-Dick's POV-

I pushed open the large glass doors to Wayne Enterprises. Waltzing in, I recognized the same old desk girl. She smiled and waved, her pale cheeks turning a light shade of pink. I shrugged it off and leaned on the corner.

"Hey Dick. It's been awhile," she teased, twirling her blond hair around her red fingernails.

"It has," I grinned, "I need to see Bruce. Do you know where he is?" 

She pulled up her phone and typed in a number. Holding the phone to her face, she waited for a few seconds. "He's not picking up his office phone. I can buzz you up to his office if you want to go check on him."

I nodded. "That would be nice." She pressed a button and the elevator opened. With a parting wave, I climbed in.

Wayne Enterprise was just as clean and organized as Wayne Manor. It was exactly as Bruce liked it. The floors were shiny from fresh wax. All the offices held smart and efficient people, appointed by Bruce directly. That was the thing about Wayne Enterprises. Bruce had met every person who worked there. He liked being familiar with his workers, just like his parents. And most of the workers liked him. Especially the women workers. However, I knew Bruce hadn't slept with any employees.

Even the elevator was nice. It smelled like vanilla. Over the speakers, there was a catchy pop song playing. I leaned against the back as the elevator moved. Bruce had a top floor office with a complete and spectacular view of Gotham. 

The doors opened as I finally stopped on the right floor. I took fast and long steps as I made my way to the office doors. Every wall was covered in windows, showing the bright, summer Gotham skyline. 

I pushed open Bruce's doors to see Barbara sitting at his desk. "Uh..." I cleared my throat. Barbara shot out of the chair. She turned to see me and then let her shoulders relax.

"Oh, it's just you," she pressed a kiss to my cheek and gathered a few files in her arms.

"Where's Bruce?" I asked, looking around.

"He's on a date with Ebony," Barbara said, meeting my eyes. It was a code. The young members of the Bat family had developed a code name for when Bruce or any of the family was out on hero business during the day. 

Bruce used a different code because he said that ours was immature. But, we found it funny back in the day. Barbara and I had came up with it when I was Robin. We had used it all the time, Jason had used it, and even Tim had used it. Before we introduced it to Tim, he had been actually convinced that Barbara was dating some girl named Ebony and that that girl was cheating on Barbs with me. 

Ebony was used as a code for extra safety. I had thought Bruce's office was safe, but Barbara was like Bruce. They both were super cautious when it came to identities. So, there it was. Bruce was on a date with Ebony.

"When will he be back?" I took a side glance around the room for any sign of Bruce's whereabouts. 

"I don't know," she hugged the papers to her chest, "but, he seemed very focus. I think he's worried about the newest addition to Gotham."

Red Hood. I was interested in him too. I needed to compare notes with Bruce. But, I didn't know where he was. 

I made my way back to Wayne Manor after  quick make out session with Barbs. Alfred welcomed me with some tea. We chatted for a few hours, until I decided to take a small nap. When I woke up, the sun was down and the Bat signal was in the sky.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around my old room. I grabbed my Nightwing uniform and slipped it on. The red still surprised me, but I liked it. It was a change that I had done on my own.

When Athena left, I kept associating the blue with her. So, I asked a good friend of the Bat family to make some alterations. Instead of the blue bird in the middle, I added a red stripe that wrapped around my shoulder and cascaded down to my fingers. I kept the black, making the red really pop. It made me feel more confident. I don't know why I chose red. It just seemed...right.

I dashed down the stairs to the Batcave. Just as I expected, Bruce was at his computer. I grinned and walked around the corner. Just as I did, I realized Bruce wasn't alone. He was typing on his computer while Nightingale leaned against the keyboard, talking in his ear. He would reply back with his eyes still glued to whatever he was doing.

They didn't notice me until I stood right behind them. Athena and I locked eyes. The casual way she looked at me made me feel a little uncomfortable. I glanced away and back at Batman. "I need to talk to you. Alone." 

