Plenty of red { Railover

[KingCrowley]

"Jen, stop fussing honey." Bruce said shaking his head as his wife licked her thumb and began vigorously wiping at her eleven year old son's chin.

"I'm NOT having my little man walk into Gotham prep with dried milk on his face, what kind of mother do you think I am?" She asked, huffing at Bruce and she started fussing over Tim's hair. "Maybe we should style it? Like Daddy's hair?" she wondered. She seemed more nervous than Tim did.

"He looks fine." Bruce said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders. He knew this had been hard for her, Timmy had always been her baby and now he was starting his first day at Gotham prep, he was growing up. "C'mere Tim, let me help you with your tie." Bruce said, kneeling down and tying it around the boy's neck, under his shirt collar neatly.

"Oh just look at you, sweetie pie, you look so grown up." Jen started enthusiastically patting Alfred on the arm, "Alfred, Alfred, get the camera, quick!" Alfred hid an amused smile and nodded, going into the kitchen to pull the thing off of the charging wire. He then brought it back to the eager Mrs Wayne.

"Honey come on, you're embarrassing him." Bruce said, hiding a smile. "I don't even want to think about how you're going to be when he goes to prom." he tutted

"Shhhhh!" Jen gasped, covering her ears. "It's YEARS away before that, he's only eleven, he practically just came out of diapers." she huffed, snapping some pictures of her sharply dressed little man. He looked like a miniature Bruce.

"Alright, alright." Bruce sighed, shaking his head. "Come on let's go before Tim ends up being late." the man stated. Jen was still in her silk nightie and dressing gown, she had work in a little bit and unfortunately couldn't come with. Though that was probably for the best, she often embarrassed Tim without thinking in public. No kid needed that on his first day.

"Be good, Mommy loves you so, so, so much!" Jen beamed, throwing her arms around her little red robin and kissing his cheek, getting her pink lipstick all over his face. One kiss was never enough. She started getting a little misty eyed and quickly blinked so that she didn't ruin her eye make up.

"Have a wonderful day, Master Tim." Alfred smiled, handing the littlest Wayne his lunch sack.

Bruce guided Tim out the door and to the car. Once he was buckled in, Bruce began driving, looking as proud as punch. "My son's first day of Gotham prep, I can't believe it." he said softly. "Looking forward to your first day, kiddo?"

*********

It was too hot that night, no...it was too cold...no, oh for goodness sake, why couldn't he get comfortable?! Roy sat up in bed and rubbed vigorously at his young face. He reached over and switched his bed side lamp on. The poor thirteen year old hadn't been able to sleep since....well.

For Roy, it had been a perfect day. He'd been as good as gold and his parents had taken him out for ice cream and ski ball. What could be better?! He adored his parents, they were the best set any kid could have hoped to get stuck with. The day consisted of sunshine and laughter and then...everything got horrible and dark fast. Driving home on an evening, Roy had fallen asleep. Dinah and Ollie began practically screaming at each other, though they'd tried not to wake their adopted son.

Roy woke up to 'You're a fucking scumbag Ollie' and 'Well if you weren't such a bitch, Dinah!' The boy stayed quiet, pretending to be asleep. They got home, Ollie got him tucked up in bed and Roy could hear the arguing continue. Apparently Ollie had been seeing another woman, and Dinah had found out by looking through the texts on his phone.

Ollie and Dinah split up and Roy hadn't been the same since, he felt empty and he couldn't sleep. He felt angry at everything and he got into so much trouble. At first his parents indulged his behaviour and didn't punish him because they knew he had been traumatized. Though after a few months, Roy's behaviour became intolerable.

The boy had another sleepless night, he got up about six and since he was off school for a week (thanks to teacher training) he didn't need to get dressed right away. He padded downstairs and sighed when he saw his Mom sat at the kitchen table, misty eyed and nursing a coffee.

"Mornin' Mom..."

[batmanfan76]

Tim had been looking forward to attending Gotham Prep, for the most part, he had never liked his old school so he figured this would be a fresh start for him. He had heard many stories from his parents of their days there, but he had a feeling it wasn't the same. It had been a LONG time since either of them had attended, and from what he knew that had changed a lot of things just in the past five years - starting with the building, which had been rebuilt from scratch after the Joker blew it up.

