The Batman was beyond pissed off and cast a glare that contained only part of his anger at Ra's Al Ghul, briefly enjoying the expression of fear that crossed the over-centenarian's features.

His eyes rested briefly on his family and they all looked at him with various shocked and incredulous expressions, especially from Talia and Damian.

He looked back at Ra's and noticed that the villain was also looking at him surprised, certainly not expecting Dick in his base at that moment.

"What? Surprised to see me, old man?" he taunted him with a rather frightening thirty-two-tooth grin.

Ra's squinted his eyes. "It's not possible.' he muttered incredulously, looking at the vigilante as if he were hallucinating.

Batman laughed but his laughter came out dark and sardonic and was also eerie. "You still don't get it, Ra's?" he gave a cutting smile. "You can't kill Batman because you can't kill a legend." he punched the palm of his other hand, his smile slipping away. "But you hurt my family and you won't get away with it."

"I must admit I'm surprised you're still alive, Richard." Ra's spoke calmly but his eyes showed suspicion and anger instead. "But I won't let a foolish boy like you unnecessarily threaten me like that."

Batman huffed and his eyes focused briefly on his Robin. He felt anger overtake him when he saw red marks on his back.

That son of a bitch whipped my son!

An inhuman snarl came involuntarily from his throat but the vigilante had to swallow his own anger.

This was not the right time to be blinded by anger. Instead, he must channel it and use it during the fight.

And above all, resist the urge to kill the bastard.

Batman overcame Red Robin, not before squeezing his shoulder and whispering to help the others. His little brother hesitated but must have seen the anger in the elder since he nodded, telling him to be careful and went to help the others.

The Caped Crusader turned his full attention to the leader of the League of Assassins, who meanwhile retrieved his own sword. "Looks like I'll have to kill you myself, then." Ra's commented casually, studying his opponent with critical, watchful eyes.

"You can try." replied Batman, preparing himself for combat.

The villain gave an evil smile. "Count on it." and ran toward his enemy.

Batman waited the last moments and, hidden by his cape, drew a sword with impressive speed, parrying Ra's blow. The blades clashed violently and the noise echoed loudly throughout the room.

"I didn't know you had a sword." growled Ra's trying to overwhelm the vigilante.

The hero smiled quietly. "I just stole it from one of your soldiers. Don't worry, then I'll return it to its rightful owner." he joked.

Ra's squinted his eyes menacingly for not to be taken seriously by his opponent. He shifted to the side and tried another lunge but this one was also parried. "You are signing your own death warrant, Richard. I am the best in the world at swordplay."

Batman deflected the next blow to his right hip. "We shall see."

The two stepped back and began to turn around, studying each other. After about ten seconds Ra's jumped in, attempting to slit his throat. Batman raised his sword countering the blow and kicked him in the chest.

Ra's dodged the blow by turning 360 degrees and aimed straight for Batman's right shoulder. The latter executed an uppercut with his sword deflecting the original path of Ra's sword, which hit the air instead.

The Dark Knight realized a diagonal blow but Ra's dodged it by backing away. He blocked the villain's slash that aimed at his head and dodged the next blow aimed at his chest. Batman executed another blow that was parried by Ra's and then attempted to hit him with a left hook.

The ultra-centenarian simply moved his head to the side to dodge the blow and retaliated with a slash.

The Gotham vigilante dodged the slash with a backflip and quickly raised his sword, blocking the next blow. Batman took advantage of the defenses left exposed by Ra's and struck him with a kick to the stomach.

The blow briefly took the air out of the supervillain, who raised an arm in defense to dodge Batman's next kick. Ra's feigned an uppercut with his sword and instead delivered a blow toward the throat.

Batman raised his sword just in time to block Ra's blade inches from his own throat and grunted from the effort his muscles, burning with adrenaline, performed.

Ra's briefly raised an eyebrow, impressed, before his expression returned to carefully neutral.

