'Did I seriously have to get a dress for this?' asked A.J., scowling at the other guests whenever they looked towards the little group. Her arm was tucked neatly over Dick's, as if he were some kind of rock keeping her from getting lost in the crowd, or from wandering away to find something more interesting to do. With A.J., Dick was never entirely sure.

She'd not been happy about their new evening plans but she'd accepted the invitation, even if, as Dick suspected, only to keep an eye on Teddy. The dress was nice; a dark blue that seemed to fit her shape without giving any indication to the mild weaponry that she'd put under it. It went out a little at the bottom, a slight ruffle down it that added something without being too showy. She'd put her foot down at heels though, and he couldn't really blame her, though he did wonder if Converse were such a good thing.

'You'd have stuck out more in jeans,' he reminded her, his attention trailing over the space around them.

The large room was filled with people, other than an area near the back which was sectioned off by a dark screen and two armed guards pacing it. Even amongst the other guests there were people who held themselves like guards despite their guest attire, who seemed to be scanning the room exactly as he was. Undercover protection, Mr. Lord really wasn't taking any chances with his big moment. Waiters seemed to dance between people, offering out plates with bright smiles on their faces, only occasionally seeking refuge to the sides. Two large windows, the main door at the front and two smaller ones that he assumed lead further into the building were the only obvious exits. All of them were guarded. It was going to be hard enough getting out if they needed air, let alone any undesirables getting in.

'Yeah, but it would've been more comfortable,' Tim murmured, apparently in agreement with A.J. as he tugged irritably at the tie he was wearing. Dick had to admit, the whole thing was a little more showy than even he'd been expecting. Then again, Maxwell Lord didn't do subtle in a similar way to Bruce.

'Less impressive for the press,' said Teddy softly, eyes glinting as he surveyed the room. It was impossible for Dick to pretend that the morning hadn't happened. Between the slight paler to his skin, the mark on his head, and the obvious sling there was no ignoring the elephant in the room between them. But Teddy had wanted to be there, to see the train. They hadn't bothered trying to dissuade him, there was no point. Stubbornness seemed to be a family trait for the Kanes.

'Oh,' said Dick brightly, momentarily distracted, 'your crush: Winn Schott.'

A.J. made an excitable sound, clapped as she looked to her brother. 'We need to find him at some point.'

'No,' groaned Teddy, just as Dick said, 'Of course we will.'

'Mr. Grayson!'

Dick cringed internally as the falsely cheery voice of Cat Grant pulled his attention from trying to think about the entertainment value of the evening, about his hopes that the man might just be there because he was part of CatCo.

'Fashionably late I see,' she continued, carving a way through the crowd without even trying; everyone seemed to part for her, mumbling either greetings or mild irritated comments in her wake. 'I see you've all made full recoveries.' Her attention shifted over the others, working out who was injured and how; she almost nodded at the sling. Her gaze, however, lingered a little longer on where A.J.'s arm was looped through his.

A.J. bristled. Dick gently placed a hand on her wrist and knew that Ms. Grant had spotted it. He didn't shift away though.

'Hopefully this is going to be a little less... dramatic,' he said, smiling slightly at her. He knew that she wasn't going to hover around them for too long; there were too many other famous people around, and the fact that she hadn't even wanted to go.

For a moment, he wondered how exactly Mr. Lord had persuaded her to even show her face.

She chuckled softly, dragging him back to the present. 'Yes. Yes, quite,' she agreed. 'Well,' she said, her eyes glittering, attention already shifting towards someone else, 'enjoy yourselves.' She nodded before sauntering away from them, already waving at someone.

'Can we go yet?' asked A.J. in a low voice.

'No,' said Tim quickly, horror flashing across his face.

'We won't,' promised Dick, clasping his shoulder. 'Especially as something interesting for A.J. just walked in.' He nodded over to where James's two friends were. Winn looked like he was mumbling excitably to Kara, a light behind his eyes that Dick was used to seeing with Teddy and Tim. Winn was as happy to see the train as they were; this was nothing to do for work with him.

