I'm sitting on a chair, back in the Manor after three long years. Three kids sit together across the room from me, sending me suspicious looks. Considering they didn't know me outside of work with the Team, I couldn't blame them.
That was four years ago.
Shaking his head, the ebony returns to his work. That had been the first and last time that the group dubbed the 'BatFam' had been complete. Not long after, Dick and Bruce had gotten into another argument. Cass, Stephanie, and Damian couldn't exactly say that they were sad to see him go, considering that they had barely met him.
After that argument, Dick had quit the Team, anything to do with the League. He still continued as Nightwing, but refused contact with any heroes. The only one he still had contact with outside of growled words, shouted orders, and screamed arguments was Jason. That didn't do well in the public's eyes, the hero of Blüdhaven associating with an anti-hero, but the ebony didn't care. His little brother was the only one who understood some of the decisions he's made.
He was getting ready for bed, munching on a can of cold soup as he brushed his hair- an amazing feat of flexibility and multitasking, for he was holding the spoon in his toes- when he got the call.
"Fuck," he growled, blue eyes narrow with anger. "You couldn't have picked a better time, eh, old man?" Dropping the spoon in the half-empty can, he rose to his feet, grabbing the insistently ringing cell phone of the table and raising it up to his ear. "What do you want," he growls as he stalks into his room, away from all the noise of the second-rate apartment he lives in.
"Dude, what's gotten to you?"
"Shit! Wally, oh god, Wally, is that you?" The ebony nearly dropped the phone in his shock.
"What's so surprising? Wait… I'm calling you from the Arctic. I'm pretty sure I kind of faded into the Speed Force yesterday? It's kind of cold, so if you could get M'gann to come get me…"
"Wally… It's been seven years since you 'ceased' as the scarab so aptly put it."
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then…
"You're kidding, right? In just a moment, the whole Team is gonna jump out and yell 'Got ya' because it's on speakerphone, right?"
"I'm not. And you're going to have to call someone else if you want a ride to the Watchtower."
"Wait, why?" The confusion in the ginger on the line's tone was glaringly obvious.
"I stopped working with them a while back. If you want to get together, feel free to call later. I gotta get at least some sleep before suiting up for tonight. I could see if I could call M'gann, but I don't know if she would be able to pick you up. She's been kind of busy raising her cousin."
"I-I got it covered." The vigilante picked up the traces of confusion and pain in his friend's tone.
"Eh, don't give me that tone. If you can stand it, give me fifteen minutes and I'll pick you up," Dick replied, setting down his hairbrush and beginning to pull on the kevlar Nightwing uniform.
"Wait, what? How?"
"I'll borrow the bioship from M'gann. See you in a few." With that, he hung up, finishing pulling on the uniform and fixing the mask into place.
The man on the motorcycle could hear the phone ringing from the bluetooth in his ear, and finally the person he's trying to call picks up.
"H'lo?"
"Hey M'gann. Can I borrow the bioship?"
"Dick? Oh my gosh, is that you?"
"Yep. Surprised?" The ebony bit back a chuckle, knowing exactly how surprised the telepath is.
"Very! So, what made you call?"
"Wally. He's back." Nightwing waits for the exclamation.
"You're kidding. Right? It's been seven years! How?"
"Something about the Speed Force, he says. It's only been one day from him, however that works. I don't know the particulars myself," he replied, eyes on the road as he dodged an obviously drunk driver.
"I'm coming."
"M'gann! You have R'loriin to take care of, remember?" He exclaimed.
"He can come with. I'm not missing this chance to see the only other member of the original Team that might still talk to me."
"Wait, what happened?" The Aerial Avenger was taken aback. Could it turn out that he might not be so alone anymore?
"R'loriin. No one really liked the idea of me quitting the Team for him. Especially not Conner. He wanted his own children, but when I told him that… Well… I couldn't have my own children, he kind of blew up. Last I heard from Gar was that he was with Zatanna."
"So she apparently got over me," the ebony said with a dry undertone.
"She claims you got too distant."
"That I did. Guess I'll see you when I get to your apartment.
"Sure thing."
The phone line went dead.
When Nightwing walked into the apartment, he was greeted with the sight of M'gann standing, hands on hips, R'loriin in a carrier on her back. "Well? Let's get going!" She snapped impatiently, but the man could see she was in a good mood. The two made their way to the bioship on the roof, taking off on their way to Wally, Dick at the helm.
"So, what will we tell the League and Team?" The man asks as the female Martian turned to face him.
"Better yet, what do we tell Bart? 'Hey, Flash, Wally's back' won't go over very well," she intones as Nightwing buried his face in his elbows for a moment.
There's silence until they reach the Arctic. Wally's standing down there, and they can see him shivering as they touch down. He zooms onto the ship, taking his usual seat.
"Jeeze, what took you so long?"
"Talking," Nightwing begins, and M'gann continues.
"Figuring out we're not alone anymore," her smile was a little dull.
"For so long now, we've both kind of been outcasts from the Team," the ebony looks off into space as his reply trailed off.
"We're the only two that almost completely cut off contact from the majority of the hero community," she finished explaining.
"I've kept up with Roy, Tim, and Jay, but other than that, no one. And they know better than to speak of any of the Justice Bastards around me," the man's voice turns to a bitter snarl as the expression on Wally's face changed to one of shock.
"What happened?" The ginger asks, emerald visuals widening.
"Life," Nightwind laughed, bitterly. "The last argument I had with Bruce was four years ago."
