"Who died and crowned you Nightwing?" Roy said, the hint of bitterness in his voice didn't escape me.

"I've been fighting them for years. If you can't trust me on this, then this was a waste of my time." I somersaulted over them and ran after the demon though Oracle relayed their discussion after I left. She's a crafty woman is Oracle.

Nightwing had sighed. "She died fighting a demon once. She knows what she's doing. Each one of us is a specialist in something. This is her thing. It's what she's done for years, and held onto her sanity through fear demons, living her nightmares, watching her boyfriend turn into something evil and sending him to hell...."

I didn't take me long to find the demon. Just followed the trail of debris. The problem was what to do when I found him... and his friends.

"Oh boy. Oracle, please tell me Giles has found something? I just found the injured original with three of his friends."

"Nightwing. Nightstalker's found the demon and it's not alone. She needs help."

"I thought you said she was a pro..."

"That thing was eight feet tall Roy," Donna said patiently.

"WHOA!" Roy shouted as he rounded the corner and ground to a sudden halt at the intersection where I stood facing four demons exactly the same as the first, though one was green, another yellow and the last was blue.

"Sssl..."

"Say it and I'll kill you."

"You will try anyway," Red said matter-of-factly.

"But a slow, methodical pummelling of your body into a boneless mass will be involved if you say it. My knuckles ask you to consider them in your decision."

"So be it witch," he conceeded.

The Titans, under Nightwings direction worked as distraction while I used the sword in an effort to take them down.

"Buffy. I realize you can't respond. You have to use the sword. You have to wound the demons under the arm."

"In the armpit? Giles that is one of *the* grossest things!" I exclaimed as I dodged a fist that slammed into the road where I had been standing moments before.

"It's the only way you can attack the demons heart."

"Ok." Stinky, smelly demons. "Troia," I shout. "I could use a boost here." She lifts me up and up. "Stop now!" We stop level with the things armpit and I drive the sword as deep as possible. An agonized noise, somewhere between a howl and a scream signals my success. Troia must have noticed the thick red slime that was about to spurt from the wound a second before I did. With the sword still in my hand we lifted up and away from the red demon just as he seemed to melt into a noxious smelling goop.

Have I mentioned how gross demons are?

The Titans managed to keep the demons Troia and I weren't attacking busy while we took out the demons one by one.

Troia put me down and landed gracefully beside me. The coloured, former demon slop was evaporating into pale coloured mist. They were gone and there was no clean up. I almost shouted a thank you to them but didn't because that would have been way too weird.

"What didn't you want him to say?" Roy asked me.

The Titans were looking around surveying the relatively minor damage to the small area. I was checking my costume and weapons. "Demons all use the same corny lines about pain and begging for death. It gets monotonous."

Arsenal walked around me. I felt like a museum piece. "Nice weaponry. What's that? A stake?" Roy laughed.

While he laughed I pulled the stake out of its place beside the crossbow. I tripped Roy and straddled his waist, the stake stopping millimetres from where below his skin his heart thudded in his chest. He looked stunned. "A stake to the heart takes out just about anything. A stake anywhere hurts, not that I'm about injuring people but I've been a demon hunter for a while and you guys have no idea what is going on out there. You need to be ready for it," I said quietly as I stood up and helped Roy to his feet. More déjà vu. Why does everyone stare at me?

"You're serious aren't you? About the demons and things," Tempest said.

"If it goes bump in the night I can get information on it and defeat it."

"Ask Robin. He's seen it too. And I've seen 'Stalker kick the Batman's butt. I wouldn't argue." I grinned at Nightwings praise.

"So what else have you done?" Argent asked.

"There was this group of people called the Initiative they decided that capturing demons and keeping them locked up for study was a good plan. That is until their headquarters lost power courtesy of me and my friends, and the demons got out. I've done so much. It would probably be quicker to just read my file on the Oracle system."

"Demons huh?" Jesse asked.

"I've even faced Dracula," I nodded.

"Did you beat him?"

"He's still unliving but he's not in the town I lived in anymore. He's kinda hard to kill."

"Any defeat of an enemy is a success," Tempest said.

"Plus it meant one of my friends no longer had a craving for bugs."

"Can I say that that is a very disgusting mental image?"

"It was even worse watching it," I said to Roy.

"Have to ask. Does Batman scare you?"

"Should he?"

"Um..."

"Roy's been kinda-what's the word I'm looking for here Roy?-completely freaked out by Batman ever since he caught one of Roy's arrows without even turning around."

"So you guys have known each other for a while?" I asked.

