Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2013 13:12:12 -0700
From: B.E. Kelley <hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com>
Subject: Gotham Prep Season II Episode 2

This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention.
Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The
author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story.
You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.

This story contains depictions of consensual sexual acts between teenage
males.  It is intended for mature audiences only.  If you find this type of
material offensive or if you are under the legal age to read said material;
please proceed no further.

Comments are always welcome at: hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com

Gotham Prep, Season II

Episode 2, The Trouble with Colin

"This is servant's work," Damian complained, as he and Tim struggled to
move the heavy desk up the narrow staircase.

"Come on DW, it's not going to kill you," said Robbie, who followed behind
with a box in his arms.

"Honestly Drake, I don't know what you need with this thing anyway," said
Damian.

"I have to have a place to do my homework," said Tim.

"Wouldn't a desk be better than a ship of the line, this thing weighs a
ton," Damian panted.

"Would you just quit complaining, no one's making you help," said Tim.

"Uh, well..." said Dick, as he brought up the rear.

"You're making him help? Dick, you didn't need to do that," said Tim.

"We're a family and we're all helping, call it bonding," said Dick.

"We're a family of means, couldn't we have hired movers and watched them do
this?  Wouldn't that be bonding?" asked Damian.

"NO," said Dick, Tim and Robbie.

"Whatever," Damian groaned.

"Here, let me help you guys with that," said Connor, as he stepped down
from the third floor landing.

Connor hefted the desk onto his back and carried it up the stairs himself,
as though he was putting on a backpack.

"The trick is to lift with your legs," said Connor, as he trotted up the
stairs.

"Super powers, Kent," said Damian, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that helps too," Connor winked.

Summer was at an end and with it came a time for new beginnings.  Tim and
Connor had planned to live together for months but now that it was actually
happening, Tim couldn't be more excited.  Despite his little brother's
complaints, he was in a fantastic mood and bounced around his new
apartment, making sure everything was put in its place.  The move was
bittersweet for the rest of the Wayne Family, particularly Damian.

The youngest Wayne had complicated feelings for Tim Drake, they began as
enemies, became friends and had even been lovers, though both acknowledged
that was a mistake.  The point was, Damian had grown accustomed to Tim, his
presence was a calming one, even when Damian was teasing him mercilessly.
Damian wasn't sure how he was going to handle things, now that Tim wouldn't
be right across the hall. What Damian didn't realize was that he was going
to miss Tim, it wasn't a feeling he was used to.  People came and went from
your life and that was just the way of the world, there was no point in
foolish emotional attachments, but that was a concept from Damian's past.
He'd learned to love his family and with that came feelings of loss when
someone was gone.  Unfortunately for Tim, the sadness Damian felt didn't
take the sting out of his sharp tongue.

"Drake, this place is a hovel, I will not allow you to live here," said
Damian, as he entered the apartment and surveyed the floor plan.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Tim.

"It's filthy, there are boxes and news paper's everywhere," Damian began.

"Seriously?" said Tim, "those are our boxes and the news paper's we packed
things in."

"Right, well, um, what about those alcoholic ruffians across the hall?"
asked Damian, referring to two boys they'd encountered, who politely
excused themselves as they passed by with an empty keg.

"That's college life, loosen up bro," said Connor.

"Hehehe, bro," laughed Robbie.

It was an inside joke between Robbie and Damian, they'd taken to counting
the number of times Connor would use the word "bro," in conversation.
Let's just say it was a lot.

"Broseidon, God of the Brocean," Damian giggled.

"What's for dinner? Broast beef?" said Robbie.

"With brovolone cheese," Damian shot back.

"Get with the brogram, DW."

"How's work going, get your big bromotion?" said Damian.

"Not yet but I'm trying to be broactive," Robbie giggled.

"Maybe if you increased your broductivity."

"This isn't my first brodeo," Robbie smiled.

"Then by all means, broceed," said Damian.

"Just bro for it," said Robbie.

"Oh God," said Colin, "not another bro-off."

"BROTALLY!" said Damian and Robbie, collapsing in a fit of giggles.

"You guys need serious rebrogramming," said Colin.

"Real funny guys," said Connor.

"They're just teasing, Broseph," Tim giggled.

"Oh come on, you to?" said Connor.

"Sorry," Tim blushed, then kissed Connor on the cheek.

"That's bortesque," Damian laughed.

"You guys are horrible.  I like the apartment, guys, it's so bromantic,"
said Dick, getting in on the joke.

Even Connor laughed at that one.

"Well, that's the last of the boxes, I guess we better get going, so you
guys can settle in," said Dick.

"Yeah, thanks guys, we really appreciate the help," said Tim.

Dick hugged Tim and starred into his eyes for a moment, he saw confidence
and happiness in the boy's eyes and couldn't be prouder of the young man
he'd become.  Everyone said their goodbyes and when the family filed out
the door, Damian lingered behind for a moment.

"Did you need something brat?" asked Tim.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" asked Damian.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Tim smiled.

"Drake, if you come home, I promise, I'll be good.  I haven't put anything
in your room all summer and I'll really try to cut back on the insults,
I..." Damian gushed.

Tim silenced him with a tight hug.

"Hey, this isn't about you, you didn't do anything wrong," said Tim.

"Then I don't understand, why are you leaving us?" asked Damian.

"It's just part of growing up, I want to be with Connor, that doesn't mean
I love you guys any less," Tim explained.

"Kent could live at the manor, there is plenty of room," Damian offered.

"That's sweet kid," said Connor, "but we need to do this ourselves."

"And besides," Tim added, "I'm only a few miles from home and we'll see
each other all the time, I'm still Red Robin, we'll hang out in the cave."

"Promise you'll come for dinner at least once a week?" asked Damian.

"Count on it," Tim smiled.

"Ok then," said Damian, giving Tim one last hug, before turning to Connor,
"Promise you'll take care of him?"

"Of course, I love him," Connor smiled.

"Very well, then you may come for dinner too," said Damian.

"Thanks, I will," Connor chuckled.

"Alright then, I'll let the two of you get on with your bromance," said
Damian, turning towards the exit.

"Oh God," Connor scoffed, "get out!"

Damian laughed all the way down the stairs, when he got to the street, his
family was waiting next to the car.

"What took you so long?" asked Robbie.

"Just saying goodbye," said Damian.

"Gonna miss him, huh?" said Dick.

"Grayson, don't be so sentimental," Damian blushed, "let's go home."

"Yeah, I'll catch you guys later," said Colin.

"Don't you want a ride?" asked Damian.

"Uh, no I'm gonna walk," said Colin.

"But the academy's clear across town," Damian reminded him.

"I know, I'm not going back to school just yet, I have uh, some errands to
run, see ya," said Colin, he scampered off before his friends could ask
more questions.

Damian and Robbie traded a look, "weird," they said in unison.

"I thought they'd never leave," Tim sighed, he was watching from the window
as his family finally got in the car and drove down the street.

"We'd still be unloading the truck if they hadn't helped," Connor reminded
him.

"I know, I'm just looking forward to being alone with you," Tim smiled.

Connor smiled back and stood up from the box he'd been emptying.

"Yeah me to," said Connor, "still your brother was right about one thing,
that desk is kind of huge."

"It's functional," said Tim leaning against the big piece of furniture.

"Oh yeah, what are you going to use it for besides homework?" asked Connor.

"I don't know, I'm sure you can think of something," Tim grinned.  He
unbuttoned his shorts and let them pool around his ankles, he stood there
in his t-shirt and a skimpy pair of black bikini briefs.

"You are such a tease," said Connor, he looked at Tim's long legs and
followed them up to his package, up his body and to his beautiful, smiling
face.

Connor crossed the room and put his hands on Tim's hips, feeling the soft
skin of his athletic body.

"Can the man of steel come out and play?" asked Tim, as he opened Connor's
pants and fondled him through his boxer-briefs.

Connor pulled Tim's skimpy underwear down and let them join his shorts at
his ankles.  Tim stepped out of his clothes and Connor lifted him onto the
desk.  Connor's pants dropped to the floor and Tim tucked the waistband of
his boxer-briefs under his balls, he stroked the large cock for a moment,
then wrapped his legs around Connor's waist and pulled him down on top of
him.  Connor's cock found its way into Tim's soft, warm opening, and the
two made love for the first time in their new apartment.

"Wow," Tim panted, after his orgasm.

"Did I do good?" Connor giggled.

"It was brotastic," said Tim.

"I hate you so much," Connor laughed, then kissed his lover.

Damian and Robbie retired early that night, helping Tim move had been
exhausting and they both had to get up for school the next morning.  Damian
was not pleased, he'd discovered sleeping late this summer and he did not
relish the idea of getting up before noon, putting on a coat and tie, then
going to classes all day.  He took off his t-shirt and stretched before
taking off his shorts, he bent over to pull off his socks and that's when
Robbie started giggling.

"What?" asked Damian.

"You're wearing the blue undies I got you," Robbie smiled.

"Didn't you say I needed to wear more color, less black?" asked Damian.

"I did, don't get me wrong though, the black underwear are sexy, but these
are cute, they bring out your eyes," said Robbie, he put his arms around
Damian's waist and starred into his eyes that reminded him of sapphires,
"your eyes are so beautiful."

"They're not that great," Damian blushed.

"You'll just have to take my word for it," said Robbie, planting a soft
kiss on his lips.

Robbie massaged Damian's shoulders and his pectorals, there was tightness
there from all the furniture he'd carried that day, Robbie took his time
working out the kinks.

"That feels really good," Damian purred.

"It was kind of hot watching you move all that stuff today," said Robbie.

"If I'd known manual labor turned you on, I'd have become a tradesman
instead of Robin," Damian smirked.

"You are such a smartass," said Robbie, as he slapped Damian on his pert
little butt, "I just mean I like watching you use your muscles."

Damian kissed Robbie again, then pushed him back on the bed.  There was a
hiss and a flash of orange as Damian's kitten, Iago, ran, least she be
crushed under the two boys.