"Christmas Eve shooting of '19, right?" M'gann asked, tilting her head.
"Yep. On the night of my greatest failure, my father disowns me. Such a wonderful Christmas present," he growled, eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"Wait, Bruce fucking disowned you?" Wally was possibly even more shocked than he was.
"Yes," M'gann replies for the man who's absorbed in his own dark thoughts. "Not too long after, I received the chance to raise one of my cousins. Since my abuse of my telepathy sterilized me, I jumped at the chance. Conner wasn't too happy with that. Gar and La'gann are the only two on the Team I really talk to anymore. La'gann's been asking me to dine with him in Atlantis, and I've been considering accepting. I just didn't know of a sitter that would take care of a Martian baby that flies." She chuckled, an actually happy sound. "But now that Nightwing and I are talking again, well, that gives me an option."
"What about Artemis?" Wally looked around. "What happened to her?"
"She's married," the redhead replied with a wary tone.
"To who?" The ginger wasn't exactly surprised.
M'gann sighs, and replied slowly, almost hesitantly. "Kaldur."
"Wait, what?" By this time, Nightwing had un-zoned, blinking slowly.
"Kaldur married Artemis," the other man replied, shaking his head. "That's one of the reasons I almost completely cut off communications. That bastard decided to take her out for dinner, and won her like some kind of prize! God, she was so damn hurt, and fuck, I should have been a better friend, but she jumped at the first opportunity to heal her heart."
"Oh. Well, who have you been with?" Wally attempted a tentative smile, his heart feeling crushed.
"No one since you were absorbed into the Speed Force. Anyone who tried to get close to me, well, they were driven off by my attitude. I kind of became anti-social," he bowed his head a little. "The only ones who have kept trying have been Tim and Jay. Roy's too busy with his daughter. Lian's eight now."
"Wait. Who did he have a kid with?" The green orbs of the speedster widened almost unbelievably wide.
"Cheshire," M'gann replied. "They're married now. And Conner's with Zatanna."
"Wait…" Wally shook his head. "Stop filling me in on the seven years. I'll just sit here and digest all this life-shattering information."
And the bioship was immersed in silence again.
Then Nightwing had an idea.
It's been another two years. M'gann and Wally had returned to the Team, at Nightwing's urging.
Said bird of the night was in the UK.
Wandering along the London streets with his head bowed, Dick looked up. The voicemails on his phone said it all.
"Dick? Dude, pick up! Please, can we get together? God, I'm worried about you! Stop being such a loner!"
"Dick, please, at least come visit. I really want R'loriin to at least have one memory of you! You're his godfather, for Pete's sake! Just come home!"
"Richard. You're needed back in Gotham."
"Dick? Please, come home. I miss you. Would you at least pick up?"
Nightwing hadn't picked up his phone since the one night he discovered Wally was alive. He hadn't even checked his voicemail.
He knew one of four people called him once a week. He had already been called once that week, so he was feeling relieved at the peace he got.
Slipping into a small diner, he let the waitress lead him to a table. Years of training, years of experience with the streets, and none of his distress alarms were going off. That was good.
What he didn't expect, was a phone call.
Debating, his hand drifted closer to the phone. Normally he ignored it ringing, but he had already been called once this week, which meant it might be an emergency.
Of course, it could be one of his brothers wanting to talk.
On a whim, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and picked up.
"Hey?"
"Dick? Ohmigod, Dick, is that you?"
"Yeah Tim. I'm here." The man's voice softened, taking on a gentle tone. "What happened?"
"Oh, God, oh, I-I don't get it. Bruce's dead!"
Nightwing sat there for a moment, a blank expression. "What do you mean he's dead?"
"It was a routine mission, and it all just went wrong! One thing, all of us were together, then the next we were separated and Bruce was down… A-and just come home!"
"The manor's not my home, remember? Christmas Eve of '19. You were there."
"Yes, but we're here. So just come back. Please!"
Dick looked at his tablet, already on the airline's website. "Pick me up from Gotham's airport at eleven twenty-five."
And he hung up, already making his way to the airport in London that the flight to Gotham was destined to leave from in an hour.
Dick stepped off the seven sixty-seven, looking around. Upon spotting Tim, he began to walk over, noting how pale his complexion seemed. The younger launched himself at his older brother, wrapping his arms around him as the other ebony hugged back.
"God. Dick. You're so thin." The older man could barely hear his brother, but he didn't respond and just kept holding him, slowly rocking back and forth.
"I'm here now," the Grayson's voice was soft, and careful.
"Don't leave again," Tim murmured, looking up. "Please, just don't leave again."
"I can't promise that, baby bird, but I'll try my best."
Tim's eyes were too teary to drive, so Dick ended up driving back to the manor.
Dick also ended up carrying Tim inside, grunting under the combined weight of his brother and his gear.
When Selina walked out into the living room, she gasped at seeing her husband's wayward son carrying his brother to his room. The blue-eyed man held a finger up to his lips, indicating quiet as the woman hurried to call Jason and Barbara.
Dick was walking down to the kitchen, popping his strained back, when an angry shout of "Grayson!" was heard, and Barbara wheeled her way towards him, eyes lit up with rage.
"Do you have any idea what you put us through?" The ebony drew back at her words, looking around and mapping all possible escape routes.
"A-a little," he replied shakily. He needed food, not really remembering the last time he splurged and bought enough food for the type of active lifestyle he lived.
