Chapter 14

While the rivalry between Damian and his brothers had cooled off as he grew up and found other ways to disappoint father, Damian still kept his happy distance from them. Especially Tim. The time he had thought Tim was dead was enough to cool some of his anger towards the other boy.

Or so he kept reminding himself when he came face to face with Timothy Drake.

"Who let you in?" he questioned with a curled nose and raised eyebrow.

Tim smiled and let himself in. Damian pulled his shoulders back and drew himself up higher. He was taller than this apartment crasher and he would remind him of the fact now. Tim was unfazed as he took a seat at the table.

"June let me in. I have a favour to ask you." Damian opened his mouth to respond when Tim glared at him. "You owe me, Damian."

He did. This was why Damian hated owing favours.

"What do you want then?"

Tim handed him a picture. It was of a blond woman in a painter's shirt. Despite the paint on the shirt, she looked like she hired a stylist. A woman of money.

"That's Sophie Covington. She's an acquaintance of mine. Her husband was not an upstanding citizen and I'm sure the FBI was right on his doorstep when he died, but she's as innocent as they come. Think like Stephanie."

"Brown?" Damian said, glaring at the picture. He didn't see the resemblance at all. "I wouldn't call her 'innocent'."

"But she's not a criminal. And neither is Sophie."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Everyone thinks she killed her husband. She's been cleared of the crime but still-"

"The black stain won't go away. It's hard to convince people otherwise when they've already made up their mind," Damian said. Now he felt a connection to the stupid picture and the person in it. "Alright, what do you want me do?"

Tim grinned. "Get close to her. Look out for her. Keep the FBI off her back as much as possible. She doesn't deserve the hounding."

"How do I meet with her?" Damian asked.

"She's locked up in a prison of her own making. People are trying to keep her safe so she's really not able to meet new people. I told her you'd be at the memorial service for her husband."

Damian groaned. He didn't want to go.

"You owe me," Tim reminded him. At least the memorial service was a couple of days away.

Neal picked up a sandwich for Peter before entering the evidence lock up.

"Hey," he greeted his favourite FBI agent. Peter was still cataloguing phones.

"Not now Neal, I've got less than 50 of these to go and then a couple of shipments of googly eyes."

"I picked up a sandwich on my way back from the bank. Surely that's worth a couple of moments of your time?"

Peter took the sandwich and unwrapped it. He looked it over for a couple of moments before taking a bite.

"What were you doing at the bank?"

"I got my first pay check after getting back. I deposited it into my rainy day account."

"Rainy day account?"

Neal shrugged. "With what I get paid, all I can afford is an umbrella." Maybe he was too used to a higher class of living as Peter didn't smile at the joke.

"Did you happen to tell Sara about Kate being back?" Peter suddenly asked.

"That's a change of subject. Why would I?"

Neal turned just in time to see Sara walking into the cage.

"Neal," she greeted him in a cold tone.

"Sara."

"What brings you here?" Peter asked quickly, before one of them could say something they would regret.

Sara turned to Peter. "I'm working the Covington Settlement."

Those two words had Neal's interest right away. It would make things easier if Sara was working it. He could keep an eye on the investigation from this side while repaying his favour to Tim. He was not surprised that Sara believed Sophie was not as innocent as she appeared. It was part of her job to go in believing that the person she was investigating was trying to trick her and Sophie didn't look so innocent when one looked at the facts.

But it wasn't like Sophie did much to defend her public image. Like most people who suddenly found themselves in the public spotlight, it seemed she was still underestimating the effect news and public opinion would have on her day to day life.

Sara asked for whatever help Peter could give her and Neal also jumped into offer his help. They were going to watching over her at the memorial service.

Neal marvelled at how he had a reason to be here as the guns went off for a 21-gun salute.

"It's nice to see that even a year after his death, Covington's ego lives on," Peter commented. He decided to get out and take a closer look. While he had asked a couple of times, Neal wasn't giving up any information about Sara or Kate.

Neal watched in surprise as Peter bumped into her and apologised. She was leaving early and hurried away from Peter after apologising.

A van pulled up as Neal was watching and he jumped into action automatically. He knocked out one of the kidnappers before pulling Sophie to the ground and away from any weapons they might be carrying.

Unfortunately, that gave them time to rescue their unconscious comrade and drive off.

Neal muttered a curse under his breath. Then he recalled the code phrase Tim had given him.

"I guess I'm here to be your night in shining armour," he mumbled, feeling his face heat up a little. Being Neal had made it so that he could say cheesy lines like that and make them work but that didn't mean he didn't get embarrassed sometimes, especially when they were said at the wrong time.

Sophie's eyes widened. "Indeed. You're very attractive," she commented in a little shocked voice. It was breathy and Neal was acutely reminded that she was lying on top of him. "And, I think you just saved my life."

"You could be right," Neal said sitting up and getting her weight off him. "Are you okay?"

She didn't get a chance to answer him before her security came up and carried her off. Neal blindly placed his hand where his hat should have been only to find it gone.

"Neal?" Peter questioned. He helped Neal up and looked him up and down for any sign of injuries.

"I think she stole my hat," he commented, not sure if he was impressed or annoyed.

Neal returned home to find Mar'i and Tim both in his apartment. Mar'i was curled up on the couch, reading a book, and Tim was sitting at the table with a computer in front of him.

"If it isn't the man of the hour," Mar'i said in a teasing tone, floating off the couch.

"I told you to help her with the FBI, not help the FBI to her," Tim complained.

"I would think you would approve of the idea of getting insider information. I need to know what the FBI knows to help Sophie. Although it's very little at this point."

"That's true. But working with your ex can be awkward," Tim said.

"Is that how you feel about Stephanie?" Mar'i questioned.

"You don't mind?" Neal questioned as she wasn't tearing him a new one for working with his ex-girlfriend.

"I want to meet the woman who would agree to go out with you," she said. "And it's not like either of us are dating you right now, right?"

Tim looked between the two, eyes wide and a grin twitching to life on his face as he watched the drama unfold.

Neal rubbed the back of his neck. He had thought that Mar'i still had feelings for him. He wasn't certain if he should still have feelings for someone who had moved on.

"You don't have to be jealous of your friends hanging out with their ex's," Mar'i said.

"What about your boyfriend hanging out with their ex?" Neal asked pointedly.

There was a clutter as the pen which had been in Tim's mouth hit the ground.