He finally swiveled his chair around. "Regarding what?"

"Red Hood," I said, staring past Bruce's shoulder to the computer. He had several articles and bits of information pulled up. Some of them had the Red Hood as a headline, but most of them were on Lazarus Pits. Why?

 "Yes, well--" Bruce started.

"We were just discussing him," Athena spoke up, "we were just going to go on mission."

A muscle in my jaw ticked. Nightingale was able to talk to Batman before I could? Whose side was Bruce on?

"Oh," I tried to bury down the feeling of betrayal and jealousy, "Where did you plan on going?"

"After we compared the information we had both gotten on Red Hood, I asked Nightingale to show me all the Lazarus Pits she knew of," Bruce paused, "considering her background with Ra's Al Ghul."

I nodded. I didn't know if Bruce was trying to insult Athena, but it sounded like he was getting back on my side. However, her unknowing expression showed me that maybe Bruce didn't mean what he said in a bad way. 

"And what information did you both get exactly? Because I have some things to share as well," I crossed my arms. 

"Well, we all came to the same conclusion that Red Hood is extremely trained and experienced. He is trying to get a leg up on Black Mask and the entire drug trade," Bruce explained. 

"And I came upon him threatening the most successful dealers in Gotham. He claims to be running the drug trade now, with the only condition that they can't deal to children," Athena turned towards me, "he also has been stealing cargo trucks from other rival corporations that refuse to side with him."

I had known that he had been stealing cargo, but I didn't know he was trying to run the trade. How did Nightingale get that information?

"I fought him a few nights ago. He seemed to be able to anticipate my every move and keep up with me. I think he is familiar with our fighting styles."

"Yes, I have also noticed this," Bruce said, rubbing his chin, "does anyone have any conclusions on his identity?"

"No," Athena said, "however, he didn't seem familiar with my style. So, he must've been in Gotham before I got here or over the past two years."

"That would explain why he can fight us but seemed matched with you."

I furrowed my eyebrows. How did Nightingale gather all of the information if she wasn't going on patrol? And when did she fight Red Hood? I hadn't fought him that long ago, meaning Nightingale hadn't either. Was Red Hood going out every night?

"Well, how does any of that have to do with Lazarus Pits?" I was obviously missing something, "Do you think Red Hood worked for Ra's?"

Batman stood up and pulled down his cowl. Nightingale smirked and cracked her knuckles. "I have a feeling that the Lazarus was involved."

Batman hopped in the Batmobile. As if on cue, Nightingale ran over, ready to take the second seat. I glared. She looked over her shoulder, pouting her lips when she saw me. I thought it was a taunt until she backed away from the car. 

"Are you coming, Dick?" Her voice sounded so normal. For a moment, it was like when we first met. It was like nothing ever happened between us, like we were meeting for the first time. But, when I looked at her, I couldn't possibly forget.

"I'll take the bike," I answered, walking past the Batmobile. She paused by the car, watching me. As soon as I looked back at her, she climbed inside.

We drove out of Gotham and stopped in the middle of the desert. Batman pulled over and the two got out. I looked around. There was nothing there. 

Athena led Bruce over to a random spot. She bent down and cleared some sand. There was a hidden latch. She unlocked it and pulled open a trap door. Gesturing for us to follow, she dove down into the mysterious door.

I jumped down after her. I thought the jump would be deeper, but it was only a few feet. Clicking on the night vision in my mask, I looked around. We were in what looked like a mine corridor but without any tracks. Nightingale led the way with Bruce in the middle and me taking up the rear. We strolled down the cave corridor for a few minutes until the cave opened up.

In the middle of the open space, there was a circle surrounded by large pillars. It was obviously a ceremonial room. Long ago, I could imagine candles lighting the place. But, the place was abandoned. For what seemed like centuries at that.

Athena stood in the middle of the circle and crossed her arms with some 'I told you so' sass. I didn't know what her and Bruce had talked about before I waltzed in, but she seemed to have proved Bruce wrong.