Still, as much as he was looking forward to his new school he wasn't looking forward to all the strict rules. He knew unlike the public schools he had attended, GP had almost triple the amount of rules. But he was a pretty well-behaved kid, so he thought he'd be OK for the most part. At least that's what he told Bruce, Jen, and Alfred.

He frowned as his mom fussed over him, he knew she did this every year but it seemed more this year, "Moooom," He whined, "I'll be fine! Please stop!"

He held still as his dad tied his tie, he was used to this after all. They attended fancy events all the time after all, so this wasn't the first time he was in a suit and tie. It didn't mean it was comfortable, but he was used to it. He smiled some for the picture, hugged his mom goodbye, and then they were off.

"You bet, dad!" He said with a big smile when he was asked if he was excited. He looked in awe and the big school and ran inside while waving goodbye. He had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

He was wrong, however. The beginning was great, but after lunch, he got into a fight with an older boy. It started with arguing, but when the boy hit him he hit back. He wasn't just going to let himself be beaten up after all. It probably wasn't the smartest thing on his part, but it happened. And school policy was BOTH kids got notes sent home - no matter who hit first.

So there he was, standing on the curb waiting for someone to pick him up from school, head down, knowing he was in a world of trouble.

*********

A divorce was never an easy thing, but it was even harder with a child involved. That was probably the reason Oliver and Dinah had let it get so bad before either one of them had said it might be time to end it. But what was done was done, and there was nothing they could do about it now but try to make it better for Roy. They were both still his parents, after all - they owed him that much respect.

It didn't always work out, the bitter feeling from the two often got the better of them. They bottled it up in front of Roy, or blew up - there was almost no in between. Jen often told Dinah that the way they were going wasn't good for any of them, and hiding it from Roy did no one any good either.

However, as soon as Dinah would ask how often her and Bruce argued in front of Tim, the conversation ended.

Dinah knew that things needed to change for the better for Roy, but it was really hard at the moment. To be able to do what she needed for him, she needed to be able to take care of herself, and that was even harder it seemed. She blamed herself for what happened with Ollie, and then she'd blame him and just be mad at herself, before going back to blaming herself.

She looked up quickly when she heard her son come in and quickly tried to regain the little bit of composure she had let slip. He didn't need to see her like this, "H-hey honey, how'd you sleep?"

[KingCrowley]

Bruce waved his son off as he ran into school, the man feeling a little emotional since this was his first junior high, but he wasn't going to cry like Jen was probably doing right now. He checked his watch and then drove to Wayne Enterprises to start his busy day. Everyone at the building seemed to know it was Tim's first junior high day, he wasn't an elementary school kid anymore, they'd bought cards and celebratory chocolate muffins for the boy.

"Thanks everyone, I'm sure Tim will love them." Bruce smiled and headed to his office. He got home around two that afternoon because he wanted to be able to pick Tim up, and hear all about his first junior high day. After all, Gotham prep was a very elite school, only the best of the best went there. Dinah and Ollie had tried to get Roy in, but they wouldn't take him because of his low English grade. Roy ended up in a public school, a run down building with very laid back teachers. Roy hated school.

"Okay, I'm going to pick up the boy." Bruce chuckled, grabbing his jacket, "Oh, Alfred can you make-"

"Spaghetti Bolognese? Master Tim's favourite?" Alfred chuckled. "And the celebratory muffins for dessert?"

"Yep, thanks Alfred." Bruce nodded and got out to the car. He started it up and then drove out to his son's school, memories of his own school days coming back to him, only back when he was a boy the teachers would paddle and cane the students, and then he'd come home to get ANOTHER spanking from Alfred.

Bruce pulled up at the curb and smiled when he saw his son, though was instantly concerned when he saw that forlorn look. He opened up the car door by pressing a single button and smiled. "Hey champ, how was school?" he asked, wanting to hear all about his son's first day.

*********

Things at home had definitely changed since Dinah kicked Ollie out and Ollie got his own apartment. His mom would get emotional all the time and either snap and yell at him, or break down and cuddle him close, saying how he was her baby and nothing would ever take him from her. He much preferred getting cuddles than being snapped at for no reason, but he understood his Mom was going through a hard time.