"You better not do it again!" The fiery redhead growled, poking his chest from where she was sitting in her wheelchair.
"Yes ma'am," he murmured as he sidestepped her, but he was stopped by a certain other ebony, whose green eyes were narrowed.
"Dickhead," the other man growled, an unasked question in his voice.
"Jay," the older man replied quietly.
"You're a real bastard, you know that?" The anti-hero then smirked. "But you're still the most badass bro around. I mean, who can claim to have an estranged brother who never picks up their phone but managed to pick up at the most important time?"
"Not many," Dick replied, blue eyes half-lidded. Just then, the doorbell rang, and the ebony went to open it, knowing that Alfred wasn't around to do it.
It was Clark and Conner, the two Kryptonians looking a little uncomfortable.
"Hey Ti- holy cow. Dick!" Clark stepped forward, grabbing the ex-Boy Wonder and squeezing him. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Y-yeah, I kind of figured that out," the younger man replied, stepping away after being let go. "Tim called me."
"He does that once a month," a growl came from the hybrid standing nearby.
"Well excuse me for intruding on your angst party. If you want, I can go back to my job in London. That's the first one I've had in a long time, and I quit it so I could come back here to be with my brothers," the warrior snarled, crossing his arms.
"If you had stuck around to face the problems you created, you wouldn't be intruding," the powerhouse snapped.
"Oh, don't you talk to me about problems I created. You've created your own fair share of fucked up messes in your lifetime, possibly even more than I have," the man replied, a mask snapping up- a mask of anger.
"If you hadn't been enslaved to deception, then maybe your father might be alive right now!"
"I don't have a father!" Nightwing yelled, turning, hand on the edge of the door. "He disowned me years ago."
And the door slammed in the Kryptonian's faces.
Dick was sitting on the couch when Tim walked in. Barbara was next to Jason, the latter on one of the chairs, with Selina sitting cross-legged on the floor. Damian had just come in the night before, and was leaning against the wall. Cassandra and Stephanie were seated on the loveseat together, both stuck in their thoughts. Five-year-old Terry was next to Dick, having bonded swiftly with the first Robin.
"What are we going to do about Gotham?" Selina spoke up, echoing the questions in everyone's head.
"Someone will have to take up the mantel," Cassandra continued.
"I will," Dick murmured, looking at the floor.
"Dick-" Jason was cut off by the man in question.
"Jay. I have to. I've been a little wayward recently, and I think it's about to time I returned to the flock," blue eyes met green, and in a contest of wills, Jason was the first to look away.
"Fine," the younger grudgingly agreed, and Dick nodded, standing up as Tim grabbed him.
"You're still thin as a rail," he pointed out. "You're not going out on the streets until you fill out."
"Tim, I've been living nomadically for two years. I can deal with stressful environments and little amounts of foods," Dick replied, still holding his brother.
It was his first day out on the streets as Batman. Robin stood nearby, arms crossed.
"I still do not see why I have to work with you," the younger snapped, turning his grief into anger.
"Because you're Robin and I'm Batman," the elder replied, before shooting a line and taking off. Robin followed, albeit a little slower.
Tonight, the Joker was a-calling.
The entire family was cuddled up in the living room while the storm raged on. Dick had nearly fallen asleep when the phone rang, and with a groan, he untangled himself from Terry and Tim, who had taken comfort in their brother being back, Tim especially. The tech-savvy Red Robin had been clingy to his oldest brother, only letting him out of his sight when needed.
"The heck do you want, Clark?"
"I-i, well…"
"Spit it out already!" The eldest of the family's blue eyes narrowed, dangerously icey. "In case you haven't been watching the news, there's a superstorm raging over Gotham and the phonelines could go down any moment!"
"Wait… Why are you upstairs with Julia over Gotham?"
"Are you kidding? You know that he reinforced this house so much after Sandy, just in case another superstorm came up the coast. Good thing he did, with Carson, Horton, and now Julia." The ebony rolled his eyes.
"Oh. Well, he's back."
"Wait. What the fuck do you mean, 'he's back'?" Dick's voice twisted, into a mish-mash of rage, pain, and regret.
"The first Batman. He's back."
"God… Clark… Screw this. I'll be at the Tower in a few." The man slammed the phone back on the receiver, stalking over to where his family was assembled. "I'm going up to the Watchtower. Some major shit came up."
"Dick," Selina warned. "Don't use that kind of language around Terry."
"Yes Selina," he muttered, before making his way down to the Batcave. Pulling on the Batsuit, he mulled things over in his mind. This uniform was more streamlined, lacking the cape, made more for acrobatics than the kind of grounded fighting Bruce preferred.
Walking over towards the zeta platform, he pulled the cowl over his head.
Bruce turned around as the new Batman stalked out of the zeta platform. He even had the original Batman's designation.
Sighing, the injured man shook his head as he saw what Jason had done with the Batsuit. Capeless and more streamlined, it favored the flighty fighting style all the Robins had used and most had favored.
Of course, that didn't mean it was Jason under there. It could be Tim, or, God forbid, Damian.
Sizing up the man, Bruce decided he was too skinny to be Jason, and too tall to be Damian. That left Tim, but his face shape wasn't quite narrow enough…
"You weren't lying," the man deadpanned, just looking at Bruce. "He is alive."
"Did you think I was?" Superman turned to the man who was now standing next to the Kryptonian.
