School was almost over. There was one week left and it was the day before the Hamlet play.
"Hey Alfred I'm going to be staying after school for our final practices of Hamlet. Have to get it perfect for tomorrow." Bruce told Alfred as he sat down to eat his breakfast.
"Very well Master Bruce. I hope you enjoy your last week of school. I can't believe your Freshman year is going to be over already." Alfred told him while serving him his food.
"Yeah time sure does go by fast. I'm going to be so bored here alone during Summer break though. Two months of nothing to do." Bruce said to Alfred wondering what he would do during the break.
"If you ever want to go out or bring some friends over your more than welcome to. I want you to enjoy yourself Master Bruce." Alfred told him. He then left to get more juice for Bruce. Bruce then thought to himself what he would do during break.
"I've got to go Alfred Barbra and Dick are here see you later." Bruce called out to him as he saw his friends arrive at his front gate.
"Hey Brucy you ready to get going. We've got to hurry up and get to school so we can get to rehearsal." Dick told him. Since the play still needed work Mr. Tetch asked for the students to be excused from class and rehearse during the day instead. Most of the teachers were ok with this since it was the last week of school anyways.
"I'm so nervous about this play. What if I forget my lines or what if I mess up. Not to mention that I have to kiss Jason and things are still weird between us since I rejected him." Barbra said to them expressing her worries about the upcoming play.
"You'll do great Babs. Last time you were Juliet and that was probably a harder role than Queen Gertrude, and as for Jason don't worry I kill him in the end." Dick said to her laughing. He then gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"You know ever since you two started dating I've been feeling like a third wheel. You know how awkward it is to be standing next to two people just waiting for them to stop making out. Bruce told them trying not to offend them.
"Well that's your own fault for getting us together. Maybe instead of awkwardly standing there you could go out and find a girl for yourself. Or decide on one." Barbra said to him. She was still mad that he hadn't yet made a decision between Selina and Talia.
"Come on Brucy your not a third wheel your our friend. You can't break up the trio just cuz me and Babs are dating now. Babs is right about one thing though you should find yourself a girl then instead of a third wheel we can have a car." Dick said to him jokingly. They made it to school and headed towards the auditorium.
"Ok I think just about everybody has arrived. This is how the rehearsal is working we can't run the entire play so I'll work with individuals who I think need help. You can all go socialize in the green room but when I call you for practice you will come." Mr. Tetch said to them. Everyone left to the green room waiting for their turn to practice.
"Hey Dick I was wondering if I could ask you a question." Tim asked him.
"What do you need Tim?" Dick asked him as they sat down.
"Well Stephanie wants me to meet her parents next week so we can go on dates during summer break, but I'm so nervous. What if they don't like me? What if they forbid Stephanie from seeing me?." Tim asked worried about anything that could go wrong.
" I wish I could help you but I'm stick in the same dilemma. Bab's dad already knows me and my parents already know her, so we don't have to go through the awkward introductions, but were not sure how to tell them were dating. Babs is working on a nice way to tell them.
" Thanks anyways. I hope everything goes well for you. I've got to go I think Stephanie is done with her practice for now." Tim then left and ran off to find Stephanie. He stopped when he overheard his name in Jason and Talia's conversation. He then quickly hid himself to listen in on what they were saying.
"Ok so your sure that your father has made plans to get rid of Dick?" Jason asked Talia making sure everything would go as planned.
"Yes my father paid the money and he should be gone by the end of today. Once he is gone I will get what I want. Blackmail on Selina." Taila told him. They then started to walk away until Taia saw Tim listening to their conversation.
"How much of that did you hear you little runt." Jason asked him hoping he wouldn't mess anything up."
"It doesn't matter how much he heard what matters is how much of his memory my father will have to erase." Talia said nonchalantly to Jason.
"Your father has a way to erase memories. I feel like as soon as I figure something out about you I learn something new." Jason said shocked to hear this.
"It doesn't matter what your dad can do I won't let my memory get erased and I'm telling Dick and Selina." Tim said to him.
"Oh you will let yourself get your mind erased. If you don't your girlfriend might get her mind erased. She might loose the last few months of her memory." Talia said to him. Tim knew what she was threatening. Erasing her memory of all the time they spent together. Turning her back into the shy girl who sat alone in the corner.
"You win Talia, but you better give me your word that as soon as I get my memory erased you will let her go unharmed and intact." Tim said to her angrily. Talia agreed and Tim left to her fathers classroom.
"So a league of some type, enough money to pay anybody to do anything, political power, a way to erase memories, and English teaching. What else is there to your father I don't know." Jason asked Talia.
"Much more, but if I told you everything I'd have to either let you join the league or kill you. I'd prefer the second option personally." Talia told Jason. He thought she was joking, but she was dead serious.
"Wow you can do anything you really want. I think I may be in love with you. Or in love with the power not sure which yet." Jason said to her.
"Don't count yourself lucky even if you gave me blackmail on everybody in Gotham I wouldn't go out with you. I am surprised though even my father has power with all his power and information doesn't have the information you have on Selina. How did you get it?" Talia asked him. She was genuinely interested.
"Hey you have your secrets I have mine. Now I'm leaving it shouldn't be much longer and I want to be there when he and Barbra have to separate." Jason said laughing. About an hour later there was an announcement.
"Richard Grayson, Barbra Gordon, and Bruce Wayne please come to the front desk immediately." The three of them left and Jason secretly followed them wanting to see it himself. They arrived at the front desk and found Alfred, Principle Gordon, and Dick's parents. They all then went into Principle Gordon's office so they could talk in private.
"Mom, Dad whatever they said I did I didn't do it. I'm being framed. I know my rights. You can't make me talk." Dick said to them worried that they were all in trouble.
