As soon as they walked into the Batburger, Peter could see why Aiden wanted to go there. It was a Batman-themed restaurant. Peter had never met a kid who didn't like Superheroes. Aiden had been really excited before they arrived. They had to ride on the back of Todd's bike. Aiden was sandwiched between Peter and Todd and couldn't see what direction they'd gone. They'd been at a redlight and Peter had been looking around wanting to make sure they weren't followed when Aiden nearly scared the crap out of him. He stood up on the seat wanting to see where they were. Peter quickly sat him down and told him they were nearly there. Now the kid was doubly excited since his meal came with a Robin toy. His mother wouldn't take that away from him, Peter was almost certain of that. If it had been a Batman, it would've definitely disappeared.

They ate in relative silence. Both Peter and Todd maintaining a certain level of vigilance. Peter was blocking Aiden with his body by sitting beside him. Todd took the seat in front of the boy for the same reason. Peter didn't have the best seat to watch the entire restaurant but head a clear view of the street in front of the restaurant from the front window. Todd was texting periodically but kept his eyes on his surroundings. And for that Peter was grateful.

"Are you all done there?" Peter asked Aiden as he gestured to his food. Aiden nodded and pushed the last of his fries away. But before he could say anything else he noticed Todd tensing up from the corner of his eyes. Peter turned around in time to see a woman take the seat in front of him.

Damn. She's a looker. Not that I'm looking. But I can't help noticing it.

"Helena," Todd said through tight lips but the woman didn't turn to look at him. She was staring at Peter intently. Then her eyes moved to Aiden.

What the hell does she want with Aiden? Should I be worried about this?

Peter frowned at the woman and she turned to look at him. But Peter had noticed that Aiden had tightened his fist around his Robin toy and he scooted over on the booth to be closer to Peter. To make certain that Aiden felt safe, Peter wrapped an arm around the boy.

Damn. Even Aiden noticed that her presence is not exactly friendly.

"Richard," the woman said in a calm voice. "I need you to turn the boy over to me."

"That's not happening," Peter told her and he heard Todd cock the gun that at some point he'd pressed to Helena's side.

Who is this woman? Is she with the mob? But with which family?

"What are you doing, Helena?" Todd asked her just as his phone pinged with a new message. The phone was sitting in front of him but he didn't want to reach for it. Instead, he addressed Peter. "Read it to me."

"Let the boy go with Helena. Details later. O," Peter read and looked at Todd.

He better not say we should listen. Because I will fight them both off and I won't hold back. I'll use my webs if I have to. Aiden comes first.

"No. We need details now, O," Todd said to Helena who Peter realized was wearing a comm.

Who the hell is O?

"Don't be stubborn," Peter read the next message and pushed the phone away. I'm not playing this game. "I don't know who this O is or who you are, lady, but I'm not allowing you to take the boy. He is under my protection and he will not be leaving my side."

Aiden tightened his hold on Peter's shirt when he heard him say that. Only his mother and cousin had ever protected him so fiercely. Aiden felt safe with Peter. Just like he had with his cousin right up to the moment he saw him killed by his father. Aiden never told anyone he was there when it happened. But his father told him not to say a word or he'd kill his mother. Aiden hadn't uttered a word since then. He was not too young to understand that if his father was looking to take him, it wasn't to protect him. It would be to silence him for good. Whatever his mother was doing, it was simply to protect him. But they needed to get his mother back and he had to face his father or none of it would ever end.

Peter was glaring at Helena. But it didn't seem to faze her. Then she pulled a phone out of her pocket right before it began to ring. She didn't answer it. Instead, she held out for Peter to take.

The man behind the curtain is just a simple man whose grandeur is an artificial construct. There's no reason to fear or listen to the Great and Powerful O.

"I'm not answering that," Peter said and pulled Aiden into his lap wrapping his arms around the boy protectively. "If this O is so important, they can come out from behind the curtain to talk to me face to face. But since that's not going to happen, excuse us."