For the next few minutes the two fought with impressive speed and their moves were nothing more than a blur that was hard to see. The battle was fairly evenly balanced and it seemed that neither had an advantage over the other.

The first sword blow that actually went in was when Ra's executed a horizontal strike that slightly ripped the Kevlar of Batman's armor, just above the bat symbol.

The Caped Crusader showed no sign of pain and Ra's smiled, pretending to look with interest at the slightly bloody tip of the blade.

Next Batman moved to the side dodging a slash and the vigilante threw a vicious right hook at Ra's, causing him to spit blood. The villain fell to the ground with a grunt and the sword rolled away from him with a metallic thud.

But Ra's was not yet defeated and immediately got back up, studying Batman with analytical eyes. The vigilante ran toward the supervillain, blocked the punch directed at his stomach and struck him with the hilt of his sword in the face.

Ra's groaned in pain from the ground as blood began to gush from his broken nose. He did not have time to get up that Batman threw his sword which pierced the villain's right hand and nailed it to the ground with a sickening snap.

The Demon's Head, for what must have been one of the very few times in his very long life, screamed in pain as he felt flesh and some ligaments being brutally torn apart as blood splattered violently in every direction.

He tried to raise his hand but the action only made him wince in pain. Ra's looked at his right hand and saw that the sword had literally formed a bloody hole in the center of his hand and he had to restrain himself from grimacing. He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching and stared at Batman.

"You lose, Ra's."

The ultra-centenarian did not respond and was lost in his own thoughts.

Richard had beaten him in a fair sword duel and, he had to admit to himself, was also very good at mastering that type of weapon. He looked at him, genuinely curious. "How?"

Batman smiled. "I had several mentors who taught me how to wield a sword. Deathstroke and Wonder Woman especially."

Ra's continued to look at him until Batman noticed his eyes shining with a strange emotion.

Was that respect?

"I never forget a fighter who defeated me." Ra's stopped and looked directly at the vigilante. "Detective."

The Dark Knight held back a surprised gasp.

Detective.

He had just earned Ra's Al Ghul's respect and would be lying if he said he did not feel honored.

A smile appeared on the vigilante's face before it disappeared leaving a grim look toward the villain. "If you don't want to lose forever a hand that not even the pit of Lazarus can regrow, then don't mess with my family anymore." he growled, exposing all his teeth.

Ra's grimaced. "Duly noted."

Batman seriously doubted Ra's would leave his family alone but for now it was enough to kick him in the temple sending him out of the game. He heard footsteps toward him and spun around, muscles tense for a fight, when a small body crashed down on him and Batman automatically buckled his arms to keep it from falling.

"Dick!" cried Batgirl, who put her arms around his neck in an almost suffocating grip, resting her head on his shoulder. "I thought that... eventually you would..."

Steph did not finish the sentence that Dick felt hot tears sliding down his armor. His heart broke in two and he held her close to him. "Shh. I'm okay Steph. I'm not going anywhere." he said softly, placing a tender kiss on the top of her head.

His Batgirl murmured in appreciation and pulled away, offering him a watery but bright smile that he returned. His eyes roamed the room and he smiled proudly when he saw all of Ra's "friends" downed and bound.

He was then swept into an embrace by Red Robin who took the air from his lungs. "Don't do that again." muttered the third Robin against his chest.

Batman returned the hug tightly, frowning when he heard his little brother cry as well.

He should have gone harder on Ra's.

"Don't worry, Baby Bird. I'm not going to." he gently rubbed his back, doing his best to ignore the growing anger toward the Demon Head.

The next turn was Black Canary's, who first punched him in the shoulder and then kissed him fiercely. Dick chuckled into the kiss and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, ignoring Batgirl's whisper that it was strange to see Batman kiss Black Canary.

The couple broke away from the kiss and Black Bat positioned herself in front of the major. The two looked at each other for a couple of seconds before the elder spread his arms wide in a silent invitation. The second Batgirl waited no further time and entered, loving the warmth and security that only her older brother could radiate.

