A/N: I wrote something really heartbreaking in this, I even teared up writing it. So, as an apology, I decided to add a bonus chapter that does nothing to lighten the mood! Yay! I'm so sorry, please don't lynch me.

"He needs to come with me Beloved."

"No Talia, I am not leaving him to the tender mercies of your father!"

"He shall grow strong. My father will train him well."

"He'll be trained just as well if he stays here. So, once again, no Talia, he will not be going with you and that is final."

"He is almost too old. He has grown too soft, he must come with me before it is too late! You will ruin him!"

"You will not take him and that is final."

"You cannot take my son away from me!"

The loud voices travelled up to the next level of the manor where a young dark haired child stood hidden, pressed against the railings looking down on his arguing parents. Another boy walked up to him and sat down next to him. Two pairs of blue eyes looked down at the two adults fighting.

"Why do they have to fight every time?" Damian asked, his voice carefully void of emotions.

"Well, I guess it's because they both want what's best for you and to them, that means that you stay with one of them." Tim replied feeling sorry for his brother.

"I don't like them fighting." Damian whispered.

"I guess you just have to look on the bright side of things." Tim quietly said.

"What would that be?"

"At least you know they want you."

Damian looked at his brother with curiosity etched on his face. Below, the voices of his parents faded as they moved to Bruce's office.

"You know how I had parents before Bruce and the only reason I'm living with him now is that they weren't treating me right?"

Damian nodded

"Well, they don't think I remember, but I do, and it was really lonely. My parents were never at home and when they were they mostly ignored me. But then they died and the police found me home alone. And then I went to dad."

"Oh." Damien's voice sounded small and sad.

"But it's alright. I have all of you now and you have all of us. And we're a family together right?"

"Yeah." Damian breathed happily.

"Wanna sneak out? I know Jason is hanging out with his hero friends at Mount Justice. We'll get Cass and then head on over to crash his party how does that sound?" Tim asked a mischievous smile on his face.

Damian nodded and off they went.

"Oh Cass" Tim sang as the two of them popped their heads past her door.

Cassandra looked up from her position curled up on her bed reading. She had just recovered from a bout of the flu and was itching for something to do other than lie in bed and read.

One look at her brother and she knew he was up to something. Considering how restless she was feeling, now was the perfect time for him to approach her. She grinned at him in anticipation of what he had planned and leapt off her bed to meet them.

She ruffled Damien's hair in greeting and after Tim explained the situation was all for bringing Damian out of the manor. A brief 'tactics meeting' and they were ready.

As soon as they masked themselves, they were ready to infiltrate mount justice. This being the third time doing this, Tim wondered if they might be expected, but there was no way to predict when they'd do it or even if they would considering that the last two times were instigated by Jason.

This time, none of them bothered with costumes. After all, Tim was a pragmatist if nothing else and he didn't see why their everyday clothes weren't good enough for sneaking around Mount Justice if they were adequate for sneaking around the manor, which was definitely a more dangerous pastime.

After the last time he slipped through Mount Justice's defences, he had made sure to install a backdoor that only he or another member of his family could access. Or at least, a member of his family that was in full possession of their faculties.

It only took him a few minutes to get into the system and guarantee them silent entry into the Team's headquarters. It was much faster than Dick or Jason would have done it, but they didn't have a backdoor and Tim had long ago learned the virtues of a little cheating in life.

It was a lucky thing that Tim and Cass were, together, a more rational leader than Jason had been. Due to this, they decided that it would be more advantageous if they were to keep together than if they were to split up like one of those groups in horror movies. They marched single file into Mount Justice pumping their fists in the air chanting "Bothering Jason. Bothering Jason. Bothering Jason." (omg these little shits)

They quietened down once they got into the cave proper and continued on till they could hear the boisterous sound of voices chattering away before the movie started. They thought that Jason's voice might have been the loudest, but that could have just been due to familiarity.

The three of them peaked around the entrance to the entertainment room to see one of the heroes crouched in front of a CD player. They ducked back out of sight and snuck away to plan properly. With this new information, they knew that anything they could do would have to be done to the channel itself and not the movie they were watching.

Nodding to each other, they snuck off one by one past the entrance into the entertainment room. Right before Cass' turn, Jason had looked towards the opening a suspicious glare on his face and the three of them held their breaths. This would not be fun at all if Jason caught them sneaking around. Luckily for them, a combination of Cassandra's dark clothing and someone distracting Jason by calling his name allowed them to continue with their little venture. From there onwards, it was smooth sailing till they actually got to the control room.

They ran into a wide room that they knew, having caught a glimpse of Mount Justice's blueprints during the renovation, was the control room. However, it was empty of any furniture or anything that might even remotely look like a computer. Even the Batcave still had a keyboard. The kids looked around confused and after a brief visual sweep of the room decided to split up to search for something that could tell them how to access the control system.