Peter stood up with the boy. He gave Todd a meaningful look and at the other man's nod, Peter made his way out the back of the restaurant. Once they were in the alleyway, Peter told Aiden to close his eyes and to hang on tight before he began to scale the building. Once he was in the reach of the fire-escape, he took them instead. When they reached the rooftop, Robin was standing there.

"What are you doing up here?" Robin said looking them over. "Is everything okay?"

Again. I should be angry he's stalking me. But clearly this isn't the time.

"No," Peter told him sharply. "Someone showed up demanding that I hand Aiden over to her."

"Someone?" Robin said as he thought back to who had walked into the restaurant. He'd been keeping watch.

"Todd called her Helena," Peter said with a frown. "And someone who referred to themselves as O sent her."

"Helena? That doesn't make any sense," Robin said with a small shake of his head. "Wait, did you say O?"

Peter nodded.

"Oracle, what the hell are you doing?" Robin said after having pressed a button on the comm in his ear.

Peter was grateful for his enhanced hearing. Because he clearly heard the mechanical voice on the other end.

"Mila has been taken into protective custody by the FBI. Casamento got nervous and sent his men out to retrieve his son before Falcone's men attempted to kill him in retribution of Mila's betrayal. You know as well as I do that if that boy isn't taken into a safe house, a full out war will come down on the streets of Gotham. I'm trying to prevent that."

Robin sighed and Peter could see that his fists were tightened. "By scaring a little boy?" Robin said that quietly through gritted teeth.

"I'm trying to keep him safe. But Gotham is the priority. We can't allow a war to—"

"Shut up, Oracle," Robin told the voice. "Listen to yourself."

"Robin, you do not—"

"Oracle, leave Gotham to Batman. Stay out of it."

"Batman would make the same ca—"

"Did you even talk to B before you tried to kidnap the boy?" Robin asked and the line stayed silent. "I didn't think so. From where I'm standing, the boy is in good hands. He doesn't need you or your birds. Call Huntress back."

Whoa. Helena is Huntress?

"You're making a huge mistake."

"Unlike you, my priority is the boy. You know as well as I do that B will back me up," Robin told the voice. There was no reply. "Call her back, Oracle."

"I took care of it. But know this, we're done."

That did not sound good. Whatever agreement they had previously is void. I kind of feel bad about that. But this O sounds like a tool. Robin is probably better off not working with them.

Robin stood there with his eyes closed while he tried to calm down.

"Is everything okay now?" Peter asked as if he hadn't heard the entire conversation.

"Yes," Robin said and smiled to reassure the other man. "Oracle works with us as technical support. Recently she formed her own team and has them working out of Gotham. Batman has given her a wide berth so long as she doesn't interfere with his work. She knows better than to overstep."

Oracle is a woman. And this woman is on some sort of power trip from the sounds of it. Damn. Why'd I have to get caught in the middle of this?

Just then a shrill loud noise broke through Robin's comm making the boy scream and buckle into himself. At the same time, Peter fell to his knees and tried to shut out the noise with one hand. It was impossible of course. He had Aiden in his arms. Aiden seemed to understand and covered his ears with both of his little hands as Peter fell slowly to the ground. He never let go of Aiden and was careful not to cry out. Aiden was confused about what was causing both Peter and Robin pain. His eyes filled with unshed tears and he whimpered softly in fear.

Goddammit. Peter. Get a hold of yourself. You've had worse pain. Aiden needs you.

When the noise was cut off, a loud growl was heard from the alleyway. It took a few breaths for Peter to sit back up and for the ringing in his ears to clear. But he heard Todd shout angrily from the fire escape. "God fucking shit, Barbie! What the fuck?!"

Robin pulled the comm out of his ear and crushed it in his hand. "I didn't know she was so vindictive."

So O was a woman named Barbie. Proper name, Barbara. How many Barbaras could there be in Gotham that are close to Todd? She better not threaten to take Aiden away again because I will find her and I'll do whatever is necessary to stop her.

