A/N: This is just a short oneshot that I decided to write. A review on my first story got me into a Bruce and Dick mood, so kagome04, if you read this, it's because of you this idea came up!

Summary: The members of the Bat-Family have been planning a surprise party for Bruce's birthday for a while now. However, what happens when Bruce can't make it to the party because Batman has things to do? Can Dick talk Bruce into attending his own party without giving away the surprise or will Bruce miss it completely?

Lessons

They had been planning this party for some time now. No one in the Bat-Family could remember the last time Bruce Wayne had celebrated his birthday with just his family. Usually it was celebrated in the manor with the Gotham elite. This year, however, things would be different. About two months ago Dick and Tim had met up to discuss Bruce's birthday when they found out the millionaire wasn't throwing a large party. When the two of them did met to discuss the event, they always made sure to be at Dick's apartment, far away from the security of the manor. They were going to have to try really hard to keep the party on the down-low. It wasn't exactly easy to hide something from the world's greatest detective.

The plan for the party was simple. Dick wanted to make sure Bruce could be Bruce; no Batman distractions what-so-ever. Therefore, the party wouldn't take place at the manor, because it would be too easy for Bruce to disappear into the Bat-Cave if something came up. So, a month before the party, Dick made a phone call to Bruce.

"Hey, Bruce!"

"What do you need Dick, I have a meeting in five minutes."

"Well, seeing as your schedule is always so busy, I figured I should call way-way in advanced to schedule in a little us time!"

Bruce could tell there was something up. Dick was sounding a lot more chipper than usual, and for Dick, that was saying something, "Dick, what's the real reason behind this little bonding session?"

Dick frowned, why could Bruce read him so easily? "Well, okay. So, I had a reservation at that awesome steak restaurant in downtown, you know the one where, even I, have to get a reservation months in advanced? Well, yeah, but my date sort of, well, cancelled, and…"

Bruce interrupted, "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Dick laughed, "Of course not, but I know you love that place, and I don't really want to find another girl. And if I remember correctly, the last time we went to there was when I was half-your height and I was forced to for one of your business meetings."

"You ended up having a great time though, because the food was so good," Bruce argued.

"I know I did, that's why it would nice to go back," Dick replied. He didn't know if Bruce was seeing through him, but Dick sure hoped not.

"Well, ok. When is the reservation for?"

"Exactly one month from today actually! Wonderful, it's a date!"

"Dick! This isn't…" Bruce started to say, but it was too late. Dick quickly hung up with an enthusiastic, "Bye!"

When Dick hung up, he felt quite accomplished. He hadn't been lying to Bruce. They were going to the steak restaurant, but it wouldn't be just Bruce and him. Tim had called ahead to get the small VIP room in the back for maximum privacy. One month from today, he, Tim, Barbara, Alfred, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Selena, and even Clark would be seated together in that room. Dick couldn't wait to see Bruce stop functioning when he didn't know how display his surprised emotions. Oh the joy!

Exactly one month after that phone call, the day of the party arrived and Bruce was out of the manor for business. Dick and Tim sat in the main family room making various phone calls to make sure everything was in check.

"Cake?" Dick asked.

"Vanilla and will be delivered at 7:10, twenty minutes before we arrive."

"Decorations?"

"Barbara and I are heading there this afternoon to make sure everything is just as we planned."

Dick continued asking about each item on his list until he reached the end, "Well, looks like that's about everything!"

"About?" Tim asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yup, about. I still have to get dressed and get Bruce to the place on time!" Dick answered with a lopsided grin.

Tim smiled back, "I forgot about that part. Seems kind of important, too."

The two brothers laughed together. Dick looked at the watch on his wrist, "It's almost 5 o'clock. Bruce usually gets off work around 5:45. I should probably get dressed so I can meet him at his office. I called Lucius and he said Bruce had a little meeting with him at 6-ish today to show him some new gadget. I told Lucius I would be crashing the meeting," Dick finished with a wink.

"Sounds good. Barbara and I will be heading to the restaurant around 6:20 to put everything up, so if anything happens, just call us," Tim told his older brother, "And, I hope its safe to have this little meeting in the manor. I feel like Bruce can hear every word we say."

"I wouldn't doubt it, but I made sure this room wasn't bugged before we came in here."

"I don't know what's worse, our paranoia or the fact you actually had check to make sure it wasn't bugged because it might be," Tim asked rhetorically with a questioning look.

