A/N: Hello all and welcome to the third and final chapter of my story! Now, just to let you know, you're getting this chapter alongside the previous (instead of waiting a few days) because I will soon be signing a publishing contract for an original novella, and I'm pretty sure I'll have to give up fanfiction once I sign. And, of course, I couldn't leave you all hanging! Also, yes, it's a nice long chapter, too! I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Thoughts

"Mind Link"

Computer

Disclaimer: Young Justice and all associations belong to DC Comics, not me.

Identities

Chapter Three

Robin landed on another roof, only a few streets over now from Alfred's signal, when the communicator in his ear beeped. Without slowing he reached up and tapped it lightly, saying, "Yeah?"

Kid Flash's unexpected voice greeted him barely a heartbeat later. "Have you found Al yet?"

"No," Robin replied as he fired his grappling hook toward another – taller – building. "Artemis called you?"

The faintest trace of a laugh in his voice, Kid Flash replied, "Well you know Bats didn't."

"Point taken," Robin conceded. He heard the sound of a car horn blaring in the distance on the other end of the line and asked, "How long 'til you get here?"

"Gah!" Kid Flash exclaimed. "I knew I should've taken the scenic route!" Containing his disappointment at being unable to surprise his friend (again), he added, "Ten minutes, max."

Alighting on the roof across the street from Alfred's signal, Robin paused, hiding in the shadows, and whispered, "Thanks, KF. Gotta go." The line went quiet and Robin focused his masked gaze on the area surrounding him.

He was technically crouched along the side of a fairly busy street – a road he knew Alfred took to cut out a little time when he was traveling directly to and from Gotham Academy. A steady flow of cars was passing before him in both directions, and a few pedestrians were walking along the sidewalk on either side of the street.

No one looked particularly suspicious, and no one was paying any attention to the side street where the signal was leading. There weren't any illegally parked cars in sight and there weren't any crouching figures on either of the rooftops across from him.

When he was satisfied that he likely wasn't walking into a trap (though that trap would probably have been set for Bruce or Dick, anyway), Robin made his move.

Alfred's signal hadn't moved since he'd first scanned for it nearly fifteen minutes before, and it was getting harder and harder to ignore the possible implications of that. Just find him, he told himself firmly as he landed on the roof directly above the signal. That's the mission. The next mission doesn't start until this one's accomplished.

Robin glanced around one more time, noting the two parked cars on the far side of the street and the lack of movement in any immediate direction. The building he was now standing on had a small back parking lot, accessible through the side street below, and there was a fenced-in Dumpster immediately to the right of the parking lot entrance. The old chain-link fence around the Dumpster had obviously seen better days, and the gate itself was leaning against the side of the fence, crumpled beyond repair.

A knot tightened in Robin's stomach as he glanced at the holo-screen above his wrist one more time, but he pushed it down and somersaulted off of the roof. He landed soundlessly on one of the Dumpster lids, spun, and knelt near the edge. Moment of truth, he thought as he reached down, grabbed hold of the other thin metal lid, and hauled it back.

He was immediately assaulted with the rank stench of too many unmentionable things and he barely managed not to cough as he wrinkled his nose. Some days, he hated his job. But he pushed through it and leaned over the lid he was perched on, scanning the contents within for something that didn't belong.

It only took him a moment to spot the once-finely-polished dress shoes that Alfred always wore, and his eyes quickly followed them up a pair of awkwardly curled legs in familiar black trousers.

"Alfred!" Robin cried, quickly spinning to balance on the edge of the open side so that he could throw off the second lid and reveal the rest of his butler. The legs had been motionless, and he prayed that only meant the older man was unconscious. The lid clanged noisily, but Robin didn't even cringe at the sound as his eyes landed on the upper half of the man he'd been looking for.

Alfred Pennyworth was lying below him, mostly (but not entirely) on top of a half-filled Dumpster-full of trash. His arms appeared to be tied behind him and a thin, dried stream of blood stained his silver hair and smeared across his cheek. His eyes were closed, and the smashed remains of a cell phone were resting near his nose.

Robin didn't breathe until he noted the steady rise and fall of Alfred's chest.

He's alive. The words whispered across his mind, the only true vocalization of what he'd feared most, and spurred him into motion.

It took a little effort (and he was eternally grateful for the durability of his costume), but Robin managed to get Alfred out of the Dumpster. Once he had a good grip on the untied, now-groaning man, Robin pulled out his grapple again and used it to haul them both up to the roof.

After settling his butler carefully on the rooftop, Robin tapped his communicator and called, "Artemis."

Her voice came through a moment later, saying, "I'm here."

"I found Alfred. Meet on the roof of Late Street Deli."

"On my way," Artemis replied sharply.

Robin disconnected the call, paused, and then tapped the ear piece again for Batman.

"Go ahead," Bruce said a second later.

"I found Alfred," Robin repeated. "He's unconscious, but I think he'll be alright. Should I call for an ambulance?"

"That'd be best," Bruce replied, an almost audible layer of relief in his voice. "But see if you can't talk to him first; he might know something helpful."

"Will do," Robin assured him.

"I'm in the air now. I'll call you when I'm closer."

The line clicked, indicating that Bruce had hung up, and Robin swallowed anxiously as he reached for a capsule in his utility belt. Given the circumstances of where the elderly man had been found, he wasn't entirely sure it would work, but he was hesitant to shake or jostle him any further.

He snapped the capsule beneath Alfred's nose and waited impatiently.

Alfred groaned again, shifting as he coughed and squeezed his eyes shut in a cringe. After another second of semi-choking, Alfred sucked in a sharp breath and his eyes snapped open in panic.

"Take it easy, Al," Robin said gently, keeping himself in the other man's line of sight and holding his hands out to reassure him. "You're going to be alright."

Relief settled in Alfred's eyes, easing his expression, and he shifted again in an attempt to sit up, but as soon as he put weight on his right arm he cried out in surprise and pain and fell backwards. Robin caught him before Alfred could hit his head on the concrete, shifting and carefully helping the older man to sit up without putting weight on his apparently-broken arm.

"Thank you, sir," Alfred said gratefully as Robin sat back. He looked over, staring into the teenager's masked eyes, and added, "I'm very sorry, Master Dick. Are you alright?"

Robin offered him a smirk and said, "I'm astrous. It's you we're worried about."

Alfred released a breath and reached up with his good arm, massaging his head lightly and replying, "I shall survive, sir. I'm glad to see that those men didn't capture you."

"Men?" Robin repeated, smirk vanishing as he thought over what had happened to him. "There was only one man in the Rolls this afternoon. How many attacked you?"

"I believe there were three," Alfred replied thoughtfully as his arm returned to his lap. "I saw a young girl running along the sidewalk. She couldn't have been older than eight, and she was crying, so I was concerned that she was in danger." He trailed off, a muted light of self-hatred and disappointment in his eyes.

Before Robin could encourage him to continue there was a soft thud on the roof behind them. He saw Alfred's eyes snap up in surprise, but he already knew who it was so he only cast a glance and a grin over his shoulder, calling, "You're just in time for a story."

Artemis walked over calmly, bow and quiver slung over her shoulder, and she knelt down deliberately half a foot back from Robin and across from Alfred. "You must be Alfred," she declared with a smile. "It's nice to meet you; I'm Artemis."

