Title: One And Only: XVII

Author: D C Luder

Summary: Third in the (what is now, I guess) the Time Will Tell Series. Set four years after the conclusion of Life Is Good. The Family moves on and... apart?

Rating: PG 13

Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.

Author's Note: It is highly advisable that you read Time Will Tell and Life Is Good or you may be a tad bit lost. I am writing this due to the numerous requests for a sequel. That and I am absolutely obsessed with the concept of the Bat and Cat living happily ever after.

A/N 2: Happy Mum Day ;)

A/N 3: Bruce's stance on the kindergarten graduation reflects that of Bob Parr's in The Incredibles. The cop stories between Jim and Dick reflect those seen in David Simon's A Year on the Killing Streets. Dick's allergy comment is that of Seth Cowen's on The OC and his computer arch rival Doctor Dangerous is from Will & Grace.

A/N 4: Finally posted… School's out for the summer and we all know what that means… I'll be ficcin' like a crazy person who has misplaced her Lithium.

V

"Happy Mother's Day, Leslie."

"Oh, Alfred…" I did my best to control the grin as it spread over my lips.

He had invited me up for breakfast the night before, doing his best to act coy in a polite manner by concealing his intentions. I had arrived ten minutes earlier than he had told me and parked near a meticulously groomed flowerbed to the left of the stone steps leading to the front door. Despite the fact that it was a little before eight in the morning, the air was well on its way to the eighty-five high for the afternoon.

It had been unclear as to whether or not the other residents of Wayne Manor were going to be in attendance. As I walked the silent halls of the house, I decided that it was going to be a breakfast for two.

I had found him on the terrace that faced the rear of the property pouring fresh squeezed orange juice into a pair of glasses. I paused at the doorway and followed Alfred with my eyes as he refolded the napkins at both of the place settings before checking his pocket watch.

"Boo," I grinned when he turned to face me.

"Ah, I believe I said eight o clock," he smirked as he pulled out my chair.

As I took a seat, I looked up at him, "That you did."

Before he had taken his own seat, he slipped over a small robin egg blue box tied with matching ribbon. I took it with a slight smile and had watched as he sat down across from me.

Oh, Alfred…

We rarely exchanged gifts in a material sense. Each other's company and quiet weekend retreats were more than enough to keep one another happy. Bruce never understood that concept as whenever he offered me lavish gifts, I would turn around and donate them to charity before he could even blink.

I set the box aside and raised my orange juice and smiled to see Alfred do the same. "What do we toast to?" I asked softly.

His brow furrowed slightly before smoothing out, "To you, my dear."

I shook my head, "To us."

"Very well, then," he replied, "To us."

The chime of our glasses clinking together seemed remarkably loud in the quiet morning air. I sipped carefully and then set my glass down before placing the napkin over my lap.

"This is perfect."

"Not quite," he commented, "I had made an effort to arrange a pair of morning doves to entertain us, but unfortunately they had prior obligations."

I laughed out loud. Although on the outside Alfred appeared modest and polite, inside was an amusing counterpart that so very few saw. I counted myself lucky for appreciating his dry humor. Almost as much as I cherished his compassion for his family. One of my earliest memories of meeting him was at a social function at Wayne Manor. He had looked so nervous, almost terrified as he attempted to manage the wait staff and caterers of the event. He barked orders and directed wine cases and entrée carriers as if the future of the world relied on it. Later, after the guests had departed, I had gone up to check on Bruce, who couldn't have been older than Mattie at the time. And there, still dressed in his formal attire, was Alfred, sitting on the edge of Bruce's bed talking ever so gently to the tired little boy.

We ate in near silence, as we commonly did. In fact, it wasn't until half past eight, after the crepes and banana bread French toast were long gone, that I asked, "Letting them sleep late?"

After wiping his mouth, Alfred nodded and replied, "A Mother's Day gift to Ms. Selina."

"How thoughtful. They have plans for the day?"

"Breakfast at the Blanchard, some shopping I believe and then a picnic at the Preserve this afternoon."

I nodded as selected strawberry from a small fruit tray, "Busy day. That leaves you here, all day, by yourself?"

