Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long on the update, but I'm about to head back to University, so I've been trying to spend the last little bit of time I can with my family. Anyway, hope you guys like the update. Big things will be happening in the next chapter or two, so stay tuned. And for all you Damian lovers out there, trust me when I tell you he will play a much more important role in the story, just give it time. Babs will play a part as well.

And please, review and let me know what you think so I can write this story so that everyone will enjoy it more! Let me know what you want to see more of, less of, etc. I won't be offended (unless you're just really mean, and that would just be uncalled for).

Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own Piper/Haley. If I owned any part of DC, we'd have a Nightwing movie by now.

"Tim." Bruce's voice filled the cave as Tim turned around from the computer to face his mentor. "Any luck on locating Joker?"

Tim shook his head. "No. It looks like he's still in the wind. But, there've been a lot more of his lackeys out by the Outcasts' area than normal."

Bruce nodded, placing his cowl over his head. "Okay. Keep an eye on the area while myself and Damian go about usual patrol. Dick will look for any signs of the Joker," he turned toward his eldest and narrowed his eye. "On the computer, from the cave."

Dick rolled his eyes but said nothing, knowing better than to argue with Bruce while he was in Batman mode. Tim, however, raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Jason's going to be watching Piper and the neighborhood. He might hate us, but he'll call for help if something happens. He won't risk her."

"No. I want you keeping an eye out on the neighborhood."

"Why? Jason will be there. Why can't I go on patrol and be productive?"

"Probably because you're a nuisance and screw everything up."

Tim turned to glare at Damian while Bruce narrowed his eyes. "Damian, that's enough."

"What? He's just like a lost little puppy that nobody wants around. Hopefully he'll get the hint soon and leave for good this time."

"Damian. Batmobile. Now."

With that order, Damian sauntered off toward the vehicle.

Bruce looked toward Tim and sighed, "Tim…" He began to raise his hand to rest on Tim's shoulder, but, at the last minute, stopped. "I need someone I can trust watching for Joker and his men. I know you can keep a cool head and handle the situation until I get there." With that, he walked to the car, peeling out and leaving the cave.

Tim stared after them until the car was out of sight, the corners of his mouth turned downward in a frown before sighing. Dick walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Want to talk about it?"

Tim shrugged. "Just missing the way things were when I was wearing the red and yellow." He paused. "Before any of the crisises happened, before we lost so many people." He shrugged. "I guess I just…I miss having people to fly with."

"Timmy…"

"I got to go." He cut short before he hurried over to the Redbird.

"Tim!" Dick tried to call after him, but the bike had already started and left the cave. "Dang it!"

Dick sat down heavily on the chair in front of the computer and ran a hand through his hair. He hated that his "little brother," had so much hurt in his life. He had lost his parents, his two best friends, thought his girlfriend (well, now ex-girlfriend) was dead, watched Dick's own near death experience with Superboy-Prime, then thought Bruce was dead. After all this, Dick had the bright idea to strip him of the Robin mantle and give it to Damian because he thought the younger boy needed it more.

What had become blatantly obvious over the past year, however, was that it may not have been the right choice. Tim had lost everyone he had ever cared about, and, Damian's attitude toward him was not helping him get out of whatever slump he was in.

In fact, now that Dick thought about it, a smile from Tim was becoming as rare as a smile from Bruce anymore. Dick sighed once more while running another nervous hand through his hair. He wasn't sure what to do. Maybe he could convince Bruce to send Damian to Bludhaven with him and Batman could patrol with Tim some.

Turning back to the computer, Dick resolved to talk to Bruce about Tim's behavior and see what they could do to help him. Bruce generally had as much emotions as a rock, but maybe he could get past that just this one time to help Tim out.

Piper pulled her flimsy jacket tighter around her as she walked through the east side of the Narrows, sighing as the temperature dropped even lower. She had just come from her "job" to earn a little extra cash. She somewhat regretted giving her only coat away earlier in the week, but one of the younger girls who had just joined the Outcast was just getting over a pretty tough bout with the flu and she didn't want the poor kid to get sick again.

