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Calm Before the Storm—A Visit with Friends

Location: the Kent's farm

Since Titan's Tower had suffered serious damage, the Titans were not going to gather for the foreseeable future. That meant Conner and Max would stay at the farm.

"Maybe I should invite Tim over," Conner mused out loud.

"You should," Max said. "It would be nice to see him."

"I don't think Batman would let him."

"Batman seems a bit more relaxed these days. He might allow it. There's no harm in asking."

"Aren't you the one who believes you should never ask a question unless you know the answer?"

"These are different circumstances. Also, what makes you think I don't know the answer?"

Conner looked up and saw Max giving him that smile which said he was a couple steps ahead of whoever he was talking to.

"You have an ulterior motive," Conner accused him. "Spill it."

"Batman's been acting a little oddly around me. I was hoping to pump Tim for information. Also, if you have a friend stay over, there's really no reason why I can't have a friend over as well, right?"

"So, you're trying to piggyback your goals on to my request. You're being sneaky and efficient. My hat's off to you, Mr. Kent."

"Why, thank you, Mr. Kent. I look at it as allowing everyone to win."

Location: the Kent's farm, just prior to the visit

Permission was sought and granted. Invitations were issued, and, to Kon's surprise, Tim could come. He had hoped that he'd be able to see his friend but didn't think he would.

Kon also admitted to himself that his first choice of someone to invite was Cassie, but he knew that the Kents wouldn't allow that. He also knew that Cassie had gotten in trouble with her mother over their date, so that would have been two sides saying no.

The Kents were worried about how clean the house was, so they did the unthinkable: they gave Max full responsibility for cleaning and the ability to enforce anything regarding the cleanliness of the house. It resulted in the strong smell of lemon cleansers and bleach. Conner had to admit that the place looked spotless, even though Max hounded him over any time he even thought about leaving something out of place.

The Kents were worried because accompanying Tim was Alfred Pennyworth, a real English butler. Their worry about disappointing him was unfounded, as he seemed to Conner to be a very warm and charming man.

Dan came over, and introductions were made. Tim seemed a little surprised that he seemed to be more Max's friend than Conner's because Max was the more reserved of the brothers, and Dan's temperament seemed to be the opposite of his.

"Tim, you're a martial artist, aren't you?" Dan asked.

Max gave Dan a light tap on the head. "I already know what you're thinking. No."

Tim looked confused. "I've studied some, but what are you talking about? I'm missing the joke."

Conner filled him in. "Dan challenged Max to a fight the first time they met. To my horror, Max accepted and knocked Dan out. Max now teaches us martial arts moves after school."

"Ah," Tim said. "Isn't it kind of dangerous to go around challenging other martial artists to fights, though? Some of them can be deadly."

"That's why I'm breaking him of this habit," Max said.

"How else was I supposed to find out how good you were?" Dan argued. "There isn't any sort of dojo here, so unless you went around beating people up, I wasn't going to see you in action."

"I believe that Jonathan and Martha might object if I went around beating up people."

Conner laughed. "That's an understatement."

"If you must know, Tim's better than you are," Max said. "He's not as good as me, though."

"Is that a challenge?" Tim asked.

"Let me translate that," Conner said with a smile. "'It's on!'"

Max shook his head. "It's simply reality. You're very good and have been trained by some of the best in the world. I have as well, except I've spent a greater proportion of my time on it."

Tim hesitated before answering. "I did hear that you beat Cassandra, and I haven't been able to touch her, so you're probably right."

"Is this the same Cassandra that's Conner's girlfriend?" Dan asked.

"She's a different one," Conner said. "She's a friend too, but one that we know through Tim."

"Oh!" Dan said. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"It's nothing like that," Tim said. "My girlfriend...I guess she was my ex at the time...she passed away."

Dan looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up."

"It's okay. I'm getting over it...a bit. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No, but I'm dating Max."

Tim looked at Dan, then at Max, and back to Dan again. He shook his head.

"I didn't even know Max was in a relationship. Why didn't you say anything?"

"It just never came up," Max said. "Things have also been busy. Everyone would have bothered me for photos."

"This is more of the intensely private Max in action," Conner said. "He ran away this summer for nearly two months before returning like nothing had happened."

"Did you really?" Dan asked.

"There were some things I needed to do," Max replied.

Location: the Kent's farm, in the barn

Max was exchanging pleasantries with Alfred in the kitchen while he prepared dinner. Conner, Dan, and Tim were talking in the barn.

"So, where are you from, Tim?" Dan asked.

"I'm from Gotham," he replied. "I was in Bludhaven for a few months and lived in Central City after the quake, but Gotham's been where I've lived for the rest of my life."

"Gotham sounds like a pretty cool place," Dan said. "I've been around the Midwest, but Smallville is as rural as it's been for me. I've spent more time near cities."

"Why'd your family move around?"

"My dad would change jobs if I got into trouble too much. People haven't always reacted very well to what I am, and I used to get beat up for it."

Tim winced. "Sorry to bring it up."

"It led to him coming here, so at least there's a happy ending," Conner said.

"I just want to ask if it's a good idea to let Alfred in the kitchen," Tim said. "He can be very particular about how food is prepared. He once told me I was spreading peanut butter incorrectly and spent fifteen minutes teaching me the 'proper' way of doing it."

