"So…" Nightwing says after the door closes after them as he turns to face Cyborg, who has taken him into his office, but the other man just stands there and stares at him for a brief second before Nightwing realizes it.

"RAH!" Cyborg yells as he leaps towards him, the powerful hydraulics in his legs carries him quickly and easily into Nightwing, slamming him back into the wall behind them before he's pinned by Cyborg. He just has the time to see Cyborg raise his right fist before it thunders towards him.

Time just seems to slow to Nightwing as the steel and promethium fist closes in on him, he has a brief glimpse of all the things he's still wanted to do before the end came and the regret that he would get to, before time speeds up again and Cyborg punches a hole into the concrete wall right next to Nightwing's head.

"You got Rae and her old man to thank for that." Cyborg growls as he leans in close for a moment before he lets go and steps back. "What the hell were you thinking man?"

Nightwing sighs at the question, because he had tried to figure that out as well. "I wasn't, it was an impulse, that the trip into the Pit triggered." He replies but Cyborgs stare just tells him to elaborate. "I didn't like getting sidelined like I was… and I didn't like Raven sending those things at you, because I didn't know if she could even control them."

"So you decided to put her outside of a controlled environment." Cyborg says.

"I… wanted her to remember she wasn't bigger than the team… and that putting you guys at risk like that was not ok."

"So the girl finally shows some initiative and you jump on her head for it?" Cyborg continues and gets a look from Nightwing telling him to elaborate. "Rae was by Batman told to make it seem real, she made the scenario just that while the Big Wigs kept an eye on us. This is the whole control freak thing, isn't it?"

"It is. I wasn't in control of the situation, I didn't know what those things could do or if they even paid attention to her." Nightwing replies knowing this was the part where Cyborg would start to shout at him like he had with the Titans East situation. But the big man just shakes his head at him before he moves over to sit down behind his desk.

"You gotta have more faith in people man, you aren't the only one who can play a risky game."

"Rae told me those things we're practically an extension of her." Nightwing notes.

"She didn't actually know that back then, but she trusted us enough to be able to handle them together if she wasn't. She pull the Seed out of you yet?" Cyborg asks as Nightwing takes a seat as well.

"Yeah… didn't even know it was there."

"None of us did." Cyborg shrugs. "We should have expected it though, according to Fate, Trigon liked to leave things like that around for his own amusement. Now, I wanna know what you've been up to, because I will bet my right leg you didn't spend it hiding under a rock." He says as he leans his arms on the table while folding his hands in front of him, making Nightwing think of him as a disapproving school principal.

Later:

"It's a good team." Nightwing notes from his cramped seat in the back where he's sitting on Tim's luggage behind the second seat, where Tim is sitting. After almost three quarters of an hour's talk with Cyborg he had finally been introduced to the team, internally he had noted that Raven, Cyborg and the others actually had a mini-League going; with a Bat, an Amazon and a Kryptonian, a Martian and a Flash under the same roof. Also he was happy to see that the lobby of the Tower is a memorial, where statues of the dead Titans line the walls, while at the front there was supposed to be a new statue in honor of the first five Titans, something Tim has arranged, but it wasn't done yet.

As predicted, Cyborg was on the verge of breaking out chains and weights to prevent the helicopter taking off before he had a look at it, but Raven was sure to point out where he had actually contributed to its creation. As Cyborg had found out, much to his annoyance, if Batman was working on a project and requested your aid, chances are that you will only see when it is done and deployed for a suitable mission you are also in, or not at all. But he had often wondered out loud around Raven where some of his work had gone.

"We are when dumb stuff like tonight doesn't happen." Tim sighs, going over in his head what he could have done better tonight.

"Triple D is annoying, but hardly dangerous." Raven says from up front as they teleport. "Except for his driving at times."

"Still to have most of the team stuck on the ground because of that beam was a major issue with only the T-Car as a transport. Are we depending too much on flight under our own power?" Tim continues.

"I wouldn't say you are, but you may have become too comfortable about having it around. Maybe also because that you only have one road transport?" Richard suggests.

"Hmm, well due to someone's budget calculations, we can't afford more." Tim replies, pointing at Raven up front.

"You guys aren't cheap to support and Bruce insists on that I do it. Besides, you could always have your spare bike moved over." Raven defends without sounding offended. "The heat going into the pool could get you a new one easily." She continues.

"You try and convince Cassandra to jump into cold water." Tim replies.

