THREE YEARS AGO,

THE FAIRMONT PEACE Hotel had sat on the Bund for more than a hundred years. Through the turbulent recent history of Shanghai, it remained standing, whether owned by its original Baghdadi owners, the Japanese during World War Two, the Chinese government in the aftermath of the Civil War, or as a private hotel, as it was now. Which was why she'd chosen it as the meeting spot for her and Damian.

Over the last few years, they'd compiled enough evidence. They'd found enough trails. And after all these wild goose chases, they'd finally located Lang An.

This was her best bet. It was, potentially, her only bet.

It was September, and the heat of the summer had slowly started to fade. With the summer vacations over, the normally bustling streets around the Bund had quieted down too, though the cafe on the ground floor of the hotel remained mostly full. Odile took a sip of her coffee as she stared out through the glass window, at the tourists taking photos, passing by.

She'd arrived here yesterday. Remiel was in the Yuannan Mountains, so Odile hadn't bothered with a hotel. She'd moved into the small apartment Shan Ling kept on the other side of the city.

Damian told her his flight was arriving in the morning. He was checking into one of the hotels nearby—the Peninsula, perhaps? That was right down the street, and then he was going to meet her here. They'd planned it out over the summer.

Everything came down to this.

But when he walked in through the hotel doors (which she could see through the glass), he wasn't alone.

Beside him was someone she knew well, though she hadn't expected him to be there. Odile blinked, sitting upright. "Jon?"

He flashed a grin. "I've always wanted to visit Shanghai. Seemed like a good chance."

"He insisted on tagging along." Damian rolled his eyes. "Landed, left the airport, and the first person I saw was him."

"Jon, you do realise why—"

"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes. "I was there, remember? When you guys planned it all out? And I'll be helpful. Nice hotel, by the way, are you living here?"

"No." Odile shook her head. "They have pastries and drinks here, order what you want. And then we can get down to business."

A waiter pulled an extra chair over for them, and Odile nodded in thanks. Damian ordered a cup of black coffee. Jon ordered a mocha with a velvet cake.

She turned her head, staring out at the Huangpu River, staring across at Lujiazui on the other side. "He's living in Jing'an District. In one of those alleyways, the hutongs. Old, old buildings. Fits his character."

"What, we just swoop in and interrogate him, then?" Jon raised a brow. "Isn't he like, really old now? What if he gets a heart attack or something?"

"We're not going in immediately," Damian said, waving his hand in the air. "We observe for a little while first. I don't suppose you've figured out if he has the elixir."

"Not sure yet. It's not like he'd just put it on display anyways. I'm planning on watching him for a little while. Following him around—see what he does, where he goes, who he interacts with. I scouted out the general areas he lives in yesterday. Fairly quiet little place."

"Do you see," Damian sighed, turning to Jon, "why I told you you weren't needed here?"

Jon looked disgruntled. "You know I can do stealth too, right?"

"Your idea of stealth is pitiful, Jon."

"Well, I'm sorry I don't usually have to do things your way." Jon rolled his eyes. "You know."

They wouldn't say anything else, because most of the people who sat in this cafe would understand a couple words of English. And they all knew that. Odile pursed her lips. "I must confess, Jon, your skill sets might not be very... fitting for what we have planned."

"Again, I can be subtle."

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Well. Um." Jon winced. "My school burnt down over the summer, you see. I was... kind of there. It was an accident, of course."

Odile turned to Damian for confirmation, who sighed. "It's true. School's postponed for a few weeks for him. I would never have let him come with me otherwise. Neither would have Clark and Lois."

"Fine. But he goes by our rules. Well, my rules." Odile raised a brow. "You hear that, Jon?"

"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes. "I won't step out of line. Don't worry about it."

Their drinks and Jon's cake arrived, so they turned the discussion to something lighter. "This is a pretty cool city," Jon mumbled. "We're not spending all the time stalking some old man, right? What is there to do around here?"

"Some historical sights," Odile said with a shrug. "You're in one of the most famous areas of the city already, really. I doubt you want to buy tickets to the tallest buildings in the city just to see the view. You're more than capable of just... you know."

"I know." His eyes narrowed. "So what else is there to see?"

"We can take a stroll around the Bund," Odile said lightly. "Visit a few museums if you want. There's Chenghuang Temple too, though that's further away. And we can come back here at night if you want, albeit on the other side of the river. It's a very nice view here at night."

"Are we here on a mission or to sightsee?" Damian asked, arms crossing.

Odile turned to him, her lips slightly upturned. "A bit of both. Have you properly visited Shanghai before, Damian?"

"I've been here on missions."

"Doesn't count. Consider me your tour guide, then."

"You've never lived here either," Damian pointed out.

"Remiel and my territory have been rapidly expanding over the past few years. There's been more than one occasion when I've had to settle here for a prolonged period of time." She yawned. "So yes, actually, I have lived here before."

