A/N: If anybody reads the comics, then this chapter should be easily recognizable. I couldn't bring myself to write out the episode 'Schooled' yet for some reason but I still wanted to write so lo and behold, this chapter was born!

Young Justice is not mine.

MOUNT JUSTICE
July 24, 21:32 EDT

Strike hummed softly to himself as he thumbed through the pages of his book. The young bat was enjoying the relative silence and the small moment of peace he was rewarded with. However, that peace was quickly broken as the disgruntled voice of Wally filled the air.

"Seen it. Seen it. Seen it. Don't want to see it. Seen it."

Strike clenched his teeth together as he tuned the speedster out. Meanwhile, Wally barely noticed his friend's annoyance as he continued to flip through station after station, getting more annoyed with each change of the channel.

"Boring, don't own any stocks, already got a slap chop."

Strike glanced up, brow furrowed, "What the heck is a slap chop?"

"Dunno," Wally shrugged, voice slightly muffled due to him leaning on his hand, "Seen it. Seen it." Strike frowned as Wally continued to repeat 'seen it' every time the channel was changed.

With a sigh, the brunette went back to his book, choosing to ignore the speedster once more. He had barely managed to get through a page of reading when Wally, once again, ruined his peace.

"I can't believe we get six hundred channels on this thing and nothing is on!"

Strike set his book down, fixating his glance on the speedster, "I beg to differ. I counted at least thirty channels we could watch."

Wally flashed his friend an unamused look, "Yeah, like I said: nothing is on!"

Rolling his eyes, Strike said, "You're ridi-" Before he could finish his sentence, the bat found his book shoved in his face and the speedster he was once talking to gone. Strike sighed in relief, preparing to go back to his book until he heard:

"Hey there."

With a soft groan, Strike turned around to see Wally leaning "casually" against a wall, smack dab in front of M'gann, who was coincidently also reading a book.

"Oh, hello Wally," M'gann replied, an unsure smile spreading across her face.

"Hey! Are you busy… uhh… I mean… What's going on?"

Strike rolled his eyes, muttering a, "Smooth," under his breath as he stood up. He quickly straightened up and flashed M'gann a smile as the Martian turned towards him, "Hey."

"Hi, Strike." M'gann nodded at the bat before turning back towards Wally, "I was going to make a sandwich. Would either of you like one?"

"No I-"

"I'm good!" Wally interrupted Strike loudly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Besides, I pretty much cleaned out everything that was in here anyways."

Strike rolled his eyes and gestured to the coffee table in front of the couch, "Ain't that the truth."

M'gann glanced around the bat to look at the mess Wally had made before a frown settled on her face. Wally, on the other hand, flashed his friend a glare, which Strike ignored.

"Anyway," Wally cleared his throat, gaining M'gann's attention once more, "Someone needs to go grocery shopping. You got anything planned for tonight?"

"No," M'gann responded, "I was just planning on hanging around the Cave tonight."

"Oh really?" Wally grinned as Strike sighed. Here came the flirting, "That's cool. Hey uhmm… Here's an idea, do you like, want to go to the movies?"

"What happened to grocery shopping?" Strike cut in before M'gann could say anything.

Wally shot him another glare before saying, "That's unimportant right now."

M'gann smiled and nodded, "Sure, I would love to!" Strike nearly choked on air while Wally was internally jumping for joy. Did she really just say yes? "But I uh…" The Martian looked down, slightly embarrassed, "Don't have any money."

Strike resisted the urge to cackle as Wally's face fell, "Oh… me neither."

"Yea," Strike nodded, "Money tends to get you places."

"Don't you have some place to be?" Wally scowled at the bat. Strike only grinned in response, "Dumb bats," The speedster mumbled, earning a scowl from said bats. A silence fell upon the trio before Wally shouted, "Aha!" startling M'gann as he jumped into a surfer position, "How about surfing? Do you want to go surfing? You and I," Wally made sure to emphasize it would just be him and M'gann, "can hit the waves! I can teach you how to surf, Kid Flash style!"

"Wouldn't it be better in the daytime?" M'gann innocently asked, which caused Strike to snicker. He was enjoying Wally's many failed date ideas.

"Oh… I guess you're right. Probably too dark out," Wally's face fell.

