"How are you feeling now?"

"Much better, thanks," Robin sat up, "how long have been asleep?"

"Hours!" Wally exclaimed. "All your talk about dying was beginning to seem real."

Robin put his hand to his head and remembered the experience, although a lot of it was pretty foggy. He began to feel embarrassed over his panic, along with the worry of what he could have done around the team in his state. Although what he truly felt was relief, he wasn't dead.

"I'm surprised you took me to Mount Justice first," Robin shook his head.

"Well, if you hadn't have been only a block away. . ." Batman admitted making Wally burst out into a mocking laugh.

"Are you kidding me!" Robin even laughed at himself. "Oh man, I was really out of it."

"We're just glad you're back and out of the hands of the Joker," M'gann spoke up sincerely.

"Yeah, Wally couldn't stop saying he told us so," Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, it's nice to be back," Robin sighed, "it's nice to be able to see again too."

"You know, you're really fun when you're tripping out," Wally smirked, "you were about ready to admit all your secrets and pray for mercy!"

"He just got back from torture and a murderous clown and you can't just give him a break," Artemis scoffed.

"Secrets! Wait, I didn't-"

"Relax, Wally's just pulling your leg," Zatanna put her hand on his shoulder, "you didn't admit anything. You were just freaking out pretty bad."

Wally was still laughing, then he began to intimate Robin, "Yeah, once you were in the medical room, you were all, 'if you can't save me, it's okay Batman. Just don't feel bad!' And we kept trying to tell you that you weren't dying!"

"Okay, enough," Batman shot a quick glare, "let us have a minute alone."

The team looked on edge of objecting, but instead left them.

"Don't give any acknowledgment to that," Batman swallowed, "Wally is blowing the situation out of proportion. Whatever had made you become so delirious must have caused a panic attack, together it was a bit of a deadly mix for your mind."

"But I'm okay now,"

"You're back, I've got some questions and medical research to do," Batman continued, "but you're safer at risk of poisoning than with the Joker. . . . I'm sorry we couldn't find you – that all this happened. I shouldn't have-"

"Bruce, like you said, I'm back," Robin interrupted, "besides I was the one insisting that day. I can't always have you or the team backing me up, sometimes you've got to look out for yourself. . . . Lesson learned, that's for sure."

Batman nodded.

"Now put me to sleep with those questions," Robin chuckled, and even managed to break Batman's stoic presence with a slight smile for a moment.

Later that Day:

"I'm surprised you and Master Dick have returned," Alfred said as Bruce entered the Batcave, "how is he doing?"

"He's much better now," Bruce replied starkly as he began typing away at the computer before him, "he wanted to come back and rest. I've already taken blood samples and tended to his wounds, so any medical research I need to get done can be done here."

After a long pause of Alfred spoke up, "Master Dick is back and, yet, I sense tension. Is everything alright?"

Bruce exhaled deeply as he stretched his tense shoulders, "Nothing I can't take care of."

"The Justice League?"

After a pause Bruce continued, "As if some didn't frown upon my throwing Robin into crime fighting at the age of nine, they are beginning to question my judgment for him. . . . Not that they've said anything, I can just sense it pretty strong, but it's nothing to worry about."

"If you say so Master Bruce," Alfred nodded and went to him some tea.

The Next Day:

"So where have you been?" Barbra asked Dick during Science, she had one eyebrow cocked as she examined one of the test tubes before her. The classroom was packed of tired students, the teacher was practically asleep, and there were a couple of annoying flies buzzing overhead. Barbra and Dick seemed to be the only ones actually doing the work. "You've been absent for a couple days, so whatever you had you better be cured of. I can't catch anything."

"Why, you have big plans?" he asked not moving an eye from his work.

"No, well, not really," she shrugged, "I just don't want to miss school. I've taken some extracurricular stuff and it's already becoming overwhelming, so I can't fall behind."

"Got it," Dick looked up at her for a moment, "well, no need to worry, I'm not contagious."

"Jeez, I can tell,"

"What?"

"Your face, what the heck happened?" she asked in surprise. "I never thought a brain like you would get into a fight, but it looks like someone did a number on you."

Dick remembered half of his face was bruised badly from when Ivy got her 'revenge'. Luckily the swelling had gone down a little since yesterday, but he didn't want Barbra becoming suspicious about it.

"Oh, yeah, well," he replied, "don't goof off during P.E, otherwise you'll get distracted and run face first into a pole."

Barbra began to laugh, making the teacher glare at her.

"And that's how everyone else reacted," Dick laughed almost getting carried away in his own lie.

"I'm sorry, it's just kind of funny," she chuckled, "is that why you were out?"

Dick replied, "When your eye is so swollen you can't see you don't really have a choice, but, hey, I enjoyed the break."

Barbra flashed him a give sincere grin and went back to work, the class hadn't been so bad especially with Dick, but she had been itching to get out of there. The bell finally rang and they began packing up, Dick was about to walk out when she noticed something on his desk.

"Oh, wait, Dick!" she called for him. "I think you forgot your papers."

"Thanks," he replied as he reached over and grabbed the papers, just as his sleeve rose up and, being quite vigilant, something caught Barbra's eye.

"What's that?" she asked quickly.

Dick looked down and saw that the scabbed over wire burns, along with a few scabbed over 'ha's' that Harley had cut into his skin, were showing. His heart jumped as he quickly pulled his sleeve back down.

"Why do you have-"

"It's nothing," he replied nervously, but seeing her concerned face he continued, "and if I didn't want to be late to class I'd explain it to you, but I've got to go." He couldn't have gotten out of there quicker.

Barbra sat there thinking for a moment, she had always had a sense that Dick was a very secretive kid, but she never thought he might be lying to her about things. Here she thought she was getting closer to him. What Dick didn't realize was once Barbra had suspicions she wouldn't let them go.