I know. I'm a terrible person…but…I sort of have an excuse?

I've been super busy with college. Math especially because I'm so terrible at it.

Anywho. On with the story!

Chapter 21

The trip to Gotham City was rather long and uneventful. Grant loved Gotham because it was so dark there. He was even more excited that he was finally going to get to go on his first mission. I had told them about it a few days prior, and they were so excited, they could barely contain themselves. Dick was excited too, but I don't think his happiness could match that of Grant's.

We pulled into the parking lot of the hotel we always stayed at when we visited Will. This was the place Dick met my family…I wondered if he'd remember…

I walked to the front desk and reserved two rooms for three nights. Addie stayed with Joey and Rose, and I stayed with Grant and Dick. We pulled our suitcases into the room and lined them neatly against the wall. It was just after noon. So, once we had everything settled, we went to find a place to eat. The boys weren't going on the mission until the next night, so they had plenty of time to prepare.

They had packed everything they would need, the weapons they wanted, their suits and tech., as well as the blueprints. They were ready, and I knew it. But like I said, I just hope they knew they were ready.

The visit to Gotham was…interesting to say the least.

Joey loved going to visit Will, and while Grant enjoyed seeing the old man, it was easy to tell he didn't want to be there very long. Dick had never met him, and Will actually didn't know we had adopted the orphaned acrobat. He would be surprised, to say the least. We arrived at his home at noon, and he greeted us at the door.

"Hey, Will!" Joey shouted as he wrapped his small arms around Will's waist.

"Hello, child." Will greeted with a wrinkled smile as he returned the hug. Joey detached himself from his waist and walked into the house. Adeline hugged the old man quickly before she too walked through the door after Joey.

"Slade! How good it is to see you again." Will greeted as he shook my hand.

"Likewise. How have you been?" I asked as I followed him through the door with Grand and Dick behind me.

"As good as can be expected, I suppose. Please, have a seat, make yourselves at home. Can I interest anyone in a beverage?" He asked.

"No, thank you." Addie said.

"Will, I'd like you to meet Sarah Rose." I said, gesturing to the child in my wife's arms. Will smiled as he walked over and took a seat next to Adeline. She passed Rose to him and he looked down at her fondly, as though she was the most precious thing in the world. Which is probably exactly what he was thinking, since he thought every child was the greatest thing in the world.

"She is beautiful." Will said sincerely, "I've been waiting for the day I would finally get to meet her." He said. Dick took a seat next to me quietly.

"And Will, I would also like to introduce you to Dick." Will snapped his head up and allowed his eyes to settle on the raven haired boy.

"My goodness, child. What happened to you face?"

Grant laughed at his question.

Dick's face blushed slightly as he looked carefully between me and Grant.

"It's alright, Dick. You can tell him. He knows." I said.

Dick raised a finger to point at Grant. Grant rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"They've started their training, Will," I began, "It started out pretty rough. Grant got a little carried away and attacked Dick with a hunting knife."

"My goodness. Slade, you ought to be more careful."

"Me? What did I do?"

"You're too careless with your weapons. You need to watch them closer."

"But—"

"No buts, Slade. You have a responsibility to your children. You must keep those things locked up so they can't do that sort of thing!"

"Dick isn't his child." Grand threw in grumpily.

"Will, I appreciate your concern, but the boys are fully-"

"Slade, I don't want to hear excuses! You're too careless!"

"That happened like 2 years ago!" I protested.

"That was when they first started?"

"No! They'd been training for a few months."

"A few months? That's it?!"

"They were doing well! I shouldn't have had to worry about not being able to trust him!"

"But you should have. Grant and Dick are too under experienced to be left alone with weapons unsupervised!"

"Hey!" Grant protested, "I'm fully capable of handling a knife! It wasn't an accident! I did it on purpose!"

"Young man, that is not an act which you should boast about." Will scolded, "You could have killed the boy." He said as he looked sympathetically at Dick.

Grant mumbled incoherently to himself. "Yeah, well, I won't try to kill him anytime soon."

"You better not ever." Will said seriously.

