"About time you're up," Dick said, finishing his bowl of cereal. Jason ignored him and rubbed his eyes, grabbing for a bowl from the cabinet. "What? Not going to talk today?"
"Leave me alone," he replied, pouring the cereal into his bowl. Dick narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Nothing."
"Ok," Dick said, standing up to wash his bowl out. "Babs and I are heading to the cave soon if you want to tag along."
He nodded, and Dick turned to walk out of the kitchen. He walked up to his bedroom and laid down on his bed, wondering what was wrong with Jason.
After a few minutes of laying down, he finally got up and got into the shower, letting the warm water soak his aching muscles.
Last night was rough.
He got thrown into a building trying to stop a mugger. A very critical mistake, but luckily Barbara had his back and was able to take him down.
That didn't stop the pain, though.
He stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. He then brushed his teeth and dried his hair with another towel before he stepped out of the bathroom. He got changed and lied back down on his bed, feeling exhausted.
"Dick? Dick!"
"Wha?" he asked, snapping his eyes open. When they finally came into focus, he spotted Barbara staring down at him, hands on her hips as she stared down at him.
"Babs?"
"We were supposed to go to the cave, remember?"
"I must have fallen back asleep," he said, sitting up in his bed. She tilted her head to the side as she stared down at him.
"Wake up, sleepy head."
"Where's Jay?"
"He's not here," she said, and he looked up at her.
"What do you mean he's not here?"
"He must be at the cave already."
"He's mad about something," Dick said, sitting up in his bed.
"He's probably not in a good mood today. Just leave him be."
He got out of his bed and grabbed for his phone, pocketing it as he did so. "Whenever you're ready to go."
"You don't look like you're feeling well," she said, placing her hand on his head. "You ok?"
"Just fine," he replied, grabbing for her hand.
"Let's go," she said, pulling on his hand to lead him out of his room. They walked down to the cave and hopped on their bikes, quickly speeding off to the booth. When they finally arrived, they parked their bikes in the garage. They then traveled through the zeta tube to get to the cave, spotting Jason watching TV with Connor.
"There you are," Nightwing said, walking up to them.
"Here I am," he replied dully. Batgirl sat down next to him.
"Hi there," Zatanna said, walking into the living room.
"Oh, hey there, Z," Nightwing said, flashing her a grin.
"Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin," she replied, throwing them a smile.
"Hello, Zatanna."
"I hear Batman might have a mission for us."
"We'd love to tell you, but we honestly have no idea. He keeps to himself. I've been trying to get him to open but he won't listen," Nightwing said, shaking his head. Batgirl rolled her eyes.
"Why do you talk?"
"Because I'm a delight."
"If that's what you call it."
"If you're wondering, they never stop talking like this," Robin said, with an annoyed look on his face. Batgirl ruffled his hair.
"You three seem like you're fun to be around."
"Depends on the day," Nightwing said. "I mean, I'm a delight but these two, well, they have their days."
"I am so going to hit you," she replied, shaking her head.
"Gather around," Batman said, walking up to them. "A few hours ago, the Watchtower picked up unusual activity near Madrid. I am sending your team uncover to investigate what's going on and report back to me. Covert only. Aqualad will lead."
He nodded. Batman gave them all a look before he turned and walked away.
"Zatanna, Nightwing Batgirl, Robin, Aquagirl, Tempest, Miss. Martian and Superboy. Sounds like a good team."
"We should get moving," Aqualad said, and they all nodded They boarded the bioship, and M'gann started to take off.
"This is about the area where the Watchtower picked up activity," Nightwing said, closing his gauntlet.
"We'll have to continue on foot. Camouflage mode everyone."
M'gann parked the bioship, and they all stepped out. M'gann went invisible and flew off, and they waited until she returned.
"There's a bunker about a mile up. I think that's where they're at. They're below a cliff, which would be a good look-out spot."
"Let's move," Aqualad said, and they started walking towards the cliff. They all kneeled down, and Robin took out his binoculars and started observing.
"What is this place?" Robin asked quietly.
"Mind link, M'gann."
"Established," she said through the link.
"It could be a hideout for the light, or it could be something else entirely," Nightwing answered him, looking out with his own binoculars.
"The real question is, what's in there exactly?" Aqualad replied.
"That's what we need to find out," Batgirl replied.
"How, though? We can't be discovered," Tempest asked, before looking over to spot Nightwing and Robin missing. "Never mind."
"Batgirl, how do you all do that?"
"We're ninjas," she replied with a grin on her face. "At least, that's what Wally tells us."
"We found a way in," Robin said through the link.
"Move," Aqualad ordered, and they took off towards Nightwing and Robin. They all entered the entrance and looked down from the rafters.
"Uh, what is that?" Robin asked, furrowing his brow.
"Recording," Nightwing said, turning the video camera on through his domino mask.
"Looks like a chemical factory," Batgirl said, looking around. "They could be replicating something here."
"That's the last thing we need," Aqualad said,agreeing with her.
"Look!" Superboy said, pointing to a person. They all looked down, and Nightwing narrowed his eyes.
"Talia al Ghul."
"Is she related to Ra's?" M'gann asked.
"She's his daughter. One of them, anyway."
"That's Talia?" Robin asked, looking over at him.
"How much longer will this take?" Talia asked, walking with the man.
"Not much longer, m'lady. We're nearly done."
"My father is losing patience. His associates are pressuring us."
