I wrote 3/4 of this story back in July but never got around to finishing it until now. It's inspired by the songs Meant to Be by BER and Charlie Oriain as well as Thank God You Introduced Me to Your Sister by Sarah Barrios!

A big thank you to rotasha for helping me sort through my ideas!

TW: Mention, but no graphic details, of human trafficking.

Disclaimer: I don't own any DC characters.

"Confirming visual on all possible entrances and exits on the South side of the building," Steph said, using the commlink to update Batman and the rest of the Bats.

"Nightwing and I are in position on the North side of the building," Damian chimed in as soon as she'd finished speaking.

"Orphan and I are also ready. We're on a nearby roof on the West side," Jason added.

"Don't get too close. We can't risk being seen until all the men have arrived," Batman grunted in reply. Steph wasn't surprised that he hadn't confirmed over comms that he'd reached his destination on the East side of the abandoned complex.

"I know, Old Man. This isn't my first stakeout and takedown," Jason answered. He didn't sound angry, just irritated that Bruce was wasting his time with instructions no one needed to hear for the millionth time.

"Only use the comms if something doesn't go according to plan," Bruce told them all, ignoring Jason's comment. "Oracle will let us know when it's time to go."

Steph held back the urge to answer Bruce and ask him if he forgot to remove the stick up his ass before leaving the Cave. For someone who didn't like showing emotions, he was a bit of a mess tonight. Sure, the stakes of the mission were higher than normal, but that's why Bruce had gotten all hands on deck. Steph didn't anticipate anything going drastically wrong, especially because everyone had been thoroughly prepared by Bruce before heading out.

For the past couple of weeks, Bruce had been investigating an elite criminal ring. It consisted of some of Gotham's shadiest crooks. They had a long list of organized crimes they were involved in; Batman easily could have stopped them and turned them into the GCPD. But with rumors of human trafficking involved, Bruce wanted to take care of it himself. With Batman overseeing the mission, there would be no opportunities for the criminals to get away and all the victims would be rescued. Luckily, the dirtbags had carelessly left behind clues leading to the meeting tonight. All the big players involved were going to be attending, which meant it was the best time for Batman to intervene.

All the Bats had been paired off and given a place to stake out as they waited for the signal to infiltrate the meeting. All possible entrances and exits were to be surveilled. Steph would have preferred being paired up with Cass as they normally worked together, but Bruce had insisted that Cass go with Jason on the roofs while Steph stayed on the ground, hidden in an abandoned car, with Tim.

Steph didn't hate working with Tim. On the contrary, she enjoyed spending time with him. But it was a bit awkward being stuck alone in a car with the guy you'd broken up with three months ago. She'd spent time with Tim since amicably parting ways, but there had always been someone else there with them acting as a buffer. Anytime they'd interacted, both Tim and Steph avoided mentioning the elephant in the room. Their conversations were civil, yet superficial. It's like they'd forgotten how to be friends; for God's sake, they'd once resorted to talking about the weather when Dick had momentarily left them alone in a room.

And now as they sat alone with no distractions, all Steph could think about was the fact that she was now in a relationship with her ex's sister. And Tim still didn't know.

The pair were currently sitting in the backseat of the old unmarked car Batman had prepared ahead of time for them. The windows were tinted, meaning it would be hard for any criminals to notice them. But Bruce had made them sit in the backseat for the extra advantage of being harder to spot. The proximity was not helping Steph feel any less nervous.

Trying to maintain a calm demeanor, Steph told herself to look at Tim and just start some small talk, but chickened out and continued to look out the window instead. How did someone go about acting normal with their ex? It's like she'd suddenly forgotten how to pretend like everything was fine and not like she was sitting on the biggest secret she'd ever hidden from Tim. If she didn't pull it together, Tim would notice something was up; he hadn't been given the title of the Best Detective amongst the Robins for nothing.

Maybe, deep down, Tim already knew that Steph and Cass were dating. Tim was obviously cool with her being bisexual; he played for the same team. She also knew he'd be happy to hear she was in a relationship; he wasn't the jealous or possessive type. Steph just wasn't sure if all of this applied if the girl in question was his sister.

