A/N: As usual, Batman and Robin are loosely based off the 1960s TV show but go back and forth between genres and are sometimes completely out of any characterization. I write it the way it enters my head, which is not always "historically" accurate. Italics usually represent thoughts to oneself but are sometimes used to add emphasis.

Like most authors, I love reviews and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1:

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

The two costumed, duly deputized agents of the law were in the Batcave, perfecting the latest Bat-machine, when the familiar beeping echoed around the walls. Batman left Robin standing by the Interdigital Bat-sorter and strode to the Batphone.

"Yes, Commissioner?"

"Good morning, Batman. I have a…a…" The commissioner paused and the hero became concerned.

"A what, Commissioner?"

"…choo," the quiet sneeze bounced through the receiver of the Batphone. "A rather plain envelope here on my desk," the man continued.

"What is inside this seemingly inconspicuous envelope, Commissioner?" Batman inquired. There was no reply and Batman's concern grew.

"Commissioner?"

"Sorry, Batman," the man wheezed slightly. "I've been a little under the weather."

"I understand," the hero replied. "Please continue."

"Well, the envelope is addressed to 'Robin, The Boy Wonder' so I didn't open it. What would you like me to do?"

"It's only for Robin?" Batman was surprised and noticed his partner glance over when he heard his name.

"That's what it says: 'Robin, The Boy Wonder'." Batman's eyes widened at the somewhat angry manner in which the commissioner spoke. The man was sick, though, so the hero attributed the tone to the illness.

"Thank you, Commissioner. Can you stay in your office for a little while longer? I'll send him down to Headquarters to pick it up."

"Is it okay if I…I…ah-CHOO!…leave it with Bonnie?" came the congested-sounding reply.

Batman opened his mouth to say 'yes' but the Batphone had already been disconnected.

"Strange," the Caped Crusader murmured as he hung up his end.

Robin was grinning. Batman had said his name and that he would send "him" down to Headquarters. "Him" meant the Boy Wonder, he was sure of it, and the teenager was almost jumping up and down like a fourteen-year-old boy. It was just to HQ but Batman was going to let him go alone!

Quickly quashing the immature reaction, the sixteen-year-old forced a questioning look on his face and impatiently waited for his partner to explain the situation. Batman was staring at the Batphone, one eyebrow raised quizzically. Robin heard the word 'strange' and hoped the man wasn't going to change his mind because there was something unusual about his conversation with the commissioner. Resisting the urge to fold his arms across his chest and begin tapping his foot, the Boy Wonder instead dropped his eyes to the closest file – the Business Bat-index Machine – and began rifling through it. He wasn't looking for anything specific, he merely wanted to appear like he hadn't heard any part of the conversation and, therefore, had no idea what Batman was going to say.

Commissioner Gordon's office:

A short man with dark, angry eyes hung up the Batphone. Rushing to the door of the commissioner's office, the brown-haired criminal carefully turned the handle and silently opened it. Glancing quickly around, and seeing nobody, he tossed a plain white envelope onto the secretary's desk then turned back to the office.

"Yes, it's a lovely day." The cheery voice of a young woman rang through the short hall between the stairwell and the commissioner's office. "I think I'll lunch in the park. Bye, now!"

The man raced inside the office then quietly closed and locked the door. Running to the open window, he climbed over the ledge just as the handle of the door rattled.

"Not in yet. I have time to fix my wind-blown hair."

The murmuring of Commissioner Gordon's secretary was the last thing the short stooge heard as he grabbed his rope and climbed down the wall. Chuckling, he realized that the Dynamic Duo would call this Bat-climbing. Idiots – not everything is about you!

Jumping the last two feet, the criminal wiped his sweaty forehead and strolled toward the end of the block. The young boy at the entrance to the alley across the street squinted his eyes then ran off to tell his friends. He had just seen Batman, in his normal identity, Bat-climbing down the outside wall of Police Headquarters!

Glancing over at Robin, Batman briefly wondered why the boy was searching in that particular file. The index of Gotham City businesses had nothing to do with anything they had been doing since coming down to the Batcave. A slight grin slid across the man's face when he recognized, from his young partner's body language, that the Boy Wonder was attempting to contain his excitement. Robin had been listening to the conversation between Batman and Commissioner Gordon and knew that he was about to be allowed to go to Headquarters alone.

Shaking his head in amusement, the Caped Crusader walked over to his partner.

"There is an envelope in Commissioner Gordon's office addressed to you. Since it is your property, you should go pick it up. Use the Batcycle."

"Okay!" Robin nearly shouted then turned and raced to the small vehicle.

"Robin!" Batman's commanding voice stopped the Boy Wonder in his tracks.

Please don't change your mind. The younger half of the Dynamic Duo slowly turned around and waited for the bad news.

