A Few Revelations

In Conner's opinion, there were many advantages to being considered 'quiet'.

For starters, few people were brave enough to talk to him (and that—obviously—was a massive plus). Secondly, when the clone did actually speak, people listened.

Words coming from an unexpected source carried weight, and Conner's words were few and far between.

That being said, in this particular instance, not even his quiet demeanour would be enough to exempt him from the commissioner's glare.

"Well? Correct me if I'm wrong, but did I not say this little chat was of a personal nature?" There was a palpable tension in the room, thick enough to slice with a dull toothpick.

"Right, ma'am," Aqualad shot a hesitant look at the detective, who was sitting hunched on a nearby chair, and Conner suddenly understood his leader's apprehension.

Kaldur was worried the commissioner was going to do something rash, something rash that would likely affect Detective Grayson. Griffin didn't seem the type to physically or emotionally harm, but he supposed Grayson was in an especially vulnerable state.

Conner wasn't sure when certain members of their team had started worrying about the lippy, dark-haired man, but sometime in the last day and half…it'd happened.

Either way, he fixed his enhanced hearing on the detective's heart rate, listening to its rhythmic pounding carefully. It was a bit slow, likely due to his recent injury, but decidedly not scared or skittish.

Detective Grayson, despite his taut expression, did not actually fear the wrathful woman looming from behind her desk.

As with most things in the past twenty-four hours, Conner suspected, the detective was just being a dramatic git.

"We're going," The super-clone said, not waiting for the rest of them to respond before walking out the door. If Grayson wasn't in actual danger, he didn't see any issue in leaving.

He sensed so much as saw Kaldur pause behind him, as if torn, but the Atlantean soon followed, Kid Flash and Artemis right on his tail.

"Well," The speedster muttered as soon as the commissioner's door was closed, "Hopefully we didn't just doom him to getting torn apart by his boss. That would…" He trailed off.

"Suck." Artemis finished for him.

"Yeah, that."

Conner didn't like the way Aqualad was looking at him one bit.

"Do you think you could, perhaps—" The gilled man shifted when he found Superboy's stare on him. Another thing about being the quiet one; it was rather easy to scare people. "Never mind, friend."

"You want me to listen in and make sure the commissioner isn't currently dismantling Detective Grayson."

Kaldur looked marginally guilty but Wally, as per usual, had no shame.

"Oh, yeah!" The ginger rounded on Superboy, "Do you think you could do that?"

Conner snorted. Of course he could. What did they take him for, a child?

He technically was a child, being a clone and all, but they'd unanimously affected to ignore that. Otherwise his relationship with M'gann would be…illegal, to say the least.

Besides, he had the emotional, mental, and educational maturity of a man.

(At least, he was fairly certain he did).

Conner cleared his throat. Moving on.

"I'll take that vague grunt as a yes?"

Conner shot Wally a glare, one they all knew held no fire behind it, and closed his eyes.

Disentangling himself from the surrounding noise of the precinct took a second, but then he was tuning out the humming pipes and murmuring voices, the flush of a urinal upstairs and the obnoxious sound of two people making out in the evidence lock-up.

And then he found them.

"—talked about this, Grayson." It was the commissioner's voice, an odd sort of warble in it. "I can't lose my best detective."

"Do I look lost to you?"

There was quiet, just the sound of a lightbulb humming in its socket, then—

"Yes, Grayson." Her voice was impossibly soft. "You do."

The detective sighed, loud and exasperated in the sudden silence. "Griffin. I'm fine, just had a rough couple of days—"

"Don't lie to me," The tone was steel; commanding and cold. "You're barely holding on by a thread. Just look at yourself," There was a rustling, as if the commissioner were gesturing at him.

"I can't." Grayson deadpanned. Conner could almost imagine his face as he said it.

"I've been lenient. I let you work alone because I thought you'd get better with time. I let you off the hook because I knew you were—are—working through things. Now, I have no idea what happened back in Gotham—"

"Don't." That was, perhaps, the iciest he'd ever heard the detective sound. And Conner had heard him verbally take apart Addams earlier.

