Guess who's back! Back again! n1ghtwing's back! Tell your friends!

Here is a no doubt eagerly awaited update (if not, don't tell me, I like my fantasies intact, thank you!) as usual, I own neither DC comics nor the Buffyverse, but for now I shall use their characters.

Thanks to all reviewers, the advice is appreciated. As ever, any flames are extinguished by fire-extinguisher.

By the way, I am assuming there were 12 Mini-slayers (inc. Kennedy) plus Faith and Buffy. As I can only remember two names (Kennedy and Rona) I will be making some up.

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer…

The First has been defeated, at the cost of several of the mini-slayers and many injuries. Willow did a spell that activated all the potentials, giving Buffy an army to lead into the Hellmouth. They entered hell, faced an army of Turak-Han, or Uber-vamps, were losing, then the amulet that Angel gave Buffy and Buffy gave to Spike activated, burning the uber-vamps to death and closing the Hellmouth, resulting in the collapse of Sunnydale into a giant crater. The Scoobies and slayers who survived the assault made it out alive, except for Spike who remained in the Hellmouth. But, Oracle contacted Young Justice, the Flash and Batman to investigate and search for survivors. A conflict developed between the two groups, leading to Flash being tied up and a furious fight between Buffy and Batman. Giles suggests a truce and Batman, Giles, Xander and Dawn move off to talk, while Young Justice try to negotiate with the Slayers. Flash is still tied up and Impulse found a tall, blond guy who was smoking in the sunlight, whom Willow took to safety in LA.

Now, the adventure continues…

"…Vampire Slayers to be precise."

"And what are Vampire Slayers?" queried Robin

"And how come you can throw me around like that?" said Superboy "last time I felt like that was when Kal arranged for me to spar with Wonder Woman."

Buffy turned to Marie, one of the mini-slayers, a blonde who'd taken on Superboy. "You hear that, he's calling us brunette's!"

Rona spoke up "And white!"

Buffy turned back to Robin "Up until about 45 minutes ago, there was the Vampire Slayer, 'one girl in all the world with the speed and strength to fight vampires, demons and the forces of Darkness, she is the Slayer.' Well, that's me, but for the last few years, there have been two of us, me and Faith. See, I died for about a minute and was revived by CPR. My death called a new slayer, called Kendra, who was killed by a vampire and that called Faith here. Now, for the last few months, an incorporeal being who calls itself 'The First Evil' was gathering 'the Forces of Darkness' to bring hell to Earth, to stop it we had to go down through the Hellmouth…"

"Hellmouth?" asked Impulse

"I know!" squealed Wondergirl "Diana told me about them once, lessee then, a Hellmouth is a portal to hell which draws vampires and demons to it. The opening of a Hellmouth is generally considered to lead to the apocalypse, but, they're mythical. The Amazons closed the last one on Themyscria centuries ago, after pushing through the last demons. Hercules killed quite a few you know."

"There are a few Hellmouths scattered around the world, but only one is active at a time." Countered Buffy "Which means…" she scowled, making Impulse take a step back, "dammit, there goes retirement."

"As curious as I am as to what you mean, could you let Flash go, or at least move him away from the brunette making suggestive movements? A couple of my team don't really need to know about that yet." Requested Robin

Buffy covered her eyes "Faith, stop that. Untie the nice man in red spandex and stop corrupting the heroes!"

"Fine." Answered Faith grumpily, as she untied Flash, she said "If ya wanna try this again some time handsome, give me a call."

"Faith!"

"Coming!"

Flash zipped over to Robin "you got this handled, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm gonna get a cold shower, then take Iris out for a meal. We don't have to tell Nightwing about this, do we?"

"I won't, but I'll need something to make making my team keep quiet worthwhile, though this does go in my file 'Flash – distract with horny, dark haired woman.'."

"Uh, batboy's and their blackmail, will it never end! Fine, what do you want?"

Robin lowered his voice, so YJ couldn't hear him, the slayers however have slayer-enhanced hearing. "You spending more time with Impulse, in civvies. You're his only family here, and he's feeling a bit abandoned."

"He said that? I didn't know…"

"Not in words, but his body-language screams lonely, as does his eagerness to please. You do know that adds to his impulsiveness, right?"

"Deal. And Robin, if you know he needs me, you don't need blackmail to get me to help."

"Great. Then I can keep this hanging over your head."

Flash laughs "No way Boy Wonder, else I'll convince Bat's that the 'old' Robin costume gave the wearer greater ease of movement."

"Ack! Get out of here Wally, and never say that again, or the film from the super-cycles sensors go straight to Iris."

"I'm going, I'm going! Bye Bar, um, Impulse" calls Flash as he speeds off."

"Now that was cool!" enthuses Andrew "Can we meet more heroes, can we, please…" he wheedled.

"Now back to business." Begins Robin "If you have any injuries, Arrowette and Wondergirl can dress them, while Miss 'Buffy' and I discuss things some more."

"Agreed. Though Faith stats where I can keep an eye on her."

"Aw, B…"

"Thank goodness. I'll bring Superboy and…SB, where's Secret?"

