At the top of the Tower stands a girl with shadows dancing around her and moonlight sliding off her hair.

The sun has yet to rise and the night is the darkest it's going to be, pulling at her hands as if eager to dissolve her back into inky black.

Yet still the girl waits, hesitating.

Raven doesn't jump when Dick walks out next to her, telling him she already knew where he was-maybe had always known in that weird psychic tracking way he's been noticing lately.

"You know," he says casually, "I'll admit I'm going to be kind of hurt that we both went to all this trouble finding each other only for you to leave without even a 'see you later.'"

All Raven does is smile slightly in response, not bothering to deny it. She doesn't make a motion, not fading back into the shadows but still standing in a way that says she can be gone in any second.

Faster than Dick could ever stop her and, honestly, he's not sure he should try. He's never been great at stopping people from moving, only hopefully guiding them forward. And he's not sure he knows what direction is forward right now, not like he's used to, not for Kory, not for the team or the world, not even quite for himself right now.

Dick sighs, sitting next to where she stands and swinging his legs off the roof.

Raven frowns. "You feel….sad, I think."

"Do I," he asks, curious.

Raven tilts her head, continuing to frown. "Or maybe it's not sad exactly. It's not mad either or grief, really. You feel…," she searches for a word, "heavy. You feel heavy."

Dick smiles. "Long night."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He shrugs. "It's not your fault. And definitely don't let Donna hear you say otherwise. She and Will are always nagging at me for the whole 'taking excessive blame' stuff."

Raven sits next to him. "I'm sorry for you."

The forced chiperness of Dick's smile fades, replaced instead with something more lost.

"Ah," he says. "Well, then, I suppose that's okay."

"Heavy thoughts are the worst," she agrees. "Trust me, I was raised by monks."

"Yeah?" Dick leans his head on his hands. "I was raised by Batman. Who do you think broods the worst? Him or the magic monks?"

Raven's lips twitch. "Probably a case of quantity versus quality."

Dick huffs out a laugh and the air drifts back into silence.

Raven doesn't move even as the sun starts to inch closer.

"You know," he says, "I've always thought that when you don't want to leave that probably means you should stay."

Raven looks out at the skyline."I have to leave."

"Says who?"

"Says me." Her eyes flicker over. "You going to stop me?"

He shakes his head. "You're not a prisoner."

Her laugh is too bitter to sound amused. "Of course, I am. I was born to be-either a jail cell or an entrance way." The laugh blows out into a sigh. "The only choice I do have is to try and hold it back the longest I can."

Dick doesn't offer a promise of a solution. Not this time. Not when Zantanna and Lilith have stayed up long enough that Jade ordered them on bed rest and they still found nothing close to a fix. Not when he can feel war beating like a drum in his ears and, when he closes his eyes, he can see spilled blood. Maybe he should make a promise, even a false one, a part of him wants to. Because there shouldn't be a world where fourteen years olds don't have a future.

But, Dick's never been able to hold back the world.

"You know why I really hate destiny," he says.

"Why?"

"Part of it's because it's a losing strategy. We don't know it, not for sure, which means we can't plan for it. But the other part….," Dick pauses. "Zatanna, Lilith, you, even Constantine, all of you talk about magic as if there's some kind of bigger scheme at play-a way to find balance, right? And we're the celestial chess pieces. Maybe that's right. Maybe there's always some larger destiny. Maybe it was destiny that we stopped the Invasion. Maybe forming the Titans was. Stopping the Reach. Maybe it doesn't even have to be the world ending things, maybe it's the more personal like finding Jay, meeting Tim." He shrugs "Maybe all of this is destiny. It's not like I know enough to say it's not."

"But you know what," he closes his eyes and breathes out, "all of those things were hard, they hurt."

Raven swallows. "Yeah?"

Dick opens his eyes. "Well, inevitability's supposed to be easy, right? What's easier than just waiting around for what has to happen anyway? This, though. This is hard." He shakes his head. "If magic means destiny and destiny is inevitable, then it should be easy; but, it's not, is it?"

He stands up, offering her his hand. "Destiny doesn't hurt because it's inevitable, Raven, it hurts because we have to forge it ourselves."

Raven pauses, looking at his offered hand with wide eyes.

Dick waits for her.

"Rachel," she finally says, almost too quiet to be heard.

Dick tilts his head. "Rachel?"

"Rachel Roth," she takes his hand. "That's the name my mother gave me."

He smiles. "Nice to meet you, Rachel. How about we go back inside?"

And, then, the Tower sirens go off.

"LEVEL FIVE EMERGENCY!" Donna's voice rings through the speakers. "REPEAT LEVEL FIVE EMERGENCY: SEVERE SITUATION IMMINENT! ALL TITANS REPORT!"

Raven whirls her head around to him. "What's happening?"

Dick is already looking up at the sky. "If I had to guess? That."

In the sky, looming large enough to block out the sun and pointed directly at the Tower is the Royal Ambassador ship of Komand'r, Princess of Tamaran.

ooooooo

Donna stands at Dick's right, Kory on his left, and the entire team behind him as they all watch the incoming transmission.

"My demands are simple." Komand'r glares out at them. "My ship is here on a diplomacy mission to secure the capture of a Tamaran fugitive-my sister, Princess Koriand'r of the Tamaran Royal Family. I have no necessary conflict with Earth and you have no right to deny me one of my own citizens. I demand you transfer my sister into my custody to face our justice and release my brother who you have so cruelly kidnapped. These are the orders of Queen Komand'r of Tamaran."

Dick clicks on the comm button. "The way I hear it you're not even Queen. In fact, I think next up for the throne is Kory. Kory, what do you say?"

"I will not be the one facing justice, Komand'r," Kory says, eyes not leaving the screen. "But, if you do not act wisely, I shall be the one delivering it."

Komand'r's eyes narrows and her next words are a hiss. "Give up my sister and brother or I will attack your planet!"

"You don't have the numbers for an invasion," Dick says. "We checked."

"I do not need them," Komand'r's voice was cold. "I have enough men to take care of you. Give me Koriand'r or I will burn your Tower to the ground and watch the scavengers and worms feast on what's left of Earth."

Dick sighs, looking back at his team.

The Titans stare back.

"Well," he says quietly, "I suppose there's only one real response to that."

"I suppose so," Donna agrees.

Dick turns back and presses on the comm mic one last time.

"Sorry, Princess Komand'r, I think your connection's gone bad. Try again later."

