Bruce shot a quick glance over at Xander. He wasn't too surprised to find the young man trying, unsuccessfully, to start off the conversation. The fact that something so simple, like starting a conversation with someone who you have a lot to talk about, seemed so extraordinarily hard; well, the irony of it all actually made Bruce chuckle.

Xander glanced up from where he had been intently fixated on the spoonful of ice-cream when he heard the man across from him start to chuckle. Without even a conscious thought, he sent Bruce an inquiring look.

Bruce smiled as he took another scoop of ice-cream. "I was just thinking that something that should be easy enough, with all we have to talk about, feels like it's impossible to begin."

Xander gave a small grin of his own as he shrugged. "Yea, but where do we start?"

Bruce leaned back in his seat; a thoughtful expression adorned his face.

"Well, why don't we start with something easy? Why don't you tell me about your friends?" Xander's eyebrows shot up slightly, but he shook his head nonetheless. Bruce smiled at the new development. Any conversation was better than the awkward silence, and he was really interested in learning all he could about a son he never knew he had.

Noticing the far off look that his son was currently expressing, Bruce decided to prod the thought process along a small bit. "Willow seemed like a nice girl."

Xander's eyes snapped back into focus, an expression of shock mixed with confusion was clearly evident. "When did you meet Willow?"

Bruce couldn't help but to laugh lightly. "She introduced herself before leaving the two of us alone to talk." Bruce tilted his head to the side as he looked at his son. "You were a little out of it at the time." A large grin plastered on his face. "I'm glad to see that you're over that now."

This time Xander chuckled as he shook his head. "Yea, thanks," Both men chuckled. "Well, I first met Willow my first day in kindergarten." A fond smile adorned his face as he reflected on some of the few fond memories of his childhood. "Let's just say that there was a crayon mishap; I was the one to come to her rescue." Xander shrugged slightly, that fond smile never leaving his face.

Bruce smiled as Xander relaxed slightly. "Let me guess, you were both inseparable from that day forth?"

Xander looked at him for a moment. Inside his head a small conflict arose. It was hard to go into his past relationships with both Willow and Jesse without bringing up his home life. Xander knew that at some point his home life would come up in conversation, but he wasn't sure that he was ready for that sort of talk. It was also something that he had no desire to relive. Finally he shrugged it off. Perhaps this would be a good way to get it out in the open while having some modicum of control.

"Oh, without a doubt; between her and another friend, a guy named Jesse, the three of us were basically sewn at the hip." He made a sign of shrugging, as though what he was about to say wasn't that important. With another fond smile, he continued. "I used to spend many a night at a sleepover at either Willow's or Jesse's."

While outwardly, Bruce was only smiling at his son's demeanor, inwardly was a torrent of emotion. The ability to read people was inherent in his line of work. He had known that he was going to have to tread lightly simply because of the complexity of this situation.

When Xander had started to talk about his childhood, Bruce had already known, or expected much of what had in fact transpired during Xander's days of old. Through the various hospital records kept on the young man, or the way in which he saw that Ass, Tony Harris, treat Xander just the night before.

The moment Xander had paused in his speech; it was like he was an open book for Bruce to read. He knew what Xander was doing. Part of him admired the courage it took to go down this path, and he wanted to do all he could to put the young man, his son, at ease. So, before Xander could continue, Bruce broadened his smile and interrupted the young man.

"Was Jesse the man hovering close to Willow when she introduced herself?" He had vaguely remembered her introducing herself, though he tried to recall, he couldn't remember her introducing any of the other friends by the name of Jesse.

From the sad look that appeared in Xander's eyes, and the sad smile that accompanied it, Bruce realized that the young man that had been hovering around Willow was most definitely not this Jesse. In fact, from the sad look on his son's face, he feared the worse for a 'best friend' of his son, that he was sure he would never have the opportunity of meeting.

"I'm afraid Jesse died about 2 years ago. It was just at the start of our sophomore year of high school." Xander's eyes dropped to the large bowl that currently housed his ice-cream. "He was the victim of 'gang members on PCP. '"

There was a certain tone to the young man's voice that would have easily put Bruce on edge. Had that particular term not already been logged into his mind for further investigation, from when he had read the police reports of the quaint town of Sunnydale that Alfred had acquired, it most assuredly would have been now.

Any outward change in Bruce's demeanor was quickly brought under control and the front he was forcing himself to show remained firmly in place. Not that such a shift in demeanor would have been noticed. Xander hadn't looked up from the slowly melting mountain of ice-cream.

