SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING. I was soooooooo busy with family stuff, but I'll try to post another two chapters by Thursday or something, and TOMORROW IS HALLOWEEN YAAAY. Are you guys dressing up as anything?

Anyway, enjoy!

Rose spent the rest of the day at the manor drawing, or staying in her room. Damian seemed to be avoiding her, or that's what she thought anyway, she didn't know what else to call him leaving a room when she entered, never speaking nor looking at her in the face, and he practically left the corridor if she walked behind him.

She didn't think too much of it though, or rather, she didn't want to. She knew if she did over think it she'd start to panic and do or say something she'd regret- Dick don't her to ignore it too, and she decided to follow his advice.

She did actually hear Dick talking loudly to Damian in his room a few doors down, they were yelling at each other, but Rose couldn't make out what about, she didn't listen in though, feeling that would be rather nosy.

Just as they had all finished dinner, Rose stood up to put her plate away when Damian placed a hand on her arm.

"Rose, could I talk to you?"

Rose put her plate down again and nodded. "Sure."

He looked around and quietly said, "In private?"

She smiled slightly and nodded again, following him out the back to the garden. He sat down on a bench and Rose copied him, realising this was the bench they had their first, proper conversation. She smiled to herself.

"Rose?"

Her head snapped up to his.

"I apologise...for ignoring you today, I was just thinking."

She smiled softly. "That's okay."

He looked up from his fingers to her and stared, with his mouth slightly ajar.

"Look, the reason I...I can't ever seem to- oh and Grayson is making me do this," he pointed a finger at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Continue."

He breathed out deeply and bit his lip. "Rose, I have this problem with-

"Wait; is this to do with what happened over at the care home?" She interrupted, and he nodded slowly.

"I couldn't tell you myself because I was scared that I would be embarrassed," he blurted out, not looking at her in the eye once.

Rose frowned, that didn't make sense, he was worried he'd get embarrassed because...?

"I thought you'd just laugh at me, and well, I don't like rejection either and-

Rose giggled softly, making him stop mid-sentence and snapped his head up to frown.

"What are you giggling at?"

"Damian, you were scared I'd laugh at you because you complimented me?"

This boy really could be an idiot sometimes.

"Aren't girls supposed to love it when they get complimented by their boyfriends? I don't know, I'm just guessing," she shrugged and laughed again.

Damian sighed and leaned back onto the bench, staring out towards the garden.

"It isn't that, I just- I have a difficulty with opening up to people, and expressing my real thoughts with them, I suppose that's the simplest way to put it."

Rose frowned and shuffled closer to him, placing her tiny hand on top of his one, her skin looked as white as a sheet of paper compared to his darker tone. She knew that what he was feeling wasn't something that she should shrug off; she wanted to be there for him.

"And everyone says things, but you can never know if they mean it, mean it from the bottom of their hearts, I'd rather show you what I feel and think about you than speak it, to me it would have more sincerity."

"But sometimes, people like to hear it, it...it makes them feel better about themselves if they knew someone was thinking about them in that way."

He looked down and sighed. "You have a point, but it isn't easy for me to say it straight up."

They stayed silent, the sound of birds twittering away and the wind rustling in the trees filled their ears.

Rose bit her lip and grinned. "You think good things about me though, right?"

He turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow, she felt him tracing shapes onto her palm with his thumb, making her feel all warm inside for a reason she did not know.

"That is a dumb question, Jacobs."

"Oh but say it! Please?" She bounced once on the bench and pushed him lightly, she knew she sounded like a child, but she didn't care.

Damian laughed and smiled. "Alright, I think more than good things about you, Rose."

Rose grinned and kissed his cheek, making him laugh again. She felt all fuzzy inside.

After their laughed faded away, she placed her head onto his shoulder whilst he wrapped his arm around her, she almost fell asleep, and he smiled down at her, they were both happy in that moment.

...

