A/N: Alright, we're getting closer to the end. There's still lot's of stuff on its way for Roy. Enjoy!

Unfortunately, it was another 10 days before Bruce had a mission for the Team. Roy, while trying to act like an adult, didn't bother or harass Bruce about a mission, or his inability to patrol. It helped that Dick had agreed to keep his upcoming return, and the potential for it to be permeant, a secret. It made Roy feel a little bad when the two letters he received from Kaldur once again mentioned how much his friend (more than a friend?) missed him. However, one good thing that was currently keeping him busy was Dick trying to make up for the fact that Roy had been forced to spend a day in the Bat Cave during the now 14-year-old's birthday party a few days previously.

"—and then she talked about how when she was patrolling with Canary in Seattle, she caught some kind of spider-dude," Dick said as he finished his story and handed Roy once of the parts he needed for the trick arrow he was working on.

"Tell me again why you were spying on Artemis," Roy remarked as he focused on his task at hand.

"I wasn't spying! I was staking out for crime and her window just happened to be open."

"Sorry, eavesdropping."

Dick made a face and poke him with a tool. "You're no fun."

"I'm pointing out the obvious."

"Well, stop that. Soon enough you'll be back with us and you can ask her about her and Canary's vigilante outings."

"If Bruce lets me go back permanently."

"I'm sure he will. Why wouldn't he?" A second after the question left his lips, Dick held up his hand. "Don't answer that."

"Thought so." The sound of approaching footsteps caused Roy and Dick to look up.

"Roy, suit up," Bruce told him.

A smile broke out across Roy's face and he got up from his seat to change. Dick though, frowned at Bruce. "Am I not going?" he asked.

"No."

"Why?!"

"Because I don't want you trying to cover for you brother. If Roy wants to earn back his right to be on the Team, then he needs to do it on his own."

Dick crossed his arms. "So I'm just staying home all night?"

"Yes."

It was hard to not scowl at Bruce's back as the man left, no doubt to change as well. 'I wish I could be there to make sure Roy's mission goes well,' Dick thought. 'He needs to be back on the Team. But he can do it. I believe in him.' When Roy returned, now wearing his suit and looking excited about his upcoming mission; even if he didn't know what it was, Dick smiled to hide his irritation.

"Why aren't you suited up?" Roy asked in confusion when he saw Dick.

"I'm hanging back tonight," Dick replied. "Don't worry though, you'll do fine on your mission. I'm sure of it."

"….Ok." Roy had been hoping that his brother would be coming. Dick's presence just made him feel more confident.

"Arsenal, let's go," Batman said.

"Good luck, bro," Dick smiled. "Just follow the plan and stick to the mission. You'll be fine."

"I will." Arsenal joined Batman in the Bat-mobile. Excitement and anxiety were bubbling inside of him. 'Dick's right. I just need to stay focused on the mission and follow whatever plan we come up with. If I do that then Bruce will let me come back to the Team permanently.' He glanced at Batman. 'I can do this. I can.'

Arriving at the zeta tube caused Arsenal to grow even more excited.

"Arsenal, B-04," the zeta tube announced as he walked through. As soon as he stepped into the main cavern of Mount Justice, a blur shot around the corner and stopped in front of him.

"Arsenal?!" Kid Flash asked in amazement. "You're here!"

Miss Martian and Zatanna came around the corner next. "Arsenal!" the former cheered. She flew over and gave the archer a gentle hug. "How are you?'

"I'm good, Miss M," Arsenal replied, returning the hug. "How're you?'

"Good." She turned around gestured to Zatanna. "Do you remember Zatanna?"

"I do. Nice to see you again."

"You too," Zatanna replied easily. "I've heard a lot about you." She and Miss Martian shared a look that he couldn't really read, but, someone else had come around the corner, drawn by the shouts and excited voices, and now had his attention.

Kaldur's eyes widened when he saw Arsenal standing there. "Arsenal…" he said in surprise, almost whispering the archer's name. "You- You're here."

"Yeah," Arsenal replied. He had to force himself to stay still and not hug Kaldur.

"Are you coming back to the Team?"

