Take Flight

Chapter 1: The return

'Gotham Academy'

After a month of recovery, Dick Grayson was now back on his feet. He didn't need his cast; mostly because he had convinced Bruce that he didn't; and a few dozen times of reminding his adoptive father that Artemis would notice. The burns on his arms were not as visible; only if you looked hard enough could you see them.

The only thing he hated worse than being on sick leave; school. Which was where Alfred had just dropped him off; he walked into the school yard where kids were talking with their friends. None of the people in the school yard were his friends. Only because he was a circus freak to all of them; he didn't care what they called him really.

Dick looked up at the sky seeing rain clouds forming around in the sky. Why does it always rain in Gotham?

He walked over and leaned against one of the fences; he took out his phone. He began tinkering with it; not really noticing the girl approaching him. He didn't look up but knew she was there.

"You need to work on your stealth skill Babs; your footsteps are too loud." The boy didn't look up from his phone.

"Well aren't you the little detective Dick? So what you been up to, you haven't been at school?"

"Is it really that hard to figure out?"

Barbra eyed him suspiciously; she grabbed one of his arms away from the key board of his phone. She pulled up his sleeve and looked at the burn marks on his arms.

"Dick what happened?" She wanted to shout at him; and how he didn't tell her sooner.

"An encounter with Cheshire," he kept his voice low.

"But I was there after the encounter with Cheshire. You didn't have burns."

"Another encounter with her," he snapped.

She still had a hold of his arm; she looked at his face but he refused to meet her eyes, he was just staring at his feet.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"No," he looked up at the sixteen year old.

"I can tell when you're lying Dick. Where else are you hurt?"

"I'm fine Barbra," he looked up into her eyes.

She jerked him forward, making him walk awkwardly on his damaged ankle. He hissed in pain as his ankle started to throb.

"I knew it," she brought him over to a bench and sat him down. "Let me see your ankle."

Dick didn't acknowledge the order she gave him. Barbra started giving him a Bat-glare, well actually more like a Bat-girl-glare. He didn't notice though, he was staring at his shoes again.

Dick you are so stubborn sometimes! She grabbed his foot; lifting his pant leg she looked at the scared ankle. "Geez, Dick, what the heck did you do?" Her voice had humor in it.

"Ha-ha very funny Barbra, now can I have my leg back?"

"Whatever bird-brain," she let go of his leg letting him stand up. "Shouldn't you have a cast on that?"

"Yeah, but it could give away my secret I.D so I convinced Bruce to let me not wear one."

"You know you just hate showing weakness, that's the only reason you won't wear one. Because your pride won't let you."

"Oh like you aren't full of yourself Barbra."

"This isn't about me, it's about, you. Now what the heck happened?"

"Um… rocket launcher, fallen roof, kidnapped, explosions. Must I go on?"

Barbra just shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're going to kill yourself you know that right?" She let out a small laugh.

Robin joined her, "Hey I'm not going to kill myself."

"Says the person who free falls of Gotham's tallest buildings."

"Hey I know what I'm doing."

"You know what you just said should be put in a book."

"What; I know what I'm doing?"

"Yeah it should be put in a book called, 'My Final words'."

Barbra started laughing again, Dick just started glaring at her; and then he joined in.

They continued laughing tell Dick felt something hit his head. He looked up so see rain starting to poor down. Him and Barbra both walked into the school; avoiding the rain.

They continued to walk down the hall, sharing stories of what was going on in their lives. The school bell began to ring; they said their goodbyes and parted to different classes. Dick walked into his English room; his teacher was writing something on the board. Dick took out his English book; waiting for instructions. The late bell began to ring; the teacher went to shut the door only for it to be stopped by a very wet, very grumpy Artemis.

She walked over to the vacant desk next to Dick. She began to wring out her wet ponytail hair. She looked over to him; he was writing on a piece of paper. She looked at his slicked back raven color hair; she couldn't see his eyes fully but she could tell they were blue. He looked up and over to her; her eyes widened as she saw how blue his eyes were. They weren't the normal baby blue or a dark blue; they were their own color.

He looked away and back down at his paper. On the outside the Boy Wonder was calm, quietly doing his work with no bother. But on the inside he was freaking out! Him and Artemis had grown close the past month; not close enough to interfere with hers and Wally's obvious flirting, but close enough. Mostly because of him saving her; she had been there for him if he needed something, acting like he was fragile because of his ankle and what not.

