Dick Grayson laid in the pool on a floaty, not a care in the world. The some gleamed down on him, a small layer of sweat and sun cream leading to him looking shiny.

Paradise wasn't a common thing, but when people find it their was no reason to let go.

Dick had everything he desired. Nathan Shelby, a huge house, and their daughter, Bonnie Shelby-Grayson. They lived a sweet life in California, where they worried little about the troubles in Gotham. Of course, they still knew of them.

A four year old girl ran into the pool, splashing one of her fathers before paddling over to Dick and doing her best to knock the floaty from underneath him.

Dick rolled, get submerged under water for a few seconds as Bonnie giggled, doing her best to paddle.

"Oh! You're gonna pay for that!" Dick called out, as she laughed over him. He walked through the water. "You've disturbed the beast!"

"No, daddy!" She squealed, managing to climb out of the pool.

"There's no escape. Nothing can help you now!"

She ran over the hot floor and into the house. Heavy breaths feel from her lips as she found her way to the kitchen where Nathan had originally been making himself a milkshake.

"Daddy!" She panted out, running to Nathan, wrapping his arms around his grey joggers.

Nathan looked down, his face slightly screwed up. "Are you out of breath cause you've been running or because you need your inhaler, my little asthmatic butterfly?" He questioned, plucking Bonnies arms from his leg. "Ew, my leg is wet."

He picked up the little girl, placing her on the counter as he placed a kiss to her nose.

"Save me, daddy."

"Why?" Nathan questioned, seriousness falling onto his face as his body tensed. Was his little girl in danger? Had someone tried to kill her?

Soon enough wet arms wrapped around his waist. Nathan let out a sigh, relaxing as he leaned against Dick's body.

Dick placed a kiss to the back of his jaw and one to his neck, very quickly.

"You're wet as well." Nathan muttered, plucking Dicks arms from his as he looked back at their daughter. "Do you want your inhaler?"

Bonnie nodded, as she continued to gasp for air. He opened a cupboard above the girls head, and grabbed the blue plastic, placing the end to her lips before pumping it.

"You're actually going to kill our daughter." Nathan complained, turning to Dick before pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I won't, she's fine."

"I want an older brother." Bonnie declared, looking between her dads as she crossed her legs. She took the cup next to her and began to drink from the milkshake.

Dick and Nathan looked at her. The latter snatching back his drink, muttering that it was his drink only — simply for Dick to pluck it out of his hands and take a sip.

"You want a brother?"

"A big one!"

Dick and Nathan looked at each other, considering what Bonnie said as the latter took the child of the counter and placed her to the floor.

She waddled over to the teddies she had placed around the table, grabbing a giraffe and tiger — apparently the two stuffed animals were best friends.

"We'll think about it." Nathan called back to the child, placing his hands around Dick's biceps and pulling him forward, kissing him.

The three listened as the computer in the family room went off, indicating a call.

Bonnie perked up, a squeal leaving her lips as she rushed to it, nearly slipping with each step. She answered the call as Dick and Nathan joined her side on the sofa.

Nathan picked the child up and placed her on Dick's lap.

"Hey, animals!"

"Ray and Gar!" Bonnie corrected, shaking her head at Dick. Dick smiled at the girl, placing a kiss to her head. "Hi, Ray and Gar!" She said, waving at the laptop.

"Hey, Bonnie!" Gar replied.

"We're mostly calling for Bonnie." Rachel told the other two. "So did you get the gifts we sent?"

Bonnie held up the tiger, covering her face with the stuffed animal.

"She takes it everywhere. Starting to feel like this is a whole thing to steal my daughter." Nathan accused, raising a brow as he watched the boy forge guilt.

"Okay, so, what are we naming it?" Gar asked, spouting out names all to do with 'Gar'.

"No, silly! He is Growly."

"Uh, that's . . . yeah. Creative."

"Everything okay at college?" Dick asked as Bonnie climbed over to Nathan.

Her head rested on his chest, one arm holding the tiger the other around the back of his neck. The poor giraffe had been left next to Dick.

Nathan wrapped his arms around his daughter, brushing her hair back with his fingers.

Dick and Nathan had raised the Vietnamese-American girl since she was barely five months. Bonnie knew she was adopted, it wasn't something they hid from her, because at the end of the day she knew she was their little girl and they would move heaven, hell and Earth just for her.

"Yeah! Nah, things are great." Gar told them. "We're four weeks in and Rachel hadn't been expelled yet, so . . ."

"Oh, yeah, and Gar hasn't been to class. So . . ."

