Chapter 1

Barbara Wilson, Dick Grayson and Tim Drake sat down in Bruce Wayne's living room. Bruce and Terry McGinnis sat opposite them.
"So why did you form the 'Teen Titans'?" Terry asked Dick.
"I take after my grandfather. Leadership skills... yada yada yada"
"He was a teen. He though he could do anything." Tim said.
"What I don't get is how you bacame... them"
"It's all for the same reason." Bruce said.
"Our parents were killed." Barbara said, quietly, "My grandmother came to town and I was five years old..."

"Mummy! Daddy"
The gun shot was loud and quick. The young girl... Barbara Wilson hid behind her grandmother as she shot the man. The body fell to the floor. Her grandmother quickly called for back-up.
She ran to her parents side, crying...

"...even though my grandmother killed the man, I still swore to avenge their death. I didn't accept the fact that the man was dead. I knew there were more." Barbara finsihed.
"Mine happened all at once." Dick said, Barbara held his hand. He was having trouble telling his story. "I was seven, Barbara was over with her grandmother..."

"Can't catch me!" he laughed. His best friend, Barbara Wilson sped up. "Huh"
They were in the court yard. His parents, his grandfather and Comishiner Gordon.
"It's been weeks, and she seems to have recovered." Gordon said quietly.
"At least she didn't keep to herself." Richard said. His son nodded. Than a figure appeared,
with a gun. BAGN! He shot Dick's mother first. Barbara knew what to do. Her grandmother taught her if anything happened, run and hide. She grabbed Dick's arm and ran. They ran up an old tree. BANG! His father fell. BANG, BANG! His grandfather fell. Gordon was only wounded, but she managed to wound the killer before he escaped.
"Mummy! Daddy! Gandpa!" Dick wailed as he ran down the tree to the lifeless bodies. He took a quick glance at Barbara. He noticed something different about her. She wasn't crying that her grandmother was injured. She was angry. Gordon called for back-up and huddled the children away. The Police of Bludhaven arrived and took the children away, as they tended Gordon. Dick sniffled.
"Why aren't you upset"
Barbara didn't respond. She picked up something. It was what her grandmother had thrown to injured the killer of Dick's family. It was a yellow bat-a-rang. Dazed, they both stared at it.

"...that's when we moved to Gotham. I stayed with Tim's family. Till we were old enough,
Barbara and I moved back to Bludhaven"
"Woah"
"I knew what my grandfather was. I found his suit, took it to Barbara's and she modified the suit. Like your's Terry. Than she made hers"
"My story is... different." Tim said, "I was ten, Dick was baby-sitting me, since he's much older than me. He was fifteen..."

The crowd cheered, as the children's cartoon heroes walked up the stage. Dick stood bored to death, beside Tim. Why was he stuck babysitting him? He hadn't seen Barbara for a long time now. Gordon made sure they went to different schools. Afraid that if they were together the terrifying memories of their families death might awaken.
"Yeah!" Tim cheered. He was only two when Dick came into his family. Over time, Dick got over the death of his parents. Tim glanced at Dick. He could tell something was bothering him.
"Dick?" he asked. Dick smiled at the boy.
"I'm fine." Than he saw her. The girl he hadn't seen over ten years. She was just as beautiful as ever. He knew her instantly. The girl she was with pointed at him. Barbara studied him for a moment, and smiled. She recognized him! But they weren't alone. Two guys joined them. All together, they walked towards him.
"Dick?" she asked, unsure.
"It's me." he smiled.
"It's me Barbara." she said, uncertainly.
"I know... uh... this is Tim"
"Hi!" Tim smiled.
"This is uh... Mary my friend and her boyfriend John. And this is"
"Kevin, her boyfriend." the boy next to her finished.
"Boyfriend?" Dick asked weakly. Just than a man in black came in and started shooting random people. They were screaming trying to escape.
"Quick, hide!" Barbara instructed. Dick grabbed Tim's arm and they both ran off. Kevin had disappeared. Barbara looked around for any young children alone, before taking off. Than she saw it. The dead bodies of her friends. Soon the crowd died down. Dick and Tim joined her.
There were several bodies. Tim's parents amoung them.
"Mum! Dad!" he ran off and cried over the dead bodies.
"I'm sorry about your friends." Dick said quietly. Once again, he saw something in her, like when he was five. There was no fear. No emotion. Just emptiness in her eyes.

