A/N: Hello! This is just something I wrote while anxiously waiting for Robin #174. It was more to help me chill out than anything, but I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One

Cass was always prepared for anything when she answered the door to the apartment she shared with the other Outsiders

Cass was always prepared for anything when she answered the door to the apartment she shared with the other Outsiders. She was prepared for monsters, rogues, dying heroes with urgent messages, assassins and even her mother. So she was prepared for Tim Drake when she opened the door, mostly because she'd heard his approaching footsteps and figured out it was him from their rhythm long before he rang the doorbell.

She wasn't prepared for what he said though.

"No, I don't need you on a case. I just, um, dropped by to talk to you."

A few seconds passed as she stared at him, and he broke eye contact before she did. But she said, "Okay," and stepped to the side allowing him in.

She'd known Tim for a while. They'd reached a sort of friendship in Bludhaven. But that was all shattered now. She could feel his pulse quicken in fear when he got near her and she could see his body stiffen and go on the defensive whenever she made a sudden movement. He understood perfectly that she'd been on a mind control drug when she attacked him, and didn't hold it against her. He claimed nothing had changed. But his nerves betrayed him where his mind didn't. He was afraid of her now. No, not afraid. More like…what was the word…cautious. Maybe he'd never really trust her again.

"Sit," she offered the couch to him and he accepted, sitting gingerly. There was a silence as she stood before him, her arms crossed. She wondered what he wanted. He hadn't been completely lying to her when he said he dropped by to "talk" but he hadn't been completely truthful either. This wasn't a friendly visit. He had news.

"So," she mumbled, because she felt she owed it to him. "How's it…going?"

"Oh, good. Really good."

Huh. Not lying. That was strange.

"Uh…you?" Tim seemed to not be able to look directly at her, as if he thought she would be able to read him better if he made eye contact.

"Fine."

"Really? Batman treating you okay?"

This was wasting time. He didn't really want to say any of this, she could tell. But she had tried to kill him recently, so she would be patient.

"Yes."

"How's Green Arrow?"

She considered. "He talks a lot. And loudly."

Tim actually snickered at this. "Yeah. What about Grace and Thunder?"

"They don't like my scars. Like you didn't."

"Oh. Um…Ka…tana?" He was running out of members to ask about. Cass still tried to give him a real answer.

"I like her. She's, uh…focused."

"Right, right…" Tim was thinking really hard now for the members he was missing. Cass felt bad for him and supplied.

"Metamorpho. Geoforce."

"Right!" Tim brightened. "How are they?"

"Metamorpho also talks a lot. But I like him…better than Green Arrow. I don't know much about, uh, Geoforce."

"Oh. Okay." Tim looked disappointed he'd finally run out.

"How's…uh, school?" Cass said vainly.

"Oh, um, good. Crimefighting's cutting into my studies some. You know how it is."

"No."

"Oh, right," Tim flushed slightly. "Yeah, I knew that. I just…"

"Do you want a…thing to drink?" Cass cut in, her mind flashing back to that time Barbara tried to teach her how to have guests over.

"No thanks," Tim said, looking away.

"Okay." Cass uncrossed her arms. "Look, Tim. I'm sorry but…what do you want to say? Really."

Tim looked up and actually made eye contact with Cass again for a few seconds. Then his head dropped back down and he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Okay, Cassandra, could you sit down? I'm going to tell you something kind of shocking."

He was telling the truth. Cassandra sat down and leaned forward slightly. "What?"

"Okay. Stephanie isn't dead."

As he said it, she knew he wasn't lying. She would know he wasn't lying even if it weren't for her gift because Tim wasn't the kind of person who'd play a joke like this on her, even considering recent events. And Tim had cared about Stephanie, so even if this were some cruel joke, he wouldn't use her as the punchline. She knew all this and still, the first thing that came out of her mouth, the first thing she thought as she stared blankly at his furrowed face was:

"That's not funny."

"I know. That's because I'm not joking," Tim said seriously. Suddenly for the first time, a real smile flickered across his face, just for an instant. "It's her, Cass. I didn't think it was at first…but…she's not dead. Someone we both thought we'd lost has been found."

"But…how…how could?" Cassandra couldn't quite bring herself to process this.

"Apparently Dr. Thompkins faked Stephanie's death. She took her to some place where she could recover, and get better trained. She wanted her away from Bruce and protected from Black Mask. But Steph's healed up now, so she…she'll want to tell you this herself."

"Faked. How could…I was at her…funeral…" Cass stood up, hovering uncertainly. It was too good to be true. Tim might believe whoever he'd met was Stephanie but…

"Was it open casket?"

"You…were there. It wasn't…but Stephanie's…Mom?"

"She never saw the body. They told her it was too mutilated."

"What?" Cass couldn't understand the last word.

"I said they…oh. It means cut up, and, uh, bloody."

"Oh." Cass turned her back on Tim. She just couldn't allow herself to believe him. Couldn't allow herself to hope…after all this time that something would finally go right.