Will looked back at Dick, studying every inch of the young man's face carefully. His expression quickly changed from ticked off to curious.

"You look vaguely familiar, my boy. Where have I seen you before?"

Grant laughed, "Yeah, Will. He's a circus brat!"

"Grant!" Addie snapped. Grant looked at her sheepishly.

"I beg your pardon?" Will asked in astonishment.

"I was on TV a lot a few years ago…" Dick said.

"Oh?" Will asked.

"He's a circus kid, Will. He's an acrobat." I said simply.

"Oh, my. How exciting. What circus?" Will asked curiously.

"Haley's Circus." Dick said quietly.

"Oh. I've heard of that one! I didn't know they still had an aerial act. The last one they had ended quite tragically." Will said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I know." Dick said simply.

"So, Dick. What's it like?"

"Um…I don't really do it anymore…" He said.

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Will. May I speak with you? Privately?" I asked quickly, cutting the conversation short.

"Don't bother, Slade." Dick said. "Everyone here already knows…" He looked up at Will with strength and fire in his eyes. "My name is Richard Grayson. I'm the last Flying Grayson. My parents were the acrobats who fell and died two years ago at Haley's Circus here in Gotham. Slade and Addie and Grant and Joey were there and saw the whole thing." Dick said defiantly.

Will's face paled as he listened. "I am so sorry." Will said sincerely.

Dick nodded. "It doesn't matter. Slade's gonna help me find the man who did it."

There was a tense silence that filled the room. Dick's form was stiff and rigid as he looked Will right in the eye, daring him to press the subject more. Grant looked on happily, waiting for someone to say something. Joey looked apprehensive and Addie didn't know what to do. I'd never seen Will so nervous before. Not even before going on a suicide mission… He was truly at a loss for words.

Someone get me a camera.

The tension was broken by Rose.

"Wobhin." She said happily as she pointed to Dick. Everyone tore their eyes away from Dick and looked at Rose.

I caught the slightest of smiles creep onto Dick's face as he looked down at the white carpet.

Will absolutely beamed at the small word.

"What did she say!?" he asked excitedly.

"She said 'robin.'" Addie said, "She likes to call Dick a robin."

"And why is that?" he asked as he looked from Rose to Dick and back again.

"Well…" Addie began, unsure what to say.

"She likes to watch Grayson work out on his trapezes. She thinks he's a bird, so Gypsy over there taught her the word 'robin'." Grant explained easily. It shocked me how simply he could say that after the rough conversation a moment before. It came across to me like he just didn't really care if Dick was hurt by his words. I thought he had gotten past that.

"Well." Will said after a moment, "Would anyone like anything to drink? Or a snack, perhaps? Joey, I have some fresh made cookies in the kitchen." He said with a warm smile. Joey's face lit up at the mention of Will's cookies. We all moved into his kitchen and say around the table while the boys gleefully devoured Will's cookies. I had a few as well, and I could easily taste what all the fuss was about. If I believed in a heaven, then that's where his cookies came from. They were absolutely incredible. We made small talk about how things had been; Addie told him about the new house and I told him about the building I had for training. Grant and Joey talked about school, and Dick told Will about the trapezes I had set up. We talked about training methods and weapons, and Will told us about his cousin who came to visit him a few months prior. In the course of a few hours, we were all caught up on everything major even that had happened in our lives over the past two years. Will was so happy to see us; I could see it in the way he smiled and in his eyes. Before long, the clock struck 7 PM. Addie told me Rose needed to be put to bed, so I casually ended the conversation and told Will it was time for us to go. He urged us to stay, but after declining several times, he finally let us out the door. Addie loaded Rose into the car and hugged Will.

With a promise to return and visit again soon, we finally managed to pull out of his driveway at 7:38 PM and head back to the hotel.

