Date: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 11:07:18 -0700
From: B.E. Kelley <hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com>
Subject: Gotham Prep Season II Episode 6

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

Oh, and give Nifty a few bucks, they do a great job and it's a lot of work.
I'm sure they would appreciate any donations.

Gotham Prep, Season II
Episode 6: Countdown

"Are you warm enough Honey?" asked Commissioner Gordon, as he pushed his
daughter's wheelchair.

"Oh daddy, I'm not a little girl anymore, you really mustn't worry so
much," said Barbara.

"You'll always be my little girl, it's a father's job to worry," he
replied.

It was late, after 9:00pm, and Commissioner Jim Gordon and his daughter
Barbara, were enjoying a stroll through Gotham Park.  It was quiet at this
hour, no kids running around, no families, just the two police officers and
of course the two detectives that made up the commissioners protective
detail.  It was an unfortunate result of the world we live in that insured
the top job at the Gotham PD came with an assortment of death threats from
various whacko's, the commissioner never went anywhere without Detectives
Stewart and Ryan. The bodyguards always made sure their boss had his space
and as he and his daughter strolled through the park, enjoying the crisp
December air, one officer took the point while the other brought up the
rear.

"Anyway, I understand you're meeting with Martin Gavric," said Barbara,
changing the subject.

"And I take it by your tone that you don't approve?" asked the
Commissioner.

"It's not that I don't approve, it's just, he's a politician..." Barbara
began.

"Who wants my help to draft landmark crime legislation that might help us
do some good for this city," the Commissioner interrupted.

"Politicians are all the same, all out for themselves," said Barbara, "I
just don't want to see him using you as a prop for his future presidential
ambitions."

"For what it's worth, sweetheart, I think I'm a pretty good judge of
character and I think he's a good man," said the Commissioner, "and even if
he is using me, if this legislation makes things even a little better,
isn't that worth it?"

"I suppose you're right," Barbara agreed.

"Of course I am," the Commissioner smiled, "now, forget business for a
moment, how are things with Dick?"

"Great," Barbara smiled, "he's so busy now with work and the kids but I
think he's really grown since Bruce's death."

"He's not too stressed, that's a lot of responsibility, running a
multinational corporation and those boys are a handful," said the
Commissioner.

"Tim's living in an apartment now and Robbie is as mild as a sheepdog.
Damian occasionally has him pulling his hair out but I don't think Dick
minds, he adores that boy.  As far as work is concerned, he has a great
teacher in Mr. Fox," Barbara explained.

"With all that going on, does he have time for you?" asked the
Commissioner.

"We always make time for each other," Barbara assured him.

"So are their going to be wedding bells in your future?" he asked.

"Soon, I think he's almost ready," Barbara smiled.

"Well that's good, I'd like to have grandchildren before I...what was
that?"

The nights calm was shattered by a sharp whistling sound and then the
streetlamp above their heads shattered into dust, leaving them in pitch
darkness. Instinctively, Detectives Stewart and Ryan drew their service
weapons and scanned the perimeter.  There were two more sharp whistles, a
puff of red mist escaped from the head of each detective and their bodies
collapsed in a heap.

"Sniper! Get down!" shouted Barbara.

She grabbed her father by the lapel of his overcoat and pulled him down,
just as another whistle indicated a fourth shot.  Commissioner Gordon
tumbled over a concrete planter box, but it was too late, the last shot
grazed his arm.  Barbara hurled herself over the planter and used her body
to shield her father, as she drew her .45 automatic.

"You're hit," said Barbara, as she noticed he father holding his arm.

"Just a flesh wound," he winced.

Barbara fished in her coat for her police radio then broadcast an emergency
request for backup.

"All units, all units, officers down, Gotham Park, north entrance,
Commissioner Gordon has been hit, I need back up and paramedics now!" she
ordered.

Barbara stuck her head up to try and get a location on the shooter but as
soon her hair came above the planter, he fired again.

"Down, stay down," said the Commissioner.

Just a few short blocks away, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne and Robbie
Matthews were preparing for a night of crime fighting.  They were using the
new bunker under Wayne Tower and while Batman and Robin would take to the
streets, Backslash would remain behind to monitor communications and
provide support.  Robbie finally had his uniform, it was a lot like Robins,
a black survival suit with a bulletproof tunic over top, only this one was
green rather than red and bore the initials B/S in silver, instead of the
stylized yellow R.  There was no cape, instead, this uniform came with a
backpack full of all the technical tools Backslash might need and his green
domino mask incorporated the latest technology that Wayne Enterprises and
Google had to offer.

While Robin was lacing up his boots, he looked over at Backslash and
watched as he checked himself out in the mirror.  Robbie as very proud of
his new uniform and Damian couldn't help but smile at his boyfriends
excitement.  When he finished tying his boots, he came up behind Backslash
and put his arms around his waist, then rested his chin on the blonds
shoulder.

"Haven't you grown tired of preening in front of the mirror yet?" asked
Robin.

"Do I have to remind you how much time you spent in front of the mirror
when you first got your uniform?" asked Backslash.

"I recall spending a lot of time in the cape and utility belt but little
else," Robin grinned.  His uniform had been a real turn on for Robbie and
the pair spent considerable time exploring that attraction.

"That was a good weekend," Backslash grinned.

"Indeed," Robin smiled, "are you ready for tonight?"

"Piece of cake, nothing I haven't done before," Backslash assured him.

"First time you've done it in your own uniform, with your own codename,
you're a certified superhero now," said Robin.

"Thanks to you," said Backslash, he turned in Robin's arms and the couple
shared a gentle kiss.

"Ahem, boys," said Batman, "can we get some work done please?"

"In a minute," said Robin, as he leaned in for another kiss.

"Now, lover boy," said Batman, as he seized Robin by the scruff of his
neck.

"Sorry, we got a little carried away," Backslash blushed.

Batman smiled but before he could comment, the police scanner squawked and
the Dynamic Duo learned of the emergency in Gotham Park.

"That's Bab's voice," said Batman.

"That's right up the street from here," said Robin.

"Come on, let's go!" said Batman, he was already out the door, Robin hot on
his heels.

"Be careful!" Backslash shouted after them.

It had been a few minutes since the last shot was fired, Barbara could her
sirens in the background.  She knew what the department's response time
was, they would arrive at any second and she wanted to give them a fix on
the sniper's location.  She raised her head again and when no shots were
fired, she brought her radio up, only to have it destroyed by a throwing
star.  Barbara looked in horror as a black clad figure stood just 15 feet
away and another throwing star bored in on her.

It was happening so fast, she closed her eyes and braced for the impact but
it never came, the throwing star was shattered in mid-air by a well-aimed
Baterang.  When she opened her eyes, Batman stood before her, shielding her
from the would be assassin.  While his partner protected the commissioner
and his daughter, Robin tackled the dark figure, they clattered to the
ground and grappled for a moment but then the sniper got to his feet and
ran from the scene.  Robin got to his feet and looked to Batman for orders.

"Go, go!" Batman shouted.

"Thank God you got here when you did," said Commissioner Gordon.

"How's your arm?" asked Batman as he knelt beside the police officer and
examined his wound.

"Just a scratch," said the Commissioner.

"And you?" asked Batman, turning to Barbara.

"I'm fine, just a little shaken up," she admitted, "I wasn't hit."

"What happened?" asked Batman.

"It all happened so fast, one minute we were walking through the park, the
next, the lights were out and Stewart and Ryan were dead," said Barbara.

"Nice work getting your dad undercover," said Batman.

"Thanks, shouldn't you go after Dai... uh, Robin?" said Barbara.

"He'll be ok, I'm not leaving you until your backup gets here," said
Batman.

Robin chased the assassin through back streets and up a fire escape.  When
they reached the roof of a small apartment building, he fired one of his
lines around the perpetrators ankles and dropped him to the ground.  As
Robin pounced on the assassin, the man in black drew a knife and slashed at
the ropes binding his legs.  His foot caught Robin right in the stomach
vaulting him over an air conditioning unit.

Robin scrambled to his feet but the assassin tackled him before he could
get a firm foothold.  The pair tumbled to the ground and rolled around
until the assassin used his weight advantage to get on top of the boy.  He
brought his knife up and plunged it at Robin's heart but Robin blocked the
blow with his forearm.  Robin grabbed the assassin's wrist and they once
again tumbled along the roofline, each trying to get control of the knife.
When Robin realized he wasn't going to get the knife from the attacker, he
resorted to bashing the man's hand against the roof, if he dropped the
knife, at least Robin wouldn't have to worry about it ending up in his
chest.

Robin bashed the man's wrist against the roof's outer railing, it was too
much for the assassin to take and he dropped his weapon, sending it
clattering to the alley below. Robin seized the man by the collar of his
black yoroi and pummeled him with a series of vicious right hooks.  The
assassin was dazed but well trained, he drove his knee into Robin's crotch
and though he was protected by his uniform, the impact sent him reeling
backwards.  The assassin knew that every second he wasted fighting with
this boy brought Batman one step closer to him, he abandoned the fight and
fled back down the fire escape.

