The late summer day began like any other at the famous Wayne Manor, owned by the playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne. The lawn was freshly cut and the sprinklers were spraying a steady stream of nourishing water over the grass. Inside the mansion not a speck of dust was found on any surface, thanks to its attentive caretaker. Already the smells of bacon sizzling and bread being toasted wafted throughout the household, rousing its exhausted residents from a deep sleep.

Alfred, the family butler, had got up early and made a light breakfast for his hungry charges. He set the food on the table and retreated back into the kitchen. First Bruce came down, already showered and dressed in his business suit, then Damian in his pajamas. They sat down to the simple spread, not bothering to make conversation. Damian sleepily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried not to glare at his father. The Dynamic Duo was currently in the midst of a spat over a topic that every preteen has with their parents. Damian, bravely, broke the silence.

"I still believe that I do not need a babysitter," he muttered, reaching for an apple. Bruce looked up from the Gotham Gazette he was reading and sighed. They had a late night tracking down missing children through the city, but even though they were out until dawn they hadn't found a trace of the abducted kids. Not even a ransom note was left for the parents, but that was to be expected since most of the children were from poor families or the orphanage.

"Damian, he is not a babysitter. Dick is just here to patrol the city while I'm gone for the week," he answered, shaking his newspaper clearly indicating that the conversation was over. Damian, however, was not going to let the subject drop.

"Then why can't I go on patrol with Grayson? He is more than capable of 'watching out for me' if that is what you're worried about." Damian was beginning to lose his temper. He angrily took a bite out of his apple; Bruce placed his paper down and massaged his temples. He was about to reply when Alfred entered the room and interrupted.

"Master Bruce, your car has arrived," the butler said in his usual stoic manner, knowing that he was preventing the fight from escalating.

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said standing up. He grabbed a piece of toast and walked over to the door, but before leaving he turned to his son. "Damian, I'll be gone five days on a business trip. You'll just have to deal with Dick until I get back. Goodbye, Damian." He left, leaving Damian to stew by himself. After a couple of minutes Alfred walked back into the room and began to clear the table. A gentle breeze floated in through an open window, tousling Damian's hair as he listened to the clinking and clanking of the plates.

"Master Dick shall be here in an hour or so. I suggest you become presentable before he arrives," he said with his usual calmness. Damian smacked his head on the wooden table with a groan.

"Hey, don't worry about it, kiddo," Dick told Damian, ruffling his hair. Night had fallen on Gotham only an hour ago and already Richard Grayson was suited up in his Nightwing outfit. He was putting the finishing touches on his costume, putting on his mask and making sure he had his signature escrima sticks. Dick had arrived a little after lunch, but Damian had completely ignored his older brother. He was still in a foul mood about the 'no patrol' issue and Dick still had hurt feelings over being ignored so he wasn't sympathizing too well with his younger brother. "Bruce will be back in a few days and then you can go out with him."

"Why won't you patrol with me, Grayson? You're probably more than capable to be an adequate partner out in the field," Damian said grudgingly. He was getting pretty desperate. The ten year old didn't like to be cooped up in the house all day. He'd rather be shaking down a gangster for information or beating the snot out of a mugger. Dick was already walking towards the motorcycle rack, leaving Damian dressed in his Robin outfit by the computer console. Dick threw him a cocky smile before throwing a leg up and over the seat of his Nightwing themed cycle.

"We all know that's true, but orders are orders. No patrol for you until daddy-bats gets back. Go over the case files while I'm gone and call me if you see anything important." With that Nightwing buckled his helmet and sped out of the cave, the tires squealing on the path as he accelerated. Damian listened to the sound of the tires fading into the distance.

When the only sound heard in the cave were the bats rustling their wings, Damian rushed to his R-cycle and quickly took off the tracker hidden underneath the exhaust pipe. He didn't want Alfred to alert Dick of his location; he had already hidden the tracker on his uniform in an empty bucket that stood in the corner. There was no way that Damian was going to look at the boring files of crimes that the police department should have be handling, while his older brother was off gallivanting around the town. Especially when Dick hadn't been in town in awhile and he had no back-up

He pulled his arm back and threw the tracker as far as he could. It smashed against the far wall and the little pieces clattered down to the floor. Smirking to himself, Damian put on his helmet with the Robin insignia on the forehead and rolled his cycle to the cave entrance; he didn't want to alert the butler. Robin kick-started his ride and peeled out of the Bat cave. This little Robin was ready to prove that he didn't need a babysitter to be a savior of Gotham.

I know it's been FOREVER since I wrote anything! School has been super hectic and I lost my inspiration for my Red-X story so sorry if you're waiting for an update. I'll try to write during my Spring Break next week. Thanks for the support from everybody! For this story I'm not sure who I want to be kidnapped yet even though I have it planned out. On my page is a pole so vote for who the unlucky hero it will be, Dick or Damian. It will probably help me update faster! ;) R&R!