NEW JERSEY

AUGUST 3rd 2010 21:23 EST

"Aqualad to Superboy, radio your position. We'll help you."

Robin doubted Aqualad's request would get the response he was looking for. Superboy had really been set off by Canary, and now with the monkeys had finally let the ticking time bomb he went off. There was no way Superboy was just going to cool down and come back easily.

"I don't need help! I don't want any!"

"Superboy?"

From next to him, Honeybee sighed and looked in the direction Superboy disappeared.

"Ditched his comn it seems," Honeybee said.

"Great!" Wally chimed in. "Now we can't even track him!"

"He's out of my telepathic range," Miss Martian said. "This Professor Ivo, if he is alive, seems to be two steps ahead of us. Maybe we should contact Red Tornado?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Honeybee grit her teeth at the mention of Ivo's name. Robin could not help but wonder what that was about – was there something about Ivo and Honeybee in the Batcave file? There probably was. Not for the first time, he was tempted to just open it when he got back.

"Tornado always tells us to handle things ourselves," Aqualad said, "And the mission can still succeed if we recover the parts before they're reassembled."

"Well that's a great plan," Wally butted in, "except for the part that we have NO idea where to look!"

"Way to keep the faith, Debby Downer," Honeybee murmured, and Robin was not sure the comn picked it up.

"Maybe we do though," Robin said. Robin walked over to where a few of the monkey's defeated forms were in a pile. Robin crouched down and plugged in a cord from the monkey to his holo-computer glove. He heard Honeybee walk up behind him and look over his shoulder.

"We'd have heard by now if the decoy trucks were attacked," Robin said. A screen popped from the computer, and Robin punched into the keyboard to try and break into the monkey's software. "So how did the monkeys know which trucks to target?" Another computer screen popped up, giving them the information that they needed. GPS! "The monkeys have GPS!"

"Which means they have a signal you can track with this one!" Honeybee finished the thought. Robin smiled, Honeybee always caught on quickly. She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to get a closer look at the information, and her brow furrowed. "And the parts are converging on…..Gotham City?!"

"That far south?" Even Aqualad sounded shocked. "M'gann and I won't get there anytime soon. I'm sending Kid ahead."

The other end of the line went dead, and Robin stood, placing the discarded monkey on his shoulder. Robin pressed a button on his glove and his motorcycle popped back up again. Honeybee did likewise next to him, looking none too pleased by the turn of events.

"Definitely a disaster," Robin said. "Heavy on the dis."

"You can say that again Birdie," Honeybee said. Honeybee unzipped her jack to reveal the top of her uniform and raised a brow and motioned for him to turn around. "Now I gotta put my mask on. Turn around."

Robin frowned but did as he was told. Honeybee clearly had the events of today weighing on her more than normal, and Robin had a suspicion it was not just to do with her neighbor. Honeybee was quick to emotion and long to feel it, and this frustration he could feel rolling off her was deeper than what she had said. Sure, it was a long mission for all of them, but Honeybee was taking it worse than everyone (save Superman).

Robin unzipped his jacket to reveal his more standard Robin uniform and slipped off his pants to the matching pants that went with him. He slipped his mask from his utility belt and turned around to see Honeybee now fully masked.

"Now come on," Honeybee said, stalking past him and to her bike. "We gotta super genius to punch."

Robin laughed despite himself and followed her.

"I'll rock, paper, scissors for first dibs," Robin said. Honeybee stopped as she mounted her bike, looking to him with a furrowed brow and frown, but then a ghost of a smile spread across her face.

"We'll play when we get there," Honeybee said. There was not much humor in her voice, but it was there just the same.

Robin climbed his own bike and set off with Honeybee. They pushed their bikes as far and as quick as they could, neither talking anymore. Both knew they had to get there quickly and any more distractions would just get in the way. After what must have been close to an hour later they finally reached the sign telling them they were within Gotham city limits.

