Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait everyone! I should be able to get chapters out a little faster now.
This one's for XPacman53 :)
Dick stretched his arms over his head as he finally awoke, a grin forming on his face when he realized what day it was. He quickly threw his blankets off and hopped out of his bed, taking a quick shower before rushing downstairs, spotting Jason sitting at the island eating his breakfast.
"Good morning, little brother!"
Jason groaned. "What are you so happy about?"
"Have you forgotten what day it is?"
"Yeah, it's training day."
"That's right," he replied, rubbing his head. Jason swatted his hand away. "Excited?"
"I guess."
"It'll be fun, and you'll learn a lot."
"What time is Barbara getting here?"
"Sounds like she's on her way," Dick said, looking on his phone. "Training starts at one."
"Good morning," Bruce said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"Morning, Bruce," they echoed, as Alfred put Dick's plate in front of him.
"Are you going to be part of the training group?" Dick asked, diving into his eggs.
"No. Martian Manhunter and I have other business. What are your plans today?"
"Not sure yet. Might head to the cave and hang out with the team, assuming you don't have a mission for us."
"Not today," he replied, and Dick's face dropped.
"Good morning," Barbara said, walking into the kitchen. She sat down next to Jason.
"Good morning, Miss. Gordon. Would you like something for breakfast?"
"No, thank you. I made dad breakfast when he got home this morning."
"You excited, Gordon?" Dick asked, flashing her a grin.
"Grayson's more excited than we are."
"It always seems to work out that way," she replied, pressing her hand to her head. Jason chuckled.
"Well, Gordon, since you're being mean today, you don't get to come."
"Sorry, I'm part of the training team," she replied, throwing him a grin.
"You're a pain to put up with."
"You're both pains," Jason said, finishing his breakfast. Barbara rubbed his head.
"Bruce doesn't think so, do you, Bruce?" Dick said, turning his head to his guardian. Bruce stopped drinking his coffee and raised an eyebrow at him.
"You don't want to hear my opinions."
"Ah, Bruce, you don't mean that."
"No, not to the eight-year-old who tracked me down, or the fifteen-year-old who hacked my equipment."
Barbara blushed and looked away. Jason looked over and grinned at them.
"So, I'm the good kid, right?"
"Didn't you try to steal our tires?" Dick asked, throwing him a smirk. Jason glared at him.
"You might want to do something about your boys. They're always at each other throats," Barbara said, looking between them. They both gave her a look while Bruce took another sip of his coffee.
"Finish your breakfasts. You need to leave soon."
"Yes, sir," they replied back, and Dick quickly finished his breakfast. They then walked down to the cave and changed into their suits.
"Today's the day," Dick said, grinning between Barbara and Jason. "Are you both ready?"
"I've been ready," Jason said, rubbing his hands together. Barbara smiled.
"Where are we going?"
"To the cave. Green Arrow and Black Canary will be your trainers."
"What will you do?"
"Have a fun time now that I don't have two small-fries to take care of."
Barbara punched his arm, and he rubbed it, grinning at her as he did so. Jason laughed behind his hand.
"Seriously, I plan on hanging out with the team. Maybe a mission will pop up for us."
"Have fun today," she replied, throwing him a smile. "C'mon, Jay, we need to be going."
He followed behind her to their bikes and drove off. Dick cracked his knuckles as he looked over at Alfred.
"I think I'm going to head to the cave today, Alfie."
"As you wish, sir."
"Unless you need me for something."
"It's the weekend. Have some fun."
"Thanks," he replied, grabbing for his glasses. He quickly put it on before hopping on his bike, slowly driving off to the booth where the zeta tube was. When he finally arrived, he parked his bike in the garage and disappeared off to the cave, furrowing his brow when he found it empty.
"Nightwing!" Connor said, walking up to him. He flashed him a grin.
"Hey, Supey."
"How's everything going?"
"They just started," he said, gesturing his head towards the window. They walked over to it and looked out, and Nightwing smiled softly as he saw Batgirl and Robin in formation, following Green Arrow and Black Canary's lead.
"So, Robin is allowed to join now?"
"I guess after training. I'll have to talk to Batman again."
"I think he'll do well here, to be honest."
"I think so, too."
"How have you been?" Connor asked, turning away from the window. He shrugged.
"Same old same old. You?"
"About the same. Going out there soon to train them."
"Hello, Nightwing," Zatanna said, walking up to them.
"Hey, Z. How's it going?"
"It's good. It's been kind of boring around here lately."
"It's just because I haven't been here, right?"
"You do make things more interesting," she replied with a smile, and he grinned at her.
"Glad to hear that."
"Be back in a minute, boys," she said, turning to walk away. Connor waited until she was gone before turning back to Nightwing.
"I don't mean to sound all Wally here, but it sounds like you two were flirting there."
"What?" he asked, turning to him in shock. "No we weren't!"
"If you say so," he replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
"We. Were. Not. Flirting," he stressed, crossing his arms.
"What? Nightwing was flirting with someone again?" Wally said, rushing into the room. Nightwing rolled his eyes and pressed his hand to his head.
"Are you always around?"
"You know you would miss me if I wasn't," he replied with a grin. "So, who was Nighty flirting with, Supey?"
"Zatanna."
"Was not!" he replied, pressing his hand deeper into his head.
Why couldn't he help with the training today?
"Hey," Nightwing said, standing up from the couch, "how'd it go?"
"Very well," Batgirl replied, smiling down at Robin. "He was having a blast."
"I'm sure you were," he replied with a grin, fist-bumping his little brother. "Not much longer, and you'll get to be a part of this team, too."