"Honestly, I think that I knew you were telling the truth. It's so like the fucking bastard to just come back from the dead," Dick replied, sizing up Bruce. The other Batman looked so much older than the younger one remembered, so much more tired. Directing his next comments at Bruce, his voice took on an accusing tone. "Do you have any idea how much you hurt everyone? I get a call from Tim telling me that you're fucking dead, and now five months later, you're back. How fair is that to any of us? Tell me, what was so important you had to leave behind your five-year-old son?"
"I was infiltrating the League of Shadows," Bruce replied, deciding that Jason had taken on the mantel. No other Robin used as much profanity or was away from Gotham. "Jason, tell me, why do you even care?"
A bitter laugh stemmed from Batman. "I'm not Jason." Turning, he threw a look over his shoulder before walking to the zeta tubes.
And the Watchtower associated the Batman designation to Dick Grayson once more.
Dick was stepping out into the study when he heard the Batman designation again. Walking into the living room, he sat down and buried his face in his hands.
"Dick?" Cass asked tentatively. She had warmed up to him, and was worried for her big brother. "What's wrong?"
"He's back," the muffled reply. "God, Bruce is fucking alive."
"What do you mean?" Selina asked, just as he walked into the living room.
"I mean, he's standing right there!" Dick shouted, pointing at the man in question before violently standing up.
"Daddy?" Terry asked tentatively, before launching himself at Bruce. "Daddy!"
Damian turned away from his half-brother and father, glaring. Tim frowned, an uncomfortable look appearing on his face. Jason sneered, standing up and joining Dick. Barbara wheeled over to her husband, laying a hand on his arm. Stephanie ran to Bruce, hugging him, while Cass looked at the floor. Selina smiled sadly, walking over to her husband.
"Bruce… Why did you leave?" She asked gently, laying a hand on his cheek.
"I was infiltrating the League of Shadows," he replied, frowning.
"You couldn't have asked one of the absent people to do that?" Damian growled, glaring.
"Jason hates me, and…" Bruce trailed off, looking up, meeting Dick's eyes for a second before the younger turned away. "I'm pretty sure that Dick hates me too."
"You got that right," the man muttered.
Bruce murmured something to Selina, Stephanie, and Terry, before walking over to the Grayson. "Dick, can we talk?"
"What the Hell. What's the worst I could lose?" The ebony replied with a bitter laugh, leading the way to the kitchen. Sitting on the counter, he regarded the man he used to call his father. "What do you want?"
"Oh God, Dick, I wronged you so much. So much! I… I regret it, ever pushing you away," Bruce began. "What I did hurt everyone, but most of all, it hurt you. What I did… I think it broke you, and I am so, so sorry." The man wiped his forehead, letting a tear drip from his eye. "I know that won't make up for nine years of hurting you, but whatever I can do, just let me know and I will do that."
The younger ebony had a contemplative look on his face. "I'm not sure I'll be able to trust you… But I'm willing to try again if you are. I just hope I didn't fuck myself up too badly for dropping out of that job in London…"
To say that Wally and M'gann were surprised by the phone call was an understatement.
"Hey Walls."
"Dick?" The ginger gasped. "You get your ass over here right now! You haven't called in years and now-!"
"I'm coming," The bemused voice on the end of the line annoyed Wally as he hung up. M'gann smiled at her husband, who smiled back. R'loriin giggled, the four-year-old happy that her parents were happy.
"Dick's back," the Martian lady murmured.
They waited until they heard the growl of a motorcycle, and M'gann was the first out, wrapping the man in a hug. He hugged back, smiling.
"Hey Miss M. How's R'loriin?" Dick asked, pulling away and resting his hands on her shoulders.
"He's doing well," she murmured in reply, placing her hand on top of his. "But I want to know about you. What have you been up to?"
"Well, for a bit I took over for Bruce while he was under cover," he replied.
"Wait- are you and Bruce on speaking terms again?" Wally asked.
"Yeah. Still haven't gotten around to the rest of the League and Team, but I'm off to a good start," the ebony replied, hugging the ginger.
"Wow. You are feeling very touchy," he remarked, accepting his brother's hug.
"I just missed hugs the two years I was MIA," Dick replied. "Although I have had plenty of them the past five months. Tim has been really clingy."
"Well, considering that you went more off the grid than you have ever been before for the last two years, it's no big surprise," M'gann replied. "Not even after '19 did you vanish so completely. Did you even keep the same number?"
"Actually, yes. I did. I just mostly ignored it though," he replied, shivering. "Now, it's rather cold out here."
"Oh!" M'gann exclaimed, and she and Wally led him inside. "In case you're wondering, we're just living together since Artemis sold Wally's apartment. I've actually been seeing La'gaan, and he's been dating Raquel for a few months now," she explained.
"Wow, you and Raquel, huh?" Dick nudged Wally's side with his elbow.
"Hey. It's not as if you haven't been with almost everyone on the Team," the ginger muttered.
"That was a long time ago, and not everyone," the ebony murmured. "Since Babs' married to Jay, Zee's with Kon, you're with Raquel, that pretty much is everyone I've been with."
"You left out Bette," Wally informed. "She's joined the League under the moniker of Flamebird."
"Wait, what?" Dick looked at the ginger, an eyebrow raised. "Bette's a hero?"
"A good one, too," M'gann replied. "She doesn't know your secret identity, but she's still in love with you."
"So, she didn't get over me, even after all these years?" The ebony shook his head. "Impossible."
"Not quite," the strawberry redhead murmured. "Not quite."
