If I owned Young Justice, I wouldn't be on fanfiction right now...

Rated for non-graphic character death and a few swear words.

Prologue

Wally POV

It all happened too fast for it all to register in my mind, even if I am a speedster. In the end, I managed to figure out what happened, but as soon as I did, I immediately regretted it. No... It's not possible.

It was supposed to be simple, just another scout and report mission, but we all should've known it would've ended differently. All of our so-called "simple" missions did. The only thing was... it was so sudden, no one saw it coming. Not even Rob- well maybe Robin.

(Something's wrong.

Yea, why would you think that, Rob?)

I should've listened, they shouldn't have split up, it was a bad idea from the start. It shouldn't have happened, Robin didn't deserve this. Then again, who did deserve death? The words later, when everything finally made sense (maybe about a day later), rung through my ears.

("He died a hero Wally, a hero in action, which is what he would've wanted."

"But... Rob can't be dead, can he?")

The thugs, the Light, they all just came from nowhere, ya know? I didn't even know his identity yet. I didn't know his past. Or his mom, since Batman was his dad (right?), and if Batman wasn't his dad, then who were his parents? And did they approve? I haven't seen his eyes, and where did he go to school, truth is, I didn't know anything about the civilian side of him, so what kind of best friend does that make me... Sorry, going off topic. Anyways, it was just a surprise attack, and it was, well, a surprise. How I got out with only a few scrapes and bruises, while Robin, the more experience and more capable one, didn't even escape with his life. I mean, come on, that kid can beat me in a fight with both hands tied behind his back. He's, what, thirteen, and only human too! I know, it's not possible, that Rob's going to come in the Cave any time now with his creepy laugh and explain to me that it's all just a joke, another prank he pulled. I know that he's a fighter and that, now listen to me, He. Is. Not. Dead. Nope, just out on a mission with Batman, there's nothing wrong with him, and I don't need this, but thanks anyway.

Megan POV

It's my fault, I know. Wally doesn't believe it, but he's beating himself up in frustration right now. Sometimes they all forget that I'm a telepath, that if they don't block their minds from mind, I know exactly what's going on, like now. It...it hurts, Black Canary, all their pain plus mine, it's hard just to still walk around with our heads held high, like it was nothing, because it's not. It's not something that is no big deal, and I don't get how you are all so calm. Robin died, Black Canary! He's gone, he's not going to come back, he's "in a better place"! He was so young... and this isn't Failsafe... this is real.

Sorry, it's just that... I've never dealt with death before, I don't think any of us have, except for Robin. I could feel his pain, hear his screams, almost as if he was right next to me, but he wasn't. The block he had before in his mind, it broke; he tried to protect me from his pain, and I'd do anything if I could repay the favor the one time he needed me, but I wasn't there. No, I was at the docks with Artemis, Aqualad, and Superboy, away from where I should've been, could've been.

He was always there, he taught me about Earth cultures and stayed patient the whole time. Right now, I'm not exactly sure what I'm feeling. Is it regret? Loneliness? Guilt? Grief? His death, I don't know, I think it's changed me, given me a little insight into how cruel the world can be and not just unicorns and rainbows like I thought it was.

Conner POV

Do I know what to say? No, I really don't, and I don't feel like spilling anything to you. But for Robin, I'll do it.

The G-gnomes taught and prepared me for a lot of things, but this? I don't think a thousand years could prepare for the suddenness of it all. Yes, I wish I was there, but even I can't turn back time and prevent this. I'm Superboy, I'm supposed to be invincible. If I'm so invincible, how did he die? The reason we joined this team in the first place is to stop things like this from happening. And yet, we weren't able to do anything when it happened to us. Who knew? The group of heroes that keeps everyone safe can't save one of their own, is actually vulnerable. It seems absurd at first, but once you really look at it, we're not that much different from the civilians we protect.

We're not perfect, and you can't expect us to be. No matter what we can do or are capable to achieve, we're not going to live forever, we're not immortal. We aren't the gods you worship in myths. Sure, we've got powers (well, not Artemis or Robin), but we have our weaknesses, and no matter what you believe, we will fall.

Did I really say all that? Wow... I guess they were right about this making everything the tiniest bit easier. Thanks Canary.

Artemis POV

Out of all the questions you could ask me, you choose the cliche "How are you feeling?"

I'll tell you how I'm feeling.

I feel as if I should storm out of this room right now and beat up everyone who hurt him and then slit their throats. And right now, it sounds like a really good idea. Those bastards deserve whatever punishment comes to them for pulling that shit. Seriously-

Don't tell me to calm down! I have every reason to be pissed off. They murdered my little brother. Ugh, fine.