"You are to go straight to Headquarters and straight back. No joy-riding or wandering around. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" Robin replied with a mock salute. Straddling the Batcycle, the teenager revved the engine and prepared to take off.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Batman inquired, mirth surrounding the words.

Robin checked the gauges and tested the brakes. Everything seemed fine so he glanced at the tires. They were obviously full and the Boy Wonder was disappointed in himself. What a great way to start his solo mission. What had he missed?

Batman watched his partner checking the Batcycle and allowed a small chuckle to escape. Robin looked at him, confusion on his face, and the Caped Crusader couldn't hold back a laugh.

"Do you really need the sidecar, Robin? Are you planning to take someone with you? If not, it's only going to slow you down."

Frowning, and feeling like an idiot, the teen shook his head and pushed the button to jettison the sidecar. Not daring to look at his partner, Robin revved the engine again and sped out of the Batcave.

The man grinned; his kid was growing up but still had a lot to learn.

Police Headquarters:

Robin made good time. It was just after eight-thirty in the morning and most people were already at work. He had hit almost every green light and it had only taken him nine minutes to get to Headquarters.

Parking the Batcycle in the Batmobile's usual spot, the Boy Wonder hopped off the seat and jogged up the stairs to the entrance. It was very routine – striding past the front desk with a wave, walking up the single flight of stairs and entering the outer area of the commissioner's office, where Bonnie the secretary was typing away on her monstrous computer.

"Good morning," Robin greeted cordially. She hummed a reply, her brow furrowed in concentration as she worked through a particularly difficult paragraph in one of the commissioner's complicated reports.

Shrugging, the Boy Wonder walked past her desk and raised a fist to knock on the door that had the words 'Commissioner Gordon' stenciled in black. Before he had the chance to knock, Bonnie glanced up and saw the identity of the visitor.

"Robin!" she nearly shouted while patting down her black hair with both hands. Bonnie harbored a secret crush on the boy and was always happy to see him. He was only a few years younger, seven if you wanted to be exact, and she figured that the age difference wouldn't matter once he became a man.

Grinning, the teenager turned back to face her. "Good morning," he repeated. "Is Commissioner Gordon busy or can I go in?"

"Of course you can go right in!" she exclaimed, a light blush arising on her pale cheeks. Nodding in acknowledgement, Robin turned toward the door.

"Oh, silly me," Bonnie stated. "He's not in right now but I found this on my desk when I came in this morning." She held up a plain white envelope with the words 'Robin, The Boy Wonder' printed neatly on the front.

Robin reached for the small envelope but she quickly pulled it out of his reach. The teenager raised his eyebrows in surprise and Bonnie smiled.

"This looks suspiciously like an invitation," she declared. "Is there someone I should know about? A girl, perhaps?" She giggled while secretly hoping that the Boy Wonder was still single.

Playfully rolling his eyes, Robin replied, "I'm sure you would know if there was a girl, Bonnie. Batman is so famous that if his sidekick started dating it would be all over the news. So, to answer your question, there's no girl."

"Don't be so impertinent, young man," Bonnie teased before handing him the envelope. "Batman isn't the only one famous around here."

"Oh, yeah, Bruce Wayne," Robin smirked and the secretary shook her head, merriment dancing in her sparkling hazel eyes.

"You are too modest, Robin," she giggled again. "I'm sure there are plenty of girls who would love to date you. They just lack the courage to assert themselves in your presence. So, like most males, you don't notice it."

This time it was Robin who blushed as he realized that she was flirting with him! She was so much older, though! Shaking the thought away, he opened the envelope and pulled out a glossy, golden and lightly-perfumed sheet of paper while trying to pretend that she wasn't staring at him.

His eyes quickly skimmed the contents and his face became serious. Going back to the beginning, he carefully read each sentence then slowly crushed the paper into a tiny ball. Bonnie watched his expression morph into one of anger and sighed. He was so handsome, especially when he looked ready to take down a villain who was hurting an innocent person. And that's how he looked right now, concern mixing with the anger as he glared at the crumpled paper.

"Thanks," he muttered curtly before turning around and striding out the door. Bonnie sighed again. He was so heroic and athletic and strong and funny and…

Reluctantly derailing that train of thought, Bonnie turned back to her computer and resumed typing.

Robin raced down the hall, trying to reach the stairs before releasing his frustration. He didn't want to scare Bonnie so he had rudely left without a proper farewell. Hopefully she hadn't taken it personally. An apology would be expected but he had other things to focus on right now.

