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Three minutes later, Mallory was speeding through the Bludhaven streets, her chest heaving as she gulped in air, but her helmet was stuffy, making her feel like she was suffocating. As soon as she pulled up in front of Dick's apartment house, she leapt off her bike and tossed her helmet down, running up the front steps and buzzing the intercom. The door unlatched immediately and she flung it open, taking the stairs two at a time to the highest floor. She paused when she was outside her friend's apartment, her knuckles an inch from the wood. She took a breath and brought her hand down twice. The door opened after a moment, and Wally was standing there, his face blank, but his eyes burning with anger and grief. Mallory sighed and stepped in, closing the door behind him. All of the questions that had been swirling around in her head, what happened, why, where, does Jess know, was Dick there, why wasn't the League or team called, left her head. Right now, only one of them was important.

"Where's Dick?" she asked softly.

Wally stepped to the side to reveal Dick sitting on his couch, his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. Artemis was sitting in the chair next to the sofa, leaning close to him, and Raquel was in the kitchen making some hot chocolate. She and Artemis both looked up when Mallory came in, and they all nodded solemnly. Mallory put her phone and wallet on the coffee table and knelt in front of Dick, putting a hand on his arm. He took a shuddery breath and looked up, and Mallory pulled him into a hug. His breathing deepened as he tried to get control of himself, and she didn't let go until it evened out.

When he seemed better, she pulled away and sat next to him, Wally on the other side. Raquel brought the mugs in and set them on the coffee table, but no one took one. Mallory counted them absently. There were seven. They stayed silent until a knock at the door made them all start. Mallory got up to answer it, and she was greeted by the grim faces of Conner, Megan, and Zatanna. She nodded towards their younger friend, no link needed to convey the situation. Zatanna sighed and went to sit by Dick, rubbing his back and resting her head on his shoulder. Megan and Conner went to him, Megan hugged him and Conner laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. Dick nodded, but he didn't speak. No one expected him to.

They stayed, silently supporting him, for over an hour before he finally looked around, cleared his throat, and said in a raspy voice, "thanks." They nodded, Artemis and Zatanna murmured, "of course."

Conner looked away and muttered, "Kalder should be here." The others looked at him, and he narrowed his eyes, anger burning in them. "What? You know he has to have heard about it by now. It had to have been them that did this. So why isn't he here? Why didn't he stop it in the first place?"

Megan shot him a look, but the subject had already been opened. Dick shut his eyes again, sighed, and said, "We don't know where he is. Just because he disappeared after finding out who his father is, it doesn't mean he went to switch sides. This is Kalder we're talking about. He wouldn't do this to anyone, especially not one of us."

Conner sighed. "Yeah, I know," he said quietly.

Megan was looking at Dick, trying to decide if she should ask something. Finally, Raquel decided it couldn't wait.

"Was this the Light?" she asked, her voice both sympathetic and firm.

Dick shook his head slowly. "I- no, I don't think so. It was, uh, Joker. He kidnapped Jason earlier today, by the time Bruce found him, it was too late." His words hung heavy over their heads. The Joker. If Jason was captured by that madman, then there was no way he died peacefully or quickly.

"Does Jess know?" Mallory asked quietly.

Tears started to pool in Dick's eyes, and he rubbed them away quickly. "Yeah, we told her as soon as Bruce got all of the details. They're in Ethiopia. I zetaed back here to, oh, God, I don't even know. I just couldn't take it anymore. I stayed until she passed out, and I told Alfred I'd be back soon. I just, I couldn't-" His voice drifted off, and his head sank back into his hands as he tried to compose himself again.

"Dick, it's all right, just let it out," Megan said quietly.

Dick took a few more shuddery breaths, and finally he couldn't hold it back anymore. He broke down into sobs, his shoulders shaking, his hair hanging over his face loosely. The team stayed there silently, letting him break down until he had nothing left. Finally, he rubbed a hand across his face and shook his head. "I don't know how Jess is going to get through this," he said quietly, his voice breaking as he said it.

The others were quiet, but Mallory looked up, her face firm, her voice soft. "She'll be all right. She's got you to help her through," she said.

Dick looked at her. "I don't know if I'm strong enough to help her. Not alone. God, she hates Bruce for this, you know? How can I keep the family together when it's falling apart around me? I don't know if I can take that kind of pressure," he said softly.

"You're not alone, Dick. We're here," Zatanna replied.

Dick nodded a thanks, looking around at the people who had been his family for the last five years. "Thanks," he said again. They nodded, and Dick sighed and said, "Bruce won't be back for a week, but I thought that when he gets back we should put a memorial in the grotto. He deserves that much at least. Bruce isn't going to want to advertise the fact that his sixteen year old sidekick was brutally murdered. He's got a touchy relationship with the public as it is."

Mallory and Megan nodded. "Of course, we'll do whatever you want," Mallory said.

