Author's Notes: Kind of a strong "T" in this chapter.

Also, some of you may know that I experienced a death in the family this week, and, as of this posting (2/17/13), I am 2000+ miles away from home, dealing with that. As a result, The Spirit Within will not be updated today. Shatter Me, however, has 10 chapters in reserve, so I can still post this week's. Posting is actually about all I have time for - although I was able to watch this week's YJ episode. It was very good, and I hope that you are all continuing your efforts to save the show!

Dick sat on top of the building next to Devon's, watching her curtains blow in the wind. Her window was open; that meant that she was – available for visitors. Well, visitor, singular.

He was nervous, and he didn't know why he should be. After all, this was not like last night, when everything was unknown. Tonight, she expected him, and she welcomed him.

So why was he sitting a couple of hundred feet away, in the cold, instead of in her bed? Part of it was definitely a result of the discussion that he had had with Jason. His brother had not really said anything that had caused Dick's insecurity; rather, it was his own uncertainty about separating Dick from Nightwing in this relationship. Was he being unfair to Devon by keeping his identity from her? Obviously, had she known that Dick and Nightwing were the same person, last night would have ended differently.

He firmly pushed those thoughts away – she wanted him, and he wanted her, and that was the end of it.

For now, at least.

He launched a jump line into the top of the tree and swung over to it.

Devon sat nervously on her bed, drumming on her thighs, waiting anxiously for Nightwing to come. Would he come? He hadn't said that he would; maybe she was just sitting here for nothing, waiting in a cold room.

She sighed. Maybe this was crazy. She was now sleeping with a man who she was targeting as prey. This was wrong – on so many levels. She was hiding something – something important – something that would jeopardize their relationship. Something that could jeopardize his life.

She should tell him the truth.

She should, but she wouldn't.

Anyway, it's not as if he's being all that honest with you. After all, he won't even take off his damn mask!

She sighed. She didn't even care.

She heard the window being lifted higher, and she jumped off the bed just as his face appeared.

"Knock, knock." His voice held what sounded like uncertainty.

"You came." She smiled as he stepped through the window.

He straightened to his full height and looked down at her. "Is that – okay?" He remembered to deepen his voice.

"Oh, yes." She reached for him, and, like the night before, that was all it took. Within minutes they were naked and on her bed, and his mouth was closed on one of her breasts.

His hand snaked down and he began to stroke her, eliciting a moan that may have been a bit too loud.

"Shhhhhhh." He said, softly, his mouth close to her ear.

Devon's eyes tried to focus on his face. "She's asleep. I checked."

"Door locked?"

"Yes." She could barely speak now as the sensations began exploding within her. She tipped her head back and gave him access to her throat, and felt his tongue move across her flesh to nip at her collarbone.

She reached down and wrapped her hand around him, and felt him jerk.

"Wait," he gasped, and, leaving her, scrambled for his utility belt. She sat up, dazed, and watched as he fumbled through the pouches.

"We – we need gadgets?" She asked incredulously.

He found what he was looking for and held up the foil packet triumphantly. "Condom."

"Oh." She smiled, and turned over to reach for the drawer of her bedside stand. She pulled out a box, and tossed it to him. "Taken care of."

He sat down on the bed with it, reading the label. "Jumbo size."

"That refers to the number, you know." She scooted up beside him.

He looked at her and grinned. "You sure about that?"

She reached for the lamp by her bed to extinguish the light. "Either way, I think we're good."

She curled on her side and Nightwing molded himself around her. His arms went around her torso and pulled her closer still, pressing a kiss against her ear. She covered his hands with her own and gave a contented purr, snuggling back against him.

"I was wondering, earlier, if you had changed your mind." She confessed, and placed the bottom of her bare feet against the front of his calves, liking the rough feel of the hair on his legs.

"No chance." He kissed her shoulder.

She smiled. "I'm glad." She enjoyed his lips on her skin. "Is this – weird? What we're doing?"

"Not really. I understand it's been very popular for millions of years."

She gave a small laugh. "I mean – you and me."

"Why? Because I'm wearing a mask?"

"Yeah. Do you –" she turned around in his arms to look at his face, acknowledging, of course, that she would not be able to see his eyes as he answered, "um, do this often?"

