Author's Note: Only one chapter left! Thanks to soccernin19 for reviewing the last chapter! I own nothing.
Bruce's head ached and his mouth was dry. There were burns and cuts scattered across his skin and one arm dangled uselessly at his side, broken. The heat of the day had faded away to the harsh chill of evening, leaving him shivering inside the tent where he was tied. Guards outside murmured in a language his exhausted mind couldn't even begin to identify. The shift changed every hour and with it the languages of the guards. The League of Shadows had pulled from a wide variety of contacts to capture Batman. It impressed him just as much as it irritated him. The only piece of hope he held on to was the last message he had managed to send his children. They would be looking for him and they were all stubborn enough to be able to find him.
The murmur outside the tent changed pitch and the man's eyes slowly opened, staring upwards at the canvas ceiling. Something was wrong. He could tell simply by the tone of the voices and the rapidly rising volume. Then they simply cut off. Bruce sat up as best he could, eyes fixed on the two shadows standing in front of the doorway. Early on in his incarceration he had managed to get out of his bonds and out of the tent but then had been overwhelmed by the other men Ra's had employed. They had threatened to go after his children if he tried it again and Ra's was many things but a liar was not one of them. Bruce had not tried to escape since then, not wanting to put his family in danger.
He watched as two lithe shadows took down the guards, trying determine exactly who had arrived. Then the flap pulled back and Talia stepped through, her brown braid pulled over her shoulder. Behind her was a shorter figure dressed in red and gold with a black cape and cowl. "Hey B," the figure said as Talia knelt to untie the bonds. Tim. Bruce let his breath out in a whoosh and Tim grinned at him.
"New costume?" the man questioned and Talia tutted under her breath as if he was being foolish. Her fingers were gentle as she helped him sit up.
"Yeah," Tim replied. "Little brother is Robin now."
"What should I call you?" Bruce asked obligingly and Tim's smile widened.
"Haven't gotten that far yet. I'll let you know when I figure it out." Tim knelt next to Bruce and Talia stood smoothly, walking towards the doorway to peer outside. "Nightwing, Robin, and Batm-I mean Red Hood are coming with Hal and J'onn."
"You didn't gather any of the other League members?" Bruce asked, voice hoarse.
"We're not talking to them," was Tim's harsh reply. "They let us think you were dead."
"There are men coming," Talia cut in before Bruce could ask what exactly had happened in his absence. He was pretty sure Tim had started to call Jason Batman and the League had let his children believe he was dead. Something had gone very wrong.
Dick crouched in the darkness, Hal Jordon next to him. Ever since their arrival at the League, Earth's first Green Lantern appeared upset. The young man rocked back on his heels, watching for the signal to attack from Talia. The eight of them had agreed that it would do no good to move in until Talia and Tim had confirmed that Bruce was actually in the camp. On the complete other side of the camp were Jason, in his Batsuit, with Damian at his side, the two of them probably playfully debating murder. Flanking them on either side were Stephanie as Batgirl and J'onn J'onz, all waiting for the signal the al'Ghul heir would provide. "What's on your mind?" Dick questioned, not taking his eyes away from the camp. He knew from experience that worry and guilt made it difficult to be an effective fighter. If the mind was worried then it was not fully focused on paying attention to what was going on around the person.
"I'm sorry for agree to keep Bruce's status a secret," Hal apologized. "It was a terrible thing to do to all of you."
"We don't blame you," Dick replied, glancing back towards the man with a soft smile. "You were outvoted and forced into agreement. And you came to help us. That goes a long way towards reaching our good favor."
"That still doesn't excuse what I did," was Hal's response.
Dick hesitated, unsure of how to respond, and then turned to actually turned to look the man full in the face. "Bruce's father used to say we fall so we can learn to pick ourselves back up," he said at last. "It means we learn from our mistakes. If you didn't feel sorry about what you'd done, then I'd worry." A sudden blaze of fire caught their attention and they turned to see one of the tents burning. "I think that's the signal."
"I think you're probably right," Hal agreed and the two moved swiftly from the shadows, lunging into battle. This wasn't anything Dick hadn't done a hundred times before and since it was for Bruce, there were no arguments. His siblings worked in tandem, smiles fierce and movements determined. The men scattered before them, crumpling to the ground, allowing them to escape. The Batplane, that Tim had somehow convinced Talia to take to Bialya, lifted off and Dick allowed himself to untense, stepping around Damian and Jason to where his adopted father was laying. Bruce was pale from days away from sunlight and the young man could see broken bones, bruises, and cuts scattered across the man's body.
"Bruce," he murmured, crouching down next to him. "You're alive." He felt tears slipping down his cheeks as Bruce ran a gentle hand through your hair.
"I'm so sorry, for all of this," the man said, his voice hoarse.
"Wasn't your fault B," Jason called, pushing the cowl back from his face. "Don't even start with that."
"Yeah," Dick agreed, feeling nothing but relief. "Don't apologize for be alive. Please don't."
"That would be exceptionally foolish," Damian agreed from Jason's side. Stephanie snorted, nursing her bruised knuckles, and slid around to boys to kiss Bruce on the cheek.
"You have to stay alive for a lot longer B," she cheerfully informed him. "It's chaos without you." That said, she turned on her heel and headed for the cockpit where Tim was, only pausing to ruffle Damian's hair.
"She's right," Dick agreed with a watery smile. "We're a mess without you."
"I really hate Gotham," Roy muttered as he and Oliver stepped into the Batcave. The sun had risen an hour ago but the pair had been stuck in the streets dealing with a gang of Carmine Falcone's men. Roy felt tired down to his bones and he wanted nothing more than to sink into a bed and drift off to sleep. His eyes felt as if they were made of sand and bruises throbbed with every step. For the first time in a long time, he found himself missing the familiarity of Starling.
"Is it always like this?" Oliver questioned, removing his mask to reveal dark circles surrounding his eyes.
"Every time Jason dragged us here it's been like this," Roy admitted, failing to fight down a wide yawn. "I don't know how the Batclan does it."
"Lots of practice," Barbara Gordon announced over the computer, her voice full of humor. "And tons of coffee. Get some rest guys, you've earned it." Then the computer switched off, leaving the pair in silence. Roy mechanically stripped off his gear, carefully packing it away in preparation for leaving. He was planning to join Jade at her apartment once Dick, Jason, Damian, Tim, Stephanie, and Talia returned to Gotham with Bruce. His job here would be finished and he wanted to spend time with his fiance before Jason got restless again and dragged he and Kory off on some crazy adventure. Oliver did the same but Roy could tell by the look on his old mentor's face that the man wanted to say something.
"What?" he asked at last, knowing that if he didn't push Oliver would just brood about whatever was bothering him.
"You're going to stay with Jade?" Oliver questioned.
"I was planning on it," Roy replied cautiously and watched with some amusement as Oliver shifted a little uncomfortably. "Why?" he pressed, trying to hide his smirk.
"You could, uh, you could come visit. Felicity would like to see you."
"I'll keep that in mind," Roy replied dryly, no longer able to force to smirk off his face.
"Brat," came the fond reply as Oliver clapped a hand on Roy's shoulder before heading for the stairs. Roy grinned tiredly and followed his old mentor into the manor.