"A premature Father's Day gift for me," he smirked.

I giggled softly and ate the strawberry. Just as I was about to ask if he would like company for the day, I heard footsteps approaching slowly. We both looked to see Bruce walking down the corridor towards us, dressed in dark slacks and a slate blue button down shirt with the top three buttons undone. He paused at the doorway, looked at both of us and then asked, "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all," I answered first.

Bruce stepped out onto the terrace and checked his watch in order to avoid my gaze, "We'll be heading out shortly… And we'll probably go out for dinner so we won't be back until after seven."

"Very well, sir," he said with a curt nod.

He went to turn back inside but stopped in his tracks, "Oh, and if Melinda calls about Monday's meeting, tell her I'm---."

"Off gallivanting amidst the carnivorous felines?" he finished.

"I was going to say shopping for shoes with Selina but that would work too." He looked over at me and nodded slightly before passing through the door and walking away.

He had dropped by the clinic a little after midnight with a bouquet of lilacs. The sweet scent of the flowers had been the first indicator that he was in the room. He had stayed for exactly five minutes before slipping back out the window into the night. That was after I stood from my chair and hugged him. For four and a half minutes.

I had expected to see Selina and Mattie make their way down the hall, but then realized that if Bruce was ready to head out for the day, he wasn't about to entice distraction by telling the two ladies of his life that I was out back dining with Alfred. Nevertheless, I would surely see the child before her fast approaching kindergarten graduation. I had been up to the Manor for dinner the evening Selina had invited me to the ceremony. Bruce had sighed and muttered while picking at his steak, "It's not a graduation, she's moving from kindergarten to the first grade."

Selina had sighed and reminded him that it was a special celebratory event that commemorated their daughter's accomplishments.

He had rolled his eyes before continuing, "It's not a celebration, it's psychotic… They keep creating new ways to celebrate mediocrity." And to think that at the beginning of the school year, he could hardly go through the day without calling the school to make sure she wasn't in the nurse's office…

"Something humorous?" I heard Alfred's voice.

I looked up and shook my head, "Oh, nothing," I picked up the small box and shook it gently, of which yielded no sound. "I wonder what it could be…"

I carefully undid the bow and removed the top of the small box. As I pulled back the white tissue paper, I smiled at the sight of a pair of Gotham Opera House tickets. The seats were first ring center seats for that evening's performance of The Little Prince.

"And just how did you manage to obtain these?" I asked while waving the tickets.

Alfred paused as he folded his napkin and laid it on the table. "Let us say that Master Bruce is not the only one with secrets in this household."

V

Jab, hook, uppercut.

"I'm starving…"

Double jab, left and right hook, roundhouse.

"Do you know the number to the Great Wall…. I'd kill for some super sized wontons."

Knee stab, double hook, left and right jab, knee stab.

"Or some chicken lo mien. Or both."

I stepped back from Dick and wiped sweat off of my brow with the back of my hand. When I didn't resume striking the pad, he peered out from behind it, "What?"

"Nothing…" I frowned slightly while he set the pad down on the ground. I waited a minute and then smirked, "It's just that… now I'm hungry."

He glanced at the watch on the wall and shrugged, well, it's almost eleven. That's nearly two hours since breakfast… Which makes this either brunch or early lunch… I think there's like fifteen minute difference between the two…" Dick scratched his head and shrugged before walking into the hall.

It had been four weeks since the missing persons case had come to a close. The thugs that had sought and kidnapped the girls were in Blackgate awaiting their trial and eight of them have already began making pleas to make a deal with the District Attorney to rat out Black Mask. One even claimed he had kept records of nights and clubs he had gone to in order to hopefully get reimbursed for the mileage. So much for honor among thieves…

"Hey, Timbo, what do you want?" Dick called from down the hall.

I picked my tee shirt up off of a rolled mat and donned it as I tracked him down in the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, eyes locked onto a take out menu. I gave him my order and he nodded, "Excellent choice, Timmy-san. Sweet and sour chicken make you grow strong and wise."

