Sorry this one took so long to crank out. ^^;
I'm not very good at writing fight scenes... ha ha... D:
I hope I did Cheshire justice. I love her soooo much in this show. She's so kickass. xD

Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. ^^

There was an odd feeling of relief and a sense of security Dick had whenever Roy was around. Though Dick had been in the superhero gig the longest out of all the sidekicks, Roy had dealt with life the longest.

Granted, Dick had seen things no boy his age should ever have to see, but he was still developing physically and mentally. Roy, though rather brash and stubborn at times, was set on his values and his beliefs. He was ironically, given his personality, the most sturdy out of all the teen heroes.

Roy always believed in his own strength, and in turn, never doubted himself. Yes, he would admit he needed help every once in a while, but he still stuck to his own plan.

Those aspects of him was probably what intrigued Dick since he met the archer. And right now, Dick needed someone who was as confident as he himself was acting, because that nagging voice in his head was currently fussing over Alfred.

"How many guys did you take out?" Dick asked quietly as he and Roy stepped through the front doors of the mansion.

"Seven. You?"

"Six. That means everyone outside's taken care of. There are four people in here... three hostiles, one civilian. The civilian's either Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, or Wayne's butler."

"You know their locations?"

The light from Dick's holographic computer glowed a light blue. It illuminated both of the boy's faces in the otherwise dark environment.

"Do you have the models of very building in Gotham?" Roy asked suspiciously.

"Just the important ones," Dick chuckled, "Okay, there's one guy in that hallway, third door on the left, another one upstairs, guarding a room that contains two people. I'm betting one of those two people is a hostage."

Dick shut off the hologram, enveloping the two in darkness. He pointed to the hallway where one enemy was waiting.

"The guy there probably's seen the light from my wrist computer by now. We'll take him out first. Then-"

"Third door on the left?" Roy interrupted.

"Yeah."

Roy shot an arrow that attached itself to the doorway. Shortly after, it released a greenish gas and a loud thump resonated in the room.

"Good thing there's nothing in there he could've hit his head on. You lucked out, Red," Dick smirked.

"You mean he lucked out," Roy matched the other's smile.

"Scary," Dick said and pulled out what looked like a test tube filled with a clear liquid.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"If you think it's chloroform, then yeah."

"We don't need it."

"What- hey!" Dick yelled when Roy ran ahead. Right, Roy went at his own pace. And since he was flying solo due to the blowout on the day he, Robin, Kid, and Aqualad were supposed to join the Justice League, the archer had to learn how to rely on himself and on himself only.

Being quick on one's feet had its benefits, but Dick wondered if it would cause ever cause Roy to forget about the safety of whomever was accompanying him.

Well, now was not the time to think about things like that.

Dick stuffed the chloroform back into one of the pouches of his belt before dashing after Roy.

Roy was standing over a crumpled masked man with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You knocked him out already?" Dick asked, "I didn't even hear anything."

"No, I found him like this."

Then it was most likely Alfred's handiwork. Dick stopped himself from grinning broadly at the realization. He motioned for Roy to stand on the opposite end of the double doors leading to Bruce's office. The office was huge, and it had bullet-proof glass windows taking up an entire side of the room where a wall usually would be. There was also a terrace that hung over the large swimming pool of the manor.

Roy and Dick kicked the doors open at the same time. Roy had his bow and arrow ready as the two quickly scanned the room.

Near one of the glass panels that opened to the terrace was Alfred. He was out cold, and his wrists were tied to a chair. Dick could see a nasty bump forming on the side of the butler's head.

Dick pulled out a birdarang and tentatively stepped in with one foot.

"Boo."

"Ugh," Dick hissed and flung the birdarang at the white mask that had suddenly popped into view.

Cheshire withdrew her previously upside down head. She jumped away from the wall above the doorway, ducking once she landed to dodge the arrow that had been aimed at her head.

"My," she said as she straightened up, "you're rather feisty today."

"Where are Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson?" Roy growled.

"Whatever do you mean? The butler was the only one here when I arrived."

"Don't lie to-"

"She's telling the truth," Dick interjected, "When I checked the hologram earlier, there was only one person in the mansion."

Roy scowled anyways and kept his aim on Cheshire.

