part 1. afterglow

July 6tth 2010

Gotham City 1:47 EST

Sweat collected on Honeybee's neck and she grimaced from her vantage point atop a Gotham apartment building. She reached to wipe away at the beads of perspiration slipping down her neck towards her leotard. Honeybee knew that Batman and Robin probably had suits with better ventilation for heat and sweat, and she wished not for the first time she knew wherever it was the two go their suits from. She had had to make do with an old black ballet leotard and yellow shorts, and a pair of tan pantyhose and combat boots she "borrowed" from Aunt Melody's closet to protect her legs. Once upon a time, she had a similar suit to the ones they had, but she chose to let that and all its weapons be forgotten in the back of her closet.

She stood at the edge of the building; arms crossed as she scanned over the Gotham street below. Batman and Robin had cleared by here a couple of hours ago for their patrol, which meant time for them to circle back was now quickly approaching. She soon would have to leave – she was in no mood to deal with the Dark Knight.

From beneath her, she saw a flash of movement and she narrowed her eyes, looking closer. Across the street were a few storefronts, most of their windows dark behind their protective bars, except for a small 24-hour pawn shop that's sign illuminated the street in a soft purple glow. She could see a man dressed in all black, hands stuffed in his pockets and casting suspicious glances around the empty street. She leaned forward, starting to loosen the lasso she kept on her hip. The man could just be nervous, but there was a strange gait about him, his body wound tight together like a wind-up toy, ready to run once his switch was flipped.

The man took a deep breath, once, twice, and then two things happened at once. The man turned and ran into the shop, pulling the top of his hoodie over his head, and Honeybee threw her lasso forward, the hook at the end catching on a light pole below. She used it to swing forward to the ground below and braced her knees for the impact that was coming. She landed with a thud at the same time an alarm started coming from the pawnshop.

Honeybee unhooked her lasso and ran forward, pulling one of her makeshift throwing stars out of the pouch on the hip opposite her lasso usually rested on. The door was already opened, and she stopped just inside the building and took one second to appraise the situation before her. The man from before was staring at the cashier menacingly, a gun pulled and aimed at their face. Honeybee could see in the back of the shop another man dressed in black stuffing things into a duffel bag. She frowned, he must have come from the back, from where she couldn't see.

She flung one star forward and it knocked the gun out of the first burglar's hand with a clank and flickering of a few sparks. He turned to face her, face cast in shadow because of their hood but frown still visible from beneath it.

"It's almost 2 in the morning guys," Honeybee said, grounding herself for the inevitable fight, "Shouldn't you be at home? Dreaming about whatever you criminals dream about?"

"Isn't it past your bedtime, little girl?" the second one said.

The first burglar growled and rushed towards her, the second burglar still stuffing away the merchandise. From the corner of her eye, she saw the cashier duck beneath the counter. The burglar sent a fist flying at her face and she swerved out of its range and sent a kick towards his chest in kind. The sole of Honeybee's shoe barely grazed the fabric of their shirt and he reached up to take her foot in his hand, but Honeybee dropped it back to the ground. He threw another punch her way and she blocked it with her arm, and reached her other hand forward like a shot, taking his wrist in her left hand. She pulled him forward and then swung around to his side and pushed his arm against his back. The man winced in pain.

"I get to stay up late for good behavior," Honeybee drawled. He kicked one leg back to knock her down and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. She had fallen on her back and she pulled herself up to a sitting position before the man had turned back towards her. She pulled off her lasso once again and swung the hook around his foot, and the man gave a short cry as the point met the flesh beneath the leg of his pants. She yanked him forward and the man fell back in surprise, and she allowed herself one small smile. Honeybee approached the man, who reached out to take her wrist and pull her down, but she yanked his grip free and kicked him once in the face to knock him out, which he did fairly easily.

Honeybee furrowed her brow beneath her mask (plastic, from the dollar store and only being held on with fabric tape) and pulled him up, and she noticed the black blur in the back of the room make a mad dash for a door in the back corner. The cashier finally made his reappearance, slowly rising from behind the counter.

