A/N: Hello again, and welcome to chapter two! I don't have much to say, other than to remind you that this story is set in the early part of the year immediately after the end of Auld Acquaintance. I hope you enjoy this installment!

Thoughts

"Mind Link"

Computer

Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters/concepts associated with it.

Identities

Chapter Two

"Babs!" Dick called during lunch on Monday as he bobbed and weaved his way through the throng of hungry students.

The girl in question paused and turned, her eyes quickly landing on the approaching face of her best friend. A smile immediately tipped her lips and she called back, "Hey, Dick!"

Beside her, Bette rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to go claim a table, okay?"

"Sure," Barbara replied even as Bette began walking away.

Dick came to a stop in front of her a moment later, grinning and adjusting his backpack over his shoulder as he declared, "Well it's about time!"

"What is?" Barbara asked curiously as the pair turned and continued making their way into the cafeteria.

"I was starting to think Bette was never gonna let me talk to you again," Dick said with a laugh. "She was all hovery this morning."

Barbara laughed, rolling her eyes, and replied, "She was not. We were just talking."

"What does she have against me anyway?" Dick asked with a grin, glad he could smile honestly and enjoy their banter once again.

It had taken him nearly a full night of pestering, but he'd finally gotten Batman to agree to offering her a probationary position on the Team. Batman was probably hoping she would see their reality and go running in the other direction, but Dick knew better. Barbara already knew their reality.

Now all that was left was for Robin to run into Batgirl again.

Teasing laughter lighting her voice, Barbara replied, "Maybe she just doesn't like short people."

Feigning insult, Dick fisted his dark blue blazer over his heart and cried, "Gah! But I'm like three inches taller than I was last year!"

Turning an analytical eye to him, Barbara said, "I don't know…I was sort of thinking you were only two inches taller."

Mock-glaring at her, Dick released his blazer in order to point to her as he said, "You just wait and see, Babs. One day I'll be towering over you."

She laughed out loud at that as they moved forward another foot in the lunch line. "Keep dreaming, Grayson!"

Before Dick could respond an unexpected, familiar voice was interrupting them, calling their attention.

"Barbara," Artemis said by way of greeting as she stepped up alongside them in the line. She ignored the glare that the guy behind them gave her and offered the red-head an apologetic smile. "Sorry to interrupt; do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Barbara replied lightly. And then her manners kicked in again and she gestured to the dark-haired boy standing beside her, saying, "Oh, I don't think you've met."

Before she could say more, Dick grinned and held out his hand. "Dick Grayson," he said easily. "And we sort of have."

Artemis took his proffered hand politely, saying, "Artemis Crock…and…what?" Why did the name Grayson sound so familiar?

"Oh, god, I'd forgotten," Barbara groaned, lifting a hand and smacking the back of Dick's head lightly. "I'm sorry; he can be kind of a troll sometimes."

"Ow!" Dick cried exaggeratedly, holding a hand to the back of his head. "I resent that, thank you." Well, not really, he added with a silent laugh.

Looking between them, Artemis admitted, "I'm feeling sort of confused…. But, anyway, Barbara, I was wondering if we could switch to today?"

It was Dick's turn to feel confused with Artemis's question. Switch what to today? He hated being left out of the loop.

"Oh, sure," Barbara replied easily as they moved forward again, slowly edging closer to the food. "Did you just want to come over to my place after school, or would you rather go to yours?"

"Yours is fine," Artemis quickly assured her. "It's just that…I forgot I already have plans for tomorrow afternoon. I'm leaving town for the day right after school."

"So," Dick began, interrupting their conversation, "are you two, like, in a project together or something?"

The girls returned their attention to him, Artemis frowning automatically at his nosiness even as Barbara nodded. "Yeah; teacher sprang it on us this morning."

Dick screwed up his face in disgust, declaring, "I hate when they do that." So much for asking her to come over after school today, then. On the other hand, he'd just learned she was free the next day, so he supposed their afternoon plans could wait one more day.

Turning her attention back to Artemis, Barbara repeated, "Today's fine. Just meet me by the front gate and we'll walk together, if that works for you?"

"That'd be great," Artemis replied with a relieved smile. "See you later, then." She paused, glancing back to Dick, and hesitantly added, "It's, uh, nice to meet you."

Dick wanted so badly to laugh out loud as she walked away. When the day finally came that she learned his secret identity, she was going to strangle him. But, until then, he would allow himself to enjoy her confusion.