He continued to write down notes; glancing at her every now and then. So far she hadn't noticed him looking at her, frankly she didn't care, she was pissed at the rain. All she really wanted to do was for school to end.

After the bell rang, Dick high tailed it out of there, determined to get some distance between him and Artemis.

'Mt. Justice'

Dick, now Robin, had gone to the Mountain right after school. He walked out of the zeta-tube, he could hear voices, M'Gann and Kaldur were talking, Conner let out a grunt as a response ever now and then, and good old Wally picking yet another fight with the blond archer. Robin walked into the room; sitting on a barstool, seeing what M'Gann, Kaldur, and Conner were talking about.

"The girls on the Bumble bee squad are really nice. We got to get our hair done today, and got to skip out on one of our classes to practice." M'Gann had a huge grin on her face.

"That is very nice M'Gann," Kaldur looked over to Conner who just grunted. M'Gann looked over to Robin, just noticing his presents.

"Robin! What about you did you do anything at school?"

Robin was completely freaking out inside. Oh won't this be interesting; Yeah M'Gann I did do something fun. I talked to Bat-girl about a book that we could write called 'My final words.'"

"I got another A on my history test. But other than that it was pretty boring."

"How fun, did you hang out with your friends?"

"Uh…," Wally ran up to Robin, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"The little Boy Wonder must be anti social."

"I am not anti social! I have friends!"

"Yeah, but Rob besides us, you don't."

"Yes I do, you're just not allowed to meet them!"

"And why is that?

"Because, doesn't, not allowed to reveal secret identity ring a bell?"

"You won't reveal you I.D."

"Fine you want to meet a friend? You can meet one." Robin walked out of the room, pulling out his communicator.

"Hey Bat-girl, are you up to anything?"

"No why, you need something?"

"No I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out at the Mountain."

"Sure why not, I'll be over in a few."

The line went dead, and Robin walked back into the room. "Okay she's on her way."

"Wait dude, your friend that you called is a chick?"

Robin gritted his teeth and punched Wally in the arm.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Don't call her a chick!" Robin snapped at the speedster.

"Why the heck are you so respective of women?"

"Because that's how my mother raised me!"

"Well you don't have to listen to everything she tells you. Parents are stupid, remember?"

Robins started gritting his teeth again, his eyes narrowed down into a Bat-Glare.

No one, besides Conner but he didn't say anything, noticed the scanner introducing Bat-girl.

"Parents are not stupid. You're lucky to have them!"

Bat-girl started to listen to the conversation. Obviously it was Wally and Robin, but fighting about parents?

"You should lighten up; maybe you just hang around yours too much. Their probably as stupid as mine."

That's when Robin snapped, he was about to charge at Wally, the whole team saw this. They were about to stop Robin when a dark shape tackled him to the ground holding him back away from Wally.

"Calm down Robin, just calm down." Bat- girl stood up, leaving Robin to get up on his own. She walked into the light. The team looked at the red head wearing a black short sleeve, with black skinny jeans and gray converse, also wearing sun glasses.

"Oh no not another secretive person," Wally cried out.

Bat-girl kicked Wally to the floor; she started dragging him away from the rest. Once they were out of ear shot from everyone, including Conner, she stopped shoving him against a wall.

"Listen, Kid-Mouth, do not, and I mean it when I say do not, talk about parents around Robin! It will not end well for you!"

Wally nodded, she dropped him from her grasp, and she started walking back to Robin. He was sitting on the recliner not looking at anyone. Artemis walked up to her.

"What the crud was that? You can't just go around kicking people!"

Robin stood up walking over to Artemis. "Artemis don't get mad at her; if you're going to be mad at anyone then be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad at you?"

He looked at Bat-girl then at his friends. "Just never mind, I shouldn't have come here anyway." He started walking down the hall not looking back. He stopped for a second, "You coming Bat-girl?"

She started walking with him to the zeta-beam. They typed in the coordinates and went through.

'The Bat-cave'

Barbra followed Dick into the cave trying to calm the boy down. He refused to turn and look at her, he didn't care anymore.

He walked up the stairs of the Bat-cave. Once he walked out he looked around the quiet manor. Alfred was in the kitchen, and who knew where Bruce was; probably in his study or something. He walked up to his room and shut the door. Not really caring that Barbra was most likely going to tell Bruce of what happened. He lay down on his bed and turned over onto his side. He looked at a small note on his dresser. He picked it up, it had only one word on it; 'betrayal.' He crumpled the piece of paper not thinking of it; and threw it into his trash can. He shut his eyes waiting for sleep to take him.