It was the chief of police that told them of Tim's parents. Commissioner Gordon arrived at Wayne manner with a detective and the Drake's maid, the maid gathered Tim into her arms the moment the eight year old was in her sights.

Bruce told Dick to stay back with Alfred as he spoke with Gordon and the detective. Alfred patted his shoulder and turned around turning a blind eye to Dick climbing up to the chandiler to spy down on the conversation below, his advanced hearing an asset to his spying.

The maid was hugging Tim as Gordon crouches down before the boy a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Your parents....they where in a incident..they.." Gordon starts to say.

"Are they dead?" Tim asks in a small voice. He was smarter than your average eight year old, he knew who Gordon was. The fact the maid hugging him starts to cry practically confirms it. Gordon nods in silent answer.

Tim sniffs, eyes tearing up. "W-where...will..I g-go?" Tim asks his small lip wobbling as he tries to keep his tears at bay. The maid rubs Tim's back with a sad look on her features. "A orphanage until we find another family that wants you" the Detective answers bluntly, ignoring the glare Gordon sends towards him.

Tim sniffs, starting to cry and Dick lets out a wine, leaping off the chandelier landing beside Bruce. Tim pushes the maids arms off him to run to Dick, the former Talon holds the smaller boy to his chest patting his hair and making soft cooing sounds. Dick looks up at Bruce who was already looking down at him...at Tim crying into Dick's cheat. "Please" Dick says softly.

Bruce steps forward. "I can take the child in my care" he says causing the Detective and Gordon to look towards him.

Dick takes the chance to lead Tim away to the sitting room, pulling the crying child into the plush blanket covered sofa that Dick had claimed as his. He wraps Tim in blankets and sits patting his friends hair as he cries. He makes noises, soft coos trying his best to calm Tim.

He didnt know what to do, he hadn't really been exposed to any form of crying before. Talons were taught early on that such emotions was considered weak, and since Dick had arrived at the manor he hadn't cried. Many emotions Dick knew existed he had yet to experience again, crying included in the list.

He thought that perhaps once when he was Richard Wayne, before he was Talon, when he was once Richard Grayson he had cried. There was a memory there, so faint and hazy, barely showing through the traps of his Talon training of a woman with blue eyes singing as he cried.

Dick thought that the woman was his mother, her eyes where the same blue as the woman in his picture. Bruce had given him a picture of the woman with blue eyes and a man with dark hair. He said that they had been his parents before and that the little child in the woman's arms was him. That was when he realized that once before his eyes had been blue not the Talon gold they where now.

"Dick? Tim?"

Bruce steps into the room announcing his presence before hand in case Dick lashed out in protective aggression. Dick was still prone to occasionally slip back into the Talon mindset, typically when startled or stressed.

Tim wipes his nose on his sleeve turning to look at Bruce but remains in Dicks arms. "Do i have to go now?" Tim asks in a small voice, suprisnly not flinching when Dick wines and tightens his hold on the younger.

"No" Bruce shakes his head standing before the two children. "Timothy, I've applied to take you in as my ward. You'll be staying with us until the Detective gets in contact with your relatives"

Dick shifts slightly in his spot. "Timmy stay?" He asks, with his chopped way of speaking he sounded younger than Tim, though he was five years older. "Yes" Bruce confirms and chuckles as Dick lets out a loud happy shrill and buries his nose in Tim's shoulder.

Tim had gone wide eyed staring up at Bruce, ignoring the excited former Talon happily nuzzling into his shoulder with happy chirping sounds. Bruce smiles and kneels to pull both children into his arms, Dick mumbling "thank you" between chirps and Tim crying all over again.

It took a while but within a month Timothy Drake was legally Bruce Wayne's ward. Dick couldn't be happier, a grin on his face for weeks afterwards and he practically shadowed the small boy where ever he went.

Bruce was forced to be more careful with his night time outings with a hyper aware child now in his care that didn't know of his alterego. Bruce was concerned to notice that the new Vigilante named Nightwing by Dick had suddenly dissapeared as suddenly as they had appeared.

Having Tim around seemed to help Dick, the former Talon slowly became more expressive. He smiled more, laughed more freely something that was a rare thing to get Dick to do. Practicality having a small genius helped improve Dick's english and learning. His speech was less chopped and more fluid, and he was understanding more complicated words.

Alfred had found them on more than one occasion curled up together, Tim asleep with Dick usually awake, watching. He had a growing collection of photographs that had once been of just Dick but now featured Tim.

