Bruce first noticed it at dinner one night in the Wayne Manor. Dick was eating a lot more than he usually did, not even making conversation like he loved to do. He was too intent on eating to do so.

Bruce smiled slightly, relieved. It was a welcome change from Dick's normal eating habits, where he ate so little it actually worried Bruce sometimes.

"Hungry, Dick?" Bruce asked.

Dick looked up, then nodded, before continuing to eat.

Bruce smiled and shook his head, just happy to see the boy eating.

The red flags went off when he, Dick, and Scarlet were watching TV later. Scarlet was asleep in his lap, but it was hardly even seven thirty.

Dick yawned, and leaned against Bruce slightly.

"Tati, can I go to bed?" he asked, looking at Bruce with drooping eyelids.

"What?" Bruce stared, slightly startled. Dick never went to bed early, especially not when he knew he might be allowed to patrol that night.

"Can I go to bed, I asked..." Dick said, being cut off by a large yawn.

"... Of course..." Bruce said, but his red flags were raised... "Hang on a minute, though..." Bruce said, setting Scarlet down on the chair to his left before kneeling in front of his son and feeling Dick's forehead.

"You feeling alright, Dickie?" Bruce asked, still concerned. Dick wasn't warm at all, he wasn't running a fever.

"Fine, Tati... just tired..." Dick said, being interrupted once again by a huge yawn. "'Night, Tati..."

"Goodnight, Dick..." but Bruce was still slightly worried by his son's behavior, and he gently tucked Scarlet in, before entering Dick's room and finding the boy already sacked out in bed. He smiled slightly- Dick looked cute- but he felt Dick's forehead once more, still worried by his son's behavior.

All of Gotham's worst were in prison, and Bruce decided Batman could take a night off- half from knowing that, and the other half out of worry Dick was getting sick.

He managed, after a few minutes of worry, to fall asleep himself.

"Bruce! Bruce!" he woke up around midnight, hearing Dick calling for him, and jumped out of bed, hurrying down he hall to Dick's room.

"Dick?" Bruce perched on the edge of his bed, seeing his son in tears... "Are you alright?"

"No... I hurt, Bruce, really bad..." Dick said, looking at Bruce with fear in his eyes.

"Alright, Dickie bird, it's alright..." Bruce promised, gently pulling the blankets off the boy. "Let me see where, alright?"

Dick nodded, pointing to his thighs just above his knees... "It really hurts, Tati..." he said, gasping as another stab of pain hit him.

"It's okay, Dickie, it's okay..." Bruce said, starting to rub the afflicted area and watching his son's face. "How does that feel?" he asked, hoping to ease the pain, whatever it was.

"Better..." Dick sniffed, still looking pale.

"What else is wrong, Dickie?" Bruce asked. He'd moved to gently massaging the area, since it seemed to ease the boy's pain.

"N-nothing... my legs just... really hurt..." Dick admitted.

"Does this help?" Bruce asked, as he continued to massage just above the boy's knees, In truth, he'd do anything to ease the boy's pain.

"Y-yeah... Thanks for coming, Bruce..." Dick murmured, before his eyes fell closed and he was asleep again.

Bruce looked down at his son, brow creased with let up from massaging for a moment, laying his hand on his son's forehead to find it still the normal temperature... He frowned, laying his hand next on the sleeping boy's cheek.

Dick whimpered, an Bruce quickly returned to massaging the boy's legs, feeling his worry for his son's health return.

He stayed in the room for two hours, before Dick's pain appeared to have abated and the boy was fast asleep.

Even then, he only stopped to contemplate calling Dr. Leslie, but elected not to leave his son...

In the morning, Dick slept later than usual, but he seemed fine... Bruce went to get dressed for work, convinced it'd been a one time thing, until he got home from work.

"Hello, Master Bruce..." Alfred greeted him as usual as Bruce shed his suit coat. It was summer, late June, to be exact, and there was no way he wanted to be stuck in the restricting coat anymore than he had to be.

"Where's Dick and Scarlet?" Bruce asked, slightly concerned. The two were like little dogs, always running to greet him when he got home. He swore if they'd had tails, they'd be wagging. So he was worried when they didn't come to greet him.

"Master Dick is sleeping in the main room. Scarlet grew bored without him to play with, but I believe she decided to sleep as well..."

"Asleep? But they were both asleep last night..." Bruce said, feeling incredibly confused. Dick had hardly been up for a half an hour last night from being achy, and he'd gone to bed early last night, as well, so he shouldn't be sleeping during the day. He was really worried now.