Alfred blinked at her, surprised by her words, and cast a glance toward Robin.

Robin was grinning still as he said, "Extenuating circumstances." His grin faded, then, and he added, "Can you tell me the rest?"

Nodding with understanding, Alfred began again. "I pulled into the parking lot behind the deli, where I thought I had seen her run, and got out of the car to look for her. I hadn't moved far when a tall man, likely in his mid-forties, walked out from behind the Dumpster. He said 'thanks for the car, old man,' and I turned in time to see another man climb into the car. I tried to open the door, but he had already locked it, and then the first man twisted my arm behind me and made me drop my keys. That's where the third man came in, stepping only enough into my line of sight for me to see his shoes, and he handed my keys to the man in the car while the first man said 'we wouldn't want to be late picking up the boy.' I suspect he hit me at that point, because that's the last I remember."

Robin's fists were clenched over his knees as he all-too-easily pictured the scenario Alfred had described. And he couldn't decide if he hoped he found the men responsible before Batman did or when Batman did. But he knew for sure he wanted to be there to give them what was coming to them.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Batgirl declared from the other side of the roof as her eyes landed on Alfred. She darted forward, her dark cape billowing behind her, and dropped to her knees beside Robin. One gloved hand reached over and covered one of his fists, but her eyes remained on the butler as she asked gently, "Are you okay, Alfred?"

Alfred blinked at her, again startled at her obvious knowledge, but this time he recovered fairly quickly and managed a small smile. "I have been worse, Miss Barbara."

Sliding her eyes to her teammate, Artemis asked, "What's our next move?"

Robin's frown deepened as he uncurled his fist and twisted his hand enough to capture Barbara's in his and he said, "First I'm contacting the GCPD and having them send an ambulance for Alfred."

Attempting a firm frown, Alfred interrupted to say, "That is hardly necessary, sir."

"Your arm's probably broken and you've got a head injury," Robin returned stubbornly. "We're at least getting you checked out. The cops'll ask questions, but there shouldn't be any harm in you telling them what happened. They already know about the stolen car and the guy who tried to kidnap me."

Releasing a long sigh, Alfred inclined his head slowly (not successfully hiding the wince that followed the motion) and he said, "Very well."

"Once Alfred's secure," Robin continued, squeezing Batgirl's hand subconsciously and glancing sideways toward Artemis, "we start looking into the guys who attacked him. We know of three adult males and a small girl – probably the daughter of one of the men. It's a place to start."

Artemis and Batgirl nodded and – with surprising reluctance – Robin released Batgirl's hand in order to activate his communicator again. "Gordon," he instructed clearly.

The Commissioner's familiar voice answered quickly with his usual greeting.

"It's Robin. I need an ambulance at Late Street Deli for Bruce Wayne's butler; I think he's got a head injury."

"You found Pennyworth?" Gordon asked, clearly surprised by the news. "I didn't even think Batman was working this case."

"We work every case," Robin replied evenly. There was certainly no need to tell him that Batman was technically in the air somewhere between Metropolis and Gotham at the moment.

"Of course you do," Gordon mumbled. "Alright, I've got a car on the way and an ambulance following."

"Thanks," Robin said a moment before he disconnected. His arm fell back to his side and his voice softened as he once again addressed Alfred, saying, "Now let's get you back on solid ground."

With practiced ease (and a little help), Robin got Alfred safely back down to the parking lot, several yards back from the Dumpster. Artemis and Batgirl landed on either side of them, and Alfred didn't put up an argument at the idea of letting the deli's wall support a portion of his weight.

Robin was tucking his grappling hook back into his utility belt when a faint breeze blew past and a familiar male voice declared, "I'd like to report a crime."

Artemis rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's entrance even as she crossed her arms and turned slightly in order to face him. "What is it this time?"

Kid Flash was leaning against the wall, across from Artemis and just out of arm's reach of Alfred. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, grinning as he demanded, "What kind of deli is closed in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday?"

"The 'out-of-business' kind, KF," Robin replied with a smirk.

Releasing a dramatic sigh, Kid Flash's arm dropped back to his side and he glanced beside him to offer his grin to Alfred. "Good to see you're on your feet, Al."

"Have you been assisting them today?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Nah, just got here," Kid Flash admitted.

"Good timing, though," Robin declared. Gesturing toward the red-head at his side, he added, "KF, this is Batgirl. B, meet Kid Flash."

One gloved hand landing on her hip, Batgirl said, "I never realized you had such a thing for initials." Shifting her gaze back toward Kid Flash, she grinned and added, "Besides, we've already met."

Turning wide eyes to Robin, Kid Flash exclaimed, "You told her?"

"'Course not," Robin replied with an almost proud grin. "But civilian-me is only friends with two red-heads."

With a reluctant nod, Kid Flash grumbled, "Yeah, okay, that's a good point." Then he turned his grin back to Batgirl and added, "The suit looks good on you." Artemis's hand was smacking the backside of his head a beat later and he exclaimed, "Ow! What, it was just a compliment!"

Holding his hands out in a pacifying gesture, Robin quickly said, "Okay, listen up, guys." He paused as Artemis and Kid Flash readjusted to face him, and then he added, "There's no sense in us all waiting here, so we're splitting up." He extended a hand toward Artemis, asking, "Lend me your tracker?"

Confused, Artemis obligingly dug out her tracking device and handed it over.

Robin's fingers moved quickly over the screen, programming something in, as he said, "We need to find our suspects, and the obvious place to start is with the guy who was last seen driving Alfred's car." He held the device back to its owner as he added, "All of our cars are traceable. I programmed the signal in for you. Track it down, observe, and let me know what you find."

Artemis nodded, glancing at the screen to get an idea of their direction. "You'll catch up later?"

With a nod, Robin replied, "As soon as we can."

Batgirl was shifting beside him, and then suddenly she was holding out the tracking device he'd lent her earlier, saying, "I almost forgot – you probably want this back."

Robin held up one hand as if to block her offering and said, "Keep it; you'll need it if we get separated." Tapping his glove, he added, "I've got mine built in, anyway. I mostly just keep that one for a back-up."

They could hear the sirens now, steadily growing closer.

"That's our cue," Kid Flash declared, stepping forward and scooping Artemis into his arms. "We'll catch up with you later."

"Oh, KF?" Robin called before his friend could disappear. Gesturing to himself, he added, "Do me a favor? Go stealth."

"You couldn't tell me that when my-" Kid Flash began, cutting himself off when Artemis deliberately tapped the logo on his chest. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Weren't you just about to point out that your arms are full?" Artemis returned as she then tapped her own logo.

"Okay," Batgirl declared, "that's cool."

"Later!" Kid Flash called a heartbeat before he and Artemis vanished in a dark blur.

"You should get going as well, Master Dick," Alfred declared with a small, reassuring smile. "I will be fine for another minute."

Robin hesitated despite the truth of the older man's words. "I know," he finally admitted. "See you later, Alfred."

Once Alfred was secured in the ambulance and on his way to the hospital, Robin and Batgirl moved back toward the heart of the city, and Robin decided to take a minute to confer with his new partner. He had already given her his spare grappling hook (which she'd gotten the hang of almost immediately), and it occurred to him that she wouldn't exactly have the same weapons cache that he did.

