AN: Here we go, chapter 3! Sorry, it took so long, but Chicago gets sun every once in a blue moon so I'm enjoying while it lasts! This chapter is from Tim's POV, so enjoy! Please feel free to review positively or negatively, I love to know if I'm doing good or if my work needs some work.

Tim dropped down to the rooftop, trying to wipe the smile off his face. After all, he had to show professionalism. He kept low to the ground until he came upon a window on the ceiling, providing an excellent view of the warehouse below.

"Red Robin in position." Tim dropped down to the rooftop, trying to wipe the smile off his face. After all, he had to show professionalism. He kept low to the ground until he came upon a window on the ceiling, providing an excellent view of the warehouse below.

"Red Robin in position."

"Well, it's about damn time. What the hell took so long, Burger Boy?" Tim couldn't help but shake his head at his nickname. If there was one thing he could count on his brothers for was their ability to come up with rather interesting monikers. But before he could respond to Jason, his younger brother (and he used that term very loosely with this one) was on the coms.

"The moron doesn't think. In fact, the idiot is living proof that you don't need a brain to live," Damian taunted. And, of course, Tim took the bait.

"You know, just 'cause you may look like a human, that doesn't mean you are one."

"If you're what passes for a human, then I'm really scared for the future of humanity."

"Well, us humans need oxygen, so you should probably stop talking cause you're wasting it."

"No, that would be you wasting oxygen. After all, you're not even supposed to be here."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the only reason you're here is because your parents had defective protection."

"That's funny coming from a test-tube baby."

"ENOUGH!" a gruff voice yelled over the coms at a volume that caused Tim to wince. He heard chuckling that could have only come from Jason and a groan that was the telltale sign of a fed-up Dick. He might have gone a little far with the 'test-tube' baby part. Not that he felt bad, oh god no. It was the fact that Bruce was on the lines and Tim wasn't being careful enough to not accidentally insult him along with Damian.

"If the two of you are done acting like children," Batman growled, "we have a mission to complete." His voice left no room for arguments.

"Everyone ready?" Nightwing received various forms of affirmation to his question. Tim looked down into the open window next to him and saw his target. All he was waiting on was the signal.

"Alrighty, just hold tight a little bit longer," Jason mumbled over the coms. He's their eye in the sky on this particular mission and had a view of everything from his vantage point where he was positioned with a sniper rifle. Tim couldn't believe Bruce allowed the trigger-happy assassin to use a gun, but then again, they weren't lethal bullets. Right?

"Okeydokey, on my count. In three…" Jason's voice was the only noise that carried over the coms. Everyone remained silent in anticipation. "Two…" Tim prepared to drop down on the unsuspecting criminal at any moment now. "One…" His eyes traced the man's every movement.

"Now!"

"Tim. Tim!" Said crime-fighter jerked, spilling his coffee on himself. He hissed at the burning sensation on his chest, grabbing at the napkins that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Tim looked up at Conner, who, while trying to appear sympathetic, could barely keep the smile from his face.

"Thanks," Tim grumbled as he continued to dab at the coffee stain on his white shirt. He winced at the thought of Alfred's face when looking at the article of clothing.

"You good?" his friend mused. With Tim's short nod, Conner continued, "So, whatcha thinkin 'bout?"

"How much trouble I'm gonna be in when Alfred sees this," Tim sighed. He could hear the words now. It astounds me, Master Tim, how such a skilled individual such as yourself manages to run around on rooftops for hours on end with poise and, dare I say, grace. Yet, the moment you attempt to consume such a disgusting beverage, you make a mess. Conner's voice brought him back to the conversation.

"What I mean is, what were you thinking about before…that," Conner wiggled his finger, pointing at Tim's shirt, "So, what caused you to go zombie-mode on me?"

Tim's eyebrows raised at the term. "Zombie-mode?"

"Well, I called your name like a million times and waved my hand in front of you. But nothing! You were like a zombie. Anyways, you're avoiding the question."

Tim rubbed a hand over his face. There was no reason to lie to him, but at the same time, Tim didn't feel like sharing. It would only lead to more questions. "Nothing," he mumbled, hoping it would be left alone.

"Yeah right," Conner scoffed, "you don't go into zombie-mode over nothing." Tim rolled his eyes before standing up to throw off the dirtied napkins. He moved to leave to the small kitchen he was drinking his coffee before it decorated his shirt, but a strong hand caught his arm, stopping Tim in his tracks. He looked back at Conner's piercing blue eyes as the Kryptonian clone studied the third Robin. The pair remained in a sort of staring contest, neither one wanting to relent to the other. Unfortunately, Tim didn't seem to carry that unyielding stubbornness gene that seemed to come with R-marked costume, because the moment Conner tilted his head in that puppy-esche way, Tim broke.