"I could order her. But there is also the possibility of installing power cutters to the motion sensors, kills the light to a room if no movement is made for, say, 15 minutes?" Raven suggests knowing that much of the Tower was often lit without need.

"That could be annoying, if you remember Dick's detective hours?"

"Or Slade Hours." Richard grumbles remembering how many night he spent on that subject.

"Well for places like the hangar and living room?" She continues.

"It's a possibility at least; the problem is Bart and his tendency to run through the entire tower just to play with the light." Tim sighs.

"We will think of something." Raven assures.

"So can I ask where Ravager went?" Nightwing asks.

"Left when she found out her dad ran off when Arkham burned down, she never told any of us where she went. Eddie was pretty upset about it; they had some kind of relationship." Tim replies. "A shame, she was really good. Even got her to stop asking if we shouldn't kill any of the bad guys."

"She tried?" Nightwing asks.

"Only Raven the first time she showed up in costume, she badly wanted a rematch after the League tryout. But she is a fan of the more permanent solution, but it was on the retreat when she left."

"Apparently she didn't like getting punched at the League trials." Raven shrugs from up front. "I have a suspicion that all of the Wilsons are together now somewhere, happy or not, since we have lost touch with Joey again."

"Hope they are happy, Slade is a person I could do without worrying about." Nightwing mentions.

"Ditto." Raven agrees.

"Anyone mention you've grown?" Nightwing continues knocking Tim on the head to change the subject.

"So had your beard." Tim replies waving him off. "Good to have you back again Dick."

"Good to be back." Nightwing replies. "So what stories have you guys from that team?"

"Oh you wouldn't believe what we have had to put up with." Tim exclaims happily before diving into his stories, aided from time to time by Raven who was present in some of them.

The Batcave;

The group appears in the cave in the early morning hours of Gotham, just in time to greet Batman as he also blasts into the cave several levels above them.

"You two go up, there's bound to be lots of cleanup needed now." Raven says as she stretches her legs.

"Sure you don't want any help?" Nightwing asks as he does the same, while Tim is picking out his squashed bag.

"I'll be done in 14minutes tops." Raven assures as she begins to focus on the task after Tim steps back.

"Ok, good night Raven." Nightwing waves before he heads up the stairs, catching the glimpse of the rotors come loose.

"Usually she does it in eight minutes nowadays." Tim mentions. "But she could probably put it together by hand now."

"Wouldn't be surprised if she could reassemble the old T-car by memory." Richard replies.

"Me neither, her attention to details is amazing." Tim says as they step onto the medical platform, finding Bruce busy stitching up a nasty cut in his arm.

"I assume you won't let her heal you." Richard says.

"Tells me I cannot grow careless, but she has permission to try if it is incapacitating, inconvenient or potentially life threatening. And you would understand why her memory has to be as good as it is; if she mispronounces one word or places an ingredient incorrectly her spells could fail or become dangerous." Bruce explains, wincing slightly while working. "Heard you deployed the helicopter against that racer?" He asks changing subjects.

"Didn't think you'd let her fly it out of Gotham?" Tim counters.

"I was planning on letting her use the jet tonight as usual, but we had an early alarm." Bruce says as he finishes.

"But yes, we picked up the police chatter when we came in range and headed over." Nightwing says. "You want the report?" Bruce nods. "I'll get right on it." He says before bounding up the stairs, falling into the old rhythm without realizing it.

"So Victor didn't make good on his promises I see." Bruce says to Tim.

"They had a long talk, and I am pretty sure there's a hole in the wall now, but I was packing and the others were getting introduced to the helicopter. The day was a little more turbulent than usual; when we got back from the chase, Beastboy and Starfire had dropped by for a visit, but so had Mumbo. Got us all pulled into that hat of his and turned into animals, Raven and Nightwing arrived some time later and got us out." Tim says.

"Too bad Zee's cousin is still not a team player; he could have proven useful there." Bruce sighs as he finishes.

"I've asked him a few times to reconsider, but he doesn't care anymore." Tim continues. "For him it's all about the stage now."

"I know, makes a pretty good living out of it too. I will see if we can get Fate to keep the hat safe from Mumbo." Bruce replies. "Time for bed, you have school tomorrow."

"Nuts." Tim sighs quietly as Raven passes by them and heads up.

"Ah mind letting me do the paperwork?" She asks, spotting Nightwing typing away at the computer.

