Jason laid on his bed, pointedly ignoring the freshly ironed suit Alfred had left out for him. Tonight, he was expected to put on an appearance at yet another pointless gala. At least this one was in his own home. Galas at the manor meant when he got fed with the entitled snobs of Gotham's upper class and wanted to sneak away, he had somewhere to sneak off to. There was a knock at his door.

"Jason," Bruce called "can I come in?"

"Yeah sure" Jason answered. Bruce opened the door.

"Hey there Jaylad" he said. "guests will be here in less than an hour. You need to get dressed." Jason groaned but stood.

"These things are the worst Bruce."

"The parties or the suits?"

"Both!"

Bruce smiled sympathetically. "Can't say I disagree with you champ, but without events like these I wouldn't be able to fund half of the charities that I do."

"Yeah I know" Jason grumbled as he grabbed his suit and stepped into the bathroom. "Doesn't mean I have to like it" he yelled through the door.

"You remember the drill?" Bruce asked.

"Smile for the camera, be polite to everyone's face, don't insult the guests where anyone can hear, if at all possible, avoid "accidently" stomping on anyone's foot or spilling food all over their clothes."

"That's my boy. And since we're home, if you need to cool off just step away for a while."

"I don't need to be there for the whole night, do I?" Jason asked.

"No, that particular brand of torture has been reserved for me alone." They both chuckled. "Just try to last a couple of hours."

"I'm done" Jason announced, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Hold on, let me-" Bruce adjusted his son's tie. "There. Ready?"

Jason grimaced. "Let's get this over with."

As usual, the gala was awful. Jason wasn't sure which was worse part of these things, the initial 40 minutes or so of being stuck to Bruce's side and being introduced to every prominent name in Gotham, or the rest of the evening when he was free to seek refuge in some corner and be bored. He chided himself for not thinking of sneaking a book into his suit jacket.

Jason tried not to yawn as another couple joined the almost line that had formed around him and Bruce. As the couple came closer, he did a double take. They had a boy with them, young, probably around 8 years old, looking as proper as his parents. Something about the kid seemed very familiar. Jason studied the boy when realization dawned. That was the kid with the camera from the alley. Jason tugged Bruce's arm. Bruce looked down at him and Jason nodded briefly to the boy, trying hard not to let his shock show. Anyone not used to reading Bruce's face wouldn't notice a difference but Jason saw a slight raise of the eyebrow that betrayed his surprise. Jason stuck by his father's side as Bruce excused himself from his current conversation and made his to the boy.

"Jack Drake" Bruce said, a mask of smile and charm coming effortlessly to him. "I haven't seen you in ages, so glad you could make it." The two men shook hands.

"You remember my wife Janet." Jack said gesturing to the stern looking woman beside him.

"Of course. It's a pleasure as always Janet." Bruce turned to the boy standing just behind Jack. "And who is this?" he asked.

"Our son Timothy." Jack maneuvered the boy in front of him. Jason examined him closely. It was the boy from the alley all right. There was no mistaking those bright blue eyes.

"Timothy" Jack said sharply. "Say hello to Mr. Wayne."

"Hello sir." Tim said breathily. Jason thought he sounded nervous as hell. "thank you for inviting me here tonight."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Tim, and call me Bruce." Bruce said kindly. "How old are you?"

"I'm nine sir." Tim said.

"So, you'll be starting the fourth grade this year? Gotham academy?" Tim hesitated then nodded. "Then you go to the same school as my Jason." Bruce patted Jason's back. "A couple of grades behind but I'm sure you'll run into each other sometime."

Jason read between the lines. Bruce was asking him to keep an eye on the kid. No need to tell him twice. Jason was intrigued by this boy. Was he nervous because he wasn't used to galas, or did he know something? If the kid knew, or suspected anything, he and Bruce could be in big trouble.

"I'm sure he will." Jack said laying his hands on Tim's shoulders. "We'll let you see to your other guests." The Drake family disappeared into the crowd.

Jason immediately rounded on Bruce. "Bruce, that was the kid from the alley. I'm sure of it."

"I think you're right. Try to keep an eye on him."

"Right." Jason agreed. The gala had just gotten a lot more interesting.