Artemis had already caught up to Barbara by the time Dick arrived, and he didn't even try to stop the grin that curved his lips at the sight of them talking. He was genuinely glad to see that they could at least get along when they needed to, since they would likely soon be needing to on a regular basis. He also got a kick out of how close Artemis continued to dance around his civilian life. Sometimes, he wondered if Bruce had really thought about the risks of giving his new teammate a scholarship to his school.

"What took you so long?" Barbara asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked over at Dick, her lips twitching.

Holding his hands up defensively, Dick said, "Sorry, sorry! Got held up talking to my teacher."

Concern overtaking her features, Barbara asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Dick replied honestly, offering her a small smile.

"Now I remember you!" Artemis suddenly declared, her eyes wide with realization. "You're that freshman who took a picture of me on my first day here!"

Smile morphing into a grin, Dick looked over at his friend and said, "With, actually. I took a picture with you. Did you want to see it?"

"Oh my god," Artemis groaned, disbelief and a slight twinge of horror in her voice, "you still have it?"

"Of course I do!" Dick exclaimed, dipping his hand into his pocket and retrieving his phone.

As Dick pulled up the picture in question, Barbara looked back over at Artemis and declared, "I'm sorry about him. He fell off the training bars a few too many times when he was younger."

"Did not," Dick argued habitually, grinning when he found the picture of himself and a surprised, confused Artemis. He turned the phone around and held it out to the blonde, adding, "See?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the photo. She still didn't understand the point of it. "And just what, exactly, do you plan on doing with that? You didn't post it on some internet blog, did you?"

Rolling his eyes, Dick reclaimed his phone and deposited it back in his pocket as he said, "No, no, that'd be too predictable. I just keep it for the memory. I mean, you saw the look on your face, right?"

"I don't know that I trust you," Artemis decided, eyes still narrowed at him suspiciously.

Grin widening, Dick replied, "Your loss."

"Okay, Dick," Barbara interrupted before he could torment her other friend any longer. She dropped a hand on his shoulder and added, "We need to get going. See you in the morning?"

He turned his grin to her, the expression softening slightly as their eyes met, and nodded. "Of course."

Barbara looked past him, toward the parking lot, as her hand fell from his shoulder, and she said, "I see Alfred, so I don't have to feel bad for abandoning you."

Dick laughed even as his own eyes turned toward the parking lot and the waiting Rolls Royce. But his laughter faded as he noted that the always-shiny vehicle was not parked in its usual spot, but was instead much closer. In fact, it wasn't parked at all, but idling. And Alfred was not standing patiently beside the back passenger door.

Ever cautious, Dick pulled his phone again out of his pocket to check it, but he had no waiting messages – normal or urgent.

Still, he argued with himself as he lowered the phone, Alfred never mixes up his routine. And, come to think of it, Alfred was usually already parked and waiting by the time the bell rang. But the Rolls had definitely only just pulled to the curb while he'd been talking with Barbara and Artemis.

Seeing his uncharacteristic frown, Barbara glanced toward the idling car before looking back at her friend and asking carefully, "Dick…? Is something wrong?"

"Don't know," Dick muttered, thinking aloud, as he shifted slightly to get a better look at the car. The back windows were tinted – in case he or Bruce ever needed to change – but the front windows weren't. And then his eyes landed on the driver and he knew immediately that that man was not Alfred Pennyworth.

Dread settled in his stomach like a lead weight even as his jaw tightened. There was no way one of Bruce's cars could have been taken from the garage without him knowing about it, which meant one thing: the man in the driver's seat had stolen the car while Alfred had been in it. And, since he'd then proceeded to come to Dick's school, logic dictated that that man intended to kidnap him.

A thousand scenarios flashed through his head as Dick struggled to maintain his composure.

Was Alfred alright? Was he in the car at all or lying in a ditch somewhere? Who was the man in the Rolls Royce? Was he working solo or part of a bigger group? Did they intend to hold Dick for ransom or just kill him? Or both? Should he play along and go up to the car, in hopes that he'd get a few of his answers? Or should he play it smart and run while he could?

"Fight smarter, not harder," Batman said bluntly. He'd said those words a handful of times over the years, but mostly when Dick had still been in training. That had been one of the earliest and most important lessons Batman had taught him.

Retreat, then, Dick decided. Alfred had multiple tracers on his person at all times – they all did – so he knew he'd be able to find the older man. And once he had a minute to think, Dick would call Bruce and alert him to the situation. But, first, he needed to get to safety.

Barbara's hand landed on Dick's shoulder again, this time squeezing with concern as her voice called him out of his thoughts. "Dick, what's going on?"