It wasn't all great however, Tim was still sad. He would cry at night and spent more time in Dicks room at night than his own. Dick who was always more active at night would perch and watch, giving up on going out as Nightwing in favour of watching over Tim. He was feircly protective over the younger.

The second month of Tim living with them marked eight months since Bruce took Dick in, and the former Talons first birthday he could remember in a long time. They had a large party, Kate, Dr. Leslie, Tim, Bruce and Alfred all attended. Kate took an immediate liking to Tim and had teased Bruce endlessly about his new apparent habit of taking in strays.

Bruce had invited Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, a twelve year old girl with flaming red hair called Barbara. Bruce belived introducing another kid around Dick and Tim's age would be good for the boys.

Dick decided that he liked her within minutes of meeting her.

She had came up to him and held up a small box wrapped up in blue with a large smile and glittering eyes behind glasses. It was a poster of his parents, 'The Flying Graysons' from the circus. He and Tim spent the entire night talking with her, Dick staying quiet with a grin when Timmy and Barbara talked for a good hour about school work and maths and all sorts of things that Dick was slowly learning. He liked Barbara, she made Tim smile.

Over the next few weeks, Bruce and Gordon organized more times for Barbara to come over and spend time with Dick and Tim. One night while she was staying over they where curled up on the sofa watching movies, mostly of Disney. Timmy had falled asleep against Dicks side part way in the second movie leaving the two elder children awake.

"I know Bruce is Batman" she had whispered to Dick quietly, looking towards the former Talon. "And that you are Nightwing"

Dick had only stares at her. "Its obvious, Daddy works with Batman and Bruce is the same height and-and age. And Nightwing only showed up after Bruce adopted you, and they are only small. You are too alert and jumpy, you are Nightwing. Am I right?" Barbara tries to explain looking at Dick over Tim's head.

He'd only nodded and she had grinned and let out a soft sound of excitement. "I knew it! Does Bruce know you are Nightwing?"

"No..don't tell" Dick whispered back, staying quiet in fear of Bruce hearing or Timmy waking up.

"I won't! Its our secret!" And Barbara had left it at that. She went back to watching movies until she fell asleep too.

Dick liked her.

The start of the third month of Tim living with them brought complications. The Detective had found a distant aunt of Tim's that said she could take care of the boy but it would have to be in Paris where she lived. When Dick heard the conversation by listening in on Bruce talking with the Detective over the phone, he was ashamed to admit later that he reverted to the Talon mindset.

He'd rushed upstairs, all panicked swarks his words briefly locked away as he bundled up Tim in warm clothes and took the child down to the Cave. Tim, having grown used to Dicks strange use of bird noises had simply allowed the now fourteen year old to lead him. The few times Dick has woken from a nightmare he'd always brought Tim to a safe spot before he started to calm, though usually it was high, the roof or attic. So Tim asummed it was something similar but was confused when Dick took him down instead of up.

"Dick? What's going on?" Tim asks softly as the Talon ushers him into a hidden elevator behind the old clockwork grandfather. Dick doesn't answer shifting agitated side to side on his feet, herding the younger boy into the Batcave. Tim looks around wide eyed taking everything in. this was certainly a way to find out that your guardian was Batman, now that the evidence was in front of his face the clues suddenly clicked into place. He doesn't get much of a chance to look around or properly process this new rather big load of information as Dick kept Tim moving with small agitated noises.

Dick didn't stop at the Cave however, ushering Tim to of all things the Batmobile, and hastily strapping the young boy in before climbing into the driver seat. Tim was only eight, tired and confused, brain trying to process that Bruce his guardian was Batman.

"Um..Dick? what are you doing? You are fourteen, fourteen year olds cant drive" Tim says clutching at the seatbelt as Dick starts the car. He seemed to know what he was doing but the former Talon could barely look over the steering wheel. Dick doesn't answer smashing buttons and trying to reverse only to find the car had suddenly stopped working. In fact a loud alarm started instead that had Tim covering his ears and Dick screaming and clawing at his ears. Tim was scared, clutching at the seatbelt, staring wide eyed at Dick.

Dick practically kicks the door open, tumbling out with his hands over his ears, mouth parted in a scream. Tim was scared frozen,, staying in the seat watching with wide eyes as Dick curled up in a ball and went still. Tim didn't know what to do, the alarm was blaring in his ears drowning out Dicks screams.

