AN: Short chapter.

xXx

"Nice work today Batgirl, and welcome to the Team." Aqualad gave her a warm smile, which the other Team members mirrored.

The girl blushed as the teens made their way back into the Mountain, and couldn't fight back a pleased grin. After months of training and only taking simple tasks on patrol, she had finally earned her title as a proud member of the Team. "Thank you so much for letting me join you guys. It means a lot to me."

Kid Flash grinned. "Dudes, did you see her do that twisty kick thing? That was the coolest thing ever! And she hacked into their systems like it was nothing! Even Rob couldn't-" his smile faltered. "Er... you did great."

Batgirl forced a smile and nodded, glancing in the direction of the Cove. She wanted to tell Robin about her success today, and so she would make sure to visit his projection. Then again, she also wished to speak to Dick again, so a trip to Wayne Manor's graveyard would be in order as well. Either way, it had been a while since she last spoke to her deceased friend. Of course Dick had no way of holding an actual conversation, but like most people, Barbara found comfort in visiting her friend's resting place.

The Team arrived inside the mission briefing room, where they were met with the sight of several awaiting Leaguers, as well as a small child. "Batgirl!" A colorful blur appeared in front of her, causing her to blink. A black haired boy skidded to a halt before he could crash into her, a brilliant grin resting on his face. "Look, Batman brought me to the Mountain! Isn't this so cool?!"

She blinked again. "Robin, what are you doing here? I thought you were grounded from your costume for at least another few days."

Jason beamed at her. "Batman saw how well I was doing in school and decided to unground me. He said he was coming here for hero business, and when I asked to come with he actually said yes!" He threw a fist in the air to show his excitement. "This place is so awesome! He showed me around, and I saw the common room, the training area, the living quarters..." his face grew somber, and he picked at the R symbol on his chest. "He even took me to the Memorial Cove, and he talked to Robin for a little bit... I wish I could have met him, you know? Just seeing him is inspiring enough. I couldn't imagine actually being able to talk to him."

Barbara's eyes softened, and she put a hand on his shoulder. She was aware of the hero idolization the kid had for the former Boy Wonder, but it was difficult for him to obtain any information about him since everyone thought the subject was taboo. "I think you would have liked him. He was always getting into trouble, just like another bird I know. You two would be an unstoppable pranking force."

In her mind's eye, she recalled the times Dick dragged her into mayhem, and they used to pull pranks, sneak into forbidden areas of the Manor, and tear apart the English language. One particular memory of painting the Batmobile pink came to mind, and it became impossible to hide a smirk. Oh, the things they were able to accomplish...

Robin grinned. "Really? That's so cool- that he was like me, I mean. Maybe we could have been friends or something." He prodded at his hologlove. "I heard he was one of the greatest hackers ever. Is that true, or was Batman exaggerating? He does that sometimes."

Gosh, Jason was so adorable sometimes. "That's was almost no computer that could keep him out. He was a genius!"

"Wow. I hope I can be that good someday," he said quietly, shuffling his feet. "I mean, I'm still a beginner and all, but I don't think I'll ever be that good." Before Batgirl could argue, he caught sight of the other Team members. Instantly, his eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open. "I know you guys! Kid Flash, you were one of the first sidekicks ever! And Miss Martian, you're one of the greatest telepaths!"

Kid stared at him, and so did the others. Barbara felt a knot form in her stomach as she saw their shocked expressions turn into those of rage. Oh no... "You're not Robin." Kid Flash narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you doing dressing up like him?"

Jason's recoiled at the hostile tone, and looked at Batgirl for help. "Well, uh-"

"Robin is my new protege." Batman suddenly appeared at the boy's side, fixing the teens with a challenging stare. "He will start training with the Team after today, and I thought it would best if he was introduced beforehand."

"What, a new protege?!" Wally gaped at him. "You replaced Robin?"

Connor growled. "Well you can't make us replace him. The only Robin allowed on this Team is the first one."

"Yeah!" Artemis crossed her arms. "And who do you think you are, giving Robin's name to some kid?! You can't just give his title away like that!"

At this point, Jason was almost in tears. Barbara had the urge to hug him, but knew that she would only be pushed away. Damn the bat males and their pride.

"This isn't up for debate. Robin will be a part of the Team, and you will include him in training, as well as many future missions. This discussion is over." Batman's eyes narrowed in warning, and he spun around with a whip of his cape. "Robin, we are needed in Gotham. Batgirl, you may join us if you wish." Without another word, he marched over to the Zeta Tube. Jason barely hesitated as he followed, hoping to get out of the hostile area as soon as possible.

Barbara waited until they were gone before turning to face her friends. "That was totally uncalled for. Robin did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment. He was so excited to get to meet you all, and all you did was make him feel worthless!"

"He's trying to replace the original Robin!" Wally exclaimed. "What kind of friends would we be if we let this new kid take his name like that?!"

