Sunlight shone through their window and straight onto Tim's face to wake him up. He yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. He noticed Dick pacing the room with a bat in his hand. They weren't supposed to have weapons in the room so he must've snuck out during the night to fetch it. He was slightly hunched over, his injuries from the beating obviously bothering him but not enough to keep him down.

"Dick?" He noted that the older looked tired like he hadn't slept all night. He stopped pacing when he realized the younger had woken up. 

"Morning."

"What's with the bat?"

"To break the window lock." He was nervous, Tim could tell. He couldn't blame him either. Dick had been living with Joey for around five years and never thought of leaving before. He didn't let them entertain the idea when they previously suggested it either. This was probably more terrifying than getting a beating from their boss. 

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yep. Fine. Good even." Short sentences only highlighted his nerves. "You?"

"Nervous. Joey's paying to keep my dad alive. What if Mr Wayne doesn't continue the payments?" He hadn't thought about it last night but he wondered if he'd been too selfish in risking it all. If it didn't go well and they were caught by Joey, he'd surely stop the payments that maintained his Dad's life support. If it did go well there was no way of ensuring Mr Wayne would show such mercy. 

"I'll make sure he does," Dick assured him, soothing his worries as he so often did. "If Batman knows him then he must know about when he saved your Dad. I bet it wouldn't even dent his bank account to help out," he reasoned. Tim nodded with a smile. 

"You think so?"

"I know so Timmy. He'll have me to answer to if he doesn't."

Jason soon woke up due to their conversation and Dick talked through the plan. He'd block the door with the mattress whilst Jason broke the lock on the window with the bat. Tim would wear the backpack with everything they had and climb down the escape first, then Jason and then Dick. That was if Joey didn't wake up due to the commotion. If he did, Dick would hold him off and the boys would make their way to the Manor. He'd catch up later if he could. 

"What if he hurts you more than usual?" Jason asked. He didn't want to say kill. It would make the situation way too real. 

"As long as you two get there, I'll be fine." They frowned at his phrasing.

"Dick, it won't be worth it if you're not there too," Tim insisted.

"It will be. Trust me on that."

They got up off the mattress and helped him move it in front of the door to block it. He leaned against it to add to the weight. Through the door, he could hear Joey's drunken snores. Perhaps his alcohol-induced sleep would keep him that way through the noise. Jason raised the bat up above the lock and then waited for the signal. Tim put on the backpack and got ready to jump through onto the fire escape. 

Eventually, Dick cocked his head, signalling for Jason to break the lock. The bat went crashing down with a loud thud and the metal broke apart. They supposed years of wear and tear made it weaker than usual. Tim slid open the window and jumped onto the fire escape, the ginger swiftly following. 

A loud crash came from the other side of the door as they made their way down the escape. Dick knew he only had seconds to make it out after the boys. With the help of pure adrenaline, he moved away from the door and raced across the room to the window. He scrambled out onto the metal escape when the door was flung open by an enraged Joey who was coming to terms with the situation. Joey's yells pushed him to find enough energy to get to the alley and catch up with the others. 

"Go!" he shouted, grabbing their wrists and pulling them forward as he dashed into the crowds. They had to hide in plain sight and fast.

Finally, Dick allowed them to stop running when they got to the business district of Gotham. Wayne Manor was an hour's walk away. 

"We did it," Jason muttered. "We actually got out of that hell hole!" His exclamation garnered some attention from businessmen so Dick swiftly shushed him and told him to keep his voice down. "Aren't you happy about this? You were in there more than twice as much as I was," he replied, confused as to why the older wasn't celebrating. 

"I'll be happy when we get there and sort out the details." He let go of Jason's wrists but kept a tight hold of Tim's hand, not wanting to lose him in the crowds. Honestly, he couldn't celebrate like they could. He was the one who got them into this mess.

Two years ago, Jason was running low on luck and funds. He'd been a street kid for a while but he'd always managed to get by. It was during the winter that he was really struggling. Gotham got colder and the soup kitchens got more full as did the shelters. His mum had sent him to wait in line in the cold, saying she was too sick to get food from the kitchen and he was a big kid now. He knew she was using again. 

That's where he met Dick for the first time. They were two years apart but Dick looked the same age as him. He was small and skinny as was Jason. He waited till the younger was alone to pounce. Jason didn't know what he was getting himself into, Dick made sure of that. He said he'd get money and a roof over his head. All he had to do was rough some people up. Being the scrappy kid he was, Jason accepted the offer in an instant. 

Joey was nice to him at first like he always was, but after the second month of working for him that niceness faded. He soon realized that he'd been drawn into a life of organized crime that he had intended to stay away from. He and Dick's relationship was strained for a while until he saw the beating the older took on his behalf. It became evident that he hadn't meant anything malicious by plucking him off the streets, he was just doing a job.

Two months ago, Tim was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital crying. His mother had died and his Dad was in a coma. He counted his blessings that he had one parent left but that wouldn't pay the medical bills that would surely befall him and it wouldn't save him from the foster care system they'd be sent to.

