"You do know that Belle Reve Prison is not going to hold Slade for long right? Sooner or later he will break out and come for me." Rory said, sharpening the tips of her arrows.

"That thought had crossed my mind, yes, but as long as you are here or in Star City with Oliver, then he won't be able to touch you. Also, don't underestimate your abilities. You are a strong fighter Rory, and you are intelligent. You've taken him down once before, if he comes back you can take him down again." Bruce said from his computer.

Tim was sat next to her looking through the files on his laptop, with the information about Ivy was planning with the goo she got from Joker they needed to figure out where she was storing it and how she was making it in the first place. Rory wanted to go pay another visit to Harley, but both Tim and Bruce voted against it saying that Ivy was probably keeping an eye on her now. 

The only other people involved with this case was Joker and Penguin, and no one was stupid enough to go interrogate the Joker without Batman around. Rory still had nightmares from what he did to her but wasn't as frequent as they used to be. 

Ever since Slade was thrown in prison, life in the Manor had chilled out immensely. Roy had gone back to Star City to stay with Oliver and work on his gear to improve it, promising to bring something back for her. Jason was hanging around Gotham some more, apparently, Black Mask was up to no good again and needed some friendly persuasion from the resident crime lord of Wayne Manor.

Dick went back to Bludhaven a week ago, he had friends there that he needed to check up on and to make sure nothing terrible had happened in his absence. His friends Wally and Zatanna would pop in every so often, but they couldn't stay when they had their own business to attend to.

Stephanie hung around the Manor still, taking Dick's place as the constant source of bad humor. They all missed him but knew that he had his own life to live now. He couldn't stay in Gotham forever, not when Bludhaven needed him.

Cassandra was with Bruce's cousin Kate on more Batman Inc. business over in England, they were hanging out with Knight and Squire to see what they knew about a case Kate had been working on. 

Barbara hung around, but not as much with Dick gone. She was able to be Oracle from her own apartment, only staying at the Manor with the Slade threat over their heads. Now that it was gone, everyone could return to their daily lives they led outside of being vigilantes. 

Bruce and Damian of course stayed in Gotham, they were Batman and Robin. Where else would they go? The former wasn't due for any Justice League meetings in the future, and Damian was wanting to learn a few tricks Rory had picked up over the years. He had told her that a good fighter never stops learning, and learning to fight as an archer did would be good for him if the time ever came.

Of course, Rory took up on the deal as long as he worked with her on her own sword skills. She was good enough as it was, but she wanted to be better just in case Slade came back for her. 

Before everyone left, however, Tim and Rory officially announced that they were getting an apartment together in uptown Gotham. The reactions from the others varying, the most supportive being Dick, Alfred, Steph, Babs, and Cass, to the least being Jason and Roy. Bruce and Damian were somewhere in the middle, they weren't fond of the idea but they weren't against Rory and Tim taking the next step in their relationship.

The only problem was that Tim was still part of the Titans in Jump City, across the country. He had mentioned to Rory that she would be welcome on the team, she never gave him a straight answer. Rory wasn't a team player, hanging around the batfamily was the most team interaction she had gotten in a while. 

"If I were a humanoid-plant person thingy, where would I hide my secret stash of world domination goop to keep it out of Batman's sight?" Rory asked aloud. 

There were not many places in Gotham that Bruce didn't have an eye on, but that wasn't counting all the places the others had their eyes on. That was why he valued all of them and their varying skills, even though he did not agree with Jason's tactics most of the time; Bruce could not deny that he had eyes and ears that Batman could never get.

With Tim, as he was taking over Wayne Enterprises soon, he had his ear in every socialite in Gotham, most of the big names in the country and several world wide. The Wayne family was famous and powerful, everyone wanted to be your friend if you held the name.

"Would she hide it in Arkham? That's one place most people would overlook, it's dark, gloomy and not to mention filled with the crazies that inhabit this city." Tim spoke up, not tearing his eyes from his laptop screen.

"Are you sure she is even in Gotham still?" Damian asked from the training mat. He held one of Rory's spare bows as he practiced the moves she had demonstrated two hours before, wanting to get them perfect.

"Why wouldn't she be in Gotham? Harley is still in town, and from what the love birds have said it's a partnership between them." Jason spoke up.

Rory let out a huff and grabbed one of the empty to-go cups that Tim had tossed. "Do you need this still Dragon Boy?" she asked.

Tim just shook his head. She shrugged before launching it at Jason's head. "Don't call me love bird, I'm not even a bird." 

"Well, nothing else comes to mind Princess. When you come up with something better, let me know. 