"Fine! If you must know, I was thinking about a mission I was on not too long ago." It wasn't technically a lie. Almost a year isn't necessarily a long time. So, he was fine as long as he wasn't asked-

"What mission?" Crap. He's been on hundreds of missions, he could just pick one at random and be done. But he couldn't bring himself to openly lie, especially not to one of his closest friends. Tim is many things, but a liar isn't one of them. He's seen the consequences of lying to people who are important to you too many times (mostly from Bruce who seems to believe lying "protects" Tim and his crazy, messed-up family) to know it never ends well. Even if Tim wanted to lie, which he doesn't, he's an awful liar. Truly terrible. Besides, Conner would see right through him anyway. It doesn't help that Conner would be able to hear his heartbeat to know for a fact if Tim told the truth.

His friend cleared his throat, reminding Tim of the heart of his dilemma. Well, might as well get it over with.

"Well… it was a long time ago… and by long, I mean about a year ago, so I guess not that long… and you see… well" Conner rolled his eyes at Tim's stammering. Ask about science or computers, the kid couldn't stop talking. Ask about himself, Tim closed up like a clam. "So w-what happened… now what I trying to say…"

"Tim, take a moment to collect yourself there," Conner giggled, slightly amused. Tim took a deep breath before continuing.

"IwasthinkingaboutthelasttimeIsawtheRedHood." Tim watched Conner blink a few times as he processed what he heard.

Conner's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "That's what's got you blabbering like a fool? The Red Hood?" It took all of Tim's willpower not to openly wince at Conner's belligerent tone when he spoke the name of his brother's alias. It was filled with contempt and disgust, no different from him pretty much every other person said it. As far as anyone not a part of their little "bat-clan" knew, the Red Hood was an untrustworthy menace who went around shooting anything and everything with no sense of integrity. Just another run of the mill criminal. But unlike them, Tim actually knew the man under the hood. Sure, Jason's made mistakes, granted more than enough for one lifetime (or would it be two?), but he's been doing better. There weren't as many confrontations that began and ended with "fuck you." In fact, for a while, he seemed to be opening up slightly more.

Trust is something that has to be earned with him. Lord knows Jason has problems with trust, then again with all things considered, who wouldn't if they were in his shoes. However, if you got his trust, you got his loyalty, and you know he's got your back. That is until you break that trust. Then all progress is lost and you having to start all over, only this time, it's a lot harder to regain it.

As for integrity, while Tim might not agree with all of Jason's morals, there's no doubt they're there. Jason lives by his own set of laws and doesn't break them.

The League likes to believe he has no sense of control which makes him dangerous. In reality, Tim knows that the opposite is true. Jason is so dangerous because of his control. He is aware of every decision he makes, good or bad.

To know his friend agrees with the League on a matter they truly know nothing about breaks his heart. What makes it worse is that he can't properly defend his brother because that would give away too much information. He meets Conner's eyes and wished he could tell him all that he ponders about. But alas…

"Well, Con, it's been a while since I've last seen him and now, we'll be working with him on this. So, yeah, naturally I've been reflecting on my past run-ins with the guy," Tim retorted.

Conner simply shrugged in response, blissfully unaware of the offensive he's caused towards the smaller teen. "Okay, just don't let it weigh too much on your mind. After all, we got a world to save!" His smile was infectious, and Tim chuckled at Conner's enthusiasm. The Kryptonian clapped Tim on the shoulder as he wished his pal farewell and left the room, walking off to where the meeting was about to begin.

Tim made a fresh cup of coffee and left to go change. On his way to his temporary room, he heard two voices. Two familiar voices.

He wasted no time running up to the one in the brown leather jacket and wrapping his arms around the torso, taking in the smoky scent,

"As much as I missed you too kiddo, I'm telling you right now: if you spill that coffee on me, there will be hell to pay." Tim immediately released his older brother, careful not to spill the dark liquid. His eldest brother smiled as Tim set the drink on the ground.

"Looks like he already managed to do that all by himself," Dick laughed, pointing at the large stain on Tim's shirt. Jason shook his head in disbelief, trying to hide the amusement on his face. Surprised he could actually see Jason's face, Tim searched for the red helmet and found it safely nested under Jason's arm. He took a moment to study his brother's face. The domino mask hid his eyes, but even if he wasn't wearing it, his hair would've down the job just fine. The black stands hung in front of his eyes and he looked like he needed to shave, but other than that, Jason looked good.