Dick was in the waiting room too and was quick to comfort the boy. He said he was waiting for Joey, his guardian, who was getting a check-up in the walk-in clinic. By the time he'd gotten Tim to calm down, Joey was out and saw the potential in him. He was better off than Dick and Jason had been when they started working so he saw the opportunity to get some brains on the team or at the very least some good bait. He got Tim's story and offered to pay for the medical bills on the condition he came to work for him. With the naivety only a nine-year-old could possess, Tim agreed to the condition. 

The same thing happened to him. Joey was nice for a month then turned mean. He followed in Jason's footsteps and got angry with Dick over the situation only to realize the sacrifices he made.

So Dick couldn't celebrate. He was just making up for what he did to them.

They weaved their way through the crowds towards the fancier parts of Gotham. At one point Tim became tired and Dick carried him the rest of the way. He was exhausted himself but they didn't have the luxury to stop. He could barely keep his eyes open as the adrenaline of the morning wore off. The group received some concerned stares from members of the public but most ignored them in favour of getting to work on time. Thanks to the lack of concern, they managed to get there without a hitch. 

The gates to the mansion were tall and intimidated the group. They stared up at them and gulped. Between them and a safe life stood those gates. Going through them meant the end of an era of cowering in a dark room for most of the day with only a small bed for them to share. Dick looked to the side and saw a small intercom. He took a deep breath and pressed the buzzer. 

"Wayne residence, who is this?" a man replied. He had a thick British accent which surprised the group. Bruce Wayne wasn't British so this must be some worker. Dick worried the worker would soon send them away but he pushed through that worry and responded. 

"Batman sent us."

"Ah, just a moment please." The gates opened, allowing them entrance to the grand home. "Please come to the door."

Cautiously, they walked through the gates and up the stone path. Around the house, there was a large section of trees and various greenery. Some bushes had been cut into shapes and Tim took joy in silently naming the shapes from the top of Dick's back. He wondered if they'd be able to play in the large garden and already thought up games they would enjoy. The door looked like rich mahogany which was no surprise. It was probably worth more than they were combined and Dick was about to touch it. He knocked gently on the door, not wanting to damage the fine wood. 

"Anyone else sweating buckets?" Jason asked as they watched the door carefully. Tim nodded whilst Dick stayed focused on the door. They heard the gates close behind them then the door was opened by an old man in a suit. He had grey hair and piercing blue eyes. He was much taller than them but that wasn't something to marvel at. Nearly everyone was taller than them. 

"Do come in. Master Bruce is waiting for you in the living room," he informed them. They recognized his British accent as the man who'd talked to them on the intercom.

Dick put Tim down as they walked into the manor. It was lavishly decorated with expensive oil paintings and fine china. All the furniture was made out of rich wood with careful carvings. There was a grand staircase carpeted with lavish wool. They daren't touch a thing in case they break something. The butler led them to a large room where Bruce sat reading the newspaper. 

Upon noticing their presence, he put the newspaper down and gave them a soft smile. 

"You must be the boys Batman told me about," he greeted. He put his hand out and they each cautiously took it but not before wincing at the sudden gesture. His smile faltered for a second. "What're your names?" he asked.

"I'm Jason, the guy with the black eye is Dick and the travel-size headache is Tim," Jason answered, gaining more confidence. 

"I'm tall for my age!" He rolled his eyes with a smirk. 

"How old are you?" Bruce asked.

"Nine and a half sir," Tim replied. He made the older chuckle.

"You are rather tall then," he confirmed. Dick squinted his eyes at him, not trusting how friendly he was with them. Joey was the same and look how well that turned out. "What about you two?" he asked.

"I'm eleven and Dick's thirteen." 

After going through a few pleasantries, Bruce introduced Alfred and showed them to their rooms. They were all next to each other and double the size of their old room. There wasn't much decoration in them aside from the walls being painted blue and generic boy-themed furniture. 

"I thought we could go shopping so you can personalize your rooms," Bruce explained.

"Really? But we don't have any money," Jason pointed out. He chuckled and shook his head. 

"You're in my care now, money is no problem," he assured them. Tim smiled brightly when he mentioned that. There was hope for his Dad. 

"Huh, cool," Jason muttered. 

"Have you boys eaten yet?" The younger boys shook their heads vigorously. "Alfred, could you make something up for us?" The butler nodded softly and disappeared to the kitchen.

They continued to look around until Bruce got a call, leaving them in one of the bedrooms to take it. 

"What do you think of this guy then?" Jason asked as they looked around the room. Tim climbed onto the bed, almost falling off when he realized how soft it was. It was much better than the one he'd been sleeping on for months. 

"He's really nice," he responded when he finally steadied himself. "And he's giving us food, that's always a plus." Jason laughed and joined him on the bed. 

"Yeah, that helps. He seems pretty cool," he agreed. They looked to the eldest who was inspecting the view from the bedroom. "Penny for your thoughts?"Jason said, jumping off the bed and sitting on the window sill. Dick's eyes remained on the garden outside. "Dick? You're scaring me here dude." He jumped, finally noticing the ginger's presence beside him. 

"Sorry, what?"

"What do you think of Mr Wayne?" Tim repeated.

"He's alright I guess but I wouldn't trust my judgment," he replied with a shrug. They frowned at him. 

"Well I like him so I'm staying optimistic," Tim stated. "You should too."