Author's Note: This chapter focuses on Dick. Be forewarned, this is the last chapter where your feels remain intact.

Dick

He crouched on a rooftop in the shadows, looking out over one of Gotham's industrial parks. Large, concrete buildings spread out before him, the occasional security guard passing by in a car through the brightly lit parking lots.

If he didn't know better, he would say this was gonna be easy.

"Looks like the easiest access point is the roof door," he muttered to Babs, who was hovering just behind him. "We just have to get past a keypad lock."

Babs snorted, and Dick smiled back at her, although she would not have been able to see it through his Red X mask.

She was in disguise as well, fully decked-out in her alternate, Scarlett persona.

He kept saying she should consider dyeing her hair black for real, but for some reason she didn't appreciate his suggestions.

"We'll shoot across from over there," he said, pointing to the corner of the building they were currently on, which happened to line up perfectly with the opposite rooftop.

Babs nodded, and they rose, sticking to the shadows as they slinked across the concrete.

Dick had been back playing Red X for over a week now, but there had been no sign of Poison Ivy, or anyone else, for that matter.

It didn't seem to be bothering Babs too much, as she was still decidedly bitter about not being invited to join, but Dick was growing impatient. It didn't help that Bruce wouldn't let Jason completely take over Robin-duty yet, so he was stuck with two jobs. Two, thankless jobs.

They reached the corner of the building and crouched against the low wall, waiting for the security guard to make another pass.

The car rounded the corner after a few moments, weaving its way through the parking spaces, and then disappeared once more.

They had 45 seconds.

Dick stood up, took aim, and fired the grappling hook at a downward angle toward their target building.

The metal sank into the wall, and Dick gave it a small tug to ensure it was secure.

He waved Babs forward, and she pressed against his side, wrapping an arm around his neck as he wrapped one around her waist.

Exchanging a wordless nod, they leapt off the edge of the building, pulled forward by the rapidly retracting wire.

Dick loosened his grip on Babs as they landed on the roof, both of them somersaulting through the remaining momentum. With a sharp tug, he pulled the grappling hook from the wall just as he heard the car rounding the building once more.

"Close one," Babs whispered, and he merely nodded as he went to work on the lock.

Babs was right to have snorted; he had the door open in under a minute.

"We're in," he muttered, tapping the comm in his ear.

"Good," Bruce grunted back. "Now to steal my design back."

"I still think we should've picked something a little less obvious," Dick whispered. "They'll assume Wayne Corp is behind the break-in."

"But we're not."

"But you kind of are," Dick countered.

"Let them assume all they want," Bruce snapped. "Our patent lawyers were going to destroy them anyway. They wouldn't have gotten this thing past the prototype stage. You get to be seen stealing high-tech equipment, and I save myself some legal fees. It's a win/win."

"Feels more like a you win, I do all the work," Dick muttered back, but Bruce only chuckled.

Dick crept along the hallways, Babs just behind him, scanner in hand.

"Nothing's showing up," she whispered. "A few security cameras around the lab, but no surprises, as far as I can tell."

"Good," Dick replied. "Maybe we can get home before sunrise this time."

Ever since returning to Gotham after his Valentine's Day trip with Starfire, Bruce had been sending him out on missions almost every night. Sometimes he was Robin, other times he was Red X with Babs, but either way, he assumed he was being subtly punished for taking a few days off.

He felt a hand on his arm and paused, turning back to Babs.

"The lab's at the end of this hallway," she hissed, pointing toward the fork they were coming to. "There's two security cameras mounted by the door. Alternating sweeps. We'll have to take one of them out."

"Can you do that from there?" he asked, gesturing down to the small, tablet computer she was holding.

She gave him a withering look. "Of course I can," she snapped, "but a guard might come to check on the feed."

"Is there another exit from inside the lab?" he questioned, and her brows furrowed as she tapped the screen.

"Ventilation shaft," she answered after a moment, and he groaned.

