Chapter 1

The night was cool and clear; a great night for Batman to swing through the city streets, protecting the citizens of Gotham. But, instead, Bruce Wayne finds himself slipping on, not a cape and cowl, but a three-piece suit. Examining himself in the floor length mirror, Bruce practices the "Bruce Wayne" smile.

"When can I start to go to these things?" asks a young voice.

Turning to the voice, Bruce feels a real smile spread across his face.

"I'm sure the time will come soon enough, Dick," replies the older man. "And not long after that, you'll be asking me when you can stop going to these events."

Smirking, Dick bounces on the bed in Bruce's room as the older man gets ready to go out for fundraiser.

"Alfred?" calls Bruce, to the oldest man in the room.

"Yes, Master Bruce?" replies the stately man in a British accent.

"What's this fundraiser for again?" asks Bruce, though he doesn't really need to be reminded. Must think playboy with too much money to spend.

"It's for endangered species."

"Ah," replies Bruce, taking one last look in the mirror.

"Are we going out after you get back?" asks Dick, thinking more about the fun that he'll have once he puts on the red, green, and yellow costume of Robin.

"I'll be going out after I get back, but I think it might be better for you to have a night off," replies Bruce, raising a hand, palm facing the child, to stop the boy before he gets a chance to complain. "We need to make sure you're getting enough sleep. The agreement was you'd have to spend a night here or there with no going out so you'd get a full night's sleep. You've been out on the streets helping me for the last 14 nights."

"But I want to go out," replies the boy. "I'm not tired."

"Dick," states Bruce firmly, slipping into Batman mode with ease.

"Fine," replies the boy with slumping shoulders. "You get to have all the fun."

"Not really," replies Bruce, as he slips back into the "good ol' boy" attitude. "I'd much rather be doing something else than attending this event."

"It's for a good cause," replies Alfred, as he walks in with Bruce's freshly polished shoes. "And we must be leaving, Master Bruce, or else you'll be late."

"Quite right," replies Bruce, as he slips on his shoes. "Dick," as he looks at the boy in question, "Alfred will be back once he drops me off, but you're going to be alone for nearly an hour. I want you in bed, before Alfred gets back."

"Yes, sir," replies Dick, as he jumps off the older man's bed with a salute. Scampering out of the room, the boy runs for his own.

Shaking his head at the child's antics, Bruce takes one last look in the mirror before leaving his room with Alfred walking calmly beside him.