The sun had set when Tim arrived at his apartment with a bunch of files and documents on his hands. He kicked the door open, revealing the dark apartment as it closed itself with a gentle thud. The door was locked, and Tim was home.

He dropped everything on the kitchen's counter and unload other things else he had gotten from the manor. Sighs escaped his mouth as he unloaded the last bag off to the shelf. All easy to cook dry and canned ingredients were off to the shelf while the rest were going to the fridge. Alfred's shopping bags were sitting silently near the fridge, ready for all the food to be stored in its proper place. Other bags were on the dining table, neat, untouched, and unopened as it had been more than a week since he came back here.

Finished placing all food items to where they belonged, Tim stopped doing everything. He walked and hit the side of his elbows against the concrete wall before landing itself against the dining table. And, he just stayed there, on the cold wooden floor with his head leaning on the leg of the white table. The three weeks old paperwork was sitting on the dining table and the bags from his short travels.

He knew he needed to take care of them all, instead he only stared at the top of document's piles - at Damian's files.

Everything was in the piles. The cases, company works, and Damian's blood test was color coded, but still in the piles. Tim had exhausted all the resources he could find on the cave's computer but there was nothing. Damian's symptoms were too general - too normal. It could simply overlook as normal tiredness or other normal diseases. The blood test didn't help either since he couldn't find anything relevant. Not when it was just by himself.

He took a deep breath as he reached for his phone in his pocket. Emails, texts, and some miscall filled his notification, but those weren't what he was looking for. He was looking for Alfred's number as both he and Damian were absent for all afternoon. Tim lingered there, the number was found and all he needed to do was to press call. He had prepared a long list of conversations scenarios inside of his head. Just a way to be subtle about his interrogation.

Yet, he was still hesitant. After all, Alfred had convinced them that he'd be with Damian all day during their visit to the hospital. There was nothing he could counter the old butler with, except a nodding yes.

He sighed and stared at the name and number on his phone again. It took him a minute but he made up his mind and decided to press the screen of his phone. The number dialed; Tim could hear the impatient and angry tone of it trying to connect to the receiver. He could hear it all through the earphone connected to the Bluetooth of his phone.

Tim waited. His fingers playing with the case of the phone while occasionally looking the screen gazing at the rest of his apartment and outside of the window before returning to the screen. Waiting for the old butler and grandpa to pick up his phone. His head dropped when he heard the familiar voice, the aged and clear voice.

"Master Tim?"

He sighed and waited. Gathered all his remaining strength to say what he had wanted to say.

"Yes, Alfred." It was a relief, a small sense of relief.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Another sigh escaped as he gathered himself.

Yes was the answer he wanted to give. But, in reality, he could not give it.

"Yeah, everything's fine," a lie but he had to. "Where are you guys right now?"

It was vague. The sound of people talking, footsteps, and white noises that he couldn't guess. He waited while hearing the small and quiet conversation on the other side of the phone. The detective knew it was Damian's voice; the soft, quiet, and almost inaudible for Tim to hear. It was Damian talking to Alfred, and the oldest man replying all the questions asked.

"We are still in the hospital, sir," the old confident voice said. "There are some complications, and Master Damian insisted on waiting for his friend."

Tim nod despite knowing the old butler couldn't see him but did it out of habit. It was hard to spot any lies spoken through the old butler's mouth, and Tim knew that Alfred would never lie to any of them unless necessary. He didn't want to push it. He figured how tiring it must have been for Alfred to deal with them on top of everything else he must do.

The Red Robin decided to let him off. Suspicions were still present, but he couldn't prove any truth just based on their conversation. Now, he knew that he needed to visit the manor again to gain all the information.

Upon realizing that, he sighed. The tensed shoulder dropped as he picked up himself and walked toward the grey couch in his living room. Tim just realized how crazy of a ride all this made him.

"Is everything okay, sir? Do you need us to come back home right now?" It was sincere and worrisome. The only two words able to describe the voice his old grandpa used.

Tim shook his head, clearing everything that had clogged his brain and letting it empty itself. In other words, he was exhausted beyond belief and his thought-process just stopped altogether.

"Everything's okay. Dick was getting worried since you and Damian were gone from the afternoon." It was true but Dick didn't say anything to him. The oldest brother never wanted them all to be worried but he was just as bad at covering it too.

"We'll be home soon, master Tim. Hopefully before dinner starts."

Tim nodded again. What a bad habit he had.

"Jason wanted to spend time with Damian. He was walking the dog when I left home."

Tim heard his breath through the phone, a long and deep breath. It was apologetic, maybe.

"I will let him know once we are back home," the man replied. "I'd love to talk more, Master Tim. But, we have to go now."

The detective closed his eyes as he said the final goodbye before the call was cut off. He sighed and turned off his phone away from any distractions.

Tim wished that all of these was just a nightmare he could wake up before it was too late for everything.