The Dark Knight then found himself staring at Red Hood. "Don't be an idiot and give me a fucking hug as a reward for saving your ass." Batman joked with a smirk.

In spite of himself, Hood snorted in amusement and gave him a quick hug, then pulled away with an adorable blush on his face that Dick almost cooed at the sight of.

He didn't want to push his luck.

"Baba?"

Batman turned sharply at the sound of the voice, staring directly into his son's green eyes that stared back at him with a rare vulnerability Dick had never seen on the younger Wayne. He knelt before his child and held him tightly against his chest.

"Grandf-Ra's had said you were dead!" cried Damian against his chest, tears wetting the Kevlar of his armor.

Dick's heart broke further and he cast a silent curse on the asshole who hurt his family. He held his son even tighter. "I'm all okay. I'm alive, Dami. I'm not going anywhere. I'm alive." he continued to whisper like a mantra as he cuddled him gently.

At the end of the outburst Damian emitted a soft "-tt" muffled by the Kevlar and pulled away, his eyes still red and brimming with tears. Batman smiled at him one last time before rising to his feet, and his smile expanded when he felt his son clinging to him like a koala.

"Richard." the Caped Crusader smiled at the voice and turned to Talia who looked at him with eyes full of motherly love. Talia hugged him tightly and Dick reciprocated with equal feeling. "If I hear again that you are dead, I will resurrect you and kill you myself. Clear, my son?" she whispered in his ear.

Batman laughed and looked at her amused, nodding. Then he turned to his entire family who were watching him still surprised (but happy) that he is not dying on a bed inside the Batcave.

"So," Red Hood began, looking at his older brother with a raised eyebrow. "How the hell are you even standing and beating that asshole, Dickface?" he nodded to the unconscious figure of Ra's.

"The credit is mine." came a new voice.

Everyone turned and saw Lady Shiva approaching them. The Caped Crusader smiled at her and they embraced briefly.

"Mother?" Black Bat tilted her head questioningly, her eyes behind the cowl lighting up as her mother hugged her gently.

"What do you mean it's because of you?" Talia turned the question to her friend, curiosity and a hint of gratitude in her voice.

"It wasn't hard to steal the antidote for the ricin." the assassin shrugged.

"I knew the bastard had it!" Red Hood dramatically patted himself on the back, clearly proud of himself.

Red Robin rolled his eyes and turned to Sandra. "That doesn't explain how he stays on his feet and won against Ra's." he pointed out, his detective side emerging along with his hunger for knowledge.

Cassandra's mother gave a small smile at the young vigilante's curiosity before turning serious again. "I suspected that, one way or another, Ra's would have the situation in his favor, and the one thing he never expected was Richard's presence. So I took the luxury of adding a small amount of water from Lazarus' pit to the antidote-"

"You what?" roared Red Hood abruptly interrupting her, his hands closing into fists almost painfully as he glared grimly at the assassin.

Jason knew from personal experience how much water from Lazarus's pit screws with your mind, and the thought that his older brother might be corrupted by the same shit that screwed up the second Robin was enough to make him see green.

Dick should never, ever go through the same shit he went through.

"Don't worry, Hood." Lady Shiva rolled her eyes, unconcerned by the anger of the former antihero who continued to glare at her. "As I said, only a small amount so that it had no side effects."

"Were you sure it would work and put him back on his feet as if he had never been poisoned?" asked Batgirl, raising an eyebrow.

"Honestly? No. But," she raised a hand, interrupting each outburst, particularly that of Red Hood who seemed to want to throw himself at the assassin. "it was the only option to keep Ra's and company from killing you." she looked around before returning her gaze to the Bat Family. "And I see it worked."

"You're lucky it worked, otherwise I would have looked all over the world for you to put a bullet in your head!" snarled Red Hood, raging even more at Lady Shiva's smile.

A fist connected with the arm of the second Robin who yelped more in surprise than in pain and turned only to meet a deadly stare from Black Bat. He merely smiled embarrassedly at her.