His Dad on the other hand seemed to just try to buy him things to affirm his love, like taking him out places or buying him things. He pretty much shut himself off from being sad or anything and most of the time he was a happy, laid back man. Roy still heard him crying at night when he stayed over though.

It broke his heart to have both parents so upset.

"Didn't sleep..." Roy answered, pulling up a chair at the table and sighing. Around lunchtime Ollie would be coming to pick him up, and he would spend two days there. He loved going to his Dad's but he hated leaving his Mom.

"Don't cry Mom, I'll make pancakes." Roy decided and got down from his chair. He'd made pancakes before and he was pretty good at it. He flipped a couple of them and then drenched his own in syrup but added strawberries and cream to his Mom's before sitting down again.

"Mom....are you and Dad ever gonna get back together?"

[batmanfan76]

Tim could see a bunch of his now classmate's mother's sobbing as they let them out for their first day, and as much as he loved his mother - he was glad she wasn't here because of that. It was really embarrassing when your parents did that on the first day, and if his old school was any indication he would have trouble making friends as it was. But he had high hopes this would be different, he wouldn't be the only smart kid or the only one who cared about his grades. He thought it would be different.

It was, for the most part. However, some of the older boys still acted like spoiled brats like they did at his old school. They didn't like how smart some of the younger boys were, and Tim didn't put up with the being picked on anymore. He was Red Robin, he could be brave just like his mom and dad and all his aunts and uncles!

In hindsight, he knew it was stupid because even though they all fought villains, they all still said: "violence solves nothing". This was a case of that. Luckily for him in the long run, because he didn't start it he didn't get paddled or caned - just a note home. But he knew what that meant for him at home.

When he saw his dad's car pull up at the school, he was actually a little disappointed. He was sort of hoping Alfred would be picking him up like most days, but he should have known that on the FIRST day they would be picking him up.

There was almost no way he could get around telling him now, he knew that. He sighed some when asked how his day went, "It could have been better," He said honestly as he climbed into the car. He kept his head down, afraid to disappoint his dad.

*********

Dinah had always been a bit of a hothead, and when she was in complete control of her emotions she could easily control her temper. But when she was like she had been, in such a state of constant mood swings and having a hard time understanding what she felt herself, it was hard to keep the rest of her actions under control. It took most of her control just to keep from screaming too loud and blowing out Roy's eardrums with a Canary Cry.

She wished she could turn back time, and stop whatever it was that made Ollie cheat on her so they could go back to being one happy family. She hated seeing her baby boy so upset because of all of this, and she just wished it hadn't affected him so much. Of course, it wasn't that easy.

As much as Dinah tried to keep things the same for her son, minus Ollie - Ollie tended to spoil him. Whatever he wanted he got, as soon as possible. He thought it would make up for the fact that things were so different now, and even though he tried to act like it hadn't changed him he couldn't hide when he was alone.

She frowned some when Roy said he didn't sleep, she couldn't remember the last time he said he had slept well, "Aw, I'm sorry, baby. Is there something I can do to help you sleep?" She asked. She would try anything at this point - for the both of them.

She sighed as she watched her son go and make breakfast. It killed her inside, she was his mom - that was supposed to be her job, not his. How much was she neglecting him over all of this? She didn't want him to feel less important just because she and Ollie weren't working out. She didn't let it show to him, though, when he gave her her plate she smiled and kissed his forehead, "Thank you, Roy, it looks great."

They ate in silence for a moment before he asked a question she had been dreading, she didn't know how to answer that, "I don't know Roy, things are... complicated right now."

[KingCrowley]

Bruce of course wanted to pick his son up on his first day, and hear all about the great day he'd had, what teachers he liked and didn't like, what he'd had for lunch and if he'd made any friends. He pulled up at three on the dot outside of Gotham Prep and was immediately concerned when he saw his son looking so upset.

Oh please let him have had a good day, hopefully he was just upset he had to go home and leave such a wonderful school. Yeah right Bruce, get real. He opened up the door for his son and smiled a bit, asking him how school was.

Tim told him that it could have been better and Bruce wasn't sure what could have happened, though he did notice his lip looking a little bust. "Did you hurt yourself today champ, let me see." he said, gently lifting his chin and looking his lip over.

