A/N: This is probably going to be the last chapter of this. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Seven - Of a Boy and a Gunshot Wound

Dick Grayson walked out of the zeta beam into Mount Justice for the last time. He had an empty bag slung over one shoulder, and shades practically hanging off his face. His feet dragged along as he forced himself to walk into his room and remove every last personal effect he had stored there.

Kaldur and Megan watched from the couch as he passed, both confused by his actions. They'd heard from Batman that Robin was out of commission, injured, and would be off active duty for quite a while, but they hadn't expected the teen to walk in, a bag over his shoulder, and walk dejectedly through the halls.

"Robin-"

"Team meeting in fifteen, if you could call Artemis, Conner, and Wally for me, that'd be great Kal."

He was down the hall before Kaldur'ahm could respond.

He stood in front of them, unmoving, rumpled, and tense. His team all looked awkward, shuffling feet, fidgeting. Everything was out of place.

"I was fired this morning. I'm no longer Robin." Quick, flat, lifeless.

He thought it'd be better this way.

"What?" Conner.

"How did-" Artemis.

"You were just-" Megan.

"How does that even-" Wally.

"Can he truly just fire you?" Kaldur.

"Apparently, yes."

"But, this isn't a job, you don't get hired, no one asks you if you want to-" Artemis.

"To him, it's a job. And that's all. I failed, so I'm fired. I'd have given you more time, but, as I'm already off active duty, it shouldn't make too much of a difference. Kaldur, looks like it's your team again. Good luck everyone."

He turned his back, picked up the duffel bag, and tossed his sun glasses to the floor.

He was at the door when they finally realized exactly what that meant.

"No! Dude, you can't leave us, bros for life, remember? Can't you just, I don't know, not work with the Bat? If he was stupid enough to fire you for saving his damn life-"

"Wally, don't. Just don't go there, okay?"

"Fine, but tell me why the hell you not being Robin means you have to leave-"

Dick Grayson turned around to face his friends, and for the first time all five members of Young Justice saw ancient blue eyes set in a face far too young for the tragedy they carried. "I have to leave because he runs this team, and I've been fired. As his partner and team leader. Even if I did get a new costume and a new name, I still couldn't be on this team."

"Because that son of a bitch fired you."

"Yes."

"How can he even fire you? You're Robin. Not Batboy or Batlad or even Kid Bat. Robin is your thing, Dick, how-"

"He just can, okay Wally. He's Batman."

"Wait- what did Kid Dork just call you?" Artemis looked at him, one eyebrow quirked, challenging.

"My name is Richard John Grayson, but everyone's always called me Dick."

"Then you-" She cut herself off.

"Yeah," he said with a weak chuckle. "I told you we'd laugh about it some day."

A few months later, investigating a drug trafficking ring in Bludhaven, the team ran into a black and blue clad vigilante with a familiar habit of flipping off any structure in his path.

They were fighting against the group of drug runners, not nearly as smoothly as they should have as it seemed they were missing something, but the five young heroes clearly outmatched the thugs they were up against.

However, in one moment, a shot rang off and they seemed to freeze for a moment, as if waiting a command that never came. In that moment's hesitation, one of the gang members was able to get a gun to Miss Martian's head, he pulled her tight to his chest, using her as a hostage.

Before she could phase through his arms, a projectile hit him in the back of the hand and knocked the gun to the ground, before a black escrima stick whipped against the back of his head.

"Looked like you could use a hand." Was all the costumed man said before moving to disable another thug. M'gann moved with him, falling into a familiar pattern of attack, as if she'd fought with the man before, but she couldn't read his mind, nor could she remember ever meeting a man in a black costume with a blue stripe running from his chest and back down along his arms and fingers.

When the floor was strewn with the unconscious forms of their enemies, the black clad fighter straightened up and smiled as he was faced with five armed and wary heroes.

"Who are you?" Artemis. She always did have no patience.

"You know, it's rude to ask my name without giving yours in return. But, since you don't seem to be the type to care, call me Nightwing."

"Nightwing? What's that, some kind of Batman ripoff?"

"I wouldn't say I'm anything like Batman. After all, intimidation, fear, and animal costumes aren't exactly in my typical repertoire. But then, Flash boy, I wouldn't expect you to understand."

Kaldur stepped in front of his team, getting just inside Nightwing's striking distance. "What are you doing here?"

"Just stopping some drug trafficking. Same as you, I'd suppose. Now, if you don't mind, could you get out of my city and tell your pointy-eared captain to keep his pet team out of Bludhaven?"

"You know, I wish Robs was here." This seemed to make Nightwing laugh. "What's so funny, knock-off?"

"I'm just amazed he hasn't had the replacement added to the team."

"Replacement?"

"I take it you haven't met the new Boy Wonder, huh? I'm kind of jealous. Kid's got a mouth and a quick temper."

"Batman wouldn't just replace Robin!" M'gann seemed to realize just how false that statement was halfway through making it. "At least not without telling anyone."

"You sure about that, Miss M?"

"Robin?" The Bludhaven vigilante shook his head, but smiled.

"Nightwing. And, for your information, the JLA knows about me. If I were an enemy, they'd have warned you. Now, the nearest zeta beam access is three blocks south and one to the west. They don't think I know about that, but then, I've been hacking their files for years." An eerie, familiar cackle followed the words, as Nightwing disappeared into the shadows.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and put this on your favorites list. I'm glad you enjoyed my aimless ramblings in this.

As always, feedback would be greatly appreciated. Even if its 'you spelled that word wrong' or 'your writing bores me.'

- Kirrae