An awkward silence once again fell on the trio as Wally attempted to come up with some date ideas. Strike frowned as he watched a concentrated look overtake Wally's face. He was really trying. With a sigh, Strike faced M'gann and noticed the book she had in her hands.

"Hey M'gann," The bat broke the silence.

M'gann glanced over, "Yeah Strike?"

"Whatcha reading?"

"Oh this?" M'gann pulled the book out from behind her back, "The Martian Chronicles!"

"Martian Chronicles?" Wally's face contorted in confusion.

"Yeah!" M'gann chirped, "I was curious as to how you Earth people viewed my people."

"Oh?" Strike quirked a brow, "And how do we view you?" The brunette had a feeling he already knew what M'gann was going to say, and it wasn't going to be good.

As if to prove his assumption correct, M'gann's face fell, "You guys don't seem to like us very much… You all seem afraid of us."

Strike smiled softly, attempting to cheer the crestfallen Martian up, "Don't take it personally, M'gann. We humans are afraid of anything that lies out of our atmosphere. Like the stars, moon, spa-"

"That's it!" Wally exclaimed, cutting Strike off midsentence. They turned towards their friend as a smile spread across his face, "There's a full moon out tonight! Want to sit outside and look at the stars?"

M'gann smiled, "Oh! That sounds nice!"

"Great! We can build a fire and everything!"

"Oh! A fire?"

Strike rolled his eyes. Wally had seemingly forgotten a Martian was susceptible to fire.

"Yeah! Y'know, a nice roaring campfi-"

Strike elbowed Wally as he rambled on, "Dude."

Wally paused, realization dawning on him as he smiled sheepishly, "Oh right… sorry."

M'gann held her hands up, "No! It's okay. As long as I don't have to sit too close…"

"Great!" Wally grinned from ear to ear, "Tonight will be perfect! We can roast marshmallows and everything!"

A huge smile spread across M'gann's face as an innocent look appeared in her eyes, "I've never had a marshmallow before!"

Strike felt like he should leave, but he couldn't bring himself to leave as he watched M'gann and Wally plan their date. It wasn't that he was jealous or anything, it was more so that he couldn't believe M'gann had agreed to actually go on a date with Wally. This was just something Strike wanted to see play out.

"We can make s'mores. You know, with graham crackers and chocolate and stuff."

If it was possible, M'gann's smile seemed to grow bigger.

"I've heard of them," M'gann mused, "But never had one. Can we make those?"

"Of course!" Wally chirped, still grinning from ear to ear, "So is that a yes?"

"Yes!"

"Great!"

"Oh this is going to be very exciting!" M'gann exclaimed, excitement radiating off her in waves.

"Give me a few things and I'll grab some things and we can go!" With that said, Wally disappeared, leaving M'gann and Strike alone.

Chuckling, Strike walked off to sit back on the couch, book in hand. He was happy Wally was finally getting his date with M'gann. That, and now the speedster wasn't going to be there to bother him.

"Strike?" M'gann called out, just as Strike opened his book.

"Yea?" He replied, not bothering to look up.

"Are you going to join us?"

Strike frowned before glancing up from his book. Did she not realize this was a date?

"No," Strike glanced back at the Martian, "I thought it was just you and Wally?"

M'gann pursed her lips, "But you were there when we were planning everything. It seems rude to not invite you."

Strike paused as he studied the Martian momentarily. It was obvious to Strike now that M'gann never saw the plans she and Wally made as a date, just simply two friends hanging out.

Strike smiled deviously as he jumped up, immediately forgetting about his book, "I would love to join you guys!" He chirped, strolling up to the Martian, "Mind if I invite Robin along?"

"Not at all!" M'gann squealed, clasping her hands together, "In fact, I'll invite Aqualad and Superboy as well!"

Strike and Robin chattered aimlessly as they leaned against the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Wally's return. As soon as Strike called Robin up, the latter had immediately zeta'd to the cave, eager for the opportunity to tease the speedster.

A few minutes later, Wally came speeding into the kitchen, arms loaded with various things, "I gathered a couple of chairs, some firewood, scourged the pantry for graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows and now we'll cozy up together outside…" Wally's words began to slow down as he noticed the rest of the team, and the two smirking bats, "just the two of us..?"

Robin smirked, hands in his pockets, "We're gonna need a lot more stuff than that if we're gonna go camping!"

