"Surprise!" Dick shouted along with everyone else as Wally finally stepped into the room. A grin was plastered onto his face; he was excited for his friend, and he and the Team did everything they could to make sure that Wally had the best party ever.

Wally gasped dramatically. "What? Oh, you guys shouldn't have!" He exclaimed, his expression too fake for him to be able to claim that he didn't see it coming.

"Right, it's not like you've been hinting for days, or anything," Dick said sarcastically, receiving a sheepish grin from his redheaded friend.

"Shush," Wally stuck his tongue out before joining them at the table.

M'gann threw a party hat on the birthday boy's head the minute he sat down, and waved her hand at the food on the table. "We made two cakes," she announced with a warm smile.

The speedster's grin widened. "Awesome! But what will you guys eat?"

Dick rolled his eyes while M'gann giggled. "We'll split the cupcake." She gestured to the birthday cake again. "Now make a wish."

"Way ahead of you," Wally said flirtatiously before taking a deep breath and blowing out the lit candles. Dick refrained from face palming at his friend's behavior. Was Wally seriously blind to the obvious alien couple in the room? How could he be that oblivious?!

After the cake was cut, the party continued. The present Leaguers mingled with the teens, keeping up conversations with even the anti-social Connor, M'gann continued to avoid Wally's advances, and Artemis kept up her unhappy scowling. Eventually, Dick ended up alone by the snack table, listening to the chitchat from a distance while trying to figure out what to do. He wasn't kidding when he told Bruce that he didn't know how to behave at a party. He had no desire to be in such an alien environment, but it was for Wally- his best friend. If his presence made the speedster happy, then he would stay... even if he was being mostly ignored by said redhead.

"You okay?"

Dick was pulled out of his thoughts as Zatanna held a plate of cake in front of his face. "I should be asking you the same thing," he said as he accepted the food. "Are you settling in okay?"

"Yeah... It's just like home..."

He took that as a no. Well, he knew how adjusting to a new environment was like. He was certain that Zatanna needed someone to lighten the mood. "I know this is all very new and intimidating. It scared me when I first came here too. But I promise you... someday, you'll get used to watching Wally eat." He and Zatanna looked over their shoulders just in time to witness Wally shove a giant slice of cake into his mouth, making disgusting noises as he almost inhaled it whole. Zatanna giggled.

Artemis appeared next to them, eyeing Wally as well. "Think we should tell him?" Dick glanced back again and saw that Artemis was referring to another pointless attempt Wally was making to get with M'gann.

Dick winced, feeling secondhand embarrassment from his friend. If nobody told him about the situation, then he would only embarrass himself further. "He is the only one who doesn't know."

Artemis smirked, pleased with his subtle consent. "Then please, allow me." She then strode over to Wally confidentially, sitting down on a couch behind him and leaning forward to whisper something in his ear. The redhead glanced at her in surprise, then looked over to M'gann was holding up a slice of cake to Connor's lips.

His face fell. "Aw man..."

Dick took a step towards him, but halted in his tracks when his mentor's voice sounded throughout the room. "Attention Team! Suit up- polar stealth. Mission briefing in five."

Or not. Dick glanced at Wally again and saw that his crestfallen expression morphed into a serious one; the hero face. Right, Mission first, feelings later. One of the biggest rules in the their world.

Dick sighed and spun around, moving towards the locker room to grab his spare uniform.

xXx

"Where's Flash?" Kid Flash asked the Batman on the big screen in front of them. Now that Robin thought about it, both of the Leaguers at the party were not present anymore.

"Flash and Red Tornado already have their assignments." Batman said smoothly. "A massive ice storm has paralyzed North America from coast to coast." Robin frowned at this; he remembered seeing snow outside back in Gotham, and sure, there was tons of it, but he never thought it was that bad. "Satellite imagery has detected five flying Ice Fortresses, source unknown, which seem to be responsible and must be stopped."

Wally huffed. "Well can't the Watchtower blow them out of the sky or something?"

Zatanna glanced at Robin. "What's a Watchtower?"