"That remains to be seen," Batman said. "Robin is home tonight, so whether or not Arsenal comes back permanently depends on your performance tonight."

"Artemis, B-07," the zeta tube announced.

"Hey, Artemis, look who's here!" Kid Flash smile as he pointed to Arsenal. "He's back, finally!"

Arsenal turned around to see the younger archer standing there stiffly. She scoffed a little at Kid Flash's words. "Sure," she said. "Team needed a real archer."

"Team," Batman said gruffly. He gestured and the young heroes gathered around him. "Listen up." He pulled up a picture of a familiar foe on the holographic screens of the computer. "Sportsmaster was seen coming through Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport."

"In full costume?" Zatanna asked. "Nervy."

"In street clothes. Facial recognition software picked up the ID. Find out what he's up to."

"All of us?" Superboy asked. "Seems like overkill for a shadow job."

"Perhaps a small squad?" Red Tornado suggested.

"Very well. Aqualad, Arsenal, Kid Flash. The three of you will go."

"Good," Superboy said, crossing his arms. "Stake-outs make me crazy."

"We could always use the night off," Miss Martian added.

"I want in," Artemis said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in surprise. "With M'gann and Robin out, no one has logged more hours piloting the bishop."

"Artemis, are you sure?" Batman asked her.

"Absolutely."

"You have your mission. Get ready to depart."

Aqualad drifted closer to Arsenal as they headed for the hangar. "Is it true that if we succeed on this mission, Batman will allow you to return to the Team?" he whispered tentatively; a little afraid he'd misunderstood before.

"Yes," Arsenal whispered back. "I need to prove to him that I can follow orders. As long as everything goes smoothly, I'll be free to come back."

Aqualad smiled. "I am glad. We will make sure this mission goes well."

"I know." Actually seeing Kaldur again for the first time in over a month was like breathing a breath of fresh air. Arsenal felt happiness bubbling up inside of him. 'It's just a recon mission. We got this. No big deal.' By the time he stepped on to the bishop, they had a plan and it felt like he was home. He sat down in a seat and Aqualad sat down in a seat across the ship from him.

Just after they'd flown away from the mountain, Kid Flash looked back at Artemis. "Ah….this could end up being one of those things that sounds better in my head than out loud, but you are a real archer." Artemis stared at him. "No, I mean I'm jazzed about Arsenal. We go way back, you know? But you- You've made your own place on the Team. You have nothing to prove. Not to me. Ok?"

"Ok," Artemis replied. "And, Wally?" Wally half turned back to look at her.

"It sounded fine out loud."

'What have I missed in the last month?' Arsenal wondered. Maybe Artemis didn't miss him as much as Dick had led him to believe and she had enjoyed being the only archer on the Team. 'Now I'm just being silly. She wouldn't….'

"Arsenal, help me prepare the first phase of the plan," Aqualad said, sensing the archer's anxiety. The two of them left the cockpit and worked on making sure the equipment they'd brought was secure. "We must be professional. So that Batman will have no reason to deny you coming back."

"I know." Arsenal stopped when Aqualad's hand settled on his for a moment. He looked up at him.

"But I missed you. A lot."

Arsenal swallowed the bout of emotion that suddenly rose in him. "So did I." Nothing was going to stop him from coming back to the Team. Not even Artemis.

— —

When they got to Louisiana, Arsenal spent a long time crouched down on a hill overlooking a shack next to a pier. He watched silently, used to this aspect of the job. Eventually, though, Sportsmaster exited the shack and hopped in the boat docked there. "Target's heading north," Arsenal reported into his comm as the boat took off. He ran down the hill, then jumped on a jet ski hidden in the bushes. "Pursue, but maintain a discreet distance. That goes double for you, Artemis. Sportsmaster's proven adept at spotting martian camouflaging when in motion." Arsenal was pretty confident about the mission. Aqualad was following under the water and Kid Flash was following on the motorcycle on the land. 'Land, air, on the water and under it,' he thought. 'We've got this.' They followed Sportsmaster under a road, the down the bayou for several minutes before he stopped. Arsenal hung back as he watched the man disembark from his boat. "He stopped. Hold your positions. I'm moving in for a closer look."

