Dude, that last bit with the rules, that was an extra, a reference page. No story with that one. You can have fun coming up with reasons, I'll just show you them breaking the rules. =P

Now for this one, I have to say, it's my way of talking about an issue everyone's been going nuts over on tv for a bit. and what I think of their methods. Don't agree, oh well. I'll explain later.

Dick-13 Jason-10 Cass-8 Tim-6

Fighting Bullies

Bruce Wayne knew his children were talented. They were fast, clever, strong willed and had unbelievable senses of justice. He just didn't think they would be coordinated for anything but playing a trick on their father or going to dinner or bugging Alfred for treats.

Maybe each and every one being sent to the principal's office by the end of the day was their new prank. But somehow he doubted it.

Adjusting his tie as he walked, Bruce tried to remove the semi-permanent scowl on his face. Dick and his principal were transferred to the elementary school next door to shorten the talks and help him keep an eye on these trouble makers. It was going to be a very long talk, no matter what they did.

Worst yet, according to the calls, each of them were in trouble for fighting. That was the hard part for him to believe. Jason getting sent there like this, he could definitely believe that. Dick used to see the vice principal at the elementary school every other month for fighting a couple years back, and junior high was harder; he could definitely see him reverting. But Cassandra and Timmy weren't the kind to start a fight or jump into one. And Timmy was six. Why would he be fighting?

As these thoughts buzzed around in Bruce's mind, he made it to the door leading into the main offices. He stopped short of opening it all the way when he heard his kids talking excitedly.

"You should have seen it!" Dick's voice beamed with pride. "It was like, hachwa! Kapow! Boom and splat! Deric Stovers never saw it coming."

"Well I know Mikey didn't see my foot when it got his teeth," Jason bragged. "And Billy, and Madson, they were begging for me to stop when that guard finally showed up."

"Ha! I beat you there!" Dick countered. "I KOed all three of them before security got there."

"Please!" his brother scoffed. "You weren't fighting off five guys at once! And I had it way under control. Given a few more minutes and they would have been out cold."

"Not a chance. I totally beat you. All three were taken to the hospital. You only got two there."

"At least mine made it to the hospital," Jason joked. "Timmy's just went to the nurse."

"IT WASN'T A FIGHT!" Timmy screeched, almost in panic mode.

"You don't think so," Jason stated flatly, "but the school says it was, so it was."

"Ah, go easy on him Jay. It's his first time getting in trouble like this." Dick was trying to be kind to the youngest of them. "If he says it wasn't a fight, it wasn't a fight. Besides, only the other kid got hurt anyway, right?"

"One punch and I walked away!" their little brother insisted. "His nose was bleeding."

"Must have been some punch. What do you think Cass? Was it a fight?" There was no verbal response but Jason continued a moment later anyway. "What about Dick and me? Our fights. Who won?"

"I did," Cassandra's voice soon came out. There was neither pride nor loathing in her voice, just a simple statement.

"You only had one guy," Dick stated flatly, "and no bruises to show for it. How does that even qualify?"

"He went to hospital. He adult. Fainted. Broken arm."

There was a moment off silence behind the door. Bruce's eyebrows raised for a moment. He clearly wasn't told any of the details concerning the fights. Dick fought three and were sent to the hospital. Jason five, two in the hospital. Cassandra one, an adult who must have gone to the emergency room. And Timothy really didn't have a fight, just gave out a single blow.

There was clearly more to what happened than what met the eye.

"Dang." Dick murmured. "She may have topped us. I don't think I broke anything. You?"

"A few teeth? Maybe some noses?" Jason offered. Bruce decided to slip in the hallway then.

"Noses don't count," Dick insisted.

Bruce looked over them all from a distance, coming first to the exasperated secretary's desk first to alert the principals he had arrived. Dick was propped on the top of a chair, ignoring the seat entirely as he balanced on its edge. Jason sat on his backwards, hugging the back as he watched Dick's balancing act. Cassandra sat across from them properly, as if just waiting to be called on for a question. Timmy curled up, hugging his knees on his chair, looking thoroughly miserable. While it was clear the youngest felt bad about what had happened and cried from it, the other three had no guilt on their faces and merely seemed bored.

None of them looked horribly injured. Cass and Timmy didn't have a scratch on them. Jason had a few new bruises and a couple Band-Aids, but nothing too bad. And Dick only seemed to have scraped his knuckles and ripped his shirt. If either of them had any other injuries, they didn't show it.

After a few moments more, taking a few files with him and a pen, he approached them. They still hadn't noticed his entrance.

