The following day, they were preparing for their morning training sessions when they were suddenly summoned to an important meeting in the main atrium. When Laurel and Shado arrived to the chamber, there were already several other members of the League waiting quietly in the room. Most of those present were the elite: Al-Owal, Athena and others of their caliber. There were also a few mid-tier members, but no other new recruits like them. Feeling out of place and nervous but both knowing better than to show it, they saddled up to the back row and shuffled themselves at the end of it, near the corner, and waited.

Finally, Ra's appeared, flanked by Nyssa. He was not garbed in robes, but in his own personal armor, understated but unique. It made him look larger, stronger and more imposing, if that were even possible. "Welcome," he started, after settling onto the main dias. "You have been summoned here for an important mission: to aid me in my latest attempt to pressure the Detective into joining the ranks of the Demon and taking his rightful place at my side. We depart for Gotham City tonight. Prepare your things, and meet together in the garage in four hours."

With that final word spoken, he turned on his heel and left, Nyssa following at his heel with a frosty expression on her face. She looked angry, though for what Laurel could only guess. Once they were both gone, the League broke ranks and gradually began to trail out of the chamber. Al-Owal spotted them and beckoned them forward, no doubt to speak to them and explain who the "Detective" was.

Laurel had heard the name both during and after her training in the League, spoken in whispers with some combination of reverence, hatred, and grudging respect. But the one time Shado and her had scrounged up the courage to ask who he was, they had been sharply rebuked. They would only learn if they managed to join the League proper. Otherwise, it was none of their business.

Well, it seemed it was their business now. Al-Owal guided them out of the main atrium and to one of the private training rooms, one with no window and was considerably isolated, with strong stone walls. A powerful deterrent for any possible eavesdroppers. Both of his former students dutifully followed him inside the room, with Shado locking the door behind them once they were all inside. Now certain that they were all alone and would not be overheard, Al-Owal clasped his hands behind his back and gave both of them a piercing gaze. "You have questions."

"The Detective," Shado said first, doing her best to remain respectful and hide her eagerness. "You said we could learn who he was if we managed to pass our training and join the League."

"I did, Qalnaswa," Al-Owal acknowledge with a nod. "And now that you have been recruited for this mission, you must know, to understand how important this mission is to the League."

Both of them fell silent, waiting patiently for their mentor to speak. Al-Owal eyed them both, before he began again. "Many and many years ago, Nyssa had an older sister named Talia — the original Heir to the Demon. However, Ra's was not satisfied with having Talia as an heir. As no woman had ever been Ra's al Ghul, he doubted her capabilities to properly succeed him. He wanted a male heir, which is why he had a second child, Nyssa, only for that child to be a daughter as well."

Upon hearing that, Laurel tried not to roll her eyes. For all his skill, power, and wisdom, it seemed the one thing time had not managed to cure Ra's of was his misogyny. You'd think he'd know better, considering how many successful female assassins that had been members of the League during his reign. Especially considering one of those very assassins was arguably the greatest warrior the League had ever produced.

Unaware of her thoughts, Al-Owal continued his story. "So, he decided to change tactics and find a new male heir among the recruits of the League, who would marry Talia with his blessing, in hopes of begetting a dynasty that would lead the League for the centuries to come."

"But none of the men of the League fit the right criteria for what Ra's wanted in an heir. I was the closest, but I was the oldest of his current followers and had already dipped myself into the Lazarus Pit several times. My body was reaching the limit of how much the Pit could heal, and it was unlikely I would live long enough after Ra's to stabilize the League for my reign. So, Ra's decided to find someone else, which is when came across the Detective — better known as the vigilante called the Batman of Gotham."

That got Laurel's attention, and she had to stifle a gasp, her hand going to her mouth in shock. Both Al-Owal and Shado immediately noticed. "I take it you've heard of him, Taer Al-Aswad?"

She nodded, still in disbelief. "In my former life, I learned of him from my father. He's supposed to be an urban myth, a boogeyman used by the GCPD to scare criminals off the streets."

Al-Owal shook his head. "The Batman is no mere myth, but very real. Talia encountered him first, during a mission to kill a corrupt politician by the name of Aubrey James — the city's mayor at the time. The Detective stopped the assassination, however, and became the first person outside of the master to have ever defeated her in direct combat. Instead of feeling slighted, however, Talia became intrigued by him, and decided to stay behind in Gotham and investigate him as a potential ally or even a new member of the League."

"She ended up discovering his civilian identity as a result, and made contact with him in that identity with one of her own civilian aliases, Talia Head, becoming a newcomer in Gotham's high society. The more they interacted and came to know each other, the closer they became, until they eventually fell in love with each other and started a relationship. By all accounts, it was a joyful union."