And then he hangs up.

Dick twirls on his foot. "So, now, that that's settled…."

He releases a breath, going serious. "From the positioning of her ship, her first step's going to be to crash into the Tower directly, take us out in one blow. Raquel, you and Kara's job is to stop that from happening. Form a force bubble as large as you can make it around the Tower, focus on size over strength, the rest of us will have to handle ourselves with the debris that makes it through. Kara, you try to face the ship head on and guide it's course."

The two women nod before taking off, out of the Tower.

"Team Gamma, take the Tower. Make sure they don't try to attack us from the inside and focus on the windows. See what you can manage from a distance," he looks to the rest of the team's youngest members. Jason's scowling but he nods anyway. "Everyone else, form the battle lines that we discussed-remember, with their numbers, the key is lasting longer, not defeat. Our best chance is to distract and avoid until….."

"I'll handle Komand'r," Kory finishes. "Without my sister, her troops will cease."

Dick looks at Kory and she meets his eyes, expression just as firm as it was last night and Dick doesn't have the ability to stop her and, right now, he doesn't even have the time to try.

"I'll be finding a handy window, then," Slade calls out, cheerfully shouldering his sniper while the closest Titans shudder away from him.

Dick gives him a look. "Remember, Slade, Titan's mission, Titan's rules. We can't afford to fight against each other right now."

"No, we can't, can we?" Slade's smirk grows.

Dick ignores the implication. "At least, try to wait until after the invasion to shoot us in the back, will you?"

"Take all the fun out of heroics, don't you, kid," Slade says but he waves a hand jauntily before stalking off into the halls.

"Asshole," Donna mutters.

Dick sighs. "…..yeah."

"What can I do," Billy asks, eyes wide.

"You and Raven stay in the center of the Tower and stay safe," Dick tells him. "Your job is to watch out for each other while we take care of Komand'r, alright?"

Billy swallows, meeting his eyes and part of Dick is still surprised that the sixteen year old doesn't have to look up.

"You want me to hide again," Billy says.

"I want you to be safe," Dick corrects evenly.

"Nightwing," Raquel's voice buzzes in on the comm, "the ship's descending."

"Titans, outside," he orders.

By the time they get to the front, there's already the sound of shrieking metal as the ship hurtles downward, the small form of Kara making a small dent in the middle of the hull as she slows down the momentum as much as she can.

A blue shield is slowly flickering along the front of the tower, going in and out of transparency as Raquel stands in the center of the field, swearing as sweat rolls down her face. The shield gradually expands.

The rest of the team stays closer to the Tower entrance while Dick and Donna walk forward to the edge of the shield, half to survey in case things go wrong and half to take the lead if they go right.

"Well," Donna says, barely audible over the sound of ship thrusters and crumpled alien metal, "I suppose we've had worse company to the Tower."

Dick bares his teeth in an almost grin. "You think?"

"Oh, for sure," she says, "last week, we had tabloid reporters."

Dick tosses back his head in a laugh.

"I love you, Don'."

She snorts. "You better!"

"Marry me?" He bats his eyes even if she can't see them under the mask.

Donna sticks out her tongue. "You're taken."

The sound of wrenching metal is almost unbearable, shaking the ground around them. Dick winces, still throwing Donna a wink. "Kory'd probably be fine with platonic bigamy."

"Still nah." Donna grins back, holding her hands to her ears as they both activate noise blocking, swapping to their private comm link.

Raquel's shield locks into place, mostly stable, and Dick breathes.

"I'll give you fifty cents," he calls to Donna.

"Pft," she yells back, "I think I'm worth at least a dollar."

The ship is barely a few meters back.

"Weeellll….," Dick shrugs, "let's not break the bank here, Don'."

He probably deserves her hit that follows.

The ship smashes down right in front of the shield, throwing up a wave of dirt and debris that washes over the back. Dick can hear the impact shatter windows and he just has to hope the rest of his team was able to block most of it.

"That looked like a rough landing," Donna mutters.

He nods. "We can hope."

"How many do you think there are," Donna asks.

"By the ship's measurements….," Dick grimaces, "A couple hundred, at least."

"Shit," she swears, "let's hope Kory can take care of Komand'r quick."

Dick hesitates and in the end what comes out is, "They're aiming for the kill and we're trained to subdue, Don'. If it's not handled quickly, we'll be slaughtered."

Donna eyes him, taking in more than he says like she always does. "What's your order, Rob?"

He doesn't have time to answer before the ship's doors are wrenched open and the real battle begins.

"Titans," Dick swaps to the open line, "GO!"

His smoke pellets hit into the ship, choking and knocking out at least half a dozen of them before they can even get out the door. Donna's shield takes out the next line.

The team's rushing at his back as the next rush of soldiers struggles to get out, past their unconscious brothers.

And, then, the sky goes black and the earth shakes.

For a second, everyone stops-both Titans and Tamarans, gripping the ground before they fall over as the Tamarans shout in confusion.

Dick looks at Donna.

"Raven," she breathes out.

"NIGHTWING!" Billy's panicked voice echoes over the line. "NIGHTWING! SOMETHING'S WRONG! RAVEN'S HURT! NIGHTWING, I THINK SHE'S DYING!"

The Tamarans are just starting to recover and Donna's looking at him with wide eyes.

"I-," he starts.

"Rob, go!" Donna shoves him back to the Tower. "I'll take lead here!"

Dick starts running.

In the end, he doesn't have to go far, barely to the edge of the Tower entrance before he sees them.

He freezes.

Raven's laying flat on the ground. Shadows twisting around her, wrapping like whips and writhing like they're in pain. Billy kneels beside her, hands on her stomach. His hands are covered in blood.

Sticking out of her stomach is a large jacked piece of what used to be a Tower window.

Dick drops to the ground beside them.

"I'm sorry," Billy's crying. "I'm sorry, we just wanted to help. I couldn't….I couldn't hide again." He looks down. "I couldn't get her out of the way in time."

Dick nods to show he's listening, eyes still focused on Raven. "How bad is it?"

Raven takes a ragged breath, voice weak. "My magic, it's…...trying to heal me."

"Can it," Dick asks.

She meets his eyes. "Not and hold back Trigon."

The Earth is shaking apart around them and a fourteen year old girl is dying on the ground.

The shadows twist up around the wound and Raven bats them away weakly. "I can't let him win."

"Raven," Billy's trying futilely to wipe at his eyes, "you can't do this!"