Rory rolled her eyes and went back to sharpening her arrows. Where would Ivy be able to hide all that waste if she was still in Gotham? There weren't many places that big to begin with and she wouldn't bring it to the gardens for the simple fact that it would poison the plants she had there. 

All the stocks they had tracked down through Penguin were relocated, but they didn't know to where. It seemed that the criminal underground had taken advantage of their busy lives and moved it all under their noses.

She thought through where it all began, from when she and Tim were first put on the case to where they were now when the idea popped into her head. "What if she is storing it at Amusement Mile?" she asked softly.

The cave went quiet, no one had dared to go back since Jesse died let alone mention it. This was the first time in a month it was mentioned, and none of them were sure that they were ready to go back.

"Why do you think she is there?" Bruce asked, turning to look at her.

"Well, it's where all of this began. If I have learned anything about the criminals here, they are dramatic as hell and love the symbolism. She wouldn't store it in the gardens, and she wouldn't store it anywhere easy for us to find. With the thought that we had already been there with this case, why would she go back? Because we had already deemed it clear and left it alone." Rory explained.

Everyone listened quietly as she spoke, the first to speak was Tim. "She does have a point, it is actually a really smart move to go back to a place we already looked into as it drives us in circles." 

Bruce looked at them, then to Jason. He didn't want to send any of them back there, but he couldn't go and Damian stuck with him wherever he went. Those three were there when Jesse died, and the last thing he wanted to do was throw them headfirst into the place where he died.

"You can let me go on my own Bruce, I'll be alright. Just recon right?" Rory asked.

All eyes turned to her. Rory only started to back on patrol five days ago and her attitude was doing well along with her fighting, it seemed that she was slowly starting to heal from the loss but no one was sure if she could handle going back there.

"I can handle it, besides I've been wanting to go back anyway. I don't know why, it just feels right," she said softly.

Tim looked up at her and took her hand in his own. He had been with her since that day and has been watching her grow, of course, he worried for her but if she wanted to go back who was he to stop her? "I don't want you going alone, why don't you take me with you or even Steph?" he asked.

"Because with the shortage of heroes in Gotham we are spread thin enough as it is. Kate, Cass, Dick, and Roy aren't here right now. It's the five of us with Steph, and Gotham is not small. Just give me two hours, and if I don't find anything by then I will meet up with whatever one of you is closest." she bargained.

Tim let out a sigh as he looked at Bruce. "Again, she's right. We are spread thin and will be until Cass and Kate come back next week. I don't like this idea, but I say we trust her." 

Jason shifted where he stood. "She is the smallest, and by that standard the lightest. She would have less of a chance of getting caught, and Timbo or I could stay on the eastern side just in case she needs help. I'd call in a few favors, but we're spread pretty thin too." 

When Jesse died, the Outlaws took a temporary break. With the loss of one of the founders, they didn't know how to carry on without him and decided that it was a good idea to head back to their homes and take a break from it.

"I think Kon is in Metropolis, maybe he could lend us a hand?" Tim asked.

"Jon is there too, maybe he could help. It's not like Superman can't handle crime on his own." Damian chimed in.

Bruce looked at the four people in front of him. "If you want to call them, go ahead. But Jon needs permission from his father first if he so much as shows up here and I get a call from Clark then no patrol for a week." he threatened, looking at his youngest.

Tim's mood picked up immediately as he grabbed his phone and called Kon, walking out of the room. Damian followed suit, calling Jon himself leaving Rory, Jason, and Bruce there alone.

"Don't expect me to have any hero friends, you guys and Roy are it. Not a team player remember?" she shrugged getting up to put her arrows away. 

"But you could be, that offer still stands Aurora. Several members of the League want you to join, even after everything that happened," Bruce said. 

"Wait, you got an offer to join the Justice League?" Jason asked, raising a brow at her. "And neither of you said a thing about it?"

Rory shrugged. "I've had the offer for a few years now, Jay. I just never gave an answer, I don't work well with teams." she set them up in the case and turned to look at him. "And it's not something I want to flaunt around, the only person I actually told was Tim. Oliver told Roy and Jesse before I could stop him."

Jason looked more confused than ever, growing up as Robin all he wanted was to get the recognition he deserved and become someone worthy of the league. Of course these days, with the way he ran things it would probably never happen but he was okay with it. He helped the city in his own way. With Rory, he could see her being a great addition to the team. Not many of them were trained the way she was, Grey Arrow would be a huge asset for them.

"Not to be rude, but what the fuck kind of excuse is that Princess?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You've been here for almost a year now, and have been working with us as a team. Don't work well with teams my ass." 

Rory turned to look at him with a hard glare. "May I remind you that it was against my will? I only stayed because Oliver asked me to." which was the trust, mostly. That was the reason in the beginning but as time went on, she didn't want to lose Tim again. Even before they started dating, they were joined at the hip like when they were kids and it was nearly impossible to keep them apart. Maybe that's why they worked so well together.