"Why not?" Jason objected.

"They bleed and break too easy," Dick explained. "They're also easy to fix. Besides, I remember breaking Tony Field's nose back in fourth grade. Didn't even go to the doctors for it. Nurse Bette fixed it in five minutes flat."

"One actually," Bruce interrupted, making each of them jerk in response. Dick nearly lost his balance as he and the others looked up at him. His eyes narrowed slightly, icily cold. "She was a field officer in Desert Storm. And breaking someone's nose does count. It's one way to end a fight quickly. I take it that was what you were trying to do Timothy?"

The six year old's lip trembled. They only used his full first name if it was a formal occasion or if he was in trouble. "It wasn't a fight."

"Then what was it?" Timothy wasn't one to pick a fight or lie to them, so there had to be more to the story. Bruce made sure his kids knew they could be honest with him and he'd listen. What they say may even get them out of trouble, so long as it was the truth.

The kid became silent for a little bit before looking back to his knees, crying slightly. "He kept pushing me," Timmy explained, barely keeping his voice working. "He wouldn't stop. So today when he pushed me, I hit him. Just like you told me to. Hit him once and walk away."

They all stared at the kid for a moment before Jason halfway raised his hand. "Wait, is this the same kid you were telling me about the other day?" Timmy nodded, shamefaced.

"Reggie Grayallse?" There was a slight growl in the man's voice as Bruce said the name. Again the kid nodded. Slowly he closed his eyes, remembering what his boy had told him about that bully. Grayallse had persistently pushed Timmy around for the past year or so. Timmy had told his family about it and twice Bruce sent in complaints as were proper procedure. "They haven't done anything to stop him?"

His boy shook his head, not meeting anyone's eyes. Timmy wasn't the kind to strike out when angry or hurt. Scream, cry, and maybe get others to fix things, sure. But he wasn't volatile. The kid had tried peaceful methods with no results. Looked like he finally decided to fight back this time.

To this, Bruce nodded his approval. The boy's eyes lit up as he spoke. "I see. Hopefully this will get him to stop. If not, we'll discuss it later. Cassandra, what happened with you?"

The girl shrunk back slightly, biting her lower lip for a moment before trying to answer. "He touched me."

This won her a few bewildered looks from the rest. Bruce wondered at the statement for a moment before opening the incident report concerting her. Dick and Jason instead questioned away.

"Touched you? Lots of people touch you. You're in a school. Can't escape touching here."

"Yeah, and Dickybird gives you hug attacks all the time. Breaking some guy's arm because he touched you is pretty extreme."

"Your teacher, Mr. Wash, at that." Bruce raised an eyebrow at the man's name. According to the report, they were all doing math related projects in class when her teacher same up beside her to help. Next thing the aid there knew, the man was screaming with his arm broken in three places. Cassandra took responsibility for it, but didn't explain why.

And the answer wasn't what he expected. He looked over the girl again, making sure she wasn't physically injured. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Exactly how and where did he touch you? Gesture but do not repeat."

The Asian girl nodded, pointing to the right side of her rear end. Then she made an almost claw-like motion with her hand, a cold intensity coming from her face. Timmy cocked his head as he tried to figure out what she meant. For the others though, it was plainly obvious. Both her older brothers' eyes widened in shock, their jaws dropping wide open. Bruce's eyes narrowed dangerously, his jaw clenching tightly shut to keep his protective growl in. Mr. Wash would have to be dealt with.

But for now, each of them was in trouble. He had to be the responsible adult.

"I see. Though he earned it, breaking his arm in three places was a bit extreme. You should have just twisted his arm and screamed 'don't touch me' instead."

Cassandra looked down, pouting slightly. She wasn't a weak damsel who needed saving all the time, but it wasn't acceptable for her to display her abilities like this either. At least everyone who understood what happened agreed with her. After a moment or two, she nodded her consent.

"I'll settle things with Wash later." Satisfied, Bruce looked over to Jason. "Now, what exactly did you do?"

Jason's emerald eyes shifted between Bruce and Cassandra, becoming a little nervous. "Shouldn't we be more worried about what happened to Cass? I mean, the guy—"

"I'll deal with him later. You on the other hand sent two boys from your grade to the hospital and three to the nurse's office." A frown appeared on his face. "I don't think they were interested in what Wash was."

The rebellious one looked away for a moment, knowing he was caught. He took a breath before trying to spin things his way. "They jumped me. Seriously, I didn't start it. I was minding my own business on the playground when Johnny and his friends jumped me. Figured since they started it I might as well finish it."