M'gann gestured innocently to the teens gathered behind her, "I hope you don't mind. I invited all the others to join in the fun with s'mores!"

Strike grinned mischievously, arms across his chest, "The more the merrier."

And with that, Wally groaned.

After the camp had been set up, Wally, Superboy, Robin and Strike all sat around the campfire while Kaldur and M'gann sat a bit further back to avoid the heat. The scent of smoke drifted in the air while Strike leaned forward, roasting a marshmallow over the fire.

"This was a great idea, don't you think, Wally? Camping in the great outdoors?" Robin asked snidely, causing Strike to snicker.

"I don't remember inviting any of you, besides, I didn't say anything about camping, and I said a camp fire. Big difference between just a camp fire and the whole camping thing. I don't like camping… outside…" Wally rambled on, a frown gracing his features.

"Pansy," Strike scoffed.

Wally rolled his eyes, "The only time I like camping is when I'm with that special someone…" Wally turned his head slightly too where M'gann was sitting, his eyebrow raised in a suggestive manner as he ogled the Martian, who was chowing down on s'mores.

"Dude! Kinda bordering on creepy." Robin chastised.

"Well, I think all of us camping is a wonderful idea!" M'gann exclaimed, eyeing her next s'more.

Wally smirked at both Robin and Strike, "She doesn't seem to think so."

"She's probably on a sugar overload," Robin responded with an unnoticed eye roll.

"Yea," Strike agreed, absentmindedly poking at the fire, "Martian's are very susceptible to sugar."

The next few minutes was spent in a relative silence as the fire crackled and sparked before the teens. S'mores were occasionally passed to Kaldur and M'gann, seeing as they couldn't make them themselves.

"So this is what you do when you go camping?" Superboy asked, breaking the silence. Strike tore his gaze from the fire and watched as the clone gestured to the tents, "Sleep in these flimsy things called tents and sit around the fire?"

Wally crossed his arms, snidely remarking, "Yeah. That's pretty much about it so if you feel like heading home, I can sit out here with Ms. M… alone!"

Robin leaned back on the log, a smirk on his face, "You're just as subtle as a train wreck, you know that?"

"You're not going to catch any fish unless you go fishing dude," Wally said, sounding matter of fact. Strike rolled his eyes as he watched Wally stuff a s'more in his mouth before turning to face Kaldur, "Sorry, no offense." Kaldur just looked bemused as Wally turned around.

Strike sighed before turning towards Superboy, "Anyways, don't listen to Wally. He's wrong. When people sit around campfires, they typically tell stories."

M'gann immediately perked up, a grin spreading across her marshmallow covered lips, "Oh! I would love to hear your story, Kaldur. Could you tell us how you became Aqualad?"

"I was thinking more of a ghost story type of thing, but I guess. Whatever." Robin shrugged, flames glinting off his sunglasses.

Kaldur looked at M'gann thoughtfully, "I suppose I could do that if you do not think it will be too boring."

However, M'gann and Strike thought otherwise.

"You serious, Kal?" Strike shook his head, "I've been wanting to hear about Atlantis for a while now!" The bat grinned as he faced the Atlantean, attention solely focused on him.

Kaldur smiled softly before delving into his story, "Well, I grew up in the city of Shayeris, which is a city in Atlantis. Surface dwellers think all Atlanteans are the same, but our kingdom has many cities, many cultures.

When I was twelve, I completed my education and began mandatory service in the Atlantean Military, which is the standard for all at that age. After a while, I was transferred to the prestigious Conservatory of Sorcery in the Atlantean capital of Poseidonis. Queen Mera is the Head Mistress of the Conservatory and wife of King Orin, Aquaman.

It was a very different time for me. Is was… difficult, as it would be for anyone at age fourteen I supposed, but also a time in my life where I met friends that I know will be with me for a lifetime.

Then came a day – a horrible day – when Poseidonis was attacked by the Ocean Master. I can remember it vividly, as if it happened only yesterday. I was the day Aquaman nearly met his end.

Aquaman and Ocean Master fought for what seemed like hours. When Aquaman and Ocean Master clashed, it seemed to shake the very foundations of the city.

Ocean Master had gained the upper hand and nearly defeated Aquaman. Rather, Aquaman was defeated.

