"Thanks for coming Wally.." Dick stood at his apartment door with an uneasy smile. Even though he had known his best friend for almost half his life, he still had never totally gotten used to his friends speed ability. Dick had only called The Flash not even three minutes ago, and now here he was standing impatiently waiting to be let into Dick's cluttered apartment. Dick yawned and indicated with a sweeping hand motion for his friend to enter. It hadn't occurred to him that he wasn't fully dressed since he had just tumbled out of bed to answer his door, the security cameras outside the apartment letting him know who the visitor was.

"Didn't know Bat Briefs was the required dress code Wing. Should I go home and change?" Dick blushed as he realized his mistake and turned quickly toward the kitchen mumbling about needing coffee.

"So how's it been going Dick? How's the Titans team doing?" Flash had only recently told Nightwing about his decision to quit the team and he knew Nightwing hadn't been happy about his decision. Understanding Nightwing's POV was one thing, getting Wing to see his was always something else. He couldn't keep up looking after his own city, being a member of the JLA, being a member of the Titans, AND being married. Something had to give. Nightwing had seemed a little hurt that it was the Titans he had given up and NOT the JLA. Of course Wing never said that directly. He wouldn't.

"Fine." Came the forced reply. Uh-Oh. Here it comes. Wally sighed and decided to get it over with.

"You seem upset about something. You okay?" Dick came out of the kitchen holding two coffee mugs and looking more than a little beat. Wally couldn't help wondering how long it had been since Dick had any real sleep instead of the five minute Bat Naps they all used to kid him about.

"The Titans isn't the team I called you over here to discuss.." There he had said it. He knew he had misled Wally over the phone, making it sound like there was a problem with the team. Well there was actually, just not the Titans team.

"OH MAN! You are sneaky, you know that?"

"I want to know what happened Wally."

"So why not ask the Bat." Wally meant to aggravate his friend. He didn't like being manipulated. Like father like son he mused.

"I have."

"And..."

"Tell me who voted him out Wally." Dick's voice was full of anger and resentment even though he didn't raise his voice. Batman had been voted out of the JLA because he had been keeping secret files on all the JLA members. Files that wound up in the wrong hands and caused a helluva a lot of grief. Even though Nightwing understood their anger and frustration at Batman, he couldn't understand just kicking him out. Just like that, like all Batman had done for the team and each member of the team, over the years had meant nothing. It had opened up old wounds for Nightwing. Reminding him of a time when his own team, the Titans, had asked him to step down as leader. The hurt and the fury of that time came storming back into his memory. He couldn't stand the fact that now Batman, the man who had raised him and called him son, was now going through that same pain. He wanted to know, needed to know, demanded to know, who was putting him through this.

"Bud, you know I can't tell you that. Don't even ask me to Dick." Wally set his coffee mug down and looked his friend in the eyes. He had been worried that Dick might ask him this and he knew even to save their friendship he couldn't rat out his other teammates. He stood up, deciding to leave before more was said. Seeing the hurt look on Dick's face he sat back on the couch and sighed heavily. This sucked.

"If you're worried I'll tell Batman, don't be. One I wouldn't and two, he knows already."

"WHAT?!?!?" Wally couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was glad he had already set the mug of hot liquid down or he would have been wearing it when he turned so fast.

"I don't know how he knows but he does. OF COURSE that doesn't mean he'll tell me."

"Are you sure he knows?" Wally's mind was racing. How could Batman possibly have known which members had voted what? What was he thinking? It figured Batman would know. Batman knows everything, or at least it almost always seemed that way.

"He knows. Now I want to know and you're going to tell me." If the situation hadn't been so serious Wally would have laughed at his bestest bud as he mimicked perfectly "the voice" of his mentor.

"Oh come on Dick. Don't put me in the middle, man. I didn't vote him out. Okay?"

"So who did?"

"I'm sorry dude. You're getting nada out of me on this one. Try to see my POV once in a while why don't ya?"

Wally was surprised when Dick got up and took his jacket off the back of the chair. Without warning he threw it into Wally's face. The metallic button on the sleeve hit him hard in the eye causing it to instantly sting and water. Jerking the jacket down out of his face, he was just about to protest when he seen the look on Dick's face. Oh shit. He's pissed big time...

"You know where the door is Flash." The icy chill in Dick's voice ran down Wally's spine like nails on a chalkboard. Yep, he thought, this definitely sucks.

"What are you doing here?" Batman's stance warned he wanted to be left alone. Hmm, like always, Dick thought.

