Summary: Takes place in July of 2016

Disclaimer: I don't own DC

The original 8 members of the team had gathered in the Hall of Justice for an announcement from Batman, Tornado, Superman, and Canary. They were all curious as to what the announcement was, and why they specifically were chosen to attend and not the others. Bruce had called Dick earlier to tell him to get his ass over to the Hall, and his voice seemed rather...excited? Hard to tell with him, sometimes.

Batman and the others stepped into the meeting hall to greet the team, and Kaldur asked what was on everyone's mind. "Batman, what is going on?" Batman actually smiled as he faced the team.

"It's my pleasure to inform you all that you eight have been invited to join the Justice League." WHAT?! Everyone's eyes dropped as they turned to one another and celebrated, laughing and cheering with one another. Wally fist-bumped Dick as Zatanna and Raquel high-fived, and even Connor had a smile on his face. Clark placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder before taking over.

"We are all incredibly proud of how far you have come in the last 5 years. Know that your achievements are nothing short of fantastic, and you all have matured an incredible deal since that night at Cadmus all those years ago." Dick, Wally, and Kaldur all shared a knowing look with one another before turning back. Dick noticed Bruce staring at him, and his normally stern look was replaced with a soft smile, something that nobody else would have ever thought possible. He smiled back, nodding a bit. I wouldn't have come anywhere near this far without you, Bruce. Thank you. For everything. I owe you the world. Clark walked up to Connor, placing a hand on his shoulder in pride as Canary next spoke.

"Know that this is only an invitation. We don't want you to feel pressured to join, you are free to remain on the team for as long as you like. But for those of you who have looked to join our ranks for years now, I'm proud to say you are finally ready." Tornado chimed in.

"Your mentors will be waiting outside with congratulations, as will your potential future teammates." Everyone walked outside to be greeted by the rest of the League. Barry immediately sped over to Wally to pull him into a hug as they laughed, Oliver and Dinah congratulated Artemis to no end, Arthur placed a hand on Kaldur's shoulder in recognition, even going so far as to saluting him for his achievement, Icon and Raquel shared a tender moment, and Clark and J'onn did not leave Connor or M'gann's side for even a second as they showered them both in praise and congratulations. Diana pulled Dick into a bone-crushing hug before doing the same to Zatanna, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Nabu standing there, watching her. Zee frowned at the Lord of Order, but she did notice something else. In his eyes, the emerald green eyes of her father, she saw...pride. He's still in there. I know it. Dick grasped Zatanna's hand, knowing what was going through her mind at the moment, and Bruce walked up to the two, placing his hands on both their shoulders.

"Dick, Zatanna, I'm...words cannot express how proud I am of both of you. Zatanna, I know he can't tell you right now, but your father is beyond overjoyed for you. What you've had to endure has been more than what most people go through in two lifetimes, but you've not only survived, you've flourished. I'm incredibly honored to have watched you grow. And Dick..." Bruce had no words for the Boy Wonder, but the look in his eyes said it all. Dick smiled back to him before letting himself be pulled into a hug, and he knew exactly what Bruce wanted him to know. He was proud of him. More proud than he had been in a long time. They broke off a bit later, and Bruce smiled to Dick. "You planning on joining?" Grayson stopped for a minute. A sudden realization dawned on him as Bruce said those words, and he realized something he should have realized sooner.

"Bruce, I..." Bruce knew exactly what he was thinking, the bond they shared was stronger than any mind-link M'gann or J'onn could muster, and he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about Jason. Barbara can look after him, you don't need to hold yourself back if you don't want to. You have a life as well."

"I know, and I'm more than turbed, but...I have responsibilities now. I...I can't abandon Jason. Not right now. He needs more training, and I don't wanna leave that all to Babs, she's got her hands full as is." Dick was right. Last week, Barbara decided to come clean and tell Jim Gordon about her double life, and needless to say he was pissed off. She was doing her best to convince him it was for the best, but he was slow to accept it. Bruce nodded.

"I understand. I'm not forcing you to join, it's completely your decision. I'm honestly impressed you're passing this up to stick with Jason, but just know that if you ever change your mind, you're always welcome to join the League. You and any of them." Dick grinned at Bruce before hugging him one last time. The team departed soon afterwards, but they decided to go out for a group dinner instead of heading straight back home. They had a lot to discuss with one another.

"So, who all's joining? Dick?" Dick rubbed his neck nervously.

"I'm, uh, I'm gonna pass. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to join, but...I gotta help Jason more before I move on." Nobody protested his decision, they all understood. Everyone knew the bond Dick shared with the other Bats; he was never going to abandon Jason if he knew he needed to help more. Zatanna looked down at her food upon hearing this, and Dick noticed. He took hold of her hand under the table, which she returned a smile to while scooching closer to him. Wally and Arty looked at each other before Wally next spoke.