He left his briefcase on the table and entered the living room to find Dick curled up on the couch, Scarlet snuggled against his chest, his chin resting on his sister's head, and Bruce almost stopped and smiled, were it not for his growing worry.

He felt both their foreheads to find their temperatures were normal.

Still, it had been niggling at him all day that something was wrong with Dick- his son almost NEVER slept that much.

Alfred started cooking, and the smell wafted into the living room... Dick's eyes opened, and he looked around sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Is dinner ready, Bruce?" he asked, looking at his father, bleary-eyed.

"Not yet, Dick..." Bruce said, taking a seat beside the boy on the couch. "You sure you're feeling alright, Dickie? You've been sleeping an awful lot lately..."

"Fine, Tati. Just a little tired..." Dick assured him, sighing and stretching. "Just hungry..." he left Scarlet on the couch, heading to the kitchen.

Bruce watched the boy that night. He ate heartily, before nearly nodding off at the table...

"Mind if I go to bed, Bruce?" Dick asked once again.

Bruce stared. "Dick, I'm really starting to worry. You haven't been yourself lately. You never ask to go to bed this early, you slept almost all day... are you sure you've been feeling alright?"

"I feel fine, Tati... better than usual, actually. I just really want to go to bed..."

"Alright. Goodnight, Dick..."

"G'night, Tati..." Dick yawned, before heading up to bed.

Bruce didn't sleep that night, instead waiting...

Sure enough, at around midnight, Dick called him. He found the boy curled into a ball on his bed, breathing hard.

"Legs again, Dick?" Bruce asked, slightly nervous. Dick nodded, face twisted from pain.

"T-tati... what's wrong with me? I just want to sleep..." Dick muttered, as tears rolled down his face.

"I don't know, Dick..." Bruce admitted, as he started, once again, to massage the boy's legs. Suddenly, it hit him.

"Dick, can you stand up for me?"

"I'll try..." Dick winced until he managed to get to his feet. Bruce looked at his son for a minute, observing him, before he chuckled.

"What is it, Bruce?" Dick asked, obviously still in pain, as Bruce looked at him.

"You can lay down, Dick. I figured out what's going on." Bruce assured him.

Dick obeyed, and Bruce continued to massage the aching flesh just above the boy's knees.

"You've noticed you eat a lot more lately? And sleep a ton more, too?" he asked, and Dick nodded. "And you've been achy, too. You're having a growth spurt, Dick."

"Oh..." Dick murmured, and Bruce could feel the boy still relaxing as he massaged his achy legs.

"And these are called growing pains. Ever heard of them?"

Dick nodded. "My... my Mamica said I used to get them..." he murmured, but he was asleep before he could even finish the sentence. Bruce smiled quietly as he continued to massage Dick's legs, feeling at ease for awhile... Finally, he knew what was going on with his son. He remembered waking up a few times as a child with awful aches as well.

He remembered the times when his mother would hold him and his father would rub his back. His father was a doctor, so he knew what was going on. "Just growing pains, Bruce. They mean you're getting bigger..." he'd said. Bruce remembered it all, his mother's scent of lavender and her soft touch, the sound of her voice as she sang to him, his father's steady but gentle hand as he felt Bruce's abdomen to be sure he didn't have appendicitis and his diagnosis of simple growing pains...

"I see you've figured it out, then, Master Bruce." Alfred said. Bruce looked up, surprised to see Alfred in the doorway.

"Alfred. You knew?"

"Yes, Master Bruce, I did. I thought it best you figure it out, though, you are the boy's father..."

"How did you know?" Bruce asked. He never remembered Alfred helping him through the pain.

"I remember a certain young boy would get them years ago, and his mother would be awfully worried about him..."

Bruce chuckled. "I should've asked you in the first place, Alfred. You're practically a doctor yourself..."

Alfred smiled. "Perhaps. But then again, you're turning out to be quite a father, master Bruce. Now stay with him." Alfred nodded to Dick's sleeping form, before he left.

And Bruce found himself having yet another moment where he wished he could stop time and hold this moment forever. Because Dick was growing- faster than the realized. The boy had already gained practically an inch, and he was ten, going to be eleven next Spring...

His bird were growing up. Dang it, why did it have to happen? He knew he wasn't going to be able to watch out for them forever, but still, that didn't mean he didn't want to...

He sighed. He realized someday, he'd remember these days fondly... But for now, he'd love the new things each day brought.