"But Talia became so absorbed in their new relationship that she continually delayed her return to Nanda Parbat before eventually breaking off contact altogether. This caused the master to become concerned, and so he decided to bring Talia back himself along with a small contingent of assassins." Al-Owal crossed his arms. "When he arrived in the city, found himself unimpressed with Gotham's continuing corruption and devised a plan to cleanse it, only to be stopped by the Detective with Talia's aid. During the encounter, he found himself impressed by the man's skill, discipline, intelligence, and overall physical and mental fortitude. So much so that he decided that the Batman should be his long-awaited heir."

Both women frowned when they heard this. While neither of them were particularly close to Nyssa, she was still their rescuer and both felt a degree of gratitude to her for saving their lives. Hearing this story now, it was no wonder why Nyssa was so unhappy in the main atrium earlier. The entire situation was proof that even though she bore the official title, her father did not consider her his true heir. They couldn't help but be offended on her behalf.

"The Detective refused the offer, however," Al-Owal said. "The League's principles operated on the idea of replacing evil with death, and he had long since sworn a vow to never kill. But that did not deter the master, and he has never given up on the idea of making him his heir. This is just the latest of several attempts in the past two decades to bring him to heel."

Shado narrowed her eyes. "And what of Talia?"

"She left the League. The constant conflicts drove her away, as she did not want to be caught between her father and the man she loved. The master hopes that if the Detective accepts his offer, however, she will return so they can marry and properly rule over the League as he has always wished. If not, however, then Nyssa will simply take her place as his bride." The unfortunately carried after was silent but present. It was an open secret what Nyssa's preferences were, not that her father likely cared. When it came to Nanda Parbat and all who resided there, his word was law. Nyssa was no different in that regard.

There were a few more questions, some Al-Owal deigned to answer, others he deflected to be explained when they arrived in Gotham proper. But eventually, they were dismissed. They only had a few hours left before it was time to depart for the city, and they had no time to waste.

Gotham City

Barbara Gordon was not, in the moment, a happy woman.

It's not that she couldn't be. Happiness may have been harder to come by in recent years, ever since the Joker (on some kind of revenge crusade against her father) appeared at her home one night and shot her in the stomach. That in itself was bad enough, but the bullet nicked her spine and left her paraplegic for the rest of her life. And needless to say, that had left her… angry.

Perhaps angrier than she had any right to be, considering she still had her life and sanity, which was more than could be said for most of the Joker's victims. But before all of that, Barbara had been the vigilante Batgirl, fighting alongside Batman and the first Robin against crime. She had thrived in that life, prancing around in spandex while punching out thugs and supervillains alike. But eventually life had won out, and she had just opted to retire from her alter-ego to continue her studies for college, when the Joker struck. And just like that, the one thing that defined her adolescence had been taken from her, with no chance of getting it back.

Physical therapy had been a trial in itself, but Barbara was determined no matter how angry at the world she had been. And it was during those painful months as she learned to move again and live her life without her legs that she realized she still wanted to be a part of that world. To live the vigilante life, and help people, no matter her current state.

And it was that desire, that drive, that had led her to Oracle. She had always been good with computers, the best of their little vigilante operation, but her newfound disability putting her on the shelf for months meant she had all the time in the world to improve her already-expert computer hacking skills to near-legendary status. It wasn't long before the all-knowing information broker, Oracle, established herself as a powerful player in the underworld. As people courted her for her intelligence and abilities, baffled by her refusal to accept currency in lieu of information, she gradually formed and developed numerous government connections. A.R.G.U.S., Checkmate, the CIA, the DIA, the FBI — all that and more, all over the world, found themselves in her debt, one way or another.

With those very connections, she rejoined Batman and the former Robin (now Nightwing) in their crusade against crime in Gotham. She became their mission control, the one who directed them to the many crimes throughout and helped them develop plans to counteract numerous villainous plots seeking to do the innocent harm. In some ways, Barbara had become a more effective vigilante as Oracle than she ever was as Batgirl, and she felt proud of that.

But now, she was finding her new position as the team's mission control and information-gatherer a right headache. Right after her shift at the library, she had headed home so she could go straight to the clocktower that served as the base where she conducted her actual job. And like every night, the first thing she did was check her usual contacts throughout the city, trying to see if there was any chatter that she needed to make note of. And unfortunately, it was one of those nights.

