Visitor

Chapter 1

Entering the Cave right after a mission, the Team could still hear the computerized voice behind them announcing their arrival as they got into a defencive stance. They could see their own individual reflections in the red helmet as the invader took it off, placing it under his arm. He raised a cigar to his mouth, giving a small smirk as it was placed between his teeth.

The Red Hood.

They had never met him before, and at the time, they had not known he had any connections to Batman and his sons at all. Despite that, they knew he was on the top of the 'Bad Guys' list, and that he was a danger to them all.

Red Hood had laughed at their threat to attack him, though, and he just said, "What's up?"

"What are you doing here?" Kaldur, always taking charge, spoke first. But he was surprised when Nightwing pushed him aside, walking up to Red Hood.

"Give me one," Nightwing said, his polite, authoritative tone suddenly husky and vapid. Nightwing's shoulders sagged and he put out his hand for Red Hood.

Red Hood took a long, deep drag from his cigar. "Nothing much," Red Hood answered Kaldur's question. His lips moved around his cigar and the smoke escaped as he spoke. "Just heard that 'Wing and Baby Bird had a bad day." He fished around in his pockets, taking out another cigar, handing it to Nightwing. Batman's protege lit the end by himself, taking a breath from it.

"A bad day." Robin pushed his way through the crowd. "A bad day. As if. Go an hour without Al's cookies and you can call it a bad day," He said. He walked up to Red Hood, taking the roll of tobacco from the anti-hero's mouth, sticking it between his own two teeth. "We went three and we had to deal with bratty, obnoxious, stupid villains. The only real competition there was Deathstroke, and he held back because we all know how he adores Nightwing."

Nightwing blushed at that but kept silent, deciding that it had been too long of a day to stand up yet again for Slade.

Red Hood scoffed, his red mask looking blankly at the ceiling. "Well, Mister Grumpy Pants, I would Imagine that you took them down quite easily, then."

"As if," Robin said. He hooked his glove to the Holo-computer, easily downloading any information he got over the mission. "DaddyBats decided that Nightwing and I had to hold back so the Team can 'learn from their mistakes'." He made quotation marks with his one available hand.

Kaldur frowned. "Is there something I am missing?" He asked. Everyone could tell from his tone that it wasn't a question. He was telling Nightwing and Robin that they needed to back down. That they were doing something wrong .

"No," Nightwing said. "Not really. Red heard we were having a bad day, someone's probably trying to kill him, so he came to visit." He tapped the cigar against his lip.

"Yep," Red hood said. "Damian's mad. Won't let me in the house. I heard that Kid Flash was being a little b****, too. Decided to put an end to it."

Robin nodded. "Did you, now?" His voice was sarcastic, and his eyes were focused on the holographic screen. He didn't believe it.

"Yep," Red Hood said again. "Someone can't talk to my Dickie-Bird like that and expect to get away with it." His eyes scanned the crowd. "Doesn't look like he's here. I guess it'll just have to wait."

"He's back in Central," Nightwing said. "Ever since he did that 'Make everyone think you're dead and just come back like nothing happened' stunt, he's been chilaxing with his family. With Artemis, too. I swear, she doesn't even like him anymore. She just feels like she has something to prove, and Kid Flash was the only man available. "

"More like 'only kid '," Robin laughed. "And I'm pretty sure there's a reason why he's that way."

Connor's frustration grew. He could see Kaldur's open mouth at how Nightwing and Robin trash-talked their team mate with a known criminal . No one was doing anything about the situation, watching two of their leaders suddenly do the unexplainable.

Nightwing laughed. "No doubt."

"I'm completely and utterly convinced that she's in love with Kaldur," Jason commented. "But that may just be the little Dick screaming in my head."

Nightwing frowned. "I don't scream."

"Oh, right," Tim said. "He does this 'manly yelling'."

"Why isn't anyone doing anything!" Connor finally yelled. That seemed to snap everyone out of their trance, because suddenly everyone regained their fighting stance, and Robin and Nightwing stared at them with shock on their faces.