"So you've all been through a lot." Terry concluded.
"Yeah. After what happened there... nothing's been the same again." Barbara said.
"And the other people"
"Were the Teen Titans." Dick said. "Like I said, I formed them, but I was seventeen. We've been over for a long time now"
"They have many enemies." Tim added, "Like... Zlade..Slade II... ah whatever."

Above the abandon warehouse, Dick explored his grandfather's old home. It had been years since he was here. Now it was just... empty. Furnitures destoryed, TV broken..., it was just a cold place. He walked to the next two floors, where a case stood. Two dummies stood there. They were bare. Dick straight away knew what use to stand there. His grandfather's old Robin and Nightwing suit. He had learnt everything from him, before his families death.
He accidently pressed a button. Another uniform appeared. It was labeled "Red X".

Tim walked down the streets. He was on his way to visit his grandparents, when he bumpped into her.
"No!" she gasped sharply, as if she saw a ghost.
"Huh?" he was confused, "Are you alright ma'am?" the woman shook her head.
"Nana Harley!" two twin girls whined. They were about the same age as he was, and they were complaining like children. Tim quickly took off, and arrived at his grandparents. His grand-
mother was out.
"Gramps? Can I ask you a question?" Tim asked, uncertainly. The old man nodded. "O.K. Um.
there was this old lady, I accidently ran into, and when she saw me, she looked like she saw a ghost. And there were this too girls that called her Nana Harley.. . you know her"
"Harley, did you say?" Timothy asked, calmly. Tim nodded. Barbara Gordon came in.
"She's someone you don't want to know." Gordon muttered.
"Huh"
"He got kidnapped by her, and brainwashed... than Joker took over his body... Batman managed to fry the chip planted in him..." Gordon trailed off. Timothy looked away.

Barbara looked around the Batcave. She studied her grandmothers old Batgirl suit.
"What happened?" she asked outloud.
"They changed." Bruce said. "We all changed"
"What about you? My mother told me that you and she were close"
"Yeah. We were close." Bruce said, "Despite the age difference, we went out for a bit"
"Woah. That's a big age difference"
"But the biggest thing is that, your grandmother and Dick's grandfather had a relationship.
But they had to end things. Someone warned them that if they stayed together, something bad will happen. Or so they claim, before they departed"
"They were in love?" Barbara asked, shocked.
"He left though. Without a word good-bye." Bruce went on, "Which is why your grandmother is the way she is. After a year you were born, they patched things up and remained friends"
"They were in love?" Barbara repeated. Bruce didn't respond. She knew straight away it was the end of the conversation.

At the apartment they were renting, Barbara was busy at the laptop she brought along. Tim and Dick were watching TV. Suddenly Dick got up and left.
"What's with him?" Tim wondered outloud.
"I dunno," Barbara admitted, "All I know is that he payed a visit to his grandfather's old place."

"She's been alive for sometime." Bruce said.
"If she's been living a 'normal' life why is she bailing 'em than?" Gordon asked.
"Because she still loves Joker." Timothy said, "After what I went through..." Memories flowed back. During their last encounter with the Joker, Timothy was kidnapped and brain -
washed, and became a 'mini Joker'. Eventually Gordon and Bruce were able to defeat Joker,
but thus ended the trio. One by one, the three friends, once known as the dark knights got up and left.