Garth, a fellow student, and I intervened on the King's behalf. It was the only thing we could think of doing. The danger did not occur to us. The only thing that mattered to us at the time was that our King was in trouble. It may have been one of the most foolish things Garth and I had ever done, as we nearly met out own end. We had no hope of defeating him whatsoever, but the time we spent engaged in battle against the Ocean Master was time enough for our King to recover. That was all he needed as Aquaman triumphed over Ocean Master. He was able to drive him away from the city and save us all.

Aquaman is a being of two worlds. On the surface world, he fights for justice for all beings. Under the sea, he is a leader to many. Both carry the weight of responsibilities, overwhelming responsibilities. Only even the best of men can carry for so long. Even Aquaman cannot do both forever.

Realizing that on the surface both Batman and Green Arrow had taken on apprentices that could one day take over their respective mantels, King Orin had been contemplating the same idea. With this in mind, he approached both Garth and myself with the possibility of becoming his protégés.

I must admit, the possibility intrigued me immediately. I had never been to the surface world and I am the first to admit that I am a bit of an adventurer. Many is the day in class that I would dream of visiting distant oceans and possibly one day, even the surface world.

Both Garth and I seriously considered the King's offer. Garth ultimately chose to continue his studies with Queen Mera at the Conservatory of Sorcery. For me, however, the chance to visit the surface world was a dream come true. So at the age of fourteen, I became Aqualad.

I miss my friends Garth and Tula, but the chance to work with my mentor and King was an opportunity I could not pass up. I like to think the work I am doing makes a difference.

The rest of the story you know. Aquaman brought Aqualad to the surface world, and now I am here with you."

M'gann was amazed by Kaldur's origin story, "Wow. So you wanted to be Aqualad?"

Kaldur nodded, "Yes, the opportunity arose. I could think of no other path."

Wally turned to M'gann, a grin on his face, "Yeah? If you think he wanted to be Aqualad so bad? Let me tell you about how I got started."

"Yeah, cause we all so want to hear about this," Strike scoffed, rolling his eyes. Beside him, Robin began to chuckle as Wally flashed the bats a glare.

"Ignoring that jab… It literally goes back a couple of generations. Each generation of Flash started with a bang. Literally! Jay Garrick was in a freak lab accident. Boom! There it is!

"During the 40's and 50's, he was everywhere! The fastest man alive! Jay Garrick was the world's first Flash. Then one day, this guy comes along, a huge fan of the Flash, wanting to know all about this Jay Garrick – back in those days, Jay didn't really hide his identity – he contacts Jay and the two spend hours and hours talking about his adventures and about the accident that turned him into the Flash. This guy even goes so far as to recreate the accident that created the original. But where Jay Garrick's accident was a total freak thing, this guy recreated the accident under the laboratory conditions. He set the whole thing up in a lab and tried to make it happen. Result? Still a big explosion, but, behold, he becomes Speedy-McSpeed-Speed himself! Now, he's the Flash! Well, not the original Flash, but the new Flash, the Flash we all know. I mean, there's the Jay Garrick Flash and now there's the new Flash! You know, it just occurred to me that they could probably use different names… Anyways, this time he's even faster than Flash, well the old Flash. It gave him even more speed!

"Okay, so check this! The second Flash is a fan of the first Flash, Jay Garrick. It turns out great minds think alike cause I was a fan of the Flash – the second one, not the first one. Well I was a fan of Jay Garrick, but he was a little before my time."

"Holy crap dude. Get on with it!" Strike snapped.

Wally glared at the bat before continuing to ramble on with his story.

"Long story short, one day I was in my uncle's house, stumbled across his notebooks and got the shock of a life-time! That was the day I found out my uncle was the Flash! Once the shock passed, I kept reading. He was keeping a journal of all his experiences and experiments! Especially the one that made him the Flash, the second one, not the-"

Robin pushed Wally over, "We get it already!"

Wally pushed Robin back, "Jeez. Anyways, when I found that out, I would kind of keep hinting to my uncle that the Flash could maybe use a partner.

"I tried to convince him that Flash could use and probably needed a partner. I mean, come on, by this time Bats already had Robbie over here and Strike! And Green Arrow had Speedy. I was a no-brainer! I've got to admit, Flash was a bit resistant at first."

