Notes: This last chappie is a little different from the others in that there's a bit of an epilogue of sorts at the end.

Starshinesoldier: Damian doesn't spend as much time socializing with the others so they don't have a lot of 'evidence' proving his trustworthiness. All they got to go on is how Bats treats him and the Wally's impressions vs Dick's impressions arguments. But they'll change their tune soon enough ;)

Kew: I thought you might not be familiar with the references I added in the previous chapter - 1) Gandalf is a wizard in the Lord of the Rings. His scene in keeping the demon from reaching his friends and commanding 'You shall not pass!' is very popular. 2) The quote that Kaldur spoke is the first stanza of Robert Frost's poem 'The Road not Taken'. It was about reaching a point in life where you have to make a decision if you don't want to remain stagnant, and both options seem as likely as the other in that there is no Right Way, there is just one way and the other. And so Damian took one option: to save Richard and risk his relationship with his mother.

Dextra2 and my other Anonymous Guest: Thanks! Hope you like this final chapter too :)

Hours after Damian assessed and repaired what damage of the Batjet he could, hours after Pennyworth called them all for dinner; Father finally came up to announce that Richard was on the mend.

Damian kept his eyes on the bowl of pumpkin soup in front of him - he barely had any appetite after the entire confrontation with Richard's team and the waiting for updates on his brother - while the others gave sighs of relief and joyful shouts. He was successful in saving his brother's life, but the spoonful of soup in his mouth tasted like ashes.

Father's commanding, "Damian," was expected though.

Damian pushed back his chair and left the dining room to meet with his Father.

He was led into the study that held the hidden entrance to the BatCave. Father walked around to sit behind his desk as he gestured for Damian to take one of the seats in front of him. He didn't wait for Damian to get comfortable before he started.

"Report."

Damian straightened his back and calmly told him everything that happened, starting from when he discovered that Richard was poisoned. He kept his report concise and emotionless, never betraying the stabbing pain in his chest when he spoke of his confrontation with Talia. When he finished, Father heaved a deep sigh and pushed his chair back.

Damian followed his Father with his eyes as the man stepped around his desk to stand in front of him. He kept himself still and emotionless as Father crouched down and reached out to hold Damian's shoulders.

"Damian," he said, "thank you."

Damian looked into steel blue eyes that mirrored his own and saw the pain and weariness in them. He slid his legs to the ground and curled into the man's chest. And shook. And the hard wall that he had been hiding his emotions behind crumbled as his knees weakened and the only strength holding him up was his Father's.

Father's large hand was gentle as it ran through his short hair. The man's deep voice was similarly soft as he murmured soothing words - words that never seemed to sink into Damian's mind as he shook and shook.

Damian al Ghul had never cried in his life. But Damian Wayne came close to tears that one vulnerable moment in his Father's arms.

When his fit subsided, Damian pulled away, feeling the tension from when Richard first fell sick melt away.

"Damian," He glanced up when his Father called him. "Would you like to see Dick?"

For the first time in what felt like days, Damian could feel his mouth smile.

But the smile quickly faded the moment Damian saw his brother's condition.

Richard was pale. Too pale for his normal complexion. Too skinny to be healthy. The poison had wreaked havoc on Richard's body before it was stopped and it left him looking much like the corpses Damian's teachers offered to Ra's al Ghul.

"He'll be alright, Damian," Father had reassured him, pushing him to take the seat by Richard's bedside before leaving. "I promise. A good round of antibiotics, good food, and good company will get Dick back to normal in a couple of weeks."

But his Father's words were mere words. Richard was too still. Where was his idiotic grin? Where were the annoying hair ruffles?

Damian's chest felt tight. He had done this. His mother had done this to Richard to pave the way for him: Damian al Ghul-Wayne. This was because of him.

Then Richard's hand twitched.

The tight band around Damian's chest released when his brother opened his blue eyes and focused on him. "...Damie?" Richard's voice was weak, breathy, but Damian was glad to hear it after a week of silence.

"Richard," Damian gave a tight-lipped smile and pressed closer to the cot, never revealing how scared he had been a few moments ago. "How do you feel?"

"Sore. Achy." There came a rumbling sound in the vicinity of Richard's stomach. "And hungry enough to steal Wally's stash of Devil Bars."

"T-t." Damian dismissed the sweet treat made of chocolate fudge covered chocolate sponge cake with chocolate filling. He had never appreciated his brother's cravings for 'junk food.' "Empty calories. I will have Pennyworth prepare a nutritious and more filling meal for you."

Richard's laugh was breathy and quickly cut off with a groan. "Better hurry with that before my stomach eats its way through my spine."

Damian jumped up and rushed for the door. He had almost lost his brother because of his mother; he could never make it up to Richard.

He was halfway past the door - and the rest of the team standing sentinel - when he heard Richard's weak call for him. Damian turned around and was rewarded by his brother's grin.

"Thanks, Damie."

"You're my brother," was all Damian could say before he fled for the kitchen, his head ducked the entire way to keep others from seeing the answering smile on his face.

Excerpt from Damian Wayne's essay for Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time:

Love, sad to say, does not and cannot conquer all. But it is a most potent weapon against those who seek to suppress one's free will, and a most powerful motivator for its warriors. When one loves truly, one can find the strength to overcome insurmountable odds.

The entire compound was silent except for the muted sound of a construction in progress. Ra's glanced over at the reflection of his daughter who had just entered the library with a carefully blank expression. Even without her speaking a word, he knew what his daughter came to him about.

"The Detective's blood has won out." He stated, returning his attention towards his vast garden of endangered and extinct flora. The riot of colors in a garden was carefully cultivated and organized into the most pleasing arrangement possible. "A pity."

"We can attempt another, Father," Talia said softly but Ra's held up a hand to forestall her.

"No. It is obvious the circus brat acts as their moral compass. I would rather not hand over another ally to join in the Detective's crusade. If we are to win," he smiled at the sight of a team of gardeners carefully positioning a white Iris of Nazareth so it was visible through the library windows, "then the circus orphan must be eliminated or...corrupted."

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