"Yeah, if Batman ever gives me permission."
Nightwing glanced up at Batgirl, who winked back in response. He then smiled at Robin. "This was going to be a surprise, but, if you complete the training, Batman will officially give you permission to join."
"Really?" he asked, looking up in amazement. Nightwing and Batgirl both nodded.
"Only if you complete the training, Robin. He told both of us."
"Hit the showers, both of you. You've done well."
"Thanks, Nitwing," Batgirl replied, throwing him a grin as she and Robin turned to walk out. His laugh could be heard down the hallway. Nightwing shook his head as he turned back to Connor, M'gann, Artemis and Wally, the latter of the two grinning at him.
"What?" he asked with a groan as he sat back down.
"Nothing, Nitwing."
"Wally, I swear-"
"Relax. I'm just messing with you."
"I have a mission for all of you," Bruce said to Dick, who looked up at him. "Suit up."
"Yes, sir," he replied, hopping out of his chair.
"You suit up as well," he told Jason, who followed Dick down to the cave. He sat down in his chair and turned the computer on, pulling up the files he was looking at.
"So, Jay passed training," Dick pressed after he finished changing, watching as Bruce turned around in his chair. "You said he could join the team."
He looked past Dick and to Jason, who was putting his suit on. He then turned back to Dick and rubbed his chin. "I don't know, Dick."
"He's better now, Bruce. He's not as bad as he was."
"He's still aggressive."
"Not as much. Barbara and I have been working with him and he's a lot better than he was. If he goes too far in the missions, we'll put him out."
He closed his eyes. "Alright, but if he goes too far, he's done. Are we clear?"
"Yes, sir," he replied with a nod.
"Jason," Bruce said, calling him over. He walked over to him. "I have some news for you."
"Yeah?" he replied, looking up.
"I promised Dick and Barbara that, after you complete your training, you would officially be allowed to join the team at Mount Justice."
"I get to join?" he asked, his eyes widening. Dick hid a smile.
"Yes, under Dick's supervision, of course."
"Congratulations, Jay," Dick said, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. "You've earned it."
"In fact, I have a mission for all of you. Let's get going."
Dick grinned at Jason as they hopped on their bikes and drove off behind Bruce to the zeta tube. They parked their bikes into the garage and went through the tube to the cave.
"Are you ready for this?" Dick asked, and Jason nodded.
"Been ready."
"Batgirl's on her way. Let's tell the rest of the team."
Jason nodded, and they walked to the kitchen where Superboy, Miss. Martian, Wally and Artemis were waiting.
"My two favorite birds!" Wally said, grinning at them. Nightwing narrowed his eyes behind his mask.
"Well, we have some good news. Tell em, Rob."
Robin looked up and smiled. "I've been given permission to join."
"That's wonderful!" Artemis said, giving him a hug. "Congratulations."
"Welcome to the team," Connor said, shaking Robin's hand.
"Thanks, Superboy."
"Another birdie joining the team, huh? Don't worry, Nightwing, I'll take good care of him," Wally said, grinning at them as he walked behind Robin. Robin looked up at Nightwing for help.
"Don't worry about K.F. I'll deal with him," he replied, grinning down at him.
"Yeah, ok," he replied with a snort, and Artemis rolled her eyes.
"Welcome to the team, Robin," Miss. Martian said, handing him a brownie.
"Thanks."
"About time you showed up," Nightwing said, as Batgirl walked into the kitchen. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You just got ahold of me, Nitwing."
"BG! I get to join," Robin said, walking up to her. She ruffled his hair.
"I knew you were ready."
"Everyone to the foyer."
"Go ahead. I'll meet you in there," Nightwing told Robin, who nodded in agreement. He waited until everyone left before turning to Batgirl, who tilted her head to the side.
"Something wrong, bird-for-brains?"
"Keep an eye on Robin for me."
"Why?"
"I promised Batman that I would watch him, and if he went too far, I would pull him out. He's concerned."
"He'll be fine," she reassured him, placing her hand on his arm. "He has us."
"Yeah, he does," he replied with a grin, before putting his hand on Barbara's back and leading her out of the living room. They met with Batman and the rest of the team in the foyer.
"There are rumors that the light has new technology stored Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. We need to get eyes on that equipment and see what it is. Nightwing, Robin, Aqualad, Miss Martian and Zatanna will be attending this mission. Since this is Robin's first mission, Nightwing, show him what to do."
He nodded. "You got it, Batman."
"Go ahead and move out."
They nodded. Nightwing and Robin turned to Batgirl, who threw them a smile.
"Sorry you can't come today."
"It's alright. You two have fun."
"We'll be back soon, Batgirl," Robin said, and she nodded before they both took off. Batman waited until they were gone before he started talking again.
"I actually have something the four of you can do for me."
"What is it?" Batgirl asked, and he turned to look at her.
"This is awesome," Robin said, looking around the bioship. Nightwing grinned at him.
"Welcome to the team."
"Next stop, the desert," M'gann said, and the bioship started to take off. They were pretty silent until the bioship finally landed, and they all got out.
"I've set up a mind link," M'gann said, and they nodded, Robin furrowing his brow in confusion.
"A what?"
"A mind link, Robin," M'gann said in his head, and he jumped back but grinned at her.
"That's pretty cool."
"Enough talking, Robin. Use the link," Nightwing ordered, and he looked over and nodded at him.
"Get the bug ready, Nightwing," Aqualad ordered.
"M'gann," Nightwing said, handing her the bug. "I need you to get this on one of the men."