Her smile is a quiet thing, looking between Billy to Dick. "Destiny really does hurt, doesn't it?"

Dick squeezes her hand. "This isn't Destiny."

Raven's still smiling. "Then, what-"

Dick moves before he even processes it, rolling Raven away at the same time that he shoves Billy down.

The crack of a gunshot hits behind them, embedding in blood stained grass.

Dick's eyes fly to the window; but, he already knows. It's too low of an angle to be Team Gamma and none of them work with guns anyway.

Slade stares back back at him, hand still steady on the sniper.

"Nightwing, what-," Billy starts.

"Stay with her," Dick orders, already throwing his escrima stick so Slade's next angle goes wide before he can take another shot.

Dick crashes through the window next to him before he gets the chance to aim again.

"What are you thinking, Slade!" Dick shouts, shoving Slade against the wall. "Thought I said wait until you shoot us in the back!"

Slade's gaze goes to the black sky above them then looks down to the floor shaking beneath.

"Sorry, kid," he says bluntly, "don't think I got time to wait."

"Slade! She's a fourteen year old girl!" Dick yells. "And in case you didn't notice, she's dying already! What do you think you're doing?!"

"And how long do you think that's going to last?" Slade glares back. "She's a kid with a shard of glass sticking out of her stomach? How long do you think she's going to last in that kind of pain before she lets her magic heal her? Either that or die slow and painful? This isn't an assassination, Dick, it's a mercy kill."

Dick freezes. "The Light sent you here, didn't they? They planned for Komand'r; but, Trigon surprised them. So, they sent you here for insurance. They sent you here to kill her."

"No," Slade spits back before groaning. "No, if they sent me here to kill a civilian kid, I wouldn't have taken the job. They sent me here to find out how to stop Trigon." He grimaces, looking down out the window. "Trust me, Dick, I'm not any happier about that 'how' than you are."

"There has to be another way," Dick argues.

This close, he can see the snap in Slade's eye-the rush of rising anger.

It's still not fast enough to react.

Faster than a striking snake, Slade strikes out, the but of the sniper knocking into Dick's chin and throwing him back. Slade catches him by the shoulder and slams him against the column next to the window.

"FOR FUCK SAKE, KID," Slade yells into his face. "LOOK AROUND YOU! YOUR TITANS ARE FACING AN ARMY AND YOU'RE STILL ORDERING THEM TO HOLD BACK! HOW MANY OF YOUR PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE YOU REALIZE IT'S NOT YOUR ENEMY'S BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS, IT'S YOUR OWN TEAM'S!"

Dick looks out of the window, sees his team fighting back as hard as they can while still being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. A glimpse of hair and he sees Komand'r standing in the back, a single figure surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.

On the ground, Raven's still bleeding out, Billy trying futilely to stem the blood as shadows threaten to overwhelm them.

The ground is shaking apart, tremors shaking the trees while the sky bleeds an unnatural black.

Dick thinks of his dream, the desolate skeleton of the Tower surrounded by dying plants and the scent of rot.

He can hear the tick of a timer and feel heat on his face even if he knows at least those things aren't real. Not this time.

They're going to lose this battle, Dick realizes. If nothing changes, they'll die and the world will fall-with or without Trigon.

Why did the magic want him here to watch them die?

Behind him, Slade sighs, letting up so he can move as the anger bleeds out of him.

"I keep telling you, Dick. This world's going to eat you alive," he says quietly. "The only way to stop it is to eat it first. And for that, you have to use every method-no matter how much you hate it. You have to be ruthless."

Dick looks up, something new kick starting in his chest.

An idea.

"You're right," he says in realization. "Slade, you're right. I have to use everything." He breathes. "I know why the magic needed me here."

He clicks on his comm. "Titans, fall back to the Tower. Rocket, throw up another shield-don't worry about size, worry about strength this time. I need it just to protect our people. Can you do it?"

"Um, yeah," Raquel's voice echoes threw, "I think so."

"Then, do it," he orders. "Don't let any of Komand'r's people through."

"Nightwing, a shield can't protect us for long," Donna warns. "It has to fall eventually, that gives us maybe seven minutes."

"It doesn't need to hold," he says. "Zatanna, Tula, Lilith, get to Raven. I'll be down in a second."

He silences the comm and looks down to see the Titans running to comply.

He turns back to Slade. "Do me a favor and don't kill people for a few minutes. Alright?"

Slade narrows his eye at him. "What are you planning, Dick?"

"Slade!" Dick rubs a hand over his face. "For the love of all things holy, just trust me for a bit! Okay?"

Slade snorts, smirk almost winding up on his face; but, he steps back. "You've got ten minutes, kid."

"Won't need ten," Dick mutters. "They're not going to last that long."

He shoots a line, swinging back down to Raven and Billy.

Zatanna, Tula, and Lilith are already there, looking just as worried as Billy is.

Dick clicks his comm. "Rocket, how's that shield coming?"

"It's up," Raquel says, "everyone's inside; but….Nightwing, Troia's right. It won't hold long."

"That's fine." Dick clicks off the comm and turns to Raven. "Hey, I need you to use your magic and heal your wounds, okay?"

Raven looks up at him with wide eyes, taking a ragged breath that looks like it hurts. "Dick, if I do that, I won't have enough power to hold back the seal. Trigon will get through!"

"I know." Dick meets her eyes. "We're going to let him."

Five sets of eyes meet him incredulously.

"Dick," Zatanna shouts, "we can't hold him back either!"

Dick looks at Zatanna. "Then, don't. Direct him. Zee, I need you to take all the chaos magic that gets through and point it at Komand'r's troops."

Lilith breathes in sharply. "That'll kill them."

"No….I don't think it will. It'll just really, really hurt." He points at the ship. "The magic is from Earth, right? It's of Earth. They're not! That's why Kory wasn't as affected when it hit the Tower! We couldn't even think while she could move." He pauses. "I think being from a different planet gives them some kind of partial immunity. We use Trigon's magic to take them out."

Tula frowns. "Then, what do we do about Trigon?"

"We put him back," Dick answers.

"How?!"

"Still working on that part, actually," Dick says and ignores the shouts of disbelief he gets from that. He looks down at Raven. "You trust me? I'm pretty sure this is what the magic wanted me to do. Wanted us to do. So, it can't be that bad, right?"

She gives him a weak smile. "Thought destiny was a losing strategy."

"Yeah." He smiles back. "But, it's better than nothing."

