Woo! I'm totally on time! *dances, receives strange looks, sits down sheepishly* Ahem, anyway... Thi schapter ends the part of the story that focuses on Kaldur. After this will be probably one chapter on M'gann followed by Superboy and finally Wally. I'm still not sure about Artemis, mostly because she's human and so knows the limitations of her own kind (but I might have a little oneshot where it dawns on her how young he is? idk, i'll think about it some more and get back to ya'll).

Disclaimer: If I owned them I would have made the Bruce/Dick basketball scene longer (b/c omg, cutest scene ever :) )

Part 1.3

Chapter Three: What's With These Guys and Caves?

Batman swept into Mount justice, all cape and fury. Black Canary had made herself scarce hours ago, as soon as she found out Robin was going to be okay. When the teenagers saw their friend's mentor they wondered if maybe the woman had the right idea after all.

"You." Two fingers crooked at Kaldur, ordering him to follow.

"Man, it was nice knowing you," Wally whispered around the tissues stuffed up his nose.

Superboy clapped him on the back as he passed. M'gann hugged him whispering that Batman was just concerned and that he need not worry. Kaldur had to resist the urge to snort. From what he heard Wally was closest to the truth.

Batman led him on a twisting path deep into the mountain. Kaldur could not remember M'gann and Superboy showing them this area when they gave the tour. The ceiling was much lower and the walls much closer to one another than in the other areas of Mount Justice.

Plink.

Water dripped from stalactites. Aqualad could feel it all around them. He looked around, wide eyed. Tiny sparks of light glinted off crystalline pools where strange beings swam and crawled. He had a sudden memory of his King taking him to the deepest part of the ocean. Kaldur had been young and the strange animals down there still gave him shivers in the night. He wondered if that was why Batman brought him down here. Or maybe it was just that the man was more comfortable in the dark? For there were no lights down here, Kaldur had to strain his powerful Atlantean eyes to see anything. Could the Batman see at all?

The shadow in front of his ceased moving and turned. Kaldur took an involuntary step backwards. Batman's eyes blazed with an unholy light. For all that he knew the man was a hero, one of the greatest, Kaldur could not help but feel the same fear his younger self had felt in the ocean's depths. He wished for his King and the comfort the man brought.

Batman did not move. Kaldur swallowed. He stared at Gotham city's guardian devil. The soulless white eyes stared right back and Kaldur forced himself not to flinch away again. The Bat had every reason to be mad at him.

Finally the silence became too much, even for the patient young man. He forced himself to speak past the lump in his throat.

"Is Robin okay?" Of course Black Canary had said that the boy was fine but he still worried. He would be worried until he could see the boy for himself.

"He has two broken ribs, but yes, he will be fine."

Silence fell upon them after Batman's words.

"I'm sorry." Now Kaldur did flinch. Those were not the words he expected to hear next. Batman continued before he could react further. "I should have confirmed my intel before sending you on that mission."

Kaldur found himself incapable of forming a response. He stared down at his torn fingernails, wishing he had some of the balm from the Sorcerer's Academy in Atlantis to sooth the raw skin. He thought that maybe Batman's eyes flicked down to his hands but it was impossible to tell behind the mask. Water dripped around them and in the distance something splashed.

"That being said, you nearly got a teammate killed. What happened?" Sudden insight told him that this was the voice the criminals of Gotham were so terrified of. Kaldur could not find it in himself to think less of them for it.

Kaldur bowed his head in shame.

"Honestly, sir, I forgot he wasn't as fast as me. In Atlantis I am not considered to be particularly swift."

Batman's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. The egged Kaldur on and though he had thought he was finished he continued.

"We were running for the window and there was an explosion."

" I know," Batman cut him off before he could continue. "Robin told me." The voice lightened somewhat, "He also told me you probably saved his life by sending Kid Flash in as backup."

Batman lay one hand on Kaldur's shoulder.