They landed easily on another rooftop, and Batgirl automatically started for the opposite edge, but she came up short when Robin called, "Wait."

Confused, Batgirl turned to face him and asked, "What is it?"

Robin walked up to her, returning his grapple to his utility belt as he asked, "What kind of weapons do you have?"

Batgirl blinked at him for a moment before shrugging and replying, "I've got a couple fully-charged stun guns, some pepper spray, a handful of homemade smoke-bombs, and one of Batman's batarangs from a crime scene I ended up tagging along to." She tucked the grapple into her belt before reaching into a front pocket and extracting a banged-up batarang. Holding it up, she added, "I'm not that good with it, though."

Robin was grinning as he held his hand out for the batarang. "I kind of love that you snagged this," he admitted as he turned it over. Up close it was more damaged than he'd originally thought, but it was also certainly still usable.

"I know that's probably not very impressive," Batgirl hedged, "but it's all I've been able to manage so far."

Shaking his head, Robin handed the batarang back and said, "No, it's a decent start. And I'm sure Batman will give you some better weapons later, but for now I'm going to give you some of mine to bolster your arsenal."

As she tucked the batarang back into her belt, Batgirl asked, "So…he really is going to let me stay?"

Grinning, Robin replied, "Like I said earlier, I talked him into a compromise of sorts, but I think you'll be happy with it. I'll tell you the details later, though." He paused, dipped his hands into a few of the pockets on his own belt, and extracted numerous items. "Right now, I need to give you a crash-course on some basics."

Batgirl nodded silently, watching as he lifted one item from the pile in his hands and held it up.

"Think of this as a more advanced stun gun," Robin began. "It has three settings. Low is enough to drop most adult humans, and you'll get five shots with it before the battery runs out. Medium is good for most stronger, semi-invulnerable, or rapid-healing metas, but it only gives you three shots. High should be reserved for guys like Bane or anyone with notable resistance to electrical attacks, and it's only good for one shot, so make it count."

Accepting the weapon, Batgirl glanced over it – double checking that she knew which end to point out and which buttons to push for which settings – before she tucked it into the pocket with her other stun guns.

Robin lifted a red and silver explosive birdarang disc next, explaining, "These are my birdarangs. They're sharp throwing discs, as you can see, but they also double as explosives if you need them to. I don't recommend triggering the explosive aspect unless you're confident on your aim or you're able to plant them somehow, and one is usually enough for the average criminal." He showed her the trigger button and the deactivation button (just in case) before handing over a handful.

Batgirl tucked the discs into another pocket before returning her attention to him. He showed her a special lock-picking tool that doubled as a fine laser cutter and gave her a handful of tracers to add to her collection. Her makeshift utility belt was suddenly twice as heavy as it had been before, but the weight only made her more confident.

"Now," Robin continued as his arms fell back to his sides, "there are a few basic rules to go over before we go out there. Most of it you've probably figured out on your own, but I have to cover them anyway."

"Okay," Batgirl replied with a nod.

"Rule number one," Robin began, "we do not kill. The second we make the conscious decision to take our opponent's life we become no better than the bad guys we're fighting." This wasn't a rule he worried she was likely to break, but Batman would frown at him if he skipped it. "Rule number two: the civilians always come first. If it comes to it, let the bad guy get away. He'll come back eventually."

Batgirl listened intently, inwardly amazed at the responsible, serious side of her best friend that he always downplayed during the day. She understood, of course; it would be harder to connect the fun-loving, always-laughing, adopted son of a billionaire to the legendary Boy Wonder if the few people who'd met both remembered them entirely differently. She was more amazed at how good at it he was.

"Rule number three," Robin continued, trying not to think of how much he was suddenly sounding like Batman. "Play to your strengths but know your limitations. No one can do everything, and if you try too hard you're only going to get yourself killed. For that reason, rule number four is: don't be afraid to ask for help. It's great advice, if not Batman's most hypocritical rule."

Her lips twitched at this. She didn't know the Dark Knight very well (most of her knowledge came from her father's stories), but even so, that sounded a lot like the man she pictured.

"Rule number-" Robin began, only to be cut off by a beeping in his ear. He quickly reached up and tapped the communicator, saying, "Go ahead."

"We found Al's car," Kid Flash declared on the other end. "Abandoned by an old theater on-"

Frowning deeply, Robin interrupted as realization dawned, echoing, "-Crime Alley. We'll be there soon; look around and see if you can find anything." They're making this all sorts of personal, he reflected grimly. Batman was not going to appreciate it.

"We're going to Crime Alley?" Batgirl asked when he was obviously done talking to the others.

With a sharp nod, Robin retrieved his grappling hook and started toward the left edge of the roof. "Yeah; let's go."

The Rolls had been stripped – before or after its abandonment, it was hard to tell – before Kid Flash and Artemis found it. It was barely a shell of a car, and there weren't many clues that the pair could gather from what was left of the interior. Robin and Batgirl arrived to find the couple leaning – waiting – against the wall of the theater.

Robin glanced at the car, frowning again, before looking back to his teammates and asking, "Anything?"

"Not really," Artemis replied with a disappointed shake of her head.

"I found several sets of fingerprints," Kid Flash offered, "but…who knows which ones might be the guy we're looking for."

Nose scrunched in frustrated thought, Batgirl said, "It could take hours to scan through that many sets of fingerprints. Not to mention the time it would take to chase down everyone we found."

Releasing a frustrated sigh, Robin said, "Let's see if there's not a faster way, then." He lifted his arms, activated his holo-computer, and started typing.

"What are you doing?" Batgirl asked curiously, moving closer to his side in a vain attempt to read the screen.

"Gotham Academy has outside security cameras covering all entrances," Robin declared as he worked. "There's a chance the front cameras were able to get a shot of the guy who tried to kidnap me."

As Kid Flash and Artemis stepped closer, Batgirl arched a hidden brow and asked, "And you just happen to have the code to the school security system?"

Trying valiantly not to snicker, Kid Flash gestured to Robin and stated, "Give him enough time and this kid could hack anything. I can't imagine the school system's advanced enough to put up much of a fight."

Turning wide eyes back to her friend, Batgirl asked, "You're hacking into the system? You have got to teach me that trick!"

"Maybe, if you ask real nice," Robin teased with a grin before looking up and adding, "And, technically, I hacked the system. Loading front camera one footage now."

The trio moved quickly behind him in order to see properly. And then the image cleared and began playing at a pre-selected time. They watched as a couple of cars rolled by at the edge of the shot and a veritable flock of students poured past – including Dick. The wave of students slowed, as did the passing of vehicles, until the Rolls Royce drove into – and then out of – the shot. The angle was barely good enough to catch the shadowed profile of the driver.

"Aw, man!" Kid Flash exclaimed, entirely disappointed.

"It's okay," Robin said, typing again. "There's a second camera. Loading now." He set the playback to kick in from when the Rolls first appeared in the previous video, and a moment later the footage started playing.

Exactly on time, the Rolls drove into the line of sight. The second camera had a better angle on the parking and street areas, and as the Rolls came to a stop at the curb it remained (barely) in the shot.

Robin smirked as it continued to play. The angle was nearly perfect. And then the man popped open the driver's door, turned, and stepped up to be seen well above the hood of the car. "Heh," he muttered, freezing the image as the man began to raise his arm, "gotcha."