Raven takes another breath, holding it tightly in her chest as the shadows rage around her.

"It's okay," Dick says softly. "Let it go."

The shadows freeze, holding still for a solid, quiet moment before suddenly drawing in, sucking into the wound almost like absorbing as a mass of black tries to knit the skin together.

The sky darkens even further, sun going a blood red. Dick can feel the shakes in the ground give in to fissures, running along the dirt like jagged wounds.

Dick looks up. "He's coming."

Then, he turns to Zatanna, Lilith, and Tula. "Ready?"

Zatanna sighs hard, standing up and dusting off her pants as her hands start to glow a deep purple. "Frickin' better be, I guess." She takes a breath. "Okay, so between the three of us, we've got soul, water, and mind magic plus all the chaos bleeding around-so, that's four. Not terrible, I suppose."

"Not enough to close back the seal," Lilith says, hand going to her head as she's enveloped in bright green.

"Yes, well, apparently Dick's working on that." Zatanna rolls her eyes. "We're focusing on giving it a path."

"Never have to deal with this stuff in Atlantis," Tula comments, pulling up water in a pale blue light.

Lilith smiles. "It's okay, you can admit we're more fun."

A rush of darkness comes through and even behind Raquel's shield, Dick falls to his knees, screams echoing in his ears.

Beside him, Raven's writhing on the ground, eyes screwed shut even as her wounds heal.

"FINALLY, DAUGHTER!" The dark voice booms out and Dick can make out something trying to form, it rises in the air, even taller than the Tower-tall enough to block out the red sun and Dick feels pain.

Beyond the shield, he can see the Tamaran soldiers falling to the ground, eerily still in a way that Dick is praying is just unconscious.

"Shit!" Zatanna shouts. "We can't hold it! Dick, he's trying to come through the shield!"

Lilith's arms are shaking. "We need more power!"

"I…."

Dick hears the voice, absolutely terrified but still there, and he knows.

He turns to the figure that's still clenching Raven's hand as if it's the only thing he can hold.

"Billy," Dick says, meeting wide eyes. "I think we need your help."

Billy's already shaking his head. "Nightwing, I….I can't! I tried! My magic doesn't work anymore! I'm not worthy! I ran away!"

"You're here now!" Dick says. "Billy, we need a hero! We need a Champion! We need Captain Marvel right now! And that's you! It's been you! So, we need you to try!"

Billy stares at him before finally he takes a shuddering breath.

He closes his eyes.

"SHAZAM!"

A bolt of pure white lightning breaks through an all black sky, lighting everything in its path.

It hits into Billy's chest with the force of years behind it.

Everything goes white.

Then, Captain Marvel-last remaining member of the Justice League, the Chosen Champion of Magic, and the purest soul on the mortal plane-stands up.

He smiles and stands beside Lilith, Zatanna, and Tula.

He doesn't hide.

"I'll see what I can do."

A wave of purple, blue, green, and white flashes along the shield, pushing back the black and directing it along Komand'r's forces.

The magics spark against each other, like an ocean of sheer energy fighting against a deep mist of black.

Beside Dick, he hears Raven take in a sudden shocked breath, sitting up as she holds her stomach, staring beside him at the field of magic.

"You know," he tells her quietly, "I still kinda hate it; but, I'll admit magic does look pretty cool."

She coughs up something like a laugh.

"Feeling better," he asks.

"They're actually doing it," she says in awe. "They're directing Trigon."

Dick nods. "They are."

Raven's hand clenches his. "It won't be enough. Trigon….I'm a being of chaos magic. We don't just need magic to seal him back, we need order."

He squeezes her hand. "I know."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know…." He gives a strained smile. "But, you know, I'm actually pretty good at making up plans on the fly. Right now, let's just worry about the first part."

He stands up. "Zee, I need you to start moving him back."

Zatanna swears, arms shaking as sweat and possibly blood runs down her face. "Dick! I swear to-Next time, you're in charge of controlling a primordial being! See how you like it?!"

"Sure thing, Zee," Dick promises. "Can you do it?"

"I hate you," she says flatly.

Dick clicks on his comm, breathes out and makes another difficult choice. "Robin, move Team Gamma down."

A beat of hesitation..

"Really," Jason asks cautiously.

"We're going to need everyone we can get," Dick tells him.

He looks through the shield at Komand'r's ship, still enveloped in the black mist even as it's being torn and pulled by flashes of energy.

"Zatanna."

"Working on it." She grits her teeth. "freaking…..EVOM!"

There's a shudder of purple lightning, a brief cry from Lilith before they're followed by sparks of green, chased by blue and an all encompassing white.

The black mist moves back.

"Hurry," Zatanna grits out.

"Rocket, drop the shield," Dick orders.

A shaking sigh of relief echoes along the comm before the shield falls.

"Titans, move," Dick calls out, already up and running. "Secure every soldier that you can! We don't know how long we have!"

In a second, the field dissolves into chaos.

Dick picks up the streak of Bart's lightning, interweaving around the fallen soldiers and binding their arms, leaning them against the ship. The Titans submerge the troops, groans starting to echo as the soldiers recover.

There's the sound of a blaster behind him and Dick twists around, only to see the blaster knocked away a second before the soldier himself falls unconscious on the ground.

He looks over to see Jason smirking.

"And that's what you get for trying to keep me out of another invasion," he says. "I just saved your neck."

Dick huffs fondly, refraining from rolling his eyes. "Focus, Littlewing. There's still hundreds of them."

Jason looks around at the slowly emptying corridor, soldiers out and secured along the ground. "Not anymore."

"Dick!" A hand grips his arm and he turns to see Kory, mouth pulled into a thin line. "I cannot find Komand'r. She was not with the other troops."

"She can't have gotten far," Dick says. "We just need to-"

"DICK!" Zatanna shouts over the line.

The wall of energy breaks apart, black striking out and-

"CHILDREN!" A dark laugh echoes in the air. "YOU BELIEVE PETTY MAGICS COULD CONTAIN ME!"

Dick's on the ground before he realizes it, frantically trying to pull his thoughts together to find that the air has gone black, too thick to see through even as under his hands, the grass around him is dead and rotten.

He hears screaming, the sound of a wild gunshot, and he can't make out anything through the pain running down like fire...like falling...like a bomb exploding outward.

"We can't….we can't hold him," Zatanna whispers over the comm, weak and strained.

Like an ocean, the black rolls back and everything washes in red like staring through blood.

