2 Weeks Ago...

Cassie Sandsmark waited patiently in her classroom for her children to show up. She had finished grading papers, and was anxious to get back home. Tonight it seemed she would get some downtime from the Outsiders to spend with her family, and she was glad for it. Balancing her dual life was wearing on her, but she needed to keep her identity secret. Too many people could be put in danger if her enemies found out who she was. This line of thought inevitably lead to Tim, who she hadn't heard from in weeks. She started staring off into space and the thoughts that seemed to plague her recently filled her mind again. His eyes, his smile...

"Earth to Mom?" Calista's voice cut through the daydream and Cassie found herself face to face with her daughter. "And what were we thinking about? Or should I say 'who'? Hmm?" Calista had a smile that implied she knew more than she was letting on.

"Enough of that, young lady," Cassie said in a mock-scornful voice, and decided to change the subject. "Where's your brother?" Calista sighed.

"Guess he got sick of lecturing me on how Superman isn't someone I should be admiring, no matter how hot his bod is. He went off to practice with his retarded football buddies. Something about a homecoming ritual." Calista just looked at her mom. "He'll get a ride from his pals. Can we go now?" Cassie sighed and nodded. Sometimes it frightened her how much like his father Connor was.

"Let's go."

They arrived home, finding the morning paper untouched on the doorstep. As Cassie picked it up, she couldn't help but notice the headline. "Batman Returns! Three days after police find body, the Dark Knight seems to have risen from grave!" She stared at it for a few moments, Callie looking at her quizzically.

"How did someone who spaces out like you do ever manage to become a teacher, Mom?" Cassie shook her head.

"That's an unanswered question. Goes along with 'What did I do to deserve such a lippy daughter?'" Cassie grinned. "Get inside. Let's start dinner." They entered the house to hear the phone ringing. Callie looked at her mother exasperatedly.

"Or not. Betcha ten bucks it's Uncle Tim, with a five buck safety bet of Uncle Bart." Just as she said that, a familiar face walked around the corner.

"Ain't me." Bart smiled at his surrogate niece as he pushed his hair out of his face with his hand. "I'm here." Cassie picked up the phone as she heard her daughter questioning how Bart was here and if he had a job anymore, as Bart's visits seemed too frequent for him to be going back and forth between Keystone City and Smallville.

"Hello? Is Cassie there?" It was Tim. For the first time in a long time, he sounded worried, and the paper's headline popped back into her head. "Yeah, Tim... Oh my God... I saw it in the paper, and wondered why Bruce hadn't been... Right... Right... Two weeks? We'll be there tomorrow. No, I want to be there, and you're not turning me away...Alright... Bye." She seemed to linger for a moment, as if expecting him to say something else before he hung up, and then hung up the phone disappointed after hearing only a "click" after his goodbye. She turned to Calista and Bart, still vaguely bickering as Callie's questions had moved into the territory of "Is Aunt Rose mad at you?". They both stopped as they saw slight tears welling in her eyes.

"Cass?" Bart inquired, his voice full of concern. "What did Tim say?"

"It's Bruce, Bart. He... He passed away a few days ago." Bart looked at her. In the past two months, since she had joined the Outsiders, Bruce had become a good friend to Cassie. On top of that, his death must have been causing Tim no end of pain, meaning Cassie was hurt and sad for Tim. Before Bart could try to say anything comforting, however, Cassie straightened herself out. Calista looked on, confused.

"Who's Bruce?" Cassie looked at Callie, and smiled.

"Uncle Tim's... father. We're going to be taking a vacation for a few weeks, so go start packing for yourself and your brother. We'll explain to Connor when he gets home. Sorry, Bart, no free meal tonight." Bart just smiled.

"Eh. It's alright. I've gotta go tell Rose anyway. Stay strong, Cass. We'll see you in Gotham."