"I'll-I'll tie him up," he said unsurely," y-you go." Honeybee gave him a critical look but weighed the thought of letting the duffel guy getaway. Honeybee nodded and threw the rope end across the counter towards him. She didn't even have time to see if he caught it, because she was out of the same door as the duffel man within seconds.

Honeybee could make out his retreating form heading towards a fire escape at the end of the alley. She frowned and took two precautionary throwing stars in her hand as she tried to catch up with him. Caution bubbled in her stomach; the burglar in the pawnshop had gone down so much quicker than she had predicted, which made her think maybe this guy was the muscle of the group.

The man managed to reach the first level of the escape and she reached the ladder, and she concocted ways she could him takedown using the metal stairs to her advantage. Just as she settled on an idea and she reached up to climb, she heard an all too familiar laugh wring through the alley. Honeybee frowned and then the laugh's matching red and black blur flew through the air, kicking the man down to the ground below. Honeybee managed to kick a crate beneath where the man was to land to break his fall. The man was still rendered unconscious regardless and Honeybee grimaced at the sound of the man's body hitting the wood and concrete with a loud thump.

Sirens faintly entered her field of hearing, but she ignored them for the moment, instead looking up at the boy on the fire escape expectantly. His raven hair was just a tad bit longer than hers, strands threatening to fall in front of this black domino mask. He had thick, bulky gloves that she knew doubled as a mobile, holographic computer; a yellow-lined black cape sat squarely on his shoulders, his thermal shirt red and emblazoned with a yellow 'R' above his heart, the red bleeding into his black pants before they turned all dark. She scowled. This was Robin; one of two people she was hoping to not see tonight. Or rather, this morning.

"I could have handled this on my own," Honeybee said, arms akimbo. Robin smirked and flipped gracefully from atop the railing, landing directly in front of her.

"Yeah, well, I was in the neighborhood," Robin said casually, shrugging his shoulders. "Thought I might see how my favorite superheroine was doing." Honeybee frowned.

"Just you?" Honeybee asked. Robin's façade of carelessness faltered, lips thinning into a line, and dropping his arms to his side.

"Yes, HB, just me," Robin said. Honeybee kicked one foot on the ground softly and opened her mouth the say something, but two Gotham police officers came running around the corner. One had his gun still holstered, the other lazily having it hanging at his side. Honeybee and Robin shared a look – no wonder the two of them had to do the vigilante thing.

"Robin, Honeybee," one said while the other hauled the burglar to his feet, the man groaning as he regained consciousness. "Thank you." Robin's smirk returned.

"All in a day's work officer," Robin said, and Honeybee rolled her eyes out of habit.

"We already have the other one in custody," the officer continued. The man reached behind him to something hooked at his back and held out Honeybee's lasso to her. "Thought you might want this back." Honeybee took it gratefully and nodded at the officer.

"Thank you," she said, slipping it back on her hip. The officer furrowed his brow.

"I haven't seen you two together in a long time," the officer said. "I was starting to worry the Bees and the Bats weren't getting along."

We're not.

"Anyway, thanks again," the officer said. "Don't know what we would do without you." The officer turned to leave, following the now hand-cuffed burglar and his partner out of the alley. Honeybee watched them all turn the corner and then gave Robin a cordial nod.

"It's been real Robin," Honeybee said, "but I got to get going." Honeybee stepped back but Robin lurched forward, taking her hand. Honeybee tried to ignore the rush of blood to her cheeks – she was over this, over hoping for him, had been for a long while. She was not twelve anymore.

"Honeybee, wait," Robin said. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

"Honeybee." Honeybee stopped and looked at Robin curiously. Robin, for once in his life, was serious. That was something that would grab any hero's attention.

"Okay, okay," Honeybee said. "I'm all ears." Robin dropped her hand and crossed his arms. She could see on his face, despite the mask, that he was unsure exactly what it was he was going to say next.

