So . . . there was a suspicious lack of update last week, wasn't there? heh, heh, heh.

Ok, I'm just going to say, writers block+lack of time on the computer= late chapter. I didn't finish this until Wednesday, having worked 3 days last week, and 3 days this week, taken practice ACT tests, and gotten way too little sleep.

:/ I'm still sad I missed an update. Sorry.

In other news, I'm now putting this on hiatus until I have finished writing my book. I was supposed to finish in January, and I'm fairly sure that all of you have noticed that it's been February for a couple of weeks now. I was thinking of going on hiatus without telling you, but then I told myself that was stupid. So, you guys get a new chapter as compensation! and with it comes the long awaited encounter with the Team! and it's nearly 2000 words.

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Guest reviews:

Mickey's Girl: hmmmm . . . ;) we shall see, shall we not? The Light may have multiple meanings. Wilson has always been crazy sadly. It's one of the problems we have with him.

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Kim: I was totally dangling it out of reach on purpose, believe me. XD But yes, Dick misses everyone. :/ Well, here's a lovely happy (haha no not really) chapter for you! It may make YOU happier, although I know some people who aren't going to enjoy it at all.

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Thank you for the reviews! I only got guest reviews this time, but that's ok, I love all reviews! Thank you to everyone who is reading this, you make me so happy :)

Disclaimer: Hmmm . . . . If I owned this, there wouldn't be hiatus, because episodes would be released, it would be my job, and also, it would be my life. So nope, I don't own Young Justice.

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Chapter 12

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Blüdhaven

May 14, 19:45 EDT

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"There's a bank robbery in progress," M'gann said quietly as they flew over the rooftops of Blüdhaven. "Apparently two mysterious figures have been taking out any low level bad guys all day. Do we want to see-"

"Let's check it out," Jason said immediately, his head turning at M'gann's words. "There have never been heroes in Blüdhaven that I know of. Maybe they have something to do with Di- with Robin."

Wally was vibrating, Artemis noted with a hint of exasperation. She understood his impatience, but all the same, sometimes it was hard to be the girlfriend of a guy who almost never stopped moving. She gripped her bow tighter, and exchanged a glance with Troia, who'd been very quiet. "Do you think he's really here?" Troia whispered, softly enough that Connor was the only one who could possibly have heard her. In fact, Artemis saw his head turn slightly in their direction.

Artemis bit her lip, thinking hard about her answer. "I don't know," she finally said truthfully. "I hope he is though."

Troia nodded, looking as though her doubts had just been confirmed, and Artemis sighed. If Robin was really here, she knew she would be glad to have her own doubts proved at least partially wrong.

"Alright, we're a few rooftops away," M'gann said as she landed the bioship. "I can feel the telepathic waves from here. Someone is very afraid. We have to tread carefully."

Artemis watched as Jason's eyes narrowed, and everyone fell silent. Jason took a deep breath, then stood, taking out a batarang. "Let's go," he said firmly, casting a glance at Kaldur, who nodded. It was as though Aqualad had just given Jason permission to lead the mission.

As Artemis followed Wally out of the Bioship, she hoped that wherever Robin was, he was alive, because none of them were going to stop looking for him, and none of them wanted to find him dead.

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Blüdhaven

May 14, 20:11 EDT

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Dick was trying his hardest not to launch himself at Deathstroke instead of the robbers. It had been a well planned bank robbery, with plenty of backup swarming as soon as the two hit the ground. Of course, Dick used the components in his belts, which consisted of things similar to batarangs, smoke bombs, and other weapons that he was familiar with. He'd also been given a long metal staff, but he only used that in defense.

Deathstroke, however, had gone straight for his swords. So far he hadn't killed anyone, but he was growing more violent with every stroke, and Dick couldn't help but wish that someone would arrive, and stop him. Deathstroke left a trail of destruction in his wake, most of the robbers he fought clutching a bleeding appendage, or knocked unconscious by a hard blow with the hilt of his sword.

"Apprentice, we may have some assistance soon!" Deathstroke called, and there was a note of interest in his voice.

Dick felt a flash of concern. He doubted that Deathstroke really wanted assistance. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of yellow, and his heart stopped. Oh, great. He was not prepared for this. "Need some help?" Wally called, zooming into one of the robbers, who was actually holding a bag of money, and knocking him over. Dick wished he could yell at his friend to run the other way, despite the feeling of relief he felt at the sight of a familiar face. Did this mean the rest of the Team was here?

At that moment, a green fletched arrow zipped straight into one of the thugs Dick was fighting, foam billowing out and surrounding him. Dick whipped around to see Artemis up on a rooftop, her second arrow already drawn.

Yeah, he was pretty sure the rest of the Team was here.

Another thug came at him, and Dick distracted himself with taking him down before looking around. Everyone was here. Troia, Rocket, Zatanna, Miss Martian, Superboy, Aqualad, Aquagirl, Tempest, and Robin.

Robin.

It took about ten seconds before Dick realized that he wasn't looking at a clone of himself, but Jason, in the costume that Bruce and Dick had been working on for him. His heart started racing. This was not going to be good, especially once Deathstroke noticed the Team, and Dick could easily bet that he'd already noticed.

Wait. Where was Deathstroke?

Dick turned, just in time to see his so called mentor pull back his sword and prepare to plunge it into the chest of the last of the thugs. A killing stroke. In a heartbeat Dick dove in front of him, raising his staff and blocking his sword. Deathstroke's visible eye widened, and his stroke went kind of wild, slicing into Dick's armor, and reaching his skin, giving him a cut on his arm.

"Whoa!" Wally zoomed over, grabbing the thug and pulling him away, although the man wasn't even trying to struggle.