"In this family? I still check my apartment to make sure it isn't bugged every once in a while."

Tim laughed at Dick's serious face that eventually turned into bad poker face.

"Well, I'm out Tim. Make sure Alfred doesn't lift a finger tonight. This is a family party and I don't expect Alfred to work it," Dick ordered as he left the main room to head up stairs.

"Gotcha!"

Around forty minutes later, Dick found himself standing in Bruce's office staring out the large windows that looked over the city. From here, the city felt huge. He wondered how they were able to cover so much of it while on their patrols.

The nostalgia of being in Bruce's office was starting to set in. When he was younger he would sometimes be dropped off by Alfred after school to wait for Bruce to get off of work. Dick used to love sitting in the large, spinning chair behind the desk while he waited. Whenever Bruce would finally walk in at the end of work, Dick would spin around laughing maniacally. He remembered always demanding all the chocolate chip cookies after patrol that night or else. To this day, he couldn't come up with an "or else" to threaten Bruce with. Nowadays, if he sat in the chair, his head would be seen above it from behind. Dick sighed and looked at his watch. As soon as he did, the door to the office opened and Bruce walked in.

Bruce stopped short and looked at Dick in surprise, "Dick, what are you doing here?"

Dick's smile faded, "What do you mean what am I doing here? Bruce, you didn't forget…" Dick's voice trailed off as he wondered if Bruce had actually forgot about tonight's plans.

"Forget what, Dick?" Bruce asked noticing the hurt expression.

"About the…" Dick was interrupted when a door on the wall to his right opened up and Lucius stepped out.

"Mr. Wayne, I have those things you wish to look at ready," Lucius said to Bruce. He glanced at Dick, "Good to see you Richard, long time no see."

"Yeah, real long time," Dick answered barely audible, "But Bruce…"

Once again Dick was interrupted, "Is it an emergency, Dick? Can it wait twenty minutes? Lucius has something really important that could help with a case I'm trying to finish tonight."

"Tonight?!" Dick asked a little harsher than he intended.

Bruce turned to his former partner, "Yes, is there something wrong with that?"

"Well,"

Once again, Bruce interrupted Dick, "Look, like I said, this is important. Can this wait?" Without even waiting for an answer, Bruce walked toward Lucius and stepped into the research room.

Dick growled. And to think he was throwing a party for this man.

"Mr. Wayne this piece right here," Lucius started, but that's all Dick heard about the product. He spent the rest of the meeting trying to get a word in with Bruce, until his former mentor asked him to go look at something across the room. Dick felt like a child who was being punished. How could Bruce forget? He had put it in Bruce's phone and Alfred had written it on the calendar on the fridge. Was he that unimportant? Finally, the meeting finished and Bruce thanked Lucius. He placed the new item into a specialized briefcase that nobody would notice as anything out of the ordinary.

When Lucius left and the research room was locked up, Dick turned to Bruce, "So, can I actually talk now?"

"Of course, and if I might add, I don't know why you're acting so rude today," Bruce blatantly replied.

Dick was started to get angry, but he tried hard not to show it, "Well, we had plans tonight."

"Doing what?" Bruce asked looking Dick in the eyes. He really forgot about it, Dick thought.

His voiced lowered, "I had reservations at that steak restaurant."

Bruce looked like he was thinking before recognition finally showed on his face, "That "date" thing. That's tonight?"

"I put it in your phone," came the quiet response. Dick watched as Bruce packed up papers from his desk, "But I mean, its fine. We still have plenty of time to make it."

Bruce froze, "Well…"

This time it was Dick's turn to interrupt, "What do you mean well?"

"Couldn't we just reschedule? I'm following an important case and I've almost reached a breakthrough."

"Reschedule?! Bruce we can't just reschedule," Dick nearly shouted. He had to stop himself from saying, "There is a group of people waiting to surprise you for YOUR birthday. No, we can't just reschedule."

"Dick, look. I can easily get a reservation again."

"Bruce, am I that unimportant to you that you can't take one night off to just have dinner with me?"

If the words hurt Bruce, he didn't show it, "Dick, I'm not saying that. I just have things to do."

"Bruce you always have things to do. Why is it so difficult to take one night off?"

"You know the Mission. I am trying to protec…"

"Blah with the Mission, Bruce! Promise me, I know all about the Mission, it took up my childhood," Dick shouted tossing his hands in the air for emphasis.

"Calm down, Dick. It's just a reservation."