"It's cool I'm almost done with it." Nightwing replies. "You're done with the chopper already?"

"Uh thanks and yes, timer was still running the last time I did it when I went to talk to you." She replies as she pulls off her cowl.

"Anything serious happens if you don't make it in time?" Richard asks but keeps typing.

"Anything can happen in this house, you know how it is." Raven replies.

"I know how it was, might have changed, like so much around here." Richard counters. "What's the worst?"

"Depends, got two weeks flight ban once and I had just gotten into it. But also extra hours of interrogation resistance training or doing a full scrub of the cave or the mansion. And that's on top of repeating whatever it was I fouled up in again until I get it right." She shrugs.

"Hmm at least something's doesn't change." Nightwing shrugs.

"You are the one that keeps asking me to raise the standards." Batman says as he walks up with Robin behind him.

"True enough." Raven shrugs as she stretches her arms and back. "Well, if Nightwing is doing my paperwork, I think I will retire. Good night."

"Night Raven." Tim says and Richard murmurs while saving the report as she teleports away before turning around to face Bruce, feeling it was time to ask the question that had puzzled him the most. "So, she's your distant relative?"

"We have actually since found that my great grandfather Anthony Wayne did command a Joseph Roth during the Civil War, could be a distant relative of hers, but he didn't appear on the family tree we could find." Bruce says. "Studying her mother's family has become a pastime for her, something she shares with Alfred."

"Night you two." Tim interrupts after emerging from the wardrobe, having changed into his underwear and a T-shirt.

"Night." Richard replies as he bounds up the stairs. "Anything on this Joseph?"

"We haven't found much, but he was noted in Anthony's notes to be an excellent cavalry commander, even if he didn't have a rank. Anthony noted this after the actual commander caught by a cannonball. You'll have to wait till tomorrow to read it if you want to?"

"I would actually see if I can read his handwriting this time." Richard says. "Anyways, time for bed, what's left of mine anyway."

"At least you left the photo's standing this time." Bruce replies. "See you tomorrow."

After tidying his room up a little, Richard falls asleep somehow feeling more at home than ever before.

The following day at noon

"You have an idea what it was like and now you have had the time to get over it." Batman says as he regards Nightwing along with Batgirl in the cave. "We know you are better that what we saw and now you get to prove it. Two minutes, no weapons, no powers."

They both nod and remove their armaments, the eskrima sticks in Nightwing's boots and Batgirls belt before getting onto the mat and begin their warm-ups.

"Think you can take me without using your strength?" Nightwing asks in a teasing tone.

"Only used that once." Batgirl replies. "Scared?"

"You're the empath." He counters.

"No powers remember?" She says as she falls into her Tai Chi stance.

"Right." He replies before pouncing on her, jumping into the air and aims a kick at her head, which is blocked by an arm.

As he lands Batgirl lands an open palmed strike against his left shoulder, he rolls with the strike and leans back while bringing his right fist into her ribs, getting a grunt from her before her own left smacks him on the side of the head, forcing him to look away as he rolls with it, getting a fist in the stomach for it making him stumble back two steps. His sights are back on her in time to get his defenses up as she copies his first attack and leaps at him, and kicks twice.

For two minutes they punch, kick, dodge and parry each others attacks, at a minute and 50 seconds it comes to a head when Batgirl grabs Nightwing around the knees and jumps before slamming his back into the ground, finishing by jumping again, landing on her knees bring her fist down, arresting it's decent right before his eyes.

"Time's up." Batman says right as Nightwing realizes he lost. "You did good." Batman says as he meets eyes with Nightwing who gets a hand by Batgirl to get up.

"I need to be better." Nightwing says. "Too slow, thinking too much."

"Hopefully it's not because it's me." Batgirl adds.

"No, I seem to have cultivated my own version of your Timid." Nightwing replies. "But yeah it could be because it's you, besides the last two times, I've only actually fought you six years ago."

"Different time, different person." Batgirl replies offhandedly.

"Not entirely, if I fought you blind I could still tell it was you." Nightwing replies smartly.

"Really?" Batgirl asks flatly. "How?"

"Has Bruce told you about Kyodai Ken?" Batgirl just shakes her head.

