Authors' Note: And we're back! Happy New Year, we hope all of you had a good holiday season, and stayed safe out there. The real world is pretty crazy, so let's all slip back into fanfic, where at least we can make sure things make some kind of sense.

We had some trouble logging into the site this time around. Links don't seem to go to the right pages, there are errors, and we've been hearing on Facebook and Reddit that this site has had some issues lately. Please be aware that if fanfic dot net does go down, or if we can't log in here, we are also posting this story at AO3. Most of our work is up on that site, with a few exceptions that we'll eventually get uploaded.

Without further ado, we return to our story...


Kala walked back into her regular life one step at a time, patiently and painstakingly picking up the pieces.

Morning in the high atmosphere with her father, who didn't ask her about Jay, and only told her he loved her and he was there if she needed to talk. She didn't want to, not yet, but the silence and sunlight and his strong arm around her shoulders did her heart a great deal of good.

Breakfast with Lois, strong coffee and a varied selection of food. Kala cajoled her mother into eating more than just toast or some yogurt, and Lois teased her gently for the role reversal of Kala taking care of her.

Lunch would come from one of Metropolis' many little cafes, a brief pause in between a day full of visits to her various friends and family. She stopped by the Riverside house to see Aunt Lucy, visited the Daily Planet offices to say hello to Perry and Jimmy and Uncle Ron, and even swung by the 'traitorous competition' to say hi to Aunt Tobie. Late in the afternoon, she dropped in on Richard, Lana, and Kristin. The latter immediately showed her journalistic pedigree by eyeing Kala, and asking, "What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?" Kala asked.

An auburn brow went up, echoing both Lana and Lois. "You're wearing neutral eyeshadow, which you only do on low-effort days. And now you're being evasive instead of answering the question."

"Yep, you're a Slytherin," Kala said flatly, and Kristin stuck her tongue out.

Lana had watched the conversation, and asked, "Is this a sisters-only topic, perhaps?"

Kala sighed, and flopped into a chair. The rest of them settled in too, an easy grouping in the living room, not like an intervention or an interrogation. "No, it's gonna be general family news, if it isn't already. Jay and I broke up."

"No! Why?!" Kristin exclaimed.

Mouth twisted in a grim line, Kala knew the more times she made herself say it, the easier it would get. She didn't have to like it, though. "He broke it off. He said I was too clingy, but I think he had a major freakout because we found out some of the bad guys were targeting me. Ever since Joker got his butt kicked by Harley, they're all fighting to see who's top dog – and taking down a metahuman is a boost to anyone's rep. If that meta is Red Hood's girlfriend, all the better."

She saw the knowledge strike all of them, the worry for her in their eyes. Daddy Richard knew about putting yourself at risk in the line of duty; Lana knew about risking yourself for those you loved. Kristin, ah, Kristin was young enough that most of it was still like a story for her. The realization that really bad people really wanted to hurt her sister flashed in her eyes with a bright flare of hurt…

And then she cast it aside, resolutely focusing elsewhere, because she was Lois and Clark's daughter, too. Stony determination came to her from four parents, and Lois' habit of deflecting things she couldn't change was useful here and there. Just now, it was easier to talk about relationships than the superhero situation. "Seriously? That's lame," Kristin complained.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, I know about dumb male decisions, and breaking up with you is about the dumbest," Richard put in, going along with it.

"His loss," Lana said coolly, with a glint in her green eyes that Kala would've called murderous on anyone else.

Just for good measure, she said, "Mom promised Dad she wouldn't drive to Gotham and shoot him. Dad promised her he wouldn't fly by and laser Jay's boy parts off. So please, Lana, whatever terrible revenge you have in mind, let it go." She lifted her chin, thinking her mother would be proud of her, and added, "Losing me is already about the worst thing that could happen to him."

"Atta girl," Richard said warmly, and Kristin leaned over to high-five her.

She managed a tremulous smile for all of them, and then said, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rip my own heart out. Again."

"Nope," Kristin said, grabbing her hand. "You're gonna help me go through my closet and pick an outfit. I've got a date this coming weekend."

Richard looked at his daughter speculatively. "Hey, munchkin? Your sister just got dumped. You sure she wants to help you pick clothes for a date?"

"It's fine," Kala said, giving him a warm smile. She squeezed Kristin's hand. "I don't mind; maybe it's the antidote I need. At least Kristin's smart enough not to date boys."