Honestly, Steph's biggest fear was that she would ruin their friendship. For the longest time, Tim had been one of her best friends. The break-up had caused a small rift, but Steph knew they both just needed time and space. But again, that had been before she'd gone and added Cass to the equation. That was why, despite how awkward she felt right now, she knew it wasn't the right time to come clean.

"Want some?" Tim suddenly asked, pulling Steph out of her panicked train of thought.

He was sitting on her right and holding out a bag of caffeinated pieces of chocolate.

Steph glanced down at the bag and debated taking some; caffeine didn't seem like the best idea considering how jittery it usually made her. She was already a ball of nerves. But the chocolate was actually pretty tasty; she'd had it plenty of times seeing as it was Tim's favorite snack. Giving in to temptation, she reached out to grab some of the mini chocolates. Tim gave her a small smile as he waited for her to take a handful.

And for some stupid reason, that smile broke her. Tim, who was always so caring and kind, was offering to share his favorite snack, completely oblivious to her internal debate about how ethical it was to take food from someone you were actively lying to.

"Aren't these great?" Tim remarked as he expertly threw one of the chocolates in the air. He then caught it in his mouth.

"I kissed your sister," Steph blurted out before her brain could catch up to what she'd just said.

The sound of Tim loudly coughing on the piece of chocolate that was stuck in his throat quickly filled the car. It added to the awkwardness of the situation. Good God, what had she done?

Why the hell had she phrased it that way? She couldn't have thought of a more polite way to inform Tim she was dating Cass? Before she could beat herself up, she frantically reached over and started patting Tim's back, hoping she wouldn't have to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Killing one of the Robins before the fight even started would be a surefire way to not only ruin Batman's mission but to also break his heart and rise to the top of the list of people he hated.

Tim finally stopped coughing but his face was bright red under the domino mask. He was breathing a tad harshly and was looking at Steph all wild-eyed. This was a nightmare! Steph decided nothing could make this night worse.

"Yeah, I know," Tim managed to choke out.

Nevermind; her night could get worse it seemed.

"You do?" Steph replied, unable to stop herself from sounding surprised. Really, she shouldn't have been; not even two minutes ago, she'd admitted that Tim was a great detective.

"Yeah, Damian told me," Tim informed her as he closed the bag of chocolate. Clearly, he wasn't in the mood to snack anymore.

"Damian! How the hell did he find out?" Steph asked, confused by the turn the conversation had taken. She'd been under the impression that the kid was grossed out by any and all displays of emotions.

"He saw you two one night," Tim told her. His breathing had returned to normal, but his cheeks were still flushed. Steph couldn't tell if it was because of the choking or the awkwardness of the situation.

Steph's brain ran at a thousand miles an hour, trying to remember what event Tim was referring to. When had Damian seen them? They'd obviously not meant to be found; they'd gone to great lengths to avoid being seen. Steph was honestly a little bit shocked someone had managed to sneak up on Cass; the woman had eyes on the back of her head. But then again, Damian was one hell of a sneaky kid.

These days, the only times she interacted with Damian were on patrol or at the Manor. Seeing as Steph didn't live in the Wayne household, she only went there to hang with Bruce's kids. There was always someone in the house, so she and Cass knew they shouldn't do anything there. When they spent time together, it was either at Steph's mom's house or at Oracle's place.

Which begged the question; when and what had Damian seen?

Oh shit. Steph was wrong.

She and Cass had broken their rule once and made out in the kitchen. In their defense, it had been the early hours of the morning and patrol finished a long time ago, so it had felt safe to assume everyone had been sleeping. The only reason they'd started making out in the kitchen was because Cass had just returned from a three-week-long overseas mission and Steph hadn't wanted to wait until the next day to see her.

So, after joining Batman and Robin on patrol one night, she'd claimed to be too tired to return to her place and stayed the night at the Manor. But instead of going to sleep, she'd snuck out of her room and spent time with Cass who'd arrived back in Gotham when everyone had been out on patrol. The pair had just planned on chatting and drinking some tea, but things had turned a bit steamy. At some point, Damian must have snuck in and out of the kitchen without their knowledge.

"Oh," was all Steph could say as she processed the new information.

"It's fine," Tim replied, trying to reassure her when it should have been the other way around.

"I'm so sorry, Tim. I didn't mean for you to find out this way," she started rambling. Steph prided herself on the fact that she was confident and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. But just like everything else tonight, she was off her game.