Knowing that Barbara would get suspicious if he turned and ran away from his ride, even if he kept his behavior calm and casual, Dick did the only thing he could. He turned back to face her, his expression honestly grim, and said, "That's not Alfred."

Her eyes widened even as her hand fell from his shoulder. "What?" she asked, automatically looking toward the easily-identifiable license plate. "But…that's his car…."

"Exactly," Dick said.

Returning her gaze to her friend, Barbara asked, "Why would someone steal one of Bruce's cars and then come here?"

The obvious answer to her question dawned in her eyes even as Dick declared, "Probably to kidnap me. Which is why I need to go."

Dark eyes wide with shock, Artemis hissed, "You can't go with the guy who wants to kidnap you!"

"Obviously," Dick replied, cutting a glance to her. He suddenly wished she knew the truth about him, because he was feeling surprisingly alone, but he pushed past the feeling and looked back to Barbara. "He'll probably notice when I run off, so wait until he's distracted before getting out of here. On the off chance he doesn't know who you are, let's keep it that way."

"Absolutely not," Barbara insisted stubbornly. "You're my best friend; if someone's trying to kidnap you there's no way I can abandon you!"

"Barbara-"

"I'll just call my dad," Barbara decided, already reaching for her phone. "He'll have the school surrounded before that guy knows what hit him."

Dick's hand shot out, wrapping around her wrist in a firm (though not bruising) grip and successfully halting her movements as he asked, "And what about Alfred? What if this guy's working with other people and they're already holding Alfred hostage?"

"Then my dad will find him," Barbara said, her tone gentle but confident.

Allowing a portion of his true fear to show in his eyes, Dick replied bluntly, "It's how they'll find him that I'm worried about, Babs."

Barbara opened her mouth, closed it again, and let her arm drop back to her side. She knew exactly how strongly Dick would react to losing anyone else, and the last thing she wanted was to be even unintentionally responsible for causing him that kind of pain. "But, then…what should we do?"

"We shouldn't do anything," Dick replied as he released her arm. "I'm the one they're after."

Determination settling in her eyes, Barbara returned her phone to her pocket and replied, "I already told you, you're not going anywhere without me, Richard Grayson."

In any other situation, Dick would have cringed at her use of his full name. She only ever called him 'Richard' when she was dead-set on something that opposed one of his own decisions. And never, in all the time he'd known her, had he won even one of those arguments. This time, however, he only released a breath and said, "Fine. We run."

Barbara nodded and turned her eyes toward Artemis, saying, "I'm sorry, Artemis…we'll work something out, okay?"

"That's fine," Artemis assured her, a serious expression on her face that told Dick everything he needed to know about the words that were about to follow. "But don't think you're going anywhere without me; I intend to help."

"It's dangerous," Barbara warned.

Dick cut a glance over his shoulder, toward the Rolls. He's bound to be getting restless.

"That's why you'll need all the help you can get," Artemis replied.

Before Barbara could argue further, Dick returned his gaze to them and said firmly, "Let's go. Walk with me."

Startled by his tone and command, the girls stared at him as he started walking forward, in the opposite direction of the waiting car. It took them only a moment to gather themselves and fall in on either side of him, easily matching his pace.

"Why are we only walking?" Barbara asked quietly. The entire situation had her on edge and her body was tense. Now, more than ever, she really wished she had a way of calling Batman or Robin.

"We don't want to draw unnecessary attention," Dick replied, his voice just as hushed as hers. "Once we're around the corner, we'll run."

"Run where?" Artemis asked. "Does Bruce – Mr. Wayne – have some sort of safe-house nearby or something?"

Dick's lips twitched. There actually was a relatively close back-up Batcave, but it hadn't been used in several years and he had no intention of going there. So he said, "Bruce is fine, and no. We're just putting some distance between us and whoever that guy is."

They were nearly to the edge of field now. A few more yards to go and they would be out of sight. But before they could step off the grass the echoing crack of a gunshot filled the air and the teens froze. Someone screamed behind them, but the sound was quickly cut short. Tires squealed as a car turned a sharp corner, the sound of the engine fading rapidly.

And then someone was bellowing. "Get over here, Grayson!"

Both Barbara and Artemis had tensed beside him, and he noticed one of Artemis's hands twitch toward her blazer. She probably kept her back-up bow hidden within, and she was most likely contemplating shooting the man with the gun.

Releasing a breath, Dick turned to the side and looked toward Alfred's car. The unknown man who had been sitting behind the wheel was now standing on the side of the car, holding a pistol in the air. He'd fired the gun into the sky to get their attention, then. That was good; it meant his first reaction wasn't murder.

