Watching

Eight Years Ago

"But…"

"I said no, now drop it."

"C'mon, Bruce…"

A glare silenced any further protest as Bruce turned and walked out of the room, leaving Dick sitting at the dining room table alone with the remnants of the meal. He hadn't even asked for that much, just a weekend off so he could go on the class trip to an amusement park in what was being billed as a practical experience in physics and was, in fact, a weekend at an amusement park. The problem was that Catwoman was out again and Bruce—excuse me—Batman had decreed that Robin was expected to aid in her recapture. Period.

Alfred silently started clearing the table. "You seem to have lost your normal appetite, Master Dick. Is something troubling you?" Alfred, of course, knew exactly what the problem was and Dick knew he knew. "Perhaps I might have a word with him."

"Don't bother." Normally Dick helped clear the table but tonight he tossed his napkin down with a bit too much force and left to work it off down in the gym, hoping Bruce wouldn't be there. Oh dear, these little tiffs were becoming more and more common and though Alfred tried to explain to the Master that Master Dick was at the age where he needed to be granted a bit more independence and leeway, his words were falling on deaf ears. The problem wouldn't go away and would only become worse and Alfred feared what could happen, given the two personalities involved. Master Dick showed signs of being just as stubborn and head strong as Bruce was at that age and he'd been a handful, indeed.

"John, did you see that? That horrid man did it again—I can't believe he won't let Dick go on that class trip. I mean, really!"

John looked up from the side of the pool. He'd been doing laps and trying to convince Mary to join him before going over to the Wallenda's for dinner but she was glued in front of the TV as usual. "I'm sure it will all work out. C'mon, Mare, you can't guide every little thing and smooth out every little bump in the road for him; that's not helping him. You know he has to learn how to deal with these things for himself."

"Of course I know that" It wasn't like Mary to snap, but snapping she was today. "But that man!" She had the remote again.

"Ann said to be careful not to over use that thing or you'll spoil the boy and he'll never learn to stand on his own two feet. Now put that down and swim with me." That usually worked…

"If any child in the world can stand on his own two feet, it's Dick but that man is impossible." The look she gave him left no question as to what she thought of that idea and John knew he was defeated before he'd even started.

Three days later Dick had permission to go on the trip and while not about to ask too many questions which could easily lead to a reversal, wondered what had come over Bruce to make him change his mind. Well, whatever—and while Medusa or Nitro weren't quite like flying with Superman, it still made for a pretty cool afternoon. And then there was just being able to kick back, hang with some of the other kids in his class he'd never had the chance to get to know—or vice versa—and find out that he actually liked some of them and wouldn't mind spending more time with them. Maybe when they got home he could go to some movies and stuff and start to shake the label of being a rich snob too hung up to lower himself to mingle with the peasants. Okay, sure it was great being in the Titans and he liked, okay, he loved having them as his best friends but that was kind of like work, too and these kids were just, well, they were just kids whose idea of a rough day were math and science tests on the same day. The Titans idea of a rough day was fighting an escaped lunatic with superpowers threatening a major city.

Don't mistake things, though—they had a great time when the Titans all got together. Garth was kinda shy, but really smart and didn't miss anything—and he was about the only one who could put Roy in his place with just the right snark comment delivered with this innocent look no one else could quite match. Wally was the complete wholesome boy next door, who'd do anything for you including running from Central City to Gotham in ninety seconds because he forgot to tell you something that afternoon and Donna—jeez, they were all a little in love with Donna. They were great and they were his friends—real friends and that was incredible. They were the only ones who really understood what it was like being them but sometimes Dick really just wanted to kick back and maybe go to a movie or something with kids who couldn't fly or live a mile underwater. You know, normal.

Titans were incredible, but a high school football game was okay, too. Two days being plain old normal and pretending that a roller coaster was a big deal was just what exactly what he needed.

It was all in your perspective, right?

Then he got home.

Cripes.

It seemed that while Dick was away for one weekend, for two stupid days, all hell had broken loose in Gotham and now Bruce seemed intent on blaming him personally.

"I said, I told you that I needed you around because Catwoman was out and against my better judgment—very much against it, I add—you spent two days riding roller coasters. Amusement park rides while I'm fighting single handedly!"

"Oh, c'mon, Bruce. You said I could go and you could have called in anyone in the JLA—you are a member, remember? All for one and one for all and all that? You didn't have to go solo. You wanted to so you could ream me out and try to lay a guilt trip on me when I got back."

Bruce looked like he was about to pop a vein, in fact he was so angry he went all quiet and that was never a good sign with him. In fact, it was one of the things you wanted to watch out for because it meant you were about to get slammed one way or another and it wouldn't be pretty and there would be no appeal. "That's enough out of you and you may consider yourself grounded until further notice."

"What? Why, because I went on a class trip you gave me permission to go on? That's horseshit!"

Alfred went white and Bruce went speechless for a moment. "Upstairs. Now."

Every line of his back registering exactly what he thought of this, Dick walked up the huge staircase without looking back, leaving Bruce and Alfred a bit stunned at the bottom. Dick had stood up to Bruce-Robin had stood up to Batman and refused to back down. Yes, he'd gone upstairs, but he hadn't conceded anything.