I poured myself a glass of water while he called in the order. Just as he hung up the phone, Barbara entered the kitchen, "Hey, guys, Dad's coming over from the deli, do you want anything?"

I opened my mouth to say that we had our lunch set but Dick spoke first, "That would be great… What do you say, Tim, Triple Decker Clubs on wheat?"

"Sounds good, I'm starving."

I had seen James Gordon twice since his official retirement, which coincidentally was the day after we busted Black Mask. A week later, Wayne Enterprises fit the bill for a commemoration ceremony, which as the intoxication level of the attendants rose the night turned from a quiet banquet into a roast for Gordon. I had made a brief appearance in between the end of my night class and the beginning of patrols. He had seemed just the same as he had always been, if not happier. It was difficult to picture the city without him there in the heat of things.

He had always been there…

The only other time I had seen him as ex-Commissioner had been two weeks later. On a Sunday morning, Cass and I had been jogging down County Route 32, which cradles the Bristol Country Club Golf Course. We had been three miles into it when she stopped suddenly and started laughing uncontrollably. I stopped as well and asked her what was wrong. She had simply pointed at the golf course before doubling over with giggles. Bruce Wayne and James Gordon clad in khakis and polo shirts, driving towards the ninth hole in a golf cart. Both wore sunglasses and content smiles.

We laughed for the rest of the run.

What wasn't funny was the new commissioner.

Her name was Erin Kelsey, a recruit from Los Angeles Police Department. She was barely taller than Cass with strawberry blonde hair clipped short and neat. From what I had seen, she favored dark pants suits and frowning. And she drank herbal tea. But the real kick in the pants was that she loathed vigilantes, thought that they were for the Old West, not "her" city. So far, Batman had been the only one to speak with her, of which had been a ranged by Gordon as a way of passing the torch, so to speak.

Apparently, she told Batman, flat out to his face, that she wanted no dealings with him. As long as he stayed out of her way, she would do her best to stay out of his. I felt bad for Gordon, being stuck between those two… Talk about a rock and a hard place.

While waiting for lunch, I showered quickly and changed into jeans and green tee shirt with beige lettering across the chest: J and J's Pool Hall, Shoot to Score. My friend Dave and I had won a double tournament there a few months back and every time I walked into the place, they gave us free drinks. Not that I went that often. During my Organizational Development class the other day, I had worked backwards through my date book and found that it had been almost three months since I had gone out for the purpose of going out. The sad part was that it didn't really bother me.

In order to put an end to my fast on fun, I had asked Cass to go see a movie and get some pizza the next night before patrols. She had grinned and asked if we could see the new one with Orlando Bloom and I rolled my eyes.

Then she hit me.

Then I hit her back.

Ah, love…

As I stepped out of the guest bathroom, I first heard soft voices in the dining room. Then I smelt the sweet mixture of Chinese and deli takeout. I walked into the room to see Dick, Barbara and Jim all seated and well into their meals.

And Jim was halfway through a story.

"…You shoot a guy, hey. You shoot two guys, well, it is Gotham. You shoot three guys and it's time to admit you have a problem," he finished with a forced stone face.

Barbara smirked as she laughed quietly while Dick nearly choked on his soda. "It's true though, the multiple shootings get bigger and bigger… Last summer, I had one guy with one gun take out thirteen people… and he said it was self defense but I don't see how a Laundromat full of people is that threatening…"

"When was the last time you've been to a Laundromat?" Barbara asked before taking a bite out of her BLT.

He shrugged, "There's one next to that coffee shop I always go to…" he looked up and smiled, "Hey, thought you drowned or something."

"Very funny," I said. He had picked on me several times over the last few weeks about diving into the harbor. I had even gone swimming down at the gym and he had showed up with a pair of arm floaties.

As I sat down and selected a white cardboard carton and a pair of chopsticks, Jim looked over at me briefly and before returning to his sandwich, "Was it last summer… the ice cream APB?"

Dick snickered, "Yeah. Perps walk away with three hundred gallons of ice cream and Chief told us 'Suspects are to be considered dangerous as they are armed with calorie laden goodies and sharp spoons. Be advised, suspects are also presumed to be a lot fatter."