"Boys are kinda lame most of the time," Kristin said in a conspiratorial voice, and Kala let herself be tugged away to pass judgment on every piece of clothing Kristin owned. It didn't make her heart twinge; she'd rarely picked out clothes to wear to see Jay. It was uniforms or training clothes. Although a certain dress was going to live in the very back of her closet until she could look at it without crying…

She pushed the thought aside, and focused on Kristin, who kept the conversation on fashion instead of dating. It was a safe enough topic for Kala to lose herself in, and her heart was lighter when she finally left with another hug and kiss for Lana and Richard.

Dinner at home that night, cooking side by side with her father, falling back into the easy rhythms of her late teens. Kala was glad not to be coming in exhausted from a long shift doing retail, but she looked to the days ahead and found the hours between meals intimidating, just a little too empty. She couldn't fill every day with socializing the way she had this first one.

The only one she didn't fly out to visit was Jason. He had his hands full with Elise, and Kala didn't want to shift his focus. He would know, instantly, how lonely she really was; that was just a twin thing. Kala called him, instead, and the first thing she said was, "Promise me you won't go beat up Jay."

"I already promised I wouldn't," Jase complained, and then went silent for a moment. Jase was no fool, and Kala knew he was drawing conclusions. "Wait, that's why I was so out of sorts. What did he do?"

"What do you mean, you were out of sorts?" Kala asked him.

"I had nightmares on New Year's Day. I figured it was just that day. But something else went down, didn't it? Fess up, Kal, no secrets between twins." Jason's voice was stern, but always loving, and Kala sighed.

She still gave him a very abbreviated version of events, forcing herself to keep her voice level even when her heart was still shattered. Kala finished with a deep breath, and, "I think he was trying to protect me, in his ass-backwards emotionally-constipated Bat way. It doesn't matter. He ended it, and I'm no one's doormat. We're through."

Silence, on the other end of the phone. Finally, Jason growled, "He's a goddamn idiot. And I'd stomp him flat, if I didn't know it would hurt you more than him."

Jase rarely swore. Kala knew the strength of his anger in that one word, and she was honest with him. "It would. I still love him, Jase, but I'm not gonna … I'm not …" She made a disgusted noise, and finished angrily, "I'm not going to fucking cry."

"Good girl. He doesn't deserve your tears," Jason said staunchly. "When are you coming out so we can have a 'good riddance' party?"

She bit her lip. "Jase, you've got enough to worry about right now. And I'm exhausted, honestly. I'm holed up with Mom and Dad, licking my wounds. I saw everyone around town, but I can fake it for them. You … I can't fake it around you. I'd fly out there, but I'd be bad company."

"You're my sister. You're never just company. You can come out here anytime, Kal." Jason's quiet declaration brought tears pricking at her eyes again.

Kala sighed again. "Look, I … I don't wanna talk about it. I don't wanna have a party. I just … I'll meet you on the barn roof about ten, okay? Just hug me. We don't have to talk, I just want my brother."

"Whatever you need," he told her, and Kala made herself get off the phone before she started crying out of gratitude. Seeing her brother, wrapping herself up in the arms that had been there for her even in the womb, would be a balm for her soul. And she needed that.

The next necessary step was looming up ahead of her: reuniting with the band.

Jay quickly found out he was being subjected to Dick Grayson's One Step Plan, so called because Dick wouldn't let Jay put a foot wrong. It sounded real claustrophobic, and not something Jay could handle long term. He didn't mind someone looking out for him, but this was excessive. No booze, healthy food, regular exercise, and of course Babs watching them through a dozen cameras throughout the apartment.

It was entirely too much, honestly. And about the time Jay was planning a jailbreak, Babs called them up with news that fortunately distracted Dick from his mother hen impression. Jay got to overhear the call, and it chilled his blood.

"I received a short message from Talia, telling me that my little birds had slipped through her talons, and I'd better go collect them before they got in more trouble," Babs said grimly. "Which, with what I put together from the girls' messages to me and the data on their laptop, means whatever was going down in Libya is over. But Cass and Steph are in danger. I activated the tracking on their uniforms; I can pick up Cass, but not Steph."

"Damn shame we don't have close air support at the moment. Have you already got someone headed that way for the extraction?" Dick asked. He didn't sound like he was making a jab at Jay, but Jay still felt it that way. He'd probably feel that way about every mention of close air support for a while.

"Dinah and Helena left two hours ago, with Bruce in the Batplane," Babs replied. "He does have the fastest transport – and I wouldn't want to send Kala into a League of Shadows situation, anyway. I'm monitoring the plane now, but depending on how things go over there, you might have to wear the big ears until he gets back."

Dick audibly swallowed. He'd been Batman for a few nights in the past, when Bruce was injured, but Jay figured it was still a huge responsibility and not something he took as lightly as Babs' comment implied. "I can do that. Keep me posted about the girls."