The next night was the night of the heist. Adeline had taken Joey and Rose shopping with her to give the boys and I time to prepare. I set up my computer while the boys got themselves ready. My computer was a state of the art device that I designed. It would pick up a signal from anywhere in the world, and tonight, it would be receiving video feed from security cameras all over Gotham City so I could watch the boys and make sure they were safe. I locked onto all of the cameras in and around Wayne Enterprises, as well as any cameras along the way. The boys came back in their uniforms and loaded their weapons and gadgets into their belts and pockets. I covered everything they were doing and allowed them to read the email.

"What if we can't get through the security?" Grant asked.

"Wayne Enterprises has a poor security system, you'll be able to hack your way through easily." I assured him. They had spent a fair amount of time hacking databases and working with computers. While Dick was excelled at this skill, he was no match for Grant. I knew Grant would easily be able to get through security.

"And what if your source was wrong? What if the cores aren't where he said they are?" Dick asked.

"Yeah, what if it's a set up?" Grant added seriously. The thought had crossed my mind too, but it didn't bother me.

"If this was a setup, the source wouldn't be sending you to Wayne Enterprises. It's too public. And because it is Wayne Enterprises, there is no reason to suggest that the source has given us faulty information. It's too big of a risk. Don't worry about it, boys."

I'd done my research, and was able to confirm that the source was correct.

I handed each of them an ear piece so they could speak to one another. The equipment would also redirect any conversation back to me. Once all questions were asked, and all plans laid out, they were ready.

Grant loaded his guns, and Dick sheathed his daggers. It bothered me that the young man didn't want to use a gun, but it was something I would deal with at a later date. Dick pulled a lead lined back pack over his shoulder to carry the uranium in and they pulled their masks over their faces. I opened the hotel window, and they grappled out into the night.

There was a second that I actually feared for them, but it was quickly replaced by pride. They were going out on their first mission together. Despite any animosity between them, I trusted them to watch each other's backs when something went wrong, which I had no doubt would happen. I closed the window and sat down to watch the monitor. It took five minutes before the first camera picked them up. They were making a steady pace toward the building. I listened to their breathing as they ran across rooftops.

I followed their forms across the screen until they came to a stop on a building across the street from their destination.

"Ok, Ravager." Stygian whispered. Ravager leapt from the building and grappled over to the roof of Wayne Enterprises. He set to work disarming the security alarm to the roof entrance.

"Stygian, I'm in." he said over the comm. Stygian's form flew from the building and joined Ravager on the building. I switched to the camera inside the door and watched as the moonlight streamed through. They boys were silhouetted as they made their way in. They made their first mistake.

Ravager didn't relock the door they came through. It wasn't a huge mistake, but it was certainly a liability.

"Alright, we have to make it all the way down to the basement…" Stygian said dismally.

"That's 80 floors! Why did we come in through the roof if we have to be all the way down there?!" Ravager said in a loud whisper. Stygian shrugged.

"Let's go."

Stygian pushed open a door that led to the stairs. There was a brief moment of pause.

"That's far." Stygian said as he looked over the railing to the bottom.

"Come on. I'm not walking down all those stairs." Ravager said. I heard the distinct click of a grappling hook and watched as the boys threw themselves over the railing. I face palmed. They were going to be seen if they kept that up.

They fell all the way down to the first floor and gently set their feet on the floor.

Ravager let out a nervous laugh. "That was cool."

They walked to the next doorway marked 'Authorized Personnel Only Alarm Will Sound."

"Psh." Ravager scoffed. He rigged the door and disabled the alarm before carelessly pushing it open. It slammed against the wall with a loud clang. The boys stood absolutely still for a full minute, barely breathing.

"Ravager!" Stygian barked. "Be careful!"

"Shut up, Gypsy." He mumbled as he made his way down the stairs with Stygian following behind him, closing to door behind him. They walked down various hallways before coming to a door marked "DO NOT ENTER." They pushed the door open and I lost sight of them. There were no cameras in the room they were in. I kept my eyes glued to the last screen I saw them on and waited.

"Where are we going?" Ravager asked.

"It should be down here in a vault." Stygian said. I waited. And waited. And waited.

"Here." Ravager called. I listened to Stygian as he jogged to his comrade's location.