"—and I have no idea why you're so against having a partner. I don't know what you do at night," Her voice lilted again, verging into that same softness as before. "But I also know I don't care."

There was a quick intake of breath from Grayson, one Conner couldn't even begin to decipher.

"What I do care about is my officers. My detectives. You, Grayson. And I cannot allow this destructive behaviour to continue. You're either going to get killed or work yourself into an early grave, which is arguably worse."

"Commissioner—"

"When you first arrived here, you were a mess. You didn't trust me and you didn't like me—don't deny it, I know it's true. You were angry, throwing yourself into case after case after case. But I helped you pull out of it, you let me pull you out. All I'm asking is for you to trust me again, to know this is not what's best for you right now. To let these heroes do what I no longer can.

"That being said," Her voice twisted into something akin to amusement, "I also can't give you too long of a vacation. You are our best detective, after all."

Grayson was quiet for a moment. When he did speak, his voice was barely above a whisper, "A vacation? That's a bit much, isn't it?"

Conner's thin concentration was abruptly broken by a certain speedster's annoyed huff.

"Come on, man. What's happening?"

The clone sighed. He'd forgotten the rest of the team weren't blessed with super hearing. "The commissioner is threatening Detective Grayson with vacation time. Grayson is not taking it well."

Artemis and Wally snorted simultaneously, then narrowed their eyes at each other.

Conner couldn't wait for the day the two heroes woke up and finally (blessed finally) realized they had feelings for each other. All their strange banter and obscure flirting was slowly driving him crazy.

He and M'gann hadn't been that bad, right?

Tuning out the now arguing heroes, he focused back in on the conversation.

"—One week, detective. One week of vacation time, starting today. That'll be plenty enough time to heal and get yourself back into sorts."

There was an inhuman groaning sound. Conner could only assume it was coming from Grayson.

"And no sneaking case files home. And no bribing Frank with cigars. And—"

"I get it, Griffins. No work." By the ominous tone of his voice, it sounded like she'd just saddled him with a death sentence.

There was another hitch of amusement when she spoke, as if the commissioner were fighting off a smile. "Good. I'm happy to see you making friends."

"Friends?" Cloth rustled, as if the detective had just sat up in his seat. "What friends?"

"The Young Justice team, of course. They seemed quite concerned about your wellbeing." Conner didn't think he was imagining the smug trill in her tone.

Grayson huffed dryly, "You planned this, didn't you. You assigned me to the case so I would be forced to interact with them."

"I can neither confirm nor deny any accusations at this time," She paused. "But yes, I may have taken your penchant for isolating yourself into account when I partnered you with the team."

"You—"

"However, I also think this case requires your mind. You have both witnessed the effects of vigilantism and seen it firsthand. As of now, you're their best bet at finding this new 'Nightwing' character."

Conner paused at that, losing the thread of conversation in his surprise. Firsthand? Because he was from Gotham?

He shook his head, filing this new information away for later.

"Ah. Right." Grayson was saying, sounding uncomfortable. Conner couldn't tell if it was caused by the commissioner's praise or something else.

"So, are we at an agreement?"

There was a slight pause, as if the detective were mulling things over. "Fine."

"Splendid. Now, if you feel up for it, I'll invite them back in so we can debrief what is no doubt your most recent set of theories."

"Yes, ma'am."

Superboy snapped out of his eavesdropping and stepped back from the door, having not realized how close he'd wandered while listening in.

It swung open, revealing the stoic face of Commissioner Griffin. She looked impartial, face unreadable despite the emotional undertones of her recent conversation. "Come in."

Once they were all inside, Aqualad closed the door behind them, effectively shutting out the hustle and bustle of the department.

Superboy moved soundlessly to the back, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest. From there, he could see all the room's occupants at the same time.

No surprises.

"Have you reached an agreement?" Kaldur broached calmly, sinking into one of the proffered chairs.

"We have," The commissioner side-eyed her detective, as if worried he might start kicking up a fuss. Grayson remained quiet however, one hand pressed over the rip in his pants. "Detective Grayson has agreed to one week's vacation time, for recuperation."

