A/N - If this all seems familiar, see the end A/N :)

It weren't just weapons, it were the largest assortment Damian had ever seen. Brass knuckles, batons, revolvers and strange bat-shaped pieces of metal lined all the racks. Torches had lit up above all the racks.

A bolt of pure fear spread through Damian and the hairs on the back of his neck stood completely on edge. His eyes slowly moved across the entire thing. What the flipping heck kind of place was this? Who … who kept a cave like this in their house? "Jason?"

Tim and Jason were wide eyed and their eyes were fixed on the entire assortment of weapons.

Damian bit his lip and looked around the entire room. This was crazy … this was bloody bizarre …

In the middle of it all was a giant suit of armour. One that just stood in some gigantic chamber.

Damian's muscles were trembling and he frowned. It were a gigantic terrifying suit that could mask Wayne's whole body. What did he need all these weapons for? Who the bloody hell was he? "Jason, what's going …"

The bookcase door slammed shut behind them.

Another bolt of fear flood through Damian and he yelped. He flipped around and stared at the bookcase door. "Okay, err … what do we do now?"

Jason's eyes shot back to the bookcase door. "We get the fuck out of here."

Damian's heart hammered in his chest and he sprinted back down the passageway alongside his brothers. Jason couldn't have said it any bloody better.

Tim and Damian rushed to the other side of the passageway and shoved on the bookcase as hard as they could.

Damian gritted his teeth and leapt into the bookcase. He rammed into it hard and then pushed with all his strength. It were bloody hard, and he grunted through gritted teeth.

The door began moving on the sheer strength of Tim and Damian and creaked forward against its hinges.

Jason came now as well and his hands were pressing hard on the bookcase door. "Push!"

Damian pushed even harder and all his force went into his shoulder and hand to push forwards. His eyes were tightly closed and he was exerting breath through gritted teeth.

The bookcase door swung open and hurtled them all forwards.

Damian crashed into the floor and then bolted up as quickly as he could. Bloody hell, they weren't being fast enough. He gripped Tim to his feet. "Come on," Damian said, "we need to get out of here right now."

Tim nodded and sprinted towards the door.

Damian sprinted forwards too behind his brothers.

Tim skidded to a stop and pivoted around. "The door, Jason. Get the door! He can't know we was in there!"

Jason nodded and sprinted back. He jostled first the bookcase door shut and then the outer door. Then he sprinted back towards Tim and Damian.

Tim stood at the door to the attic room and waved Damian and Jason in.

Damian sprinted past Tim and bolted straight up the stairs and into the corner.

Tim followed up and sprinted into the room. Then he keeled over and took a breath.

The loud thud of a door from below crashed closed and Jason also bolted up the stairs. He flipped over the bed and crashed to the floor, rubbing his hair with his hand. "What the bloody hell?"

Damian's heart pounded and his head thrummed something wicked. He collapsed onto one knee and his hand went onto the floor. "What? What the bloody hell was that?"

Tim breathed slowly. "I don't know … I … Lord, I don't know …"

Damian's breathing was coming out in rags.

"He's a madman." Jason's eyes were wide and the dark circles underneath them were deep. "He's a bloody madman."

"He's a weasel who lives in a house this big without any company," Damian said, "he's got too much free time and he brought us as some kind of bloody experiment I told you Jason."

"He's right, Jason," Tim said, "maybe the guy just bought us out so he could do some mad bizarre things to us."

Damian shivered and tears welled in his eyes. "I … fuck I told you this guy was bad news!"

Jason sat against the wall and rubbed his face again. "We need to get Dick. Then we need to get out of here. I'm sorry … bloody hell I'm so sorry for not believing you …"

Maybe if this were any other occasion, Damian would have made a snide remark. But words weren't really coming to his lips right now. He guessed that effect came about when you couldn't properly think.

"At least …" Jason said, a thin glean of sweat on his skin, "at least we can hold him off with this …"

Damian took a deep breath and looked at Jason's hands. He was holding something. "What - what is that?"

Jason slowly revolved the piece of metal in his hands. "It's … it's a revolver from one of them racks, innit?"

A bolt of adrenaline burst through Damian and his eyes went wide. "You took a gun?"