He stared at the uniform for a long time. The guy Zlade was exactly like Slade. His grand -
father's enemy. He had to find out what Zlade was up too. He needed to know why he was in Gotham. The Titans followed him here, after what happened in Jump City. He didn't have any choice. He had to do it.

"Quick!" Robin said. Batman, Batgirl and Robin arrived on the scene.
"Who are you!" Batman demanded. The figure faced them.
"Who are you working for?" Batgirl asked.
"Red X works alone." the figure said. A fight began. But Red X managed to get away. Panting Batman, Batgirl and Robin went back to the Batcave, where Bruce Wayne was waiting.
"So, who's our new foe?" Bruce asked.
"Red X." Tim said. His mask was off. So was Terry's and Barbara's.
"But the thing was, where the hell was Dick!" Barbara exclaimed.
"Doesn't matter," Tim said, "we have to find out more about this guy"
"Already on it." Barbara said. She left.

At the roof tops of the apartment she was staying, Barbara worked furiously on her laptop.
Than she found something.
JUMP CITY RED X STRICKS AGAIN It was an old article from their grandparents were teenagers. She read the article twice.
"B?" it was Dick.
"Where've you been?" she asked, not taking her eyes of the screen.
"Working on a lead"
"Uh-huh." she still hadn't looked up, "Did you hear"
"Uh... yeah, Tim told me. I should've been there." Dick apologized.
"What does it matter?" Barbara said, looking at him, "He had fighting skills like us."

The door-bell rang. Terry opened the door.
"Melanie!" he gasped.
"Hi." the blonde-haired woman smiled, "I found your adress"
"Who is it, honey?" a woman from inside called.
"An old friend." Terry called back.
"Honey?" Melanie was confused. The woman came to the door.
"Dana, this is Melanie... Melanie this is my wife... Dana"
"Wife"
"Nice to meet you." Dana smiled, "Uh, Terry, Barbara's on the phone"
"Right." Terry smiled at Melanie and disappeared inside.
"Why don't you come in?" Dana asked, opening the door fully.
"It's O.K." Melanie said quickly. Terry appeared back at the door. He looked around. "Uh.
who are you looking for"
"Friends." Terry said. Than they appeared. Dick Grayson, Barbara Wilson and Tim Drake.
"Mel!" Barbara gasped.
"Barbara?" Melanie said.
"You know each other?" asked Terry.
"First year at Bludhaven Uni." Barbara said, embracing her old friend.
"Than she moved to Gotham State Uni." Melanie said.
"Got some important information." Tim said, entering the room.
"I'd better go." Melanie quickly left. Dick and Barbara followed Tim into the room.

"So what did you find out?" Terry asked, as Dana left the living room.
"Red X appeared when our grandparents were younger." Barbara said.
"Woah!" breathed Terry, "He's that old"
"Someone following in his foot steps." Tim said. Barbara galnced at Dick. He seemed quiet,
all of a sudden.
"Dick?" she said quietly. Dick looked at her and forced a smile.
"I'm fine." he said, "I guess I'm just feeling guitly for not being there"
"We're fine." Terry insisted. Dick just nodded. He couldn't tell them. Not yet. Not till he brought Zlade down. Not untill he finished what he was going to do.

Bruce, Timothy and Gordon sat in the room together. They could tell something was wrong. But couldn't put their finger on it.
"He moves like..." Bruce started.
"But it can't be him." Gordon interupted.
"And if he is?" said Bruce.
"I won't believe it." Gordon said.
"Neither would I." Timothy agreed. "They have the same spirit... I doubt he'd do such a thing like that"
"We need to find out more about this guy," Bruce said, "Apart from the fact he was once Jump City's villian"
"I think we already have enough information." Gordon said. The large computer screen kept flashing. "We can't tell them"
"Why not?" Timothy asked.
"They have to decide whether to trust him or not." Bruce said. "Or he's undercover"
"They'll soon figure it out"
"The sooner the better." Gordon agreed.

digigalrox: That's the end of the first chapter. RR!