Hey, PhoenixxFlame here!

I know, I know, its been a REALLY long time since I last updated. I suppose the only real explanation I can give is that I have been really busy lately and fanfiction hasn't been on top of my list of priorities. So I haven't been able to write as much as I have been. But although it may take a while, I am not going to give up on this fic, it will be completed.

Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, they mean a lot :)

Ok now that's done, I hope you all enjoy the next segment of the story. Enjoy.

(A little warning for Jason's swearing)

xxxx

Slade had kept his word about not letting Dick practice his acrobatics. The next morning when Dick woke, he got changed into some clean clothes and wondered over to the gym to meet Slade for their morning training. As he entered the room, he noticed that in some places it was bare, equipment like the bars and trapeze had all been put away. Instead of the rows of weapons that usually lined the walls, all that was present were a couple of staffs, eskrima sticks and guns, as well as a few targets.

Slade was waiting on the other side of the room, calmly watching for Dick's reaction. Dick, still sore from last night's argument, remained quiet and stiffly walked to the centre of the room, stopping once he reached the centre of the mat.

Slade walked up to him and got him to do some warm ups. Neither spoke to each other, other than about the training; they just warmed up quietly together, silently edging each other on. Then, once their muscles had been stretched to a suitable amount, Slade had made Dick go through some katas. Over and over again, Dick practiced the same movements, committing them to memory. Slade making comments every now and then, pointing out his faults and making him correct and repeat them until he had them right.

Dick didn't complain and Slade didn't torment. After an hour, Slade allowed Dick a fifteen minute spar to finish. It was good; it allowed Dick to release some energy he had built up from the katas, which were too slow to really get his heart racing.

Slade didn't go easy on him; he didn't allow Dick any free hits or advantages, making him work for it. Slade used attacks which allowed Dick to use that katas he had practiced earlier, allowing Dick to put them into action. This went on and Dick found himself loosening up, he was still angry but this spar allowed him to release it without being punished. Slade came in for a punch and Dick entered too, knocking his fist to one side, he hooked his leg around Slade's and using his momentum against him forced him to the ground, as soon as Slade landed Dick rolled away and got up onto one knee.

"Good, Richard." Slade stated as he stood and Dick paused, catching his breath. "You've used the katas well and your timing was excellent."

Slade turned and wondered off the mat, "Now, go clean up and have some breakfast. Meet me after in the workshop."

"What?" Dick questioned. "But we've only just started!" He complained, still having loads of energy he needed to burn off. Slade inclined his head towards him,

"I know." He spoke, "But this is your punishment, remember?" he drawled and Dick grimaced but didn't push the subject. Instead he sighed,

"Yes Sir." He would rather get these two weeks over and done with than risk gaining more time.

"Exactly." Slade agreed, "Now go."

Dick did as he was told and took a shower, washing his body free of the sweat that had gathered from training and dressed in some comfortable clothes. He really wasn't looking forward to Robotics, he was perfectly capable at computer code and had successfully produced programs to hack into high security companies. Every now and then, Slade would teach him a new program or show him an easier way to get past a specific firewall, which helped to pass the time.

But Robotics, stupid Robotics! Dick was hopeless at it. To the untrained eye, it would seem that both Robotics and computing would go hand in hand with each other, if you knew one thing then the other should be easy. But that was wrong, computing the robots were only a small part of the process. You also had to take into account wiring, electronics, physics, mechanics and a ton of other variables, making it a difficult skill to master.

Unfortunately for Dick, he never had a big grasp onto it like he did computing, and he quickly found himself struggling to keep up with Slade's demanding schedule. He tried hard but for some reason it wasn't sticking, things like wiring it incorrectly or placing the wrong part in the wrong area were only two of the examples he could give. So having it doubled up on his training schedule wasn't going to be easy. He knew that computing skills were necessary and learning Robotics could come in handy, especially when Slade has enough for a private army, but this was going to be long, hard and boring.

Dick groaned about the thought of it all the way to the kitchen, dreading how these two weeks would pan out. But then, a delicious smell filled his nostrils and immediately lifted his spirits. Picking up his pace, Dick opened the door to the kitchen and found Wintergreen standing over the oven and preparing a full English breakfast.

