Barbara came towards the Clock Tower, exhausted from the amount of work she had going on. She had started taking a college level Criminal Justice class (much to her father and Bruce's displeasure), and having nightly patrols on top of that made napping the only thing she had to look forward to during her spare time. It wasn't as though she disliked her schedule. In fact, she adored being able to work in both sides of the justice realm. Training to join the police force while also keeping the city safe at night brought her immense joy, and she couldn't think of doing anything else with her life. The only thing she disliked about her schedule was the small amount of hours sleep hours she received. If she wasn't such a good student, she would ditch class to get an hour or two to herself.

Well, one of her afternoon classes had been cancelled, so she now had a great opportunity to get some needed shut eye. She smiled slightly as she pulled her ring of keys out of her pocket. It was Friday, which also meant that she only had patrols to worry about over the weekend. With no classes, the amount of sleep she would be getting was definitely something to look forward to.

Instead of parties, romantic pursuing, or any other activity most teens looked forward to, Barbara only had sleeping. Gosh, her life was stressful.

Shaking her head at herself, Barbara inserted her key into the lock and twisted it, but it refused to budge. Wait a second... It was already unlocked! She froze in her tracks, switching from civilian mode to vigilante mode. Barbara always locked her door before going into the city, no matter what state of exhaustion she was in. There was something up, she decided, focusing on the keyhole and finally noticing tiny scratch marks on its surface. Those definitely didn't come from her key. In fact, it looked like someone picked her lock.

Someone broke into her house.

'Who exactly do I call in this situation? The police or Bruce?' She frowned. 'Well, they were somehow able to bypass my security, so I doubt I'm dealing with a normal burglar.' If someone had broken into her home, the security system she created for would have at least notified her about it. Since that didn't occur, they must have been able to get past her systems. 'But who? The only criminal with respectable hacking knowledge would be the Riddler, and he's in Arkham. Batmam definitely knows how to get past my security, but he already has a key... Wait," she rolled her eyes. "Jason probably thought it would be funny to freak me out. That kid is going to going to be the death of me.'

She pushed the door open and walked inside, looking around for the little brat. "Jason, you can come out now. I know it's you already, so joke's on you." There was no reply. Sighing, she closed the door behind her and began to search through the house. Knowing Jason, he would be waiting for her to go past his hiding place so that he could jump out and scare her. She certainly wasn't in the mood, but decided to let him have his fun. The poor boy didn't have much entertainment in his house, after all.

She entered the kitchen and flipped a light switch on, illuminating the room in a bright light. Huh, no sign of him there... Wait. 'The fridge is slightly open,' she noted, making her way over to it. She opened it up all the way and peeked inside, taking note that the fruit salad she had stored away was missing a good portion. 'Jason doesn't eat healthy unless Alfred literally forces himself to. Even then, he definitely doesn't like bananas, which I specifically added to keep him out of it.'

It wasn't Jason in her house.

"Okay, creep, show yourself," she called out, pulling out her canister of pepper spray. "Come out now, before I call the police." She used the back of her foot to close the refrigerator. "Did you hear me?! Come out, thief!"

The light in her kitchen flickered off, and a shadow appeared in the doorway. "I'm not a thief," the figure said lowly. Barbara lowered her pepper spray, narrowing her eyes slightly. Why did that man's voice sound so familiar?

"Then please explain why some of my food is missing, and why you chose to break into my place without permission?"

There was a pause. "I didn't want to break in," the stranger explained unhappily, "but I didn't want to risk anyone recognizing me if I waited for you outside." He shrugged. "As for the food... You haven't minded if I helped myself before, so I assumed that wouldn't have changed."

That was an odd thing to say for a stranger, unless they knew each other from somewhere. "Are you... a cape?" She asked with a confused frown, purposely avoiding using the word 'Leaguer' just in case he wasn't aware of that side of her. That was the only explanation she could come up with, but it didn't quite add up. A Leaguer would have shown up in the Batcave if they needed a Gotham hero's assistance, and no one besides the Flash and Batman really knew how to hack. She would have recognized Bruce's voice from a mile away, so she could easily cross him off the list, and Flash's costume was far too bright to allow him to hide in the shadows. Who was he?