In front, the figure of black smoke is getting solid and it feels like destruction, like pain, like death, like decay. It feels uncontrollable like….

Chaos.

Threads of energy-purple, green, blue, white-try to beat around it only to get absorbed.

Dick can't breathe, he can't move, and a thought slowly sinks in.

They're losing. Despite everything, they're still losing.

Something lands in front of him, small and thin and Dick almost doesn't recognize it before….

And even through the pain, he almost laughs.

A rush of fire joins the other magic, knocking hard into the figure and Dick hears a roar of rage even as the fire threads into orange energy, pushing with the others.

The darkness recedes-not gone, not even close-but enough to move, enough to stand even if it hurts.

Dick picks up the item in front of him.

There's a hiss and a cough and Jason's leaning on his shoulder. "What is that?"

"It's a reverse Uno card," Dick says.

John Constantine walks onto the field, cigarette still hanging from his lips even as his hands glow with orange fire trailing all the way up to his shoulders.

"Well," he says dryly, "you assholes sure know how to ruin a fine day, don't ya?"

"Thought you were done fighting," Dick says.

Constantine shrugs. "Ran out of booze. After that, I figured it couldn't get much worse." He sighs, looking up at the sky. "Besides, I got a few people up there I'd rather not see yet and they'd definitely be pissed to see me so soon."

He winks, somehow holding a cigarette even with a hand on fire, and blows smoke into Dick's face. "What with all my healthy living."

"Good to see you," Dick says and it's hardly even begrudging.

Constantine laughs. "Now, that's something I don't hear often. Where's the girls?"

"Base of the Tower." Dick points to where he last saw Lilith, Zatanna, Tula, and Billy. The air is still dark around them, a dark smoke covering the field making it almost impossible to see.

Constantine grunts, taking another drag of his cigarette before wandering towards the Tower. "Fuckin' magic. Doesn't even pay me for this shit."

In a few seconds, he's lost in the smoke and Dick just has to hope he's going in the right direction.

Jason's still leaned against him. "Is he really the best we could do?"

"I'm trying not to question it," Dick responds.

And, then, there's a shout from the darkness-achingly familiar and Dick doesn't have to think to recognize it.

He starts running, Jason behind him.

Between the rubble of the ship, a small clearing cut off by waves of smoke, Kory and Komand'r are facing each other.

Kory's already bleeding, shoulder torn and ragged with the look of a burn mark. Her hands are up, anyway, fist burning with molten white fire-hot enough that the dead grass below her is turning to ash at her feet.

"You should not have come here, sister," she says evenly. "You should have let me be."

Komand'r snarls. "And you should have died at birth!"

Komand'r launches forward, hands glowing black and swiping directly at Kory's head.

Kory ducks away elegantly, sidestepping Komand'r's next attack as she circles out even further. Her hands burn brighter, the force of a small sun contained in her palms, beautiful as it is deadly.

"Kory," Dick says quietly.

Kory does not look away. "This is my battle, mel klexh. And it is my choice."

Komand'r attacks forward again and Kory dodges, spinning lightly on her heel almost as if it's a dance.

"What battle?!" Komand'r laughs, half mad. "This is not a battle, sister, this is your execution! You are nothing but a coward, too weak to even return home and face me! I am the warrior that will end you!"

Komand'r charges forward and Dick can see the movements in slow motion as Kory finally moves to offensive.

Komand'r's fist strikes up at Kory's head, a dark force of energy that Kory simply steps to the side to avoid.

Komand'r screeches, kick coming up for Kory's stomach.

Kory moves.

She catches the kick as easily as she did everything else, throwing it back even as her arm comes up and knocks Komand'r to the side.

Komand'r lands hard on the dying grass, twisting up in a snarl.

She isn't fast enough.

Kory's hand hits into her chest, glowing white gold. It stops barely an inch from being deadly.

"You are not a warrior, Komand'r," Kory says simply, face lit by the energy still held in her fist. "You are as you always have been: a spoiled child with a pile of broken toys."

Komand'r laughs and it's a bitter, enraged thing. "If that is all I am then kill me, dear sister. If you think yourself a warrior, then do your duty and kill your enemy. Because if not, I will never stop hating you."

Kory's hand moves forward.

"Dick," Jason mutters.

But, Dick can't answer. Can't move. Can't stop her. Never could.

The light extinguishes right before it hits and Kory grabs her sister's collar, hauling her up to meet her face.

"I am a warrior, Komand'r, neither you nor anyone can change that." Kory meets her sister's eyes. "And you are lucky that a warrior is not all I am."

Kory does not loosen her grip, one hand still glowing bright. "I am also a sister. So, listen to me closely, Komand'r, I do not kill you today solely because I do not wish to be my sister's killer and will not let you change that fact. But, I will see you pay for your actions. I will ensure it to the very end. And if I ever see you across a battlefield again, then I will act regardless of that wish. Do you understand?"

Komand'r spits at her. "Coward. Fool. Weak."

Kory ignores her, turning to Dick. "My love will never be a weakness."

Dick smiles at her, a small, fragile thing and filled with such heart pounding relief.

Around them, the sky is still darkening, ground again starting to shake under their feet.

"Go on," Kory tells him. "They need you. Robin and I will worry about securing my sister."

Dick nods, swallowing down the words he wants to say and telling himself there will be time.

He turns and runs in the direction of the Tower, where the black is starting to whip around like a terrifying storm.

The darkness is starting to recede, enough that Dick can at least see where he's heading. And, at first, he thinks that's a good thing before he gets to the epicenter and realizes why…

The dark magic isn't leaving-it's focusing, with the Tower at the center of the attack.

Lilith, Zatanna, Billy, and Tula are standing with Constantine in a loose semi-circle. They almost look frozen, with eyes closed tightly, if not for how Dick could see that they're shaking.

Raven's still kneeling behind them.

Dick goes to her. "Can you close back the seal?"

"I'm trying." Raven hisses in pain, eyes closed like the rest. "He's too strong. Even with my own chaos magic, I can't stop him. We need…."

She stops.

"Raven, what is it," he asks.

"Dick….," Raven opens her eyes, "about making our own Destiny, do you think it always has to be hard? That it always has to hurt?"

Dick doesn't know what she's leading to.

He tries to answer anyway.

"Not forever," he says, "I think eventually, you build something new."

Raven smiles.

And, then, she disappears, cloak whipping around her and wrapping her away until all that's left is a shadow dissolved in the dark.

Dick stares.

Constantine pops open an eye long enough to scowl. "What?! Are you kidding me! What kind of shit is that? If anyone gets to ditch this, it's me! I had dibs!"

Dick's still staring.

"Shut up and focus," Tula orders and the British magician begrudgingly closes back his eyes as the energy along his arms burns even brighter.

Zatanna's panting. "Dick, we can't hold this much longer. We're not enough."

"I….," Dick doesn't know magic, he has no clue what to do next.

The shadows warp and Raven melts back onto the field, standing strong and holding….

"RAVEN!" Dick shouts out, launching up. "DON'T! IT'S A TRAP!"

Raven's still smiling. "No, it's Destiny."

She puts on the Helmet of Fate.

Everything goes gold white, like the force of a comet landing on Earth, like the sun shining from the ground.

And, then, a bolt of gold wrapped in black joins the white, blue, purple, orange, and green.

Order.

The new Doctor Fate joins the circle, a cloak of black streaked with gold falling around her as she grabs Captain Marvel's hand.

Between the six figures, seven kinds of magic wrapping around the figure of mist and finally, finally, it starts to push back.

"FOOLS! FOOLS! DO YOU THINK ANY MORTAL FORCE IS ENOUGH?! DO YOU THINK I CANNOT ESCAPE?! DO YOU TRULY THINK YOURSELVES WORTHY OF-"

"OH, SHUT UP!" Zatanna shouts.

The mist breaks apart, energy of all colors weaving around it and melting together to form a net, slowly dragging it back. The smoke fights back, twisting for any escape before-

Doctor Fate's cloak moves, the gold and the black twisting together like a whip that saps at the tendrils before they can flee.

The black magic draws up. The energy around it pushes and fights and drags until finally….

It's absorbed back into the body of one small teenage girl, trapped in a helmet of gold that she chose herself.

The black in the sky drifts away to bright blue, the red in the sun burns off to light.

The last of the pain dissapears.

Zatanna collapses on the ground, followed closely by the rest of the magic users.

Constantine moans, not even trying to get up. "Next time, I'm staying home."

Lilith punches him weakly.

Magic sizzles around the form of Captain Marvel, too exhausted to even form lightning until finally a sixteen year old boy remains in his place.

"Raven!" He scrambles across the ground to where the figure of Doctor Fate is still sitting calmly, too at peace for a normal human being.

Dick swallows as Billy starts to wipe away tears.

"She did it to save us," he says thickly, "and now she's trapped in there. It's never going to let her out, is it?"

"Well," Zatanna groans, propping herself up. "Who says that Helmet's gotta have all the say?"

Dick frowns. "What?"

"I'm saying," Zatanna offers a tired smile, "the Helmet's a Lord of Order. She's a being of Chaos. That sounds like a partnership to me, not servitude."

Doctor Fate tilts her head, the gesture almost confused for all it seems stiffly inhuman.

"Why don't you try it," Zatanna suggests.

And, slowly, hands raise, grabbing the Helmet and pushing until…

The gold shifts away from Raven's cloak and a fourteen year old girl blinks down in confusion.

"I….," her voice is fragile, "I didn't think…."

"Don't be too happy," Zatanna warns. "It's still a part of you now. I doubt a Lord of Order will let go that easy; but….," she trails off in a smile, "maybe you're a part of it now, too. Funny how magic works, isn't it, Doctor Fate?"

Raven laughs, a tiny, hopefully little thing, a second before Billy scoops her up in a hug.

She grips him back, looking over his shoulder to find Dick.

"Is it really over," she asks.

Dick looks up at the sky gone back to blue, feels the warmth of the sun. Around him, Komand'r's troops lay bound on the ground and, a little further away, their leader is the same, Kory watching above her.

"Yeah," he says, "I think it finally is."

ooooooo

By the next morning, everyone is still exhausted if continuing on with the pleased rhythm of getting back to normal.

Will showed up barely after the fighting stopped, bow in hand and looking annoyed that he missed all of the action. He stayed to back up Jade in the medical unit, the former assassin ordering him and her new assistant Jaime to and fro as she patched up minor injuries and assessed for lingering effects from the chaos magic. Dick's at least half sure Will stayed for the free babysitters, plus there's the fact that nothing relaxes the rest of the Tower quite like watching Lian toddle around and try to stick her fingers in everything-a moment of normalcy and peace that makes the battle really feel over.

For Dick, he's already had to deal with one still fairly formal meeting with Hippolyta and Mera, one relaxed and far more enjoyable talk with Mera, one briefing with the UN, and one Titans press announcement to insure that yes, those were aliens attacking the Tower and no, they weren't invaded and yes, the Titans had handled it completely with great aid from Supergirl and Starfire. He would have been dragged into more if Donna hadn't stepped in and ended the press conference with all the finality of an Amazonian warrior.

So, now, Dick can just stand, thinking and processing and feeling entirely too lucky that everything turned out alright.

"Dick, we need to talk."

Dick snorts. "When you say that, it feels like you're breaking up with me."

Zatanna smiles, leaning next to him on the Tower balcony.

"Tower needs to replace the windows," she comments idly.

"Least nothing blew up for once," he returns.

She shrugs in agreement.

"What's up, Zee? I doubt you wanted to talk Tower maintenance."

She looks down at her hands, scratching at the railing. "I've been talking with Lilith...and Tula, Raven, Billy, even Constantine a bit."

Dick props his head on one hand and smiles at her. "About?"

She doesn't answer directly. Not yet.

"You know, Dick," she says instead, "one of the reasons the Justice League was so effective is that they had the numbers. They could delegate. They had smaller groups and contacts. Young Justice and the Justice Society, yeah, but they also had others. Local heroes. International bases." She sighs. "What I'm saying is they didn't need to be everywhere, they had help."

"They did," he agrees.

"We don't have their numbers," Zatanna says bluntly. "But….we do have more than we did. There's some local heroes starting to rise again. The Titans are getting stronger and we need….," she trails off momentarily, "I hate to say Constantine's right. I really, really, really hate to say that so I'm not going to. But, magic has been out of balance for years. Before the Invasion. Trigon was a result; but, he's not the only one. And just because we have a Doctor Fate again, just because we're starting to get magic back together again, doesn't mean it's not going to be work. What I'm trying to say is…."

"Zee," Dick interrupts, "this really is a break up conversation, isn't it?"