Tim snapped up and grabbed at Jason's hands then pushed them down. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

Jason was exasperated. "Look if he's a threat, then we have to deal with him, innit?"

"No," Tim said, "if he's a threat, then we knock him out and we leave. We aren't killing a weasel in his own house, Jason!"

"What, you bloody saw what he's got down there, Tim!" Jason said, "if he really was the guy climbing up the rooftops then we need it."

"No!" Tim snapped, "no guns. We'll kill in defence and that's it."

Jason snarled. "This is defence."

"This is murder," Tim said, "we stick to our principles."

Jason snorted. "Principles? Did you not see the fucking suit of armour …"

"All the more reason to be good people," Tim said, "we keep to the morally high ground, yeah? We just leave, alright Jason? We just … leave."

Jason shook his head and looked at the revolver in his hands.

"He doesn't know we know," Damian said, "and so we can get out of here like that. He doesn't know we know so that wouldn't be defence, it would be murder. And if the coppers catch us on murder - and that too murdering a weasel in his own house - they would kill us in a heartbeat."

"Alright, alright, listen," Jason said, "I hear you boys, okay? I fuck I'm just … alright here's what we're gonna do. We go and get Dick, yeah – and I'll put the gun down behind the pillow and forget about it for now - and we casually take him back up the stairs. We let him know what's happening and then we bust the fuck out of here. We just … we just sneak straight past Wayne and through the front door, yeah?"

Tim nodded. "Damian, you on that?"

"Yeah, we do that," Damian said.

"Alright," Jason said and placed the revolver behind a pillow. "Alright, let's …"

There was a knock on the door from downstairs.

A bolt of adrenaline burst through Damian and all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge. His hands clenched into fists and his eyes zeroed in on the door. He watched it with all his attention, his ears prickling at the thought of Wayne behind it.

"You … " Jason gulped. "You think it's Wayne?"

Tim said nothing and watched the door.

Damian's heart hammered in his chest and his eyes flickered whilst he watched the door. "Jason …"

"Nobody let him know what we know, okay?" Tim said, "we just … act like everything's alright, yeah?"

Damian nodded and stepped closer to Tim. He took a deep breath and watched the door carefully.

"You …" Jason took a deep breath and there was another knock on the door. He visibly flinched and turned to Damian. "You lads ready, yeah? Just normal."

Damian nodded again and took a deep breath.

"Yeah!" Jason shouted, "come up!"

Damian held his breath and scanned the stairs with every ounce of his attention.

The door opened and Wayne walked up the stairs two at a time.

The very sight of the gigantic man made Damian's breath catch in his throat and he took a step back. His eyes darted to the floor – almost as if not looking at Wayne would make him skip past Damian and talk to the others. Bloody hell the man was big. Built like a bloody carriage.

Dick was on the left of him and an elderly man on the right.

Damian's heart was pounding in his chest and he really wanted to get Dick away. If Dick knew about the cave, he wouldn't be standing so bloody close.

"Arh," Dick smiled, "looks like they've come back early from seeing Reggie, innit Mr Wayne?"

Damian kept his eyes on the floor.

Wayne smiled. "So you all have. I brought you boys fresh blankets, it can get chilly up here in the nights and I think you boys can put them to good use."

Damian flinched. Wayne's voice was so bloody deep.

"Errm …" Jason cleared his throat. "Right good that, Mr Wayne. Is there … is everything alright?"

Damian tried to be like Tim and took calmer breaths.

"I just wanted to see if you were all okay," Wayne said, "I'm - not really sure what's got you all so on edge but how are you finding the house?"

Damian's eyes were practically glued to the floor.

"Are you boys okay?" Wayne asked, "you're looking very … pale."

"Perhaps it's the new conditions they find themselves in, Master Wayne," the elderly man said from next to Wayne. "I imagine it would be most perturbing what with the events of the day."

Wayne turned to them. "On the way over, you boys didn't seem to care. Is that what it is?"

"Arh yeah." Tim tried to smile. "It's just … a bloody huge house, innit? You got a … nice washroom though."

Damian's eyes flickered between Dick and the floor. Dick had to be able to tell something was wrong.

Dick smiled and walked to Damian then put his arm around the younger lad. "Arh yeah it's right dapper, Mr Wayne. Me and the lads love it, innit lads?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, you … proper sorted us out, Mr Wayne."