"And why did they start it?" Bruce crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Keeping his mind focused on Jason's fight rather than on Cassandra's lecher of a teacher was difficult but not impossible. Besides ruining the man's career, he was debating what other parts of the man's body he should damage. Then there were other possible victims he'd have to uncover.

Jason's fight. Focus. "Nobody picks a fight without a reason."

The kid looked away again, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I… might have said something? About all of them being…"

Both his elders gave him exasperated looks while Timmy just blinked in confusion. Cass' lips twitched. "Jason…"

"It was weeks ago!" he insisted. "I swear! All I ever do is talk."

"Say anything else?" The annoyance in their father's voice spoke volumes. It also made the boy shift in his seat.

"Maybe something about their moms… and their dad." A smothered snicker came from Cass' general direction, making Timmy look over to her curiously. The kid was getting very confused. Seeing he had something of a favorable audience, Jason kept going. "Then something about their IQs… Maybe a thing or two about how they looked like girls… I swear Billy wears makeup."

"Jason," Bruce shook his head, "antagonizing people is going to get you killed."

"But I'm still alive!" the boy countered, trying to spin it his way. "That's gotta count for something."

"It means you've had enough training to protect yourself from at least five others roughly the same size and weight as yourself." The man rubbed his eyes in frustration. "It's good you can, but seriously Jason, insulting your classmates like that is not going to help anyone. Least of all you."

"It was two weeks ago!" Jason gestured around him wildly, trying to explain himself. "It's just stuff you say in the bathroom! Besides, they said some pretty bad things themselves."

"Like…" Dick edge on, getting a quick glare from Bruce. Though he too wanted to know, there was the other two to think about. The teenager lifted his hands in his defense, biting back his lips to keep his peace.

"Stuff Alfred would wash my mouth out for," his brother retorted. His eyes shifted over Bruce for a moment before looking away again. "Among other things."

"Who started the debate?" Already the man could see how the talk deteriorated. Jason gave as good as he was given, and in some way defended them. He'd heard the comments before and he didn't want to hear them again. The boy did know how to be discreet when he needed to be.

Jason shrugged. "Kinda fuzzy. Think it started when we were comparing…"

He took one look at Cassandra then Bruce, then coughed loudly, refusing to say a word more about it. "Yeeeaaahhh…. It was two weeks ago… ish. How was I supposed to know they'd jump me now?"

Bruce rolled his eyes slowly, taking deep breaths as he shook his head. Jason caused his own problems. "We'll talk about that mouth of yours later. You really should be glad you could take down all five of them, or you'd be in the hospital right now. Dick, your story before I start dishing out punishments."

The oldest looked at Bruce once before breathing out and locking eyes with the others. "Okay…. So I was just minding my own business, trying to find a quiet tree to sit in and eat lunch when I heard something. A few blows and a yelp or two. So I checked it out. I ended up seeing three guys beating up Trevor Reeves. Deric Stovers, Charles Bates, and Hammy Hill. I've seen them pushing Trevor around before, ever since Charles' girlfriend said he was cute. They had him backed against the building and he doesn't have any training. So I intervened."

To this everyone winced. They all knew Dick's strong sense of justice. There was no way he'd go past someone being mistreated without doing something. If it weren't for Bruce's strong insistence, it was likely he'd be swinging from rooftops as a masked vigilante. He had tried at the beginning to join Batman in the field over making him retire. And the man would be a hypocrite if he didn't approve of Dick's course of action.

"Make a long story short, I jumped in, knocked them all out, then tried to bring Trevor around when security found me. Apparently it was all caught on tape. Why security didn't jump in before I did is beyond me. Thanks to the KOs and split lips, plus I think Trevor got a cracked rib or two from before, they were all sent to the hospital. Since I wasn't bleeding, security took me straight to the principal. That was three hours ago. And we've been waiting here together for the past half hour. Did we interrupt a board meeting?"

Bruce gave him a long look before shaking his head. "Dana held off the call until after. I told your principal to take you here so we could get this over with all at once. Any other reasons those kids are in the hospital?"

Dick looked away, slightly guilty. "Um… one of their heads might have been bleeding after I knocked them against the wall. Scrapes really, but how else was I gonna knock them out?"

The head of the household took in a long breath, looking over all four of them as he thought it over. Three accounts of self defense, and one in defense of another. At the heart of it, they were following what they were taught. He couldn't tell them what they did was wrong. In a way, none of it was wrong. But they did fight at school, or at least broke school rules. And for that they had to be punished.