Sausages, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns and baked beans were all seen steaming on Dick's plate and Wintergreen lifted the frying pan off of the hob and scrapped the bacon onto the remaining clear space. Dick's mouth began to water.

"What's all this for?" Dick questioned as he sat down in an empty chair at the table. Both Wintergreen and Slade was sticklers for eating healthily and Dick hardly ever got to eat something else, so just seeing the pile of unhealthy goodness on the counter was heaven for him.

"I know things must have been difficult for you last night," Dick's smile dropped slightly. "So I thought you might need something to cheer you up." Wintergreen explained as he pushed the breakfast under Dick's nose.

"But do not expect this every time." He warned and Dick gave a grin at his gentle glare.

"Will do, thanks Wintergreen." Dick said and he dived into the delicious looking food. Wintergreen nodded in return,

"It is no problem."

They then both lapsed into a comfortable silence and every now and then would relax into quiet conversation. Wintergreen had put the pans and everything to one side to clean later and had joined Dick at the table, enjoying a nice cup of tea. Just sitting here was nice, it was peaceful, and it helped Dick just to forget his troubles by doing something normal for a change. But soon it had to end.

"Richard." Wintergreen said while glancing at the clock, "You may want to finish up soon; Slade will be waiting for you."

Dick sighed and placed the last few mouthfuls in his mouth. He stood and picked up his dish while chewing and went to the sink, giving it a quick wash and left it on the draining board to dry.

"Thanks for the meal Wintergreen, it was great."

"Of course it was, I never cook anything bad."

Dick let out a laugh,

"Of course, sorry." He grinned and walked out of the room.

Spirits lifted slightly, Dick walked to the workshop to find that Slade hadn't arrived yet, so he walked over and sat down. The work shop was basically a room with a large work desk along one wall and pieces of wiring, metals, tools placed all over the place.

Looking on the desk, Dick found the schematics of one of Slade's more basic robots and a bunch of materials to one side. With nothing else to do, Dick started to study the paper. He had seen it before, Slade had gone over most of his robots with him, but this was the one Dick was studying most of all.

He had started learning Robotics a month in with training with Slade, but was going over the basics and looking at random machines until Slade felt him competent enough to start on the more complicated robots.

Studying the paper, Dick found the schematics were of the arm on this robot. He groaned and dropped the paper back down onto the table; he definitely did not want to do this.

"Quit complaining." A voice called out from the doorway. "This is an important skill to have." Slade stated as he walked over to the work bench,

"Yeah, well it's also not an easy skill to learn." Dick glared as he watched Slade sit down into the seat next to him.

"Nothing worth having in this world is easy." Slade countered as he reached over and grabbed the schematics.

"True." Dick grumbled and waited patiently for Slade to begin. Slade looked at the paper for a moment for planning and then pushed it over to Dick.

"Now," he began, "If you look here…"

Three hours and two fifteen minute breaks later, Dick was finally let out of the room. Bored beyond belief and ridiculously tired, he wondered down towards the kitchen for lunch.

"Cheer up, it wasn't that bad." Slade spoke from beside him.

"If you say so." He mumbled back as he walked into the kitchen. Wintergreen wasn't present so Dick walked over to the cupboards and pulled out the makings for a sandwich. Slade picked up the newspaper on the table Wintergreen was reading earlier and sat down, opening it to a random page.

"Aren't you going to get something to eat?" Dick questioned,

"No." Slade replied absently.

"Wintergreen would have something to say about that."

"Wintergreen isn't here."

Dick finished making his sandwich in silence and sat down. It might have been fine for Slade, but for Dick, the silence was still awkward. Slade must have noticed, but he just kept reading and turned the page occasionally.

The year away with Slade had been long, and things were still awkward. Dick felt a little bad in the sense that he had been so caught up in his training, that he hadn't made much effort to get to know Slade. Yes, they could hold a decent conversation with each other, but Dick found it hard when he knew almost nothing about his new mentor, and he knew almost everything about him.

"Slade?"

"hm?" He replied absently.

"When will I get to track down Zucco?"

"Once your punishment is over."

"Right…" there was more silence. Slade folded the newspaper over and placed it onto the table. Dick glanced up from his meal and watched as Slade folded his arms while leaning back in his chair.