Back in the bunker, Backslash monitored the entire scene.  Police finally
arrived at the park and while paramedics tended to the dead and wounded,
Batman chased after his partner.  On the main screen, Backslash displayed a
map, the city grid of Gotham, on it, two green dots showed the locations of
Batman and Robin as they pursued the suspect.  Batman was blocks away from
Robin, he was in no position to help but as he examined the map and
realized where Robin was heading, Backslash jumped to his feet.

"Robin, this is Backslash, you're right outside Wayne Tower," said
Backslash, he was running down the long hallway towards the exit,
monitoring the chase via the tablet strapped to his forearm.

"Can't talk now," Robin panted, "almost got him."

"I see you, you're in the alley," said Backslash.

Backslash hunkered down behind the door, Robin's green dot was getting
closer and closer.  At just the right moment, Backslash kicked the door
open and smashed it right into the assassin's face.  Only it wasn't the
assassin, as Backslash emerged from the hall, he found Robin, sprawled on
his back, clutching at his nose.

"Ohhhhhh," Robin groaned.

Backslash's head snapped up and he caught the slightest glimpse of the
assassin as he rounded the corner and disappeared into the night.

"Oops," Backslash blushed.

"Oops, oops!  I almost had him!" Robin shouted.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to help," said Backslash.

"Next time, warn me!" said Robin.

Batman joined the boys, just as Backslash was helping Robin get to his
feet. There was no sense going after the assassin, they'd never catch him
now, he had to great a lead. The trio went back into the bunker and Robin
took off his mask, he sat in one of the comfortable command chairs and
tilted his head back, while pinching a handkerchief over his bloody nose.

"What happened?" asked Dick, once he removed Batman's cowl.

"He gave me a nose job with the outer door!" said Damian.

"It was an accident," said Robbie.

"I know but that's why we have communications, if you'd told me what you
were doing..." Damian began

"Getting back to the business at hand," Dick interrupted, "I meant with the
suspect."

"Ah, yes, well, he got away, obviously," said Damian.

"Yeah, I figured that out when I caught up with you," said Dick, "what I
mean is, did you learn anything from your encounter."

"Well, whoever he is, he's a professional, he was well trained and a tough
fighter," said Damian.

"Do you think he was League trained?" asked Dick.

"It's possible, he fought like a Shadowman but I think Commissioner Gordon
is a rather unlikely target for them," said Damian.

"Why, he's the head of the largest police force in the country," said Dick.

"Precisely, local police don't usually meet mother's standard, she's a
terrible snob," said Damian, as if he wasn't.

"So then we shouldn't be looking at the League of Shadows?" asked Dick.

"Anything is possible, his fighting style was similar, he might be a
freelancer," said Damian.

"What's a freelancer?" asked Robbie.

"Lots of times, guys come to the League thinking that they're going to
raise hell and do as they please, they don't deal well with the strict
discipline and they leave.  Others come in, get their training and figure
out they can make a fortune as freelance assassins, murder for hire,"
Damian explained.

"And the League just sends them on their way?" asked Dick.

"Hardly, joining the League of Shadows requires a blood oath, anyone who
leaves, their life becomes forfeit," said Damian.

"So why would anyone..." Robbie began.

"Some of these so called freelancers are very, very skilled.  Call it
hubris they think they can elude us but the League always catches up with
them," said Damian.

"Sounds scary," said Robbie.

"Make no mistake about it, we should take this assassin seriously, if he
was League trained, he won't give up just because we thwarted his plan
tonight, he'll keep coming until he gets his man," said Damian.

"Alright, lets change into street clothes and get over to the hospital, I
want to talk to Barbara," said Dick.

"What's there to talk about?" asked Damian.

"I want to have you spend some time with her father," Dick explained.

"Why me?" asked Damian.

"Who better to look after the commissioner then you, who is more likely to
spot a trained assassin then another trained assassin," said Dick.

"You mean like a bodyguard?" asked Damian.

"Exactly, I want you to protect the commissioner while I try and track this
guy down," said Dick, "think you can handle it?"

"In my sleep," Damian grinned, "but I'll need my team."

"Weiner Dawgs assemble!" Robbie exclaimed.

"Stop calling yourselves the Weiner Dawgs," Damian demanded.

"It's not just us, it's you too," Robbie grinned.

"Even more reason to stop, I refuse to..."Damian began.

"Weiner Dawgs?" asked Dick.

"Don't ask," said Damian.

"You call yourselves the Weiner Dawgs?" asked Dick.

"No!" Damian exclaimed.

"Yes!" said Robbie, "D-A-W-G-S like rappers say and Weiner's because we
like..."

"Robbie!" said Damian.

"That's ok, I think I get it, um cute, but I wouldn't let Tim find out if I
were you," Dick laughed.

"Bloody Weiner Dawgs," Damian swore, as he stripped off his tunic.

Back in street clothes, Dick and the boys headed to Thomas Wayne Memorial
Hospital.  The hospital had been a gift to Gotham City, from the Wayne
Foundation, and named in honor of Damian's grandfather, Dr. Thomas Wayne.
Damian took careful note of the police presence, there were several
uniformed officers on duty as well as detectives in civilian clothes,
though the clear plastic radio earpieces gave away their true identity.
The officers of the Gotham PD were in a foul mood, Commissioner Gordon was
a beloved leader and his men were incensed by the attempted assassination.

Dick and the boys were stopped at a security checkpoint, normally the desk
would be manned by a civilian security guard but they had all been sent
home.  The police had taken over security for the building and would remain
in place while the Commissioner's wound was treated.  Dick presented his ID
and asked for Barbara, the officer on duty spoke a few words into his radio
and explained that she was coming down in the elevator.  While waiting for
Bab's to arrive, Dick led the boys over to a waiting room.

"I need to talk to Bab's in private, will you guys be alright here?" asked
Dick.

"Don't worry Grayson, we won't talk to any strangers, take any of their
candy or be lured away by promises to pet their puppy," Damian rolled his
eyes.

Robbie face palmed.

"So that's a yes?" asked Dick.

"Don't worry Dick, I'll keep him out of trouble, go check on your
father-in-law," Robbie grinned.

"Thanks Robbie, I appreciate the...wait, what was that?" asked Dick.

"Oh nothing," Robbie giggled.

"Yes, go Grayson, mustn't keep the little woman waiting," Damian teased.

"You guys are making it really hard not to tell Tim about the Weiner
Dawgs," Dick grinned wickedly.

"You wouldn't," Damian challenged.

"Just think of all the fun dear old Timmy would have with that," said Dick,
his grin growing wider, now that he knew he had Damian over a barrel.

"Hey, do you think Tim and Connor would join," said Robbie.

"Shut up!"

"But..."

"Oh, look, here comes Barbara," said Damian, changing the subject as Bab's
rolled off the elevator.

"That's what I thought," said Dick, as he left the boys and joined his
girlfriend.

"Hey," said Dick, as he bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey," said Bab's, "let's go down to the chapel, it should be empty, we
need to talk."

They passed several officers in the hall but Lt. Barbara Gordon was known
to all of them and no one bothered to stop her.  Bab's and Dick entered the
deserted chapel, he sat in the front pew and held her hand.

"Thanks for tonight, I'm glad you guys showed up when you did," said
Barbara.

"Me too, but it looked like you had the situation under control," said
Dick.

"Did Damian catch him?" asked Bab's.

"Almost, there was an incident with a door, Robbie tried to help Dami open
it with his face," said Dick.

"Is he ok?"

"Oh sure, ego's a little bruised but his nose is fine," said Dick.

"I let that bastard get the drop on me, if it hadn't been for your
Baterang, well..." said Bab's.

"Still, you got the old man under cover and held out until backup arrived,
not bad, for a girl," Dick smirked.

"Thanks," Bab's grinned and punched him playfully in the arm.

"How's your dad?" asked Dick.

"He's fine, just a scratch really, they're stitching him up now," said
Bab's.

"Thank God for that," Dick sighed, "any idea why someone might want to kill
him?"

"I've got officers going over the usual death threats he gets, you know,
comes with the job, but there really isn't anything there.  Those people
tend to be loner's with big mouth's, just trying to get attention, this guy
tonight, he was a pro," said Bab's.

"That's what Damian said, he fought with the perp before he got away,
Damian said he was well trained," said Dick.

"League of Shadows?" asked Bab's.

"Dami doesn't think so, he thinks it's a freelance killer, murder for
hire," said Dick.

"Dick, what I'm about to tell you is highly classified," said Bab's, "my
father has been working on revolutionary crime legislation, with Senator
Gavric, they're meeting on Saturday to finalize the bill.  The Senator
plans to unveil it, in Washington, next week."

"That could explain why someone is targeting your father," said Dick, "I
imagine any number of criminals would have a problem with that."

"We've heightened security as a result of tonight's attack," said Bab's.

"I could tell, last time I saw this many of the boys in blue was at the
grand opening of that new Dunkin Doughnuts," said Dick.

"Funny," said Bab's though she wasn't laughing, "I'm just worried that it
isn't enough and dad won't scale back his schedule."

"Why not, if he would lay low for a few days, give us time to investigate,
hunt this guy down..." Dick started.

"He says he won't have his schedule dictated to him by terrorists," Bab's
explained.

"He's a brave man," said Dick, in admiration.

"Brave but possibly foolhardy, I'm not sure what to do," Bab's sighed.

"Funny enough, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," said Dick, "I
have an idea."

