Damian stumbled back up to the bridge, terrified of what was to come. There were still so many injured people but in a moment of weakness, Damian couldn't find a single thing to do to help. He did the best he could to make his way numbly to Nightwing. Even through the mask, Nightwing could see the vacant, shaken expression on Damian's face. He finished bandaging a young man, leaving him to the care of an EMT worker. Dick stooped to meet Damian's eyes but the boy said nothing, nor did he focus on Dick. Nightwing patted Damian's cheeks, hoping to snap the boy out whatever this was, but to no avail. Dick had never seen Damian do anything like this and it was scaring the hell out of him. Unfortunately, they still had hours worth of work on the bridge. There were still too many injured, and too few capable hands to help.

Damian began to shiver without a discernible reason. Dick snatched a blanket from the back of one of the hospital rigs, and dragged Damian over to a reasonably intact car. Dick opened the door of the car and directed Damian into the passenger seat, wrapping the blanket around Damian's shoulders. Nightwing ran a finger across Damian's forehead but received no response. "Alright, buddy, you're going to be okay. I'm gotta-there are a lot of other people here who still need help, but-" Nightwing's voice cracked, before he sniffed and said more evenly. "You're going to be okay. I'll make sure of it. Just hang in there for a little while longer."

Damian wasn't sure how long he sat in the car. Time wasn't registering properly. He knew he should get up. Knew he should help. Knew he was being pathetic and letting his mother get into his head, but he couldn't do anything. His mother was many things, but a liar she was not. She was going to incinerate the only city he had ever loved and kill the closest thing he had to a father. If Bruce and the rest of the batfamily didn't hate him now, they soon would. And then his mother would get what she wanted; him, back in Nanda Parbat, swinging a sword in any direction she bid.

Nightwing returned after some unknowable amount of time. His face was covered in dirt, smeared with sweat and someone else's blood. The Flash appeared just over Dick's shoulder, face flushed. The pair looked incredibly exhausted and careworn. Nightwing seemed to consider his young partner for a moment. "Flamebird?" No response. He leaned closer, clutching Damian's shoulders. "Damian?" He whispered. Nothing.

Dick stood, and with a lurching step, picked up the incapacitated young hero. If Damian had been conscious of his surroundings, he would have been humiliated. Dick trudged along the bridge, Wally falling into step with him. "I have no idea what's wrong with him." Damian heard distantly, as if Dick was talking miles away instead of right over his head.

"Did you see where he went?"

"No. One minute he was next to me helping some woman, the next he had swooped off. I saw him on the Gotham side of the bridge but… He was normal. Helping some guy. The next thing I know, he's like a zombie."

"Poor kid. I have to admit, there was… a lot of carnage. I'm not sure I'll be getting a full night's sleep either. It was like ground zero in there." Wally brushed a hand across the top of his head.

Dick looked down at the boy in his arms. Damian's eyes were partially closed now, and Dick wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Damn it. I'm supposed to be looking out for him. How could I have let him go off on his own? Who knows what he saw, Dick beat himself up. Who was he, to think he could take care of a kid? What had made him think he was up to the task? Had it been a selfish impulse, taking Damian in? A new city, away from his family and friends, facing a broken down city without any help?

Dick shook his head. Damn it. He hadn't even seen Talia and her bullshit was wheedling its way into his head.

"I wish I had my bike. That was poor planning on my part. We can't just waltz through the front door of my apartment like this, though." Dick addressed Wally as the pair made their way slowly to the end of the road.

"I don't have much juice. A short sprint with the two of you, maybe."

"I have a small safe house near by. If we could make it there without being seen…"

Wally nodded, understanding. He popped a compartment in his left glove, a small energy bar of his own formulation rested gloriously under the lid. Wally chewed, hoping this would boost him enough to speed him and his compatriots to the mystery location. Dick pulled up a map on his phone, giving Wally directions as he psyched himself up. He nodded. "Let's do this." He picked up Nightwing who yelped slightly, clutching Damian tighter.

The minute they were through the hidden door, Wally dropped his load, falling to his knees. "Ugh. Wipeout." Wally said, shuddering and collapsing against the wall.

"Shit," Dick cursed. He was a complete failure. He had failed to keep Damian safe and now he had run his only other partner into the ground. Literally. Dick looked around the micro-condo which had a wonderful ocean view. Of his many safe houses, this was his favorite. It had been expensive despite it's lack of square feet, but Dick had dished out the money anyway. It was one of the only apartments he could afford to buy, in terms of buying a space that was rarely used without raising suspicion. Most of the condos in his building were used as getaways for the rich and famous- vacation homes not lived in year round. Neighbors wouldn't wonder why no one ever entered or left the condo. Every once in awhile, he and Star spent a weekend here, just because they could, and because he had to keep up appearances. Sometimes, when his old team mates decided to visit, he'd let them stay here, rather than crowd up his small apartment or rent a hotel.