"On it," she said back before disappearing.
"I don't know about you, but something doesn't feel right," Zatanna said quietly.
"I agree. Just keep a level head," Aqualad said, and she nodded.
Nightwing nodded to Robin, and they both grappled away. Zatanna and Aqualad turned to look at them, both of their faces dropping then they noticed they weren't there.
"I hate it when they do it," they said together.
"Did you plant the bug?" Robin asked Nightwing, who nodded in agreement.
"Yes. We need to see if it's working."
He pulled his gauntlet up and started typing on it, activating the bug. He then synced it to his comms unit.
"I can hear voices. Recording to Batman."
"M'gann, can you see the equipment?" Aqualad asked.
"Yes. Looks like standard military equipment."
"What would they need that for?" Robin asked.
"A war, Rob," Nightwing said. "They want to start a war."
"There's also a bunch of submarines."
"Subs?" Nightwing pondered. "Interesting."
"Zatanna?" Aqualad asked, and they waited for a moment. "Zatanna, do you copy?"
"Z!" Nightwing said, trying to get her attention.
"I can't see her," M'gann said.
"Look what I found!" one of the men said, dragging Zatanna behind him. "Looks like the junior Justice League is back."
"Is she alone?"
"I didn't see anyone else."
"Then I doubt she's alone."
"They have Zatanna," Nightwing said, looking down at her. "Mission's blown."
"We need to get to her," M'gann said.
"Don't move," Aqualad said, and Nightwing swallowed as he looked down at her.
"Wakey, wakey," one of the guardsmen said, slapping Zatanna's cheek.
"What do you want?" she asked, glaring at him.
"What are you doing here? Where's the rest of your team?"
"Just me."
"I'm having a hard time believing you. Talk," he replied, pulling on her hair. She cried out.
Nightwing couldn't take it anymore.
"Nightwing!" Robin said, as he jumped down. Everyone jumped back.
"I would get away from her if I were you," he ordered, and everyone laughed.
"Nightwing! What a surprise."
Robin jumped down next to him, and Aqualad and M'gann joined next to them. They started attacked the guards, finding it difficult to keep up with them.
"Are you ok?" Nightwing asked, bending down next to Zatanna. She nodded.
"I'm fine. I don't know how they detected me."
He glanced over at Robin, who was fighting off one of the men. He then looked back at Zatanna and helped her up, watching as she stumbled for a minute.
"We need you here."
"I'm fine," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. He nodded, and they turned back to the rest, helping them fight the men off.
"You're really making me mad," Robin said, smashing his staff into one of the men.
"I hate this bird!" another man said, assisting the one that was attacking Robin.
"Back-to-back, Rob!" Nightwing said, as he and Zatanna ran over to him. She said a spell, and the rest of the men were tied up. Nightwing grinned at her.
"I love it when you do that."
"Isn't it a good thing you have me around?" she asked with a smirk. She then followed Aqualad to the building. Nightwing gestured his head to Robin, and they followed after her.
"Seems all clear in here," Aqualad said, leading the group.
"So, this is the equipment?" Robin said, tilting his head to the side. Nightwing pressed a button on the side of his domino mask and started recording.
"This is impressive," he said, circling around it.
"Annoying children!" someone said, before bullets started shooting at them. Nightwing grabbed hold of Robin and pulled him around the tank.
"Get your batarangs out," he ordered, and Robin quickly pulled them out, shooting them off at the man.
They quickly ran out from behind the equipment and started to attack back. Aqualad shot water off, and Robin used the moment of distraction to grapple up and knock the gun out of his hand. The man's hand wrapped around his neck, and he started coughing.
"Robin!" Nightwing said, throwing his batarangs at him. Aqualad shot off another beam of water, and he threw Robin down. Zatanna quickly said a spell, and carefully lowered Robin to the ground. M'gann ran over to him.
"Are you alright?"
He nodded, rubbing his neck. She helped him up and back over to the team.
"Self-destruct everything," a man in red said, and his partner quickly hit the self-destruct button before they turned out of the room.
"Self-destruct sequence authorized."
"Get out of here!" Aqualad said, and they quickly ran out of the building, avoiding more gunshots of other men who were still there. The building exploded, and they quickly ducked to avoid the explosion.
"That hurt," Nightwing remarked, standing up to stretch.
"Is everyone ok?" Aqualad asked, standing up as well.
"Fine," they echoed back.
"Well, Batman will be pleased," Zatanna said, and Nightwing and Robin groaned.
"No, he won't."
"We got it, Batman," Batgirl said, giving him the intel. "It was there like you said it was."
"Any trouble?" he asked, flipping through the folder.
"None. Surprisingly, it went well."
"You say that like you have no faith in yourself." She didn't reply, and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You've done extremely well. Hit the showers and rest."
She nodded, and walked out of the room. She met with Artemis in the living room and sat down on the couch.
"You look exhausted."
"I am exhausted," she replied, plopping her feet on the coffee table. Wally and Connor joined them.
"That went a little easier than I thought it would."
"Too easy for my liking," Batgirl replied, and they nodded in agreement.
"I wonder how the other mission went," Artemis said.
"If it's anything like the others, probably not any better than usual."
"How are you?" Artemis asked her, placing her hand over Barbara's. "How's that Batlife of yours?"
She laughed. "Just dealing with two bird-brains and their tough bat mentor."
"Robin doing any better?"
"He's trying. He's trying so hard. I'm so proud of him."
"He'll get it," Connor assured her. "It just takes time."