"That doesn't explain how you got here in such a short time." Black Canary said.

Batman smiled. "Superman." there was a chorus of amused snorts and the vigilante clapped his hands drawing everyone's attention. "All right. First thing." he looked directly at Lady Shiva. "Thank you. Without you Ra's would have won." his voice expressed all his gratitude to his former mentor.

Sandra smiled and nodded at him.

"Second." his gaze turned to his first mother figure after his mother's death. "I definitely don't want you to stay here."

Talia frowned and began to protest but was quickly interrupted.

"I noticed that you fought against your half-sister and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that you went against your father, so this place is no longer safe for you."

Not that it ever was.

Batman thought bitterly but did not express it aloud.

"I just want to make sure you're safe." he looked at her, hoping she understood the sincerity of his words. "I wouldn't mind if you moved to Gotham or, hell, even the Manor!"

His family looked at him with wide eyes, and he couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye his son's face turn hopeful. His heart melted at the sight.

Damian deserved to have his own mother in the course of his life.

"I..." for the first time in her life Talia was speechless. She swallowed under the intense gaze of her first son.

She was beginning to be overwhelmed by all the twists and turns of events, including Richard's completely unexpected but absolutely sincere offer.

She saw the hopeful look on her other son's face and her gaze softened.

But she knew she could never live with the Wayne family, no matter how much in the last period her relationship with them had improved greatly.

"I'm sorry but I have to decline your last offer." her heart broke as Damian's hopeful look changed to mortified and despondent in less than two seconds, and she noticed much the same in other members of the Wayne family as well.

"Oh."

Talia did not miss the disappointment in Batman's tone of voice and forced herself to make a last-minute decision. "However, I'm sure there will be some good houses for sale in Gotham." she said casually.

The bright smiles she got from her sons made her realize that she had just made the right decision.

Truthfully said, she was looking forward to spending more time with both of her sons and maybe even improving her relationships with the other members of the Wayne family.

Judging by the small smiles on their faces, it seemed that they too reflected her desire.

"Perfect." Batman nodded happily and contentedly. "Now that we've solved our problems, we can return home."

"Finally." muttered Black Bat, as tired physically and mentally as the other Bats, and she briefly removed her cowl to get some air.

The Caped Crusader chuckled and affectionately ruffled her hair. The former Batgirl shook off his hand with a sweet smile on her face.

"I feel compelled to thank you again, Sandra."

Lady Shiva waved a hand in Batman's direction. "You don't have to do that. Rather, Slade might pout once he finds out he wasn't invited to the party." the woman gave an amused smile when she saw her former student desperately put his head in his hands.


"I knew I would find you here."

Jason did not wince at Dick's voice, aware of his presence by his light, graceful but still deliberately non-silent footsteps.

"How?"

Dick huffed and sat down in a chair next to the second Robin. "I noticed something was bothering you, and the place where you vent your frustration is the library." he mentioned with his head to the numerous shelves full of books.

"Kind of like you and your high places." Jason spoke without ever taking his eyes off his book.

"That's right." the last Flying Grayson shrugged his shoulders and crossed his legs, leaning comfortably against the back of his chair.

The next forty minutes passed in complete silence, broken occasionally by the flipping of pages. Jason was actually impressed that his older brother, usually talkative and unable to remain silent for more than half a minute, still had not started the conversation that he personally did not want to have.

He dared to look up from the page to stare at Dick, who had his eyes closed. However, Jason did not think for a second that he was asleep. He was probably lost in his own thoughts or something.

Jason cast a silent curse and closed the book, distractedly memorizing the page number. He saw a small smile appear on the acrobat's face and was tempted to hit him over the head with his book.

Damn asshole.

"I don't know what you're waiting for but I sure don't have anything to say to you. You wasted your time being here."

Dick opened his eyes and stared at him with such intensity it almost made him uncomfortable. "My time is never wasted when I spend it with you or the other members of our family."