Arsenal tailed Sportsmaster onto the land and eventually climb into a tree to watch him. Their adversary was standing in the middle of a small field while the archer watched him through his night-vision binoculars. He waited silently and patiently, not wanting anything to get messed up. Then he heard Artemis yell. Twisting around suddenly, he spotted his teammate facing off against Cheshire. Arsenal looked back at Sportsmaster, then hopped out of the tree and ran to help.

"—Not my call!" Cheshire snapped at Artemis as Arsenal stealthily approached.

"Then who's call is it?!" Artemis demanded.

"Sorry, just because I know all your secrets doesn't mean you an know all mine." Arsenal shot off an arrow, which deployed a net and pinned the villain against a tree. "Why, Arsenal, if you wanted another date you only had to ask."

Arsenal made a face. 'Really glad Kal isn't here right now,' he thought as he pulled another arrow from his quiver.

"You two are dating?!" Artemis demanded.

"What?! No!" Artemis was literally his teammate, didn't she know better?!

"Why deny the attraction?" Cheshire asked. "After all, Arsenal, you're here." A train went by not seconds later and Cheshire cut herself free of the net. Both archers pointed their arrows at her. "Really, I'm so fond of you both."

'How does Artemis know her?!' Arsenal demanded silently.

"I couldn't bear to hurt you. Much." She put the sword away and attacked. Her offensive move took Artemis out first. Cheshire threw smoke bombs at Arsenal, which instantly surrounded him with the stuff. He sighed a little, then distantly heard a sound that made his stomach drop. He turned his head and saw Sportsmaster leaving on his boat.

"Sportsmaster…" Before Arsenal could do anything though, Cheshire attacked him. The combination of him being distracted by his mission getting away and the smoke made it easier for her to take him down. She pointed a sai against his cheek.

"Oh, too bad lover boy." Cheshire pulled her mask off and before Arsenal could say or do anything, she kissed him. He closed his eyes and face scrunched up in displeasure. It felt like the longest ten seconds of his life before she finally pulled away. "But at least a kiss is still a kiss." The arrival of a blast of wind and Cheshire grunting was music to the archer's ears. The weight disappeared from his body.

"And a sai is just a sai," Kid Flash said. "And quite the souvenir by the way."

"Artemis!" Arsenal yelled as he threw an arrow to the other archer. "Tracker arrow! Shoot it on Sportsmaster now!"

Artemis nocked the arrow and pointed it in the direction of the quickly retreating boat, but then lowered her aim. "It's too far out of range," she said.

"Move." Arsenal got up and pulled out another arrow, then shot it. When the tracer attached, then he subtly moved his had towards Artemis' quiver and then he ran down to where he led the jet ski.

"You're abandoning-"

"I'm prioritizing!" Arsenal hopped on and took off after Sportsmaster. "Aqualad, the target's made me, so I'll take a dive. He'll think he's in the clear and you can track him from below. We'll be right behind using the tracer." Taking a deep breath, Arsenal gunned it to pull up beside Sportsmaster's boat. Right on cue, the man threw something in the water, then an explosion nocked him off the jet ski and it flipped it over. In an instant Arsenal was literally head over heels under the water. As soon as he righted himself though, he saw something small fall in as well, and then another, larger explosion where Aqualad was supposed to be. Kicking furiously, Arsenal pushed his head above the water, "Aqualad!"

"Right here," a voice said behind him. Arsenal turned around and a little bit of relief filled him. Aqualad put his hand to his comm. "Artemis, Kid Flash, we lost Sportsmaster. We need you to throw the fight with Cheshire and plant a tracker on her." With the order relayed, he looked at Arsenal, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Fine. We- We need to complete the mission."

"Yes, let's." They swam over to the jet ski and Aqualad flipped it over with ease. He held out his hand, but Arsenal didn't need his help. Once he was seated, he reached out a hand to Aqualad. "Come on." The Atlantean took it and soon settled behind Arsenal. The archer tried to ignore the flippy-floppy feeling in his stomach from how Aqualad hugged his torso as he drove. 'Mission. Stay focused on the mission.' It didn't take them long to reach the place where they'd left Artemis and Kid Flash. The speedster came down to meet them and immediately started catching them up on the right they'd missed as soon as their feet touched dry land.