Robin looked towards Peter when he realized the other man was sitting on the roof. The boy had wrapped his arms tightly around him. So much for trying not to scare the kid. Great job, Robin.

"Hey, are you two okay? What happened?" Robin asked inching closer to offer Peter a hand.

"Yeah, I just thought we were in danger when I heard you and Todd scream that I dropped for cover or something," Peter said with an awkward chuckle as he straightened up. I hope that sounded normal enough. Don't need to let in that I have enhanced hearing. Though that really backfired on me this time. And I think I need to thank Aiden. The little man really helped me out there. Peter rubbed Aiden's back to get him to relax. It helped. "So, what happened?"

"What happened is that O was listening to this idiot and decided to teach us both a lesson," Todd said and crushed his own comm after he reached the roof. "You know better than to insult her while she's listening."

"That's just it, isn't it?" Robin said with a small smirk. "She's always listening."

"So you said it on purpose?" Todd said making Robin chuckle. "Fuck, kid. Was it worth it to get me on her bad side too?"

"We were all bound to bump heads sooner or later. But I was prepared for it," Robin said and opened up a hologram computer on his gauntlet. He smirked at Todd before he executed a virus into Bruce's system that led right into Oracle's. "Alright, I've given us a two-hour window. Do you have any safe houses that she doesn't know about?"

"I may know one or two that are off the radar," Todd said and smirked right back. "Let's go."

"You call this a safe house?" Robin asked as he eyed the Robinson's Park warily. "You actually have permission to have one here?"

"Well, it's not mine. But Pamela is at her summer home," Todd said with a smirk. Arkham Asylum really. But no need to scare the new kids. "Besides, the park is the only area that Oracle doesn't have access to and that anyone in their right stays away from."

"Why?" Peter asked. He patrolled the park at twilight and yeah, after dark it got spooky but there was no real reason to stay clear if it.

"Pamela Isley—or better known as Poison Ivy—controls the plants of the park. And they tend to strangle intruders," Robin said, sounding casual.

"Then why the hell did we come here?" Peter said angrily.

That doesn't sound safe at all. What the hell were these two boneheads thinking?

"Pamela doesn't hurt children," Todd replied. Then he gestured to Robin. "She considers him a child as well."

"You too," Robin said to Todd with a scoff.

"Yeah, me too," Todd said and shrugged.

"Uh, why would she consider you a child?" Peter said with a tilt of his head.

"I'm technically seventeen," Todd replied with a shrug.

"Should I be worried about myself?" Peter said as they entered further into the park and he started to see the vines move on their own accord through the grass.

Holy shit! If this isn't M. Night Shyamalan film effect I'm going to shit myself.

"Not unless you hurt one of the plants," Robin said looking back at him.

Yeah, about the plants. I'm not the only one seeing this, right?

"Don't touch them. Don't step on them. And if you feel threatened by them," Todd said looking him in the eye. "Profess your undying devotion to plants of all kinds."

"Are you serious?" Peter said watching his step.

I love all plants. I really really do. I just can't keep one alive for the life of me. But it's more to do with my Parker luck than not wanting them to live. God, do you think they know I suck at gardening? Oh man, I really hope they don't.

"Nah," Todd said with a chuckle after a beat. "You're good. You're Aiden's guardian. That's your ticket in. But seriously. Don't fuck with the plants."

"Okay," Peter said slowly and nervously. Then he stopped walking as a tree branch moved towards him. A flower bloomed and the stem grew longer so that the center was eye to stigma with him. Peter felt as if the flower was scrutinizing him. He tightened his hold on Aiden but moved the boy over to his back as if to protect him from the flower.

Oh god, if I survive this all my fears from the Invasion of the Body Snatchers are going to come back full force. I'm never going to see another plant the same way again.

When he did that the branch moved back and the vines on the ground retreated. "Uh."

I'm not freaking out at all.

"Looks like you were granted entry. Come on, we're almost to the house," Todd said and now they all moved faster.