The sun was just rising over the city skyline when Dick's bike roared into the parking garage below Wayne Enterprises. He tore his helmet off and pressed his comm.

"Babs, where are you?"

"You're not supposed to use anything but aliases on comms," Damian replied smugly.

"Shut up!" Dick snapped. "Barbara?!"

"I'm still in the labs," she replied shortly.

"I'm coming to you," he got off his bike and started across the garage.

"Dick it's almost shift change-"

"-I don't care." He made his way to the elevators and pushed the button for the labs.

"Fine." Barbara started to gather her stuff and clean up her workstation, her back stiff. Dick walked into the labs. He could see her at her desk, and he started towards her.

"Babs," he said quietly when he finally reached her desk, putting a hand on her shoulder. He hated calling her Batgirl. Even though they were like second names, their aliases seemed impersonal at times.

"Don't," she stepped away from his hand, "call me Babs."

"Batgirl," he said quietly. "Can we talk about this?"

"From what I could hear before you turned you're comm off," she angrily shoved things into piles on her desk, "it sounded like there was plenty of time to talk to me before it reached this point." She snatched up her notebook and headed toward the elevator.

"I wanted to talk to you in person," he cried, catching her arm beside the elevator.

"And in all that time we were together you couldn't once say you were thinking about her?" she demanded. "Instead of telling me you were glad it was over?"

"Barbara please! I screwed up. I didn't- I didn't think that... I didn't think."

"Didn't think what? That lying to me and treating me like a cheap expendable would hurt?" She jabbed her thumb against the elevator button.

"I am so. Sorry." Dick ran his hands through his hair. "Babs, it just... it happened."

"It's Harley Quinn. It doesn't just happen." She shifted her notebook to her other arm. "What happened to the relationship being too much work? To being happy not to see her again? It didn't just happen."

"Look," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know what I said, and I know... I screwed up." The elevator doors slid open, and Barbara stepped on, turning to face him.

"Did you ever mean it? Or did you always want her instead?"

"I meant it," Dick said, stepping onto the elevator with her as the doors closed and before she could protest. "I do love you. I always meant it. Just not... Like that. I had moved on from her. I thought I had- but then she just came back into my life and I..." He trailed off. He felt horrible, like he'd used her. It was worse than when Harley'd accused him, because Barbara wasn't saying it. They both knew it was true, and she hadn't breathed a word. She stared at the numbers ticking up on the display.

"Just... When you told me seeing her was more trouble than it was worth, were you telling the truth?"

"When I said it... Yes. But now..." Dick watched her, his back to the doors. "Babs- Barbara, look at me." She looked at him, her mouth set in a thin line.

"How long?" She wanted to know how long it had been a lie. "How long have you wanted..." Harley over me.

"Since I spoke to her again." His mask off, his eyes, narrowed in worry, looked between hers. "And not a moment sooner." She took a deep breath and looked down.

"Stop being so sorry about it. I want to be mad at you." Her face flushed a little as it dawned on her that this is how he must have felt all the times she turned him away when they were younger. It made it worse that she knew he'd tried so hard not to hurt her.

"I am sorry. I don't want you to be mad at me," he smiled a little, biting his lip. "And I'm sorry you had to hear that." Her face turned bright red.

"And then you had to call and ask for my help," she muttered.

"Well-" Dick lifted his arms to hug her, but stopped. "Am I- may I? Are you gonna dislocate my shoulder if I try to hug you?"

"I... I'm not ready to forgive you yet." Barbara crossed her arms turning away slightly. "Being trapped in here is what's keeping me from running from you." She wanted to hide, too embarrassed to look at him. She felt like a fool.

"I'm sorry." Dick studied her downcast face. "You deserve a lot better than this, the way I've treated you; I was stupid in my decisions. Not you." He put a hand on her shoulder gently. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"No but I didn't do anything right apparently." She glanced up as the elevator stopped and the doors slid open on her floor.