Rose had been having nightmares since the night her father died, but this one was worse than any she had ever had, it was the usual, her loved ones before her eyes, smiling, but then all at once they turned menacing and the screaming started, but this time the screaming was ten times louder, the falling much faster, and the knife that sliced into her back felt very real.

She woke up, sweating, panting and she burst into tears. She didn't know if she could handle having to see this every night for much longer.

Slowly, she got out the bed and slipped her slippers on, wrapping her robe tighter around her, she walked out the door, hoping, praying that Damian hadn't gone out on patrol tonight, she quickly checked the time before closing the door and wondered that maybe he was already back, as it had just gone four am.

Silently, she tip-toed towards his door and knocked lightly, and heard a loud groan in reply.

"Bruce, I am tired, we'll talk in the morning," she heard him say.

Rose rolled her eyes and opened the door a fraction of an inch.

"Damian, it's me," she whispered.

She heard a loud thud and the sound of papers being put away hurriedly.

"Okay, one second," he seemed much more awake now, and Rose laughed to herself.

The door swung open and Rose blushed furiously. He was standing there with only pyjama shorts, and his hair was all ruffled up, she forced herself to keep her eyes on his though. Damian walked out and closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" He asked his voice still heavy with sleep. Rose thought she liked it.

Rose stared up at him, her mouth slightly ajar, for a second she almost forget why she had come.

"Um, well I...I couldn't sleep," she said, technically it wasn't lying; she couldn't go to sleep after that nightmare.

"Why not?" He was frowning now, his eyes filled with concern.

Rose's mouth opened, but now words came out.

"Rose?"

"I've been having nightmares," she revealed.

"Nightmares? C'mon," he grabbed her hand and dragged her back to her own room. Opening the door, he got into the bed and patted the space next to him.

Rose climbed in and let him put his arm around her waist, and she placed her head onto his chest, feeling his heart thump against it. Rose closed her eyes.

"How long have you been having them?" He asked softly, playing with a strand of her hair.

"I always have them, but since my father died, I've had them every night," she whispered back.

"What are they of?"

Rose breathed out and clenched her eyes tight; she traced lines lightly onto his chest to distract herself from crying.

"I'm falling, and there's screaming around me, everyone is screaming, the sky is crying, the ground is shaking and I'm being sucked in, blackness takes over my vision, I can still hear everyone I love screeching at me, and it always ends with a knife tearing into my skin, tonight it felt realer than ever."

Damian squeezed her frail body tightly and kissed her forehead, she only then realised she was crying silently.

"When you're in bed, ready to go to sleep, don't think about anything, keep your mind empty," he said.

Rose laughed. "I can't just not think of anything."

"Alright then, Rose, think of me."

Rose stopped her finger on his chest and looked up at him.

"Think of my voice, my face, my hands, my laugh, my anything, at least you'll fall asleep with someone you...uh-

Rose smiled and kissed him. "I understand."

He nodded, still with his eyes closed and brushed his nose with hers. He went back to playing with her hair and she to drawing on his chest.

"Rose, how are you holding up?"

"With what?"

"Your mothers...death."

Rose shrugged. "Okay."

"Do you...do you miss her?"

Rose shrugged again.

"It's understandable if you don't."

"I don't. Damian I'm happy she's gone, is that bad?"

He shook his head. "In your situation, it's expected, really."

She nodded. She felt reassured; she didn't feel like a sinner anymore.

Soon enough, she fell asleep to the thump thump thump of his heart, with a smile on her face.

...

Rose got out the long, black car after Damian and walked with him to their form room. Since they had started to date, he hadn't held her hand or grabbed her waist like the other couples did in their grade, but instead he played with her hair in maths and saved a spot for her in the line, to her it was enough.

It would've been any other day at school if it wasn't for the fact Rose spotted Jane at her locker, looking rather untidy. Her hair was a mess, her blouse un-tucked and her back was open too. Damian lightly brushed her hand as a farewell till lunch and tutted to himself as he passed Jane, making Rose roll her eyes.

