A/N: Oh my gosh guys! So very very very sorry for being so late on this! I had a bunch of life-crisis type things (a bunch of my pets died, family problems, moving repeatedly, shitty computer…. Ect.) but I have not given up on this!

So some Wally and Batman POV here. Some fluffy DaddyBats schtuff. Yup. The POVs overlap slightly timewise.

Me no own Young Justice, or Maximum Ride. If I did... Things would be different. That's all I can say...

For the first half or so, I can't help but think of part two of the song 'I'm Comin' Home' by Skylar Grey theme-wise.

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Wally POV

One year. It's been a year since I've seen my little bro. (The anniversary of his disappearance was actually 19 days ago.) Though, being a speedster makes that seem like so much longer. So long, I can barely remember what his cackle sounds like. *That creepy laugh of his...*

We're sitting in the lounge. Those of us who are here away. Me, M'gann, Connor, Kaldur, Karen, and Robin.

Robin #3, that is. The first one, Dick, vanished. The second, Jason, was lost to the Joker. And the third... Well, Tim was the third.

He was kinda like Dick, but not quite. Less confident, I guess. More serious about the missions. But still more like him than the second one.

Tim had been with our team for a little over a month. Six missions so far, all of which had succeeded. (Thanks in no small part to him.)

Karen, aka Bumblebee, had been a part of the team for longer. She was pretty serious when it came to missions too, but she was fun to mess around with all the same. I usually refrained from hitting on her, not only to avoid Mal's bad side, but to avoid Artemis's fury as well.

*Artemis.* It wasn't until after Dick vanished that we had gotten together for real. Sure we'd kissed on New Years, but that was a post-heat-of-battle kind of thing. *I wonder what Dick would think of us? He'd probably be all like: Ha! Finally! You two have been giving eachother the goo-goo eyes since day one!*

I curled up on myself. Hugging my legs and placing my chin on my knees as Dick crossed my mind.

*I miss him.* was all I could think. *where did he go? How did he even get caught? Who took him? Is he even still- no. I will not even CONTEMPLATE that he might be... Because he isn't. He's a surviv-*

"Enter - Robin B01" echoed throughout the near-empty mountain.

My head snapped up. I glanced at Robin-3, making sure he was still there. *Wait...* my thoughts moved quickly. *his code is B20... B01 is Dick's. Which means...*

I bolted out of my seat and streaked towards the hangar. *He's home! He's home! He's home! He's HOME!*

Seconds later I skidded to a stop just inside the hangar. There he was. Just standing there. In his old, black jacket and stupid sunglasses. I froze. So did he.

"R-Rob? I-is it really you?" I ask quietly; afraid to, if it were a mirage, break it.

He smiles (that ridiculous, cocky-ass smile that just CAN'T be faked) and nods. I take a hesitant step forward, then another, and suddenly I'm running (at normal speeds) towards him.

Tears I didn't know I was holding in were suddenly streaming down my face as I wrapped myself around him. We both fall to our knees, clinging to eachother and rocking. *He's home! He's home! My little brother's finally home!* All the world could fall right now and I wouldn't be any less happy.

I pull back a bit, and look at the lenses of his shades. "Is it really you? Please, is it you, Dick?" I whisper. He smiles wider now. A hand reaches up and pulls the sunglasses down.

Those eyes. Those eyes are all the proof I need. Their one-of-a-kind blue and mischievous glint are purely Dick Grayson.

I embrace him again. "It's you. It's you. It's really you and you're really back and- ohmyGod,what'sBatsgonnado!" I accidentally slip into speedster-speak in my excitement. But neither of us care. We're both just glad he's home.

I vaguely hear footsteps and gasps.

But I don't care.

I don't care that they see me crying.

I don't care that I look pathetic.

Because Dick is home. And that's all that matters.