"I think this is it." Ravager said. Stygian was silent. I listened as he attempted to open the vault. Stygian was good at picking locks and cracking safes. He taught Ravager how to do it. I listened as he filed and drilled through the metal for ten minutes.

Then, I heard it. I listened as the gears in the vault began to turn, and I heard the triumphant laughs of the two boys.

"Look!" Ravager said excitedly, "That's it!"

I let out a sigh of relief. They loaded the cores into the bag and covered their tracks as they made their way back up. I watched as they reappeared through the door way and closed it behind them gently.

"Let's go!" Stygian said as they made their way back to the stairs.

"You closed the door!" Ravager accused.

"Yeah, so?"

"So, the alarm is going to go off! I can't rig it from inside!"

"Why didn't you tell me that!?" Stygian argued back.

"You're supposed to already know that! Now what are we gonna do?!"

There were silent a moment.

"Ok…Just open it and run." Stygain said.

No! Don't do that! I thought. Use the vents! Why did I only give them one way communication?

There was silence followed by a loud obnoxious alarm.

"RUN!" Stygian yelled. I watched the monitors as they bounded up the stairs and back to the main staircase to the roof. They looked up briefly and shot a grappling hook up. They shot into the air up the long flight of stairs. I switched to the top floor camera and waited for them to appear. My eye caught movement in the main lobby of the building as security guards flooded the room.

They ran wildly through the building, looking for any intruders. A smirk lifted my face as I watched the boys escape onto the room and shut the door behind them. I switched to another camera and watched them retreat to the next rooftop smoothly and ran.

"Dude! That was wicked!" Ravager said excitedly.

"Your dad's gonna be so psyched!" They said excitedly to each other as they slapped the other's back.

"I hope he doesn't find out we tripped the alarm…"

"Why?"

"He'll get mad…there was probably another way…" Grant sounded uncertain.

"Yeah…we should have used the air ducts." Stygian said thoughtfully.

Ya think?

"Come on, Gypsy! We made it! We met the objective!"

"When we get the cores back to Slade, then we will have met the objective."

"Slow down, Dick!" Ravager called. "We got away." He was breathing heavily. Stygian came to a stop on the edge of a roof.

"It's Stygian."

"Right…sorry. Hey, look." They were silent. I watched as they looked over the edge of the building into what Gotham called Crime Alley. They needed to get away from there…

"Is that he batmobile?" Ravager asked in shock.

"What's that kid doing?" They continued to watch.

"Holy crap! He's stealing the tires!"

"Off the batmobile!? That's sick!" Ravager said with admiration. "Kid's got guts!"

Batmobile? That meant Batman was close. They needed to get out of there, now! I growled angrily as I watched them watch the alley. Next time, I'd have a way for me to communicate with them

"Come on, Ravager. We need to get out of here." Stygian said as he turned away. Ravager followed suit and they propelled themselves back toward the hotel where I was waiting. I closed the computer after they got out of range of the final camera and opened the widow for them. Stygian flipped through first, gracefully landing on his feet. Ravager followed through less formally and rolled over his shoulder to come to his feet next to Stygian.

"Well?" I asked unnecessarily. "Let's see it."

Stygian tossed me the bag and removed his mask and belt. I looked in the bag at the cores. They really were small…

"What happened?" I asked. I already knew, of course, but I wanted to be sure they were honest.

"Not much…" Grant said.

"We got in and got out." Dick said.

I looked at them skeptically, knowing better.

"We saw a kid stealing tires off the Batmobile!" Grant added excitedly.

"Did you get through security without problem?"

"Oh, yeah. You were right. Their security sucks."

"Grant. Just tell him." Dick said exasperatedly. When Grant didn't speak, Dick explained.

"I closed the door to the basement that Grant rigged. Since he couldn't get back through from the inside, we tripped the alarm."

"He blew it." Grant said defensively.

"We got out quickly and weren't seen. No one will know the uranium is gone unless they go looking for it." Dick said. I listened as they walked me through everything I had seen. Overall, they did good for their first mission. I dismissed them and sent an email to my employer telling him his goods would be delivered shortly. I packed everything up just as Adeline and the kids came back.