The man's eyes locked onto Dick's from across the yard and he called, "Get in the car, boy. I won't ask again."

Dick's eyes broke from his for a split-second, taking in the sight around them. Most of the lingering students had piled in a rush back through the large double doors, and the parking lot had emptied behind the man at record speed. Gotham's elite didn't like to socialize with possibly-psychotic gunmen.

Eyes returning to the unknown man, Dick allowed his expression to fall into a well-honed Bat-glare. "Sorry," he called, "I'm not supposed to get into cars with guys with guns."

The man shifted and brought his gun down so that it was pointing at him. "Don't you want to know what happened to your precious butler?"

"Yeah," Dick said honestly. "But I'm not stupid enough to believe I'll get that answer by doing what you want."

Artemis's voice was calm and quiet in his ear, confirming his own suspicions as she whispered, "If he fires, don't dodge. His trajectory's wrong; he'll miss all of us."

"Well," the man called impatiently, adjusting his grip on the gun. "What's your decision?"

Robin's automatic, taunting sarcasm was nearly rolling off of his tongue before Dick caught the words and swallowed them back. He might be willing to compromise his identity around Artemis and Barbara (assuming it came to that), but he couldn't risk that revelation with the enemy. Instead, he merely called back, "I think I'm gonna go, thanks."

The man's glare darkened and he pulled the trigger.

Barbara started, not having heard Artemis's words, and Dick's hand snapped out to wrap around her wrist and hold her in place. A heartbeat later the bullet soared past, slicing through the air nearly a foot away on the other side of Barbara.

"Now we run!" Dick declared, tugging pointedly on Barbara's wrist as he spun and darted away from where the bullet had gone. Artemis kept pace beside him and Barbara required no encouragement to remain at his back.

Another gunshot echoed behind them, but the man's aim didn't seem to improve when he was shooting at moving targets, and then the trio was across the street.

They bolted around a corner and kept going, knowing that there was a chance the man would climb back into his stolen car and pursue them.

Barely a block later, Dick adjusted course and darted across the street, calling, "This way!" There was a side alley just ahead that they could duck down to help throw their pursuer off their trail.

Artemis and Barbara followed without hesitation, the approaching sound of a vehicle in their ears. When Dick ducked behind an old, gray Dumpster they quickly followed suit, pressing their backs against the concrete wall and trying to stabilize their breathing.

Dick was crouched against the Dumpster, kneeling and breathing with a slight exaggeration of effort. As soon as Artemis and Barbara were properly hidden by their crude shield, he leaned forward carefully, angled just enough to glimpse the opening of the alley and the street beyond. He swallowed as the Rolls Royce sped past. If this guy's any good he'll double-back for a better look once he realizes we're not just around the corner.

"We'll be sitting ducks here if he comes back," Artemis whispered as her eyes reflexively scanned the alley around them. There was a fire escape almost directly across from them that led to the roof of the other building – which was four stories up. Were she by herself, Artemis would have already scaled it. But she wasn't even sure the enemy's actual target would be able to reach that ladder, let alone climb to the top before they were noticed.

Dick sat back, knowing they had a couple of minutes at least. He saw Artemis's eyes linger for a second over the fire escape and he knew exactly what she was thinking. It wasn't even a bad idea.

"Now will you let me call my dad?" Barbara asked quietly.

His every instinct screaming at him to keep the police out of it, Dick took a moment to gather his response before saying, "Someone probably already has."

"He did open fire at a school," Artemis supplied helpfully.

As if on cue, Barbara's phone began buzzing in her pocket. She lifted it, unsurprised to see her father's picture on the screen, and she glance back at Dick.

Biting back his sigh, Dick quickly said, "Tell him we're fine and that we're going to a mutual friend's house to hide out for a while. And tell him he stole one of Bruce's cars and that we're worried about Alfred."

Nodding, Barbara slid her thumb across the screen and put the phone to her ear.

While Barbara was talking to her father, Artemis moved around her in order to talk quietly with Dick, saying, "My place is too far from here; we'd be better off to go to the police if that's your plan."

Glancing again around the Dumpster, Dick replied, "It's not. I just don't want someone wasting their time looking for us when we're fine."

Artemis gave him a curious look at his unusual prioritizing but opted not to push the issue. Instead, she reminded, "Look, I…watch a lot of action movies, and I'm pretty sure this is a bad place to be if the bad guy comes back."

A lot of action movies, huh? Dick thought, finding himself fighting a smirk.

Before Dick could actually respond, Barbara disconnected with her father and said, "I told him you were just about to call Bruce and that we'd check in as soon as we get where we're going. Now tell me why I didn't just have him send a car to get us and maybe catch that guy?"