It'd sounded like they'd discussed a lot more than 'recuperation' to Conner, but the clone wasn't supposed to know that.

"I'll have to take a break from the case. While I'm gone, it will be left in your—" Grayson wrinkled his nose, "—capable hands."

There it was; that same flash of disdain from yesterday. Like the detective had some personal vendetta against them.

"Of course," Aqualad inclined his head towards the pair, looking every bit the part of gracious leader. "We will do our best in your absence."

To his credit, Grayson managed not to comment. Though it looked like he really, really wanted to.

"Now that that's settled," Griffin was all business again, straight angles and taut limbs against her desk. "Grayson, what are you thinking."

The detective was silent for a moment, eyes blank as he stared at the drab precinct floor. The only sound was Kid Flash's foot tapping incessantly against the tile.

Then Grayson sat up, fixing his cold gaze on Griffin. "It occurred to me earlier that the crime scenes are connected. Two mass homicides, carried out less then sixteen hours apart? It can't be a coincidence."

"No offense," Artemis said. "But Bludhaven doesn't exactly have the best reputation. Is it really so unrealistic to say they're separate incidents?"

"That's what I thought at first," The detective's blue gaze swivelled to the archer. "Perhaps they were unrelated, two separate crimes carried out on two separate occasions. But that doesn't make sense; there're too many connections."

Wally's leg finally stopped bouncing. "What about a copycat killer? Someone just mimicking the first crime?"

Grayson desperately looked like he wanted to get up and pace, his whole body thrumming with directionless energy. "Another valid theory, until you take into account the parallels. Two hitmen," He held up two fingers, wiggling them in the air. "that are reputable in certain circles for their contract killing. Two hitmen that, previously, weren't active in Bludhaven."

"Two?" The archer narrowed her eyes at him. "I thought we didn't catch the second killer."

"Copperhead. He's well known, famous for his reptilian transformations and bloody crime scenes. Br—" The detective coughed, pressing a finger to his temple and furrowing his brows, as if annoyed with himself. "That is, Batman recently went toe-to-toe with him, but the hitman got away. He hadn't been sighted since. Till today, obviously."

Kid Flash made a time out gesture, hands literally sparking. "Wait, that guy was Copperhead? The one we just brought in?"

"Yep."

"And you knew that?"

"Yeah."

"Then why didn't you tell us?"

Grayson blinked at the speedster, as if confused. "Why would I've?"

"Because we're, oh, I don't know, on the same team?"

Grayson still seemed confused. "Okay?"

Wally threw his hands into the air, watched by a particularly amused looking commissioner.

"Let me lay out the facts," The detective continued, shrugging off the speedster's confusion. "Two mass homicides, barely a day apart. Both carried out by low cartel hitmen operating in Bludhaven, which neither of them were previously active in, targeting bottom feeder drug dealers."

"That's true." Artemis' snapped her fingers together, as if something had just occurred to her, "And both culprits waited at the scene. Sniper was still there when Grayson and Detective Bollocks arrived, and Copperhead was hiding out at the bar."

A tiny, burgeoning smile spread across the detective's face. It made him look younger, the taut lines under his eyes seeming just a little softer. "My thoughts exactly."

Kaldur spoke for the first time since they'd entered the room, "Where does that leave us with our true mission? Forgive me for my lack of tact, but I do not see where our Nightwing fits into all this."

With his enhanced hearing, Conner literally heard when someone's heart skipped a beat. He straightened against the wall, narrowing in until he found the culprit.

Grayson. It'd been Grayson.

The man's face hadn't so much as twitched, but for some reason the topic of 'Nightwing' had startled him.

That, or he had a pre-existing heart condition. Though, with the way he'd chased after Sniper like some kind of parkour fiend, Conner doubted the latter was true.

He listened again, but the detective's heart was beating at a smooth and steady pace. Either Conner had imagined everything, or Grayson was now controlling it.