"We better get some ice on that." he said gently. "So, what subjects did you like? Is Mrs Withers still teaching there?" he chuckled, "You know, she was the oldest teacher in school when I was a kid, but I was still pretty sure she would out live us all." he laughed and when his son didn't laugh back, the man sighed.

"Okay buddy, help me out here. Did something happen?" he asked, pulling over in the car so Tim would have his full attention.

*********

Roy got a bit of a pain in his stomach when he made the pancakes, it reminded him of when Ollie would make them, and flip them, making them stick to the ceiling. He and Dinah had been in fits of giggles, especially when one of them fell down on Ollie's head. Roy hadn't laughed in weeks, he rarely smiled these days. Though he would always fake a smile at his Mom so that she wouldn't get too worried about him.

He looked over his shoulder when his Mom asked if there was anything she could do to help him sleep. Pills were out of the question, Dinah refused to give him pills since he was young. "I don't know Mom...I don't sleep at Dad's either." he said, trying to make her feel like it wasn't just her.

Roy made the pancakes and then put them on a plate for him and his Mom to enjoy. Though, he couldn't help asking something that he knew would upset his Mom. More than anything he wanted his parents to get back together so they could be a happy family again.

"But you LOVE Dad....and I KNOW he loves you! You're both just mad....can't you give him a spanking and forgive him for the bad thing he did? And then we can be a family again..." he explained, getting teary eyed.

[batmanfan76]

It was usual for either Jen or Bruce to pick Tim up on his first day of school. With both of their jobs having weird hours, they didn't get to pick him up that often so the first day was something special. But today Tim didn't want either of them too, he didn't want to have to tell them what had happened yet, and just go sit in his room alone for a little while before they came home from work.

He knew he should have acted excited to see his dad, but it was really hard. He knew he was going to be mad and disappointed with him over this, and the sooner he found out the sooner he'd be in trouble. He wanted to prolong that as much as possible, but luck was rarely on his side. It wasn't really on anyone's side in his family.

He looked up only for Bruce to check out his lip, it didn't hurt nearly as bad as before; honestly, he had forgotten about that specifically, "Sort of," He said when Bruce asked if he got hurt.

"The nurse gave me some ice earlier, but I didn't like how it felt," He explained. The ice just burned against it so he only used it for a few minutes. He barely listened as Bruce asked about an old teacher, "I don't know, maybe," He said with a shrug. He hadn't met many teachers today.

He looked up finally when Bruce pulled over and asked what happened. He knew he had two options - not say anything and act like it was nothing, or be honest. From past experience, he knew the latter was the better option in the long run.

"I... I got into a fight," He said quietly.

*********

As much as Dinah was mad at Ollie, there were many things she missed. She missed their lazy Saturday mornings where he made pancakes for everyone, she missed their lunch time phone calls, she missed him buying her flowers after harder missions - she missed him being here. But anytime she saw him, she couldn't forget what he did.

She didn't think things would ever go back to how they were before.

She knew Roy was trying to make her feel better by saying he wasn't sleeping good at Ollie's either, but that made her feel more guilty. When was the last time he slept well? Maybe it was time to have him looked at, get some suggestions to help him sleep - without pills though, she thought he was far too young for sleeping pills, "Well while you're at your dad's for the next few days, I'll talk with some people to see what we can do to help you sleep."

Her heart broke some as she watched his eyes tear up as he gave an option on how to fix things, "Oh, Roy," She said softly as she got up from her chair. She walked over to her boy before kneeling down beside him and bringing him in for a hug, "Oh baby I wish it were that easy. But this, it's just... You know how sometimes when you do something wrong, we send you to your room so we can calm down first? It's like that, we need to calm down before we can fix it."

[KingCrowley]

Bruce hated the fact he couldn't always pick his son up from school, or be there for every parents night, or attend every sports day. His job...BOTH his jobs kept him very busy and while he knew that Tim understood, it was a lot to ask of a boy and he knew Tim got upset about it sometimes.

He was just happy that he got to pick him up today, he'd overworked himself last week so that he could leave early this day in particular. Nothing was more important than his son, and he always tried to make that obvious for Tim.

Bruce looked over his son's lip and winced when he explained that the Nurse gave him some ice but it just burned, "I know kiddo, but it's supposed to bring down the swelling." the man explained, "I think we have some cooling ointment that's gentle enough not to hurt." he smiled before asking about one of his old teachers.

