Justice League and the Court of Owls does not belong to me.

Due to the fact that my life just got much busier, I'll only be able to update every Friday.

Big thanks to mbembet and Tigress2929 for reviewing!

Wally sat in his quarters aboard the Watchtower, talking with Linda over the special communicators that Bruce had made for the two of them years ago. After sending Ice, Fire (who'd been watching carefully the entire time) and Booster to Metro Tower, he'd come up here. Yeah Barb was one of his closest friends, but he wasn't her family like the BatClan was. He figured that the Batfamily would probably need their space. Especially Bruce and Dick. Those two had a lot of catching up to do. Superman seemed to be sticking around for Diana and Bruce's sake. The three of them, the Big Three, were much closer than the rest of the League.

"Wally?"

Can't keep zoning out like that. Linda doesn't need to worry about me any more than she already is. "I'm here, babe."

"You sure that you don't want me to come up?" And there it was. The telltale worry that made her voice rise slightly in pitch.

"Nah. I'm not staying up here much longer, don't want to be in the way."

"Barbara's your friend, Wallace," his fianceé chided gently. "I'm sure that she would want you there. Just like the others are probably wanting you to be there too. Why else would Bruce ask you to come up with the rest of his family?"

Light bulb moment. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It's just weird, Lin."

"What's weird, hon?"

"Bats. When I first met the guy, he was... Well, he wasn't exactly cold, but-"

"I think 'distant' is the word you're looking for, babe."

He nodded his head, even though Linda couldn't see him doing so, "Yeah, that about describes how he was. He was focused on the mission, always the mission, but you could just barely see that he really cared. Now, it's like the dam's burst. I've never seen Bruce so... open."

"He trusts you, Wally. That, and he's not the same man you met all those years ago. Just like you aren't the same man that walked into me three years ago. People change, babe. Usually for the better."

"I am in that 'usually', right?"

When she answered there was just a hint of amusement in her voice, "I'm not sure. I'll have to get back with you on that one..."

"Hardy har har."

Linda didn't answer, she was laughing so hard that she'd started snorting. It was something that embarrassed her to death no matter how many times Wally had told her that he loved to hear it.

And it always made him laugh. Now I know why Bruce had me call her. Linda's to me like Diana's to him. Lin's the only person who can make me feel better when there's so much going wrong.

I don't know what we'll do if Babs doesn't live through this... All I know is that Linda will be always be there for me.

Two months later and Cho was again watching the news. She knew that she was becoming addicted to it, but she couldn't help it. She needed to know what was going on, as the Court wouldn't tell her anything.

The night after the gala, her father had left a letter telling her how proud he was of her for sticking with her training and staying calm after the murder attempt on Wayne. Of course, she hadn't found the small piece of paper until about a month ago as it had been hidden under her mattress. She'd kept the note tucked into the waistband of her pants since, hidden from view. If the Parliament found out about it's existence the repercussions would be... I don't even want to think about it.

But the letter had shown her something. Her father didn't care for the power the Court gave him. That he really did care about her. That he was just as much of a puppet of the Court as she was.

But Cho couldn't see how that would change their situation. The two of them were stuck. For life, as far as she could tell.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Gleeson's voice on the T.V., "It has been two months since the attempted murder of Bruce Wayne and the actual murder of Floyd Lawton, the criminal mercenary known as Deadshot. Police Commissioner Gordon issued a statement today that the evidence from the Lawton case suspiciously matches the evidence from the Davidson murders of four months ago."

Of course it would. Lawton's murder was the Court's way of 'putting the word out'. Wayne is off limits to everyone else but them. Them? Until recently, Cho had referred to the Court as 'us'. She been raised and trained that way. She hadn't begun to think of herself as separate from the Court of Owls until after she'd saved Batman from the Ventriloquist. And she didn't know why.

I've got to clear my head.

She was well aware that the Talon was right outside her door, roaming the hallway. Keeping an eye on the apprentices. The younger the apprentice, the more they were watched by the Court. The older they were, the more trusted they were. And Cho apparently had recently reached the in-between stage, meaning that she was allowed freedom to roam on some days but still on lockdown on others. The key was to figuring out which days were which. The Talon didn't tell her. It's a test.

Cho clenched her fists in her lap. I don't care if tonight might be the wrong night. I have got to get out of here. In one fluid movement she stood and began preparing herself. She wound her long curls into a tight bun that hid her red highlights. The girl snorted in amusement as she remembered the young woman at the gala who'd asked her which beauty salon she went to. She'd politely responded that she colored her hair herself. Which wasn't actually true as her two-toned hair was simply a side-affect of being a Meta.

And it was just another example of how much of a freak she was. That was another reason why she was afraid to leave the Court. Yes the world was full of Metahumans who'd managed to find a place for themselves in this world. But there was no place for her besides with the Court. Cho was lost. And there was no place, no home, to be found for someone like her. One that she would actually belong in. Even though she longed for a home with every fiber of her being, she knew that it was time to face facts. Dreams were just that. Only dreams. They could never be real, not for someone like her...