Tim had begun tapping the walls in order to see if there was a hidden panel, Cass was crouched down and poking at seams and Damian stood in the middle of the room prodding at the floor with his toes. They were all getting antsy and Damian was sporting a fierce scowl on his face when a blue light lit up the room revealing holographic screens in the middle of the room. In fact, Damian was standing right before them.

A familiar cowled face appeared on it smiling down at them in amusement.

"Hi kids!" Barbra chirped in greeting.

"Babs!" They cheered in reply.

Tim and Cass ran up to Damian and flanked him as they beamed up at the disembodied redhead.

"What are you rascals up to now."

"Well, we just wanted to have a little fun. Talia's at home and she and Bruce are duking it out." Tim explained.

"Same old story then I guess."

Tin and Cass nodded while Damian looked down at his shoes, a forlorn expression on his face. Barbara noticed it and a little sympathy made it's way through her features. She sighed before looking at Tim and Cass and nodding at them.

"Alright, what can I do for you?"

They beamed up at her as Tim took the lead again.

"All we really need you to do is teach us how to access the systems and how to work these holograph screen thingies. That way you get off scot free and we still get what we want."

"The way you worded that made it sound like the three of you are up to something." She said peering down at them suspiciously as they did their best to project innocence at her. She eventually let up and smiled at them. "Well, I trust you guys and I know that whatever it is you have planned won't be too destructive right?"

They nodded up at her beaming smiles on their faces. She snorted at them before instructing Tim on the ways to use Mount Justice's systems. Once he had all the information stored away, he set himself to working out how to fit the knowledge he had gained and applying to what he saw before him. Barbara did what she popped in to do and bade them good luck before leaving.

"Ok, now all I have to do is divert control of the tv and we are in session. Let's do this." Tim grinned at his siblings 20 minutes later. Cassandra mimed collapsing on the floor and Damian just grumbled at him, the boy looking bored out of his mind. Tim rolled his eyes at them. "You know it's not that easy right? This isn't the movies."

His siblings moved to cover his mouth before he entered another rant about the discrepancies of movie hacking. He shoved their hands away and glared at them.

"Rude." He muttered to himself. "Anyway, we're in, let's get some comfortable stuff and we can start."

They raided the rooms for comforters, pillows and cushions as they built a nest of comfort before the screens of the briefing room. Once settled in, Tim types in some executive functions and they settled in to watch the latest movie as several rooms down, the tv started erratically changing from channel to channel.

Jason, on the other hand, had been enjoying the movie that they had chosen by vote. It was an action with enough explosions to sate him and had enough of a fast pace that it didn't bore him entirely between the big booms. The plot itself was interesting too, a new take on a gritty political debate on power and corruption. He thought he might even bring it up the next time Dick came over from Bludhaven and forced them into a family movie night.

But then everything went wrong. Just as the movie turned into the third act with a particularly compelling and heart-wrenching sequence, the screen flickered and the news flitted onto the screen.

"I knew it!" Jason screamed, having thought that he heard someone sneaking about earlier. "I'm gonna find those brats and they'll pay for this transgression!" He howled theatrically.

As the screen tuned into what looked like a cartoon, he leapt over the back of the couch and stormed off in search of someone anyone who shouldn't have been in the tower at this time.

Meanwhile, Cass had brought out snacks that she had hidden under her baggy shirt and all three of the youngest Wayne children were happily snacking away as they watched animated animals interacting with each other on the screen. Damian, in particular, seemed to be especially involved in the plot as well as the character designs. Cass and Tim exchanged looks but eventually decided that it would be best if Bruce took care of it.

They were barely even 10 minutes into the movie when Jason came wheeling into the room, shoulders heaving. All three of them turned to him and the only thing that could be heard were the sounds from the movie and Jason's heavy breathing.

"You interrupted my movie." He growled.

Tim, Cass, and Damian exchanged looks before leaping up and ran past Jason screaming and laughing as he tried to catch them one by one. Damian, being the smallest was the easiest to catch and was promptly tucked under Jason's arm laughing all the while as he ran after Tim and Cass.

Tim was the next one to be caught and held by his shirt's collar by Jason's right hand. He attempted to squirm out of Jason's hold giggling to himself until Cass was caught. Like Damian, she too was tucked under his arm and both she and Tim gave each other high fives. Jason dragged his load to the entertainment room where the rest of the Team was trying to figure out what went wrong.

Jason deposited them before the tv and growled, "You better fix whatever it is you did."

Both Tim and Cass looked to Damian and when they saw that he was smiling and clearly having a good time, they nodded to each other and Tim set to undoing what he did. It didn't take too long, and when he was done, Jason allowed them to return to their nest to continue watching their movie.

Jason and his team came to join them once their movie had finished, but the incessant questions about plot and the premise of the film distracted them from the ending. Damian pouted until Tim rewound the movie for him.

By then end, Damian was yawning and Tim and Cass were ready to head back home. Jason allowed Damian to hop on his back and Tim and Cass hung off his arms as they headed towards the Zeta tube home.