"Never," she says immediately before she winces, "but, yeah, kinda. We need to get stronger, Dick, the Titans need to get stronger."

He nods. "So, you, Lilith, Tula, Raven, Billy, and Constantine, huh?"

Zatanna rolls his eyes. "Constantine's insisting he's just a consultant."

"Good, stiff him on the bill." Dick grins. "He's assured me it's a League tradition"

Zatanna gives a small smile, still looking down.

"Gar's going to be bummed, you know?"

"We'll visit," she promises.

"What are you thinking for the name," Dick asks.

She shrugs. "I was kind of thinking….Titans Dark."

"I like it?"

She looks up, smile getting a bit bigger. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He drums his fingers along the rail. "I'm still expecting you at the Tower for monthly game night, alright? No excuses."

Zatanna actually laughs at that. "You just want us there so you and Donna have more victims to crush in charades!"

"Well….," he pretends to think for a second, "...yeah, actually, that's most of it."

She's fully grinning now. "We're banning that game, Rob! I swear to it!"

Dick's smiling back and, for a second, he lets himself think back to a younger boy who had first met a girl with long and shining black hair, trailing behind an overprotective father that she loved so dearly.

"You know, Zee," he bumps her shoulder, "when I first met you, I thought you were the coolest girl I'd ever seen."

She winks back at him. "I thought you were adorable, even if you were shorter than me."

"I am adorable," he teases. "Glad to know we were both right."

She smiles, breathing out and meeting his eyes as equals, one team leader to another.

"Come on," she says to him, "Lilith's waiting on the news."

Dick laughs. "You didn't really think I'd have a problem with it, did you?"

"No, not really," her smile goes mischievous. "Besides, if you did, we could always just jinx you."

He rolls his eyes. "I hope you know that I'm expecting this new team to mean I never have to think about magic again."

"No promises!"

When they get inside, it's not just Lilith waiting for them. Tula's standing beside her, Billy and Raven a little further off and smiling shyly. Even Constantine is hanging around the edges.

"So," Dick starts, "I hear the Titans have a new sister team."

Lilith grins immediately, reaching out to wrap him in a hug.

"You won't even know we're gone," she whispers into his shoulder.

"It better not," Dick says fondly, "I've already told Zee about the expected attendance for game night."

He pulls back, giving them all a grin. "Looks like you've got a good team here."

Billy's beaming back at him, practically hopping from foot to foot and there's a large part of Dick that's always going to be so glad that, even through everything, Billy's still so much that same ten year old kid he always remembered. Even if he's older, fought for it harder, Billy will always be the purest soul on the planet.

Raven gives him a smaller smile, holding the Helmet lightly in one hand even as her cloak drifts around it.

"Great," Constantine mutters, lighting a cigarette. "I'll be the middle aged guy, running around with a bunch of teenagers. That won't be creepy."

Zatanna snatches his cigarette, pressing it out with a spark of magic and smirking. "I prefer to think of it as watching after our elderly."

Constantine grumbles. "Maybe I can get Boston in on this."

And, for Dick, looking out at the group, the team, it feels like a new start. One that he's not part of this time, doesn't have to be, but one he can't help feel is for the better.

ooooooo

Dick leaves Zatanna and her new team to discuss logistics.

Besides, there's one person he desperately wants to see.

Instead, he finds Slade first.

"Didn't think you'd still be here," he says, closing the entrance to the roof behind him.

Slade shrugs. "What can I say? I hear you do continental breakfast on Saturdays."

Dick rolls his eyes. "Slade, you've been a double agent for the Light this entire time and you nearly killed a fourteen year old who happens to now be one of our newest recruits. Give me one reason I shouldn't be kicking you out of the Tower."

"I'll give you two." Slade grins. "One, because I'm leaving soon anyway. And, two, because you knew who I was before you let me in the first time. Don't try to pretend it away now, Dick, you're better than that."

Dick doesn't bother to argue, standing next to him and looking off the roof.

"You need someone that knows to be ruthless," Slade says.

Dick hums in the back of his throat. "Ruthless, huh?"

"Ruthless," Slade repeats, grinning slyly. "I've got a question for you, by the way."

"Got one for you, too," he says.

Slade spreads his arms. "By all means."

"The Light." Dick hops up on the edge of the roof, balancing along the line. "They led the Reach here; then, gave us what we needed to take them down. That never made sense to me. Not until I found out the Green Lanterns abandoned us. Not until they led Komand'r here, too. Not until they sent you when they thought we might lose."

"That's not a question, kid," Slade says.

"I guess it's more a confirmation," he acknowledges. "Earth's defenseless right now. That's why I kept being so confused why the Light would possibly look for an attack now. Why not use their intel to make allies? But, then, I realized. The Light's not looking for allies, they're looking for reputation." Dick looks at Slade. "The Light's using us as their attack dogs, aren't they? They want to make Earth seem too dangerous to attack."

"Why stop at 'seem'?" Slade's smirk grows. "Why not make Earth too dangerous to attack?"

"It'll never work." Dick's already shaking his head. "All they're going to do is get us killed. We need more allies, not more enemies. The only thing looking stronger does is attract more powerful threats."

Slade throws back his head and laughs. "Well, you're one to talk about that, aren't you?"

"The Titans were at least strong enough to back it up," Dick argues. "The Earth's not."

"Not yet," Slade says evenly. "And, anyway, that's a good start to my question." He tilts his head. "I'm curious, kid. Cause you and I both know that plan was a last second Hail Mary. You got lucky, another day without a drop of blood." Slade stands next to him. "But, really, Dick, how many more days is that going to be? When are you going to finally run out of luck?"

"Is that your question," Dick asks.

"Nah," Slade grins, "my question is what was your order going to be? Before your miracle plan. Back when you were looking out that window and watching your friends about to die, what were you going to say?"

Dick breathes and lets it out slowly.

"I guess we'll never have to know," he says, voice purposefully easy.

There's a certain kind of satisfaction in the way Slade's smirk tightens, annoyance flashing quickly in his eye before hiding away.

Slade rallies anyway. "Well, I wouldn't say never."

Dick's posture is the picture of casualness. He turns away from Slade, continuing to walk along the edge.

"I'll never become what you want me to be, Slade," he says simply. "I'll never be a killer.

"Kid, some things are worth giving up the rules for." He hears the way Slade's voice has gone low, deadly serious. "Gotta see that eventually."

"I don't agree."

Slade grits his teeth. "Then, you'll die."