'Oh-ho, come on,' said A.J., pulling away and using her other hand to tug at the lapel of her brother's blazer.

'Amelia-Jane!' he complained, grabbing hold of her hand but not actually doing anything to prevent her from dragging him across the room.

Dick watched the siblings wander away before turning to Tim. 'Do you wanna check out the train?'

Tim shook his head slowly, attention still on the siblings as A.J. gently shoved her brother at the young man, her attention resolutely in the other direction as if it might cover her.

'They wouldn't let us get there,' he said, a little disappointedly.

'Has a dust sheet ever stopped us?' teased Dick, smirking when he saw Tim's expression brighten. Maybe, just maybe, this time they might actually get to be normal people for a while.

***

'So, how's it going?' Dick asked, moving to stand beside A.J..

She was leaning against one of the pillars, her attention trained on the table where Teddy was chatting away contentedly with Winn. She could see the light in his eyes, saw the way that her brother seemed to have forgotten all about everything else. He tried to motion to something with his injured arm but caught himself and grimaced slightly. She wanted to rush over, to make sure that his shoulder wasn't irritating him too much. But she couldn't, knew that this was no longer something to interfere with.

'Could be worse,' she said, finally pulling her attention away from them and turning towards Dick. There was a slight smile on his face, one that made her roll her eyes. It was a knowing little smile, as if he were in on a joke that she wasn't. 'Don't even, Grayson,' she grumbled.

Dick shrugged innocently before offering her out a hand. She looked at it and raised an eyebrow.

'Come on,' he said, moving to take her hand. 'Let's dance.'

'You know this isn't really a dancing function, right?' she asked, allowing him to guide her towards the small space that some people were using as a dancefloor.

'When would that stop us doing literally anything else?' he asked.

She couldn't argue with that, he had a point.

With a sigh, she moved to place a hand carefully on his shoulder, the technique that she'd been taught as a distraction when she first arrived in Gotham. Her Great-Uncle's idea to try and help her and Dick actually get along, instead of her constantly picking fights with him.

Dick placed his other hand on her waist. His attention flickered over to where she knew Tim was, knew that he was trying to get a sneaky peek at the train before the true excitement began.

'Quite a first day, huh?' asked Dick, voice low, mouth close to her ear.

'Yeah, remind me never to let you pick the destinations if we want to relax,' she grumbled, only half joking. 'They don't put all this in the brochures, do they?'

He chuckled, she felt the sound going through him. 'Maybe we keep this bit out of the holiday talk when we get back.'

'That'll be easy,' she said sarcastically, but her attention slipped towards where Teddy was, to the sling.

'He'll be better in no time,' Dick assured her.

'How do you know?' she asked, voice little more than a whisper. She pulled away ever so slightly so that she could see her friend. There was something almost uncertain behind his eyes, a flickering that she couldn't ignore.

But, before he could answer, a loud explosion cut through the air. They were apart in a moment, ducking behind a nearby column. She reached for the makeshift Wingdings that Lucius had made her once, which were hidden in the ruffle of the dress, and felt more at ease than she had all night.

She wanted desperately to look for Teddy, to find out that Tim was all right. But she knew better than that. Not yet. Not now. There'd be time enough for that after.

People screamed, their perfect little night ruined in one motion. Guards yelled for calm, for whoever had caused the trouble to stop. Dust seemed to swirl around near the back wall, but she couldn't figure out if it was coming from somewhere high in the wall or not.

'Bring us Superman and Supergirl,' called a voice that sounded like rocks moving across each other, 'and we might let you live.'

The threat had barely left the alien's mouth when A.J.'s gaze found them amongst the dust; spotted the others like it blocking doorways, battling guards; they were broad, all muscles and lack of anything that didn't look like armour. In fact, they looked like variations of the purple alien from the morning, but more built for battle. There was an almost reptilian look to their eyes, a third one sat on the back of their heads. The creases of their faces looked as though they had been carved out of stone, as if they were frozen in place rather than something that moved with their emotions.

Irritation swelled within her. Twice in one day. She couldn't believe it, it was worse than Gotham.