Dick nodded, then he took a shaky breath and said, "I need to get back, I don't want Jess to wake up alone." He pushed himself to his feet, and Wally handed him a duffle bag. "I packed some stuff for you, figured you'd be gone for a few days," the speedster explained.

Dick nodded his thanks. "We're going to fly back to Gotham tomorrow, we'll need a cover story for how Jason Todd died, and I'm going to stay at the manor for a while."

Wally pulled him into a quick hug. "Call if you need anything," he said.

Dick smiled weakly. "Yeah, I will, thanks," he said.

The girls all gave him a hug as well, and he was almost to the door when he paused and turned. "Oh, Mallory, can you do me a favor?"

Mallory tilted her head. "Yeah, of course," she said.

"Can you make your nachos for the memorial?"

Mallory tilted her head in confusion. "Uh, yeah, ok..."

He nodded. "Thanks. I'll call tomorrow and let you know what's going on."

They nodded and watched as their friend shouldered the duffel and went to the door, on his way to rejoin his grieving family.

The next morning, the League and team gathered in the cave for Clark to break the news. The batfamily were notably absent, and everyone's hearts ached for them. Gar and Peter were standing together at the front of the team, and Mallory watched their faces closely. They were affected the most by the news. Gar's eyes went wide, Peter's narrowed and he looked past the Man of Steel. Mallory sighed and looked away, a storm of emotions boiling inside of her. Her hands clenched into fists as she glared ahead of her.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and ground her teeth for a moment before looking up. Hawk Woman's face was grim, but her eyes were soft and sympathetic, and she gave Mallory's shoulder a squeeze. The pyrokinetic nodded, not questioning the unusual show of emotion. Clark was in front of her in a moment.

"I guess you've already talked to Nightwing," he said quietly. She nodded, a lump in her throat preventing her from speaking. Clark nodded, and after a moment he said, "You don't need to worry about patrolling. The team is off missions for a few days, and I think it would be alright if you and Zatanna and Rocket took a few days as well."

Mallory shook her head and shrugged. She still couldn't trust herself to speak, and Clark didn't expect her to. He moved around to the Leaguers, answering questions that they had in a low tone so that the newer members of the team wouldn't hear him. Mallory heard bits of his answers as she stood frozen in her spot. "Joker…" "Crowbar…" "hours…" "explosion…"

She shut her eyes tight for a moment, then snapped them open and started walking, hardly noticing who she was moving around as she hurried through the crowded room. She needed to be alone, needed some air. She went to her room and punched the button to open the doors, not remembering to close them. She paced her room, raking her hands through her hair, and finally sat on her bed, staring at the floor, her mind refusing to turn off. She wasn't sure how long she was there, imagining what Jason's last few hours must have been, when there was a soft knock on her door frame. She looked up to see Peter standing in the hall.

"Hey, I figured you'd want to talk," he said, walking in.

Mallory shrugged and nodded. She did, but he wouldn't like what she had to say. "Peter," she started, but he held up a hand, stopping her.

"I know what you're going to say, so let me save us both some time. I'm not quitting. This doesn't change anything, Mal. I knew the risks before I joined the team, and I'm still willing to take them now."

Mallory sighed and nodded. "I guess I knew you would say that. I just can't get it out of my head. I can't lose you like that, do you hear me? I can't lose you at all. Promise me you won't make me deal with that."

He nodded, his face completely serious. "You have to promise too," he said.

Mallory felt a sharp spike in her chest and she looked away for a moment, knowing that she couldn't promise anything. When she looked back at her little brother, she sighed and said, "I promise, I'll try my hardest to stick around as long as I can."

His eyes squinted and he gave her a weird look, but fortunately her phone rang, saving her from his questions.

"It's Wally," she told him, looking at the caller ID.

"Ok, I'm gonna go back to the others."

She nodded and waited for him to leave the room before answering the call. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, I guess Clark told everyone by now," he said.

Mallory sighed. "Yeah, just now. How's Dick today?"

There was a long pause on his end. "'Bout the same. He's still worried about Jess. She hasn't talked to Bruce since he told her, and he won't go see her."

They were quiet for a moment, then Mallory sighed and said, "I missed you and Artemis so much when you quit, I used to think about dragging you back onto the team by force. Now, I'm glad you gave it up. I wish more of us would at least think about it."

"Did you ask Peter?" Wally asked.

"Ask him what?" she asked.

"If he would quit," the speedster replied.

Mallory sighed. "Not exactly. He got the jump on me and told me he wasn't going to."

"You couldn't have really thought he would," he said.

Mallory shook her head, her hand tightening around her phone. "No, not really, I just had to give it a shot. God, I don't know what I would do if something happened to him. I barely know how to deal with this happening to Jason."

Wally sighed, then he asked, "are you going to quit?"

The question startled her and she scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. "No, of course not," she said.