Wayne nodded. "Good. Good."

"Mr Wayne," Dick said, "actually we're dead tired now. I reckon we could do with some kip, y'know? But y'know … bloody dapper with this house an' all."

"Call me Bruce," Wayne said, "please, all of you."

Damian felt his cheeks going really red and kept his eyes on the floor. Then he tutted again and shook his head.

"Alfred," Wayne said.

"Yes sir," said the elderly man named Alfred.

"Do we have any food ready? You boys must be hungry."

"Today I believe we have Filet Mignon with potato and cabbage, sir."

Even in Damian's fear, his hunger began playing up and he clutched his stomach. It'd been at least two days and the lads hadn't eaten nothing.

"Why don't you boys have a little before you go to …"

"Ah no!" Jason said, "nah, we err … we're not so hungry, Mr Wayne."

Wayne was unreadable. "Call me Bruce."

A bolt of fear hit Damian and his eyes shot to the floor. The bloody intensity of the man's voice shook him to his core. He clenched his hands into loose fists and kept his eyes on the floor.

"Look I understand that your thoughts of me are not good right now. I'm sure adults have never been the best to you boys – to any of you boys in fact. It doesn't surprise me that you don't trust me. However I am here for you. If something's bugging you, please tell me. I'll do my best to fix it."

None of the boys said anything.

"What is it?" Wayne said, "is it my house?"

"It's your err …" Tim sniffed with a smile. "It's your knuckles, innit, Mr Wayne?"

Wayne's eyes widened for a split-second and then went back to normal.

But Damian caught it.

"What about my knuckles?"

"Your knuckles are errm … calloused sir … like scarred …" Tim said, "like you fight a lot, sir. I mean err, honestly I don't mean no disrespect sir …"

"No no you're right," Wayne said and studied his knuckles with a smile. "I suppose they are. I work with my hands a lot."

"Oh," Dick said with a smile, "that's real good, Mr Wayne. Me and the lads do a lot of work with our hands. What with chimney sweeping and all. Hope you don't mind me bein' too forward, but what kind of work is it you do?"

A pang of fear ran through Damian. Dick knew what Wayne was – he had to know from how the brothers were acting. That Wayne was a liar. But he didn't know just how bad Wayne was. Maybe that's why he was tickling the beast like that.

"I'm a doctor," Wayne said, "I need to be moving bodies and people."

That didn't make sense to Damian. You didn't get scarred knuckles from moving bodies.

"Oh," Jason said, the dark circles under his eyes accentuated under furrowed brows.

Wayne turned to Jason with a smile. "Something wrong?"

Damian closed his eyes. Jason, just don't say anything else …

"Oh nah, Mr Wayne, nah," Jason said, "no offence sir it just took me off guard that's all. I just never seen no doctor with hands like that."

Damian shook his head under Dick's hand and moved closer to Dick so their sides were touching. Why were these lads tickling the fucking beast?!

Wayne chuckled. "Yes I'll admit if I took better care of myself, they wouldn't be so prominent. So you all caught my knuckles being scarred?"

Damian nodded from the floor, and he assumed all the brothers had nodded as well.

Jason spoke now. "Sorry Mr Wayne, don't mind me being too forward neither but what about your back? How comes you hurt that?"

No! Damian grit his teeth and closed his eyes even together. Were these lads looking to die?

Wayne's face was shocked and smiling. "I've never told anyone about my back injury. And I work hard to make sure no-one knows about it. You caught on that too?"

"Yeah Mr Wayne," Tim said with a smile, "did you err … did you hurt that in your doctor's work too?"

Wayne cocked his head. "Climbing during my time in the Alps, actually."

There was no way that were true. Damian didn't know what to believe when Wayne talked anymore.

"You fell off a mountain?" Dick asked, "aww that's bloody mad!"

Wayne nodded with a chuckle. "I'll admit, it was a highly unfortunate accident."

Damian didn't really like it, but curiousity was getting the better of him. Like with the door really. He scratched at the back of his neck and frowned again. "And …" he swallowed again and flickered his eyes between Wayne and the floor. "Your physique, sir?"

Wayne cocked his head. "You look hurt … Damian is it?"

Another bolt of adrenaline ran through Damian and he stepped back out of Dick's hand. "You know my name?"