Addie raised an eye brow at me. A question: Did they do it?

I nodded with a smirk as Grant and Dick came back dressed in their pajamas.

The next day, Addie decided it would be a fantastic idea to walk around main street. I had no desire to do so, but I was forced into it.

"It'll be fun, Slade!"

Sure it will… Addie drug us through shop after shop browsing and shopping. It was murder. Joey seemed to like it, but Grant didn't look at all pleased. Dick was neutral about it. We came to the very end of main street looking over the slums of Gotham.

"Let's go back to the car and find somewhere to eat." Addie said as she corralled us all back. It took me a moment to realize one of the boys wasn't with us. I looked back to see Dick walking down the hill.

"Dick!" I called. He didn't answer, but it seemed he walked faster. I turned and walked after him.

"Dick! Come on. Where are you going?"

He turned and looked at me as he pointed down the hill. I felt the blood drain from my face.

He was walking toward Gotham City Cemetery with no signs of stopping. I looked back at Addie and the boys, motioning for them to follow us. We followed behind him as he walked through the cemetery gates confidently. He looked at each headstone while quickly making his way down the rows. I, too, looked for Grayson carved in stone, but I couldn't find it. I was about to call out to Dick to tell him we were leaving, but stopped short when I saw him on his knees pulling weeds out from around a small headstone.

Grant walked over to him and watched a moment before kneeling down and pulling the weeds out from around the second headstone. Once they were finished, Dick sat back on his feet and just stared. Grant stepped back and made his way over to us.

"He found them." He whispered. I nodded. When it came to Dick, Grant wasn't worried about insulting him, but when it came to Dick and his parents, Grant knew not to say a word. He knew where Dick drew the line, and he respected it, and even tried to offer comfort when he could.

But Dick was strong. He never asked for comfort, but he silently accepted it when it was offered.

Dick sat there, tears following the pale line of his scar. He looked between the headstones, his lips moving ever so subtly. His eyes shone brightly. We waited.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he pushed himself off the ground and wiped the tears from his eyes. He lingered a moment longer before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking toward us solemnly with his head bowed. No one said a word as we exited the cemetery.

I voted yesterday for the first time ever. It was painless...

Fun fact: I was on fall break last weekend, and I got to take a trip to…drum roll….

NASHVILLE!

It was so much fun, I love Nashville so much. I got to go to the Grand Ole Opry, tour the Country Music Hall of Fame and The Ryman Auditorium! Not to mention dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon where they have horse statues hanging from the ceiling….upside down. It was great. I love Nashville…very much…That's where Brad Paisley lives, and I LOVE Brad Paisley.

I also got to meet JIMMY WAYNE! No one knows who he is, but he's the guy who sings "So do you Believe me now?" I got to take a picture with him, and I have an autographed book of his, and it was fantastic, took me two days to read and I loved every word. Got my pic with him and everything, I hugged him! It was amazing. He's the only famous person I've ever really met.

I have met the members of Balsam Range (A fantastic Bluegrass group) and Rhonda Vincent (The Queen of Bluegrass) sent me a video one time…

Yeah. I love Bluegrass. In fact, I'm a Bluegrass Fiddler and Singer and I might learn the guitar…so ha! I love it so much!

Yeah…I know y'all don't care, but I had a fantastic weekend, and I just really wanted to share it with y'all!

I'm so glad I finally updated, thank you all for being so patient. I'm actually watching the CMA's whilst posting this, so…yeah. Dierks Bently is singin "Drunk on a Plane" I can't wait for Brad Paisley…I love him so much.

I'm so happy for Carrie Underwood! She's having a baby boy! Whoo hoo! I hope she doesn't name him something stupid…

Anyway, read and review, like always. And smile at strangers.

Marina McBride is so pretty…

So, I think next chapter is going to be the one I was talking about. It's going to be so funny!

There will be a time jump between this chapter and the next, and Rose will be talking! Yay!

Can't wait. I might even post really soon too.

OOOO! BRAD'S SINGING! GOTTA GO!

BYE GUYS!