A/N: So I decided to continue it... Don't expect regular updates forever. Maybe only the rest of this week and next week. That's all I'm saying - not even promising. (Applogies for my bluntness... It's early and I'm grumpy when I'm tired)

Toomanyobsessionstocount: I'm extremely happy you liked it, and here's the second chapter! Me tooo! I'm happy too! Well I'd say I'm happy, but I've got some issues Sep should be addressing... Eh-HEM. Yeah, yeah. Shuddup Jason.

orangesunset12: You t-- Jason. Seriously, stop. You don't need t' be such a protective ass all the time, y'know. Whatever. Sorry, O. What am I doing with my life. No idea. Wastin' it? Jay, please. FINE! FINE, fine, fine. M'sorry, Sep. Hm.

Echoes 01: What're you 'nterested 'n seeing? Huh? Jason. Calm down. Yeah Jay. M'sure they didn't mean nothin' by that. See? Tim understands. Whatever. Apologize, Jason. Fine. M'sorry, Ech. Can I call ya Ech? Jason... What even... Don' even try. I've giv'n up tryna understand 'im for the longest. ... I cannot - I just... What.

StyxxandBethany: Well here you go, and I'm glad you're interested! Ey. Glad t'know not e'ry one likes me 'cause m'the one who died. Jason they never even said that's why they liked you. You ain't denyin' it. But I'm not confirming it either. ...S'a draw then. Guys seriously? Geez. Look, you're annoying Tim. So shut up. Tha's cheap.

First Impressions

Dick honestly had no idea what the hell he expected from today. Really, he'd been having a normal da--

Ohh. That explains it. He never has a normal day. By this point, Dick should have expected it.

His hands tightened around the steering wheel, fingers drumming against the leather surface. Dick glanced back to the two brothers in the backseat of his car. Both had dark black hair, and the same fair tan skin, but as far as he could tell, that's where the similarities ended. One of them was bigger; leaner, with more wiry muscles as opposed to the smaller one. The smaller one had a good build too, but he was so small. How old was the kid? Eight? Nine? The other one - the one who was unconscious - looked to be about sixteen, at oldest seventeen.

The smaller one hadn't given Dick a name for either of them, so he'd just call them names he decided they looked like. Hmm. The smaller one looks like a Colin, and the older looks like a... Lucas. Yeah. Colin and Lucas.

He decided to try them out, glancing into the rear-view mirror to look at the two periodically. "Colin?" When the kid didn't look up, Dick sighed. The light turned green and he was forced to look back at the road (did all these people drive like drunken clowns?) and figure out how to gain the kid's attention. "Hey kid. Yo, Baby Blues." The kid's head snaped up and he fixed Dick with wide pale blue eyes.

"What'dya jus' call me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and if it wasn't for Bruce's Bat-training, Dick doubted he'd have heard it.

Dick flashed the kid a grin. "Baby Blues" He tacked on a quick dismissal of the nickname at the end not too long after. "I mean, if you don't mind it anyways. I don't need to call you Baby Blues, I just think it's a nice nickname. I mean I'm sure you've got a nickname already so it's not like that really matters, shit I'm rambling again I should stop talking." And with that, he did. Dick's jaw snapped shut and he payed rapt attention to the road (no seriously. He knew that Crime Alley was full of druggies, but seriously? This is fucking ridiculous!) like his life suddenly depended on it. (Which it did.)

"I was 'boutta tell ya t' shut up, but you shuttin' yourself up s'better." Since he wasn't looking in the rear-view mirror, he couldn't see the kid's fa--"Look at me."

O-kay then... Dick glanced into the mirror to see the odd, suspicious look the kid was giving him. "Y'can call us whatever the hell ya want'a. Just... No street trash."

Dick was confused for a second and felt his brow crease. What did the kid mean, "no street trash"? Wha-- Ohhh. He thinks Dick'll call them names. "Don't worry about it, Baby Blues. I'll stick to the nickname... Unless you'll tell me your names..?"

It was wishful thinking; leave him alone.