"So, you're gonna have me train with the Team today?" Dick was sitting on a counter, asking his question very tentatively.
"Yeah," Bruce replied, picking up his sandwich. "It'll do them good to go against someone who won't let them win.
The younger ebony shrugged, picking up his cup of coffee and gulping it down. Jason came into the kitchen just as he finished it, and shuddered. "Bruce, don't drink your coffee."
The oldest ebony set it down. "Why?"
"Did Dick make it?" The youngest ebony asked, tilting his head.
"Yes…" Bruce trailed off.
"Then it's probably too black even for you. Somewhere along the line Dick got a taste for truck stop coffee. You know, the stuff that eats the spoon," Jason filled in before grabbing a cup, pouring a small amount of coffee in, and then adding hot water from the pot on the stove. "The first time Selina had some, she ordered a pot of hot water to be on the stove at all times in case he makes his coffee. He makes it quite often."
"Oh," Bruce replied, looking at his coffee. "So that's what's happened to the spoons."
Dick snorted, jumping off the counter. "I better get going, since I'm training the Team."
Conner look up, completely surprised at the designation that had just rang out. Kaldur was sitting nearby, Artemis on his lap. Gar and Kori were feeding each other grapes while Rachel sat off by herself. Courtney and Cassie were talking about girl stuff, while Victor, Mal, and Karen chattered at each other. La'gann, M'gann, and Wally were also together, and Bette and Zatanna were surprisingly hanging out with the Team too. Damian's designation had been called as well, but he went sort of ignored as Gar threw himself on the Aerial Avenger of Blüdhaven.
"Dick!" The green shapeshifter called out. "Where have you been? You've been off-grid for six years! Six! Nine, if you count after the Invasion!"
"Not quite that long," the black-clad vigilante smirked. "I've been Batman for five months, you know."
"Then why are you here as Nightwing?" Karen asked. "I mean if you're Batman now, then why aren't you with the League?"
"Simple. the old man came back," the ebony explained.
"Then why are you here?" Conner growled, glaring hard at Dick.
"Because he wants somebody to train with you who won't go easy on you," he replied. "And I'm not vanishing again. I'll probably still be fucked pretty hard with when my copping out on that job in London comes back to bite me in the ass, but I'll deal."
"Get the fuck out," Artemis spoke up. "You're the reason that everything fucked up for this Team. You know, M'gann wouldn't have become sterile if you hadn't sent Kaldur undercover, and Wally wouldn't have lost seven years of his life, either!"
"Don't you try and blame all your shit on me. I've had enough of other people dragging me down. So let's train, and I can get the heck out of here and back to my family, which I've just now figured out that they actually need me." Nightwing strode towards the training room, followed by the newer Team members who were still a little wary of the quarrel and by the senior members, who were still seriously pissed, with the exclusion of Wally and M'gann.
They reached the training room, the vigilante having already set up the floor.
"Who's going first?" He actually looked excited about this. Misplacing some aggression during training was good for bringing egos down a notch and siphoning off stress.
"I will," Cassie volunteered. She was still pretty unhappy with the older man, and she figured he must be pretty out of practice.
They took fighting stances, and Troia made the first move, striking directly at his face. He dodged, darting by her, wrapping his arms around her neck, and pulling up, until he barely pressed against her throat. She flipped him over, and he hit the ground, rolling. Using the force of his momentum, he kicked her in the jaw and grabbed her feet, pulling her down. He shot up, placing his knee on her chest and holding down her hands.
Troia: Fail, the floor announced, and she growled as Nightwing let her up, offering a hand. She ignored it, as Conner took her place. The Kryptonian rushed at the older ebony, who just dodged. Superboy threw a punch out, though, catching him in the chest. The thinner man did a handspring to regain his footing, recovering in time to throw a foot out and send Conner tumbling. The hybrid rolled, standing up to Nightwing's foot flying at his face. He almost ducked in time, but the kick collided, sending Conner's head snapping back, causing pain and stars to cloud his vision.
Another kick to the head, and the heavier built man hit the ground, panting. Superboy: Fail, the floor announced, as the gothic Rachel stepped forward. Nightwing turned to face her as she darted forward. It was an unspoken rule that during training, unless you were specifically training powers, you didn't use them. Nightwing threw a fist at her face, testing her defensive capabilities. She dodged, retaliating with a kick aimed at the crotch. He dodged with a jump, coming back with an elbow to her head. She dodged this, too, and lunged towards his midsection. He bent, grabbing her hips, and used her momentum to fling her over his shoulder. She landed with a loud thud, and the floor's call of Raven: Fail as the ebony turned to face Kori. The alien beauty ran forward, jumping and kicking at his face, but he grabbed her leg and threw her on the ground. Starfire: Fail, was announced at Gar decided to get his asskicking over with.
By this time, various Leaguers had decided that this was the place to be, watching an old Team alumni beat them to Kingdom Come- and back. Gar was laying on the floor to the tune of Changeling: Fail, while Karen and Dick duked it out, Karen being one of the better hand-to-hand fighters on the Team. But she, too, fell, a Hornet: Fail ringing out.
