It wasn't until about 2 a.m. that Barbara decided to return to the tower. She figured that Dick wouldn't mind; he seemed content enough to watch a blank screen with Starfire all night. After changing back into her regular clothes, she walked through the front door and approached the elevator.

That's when the alarms sounded.

They were loud to the point of earsplitting and red lights were flashing all around her. Instinctively, Barbara spun on her heels and started to run back towards the front door, where she was confronted by a very cold-looking security robot. She faked left, but the robot pinned her to the ground with a heavy carbon net before she could even get around it. Barbara crossed her arms and legs and sat defeated on the floor.

Both the robot and the net were obviously Cyborg's design, so she knew that she really had no chance to get away in the first place. She wasn't even slightly bitter about that part. What really annoyed her was the fact that apparently when Dick had scanned her into their system, it had just been for the one day. Temporary. A day pass.

He hadn't even planned on her being there for more than a day.

The alarms eventually ceased, the lights stopped flashing and Victor appeared in front of her. He pressed a button on the robot to retract the net and looked at Barbara sitting on the floor.

"You know that's our street level security, right?" Victor smiled, helping to her feet. "Civilian stuff. You should have made it to the second floor at least. Then the real systems would have kicked in."

"You flatter me," Barbara said. "But we both know that no one's getting past your systems without super speed and technomancy."

"Ha ha, well I've gotta keep these kids safe somehow." Victor was the oldest member of the team by only a few months, but that didn't stop him from pulling the fatherly role stuff every so often.

"What a bunch of brats," Barbara laughed with him.

"I was a little surprised to see Dick only put you in for the day, so I went ahead and made you a registered guest before I deactivated the alarm. You've got Batman-level clearance now." They got onto the elevator together and Victor pressed the button for the residence level.

"Thank you." She liked the sound of having Batman-level anything.

"So," he said after a moment. "Coming back in awfully late, huh?"

"Well, new city. Lots to explore."

"I'll bet." The elevator whirred to a stop and Victor gestured for Barbara to get off. "You remember which room is Dick's, right?"

"Yeah." She stepped off the elevator and waved at Victor.

"Great. Have a nice night." The doors closed and the elevator continued its climb to the top of the tower.

Every footstep echoed down the cold, sterile hallway. Though it was a welcome change from the blaring alarm system, it still made her feel uneasy. She wondered if Dick was still awake. She wondered where she would be sleeping tonight, since it was pretty obvious that she wasn't fitting on that tiny bed with Dick. She wondered if anyone else had ever slept on it.

She reached his door and briefly wondered whether she should knock, but decided against it. This was her boyfriend's bedroom and she'd been welcome to enter it as she pleased for years.

The door swung open while her hand was still on the knob and Barbara found herself eye-to-eye with Starfire.

"Batgirl!" Starfire squealed. "You are back, thank goodness!"

"Yeah, of course I am." Barbara put her hands on Starfire's shoulders and gently pushed her out of the way so she could step into Dick's room.

"I was very concerned when you did not return, but Robin assured me that you were fine." Starfire looked on the verge of tears. She sniffled once before putting the glowing smile back on.

"Yeah," Barbara said. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Very good! I will see you both in the morning!" Starfire floated gleefully down the hallway to her own room.

When Barbara was sure that she was gone, she firmly closed the door and locked it.

"Where have you been?" Dick asked.

"Patrolling," said Barbara. "What was she doing in here?"

"Don't change the subject. You should have told me where you were."

"Why, worried I might get a tan? It's boring out there, Dick."

"You're still not familiar with the area. Who knows what might have happened to you!"

"Kara was with me. I was perfectly fine." Barbara sat down on his bed next to him. "Besides, it's impossible to get lost. All I have to do is follow the big 'T'."

Dick huffed. "You're right."

"Of course I am. Now tell me, what was Kori doing in here?"

"She was worried about you, so I let her wait with me."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh, what?" He gave her a sharp look. "Do you really think that little of me?"

"Hey, you're the one with a perky-as-all-hell alien girl in your room at 2 a.m."

"I..." He dropped his shoulders and leaned back. "Love you."

"I know you do." Barbara sighed and looked at the wall. "I love you too."

"I had an evening planned, you know. I was going to take you to this great tapas place down the street once we were done watch."

"Really? It seemed like we were going to be in that room all night."

"I get that."

"They're probably closed now, right?"

He looked at the watch he wasn't wearing. "Oh yeah, about two hours ago."

"Heh... sorry." Barbara shrunk back sheepishly.

"It's fine... there's an all-night place around the corner. The decor's not much, but the pancakes are good." Dick pulled his shoes on and grabbed his jacket. "If you're up for it?"

Barbara put her backpack on the ground and opened the door. "Of course I am."

