Author's Notes: Back again and this time I'm here to stay until we get to September. Thank you for all the terrific feedback!

This month's bit is quite AU, but I just had to write. :-)

Flying With the Best of Them

April:

Tim had begun to feel a lot more comfortable in the Manor and around Bruce as of late. Granted, it had taken over a year to get to such a place, but over the last few months, the teenager no longer felt nervous as he came to the Manor.

Although today was proving to be a major exception, but Tim felt it was warranted.

He wasn't sure how it happened; even with all he knew of the Bruce and Dick there were things that were even out of his league. Perhaps it was all Alfred, but no matter how it happened Dick Grayson, of the Flying Graysons, was coming over to watch Tim's gymnastic work.

The teenager had come to the Cave three hours ago because he was unable to sit still in his own home. And he had nervously walked around every aspect of the Cave, warmed-up thoroughly (twice) and now sat twitching in anticipation.

"You're gonna give yourself an aneurism is you don't sit still," Dick said with a smirk as he came up beside Tim. The younger man jumped in his seat and then to his feet.

"Uh, hey," he said rather sheepishly.

Dick shook his head. "You came to my apartment professing all you knew about Batman and Robin and our dark secrets, but now you're nervous in front of me? Talk about ironic."

"You're a Flying Grayson!" Tim said quickly as he gestured to the bars, impressed that his voice didn't crack. "How can I ever come close to that?"

Dick didn't say a thing, but quickly jogged to the bars and began swinging. He worked himself to the top bar and stopped in a perfect handstand. "By not being me," he balanced on one arm. "Jason wasn't me, Bruce isn't me and you aren't me. We all find our own place in this crazy world and you will too." Swinging downwards, Dick circled once and then landed on his feet. He turned back to Tim, "Now show me what you've got."

The teenager re-took his seat and began to shed his track pants.

"You know that Bruce wouldn't just let you become a part of this just because you know our names, right?"

Tim looked at Dick and shrugged, "Yeah I know. I mean I doubt he would kick my butt so much and so regularly just to toss me out." The teenager shrugged, "Well, not that it takes him that much energy, but still."

Dick chuckled at that last bit. "You're here cause he wants you to be."

Tim moved to the bars and began a quick warm-up. He flowed through the moves and releases, heeding Bruce's advice from months ago and took risks knowing that, here in the safety of the Cave even under Dick's watchful eye, it was better to try and fail, but know than to not try and fail outside.

Tim began to feel himself loosen up and took the advice of Dick to do what he was comfortable doing and to not try an imitate anyone else. Finishing the move on the bar, he landed a double, twisting flip perfectly and turned to face Dick expectedly.

The older man looked Tim over head to toe and then smiled. "Looks like this birdy's getting his own set of wings." Dick rubbed an affectionate hand over Tim's hair and ruffled the teenager's dark locks.

"Welcome to the Family, kiddo."