"So, the time travel brat has joined the Teen Titans?" Jason grunted, as the whole batkids gang was cuddling on Bruce's huge bed, on the master bedroom of the Wayne Manor. "What are our opinion on him? Do we like him? Or is he dead?"

"Jason!" Dick exclaimed.

"No, he is right," Alec supported his bloodthirsty brother. "Can I use my sword on him?" He asked, but he was already planning on the best ways to stab a speedster.

"Why are we stabbing Impulse?" Damian laughed at his siblings antics.

"Well, he was the one that had you sacrificing yourself," Mara replied moodily, making everyone's mood sour.

"I jumped in front of Uncle Kal-El because I knew I was the only one who would survive that," Damian frowned at Mara. "Also, I did not do it because Impulse asked us to save Superman. I did not because I love our uncle and Jon, baba, and everyone would be sad if he had died."

"What about us?!" Mara snapped, earning various looks of surprise from her siblings- she had never raised her voice at Damian before. "What about how we would feel if we had lost you?!"

"I am sorry that you all thought I was dead," Damian apologized profundly. "I did not have any time to tell you what I was planning, but I knew I would survive it. My Phoenix Fire would have made sure of that." Damian sighed. "I was just not expecting to be thrown all the way to the sun. That came as a surprise."

"What was it like?" Cass asked, trying to lighten up the mood. "Being in the sun."

"Warm," Damian asnwered honestly, making everyone laugh.

"Warm he says," Jason scoffed, but he was smiling. "He was in the freaking sun and he says it was warm. Ridiculous!"

Damian chuckled, cuddling against Dick's chest. Dick has not let him go ever since they had made it back home.

"Are you ok Timothy?" Damian asked his brother, having noticed his deep silence.

Everyone turned to look at Tim, who had a guilty expression on his face. "I... Impulse is a great guy. He is a good friend, having bonded with Blue Beetle and I quick."

"I'm glad," Damian smiled. "He will need every friend he can get, being a boy out of his time will be hard for him." Mara, Alec, and Jason had the decency of looking guilty about that. They had not thought of things like that. "He has become a paradox, the future he belongs to does not exist anymore."

"So, it's ok to be friends with him?" Tim asked his siblings shyly, making them all feel bad- they all know how hard it was for Tim to make friends.

"Of course, it is!" Damian agreed. "Tell me everything! Has he told you about the future?"

That got everyone excited. Knowing about the future is always a good incentive. They were so inmersed into their conversation that they did not notice their father and grandfather spying on them outside the door. Bruce and Alfred smiled as they heard their kids laugh and shout.

Then they frowned. They could have lost that.

"Master Damian is alive," Alfred said, as soon as they were in the batcave- almost as if he was trying to convince himself. "That's all it matters."

"Had he been any other of my kids, he would have been dead!" Bruce growled.

"But he was not," Alfred frowned at his pseudo-son. "You've heard him, he would have not done what he did, if he had not been sure he would have survived."

"I... You weren't there Alfred," Bruce sighed, putting his head on his hands. "No one should have been able to survive that. Not even Superman could have. Hell, he did not! You heard Impulse, he was the first one to fall."

"Master Damian is quite wonderful," Alfredd agreed.

"No, he is... very powerful," Bruce grimaced. "Too dangerous..."

"Master Bruce!" Alfred snapped. "You better stop right there before you make me angry."

"I would never imply!" Bruce turned to Alfred with a glare, before stopping himself and taking a deep breath. "Our nerves are high because of what happened... what almost happened." Bruce sighed. "I would never imply having my son treated like a criminal because of his potential of destruction. He is a good boy, a kind soul. But you must agree with me that we need a contingency plan in case someome manages to control Damian. His powers in the wrong hands can be apocaliptic."

"I understand..." Alfred replied, but looked like he did not like it. "I still think that you should talk it with all of the kids, especially with Master Damian."

"I will," Bruce sighed, before standing up and changing into his Batman suit. "For now, I need to deal with something."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alfred frowned at his son.

"I do, my children need me," Bruce assured his pseudo-father, before getting on the batmobile and driving away. He drove all the way to Metropolis where he found a concerned Diana and a guilty Clark waiting for him on a rooftop. "Wonder Woman, Superman, thank you for coming."

"Batman, how is Flamebird doing?" Wonder Woman asked in concern, standing proud and having more courage than than the two male heroes combined.

"He is doing better, perfect if I am being honest," Batman answered, two the two other heroes relief. "His siblings have been secluded on my bed, not letting him go other than for the bathroom. Much to Flamebird's frustration, who says that he's as good as new."

"That's good," Superman chuckled. Before looking at Batman with kicked puppy eyes. "I am so sorry Batman... I don't know how it happened. One moment we were trading comments and the next he was pushing me away and receiving the attack that was meant for me. I am so sorry!"

"We are both sorry," Wonder Woman stood forward, ready to receive the part of the blame that was meant for her. "You trusted us with your beloved's son's safety when you were unable to fight beside him... and we failed you. There are no excuse for that."

"I do not blame you," Bruce closed his eyes in pain, the memory was still too fresh. "Flamebird said that he knew he was the only one who would have survived that. He saved his uncle because he would have been sad if he were to lose him, so would be Jon-El and I." Clark looked as if he had been slapped, his expression showing the anguish and guilt he was feeling. He was the adult, the uncle that was suppose to be there to save his nephew, not have said nephew sacrifice himself for him. "However, I need some time. Logicaly I know none of you are to blame, but emotionally... I only see a group of adult and experienced superheroes that did nothing while my son threw hismelf intl danger." Now both of them looked as if they had been slapped. "My children need me right now, the pain was still to fresh. I need to be there for them. I know that we agreed to revise our relationship after I returned to Earth, but..."

"We will wait for you," Wonder Woman told him, not shying away of the situation. "Take your time, be there for your family, we will wait until you are ready."

"We will," Superman agreed, readily. "If any of you ever need anything, we are a call away."

Batman nodded his head and turned around to leave. Wonder Woman and Superman stayed behind, until the batmobile was out of sight.

They did not lie, they will wait for their beloved until he was ready. No matter how long that will take.