I couldn't find Damian when I woke up the next morning. However when I pulled back his sheets to get out of bed, I noticed a pair of black socks had been slipped onto my feet.

They were his socks. He'd done that for me while I was sleeping.

Oh, God, my heart can't handle this shit.

I set out to look for him almost instantly, completely ignoring the boys who greeted me down in the kitchen.

Dick frowned and said, "Hey, aren't you meant to be at Rebecca's?"

I didn't answer, instead turning to them and hurriedly asking, "Where's Damian?"

Tim was slumped over a huge mug of coffee in the corner. "Back in hell," he grumbled, taking a long sip. He looked extremely tired, so I assumed he'd been working late last night on a case again.

"Seriously, guys, I need to find him."

Dick flipped a pancake on the stove and shrugged. "He's probably in the Zen garden again, out in the east wing."

Alfred walked in at that moment and managed to catch enough of the conversation to add, "Yes, I saw Master Damian practicing his martial arts. It's not often I get a glimpse of him meditating so peacefully."

Meditating? Damian?

For some reason that didn't add up very well. But then again, coming from a rather spiritual place like Nanda Parbat, I guessed it might have been a habit of his past.

"Thanks Alfred," I replied, then spun on my heel rather quickly.

From behind, Jason snickered suggestively, "You kids have fun now," which earned a laugh from Dick and a sour look from me. I flicked him the middle finger on my way outside.

Wayne Manor possessed a lot of gardens. Out the front, there were tall trees and bushes carved into elaborate shapes, with water fountains and decorative statues surrounding the large stone path leading up to the house.

Out the back, there were separated gardens with individual themes going on. Fields of flowers, rose bushes, little mini lakes and ponds. There were paths for long walks in a maze of sculpted hedges. It was beautiful.

The Zen garden on the east side of the Manor had a hint of an Asian influence, hence the name. It was created for the purpose of meditation and spirituality. There were a few religious symbols, like the beautiful buddha statue on the fountain. There were also koi fish in the lake, and a yin-yang symbol carved from a marble in the garden floor.

I saw Damian standing on a patch of grass by the water. He was wearing his assassin robes, but without the armored pieces of any of the parts that resembled the League. Both hands were clasped around the hilt of his katana, and wrapped around his eyes was a white cloth.

I was incredibly fascinated by whatever he was about to do. Of course he would stop if he saw or heard me, so I remained hidden behind a sculpted bush and watched.

Damian twirled the sword in one hand, bringing his other wrist back so that he was situated in a martial arts stance. He continued to spin the katana so effortlessly through the air, flipping it over his shoulders and around his body as he turned with each motion, somehow managing to avoid slicing himself in half.

I was impressed, but also worried that he might hurt himself. Like that would ever happen.

He spun around, twirling the sword over his head majestically before swiping it forward as if there were an invisible opponent before him. His stance was perfect, his form strong and controlled.

His feet moved so quickly, like he was dancing.  Stepping forward he threw the sword into the air and rolled to the floor, catching it gracefully behind his back. I couldn't believe he was doing this all with a blindfold on.

Jesus Christ. No wonder everyone fears him so much.

He began to move on his feet again, stabbing expertly between two hedges, not even nicking them.

Then, he tossed the katana into the air again and performed a perfect butterfly kick before snatching it up and landing, then swiping it at the hedge and slicing the top clean off. All in one go.

Damian stood up still, his chest rising slightly as he controlled his breathing. I was admittedly in awe of his ability to do all of those tricks. Having trained similarly at Midnight, I could also execute them myself, but Damian's technique was far more advanced. You could easily tell why he was the descendant of Ra's Al Ghul and Batman.

"I know you're there," he suddenly spoke, making me jump with fright.

Well shit.

Damian tugged the blindfold from his face so that it hung around his neck instead, his eyes meeting mine as I reluctantly emerged from my lame hiding spot.

"How long for?" I mumbled sheepishly.

He turned away from me and headed toward the lake. "Since the second you arrived."

Well that's embarrassing. Although I should've expected nothing less from Damian Wayne.

I hesitantly followed him to the water, watching as he slid the sword into his holster. I wasn't entirely sure what terms we were on after last night. He seemed to have gotten over his anger, but there was still a lingering feeling of disappointment.

The sound of running water filled the air around us. It was a serene kind of sound, that made me feel a little more relaxed.

I said, "It's so peaceful down here."

