Richard's/Robin's POV

"It's not going to happen, Barbara," I said to the feisty red-head sitting across from me in a small cafe in Gotham City.

"Come on, Dick!  I can help!" Barbara Gordan pleaded.  

Barbara Gordan and I have been friends for almost five years now, ever since I became Robin.  She has known about my alter ego for about three of those years.

I had just finished telling her the latest mission Batman has me on.  Yes, I mean Red X.

"Barbara, you haven't been doing this hero stuff for as long as I have.  You haven't even done the hero stuff!  There is nothing you can do!" I argued.

"I can be tech control!" Barbara suggested brightly.  "Be the one in your ear, giving you inside information."

"Your father would kill me, Barbara."

"He doesn't have to know.  He won't find out," Barbara said stubbornly.

"He is the police commissioner, Babs.  It is his job to know!"  I retorted.

"He doesn't know that my best friend dresses up every night to fight guys," Barbara defended with a defiant bite of her ice cream.

"That's different."

"It is not!"

Instead of answering, I preoccupied myself with my ice cream.  Barbara stared expectantly at me.

"You don't even know Batman," I said with a frown.

"I have met Bruce Wayne before, thank you very much."

Thank goodness the cafe was mostly empty and we were in a booth far from anyone else. 

"You may have met Bruce Wayne, but you have not met Batman," I clarified.

"Technicalities don't matter."

"You don't know the team."

"Dick!"

Barbara continued to give me an annoyed look as I continued eating my ice cream.  I would find every reason to deny Barbara an opportunity to help me on this case.  I know how much she wants to become a hero like me, but she doesn't know the dangers.  Plus, her dad would kill me if he ever found out.

After a few more moments of staring, Barbara finally sighed and gazed into her bowl. "Fine.  I see I can't convince you."

"Finally-"

"For now."

"Barbara!"

"Just swear to me, that if you ever need help, if you ever encounter a situation where you need help, I am the first person you call."

"Barbara-"

"Swear to me!"

"I have Batman for back up, Babs," I pointed out.

"Well, I care about you, too, Dick.  You take a huge risk going out and being a hero.  I never know if you will come back home alive.  I want to be reassured by being there.  So swear to me you will call me, Dick."

I sighed softly.  "Fine.  I swear."

"Thank you," Barbara said, putting her hand on mine.

"But don't expect me to need back up."

"I at least got you to swear."

"Oh my god, Babs."

"Speaking of Bruce Wayne," she continued on acting as if I had never spoken.  "I need a date to the Policemen's Charity Ball at Wayne Manor."

"And I'm your first choice as a date to go to my mentor's party?" I asked.

"No, you were my seventh.  Kidding."

I chuckled before going on.  "Fine.  But we are not doing anything that threatens my secret identity."

<~>

"Bruce, are you serious?"

"Yes, I am.  The Wayne Foundation Policemen's Charity Ball is a perfect opportunity for Red X to strike.  The team can be there undercover.  You know the house.  You can get around.  You can easily defeat the team.  And if the team defeats you, our experiment will be over with and all will be revealed to the team," Bruce said.

I leaned back in my chair facing Bruce at his desk.  Well, I guess my night with Barbara would be cut short.  

"Did you have plans for that night?" Bruce asked.

"I used to," I sighed.

Bruce gave a small chuckle as I rolled my eyes at him.  

<~>

I stood with Batman at the Zeta tubes in the Bat Cave, preparing to go to talk with the team.  We both knew what they would say, but I was a little excited to see what the team would be like after their embarrassing failure last night.

We entered into the tube, blinding light washing over the two of us.  We appeared in the training room of the cave.  The team stood with Black Canary, waiting.

"Well?" I asked as Batman and I walked forward.

"We failed to apprehend Red X.  He got into the lab and escaped," Kaldur reported.

"Did you manage to find out what he was after?" Batman asked.

A computer chip containing information on experiments that the lab was working on, I answered mentally.  

"We didn't discover that either," Superboy said.

Batman and I shared a look, a signature Bat Glare as most called it, while the team exchanged nervous looks with one another.  

"Batman?"  Aqualad asked.

"Don't beat yourselves up over this loss.  You will have other chances to try and catch Red X," Batman said.  "I will leave Robin to discuss what happened last night with you."

Batman nodded to Canary and myself before exiting through the Zeta tubes.  I faced the team as Canary moved to stand beside me.  "What happened?"

"Well, we sort of caught him," Miss Martian started.

"Sort of?" Canary asked, revealing she had not yet heard this story either.

"I had him cornered.  We were going to fight, but then Superboy came up from behind him and he just disappeared," Zatanna explained.

"Then, a couple of minutes later, the alarms went off and he was gone," Rocket finished.

This time, I shared a look with Black Canary.   "Well, I am certainly feeling the aster," I sighed as the team looked at me with confused faces.  "You will get him next time, hopefully."

"For now, start training.  I am further going to discuss how this mission went with Robin," Canary said.  I followed her into a connecting hallway as the others commenced combat training.  The two of us entered into a small meeting room, the door locking behind us.

"Nice job, Robin," Canary commented.  "The disappearing act was a nice touch."

"I thought so, too," I replied.  

"What did you steal?"

"A computer chip filled with information about different experiments at the lab.  Nothing of too much importance."

"Does Batman have a plan for the next appearance of Red X?" she asked.

"Wayne Enterprise's Policemen's Charity Ball," I replied.

"And the team?"

"Will be in attendance," I confirmed.  

"Ollie and I will probably also have to be there.  I trust you have a plan as to how you are going to disrupt the ball?"

"I get to be a super villain.  I was going to add a minor bomb in there sometime.  Just don't tell Bruce.  I want this whole thing to be a surprise for the White Knight of Gotham."

"Ollie and I will be ready," Canary laughed.  "One more thing, Robin.  It has to do with the team."

"Yes?"

"They don't trust you."

"Who does?" I asked with a scoff.

"Robin, they team has only heard stories about you from the Justice League.  They all know you as the one everyone thinks will betray the League," Canary said.  "And it did not help when you defeated Superboy so easily to diminish their thoughts of you being a threat."

"And what exactly do you suggest I do?" I asked with disbelief.

"I suggest to relate to them.  All of them are just kids.  Show they you are, too," Canary suggested.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"Work on the case in the cave."

"Woah, woah, you are saying I should work on a case that isn't even a case in the cave where the team who is after me  works?"

"Exactly."

"I know you are a therapist, Dinah, but I don't exactly think the team will get along with the villain of this story."

"Robin, you don't share your identity with anyone, not even your mentor.  You only spend time with Batman when you are Robin, and most of the League think you are going to destroy the Justice League while the others are waiting to see how this turns out to judge whether or not you can be trusted.  You need some friends out of this," Canary said.

"I don't exactly need to befriend the team to be trusted."

"Robin, this mission is everything for you at the moment.  You need as many friends as you can get."

I sighed, putting my head in my hands.  "Fine, Dinah.  Fine."

"I promise you, Robin, this is just one step to greatness."