"Ooops," Robbie giggled.

"Sorry Iago," Damian apologized, then climbed on top of his boyfriend.

They kissed passionately, each enjoying the taste of each other's mouths
and the soft moans and whimpers they emitted.  Robbie lovingly ran his
hands over Damian's strong back until his hands came to rest on his bottom.
Robbie was infatuated with Damian's butt, in his eyes it was perfect, firm
but soft, with just enough bubble to make it a handful.

"Robbie, do you think you could, you know..." Damian blushed.

"You want me to fuck you?" asked Robbie.

"I like it better when you call it making love," Damian whispered.

Damian's vocabulary had expanded to include a number of American slang
expressions, since his arrival at Wayne Manor, but he still rarely used the
F word.  Fucking sounded vulgar to him, especially because it didn't
reflect what he and Robbie did, he much preferred the term making love.

"I'm sorry, of course I'll make love to you," said Robbie.

Damian grinned like a little boy in a candy store, he was such an innocent
lover, he didn't hold anything back, he gave Robbie everything he had.

"I love it when you get like this," Robbie smiled.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Damian blushed and
started to kiss Robbie's neck.

"You're so sweet when we're together," said Robbie.

"Don't tell anyone, my enemies might smell weakness," said Damian.

"Yeah, sure, your secret's safe with me, love bug," Robbie giggled, "now
roll over for your treat."

Damien obeyed immediately, he lie on his back, slipped his briefs off and
spread his legs.  If he were a puppy, rather than a 15 year old boy, his
tail would have been wagging.

Robbie lifted Damian's legs onto his shoulders and kissed his knee, then
started giggling again.

"What?" asked Damian.

"You've still got a sock on," Robbie smiled.

"Oh, here let me..." Damian started, then reached for his foot.

"No," said Robbie, pushing him back, "it's kinda cute."

Robbie leaned forward, pressing Damian's knees against his chest, he leaned
down and kissed Damian's pouty lips as his cock entered his lovers tightly
puckered opening.  Damian whimpered at first but soon grew accustomed to
the intrusion and moaned in ecstasy.  Robbie was a gentle lover, at least
he tried to be, sometimes he couldn't resist the urge to unleash all his
strength on Damian's bottom, but tonight he took things slowly.  For Robbie
and Damian, the last night of their summer vacation ended with an earth
shattering orgasm.

The Wayne boys weren't the only ones to celebrate the end of the summer
with a romantic encounter, however Colin's was far more sedate.  When he
left his friends he had to hurry to the movie theater, he arrived late,
bought his ticket and found Noah sitting in the back row.  Noah spotted
Colin, thanks to his bright red hair, and happily waved him to their seats.

"Hi Coli," Noah smiled and hugged his boyfriend, "you're late."

"I know, I'm sorry, I was helping Tim move and it took a little longer than
I expected," Colin explained.

"Who's Tim?" asked Noah.

"Damian's brother," said Colin.

"Oh," Noah replied.

"I know you hate him, Noah, but he's my best friend, Tim's my friend too
and their whole family has been really good to me," said Colin.

"I don't hate him, it's just, Coli, he broke my nose," said Noah.

"I know but his dad just died and he was going through a lot," Colin
explained.

"I was just trying to be nice," said Noah.

"I understand and I'm sure he feels bad about it," said Colin.

"Really, did he say that?" asked Noah.

"Well, no but that's just how he is," Colin shrugged.

"Uh huh," Noah nodded.

"Look on the bright side, if he hadn't punched you, we wouldn't have met,"
Colin smiled.

"Yeah," Noah grinned and held Colin's hand.

Colin met Noah Phillips at the swimming finals at the end of the last term.
It was shortly after Bruce died and Damian was going through a rough
patch. Noah had come over to shake his hand and wish him good luck in their
race.  Noah ended up with a narrow victory over Damian and when he tried to
tell him he'd done a good job, Damian bashed him in the nose and had to be
carried off by his big brother.  Still, Noah couldn't bring himself to hate
Damian, he understood how difficult it could be to lose a parent and he
forgave him for the broken nose, besides, he couldn't be all bad, Colin
liked him and Noah thought Colin was absolutely wonderful.

They met right after Damian was hauled off by Dick, the swim meet had taken
place at Gotham Prep and while Noah's coach looked for an ice pack for his
swimmer's nose, Colin got some ice from the concession counter and brought
it over.  The two boys hit it off instantly, Noah was taken in by Colin's
shy charm and Colin thought Noah was one of the sweetest boys he'd ever
met.  They agreed to hang out over the summer and at their first outing,
Noah confessed that he was gay. Colin was euphoric, the only boy he'd ever
kissed was Damian and that hadn't worked out so well, he jumped at the
chance to have a boyfriend of his own.

Since then, they'd spent every moment they could together, which caused
some problems for Colin, he didn't think Damian would approve of Noah,
given their history, so he was forced to sneak around.  Colin hated lying,
he was a highly ethical person but at the same time he didn't want to hurt
anyone's feelings. The boys held hands and watched their movie, when it was
over, Noah drove Colin back to his dorm room, when he parked the car, Colin
rested his hand on top of Noah's.

"I've been thinking, I want you to get to know Damian, I want to tell him
about your problem," said Colin.

"Coli, look, I don't hate your friend but I just can't do that, I don't
trust him," said Noah.

"You trust me don't you?" asked Colin.

"Of course I do, you know that," Noah replied.

"I really think he can help you," said Colin.

"What's some spoiled rich boy who can't control his temper going to do
about it?" said Noah.

"Nono, there are things you don't know about him, one day you'll
understand," said Colin.

"Maybe, just not now, let me think about it," said Noah.

"I can live with that," Colin smiled.

"Good, now kiss me goodnight, I've gotta get home before eleven or my mom
will have a cow," Noah smiled.

"I love you Nono," Colin smiled, then pecked Noah on the cheek.

"I love you too, Coli," Noah grinned.

Colin got out of the car and watched Noah drive away.  He had to change his
mind about talking to Damian, Noah needed Batman and Robin's help, even if
he was too stubborn to admit it.

Noah drove home and made it just before eleven, when he walked into this
modest home, he found his mother passed out in front of the television, the
last of the 10 o'clock news droning on in the background.  Noah turned on
the light and shook his mother's shoulder, stirring her to wakefulness.

"Oh, hi sweetheart, I was just dozing," said Mrs. Phillips.

"Sure, you weren't snoring at all," Noah grinned, "how's Marcus?"

"He's sleeping comfortably, he had another of his coughing fits earlier,"
Mrs. Phillips sighed.

"They say anything new on the news?" asked Noah.

"The standoff continues, the government isn't sure what to do and the rig
is still leaking," she explained, "they're calling it the largest
environmental disaster since the Exxon Valdez."

"I'll think of something mom, I promise," said Noah.

"Don't concern yourself with things you can't control, Noah, you're just a
boy, you have your life to lead," she reminded him.

"Yeah but what if..." Noah started.

"How was your date?" Mrs. Phillips interrupted.

"It was ok, Colin was a little late but he made it before the previews,"
said Noah, "he was helping a friend move."

"I like that boy, such a sweetheart," smiled Mrs. Phillips.

"Yeah," Noah grinned like a love sick puppy.

"Why don't you get some sleep, honey, you've got school tomorrow."

"Alright," said Noah, "don't stay up all night."

"I just want to see if there's anything new on the 11 o'clock news and then
I'm going to bed," she stated.

"Ok, love you mom," said Noah, he kissed his mother on the cheek and
somehow knew he'd find her in front of the TV when he woke the next
morning.

"Good night sweetie, sleep tight," said Mrs. Phillips.

Robbie and Damian were running late for the first day of school, thanks to
Robbie's neglect.  He'd failed to turn on the alarm clock after he and
Damian made love the night before and as a result, the whole morning was
rushed, at least for Robbie.  Damian didn't rush, he dressed slowly, making
sure his school tie was perfectly knotted and his blazer perfectly pressed.
He ate his breakfast casually, while Robbie wolfed his down and when the
chauffer honked his horn, Robbie grabbed his back pack and ran out the door
while Damian slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, placed his Wall
Street Journal under his arm and marched to the car like a junior CEO.

The car and driver were a new fixture at Wayne Manor, Damian and Robbie
were day students this year, meaning that they went to school every day
like normal students rather than live on campus.  This arrangement made it
easier for Damian to go out on patrol, as Robin, but it added the
complication of transportation.  Alfred had offered to drive the boys to
school and back but Dick insisted on hiring a driver, Alfred had enough to
do without having to chauffer Damian around.

Charlie Keller was carefully vetted for the position by Lucius Fox, CEO of
Wayne Enterprises. Charlie had served in the marines, with Lucius, during
the Vietnam War and gone on to serve as an embassy marine and document
courier for the CIA.  Dick liked the idea of having a tough as nails
ex-marine responsible for transporting his little brother, he suspected
that if there was anyone who wouldn't put up with Damian's bullshit, it was
Charlie.

"Morning boys," said Charlie, as he held the back door open.

"Morning Charlie," Robbie chirped, as he hopped into the backseat.

"Mmmm," Damian greeted, ever the morning person.

The car was Damian's idea, the family Rolls Royce wasn't suitable for
everyday use, Damian refused to ride in Bruce's BMW, reasons unknown and
the other cars in the family fleet were two seaters.  Dick was going to get
another BMW but Damian insisted on something befitting his status. Both
Dick and Robbie had rolled their eyes when Damian made that announcement
but rather than argue, Dick bought a 1966 Mercedes 600 Grosser.  The
classic car was dark blue in color with tinted windows for privacy and made
Robbie feel like he was being driven to school like a dictator.

"Do you know who the most famous owners of this model car were, DW?" asked
Robbie.

"Hmmm?" Damian groaned from behind his newspaper.

"Fidel Castro, Marshal Tito, Pol Pot, Leonid Brezhnev, Kim-Jong Il, Hafez
al Assad..." stated Robbie, naming dictator after dictator.