"I'm all ears," said Bab's she trusted Dick above all people and knew she
could count on his help.

"I want Damian to spend some time with your father, let him be the
Commissioner's shadow this week," said Dick.

"Damian? Not you?" asked Bab's.

"He's better trained for this," Dick admitted, "and it would look funny if
I spent the week with your dad, Damian can spend time with him and call it
a work study program for school, instant cover. Meanwhile, I can do a
little detective work and see if we can't find this guy before he makes
another attempt."

"I know better than anyone how well you Robins are trained but..." Bab's
began.

"Think about it, hun, Damian was trained to be an assassin, he knows how to
think like this guy, knows what to look for, he's the perfect counter, and
Robbie and the guys will provide backup, they'll be monitoring
communications around your dad and looking for suspicious characters," Dick
explained.

"All the resources at your disposal and you're giving me Damian and the
boys?" asked Bab's.

"Bab's you know I wouldn't even suggest it, if I wasn't totally confident
in their abilities," said Dick.

"No, you're right, and I trust them, it's just, Dick, we're talking about
my dad," Bab's sighed.

"I know, I promise we won't let anything happen to him, we'll find this
guy," said Dick, as he hugged his girlfriend.

"Ok, Colin and Noah are in, they'll meet us at the house, first thing in
the morning," said Robbie, as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"Great," said Damian, as he thumbed through a magazine, "now go to the
restroom, please."

"But, I don't have to pee," Robbie objected.

"Still, I'd like you to go and on your way back, pull the fire alarm," said
Damian.

"Uh, where's the fire?" asked Robbie.

"Robbie," said Damian, as he closed his magazine, "I want to see how the
police react."

"Why?" asked Robbie.

"Just do it," Damian groaned.

"Fine, fine," said Robbie.

Robbie got up from his seat and wandered down the hall, a moment later the
shrill wail of the fire alarm permeated the lobby.  Damian sat back and
watched the officers on duty, they milled about the lobby, hands resting on
the butts of their weapons, occasionally speaking into their radios.
Damian was quite unimpressed when Robbie returned.

"Tsk, tsk, not very impressive," said Damian.

"Now will you tell me what this is all about?" asked Robbie, as the alarm
continued to wail.

"I wanted to see how they would react and they really didn't.  They're
meandering around like lost sheep, assassin's use distractions like this to
draw security away from their targets.  Professionals would be focused on
their protectee, let the fire department worry about the alarm," Damian
shouted over the noise.

"Don't be so hard on them, they're just local cops," said Robbie.

"That's the point, their job is to investigate crimes and pursue suspects,
protection is different. I want to make sure you and the guys are on your
toes tomorrow, we can't afford to make any mistakes," said Damian.

"You can count on me, DW, that thing with the door tonight, I won't be that
clumsy again," said Robbie.

"I know, it was just an accident, we'll call that an on the job lesson,"
Damian smiled.

"What the hell is that racket?" shouted Bab's as she and Dick came into the
lobby.

"Something tripped the fire alarm, we're checking it now," said one of the
uniformed officers.

"Well get someone to shut that thing off, I can barely hear myself think,"
she ordered.

"Sorry Lieutenant, I'm on it," said the officer.

Dick and Bab's joined the boys in the waiting area, a few seconds later,
the alarm was shut off and quiet was restored.

"So you're going to spend the week with dad?" asked Bab's.

"I understand that to be Grayson's plan," said Damian.

"Dami, I know you grew up with the League of Shadows but you have to
understand how important this is to me. I need to know you're up to this,
just how well trained are you?" asked Bab's.

"Well enough that were I doing the wet work tonight, your father would be
taking a dirt nap," said Damian, it came off far colder then he meant it
to.

"Damian!" said Dick.

"No, it's ok," said Bab's, "I think I know what he meant."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come off like that, I just mean that
I've learned from the best, I know how an assassin views a target and I'm
confident that I can protect your father," said Damian, "I won't let you
down."

"That's better," Bab's smiled, "you better get home and get some rest, dad
starts his day pretty early, I'll need you at the precinct by 8:00am."

"So we're all agreed then?" asked Dick, "operation Junior Varsity is a go?"

"Dad won't like it but I won't give him a choice, Damian will be like his
shadow and if dad complains, I'll shoot him myself," Bab's smiled.

"What does it mean, this Junior Varsity?" asked Damian, as he, Robbie and
Dick headed off to the car.

"Like at school, you know varsity team and junior varsity team," Robbie
explained.

"Second rate," said Damian.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," said Robbie.

"And if we're junior varsity, Grayson, who do you presume to be varsity?"
asked Damian.

"Oh I don't know, myself, maybe Alfred, Tim of course," Dick smirked.

"Hmpf, we'll see about that," Damian grumped.

"Weiner Dawg," Dick giggled, as he ruffled Damian's hair.

It was almost midnight when the trio returned to Wayne Manor, the boys bade
Dick goodnight and immediately retired to their room.  Damian kicked off
his shoes, then took off his hoodie and t-shirt.  Robbie put his arms
around Damian and hugged him tight, then moved his hands up and held his
face.

"I'm sorry about your wittle nose," said Robbie, as he leaned forward to
kiss it.

"It's ok, it only hurt a lot," Damian giggled.

"I'm sorry," Robbie giggled, and unzipped Damian's jeans, then groped him
through his undies, "I think I know how to make it up to you though."

"Oh, what did you have in mind?" Damian grinned.

Robbie kissed him, chewed playfully on his bottom lip, then slowly sank to
his knees.  He made short work of Damian's pants and underwear, then
enveloped his erection in his warm, wet mouth.  Damian closed his eyes and
tossed his head back as his lover expertly suckled him and massaged his
firm rump.  Robbie worked his tongue over the sensitive head then bobbed
slowly up and down the stiff shaft, savoring the taste of his lover.

Robbie loved everything about Damian, his sharp tongue, his acerbic wit,
his good heart, that raven colored hair and mostly those eyes that
shimmered like pools of sapphires.  When it came to their love making, he
was enraptured with Damian's body, his swimmers build with his strong arms
and firm chest, his defined torso that tapered down to his narrow waist and
powerful legs.  Sometimes, Robbie was visited by moments of self-doubt that
made him question why someone like Damian would want to be with a scrawny
little twerp like him.

What he didn't know was that to Damian, who had seen so many of the wonders
of the world, with his own eyes, Robbie was perfect.  Damian believed that
Robbie was the most exquisite creature he'd ever seen, from his silky blond
hair to his emerald green eyes, from his elegant neck down to his lithe
body, Damian even adored his big feet.  Damian was completely and
hopelessly in love with Robbie, Robbie was the only person he could truly
be himself with and he shared himself so openly.  When they made love,
Damian held nothing back, he surrendered to his lover and was eager to
learn everything Robbie might teach him.

Robbie had his fill of sucking Damian, then guided him back until he
collapsed in a sitting position on the bed.  Robbie stood up and kissed the
top of Damian's head, while Damian kissed his tummy and pulled down his
pants. Once Robbie was naked, Damian leaned forward and began to suck his
cock, while Robbie stroked his hair.  When Robbie felt like he was on the
brink, when he couldn't handle the pleasure anymore, he pull out of
Damian's mouth and pushed him down on the bed.  Damian eagerly spread his
legs and whimpered in pleasure as Robbie entered him.

Robbie pushed slowly and when he felt his pelvic bone resting against
Damian's bottom, he put his arms around Damian arching his back.  He licked
and kissed Damian's chest as he began to pummel the boys bottom.  Damian
writhed and moaned with pleasure as he ran his hands over every inch of
Robbie that he could reach.  When it was done and they shared their climax,
the kissed, said their goodnights and snuggled in each other's arms.  Not a
bad way to end a night at all.

In a dark room, not far from Thomas Wayne Memorial, a lone figure sat
hunched over a laptop.  He had just powered up his system when his employer
appeared on the screen.  The man also sat in a darkened room, silhouetted
in black, only his pale white hands and purple sleeves displayed any color.

"What is your report, Priest?"

"Everything went as you planned, I encountered Gordon and his daughter in
the park.  There was little security and they were easily dispatched," said
Priest.

"And Gordon?" asked the figure on the screen.

"Wounded but not seriously, they took him to Thomas Wayne Memorial, there
were many officers in attendance," said Priest.

"That is to be expected," said the figure, "what about Batman and Robin?"

"They arrived rather more quickly than I expected, I made my escape and was
pursued by the boy," said Priest.

"Not Batman?"

"No, he seemed concerned for the woman, Gordon's daughter," said Priest.

"Interesting," said the figure, "when will you make your next attempt?"

"Within the next three days, I must pick my moment," said Priest.

"Excellent, what of phase two?"

"All of the preparations have been made, the device has been triggered,
it's counting down as we speak," said Priest.

"Well done, you know the plan, keep me apprised of your movements," said
the figure.

"As you wish."

They called him Priest and he had been one once, or very nearly so.  James
McKinney had been a seminary student who dreamed of nothing but being a
parish priest.  He'd grown up in Belfast during the time of the British
occupation, poor and pious, he saw the church as a way out of the violence
that plagued the streets.  He was a bright student and a compassionate man,
but that all changed one fateful summer day.