"Tony Zucco has not been seen for over six months, and the only time he was spotted was more of a rumour than an actual sighting. He's being extremely careful, knowing that both Batman and you are after him."

Dick remained silent but nodding in understanding.

"Don't expect this to be quick, it may take months and I'm going to have to go through a lot of contacts to find this man. And Batman knows that you're going after Zucco now so we're going to have to be extra careful."

Dick kept his face blank as Slade leaned forward again and turned his warning glare onto him. Nodding, he watched as Slade held his gaze for a moment longer until sighing and leaned back on his chair. Raising his and to the bottom of his mask in a thinking pose, Slade started talking again.

"Maybe I should start placing some informers on the streets…" He mumbled more to himself than Dick.

It was then that Dick allowed himself a small smile. Standing, he washed his plate and put it away silently as Slade continued to mentally plan.

"I'm going to go and start on the computer." He stated,

"Hmm." Slade replied absently from his chair.

Dick walked all the way to the main room and sat down in front of the large computer. He stared at the blackened screen, then turned it on and happily got on with his work.

The happiness didn't last long. It had been a week since the punishment began and Dick felt himself grow more and more frustrated as each second passed. He itched to do something other than studying, the shortened physical training was not enough to satisfy him. Dick wanted to train till he dropped, to feel each muscle burn as he pushed them to their limits.

But Slade had not relented. True to his word, he had kept Dick working on the more intellectual aspects of his training, which meant sitting still and studying. Slade had made sure not let Dick get sloppy with his hand-to-hand combat and weapons training, but he had done so in a way that always made Dick feel that he needed to do more. And the worst thing about this entire situation was that Dick had another week of it to endure.

Dick moaned into the table,

"Kill me now Wintergreen." He grumbled.

"That is not the correct attitude to have." Wintergreen's voice came somewhere off to the left of where he sat. Dick turned his head to watch Wintergreen wiping down the worktop, breakfast's smells still lingering in the air from this morning's cooking.

"I don't care," he complained, "I can't take it anymore." Turning his head back down to the table.

"It's only another week."

"Exactly, a whole week! A whole new week of mind killing dullness." He moaned, throwing his hands in the air for extra impact. When he didn't get the reaction he wanted out of Wintergreen he slumped back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh,

"I swear, if I stay in here for another day without doing anything exciting I'll go crazy." He muttered to more himself than anyone else, but Wintergreen picked up on it anyway.

"And what would you suggest?" He asked, still with his back turned to Dick. He shrugged,

"I don't know." He paused, thinking. "Why not let me go out for a bit as Dick Grayson. I just need to get out of here and get some fresh air."

Wintergreen paused in his cleaning and turned to face Dick, head cocked to one side as he contemplated,

"Hmm. Well, I don't see why not." He watched as Dick's face lit up, "But." He warned "You'll have to ask Slade. I have no problems with letting you go, but it's up to him."

Dick's expression sobered slightly but he still smiled, realising he could be able to get out. But Slade would be hard to convince, considering that he was supposed to be 'grounded'.

"Well." He said while standing, "No time like the present."

He quickly found Slade sitting in his office, shifting through some paperwork as he wrote down notes. Knocking on the threshold of the door, he waited for Slade to look up and beckon him in.

"Richard," He called out in greeting, placing his pen down onto the mahogany top. "What can I do for you?"

"Well I was wondering…" He paused, considering his words carefully.

"Yes?" Slade encouraged,

"I was wondering if I could go out for a while, as Dick Grayson." He added hastily. Slade didn't reply straight away. Instead, he laced his fingers together and rested his chin on them in a thoughtful pose as he watched Dick.

"You're supposed to be grounded." His voice was stern.

"I know." Dick agreed, "But I just need to get out for a bit, get some fresh air. I can't stand being cooped up in here."

"You are being punished for a reason." Slade's voice turning even sterner.

"I know," He repeated again, ", I just need to go for a walk and I promise I won't do anything."

Slade was silent and stared at Dick. Dick stared back, refusing to drop his gaze. A whole silent battle was going on between them and Slade could see how determined Dick was about going outside. Leaning back in his chair without leaving Dick's gaze, he called out.

"And what do you think Will?" Dick, twitching slightly as he realised that Slade wasn't talking to him

"I have already told Richard that I am fine with it, but the final decision is up to you." Wintergreen said as he walked in with a tray of tea and placed it onto the corner of Slade's desk.