"I'm guessing that's him?" Kid Flash asked rhetorically as he leaned forward slightly, studying the picture.

"But now what?" Batgirl asked, glancing sideways at her friend. "We already knew what he looked like."

"Now I've got his face on my computer," Robin replied as he zoomed in a little. "I can feed it into the Batcave's system and do a facial recognition scan."

"Can't you do that from here?" Artemis asked curiously.

"I could," Robin assured them as he sent the image and associated instructions to the home network, "but it'll go faster this way." His arms fell to his side as the holo-screen faded again and he added, "It'll notify me when the scan's done."

"What do we do in the meantime?" Batgirl asked.

"First, we get off the street," Robin instructed, glancing around. It was still late afternoon, and even Crime Alley wasn't that bad in the daytime, but the four of them stood out like sore thumbs as they were. "The facial rec should only take a couple of minutes, so we'll wait for those results before splitting up to search for him."

Robin, Batgirl, and Artemis aimed their respective grapples at a nearby roof, and Kid Flash held on to his girlfriend as their feet almost simultaneously left the ground.

They swung onto a tall roof slightly down from the theater and moved toward the center, crouching down to keep out of sight.

"So," Kid Flash began, looking into his friend's masked eyes, "once the scan is done, where do we start looking?"

"That'll depend on the results," Robin replied. "If we don't have any known hideouts or affiliations, then we'll start with Crime Alley and Old Gotham since we're already here."

"What about north of the city?" Batgirl asked thoughtfully. "Whoever's behind this clearly knows that the manor's empty, right? What if they head up that way – sort of hiding in plain sight or something?"

Robin scowled at the thought, understanding her point. "We'll double back that way if our search turns up empty," he said, "but I'll be able to rule out our property itself – Bats has it rigged with every kind of sensor you can think of, and the computer would notify me if even one of them was tripped."

"Do you think there's a picture of Bats in the dictionary next to 'paranoid'?" Kid Flash asked flippantly.

Artemis shoved him lightly in the shoulder, saying, "I almost can't believe you even asked that."

Rubbing his shoulder and turning an exaggeratedly hurt look to her, Kid Flash asked, "What?"

Robin's computer beeped, the screen popping up, and the group returned their attention to the task at hand.

"That was fast," Artemis observed. From their backwards angle on the screen, she and Wally could see an image that looked suspiciously like a mug-shot, along with a list of details.

The question was obvious in the air, so Robin chose to read aloud after quickly scanning the man's image. But, even as he opened his mouth to tell them his would-be abductor's name, his eyes landed on the words and his throat went dry.

It took him a long second to even remember to breathe.

"Robin?" Batgirl asked carefully, frowning at his open-mouthed, muted expression. Her blue eyes flicked to the screen to see what had him coming up short, and she felt her stomach flip unpleasantly as she read the man's name. She knew that name.

"What is it?" Artemis asked, her curiosity beginning to drive her crazy. It was incredibly unlike Robin to be tongue-tied in any way, let alone over a simple recitation of information.

Dragging in a deep breath through his nose, Robin shook himself out of it and forced his voice to function. "His name is Charlie Zucco." There was a level of hatred in his voice as he all but spat out the surname. But, as was especially obvious from the mug-shot, Charlie didn't look at all like his older brother, so Robin at least couldn't blame himself for not making the connection.

Artemis opened her mouth to voice her confusion, but cut herself off when Kid Flash spoke in an unusually somber, quiet tone.

"Zucco?" Kid Flash repeated. "Isn't that the name of the guy who-"

"Yeah," Robin replied heavily.

"Man, Rob," the older red-head mumbled, eyes returning briefly to the backwards holographic image facing him, "that's messed up."

Batgirl's hand landed on Robin's caped shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

Glancing between the three strangely downcast teens around her, Artemis scowled and settled her half-glare reflexively on the speedster, declaring, "I'm clearly missing something. Is this Zucco guy more dangerous than we thought?"

An eerily mechanic quality to his voice, Robin explained, "Charlie Zucco is the younger brother of Tony Zucco." He paused, swallowing, and continued, "Tony Zucco…is the man who murdered my family five years ago."

Artemis's eyes widened at the unexpected revelation. She had known, logically, that if he was adopted, then that must have meant something had happened to his family. But she hadn't known the truth about him long enough to really give any thought to what that something might have been. And all she could manage to offer was a quiet, "I'm sorry…."

"Thanks," Robin said, a touch of his usual inflection beginning to return, "but it's irrelevant, anyway. The guy we're looking for right now isn't the one responsible." He took another breath, allowing himself to draw comfort from the hand on his shoulder, and returned his focus to the screen before him. They still had a mission to complete.

"Charlie Zucco," Robin began again, "was released on parole two months ago. He's been arrested for half a dozen things over the past decade, most recently armed robbery. He doesn't have any known hideouts in Gotham, but…he has connections to the Maroni Family, and he probably has access to his brother's hideouts."

As Robin switched the image of Charlie Zucco with a map and began typing, Artemis cringed silently and forced herself to broach the obvious topic. "Robin," she began carefully, "it can't be a coincidence that this guy was trying to kidnap you."

Robin's fingers barely paused over the holographic keyboard as he replied, "I know. It has to be connected to Zucco somehow, I just haven't figured it out yet."

"It could be something as stupidly simple as him blaming you for his brother's incarceration," Artemis suggested. "…He did get arrested, right?"

"First case I worked," Robin declared tightly. He stopped typing, a map of Gotham before them with four markers scattered across. "And you're right, it could be that simple. We just can't ignore the chance that there was a secondary motive. These are Zucco's old hideouts."

"Only four?" Kid Flash asked, sounding slightly surprised, "We can handle that."

"It'll be even easier," Robin assured him, typing again. "When I add the updated file information for those locations we can rule some out – I know one of them has been turned into a bakery now." His fingers stalled again and the screen refreshed, taking away one marker and leaving three behind.

"Well," Artemis grumbled, "it's a little easier, anyway."

Robin frowned at the screen, another uneasy feeling twisting in his gut. Pointing to the closest dot, he said, "We probably shouldn't bother with this one; word on the street is another Family's taken that area over, and they don't usually mix blood." He paused, masked eyes narrowing at the most separated marker, and he shifted his pointing finger to it. "He'll be here."

"How can you be sure?" Kid Flash asked. "You skipped right over that one," he added, gesturing toward the marker in between.

"Because Artemis was right," Robin explained. "It's not a coincidence that he came after me instead of any of the other wealthy kids at Gotham Academy." Tapping the marker beneath his fingertip, he zoomed in on the screen to focus only on that area of town and added, "It's the most isolated. And that's the hideout Zucco was using to avoid the police after…."

Silence reigned for a long moment and Robin dismissed the holo-screen.

Hesitation apparent in his voice, Kid Flash said, "Rob…maybe we should call the Team in on this."

Narrowing his eyes at his friend, Robin replied firmly, "Right now, this is the Team." He pushed to his feet and turned toward the nearest edge of the roof, reaching for his grapple, as he added, "I'll be fine."

No one spoke, or moved, as they watched Robin dive off of the building, swinging toward the distant marker and the bitter reminder of his past.

Artemis turned her gaze back to her boyfriend and said, "Maybe we should call the Team anyway. Even Robin can't be thinking clearly right now." And she doubted he'd appreciate her telling him to 'get traught.'

