They spent a few hours splashing around before Alfred called them in for patrol. They went down to the Bat-Cave and Ruby helped the boys into their uniforms before turning to head upstairs. She didn't patrol. Bruce didn't let her. He had always been reluctant to send her on missions with the rest of the team and he absolutely refused to let her patrol. It was frustrating, but she thought she understood why he did it.

But his voice was the one that stopped her from leaving tonight. "Wait." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around to ask him why he'd stopped her.

He placed a bundle of clothing in her arms. "Suit up."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she went to one of the spare changing rooms to do as she was told.

The uniform was new, not her usual one from her time with the Team. The color scheme was black and red with the main part of the uniform, a light, armored body-suit, in black and the accessories (utility belt, boots, domino mask, etc.) were red. The cape, which stopped just short of her knees, was red on the inside and black on the outside. The entire outfit had so many pockets and hidden pouches that she quickly lost count.

She thought that it looked decently good on her, but when she stepped out of the changing room Dick's jaw dropped.

Jason snickered and elbowed his brother in the stomach. "You're staring..."

Dick snapped his mouth shut and blushed crimson. Tim and Damien exchanged a knowing look.

Bruce nodded to Ruby. "Good, it fits. I wanted to try something different tonight. Normally we pair up and Nightwing goes alone, but tonight I thought we could try patrolling in threes. It'll probably take longer, but it should also be safer."

Ruby nodded. "Sound logic."

"That means Tim, Nightwing, you're with me."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Its Red Robin."

Bruce ignored him. "Jason, Damien, and Ruby, you three are on your own. You'll be patrolling the south side of the city. We'll take the north. Use the motorcycles to get around. Good luck. And Ruby, keep them alive."

Ruby could have sworn she heard Damien mutter, "Its Crow. I'm in costume. How many times must I remind him of this?"

She nodded before turning to the two boys. "Ready to go?"

They nodded. She beckoned and started walking. "Let's head out."

They took the motorcycles to the edge of their patrol area before dismounting and taking to the roof tops.
What started out as a patrol quickly became a game as the two boys challenged each other to leap farther, and grapple faster, and take more and more risks. Ruby kept it from going too far, but let them have their fun.

"Ruby!" yelled Jason. "Tell Damien that I landed before he did."

"No, tell Jason that he was a second behind me," Damien said imperiously.

Ruby spotted something in an alley bellow them and pulled the boys down to the roof. "Enough, both of you," she ordered.

Jason protested loudly enough that the man Ruby spotted heard. He fired off a few shots from the gun he was carrying in their general direction and one of the bullets grazed Ruby's arm. She hissed in pain.

Damien seized a knife from his belt and leapt off the roof down into the alley. Jason helped Ruby to her feet and they followed.

Damien held a knife to the man's throat. "You will pay for shooting my sister," he hissed.

"Damien, enough." Ruby's voice rang out in the alley as she strode towards her little brother. "We need him alive."

"He hurt you!"

Jason looked at Ruby's bleeding arm. "I hate to say it, but he's right."

"I'll live. There's no need to avenge me. Besides," she turned her piercing stare to the terrified man Damien had cornered, "This nice man was just about to tell us what he's doing out at this time of night that has him so jumpy he'd fire at the slightest sound. Even without a clue as to what might be making that sound."

The man nodded eagerly, though he eyed the knife Damien now held at his side with apprehension. "Yes, ma'am. I work for Black Mask, see. And I was supposed to be making a drug deal here half an hour ago. But my customer didn't show."

"Drug dealers," Ruby spat. "I hate them. I've half a mind to turn you over to Crow here and let him do what he wants with you. But I'm supposed to stand for justice, so I suppose I'll have to settle for dropping you off at the nearest police station."

The druggie fell on his knees and started kissing her boots. "Thank you, kind lady. I'll do whatever you want so long as you keep that crazy kid away from me."

Damien caught the disgust in her eyes and hauled him up. "My name is Crow. And don't you forget it."

The dealer gulped and fell silent. Thankfully he stayed that way until he confessed to the police at the station.

Jason snorted. "How much you want to bet that his 'customer' was some poor teen who got addicted and can't quit."

Damien sighed.

Jason looked over at him. "What's up?"

"I was so close to killing that man. I enjoyed seeing the fear in his eyes when I held that knife to his throat. If you hadn't stopped me when you did, Ruby... What if one of these days I lose control and start killing every criminal I come across? Father would hate me."

"You're worried about going rouge?" Ruby asked.

Damien nodded.

"Tell you what, if you ever feel like you're starting lose control, or if you ever lose control completely give me a code word or phrase and I'll know to stop you."

"You could give it to me if you want," Jason told him.

"Why don't we all come up with one. All three of us. This can be our thing," Ruby suggested.

The boys nodded and Ruby took out a roll of cloth bandages from one of her belt pouches and wrapped it around her injured arm while she waited for them to come up with something.

"Vampire bat. I want my code phrase to be vampire bat." Damien nodded decisively.

Jason opened his mouth and said quietly, "Blazing guns."

"Ruby, are you going to make one?"

She nodded and thought about it. "I need mine to be something that can be said in combat... Shoot to kill. If I ever lose it I'll tell one of you to shoot to kill. I you hear that you'll know I need to be incapacitated at any cost."

They stood for a moment then Jason stuck his fist in the center of their little circle. "This is so cheesy," he muttered.

Damien stared at it for a moment before Ruby gently curled his hand into a fist and placed it on top of Jason's before stacking her own fist on top of that.

"Family." Her voice rang out and the boys echoed her.

"Family."

She smiled at the two who were now getting along so well. "Come on. I want to be done with patrol before morning."