"I do think it is a good idea to let the boy out for a bit, we are running low on milk." He continued as he started to pour the tea into a cup.

Slade gave a smirk and moved his gaze from Dick to the readily made tea that was placed in front of him.

"Fine, you may go." Dick gave a smile, "But, I want you to take an ear comm and phone with you and if I call you, I want you to head back here straight away, no exceptions."

"Agreed," Dick nodded, "Thanks Slade, thanks Wintergreen!" He turned and almost ran out of the office and to his room, eager to get out and go.

Dick was up and out within half an hour of running out of Slade's office. He dressed up in his civilian clothes and had a grey coat and scarf on to protect him from the upcoming winter chill. He took his time as he meandered around the streets of his former city, watching as it's other inhabitants kept their heads down as they walked, eager to get out of the cold atmosphere. Dick looked to the sky and watched as the grey clouds melded into one dull overcast, making an almost depressed atmosphere down on the streets.

But Dick's attitude was light, happy that at this moment he had no responsibilities. He wasn't training, learning or being Radical, he was simply Dick Grayson and he was enjoying it. But that didn't stop him from reminiscing his time as Robin as he passed a memorable alleyway or street. Every now and then he would pause and watch as his memories showed him swooping down from the sky and taking down the group of thugs below, tying them up and sending a message to the police before disappearing again with Batman. He smiled and remembered that that was a time where everything was so simple, and nothing was complicated.

Although Dick was more relaxed then he had felt in a long while, he still found himself looking over his shoulder and keeping an eye out for anyone who may be following. He knew it was silly to think that Bruce would come searching for him in broad daylight, considering he was CEO of Wayne Enterprises and had many responsibilities he had to attend to during the day, but Dick could never be too careful.

But he enjoyed his time outside none the less and let his feet carry him throughout the city, not paying attention to where he was going. He just walked, and it wasn't long before Dick found that he had walked all the way to the gated garden of Gotham Cemetery.

He took it in for a moment, it looked exactly the same since he was last here, with maybe a little more rust on the black bars. The gates were open, almost welcoming him in as he walked through.

The park inside was quiet as Dick strode along the gravel path, his eyes glancing at the different names that marked the many tombstones that covered the green area. He nodded to the different families he passed and they nodded in return, most holding sorrowful expressions as they did so.

Dick continued down the path that he had walked so many times before. He enjoyed the silence the cemetery offered as he walked down the different twists and turns until he arrived in front of a large oak tree. Settled underneath its protective branches, lay the graves of his parents.

They stood tall, made of dark marble shaped into beautiful spires that Bruce had kindly paid for. They laid there side by side for all eternity, watching over their son together as time continued to pass. Dick sat down in front of them, crossed legged and took a deep breath. He hadn't been able to visit his parents since his time away and he felt bad. But after being back all these years he felt at ease, it felt right to be by their side again.

"Hello Mamă, Tată…" He began and then lapsed into quiet conversation.

Dick talked to them about the events over the past year. He told them about the Team, he told them about Bruce, he told them about his time with Joker. He told them everything. He told them about the pain he felt of Bruce's betrayal, watching as the younger Robin walked into the room in front of him. He told them that he felt that Slade was the only person he could turn to, to help him get back at Zucco when Bruce wouldn't. He told them that he felt guilty about not saying goodbye to Alfred, and he told them about Wintergreen.

Once he started, Dick found that he couldn't stop. It all came flooding out of his mouth, every detail and emotion he felt the past year he described to his parents. But he didn't feel any anger or sadness, he spoke to them in a calm, soft tone as though he were speaking as a spectator in his own life.

He felt the wind lightly ruffle his hair as he talked, and he tightened the scarf around his neck. The graves of his parents listened to what he had to say, giving no criticisms or words of disappointment, just heeding the need of their child at this moment.

Dick knew that they could not answer him, just like the many other times he sat in front of them like this, but he always felt that they could hear him. But even throughout his speech, Dick did not ask once for his parent's forgiveness. Although he knew that they would not approve of his methods, he felt as though what he was doing was right, and he clung to that with all that he could.

