Around five in the afternoon…

"Master Richard, Miss Barbara Gordon is here," Alfred informed him, entering the room and managing to dodge a flaming cape just in time.

"See, if you snap it like this-" Tim demonstrated enthusiastically "-then the fire goes out just like that."

"Master Timothy, I will thank you not to set your Robin suit on fire."

Tim blushed. "Sorry, Alfred, I was just showing Jason my addition to the cape."

"I know," the butler smiled despite himself. He was prouder of his young charges than he could ever express but that didn't mean he could allow them to set their suits on fire.

"Hey, where's Dick," Jason asked suddenly. "He was just in here."

"He flew out the door as soon as he found out Babs was here," Tim smirked good-naturedly.

"When's dinner, Alfred," Jason yawned then nearly flinched when he saw Alfred's raised eyebrow. "Sorry."

"Quite alright. I'd say in the next half hour or so. Now, I have things to be doing and you should be catching up with Miss Gordon on your most recent activities."

"Sure, Alfred," Tim agreed, following them both out of the living room and into the kitchen where Dick was excitedly informing Barbara of the latest happenings.

"And now she's in the cave, unconscious," he finished dramatically.

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "What did Bruce tell you to do about her?"

"He didn't say anything about it," Jason told her, doing a flip over the table while Alfred wasn't looking and landing smoothly in the chair opposite. Then he gave her a grin. "And the best part? Before I came down, he was holding her bridal-style, looking completely lost."

"Elaborate," Barbara demanded, accepting a sugar cookie from Alfred with murmured thanks. "Lost in what way?"

"He looked like he had no idea what to do next," Jason shared gleefully. He reached over for a cookie and bit into it. "After I asked him what was going on, he told me, very unwillingly I might add, that he had made out with her as a 'distraction method'." He let out a disbelieving snort and exchanged a grin with Dick.

Barbara let out a hoot of laughter. "Has he erased her memory?"

"Not yet," Tim informed her. "He left for work in a rush because we were teasing him about it."

His lips twitched at the thought of that day's breakfast while his brothers openly howled with laughter.

"So what's the plan?"

"Who knows," Dick shrugged. "Probably going to end up wiping her memory anyway. I wonder why he didn't do it yet."

"I think he likes her," Stephanie confided, slipping into a seat near Barbara and massaging her ankle.

"Damn," Barbara whistled, impressed. "A broken ankle and I still didn't hear you. Pretty good, even for you, Steph."

Stephanie grinned mischievously. "Thanks. I was practicing earlier. So, did they tell you everything," she asked, gesturing towards her brothers and her crush, who was carefully avoiding eye contact with her. Stephanie decided not to read too much into it. Barbara nodded.

After all, Tim might be stressed or tired or something, not necessarily angry at her for something. Because really, what could she have done when the only time in the entire day yesterday, she had spoken to him about a girl in her school and they had actually connected over that so it wouldn't make any sense to hate her for it, would it? Then again, maybe he didn't hate her, maybe he was just tired from staying up late last night. Or maybe he was angry at her because he was off patrol as long as her ankle took to heal. Her stomach took a swoop at the thought. But that would be really unfair since she hadn't done it on purpose-

Dick cleared his throat then gestured for her to sit down. Right. It turned out that Stephanie Brown was incapable of not reading too far into Tim Drake's every waking movement. "I take it you were filled in about why we're all home?"

"Yeah," Barbara smiled, nibbling at another cookie. "Where's Cass?"

"She's taking a shower," Jason answered.

"Mmm," Barbara murmured, nodding again. "So. Should we harass Bruce when he gets home or leave him to struggle alone?"

"That could be a really awkward conversation," Jason hedged. "Which one of us is willing to talk about his love life to his face?"

"We spend plenty of time talking about it behind his back," Dick pointed out. "How much worse can it be?"

There was a brief silence where they exchanged glances around the table, no one speaking. "Well, okay, you've got a point," Dick conceded as though there had been an actual verbal rebut.

"Dick, you know him best," Barbara nudged him with her elbow, blue eyes sparkling with good humor. "Why don't you-"

"Don't even joke like that," Dick said immediately. "Seriously. That is a conversation I point blank refuse to have with him."

"Okay, okay, keep your shirt on," Barbara laughed.

