It wasn't uncommon for new heroes to come out of the woodwork, especially with the growing size of the Justice League and subsequent teams. People naturally were inspired by the vigilantes who did their best to provide justice and went on to do the same. There was one rule though. Don't come to Gotham. Partly because it was now oversaturated with heroes and partly because they were selfish bastards when they wanted to be. If someone new popped up and wasn't immediately shoved out, they were likely already part of the family. Safe to say, when someone new comes into town, the bat family's heckles are raised.

Tim was out as a civilian when he first saw them. He was on his way back home when he caught something out of the corner of his eye, a shadow moving from one rooftop to another. He glanced up with surprise since it was a little early to start work but maybe he'd missed a recent break out at Arkham. He didn't say his family though. Instead, he saw someone swing by, dressed in a black suit with a blue V across his chest. He fumbled for his phone and took a picture before the figure went out of sight then posted the blurry photo in the family group chat asking if anyone had changed their suit.

A flurry of messages came through, all stating they hadn't and they didn't know who he'd seen. Tim frowned to himself. He couldn't do much without a mask. Even if he could avoid the public eye, if he made himself known as his civilian self, whoever this person was could easily track him down. He made note of the time and the direction they travelled in before continuing on his way home. He'd try to pick up where he left off.

Nothing came of it, he assumed he'd gotten out too late to catch whoever it was and they were smart enough not to hang around where they wouldn't be welcome. Tim still felt unsettled by it though. It could be a one-time thing or it could become a regular problem they needed to nip in the bud early.

"Who's that?" Jason asked, leaning over Tim's chair to look at his laptop screen. He could see it from further away but then he wouldn't be nearly as annoying. "Latest stalking victim?"

"I don't stalk, I research," Tim corrected. "This is Nightwing. Works in Blud usually but paid a visit to Gotham yesterday."

"Nightwing? What kind of name is that?" he replied.

"From the guy called Red Hood whilst wearing a helmet," he teased lightly. "Seems to be the hero type and he's got quite the following. Look at this clip from his last fight." He pulled it up and Jason watched it with vague interest. He was a good fighter, he could admit that. Too many flips for his liking but that was a matter of preference. He could appreciate a flair or two.

"Looks like a fight."

"No, look at the moves. Tell me where you've seen that before." He rolled his eyes but did as he was told. They did look familiar. A little too familiar.

"Batman's moves," he muttered. "Got another fanboy?"

"Jay, he's got all our moves. Plus Slade's."

"Slade's? So is this a fanboy or another pain in our ass?"

"Overall, he's done nothing to make me think he's coming after us. As a matter of fact, he's always kept from breaching the city border. The guy steers clear of Gotham and doesn't seem all that interested in trying to contact us." Jason could write off knowing some of their moves through training himself using videos but Slade's influence was harder to pass off as innocuous.

"Maybe he's an ex-merc trying to make a name for himself as one of the good guys. Would explain the moves."

"Might explain the connection to acrobatics too but something feels off. It's- it's too close to the real thing. It's too good of a copy."

"What're you saying?"

"I'm saying that we should pay a visit. We could either make his day with an unexpected meet and greet or we could save ourselves another addition to the gallery."

Tracking down Nightwing proved tricky. Unlike most vigilantes who looked after cities, he didn't follow a patrol pattern. Most would have a map of the city where the majority of crimes occurred and were only drawn away by planned takedowns or random crimes they overheard. Nightwing seemed to skip around and didn't keep to the same patrol route for more than two nights. It took a week until Tim finally got face-to-face with him. When he did, he was only left with more questions.

Red Robin hid in the shadows of a rooftop Nightwing took regular pit stops at. He'd spent most of the night freezing his ass off waiting but it paid off when the elusive hero finally touched down and took a seat on the edge. 

"You're a hard man to find," Red Robin announced. The man turned his head slightly, not in shock but in acknowledgement. Had he known that he wasn't alone? Had he wanted to be visited by someone he clearly took after?

"And why would you want to find me?" he asked almost as though he was hoping for something. Maybe an invitation to the family if he truly was a fanboy. 

He spoke like a Gothamite but there wasn't a big difference between accents in Bludhaven and Gotham. There was something slightly off about it which could be attributed to spending some time somewhere else. Jason's theory of an ex-merc would explain that. It would explain his confidence better too. Surely meeting someone you aspire to would wobble your nerves slightly.

"You've caught our attention."

"Good or bad?"

"Depends on what you were doing in Gotham a week ago." Nightwing turned all the way around now. 

"I was investigating something. You don't need to worry about it."

"Who are you to tell me not to worry about something in my city?" he scoffed.

"You wouldn't know what you were looking at," he answered with a disappointed sigh. 

"But you do?"

"Do you know who Dick Grayson is?" 