Rose didn't know whether to say hello or not, she hadn't seen Jane in weeks, and she still hadn't forgiven her for not coming to the funeral. She felt her staring but ignored her. Rose quickly got out her books and started to walk into the classroom.

"Well, that's definitely a new way to greet your best friend," she heard Jane mumble and Rose scoffed.

Best friend. Yeah right.

She sat down in her seat, waiting for her History lesson to start, and saw Jane dump her bag down and sit next to her.

Rose fiddled with her hair and never looked Jane's way once throughout the lesson, ignoring all the pokes and nudges.

By the end of the lesson, Jane had slipped a note towards her, and when the bell rang, Rose scrunched it up and threw it into the bin, making sure Jane saw.

"Hey, Rose! What's up?" Jane grabbed her arm before Rose could open her locker and she crossed her arms.

"You tell me," she said, surprised at how stern she sounded. Rose never knew she could be able to hold a grudge on for this long.

"I don't know! What did I do?"

Rose frowned and she heard someone laugh behind her, recognising Damian instantly, she felt him place a hand onto her waist lightly; it was his way of telling her he'd be there for her.

"What planet have you been on for the past month?" Rose snapped.

Jane bit her lip. Rose really looked at her, her face seemed darker than usual, and Rose realised there was a light bruise on her cheek and a scab on her eyebrow.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the funeral, I was busy!"

Rose bounced her eyebrows up and rolled her eyes, turning to face her locker, which she found much more interesting than what Jane had to say at that moment.

Damian tutted and Jane crossed her arms, leaning onto one leg and glared at him.

"Have you got a problem, Wayne? Why are you even here? I don't remember either of us ever being friends with you," she snapped.

"I do have a problem, but I'd rather not confuse your tiny brain with it," he answered, Rose always admired at how well he could control himself. He always seemed to make out that arguing was an easy as breathing for him.

"You haven't answered my other question," she said through her teeth, ignoring his remark.

Damian smirked. "I'm here with Rose."

"Since when do you call her Rose?"

By now, there was a small crowd forming around the three of them, and Rose didn't like the sudden amount of attention. Rose was just as surprised he hadn't used her last name; he didn't usually call her Rose at school.

"Since this."

And with that he leaned down and placed his lips on hers for a heated kiss, pushing her back against the lockers, Rose jumped but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling him do the same around her waist. Her brain couldn't function properly, this happened every time they kissed, and she felt like a dog with its owner. His lips were dominating, and hers obeyed and followed every movement they did.

All too soon, their lips parted and Rose could tell the crowd around them was gasping, whispering, gossiping together. Some looked shocked, others confused, and some jealous.

Rose smirked to herself, she had him all to herself, everyone else could go jump off a cliff.

With their arms still around each other they turned to face a gobsmacked Jane.

"Did I miss something?" She exclaimed.

Rose laughed. "More than you'll ever know."

Damian grabbed onto her hand, and together they walked straight past her towards the courtyard, ignoring the stares and points, Rose was still slightly confused at why he had just did that.

When they were seated under a tree, leaning back against it, Rose turned to him. She was sitting with her legs folded into her chest, and he was lying on his back, his hands behind his head.

"What was that all about?"

"What do you mean?" He answered.

"I thought you hated PDA and all that, and that you didn't want anyone knowing about us, you know, given who we are," Rose said. She couldn't deny that they were both pretty well known teenagers throughout Gotham.

He shrugged but smiled. "I felt like showing you off to the rest of the school, showing them what they'd never have."

Rose smiled back at him and lay down next to him. They had a free period next, so they didn't have to get up any time soon. Before Rose knew what was happening, she had fallen asleep, her face slightly titled towards Damian and her hands on her stomach. She was too deep into her sleep to feel Damian kiss her forehead lightly.

...

I personally found this chapter adorable, but I don't know, you guys tell me!