Damian stared at the colorful fish swimming below the surface. "I know."

Slowly, he knelt down to the edge of the pond, digging one hand into his left pocket and pulling out a handful of fish food pellets. He scattered them across the water and we watched the fish moving excitedly to the surface.

I smiled at his surprisingly gentle action. It was cute seeing Damian around animals, he seemed to have a connection to them that made him appear much softer.

I glanced around at the garden once more, taking in the variety of Buddhist symbols and statues placed throughout.

"Alfred said you meditate here often. I didn't know you were religious."

Damian looked at me flatly. "I'm not religious."

Oh.

I scrunched my brows in confusion. "But you grew up in a temple in Nepal... I don't know, I just thought you might be."

He stood up to his full height -- a couple inches taller than me -- and shook his head. "There's no such thing as God, Sasha," he deadpanned, staring back at the fish.

Then he added, "But there is a difference between religion and spirituality. In order to be a true warrior, one must be connected with their mind, body and spirit. You need control, you need peace of mind. You need to be in touch with your senses."

He glanced at me through the corner of his eye. "That's how I was trained."

If I was being honest, I was really fascinated by Damian's words. It made enough sense now, how he was so calm and collected when fighting. He always managed to stay in control and not rely on impulsivity or recklessness. He had discipline and balance and focus.

Unlike myself.

"Well, Slade wasn't really big on spirituality," I muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I wasn't taught control, or peace of mind. It probably explains why we're so different in that sense."

Damian turned his head to face me fully, his brows furrowing slightly and his emerald eyes glistening in the light.

"I can teach you, if you like."

I blinked at him in slight surprise.

"What do you mean?"

But Damian suddenly took my hand in his, his warm skin sending tingles through my body.

What is he doing?

"Do you trust me?" He said, taking a step toward the lake.

Of course I did, but now I was unsure what he was going to do, and it made me nervous.

"Well, yes..."

He took one step into the water, letting it soak his feet and the bottom of his robes. Although it was spring and the temperature was rising, I was still hesitant about stepping into a cold lake.

I'm such a chicken.

"Come on," Damian urged, a challenging look in his eyes. "Unless you're too scared."

I groaned at his word choice. He knew exactly what he was doing, there was no way I could bail now. I wasn't about to back down.

It's only water, right?

So I followed Damian into the lake with my eyes squeezed shut. Soon enough the water was up to my waist and I was giggling and carrying on like a real princess.

"Oh my god, it's freezing."

He just rolled his eyes at me, clearly unaffected by the temperature. I didn't understand how he could be so calm. I really wanted to know how he did it.

I peered down through the water at the little koi fish that swum past me. The lake was so clear, I could see the pebbles at my feet and the fish darting about.

I looked back at Damian, who was staring at me, and observed the sharp curve of his jaw. He looked so stupidly attractive, especially with the sun shining down on him. I could literally feel the butterflies in my stomach having a party.

"Water symbolizes life," Damian spoke rather softly, glancing down at our submerged hands. "It's the one element in which nature carries everything together. It is purity, and clarity and calmness."

I could only stare at him as he continued to peer at the water, appearing so incredibly calm and relaxed in that moment. I was literally shocked. Damian was speaking really beautifully, a stark contrast from his usually aggressive insults and threats.

He took my hand again, bringing it to the surface and intertwining his fingers with mine. He held it in between our faces, which I realized were only a couple inches apart.

"As long as there is water on this earth, you and I will be connected," he said, his face remaining emotionless yet emotional at the same time.

It struck me then just how fucking romantic he was being. He probably didn't even realize it, but my hormones were going crazy from the hot boy in front of me speaking deeply about the circle of life.

But Damian obviously had to ruin the moment with his logic.

"Which will always be the case, obviously. The Earth is 70% water."

I couldn't stop the laugh that escaped my lips at that. This fucking boy.

Damian smiled lightly at my chuckles as I pushed him playfully into the water. "You and your stupid facts."

He splashed me back and a spray of droplets soaked my face, making me gasp.

"I'm going to kill you."

He dodged my next splash with ease and sent me a competitive smirk.

"I'd like to see you try."

We ended up messing around for a solid fifteen minutes or so, having an intense water fight right in the middle of the lake. We were probably disturbing the poor fish, who kept darting out of the way every time one of us wrestled the other one near them.