"That was foolish apprentice," Deathstroke hissed, his eye narrowing threateningly.

"I'm not just going to let you kill someone," Dick growled. "I would think you would know that already."

Raising his voice, he turned and glared at Jason directly. "If I were you, I would leave. Now."

Jason moved forward at lightning speed, until he was only a couple of feet away from Dick. He could feel his heart pounding. All he wanted to do was rip off his mask and scream that it was him, but he was sure that would sign his younger brother's death warrant.

"I'm looking for someone, and I'm not going to leave until I find him," Jason snapped. He shot a suspicious glance over to Deathstroke. "Maybe you and your partner are the ones who should leave."

Dick felt a flash of desperation, and he decided to do something that was quite possibly not a good idea. "Well, little bird, I doubt you'll find anything but trouble here, so you might want to fly away before you or any of your Team get killed. My 'partner' as you called him, has some rather sharp swords, and no qualms about using them. The League is sure to be unhappy if you get yourselves killed on an unauthorized mission."

It was the most rushed batspeak he'd ever used, but Jason got it almost immediately.

"Leave before the guy with the swords kills you. We know who you are, and it isn't a good idea to mess with us. We also know that the League doesn't know where you are."

Not exactly what Dick wanted to say to his younger brother, but it would have to do. Jason's eyes were wide, and he looked as though he was piecing things together in his head. Not fast enough.

"Well, well, well, a 'little bird' has flown far from it's nest," Deathstroke said sarcastically, using Dick's earlier words. "It looks as though he brought a few friends as well. Apprentice, take them out."

Dick felt a flash of horror, and he was sure it showed. Attack the Team? A tiny spark of electricity ran through him, and he closed his eyes as he realized that Talia must be listening in to the whole thing. She was agreeing with Deathstroke. "Run," he hissed between his teeth, and then darted towards Jason. For a moment his brother was frozen, but then he took off in the other direction.

Dick couldn't help but be incredibly thankful that his younger brother was, for once, not being quite his reckless self. All the same, he lashed out at any of the Team that came across his path, hitting both Kaldur and Wally as they tried to attack him.

Inside his head, he was screaming at himself. He almost wanted to stop, and take whatever pain Talia had in store for him, but then he reminded himself that he wasn't actually going to hurt the Team.

He followed Jason up the side of an apartment building, using his grappling hook, and reaching the top almost at the same time.

"What are you doing?" Jason hissed furiously. "You obviously don't even want to fight us."

"You're right," Dick said evenly. "I don't want to fight any of you."

"Than why are you?"

Dick froze. How could he answer this? "I have to," he finally said. "I was ordered to. If I don't . . . Something worse will happen, to me, and to all of you."

Jason blinked, surprised, then drew a batarang. "Well, you aren't going to fight me," he snapped, and threw it directly at Dick. Immediately he dodged out of the way. By the time he looked up, Jason was gone. Dick almost expected his own trademark laughter to be ringing through the air.

Dick cursed, and looked around desperately for another member of the Team. All of them seemed to be heading for a nearby rooftop, where M'gann was hovering anxiously. That must be where the bioship was.

Artemis was the one farthest from it. She was just pulling herself up onto a neighboring rooftop. She paused on the edge, and glanced around, as though she sensed him watching her. Suddenly something flashed out of the corner of Dick's eye, and he turned to see Deathstroke throw one of his swords at Artemis.

Immediately Dick was running, then he pushed off of the edge of the roof of the building he was on, lunging towards Artemis. He was going to knock them off the roof, which was risky, but Artemis would be alive. Dick heard Artemis's surprised gasp as he hit her, and her strangled scream as they started to fall. He felt Deathstroke's sword cut through the side of his suit, distantly noting that Wally was yelling somewhere nearby, and then he was reaching out for something, anything, to stop their fall.

His fingers caught on something, a windowsill, and he grabbed desperately for it, jerking them to a halt, and nearly tearing his recently healed arm out of it's socket.

He cried out, but held tightly to both the windowsill, and Artemis.

Dick looked down, his eyes searching to make sure that Artemis was there, that she was alright. She was staring up at him in surprise.

"What-" she started to say, but he interrupted.

"Artemis, I don't have a lot of time."

"How do you know my name?" she demanded, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Common knowledge," he said quickly. "Look, the man with the swords, his name is Deathstroke. He's working with Talia Al Ghul- or against her- I don't know, I'm not really sure. He has his own agenda."

"Talia? You work for Talia? Have you seen Robin, Batman's partner?" Artemis asked urgently, suddenly not seeming to care that she was hanging from the side of a building

"Sure. He's been trying his best to stay traught, but I'm afraid his a little bit distraught at the moment," Dick said weakly, flashing her a lopsided smile. His arm was burning like it was on fire, and he could feel his fingers slipping. He'd only be able to hold on for a moment longer. Artemis's eyes were wide as they searched his face, connecting his words to a memory, one she shared with Robin. Dick remembered saying them so clearly . . . "Get traught, or get dead."

"Do you trust me?" he whispered, squeezing Artemis's wrist where he was gripping her.

She swallowed, and then nodded.

"Alright, on three, I'm going to drop you," Dick said calmly. The look she sent him was anything but filled with trust, but Dick plowed onwards. "You'll be fine. Get back to your Team, and get out of here. Make sure to tell Batman about Deathstroke. It's very important you do."

Artemis hesitated for a moment longer, then sighed. "One," she said in a resigned voice.

"Two," Dick murmured.

"Three," they said together, and Dick allowed himself to let go of his friend, watching as she fell towards the ground.

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No possible way that could go wrong, right?

Well, now that I'm leaving you at a literal cliffhanger (kind), happy Valentine's Day! Or Singles Awareness Day! whichever!

REVIEW! :) :) :)