"You did. You did everything you could," Dick breathed. It hurt to hear her say that. "It's not like you're worse and she's better. You're my oldest friend, Barbara, you were there longer than anyone." He watched her for a moment, and then hugged her tight. "I love you." Dick backed out of her way so that she could leave.

"It just doesn't feel the same," she sighed. She glanced at him before she stepped out.

"No. No it doesn't," Dick agreed when the doors had closed, and he slid down the wall of the elevator to sit on the floor.

"Good. As long as you're finished upsetting the schedule for the rest of us- no, I don't want to hear about it, Nightwing, just get to your post."

Robin turned his comm off, shaking his head. Batman sat in the driver's seat beside him as they drove towards Downtown Gotham.

"How much of his patrol did he actually attend to?" Bruce inquired as he drove.

"Very little," Damian sighed, tightening the straps of his bulletproof vest under his tunic. "However, if you want someone to berate, I would choose Kane. She allows him to shirk his patrol and takes over the Uptown patrol. I think she and her narcissistic personality get off on the power," he commented, glancing out the window.

"If I remember right, you were his patrol partner when he first started seeing her. You can't tell me you didn't notice. So what does that say about you?" Bruce glanced over at him before refocusing on the road.

"I like to call it accommodatingly negligent," Damian smirked. Bruce nodded.

"What have any of you hoped to accomplish by letting them be together?"

"Eventual happiness," Damian looked over his shoulder at Titus in the back seat, and he scratched the dog's ear. "If not for ourselves, then for someone we care for."

"And what makes you think seeing her will make him happy in the end instead of heartbroken?" This was a conversation he'd had with Selina more than once.

"What made you think that you and Selina could ever be happy?" Damian cleared his throat awkwardly. "Did you see an end, when you fell for her? Nonetheless you remained with her."

"There... may be some similarities," he begrudgingly admitted, "but that doesn't change the fact that Quinn is the Joker's right hand woman."

"No it doesn't. But perhaps you could make an attempt to understand." Damian glanced up at the support cables of the bridge as they crossed into Downtown.

"It's not that I don't understand. It's that I don't trust her."

"Trust him."

Bruce sighed. "I do. But he falls in love too easily." He turned the Batmobile down a side street.

"Yeah well. You were young once," Damian got out when they parked, looking around the alley as Titus jumped out next to him.

"I was worrying about other things at that age." Bruce locked the vehicle behind them.

"Well perhaps that's why you are the way you are now," Damian smirked, walking back towards the street. When he stepped out he began looking at the faded numbers painted on the doors in the neighborhood.

"I suppose that's why all of us are the way we are now." He let Damian lead, following behind him.

"Except Grayson. And Todd. Looks like it's just you and me, Father," Damian looked somberly up at a door, the numbers 431 scrawled on it. "I am not looking forward to this."

"No," he agreed, "but enough time has passed already."

"Stay," Damian addressed Titus, who sat at attention by the foot of the steps. Robin went up them and knocked on the door. A breeze blew down the street, his cape whipping out behind him. When the door didn't open, he knocked again. Jane Shan opened the door, and her face fell when she saw them. She leaned against the doorframe.

"I didn't think y'all made house calls," she said quietly. Damian smiled a little.

"Well this is a special case, Miss," he replied. She sighed.

"I wish I could say I was surprised." She opened the door further. "Would you like to come in?"

"Sure," Damian glanced back at Batman standing at the foot of the stairs before entering the house. "So you know, then?" he asked quietly, looking around at the dismal rooms. No one in Gotham lived in luxury, not even the bats; the sparsely decorated and grungy surroundings were still disheartening every time he saw them. Better off this than zombie food, he thought.

"Not exactly no." Jane paced to the center of the room and looked around awkwardly. "I just know it can't be good." She stared him down. "What happened?"

"Miss Shan, was your father acting strangely in the past couple of weeks?" Damian crossed his arms behind his back, still speaking gently.

