Dick Grayson

The Batcave

Wednesday, April 18th, 2009

"Load the sample in here and make sure the lid is firmly closed," Batman instructs, helping me put the capsule into the DNA sequencer. Before he can show me how to start the machine, an alarm on the Batcomputer starts blaring. We make eye contact for a split second, then we're running for the computer.

"Break in at Tiffany's in downtown," I read the alert.

"Let's go," Batman presses a button and the Batmobile doors swing open.

"Can I drive?" I ask.

"When you're sixteen," Batman answers, climbing decisively into the driver's side.

"I know how!" I protest as I jump into the passenger seat.

"Really," Batman revs the engine and the Batmobile races out of the cave, through the false rock wall that disguises the entrance, and down the road towards the city.

"Yeah! Mom thought it would be good for me to learn so Omar taught me."

"Omar the lead clown?"

"Yeah!"

"In that case, absolutely not."

"No fair," I grumble. If I have to learn how to use a DNA analyzer for crime scene sample analysis, I should get to drive a car but Batman's so weird about that stuff. It's still not fair. I'm a good driver! Everyone in the circus said so! He's the one being stubborn about it. I guess can let it go. I'll be the bigger person.

Five minutes later I tell him, "You're just biased against clowns."

"That bias seems perfectly reasonable to me," Batman answers, raising an eyebrow as high as it can go. I roll my eyes.

"The Joker's not a real clown!"

"What defines being a real clown or not?"

"Clowns are fun! They make people happy and it takes a lot of work and effort. The Joker doesn't deserve to call himself a clown!"

"I don't mean any offense to Omar. I'm sure he was a very talented clown but that doesn't change the fact that I personally think that even non-homicidal, perfectly lovely people clowns are terrifying and I think you know how I feel about homicidal clowns."

I giggle.

"Are you scared of clowns? Real clowns?"

Batman shakes his head and points at the road.

"Oh look, we're here. What a perfect time to leave this conversation and never come back to it."

Still giggling, I climb out of the Batmobile and pull out my grappling gun, following Batman in a straight path up to the Tiffany's rooftop. There's a black duffel bag near a giant vent. Soft climbing sounds are followed by a woman pulling herself out of the vent with the grace of someone who robs high security buildings for fun.

"Catwoman," Batman announces.

"Batman," the thief purrs, slowly turning around as if she has all the time in the world. She grins at him, waggling her fingers to show off the dozens of rings and bracelets on her hand before she pulls all of it off and stows it in the bag on her hip.

"Those don't belong to you."

"Meow. The World's Greatest Detective, everyone," she saunters forwards, moving closer and closer to Batman until her face is inches from his, "Now I suppose this is the part where you tell me I'm not going to get away with this and that we can do it the easy way or the hard way."

My hand reaches for a birdarang, but Batman hasn't moved. Neither has Catwoman, extended claw tips resting on Batman's chest like she's about to scratch him.

"I'll give you a freebie, oh mighty Crusader. Emeralds in the vent above the vault with the rest of my gear," she tilts her head like she's pouting, "I didn't have time to go back for my stuff before you boys got here."

"Robin," Batman orders, his voice almost a growl.

"On it," I say, running for the door that leads down from the roof. If I wasn't so glad to leave the two of them and their weird… whatever that was behind, I'd almost think it was too easy. Like she wanted us to show up and stop her. She's crazy.

Bruce Wayne

Tiffany's Roof

"He's limping?" Catwoman asked.

"Warehouse fire," he paused, a second longer than strictly appropriate, "Debris."

Catwoman saw right through him, like she always did. Tilting her head to just that angle that made her hair slide off her shoulder, distracting him from that piercing look in her eyes- the one that said, 'I know you know that I see through you, don't even try to hide it.'

"You're not sure."

"We got separated and… something happened. I don't know what and he won't tell me. Says he doesn't remember."