Dick suddenly remembered the boy in his arms, his fatigued muscles and the man slumped on the floor. Right. Dick planted the now sleeping Damian on the couch, pulling the blanket down around him. Dick rushed to the closet and pulled out a couple of surprisingly comfortable cots, setting them on the floor. With a grunt and a thought to tell Wally to lay off the double cheeseburgers, Dick lugged his longtime friend onto one of the cots, draping a blanket over him as well. The guy would have to shuck off his undoubtedly uncomfortable suit when he woke up. Dick wasn't going anywhere near that. Dick considered the pantry before pulling out a box of Fruit Roll Ups and a large bag of granola. He set them beside Wally's bedroll knowingly.

Dick peeled off his own disgusting uniform, throwing it into the sink to soak with about half a bottle of Dawn soap. Dick decided to take the quickest shower of his life, hopping into the hopelessly small shower. Even with his contortionist tendencies, it was pretty uncomfortable.

Dick jumped out and threw on an ironic Batman logo t-shirt courtesy of a particularly sassy Barbara Gordon one Christmas. When he re-entered the living room, Damian was sitting up, idly sipping a bottle of water. Dick just about buckled at the knees in relief. "Damian!" Dick skidded across the floor on his knees. Add carpet burn to the long list of wonderful things which Dick was feeling.

"Grayson, I-" Damian bit his lip.

"Come here, kiddo." Dick invited, arms spread. Damian shook his head, shame welling up in his chest. "Stop being so stubborn," Dick growled, tugging Damian to the floor with him and wrapping his arms around the young boy. "What happened out there?"

"My mother. She was there. She told me… It doesn't matter what she told me. I let her get the best of me. I-I'm sorry. If you had been in danger I would have been utterly useless. You could have been hurt or… worse," Damian muttered into Dick's collarbone. Despite himself, Damian felt safe as he allowed Dick to hold him. Damian couldn't ever remember being held like this, and he wondered why he had pushed Dick away when he'd tried this same thing so many times before.

"What she said. It matters," Dick murmured, patting him gently before releasing him. "But not because what she said is true- because what she said affected you. Strongly. I've never seen you shut down like that. What did she say?"

"She tried to turn me against you, but I wouldn't let her. But that's not what bothered me. She-she promised to burn the city. To kill you. My mother is many things, Grayson, but a liar she is not. I've never seen her swear on something she didn't follow through on." Damian gritted his teeth, meeting Dick's sad, concerned eyes.

"Hey. She's not the first person who has sworn to kill me. But you know what? I'm still here. I haven't just slid through the last 14 years on my good looks alone." He nudged his brother, trying hard for a grin, "It was about 90% good looks, 8% carney magic and 2% Bat-cultivated talent."

Damian smiled carefully. "You will be okay?"

"We'll be okay," Dick corrected. "Okay, kid, I've got to get at least a few hours, because I still have to go in tomorrow morning. To be honest, I'm surprised they haven't called already." Dick glanced at his watch, and Damian took note of the time as well. Three in the morning. If Dick fell asleep immediately, he'd get maybe three hours of sleep before a ten hour shift, if he was lucky. Damian nodded. Dick had been burning the candle at both ends. It was a wonder he wasn't the one passed out or in a waking coma.

Dick huddled up onto his cot, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. "Don't worry, bud." He muttered into his pillow, eyes fluttering shut of their own accord.

When Damian next woke, Wally had his hand all the way into the bag of granola, the floor around him littered with the shiny wrappers of about 12 felled Fruit Roll Ups.

"Dick left about three hours ago. He said to tell you that if we're going to go back to the apartment we need to go through the tunnel system- he said you'd know what that meant."

Damian nodded. He wasn't sure how he would tolerate standing idly by in the apartment all day waiting for his mother to attack his home or his brother but he didn't have much of a choice. After a hearty breakfast of non perishables, Damian and Wally rummaged through the drawers of a small dresser, searching for clothes that they could trudge home in.

A/N: So Damian had a little shut down. I think that's fair. I've honestly never read or seen a hero figure do this and I think it's kind of unrealistic. Their lives are ridiculously complicated and messy and scary. And yeah, the fact that they soldier on despite everything is part of what makes them heroic, but also, like… They're human. I think they're allowed to have vulnerabilities and little moments of freak out.

I dunno. Let me know what you think.