Robin mentally groaned while Batman let out an irritated sigh. It was a miracle that KF was able to keep his own identity a secret from the public for so long. Seriously, everyone knew not to talk about the Watchtower. "The League's orbiting headquarters is not weaponized. And with both Green Lanterns off world, I need all hands on deck."

Wait a second. All hands? As in... the Team too?! "Does that mean what I think it means?" He asked excitedly, beaming up at his mentor. "The League and the Team fighting side by side?"

"Woah, really?" Wally breathed.

Batman's expression changed minutely, an unseen sign of confirmation. "Superboy, use the Super Cycle to rendezvous with the Batplane at Ice Fortress One. You'll drop off Robin and Aqualad, then continue with Wolf to meet up with Black Canary and Red Tornado at Ice Fortress Two. Miss Martian, Artemis, and Zatanna, take the bioship and rendezvous with Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter at Ice Fortress Three. Other Leaguers will deal with Ice Fortresses Four and Five. Sending all coordinates now."

Robin nodded to himself, content with his team. While he certainly thought of Aqualad as a rival figure, he knew that chances were that they would be able to work together just fine. Plus, they had Batman on their team. If Robin was famous for anything, it would be for being part of the Dynamic Duo- two partners who could communicate effectively without the usage of words. They would be just fine in the field.

KF spoke up, "Uh... Batman? I think you skipped-"

Robin scoffed. As if Batman could forget about anything...

"Kid Flash. A young girl in Seattle is in desperate need of a heart transplant. With all conventional air traffic grounded by the storm, you'll need to pick up the donor heart in Boston and run the 3,000 miles across country."

Wally's face fell again, all traces of his earlier excitement extinguishing immediately. "Who is this girl?" He blurted out.

Batman's expression remained neutral. "Does it matter?"

"No, of course not... but can't we Zeta-"

"Zeta Tubes are offline," Robin reminded him, fighting to keep his expression as stoic as his mentor's. He had a good idea of what was going on. Wally didn't know it, but he was being tested. The girl who needed the transplant was all over the news; apparently she was a queen from another country. Sure, Wally was missing out on working with the League, but he was one step closer to joining them if he did everything right. It was very exciting, but Robin knew that he couldn't reveal anything. So, he plastered the most apologetic expression on his face that he could manage, and said, "Sorry."

KF smiled, but it was obviously forced. "Right. How can I say no?"

xXx

"Go, go!" Superboy shouted as a series of powerful ice cubes were shot at the Super Cycle, barely missing the passengers inside.

As soon as he and Aqualad exited the vehicle, Robin swung on top of an icicle cannon using his grapple gun, leaving a couple of explosives behind as he back flipped off. The moment his feet touched the ground the explosives went off, and pieces of the cannon went flying in all directions. There was no time to pat himself on the back as he was forced to cartwheel to the side to avoid being hit by the large chunks of ice being fired. Robin narrowed hi eyes and backed up, throwing birdarangs in the direction of the ice weapons as he moved.

And suddenly, his back hit a solid object.

Robin slowly turned around, eyes widening as he was met with the face of an ice turret. He took a step backwards, but the sound of the weapon firing meant that he was close to an icy death.

"Duck!" A familiar voice commanded, and he immediately obeyed. The whizz of a small weapon was heard over his head, which sliced into the chunks of ice before embedding itself into the weapon. Robin was suddenly yanked backwards, and he was barely able to recognize Batman's uniform before the turret exploded in front of them.

"Well... this has been a blast," Robin joked, stepping back to throw another birdarang at a cannon behind his mentor. Batman's fingers twitched in response to the comment, a sign of amusement that Robin had only jut started picking up on.

"Our goal is to disarm as many of these weapons as possible so that we can safely destroy this fortress." Robin tilted his head. 'Safely' and 'destroy' didn't seem like they should be in the same sentence. "The metas are better suited for disarming the turrets, so you and I will work on another task. I have marked five locations on your holo glove's map. Distribute your heavy explosives at these locations as quickly as possible. I will do the same after telling the others to clear the area."