Dick shrugs, smiling slightly.

He doesn't see the moment Slade snaps.

Slade grabs his shoulders hard, jerking him off the ledge and back to the roof .

Dick can't react before Slade's yelling.

"No." Slade shouts into his face. "Don't be an idiot, Dick! You're better than that! I know it, I just saw it! Don't quit now! Don't just lay down and die for them!" The mercenary growls, running one hand harshly through his hair. "When you going to learn that the big bad bat's not breathing down your neck anymore?"

Dick's eyes go cold and Slade winces as he finishes, but doesn't move to take it back. Of course, he doesn't.

Dick drops the smiles.

"Leave, Slade," he orders. "And tell the Light I'm not their pawn."

Slade sighs, dropping his grip on Dick's shoulders and holding up his hands in the classic sign of surrender. He turns to leave the Tower.

"Then who's pawn are you, kid?"

ooooooo

In the end, the one person Dick wants to see most is in the first place he should have looked for her.

Kory stands in her room, surrounded by plants and life, while she looks out into a warm blue sky and the afternoon sun that reveals her golden.

And, there's always something about Kory, something tied to the fabric of her soul that pulls at Dick's own. That makes his breath pause in his chest and heart beat faster. But, in this moment, with everything past and Dick's shoulders finally relaxing, it's this moment that makes Dick want to plead with time itself to wait. Just for a few moments.

Instead, he says, "Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te."

Kory turns, seeing him in the doorway.

Her lips turn up in a small smile. "Italian."

"Yeah." He comes to stand beside her and she wraps her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he leans against her as well.

"I am abdicating the throne to Ryand'r," she says.

"Are you sure," he asks, trying for a smile, "Queen Kory has a nice ring to it."

She presses a kiss to his cheek. "And I am sure you would make a wonderful Queen's consort, mel klexh." She shakes her head. "But, I am certain. I do not wish to be Queen. I do not believe I ever did. Tamaran needs a ruler that can sit on a throne and my place has always been on the field."

She looks down, smile fading. "However…."

"You need to go, don't you," Dick guesses as she trails off.

"Yes," she admits.

Dick swallows down his first words, focusing on the practicalities first. "Will the ship be fine? It is transporting a few hundred soldiers, not to mention Komand'r. If something goes wrong-"

Kory holds him tighter, pressing soothing words against his chest. "We will be fine, mel klexh. It is an ambassador ship, it's meant to be managed by a small crew. Once we leave Earth's sector and the Guardian's perimeter, Ryand'r can summon his own soldiers to guide us back."

Dick breathes out and asks the question he's afraid to. "Are you….are you coming back?"

"Always," she promises. "Earth is my home now in a way that Tamaran is not. Could not be, I believe, not in many years. I will always love it; but….," she smiles, looking out the window, "this is where I belong."

His heart stutters back in his chest.

He kisses her hair. "How long will you be gone?"

"Only for a little while, a year at most," she says. "Earth needs allies and it is only proper that I ensure Tamaran is the first. Besides, my brother wants me there as he establishes his place as king and…," her mouth tightens, "I want to be there for Komand'r's trial."

Dick does not say anything.

"I will speak against her execution for treason," Kory says. "As the current returning Queen, I imagine my word will have sway; however, it will ultimately be up to the elders and I will not fight their decision." She sighs. "I do not wish to see my sister dead, even after everything."

She looks up at him. "And….I'd like to think that part of me I know because of you."

"It's not me," Dick shakes his head, "that's always been you, Kory."

"It is and it is not." Kory's hand moves to cup his face. "I think that is what the beauty of love is. That it does not ask you for change; but, reminds you of the parts of yourself you need the most." She runs a thumb under his eyes, smoothing the skin with a warm touch. "When I first arrived, you reminded me how to be a warrior. And, ever since, you have reminded me how to be the other parts as well. I will always love you for that." The smile fades. "But, I will not change for you, Dick. I never can because I do not wish it. Do you understand?"

Dick pulls away.

Just enough that he can meet her eyes.

"Kory…..I-" The words stick in his throat like they always stick in his throat and he can't say them still.

But maybe….maybe it's because he's been tying in the wrong language. English has always been learned, rules and regulations that at first twisted his tongue even if now it's been so long he speaks it fluidly, long enough that it's the English he holds in his mind. It will never be the one he holds in his heart, so long that since it's used that it should feel rusty on his tongue.

But, it doesn't.

"Me kamav tut," he says in his first language and the words finally come out right.

Kory's eyes widen.

"I love you," he repeats again in English and he doesn't know why he can say it now, "I love you, Kory, I'll always love you."

His heart's beating fast in his chest and it feels clear and...and painful. There's so much flooding behind his mind that it feels like a tidal wave, slowly building before it hits shore, and he doesn't understand why.

Because the thing is….he's finally said the words that he knows, he knows are true and he feels more unsteady than ever.

Kory kisses him and he clutches onto it like a lifeline.

"Elu lilhmon mwiln," she repeats in her own language and the words wash over him. "I love you, mel klexh, I love you."

Dick feels like everything is shifting around him and he tries to push it back.

Instead, he focuses on Kory in his arms. He focuses on that and the way his heart's beating faster and the words that are still echoing in his ears.

"I love you," he promises.

And, maybe, that's all he needs.

His chest aches and his mind hurts and maybe...maybe there are things that are worth looking past rules.

Maybe.

ooooooo

A/N:Hey, everyone, I really am so, so sorry about the longer wait this time. I'll be completely honest I had a bit of writer's block and then got busy; but, please know that I really appreciate all of your wonderful support for this story. With that, I don't want to leave you in a lurch again with a long wait so, with this chapter, I'm going to start giving a post date for when I'm hoping to have the next chapter out. With that, there is every chance if I feel that it is ready sooner, I will try to post earlier than that date. But, this way there is at least a date I can update if I expect any delays so I don't leave you guys hanging and it motivates me. Also, I'm going to be on vacation and seeing family for a bit next month so I'm planning myself a bit extra time for the next chapter.

But, guys, next chapter is going to be big! It's probably one of the years I have been most looking forward to writing if not THE year I've been most looking forward to writing. Next is a definitive Nightwing storyline(s). It will also be centered in Gotham so expect a lot of batfamily. Also, going to be reintroducing a lot of important bat characters (sadly not Damian yet, he's still coming eventually).

Next Up: Year 8: Along Came A Spider
Post Date: Aug. 2 or earlier