Those nights, where the entire city's back alleys were alight with tension. Those nights, where what little remained of Gotham's organized crime was in a frenzy. Those nights, where even those godforsaken supervillains were looking left and right before crossing the road to their next major crime.

Something big was coming. It only took Barbara ten minutes to figure out who it was. And when she saw that damning evidence, all she could do was sigh and pick up her phone, and dial a number she knew by heart.

"Hey, Dick. It's me. I know you're busy with the gala and all, but I've got something for both of you that you need to hear, ASAP."

The Gotham Convention Center was the premier place in Gotham to hold an event — any kind of event. From blood drives to charity galas, it could support it all, and therefore had seen its own fair share of chaos in the early years of Gotham's emerging age of supervillainy. Now, almost a decade and a half since that age had fully come into fruition, the Convention Center had long since gone with the times and upped their security immensely. The best private security force in the city, the Crows led by Jacob Kane, were providing protection for the night, which meant everyone but the absolute worst of the worst knew to stay away. And there were already supplies tucked away in hidden alcoves to deal with Joker Venom or Fear Gas if it came to that, so there was no need to fear on that front either.

To that end, Gotham's elite enjoyed a night where they got to indulge in their luxury and play power games under the guise of raising funding for the poor and needy. Of course, they actually were fundraising to help all those starving children in Crime Alley and the like, but that wasn't the actual reason they were here. That was the excuse, the formality. The real lure of a gala like this, much like everything else, was the ability to flaunt your wealth and influence in hopes of increasing your standing.

It was disgusting and classist and Bruce hated every minute of it. He'd much rather be at the Bat-Cave, poring over the latest reports about Black Mask's most recent foray into international arms dealing. But unfortunately, Brucie Wayne loved these kinds of things, and he was a necessary component to making sure that no one beyond a select few knew that Bruce Wayne was Batman. So here he was, playing ball, putting on that classic playboy smile and laughing stupidly at every hair-brained joke thrown his way.

At least, until he saw her.

It wasn't long until Silver saw him too, and stiffened as well. She was just as beautiful as she was five years ago, the last time he saw her after the heartwrenching end of their relationship. Her platinum-blonde hair, so close to matching her name, shined under the lights, giving her an almost ethereal glow. Bruce, despite knowing it was over and that he had no chance, found himself entranced.

Then, Silver came over to talk to him, and whatever enchantment he felt was lost in awkwardness. "Hi," she said, stiltedly.

"Hi," he said back, a little hesitant. The thing about Bruce was that he was great at faking small talk with anyone but someone he actually cared about. "How have you been?"

"Good," she replied, then cleared her throat. She lifted her hand, and Bruce found himself stiffening at the sight of a ring on her finger. "I just got engaged recently."

"Congratulations." This time, he spoke far more blandly. "Anyone I know?"

If anything, this caused her face to shadow even more. "Evan Gregory."

"The U.S. Senator?" She nodded. Bruce adopted a tight smile. "I see. Well, again. Congratu—"

"BRUCE!"

Before he could finish, Bruce found himself dragged away from Silver, who gave him an awkward wave for farewell. He sighed and glanced over at his 'rescuer'. Said 'rescuer' was really his date for the gala, the Gotham Gazette's most notorious journalist, Vicki Vale. A beautiful woman in her own right, but it was offset by her volatile and unpleasant personality. Not that she had ever showed that side of herself to him until tonight, at least not while she was aware of his presence.

Vicki had always been flirtatious with him, hoping to become the next 'Wayne girl', except this time as the one to finally sink her claws into him fully. Normally, he wouldn't given her the time of the day, but he hadn't been able to find another date for this gala in time and the gossip columns were getting a bit suspicious about how there hadn't been another Wayne girl in a while. He couldn't go up and tell them that was because Talia and him had another bad breakup and he didn't want distract himself with another meaningless fling. The less said about the current state of his relationship with Selina, the better.

So, when Vicki pounced on him during his latest interview with the Gazette, he finally gave in to her advances and offered to be her date to the Children's Charity Gala. She already had her own invite thanks to having been tasked to cover the event for the Gazette, as did he, since he was one of their most prominent donors. But the invite came with a plus one, and Vicki had been angling to be his plus one for years now. So he asked, she said yes, and here they were. And in-between talking with the many members of Gotham's elite and trying to figure out the best way to slander them without opening the Gazette to a libel suit, she had been clingy all night, especially whenever he was speaking to some beautiful, unattached woman. This had just been the worst case thus far.

"Why were you talking to her?" she hissed the moment they were far away from any prying ears. "She broke up with you!"

"I know, but I still consider her a friend," Bruce pointed out.