"He's a little young for a teenage rebellion, isn't he?" Catwoman sounded puzzled. Batman frowned. He wasn't sure if it was from her tone or the insinuation that there was something big and obvious he was missing. Batman made a point not to miss the big and obvious things.

"Something scared him. Someone."

"Who?" Catwoman demanded.

"I'm trying to find out. If the fire was a setup, whoever was behind it covered their tracks too well and the leads are drying up fast."

Catwoman's frown matched his own.

"I haven't heard anything on my end. If any of the Rogues managed to get one up on the Boy Wonder, the whole Iceberg would know about it by first call. Joker, Two-Face, hell, even Firefly would have shouted it to the rooftops."

"Not a Rogue," Batman said, "The Fifteens have been cutting into Falcone territory. I ID'd six members of their gang at the warehouse after the situation was neutralized. The fire was Falcone making a stand. Cut and dry."

"But…" she drew out the word, waiting for him to get to the point.

"It's too obvious. The firefight started before we got there but no casualties. They started shooting at us as soon as we arrived."

Catwoman snorted, "You'd think gangsters would know better by now."

"They do. When I show up to a turf war, they scram. They don't start a twelve-on-one in the middle of enemy territory."

"I take it you shook Falcone down?"

"He didn't know about any of it."

"Convenient," Catwoman snorted, flexing her claws at the thought of the mob boss. There was no love lost between the Rogues and the mobs, and Catwoman especially detested them. Unfortunately, this time his story checked out.

"He didn't know about the warehouse in the first place, much less ordering his men to torch it. Besides, the ones I caught are barely even bottom of the pecking order. Some of them weren't in the mob at all."

"So, it was a setup."

"Correct. I just don't know who's behind it or why. We made thirteen arrests after the fire and none of them knew who they'd been hired by. The money was supposed to come through another man, Mike Santini, who'd originally been approached to do the job. But whether or not Santini knew who he'd been hired by…," Batman frowned, acknowledging the wave of guilt from a preventable death. Catwoman's mouth tightened into a line when she realized what his silence meant.

"You can't save them all Batman. Those idiots knew the risks when they set the fire."

"Santini was shot in the head."

Catwoman's eyes widened.

"What? You said it was just a warehouse fire."

"I thought it was."

"Wait, slow down. Set the scene for me. Something about a twelve-on-one?"

"When Robin and I arrived, the warehouse was already on fire and the rival 'gangs' were shooting at each other. Based on the lack of casualties and their response to our appearance, the entire thing was a trap to lure us into the warehouse. During the fight, one of the thugs took off running and Robin went after him. I thought I had dealt with all of them but something hit me from behind when I went after Robin. By the time I woke up, police and fire were doing evac."

Catwoman looked stunned.

"What?" he asked.

"You miscounted your takedowns?!" she hissed, sounding scandalized.

Batman scowled and continued, "I took out ten thugs and all ten were taken into custody. Not counting Santini, GCPD arrested three more in the loading dock behind the warehouse."

"So one of those four knocked you out," Catwoman said decisively.

"It only could have been Santini," Batman nodded, "Robin says he took out three of them before the debris hit and he passed out. The other three all had similar stories; Robin knocked them out with a smoke grenade."

"So say it was Santini. He knocked you out and went after his buddies in the loading dock. Who shot him?"

"Any of the three could have done it. They might have been aiming at Robin and missed. They were all armed and their weapons had been fired repeatedly."

"Makes sense to me," Catwoman shrugged, "So, start to finish, you show up to a fire, surprise! It's also a gunfight. You take ten while Robin chases three to the loading dock. One of them was hiding, knocks you out while your back is turned, and gets shot by a stray bullet while trying to pummel Robin. Robin knocks out other three, gets hit with debris and passes out. Emergency services pull everyone out so there's one casualty instead of fifteen. What's the problem?"

"All three thought Santini was alive. When I interrogated them separately, their stories matched. Robin took the three of them out at the same time. None of them fired a weapon or heard a gunshot."