"Home sweet home," Honeybee said. From behind them came a buzzing sound, and Kid Flash appeared next to their bikes. Kid Flash was running at his usual speed and had that same silly smile he got when he used his powers. His civilian jacket and pants were gone, replaced with his usual yellow and red spandex attire.

"See you changed too?" Robin said, and Kid Flash scoffed.

"You kidding?" Kid Flash said. "I feel naked in civies. You still tracking the parts?" A virtual map appeared on both Honeybee and Robin's screens, and the two of them looked over the screens with renewed interest.

"They were heading through Gotham, but they veered," Robin said. Robin's eyes narrowed as she saw the moving red dot get closer and closer to Gotham Academy. Honeybee's eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

"Gotham Academy?" Honeybee asked incredulously. Robin could not help but feel similarly. Why on Earth would Ivo or whoever this was be headed to his school of all places? Sure, during the school year lots of influential people's kids were there, but during the summer? Practically deserted.

"Why would they be going to you—"

"I don't know why they would go to Gotham Academy," Robin cut in before he could finish. Robin did not know where Honeybee went to school, and Honeybee did not know where Robin went to school. Robin had the suspicion that Bruce had set Honeybee up with some kind of Wayne Enterprise scholarship (Batman knows who everyone was, after all), but Honeybee had no reason to believe Robin would have any connection to Gotham Academy.

Honeybee frowned and sped ahead of them, and Robin's thoughts drifted back to how Honeybee seemed to be taking today more personally than everyone. What was up with her? He was a detective for God's sake, what the heck was up with his friend?

They made it to Gotham Academy and they barely stopped for their bikes to break before they were off and into the building. They could hear the sound of battle drifting through the hallways, and Robin knew most likely they had taken the fight to the gym. It had the most space and would allow for the best vantage points for both parties.

The trio made it into the gym and banged the doors open. Robin did a quick scan of the room and found that Superboy was now fully engaged with the android. In the bleachers sat a short, stout little man with a green sweater and gray tips in his hair. Honeybee glared at the man from her spot next to Robin and he could feel an intense annoyance and frustration wafting off his friend's form.

Robin's attention turned to the center of the gym, where Superboy was laid on his back with the android standing above him, fists raised and ready to slam down onto his form. Kid Flash did not even need to be instructed and just shot off like a rocket and scooped Superboy up before he could be smashed.

Superboy was deposited next to them, and he seemed surprised at first to see them. Robin reached into his utility belt and shot two birdarangs in the android's direction.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," the android intoned and phased so that the birdarangs went straight through him without injury. They exploded on the ground behind him and Robin sucked in a breath. Honeybee from next to him got her stingers ready to strike.

"Access: Red Tornado," the android said. A tornado appeared at the android's feet and he started to rise up and make his way towards the four of them. Honeybee went ahead and launched her stingers, but the wind currents sent them flying into the bleachers where they detonated with their electric shocks.

Wind currents spring towards them, and they were sent flying in opposite directions. Kid Flash fell back into the wall, and Superboy was sent flying into the bleachers. Honeybee caught on to Robin's cape to try and get some form of balance, and the two were flung onto the floor next to the basketball hoop. The last time he had fallen here, he recalled, he had been playing basketball in the gym.

Kid Flash had the wind knocked out of him twice, once when he hit the wall and the other when he hit the ground. The android stood over him and raised his hands.

"Access: Captain Atom," he said. Kid Flash's eyes widened and he rushed out of the way as for electricity hit where he had been only seconds ago. He curved around to come back towards the android, but the android was a few steps ahead of him.

"Access: Black Canary," the android said, and a canary call was sent straight at Kid Flash. Kid Flash couldn't avoid it and it sent him skidding off balance and onto the floor. Superboy rushed the android, raising a fist to it, but the android merely took it into his own hand with an Access: Superman.