"Cass can take care of herself. It's Steph I'm worried about – and the fact that Cass hasn't called me. They've got comms, I just don't understand why Cass hasn't used it."

Jay spoke up then, trying to contribute usefully somehow. "Hey, isn't part of Cass' deal that she didn't know how to speak for the longest time? Running up against the League might've knocked her back into familiar habits. I know they're enough to set anybody back on their heels."

"That could be," Dick said, and gave him a quick smile.

"I hope you're right," Babs said. "Also, Jay – it's nice to know you're awake and all right. On this front, Alfred is rather put out with you. So am I, to be frank. But no one in the Manor is going to beat you over the head with this whole situation. Don't go slinking off to the Bowery and forego all the cookies just because you screwed up, all right?"

"Oh yeah? Bruce isn't gonna read me the riot act for breaking his bestie's baby girl's heart?" Jay shot back, ignoring the tightness in his own chest as he said it.

Dick thumped his shoulder, and Babs made a rude noise. "What could Bruce tell you that you don't already know? We're all detectives, Jay. Save your cover story for people who don't know you, or her."

He bristled at them both, but Babs wasn't finished. "Frankly, we don't have time to deal with your relationship drama. The city is still unsettled, and I'm worried about my girls. You're a big boy, you'll have to take care of yourself for now."

"Good. Glad someone knows it," Jay said gruffly. Dick just rolled his eyes.

"I'll keep you both updated," Babs told them, and signed off.

Jay sat back and scrubbed at his face. He needed to get out there in uniform tonight – he felt out of touch with his city, having been too drunk to notice the riots. And now this with Steph and Cass … they were probably both all right and he didn't know either of them personally so it wasn't his business, but it was something else to think about. And like it or not, everyone who wore the Bat-symbol or the Robin-symbol was a kind of community he did actually care about.

Dick clapped his shoulder. "I have the best remedy for worrying news," he declared.

"Yeah? What's that?" Jay asked skeptically. Target practice was his own best antidote, but he highly doubted Dick agreed.

"The best-equipped basement gym in Blüdhaven," Dick said proudly. "I know you can out-lift me, but I've got acrobatics equipment too. Come on, you need some exercise."

Jay groaned, but it wasn't a bad idea. Going out to fight cold was a recipe for straining something, and a workout was a good warm-up. He followed Dick downstairs, shoving all of his emotions aside. At least when it came to working out, he was in control of himself.

Black Canary checked her phone, currently showing a map of the immediate terrain and an indicator giving her the direction of Cass' tracking devices. Huntress and Batman both had the same readouts, provided by secure satellite uplinks monitored by Oracle.

This was not a good situation. Batgirl and Spoiler (she assumed they were together, Cass wouldn't abandon her girlfriend) had crossed the border from Libya into Chad, and based on the directional information they'd acquired during the flight, they were heading toward Bardaï. The town seemed the most likely destination based on the fact that it had an airport. Not much of an airport by Canary's standards, but long flat runways in the red sand were still the most promising escape route for the girls. It would be slow going, through the arid mountainous terrain, and presumably they were trying to stay undercover as much as possible.

All of them stuck out with glaring neon intensity in this place. Their tactical gear, the Bat-plane itself, the fact that none of them spoke Tedaga or Dezaga – well, Batman might have a handful of phrases memorized, but Canary and Huntress sure didn't – all combined to mark them as outsiders. Dinah really hoped they could do this quickly and avoid local complications. Knowing that the damn League of Shadows was in the middle of their own issues didn't ease her mind at all.

They'd put the Bat-plane down in a ravine, not far from where the girls should be, but at closer range the varied elevations were playing hell with the signal. "Split up and triangulate," Batman said gruffly.

"I don't like splitting up in hostile territory," Dinah replied.

He didn't even look at her, which she took to mean that he didn't exactly care what she liked or disliked. In his view, splitting up was necessary. Sometimes his eternal pragmatism got very annoying. It was only worse when he turned out to be right.

She turned, and froze. Something in her field of view had changed. "We may have company," Dinah told Batman, who whirled around to face the potential threat.

A few blades of grass, stubbornly holding on to the rocky ground, continued to straighten up from where they'd been bent by a footstep. Dinah looked at it critically; was it one of their boots, and the movement had set her off? Or had they avoided that spot, and someone else had trodden it down?