"I see," Catwoman hummed and stepped closer, counting out on her fingers, "We have a body and no plausible killer. That means we're missing a player. Someone else was in the warehouse who knocked you out, shot Santini…"

She paused long enough to fix him with a piercing stare, and continued like she was pulling the thoughts straight out of his head, "And probably was the mysterious boss who orchestrated the whole thing. Double bonus, you think Robin saw him do it, and our mystery man scared him."

"There's no motive otherwise," Batman said, "If it was a gang dispute, why deliberately drag vigilantes in? I… can't put aside the idea that whoever was behind it was trying to get to Robin. But I can't be sure."

"Too bad the kid won't just tell you."

Batman hesitated.

"He may not know. He was unconscious when I found him."

"You haven't asked him yet?"

"I didn't want to push him. The whole thing rattled him a lot more than he's willing to admit. Santini was shot right in front of him and that's a lot for him as it is. I have to give him time right now."

Catwoman sighed.

"Look stud, I know you're panicking. But cuts and bruises aside, the kid is fine. You know he's having the time of his life flipping around the museum as we speak. I'll do some digging of my own and see if I can stir up anything. Okay?" Batman didn't answer. Catwoman took it as the affirmative she was looking for and her claws settled back on his chest, "Now can we get back to the part where I lured you here under false pretenses to seduce you?"

"You fiend," Batman said dryly.

"Careful, handsome, you might hurt my feelings," Catwoman grinned, stepping closer. She leaned in, lips pausing a centimeter from Bruce's ear. His hand paused in midair, torn between duty and desire, "You never think about what could happen?"

The whisper swept through the night.

"Selina, you know why I can't," he said firmly as his hand moved between them and pushed her back gently. She stepped back, a tight look on her face.

"You're a crimefighter, I'm a criminal, we're just too different," Catwoman sighed, but behind the dramatics there was real sadness.

"I have a kid, Selina. He comes first."

"I know," Catwoman snapped. Then her face softened, "I know. But I know you feel the way about me that I feel about you, so I know there has to be a way."

"There is."

Catwoman flinched, "You would say that. I'm not giving it up."

"Then that's your choice," Batman said, disguising the pang in his chest as venom in his voice.

"Jackass," Catwoman snapped, "You don't see me demanding that you give up your Caped Crusading."

"The city needs Batman," Batman graveled, "It doesn't need a thief running around in skintight leather."

Instead of getting mad, Catwoman turned slowly, showing off with a wicked grin that sent a spark all the way down. Batman told himself he was analyzing the scene in order to be aware of the situation and that it was completely different than staring.

"The entire population of hot-blooded men would disagree with that," Catwoman stepped closer, pulling him in, "Including you."

Batman didn't fight as their lips met.

He didn't let himself think. There would be plenty of time to analyze the moment later, when the rigidly disciplined crimefighter would try to reconcile with the overwhelming certainty that he was in love. Thinking was just not possible when he was standing on a rooftop, a harsh breeze whipping his cape around while one hand was tangled up in Catwoman's silky hair and the other was wrapped around her waist and her tongue was dancing across… SHIT. Those were definitely footsteps and they were moving fast.

"Robin," Batman muttered and the kiss turned seamlessly into a fight. Catwoman's foot slammed into his chest, knocking him backwards. He threw a series of punches, catching her on the shoulder and giving himself a chance to refocus. When his sidekick threw the door to the roof open, Batman was sure there wasn't any sign of their… previous engagement.

"That's my cue, boys," Catwoman announced boldly. With a flick of her wrist, she uncoiled the whip around her waist and cracked it in the air. She lashed out and wrapped it around a stone gargoyle, swinging through the air onto another roof and landing with a roll.

