Disclaimer: Don't own Justice League (Unlimited or otherwise), Nightwing or anything DC related, m'kay?

(Author Note: Okay, a few ground rules first. I, for one, think that the Robin on Teen Titans is Dick Grayson, and that the show (if it is in continuity with rest of the DCAU) happens sometime before/during/after Batman: The Animated Series. But, so as not to offend those who want it to be Jason Todd, Tim Drake, or someone else, I'll try and keep the Titans references to a minimum. Ahem. Now, on with the story...)

First Steps

Chapter One: Invitation

The clock tower in the city of Bludhaven struck three, and the man called Dick Grayson resisted the urge to glance over at the massive clock to check.

Three? It was only two a few minutes ago... he thought to himself, a frown steadily creasing his brow. He forced himself to relax, his hunched shoulders drooping slightly, and the wrinkles on his forehead disappearing.

No wonder Bruce didn't feel like sleeping when he got back home from patrol, he mused to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes never leaving the dimly lit doorway across the street from the building upon which he was perched. He hated this part of the job more than any other, although taking care of broken bones without Alfred was a close second.

The waiting.

The endless, monotonous waiting. It had become slightly more tolerable as time went on, but when he was Robin, it was downright unbearable. Especially when he would try and start a conversation with the big, bad Bat. He remembered Tim telling him of one instance where he held a conversation with himself for a few minutes before Bruce gave him the patented Bat-glare. A small quirk of a smile emerged on Dick's face at the memory. Ah, the Bat-glare. He was glad that his replacement didn't take the Bat-glare, or Batman himself, any more seriously than he did.

His was broken out of his fond reverie as the three men he had been waiting for emerged from the building opposite. They checked up and down the street and walked off to the right. Dick stood, surprised at how easily he could move after several hours of being completely still.

Comes with the territory, he told himself, leaping from one rooftop to the other, quickly getting ahead of the three men slowly making their way home. He quickly turned towards them and leapt off the rooftop, tucking his legs and rolling in mid air, aiming for the first of the blissfully unaware men. He extended his foot in time for it to slam into the leading man's head, sending him into blissful unconsciousness as his head collided with the wall next to him.

Dick landed in front of the remaining two men with ease, and waited for them to make the first move. An old Batman trick, that. Scare the daylights out of them, then wait for them to either attack or run away. Dick hoped for the latter but always expected the former, especially when it came to Blockbuster's men. The two men stood in front of him weren't about to disappoint.

They both rushed at Dick, roaring as they went, obviously hoping to scare him. Of course, to someone who laughed at the Bat-glare, these two weren't particularly intimidating. Dick patiently waited for the right moment, and then silently leapt over the two, grabbing their heads and knocking them into each other as he flipped over them.

Dick landed gracefully behind them, and heard the gentle noise of the two men's' bodies slumping to the floor. He was about to stand up when he heard the familiar noise of a gun being cocked behind him. Dick quickly reached for a Birdarang from his belt, but was quickly interrupted by an even more familiar sound: that of a Batarang. He turned around as fast as his legs would allow, just in time to see the Batarang collide with the hand of the man he had thought knocked unconscious by his first strike.

Not wasting any time, Dick applied a sharp kick to the man's head, silencing his pained screams and replacing them with a low groan. He slowly dragged the two other men so that they lay next their fallen comrade, tying them together, leaving only his symbol as a reminder to them that he was even there. He hoped that would send something of a message to Blockbuster, the local kingpin of crime.

You're not so invincible anymore.

He stood and spoke to the shadows scattered around the street.

"I could have handled it."

Slowly, the shadows gave birth to Dick's old mentor, the legendary Batman of Gotham City. He looked down at the three unconscious thugs.

"Whatever you say."

Dick gritted his teeth together behind his sealed lips, glaring at his former mentor through masked eyes.

He's only here for a few seconds, and already I want to tear his head off.

"Any particular reason you decided to grace me with your presence? Or is this strictly a social call?"

Why couldn't you have stayed in your own city?

Dick thought he saw something flash across Batman's face.

What was that? Guilt? Regret?

Dick dismissed the thought as Batman began to speak.

"I want you to come to Metropolis with me."

Dick fought the look of confusion creeping across his face, instead opting for youthful defiance.

"Any particular reason?"

Again, an emotion briefly flashed across Batman's face as he hesitated. The show of emotion was strange enough coming from Bruce, but hesitation as well?

"Yes. We want you to join the Justice League."

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