"Since…since Waspia's….since you know what," Robin said, "things haven't been the same, and I-I—"

"You want me to go back to working with you two?" Honeybee supplied. She scoffed. "We've been over this Robin. Not going to happen." Honeybee was unsure she could ever look at Batman again, let alone work with him. Not very conducive to an efficient superhero team.

"No," Robin said, "that's not what I'm asking." Robin sighed once as if steeling himself. "Me and the other sidekicks – or uh, former sidekicks, I guess now – we kinda…we kinda might have gone rogue on July 4th."

Honeybee raised a brow for him to continue but was unsurprised. Anytime Robin and Kid Flash were even in the same vicinity something was bound to blow up. Aqualad and Speedy were just the tiniest bit more reserved, but sometimes even they weren't enough to reign in the two. Honeybee had given up trying years ago.

"We did good work, Honeybee," Robin said. "And if you had been there, we would have done even better work." Honeybee sucked in a breath and took a step back from him. "I know why you declined your invitation to come to the Hall, and I understand it. But we found something at Project Cadmus."

That name rang a bell. Honeybee remembered seeing on the news something about an explosion in DC at a building named Cadmus. She supposed she should have known it was because of them.

"Superboy," Robin said, "a clone of Superman."

"A clone of Superman?" Honeybee asked. "Wh-what?"

"We had the same reaction," Robin said. "Anyway, we – we got him out. Just us – me, Kid Flash, and Aqualad." Honeybee frowned.

"Where was Speedy?" Honeybee said. Robin frowned and shook his head. Honeybee felt guilty. She hadn't meant to strike a nerve.

"H-he left the Hall early," Robin said measuredly. "But the important thing is, we – sidekicks – were able to do that. As a team, and we decided we were going to keep being a team."

"A team?" Honeybee had never heard of any such thing before. Sure, there was the Justice League, but those were adults. They were just kids – she knew Kid Flash and Robin didn't even have a driver's license yet.

"Yeah, a team Honeybee," Robin said, excitement growing in his voice. "Working with the Justice League – not as sidekicks, but as our own team." Honeybee felt a pinprick of nerves shoot up her arm. She knew where this was going.

"And I want you to be apart of it," Robin said.

"Robin, I'm not interested in working in any way with Batman," Honeybee said. "And Batman is on the Justice League, so what makes you think I would want to join?" Honeybee could still smell iron and feel the warmth of blood on her knees and hear the crack of bones whenever she even thought of Batman. Robin took her hand again, this time much gentler, and his smile was genuine and kind – not the usual smirk he gave the world.

"Honeybee, you're one of us," Robin said. "A sidekick." Not anymore. "And it doesn't feel right to start this team without you. You've proven yourself over and over again, and I know I can trust you." Robin looked down at his feet and then let go of her hand, stepping back from her. "I'm asking you to join me and our friends, not Batman, not the League." Robin pulled his grappling hook from his utility belt and Honeybee felt a knot in her stomach.

"Be at the Gotham Zeta point tomorrow morning if you want to join," Robin said. "At least consider, okay?"

Robin shot his hook before she could answer, and then he was gone, leaving her dumbfounded in the street.

you can't leave me like this

come finish what've you started

July 6th 2010

Gotham City 10:45 EST

Betty turned over in her bed, mind racing and alight with electric energy. Despite being up all hours of the night as Honeybee, she had only managed just a few meager hours of rest before her mind was awake with thoughts, turning over and over Robin's offer in her head.

She pulled her purple blanket over her head to block the sun streaming through her window. Aunt Melody had a shift at the diner at 8 this morning, so Honeybee had been able to time her arrival just right that it made it seem that Betty was in her bed sleeping all night, and then she could sleep a little longer when Aunt Melody was gone. Normally, the plan worked fine, but today her brain had other plans.

Betty finally gave up on sleeping and threw her blanket off. She growled tiredly and stretched, and was thankful for her short hair, as it saved her the trouble of getting it out of her face. She stood up her feet cold against the floor. Betty decided that she might as well have some cereal while she was mulling over this.

