Author's Note: Long delayed follow-up to Rose. Bruce and Dick lay roses for the boy's parents. Dick reflects on his life with them. Short and sweet.

Enjoy

Rose 2

"You okay, Bossman?" I ask as we watch the riot van cart off what's left of Firefly and his gang. The big guy grabbed Lynns in mid-flight by leaping headfirst off Gotham Bank and slashing his fuel line. That was a crazy stunt. It was cool as hell, but flat-out crazy for him. Anyway after they did the freefall tango for a few seconds, Bruce fired off a grapnel line and tried to land both of them safely at ground level. Long story short, the purchase point – a fire escape – got torn off its fixtures with the strain and Firefly and Bruce wiped out from ten feet up. Lynns kissed the concrete first, but I think his suit saved his bones from ending up as matchsticks. Bruce just went thud on the floor, like a heavy stone. His Kevlar is good, but not that good. He got up easily enough but, just from the way he walked in the aftermath, I know he busted a few ribs as a minimum. My goons were easy since they stayed grounded. The big man grunts.

"I'm fine." He says curtly. I see him resist the urge to grit his teeth as he shifts his feet in the direction of the car. "Let's go. This is over."

Once he's behind the wheel, everything's routine and the grimacing stops completely. He's not going to hate himself tomorrow, I can see it just from his body language. He's gripping the wheel too tightly for comfort. It's his tell when he's mad at himself. I hesitate in posing my next question.

"Are we…are we still going tomorrow?"

"Yes. We agreed on tomorrow." He replies. I nod my head.

"If you, I don't know, want to postpone it a couple of days…"

"I'm fine. We are going tomorrow morning as agreed." He's not in any mood for conversation. I can wait until the cave and a proper treatment from Alfie to ask him again. I nod again.

"Okay then."

I don't speak for the rest of the trip back. It's too early to congratulate him on the case being closed. He doesn't want to hear how awesome his collar was. Deep down, I don't think he cares either. Straight after getting up from that scary fall to earth, he asked me if I was okay. Lynns was lying unconscious on the ground a few feet away and he ignored him entirely. Until I said yes. Even then he asked me again, just to make sure. We get to the vehicle park just as it ticks over midnight. Happy Saturday. He doesn't get out straight away. Neither do I. We just sit there in silence, watching Al begin making his way down from the command centre.

"Three of my ribs may be broken." He informs me pulling back his cowl. I nod while taking off my domino mask.

"Yeah, kind of figured with the way you fell."

"I am taking you tomorrow morning though. I made a promise."

"You just took a freaking serial arsonist clean out of the sky and broke your ribs: you can have a day off. My thing can wait." I tell him despite a knot forming in my stomach at the thought of not going tomorrow. It's selfish, but I really want him to go with me tomorrow, broken ribs or not. I'd feel like an idiot going without him. And it has to be tomorrow. It has to be. He sighs.

"Your parents' wedding anniversary is tomorrow. You have been adamant for weeks about laying down roses on that date. I don't want you to have to wait." Crap. Why did I make him promise to take me tomorrow? Couldn't I have just asked him to try? The guy's insides could be like a quarry right now and he's still hell-bent on going to keep a promise.

"But you're not going to be able to walk tomorrow. I mean, can you even walk now?"

"Not at present, no. But, after some morphine…"

"That doesn't sound good. Let's just…see what Alfie says first."

Alfie helps him out the car and up to the medical bay. Before he can do anything though, Bruce stops him and insists he check me over first. I try to palm him off, but the big guy is adamant. So I get the once over while he sits on broken bones. The feeling of guilt just gets worse. I made a big deal of this, so he's making sure it stays a big deal. I get the all clear. Bruce gets officially given his three broken ribs…and a couple of hairline fractures in his wrist. And a fractured other wrist. And ankle. And Alfie thinks he dislocated one of his shoulders in the fall, but popped it back in as he got off the ground. More bruising anyway. The bottom line is he needs bedrest. Lots of it. I feel like crying. But I hold off the waterworks. I'm not the one in bits.

I've brushed my teeth and am halfway under the covers when Alfie says Bruce wants to see me. I go immediately. When I get to the door, I find him slouched back against the headboard reading one of his favourite criminology books. Somehow he's managed to get into his pyjamas in the last half-an-hour. I knock on the open door to get his attention. He glances up and smiles.

"Thank you for coming." He says. I smirk.

"Like I was going to say no. What did you want to see me about?" I say wandering through the doorframe as he puts his book back on the nightstand. He gestures to the edge of the mattress closest to him.

"Sit down please." I sit where he says and wait. When he looks at my face, his smile gives way to a frown. He reaches for my cheek. "You've been…" I jerk my head away before he can make contact. I nod.

"Yeah, a little, not much." I say quickly, wiping away streak marks I missed earlier. "I know it's stupid…" His hand settles on my shoulder and squeezes gently.

"It is not stupid. I called you here because Alfred has told me I cannot walk until the swelling on my ankle goes down. However, he has agreed…"

"I don't want Alfie to go with me." I interrupt him. I backtrack within two seconds. "I didn't mean, I don't want him taking me…I just mean it's not the same as…" I'm falling over myself and can feel tears threatening a hard comeback. His hand squeezes my shoulder again.

