see how that would catch you off-guard."
Mock-glaring at her, Wally continued, "That's the answer! Batman's best argument is that she's untrained and inexperienced, right? Well, what if we fixed that? She could join the Team – between us, Canary, and missions she'd get all the training and experience she'll ever need!"
For a long minute, they just stared at him.
"I suppose," Zatanna began carefully, "that could actually work. I mean, I wasn't really 'trained,' either, when I joined."
"And most of us didn't have any real experience," Conner agreed thoughtfully.
Crossing her arms pointedly, Artemis declared, "There's just one problem with that idea, Wally: Batman. There's no way he'll let her join the Team."
Smiling hopefully, M'Gann clasped her hands together and said, "But we could at least try, right? Maybe Batman will consider it if we all agree and promise to take full responsibility?"
"Yeah," Wally quickly agreed, turning an almost pleading smile to his girlfriend, "we have to at least try!"
When Artemis still looked less than convinced, Zatanna offered, "I say we try if for no other reason than to fix the tension between Batman and Robin. Has he ever spent the night here before when we haven't had a super-late mission?"
"Nope," M'Gann replied brightly, as if her response proved their point.
Artemis sighed, finally holding her hands out at her shoulders in a not-quite shrug. "It's not like it's even my decision, anyway. But before we suggest it to Robin, we should check with Kaldur and Raquel to make sure they're on board, too."
"I'll call Kaldur," Wally volunteered even as he reached up and pressed the button on his communicator.
"Where are they, anyway?" Zatanna asked curiously.
"I think Rocket's sick," M'Gann said with a small frown, switching to telepathy as Wally began talking to their leader.
Nodding, Artemis added, "And Wally said Kaldur's in Atlantis for some sort of celebration. He probably won't be surface-side until the middle of the week, unless there's some sort of emergency."
"I guess that's reasonable," Zatanna replied. "It's a bummer about Rocket, though."
Voice laced with understanding, M'Gann replied, "Yes, it's terrible."
"You've been sick? With a human cold?" Zatanna asked incredulously, turning wide eyes to her friend.
"It was technically a side-effect of being drained by the Parasite," M'Gann explained. "But apparently the symptoms were identical."
"Parasite? The guy you fought in Geneva?"
"Yeah," Artemis replied.
"He's in!" Wally suddenly announced with a broad smile, his arm falling back to his side.
"Then I guess now we only need to check with Rocket," M'Gann declared.
Zatanna lifted her hand to her own communicator, calling their remaining teammate. "Hey, Raquel," she greeted when the call connected.
The Team listened silently as Zatanna quickly explained her reason for calling, and before they had even disconnected it was obvious what their newest member's answer was.
"We're good to go," Zatanna declared with a smirk as her hand landed on her hip. "Let's go talk to Robin."
It was strange to be exercising with his mask on, but Dick knew that if he attempted his normal routine with only his sunglasses they'd likely fall off and become a tripping hazard. Not that he was only going through his regular routine. If he had been, he'd have been done nearly half an hour earlier.
This is stupid, he thought angrily as he landed on another wide pole. We both know what decision he's going to make, so why's he dragging it out like this?
Grinding his teeth together, Dick launched into a double somersault, landing perfectly and immediately springing up again as he threw himself toward the still rings. He caught them expertly – with enough force to shake the entire metal frame – and let his momentum roll him into his first flip.
She's not just gonna go away, he argued silently, wishing he could direct the words to Bruce himself. He knew she'd been sighted again for the last few nights, though she had at least taken one night off after their conversation. But her mind was clearly made up. If we don't agree to at least train her and get her some proper weapons she'll end up getting hurt!
He was so lost in thought, barely paying minimal attention to his own movements, that he failed to notice as the Team filed in behind him.
"I kind of thought those were just for show," Zatanna mumbled as their eyes settled on their obviously-frustrated teammate.
Wally cringed, knowing from Robin's lack of reaction that he hadn't noticed them yet and knowing just as well that that was a bad sign. Taking a step forward, he called, "Hey, Rob, can we talk?"
Dick relaxed the tension in his arms, throwing his weight in order to propel himself into his dismount even as he cursed himself for not noticing their arrival.
The Team watched as their youngest member performed an impressive back-flip, spun on his toes, and did an obviously-easy handspring down to the ground to land before them.
M'Gann floated the towel and bottle of water he'd set aside for himself over to him and Dick took the items with a nod, asking, "What's up, guys?"
Voice cheerful, M'Gann declared, "We thought of a way to try and help you with the Batgirl situation!"
One dark eyebrow lifted behind his mask before Dick remembered that they couldn't see the gesture, and his eyes flicked to Wally, who was nervously kicking at the ground and avoiding eye-contact. Instead of directing his words to the speedster, however, Dick paused to take a long drink from his water before asking, "And what's that?"
Zatanna spoke up next, one arm loose at her side and the other gesturing absently as she said, "Batman's big problem with her is her lack of training and experience, right?"
"Right," Dick said slowly, twisting the cap back onto the bottle. He was clearly going to have to have a talk with Wally later.
"Well," Zatanna continued, "what if she joined the Team?"