"So, you're actually back!" Tim remarked, "Didn't think you'd come."

"Well, an Alfred threat goes a long way," Dick spoke. Tim looked at Jason, who rolled his eyes.

"I'm only here to listen. Not promising anything, so don't get your hopes up."

"You're an asshole, you know." Both Dick's and Jason's eyes raised at Tim's choice of words.

"Wow, Timbers, you wound me." Jason put his hands over his heart and tipped his back in mock pain. "Wanna tell me what exactly I did to deserve such vulgar language?" Jason smirked, fully aware of the irony of calling Tim out for swearing.

"You left."

All amusement died with those two words. Dick took a step back, giving the two some room. Jason sighed, speaking softly, "Tim, I had to."

"No. No, you didn't." Tim's accusing tone came out a lot stronger than he meant it to.

"Tim…"

"You left for almost a year, without any contact."

"Tim…" Jason's voice grew sterner.

"What if you died? Huh? We would've had no idea!"

"Tim."

"You didn't even say goodbye! All because of some stupid argument between you and Bruce! Let me guess, you're still mad at him, aren't you? Well, the world is ending, so grow up and—"

"Tim!" Jason snapped. Dick bit his lip, watching the two brothers, ready to step in at any moment. Jason took a breath and explained, "Tim, I left because I had to get away from Gotham for a bit. I needed to cool my head."

"But it's been months," Tim whined.

"I found a case down in South America that took me all over the continent. Drug and sex trafficking. It took me longer than I expected."

"You still could've called. Don't forget, you didn't just leave Gotham. You left us. You left me." Silence passed between them, almost suffocating until it became too much to bear.

"I know and I'm sorry." To Tim's surprise, Jason sounded actually apologetic. He received a small smile before Jason ruffled his hair.

"Go get ready. Meetings starting soon." Tim nodded. He reached down to grab his coffee but somehow managed to kick it with his foot, spilling it everywhere. Jason and Dick both chuckled at their younger brother's misfortune. He's lucky the floor isn't carpet. He ran back to the kitchen for napkins and quickly cleaned up. Tim checked his watch and realized he had barely any time to get ready. With a quick goodbye, he jogged off.

"Actually, I disagree."

"Shocker. Batman disagrees with something." The entire room watched the two superheroes in anticipation. Tim felt like he was at a wrestling arena. In one corner, you got the Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight. Silent, but deadly. And in the other corner, you got Green Lantern, a sarcastic pilot who always has to have the last word.

Up until this point, Superman gave an analysis of the aliens, so everyone was on the same page. Tim noticed how the majority of the younger heroes simply took in the information while also trying to display a sense of professionalism to give off the idea they belonged there. The thing is, Tim knows that some of them are the exact opposite of professional, so it was weird to see people like Wally West standing still with a face of total seriousness. It just didn't fit. He also noticed that only half of their focus was on the presentation. The other half was on the wild card in the room.

Jason leaned nonchalantly against a wall with his arms crossed next to Roy and Dick. It wasn't lost on Tim how Jason was perfectly positioned to see everyone and thing in the room. Not only that, but he was close to an exit and made sure there was as much distance in between him and Bruce as possible based on where the latter sat at the table. Huh. Their little talk probably didn't do too well then. Tim himself stood next to Conner, on the opposite side of the room.

There genuinely wasn't much to discuss about the aliens, simply because they weren't aware of much. Clark described how some aliens were easy to take down while others proved to be quite the challenge. He discussed how the aliens that he personally has faced were just like him: strong, fast, able to fly, the whole nine yards. Zatanna shared that the aliens she's encountered used magic and Flash described how he was barely able to outrun the ones he's fought. Tim could see the gears turning in both Jason's and Bruce's heads (less so Jason's due to the helmet, but you get the point) from his position. And the moment everything clicked for Bruce, he spoke. Well, he was about to, except Green Lantern went first.

"So, we have a race of aliens with powers that counteract ours. Great," he groaned.

"Actually, I disagree." The whole room turned their attention to Bruce. Hal just snorted at the words.

"Shocker. Batman disagrees with something." It wasn't uncommon for the two to butt heads and this is usually how the arguments begin. "So, one mighty one," Lantern drawled, voice laced with sarcasm, "what exactly do you disagree with?"

"Your assessment that we are dealing with a race of aliens that can fight back effectively."