"Roy was originally Speedy, I was Robin, Troia was Wonder Girl, Tempest was Aqualad and the Flash was still Kid Flash when we first formed the Teen Titans. We were about thirteen I think, and all of us were still kid side-kicks."

"Wow. That's a long time then." I giggled. "Tempest is a much better name than Aqualad."

"I know," he grimaced.

"Let's show you around the Tower on the Island. You can clean that sword and show me how to use a stake," Roy said leading us back to the island.

On the way back Jesse walked beside me. "'Stalker, I don't mean to pry or anything but just be careful of the Bat. Recently..." and she told me the story of how the Bat was voted out of the JLA.

The first thing I was shown back at the Tower was the living quarters and I was given a room to claim as my own whenever I was at the Tower. I was shown the pools and warned that Garth has been known to be naked in the water when he thought he was on his own.

Argent giggled, "It's the only reason I took up swimming."

I chuckled and watched Tempest go as red as his outfit. I had forgotten that he didn't know who I was under the mask and didn't know that we'd met. It was difficult not to talk to him as though we had. I hadn't known that he'd known Dick so long. I guess that only Argent and Jesse are new to the group and don't know all the identities. Maybe they do but I doubt it.

I was shown the kitchen, the entertainment room. I met Roy's daughter Lian, she's charming like her dad and one of the smartest, sweetest kids I've ever met, and saw one of the finest gyms I'm ever likely too. I think I was almost drooling.

Argent was the first to leave the tour claiming she stank of sweat and battle and was going to shower for at least an hour to get rid of the smell. The others claimed similar excuses and Dick and I were left alone.

I smiled at him. "I like them."

"Seems you've been accepted. You probably want a shower too. Let me take you back to your room."

It wasn't far and Dick said he'd bring me some sweats and a shirt to wear and that I could leave the mask on if I wanted to. I explored the small suite and I was so glad to find an en suite complete with fresh towels. Dick returned with the clothes and left just as quickly muttering about me wanting to relax. Silly man. I'm used to this just like he is. I don't relax without a little more exercise.

Into a hot shower to relax muscles and rinse any ishyness from my hair. Out of the shower and into the borrowed sweats.

The computer buzzed on the desk. I sat down and worked out how to turn it on and waited to see what was what on the screen. A little icon was flashing so I double clicked on it. It opened into a large window revealing Alfred's face.

"How was the first night Miss?"

"I'm not sure if they liked me at first. We come across a demon and I go into Slayer mode. Not a good first impression." I rubbed at my still tired and sore neck. It doesn't seem to matter what I do after a fight, my neck is always sore.

"We all have strong points. You are used to leading. You will find your place."

A knock sounded at the door. "If they let me stay. Better go."

"I will talk to you later then Miss. Take care."

"Thank you. You too Alfred." I disconnected and turned in my chair. "Uh... Come in." Good thing I was still wearing the mask.

"Hey 'Stalker. You did good out there."

"Thanks Troia," I smiled at her.

"Call me Donna and don't worry about what happened out there today with Roy. We're more like family and it can take a while to get used to a new person."

"Come in. Have a seat," I offered. "I know how that is. Back home the friends that helped me... We were family. We are family though now we seem to be moving on and away, just like any other family I guess. I think my best friend is going to move out here to New York after graduation. I have as much to get used to as you all do. I'm not in charge here. You don't know me, or any of my past. Not that I'm ashamed but I don't want my family to get hurt and with me moving into such a large, well, hunting ground it's too dangerous."

She looked thoughtful then began to speak, changed her mind and closed her mouth again.

"What is it Donna?" I asked.

"Jesse told me what she told you today. You need to speak with Batman before you pass judgement."

"I will Donna. You know who Batman and Nightwing are don't you?"

"I've known them since I was thirteen."

"That's a yes then. I'm living with them in Gotham full-time at the moment and during the college months I live there part-time. They're part of my family now. I'm sure that, though unusual, there must have been some small lapse in judgment in the Bat. I won't say I'm not upset but I will speak with him before I stop working with him." I tried for a chuckle but it died on my lips as a strained sound.

"He isn't like the rest of them. He was thinking of everyone when he created those files. The possibility of a JLA-er turning against humanity isn't as far-fetched as it was once believed."

"I've been told about Hal Jordan. It was unfortunate."

"It was terrifying... You need to think carefully about how you want this to end. Don?t severe your ties over this... We all make mistakes sometime. I'll talk to you later 'Stalker."

"Sure Donna." The door slid closed. "Later."