He shook his head, his mouth serious. "Sleep with girls I've met as Nightwing?" At her nod, he continued. "No. Never. You're the only one. This is kind of a – unique situation." It was a bit of a lie, he knew, even as he said it. He hadn't met her as Nightwing, but as Dick Grayson – although, of course, she didn't know that.

She smiled. "Good."

"Were you worried?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know if worried is the right word. It's just that – well, to be honest, you're kind of a dish. I'm sure you've had your share of grateful women throwing themselves at you."

He laughed deep in his throat. "Is that what you are? Grateful?"

She smiled in return, and turned over again. "I'm definitely grateful for the past half hour."

"Hmm. That good, huh?"

"At the risk of adding to your already healthy self-confidence, I'll admit that it was." She smiled.

"What?" His arms tightened, and he pulled her against him.

"I mean that a man who wears spandex and nothing else must have an inkling of how good he looks in it."

"There's Kevlar in it, too, you know."

"Well, in that case, I guess I should say that you wear armor well." She teased, and put her head back to look at him.

"And you wear nothing well."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

He realized that his words sounded insulting, and blushed. "I – I mean that you look good naked."

She reached behind her and touched his hair with tenderness. "Oh, you're a smooth talker, Nightmare."

His pulse quickened for a moment, then he leaned forward and kissed her jawline. "You make me tongue-tied." Oh, shit. He remembered saying that to her as Dick, and he prayed that she would not notice. He rushed to cover the moment. "Of course, there are other things that I can do with my tongue."

A thought nagged at the back of her mind, but she shoved it away, and shimmied her rear against him, smiling as she felt him stirring. "Show me."

Blüdhaven

That Morning

"You just couldn't stay away from her, could you?"

Dick stood in the doorway of his bathroom, clad only in underwear, and looked at his brother. He had just showered, and, as he dried his hair with a towel, he shrugged. "Was I supposed to?"

"Dude, it's your life. If it were me, I know I'd take every chance to screw her."

"And you haven't even seen her." He threw his towel at Jason, who caught it easily.

"Well, let's fix that. As I recall, you invited me for breakfast."

Dick walked towards his bedroom. "I remember it differently."

Jason shrugged. "I think you're having short-term memory loss. You know, from banging your girlfriend's brains out."

"Classy." Dick pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt.

"They have corned beef hash at this diner?"

"Yeah." Dick slid his clothes on and grabbed his boots.

"Good."

"That shit will clog your arteries and kill you."

"Funny. I'm not really worried about that."

Gotham City

Later That Morning

Devon stood at the cash register, making change, when she heard the bell on the front door jingle.

"Table or –" she began, but stopped, and her face whitened.

Dick Grayson and another young man she didn't recognize stood in front of her, and her pulse began racing. Oh, no, she thought. Not today!

He smiled at her hesitantly, and, clearing her throat, she smiled back, even though it was suddenly dry. "H – hey, Dick. How – how are you?"

He tried to ignore the fact that he knew what she looked like naked. "Uh, hi, uh, Devon. I'm – I'm good. You?" He was suddenly unable to string intelligible words together.

She bobbed her head rapidly. "Good, good – yeah, uh, good. Thanks for asking. Table or booth?"

"Table or booth would be fine."

She blinked at him, and led them to a booth. Stupid, stupid! What the hell were you doing? You sounded like an idiot! He doesn't know anything! Besides, you don't owe him anything. It's not like you were dating or anything! And, anyway, that thing with Nightwing is just sex. Wait! Why are you thinking about this now? Stop!

Dick followed her, enjoying, as he always did, watching her rear move under her uniform, and thinking how well her butt would fit into his hands. Shit! Stop thinking about sex!

"Real smooth, big bro." Jason whispered in his ear.

Dick sighed. This was not going to be as easy as he thought.

She handed them menus as they sat, and waited expectantly.

"Oh, Devon." Dick realized that she had not met Jason. "Yeah. Uh, this is my brother."

She shook her head mentally, and smiled at Jason. "One of your brothers! Nice to meet you." She extended her hand, and Dick's brother took it in a warm, strong grip. "Roomie or Ivy Leaguer?"

"Roomie." Dick smiled.

"Jason," his brother supplied.

"Devon," she pulled her hand away.

"You know," Jason's eyes slid to Dick, "Dick has told me a lot about you."

"O – oh?" Her own eyes went to Dick, who was turning red. "He told me a lot about you, too."

