I don't own anything but original characters I may add.

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Chapter 13 - Allowance

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"LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WORRY ABOUT STUPID THINGS. HAVE FUN. REGRET NOTHING, AND DON'T LET PEOPLE BRING YOU DOWN."

"Welcome to Wayne Manor, Miss. (L/n). I am Alfred Pennyworth, the manor's butler. I'll be one of the people watching over you during your time here."

"Lovely to meet you Mr. Pennyworth, I've heard stories about how awesome you are," I greeted semi-formally, shaking his hand, excited to meet the legendary Alfred who all the Batkids feared, "I don't want to strain you. I can take my bag to my room. I only have one after all."

"Your politeness is refreshing," Alfred pointedly looked at Bruce and Richard who were standing behind me. They exchanged nervous glances and smiled sheepishly, "I'll be more than happy to show you to your room."

Stepping inside the elusive, and gigantic Wayne Manor, I held back a gasp while observing the grandeur of the entrance, "Thank you. How is it? Working for the Bat Family?"

"Hardest job I've ever had to do in my life," Alfred sighed tiredly, making me laugh. I couldn't imagine having to deal with all the Batkids, each one worse than the next.

The farther we walked into the home the more I picked up on the atmosphere. It was... cheerful, happy. Definitely not the gothic, dark atmosphere I was expecting from the Batman. That cheer had to come from Richard and Tim. Kids- young and old- always brought up the atmosphere of a place.

"Can I get a map?" I questioned, taking note of how many hallways branched off of the main room, "Maybe some bread crumbs?"

"Haha," Richard said flatly, stopping at the end of the stairs while Alfred and I continued to walk up, "One week and you'll get used to it. You're next to Tim."

Up the stairs, two rights, and we made it to a hallway with four doors. Probably one of the Bat Kids hallways. So many went in an out that there had to be another hallways with more rooms.

"The bathroom on the end is yours," Alfred pointed out the last room on the left, then at the room just across from it, "That's your room."

Opening the door to my room, I held back a gasp and favored staring in silence instead. It was amazing, more modern than I gave the rest of the house credit for, but it held the classic coziness that the living room held. Stepping inside, I set my bag at the foot of the bed.

"A bit bright, don't you think?" I asked jokingly, motioning to the blackout curtains over the windows and the tan toned walls.

Alfred sighed tiredly, "I already deal with one vampire, Miss. Follow along, I'll show you your bathroom."

He led me across the hall to the bathroom. It was just as nice as the bedroom, but the countertops and appliances looked newer.

"Master Bruce recently had all the bathrooms redone," Alfred explained upon my confused expression, "He desired to have a full bath in each one to relax the muscles after particularly rough missions."

"That does sound nice... how long is Richard staying here?" I would base my efforts to get on his good side based on how much time I had.

"Just tonight. Tomorrow he's zeta-ing back to Blüdhaven tomorrow. He didn't wish to miss my cooking. It's pasta tonight."

"Heroes actually eat?" I asked in mock shock, "Does Bruce eat? Because a lot of villains think he's a vampire."

Alfred chuckled, "Master Todd used to offer Master Bruce fruit punch and made him pretend it was blood when he drank it."

"The second Robin? What happened to him?" I asked like I didn't already know.

"The Joker... Master Todd passed away during a mission."

"Joker was always one of my least favorites," I muttered distastefully.

"The pasta noodles have been boiling. If you'll excuse me, I should add the sauce and dinner will be ready."

Alfred left the bathroom. I stood there for a few more seconds, basking in how amazing it was, and followed after Alfred. He passed through the dining room to the kitchen. I sat down in a seat at the large table, greeting Richard when he entered.

Staying silent, Richard sat down and stared straight ahead, going out of his way to avoid making eye contact with me.