A bomb meant for the commander of local British forces, prematurely
exploded in the bakery the IRA was using as a front.  The explosion killed
McKinney's mother and two young sisters.  The Irish Republican Army
portrayed itself as a people's movement, patriotic fighters working to
liberate their people from British imperialism.  In reality, they were
vicious Marxist guerrillas bent on transforming Ireland into another Cuba,
a communist paradise.  When James appealed to the local brigade commander,
seeking justice for his murdered family, he was mocked and beaten for his
trouble, that's when he discovered the League of Shadows.

James was exactly the kind of recruit the League sought out, a man of
intelligence and strength, one who had seen first-hand the brutality of the
world and wanted revenge.  The men soon learned about his past and James
McKinney ceased to be, replaced by Priest, a well-trained and highly
skilled assassin. Priest embraced everything the League had to teach him
and with the personal help of Ra's al Ghul, he returned to Ireland and
brought his wrath down on his enemies.  By the time he was finished, the
blood in Belfast was knee deep.

Priest became one of Ra's most loyal lieutenants, entrusted with the most
delicate of missions.  When Ra's was killed by Nyssa, his own daughter,
Priest abandoned the League.  From then on his life would be forfeit, he
knew it but didn't care, everyone he ever cared about was eventually taken
from him and he worked best alone.  He'd taken to murder for hire and was
well regarded in the criminal underworld, that's how the Joker found him.

Gotham Preparatory Academy was closed for most of December and the next
morning, the boys woke far earlier then they would have liked, during their
winter break.  After a quick breakfast, Robbie and Damian spent the early
morning loading a van with the equipment they would need for operation
Junior Varsity.  Damian wanted to monitor communications within a 6 block
radius of the Commissioner, if their would-be assassin was working with a
partner, Robbie might be able to triangulate their position from their
radio signals.  They also loaded some computer equipment so that Robbie
could link to the Bat Computer, he would be reviewing files of the officers
on Gordon's staff, looking for irregularities, something the assassin might
exploit, maybe he had a man on the inside?

The last item Damian loaded was a fireproof case, secured with a 10 digit,
digital lock.  The case contained his Robin uniform as well as his utility
belt, his domino mask went into the pocket of his hoodie, for easy access,
should he need to use its features apart from his full kit.  When Robbie
saw what Damian was doing, he also loaded his spare uniform.

"You're not going to need that," said Damian, "I don't want you getting out
of the van."

"What if you need backup?" asked Robbie.

"Call Grayson, he'll be on alert or if you have to, call Drake, Grayson is
briefing him on the situation," said Damian.

"But there might not be time," said Robbie.

"Abuse will be there," Damian reminded him.

"Yeah but..." Robbie protested.

"Robbie, you've come a long way, you're one of the best student's I've ever
worked with but this man we're guarding against, he's a trained killer, I
just want you to be safe," said Damian.

"Well, I'm taking my uniform anyway, just in case," said Robbie.

Before Damian could launch further protests, they were joined by Colin
Wilkes and Noah Phillips.

"Speaking of Abuse and Aqualad," said Damian, "morning guys."

"I hate that name," Noah pouted.

"Perhaps you would prefer H2-Bro?" asked Damian.

"Aqualad isn't so bad..." Noah sighed.

"So what's the plan?" asked Colin.

"We're calling this operation Junior Varsity," Damian began, "Robbie
briefed you on what happened last night, I'll be in close, shadowing
Commissioner Gordon, you guys will be my support team.  Colin, you'll be
stationed across the street from police headquarters, I want you looking
for suspicious characters, take pictures with your phone and send them to
Robbie so he can compare them to the files in the Bat Computer.  Robbie
will also be monitoring communications, if he comes up with anything out of
the ordinary, he'll inform me and I'll decide whether or not we should
investigate further."

"What about me?" asked Noah, as Robbie passed out hands free radios and ear
pieces.

"Not to worry, Phillips, I have a special job for you," Damian grinned.

"Alright then, Weiner Dawgs, mount up," said Robbie.

"Robbie, dearest, I'm not going to warn you again," Damian glared.

"So, does that make this the Weinermobile?" asked Noah, as he took the
driver's seat.

"I hate you guys, I hate you so very, very much," Damian hissed.  His
friends chuckled in glee as they pulled out of the Batcave.

Twenty minutes later, the van was parked a block from police headquarters
and Damian was in the lobby.

"Can I help you?" asked the desk sergeant.

"Barbara Gordon is expecting me," said Damian.

"Oh, alright then, just have a seat over there and I'll get her," said the
sergeant.

Damian took a seat on a plain wooden bench, a moment later, an officer
placed a unbelievably tall, transvestite prostitute, next to him.  It was
in handcuffs, waiting to be booked.

"Hey Peaches," said the tranny.

"How do you do?" asked Damian.

"Fine thanks, what are you in for?" asked the tranny.

"Crime spree, I murdered several shemale prostitutes," Damian smirked.

"No shit?" asked the tranny.

"None what-so-ever," said Damian, "bastards kept calling me Peaches."

"Oh, I see how it is," said the tranny, as it scooted as far from the boy
as it could.

"Uh, Damian, what are you doing?" asked Barbara, as she wheeled over to
him.

"Just chatting with this great redwood of a whore," Damian smiled.

"Glad we're keeping you entertained," Barbara chuckled, "come on, dad's
waiting."

"Splendid," said Damian, as he got up to follow her.

It was a brief ride on the elevator to the fifth floor, Damian followed
Barbara to the door marked "James Gordon, Commissioner," and stopped when
she placed her hand on his arm.

"Dad's not real crazy about this idea so watch your step, ok?" asked
Barbara.

"I promise to be as meek as a kitten," Damian grinned.

"Thanks," said Barbara, she patted his shoulder, then opened the door.

"Hi honey," said the Commissioner, when he saw his daughter.

"Good morning daddy, you remember Damian," said Barbara.

"Good morning, Commissioner," said Damian.

"Yeah, morning," the Commissioner huffed.

"Right then," said Damian, "I'll just sit over here and stay out of your
way."

"Ready to go over the nightly report?" asked Barbara, while Damian took a
chair in the corner.

"Sure thing sweetie," smiled the Commissioner.

Over in his corner, Damian pulled a book from his hoodie and pretended to
read.  What he was actually doing was using his trained eye to scan the
office, it was large and the desk was big and solid, it would provide good
cover if need be.  There were two windows but the heavy wooden blinds were
closed, denying a sniper a clear shot.  Uniformed officers were posted
throughout the outer office and the executive floor.  Damian was pleased by
what he saw, the Gotham PD might not be trained in personal protection but
there was enough brute force present to deter any would be hitman.  What
concerned Damian was what might happen when they were on the move, but
that's what he had his team for.

"All units, this is Alpha 1, post check," Damian whispered, behind his
book.

"Alpha 2, in the van," said Robbie, "no unusual communications to report."

"Alpha 3, in the café, all clear," said Colin.

"Alpha 4, Disneyland, it's so magical, wish you guys were here," said Noah.

"Alpha 4..." Damian said threateningly.

"Alright, alright, I'm in the van, behind the wheel, twiddling my thumbs,"
said Noah.

"Don't worry Alpha 4, if there is a plumbing emergency or the Sparklets man
goes missing, you'll be the first one I inform," said Damian, "for now,
you're the only one with a driver's license so stop whining."

"You suck, Alpha 1," Noah grumped.

Damian grinned as he turned the page.

"Thank you Alpha 4, now maintain radio silence, next post check is at
9:00am," said Damian.

"Problem over there?" asked Commissioner Gordon.

"No sir, just checking in with my team," said Damian.

"Team, bunch of kids..." the Commissioner grumbled.

"Daddy," Bab's warned.

"Right, where were we?" asked her father.

Meetings took up most of the Commissioners morning, after he met with
Barbara, he met with each of his division heads.  The last meeting of the
morning was with Bill Reynolds, Chief Deputy Commissioner.

"Knock, knock," said Bill, as he stuck his head through the door.  Damian
rolled his eyes at the hokey gesture and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Come on in, Bill," said Commissioner Gordon.

"Who's the kid?" asked Bill, as he took his seat.

"Oh, this is Damian Wayne, he's shadowing me for a work study program at
school," said the Commissioner.

"Wayne huh, Bruce's kid?" asked Bill.

"That's right," Damian answered, he didn't like the way the Deputy
Commissioner was talking about him as if he weren't there.

"Great, well, why don't you go play in the secretaries room while we talk
business," said Bill.

"I don't think so," said Damian.

"That wasn't a request," said Bill.

"I..." Damian began.

"It's fine Bill, Damian knows that anything said in this office, remains in
this office, right Damian?" said Commissioner Gordon.

"Yes sir," said Damian.

"Fine," Bill grumped, and handed his boss a file, "anyway, I have those
figures you wanted for the Violent Crime Suppression Act."

"Great, I've been waiting for those," said the Commissioner, as he thumbed
through the folder.

"Still meeting with Gavric this weekend?" asked Bill.

"Yeah, we want to finalize this thing so he can present it next week.
Gonna change the world, Bill," the Commissioner smiled.

The men continued their conversation for the next several minutes, Damian
appeared to be concentrating on his book but he was listening closely. The
book irritated the Deputy Commissioner, he resented Damian being allowed to
stay in the room to begin with and now that he wasn't even paying
attention, it pissed Bill off.  When the meeting ended, the Deputy
Commissioner stood up and looked down at Damian.

