When school finished for the day, I left Courtney at the lockers, and found Cassie already waiting in Diana's car at the pick-up area. As soon as I got in, she took off. But instead of heading towards Wayne Manor, she took me back to her apartment.

"I thought we were going to the Cave," I said, but I followed them in anyway. Diana opened the door and pointed to the bedroom, where I was to change into my costume.

"We will go," she answered as she went to change in her bathroom, "But we're going covertly."

"Alfred?" I asked, as I zipped up my suit.

"He'll be picking us up on a grocery run. Thanks to him, Bruce and Dick won't know we're coming." She gave me a smile I couldn't help but return. The thought of sneaking up on the Batman was incredible tantalizing. "According to Alfred," Diana continued, "Bruce and Dick have taken to working out right when Dick gets home from school, so we'll be walking in on them."

I could have jumped for joy. I pulled on my jacket and released my hair to fall in waves over my shoulders. I put on my mask and looked in the mirror; Nightingale looked back.

Diana came up behind me, and put a hand on my shoulder.

"And Cass?" I asked, but Cassie grinned at me from the doorway.

"I don't like working with the boys," she smiled, "They get in my way. Now that Auntie Di is back, I don't have to train with them either, so I'm quite done for now."

I envied her a little; it was like she had held my place for three years, and her complete pleasure at giving it back seemed to show how difficult my place had been.

"Are you ready to go, Little Sister?"

When I looked at us in the mirror, I realized how much I looked like Diana. It suddenly felt like every trace of who I was three years ago had disappeared, and I had been replaced with a new, fiercer version of myself.

I definitely wasn't Batgirl anymore.

When Alfred picked us up five minutes later, he spent a full five minutes hugging me and gushing over how grown up I was and how those three years had been completely worth it, and how happy he was that I had written to him, and how he didn't go into any more detail than my dad had when he was interrogated by the Masters Bruce and Dick. I thanked him profusely through my deep blush: Alfred always knew how to make me feel loved.

The minute the car door closed, Diana and I began to remove our street clothes and Alfred began to explain our mode of entry.

"Now, I will pull into the garage and, because Master Bruce knows that I went for groceries, he will think it is only me. Behind the water heater in the garage is one of the many back entrances to the Batcave, used only in case of emergencies. The sound is muffled within the tunnel, so that no one can hear people moving within. Even if you were to trip down the stairs, no one would hear you. Once you make it down the staircase, there will be three tunnels, take the one to the right. It will place you on the main floor, which is where they work out. There will be plenty of shadow, which you should take advantage of. Once you make even the slightest noise outside of the tunnels, they will hear you. And, from what I've been told," he smiled at us in the rear view mirror, "You'd rather sneak up on the young masters."

I returned his smile, but I couldn't form words; ever since he had started explaining our entrance, the knot in my stomach had thickened. I was about to face, head on, the source of my flight from Gotham. Alfred pulled into the garage, and as he pulled his groceries out of the car, Diana and I made our way to the staircase. Diana turned to look at me, and quickly assessed my anxiety. She placed her hands on my shoulders and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

"Just think of Athens," she suggested.

I remembered that night well. Diana and I had snuck into the tunnels below the Parthenon to find the band of Amazons that had taken up residence there. We were even more surprised to find that they were holding audience with Hippolyta, Diana's mother. Instead of killing us, however, the Queen of the Amazons listened to my plight and gave me my bracelets and boots.

My anxiety fell to excitement, and we started down the staircase. It was pitch black in the staircase, but thankfully there was a railing to hold onto. The passage really was sound proof; whenever Diana said something, it sounded like she was whispering.

The staircase lasted for about fifteen minutes; I only noticed the change when Diana came down heavily on her foot. I adjusted my stance accordingly. Diana put her arm out suddenly to stop me, and she tapped the star on her tiara; the light caused the three tunnels Alfred mentioned to appear from the dark. We moved to the right tunnel as instructed, and Diana put out her light again, so that we returned to darkness.

The shadow only lasted for about five minutes though, as soon the light from the cave began to show clearly. Diana and I adjusted our steps for silence, as we had no clue when the muffling would end. As we got closer to the exit, I began to hear sounds of sparring.

Sure enough, when Diana and I paused in the shadows of the cave, I could see Bruce and Dick fighting in the middle of the room, although they seemed to be talking at the same time. Diana put a finger over her lips, and pointed to one of the support beams above them; we hovered quietly up to it as the boys were sparring, so that we were suddenly completely privy to their conversation.

"Well," Bruce was saying, "I can definitely see why she's so angry." He dodged a kick to the head, "we were angry at her for no reason."

I knew it.

"Yea," Dick said, ducking under a punch and throwing another, "But I thought that after three years, she might have forgiven us a bit." He seemed so lost, and for a moment I was reminded of the little boy at the circus, and my heart hurt for him. Then I remembered the image of him giving me elevator eyes, and that stupid smirk, and the sad feeling was gone.

"Maybe I should invite the commissioner over for dinner. I'm sure I can distract him long enough," Bruce blocked another punch, "for you to talk to her."

Diana smiled at me, and spoke before I could stop her, "Or, you could try talking to her now."

Bruce and Dick spun quickly, landing in fighting stances, although it took them a minute to figure out where we were.

"Wonder Woman?" Bruce asked.

"Barbara?" Dick whispered, as if he didn't believe it was me sitting above them.

"Yes," I answered, trying to strain all emotion from my voice, "It's me."

Bruce and Dick dropped their stances and stood so that they were almost directly below us. Dick shook his head.

"You left," he stated, as if that made any difference.