He was so tired of crawling through ductwork.

"It'll have to do. Alright, wait for one of the cameras to finish a sweep, and then cut out the other one."

"Yea, thanks, Dad," Babs muttered, and he snarled at her.

"Now," she hissed after a few moments, and they bolted around the corner, racing to the lab door before the remaining camera scanned across them again.

"The card," Dick whispered, and Babs placed the piece of plastic in his waiting hand.

They'd hacked into the company's computer and rigged up a key card earlier that week. Someone named Karen Riley was going to be facing a lot of questions.

They darted inside as soon as the door beeped to permit them, closing it hastily behind them.

Babs had gone ahead of him, scanning the tables for their target.

"This is it, right?" she asked, holding up a small, circular device.

"Yea," Dick confirmed, and she placed the object in his hand as he approached. "Stun pod. Apparently it shoots out low-voltage electricity at anyone within a certain radius."

"Doesn't seem terribly ethical," Babs muttered darkly, crossing her arms.

"Precisely why we wanted to keep it under Wayne Corp control," Bruce interjected in their ears. "We scrapped the project months ago. Nightmare for heart conditions. Now get out of there, the guards are probably coming."

Dick rolled his eyes, exchanging a quick, commiserative glance with Babs as they headed toward the vent.

"What do ya think: statement or finesse?" Dick asked, surveying the slotted, metal cover.

"I'd say finesse," Babs suggested. "Adds a little extra…'screw you', don't ya think?"

Dick nodded with an unseen smile, and then carefully unscrewed the cover with a screwdriver from his belt.

Babs climbed in ahead of him, and he loaded the screws back into their slots before climbing in after her, replacing the cover behind him.

With a few twists from inside the shaft, they began crawling their way through the ducts, leaving no obvious signs of how they had made their escape.

Their luck held until they got back up to the roof, and only then did the alarm sound.

"Time to go," Dick said, grabbing onto Babs as they both raced to the edge of the building, grappling hook in the other hand.

There was hardly anyone down below to notice their short flight to the opposite rooftop, but none of the few, gathered, police officers did regardless.

Grabbing their surveillance gear, they ran across the roof, leaping to other buildings and racing down fire escapes as they made their way back to where he had parked the R Cycle.

They had parked far enough away from the site that they ran into no police cars on their way back, but Dick wove through random alleys, streets, and trails anyway just to ensure they were not being followed.

When he was certain the coast was clear, he pulled off a forest trail and into the hidden bunker that held all of Bruce's other toys.

"Ya know," he said to the dark figure that approached them as he took off his helmet, "we should really start thinking about getting me my own place. It's only a matter of time before somebody tries to follow me back here."

"Maybe," Bruce replied, and Dick knew that would be an eventual yes. Bruce always just said no right away if he meant it. "Right now, you'd better get inside and entertain your…guests."

Dick chuckled. "Wally's over again, huh?" he speculated, peeling his mask off as he hung his helmet on the handlebar of his bike.

"He won't stop asking me what all the buttons on my console do," Bruce muttered exasperatedly, and Dick laughed. "Maybe I should take a leaf outta Kent's book and move the Batcave to the Arctic Circle."

"Wally'd be there in like three seconds," Dick said with a shrug, and Bruce grumbled something unintelligible.

"Will you just go get him?" he sighed tiredly, kneading his fingers into his forehead.

Dick wondered if that's where he had gotten that trait, or had his own father done it as well? He could hardly even remember anymore.

"Sure," Dick chuckled, flashing Babs a quick smile before jogging past Bruce on his way to the Batcave.

"Wally?" he called, his own voice echoing back at him from the dripping, rock formations. "You in here? Wally?"

"Present!" a voice suddenly said at his left, and Dick barely managed not to jump at Wally's appearance.

He kept trying to pop up at scare Dick at the most inopportune moments, but Dick was getting better at not giving him the satisfaction.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked, smiling at his friend.

