Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, nor the Batman family. Morgan Jørgensen and any character you do not recognize, however, is mine, and if you want to borrow them, please ask first.

I'd like to dedicate this story to my awesome internet friend Ushna. Thank you for sticking with me for the past five years, for reading and editing my stories, for offering your opinion on my work, for letting me read your work. For writing colaborate stories with me, even though they were just silly Jonas Brothers stories on youtube. Thank you for introducing me to Fanfictionnet, because without you, none of my stories would have sprung to life.

Chapter One:Two Years

May 15th

The thug was running as fast as his pudgy body could carry him. Harsh puffs of ragged breath fell from his mouth as much from the unwanted exercise as the fear in his system. His breathing was also stumped by the joker mask he was wearing, so he yanked it off and threw it away as he turned a corner, letting the cheap plastic thing skit along the slick pavement. He ran across a puddle, the water soaking into the bottom of his worn jeans.

He was vaguely aware of a shadow slithering along the roof tops behind him, getting closer and closer with every second. The man had known this was a chase he couldn't possibly hope to win, but he'd tried anyway.

After all, a lot of much faster and tougher men had already attempted to outrun the Bat. None, so far, had succeeded.

People were talking. And by people, he meant the other criminals he hung out with. Rumor was that, for the past few months, the Bat had been different. Wilder. Batman had always been harsh and scary, but he usually refrained from sending most of his opponents to the hospital. Nobody knew for sure what had brought about the change, but apparently, the hero had gotten downright ruthless.

And now the Bat was coming for him.

The knowledge of his imminent failure didn't make the prospect seem less scary, so he kept running even though his lungs and throat were burning. Spotting an old, abandoned school building, he headed for it. The door was locked, but he shot the lock and barreled into the wood, satisfied when it gave way. He sprinted inside and up several flights of stairs.

Maybe if he hid.. Maybe if the Bat couldn't find him..

He found a classroom on the second floor and forced the door open. The room was empty, save for a few large lockers. Wiping sweat from his brow, he headed for the cupboards and pulled one open. He could just about fit inside, so he crammed his large body in the small space and closed the door behind him.

Maybe he would get out of this. Maybe the Bat wouldn't find him.

Batman didn't need to see the Joker croon to track him down. As he headed completely soundlessly down the halls of the dusty, old school building his prey had foolishly decided to hide in, he only had to listen for the sound of the man's uneasy breathing.

He opened the door to the classroom he was in, not caring that the door creaked obnoxiously. He could hear the guy draw a sharp breath from his closed locker.

This was almost too easy.

His face remained completely stony as he strode across the room and wrenched the locker open. He didn't hesitate for a second before grabbing hold of the lapels of the man's flannel shirt, yanking him out. A startled scream left the man lips as Batman, holding him so he was dangling a foot off the floor, backed them across the room and into a window. He slammed him hard enough against the glass to make it crack, the man's sparsely haired head slamming painfully against the glass.

The thug was sweating disgustingly, making the dark knight curl his lip in disgust at the odor.

"Where is the Joker?!" Batman growled.

"I-I don't know, man!" The guy responded, his breathing labored and eyes wide from his fear.

Batman scowled even harder and punched the window behind his captive, shattering it completely.

The croon flinched and practically sobbed. "Oh god." He whispered shakily.

Batman lifted the guy up again, this time on the outside of the window. "I won't ask again." He told the man dangling in free air.

"I-I swear I don't know! Nobody knows! We haven't seen him for months. You gotta believe me, man!"

Batman studied the man briefly. He could tell he was telling the truth, which actually just made him angrier. The guy didn't have the answers he wanted – which meant he was useless to him now.

If nobody had seen the joker for months.. Well, then Batman would have to track the clown down some other way.

Not thinking twice, he let the man slip from his grip, wrenching a terrified scream from him as he fell towards the pavement below.

The fall wouldn't kill him. True, it would probably break both of his legs, but at least that meant he wouldn't be doing anything illegal for some time.