"—and then we threw the fight as ordered," Kid Flash said, telling the whole story in under a minute. "After Artemis planted the tracer."

"Cheshire's heading north," Artemis said as she joined them. She held up a small tracking device to show them what she meant.

"Sportsmaster was headed south," Arsenal said. "Kind of like this mission."

"Maybe he'll double-back. Or she will."

"Either way they'll rendezvous and we'll find them," Kid Flash said.

"We'd better," Aqualad told them. "Sportsmaster acquired an attaché case. We need to learn what it contained. If you stayed aboard the bioship-"

"I saw Cheshire sneaking up on him," Artemis replied, pointing at Arsenal.

"Then you radio a warning," he replied, a little irritated. Quickly, he tried to squash the feeling though.

"And if she found you by hacking our frequency?"

"It is true," Aqualad admitted with a sigh. "We have come to rely on M'gann's telepathy over our radios."

"Then let's stop looking to place blame and start looking for Cheshire," Kid Flash said.

"Here," Artemis sighed, tossing the device to Arsenal. "Since clearly, I can't be trusted. You track her."

'You wouldn't be so trusting either if you were me!' Arsenal thought. 'Especially if you being on this Team hinged on this mission going well!'

Kid Flash took the device from Arsenal, almost seeming to give the archer a dirty look, then held it out to Artemis. "Artemis," he almost whined.

"It's fine," she said, brushing him off. "I'll follow in the bishop."

"Go, Kid," Aqualad instructed. "Arsenal and I will follow in the river and we will all follow as originally planned."

Kid Flash said nothing, but simply put his helmet on and ran back to his motorcycle. Arsenal tried not to sigh as he followed Aqualad back to the jet ski, but he did take a second look back at Artemis, then took a small device out of a utility pouch. He studied it for a moment, then frowned as he walked. 'I knew it!' Aqualad was already under water and following Kid Flash's directions, so Arsenal jumped on his jet ski and headed the opposite direction.

— —

Betrayal was burning inside Arsenal when he pulled up to the warehouse. 'I knew she was trying to sabotage the mission.' Looked like she had gotten used to being the only archer on the Team. He pulled an arrow from his quiver, then started creeping towards the entrance to the warehouse. Looking around, he confirmed he was alone, then started trying to break-in through the electric lock. 'I need to get inside-' His efforts only lasted a few seconds before something moved from the corner of his eye. "Huh-" Arsenal threw himself back right before whatever it is exploded right in front of him. He fell onto his back and someone jumped down from the roof. He rolled backward and turned around in time to see Chesire attacking Artemis. He shot an arrow in their direction to distract the assassin, then radioed for back-up. "Arsenal, to Aqualad," he said as he drew another arrow from his quiver. "Located Cheshire and Sportsmaster. Rendezvous at my coordinates."

"Acknowledged," Aqualad replied. "I'll send Kid ahead."

Arsenal shot an arrow at Sportsmaster, but the man avoided it easily. The archer then twisted to avoid the lance that was thrown at him. He shot an arrow that released a small blast of pressurized wind to knock Sportsmaster back a few feet. Arsenal then pulled another arrow out and stumbled backward until he was back-to-back with Artemis. "So you're pretty much allergic to radioing a warning?" he asked.

"Artemis to Arsenal: look out," Artemis grumbled as they moved in tandem, to switch places and shoot. Unfortunately, Cheshire managed to slip past Arsenal and tracked Artemis. Before he could go to help her, Sportsmaster drew his attention away.

Arsenal shot an arrow at him, but his adversary managed to duck under it and got close enough to take a swing at him. He ducked and punched him twice. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of Artemis and Cheshire fighting. He tried to get a look to see if Artemis was ok, but Sportsmaster managed to punch him in the face to draw his attention back. Arsenal punch back and ducked under the next one. Somewhere behind him and heard the unmistakable sounds of an approaching speedster. 'Wally must be here,' he thought.

