I do not own Young Justice in specific or DC in general.

But what about the news! Season 3 is a reality!

It was supposed to be a surveillance mission! Not a milk run, like an emotional Robin had accused him of, but a mission that should not put them in direct danger as they recovered from Red Tornado's betrayal and the revelations that had followed. Batman had not been going to send them on a mission at all, then Superboy had overheard Kaldur'ahm telling him about Sportsmaster's tip about the possible mole.

In less than five minutes he had watched what had been on well on its way to becoming a strong, well-built team disintegrate before his eyes, factions forming and alliances shifting as Aqualad lost control.

Even Robin, who should have understood, was swept up in the emotion to the point he had talked back in front of the Team.

It is Robin's job to question Batman, it always has been but Robin has always been sure to not be so blatantly...petulant in public. It does not reflect well on Batman or Robin and Batman cannot forget the earliest years, when the League had been watching them so carefully for the slightest misstep, any excuse to take Robin from him. (And it isn't just Dick anymore. He knows they wouldn't, the chances are less than 5% short of a psychotic break on his own part, but he will never be able to know with absolute certainty that his children will not be taken away. He is glad, really. His children need allies. Just in case.)

He had been short with Robin, yes, but of all people, he should know how serious their job is. Whining like a child is not acceptable. (He should be allowed to be a child, but he can't while he is Robin. Not like that.)

The Team needs time. Time to heal, time to think, time to process. But they needed a chance to mend their broken trust even more, so Batman had made a judgement call and sent them to India, hoping they might find evidence that Mayor Hill had been planing to meet with Thorne while there, as well as discover what had happened to land the Gotham politician in the hospital. Captain Marvel accompanying them had been risky, but likely to turn out for the better. The Wisdom of Solomon was powerful, even when its wielder was only ten.

The Venomed animals they had fought had left Superboy with scrapes and bruises. It was worrying. Usually the only things capable of leaving marks on a Kryptonian involved either Kryptonite or magic. He will have to examine the files Robin had managed to salvage off of The Brain's computer systems after they had been wiped in the villain's escape. With any luck, enough information would be retrievable to understand what had happened to the animals.

According to the preliminary reports, in addition to Superboy's wounds (And new pet) Artemis had nearly drowned (again) when attacked by an oversized crocodile but she and Miss Martian had handled the situation admirably. Robin's breathing was labored, but not so much as to inhibit him from backing Aqualad up during the debrief. He was tense around Batman though, and likely would be until his insubordination had been properly addressed.

Batman frowned as he considered. He had noticed that Robin seemed more on edge lately. Alfred kept dropping hints about it. But he can't figure out what is wrong. A few hiccups aside, Robin's performance in the field has been excellent these past months, working with the Team has been good for him. He decides to watch more closely. Whatever is wrong, it needs to be fixed. He can feel a barrier developing between them and it is unsettling.

Once they have returned to the Batcave, Batman turns to Dick. His partner tenses, clutching a sleeping Damian more closely. Something in Batman's chest tightens painfully. He never wanted his children to be afraid of him. For any reason. Best to handle this quickly.

"Robin." He says slowly. "You questioned me in front of the Team."

Dick nods, short and sharp but careful not to wake Damian. "I'm sorry." He whispers and there is something desperate in his tone that makes Batman feel a little sick.

He lays a hand on Dick's shoulder. "I understand that this is hard for you," he tries to soften his tone but it is so hard in the cowl. "Don't let it happen again."

He pushes the cowl back and squeezes Dick's shoulder until he looks up. Bruce smiles at him, willing his so-ward (Dick Grayson already has a father, that was understood from day one) to understand how proud of him he is. How well he and his Team handled themselves.

Dick's expression lightens and he grins up at Bruce, message received loud and clear. This is what makes Batman and Robin such a formidable duo, this ability to understand without words.

Dick takes Damian upstairs and Bruce heads for the showers. He has a meeting at W.E. tomorrow. Lucius will not be happy if he is late.

So, I spent so much time trying to explain everything that went on in Alpha Male...that I decided I should just write another chapter for the episode. So here it is. Everything that Bruce did and why.

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