Red Robin raised an eyebrow but humoured the question. The name didn't ring a bell. At least, the first name didn't. The surname was familiar since he'd seen the Flying Graysons as a kid but they were long dead so it couldn't be them. There was no crime family with the surname Grayson either. He shook his head. Whoever it was, they weren't big enough to gain his attention. Maybe they were bigger in Bludhaven.

"Then I'll repeat myself, you wouldn't know what you were looking at."

"Who is he?"

"A friend. Disappeared off the face of the world one night and I'm trying to find the person who did it." The teen grimaced. He hadn't meant to antagonise a grieving man but he still had questions. 

"How long ago?"

"Two months. All evidence he ever existed disappeared with him." His evidence of Nightwing dated back two months and he guessed that was the inciting incident that made him a hero. Still, it took far longer to learn their moves, especially with the skill he performed them with. 

"I'm sorry to hear that. If it's connected to Gotham, we can offer support."

"Appreciate it but this is more of a solo mission. No offence." Nightwing stood up wearily. He seemed tired to the bone but was still going perhaps out of determination or obsession. The two were hard to distinguish when it came to their jobs. "Got what you wanted? I've got places to be."

"Not yet. How long have you been stalking us?" He laughed. Red Robin didn't return it.

"Oh, you're serious? What makes you think I'm stalking you?"

"You have all our moves."

"Fighting has a limited move set."

"Not that limited."

"Well, sorry to damage your ego but I'm not stalking any of you. I'm offended you haven't considered I'm just good at my job," he responded. Whatever was keeping him on the rooftop was wearing thin as he got his grappling gun ready. 

"How'd you learn Slade's moves?" He paused and his body reacted as though Red Robin had slapped him across the face. "You won't find him in Gotham. Last I heard, he was in New York."

"I'm not looking for him."

"Who are you looking for?" 

The hero huffed as though he was having to play nice with a three-year-old who just learned they could ask questions all the time. He muttered something Red Robin didn't quite catch then holstered the grappling gun. 

"June Moone. Technically Enchantress but you get how muddy that can be," he explained. 

Finally, some sort of explanation he could understand. It didn't give him much though. Enchantress was in and out as a threat especially since June did a better job of keeping her in control nowadays. He felt bad for the woman. She didn't consent to anything Enchantress did with her body and yet she was charged as if she was wholly aware and compliant. 

"You think Enchantress made him disappear? Why?" He didn't want to ask why on Earth this eldritch being would care about some nobody from Bludhaven but he guessed that's what Nightwing heard.

"She didn't intend on erasing Dick Grayson. He got caught in the crossfire," he said. 

"Why wouldn't we know what we were looking at then?"

"You won't believe me," he stated simply. "Done playing twenty questions?"

"You're not going to kill her, are you?"

"No. June didn't do anything wrong. Can't exactly kill Enchantress either. I just want her to set things right." 

"How do you plan to do that?"

"I have something she wants." 

Red Robin would admit he wasn't quite sure what he'd stumbled across. He wanted to push his luck and ask for more information, but he could tell that wouldn't end well with how worked up Nightwing was getting. He needed some sort of in. 

"I can take you to her," he offered. In theory, he could. He didn't know where she was at that current moment but he could easily find her.

"Is that so?" Nightwing questioned incredulously. 

"It is so. I'll take you to her but I have to come along." The older gritted his teeth, seemingly mulling it over and weighing up his options. 

"Fine. Are you free now?" Yes, but he didn't know where she was. 

"Meet here tomorrow, same time, and I'll take you to her."

"Deal."

Getting a knock at your door any time past seven when you weren't expecting anyone would ring alarm bells for anyone. Not June though. She simply paused her show and resigned herself to whatever fate the person knocking had for her. 

Two months ago, Enchantress had taken over and she'd barely managed to wrangle her back. She wasn't sure what happened since she'd woken up in her own bed and the news gave her nothing to go off. She hoped that Enchantress had just gotten up to misdemeanour mischief but that was unlikely. Since then, she'd been waiting for the dreadful knocking of someone who knew what she didn't.

There was some mild surprise when it turned out to be Red Robin and a hero she hadn't seen before. Mostly it was armed guards and someone representing Amanda Waller, insisting that she go with them unless she wanted things to go bad. 

"Hi, June. Could we talk?" the unknown hero greeted. He offered his hand and she took it out of reflex. She didn't know what she expected but it wasn't a soft handshake given by someone she didn't know. "I promise, it won't take too much time."

"I suppose," she muttered as their hands parted. She stood to the side and gestured for them to get inside. She was trying to keep a low profile, hiding out in a house that had been abandoned since the 80's but she guessed she could be found anywhere. Especially by someone trained by Batman. The pair walked in and politely stood in her living room rather than trying to dominate the space. "What's this about?"