Superboy sighed, crossing his arms with a frown, "Does any of this sound confusing to anyone else?" Strike huffed, leaning back further against the log. He had heard this story a thousand times over already.

Wally clicked his tongue, sending a wink Superboy's way, "Just let me finish and you will be confused no more, Supey. So having seen his journal just like he saw the previous Flash's, I tried to re-create the experiment with my own chemistry set. And what do you know? I was able to do it!"

"The experiment actually worked?" Kaldur asked, head cocked to the side.

Wally looked off to the side, chewing on his lower lip, "Well… Not at first. It took a while, but a couple of weeks later, I was off and running! I couldn't wait to show Flash. When he saw that I had powers, how could he not want me as a partner?

"You guys should've seen his face when I showed him! This time he jumped at the chance to have a partner! Flash couldn't wait to show the world!

"The Flash was beyond ecstatic! He couldn't contain his excitement! It was the greatest day in the history of the world! Why you ask?"

"Just for the record, we didn't," Robin smirked.

Wally ignored Robin and carried on, "That's the day the world got Kid Flash!" Wally smirked triumphantly as his story ended, arms crossed smugly, "You. Are. Welcome."

"Yeah. We're all thrilled you're so speed-capable." Robin said sarcastically, leaning on his knee.

"What's the matter? Jealous?" Wally asked snobbishly.

Robin laughed dryly, "Sheeyeah right! Jealous of you?"

M'gann looked curiously at Robin, mouth full with s'more, "Can you tell us about how you got started Robin?"

It was Wally's turn to laugh, "Are you kidding? Bats won't even let him tell you his real name! And same with twin wonder to his left!"

Strike scrunched his nose in confusion sharing a glance with Robin, "Twin… wonder?"

"Yea!" Wally exclaimed, arms waving wildly around, "Besides for the obvious difference in appearance, you two are practically twins!"

"You're dumb," Strike scoffed, shaking his head.

"At least I can be open about myself!" Wally shot back with a smug grin. Strike and Robin scowled, sending Wally each of their best bat glares, which caused Wally to cower in fear.

Strike had to admit, it kind of sucked having to hide his identity and backstory from Superboy, M'gann and Kaldur. Heck, he couldn't even really be linked back to Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson so there was no fear their ID's would get out but orders are orders.

Wally cleared his throat, looking at anywhere but the pissed bats, "You'd probably get a better origin story out of Supey here."

M'gann looked at Wally, a frown on her face, "But you already told me his story, didn't you? You said that the four of you rescued him from Cadmus."

"Yeah we did," Wally said, emerald eyes shining.

Kaldur nodded, "Yes. Chronologically, Superboy is only 16 weeks old."

M'gann switched her gaze from Kaldur to Superboy, "And you have no memory of things before being rescued?"

Superboy stared into the fire, face devoid of emotion, "I have…some memories from the G-Gnome. It would teach me about the world outside while I was in the containment pod."

"So you can remember things?" M'gann asked, "When you were in the containment pod, they would feed you information and you could remember it, right?"

"I guess so," Superboy simply replied.

"Well, if you can remember what they taught you, you must've been thinking about things as they fed you information. What did you think about?"

"When I was in the containment pod, I was fed information. I really didn't start thinking for myself until after I got out."

"Well, what kind of things so you think about now?" M'gann pressed on. Strike shifted slightly into a more upright position as he peered at the clone curiously.

"The one thing that's always on my mind is destroying Superman…"

Strike doubled over, choking on his s'more. Beside him, Wally went wide eyed as he stared at the clone, who was looking as impassive as ever.

"Robin…" Wally whispered, though Superboy could still hear him, "Robin…" He nudged the raven once more and still got no response, "Did you hear what he said?"

"Hunh. What?" Robin gasped, breaking out of whatever trance he was just in. Strike frowned, noticing the small beads of sweat that had begun to drip down his partner's forehead. Strike made a mental note to ask Robin what happened later.

"Did you hear what Superboy said?" Wally repeated what he said.

Superboy abruptly stood up, fists clenched as he turned away from the group.

"He just said he wants to take down Superman!" Wally exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Are you serious? Superboy?" M'gann asked, slightly taken aback.

"Its how I feel sometimes… What if that's why I was created? What if that was the only reason why I was created?" Superboy asked softly, back still turned to his friends.

"That's not possible!"