"Fun. Knew I should have come here. Now I get a nice tour of the city too." Jon grinned. "Love you, Odile."

"Only if you listen to my instructions." She tilted her head. "If you don't, I'm calling your father and mother and making sure you stay in Metropolis, where you belong. Or maybe Smallville?"

Jon glowered. "Don't threaten me."

"Because that's my job," Damian said mildly. "You hear what she said, Jon? If you make yourself a nuisance, that's what I'll do."

"Dude, we've been working together for years. Give me a little respect, won't you?"

Damian just shrugged. "Sorry. Too used to it."

—

DAMIAN AND ODILE went to the hutong where Lang An lived that night. Jon was given the instructions to stay in the sky and keep a lookout. They'd cover the ground.

"This building." Odile nudged her chin to her right. "He occupies the second and third floor. Family of three lives on the first floor, and also owns that tuck shop over there. Normal family, nothing to them."

"Lang An lives alone?"

"Usually. Has a nanny come in three times a week. Seems like he's still in good health."

"See that rooftop?" Damian eyed the top of the building. "He practises there. Look at how all the other roofs have racks for hanging clothes, or chairs, toys, his is completely empty. But look at those marks on the floor."

"Explains why he's in good health, then." Odile leaned back against the wall. They'd settled on the side of one of the taller buildings in the alleyway, which offered them the perfect view of Lang An's residence. You think he'd keep it here if he had it? The elixir?"

"Yes. He'd have it in some clever little location within that building. He wouldn't dare leave it elsewhere. He's old. Convenience matters to him. I never did ask what you planned to do with the elixir once you retrieve it. Not consume it yourself, I hope."

"No. I'll put it somewhere safe."

"People have killed for it before, people will kill for it again."

"I'll make sure no one knows where it is. I'll bring the secret to my grave."

"Why not destroy it?"

"It doesn't feel right." It didn't feel like that was her choice to make, to destroy something so important. No. She'd leave it. She'd hide it, make sure it was safe, but she'd keep it safe and intact.

"Then why not just leave it with him?" Damian asked, eyes boring into her cheeks. "If he's had it all these years, it means he can keep it safe and sound. And it took us years to find him."

"And we found him in the end anyways, didn't we? Who's to say someone else can't do the same thing?"

He sighed. "Fine. Perhaps you should hand it over to Father. He'd be able to keep it safe."

"That is a good idea," Odile mused. "Batman keeps all sorts of... interesting things in the Batcave. And he has the best security I know." But at the same time...

She'd decide what to do with it when she got it. Leaving it with Bruce left too many questions unanswered.

"We go in at night, then?" Odile asked, tilting her head. "Or do you think it'll be smarter to search the place first, when he's away?"

"Would he notice? Is he that good?"

Odile shook her head. "If we're careful? He won't notice. He's old, Damian. And the Eyu Sect isn't like the training you received. Or the training I received. It's just martial arts."

"Then we find a day when he's out and give the place a good search." Damian tilted his head. "If he's hiding something in there, we'd be able to figure it out. Even better if we can directly take it with us. Good bargaining chip when you're looking for answers."

"And what do we do about Jon?"

"He can do what he's doing now. Stay up there and watch."

"He's not going to be happy with that."

"I'm sure we can eventually find something else for him to do."

"Can we try to make him useful? Super hearing has to be helpful in this, right? Stick him in a spot so he can hear any conversations happening in there?" Odile sighed. "Whenever Lang An comes back, at least." Because it didn't seem like he was in right now. He usually left the upstairs windows open when he was in, but right now they were all closed.

Damian murmured, "We should probably come back when he's actually here."

"We're both in civilian clothes," Odile pointed out. "Jon too. Might as well take him on that tour of the city we promised. We can come back tonight. I doubt Lang An will be running around the city at night."

"Sounds good."

So they called Jon down from where he was hovering in the sky, and they made plans to go around the city. It was already three in the afternoon, so Odile murmured, "Since we're probably not getting much sleep tonight... more coffee, anyone?"

"I just want to sit down for a bit." Jon yawned. "Where do you have in mind?"

"Ever heard of writer Eileen Chang? Her old apartment building is just a ten minute walk away. And there's a coffee shop on the first floor now. We could stop there for a bit. And there's quite a few malls around that area as well. If you want to pick up some gifts for your parents..."

Jon's eyes lit up. "Yes. My mother would love that."

"Then we can stop by the shopping centres as well." Odile glanced down the building. "We could make our own way down, or you could give us a hand, Jon."

"On it." And then she and Damian were carefully placed on the ground. Damian let out a grunt of displeasure, swiping at his shoulders where Jon had grasped onto him. To that, Jon raised one brow. "Why are you so.. annoyed these days, Damian?

"Isn't he always like this?" Odile asked, laughing. "Ignore him, Jon."

"He's not always like this," Jon pondered aloud. "He's nice when it's just me and him. Not that I'm saying it's your fault, Odile. Maybe he has a quota for the amount of nice he can be every day, and he chooses to spend it all on you."

