(A/N: So some of you have said stuff about how Bruce's co-workers would react and I refer you back to chapter one~ I'm sorry but the first day after people find out he doesn't return to work… xD He will tomorrow though, maybe~ It depends on what I decided to happen next! As always, feel free to throughout what you think will happen!

Enjoy~)

*Chapter 1 for before this*

Bruce's day had been mostly quiet (minus the angry thought towards Bullock) throughout the day, until lunch time hit. That's when he got the first text.

It read:

"Don't b mad but I got in a fight bfor sxool."

Bruce, being the overprotective parent he was, wasn't mad but worried. He instantly replied to his son's message.

"With who and what did the cops do about it?"

Dick sent a message back in under a minute, despite its length.

"The fuzz did nothing but stand there." Bruce chuckled at his son's wording even though he was not pleased by this answer. "The guy was Josh Fairbanks, you know him. His dad is Brock Fairbanks. Anyhoo, it wasn't big but… it was sorta my fault. He was saying he didn't believe I was Robin and other people said I was, but not evryone believed it! We had a way out and I blew it! It's just- he started insulting u and I lost my cool and opened my big mouth. The next thing I no he's chargin me and I just reacted…"

"Dick it's not your fault. We had no chance in the first place. I mean maybe we could have, but too many people saw the truth in what Bullock revealed…" Bruce sent to his son, cursing the entire situation for making his son blame himself like he was. He quickly typed up another response and sent it, too.

"Did either of you get hurt? Did you get in trouble?"

"Josh got in trouble since he started it. I claimed self-defense* so I was allowed to just have a warning," Dick told him. "… I nailed Josh in the jaw, though, with my foot… I tried not to fight him; I told him I didn't want to hurt him. I'd avoided the first charge by flipping over him and then I'd blocked his next punch by catching his fist. He'd walked away and suddenly charged when my back was half-turned. I saw him and my training kicked in, I kicked his fist away and hit his jaw… I'm sorry it was very reflexive."

Bruce sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was starting to get a migraine from his stress. He didn't type a reply for the longest time, just thinking over the situation, but finally he picked up his phone (which he'd set on his desk) and wrote his response.

"How have the other kids been treating you?"

Unlike him, Dick still replied steadily. It shocked Bruce just how fast his son could type. He was really on that phone too much…

"Babs and Artemis still treat me the same, but with the others… it just depends on the kid. Most of my 'friends' are still nice to me. A lot of people like me because I'm a hero, which has made my popularity spike a bit, but some act like Josh and think it's overrated… I think a few are even afraid of me…."

Bruce growled to himself. Stupid high school food chain and those kids and their judgmental attitudes, how they were acting was obviously bothering Dick and, thence forth, it bother Bruce a bit too…

It seemed like every second, Bruce could think of another reason to hate Bullock for all he'd done to screw up his life. He'd managed to hit right in the center of his world, it seemed, and his words spread like poison, slowly affecting the rest of his routine and family members and friends…

"Dick, if you have any more problems you tell me, alright?" he sent his son.

The response was almost instant.

"I love you Taticul."

"I love you too Dick, now eat your lunch."

With that, their conversation ended and Bruce went back to his work.

…. …. …. …. ….

Bruce didn't get anymore texts after that, so he decided to assume no news was good news. He continued his work until two o'clock when Alfred came into the room.

"Master Bruce, I just thought I'd remind you, in case you forgot, of Oliver Queen's charity banquet in Star City tonight, which you were invited to," the butler told the billionaire. Bruce groaned, face palming himself.

"I completely forgot about that," he replied, rising from his chair and beginning to put his work away. "What time is it at?"

"Four o'clock sir," Alfred told him, watching him as he cleaned up the papers and folders and putting them in various piles on the desk top.

Bruce nodded and headed out of the office and towards his room with Alfred right behind him.

"Hm…" Bruce murmured to himself, beginning to think aloud as he looked through his closet for a suit, "it takes about an hour and twenty five minutes to fly there in perfect conditions… Just in case we have any problems, though, we should leave at 2:25 which is in…" he checked his watch, "18 minutes."

Bruce cursed under his breath that really wasn't much time to prepare, it left him with hardly enough time to breath. Bruce paused in his search and turned to face Alfred.

"Oliver invited Dick too, if I remember correctly, so would you please go pick him out an outfit and the retrieve him from school? I'll go on ahead to the airport so meet me there afterwards, I'll be in the big jet," he told the butler, who nodded at him.