Too bad. They actually did a pretty good job.

He shook his head, mentally chiding himself as he came up with their punishments. "Alright. I'm going to talk to your principals. No doubt you'll all be suspended then put on probation. You two," looking straight into Jason and Dick's eyes, "need to be on your best behavior at school from now on. At least until the term ends. As much power as I have over the board, I can't keep you from being kicked out of this school. And the next best secured one around Gotham is a boarding school. Believe me when I say, they suck."

Everyone gave a weak chuckle at his comment before claming up again. He kept his gaze on all of them. "After I'm done with them, I have to talk to the other kids' parents. Maybe we can find a peaceful way to settle this. Did you all have to do this on the same day?" Bruce shook his head again, letting out another sigh. "This wouldn't have been as bad if they hadn't happened on school grounds. Remember that next time you're having problems with other students."

The kids nodded, still waiting for the shoe to drop. They knew it would. And it did.

"As for your punishments," Bruce's eyes narrowed over them all, filling them with dread. The first one he'd mention would be the lightest. "No TV, movies, or video games for the next week. I'll have a program running through the network shutting them all down if you try it. This includes your phones, ipads, and other handhelds."

Each of them cringed at this. Though this was the lightest end of the punishments he had planned, he knew it'd particularly hurt Timmy. He was almost addicted to technology. The others would suffer too, but it wouldn't be enough to satisfy the crime.

"Cassandra," he met the young girl's eyes, "you'll be reading a new particular book when I get home, and I want you to read it aloud, the whole thing. I'll have a digital recorder keeping track of your progress."

"But—" she tried to protest, only to be cut off.

"Though you had every reason to break your teacher's arm, it was pretty extreme. Breaking limbs should be reserved for those who try to hurt, maim, or violate you, not those who… just barely touch you. Screaming out in protest would have done just a good a job. I'm not objecting to taking action Cass," he stated, silently supporting her actions, "just to the point you took it.

"Jason," Bruce turned his firm gaze to the second oldest, some bite to his voice. Cassandra had no more protests and just looked down to her feet, pouting. Jason's face was filled with dread. He knew he wasn't going to get off that easy. "You'll be helping Alfred out with the spring cleaning. Particularly in the basement."

"What?" he whined, devastated at his punishment. They all knew what that meant. He'd be stuck cleaning up bat guano and dusting off everything in the cave until the place was spotless. Didn't matter if the place was only used now to help the League out and as a museum. The old Bat Cave was going to be immaculate by the end of this.

"You heard me. If you're going to be suspended, you're going to get something done. You may have been defending yourself," he added just before Jason could protest, "but you provoked them. All of them. You may not have started it but you definitely picked that fight. It's only fair you clean up somebody's mess.

"And Dick." As Jason grumbled under his breath, the circus boy eyed his surrogate father slowly, almost dreading what was to come. Bruce tilted his head to the side before placing his sentence. "You're cleaning the cars, and the motorcycles. All of them. In detail. Inside and out."

"Uuggghh…. Great." Dick slowly stepped off his seat's back to sit in it properly. He knew he wasn't going to get off easy. "Anything else before we get our labor sentences carried out?"

"Yes." Bruce looked over to the principal's office door as it started to finally open, a small mob of angry parents coming out. "All of you have to apologize to their parents for ruining their work days. I need to talk to your principals now and see if Alfred can take you home. I have quite a bit of work left to do."

"But you'll be home for dinner right?" Timmy asked, his eyes almost pleading. His eyes were still red from crying earlier, making him seem twice as needy as usual.

His father couldn't help but place a hand on the boy's head. "I'll try. This… has brought quite a bit of information to light. There are things I need to take care of now. Don't worry, I'll be home soon."

"You better," Jason muttered in a barely audible voice. Bruce deliberately pretended he didn't hear it, but still ruffled the kid's hair in reassurance.

"Now," the man emphasized, looking from the kids to the adults eyeing them maliciously, "go apologize."

"Apologize?" one mother growled. Bruce took in a deep breath. He was hoping he wouldn't have do deal with the parents quite yet. Oh well. "Your brat sent my boy to the hospital!"

"I hear they sent half our kids there!" another one barked.

"Just what are you teaching these mutts?" yet another protested. "Training a personal army are you?"