"We are so close. Another day or two and we'll have this ready."
"Finish it," she ordered, and the man nodded before turning away. Talia looked around for a minute before turning on her heel. Nightwing tapped his finger against the rafter.
"She and her father are both working for The Light?" Robin asked.
"I don't think she is. I believe she's just following his commands," Nightwing answered.
"Let's split up. Aquagirl, M'gann, Superboy and I will go look at the other building. You lot stay here," Aqualad said, and they nodded. They disappeared, and Nightwing looked back down.
"Stay close," he whispered. "We're going to see if we can get any intel without tipping someone off."
They nodded, and followed him. When the coast was clear, they quietly jumped down and ran to the control room, quietly taking down the men who were guarding it.
"Batgirl," Nightwing said, gesturing to the computer. She smirked at him as she sat down in the chair, and he plugged his gauntlet into it.
"This is a good encryption," she said, trying to figure it out. "I don't know how long it will take."
"Robin and I will try to help," he replied, typing into his own gauntlet.
"Got it," she said, after a minute. The computer screen came up, and she began to look through the files.
That's when the computer fried, along with Nightwing's gauntlet.
"Damn it!" he hissed, removing it as it sparked. The room filled with armed men, and they started to take them down.
"We need to move," Nightwing said, turning to everyone once the men were down. "We've been spotted now. We need to find the others."
"What happened?" Aqualad asked, running up to them.
"We attempted to hack the computers, but it alerted them we were here. My gauntlet got fried," Nightwing said, showing him the gauntlet.
"Hold it right there!" a man called out, and several more came running out.
"Look out!" Nightwing said, jumping out of the way to avoid the gunfire. Batgirl shot some batrangs off and knocked the guns out of their hands, watching as Tempest and Aquagirl helped take them down. Zatanna said a spell, and all of the guns went flying away.
She was shot from the back.
"Zatanna!" Batgirl said, rushing over to her.
"It hurts," she said, grabbing hold of her side.
"Stay with her, Batgirl," Nightwing ordered, watching as Superboy took the gunman down. She nodded. "Robin, on me."
Robin ran up to him, and they started walking forward, looking around for more armed men. Aqualad, Aquagirl and Tempest followed behind them.
"It's too quiet," Aqualad said.
"I agree. I don't like it."
"Look out!" Robin said, pushing Nightwing out of the way. More assilants came down from the ceiling, and they quickly got back up and started to attack them, watching as Aqualad, Aquagirl and Tempest did the same.
"So, you do care," Nightwing told Robin, with a grin plastered on his face. Robin growled.
"No! If you anything happened to you, Batman would be hell to deal with."
"I know what you mean. Love you, too, Robin."
"I hate you. I hate you," he chanted back, taking a USB drive from the man he had taken down.
"Good work," Nightwing said, watching as he put it in his belt.
"It's a least something to go off of," Aquagirl said.
"Yeah, but this was supposed to be a covert mission," Tempest replied.
"In all fairness, all of our missions are. Batman's just used to it."
"We got what we needed. Let's go check on the others."
They rushed back to the others, where Connor, M'gann and Batgirl looked over Zatanna, who looked as though she were healed.
"How are you?" Nightwing asked, bending down next to Zatanna. She gave him a weak smile.
"I'm fine."
"We need to move," he said. "If they realize we're down here…"
"Nightwing's right. Let's move."
They quickly ran out of the building and back to the bioship. As soon as they were all onboard, M'gann quickly took off back to Happy Harbor.
Talia waited until they left.
"M'lady, I don't know how they got in here."
"I want this place destroyed," she said, turning her head towards him. "They fell for the decoy like I knew they would."
"How did you know that?"
"Because I know Batman," she replied, looking back at the view. "This place is of nothing to us. The children believe they've discovered this place, and the Justice League will come to investigate and believe the building blew. They'll think it's of no use to us anymore. Destroy it, per Ra's al Ghul's orders."
"Right away, m'lady," the man said, bowing.
"Hey, Barb," Jason said, opening the manor door.
"Hi. Where's Dick?"
"Where he usually is. Right in front of the mirror," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"Why do I even ask?" she said, shaking her head. "C'mon, let's go mess with him."
"You're the best, Barbie," he replied with a grin, following her up the stairs. His door was closed, and she softly knocked on it, watching as he opened it.
"Hey, Babs. Just about ready."
"You were supposed to be ready by now."
"I'm about done," he replied, combing his hair in front of his mirror.
"You seriously took forever to get ready for a day at the beach?" Barbara asked, narrowing her eyes.
"He thinks he looks good," Jason said, standing next to her.
"I do look good."
She shook her head, while Jason mouthed "no". Dick glared down at him.
"You just wait until you're sixteen."
"Except you're not sixteen yet, big head," Barbara said, and he turned to her.
"A month away," he replied, while she shook her head again. "Close enough."
"Let's go, Boy Wonders."
They nodded, picked up their bags, and walked with her down to the cave. They then hopped on their bikes and drove off to the booth, racing one another along the way. When they finally arrived they parked their bikes in the garage and used the zeta tube to get to the cave.
"I think they're out on the beach already."
"C'mon," Barbara said, leading them out there. They walked outside and spotted the rest of the team sitting out there.
"There's those batkids!" Wally said, looking up.
"Hello, Wally," Batgirl said, smiling at him as she sat down next to Artemis.