"Max tends to banish others from the kitchen while he's in it," Conner said. "He's also very particular about things, so I'm a little surprised that he hasn't thrown him out. I tried to taste something from one of his pots once, and he smacked my hand with a wooden spoon. He told me that if I tried something like that again, he's pistol whip me with it."

Tim looked concerned. "So Alfred could be lying unconscious on the floor? Maybe we'd better take a look to see if they're all right."

The three went to the kitchen and peeked inside. Despite any worries they may have had, Alfred and Max were chatting amiably and cooking together. Neither Conner nor Tim had ever seen one of them working with anyone else in the kitchen.

Max turned to them. "Is there something the matter? Would you like your drinks refilled?"

"We just wanted to see how things were going," Conner said.

"Master Maxwell is quite skilled," Alfred said. "It's very refreshing to meet a young person who knows his way around the kitchen and how to prepare dishes."

"You're being too kind, Mr. Pennyworth," Max said. "I had never heard of the substitutions that you recommended until today. Those will allow me to make some dishes that I haven't been able to attempt."

"These two were under the impression that you were territorial when it came to the kitchen," Dan said.

Conner winced. He had forgotten about Dan's outspoken nature.

Max laughed. "Was Conner exaggerating again?"

"I believe Master Tim sometimes omits details from his stories," Alfred said. "Sometimes those details make quite a large difference."

Location: the Kent's farm, the kitchen

After a delicious dinner, Tim went to help Max with the dishes while Conner and Dan went to pick out a movie. They had instructions to pick out something everyone would like, but Max knew that they'd get some sort of action flick.

As they were cleaning, Max saw his opportunity to pump Tim for information. "How are Bruce and Richard?"

"They're doing fine," Tim replied. "Bruce has relaxed quite a bit. It makes things a bit less stressful. He wanted me to invite you to Gotham."

"I'm sure that it would do Conner and me some good to see the sights in Gotham. It sounds like a good idea."

Tim hesitated. "He was very insistent that I invite you. He said it was okay if Conner came, but he specifically wants to talk to you."

Match continued to wash the dishes. "Did he say why? Is it something that I've done? He has seemed a little different lately."

"He hasn't said anything to me about why. He's been going over the files of a lot of the younger heroes lately, and he's focused on yours a lot."

Max was silent for a moment as he continued to wash. "I suppose that he'll discuss the matter with me when we come to visit. I apologize for any inconvenience or trouble this may cause."

He continued in a lighter tone. "Are you ready for a truly awful action film with a hilariously bad plot and dialogue?"

"How do you know what Kon and Dan are getting? They could surprise you."

Just then, Conner and Dan returned with a DVD from the rental store.

"We're back!" Conner called out. "I think you're going to like what we've got!"

"Welcome back!" Max said. "What did you get?"

"It's a special treat," Dan said eagerly. "I've heard about this one and have wanted to see it for a while. It's Legends of the Drunken Masters of Monkey Kung-Fu, Part 2!"

Tim winced. "You were right."

Max gave him a resigned smile. "It should be good for a laugh."

Location: the Kent's farm, the barn

After the movie, the four teens went to the barn and spent a few hours talking. Conner and Max's room wasn't large enough to accommodate all of them, so mattresses had been set up in the barn for them. After a couple of them started yawning, they decided to go to sleep.

After they had settled down, Tim took a look around, and his eyes widened. He turned to Conner.

"They're spooning!" he whispered.

Conner looked a little blasé about it. "They've done more than that. Just leave them alone."

"I don't think you and Cassie have spooned in front of others at the Tower."

Conner felt himself blush. "Let's just go to sleep."

Location: the Kent's farm, the house

The next morning, Tim got to experience a Max-designed workout. He was in very good shape, but he was used to moments of explosive action over the course of a long time while Max wanted a consistently high level of exertion over a shorter amount of time. Tim got through it, but was tired. His one consolation was that both Conner and Dan were winded as well.

"How often do you do this?" Tim gasped.

"I do it every day, but the others here only have endurance training twice a week," Max answered. "Unfortunately, they seem to have lost a little bit of it today."

"I'm not used to doing this so early in the morning," Conner complained. "You may be used to running a marathon at these hours, but I'm not."

"This is hours after I'm used to doing this. Also, this is nowhere near as long as a marathon."

"That's Max," Dan said. "He's like that."

"I don't think it's that unusual to have a regular time that you do something. There's nothing wrong with having a schedule."

"What do you do when something unexpected happens?" Tim asked.

"I adapt," Max said.

"Some people get so regimented that they cannot adapt," Conner said.

Max smiled. "True. However, I think I've had enough happen that I can adapt as needed."

Location: the Kent's farm, a few hours later

Tim left for Gotham. Alfred gave Conner and Max a formal invitation to Wayne Manor, including airplane tickets. Conner was a little surprised, but he was happy to accept.

Dan got a ride back to his home from Alfred. After everyone left, the Kents finally looked like they could relax. They had been a little uptight about having to watch out for so many teenagers.

"That was fun," Conner declared. "Looks like a trip to Gotham is in the cards within the next few weeks."

"It looks that way," Max said.

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