"Mutts?" Jason stated under his breath. Already each of the Waynes were balling their fists. Timmy pouted more than glared at the people, while Dick took a deep breath, controlling his temper. Bruce kept his face placid. Cass and Jason didn't bother to hide their contempt at the word. They all heard it before. A mishmash family like them wasn't standard among the higher class. Charity cases, trash, fakes, they heard it all. The derogatory terms were endless. They just usually didn't say them in front of Bruce Wayne himself.

As it was, Bruce merely smiled at them. Not the ordinary one he gave the public but the one that was polite enough to pass, yet warned the receiver that they made a terrible mistake. "I'm sorry if my children's defensive reflexes have offended you, but these are dangerous times. They have been taken by psychopaths numerous times and I find being able to escape on your own power tends to increase your survival rate. Since each of their actions were caused in their or another's defense, I believe their actions were quite reasonable."

"Reasonable?" One man protested. "Your son put mine in the hospital!"

"Wouldn't have happened if he hadn't jumped me," Jason murmured darkly, glaring lightly at the man.

"My son did nothing wrong!"

"That is a matter of opinion." Bruce looked over each of the adults, trying to keep his voice neutral. He looked back down to his children. "Now, go apologize for ruining their days and proving their boys are bullies."

"Bullies!" several of them screamed in outrage.

To this he sharply reproved them all, glaring daggers. "Yes, bullies. Dick was defending Trevor from his classmates, Jason was defending himself from five of his, and I've sent several letters of protests about Reggie Grayallse and his behavior towards Timmy over the past year. I believe security footage and school records will support these claims. As nothing has been done to rectify your children's actions," Bruce emphasized every other word, "mine had to act. But their actions have unintentionally ruined the rest of your day. So…"

He looked back down to his boys. All of them were on their feet, giving grudging looks and scowls before looking at the other adults. Timmy was the first one to gain some courage. "Sorry for ruining your day."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Dick said bitterly, not really meeting anyone's eyes. Jason held back saying anything, glaring darkly at the one who called them 'mutts'. Already Bruce knew if the two were in the same room for any amount of time, there would be new bruises on someone.

"Jason…"

"Fine, sorry." He folded his arms in protest as he muttered, "But they earned it."

"So did you with that mouth of yours," his father added, keeping his voice low. Jason gave a half shrug, admitting to it silently. Since Cassandra's 'fight' was with an adult, she didn't have to say sorry to anyone.

"Sorry's not going to cut it Wayne," one man shouted in protest. He pointed a finger at him harshly. "Your kid is a menace! How dare he say—"

"Mr. Grayallse," the elementary school principal finally stepped forward, quickly joined by the secondary school principal, "what Mr. Wayne said is true. I have the reports on my desk and I have seen the footage. Now unless you would all like to embarrass yourselves further, I'd advise you all go home and discharge your children so they can return here in three days."

"My son shouldn't be suspended!" one woman protested, quickly joined by the others. "He's the definition of a gentleman!"

"For pete's sakes…" Dick groaned in his own protest. "Are these people really so blind?"

"Most people won't admit it when they're wrong," Bruce murmured to him, trying to be heard.

"But you always tell us when we do wrong," Jason joined in. "How many times have I been grounded?"

"You want the list?"

"If your sons were indeed gentlemen," the other principal chimed in, "then there wouldn't even be a fight."

"And according to school rules," Dick interrupted, unconsciously showing off, "anyone who's in a fight has to be suspended, regardless of who threw the first punch or if the victim didn't fight back. Mandatory three days minimum."

"Why you little…" one of the parents started. The principal nodded his agreement.

"That's exactly right. It doesn't matter who participated. Everyone loses. Now, each of you and your child will be called in individually in the next few days to discuss matters." The two principals were right back to business. "The hospitals informed us over two hours ago that your children are ready to be discharged. In fact, their injuries were so minor, they didn't even need to be admitted."

"HA! I WIN!" Jason stated eagerly, grinning and pointing to Dick.

"You're not helping," the older boy said through clenched teeth. Bruce silently agreed with him by placing a restrictive hand on Jason's shoulder. The little rebel looked up at his dad then looked away guiltily.

"I still beat five."

"See!" the one father protested, glaring death at the kid. "He's not even sorry!"

"I assure you," Bruce insisted, "he will receive just punishment at home. You should worry about your own son now. All of you."

"Indeed," the visiting principal stated, trying to remain calm. "Now if you would, please leave. Or I will call security to escort you out."

The mob of parents continued to glare at the makeshift family and school authorities before slowly making their way to the exit. "This isn't over," was heard more than once from the crowd. It wasn't until the door shut behind the last of them that anyone started to breathe a little easier.