The door banged loudly as he shoved it open and stepped into the dimly lit stairwell. It shut itself and Robin, with fury lining his youthful features, punched the wall before sitting down on the top step. Straightening out the crushed ball, he re-read the short "invitation":

'Dearest Boy Wonder: You are cordially invited to attend an important function celebrating…YOU! The hostess of this party is the amazingly delightful Catwoman, who will entertain the hostages…captives…guests with tales of your stupidity until you arrive. The festivities will begin at 8:30 this morning. If you are not in attendance by 9:00, which is considered fashionably late, one of the guests will be shot in the head. If you choose not to attend at all, every single guest will meet an untimely end and it will be your fault.

Your taller, darker and much more handsome companion is not invited to this gathering. If I see any hint of blue – be it a cape, a uniform, a glove, a cowl or any other part of that extraordinarily attractive man – then the blood of every guest will be on your tiny, teenage hands. Think carefully before deciding what to do and then, if you are even smart enough to make a choice, choose wisely.

I look forward to your attendance so I can watch you die in person. See you at the Gotham City Museum of Art, the side entrance, at or before 9:00 AM!'

Robin ran his right hand through his dark hair as he looked at the words "hostages" and "captives". Both had been lightly crossed out, ensuring that he would still be able to read them. The bottom of the paper had a picture of a black cat holding a dead yellow bird in its mouth and was signed by Catwoman.

It wasn't really a surprise to him – Catwoman was very vocal about the fact that she wanted Robin permanently out of her way – but he had been so excited to receive something that was just for him. He should have known it would be a ruse. Why would anyone invite him anywhere without also inviting Batman? Batman…should he pull out his Bat-communicator and tell his partner about the situation? Shaking his head, he quickly discarded that thought. Batman would want to take over and Robin didn't want anybody to die because he, the Boy Wonder, couldn't handle a simple hostage situation by himself.

He suddenly remembered that it had been after eight-thirty when he had arrived at HQ. Pushing his glove away from his wrist, Robin glanced at his Bat-watch – 8:54! Immediately jumping to his feet, the teenager sprinted down the stairs then through the hallway and into the bright sun. The museum was only a few blocks away; he could make it.

Straddling the Batcycle, the Boy Wonder pushed off and raced through the light traffic flowing down the street. He ran a red light, nearly causing a three-way collision, but ignored the honking horns and upset voices of the other motorists. This meant life or death for someone at the museum so a car crash didn't matter that much in the scheme of things.

He was watching the Bat-clock on the handlebars of the Batcycle. It had just reached nine o'clock as he sped to the side entrance of the museum. There was no time to park so he jumped. The Batcycle slid away, falling on its side and slamming into a row of rose bushes. Robin was flying to the ground but at the last second he tucked into a forward roll. Instantly popping up, and with only a slight scrape on his left arm, the teenager practically flew up the steps and burst through the door.

A bullet shattered a vase to his right as he slid to a stop in the lobby. There were four men in tiger-striped shirts, a group of terrified-looking hostages sitting on the ground and one Catwoman smiling in satisfaction. Each man held a Cat-gun pointed at the small clump and Robin noticed several child-sized heads in the middle of the group.

"Welcome, Boy Blunder," Catwoman said sweetly. "Thank you for joining us. Our distinguished guests were beginning to worry that you might not be coming."

Robin stared at her while evaluating the situation. Four Cat-guns and the hostages in a group. They were sitting ducks; there was no way he could take out all four guns before someone received a bullet.

"Let them go," he demanded. "It's me you want, right? So let them go."

"You are in no position to make any demands, kid," she declared. "I have four armed men and what do you have? You. Just little ol' you with no Bat to back you up. I'm assuming that your tiny brain cells were able to make a wise decision and leave him behind."

Glaring at her, Robin nodded. He glanced at the men and noticed names printed across their shirts: Felix, Leon, Tom and Tab. Rolling his eyes, the Boy Wonder almost started laughing.

"What original names you guys have," he said sarcastically. "Felix the cat – from a cartoon show, Leon – Spanish for lion, Tom – an alley cat is also called a tomcat and Tab – a shorter version of a mixed breed called a tabby cat. Wow, did you think of those yourselves?"

The largest one, Leon, let out a growl and this time it was Catwoman who rolled her eyes.

"Boys, stay calm. He's a mouthy kid and there are four of you. No need to get upset…yet." She grinned as she spoke to them while still staring at Robin.

"Toss me your utility belt, little bird," Catwoman's lilting purr was somehow also commanding, "or one of these innocent people will receive a deadly shot."

Indecision raced through the eyes of the Boy Wonder – call the bluff or comply with the demand? She always had Cat-guns but he had never seen a bullet exit one of their barrels and he assumed they were just for show. Then he remembered the shattered vase.

Slowly, Robin unbuckled his utility belt and tossed it in her direction. He couldn't take any chances, especially with children in the group of hostages. The teenager had fought many times without the use of his belt and he was called the Boy Wonder for a reason. All he had to do was disarm four men at once, without any weapons, and then take them down in a fight without allowing anyone else to get hurt. No problem.