Warning: Strong Language . . .

As the Hamilton jet taxied across the tarmac toward the hangar that housed the Wayne Enterprises jet, its welcoming committee moved forward to greet it. The silver Range Rover Discovery was parked along one side of the sizeable structure. The shadow of the Batmobile lay across the rear entrance.

"Dick, slow down," Bruce told him as he laid a hand across the younger man's shoulders. "Let the pilot stop the plane first."

Dick was scowling and shaking his head. His eyes were intent upon the plane as he shook off his father's grip.

"Something's not right," he blurted to anyone close enough to hear him over the jet's whine. "Something's wrong!"

Bruce frowned at him, but didn't contradict him. He followed his eldest son as he physically tracked the jet's progress.

He spoke into his watch. "Red Robin, report."

Red Robin answered from his perch on the neighboring hangar. "Nothing so far," he replied. "Everything is clear out here."

Tim and Damian had tagged along in costume, taking the Batmobile. Batman and Nightwing's costume were stored in the trunk in case there was need of a quick change. Damian sat in the vehicle, using the equipment to scan the hangar and surrounding area for out of place heat signatures.

"Every heat signature is accounted for, father," Robin reported as he checked in next.

"I'm Mr. Wayne to you at the moment, Robin," Bruce reminded the boy.

"Check. Sorry, Mr. Wayne. Won't happen again," Robin corrected as he emerged from the heavily armored vehicle.

The boy moved quickly to join his father and brother as Red Robin swooped down in the hangar's front entrance using his magnetic grapple gun. The four converged on the jet just as the door opened and the steps were lowered. Jason stood in the doorway. He exited and moved to intercept.

"Don't ask me to babysit again," had been about to leave his mouth. What emerged, however, was something more akin to, "Don't ask – Hrrk,"when Dick's fist connect with Jason's jaw.

Taken off guard, Jason stumbled to the side, barely catching himself. Dick hand grabbed his leather jacket and pulled him back to his feet. His fist slammed into the side of his face a second time before Jason could retaliate. The younger of the two men rolled with the punch, flipping Dick across his shoulder and onto the hard concrete floor.

"What the hell!" Jason growled as Dick suddenly twisted about and swept him off of his feet. He grunted with the impact. "Ngh! What the fuck is wrong with you!"

Dick rolled on top of him, and jerked him up. "Where is she?"

Jason landed a punch to Dick's jaw as he lifted one of his legs across the other's torso and flung him back. The acrobat was too flexible to be held in such a manner, and slithered out even before he hit the floor again. As soon as Dick had flipped onto his feet, Bruce and Roy were there to drag him back. Jason climbed to his feet, warily; one hand wiping the blood from his chin.

"Where is she?" Dick growled as he tugged against the hold on him. "You promised you'd keep her safe!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jason frowned at him and waved an arm in the direction of the jet. "She's on the plane! She locked herself in the back compartment in a tiff before takeoff."

"She's not on the fucking plane, Jason," Dick snarled. He turned his head and jerked free the moment he saw Roy next to him.

"And You! You son of bitch," Dick roared and connected with Roy's face with a mean right hook. "You dropped her! You fucking let her go!"

Bruce yank Dick back; holding him in a full-nelson. "Dick, stop," he demanded. "Get ahold of yourself!"

"Get off me," Dick yelled at him.

Bruce tightened his hold. "Not until you calm down! You'll not get the answers you want like this."

Dick jerked once more. He was tempted to throw Bruce off. They both knew he could do it now. He wasn't a kid anymore and his flexibility lent him the means to get out of nearly any hold Bruce could use on him. But his words penetrated the angry, panicked fog clouding his brain at the moment. He forced himself to take a breath and then another.

When he gave a stiff nod, Bruce cautiously released him. As Bruce stepped back, Roy caught Jason before he could tackle his brother.

"Back off, Roy," Jason shoved the redhead off of him. He shoved a finger at Dick. "You asshole! I do you a favor and this is the thanks I get?"