"Curious," Wally answered with a shrug. "It's not actually as fun as I thought it would be though. Kinda dreary. And a bit damp. Ya ever thought about putting in a fireplace?"

"In an underground cave?" Dick chuckled, raising his eyebrows at him.

"Yea, like Mr. Batplane and you couldn't rig up some way around that," Wally replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm just sayin', the place could use a little feminine touch."

"You could use a little feminine touch," Dick mumbled, turning to lead Wally back toward the elevator to the Manor.

"Hey!" Wally bleated. "I do just fine, thank you very much!"

Dick laughed, ignoring Wally's attempts at convincing him as they rode up to the Manor.

"Seriously though," Dick said as he closed the door of his bedroom behind them. "What is going on with you and Jinx?"

Wally groaned, collapsing into Dick's desk chair.

"That bad?" Dick chuckled, and Wally nodded sickly.

"She's always calling," he whined. "And yelling. She does a lot of yelling. Have you noticed how much yelling she does, because it's a lot."

Dick chuckled, but didn't say anything. It wasn't really his place even if he had wanted to get involved.

"I don't know," Wally sighed, spinning absentmindedly around in the chair. "I just kinda want something…more. Ya know?"

Dick coughed, unprepared for Wally's serious side to suddenly make an appearance.

"I mean, yea, I guess," he mumbled, shrugging and feeling thoroughly out of his element. "Ya don't wanna be fighting all the time, I suppose."

"Yea. Like you and Starfire," Wally said, leaning forward in his chair toward where Dick was perched on the edge of his bed. "You guys get along great."

"Well, I wouldn't say-"

"I'm not saying you're perfect," Wally interjected, rolling his eyes. "I mean, you are a deeply-flawed individual, my friend. But you two seem to make it work without her shooting starbolts at you, ya know?"

"Well, not very often, anyway," Dick chuckled.

Wally laughed. "Well I'd take not very often over what I've got any day," he said, shaking his head, but he was smiling. "So, whadya wanna do, play some video games or something?" he continued, and Dick was thankful the conversation could now be over.

"Sure," he replied, shrugging as he rose. "I just gotta take a shower first. Damn vents."

Wally nodded. "Alright, well I'll be in the living room with Jason. He's been playing Call of Duty all day!"

Dick laughed, giving a quick wave toward the door as he went into the bathroom, and he heard Wally leave a moment later.

He didn't want to look at himself in the mirror, but he could hardly help it.

He looked terrible under the fluorescent lights, bags drooping under his eyes and dust clinging to his hair and eyebrows.

Just a couple games, and then he had to go to sleep.

Bruce would certainly have him up bright and early for something or other.

With a sigh, he turned on the water, waiting for it to reach the appropriate temperature before stepping inside.

As he watched the water spiral down the drain, he wondered what was going on three time zones away in Jump City. It would be quite late, even there.

Raven would probably already be in bed, or perhaps sleeping on the couch while Beast Boy and Cyborg played video games or watched TV.

He didn't know what Starfire would be doing.

Every now and again when they talked, which wasn't very often to begin with, she would mention she had reorganized the bathroom or cleaned her closet.

He got the impression she was terribly bored without him there, maybe even lonely, although she never said.

Would she be in her room right now, lying in bed with the shirt he had left for her? Was she sad? Was she worried?

He sighed, bowing his head into the stream.

He had promised her he wouldn't lie to her, and, considering he had been doing things he was forbidden from telling her about, he had simply been avoiding talking to her altogether.

Solid plan, Dick. Real gentlemanly.

He grumbled to himself as he rinsed the dust out of his hair, and, by the time he was satisfied the evening had been cleaned off of him, he had resolved to try and call her.

Replacing the towel around his waist with a pair of pajama pants, he sat down in front of the computer, ruffling at his hair before wrapping the towel around his shoulders to catch any remaining water.

The computer rang at him, the shrill sound bouncing around the dark, silent room, and he waited, his fingers tapping nervously against the desk. Just as he was about to give up, it stopped, a loading sign appearing before being replaced by her face.

