Dora had asked Tim not to tell Alex about her panic attack so he did not bring that up again in front of anyone. But deep down he was worried that her condition could deteriorate if that continued. So he decided to take Steph into confidence so that both of them could talk to Alex about getting Dora's mind off the incident by enrolling her for a vocational course.

Stephanie was in her room talking to a friend on the phone when Tim gently knocked on her door. The door was open so she looked up and seeing him, she straightened hanging up after a short while.

"What's up, Timmy Toes? Gremlin kicked you out of your room again?"

"No, it's not that. Thankfully, the gremlin accompanied Bruce to Wayne Tech today."

Her green eyes twinkled,"ah let me guess, you had a fight with Jay... Must I remind you that it will be the fourth time this week and it's only Tuesday. So many days more to go and I have a feeling the fight count will only rise."

"No, I actually wanted to talk..." But his voice trailed off for she had interrupted him again.

"Talk? You? I'm perfectly certain now that your system has definitely gone outdated," then raising her voice a little, she called, "hey Alfred, Timmy needs coffee!"

His blue eyes flashed in slight irritation but he chose to ignore it because at that moment, he really needed Steph on his side, no matter if she continued to be a little annoying. "Stephanie, for the love of Tom Hiddleston, would you at least listen to me for one second?"

Her expression flipped over in an instant just like he has expected, "I wasn't going to but since you've brought Tom Hiddleston into this and I can't let anyone suspect my love for him... Go on, I'm listening."

"Thank you," he sat down on the chair by her desk turning it so that he was facing her.

"One second will be up soon, buddy." But noticing the completely worn out expression on her face she dropped the teasing attitude and sighed, "fine, fine. Tell me what's got you looking like a frustrated old man who's a mere second away from dying..."

"I'm worried about Dora," he knew he had to dive straight to the topic before she decided to start annoying him again, "and I want your help."

Listening to that, Steph felt slightly bad about teasing him earlier because it was clear that he was quite anxious and she knew she shouldn't have annoyed him but it had become a habit for her that she couldn't let go of.

"Oh... What happened? And how am I supposed to help you?"

Tim told her about Dora's panic attack and also told her about his idea of letting her join some sort of vocational course so her studies would keep her occupied and serve as a better distraction from all that had passed.

"And I want you to help me in convincing Alex," he resumed, "I mean I know he will agree but it will be better if we both talk to him. I've already talked to Dora and she seemed to like the idea. Well... Before she got the attack. We might have to talk to her again, I suppose, but she'll agree."

Her face was set in a thoughtful look as she was pondering over his words, "it's not a bad idea... In fact this might just be what Dora needs at the moment."

"Exactly," Tim let out a short breath of relief seeing that she had agreed with him.

"So when do you think we should talk to him?"

"This evening. The sooner the better."

She nodded, a soft smile gracing her features and she spoke after a short pause, "you really care for Dora a lot."

Her remark had taken him by surprise but his reply was immediate as if he didn't have to think for even a second since he was so certain about it deep down, "of course I do. I love her."

Steph had not been expecting that confession for Tim was never really expressive and always took at least a few minutes to carefully think over his words before voicing it out. But that once it seemed as if he didn't have to think over it at all. Almost as if it was an accepted truth for him.

Her eyes had widened a little but she laughed, "awww Timmy, you're so cute when you're in love. Almost made me forget how much of a nuisance you are otherwise."

Tim's face had gone a bright red which made her laugh even more. "I thought you had agreed on not teasing me?"

"One second has long passed," her eyes twinkled again, "and Dora's right. Red really suits you."

"Stop..."

Her voice had taken over that familiar teasing edge again, "or else?"

"Or else I'll leave without you," he stated in a straight matter of fact tone.

Seeing that Tim was serious on that warning as he had gotten up and headed towards the door, Stephanie left the bed and slipped her feet into her sandals, "don't you dare. I'm coming too."

"You have five seconds precisely," he called back as he had stepped out and was descending the stairs, "on the sixth second, I'll leave."

"Wait for me, caffeine hoe," she dashed down the stairs after him seeing that he had quickened his pace, "or else I'll deck you out cold and you won't be able to say a single word to Alex!"

"You're always welcome to try it."

She caught up with him at the main door and shoved him so that he almost fell forward, a slight laugh resonating from him.

"If there's one thing that hasn't changed yet by you being in a relationship, that's definitely your lack of self preservation," Stephanie remarked.

"Care to elaborate what has changed though?"

She thought for a while before answering as the two stepped out, heading over to Dora's Coffee Haunt that was just a few minutes walk away, "a lot but you can still be a pain in the ass so..."

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Annoying Till Death Do Us Part?"

His remark had set her laughing as well and she shook her head, "even after death, Timmy, my ghost will haunt you forever."

His features had relaxed considerably since then and his blue eyes twinkled as he spoke, "ah the torture... When will I ever be free of you?"

"Never, buddy. Never ever," she smiled playfully at him, "but on the plus side, you'll always have someone to back you up on situations like this, so I don't see why you won't put up with me."

He smiled slightly knowing that she was right, "true enough." Then after a short pause, he added, "thanks, Steph. I appreciate it."

Stephanie turned to look at him with a near incredulous expression in her eyes, "stop thanking me or else I'll think you've switched souls with someone else who's way nicer than you are." But when he didn't reply to her statement, she shook her head smiling as well, "Dora's my friend too, Tim. And so are you. I might not repeat it again but I'll do anything for you two."

He could sense the sincerity in her tone and his smile widened, "and so would I."

"Damn you really got me a little sentimental," she looked up at the sky, blinking tears from her eyes but he knew well that she was as usual being dramatic, "and the nerve of you to actually get me to agree being your eternal support system... How dare you!"

"You know what, Steph, save all the dramatics for later. In fact, please get enrolled in a theater group or something where your acting skills won't go to waste."

She shoved him again but he dodged and pulled her back as she stumbled forward almost walking into a street lamp.

"On the plus side, the eternal support system works both ways," he remarked with a short smile.

"You might be a pain in the ass most of the times but I appreciate these rare times of you actually caring."

"Likewise, Steph, likewise."

They had reached the coffee shop so they had to put their never ending banter to a stop. Pushing the door open, the two stepped inside the familiar cosy environment of the shop knowing that they had a task at hand to convince Alex.

***