"Really, it's fine—" Tim tried to comfort her once more, but she cut him off as she remembered everything that had happened that fateful night.

"Holy shit, how much did Damian see?" Steph asked in a panic. Tim looked at her in horror after processing her question. She was sure they were both sporting the same panicked look. "Nevermind, I don't want to know! Don't answer that!"

"I don't want to know either," Tim replied, matching her energy.

Steph groaned and hid her face in her hands. "This is such a fucking mess. I'm so sorry. This must be so weird for you."

She couldn't see Tim as she shamefully hid her face behind her hands, but the heavy silence was enough to indicate that Tim did think this was weird. Damn it; Steph had ruined their friendship. If she'd just picked a better time, place, and way to let Tim know she was dating Cass, none of this would have happened! And neither of them would have—

"I swear, it's okay, Steph," Tim told her, his voice calm and reassuring. He gently nudged her hands away from her face. "I promise. I don't think it's weird."

Steph regained a little bit of her confidence as she peeked out from behind her hands. "You say that now, but—"

"Seriously, Steph," Tim said more firmly, but just as kindly. "All I care about is your happiness. And you're happy with Cass, right?"

"Fuck yes," Steph exclaimed, unable to hide her enthusiasm.

"Then that's all I care about," Tim confirmed. He smiled at her. It was the same smile that, once upon a time, had been one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him. That smile reminded her of who she was talking to; of who Tim was. She believed him; he wasn't lying. It was going to be okay.

Steph finally smiled back at Tim.

She hadn't ruined their friendship, but she sure as hell didn't know what to say now. Steph wasn't about to start telling Tim the exact specifics of how Cass made her happy. Finding out that Damian knew was already too much to handle.

"Thanks for introducing me to your sister," she joked, which earned her an earnest and unfiltered laugh from Tim.

"I don't know what to answer to that," Tim replied as he calmed himself down.

"Let's just say I owe you one." She reached out with her pinky finger, ready to make it an official promise.

"Deal," Tim said, briefly hooking his finger onto hers.

Tim had broken eye contact after his smile naturally faded away. He still seemed happy but she could tell he was now lost in thought. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn't know how. It was a look she was very familiar with.

Luckily, Steph could help with that problem. She reached over and gently placed her hand over Tim's. "You're happy too, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Tim answered without missing a beat. A weird feeling washed over Steph. She believed him, but at the same time, she felt like she was being lied to. She sucked in a breath, hesitating for only a second, debating if she should ask Tim if he was hiding something from her.

But a single second of doubt was enough to make her realize that she didn't want there to be any more secrets between them. They needed to get over this awkwardness if they wanted their friendship to be authentic and have any chance of going back to what it used to be. So instead, Steph followed a hunch about what could be making Tim happy. "Is it because you're thinking of finally asking Conner out?"

"What?" Tim squeaked, his voice showing just how nervous he was. He yanked his hand away from Steph; reacting as if he'd suddenly been burned.

"You are, aren't you?" Steph excitedly exclaimed. "It's about damn time! Everyone has noticed how you're always mooning over him!"

"Mooning?" Tim sputtered in response. "I wasn't mooning over—"

But before Tim could finish his sentence, their comm's crackled to life.

"It's go time. Everybody has two minutes to get to the building. Only enter when I give the signal," Barbara told them all, professional and to the point like she always was.

Like a flip being switched, Steph and Tim went from ex-lovers rekindling their friendship to vigilantes ready to exact revenge. Simultaneously, they jumped into action and left the car. They didn't bother locking the doors behind them; they'd already disabled the engine so there was no chance of one of the criminals using this as a getaway car if they managed to slip past them during the fight.

Steph and Tim efficiently crept up to the side of the door they planned on using, waiting with bated breath for Oracle to give the final signal. Once inside, their job was to incapacitate every criminal and safely release any possible victim within the vicinity. Then, the Bats would use the information gathered from the warehouse to find the routes used to track the victims and locate where they might be housed.

Like any other high-stake mission, Bruce had thoroughly prepared them. He listed any possible scenario and explained to them the backup plans. However, what had stood out as odd to everyone what that Batman instructed his kids that they should call for Superman if things went to shit.