The pancake were, in fact, quite good. The entire place had a dive-y kind of feel, so it reminded Barbara of Gotham. The tiled floors were probably the same ones that had been installed decades ago when the diner first opened, and the chapped vinyl seats were held together with electrical tape. It was dirty, but still vaguely quaint.

"So now that you've seen the city properly, what do you think?" Dick said between alternating mouthfuls of bacon and orange juice.

Barbara put down the spoon she was using to stir her tea. Dick hadn't said anything about it this time. "About what?"

"Moving here with me."

"Dick..." She rested her forehead on her hand. "I'm not sure how to say this."

"Say what?"

"It's just that... it's boring here."

"What?"

"There was nothing bigger than a mugging the entire time I was out there. I don't think I can thrive in this kind of city." She smirked. "It doesn't need me, and it certainly doesn't need an entire team to protect it."

"Are you calling us useless?" He pointed his knife at her jokingly.

"No, darling, I'm calling you superfluous."

"Whoa-ho-ho! Check out Miss Literature Major here with her ten dollar words!"

Barbara laughed. She loved the way Dick always made a point of showcasing her vocabulary to the world, even if it was embarrassing.

"So how did the midterm go?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"I'm a Wayne baby," Dick said, mockingly smug. "Everyone's too scared to give me anything below an 'A'."

"I'm sure the fact that you're a baby genius has nothing to do with it."

"Nothing at all, I assure you." He winked. "And you just know what would happen if I brought home a subpar grade..."

"Yeah, I'm sure Bruce-"

"Bruce?" Dick laughed. "You think too small. Alfred. Alfred would roast me over the coals if I let my GPA slip."

"What?" She sputtered out a short laugh.

"Oh my god, do you not know? I brought home a C one time, in history I think, and Alfred was so disappointed that he stopped doing my laundry and cooking my breakfast."

"Whoa, what a nightmare," she said with false terror.

"No, you don't understand. The silent treatment from Alfred is worse that Bruce saying that he wants to talk to you."

She shuddered. "Okay, I get it now."

Dick, having long since cleaned off his plate and finishing hers, sucked on his coffee spoon. He glanced around the restaurant one before leaning forward. "You want pie? This place has pretty good pie."

Barbara hadn't gotten to finish her food before Dick helped himself to it, but it was pointless trying to stop the food vacuum. "Sure."

He pushed himself out of the booth and wandered towards the counter, chatting flirtatiously with the waitress before putting in an order. This didn't bother Barbara; the waitress was well into her 50s and didn't exactly fit the California stereotype. He talked this way with everyone, she knew that. She'd lived with it for most of her life. So she had to wonder why his friendship with Starfire was so bothersome.

Dick slid back into the booth and winked at her. "A la mode, because only the best for my girl."

She smiled. "Oh you."

"Oh me, indeed." He stretched his arms above his head before making himself comfortable again.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Barbara saw that they'd been here almost two hours. She was beginning to feel tired. "After this, we should go to the hotel."

"I agree," said Dick, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"How are you not exhausted?" Barbara was as nocturnal as the next bat, but it seemed like Dick could go forever on extremely little sleep. More of that Batman training kicking in, she supposed. It wouldn't be much longer until she could operate on three hours of sleep.

Dick shrugged.

Their pie arrived, looking more like a plane crash than an actual dessert, but Dick did not so much as hesitate before digging into the berry-flavoured gore. Babara's stomach turned over as she swallowed her first bite, which, though delicious, was sweeter than she was used to. She placed a hand over her lower abdomen and rubbed it gently, trying to calm herself.

"You okay?" asked Dick, red and purple juices staining his lips.

"Fine, just..." She pushed her plate away. "Fuller than I thought I was, I guess."

"Score." Dick grabbed her plate and dumped the pie and ice cream onto his mess of a plate.

Barbara waited patiently for him to finish, but the sight of him digging into the dessert with such gusto reminded her that he was still only 18. No matter how much she loved him and how many responsibilities he had on his plate, he was still a teenager. For the first time since she found out she was pregnant two weeks ago, she genuinely thought about telling him. She genuinely thought about their options.

She already knew, deep down, that there was no way for her to finish school or continue being Batgirl for the foreseeable future if she kept it. Money would never be an issue for them, obviously, but her superhero career would be over. Dick would want it. Dick would be excited. Barbara had no doubts at all that Dick would be the best father in the world. He would do anything in the world for her as it was. Throw a baby into the mix and he might just stop trying to make her move.

No, it would probably just cause the opposite. She knew for certain that she would never raise a child in Gotham City: it was far too dangerous. Dick was already trying to make her move to San Francisco for her own safety. She could say for certain that if his own child was at stake, he would badger her about it every day until she gave in. There would be no guilt in hanging up her cape in San Francisco, the city that didn't need her. She could start a family with Dick and live a perfectly comfortable life together.