"Cassandra? What are you doing?"

"I think…you're being tricked, Robin," Cass said, heading for the kitchen where she had been washing the dishes a few hours ago before she'd gotten distracted by Grace and Thunder arguing. She took out the sponge and started scrubbing again. "I'm…sorry."

She heard Tim get up behind her. "You have a dishwasher."

She listened to him continue to approach. "I don't know how to use it," she replied.

"Cass," Tim put his hand on her shoulder. "Look at me."

She turned her head slightly, making eye contact with him, still scrubbing her plate from lunch today, even though it was pretty much clean.

"It's her. It's 100 percent her. The way she…walks and talks. You don't think I'd know?"

Cass heard the honesty in his voice, but kept scrubbing.

"She asked to see you, " Tim said. "Insisted. She wanted to come over here, but I figured I should break the news. She's really worried about you after…" he trailed off.

"She…she knows?" Cass said, looking at him fully this time.

"She heard. She told me I was an idiot for thinking you'd ever go evil. She said you were too freakishly dedicated to what you do for that."

For the first time in a long, long time, practically against her will, Cass felt herself smile. Imagining those words, coming out of Stephanie's mouth…it sounded right somehow. Maybe it was…she forced her smile back down. "She…said that? Really?"

"Really. You can come see for yourself. You'd be able to tell, wouldn't you?" Tim said sincerely. "Do you want to see her?"

Slowly, Cass slowed down her scrubbing. Then she dropped the dish, and it clattered loudly in the sink.

"Yes."

Tim smiled. It was a hesitant smile, but it was real. The wall between them wasn't down, but they'd punched through at least one brick somehow. "Okay. Get your costume on. I'll take you to her."

Cass got changed quickly, and went out to Tim's Redbird. She strapped herself in. Tim started the car and they sat for several minutes of silence as they cruised down the road. Cass could tell this was the kind of silence Barbara had once described as "awkward." It was a weird word in her opinion, but Cass supposed that's why it fit.

As usual, someone besides Cass was the one who broke it.

"Never was around when you two hung out, I guess. Steph thought…thinks you're great though. And I remember how you said you missed her…when we, uh, teamed up in Bludhaven."

"It was mostly at the, uh, Clocktower…when you weren't around. When you were, you know, mad at Batman…" Cass watched the scenery speed by out the window.

"I see," Tim said. He hesitated. "Look, Cass, I want you to know, I don't hold it against you. What happened. I know you were brainwashed. I was a little mad before, but not anymore."

Cass looked at him. "You're lying."

Tim sighed. "Well, I don't WANT to be mad at you. What happened to you was horrible, and Steph's right, I should have known…"

"You couldn't have," Cass responded.

"We all should have done more to find you and help you. And I DON'T want it to be between us, but I guess…" Tim sighed. "It hit me at a bad time. And I just felt so…I know it wasn't real anymore but…it's, I'm a martial artist, so it's hard for me not to be on the defensive all the time. Even now. Even when there's no reason for it."

"Tim," Cass cut him off. "You…well, you gave me the..uh…the…the…anti… anti….drug. You helped me. So you don't owe me anything."

"It's not about owing…"

"I'm sorry about… attacking you."

Tim sighed. "You didn't. Slade did. In the most freakish plan ever. I'm still having a hard time figuring out what his motive was. I think he's lost it completely. Anyway, what happened doesn't hurt so much anymore."

"Because…you think Stephanie is alive," Cassandra replied skeptically.

"She is, Cass," Tim pulled up to Wayne Manor. "Come see for yourself."

Cass followed Tim out of the car cautiously. It had been a while. Batman, she would guess, was off on a mission, but she was surprised when Tim opened the front door instead of Alfred answering it. Her insides felt prickly and she was on edge. Tim, however, seemed completely comfortable. They took a few steps in before she was tackled by Stephanie.

She saw Steph coming, of course. She saw each step the girl took before she threw herself at Cass in a hug that would have toppled a normal person over. She saw it like she saw every movement, in detail, seeing every bone shifting…but she couldn't believe it.

Because eons before she heard her yell "CASS!", ages before she felt the arms wrap around her shoulders, she knew that this was Stephanie Brown. Not from how she looked, or what she said, but from how her body spoke. More skilled than the last time they'd met, but still with a rough, undignified edge, everything in strong, broad, enthusiastic movements. And in every move she made, she shouted.

It was something nobody could have replicated. Not to Cass.

"Ohmigod, I missed you so much! You haven't changed at all."

"Steph…" Cass whispered, unable to raise her arms.

"Of course, dummy! What, you told her, didn't you?" Stephanie looked at Tim.

"I did. She didn't believe me," Tim grinned.

"The girl who was killed and bought back to life by Lady Shiva?" Stephanie loosened her hold on Cassandra a little. "Are you okay?"

"I…don't…" Cass ran her finger over Stephanie's cheek.

"Um, what are you doing?"

A slight bump in her jaw…

"Nerve strike," Cass whispered. "It's…really you."