"Tell me, how do you three swim with glasses on?"
"Not easily," Robin replied, flicking his own.
"Trying not to change the subject here, but it's Wally's last day of freedom," Nightwing said, bobbing his head to the side. Wally glared at him.
"Shut up."
"We'll miss you," Batgirl said, ruffling his hair.
"Senior year," he said, stretching his arms out. "So happy about that."
"Do you go half-day?"
"Yup," Wally said, pulling his schedule out. "I can technically graduate early if I wanted to, but I decided to finish out the whole year."
"What about you, Art?" Nightwing asked, turning to her. "Know your schedule yet?"
"Yeah. I have to go all day."
"Sorry to hear that," Batgirl said, placing her hand on her arm.
"It's ok. One more year and Wally and I will have graduated."
"And then what will you do?" Kaldur asked, and they turned to look at each other.
"We're still thinking about that."
Barbara stood up and started walking the beach, smiling softly to herself as she felt the sand between her toes.
It felt so good.
"Where are you taking off to?" Wally asked, speeding up next to her. She didn't lose her smile.
"Nowhere. Just wanted to walk the beach."
"I feel ya," he replied, walking alongside her. "It's nice to clear your head sometimes."
"It is," she replied, looking out towards the ocean. "Can I ask you something?"
"Fire away, red."
"How did you figure out Nightwing's identity?"
He grinned. "It was about when he was twelve. Sort of like how you figured it out. Started putting pieces together, and I was able to put two and two together. Took me some time, but I figured it out."
"What was Batman's reaction when you figured it out?"
He let out a breath. "Man, I thought I'd never hear the end of it. You can't hide anything from him. Got lectured for a long time about how important their identities were. I've never told anyone."
"That's not true," she said softly, and he turned to look at her. "You accidently told Artemis last Christmas."
"Right," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm kind of glad Nightwing took the fall for that. He's used to getting lectured."
She laughed. "You have no idea."
"Still, though, I've never seen Nightwing as happy as the day you were recruited as Batgirl."
A smile lit her face, and she found that she couldn't shake it. "Did you ever hear that story?"
"I didn't, actually."
"You thought you got lectured," she replied, continuing to walk forward.
"What'd you do?"
"You may not know this, but it was you who helped me piece everything together."
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Nightwing got on me."
"My mind wouldn't stop going," she continued on. "I wanted so much to prove it, and I knew they wouldn't tell me. So I managed to hack into the personal communications that Batman uses, and I heard him order Robin to GCPD. I went with my father to the precinct that night, and I cornered him on the rooftop. I still couldn't get him to crack, so I gave him something that I knew either would make him crack, or that wouldn't."
"What'd you give him?"
"My necklace," she said, pointing to her chest. "The one he gave me for my birthday. I put it into his hand and I walked out of sight, but still close enough to see his reaction. When he figured out what it was, I knew I had him."
"What happened next?"
"I was mad at him for hiding it from me. When he finally cornered me, and explained everything, I felt all of that anger go away. After all of that, all I wanted to do was help. I wanted to work with them. They protect Gotham, my father protects Gotham, Emily saves people in the hospital, I wanted to help, too. I always told dad that I wanted to join the GCPD after graduation, but he forbid it. I still have that ambition, so, when I found out about Robin, I made up my mind, too. I put a mask on my face and walked out of my apartment. I heard that a woman was getting robbed, so I went to take down the robber, and I almost did before Batman and Robin stepped in.
"They both got so mad at me. Batman gave me the ultimatum: either I stop and he wouldn't tell my father what I did, or he'd tell him. I wasn't giving up, though. I had too much ambition to save the city. Robin knew it. I still don't understand how he was able to convince Batman, but I started training that night. He told me that, if I got through training and didn't disobey any more of his orders, then he would consider taking me in. Finally, he did, just as we got a new Robin."
He chuckled slightly, turning to look out at the ocean. "You have a brilliant mind, you know that?"
"So do you," she said back. "I mean, you replicated your uncle's accident to become Kid Flash."
"Not without consequence," he replied somberly. "I could have died."
"Nightwing stressed that to me, too. He was afraid that I'd get seriously hurt, or killed."
"He cares about you a lot," he said, and the smile returned to her face. "You were his first friend after his parents were killed."
"He was my first friend after my mother left. We needed each other."
"And Robin?"
She let out a deep breath. "A father who really wasn't a father, and a drug-addicted mother who died of an overdose. He needs us, too."
"Where is his dad?"
"In prison for life. He says he never really met the man, but I think he's lying. I don't think he wants to remember him. It's his business, though, and I'm not going to get involved."
"He cares a lot about you, too."
"Don't I know it," she replied with a small laugh. "Are you coming to his party?"
"Artemis and I will both be there," he replied. "Although, I think we might be partied out after that."
"We still have Nightwing's to get through."
"I will seriously be partied out."
She let out a laugh. "Wally, you're a really good friend. Nightwing may mess with you, but he values your friendship more than anything."
"In times like these, I think we all need each other," he replied, and she smiled when he gave her a one-armed hug.
The sunlight glowing through his bedroom woke Jason up. Sitting up in his bed, he rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to focus as he did so.
It was his birthday today.
He let out a soft sigh as he looked out the window. His party was tomorrow night, but he knew Dick and Barbara had something planned for today.