"The Pope, Elvis Presley, Jack Nicholson..." Damian interrupted.

"And Pablo Escobar," said Robbie, throwing the world's most famous drug
dealer in for good measure.

"Is there a point to the name game?" asked Damian.

"Nope, just saying," Robbie giggled, "watcha readin?"

"Wall Street Journal," Damian grunted.

"Not the London Telegraph?" asked Robbie.

"Read it at breakfast," said Damian.

"What about the New York Times, or Le Monde?" Robbie pestered.

"Robbie," Damian groaned.

"Sorry, anything interesting in the paper?" he asked.

"Pirates still holding that oil rig hostage," said Damian.

"Hey Damian, you don't think your mom..." Robbie started.

Damian put down his newspaper for a moment and looked at Robbie.

"No," said Damian, returning to his paper.

The truth is, it had crossed his mind, that Talia might be responsible for
the situation in the Gulf of Mexico, it was her kind of operation after
all.  He'd been reading the papers, watching the news but he didn't
recognize any of the so called pirates, he was fairly certain they weren't
with the League.  Damian had taken to reading all of the papers Robbie
mentioned, after his latest ordeal with Talia.  Part of him hoped to find
some hint of her operating in a far off land, thousands of miles from
Gotham City, another part hoped to find one of her operations so he could
wreck it, just to piss her off.  So far, he'd turned up nothing.

Damian finished his paper just as Charlie pulled up to the academy, the
plan was that he would wait with the car while the boys attended classes
and then drive them home after school.  A copy of Damian's Robin uniform
was in a special case in the trunk, protected by a ten digit digital
combination lock, for securities sake.  It would be there in case of an
emergency in which he wouldn't have time to return to the Batcave.  Charlie
hopped out of the driver's seat and held the door open for his young
charges, then wished them a good day at school.

Robbie got a kick out of watching Damian walk through the halls, his back
was straight, his shoulders were back, his chin was held high, he looked
like a leader.  It had nothing to do with the fact that he was a
billionaire, as far as Robbie could tell, Damian didn't really have the
same concept of money that everyone else had, he'd been born rich.  Robbie
believed that Damian's confidence came from the fact that he'd been raised
as if he were the League of Shadows very own crown prince.  He'd seen
enough to know that Damian grew up with an army of Shadowmen kissing his
royal ass and that explained a lot about his demeanor.

For Robbie, the best part was watching upperclassmen get out of Damian's
way, he was sure that there were those who would love to knock the haughty
little sophomore down a notch but he suspected that word had gotten out
about what Damian had done to Nolan Johnson.  Johnson was a big junior who
played football and made the mistake of insulting Robbie, Damian had nearly
strangled him to death at last year's formal.  When the bell for first
period rang, the boys went their separate ways, they had a few classes
together but they didn't get a chance to talk again until lunch, when Colin
joined them.

"Hey guys," said Colin, "where's Lien?"

"She has second period lunch this year," Damian informed him.

"Oh, that sucks," said Colin.

"Yeah, so how's your day going?" asked Robbie.

"Great, I love my classes," Colin smiled.

"Cool, hey, you mind if I come hang out at your dorm after class?" asked
Robbie.

"That would be great but I've got some things to take care of after class,"
said Colin, then quickly changed the subject, "it's only the first day, why
are you staying late?"

"Not me, him," said Robbie, gesturing to Damian.

"Mascot practice already?" asked Colin.

"No he's meeting with the..." Robbie started but came up short when Damian
kicked him.

"Yes, Coach Hill was so impressed with my performance on the field that she
insisted we get right to work this term," Damian lied.

"I didn't think you were going to do it again," said Colin.

"What can I say, she insisted," said Damian.

"Sure, it had nothing to do with the fact that you had fun," Colin winked.

"Why you think I would enjoy putting on that heavy costume and sweating
like a pig through an entire football game is beyond me," said Damian.

"Well, you know how you like cats," Colin teased.

"My kitty looks so cute in his wittle panther costume," Robbie giggled.

"Yeah, but I was just thinking, don't cat's eat robin's?" Colin laughed.

"You two are hysterical, if your careers in the food service industry don't
pan out, you should really consider taking this act on the road," said
Damian, rolling his eyes.

Robbie and Colin simply roared with laughter.

"What are you doing this afternoon anyway?" asked Damian.

"Oh, you know, just some stuff," said Colin.

"You said that when you left Drakes apartment last night," said Damian.

"Yeah, well, you know me, busy, busy, busy, speaking of which, I gotta run,
see you guys later," said Colin, he was gone before Damian could say more.

"You know, the last time he got this weird we..." Damian started.

"We ended up in Victor Zsasz basement and could have been killed," said
Robbie.

"Yeah, well, we won't have to worry about him anymore," Damian grinned
wickedly, part of him took pride in beheading that child murderer.

"You think Colin is up to something?" asked Robbie.

"I'm not sure, but it's strange isn't it? He's busy all summer, never
explains why and now he's ditching us at lunch and won't tell us where he's
going," said Damian.

"Yeah, it's weird, you wanna follow him?" asked Robbie.

"I don't think it would hurt us to keep a watchful eye on our old chum,"
said Damian.

"Yeah, oh, by the way, I'm sorry I almost mentioned your appointment, I
didn't know you hadn't told Colin," said Robbie.

"Let's not talk about that, ok?" asked Damian.

"Yeah, sure, sorry," Robbie apologized.

The appointment in question had nothing to do with being the Gotham Prep
Panther, as he'd told Colin, Damian was seeing the school psychiatrist.  It
had been Dick's idea, after Damian broke down on his birthday, his brother
and guardian had convinced him to see a therapist.  Grayson only succeeded
in getting him to agree by telling a little white lie, he explained that it
was something he and Tim had each done as Robin and that it helped manage
the stress of the job.  Damian complained that he could handle the stress
without the aid of some quack but Dick insisted, see the shrink or no more
going out on patrol.  Damian didn't want to think of Batman leaving the
cave without him and thus relented to the request.

When the final bell rang at 3:30, Robbie spotted Colin moving across the
main quad.  With nothing better to do, Robbie decided to trail his friend,
using some of the surveillance techniques he'd picked up from Damian such
as keeping a safe distance, using shadows to hide in and walking on the
other side of the street to avoid detection.  Robbie was no expert but
Colin was an easy mark, he never checked his six o'clock and walked as
though he was in a hurry to get where he was going.  The change in his
stride was noticeable, Robbie had trailed Colin before, back then he moved
with determination, he was a man on a mission, today, something about the
way he walked was different, he was almost skipping, he was happy.

Robbie trailed Colin to a house about a mile from campus, he ducked behind
a bush when Colin approached the door, so he never saw who answered it.
Robbie snapped a few pictures of the house, with his iPhone, then noticed a
car in the driveway, he snapped a few frames of the license plate and
planned to run the number through the Bat Computer when he got home.  He
stayed in the bush as long as he could but after an hour it was clear that
Colin wasn't coming out and he would have to start walking back to campus
if he was going to get a ride home with Damian.

Damian dreaded the end of the school day, when the bell rang, he took his
time packing up his bag and making the short trip to the administration
building.  When he found a door with Dr. Harleen Quinzel, M.D., PhD.
scrawled across the fogged glass, he knocked and waited to be admitted.

"Hello, you must be Damian," Dr. Quinzel smiled.

"Yes, how do you do Doctor," said Damian politely.

"Great thanks," she smiled, "why don't you lie on the sofa and we'll get
started."

Damian looked at the sofa, then took the chair opposite the doctors desk
instead.  The game was afoot and to his way of thinking, he'd set the
ground rules by taking the seat he preferred.  Dr. Quinzel just smiled at
the boy, she'd gotten enough information from Dick Grayson to know that
getting through to Damian was going to be no easy task.

"For starters, I want you to know this is a safe place Damian, our
conversations are protected by doctor patient confidentiality, anything you
say here will remain just between us," she explained.

"Uh huh," he nodded.

"In speaking with your guardian, he explained that you've had a bit of a
rough time since your father passed away," said Dr. Quinzel.

"Yes," Damian admitted.

"Would you like to elaborate on that?" she asked.

"No."

"It's healthy to express our feelings, it's not good to let things fester,"
she stated.

"Can I go now?" asked Damian.

"No, our session is for an hour, why don't we talk about how you felt when
your dad died," said the doctor.

"Look doctor, I appreciate your situation, I know it's your job and all but
do you really think there is any benefit for me in espousing how much I
miss my daddy?" said Damian, sarcastically, "give me a break."

"You're right, perhaps we should jump into that topic another time, why
don't you tell me a little about your childhood," she said, changing
tactics.

"The details of my childhood are irrelevant," Damian blocked.

"Tell me anyway, it'll help us get to know each other, I understand you've
only been in Gotham City for a year, where were you before that?"

"With my mother," said Damian in a clipped tone, he did not want to talk
about Talia.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Lots of places," he grinned.

"Damian..." she started.

"Fine, I lived in Germany for a while, England, North Africa, Hong Kong,
other places," said Damian.

"That's a lot of globetrotting," said Dr. Quinzel, "was it hard making
friends, moving so much."

Damian just rolled his eyes.

"Alright, what about your mother, were you close?"

"I was close to my grandfather," said Damian, changing the subject from
Talia but inadvertently giving the doctor an opening.

"What was he like?"

"Typical, he would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous
claims like he invented the question mark.  Sometimes he would accuse
chestnuts of being lazy..." Damian grinned.

"I see, so your grandfather was Dr. Evil?"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Damian smiled, he was surprised when the doctor
smiled back rather than admonish him, it made him feel comfortable enough
to open up, if only a little.

"He was complicated, some people, well, most people probably didn't see him
the way that I did," said Damian.

"How did you see him?"

"He was like a substitute for my father, my mother was away a lot, he
raised me, taught me things," said Damian.

"Like what?"