"Found the tracer on a caboose," Kid Flash said as Arsenal attempted to shoot an arrow at Sportsmaster. "And I don't mean Cheshire's."

"She must have lost it," Artemis replied.

'Yeah, sure,' Arsenal thought as he swung his bow at Sportsmatser's head, then lopped it around the man's neck when he ducked. He managed to get behind him, but Sportsmaster simply grabbed his arm and literally threw the archer off. Arsenal landed on his back but quickly flipped over to avoid getting kicked. As soon as he scrambled back to his feet, he dropped his bow and grabbed Sportsmaster's arm. In one fluid motion, he flipped the man over and held him down by said arm. In the next second, Sportsmaster suddenly turned to ice. Arsenal's eyes widened as his head first, and then the arm he was holding turned into nothing more than an ice sculpture. Arsenal scrambled to his feet and stepped back. "Kid Flash?!"

"Cheshire turned to ice!" Kid Flash yelled back.

"So did everyone in the warehouse," Artemis reported as she joined them. "Sportsmaster was doing something for Klarion, Ivo, and Brain, but they're all gone now. And whether they were working on is gone too."

"Gone…?" Arsenal looked down the Sportsmaster ice sculpture as his stomach simultaneously shriveled up and twisted into knots.

"What happened?" Aqualad asked, finally joining them,

"The bad guys got away," Kid Flash replied. "And apparently the bad guys include Klarion, Brain, and Ivo."

"You mean we failed. Though the injustice League is in custody, this makes it clear that their allies still scheme. And we have learned nothing of their plans."

"Gee, wonder why," Arsenal almost hissed as he turned around and glared at Artemis. She glared right back though, unafraid.

"Hey!" she protested loudly. "Who found out that Sportsmaster was working for Brain, Klarion, and Ivo?"

"Yeah, great intel, except I'm pretty sure Ivo's still in Belle Reve!" Something like him going missing definitely would've been on Batman's radar, and therefore Arsenal's.

"You know, I'm getting pretty tired of you dumping on her!" Kid Flash said. "We get you have issues, but she's your teammate! You need to trust her!" Arsenal simply held up the tracer. "Her tracer, so? Cheshire ditched it."

"No. Artemis ditched that to send us on a wild goose chase. And this one on Cheshire." He held up the second tracer and Kid Flash's anger melted into confusion in a second. He stared at Arsenal's hand for a second, before rounding on Artemis.

"Were you so freaked out by Arsenal returning that you tried to take down the bad guys solo?!" It was the only logical explanation his brain could come up with 3.5 seconds. "Please tell me I'm wrong." Artemis opened her mouth, then closed it. "Well, nice going. What you proved is that you're insecure and selfish." He was trying to keep it contained because of how Arsenal reacted to angry people, but he was boiling inside that she'd messed up this mission for him! Trying hard not to scowl, he threw the sai he'd taken from Cheshire down at her feet. "Take the sai." Before Arsenal could do anything, he snatched the tracer from him. "This is the right souvenir for the mission." Kid Flash started walking back to the bishop without another word.

"How will you betray us next time-"

"Enough," Aqualad said to him. "If making a mistake was traitorous, then we'd all be traitors. We must report back to Batman." He started walked away, but Arsenal looked at Artemis.

"You know Cheshire." It wasn't a question and left no room for denial. "You're lying and keeping something from us. I know you are." He turned and walked away. As he picked up his bow, he tried hard to keep his hands from shaking. Aqualad was waiting for him not too far away.

"Do not be so hard on her."

"We failed. The mission….is a failure. This was my chance…."

"I know." Aqualad held out his hand and a second later Arsenal took it. "We will…. Think of something else. Some other way for Batman to keep you on the Team."

Arsenal nodded as Aqualad led him gently back to the ship. 'We're going to have to.'

— —

When they arrived back at Mount Justice, Artemis was the first person off the bioship. Kid Flash was right behind her. With a deep sigh, Arsenal stood up and started walking slowly toward the door. Before he could reach it though, Aqualad stopped him by snagging his arm. "Do not worry, Roy," he said quietly, leaning in so they were almost nose to nose. "It will be ok."