Throwing the blankets off, he stood up and walked to his bathroom, deciding to get cleaned up early before breakfast. Once he was ready, he walked downstairs and met with Bruce, Dick and Alfred in the kitchen, immediately spotting that Alfred had made chocolate-chip pancakes, his favorite breakfast.
"Happy birthday, Master Jason!" Alfred said.
"Happy birthday, Jason," Bruce said, putting his tablet down.
"Thank you," he replied softly, watching as Alfred put his breakfast in front of him.
"Happy birthday, brother," Dick said, squeezing his shoulder.
"Dick and Barbara have plans for you today, and tonight we're all going to go out for dinner."
"And tomorrow's your party."
"Joy," he replied, taking a bite of his pancakes.
"You'll love it!"
Jason looked at him, but Dick couldn't keep the grin off of his face. Bruce shook his head as he took another bite of his breakfast.
"Happy birthday, Jason. I hope it's a good one for you."
"It definitely will be," Dick replied.
"Hey, Babs," Dick said, opening the door to the manor. She walked in. "You're here early."
"Thought I'd come by for a while before we went to the movies. How's Jay doing?" she asked, following him to the informal living room.
"He's been relatively quiet today," Dick said, looking over at Jason, who swam back and forth in the pool.
"It's his first birthday here, Dick. It has to be a little weird."
"Drove yourself out here, did ya?" he asked, changing the subject. She smiled.
"I sure did."
"Man, I can't wait to get mine."
"Not much longer," she replied, turning away from the window. "Why don't we go join him out there?"
"Did you bring your suit?"
"Yup. It's out in the car. I'll go get it and get changed."
He nodded before turning away from each other. Quickly running upstairs, he changed into his trunks before making his way out to the pool area, waiting on Barbara to join them.
"Barbara's here," he said, watching as Jason swam to the edge before pulling himself out of the pool. "Enjoy your swim?"
"I guess," he replied with a shrug, shaking his hair out.
"Shoot. I forgot my towel. I'll be right back," Dick said, before turning back into the manor. Barbara walked out a minute later, smiling at Jason.
"Happy birthday, Jay," Barbara said, kissing his head. He blushed.
"Thanks, Barbie."
"Are you excited for your party tomorrow?"
"Not really."
"It'll be fun," she reassured him. "You'll like your present I got for you."
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"Yes, I did. My little birdie turned fourteen today. I definitely had to get you something."
"Thanks," he said softly, sitting down on the chair.
"It's so beautiful out here today," she said, holding her arms out. He grinned, and she raised an eyebrow. "I know what you're going to say."
"What am I going to say?"
"The only beautiful thing I see out here is you."
"No. I was going to say that you're beautiful."
"How did you get like this?" Dick walked up to them. "Oh, right, the king of flirting himself."
"What'd I walk in to?" he asked, furrowing his brow. He then shook his head. "Whatever. I'm getting in."
He stepped back a few steps before taking a running start. He then cannonballed into the pool, causing a big splash around them.
"I'll be in in just a second," she told Jason, who climbed onto the diving board and jumped in. She took her cover off, and Dick's mouth immediately went dry.
She was again wearing her two-piece suit.
She was going to make him go crazy wearing that.
"Something wrong?" she asked him, and he shook his head.
"Nothing. Going to get in?"
"Just a minute," she said, getting her sunblock out. She sprayed it over herself before she sat down on the edge, putting her feet into the water.
"Really? That's all the further you're coming in?"
"Will you give me a minute?" she asked, furrowing her brow. Dick and Jason looked at each other before grinning. "Don't you dare!"
They tugged on her arms and pulled her into the pool, grinning as she let out a loud scream. When she finally pulled herself over the water, she wiped her face off and glared at them.
"You two are horrible."
"It's a pool, Babs. You're supposed to swim in it."
She rolled her eyes and splashed them, smirking when they laughed back in response. They floated in the water for a minute before Barbara spoke again.
"I can't believe we have to register for school next week."
"I'm not ready to go back," Jason said, leaning up against the wall of the pool.
"It won't be too bad," she said softly, rubbing his head. "So, birthday boy, what movie do you want to see today? It's your day."
He thought about it for a minute. "I don't know."
"Well, you can think about when we get there."
"Fourteen," Dick said, throwing him a grin. "Almost a year ago, we adopted him into our family."
"Why are you acting weird?" Barbara asked, furrowing her brow.
"Because he is weird," Jason replied, and Dick splashed him. She smiled and shook her head.
"Are you all having fun?" Alfred asked, placing some lemonades down on the table.
"Do these boys ever stop fighting, Alfred?" Barbara asked, holding herself up with her arms outside of the pool.
"It is very difficult to raise two teenage boys, Miss. Gordon," he replied with a soft smile. She laughed. "I made some lemonade for all of you."
"Thanks, Alfred," Jason said, getting out of the pool. He poured himself a glass and drank it.
"You're welcome, young sir."
Barbara pulled herself out, wringing her hair out with her hands. Dick found himself unable to look away as she walked up next to Jason and poured herself a cup. Jason told her a joke, and she started laughing, nearly spilling her cup in the process.
"What time are we going?" Jason asked, looking up at Barbara.
"Whenever you want to go," she replied, rubbing his head. "You need to decide what movie you want to see."
"I'll Google," he replied with a grin, grabbing his phone from the table. He sat down in one of the chairs as she walked up to Dick, tilting her head to the side.
"What are you staring at?"