Robin got to his feet, but Honeybee had been knocked out when her head hit the floor, leaving her groggy as she was coming too. Robin stepped in front of her protectively while she got her bearings and flung two birdarangs at the android in vain.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," he said, and all but the arm holding Superboy's fist went intangible. Superboy was then swung into the bleachers when the android reared its arm back. Kid Flash rushed forward and was pulled into the android's arms.

"Access: Superman," he said, and he began to squeeze the speedster with extreme prejudice. Panic rushed through Robin – that was his best friend!

Robin raised a disk to throw again, but he didn't have to swing it as an arrow came flying from the rafters.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," the android said. His whole body went intangible, and the arrow slipped through his body and Kid Flash fell out of his grasp with a large gasp of air.

"Kid!" Honeybee said behind Robin, and he turned to see Honeybee now back to full strength. The arrow landed next to their feet, and Robin cast a quick glance in its direction before pocketing it. It was green – which lead him to think a possible Leaguer was here in hiding.

Honeybee pulled out two of her stingers and rushed past Robin, and Superboy did the same, both headed towards the android. She let the two stingers go, but they missed as the android decided to Access: Martian Manhunter.

The android turned to face Superboy and Honeybee.

"Access: Black Canary," the android said, and let out a canary cry at the two of them, and both flew back into the bleachers, landing only a few yards away from Ivo in the bleachers. Robin grits his teeth and tried one more birdarang, which whizzes past the android's head. The android turned back to Robin and raised his fist but Kid Flash grabbed him and started to turn out of the way. Still, in Black Canary mode, the android let out another canary call, which sent the duo back onto the wood floor.

Robin heard groaning from the bleachers and looked up to see Superboy rising from the rubble of the bleachers he had smacked into. Honeybee was next to him, hand to her temple as she glared up at Ivo. Superboy sent them a glance as the android came closer to Kid Flash and Robin, while Honeybee smiled when Superboy seemed to say something.

Ivo yawned from his place on the bleachers, and Honeybee stood to full height, stingers between all the fingers of her right hand.

"Oh, yawn," he said, "Normally Amazzo would study and mimic your abilities while fighting, but what's the point?" Ivo checked his fingernails with an air of carelessness. "You're all just poor copies of the originals."

Honeybee and Superboy shared a look, and Robin could tell a plan was forming between them. Both nodded with a sly smile and turned back to their human opponent.

"So everyone keeps saying," Superboy said, and anger flooded his features again. "Makes me angry!"

Superboy thrust forward and smashed his fists next to where Ivo was, and Ivo's face broke out into unadulterated fear. He began running through the steps of the bleachers, well mostly crawling.

"Would it kill you to be a little nicer Ivo?" Honeybee snarled, and released her stingers at him, each of which barely missed him. Robin could tell she had not really meant to hit him, and it clicked in Robin's head. They were trying to scare him. "Don't want to get Supe here mad."

"Great, he's gone ballistic," Kid Flash said. "And taken Honeybee with him this time!"

"Maybe not," Robin said.

"Amazo, protect your master, priority alpha," Ivo stammers, still crawling away from Superboy. Amazo switched targets and turned to Superboy and Honeybee.

"Access: Captain Atom," Amazo said. Electricity shot from his hands and hit Superboy, sending him flying back again. Honeybee then stepped forward, jumping between the bleacher seats to get to Ivo. Monkey droids that had been lurking nearby began helping Ivo to his feet, but Honeybee sent her stingers in a flash, disabling them with a burst of electricity.

"Running Ivo?" Honeybee said. She smiled and looked back at Kid Flash and Robin. "You boys want to play keep-away?" She kicked Ivo forward, which sent him stumbling down the bleachers.

"Whoo! Me! My turn!" Kid Flash said, and he raced to Ivo and Amazo. As Kid Flash stopped before Ivo, he accessed Superman and sent the speedster flying into the bleachers again. Honeybee pulls out a stinger and nods at Robin, who already has a disk raised, sending a stinger and birdarang from two directions.

