DAH! Just watched the newest episode of YJ and I LOVED it! I actually liked Superboy. When I heard the episode would be about sphere and him and I was just "ugh" but he has personality. He's funny even! I love how he was like "Uh... Okay... Crazies..." And Robin not wanting to be THE Batman... epic. Too bad it'll happen some time. (My glee is helped by the fact that I just read a Batman comic which has Dick as Batman and Alfred saying he's not used to dealing with a neurotic Batman. HEE!)

Okay, so on with the story then...

"Come on, let's go get you some ice," M'gann said.

"Yeah, it looks pretty bad," Artemis agreed, wincing at the bruise that was already forming on Dick's jaw. Carefully, she pulled Dick's hand away from his face and used it to pull him towards the kitchen.

"What's wrong with him anyway?" Superboy asked, sounding confused and frustrated. It was pretty bad, Artemis thought, that even Superboy couldn't understand why Robin was angry. The clone practically defined irrational rage.

Dick just sighed. Then suddenly, he perked up. "Yeah, what is with him anyway?" he asked indignantly. "I mean, what do you guys know about him?"

Artemis paused for half a second before continuing on. "Robin? Not much," she admitted. "He's Batman's protégé and he's been doing this whole hero thing since he was nine."

"Nine?" Dick repeated.

"That's what he told me. And I believe it. That kid is one cool cucumber under pressure."

"Except around you," Superboy pointed out.

Artemis turned her head to look at Superboy thoughtfully. He had a point. Robin wasn't the type to just punch someone for no reason. He usually handled even the most dangerous situation with a cool grace and calm determination. 'We save them, that's how it works. Get traught or get dead,' he had once told her as if there was no reason to panic over two super-powered robots trying to kill them and all their friends.

But this whole thing with Dick had turned Robin into a black hole of negativity. He hadn't said all that much, but Artemis could tell by how he moved and how he acted that he was seriously distraught. Heavy on the 'dis'.

"He's so smart," M'gann continued. "He can hack any computer, and he helps me with my math homework all the time. And he's usually really cheerful. But now…" M'gann shuddered. "I didn't read his mind, I swear, but I can feel his emotions. He feels… so many things."

There was more to that than M'gann was saying, but Artemis didn't want to press. "That's about all we can tell you about him," she finally said, giving Dick's hand an apologetic squeeze.

"Whatever, no big deal. I was just curious."

When the reached the kitchen, Artemis steered Dick onto the couch while M'gann fetched a bag of ice.

"So, enough about Robin," Dick said with a yawn that sounded like he was trying too hard to appear disinterested. "Tell me about me."

Artemis arched an eyebrow sceptically. "About you?" Fat head. Very cute, muscular fat head. Artemis scooted closer to him.

"You said you knew me. You recognized me anyway. So you must know this- ow, that's cold." He was interrupted when M'gann sat next to him and gently pressed the icepack to his jaw. "Thanks Miss Martian."

"Call me M'gann. Or Megan. That's my Earth name."

Dick smiled and winked at her. "Sounds good to me," he said before turning his attention back to Artemis. "You must know the Dick Grayson of this world," he continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "So… what's he like?"

Artemis sized Dick up carefully. Should she really tell him? She couldn't see what the big deal was. But she couldn't blame him for being curious. If it had been her, she would want to know everything she could about her alternate self. "He goes to my school," she finally admitted after a moment's debate.

Dick arched an eyebrow. "School?"

"Yeah. You know, school. Where you go to learn and get tortured by boring teachers. We may be superheroes, but we still need our education."

Dick gave her a sheepish look. "Sure, but it's just that… I don't go to a school. My mom home schools me. I guess that's one difference right there. What else?"

Artemis squirmed uncomfortably. She didn't want to have to tell him that he was an orphan. "He's kind of a troll," she said instead. "Always sneaking up and scaring you. The first time I met him, he popped up out of nowhere, took my picture and disappeared."

"They talk about him in magazine gossip columns all the time," M'gann piped up eagerly.

"Really?" Dick said with half a laugh. "What kind of gossip?"

M'gann blushed. "Oh, about how he's going to inherit Bruce Wayne's fortune and how he's going to end up a playboy and which actresses he was last seen hanging around and what kind of mischief he got into when he was in Europe and-"

"Inherit Bruce Wayne's fortune?" Dick repeated incredulously. "Why?"