"Yes," she said bluntly, "ever since... my mom had complications from the flu and became Infected." She took a deep breath, looking down before her dark eyes refocused on him. "I haven't seen him or Kirk in days, so are you gonna tell me, or am I gonna have to ask?"

"Your father and brother are... They were Infected," he said quietly. How do you tell someone this? How do you tell her that her father killed her brother?

"They..." She trailed off as she tried to compose herself. Her hands clenched at her sides. "How?"

Damian watched her. She'd lost her entire family, yet she remained poised as ever. She'd want to know the truth. "Your father seemed to be running a- denomination of sorts. He attempted to force people to Infect themselves, and incidentally turned himself and your brother."

"And they're..." Her voice cracked and she sank down onto the sofa. "And they're gone? Or still... Infected?"

"Infected," he shifted a bit before sitting down beside her. "If there is anything I can do..."

"Where are they?" She looked over at him. "Can I see them? And Kirk... he's really..." She looked away again.

"They are at the GCPD headquarters," Damian said quietly.

"Okay." Jane glanced around the sparse living room. "How long until that cure again?" she half joked.

"I know." Damian laughed a little. He hesitated. "My brother is Infected too," he put a hand on her shoulder. "Red Robin. His name was Tim. The cure... We're working on it." He promised. She nodded.

"Ya know, we went on vacation to Metropolis one summer, and we didn't even see Superman once. Here, Batman and Robin make a house call. Somehow I don't feel that lucky."

"Superman isn't so great," Robin shrugged. "But neither are we. And I'm happy to tell you in person."

"Well I wish it had been better news." She leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees as she ran her hands through her long tangle of hair. Damian watched her quietly, his hand still on her shoulder. "I really don't want you to see me cry," she whispered.

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely curious. Damian squeezed her shoulder a bit.

"Because you're Robin." She sighed. "I don't wanna be an emotional mess in front of one of Gotham's saviours."

"Even we break down sometimes." Damian watched her for a moment, and then he hugged her hesitantly. He didn't know if this was breaking a personal or formal rule, but he wasn't sure if he cared.

"They can't be gone," she breathed, her hand bunching in his cape as she pinched her eyes closed. They'd made it all the way to Gotham, only for her to be left alone.

"I'm very sorry," Damian said gently, holding her tight. He barely knew this girl, but he felt her loss. Jane sniffled a little before finally breaking down and crying against his shoulder. She hated breaking down, especially in front of other people, but she couldn't stop the tears. Damian took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "It's alright. It'll be alright," he said awkwardly, patting her hair gently. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation. He'd learned as he'd grown up around his family in the past couple of years that he couldn't withdraw as he was raised. Damian knew why she was crying but didn't understand it. Still, he knew he had to seem compassionate.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled and sat up. "You probably have more important things you're supposed to be doing." She was hastily trying to wipe her eyes.

"I... I do. Though I would love to stay here with you. You shouldn't be alone." Damian watched her. Is that something you say to people?!

"No, I'm fine." She waved him off. She was going to be alone from now on anyway. "Go ahead and go." Her voice was thick as she tried to hold back her tears. Damian stared at her for a moment longer and then stood.

"Would you like to leave?" he asked, holding his hand out to her. She looked up at him in surprise.

"Leave?"

"Yes. You shouldn't be alone, Miss Shan. I... I guess I'm offering you a job. Come live at Wayne Tower. We can train you, and you can do what you can to help your father and your brother." His hand was still outstretched, and he smiled a bit.

"What?" She stared at him in confusion, momentarily distracted from her tears. "You're just... offering me a job? Just like that?"

"Yes, I thought that was clear," he cocked his head. His ears stuck out a bit with his hair cut as close to his head as it was, his mask hiding his eyes. The bright greens, yellows and reds of his uniform stood out against the grayscale apartment, like he'd popped out of a storybook to whisk her away.

"But..." She was at a loss for words. "But... But don't you have to get approval for this sort of thing? This seems like a much bigger deal than you're making it. And what if I don't have any useful skills to help? Or what if I'm crazy like my father?" She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Are you really supposed to be asking random strangers to come work for you?"