Betty reached the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of Fruity-O's and made a mental note to see when the next buy one, get one on cereal would be when she saw they were running low. She settled herself in the living room – it was just her, so what was the point of eating by herself at the table? – and watched the cheesy talk show news show combo program in front of her, not really listening to what they were saying, lost in her thoughts.

On one hand, the thought of being under the Justice League's orders – and by extension, Batman's – made her very skin crawl. The Justice League was filled to the brim with secrets, so many that they tumbled out at the worst times. Batman was the worst of them all and Betty was tired of the people she was supposed to trust not trusting her. The Justice League felt so impersonal now, an entity of heroes that were not Waspia and she often thought why it was Waspia who was gone and not someone else. She couldn't deal with that questioning every second she was on this team of Robin's.

But still, something inside of her felt alive at the idea. To work alone no longer, to have someone beside her as a hero again. Betty missed Waspia and how they always had each other's back. It didn't feel quite right to be a hero all by herself. And these were her friends – people she had laughed with and fought with and even cried with. Wally had held her hand when they had the memorial for Waspia, Robin had been the one to finally pull her away from Waspia that night and let her cry into him for hours, Aqualad had told her stories of his home and his childhood to cheer her up, even Speedy had simply sat with her, silent, and let her breathe. These were people that she had a chance to help – to watch out for the way that had watched out for her.

Betty's thoughts were broken by her front door swinging open and she sighed in exasperation at who was in the doorway.

"Jason, I gave you that key for emergencies," Betty said. Jason smiled mischievously in the way only ten-years-old could. He shut the door and walked over to her, sitting down on the couch without an invitation, as was customary for her next-door neighbor.

If an outsider had seen them sitting together like this, they might have assumed that they were brother and sister. Both had dark black hair and the same soft tan, a few freckles scattered here and there on their skin for good measure. Their eyes, however, were what set them apart. Jason had blue eyes that at times seemed to reflect the sky, while Betty had brown eyes the color of amber.

"What are you even doing here?" Betty asked. Jason shrugged and crossed his legs, kicking his shoes on the ground before Betty scolded him for putting them on the couch.

"It's so boring at home," Jason said. "Dad's at work and Mom's asleep, so it's just me. And we don't have one of those little window box satellite crap for TV like you do, so I can't even watch Public Television."

Betty set her bowl of half-eaten cereal on the small coffee table in front of them.

"Don't you have a book to read?" Betty asked. Jason groaned and threw himself on his side dramatically, draping his arm over his eyes.

"It should be illegal to give summer reading," Jason said. "It's a total buzzkill." Betty rolled her eyes and poked his cheek. She pulled her phone out of her pajama pocket and pulled up Jason's school website.

"It's not that bad Jason," Betty said. "Just wait until high school – they make you read books and do math packets."

"That's it, I'm being ten forever," Jason said. "I can not deal with the older kid bull –"

"Don't finish that word Jason," Betty said. "You're ten, you shouldn't be saying that stuff."

"You say it," Jason said with a pout, finally moving his arm from his eyes.

"I'm fourteen, Jason," Betty said. "I'm allowed to say stupid bullshit while you're not."

"I hate you."

"Understood." Betty found Jason's summer reading list and scanned through it, trying to see what Jason may like. Because, knowing Jason, he had probably thrown out the list the moment he had gotten in the mail.

"Tales of Fourth-Grade Nothingness is pretty good, I read it when I was ten," Betty said. Jason rolled his eyes and sat up.

"You're a nerd Betty, so any book you like is going to super nerdy and something boring," Jason said matter-of-factly. Betty shook her head and brushed off his comment. Betty had been called a lot worse than a nerd, both as Betty and Honeybee.

"How about Frindle?" Betty said. Jason raised a brow and played with a loose thread on his pants.

"Frindle?" Jason said. "Is that even a word?"

