Let the Games Begin


Damian called Chuck.

"First, I would like to apologise for Frost's actions. I can't believe she did this. Secondly, I hope you know that I'm going to be winning this."

"Are you going to join your mother in this?"

"Are you going to join your father?"

"Father isn't even here. He sent his errand team. Todd, Drake and probably Grayson." Although Damian hadn't seen any sign of Grayson in this city.

"Frost and Orion against the first three Robins. That's a horrible match up."

"Only because they'll be too busy with each other to notice a third team."

"Us?"

"Us. Todd gave me the name of the criminal they're chasing. Guy ripped off a bunch of Wayne Foundation Charities and bolted. -tt- Idiot."

Chuck quickly typed something into his laptop. "Huh. The Gotham papers are already condemning the guy. His name, face and deeds have been published in a very unflattering light."

Damian didn't put much stock in the news while Chuck knew that this meant the criminal wouldn't be able to get into Gotham and any Gothamite who saw him would report him. He was done.

"Better make sure that Mozzie knows to avoid this guy. Things are about to get messy."

"If Gotham's condemning him the way you say, Mozzie's probably staying clear as we speak."

"Does Mozzie have somewhere we can meet? There's a chance your brothers will know if I meet in obvious places."

"Come to the FBI. I've already mentioned an old friend so you should be fine. Besides, I have a tracking anklet attached. I bet they've already figured out how to hack it and track me anywhere."

"Get it taken off?"

"No. At least this way, we can control the information they gather. I'll see you at the FBI around lunch time."


Peter was surprised when Neal mentioned he was having a friend visit but Damian expected as much. He spun it as giving Chuck a tour.

What he hadn't expected was Sarah and Casey to appear. Chuck was sandwiched between them, looking tired and apologetic.

"What are you two doing?" Damian asked.

"Why are you giving just Chuck a tour?"

Damian sighed. "Do you want to come?" Any other answer would be suspicious.

"Who are you?" Peter questioned. He had been standing by Damian's desk as they walked in. As Sarah and Casey introduced themselves and their relationship to Chuck as his wife and coworker, Chuck quickly explained to Damian that someone had spoiled their plan to meet to Sarah.

Why would someone in the CIA...? It was when musing that question that Damian remembered that Dick had spent time in the CIA. His alias also hadn't been burned.

"Dick."

"I don't think I've heard you curse like that before, Caffrey," Peter commented, conversation stopping.

"Ah, not a curse," Chuck quickly countered. "But a name."

"Someone I know who told Chuck's friends that he was getting a tour today."

"You trusted someone named 'Dick'? I think that's on you," Diana commented.

Damian glared. "Dick is one of the most trustworthy people I know-"

"No wonder you don't trust people much," Casey interrupted.

Damian levelled an icy glare at Casey. The temperature of the room seemed to chill. Chuck caught a few agents shivering.

Damian stormed out.

"I'm glad he's on our side," one agent said quietly.

"For now," another added.

Sarah glared at that one. Chuck shrugged and laughed.

"Stepped on a mine there. Don't insult Neal's brothers." Even Drake. There were stories back when Damian was Robin about how only he (and Todd) could insult Drake.

"I wasn't aware that he even had mines."

"He didn't want you to know, Sarah. I think everything you know is a front. Everything Agent Burke knows is closer to what he's really like but not exact."

"And what? You know the real Neal?" Diana demanded to know.

Chuck shock his head. "I was out of his life for a while. I missed a lot." He knew more than them though. Because he knew about Robin.

Chuck's phone beeped with a message. It seemed that Damian's family had realised that he was going to help Chuck's side.

"There aren't any sides," he muttered as he sent that exact message back to whichever Batfamily member had bothered to text him.

"Okay, something's going on," Sarah said.

"The conference room is free," Peter pointed out. He could see that this was going to be something big.


They moved into the conference room, although Chuck wanted to bolt. The bet between their two families wasn't worth giving up any secrets.

"Look, it's just a thing our families have going on."

Sarah frowned. "But then, why don't I know anything about it? I'm sure Ellie would tell me if something was going on. Try again, Chuck."

"He's not lying." The door opened and a dark hair woman walked in. She brushed her long hair behind her ear as she walked like a model into the conference room. "Hi."

"Uh, hi?" Chuck responded. "Who called you?"

"Morgan. We exchanged numbers after the last team up. He said something about a bet?"

Chuck regretted telling Morgan. He had insisted that Morgan stay and watched over Ellie in the hopes that he wouldn't get involved. But he had to tell him because keeping him out of it would backfire later on.

"Aren't you a model? Mary Anders?" Chuck was surprised that Sarah recognised her.

"Mar'iander," Mar'i responded fluently. She made the name sound as foreign as it was.

"You're a model?"

"Neal didn't tell you? I started modelling to pay for some of my expenses while I study."

"No, he didn't tell me any of this. How does he know this?" He turned to Sarah. "How do you know this?"

"Ellie showed me a magazine with her on the cover. I remembered her because she wasn't human."

"To answer Chuck's question, we exchange messages every day."

"Really?" This sentiment was echoed and spoken by almost everyone in the room. Chuck snickered as he realised what this meant.

"Morgan owes me $20."

"Probably." Mar'i shrugged. "Now, can we get to beating your Mum and my Dad at their own game?"

"What is going on?" Casey growled at Chuck.

"Frost is trying to beat Neal's family at their own game." His tone made it very clear that he didn't agree with what she was doing.

"And you?"

Mar'i bounced on her feet. "Well, I'm here because I want to beat my dad at his own game. I thought I might join the third team."

"The 'I'd rather my family didn't pull me into this stuff' team?"

"The 'I want to beat my parents at their own game' team."

"Is that all? You're in then." Chuck wasn't surprised that Damian came back but it seemed that everyone else was.

"You changed," Mar'i commented, taking in the button up shirt and slacks he was now sporting. No Devore suit.

"I think I'm going to need to be able to move."

"What about your radius?" Peter demanded to know.

"I called in and had them shut it off," Damian said with a shrug. There had to be some casualties, especially if his brothers were making moves. "Sorry Peter, but I actually have a federal agent's badge."

Now Chuck joined the group in being slack-jawed. "Did- did you just-"

"He told them," Mar'i gasped. "Didn't he?" She looked to Chuck for an answer but he couldn't give her an answer.

Peter sighed. "And what do you expect me to do about it? I'm going to need more details than that."

Damian nodded and passed Peter a piece of paper. "There's a link and log in details. They'll lead you to a completely legit site where you can get all the information and confirmation you need."

"Why?" Peter asked.

Damian smiled, turned around and punched Casey in the face. "That's why."

"You-" Casey growled out some curses. However, his retaliation was stopped as Chuck stepped in between them.

"You're telling me, you burnt Neal Caffrey in order to get permission from the agency you work for to punch John Casey?" Mar'i questioned.

"That's correct."

"Good."

Chuck smiled and shook his head fondly as the White Collar team chuckled.

"That sounds pretty gentlemanly," Jones mused.

"Besides, I haven't completely burnt Neal Caffrey. That's up to Peter and what he does with the information."

Casey was still growling as he held his nose.

"-tt- Stop being a baby, I didn't break it," Damian smirked.

Chuck couldn't help finding some amusement in his team's surprised looks at Damian's attitude.

Peter just looked done with all of this, which made Chuck wonder if Neal had acted like this before. Maybe he was just that crazy that they didn't see this outside the realm of possibility?