Wayne nodded. "Of course."

Damian said nothing and shot his eyes to the floor. He must have heard it on the way over, but it still unnerved Damian.

"How do you keep your body so tip-top Mr Wayne? With exercise?" Dick asked.

"Absolutely," Wayne said.

"How do you exercise, Mr Wayne?" Jason asked.

"I err … fight, I suppose. Is this an interrogation?"

"Why, Mr Wayne?" Tim asked.

Wayne chuckled. "I suppose it is an interrogation then." He paused for a moment and thought. "It works out your whole body when you fight."

"Have you ever been in a fight?" Dick asked.

"Once or twice," Wayne said.

"Do you think maybe your knuckles are scarred because of that?" Tim asked, "because that would make more sense."

Damian's stomach churned. The lads were making it blatantly clear they could see through Wayne's game, and if Wayne didn't like that, he could do anything to the lads.

Wayne cocked his head. "Alfred, you don't think there's any way …"

"I believe it would be impossible sir," Alfred said, "it would only unlock to your fingerprint."

What? Damian furrowed his brows whilst looking at the floor. Fingerprint?

Wayne smiled again. "Then is everything okay with you boys?"

"Arh yeah yeah, Mr Wayne, we're just curious is all," Dick said, "and we really appreciate you putting us up for the night. Damian does too, even if he'd never admit it … and I hope we'll be able to look after this bedroom for you."

"Absolutely. You boys are incredible. I'm surprised you spotted all that. Look … I don't want to keep you all too long. I'm sure you all – especially Damian – must be very tired from today's events. So take a nap and get acquainted with the house. If you need anything, I will be downstairs. I'm sad to see you aren't wanting dinner. I know it is late, but I did hope you were hungry so I could talk to you. Still … there's always tomorrow."

"Arh yeah, Mr Wayne. We'll be right on it tomorrow," Dick said.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast." Wayne was about to leave and then he turned around. "I hope you boys don't have any intents to kill Pearce."

A bolt of adrenaline burst through Damian and he stepped back again. What? What the bloody hell made Wayne say that?

"Why …" Tim cleared his throat. "Why do you say that, Mr Wayne?"

"I'm sure you know that he lives around here," Wayne said, "but I need you boys to promise me you won't kill him."

Damian gulped. He lived around here? "We … we're not gonna kill him, Mr Wayne."

Wayne said nothing and looked to the pillow where the revolver was hidden.

Damian's eyes widened. Did Wayne know about the revolver? It weren't possible, was it?

"Well, if you say so," Wayne said with a smile, "then I'll leave you boys be."

Damian had been holding his breath. And he slightly let go of his breath as Wayne turned around.

"Before I go though," Wayne said, fishing through his pocket, "I want to give you something, Damian."

Damian's heart jolted in his chest and he stepped back at the mention of something being given. His eyes met Wayne and he frowned deeply. "No I don't want it."

Wayne slowly walked towards Damian with a chuckle. "But you haven't seen it yet."

Damian's heart hammered in his chest and a thin layer of sweat had built on his brow. He stepped back again with his fists clenched and his eyes flickered whilst looking between Wayne and the floor. "I don't want it, thank you."

Bruce sat down in front of him. "Damian …"

The boy's pulse hammered in his throat and his eyes flickered between the floor and Wayne. He didn't know where to look or what to do. And so he just stood there with his hands at his sides.

Dick was pale. "Sir, I really don't think -"

"It's okay," Wayne said, "I promise you I'm not looking to hurt any of you."

Damian kept his eyes on the floor.

"I know you don't like it here, Damian," Wayne said, "I know it scares you being here. But I want you to know that I don't mean you any harm." Then he took out a watch from his pocket and held it in front of the boy.

Damian's eyes went to the watch and his hands were loose fists at his sides. He licked at dry lips and gulped again.

"Here. A keepsake from my father that I wanted to give to you."

Damian's brows furrowed and he studied the watch carefully.

"Take it," Wayne said, "please."

Damian said nothing for a few moments and studied the watch. His hands trembled and his eyes darted over it. Then he slowly reached out and placed his palm onto it.

As he did, Wayne stroked his hand through the boy's hair.