Courtney stepped forward, a smirk on her face. Self-assured, being one of the few humans on the Team, she felt certain she could take him. They opened with several punches and blocks, ending when Nightwing repeatedly hit her in the gut with a knee, and elbow, and a fist. She hit the floor hard: Stargirl: Fail. La'gann stepped up to the plate, letting Nightwing make the first move and knocking his fist to the side. They traded blows the longest, La'gann being one of the few Team members that Nightwing had begun spending time with again. He knew not to make rach moves and to husband his energy. He finally backed out after twisting his ankle and collapsing to a Lagoon Boy and Nightwing: Draw. Mal decided to go next, being knocked down from Nightwing pushing his weight against him. Guardian: Fail. Victor went next, but the ebony hacked his systems in a matter of moments, letting Courtney reboot him as M'gann went up next. She lasted almost as long as La'gann, until Nightwing brought out his taser. Then she backed out- Miss Martian: Fail.
Wally went next, again, lasting one of the longest times. But, still, the almost inevitable Quicksilver: Fail sounded, and Kaldur went next. They lasted quite a while, not as long as M'gann and La'gann, but still a long time. Nightwing's fighting style had changed significantly, while Kaldur's had too, he just didn't have as seamless of a style as Nightwing did. Tempest: Fail.
Zatanna went next, going up against him with almost uncharacteristic fury, years of pent-up love exploding in a blaze of glory that Nightwing, sadly, was able to beat with ease. Zatanna: Fail.
Bette went after the ebony magician, and lasted just as long as La'gann. She still was beat, with a Flamebird: Fail from the floor.
Robin stepped up, jumping at the other ebony. They sparred for a longer time, coming to a draw announced by the floor. Nightwing and Robin: Draw.
Turning, Dick faced Artemis, who snarled and dashed at him. They exchanged hard and fast blows, leaving bruises. Once, everyone was sure that a snap they heard came from one of Nightwing's fingers. The fresher Artemis was able to take on Nightwing, and she managed to floor him with a Nightwing: Fail, but she kept on beating at him, letting out pent up hatred out until La'gann, Gar, Wally, M'gann, and Damian sprinted up to pull her off of him. The youngest helped his brother up. Bruises were already blossoming across his face, and his nose gushed blood. M'gann stood in front of the blonde, glaring.
"What's gotten into you Artemis? Dick didn't do anything! Maybe he was a little bit of a bastard before, but he's had to deal with a lot going on in his life! You know who he is! You know pretty much his entire life's story- all but two years, and none of us knows the real story of the two years. So calm down, and pull yourself together. Come on Damian, let's get him to the med bay. We've gotta get him put back together before patrol with Tim tonight." M'gann muttered the last part, helping the youngest Robin carry his brother away while Bette finally realized- he was back. The one man she'd had eyes for since high school was finally back.
Dick sat in front of Dinah, looking a little hesitant. His family had finally decided that he should at least have one session with her, so he had agreed.
"Let's start with what happened on Christmas Eve- 2019. What exactly occurred?"
The ebony gulped, his voice shaking as he talked. "It was just a regular night. I was just meeting Damian, Cass, and Steph for the first time. They didn't really like me much. When the alarm sounded, Bruce and I decided it would be answered by just the two of us. The original Dynamic Duo. We got to the bank, and they were kids my age. I had known them my entire high school career. Garrick Throne and Jay Gates. They were in charge of it. We weren't able to get all the hostages out, and they started shooting. They killed twenty-three people. I can name them all. I do that- I memorize the names of anyone that died through my failure. After that, we went back to the Batcave, where Bruce yelled at me and ultimately disowned me." Towards the end, his voice flattened out, almost as though he was just stating facts.
"I see. So, the biggest number dead on one of your cases, you were hurt, shaken, and more than a little traumatized, and your father disowning you left you broken. How did you deal?"
"I-I don't think I ever really did, or ever really have. I kind of pulled away from everything, withdrew into my apartment. I got really self-destructive then. I starved myself and cut. I've always been fighting at least mild depression. It comes with the turf. But that was the lowest I've ever been. Jay saved my life. I had made up my mind, but he came along. Ultimately, my little brother put me back together."
"So, hurt and broken, you returned to your apartment, where you hurt yourself more, to the point of attempting suicide, when Jason helped you back up. How did he do so?"
"He helped me figure out that at least someone still cared about me. He lived in my apartment with me for little over six months, and checked up on me at least twice weekly for a year or so."
"After Wally came back, what prompted you to disappear again?"
"They had eachother. They wouldn't need me. So, the first place I went was to visit Pop Haley and the circus. They'd changed so much- I couldn't really feel that place as home any more, so I became a kind of nomad."
"What happened over those two years?"
"I trained. Live sparingly. The lowest point of those two years, I guess, was when I got so desperate for attention I went to fucking Deathstroke. I got exactly what I wanted- attention. He wasn't the kindest. I now know at least twenty ways to kill someone- including metas."
"Why didn't you come back instead of going to an assassin?"
"I figured none of you wanted me back. Jay managed to find me a couple of times the first few months, but after that I hid my tracks better. I did attempt suicide once during those two years before I went to Deathstroke. A little girl found me, and brought me to a local hospital. I had already removed my fingerprints by then, and my DNA isn't in any databases in Russia, so they couldn't identify me. That was about the time I started learning even more languages than I already knew. I spent time in India, living as a commoner, and in Africa. I had finally decided to take on another job. Tim's call saved me just as much as Jay had."
"How so?"
"The job I was taking? It was for Luthor. I was going to assassinate several UN chairmen."
Dinah had insisted on bi-weekly sessions after his revelation that he was going to take that final step over, and he had been enjoying them. He had found someone he could just lay bare all the shit that had happened to him and not have them look at him in pity, fear, or hatred. He could almost just sit there and talk about whatever was on his mind, and no one would know what he said other than Dinah.