"Right, right. I'll meet you back here." Robin gave him a mock salute before darting in the opposite direction, pulling out his map immediately. "Let's see... Bingo!" He came to a stop in front of a blank wall. He inspected it carefully; he expected something more... Wait. Either he had one if the strangest headaches ever, or the buzzing in his head was because of nearby technology. Robin brought his hand up to the wall and pressed down. A portion of the surface followed his hand forward almost like a button, and a door opened to reveal a hidden panel. "Secret compartment? Nice. Still has nothing on the Bat Cave." He then planted a few of his heavy hitter explosives on the panel's front, and took his leave.

The next three panels were similarly hidden away, either in the walls or in the floor. Robin was attaching explosives to the very last one when a peculiar sound made him pause. Something sounded like it was flying through the air-

Pain blossomed in Robin's shoulder just as he made the decision to roll to safety. He grit his teeth as he grabbed at his stinging shoulder, unsurprised as his hand drew back covered in blood. Great.

"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry. Gotta break Bat's rule," Robin muttered, focusing on the inner working of the icicle cannon. Within seconds, the firing of ice was cut off as the turret powered down. His breath appeared in front of him as he let out a sigh of relief, but his shoulder still throbbed. "Mission first, wound later," he told himself as he returned to the panel. Once he was done planting the explosives, all he had left was to return to Batman.

So, he began his short journey to the other side of the fortress, only stopping to rearrange his uniform so that it didn't look like he was injured. Knowing Batman though... he would spot it a mile away.

"You're late," was the first thing the man said when he was within hearing range.

"There wasn't a time limit," he countered, and Batman's eyes narrowed. He smiled sheepishly. "Uh... weather delay?"

"Robin."

"Shouldn't we be getting off of this fortress? We need to detonate the explosives!"

"...We'll discuss this later. Aqualad, Aquaman, and the Flash have already evacuated. We'll be leaving via the Batplane."

Robin nodded and made his way over to the jet. "I still think 'Batwing' is a cooler name. Just saying."

"You're in a good mood," Batman noted as they boarded.

"I like working with the League." He shrugged. "Problem?"

"... No." Batman turned away. "Not at all." Robin grinned as the Batplane lifted into the air. When they were at a far enough distance, Batman and him simultaneously pressed the detonation buttons on their belts. Several explosions rocked the fortress before it tilted on its side and began to descend. "My next stop is Belle Reve. Hugo Strange must have some clue to what's been going on today." He glanced down at his protege. "Let's get you to warmer grounds first, so that another Leaguer can dress your shoulder wound."

Robin froze in his tracks, another sheepish smile forming on his face. "Maybe you are the World's Greatest Detective..."

Batman's lips twitched upwards ever so slightly, but he didn't reply.

xXx

"This is dumb," Connor grumbled as the Team dragged their sleeping bags into the living room.

M'gann beamed at him. "I think it was a good idea! I always wanted to have a sleepover. And this is a great way to continue celebrating Wally's birthday!"

"My dad would've had a stroke if he knew I was sleeping in the same room as boys," Zatanna commented, a sad smile on her face.

Artemis snorted. "Yeah, right. We're a bunch of goody-two-shoed kid heroes. What kind of trouble does he think we can get into, exactly?"

"We could start playing strip poker," Dick announced, snickering. "And I'd totally beat all of you too."

"Whoa, hang on, are you saying that you're better at poker than me?!" Wally exclaimed. "Dude, did you forget that I'm a total genius? The smarter you are, the harder it is for you to be beat at poker. And besides, do you even know how to play?"

Dick scoffed. "You excel at science, but I wouldn't call you a genius. My math skills would ensure a smooth victory for me."

"Is that a challenge?!"

"We are not playing strip poker," Artemis said, rubbing her temples. "Do you have any idea how dead we would all be if our mentors caught us?"

Kaldur nodded. "My King would be most disappointed in me, as would your mentors be with you. We should participate in a more innocent game."