"I only tell of past cases when they are interesting to the present." Batman shrugs. "The case he is referring to traces back to my training with Yoru Sensei, another student, possibly the best in the school at the time, was kicked out after I caught him stealing. Years later he came to Gotham and began to rob Wayne Industries, I fought him as Batman there. But when I found out it was him, I knew he knew who I was as well. Fighting styles are like fingerprints, Ken had fought Bruce Wayne and Batman and knew we were the same. Ken returned some time later, searching for a special discipline of martial arts Yuro Sensei knew of. While Ken acquired what he sought, a volcano claimed his life shortly afterwards."

"I'll try and remember that." She replies after hearing the tale.

"It's not one of the Black Casebook files, but it's a good reminder." Richard says. "Noticed I'm locked out of that one?"

"Hmm, you'll get the access back, but there's only been one new addition since then, but you will have to read it." Bruce replies while looking at Batgirl.

"I take it was mystical in nature and you were involved?" Nightwing asks, looking at her as well.

"Only time in the past two years I've had to do the full transformation." She shrugs. "Go read."

"Looking forwards to it, if I am allowed to?"

"You are." Batman replies to Nightwing. "And I need a talk with Raven."

"Got it, good fight." Nightwing says before bowing to Batgirl who bows to him as well before he walks out of the cave.

"So?" She asks after they hear him bound up the stairs.

"You still feel something for him." Batman replies flatly, which catches her off guard for a second.

"I want to be friends with him again." She says. "Even after what he did."

"It's more than that." Batman continues. "I may not be the one who should say this, but I can almost feel you want things to go back the ways it was before."

"I… I know I shouldn't, it's wrong and it's a liability to the team." She says as she looks at the ground, folding her arms under her cape.

"He made a mistake; we found that out from the dealer, the letter and his actions since. A dangerous and reckless mistake, one he should never have made. He wants to be forgiven and still cares deeply for you, but it is your choice if you can or not. It's not a threat or a deadline, yet, but you two have to figure it out sooner or later."

"Bruce, I know what you are trying to do, but please tell me you aren't just doing it because it is Richard." She says quietly, that she calls him by his civilian name here is a sign she really wants his answer.

"It's not; it's for your sake. If you let it stay in doubt, it will be unbearable for you in the long run. It's better if you resolve it sooner rather than later."

"And if I choose to drop him?" She asks. "Things might never be the same between any of us?"

"Richard will accept your choice even if it hurts him, we will take it from there." Batman says. "You have time to meditate."

"I need it." She admits. "I'll be on the ceiling if you need me." He nods as she walks past him to the greater cave before flying to the ceiling, attaching herself upside down, facing the wall. Soon enough a bat attachés itself to her back.

"Bruce, this really happened?" Richard asks as Batman walks up to him at the computer.

"It did." He confirms. "Tim was at the Titan's and I quarantined Gotham from the others in case they were turned."

"But really, vampires?" Richard continues.

"We figure the original group of six or seven arrived in the fall, we didn't notice them until the number of missing people began to become suspicious. It was by chance I got the drop on the first of them, too busy feeding on some girl in an alley, they usually took their 'meals' back into the catacombs under Silver Gate Cemetery. I surprised it but it managed to flee, the girl was dead by then, I took her back to the cave for examination. There was something wrong about the way it looked and acted. You remember that group of punks that pretended to be vampires?" He asks.

"Metal extensions of their teeth, yeah I remember, they had all cut their lips with those." Nightwing replies remembering the old case. "What did it look like."

"Attached file 6498750." Batman replies. Nightwing quickly opens the photo file, showing a bald skinny humanoid on an autopsy table. Its clothes and skin is dirty, while the skin is also slightly transparent, yellow tinted and slimy, showing off the blood veins under the skin. "It looks frail, but they can turn over a car if they wanted to."

"Doesn't look much like the vampire's that are so popular amongst teenagers." Nightwing adds. "What did the autopsy say?"

"It didn't, when I got the woman back here and got ready to examine her, she leapt at me. I was lucky I got hold of a UV lamp and that it worked. I succeeded in herding it into the meta-cell, after a de-tox incase it could infect me by other means than biting, I called Fate, Zee and Jason. Raven arrived in time from her own patrol. Fate identified it as a type of ghoul-vampire, that he called the Smitten, little more than beasts and like a disease, they arrive in one place, then they multiply as long as food is available before moving on. Last time Fate had heard of any being around was several decades ago where they wiped out a small town in southern Mexico, another mage was reported to have wiped them out back then."

"No cure?"