"Access: Martian Manhunter," Amazzo said and went intangible, the two items sailing straight through him. Superboy leaped forward at this moment, fist raised. "Access: Superman." His body went tangible, but not before Superboy had his fist in what was intangible. The robot began to fizz and break down before it fell back to the ground with a clatter and a hole in its head.

"Help me dissemble him now!" Robin said, rushing to the body. Honeybee followed while Kid Flash returned to standing form, looking at the duo in confusion.

"Dude, the guy has no head," Kid Flash said. Honeybee yanked an arm off of the body while Robin made sure to kick the head away as quickly as possible.

"Take no chances!" Aqualad said as he entered. Miss Martian trailed behind him and landed next to Superboy, giving him a quizzical look. She looked over his tattered clothes from battle and put a hand on his shoulder in concern.

"Superboy, are you alright?" Miss Martian asked. Superboy hesitated a moment but then smiled and looked at Robin. Robin pulled off a leg and tossed it aside and smiled back at Superboy.

"Feeling the aster," Superboy said. Robin laughed under his breath. Superboy not being angry for once was a blessing in itself, and Robin's heart was glad that he was starting to work through his issues.

"Hey, where's Ivo?" Kid Flash asked. The Team looked around to see Ivo gone, and Honeybee sighed in resignation and threw an arm in a random direction.

"He disappeared," Honeybee said. "He's good at that." Honeybee kicked the chest part of the android away, glaring at it. She walked past them and towards the hallway. "Let's call the League. I'm ready to get this mission over with."

Robin pursed his lips and watched his friend stalk off. It seemed Honeybee was still not feeling the aster, and Robin's stomach twisted in worry.

It's so excruciating to see you low
Just wanna lift you up and not let you go
This ultraviolet morning light below
Tells me this love is worth the fight, oh

GOTHAM CITY

AUGUST 4TH 2010 12:12 EST

Betty sat on the roof of her apartment building, legs swinging over the side. She had decided to take the night off from Honeybee following the events of today and took her normal place on the roof that she went to think.

Robin was onto her, she could tell. About Ivo. Robin when they got back to the Cave had been sticking close to her as if she was going to explode at any minute. Was this how Superboy felt all the time? It must get exhausting, having people always watching to see when they were going to blow up.

Professor Ivo being her father was not a secret at first, it wasn't even until she first saw him in a fight that she realized he was her dad. She was sure he didn't recognize her, not with the mask and the time elapsed since they had last met. Sarah Bryons had been a TA in some university where he was a research assistant, and it had been for all intents and purposes a whirlwind romance. But then came Betty, and when she was six, he was gone. Off into the night never to be seen again.

Ivo was well-known for his fear of death. And having a family reminded him that he was getting older, which meant he could not stay around them. He had to think he was not getting older. That meant Betty got left behind. Waspia came a year later when she realized what her ex was up to, and she knew she had to stop it. Waspia kept the tidbit about him being a supervillain from Betty for as long as she could.

Betty was determined to keep it from the others as long as possible. She did not want her judgment questioned when it came to Ivo. He had no bearing on her, she had grown into the girl she was without him. Sarah, Waspia, Mom had been the one to build her. He was a stranger.

A door creaked behind her.

"Want some company?" Aunt Melody said. Betty turned to see Melody in the door that led to the roof, a blanket in her arms. Betty smiled and nodded, and her aunt sat next to her, swinging her legs over the roof like her niece.

"So…Ivo, huh?" Aunt Melody said. Betty sighed and leaned into her aunt's shoulder.

"Yeah," Betty said.

"I can imagine that was hard," Aunt Melody said. "Having to fight your father." Betty scoffed.

"I won't say him running away and hiding behind a robot fighting," Betty said. Betty hugged her arms against herself tightly, and Aunt Melody positioned the blanket around the two of them, enclosing them in a soft hug. Aunt Melody hummed and just sat with Betty for a moment more, before finally breaking the silence.