Bruce tentatively reached across the table and placed a hand of comfort over that of his son's. Xander's head instantly snapped up. The gazes of both men interlocked, and Xander received nothing but compassion and apathy for what he had been through.

"I'm sorry I never had the chance to meet him. Why don't you tell me a little about him, and Willow, and yourself too?" Bruce's voice was soft, caring, and made no display that this was anything but a request.

Xander took a deep breath as he tried to regain some sense of control. Bruce slowly withdrew his hand, and for a moment, both men simply resumed eating their ice-cream in the ensuing silence.

After a few moments a small smile spread across his face as he shook his head and continued to regale the man sitting across from him with certain stories of his childhood. Both men were, in general, having a good time. Bruce would interrupt every once in a while to ask a question. Xander would happily tell, if not reflect, of the innocent times in the past.

Xander was able to go over his childhood, and to a lesser extent, his family life. He was somewhat surprised that Bruce wasn't needling him with questions about said home life. It didn't take a genius to see the simmering anger and all out curiosity brimming just under the surface. While the man was able to hide it well, it was still present. Still, Xander wasn't one to look such a gift horse in the mouth, and happily glazed over that area and focusing on the good times that he had shared with his friends.

Now, however, a problem arose. It was clear that Bruce Wayne missed nothing of what could be hidden between the lines. Whether that was something inherent in the man, or something learned through experience, Xander didn't know. Though, something told him that if he were to go onward with his story, it would take him into the realm of the supernatural. That was something he simply didn't want to discuss at the moment. He really didn't want the man who apparently his biological father to be the first person to put him into a straightjacket.

Bruce caught the sudden pause in Xander's story and the reason became apparent right away. He had just talked about going into his first year of high school, and the different cliques that had ensued as was usual in any high school. There wasn't much to tell, his friend base had grown over the years, but his core friends, Jesse and Willow, remained the same throughout.

Now would have been the time when Xander's friend, Jesse, would have lost his life to 'gang members on PCP' and Bruce figured that he knew what that really meant. Assuming that he was right would mean that the Sunnydale PD was even worse than how Gotham City's used to be; before Commissioner Gordon cleaned house.

Xander had been careful about what he had been saying; that much was true. But Bruce didn't believe that anything had been edited out purposefully. And he was quite positive that he hadn't been lied to. Now they were on a tricky subject, and while ideally he didn't want to be kept in the dark about what the young man had been through, and was going through, he knew that this next step was for him to take. He just hoped that he was right about the truth behind what 'gang members on PCP' really meant.

Bruce leaned forward, causing Xander to do the same, and spoke in a soft, yet firm voice.

"You know, Batman told me what was happening when he encountered you." He had to fight not to smile at his son's shocked expression. "And while we'll talk about that later, were you fighting 'gang members on PCP?'"

Xander sat there mute, for a couple of moments, before nodding dumbly.

Bruce sadly shook his head. "I really am sorry about you loss, Xander."

Xander sat there, and slowly digested what he had just been told.

"How much do you know?"

Bruce shrugged. "Well, a man in my position has to know quite a bit about the world. Though, I'm still fairly sure that even what I do know isn't even close to the big picture."

Xander nodded at that. "I can't say that I'm all that comfortable about talking about this sort of thing." He looked around the still mostly empty parlor. "I'm definitely not comfortable talking about it in public."

Bruce had to agree with that. It did, however, lead him to where he wanted to be in the conversation.

"I can understand that, I really can. But I have to ask, why were you out there, alone?"

Xander glanced around again before answering. "Well, I'm usually not alone. The ones who do most of the fighting are on a vacation, of sorts. Also, during the summer it's rare to run into more than one or two at a time. It was just really bad luck and me being antsy. I can tell you that no one was happy about me going out alone."

Bruce simply nodded as he thought back to the fight he had witnessed. Xander had barely dusted that vampire one on one, and had it not been for Batman, Xander would most likely either had been a midnight snack, or perhaps turned into a vampire himself.

Xander mistook the silence and the thoughtful expression on Bruce's face for one that would lead the conversation in a direction that he had been dreading.

Xander shook his head and interrupted Bruce's thought process. "I have to admit, I'm kind of glad that you do know the truth. It makes things easier on both of us. But I can tell what you're thinking, and there is no way that I'm abandoning my friends." Both men stared the other in the eyes, the melting ice-cream completely forgotten. "I don't know if you have plans for me to go with you, I hadn't really thought of it myself, but there is no way in hell that I'll ever abandon them."