"Screw this shit," I hissed, hopping onto the table, "Sorry Alfred, I'll clean up after I promise. Richard, I understand what I did wrong, okay? I do. You think I haven't regretted breaking Wally's heart every day since it happened, since I began to feel again? I had paid for my choice since I started being a villain, if you haven't noticed already. I know I broke a promise, a very important promise, but I'm back here to see if I can fix it. I'm not asking for you to not be mad at me, but I can't stand having Wally's best friend hate me."

"Master Richard," Alfred poked his head out from the kitchen, "Forgive this girl or I will never make pasta again."

"Thanks Alfred, you the man."

"I forgive you," Richard said after a moment's hesitation, "And I'm not just saying that because I want pasta. Wally loves you a lot (Y/n), whether he admits or not. He stopped flirting when you came and left, which is a big change. I know what you went through, and I think it's important all of us try to move forward."

"Thanks Richard," I jumped off the table, returning to my seat.

"Dick, it's what my friends call me."

I fist pumped at the victory. It was easier than I thought it would be, but at the same time, I had been weaseling my way back into his good graces ever since I had gotten back, so it wasn't too sudden.

"The probability of him forgiving you was eighty-three point nine five percent, Alfred raised that to ninety-six." Tim announced, taking the seat in between Dick and me.

"Look at you little genius," I beamed, excited to get to know him more, "Smarter than Dick at least."

"Hey!" Dick yelled in offense.

"Here is the pasta," Alfred walked out of the kitchen with a large dish of pasta and plates in his hands.

"Thanks Alfred," Bruce was the last to sit down at the table.

"Perhaps with a woman here all of you will eat more than three bites of food," Alfred mused, giving out servings, "They have ways of getting men to do what they wish."

"Just because she's a woman doesn't mean she can make me eat. She can't even drink until the eighteenth-"

"Eat your food Bruce Wayne," I cut him off sharply, testing Alfred's theory, "If you don't you'll pass out on the Batman job and one of us will have to save your ass."

Bruce stayed silent, keeping a glaring eye contact with me as he begrudgingly took a large bite of the pasta. I smirked, taking my own bite and relishing in the delicious flavor.

Alfred was absolutely beaming, "You are welcome to stay here as long as you wish Miss. (L/n), by choice or otherwise."

"Thanks Alfred... So, Tim, have you ever been to the arcade here in Gotham?" I asked casually.

"Playing video games in our free time isn't encouraged," Tim shrugged in between bites, "Technology is meant for research."

"What have you done to these young boys?" I asked Bruce in mock horror, "Even when I was a villain, Ivy and Harley would take me out every once in a while. Tim, tomorrow, we are going out together. Arcade, out to eat, carnival, the whole nine yards. You need to know how to be a kid while it lasts."

Tim grinned excitedly. The Robin's had never been given much free time. I kind of assumed that, what with what I'd been through, and wanted to give the newest Robin a chance to be young while he was. A chance I never had.

"Mind if I invite some of the others from the team?" Tim was beaming, practically shaking with excitement.

"Sure, go ahead, money won't be a problem. I'm living with Bruce Wayne now. We can do whatever we want."

"You're making me regret it," Bruce grumbled.

"On the contrary," Alfred smiled, "Take anything you would like. It's not like Bruce is the one that handles that anyways. Leave it to the butler."

~*~

The next morning I woke up to small pokes on my arm, and Tim's quiet voice.

"Miss. (Y/n)? Miss. (Y/n)?"

Groaning, I sat up and rubbed my eyes to rid them of sleep. Tim was to the side of my bed, ready for the day in a casual pair of civvies.

"Call me (Y/n), Tim. We live together after all," I yawned.

"Right. Yeah. Um, breakfast is going to be ready in ten. The team will be here after. They're really excited for today. I'll see you downstairs."

Nodding slowly as Tim left, my eyes widened as soon as the door closed. "The Team" didn't specify anyone who'd be coming. It could mean everyone or just his young friends, maybe a few from each generation. Though, I had a feeling that it wasn't just his friends like he said yesterday.

I swung my feet over the edge of the bed and picked up my bag from the floor. I laid out all my skirts, pants, shirts, and shoes, designating a place for each of them around the room- either in the dresser or in the closet.