The feeling made Damian jump and his muscles tensed - flinching away from Wayne's invading hand but stopping himself. He closed his eyes, and a feeling of warmth enveloped his heart as Bruce stroked his hair. No wait, what the hell? Wayne wasn't no friend to Damian – and he sure as shit couldn't buy Damian with gifts! He tutted and moved his head away from Bruce's hand. Then he turned his body away from Bruce as well and tutted again. What the hell was going on with him?

Bruce kept his hand in the air for a few seconds, then nodded and stood up and walked towards the stairs. "I do hope you boys stay. You make for a good team, and you complement each other's strengths. I plead you rest well." He walked down the rest of the stairs. "And … I hope whatever is bothering you all. You do eventually find the trust to tell me and not take matters into your own hands." He hesitated for a moment. "I don't mean you any harm, and I want you to fully understand that." Then he nodded again and Alfred followed behind him with a quick nod to the boys.

The door closed behind them.

All the tension flushed out of Damian's body, and he collapsed like jelly onto the floor. Awh, thank fuck. He was gone. Damian took a huge breath and hitched as he breathed. Fuck, it was over. Tears slowly streamed from his eyes and he closed his eyes with a tut.

Jason leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, and Tim stepped back - pale as a sheet.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Dick asked.

Damian took deeper breaths and sniffed from the floor. His hands were on his hair.

Dick sat down next to Damian and brushed his hand through the lad's hair.

Damian's cheeks were wet and he took a deep gulp.

Dick looked to the others. "Look somebody bloody talk to me. Don't leave me in the dark here, yeah?"

Jason turned around and faced Dick. "He's a monster, Dick. He's …"

Dick looked to Tim. "What? Tim … what's going on?"

Tim shook his head. "Dick, he's a … he's a madman."

"Alright, don't worry Damian, it's over now," Dick said and stroked his hand through Damian's hair. "What do you …"

"Weapons," Jason said, "weapons and a cave full of bat things and shit. He's … I've never bloody seen anything like it."

Dick furrowed his brows. "What? Like …"

"Like 'we can't stay here any longer', Dick," Tim said, "or ever again."

Dick bit on his bottom lip and shivered briefly.

Damian felt it, the shiver of his older brother through Dick's hand on his hair.

"What? What do you mean, like … we have to leave?" Dick asked.

"We can't stay here," Jason said, "Dick, we need to leave now."

"Ah," Dick walked away from Damian and stood on the wall, "it was right nice here too."

None of the boys said anything for a while.

Damian shivered and looked to Dick with a sniff. If it weren't for Damian's own curiosity, they wouldn't have known about the cave until it was too late. "What do we do, Dick?"

Dick looked to all of the brothers and swallowed. "Err …"

"Time to step up, Dick," Jason said, "we need you right now."

"Right, I err …" Dick chuckled with that charming smile. "I guess I'm just reeling, lads err …"

Damian sniffed and watched the door with a shiver. "What do we do?"

Dick nodded. "Alright, err … what about the window? Can we get out like that?"

Tim shook his head. "These are rich man houses. Walls are smooth brick. We would just drop without being able to clutch onto anything. It's too much of a risk."

Dick shook his head. "Then we go out the front. There's four of us, there's one of him."

"And his butler," Tim said.

"And his butler." Dick nodded. "Still, we outnumber them and I doubt the butler'll be a threat. So we just leave through the front door and out onto the streets. If he asks, we'll just say … we're going for a stroll."

Jason shook his head. "What? At past midnight?"

Dick's eyes shot to the floor. "You're right. Alright, we'll … we'll wait until he goes to sleep and stay on alert til he does, yeah?"

"Alright," Jason said, "good plan. Then we just walk out, yeah?"

Dick nodded. "We just walk out."

Damian shook his head from the floor. "He knew about the revolver."

All eyes shot to Damian.

"What?" Jason said.

Damian sniffed and moved his hands from teary eyes. "He knew about the revolver. He looked at it. He thinks we want to use it to kill Pearce."

"That's why he were going on about Pearce so much," Tim said, "and that's why he thought we were scared. Shit."

Jason was thoroughly pale now. "What the hell is this gent? How did he know that?"

Dick shook his head. "I don't know but we're gonna wait, okay? We wait until he goes to sleep and then we rabbit it out of here, yeah?"