Using his grapple gun, he landed next to the man, who was lying, gasping in pain on the pavement.

He paused to send the police the street number so they could take care of the injured man.

Then, with a flick of his cape, Dick left the scene.

June 2nd

Morgan smiled as she closed her eyes and stuck her nose in the air, drawing in a deep breath of the Gotham air. It felt so familiar and yet distant, like a long forgotten memory. She was in the airport still, and the place smelled of cleaning supplies and sweaty travelers, but simply knowing that the air was American was a comfort in itself.

The leather strap of her backpack dug into her shoulder almost painfully, so she shifted its weight slightly, deciding to use both straps instead of having it slung over one shoulder like she usually did. She took the time to sigh deeply and grab hold of her suitcase before she joined her fellow travelers in heading for the exit.

The steady throng of people was like a river, its current carrying her ever closer to home.

Despite the comfort and serenity the place brought her, Morgan felt anxiety clench at her insides. She could pretend for a small moment that she was simply returning after a short journey, that everything was going to get back to normal as soon as she stepped through the airport's doors. But then reality would have to kick in, and she would probably have to admit that nothing was as it had once been.

"Morgan!" She turned her head at the familiar voice, a smile instinctively finding its way onto her face when she spotted M'gann and Connor heading in her direction, hand in hand.

"Hey, you guys!" She gleefully greeted, immediately accepting the hug M'gann hadn't hesitated to engulf her in.

"Oh my gosh, it's been so long!" M'gann almost sounded like she was close to tears once she pulled back to allow her fiancé to hug Morgan as well.

Morgan let out a small laugh. "You sound like I've been gone for ten years." She commented squinting up at M'gann's temporarily human face, finding the sun blinding after spending so many hours on a plane with all the shutters down.

"Two years is enough, I think." Connor said in his deep voice, ruffling Morgan's hair in a decidedly brotherly move.

Morgan silently agreed with him. When she'd planned to travel to Denmark for two months, she hadn't expected those two months to grow into four months.. and then nine months.. and then a year. And then another year.

Looking upon her two friends, she couldn't help but think that they hadn't changed a tiny bit, expect perhaps for M'gann's now shoulder length hair, but she already knew the Martian and the Kryptonian didn't age like normal people, so it didn't really surprise her.

"You look so grown up!" M'gann said next, clutching Morgan's hands in hers, looking at her younger friend with shinning eyes.

Morgan felt a lopsided smile grow on her mouth. "I suppose two years can make a difference."

Connor grabbed her luggage and then M'gann's hand, and soon, the three of them were walking down the sidewalk towards the nearest Zeta tube.

"So.." Morgan wet her bottom lip and bit into it, finally asking the question that had been on her lips since she spotted her two friends. "How is he?"

She didn't need to elaborate on who 'he' was. By the way Connor's shoulders tensed, his face marred by a scowl, and M'gann's look grew worried, Morgan knew they knew exactly who she was talking about.

"He's.. not good. It's best that we talk once we're inside." M'gann vaguely answered.

Morgan felt herself bristle with annoyance. She'd just travelled halfway across the world because she'd been told the others needed her help with Dick for some reason, and now M'gann was making her wait even longer.

Her annoyance didn't last long. It stepped to the background, letting a much stronger emotion claim the limelight: Worry.

They reached the Zeta tube and Morgan paused in front of it, a sense of familiarity sweeping over her as she made to walk through it. She prepared herself for the two seconds of thoughtlessness and weightlessness.

"Recognized: Sparrow, B23." The bodiless female voice of the tube rung in her ears and Morgan felt so utterly strange to hear that name used again.

She shook her head and followed after M'gann and Connor, letting them lead the way through Happy Harbor towards their apartment.

Once reaching the apartment, M'gann fished out a pair of keys and unlocked the front door, stepping in first. Morgan followed after the Martian, Connor bringing up the rear with her luggage.

"Coffee?" M'gann shape shifted into her usual green skin and aimed the question at Morgan over her shoulder as she headed for the small kitchen.