"How can you disagree?! Those are the facts! Are you, the person who literally relies on facts for everything, saying that facts are wrong?" Lantern scoffed in disbelief while everyone else looked to Batman for answers.

"Not at all. I'm saying what you believe the facts to be is incorrect."

"Huh?"

"You said 'race.' I am not entirely sure we are dealing with a race. It's possible only a select few of the aliens have abilities to combat our own. If you looked beyond the facts presented, it would be easy to notice how the aliens are being sent to fight one at a time and each one is more difficult to battle than the last."

"You mean that we're being tested to see what the best strategy is for taking over the world?" Wonder Woman interjected. Batman gave a sharp nod.

"That is my theory, yes." When he noticed Hal roll his eyes after he said theory, Bruce added, "A very plausible theory supported by facts."

"It's kinda like a video game." The members seated at the round table turned their chairs to face the young voice. Although Tim couldn't see the confusion on Jason's face, it was visible in his body language as he looked at Arsenal.

"What?!" Shazam queried.

"It's like a video game. Every time you beat a level, you move on to the next one, only this time it's harder. Each level you pass, the difficulty increases," Roy explained.

"What about the boss?" Nightwing asked.

"Well, I'm assuming we haven't met the boss yet. We haven't completed all the levels, collected all the coins, done the mini-games," Roy mused, "But that's definitely where we save the princess." All the older members had a look of pure confusion on their faces (except Batman, who was as stoic as ever) and some of the younger members shook their heads in disbelief at such immaturity while others were amused by the analogy. Martian Manhunter cleared his throat.

"Excuse me? Did you say, 'save the princess'?"

"Oh, in this case, the princess is the world," Dick stated calmly, not offering any more information as though that explained enough. Green Lantern grew restless.

"Ok look. Enough of this crap about video games and 'princess saving,' we need an actual plan," he snapped. "I say I just fly up to their ship and take them out." Diana shook her head.

"No Lantern. We do this as a team. Besides, I don't think—" Hal cut her off before she could continue reasoning with him.

"I'm just saying I can easily take them down myself! There's no need for all these unnecessary people when I can do this! We know where their ship is! I can just destroy it then bim bam boom Bob's your uncle and we all go home!" Lantern took deep breaths as he waited for Wonder Woman's response. He didn't have to wait long for one, except it didn't come from the Amazon.

"Then why haven't you?"

All focus went back towards Roy's spot on the wall, just slightly to the left. It was a new voice, one many have never heard before, yet Tim was all too familiar with. All eyes were on the man in the brown leather jacket and a red helmet which hid all facial features, something that Tim knew bothered his mentor from time to time since he couldn't pick up on any facial cues.

Bruce shook his head slightly towards Jason, a signal to back off and not antagonize anyone, especially the Green Lantern. And just like with almost all of his orders, Jason completely ignored him.

"Pardon?" Hal sneered, taking a threatening step forward. Tim almost snorted at the motion. If Hal thinks he can intimidate Jason, he's got another thing coming.

"You claim you can take down these aliens all by yourself. So, why haven't you?" Jason repeated. Unbeknownst to anyone who didn't know Jason (which was pretty much the entire room) and therefore wasn't used to detecting it, there was a hint of amusement in his voice. Granted the filter in the helmet made picking up on such tones nearly impossible, but it was there. Jason enjoyed agitating people in order to learn more about them. People tend to let down walls and bring out their true selves when they get mad and reveal information, he wants to get out of them. Jason also loves learning where one's breaking point was and once he did figure it out, he would constantly toe the line. This was not going to end well. Tim glanced towards Bruce and saw he reached the same conclusion. He refocused his attention to the confrontation as Lantern spoke again.

"Because my teammates disagree with me for some unknown reason," pointed look toward Diana, "and, you see, when you're on a team, you respect others' input, even though it might be wrong," another look towards the female warrior, "But what would you know about being on a team? Last I checked, you didn't do the 'team thing,'" he spat.

"Some unknown reason, huh?" Jason tilted his upwards as if thinking. "Well, let's see here. Perhaps the reason has something to do with the fact they probably already tried a direct attack and it didn't work. I'm guessing since it wasn't you personally who tried, you foolishly believe that you'll have better luck than a practically invincible Kryptonian." Tim raised his eyebrows in shock. How did Jason know Superman already attempted to take down the ship hovering above the planet's atmosphere? "I'm sure if you actually respected your teammates' input as you claimed, then you'd realize your plan is idiotic and will more than likely get you killed. Not that that would be completely awful, but still...

