Summary:

"You're getting old."

Donna clears her throat in the silence. The ride in the elevator is awkward to say the least, because no one wanted to stay behind and wait for the next. But they discovered, only upon filling the metal box, that it was a little snug. The only delight Donna got was watching Angel get inched further in until she was pressed against the crevice of the wall.

She rolls her eyes, Jason seems to be the only one who's okay with this game of 'twister but in a box' set up with his chin high and his lips curved into a smile, while Hank's stinking attitude somehow makes space around him. Dawn seems to be on the outside of it. She swallows, they make a great couple and a better team, but something feels off, cracked, and she doesn't like it.

Dick and Kory are a toe in front of her and Gar a toe in front of them. She can't see the boy's face, but she doesn't have to, to know he's had a rough go of it lately. He's wearing it like a jacket. She can relate, because she's been anxious ever since this mess started. A restless energy sank into her skin and she hasn't been able to shake it, no matter how hard she's tried.

She glances at Dick leaning against the wall and her eyes drop to his hand as he ghosts his fingers along Kory's.

Oh.

She knew. He didn't deny they were sleeping together, and he basically confessed about what happened in his dream; how he'd snapped, and why he'd snapped, but now she is wondering how she'd not seen this before. Him.

She'd heard it in his voice, the moment he defended her attack on Rachel (which, in hindsight, fair) and he talked about Trigon hurting her, but now it's obvious, like glaringly obvious. Glancing at him again, discreetly, she realizes he looks different – has since he woke up. His eyes are clear, and he moves lighter on his feet, like a weight has been lifted. His shoulders are soft and his skin's a litter brighter, too. He's here. Still burdened, but not overcome. Alert. Steady.

It's more than sexual chemistry; she saw that in the motel when Dick failed miserably in showing restraint and hiding his panic. She understood that, Bruce had murdered her in a nightmare, but the way his fingers ghosted hers, seemingly, unconscious, was - intimate? Doting and tender. He wasn't looking at Kory either, or her, him, like their proximity was unconscious, an intuitive need for touch, her skin a pleasure on his. It was all unspoken. She knew what those feelings looked like, what in-like turning into something deeper looked like, felt like, because she'd been there.

Her friend – brother was falling hard, and he didn't even know it. "Oh, boy," she mutters.

The doors ping open and she chuckles at the audible and shared sigh of her friends as they pile out. It isn't exactly how she remembers, but on second thought, it may be because safe houses weren't typical of Diana.

"Sweet," Gar laughs, "is this permanent?" he gives Dick a sheepish look.

Dick pushes his hands into his pockets. "For now,"

"Not for us," Hank says. "Dawn and I already got our retirement spot picked out,"

Dawn smiles, leaning her head against his shoulder, and he lets her. "Soon as this is over with,"

Dick nods. "I'm happy for you – both of you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not," Donna broods. "I'm the selfish one who's going to miss you both,"

Dawn chuckles, pulling Donna into an embrace. "You're welcome to come visit, you all are, any time."

"Go pick a room," Dick nudges Gar and the boy's face lights up.

"Any room?" he asks, adulated.

Dick nods with a light chuckle. "They're mostly," he calls after Gar as he and Jason take off down the hall in a race. "the same," he sighs, turning to Donna. "What about you, are you staying?" gosh, why does he have to look like a puppy when he's asking?

"for now," Donna shrugs. "this may have worked once a upon a time, but I'm a grownup who needs space, my own space, and anyway," she swallows, "I had a job before all of this and I'd like to get back to it at some point." and he nods, he gets it. Sobering, she hitches her head down the hall. "What about Jason?"

"I don't know," Dick says, and it doesn't go unnoticed when he looks at Kory, but doesn't ask.

Gar comes running back, "You have a training room?" he grabs Kory by the wrist. "come on," and the others follow.

"Impressive," Kory says. "I guess this is where we're training,"

Donna rolls her eyes when Jason picks up the nunchakus and starts flinging it around his body, flipping it into the air and swapping hands.

"Hey, kid, watch where you're swinging that thing," Hank warns.

"I know what I'm doing," Jason bites back. "Need a lesson?"

"This Robin is driving me nuts." Hank growls.

Dick's voice is low when he pulls Kory to the side, but Donna's ears perk up anyway. "are you sure you're up to this?" he asks.

"I'm fine," Kory reassures. "I feel fine now. Good actually."

"I take it no one else needs a tour," Dick says rhetorically, as he pulls Kory out of the room.

"Yeah, no one wants the Dick tour," Hank shouts after them, and Dawn covers her face, shaking her head.