We laughed together and traded our fair share of stories. As I worked our way through our lunch, I couldn't help but think that for just then, just for a little while, that all of us were normal. Family and friends with no troubles, no worries, no concerns.

It wouldn't last though. It would all change when dusk fell.

V

What could have been a better Mother's Day gift then for me to spend the entire day with Mom?

Spending the entire day with Mom and Dad up at the Preserve.

Dad woke me up that morning, coming into my room and sitting on the edge of my bed. I couldn't see my clock and when I had asked what time it was, he said it was time to get up. He's silly…

I changed and brushed my hair before running into wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day. She was in the bathroom doing her hair, already dressed for the day. Mom smiled when she spotted me and kissed the top of my head when I ran over to hug her. After she had finished her hair, she put a bit of lip-gloss on and then turned towards me, "Pucker up, buttercup."

I pursed my lips together and looked up at her. She carefully applied it to my lips before I smacked them together. I was about to ask if I could wear her perfume when Dad walked in, "Almost ready?"

"Yep," Mom answered just as I nodded.

"Okay, I'll tell Alfred we're heading out. I'll meet you out front in the car."

"I'll be down in a minute."

After he left, I followed her into the bedroom and hopped up onto the bed as she put things in her purse. A minute later, I began looking around the room and noticed a vase of roses on Mom's bedside table. "Ooo," I whispered as I crawled across the bed towards the edge, "Where'd you get these?" I asked.

Mom walked over and sat beside me, "Your dad."

I sniffed a few of the flowers and smiled, "They're pretty… So what are we doing today?" I asked as a leaned against her.

She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "Well, Dad's taking us out to breakfast and then we're going to do some clothes shopping… And after that we're going to head up to the Preserve for a picnic."

"Yeah!" I bounced on the bed.

As I slipped off of the bed, she told me to get a sweater to take incase it got chilly and that she would meet me at the staircase. I skipped to my room, pulled a purple sweater out of my closet and then paused at my bed. Taffy was cuddled in a ball fast asleep. I leaned over and kissed her head, "I'm going to see your big friends, Taff."

She raised her head and yawned briefly before settling back to sleep.

Breakfast had been at Mom's favorite place. Every time we went, I had chocolate chip waffles with chocolate mousse with chocolate milk. One time, Dad even had chocolate milk with me. This time he had black coffee.

The only part of the day that wasn't fun was shopping. Even though we only went to three stores, it still took forever. Summer was coming and Mom thought it would be best to get shopping done before the end of the school year. By the time we were done, Dad was carrying tons of bags and didn't look too happy about it. The only time I saw him smile was when I tried on a blue summer dress. When I came out of the dressing room, I twirled in front of him and asked him if he liked it.

He had smiled and knelt before me, "I love it, kitten."

I kissed his nose before he stood and then went back to twirling.

As much as I wanted to spend the rest of the day in my new dress, I had to change back into my pants and shirt since I were heading up to the Preserve for our picnic. No reason to get something so pretty dirty…

The car ride up seemed longer than usual. Dad was driving and Mom was sitting up next to him. Usually they talked quietly with each other or even with me, but this time they just listened to the radio. I had brought a book to read, but it wasn't with me in the backseat. I leaned over and looked up to the front and smiled to see Mom and Dad holding hands.

I sat back and giggled softly.

"Mattie?" Mom asked as she turned her head to look at me, "What's up?"

"Nothing," I said, "Can I have my book, please?"

"Sure." I watched as she leaned over and picked it up from in between her and Dad's seat. When she handed it back, she turned in her seat slightly, "You going to read to yourself?"

I shrugged, "I can read to you, Mom. It's your day."

She grinned and said, "That would be great," before turning the volume down on the radio.

It was The Little Prince, a story that Alfred had read to me many times. It had a whole bunch of chapters but I didn't mind. Dad and Mom always helped me get through them. Most of the kids I went to school with didn't even like to read, let alone chapter books.

I opened up to the first page of the first and began, " 'Once when I was six years old … I saw a mag…nifi…cent picture in a book, called True Stories from Na… Nature, about the…' what's this one?"