Looking back at Barbara, Dick replied, "Because we'll be gone by the time the cops get here. Unless you want to double back to the school and wait, which would be fine, I'd understand."

Glaring pointedly at him, Barbara put her phone back in her pocket and declared, "Stop trying to ditch me, Dick, it's not going to happen."

"Strength in numbers and all that," Artemis echoed with a grin. She couldn't in good conscious abandon either of them in a situation like this – not even long enough to change.

Glancing between them, Dick nodded and pointed to the fire escape. Up was their best way out and they probably all knew it. "Then we climb, and fast. He's probably already coming back."

"Don't get me wrong," Artemis began as they all pushed to their feet and turned toward the old, probably rusted, metal, "but…can you actually reach that ladder?"

Barbara laughed softly and followed Dick toward it as she said, "He's sort of like a human monkey."

"Am not," Dick retorted with a grin. His feet left the ground a second later, hands wrapping around the third rung with practiced ease. In no time he was moving toward the second ladder.

Feeling the strangest sense of déjà vu, Artemis mumbled, "Forget I asked." His jump hadn't been showy enough to be Robin, but the similarities were there nonetheless, and it took her a second to shake herself out of it.

Barbara easily followed Dick up the ladder and around the grated landing to the next as Artemis kept pace behind her. They climbed silently and quickly, filing onto the roof with barely a sound before coming to a pause.

Dick ducked and crept toward the edge of the roof that faced the street where they'd last seen their pursuer. He knelt behind the short wall that acted as a railing, wishing he at least had his costume on to help him blend. I'll just have to make do, he told himself as he carefully peered over the ledge.

The Rolls was slowly backing down the street, just as Dick had expected. It was already past the other alley – a little further up and on the opposite side of the road – and was making its way toward the alley they'd just vacated. But sirens in the distance assured Dick that the man wasn't likely to linger once he discovered they weren't there.

"He could follow us up the fire escape," Artemis whispered, crouching beside him and eyes locked on the moving vehicle.

"Do you think he will?" Barbara asked quietly, kneeling on the other side of her best friend.

"No," Dick replied, "the police are too close; they'll probably scare him off."

"He was dumb enough to try and kidnap you in front of the school," Barbara countered.

"Yeah, but he was hoping I'd just climb into the car without looking," Dick pointed out, moving away from the ledge and entirely out of sight from the street.

The girls followed his lead, turning to face him, as Artemis said, "It's a good thing you didn't."

"Dick," Barbara began carefully, "you really should call Bruce. He'll worry if he hears about this on the news or from my dad first."

"I know," Dick assured her, lowering his backpack to the ground and dipping his other hand into his coat pocket. "I was about to, Babs, don't worry. I'm just gonna try to reach Al first."

Artemis was moving as she declared, "I'm going to watch the fire escape, just to be safe."

Dick and Barbara nodded silently as Dick put the phone to his ear and held his breath.

It went straight to voicemail and Dick hung up without leaving a message; Alfred never turned his phone off. But, just to be safe, he tried the manor next. It rang until the answering machine kicked in, and again Dick hung up. The fear and dread was building in his stomach as he tried not to think of what could have happened to the elderly man.

It was time to call Bruce.

He wanted to call Bruce through the communicator, as it was the most direct – and assured – way to reach him, but he was still hesitant to expose their identities like that. He at least wanted to give his mentor and adoptive father a heads-up first.

"Dick?" Bruce asked as he answered half-way through the second ring. His tone implied the rest of his question; it was unlike Dick to call while he was at work.

Allowing his voice to betray a little of his emotions, Dick skipped right to the point. "Someone tried to kidnap me in front of the school. I got away – with Barbara and Artemis – but he's still coming after me. Probably all of us, now. He's driving Alfred's favorite car, and Al's phone goes right to voicemail."

The silence on the other end lasted barely a second before Bruce spoke again, the Batman coming through loud and clear. "The police have been notified?"

"My would-be kidnapper fired a couple of shots at us as we ran away," Dick replied. At the look Barbara gave him, he obligingly added, "He missed, though."

Dick could practically see Bruce nodding in understand, Batman's frown etched onto his face, as he said, "Finding Alfred takes priority. I'm in Metropolis now, but I'll fly home and join you. And, Dick…stay safe."

Dick was struck silent for a beat with Bruce's words.

He wanted to be amazed that he might just have gotten permission to tell his friends the truth about himself, but he was too busy being surprised at the sentiment of what had followed. Bruce never vocalized his worry for his protégé. They communicated things like that through glances and nearly-invisible gestures. Occasionally poignant pauses in conversation when they weren't face-to-face.

