Chapter 21

"I don't like her."

Tim almost cringed at the beating the punching bag was taking. If Cass got any madder, he reflected, they were going to need another one.

"Yeah, me neither, but Bruce does and she's his girlfriend," he answered.

At that, Cass turned to him with a murderous look in her eyes. Tim suddenly wanted to back away slowly.

"She knows who we are!" She hissed. "She could ruin everything!"

Shaking his head, he held his hands up in a gesture of non confrontation. "I know Cass and I'm just as angry about that. I get that you're pissed. But I researched her, she's legit. She isn't a super evil genius set to destroy him. She's not a gold digger; she's got her own money. I think…" he swallowed hard at the look Cass was giving him. "I think she could be for real."

"You don't like her either!" She insisted.

"You're right! I don't! I don't like her knowing who we are, I don't like that Bruce trusted her so quickly and I don't like that she can just come here whenever she wants and Bruce acts like she's been here forever! I don't like any of it Cass but it isn't our life! It's Bruce's!"

They stood, staring at each other, at an impasse. Bruce and Connie had gone upstairs, supposedly to talk. Tim had rolled his eyes at that even though Alfred had given him a death glare for doing so. Cass had been totally silent throughout the day at work and once she had arrived home. Even during dinner she had been downright rude.

Tim had taken the day to cool down and relax while it seemed Cass had stewed and festered. Sighing, Tim took a fighting stance and prepared for some serious pain. If Cass patrolled in the mind set she was in at the current moment they would be calling paramedics more often than they normally did.

She easily bested him the first two matches but he soon discovered the grove she was in. Though she could read his body and anticipate his moves he had known her long enough to know what counters he could expect for certain actions. Their method of sparing was like chess. He could basically count on the moves she would make in reaction to his.

Forty minutes later, they were both sweating and breathing heavily. Tim felt as though he had been fighting an army of ninjas for two days. He would most definitely need a quick ice bath before patrol, he told himself.

When they heard clapping from the doorway they both stopped. Standing there, shaking his head, was the oldest member of the 'jr. bat club,' as one of the titans had so aptly named them.

"You guys mad about something?"

Dick's seemingly innocent question had Cass balling her fists at her sides. Dick thought if she were capable of it she would have had fire coming out of her eyes and ears. He tried not to shrink away from her.

"Seriously, what's going on that Alfred had to all me? He said you guys needed some serious big brother time."

Turning on her heel Cass went back to the punching bag, leaving Tim to deal with Dick.

Shaking his head, Tim went to the other side of the gym and hoisted himself onto the balance beam, taking a precarious seat. "Yeah, it was kind of a difficult day, I guess."

"What's going on, little brother?"

Tim managed a small smile at Dick's term of endearment. "Connie showed up last night around four in the morning. Cass and I were just getting in and we heard them yelling in the foyer. I figured it was no big deal but she ended up staying the night. And then this morning they come down and Connie…well she recognized me. And then Bruce told us she knows everything."

Dick had been nodding throughout Tim's short monologue but his jaw dropped at the last statement. "What do you mean, she knows everything? He told her he's Batman? Are you serious?" Having a hard time grasping the concept Dick wondered if he had heard Tim wrong.

"She said she just knew, as if he didn't tell her. I didn't get the whole story."

Leaning against the beam for a minute, Dick looked towards Cass and winced. "That why she's so gung hoe about killing that bag?"

Nodding, Tim answered. "Yup."

It was more than a minute before Dick could find words again. "Where are they now?"

"Upstairs, 'talking,'" Tim punctuated the use of the word with air quotes, effectively conveying to Dick what Tim thought they were actually doing.

"Well I'm going to interrupt them, whatever they're doing."

With that Dick turned to leave but was quickly grabbed by a distraught looking Tim. "What do you mean? Are you suicidal? Bruce would kill us! And then he'd resurrect us so he could kill us again! Wait till he comes downstairs, you idiot!"

Scowling, Dick shoved his hands in his pockets. "You know, I have got two kids and a wife at home? And a full time job and a career as a vigilante? I can't be here all the time picking up the pieces for you guys! I can't believe Alfred felt the need to call me for this! You two must have been real snots to her if he thought I was needed!"

Taken aback, Tim balled his fists at his side. "How do we know we can trust her? She knows who all of us are! Bruce and Alfred are under some kind of spell!"

His jaw dropped again as he studied the man he had considered a younger brother for many years. "Have you finally lost it," Dick finally asked.

Obviously offended, Tim took an involuntary step back. "What? What does that mean?"

"It means you have to be insane to think someone both Bruce and Alfred trust isn't on the up and up. Maybe, gee, did it ever occur to you, that she makes him happy? Maybe she's a nice lady with an exceptional high tolerance for bullshit. You don't know because you probably never asked her. You just assumed that if Bruce likes her she must be evil! He's liked plenty of non-evil women!"

"All of them broke his heart though."

They both turned at the unexpected sound of Cass's voice. She continued, "The ones that weren't evil ended up leaving or dying or both and he always gets hurt. What will be different?"

Sighing, Dick smoothed his hair back and fiddled with his pony tail for a moment before speaking. "I don't know what will be different; my crystal ball is in the shop this week. All I know is he took her on a two week vacation and told her his secret and she hung out here all day with Alfred. I know Alfred's in love with her and thinks she's the best thing since sliced cheese. I know Bruce looks at with a look I haven't seen in a long time."

"What look," Cass immediately asked.

"Like…like he's interested. Like he sees a puzzle he wants to solve. I've seen lust and infatuation and faked intrigue but I haven't seen genuine interest in a long time and I saw it when we all had dinner together. He likes her and that's okay. Cass, did you ever read anything other than sincerity from her?"

Reluctant to answer, she just shook her head.

"See! You would have seen it if she were lying! Or if she were pretending, or anything. I am sure Timmy put that big brain to work and researched her till he knew when she lost her two front teeth. I looked into her and she's a real person with a real background and a real story. Let's all just go with the flow on this one, though that is the thing this family is most definitely the worst at."

With heavy sighs and reluctant nods, the two younger members of the clan went back to the gym. Dick shook his head and went off in search of his wayward parent. He wondered why he had to be the peacekeeper. In his family, he thought, it was the toughest job of all.