Donna watches them leave, and smiles. She doesn't even know why she's smiling; it just feels good to see him smiling. Turning back to the others, she catches Dawn staring off into the distance, and dips her head low to find her eyes.

"You okay?" she asks, and Dawn smiles that solemn smile that almost always means, she's not fine, but she nods and pretends to believe her. "Someone want uncuff Angela from the elevator thingy?"

Dick pulls Kory into the first room he sees, ignoring Gar's backpack on the bed and presses her against the door. He leans into her neck, leaving open mouthed kisses there, while his hand travels along her waist and up her back.

"Dick," Kory whispers in his hair, before he leans back, capturing her mouth. This is all he wants, to feel her close, and warm and real. "Dick," she mumbles, "wait," and her hands move to his chest. "Can we – stop for a minute, and just talk?"

Dick frowns, but a small smile lingers. "What?"

Kory shrugs, and pushes off the door, moving away from him, and he goes cold. "Let's pretend we're normal and actually open up a little,"

Dick swallows hard. He knew this was coming, it was only a matter of time, but he didn't expect it so soon. After Trigon, he collapsed, and after that she collapsed, and things had been moving at a pace too unpredictable to sit her down and talk.

"Tell me what's going on in your head?" Kory asks, pulling her ring off to push it on again. "What is Dick Grayson feeling right now, in this moment?"

"Kory," he sighs, shifting on his feet. "can we not do this now?"

She blinks at him, her face a picture of calm. "When would you like to do it?" and he can't answer that because he doesn't know if he ever wants to talk or think about it ever again. "Do you want to keep doing this instead?" she waves to the space between them, and something flashes in her eyes, a deep sadness that gives him pause. "Not us, this," she sighs. "falling into bed every time one of us almost dies," and his chest loses air. "or do you want to talk about it, with me?"

Dick sighs heavily. He hadn't realized that that's what they were doing, but maybe it was. He liked touch more than talking, he was better at it, but he hadn't seen it turning into a replacement for everything else. Still, he had no real defense, because he owed her a conversation, about the dream, about Bruce, about them. "Kory-,"

Kory closes the distance between them. "Tell me what you saw in that dream -," and he can't muster the words. "was I in it?"

He looks up at her and the confusion clears from her face, and now he's thinking about it again. Kory lying at his feet with damp hair and frozen eyes, it's enough to make him shiver, to think of her like that, to think seeing her that way is what made him do what he did to Bruce. "I have to go do something, first."

"What?" Kory crosses her arms.

"Bruce. We need to talk," Dick says. "And I said I'd go see him."

"OK," Kory acquiesces, glancing down at her feet, and he feels a pang of guilt spread across his chest.

"You're sure you'll be okay with training-,"

"Dick, we'll survive a day without you," she looks up at him. "go," she says. "and come back,"

Dick smiles, and nods. "When I get back-," he wants to promise they'll talk then, but he's already broken so many. He pulls the door open and steps out, pausing with her at his heel when he finds everyone coming up the hallway from the training room.

Jason smirks. "Sup?"

"Not my room," Gar mutters.

Dick clears his throat and heads past them to the kitchen, relieved when they follow. "We're going to need all the help we can get tracking Trigon down, if the attack back in Ohio proves anything, it's that he has followers everywhere, in everyday people."

Gar huffs and his eyes trail the floor. "Where are you going this time?"

Dick dips his head, searching out Gar's eyes, and offers a smile when he finds it. "Gotham, to see an old friend and mentor. But I'll be back." He sees the boy swallow, and slump in his shoulders.

"I could come with you," Gar offers, his eyes sparking with hope.

"No," Dick shakes his head, and pushes his hands into his pockets. "You need to train. You all do."

"So, you're leaving us, again?" Gar questions, shaking his head with incredulity.

"No, Gar," Dick stresses, glancing in Kory's direction, and he's grateful when she moves to his side. "that's not what this is,"

"Maybe let him tag along this once," she says over his shoulder.

Dick sighs. "If I take him, keeping Jason here will be impossible,"

"So, take both," Kory says. "Hank could probably use the break," she points with her chin at Jason sat on the open plan kitchen counter in front of Hank, blowing at the back of his neck, while the hunk of muscle clenches his fist and rolls his eyes. "I think Gar needs this, Dick. He's been through a lot already since he came with us,"

He looks at her, with half a smile. "He's probably regretting that by now,"

"Probably," Kory smiles back. "Take him. The two of you could use a little time together."

He nods and takes a breath before addressing the teen. "Gar grab your bag. You're coming with me after all."

"You're serious? I get to meet Batman." Gar cries, leaping up in the air before he dashes out of the room. He reemerges in record time with his backpack over his shoulder, ready to go.