"You're not getting away!" Robin shouted and Batman suddenly felt exhausted. Robin's grappling line fired and he disappeared off the rooftop. Batman pulled out his own grappling gun and followed the two of them, far enough behind that Catwoman wouldn't be tempted to stick around. Robin already saw too much of their… altercations. For all of their sakes, he didn't need to see any more.

Robin had caught up to Catwoman and the two of them were sparring on a rooftop. Catwoman spun out of the way and caught Batman's eye as she stood up. She winked and nodded at the edge of the building just as Robin charged towards her.

No. She wasn't about to… Damn that woman.

"Selina," Batman growled as he fired his grappling line and shot through the air in time to catch Robin mid free-fall. Batman dropped to the ground and put Robin down, fighting the urge to rub his temples as Robin immediately tried to charge after her.

"She's not getting away!" Robin shouted, already trying to scale the building and resume the chase.

"Robin, she's gone."

"We can't just let her go, Batman!"

"She'll be back."

"Are you kidding me?! She just threw me off the roof and you want to let her go?!"

"Yes," Batman graveled, "We recovered the jewels and you have school tomorrow. It's not worth going after her now."

Robin gave him a look of pure frustration before turning away.

He muttered something that sounded like, "I'll give you a freebie, yeah right."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Dick Grayson

The Batcave

Friday, April 20th, 2009

"Aquaman. Thank you for coming on such short notice," Batman holds out his hand and the King of Atlantis shakes it firmly.

"Absolutely. It was the least I could do," Aquaman responds, nodding his head solemnly. Hiding in the stalactites behind the trophy cases, I can't tear my eyes away from the man dressed in ceremonial garments that look like something from another universe. I've never seen Aquaman before, but he's so cool! He's an actual king! He even has a crown and everything! Plus, he can talk to sea creatures and has super strength and can breathe underwater!

Aquaman clears his throat and looks pointedly at Batman.

"I trust your protégée is… here?" he asks uncertainly. Batman nods, a slight smirk on his face.

"Robin, you can come down now."

Busted.

I drop down from the stalactite, take two steps on top the trophy case and launch myself in the air. I flip three times and roll when I hit the ground. Then I bounce up next to my mentor with a huge grin on my face. My mouth drops open and suddenly I'm staring. I didn't notice him before, but there's someone standing next to Aquaman. He's way taller than me, with dark skin, short blonde hair and tattoos on his arms and … gills?! He smiles shyly and I smile back before looking at Batman, startled. When he said Aquaman was coming over for a business deal with Bruce Wayne, he never mentioned that anyone else was coming too.

"Aquaman, this is Robin," Batman introduces before I say anything awkward like, 'I think your fish powers are awesome!'

Aquaman smiles and holds out his hand. I shake it, beaming with excitement that I'm actually meeting the King of Atlantis!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Robin. I've heard very impressive things about you," he releases my hand firmly and gestures to the teenager at his side, "I'd like to introduce both of you to my protégée, Kaldur'ahm."

Batman shakes his hand and I think I'm going crazy because he's actually smiling. Batman NEVER does that in front of other league members. Then, Batman pulls his cowl back so that Bruce Wayne is standing in the Batcave with Atlantean Royalty. My heart stops for a second. He must really trust Aquaman to reveal our secret ID's so soon. Hesitantly, I pull my mask off too, then tuck it in my utility belt. Bruce gestures to the stairs leading up to the manor.

"Shall we?" he suggests.

When we get to the study, Bruce turns to me, "We have a few hours before the broadcast. Why don't you go show Kaldur'ahm around?"

Aquaman nods at his protégée, and then follows Bruce out of the room. I smile at Kaldur'ahm.

"Are those really gills?" I ask. He cocks his head to the side and nods slowly.

With genuine curiosity, he asks, "What else would they be?"

I grin sheepishly, "Sorry. Bruce says that I need to stop asking people annoying questions."

Kaldur'ahm smiles, "King Orin says that I am not inquisitive enough."

"Great! So we're a perfect match. I'll talk and you can tell me when to can it."