Once he had finished telling his tale, Dick laid back and watched as the branches swayed when the light breeze ran through them. He closed his eyes and enjoyed this peaceful place with his parents, appreciating the tranquil quiet that surrounded them and although it could not be for long, his family was together again for a short while.

But soon the bitter air grew too cold for Dick to handle and he stood back onto his feet, readjusting his coat as he rose.

"I'm sorry it's been so long." Dick apologised as he brushed off some fallen leaves from the top of their graves. "But I should be in Gotham for a while now, so I'll visit again soon."

He pressed his fingers to his lips and placed them against the cold marble, "I love you both so much." He spoke quietly, his voice filled with so much sadness. He missed them immensely, but he had been apart from them for so long that he had no more tears to shed. He only had the empty feeling in his chest that he knew would never be filled again. Nonetheless he had accepted this and dedicated the rest of his life to doing the best he could, making sure that no one else had to go through the same pain.

He stepped back a few paces before turning and walking away completely, his demeanour had sobered slightly and he felt a sense of wholeness fill him, happy that he had seen his family again after a year of being away.

Dick strode out of the cemetery and walked down the street, taking a deep breath as he went. He decided that he had had enough for this afternoon and began to make his way back towards the haunt, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Dick's walk was slower this time and he hunched slightly as he made his way down the street. He took a deep breath and listened to the distant car horns as angry drivers communicated with each other, allowing their cars to deliver their irritated message for them. People went about their business, some narrowly avoiding hitting him as they passed and those who did would mutter a curse under their breaths towards him. Dick gave a small smile, as bad a reputation that Gotham had he couldn't help but feel fond of it, the city was familiar to him and never really changed since all the years he had lived there. It was one of the few things that hadn't.

Then, just as he passed a street vendor trying to sell him some fruit, a cold shiver ran through him and he felt like he was being watched. Giving a silent curse, Dick continued to act as natural as possible as he allowed his training from both Bruce and Slade to kick in. Making a move to cross the road, Dick turned his head from side to side looking as if he was checking for cars, but instead was looking around for anyone suspicious.

From the corner of his eye Dick could make out a figure, too far away to identify, walk slightly faster than the rest. Giving a frown, Dick jogged across to the other side and continued his way down the opposite street. Pausing nonchalantly by a window, he watched in its reflection as the stalker slowly but purposefully crossed after him.

Moving on from the window, Dick strolled down the pavement while keeping his body as hunched over as possible until he reached the nearest alleyway. Once he reached the mouth Dick raced in, his pursuer hot on his trail. He decided to face his stalker head on. He could understand being chased when he was suited up as Radical, but no one should be after him as Dick Grayson. According to the records Dick Grayson had been out of the country for almost two years for his studies, so there was no way people would be after him here, especially since this was his first appearance as Dick since arriving. Not many people knew that Dick would be back, so he was curious to see who had managed to find him.

Dick led his pursuer down the labyrinth of different back streets until he found a secluded spot. Happy that this place would do for the confrontation, knowing that no one would disturb them, Dick hid and waited for his pursuer to run into the alley behind him.

Their footsteps thundered off the walls as they entered the area. Dick watched as the pursuer came to a sudden stop and let out a curse as they pivoted in a circle, trying to gain any insight to where Dick could have disappeared to. As Dick watched from his hiding place, he was surprised to see that his pursuer was none other than Jason Todd, the replacement Robin. He was panting slightly from running and looked very pissed off, frustrated that he lost his target.

"If you wanted to see me this badly you could have just said hello," Dick called, moving out of his spot. Jason snapped his attention around to face him and moved quickly into a defensive stance.

"Jason." He greeted and he replied in turn, although with much more hostility.

"Grayson."

There was a moment of silence as the two legacies of Robin sized each other up. Dick crossed his arms and leaned back onto the nearby wall, watching as Jason didn't take his eyes off him or relax his stance at all.

"How's the team doing?" Jason flinched slightly, not expecting the question.

"Um yeah, they're doing good. Moved on since your desertion." Jason added cuttingly. Dick's calm expression twitched slightly at the remark but made no other move that he was affected by it. Instead, his lips thinned and he nodded his head silently, accepting the statement.