"What?" Dick heard himself asking, his eyes wide and his throat dry.
"It's the perfect solution!" M'Gann exclaimed quickly. "She would get all the training she needs, and the experience would just sort of happen along the way!"
Before he could find his voice again, Artemis added, "We already talked to Kaldur and Raquel, too, and they're completely fine with it."
"Even Batman would have to consider it if we all push for it," Superboy added, crossing his arms over his chest.
Hands clenching at his sides, Robin declared, "You don't know Batman. If the Team tries pushing for this, he's just as likely to do the exact opposite."
One eyebrow arched curiously, Zatanna asked, "Robin…do you not want Batgirl on the Team?"
Silence greeted her question as the others waited for his answer, having not considered that possibility.
Robin hesitated. He honestly didn't know his answer. The answer to that question was just a smaller version of the answer to whether or not he wanted Barbara – Batgirl – running around on rooftops and fighting psychopaths. And that answer seemed to change with the hour.
"Rob?" Wally finally asked, confusion and concern in his voice.
Releasing a heavy sigh, Robin turned and made his way toward the nearest bench. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "Sometimes I think she could be a good addition – she could help, and an extra pair of eyes never hurts. But other times…I don't think she's cut out for this life."
"But if you're conflicted," Zatanna began, crossing her arms thoughtfully, "then what are you and Batman arguing about?"
Dropping onto the bench and letting his head fall back to hit the wall, Robin admitted, "When he tells me he's against her working with us, I know I want her to. And when I think about what we might have to do to stop her – and what it means to her – I hesitate. But when I think about what could happen to her…it makes me sick."
The Team exchanged a long look, and it was M'Gann who finally said, "You hesitate because you understand what she's trying to fight for and you don't want to take that away from her. But you worry…because you care about her."
Masked eyes staring, unseeingly, at the ceiling, Robin mumbled, "That could just as easily have been me." Another thought struck him, then, but this time he managed to keep it inside. This must be how Bruce felt when I decided to become Robin.
Frowning at his friend's obvious struggle, Wally moved forward and sat beside him, saying, "Rob, listen. You know as well as I do – as well as we all do – that it's hard to stop someone from jumping into this life once they've decided to. And if you want to protect her, then…you need to make sure she gets that training."
He's right, Dick realized. If there was one thing he knew about Barbara Gordon it was that she never backed down from a commitment she'd made. Short of locking her up for the rest of her life, there was no way they'd really be able to stop her. He needed to acknowledge that if he was going to be able to convince Batman to let her work with them, because he needed to be completely sure that that was what he wanted or Batman would see right through him.
Releasing a quiet half-chuckle, Robin lifted his head and said, "Hey, KF?"
"Yeah?" Wally asked, looking over at him curiously.
"Thanks."
"So," Superboy began, arms falling to his sides, "is it time to talk to Batman?"
Robin pushed himself to his feet, a genuine smirk tilting his lips for the first time in nearly a week, and replied, "It is."
"Absolutely not," Batman declared firmly. He had detoured to the Cave to check in on his way home from his latest mission, only to have Robin and the others practically ambush him with their decision to let Batgirl join the Team.
"But it's the perfect solution!" Kid Flash argued persistently. He stepped up beside Robin, who was standing slightly forward, and held his hands out in a pleading gesture. "You don't want to take the time to train her, but we're willing to – and Canary's here all the time working with us, anyway, so what's one more?"
Batman narrowed his eyes at them, his frown deepening, and repeated, "No. Batgirl will not be active long enough to make it worth the effort. This is not up for debate."
Robin met his mentor's glare fearlessly, saying, "You know as well as I do that she won't stop no matter how many times you glare at her. And she knows there's nothing else that you can do to stop her."
"Robin," Batman said, an obvious warning in his voice. They were not going to have this argument here.
"I'm not dropping this," Robin stated, crossing his arms pointedly. "And you can't keep avoiding me."
There was a long stretch of silence as the Knights exchanged glares.
Batman broke the silence with a sharp turn, his cape swooshing and flaring behind him as he started toward the zeta-tube. "Batcave. Now."
The Team cringed at the tone of Batman's voice, turning apologetic glances toward Robin as the Boy Wonder's arms fell back to his sides and he released a long-suffering breath.
Recognized: Batman 02.
"Well," Zatanna began carefully, "we knew he'd probably be angry, right?"
Nearly snorting, Artemis replied, "That's an understatement."
Turning toward his friends, Robin said, "Thanks for your support, guys. I'll let you know later how this goes."
"We've still got your back on this," Kid Flash reminded, holding out one fist toward his friend.
Robin tapped his gloved fist against Wally's, grinning, and replied, "I know. Later." Then he turned and started toward the zeta-tube confidently. The very fact that Batman had ordered him home meant that the conversation wasn't over – which, in turn, meant that there was still a chance.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Well, there you have the first chapter! And I have a confession: when I started this story, it was totally supposed to be a one-shot…but that clearly isn't happening! I suspect this will turn into either a really long two-shot or a still-fairly-long three-shot…hopefully that's good news! LOL Anyway, please review to let me know your thoughts so far, and I hope to see you all again soon for chapter two!