Jason's brows arched. "Really? I'll admit I'm surprised. I've always been the black sheep of the family. They keep me hidden – the dirty little secret."

Dick's hands clenched.

"I'll – let you guys have a minute with the menu."

Jason smiled winningly at her, and Dick waited until Devon was well away before turning to his brother.

"What the hell was that about?"

Jason ignored him, and began to study the menu. "You do not disappoint, Dickie. She is hot. Very hot." He looked at his brother. "So is she into any superhero? Because I don't really have the hero bit down, but there are parts of me that are super."

Dick's face became mottled. "Are you trying to provoke me into beating you into the ground?"

"As if you could." At Dick's growing anger, Jason laughed. "You are too easy. I was just yanking your chain."

Dick was somewhat mollified. "You're a pain in the ass."

"But I'm a lot of fun."

"Your definition of fun has always been off, Jase."

"Different strokes." He leaned in. "Hey, what did you tell this girl? She knows that I'm your brother."

"Yeah, well," Dick began defensively, "should I lie? You are my brother. So's Tim. So's Damian."

"Does she know about your father?"

"If you're asking whether she knows that Bruce Wayne is my father, then, no, she doesn't."

"Well, at least you know she's not after you for your money."

Dick was peeved. "Why do people keep saying that? She's not after me at all. Obviously."

Jason grinned. "Who else said that?"

"Bruce." He admitted, pouting.

"Ha! Leave it up to him to find a motive for her interest in you."

"But she's not interested!" He hissed. "That's why I'm here."

Jason shook his head and looked at his menu. "Just give it up, Dickie. You've already got the best of both worlds. You get to screw her, but you don't have to do all the boring boyfriend stuff, like talking, and pretending to care about her opinions, and buying her presents."

Dick gave Jason a dry look. "And there's the reason you remain single."

Devon walked to the counter and picked up a coffee pot to refill the cups for the patrons there, although her mind was on Dick. She wondered why he was here; she had made it clear on Saturday that it was over – before it had even started, unfortunately.

And, now, of course, she was with Nightwing – and there was no room for Dick.

She watched the brothers talking, and, although she couldn't hear their words, she could tell that Dick seemed to be upset, which Devon definitely understood. Jason seemed a little like a loose cannon.

Still, what he had said about Dick telling him about her – troubled her. She had never wanted to hurt Dick, and it seems that he might have been very interested in her, and that she might have, indeed, hurt him.

She took a deep breath and walked back to their table with glasses of water and coffee cups.

"You boys want coffee?"

"God, yes." Jason smiled up at her, and she noticed how handsome he was, and, how, despite the fact that she knew that they were not related by blood, he resembled Dick. They had the same black hair, the same startling blue eyes, and the same mischievous smile.

She poured them both a cup, and took their orders. Dick was very conservative, ordering an egg-white omelet with whole wheat toast.

"Wow, Dick. That's a major change from your usual orders." She smiled. "No pancakes? No slabs of ham?"

Jason laughed, and Dick blushed. "He's trying to set a good example, I'm sure, for his wayward brother." Jason winked at her.

"Someone's got to set a good example for you." Dick handed his menu to Devon.

Jason seemed unperturbed. "Dick's trying to teach me how to live. Next thing you know, he'll be giving me advice on women." He turned to Devon. "I'll have corned beef hash, a three egg omelet, and a blueberry muffin. But bring me margarine instead of butter for the muffin." He turned to Dick. "Satisfied?"

"I guess I'll have to be." He turned to Devon and smiled. "Thanks, Devon."

God, he gorgeous when he smiles! Stop it, Devon! She admonished herself. "I'll – I'll go put your order in." And keep a safe distance.

After she left, Jason shook his head. "I cannot believe that she hasn't figured it out."

Dick shrugged. "People see what they want to see."

"Has she ever seen you naked?"

Dick gave him an odd look. "I've had sex with her, Jason. Of course she's seen me naked."

"Idiot. Has she ever seen Dick naked?"

"Oh. No. We – Dick and she – never got – that far."

"That's good. No chance of her comparing – things."

Dick sighed. "You would think of that."

"Someone has to." Jason smiled, and wagged his brows.

Devon brought them the check just as Jason was finishing. He had eaten every speck of food on his plate, and had even finished Dick's uneaten toast. The younger man's appetite had always been legendary in the Wayne household, and it seemed as if it had not changed.