Shaking himself out of it, Dick said carefully, "Bruce…if I'm gonna do that-"

"I know," Bruce assured him, the sentiment already gone from his voice. "But you'll need back-up." And I need to know you're safe. "For now, keep it the three of you. If you need more help before I get there, call West." The rest of the Team can learn the truth later. This is personal.

"Understood," Dick replied with a sharp, pointless nod. He pulled the phone from his ear after a second of silence and disconnected.

Barbara was giving him a funny look as he dropped his silenced phone back into his pocket. Dick's half of that conversation had not gone the way she'd expected. "Um…what's he asking you to do?"

Dick was already reaching for his backpack as he replied, "We need to find Alfred. Once we know Al's safe we can figure out exactly who's after me."

"Dick," Barbara began carefully, confusion evident in her voice, "that's sort of my dad's job…."

"Guys!" Artemis hissed, her back against the short wall and her body tense. When they looked back over at her she jerked a thumb toward the wall and the fire escape beyond.

He's not running? Dick thought, eyes widening as he considered why their enemy would be risking a run-in with the police.

Barbara had also realized what Artemis was getting at, and her own eyes were wide with fear. "We're trapped," she mumbled. And all of a sudden something Batman had said to her early in the previous week was playing through her mind. What if the person she accidentally got hurt – or killed – was one of her friends? What if that person was Dick?

Dick's eyes were already searching for an escape route. They could handle themselves, yes, but the price would be too high. Escape was smarter. And then he realized that the next roof over was nearly touching the building they were currently on top of. It was one story lower, but that was a jump they could all manage without injury.

Artemis was shifting, one hand braced on the concrete as she debated pulling out her crossbow. And then Dick's whispered words reached her, drawing her attention.

"Follow me!"

The girls exchanged a wide-eyed, slightly confused, glance as Dick sprang to his feet, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he ran straight toward the opposite edge.

Artemis realized almost immediately what he was going to do, and she shoved to her feet at a run. Dangerous or not, it was better than getting into a fight with an armed – and clearly reckless – opponent with two high-profile civilians in the line of fire. Barbara started moving as well, keeping stride with Artemis as they followed Dick toward the ledge.

Backpack properly secured over his shoulders, Dick threw himself forward in order to handspring off of the ledge and roll into a flip as he fell. He would land a little harder without his cape, but he'd be fine. His feet hit the concrete exactly as he'd anticipated and he allowed the momentum to propel him into another roll, moving him out of the way for his friends.

As soon as he stopped, he turned and pushed to his feet to wait for them.

How did he…? Artemis thought, coming up short, eyes wide in astonishment as Dick leapt easily and fearlessly off of the roof. That move had screamed Robin.

"We have to keep moving!" Barbara insisted, voice quiet and urgent. They could both hear the faint groaning of metal behind them.

Taking a mental breath of clarity, Artemis glanced behind them as she said, "You first; I'll be right behind you."

"Okay," Barbara said with a nod. She started forward again and, like Dick, chose to handspring off of the ledge before rolling into a graceful flip. As her skirt ruffled around her she had a moment to wish she was wearing her gym-shorts beneath it before she realized that she was already climbing back to her feet.

She held Dick's gaze long enough for each to ascertain that the other had landed without injury, and they turned their waiting eyes toward the roof.

As soon as Barbara was distracted, Artemis whipped out her crossbow and fired a sharp arrow at one of the poles connecting the top ladder to the roof. Her arrow sliced right through the rusted steel, successfully destabilizing the ladder, and she put the bow away. It wouldn't stop him – not if he was desperate – but it would stall him, and that was good enough for the moment.

Then she was moving forward, choosing instead to leap straight off of the ledge before rolling into a somersault to conserve her momentum. And she really wished she was wearing her costume.

"You okay?" Barbara asked as she helped Artemis to her feet.

"Fine," Artemis replied, brushing off her skirt self-consciously. Her eyes flickered to Dick, but he was already moving, and it didn't take a lot of effort to discover his goal. He was headed right for another, equally-rusted ladder. "Fire escape?" she asked anyway as she looked back to Barbara.

The red-head nodded as she turned to follow her best friend. "Yeah; it'll make running easier."

"That's for sure," Artemis agreed with a small smirk.

The trio made short work of crossing the roof and descending the fire escape, and then they turned toward the open end of the alley and broke into a run. They darted around the nearest corner, onto a new street, and kept running until they'd crossed another street and found another dead-end alley where they could catch their breath.