"Alright sir, I'll see you again in a few then," he told him and then turned and left the room.

Bruce faced his closet again once Alfred was gone and plucked out one of his favorite black suits he'd gotten from Italy during a conference trip there. He quickly changed into it and then proceeded to grab his phone and wallet, which he placed in his pockets, and also his utility belt which was put on under his shirt.

After that, Bruce headed to the garage and slipped into his 2011 black Jaguar. He only paused once to stroke the leather admiringly before starting it up and slipping out all but soundlessly to the drive.

He paused in front of the house and rolled down his window to talk to the officer there whom was in charge.

"I will be out of town for the rest of the evening, but my butler would be here, so please leave a few of your men if you do feel like leaving," he told the man firmly. The officer nodded.

"Of course," he said and Bruce nodded back before facing forward, rolling up the window, and heading down the driveway and out the golden gates.

Bruce kept the top clasped and the tinted windows up as he drove, but he still felt like everyone was staring at him. Sure, usually people's heads turned when Bruce Wayne was out, heck most heads turned when a car like his was anywhere, no matter the person driving, but he felt as though this was different. Dick's voice in the back of his head teased him, calling him a paranoid old man and he shook his head, smiling a bit, but it still didn't shake the feeling from him.

Bruce pulled a pair of shades out from his consul and slipped them on his eyes before speeding up slightly, stupid paranoia.

Bruce pulled out his phone and he continued along, calling up the airport. When someone finally answered, he told them to get his plane ready.

"Yes Mr. Wayne, sir," the person told him, acting as he usually would whenever the billionaire called (which secretly made Bruce feel a little better). "You'll be here soon, I assume?"

"Yes, just have it out and ready for me to board in its usual spot," he told the boy.

"Alright sir, it'll be there," the boy replied and Bruce nodded to himself.

"Thank you," he said before hanging up and focusing on his driving.

He got to the airport only a few minutes after that. He pulled into and parked in his usual, reserved, space. He got out and locked it with the push of a button on the door handle before heading inside the building and easily making his way toward the place where his plane was presumed to be waiting at.

Sure enough, it was out with the steps down when Bruce got there.

Bruce headed over to the steps but stopped at the bottom. He turned around, hands in pockets, to face the building as he waited for his adopted father and son to arrive.

About five minutes later, Bruce stopped waiting. He spotted the white haired and raven haired men as they stepped out of the building and headed towards him. He smiled to himself whenever they stopped in front of him.

Bruce gestured for Dick to go on up the stairs and he did. Then, Bruce looked at Alfred.

"Hopefully we'll be back before eleven, but if the plans change I'll call you," he told the British man. "If anything happens, call us, alright?"

"Of course sir," Alfred replied, nodding a bit. "Enjoy yourselves."

Bruce chuckled. "At Oliver's party? Never," he teased before heading up the stairs, shutting the door behind him.

Bruce turned to face the cabin once inside. "Pilot, we're ready," he told the man there, who nodded at him. Then he headed back to sit across from his son in the entertainment room-like seating area.

Bruce buckled up as the plane slowly began to roll down the runway.

"Thanks for pulling me out of school early," Dick said with a smile. He was happy, unlike his father suddenly seemed to be.

Bruce nodded to his son but didn't make eye contact. He had his elbow rested on the window ledge next to him as he watched the plane slowly rise off of the ground.

Neither spoke as they broke through some clouds, but finally Dick interrupted the silence.

"You're worried about how people are going to be acting at the party, aren't you?" he asked, but it was more of a knowing statement than a question.

Bruce sighed and turned his head to look at his son, meeting his gaze.

"Yes," he admitted, his lips pressed into a firm line. Dick was one of two people (Alfred being the other) that he easily admitted thing to. Other people never got him to admit things like that without a fight, something that Dick knew very well and it pleased him.

Dick waited as Bruce thought over the words he wanted to say, but after a bit he spoke.

"I'm mostly worried about what might happen with the criminals now that people know. What if they attack me openly while we're there, knowing I'll be attending? Then, what about Oliver? What about his cover whenever Green Arrow would suddenly show up to help? Sure, it's Star City but there'd be no way he'd get there that fast and then people will start to question who he is too and –" he started to fret, many more improbable scenarios of what could happen while they were there (all turning out for the worst), but Dick cut him off.