"Special delivery. I have here one ex-large, original crust, ham and pineapple pizza with extra cheese." Nightwing waved the pizza in front of Batman's face letting him get a good whiff of it. Maybe the JLA didn't understand but he did. It helped to know your partners weaknesses. He grinned a knowing smile. Seemed he understood his surrogate father more and more as he got older. He found that as annoying as he did comforting.

"In that case..." Batman stepped back and let Nightwing pass by, watching his son with grateful eyes as he placed the pizza on the table by the computer console. Dick had been extremely thoughtful since his misunderstanding with the JLA. Batman wasn't used to so much attention, afraid to get used to it, in case it stopped. He couldn't however help enjoying it. More time with his son was a good thing, a very good thing.

"I left the cokes in the car, I'll be right back." Nightwing disappeared and in moments was right back smiling at his former partner. He didn't understand the look Batman was giving him but it didn't matter. No way was he going to let him mope.

"Dick, it's not that I don't appreciate this.. and I'm glad to see you of course.." Batman's voice trailed off. How to ask him without offending him? "But why are you here? You have been here every night for over a week. You look like something the cat drug in. When's the last time you had some sleep?"

"I... just wanted to see you." Nightwing knew he wasn't buying it but it was really the truth in his eyes.

"Okay, I guess I know how it feels Bruce. To be asked to leave the team. I just want to help you through it that's all." Nightwing saw a guilty look come across Batman's face. He didn't understand why.

"That sounds like you..." Batman answered his voice just over a whisper. Nightwing looked at him confused.

"What? What sounds like me?"

"I kicked you out of our team. Fired you as Robin. The Titans asked you step down as leader. I didn't talk with you about it. Refused to even let you bring it up. Mostly because I felt guilty over causing you that same pain. Now here you are, with pizza and cokes, standing at the ready to help me. To be my friend. I don't deserve this from you Dick. Batman placed the pizza in his hand back inside the box, walking away from his son, ashamed to look him in the eyes. Nightwing picked up the pizza and caught up with him, forcing him to stop and look at him.

"We both have made mistakes. I'll make you a deal, okay?"

"What kind of deal?"

"I'll forgive you, IF, you forgive yourself." The gentle reassurance in his son's eyes brought him back to the land of the living. Batman accepted the pizza and placed his other hand on Nightwing's shoulder.

"If it meant I would be seeing you more often son, I would have gotten fired long ago." Batman teased.

"I still can't believe they did that, and Superman.. I can't believe that he voted you out. I thought the two of you were friends. Thought that he and I were friends. Guess I was wrong." Batman couldn't miss the sound of disappointment in his son's voice as he spoke of Superman. Nightwing had always looked up to the Kryptonian. Now he seemed crushed by what he considered to be betrayal on Superman's part. It never ceased to surprise Batman how totally loyal his son was to him.

"Dick. I was in the wrong. Not Superman and not the rest of the team. Just me." He watched as Dick thought over his explanation. Seeing conflict brewing in his azure eyes.

"I don't care. You're my dad and they fired you." Batman had to smile. A rarity, it was true but sometimes it couldn't be helped. Especially when his child, who had grown to manhood, still looked at him like he hung the moon.

A thought struck Batman then and he turned to look at Nightwing. "How did you know what Superman voted?" He watched as Nightwing's grin grew bright and then brighter still.

"I used the jacket on Wally.." Batman couldn't help noticing that Nightwing looked pleased with himself.

"You forced your best friend to tell you how the votes went." Batman's voice left no question that he was displeased.

"Well, yeah."

"And.. you see nothing wrong with doing that?"

Nightwing shifted his feet and tried to avoid Batman's gaze. He felt like he was a kid all over again.

"You and I need to have a talk son, apparently I have been giving you mixed signals...

The phone ringing brought Wally West out of the sound sleep he had been enjoying sitting in front of the television set. Looking at the called I.D., he almost decided not to answer it but thought better of it. IF for no other reason to give the caller a piece of his mind.

"What do you want Officer DICK?" Wally shouted his greeting in an accusing tone.

"Wally, listen man, I just called to say.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in the middle. I was way wrong.." Wally's jaw dropped in shock at the sincere words of his friend. That figures he thought. I had it all worked out. What I was going to say to him, the names I was going to call him and he pulls a stunt like this. This sucks.

"It's okay dude, just don't pull that kind of shit again. Oh, and if you tell anyone that you know about the voting or who voted what, I'm going to hunt you down - tie you to a chair and make you listen to me impersonate Elvis for hours."

"Oh God, I'll be good from now on, please! Please don't do Elvis.." Dick's pleading voice brought the intended laughter from Wally. Both men smiling now, Wally had to add, "Who says only the Bat guys can be intimidating?"

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