From my clothes I pulled out a red sweater, black pants, and combat boots. It'd be good enough- and upset Bruce since I still didn't own many bright clothes.

Instinctively pulling the sleeves down to cover my hands, I picked up a purse and carried it with me to the bathroom. A quick search of the drawers revealed things that Bruce likely didn't buy for himself. A hair straightener, dryer, curler, and makeup. But since Dick lived there, he could have used it on an odd night or two, knowing him.

"Barbara bought this, or Dick. There's no way Bruce would step foot in a makeup store," I laughed at the thought of Bruce getting lost in aisles of makeup.

Quickly, I brushed through my hair and put on a bit of makeup since I was going into public. Once I was finished I shot my reflection a smile. The last time I had smiled so much eluded me, there wasn't a need for it with the villains unless Harley was talking about Lucy.

Going by memory I took the fastest route to the kitchen, trusting my nose as well. The dining room table was full of every breakfast food imaginable. Pancakes, waffles, fruit, bacon, eggs, juice, water, and milk.

Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Alfred were already seated and eating. Grabbing a plate from the end, I picked out the foods I wanted and sat down in my spot from the night before. Sighing happily. I dug in. I had been against moving into Wayne Manor the day before, but it felt like luxury.

"So who exactly is going out with us today?" I asked what I had wondered earlier.

"Everyone," a blur moved around the table before Wally was sat beside me, food stacked high on his plate, "We're calling it a bonding exercise to get out of train- I mean to learn to work better as a team."

"Always a pleasure to have someone who actually eats their food," Alfred greeted casually, as if Wally invading meal times was a regular occurrence- which it probably was.

"No prob, Alf. I heard Bruce was paying for everything today so I thought why not?"

Bruce opened his mouth to argue before shaking his head and sighing. Laughing, I continued with my meal.

The doorbell rang. Alfred got up and hurried to answer it. Seconds later, he returned with the entire team.

"Your small army is here," he announced, holding a credit card for me to take, "I trust you with this more than I do the men. And you have killed people."

Sending Tim and Dick a smirk, I placed the card into my purse. The Waynes, Wally, and I all stood to leave. Faintly, I wondered what car we could take that we'd all fit in, or if there even was a car we'd fit in.

"I'll bring the limo out front," Alfred informed us, leaving to get the classy car.

"Is it true you fought a ghost?" Bart zoomed over to me.

"Um, yeah."

"What was it like being a villain?"

"I love your costume, who made it?"

"Where did the black roses come from?"

"Were the villains nice or were they mean even when they weren't fighting the heroes?"

"Are Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy really married?"

"Alright team," Dick stepped in to save me from the onslaught of questions, "Let's give her a break. This is her first time going out with all of us, so let's not make her regret it by overwhelming her."

The young team nodded obediently, albeit disappointedly, and stepped back to talk amongst themselves instead of me.

"You're all they've been talking about since you came to the cave. Now that you've proven we can trust you, they're even more excited," M'gann explained shortly.

"It's not every day a well-known villains switches sides for a second time," Artemis added.

"You'd think they'd hate me for it," I chuckled dryly.

"You'd be surprised actually, they all look up to your for having the courage to leave the villains."

"The limo is ready," Alfred announced from the doorway.

The team trickled out the doorway and automatically split into three groups. The Old Young team, the New Young team, and the Original team. Each group slid into one of the three sections of the limo.

"This is the biggest limo I've ever seen," I marveled.

"Bruce thought we'd need a bigger one after more of the team learned who we were outside of our hero identities."

The limo fell into silence as it drove down the driveway. When it reached the main road, Kaldur spoke, "What are we doing today?"

"Well, I didn't know the entire team was coming. But, arcade, going out for lunch, then the carnival that's in town. I heard it's supposed to be a lot of fun."

Dick leaned back in his seat, "I haven't been to the carnival since Jason."

