Disclaimer: So. So you think you can tell, heaven from hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell that the characters here are owned by DC and not by me?

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Nightwing couldn't wipe the grin off of his face as he swung through the air, high above the streets of Bludhaven. There were some wins that were sweeter than others. In this case, it was a trio of thugs that had been terrorizing business owners in Melville. 'Practically in my own backyard' he thought. It wasn't exactly a major rout of organized crime. Just three punks with more muscle than work ethic, and Blockbuster's hall pass. A bit of legwork on his part brought a half-dozen of the owners together. He hadn't even needed to show himself for them to agree to bring what they knew to the police.

When one of their number was rounded up by the Bludhaven PD, the other two came to Darren Walker's liquor store for revenge, but he'd been waiting for them. All three of them were going up on blackmail charges, destruction of property, etc, whatever charges that new man in the DA's office Flores could make stick. Now two of them would be in hail even longer on assault and armed robbery. Blockbuster, ruthless as ever, wouldn't be bothered to force their release. His cut of their penny-ante take wouldn't be back anyway, so they'd be left out to dry.

Not a major blow, no, but it sure meant a lot to the guys just trying to make a living. And it was another thorn in Blockbuster's side. Protection rackets, they were sweet wins. It was no mystery to Nightwing why, just as it was no mystery to him or Bruce why Batman took more pride in halting a back-alley mugging than he did in a bank robbery. "Speaking of which," he said as he saw a gun being branded in the alley below...

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It was when he was wriggling upside-down through the ventilation shaft that he heard her voice. "I can see you," she said into the comm system built into his mask and suit. A tiny red light flickered on, showing the hole above him and the tiny camera inside.

"Infrared pickup?" Nightwing asked, conversationally.

"Of course," she said, sounding pleased with herself.

"And if it weren't your favorite vigilante coming down, I presume you'd have more than just a camera to stop them with?" he asked dryly. In response, a section of the shaft a few feet below him opened and a three -inch thick plate of titanium alloy slammed into place, blocking his passage. "Nice," he said approvingly.

"If you like, I could show you the knockout gas I could pump in there."

"Ah, maybe another time. It's a little cramped in here and I'm not sure I could get my rebreather on in time."

"You don't even want to see the shaft electrified?"

Now she was just showing off. "Oracle..." he grumbled. He heard laughter, and couldn't help but smile in response. The plate below him retracted. He paused a moment, then took a tiny laser torch out of his wrist compartment.

"Hey!" he heard her say, "No laser graffiti!" Nightwing laughed and went on with what he was drawing, then dropped himself further down the shaft. Even in full daylight, the minimal scoring of the metal would be hard to notice, and full daylight would never reach this far into the shaft. But to the camera's IR pickup, the head from the drawing he'd just made of DG + BG inside a heart would be clearly visible.

He was grinning as he dropped headfirst out of the shaft into the clock tower's command center, effortlessly jackknifing his body to rotate in mid-air and land on his feet. She was trying her best to fix him with a stern glare, but both of them knew it wasn't working. She opened her mouth to speak, but his finger on her lips silenced her temporarily. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up out of her chair. His lips sought hers.

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An indeterminate amount of time later, the two of them lay in her bed, clinging to each other. Barbara reached up and tousled his black hair, asking, "So what did BG stand for anyway, Barbara Gordon or Batgirl?"

Dick nipped at her earlobe and said, "Yes."

Babs giggled and said, "Does Cassandra know?" From seemingly nowhere, a pillow nailed her in the face. "Grayson!" she yelled, and an all-out ticklefight ensued. When the battle was concluded, (a draw was declared,) and after hostilities were formally ceased, (with a round of kissing sealing the treaty,) Barbara lay a hand on his chest and asked, "How are you holding up, Dick?"

He wasn't going to go quietly into the realm of serious conversation. "Terrible. I've been horribly abused by this beautiful redhead."

"Dick!" she said, poking him in the side, "I'm serious. You don't talk about the Titans anymore. You don't even leave Bludhaven unless it's to come here, or unless Bruce needs someone to watch Gotham. You can tell me."

Dick closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and staring at the wall. "There's nothing to tell. I miss my friend. I miss Donna. I wish she were back. I miss the Titans too, but I don't wish they were back. They four of us from the beginning, we all were ready to move on. Garth and Wally already had. Now Roy's got his team-"

"And what about you, Dick?" she asked, touching the palm of her hand to his cheek and tilting his head, gently forcing him to look her in the eyes. "What have you moved on to?

dick's blue eyes stared back into her green ones. "Maybe this is what I've moved on to. One city to clean up, another where I can help when I'm needed." He placed his hand over hers, "One woman to love."

Babs laughed softly, "Dick, you'll never settle for just one." A shocked expression crossed his face. "City! One city! You dork!" Peals of laughter came roaring out of the redheads mouth. Dick's face reddened and Barbara's head rolled back onto the pillow. She laughed so hard she found herself clutching her stomach. He contented himself watching her, until her laughter finally subsided.

Deciding she owed him for that round of laughter, Dick leaned over to kiss her, but she put up her hands to block him. "No, we finish talking first. Except for the occasional hiatus, you've been with the Titans for over a decade. I'm not saying a break isn't in order, but at some point, isn't there a possibility that you'll want to do more?"

"Is this your way of saying I'm around Gotham City too often?" Dick said lightly, mostly to give himself a moment to think. He was getting suspicious.

She elbowed him in the ribs and said, "Shush. I'm serious. Look, when it comes to teamwork, strategy, tactics, half the JLA doesn't have your knowledge and experience." Dick snorted in response. "What?" she asked, "You don't think you're better than-"

"I think you're selling me short. When it comes to teamwork, the only member of the JLA that has my knowledge and experience is Martian Manhunter. When it comes to strategy and tactics, there's only Batman. Look, no disrespect of the JLA intended, but when you take out Batman and Martian Manhunter, all you have left is the most powerful collection of metahumans on the planet. Nothing to sneer at, certainly, but they're not a team." When Barbara nodded, Dick frowned. "Ok, I'd convinced myself you were recruiting me for the JLA, but that's not it. What gives Babs?"

Now it was Barbara's turn to blush, her face coloring. "Damned suspicious Bats," she grumbled at him. Then she punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Stop that."

"I didn't hit you that hard you big baby," she said.

"No, but the guy with the pipe tonight did," pointing to the bruise that was just starting to purple on the exact spot she just hit. As he rubbed it, he asked, "Was that for being wrong or for being right?"

"That was for being you," she groused.

"Ok, so I was right, but if you're not trying to send me to the moon, what are you trying to recruit me for?"

To be continued...

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What is she recruiting him for? And how did Roy ever convince Batgirl to join his team? Find out in:

Outsider: Chapter 5