"None, if victims are turned, they are dead. Fate was able to give us a host of details about them and what they were vulnerable to and their abilities. I had Gotham quarantined from the League, vampire Supermen or Green Lanterns would be difficult to contain. We tried to contain them at night while searching for them at day, when they had to hide from the sun. After two weeks of bolder and bolder attacks made by them, we found their lair, under the cemetery." He halts for a second before continuing. "We found hundreds of the things down there, we fought but we were forced to withdraw. But we learned something valuable from it, demon blood is like acid to them, one got lucky and tried to feed off Raven. Lucky for us Diana didn't obey the quarantine and arrived, carrying what she called the Shield of Helios. I had made grenades with concentrated UV light bursts that burned those closest to them, stunned those further away. The shield reduced droves of them to ash in seconds, the remainder fled."

"And Raven survived the experience." Nightwing notes.

"We were worried she would turn as well, but she was only stunned, the fangs inject a paralyzing poison into the victims bloodstream, allowing the vampire to feed in peace and it did keep her out for a day, but asides from being stiff from the wound she suffered nothing from it. Much to Diana's annoyance, we knew they wouldn't be caught off guard by her shield again and that there were still too many. But we had other problems; they tracked us to the cave."

"Here?" Nightwing asks.

"Yes, they emerged from the sewer entrance, they disturbed the bats on the way, which warned us in time. Zee and Fate were wounded in the ensuing battle and much of the cave inventory was wrecked. I asked Diana to go into the caves with me to stop any more from coming that way. I asked Raven and Etrigan to go back under the cemetery and exterminate everything they could."

"You asked her that after what happened?" Nightwing asks.

"She was there at first as Batgirl, I asked her to go all out and bring anything she felt was necessary to do the job. Diana and I fought a running battle with small groups in the sewers, which allowed us time to rest and eat. Jason said they fought non-stop for two days alongside a company of Raven's Fiends, if you remember those."

"Big muscle demons, Raven sent a group at those who stayed together in the Pit and had two bring me back after I stomped off."

"Only five of those made it out again, but they assured us none were left and none escaped as she had summoned a pack of large dog-like demons before sending them off to track any that made it out of the main battle." Batman finishes.

"A real Black Casebook file. Tim must have been pissed when he found out?"

"He thought the Titans could have helped." Batman replies with a smirk. "Better read up on the other cases we've had, there's a few new faces you don't want to underestimate."

"Will do." Nightwing says, not bothering pointing out he had read up on most of it yesterday.

The day after:

"You look bored Master Richard?" Alfred notes as the younger man eats his lunch.

"Thinking." Richard replies. "Think Raven would mind if I borrowed one of her CD's?" Alfred quirks an eyebrow at him.

"I cannot say Master Richard; none has yet desired to ask after Master Tim sampled the video from the Internet at his usual volume. May I inquire why?"

"She is meditating and I don't want to bother her." Richard replies. "But I am interested to hear what she is listing to. Oh well, guess I could just write down a few names and have a look on the web."

"That may be more prudent Master Richard." Alfred agrees.

Soon after, Richard has seated himself on the floor in Raven's room, looking down the CD rack next to her desk and taking names with the pen and block he brought with him.

"Hmm, will be an interesting listen." He says as he looks over the list one more time to make sure he got them all spelled right, getting up, he again spots the box under the bed and again he feels kind of drawn to find out what's inside of it, but he hurries out. "She will let me know if I earn it, I hope."

The week goes by with Richard getting fully readjusted to Gotham and Wayne Manor. He notes that Raven has certain times during the day when she seems to vanish from the house, but he has so far only noticed her absence, not her actual leaving. He knows that news of his return will have reached the ears of the League by now, but so far, Diana has not reacted. And that is a meeting he is worried about more and more as time passes. As Bruce said she would, Raven is opening up to him gradually. That she is doing so fast, tells Richard something has happened and that she is forcing herself to hurry the normally very slow process, actually he is worried Bruce has ordered her to do it. Friday afternoon he confronts her with it.

"Raven, is there something wrong?" He asks as he catches her reading by the pool, a spell book, from what he can tell.

"What? No?" Raven asks a little confused at the question before closing the book after marking the page. "Should there be?"

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but you are opening up to me a lot faster than what I expected you to?" He says. "Not that I mind, but I hope you haven't been ordered to?" She smiles and mouths an 'ah' before leaning back in her chair.

"I wasn't ordered to do anything, I was advised to understand myself and come to a conclusion about something sooner rather than later." She says.

"It's about me isn't it?" He asks. "You still aren't sure if we can be friends again or not?"