"How about you come to the diner with me tomorrow?" Aunt Melody said. "You've had a rough few days. Miss Nettle will be glad to teach you how to make a blueberry pie. You got apple down pretty quick."

Betty smiled at the thought. Aunt Melody's job, being an assistant manager at Cookie Cutter Diner, came with a rather sweet old lady named Miss Nettle as the owner. Even before her mom died, Betty had taken to visiting her aunt at work and had gotten to know her aunt's boss quite well. After Mom died, Miss Nettle had let Betty come upstairs to Miss Nettle's adjoining apartment and taught her how to make various baked goods. It was nice, getting to bake. She and Aunt Melody rarely had the money for supplies to do it. But Betty had managed some muffin bread a few months ago for her aunt's birthday, and cupcakes for Jason's birthday.

"I think I'd like that," Betty said. Silence enveloped them again, and Betty shut her eyes and enjoyed it. Betty was tired of having to deal with Ivo and Jason moving. It was nice to have a few moments of just pure silence to take in the world. The school would start soon and make her time to do so even less. It was good to take advantage of the time now before it was taken away from her with a new mission or battle.

There was a swish of noise behind them and the clunk of boots on pavement, and Betty knew her moment was over.

"Batman," Betty said. Aunt Melody popped up and looked behind her in surprise, while Betty did not turn. She knew the look that would be on her aunt's face – shock, awe, confusion, the same emotions everyone went through when they first saw the infamous Batman.

"Honeybee," he said gruffly. Betty finally looked behind her to see him standing simply, cape around him and arms at his sides. "Can I speak with you? Alone?"

Did she want to speak with him alone? No. Was she? Yes. Betty knew it could be about something important what with their line of work.

Aunt Melody started. "I'm –"

"Yes," Betty said. She turned to her aunt. "I'll be fine. Go."

Aunt Melody looked at her, unsure. Aunt Melody knew everything about Betty and Honeybee, including that Batman had long since figured out who she was. She also knew Betty's feelings on the Dark Knight, and how she would do near anything to not be alone with him. But Betty was also practical, and she knew if Batman was going to seek her out, then it was probably something that needed to be discussed.

Betty gave her a reassuring smile, and Aunt Melody relented. She stood up, leaving the blanket, and began to head back inside. Betty had to laugh internally at her aunt attempting to give Batman a glare. It was a nice attempt and bold, not everyone could muster the courage to do so, but she knew he had seen worse. Betty had seen worse.

The door to the roof shut and it was silent again for a long time. Betty stood and turned around, the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. It made her feel small next to Batman, but it made her feel safe too.

"I figured it was time I checked in on you," Batman said. "Saw how you were doing." Betty rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said. "There, your conscience is clear. Now please leave me alone."

"Honeybee," Batman said. "You faced your father today. I know that must be hard." Betty narrowed her eyes and stepped towards the man with a determination she had felt a few times before.

"Unless your father is secretly a supervillain genius," Betty said, "then you don't know what it must be like." If someone did know the man well, they might have thought that he had no reaction. But Betty did. And she could tell from the way his shoulders clenched that she had struck a nerve. She was tempted to apologize but a petty part of her kept her from doing it.

"Honeybee, we have to talk about this," Batman said. "Have to – to move past this."

"Past this?" Betty said. Betty's brow went up to her hairline. "You let my mother go into that building, knowing full well what was in there and decided not to tell her. All because you were scared of your master plan getting ratted out. And now she's dead."

Betty could remember it all so clearly. When after the private memorial the heroes had for Waspia was held, Batman pulled her aside and told her the truth. Batman had known that Harley and Ivy were working together but had not told Waspia and by extension Honeybee. They just thought that Harley was their enemy, so when Ivy was their opponent, they were ill-prepared. Batman had said it was because their comns had been hacked and that he did not want them to know they were on to them.

