Dianne stayed the night so Neal gave away his mattress to both her and Sarah while he himself slept on the large dining sheet he had, folded over to make it more comfortable. He woke up before the two did and because he was as usual running low on food, he left for the store to buy the things needed for breakfast.

Since he lived alone and didn't have company except for the occasional visits from his little friends and the monthly pay parties, so he usually kept the shopping trips to a minimum, going for it only when his stock ended completely.

When he returned from the store though, Dianne was up as well and seeing him a smile spread on her face.

"Slept well?" He asked as he placed down the paper bag beside the gas ring, taking out the milk to warm it up.

"Yeah, so did Sarah. I didn't wake her up because she seems so tired."

"We'll wake her up when breakfast's ready." Placing the pot on the ring carefully, he stood up coming towards her. He took her hands in his and watched her smile widen as he kissed her. "Thank you," he mumbled, fingers gently interlacing through hers, "for understanding and letting me take care of Sarah."

"Why would I have objected?"

"I promised you a good time and yet couldn't keep it."

"You also promised some other time..." She raised an eyebrow suggestively and he nodded, letting her kiss him.

"That I did and I'll make sure to keep it," he smiled, ocher eyes lighting up slightly.

"Don't be so sweet or else I might start thinking this agreement we have in between us is a hoax," she pinched his nose. 

"What does that have to do with me being sweet occasionally?"

"You treat every woman as if she deserves the world. It's a rarity that no one could expect from you."

"Yeah, no one expects anything from me but I do that because it is the right way to treat a woman, right?" He gently twirled her around, smile widening as he caught the shine in her eyes, "as if she is a queen who deserves the whole fucking world."

She laughed, kissing him once again, "oh God, Neal, stop it... You flirt way too much for your own good."

"Guilty as charged, arrest me if I don't get arrested by the GCPD first," he chuckled lightly.

She held his face in between her palms, eyes softening as she leaned closer, "I'm glad I stayed."

However, they were interrupted by the familiar timid voice reaching them, "Uncle Neal...?"

They quickly pulled apart turning to see that Sarah had woken up and was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"I'm right here, Sarah," he called over, pouring the warm milk into a cup, "Dianne will take you to freshen up and we'll all have breakfast then."

***

Jason was in the study, eyes skimming over the vast collection of books Bruce had until he spotted a specific title. He shifted aside the glass pane and reached for it, carefully taking it out. It was a book on old myths and legends and though Jay normally preferred classic literature, that once he decided to go for a slight change.

He was tempted to sit on Bruce's armchair and place his feet on his desk just to piss him off but thought against it, heading towards the soft cushioned seat near the window. He hadn't been there for long but forgot the time as he delved into the book but was shaken out of it hearing footsteps around him.

Looking up he saw Barbara and a smile took over his face, "hey, another surprise visit?"

"Yup," she pushed a chair closer to him and sat down, "what are you reading?"

"Myths," he replied, handing over the book to her, "it's a collection from various cultures and countries all over the world. Some of these are quite interesting."

She flicked a few pages but he placed his thumb on a particular page.

"This one is very interesting." The title read Mononoke and the description caught her attention. "I thought you would like to know about it."

"And why did you think that?" She asked though her eyes were focused on the page as she read it.

"A certain someone told me about your slight interest in Hastings."

The words caught her off guard and a dash of pink spread on her face that she failed to disguise, "that certain someone needs a kick in the ass for making such ridiculous assumptions."

"Do that, I'll film it," he shrugged but his eyebrow was still up, blue eyes gazing into her green irises skeptically, "but then Elliot also said you were there on the last pay party."

Surprise was evident on her features, "excuse you? Jason, are you spying on me?"

"No, I'm just letting you know that if you want to find anything about Hastings, I have better sources," a brilliant smirk lit up his face and Barbara took the cushion, hitting his head with it making him burst into laughter.

"How do you know Elliot?"

"Ever heard of the street kids club? I suppose not."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, Barbara, I'm not. I'm just pointing out that I have connections since I was myself a part of them and Neal isn't a stranger to us. In fact, it's the total opposite."

She straightened, "how about you stop beating around the bush and come to the point?"

"I met him last night," he elaborated, "remember when I said we had a situation regarding a kid...?"

"Yeah but then you also said the problem got solved."

"Exactly because when I called, I had taken Sarah to Neal's place but he was out so I thought I might have to make some other arrangements but then he returned in time."

She seemed slightly confused, "why would you take a kid to Neal and at such an hour?"

"Because he's good help and lends his place often. Sarah is a street kid, no different from me before Bruce took me in. I saved her from a terrible situation last night and since she didn't have anywhere else to go to, I thought I might take the next best option."

"Neal Hastings was your next best option?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "obviously. Besides he genuinely cares for his little friends."

She was silent as if pondering on his words. But then she spoke up, voicing out the question that she asked herself too often those days, "what kind of a man is Neal Hastings?"

Jason pointed over to the book, "a Mononoke. He says so himself."

"You seem to know him very well...?"

"Let's just say he was there for me just like he's there for the rest of his little friends," his voice was slightly lowered, "and ever since then, I keep in touch with him occasionally."

"As Jason or as Robin?"

"Both."

"Does he know...?" Her voice trailed off, eyes focused on him closely.

"That doesn't matter at all, Barbara. Relax, I didn't tell him anything but I have a fair idea that he has a clear guess on me being Robin."

Her eyes widened, "but that's dangerous, he can't know..."

"It doesn't matter. He's not going to tell."

"Jason, you're insane... What gives you the impression that he won't get you in trouble?"

"A mononoke doesn't get anyone in trouble as long as it is left alone," he mumbled, knowing full well that his attempts at being cryptic were annoying her, "yeah but if someone tries to get close to it, then that person might suffer the wrong consequences."

She shook her head, clearly bewildered at his words, "I have no idea what you're up to..."

"Neither do I have any idea what you're up to. Though fair warning Barb, don't get too interested in him. He's not bad but he's not the type to invest in permanently."

She shoved him with the cushion again, "what gave you the impression that I was interested in him? Ridiculous..."

"You think we're blind?" Jay chuckled, "sorry to burst your bubble but sometimes you're too obvious."

"Shut it!"

"As you wish, Ma'am," he touched his forehead in a short salute and that gesture sent a smile up to her face as well.

***