"Yeah, look at all the good stuff you've done so far!" Wally chimed in, attempting to cheer the clone up.

Strike shared a glance with Robin before facing M'gann, "When we first rescued Superboy, one of the first things he told us was why he was created," Strike's voice got softer as he turned towards the clone, "He was created to destroy Superman."

"But that doesn't mean you will or have too," Robin added on, "Like we told you at Cadmus, you can live your own life."

"Strike's right," Superboy's scowl deepened as he stared down at his clenched fists, "I'm just a pawn. I just feel… I don't know how I feel. Some thoughts just happen. I have no control over them."

"Those would be silly thoughts! You should put them out of your head!" M'gann said, trying to sound convincing. It wasn't working well for her. Her voice sounded more concerned than anything.

"Strike and Superboy have a valid point. We really don't know anything about what they did to him yet. Just the fact that he was made to replace or destroy Superman," Robin said, tearing his gaze from the fire.

Wally stood up, s'more in hand, and walked towards Superboy, "Yeah but, we know he's one of the good guys and we know that he's part of this team!"

Strike wrapped his arms around his legs, smiling up at the clone, "We have a saying here. Actions speak louder than words. And that can't be truer for you, Superboy. You may not say much, but you do much and your heart is in the right place."

"Yeah! You put those thoughts outta your head, Supey. Here, have another s'more," Wally grinned, passing Superboy the s'more.

"Thanks everyone…" Superboy smiled, but just barely.

As Superboy chomped on the s'more, Strike glanced over at Robin, who still looked slightly out of it, "Hey," He nudged the raven, "You okay?"

"Wha-" Robin shook his head, clearing his thoughts, "Y-Yeah. Fine."

"You sure?" Wally commented, reclaiming his spot on the other side of Robin, "It's not like you to totally zone out like that." Strike nodded his head in agreement.

Robin stared blankly into the fire, "I guess Superboy isn't the only one lost in thought tonight." Strike stared at his partner. There had to be a lot on Robin's mind for him to be this down in the dumps.

The fire popped as Strike tossed his stick into it. After about seven s'mores, the bat was done with the sugary snack. His stomach felt like it was going to explode, and that was never a good feeling.

"Hey! You haven't told us about your story. What's the dealio with you, M'gann?" Wally asked, whirling around to stare at his favorite Martian.

"Oh, okay," M'gann smiled, "Since all of you told your stories… I guess… Well, I'm from Mars," She momentarily paused before face-palming, "Hello Megan! You guys already know that.

"All Martian's live in underground tunnels because the surface is uninhabitable. Our family lives are very intertwined. As you already know, we mostly communicate telepathically. The form of communication we use help large Martian families maintain a sense of community and stay closer."

"Large?" Strike questioned, "How many are in your family?"

"Martian families are usually quite large. I have twelve sisters and seventeen brothers! In my extended family, I have over three hundred cousins."

"Three hundred?" Wally questioned in awe, jumping up to get in M'gann's face.

M'gann moved away from Wally, rather uncomfortable with his closeness, "…Yes."

If it was even possible, Wally's grin grew, "Are they all hot girls like you?"

"Get back here!" Strike growled, grabbing Wally by the hand and forcing him back down into his seat.

"Wow. You are a class act," Robin sarcastically remarked.

Wally rubbed his hand, smiling dreamily, "Dude! Three hundred girls that look like her? Now that's a planet I want to visit!"

M'gann subtly rubbed her neck, obviously uncomfortable, "Well, half of my cousins are males, but yes, most Martians look similar. Mostly green like myself and Uncle J'onn, but there are… others with differences. There are also Martians that are red and white. Some on my planet do not see the whites as equals.

"My parents were both green and I was raised in what you would call a 'liberal' type of environment. My family… I… had no issue with white Martians. Others… were not as tolerant. The treatment of the white Martians was especially horrible."

A heavy silence fell upon the group as they all digested the information.

"How did you happen to come to Earth?" Kaldur politely asked, pulling a marshmallow off a stick.

M'gann smiled fondly as she glanced off into the stars, "Of all the brothers, sisters, parents, aunts, and uncles, the family member I was closest to was Uncle J'onn. We had a great relationship.