"Hey, enough hero talk," Wally said, grabbing for the remote for the television. "I say we relax and enjoy some time to ourselves."
"Sounds great to me," Batgirl replied, turning around to take her cowl off. She quickly put her glasses on and turned back.
"Must be hard to keep your identity hidden," Connor said, and she nodded, fingering her cowl with her thumbs.
"If I had it my way, I would tell all of you. It's not my way."
"It's better to follow his orders."
"I know. It's hard sometimes, but he's taken me in and trained me. I'm not disobeying orders."
Wally flipped through the channels. "It seems like they've been gone for hours."
"Nightwing to the cave."
"Hey! We're watching TV here. No one wants to see your face on the screen."
Nightwing gave him a look. "Everyone here knows I'm better looking than you."
"Batgirl can attest to that. She knows what you look like."
"I'm not getting involved in this," she replied, taking a drink of her water.
"We got the intel we needed, but we had to bolt. We were discovered. We may have accidently destroyed all of the equipment as well."
"Oh yeah. Accident," Wally replied, taking bites of his popcorn.
"We'll be back soon."
The screen disappeared, and they looked at each other.
"At least we weren't a part of that mission."
"We won't get lectured by Batman."
They watched TV until the rest of the team returned, looking exhausted. Zatanna had a bruise on the top of her head.
"How'd it go?" Batgirl asked, when they entered the cave.
"The usual," Nightwing replied, flashing her a grin. Robin walked up next to him. "He did really well."
"Good," she said, rubbing Robin's arm.
"What'd you do?"
"Oh, nothing," she replied with a shrug, and he narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're a terrible liar, BG."
"I'm not lying."
"Nightwing. Aqualad," Batman said, calling them over. Nightwing groaned before he followed behind Aqualad. Batgirl turned back to Robin.
"Was it fun?"
"A lot of fun," he replied with a grin. "Wish you could have been there."
"Next time," she replied, rubbing his head. She looked over at Zatanna. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she replied, putting her fingers against the bruise. "Guy got me good."
"Doesn't look too bad. I'm just glad you're ok."
"I'm fine. I'm just hoping Batman won't lecture them for what happened."
"We're used to it," she replied, and Zatanna and Robin laughed.
"Way too used to it."
"Good work," she said to Robin before she walked off. Batgirl winked at him.
"I'm going to take a shower," he said, and she nodded before he strode past her.
"Little Robin's growing up," Artemis said, walking up to her.
"I know. He's becoming quite the young man."
"And Nightwing's really growing up," she said, checking him out.
"I see what you're doing," Wally hissed in her ear, and she smirked as she saw Batgirl checking Nightwing out.
"I'm not doing anything."
"Morning, Alfred," Jason said, taking a seat at the island dressed in his uniform.
"Good morning, Master Jason. Sleep well?"
"For a change," he replied dully, diving into his breakfast.
"I'm taking off, Alfred," Bruce said, buttoning his suit as he walked into the kitchen.
"You're not even going to have breakfast, sir?"
"No time. I have Jason's parent-teacher conference today, so I had schedule early meetings. I can take him to school today."
Jason groaned. "I forgot about that."
"Something I should know before I go later?"
"No," he replied honestly. Bruce eyed him, and he turned away.
"Alright. How's Dick doing, Alfred?"
"He says he was up most of the night. I gave him some medicine when I checked on him last, so he should be out soon."
"I called him in sick. He needs rest."
"I'll force him, sir."
"Finish up, Jason. We need to leave soon."
He nodded before turning back to Alfred.
"What's wrong with Dick?"
"Master Richard will not be going to school today," Alfred said, handing Jason his bookbag. "He has the flu."
"Bummer," he replied, finishing his breakfast. He then looked through his bag. "I need to get my book. I left it upstairs."
"Go get it. You need to leave soon."
Jason nodded, and he quickly ran back up to his bedroom to grab for his book. He then peaked his head inside his brother's room and saw him move his arm while letting out a small moan.
"You look like the living dead," he said, leaning against Dick's doorframe. He lifted his head and glared at him.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?"
"Not until 8:30," he replied, looking at his watch. Alfred walked up to him.
"Come now, Master Jason. It's time to get you off to school. Master Richard needs his sleep."
"Alright, Alfred," Jason said, walking out of the room.
"Try to get some rest, young sir."
"Thanks, Alfie," he replied, covering eyes with his arm. Alfred turned and walked door, closing the door behind him as he did so. Jason met Bruce downstairs, and they walked out of the manor and to Bruce's car. They started on the path to Gotham Academy, and Bruce noted how quiet Jason had been.
"You're not very talkative today, Jason," he said, turning his head to look at him.
"I don't have much to talk about."
"You look exhausted. Did you sleep well?"
He shrugged. "Well enough."
He knew that something was bothering Jason, but he decided to let it slide. When they finally arrived at the school, Jason bid him a goodbye before walking into the school, spotting Barbara the moment he did so.
"Morning," she threw him a smile, taking the cup he handed her. She took a long drink.
"Morning, Barbie."
"How's Dick feeling?"
He shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. "He didn't look too good this morning when I saw him. He looked a little dizzy, actually."
"The flu's hitting everyone hard," she replied, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. "How do you feel?"
"Fine. I haven't caught it-yet."
"Emphasis on 'yet'," she replied, squeezing his shoulder.
"Hang on, Barbie," he said, bending down to tie his shoe. He stood back up and turned around, slamming into another student as he did so.
