I am so very sorry for the delay. I wasn't sure on how to get the story to where I wanted it to go. As a result this is more of a filler chapter, the next chapter should be longer and more exciting. Thank you to everyone who has stayed with this story, it means a lot to me. Please Review!

Disclaimer: Almost everything is owned by Warner Brothers/DC comics. Catherine and Kin are owned by my good friend larkofitaly. Lily is entirely my character.

Chapter 12

What now?

~Dick's POV~

We were bombarded with questions, few we actually answered. Both Lily and I were dreading telling Bruce, something that we had to do in person and not over text message or phone call. Slowly the minutes ticked by, each one seeming longer than the one before it.

By the time I thought I was going to go crazy the bell rang. I didn't even bother showering after gym, choosing instead to just quickly change back into my school uniform and out of the gym one. I worked quickly so no one else noticed the scars from a few years as Robin.

Lily and I met in the pick up line but didn't talk, we didn't need too. That's what I thought until Lily broke the silence, "I don't trust them, Catherine especially. Some of the questions she was asking leaned more on how to become a hero". That wasn't good but I tried to calm Lily down a bit, "You remember the training we had to go through, it'll take forever." Lily nodded slightly, "I hadn't thought of that".

We fell back into silence while waiting for Alfred. He came soon and asked, "How was school?" We shrugged while I added, "It was ok" Alfred understood immediately and said, "I presume I'll be making cookies". His cookies were our go to comfort food and today we needed them.

Dropping our backpacks in the hall and promising Alfred we would pick them up we went to find Bruce. He was in the batcave working on some case or another and put down the file when we walked in. He noticed the twin expressions of worry and sighed, "They figured it out?" When we nodded he asked, "Did you try to dissuade them?" At a second nod he sighed again, "We have no choice but to see how this plays out".

With a third nod we headed back upstairs to complete our homework. Homework was quiet event, our usual chit-chatting abandoned as we both worried over what might happen. Alfred brought us cookies and our silence was abandoned as we thanked him.

After homework was finished I turned around and saw Lily staring intensely at a glass of water. "Do you miss it?". She jumped slightly, "Not usually, but somedays I do. Mostly the days when I'm super stressed." I nodded my understanding as Lily turned away from the cup to face me.

I was slightly surprised at her question, "Do you think they will turn us in? We may be their friends...you more than me...but we have been lying to them." I shook my head, "I don't think they will turn us in, but I'm sure they will try something". What Lily had said about the questions Catherine was asking I was sure she would try something.

~Catherine's POV~

"I want to join them." Kin looked at me, mouth slightly opened in surprise, "Are you crazy!? Do you know how dangerous their job is?!" I shrugged, "I don't think Batman will let it be that dangerous."

Kin looked at me like I had grown another two heads, "It's Gotham, Lily has a broken wrist, Dick a bruised rib and those are just from this week. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of scars they have." I sighed, "Kin, It shouldn't be that hard". In shock he repeated, "It's Gotham!".

"It may be Gotham, but it might be a way to learn why Lily is the way she is." In a fierce whisper he replied, "Catherine! I don't care if it's to satisfy your curiosity. Gotham does not have the highest crime rate for no reason. It's dangerous! You could die!". I put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm grateful you're looking out for me, but you never know if Bruce would even allow me to join patrol with them. I'm at least going to ask."

He sighed defeated, "Ok, you can at least ask. I'm not happy about this though." With a small smile I said, "I know". Returning the small smile he headed to his room. I pulled out a sketchbook and quickly started sketching costume ideas. I wanted a bird name and after a few minutes found one I liked, Lark.

With a bird in mind I was able to sketch out the costume. A black domino mask was the easiest part, as was the black cape with a slight golden trim. The tunic took a bit of work. In the end it had a cut similar to Robin's. The color scheme was different. The top half was a light brown, while the pants were closer to a tan color. I had another costume sketched where the pants were black.

I'd show these to them tomorrow, I'd just have to be careful of our surroundings. With my sketchbook tucked safely into my backpack I got ready for bed. I was excited for tomorrow, but I was worried that they would avoid us during the school day. The more I thought about it the more I realized why they had lied to us.

I'll admit that them lying to us hurt, but it was easier to understand why they had to the more I thought about it. I fell asleep looking out the window, trying to see the bat-symbol.

~Third Person POV~

Batman stood atop the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises, thinking over the events of the day. Robin and Nightingale were at home, both choosing to go to bed early instead of coming along on patrol. Well Robin had chose to head to bed early, Nightingale had been sent to bed early, once again taken off patrol.

While on the roof of the building he technically owned Batman continued to think about what was going to happen over the next few weeks. Four twelve year old teens were thinking about the same thing. The first time but not the last it was going to happen.

The secret that had been spilled changed everything. Maybe if the truth hadn't been figured out some days would be better than they were, but others most certainly would have been worse. The night was quiet, almost as if the city itself was holding it's breath. Waiting to see what happened now.

There was a slight mentioning of my story Remembering. It's not important to this story, it was just a way for conversation.