'Two to one,' murmured Dick, she could just about hear him tapping his Eskrima sticks on the floor as he thought. 'Good odds.'

A.J. momentarily glanced towards him. She was used to him being optimistic, but that was taking it a little too far.

'Can we secure an exit?' A.J. asked in a low voice, gaze drifting to Teddy; he was scanning the room, trying to figure out how best to evacuate. She felt her stomach knotting. Why had she left him alone? To dance, no less.

Closer to him, closer than she had realised, Tim was crouched behind a table, his own weapons ready and his attention skimming across the aliens, trying to work out a plan. For once, she regretted that they hadn't brought communicators with them, only weapons and phones that didn't really help when they needed to fight.

Teddy glanced her way, caught her eye. He gave an almost imperceptible nod, one meant to reassure her. They all knew what they needed to do. Knew the roles that they played. And this time, even without properly talking about it, they knew how to deal with the situation in some way.

***

'We need to get them to the left,' murmured Dick, moving his hands as he spoke in the hopes that the others might notice. He'd seen Teddy scanning, seen Tim trying to work out the best place to attack. But they needed a way to be able to use their skills. Needed the distraction that it was up to them to create. 'It leaves enough space.'

A.J. nodded, a hard look behind her eyes that he recognised from fighting alongside her. It was a look he'd only ever seen from behind a mask, but it was one that he recognised instantly. He placed a hand carefully on her lower arm. It was slightly too dark for his liking, too filled with the anger that she usually battled down.

'Give me one second?'

She only settled a little beside him. He had a second, at most.

The aliens had settled themselves in the middle, other than two who were battling a guard, something a little too showy about the whole thing, even for Dick's liking. It was an act, an attempt to show their power without actually getting rid of one of their bargaining chips.

'Now,' he said, pulling her to the right, dragging her with him for a moment before he knew that she was following. Teddy had once commented that they could read each other's minds when it came to times like this, but he hadn't forgotten that morning. Hadn't forgotten how she'd done the unexpected.

'There!' an alien yelled.

Everyone seemed to freeze, except for Dick and A.J., who kept moving, winding their way towards the left from their spot. Two of the aliens watched, baffled, before they started towards them. A quick glance over his shoulder assured Dick that the one at the main door was doing the same; the one with the most scars, fissures in the hard face.

Pockets of people were being made to group by the aliens, as if it were simply some kind of sport for them. Something to pass the time until they got their own way, one way or another. But they were losing their control as he and A.J. ran. As attention diverted. They hadn't prepared for this.

Before A.J. could stop him, Dick threw one of his Eskirma sticks, needing to do something that would give the others the time they needed.

It found it's home, he knew by the irritated roar that seemed to echo around the room. Not that he watched it. He was already reaching for the plate on the table, knowing that he had to use whatever he could.

'Richard!' A.J. hissed, forcing him to face her as they ducked behind another pillar.

'I'll kill you, you useless human!' yelled the alien.

'Run.' Dick's voice was low; his only thought was getting the attention on them, and then how he'd get her to cut in another direction so that he was the focus. He just knew that they needed to be away from the door, that they had freed up for Tim and Teddy.

'Got a better plan than bait?' she snapped. He knew that she was hating the running, that she longed for a fight. But he couldn't let that happen, now more than ever.

'Yeah,' he said, slowly trying to let go of her hand. 'Divide and conquer.' He didn't look at her, couldn't because he already knew that she realised what the plan was.

'Oh-ho no,' she assured him, squeezing his fingers, pulling him out of the path of another alien that loomed ahead of them, forcing them towards the back right-hand corner of the room. 'You do this then it happens together.'

'No, A.J., I –'

'You're human too, Richard Grayson.'

He scoffed softly as they reached the wall, as they slowly turned to face the aliens. They were trapped.

'Looks like you've run out of steam,' sneered one of their pursuing aliens, slowing their pace, revelling in the fact that they were cornered.

A.J. rolled her shoulders, readied her weapons. She refused to give in, probably thinking that he had an idea. But his mind was an odd kind of blank. He had nothing. He was going to fail at protecting someone he loved, all over again.