"Oh, oh! Let's play spin the bottle!" Wally exclaimed, nearly jumping up and down where he sat.

"Ew, no thanks. The only person worth kissing in this room is Kaldur, and that's because he's the only single gentleman."

Kaldur cleared his throat, looking away.

Dick put a hand over his heart in false offense. "Et moi?"

"I'd kiss Robin," Zatanna said with a shrug. "He's cute."

"... Yeah, I guess he's kinda cute," Artemis said offhandedly. "But way too immature."

"...Fair enough," Dick said with a small huff. "But I think cute isn't the right word. Maybe something along the lines of-"

"Let's play truth or dare!" M'gann interrupted, eyes sparkling. "I always wanted to, like in the movies!"

"No," Zatanna said quickly, shaking her head. "With Wally here, that game could get bad fast. You can get dared to do anything. No way am I doing that!"

"Let's just watch a movie." Connor crossed his arms.

"The most innocent movie possible," Kaldur agreed. "Perhaps a children's movie?"

"Hm... Disney?" Wally suggested.

"You mean the lame cartoons that are mainly about stuck up princesses who fall in love before their twenties? Ha, pass," Artemis shook her head.

"There are cool Disney movies!" Wally argued, then turned to look at Dick. "Rob, help me out here."

Dick gave him a confused look. "How? I've never watched a Disney movie."

Wally, Artemis, and Zatanna immediately swerved their heads around to stare at him. Connor and Kaldur only nodded at his words. "Most of us are either not human, Cadmus experiments, or both," M'gann reminded the shocked three. "I mean, we could watch human movies in Mars, but I don't think you could in Cadmus."

"In Atlantis, we prefer theatre as a form of entertainment. We have no use for most technologies underwater."

Connor frowned. "I was asleep during my time at Cadmus. I only know a little about what it was like there." He turned to look at Dick questionably.

All of a sudden, the spotlight was on him. "Uh..." he scratched the back of his head nervously. "I'm probably not the best guy to ask. I was a special case, remember?"

The others nodded in acceptance, and moved on with the conversation. "Hey did you guys hear that there's going to be a Batman vs Superman movie? I know it's going to look totally unrealistic, but we should all go watch it when it comes out," Wally said cheerfully.

Artemis scoffed. "Why would we watch that? It's obvious who would win in that fight. Superman is more than capable of breaking every bone in Batman's body. The fight would be over in minutes."

Dick threw his head back and laughed. "The man that can be killed by a glowing rock is going to take down the World's Greatest Detective? Right, right."

Connor narrowed his eyes at the smug acrobat. "You think Batman can beat Superman?"

Dick rose his eyebrows. "Uh, yeah. Of course he can. Batman already made dozens of plans just in case he ever needed to take Superman down. Supes wouldn't ever be able to stand a chance."

Connor opened his mouth to make a snappy retort, but was cut off by Wally. "Wait. Are you telling me that Batman uses up his spare time by coming up with scenarios where he would have to take down Superman?"

"Yep," Dick confirmed, popping the 'p' sound. "The rest of the League too. I decided to play it safe and start with you guys before making my way up to the JLA."

"You're doing it too?!"

"Uh huh. Batman's paranoia kind of rubbed off on me." He shrugged. "On the bright side, I know what to do if any of you decides to turn traitor."

"That's insane." Artemis shook her head. "And what are we supposed to do if you turn traitor?"

His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm only human. Have Superboy snap my neck or something. Problem solved."

Wally sucked in a sharp breath. "Don't say that, dude. Just don't."

Dick turned to look at him, eyes locking with his. "I'm serious. If I ever turn traitor, kill me."

Everyone went deadly silent as Wally and Dick continued to stare each other down. Finally, the speedster looked away. "Let's watch that movie, guys."

Dick sighed and turned away, knowing that his friend would never do such a thing. A strong hand fell onto his shoulder suddenly, and he glanced up to see Kaldur giving him a stern look. "After our meeting with Batman and Roy, I believe I accidentally gave you a fear of harboring hidden programming," he said quietly so that no one else could hear.