"Preposterous." Growled Batman

"Not so, Bruce, there are records of all meta-human and vigilante identities, compiled by the organisation I used to work for."

"What did you call me?"

"Bruce. You are Bruce Wayne, head of Wayne Enterprises and administrator of the Wayne Foundation. You fund your night-time activities with your own money. Oh, and you became Batman because your parents were gunned down in front of you when you were eight. If you want further proof, I can tell you about Clark, Wally, J'onn, Kyle, Timothy and, of course, Richard."

"Xander, did you know what Giles knows?" whispered Dawn

"No Dawnie, now hush, I want to listen."

"What do you want?" demanded Batman

"Merely your co-operation in leaving these people be. They have suffered more than you know to protect this planet, losing their loved ones and sacrificing their futures without even the recognition that those such as yourself receive."

"No. You are a wanted man…"

"Wanted for a crime I did not commit. The explosion was at the order of The First Evil, a being with whom we have been at war, and the building was the headquarters of the Watcher's Council, an organisation dedicated to opposing the forces of Darkness, though not always successfully. The blast killed off most of them, and the Bringers, servants of the First, got most of the rest. In addition, I apologise, I had no right to threaten you with exposure, nor your friends. There was only one copy of the information, which was destroyed in the explosion in London. I knew merely because of the Slayer in my charge. The Council gathered the information to discover if you or your acquaintances were in fact demons bent on world domination. Their research on a Mr Blood was bafflingly inconclusive. Regardless of your decision, you are good people whose identity will not be revealed by either myself or my companions. Indeed, prior to this confrontation none of them knew I knew, let alone knew themselves."

"…who has a habit of harbouring fugitives and a history so 'colourful' that it puts some of Gothams criminals to shame. In your teens, there was that girl who died. You apparently reformed, enough to become curator of the British Museum, then gave it up to become a high school librarian. During your tenure at Sunnydale High, you associated with a group of suspected anarchists, Buffy Summers, an unknown hacker, Alexander Harris, Daniel Osbourne and others. You were implicated in several murders, have a habit of trespassing on crime scenes and I have my suspicions about the 'gas leak' which destroyed the High School. That is three of the last seven years, need I go on? When Ms. Summers was wanted for murder, there is evidence that you hid her and the presence of Faith Wilkins in your group, despite her status as an escaped convict does nothing to reassure me. Add this to the fact that you appear to know several heroes civilian identities gives me all the more reason to…"

"Um, Mr Way…" Batman's glare cut Dawn off. "Mr Batman sir, you're looking at this in the worst possible light. Sure, if Giles wanted to, he could hurt a lot of people, but the same could be said of you or Superman or that Oracle person Willow says keeps blocking her. But the point is, he won't. He has spent ages learning how to keep the planet safe. Since Buffy moved here and Giles became her Watcher, they've averted seven or eight potential apocalypses. They've saved countless lives, sacrificing their own desires to do so, so they're just as much heroes as you are. When Buffy was first called as a Slayer, her watcher was called Merrick. She was a fifteen year old cheerleader who was told that she was the one girl in all the world that was strong enough to combat evil. He trained her helped her and was killed in front of her by a vampire. When we moved to Sunnydale, she had given up, denied she was the Slayer and pretended to be just like the other kids. Giles had been appointed her watcher, and so gave up the life he had chosen to help fight the darkness, Xander and Willow refused to ignore the demons and vampires which threatened their own and gave Buffy friends who helped her. Buffy is the longest running Slayer on record, at 7 ½ years. The shortest lived lasted 15 minutes, as she was called at Watcher HQ and killed during an assault by Vampires. Giles trained her and, unlike many of his fellows, fought beside her, even getting fired because of his 'attachment' to her, yet he stayed to help. We've all disagreed with him at times, but he has always done his best to do what's right. I consider him a father, as do the rest." Dawn's voice dropped to a whisper, "Please don't take my family away."

Batman was moved by her words and her honest emotion (Being The Bat meant he could tell she was honest.) and acknowledged within himself that they had merit, but his Mission was to catch criminals, and under the law, Rupert Giles was such. Then, Xander spoke up.

"Giles just said that you lost your parents when you were young, and I hope and pray that you found surrogate who protected and nurtured you. But open your eyes, man! This man you're trying to take in isn't just a guide to the dark arts and how to stop them. Buffy's father left them before they moved here. Her mother died of an aneurysm last year. This is the man who's helped her through everything from her high school mid-terms to re-adjusting to life after she's died saving us, twice. He's managed to do this despite his girlfriend being murdered by vampires, losing his job and, most terrifying for a British adult male, dealt with teenaged Californians! He is her father in all but blood, and we all feel the same. Me, Willow and Dawn, we wouldn't be here except for this man, neither would the world. You are branded a vigilante in the newspapers, can you honestly say you haven't bent the law as needed. Now, you are here trying to take away someone for saving the world, and the souls of the people you see here. I'm an ordinary human being, who happens to know these extra-ordinary people, I've got no nifty powers or special destiny, but if you try to take this man, I will stop you."

"And you wouldn't be alone."

Batman looked around in shock, as the person who'd spoken had been Robin, his protégé.