"Well, no, but that's the point of the book," Betty said. "I did a book report on it in fourth grade. This kid decides to change the name of a pen to 'frindle' and it sets off this whole national sensation because it catches on like wildfire and people fight over calling it a pen or 'frindle'." Jason frowned and then scooted closer to her.

"Okay, so, that one sounds a little cool," Jason said. Betty smiled and ruffled his hair. She stood up and headed to her bedroom.

"I think I still have my copy, I can lend it to you so you don't have to get one," Betty said. Jason made a sound of agreement and Betty disappeared into her room. She opened her closet door and was greeted with her leotard and shorts haphazardly thrown on the closet floor from where she stripped them off quickly the night before. Her clothes were hung up, a few empty clothes hangers breaking up the clothes. On the top shelf sat a cardboard box with stuff she had brought with her to Aunt Melody's house from her mom's.

She pulled it down and found that the book was buried beneath an old pair of ballet shoes and a paper doll. It was in alright condition and she knew Jason would mind the doodling she had done on the cover. It gave the book more personality anyway. She reached to put the box back when the flash of yellow caught her eye and she felt her heart clench.

Hidden behind where the box had been was the old Honeybee suit. The one that Batman had made for her when he realized that Waspia was serious about keeping Honeybee around, and he gruffly said that she would get killed in dance tights and a leotard. It was mostly black with yellow stripes lining the bodice horizontally, and knee and shoulder pads yellow as well. Two stripes of yellow ran down the side of the pants legs, and a domino mask was half-yellow and half-black, split right down the middle. A pair of athletic boots went with it, and she had shoved them into the back of her shoe rack. He had even given her a few weapons – a better version of her lasso, with thin, durable string and throwing stars with electro-stingers in them to subdue UnSubs and villains.

After Waspia died, Honeybee had sworn to never use them again. She was not working with Batman, so she felt at least she could not use his tech and suit when she was avoiding him. Honeybee had planned to return them to him, but she had been so angry she couldn't even face him, let alone talk to him.

Betty felt the knots of conflict in her stomach again, and she hugged the book against her chest instinctively. All traces of blood had been washed away from the suit, but yet she could still feel a metallic sting in her nose. Honeybee hadn't worn that suit since the Waspia memorial eight months ago, let alone looked at it, removed it from her body with shaking hands and a promise not to wear it again.

And yet now, as she stared it high on her shelf, something bubbled next to the anger and pain in her stomach. The metallic stench did not disappear, but it was dampened by the feel of cool wind and the ringing of a laugh in her ears. A piece of her wanted to reach out and let herself be lost in that version of Honeybee again. And maybe, with Robin's offer, she could.

"Betty!" Jason called out, "did you find it?"

Betty snapped into motion, shutting the closet door perhaps louder than she should. When she returned to the living room, she found Jason still sprawled on her couch, one leg sticking straight up and leaning against the back cushion.

"One summer reading book," Betty said, dropping it onto her neighbor's chest. "Can I get anything else for you, sir? Maybe a blanket?"

Jason stuck his tongue up and finally sat up.

"Funny Betty," Jason said. She ruffled his hair and picked her old cereal bowl off the table, bringing it to the sink in the kitchen.

"…two officers are reporting that Honeybee and Robin were spotted at the same crime scene last night."

Betty's eyes widened and she dropped the bowl in the sink – she heard a loud crash, most likely it had at least cracked, but she didn't care at the moment – and rushed back to behind the couch. On the television was a young reporter, smiling sweetly against their dark background. Jason sat a little straighter up on the couch, brows furrowing in confusion and he pursed his lips.

"I didn't even know Honeybee was still around," Jason said. "I thought she just packed up shop, considering it all."

Honeybee very nearly had. Only in the past two months had Betty convinced herself to at least keep Honeybee around enough to keep her neighborhood safe. She had purposefully kept a low-profile and made sure that she was gone before the cops showed up or they realized who she was. She had hoped her small conversation with Robin wouldn't make it past the one precinct the officers worked out. Seemed her hope was in vain.