"Uh, well, diplomacy, industrial arts..." Damian blushed.  Holding
government's hostage was kind of like diplomacy, building and disarming
bombs could be a trade, couldn't it?

"He sounds quite accomplished, do you still see him?"

"He, he died," Damian sighed, "then it was just me and mother."

"And was she..." Dr. Quinzel began.

"Wow look at the time," said Damian jumping to his feet and bolting for the
door, "I've gotta run, my driver's waiting."

"Damian," the doctor called after him.

"Yes?" he answered, his shoulders sagged but he didn't turn.

"I'd like to see you again, same time next week?"

"Ok," Damian sighed, then quickly left the doctor's office.

"What an odd boy," Dr. Quinzel said to the empty office.  She smiled at the
thought and made some notes on her pad, she hadn't expected to learn much
from their first appointment but she'd enjoyed the conversation.

Damian left the office feeling rather cross with Grayson, he hadn't come to
the appointment expecting to talk about his mother.  Still, the appointment
could have been worse, Dr. Quinzel wasn't so bad, maybe it wouldn't hurt to
open up just a little, maybe, he would have to think about that.

"Afternoon Damian," said Charlie, as he held the door open for him.

"Hi Charlie," said Damian, he was more chipper in the afternoons compared
to mornings.

"Hey," Robbie smiled, he was waiting in the backseat, "how did it go?"

"Fine," said Damian, neutrally.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Robbie.

"Nope."

"Ok, well, my afternoon was kind of interesting," said Robbie.

"Yeah?" asked Damian.

"I followed Colin for a while," he explained.

"Oh, what did you find out?" asked Damian, excitedly.

"Not much, he went to a house, I got some pictures," said Robbie, showing
him the frames on his iPhone.

"Hmmm, any idea who lives there?"

"Yeah, there was a car in the driveway, I got the plate number and I was
going to run it through the computer when we got home but I got bored
waiting for you so I hacked into the DMV computer.  The car is registered
to a Diana Phillips, address on the registration is the house in the
pictures," Robbie explained.

"Any idea who she is?" asked Damian.

"Her name didn't ring any bells, I cross referenced her with our database
but nothing turned up, no idea who she is but he stayed there at least an
hour, that's how long I waited before coming back," said Robbie.

"Ok, well, tomorrow I'm coming with you," said Damian.

"Cool, I love going on missions with you," Robbie grinned.

Damian rolled his eyes but spending time with Robbie made him happy too.
For his part, Robbie ignored the eye roll and held Damian's hand.  Charlie
couldn't help but notice the gesture in the rearview mirror, he just smiled
to himself and drove the car.

Colin was upset to find Noah crying when he got to his house.  Empathetic
by nature, nothing upset Colin more than seeing Noah unhappy.  He put his
arms around his boyfriend and they snuggled on the couch.

"What's the matter Nono?" asked Colin.

"Oh Coli, Marcus isn't getting any better, there isn't anything the doctors
can do and nothing's happening down in the gulf," Noah wept.

"Have you tried getting in touch with your dad?" asked Colin.

"That son of a bitch," Noah spat, "I'd do something myself but I don't know
what good my powers would be, I feel so useless."

"Hey you're not useless, you're so special, no one can do the things you
can do with water," Colin comforted.

"Cheap tricks, it's not going to help my brother," said Noah.

"About that, please, please, please talk to Damian," Colin pleaded.

"Coli, we've been through this, you know I have to protect my secret, I've
gotta protect mom and Marcus, I can't take a risk telling someone I don't
trust," Noah explained.

"He knows about me," said Colin.

"You mean about Abuse?" said Noah.

"Yes, I trust him with that secret, I trust him with my life," said Colin.

"Why?" asked Noah, he didn't get it, Colin was so sweet and caring, he
didn't understand how he was friends with Damian Wayne or why they were so
close.

"That's something you need to learn from him, I can't tell you his secret
just like I won't tell him yours, without your permission," said Colin.

"Ok, well, what do you think he can do?" asked Noah.

"For starters, his family owns Wayne Enterprises, I'm sure they could help
with the cleanup," Colin offered.

"That's great but it's pointless unless someone gets rid of the pirates,"
Noah reminded him.

"Well, maybe he can get Dick to lean on the president, I don't know, please
talk to him," said Colin.

Colin hoped that if Damian met with Noah and heard his story, maybe Batman
and Robin could handle the pirates.  He knew Damian had a good heart, he'd
seen it for himself, he had faith in his friend, he knew he would do the
right thing, regardless of how he might feel about Noah.

"Ok, I trust you Coli, I love you, if you really think your friend can
help..." Noah started.

"Oh good," said Colin, hugging Noah tight, "I promise you won't be
disappointed."

"I'm not so sure, but you're right, what have I got to lose?" said Noah.

Colin kissed Noah on the cheek and held him tight.  When Mrs. Phillips got
home, she asked him to stay for dinner, afterwards, he walked back to the
academy so he could start his homework.  He was excited that Noah had
agreed to his request, now he just had to get Damian to go along with a
meeting.  In the end, Colin decided that the best approach might just be to
spring it on him.

The second day of school started much like the first, with two
distinctions.  First, Robbie set his alarm clock, so they weren't running
late, secondly, Grayson rode to school with the boys.  After he dropped the
boys at school, Charlie would drive Dick to the airport, he was leaving for
Geneva with Lucius Fox, in order to attend the G-8 Economic Summit.  Damian
was a little nervous about Grayson's trip, it was the first time a member
of the family would be flying on a Wayne Enterprises jet since Bruce's
accident.  Damian tried to hide his feelings by digging into his newspaper,
but it was no use, he kept reading the same story over and over because he
couldn't concentrate.

When they pulled up to the academy, Robbie bounded out the door but when he
turned to wait for Damian, his boyfriend closed the door on him.  Damian
shared everything with Robbie, well, almost everything, but he didn't want
him to hear this conversation.

"Dami, that was rude," Grayson admonished, he watched Robbie stand there,
arms folded, tapping his foot impatiently.

"I'll make it up to him later, I wanted to talk to you alone," said Damian,
as he raised the glass divider between the driver and passenger
compartments.

"Something wrong?" asked Grayson.

"Yes, no, it's just...please be careful on your trip," said Damian.

"Damian, I'll be fine," Grayson assured him.

"Have the mechanics check the plane again before you take off," said
Damian.

"Oh, that's what this is about," Dick nodded soberly, "Dami, what happened
to Bruce was a freak accident."

"We don't know what happened, it could have been a bomb, pilot error, a
mechanical problem, I just want you to be careful," said Damian.

"Why?" Dick grinned.

"You know why," said Damian.

"No I don't," Dick teased, "I wouldn't presume to know the inner workings
of the mind of the great Damian Wayne."

"Grayson, come on," Damian whined.

"Say it," Dick smiled.

"Ok, fine, please be careful because I love you and I don't want to lose
you," Damian huffed and crossed his arms.

"Thank you," Dick smiled, "I love you too and I promise I'll be on my toes
the whole time I'm in Switzerland."

"Good, have a good trip," said Damian, as he moved towards the door.

"Not so fast," said Dick, tripping the electric lock to bar his escape.

"Now what?" asked Damian.

"Brothers don't just say goodbye, brothers gotta hug," Dick smiled.

"Oh God," Damian groaned, he rather liked hugs, but on his terms, his terms
didn't include in a car, in front of his school where someone might see,
"if you insist."

"And I do," Dick grinned, "come here you!"

Grayson hugged Damian tightly, squeezing him hard around the waist, for his
part Damian hugged back just as tight.

"Good stuff," said Dick, when the hug was over, "now, be a good boy while
I'm gone and I'll bring you a snow-globe from Switzerland."

"Excellent, I haven't been skeet shooting in ages," Damian quipped and
moved towards the door.

"About time," said Robbie, when Damian emerged from the car.

"Sorry, you know, brother stuff," said Damian.

"Uh huh, well, let's get to class, the bell just rang," said Robbie.

Damian followed Robbie up the cobble stone walkway but turned when he got
to the main entrance.  The car was still sitting there, Grayson was going
to miss him and he watched as the boys headed off to class.  Damian waved
to his brother and Grayson smiled, his reflection in the window grinning
back at him.

"Let's get going Charlie, don't wanna keep Lucius waiting," said Dick.

It was a typical day at school but that all changed at lunch.  Colin sat
down and initiated a conversation the neither Damian or Robbie had seen
coming.

"Hey, what are you guys doing after class today?" asked Colin.

"Uh, nothing, why?" asked Damian, he hadn't expected this, he figured if
the topic came up, Colin would make more excuses.

"Can you guys go somewhere with me?" asked Colin.

"Sure, what's going on?" asked Damian.

"Nothing, um, it's better if I explain when we get there," said Colin.

"Colin, is everything ok?" asked Robbie.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just something I want you guys to see," said Colin.

"Don't worry, we'll be there," said Damian.

"Great, meet me out front after the last bell?" said Colin.

"Ok, Charlie can drive us," said Damian.

"Great, thanks!" Colin exclaimed, then bolted from the table.

"Weird," said Damian.

"Yeah," Robbie agreed, "he didn't even eat his lunch."

"Leave it to you to notice," Damian giggled.

"Shut up, I'm gonna have it," Robbie smiled, and slid Colin's tray over.

Damian had no idea where his little waif of a boyfriend packed it all away
but damn could that boy eat.  The rest of the day seemed to drag on,
Colin's strange behavior had Damian's mind racing, trying to figure out
what his friend was up to.  When the last bell rang, both Damian and Robbie
practically ran to the front entrance, Colin was already there.  They
hopped into the back of the Mercedes and the boys traded a look when Colin
gave Charlie Diane Phillips address.

They pulled up to the house not five minutes later, and the boys followed
Colin to the front door, Damian's eyes nearly popped out of his head when
Noah opened the door.

"You!" Damian exclaimed.

"Uh, hi," said Noah, with a weak wave.

"What is the meaning of this?" Damian demanded.

"Just come inside, I'll explain," said Colin.