***

The first punch landed before A.J. even realised that one of the alien's was on them. She stumbled back into the wall, grimacing.

She knew that she needed to give Dick his time, that he needed the moment's breath to figure out a plan, but he'd always worked better under pressure.

This time she saw the alien's fist raising, ducked aside from it. But she hadn't spotted the club in their other hand. She felt it though; stumbled into Dick, stars erupting in front of her eyes. It was like she'd run headfirst into a wall.

Dazed, she righted herself. Aimed an attack towards the closest alien, to knock out the backs of its knees. The attack fell a little lower than she had hoped. She felt it reverberate up her leg, even as the alien pitched forwards.

She didn't take a moment to wonder how it worked, simply elbowed the eye at the back of its head, ignoring the feeling that came with it. She was vaguely aware of Dick beside her, fighting as well despite how he needed to be thinking. But there seemed to be too many aliens. They were too powerful. Already she could feel herself tiring. They'd not even properly beaten one. For every advantage they seemed to claw back the aliens had two tricks to counter them.

She really hoped that Teddy and Tim were focusing on getting the other people out, but deep down she knew that they weren't, that they were probably coming to their aid.

She ducked, just in time to hear a punch land on something solid.

'I won't let you harm these people.'

'Supergirl,' murmured Dick as A.J. righted herself. Indeed, the woman had joined the fray, and already she had taken one down simply by being virtually made of steel.

'Decided to turn yourself in? How generous,' drawled one alien, but their shoulders were hunched. A.J. could imagine raised hackles if she tried hard enough.

The alien on the floor spat, an orange kind of liquid that A.J. didn't want to think about.

'Turn yourselves in,' Supergirl said, hands firmly on hips, 'and –'

One alien chuckled bitterly. 'We could kill everyone in this room before you so much –'

'Actually, you couldn't,' said Tim softly, drawing all attention to the middle of the empty room. Only he stood on a table, Teddy hovering nearby as if worried that he might fall off. Both of them looked relatively unharmed, but there were little scraps on them; fear seemed to shadow their faces.

A yell of anguish ripped from an alien. A.J. moved, knocking the neck of one; Dick did the same. But even with Supergirl holding onto two others, three got away, started flying back through the ceiling.

'No!' yelled Dick, the sound ripped from him; torn between grabbing onto another one and letting the alien he had hold of go.

'You really need to pick your battles better,' noted Superman mildly, landing on the floor, dropping the aliens in front of him. 'Why aren't you outside with everyone else?'

'Because the party was still on in here,' A.J. said bitterly, glancing briefly at Dick.

Something about his expression startled her. Where normally he seemed to relax when things were over this time there was an extra tension in his shoulders, in the set of his jaw. His jacket was ripped at the shoulder, the price paid for fashion chosen over practical style. He'd actually been hopeful of an actual quiet night, she realised.

'Dick?' she asked, almost tentatively.

He merely shook his head, walked briskly away from her.

She moved to follow but someone rested a cautious hand on her shoulder. Too gently to be someone she knew.

'I'll speak to him,' Superman assured her softly, before the pressure was released and he moved past her.

Every fibre of her being rebelled. Dick was her friend, she could help him like he'd helped her so many times before, but running footsteps distracted her, pulled her gaze to the others.

'Give him time, Amy,' Teddy suggested softly, gaze trailing briefly after Superman.

She opened her mouth to argue but paused. Sometimes space was the most helpful thing to give someone. It was the thing that Dick had barely had any of recently. So she stayed, only half wondering if she should have tried reminding Superman of that fact too.

But if anyone could stop Dick thinking of Gotham, of all that they were running from in a sense, it was someone with as few ties there as possible, and an outlook that only came from calling Metropolis home.

A/N: I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who has read this - especially to those who have taken the time to comment on it as well. A special thank you to cherlraychicago who has helped me with this from the very beginning. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm taking a hiatus from posting this for a bit - anywhere between a week and a month - to try and work on my next project a bit as well.