"None of you are in trouble your father and I have a huge announcement. As you know the Grayson's used to be a traveling circus. After you were born we settled in Gotham to raise you properly. We eventually didn't have enough money to keep traveling. Well last night we got a phone call from an anonymous entrepreneur that missed seeing the Grayson's show. He said he had transferred a million dollars into our account. We moving out of Gotham and traveling again Dick." His mom told him they were happy but he couldn't believe it.
"That explains him but what are me and Bruce doing here." Barbra asked hiding her sadness that Dick was leaving.
"His parents wanted his best friends to be here for the big announcement and that is you two." Principle Gordon told them.
"We can't leave Gotham. There's to much here that I can't let go of." Dick told his parents.
"I know you'll miss your friends but you can see them whenever we come to Gotham." Dick's mother tried to tell him.
"I can't leave Barbra and I are dating." Dick said to them. He then turned to see her starting to cry.
"Wait you and her are dating how long has this been going on." Dick's father said to him sternly. He couldn't believe Dick had hidden this from him.
"Barbra I know you and him have a large history together, but you can't date a circus performer especially one whose leaving." Her father said to her.
"That's not fair dad just because you and mom got a divorce doesn't mean I can't be happy and in love with somebody." Barbra told him.
"Look Dick she has no respect for her own father. Besides your both so young you don't know what love is." Dick's mother tried to tell him. They all kept arguing until Bruce and Alfred stopped it.
"I believe that this argument has gone on long enough. Now this is a family matter and I have no right to interfere but you called me because you believe that Master Bruce is one of your sons best friends and I should be here as well. I have seen all of these children together and they all care for each other. It is true that they are young but I believe that it is best that their first real relationship be with somebody close to them. If it works out that's perfect but if it doesn't then they learn from this experience." Alfred said to them. He hoped they would listen to his what he had said.
"How are they supposed to keep their relationship if we travel though? Long distance isn't good for a first date." Dick's father asked him.
"If he wants to and with your permission Master Grayson can stay with me and Master Bruce at Wayne Manor. We have plenty of rooms." Alfred said to them.
"It's up to you son travel with the Grayson's or stay in Gotham with Barbra." Dicks mother told him. Dick then started to think about what to do.
"I love you mom and dad, I love being an acrobat, and I love performing in the circus. But if I leave with you then I will never get to experience love with Barbra. I'm staying in Gotham. The flying Grayson's are going back to being a duo." Dick said to them then then gave them a hug.
"You don't have to stay Dick. We can find some way to make this work with you gone. You don't have to leave them just to stay with me." Barbra told him. She felt guilty about making him leave.
"It's ok Babs I'm fine with this. If we got long distance then things wouldn't be the same between us. We wouldn't be able to go on dates, or hold hands, or this." He then grabbed Barbra and started to kiss her. She then kissed him back.
"Hey guys remember me your third wheel friend your not even going to add me into a reason for staying." Bruce said to them trying to break the awkwardness.
"Of course your a reason for staying Brucy." Barbra and Dick then grabbed him arms and the three of them shared a hug together. Dick hugged his parents and the three went back to rehearsal. Jason having seen all of this was mad that he wasn't gone.
"So how much did they cry when they were forced to spectate?" Talia asked Jason as she saw him come back.
"The butler ruined everything. His parents left but he's staying at the mansion with Bruce." Jason said to her.
"Aw too bad. Oh well. Now then about my blackmail you promised me." Talia said wanting her payment.
"Oh no. If you want this then your going to get your father to use whatever kind of connections he has and find a way to make Dick pay. Your not getting this blackmail until I see him truly suffering. By any means necessary." Jason said to her. He then left her angry that she would have to ask for another favor if she wanted that blackmail.
The rest of the day went by fast compared to the begging. Hamlet went well and everybody enjoyed the play. Dick went and packed all his stuff to take into the mansion while his parents got ready to leave Gotham. He gave them one last goodby and headed off to the mansion. After putting everything in his new room Dick went out and sat on the font steps when he saw Alfred standing by him.
"Hey Alfred I never got to thank you for letting me stay here ill pay you back somehow." Dick said to him. He looked up to wondering how his parents were.
"On the contrary that was my way of paying you back. Before Master Bruce went to school he was alone quiet, and sad. Now thanks to you and Barbra, and everyone at that school he has friends, he talks more, but most of all he laughs and has a good time. So thank you for all of that Master Grayson." Alfred said to him smiling.
"I have to know why do you call Brucy by his first name but everybody else by their last name?" Dick asked him curious about that.
"Long ago when Master Bruce's parents Master Wayne and Mistress Wayne were alive I called him Master Bruce to distinguish him from his father. After Master Wayne died and Mistress Wayne died I started to call him Master Wayne but he asked me to stop. He said Master Wayne was his father and that he didn't want to take his fathers place. That is why I call him Master Bruce." Alfred explained to him.
"In that case as long as I'm here in the mansion can you call me Master Dick. I don't want to think of my parents right now. Did I make the right decision Alfred?" Dick asked wondering if he should have left.
"I can not answer that the only thing I can say is that you proved you really do love Mistress Gordon. Over time you will know if you did the right thing." Alfred said to him. Dick then got up and started to leave to his room.
"It's getting late we should go to sleep. Good night Alfred." Dick said he then headed off to his room.
"Good night Master Dick. I hope you enjoy your time here at the mansion." Alfred said to him. He looked and saw that Dick was smiling. He had made the right choice.
A/N: So starting next chapter is sophomore year. Things are going to be different with Dick dating Barbra and living with Bruce. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think, what you want to happen, or anything else. Hope you enjoy.