Damian was furious, this was the last person he wanted to see, but he was
also curious to know what was going on and reluctantly followed Colin and
Robbie inside.

"Someone tell me what is going on," Damian demanded, when he stepped into
the living room.

"Uh, well..." said Colin, he stepped over to Noah and took his hand.

Damian looked at the two boys holding hands, Noah looked nervous but Colin
wore a bright smile on his cheerful face.  Damian looked to Robbie, he was
shocked and he suspected Damian was about explode, so he turned and
pretended to be admiring the curtains.

"Absolutely not, I forbid it!" Damian shouted.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you don't own him, you can't forbid
anything," said Noah.

"You keep out of this or I'll pulp you like that day at the pool," Damian
threatened.

"Oh yeah, you take your best shot, I think you'll find you're not so tough
without your sucker punch," said Noah, stepping up to Damian.

The boys stood toe to toe, their noses were almost touching, eyes sparkling
with anger, nostrils flaring.  Colin stepped between them and gently pushed
them a step back from each other.

"Guy's knock it off," said Colin.

"How could you Colin, after what he did to me," said Damian.

"Did to you?  I was just trying to be nice and you broke my nose!" Noah
exclaimed.

"You know damn well what you did," Damian fired back.

"Both of you cut it out, don't make me bust out Rory," said Colin, both
boys took another step back, they knew what that meant.

"I need a minute to clear my head," Damian huffed, he left the room and
found his way out to the backyard.

"Um, so, I'm Robbie," said Robbie, breaking the awkward silence left by
Damian's departure.

"Yeah, uh, hi," said Noah.

Damian paced angrily on the back porch.  He didn't understand how Colin
could do this to him.  He knew Colin liked boys, after all, they'd kissed
once, but to stoop so low as to date his enemy, unforgivable!  Now Damian
knew where Colin had been sneaking off to all summer, he'd kept this secret
for months, there was no excuse.

"Hey, who are you?" said a small voice.

Damian rounded on the little boy, he thought he was alone in the yard.

"Sorry you startled me," said Damian.

"Are you Noah's friend?" asked the little boy.

"Um, something like that, my names Damian, who are you?"

"I'm Marcus, I live here."

"Oh, how old are you Marcus?" asked Damian, taking a knee so he was at eye
level with the small child.

"I'm eight," said Marcus, "what are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted to do some thinking," Damian explained.

"Me too," Marcus coughed.

"Are you ok?" asked Damian.

"Uh huh, how come you're wearing a tie?" asked Marcus, with a child's
curiosity.

"Oh, I have to, for school," Damian explained.

"You gotta wear a tie to school, but you're just a little boy," said
Marcus.

"I'm 15 thank you," said Damian.

"Yeah, a little boy," Marcus coughed.

"Are you sure you're alright, that cough sounds nasty," said Damian.

"I'm sick but it's ok, I'm supposed to be in bed but I wanted to come
outside," Marcus explained.

"You like it out here huh?"

"Yeah, I used to come out here and play with my friends but since I got
sick mommy only lets me sit in the chair so I can watch the birds," said
Marcus.

"You like birds?"

"Yeah, robins are my favorite, see, there's a nest up there but the chicks
are gone now," said Marcus, pointing to a tree.

"Cool, I like robins too," Damian smiled, then Noah opened the sliding
glass door and stepped out.

"Uh oh," said Marcus.

"Marcus, what are you doing out here, you're supposed to be in bed," said
Noah.

"Mommy lets me come out sometimes," he stated.

"Well mommy's not home right now, would you be a good boy and go inside
please, I need to talk to Damian," said Noah.

"Ok, bye Damian," Marcus waved.

"Good bye Marcus, I hope you feel better."

Maybe it was because his own childhood had been so messed up, but Damian
had a soft spot in his heart for little ones.  He and his friends had even
helped one boy get a new heart, that reminded him, he needed to call Scotty
and see how he was doing, maybe go visit, if he got the chance.

"What's the matter with him?" asked Damian.

"You know that oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?" said Noah.

"Yes, I've been reading about it in the paper," said Damian.

"It's making Marcus really sick, the worse the spill gets the worse he
gets," said Noah.

"But how is that possible, we're over a thousand miles from the Gulf," said
Damian.

"You see that bird bath over there?" asked Noah.

"Yeah," Damian nodded.

"Just watch."

Noah closed his eyes and concentrated on the bird bath.  For a moment,
nothing happened, then, the water started to bubble and finally a jet of
water spouted into the air at least two feet high.

"How did you do that?" asked Damian.

"I'm half Atlantean," Noah explained, "so's Marcus."

"Atlantean, your father wouldn't happen to be..." Damian began.

"Aquaman? Yeah, unfortunately," Noah sighed.

"Ok, back up a moment, what exactly is going on," said Damian.

"Marcus was born in the Gulf, he doesn't have powers like me but he has
this, I don't know, empathy with the ocean and the sea creatures.  Ever
since the spill started he's been getting sicker and sicker.  If the oil
rig could just get fixed I'm sure he'd get better but these damn pirates,"
said Noah.

"What about your father, he's the king of the sea, can't he help you?"
asked Damian.

"My father is a bastard.  He left us when I was 8, Marcus was just a baby.
He'd been perfectly happy with my mother but then his father died and he
became King of Atlantis, now it's like we don't even exist, like he's
ashamed of us," said Noah.

"I'm sorry, that's terrible," said Damian.

"Thanks, look, I don't know why I'm telling you all this, I guess it's
because I love Colin and I trust him, he thought you could help us," said
Noah.

"You really love him?" asked Damian.

"Very much," Noah nodded.

"Ok," Damian sighed, "let's go back inside, I need Robbie."

Damian followed Noah inside and the boys gathered around the dining room
table.  He listened patiently as Noah brought Robbie up to speed, Damian
couldn't help but notice that Colin and Noah held hands the entire time.

"Well, Wayne Enterprises has a subsidiary called Halifax Pumps and Heavy
Equipment, I'm sure capping the well wouldn't be a problem, and we have the
technology to do the environmental cleanup..." Robbie began.

"That's great, but the problem is still the pirates, the well is in
international waters, the military isn't doing anything because they've
threatened to set the oil on fire if they get attacked and that might make
Marcus even worse," said Noah.

"I understand why you can't get help from your father, but what about your
powers?" asked Robbie.

"I'm only half Atlantean, other than being able to hold my breath under
water for a long time, I'm really only capable of making water do stupid
tricks, my powers are useless," said Noah, "I'd go down there in a
heartbeat if I had any chance of helping Marcus but I don't think I'd be
able to do much."

"Let me worry about the pirates," said Damian.

"No offense but what can you do?" asked Noah.

"I'll talk to my brother tonight, he's at the G-8 summit, the president is
there, if Grayson talks to him, tells him Wayne Enterprises is ready to
step in and handle the cleanup, maybe that will spur him to some kind of
action," said Damian.

"If you could make that happen, I'd be forever in your debt," said Noah.

"We better get going, it's getting late and I suspect we don't have much
time before Marcus gets worse," said Damian.

"It gets worse as the spill gets worse," said Noah.

"Ok, I'll talk to Grayson as soon as we get back, I'll be in touch with you
as soon as I know something," said Damian.

Noah led the boys to the door, Damian and Robbie stood on the front stoop
and watched Colin and Noah embrace.

"See, everything's going to be ok, Nono," Colin smiled.

"I hope so, Coli," said Noah.

Colin gave Noah one last hug, then he joined his friends as they headed for
the car.

"You're sure he's the one you want?" asked Damian.

"I'm very sure, I love him Damian, I'm sorry I hid him from you," said
Colin.

"Ok then," said Damian.

"Awww, Colin's got a boyfriend," Robbie giggled.

"Shut up," Colin blushed, as Charlie held the car door open for the boys.

"Back to the academy sir?" asked Charlie, when he returned to the driver's
seat.

"Yes please," said Colin.

"Home please, Charlie," said Damian.

"But I..." Colin started.

"I might need you to help me with Grayson, you can stay the night and ride
to school with us in the morning," said Damian.

"Ok, just like old times," Colin smiled.

Dick Grayson was tired, he'd had a long flight and Geneva was several hours
ahead of Gotham City.  He found himself chatting with the prime minister of
Japan, regarding the resent drop in the value of the Yen and how it was
affecting the price of American goods in his country, when Lucius Fox
approached him.  Damian was trying to reach his brother on the secure link
but couldn't get him, instead, he'd called Mr. Fox and asked him to send
Dick back to his room.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Mr. Grayson, prime minister," said Lucius, "but
there's an important call from the home office."

"Thank you Mr. Fox, can you have them transfer it to my cell?" asked Dick.

"I'm sorry Mr. Grayson but it's, uh, the big phone," said Lucius, for lack
of a better term to use in public.

"Big phone?" said Dick, then it dawned on him, "Oh, right, please excuse me
prime minister, I'm sure you can continue our conversation with Mr. Fox."

"Sayonara, Grayson san," said the prime minister.

Dick returned to his suite and pulled his laptop out of his briefcase, it
took a moment to set up the secure link with the Bat computer but when he
was finished, the image of Damian, Robbie and Colin, sitting in the cave,
came into focus.

"The gruesome threesome, this can't be good, I've only been gone a day,
what have you guys done now?" Dick teased.

"Grayson, are you capable of being serious for a moment?" asked Damian.

"Sorry little brother, how may I be of service?" said Dick, formally.

Damian quickly explained the situation with Noah and his brother, Colin and
Robbie filled in their parts and Grayson appeared to be taking notes on his
end.

"Ok, so the little boy is getting sicker with each passing day and the
government can't move in because the pirates are threatening to torch the
oil.  The boy's father is Aquaman but he won't do anything to help?"
Grayson summarized.

"I got the impression that Noah didn't want his father's help, I can't say
that I blame him given the circumstances but I'm not sure he actually spoke
with him.  Anyway, yes, basically that's the gist of it," Damian nodded.

