Even with all their collective years of sneaking around, Dick, Jason, and Tim were finding it difficult not to laugh as they crept into their baby brother's room. Luckily for them, Damian was still sound asleep, utterly oblivious to their presence.

"He looks so peaceful." Dick whispered. "Yeah." Jason sighed. "Too bad it can't last. Get him!" The three older boys sprung into action, Dick and Jason restraining a now livid Damian while Tim started recording.

"Let go of me!" The youngest boy yelled as he tried to thrash his way to freedom. "Sorry Dami. You know the rules." Tim grinned gleefully. "Birthday punches!" Even with all his writhing around, Tim landed all ten punches and one to grow on.

With this tradition complete, Jason and Dick flung Damian back onto his bed to give them all a head start as they took off down the hall, laughing wildly. "You'll pay for that!" Damian screamed as he charged after them, nearly barreling into Barbara, Stephanie, and Cassandra in the process.

Alfred opted not to scold the boys for running in the house on account of the special occasion as he laid out the breakfast feast. "Happy birthday Dami-baby." Steph winked as she and the girls came in.

"I'm not sure you can call him a baby at ten years old." Barbara giggled. "We can until Bruce has another kid." Dick smirked. "Then you'll be calling him that for the rest of his life." Bruce said with certainty as he came in.

"Eid milad saeid ya waladi." (Happy birthday, my son.) He said softly, only for Damian's ears. The boy smiled lightly at his Father's hand on his shoulder. Today he turned ten.

III

After a hearty breakfast of all of Damian's favorite foods (and an Alfred mandated wait to let their food settle), the family made their way down to The Cave.

Damian couldn't help but grin to himself as he suited up. This was easily his favorite birthday tradition. The Bat-family No holds bar Tournament. A battle royal designed to see how they'd grown as fighters over the last year and how they stacked up against the rest of the clan.

Damian treasured these fights in that, in some small way, they reminded him of his mother and the way he learned to fight.

Two wins, three ties, and two losses later, Damian resigned himself to cooling off in the shower and joining in on a Cave inventory check.

Back upstairs, Damian got to open his presents before the family drifted off to do their own things until dinner. The meal was immaculate, of course, and was concluded with Alfred's three-layer chocolate cake.

III

Damian stifled a yawn as he shifted to rest his head on his Father's arm. The credits were playing for the movie they'd been watching, and according to the clock, it was almost ten o'clock.

The rest of the family would be going on patrol soon, and as perusal for a school night, Damian would stay in The Cave until he was sent to bed. At the stroke of ten, Bruce rose from his seat and wordlessly led the way downstairs.

For once, Damian made no attempt to sneak his costume out of its case. He was getting too old to beg to be allowed on patrol. "Aren't you going to get dressed?" Bruce smiled at the youngest vigilante, and the boy's eyes grew wide.

He looked from his Father to his siblings, waiting for one of them to start laughing at this joke. But none of them did. On the contrary, they were smiling at him, regarding him with pride. Damian beamed and ran to get ready before his Father changed his mind.


Weeknight patrols were really no different than weekend patrols. Still, Robin held himself to a new standard, ready to prove himself to Batman. Right now, that meant disarming the alarm system to the warehouse where Gotham PD had been tipped off to a bomb threat.

It was child's play really, and the Dynamic Duo found themselves inside in seconds. Yet oddly enough, the place seemed deserted, and a full sweep of the building confirmed this. It was no big deal. Not every tip could pan out.

"We should do a once over of the surrounding area just to be safe." Batman said, and he and Robin headed for the door. But no sooner than they had taken a step, the red laser points of a targeting system shone at their chests.

Batman glanced down at his protege, signaling with a mear look that they would make a break for the exit on his mark. The two heroes ran for the doors, narrowly dodging the speeding bullets coming at them from every side. But as they ran, the exit didn't seem to be any closer. On the contrary, it seemed farther away.

Robin's head began to swim as the tunnel vision set in. He wasn't even running now. He was on his hands and knees now, trying to crawl his way to safety. An ominous figure loomed over him just as he slipped into darkness.

III

Robin clenched his pounding head as he sat up. What a way to spend his ratifying evening. He tried not to dwell on it though. Batman had succumbed to whatever had knocked them out as well and probably wouldn't hold anything against the younger hero.