That piqued my interest. I was aware the older heroes had no idea about Jason, but the young heroes was another story. I'd assumed they'd be closer to him. Waving my hand in a circle, an image of a man with a white streak in his hair popped up.

"This Jason?"

"How'd you get that picture?" Wally questioned, answering my question indirectly.

"He died. The second Robin. His name was Jason Todd, he looked just like this. He Joker killed him," I mumbled to myself, before looking to Dick, "He isn't dead."

"Look, if this is a game it really isn't-"

"I'm not joking," I kept my voice steady and serious, "He was brought back in the Lazarus Pit, worked with Talia Al'Ghul for a bit before he went off on his own. If you don't believe me, then give me your phone."

Dick begrudgingly pulled out his phone, holding it out to me. I typed in an all too familiar phone number and put it on speaker before they could answer.

"Jason either can't, or doesn't want to come to the phone right now. Don't leave a message after the beep."

"Jason Todd, pick up the phone right now," I ordered. Seconds later, the line clicked and Jason was on.

"Hey semi-traitor," Jason greeted. Everyone in the car froze. Grinning victoriously, I reveled in doing something right, "The villains aren't happy with you. You're lucky I don't belong to a side or I'd be turning your ass in right now."

"How would you know they're angry? You left them too."

"Not entirely. Besides, it's all anyone's talking about in the underworld right now."

"Jason, I need to call in a favor you owe me."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to come back to Wayne Manor and say hi to Bruce. Time to come out of the shadows, bud."

"The favor I owe you doesn't stretch that far."

"Jason, it does stretch that far. You know I'm the only one who can handle your... free time interests," I gave the people around me a nervous smile, "Now say hi to Bruce in the next twenty-four hours or I'll find you."

Jason sighed dramatically, "Fine."

"Thanks Jay," ending the call, I gave Dick his phone back, "Surprise. He's alive."

It was silent for no less than three seconds before our section exploded in shouts.

~*~

After explaining as much as I could about the Jason situation, we arrived at our first destination of the three. The arcade. All of us stepped out of the unnaturally large limo and waved goodbye to Alfred as he drove off. Lunch and the carnival we could walk to ourselves.

The young members were immediately drawn to the screened game in the arcade, motorcycle racing, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, so on. The older members went to the games without screens. Skeeball, air hockey, and claw machines.

Artemis and I soon got into an intense round of air hockey, our competitive sides shining through. However, whist we were ruthlessly slamming the puck towards each other's goals, we were chatting like the old friends we were.

"Well, I mean, if the movie strays from the book then there's no point in seeing it," I shrugged as I blocked a near goal.

"But it's a great movie!" Artemis argued.

"If it doesn't go with the book, you don't like it," I insisted, "There are almost no exceptions to that."

"But what if it is one of those exceptions?" Artemis sighed as she missed a puck, allowing me to gain a point.

"Fine, fine. I'll go see the movie," I put my hand up in defeat before we continued."

"Tag team!" Wally hip bumped me out of the way and continuously scored points using his super speed.

"Wally!" Artemis snapped when the game announced I won, "That's cheating!"

"No, it's called teaming up," Wally smiled cheekily, pulling the ticket out of the game, "Thanks for the tickets!"

Artemis and I rolled our eyes, sharing smiles.

"How did you date him?" I asked with a chuckle.

"How are you dating him?" Artemis shot back.

"I'm not," I denied the accusation vehemently, shaking my head and hands to add on to it.

"Are you two still in that weird spot? Because you need to get over it. The team ships you, and if the team so wishes, it will happen."

"What will they do to make it happen?"

"Oh, you'll see."

~*~

"I'm willing to go on anything that spins and is fast," Wally excitedly looked at the bright carnival lights.

"I'm not," Dick shook his head frantically, "Haven't been since Wally gave me a lift for the first time."

"Hey! You stopped throwing up eventually."

The team broke off into their usual groups to go around the carnival. The old team group stopped at the carnival games, knowing they were rigged, but hey, Bruce was paying and all of us were better than the average human.