Barbara clenched her fists in frustration. She'd tried yet again to stand, and again she'd fallen. Of course, she'd known that she'd never walk again, J'onn had told her so. But I just can't accept that. And she wasn't about to give up either.

But how the heck am I gonna get back in that darn chair now? In her desperation, she'd managed to not only fall out of her wheelchair, but to knock the blasted thing over as well.

That, of course, would have to be when the Batmobile came roaring into the 'Cave. As soon as it was parked, Batman jumped out and raced to her, "Barb! What happened?"

"I'm fine, Bruce," she responded angrily as he righted her chair and gently set her back in it.

He pushed back his cowl, "You're sure?"

"Yeah." Barb found that she couldn't meet his eyes. She averted her gaze, feeling herself beginning to tear up as she clenched her fists again, "It's not fair!"

"I know, I'm sorry-"

"If you say that it's your fault one more time, Bruce, I swear I'll knock the living daylights out of you," she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. He chuckled and Barbara found that she could meet his eyes this time, "What are you doing back so early?"

"The city's quiet again," Bruce began as he headed to the computer. Barbara maneuvered her chair after him. For the first month since she'd been shot, she'd been restricted to her bed. Bruce had had the chair made specially for her, and although Dick had told her that it was one sweet ride, she couldn't help but resent the thing.

"That's unnatural. Do you think that this C of O murderer is behind it?"

Batman slumped into the chair, rubbing his forehead with one hand, "Partly."

"Partly?" Both of them turned to see Diana walking up to them, little Nathan in her arms. The four month old was being unusually quiet, but it probably had to do with that fact that his brown eyes were busy looking around. He was at that age where he was just beginning to really pay attention to his surroundings. It's hard to believe how big he's gotten. The youngest Wayne was already rolling over on his own and Barb knew it wouldn't be long before the little guy said 'Dada' for the first time.

Diana offered the slumbering baby to Barb and she gladly took him. "Hey there, Nate," she cooed, ignoring the glare that Bruce sent her way. From day one, he hadn't been too keen on the nickname.

Little Nathan gave her one of his adorable little smiles that made Bruce chuckle and forget his irritation. I still can't believe how much being around Diana and Nathan has changed him.

Diana settled into the chair next to her husband's, "Bruce. What do you mean by 'partly'?"

Bruce sobered, the skin around his eyes tightening. Barb couldn't help but notice the fine wrinkles that were starting to show around his eyes. Since Barb had been shot, Tim had taken a turn for the worse. He was having nightmares nightly now, and even zoning out during the day. It had gotten so bad that Bruce and Diana had taken a leave of absence from the League so that they could be close by should Tim need them. And here I am feeling sorry for myself because I can't walk. Tim's been traumatized, and my injury only made it worse for him...

At least Dick and I are finally dating again. That was the only good thing about the entire situation. It'll be a while before I'm ready to be engaged again, though.

Bruce sighed, clearing his throat, "I'm beginning to think that this 'C of O' is more than just one person."

"Why do you think that?" Barb questioned, wincing as Nathan grabbed a lock of her hair in his tiny fist and yanked it as hard as he could. Trying as best he could to get the red strands into his little mouth.

Bruce reached over and gently loosened his son's grip, "No no, Nathan. Don't grab Barb's hair, that hurts her," he admonished gently. He met Barbara's gaze before meeting his wife's, "Each step that this assassin has taken are too well planned to be orchastrated by just one person."

"Except for Lawton's murder," Barb piped up, turning Nathan away from her and letting the baby gum her thumb in an effort to distract him from her hair.

He shook his head, "It may have seemed as spur of the moment, but it wasn't. It happened way too quickly to be coincidence or chance. The assassin was already there and prepared for something like that to happen. Why else would he just happen to have a sack with him, like Huntress saw? And like Question saw after the Davidsons were murdered." He paused, taking a breath, "Some kind of criminal organization is keeping tabs on me. The only good thing is that, whoever they are, they haven't figured out that I'm Batman."

"Because the threats have only been aimed at Bruce Wayne. You haven't been threatened on patrol yet," Diana finished for him.

"Not that I would know," Barb finished sulkily. Bruce sighed. Barb wasn't Jai. She wasn't one to see the bright side in things like this. And it was starting to affect her. Badly. I'll have to keep a closer eye on her. As if he didn't have enough things to worry about. But Barb was family. And he'd do anything to protect his family.

Barb looked up at him, "Wait a minute. You said that the city was too quiet, and the murderer was only 'partly' responsible. It sounds to me like this C of O organization has a lot of control over Gotham's criminals. Too much."

That was why Barbara had been one of his favorite students. She was much quicker on the uptake than his oldest sons. She'd even seemed to intuit things before they happened, on more than one occasion. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Diana jerked her head, listening intently. Tim. He's having another nightmare... Leaving Nathan in Barb's capable hands, he ran as fast as he could to his middle son. Diana close on his heels.

Please R&R.