"And Alfred? How's he holding up?" Jason relaxed from his stance since there was no threat of attack yet. He nodded at Dick's question,

"Fine. Getting on, but that doesn't stop him from having a go at Bruce and me when he needs to." Dick let out a snort at the comment,

"Yeah, that sounds like Alfred." He said while smiling.

"Got that right." Jason added grumpily. "I swear he's only pretending to be old." Dick laughed knowing exactly what Jason meant, he remembered thinking that to himself on more than one occasion. Jason felt a grin spread on his face at the sound.

"Oh man, I know exactly what you mean."

For a moment they weren't enemies, they were just two people that could become friends.

"Yeah well..." Jason trailed off and the silence began once again. Yes, these two could have become friends once upon a time, if the circumstances were different. Dick's face blanked again, and he spoke sadly.

"What do you want Jason, why did you follow me?" He sounded tired,

"To talk."

"Talk, that's all?" Dick questioned, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"That depends on your answer." Jason replied coolly. Dick studied him for a moment, eyes narrowing as he contemplated his words. Then he pushed himself from the wall.

"Fine. What do you want to 'talk' about?" Jason took a breath,

"To give you one more chance to come back to Bruce." Dick snorted and smirked at him,

"Really? And if I refuse?"

"I'll drag you back myself."

Dick's smirk froze as he continued to study his replacement, Jason's jaw was set and the sharp look in his eyes told him all that he needed to know, Jason was serious. Dick sighed,

"Look, no offence but I really doubt that."

"Why?" Jason argued, growing angry. "I've gotten stronger this past year."

Dick's glare turned deadly as he stared out the other boy.

"So have I, and I've trained with someone a hell of a lot more dangerous."

Jason just looked at him, he was obviously furious, but his expression held one of almost disbelief. Slowly he shook his head and turned in a full circle, trying to calm himself down. He took a breath and when he next looked at Dick, his expression was angry.

"What happened to you?" He questioned. "People were always telling me how great you were, how you always tried you best to save everyone. You kept everyone in high spirits and helped when they were in trouble. You didn't threaten those trying to help you..."

Dick remained silent, listening to Jason's rant with a cool facade, but his hands began to clench into fists at his sides.

"I don't give a flying fuck about what you do, but Bruce and Alfred? They care about you, they want to save you. Do you know how long it took Bruce to stop putting every criminal he saw in a body cast? Months! Criminals wanted to take their chances in Arkham rather than being on the streets, Bruce was that dangerous. He was finally getting back on track."

Jason trailed off slightly as he remembered all of the long hours waiting for Bruce to come back from patrol. Seeing the blood on his knuckles every time he got home, his alarmingly short temper. Jason shook his head free of the thoughts and jammed his finger into Dick's chest.

"Then YOU come back with your holier than thou attitude, do this to him and start the whole cycle again. Do you even know who badly you screwed up? He was your father and-"

Dick snarled and slapped Jason's hand away, his fists grabbing handfuls of Jason's shirt. Dick pulled and dragged Jason close to his face.

"-He is NOT my father! My father is dead, thanks to the man that HE kept from me." Dick paused and let the words sink in. "Bruce kept my parents murderer away from me, what sort of father would do that?"

"One that was trying to protect you!" Jason argued back, prying himself away from Dick's grip. "What he did might not have been right, but it was what he thought was best. Don't just decide to go off with some psycho and demand revenge because of one mistake!"

Dick snapped. He grabbed Jason and flung him into the wall, pinning him against the cold stone with an arm lock. Jason hissed as he increased the pressure.

"Don't. You. Dare." Dick gritted out slowly. His voice menacingly dangerous as he glared at the back of Jason's head. "Don't you dare judge me. I'm held captive for over three months and when I come back I find you, wear MY uniform, acting like you know everything and have all the answers. I am sick of you criticising everything I do."

Jason shifted his weight and slammed his head back onto Dick's temple. Dick managed to avoid the oncoming head-butt, but let go of Jason's arm in the process. Using Dick's surprise to his advantage, Jason spun and landed a kick in his stomach, forcing him back a few steps.

"Then get off your fucking high horse and quit acting like such an ass."

Dick blinded by anger, didn't react in time as Jason's fist connected with his jaw and he fell back into the wall behind him. Spitting out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, Dick wiped his face with the back of his sleeve and propelled himself forward, eager to shut Jason up for good.