Dick was shrugging out of his backpack, eager to activate the computer in his gloves which were nestled inside and find Alfred, when Artemis stepped up to him. His eyes flicked up to her on reflex even as she spoke.

Her voice was quiet but firm as she demanded, "Alright, Grayson, tell me how the hell you did that back there."

Barbara looked between them as she caught her breath, her blue eyes clearly confused. "How he did what?"

Artemis cut a glance toward the red-head and stated, "That roof-dismount thing. And, for that matter, how'd you manage it, too? That's not the kind of thing you do on reflex."

Blinking at her, Barbara replied, "I'm a gymnast. I've been training since I've been walking practically."

"Okay," Artemis said awkwardly, "I can accept that." She returned her gaze to Dick, who was standing upright again, backpack at his feet. "Are you a gymnast, too?"

"Grew up in a circus," Dick replied bluntly. He loved where he came from, but he didn't always love talking about it. And, with Alfred missing and possibly hurt (he refused to consider worse), this was definitely one of those times when he didn't love talking about it.

Artemis's eyes widened as she slowly repeated, "A…circus?"

The word sent her spiraling into an unexpected memory from the previous winter, when Robin had led a fraction of the Team on an undercover mission in Europe. That hadn't exactly been her favorite mission – although it certainly hadn't been the worst mission, either.

And then she was suddenly standing again in Jack Haly's office on the day they joined, her eyes strangely transfixed on an obviously-old poster behind the man. A poster advertising the Flying Graysons. Could that possibly be a coincidence?

"It's not a coincidence," Dick declared tightly, his eyes finding a crack in the pavement and glaring at it.

"Excuse me?" Artemis asked incredulously, blinking at the boy standing before her. There was no way she'd been thinking out loud…was there?

"You were wondering if it was a coincidence that my name is Grayson and there were posters for 'the Flying Graysons' at Haly's last winter," Dick elaborated, taking a deep breath and lifting his eyes back to hers. He could sense the layered confusion from the red-head beside him, but he kept his focus on Artemis.

"I – how did – that is…what?" Artemis stuttered, her eyes impossibly wide. She was searching his face for some kind of clue when she made a startling realization. That had been the same mission where she – along with the rest of the Team – had seen Robin's eyes for the first time. She'd always expected them to be dark, and she'd been surprised to learn that they were actually a clear, shining blue.

The same blue as Dick Grayson's eyes.

Dick slowly nodded, knowing she was at least suspecting the truth. And that was when he realized that, if she was going to know the truth, then he probably owed her an apology. "I'm sorry, by the way. I lied to you – to all of you – back then. That wasn't his mission, it was mine. I didn't even consult him about it before I asked the four of you to come with me."

Artemis dragged in a deep breath, releasing it slowly and deliberately as she processed what she was learning. She had a thousand questions (and, oh god, some of Wally's seemingly-off-handed comments about Bruce Wayne were suddenly making sense), but she knew that the timing was wrong to ask any of them. Or, at least, most of them.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Artemis asked pointedly.

Dick looked away again, glancing toward the opening of the alley over the top of the Dumpster before he said honestly, "Because I need your help. Jack Haly used to be like a grandfather to me, which was why I needed to prove his innocence. But now…my other grandfather is missing, and he might be hurt."

A beat of silence hung in the air as Dick returned his honest, intense gaze to Artemis before adding, "You don't have to. This isn't a Team thing, and I'd understand if-"

"Hey," Artemis interrupted, propping her loosely curled fists on her hips with a smirk, "I save people for a living, remember? Reasons aren't even required."

Dick offered her an appreciative grin, but he was unsurprised when Barbara finally interrupted their conversation.

Confusion was evident in her voice as Barbara demanded, "What in the world are you two talking about? I thought you didn't even know each other before today! And what do you mean you save people for a living?"

Artemis stared dumbly at Barbara for a second, her arms falling to her sides, as she attempted to come up with a reasonable answer. But, for the life of her, all she could think of was that she suddenly understood – sort of – why Dick had taken that picture of her the year before. She slid her gaze sideways, toward him, and grumbled, "You really are an annoying little troll sometimes, by the way."

Dick's lips twitched with silent laughter, but he chose to respond to Barbara's questions instead. "Babs," he began carefully, "I kind of owe you an apology, too." Oh, she's gonna throttle me.

Barbara narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest. "For what?"

Despite the pending danger, it was hard to keep the grin from lifting his lips as Dick asked, "You know your favorite superhero?"

One slim brow arching high, Barbara carefully replied, "…Favorite male superhero, but, yes…. Why?"