"We would watch his exploits on Earth with the rest of the Justice League! He grew to be a true beacon of hope and stood for what our society could achieve. He became the most famous Martian in our history! Upon his return to Mars, it was declared a day of planet-wide celebration. When he came back, it was not just for the adulation of our population. He also had a specific purpose in mind.

"Having learned about all of you – Robin, Strike, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Speedy– Uncle J'onn decided now was the time to introduce a younger Martian hero to Earth. J'onn J'onzz came to Mars and declared he would hold a competition to find the next Martian champion that would be returning with him to fly among the heroes of Earth! I decided I would enter the contest, as did what seemed like half the Martian population. I, however, was coming to Earth.

"The competition was fierce and dangerous. It was exciting and consumed or touched the lives of every single Martian on the planet.

"At first, Uncle J'onn seemed as if he didn't want me to compete. I thought maybe it was that he did not want me coming to Earth. I had seen some of his adventures and they were life-threatening and dangerous, but I was not going to let that stop me. I was determined to win! From everything I had seen and heard of Earth up until that point, I found that I… loved it. I wanted to come see it for myself. I would not be bested. I won! The whole competition!"

M'gann threw her arms up in a victorious manner, almost like she was reminiscing her victory, "My heart soared! I was coming to Earth! This was the most exciting time of my life! Now I am here with all of you and I am part of the Team! I truly love it!"

"We are happy you're here with us as well, M'gann," Kaldur said, smiling kindly at the peppy Martian.

"You could say that again!" Wally agreed, a lop-sided smile on his face.

Strike pushed Wally over, chuckling, "Maybe a little too happy," He shook his head before glancing over at M'gann, a smile stretched across his face, "But nonetheless, we're all happy to have you here."

Robin stood up, rubbing his potruding stomach. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had one s'more too many."

"You could say that again," Strike chuckled, climbing to his feet.

Robin cracked a grin before carrying on, "I'm gonna hit the old sleeping bag."

M'gann stood up as well, "Yes! This has been such a wonderful evening, but I am excited to sleep in a tent."

"I'm right behind you!" Wally called out, traipsing after M'gann.

Robin grabbed Wally by the shirt collar, pulling him back, "Yeah, but you're sleeping in this tent right over here."

Wally rolled his eyes but followed after the bats nonetheless, "Hey, next time you think we should go camping for real, like at a real camping place instead of just in our backyard?"

Robin snickered, "You don't strike me as the outdoorsy type. Tonight we're sleeping about five feet from the cave entrance. Maybe next time we can try down the hill a bit."

"Yeah," Strike scoffed, climbing into the tent, "Cause Wally could totally handle that."

"…is sarcasm one of the lessons Batman just teaches you guys?"

MOUNT JUSTICE
July 25, 06:35 EDT

The light of dawn peaked through the branches of the trees. There was a slight chill in the air as the morning dew settled on the ground. Strike stifled a yawn as he stepped out of the tent. He paused momentarily, taking in the hunched over figure of Robin, who was sitting on a lone log. Robin's gaze was directed on the fire pit that smoldered slightly even in the absence of flames.

"Hey," Strike said softly, settling in next to him.

"Hey," Robin responded, not taking his gaze away from the pit.

Strike clasped his hands, glancing at the ground, "You wanna talk about it?"

Robin sighed, shoulders shuddering, "I just… I was thinking about how I became Robin," Strike nodded as Robin glanced over at him, "A part of me, a big part mind you, wish that my parents, my family, were still alive."

"You can't dwell in the past," Strike murmured softly.

"I know," He leaned back, "I'm happy with the way my life has turned out so far, with Batman, you and now the Team but… the feeling of want is still there. Y'know? I-I always wonder what my life would be like, if they were still alive and how different things would be."

Strike nodded understandingly, "I know what you mean. I often find myself wondering what my life would be like had my parents not been thrown in jail. My brothers wouldn't be villains and I wouldn't be here."

"Heh," Robin shook his head, "Crazy how one single event can change your life so drastically."

"Yea," Strike agreed, "One single event…"

A/N: I guess you could say the ending was a bit of brotherly fluff between Robin and Strike! So yay!

Also... I've been contemplating who to pair Strike with... I don't know if I want to pair him with Zatanna (like I had originally planned) or Artemis so thoughts are appreciated! Robin will be with Barbara for those of you who care!

Remember to drop a review my lovely readers and thanks for all the feedback! :D