"You realize that he did have your approval to go."

"I know he did, but he also was supposed to be checking in to see if anything was happening in case I needed him. He didn't do that and as a result it took me at least an extra twenty-four hours to apprehend Selina again. He has no business pretending he's 'just another kid' when we all know he's anything but."

Alfred actually sighed in exasperation. "Master Bruce, must I remind you that the young master is still, in almost every sense of the word, a child? He's barely fifteen years old and, despite this, has been working for his living since he was virtually a toddler. He watched the tragedy of his parent's murders and he survived the bureaucratic misstep of incarcerating him in a juvenile prison. He has dome everything you've asked of him; his school grades are exemplary, his general behavior is above reproach and he does this while leading the Teen Titans and acting as your back up and confidant. It is beyond me what you find to complain about."

Bruce gave Alfred one of his better glares, which was completely ignored as Alfred continued. "He is everything and more you could have hoped for him to be and I would think that, instead of berating him for some perceived failure, you would consider complimenting him on his numerous achievements before he finds some else who will." Alfred picked up Dick's dropped and forgotten bag from the trip. "Now, I believe there is some laundry needing my attention."

"John. John! I thought I'd seen that horrid man behave like an ass before, but this time he takes the cake. I swear, he's outdone himself and poor Dick is taking the brunt of it, as usual."

John was just walking in from a training session with Karl Wallenda. Ever since the Graysons had been up here, they'd been making friends, lots and lots of friends, but John and Karl just really seemed to hit it off and were now working on what they both thought of as 'the ultimate trap/high wire routine ever seen by man'. They had this idea where by they were going to combine the two disciplines into one incredible act and…

"John, are you listening to me? Dick is up in his room almost in tears and you know he never cries. That man…"

By now John would usually roll his eyes when Mary went off on r the latest indignity Dick was undergoing but this time he looked at the screen and saw red. She was right and for Dick to be in the state he was in, pacing, muttering to himself and finally picking up the phone to vent a rant at Roy Harper was enough for the protective Rom father in John to rear up and defend his cub. Mary was right; Wayne was as idiot as far as dealing with a child was concerned and he needed to be dealt with. John had kept his mouth shut during some of the astoundingly insensitive and boneheaded comments and actions Dick had endured, but this took the cake. Enough was enough. He relieved Mary of the remote and aimed it at Batman out on patrol, alone, without Robin who was still in his room feeling unwanted, unloved, unneeded and unhappy.

"You are going to rethink what you just said to Dick. You are going to cut your patrol short and you're going back home. You will go up to Dick's room, wake him if he's asleep and you will—kindly and with genuine remorse and regret—apologize. Then you will tell Dick how fabulous the job he's doing as Robin truly is. You will tell him how proud you are about his grades and his accomplishments with the Titans and then you will keep your head out of your butt whenever you deal with my son from this night on because he is not your son, he is mine and if you don't you will deal with me and will make your comic book enemies look like the cartoon characters they are."

Bruce quietly pushed the door to Dick's room open at just past midnight, knew Dick was just pretending to be asleep and so didn't bother to turn on the light. He sat on the edge of the bed and thought for a moment about how he was going to handle this and wondering what he was doing here. He had no idea why or where it came from, but he had a sudden and unbeatable urge to come home and tell Dick how proud he was and how lucky he was to have him in the house and in his and Alfred's lives. Okay, he thought tat all the time, but it wasn't the kind of thing you went around saying out loud. Certainly it wasn't the kind of thing you said out loud in the Wayne family, anyway. People know you care about them, you don't have to keep talking about it all the time. But tonight…

"You know how I feel about you, don't you Dick? If you weren't here this place really would be the mausoleum you used to call it. I know I'm hard on you but you also know it's because I'm worried about you and if I push it's because I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. I mean something serious."

No answer, but Bruce knew Dick was listening.

"You're the reason this place has music in it again and kids. Did you know I never rode the quads around the property until you moved in? The places in Aspen and the Bahamas? The never got used until we started going there together. Okay, I know, I overreacted about this weekend and you were right to get mad—you should have heard Alfred after you came upstairs. He told me off like he used to when I was ten and forgot to wipe my feet or feed the dog. He scared me then and he scares me now."

There still wasn't a sound or so much as a hair moving from Dick. He was listening to every word.

"So what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry, chum. I was wrong and I shouldn't have lost my cool the way I did. You're doing a great job and we both know it so get some rest, okay?"

Nothing. Sighing to himself and a bit hurt Bruce stood up, hoping Dick would say something to stop him, but he still refused to budge and Bruce left, closing the door behind him.

"Did you speak to him, sir?"

"Yes, Alfred, I did. I told him I was wrong and that I'm proud of him. Satisfied?"

"The question isn't whether I'm satisfied, but whether he is, sir."

Mary looked at the TV screen. "That man—I could strangle him."

"Hey, Roy? Did you hear all that?"

"Fuckin' A I did. That was awesome. No one, I mean no one will believe the Bat apologized to the sidekick."

"I know. This stays between us, right?"

"You got it. Later, dude."

"Later."

Dick closed the cell phone in his hand, the one he'd been talking to Speedy on when he heard Bruce come down the hall, slipped it into the recharger on his nightstand and smiled.

TBC