Kid Flash frowned and slowly shook his head, saying, "No. We'll respect his wishes on this, at least for now." He pushed to his feet before adding, "But there is one call that needs to be made. You two go ahead; I'll catch up."

The girls nodded sharply, standing and striding toward the edge of the roof without another word.

The sun was finally setting as Robin crouched in the shadows across from the small, decrepit building that frequently haunted his nightmares. His hunch had already proven valid, as he had spotted multiple shadows moving around on the other side of the closed curtains. He couldn't be sure how many were actually inside, but he felt confident in assuming that the three men who attacked Alfred were probably all gathered together by now.

"I scoped out the perimeter," Kid Flash declared in a whisper as he came to a stop behind his friend and teammate. "Didn't see any guards; just a couple of old or stolen cars."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Robin replied, one hand braced unnecessarily against the brick wall beside them.

Artemis's voice was in his ear as she said, "Everything's clear from up here, too."

"Are we going in, then?" Batgirl asked quietly as she braced herself carefully just above Robin's crouched figure.

"Soon," Robin said. "KF, we need to know how many bodies are inside."

"Got it," Kid Flash assured him, snapping his goggles back over his eyes. He waited a moment as the scanner activated, and then he carefully swept his gaze over the front of the building before saying, "I've got four heat signatures. One's pretty small; could be that girl Alfred saw."

Speaking clearly enough for Artemis to hear him, Robin declared, "We're going in."

He was in motion practically before the words were out of his mouth, moving with absolute silence even as he leapt into the air and rolled into a forward somersault. His momentum carried him through the front window with a dramatic crash – an entrance Batman would have been proud of.

Kid Flash darted around to the back door, just as Robin had told him to do prior, as Batgirl sprinted forward to follow Robin's lead. An arrow soared overhead, grappling the roof and allowing Artemis to swing in after them.

"It's the Bat!" someone yelled as the men jumped to their feet and reached for their weapons.

The room was already filling with smoke as Robin rolled to his feet, his lightweight cape distracting from his movements as he threw his arms forward with his trademark cackle. Behind him, Batgirl leapt into the room, arching over the broken glass and spinning in mid-air to aim a hard kick at the nearest thug.

Gunfire erupted in the room as someone decided to empty their magazine into the cloud of smoke, and Robin spared a glance toward Batgirl to make sure she was safely out of the way. Then he leapt up, using a hanging fluorescent light to propel himself toward the idiot with the machine gun. One birdarang was enough to disarm the idiot, and as soon as the gun had gone skidding across the floor Robin dropped down in front of him, swinging up quickly with a sharp upper cut.

The man staggered back, knocking over a chair before he caught himself and managed a glare. His eyes narrowed and focused on Robin, he hollered, "This ain't the Bat, Zucco! It's just the Wonder Boy!"

Robin kept his taunting smirk in place as he made his move and said, "If you're going to use that title, at least use it correctly, will you?" His booted foot crashed into the man's torso and he spun off, landing a solid punch to the man's head and dropping him.

Artemis and Batgirl were dancing with another, larger, man with a gun.

The man had one hand gripping tightly to the shoulder of the mystery girl, whose eyes were filled with terror and tears as she stared at the costumed heroines. She wasn't struggling against the hold on her shoulder, but it was obvious from the almost pleading look on her face that she would really rather be anywhere else.

"There's a fourth!" Kid Flash cried in warning, his voice crackling through the communicators in Artemis's and Robin's ears.

"He's all yours," Artemis declared as she finally managed to plug the large man's gun with an arrow.

Batgirl moved in immediately, using Artemis as a springboard and spinning in the air as she flew toward the man. Her cape flared behind her, working as a distraction, and then her foot collided with the side of his face. The force of her kick caused him to stumble and release the girl, and the girl immediately darted to Artemis in order to hide behind her.

The man recovered and groped for Batgirl, trying to catch her cape or her hair, but she dropped and ducked into a backwards roll. She stayed down as she came to a stop in front of Artemis, knowing that Artemis already had another arrow knocked and ready. His eyes went wide with realization, but it was too late, because the arrow was already flying.

Robin found Charlie Zucco just as the thug pulled a rocket launcher out of a coat closet. The sight of the clichéd, oversized weapon only made him angrier and Robin leapt into the air, managing to land on it even as Zucco shouldered it.

"What the-?" Zucco cried, startled, as Robin immediately redirected his weight and threw himself backwards, using the weapon beneath his feet to propel him into a back flip. Zucco stumbled, his supportive arm swinging wide and high, and a single finger spasm resulted in him blowing a hole in the roof.

"Whoops," Robin taunted, attempting to retain his usual sarcastic humor, "looks like you just blew up your clubhouse." He followed up his remark by swinging his leg out and knocking his opponent completely off his feet.

Zucco dropped the rocket launcher as he crashed onto the floor, but he managed to roll out of the way of Robin's next attack.

They pushed to their feet almost simultaneously, the larger man watching Robin warily even as he reached back for a weapon.

"You shoulda stayed out o' this, kid!" Zucco exclaimed as he swung a pistol forward and pulled the trigger.

His aim – like before – was off (though not by nearly as much), and Robin had no difficulty dodging the shots as he called back, "And why would I do that?"

"This don't concern you capes!" Zucco insisted, moving sideways and backwards, deliberately keeping his gun pointed at Robin.

It didn't take Robin long to realize that Zucco was attempting to make another grab for his rocket launcher, though he wasn't entirely sure what the man wanted to do with it. The building was already on fire. Still, he dodged another shot – simultaneously leaping over a piece of burning debris – and flippantly asked, "You sure that's a good idea, Charlie?"

The gun in Zucco's hand clicked, indicating he'd run out of bullets, so he cursed and hurled it at Robin's head as he threw himself to the side and wrapped one hand around the handle of the rocket launcher. "Shut up!" he demanded angrily as Robin released another eerie cackle.

"I'm sorry," Robin lied, "it's just…was that aimed at me?" He had leapt up, rolling gracefully forward and closing the distance between them, and was now crouching on the back of an old armchair to the side of Zucco.

"We've got to get out!" Kid Flash was suddenly crying in Robin's ear. "There's a small room near the back with enough firepower to blow this whole building right off the map!"

"Get everyone to a safe distance," Robin ordered quickly. "I'll be right behind you."

"You're ruining everything!" Zucco exclaimed, again shouldering his rocket launcher as he adjusted to face the teen.

"Right," Robin replied, "and I feel so bad about that, too." He dove off of the chair, coming to his feet low and swinging another leg out to trip Zucco, but the older man managed to stumble and sidestep out of the way enough to keep his balance. Gritting his teeth, Robin sprang to his feet and threw his fist forward, aiming for the larger man's side.

Zucco shifted and let the rocket launcher slide down his torso, blocking Robin's punch, and Robin's fist slid right off the steel. Then Zucco wrapped both hands around the back end of the weapon and swung out violently, catching Robin in the chest and sending him sprawling backwards.

Robin rolled to his knees, jaw tight as he fought against the dull throbbing in his chest. He doubted anything was broken but it had still hurt, and the rapidly-increasing smoke around them was making it hard to catch his breath.