"I must say Mr. Wayne," the native principal started, "you and your family certainly have a way with people."

"Indeed we do." Bruce released Jason to take his phone out of his pocket. He had to contact Alfred soon. "Now I've already heard their stories and the official reports. Three days suspension for all four of them effective immediately right?"

"Yes sir," one retorted, knowing this was old hat for them. Both Dick and Jason had gotten in trouble before, usually from fighting. "But the matter of their punishment at home is—"

"Dick and Jason are cleaning for the next few days, maybe even a week, Cass has to read a difficult book out loud, and there will be no tv, movies or videogames in the manor for a week for anyone. Is that sufficient?" Alfred's number was ready to dial. He just needed the OK from the principals. "They really should be sent home so we can talk about certain things in detail. Everyone has their homework?"

As the kids gave their affirmatives, one principal stepped forward. "I know we have no right to talk to you about how you discipline them," he started, "but seriously, we need to talk about how to handle bullying. You see, we have this program—"

"Stop bullying, speak up." Bruce eyed him over the phone. "Heard of it. Doesn't work. My father taught me that some times you just need to hit them once in the face, then walk away to make it clear you won't be bullied. Don't be a bully and don't let yourself be bullied. Simple enough. Doing nothing but talk doesn't work on creeps bent on hurting you for their own amusement. Mind if I send the kids home? I really need to talk to you about Mr. Wash and I rather they didn't hear it."

"Ah come on!" The older two protested. Cassandra stepped a little closer, wanting to know more herself. Timmy just cocked his head in curiosity, not really knowing what they were talking about. "Just when it was gonna get good."

"It's this kind of behavior that gets you in trouble to begin with," he told them slowly, annoyance entering his voice. The two pouted in disappointment, looking away sourly. They knew he had a point, but they didn't like it. He looked back to the principals. "Please, if I leave them alone now, they'll only keep congratulating each other and saying one did a better job. They're quite competitive."

"And not really sorry," Dick's principal stated, his eyes narrowing. The man was starting to learn the kid was going to be trouble.

"They were beating up Trevor," Dick retorted, glaring slightly. "What was I supposed to do? Bring popcorn? Tell an adult? Take pictures? You had a security camera on the whole thing and did nothing. He's in the hospital right now and—"

"Enough Dick, you're hurting your case." Bruce looked over to the men almost pleadingly. The elementary principal nodded his consent. He had dealt with Dick since he was eight years old, and he was still dealing with his adoptive siblings. He knew how they could be.

Bruce put the phone to his ear. "Thank you. Alfred, bring the car around to the elementary school. Four to pickup, and they're all grounded. I'll give you the details later if they don't. I'll call in a car when I'm done."

As soon as the call ended, he looked down to his kids. "Take the side entrance to the car. Avoid those parents as much as you can, and any press you spot. I want all your homework done before dinner too. Clear?"

Each of them nodded, some with more enthusiasm than others. Their father nodded and gave a small smile, glad they understood. He gave them the signal to leave and watched the four of them tottle off out the door. Dick stayed close to Timmy to make sure he wasn't left behind, winning a proud smirk from Bruce. Fight though they would, they all watched out for each other.

With the kids out of sight, Bruce turned towards the principals, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Now, before you try convincing me that your 'stop bullying, speak up' program is effective, I'd like to talk to you about Cassandra's teacher, Mr. Anthony Wash."

A/N: yeah, I don't like the whole 'stop bullying, speak up' thing. I really don't think it works and instead tells kids to be wimps and let someone else take care of their problems. I was subject to bullying way back in elementary school and junior high, so were my siblings. a couple of them got in trouble for standing up for themselves but after that no one messed with them. Me? I mostly ignored them after 8th grade. really, bullying is pretty idiotic and I always thought so. Plus I gained the confidence I needed to not be a victim and people backed off. I think that practiced confidence of 'I will hurt you if you try something' has become habit now and that's why I don't have many dates. *sheepishly looks away*

So the old school "Don't be a bully and don't let yourself be bullied" is how I was raised and how Bruce would be too. Therefore, he'd teach his kids the same thing. one punch in the face or just a show of not being scared is sometimes all a person needs when the bullying is one on one. Multiples on one, get help and made a bit scene. Don't act like a victim and you won't be. That's what I was taught. Took years to actually get it right. Might not be the same in other places on the planet, but where I lived, bullying's really light and it worked.

So yeah, that's my stance on bullying. Thinking of doing a follow up on this one, but haven't written it yet. =P Needless to say, Mr. Wash got what he deserved.