"As long as you're going to be here, kid, you might want to pay attention,
you might learn something," said Bill.

"Like what, that you've got powdered doughnut residue on your tie?" Damian
quipped.

"Just watch your step," said Bill, as he walked out in disgust.

"Well that was rude," said the Commissioner, as he closed the door behind
his subordinate.

"I quite concur," said Damian, "the nerve of that man."

"I was talking about you."

"Me, what did I do?" Damian protested.

"That crack about the doughnut powder," said the Commissioner, "he's a good
man and he doesn't need some boy, who has never had to do an honest day's
work in his life, criticizing him."

"He has an attitude problem," said Damian, "you know what I think? I
think..."

"You know what I think?" Commissioner Gordon snapped, "I think you killed
Victor Zsasz, I think you killed 6 men in an alley last summer and if your
father hadn't been one of my best friends and a hero to this town, I'd haul
your ass in on charges."

"How do you..."

"I didn't get to be police commissioner because I'm good at paperwork,
kid," said Commissioner Gordon.

"I, I, I..." Damian spluttered, his mouth flopped open like a fish out of
water, he'd never been speechless before.

"Now, having said that, I appreciate what you're trying to do and I'm glad
to have you here, but don't go stepping on my officers toes," said
Commissioner Gordon.

"Y-yes sir," Damian spluttered, then resumed his seat.

Damian sat quietly the rest of the day, the encounter with the Commissioner
stunned him.  He didn't know how Gordon knew the things he did, he had
always assumed that the only people who knew about Zsasz were his brothers
and the only person who knew about last summer was his father.  He didn't
know how the Commissioner figured it out and that unnerved him, Damian was
nothing if not careful.  Still, he had a job to do and tried not to dwell
on it.  The Commissioner might know what he'd done but Damian knew that
proving it was quite another story and he took comfort from that.

At the end of the day, Damian followed the Commissioner down to the lobby
and waited while his protective detail brought up the cars.  Normally the
Commissioner was driven around town by his two detectives in an unmarked
cruiser, now his car was preceded by a lead car and followed by a chase
car, each carrying four more armed men. When the motorcade was assembled,
Damian escorted his protectee to the door.

"Alpha 3, fall back to the van," said Damian.

"Copy that, Alpha 1," said Colin, "I'm on my way."

The tall red head spotted Damian across the street, when he emerged from
the café, he nodded and headed for the van.

"Goodnight Damian," said the Commissioner, "thanks for your help today."

"Yes sir, you're welcome," Damian replied.

"See you in the morning," said the Commissioner, then motioned for his
driver to head out.

Damian trotted down to the van and hoped into the passenger seat.

"Follow the Commissioner's motorcade, I want to make sure he gets home
safely," said Damian.

"You got it," said Noah, has he put the van in gear and pulled into
traffic.

"Don't get to close, his people don't know we're following, I don't want
them to freak out," said Damian.

"No problem," said Noah.

"How did it go today?" asked Robbie.

"Fine," said Damian.

"Just fine?" asked Robbie, he expected more of a report.

"Just a boring day at the office," said Damian, "learn anything about
Gordon's staff?"

"Nothing that raises any red flags," said Robbie.

"Well, maybe Grayson had better luck on his end," Damian sighed.

Unfortunately, Dick was stumped too, he had no leads to go on and while he
rattled the cages of Gotham's criminal underbelly, he was no Red Hood.  At
dinner that night, Damian, Robbie and Dick, shared their information, it
didn't take much time to figure out that they had nothing. The next day
held more of the same for Damian, he sat in the Commissioner's office all
day but there was no repeat of Gordon's harsh words from the day before.
Damian felt as if they had an understanding and he went out of his way to
be respectful to the men and women at police headquarters.  Still, little
happened in the way of action, just another boring day at the office, they
didn't even go out for lunch.

That night, Priest once again sat in a dark room, the only illumination
coming from his computer screen.  He didn't have to wait long for his
employer to appear.

"What news from Gotham City, Priest?" asked the figure.

"Gordon meets with the mayor tomorrow, I will make another attempt then,"
said Priest.

"Best not to wound him this time," said the figure, "but if you have an
opportunity to kill Batman and Robin, more's the pity."

"My pleasure," said Priest.

"Our business is almost at an end, you have performed well," said the
figure.

"What will you do when the bomb goes off?" asked Priest.

"Better if you don't know, but sufficed to say, I wouldn't consider moving
to Gotham City anytime soon," the figure cackled manically.

Damian began his third day as Commissioner Gordon's bodyguard just like the
rest, meetings with Barbara and the senior staff, while he sat in the
corner, pretending to read.  That all changed around 11:30am when the
Commissioner asked his protective detail to bring the car around front.

"Where are we going?" asked Damian.

"City Hall, Mayor Hadley and I have a standing appointment to talk about
the budget once a month.  You'll stay out of the way?" asked Commissioner
Gordon.

"I'll wait in the anti-room for you," Damian agreed.

"Good, we better head downstairs," said Commissioner Gordon.

Damian put on his coat, then followed the Commissioner out of his office,
they were joined by two plain clothes detectives while the rest of the
protective detail would meet them on the street. Damian hung back just a
bit to communicate with his team.

"All units, be advised, Subject G is moving, Alpha 3, fallback to the van,"
Damian whispered.

"Copy Alpha 1, on my way," said Colin.

"Alpha 1, this is Alpha 4, where are we heading?" asked Noah.

"City Hall, follow us there then circle the perimeter," said Damian, "Alpha
3, see if you can get on the roof with a pair of binoculars and watch for
snipers."

"Uh, what do I look for Alpha 1?" asked Colin.

"Men with guns," Damian sighed.

"Yeah, um, duh," said Colin, sarcastically.

"Keep your eyes peeled for anything strange, if you see something that
looks like a good perch with a clear view of the building, take note.
Watch for shadows and light reflecting where it shouldn't," Damian
explained.

"Roger Alpha 1, was that so hard?" Colin grinned to himself, as he got in
the van.

Damian didn't reply, he rolled his eyes and stepped into the elevator with
his protectee.  Downstairs, three unmarked police cars waited in front of
GCPD Headquarters, Damian and the Commissioner piled into the center car
with the driver and one of the detectives, four additional officers in
street clothes filled the others.  Damian was constantly on the lookout for
trouble but was satisfied that the only vehicle following them was the van
carrying his friends.  Noah kept a safe distance between the van and the
motorcade, he too was watching for a tail, he wasn't really trained for it
but even a casual observer would notice a vehicle between himself and the
one he was tracking.

When they arrived at City Hall, Damian followed the Commissioner to the
Mayor's office.  Six of the officers formed a ring around Jim Gordon and
escorted he and Damian inside, while the remaining officers took up
positions in the lobby and out on the street.  Noah pulled the van around
back and dropped Colin off, there was no way for him to get on the roof of
city hall but he was able to climb the fire escape to the building next
door.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, the building he stood
atop was taller than the surrounding buildings and he was able to look down
on the rooftops.

Colin scanned the rooftops with his binoculars, there were some men working
on a heating unit, two buildings over, but he didn't see anything out of
the ordinary.  The only thing that struck him as a little strange was a
window on the other side of City Hall, it was open.  It was mid-December,
the temperature was only supposed to go up to 43 degrees that day and Colin
couldn't figure out why anyone would leave their window open when it was
that cold.  He continued to scan the perimeter but every now and then, his
eyes returned to that open window.

Damian was worried about leaving the Commissioner alone with the Mayor, his
office was bound to have windows and Damian was afraid a sniper would take
advantage of this regularly scheduled meeting to get the drop on his
target.  When they reached the Mayor's office, he was pleased to note that
Gordon's protective detail had called ahead and advised security of their
predicament.  Damian waited patiently as the Mayor conducted the
Commissioner into a conference room in the interior side of the building.
There were no windows to worry about and Damian was able to sit across from
the door, no one would get in or out without crossing him first.

An hour later, Commissioner Gordon emerged from the conference room, he and
the Mayor shook hands, then the entourage headed downstairs.  The cars were
waiting out front and as a detective moved to open the Commissioner's door,
Damian heard Colin's voice ring in his ear.

"Alpha 1, this is Alpha 3, the building directly across from City Hall, on
the 5th floor, there's an open window.  It seemed weird that it would be
open in this weather, I've been watching it and now I'm seeing movement,"
said Colin.

Damian looked up and saw it just in time, someone was pointing a rocket
propelled grenade at the Commissioners car.

"GET DOWN!" Damian shouted.

"What?" asked Commissioner Gordon, as he turned towards Damian, his guards
drew their weapons and looked around nervously.

Damian grabbed the Commissioner by the lapels of his overcoat and threw him
to the ground, he covered him with his own body, just as the rocket
streaked across the sky.  The rocket hit the unmarked police cruiser and
the resulting explosion blew the vehicle ten feet in the air.  The rest of
the protective detail was knocked off their feet as the fireball shot into
the sky.

"What the hell was that?" groaned one of the detectives.

Damian stood up and hauled the Commissioner to his feet, then passed him
off to the detectives.

"Get the Commissioner inside, get him undercover," Damian ordered.

"What are you going to do?" asked the detective.