Movement in his peripheral vision drew Robin's attention and he muttered a silent curse when he realized Zucco hadn't taken his (small) chance to run, but was instead aiming to bludgeon him with the rocket launcher.

Before Robin could do more than shift his weight and reach for his utility belt, a familiar shadow fell over him and the unmistakable sound of a hard punch echoed in his ears. Zucco's weapon flew from his suddenly-slack grip, crashing to the floor and rolling toward a wall uselessly, as Zucco himself stumbled once and collapsed.

The familiar, pointy-eared shadow paused and turned just enough to glance sidelong down at Robin, and the teen got the message loud and clear. It was time to go.

Not bothering to wait for his mentor or their enemy, Robin shoved to his feet and turned to the broken window. It was surrounded by hungry flames but it was also the fastest way out, so he fisted the sides of his cape and launched his body through, ducking enough to let the flame-repellent cape shield his exposed flesh.

As soon as he had his feet beneath him, Robin dropped his cape and broke into a run. He tapped the communicator in his ear and asked, "Is everybody clear?"

"Yeah," Kid Flash replied immediately, "where are you?"

"On my way," Robin assured them, feeling a twinge of guilt for worrying his friends. A quick glance at the holo-screen above his wrist told him where to find them and he wasted no time in adjusting his course.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. Batman allowed Kid Flash and Artemis to stay and patrol alongside them, and, in fact, the couple took the bulk of the burden for a while as Bruce, Dick, and Barbara made necessary public appearances at the police station and hospital.

Alfred did have a broken arm and minor concussion, but he was awake and talking when Bruce and Dick went to visit him. The doctor insisted on keeping him overnight for observation, and Commissioner Gordon stationed a police officer outside the door for everyone's peace of mind.

In a later conversation with Gordon, Batman learned that Charlie Zucco had confessed to the attempted kidnapping. He'd intended to ransom Dick for the money necessary to cover Tony Zucco's amassed debts. Charlie thought it 'poetic justice' and the least Dick's new family could do, since Dick was responsible for ruining Tony's life.

It wasn't a conversation Batman relished repeating to his adopted son.

Shortly after learning Charlie's motivations the group split, finally deciding that it had been a long night (and at least one of them still had to go to school in the morning).

Kid Flash clapped a hand on Robin's shoulder supportively, offered a laughing wink to Batgirl, and stole a quick kiss from Artemis before rushing off toward home.

Artemis bade an almost awkward goodnight to the remaining trio before taking her boyfriend's unspoken advice and going home, knowing her mother was likely waiting up for her.

Batgirl wrapped her arms around Robin's shoulders in a tight hug, quietly reminding him that he wasn't alone, before bidding her friend and his mentor a temporary farewell and taking her leave, hoping to get home before her father.

The Dynamic Duo waited until the others were out of sight before turning and making their way toward the waiting Batmobile. They didn't speak as Batman drove, and few words were exchanged as they crossed through the Batcave and into the manor above. Bruce went into the kitchen to set the automatic coffee pot for the morning while Dick headed straight upstairs for a scalding, hopefully relaxing, shower.

Dick was dressed in his pajama pants and a plain tee, sitting on the foot of his bed, his hair still dripping onto his shoulders and down his back, when Bruce tapped on the door.

"Dick?" the older man called quietly as he eased the door open. His faded blue eyes lowered in a frown as they landed on the boy they were looking for.

"Yeah?" Dick asked without lifting his tired eyes from the floor.

Bruce moved swiftly across the room until he was settling himself lightly on the bed beside Dick, and he turned his own gaze forward as he said, "I'm sorry. I should have been here."

Dick's eyes widened as he registered Bruce's words. Verbal apologies of any kind were incredibly rare from the man sitting beside him, and for a second he wasn't sure what to say. Ultimately, he settled on, "Thanks, Bruce. But you don't have to apologize."

Frowning, Bruce replied, "I should have known that there was a Zucco in town."

One corner of his lips twitching, Dick argued, "Even you can't know everything." Knowing Bruce would argue that logic, he didn't wait for a response before adding, "Besides, you sort of were there before you really were there. You gave me permission to bring Artemis and Barbara in, and KF, technically, even if I wasn't the one who called him."

"That's hardly the same thing," Bruce pointed out.

Dick looked away again, his voice dropping as he admitted, "It counts." At least I didn't have to go through it alone.

Bruce was silent, conceding the point this time, and instead he reached out and dropped a hand on Dick's shoulder.

"You handled it well," he offered quietly.

"This has been the longest week in history," Artemis declared on Friday afternoon as she met up with Dick and Barbara in front of the school.

Laughing, Barbara adjusted the strap of her backpack over her shoulder and said, "Tell me about it. Part of me's still convinced I'm about to wake up and discover it's only Thursday."

Dick chuckled, grinning broadly as he teased, "Eager are we?"

"Yes!" the girls chorused, for almost entirely different reasons.

Sometime after Charlie Zucco's arrest Monday night, Robin had finally managed to tell Barbara the details of their 'compromise': Batman would accept and work with her, helping to train her when he could, if she was willing to join the Team. The majority of her training would, subsequently, come from her experience with the Team, but that would also better prepare her for patrolling Gotham.

Barbara, of course, had quickly agreed.

And one other thing had been agreed upon that night. For simplicity's sake, Robin would hold off revealing his identity to the rest of the Team until the day Batgirl joined. Therefore, for nearly an entire week, Artemis had had to know what it was like to be Wally (at least, where Robin was concerned).

Originally they had planned on doing everything early Saturday, but Batman decided he didn't see the point in putting it off for one afternoon, and so their plans had been bumped up to Friday.

The trio was still laughing when Barbara's eyes lit up and she asked, "Alfred's well enough to drive again?"

Artemis and Dick obligingly looked over, easily spotting the proud butler standing beside a different Rolls Royce, and Dick replied, "Yeah, he's pretty much back to himself. I keep telling him he should play up the broken arm thing a little more, but he's such a workaholic."

"Maybe he just likes what he does," Barbara suggested as she and Artemis fell in behind Dick, headed toward the man in question.

"No way," Artemis argued with a grin, "he's probably just worried that he's the only one in the house who knows how to cook."

"There's that, too," Barbara agreed with a laugh.

"Hey," Dick called over his shoulder, still grinning, "I resent that. I make the best mac 'n' cheese!"

They were still laughing lightly when they finally stopped before Alfred, who bowed slightly and said, "Good afternoon, everyone. Are you ready to go?"

"Born that way, Al," Dick assured him as he tossed his backpack onto the floor behind the driver's seat.

"It's good to see you, Alfred," Barbara said sweetly as she handed her backpack to Dick. "You're looking a lot better."

"Thank you, Miss Barbara," Alfred replied with a small smile.

"Thanks for picking us up," Artemis said politely.

Smile still in place, Alfred assured her, "It's my pleasure, Miss Crock."

"Artemis is fine, really," she mumbled self-consciously as she followed Barbara into the backseat.

As soon as they were settled Alfred eased the door shut and made his way around the car, back to the driver's seat. Then the car was in motion, pulling into traffic and turning toward the manor.

It was several minutes before Alfred led the way into the main foyer of Wayne Manor with a smile, saying, "Master Bruce is waiting for you downstairs. Feel free to set your backpacks down here, I'll take care of them for you."