I spelled it out and Dad said, "Primeval."

"The primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa cons…trictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing…' Ew, that's gross."

Mom agreed when I showed her the picture, "Yes it is."

By the time we pulled onto the tree-lined drive of the Preserve, we were just at the beginning of the second chapter. I put my bookmark in and set it on the seat beside me and peered out my window. There were enclosures on both sides of the road that lead up to the main building. The left one, the one on my side, had the snow leopards and the one on the right had a pair of mountain lions. I hadn't seen them yet, but Mom said they were named Trevin and Mauva and were almost as big as the Siberian tiger that had arrived a few weeks ago.

My favorite cat still was Hatera, or as I called her, Hattie. Not only did her name rhyme with mine, but also she was a six-year-old black leopard. My age and hair color. She had been someone's pet since she was a baby and when her owner had died she needed a new home. Hattie was very friendly and when Mom had her on lead, I could pet her and kiss her and brush her.

It made Dad nervous but Mom always made sure that I was safe. In fact the only time I had ever been bit was by a month old tiger cub that Mom had taken care of and it wasn't even his fault. I kind of stuck my finger in his mouth to feel his tongue…

Didn't even need a bandage or anything.

After Dad parked, I hopped out and waited for Mom to get out and then latched on to her hand, "Can I see the new ones?"

She squeezed my hand, "Maybe later. We should get our picnic set up first."

"Okay…" I looked back to ask Dad where he wanted to eat, but his cell phone had rung and he had taken a few steps away to answer it. Mom suggested that we set things up over the side yard where the sun came through the trees. I kept my eyes on Dad and noticed he was frowning slightly. When he caught me looking, he offered a smile before turning away.

Something was up. Even though it wasn't father's day, I made it my goal to make him just as happy as I had made Mom. Maybe I could draw a smiley face with the mustard on his sandwich.

Or I could do a handstand.

Or both.

V

"Sh, she's sleeping," I whispered as Bruce pulled into the garage.

After putting the car in park, he turned carefully and looked at Mattie as she snored softly in the back seat. I saw the faintest hint of a smirk before he nodded and got out of the car. I told him I would get the clothes if he got the kid. He mumbled, "Six of one…" and then opened Mattie's door.

After our picnic at the Preserve, we ended up touring most of the grounds on foot, taking full advantage of the warm weather. Unfortunately, Hatera, the panther my daughter seemed to be infatuated with, was slumbering in a tree. Mattie stood at the fence, making kissy noises and saying, "Here kitty, kitty," but the napping feline hardly twitched her tail.

At a little after five, we decided to head back towards Gotham. At the first town we passed through, Bruce made a quick stop for a few sandwiches and drinks. Mattie had joked that it was the first time "in forever that I ate out every time in one day!" It didn't take long after her dinner for fatigue from the day to pull at Mattie's eyelids. Even still she had been determined to get through the second chapter of her book. I checked back on her several times, noticing her head dipping lower towards her chest and her pages passing slower and slower.

And then not at all.

We passed through the house silently and proceeded towards the staircase. I half-expected Alfred to appear from nowhere and take the bags from me. Unbelievably, I made it all the way to the third floor without a sign of Alfred. I suddenly wondered if his evening was ending as it had started: in the company of one lucky lady. As I turned done the hall, Mattie sighed in Bruce's arms and he paused in mid-step and waited until she settled once more. I whispered, "I'll be in our room."

He nodded and proceeded to slip into her room.

It wasn't until I had all of my clothes put away and all of Mattie's clothes set aside for the morning that Bruce appeared at the doorway. I did my best to pretend to ignore him as I picked out pajamas. As I walked towards the bathroom, he stepped into the room and spoke, "Isn't it a little early to get changed?"

My brow rose, "Are you suggesting I shouldn't change into… this?" I held up the nightie and smirked to see his mouth open on its own accord.

"I said nothing of the sort," Bruce replied as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed.

I set the garment on the bathroom counter and went to join him on the bed, sitting mere inches away. Once seated, I leaned over and kissed his cheek, feeling the day's worth of stubble tickle my lips.