"Well… yes it is." She admits. "I want to be friends with you again Richard, you were the best I had once, but there is still parts of me that wants to do very bad things to you."

"I guess I can understand them, I still get those kinds of feelings whenever I see the Joker." He says. "I don't suppose there is an easy way of appeasing those parts of you?" His question seems to turn around her head for a few seconds.

"Not that I can think of that I am willing to let you, one suggested to have my memories of it implanted into you. But what I fear, is not the same you do, so I would have to make the emotions appear in you and I don't know if you can take it." She says finally.

"I'd be willing to. Would at least have me know what kind of hell you were going through while I was walking around in a haze." He says.

"But I am not, but I would also prefer we work this out like normal people instead of going for an eye for an eye. But you score points with some of them by being willing to do it." She says, knowing he would try and insist on it.

"Well that's something. So any chance I can try and make it up to you in a normal fashion?" He asks, sporting a tiny smirk.

"Sure, but don't knock yourself out, I'm supposed to be very stubborn." She replies as she picks up her book again.

"I know, but you know how good I am with planning." He continues. "There was one other thing, you seem to disappear from the house from time to time?"

"Workout schedule, nothing extreme, but I have to use the League's training hall. People will ask why Bruce's gym has hand weights going into the levels I have. And I also have training with Fate on Tuesdays, but once in a while I also drop by the embassy to see how it's going."

"Ah, well enjoy your book."

"Will do." She replies and gets comfortable again.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Richard asks at the Friday dinner table.

"I am patrolling alone, you have to fly Tim to San Francisco and Raven knows where she is going." Bruce replies shortly.

"Themyscira has finally decided to allow a foreign head of state to visit us, arriving Monday and I have to be there for the last preparations." She explains. "I should be back by Thursday if everything goes as planned."

"Oh, who are you receiving?" Richard asks.

"The King and Queen of Atlantis and a small detail of their guards. It makes sense to Hippolyta to make the first opening to our neighbour that controls the seas. So far I don't really know what I am supposed to be doing."

"Lead your squad I assume, societies like Themyscira's has a tendency for military parades." Bruce adds.

"Displays of military strength won't matter so much; Garth can summon waves big enough to wash us all away." Raven shrugs. "But I guess you are right."

"How many do you have the pleasure of ordering about normally?" Richard asks.

"Nine and five of them don't really like me because I am from the outside." Raven shrugs. "But at least they know orders are to be followed regardless of who's giving them."

"Not that I think you have any problem of making them follow orders if needed." Tim adds. "It's not many people I know that can get Cassandra and Connor to back down with nothing but a glare."

"Megan could as well, but she doesn't have the heart to do it." Raven shrugs again as Alfred enters the room. "Anyways, as always dinner has been a wonderful Alfred, but I have to get going."

"And you have a pleasant journey Miss Raven." Alfred replies as she gets up from her seat. "Will you require anything before departure."

"No, but thank you. I will see you guys in a week or so." She says waving to the table as she retreats out of the room, getting farewells and a short wave from the others.

"It will be an odd affair; Diana, Donna and Raven often have casual talks with Arthur." Bruce adds casually, still missing the last quarter of his meal.

"Somehow I suspect all of them will be very formal over there." Tim adds. "So when are we leaving Dick?"

"After dinner I guess?" Richard replies. "You want the jet back?" He continues directing the question at Bruce who nods.

"Yes, and I want you to be ready to meet the League, with Diana off the station, you can be reintroduced without making it seem suspicious."

"I can't avoid her forever, and she has time on her side under any case." Richard replies before he finishes his meal.

"Which is why you will be meeting her here on Wednesday in a week." Bruce continues. "By then Raven should have given her time to relax with the knowledge that you are back."

"I guess there is another reason she is coming over?" Richard asks. "Other than wanting to give me a piece of her mind?"

"Bruce is taking her to the Foundation Charity Ball." Tim chips in.

"The annual one, if you remember?" Bruce continues.

"Yeah, the boring one, where I end up hoping for the signal to shine." Richard says before realizing Bruce is looking at him with an amused look in his eyes, that's a bad sign in Richards book. "You are going to re-establish me in the party circle, aren't you?"

"Yup, good news for you is that Raven is also going." Somehow this up weights the prospect of spending a boring evening with Gotham's wealthy elite. "That bad news is that I have to see if I need to retrain you." Richards growing smile instantly drops through the floor.