Dick grinned, quickly shrugged out of his backpack, and called, "Thanks, Al!" He waited barely long enough for Barbara and Artemis to follow suit before darting further into the house, adding, "Follow me!"

Barbara and Artemis were just expecting to meet up with Batman and go to the Cave, but Dick knew better. He knew that Bruce had something extra planned for the 'new girl,' and, apparently, he'd decided to demonstrate his trust by inviting them into the other cave. And, though Dick knew what the 'something extra' was, he hadn't seen it for himself, so he couldn't decide if he was more eager to see Barbara's reaction or the gift she didn't know she was about to receive.

"Um, Dick," Barbara called as she followed her friend into the formal sitting room, "what are we doing here? And since when do you have a 'downstairs'?"

Dick paused, just a few feet from the grandfather clock, and turned a grin back to them. "We've always had a 'downstairs,' Babs. You've just never seen it."

"Wait," Artemis said, her eyes going wide. "Do you mean…?"

Grin broadening, Dick stepped within arms' reach of the clock and said, "Yeah." Then he reached out, pulled open the glass facing, and tugged deliberately on the pendulum.

Artemis and Barbara watched with wide, amazed eyes as the glass swung closed and the clock slid to the side, revealing a high, curved stone archway. They remained frozen as Dick started forward, and as soon as Dick stepped into the archway two rows of lights clicked on, illuminating the downwards curving steps.

The girls exchanged a look, suddenly sporting matching grins, and started after their younger friend.

Dick led the way down the steps, unsurprised when his eyes landed on a familiar, dark figure sitting before a large display of monitors.

Bruce was in full costume, but this time he had his cowl pulled down – his version of casual – and he calmly shut down the applications that had been running when he heard the teens descending the stairs.

Dick decided to skip the last several steps, choosing instead to jump to the ground as he flashed his mentor a grin. He pushed easily to his feet and moved to join Bruce, waiting as the girls made a slightly-slower entrance.

Artemis stepped into view first, Barbara directly behind her, both of their eyes wandering around unabashedly. As she looked around, her eyes lingering over the collection gallery that Wally would probably drool over, Artemis was suddenly reminded of a comment Robin had once made about the Batcave's level of cliché, and she understood. But, in its own way, it didn't feel cliché at all.

When the girls were standing properly in front of Batman (and it was so weird to see him with his cowl down), Dick moved to stand on the other side of Barbara with a grin.

"Welcome to the first cave in my life," he joked lightly.

"This is amazing," Barbara breathed, finally dragging her eyes up to Batman's. "When you said to meet in the cave, I thought you meant the Team's Cave."

"This is just a pit stop," Batman assured her. "Since today's the day we're making you official, I thought you might want to start off on equal footing."

Artemis glanced over Barbara's shoulders, shooting Dick a confused look, but he only flashed her a grin in return.

"What do you mean?" Barbara asked curiously.

"I have a gift for you," Batman said as Alfred stepped into their line of sight. Alfred was holding what looked suspiciously like a folded costume, with something slightly bulky on top.

"Congratulations, Miss Barbara," Alfred said as he held the fabric out to her.

Barbara's eyes were glued to the golden utility belt on top and the slightly-stylized black bat etched into the dark gray fabric beneath. Her tongue was stuck in her throat for a moment before she finally looked back up at Batman and asked dumbly, "You made me a new costume?"

"Yours was effective but impractical," Batman replied almost casually. "The new one is more impervious and offers a higher level of protection. Likewise, your utility belt is fully loaded with everything you'll need."

Barbara snapped out of her odd daze and carefully took the items from Alfred's hands, slinging the belt over her shoulder in order to hold up her new costume for inspection. It felt different to the touch – somehow smoother and lighter all at the same time – but the color scheme and style was nearly identical to the one she'd made herself. A dark gray suit with black bat insignia, a yellow-gold belt, and black cape and cowl that she hoped went with black gloves and boots.

Alfred returned, setting down a pair of boots and laying a pair of gloves over the top, saying, "Here's the rest, Miss Barbara."

She glanced over at them and smiled. Black, just like she wanted. And now her gloves had the trademark bat ridges (something she hadn't been able to replicate at home).

"That's pretty sweet," Artemis declared, eyeing the new costume carefully.

Turning her smile toward Bruce, Barbara lowered the costume slightly and said, "I love it; thank you. It's exactly what I would have wanted."

Nodding his head in acceptance of her gratitude, Batman added, "There's a communicator in the cowl, on the right side. Tap it once and say the name of the person you need to speak with to call out, or tap it once and wait two seconds to answer."

"That's convenient," Barbara murmured as she looked back down at the costume in her hands.

Grin nearly splitting his face, Dick declared, "I think there's really only one thing left to do." Everyone's attention shifted to him, though it was clear that Bruce knew exactly what he was about to say, and Dick added, "Let's suit up."

The Team was gathered in the Cave, impatiently anticipating the arrival of their newest member. They were all dressed in full costume, deciding that (at least in this case) it would be more appropriate than casual attire. Batman had called a few minutes before, telling them to get ready, so they knew she – likely along with Batman and Robin – would be arriving soon. But Wally was the only one who knew that Artemis would be arriving with them, too.

"I wonder what she's like," M'Gann said thoughtfully from where she stood patiently beside Superboy.

"I just hope she's not a mini-Batman," Rocket declared with laughing eyes. "I mean, Robin's fine and all, but if we had to deal with Batman all the time I think he'd drive me crazy!"

"Are you kidding?" Kid Flash asked rhetorically. "I'd have nightmares every night!"

"Batman is strong, proud, and honorable," Aqualad defended with a frown.

"Sure," Zatanna allowed, "we all know Batman's impressive, but even you can't deny he's a little…stiff."

Recognized: Batman 02.

Wally's would-be comment died on his tongue and the Team immediately turned to face the zeta-tube, standing at attention in silence.

Batman stepped into view, striding purposefully to the side and out of the way of the entrance even as he glanced toward the Team. "Thank you for coming," he said with a small nod.

Aqualad returned the nod, saying, "We are glad to be here to welcome Batgirl. But I am afraid that Artemis has not yet arrived."

"She'll be here shortly," Batman assured him.

Recognized: Robin B01. Artemis B07. Batgirl B10.

The Team was obviously surprised to hear Artemis's designation in between Robin's and Batgirl's, but they contained their confusion and remained patient as three shapes began materializing in front of them.

Robin and Artemis were walking slightly forward, and Robin grinned at his teammates, raising one gloved hand in a casual wave as he called, "What's up?"

Artemis managed not to roll her eyes at Robin's entrance, calmly moving to the side and toward the rest of the Team. Kid Flash met her half way with a small grin, but by then everyone's attention had returned to the zeta-tube.

Batgirl had stepped forward, fully clad in her brand-new costume, coming to a stop beside Robin. She was slightly amazed at the gathering of largely-unfamiliar teens before her, despite what Robin and Artemis had told her, but she didn't feel nearly as self-conscious as she'd thought she would. So she raised her hand in a small wave and said, "Hi. I'm Batgirl. Thank you for offering me a place on your team."

"Welcome, Batgirl," Aqualad said formally, stepping forward and extending one webbed hand. "I am Aqualad, and we are happy to have you."