"To be fair, Eleanor was expelled in the first four days, hasn't done education since." Nathan told them, placing a kiss to the top of Bonnie's head. "She put her Arabic language teacher in a coma because he said something about our uncle." He explained when Gar and Rachel gave them interested looks.

"Damn. What had he said to her?"

"That our uncle should consider conversion therapy for the two of us. Because Eleanor is Aromantic and I'm gay." Nathan told them as Dick took his hand, his thumb rubbing his knuckles.

Bonnie had fallen asleep on Nathan.

"On a happier note, we're really proud of you." Dick told the teenagers, watching them with a small smile. Eleanor is too, she's just not in a good place, otherwise she'd call you all the time."

And Eleanor Shelby was definitely not in a good place. Her uncle had been released from prison and Gotham seemed to be becoming worse by the minute.

Gar nodded, not wanting to think too much about the girl he considered his sister. A little while ago they had fallen out — and fallen out badly, simply because he didn't think she should of forgiven someone for betraying her.

"Hey, um, I know maybe it's a little early, but it's getting very cold in Chicago. Maybe we can come visit you guys for Thanksgiving?"

Nathan and Dick looked at each other.

"Of course. I'm going to invite my sister and her friends, hopefully." Nathan told them.

Dick looked at Nathan. He didn't understand why Nathan never invited Eleanor over, or why the two were so distant that they had barley spoke over five years.

"One of you five will have to share with Bonnie, but the spare rooms have a double bed each and Bonnie has a bunk bed." Dick told them, his hand still interlocked with his lovers.

"Well, it's either that or Christmas, so you can choose which holiday you want Gar to ruin. Totally up to you."

"Come to ours on both, we have more then enough room."

"Miss you guys."

"Miss you, too, man."

"But mostly Bonnie." Rachel told them as she smiled at the sleeping child.

The call was ended and Nathan slowly stood up, moving to place Bonnie on the single person chair. "God, their so grown up now. All of them, it's so weird."

"I know." Dick sighed as Nathan sat next to him again. "I still worry about Rachel, though."

"Hey, she's doing amazing. And she knows she can come to us, and she does come to us. She's made it, though."

"Yeah." Dick agreed. "I guess we all did."

"Maybe." Nathan said, placing a hand to Dick's jaw, bringing him in for a kiss. "There's someone here. Two, actually." He said, pulling away, sensing another mind on their property.

Dick got up to check, opening the door to see Jason and Eleanor, whilst Nathan had gone and changed out of his joggers.

"Hey, bro." Jason said as he wheeled himself up the drive, Eleanor walking beside him. He often refused Eleanor's help. "What's up?"

"Jason?" Dick said, looking down at him. He turned his attention to Eleanor, seeing terrible scars on her face. "Eleanor?"

Eleanor had had a run in with the Joker. She had an upwards curve that was interrupted in the middle by her lips — a scar mimicking a smile — and she has stitches around the base of her neck. With them had been broken ribs, collar bone and whole lot of electricity messing with her mind. It had been just over a year since the run in, but the silver lines of the scars were not hard to miss.

The problem with paradise, was the silver lining. He got his desires, but at what cost.

"Been five years. Do we look any different?"

Eleanor placed her hand around the base of her neck, making Dick look away.

It had been five years since she had seen her brother and brother in law, she hadn't even met her niece. She felt guilty — but she knew it wasn't just her fault.

Nathan didn't reach out to often, and when he did it was over text or an audio call. There was no FaceTime or meeting.

It hurt her, a lot.

"It must be the haircut." Jason chuckled.

"What are you two doing here?"

"It's Batman. He's in trouble."

Dick lead the two round to the back of the house. "Do you two want anything? Coffee, or . . ."

"No, I'm okay." Jason said as Eleanor shook her head. "This is really nice, man."

She didn't want speak in fear that she'd only kick off. Six years ago, Eleanor had hunted down the Al Ghuls — specifically Talia, and her son with someone Eleanor was close to (which she was told to keep a secret) and begged her to bring back her brother.

It had been a year long process, bring Nathan back and helping him get back to his old state of mind. But when it all happened, Eleanor brought Nathan home where he was reunited with Dick — and in only a month the two had left and she received little contact.

So now, she was in debt to Talia, keeping a secret about a child (who she sometimes visited) and left practically brother-less, leading to her being hostile to those around her.

She had pushed Gar and Rachel away, and despite it all Jason was the one that stuck around, with two other girls too.

"It's nice place." Eleanor spoke, trying to keep her tone as nice as her words. "I'm glad you're all happy."