"Hello," she mumbled, blinking blearily in the light of her computer screen.

He could tell by the lack of her usual enthusiasm that he had probably called at an inconvenient time.

"Sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I should hope not," Starfire chuckled, her eyes starting to look more alive as she smiled at him, "but it is no trouble. I am happy to hear from you at any time."

He could feel himself grinning stupidly, but he didn't care.

God, she was beautiful. Even half awake, with her hair tousled and one strap of her tank top sliding off her shoulder, she looked like she should be on a billboard.

Not that he would ever allow such a thing, of course.

"So, how have you been?" he asked, and immediately felt guilty. It was the kind of question estranged relatives asked over obligatory, Christmas phone calls. They should be closer than that.

"Fine," she replied, not seeming to mind the small talk. "There has been very little criminal activity since your departure. Beast Boy is suggesting we take the opportunity to go on a vacation, but Cyborg insists that, as soon as we leave, the hell will all break loose."

"He sounds like me," Dick chuckled.

"Yes," Starfire laughed, "Beast Boy has said the same thing. He says Cyborg is doing the funneling of you."

"Channeling," he corrected, smiling at her, and she nodded. "But what about you though?" he clarified, thinking back to his earlier imaginings of her curled up with his t-shirt in a ball of misery.

"Me?" she asked, her head tilting at the screen. "What about me?"

"How have you been, specifically?" he answered, and she blinked in surprise.

"I- Well, I suppose I have been- I do not understand," she muttered, her eyebrows furrowing. "Are you inquiring after my health, or-"

"No, no," Dick said with a light laugh, shaking his head. "I mean, like, what have you been up to? What have you been doing?"

"Oh," she murmured, her lips pouting slightly as she thought. "Truthfully, I have not been doing very much," she admitted with a shy smile. "Beast Boy continues to insist upon trying to teach me the video games, but I spend too much time dying to learn very much."

Dick laughed loudly at that, and Starfire looked at him curiously for a moment before giggling softly along.

"I miss you," he sighed on the tail of his laughter, hardly realizing he'd said it until it was already out there, and then his heart stalled in a vulnerable panic.

"I miss you as well," she said breathlessly, as if a barely-standing dam had broken with those words. "The Tower feels so much…larger when you are absent," she added weakly, her eyes falling to her lap.

"I know," he replied, more because it seemed like the thing to say than because he actually knew. "I'm sorry."

"It is not something to be sorry for," she assured, smiling slightly as she looked back up at him. "You are needed elsewhere, with your family. Family must always come first."

"Yea, but you...you're my family too," he said, his mouth getting away from him again.

What was wrong with him? Was he just overtired? That must be it. Otherwise he'd never be saying these sorts of things out loud.

"I mean, the Titans are my family too," he added, trying to manly it up a bit.

"We all understand," she replied, her voice heavy with a compassion that somehow just made him feel worse. "It is a necessary sacrifice."

"Still sucks though," he muttered, and she giggled.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "It certainly does…suck."

"It just sounds weird when you say it," he chuckled, earning himself a half-hearted glare. The glare quickly turned to curiosity, however, and he watched as her eyebrows slowly furrowed together.

"What?" he asked, turning around to see if something was happening behind him. He wouldn't put it past Wally to sneak in here and eavesdrop.

"Nothing," she replied hurriedly. "It is just… Are you…not wearing a shirt?"

"What? Oh, no," he answered, looking down at his bare torso. "I mean, yes. No? Those questions are always so difficult to answer."

Starfire giggled, rolling her eyes.

"No, I am not wearing a shirt," he stated for clarification. "Why?"

"I do not have a reason," she mumbled with a shrug, but he was pretty sure he could see pink rising in her cheeks. "I was merely uncertain and thought I would inquire."

"Thought you would inquire?" he repeated, and she nodded mutely. "Please," he snorted, "you were totally checking me out."

