Bats in the Attic
Empty, but not Completely

Leaving the diner, Dick looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath as he shoved his hands into his pocket. A slight drizzle continued to fall, his vivid blue eyes taking in the grey skies, wondering what the future held in store for him. All of his worldly goods, so toa speak, were in his gym bag, but he now found himself being hired as a live-in nanny as he attempted to pick up the pieces of his memory.

"Maybe coming back to Gotham wasn't a good thing."

"Don't talk like that. And don't think about degrading yourself again." Warren took a deep breath.

"I wasn't, and I admit that was stupid. My parents would be rather displeased with what I said earlier." Dick's eyes narrowed, looking at his bike, knowing full well acting as nanny to a toddler meant using said vehicle less. An option was an option though, though truth be told he didn't recollect ever spending much time with kids. Instead, he'd always been the kid.

"Follow my car?"

"Yeah. Sure." Dick frowned, remaining completely unsure. He got onto the bike, shoving the address Warren scribbled onto paper. He watched the red-haired man help the toddler into the car, before starting up his motorcycle. The streets were slick with rain, and his feet slid easily from the ground as they took off. Looking around Gotham, he found himself thinking about every life in the dreary city, but how bleak the outlook was here.

Yet, Gotham was home, in its own strange morbid manner.

They came to an intersection when an abrupt reminder of how dark things could be hurtled through. Dick swallowed, his eyes squeezing shut as one of Gotham's villainous goons sped past, with the Batmobile making full pursuit. Robin also sped by, and for a moment it felt as if an image flashed, frozen on the back of his mind.

It seemed like Robin looked at him, and yet that couldn't be.

Warren rolled down the window as others stopped, and he peeked back. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Yet, for some reason he felt empty as he watched, reminded something – no – so many things were missing.

They arrived at Warren's apartment, and Dick pulled his bike into the small garage beside his friend's car. Before entering, he noted the proximity to the street, meaning the place wasn't ideal for a child to play, but what place in Gotham was. While small, the place wasn't cheap either. Letting out a sigh, he entered through the garage with Warren.

The door led to the kitchen, where Dick set down his keys. He glanced at Terry in Warren's arms and watched as the boy looked at him warily. The man set the boy down into a playpen in the living room area. "How about I show you the guest room? You can make yourself comfortable, and then we can talk more about how this works."

"Sure."

The room was simple, not that he minded. What made the manor home wasn't all the fancy accouterments of the place. Currently, there was no home, as the element which made home the place it was didn't exist, so he had to take what he got. The bag dropped onto the bed, and he turned to look at the closet.

Taking a deep breath, his mind noted the fact Mary was his type, but she was a friends ex, and Bruce's daughter, making her, it seemed, off limits.

Dick turned, heading back into the living room area. Warren sat at the counter in the kitchen. The man motioned him over, and he saw the papers on the counter. One of the papers was a newspaper, with a story regarding Batman and a villain hitting the front page as per the norm. The other papers were sheets of paper with what appeared to be a schedule of sorts, likely what Warren wanted to talk over with him.

"So..."

"Yeah. About Terry's schedule, and other things. Mary's rather particular regarding his, well, everything."

"Yet you have custody?" Dick started to sit down.

Only...

The room filled with a sudden breeze, making the papers scattered across the room. Warren's eyes widened before his jaw dropped open, his eyes turning to look at another red-haired young man who'd magically appeared. Perhaps, though, "magically" wasn't the right word, and yet Dick knew the manner in which the young man showed up wasn't normal.

"Dick!"

Dick took a deep breath, knowing full well the person in question knew him, and yet he didn't recognize the person at all. He wasn't sure how to react at all and simply froze, his eyes wide. Of course, saying something seemed unapt, given his track record since returning to Gotham. Warren's face twitched as if the person showing up was a bad idea.

Before he could ask anything, particularly how the person got into Warren's apparent, the person moved. Dick found himself socked in the jaw, making him fly backward off the stool he'd not yet firmly sat down in. He landed hard, his vibrant blue eyes widening in shock. One hand reached up to rub his jaw, wondering what he'd done.

Again, before he could stand up on his own or speak, the person reached down and grabbed the front of his clothes, so they could get into his face. Instinctively, Dick knew he could take the person on, but he found himself doing nothing and instead of looking at the person in shock. Warren seemed in as much shock, while Terry let out a sound from his playpen.

"How could you!" The person seemed quite upset. "How could you take off, and not keep in contact? Three years! You disappeared for three years! And I wouldn't have known had Barbara not contacted me!"

