Little bit of sad fluff before things take off again.

37 - Birthday Blues

No one felt like partying, though normally the whole house would be in an uproar that time of year. Without the birthday boy there, was there even a reason to party? It was like those "if a tree falls in the woods and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound" kind of questions. And yet everyone somehow found their way into Dick's bedroom at one point of time or another that day.

After all, it was his seventeenth birthday.

Alfred called in sick for everyone, knowing no one would have the energy to leave the house. He didn't press the matter with any of them either. It was only out of habit that he made a simple chocolate birthday cake anyway.

"What's that for?" Jason asked when he slipped into the kitchen for some kind of snack. Dad was down in the cave looking over notes again last he checked. He was just going for something to eat before rejoining him. Not every day Alfred phoned in to give them a ditch day, so may as well make the most of it.

The worn butler shrugged. "Memories I suppose. Master Richard would have wanted a cake."

"Got candles?" The teen looked up to him, shrugging a little. "He'd want candles too."

"I believe there are a few left over." He went into the fridge and found a small box with colorful candles inside. He counted them briefly and sighed. "As I feared. There are too few."

"That's when we get creative." Without a thought, the boy took the box and emptied it into his hand, twisting his lips in thought. There were nine candles, but they'd do the trick. He started placing them on the cake as he concocted his plan with the crafty old man before him. "Mind getting everyone in Dick's room in about ten minutes?"

Alfred was starting to see where he was going with this. "It may pose a bit of a problem for certain others."

"Tell him I'll spill the beans about the note and magic visit if he doesn't come." It only took a minute to make the numbers on the cake. He was about to snag a box of matches from the secret compartment above the china when the butler held up a hand and retrieved it himself.

Handing the box to him, the old man smirked. "Very well sir. Try not to stain the carpet in the process."

Grinning at the man, Jason slid the matches into his pocket and carried the prepared cake out of the kitchen and upstairs as carefully as he could. It took a little maneuvering to open Dick's bedroom door without dropping it, but by the time he was inside, he was almost confident he could pass as a waiter one day.

He was not counting on seeing Tim laying down on Dick's bed when he got there. The kid was flipping through Dick's photo album between Peanut the elephant and Mystery Dog, not even noticing his big brother's arrival. A few bandaids and wraps covered his hands, but that wasn't any news to him. Practicing with Cass was hard work, even when you weren't a total beginner. The kid was toughing it out best he could, and he was getting a bit better. Jason didn't have to hold back as much when they practiced now.

The teen slid the cake onto Dick's desk and quietly came to Tim's side, looking over his shoulder to see what he was looking at. Somehow it landed on one of Dick's birthday parties. Tim just had to remind himself about what was missing, just like Dad.

"Wasn't that the year we made his cake?" Jason's voice dragged the kid back from the past, making him look up at last. "You insisted if we set it at a higher temperature it'd cook faster."

"That was his fourteenth birthday," he reminded him before pointing at the picture. "This was last year. See? Damian's there. He put his hand in the frosting and nearly made a mess of everything."

"Oh yeah." The teen shrugged. "They all kinda blur together after a while."

"Not really." Tim flipped the page, looking sadly down at the memories before them. "He's supposed to be seventeen today." Timidly, he asked what he feared most. "Do you think he's still alive?"

"Timmy-"

"Statistically most stranger kidnappings lasting over twenty-four hours end in the victim's death. Victims are taken within about fifty miles of their abduction sites. If there isn't a ransom-"

"He's fine!" Jason insisted, already knowing this time the stats were wrong. "This is Dick we're talking about! He's fighting to get home, tooth and nail. There is no way he's dead. So stop talking like that. He's fine, plain and simple. Just... unable to get home and eat cake today, that's all."

"I'm not a baby anymore Jay." The nine year old's lip quivered as he tried to prove his bravery. Wasn't working. "You don't have to sugar coat anything. I can take it."

His brother glared at him for a moment, wanting to smack him for lying like that, but knowing that wouldn't help matters this time. He couldn't just pick a fight to cheer him up like usual. Dick wasn't there to break it up and play peacemaker. That was his job now.

Leaning over, he slid his arms around the smaller boy and held on tight. Tim didn't fight back as Jason hugged him, just hung his head and let a few tears fall. He looked more pathetic than Peanut alone on that large bed. They stayed like that for a minute or two before Jason spoke. "Sometimes... even the strongest can't handle something. There are just some things we're better off not knowing. That's when we have to have faith alright? Faith that everything will work out, somehow.

"Dick'll come back. I swear it."

"Really?" Trembling and lonely, Tim turned upward to look into his brother's eyes. He desperately wanted to believe everything Jason said, wanted to believe Dick was alright and was going to come home soon. He was just scared because of the facts.

So his big brother did another normally uncharacteristic thing, lightly kissing his forehead. Know-it-all brat didn't know how to have faith. "I know it.

"Come on." Jason let go of him and slid off the bed to the curtains on the far side of the room. Alfred still opened them every morning. "Help me get this place really dark."

"Why?" Not knowing his brother's plans, Tim left the album open and followed after him, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.

The teen grinned. "Because we're celebrating knowing Dickybird at all, and all the craziness that came with him. When Dami gets in, keep him away from the cake."

"What about-"

"Way I figure," he continued, "we've got more time to get the right birthday gifts for him, but the cake and ice cream bit, that's for us. We have one and we have candles. Dick'd hate it if we let them go to waste. Now hurry it up! I wanna light them before Dad gets here."

Not needing any more prompting, Tim leapt to the curtain near him and started to pull. Looked like they were getting a birthday party after all.

A/N: I know it's short and sad, but I felt it needed to be done. Didn't know how to end the chapter or continue it so this is it. Jason's stepping up as big brother a lot here, somewhat imitating DIck at the moment. Everyone needs a pep up so he's helping. WHenever we were short candles, we would write out the number instead. A lot less trouble than going to the store last minute. What Tim said about kidnappings is true, but I couldn't find the exact numbers. I watch a lot of cop shows. Anywho, Dick's B-day passing without him, or even him knowing, is important. He's 17 now, a fun year. And this is his March 21st b-day, marking it as three months near exactly he's been gone. the end is in sight. X3