"What?" he asked while turning to face me.

"Oh come on. Roses, a day out doing everything I wanted to do… we're one game of bat and cat away from this being the best day of the year," I smiled and put a hand on his knee.

His left eyebrow twitched slightly before he glanced at his watch, "Little early for that, too."

"What a goody two shoes…" I snickered, and then leaned against his shoulder before standing up.

As I passed into the bathroom again, I heard him sigh as his footsteps sounded softly on the carpet. With daylight growing longer, he became frustrated with having to wait for nightfall. Unfortunately, with him starting patrols later, it usually meant that his return home would be delayed as well, which off set when he woke up for work, thus resulting in the vicious cycle that had recently become his day to day life.

By the time he walked into the bathroom, I had started filling the tub with water and had lit a few candles on the counter top. As I poured bubble bath into the water, I looked at him as he stood in the doorway. "Can I help you?"

He shook his head and leaned against the doorframe.

Having known him for so long, I could almost always decipher what was brewing behind his blue eyes. And at that moment, I could see two things: admiration and distraction.

"When are you heading out?"

He glanced towards the bathroom window, "In an hour or so."

"Ah," I replied as I sat on the edge of the tub and dipped my fingers into the water and rapidly growing bubbles. "Did Mattie go down okay?"

He nodded, "I changed her into a nightshirt and tucked her in. She hardly moved."

"Big day for her," I commented as I stood and wiped my hands together.

He nodded again, although slower. "Alfred said he would be back around ten or so."

"Ah yes, a night in the theatre district. Don't tell me you're going to spy on them when you go out on patrols."

"Hadn't even crossed my mind," Bruce replied with the slightest twitching at the corner of his mouth.

"My ass it hadn't," I grumbled while I removed my earrings. As I tied my hair up, I looked over my shoulder at him, "Well?"

A look of confusion flashed over his face, "Well what?"

"Are you getting in the tub or what?"

That drew a low laugh from him as he stepped into the room. "As enticing as your offer seems, I'll have to take a rain check."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. I hope you don't mind."

"Me?" I asked, "Why would I care if you couldn't accept my offer. Oh, before you head out, can you get me the phone book? I need to call up someone who wouldn't refuse a nice warm bath with me… Oh, wait, that's every man in his right mind…" I winked at him before turning my back towards him.

As I began to undo the buttons on my blouse, I felt Bruce's arms snare around my waist. I suddenly became concerned that he had taken my joke to heart, which rarely happened. He set his chin on my shoulder and sighed into my ear, "I'm sorry… For this…"

Oh no.

"No, Bruce, don't you dare…"

Bruce suddenly lifted me up off of the ground and took two broad steps towards the bathtub. I dug two fingers into his collarbone in a futile attempt to prevent the inevitable. But it was too late, for he promptly set me, fully clothed, into the warm, soapy water.

As I laughed uncontrollably, he spoke, "You wait right here, I'll make those calls for you. After all, it's your special day."

"Bruce," I growled as loud as I would dare, "Get back here."

He paused at the doorway and looked back at me, still keeping hold of that damned expressionless face.

I sighed and sat back in the water, "Get me a glass of wine while you're at it."

He finally broke into a smile and nodded, "Yes, dear."

V

I was allergic to the universe. I was unemployed. I had a blister on my heel the size of a quarter. I could hardly walk down the street without someone recognizing me as "the cop from the shootout."

And I had yet to get flowers for my mother.

Eight hours earlier, I had been seated across from Barbara at one of the nicest tables in Angelino's, her favorite Italian restaurant. We chatted while working our way through baked ziti and picked on the other couples that dined around us. Just after we ordered dessert, a man proposed to his date at the table adjacent to ours.

Barbara had sighed, "You ever do that to me, and I'll kill you."

"Point taken," I snickered.

Stomachs full, we made our way back to the Clocktower with Barbara behind the wheel. When we hit traffic just inside Tri-Corner, I turned the radio down and said, "I think I had one too many canolies."

She shook her head, "That's a first, too much food for you."