"I was under the impression that Batgirl was no longer needed." I feigned checking my nails.

"But you were,"

I let a little bit of the hurt and anger into my voice, "Had me fooled."

Dick winced and stepped back, like my words had caused him pain, but Bruce continued, "Then why come back?"

"Amazonian training takes at least three years to complete," Diana answered for me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "I gave her the opportunity to reinvent herself. Batgirl is no more."

"Who are you then?" Dick asked, seeming almost genuinely curious.

"Nightingale,"

"So you're stronger now?"

I thought of the cuffs on my wrists, and the boots on my feet. "You could say that."

"Does that mean you're back, to stay?"

"I am planning on completing my school year here, but if I'm not welcome, I can say I'll be gone as soon as I graduate."

Bruce sighed and picked up a towel to mop off his sweat, "Barbara, we owe you an apology."

"Damn straight," I heard Diana mutter under her breath.

"We were wrong to take our frustrations out on you. You were caught between warring parties and did nothing but try to stop the war peacefully. I'm far angrier with myself that it took you leaving for us to realize it. You will be always be welcome here, just as you were always welcome before you took up your mantle."

I pushed off from the beam and floated down, attracting looks of awe from both Bruce and Dick, but I cut off their comments with my own.

"My dad told me about the donation you gave the Police Department after I left, and that the Department and the Bats are on much better terms. I'm warning you now; if anything starts back up, regardless of whose fault it is, I'm leaving, and I will never come back." I put out my hand, "Agreed?"

He frowned but took my hand nonetheless, "Agreed."

"For what it's worth though," I said, taking a deep breath, "I forgive you. I know first hand that my dad can be frustrating."

Bruce smiled, for the first time I had seen in a while, "Thank you, Barbara, that's all I can ask."

"Well, since we're here," Diana said, landing next to me, "How about a training session?"

"I'm up for it," Bruce said, "Dick?"

"Sure," he answered, then he turned to me, "Wanna spar?"

I smiled, which was probably a shock to him, "I thought you'd never ask."

Before my trip, I would have dreaded this match, but now, I had nothing to prove or lose; I could fight without holding back.

Dick smiled slightly as he took his stance, whether for nostalgia sake or because he thought he had the match in the bag, I'm sure I'll never know. At Bruce's word, Dick started the match with a kick to the head. I ducked to avoid the foot, but straightened and grabbed it before he could pull it back. Instead, I pulled his leg towards me just enough to shake his balance before I threw his foot away, throwing his balance completely, and swept his other foot from under him. He landed heavily, but before I could move to pin him, his legs wrapped around mine, and I found myself on the ground. In a moment he was on top of me, holding my wrists behind my back.

"I really missed you Babs," he said, and I could just hear the grin in his voice; I forgave Bruce, not him. He was hovering above me, giving my foot a clear shot at his crotch. "Really? Cause you seemed happy to be rid of me when I left." He crumpled when I kicked him, and I rolled over, straddling him correctly; I sat on his stomach and held his chest down with one hand and blocking the strikes from his hands with the other.

I did not expect him to push up and grab me in a bear hug, and roll so that I was under him again, "Weren't you paying attention?" He asked, exasperated, "We were wrong—I was wrong to push you away." He pushed my shoulders down so that I had to look him in the eye, "After you ran off, Bruce and I spent the whole night looking for you—it was only after Alfred radioed in to tell us that Diana had dropped off your uniform that we quit. We decided to give you a day to cool off before trying to approach you, but by then, you were already gone, and nobody would tell me where you went! Even Superman knew more about it than I did!"

I was stunned for a moment; Kara had told me that Dick had interrogated her, but I didn't realize just how many people he must have tried to get information out of. I really had left him with no reason other than impulsive anger. For a moment, all of our shared memories came rushing back to me, and for a moment, I remembered how much I loved him. Then I remembered how he had 'grown-up' in the year before I left, and my anger returned in full force.

I pressed two points on his arms, causing him to crumple and giving me the chance to roll and pin him again. It was his turn to look me in the eye.

"You were my very best friend; half of my childhood was spent with you. Then you turned thirteen and it was like I didn't matter anymore, only your popularity. You treated me like dirt even though I did nothing but love you and wait for it all to be over. I have no reason to believe that the Dick I loved is anywhere near you—all I saw today at school was a seventeen-year-old version of the boy I left three years ago. You had no reason to hurt me, but you did it willingly. I don't care how much you missed me, because I don't see any reason to believe that anything has changed between where we last stood. I may accept that you realize your mistake, but that doesn't change a damn thing."

"Why not? You've spent one day watching me from the sidelines, and you haven't talked to me in three years. How on earth could you possibly know who I am?"

"Seriously? You gave me elevator eyes this morning. You surround yourself with sycophants and a pair of boobs that you'll probably trade up in two weeks. Go ahead, honey, tell me I'm wrong."

He bit back his response.

"Exactly, you haven't changed. And I am not going to try to rediscover our relationship, because I would just be counting the days until you hurt me again. I refuse to let you do that."

"I don't want to hurt you Babs," he seemed genuinely hurt that I would think so.

"Of course you don't want to; that doesn't mean you won't."

"You really don't trust me anymore, do you?"

"What was your first clue?"

He frowned and in a moment I was back underneath him, pinned again.

"I'm sorry Babs." He said, then pushed off me and walked to the changing room. His voice caught me though; it was so genuine, so clear, so pure. It was the voice women fell in love with. I sat up, ripped off my mask and threw it away, beyond frustrated. He had done it again, he had gotten under my skin, and I had let him.

I was angry and hated him; I was melting and in love with him.

Nothing had changed.