"I'm not going to share about Damian," Damian huffed to the group. They were all milling around his house like they lived there. Mozzie had claimed the couch, Chuck's team had the table and Peter's team were standing around the kitchen bench.

"Come on, Chuck told us stuff about being a superhero," Diana pointed out.

Damian gave Chuck his best 'e tu?' look. After all, Chuck had gone from being more tight-lipped than him to using 'Shazam' a number of times in a row just to cook a good meal.

"I don't have superpowers."

"He was raised by assassins," Mar'i pointed out. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed. "It's also his superpower."

"I don't have superpowers," Damian reminded her.

"You don't need them," Chuck pointed out. "Also, what have you told your family?"

"Aside from 'get out'? I told them nothing. They're detectives, they can figure it out themselves."

"Or they can ask Frost. It's what I'd so."

"Mar'i, I don't think Frost knows what's going on."

"She knows enough," Peter told them. "I've noticed her poking around our files. I know she's found yours."

"There's no picture with mine."

Mozzie gave his approval on that decision.

"And there's a reason I agreed to not have any pictures on your files. In fact, most of it is blanked out to protect you."

"Yay."

"Don't be sassy with me."

"Who taught Peter to say 'sassy'?"

Mar'i grinned and raised her hand. Peter insisted that she had nothing to do with it, even though she spent a few hours getting to know El.

Without a last name, Damian was tricky but not to pin down.

Even though it was a common enough name, Peter had a suspicion. Mar'i was easy enough to identify as Mar'i Grayson. Damian had called her 'Grayson' enough times for Peter to remember it. While Grayson was a common enough last name, there was only one Grayson assigned to Gotham who also had a relationship with a Damian.

This search was probably made easier by the fact that Neal came from a high profile family as Damian.

Peter didn't want to know how his bosses would react if they learnt they had Damian Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne, under their custody. So he kept it a secret.

It wasn't as if he had solid confirmation. He also knew that Damian would not be able to hide the truth if he was asked outright. Ignorance was important in this case.

Damian also wasn't going to let him hide it, it seemed. Once they started work the next day, he was at the door to Peter's office.

"So, you know."

"Know what?"

"Come on, you know who my father is."

"Not for certain."

Damian gave him an unconvinced look as he sat down on the couch. "Come on, you know and I know you know."

"Neal, whatever I know doesn't change anything."

"Except how I have enough money to my name to get out of this." Damian pointed to the anklet for good effect.

"You also have enough pull with the CIA and enough technical skill to do it yourself. Why would money change anything?" Peter smiled as Damian's eyes widened. He had surprised his CI. "Are you planning to leave?"

"Maybe. I've had some visits from my family, who are wondering why I've been staying here the last year or so. They think I should leave."

"Do you want to?"

"This," Damian pointed to the anklet again. "Isn't an encouragement to stay. However, I like this job. I would just like this job more if I got to do it as a free person."

"What are you proposing?"

"Remember Bancroft? He was pretty nice. We could work something out with him."

"You won't be an agent."

"I'd rather work as a CI anyway. I've seen the amount of work you agents do and I'm good, thanks."

"You'll add to my workload while dodging most of it yourself and you expect me to agree?"

"It's better than the workload you get looking after a convicted criminal. Besides, your case clear rate has never been higher."

Peter considered this. What Damian was offering was similar to what Neal had offered in the beginning and he had taken that deal, hadn't he?

"I'll see what Hughes has to say first. Then we'll approach Bancroft."

It was a few days later when it happened. Peter was on a stakeout with Jones and there was a crack of thunder.

"What was that?" Jones questioned, looking around quickly.

Maybe Peter was being a little paranoid but that thunder had sounded familiar, especially as here had been another crack just after it.

As if someone had called the lightning.

"If I don't return in 10, call backup," Peter said to Jones as he grabbed a gun and flashlight.

He crept around the building and came face to face with a man in a black and red battle helmet, red cape and red and black outfit.

The vigilante cursed with a familiar sounding voice.

Peter sighed. "You know we've been watching this operation, right?"

Another familiar hero came flying around the corner. "Hey, Redbird!" He froze in the air, hovering above them. "Hi, Agent Burke."

"Hello, mysterious hero," Peter said in a voice that conveyed 'I know who you are but I'm pretending not to for my own sanity'. "What am I going to find if I go inside?"

Redbird backed up with a laugh. "We've arrested the people inside for you, including the ringleader. He was planning to leave tonight but wanted to check in before he did."

"You wouldn't have had anything to do with why he wanted to check in, did you?"

Redbird hummed. So a yes then.

"What am I supposed to write in my reports?"

"I'll help with that tomorrow," Redbird said.

"And how will you manage that?" After all, they were pretending to not know each other.

"You might find the paperwork already filled in and on your desk."

Peter sighed. It seemed he had an answer for everything. "Fine. Go do your thing."

Redbird cackled and then disappeared into the night. Somehow. It was a little jarring how he could be there one moment and gone the next. Even Chuck seemed surprised.

"Uh, I'll just go now."

Peter radioed Jones. "So, some vigilantes came in and cleaned up our guy. We've been left with the work of making a formal arrest."

One word returned over the static. "Cool."

Redbird followed Chuck into the hotel room he was staying at.

"I made sure to get the place with a balcony to make entering easier," Chuck whispered as they slipped in. He needn't have bothered, Sarah was awake.

"Hi Chuck. What were you up to?" she asked.

"Catching criminals?"

"You could join us, you know? I have an extra suit."

"I already do enough during missions. Why would I spend my free time fighting more criminals?"

"Good point. But we're all workaholics here."

"Even Chuck?"

"I have a good work-life balance right now, thanks. You two are the workaholics."

"So I should take Sarah next time?"

"No. Married or not, you and her have a history. Besides, aren't you with Mar'i?"

"She won't mind a team up with another girl." Damian paused. "Wait."

"You're dating that alien girl?" Sarah questioned. After a painful moment, she grinned. "That's good. I like her."

"Mar'i is very likeable. She's like her parents in that way," Chuck said.

Damian groaned. "You're twisting my words."

"And yet, you're not denying that you're dating."

"You know she's worked for overseas spy agencies, right?"

Sarah sat a little taller. "Really? Does she know Cole Barker?"

"I have no idea." Damian backed towards the balcony door. "This was nice and all but I have work in the morning and a ruffled FBI agent to soothe."

Damian leapt off the building and into his flying batmobile. The bug he planted picked up Sarah's surprised noise and Chuck's groan.

"He's always got to do things cooler than me."