Damian thought for a second, he didn't have anything but his mask and a
butterfly knife on him, his uniform was in the van but it was too far away.
He reached into the detective's coat and pulled the collapsible baton from
his belt.

"Get him inside," Damian ordered, then sprinted across the street.

"Alpha 1, what was that?" Robbie asked nervously.

"Alpha 3, get downstairs," Damian shouted.

"Roger Alpha 1, I'll meet you down there," said Colin.

"Alpha 1, what is happening?" Robbie asked again.

"Negative Alpha 3, head to the back of the building, cover the exit, don't
let him get away," said Damian.

"Alpha 1..." Robbie began again.

"RPG, suspect is in the building across from City Hall, get Batman," said
Damian.

"Roger Alpha 1," Robbie replied, excitedly, "do you need backup?"

"Negative Alpha 2, alert Batman and hold your position," said Damian.

He crossed the street and entered the building, the lobby of the apartment
building was abandoned, Damian took a second to pull his mask from his
hoodie and put it on. He didn't have time to get his uniform but the mask
would hide his face and some of the features might come in handy.  He
checked the elevators, they weren't running, he assumed the suspect had
shut them down to cover his escape.  He entered the stairwell and looked
up, high above, the suspect was looking down at him, the man fired several
rounds from his .45 automatic, then proceeded up the stairs, towards the
roof.  Damian hugged the wall as he took stairs two at a time, the suspect
had a lead but he was gaining fast.

Damian was almost out of breath as he climbed to the tenth floor and
emerged onto the rooftop.  He turned his head to the right, when he came
through the door and just as he was about to look left, the suspect tackled
him around the waist, knocking him to the ground.  The pair tumbled over
and over, each trying to wrestle his way on top of the other.  The man had
a weight advantage over Damian but Damian was strong enough to keep rolling
his opponent, to keep him from gaining control of the situation.

Down in the van, Robbie called Dick and apprised him of the situation, he
was working at Wayne Tower and immediately took the secret elevator from
his office to the basement bunker.  Once Batman was suited up, he raced to
City Hall, lunch hour traffic be damned.  With his one emergency task
completed, Robbie nervously tapped his fingertips against his console.

"Alpha 1, what is your status?" asked Robbie.

His request was greeted by silence.

"Come in Alpha 1," said Robbie.

"Alpha 3 this is Alpha 2, can you see anything?" asked Robbie.

"Negative Alpha 2, I'm at the back exit, all clear," said Colin.

"Shit," Robbie swore.

"I'm sure he's ok," said Noah, from the front seat.

"I've gotta do something," Robbie muttered.

"He told us to stay put and wait for Bat..." Noah began, but stopped
abruptly when he turned and found the van empty, it's back door open and
the case that contained Robbie's Backslash mask open and empty.

Back on the roof, Damian was struggling with the assailant.  He kneed him
in the balls and was able to get to his feet but the assassin was a
competent fighter, Damian buffeted his body with a series of blows but this
guy just wouldn't stop.  He reeled back from Damian's attack but the
assassin responded with a devastating right hook to Damian's face.  Damian
tumbled back, he landed on his butt, his mask cracked in half and fell from
his face, he was seeing stars but he was able to make out his enemy
standing above him, knife poised to strike.

"I don't fucking think so," said Robbie, as he smashed a crowbar into the
assassins stomach.  He dropped his knife and fell to his knees, the wind
completely knocked out of him.

"Backslash, where did you come from?" asked Damian.

"When you didn't answer me, I got scared, I grabbed this crowbar from the
van's toolkit and came after you," Backslash explained.

Damian shook his head and Robbie helped him to his feet, he leaned over the
assassin, reached into the his waistband and pulled out pistol.  Damian
trained the gun on the assassin determined to hold him there until backup
arrived.

"Where is Batman?" asked Damian.

"He's on his way," Backslash responded.

"Alright, let's see who we're dealing with," said Damian, as he reached for
the assassin's mask and pulled it off his head, "you!"

"Ibn al Xu'ffasch, how you've grown," said Priest.

"You know this guy?" asked Backslash.

"His name is Priest, he worked for my grandfather," Damian replied.

"What are you doing here, Priest, who hired you," Damian demanded.

"You know the code, I will not betray my employer's secret," said Priest,
still on his knees.

"Code be damned, you're defeated, you will tell me what I want to know,"
said Damian.

"You haven't defeated me, you only think you have," said Priest.

Before Damian could give voice to his next question, Priest snatched up his
knife and drove it into his stomach, disemboweling himself.  While training
with the League of Shadows, Priest became an devoted adherent of the
samurai code of Bushido.  Defeated in battle but still alive, Priest
committed Seppuku to restore his honor, ritual suicide.

"No!" Damian shouted, "God damn it!"

Damian and Robbie stood over the body, until Batman arrived.

"Damian, Robbie, are you alright?" asked Batman.

"We're fine," Damian assured him.

"What happened?" asked Batman.

"He's dead, it's over," said Damian, "take me home."

"Alright," Batman sighed.

Batman put his arms around the boys shoulders and escorted them out of the
building, via the back exit.  Colin was waiting there and Noah quickly
arrived with the van.  Once the boys were safely on the way back to Wayne
Manor, Batman called Barbara Gordon and told her where her officers could
find Priest's body.

With Priest dead, life returned to normal in Gotham City, Batman and Robin
still didn't know who had hired the assassin but men of that skill level
were not easy to replace.  One couldn't simply look in the Yellow Pages
under professional killer.  With Priest gone, it was highly unlikely that
his boss could find someone else to take the mission in time to alter the
course of events.

Damian was angry, he'd done everything right and still, a man was dead.  It
wasn't the death that bothered Damian so much, it was that Priest had found
a way to defeat him.  In taking his life, Priest denied Damian the
information he wanted, the identity of his employer, which would have been
the next logical step for Batman and Robin.  Robbie knew that Damian was
upset and worked hard to take his mind off of things.

On Saturday morning, Dick and Barbara decided to take advantage of the down
time, they went for a drive in the hills surrounding the city.  Christmas
was fast approaching and as they hadn't even begun their shopping, Robbie
convinced Damian to let Charlie drive them into the city.  They went to
Barnes and Noble, Damian and Robbie were both book lovers and they spent an
hour looking for appropriate gifts for their loved ones, before settling in
the stores coffee shop for a break. Damian sat at the table, not touching
his hot chocolate, and staring off into space.

"What's on your mind?" asked Robbie.

"Just thinking about that day, up on the rooftop," said Damian.

"It's still bothering you?" asked Robbie.

"I can't get it out of my head, he said "you haven't defeated me, you only
think you have," what do you think that means?" asked Damian.

"I don't know, but he's dead now, you saved Commissioner Gordon's life,
he's meeting with Senator Gavric today and..." Robbie began.

"Of course, that's it!" Damian exclaimed.

"What?" asked Robbie.

"Gavric.  Gordon wasn't the real target, it was Gavric," said Damian.

"How do you figure, Priest tried to take Gordon out twice, why would he do
that if the Senator was the target?" asked Robbie.

"Diversion, he drew Batman and Robin away from his real target by going
after another, that's why he missed each time," said Damian.

"Maybe he just missed," said Robbie.

"No, men like that don't miss, all he had to do was aim at the sidewalk
with that RPG, rather than the car, and we'd be toast right now, he was
trying to keep us interested in protecting Gordon," said Damian.

"Ok, then why did he kill himself, if Gavric was the real target, why
did..." Robbie started.

"Come on," said Damian, as he grabbed Robbie's wrist and hauled him to his
feet.

"Where are we going?" asked Robbie, as they wound their way through the
books, heading for the exit.

"It's a bomb," said Damian, "why didn't I think of it before, Priest
specialized in bombs, call it an Irish thing, he planted a bomb in the
hotel Gordon and Gavric are meeting at, that's what he meant by "you
haven't defeated me, you only think you have," he's going to kill them in
an explosion, he set the bomb before he was killed.  I'm sure of it," said
Damian.

"Jesus, that's crazy," said Robbie, as they exited the store and raced to
the car.

"That was fast," said Charlie, as he held the Mercedes door open for the
boys.

"Waverly Hotel, Charlie, and step on it," said Damian.

At the Waverly Hotel, James Gordon met with Senator Martin Gavric, in the
hotel restaurant.  Gavric was a young man, only 37; he was a rising star
that people were already comparing to John F. Kennedy.  He was excited to
be working with Commissioner Gordon, a legend in the law enforcement
community, and he hoped that together, they would be able to enact landmark
legislation that would put a crimp in organized crime.  The two men had
just sat down when the Commissioner felt his cell phone vibrating in his
pocket, he ignored the call and he and the Senator got down to business.

"Damn it, I can't get Gordon on the phone," said Damian, as the Mercedes
sped across town, "Any luck with Grayson?"

"I can't get through, he took Bab's for a romantic drive in the country,
the trees must be interfering with the signal," said Robbie.

"Try Drake," said Damian, "I'm going to keep trying the Commissioner."

Commissioner Gordon pulled his phone from his pocket the third time it
rang, he saw the name Damian Wayne on the caller ID and turned the phone
off.  The boy knew he had an important meeting that afternoon and the
Commissioner wasn't about to disrupt the proceedings to take a call from a
high strung teenager.  He put his cell back in his pocket as Bill Reynolds
raced up to his table, panting for breath.