Artemis spoke next, derailing Superboy's theorizing for the time being. "What if he's one of these new hitmen appearing? I mean, it would make sense. Someone who's never been sighted in Bludhaven, coincidentally making a debut at the exact same time of the homicides?"

From across the room, Grayson sighed. "It is fishy timing, but are we sure he's one of them?"

"He stole the bloodwork right out of this office. The bloodwork that we didn't want anyone finding. The bloodwork that could've proved crucial to the case."

Grayson's frown merely deepened. "Again, Artemis, you have a fantastic point." He looked oddly disturbed by something. Then, suddenly—

He sat up, eyes wide as he heaved himself out of the chair.

"Sit down!" Artemis shouted at the same time Wally said, "Dude. No."

"Wait," Commissioner Griffin—who Conner thought would be all about getting the injured detective to take a seat—spoke firmly from behind her desk. "Just wait. Let him do his thing."

Grayson didn't speak. He simply wobbled there, staring at the ground with an unreadable expression, before tilting his neck and gazing at the ceiling. "The blood work."

The commissioner didn't even bat an eye at his strange phrasing. "Use your words, detective. As I've said before, we do not have a seat to your mind's innerworkings."

The man blinked, eyeing the rest of the room as if he'd forgotten they were there. "Right. The unrecognizable components in the Gang's blood, found in all the targets that were killed. If this really were a mirror case…"

"Oh," Artemis let out a quick breath, "If the cases were really connected, then the victims at the bar would also have the substance in their system—"

"Or something like it," Grayson finished for her. He turned, barely managing not to collapse while doing it, and stared at the commissioner. "We need to get at least one of the bodies from Addams, without revealing our theory to him. No one else can find out, they'd be in danger."

"I agree," Griffin arched one of her perfect brows. "But you, detective, will not be a part of that operation. You will be holding up your end of our agreement."

"Commissioner—"

"No, you gave me your word. I can handle this. No one outside of this room will have to know." She gave him a small smile, barely a twitch of the lips, really. "I can be discreet when I choose to, detective. I've managed as commissioner, after all."

"Of course, I just…" Grayson glanced at the awkwardly spectating heroes. "Of course."

"Good. Now, if you would be so kind as to drop your gun and badge off downsta—"

Conner's ears twitched as he picked up a telltale sound, that of shoes slapping against tile as someone ran towards the commissioner's office. The super crouched, slowly and silently easing himself into a tackle position.

Like he'd said; no more surprises. Not on his watch.

Before Commissioner Griffin could get another word out, the door was flung open and someone wearing a department uniform flurried in. "Commissioner! Commissioner Griffin!"

It was almost comical, the way the rest of the room reacted.

Grayson's hand flew to his belt (though there was nothing there but his badge); Aqualad whipped one of his water bearers to life; Artemis had an arrow strung so fast not even Conner could track the motion; and Wally bent low into something resembling a runner's position, lightning flowing from him like water.

What a lovely bunch of high-strung misfits they all were. Like peas in an extremely tense and emotionally stunted pod.

Officer McKibben—at least, that's what Conner thought his name was—pulled to a stop, eyeing each of them warily.

To the average human being, Superboy supposed, they probably looked a little intimidating.

"Um, pardon the...intrusion." He cleared his throat, eyes finding the commissioner behind her desk, "But I was instructed to inform you immediately when—" McKibben broke off, eyeing the heroes distrustfully.

Griffin waved his caution away, "You may speak, officer. They're allowed to know everything during their time here."

"If you say so." He still looked suspicious of them, but delivered his message all the same, "I was instructed to inform you immediately should the contracted killer, Sniper's, condition change."

"And has it?" The commissioner said sharply, sitting up behind her desk.

"Yes," McKibben sucked in a heavy breath. "He's awake."

(A/N): Please tell me if you found any mistakes! I didn't edit this chapter at all, but felt like it wasn't fair to keep you all waiting!

That aside, hope it was still good! Thanks so much for reading, and for all your great review last chapter! There's over 100 on this fic now :o

I'm hoping to get back to my usual update schedule (or what should be my usual update schedule e_e) soon as school calms tf down

Have a great week! stay safe :D

~ASL