"Yeah, I don't think we are either. It's a nice offer and all, but we don't know if we're ready for the big leagues just yet. We wanna stick around a bit more." Though Wally wouldn't say it, a part of him wasn't joining because he knew he wanted to stick with his best friend. They had been through hell together, and he really didn't want to have to say goodbye. Kaldur was next to decide.

"I will decline as well. My place is with the team, I am not ready to abandon the others just yet. So, are any of us planning on joining?" Raquel looked down at her food.

"I...I am." Kaldur frowned a bit but didn't say anything, and Dick understood. Rocky and Kal had gotten back on speaking terms, they were friends again, but now that they had broken up, there wasn't really anything tethering her to the team anymore. She had always wanted to be a Leaguer, so there was no debate she would be joining. Still, it must've hurt Kaldur. Megan and Connor were next to speak.

"Uh...we're also planning on joining. W-we think it's time to step up." Megan's normally cheery voice was a bit somber, and everyone understood why. The team was divided. Some wanted to stay, some didn't. Sure, they would all remain in contact, but they wouldn't live together anymore. All the memories, all the nights spent hanging out, they wouldn't be as frequent, and that hurt every one of them. They were a family, in every sense of the word, and none of them knew if they were ready to leave each other. Everyone turned to Zatanna, who was the last person to decide. They all assumed she would decline, as she and Dick were arguably the closest couple out of the whole batch. But her answer wasn't as definitive as they all expected.

"I'm...I'm not sure, yet. I need more time to decide." Everyone nodded, and Dick squeezed her hand gently for assurance, which she greatly appreciated. Kaldur was next to speak.

"Whatever happens next, whatever roads we may take, we are all connected through the bonds we've forged. Let's not forget that, ever. We will always be there for one another, like a family should be." The whole team smiled at their leader's words, and pretty soon dinner was over and they had Zeta'd back to the cave. After telling the others about their big news, Dick found himself pulled into a corner by Jason.

"Hey."

"What's up?" Jason looked to him for a second before speaking.

"Did you decline cuz of me? Cuz...you didn't have to do that. I'd get it if you wanted to-" Dick placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Jay, I'm not leaving until I'm 100% sure you're ready to fly solo. Trust me, I'm not gonna abandon you. Don't blame yourself, it was my choice. I'm with you till the end of the line." Jaso smiled as he fist-bumped Dick, and once he walked back to talk with Garth and Wally more, Dick took Zatanna's hand and led her to their room, dragging her away from her conversation with Donna and Tula.

"What's up?" Dick stared at her for a second, taking both of her hands in his own gently.

"You wanna join, don't you?" Zatanna looked down guiltily, not denying his claim. Dick felt a tinge of sorrow at knowing that, but he didn't get angry. He led her face up so they locked eyes once more. "Hey, I'm not mad. I'm happy for you. If you wanna join, I won't stop you, how could I? We can still be together, even if we're not on the same team."

"Y-yeah, b-b-but...it's just n-not the same."

"I know, but it'll still work, babe. We're looking for an apartment, right? Until we find one, you can live up in the Watchtower, I'll stay down here, and we can meet up whenever we're free. Once we get a place, it'll be back to living together, it's not gonna be that bad. Plus, once Jason's all good to go, I'll join the League, and we'll be back on the same page again." Dick pulled Zatanna close, placing a hand on the back of her head as she hugged him and sank into his chest. "Hey, if Jason didn't need me, I'd probably join, too. I mean, it's the freakin Justice League! Who wouldn't wanna join?"

"Th-that's not why." Realization dawned over Dick as he hugged her tighter.

"You wanna stay close to your dad." Zee nodded into his chest and felt a few tears well up.

"I-I'm sorry. I-it's not that you're n-not enough f-for me, you're p-perfect, Dick. B-but he's m-my-"

"I know. I'm not mad, I get it. And I promise, we'll get your dad outta there, somehow." Zatanna slowly stopped crying as she stayed in his arms, finding some level of comfort from his grasp.

"I-I think I can w-wait. I'm...I'm not in a hurry to go up there, I wanna stay here. With you. Once you're r-ready then I'll m-move onto the League with you. B-but I don't...I don't wanna leave you, Dick." Dick smiled as he heard that, gently caressing her hair.

"You sure? I'd have thought you'd wanna join, I mean, don't you think it would be fun getting to boss me around?" Zatanna giggled.

"Don't I already boss you around enough?"

"Fair point." A few minutes passed, and Dick finally broke off from her, pecking her on the lip and cradling her head as she did the same to him. Their foreheads touched as he smiled sweetly to her. "Love you, Zee."

"Evol uoy, Yob Rednow." Dick smirked. Yeah, sure, he would have liked to join the League, and he had no doubt that he would some day, but for now...for now he was just fine having his two best friends on his team, his brother training with him, and his girlfriend in his arms.

Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.