But she still wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. She sipped nervously at her chamomile tea, wondering who in their right mind would drink something without caffeine. She eventually resolved that the first thing she needed to do was tell Dick the news. Tell him he wasn't the batbaby anymore. Tell him that his fondest wish had finally come true.

"Dick..." she said quietly.

Dick scraped the last remnants of pie off the plate and happy shoveled them into his mouth. "Ah..." he hummed, patting his stomach.

The waitress came by to pick up their plates and Dick slipped her a fifty.

"Change?" the waitress asked, holding up the note which covered their bill twice over.

"Nah, it's all for you," Dick said, turning the charm up to 11, but with pie still around his lips. "Thanks for putting up with us. Everything was superb."

Barbara gestured to his mouth, which he wiped off with a napkin. After leaving, Dick dropped his arm around Barbara's shoulders and directed them towards the hotel. He played tour guide a little, telling her all about different points of interest as they walked by. He checked them in, informing the front desk to not bother them until late in the afternoon. A flash of his credit card and they were set to go.

The suite was at least twice as large as Barbara's apartment, and covered from top to bottom in expensive paintings, furniture, and rugs. She was worried about breaking something until Dick stomped through with little regard for any of the fixtures. She decided to treat the place the same way she did Wayne Manor.

"And people just... spend the night here?" said Barbara, kicking off her shoes. "I could live in a place like this!"

"Live in a hotel, Babs? Nonsense. I'm getting us a penthouse!" Dick tossed his jacket aside and sat on the huge, plush couch. "Right downtown. Heart of the nightlife. It's got a balcony the size of a tennis court with a pool, a gym, a library, and we even can get a dog. I know how much you've always wanted a dog. I'm thinking a golden retriever. Maybe a German shepherd. Unless you want something smaller? I'm also partial to corgis. No cats, though. Never liked cats. No idea why."

Barbara gawked at him, running the lines of babble through her mind. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, it was going to be a surprise, but... I just couldn't help myself. Look!" Dick held up his phone and flipped though some pictures on a real estate website. "I bought it this morning. It was too perfect. I could totally see us living there."

"Dick, I..."

Dick put a hand to her mouth and pulled her down onto the couch next to him. "Not a word. I know you're still on the fence about things, so I wanted to show you how committed I was to us living together."

There was genuine excitement in his eyes. He smiled widely as he showed her all the photographs of the penthouse and the building, pointing out the square footage, marble counter tops, hardwood floors, and two fireplaces. It was one of the most beautiful homes Barbara had ever seen.

"This is... amazing," Barbara said at last.

"I knew you would love it. We can move in May. You know, once exams are over. We can transfer to university here during the summer. It'll be easy."

"But I..."

"Don't worry about a thing."

"Does Bruce know?"

"Of course he does. He figured it out on his own, then offered to pay."

"He what?!"

Dick looked at her skeptically. "He offered to pay for our place. In fact, he insisted on it."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was no way Bruce would just allow Dick to move out so easily. "He didn't try to stop you?"

"Well, yeah... of course..." Dick sighed. "But you know we've been fighting a lot lately, right? He said that if I was going to move out, he'd at least like to know where I'll be."

"Dick."

"What?"

"I don't want to move here."

He put his phone down. "No, of course you don't."

"We've already had this conversation. Twice. I don't want to leave Gotham, and one night in California isn't going to change my mind."

"But I already got us a place."

"I know, I know. And it's such a sweet gesture. I would honestly be crying right now if this place were in Gotham."

"Oh, for the love of- why? Why are you so set on staying in that terrible city?"

"Because it needs me. It needs you, too, and you'd realize that if you weren't so wrapped up in orange alien boobs!"

Dick brought his fist down on the coffee table. "I didn't sleep with Kori!"

"But you thought about it."

"Am I not allowed to think now?"

"What? No, of course you are!" Barbara felt her face turning red. "But don't think I didn't see the way you two are constantly ogling one another."

"We work together, a little sexual tension is natural. It's what got you and me together, remember?"

"So she's the new me?"

"I didn't say that!"

"But that's how you're justifying it!"

Dick stood up and walked into the bedroom, returning moments later with a quilt and two pillows.

"Go to bed," he said. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Dick..."

"Please. I don't want to have this fight again." He threw the pillows onto the couch and began settling himself in.

"Okay." Barbara wrapped her arms around her waist and felt her stomach flip. So much for a low-stress weekend.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

She waited in the bedroom, staring alternately at her stomach and the ceiling, waiting for Dick to start snoring. It didn't take long, it never did, so she tiptoed into the den and left a note on the coffee table before creeping out the door. She took a taxi to about a block from where the teleporter was, and went home.

She dropped herself face-first into her unmade bed and cried herself to sleep. She silently blamed it on the hormones.