"So we start with Aquaman," said Dick.

"But Noah doesn't want..." Colin started.

"Colin, I get it, you're buddy has daddy issues, we'll welcome him to the
club and get his membership jacket later, right now, if he's willing to do
something, Aquaman is our best bet," said Dick.

"Ok," Colin sighed.

"Come on, he's Justice League, I'm sure he can't be that bad," said Dick.

"When will you speak with him?" asked Damian, "I told Noah we would work as
quickly as possible."

"Now, it doesn't sound like the boy has much time, we won't waste any of
it," said Dick, "I'll see if I can initiate a secure conference call but
Damian?"

"What?"

"Let me do the talking, ok?" said Dick.

"Fine Grayson, whatever it takes," said Damian.

It took a few minutes to reach the Palace of Atlantis and then he had to go
through some arrogant toady but eventually Aquaman appeared on screens in
the Batcave and Dick's hotel suite.  He sat on a golden throne and held a
trident in one hand, Damian thought he saw a fish swim by and realized that
even the palace was underwater, this should be interesting.

"His Serene Majesty, Aquaman, Ruler of Atlantis and all her Dominions
greets you, Dick Grayson of Gotham City, and awaits your communication,"
said an aide, off screen.

"Good evening Arthur," Dick began.

"You will address his majesty as..." the aide interrupted.

"It's alright Cornelius," said Aquaman, "I'm sorry about that Dick, how can
I be of service to Gotham's great protectors?"

Damian sat back in his chair and rolled his eyes, then remembered that he
was on screen too and promptly sat up.

"I wanted to talk to you about the situation in the gulf, the oil rig
that's being held hostage," Dick began.

"I'm aware of the situation, my people are monitoring it closely," said
Aquaman.

"There is a little boy here in Gotham City, he's very sick," said Dick.

"I'm sorry to hear that but there really isn't anything I can do," said
Aquaman.

"The boys brother claims he's your son, Noah and Marcus Phillips, or
perhaps you recognize their mother's name, Diane?" said Dick.

There was a look of recognition on Aquaman's face, he knew damn well who
Grayson was talking about but before he could say anything, that twit
Cornelius interrupted.

"His Serene Majesty has no children by those names," said Cornelius.

"I'm sorry Dick, there really isn't anything I can do," Aquaman sighed.

"Let me tell you something you guppy on a throne..." Damian began.

"His Serene Majesty, Aquaman, Ruler of Atlantis, appreciates your
communication, good night," said Cornelius, then the screen went blank.

"Well, that went well," Dick sighed.

"Rotten son of a bitch," Damian swore, Aquaman's indifference to his son's
plight reminded him of mother but even she'd sent help when he'd been in
danger.

"What an asshole," Robbie agreed.

"Poor Noah," Colin sniffled.

"Alright, the summit ends in three days, I'll try and leave the night
before, after the final banquet," said Dick, "We'll set up a base of
operations outside Miami and strike from there.  Damian, you start planning
the assault, I'll have Lucius work on phase two, organizing the cleanup."

"Thanks Grayson, I'll see you in a few days," said Damian.

"Trouble sure has a way of finding you Dami, but in this case I'm glad it
did, it's nice to fight for a worthy cause, don't you think?" asked Dick.

"It is," said Damian, smiling to himself, "good night Grayson."

"I gotta call Noah," said Colin, he was ecstatic that Batman and Robin were
going to help his boyfriend.

"Colin, you can't tell him," said Damian.

"But..." Colin started.

"You can tell him that Wayne Enterprises is going to handle the cleanup,
that Grayson is making the arrangements as we speak but you can't tell him
we're going in, it's not safe," said Damian.

"But he'd never tell anyone," said Colin.

"I'm sure he wouldn't, but we don't know who might know that he's the son
of Aquaman, someone could be watching him, it's just good operational
security," Damian explained.

"Ok," Colin sighed.

"Tell him you don't know exactly what's going on but that Grayson is
speaking with the president and you suspect something is underway, that
should give him hope," said Damian.

"Ok, thanks Dami," Colin smiled.

Colin stayed for dinner and slept over that night, but he was too excited
to eat or sleep much.  He was happy, to his way of thinking, he'd done his
first manly good deed and it was paying off for someone he loved with all
his heart.  He had absolute faith in his friends, Batman and Robin, he knew
they wouldn't let Noah down.

The next day, Damian had Charlie drive Colin back to school, he and Robbie
ditched, they were going to be in the cave all day, working out the plans
for their attack on the oil rig.  Alfred objected at first but when Damian
explained the situation, the old butler ordered the boys into the cave and
served their breakfast there.  All Damian had to do was say they were
trying to help a sick child and Alfred's bark turned into a whimper, like
Damian, he had a soft spot for children.

Damian started the planning by taking inventory of the systems available to
him.  The cave was stocked with both lethal and non-lethal weapons and
though he preferred to use his trusty katana for most things, he thought it
might be best to use tranquilizer darts in this case.  Damian knew that
there was a naval blockade of the rig, set up to contain the pirates, and
that they would move in as soon as they figured out what was going on
aboard the rig.  His idea was to have all the pirates knocked out and
waiting for the marines to arrive and take them in, he and Batman would be
gone long before the cavalry even knew they'd been there.  He laid out a
selection of the most powerful tranq guns and darts in the stock pile and
started breaking them down for cleaning while Robbie hacked into a defense
department Keyhole satellite and got high resolution photographs of the
target.

"Hmmmm," said Damian, as he examined a blow up of the photo, "looks like
the pirates have a roving patrol set up around the perimeter of the rig, I
bet there's a submersible too.  I don't see many guards on the top deck, we
could HALO in."

"What's that?" asked Robbie.

"It's an acronym, High Altitude, Low Opening," said Damian.

"Ok, but what's that mean?" said Robbie.

"Well, a standard jump is below 15,000 feet," Damian started.

"Right because there is less and less oxygen the higher you go," said
Robbie.

"Exactly, in a HALO jump you come in with an oxygen tank strapped to your
chest and make the jump from say, 50-60, even 70,000 thousand feet," said
Damian.

"Why so high?" asked Robbie.

"Because it's a military maneuver, you want the plane you're jumping from
to be out of range of surface to air missiles," said Damian.

"You think the pirates have missiles?" asked Robbie.

"I doubt it, but the navy does.  The Bat jet is rather stealthy but if they
pick up an unidentified aircraft, they might fire on us," said Damian.

"Shit," Robbie observed.

"Yeah, we don't want to be on the receiving end of a SAM, that could wreck
our whole day," said Damian, "anyway, next is the low opening part, you
free fall down to about 1,000 feet and pop your chute, it slows you down
just enough so you don't end up a greasy stain on the pavement."

"Wouldn't you be going pretty fast at that point?" asked Robbie.

"Terminal velocity is 125 miles per hour, once you hit that, you're not
going to go any faster, regardless of how far you fall," said Damian.

"Sounds pretty intense, you sure you wanna try that?" asked Robbie.

"Piece of cake, I did my first HALO when I was 7.  We'll come in hard and
fast, hit the pirates before they know we're there and be back for
waffles," said Damian.

"You're such a badass," Robbie smiled and kissed Damian on the cheek.

"Well, one does try to add some flair to his operations," Damian grinned.

"Ok, but, if you HALO in, how do you get back out, there's no place to land
the jet on the rig," said Robbie.

"It's a surprise," Damian grinned.

"I love surprises," said Robbie, then he kissed Damian again.

They made out for a moment then remembered that the cave was a serious
place, not to mention, Titus was looking at them funny.  They returned to
the map table and Damian had to shoo Iago off the blow up of the rig,
that's when Robbie spotted something he hadn't seen before.

"Hey DW, look at this," said Robbie, pointing at the helipad.

"It's a chopper, no surprise there," said Damian.

"Yeah but it's purple," said Robbie, a puzzled look on his face, "you don't
think..."

"The Joker?" said Damian, "what would that bastard be doing in the Gulf?"

"I don't know but how many baddies do you know who fly around in purple
helicopters?" said Robbie.

"Good point, we'll proceed as planned but I'll let Grayson know, better
safe than sorry," said Damian.

When school got out, Colin headed straight for Noah's house.  He was so
excited to see his boyfriend that he all but ran the last few blocks.  When
he knocked on the door, Mrs. Phillips answered, she looked stressed out.

"Hey Mrs. P, are you alright?" asked Colin.

"Oh Colin, it's Noah, he's gone," said Mrs. Phillips.

"Gone, what do you mean gone?" asked Colin.

"Last night, Marcus took a turn for the worse, he hasn't woken since, Noah
said he was going to the Gulf, that he was going to put an end to this,"
said Mrs. Phillips.

"What!" Colin exclaimed, "why didn't you stop him, why didn't you call me!"

"I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen, he took his cellphone and I
didn't' have your number," said Mrs. Phillips.

"How long has he been gone?" asked Colin.

"Since 3:00am," said Mrs. Phillips.

"That gives him a 10 hour lead, depending on how he's traveling, he could
be there by now," said Colin.

"Oh God, Noah," said Mrs. Phillips, as she cried into her handkerchief.

"It's alright Mrs. P," said Colin, as he hugged her reassuringly, "I'll
bring him home."

"Colin, what are you going to do?" asked Mrs. Phillips.

"I can't tell you that, but I swear on my life, I'll bring him back," said
Colin.

Mrs. Phillips embraced him hard, she'd always known that Noah had good
taste, she thanked God that he'd found such a wonderful boyfriend.

"Be careful," said Mrs. Phillips.

"Don't worry, I will," said Colin.

Colin ran out the door and checked his inside pocket, making sure that Rory
was there.

"Wake up bud, we've got work to do," said Colin.