"Bruce, you are over thinking all of this again," Dick told him firmly, leaning forward and placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Even if something does happen, which it probably won't, I highly doubt it will end in utter chaos. Besides, in my opinion it would be rather hard to tie any of the League's aliases to their hero IDs through their knowing you. You know plenty of other people who still are your friends that AREN'T heroes! Like Luscious, Alfred, Lois… The only way they might even think about it a little bit is if Batman was talking to normal people or the heroes to you and even then it's not much to go by."

Bruce sighed again, nodding. "You're right," he said and Dick smiled a bit, leaning back in his seat. "I'm over reacting… I'm just worried about them, and you. You know how paranoid I am."

Dick chuckled. "That I do," he replied, still smiling widely.

After that, the plane finally leveled off and Dick went over to play on the Xbox they had in there while Bruce got on his laptop. Dick hooked up his headphones, putting in "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and hooking up wirelessly to Wally's (who, of course, was on). They began to play and Bruce occasionally watched, but he mostly worked on his computer.

The hour and a half (ish) flew by rather fast and soon Dick had to put the electronics away and sit back down as the plane began its descent into Star City Airport.

Once the plane had fully stopped in its unloading area, Dick and Bruce got up and headed off of the plane. Earlier, whilst still in the air, Bruce had called a limo for them so it was waiting for them when they got out.

The father and son headed over to the waiting open door and nodded to the driver (whom was holding the door open for them) before ducking inside the nice Camaro limo. The driver shut the door behind them before heading around front and starting up the engine.

Dick looked around their seating area with eager eyes as they drove along. The look on his face was of pure joy and wonder; he loved cars just as much as Bruce so being in a Camaro limo excited him just a bit.

"This is so sweet!" Dick finally said as he opened the sunlight again only to close it. Bruce watched, smiling, as the young boy messed around with the many gadgets they had at their disposal, including a TV, radio, stereo controls, and even a seat warmer and massager.

"Wh-y don't w-E have a ca-rr like this?" Dick asked as he got his back massaged, messing up his speech a bit. Bruce chuckled.

"Can you not just be satisfied with the other 20 or so nice cars and a few motorcycles we have?" Bruce asked the boy teasingly. "You wouldn't want to sound like a spoiled rich kid asking that, now would you?"

Dick stuck his tongue out at him before shrugging his shoulders. "I gu-ESS you-or riight," he answered before relaxing back into the seat more, eyes closed. "Yo-oo have to ag-REE it-s pretty swe-ET though."

Bruce sighed. "Sure Dick, if you say so," he replied, still grinning playful and Dick opened his eyes again to stick his tongue out a second time, leaning away from the back of the seat so he could speak clearly.

"You're no fun," he told Bruce before lying back again, eyes shut.

The rest of the ride was quiet as they headed through Star City. Lots of people looked as the Camaro limo drove on and Bruce kept telling himself it was just the car, no one could know it was he inside, unlike in Gotham where his cars were known, but that didn't stop him from being his normal paranoid self with his shades on even though the windows were tinted.

Just then Queen Industries came into view, which is where the banquet was being held. People and reporters alike were already gather near the building, though they were kept away from the door, which was roped off and had a police officer by it, keeping the crowds at bay.

The limo pulled to a stop in front of the building and Dick looked up, turning off the massager as the driver got out, heading towards their door.

"You ready to finally face them?" Dick asked his dad as he looked hesitantly out the window.

Bruce glanced at him son, his face a bit grim, but the look on Dick's face made him change his expression from grim to determined. He nodded just as the doors opened. Reporters were already calling his name.

Bruce took in a deep breath and stepped into the flashing lights.

(A/N: O_o hope that ending wasn't too dramatic for you, I just love ending chapters like that ^-^. LOL sorry for the long break in updates and to Reina Grayson, the thing you assumed, like, chapter 5 or so MAY or MAY NOT be happening in the next chapter =P

*** Wondering what that random * meant during this chapter? WELL, since you wondered, I'll tell you! I wanted to give credit where credit was due and I was inspired to write that line because of Sincerely Seven's review for chapter 7! Thanks for that!

OH and to Protector Korii (who has two AMAZING stories posted! You must read if you have not already!) There's a little bit I was inspired to write about you about them getting out of the situation~~ ^-^

SEE? Your reviews DO help me!

ANYWAYS, now to end this HUGO Author's Note with one word: Review!)