"Nothing," he replied, looking down at the water. She slid in next to him.
"It's so hot out here today."
"I'll say," he replied, relaxing his arms outside of the pool.
"Picked one out," Jason said, putting his phone back on the table. "Starts at four."
"Good," she said, throwing him another smile. He sat down and put his feet into the pool, kicking them back and forth.
"This summer just flew by," Barbara said, looking out over the horizon.
"It did," Dick replied, leaning his head back. "We still have a few weeks to enough it, though."
"That's true," she said, a small smile lighting up her face. "What should we do in the meantime, boys?"
"Fight some major crime," Jason said, punching his fist in his hand.
"I'm with Jason."
She laughed. "That's what we do, right?"
"And we're the best at it," Dick replied with a grin, fist-bumping both of them.
"Well, Babs and I are," Jason said, cracking his knuckles. Barbara shook her head and smiled.
"And who do you think trained you?"
"Her."
"And who trained her?"
"Bruce."
"Don't make me beat you up on your birthday."
"Oh, you two," she said, shaking her head again. Jason finally hopped into the pool and swam underwater, appearing on the other side of the pool. Barbara followed behind him, as did Dick, and they began to have a contest about which one swam faster.
It was a very good training exercise.
"I'm going to get ready," Barbara said sometime later, hopping out of the pool. She grabbed for her towel and dried herself off, and Dick turned his head away, something that didn't go unnoticed by Jason. He waited until Barbara was out of sight before turning to him, a grin lighting up his face.
"Shut up, Jason."
"Nope."
"We all know you're the one who has the crush on her," Dick replied, pulling himself out of the pool. Jason glared at him as he also pulled himself out of the pool.
"I do not have a crush!"
"I believe you," he replied, rolling his eyes. They dried themselves off with their towels and walked back into the manor, going to their respective bedrooms as they did so. When Dick was ready he met Barbara downstairs.
"You look nice," he told Barbara.
"Thanks," she replied with a smile, smoothing her dress out. Jason walked down the stairs.
"Ready to go to the movies?"
"Can't wait!"
"Thank you for driving us, Alfred. Not much longer and I can take these two with me."
"I still can't believe you and Master Dick are sixteen," he replied, shaking his head. "Time flies, Miss. Gordon."
She smiled. "He's not sixteen yet. He always seems to forget that I'm older than him."
Dick glared at her. "Shut up, Gordon."
"Nope," she replied, sticking her tongue out. Jason grinned up at her.
"Get him, Barbie."
"Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I won't beat up on you," Dick said, giving him a playful shove. Barbara shook her head.
"It's his birthday, bird-for-brain. Leave him alone."
"You won't always have Barbara by your side," Dick told him, holding back a grin as Jason stuck his tongue out as they walked out the door. They walked down to Alfred's car and hopped in. When they arrived at the movie theater, they stepped out of the car and walked inside.
He would never come out and admit, but Dick and Barbara made his birthday fun.
"Happy birthday," Bruce said, standing outside of his bedroom. Jason nodded, refusing to look away from the mirror.
"Thanks."
"It won't be that bad," he replied, walking into the room. "A few hours of a party and it'll be all over."
Jason didn't reply, and Bruce stared down at him for a minute, trying to find the right words to say. "I know that you and I don't talk much, but if you ever need to-"
"I'm fine," he replied, turning to him. "I'm just a little nervous for the party."
"It'll be ok. You'll have fun."
He took a deep breath before turning around. "I'm ready."
Bruce led him downstairs to the ballroom. As soon as the doors opened, everyone screamed:
"Happy birthday, Jason!"
"Thank you!" he called out, smiling amongst the crowd of people. Barbara and Dick walked up to him.
"Happy birthday, little brother," he said, placing his hand on Dick's shoulder.
"Happy birthday, Jay."
"Thanks," he replied with a grin, feeling Bruce's hand slide onto his shoulder.
"Enjoy it," she whispered with a wink before disappearing off with Dick. Jason looked down for a minute.
"Go have fun for a change," Bruce encouraged, and he hid a smile as he walked into the ballroom. Looking around, he spotted several of his fellow classmates, alongside a few of Dick and Barbara's.
"Hey there, kid," Wally said, as he and Artemis walked up to him.
"Hey. Thanks for coming."
"Wouldn't miss it," he said, placing his hand on Jason's shoulder.
"Did you invite anyone special? Megan, maybe?"
"Maybe," he replied quietly, and she grinned at him.
"I think I see her out there."
"Don't embarrass him, Art. That's Dick's job."
"Yeah, don't take my job away from me," Dick replied, as he and Barbara walked up to them. "It's my job to pick on him."
"I hate you," Jason said, glaring at him.
"C'mon. Go mingle," Barbara said, pressing on his back. "It's your party."
"Ok," Jason replied, walking further into the ballroom.
"He's still a work in progress," Dick said, shaking his head. Barbara rolled her eyes.
"Leave him alone."
"Fine," he replied with a fake sigh. He handed her a cup of juice.
"Thanks."
"C'mon, babe, let's go dance," Wally said, leading Artemis out to the floor.
"They're really cute together."
"You didn't see them when they first met," he said, turning to face her. She laughed.
"Bicker back and forth, did they?"
"Constantly. About drove me insane."
"Sounds like us sometimes," she said, turning to face him. A smirk lit up the corners of his mouth.
"Sometimes," he replied.