Jason taunted him, ignoring the warmth he felt at his own heart.

Richard's blue eyes so expressive softened. "I know there is something nagging at you. I'd like you to vent to me or someone else, the important thing is to get the weight you're carrying off your chest."

For a brief moment Jason thought about telling him to fuck off and say he wasn't bothered by anything. But the golden boy would never let the argument go, so his shoulders fell defeated.

"You want to know what the hell is bothering me?" his older brother nodded gently, not pressuring him when Jason took his time and for that he was grateful. "The fact that I let you and the others down."

Dick frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act dumb!" he growled, the reminder of his failures rumbling through his mind. He sighed when he saw the first Robin's confused look. "I practically sent my family to their deaths and-"

"That's not true and you know it." the acrobat abruptly interrupted him.

"Let me finish, damn it!" he cast a glare at Richard who raised an impassive eyebrow at his outburst. He took a deep breath in an attempt to banish the green from his sight. "When Ubu pointed my fucking gun at my head," he paused for a moment and licked his chapped lips. "I saw them that..."

"What?" the major gently prodded.

Jason released a shuddering sigh. "They would be dead. All of them." he paused before adding in a more subdued voice. "And the blame would have been mine alone."

Dick widened his eyes, staring in surprise before he repeatedly shook his head. "Don't even joke about that, Jay."

"I'm not joking in fact, asshole!" he growled. "It is only because of you and Shiva that we are alive! If you hadn't shown up, we'd all be dead now because I'm not good enough!"

"Jason!" roared the Wayne eldest son in surprise and anger.

"You know it's the truth! I sent our family to die and I failed them!" he gritted his teeth and looked away before returning his gaze to Dick. "I failed to keep my promise. I let you down." he whispered softly, his voice and gaze broken.

"You have failed no one." denied in a firm but soft voice his older brother. He spoke before his little brother could. "You didn't let anyone down because you didn't do anything wrong. You managed to enter Ra's main base without any problems by eliminating more than eighty guards. These are two important factors and few people would have succeeded in both." he said firmly convinced.

Jason opened his mouth to deny it once more but strangely his protest died even before he could express it.

"You could not foresee Ra's plans. No one could. You did everything very well. You want to know something?" he waited for Jason's nod to continue. "I'm proud of you, Little Wing."

"W-what?" stammered Jason surprised.

This was the last thing he expected.

"I am proud of you because you managed to keep our family together despite how much it was suffering. You honored the promise Jay, and I am so very proud of you." he gently patted his shoulder and offered him a bright smile.

"You were a very good friend and big brother to others when I was indisposed, and for that I can never thank you enough."

Jason tried to chase away the tears from the corners of his eyes but the attempt was in vain. He did not hesitate when his older brother spread his arms wide and held onto the acrobat's shirt.

"I thought I was going to lose you." he whispered, his voice muffled by the shirt.

Jason finally released all the negative emotions he accumulated in the last period, emotions he had repressed so as not to break down when others needed him most.

Dick held him even tighter and tenderly kissed his forehead. "You won't lose me, Little Wing. I won't let that happen."

Jason closed his eyes and allowed himself to be comforted by the one person who never gave up on him even during his violent beginning as Red Hood.

Dick was always there for him, and Jason could not have thanked him enough.

Neither of them knew exactly how much time had passed but eventually Jason ran out of tears and his breathing became regular.

He broke away from his older brother and looked at him, hoping to convey everything he wanted to say to him but was not yet able to say aloud.

In response the acrobat smiled at him and the tension and fear finally left the second Robin's body.

Suddenly Jason frowned and looked grimly at Dick. "Don't you dare die on me or I'll resurrect you and kill you with my own hands!" he growled, wiping away his tears with his sleeve.

The glare, however, was marred by his red, slightly swollen eyes but Dick chuckled anyway. "I'm not going to do that."

"Good. Because I definitely didn't want to become Batman."