Batman crouched down and ran some tests on the site. While he did that, I inspected the pillars. They had carving on them, but I couldn't comprehend anything they said. 

"It's ancient Arabic," Athena appeared behind me out of nowhere, "This is Ra's oldest Lazarus Pit."

I knew Ra's Al Ghul was Arabian but I didn't know that he was old enough to have known an older version of the language. 

"It seems like it was cleared out a long time ago. How did you find it?" I ran my fingers along the indents of the pillar. 

"Ra's showed me after a couple of years of training to educate me on the Lazarus."

I had forgotten just how much Ra's had trusted her. And how much she had trusted him.

"Do you know the location of all the Pits?"

She crouched down to read the last part of the pillar. "Not all of them. I only know of the most important ones."

I watched as she moved onto the next pillar. Hovering over her, I watched as her brain easily read the ancient language as if it English. "What does it say?"

"It's instructions on how to use the Pit, side effects, and how to contain someone who uses it," she answered, keeping her eyes on the pillar, "There are some prayers and sayings that must be repeated when using the Lazarus pit," Athena stood up and smirked, "How funny, huh? They used to think that the Lazarus could only be used if they prayed for it."

I chuckled softly, but instantly stopped when I realized we were sharing a laugh. "Is this Pit accessible?"

"No. It was closed years ago."

"Yes, we closed them," Batman interrupted, joining us, "After a fight with the League of Assassins, the Justice League ordered for the sealing of all Lazarus Pits."

Athena nodded. "However, this one was closed about a century ago. Ra's never used it or the religious prayers anymore, so he had it sealed."

"And you're sure the others are in this state?"

"Yes, when the Justice League interfered, I was personally chosen to help Ra's close them off. They should all look like this one," Nightingale said, "but, I will take you to the rest of them if you want."

Bruce hesitated before pulling out a tracker and placing it on the cave wall. "I would like to inspect all the Pits you know of."

Typical Bruce. He was always thorough, even if his caution was misplaced. Perhaps Athena was telling the truth. Perhaps Ra's had followed the rules and every Lazarus Pit was sealed. Or, perhaps she was lying and one was in working order. I knew that Bruce had to be sure. 

That night we went all over the world. Athena showed us every single Lazarus Pit she knew of and Bruce placed a tracker inside. Just as she had said, the Pits were all closed and abandoned. We spent about thirty minutes in each Pit, but we found no traces of recent activity in any of them.

When we finished checking the last one, Athena stopped Bruce. 

"What do you suspect, Bruce? Even if Red Hood was working for Ra's, what would he want with the Lazarus Pit?" She spoke pretty loudly, but we were in the middle of nowhere. I understood her confusion. Bruce was hiding something. He had dragged us to each and every Pit Ra's had ever had and still wouldn't tell us why. Athena knew the insides and outsides of the League of Assassins and even she didn't understand what Bruce was thinking.

"Are you sure there aren't anymore?" He avoided the question.

With a sigh, Athena gripped the bridge of her nose. "These are the ones I know of. All of them."

Bruce sauntered off and got back into the Batmobile. He revved the engine, so I dashed and hopped in. After a slight pause while Athena stared back at the Lazarus Pit, she hopped on my bike and followed behind us.  

"Bruce, why won't you tell us about what you think?" I asked, facing him. He stared forward and drove to the closest Zeta tube.

"I had a hunch and the hunch was wrong. There's nothing more to it."

As we teleported back to Gotham, I felt a sense of deja vu. Athena had been extremely secretive with me and now Bruce? I wasn't surprised. Even when I was Robin, Bruce hid things from me. Why did I always care for people who didn't trust me with the truth?

~~~~~~~How are all you doing? I see you guys debating on whether Athena should be with Dick or Jason and let me just tell you...I'm debating myself! I love all of your guy's comments and I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this story! It's rolling along pretty good and fast. So, just keep loving on this book and I'll keep writing it!~~~~~~