I nodded and looked out the window as a mass of pedestrians worked their way through the cross walk. "Tim said that he and Cass were going on a date tomorrow."

"Oh?" she replied as she waited for the light to turn.

"Yep. Dinner and a movie. The classical route. I guess it would be easier between those two. If the signal went off or something went down, neither one of them would have to make excuses to leave. If I had a dollar for every lame excuse I had to give to a date…"

"You would have three dollars," she grinned before accelerating through the intersection.

I glanced over at her, "No" I let out a sigh, "More like two dollars."

She reached over and patted my shoulder, "Woe is you."

It was another minute before I spoke again, "So what do you think of them?"

"As in Tim and Cassandra?"

"As in."

Barbara took a moment gathering her thoughts, "Well, I certainly know how hard it is to do the work without someone there to share the burden with. They seem to be working better since they've started this unofficial fling, so it hasn't harmed their performance… and if things turned south… Who knows…"

"Good point. Hey look at us. We've been north, south, east and west. And it's turned out all right."

She nodded, "True."

Another silent minute and I cleared my throat and fiddled with my tie, "Speaking of couples, I haven't seen the Old Man and his Lady Fair in a while. Heard anything from them?"

She turned right onto our street, "Selina called the other day, wanted to have lunch next week. And to tell me about Mattie's graduation. Other than that I guess everything's all right." When I didn't comment, she inquired, "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just seems that Bruce has been a little... Intense lately on patrols, more so than usual. Was wondering if something was going on."

As she pressed the button that opened the door that lead to the Clocktower's basement, Barbara said, "He's been staying out later, but that's nothing unusual for this time of year."

I bit my lip, "I guess you're right."

Once parked, she took the key out of the ignition, "Why, have you seen something else?"

As I opened my door I said, "No, just thinking out loud. Forget it."

She managed to stay silent the entire elevator ride up to her apartment. She even kept her mind while she washed up and changed into sweats and a tank top. Over the last month, we had done surprisingly well together, no bickering or arguing or anything of the sort. I had noted that she had been a bit on the overbearing side when I first moved in, laying down the laws of the land and doing her best to nip my bachelor behavior at the bud. But I hadn't thought much of it… Afterall, it was Barbara.

As I began changing into the black and blue, she appeared at the bedroom doorway, "Dick?"

"Yeah," I responded while pulling on my gloves.

Barbara set her hands in her lap. When I chanced a look over, I saw a tiny incisor tug at her lower lip briefly as her eyes found mine. "Are you okay?"

"What?" I asked.

"Are you okay?"

"No, I meant what do you mean?"

When our eyes met, she blinked rapidly before gazing down at the floor. A second later, she looked back up to me and said, "Well, it's… It's Mother's Day, and it's been a month since… and then everything before that…"

I looked down at my hands and absentmindedly traced the edge of my mask, "Yeah. Not one of better years, that's for sure." Keeping a hold of the mask, I turned to face her, "I guess I could ask you the same question."

Barbara nodded and looked over to the dresser at a vase of lilies that sat next to a small silver framed photograph. She moved by me and selected one flower before turning back to me, arm extended, "For her..."

I nodded and traced her fingertips before taking the flower. After donning the mask and running a hand through my hair, I made a step towards the window before turning back, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Dick," she looked up at me, her face a mixture of emotions that I couldn't even begin to decipher.

I sighed heavily, "Could you check that James Bond DVD set on eBay. Bidding closes at midnight and I want to make sure that Doctor Dangerous doesn't outbid me."

Finally, a look I recognized came over her features. Disbelief.

Then complete and utter admiration.

Perhaps life wasn't all bad.

V

"You've been quiet."

I looked over at Robin and shook my head, "Funny."

"I meant for you, you know, you've been quiet," he commented as he cracked his knuckles.

It was fifteen minutes passed three in the morning and I was officially bored. Patrols always seemed to go by faster when I kept active. Down time made the night unbearable. But at least I had good company.

"Did you do anything for today?" I asked softly while looking down at the street below us.