During the second of last weeks sessions, she had introduced the idea of getting better reacquainted with the League. Other than Clark, they had all thought it was Jason who had donned the cowl after Bruce went undercover.
Today, he was actually following through with his plan. Tim would be going with him to make sure he didn't flip out- mostly for the League's sakes.
Walking out of the zeta tubes, Wonder Woman, who was on watch duty, looked up and gasped. "Dick? What are you doing here?"
"Nice to see you too, Donna," he replied, smirking. "I'm here to see if I can be around any of the first gen League without flipping out on them."
"Oh. Well, do you want company?" She asked shyly.
"No thanks, you're on monitor duty and I've got Tim here," he replied, pointing to his brother who snorted.
"Come on," the Amazon replied. "He could take over."
"Sorry," Nightwing replied, shaking his head. "But you're the one appointed to monitor duty and Bats would flip out if you ditched."
"Fine," she sighed, shaking her head. "They're in the meeting room. You'll have to wait until the meeting's over. Diana's filling in for me today."
He nodded, walking along halls he knew so well, Red Robin following him at a slightly slower pace. They stood outside the meeting room, the older brother leaning against the wall while the younger brother paced.
The door opened, and the three founders walked out, Diana raising an eyebrow.
"Red Robin, what are you doing here?" She asked, not knowing why someone who wasn't a member of the League or Team was here.
"Making sure he doesn't flip out on any of you," Tim replied, pointing to a smirking Nightwing. The former Wonder Woman turned towards where he was pointing, gasping when she saw the familiar blue insignia half-veiled in shadows.
"Nightwing?" She tentatively began. "What are you doing here?"
"Reacquainting," he replied, adding a small smile. The older ebony stepped forward, wrapping her arms around the man she thought of as her son. He tentatively returned her hug, and Batman, Red Robin, and Superman shared knowing smiles.
"What's the hold up?" The familiar voice of Hawkwoman shouted. "Some of us have to work, you know!"
Diana completely ignored them, until Dick dropped his arms.
"Uh… Diana? This has been a really long hug…" The blue eyed woman released him, stepping back.
"I guess it was. I'll see you later, but my people need me," she explained, walking off, letting Hawkwoman out of the meeting room. The Thanagarian ignored Dick until Hawkman walked out, stopping and noticing the Aerial Avenger lurking in the shadows.
"Nightwing?" He asked, blinking several times over. "I didn't know you were back!"
"Yep. I've been standing in as Batman until Bruce got back," the ebony explained.
"Nice seeing ya kid, but Shayera and I have got to get to work. Stay alive!" On that happy note, Katar and Shayera left, as Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and the Flash left the meeting room.
"Grayson! You're back! That is so crash," the youngest cried, wrapping his arms around the other man. "I mean, I knew you'd be back-"
"Ah, future boy, you know you don't know everything," Dick replied.
"Fuck," Jason shouted. "Screw you Bruce! If you're actually dead this time, this family will fall apart and it will be all because of you!"
The black-and-white haired man was screaming to the sky, surrounded by his siblings and Selina, crying out his hurt.
Dick turned away, tears streaming down his face, Terry hugging his leg. The six-year-old didn't really get it, while Damian stood off by himself, the ten-year-old brooding like his dead father. Tim stood next to Cass and Stephanie, while Barbara stared at the ground, blue eyes hooded. Footsteps sounded nearby, and Dick looked up, the only one to do so.
"I heard you were around. I finally figured it out. So, are you going to take on the mantle again?" Bette Kane stood there, holding a black rose in one hand.
"I think so. I don't see anything else to do at this point," he replied, shaking his head and picking up Terry.
"I'm sorry. I was close to him, but I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. To have just gotten him back- in more ways than one- and to lose him again right afterwards," the blonde looked down, then up again. "How's Selina doing?"
"She's doing fine. Taking it just as hard as last time, though," the ebony answered, setting Terry down, who ran over to his mother.
"Um… Do you maybe want to go out for a bit? Get away from it all for just a little bit?" She brushed some blonde hair out of her face. "I-I mean if you don't, that's fine, I just thought that maybe-"
"I'd like that. Where do you want to go?" He smiled lightly, and she smiled back.
"That one fancy restaurant on fifty-eighth and Howldin is one of my favorites," she replied.
"Italian. Good choice. Let's go." And they walked to the car together, Dick slipping his hand around Bette's, smiling as he took in her black dress that really accentuated her blonde hair.
The two civilian heroes sat in a small restaurant. It was their second date, and they had decided to go homestyle. They had zeta'd to Smallville, and walked to one of the diners that served breakfast all day. Bette giggled as she picked up another piece of pancake as her date told a joke. His blue eyes- no longer bright as when he was young- seemed to laugh, and his smirk had earned an almost permanent position. Even as Batman. And any Gotham villain would tell you- the Batman never used to smile.
He does now.
It has, and would still be, a hard road to complete recovery. But with Bette there, helping him out, he would be all right.
They would all be okay.
Because if it's not okay, it's not the end.
Damian laughed- a full-on, real laugh- as Dick tickled him. Most of the rest of the family had left. Even Selina and Terry had moved back to Selina's old apartment. Barbara and Jason had moved to Blüdhaven, and Tim to Jump City. Cass was in Tokyo, and Stephanie was in Steel City.