"Well, that's exactly how everyone else feels. Mallory, everyone who's on the League and the team know what the risks are and they're all willing to take them. You know that. You can't expect everyone to give up when you won't even think about it yourself."

She wanted to argue the point, wanted to say that she knew that she would be safe, at least until the prophecy came true, but she couldn't. Even if Wally had known about it, it was a weak argument and she knew it. "Yeah, you're right," she said quietly.

"I'm always right," he said, and Mallory felt a small smile come to her face. It left as quickly as it had come. "When are they going to be back?" she asked.

"About a week. There's some red tape they have to go through to get his body back into the country, and they have to come up with a cover story for his death."

She nodded. "I should get back out there," she said after a moment.

"Ok. I'll keep you guys posted."

"Thanks," she replied. She was about to hang up when Wally added, "And, Mal?"

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"Yeah, you too. I'll talk to you later." She hung up, but she didn't move for a moment, thinking about the possibility that she wouldn't. She shook the thought from her head. 'They're safe. They left the life,' she told herself, forcing the unthinkable from her mind and getting to her feet to rejoin her friends in the living room.

A week later, the League and team were gathered at the cave for Robin's memorial. They were all in civies, everyone moving around in groups. Bruce and Clark were notably absent. Everyone was taking turns going over to Dick. Jess was staying away from everyone, her dark glasses hiding the pain in her eyes. Mallory and Zatanna exchanged a glance, and Zatanna shook her head slightly. "I went to the manor. Here, just bring her some nachos and see if she wants to talk," she said, dishing some of the dish Mallory had made onto a plate.

Mallory sighed, taking the plate from her, and made her way into the training room to where Jess was sitting on the steps to get to the upper level. "Hey, brought you some food," she said softly, offering Jess the plate. The younger hero looked up, and Mallory's heart tugged in her chest at how hollow and drained her pale face looked. She took the plate with a nod and looked back down. Mallory sighed. "Mind if I sit?" she asked.

Jess's lips pressed together. "If you're gonna tell me how sorry you are, how it shouldn't have happened, how great my brother was, then let me save you the time. I don't want to hear it," she said, her voice stronger than Mallory had expected it to be.

The pyrokinetic sighed. "I guess you've heard it all in the last few days, haven't you?" she said softly. "For the record, I wasn't going to say any of that. I know from experience that it doesn't help, especially not from people who didn't know the person well. I just wanted to check on you, see how you're holding up."

Jess studied her for a moment from behind her glasses, then she shrugged and nodded to the steps. Mallory took it as an invitation and sat down. She sat for a while, not knowing what to say. After a moment, Jess picked up one of the chips and took a small bite. "It's good," she said quietly.

Mallory smiled. "It's kind of my specialty around here. Dick asked me to make them for you."

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly, not exactly a smile, but it was getting there. "He said he'd never say anything," she murmured.

"What?" Mallory asked.

She shook her head. "It's not important. Thanks for making them."

Mallory nodded, and she sighed and decided to just jump into the deep end. "Dick said that you and Bruce are having some problems."

Jess looked at her sharply, her walls starting to come back up. "What business is it of yours?" she snapped.

Mallory shook her head. "None. I was just going to say, if you want somewhere to stay for a while, you're welcome to move into the cave for as long as you want. No one will bother you, you can come and go whenever you want, and if you ever don't want to be alone, you'll have people just a room away."

The girl relaxed a little. "Thanks, but I'm good. Teams aren't really my thing."

Mallory nodded. "Ok. Well, you know you have a room here, so if you ever change your mind, you don't have to say a word. Even though you quit, you're still part of the team."

Jess nodded. Dick came in and walked over to her. "We're going downstairs now," he said quietly. Jessica froze, her face blank, but her hand shaking slightly.

"It's ok if you don't want to come right now," Mallory told her.

She took a breath and shook her head. "I'm fine," she lied, setting the barely touched nachos on the stairs and getting to her feet.

"You sure?" Dick asked. She nodded deliberately and led the way to the living room.

Mallory exchanged a look with Dick. "You ready for this?" she asked.

Dick sighed and shook his head. "Not really, but let's get it over with," he murmured. Mallory gave him a side hug as they walked down to the grotto.

The platform had already been moved into the grotto and the picture uploaded, all they had to do was turn it on. Mallory and Dick moved to where the old team, including Wally and Artemis, were standing off to the side. Mallory looked up at the hologram of Tula, fighting back tears. How could this have happened again? How could they have let another person down? She looked at Jess, who was standing up straight and tall at the front of the group, no sign of vulnerability or emotion showing.

Diana turned on the picture, and there was Jason, the second Robin, dressed in his uniform, standing diagonal from Tula. The heroes stared at the picture, grieving the kid that they'd come to know in the last few months, and making the same promise that the team had made to Tula nearly two years before: to never forget.