Robin wrapped an arm around Batgirl's shoulders as her arm fell back to her side and swept his other arm out, toward the rest of the Team, saying, "That's Superboy, Miss Martian, Zatanna, and Rocket."

"Love the outfit, girl," Rocket declared with a grin.

Miss Martian flew up to Batgirl, a wide smile on her face as she said, "It's very nice to meet you! My real name is M'Gann, but you can just call me Megan if you want."

Batgirl grinned and shook her hand, saying, "It's nice to meet you, too. I love your hair."

With the introductions well underway, the Team relaxed and moved closer, taking their turns properly greeting their newest addition.

While they were talking, Robin stepped back and moved to Batman's side. "So," he began quietly, "are we doing this?"

Batman slowly inclined his head, trademark scowl on his face. "You were right. It's time."

Robin glanced back over at the group when he heard Batgirl croon, and a grin tipped his lips again at the sight of her scratching Wolf's ears.

"Team," Batman called before they could get too distracted and wander away.

The light laughter faded quickly and everyone straightened, again turning toward their superior.

"Do you have a mission for us, Batman?" Aqualad asked, assuming that was the reason for him calling their attention.

"Not yet," Batman replied. "But there is something you all need to know."

Curious silence settled over them, and Batgirl's eyes slid to Robin's encouragingly. And, as she waited for Batman to say what she knew he was going to, she decided to take their cue. She may not know really any of her new teammates very well (with the arguable exceptions of Wally and Artemis), but if Batman was about to trust them with his identity then who was she to keep secrets?

"First," Batman continued, "let me apologize for our secrecy. Robin has trusted you all from the beginning, and though I've felt largely the same, trust is rarely something I act on. Today, however, I aim to rectify that. It's time you know the truth."

When Batman paused, Superboy spoke up, an obvious layer of suspicion in his voice. "What truth?"

Instead of responding to Superboy's question with words, Batman reached up and tugged his cowl from his head. Several sets of eyes widened at the realization of what he was doing, and then widened again at the surprisingly familiar face beneath the cowl.

"Did anyone else not see that coming?" Zatanna asked silently as she attempted to process the sight before them.

"I sure didn't," Rocket declared.

"I believe we are all surprised," Aqualad assured them needlessly.

Superboy was the first to speak aloud, slowly asking, "You're…Bruce Wayne?"

"I am," Batman replied with a nod.

Simultaneously, all eyes slid to Robin in expectation. If only because he was their teammate – the one they fought side-by-side with – they were strangely more curious about his identity.

With a lopsided grin, Robin reached up and pried his mask from his face. He was feeling strangely calm despite how long he'd been waiting to be able to tell them the truth about himself. It was strangely freeing to be able to meet their eyes without obstruction. "Dick Grayson," he supplied, knowing his face was far less globally recognizable than his mentor's.

"Bruce Wayne's adopted son," Superboy realized.

With an easy smile, M'Gann added, "That explains why he couldn't tell us his own name without revealing Batman's."

"Uh, guys," Zatanna interrupted, gesturing lightly toward Batgirl, "We're not exactly all linked in here."

Unaware of the silent conversation, Batgirl took a deep breath and stepped forward, moving toward her closest friend. "As long as we're having the identity discussion, I think I'll take my turn."

Eyes widened ever-so-slightly with surprise, Robin said, "B, you don't have to…we all understand."

She smiled at him reassuringly before turning to face her new teammates. "It won't really mean much to most of you I'd imagine, but," she began, pausing as she reached up and pulled back her own cowl to reveal the rest of her face, "my real name's Barbara Gordon. I'm the daughter of the Gotham City Police Commissioner." She cut a sideways, teasing glance to Robin and added, "And I've been friends with this weirdo for years."

"You know what, Babs," Robin declared as he draped an arm around her shoulders with another grin, "I'm glad to see you're staying pretty whelmed about all this."

Behind them, Bruce had already tugged his cowl back into place, and he started toward the zeta-tube as he said, "Remember to be back in time for patrol."

Recognized: Batman 02.

The light faded and Batman was gone and Batgirl turned her attention back to Robin (who had since released her shoulders), and said, "Have I mentioned how cool that is?"

A shrill ringing sounded from somewhere down the hall behind them, sounding suspiciously like a timer, and M'Gann clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Perfect timing! The cookies are ready!"

"You made cookies?" Wally asked, turning hopeful eyes toward the shapeshifter.

"Of course!" M'Gann replied with a bright smile. "What's a party without sweets?"

"Want me to zap in some pizzas, too?" Zatanna asked with a partially-raised eyebrow.

Teasing laughter in her voice, Artemis said, "You didn't really just ask that, did you?"

Batgirl, this time picking up on the strange, silent conversation, turned confused eyes to Robin and whispered, "Um, what am I missing?"

Robin turned his attention back to the red-head standing beside him, having been distracted by the conversation, and explained, "Miss M's a telepath, and we've kind of developed the bad habit of having most of our conversations in our heads." He shifted his gaze outward again and projected his voice, adding, "Miss M?" as he jerked a thumb in Batgirl's direction.

M'Gann's eyes went wide and she exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Her eyes flashed brightly for a second, and her next words were heard clearly in Barbara's head, though her lips never moved. "Can you hear me now?"

"Whoa…" Barbara said.

"It takes a minute to get used to," Robin offered with a grin. "Now c'mon, KF's about to eat all the cookies."

Artemis turned her attention back to where her boyfriend had been standing a minute ago, only to find him gone, and planted her hands on her hips. "Put the cookies down, Wally!"

Laughing, the group turned and started down the wide tunnel that led to the kitchen and living area. M'Gann floated slightly ahead, eager to rescue her cookies and get things ready for the welcome party, and Suberboy, Wolf, Zatanna, and Artemis were right behind her.

Robin hung back, walking beside Batgirl.

It was surreal to have Barbara suddenly mingling with all of his other friends (well, most of his other friends). But it was a good kind of surreal.

And, now that it was happening, he wondered why he'd ever argued with himself over the idea of her being Batgirl. She could handle herself – and she would quickly learn how to handle herself in situations she'd likely never imagined. Most importantly, though, he wouldn't have to lie to her anymore; he wouldn't have to pretend not to see – or not to understand – the hurt in her eyes when he had to bail on her last-minute.

Batgirl drifted sideways deliberately, bumping her shoulder against his, and offered him a small grin as she whispered, "You're forgiven, by the way."

Confused, Robin asked, "What?"

"For all those times you had to ditch me," she elaborated, "or cancel last-minute. I forgot to tell you before, but I was only angry about it until you told me why." Waving one hand toward the group of teens ahead of them, she added, "Plus, this is a very good way to make it up to me."

He grinned, amazed as always at how easily she could read him, and replied, "Well, I am sorry, Babs. But that won't have to happen anymore. And you're gonna love it here."

"I know," she assured him, tucking her hand into his with a smile.

Together they rounded the corner, stepping to the kitchen to rejoin their teammates, hands loosely clasped and matching, easy smiles on their faces.

The End

A/N: Well, there you have it, everyone: my take on how Batgirl joins the Team! (Oh, and also, please note: at this point, I actually don't know what Batgirl's designation is in Invasion – but, for the purposes of my story, it kind of only makes sense that she'd be 10.) Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! Now if you would be so kind as to drop me a review and let me know your thoughts? Pretty please? And thank you for reading/reviewing!