"Honeybee has not been since the unfortunate loss of Waspia last November. There have been various reports of a female, unnamed vigilante that has been suspected of being Honeybee, but this remains her only known appearance, and her first time appearing with the Bats since the League memorial. Local citizens are hopeful that this marks the beginning of Honeybee's triumphant return."

Betty bit her lip, and the anchor went out to another segment about inventive ways of using barbeque leftovers from the 4th of July. Jason cocked his head to the side and stared at the television curiously.

"I hope she shows up again," Jason said. Betty blinked in surprise and looked down at her young friend.

"What?"

"She's—she started in this neighborhood," Jason said. "So, she's one of us; from the Narrows, she and Waspia were our heroes. Sure, Batman and Robin are too, but they were different, you know?"

Betty did know. She loved Robin, and at one point liked Batman, and they cared about this city and wanted it safe. But she could tell from the way they held themselves and their gait that the Narrows, the parts of town where you weren't supposed to walk alone at night and jobs were few and far between, was not home. Even though they wouldn't, Betty could tell that if they wanted to walk away and never return to the Narrows, they could. She and Waspia couldn't. This was their home.

She stared at Jason quietly for a moment. Betty had not realized anyone had even missed Honeybee. Honeybee was a sidekick, someone that could be brushed aside and put in the back when it came time to assign credit and blame. When the Narrows lost Waspia, they also lost Honeybee in the collateral.

"Yeah, kid, I do," Betty said slowly. "I hope she sticks around."

She cast a look over her shoulder to her room, where she knew her Honeybee suit was waiting, the blood and laughter fighting for control over her. But then she looked back at Jason on the couch, she felt her decision for Robin settle in her chest.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled down to where the number Robin had given her was listed.

TO: NERDY BIRDIE

Okay, so this thing. Is it a civies or spandex thing?

and it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake

oh, I'm holding my breath

won't lose you again

GOTHAM CITY

JULY 7TH 2010 11:15

Betty rocked on her heels next to the old broken phone booth that hid Gotham's Zeta port. Robin had rather excitedly texted her back yesterday that this was a civies thing, and she brushed the skirt of her purple sundress for about the millionth time. Her dark sunglasses pinched her nose uncomfortably. Betty knew that Batman had already figured out who she was but still, it made her feel better to at least try and keep this wall of anonymity from the others.

She leaned back against the cool wall of the alley, careful to avoid the dirty puddle of water collecting next to her. Her boots were new, and she didn't want to ruin them – she hardly ever got new boots, she wanted to leave them in the best condition for as long as possible. She had lazily thrown on an old black cardigan before she walked out of the door, but she was starting to regret it now that she was in the direct path of the sun.

Betty checked for the thousandth time where Robin was. Robin had said he would be coming with her via this Zeta tube, both of them dancing around the fact that she did not want to go to the one in the Batcave. Batman apparently was going ahead with that one and Betty felt a little relieved that he wasn't going to be coming with them at the same time. She had to face Batman eventually today, but if it was later, around others, she could at least know it wasn't just her he was talking to.

"Someone's early."

Betty shrieked once and turned to find Robin leaning close to her right side. She growled and stepped back, fighting the urge to hit the Boy Wonder in frustration. Robin laughed and shook his head.

"Losing your touch HB," Robin said. Honeybee rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively.

"I've been out of the game awhile," Honeybee said. "I'll get it back in no time, just you watch."

Robin slung an arm over her shoulder, and Honeybee crossed her arm indignation. Though his eyes were covered in sunglasses as well, she knew he was most likely rolling his eyes. Though Honeybee had not once seen his eyes, she still had the acute ability to know when he was rolling them.

"I'll be sure to keep surprising you," Robin said. "To keep you on your toes." Honeybee chuckled and pushed Robin off of her. Robin smiled.

"I'm glad you decided to come, Bee," Robin said. "Hasn't been the same without you."