Dick sighs. "Jason,"

"Left my bag in the truck," he boasts, slipping off the counter. "ready to roll."

Dick shares a knowing look with Kory, and she giggles. "I'll call you when we get there," he says as she walks him to the elevator.

He rolls his eyes as Hank does a celebratory dance and Jason flips him the bird in response. "wish me luck," he mouths, and she does.

As the doors close on her, he swallows. Time is ticking, and he knows when he returns, he won't be able to kiss her or his fears away, he won't be able to heal her bruises, or protect her by holding her hostage in his bed, sooner or later, he'll have to open up, and he's kind of terrified.

Dick pulls up outside the manor. His shoulders are tight, and his back is stiff from the flight, but his nerves are numbing it for the most part. Gar is half asleep and Jason has been wired the whole trip, asking about jobs he and Batman did together before he quit. It leaves him wondering if the kid ever stops moving, or thinking, or talking.

"How long's it been?" Jason asks.

"Long enough," Dick pushes the door open, as Jason shoves Gar awake, and they climb out together. He is filled with the familiar sensations he had when he first walked up those steps with a bag on his shoulder, carrying his entire life in it.

He remembers Alfred answering the door, welcoming him, and trying to take his belongings. He clung to it so tight, Bruce said he could keep it and his coat on, until he was ready. He assured him that Alfred was there to take care of all his needs, but all he needed – wanted was to be with his family again, to be with Clay. All he wanted was to go home.

Dick breathes out, as he stands in front of the door, hovering. Gar hustles behind him, enthusiasm bursting from his seams. "Try not to touch anything, everything is too expensive, and try not to ask a million questions," he says. "Also-,"

"Be quite, basically, tiger boy" Jason teases.

"Who are you telling?" Gar nudges him, and they fall into a tit for tat.

"You saying I can't be quiet?" Jason cries, "because you'd be right," he laughs. "that's right, I own my shit, I'm not afraid, besides, Bruce is kind of my dad anyway,"

"That's cool." Gar shifts a little, and seems to calm down.

Dick pretends he can't hear them and raps on the door. In under a minute, it's opening and on the other side is a kind and warm, aged face. "Alfred," he smiles.

"Master Richard," he extends his hand, and Dick takes it, and then they embrace. "It's marvelous seeing you again after all this time," he adds. "Did you get my letters?"

"Of course," Dick smiles and ushers the kids in front of him. "I really appreciate everything you did, after – keeping in contact-,"

"You're still family," Alfred says. "even if you're finding your own home, away from home,"

"Bow," Jason whispers. "It's a respect thing, you know, cause he's old and British,"

"Oh," Gar say. "right?"

Dick groans inwardly, pressing his palm against Gar's chest to stop him from complying, and then he glares at Jason. "Quit it," he warns, and they follow Alfred into the kitchen. "Where is he?"

"Where he always is," Alfred pulls the oven open and warm air wafts out, the smell of apple pie with cinnamon in the golden crust sailing out, Dick's favorite. "Might I fix you boys something to eat while you wait?"

"Oh," Gar's eyes spring open, and he glances at Dick, who nods. "Yes, that'd be awesome. Plane food's a bit," he sticks his tongue out.

"We're starving," Jason adds. "Turns out, Batman's protégé can't cook shit,"

"Oh, but he can," Alfred teases.

"Oh yeah," Jason hops onto a stool at the kitchen's island, but Gar seems hesitant to go in.

"Yeah," Dick interjects. He cups Gar's shoulder. "Go eat something, I'll be back." He watches the teen join Jason on a stool. "And save me some," he calls over his shoulder, smiling to himself when he hears Alfred asking Gar his name.

He walks along the wide, corridor and skips down a couple of steps, entering another, much narrower corridor, leading to the den. Beside the crackling fireplace, stands the majestic life-sized clock. Dick turns the hand all the way around and the clock shifts, behind it, a cold stone tunnel.

At the end of the tunnel, he sees the heavy metal door and the combination pad blinking. He chortles, wondering if maybe Bruce changed that code too, but he tries it anyway, surprised and relieved when it opens soundlessly.

Dick enters the cave, walking the short distance to where Bruce sits. In front of him are several monitors flashing over different algorithms; criminal records, traffic cams and weather readings. He huffs out of his nose. "You're getting old," he says, "didn't even hear me come in."

Bruce turns in his chair, with a small, measured smile on his face. "On the contrary," he taps his keyboard and another monitor lights up, showing playback of Dick walking to the cave.

Dick sighs, because, of course. "Hi, Bruce."