Artemis took a deep breath. They couldn't hide it from him now. And maybe he deserved to know. "You're- he- our Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne's ward." She took his hand. "I think his parents died somehow and Mr. Wayne took him in."

Dick looked as if he had been smacked. "I'm- he's an orphan?" he said quietly, blue eyes downcast. Artemis could see them water up but resisted the urge to hug him. He quickly shook his head and cleared his throat. "I… I guess it's not like it's my parents but… I still feel like I lost something. I feel… how must he feel? My parents are so wonderful, they're my whole life. I don't know what I'd do…" He trailed off and glanced down at his hands.

Artemis couldn't help it any longer and wrapped her arms around Dick, hugging him tightly. "Yeah, they're not really your parents, but it must be a blow to find out that they're dead."

"Especially if you're stuck in this dimension," Superboy said awkwardly. Not helping, Superboy, Artemis thought, rolling her eyes.

"How?" Dick said flatly. "How did they die?"

"I don't know," Artemis said truthfully. "But I guess we can find out." She let go of Dick and brought up the holo-computer. From the corner of her eye, she saw Dick watching her type away in fascination. "The technology we have here is pretty neat, huh?"

"Very cool," Dick agreed. "I have to say, I don't know much about computers. Don't have time for them, or even really need them. Same goes for television."

"No television?" M'gann said, sounding appalled. "Really? I don't know what I'd do without television. That's how I learned everything I know about Earth."

Artemis rolled her eyes. Yes, because M'gann's perception of Earth life was oh so accurate. "Here we go," she announced, pulling up a new article about Dick Grayson. She eyed Dick carefully. "You sure you want to know."

"Yes," Dick said firmly with a nod. "Please?"

"Okay." It wasn't like they were his parents, Artemis reminded herself. It's not like this would bring up horrible memories or anything. Still, Dick winced as he read the article.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Dick mumbled. Artemis couldn't blame him. The article was a firsthand account of what had happened at Haley's Circus many years ago. The Flying Graysons had been performing their world class acrobatic act 'without the safety of a net!' when their lines had snapped, sending John and Mary Grayson to a gruesome death on the tent floor. 'Their twisted and broken bodies lying in pooling blood while a little boy cried for them from above,' the article stated.

Turned out it had been orchestrated by some crook named Tony Zucco who had wanted to make an example in order to collect protection money.

"Tony Zucco," Dick said, eyes flashing. "I remember him! I remember this!" He practically jumped out of his seat and began pacing. "He came to the circus and tried to get Pop to pay him protection money. I remember because it was the first time I had seen Pop get mad and actually yell at someone. Zucco said he would just have to convince Pop it was a wise investment."

He stopped pacing and squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to remember the details. He shook his head and continued to tread the carpet. "Pop said I shouldn't worry. We were supposed to perform the next night, but we all came down with the flu- maybe it was food poisoning or something, I can't remember. So Pop sent in a different group of fliers- not as good as us and they used a net. Their lines snapped, but the nets caught them and they were okay.

"The police investigated, found out it wasn't just an accident and linked it to Zucco. They put him away for attempted murder."

Dick stopped, his knees shaking. "We had the flu. Ate bad chicken or something. That's the only reason they're still alive."

Artemis jumped to her feet and gently guided Dick back to the couch before he collapsed. He looked up and grabbed her arm, eyes pleading with her. "Don't tell him. Please don't tell him that that was the only thing that saved them."

Artemis nodded. "I won't," she promised. She could only imagine what it would feel like to know that something so small, something so stupid and insignificant, could change someone's whole life. If her Dick Grayson were to find out, he would probably spend a good deal of time agonizing over the 'what if's'. Heck, this Dick was probably beating himself over the 'what if's' and he had less to regret. 'What if we had gone out to eat instead. What if I had told Mom I hated her chicken and had convinced them to eat pop tarts. What if we had performed that day. What if it had been me?'

"I won't tell him. He doesn't have to even know you were here."

Dick rubbed his jaw and looked down. "Don't tell Robin," he whispered so quietly that she almost didn't hear him.

Don't tell Robin. Why would-

Oh.