"Please let me finish. However, he has agreed to take us both there tomorrow, provided I sit in a wheelchair for the duration." I raise my eyebrows in disbelief. Bruce never risks his injuries being married up with Batman by going out in public. It's part of his rules list.

"You in a wheelchair? In public? You'd do that for me?"

"For you and your parents. I promised you we could. This is important to you. That's all that matters." He tells me and squeezes my shoulder one last time before letting his hand slip off entirely. I want to hug him, badly enough that I'm literally fidgeting. I eye his ribs and consider just going for it, but think better. I let my eyes drift up to his neck.

"Your neck okay for a thank you?" I check. He smiles and nods.

"I think so."

I latch my arms around his neck and pretty much crush my cheek against his chest. No grunt says I've hit the right spots to avoid more injuries. He gingerly puts his arms around my back. The knot in my stomach untangles itself. Everything is good. Everything is perfect. Tomorrow I get to see my parents. I get to give them a present for their anniversary again. And if it all goes wrong, Bruce is there to catch me. Back to the safety net. Never work without one. That's what my parents kept saying. Kind of wish they'd checked the net themselves before the performance. But I kind of wish a lot of things had been different that night. It's done now. I hug Bruce tighter and know he understands.

We get to the cemetery around nine. It's still cold out, but this time I've got the right jacket for the occasion. Alfie and I try to help the big man into the chair, but he really doesn't need it. Once he's sat, we both offer to push him. Then he points out it is 'self-propelling'. I point it his ribs don't really like strenuous exercise at the moment. Alfie smiles at this. It only gets bigger when he concedes the point. He asks Alfie to wait with the car. Guess who gets to push Batman around? The sidekick does!

"You still got the roses, Boss?" I ask as we trundle along the path towards them. He stifles an irritated sigh.

"For the tenth time, yes, Dick, I have the white roses you requested."

"Good. This part is going to get rough. We're going off-road for the next five minutes. Sure your ribs can take it?"

"Don't go too fast and we'll be just fine."

We're stood…I'm stood and he's sat in front of my parents' headstones five minutes later. I haven't seen them since the funeral, since I had to admit they were gone. The headstones are clean, legible. No flowers to change: never left any to begin with. I frown at the sight. I don't know what I expected. I just expected more.

"Do I…am I supposed to like, talk to them or something?" I ask him continuing to stare at the headstones.

"You don't have to. We can just…be here if you like." He says. That's more his thing: my thing is to talk, even if no-one talks back.

"I'm going to talk." I tell him. I take a deep breath and then launch into my usual routine. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad. Happy anniversary. I'm sorry I missed the last one, but I had…stuff on. Uhm…how would I put this without freaking you guys out…I'm not just living with Bruce Wayne: I've got a little side job as well…"

I lose track of time. I fill them in on everything I can remember. I never lied to them, even when I really wanted to. Right now it's the same. So I tell them. I got a man killed. I nearly got beaten to death by Two-Face. I got fired. I ran away. Bruce came looking for me. He saved me. And…I saved him too. The big man doesn't argue that point. I barely even notice he's here now I'm in full flow. Time drags on and so does my story. We move on from the heavy issues to lighter ones. I talk about school, my classes, the girls I like and then the ones I really like. Mom always liked that stuff. Dad would like my sporting achievements. I give him the lowdown on my trophy cabinet at Bristol. Finally, after what seems like eternity, I stop talking. I just kind of nod at the stones.

"I miss you guys." I tell them after a long pause, "But I'm okay here. Some of the stuff I've said sounded bad, and it was, but I never work without a net. The big guy makes mistakes with me, but he always stops the fall just before it can't be salvaged. It's pretty awesome. And…I love him. I'm sure you understand why now." I stop the speech long enough to realise what this scene is missing. I clap my hands. "I…got you guys some roses. White ones. Hey Bruce? Will you get…" The two roses, still wrapped in brown paper, are slapped into my chest from behind. I freak out when I look up to find him towering over me. I glance over at the empty wheelchair. "How did you…"

"I'm Batman." He tells me ominously. I laugh at that. He gives up a brief chuckle too. "Shall we conclude this ceremony?" He asks, his hands resting on my shoulders. I unwrap the roses and hand one up to him.

"You lay the one for my dad?"

"It would be an honour."

Twenty seconds later, the roses are in front of the stones and we've achieved what we set out to do. We both stand there and reflect in silence, just like with his parents. He pulls me flush against him, just like before.

"Think they got bored of listening?" I ask.

"I highly doubt it. You painted a very compelling narrative for them to enjoy."

"I got it from them. They told the best stories. They really went after each other in bedtime stories, trying to outdo whoever told the last one with a crazier one."

"I suppose we also know where your competitive nature comes from as well, don't we?" The big man says. I smile.

"I guess we do." I shoot another glance at the wheelchair. "You've got to be the worst patient in the world. You couldn't even go an hour without breaking Alfie's rules."

"You stood for my parents. I think it only fitting I stand for yours. They were remarkable people." Jeez, will someone slap a medal on this patriot's chest already? Now it's all over, I think we can be a little less reverent and a little more practical about the situation.

"Must be killing you to stand here like this."

"It is not a pleasant experience, no."

"Well, I told them about Garfield Lynns and your Superman impression. I'm pretty sure they gave you a pass to sit down." I say. I hear what sounds suspiciously like a sigh of relief from him.

"Good. Let's go do that before I collapse."