In the end Damian managed to slip out of my tackle and pick me up, earning a scream from me as I clutched on to him and he threatened to fully throw into the water.

"Don't you fucking dare!" I gasped, clinging on to him for life. The top half of my body hadn't been fully submerged yet, and the water was still freezing as fuck.

He went to toss me but my grip was too strong and I ended up pulling him down with me, both our bodies splashing into the deeper part of the lake.

We emerged shortly after in a fit of laughter, the water reaching just below our chins. I ran my hands down my head, slicking back my hair to move it out of my face. Damian swept his from his eyes, too.

But then something hit me as the sunlight peeked through the trees at that exact second, the rays perfectly hitting his eyes. Those green irises reflected so beautifully I felt as if I was in a trance, unable to stop staring at him.

Not only that but the water dripping from his hair and skin made him look some kind of angel sent down from heaven.

God, he was gorgeous.

Damian clearly noticed my lack of words and staring. "What?" He asked, brows furrowing slightly.

I felt the sudden urge to tell him exactly how I felt.

"This morning when I woke up, I saw that you put socks on my feet during the night," I started.

Damian's expression remained blank, but I was feeling so emotional all of a sudden, and I was close to tears.

"I... I think that's the nicest thing someone has ever done for me."

I didn't initially realize how close we were, but Damian's face was only inches from mine. He opened his mouth to reply, but he seemed hesitant to, so he looked away.

"I felt bad for yelling at you..." he spoke quietly, appearing ashamed, almost. "You didn't deserve that. I was... upset."

Now it was my turn to furrow my brows a little. "Why? I was the one who fucked up, Damian, not you."

But he shook his head impatiently. "You don't get it, Sasha. You could fuck up one hundred times and I would never be angry with you. I could never be angry with you."

He looked away again, his hands suddenly resting on both my arms, grazing my skin beneath the water.

With a heavy sigh, he said, "I... care about you."

I felt my heart rate pick up immediately and my stomach flipping. I was speechless. It kind of felt like my breath had been knocked out of me.

Damian continued quietly, "Seeing you hurt makes me hurt. And when I'm hurt I get angry, and we both know how that goes..."

I reached for his face, turning it toward me. "Damian, stop. I forgive you, and I don't care. I don't care about your anger issues."

Then I offered him a small laugh and added, "Seriously, you put up with all my reckless shit and expect me not to deal with your one flaw?"

That earned a tiny smile from him, one of the rare ones I'd seen on his face. Seeing Damian smile felt like a literal ray of light had been shone down on me and a choir of angels were singing and playing the harp in my ear.

"Maybe we're even, then," he said, shaking his head.

I giggled back. "Yeah, maybe we are."

---------------------------

Going back to school after Saturday's incident felt like Summer's party all over again.

That was it: I was never drinking or smoking ever again. Period.

Rebecca was all over me, asking how I was feeling and if I was hurt. I told her that I'd just had a minor panic attack, which when mixed with the alcohol had overwhelmed me a lot, and so I'd passed out. It really wasn't that big of a deal.

"I didn't OD, Becca," I insisted for the tenth time.

She shook her head anyway. "Didn't look like that to me. I honestly thought you were dead!"

She's so dramatic.

However when I saw Conner later that day looking like he'd just paid a visit to hell, I felt my throat constrict and body freeze up.

Okay, so maybe it had been a panic attack, but that didn't mean I wasn't a little mad at him for how he'd behaved that night. I don't think I would've freaked out so much if he'd just calmed down instead of trying to kill someone.

Our eyes met in the courtyard, Conner's immediately flashing with guilt. I didn't want to be petty but I couldn't help how I was feeling. I turned quickly and avoided his direction all together.

It's fine, I'll find another way to my class.

But he caught up to me in a short couple of seconds.

"Sasha, wait," he began, reaching for my arm.

But I pulled away on reflex.

"Conner, don't."

He wouldn't leave me alone, though, instead moving in front of me and blocking my path.

"You don't understand. I was out of it, I had no idea what was going on. I didn't know what I was doing."

I just glared at him. "Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

He slumped his shoulders, combing his hands through his curly brown locks. "I'm really sorry, Sasha. I should've helped you, but all I did was make it worse."

Yep, pretty much.

I went to move past him again, but he grabbed me before I could.

"Let go, now," I snapped. "I won't hesitate to fight you in front of all these people."

But Conner yanked me back so that we were face to face again, his eyes narrowing.

"I won't either, Sasha."