Dick's nostrils flared, but he held himself in check. "She's not on the plane, you bastard! I can't believe I trusted you with her. I must have been out of my mind. She's not on the fucking plane and you didn't even know it!"

Jason gawked at him. "You're full of shit! I carried her onto that plane myself. No one exited until we got here."

Roy blinked. "That's not exactly true."

He met Jason's gaze. Kori had exited the plane right before takeoff. Dick still didn't know about Starfire's involvement. They both glanced toward the skies beyond the hangar door but Kori didn't appear. What did that mean?

"You carried her? Why did you have to carry her? Was she hurt?" Dick stepped forward, ignoring the anger on his brother's face.

"No, she wasn't hurt," Jason snapped. "She didn't want to get on the fucking jet when I told her to. So, I flung her over my shoulder and carried her ass on. She was pissed off, and took off toward the back of the plane." He shrugged his shoulders and straightened his jacket. "She was on the plane. What the fuck did I care where she chose to sit for the trip."

Dick eyed the jet where it sat. "She's not on the plane, Jason. She must have slipped by you when you weren't paying attention."

"The hell you say! No one slipped past me," Jason glared at the plane as well. He just wanted to go home and have a beer. To hell with his so-called brother and his little wildcat of a fiancée. "She's just pouting. Go to the back, bang on the goddamn door, and get her."

Dick frowned at the two of them. "Why would she be pouting? Could it have anything to do with Roy dropping her?" He took a step in Roy's direction. "What are you doing here, anyway, Harper? Just happened to be slumming it up in Chicago?"

Roy back up a step. He didn't want to get caught up in what he knew was going to be a big blowup once Dick learned all the details of their little near-death experience.

Jason laid a hand on Dick's shoulder. "He's here because I asked him to be. Look, I don't know Chicago. I thought it would be prudent to have a little backup in case things went south. And it's fucking lucky that I did."

Bruce laid a hand on Dick's other shoulder, not to restrain him so much as to remind him that he wouldn't get his answers at the end of his fists.

"We know about the sniper," Bruce told them. "Tim found the news report after the fact. There was a little footage caught on someone's cellphone but the video quality was poor."

Jason dropped his arm. "So, you saw what happened then. It was something of a miracle that I was able to land that thing on the roof of that building."

Just because Dick wasn't attacking at the moment, didn't mean that he wasn't on edge. He glared at Roy.

"Why the hell did you drop her? What the fuck were you thinking, Harper?"

"Dick . . ." Bruce murmured a warning.

Roy exchanged glances with Jason. "Someone was shooting at us. They had already shot and killed the pilot. Bullets were pinging and ricocheting all around us. Pulling her back into a helicopter that was seconds away from crashing into a building and exploding in the street below was too dangerous."

Dick gaped at him; torn between his anger, his worry, and his incredulity.

"It was part of the plan," Roy blurted. "If things got too heated, we were to get Arabella out of the way."

"Did anyone happened to think about telling her this so-called plan?" Dick snapped. "She was terrified!"

Jason stiffened. "What? How do you know that? Did she call you from the jet?"

"It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that Elle would be scared. And, by the way, she's not on the jet," Red Robin announced as he joined them with Robin.

"What are you talking about?" Jason growled. "Did she slip out while Dickhead was going psycho on our asses?"

"No," Tim told him. "Robin and I went straight to the jet to locate her and get her to the safety of the car as per our plan. She wasn't there."

Jason gaped. "What the fuck . . ."

"He's not lying, Todd," Damian inserted. "We searched the entire plane. Elle wasn't on board."

"And according to the pilot, she never was," Tim continued. "She exited the plane right before takeoff . . . without your knowledge."

"How the hell . . .?" Jason stared beyond them at the plane in question.

Dick whirled on Jason again. "Why would she do that, Jason? Why would she run? Especially after an attempt on her life! What happened that made her run away from you?"

Jason gritted his teeth. "She wasn't running from me, Romeo! She was running from you!"