Huntress swore under her breath, something in gutter Sicilian, and Dinah glanced her way only to see five men stand up on the opposite ridge. They all carried sniper rifles … but they weren't aiming them. When Dinah turned back, three more men stood up on their side. The closest was only a dozen yards away. All of them were dressed to blend in with the locals, but she saw glimpses of body armor under their loose clothing. Ah, shit, here we go, she thought despairingly.

The closest man stepped toward them, and Batman had a Batarang in his hand so fast that not even Dinah saw it. She drew her sticks, and a deep breath, even as Huntress cocked her bow. But the man simply raised his hands, palms out. "I bear a message."

"Give your message, then," Batman growled.

The man reached into a pocket and brought out a phone, which he held out toward them. After a moment's hesitation, Batman glided forward and took it. With that, the men turned and walked away as one.

"Interesting," Huntress said.

The phone chirped, and Batman pressed the speaker button. The voice that issued from it made Dinah groan out loud. "Hello, Beloved."

"Hello, Talia," Bruce said.

"You're in the area to retrieve something you lost. My men are on the lookout for trouble, given the recent unrest, but I've ordered them to let you pass so long as you do not attempt to interfere with us." Her voice was level and calm, as if there weren't two teenage girls lost somewhere in the region.

"How nice of you," Dinah said dryly. "Do you have the girls?"

Batman shot her a look, but Talia answered. "Of course not. Nor do I know their precise location at the moment. I assume you have some means of tracking them yourselves?"

"You assume correctly," Bruce said stiffly.

"Good. Use caution. They've had a trying few days."

"What do you mean by that?" Dinah demanded.

Talia clicked her tongue in irritation. "I'm not at liberty to explain in depth. You should find them soon. My men will not impede you."

"What about your father's men?" Bruce asked.

"Father is in Manchuria at the moment. He left me in charge of this operation. He will, of course, be upset that I aided you even so little as this, but such is the price we pay for love. Should I give him your regards, Beloved?"

Bruce just huffed. "How long do I have before this phone self-destructs?"

"About a minute and a half, now," Talia replied. "A word of advice – I don't think you'll find them in a cave. It would be natural to look there, but no. Batgirl will want shelter, of course, and there are caves in the region, but I doubt she could convince Spoiler to enter one."

"What the hell happened to them?" Dinah snapped, her heart beating faster. "What in God's name did you do?"

Talia's reply was just as heated. "I did nothing, except let them pass. Time is running out. À bientôt, Beloved."

Batman let the phone fall, and it began smoking immediately. Dinah sighed heavily. "Self-destructing phones. She really does want to be a Bond girl, doesn't she?"

"We have work to do," Batman said, and set off to triangulate the signal.

Helena looked over at her, and shrugged. "At least we don't have to fight the League, right?"

"Don't count on it," Dinah warned. The two of them split up as well, hoping to get a better fix on the girls' location. That was one heartening note: Talia had spoken as if Steph and Cass were still together, as far as she knew. At least they only had to find one needle in a haystack, not two.

Cass was having a very bad day. She'd finally convinced Steph to stop and take shelter, but the furious look in those now-green eyes was still foreboding. There hadn't been time to go back to their camp and get extra supplies or their computer; they only had the clothes on their backs, and in Steph's case they'd been badly damaged. The Lazarus Pit's fluids were apparently corrosive. Cass had been lucky enough to steal a shift and a cloak off a clothesline as they passed through a village, though Steph hadn't been willing to slow down any more than the time it took to pull those clothes on. She would've walked naked across the mountains with that single-minded intensity that frightened Cass to the marrow of her bones.

In the first few harrowing hours, Cass had retreated into what she knew best. Steph wasn't talking, and her body language was one long shriek of rage and pain and fear. So Cass fell silent beside her, barely able to keep up with the crushing pace of her flight. All of the old injuries that would've slowed Steph down or made her choose her footing carefully were simply gone, and her stamina was unreal. Steph ran through the night as if she could see by starlight, and Cass followed grimly with the night-vision in her cowl.

By dawn, they were miles from the compound. Steph had fled 'away', and when Cass thought to check their location, she realized they were heading southwest. Bardaï was that way, and she began to coax Steph in the direction of its airport. They might be able to escape somehow.

At some point during the night's endless run, her comm had buzzed at her enough that Cass had torn it off and stamped on it without even breaking stride. Stupid, she cursed herself now. Short-sighted, stupid, mute idiot. Just because Steph snarled every time it buzzed, just because she herself wasn't capable of processing words at the time, she shouldn't have ripped it off. Now she couldn't tell Oracle where they were. And Steph's comm was a hopeless tangle of melted plastic and wire, discarded along with the pieces of her uniform.