"However, for argument's sake, let's say you did attack their ship, then what? Hmm? 'Cause I'm assuming you've already fought a couple of these things. I'm also assuming whatever strategy you had for fighting these things didn't work since the whole point of this meeting is to figure out how to fight the aliens. And, as for the whole 'team thing,' you are demonstrating exactly why it's better to work alone." Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw both Dick and Bruce tense, the former way more noticeable than the latter. Jason's in extremely dangerous waters right now and better tread lightly. Then again, this is Jason. If he has a point he wants to make, you better believe he'll make it.

"See, you claim to respect your teammates, but in reality, you only have respect for you and giant ego." Tim wasn't so sure Jason was still talking about Hal.

"Hood," Batman growled in warning.

"So, yeah I don't do the 'team thing' because of assholes like you thinking you can fucking control whoever you want and screw anyone else who disagrees." Yep. Definitely not talking about Hal.

Many of the younger heroes near Tim put their hands over their mouths in shock at the swearing. Some gasped at the profanity while others simply shook their heads. But as always, Bruce was quick to reprimand his wayward son.

"Hood! Watch. Your. Language." His voice held power and authority, leaving no room for argument. But Jason being Jason…

"Apologies," the word dripped with sarcasm. Jason turned his head ever so slightly so that he looked Bruce in the eyes as he continued to speak. "You can fucking control whomever you want."

Batman stood up so fast, knocking over his chair in the process. The room was silent. All eyes were on the Dark Knight, someone only a complete and utter fool would purposely piss off, and the Red Hood, the complete and utter fool who did just that. Tim shook his head. What are you doing, Jay?

"Why the hell is this guy even here?!" Lantern demanded.

"Because 'this guy' already figured out what the problem is with the aliens," Jason countered.

"Hood," Batman spoke through gritted teeth, "I suggest you make your point and make it fast." Tim heard it in his voice and so did Jason, Dick, and Damian. It was the same reprimanding time they all were given the moment they messed up BIG TIME. It meant there's going to be harsh consequences and soon.

"Well Bats, you said it yourself. They're testing us. However, you've missed something." There was a collective gasp around the room. Batman doesn't miss anything. It just didn't happen. But here the Red Hood was, claiming the opposite. Bruce gestured for Jason to continue, obviously curious to figure out what he supposedly had missed.

"Let me ask ya something. What is happening right before the attacks, hmm?" Jason tilted his head while everyone could see Bruce out the pieces together. And when he did, he sighed.

"Crap."

"Why 'crap?' What's wrong?" Green Arrow asked.

"The aliens aren't trying to figure out how to take down the world. They're trying to figure out how to take down us," Batman grumbled, a bit upset how he missed something that big. However, the others were still confused, Tim included.

"You got that from what the Red Hood said?!" Lantern's mouth was agape. "How the hell…"

"Shall I explain, or do you want the honors?" Jason asked caustically. Bruce sat back down and gave the 'go-ahead' wave.

"Alrighty. The aliens are coming to you, not the other way around. They're not threatening people, just simply attacking you guys," Jason proceeded to explain, "But not all of you. Only the ones with some sort of powers. That tells us the aliens have a way to determine which of you guys are enhanced. What we learn from that is the aliens view those special individuals as threats. They're not going to even attempt to attack Earth while you guys are here, so they're getting rid of you first." He observed the room, watching as the League members took in this information. Tim knew it made sense but still astounded by the fact that Jason, of all people, figured it out first.

"How come an alien attacked you then?" Clark questioned.

"Probably because we were there," Diana answered for Jason.

"There's still a couple of things that are still bothering me, though," Jason stated.

"And what's that?" Batman asked his wayward Robin.

"Well, if the aliens are able to track powers, then why haven't they shown up here?" Many started to question what he meant, so he elaborated. "They're looking for people with powers and they have the ability to find them. And here you all are in one spot, basically wrapped up like a Christmas gift. So, why haven't they showed up here?"

Not even five seconds passed when the ceiling broke and three aliens dropped down on the table, heads moving unnaturally as they viewed the room. No one dared to speak. Well, almost no one.

"Okay then, never mind."

AN: Ooh, a flashback to the conflict between Bruce and Jason AND a cliffhanger! I'm thinking of doing those flashbacks at the beginning of the next couple of chapters. Thoughts? Anywho, I've never seen Young Justice and I don't really read many comics. Therefore, I don't know how I did with Conner. All the information I had on him was what Wiki said and even that wasn't helpful. So, I'm super sorry if I messed him up! Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation!