A/N: Dropping in to give you all another chapter. Thank you for your patience and kind reviews! I'm hoping to get more updates done in the near future. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics.

Drug hunting was either a tedious process or a short investigation. Lately, it was the latter for Jason. With Tim's set up and eyes on the city, he drew in reports faster than ever. It fell onto their shoulders to carry out the footwork, finding physical evidence to confirm the rumors. It wasn't hard, and Jason was secretly glad that they had easy, basic work to do. Right now, he needed the majority of his focus on a bigger task. Dealing with Tim and trying to be three steps ahead of the game was a little more important than controlling the drug trade.

At the moment, however, it was up to him to keep normalcy. That meant investigating a secret drug stash that they'd caught wind of and seeing if it checked out. According to their intel, a gang had been hiding drugs here to sell on their own and paying the building owners to store them inside. A simple check of the building would tell whether this was true or not, and that was what Jason and Tim set out to do.

The security guards that had been watching the door to the surveillance room ten minutes ago laid unconscious on the tile floor. It might have been more efficient to kill them, but that wasn't how Jason worked. They weren't doing anything else than their jobs-it was pointless to harm them when they didn't deserve it.

While they lay strewn around the room, Jason sat in the swivel chair behind the monitors, his boot-clad feet propped up on the desk and crossed at the ankles. It wasn't often he was the one sitting behind the screens, but Tim wanted a chance to be out in the field. Jason relented and took the job of being the watchful eye for the night. What Tim didn't realize was that Jason had also taken the position to keep watch on the teen as well.

He sat watching the monitors, seeing Tim weave through the halls swiftly and quietly. Jason leaned his head back against the chair, scanning over the monitors of the other sections of the building. "Harkness still on schedule?"

"He's due to arrive tomorrow night," Batman said, his voice in Jason's ear. The two of them established a comm link unbeknownst to Tim. It was the most effective way they could keep in contact and each other up to date on what was happening on either end. "Have you learned anything from Tim?"

"He's obviously determined not to give anything away," Jason replied. "It's not as easy as walking up and asking him what he's doing."

Batman hummed on the other end of the line, disgruntled. It was only imaginable how irked the detective was at not knowing what was going on in Tim's head. He hated being caught off guard. Jason had to agree that it was frustrating, but he also knew better than to just approach Tim about this one. He hadn't quite figured out how to get Tim to open up and tell him what he was planning yet, and that was how Jason preferred to go about this.

"I get what he's going through," Jason continued. "I haven't really gotten over my trauma yet, either."

"And killing is therapeutic?"

At that comment Jason scoffed. "I'm not here to get a lecture from someone who wears a Bat suit to deal with their own issues."

There came silence after that, and Jason assumed that Batman had decided it wasn't worth starting an argument. Now wasn't the time when they had Tim to worry about. The quiet stretched on, and Jason started to wonder if Batman was even still on the line. He didn't speak, waiting, until finally the Bat's voice came through again. "Your trauma is something I'm responsible for."

"Don't give yourself that much credit," Jason answered, bite in his tone. Then he paused, letting out a sigh. The whole explanation was exhausting, and Jason was tired of having to relive it over and over again. Not to mention that he had had enough time to go through over the past few months and figure out exactly why he'd been so angry-and how much he believed the things that Tim had said about Bruce's mental state and intentions. When he spoke again his voice lost the snark. "You didn't cause it. I don't blame you for what happened."

"Then why go after me?"

What a loaded question, Jason thought. Did he really want to go into that right now? Not exactly. It was hard enough trying to balance his identity without letting the whole truth slip, especially in the moments where he had to fight back the fury. Now that he knew that Tim hadn't been tossed to the side, there was less anger and more time for Jason to think clearly. Except he'd never been great at holding back his emotions, and that was why everything that had happened still plagued him.

"You have the shortest recovery time I've ever seen," Jason said. "You just pick up and replace whatever is broken and move on without looking back. It was only a matter of time before Tim dealt with it too."

There came nothing again and Jason assumed he'd done enough to anger the Bat into not speaking. Then his voice filled the comm suddenly. "You know what happened in Sarajevo."

It wasn't a question. Jason could practically feel the Bat thinking, trying to make connections that seemed impossible. He wouldn't guess it, Jason knew that. He wouldn't guess that it was him because the improbability of it, the horror the thought imposed, was too much for Bruce to consider. He was missing too many pieces. As far as he knew, Tim had told him this information. There was nothing that pointed fingers and revealed Jason entirely.

And yet he couldn't stop himself from saying, "Every bit of it."

"Found it," Tim's voice said over the comm, and Jason sat up, quickly touching his fingers to the side of his helmet. He cut the communication between him and Bruce, keeping the Bat from saying anything further. Indeed, Jason could see from the monitor that Tim had opened cardboard boxes full of the stash. The rumors were true after all.

"Nice work," Jason answered and drew his legs from the desk, standing up. He stepped over the unconscious security workers, making his way to the door. "In record time too."

"Thanks," Tim said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Did you see anything interesting?"

"No," Jason replied, and it was true. He might have heard Batman, but he hadn't seen him. It wasn't lying, but even if it was, it had to be done. "Nothing at all."

"Do you want to take the day off?"

Jason turned and looked at Tim and briefly wondered if he should reach for his gun. He was leaning in the doorway of Tim's room, the early afternoon sunlight coming through the blinds. They'd come back late the night the night before, and Jason crashed shortly after. He'd only just awoken, the late nights catching up with him. He knew he needed to get more sleep, but with all that was going on it was a sacrifice he had to make.

But to hear Tim suggest taking a day off made him consider that perhaps the teen had been brainwashed. He pointed at Tim suspiciously, "Who are you and what have you done with Tim?"

"It's just a suggestion," Tim said, stretching his arms above his hair as he pushed back from the desk. He swiveled the chair to face Jason instead of the computer. "There's not much happening right now and we can't really follow through with any leads until tonight."

Jason blinked. "I have never once thought that sentence would come out of your mouth."

"Hey, even tech geniuses need fresh air once in a while," Tim said, pushing his toes against the ground. It moved the chair back and forth slowly, turning him to the left and then the right as he spoke. "And a change of pace. Besides, you've been burning yourself out, too. So are you in?"

He was surprised that Tim had noticed how he'd been lately, but after a moment of thought he realized he shouldn't be. Tim was an observant person and that was why Jason had to maintain normalcy around him, and why he couldn't tell Tim everything. Maybe getting out would be good for both of them. It was possible he'd actually be able to talk to the teen the way he needed. "As long as I get to pick the place."

Tim gave him a knowing look-the disapproving kind. "I'm underage, Jason. I can't go to a bar."

Jason grinned. Of all the things that had been different about Tim lately, at least that was the same. "Yeah, not a good one. But we're not going to a good bar. We're going to a seedy, underground bar."

Tim just looked at him for a long moment. Then he sighed, "Alright, fine. But if anything goes wrong, this was your idea."

"Of course," Jason replied. He pushed off the doorway and straightened up. "I'm used to that."

Forty-five minutes later and Jason led Tim inside a bar, free of their uniforms and settled in their casual wear. It was the type of bar that drew the rough crowds, the kind where people didn't ask questions. There was always a fight at some point, but that was just the nature of throwing all of these types of people together. Jason wasn't worried. At least there they could talk without having to worry about getting pointed out. It was also the last place Batman or Nightwing would think to look for them, and so Tim didn't have to worry about getting caught.

They found a spot in the corner and settled themselves down with drinks. Jason was surprised Tim ordered one, but he figured it was mostly to blend in. The teen sat there with his hand around the drink but didn't bother taking a sip, looking around the bar with a calculating look. "Did you come here often?"

"When I was younger, yeah," Jason answered, sipping his drink. "This is the first time since I've been back in Gotham. It's just as chaotic as I remember."

"I'll say," Tim said, looking around. "You grew up in this?"

"Yeah," Jason said. "You ever want a glimpse of my pre-Robin years, here you go. Or just take a walk down Crime Alley."

"You've been a rebel since day one," Tim joked, a sly half smile crossing over his face.

Jason chuckled, "I was born into it, that's for sure."

Tim dropped his gaze, the smile slowly falling from his face. After a minute he looked back up at Jason, the humor gone from his face and replaced with genuine curiosity. "Are you ever going to let it go? What happened between you and Bruce?"

That wasn't the type of question that he was expecting. Jason regarded the teen quietly for a minute, took a long, much needed, sip of his drink. He set it down, forcing himself to look at Tim. "I don't know. I'm not the type to get over things, if you haven't noticed. But it's not like I don't think about the things you tell me. Can't say they've entirely changed my mind, but it's something to consider."

Tim nodded slightly. "But it still hurts."

Jason glanced off to the side. He'd never been good with emotions or opening up, and he was certainly not expecting to have to do so right now. He thought he wore his feelings obvious enough that he didn't have to talk about them, but Jason knew he hid behind a facade of anger most of the time. Anger was easy, and pain was not. "It's something I haven't worked through yet. I know I should let it go. But I haven't."

After a moment he looked back to Tim. "What about you?"

Tim shrugged, unbothered. "It is what it is. I can't change it. I still think that you were right all along."