"I am not part of the League," he hissed, shoulders tensing as though she called him the most offensive word in her vocabulary. That irritated her even more than the actual break in.

"Look, I'm not in the mood for a game of Twenty Questions," she snapped, glaring at him. "So do me a favor and just tell me who you are."

He didn't move for a minute, and she could feel his eyes piercing into her very soul. God, it was so much like Bruce's batglare that she was so close to thinking they were related. After a few seconds of silence, the mysterious figure spoke, "If I told you, I doubt you would believe me."

"Why's that?"

He shifted his weight slightly. "It's been a while since you've seen me..."

She squinted at him, trying to put together his identity. It was a difficult task because of the way he practically melted into the shadows, but a familiar air hung around him that she couldn't shake off. "Well, how long has it been since we've seen each other?"

He sighed. "I'm not sure. Over a year, I guess. I've been purposely avoiding looking at the date."

That wasn't very helpful. She glanced down at her watch and sighed as she noted the time. If she couldn't get rid of this guy soon, she wouldn't have enough time to take a nap before patrol. "Well just tell me and we'll determine if you can be believed. I have other things to do, believe it or not." A glance at the clock behind him revealed that most of her nap time was taken up by their exchange, and she would be expected in the Bat Cave soon. Damn it.

"I see you finally got him to let you go on patrol..." he muttered, sounding distant. "I hope you've been staying whelmed while in the field. You're the last person who deserves to be killed."

She scowled. "Look, mister, it's none of your business if I'm whelmed or-" something clicked in her mind the moment she said the word, and her mouth fell open as she processed its meaning. "I only know one person who would use that word..." She whispered. "D-Dick?"

That couldn't be true, part of her, the logical side, argued. Batman was there when the building exploded, and was the one to bring his body back home. As the World's Greatest Detective, the man would not make such a mistake, especially when it came to the life of his son. But then again, this stranger's voice did sound like Dick's, even if it was a lot deeper. Even though it wasn't probable that he was alive, it wasn't completely impossible.

The figure in the doorway lowered his head, and his shaggy hair fell into his face. "It's me," he said quietly.

Eyes filled with confused tears, Barbara slowly made her way to the other side of the room, stopping just a foot in front of the man. "Prove it," she said, clutching her pepper spray tightly. "I want to believe you, but I need you to prove it."

A flash of white told her that she was awarded with a quick smile of amusement. "I see he managed to brainwash you into being suspicious about everyone you see. I'm not sure if I should be disappointed or not." He slowly brought his hand onto the wall and flipped the switch up, bringing light to the room once more.

The pepper spray fell to the ground with a clatter.

There was no denying who he was. The angular face, though thin, was familiar, as was the raven hair and bright blue eyes. Everything about him belonged to the Dick she remembered, the boy who she spent hours thinking about with teary eyes. The first Robin stood before her, just out of arms reach, and it was so impossible, so unthinkable that her brain literally couldn't process his presence.

He tilted his head at her. "You're shorter than I remember."

She actually laughed at that, a choked giggle that made her slap her hand over her mouth. Dick... Dick was alive, standing in the middle of her kitchen, and making jokes like nothing even happened. All of a sudden, she found herself right in front of him, arms wrapped around him in a desperate hug. "You jerk," she whispered, closing her eyes to stop the flow of tears. "You're such an ass, deciding to just go and die and leave the rest of us behind... And then you just... I don't..."

Dick hesitantly returned the hug. "Come on Babs, you know that's not fair."

That damned nickname made her sob even harder. "I don't know, actually," she mumbled, hiccuping. "I don't even know if you actually died or not."

He stiffened. "I died on that day, Barbara. Don't doubt that even for a second."