She walked with a slight limp as she crossed the darkened street. She stopped for a moment, leaning against the wall of a building and gently clutching her ribs before she took a few deep breaths and composed herself. She wiped at her nose and mouth before she stood up straight, squared her shoulders, and began walking again, a slight limp being the only indication her health wasn't a 100%.

Glancing at the clock on the tower of the Gotham Central Bank off in the distance, she sighed. It was already pretty late and she wanted to just go home and get some sleep. She took a sharp turn down a dark alley, knowing it'd shave about five minutes off her walk. She was halfway through the other side when she heard movement behind her.

"Hey, Goldie. Wait up."

She rolled her eyes at the name and kept walking, knowing better than to stop for any stranger in Gotham…unless, of course, he was dressed as a Bat or something of the sort. Those were the only strangers you could honestly trust. And there were people who even had their doubts about them.

"Hey, sweetie, we're talking to you." Another yelled, causing Piper to draw her coat tighter and walk faster. Her other hand went toward the two knives in her pocket. She wished that she had her gun on her, but she wasn't allowed to carry firearms at the club, so she left it at home, instead depending on her trusty knives, her two favorites which she had affectionately named "thunder" and "lightning."

She didn't hear the other man, who was further down the alley, until he was on her, pinning her arms uselessly at her side in a bear-hug. She winched at the added pressure to her already sore torso, but took a few calming breaths, knowing that she couldn't show weakness. She likely could break free from the hold, but she knew it would be better to wait until she knew how many creeps she was contending with and where they all were at before she made her first move.

"Look here." Said the first one, a large red head with a scar down the side of his face. He held up a picture next to Piper's head. "This is the girl boss has been looking for."

The second one smiled a toothless grin as he looked down at her. "Well, we better take her to him then. I know he has some…plans…for her. Call ahead and let them know we have her." The grin the lackey gave her sent a chill down her spine. Glancing around, she saw there were six guys slowly surrounding her.

She gripped her knives tighter in her hand and was preparing to throw her head back to break the nose of the guy holding her, thus breaking his hold on her and giving her the maneuverability to fight. However, before she could a red streak came flying through the air and landed on two of the thugs, knocking them out.

Throwing her head back, she connected with the nose of the man holding her, throwing him off of her. She then grabbed his arm and flipped him over her shoulder, causing him to land on the ground in front of her before she kicked him across the face, hard.

She turned to another attacker, who was rushing at her with a crowbar. She quickly launched the knife into his arm, causing him to drop the crowbar. She then rushed him, jumping up and grabbed the ladder of the fire escape, swinging her momentum towards him and kicking him straight in the chest, causing him to go flying a few feet backward.

She turned, ready for another attack. There were only two lackeys left on their feet and they were circling Red Robin. He punched one hard across the face, ducked under the others punch before mule-kicking him backward. He grabbed the first assailants head and slammed it against the wall and elbowed the second guy in the nose before turning around and kicking him in the chest, sending him flying into the other guy and knocking them both out.

The masked hero then faced her. "You okay?"

She nodded quickly before glancing at the men on the ground. "Yeah. Thanks, but you know I could have taken these guys, right?"

He gave her a skeptic look and was about to respond whenever a large ruckus was heard coming their way. Glancing to his right, he saw nearly a dozen more minions turning the corner. To his left side, it was the same story.

"Crap." He muttered to himself before glancing back at Piper. "Hold on to me." He ordered, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her tight against him as he grabbed his grappling hook and aimed it towards the roof.

Needing no further instruction, Piper threw her arms securely around Red Robin's neck and closed her eyes tightly as the line zipped them upward. Next thing she knew, they were flying through the air.

Tim looked at the girl next to him who, at first, had a tight grip around his neck and eyes slammed shut. He sent another grappling hook out, swinging them between two buildings; his eyes glanced toward Piper again. He saw her cautiously open her eyes and look around. He tensed a smidge, expecting for her to begin screaming and nearly strangle him in her sudden panic.

However, he was not anticipating the reaction she had instead.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OO!" She shouted loudly before looking over at Tim, the brightest smile on her face. "This is awesome!" Turning her head away from him, she shouted once again with delight. Tim couldn't help but to chuckle at the girl next to him.