After Bruce's mention of Superman, all the Bats exchanged a look, but no one said anything. Steph wasn't that worried; it was just Batman's paranoia poking through his normally calm demeanor. Everyone had an off day and that man had way too many contingency plans. The mission would be a piece of cake; they were ready for anything.

Steph flashed Tim a thumbs up as they waited for Oracle. Strangely enough, she felt good. Things between her and Tim would be okay and once they brought these trafficking creeps to justice, they could finish their conversation about a certain Kryptonian crush. Maybe Steph could finally convince Tim to ask Conner out. Despite how the night had started, things were looking up for Steph!

Steph felt incredibly dizzy. The black spots slowly taking over her vision warned her that she was about to lose consciousness. If Tim hadn't been holding her up, she was sure she'd already be crumpled into a bloody mess on the floor of the warehouse.

"Stay with me, Spoiler. Focus on my voice," Tim said in a commanding tone. He adjusted his grip to better support her dead weight. "Just a couple more steps and then you can sit down."

"You said that ten steps ago," Steph managed to mumble through gritted teeth. She was tired and her leg was killing her.

Nothing had gone to plan. The criminals had somehow been expecting them and the confrontation had been brutal. In the chaos, Steph had been stabbed. She'd also taken a hit to the head. Now, all she wanted to do was curl up into a small ball and rest. But a voice in the back of her mind kept reminding her that sleeping after getting a head injury wasn't the best idea.

"I know, I'm sorry," Tim replied, his tone getting softer. "I just need to patch you up before we head back to the Cave. Alfred will be mad if you bleed out before we get there."

"I don't care if Alfred is angry," she whined, only half aware that she shouldn't actually be wishing for that.

"That's just the concussion talking. You'll come to your sense later and thank me," Tim told her as he finally helped her sit down on the ground. They were now outside the warehouse; it was calmer and less crowded. The inside of the building was littered with the unconscious bodies of all the traffickers they'd managed to stop tonight. Oracle had alerted the GCPD and they'd be here within a couple of minutes.

Apart from Steph, only Jason had been injured. Bruce had left before the end of the fight with his second oldest, taking the Batmobile to the Cave to get him the first aid care he needed. Before leaving, he'd instructed Duke, Cass, and Dick to make their way to the last remaining hideout to free the abducted children. Bruce had taken Damian with him back to the Cave under the pretense that he needed him to keep Jason conscious while they drove back. But even in her dazed state, Steph knew it was because Bruce wanted to protect Damian from seeing the horrible conditions that the abducted and trafficked children were in.

"You two okay?" a voice suddenly said from above. But Steph's head was still spinning and she didn't feel like looking up. The voice didn't seem menacing and Tim hadn't reacted, so she felt like everything was okay.

"I'm okay, Kon" Tim answered as he cut through her costume. He was clearly trying to get a better look at her stab wound, but all Steph could think about was that she would need to fix her suit and that was frustrating. "I just need to patch her up and then we're off to the Cave."

Conner. That's who the voice belonged to.

"How bad's the pain, Spoiler?" Kon asked. She felt the air shift around her as Kon landed on her right side. He sat down beside her, careful not to touch her.

"I'll be okay," Steph admitted, but she knew she didn't sound convincing. The stab wound wasn't big, but she knew she was lucky that it hadn't hit any major arteries. It was more the pounding in her head and the light-headedness that was bothering her.

Still, she powered through the unpleasant sensation and turned her head to look at Kon. He was dressed in his leather jacket and red pants; his Superboy outfit to be more precise. But there were fresh tears along the pants and shirt and his clothes also looked a bit wet. Why? Steph vaguely remembered Clark and Kon joining the fight at some point but they'd left as quickly as they'd arrived. Where had they gone? It had to have been serious if Batman caved and called for their help.

Kon seemed to read her mind and answered her question. "I was with Supes in Smallville when he got the call from Bats. We went to the docks and stopped a ship that was leaving with trafficked kids."

"Okay, try not to move your leg," Tim instructed. Steph had almost forgotten he'd been working on her. "I'll be quick with my stitching."

"Just do it," Steph replied, taking in a deep breath of air as she felt the needle pierce her skin. She'd gotten stitches several times over the course of her career as Robin and Spoiler. She wasn't afraid of needles, but getting stitched up was a whole different story. Apart from Alfred, Tim had always been the best; his stitching was calm, precise, and quick. She should be grateful it was Tim working on her and not Bruce "I Don't Feel Pain" Wayne. She could sit still and handle this, then before she knew it, she'd be back in the Cave and Alfred would give her some meds to help with the pain. She just needed to focus on her breathing.