"Can what?" he asks.

"I have no idea. Nobody will tell me what the 'it' is. They all pretend to know, but I don't really think they do," I pause for a second, but Kaldur'ahm is still listening attentively, "It's so stupid the way that people use expressions that they have no clue what they actually mean and then pretend it means something else."

"It's the same in Atlantis," Kaldur'ahm tells me, "A common expression is 'In every oyster there is a pearl,' which is used to say that you should look for opportunity. But pearls are actually a great inconvenience for oysters, and they get very offended if they hear that phrase."

"Can you talk to oysters too?" I ask excitedly. He starts to shake his head, then stops himself.

"Well... not on my own. But there are spells taught at the conservatory that can allow you to understand other creatures."

"That's awesome!"

"What are your powers?" he asks. I grin at him.

"I don't have any."

"What? But I saw you fly a few minutes ago."

I shake my head.

"That's not flying. That's flipping. It's just acrobatics and body movements. Anyone can do it."

"I do not think so. I have been on the surface for several months now, and I have never seen anyone move in this way."

I shrug, "It's a very specific skillset. Most people can't do any acrobatics, but gymnasts can and cheerleaders and contortionists kind of can."

"That's very impressive. I do not completely understand surface um… psychics yet."

"You mean physics?"

Kaldur'ahm looks embarrassed.

"I believe so. I apologize. English is difficult for me."

"I know!" I exclaim, "It sucks! There's no consistency in conjugations, verb tenses make no sense, pronunciation is a total mess and there is no acceptable reason why xylophone starts with an x!"

"It's not my first language either," I add when he starts to look confused, "I spoke a lot of different languages with my parents growing up. Everyone in the circus speaks English, but most people spoke Spanish, French, German and Italian. And I still remember a little Polish and Turkish. Then the circus moved to the US, so we all started speaking English."

"That must be very difficult to keep straight," he replies.

I shrug, "I guess. I really like languages though. I like to make up words and new expressions. I did it a bunch by mixing languages when I was little, but nobody else speaks so many around here so they can't understand it."

Kaldur'ahm nods, looking sad, "The surface world is beyond anything I had ever imagined, but I do miss Atlantis. King Orin insists that we speak English while we are here."

"Do you guys live on the surface now?"

"No. We have been splitting time between this world and Atlantis, but this has been the longest I've been away. I find I am… homesick."

"And nobody else here speaks Atlantean?"

He shakes his head.

"Could you teach me some?"

"You would want to learn it?"

"Yeah! I told you, I love languages! It'll be like our secret code. Nobody will know what we're saying."

"King Orin will know."

"Nope! Because you're going to learn some surface languages too! We'll make a new omni-language!"

"I would really like that!" Kaldur'ahm beams.

"C'mon! Let's go up to my room," I say before bounding out of the room, "Race you!"

"You will not win!" Kaldur'ahm shouts suddenly, taking off behind me. We're neck and neck going up the stairs, but he's too fast for me to beat. He pulls ahead as we round the landing, and then it's a battle for the home stretch down the East Wing. I launch myself towards the oak double doors that lead to Bruce's suite, but it's not enough. Kaldur'ahm beats me by a quarter second. I look up at him from where I flopped gracelessly on the ground after my failed dive-roll, then I stick out my tongue.

Kaldur'ahm begins to laugh, chest heaving as he takes in air. I laugh too, my hair sticking up everywhere and my arms tangled in my cape. He reaches down and offers me a hand to help me up.

"Good race, Robin."

"Good race Kaldur'ahm."

"Please, my friends call me Kaldur."

I grin and hold out my hand in the pretentious way Bruce always does at fancy parties, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kaldur. My name is Dick Grayson."

Kaldur does a perfectly executed half bow, and shakes my hand in exactly the proper way, "The honor is mine."

