a/n: you're all either gonna love me or hate me for the small foreshadowing

"Nope! No way, Richard John Grayson! No fucking way!"

"Maeve, listen-"

"They got out! They're retired and they're happy! She's happy!" I yelled, pulling at my hair and blinked back my tears. "We can't get out because we're in too deep, but they're out!"

"Babe, Artemis is more than perfect for this and you know it." Dick defended.

"I'll take her place. Tell Kaldur I'll do it."

"No."

"I'm more capable than Artemis to-"

"You're not doing this." He interrupted. "After Arkham? After I almost lost you for good? No fucking way!"

"Dick, that's selfish on levels I can't even begin to explain."

"Then let me be a little selfish once in a while! I've almost lost you too many times to count in nine years... Hell, you died twice in surgery!"

"And how do you think Wally would feel if something happened to her like it happens to me? Do you think he'll be able to deal with it?"

"It won't happen. Kaldur promised me." Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't want to choose her for this mission, okay? You were my first pick, as always."

"So why didn't you?"

"Tim begged me to not choose you, so did Artemis... after a while, Wally begged too."

"You people sometimes treat me like I'm made of glass and I can't protect myself." I mumbled, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Maeve, I... I can't lose you. I know you're more than capable of handling yourself. You've proved it time and time again. But let me be selfish for once, please." He begged, pulling me into his arms.

"Dick, this isn't about-"

"I've held your dying body once, sweetheart. I felt and saw the life slowly leave you... What do you think that does to a person?"

"You never told me this."

"The only thing that was keeping you alive that night was my hand on your neck stopping the blood flow." He admitted and tried to blink back the tears. "I don't want to live through that again... I don't want to feel like that ever again."

"Baby-"

"I didn't want Artemis to do this. I went there to tell them to forget about it when I just thought holding you while your heartbeat slowed again, even if it was fake, and I just... I just broke down. After I told them, she insisted I'd let her do it and Wally agreed after a while."

"I knew it was bad, but never this bad." I whispered and wiped his tears. "How come you never told me?"

"Because I don't want to live through it again. Every time I talk or think about it, I relive it... I don't want to keep reliving it." Dick choked back a sob and hid his face on the crook of my neck. "I don't want to feel your heartbeat slow again, even if it's fake."

"You need to tell me these things, honey... because I was thinking you didn't want me away for too long." I sighed, gently running my hands through his hair. "Same with Tim."

"Tim doesn't want you away for too long, and I secretly don't want to either." He admitted and I laughed.

"Don't keep these things from me anymore, okay? You gotta talk to me about these things. I wanna know what's on that smart brain of yours."

"I'll try... I promise I'll try."

"And that's good enough for me right now."

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"Aim the staff higher, Robin. You wanna give them the element of surprise."

"Babe! Has Bruce recently made someone mad?"

"Every day but not something that merits a death threat recently. Why?" I asked, setting down my staff and grabbed a hand towel from Alfred.

"Death threats!?" Tim asked and I waved him off.

"Look at this." Dick said, pointing at the Batcomputer.

You abandoned me, Batman.

~A.K

"Abandoned who?" I raised my eyebrows and he shrugged. "And who's A.K!?"

"Wish I knew, hon."

"Bruce makes a lot of people mad by just breathing." Tim shrugged. "But for someone to say he abandoned them?"

"When's the briefing, Dick?"

"In two hours. We need to get going." He sighed and turned to me. "And you need a shower before we leave. You've been training for the past three hours."

"Tim, I want you on this and send me everything you find. Doesn't matter if I'm in the middle of maiming someone." I ordered and Tim nodded frantically. "Alfred, can you please keep monitoring this until we get back?"

"As long as you both stay safe, Miss Maeve." He said and I hugged him.

"We're gonna turn you more gray than you already are, Alfred." Dick mused and hugged him also. "We'll call when it's over and come over for dinner."

I opened one of the drawers and threw Jason's old phone to Tim.

"Use that because it isn't traceable."

"Is this his-"

"It is." I interrupted, slowly walking to the Zeta tube. "I know sometimes you think I hate you because you think you're the replacement, but I don't... and you're not the replacement for Jason."

"Mae-"

"Stay safe, baby wing. I'll see you soon."

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"I don't know what you did or how you did it, but the real Roy's alive... missing an arm, but alive."

"You're shitting me?"

"I swear on your dad's dead body." Dick crossed his heart and I widened my eyes. "I just got the call from our Roy."

"He's gonna end up our responsibility." Mal sighed.

"Doesn't everything?" Connor rolled his eyes and swung an arm over my shoulder. "Hey, I dropped by the new building in Blüdhaven. It looks amazing!"

"Right!? And so many people have gone there already! I even got a call to open one in Central City and Metropolis!" I exclaimed excitedly and they all smiled. "Feels good to do some good without the mask... I think Jay would be proud."

"La'gaan, don't eat so fast." Megan called out and Connor and I cringed.

"Quick, punch me in the face." I whispered.

"Only if you beat me with a Kryptonian crowbar." He grimaced.

"I can't help it, Angelfish. The idea of cooking crabs is amazing enough. But making them into little cakes?" La'gaan smiled.

"Well, you're gonna choke."

"If only." Connor and I whispered in unison and Dick his a smirk.

"Here, let me." Megan smiled and fed a crab cake to La'gaan.

"Were we ever like that? I don't remember us being like that." I asked Dick who shook his head.

"You tried hitting me with a frying pan during that stage of dating because you saw it in a cartoon and wanted to try it and Jason dared you to... And I hung you upside down on a building to scare Two Face." He shrugged. "I think that's the closest we're gonna get to that."

"Good, because there are just some things you need to keep private for everyone's sake."

Recognized: Artemis, B-07

"Where's my little sister!?"

"Artemis!" I yelled and ran up to hug her. "Thanks for doing this, big sis."

"If you saw him, you'd understand why I agreed so quickly." She whispered.

"I know... we talked this morning."

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" She smiled and held my hand tight.

"Okay, Gamma Squad, listen up. The mission is Cape Canaveral. Covert up to safeguard the first Earth-Mars Comsat. There are people out there who don't even like the idea of aliens... and will do anything to scrub this launch."  Dick called out and we all circled around him.

"So why are you going?" Mal asked.

"Let's just say that after running this Team for a year... I'm peckish for a little action."

"And the crazy lady?"

"I was promised something would explode and I get to be with my two sisters. The three of us haven't been together in a long time." I shrugged and Megan hugged me and Artemis.

"Okay, now listen up because I'm only gonna explain this once..."