When Tim didn't crack a smile, Bruce knew something was up so he pulled over and told his son to come out with it.

His eyebrows shot up when he told him that he got into a fight. "A fight?" he repeated sort of dumbfounded. He knew fighting was a serious offense at Gotham prep. "What were you fighting for? You know better Timothy Wayne." he scolded, tone going immediately stern.

"What happened?" he demanded to know. He was disappointed in his son but he would always hear his side of the story before he jumped to conclusions.

********

"Okay, but I don't wanna go to therapy again, Mom." Roy answered. Ollie had tried to get him to go a few weeks back but Roy hadn't liked it one bit, the therapist made him bring up things about his past and all he did was cry for the full hour. He was NOT going back to stupid therapy.

He then asked about his parents getting together, and asking if his Mom could just spank Ollie for the bad thing he did, so they could get back to being one big happy family. He couldn't help it, he started crying and wrapped his arms around his Mom when she came over and hugged him, telling him that it wasn't that simple.

When she tried to explain it in a way he understood, he nodded and wiped his eyes, "Okay but I want you guys to fix this soon." he nodded, laying his head on her shoulder.

"Mom....what if Dad picks another kid instead of me?" he asked worriedly "Like...the way he picked another woman instead of you?" he asked, not meaning to bring up painful things. He couldn't help but worry though.

[batmanfan76]

When Tim was really little, like the first year or two he went to school, it made him really sad that his parents didn't pick him up from school. But as he got older, and understood more of what his parents did (both in and out of costume) he understood it more. He sometimes still wished the could be there when he got out of school, or at more of the school events, but he at least understood it now. Besides, he knew they were doing good.

Tim didn't know the amount of work his parents went to, though, so they could be there for him when they were. He just figured they said 'I have to be there' and they could. His dad did own the company, and his mom ran her department in the hospital, so he thought they could do whatever they wanted to basically. Of course, it wasn't that easy.

He nodded some when Bruce said the ice was supposed to help with the swelling, "I know, mom says that all the time," He said. Having a doctor as either parent meant you heard that stuff a lot. He did smile a little when his dad came up with a better idea, though, at least in his eyes, "Thanks, dad."

The smile faded after he told him what had happened. His head went back down, and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes, he knew this wasn't going to go well. He didn't respond at first when his dad scolded him, he knew from that tone of voice he was disappointed in him - just like he thought he would be.

"This boy was picking on me and some other boys, and when I told him to stop he hit me. I hit back," He explained, knowing not answering would make it look worse for him.

*********

Dinah nodded some when Roy said he didn't want to go back to therapy. They had sent him because his teachers, and lots of their friends, had said it might do him some good, but he hated it. She thought still it might help to get him someone to talk to besides her and Ollie, but maybe it would be better to get someone he knew, "Alright bud, no therapy."

She knew this was all really hard on him, she couldn't imagine what it was like when one day everything seems right and then next it wasn't. Well, she could; but at least she understood what was going on in all the details. He didn't, and she honestly didn't want him too. No child needed to know their dad was a man hoe and cheated on your mom.

Yes, she was still very bitter.

She held onto her baby tight as he cried, it was the worst sound for any mother to hear. She assumed it was that way for father's too, but she didn't ask. She just wished she could make Roy feel better. At least he seemed to understand how she explained it now, "So do I buddy, but it'll take some time."

She looked down a little shocked when he asked if he'd be replaced too like she had. That still stung, but more so because he knew about it, "You won't ever be replaced, Roy. No matter what happens between me and Oliver, it will not change how we feel about you. We love you with all our hearts," She explained and then smirked a little, "Besides, if he did try to replace you, I'd kick his butt. And so would your uncles I'm sure."

[KingCrowley]

"Well your Mom's a very smart lady, and she knows what she's talking about." Bruce answered when Tim explained that Jen told him all the time that ice brought down the swelling. She always made a huge fuss over Tim when he got hurt on patrol or during training, then again most mothers did.

"You're welcome pal." Bruce smiled when the boy thanked him about the ointment. The boy then told him he'd gotten into a fight at school, Bruce was honestly shocked, he wasn't sure how to process that, though he knew his son knew better.

He asked him what happened and listened when the boy told him that there was this other boy picking on him and some other kid, Tim tried to be the bigger person and told him to stop, he got hit so Tim hit him back.