"Bill, what are you doing here?" asked Gordon.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Commissioner, Senator, but we have an
emergency and I need to get you gentlemen to a safe place," said Reynolds.

"What's happening?" asked Senator Gavric.

"There isn't time to explain, I need you to come with me now," said
Reynolds.

"I'm not going anywhere without..." Senator Gavric began.

"Senator, if it was anyone else, I'd agree with you but Deputy Commissioner
Reynolds is one of my most trusted subordinates, I suggest we follow him,"
said Commissioner Gordon.

The Senator let out a weary sigh and stood up to follow the Deputy
Commissioner.  The Commissioner had two plain clothes detectives with him,
with the demise of Priest, his security detail had been reduced to normal
levels.  The officer's drew their semi-automatics and looked for danger.

"I'll take the Commissioner with me, you men guard the lobby, I've already
called for backup, they should be here any minute," said Reynolds.

"Yes Sir," replied the senior officer.

Bill Reynolds lead his charges across the lobby floor to the elevator, once
aboard, he pressed the button for the 7th floor.

"Bill, what's going on?" asked Gordon.

"No time to explain now, sir, I'll brief you as soon as I get you to
safety," said Reynolds.

When the elevator reached he 7th floor, Bill stepped off, the Commissioner
and Senator right behind him.  They followed him to room 714 and stepped
inside, while Bill held the door open for them.  Once in the palatial
suite, Bill secured the door behind them.

"Alright now, what's the meaning of this?" asked Gordon, once the door
closed.

"Hi ya Gordo," said the Joker, as he turned in his high backed swivel chair
to face the new arrivals.

"YOU!" Commissioner Gordon exclaimed, as he reached for his gun.

"Not so fast," the Joker cackled.

Bill Reynolds came up behind his boss and injected his neck with a
hypodermic needle, a second later, the Commissioner's body went slack and
he crumpled to the ground.  Before Senator Gavric could make a move,
Reynolds jabbed him with a second needle, he joined Jim Gordon on the hotel
room floor.

"I can't move," said Senator Gavric.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a cheat but I just can't have Gordo pulling a gun on
me," said the Joker, "those things are dangerous, you know?"

"What is this, why can't we move?" said Gordon.

"Oh relax, it's just a little nerve agent I worked up, it'll wear off in
about 20 minutes.  Of course, you only have about 10," the Joker laughed,
as he opened the closet behind him to reveal the bomb inside, its clock
counting down from 11 minutes 31 seconds.

"Why are you doing this?" Senator Gavric demanded.

"Don't take that tone with me, young man, after all, this is your fault,"
said the Joker.

"I don't understand," said the Senator.

"You're just too good at your job, kiddo, and now that you're partnered up
with Gordo here, that crime bill of yours is destined to pass and that
would create to many problems for an honest guy like me," the Joker
giggled.

"So why not just kill us then, why all the theatrics?" asked Commissioner
Gordon.

"Aww, come on, where would the fun be in that?" the Joker replied.

"You're a madman," said the Senator.

"You know, they keep saying that but I ask you, would a crazy person have
this much style?" asked the Joker, as he appeared to brush dust off his
purple suit.

"And you, you're in bed with him?" asked the Commissioner, looking into his
deputy's eyes.

"I've been working for you for 20 years, it's time for a new commissioner,"
said Bill.

"You son of a bitch," Gordon hissed.

"Get out of here Bill, you're upsetting my guests," said the Joker.

"I..." Bill began.

"Out!" the Joker ordered.

Reynolds didn't need to be told a third time, he backed out of the room and
closed the door behind him.

"Ugh, I don't know how you put up with that man for 20 years, such a
whiner," the Joker yawned, "anyway gang, I'd love to hang out, this has
been fun, but BBQ's give me indigestion."

The Joker placed a small charge against one of the suites large picture
windows, then tapped it with the tip of his umbrella.  The glass shattered
into a million pieces and cold winter air filled the room.

"Bye-bye, boys," the Joker cackled as he jumped out the window, his
umbrella opened and he glided to the ground with the small parachute.

"Ok, Tim's on his way," said Robbie, as the Mercedes screeched to a halt in
front of the hotel.

Charlie popped the trunk and Damian's fingers danced across the digital
keypad on the case in back.  He didn't have time to put on his Robin
uniform, instead, he snapped his utility belt around his waist, then
grabbed Robbie by the wrist and dragged him towards the lobby, "come on!"

"Freeze," said one of the police officers Reynolds left behind.

"Wait, Detective Sheredon, it's me, Damian Wayne," said Damian, holding his
hands out in front of him, he recognized the detective from the protective
detail.

"What are you doing here, kid?" asked Detective Sheredon.

"Where is Commissioner Gordon, he and Senator Gavric are in danger," Damian
explained.

"The Deputy Commissioner took them upstairs, he said there was some kind of
emergency," said Sheredon.

"Deputy Commissioner, you mean Reynolds?" asked Damian.

"Yeah, that's right," said Sheredon.

"Evacuate the hotel, get everyone out," said Damian.

"I've got orders to wait for backup," said Sheredon.

"There is a bomb in the building, get everyone out, I'm going after the
Commissioner," said Damian.

"But..." Sheredon began.

"Move it!" Damian shouted.

It would be hard to explain later why he took orders from a teenage boy,
but Detective Sheredon and his partner ran for the front desk to sound the
alarm.

"So where do we even begin to look for Gordon?" asked Robbie.

"I'm going up to the 7th floor, I'll search room by room until I find him,"
said Damian.

"I'll start on the second floor and work my way up, we'll meet in the
middle," said Robbie.

"No, you need to help the police evacuate the other guests," said Damian.

"I can take care of myself," said Robbie, "in case you forgot, I saved your
life the other day."

"Robbie, this isn't about us, it's about all those innocent people who are
going to die if we don't get them out," Damian admonished.

"You're right," Robbie sighed, "I'm sorry."

"No time for that now, help the police and wait for Drake," said Damian, as
he ran to the elevator.

Damian headed for the 7th floor, he figured his best chance of finding the
Commissioner would be to search the building from top to bottom, the only
problem was, he didn't know how much time he had.  The fire alarm started
ringing just as he reached the top floor, when the elevator doors opened,
he came face to face with Bill Reynolds.  The two stood there for a moment,
sizing each other up, as hotel guests filled the hall and scrambled for the
stairs.

Damian struck first, he punched the doughy cop in the face and sent him
stumbling back.  Damian seized him by the collar and shoved him against the
wall.

"Where is Commissioner Gordon?" Damian shouted.

"My nose, you broke my fucking nose," Bill groaned.

Damian hit him with a hard left followed by a hard right.

"Tell me where he is!" Damian demanded.

Screw it, let the Joker handle this punk, thought Bill, the bomb was
counting down, there wasn't time to argue with this kid.

"I'll tell you if you let me go," said Reynolds.

"You'll tell me where he is or I'll rip your throat out," Damian
threatened.

"There's a bomb, we've got maybe five minutes now, let me go and I'll tell
you where to find Jim," said Bill.

"Fine," Damian sighed, then eased his hold on the Deputy Commissioner, "now
tell me where he is."

"Room 714, just down the hall," said Bill.

Damian grabbed the lapels of the Deputy Commissioner's cheap suit coat and
rammed his knee into the man's balls.

"Mother fucker," Bill swore, as he dropped to his knees.

Damian reached around Bill's waist and pulled the handcuffs from his belt,
he snapped one on Bill's wrist, then secured the other to a door knob.

"Hey, hey you said you'd let me go!" Bill exclaimed.

"Yeah well I lied," said Damian, he ran down the hall, leaving Bill to
scream behind him.

The hall was empty now, the fleeing guests were on their way down the
stairs as Damian found room 714.  Of course the door was locked, so he
jammed his shoulder against it until it broke and swung open.  He stepped
inside and found the two men, lying on the floor.

"Commissioner, are you alright?" asked Damian, as he knelt next to Gordon.

"The Joker, he injected us with a nerve agent, we can't move," said the
Commissioner.

"Sir, we have to get out of here, I think there's a bomb in the building,"
said Damian.

"It's right behind you," said Gordon, "get the Senator out, the Joker is
trying to keep him from introducing the crime bill, he's got to get out of
here."

"I'm not going without you, Commissioner," said Senator Gavric.

Damian turned to the bomb, he only had 4 minutes and 50 seconds.  He
dragged Senator Gavric over to the shattered window, then pulled the
grappling hook from his utility belt.  He fired his line across the street,
where it lodged itself into the building, next he fastened the other end to
the Senator's belt.

"What are you doing?" asked Senator Gavric.

"I'm sorry sir but there really isn't time to argue, you have to get out of
here," said Damian.

"What are
you...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,"
the Senator screamed, as Damian pushed him out the window.

"Jesus Christ!" Jim Gordon exclaimed.

The Senator's limp body swung across the expansive boulevard, the line held
and he slammed into the building with a thud.  His arm was probably broken
from the impact, along with a couple of ribs, but he was alive.  With the
Senator safely away, Damian turned his attention to the bomb, 4 minutes, 7
seconds.

"Can you disarm the bomb?" asked Gordon.

"The good news is yes, I can, the bad news is, not in the time remaining
and that was my only grappling line," said Damian.