The manor was quiet that afternoon. Both Bruce and Jason had left to go about their days and so left Alfred to finish up all the jobs he was required to do as the head and only butler of the estate. Finishing dusting the massive dining hall he let out a sigh, happy that that was all the dusting finished for the day, and placed the duster back with the cleaning supplies.

Making his way over to the kitchen, Alfred mentally planned what he was going to cook for this evening's meal, and started to gather the necessary ingredients on top of one of the kitchen worktops. Just about to place on an apron, Alfred heard the manor's telephone go off. Letting out a quiet huff, he briskly walked over to the nearest phone and answered,

"Wayne Manor." He greeted.

"Hey Alfred." Alfred felt himself freeze up as he instantly recognised the voice on the other end. He hadn't expected him to call, so was surprised to hear his voice.

"Master Dick, I heard that you had arrived back in Gotham."

"Yeah, for a while." There was a pause as Dick considered his words, "How are you doing Alfred?"

"I am in good health thank you. I must say it is good to hear from you Master Dick."

"Yeah," Another pause, did Dick's voice sound shaky? Alfred couldn't tell. "Yeah, it's good to hear from you too."

"Is everything ok with you Master Dick? Are you eating well?" A chuckle could be heard from the other end,

"I'm eating fine, although nothing compares to your cooking. Actually I'm-" there was a sharp silence as Dick cut himself off short. "-Look, I'm sorry to call but Jason's currently unconscious behind a dumpster on…Wick Avenue. You might want to come pick him up."

Alfred frowned into the phone and was angry that he couldn't hide the disappointment in his words,

"I see."

"Jason came after me, I was only defending myself." Dick defended to him.

"No no, I understand. Jason has always acted rather…rashly at times, more so than you." Another pause. "Why don't you come home, Master Dick?" Alfred pleaded. "Just forget about this whole thing, we can try and-"

"- No Alfred." Dick cut him off. "Just…no. I can't just leave this, I have to finish it, so please don't ask me to. Please try to understand, I can't go on until Zucco's gone." Alfred felt a slight panic race through him, not quite understanding what Dick meant by 'gone'. But before he had time to question, Dick continued.

"I need to do this." The last comment threw him slightly, Dick sounded so delicate at that moment. Alfred was almost afraid that if he said something wrong, Dick would shatter. He nodded,

"I think I understand." Alfred heard a quiet sigh on the other end. "Just promise me that you will be careful, and that you will take care of yourself?" He knew that there wasn't anything he could do to stop Dick, only understand him and help if he could.

"I promise…Thank you Alfred." Dick's voice was louder now, more confident.

"Take care."

Then there was the continuous beep as Dick disconnected the call. Alfred sighed sadly as he placed down the phone onto the small table. There was nothing he could do, Alfred would just have to let the events play out in front of him and hope that nothing too bad would come out of it.

With everything else put on hold, Alfred went to collect the keys for the car and made his way to pick up the unfortunate Jason.

Dick lowered Jason's phone and threw it back onto Jason's unconscious body. That call had really shaken him up and he feared that if Alfred had asked him to come home again, he would have.

He felt bad about having to be so abrupt to Alfred, and he almost couldn't handle the disappointment that laced his words when he told him where Jason was. But he took a deep breath and looked over to where Jason lay, his face was bloody and clothes were dirty from the scuffle, but other than that he didn't look too bad.

Dick was the same, his clothes were messed up slightly and he could feel some bruises start to form on his body but apart from that he was well. He was impressed by how much Jason had improved in the past year, although he wasn't at Dick's level. It was obvious that he had trained hard, and Dick commended him on that.

Dick jumped slightly as his comm went off in his ear, it was Slade. Giving a heavy sigh, Dick answered.

"Hello?"

"You need to come back right away." Slade's monotone voice sounded through the speaker.

"Is there any reason?" Dick asked dully, deciding not to tell Slade of his encounter with Jason right at this second.

"I have something that may be of interest to you." Dick's ears perked up,

"You have a lead on Zucco?" Dick allowed a small amount of hope to enter his voice,

"Maybe, now hurry up and get back here."

Dick paused slightly and glanced towards Jason,

"On my way."

xxxx

And there you go, what did you think? Review and let me know!

I'll see you all next time,

PhoenixxFlame