"This Robin is simply continuing the old one's legacy so that the name never dies out. We want the name Robin to be remembered by everyone! What's so bad about there being a new one?" The Team did not look so certain, and their attitude only made her angrier. "Look, the new Robin is a good kid, and he doesn't deserve your bias against him. It wasn't him that chose the name, it was Batman. If you want to be mad at anyone, let it be him." She turned around with a huff. "I'm going to visit a friend in Gotham. I hope that when I come back, you'd have realized how stupid you are all being."

With that, she quickly took her own exit, the Zeta Tube announcing her departure.

xXx

The cold wind bit at Barbara's face as she trudged up the hill. The hood of her jacket protected her ears from the chill, but her nose and cheeks were left to suffer through. Alfred argued that she should have brought a warmer coat with her, but she was too agitated to take any more time away from the graveyard. An undying sense of guilt haunted her whenever she didn't visit her friend for long periods of time, and since she was the only one of the bats with the guts to acknowledge his death by visiting, her trips to the property had to be frequent. It wouldn't be right if no one ever visited, after all.

A couple of headstones came into view, mostly belonging to the deceased members of the Wayne family. When she spotted Thomas and Martha's graves, she paused and gave them a nod of respect before continuing. It took almost no time for her to spot the three Graysons, and she lowered herself onto her knees in front of the newest one. "Hey Dick."

She lowered her hood, feeling as though it wouldn't be respectful to keep it on at such a time. The wind took the opportunity to rip through her hair, sending the red stands into the air and off of her shoulders. A small part of her brain acknowledged that it was going to be a pain to brush through it later, but she decided to worry about it some other time. "Sorry that I haven't been around lately. School and patrol have been keeping me busy, especially with the college classes I'm taking on top of that. Do you have any idea how difficult a college level Criminal Justice class is? You would think being the daughter of the Commissioner would make it easy, right? Wrong. Ugh."

The sun was setting now, and she knew that her visit would be a short one. "I remember how you used to being smiles to everyone's faces without even trying. It's weird though, because you were such a depressed kid. I wish I knew how to do that." She sighed, and her breath appeared in front of her like fog. A shiver shook her entire body, but she ignored it. "If it wasn't obvious, I still miss you. I don't think anything will change that..."

She trailed off into silence, the familiar feeling of grief forming in her chest. Her body was shaking like a leaf from the cold now, and as the sun disappeared from the horizon she decided to wrap up. "Hey, you remember that question you asked me? It was a couple of days before you and Bruce left." She sniffed, feeling a cold coming on. Damn the weather. "Ack. Sorry, I think I'm getting sick. Anyways, remember that? I can't believe you would ask such a mind blowing question like that and then decide to go after the Joker on your own. I was mad at you for that for a long time, and I guess I still kinda am, but I can't exactly be angry at you for dying. You couldn't have seen that coming." Oh great, she was rambling now. It was definitely time to go. "I have to leave now, but I'll be back soon, promise. See you later Short Pants."

She pushed herself back to her feet, and immediately her pins and needles attacked her feet. Sitting in that position cut off the blood flow from her legs, and she was awarded with her limbs falling asleep. Great. "The things I do for you.." she mumbled, rubbing her arms to fight against the cold. "And you had the nerve to call Wallace your best friend. I don't see him running through the cold to visit you. This gives me more points in my favor, right?" She smiled weakly. "Okay, I really have to go now, before I freeze to dea-"

There was a shuffling noise behind her, and she spun around with her arms raised in a defensive position. "Who's there?"

She was met with empty space.

"... Either I'm totally losing it, or that was some weird animal that's immune to the weather." She put her arms down, and caught sight of something draped across one of the headstones. "Hm?" Upon closer inspection she discovered that it was black, fuzzy coat. She curiously came closer and saw a note attached to it.

'Don't get sick,' was all it said. The penmanship was sloppy, making the message almost unintelligible.

"Um, okay?" The jacket was too warm to pass up, but she was a little uneasy about its origins. "Coats don't just fall from the sky..." The paranoia that came with being a vigilante tried to butt in, but she ignored it. "Oh whatever. It's not like it'll kill me or anything." The garment was slipped over her arms, and zipped up at the front. While it certainly was baggy, it did its job and blocked out the aggressive wind. The hood was yanked over her head, which gave her ears and a good portion of her forehead protection from the cold. A familiar scent hung around the coat but she ignored it, deciding that Bruce must have somehow deduced that she would be there that night, and left her an item of warmth to insure she didn't get hypothermia. The smell of the jacket could have been from one of his colognes or something.

White flakes of snow began to fall from the sky as she took her leave, and she smiled to herself. Winter was Dick's favorite season, and to remember him, she would be teaching Jason how to use the weather for pranking over the holidays. She honestly couldn't wait.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the figure leaning against a dead tree to her left, black bangs covering bright blue eyes as he watched her go. He was now without a coat, but he could care less if he caught an illness from the chill. A weary smile appeared on his face, and he reached a hand out to let a snowflake fall onto his skin. "At least I have one person I can rely on," he mused with a humorless chuckle. The snowfall picked up, and he disappeared into the night before the incoming blizzard could send death after him again.