--

It was a quarter to five in the evening when Alfred finally called the house. After being away from home for the whole afternoon, he thought it'd be wise to just call and inform someone that they were coming home. But, the conversation he had was mundane, much similar to a report than anything else he could think of. Yet the worries and fear were present when the phone was picked up by one of the families in the house. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, knowing full well he had to act like everything was normal while it wasn't.

He dropped the thoughts before taking a deep breath while keeping his eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheels. The whole ordeal with Doctor Leslie Thompkins was exhausting. And, he could see it on his youngest grandson sleeping on the front passenger seat.

Alfred took a breath as he sped off the highway, passing other cars that were trying to get to their destination as well. It was stressful to see his grandson's struggles and keeping it secret made it even more so. Yet he was proud of their little Damian, despite all the things they had to cover the family. He was proud that Damian stayed strong and opened up to him. He was proud that Damian managed to get the help he needed.

Above all of that, he was proud that Damian got out from the vigilante business, a business that he never wanted anyone - including Bruce - to enter in the first place.

But, he also felt guilty for being proud of his grandson's for throwing that life away. All he could do was to help Damian with everything he could to keep him out of that dangerous game, the game of life and death.

The old butler smiled when he saw Damian hugging his bag as he slept. The youngest master didn't even budge when the car slowly stopped in front of the manor, clearly reaching their destination without any problems. Or that was what he thought until he saw a big and tall black shadow looking at their car, before stepping to the sideways to let the car stopped in front of the entrance door.

The car stopped, and it was the second son who had been waiting for their return. Jason had stepped outside the manor with his thicker leather jacket to battle the windy Gotham's summer late afternoon. Alfred's old eyes could see the weariness in his eyes as they had been gone for almost half of the day. Yet, he put up a smile.

Happy to know that his youngest and the stubbornest grandson was actually missed and worried for.

Grateful to know there was his family who didn't want to let Damian be alone with his own problems.

Jason leaned forward, exposing his face to the older man. His white streak brushed off his face as it showed the weary green eyes, yet steeled face. Alfred unlocked the door and turned to him with a nod. He smiled and carefully opened the car door, knowing Damian was asleep inside and didn't want him to fall to the ground when he opened the door.

The older brother was careful, and it made Alfred smiled as he waited for Jason to say something. He was all ears for questions and concerns.

"Did he just fall asleep?"

"Yes, a long day in the hospital surely made him very tired."

A smile and gentle voice were enough to make Jason believed the old man's words. He nodded in recognition of the logic but the question remained...

"Who is this friend of Damian that we don't know of?"

The question was valid since no one knew who the friend was. Yet, knowing that there was never a friend in the hospital other than Damian himself was Alfred's only secret. His only secret with the littlest and youngest baby of the Wayne.

Alfred smiled as he saw Jason's hands started to envelop Damian closer to him. He took a breath before saying his reply that he knew would disappoint his older grandson.

"It is wiser to ask that to the person himself, isn't it Master Jason?"

Another silence was given. Still, no answers or clues.

The old butler smiled as he saw the little Damian in Jason's embrace though worries still painted the older brother's face. There wasn't anything he could do, the promise was a promise until he couldn't do it anymore. Until both Alfred and Damian couldn't handle the promise and the condition anymore.

Yet, Alfred smiled - enjoying the silent moment of the big brother doing what he was supposed to be doing.

"Master Jason, would you please bring Master Damian back to his room?" He asked as they both locked eyes for a second. "I shall park the car and be thereafter."

Jason nodded and off on his way. It wasn't a lie that Damian was tired from the long process of check up in the hospital. The worries and anxieties also added to the existing stress his master had suffered. But, to cover up the fact that he was suffering - thinking that he had burdened his family enough with his own existence - it was unbearable even for Alfred to handle. Yet, there was nothing but silence and tension that filled the entire atmosphere of the house, especially around his youngest master.

He sighed as he saw Jason closing the main entrance door gently. Only when the door was fully closed, the butler proceeded on its way to park the car.

The way to the room was a simple and straightforward walk but the action of carrying and knowing that the person he was carrying had something to hide from him was a totally different matter. Jason also noticed that Damian had lost a lot of weight lately as it was easy to pick him up and carry him around.

He encountered no one while walking to the room, only the big and protective dog of Titus and Alfred the cat. Titus could smell his master from miles away since he ran toward them, barking excitedly before being shushed by Jason gently. The Great Dane could only look at his master and quietly walked with Jason back to the room. Titus even opened the door by putting his head and pushing the knob down to open the closed door. That earned Jason a smile because Damian probably didn't train his pets that but they learned regardless.

The room was dark with the sunlight trying to push past the heavy curtain. Jason didn't dare to turn the light on because it'd wake the person he was carrying. He also didn't want to be kicked by the former assassin since it would hurt a lot and left him, probably, paralyzed for a few good minutes. The Red Hood was actually surprised that Damian hadn't woken up from being carried too. He was shocked - surprised was an understatement.