Dick blinked in surprise. "What? But . . . Why would you say that?"

"Tell him, Jason," Roy spoke up. "He's going to find out sooner or later."

"Shut up, Harper! Don't make me shoot you," Jason growled.

"Stop! No more bullshitting, no more beating around the bush," Dick snapped. "Just tell me what happened!"

"I, for one, would appreciate less drama and more facts as well," Bruce agreed.

Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Someone shot the pilot shortly after we took off from the helipad atop Hamilton Industries. I didn't know that Elle gets motion sick when flying backwards. She had just unbuckled with the intention of switching seats so that she was facing forward when it happened. The helicopter veered suddenly and I had to move quickly before the helicopter hit one of the buildings," he muttered.

Roy took over the story from here since Dick was more interested in what had happened to Elle than anything else. "Elle was thrown off balance and grabbed the door for support but she must have grabbed the handle because the door flew open and she fell out of the helicopter. She was still holding on, though," he added quickly.

Dick narrowed his eyes at the archer. "And what were you doing throughout all of this, Harper?"

"I was taking off my own seatbelt. I shot an arrow into the door on my side for support and lowered myself over to her. I was trying to get her to take my hand. But you need to understand, the sniper was still shooting at us this whole time. Elle was exposed where she was, but pulling her back onto the chopper wouldn't have been any safer for her!" Roy held out his hands.

"And you thought that dropping her from a hundred and twenty feet above the sidewalk was?" Dick growled. "Who caught her? She's not dead. I'd know it if she was."

Roy back up another step. He'd let Jason take over from here.

Jason stared at Dick with narrowed eyes. Weird things were going on with these two. Bruce was in on it, obviously, but the Replacement and the Demon Child appeared to be just as clueless as he was. Damian kept glancing back and forth between everyone, but Drake's attention rested solely on Dick.

"Starfire caught her," Jason said bluntly. "It was all apart of the plan. She was to remain hidden and if we went under fire, she was supposed to locate the assassin but, if the danger to Elle was too great, she was to grab her and get her out of there."

Dick-for-brain's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open.

Yeah, Jason figured as much. "Before Kori could zero in on the target, Elle fell out of the helicopter. Roy caught her but with all the bullets flying around, it seemed a good idea for Roy to drop Elle for extraction."

Dick held up a hand. "Wait! Are you nuts? What if Kori hadn't realized you had dropped her?"

"Chill out, Dickhead! She knew, okay? That part went without a hitch," Jason was quick to say. He didn't feel like getting into it again with 'Wingnut' at the moment. "Kori flew her out of there and brought her to the jet, just like she was supposed to."

"And the assassin? Were you able to identify him?" Bruce asked. If they had a name, they had a chance of tracking him down.

Jason looked away. "Nah, the bastard hightailed it out of there once his target had been removed from the scene. He got away during the time it took me to land the helicopter. We found the apartment he had confiscated but found nothing to indicate who he might have been."

"Nothing? They always leave something behind," Red Robin remarked.

Jason glared at him. "Look, maybe we missed something. I'll give you the address and let you go over it with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying glass all you want. We were limited on time. We didn't know for sure if anyone would be waiting for us at the airport so we hauled ass back to the jet."

"That might be a good idea," Bruce interrupted. "Red Robin, Robin, and I can head to the apartment when we arrive in Chicago," he told Tim. "The rest of you will search out Elle."

Dick nodded. "She'd go home."

Jason looked back and forth between them. "Well, good luck with that. We're out of here."

Bruce pinned him with a glare. "Why don't you join us until we know Elle is safe?"

Jason heaved a sigh. "Do you really need me to hold your hand through this?"

"You haven't completed your end of the deal yet," Dick pointed out angrily. "You were supposed to deliver Elle back to me safe and sound."

"Yeah, well, she didn't want to see you, dumbass," Jason snapped. "Maybe had you been up front with her about all your past failed engagements, it might not have been an issue today."