"I hope so," Arsenal replied. He interlocked his fingers with Aqualad's. "Whatever happens out there…promise you'll stand by. No matter… No matter what?"

"I swear it."

"Good." Arsenal squeezed Aqualad's hand, then pulled away. His heart was pounding against his ribs as they disembarked from the bishop and headed for the main cavern. Batman was there with Red Tornado, along with Artemis and Kid Flash. "Batman."

"What happened?" Batman asked stiffly.

"The mission was a failure," Aqualad said, stepping forward.

"Kid Flash has already informed me of that. Why did it fail?"

"…Mistakes were made," Arsenal replied lowly. Part of him was chomping at the bit to place all the blame on Artemis in a bid to save himself; but another, much larger part, was horrified at the idea of acting on his anger. So he squashed the anger down and stayed quiet. Batman studied him for a moment.

"Your mission was a failure. Say good-bye, Arsenal."

"Wait, good-bye?" Artemis asked. "What do you mean good-bye?"

"Batman and Arsenal and an agreement," Kid Flash told her.

"An agreement?"

"Yes," Aqualad said. "Arsenal could return to the Team permanently if this mission was a success."

Artemis frowned. 'Oh crap, please tell me this is a cruel joke,' she thought. One glance at Arsenal's face told her no, it wasn't.

"Yes," Batman affirmed. "So, Arsenal let's go."

"See you, dude," Kid Flash sighed sadly.

Arsenal's hands shook a little bit as he watched Batman walk towards the zeta.

"Arsenal."

"No," Arsenal said in a shaky voice.

Batman stopped and looked back at him. "No?"

Arsenal nodded. "No. I- I'm not leaving." He crossed his arms. "Not unless you plan on dragging me out." He felt one of Kaldur's hands settle on his back supportively.

Batman's eyes narrowed at Kaldur, clearly placing the blame for this on him. "Arsenal-"

"I want to stay and I want to come back to the Team permanently."

"We had an agreement-"

"The mission went wrong, but one bad mission doesn't mean I'm incapable of following orders. I'm… I'm not a child. And I want to be on the Team."

"…The rest of you leave us. Now."

"Go ahead," Arsenal told Aqualad when he hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." He didn't want Batman to hate Kaldur anymore than he already did.

Once they were alone, Batman came closer. "Arsenal-" the Dark Knight began, but he was cut off the archer.

"Please, Batman. I want to be on the Team. I need to be. And I meant what I said. I won't leave the mountain unless you let me come back permanently." He studied Batman's face for a moment. "I'm not a child."

"….I know."

"You- You do?"

"Yes, I do." Unfortunately, he knew that it would only be a matter of time before Roy was finding another way back here. 'I could come up with another punishment to make him come home…' Which would basically be keeping Roy in Gotham against his will. It wasn't the best decision if he wanted the young man to trust him. 'And I know first-hand how fragile that trust can be. Besides, without the Team or Arsenal, what else can I take from Roy without getting into dangerous territory?' It almost made him proud. At only 18 years of age, Arsenal had managed what many others had tried and failed at over the years. He'd backed Batman into a corner to force him to concede. "If you ever leave Mount Justice without my permission again, I will pull you off the Team and you won't come back. Is that understood?"

"Yes."

"Then you are free to stay."

"Thank you."

"Go get Kaldur'ahm and tell him I wish to speak with him."

"Ok." Arsenal ran off to find Kaldur. It wasn't hard since he just had to go down a hall, then took a left around a corner. Kaldur was leaning against the wall and he stood up straight when Arsenal got close. Arsenal was so excited that he'd be able to see Kaldur again that before Kaldur could say anything, he rushed forward and kissed him. The Atlantean was stiff with surprise for a moment, then he relaxed against the archer. This kiss was warm and nice, but a little bit of an awkward sensation. But the unfamiliarity of it was drowned out by the joy it brought. For a few seconds, the two teens held each other close. Eventually, though, they had to pull apart. "Sorry. I probably should've asked first, but I was kind of afraid I'd never get the chance."