"I don't know about you, but I could use some fresh air," Barbara said, walking up to Dick. He nodded.
"I agree. Come on, red."
He led her out of the ballroom and out of the doors to the manor. The moment she stepped outside she held her arms out and enjoyed the night, letting out a deep breath as she did so.
"It's so beautiful out here tonight," she said, as she and Dick began to walk around the grounds.
"A little warm," he replied, once they reached the pond, "but not bad."
"Think Jason's having a good time?"
"He's surrounded by girls. He's just fine."
She shook her head and sat down on the bench, watching as he sat next to her. They were silent for a minute.
"Can I ask you something? Something that has been on my mind?"
"Ask away," he replied, looking up.
"What made you decide to include me as Batgirl?"
He chuckled. "Other than you stopping a purse snatcher?"
"I'm serious. What made you change Bruce's mind?"
He smiled, and she, for whatever reason, couldn't keep one off her face. "I told him that you would do whatever it took to be out with us. You would go out on your own no matter what we told you. It must have triggered something in him."
"I never heard your opinion on that night. What did you think of me doing that?"
"Honestly?"
"Honestly."
"I wanted to scream you at," he replied, looking down. "You could have gotten yourself hurt."
"I know how to take care of myself, even back then."
"That's not the point," he whispered, finally raising his head up. "That man could have killed you."
She looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Better than what I did to become Robin, I guess."
She smiled softly. Someone coughed behind them, and they both jumped and turned around, spotting Wally and Artemis walking up to them.
"Hello, Wally, Artemis," Barbara said, standing up.
"Hello, Barbara, Dick."
"What are you two doing out here?" Wally asked.
"Getting some fresh air," Dick replied.
"Same," he replied, and Dick narrowed his eyes at him.
"I'm already partied out, and we still have one more birthday to get through," Barbara said, looking up at Dick.
"Mine will be awesome."
"Yours will be lame," Wally said. "Like usual."
Dick pressed his lips together, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Did I ever tell you ladies how The Flash came vibrate through walls, but when Wally tries it, he gets a broken nose?"
"Dude!" Wally cried, pressing his hand to his face. Barbara and Artemis laughed.
"I've never heard that story. Thanks, Dick."
"I seriously hate you."
"No, you don't."
"They always do this," Artemis said, shaking her head.
"Because they're boys."
"Women," Dick said, shaking his head.
"I'm going to head back inside and check on Jay," Barbara said, and he nodded, watching as she followed Artemis back into the manor. Wally waited until they were out sight before turning back to Dick, grinning from ear to ear.
"You two were out here for a while."
"We wanted to get some fresh air," Dick said, leaning up against the tree.
"Fresh air, huh?"
"Yes," he replied, narrowing his eyes.
"Just admit you're falling for Barbara," Wally said.
"I'm not falling for her!" he growled, turning back towards him.
"I don't know. You were staring pretty hard at the beach on Independence Day."
"Wally," he growled again. "She's my friend."
"Funny, I think I said the same thing about Artemis."
Dick pressed his hand to his head. "She. Is. My. Friend."
Wally stared at him, and he wanted to punch him in the face. Finally he turned on his heel.
"OK, Grayson. If you say so."
With that, he walked back to the manor. Dick let out a frustrated sigh as he continued to look out to the pond.
"Two birthdays down, one to go," Barbara said the following day, turning to look at Dick. He grinned at her.
"Mine will be the party of the year," he replied, rubbing his hands together.
"It always is, big head," she replied, rolling her eyes.
"I won't be attending," Jason said, and Dick turned to him, rolling his eyes in the process.
"Don't make me make you go."
"What?" he replied, shaking his head.
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you two," she replied, pressing her hand to her head.
"You don't have to do anything with us," Dick said, pressing on Jason's back. He fell to the floor and glared up at Dick, kicking his legs to drop him to the floor. They started fighting, and Barbara leaned against the Batcomputer, watching as they rolled around on the floor.
"Should I break this up?" she questioned herself, placing her finger on her cheek. "Nah."
"Enough!" Bruce said, pulling on the collars of their uniforms.
"Oh, hey, Bruce. Didn't see ya there," Dick replied, rubbing his neck once he was put down.
"Boys," Barbara said, shaking her head.
"Are we done now?" he asked, looking between the boys. They nodded.
"Yeah, we're done."
"Ugh," Barbara said, tugging on her suit.
"Something wrong?" Dick asked, furrowing his brow.
"I need to update my suit. It doesn't fit well anymore."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing," she said, blushing slightly.
"Just tell me."
"It's none of your concern, birdboy," she replied, turning away from him. He huffed.
"Women."
"Heard that," she replied, putting her cowl on.
"You were meant to."
"Gah, you two sound like an old married couple," Jason said, flipping his staff in his hand.
"And you must be our annoying, adopted child."
"Rude," he replied, glaring at Dick.
"Dick likes to talk about himself a lot," Barbara replied with a grin, and he glared at her.
"Har har."
"Remind me again why I have teenagers as partners?" Bruce asked, walking up to the Batcomputer.
"Technically, I started as a child," Dick replied, flipping his head to the side.
"We know, showoff," Barbara said, shoving his head.
"Any hunting tonight?" Dick asked, pushing Barbara's hand away. Bruce turned to him.
"There is," he replied, turning to the Batcomputer. "I have reasons to believe that Penguin has set up another arms-deal."