"Go, save yourself," said Gordon.

"I can't do that sir," Damian huffed, as he lifted Gordon into a fireman's
hold and struggled to carry him towards the door, "Barbara would never
forgive me."

 Tim Drake had been driving out to Wayne Manor, when he got Robbie's call.
He'd planned to spend some time in the family gym but once Robbie explained
what was happening, he flipped a 180 and raced downtown. Tim's BMW
screeched to a halt, right next to Charlie and the Mercedes, he found both,
standing on the front steps, guiding dazed hotel guests out to the street.

"Robbie, where's Damian?" asked Tim.

"He's inside, he went after Gordon," said Robbie.

"Did he say where he was going?" asked Tim.

"The 7th floor, he was going to work his way down from there," said Robbie.

"Alright, I'm going after him, keep evacuating guests," said Tim.

"No, Damian said to..." Robbie began, but his phone started ringing and the
caller ID showed that it was Damian's number, "wait, Tim, it's Damian."

"Robbie?" Damian grunted into the phone.

Damian held the phone between his shoulder and his ear, he'd only been able
to carry the Commissioner so far, he was too heavy. Damian was reduced to
dragging him down the stairs, he had to use both hands and it was slow
going.

"Damian, where are you?" asked Robbie.

"Somewhere between the 5th and 6th floors, the Commissioner's been
paralyzed, I'm dragging him down," Damian huffed.

"Tim's here, we'll come get you," said Robbie.

"No, there isn't time," said Damian, "we've only got about three minutes
now."

"Hold on, I'm coming," said Robbie.

"Wait," Damian groaned under the strain, "put Drake on the phone."

"Damian?" said Tim, when Robbie handed the phone over.

"Drake, the bomb is going to go off, don't let Robbie come in here," said
Damian.

"Alright, but I'm coming to get you, I'll be right..." Tim started.

"No Drake, you won't make it in time," said Damian.

"Dami, you're my brother, I can't leave you there" said Tim.

"We might still make it, we're not giving up but if you have any regard for
me at all, please Drake, get Robbie away from the building," Damian
pleaded.

"Alright," Tim sighed, "good luck."

"Well, what did he say?" asked Robbie, when Tim hung up the phone.

"I'm sorry Robbie," said Tim, he grabbed Robbie around the waist and hefted
the small blond off his feet, then started to drag him away, "come on
Charlie we've got to go.

"Tim, put me down, we have to go after him," Robbie begged and struggled
against Tim's hold.

"I'm sorry Robbie," Tim sniffled, he hated to leave Damian but he knew his
brother was right, there wasn't enough time, he had to get Robbie away.

"Tim no, we have to go back, we have to, no!" Robbie shouted.

As the seconds ticked down, an exhausted Damian finally dragged the
Commissioner to the ground floor.  He collapsed at the foot of the stairs,
his legs and arms worn out, his strength fading fast. They were in a long
hall, the exit was a mere thirty feet away but it may as well have been a
mile.

"Leave me, save yourself," said Commissioner Gordon.

"No way, we're in this together," Damian panted, as he got to his feet.

He stumbled and struggled to drag the Commissioner behind him but slowly
they made progress.  Damian had his hand on the door when the bomb went
off, he heard the noise first, then everything went black.

Robbie, Charlie and Tim were across the street, with the hotel guests, when
the bomb went off.  Tim still had a struggling Robbie in his arms and when
the building exploded, they were knocked to the ground.  When the dust
settled, Robbie got to his knees and looked across the street, the entire
front façade of the hotel was gone, the many floors exposed to the
elements, there was no sign of Damian or the Commissioner.

"Damian," Robbie whimpered, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Robbie buried his face in his hands and sobbed, he couldn't believe Damian
was gone, he just couldn't be.

"Oh God, oh Damian, I love you, I love you," Robbie cried.

"It's ok, it's gonna be ok," said Tim, his hand was on Robbie's shoulders
and tears were streaming from his own eyes.

"Boy's, boy's look," Charlie exclaimed.

Tim and Robbie looked up and there stood Damian Wayne, his hair and clothes
were singed, his face was covered with soot and bruises but he was alive,
with Jim Gordon slung across his back.  The boys raced across the street,
Damian and the Commissioner collapsed in their arms.

"Dami, Dami you're alive," Robbie exclaimed.

"We made it," said Damian, letting out an exhausted breath.

"Damn right you did," said Tim, "good job brat, great job."

"Senator ok?" asked Damian.

"Yeah, the fire department is getting him down now," said Tim.

"Get an ambulance for the Commissioner, ok?" asked Damian.

"Paramedics are on their way," said Tim.

"Robbie, you're ok?" asked Damian.

"I'm fine, I'm right here," said Robbie, taking his hand.

"Ok," said Damian, closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath, "I'm
gonna take a nap now."

Two days after the explosion, Damian lie in bed, in his pajamas, propped up
against the headboard by a number of large, fluffy pillows.  He felt fine,
the explosion had left him with some new bumps and bruises, his body was
sore and he'd passed out from exhaustion, but it was nothing he couldn't
handle. He was tired of being in bed and had said as much just that morning
but Alfred insisted on one more day's rest.  Damian being Damian, he of
course protested but clamed up when the old butler explained that if he
didn't stay in bed, like a good boy, he'd find out how Alfred handled rough
customers during his MI-6 days.

Damian made a big show of saying he wasn't intimidated by threats, but
everyone noticed he did as he was told.  Titus, his trusty Great Dane, lie
on the bed next to him, Damian scratched his ear with one hand and channel
surfed with the other, he decided there was nothing on, just as his door
opened and Barbara Gordon wheeled herself to his bedside.

"Cute jammies," she grinned.

"Um, thanks," Damian blushed and pulled his covers up, just a bit.

"How are you feeling?" asked Barbara.

"I'm fine," Damian shouted, for the benefit of anyone who might be
lingering in the hall, "but thank you for asking."

"Least I could do for the hero of the hour," Barbara smiled again.

"How's your father?" asked Damian.

"He's doing great, still in the hospital but it takes longer to recover at
his age, they put him in a room with Senator Gavric," she explained,
"they're finishing up their crime legislation and the Senator is taking it
back to Washington as soon as he's released."

"So he's ok too?" asked Damian.

"Sure, but he keeps telling this story about a crazy boy who pushed him out
of a 7th floor window and saved his life," she grinned.

"Oh," Damian blushed.

"He's a politician so naturally the story gets more elaborate every time he
tells it but I'd say he's grateful to you," Barbara explained.

"Just doing my job," said Damian.

"Dad wanted you to have this, asked me to bring it by personally," said
Barbara, as she pinned a shiny Gotham City Police Department badge to his
pajama top.

"What's this for?" asked Damian.

"He said to tell you that as far as he's concerned, you've earned a full
pardon," said Barbara, "and that he'd be proud to have you on his force,
anytime.  He said you'd know what he meant."

"Yeah," Damian blushed.

"And this is from me," she added, as she leaned forward and kissed him on
the cheek, "thank you for saving my daddy, I'm not read to lose him yet."

"All in a day's work," Damian smiled.

"Speaking of which, I better let you rest up, there's plenty more to be
done," said Barbara, "we can't have Batman going out on patrol without his
Robin."

"Poor Grayson, he'd be lost without me," Damian sighed.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," said Robbie, as he walked in with a tray,
"Alfred made you lunch, I told him I'd bring it up."

"No problem, I was just leaving," said Barbara, as she rolled out the door.

"I'm not quite hungry yet, why don't you put that down and give us a
snuggle?" said Damian.

"Sure," Robbie smiled brightly.  He cleared off the nightstand and set the
tray down, then kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with Damian.

"What's this?" asked Robbie, brushing his fingers over the badge pinned to
Damian's chest.

"A full pardon," said Damian.

"A pardon?"

"It's a long story," said Damian, as he put his arms around his boyfriend.

"Something tells me I want to hear this one," said Robbie.

"Yeah, it's a good one," said Damian, "it all started last summer, when I
first came to Gotham City..."

The boys snuggled under the warm blankets, as the snow fell outside, Damian
told Robbie about how he'd killed 6 men in an alley, before they could rape
a young girl and how he'd eliminated Victor Zsasz.  Robbie knew about
Zsasz, sometimes Damian talked about it in his sleep, the 6 men in the
alley were news. Robbie was a little shocked at first, but in the end, 6
rapists were dead, along with a child murderer, he could live with that, he
didn't think society would miss them.

"This would be a good story for your shrink," said Robbie.

"I'd like to tell Dr. Quinzel but that might be a little complicated,
doctor patient confidentiality or not," Damian snickered.

"Good point," Robbie agreed, "on another note, we took down a professional
assassin, you've been blown up and the Commissioner's safe. This is still
just the first week of winter break, whatever shall we do?"

"The Joker is still out there, but I think he'll keep for a while.  I
haven't done my Christmas shopping yet," said Damian.

"Great, we'll make a day of it, just not at the mall," said Robbie.

"What's wrong with the mall?" asked Damian.

"Come on, your brother's told me all about how you beat up Santa last
year," Robbie giggled.

"How was I supposed to know this country was infested with Santa
impersonators?" Damian exclaimed.

"Oh Dami," Robbie groaned and kissed him on the cheek, "you're so weird."