It was true, Bruce thought. He had been thinking that. The moment it became clear that his son's encounter with a vampire hadn't been an unexpected event, the thought of pulling him from that small town was the first thing to cross his mind. His son had almost died the other night. Wasn't it his right to worry about his own flesh and blood?

He had to reign in his emotions, for the moment. From the fierceness in the young man's emotional words, there was no doubt that Xander would walk out of this parlor, and leave Bruce to his own devices. Family be damned. He knew it wasn't a stretch to believe that the only family that Xander knew of was the friends he made; especially if those friends were the ones to fight by his side.

Not having a 'family' at home, Xander would have been quick to attach the label of family on his friends and loved ones. Fighting side by side for your own lives and the lives to those close to you would only cement those familial bonds. There was no way that Xander would ever leave his friends, his family. Such desertion was unfathomable to the young man. Bruce knew he had to tread extremely lightly. It was a good thing, he decided, that he had been through many a negotiation and even some hostile takeovers.

"I know, I truly do, and I would never think of separating you from your friends, or whatever they have become." Bruce leaned back in his booth and let out a sigh. Xander did nothing but stare at the man. "And you are right. The first reaction I had was to get you the hell out of that place." He smiled slightly. "I suppose any parent would." His smiled dim a little as Xander's expression never wavered. "I won't pull you out of there. But according to Batman your training is next to nil. While he was impressed with what you displayed, he said that having anyone out there without proper training and backup was complete suicide." Bruce's eyes bored into Xander, and Bruce had to give the young man credit, the kid didn't back down. He had to hide the pride he felt at that. He wondered if he could have done the same, had the situation been reversed.

Bruce leaned forward while taking another deep breath. It was at times like this he was glad for his negotiation skills and sharp memory. "I'll make a deal with you. As you said just a moment ago, the summer time is the safest time of the year in regards to these gang members." Xander shook his head in confirmation. "No matter what you do, I'm going to send some people to help patrol. Well, at least until the people who normally handle these sorts of things get back from their vacation, of sorts? But I want you to come with me," Bruce held up his hand before the protesting could begin. "It can be just for the summer. I'll make sure that you get the best training possible. And when the school year begins, you'll be back for your, what is it, senior year?"

Xander cogitated on this for a moment before nodding. "Yea, I'll be a senior next year. Who will you have come to patrol, or help patrol?"

Bruce had to smile at this, while not a complete agreement; it had the possibility of such. "Oh, well, you know that I know Batman." Xander's eyes went wide. "While I'm aware of him having dealt with these 'gang members' in the past, among other things, I'm sure that he would agree to this being a great learning opportunity for some of his protégés; past and present." There was definitely a slightly evil gleam in Bruce's eyes at that statement, not that Xander noticed.

Xander's eyes had gone wide and his mouth was currently hanging open; before it snapped shut.

"No way in hell."

"What?" Bruce asked incredulously. Who would deny the help of known crime fighters?

Xander shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I bet they would be great on patrols. But you're forgetting something important." Bruce didn't say anything; just shot him a confused look. "The Batman and his protégés have enemies of their own. And those enemies seem to find them wherever they go." Xander actually shivered noticeably. "Can you imagine one of their enemies ganging up with a gang member?" Xander leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. "Or, God forbid, they get into other areas of the 'dark arts.'"

Bruce leaned back and shook his head with a smile. "Of course, you are completely right. Given enough time, I'm sure that they would attract undue attention." Bruce's smile widened. "However, they already wear costumes. I'm sure Batman could kit them out with the necessary equipment even if they wear normal clothes. Besides, if their worried about their true identity, I'm positive that we can change them enough that they'll only resemble the person they truly are." He leaned back further once again into a comfortable position. "I promise you, it won't be a problem. I'll just have to have a word with Batman."

Xander thought about it; neither man speaking as they slowly ate what was once ice-cream but was now ice-soup. After three or four minutes, Xander finally looked back up with a smile on his face.

"Well, there's more to talk about. But yea, I think I can agree to those terms. And if the people I work with will consider it, perhaps your people can work with them?" Upon Bruce's quick nod, Xander continued. "Mind you, I have to actually get their permission for the two groups to meet, but either way, I'll go with you. It might be nice to get some training." Xander placed the spoon into his now empty bowl. With a smile on his face, he added as almost an afterthought. "And it might be nice to spend some time with you too, Mr. Wayne."

Both men looked at each other, the same humor sparkling in both sets of eyes. Now they each sat in contemplative silence. But, for the first time this night, it wasn't an uncomfortable one.