"My fa- Batman trusts my judgement," he waved a hand. "This is nothing more than a chance. We will teach you the skills you need, and I'm sure you're a clever person." He helped her to her feet so that she stood in front of him. "You will not turn out like your father, of that, I am certain." His voice had grown incredibly kind, and even he seemed surprised at the tone. "You can think on the offer." He squeezed her hand.

"Oh, okay," she stuttered. "Um, thank you?" She was still uncertain about his offer. He said it like it was matter-of-fact, but she she was still unsure. Her father and brother were dead. Nothing made sense anymore. Damian nodded and walked back towards the front door, but he hesitated.

"We've all been where you are, in some way or another. If you ever just want to talk... Let me know." He nodded a little, pulling the door open "Take care, Miss Shan."

"Thank you," she breathed. She crossed her arms over her chest. "And thank you for telling me in person."

"You are very welcome. Though I am sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances." He bid her goodbye, walking down the steps from her house where Titus greeted him with a wagging tail. "Batman," he pressed his comm. "What's your location?"

"I just finished checking in with the Commissioner," he replied. "I'm by the station. Did everything go okay?"

"Just fine. I do think she is a potential prospect," Damian answered. Bruce was silent for a second as he processed the information.

"Really?"

"Yes. No familial connections, a driving force, and she seemed different. Reacted... much better than I would have expected when she received the news. Not to mention her actually quite impressive medical resumé."

"And is this because she has potential, or because you feel bad for her?" Bruce asked. "Her father also reacted differently than most," he reminded Damian.

"She has potential," he promised. "And I'm sorry- why did you adopt Nightwing in the first place…?"

"Fine," Bruce sighed. "Keep an eye on her, and keep me updated." It had been barely a month ago that he'd said the same thing to Jason.

"Yes, sir." Damian ran a hand over Titus's head. The dog walked closer to him and Damian smiled. "Where would you like me, father?" he asked.

"Midtown," he answered curtly. "Residential specifically. We need to know how much of what happened down in the sewers got to the general populous, and how they're reacting to it."

"Good," Damian broke into a run, heading towards the residential area. Titus barked, and he smiled at the dog, running faster. It was a game he played on his own, racing Titus. The dog always won, and sure enough, Titus surged forward. Damian laughed and then suddenly cried out as he tripped. He caught himself before he could faceplant, flipping over and rolling a bit. "Ow," he winced, looking for what his foot had caught on.

"What happened?" The comm was still active, and Bruce paused his patrol in case Damian needed assistance.

"I... Stumbled. Over an upset manhole cover," he said slowly. Titus sniffed at the crack to the darkness below.

"As in playful kids moved it? Or do I need to come provide backup?"

"Father at least six playful kids moved this if that is the case, you know how heavy they are. I'm going to check it out." Damian strained to lift the cover up and it fell to the ground with a deafening clang. "Stand by for backup. Titus, stay."

"I'm on my way." He grappled down to the Batmobile. "Do not investigate alone."

"Father, I'm not Nightwing," Damian scoffed, switching to his night vision in the tunnel. "I can hear something. Switching to infrared-"

"Robin!" Bruce snapped. "This isn't up for debate. Wait for backup."

"Fine. Orders are orders, I guess," Damian looked up at Titus, who was sniffing around the opening. "What's your ETA? I'm getting-" Damian was cut off as someone tackled him from behind. He went face first into the rancid water, throwing his elbow behind him. He rolled over and kicked away his attacker, who came at him again. Damian coughed and used his momentum. "I'm-" he twisted the person's arm behind his back- "not-" and kneed him in the stomach- "Nightwing." Damian coughed, forcing the assailant face down in the sewage. Damian wiped his eyes, holding the struggling attacker under the water.

"Robin!" Bruce sped toward the Midtown bridge.