"Cass," Stephanie squinted in concern, moving her hands to her friend's shoulders as Cassandra let her hands fall down. "Cass, it's okay. I know this is a shock. I'm sorry. Oh, God. You're crying. I've never seen you…"

Cassandra hadn't realized it, but when she did reach up to feel, her cheeks were wet. Stephanie led her to the couch, and Tim followed behind uncertainly.

"Thompkins faked my death, didn't Tim tell you that? I would have come sooner, but I was too injured, I mean, I could barely move! And I needed to train some, so I didn't…and there were no phones where we were and I didn't…well, Thompkins told me at first you KNEW I was alive. Totally crappy thing to do, but she says she was just protecting me, and she did sacrifice a lot…I figured it out, but by that time it had been a while, and she told me we had to wait for the right time to come back. She wanted me to be safe. And I felt so ROTTEN. After what happened. I didn't want to mess anything up. But enough was enough after a while, so I told her she had better take me back or I'd go myself! And…here I am. I'm sorry."

The words tumbled out of Steph's mouth in a hurried and rushed sort of way, a babbled stream of explanations. Her eyes pleaded with Cass.

But only one thing mattered.

"You're alive," Cass summarized.

"Never wasn't," Stephanie looked furtively at Tim, who's face had darkened slightly, as if the memories bought back by Steph's words were now hanging over him like clouds and leaving shadows. "You…do you forgive me for what…happened?"

"Are you…kidding?" Cass said loudly. Stephanie wilted slightly at the conviction. "Of course…I do!"

Stephanie tackled her friend in a hug again, and this time Cass actually received it.

"You have to tell me everything that's happened!"

Tim sidled out of the room, smiling. Cass watched him leave.

"He's changed," Stephanie said sadly.

"Do you know…?"

"That his dad died? Yeah, I guessed, if he's living with Bruce Wayne."

"Um, yeah…"

"Who I've also guessed is Batman."

"Oh!" Cassandra perked up. "Does Tim know?"

"He knows I know, but we haven't talked about it. I had a lot of time to think, you know. And well, I asked Leslie and eventually she confirmed it."

"Does…he know? That you know? Batman?" Cass asked stiltedly.

"No," Stephanie's mouth twisted slightly. "Tim doesn't want me to see him. He's setting me up with an apartment, too. He seems, like Leslie, to think if Bats comes near me, I'll drop dead suddenly or something."

"Are you…mad at him?" Cassandra scrutinized the look on Steph's face.

"Batman? Well, yeah, for what he did to you!" Stephanie looked at her friend in concern.

"What?" Cass was flummoxed.

"Tim told me Batman didn't even bother to go get you when he told him that…you know, when Slade drugged you! After all you've done for him he didn't even check it out? He just let you suffer?" Steph said angrily.

Of all things, Cassandra hadn't been expecting that.

"It's not like that, Steph. I did…horrible things."

"Cass," Stephanie grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her friend to face her. "It wasn't your fault. It's not like me. I screwed up. You…you were in trouble. You're the best person I know, along with Tim. He should have known something was wrong. He failed you, not the other way around."

Stephanie broke off and turned away from Cass.

Cassandra had been so thrown by the speech, it took her a second to realize her friend was crying now.

"Steph…" She wasn't sure quite what to do, like she'd been the last time she'd seen Stephanie cry…right after she'd been fired as Robin. Right before…everything else.

"'M so sorry, Cassandra. I should've been there for you…and for Tim. But I didn't know and…I screwed up. So bad." Stephanie inhaled noisily and rubbed angrily at her eyes.

"Steph…" Cass said softly as the blonde girl dried her face with the edge of her purple cloak. "You…being back? I…think it's the only good thing that's happened…to me and Tim…in a long time."

Steph gave Cass a shaky smile.

Suddenly Tim burst in. "Is everything okay?" he said in a panicked voice.

"Yeah, Boy Wonderful, everything's peachy keen," Steph grinned. "What, were you outside the door listening the whole time?"

"Um…NO," Tim said quickly.

"He's still a rotten liar. You've kept him on far too long a leash, my friend," Stephanie said to Cass.

Cassandra snickered. Tim looked shocked.

It was late at night when Cass finally left.

"So, I'll come see you at your apartment tomorrow. I want to see what crazy crib you're crashing in! And then Tim and I are going to pick out a place for me, if you wanna come. We'll be looking at some neat ones. Since he's so loaded now, I demand the best!"

"I would…love to," Cass tentatively hugged her friend. "Can't…wait. Good night. Stay safe."

"I promise my feeble heart will not give out,"Stephanie rolled her eyes.

Tim took Cassandra home, and the drive was silent again, but this time it was a comfortable, happy silence. He dropped her off in front of her apartment.

"See you," Tim said.

"Yeah," Cassandra smiled at him. She loped up the steps, taking a gold key out from a pocket in her utility belt to unlock the door.

Just as she'd suspected from the second she'd turned the key in the lock, when the door cracked open, Batman was waiting for her.