She frowned and stepped back, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "But how? How could you have died if you're standing here right now? No one can just stop being dead, not even you."

His face went even paler, if that was possible. "You're not supposed to, but I guess I bent the rule a little." He gave her an odd look. "Why? Would you rather me continue to be dead?" He made it sound as though he was joking, but something about his face made him look totally serious.

"No," she said firmly. "God, no. You were my best friend, how could you even ask that?" She stared at him, long and hard. "You're actually here right? This isn't some hallucination that my exhausted brain came up with?"

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. If I'm your hallucination, I know just as much as you."

She giggled again. "Ever so helpful, Boy Blunder."

His eyes flashed. "Don't call me that."

The sudden scorn towards one of her old nicknames startled her. The way he acted was starting to resemble a startled animal, Barbara realized. If she said the wrong thing, it was possible that he would take off running, leaving her behind to question if the encounter was even real. She could not let that happen, not after mourning him for so long.

"Okay, no nicknames. Whatever makes you happy, I guess." She pointed to the space behind him. "But can we continue talking in the living room? I've been studying all day, and I would love to rest for a minute."

He took a step backwards. "I should leave anyways."

She ignored him, grabbing him by the sleeve and tugging him along in her journey to the couch. "If I'm being honest with you, you look like you just crawled out of your grave. Seriously, when's the last time you slept?" He didn't reply, but allowed for her to drag him to the couch. She released her hold on him and plopped down on a seat, patting the spot next to her. He seemed to understand, as he awkwardly mimicked the action. "So what's up with you? You're acting like I'm going to eat you." His actions had been so hesitant, and his face was devoid of the warmth it used to radiate. This man had the look down, but he did not have the act. She would have to take a blood sample just to be sure he was the real deal.

"The past couple of months haven't been a walk in the park for me, so excuse me if I'm a bit apprehensive," he snipped, looking away.

She frowned. What exactly could he have experienced during the past couple of months that would make him so uneasy? She wanted to ask, but figured that it would only agitate him further. Sigh. She would have to treat him like fragile glass in order to get anything out of him. "I'm sorry. I have no idea what happened, but I can see that it hurt you." She glanced at the time on her clock and saw that she only had half an hour until Bruce was expecting her at the Batcave. "So what did the big bad Bat say about your return? I bet he cried a little, didn't he?" She smiled teasingly.

Instead of laughing, or looking embarrassed like she expected, his entire body went rigid at the mention of his guardian. "I haven't spoken to him. You're the only one who knows that I'm alive."

Her eyes went wide. "What? Dick, I understand if you're not up to talking to anyone else, but Bruce has to be told! He took your death the hardest, and we can't even mention your name without him shutting off. We need to go see him, now." She stood up and glared at him, only to recoil once she was met with a steely glare of his own.

"I am not telling him," he hissed, standing up as well. She took an involuntary step backwards; his stance showed someone who would lash out at any given moment, of someone dangerous. "And you're not going to tell him either!"

Barbara bit her lip, finally giving him a scrutinizing once over. His clothes were worn out and torn in several places, he had a black eye, and a long, ugly cut went down from one side of his chin to the opposite side of his collarbone. His eyes were dull, lacking the everlasting sense of excitement they held in his youth, and were instead cold and calculating. He was also much taller, as he pointed out earlier, having had a growth spurt during the time he was away. It pained Barbara to see her friend come back looking so different. Yes, her friend was apparently alive, but he wasn't the same one that died.

"What happened to you, Dick?" She asked mournfully. "And why won't you talk to Bruce? I thought he would be the first you would tell."

"Death changes a person," he said darkly, "but not as much as coming back and finding out that you didn't matter as much as you thought."

"What..." it suddenly clicked. "You mean Jason, don't you?"