It wasn't like Jason didn't already suspect that. But he didn't believe for a second that Tim wasn't hurting over the whole situation. He was great at hiding things, but he couldn't pull that over him. Jason knew too well what it was like to be in his position. No matter what he let on, Jason knew the truth.

"Look, I'm not the person to preach about forgiving and moving on," Jason said, leaning forwards on his crossed arms, "but I know that holding onto it isn't good for you."

"I've been doing fine," Tim answered. "Besides, it's not like I've been alone."

"You know I wouldn't kick you to the street like that," Jason said. "You've always got a place with me if you want it."

"That's why I never worried," Tim said, pushing his drink aside. "I know for you, it was a brutal shock. So I'm lucky. I had someone to keep me grounded."

Jason gave half a bitter smile. "Fallen Robins Club, I guess. We're in it together."

"Yeah, we are," Tim said. He reflected a similar smile, but his was far more grateful. "Thanks, Jason."

Not many people had ever thanked him before. And even if he didn't deserve it, Jason couldn't help but take it to heart. He had to admit, it made him feel better than he had in a long time. Jason raised his glass, and drank to it, and tried to forget that he had more to worry about than camaraderie.

Hours of talking led the two of them to head home in the late afternoon, the sun just beginning to set. Soon patrol hours would hit, which made Jason wonder how it would play out. Would Tim abandon him at the time Digger Harkness was supposed to arrive? It would be pointless, since he'd meet Dick there and all hell would break loose then. Or maybe Tim had another plan up his sleeve to let Harkness go to prison and then break in. It would take some more digging to find that out, but if he continued to talk with Tim he might be able to get answers.

"It's about that time," Jason said as they entered the safehouse. "Ready to suit up?"

"Sure," Tim agreed. "I'll be right out."

They went to their individual rooms, Jason changing into his uniform. He felt strangely better as he thought over their conversation, the words circulating in his head. It was odd how alike the two of them were, and yet so different. But they'd made progress in a way that Jason hadn't expected, and that was what mattered.

He made his way to the living room, setting his helmet on the table as he put on his belt. He heard Tim emerge from his room, the teen standing there adjusting his gloves. While still fiddling with his gloves he spoke, "So how long have you and Bruce been on speaking terms?"

The room instantly dropped in temperature, a coldness spreading throughout Jason's body as he realized the truth. Tim knew, and he'd known the whole time. And yet Jason stood there, frozen, unsure of what to say. He'd been caught, and there was no denying it.

"I notice when my computer has been used without my permission," Tim said, flexing his fingers in the gloves. Then he dropped his arm and turned towards him, his expression blank yet hard. "What are you doing, Jason?"

"I'm not doing this to turn on you," Jason said slowly. "But I didn't have a choice."

"You did," Tim answered, his voice eerily calm. "And you chose to go behind my back."

"It was either that or let you murder Harkness." Jason knew it looked bad from every angle. But when he'd been backed into a corner, when he'd been out of options, he chose the one that he felt had been right. No matter how much it might hurt Tim, he knew it was for his own good. "And I can't let you do that."

"That's ironic," Tim replied. "But you don't get a say in it."

It happened so fast that Jason didn't have the time to react. Tim moved, reaching his behind him and then flung it in his direction. Jason only registered the weighted wire when it was right in front of him. He tried to move, but the wire wrapped around his upper body, entangling him. The force of the weights and the momentum forced Jason to his knees.

He raised his head to look at the teen, his jaw clenched. Jason should have seen this coming, should have suspected more, but he hadn't. He'd let Tim play him, walked on eggshells to avoid confrontation when this had been in Tim's mind all along. He straightened as much as he could in the bindings, meeting Tim's eyes, his own narrowed. "This isn't you, Tim. The way you've been acting-it's not right."

Tim scoffed, "What, like you?"

"You aren't supposed to be me," Jason said, his eyes nearly burning. "You're supposed to be better than me."

Jason would always be the outcast, he knew that. It was in his nature. But Tim? He was ideal. He was maybe even more ideal than any of them had ever been. Tim looked at him for a long moment, silent, taking in the words. Jason thought that the words struck some sort of sense into him. Then Tim shrugged, "Fallen Robins Club. What can I say?"

The hope that it had worked died instantly. Tim reached back and pulled his mask over his face, hiding his features. With the black material covering his face, he looked even colder, even more emotionless. He regarded Jason absently as he turned towards the door, "I have something to finish tonight. Do me a favor and don't get in my way."

"Tim!" Jason called, struggling against the wire. But it was a futile attempt. Tim slipped out the door and escaped into the twilight, leaving Jason staring regretfully at the door.