Dick frowned. "How would she know Kori and I had anything going on between us?"

Roy rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Maybe because when she asked Kori how she knew you, Kori might have told her the truth?"

Dick paled enough that Bruce set a hand beneath his elbow.

"S-She told . . . Why didn't you stop her?"

"The better question would be why didn't you give her a heads up, douchebag?" Jason asked him. "Did you tell her about Babs or are you saving that surprise for another day?"

"S-She knows about Babs," he murmured quietly. Dick shook his head and turned around. "We need to go. We don't know if this guy will follow her back to the house. It makes sense that she would go there if she didn't come back to Gotham. I know that if I were this guy, I'd be checking it out while I was still in the area."

Roy looked over to Jason as the rest of the Bat clan headed off in different directions. "What do you want me to do?"

"You're free to take off if you like. I'm going to head back to Chicago, apparently."

"Where do you think that Kori went?" Roy asked, pushing his baseball cap further back onto his head.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Considering she exited the plane right on Elle's heels, I'd say she probably followed Elle from afar."

"You're not worried, then?" Roy watched as Dick and Bruce headed off to make the arrangements for the return flight.

Jason shook his head. "Nah. Despite everything, Kori won't let anything happen to her. She cares for Dickweed too much still and letting his newest fiancée to get killed might upset him."

"Overall, I'd have to say, I think this went a lot better than I thought it would," Roy murmured.

Frowning, Jason glanced over at him. "How's that?"

"Personally, I thought he would kill you," Harper smirked.

"As if he could," Jason snorted derisively.

"Did you see his face? If something had happened to her, I certainly wouldn't put it past him. Dick's usually pretty mellow most of the time. It lulls you into a false sense of security. It makes you forget the guy's got a temper."

"Welcome to my world," Jason laughed.

"You don't know," Roy told him. "You were a kid when you were Robin and then later, you know, after . . . You weren't around to see him. And now, it's not exactly as if you guys hang out together."

Roy had his attention now. "Oh yeah? Dickiebird's got a big bad temper, eh?" Jason grinned. "I've seen his temper. It's not all what you're making it out to be."

"Maybe you heard that Joker spent more than six months in traction after he . . . well, you know," Roy shrugged. "Do you think Batman did that to him?"

Jason scowled. Talking about what Joker had done to him always ruined his mood.

"Batman never got the opportunity." It was Roy's turn to laugh. "Oh no, you've never seen Dick's temper."

Jason scoffed. That didn't sound like Golden Boy. "And you know this how? Seriously, the 'Wing' and I've gotten into it numerous times." Jason snorted.

"But then, you're still walking around on your own two legs, aren't you?" Roy smirked. "You have no idea, man. You have to think bigger . . ."

"Bigger?"

Bigger," Roy assured him. "Like, nuclear . . ." He started off after the rest of the group. "I think I'll hitch a ride back and pick up Kori. Chicago's got a reputation for its pizza and I have a sudden hankering."

Jason was thoughtful as he watched the redhead amble off.

Nuclear, huh? His curiosity sparked, he wondered if maybe he might have been underestimating Dickhead all this time.

The rental car paused at the gate to the Hamilton estate. Dick punched in the code Elle had given him last time, seriously hoping she hadn't changed it. Jason rode in the passenger seat next to him, with Roy in the back. Bruce had changed and taken the boys with him to the apartment to see what clues the place might still yield. They would meet up with them here later, hopefully with some idea of whom they were dealing with.

The only thing Dick was certain of, at this point, was that whoever had taken shots at Elle today hadn't been Nameless. The assassin had obviously brought in help. Bruce and the boys were to meet them here when they were finished.

Dick took it as a good sign when the gate opened on the first try. He had expected to have to hike in.

"At least she didn't lock me out," he muttered.

"Think she's home?" Roy asked from the backseat.

"Oh, she's home alright," Dick assured him. Surprisingly enough, he could.