"You've learned your lesson. Don't let it hinder you ability to lead," here he paused and leaned in, when he spoke again it was in the lowest audible human range, "But if it ever happens again," the smallest of smirks crossed the Batman's face. Kaldur shrank back. "If it ever happens again even Aquaman won't be able to find the body."

"Y-yes, sir." But the shadow was already gone, melting into its brethren. Kaldur was left alone in the dark.

Wally was right, he decided. He was lucky to be alive.


Laps in the pool were not the same as swimming in the ocean, but he could time himself indoors, so despite his dislike of feeling contained, Kaldur trained in the indoor pool. Currently he was starting in seven hundred and thirty second lap. Black Canary was working with Superboy so M'gann was working on learning to phase through solid objects while Wally and Kaldur did laps in their respective mediums.

At least, Kaldur mused, Batman had made sure the workout pool was salt water. He wasn't sure he could have handled very long in chlorine. It made him feel distinctly unclean. He reached the wall and was just about to dive to flip and turn when he glimped a shape at the edge of the pool. Kaldur stopped and swam to the surface. Robin.

The boy was dressed in baggy workout pants, though he was barefoot, and a tight white t-shirt. Kaldur could see the bandages through the fabric. Once again guilt swept through him. What kind of a leader was he? He didn't even know the limitations of his team, and now one of them was injured because of his…. Incompetence.

"D'ya mind?" Robin asked, gesturing to the water, when Kaldur's head broke the surface.

"No." He felt strangely awkward around the boy. Kaldur watched as Robin eased himself to the ground and rolled up his pant legs. Sighing, the boy eased his feet into the water.

"Not allowed to swim yet," Robin muttered. Kaldur thought that he was frowning behind the habitual sunglasses. "But, I may have worked out earlier. Boy does the water feel good after that." He seemed to sense Kaldur's confusion. "I might have slipped out of the infirmary and messed around on one of the balance beams. It's been awhile since I did that so my feet hurt." The boy grinned, "So worth it though."

"Should you," Kaldur swallowed back his nervousness, "Should you have done that? You are, after all, inju-" Robin waved one hand dismissively.

"See, that's why I came down here." He stared off into the distance. "Batman might have mentioned that he talked to you. Well, he didn't mention it so much as look uncomfortable when I mentioned you. It's the little things with him, ya know?" Kaldur didn't know, but he also didn't think Robin expected him to.

"Anyhoo, I figured I should come down and tell you to forget whatever it is he threatened you with."

"I don't understand." Kaldur felt the frown marring his face.

Robin sighed dramatically, "See, every time I get hurt and he's not there he blames whoever was closest to me."

"Robin," Kaldur said slowly, "He is right to blame me. I should have remembered that you are a human and-" A heavy sigh stopped him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm human. So what?" Robin almost snapped, "I am still a hero just like you and you don't need to act any different around me than you do Superboy or M'gann."

Kaldur knew enough to know that any argument on his part would be futile. He treaded water while the boy calmed himself.

"I just came down here to say it's not your fault," Robin finally muttered, "And to thank you for coming back for me. M'gann said you carried me out after that giant-" He rubbed at his throat uncomfortably.

"There is no need," Kaldur tried to reassure the boy but he was already stading and walking away.

"Yeah, Kaldur, there is." He said, and then he was gone. Silently, Kaldur cursed Bats. Why? Why did they insist on having the last word in any conversation?

After a few moments Kaldur sighed and allowed himself to drift to the bottom of the pool. He needed to think and his best thinking took place in the depths of his home.

He thought it was nice of Robin to try and console him, but he would not be forgetting the tone in Batman's voice for a long time. The elder hero was not just being overprotective or overreactive (as Robin might say). Rather he was worried that Kaldur might forget the lesson he had learned; that Robin is very very human and as such he is breakable and limited. He can't run as fast as an Atlantean. That was something that, despite the boy's attempts, Kaldur was not sure he could ever forget. He knew that from here on out it would color his interactions with the youngest member of their team. The desire to protect Robin, he decided, was not just limited to Batman.

R&R ya'll! M'gann is next and will be up tomorrow evening.