The emerged on the other side in an overall pleasant mood until they saw what faced them on the other side. Talia and Bruce were standing, facing each other, arms crossed, the air around them practically crackling with tension. They both turned their heads towards the group and as one moved forward.

Talia reached for Damian and held him in her arms in a tight hug whispering in his ear. Bruce sent her a tight look but allowed her the moment as he checked over his other children.

"Why didn't you warn me about her!" Jason hissed towards his younger siblings.

"Why do you think we were at Mount justice instead of watching a movie at home." Tim whispered back.

"I dunno, I thought you just wanted to annoy me."

"We did. But we also wanted to get Damian away. Two birds, one stone." Cass replied.

Bruce gave each of his children a tight hug before facing the mother and son huddled together to his left. His body language showed apprehension at the fact that Talia seemed to be taking a long time to check Damian's health. They were all on edge, but when Damian pushed his mother away with a shouted no, his father was the first one there wrenching Damian away from her. The children surrounded Damian, creating a determined and, more importantly, protective wall between the two.

"What did you say to him, Talia."

"I merely offered to bring him with me when I left."

"Is this true Damian?"

"Mother said she'd teach me to kill. Father I don't want to kill." Damian whimpered with tears in his eyes as he clutched on to Jason. "Batman fights killers."

Bruce softened at hearing that and crouched down to give his son a hug.

"I won't let her take you, Damian, I promise." Bruce whispered into his son's ear as he felt him nod against his chest.

"You heard him. He doesn't want to go with you." Jason sneered as Tim and Cass glared at Talia.

Talia frowned as her features became cold like ice. She looked to where her son was still looking at her cheeks wet. "I see that it is too late then. You have infected him with your weakness. No matter, Ra's Al Ghul is immortal and needs no heir." She turned away from the family huddle and walked away.

"Mother wait! I love you please don't go!" Damian's shouts echoed after her retreating back. "Don't go." He sniffled.

Tim and Cass whirled around and hugged Damian who was still ensconced in Bruce's arms. Jason joined in to make it a group hug and all of them squeezed harder as they heard Damian's sobs echoing in the cave.

"You have us, we love you." Tim fervently whispered. "We will always love you."

Bonus Scene:

Bruce walked into his office Talia storming after him. He knew Damian was up and most likely listening to their arguing and he didn't want him to have to be privy to the whole thing. The situation was hard enough on Damian as it was.

"Listen, Talia, I am not trying to take your son away from you. You're free to come and visit for as long and as often as you want, you just can't take him and subject him to your father's so-called training. That's no life for a child."

"I had that life." She sniped.

Bruce knew he would only be slipping into more trouble if he kept on with that line of reasoning and if the lasers practically shooting out of her eyes weren't enough, her tone definitely was.

"Look, I know you love him-"

"Love is a weakness." She interrupted him, but he continued on nevertheless.

"And you worry about him. And I know that if you could you would never let him out of your sight. But the fact is that Damian has grown used to this life."

"Then he will get used to my life as well."

"He has friends here."

"Weaknesses."

Seeing that nothing he was saying was swaying her, Bruce decided that he had no choice but to be firm.

"He is not leaving Gotham to live with you Talia, and even if you did take him, I have a plethora of superheroes that I can call upon and you can be assured that eventually, I will find him and I will rain fire and brimstone upon you and your father if you drive me to this."

He sees Talia flinch, but the anger in her eyes tell him that her projected fear is false. She turns away, hurt radiating from her posture. He was about to lead her out of the manor when he hears the distinctive sound of metal and he turns around to see Talia with a dagger is her hand. The only thing he has time for as she lunges towards him is to raise his hand.

Bruce felt a sharp pain radiating from his hand where the blade had sunk into his flesh. With his other hand, he reaches for a book which he smashes into her arm and throws her away from himself. He knows that taking the dagger out will only cause him to bleed more, but with it in his hand, he is impeded.

He pulls the blade out of his hand and throws it at Talia where it lands in her arm pinning her to his desk. She let out an aggravated scream as she pulled it from her body.

"If you will not give him to me, then I will take him from you!"

Bruce swiped one of the knives he had hidden just for this possibility. Not that he would be fighting with the mother of his child, but that he would be fighting at all without a weapon on him.

He had just successfully blocked her blow when someone knocked on the door. Both of them stopped moving and faced the door to see it opening revealing Alfred on the other side.

"Master Bruce, the children are missing."

Bruce felt his stomach drop. Talia turned towards him a fierce snarl on her face.

"You lost him?" She hisses. "How can he be safe here if it is so easy for you to lose him. No, he will come with me at the end of today."

"One, Damian's safety is of utmost importance, two, he only comes with you if he chooses to. Remember, I will find him and I will come for him if you take him. Now come on," he said pushing her away from him and unlocking their weapons, "I have a feeling I know where he went."

Bruce walked out leading Alfred and Talia to the cave and there they waited for the wayward children to come home. If they were extremely unlucky, it would be with an irate Jason in tow.