When Noah left, he headed straight for the Bank of Gotham, he'd banked away
several hundred dollars from working as a lifeguard over the summer and
withdrew just enough for a plane ticket to Miami.  Once he landed in
Florida, he took a taxi to the waterfront, stripped down to his speedo and
dove into the water.  If there was any benefit to his powers it was the
fact that he could hold his breath as long as he needed too.  He also
noticed that he seemed faster in the ocean, he was traveling at great speed
and he didn't feel the least bit tired, it was almost as if the water
itself was refreshing his body as he swam.

Not long after he entered the water, a pair of bottle nose dolphins
approached him and swam alongside.  It was like he could read their minds,
the friendly animals seemed to will him to take hold of their dorsal fins,
once he did, they kicked it into high gear.  He traveled at incredible
speed, faster then he'd ever swum in his life, faster then he'd ever
thought possible.  He reached the naval blockade and swam right through it,
he bypassed the pirates patrol and as he climbed out of the water and onto
the oil rigs support structure, his dolphin companions waved their flippers
at him as if they were wishing him luck.

He'd need luck now that he was out of the water.  Out of the water he was
just a boy in a Speedo, he had no weapons, his powers weren't any use, but
he was determined to help Marcus.  Maybe they'll listen if I explain that
they're making my brother sick, Noah thought to himself.  His heart was in
the right place but he was naïve in the ways of the world and he was
about to encounter someone who cared nothing for children, or anyone else
for that matter.

Noah's luck ran out the moment he climbed onto the main superstructure of
the rig.  He picked the exact wrong spot to climb up and landed right in
front of a guard.  The guard led him into the main part of the rig at gun
point, where he encountered a familiar and frightening face.

"Y-you're the Joker," Noah trembled.

"I see my reputation precedes me," the Joker laughed, "are you from Gotham
City, boy?"

"Y-yes," Noah spluttered, he knew the Joker, knew his reputation and he was
afraid.

"Does anyone know you're here?" asked the Joker.

"J-just my mom, see, the oil spill, it's making my little brother sick,"
said Noah.

"Excellent, they'll be coming now," the Joker smiled wickedly.

"Who?" asked Noah.

"Never mind that, tell me about your brother," said the Joker, he put his
arm around Noah's shoulder and lead him away.

Back in Gotham City, Colin ran all the way to Wayne Manor, he was panting
like a rabid dog when Alfred opened the door for him.

"Master Colin, my dear boy, what's the matter?" asked Alfred.

"Damian," Colin panted, "I need to see Damian right away."

"Come in, come in, Master Damian is in the cave with Master Robert, I'll
take you down," said Alfred.

Alfred led Colin into the music room, he played a few notes on the piano
and when the secret door opened in the bookcase, Colin followed the butler
down the long spiral staircase.  Robbie and Damian were hunched over the
maps when Colin ran to the table.

"Colin, what's the matter, you look like the devil himself is chasing you,"
said Damian.

"It's Noah, he's gone," said Colin, between breaths.

"What happened?" asked Damian.

"Something happened last night, Marcus got worse, Noah went down to the
Gulf," said Noah.

"Here, drink this," said Alfred, handing Colin a bottled of water.

"Thanks Alfred," said Colin, as he downed half the bottle in one gulp.

"Damn it," Damian swore, "What the hell does Aquabro think he's going to
accomplish down there?"

"I don't know, I don't care, we have to get him back, please Damian," Colin
pleaded.

"It's alright Colin, we'll go after him, Alfred, can you summon Drake, get
him and Kent to come to the cave, at once?" asked Damian.

"Of course sir," said Alfred, then he disappeared to make the call.

"What about Dick?" asked Robbie.

"We don't have time to wait, this just became a rescue operation," said
Damian.

Tim Drake was sitting in his economics class when the dial on his watch
began flashing red.  He quietly excused himself and went out into the hall
where he extracted his phone and read a text from Alfred.

"Master Timothy, your presence and that of Master Connor is requested at
home, immediately," read the note.

Tim knew that could mean only one thing, he sent a text to Connor and
sprinted to his car.  Connor met him in the parking lot and soon the BMW
was streaking across town.

"This better be good, Damian," said Tim, when he arrived in the cave, "I
have a test I should be studying for."

"I wouldn't have bothered you if the situation wasn't dire," said Damian,
then he filled him in on everything he knew.

"Ok, I assume you have a plan?" asked Tim.

"We'll carry out our assault as planned, subdue the guards and secure the
rig, either we'll rescue Phillips or intercept him when he arrives, but we
have to go now," said Damian.

"Um, there's a problem," said Connor.

"What?" asked Tim and Damian in unison.

"I can't go down there with you," said Connor, "the sea floor in the Gulf
of Mexico is rife with kryptonite, I'll be powerless."

"How powerless?" asked Damian.

"You know that ring you had?"

"Yeah," said Damian.

"Well, that was a day at the beach by comparison, this could kill me,"
Connor explained.

"Damn, it would have been nice to have your super strength," said Damian.

"We're coming," said Colin.

The group looked at him and noticed he had Rory in his hand.  Damian looked
at his friend, he didn't want him to go, didn't want him to risk his life
but Colin was a superhero, Phillips was his boyfriend and Damian knew he
had no right to say no.

"Fine," said Damian, "Kent, will you be alright if you stay on the plane?"

"Yeah, the kryptonite shouldn't have any effect there," said Connor.

"Good, we'll need you for the extraction," said Damian.

"How do you plan to do that anyway?" asked Tim.

Damian gave him a quick explanation of his plan and Tim nodded his head.

"Alright, sounds like you've thought this out, let's not waste any more
time talking about it," said Tim.

Tim and Damian quickly changed into their uniforms, then rejoined their
friends.  Damian would need Drake and Colin on the rig, Kent would be
instrumental in their extraction, that left Alfred to fly the plane.
Damian was sad to see Robbie packing a briefcase with his laptop and other
assorted gadgets that he thought might come in handy.  Damian wanted to say
he couldn't come but he knew Robbie wouldn't wait in the Batcave while
everyone he loved was standing in harm's way.  Robbie's eyes met Damian's
they starred at each other for a moment, then Damian let out a sigh and
nodded his head.  The boy's proceeded to the Bat jet and Alfred began the
takeoff roll form the improvised runway.

"You know, I think I need a uniform," said Robbie, as the plane burst into
the sky.

"Why, you never leave the cave," said Damian.

"I do to, I'm leaving the cave right now," said Robbie.

"Ok, but you're not leaving this plane, so what's the point?"

"You never know, I need a uniform," said Robbie.

"Fine, you can wear the pilot's cap if it makes you feel better and when we
get back, I'll make you a t-shirt, something like Geek Squad, Bat Cave
Unit," said Damian, earning a few chuckles from his brother and friends.

"I am not fighting crime in a t-shirt," said Robbie.

"What's wrong with t-shirts, I fight crime in one," said Connor.

"Bro, don't help," said Robbie.

"Hehehe, bro," said Damian.

"Oh God, please don't start," said Colin.

"Come on Colin, we're going to unleash bromageddon on these pirates,"
Robbie giggled.

"Look out crims, here comes the bropocalypse," Damian added.

Colin just rolled his eyes, a gesture he'd used much more since meeting
Damian and Robbie, and settled back in his seat.

It only took a few hours to reach the Gulf, once they arrived, Robin, Red
Robin and Abuse strapped on their chutes and oxygen masks.  Abuse and Red
Robin were nervous, they'd never done a HALO jump before so Robin gave them
a quick rundown on what they would need to do.  When they approached the
coordinates for the oil rig, the boys stepped into the airlock and waited
for the door to seal.  When Alfred saw the green light on his panel, he
opened the cargo doors and the trio plummeted to earth.  They held their
arms against their sides, diving like missiles falling from the sky, they
picked up speed fast and the oil rig grew larger and larger in their sight
as they approached. At an altitude of 1,000 feet, they popped their chutes
and glided safely to the platform.

When Robin landed, he took a guard by surprise, he released his chute,
rolled to his right, then leveled his sights on the stunned guard.  Robin
dropped him with a dart to the neck.

"Down," shouted Red Robin.

Robin dove for the deck, a guard had come up behind him and Red Robin
dispatched him with a well-aimed shot of his own.

"Thanks," said Robin.

"Anytime," said Red Robin, "Look."

Robin looked across the deck to where his brother was pointing, he saw
Abuse, he had two guards by the scruff of the necks, one in each hand.
Abuse bashed the men together like a pair of rag dolls, and dropped their
unconscious bodies to the floor.  He looked over at his friends and waved
happily.

"I wish he wouldn't do that," said Robin, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, let's get going," said Red Robin.

They climbed down the stairs to the main platform where they rendezvoused
with Abuse.  Robin activated the thermal imaging feature of his mask and
they proceeded to search for Noah and more pirates.  The thermal imaging
system didn't exactly let Robin see through walls, but he could detect body
heat and that should enable him and his partners to operate in secret, thus
taking the remaining pirates by surprise.  The only problem was there
wasn't any sign of more pirates or of Noah.

Back on the plane, Robbie was communicating with Dick.  Damian had
instructed him to set up the secure connection after they left the plane,
least big brother object to their plan.

"They did what!" shouted Dick.

"I'm sorry, but we didn't have any choice," said Robbie.

"Alright, I'm leaving now," said Dick.

"Dick come on, that's silly, you'll never make it in time," said Robbie.

"Well, I can't just sit here and do nothing, they shouldn't have done this
without me," said Dick.

"I know, but it's done, they're on the rig as we speak, someone needs to
initiate phase two," said Robbie.

"Right, I'll get the pieces moving, Robbie, you call me the minute they're
back on that plane, understand?"

"I will and Dick?" said Robbie.

"Yeah?"

"I'm worried about them too," said Robbie.

They searched the rig or almost 20 minutes and had yet to encounter another
guard.  They moved into the interior of the superstructure and still
nothing.  It was another 10 minutes before they reached a large room and
discovered a single person who seemed to be sitting on a chair, based on
his thermal image.  The door was made of solid steel, it was far heavier
than the other doors they'd encountered and Robin wondered if something
dangerous might be stored inside. He also wasn't sure how they were going
to open the damn thing, Robin stood there and scratched his head for a
moment, Abuse looked at his friend, then at the door.  He reached for the
handle and simply ripped the door from its hinges.  Robin and Red Robin
traded a look, Robin shrugged his shoulders and the pair followed Abuse
into the warehouse.