"Isn't he in prison?"
"He got out," Bruce said, and Dick rolled his eyes.
"Surprise, surprise."
"So, I'm guessing that's where we're going?" Jason said, tilting his head to the side.
"You and I will be," he replied, turning to face him. "Dick and Barbara are going somewhere else."
"Where's that?" Dick asked, furrowing his brow.
"There's strange activity going on in Chinatown. I want the two of you to investigate."
"Sounds like fun," he replied with a grin, watching as Barbara put her hand to her head.
"Can I go with Jay?"
"Nope," Dick said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "You're stuck with me, BG."
"Report back to me with your findings."
"Will do, boss," Dick replied.
"Shall we, Jason?" Bruce asked, putting his cowl on. Jason put his own mask on.
"Good luck, Barbie."
"Go get 'em," she replied with a smile, ruffling his hair. He grinned up at her before joining Bruce in the car. When they left, she turned to Dick.
"Ok, Wingding, where are we going?"
"According to this, Bruce has been investigating a building near Falcone Shipping Yard. Shocking, right?"
"Totally," she replied, looking at the information on the computer. "Just like old times, huh? When I first started?"
"Robin and Batgirl," he replied with a grin. "I miss those days sometimes."
"You're the one who gave Robin up."
"I know," he replied softly, turning towards her. "I wanted Jay to have it. I just miss the fun missions with you sometimes."
"I feel honored," she replied with a smile, pinching his cheek. He blushed.
"Shut up," he muttered, and she laughed, enjoying this.
"Whenever you're ready to leave."
"Just a minute," he replied, typing on the computer. Her gauntlet beeped, and she opened it.
"Thanks."
"Yup," he replied, silencing his own. "Ready?"
"Is this a date, Grayson?" she asked, cranking her head to the side. He smirked.
"Would you like it to be, Gordon?" he asked, holding his hand out to her.
"Dick, Barbara, shouldn't you have left by now?" Alfred asked, walking up to the computer.
"Leaving right now, Alfie," Dick said, putting his mask on. They walked over to their bikes and hopped on, speeding their way off to Chinatown. They parked their bikes and grappled up to the roof, looking down below.
"I see people moving boxes," she said softly, throwing him a smirk. He gave her a look.
"Har har har."
"So, what boxes are they moving exactly?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"That's what we're here to find out," he replied with a grin. "We need to find a way to look inside those boxes."
"Leave that to me," she said, before grappling away.
"Batgirl!" he hissed, trying to get her back. He followed after her, watching as she landed on top of the building. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Trying to look inside the box. Duh," she replied, looking down below.
"Duh," he mimicked back, looking down below with her. "Ok, seven men and two of us."
"Hardly seems fair," she replied with a smirk. They grappled down and started to take down the men, finding it much easier than they thought they would.
"Let's take a look inside, shall we?" he asked, grabbing hold of the crowbar. He was just about to open the box when he caught something out of the corner of his eye, and he quickly pushed Batgirl out of the way.
"That doesn't belong to you."
"Oh, I think it does now," he replied, pulling his batarangs out. He quickly shot them off, watching as Batgirl did the same. Together they took down them down, jumping out of the way to avoid the gunshots.
"These guys have everything!"
"Probably working for Penguin," he said, pulling out more batarangs. She pulled out her smoke bombs and threw them, turning her detective vision on. She jumped out from behind the blockade and started to take down the unaware men, watching as Nightwing followed behind her.
"Come out little bat!" One of the men said, holding his knife out. She threw a batarang and knocked it out of his hand, watching as he turned her way and started to charge. She jumped over his head and kicked him in the back, watching as he fell to the ground.
"Argh!" Nightwing cried out, and she quickly rushed over to him.
"Hang on!" she said, knocking another man out. He attempted to help, but she immediately stopped him and took the remaining men down.
"I'm ok," he whispered, holding onto his side.
"You're bleeding badly," she whispered, looking at the wound. She quickly wrapped the wound. "You're going to need stitches."
"Bummer," he replied. "We need to finish this."
"I've called GCPD. They should be on their way."
"Doesn't help us with what's in this box," he replied, grabbing hold of the crowbar. He cracked the box open, and they looked inside, furrowing their brows.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure," he replied, picking one of the packages up. They both looked over it. "There's a white rose in here."
"Falcone's calling card."
Sirens began to wail in the distance, and they quickly grappled up to the top of the building and looked down, watching as GCPD cars drove up.
"Got a sample," she said, showing him the vial. "We can run it through the computer."
"Good," he replied, clutching his side.
"We need to get you home. C'mon, I'll drive you."
"What about my bike?" he asked.
"Leave it. I'll have Robin drive it home. I'm driving."
He nodded, and they hopped on her bike. She drove as fast as she could back to the cave, wanting him to get the medical attention he needed.
"What happened?"
"He got cut badly," she said, helping him over to the bed. She helped Alfred remove the top of his suit, ignoring his six-pack as she assisted Alfred.
"Like what you're seeing, Gordon?"
"Shut up, you idiot," she replied, holding the gauze to his wound. "How do you feel?"
"Dizzy."
"You're lost a lot of blood, Master Dick," Alfred said, putting gloves on.
"Take it easy," she whispered, pressing her hand against his cheek. He smiled tiredly at her.
"You don't need to worry about me."
"Hard not to when you're always getting yourself hurt," she joked, and he laughed.
"Usually it's me watching your back and Jason's back."
"Which means that yours is usually left open," she replied softly, rubbing his cheek with the back of her hand.
"Got to give you something to worry about."
"Whatever," she replied with a small laugh, looking away from Alfred as he began to stitch Dick up. "Hey, do you remember all those years ago, when Emily brought me out to the manor, and then she went to work? I stayed the night here for the first time, and we watched all those Disney movies. We ate so much pizza and popcorn, and I'm pretty sure we drove Alfred up the wall."
Alfred tried to hide a smile, but it was clearly evident on his face. "If I remember correctly, Master Dick slipped some candy past me, and you both were running around the manor playing hide-and-seek at eight-o-clock at night."
"And Alfred was the one who couldn't find us," Dick replied with a grin. Barbara laughed.
"You two were quite the troublemakers," he replied, continuing his work. "Still are today."
"I resent that," he replied with a laugh.
"Now we have another partner-in-crime," Barbara said.
"Yeah," Dick replied, and she gently rubbed his head as he struggled to stay awake.
"Get some sleep," she whispered, watching as Alfred turned and walked away. She ran her hand across his cheek, watching as his eyes closed.
"G'night, Babs," he said, falling asleep the next second. Alfred walked back up to them.
"I'm going to see if Bruce and Jason need my help," she said, pushing Dick's hair out of his face. "Unless you need my help with him."
Alfred chuckled. "I can handle the young master. Go help Bruce and Jason."
"Ok, Alfred," she replied, putting her gloves back on. She then put her cowl back on and looked back down at Dick. She bid goodbye to Alfred before she jumped back on her bike and drove off.
"I'm not ready for this," Dick replied, yawning. "This summer went by way too fast."
"Think of it this way: three more years of schooling and you'll be officially done," Bruce said.
"That's true!" Dick said, rubbing his hands together. "So ready to be done."
"Don't be in a hurry to grow up, young sir," Alfred said, putting his breakfast in front of him. "Once it goes, you can't get it back."
"More wise words from Master Yoda," Dick said, bowing his head in respect. Alfred shook his head, but a small smile was plastered onto his face.
"Hurry up now. We need to get to your school," Bruce said, and he nodded, starting in on his breakfast. After they ate breakfast, they brushed their teeth and met Bruce down by his car.
"Who's driving?"
"You are," he said, throwing Dick the keys. Jason groaned.
"He's a terrible driver."
"He'll get better in time," Bruce reassured him, and Dick narrowed his eyes at Jason before they all got into the car. "Because, when Dick gets his license and can drive people around, he will be the one driving you to school. Alfred will no longer be taking either of you."
"Hear that, Jay? I drive you to school when I can."
"Somebody please help me," he said, shaking his head.
When they arrived at Gotham Academy, Dick parked the car and they all got out. A grin spread on Dick's face as he spotted a familiar redhead standing near the door.
"Babs!" Dick said, throwing her a grin. "I've missed you!"
"In the twenty-four hours that I haven't seen you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Exactly."
"C'mon. Let's get all three of you registered," Jim said, lightly pushing on Barbara's back. They all walked to the auditorium, and Dick, Jason and Barbara sat around while Jim and Bruce filled out their paperwork. They waited in silence until the two men finally walked up to them.
"You're all registered. Go pick your schedules, books, and go to your lockers."
They nodded and walked up to the schedule table, spotting a middle-aged woman handing out schedules. Barbara walked up first.
"Barbara Gordon. Sophomore."
"Miss. Gordon," the woman said, looking through the 10th grade holder. "Ah, here it is."
"Thanks," she said, taking her schedule from her.
"Name, please?" the woman asked.
"Richard Grayson. Sophomore."
She looked through the 10th grade holder. "Here you go, Mr. Grayson."
"Thank you," he said taking it from her.
"Name?"
"Jason Todd. Eighth grade."
She moved two holders down and searched through it. "Here we go."
"Thank you," he said, taking it from her.
"That's all of us," Dick said. "Ready to go get books?"
"I guess so," Jason replied, and Barbara ruffled his hair before they took off to book rental. Once they collected all of their books, they took off towards their lockers, starting with Jason's.
"Here's your locker, Jay," Barbara said. He opened it and put his books inside.
"I'm not liking this schedule," he said, looking over it again.
"It won't be that bad. At least gym's your last class of the day."
"True," he replied, folding the schedule in half. "Your turn."
"Let's see here," Barbara said, pulling her own schedule out. "Locker 106."
"109," Dick replied with a grin. "Look at that, Gordon."
"Great," she replied with a fake sigh, shaking her head. "I can't get away from you."
They walked up the stairs and to their lockers, putting their own books inside of them. Once the lockers were closed, they turned to each other.
"Any classes?" he asked, looking between the two schedules.
"Looks like we have Chemistry together. Oh no."
"That'll be fun!" he said, rubbing his hands together.
"Good luck, Barbie."
"I am in so much trouble," she replied, shaking her head.
"We have Algebra II together, too," Dick said, looking at the schedules. "That's good, because I'll need your help."
"Are we all done here?" she asked, putting her own schedule into her purse. They nodded.
They returned to the auditorium to find Jim and Bruce waiting for them. Saying goodbye to one another, they returned home with their respective guardians, all three completely in disbelief by how fast this summer had gone by.
And they were unaware of how much would change within the next year.