Artemis threw darts at a balloon popping game with unsurprising accuracy, earning a stuffed monkey- which Conner glared at unrelentingly. Conner won the strength game, winning a blow up hammer, which he gifted to M'gann. And Wally was attempting to knock down a tower of cans with rubber balls.

"Can I get a good luck kiss?" Wally smiled cheekily at me. Rolling my eyes, I kissed his cheek, turning Wally's face into a bright red.

Klunk. Wally reared back and successfully knocked back the can tower. Successfully, he did the same to the other two, winning a large, stuffed, dog.

"This is for the tickets at the arcade," Wally held the stuffed animal out to me.

Hugging the dog close to my chest, I smiled slightly, "Thanks..."

"The ferris wheel!" M'gann interrupted out small moment, "Come on! Let's go."

Per M'gann's excitement, we all hurried Kaldur, Dick, and Artemis got into the first car available, M'gann and Conner following after, leaving me and Wally in the last one we needed to fill.

"I bet this is what Artemis meant," grumbling, I sent the girl an unnoticed glare as she laughed with Dick and Kaldur.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Wally sighed, looking at the shoreline just outside the carnival.

"Yeah..." I thought back to England, on the London Eye. Where we said we loved each other for the first time, "I um... I still have the ring."

Wally's brows shot up in surprise, "I thought you would have thrown it into the ocean by now."

"I told myself I kept it to motivate my missions. A reminder of how upset I was with the heroes. But I think it was just to remember you, and what we had together."

Silence filled the car when we paused at the top. Enjoying the salty tint to the air, I tried to avoid Wally's eyes. I didn't want to see how he reacted to my confession. Positive or negative, it would be too much.

Clearing his throat, Wally spoke up, "Would you call this a date?"

My heart stopped. Was it a date? Artemis joked about it, and I had been exploring my feelings for not only Wally but the heroes and villains since I'd escaped. My mind had cleared after spending time on both sides, but that didn't mean all of my conflicts were gone. Still... Wally had been the one constant in my life.

"I mean, I guess it could be. But it doesn't have to be! We could just be two people who used to date, and had a moment since I've come back, who've gone to a carnival with their friends. We were enemies. It'd be weird. And I um, well I was out of it after a nightmare and you know what happened there."

"Roy and Cheshire are married," Wally pointed out, almost absently.

Laughing breathily, I shook my head slowly, "You're making this really difficult."

"What am I making difficult?"

"Trying to not fall in love with you again."

I met Wally's eyes. Instinctively, both of us leaned closer. Under the colorful carnival lights, I could see Wally clearly. No confusion, or hate, or hesitance. He was as sure as I was. The anger, was gone. The misunderstanding of motives. The side switching. It didn't matter. Because we were together again, and we didn't want anything to take that away from us again. Finally, we were allowing ourselves the chance we needed.

Wally bent down, lips brushing against my cheek first. That simple touch sent shivers down my spine.

"If you want me to stop, if you don't want to try again, tell me now," Wally whispered, pulling away slightly. When I remained silent, he brushed his mouth against my temple, sending another round of tingles through me. "Or now." His lips traced along my jaw. "Or now." His lips ghosted against mine. "Or-"

I couldn't handle it anymore. I reached up and put my hand behind his neck, pulling him so his lips were properly placed on mine. Wally kissed me gently, carefully, like he was making sure he wouldn't scare me by moving too fast. I appreciate the sentiment, but I didn't need, want, careful. Not when I had wanted him for five years. I moved her hand up to his hair, gripping it and pulling him ever closer. He groaned slightly, low within his throat. His arms reached out and pulled me onto his seat.

When the need for air became too great, we pulled apart slightly, lips touching still, barely. Our breathing was heavy as our eyes stared into each other's. The lightning that seemed to change with his moods was methodical and slow going. Comforting and calm.

"I'm falling in love with you all over again."

"Did you ever stop loving me?"

"No."