The bond was strengthening. Just like that flash he had received through her eyes during her greatest moment of fear, Dick could sense her presence and her emotions, despite still being a mile out from the house itself. She had to know he was here already.

Wasn't it only last month that their awareness of one another had been limited to roughly the area found within her apartment? Part of him wondered if the increase in awareness was due to the sustained danger they had been placed in. Could the changes be directly related to that? He didn't know yet but it was a question for Arthur the next chance he got to speak with the Atlantian king.

Dick felt more than saw Jason's eyes narrowing on him. He knew it was because of the crazy things he'd been saying lately as well, like, how he knew ahead of time that Roy had dropped Elle. And, of course, Dick prior knowledge that Elle hadn't been aboard the plane when neither Jason nor Roy had been aware of that little fact.

He wouldn't be able to put them off much longer. And then there was Tim's questions that he had so far left unanswered. He'd need to talk to Elle about this. He knew she wanted to maintain the illusion that she was just a normal ordinary woman but it was becoming important that, at the very least, his family should be let in on the secret.

He snorted silently. It wasn't as if his family wasn't adept at keeping secrets, after all. They'd have no trouble keeping hers.

"He's here," Elle yelped, jumping up from the desk.

Edward had been standing near the window overlooking the lake. He turned at her announcement. "I'll never get used to that."

Elle was closing up files and stuffing them in the cabinet behind her. "Used to what?" she asked, absentmindedly.

"That thing . . . The bond, or whatever you call it. Your parents would do it all the time," he said. "Never failed to creep me out."

Hugh stood up from where he had been sitting in a chair near the door. "I never had to experience it. Hired too late, I guess."

Edward looked at him. "You don't think this psychic link is a little weird?"

"I suppose," Hugh shrugged his shoulders, "but on a positive note, it is pretty convenient."

Edward rolled his eyes and returned to the window.

"I'm not ready for this," Elle blurted as she finished locking the cabinet behind her.

"I thought you said you were ready," Hugh remarked.

"I changed my mind," she snapped as she moved out of the office and headed for her bedroom.

Her bodyguards followed her out.

"Are you kidding me? You just spent part of the afternoon facing down your brother and now that your fiancé shows up, you are going to hide," Hugh called out after her.

Elle stopped and glared over the bannister at him. "That was different! I have no emotional investment in Aiden, for God's sake!"

"I beg to differ, missy," Edward snorted. "I've seen you hide under the bed and in closets to avoid Aiden."

"I was five," she groused.

Edward crossed his arms and stared.

"Oh, alright then. I was ten," she capitulated.

Hugh snorted this time. "You were fourteen the last time it happened."

Elle glared. "I was not!"

He just raised an eyebrow. "I found you in the linen closet on the third floor."

"Ugh! Not the point," she snapped. "Why am I even arguing this with you? You work for me now. You are supposed to agree with everything I say!"

Edward laughed at her and headed for the front door. He knew how this bond was supposed to work. Grayson should be pulling up to the door right about now.

"We're supposed to protect your ass. We're not yes men," he reminded her. "My memory works just fine."

Elle stuck her tongue out at him, pouting. "I ought to dock your pay."

"I ought to turn you over my knee," Hugh retorted easily.

She 'eeped'. "You wouldn't dare! I'm a woman grown!"

Hugh smiled. "Then you might start acting like one and not the skittish little girl you haven't been for a decade."

Elle glared. "I could fire you, you know" she grumbled beneath her breath.

Hugh still heard her and laughed in her face. They had long grown past the normal employer/employee relationship. He knew she made ridiculous statements when she was nervous and upset. In fact, it was how he and Edward knew they had graduated to family in Bella's eyes. She would never act this way in front of what she considered to be the 'help'.

Franklin shared a smirk with Edward as he opened the door. The house was so much more lively when Miss Bella was home. It was a shame that evil tidings were what brought her here this time. He and Edward stepped out to greet the other side of the bond.

Dick bounded around the car as the other two men exited more slowly. Edward raised a brow at the strange guests.