Dick sat in the other chair. "Jason, what happened?" He asked, looking at the wheelchair.

"I was stupid, totally my fault." Jason spoke. "The Riddler and some guys were hitting jewellery stores late at night. Batman and I staked one out, caught 'em coming in. Should've gone down real simple, but I got too cocky. Big surprise. Went straight for him. Thought I could take him down on my own."

Eleanor reached over, scooting her chair across and took his hand in hers. The two had become best friends, and seemed to know each other problems, flaws and tragic backgrounds better then anyone else's.

"You know how the Riddler never uses a gun?" Jason asked, Dick have a small nod. "Well, now he does. Bullet hit my T5 vertebra. It's still there."

"Jesus. What happened to you?"

Eleanor tensed a little, her grip tightening on Jason's. "Oh, uh, right." She let go of his hand, clasping her hands together. "Friend of mine had to sell me out to the Joker. I got cornered at an old fairground, got tortured with knives, and electricity for the most part. Was completely fucked after that. My therapist has literally labelled me as unable to be on my own. So I forgave my friend, it wasn't her fault. And yeah, it's why me and Gar have fallen out."

"Jesus Christ. I'm sorry, both of you."

"Gotham's gotten worse, man. Way fucking worse." Jason said, shaking his head as he spoke. He took Eleanor's hand, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles as he noticed her mind wandering.

Eleanor had tells, tells that Jason and her friends had picked up on. The way her head would move slightly, or her hands would pull into a tight fist amongst other things.

She focused again, letting out a sigh. "Commissioner Gordon is dead—"

"What?"

"Yeah. Joker, again, it was bad though. He kept him alive at first, for a week, maybe just under. He would text pictures of what he was doing. Everything was documented, it was disturbing. When Bruce figured it all out, like where he was, it was far too late."

Dick ran his hand through his hair.

"You know when mum and dad died, and he had that look. He looked fragile, empty, angry and so much more. You remember that look?"

"That bad?"

"Fucking worse. He's dealing with the fact that he could of stopped it, but couldn't. He can't handle it. At least before he had no guilt over it, but he sees James Gordon as completely his fault. Not only that he's taking everything on, he's blaming himself for everything in the past. He couldn't find him in time and it's breaking him." Eleanor explained. "I mean breaking him."

"He's going to kill the Joker."

"He would never do that. Bruce has a line, he'll never cross."

"That's the problem, he's lost, he isn't Bruce anymore, he's just anger and grief. How many people have died around him? This one has fucked him up, he isn't there, anymore. He's lost his parents, his friends are dead, Alfred is dead, Barbara is missing, you've left, his second adopted son is fatally injured, his goddaughter was tortured, his godson has left." Eleanor pointed out, her tone painted in desperation and anger. "Once upon a time he turned that pain into hope. A man that should've been a killer became hope. But that hope is gone, and now we're watching the awakening of a killer."

"Whatever was holding him together is gone."

"So why come here and tell me?"

Eleanor raised a brow at Dick.

"Because you're the real Robin, man." Jason said. "Okay? You always were, not me. The truth is, he was never the same after you left. Alfred said it. Barbara said it. Even heard Superman say it once. I just didn't want to believe it, but it's true. You are the only one he ever listened to. Maybe the only one he ever cared about after his parents death."

"You have to come back to Gotham and stop him. Don't get me wrong, I won't the Joker dead, but he can't, okay? He just can't."

Dick pushed himself out of the chair, trying to accept what the twenty four and twenty three year olds were saying. "I can't. I swore I'd never go back. Besides I haven't spoke to Bruce in years."

"Richard I-still-don't-know-your-middle-name Grayson, what don't you get? I haven't spoken to you or Nathan properly in five years. We had a small five minute phone call earlier two years ago, out side of that no contact. Yet here we are, trying to sort this out."

"You know what he's going through." Jason added. "If he does this, there's no coming back. He's the only hero that Gotham has left. The only one left with some sense of justice. If he goes bad, the city goes down."

The two let go of each other as they stared at Dick.

A small four year old girl ran out of the house, running over to Dick. He picked up Bonnie.

Eleanor stared at the girl, her mind frozen. This was her niece. The one she found out because she went through the Bruce's database to check something. The one she found out by accident and not because Nathan told her. The niece she found out about three months ago.

"Daddy said to come and save you." She let out, her eyes on Eleanor and Jason.

"Oh, thank you, I'm saved now." He said to the girl, placing a kiss to her head.

"Dude, you're the only one who can save him."

Eleanor and Jason had been fairly quick to leave after that.