Occupational hazard. A mistake. A regret. Wish he could take it back. Unavoidable.

That's everything he used to describe what had happened.

Maybe this anger was irrational. Because the vigilante in her could see the logic. Understood it with stunning clarity. The vigilante thinks he was right. But the daughter was the dominant part of her. And the daughter could not stop blaming him. The daughter wanted Batman to leave her alone and never come back. She wanted him to just go away. The two parts of her fought over what she wanted to do. What she wanted to believe. It was easier to be angry than to let the other side win.

"You're right," Batman said. "I made a call, and it cost your mother's life." Batman sighed. "And you can be angry all you want I won't stop you. But at least know that I care what happens to you."

Betty pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Why? Why would Batman care about her now? She hated him; had loathed him for months on end. She had no right being someone he cared about.

"I and your mother had an agreement," Batman said. "In case anything happened to either of us. She would look after Robin, and I would look after you." He reached out like he was going to put a hand on her shoulder but retracted it before he made contact. "Let me follow that wish of your mothers. I'm not asking you to like me."

Betty held out for a moment longer, the daughter and the vigilante swirling in a fight again. She bowed her head with a sigh.

"A truce," Betty whispered.

Batman raised a brow. "A truce."

"I won't refuse to talk to you. I'll be…. here. Where you can see me. But I'm not your friend. You're not my mentor."

Batman conceded with a bow of his head.

"Now, let me ask again," he said. "Are you alright?"

Betty reluctantly looked up at him and shivered in the night air.

"No, I'm not," she whispered. "But I will be."

Batman nodded.

"Do-do you want to talk about it?"

"No. Not right now."

Batman nodded again.

Betty bit her lip and looked down at her shoes.

"It's been real Batman, but I gotta be somewhere in the morning and –"

She looked up and he was already gone. Figured.

Betty remained rooted in her spot for a while, despite what she had told Batman, not ready to go inside. She sunk to the floor, not of her own violation, and sat in the grave rooftop, blanket wrapped around her for she wasn't sure how long.

The daughter was yelling and screaming at her. The part of her that never wanted to let go of this hatred, not even a small piece of it. The vigilante in her was yelling too, but for a different reason. It was a victory yell, a yell of joy that finally, finally she was not letting her emotions rule her so much. Betty wanted both sides to shut up and just let her be.

She wanted to be Betty, not the daughter or the vigilante. Not the girl who had to fight her dad's robot or tell off Batman or worry about stopping supervillains. She loved being Honeybee and would never give it up. But she wanted to just be Betty for just a moment.

So she took the moment.

Hey, it's all me, in my head
I'm the one who burned us down
But it's not what I meant
I'm sorry that I hurt you

Chapter Bible Verse:

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers," - Psalm 1:1

Hey, y'all! It's been a few days, but I hope y'all like this! I went with Robin's pov at the beginning of the chapter because I felt like his perspective helped us see how he views her in the field and if others knew of her relationship with Ivo.

How did y'all like this last part with Batman? I knew we were gonna have to get some kind of resolution going there, but we will be taking a step back on that to focus on other plot lines for the moment. I hope y'all enjoyed it.

Review Replies:

MsRosePetal: Jason! He makes my heart bleed, but I promise regardless of what Catherine does he will be popping up. And I don't plan on going that route, just because Catherine is supposed to be a little more sympathetic in this story, but I like your theory! And yes, Ivo is her dad. In the first draft of this story, BRUCE was actually her father but I thought that was just a little too on the nose. Ivo being her dad like I said was something that just kinda...happened. Betty was the one to tell me. And the reunion was from Robin PoV's, but I think we gotta a pretty good glimpse into her feelings. And I'm glad you liked the chapter despite the fight scene - they are super hard to write, as you said! I hope you're having a blessed day!

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

-PrincessChess