"Besides, even with several of the founding members advocating for me to join I'm just not ready. I'm pretty sure Golden Boy is worried I might bleach more capes too" she chuckled.

Jason didn't even get the words out to ask before Bruce cut him off. "I've said it once before and I'll say it again. She is not allowed to tell you how she bleached my cape, only three of us know how that happened and it's going to stay that way." 

Their conversation came to a halt when Damian came back down with a sour look. "Jon is stuck in Metropolis, he has homework," he muttered crossing his arms. 

Rory let out a laugh, it was so easy to forget that Damian was still just a child. There were times like right now though, that he actually acted his age. She walked over with a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Want to work on some more of those moves I showed you?" she asked.

Damian looked up at her and a smile replaced his frown. "You're on Sonnet, I'll kick your ass!" he got up and flipped up into the rink. She pursed her lips at his words and gave a suspicious look. 

"You may be thirteen Dami, but even I know not to swear in front of my parents," she commented as she climbed into the ring, picking up a sword as she watched Damian pick up the spare bow he was using earlier. 

"You swear in front of everyone Sonnet, I've heard you say things that would make Superman blush."

Jason couldn't hold back his laughter, he had to admit Damian had a point. There were very few people who were that vulgar and that list consisted of himself, Tim, and Rory. Jason and Rory never had much of a filter when they spoke, but if you were to catch Tim at the wrong times no one was sure who was worse.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Another reason I won't join, not one for the family-friendly look." she called as she raised the sword and aimed it at Damian, "Remember, fighting with a bow is similar to that of a sword but different as well. It's not meant to cause damage, more for blocking and protecting yourself," she explained.

"Don't hold back Sonnet," he challenged. 

"Probably should anyway kid, don't want to hurt you. At least seriously hurt you." she grinned and dove towards him, the sword raised to strike him down. 

The whole fight, she made sure not to aim any serious blows to Damian. He might be a pain in the ass most days, but he was still learning and the fact that Bruce and Dick would come after her for hurting him didn't sound appealing. Rory watched his moves, careful to counter just right to test him. If Damian played his cards right, he could unarm her with just the bow.

While they were fighting, she hadn't noticed that Tim came back down the stairs. His call with Kon had gone well and should be in Gotham by the end of the day before they had to leave for patrol. He was excited because his best friend finally gets to meet his girlfriend officially and knew that he would like her immediately.

He watched as Rory and Damian fought, she was obviously the better fighter but Damian was not that far behind in skill. What he lacked came with age, the way your brain thinks things through before you act upon them. Tim and the others thought it was good that she was teaching him more defensive moves, to help protect himself. 

As the fight went on though, Damian seemed to have an edge on her. Even though his weapon was smaller and less lethal, Rory was out of her element. She had to change things around a bit to suit Damian's training but it was clear to see that he was also switching things up on her as well.

"Do you think he is going to actually beat her?" Jason asked, leaning over to Tim. For the last year, they had all been trying to beat her in a match, but no one but Cass and Bruce had managed it. Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian had gotten close but Rory still outsmarted them.

No sooner did those words leave his mouth, Rory ducked and flipped Damian over her body, as he landed on the floor with a loud crash. "Damn it! I almost had you!" 

"Language demon spawn!" 

Everyone's eyes looked over to the entrance and saw a figure standing there with an amused smile on his face. "When you said that she was good Tim, I didn't think she was that good." he chuckled.

Rory stood in the rink, confused as hell. "Who the fuck are you again?"

The black-haired boy entered the cave as Tim walked over with a smile. "You weren't supposed to be here until later!" the two of them greeted each other in a hug, Tim being shorter than the new guy.

Damian eyed Rory and got up from his spot on the floor. He wanted to at least knock her down, even if it wasn't in a fair fight. The second he was on his feet, he darted towards her. Somehow she had known he was coming because Rory ducked and grabbed his legs and threw him over her shoulder and held him there.

"You really think you can surprise me, kid? I heard your breathing from a mile away."

The black-haired boy laughed. "Funny, strong, and kick-ass, you really found a keeper here Tim." 

"Again, Timothy who the hell is this guy?" she asked, dropping Damian on his head with a grin as she heard him let out an ow.

The new guy walked over and hopped into the ring. "I'm Kon, Kon Kent." he held out his hand to her as she shook it firmly.

"Rory, Rory Queen," she answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So Kon is here! This book only has a little bit left to it before we get to the sequel! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it's not much, but the next one will have more to it!

I will announce the title and everything in the next few parts, not sure when but we'll get there.

Until Next Time,