"I think you know."

"I'm sorry but who are you? I- I don't mean to be rude."

"I'm Nightwing and that's sort of the reason why I'm here."

"Come again?"

"Two months ago, Enchantress erased all evidence of Dick Grayson and Nightwing. I'd like for her to unerase it," he explained. "Now before you freak out, I wouldn't be here if I didn't do my research. I have a bargaining chip and I have a way to help you keep control."

"You do?" she asked. He opened his bag and pulled out two things. A book she'd only ever heard descriptions of and an amulet she'd dreamed of possessing since she began to share a body with the otherworldly being. She resisted the urge to snatch them up and locking herself away to write detailed notes on them. "How on Earth did you get those?"

"Some light theft. Private collectors don't deserve these things anyway," he answered. "I can give you these in exchange for seeing Enchantress."

"Wait, are these bargaining chips for me? She wouldn't care about the book or the amulet," she pointed out.

"I have something different in mind for her but yeah, these are for you. I know you don't like her taking over so I thought this might sweeten the deal. There's no reason for you to care about me or Dick but these could help you pretend." She softened at the answer although she couldn't deny that she would've said no if they weren't involved. 

"What do you have for her?"

"Call it a surprise," he replied. 

"She won't be easy to bargain with. Trust me, I know. She feeds off suffering and if that's what she's caused you, she won't reverse it so easily."

"She'll agree," he told her confidently. She glanced over to Red Robin who gave her an encouraging nod. 

"Alright. I'll summon her for you but I want the amulet first," she demanded as much as her passive voice could allow. He didn't hesitate to hand it over which she appreciated and waited for her to put it around her neck before looking expectantly. "Good luck Nightwing."

Enchantress grinned when she was brought to the front. She rolled her shoulders as the power spread through her body. She'd been trapped for far too long, forced to watch the world through eyes that couldn't appreciate her vision. She blinked a few times, getting used to the scenery before she took in who was before her. 

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked as she flexed her fingers. She couldn't wait for another round of chaos.

"You're going to reverse the spell you made two months ago," Nightwing ordered.

"A spell? I don't recall," she teased. "I've cast so many in my time. Tell me, was it worth my energy?"

"You know exactly which one," he replied coldly. "And you know exactly why I want you to reverse it."

"You're no fun," she pouted. "At least let me ask how you've been since the world forgot your existence."

"Wait, forgot your existence?" Red Robin repeated. He was ignored.

"It's been as lovely as you'd imagine," Nightwing spat through gritted teeth.

"I'm under the impression you didn't come here empty-handed. I see you've already given June a trinket," she drawled. The amulet was powerful yes but she was stronger. It'd keep her surprise outings to a minimum and draw her back in but it still took an immense amount of energy to drag her back to the depths of the doctor's mind. "Where's my gift?"

"I was thinking more of an exchange."

"And you think you have anything worth the trouble it saved me to have you forgotten?"

"I think you'll enjoy the suffering it'll cause." She watched him curiously. There was so little that entertained her nowadays that the prospect of something finally new had her attention. 

"Is it precious?"

"To me."

"One of a kind?"

"It certainly can't be recreated."

"Then I'm all ears. What does a lowly human like you have to offer a goddess like me?"

"The same thing you took from the world. Memories." She grinned. "In exchange for you reversing the spell, you can take every memory I have of my parents." 

"Every memory?"

"Their voices, their faces, my childhood with them, everything I hold dear."

She considered it for a moment and took particular joy in seeing the utter shock on Red Robin's face. Without even knowing the person standing beside him, he was floored by the offer he was presenting. It was certainly interesting, although she wouldn't think it was equal. Erasing a person who was alive was very different from erasing the dead, although it did bring a certain type of suffering. He'd always have a gap there, a longing for people he didn't know anymore. It wasn't like she'd destroyed who he was entirely. He obviously still had some will to be a hero and get in her way but that was the case for all vigilantes and she'd be lying if she didn't enjoy the cat-and-mouse game they played together. 

"All your memories. Excluding seeing their corpses and the memory of you so willingly handing them over. I want you to remember sacrificing them for people who I wouldn't be so sure would do the same for you," she countered. He narrowed his eyes, his body tensing. 

"No loopholes. No trying to get around it. You reverse what you did and take my memories of my biological parents."

"You're no fun, Richard."

"Enchantress."

"Alright, alright, I agree to your arbitrary terms. If only for the joy of knowing I've made your life worse in some way. I'm sure you're aware of how unequal this is."

"I suffer either way. Last I checked, the people you made forget me are none the wiser. The only person who has to live with your spell is me."

"Point taken," she relented. "Are you sure? I won't be so accommodating if you come to regret it."

"I'm sure."

I got bored of this story after like 1000 words but eh - I'll maybe do a part 2