"It is fine," Kaldur replied. "I…very much enjoyed it."

"Good… I'm glad."

"Would it be ok if I kissed you now?"

"Yes. But- I-I should probably tell you… On the mission Cheshire… She kissed me. I didn't want her to, I swear and-"

"It is ok, Arsenal. I know you did not want her to do that."

"So you're not mad?"

"No. Of course not. And to prove it…" Kaldur gently wrapped his arms around Arsenal and spun him around. He pushed the archer against the wall carefully and leaned in to kiss him.

Unbeknownst to them, Batman turned the corner at that moment, having decided to look for Arsenal and Kaldur when they took so long. He froze when he saw Kaldur kissing Arsenal. His eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned. Then Kaldur slipped his hand up underneath Arsenal's shirt. Arsenal shook his head, very clearly uncomfortable, and put his hand against Kaldur's chest. Batman's fists clenched and he took half a step forward, but then Kaldur stepped back.

"No," Arsenal said. "Please don't touch me there."

"Ok. May I touch you above your shirt?"

"…Yeah, that'd be fine."

Kaldur nodded and gently settled his hand on Arsenal's stomach, above his shirt this time. When the archer didn't protest, he leaned in again and resumed their kiss.

After a moment's hesitation, Batman retreated into the shadows and back around the corner. He stopped in the other hall, staring at the far wall. His brain, for some reason, went back to the last League meeting on the Watchtower. How grown up Roy looked compared to four years ago. It once again gave the Bat a sense of loss. Four years wasn't a long time, but somehow in such a short time, Roy had grown up so much. Batman could never have imagined at scared and underweight 14-year-old he'd met on the Watchtower four years ago to be doing this. Standing up to him, kissing someone. Unimaginable back then. 'Perhaps he is ready for a…relationship with Kaldur'ahm,' Batman thought begrudgingly. 'He seems…capable of understanding where he wants his personal boundaries to be and Kaldur'ahm seems to capable of respecting them.'

Just around the corner, Kaldur finally pulled away from Arsenal. "That was awesome," the archer whispered.

"Indeed. Very…awesome."

"Oh, Batman wanted to talk to you."

"That is information I would have appreciated before we started this." Kaldur leaned in and gave the archer a peck on the lips. "I will be back as soon as possible." Leaving Arsenal was difficult, but knowing the Dark Knight was waiting pushed him forward. However, Kaldur hadn't expected to see Batman just around the corner. "Batman?" he asked, momentarily afraid. 'Good thing we stopped when we did.' Batman turned to look at him. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Arsenal is returning to the Team," Batman replied.

"He is?"

"Yes. And…however your relationship progresses while he's here….for the most part, is between the two of you."

Kaldur frowned in confusion. "Bat-"

"However, that last sentiment comes with three rules. Number One: He does not leave Mount Justice without my permission and he does not leave Gotham ever. Number Two: If you ever touch him, anywhere, without his explicit permission, there will be severe consequences. And Number Three: if you take advantage of him in any way, you will be sorry. Is that understood?"

Understanding dawned on Kaldur's mind. "Oh… Y-Yes, Batman. I understand."

"Good. Tell Arsenal if he wants to spend the night here, that's acceptable."

"I will."

Batman started to walk away, then stopped. "I am trusting you with him, Kaldur'ahm. Do not let me down again."

"I will protect him, Batman. You have my word."

Batman nodded. "And think twice and very hard before you do anything…too physical. There are cameras in every room and one of your teammates has superhearing."

"Yes, Batman."

As Batman was walking away, Arsenal came around the corner. "Hey, what happened?" he asked.

"I…am not sure… But I believe we have received his blessing."

"Seriously?" Arsenal looked in the direction of his mentor as the zeta tube announced his departure.

"He also said you were welcome to spend the night."

That made Arsenal smile. "I think I'll enjoy that."

"Let us go so you can change then."

"And we can pick up where we left off?" Arsenal took Aqualad's hand and the Atlantean smiled.

"Yes. I think that would be acceptable."