Now I was furious and upset and uncomfortable all at the same time. I just wanted to get away from him. I'd seen a side of him I didn't know existed at that party. Maybe I was being dramatic, but my feelings were still there.

"Please," Conner pleaded, his blue eyes meeting mine. "Just hear me out."

I attempted to pull myself free and twist his arm but he pivoted, hooking his foot under my ankle and tugging my arm back so that I fell to my knees in a lock.

With a growl I replied, "That was a real cheap move, asshole."

He just smirked and helped me up. "Well, that explains why I learnt it from you."

Of course he fucking did...

Reluctantly, I allowed Conner ten minutes to explain himself to me. He lead me to the side, where perfectly manicured trees and bushes surrounded an array of wooden benches and tables.

I stood with my arms crossed over my chest, watching him expectantly. He slumped down into a seat and rested his elbows on his knees, refusing to meet my eyes.

"Do you remember when we first got out of Midnight? When we were at the police station being assigning foster families?" He began quietly.

I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

Conner said, "You were assigned before me. In fact, pretty much everyone was assigned before me. They ran out of volunteers in the area, so they transferred the rest of us to another precinct downtown. In the Narrows."

Oh.

Now I could kind of see where this was going.

"A children's home offered to look after us. It was a deadbeat orphanage in a run-down building that looked like an abandoned motel. There was maybe one adult around? The rest went out smoking and drinking every night. We were left on our own most of the time, to look after ourselves. Some of the kids were as young as three."

Conner looked up at me with a clenched jaw. "I was sent to the nearest public school. It was just as bad, and everyone was as poor as each other. The first thing people noticed about me was that I was rough looking, with a muscular body for my age. Do you know what that means down in the narrows?"

I just stared at him, unable to reply.

"It means that I was the perfect candidate for drug dealers that needed back-up. Extra muscle. Older kids with face tattoos and guns in their lockers were hitting me up left right and center. I ended up in a drug-ring, Sasha."

Conner shook his head and closed his eyes. He looked like he was in pain, and I felt incredibly guilty all of a sudden.

"Conner, I had no idea..."

He laughed bitterly. "Of course you didn't, because while you were living it up with fucking Bruce Wayne, I was beating up grown men and getting high every night. I got addicted, Sasha. I spent four months in a gang before the police found out about the drugs and arrested half of us. That was when they saw my file and realized who I was. They sent me to a foster family only a block away. It didn't change anything."

So that was why Conner had been tipping back vodka like it was nothing more then water. That was why he had been smoking and popping pills all night like it was just routine.

My stomach churned with anguish. "I'm so sorry, Conner. I really am. You don't deserve any of that."

I sat down beside him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder for comfort. Conner wouldn't look at me, but he wasn't pushing me away, either. Something told me he was too close to tears to say anything.

So I rested my head in the nook of his neck and said, "I'm here for you. Always."

He squeezed my hand in reply, and we sat there in silence for a little while longer, watching the birds flutter across the sky and peck at flowers in the trees.

Conner spoke quietly, "I didn't want to end up like this. I just wanted it to stop hurting. I just wanted to take away the pain."

Oh, how I related to that.

"Midnight made us into weapons," I whispered, offering him a weak smile. "But when we left, no one ever told us how stop being ones. We were all just trying to cope in the best ways we knew how."

It was true. While Conner might have taken it to the extreme with drugs and alcohol, I'd still had my own methods. Trying to fit in with everyone, trying to be normal. All those stupid parties and school dramas. Drake and Flynn...

"It's almost funny, because if Talia hadn't taken me and all the other Midnight students to join her army, I'd still be down there right now. In the Narrows," he scoffed.

I let out a heavy sigh. "You're right."

But then realization dawned on me.

"The others, though... we left them there, Conner. All those innocent kids are still stuck with her, still with the League of Assassins. We just left them."

Even thinking about what Talia might have been doing to them made me sick.

Conner glanced at me again. "We hated them. We hated them so much. But they don't deserve this, do they?"

I shook my head, my fingers subconsciously tracing the scar on my wrist from Midnight's old tracker.

"No, they don't."

what up hoes, how are u all doing? here's some of conner's backstory and some more of damian's culture for y'all. i really hope u guys are enjoying, and get ready for some action that will be coming up in the next few chapters!

also everyone go read @TriLyric 's story The Heart of an Assassin, because we're doing a crossover soon!!