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Dick's POV

I'm curled up, kind of on Wally's lap. My arms are wrapped around his torso, his around my entire being. I'm crying into his shirt, he's crying into my dark hair. His sobs are huge and loud; mine are small and... breathy-ghostly-almostnonexistent. I can't make much more sound than this, but that doesn't matter right now.

I hear the nearing footsteps suddenly stop.

I lift my head to look at them. I see Kal, Connor, M'gann, one of the two from last night, and... the new Robin.

Kaldur has lost his usual calm demeanor. His jaw has fallen, his silver eyes are wide. He hesitantly walks over to us, as if afraid that I'll disappear. He drops to his knees beside Wally, and takes my tear-streak face in his hands. One hand reaches up and brushes my long bangs out of my face then rests back on my cheek.

"Robin... Robin, is it really you? Have you truly come back to us?" He asks breathlessly. All I can do is nod. Wally lifts his face from my now-wet hair and looks him in the eyes.

"It's him, Kal. It's really him. There's no doubt." He sobs happily. He's beaming; smile pouring the light back into Kal's eyes. Kal smiles too.

I force one of my arms to let go of my speedster best friend, and wrap around my Atlanian brother. He falls into the embrace without another word; his hands falling from around my face to around me and Wally.

I rest my head on his shoulder for a moment then look back to Connor and M'gann. I see a crying martian and one very stunned Kryptonian clone.

M'gann, she just floats there; smiling and letting the liquid joy stream down her face. I beam at her, and she dares to hover a little closer.

Connor is frozen. He stands there and stares. But... He's not staring at my face? Lower... My neck. He's not frozen, he's bristling with barely corralled rage.

He sees the scar. He knows what it means.

Nobody else has seen it though. They're all blinded by the fact that I'm here. That I'm home.

I look him in the eyes. Slightly pleading for him to calm down. To not specifically bring it up and dampen everyone's happiness so soon.

Suddenly the zeta-beam activates. "Batman - 02" the computer supplies.

Suddenly there is silence. Dad's here.

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Batman/Bruce POV

I'm siting at the Batcomputer going over the case-files from last night's activities, making sure that everything is in order. Tim is at the Cave with some of his teammates.

Suddenly there is an unfamiliar popup. In the corner of the screen. *What's this?*

I hesitantly click on it, and a notice expands across the screen.

'Alert - Security code for Robin-B01 used. Location- Mount Justice.'

I stare in shock. *That... That's Dick's designation... Nobody knows that code but him!* I stand abruptly; sending the chair rolling and an upset coffee-cup shattering to the ground.

I swipe my cowl off of the desk as I bolt to the Zeta-beams. I pass Alfred, who has seen it too. His silver tray has clattered to the stone floor.

Once in the zeta-beam, I can't help but hear a voice in the back of my mind telling me: *it might not be him. That it might be a malfunction in the system. That it could be an enemy who managed to steal the information...*

That voice is silenced when I step out if the zeta beam and see it. The pile of teenagers clustered on the ground around a distinctive dark head.

All heads turn to look at me as I step with forced calmness out of the teleportation system. A light-tan head that has windswept black hair on top is split in half by a million-watt grin. I drop all attempt to remain calm and composed as I realize that all of the facial features match up.

*It's him. It's really him. Dick. Dick is home!*

I break into a run, and he scrambles his way out of the pile of friends around him and meets me in warm and breathless embrace. My cape falls around us like a blanket. His hands grasp the front of my costume, he presses his face into my chest. His mouth moves in silent repetition of my name.

I pull him up against me. *My son is home.* It's all I can do not to completely break down. *Vanished for a year and finally home.* And I smile. For the first time in a very long time, a smile that isn't related to Tim graces my lips.

After what seems like an eternity. I gently hold his shoulders and crouch in front of him. The sunglasses have fallen from his face, but I honestly don't care.

"Where the HELL have you been!?" I ask with a small laugh. He smiles at the joking nature hidden in my words, but looks away. "Dick," I whisper, "it's okay."