Honeybee sobered just a little and straightened her spine. Honeybee had missed working with Robin too. Batman may be persona non gratis, but Robin was one of her best friends. But Robin was Batman's partner, and she would not ask him to make a choice, because she knew who he would choose, and Honeybee could not drag Robin into the middle of a fight between her and Batman on a mission or case. So, she stayed away, and so did he.

"Soon, you're going to be sick of me," Honeybee said. Robin moved towards the Zeta beam tube and pushed open the phone booth.

"Not a chance," Robin shrugged off. "Now come on, Batman has already pre-authorized you for Zeta travel." Honeybee grudgingly had to admit she was thankful for that, even if it was another favor she owed Batman. Robin pulled her inside and stepped out. "Just hold still and –"

A bright blue light invaded her field of vision and it scanned down her body, and she suppressed the urge to shiver.

"Recognized: Honeybee – B06"

Honeybee felt like she was falling for one second, and she shut her eyes. She had only Zeta'd once before, and she was sure she was never going to get used to it. Then the falling feeling disappeared, and she felt her feet on the ground. Honeybee opened her eyes beneath her glasses, stepping forward in tentative, unsure steps, and saw what seemed like a cave, a large holo-computer already pulled up in the middle of the room.

"Honeybee!" There was a gust of wind and then Honeybee was engulfed in a hug, and she didn't have to be a genius to know it was Wally West, the Kid Flash. "Babe, I didn't know you were coming!"

"Recognized: Robin – B01"

The redhead let go of her and zoomed to where Robin was behind them, throwing his arms out indignantly.

"Dude, why didn't you tell us HB was coming?" Wally demanded, and Honeybee smiled. It seemed Wally had missed her as much as she missed him. Honeybee felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up to see the calm, polite face of Kaldur staring down at her.

"It is nice to see you again," Kaldur said, lips turned up in a soft, endearing smile. "It makes me glad to know you're okay."

"It's nice to see you too, Kaldur," Honeybee said.

Honeybee returned the smile and followed where Kaldur lead her to the center of the room, where she saw a small line-up of Leaguers before the computer. Aqualad stood off to the side with Red Tornado and Flash, while Black Canary stood next to Batman by the computer, the latter of whom was pointedly turned away from her. Honeybee let her gaze roll off of him before the familiar bubble of anger could appear in her stomach.

They landed on a boy who stood cross-armed, decked in a simple pair of cargo jeans and a black t-shirt emblazoned with a red 'S' in Superman's familiar diamond shape. Honeybee gave him an uneasy smile, but the boy only kept his same scowl as when she walked up. This must be Superboy, the one Robin told her about. He seemed to be radiating off anger and seemed unimpressed by her appearance.

"I'm Honeybee," Honeybee said, sticking her hand out to shake. "You must be Superboy, Robin told me about you." Superboy didn't take her hand, only raised a critical brow at her.

"Nice to meet you," Superboy said. She could tell he really didn't mean it, and that it was more something that he knew he was supposed to say. Superboy broke his gaze gruffly and looked over her shoulder at the now approaching Robin and Kid Flash. Batman finally turned around, and Honeybee's gaze caught Batman's impassive black and white-masked eyes. Honeybee glared from beneath her glasses, but Batman did not seem to react to her shift in mood, instead of stepping forward to address the young heroes before him.

"Seeing as you four seem determined to stay together and fight the good fight," Batman said, "you'll do it on League terms." Honeybee crossed her arms. She knew that most likely meant his terms. "Red Tornado has volunteered to live here at Mount Justice and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training." Black Canary smiled at them. "I will deploy you on missions."

Batman once again caught her gaze with his final words, and she knew what he was trying to say. This team would be working with him, it was unnegotiable, and if she wanted to leave, she could. She almost did, but then she remembered the feel of Wally's hug and stayed. These were her friends. Couldn't she at least rise above for her friends?

"Real missions?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but covert," Batman insisted. Flash cut in, his natural jovial nature cutting through the tension Honeybee felt building in her.