"Please." Morgan responded, settling onto the couch when Connor told her to sit. He left her luggage by the door and snapped it shut before heading for the kitchen himself.

Five minutes later, the three of them were sitting around the small coffee table, drinking their coffee and tea in silence. It was anything but a relaxed silence, though. Morgan's left foot was tapping anxiously against the floor and her wings, no longer concealed by her necklace, kept fluttering, feeling restless and jittery.

It was amazing to see her two friends again, but also strange. She'd all but left her Sparrow life behind, and somehow, Morgan hadn't realized that just because she wasn't Sparrow currently, didn't eman they wouldn't still be her friends. That wasn't just it, though. It was just.. after two years, suddenly finding herself back in America, sitting with two of her friends, was odd.

"So.." She leaned forward in her seat and pursed her lips, eyeing her two friends firmly. "We're alone now. Spill."

M'gann bit down on her bottom lip and looked at her fiancé, maybe silently asking him to break the news – whatever the news were – to their guest.

Connor cleared his throat and looked at her with serious eyes. "Batman's dead." He simply announced. "It happen six months ago."

Morgan drew back in shock and frowned at him. "That can't be right." She immediately protested. "I saw him on the news last week! He was taking down some drug –"

She paused and felt herself gaping at her two friends, their serious expressions and raised eyebrows proving they were simply waiting for her to catch on.

"That.. that was Dick.." She realized, whispering the words in shock.

M'gann nodded worriedly. "He's been Batman for five months now and.. he's.. He's not doing well."

Connor easily took over, speaking with more focus than M'gann. "He's been obsessed with finding Batman's killers and bringing them down. Spends all his time brooding in the Batcave or at Wayne Manor. The League hasn't seen him for two monts now. He can't keep at the pace he's currently going, but he refuses to see this."

"Both Robin and Batgirl has tried to talk to him. We all have. But he's.. unwilling to listen to anything we have to say." M'gann went on. "Back in the day, Wally could always get through to him, but now that he's gone.."

Morgan felt her eyebrows travel towards her hairline. "And you think I can persuade him?"

Both Connor and M'gann looked at her like that was exactly what they were thinking.

"You two always had a special bond.." M'gann said in that soft voice of hers. "Your relationship with him was different than ours."

Morgan blinked at them for a second before speaking in a deadpan. "And by special bond you mean we argued a lot and then occasionally had a few hot make out sessions." She reminded them.

"Morgan, you're our last card." Connor told her seriously. "We don't know what else to do."

She wanted to help Dick – she really did. But she had to be realistic here. She hadn't talked to the guy for more than a year. After ten months of separation, they'd sort of stopped talking. It had been a gradual downwards curve. He'd been too busy with League stuff and she'd been busy trying to make a life for herself in a foreign country. And slowly, their skype chats had become less and less of a priority for both of them. Whatever connection the two of them had had back in the day.. Well, she wasn't sure it was still there.

Part of her was also angry with them. She'd uprooted her life for the second time in just as many years, and now it would most likely be for nothing.

Morgan opened her mouth, intending to tell her two friends this, but upon seeing their hopeful and sad faces, entirely different words left her.

"I'll do my best." She promised, already knowing this was a bad idea, but still fully intending to do everything she could. "He might be far out, but we all know I'm more stubborn than he is."

Sticking to my usual fashion, the prologue is pretty short.

It's finally here, guys! Yay!

Just to be very clear: I am not at all as far in the story, lenghtwise, as I was with Feathers when I posted the first chapter of that story. Also, I'm finding the sequel harder to write as well. SO, I'm going to be updating this story much slower than Feathers. Please don't let that stop you from reviewing, though! I'm still a bit unsure of this story, since I've enver written a sequel before, so its continued survival rests entirely in your hands.

This story will be darker, more adult, than its predecessor. Which also means that I'll be showing some darker sides of our main characters, particularly Dick. I'm experimenting, I guess. Digging up his demons and playing around with them a bit.

Fact of the day: I ship Supermartian a LOT. I'm sure you could tell.