"Did you know Terry found Bruce and not the other way around?" Dick commented, chewing on his salad and signaling to the waiter across the room for more wine.

Barbara Gordon eyed him suspiciously, eyes narrowing in thought. "Dick."

"Can't get any decent waiters around here."

"Dick, look at me."

Dick paused, looked at her, and she sighed, covering her face with one hand. "Jesus, I can't believe it."

"What?"

"Not you too."

"What are you...?"

She lifted her hand and eyed him, amused. "You've been talking about Terry for the last forty-five minutes. I think I know more about him now than his own mother does."

Dick looked at his food, stabbing a tomato and chewing it without looking up. "So?"

"You're enthralled with him, Grayson. I can see it. First Bruce, now you. The kid's seventeen...you're both nearly eighty...."

He glared at her. "I'm sixty-one."

"Even so."

Dick ran a hand through his hair, nearly all gray save for a sliver or three of black all around. "He'll be eighteen in March."

Barbara laughed, long and loud. "You...I can't...oh god, Dick, you're...you're out of your element! He's a kid, he...."

Dick sighed, burying his head in his hands. "He has a thing for Bruce."

Barbara took a piece of bread and dipped it in her soup, chewing. "I know."

"Bruce is seventy-four."

She grinned. "I know."

"You're saying I'm too old and Bruce is...way older."

"I'm just..."

A phone rang, interrupting them both. It was Barbara's. She flipped it open and saw Bruce Wayne staring back at her. "Bruce," she looked up at Dick, "Hello."

"Hello Commissioner. I just thought I'd inform you that there is a robbery on state and tenth, and currently more than one Joker is all over Batman."

Dick stood and Barbara coughed. "Thank you, Bruce."

Bruce said nothing and the screen went black.

Dick waved over a waiter and paid the check, pulling on Barbara's arm to get out of the restaurant. "C'mon we..."

She stopped him on the sidewalk. "Dick."

"Barb we need..."

"Dick, stop."

He stopped, looked at her, and sighed. "God, look at me. My heart's going a mile a minute. I...all I heard was his voice, and Batman and I..."

She squeezed his arm. "C'mon, I'll take you back."

Dick shook his head. "No, I've got somewhere else I need to be."

Barbara saw the look in his eyes and sighed, but said nothing.

Two men paced outside a bedroom door, both lost in similar thought.

It took a well-timed cough to bring them back to themselves. "Gentlemen."

"Is he alright?" Bruce asked, his voice hoarse from yelling.

The doctor (a discreet war medicine medic that had been on Bruce's payroll for the last half year) smiled at Bruce. "He'll be fine. His injuries were not severe, but they were serious and he will be bedridden for the remainder of the week," he eyed Dick and then Bruce again, "He's awake, if you'd like to see him. He was asking for you."

Dick fought to resist the urge to ask who the doctor was referring to, but did anyway.

"Who?"

"Bruce? I assumed he meant Mister Wayne."

Bruce stepped forward, the loud "tap, tap" of his cane echoing off the empty hall as Dick watched him disappear. Closing the door after himself, Bruce walked into the bedroom and called out, "Terry, are you awake?"

"Yeah, I...I'm not sure I'm up for sleep yet."

When Bruce saw him he winced a bit but recovered it in a sigh. "You should've gotten out when I told you to."

Terry smiled. "Nice to know you were worried about me."

Bruce sat on the edge of the bed, not replying. He let out a breath and whispered, "Maybe this arrangement needs to be...rethought."

Terry's face fell and he swallowed, looking away from Bruce and answering hoarsely, "I thought that...you...I thought you thought I was doing...."

"Terry, you were. Are. But tonight was an example of why I think a few more years of training and...."

Terry glared at the wall with anger written across his face as he whispered icily, "You mean, harden my heart like you and let people die to save my own ass, Bruce?" he looked into Bruce's eyes, "You would have never let those people die, but you would have let those Jokers fall to save someone else. I...I took that Joker girl's hand and...."

"You're alive. That's all that matters."

Terry's fists clenched and he mumbled, "I guess so."

"Now, I think I'll leave you to sleep."

Terry listened to him leave before he whispered, "You can't get rid of me now, old man. It's been..."

The door cracked open a bit and Dick stuck his head in. "Busy, kid?"

He shook his head and closed his eyes, sighing. "Nope."

The noises of Bruce's cane are replaced by Dick's shuffling as he sat on the bed and put a hand on Terry's knee.

Terry opened his eyes. "He's firing me."

Dick blinked. "No."

"He is. He said..."

Dick's suddenly reminded of Bruce telling him his Robin days are over and being rebuffed when he tried to tell Bruce he loved him. He pushed thoughts of himself away and looked at Terry. "Bruce needs you, kid," he smiled, "More than he knows. He's not letting you out of his life even if he makes you give back the suit."

Terry glared, tears stinging his eyes. "I don't care about that. I....I need this, Dick. If he takes it away from me..."

Dick put his hand on Terry's arm and Terry's eyes widened in surprise. "If that happens, I promise I will help you in any way I can."

The hidden message behind that statement spoke volumes and both men were silent for a while before the door opened.

The familiar tap of Bruce's cane brought both men to attention. Dick let go of Terry and stood, staring at Bruce who looked angrier than Dick or Terry had ever seen.

"Terry, your mother called and I've told her I need you to stay overnight."

Terry nodded, looking down at his hands. "Okay."

Bruce's eyes didn't soften while they bore down on the teen and Terry didn't have to look up to feel the chastisement. "You need to get your sleep."

Terry looked at Dick, who was glaring back at Bruce with equal intensity.

Dick turned to smile at him. "I'm sure Bruce is right. Goodnight kid."

Terry smiled some, but most of the fight had gone out of him. "Goodnight."

Bruce mumbled something that Terry guessed might have been the same, shuffling his way out of the room, with Dick close behind. Once it was quiet Terry closed his eyes and tried to put his mind around what had just happened.

Dick wanted to be his "benefactor" if Bruce decided to decline the offer.

Whether or not there were other motives in the offer, Terry couldn't help but feel relieved and a little flattered. He settled into the pillows behind him, smiling.

At least someone still had some faith in him.