The alarms suddenly shut off as Bruce and Alfred suddenly rushed to Tim and Dick. Alfred went to Tim, unclipping the seatbelt and pulling the eight year old out of the Batmobile.

"Are you alright Master Tim?" The butler asks holding the terrified child in his arms. But Tim was only watching as Bruce moves to pick up Dick, who jolts at the first touch, scrambling away from Bruce letting out a screech with wide eyes.

Dick keeps moving backwards until his back hits the wheel of the Batmobile. The fourteen year old curls up, screeching at Bruce with wild eyes darting around. "It's okay Dick, it's ok" Bruce attempts to sooth the golden eyed former Talon.

Tim's attention is drawn away from Dick as Alfred starts to carry Tim out of the cave. "Is Dick okay?" Tim asks trying to look over Alfred's shoulder. There's another screech that makes Tim flinch, wondering how Dick could possibly make such noises.

"Alfred" Bruce calls, "bring Tim back into Dick's sight"

Tim looks up at his name, wiggling out of Alfred's arms to walk back to where Bruce was kneeling in front of Dick, who was still making noises. The screeching screams quiet at Tim's arrival, shifting into soft wines.

Bruce looks back at Tim and motions him forward, hand resting gently on Tim's back. "It's alright Tim, I'll explain later. I know you are confused and scared  but I need your help calming Dick, he's scared and his ears hurt due to the alarm. Think you can help?"

Tim sniffs, he wasn't sure when he'd started crying. "What..can I do?" He asks shifting on his feet, he was scared and confused about everything, little mind running wildly trying to puzzle everything together. Bruce smiles at him. "Just talk to him for now"

"O-okay" Tim nods and shuffles forward. "Dick? Uh..its okay. Everything is okay. I'm here..Mr. Bruce and Mr. Alfred are here..It's okay.."

Dick stares up at Tim as he talks, constantly repeating that it was okay, winning softly in the back of his throat. Tim shuffles forward and suddenly Dick launches forward, arms wrapping around Tim and in a quick fluid movement has moved Tim behind him, holding his hand protectively.

Tim squeaks,holding onto the back of Dick's night shirt with his free hand, looking over his shoulder at Bruce.

"That's good Tim, it's alright. Can you see his ears?" Bruce talks the young boy through checking Dicks ears, blood on them has Tim almost panicking before he notices that Dicks actual ears weren't bleeding more from the scratches over them. Bruce continues to talk Tim into sitting down and bringing Dick into a hug, the older boy clutching at Tim. The two sit there, long enough for Tim to fall asleep against Dicks side. Bruce stays quietly in front of them, Alfred had disappeared back upstairs, probably calling Leslie.

Dick suddenly shifting with a mumbled "Timmy" that has Bruce moving. Dick shifts pulling his head away from Tim's shoulder to blink rapidly at Bruce with a frown. "Timmy stay here. Not go...P..Pa..Pari" Dick stutters yet to let go of a now sleeping Tim.

Bruce sighs, finally figuring out what had set Dick off. "Oh Dick" he moves forward and gently wraps his arms around the two boys. "It's going to be alright, Tim is the one that has the final decision on where he wants to go. If he chooses to stay here I'll do everything in my power to ensure that he does"

Dick nods slowly, letting go of Tim with one arm to hug Bruce moving to hide his head in the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry.." He mumbles. Bruce pats Dicks hair with soft soothing noises. "It's okay Dick, I understand what set you of. How's your head?"

"Hurt" is Dicks mumbles reply shifting as a smaller hand joins Bruce's in his hair. Tim sleepily pats Dicks hair having woken up a moment ago.

"I'll get Alfred to get some medicine for your head, lets get you two to bed. Sleep will help, we will all talk in the morning" Bruce adjusts his arms around his boys and stands up with them both in his arms. Tim clutches at Bruce, holding on tightly as Dick simply rests in Bruce's arms.

Instead of taking the boys to either of their rooms, Bruce takes them to his own setting the pair in the large bed. "I'll watch" he says to Dick moving to sit on one of the chairs in his room but a small hand stops him, Dicks. Bruce smiles and instead gets onto the bed, promptly having a former Talon in his lap with Tim following along. Both boys fall asleep quickly after the long stressful night, Dick primarily on Bruce with his arms loosely around Tim who was resting against Bruce's side, curled up in a ball. Bruce runs his fingers through both their hair keeping watch over his boys.