But those blue eyes become clouded. He tilts his head down towards the ground. My smile falters. *He won't meet my eyes. Why won't he meet my eyes? Why doesn't he answer me?*

"What's wrong?" I ask quietly. "Dicky, why won't you say anything?" Slightly louder and with worry laced throughout.

"Because he can't." An unfamiliar voice answers. I stand and my eyes immediately scan the room, but I see no one that I don't recognize.

Dick's stood up too, but he's not worried. *Does he know this person?*

Suddenly a shadow bursts to life as a darkish figure with obsidian wings steps forward. I catalogue his features for later. Black hair, olive skin, tall, and dark, dark brown eyes.

My previous question is answered when he looks to Dick and speaks.

"Sorry. I know you wanted us-" *Us?* "-to wait, but I wanted to make sure you were-" he is cut off by Dick shaking his head. They look eachother in the eyes for a moment, then the dark boy walks to stand by his side.

"You want me to tell them?" A nod. Dark-boy looks at me. "My name is Fang. We've been... umm... working together- for about ten months. We don't know how they caught him, or why, or what they did to him before we found him. He doesn't want to talk about it, and we respect that." He places a comforting hand on Dick's shoulder.

"But at some point, they..." A heavy, angry breath. "They. Made. Him. MUTE." He grinds out the words, the final one more so that the others. His free hand is clenching in anger.

My eyes widen, and I gently kneel in front of my son. He screws his eyes shut and tips his head back slightly, exposing his throat. My gloved hand instinctively travels up to touch the neat scar that lies length-wise across it. The moment my finger brushes against it, he stiffens. I pull my hand back.

I stand, and he lets his head hang. Fang's hand tightens its grip momentarily in a comforting squeeze.

"Do you want me to go get the others?" he asks hesitantly, looking with sad eyes at my son. Dick nods, and with one more squeeze, he calmly walks back out of the hangar to, apparently, retrieve friends.

I pull my son into another heavy embrace; murmuring that everything will be fine. Rubbing his back to soothe the shuddering.

*Is it just me, or is there a strange bulge on his back?*

I don't dwell on that thought.

I take a moment to look at the team. Wally was still kneeling where he had been, but there it a lost look in his eyes. As if he wants to say something to make us all-better, but can't find the right words.

Kaldur stood next to him, a hand on the speedster's shoulder and appears to be muttering Atlanian curses. (Aimed at the ones who did this to Dick? I'm all for that right now.)

Superboy was just standing there, absolutely livid. (I can't blame him.)

M'gann is no longer hovering, and she has taken on her human form; indicating that she feels powerless. (I feel the same way.) Her one hand covers her mouth, as if to try and hide her drawn-out gasp: the other sits curled in a weak ball of sorrow over her heart.

Then Tim. Tim is so... Still. He looks at the teen I'm holding so dearly with... Awe. And... longing?

*What is he thinking right now? Does he think... Does he think I'll simply ABANDON him now that Dick is back? I really hope not. I'd never do that to ANY of the Robins. Especially not Tim. He doesn't need anyone else leaving him.*

I turn my attention back to Dick with a heavy heart. *I'll have to talk to Tim later.*

Suddenly my first son backs away from me a bit, causing a wave of confusion to run through me.

Then he looks up at me and smiles. He lifts his hands and...

"I am SO glad you taught me sign language!" He exclaims with his hands, grinning for all he's worth. All I can do is smile.

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AN:

So about halfway through writing this, I was listening to Pandora, and something similar to the theme song from Young Justice came on! It really freaked me out actually...

Ooh! And I have Kal a part! A brotherly oh-my-fucking-God-you're-alive type part! (I really don't like how everyone is always bashing on Kal... Kaldur is awesome, just in his own way. There WILL be Kaldur-centric chapters in this fic! I, the author, so swear it, and thus it shall be true!)

Anywho: read and review, and the muse has incentive to crawl out of that dismal abyss that is my mind. Have a great day/night readers!