"Ouch," the small boy said, landing on his backside as the papers and books he was holding fell around him. Barbara took the moment to get a good look at him. He was a small child, one she assumed was in the fourth or fifth grade. He had sharp black hair covering his head, and when he finally looked up, she noticed his sharp, blue eyes.
"I'm so sorry," she said, as she and Jason bent down to pick up the papers.
"All good," the boy replied, taking his bookbag off to put everything inside.
She noticed that name on one of the paper's. "Tim, huh?"
"Tim Drake, yeah."
"Sorry, Tim. Jason has a habit of not looking where he's going."
"Sorry," he replied with a shrug. Tim smiled.
"Again, it's all good. I should really be going."
"Have a good day," she said, watching as he nodded to everyone before strolling past. She narrowed his eyes.
"Something wrong?" Jason asked, looking up at her.
"I just feel like I've seen him before."
"You've probably seen him around school."
"Probably. C'mon, we need to get to class. We don't want to be late."
He nodded, and followed her down the hall.
"Ah, Mr. Wayne. Come on in."
"Thank you," he said, ignoring the looks from the other parents. He walked into the room and sat down at the table.
"I'm Julia Carol, Jason's math teacher."
"Nice to meet you," he replied, shaking her hand.
"When Jason was first enrolled here, I was shocked to hear about his background. I was expecting him to have a lot of trouble, but he succeeded and has been ever since. I can safely say that he'll do well in the eighth grade next year."
"But?" he said, after a moment of silence.
"Lately, he seems to be struggling. I don't know why he hasn't asked for help, but he hasn't."
"That's weird, because he does his homework with Richard and Barbara every night. They help him."
"It could just be that he's not understanding, especially since he's done well this point, but we do have a test coming up and I feel as though he may not be ready for it."
"Is this anything I can do?"
"Try to see if you can work with Jason. Maybe get him to talk about what he might be struggling with. Otherwise, Jason is a wonderful student. You should be very proud."
"I am," Bruce replied, flashing her a smile. "Thank you."
"Thank you for coming," she replied, shaking his hand.
He finished up with the rest of the conferences before he ventured off back to his office. He spent the next few hours there before returning home, taking the long way home.
Parking his garage in the car, he quietly got out and walked inside his house, spotting Alfred in the kitchen.
"Afternoon, Alfred."
"Good afternoon, sir. How was the conferences?"
"Good. Jason's math teacher says he's struggling, but she gave me some tips on how to help him."
"Master Jason will be just fine, sir. I know he will do well."
"So do I, Alfred. He just needs a little help. His other teachers say he's so one of the best in the class."
"Not bad for a child who was stealing-to-survive however many months ago."
"Dick and Barbara have really gotten him to come out of his shell, just like I knew they would."
"Not just them, sir," Alfred said, putting the towel into the sink. "Jason enjoys the time that he spends with you."
Bruce didn't reply, but he poured himself a glass of tea and took a drink from it. "The company is holding a gala for the Gotham City Police Department next month. I need the boys fitted for new suits, because they have both grown quite a bit since Christmas Eve."
"It will be done."
"Also, if Barbara needs anything as well."
He nodded his head. Bruce turned to walk out of the kitchen, and Alfred followed behind him.
"How's he feeling?" he asked, as he walked up the stairs to Dick's room.
"He's been resting most of the day. I think his latest medicine might have had an influence on that."
"Rest is good," he replied, looking inside Dick's doorframe at the sleeping teenager in the bed. "Jason doing fine?"
"He looked well this morning, but I'll keep an eye on him. Speaking of, it is time for me to go get them. If you would excuse me, sir."
"Of course," he replied, nodding his head. He closed Dick's door behind him before going to his study, where he stayed for about forty-five minutes before he heard voices coming in from the Entrance Hall.
"I won that, Gordon!"
"In your dreams, Todd!" she mimicked back.
"Jason!" he called, setting his paperwork to the side. He waited until he walked into his study. "How are you today?"
"Good," Jason replied, sitting on Bruce's desk.
"How much homework do you have tonight?" he asked his young charge, who shrugged in response.
"Not much."
"Well, I have some work to do in here. If you would like to, I'd be willing to help you with it."
"Really?" Jason asked, popping his head up. "Wait, today was parent-teacher conference, wasn't it?"
"Your math teacher says you're struggling. Why haven't you told anyone?"
"I'm fine."
"Don't do that," he replied, pulling a seat up next to his chair. "Jason, if you need help, you need to let someone know. We're all here to help you. You're not on your own anymore."
Jason didn't reply, so Bruce stood up and walked over to him. He placed his hand on his shoulder and forced Jason to look up at him.
"Let us help you. What are you struggling with?"
"This," he replied, pulling a folder out of his bookbag. He handed it to Bruce and watched as he opened it.
"I struggled with this when I went to Gotham Academy. Dick did as well. It's not easy, but everyone in this house has gone through this. So, sit down at that desk, I'll go get Barbara, and we'll all work on this together."
"Thanks, Bruce," Jason said, taking the folder back. He sat down at the desk and waited for Bruce and Barbara to return.
"Where's your book?" Bruce asked, and Jason pulled it and his class notes out. Barbara sat down next to him and threw him a smile, offering him encouragement.
As she worked on her own homework, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Bruce and Jason working on his homework together. When Jason would get frustrated, Bruce would calm him down and explain that the problem in a way that Jay understood.
At the end, Jason finally understood, and he was able to finish his homework.
"An afternoon snack," Alfred said, walking into the study.
"Is Dick awake yet?"
"Master Richard is still resting. You two may see him when he awakens," he said, putting a tray of food down in front of her and Jason.