"The League will handle the obvious stuff," he said. He pointed to the lightning bolt emblazoned on his chest. "We have these targets on our chest for a reason."

"But Cadmus has proven that the bad guys are getting smarter," Aquaman said. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."

And there it was. It was Batman's team after all. Honeybee did not feel surprised but it was still nice to know at least they admitted this was more Batman than the League.

"The six of you will be that team," Batman said.

"Cool!" Wally said, but then scrunched his face in confusion. "Wait…six?"

"You, Honeybee," Batman pointed at Honeybee, "and Miss Martian, Martian Manhunter's niece."

Honeybee turned around to see Martian Manhunter approaching with a teen Martian girl. The girl was looking around nervously, her hands clasped behind her. There was something about her that portrayed without words how sweet she was, a thin smattering of freckles dusted her green cheeks, and her eyes were wide with curiosity and lips that could not seem to turn up high enough in a smile.

"Hi," she said. She gave a weak wave, and Honeybee could not help but smile. Honeybee had a feeling she was going to like Miss Martian. They were the only girls after all, and Honeybee knew that girls had to stick together, no matter if human or Martian.

"I'm liking this gig more and more," Wally said. He flashed Robin a knowing grin and he hurried off to Miss Martian. She looked up with wide eyes, her cape seeming to close around her shoulders protectively. "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash, this is Robin, Aqualad, Superboy. The girl in the dress is Honeybee." Honeybee stepped closer and gave Miss Martian the kindest smile she could muster when she was in the presence of Batman. "It's cool if you forget their names though."

"Wow…" Honeybee whispered. She looked over at Robin and he had the same look of astonished amusement she did. Aqualad tried to keep the impassive, polite mask of a soldier greeting another, but Honeybee could tell there was a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Miss Martian looked over at Superboy, who was giving Miss Martian the same cold scowl that he gave Honeybee when she arrived. Miss Martian's cheeks deepened with a pink blush and her white shirt morphed to black to match Superboy's.

"I like your t-shirt," Miss Martian said shyly. Superboy seemed surprised but otherwise seemed unaffected. Honeybee tilted her head to the side and looked over at Superboy. He seemed so angry, and Honeybee wondered if this was something that was here to stay or if Superboy was just in shock at the changes around him. She finally tore her eyes from Superboy and looked at Miss Martian again.

"Welcome to Earth," Honeybee greeted. "It's nice to know I won't be the only girl on the team."

Miss Martian's smile if possible widened, and she clasped her hand in front of her excitedly.

"Today is the day," Aqualad said as he looked all of them over. He seemed to say it almost to himself, but the tone in his voice ignited a feeling of purpose and insecurity in Honeybee. She glanced between her new teammates slowly and felt swirling emotions push against each other in her head. This was the beginning of something new, and she felt a small fear that they would fail collect. Honeybee returned her gaze to Superboy and Miss Martian and her excitement overtook it. A few new friends and a couple of missions were a new start she felt ready to step into.

you and I walk a fragile line

i have known it all this time

Notes:

Chapter Bible Verse:
"But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory; and the lifter of mine head." - Psalm 3:3

I have finally lost all control of my life and decided why not dive head-first into Young Justice fanfiction.

To be serious, I am really excited to be delving into Young Justice, as these characters have stuck with me for years and I have a lot of fun exploring this world. I will not be following the comics that were released alongside the show, as I honestly do now have the time nor funds to hunt down every comic and transcribe how Honeybee would be involved. Their will be "off-camera" adventures, but they will be mostly of my own invention.

Next up is Welcome to Happy Harbor, which is when we'll get more of Honeybee in action. I have gone back and forth on what to name Betty's alter-ego, since I kept landing on Honeybee but since their is a hero named Bumblebee I was reluctant. But then I was like "there's a Red Robin and a Robin, it'll be fine." Besides, my story is not canon anyway, so I can kind of low-key do whatever I want with continuity.

Questions, comments, or concerns? Let me know! Have a blessed day!
-PrincessChess