Heh, yeah, I guess he would have competition now, Dick thought with a silent chuckle. "He's me."

A long stretch of silence settled over the group as Barbara's eyes widened and her arms fell to her sides. Her blue eyes flicked over to Artemis, who seemed to have recovered from her earlier shock and was now watching Barbara patiently, before returning to Dick's equally-patient expression.

And then she remembered Green Arrow Girl from the night Robin had ended up following her home, and she remembered that Green Arrow Girl had had a long, blonde ponytail just like Artemis's.

Taking a deep breath, Barbara narrowed her eyes again at Dick and declared, "I have half a mind to smack you right now."

Holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, Dick replied, "And I kind of deserve it, I know. I'm really sorry for having to lie to you so much. It wasn't any fun for me, either. But, right now, I need to focus on the mission, so if you could just agree to yell at me later, that'd be great."

Barbara released another breath, her expression softening, and she said, "I can work with that. But I expect you to put in a very good word for me with Batman."

It was Artemis's turn to look confused again as Dick's arms fell back to his sides and he said, "Actually, I was gonna tell you later, but, I think we've worked out a good compromise. The details of which, unfortunately, are going to have to wait."

"Wait," Artemis said as Dick crouched down before his backpack again. She was looking between her teammate and her classmate, eventually settling on the latter, and she asked, "You're Batgirl?"

Barbara grinned almost sheepishly and shrugged, saying, "Guilty. What's your codename, anyway? I'm sure it's not Green Arrow Girl."

Dick chuckled audibly, the familiar half-cackle filling the alley, and he completely ignored the glare he knew Artemis was sending his way.

"No," Artemis replied, removing her glare from her teammate as she added, "It's Artemis."

"Really?" Barbara asked.

"Yeah," Artemis said. "I wasn't feeling inspired. Besides, she's the Goddess of the Hunt, you know."

"Very true," Barbara replied with a small grin. Her eyes flicked down to Dick again as he shrugged out of his blazer and slipped his hands into Robin's high-tech gloves.

"You keep those in your backpack?" Artemis asked incredulously.

"I've got the whole costume in here," Dick declared as the holo-screen of his portable computer fired up. "It pays to be prepared."

Crossing her arms, Artemis grumbled, "I wish I could fit my quiver next to my school books."

"What are you doing?" Barbara asked, kneeling beside Dick curiously.

"Tracking Alfred," Dick replied while he typed.

"I thought his phone was off?" Barbara said carefully.

"It is," Dick agreed, "but we've got tracers in our blood for exactly this reason."

"In your blood?" Artemis repeated incredulously.

"Advanced nano-tech," Dick elaborated while the computer scanned. "Completely harmless and entirely invisible to any system not already familiar with it. It's a lot more reliable than cell phone or communicator GPS."

The holo-screen focused, a red indicator blinking steadily near the north side of Gotham.

"That's half-way across the city from here," Artemis stated, eyes narrowing at the screen thoughtfully.

"We'll get there faster by rooftop," Dick declared, studying the screen for another beat before closing it and pushing back to his feet.

"I've only got a handful of arrows on me," Artemis admitted with a frown. "I think I'll run home, change, and meet up with you."

Dick nodded, not surprised, and said, "That's fine. Radio me when you're heading out and I'll let you know where to meet."

Artemis replied with a sharp nod before turning on her heel and racing from the alley. It would take her a few minutes to get home, but at least she'd be able to make up the lost ground as soon as she was changed.

Barbara turned her eyes back to Dick, lip pulled between her teeth thoughtfully. She was torn between following Artemis's example and staying with her friend.

"Go on," Dick said gently, already pulling his gloves from his hands. He was smiling softly at her as he added, "You should change, too, if you're still planning on coming with us. I'll manage just fine for a few minutes."

"But," Barbara began, "how will I find you?"

Dick tossed his temporarily discarded gloves onto his backpack before reaching into his blazer. His hand disappeared behind the blue fabric for a second, and then reappeared holding a small device that looked like a smart phone. His fingers moved across the screen quickly before he held it out to her and said, "I tuned the tracking program with my signal. It'll lead you right to me."

Barbara stared at it as she accepted the light-weight device.

"Just tap the screen to activate it," Dick added helpfully.

"Okay," Barbara said with a nod as she deliberately placed it in a pocket. She looked back into his eyes and added quietly, "Be careful, Dick."

His smile returned and he said simply, "You, too, Babs."

To Be Continued…

A/N: And chapter two is done! I hope the revelation was believable and satisfying! Please let me know what you're thinking before you go on to the final chapter!