Breathe in. Breath out. In and out. In and—

Okay, never mind. She needed a distraction from the pain, it fucking hurt. She focused her gaze back on Kon who was still sitting beside her. "Distract me. What are you doing this weekend?" Steph asked as she let out a hiss of pain.

"I'm doing Tim," Kon replied ever so casually. But the smirk on his face told Steph he knew exactly what he was doing.

Steph cried out a "what" in surprise which quickly changed to a howl of pain as Tim accidentally pushed the needle in with too much force.

"I'm sorry, what?" Steph loudly repeated, still reeling from the shock and the pain. Although right now, she didn't really care about the fact that Tim had messed up her stitches.

"You told me to distract you, that's what I'm doing."

"Not that! What the hell do you mean you're doing Tim?" Steph replied, unable to keep her emotions in check. Suddenly, she didn't care that her head was still spinning. It came second to her new focus of finding out if what Kon was saying was true or if it had just been a terrible tactic to distract her.

She looked away from Kon when he took too long to answer. He still had a smile on his face, but he'd stopped looking at her after Tim had accidentally made her stab wound bigger instead of fixing it.

"Oh my God! You're not just doing him, you two are already dating" Steph exclaimed, this time directing her attention at Tim.

Tim sat awkwardly hovering over her leg. He was flustered and starting to blush. He kept frantically looking between Kon, Steph, and the leg he was supposed to be fixing.

"You said we could start telling our friends," Kon stated, but he sounded a tad unsure of himself.

"Not like that!" Tim finally exclaimed. "In what universe was that the ideal way to tell my ex?" Tim was still holding the needle covered in Steph's blood, but now he was pointing it in Kon's direction. Unless the tool was made of Kryptonite, Steph doubted Tim's threat was very menacing to Conner. But the Kryptonian still held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Apparently in the same universe where I tell my ex I'm banging his sister and almost kill him in the process!" Steph replied, unable to hold back laughter as she processed all this new information.

"You have a point," Tim relented finally lowering the needle he'd weaponized against Superboy. "We're the worse at communicating," he told her as he chuckled to himself.

"Seems like I missed a lot, tonight," Kon said but he was smiling. "Also, all you Bats suck at communicating, you two aren't special."

"Thanks, love you too," Tim deadpanned as he fought off a smile. "Okay, now seriously, I need to patch you up. Can you two behave for the next five minutes?"

Kon and Steph shared a look, trying to hold back laughter, but they obeyed.

Steph lay as still as possible, trying to stay calm despite how giddy she felt. Not only had she told Tim about Cass and it had gone well, but Steph found out her ex was also happily in a relationship. Tonight had been wild; no way anyone, not even Batman, could have predicted any of this!

"Do you still want a distraction?" Kon asked, all trace of mischievous behavior gone. He was back to being concerned about his friend.

Steph was still in a good mood, but starting to feel tired again; the mini adrenaline rush of Kon's announcement had worn off. She would later blame the fatigue and the pain for what she said next. "You're lucky to get my hand-me-downs. You should be thanking me for dumping Tim."

Kon burst into laughter, clearly entertained by Steph.

"I thought it was a mutual break-up?" Tim replied before placing the newly sanitized needle back into her thigh.

Steph sucked in a breath of air. She'd been surprised by the stinging sensation.

Kon managed to stop laughing long enough to answer Steph. "Thanks for giving me your scraps."

"You're welcome!" Steph laughed in response. "I guess I don't owe you a favor anymore, Tim."

"What's she talking about?" Kon asked in an amused tone.

"No idea, but this concussion must be more serious than I thought," he replied as he continued to patch her up. "Maybe even some serious blood loss."

"You asshole! I'm fine and you know what I'm talking about," Steph replied at the exact same time her body betrayed her. She was hit with a sudden and intense wave of vertigo and almost toppled over, but Kon's quick reflexes meant he caught her just in time. "Okay, yeah, get me checked out by Alfred as soon as possible."

Technically this is my first time writing Tim and Kon, even if they weren't the main focus. Hopefully, I did them justice.