There were tracking devices in Cass' uniform that she'd never removed. They'd have to be good enough. Oracle couldn't spare people, but if she could get to Bardaï, she could maybe make contact and arrange for an air-drop of supplies. Or a ride out on the next plane, if they were very lucky. This was all her fault, and she expected to be told to work out a solution for herself.

So she was taken entirely by surprise when they finally stopped to rest, and she heard a familiar voice in the middle of nowhere, saying, "We should be right on top of them." That was Black Canary, and Cass' head shot up, her eyes wide in surprise – and a knee-weakening rush of relief. It kept her silent when she wanted to shout a welcome.

Their refuge was nothing like secure. Steph wouldn't go near anything with walls, so they'd taken shelter on a rock ledge behind a thick screen of trees. And before Cass could fully process the fact that they were being rescued, she heard Batman say, "They're here."

His gauntleted arm pushed aside the foliage, revealing the two of them huddled up a slight distance apart – Steph hissed like a cat any time Cass touched her. Cass blinked, her eyes watering, so relieved at the sight of him that she could've thrown her arms around him in delight.

Steph, however, uncoiled from her protective crouch, and launched every ounce of her frame at Bruce in a savage punch that landed right on his chin.

Cass gasped as the pair of them fell backward, and sprang out of concealment to restrain Steph. "Whoa there, Spoiler, it's okay! It's us!" Dinah was saying, catching Steph's arm. She got a fist to the gut for her troubles.

"Dart her," Bruce said, flat on his back and probably seeing stars.

"The hell?" Dinah wheezed, as Steph danced back from them, glaring at Huntress who just watched her with uncertain eyes. Cass couldn't blame her, the situation had to seem bizarre.

"Her eyes are green. She's been exposed to the Lazarus Pit. Dart her, she's not in her right mind and won't be for longer than we have to wait," Bruce explained, levering himself up. That at least told Cass why he'd let the hit land.

She had to say something, and her voice came out rusty and small, pathetic. "Shiva killed her. Then, fell in."

Dinah swore, and Huntress made her decision. Steph tried to leap out of the way, but the crossbow dart took her in the shoulder, and seconds later she slumped to the ground.

Finally, Cass could go to her, wrap her arms around Steph and not be struck at. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered. "My fault. All my fault."

Bruce had regained his feet, and he approached them carefully. "The plane is close. I'll carry her."

"Oh my God, you…" Dinah grumbled, and shoved his shoulder to get to Cass' side. "No, honey, it's not your fault."

"Yes," Cass insisted, not looking up. She couldn't stand to see their disappointment. "Should have stayed away. Should have made her leave. Knew she would follow. Tried to stop her. Couldn't. My mother. My fault."

Dinah cupped her cheek and made her look up. Even before she spoke, all Cass saw in her face and the line of her shoulders was compassion and sorrow and such deep kindness that it broke her heart a little. "No. You didn't do this to her. By rights the two of you shouldn't even have been here. Shiva killed her, not you. You're not responsible for Shiva. She's your mother, but you're not her keeper."

"Where is Shiva?" Bruce asked, and Cass saw Dinah shoot him a look like she wanted to hit him as hard as Steph had. Maybe harder.

Cass didn't see judgment in him, just the stony focus on the mission she was used to. It was reassuring, in a way. "Don't know. Spine broken in fight. Talia al Ghul took the compound."

"So she's either dead, or Lazarus-crazed too," Dinah said, scowling. "Great, I bet Daddy's gonna love that. And now we know what they were protecting here."

Cass nodded. "League fought itself, Shiva against Talia. We ran, Talia won, let us go. Steph ran, couldn't stop her, couldn't get our equipment."

"We'll pick up your supplies or wipe the netbook remotely," Bruce said. He held out a hand to Cass. "Come on, we need to go. The League already knows we're here. And we need help for Spoiler that we won't find here."

Cass got up, and watched as Bruce lifted Steph easily. Meanwhile Dinah muttered, "That's better. C'mon, Cass, I really don't like relying on Talia's charity, even if she did say her men would let us go."

Walking close to her side, Cass remembered something the Demon's Daughter had told her. "Jason Todd," she said, and all three of them looked at her in shock. "Talia said, he could help."

"Well, she's the one who dunked him in the Pit," Dinah said bitterly. "I hope he's dried out enough to be useful."

"He will. Hood won't let himself wallow in pity when there's work to do," Bruce said, and Cass saw Dinah's intent to kick him in the ankle, her realization that she might just upset his balance enough to make him drop Steph, and her reluctant restraint, all in a brief flash of muscle tension. She followed them, knowing that no matter what Dinah said, this colossal failure was at least partly her fault.