"For today? Oh, yeah, lunch with Dad and Dana. It was okay. How about---," he cut himself short at the realization of his error.

I nodded and bit my lip, "It's okay. I went with Barbara and her… Dad. Took flowers to Sarah's grave."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. It had been an awkward day, always had been. It had been easier when I was younger, never thinking about Mother's Day or even having a mother. Even after leaving Cain and that life behind, it really didn't bother me. And even though so many of the people that I called my family had also lived years without a mother…

They had a mother. They had the memories to cherish. The gravestones to visit.

"Cass?"

I jerked and looked over at him, "What?"

"Ready to go?"

"Sure," I stood and adjusted my cape before reaching for a grapple. Just as I was about to aim the gun at an adjacent building, I heard Batman's voice on the comm. link, "Update."

Before I could respond, Robin replied, "Everything's clear on our side."

There was a brief pause before, "Fine. Call it a night then."

A soft click sounded before either one of us could confirm his… command to go home. Robin looked over at me and shrugged. I did the same in return and shot my line, leaping off the roof before hearing it attach to the roof next door. A second later, I heard Robin's cape fluttering behind me. The race for the Clocktower was on.

Batman had only contacted us three times that night, not unusual for him. What was off was how each time he called on us, it took him less than three seconds to sign off. After the second time, Robin has asked Oracle to check on Batman's location but she couldn't as he had turned off the homing device in his suit. A new habit of his. I guess it wasn't worth aggravating him.

The second I landed on the roof, I somersaulted into a dead run and then jumped the small gap between the rooftops and quickly. A low whistle came from behind me and I almost smiled when I heard, "Holy crap."

Over the years, I knew there was a pattern to when Batman would distance himself, during the day and night. But it had seemed that more and more, he was separating himself from us. I had my thoughts about it, especially since he asked me to work with Tim more… Maybe I just didn't want to face it. At least not enough to tell anyone else what I thought.

Two blocks from the Clocktower I paused and let him catch up with me. I rested one leg and put my hands on my hips, "Second place, first loser."

"Funny," he said as he approached me. A foot away, he glanced down at the alleyway, "Well, guess I better get back to Bristol. We're still on for dinner, right?"

I nodded, "Yep."

"Okay. I'll see tomorrow then," he nodded and then jumped effortlessly to the street below. I watched as he unlocked the bike, started it and then eased onto the empty street.

Going home.

Usually, I snuck in through the side window, checked in with Barbara if she was still up and then grabbed a snack before showering and changing for bed. Instead, I found the computer area to be dark and empty before I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, changed into sweats and a tank top and collapsed into one of the leather recliners. I wasn't tired, not in the least. I could work some yoga in, run on the treadmill… But I would hate to wake Barbara.

Watching her and her father this morning had felt strange. I had known Sarah Essen-Gordon very briefly but had been forever impacted by her death. Her sacrifice. And although she had not been Barbara's biological mother and she had admitted to being at odds with her at first, I knew Barbara thought of her as an influential person. And I guess that's what a parent should be.

"Misery loves company." I sat up and looked over my shoulder to see Dick a pair of shorts and a dark tee shirt. He smirked as he walked over and took a seat in the other chair, "Or so I've heard… Didn't see you at all tonight?"

"We stayed to the East."

"Ah. Can't say I ventured too far. Tried to get a fix on the Pointy Eared One…" he leaned back and opened a bottle of iced tea, "Alas… No luck."

I sipped water before asking, "How was dinner?"

"Good. Almost put on the fat tights tonight… You been there before?"

I nodded, "For my birthday lat year. Baked ziti."

"Mmm… Good call." He yawned loudly and closed his eyes for a moment, "Longest day ever."

"Agreed."

Dick sat up and raised his bottle towards mine, "Here's to tomorrow."

I smiled, "Cheers."

"Well, I'm beat. Good night," he stood and shuffled towards the hall.

"Good night," I said softly.

I stood as well and made my way to my bedroom. Tomorrow. Sleep in until eight in the morning, breakfast with Barbara, a high of eighty without a cloud in the sky and a night out with Tim before a night out with Robin.

Something to look forward to.

V