So that left Dick and Damian and Bette.
Dick hadn't been back to work with the Team since that one day, instead choosing to join the League.
But some things change.
Black Canary had asked him to fill in as the Team's trainer for a week while she and Green Arrow went on a cruise.
Recognized: Batman 02 Robin B42
The brothers made their way to the Team's section of the Watchtower, both of them in civvies- Dick in sweats, Converse, and a t-shirt while Damian wore a jacket, jeans, and Converse.
"So, big old Bat decided to hang around with us rif-raff," Artemis deadpanned, and Dick growled.
"Not willingly."
"Oh so someone finally cowed the great Bruce Wayne," the blonde poked harder. She was a little bit out of the loop, living in Atlantis, spelled so she could.
"Bruce is dead!" Dick snapped, and anyone not privy to the Batfamily identity took a step back. "But, obviously, you wouldn't know that because you turned into too much of a stuck-up bitch to care. Now, Black Canary wanted me to work on you with your stealth. So, in short terms…"
"Paintball!" Wally grinned, deciding to ignore the huge elephant in the room. Dick nodded, pushing his glasses up to rest on top of his head.
"What happened to your eyes?" Karen asked, having noticed their dulled color.
"Life, I guess. Same as the rest of me," he replied. "Now, let's get to the equipment room. Clark had it stocked before hand- he knows of my adoration of paintball."
He lead the way, followed eagerly by most of the Team. Raquel, Bette, and Bart had heard of the paintball fight and were waiting there, already in gear.
The Team suited up, and the League members lead the way to the zeta beams. They zeta'd to Smallville, garnering stares from the people who saw them walk by on the street. When they reached the small forest they would be paintballing, Dick gave the signal to split up. They did so, the ebony climbing a tree to watch.
Gar fared fairly well, stalking through the trees, coloring providing camouflage. That is, until he stumbled onto Rachel. The empath shot him down quickly, and he left the trees.
Damian was stalking Artemis, a serious vendetta on his mind. He had his shooter aimed, and she was in his sights.
WHAP!
The blonde whirled around, and Damian looked, to see a glaring Wally.
"Well, you're out," was all he said, before slipping away. Damian was in too much shock to get the ginger.
Thirty-year-old Richard Grayson lay in bed next to his wife of three months, Bette Grayson. The marriage had been a simple affair, family only. That included extended family. Read: a chaotic event.
In the three months since then, Lian, Jade, and Roy had all been killed in a car accident the day before Dick and Roy were scheduled to get back together. Artemis still hadn't forgiven him, nor had Conner.
"Hey beautiful," the man murmured, rolling over and wrapping his arms around Bette.
"Morning gorgeous," she replied, placing her hands on his.
"I do not want to get up," the ebony groaned.
"So don't," she advised with a smile.
"Can't. I have a company to run, remember?" He slowly managed to get himself up and out the door in a presentable manner.
He arrived for his meeting on time, where he had to actually raise his voice at some dim-witted executives who tried to sell chemicals to an unidentified source.
Hissing, he felt extremely uneasy. He was still waiting for the Hell he would pay for skipping that job in London two years ago, and he felt that he would pay today.
Sure enough, during a meeting with the CEO's of several other large companies- Queen Industries being one of them- shots were fired. A couple hit other CEO's, but a grand total of five hit Dick- two in his legs, one in his gut, one in his chest, and one in a shoulder. With a grunt, he hit the floor, passing out almost immediately from the pain. Before he did, he heard Oliver yell out his name.
"They're not entirely sure if he'll wake up."
Bette was on the phone with Barbara, tearing up.
"Yeah. Okay. I guess I'll see you and Jason soon. Uh-huh. Will do. Bye." She hung up, turning to Damian.
"Is Grayson going to be okay?" The ebony asked, crossing his arms.
"We're not sure," the blonde replied, picking him up. "He's in a coma and mostly stable, but he was shot five times. The bullets had enough force behind them that they actually penetrated his so-called bulletproof vest."
"Well, then we need to go see him," the boy ordered, glaring. "He's not going to wake up unless we're there."
"Then I guess we better get going," Bette murmured, walking towards the garage.
It was black.
All he felt was black.
Until he heard one continuous beeping noise.
Then it went black again.
"His heart's failed seven times since the shooting," Bette murmured to Wally. "They're almost completely sure that if it fails again… That it'll be permanent."
"He's not gonna die. He's too strong to die," the ginger reassured her. Raquel entered the hospital room, pecking her boyfriend on the cheek. "Babe…" He murmured, turning away from Bette. "I was gonna ask this tonight, but… Will you marry me? I have a ring and everything." He pulled out a little jewelry box, opening it to show the simple ring- a diamond set in sterling silver.
"Oh, my God. I-I… Yes. Yes I will." She could see that the shooting had waken him up to not waste time.
Then everyone in the room simultaneously said 'shit' at the same time.
"Clear!" The doctor yelled, and another jolt of electricity ran through the still form.
It didn't work, and all the doctors let out a hissed breath, watching the heartmonitor's flatline.
Then it stopped flatlining.
One beat. Two beats.
Dick Grayson was still alive, and waking up.
They let his distressed wife and second youngest brother in first. The blonde broke down into tears when she saw his light blue eyes open.
"Bette?" He asked, though it sounded more like 'Ehtte'.
"I'm here Dick, I'm here. Don't you ever scare me like that ever again, you hear me?"
"I won't."
And he would do everything in his power to never have that happen again.