Once he was sure they had made it a safe distance from the gang of thugs, Tim landed the pair gracefully on the roof, setting Piper down next to him.

"Okay, I'm going to have to get mugged more often if that's the end result. That was amazing!" Seeing the disapproving frown on Red Robin's face, she rolled her eyes. "But seriously, I could have easily taken them."

"There were twenty of them."

"So?" she gave a small shrug, before twisting her mouth to the side in a confused expression and scratching the back of her neck. "Okay, so I'm a little confused about the proper protocol here. Since you saved me…am I supposed to sleep with you now or wait until you save me again and then sleep with you?"

Tim grew wide eyed and looked at the girl, stunned. "Wha?"

"Well, I've seen a few movies. The guy saves the girl, then she puts out, right?"

"I…I…I" Red Robin stuttered, at a complete loss before the girl started laughing loudly.

"Geez. It was a joke. Laugh a little. It won't kill you. Promise."

Red Robin looked at her sternly. "You're not funny."

"I'm a freaking comedian." She challenged. "So, I guess since you got stuck on babysitting duty you have a little time to kill." She rolled her eyes at the questioning look he gave her. "Oh, come on. We've spotted at least one of you capes cutting through our neighborhood every hour. That's never happened before. You're obviously keeping an eye on us." She questioned before hobbling over to the edge of the roof. She hissed slightly and grabbed her ribs, sitting down.

"Are you okay?" Red Robin asked from behind her, but was met with a wave of her hand.

"Yeah. Wasn't even from the thugs. We just had a rough training session for the watch. Banged up the ribs a little, jostled 'em as we were flying through the city."

He quickly apologized, causing her to turn around and shake her head.

"What? No! That was awesome. Most fun I've had in a long, long time. Don't even worry about it." She let out a small sigh, the smile on her face replaced by a look of concern. "Is something about to happen in the neighborhood I should know about? Is that why you guys have been around?"

Tim sighed and shook his head slightly. "We don't have any specifics. But, we know Joker is…unpredictable, but he's not one to take something like this lightly, so we've been keeping our eyes peeled."

Piper nodded, content with the answer. "We've figured as much. Doubled patrol; those of us with more experience have been pulling a bit of over time."

"And everyone's parents are okay with that?"

She chuckled. "You're dressed up in a cape and cowl fighting crime in one of the roughest cities in America, in the dead of night, and you're asking about how our parents feel about our nighttime activities? That's rich."

"Double R, look at where we are." She gave a broad sweep of the area in front of them. "This is the roughest part of town outside of Crime Alley. Even though we've cleaned a few blocks up, everything around us is still s***. Do you think the people who live here are capable of being decent parents? They're either too busy working their second minimum wage job overnight, passed out drunk on the apartment floor, or too busy trying to score their next high to care what their kids do."

"Is that what your parents are like?" He asked from behind her, although he already knew the answer. Instead of the stern glare he was expecting, he was met with a scoff and a shake of her head.

"I don't do backstory, and the fact that you hid behind a mask means you probably don't either."

He nodded. "Fair enough." His head motioned toward the edge of the roof. "Let's get you to your apartment."

"Only if we can swing there."

"No, I was actually planning on hailing a taxi."

Piper turned to face him, her sapphire eyes alight and a giant smile on her face. "Was that a joke? Ah, Double R, you can smile." She grabbed onto him so she wouldn't fall off while they were swinging. "Oh, make sure you tell Nightwing I said thanks for the food and stuff. Appreciated it."

Earlier:

Disgust: A feeling of revulsion or profound disapproval aroused by something unpleasant or offensive.

Well, disgusted would be the understatement of the year for how Jason Todd felt standing in the tiny apartment that his little sister called home.

It was worse than anything they had ever stayed in while they were growing up. There was no TV, no radio; no sense of comfort. The bed was lying on the ground with a holey blanket on top of it. She didn't have a coat or hardly any winter gear. The cabinets were bare accept for a miniscule amount of stale food. He had turned on the water on and it was barely lukewarm even after having ample time to warm up.

He sighed. He had always promised his sister that they would have a better life than this; that one day she would stay in a palace like Princess Jasmine. That she would have her all the Chicken and Dumplings and Triple Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter cookies she would ever want. The clothes she saw in the windows at the fancy stores would be hers and she'd sleep in a big bed, warm and happy with all the toys she could want.