The kid snorted. "I'll tell ya our names f'my brother gives the okay." Baby Blues went silent for a while. Then, just when Dick was about to say something to fill the silence (because he can't stand silence), Colin spoke. "Where'ya takin' us?"

Dick sighed. He'd told the kid that right when they'd entered the car. "Leslie Thompkins' free clinic. Leslie's an old friend of mine." And Batman's, but Dick wasn't about to say something potentially incriminating.

"No."

Startled, the car swerved for a second when Dick jolted. Correcting the car, (thank God no one hit them) Dick glanced back into the mirror. "What?"

Colin glared right back. "No."

Confused, Dick blinked. "Why not?" He was still driving for the clinic, whether Colin liked it or not. Lucas was seriously hurt, and Dick was pretty sure the two didn't have money enough to pay for a hospital.

The next ten minutes were spent reassuring the kid Leslie wasn't going to shove them into any foster care or adoption center... Which Dick had no idea how true it was, but if it got Lucas - slash whatever-his-name-is - some medical attention, Dick would tell him so.

Arriving outside of Leslie's, Dick parked the car and dashed to the back of the car. He opened the door, gently taking Lucas from Colin and rushing inside the clinic. "Leslie!" he shouted. Frantically, Dick began asking anyone he could for Leslie's location. Finally, the doctor appeared with several nurses and a gurney.

"Dick?" She hardly seemed surprised upon seeing the vigilante, but seemed shocked at the sight of the too-thin, bleeding teen in his arms. Not to mention the silent, also too-thin, and short boy beside him. Quickly she made her way to the trio. "What happened?"

The small boy shifted on his feet uncertainly. "J - m'older brother slipped when he got out of th' shower. I... When I walk'd in, he was bleedin' on the floor. S'all I know."

That, Dick thought to himself, explains the towel, Leslie so don't ask me why I'm carrying a half-naked teenager. To his relief, Dick was instructed to set Lucas down on a gurney. After which he was quickly rushed into a vacant room. Dick and Colin followed until the door, where an exceptionally rude nurse slammed the door on their faces with a "I don't care how rich and famous you are, the doctor needs room to work in" for an explination. He stood there stunned before leaning against the wall opposite to the door. What? He could take a few hits - verbal or physical.

Thinking back, Dick supposed the older boy's name must've started with a J, since Colin let that much slip. The question is, what name is it? Jasper, Justin, Jason, Jacob, John, Jim, Jack, Jerry, Jordan, James, Jackson...

See Dick's dilemma?

Regardless, Dick had to tell Bruce about this situation. Well how was he supposed to leave Colin alone..?

"Hey Colin." When the kid didn't respond, Dick nearly face-palmed. He'd forgotten that Colin wasn't this kid's name. "Uh, Baby Blues." Okay. Okay.. Now he had the kid's attention. "I gotta make a call -" At the kid's horrified and look of utter betrayal, he backpedaled. "Wait wait! I gotta call Bru - my... Dad. Tell him that I'll be late to the meeting I was supposed to show up at."

Colin didn't look any less weary, though the betrayed and hurt look had melted back into it's previous anxiousness. Okay... Dick could work with anxious...

He thinks.

"O-okay. Jus' hurry up, yeah? Don' want 'ny'a these Docs 'n' Nurses thinkin' they doin' a 'greater good' by callin' Child Services..." A scowl twisted Colin's facial features and Dick did not like the look on the kid.

He smiled. "Don't worry, I've got it covered. Just stay here, okay? I'll be back in like, what, ten minutes? Five? Point is, I won't be long." If, he thought to himself, Bruce doesn't somehow screw this up...

Stepping outside, Dick pulled out his phone and dialed Bruce, patiently waiting as the phone rang.(Maybe he had the guy on speed-dial... What? They might not be agreeing on some things, but Dick still loves the emotionally constipated mug) It was pretty chilly outside (when isn't it?) and Dick was glad for his jacket. Lazily, his eyes scanned the streets before him, taking in everything. Habitually, he made note of every possible angle he could take to the roofs by, alleys he could switch personas, and which places drug dealers might be hiding.