"I'm fine. Need I say it again?" Damian dragged his attacker back up from the water. "You have seconds to talk," he hissed in his ear.

"I'll never talk-"

Damian forced him into the sewage again. "I'm bored. And I'm going to have to wash my uniform again, but not for another three days. Nothing puts one in a bad mood like walking around smelling like garbage," he snapped down at the half drowned attacker. Bruce tracked Damian's comm on the Batmobile's system, parking nearby and pushing out of the vehicle.

"What is going on down there?" he demanded as he approached the manhole cover.

"This-" he pulled the assailant up again, coughing and sputtering- "garbage tried to attack me. Take me down."

"I swear- I swear I wasn't going to do anything- we were just playing-" he gagged, blinking the sewage out of his eyes. He couldn't have been older than Damian, but much smaller. Bruce pulled him back away from the boy by his cape, giving Damian a stern look.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked the boy.

"We heard about that cult thing- we were looking for it- we just wanted to see the zombies! I didn't mean to hit Robin- I swear! We were looking for our friend. He went down a side tunnel and just vanished!"

"How long ago, and where did he disappear from, and how many of you are down here?" Bruce demanded, releasing Damian's cape.

"We were down there," he pointed into the darkness. "There's like six of us, and we're all looking for Frank, he was the one who ran off."

"Find the rest of your friends and get above ground," Bruce barked. "We don't need to be looking for more people." He switched his mask to infrared.

"Ok- ok, Batman sir-" he ran off, calling out names. Robin glanced after him.

"Why do I get the feeling he wasn't telling us something."

"He said they were looking for it not just zombies in general." Bruce started forward. "Whatever we find won't be good."

"Doubtlessly," Damian agreed following Bruce into the dark. They moved slowly forward looking for any heat signatures in the dark. The only thing they saw was rats. "Do you hear that?" Damian asked suddenly, stopping. Even at his full height, he wasn't as tall as Bruce. He listened again, and a distant scream broke the silence. It didn't sound afraid, it sounded agonized.

"Let's go." He knew it was too late. Those were the screams of someone who'd already been Infected and was turning.

Damian followed Bruce towards the cries. For a while they called for help, until the victim forgot the words. The brain shut down quickly, especially in instances where the victim had a fatal wound. "There," he pointed at a faint heat signature just down the tunnel. The boy screamed again.

"Be careful and keep your eyes open," Bruce warned, switching his mask to night vision.

"Question is- where's the Infected that bit him?" Damian said quietly. "Are we sedating him?"

"Sedation along with the decaying remedy. For now let's hope he simply injured himself to become Infected."

"Right," Damian walked around the boy, his gun at the ready. "Hey, you," he whistled at him like a dog, and the kid turned; Batman quickly descended on him from behind, sedating him with a shot to his neck. When the boy collapsed he caught him and then injected him with the decomposition inhibitor. Damian glanced up. "Well all in a day's work, and it's hardly even morning," he smirked, holstering his gun.

"Let's get him to the lab," Bruce said seriously. "And we'll need to find those kids to locate his family."

"Hopefully they all went back up the manhole," Damian muttered, starting back through the gunk in the sewer. Bruce hefted the kid up and followed Damian, carrying the boy in his arms. Rainwater ran between their boots, and Robin could feel it seeping through, cold and uncomfortable. And I have the rest of my patrol to feel like this, he thought irritably. Damp and chilly. He paused when he heard splashing behind them, and he pulled Batman to a stop.

"Did you hear that?" he asked quietly, looking back down the tunnel from where they came. The sound didn't come again, but the unsettling feeling of a presence just outside of their line of sight took hold.

"Yes." Bruce stared off into the darkness for a moment before starting forward again. If it was an Infected, it would attack them no matter what they did, and he didn't want to leave the boy down here. "We need to get him above ground."

"Of course. I'll cover you," Damian walked behind Batman, on full alert, listening as the slow footsteps started in the water again.

"Stay close," Bruce warned. He picked up the pace, ignoring the water he kicked up around him and ignoring the footsteps behind them.