"Well if it isn't my two favorite birdies, and you brought your big strong
friend," cackled the Joker, from a catwalk high above.

"You, get down here and face me," Robin challenged.

"Oh little bird, I have to confess, you really are my favorite," the Joker
howled in amusement, "you sound just like the old man."

"You didn't think it was so funny the last time we met, got a crowbar lying
around this dump?" Robin challenged, causing the Jokers smirk to turn into
a sneer.

"That didn't count, you cheated," said the Joker.

"The games up, Joker, come quietly or..." Red Robin began.

"And big bird, always so serious," the Joker laughed, "listen, I'd love to
stay and play, I've been waiting for you for such a long time but I really
do have to be going.  After all, time is tick, tick ticking away."

The Joker disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, Robin started towards the
ladder that led to the catwalk but Red Robin stopped him.

"There's no time, look," said Red Robin.

When the Joker disappeared, a light came on and the boys spotted the source
of the thermal image that led them into this room.  There, chained to an
oil drum, sat Noah, a ball gag in his mouth and a bomb strapped to his
chest.  The boys raced to his side, Robin realized the bomb was a simple
one, a few sticks of TNT with a digital timer, it wasn't much explosive
compound but it didn't need to be, there was enough oil in the warehouse to
blow the rig sky high.

"What are we going to do?" asked Abuse.

"Stand back," said Red Robin, he examined the bomb and discovered that the
timer hadn't started counting down yet.

Red Robin took his time, since the countdown hadn't begun, he could afford
to be cautious.  There were no wires connected to the gag in Noah's mouth,
so he removed that first.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," said Noah, "it's a trap, he's been waiting for you
to come down here, I didn't mean to lead you here, I was just trying to
help my brother."

"It's alright, calm down," said Red Robin, "do you know if there are any
wire's connected to these chains?"

"I don't know," Noah sniffled, "they drugged me before they tied me up."

"What do you think?" Red Robin asked his brother.

"I don't see anything, no wires," said Robin.

"Coli, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag you down here," said Noah, who
recognized his boyfriend through Abuse.

"It'll be alright Noah, we'll get you out of here and then we can start the
cleanup, Marcus is going to be fine," said Abuse.

"Thank you, thank you all," said Noah.

"Noah, I'm going to try and remove the chains now, don't move ok?" said Red
Robin.

"Yeah, yeah ok," said Noah.

"I don't like this, it's too easy," said Robin.

"Sometimes the Joker isn't as clever as he thinks," said Red Robin, as he
started picking the locks on the chains.

"Can't I just break them?" asked Abuse.

"No, we don't see any wires but better safe than sorry," said Red Robin.

Red Robin took his time, there were quite a few chains and he had to
carefully pick the locks on each one.  When the last lock was open, he
removed the chain and helped Noah to his feet.  The bomb was hung around
Noah's neck and as soon as his hands were free, he grabbed it and pulled it
off, this was a mistake, the countdown started immediately, 2 minutes.

"God damn it, a proximity fuse," Robin swore.

"Oh my God, what do I do," said Noah, as the countdown burned past one
minute forty-eight seconds.

There was panic, there wasn't time to defuse it and they were stuck on the
rig, even if they got away from the bomb, there was still no way to get off
the rig before it blew.  Abuse grabbed the bomb from Noah and ran for the
exit, the others followed behind him.  Abuse wasn't sure what to do, on
instinct alone he climbed up the various stairs, he had to get outside.  At
one minute, eight seconds, Abuse burst onto the upper deck, he looked at
the bomb in his hands, the numbers ticked away, he took aim at a dark spot
in the sky and hurled the bomb as far from his friends as he could.

"Abuse no!" shouted Red Robin, but it was too late, "the bomb, it'll ignite
the oil on the surface of the water!"

Noah stood stalk still, as if he was rooted to the ground, he closed his
eyes and concentrated harder than he ever had before.  A whirl pool formed
in the water, slow at first but building in speed in a split second.  A
funnel of water rose from the surface of the sea and enveloped the bomb,
the water transformed into a bubble, encasing the explosives within.  The
bubble began to compress and when the bomb exploded, brilliant light filled
the sky but the water smothered the explosive force into nothingness.  The
boys stood in silence for a moment, then Robin turned on Noah.

"Holy shit, I thought you said your powers were worthless," said Robin.

"I, I didn't know I could do that," said Noah, in awe of what he'd done,
then he realized he recognized that voice, "wait a minute, Damian, is that
you?"

"Uh, uh..." Damian spluttered.

"No time for that now, those navy ships are going to start moving in, there
could be helicopter's on the way now, we have to get out of here," said Red
Robin.

"Right," said Robin, then he spoke into his radio link, "Ground team to air
one, do you copy, over?"

"Roger ground team, this is air one, reading you five by five," said
Robbie's voice.

"Copy that air one, initiate evacuation procedure," said Robin.

"Roger ground team, pick up in 90 seconds, on my mark, three, two, one,
mark," said Robbie.

"Ninety seconds, standing by," Robin replied.

"Um just how are we getting out of here?" asked Noah, as Red Robin strapped
a repelling harness on him.

All of the boys wore repelling harnesses, they were linked together with a
length of nylon rope that Noah saw was threaded into an air riffle that was
connected to what looked like a grappling hook.

"Seriously, how are we getting out of here?" asked Noah, his voice
quivering.

Robin just grinned and aimed the riffle at a dark shape passing over head.

"Ninety seconds, right on time," said Robin, as he fired the grapple.

The grapple hit its mark, right in the roof of the cargo hold of the Bat
Jet.  Alfred struggled to maintain altitude at such low speed, when he got
a thumbs up from Conner, he increased the throttle and pulled back on the
stick.  The jet rose into the sky and as it took up the slack in the rope,
the boys were hoisted off their feet and into the air.  Noah, a creature of
the sea, didn't like heights and screamed his lungs out as they moved
higher into the night sky.  They reached 2,000 feet and as the effects of
the kryptonite wore off, Conner used his super strength to pull the boys
aboard.  Noah kissed the ground the moment the cargo door closed, his heart
felt like it was going to jump out of his chest as he sat next to Colin.
Abuse was gone now, the happy red head was back and he comforted his
boyfriend after his ordeal.  Robin couldn't help but smile at the sight, he
turned to his own boyfriend and nodded.  Robbie picked up his radio headset
and spoke to Dick.

"We recovered the package, all is well, see you at home," said Robbie.

"Thanks Robbie," said Dick, "see you in a few days."

His job done, Robbie went and sat next to Robin. Damian took off his mask
and stored it in the protective case under his seat, Robbie snuggled up to
him and most of the boys feel asleep for the ride home.  An hour outside of
Gotham City, Noah extracted himself from Colin and knelt next to Damian's
seat, the raven haired boy was asleep so Noah had to shake him by the
shoulder.

"What is it?" Damian yawned.

"I just wanted to say thanks," said Noah.

"It's ok, I liked your brother, I wanted to help him," said Damian.

"Still, I don't know what we'd have done if you hadn't helped us," said
Noah.

"You're Colin's boyfriend, whether I like it or not, that makes you
family," said Damian.

"For what it's worth, I really was just trying to be nice, you know, that
day," said Noah, referring to the swim meet.

"I know that now, I should have known it then, I'm sorry I hit you," said
Damian.

"So you think we can be friends?" asked Noah.

"The superhero community is a small one, you're one of us, I think I can
handle being friends," Damian smiled.

"Cool," said Noah, "so, do you know Spiderman?"

"You know, being the son of Aquaman, you would think superhero's wouldn't
impress you much," said Damian.

"Yeah but Spiderman..." Noah began.

"Is poor," Damian interrupted, "go back to your seat, we'll be landing
soon."

Noah laughed then crossed back to Colin.

"What was that all about?" asked Colin.

"Just chatting with new my friend," Noah smiled.

The comment warmed Colin's heart, he hugged his boyfriend and held him the
rest of the ride home.  When the plane landed, Damian loaned Noah some
jeans and a t-shirt, so he wouldn't have to go him in nothing but a Speedo,
then they parted ways.  Colin went with Noah and they walked into his
living room just before dawn.

"Mom, I'm home," Noah shouted.

"Oh thank God," said Mrs. Phillips, she came from the kitchen and hugged
her son, then Colin.

"I thought I'd never see you again," said Mrs. Phillips.

"It's ok mom, I'm ok, everything is going to be fine, my friends helped
us," Noah smiled.

His mother didn't have any words to express her joy at the moment, she
simply pulled her son and his boyfriend against her, glad that each was
safe and sound.

Two days later, Robbie and Damian were in the back seat of the Mercedes on
their way to school, Damian, as usual, had his nose buried in the paper.

"Anything about mommy?" asked Robbie.

"Nope," was Damian's clipped reply.

"Do you think that..." Robbie started.

"Shhh, I want to hear this," said Damian, as the news report came on the
radio, "turn it up, would you Charlie?"

"Sure thing boss," said the driver.

"And in other news, the cleanup is underway in the Gulf of Mexico, a
spokesman for Wayne Enterprises said they expect the operation to take
months but the well has been capped and no more oil is leaking into the
ocean.  The defense department is still declining to comment on the
operation that made the cleanup possible but..." read the radio announcer.

Damian smiled behind his paper and went back to scanning the news stories.
Sure, they hadn't caught the Joker, but that was ok, he'd eluded father
often enough, it was Bruce who taught him that you couldn't win them all.
Damian still wasn't sure what the Joker had to do with all of this but it
didn't really matter, they'd saved a life, Marcus Phillips was going to get
better.  He'd play in his backyard with his friends and watch his robins,
and Damian thought that was just fine.  Grayson was right, fighting for a
good cause did make him feel good.