"Thank you, Alfred," she said, taking hold of the sandwich triangle. She nibbled on it as she opened her math book, scratching her head with her pencil as she looked over her Algebra homework.
"Is this a good book?" Jason asked, pulling a library book out of his bookbag. She took it from him, smiling softly.
"The Giver? It's one of my favorites. I think you'll like it."
He looked over the book. "I have to read chapter one tonight."
"It's not that long. Won't take you much time."
"You can read it before we go out for patrol," Bruce replied, returning his own paperwork. Jason groaned but nodded, putting the book back into his bag as he did so.
"Is there something you need my help with?" Barbara asked, looking back over at him.
"Yeah, my science report," he said, pulling another folder out. "Can you check over it for me?"
"Of course," she replied, taking the report from him. She read through it for a few minutes, impressed by Jason's close attention to detail.
"I'd say that's a perfect report."
"Thanks," he said, taking it back. "Better get started on this book, then."
"Let me know if you need anything else," she said, turning back to her algebra homework.
They worked for another hour before Alfred walked into the study, grabbing their attention as he did so.
"Master Richard is awake if you would like to see him."
Barbara stood up. "Coming with?"
"Sure," he replied, following after her. They walked up the stairs and stopped outside of Dick's room, peeking her head inside to make sure he was awake.
"Hey," she said, walking into his room. "How do you feel?"
"Like the room is spinning," he replied, pressing the towel further down onto his eyes.
"Awe," she replied, stroking his hair. "You already look like you're feeling better."
"All I've done today is sleep."
"That's good. Get all the rest you can get."
"You look like crap," Jason said, looking down at his brother.
"I still look better than you do."
"Boys," Barbara muttered under her breath, a small smile plastered onto her lips.
"How was school?"
"Boring as usual," she replied, sitting on the side of his bed. "We've started poetry today."
"Yawn," he replied.
"I brought your homework home."
"Gee, thanks. That'll make me feel better."
"I knew it would." She reached over to his nightstand and picked a dixie cup and a bottle of medicine up. "Alfred said it's time to take your medicine."
He sat up in his bed and downed both, pulling a face as he did so. Barbara hid a smile.
"That's horrible tasting."
"It's medicine. It's not supposed to taste good," she replied, putting them both back on his nightstand. He sat against his headboard and looked over at Jason, grinning as he did so.
"You're not going to say anything to your sick brother?"
"You act like you're dying."
"He's always like this when he's sick," Barbara replied, placing her hand on his forehead. She gently rubbed her thumb across his head.
"Do not," he replied, sticking his tongue out.
"Your fever's going down. You should be up and about tomorrow."
"Dang. I liked the quiet," Jason said, shaking his head playfully.
"You've missed me."
"No, I haven't."
"Do you feel up to eating?" Barbara asked, breaking their conversation.
"Maybe some soup or something."
"Alfred said dinner's ready if you feel up to coming downstairs."
"Please. I need to get out of here," he replied, pushing his covers back. She helped him out of his bed and downstairs to the dining room.
"You should be resting, Master Richard."
"How many times have you told me this in my life, Alfie?" he replied back, sitting down in his chair. Barbara laughed behind her hand.
"Well, I made you some chicken noodles soup, sir," he said, placing the bowl in front of him. He placed three other plates in front of Jason, Barbara and Bruce.
"How are you feeling?" Bruce asked, looking over at him.
"Better than I was."
"You look better."
"I'm ready to be back out on patrol," he replied, taking another sip of his soup. Barbara reached over and rubbed his back.
"You need rest. You can go back to Nightwing when you're feeling better."
"Fine, mom," he grumbled, and she rolled her eyes before returning to her dinner. Jason flashed her a grin.
"You're not going on patrol until you're feeling better. End of discussion."
Dick didn't respond, but he was able to eat half of his soup before pushing it away. Everyone else finished their dinners before they pushed them away.
"Meet me down in the cave in ten minutes."
They nodded, and he walked out of the room. Barbara and Jason turned back to Dick.
"Get well soon, Dicky," Jason joked, sticking his tongue out at him.
"Shut up," he grumbled, giving him a look.
"You'll be back out there soon. Stop whining."
"You're whining," he mimicked back, and she gave him a look.
"C'mon, Jay, we need to change."
He nodded and followed her out of the room and down to the cave. Dick stared at them before he turned and walked into the living room, deciding he would watch TV until they returned.
"Robin? Are you ok?" Batgirl asked, when he hunched over the railing. She put her hand on his head. "You're burning up. You must have caught Nightwing's flu."
"I hate him," he replied, clutching his stomach.
"Batman, I'm going to take him home," she said, helping Robin onto her bike.
"Go ahead and head home yourself. I'll be fine tonight."
She nodded, and hopped on her bike, feeling his arms wrap around her stomach. She took off back to the manor and parked her bike in the cave, watching as he stumbled when he got off.
"Let me help," she said, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. She spotted Alfred at the computer. "He has the flu."
"I figured that would happen sooner or later," he said.
"I'll take him upstairs, Alfred," she said, helping him up the passageway. She met with Dick on the stairwell.
"Looks like you're contagious," she joked, helping Jason up the stairs.
"Sorry, Jay."
"I hate you, Grayson," he remarked, and she let out a small laugh as she helped him into bed.
"Get some rest, Jay."
He nodded, and she put a cold cloth onto his head before walking out of his room with Dick following behind her. He turned to her once he closed the door.
"Heading home, then?"
"Yeah. Bruce says he's fine for tonight."
"Looks like you'll be alone for school tomorrow."