"Mr. Grayson," he greeted. "I didn't realize you were bringing others with you."

Dick, luckily, recognized the tone of voice and paused at the top of the steps to point. "The leather jacket is my brother. The idiot in the back is our friend," he muttered before brushing by him. "They're good."

The leather jacket grunted as he topped the steps next. "Jason," he pointed a thumb back at himself. "The idiot behind me is Roy," he nodded in the redhead's direction.

"Hey!" Roy complained but didn't appear offended in the least. He paused to whistle. "Nice place you got here, Jeeves."

"Family or not," Edward stated, barring Jason's way with a burly arm. "Weapons are checked at the door until further notice." He looked at Roy. "That includes bows and arrows."

Jason glared at him. "I don't go anywhere unarmed."

Roy took off his quiver and bow. "He really doesn't."

Before Edward could remark, the alien called Starfire landed behind them.

"Jason, Roy," she said. "I wasn't sure you would be coming back or not."

Jason swung around, irritated. "You might have said something to us before taking off, Kori. Neither of us had a clue she wasn't on board with us!"

The alien woman blinked emerald eyes at him but didn't appear upset by his gruffness. "You would have gone after her and brought her back on board had I done that."

"You're damn right I would have," he snapped at her.

"And that is why I didn't tell you," she said calmly. She stepped past Edward and walked into the house.

Roy paused in handing over his bow and quiver to the butler. "Hey! How come she gets to go in? Starfire's a walking weapon."

"Miss Bella invited her in earlier," Edward told him without taking his eyes off of the one called Jason. "And she's been assisting in protecting both her and the estate."

"That's why I'm here," Jason gritted out. "My brother asked me to watch over her today and I'm the one who brought in Starfire and Red Arrow."

"Red Arrow . . . That's this other one?" Edward tilted his head in Roy's direction.

"At your service," Roy grinned and held out his hand. Edward ignored it. "But I'll admit I'm a lot more effective with my bow than I am without it."

"Until I clear it with Miss Bella, your weapons will be kept safe for you," Edward insisted. "Or you can choose to kick up your heels out here . . . It's warmer in the house, however."

"Right," Roy shrugged, and brushed by the butler. "Don't lose those, Jeeves. I'll be needing them later."

"Indeed not." Franklin held the bow, the quiver hung by its strap over his forearm as he moved into the foyer to deposit the young man's accoutrements in a safe place.

"So, what's your decision?"

Jason wasn't sure what kind of reception he would get if he ticked off the help. He handed Edward two of his guns, choosing to keep the one strapped to his ankle above his boot hidden.

Edward didn't move. His eyebrow rose. "I believe I said all of your weapons."

"That is all of my weapons," Jason insisted with his best poker face.

"I've been doing this longer than you've been alive," he told him.

Jason glared, but to no effect. After a minute, he bent over and pulled the smaller pistol from his holster. "Just for clarity sake," he remarked, "this pea-shooter is just a toy."

"Be that as it may, Jason, is it? This is my job. Bella could die if I made a mistake. As her bondmate's brother, I would think you'd be motivated to see that doesn't happen either." Edward frowned at him.

Jason blinked but kept quiet. It was obvious that the bodyguard seemed to be more informed than he was about the weirdness going on. He nodded and handed him his third gun. Perhaps if he just kept his mouth shut and his eyes and ears open, he might figure out what it is that Dickiebird was hiding.

As Edward stepped out of the way to allow Jason to move inside, they heard a loud, sharp crack. It was not gunfire, fortunately. They exchanged glances even as they rushed into the house.

REACTIONS?

Man, I tried to work in the confrontation between Dick and Elle in this one but, honestly, it works better starting off the next chapter with it. This allowed for some build up and some small bit of backstory.

If said "history" is a little different than you remember it in the comics, that's okay. This is its own AU. Certain things had to happen certain ways if we hope for a future reconciliation between all the members of the Bat Fam. There cannot be things in the past that are considered too far over the line and thus unforgiveable.