"But you're always telling him to take it off," Tim teased.

Instead of blushing, Barbara grinned widely, shrugging a slender shoulder. "Can't help it if Grayson has a slammin' body."

"And fantastic hair," Stephanie added, a teasing smile lighting up her face.

"And gorgeous deep sapphire eyes that are like windows into his soul, and what a beautiful soul it is," Jason threw in sarcastically.

Dick, who would have carved out previously mentioned eyes with a foot long butcher knife before he blushed at such comments, merely smirked, batting long lashes in mock modesty. "Am I really so impossibly handsome, Jason?"

Jason rolled his eyes, shaking head as he did so. "Babs, you shouldn't say that kind of stuff. It blows up his already enormous ego."

"When you've got a body like his, you're somewhat entitled," Barbara considered.

"Oh, please, Dick's body can't hold a candle to mine," Jason snorted. He licked crumbs off his fingers then rose to wash his hands in the sink.

"Prove it then," Dick challenged.

Jason paused in the middle of drying his hands. "How?"

"Striptease," Stephanie joked, taking a sip of lemonade.

"Hey, there's an idea," Barbara said suddenly, eyes brightening.

Tim whipped around to face her so fast Stephanie could have sworn she heard a crick. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. That would be hilarious. Not to mention great entertainment," Barbara purred, flicking the tip of her tongue to her top lip. She eyed Dick suggestively, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't objectify me," Jason objected, his expression half horrified and half amused. He folded the towel back onto the hook and crossed to the table. "You want a striptease? Between Dick and I?"

Tim watched with the feeling that one got when watching two trains about to collide. "I don't think this is a good idea," Tim opined. "I mean it. This could get weird."

"I'm in if you are," Dick said casually.

"What?" Jason stared at his brother with an expression of utmost shock.

"You heard me. This will be the end to the eternal argument about you having the best body in the house." Dick shrugged, biting into an apple. "Why not?"

"Okay," Jason replied uncertainly. "When?"

"Tonight," Stephanie threw in. "No point in putting it off, is there?"

"I suppose not. So…how are we doing this," Jason asked cautiously.

"Well. We have a few choices." Barbara tapped a finger against her chin. "We could do it here, of course."

"I don't think so," Stephanie said slowly. "That would be…bad."

"I agree," Tim concurred, sighing. "If you guys are really going through with this, I suppose we should do it right."

"What do you mean," Dick asked, brow raised.

"I mean, do it for real. Like, at a club or something."

Jason's jaw nearly hit the floor of the kitchen. "A club? Seriously?"

"Just for one night," Tim shrugged. "Of course, if that intimidates you, you could always-"

"Hold it right there, Timmy," Jason drawled. His emerald green eyes glittered with challenge and amusement. "Who said I was scared?"

Tim raised his own brows in reply. "Which club then?"

"There's one place by twenty third street," Barbara put in. "They normally wouldn't do this kind of thing but I'm sure we could persuade them. And you two are pretty damn gorgeous so they won't say no. By one or two in the morning, girls will be pouring in to see you."

"I don't feel comfortable with that," Dick said awkwardly. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his faded blue jeans, trying to keep his discomfort from showing.

"How about the Iceberg Lounge," Stephanie suggested.

"I frankly don't care," Jason told her. "Anywhere, anytime, whatever."

Tim sighed again. "Might as well just be Iceberg Lounge then," he said.

"Alright, fine, whatever," Dick caved, a hilariously uncomfortable expression on his handsome face. "We're going to be the 'VIP entertainment'?"

"Yeah, sure," Jason shrugged, taking a sip of his lemonade. "It'll be hilarious. Come on, Dick, won't it be fun having girls trampling each other to shove dollar bills into your G-string?"

The look on Dick's face made Jason's day.

"You competing, Tim?"

"No, I'm fifteen. That's gross."

"Not to mention illegal," Stephanie added. She wasn't quite sure that she was comfortable with Tim joining his older brothers in this night of X-rated fun.

"Alright then, tonight starting at seven."

Cassandra sauntered down the staircase to the kitchen, a fluffy cream towel wrapped around her wet hair. "So. What did I miss?"

They exchanged glances then all turned to Barbara. "Oh, fine, then. I'll explain. But I warn you, Cass, it's a bit of a confusing tale."