He chuckled, a hallow and dangerous sound that made her shiver. "Jason Todd, Batman's second Robin, and also Bruce Wayne's adopted son. Did I get anything wrong?" She remained silent, too shocked by the amount of malice in his voice. "Bruce not only replaced me as Robin, an identity I created in honor of my parents, but he also replaced me as his kid. Bruce never fully adopted me, always argued against it, but then this kid comes along..." He sneered. "I should have known I didn't actually mean anything to him. I was a fool for believing otherwise."

She shook her head desperately. "Bruce adopted Jason because he didn't want to make the same mistake as he did with you."

"Hmph. Didn't realize I'm a mistake now."

"That's not-"

He sighed, "I should've realized you would defend him. You're already becoming the perfect soldier, aren't you? What a disappointment." He straightened his shoulders and turned away. "Well, I'm out of here. Don't tell anyone I'm alive, or you'll seriously regret it."

The threat made her blood run cold. Something was either seriously wrong with Dick, or this was an imposter. There was something about the way he spoke that made her lean towards the former, because what kind of imposter would bother to learn how to butcher a language? And why would they waste their time just talking to her? "Dick, wait." She came in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders. "I know you don't believe that Bruce missed you, but please know that I did. We were- are- best friends. I grieved for you."

He stared at her with those calculating eyes, and after a few tense seconds, he relaxed. "That's why I came here... I figured that if anyone still cared, then it would be you." He wrinkled his nose. "Or Wally, but we both know he can't keep a secret."

She snickered and gladly took the change of subject. "Wally would have burst into tears and suffocated you with hugs. If Artemis didn't know you were in their house before, his blubbering would have caught her attention."

"And Artemis would probably think I'm a zombie and try to decapitate me with an arrow," he mused with a smirk. Just as she was mentally patting herself on the back for cheering him up, the smirk faded away. "Wait, Arty and Wally are living together?"

She paused before answering, "Yeah, they just moved in with each other last month or so."

All color drained from his face. "They... moved in with each other..." his eyes flickered with panic. "How old are they?"

Uh oh. That did not seem like a good reaction. "Eighteen, both of them. Artemis just had her birthday, and Wally is turning nineteen soon."

He groaned and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "And that makes me...?"

She saw where this was going. "Sixteen," she said quietly. "Dick, you've been dea- gone for a little over two years now."

"Two years," he repeated slowly. He looked positively ill now. "I..."

"You need to sit down," she said, alarmed with his sudden change in attitude. "You look like you're about to fall over." She gently pushed him back towards the sofa, and he obediently sat, thankfully.

"I need to go," he muttered absent mindedly. "I have things to do."

"Not in your condition," she argued, resting a hand against his forehead, which burned with fever. "I don't know how you even managed to come here, but I'm telling you right now that you won't last much longer on your own." He opened his mouth to protest, but she beat him to it. "At least stay the night, please? If not for your own sake, do it for mine? I-I don't think I could live with myself if you came back, only to die again because you were being too stubborn."

"... Fine," he rasped, slumping against the cushions. "But if you so much as hint to anyone that I'm alive..."

"I know, I know. You're secret is safe with me." The clock behind her chimed, and she winced. "If I leave, will you still be here when I come back?"

He looked at her through half open eyes. "Mm. Perhaps... Won't make any promises." His head fell to the side as he fought off unconsciousness. "Just... don't tell Bats..." and then he was out like a light.

Barbara swallowed, glancing outside of the Clock Tower. To tell, or not to tell? Memories of how Bruce, the League, and the Team mourning the fallen Robin surfaced in her brain, and she knew that she wouldn't ever be forgiven if any of them found out that she kept this a secret. However, she thought, staring at the silent form of her friend, Dick wasn't in his right mind, and her betrayal would likely set him off on a path of destruction. If she went against her word and told anyone he was alive, the distrust he would have with her would eat her alive. No, she wouldn't tell anyone, not yet anyways.

With a resigned sigh, Barbara left the Tower.

xXx

AN: Romance will not get in the way of the main plot, I assure you. The pairing of this story won't become an actual thing until the last few chapters.

I hope I don't have to clarify what pairing I chose. xD