"Maybe I can actually focus for a change," she joked, and he gave her a playful glare.
"Focusing on me, are you?"
"What? No!"
"That would be the only reason why you can't focus, then."
She rolled her eyes. "You're so egotistical."
He smirked. "Don't be like that, Gordon."
"I seriously need to get home. Both of you need to get some rest. I'll stop by after school tomorrow."
"Thanks, Babs," he said, clapping her shoulder. "See you then."
She nodded, and turned to walk back out. He leaned forward on the railing and watched as she walked out, a small smirk plastered on his face.
"You both are looking healthier than ever," Barbara said, as she pulled into the cave. Dick smirked at her.
"How'd you avoid it?"
"I have no idea," she replied, taking her helmet off to shake her hair out. "Hi, Jay. Feeling better?"
"Much better," he replied, smoothing out his suit. "Ready to kick some more butt."
"I've missed you two out there. Not the same dealing with grumpy on my own."
They laughed together.
"Thanks for taking one for the team."
"Always a pleasure," she replied with a smile.
Bruce walked down into the cave already in suit. "Are we ready?"
"Ready, Bruce," Jason said, putting his mask on.
"Nothing much on the scanner yet. Let's head into town and observe."
They nodded, and Jason got into the Batmobile while Dick and Barbara hopped on their bikes. They drove off to the city, and Dick looked over at Barbara, smiling softly as her hair whipped in the mild night's air.
Bruce stopped the car in an alley not far from A.C.E., and they pulled up beside him, parking their bikes beside the car. They both leaned up against their handlebars as they waited for Bruce to come out of the car.
"It's so beautiful out here tonight," she said, looking around. He nodded.
"STOP! SOMEBODY HELP!"
"You blew the moment, BG," he said before they hopped off their bikes. They quickly ran to the sound of the screaming and noticed a man with a hand around a woman's throat.
"Let go of her!" Nightwing ordered, and the man grinned.
"Like I'm afraid of a bunch of teenagers."
"It's not us you should be afraid of," Batgirl said softly, and the man furrowed his brow before a figure appeared from the shadows. "I warned you."
"I'm sorry!" the man said, falling to the floor. "Please don't hurt me!"
"You hurt an innocent woman," Batman said, sneaking up on. "Why shouldn't I do the same to you?"
The man crawled on his hands until his back was against the wall. Batman bent down and handcuffed him, calling Gordon through his gauntlet.
"Are you alright?" Batgirl asked, turning back to the woman. She nodded, running her fingers across her neck.
"How bad it is?"
"It's pretty bruised. Would you like an ambulance?"
"I'm alright. Thank you."
"You're safe now," Nightwing said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you," she said softly, wrapping her arms around herself.
They waited there with the woman until the police arrived. When the man was in custody they returned back to the vehicles.
"Let's get up top and observe," Batman said, and they nodded before pulling their grapnels out. They got on top of the building and waited on his signal.
"You haven't talked much tonight," Batgirl told Robin, who shrugged in response.
"Don't have much to say, I guess."
"You ok?"
"Peachy," he replied with a grin, and she smiled back at him.
"He's just grumpy lately," Nightwing said, gesturing his head towards Robin, who glared up at him in response.
"Shut up, Nightwing."
"See?"
"Ignore Nitwing."
"Rude," he replied, and a smirk plastered onto her face.
"You'll get over it."
"Batman, what is that?" Robin asked, pointing his finger across the town. Looking over, he noticed a pile of smoke appearing. He narrowed his eyes.
"Let's go check it out."
They hopped back down to the vehicles and drove off towards the smoke. The sounds of people screaming hit their eyes, and they quickly got out of the car and off the bikes and looked up, furrowing their brows as they did so.
"Batman!" Firefly hissed, looking down at them. "Why must you interrupt everything?"
"Stand down, Lynns!"
"You're an annoying pest!" he replied, shooting fire off at them. They quickly jumped out of the way.
"Rob! BG! Get those people to safety!" Nightwing ordered, and they nodded, rushing over to the burning building.
They quickly put their oxygen masks and looked through the building, using their detective vision to find the people still in here. Robin quickly spotted one, and they rushed over to her, helping her out of the building.
"Stay here," Robin ordered Batgirl before rushing back into the building.
"ROBIN!" she screamed back, but turned back to the girl when she whimpered in pain. "What hurts?"
"M-my arm," she replied, pointing to her arm, which held a giant burn spot. She looked at the girl's arm right as the firetruck pulled up.
"We'll take it from here, Batgirl," one of the firefighters said, running up to them. He bent down to look at the girl's wound.
"Batgirl and Robin saved my life," the girl replied, smiling up at her. Batgirl smiled down at her, her heart filling with pride.
She and Robin saved this girl's life.
"Robin!" she said suddenly realizing that he hasn't come back out yet. She turned her detective vision back on and tried to run back into the building, but was held back by another firefighter. "Let me through, please! Robin's in there!"
"We'll find him, Batgirl."
"Nightwing, shoot it!" Batman ordered, jumping out of the way of another fire burst. Nightwing quickly pulled out a canister and shot it off at Firefly, cursing to himself when Firefly moved to avoid it. He tried to pull another one out, but he was forced to move when Lynns threw something at him.
"What now?" he asked Batman, watching as Firefly edged closer to them.
"We need to try to get him away from his tech. Whatever it takes. Where's Batgirl and Robin?"
"Helping civilians, although I think the fire department's here now."
"Get them. We need a distraction."
He nodded, and he quickly maneuvered around to try to get back to Jason and Barbara. He quickly spotted them.