"Everything good?" Devon asked as she cleared the plates away. She reached close to Dick, and he was overwhelmed by the desire to drag his fingers over her skin, as he had the night before. He knew how soft she was, and how she reacted when he touched the pulse in her wrist. He knew that she loved it when he nipped at the skin on her neck, and knew that she was ticklish right below her breasts. He was learning a lot about her, and he wished that he could learn it all as Dick instead of Nightwing.

Actually, right now, he wished that he could follow her to the back room of the diner and hitch up her skirt and take her against the wall.

But that wasn't going to happen.

He let her back away with the dishes, and watched as she walked across the diner. Jason, too, watched her progress. "You know what she's hiding under that uniform."

Dick smiled, disrobing her in his mind. "Yeah."

"I'd definitely tap that."

Dick gave him a murderous look.

Jason looked surprised. "What? It's a compliment – to you!"

Dick continued to glare as he took out his wallet and put $30 on the table.

"Bro, that's too much." Jason pointed out.

"I'm a big tipper."

"You know that's kind of creepy, right?"

"Me giving a generous tip is creepy?"

"Uh, yeah. It's almost like you're trying to buy her affection."

"If I was trying to buy her affection, I'd give her more than a crappy $10 tip."

"It may be crappy to you, but, to us poor people, it's like a day's worth of food."

"Oh."

Jason shook his head. "This scenario is not going to work out the way you want it to, Dickie. Just take what you can get from her and call it good."

Dick groaned. "Jase, you just don't understand."

Jason's jaw dropped. "Shit. You're in love with her."

"Shhhhhh." Dick looked around.

Jason rolled his eyes. "There are empty booths on both sides of us. Unless there's a microphone in the salt shaker, I think we're safe." He pointed at Dick. "But I think it's funny that that's what you care about her hearing. That you're in love with her."

"Yeah, well, I don't want anyone to hear any of it."

"So, you gonna tell her?" Jason grinned and leaned his elbows on the table.

"No. No, I am not going to tell her. Let's go."

Jason shrugged. "It was a bad idea anyway."

Devon gave Dick and his brother a quick wave, and, as they were leaving, went to collect the check and the money that they had left on the table. Even though the bill was less than seventeen dollars, Dick had left thirty dollars, which meant that the tip was almost as much as the bill itself.

She sighed. Even though he had said that he was a big tipper, and that the tip had nothing to do with the way he felt about her, she felt that such a sum was – inappropriate, and she was a bit uncomfortable with it.

She ran after him recklessly, and caught up with him outside.

He turned when he heard his name, and a pleased smile came over his face.

Now that she was standing there with him, face to face, she felt embarrassed. "Uh, can I talk to you for a second?" Her eyes slid to Jason. "In private?"

Jason nodded. "Sure thing. Dick, give me the keys. I'll wait in the car."

Dick handed them over, and turned back to Devon. "What's up?"

"I, uh," she looked down at the money crumpled in her hand, and thrust the ten dollar bill back at him. "You left too much."

He put his hands in his pockets. "No. I want you to have it. It was –"

"Good service, I know." She interrupted him. "But I feel uncomfortable taking it. So, please –" She tried to hand it to him again, and he reluctantly took it from her.

"Okay." He nodded, his face sad, and turned to go.

She stopped him with a hand on his arm, which she removed immediately. "Uh, Dick, uh, I don't think you should – come to the diner so much." At the shock on his face, she rushed on. "I – I'm sorry. It's just that, I feel like you might still think that we can be – more than we are, and I just – have to tell you that – that we won't. You – you need to – move on. I'm sorry."

With that, she turned and rushed back into the diner, leaving him looking after her, dumbfounded.

Dick climbed into the car and looked at Jason for a long moment before extending his hand for the keys.

"What happened?" His brother asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Jason laughed for an entire two blocks.

Author's Notes: Dick needs some aloe for his burn. ; )

Also, for the purposes of this fic, I am using the current comic description of Jason – black hair and blue eyes. To be honest, I never liked him as a redhead (although the artist who drew him in the Batman and Robin #23 (2011) made him look AWFULLY good). There are WAY too many redheads in DC – Wally West, Barbara Gordon, Roy Harper, Bart Allen, Koriand'r – just to name a few. I also like the idea that Bruce has a "type" that he chooses as Robin – it's a little pathological.

PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks! : )