"Ah, you're awake." A voice called from some hidden place. "I must admit I was starting to worry. You never did react well to that particular sedative." The familiarity of that voice cleared the fog from Robin's head immediately.

He could just make out her figure now. Had it really only been three years? She looked just the same. Tall and muscular. A traditional fighter's figure. Her piercing green eyes were the source code for his own. There she stood, half of the cause of his inner demons, and still seeing her now, Damian realized that some part of him had missed her.

"Mother." He deadpanned coldly. "Is that how you great me? I would have thought you learned some pleasantries during your time among these civilians." Damian did not respond. She was trying to bait him, but years of Todd's provocative teasing had made him mostly immune.

"I do hope you've gotten that rebelliousness out of your system." Talia said passively. "There will be no room or time for that on Infinity Island." "And what makes you think I'll step foot back there?" The boy scoffed.

In an instant, Talia had crossed the room and was squeezing Damian's face in her hand. "My son, I told you I would be back for you. I gave you time with your Father to learn his skill. I had even hoped that seeing you, the assassin I raised, would open his eyes to what we could accomplish together. But I am done waiting."

Damian tour away from his mother. "Where is Father? What have you done with him?" Talia looked at her son with contempt as she tossed him a small device. Damian gritted his teeth at the sight. The other heroes of Gotham in containment cells of electrified steel and bulletproof glass.

Of course. His family would never just let him be taken. "Even if you sedate me and take me by force, what makes you think Father will not come for me?"

"My child, you think I did not prepare for this?" Talia smirked. "Your Father will honor your choice. So I offer you the chance to fight for your wish. Consider it your birthday gift."

Damian drew his sword. This was not something he had to think about. If he had to fight to maintain the life he had led these last three years, so be it. Damian charged at his opponent, determined to land the first blow and set the fight on his terms.

Talia, however, picked up on this and dropped low to sweep the boy's feet out from under him. Damian just barely caught his balance before squaring up again. "Predictable as ever. But with no real opponents to train against, why would you change."

The young hero waivered for a moment. She was right. His mother had been his first trainer, and he had no doubt she had kept tabs on him. She knew how he fought. As much as he hated the idea, he had a better chance of sneaking away and freeing the others.

In one swift motion, Damian dropped a few smoke pellets from his belt and disappeared into the rafters. From below, he could hear his mother laughing. "Is this what you learn after all this time? Running from a fight? What kind of assassin have you become?"

Damian wanted nothing more than to go back down and show her what he'd become, but in the back of his mind, he could hear Grayson's voice telling him to think and pick his battles.

How he wished he had any kind of backup right high vantage point would suit Cassandra perfectly. He could even see the pressure point she would strike. And then it dawned on him. This was a tactic he could use.

Damian all but grinned as he leaped down from his perch and landed squarely on his mother's shoulders. The force of the blow knocked Talia forward for a split second, but that was all Damian needed.

After years of sparring with Drake, Damian had become quite adept at making plans that utilized his environment in split seconds. In an instant, he was ducking in and out of the shadows until he was in the right position for his next attack.

The devious child smirked to himself as he implemented one of Todd's favorite dirty fighting moves and whacked his mother in the back of her knees. She was down now.

Damian drew his sword and held it to her neck. Talia stared her son down, and for a moment, Damian saw something akin to pride in her eyes. "I won my right to stay with Father." He declared.

"Ah, but Damian, you know as well as any that there is no honor in the words of an assassin." Talia reminded. "I shaped you lead the League of Assassins, and as long as I breathe, I will stop at nothing until I bring you back." Damian squeezed his eyes shut. His mother wanted him to prove his ruthlessness. And he knew she was right.

Talia was relentless. She would never just let him be with his family. But as easy as killing her would be, his Father had taught him better. Damian sheathed his sword but kept his hand on his utility belt.

"Until we meet again, Mother." It all happened so fast. Pellets of knockout gas exploded on the ground as Damian slipped a rebreather into his mouth and took off to free the others.

III

Lucky everyone was no worse for wear. Nothing injured but their pride. They did, of course, press the youngest hero for details on what had happened, but he insisted that it could wait.

For tonight, the last few moments of his birthday, he simply wanted to be with them and enjoy the people he'd fought for.


A/N Hey Y'all! I am once again taking requests so leave a review or DM your thoughts.