"I..." Obviously, he knew the person, at least at one time.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Grayson!"

"What I have to say?" Dick wondered who the person was.

"Well? Just spit it out already!"

"I can't."

"Why not!"

"Because..." Dick took a deep breath, hearing the soft whimper of the child. "I don't think you'll like the answer. And there's a child in the room."

The person startled, his head turning to look at the playpen. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before turning back, the anger still evident in his green eyes. "I don't care if I don't like what you have to say, Dick. You owe me an explanation."

"I..." He found himself looking away, at the ground, before determining it was better to face the problem head-on. "Who are you?"

"W..." The young man's facial features softened from shock.

"And how did you get in here? Appearing out of thin air?"

Two green eyes blinked before the second red-haired young man turned to look at the other. "Warren?"

"Aside Wally." Upon hearing Warren's words, he felt the young man in question let go. Before the two redheads headed off, his former college roommate said something else. "And be normal. I've got a kid after all. Dick, can you watch Terry?"

"Of course. Considering..." Glancing away, he glanced at the floor, before starting to pick up the papers. The newspaper article featuring Batman stood out, yet he shoved it away quickly, a dull ache pounding in his head. Instead, he turned to the other papers, noting the strict schedule Terry's parents had set up, but all the rules of what to do or not do. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head slightly.

"So overprotective. Of course, having parents who let me on the trapeze and high wire not much older than Terry, I may not be one to talk." He blinked, before heading over to the playpen, and kneeling beside the to look at Terry, who'd teared up from the loud noise. "Hi. How are you sport?"

The boy's bright blue eyes blinked, a hiccup escaping. Dick wasn't sure whether he should scoop the child up before he decided to gently lift up the boy. Terry pulled away, giving him Mary's death glare, indicating an objection to the strange man picking him up. "No!"

"Yeah. How about just until your dad is done talking with..." Dick turned his head, to see the two off to the side talking. The stranger remained upset, the shock starting to wear off. "... the other stranger."

He sat down on the stool while Terry attempted to get out of Dick's grip, only to find the young man holding him quite strong. Eventually, the stranger let out a sigh, before headed over, closely followed by Warren. He leaned over the counter, letting out a sigh. "Dick. I'm sorry."

"What for? I'm the one who didn't keep in contact."

"Same as always I see." The young man took a deep breath. "I'm Wally West."

"The Wally that Barbra mentioned." Dick took a deep breath, his mouth pushing together, remembering suddenly how she'd not had time to talk to him, yet had time to call this person. "She said you're my best friend."

"Yeah. We've been friends since, like, you were twelve, and I was fourteen."

"And how did you..."

"Magic!" The young man's hands went up, a quirky smile spreading across his face. "And yeah. I owe you an apology for decking you."

"Okay." Dick frowned. "Where exactly do we go from here?"

Wally took a deep breath. "Dick, are you sure you're okay with, I don't know? Playing nanny?"

"How hard can it be?"

The young man took a deep breath, looking Terry in the eye. "Yeah. Babies are actually a lot more difficult than you think. I was actually, though, referring to the fact – are you okay with not, well, making things right by Ba... well, your foster dad? Mr. Wayne, that is?"

Dick frowned. "No. I'm not okay. I don't though want to know what I did wrong. I don't want to know how I messed up."

Wally took a deep breath. "Okay. Then I won't push it. But, if you want any help getting your memories back, or just to hang out. I'm here. And... if you want any advice about kids..."

"I've got Warren for that."

"Okay, again." The young man looked at the other.

"That said..." Dick took a deep breath, pulling out the letter. "You wouldn't know anything about this? Either one of you?"

Wally opened up the letter, the color draining from his face, before showing the letter to Warren, who likewise reacted negatively. His best friend from childhood took a deep breath, handing the letter back. "Sorry, Dick. I never knew who she was, beyond the fact you had a one night stand with her, a bit before you disappeared. That, and the fact you were devastated, 'cause she broke her heart. You sure you want to go down that route?"

"I've never had luck with women?"

Wally glanced at Warren before shrugging his shoulder. "Something like that. It's kind of complicated. I mean, I could blab something and you'd have the info in your head, but that wouldn't be the same as getting your memories back, would it?"

"No, it wouldn't."

Dick watched Wally turn to Warren, watching him elbow him in the rib. "By the way. You never told me you had a kid. Helena?"

"I also didn't tell you Helena and I aren't together, so..."

Dick laughed. "I think that conversation is off limits."

Despite feeling empty, some things started to feel right.