Cheshire cocked her head to the side mockingly before charging with her sais in hand. Dick rolled out of the way, flipping the lights on after straightening up, as Roy launched his arrow. A loud twang indicated that Cheshire deflected the arrow, but Dick payed no mind to it. He gave a only small glance as Roy and Cheshire began fighting; he could count on Roy to keep her busy.

"Alfred," he whispered as he reached the butler.

"M-Master... Dick?" Alfred stirred.

"Yeah, it's me. Hang on, I'm getting you out of here."

Untying the knots was a needless task. Dick opted for the easier, quicker method, and took out the tiny blade he kept in his utility belt. The ropes fell apart in no time.

"Up we go," Dick grunted as he helped Alfred to his feet.

They were at the door when Roy was thrown against a glass panel. Dick winced at the cracking sound from the impact. He checked his hologram once he and Alfred were out in the hallway.

"Nice job with this guy, by the way," he gestured at the still figure propped against the wall.

Alfred chuckled lowly.

"Alf, we got the creeps outside. Call the police, tell them there were thirteen, no fifteen, including the ones in here, attackers that the security system caught. Dump this guy," Dick began tying the man's hands and feet, "and the one downstairs outside."

"Understood, sir."

"Okay, I'm going back in then."

"Very good, sir. Oh, and may I ask that you keep that young lady from breaking Master Bruce's desk. If I recall correctly, it is rather new."

"I can't make any promises," Dick laughed. He slipped through the doors just as an arrow flew by. It lodged itself on the wall near the bookshelf.

Bruce was not going to like that.

"Red, I know Wayne's rich and all, but I don't think he'll like all this damage to his house," Dick called out.

"He'll have to deal with it," Roy yelled back.

"Fine, but I'm not going to be there when you have to explain how you destroyed his office."

Dick caught Roy when he stumbled backwards from the kick he received on the chest. The boy wonder smiled down at the bed of orange hair. "Player switch," he said and set Roy down, jumping over him to face Cheshire.

"I don't think we've met before," Cheshire said loftily.

"No, but I've heard about you," Dick readied himself in a stance.

"As have I of you."

She was fast; Dick had barely missed being skewered by one of her sais. Purely on reflex, he pulled out his escrima sticks to block the other incoming sai.

He trapped the weapon between his sticks. With a quick motion, he was able to fling the sai across the room. Cheshire, now disabled of one of her weapons, flipped backwards.

Her mask was frustrating. Dick couldn't predict her next moves as well since he couldn't see her eyes. Usually he'd be one step ahead of an aggressor by watching their eye movement.

He didn't flinch despite the arrow that virtually flew right next to his ear. He should've known Roy wouldn't stand by for long.

Another form of support came with the blaring wails of police car sirens.

"Give it up, Cheshire," Roy growled.

"Hmm, that would seem the most appropriate action to take, but-"

Dick felt the pain before he even realized that Cheshire had thrown shurikens at him. While one had only grazed him on the arm, the other had managed to hit him on the left side of his stomach.

He pulled it out as quickly as he could, but he still began swaying from a strong numbing feeling. The jellyfish toxins... Aqualad told the team about it. His vision was getting blurry...

"Get a hold of yourself, kid!" Roy snapped at him.

"I'm... I'm fine," Dick mumbled.

He ended up regretting saying that, as the three engaged in a scuffle that turned out completely disastrous.

Cheshire had him in a head-lock, the sharp end of her sai skimming his neck. The toxins from the shurikens earlier affected Dick so much that he could only watch Roy's knuckles turn white as the he tightened his grip on his bow.

Dick was on the verge of unconsciousness, so he barely registered that they were now on the terrace. A chilly breeze made his teeth chatter. Damn, did the toxins also make him more vulnerable?

He couldn't make out what Cheshire was saying. Something about... choosing. Red Arrow would have to choose... something.

It took him a while to realize he was falling.

The last thing he felt before blacking out was his cape rippling against his frame. The last thing he saw was Cheshire leaping off the terrace and Roy, with his hands clutching the railings of the platform, looking down with horrified surprise. The last thing he heard, above the sound of the police sirens around the manor, was Roy cry out.

"ROBIN!"

Please review/comment/point out any grammar mistakes. Constructive criticism is welcome too~