All the boys nodded.

"Why didn't he take the revolver if he knew about it then?" Dick asked.

"Security," Tim said, "at least that's what I reckon. He wants us to feel secure in his house, innit? Lads, it were obvious something was wrong between us and he could see it. The fact that he chose not to push on it is a blessing for us. It's a bloody blessing."

"So what's his game?" Jason said.

"I don't know," Dick said, "but we're not bloody staying to find out."

ooooo

They must have waited for at least an hour, with all four of them huddled onto the window cushions. Dick sat in the middle with Tim leaning his back on Dick's shoulder on one side and Damian with his head in Dick's lap from the other side. Jason sat on the other side of the window cushion with the revolver in his hand. He continuously opened the revolver and span the cartridge then closed it again. Dick's hand unconsciously ran through Damian's hair.

It gave the little lad a sense of safety, both the revolver and Dick's hand, and he studied the pocket watch in his hands. It was simple, ornate … why did Wayne give him this? It had to be as a gift to try and stop him from going after Pearce, but still Damian couldn't understand what it were for.

With Jason's revolver in hand, the lads felt safer than without it. It wouldn't be so bad if Wayne tried to come in now. And a revolver could stop any man dead in their tracks, so Damian had relaxed a little more into the room. Not by much, but a little more. And it hadn't gone unnoticed by Damian that Wayne's secret door opened when he pressed it. And what did Wayne say … something about a fingerprint?

Dick sniffed and looked at them. "Do you reckon he's asleep?"

Jason shrugged. "He might be."

"We should have taken that food, y'know," Tim said with a smile, "I know he's a madman an' all but I'm bloody hungry."

Damian chuckled even though his stomach ached in hunger at the mention of food. "Really? Food from a loon?"

"Well," Tim said with another smile, "he did have a butler who looked like he made some dapper food."

"We'll get some food from Reggie," Dick said and continued absent-mindedly running his hand through Damian's hair.

Damian looked at Dick. "Where do you reckon Reggie is?"

Tim chuckled. "Who knows? He probably don't even know himself."

Jason chuckled. "He's just walking circles around Lace Market, innit."

"Yeah, I bet he just doing laps around like 'I'm sure I been here before'."

All the lads chuckled at this. Damian closed the watch and studied the strange markings on the outside.

"Reggie's a good lad, y'know," Dick said.

"Yeah," Tim said, "he is."

"We'll go see him now," Jason said, "eh Damian. What do you want to do about Pearce?"

Damian shrugged on Dick's thigh. "We'll deal with that later on. Right now, let's just work out how we get out of here."

"What did he say about that fingerprint?" Jason asked.

"Yeah that struck me too, Dick," Tim said, "what do you reckon that were about?"

"I think he were talking about that door," Damian said.

"The bookcase one?" Tim said, "bloody hell the bookcase one." He shivered at the thought.

Damian nodded from Dick's lap. "That's all I can think he were talking about."

Jason shrugged. "Maybe that's why he didn't follow it up. He thinks there's no way we could open it."

Tim looked at Damian. "But our Damian did."

Dick looked at Damian now.

Damian felt another flush creep through his cheeks and he shrugged. "Maybe it were luck."

Dick nodded and stroked his hand through Damian's hair again. "Yeah, maybe it was."

There was a long silence between them.

Dick sniffed. "You boys ready, yeah?"

Damian nodded and clenched his fists. He sat up and put the watch into his pocket. "I'm ready."

"You, Tim?" Dick asked.

Tim turned and nodded. "Nah. I'm not at all ready. But let's do it anyway."

Jason nodded too. "Yer, this is a bloody mistake but let's do it."

"Alright," Dick said and took a deep breath, "then let's go."

Damian nodded, then all the boys nodded. "Aye aye."

A/N - For all those existing readers expecting this to be a new chapter, I'm sure you've realised it's not :(. It's just the second half of what used to be chapter 2 in it's own chapter. Just doing it to increase exposure on the story really. I'm really sorry about that lool but I can tell you that the next chapter (which is also 10k+ words so a nice, long read) will be posted next Friday (so the 29th Jan 2016). I do want to give a big shout-out to all those who left a review. Some reviews were so incredible that my jaw actually crashed to the floor and I'll answer some of the questions you guys have next chapter.