Chapter 9!

Wow, a lot of you wanted to kill me because of that cliffhanger. Sorry. I would promise never to do that to you guys again, but... well... there's actually a really big cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, so... please don't kill me.

This chapter is more about Nightwing than anything. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Get it?


Everyone turned towards Artemis. She crossed her arms and glared. "You know it's true. Even if we leave now, they'll come and investigate. And we're not leaving, not when we're all together again. We could borrow one of your comms, Nightwing - which I know you have, so don't try denying it- but that brings up the question of why the Titans, who have gone out of their way to avoid any association with the League, have special League communicators. Any way we play it, they come here and confront you. Your charade won't last long, face to face. So, what are we going to do?

Nightwing looked steadily at her. "Nothing. We let them come, and wing it from there." He looked around the room, meeting everyone's eyes. "I knew when I brought you into the Tower that I was practically inviting the League in. And I brought you anyway. I'm tired of hiding, and to be honest, I miss everyone. It's been 3 years. It's time for something to change. If it doesn't work out, then so be it."

He stood up and left the room, tossing a "call me when they get here" over his shoulder.

Raven was the one who broke the silence. Turning towards the rest of the room, she said quietly, "He meant everything he said. What he didn't say is that he already has plans in place to help his disappear again, and he will use them if he deems it necessary. We can't let that happen.

Everyone nodded grimly. They wouldn't fail him, their leader, their brother, their friend. No matter what, they would be there for him.

Always.

Nightwing immediately headed to where he always did when he was upset, emotional, or just needed to think.

His secret sanctuary.

Working out there, among the familiar equipment, doing the familiar motions and exercises, feeling the familiar burn in his muscles, always helped him relax. In this case, as well as relaxing, he was looking for the mental clarity that came along with it. Most of his major breakthroughs on cases came while he was down here, which had helped the Titans come to the conclusion that he was always in the evidence room. He hadn't done anything to discourage the idea, which also might have helped.

At that moment, he was on the trapeze. He had been drawn to it as soon as he entered the room, despite his intentions to do something simpler, like the rings. Then again, by this point, woking on the trapeze was as effortless as breathing and took about as much thought.

Maybe it was best that he used it now. The trapeze had been a constant in his life, had been present in all three of his homes. It helped him bring everything together.

Dick Grayson the circus kid, Richard Grayson-Wayne, Robin, and Nightwing all combined on the trapeze. It helped him think clearly, see the problem on all sides. As he practiced, he would think of a thousand different solutions to a single problem, discarding them one after another, coming up with even more, repeating the process over and over again until he had a plan.

In a tiny corner of his mind that he almost refused to acknowledge he wondered if Slade used a similar process to come up with his elaborate schemes to take down the Titans/ make Nightwing his apprentice.

Right now, though, he was focussed on what would happen when the League came. Momentarily, he considered the possibility of Batman not coming with the League, which would make everything easier. Almost immediately, he discarded that idea. Young Justice had been just as much Batman's team as anyone's, maybe more so, and he did care for their wellbeing no matter what his gruff exterior said. There was no way that he wouldn't come, so there was no point considering a plan that didn't involve him.

For almost an hour, Nightwing flipped and swung and flew and thought. He tried to figure out what he would do. Finally, he landed and nodded to himself.

It had been so long, and something needed to change. So, if they asked, he would tell them everything. If they didn't, he probably would anyway. He had plans ready to set in motion if needed, and he would use them in he had to. Hopefully, he wouldn't.

With the problem now resolved, he walked into the small changing room off the side of the gym. Quickly, he changed back into his uniform, putting to worn workout clothes on a pile for laundry, and replaced his mask. He walked back into the gym just as Raven's voice drifted through his communicator.

"They're here."


Please don't kill me cause of the cliffhanger! *dodges rotten fruit and vegetables* I'm sorry!

League next chapter!