He didn't really know what to do besides placing Damian on the bed. But, when the white cat began to meow repeatedly, Jason knew Alfred the cat wanted something from him - either attention or hair brushes. He took a breath and gently putting the baby of the house down. He bent over, placing the head onto the pillow and the body onto the bed. Jason's movement was slow and steady; it was tender in its own way. He covered the sleeping boy with the blanket, not questioning anything else as the white cat had become increasingly demanding with its meows. Jason only walked there shortly after he had finished what he needed to do.

"Hey there, buddy," he greeted the cat and ran his hand through the soft hair. "What's going on?"

Alfred purred under the touch before circling around Jason's legs. He didn't know how Damian could keep all his animals so obedient and loyal to him while satisfying their need of attentions. It was always a mystery but he knew the pets also played parts in saving him and the family.

The black and white cat meowed, knocked him off from his dream state back to reality he had to face. Jason sighed as he stood up from the crouching position. The cat had moved itself closer to Damian as he jumped up to bed and snuggled closer to his master's head. Alfred the cat had occupied the empty space of the bed.

Jason didn't smile for this. He only let out a quick smirk before opening the door and leaving the room. Though he didn't get anything accomplished for the day, he hoped to actually learn something from the suspicious friend that Damian kept bringing up.

--

Someone was pacing in the kitchen, going in and out from the kitchen to the dining space in a circle as he desperately tried to remember all the missing recipe steps from his head. Jason was going to make something comforting and hearty, yet enough to not upset a sensitive stomach. It wasn't for him, particularly, but for Damian. Since he noticed the small trails of tears on the little Robin's cheeks to tell that he had exhausted himself to sleep just to worry about this "mystery" friend.

He sighed; couldn't help but worry for the littlest twerp. All the efforts the family made to slowly open Damian up was in vain because the person himself wasn't ready. They knew that it would take more than just words to gain their little brother's trust. But, they never realized how hard it was doing it individually. Maybe it was time to come up with a plan with others together.

The clattering sounds of pots and pans awoke him from the dream. The butler of the house was already working behind the kitchen counter, preparing ingredients for the dinner, and filling the pots with water. Jason stood there in silence before approaching the older man while looking at everything Alfred had pulled out from the fridge.

"What's for dinner?"

Jason asked as he opened the fridge to take the leftover pudding. There were only three puddings left after lunch, but now there were only two. It was probably Tim, he guessed as he placed a spoonful of pudding to his mouth.

"A hearty and comforting beef stew, Master Jason," the old and raspy voice replied. "It will take awhile before it is ready."

"Do you think he will eat it?" Jason asked as he swirled the remaining pudding. "No offense there, but I think the little twerp need something like chicken soup."

Alfred stopped what he was doing and turned to see Jason. The looked at each other for a second before the older man continued preparing the stew and chopping the meat. No one said anything but Jason knew that Alfred was no longer making what he planned on making.

The meat was set aside after a couple more choppings. Jason moved away from blocking the fridge.

"Then, would you like to help me make the chicken soup, Master Jason?" The meat was placed and sealed in a clean container, probably for tomorrow's meal.

The man only nodded as Alfred began to assess him in all the preparation. Jason handled the vegetables while Alfred handled the chicken. All the kitchen wares from the previous recipes were cleaned and dried off before they began cutting and chopping all the ingredients.

"Is something wrong with Master Damian?"

The chicken was chopped.

Legs off the body.

"The kid's upset. Thought something easier to eat will comfort him."

Jason cut the top and bottom of the carrot before peeling the skin with a peeler.

"Spending time in the hospital is never good for anyone's emotional health," another chopped wings.

Jason only nodded. No words came out of his mouth as he cut the carrot and some other vegetables. The other man was chopping the chicken breast along with its bones. He glanced to see Alfred's expression before returning his attention to the celery in his hand.

"Was everything alright with the kid?" Jason asked and it got the butler's attention. "Had a feeling it's not about the 'friend'."

He chopped the celery into smaller pieces, almost the same thickness, and length of the carrot.

"If anything, at least tell me what happens to the kid in the hospital." The last celery chopped and pushed aside. "He passed out cold from exhaustion with dried up tears on his cheeks. That already says a lot."

The paused in the conversation was a growing tension. Jason didn't necessarily demand an answer for anything. He only demanded to know Damian's secret condition. Yet, it was still hard for the most trustworthy butler to say anything about it.

Alfred was not authorized to say anything about his youngest and littlest master. Yet, as a grandfather, he wanted to spill everything so his grandson could get all the best care his family could've given him now. It tore his heart to see the smallest of them all suffered alone.

There wasn't much he could say to the curious Jason. And, he had weight his decision fairly. There weren't many options, to begin with since he could either lie or tell Jason the truth.

Alfred had opted for one of them.