Alex, meanwhile, had followed Dick outside. Not making a sound, he crept up to where the man sat, holding his head in his hands. Waiting for Dick to acknowledge, Alex stood in silence for a few minutes. When it became clear that Dick's mind was elsewhere, Alex cleared his throat to make his presence known.

Dick almost jumped up and attacked him, "Geeze, kid. Never sneak up on me like that again," Dick commented, sitting on the wall.

"I won't," Alex promised. He waited a few seconds before reaching into his pocket and handing Dick and object. "This was part of the message Slade left for you," Alex told him quietly as Dick clutched the piece of green fabric like it was the force keeping him upright. "It's part of his mask, isn't it," the boy pondered softly, then paused. "I'm sorry," the teenage spy whispered, as he turned to walk away.

"Wait," Dick said softly. Alex didn't hear him. "Wait!" Dick called louder, and this time Alex faced the man. Dick motioned for him to walk back over and Alex complied. "What was the message? And how'd you get it?"

"It was written in gas or some flammable liquid. I smelt it when I went on the roof. There was a box of matches resting next to that green cloth. I lit a match and dropped it would I could see the liquid. It went up in flames and was literally a 'fiery message,'" Alex tried to joke. He saw the questions in Dick's eyes and answered before the officer could speak. "It said 'Nightwing and Robin, two birds with one stone.'"

"Damn him to the deepest parts of hell," Dick cursed and Alex was taken aback at how much venom was in his statement.

"If…"Alex hesitated, "if it's not too much trouble, could you please explain to me what's going on? I swear I won't say anything."

Dick leveled Alex with a gaze that Alex was sure was reading his very soul; after was seemed to Alex like Judgment Day, Dick patted the spot next to him. Alex sat down, making barely any noise at all. "You were right, you know," Dick said and Alex gave him a questioning look. "Back what you said at the motel; after you saw my flip off the building, you were right. We are who you thought we were. We all have our own reasons for doing what we do. Damian had a…a different upbringing from the rest of us."

"His mom was crazy, wasn't she?" Alex inquired with a smile.

Dick allowed himself a small smile. "Not 'crazy' exactly, but she…well she—"

"Trained Damian to be a crazy little ninja assassin child?" Alex guessed. Dick whirled around and looked at the teenager in shock.

"How…" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "All the signs were there. I was trained to be a spy since I could walk—everything I do comes naturally to me. Damian's the same way. It's not practice what he does; he doesn't think about it. It's his instinct. Agent Ziva David is the same way, but not to the extreme that Damian is." Alex took note of the startled look on Dick's face and elaborated. "When Damian and I were going after the people that wanted to kidnap me, I noticed. It was little things he did that no other ten-year-old, myself included, could do. He knew the right spots to hit, could follow the littlest clues left behind and he doesn't show or give into pain. Normal ten-year-old kids cry when they fall and scrap their knees badly; even if they don't cry, they at least cry out when it happens, get really quiet and try not to show that they feel the pain and hurt. Damian doesn't do that. When we were kidnapped, he was shot in the shoulder—he didn't cry or scream or anything. When he was tossed into the van and landed on his hurt shoulder, his only response was to try an escape—he kicked one of our captors. I noticed too, how Damian seemed to be holding back whenever we confronted the men who orchestrated my capture. Look, Dick," Alex positioned himself so that he was looking directly into the man's eyes, "I had my suspicions that Damian was special. He didn't tell me anything, but you can't really hide anything from the best teenage spy out there," Alex concluded with a wry grin.

Dick let out a hallow laugh, "When did you two go after those guys?"

Alex smirked, "A few weeks ago."

"That wouldn't be the weekend he spent 'camping' with a friend, would it?"

"Well, that depends on your definition of 'camping,'" Alex smirked again. "I mean, we did spend time in the woods. By ourselves. Hunting things. We did skip the campfires though," Alex added as an afterthought.

Dick rolled his eyes, "I feel like you two should be chaperoned at all times. Who knows what mayhem you two could cause?"

"The two of us decided how best to take over the world," Alex replied seriously. Dick whirled around in shock and panic, only to see Alex barely holding back laughter. Grayson sighed and sat back down.

"If we get him back, you two can plot world domination all you want," he muttered, bringing them back to the gravity of the issue.

Alex, immediately serious again, stared at the green cloth that Dick still clutched in his hand. "What does the message mean?" Dick just turned his gaze on the child. "Does it go back to what he said on the roof? That if Damian dies, you'll die too? Not necessarily physically, but emotionally?" Slowly, Dick nodded. Alex, after hesitating a moment, placed his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Look Dick, I swear I will do everything possible to help get Damian back. I understand how he feels, but he doesn't need to be like me—he has people looking out for him. He'll find a way to come back. I know he will."

Alex spoke with such conviction, that Dick almost believed him. The teenager stood up and made a move as if to walk away. Dick sensed that Gibbs had followed them out and had just arrived behind him. He decided that he should put the awkwardness between the two of them at rest.

"Alex," Dick called, and the teen stopped. "Thank you." Alex shrugged and gave Dick a smile.

"Least I could do, Officer," he responded.

"Alex, I really think you should apologize to Gibbs," Dick told the boy, who was taken aback by the sudden change in thought.

"What? Why?" Alex questioned. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Dick sighed, knowing Alex had probably just had this exact conversation with the three agents inside. "Look, I get the fact you're used to working alone. You don't have back-up and you take risks because they get answers and answers get you the hell out of there. But Gibbs and his team and I care about you! You are only 15, Alex. 15! These agents aren't used to seeing a teenager with your skills and lifestyle. They worry for you—they want to protect you. That's why Gibbs came down on you so hard. No one wants to believe the horrible things that have happened to you." Dick placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Alex, I know you've had a different upbringing and work ethic. But please know that the people in there care about you. Don't disregard them or yourself."

Alex, who had been silent throughout Dick's entire speech, simply nodded his head in response. Dick, seeing a younger brother who needed comfort, ruffled Alex's hair. Ducking out of the hold with a grin, Alex waved at Dick as he went back into the building. Dick waited until the teenager was inside the building before he spoke. "You can come out now Gibbs," the Bludhaven cop said with a smile on his face.

"What's with that kid?" Gibbs asked, coming to stand by the younger man.

"Trust-issues. Neglect. Abuse. Torture. Just, you know, the usual problems that come with being a teenage spy," Dick remarked in a bitter voice.

"Ducky noticed the same problems with Damian," Gibbs commented. Dick made no acknowledgement, so Gibbs continued. "That's not to mention that obvious fact that we found him tied up in a hidden room. What exactly did that child learn? And who taught him?"

Dick sighed and looked as Gibbs. "His mother taught him. And even I don't know the extent of what he can do."

"Was his mother a spy? An assassin? A terrorist?"

"She was crazy," was all Grayson would say. The two men stood in silence for a moment before Dick spoke again. "Come on Gibbs, I'm sure they're all wondering what's taking us so long."

Guys, I am so so sorry for the long delay in updates. My old laptop died and everything was wiped, so all that I had writtn for everything had to be reworked, which was difficult when starting school again. Please forgive me.

AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks!