Hello internet,

I updated the chapter "Three Steps Ahead" of this story because in re-reading it I realized I got off track during that conversation. I added a few little things in here and there towards the end, made it a little more cohesive, but you probably don't care. Just FYI.

Anyway,

Enjoy.

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They didn't hear from Nightwing for the rest of the day, but found a note that night on the refrigerator saying he was spending some time working things out with Barbara.

He came back three days later with a healing black eye barely visible under his mask, but definitely there. He and Barbara were sitting at the kitchen counter in the morning when they woke, him wincing a little every time he made a move too suddenly, and she not looking sorry at all. Actually, she looked a little vindictively pleased at his small flinches.

"Are you going to kill us now too?" Beast Boy asked brightly strolling up the counter to inspect the strange girl once more.

"Nope." She said matter-of-factly, flicking a piece of cereal at him. "I got a few good hits in. I'm pacified for now." She said easily, and Nightwing rolled his eyes beside her.

"So… you're Batgirl." Cyborg said in a not-so-subtle transition.

Barbara smirked. "Last time I checked." She agreed with a smirk.

"And… we know your name." He hummed, fishing for answers.

She let out an amused chuckle. "Yes, my identity isn't life or death. Knowing who I am won't give you any clues to who Batman is, unlike Bird Brains here." She said, nodding to Nightwing with an eye roll of her own.

"Who are you then?" BB asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Barbara Gordon." She said easily. "Just a girl who lives in Gotham and who wanted to help."

"And by 'wanted' she means running out every night trying to fight crime with no training and calling herself Batgirl to get the Bat's attention." Nightwing snorted, earning himself a truly terrifying glare from the girl beside him.

"It worked, didn't it!?" She shot at him. She scoffed and turned back to the Titans, "I assume you can keep that to yourself though, I may not be a threat but my dad still doesn't know about my hobbies, so some discretion would be nice."

"Sure," Cyborg nodded, the others not seeming to have any problems with this either. "So… does that mean you're staying?"

"No, I don't think so." Barbara said airily, "Some of us are still planning on going to school." She said shooting a pointed look at Nightwing, who just smirked.

"Ugh, school." Beast Boy's face twisted. "Never been, never want to. Ma taught me enough when I was little and everything else I need to know Wing forces me to learn." He huffed.

"Well, if I'm forging high school diplomas for you all you're at least going to have to earn it," Wing rolled his eyes once more.

Barbara snorted. "Trust me, you're better off going to school. Bird Brains is much harder than some public school teacher."

"You're telling me." Cybrog muttered. He specifically excelled at any science or math lesson Nightwing thought up, but the books and English-related things he thought up were totally not his forte. Something he was fairly sure Nightwing took some vindictive pleasure in exploiting. He envied how Raven and Starfire had managed to dodge the lessons, claiming some obscure alien reason they didn't need high school diplomas.

"Just be lucky you're not on one of the other Titan teams," Raven pointed out, and Cyborg shrugged.

"Lemme guess, you make them do the lessons too?" Barbara tilted her head at Wing, who shrugged.

"Again, if they're not going to school they can't claim being a hero as a reason they aren't educated. Heroes can be smart too, you know."

"But you're not there to teach them." Beast Boy pointed out. Nightwing didn't react other than a small smile.

"I hear there's a Kid Flash on one of those teams." Barbara said conversationally. "I'm intrigued. Is he just as slow?"

"Slow?" Cy and BB chorused in confusion.

"The KF we knew was, ah, a bit slow on the uptake sometimes." Nightwing qualified easily. "And for your information, he's quite normal."

"Good to hear." Barbara mused thoughtfully. "You know, this is quite the set-up you have here. Much better organized than the League, for sure."

"Well, the League has egos to deal with." Nightwing muttered sarcastically, and Cyborg bit down a grin. "Actually, in truth I'm just happy the League has kept out of it for now. It makes it easier, without their eyes, you know?" He put out there, and Babs titled her head pointedly.

"Now that you say it, you know it's not going to last."

"If it doesn't, does that mean we can meet Batman?" Cyborg cut in not-so-subtly, and got twin Bat-looks of incredulity in return.

"You really wanna go there?" Wing raised an eyebrow. "After everything I've told you and all the things you've learned, you still think it's a good idea?"

Beast Boy shrugged a little. "If we got to meet up with the League, I think it'd be fun!"

Barbara tisked a little. "Why don't you shut up and make me another waffle, and I'll tell you all about how that is the single most hilariously terrible idea I've ever heard."