"I do not have any of the clues what you are talking about," she stated resolutely, but she was definitely red now. "What is this checking out to which you are referring? Is it like the books Raven obtains from the library?"

"Now I know you know what that means," Dick argued, pointing firmly at the screen. "I explained it to you after Raven said I was-"

"Checking out the female working at the shop of ice cream," Starfire finished, raising her eyebrows at him, and he suddenly wished he hadn't started down this road.

"I was trying to read her name tag!" Dick insisted, remembering the day of glares and silence he had endured after that. "How many times do I have to-" He stopped, noticing that she was now laughing. "Oh, whatever," he muttered, and she only laughed harder. "You were still checking me out."

"I cannot even see you," she chuckled. "You are wearing a towel."

He looked down, and he was indeed still wearing the grey towel around his shoulders.

"But you checked me out enough to notice that," he said slyly, waggling his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. "If it will assist you in sleeping tonight, then you are free to believe I was doing the checking you out," she muttered tiresomely, but there was a smile tugging at her lips.

"Good," he replied with a sharp nod. "Then I will."

She laughed, shaking her head at him and causing the white light of the computer to dance across her brilliant, red hair.

They just stared at one another for a moment as she stopped, and his heart grew heavy with everything he knew he couldn't say.

"Well, I should let you get back to sleep," he said softly, flashing her a weak smile.

"I suppose so," she answered, and her tone physically pained him.

"I'll try and call you…as soon as I can," he added, and that seemed to help her enough to smile.

"Alright," she answered, giving him a small nod.

"Alright," he repeated, smiling back at her. "Goodnight. I love you."

His heart skipped another beat.

He needed some coffee or something; this was getting ridiculous!

"I love you too," she replied, and her smile combined with the words to send a rush of heat through his chest. "Goodnight."

With a click, she was gone, the screen shrinking to nothing and leaving only the video chat program open on his desktop.

He just sat there for a moment, letting his heartbeat return to normal as he stared at the screen.

"I am so proud," someone sniffled behind him.

He twisted to see Wally standing in the doorway, a box of tissues in his hands as he dabbed underneath his eyes. He then blew his nose exaggeratedly, rattling his head as he did.

"Wally!" Dick snarled, leaping up from his chair.

Wally yelped and turned, grabbing at the doorknob.

Dick ripped the towel from his shoulders, flicking it out in front of him just in time to catch Wally on the back before the boy was gone in a cackling blur.

He muttered curses under his breath as he went back to the bathroom, hanging the towel up on the hook before slipping into a t-shirt and heading toward the living room, where he was sure Wally would be gossiping with Jason.

Sure enough, he no sooner entered the room than he was greeted with kissy faces and choruses of "sittin' in a tree".

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, settling down on the couch between them, hoping to end the stupid by separating it. "Are we gonna play or what?"

"Whatever you say, loverboy," Wally said, slurring the last word.

Jason rolled around on the couch as he laughed.

Dick said nothing, merely rolling his eyes and picking up a controller, and the mocking eventually died down in favor of trash talk as they chased one another around the maps.

After a little over an hour, they decided to call it a night.

Dick could barely keep his eyes open as he hobbled back to his room, but he paused with his hand on the doorknob as he felt a puff of air ruffle his hair.

"For the record," Wally said as Dick turned around toward him, "I really am happy for you, man." He smiled across at him, and Dick was surprised at the sincerity of the moment, considering it was Wally.

"Uh, thanks, Wally," Dick muttered, blinking more than was necessary in his surprise.

"Starfire's a great girl," he continued, and Dick felt even more caught off guard by this serious version of his best friend. "Just don't mess it up!" Wally added, flashing a small wink before disappearing down the hall.

Dick smiled as he shook his head.

Now that was a lot more Wally.

Still, as he opened his door and crawled into bed, he couldn't help but dwell on the words.

"I'll try," he whispered to the dark room as he stared up at the ceiling, suddenly not very tired at all.