"You never, ever lay a hand on someone Tim, no matter how much you think they earned it. It makes you as bad as they are." Bruce explained, "I'm proud that you stood up for yourself and another kid, but hitting back is NOT the way to go about things."

"You KNOW that." he reminded him and started up the engine again. "You're grounded, a whole week." he told him firmly and pulled off the side of the curb. He thought maybe he should spank the boy, but since he had TRIED doing the right thing, he didn't think it was necessary.

"And that means no sleep over at Wally's." Bruce added before the boy got to thinking he got a pretty lax punishment.

*********

"Good." Roy nodded when his Mom confirmed that he didn't have to go back to therapy. He didn't want to tell ANYONE how he was feeling, it just made him upset and mad. The only people he would feel comfortable crying in front of were his parents.

He asked about being replaced and smiled a bit when the woman promised that he wouldn't ever be replaced, no matter what happened it wouldn't change how they felt about him. He knew his Mom was bitter about his Dad, but it hurt him when she said things like he was a waste of space and a terrible man.

Ollie was his Dad and Roy loved him to pieces, just like he loved his Mom.

He giggled when Dinah said if he did replace him she would kick his butt, and so would Uncle Bruce. "Poor Dad." he said with a little laugh. He had wanted to ask more about why his Dad cheated and things, but whenever he brought anything up about it, his Mom quickly changed the subject.

Just then, there was the beep of a horn outside and Roy looked up, "Dad's here!" he stood up and ran out of the house before Dinah could scold him about not being ready or dressed or anything. Roy didn't care.

"Daddy!" he almost knocked the man over in a strong hug as Ollie got out of the car. Roy was still in his drop seat pyjamas, he didn't care, he always got really happy when one of his parents came to pick him up.

[batmanfan76]

"You're really smart too, dad," Tim said when Bruce said that Jen was smart. He knew that it was normal for mom's to fuss over their kids when they got hurt, but he figured it was worse with them. Being a hero he did get hurt a lot, so anytime he got hurt she kind of freaked out. Seeing how bad his dad got hurt and how often, he could kind of understand it. But he had never been hurt that bad, so it was probably more of a mom thing then he knew.

He wasn't honestly sure how telling his dad what happened would go over: he could believe him and not be in trouble, he could not believe him and be in more trouble, he could believe him and STILL be in trouble, or something else altogether. All he knew was that only one of those options was good for him, and he doubted that was what would happen.

He sighed some when Bruce said he knew better and not to hit people, "I thought you said it was OK in self-defense? It's not like I hit him because I was mad, I hit him like you taught me to to get him to stop."

While Tim wasn't great at hand-to-hand combat yet, mainly because he was so much smaller than most of the people he fought, he was really good at takedowns. So he thought it was better to do that then let the older boy keep hitting him.

He frowned some when he said he was grounded, he almost hated being grounded more than being spanked - being grounded was so boring, "Awe, dad..."

*********

As much as Dinah thought that therapy might help Roy, she also knew it wouldn't help if he didn't want to be there, so it was useless. If he ever asked to go again, she'd send him, but until then it was done. There wasn't much she could do to force him to do it, without making him resent her at least. And that was the last thing she wanted or needed right now.

She tried her best not to talk down about Ollie when Roy was around, but sometimes it just slipped out. The girls told her that it just wouldn't help the situation if they constantly talked badly about each other to Roy, and she didn't all that often (she hoped), but sometimes she just couldn't think of another way to say something. But if Roy ever said something like that about him, he would be over her knee so fast it would make Barry jealous.

She hoped Ollie would do the same.

She smirked some when he said 'poor dad' about her kicking his butt if he tried to replace him, "He'd deserve it, no one hurts my baby," She said and hugged him tight again, kissing the top of his head, "I love you Roy, don't ever forget that..."

She was enjoying their little moment, but then there was a honk. She sighed as Roy ran outside, "Roy! You're not... oh forget it," She said and followed after him.

Oliver was just getting out of the car when he was tackled by his son - luckily the car broke his fall otherwise he would have ended up on the ground, "Good to see you too, sport," He chuckled before looking up to see Dinah, "Hey, Di."

"Oliver," Was her only response. She wanted to remain civil.