The light shone down from the open manhole, and Robin switched his night vision off, climbing the ladder quickly. Batman handed the unconscious kid up to him, and there was a weight on his cape suddenly, a tugging backward, gentle at first and then he was suddenly yanked back.

"Father!" Damian barked, looking down into the manhole.

Batman was pulled violently back, the Infected growling and spluttering behind him as he dragged him. Bruce fell back into the water. Quickly rolling to the side, he jerked his cape back. He wiped the murk off his mask as he tried to assess the situation. The Infected in front of him was falling to pieces, and the smell was almost more overwhelming than the gore.

"Back him towards the manhole!" Damian cried.

Through the skin hanging down its cheek, he could see the beaked nose, and a monocle cracked and shoved into the eye socket. Bruce grit his teeth. Despite the nearly totally decay of his body, he easily recognized Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin. The fact that he was once Bruce's enemy didn't mean he deserved his fate.

"He's past the point of saving," Bruce called, backing up and slowly reaching for his belt.

"I know," Damian muttered, and Penguin shot forward in a burst of speed, his eyes flashing as a horrible screech came from his throat, his hands clawing at the exposed skin on Batman's face. Robin dropped down on the Penguin's shoulder's, firing a shot into his head. Blood painted his uniform and he cried out in disgust when his foot sank into the Penguin's brittle shoulder with a horrible cracking noise. Bruce pulled him away from the body, checking for any visible cuts or wounds.

"You need to get back to the tower and get that blood cleaned off of you," he instructed.

"I'll be fine, it only hit the uniform," Damian muttered.

"You know I won't take that chance. Take the boy back to the tower and get cleaned up while I try and locate his family."

"Sure," Damian finally sighed slowly. "I'll be back out in a bit." He climbed the ladder carefully and hauled the boy over his shoulder. "But I'm taking the car," he added, looking down the manhole at his father.

"Not a scratch, Robin," Bruce warned. "Not a scratch." He grabbed a rung of the ladder as he prepared to climb. "And if your dog so much as drools on the seat…"

"Titus!" Damian whistled for him as Batman tossed him the keys. "Relax, Father. I learned to drive in this thing," he smirked.

"I wish that reassured me," Bruce sighed. He glanced back at Penguin, his jaw clenching in frustration. "Return to patrol as fast as possible."

"Yes sir," Damian replied, jumping into the car. Batman turned and walked towards the boys who'd been in the sewers, stopping in front of them. Four of the five cowered behind the boy in front, the one that Robin had nearly drowned in sewage. He had dark hair, maybe brown, but it was hard to tell through the muck.

"Batman-" he stuttered, trembling. "We were trying to keep him out of trouble. Please…"

"Stay out of the sewers," Bruce said calmly. "And tell everyone you know to stay out of them." He doubted these particular boys would go back down, but he had the feeling their story would entice other boys to investigate. They would have to watch out for that on patrols. "What is his name and where are his family?" He studied each boy carefully.

"F-Frank Grant," the lead boy stuttered. "He lived alone with his mom in Downtown on State Street- 315 State Street-" Batman turned to walk away, pulling out his grappling gun. "Wait!" The boy cried, stepping forward, his hand brushing Batman's cape. Bruce stopped. "We didn't think- We didn't know that would happen," his voice trembled. "He got- he got bit a day ago by that- that thing- we hid him down there- that's why we tackled Robin, that's why we- we- lied to you- we just wanted him to be safe-" the boy started to cry, his hands still shaking. "And now he's never coming back…"

"And imagine how worried his mother is," Bruce reminded him. He hesitated for a moment. "The sooner we can help someone who's been Infected, the better off they are. We're only here to help, but we can't help you if you don't let us. That doesn't mean this is your fault." He put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder before turning away again.

"Batman," he stopped him again, swallowing his tears. "Thank you. P-Please save him," he whispered.

"Of course." Bruce nodded once before continuing away and firing his grappling hook.