Dick didn't know what to say. He was hurt, because technically Bruce was cancelling plans between them that were made a month ago. But also, Bruce was cancelling on people who actually cared about him. He couldn't say that though, they would be devastated after working so hard to have Dick spoil the surprise. At this rate, it wouldn't matter, because the surprise might not happen.

"It isn't just a reservation, Bruce. It's a chance to catch up with someone who thought you considered him a son," Dick said. He was making things personal now, "It's a chance to just sit down and pretend all the fights between us didn't happen. A chance to just talk."

Dick could tell Bruce was pondering over the words.

Finally, Bruce replied, "Dick, I consider you my son, but this case…"

"Is more important," Dick finished lifting his head to meet Bruce's eyes. Bruce didn't reply. His silence was everything, it meant what Dick had said was true, "It's nice to know, I guess."

Bruce stood near his desk frozen. Dick knew he wouldn't respond. Bruce was terrible with emotions and people, especially people who gave him emotion back.

Dick broke the silence first, "Look, I have dinner plans still, so have a great night in front of the computer, alone, in the dark." Every word came out slow with great emphasis on each syllable. Dick was hurt and he wasn't afraid to show it. He turned to leave. He silently wished that Bruce would tell him to stop, but it never happened. Dick reached the door and paused before opening it, still wishing. Nothing. He left.

As he walked down the hall to the elevator, he thought of calling Tim or Barbara, but he couldn't right now. He needed to get away from Bruce's office, away from Wayne Enterprises, and away from Bruce. When the elevator opened, he stepped inside and turned around to face the door. Down the hall, Bruce walked out of his office holding the briefcase. Their eyes met, but Bruce made no move toward Dick. He was just leaving, he wasn't coming for me. Dick pressed the close door button and then Bruce was replaced by his own reflection on the elevator's door. Dick took a huge breath and fell against the back wall of the elevator.

Suddenly, he felt extremely claustrophobic. He reached up to loosen his tie as the elevator opened on the ground floor. Dick walked out and headed toward the main doors. However, half way there he stopped and headed back toward the main lobby desk.

"Mrs.?" Dick asked getting the secretary's attention.

"Yes, Mr. Grayson?" she replied instantly recognizing him.

Dick reached inside his suit jacket pulling out a box, "Can you make sure Bruce gets this before he leaves?"

"Of course, I can!"

"Thank you," he said, flashing her the best smile he could give.

On the way to the restaurant he still didn't call Tim or Barbara. He was already over thirty minutes late. As he walked through the building to the VIP room, he noticed a dad and son sitting together having dinner.

Would he and Bruce ever be that way? Civilized human beings who just spent time together? Bruce had done a lot for him, sure, and he appreciated it. But there were times when Dick sunk into the darkness and needed people. Usually Tim, Barbara, or Alfred would come to his emotional aid. Bruce just didn't understand how to handle those types of situations. Right now, he wished things were simpler. Sometimes he wished Bruce wasn't Batman. Bruce Wayne was the man who had taken him in all those years ago. Bruce Wayne the human being who saw a hurting soul and took him under his wing. Not Batman's wing, but Bruce's.

Nowadays, you could barely tell Bruce apart from Batman unless you were surrounded by people who weren't supposed to know the latter was Bruce, too.

As he passed the pair, he took a long glance as the two laughed at a joke the older man told. They were so happy. If only.

Finally, he reached the doors of the VIP room. He took a long breath before pushing them open and walking in. Everyone inside came out yelling surprise, but soon noticed Dick's oneness and the look on his face.

Tim was the first to ask the elephant in the room question, "Where's Bruce?"

Dick began to speak when a voice behind him answered the question.

"Stopped to use the restroom, but I don't think Dick noticed," Bruce said as he moved to stand next to Dick, placing an arm around his shoulder. Dick couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

"B..Bruce, but what about?" Dick whispered to Bruce.

"Some things are more important than the Mission," Bruce replied handing Dick the box he had given to the secretary, "Thanks, Dick. I'm proud to call you my son."

Dick smiled as he opened the box. Inside was a picture frame with the saying, "World's Greatest Dad" etched on the top. Underneath it, Dick had written in pen, "And Detective!" in his best handwriting. Inside the frame was a picture of Bruce and him from when he first arrived at the manor, smiling and happy.

He thought of the dad and son at the table from earlier. When he looked up he noticed Tim laughing at a joke Bruce had told. It was suddenly apparent that he didn't have to wish for the same thing to happen in his family, because it already was.