"Robin!" Batgirl cried, when he finally arrived outside with another trapped victim. He handed the victim to a firefighter before falling over, clutching his leg. She quickly rushed over to him.
"What happened?"
"I got caught," he breathed out.
"How bad?" she asked, accidently putting her hand close to the burn.
"Ow," he cried, grabbing for his thigh.
"I think your suit protected you pretty well," she replied, bending down to look at his thigh. "Just a small burn on your thigh."
"I got lucky," he replied, watching as she looked over the burn. "Where's Nightwing?"
"He's up ahead," she replied, gesturing her head. "He's helping Batman."
"I'll be alright. Go help them."
"I'm not leaving you," she replied, pushing his hair out of his face. "They can handle it."
"Batgirl!" Nightwing said, running up to them. "How is he?"
"He has a burn on his thigh, but he'll be just fine," she said, helping him sit up, grimacing when he hissed in pain.
"Just relax."
"I've been through worse," he replied with a grin, and she smiled back at him. "Look out!"
She quickly grabbed hold of him and moved him out of the way, looking down sadly at him when he cried out in pain. The fire started moving around them, and she looked up to see Firefly hovering over them.
"Batman, he's over here," she said through the comms before standing up. She quickly took out her batarangs and shot them off, watching as he avoided each one. Nightwing quickly ran up to her and pulled his rope out, trying to wrap it around him.
"We need to get him away from his tech."
"You're the best at getting attentions," she replied with a grin, shielding Robin with her body. He gave her a look, but a smirk was plastered over his face.
"Hey, fireboy!"
"You!" he hissed, pointing his gun at him.
"You look a little hot. You might want to try cooling down a little."
"You're going to be the one who needs to cool down!" he replied, pointing his gun at him. Batgirl looked over at Batman and nodded her head, quietly moving away from Robin and towards the firehose, grabbing it from the fireman as she did so.
"C'mon, I'm waiting!" Nightwing said, holding his hands out.
"Now," Batman said in her ear, and she quickly fired the water off, watching as he leaped from the building to try to tackle him. She thanked the firefighter before running back over to Robin, and they both watched as Batman and Firefly crashed to the ground.
"You ok?" Nightwing asked, rushing up to him.
"Fine. Help me get his tech off."
"You'll pay for this!" Firefly replied, cringing as Batman held him down while Nightwing took the tech off.
"How do you feel?" Batgirl asked, bending down next to Robin. He shrugged.
"I'm fine."
"Do you mind if I take a look?" one of the E.M.T.s said, and he nodded. The paramedic studied it for a moment. "Doesn't look bad. Let me dress it and you'll be on your way."
"Thank you," Batgirl and Robin replied, and they waited until he was finished before she helped him up.
"You're going to lecture me, aren't you?"
"I will, but not until you feel better."
"Thanks," he replied with a lopsided grin. She helped him over to Batman and Nightwing, and Nightwing wrapped his brother's arm around his shoulder.
"Can you walk?"
"Not well."
"Don't worry, Batman, I'll give him the lecture."
"I'm so looking forward to it," he replied, rolling his eyes behind his mask.
"Alright there, Jay?" Dick asked, clapping Jason's shoulder as he sat on the bed in the cave.
"I've had worse," he replied with a shrug.
"I don't even want to know. Good work tonight."
"Thanks," he replied, stretching his arms. "I'm beat."
"Might be best to get some rest, Master Jason. You'll heal up much faster that way."
"Go on ahead and go to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"Cool," he replied. "Night."
"Night, Jay," he said, watching as he carefully got off of the bed and walked upstairs, Alfred following close behind him.
"When do I get to go driving again?" Dick asked Bruce, who turned to look at him.
"Have you logged your hours?"
"The few that I've gotten, yes."
"I'll take you out again soon."
"Thanks, Bruce," he replied, before taking his suit off. He changed into his pajamas and walked upstairs, ready to get some rest before school tomorrow.
"How's my two favorite boys?" Barbara asked, grabbing for the coffee cup Dick handed her. Jason grinned up at her.
"Better today, Barbie."
"I'm glad," she replied, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.
"Here's my part of our poetry assignment," Dick said, handing Barbara a piece of paper. Jason snatched it. "Jay!"
"This is your version of poetry, Grayson?" he said, bending over laughing as he read through the paper. Dick snatched it back.
"Let me see it," Barbara replied with a smile, taking the paper from Dick. "This is really good."
"Thank you," he replied, giving Jason a look. He glared in response.
"I'm off to the seventh grade where I don't have to worry about poetry. Bye."
"Bye," they replied, watching as he walked off in the opposite direction. She turned back to him.
"This is really good, Dick. So romantic."
"Shut up," he replied with a blush, watching as she grinned at him.
"Oh, I'm enjoying this."
"That's because you enjoy my pain."
"C'mon, let's go to class. We can continue working on this."
"Did you hear about the gala?" he asked, as they started walking towards their English class.
"Dad told me about it last night. Apparently Wayne Enterprises is throwing it."
"Jay's so thrilled about wearing a suit again," he replied, and she let out a laugh.
"Oh, I bet he is."
"I'm actually looking forward it," he replied, and she glanced over at him, pushing a piece of her hair back behind her ear.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Why's that?"
"Just am," he replied with a shrug.
"Honestly, I'm looking forward to it, too."
"Yeah?" he asked, throwing her a grin. She nodded.
The bell rang, and they quickly entered their English classroom, sitting down next to one another as they did so.
Dick's poem was still echoing around in Barbara's head.