Had he actually thought he'd be able to deliver these things to his sister? Probably not, but he had vowed to himself that he would do all he could to make those promises come true.

However, the lack of material objects wasn't what bothered him most. True, the fact that he could vividly picture how cold and hungry his baby sister was in the drafty apartment made bile rise in his throat and his heart constrict in his chest, but again, it wasn't the worst part.

No, what was the worst was how bare and lonely the apartment was. As a child, Piper's room was lively and bright. They didn't have a lot of money, but every picture she drew was with the brightest Crayons and was taped on her wall. Every picture she found in their dingy apartment that had someone she loved in it was also put on her wall. She said that way they'd always be with her.

However, the apartment had no pictures. There were no drawings or posters. Nothing. Just bare, dirty walls with peeling paint. He ran a hand down his face, anguish and angst clearly fighting a winning battle over his other emotions.

But, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small picture hidden by the mattress corner near the flimsy excuse for a pillow she had. Pulling it out from where it was pinned next to the wall, he gave a sharp intake of breath at what he saw.

It was a picture of the two of them taken right before their mother passed away and they were then separated by the foster care system; Jason was 12 and Piper was 7. He was carrying her piggy-back style. She gave a carefree grin, missing both of her front teeth and he smiled as well, wider than he had in a long, long time. And, clutched in her hand, was her trusty stuffed monkey, Abu. He smiled at the memory. He had…okay, he had stolen the toy, yeah, but his sister had fallen in love with Disney and didn't have a stuffed animal to her name, and Jason wasn't going to let that happen. So, when he saw the stuffed animal monkey, he couldn't not get it for her for her birthday and since he didn't have any money, he shoplifted. He had felt a pretty strong sense of guilt whenever he left the store, but it was all worth it when he saw the brilliantly blue eyes of his sister sparkle as he handed her the toy. She never went anywhere without it afterward, and, the last time he saw her (not counting his spying on her from the roof across the way) was her in the back of a CPS car, tears streaming down her face as she was driven to a foster home, Abu clutched tightly in her arms.

He sighed, placing the picture back where he saw it and was about to leave the apartment when yet another object caught his eye. His breathing hitched in his throat as he saw it. Abu. He was on the bed, much worse for the wear as nine years of travel would do, but he was here none the less.

And it clicked for Jason. There were no pictures of her old foster families, any of their old friends, not even their parents. No. There was just him. Memories of him. And the realization that she was still holding on to anything of him that she could caused a wave of emotions to wash over him.

He wiped the dust from his eyes with his sleeve (he wasn't tearing up. Red Hood didn't cry) before moving to the window, unable to sit by and do nothing any longer.

Piper opened her apartment door, hand on her knives as she walked inside. Glancing around, she recognized that no one was in her apartment, but, something was definitely different. Over at her mattress she saw two new, thick blankets that looked incredibly warm with a new pillow to accompany them. A new tarp was over her busted window, keeping the cold out. On the floor, a pair of new sweatshirts and pants sat atop of her other clothes.

Walking further inside, she saw a few bags of groceries on the card table, as well as a couple hundred dollars in cash. Glancing quickly around the apartment again, she assured herself no one was still there as she walked closer to the table.

Seeing a hastily scrawled note, she smirked as she saw the message:

Kid,

I know you gave away what Nightwing gave you.

Don't do it again.

Eat the food (you're too skinny) and keep everything else.

-A friend.

She chuckled again as she shook her head, muttering. "Freaking bats, man." Opening a bakery box and pulling a triple chocolate chip peanut butter cookie from inside, she sighed contently as she tasted the familiar flavor of her favorite cookie.

By his design, she didn't see the red-helmeted figure on the rooftop across from her, watching closely to make sure she followed the instructions of his note.

Well, there you have it. Chapter 4. Hope you enjoyed it. And guys, seriously, I kinda love reviews, like more than chocolate (and I love chocolate). So, just drop a quick line and let me know what you think. It'll make me write faster, promise!

Until next time
Casey

*2nd Corinthians 4:8-9*