The street itself was rather bare, save a few beat-up cars here and there. Huh. Only a handful and they were so horrible at driving

On the third ring, a voice sounded on the other line. "Hello?"

"Hey Bruce!" Dick grinned. Okay, what. He's in a good mood, alright? Colin might be in a bad mood, but he made Dick's heart get fuzzy and he made the older male smile. Dick couldn't help but be in a good mood...

"Dick. How are you?"

Oh so Bruce cared? Since when? Hmm... Maybe Dick wasn't giving the guy credit enough... "I'm actually doing pretty good Bruce. I called because I might be late to that W.E. meeting."

"...May I ask why?" Okay who the hell was this and what had they done with Bruce Wayne.

Dick blinked a few times, staring at the phone. At the worried call of his name, Dick blinked twice more before replying. "Uh... See I was picking something up from Crime Alley and this kid was running up to people like... Totally freaked, so I go up to him and ask the kid what's wrong. He tells me his big brother slipped getting out of the shower and that he's bleeding out on their bathroom floor. So, y'know, me being me, I went and checked. Sure enough, there's a kid bleeding out on bathroom floors. And Bruce," Dick paused hesitantly.

"...Yes?"

He swallowed, licking his lips. "There... There weren't any adults or parental figures to be seen. And, Bruce, I don't know what I would have done if there had been one... Bruce, he just looked so horrible. Bruises, like, colored his skin. And God, Bruce, he was so thin. They both are."

The other end went silent for a few. "...Where did you take them?"

"Brought them to Leslie's. The older one is in... Surgery, I think?" Dick sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "Bruce... I can't... I just... I can't send them back to their apartment. It's a wonder anything worked there. I mean, don't get me wrong it was neat and all, but it was so run down..." Dick shook his head, trailing off. He watched the cars drive by lazily.

"Call Child Services."

...Did he really just say that? Like Dick hadn't thought of that already?

Dick sighed again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not an option. The kid says if I call Child Services, he's gonna bolt. And, honestly? I believe him Bruce. I don't doubt that when the older one wakes up and sees his little brother's gone, he'll hightail out of the hospital faster than Barry can say 'I'll be back in a flash'."

Bruce's end went silent, and Dick checked to make sure he hadn't hung up. Okay... Good. He hadn't. "I'll be there soon."

Wait.. What. "No, no! Bruce, what the hell do you think's going to happen when the other people on the street get word that I alone spoke and interacted with those two? Bruce, that's already putting target enough on their backs."

"Well then what do you want me to do? Do you know their names?"

"...No." He honestly didn't know what he wanted Bruce to do... He just knew he couldn't leave those kids alone. But, shit, what else could he do? He couldn't just take them to the Manor, he couldn't take them home, and he wouldn't call Child Services..

Well, fuck.

"Then there's really nothing I can do, Dick." And he knew it. Dick knew there wasn't anything Bruce could do, but he just... There had to be something they could do...

But really, aside from not calling Child Services... What could they do? Dick had maybe a hundred and ten dollars on him... Could he give it to the kid? Colin? They're young enough not to be able to buy any alcohol, even in a place as bad as Crime Alley..

Yeah. Donating some money sounded good. "It's okay Bruce. I knew there wasn't much you could do, but... I dunno. I guess I was hoping the universe would pity those two." He shrugged even though Bruce couldn't see him. "Guess not."

"Bye, Dick. I'll see you later at dinner?"

Dick smiled. "Yeah. I'll be there." An idea struck and Dick's smile grew. "Cya later, Bruce."

He hung up and walked back to where Colin still stood chewing his lip. The kid glanced at him before returning his gaze to the door behind which Leslie was working on his brother. "Sev'n minutes 'n' forty-two sec'nds," the kid muttered. "Not five minutes."

Dick blinked at him in shock. Had he been clocking Dick the whole time? "Well," he replied after a minute. "I did say 'like' in my defense."

The kid rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Dick smiled. The kid didn't know it, but he and his brother just found themselves a new guardian in the night. Nightwing would be patrolling Crime Alley a tad more often...

Bruce and the others be damned if they try to stop him.