I'm not sure that I really like this chapter, but I wanted to do a chapter that showed that time is passing and things are changing a little. Hope you like it, please review.

"Mallory, you in here?" Brek called from her doorway.

Mallory sat up from where she'd been kneeling behind her bed, looking for her mask. "Yeah, over here," she told him.

Polar Boy made his way over and sat on the foot of her bed. "What are you doing?" he asked, peering over to see what she was looking for.

"I can't find my mask anywhere, and we've got a mission this afternoon," she replied, sitting next to him with a sigh.

"How do you know you're gonna have a mission?" he asked.

"Because there's an event in Gotham, some kind of party for the Commissioner. Batman wants us to be on perimeter because a bunch of wackos busted out of Arkham, and he thinks they're gonna make a move on the party."

"Are you going undercover?" he asked.

"No, we're not going to be in the building, just waiting for a signal to step in," she replied. Brek nodded, looking disappointed, and she laughed. "You wanted to be my date, didn't you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I've never been undercover, that's not really a thing in the future. Besides, I am your boyfriend, why wouldn't I want to be your date to a party?"

Mallory rolled her eyes and gave him a kiss. "If we ever go undercover to a fancy party, I promise you will be my date. Hey, you want to help me find the boys? I have a sneaking feeling that they have my mask."

Brek gave a fake shudder. "You would send me out there to brave those two lunatics?" he asked with a grin.

Mallory crossed her arms. "You would allow your girlfriend to put herself in that kind of danger without providing backup?" she countered.

"Ohh, good play," Brek said, and Mallory laughed and grabbed his hand. "Come on, it's probably gonna take the two of us to catch one of them." Brek laughed and they started for the training room first. No one was there, so they went to the living room, then to Megan's room, the garage, the hangar, and the library. The boys were nowhere to be found.

"Great," Mallory muttered as they made their way back to the living area. Wally was in the kitchen making a twelve layer sandwich, and she leaned against the counter.

"Have you seen the boys?" she asked, plucking a pickle out of the pile he'd put on the lid of the jar.

"Yeah, Rob and I were watching them a few minutes ago. I needed to refuel, but he's still with them."

"Where are they?" Mallory asked.

"In his training room," Wally replied, putting the final piece of bread on his sandwich.

Mallory nodded her thanks and eyed the snack. "Don't pop your jaw out of socket trying to fit that in your mouth," she said as she walked away. She and Brek went to Robin's training room. When she opened the door, Brek's jaw dropped and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Gar and Peter were sparring, each with a staff in their hands. Robin was circling them, correcting their form and giving tips. Peter was wearing Mallory's mask, and his eyes were narrowed to slits as he concentrated. Mallory watched as he detached the staff in the middle, giving him two sticks, and doubled his efforts, keeping his attacks high. Eventually, Gar left his legs unprotected as he got used to Peter attacking his upper body, and Peter drop kicked, sweeping Gar's legs out from under him. He placed the tip of his stick at the base of Gar's neck and grinned. "Give up?" he asked the green boy. Gar raised his arms, dropping his staff, and Peter helped him up.

"That was good, Peter. Gar, you could have kept the fight going, you still had your weapon, so…" Robin's voice trailed off when he saw Mallory and Brek in the doorway, the former with her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "Hey, I'll bet Wally's still in the kitchen. Maybe he'll get you two a snack if you ask him," he told the boys. They nodded and scampered off.

"Brek, maybe you should go with them. Robin may have taught them intimidation methods, and poor Wally's defenseless with that sandwich," Mallory said. Brek nodded and followed the boys to the common room. Mallory turned her attention back to Robin, her arms still crossed, and stared at him.

"Oh, come on, Mallory. They asked me to help them learn how to protect themselves. What was I supposed to say? No, I don't care of you get beat up?" Robin said.

"No, of course not. But that wasn't self defense! Those were real moves, offensive moves. And they were good, really good. How long have you been training them?"

Robin shrugged. "You knew me and Artemis were teaching Peter a few moves," he said evasively.

"So, every time Peter's visited, you've been training him?" Mallory asked.

Robin shrugged. "I mean, sure, we all have," he said.

Mallory sighed and walked past him, raking her hands through her hair in frustration.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Mal. You knew we were teaching him to fight, you've seen him sparring with me before."

Mallory took a breath. It was true, she'd always know the team was training him, but seeing him just then, with the mask on, and seeing how capable he'd become in such a short time, it had scared her. "Because, Robin, I don't want him to be a hero," she told her friend, her voice going from mad to pleading. "He's my baby brother. I don't want anything to happen to him."

Robin's face softened at that. "I know, Mal. I don't want anything to happen to him, either. That's why I'm teaching him to protect himself, so he won't every get in a situation that he can't get out of."

Mallory turned back to face him, and it suddenly struck her how much he'd grown up since she'd first met him. He was no longer the skinny thirteen year old who'd only come to her chin and had brought the team together with his boyish charm and wit. He was now fifteen. He was as tall as she was, and he'd gotten broader around the shoulders. He was still the heart and soul of the team, but he wasn't the kid he had been back then. None of them were.

He tilted his head, and Mallory shook her head and smiled slightly. "You're right. I guess I'm just- scared of change," she said quietly.

Robin smiled and tilted his head. "Hey, nothing's changing. He's not gonna become a hero, at least not for a good long while. In the meantime, the team will teach him, and I'll try to discourage him."

Mallory nodded. "Thanks, little bro," she said with a smile, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

Robin chuckled and gave her a sideways look. "What's with you today?" he asked.

Mallory shrugged and fell into step with him as they made their way to the kitchen. "Nothin," she replied, and he shrugged and didn't say anything else. They got to the living room to see Peter riding piggy back on Wally and Gar riding on Brek. Gar was urging Brek to catch Wally, but the speedster was too quick, and all four of them were laughing as the game continued.

"Robin, come on!" Peter called, and the Boy Wonder grinned and joined the fray, trying to catch any of the boys, his cackles echoing off the walls along with Peter and Gar's shrieks and laughter.

Mallory sat at the counter and watched, shaking her head even as an uncontrollable smile crossed her face. For all the trials and obstacles she faced for being on the team, these moments made up for every one of them. Robin ended up tripping Brek, making him throw Gar on the couch. When the thermokinetic got to his feet, he walked over to his girlfriend, grinning.

"What?" he asked, seeing her looking at him.

Mallory shook her head. "Nothing, I just didn't know you were so good at this," she said.

"Good at what?" he asked.

"Relating to kids," she replied.

"You don't seem too surprised about Robin or Wally," he commented.

Mallory scoffed. "Yeah, well, those two never really grew up. I'm glad Peter likes you."

"Does he know about us?" Brek asked.

Mallory shook her head. "No, none of my family does. I just figured that, I mean, you're not going to be here forever. I didn't want them to get attached, it wouldn't be fair to them."

Brek nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Man, I'm gonna hate to leave," he said, his smile dimming a little as he looked at Robin and Wally and the boys running around the living room. Mallory looked at him thoughtfully. She hadn't really considered what would happen when the Legion left, she'd figured that they would deal with that when they got there. Now, she found herself wanting him to stay more than ever. It was on the tip of her tongue to suggest it, but she bit it back. It had to come from him, it had to be his decision, not hers, and not made solely because of her.

"Brek, what are you doing? Come on!" Gar yelled, and Brek's grin came back. "Wish me luck," he told Mallory before striding back over to the boys. Mallory smiled and rested her head on the counter. "Good luck," she murmured, more for herself than him.