"Batman, you need to talk to these people, and consider what they've lost, both today and since they decided not to let the dark win. Additionally, Oracle wants a word."

Earlier

"…SB, where's Secret?"

Kennedy spoke up from where she was getting her arm bandaged "If that's mist-girl, she floated off over there somewhere." She pointed out over the crater.

"How did she…?" Robin began.

"Slayer hearing. It's pretty good." Answered Buffy. "Now, Misty there gave off a weird slayer-vibe, mind explaining?"

"She's dead, killed by her brother in exchange for powers. She is a balance to his evil, but harbours a link to the Abyss which can make her, um…"

"Dangerous, untrustworthy, demonic…?"

"Moody. PMS moody, and with no cycle that we can determine."

Robin Wood (Hereafter referred to as 'Wood') had wandered over after getting his wounds bandaged and had heard this. "Hell, you have my deepest sympathies. Super powered pms'ers aren't fun, especially in large numbers."

"Agreed."

"Ah, should we go see what mist-girl's up to?" asked Buffy, desperate to change the topic.

Robin whistled and the Super-Cycle bounded over. Then he opened a comm.-channel to Impulse. "Bart, can you find Secret, she's wandered off."

"Sure thing Rob!"

"Thanks." Robin closed the Comm-link. "Buffy, would you care to accompany me."

"Sure, Faith, if you corrupt any of these heroes, then I tell the mini-slayers where your make up is."

"B, dammit, no fair…"

"Let's go Rockin' Robin!"

Robin shakes his head, then heads over to the cycle and starts it up. As the Super-Cycle lifts from the ground, Impulse's comm. signal opens.

"Rob, Secret's over the centre of the crater, she looks weird, like she's crying or something."

"Thanks Bart, go help the others."

"OK."

Robin turns the Super-Cycle towards the crater. As they fly towards Secret, Buffy eye's Robin speculatively. Here was an apparently ordinary human leading a group of super-human's, and a teenager no less! She wondered what he was like as a person, not the urban legend that had made it as far as Sunnydale. She had occasionally wondered if the 'Bat-man' was a demon, but had enough on her plate in Sunnydale. To find that both he and his protégé were human was surprising. After about ten seconds, the cycle closed on Secret. Robin called out;

"Secret, you OK? No, stupid question, what's wrong?"

"The darkness, it's everywhere. It's consumed the town and warped the Abyss. I've never felt like this before Robin! It touches everything, most strongly in those girls, yet they have the light in them as well… I don't understand how. Except her," Secret point's at Buffy, "she has the taint of the Abyss, yet walks the world, she carries no darkness but that of life, it feel's like something's been obscured but I don't know what. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know…"

"Secret, come here, its ok, shh, it'll be alright. I'll find out what's going on, and then we can leave. Let's get away from the centre of the crater and get some answers, hey? Look, you can rest on my cape." As Robin says this, he swirls of his cape and drapes it over a seat. "It's gas proof, so you can relax, ok?"

"Ok, Rob. You always make me feel better…safe." Secret settles on the cape and seems to fall asleep.

"Cycle, take us back. Slowly." Orders Robin, he turns to Buffy, "Any ideas?"

"I may." Buffy looks pensive "The Slayer was created by men, and they did so by putting the essence of a demon into a young girl to put her on a par with the demons that stalked the land. If mist-girl can sense good and evil, then she could be seeing the demon in all the slayers, as well as their ties to the Powers That Be a pain in the butt."

"And you?"

"Well, I died a coupla times. Once 'bout a year after I was called. Suffocated by a master vampire, Xander revived me with CPR. Then, about a year ago, I died again. Lots of internal injuries etc. I was dead for four months, then my friends brought me back using magic. That could explain the Abyss stuff."

"And the, ah, 'something obscured'?

"Well, I've got the same source of power as the others, but, well, the second time I died, there was a load of mystical energy around. My friends assumed I was in a hell dimension, but…" Buffy's voice dropped, "I, ah, was in, um, heaven. That might mask the essence of demon. Right?"

"Right."

The super-cycles comm. board lit up.

"Robin, this is Oracle. Get Batman to take my call. Jason Blood wants a word with him and is threatening to unloose Etrigan's rhymes on the internet. I do not want that to happen."

"Me neither Oracle. I'll see that he picks up."

As the super cycle comes in for landing, Robin is deep in thought –Torn out of heaven, but still fighting the good fight. Could I…, I don't know. Regardless, Batman needs to know that these people are serious and besides, I like what I've seen. If, he doesn't see reason, I'll call Supes then delay him. No, not Supes, Dick.-

As Robin heads over to where Batman stands to report his findings, leaving a bemused Buffy watching a sleeping Secret, he overhears;

"…if you try to take this man, I will stop you." From the young man, Xander.

Speaking up from behind Batman, Robin adds,

And you wouldn't be alone." As Batman turns, at his words, Robin adds "Batman, you need to talk to these people, and consider what they've lost, both today and since they decided not to let the dark win. Additionally, Oracle wants a word."

What do ya think? R&r please, I'm beggin' you!

By the way, any requested pairings? I'm not quite sure whether to have any. See ya around!