Snickering, I lead him to my room and toss a pile of notebook paper and a few dictionaries on the desk. I've got French, Spanish, German and Ukranian, plus there's like fifty more in the library on the first floor that we can grab if we need them. Then I stretch and do a handstand, feeling the blood rush back to my head.

"So you're Aquaman's partner now?"

Kaldur nods, "My king offered me the position after I helped defend Poseidonis from Ocean Master's attack."

"That's awesome! What's your codename? Have you met any of the other heroes yet?"

"I go by Aqualad. I was briefly introduced to Superman, but I have not yet met any others."

"You're going to love Wally and Roy! They're the other sidekicks, and they're so awesome! We get to patrol together sometimes. You should come!"

"I would like that," Kaldur smiles, "But I am curious to learn some of these other tongues."

A smile spreads itself across my face, "Sure! Let's get started!"

We start with basic phrases like "Hello," "How are you?" "I'm good" and "Do you have any food?" in each language I can remember off the top of my head. I have to correct his pronunciation a little bit at first, but Kaldur picks it up really fast. He's really got an ear for sound. We move into more conversational phrases and by the time Alfred comes in with a plate of freshly baked cookies, we've managed to have an entire conversation switching between Ukrainian, English and Spanish. It's a little slow and very basic, but Kaldur absorbs all the vocabulary like it's air. Or water.

"Would either of you care for some chocolate chip cookies?" Alfred questions during a break in the conversation.

"Yes please!" I cheer in Espantean (the mix of Spanish and Atlantean Kaldur invented) and Alfred raises an eyebrow.

"Should I assume that means yes?"

"That would be most kind, thank you," Kaldur says in English, looking sheepish. Alfred smiles.

"Well, you are most welcome, young man. Unfortunately, I must insist that food stays in the kitchen and dining rooms, if you would both come downstairs."

"When's the broadcast starting?" I ask as we follow Alfred down the stairs.

"Any minute now, if I'm not mistaken. Would you like me to turn it on?"

"If you don't mind," Kaldur says formally. Alfred smiles at him and I giggle at the look on his face. It's probably been at least a decade since there was somebody as polite and proper as Alfred in the house. Not even Bruce in his best "Crown Prince of Gotham Society" act comes close to Kaldur's sincerity.

"Your home is beautiful. I don't believe even the museums in Atlantis have such a display," Kaldur says in awe as we pass through the art-lined hallways leading to the kitchen. I know how he feels. I prefer my bedroom and the game room to any of the old Wayne Manor stuff. But Alfred beams and starts telling him about Bruce's grandpa's love of the Old Masters of art and his friendship with an art dealer back in the 1920's and Kaldur looks absolutely amazed. He'll have to come over and hang out more. Anyone who makes Alfred look that happy deserves cookies all the time.

When we reach the kitchen, Alfred lays out a massive plate of my favorite raspberry chocolate chip cookies and pours two glasses of a banana smoothie from the blender. Kaldur and I sit together at the table and Alfred turns on the local news.

"Citizens of Gotham, I am Orin, King of Atlantis. It is a great honor to stand before you on this historic day," Aquaman begins his speech, standing behind a wooden podium on a stage decorated with flags. The flag of Atlantis hangs above his head, and the blue and green lines shine brightly on the tv screen.

Kaldur slurps at his banana smoothie and I reach for another cookie.

"He looks so royal," I say, more than a little awe-struck.

"My king is a great leader," Kaldur answers, "Although it is strange to see him from afar… to not be at his side after all this time seems… wrong."

"Yeah. It's so weird seeing Bruce on tv. Because it's him, but he's kind of just putting on a performance. All the people watching feel like they know him, but it's not really him at all and it's just weird. Even if he's been doing it longer than I've lived with him."

Kaldur is quiet for a second, then he smiles at me.

"It is nice to see people as they are."

I grin back at him.

AN: Thank you for reading! The next chapter will introduce a major character, and then we're at the timeskip.

I hope you're enjoying, leave a comment to let me know if you are!