Dick nodded slowly, though it was mostly untrue. He had a fear of having dangerous programming ever since his first mission with the Team, thanks. But maybe if Kaldur thought it was because of him, he would agree to what Wally couldn't do. "I can't risk hurting anyone, Kal. If I hurt any of you..." he bit his lip. "If something like that ever happens, don't let me become his puppet. I need to be taken out of the equation as soon as possible, or Deathstroke will have me do terrible things."

Kaldur glanced behind him, and Dick noticed that the rest of the Team was silently watching their exchange. Though they couldn't hear them due to the distance between them, they probably had a good idea of what they were talking about. "I am hesitant to agree to your demands. What if there is a chance that we can bring you, the real you, back?"

"You can't risk it. Kalur... You're the only person on this Team who can do it. The Justice League won't, not with Batman around."

"Perhaps-"

"There is no 'perhaps,'" he hissed lowly. "I refuse to have to do Deathstroke's bidding. If you don't kill me, he'll use me to kill others. It's either me or them."

Kaldur sighed, but nodded. "I... I do not desire to, but I will if that is your wish." His expression was unusually sad.

"Promise?"

The Atlantean hesitated. Dick saw a flicker of grief cross his eyes before Kaldur nodded once again. "I swear it." He looked away. "But I also promise you that I will do everything in my power to stop that potential scenario from occurring. Deathstroke will have to go through the entire Team and the Justice League to get to you, but I will fight the hardest."

Dick smiled in relief. There, now he had one less thing to worry about. "Thanks Kal. That means a lot to me."

Kaldur smiled sadly. "It would pain me to have to keep my promise. I have grown close to the members of this Team, including you. There is a saying that mentions being brothers in all but blood. I did not truly understand this before, but I certainly do now. This Team is my family, and you are my brother, Robin." His gaze softened. "And as my youngest brother, I feel as though I am slightly more protective over you than the rest. Please, stay safe. It is not my wish to lose a member of this family."

"I..." Dick's mouth fell open. "Kaldur, I promise you that I'll do my best to stay out of trouble. You're right, we are a family..." he closed his eyes. "And that's why I can't lose you guys."

Kaldur smiled and they both turned to look at the Team. Dick was slightly startled when he saw tears in the girls' eyes. "Is everything okay?" Kal asked, alarmed.

"I was listening, and had M'gann project my thoughts to the rest of the Team," Connor admitted, eyeing Dick strangely. "I would apologize, but I think we all needed to hear that." (AN: Connor: "sorrynotsorry" xD)

M'gann sniffed and threw her arms around both Kaldur and Dick. "We did... And I think now would be a great time for our first family group hug."

A few seconds later, Dick found himself surrounded at all sides. It was slightly claustrophobic, but it was also... nice. M'gann was right; they all needed that.

"... I think we should watch Lion King," Wally suddenly said, ruining the moment.

"I want to watch Frozen!" M'gann argued.

"What part of no stuck up princesses do you not understand?" Artemis asked with a glare.

"Hey, Frozen isn't like that!" Zatanna defended. "It's actually cute."

"Ugh, don't make me puke," Wally mumbled.

"I have heard great things about the Little Mermaid," Kaldur put in.

"Yeah... You don't want to watch it just because it's mainly underwater?"

Dick grinned and shook his head as his friends continued to argue. Well, some things would never change...

Hopefully.

xXx

AN: Guess who finally returned from London? Meee! I wrote out this chapter during my stay in the UK, so if my language seems a little off in this chapter, it's because my brain absorbed some of their phrases. Hopefully nothing looks too different. I doubt you even noticed. ^^

Anyways, I wanted to update everyone on how many chapters are left of this book. As of now, there are ten (not counting this one). That number might go up just a bit as I write everything out, but that's a close estimate. Also, we're almost done with season one! After I run out of episodes, the chapters will only contain pure original work. :D

That's it, ladies and gentlemen (do I have any male readers? :o). See you next chapter!