Robin, as I said before, is like the little brother I never had. Reminds me of this kid at my school, name's Dick Grayson, he's a... friend of mine, been extremely friendly since I arrived. But back to Robin. To put it in simple terms, it hurts. I'm sure you've heard this from everyone, but it really, really hurts. Only one who's completely accepted me even though he doesn't know my lineage yet. If he did, I bet he would ditch me at the side of the road like an empty, crumpled soda can, but he was doing a pretty fine job of making me feel comfortable. One thing I'm grateful for, it's that he had no clue about my father, my mom, and Jade, and never will. Not to say that I'm glad he's gone, because I'm not. He's made a bigger impact on all of us than most of you realize.

Now that he's gone, I feel like I don't belong here. Think about it, he was the one that made me feel different, not just only-human, comes-from-a-family-of-assassins, replacement-of-Speedy (oops, I meant Red Arrow, sorry Roy), secretive-and-troubled Artemis. Wally was too busy disliking me, Conner and Megan were making out the entire time, and Kaldur was just too serious. The others weren't around long enough to count. He means a lot to me, making me think that life was okay after all. It's amazing how much a thirteen-year-old could do to change a lot of people, maybe even the world. To the Team, he was more than a teammate, but part of the family. Our family.

I'm not ready to move on away from it just yet, none of us are. It's too soon for anything except a proper burial and all that. None of us wanted this, but we got it anyway, and we'll have to accept it. Just give us time, that's all we need (if you could bring him back that's be a big plus). I still think those fuckers should die, though.

Kaldur'ahm POV

I do not think Robin should go forgotten. He was one of the links that held the team together, and without him, it will be harder to manage, but not impossible. To us, he was like the dim ray of light that shone through the murky sea. It is not the failed simulation again, no matter how much I wish it was.

I wanted to pass on the role of leader to him, but how do I do that now? I wanted to give more pressure, a bigger burden, to a child younger than I. What kind of leader would do that?

I have kept many secrets, for that I am not proud and never will be. No one would have suspected me to be son of current Black Manta, which I discovered a month ago. A child so young should not have experienced all that he had, not even a hundred-year-old man should. All I want is for everything to be back to normal, or as normal as allowed for people like us. Is it wrong to want to change history for wants that could drive anyone over the edge?

Normal POV

\Wallace West- in denial, won't admit the truth, probably from shock

M'gann M'orzz- shock and surprise, personality changed, says she feels the Team's pain [literally]

Conner Kent- doesn't want to talk, admits that no one is completely invincible or perfect

Artemis Crock- flared temper, angry [sort of an understatement] at the Light, confesses that Robin means a lot/done a lot

Kaldur'ahm- thinks Robin was an important aspect to team, feels guilt, says he is son of Black Manta/

Black Canary sighed as she looked down at the reports. Like everyone else, the death of the bird had hit her hard. She had known him since he was 8? 9? She could only imagine how Batman was taking the news. Kid Flash reported that they were attacked by the Light and a few thugs. He had made it out, thinking that his best friend was right behind him, only to turn around and see him trapped in the warehouse. Before he could do anything more, the warehouse had exploded from an overlooked bomb, the Light seemingly escaped and unharmed. Robin wasn't thought as... dead until they searched through the rubble, confirming their worst fear. The mission had been reported as not only a complete failure, but a huge blow to both the Team and the League. Basically they all thought the same: if they could bring their little bird back, they would do it in a heartbeat.

'Where am I? The last time I remember is being rushed at by the Light...' a small but well-built figure sat in the center of the fog, confused and disoriented, gaining consciousness for the first time.

"Dick Grayson," Dick caught sight of a middle-aged man, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "You are not supposed to be here."

"Who are you? And where is here?" Dick demanded. The middle-aged man chuckled.

"Aren't you full of questions. You can call me Darren, and 'here' is Medius, or better known as Limbo," the newcomer, Darren, said. His chuckle abruptly stopped and was replaced with a frown. "It was not your time yet."

Realization hit Dick like a freight train. "I'm dead aren't I? The Light... and the explosion... Wait... if it wasn't my time, then why am I here?"

"Fate, I guess," Darren shrugged. "The Council told me to give you a choice. Move on, or go back and protect your friends."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Go back, the obvious choice. What's the catch?"

"You will not go back as Dick Grayson, but under another name and appearance. You must not tell your friends."

Biting his lip, the teen nodded. Without him, how would the Team fare? Heck, how was everyone doing now? "Deal."