"Even so—!"

"Vicki, you have nothing to worry about," he said, this time with that low, suave voice and that charming smirk of his. He caressed her check, his smirk widening just so when Vicki blushed and diverted her eyes away. "We've been over for years now. She's engaged. And why would I be looking at her, when I've got the most beautiful woman in the room right here in my arms?"

His date giggled, and Bruce mentally let out a sigh of relief. It's not like he didn't understand why Vicki was so worried and jealous. Silver St. Cloud had been the most serious out of all the 'Wayne girls' he had dated over the years. She was, perhaps, the most serious relationship he had ever had, after Selina and Talia. He had been dangerously close to falling in love with her, and some part of him, he knew, still loved her regardless.

But it wasn't meant to last. Silver had found out Bruce was Batman, and she couldn't handle it. The sleepless nights, the laundry list of injuries, the ever-present fear that came every time he went out as the Bat. The fear that told her that this would be it. That his luck would finally run out, and come morning she would wake up to find a newspaper on her doorstep, with some kind of snappy headline about his death and the fact that he was Batman. It was too much. So she had broken up with him and left Gotham, and that had been the end of it.

Bruce pushed away all his remaining thoughts of Silver from his mind as Vicki's gaze turned heated. Her eyes closed as she leaned over a kiss, and he did the same, ready to meet her halfway—

And then the door slammed open.

"Hey, Bruce," came the voice of his adopted son, recent college graduate Dick Grayson (better known as "Richie Wayne" in these circles). "Some lady is trying to call you, something about you leaving your tie and underwear at her place last night?"

He didn't have time to sigh in resignation before Vicki's piercing slap struck his face, leaving a bright red bruise. By the time Bruce managed to regain his wits, she was leaving in a huff, stomping away in her too-high heels. Wonderful. He could only imagine what the Gazette would be saying about him in the next edition. Maybe he should just call Wayne Enterprises' legal time now and have them start prepping for the libel suit.

With annoyed expression on his face, Bruce turned to his son and gave him an unimpressed look. Dick, however, looked completely unrepentant, simply shrugging in response. "It's not like you wanted to come here with her anyway," he pointed out, with a slightly cheeky grin.

This time, Bruce really did sigh. "What's the real news?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The cheekiness faded immediately as Dick's expression turned serious. That alone was enough to immediately put Bruce on alert. "Not here," his son told him, before guiding him away to outside the ballroom and into the hall.

They looked around to make sure they were alone. Bruce turned to his son and crossed his arms. "What is it, Dick?"

"Babs called. There's been a lot of chatter on the streets lately. The city's underbelly is in a frenzy. It took her a bit to confirm, but now we know why: Ra's al Ghul is coming back to Gotham."

At the sound of the name of arguably his greatest enemy, Bruce turned grim. "Wonderful," he said, clicking his teeth. "Just wonderful."

It seemed a hit piece from Vicki was going to be the least of his worries.

Yup! Laurel and co. are heading to Gotham! If you know me, you know well enough to know I am well-versed in the Batman mythos (hence, all that stuff about Silver comes straight from the comics), so this has been a real treat to plan out and write. Batman and his family are going to play important parts in Laurel's journey from this point on, though obvious Laurel and the Arrow cast are still going to be the main protagonists.

I hoped you liked the way I wrote out Batman's past with Talia and the League in this fic. I mostly borrowed from Bruce and Talia's first encounter in the comics, though obviously I mixed it in from what we know of Talia in Arrowverse canon (which isn't much, I'll admit). Talia will be making an appearance eventually, though not during Laurel's five years.

One thing to note is that, in my headcanon for this fic, Sara was never sent on this mission. This is for two reasons. First, she's a far less-experienced and skilled fighter than Laurel at this point in time. Sara didn't begin learning how to fight until she joined the League, while Laurel started learning only a few weeks after Lian Yu. So this Laurel, even though she's a newbie for the League, is already an experienced warrior, and someone Ra's would trust more, in both being able to properly protect herself and to carry out his task for her in a competent manner.

The second reason is because of Sara's closeness to Nyssa. Ra's is well aware that Nyssa is unhappy he's still trying to make Bruce his heir, and so he didn't include Sara because he feared Nyssa, with Sara there to support her, would be emboldened to try and assassinate Bruce so she could remain Heir to the Demon. Laurel and Shado, meanwhile, do not have such closeness to Nyssa (mainly because unlike Sara, they have each other to lean on for emotional support), so Ra's has no fear of them doing the same.

Remember this. This will be important later down the line.

Next Chapter: Laurel and Shado head to Gotham.