"That's an intriguing theory."

"Ahem." Damian cleared his throat. "I'm right here."

"You should be nicer to Jon," Odile hummed, skipping over and hooking her arm with his. "Really. He's so sweet."

To that, he raised one brow at her. "You like that? Sweet? I suppose I should have expected it."

"Who doesn't like someone as sweet as Jon? And look at him, he's adorable."

Jon placed a hand over his heart. "Thank you, Odile. You truly are my biggest fan."

In response to that, Damian just grumbled and kept walking, clearly unimpressed. Odile pouted, hurrying her steps to match his pace, considering the fact her arm was still hooked around his.

Of course, she was doing that on purpose. But with a friendship like theirs, she could do something like that without raising any eyebrows. So she'd take full advantage of it. He seemed fine with it too, slowing his steps when he realised she was struggling. Jon lagged behind them, glancing around the streets, pointing out anything he finds interesting. "How far do we have to walk?"

"Not far. Just enjoy the view. Be glad I didn't drag you two here in the middle of the summer. You'd be sweating like pigs."

"Heat doesn't really affect me all that much..."

"Well, I'm glad we're not here in the heat." Damian rolled his eyes. "Jon, didn't you promise to call your parents soon?"

"Oh crap. Yeah! Can I have your phone?"

Damian stared at him with a blank expression.

Jon blushed. "International calls, you know... Don't want to rack up my own phone bill."

Odile bursted into laughter. "Oh my... aren't you a smart one, Jon? Damian, give the boy your phone."

He raised a brow at her. "You could give him yours."

"Dami..."

"Fine." Damian's eyes narrowed. "But just this once."

"Thank you!"

Damian took out his phone, clicking a few buttons to open his phone app. Then, he handed it over to Jon. "Let's find a nice place to sit down. Or do you want to do it once we get to the cafe?"

"No, let's sit outside," Odile murmured. "We might bother the people inside the cafe. Come on, Jon, there's a park somewhere around here. That'll work."

—

NOW,

IT WAS NEARLY a week later that Damian was finally deemed able to move back into his own penthouse, albeit only after Alfred extracted a promise from Odile that she'd check on him daily. Odile had already moved back into her own place after a couple days at Wayne Manor, but she went to help pick Damian up.

She was a bit surprised to see Bruce get into the car too. The man raised a brow at her. "I haven't seen your place yet. And I want to make sure Damian will be alright living by himself. Son, you realise you'll have a hard time getting up and down the stairs?"

"I'll sleep downstairs for the duration," Damian said mildly. "My sofa's comfortable."

Odile's eyes narrowed. "Dami..."

"Or I can sleep on your sofa until I'm better."

"You know what?" Odile turned to face him. "I wouldn't mind that. And it'll make me feel safer as well. You can always stop by yours to grab what you need. But I can keep an eye on you."

Damian didn't reply, instead raising a brow at Bruce, who turned his head. "It's up to you. Wouldn't want to inconvenience you though, Odile."

She waved her hand in the air. "Hardly an inconvenience." Really, she didn't like the idea of Damian living by himself while he wasn't fully recovered either. "Sort of weird living by myself anyways, I can consider this a... transition period."

The car entered the underground parking lot, the proper underground parking lot that was known to the public. Odile and Bruce helped Damian out of the car, escorting him towards the escalator as Alfred locked the car behind them. Inside the private escalator, Bruce said, "Damian, I have a case for you to work on while you're bed-ridden. It should keep you busy for a while. A metahuman trafficking ring, mostly centred around Europe, but they're starting to spread their hands into America. Report anything you find to me. I plan on taking on the case personally."

Damian raised a brow. "Not a wild goose chase? Or some sort of game to keep me occupied?"

"No." Bruce sounded serious. "I was going to pass it onto Cecily, but I thought you might have a better time with it. Cecily's better suited for information broking on the go. And she's busy on a case already."

"Just send me the information." Damian gave a nod. The lift door opened, and Odile helped Damian walk out. He'd been given a cane, which seemed to be doing the job to help him make very small distances. A wheelchair would honestly be better, but Damian had absolutely refused the offer.

They went straight to Odile's apartment. Laid him on the sofa. Alfred found blankets and pillows and set up a nice, comfortable bed. Odile had packed him some stuff for his stay at Wayne Manor, and now she placed his belongings on the table before the sofa before pushing it closer to him for easier access.

Once again, he was on her sofa. It seemed like he kept ending up there.

Nice, isn't it? Having him under your roof again. No one thinks it's weird. You're just watching out for a friend. Just a friend.

Bruce turned his attention to Odile now after a quick scan of the penthouse. "You've cleaned up nicely. Cleaner than Jason's apartment, at any rate."

"Knowing him, that can't be a compliment."

Bruce shrugged. "Take it as you will. I won't assign you with anything, I assume you're busy enough with the art sponsorship programme. You have the numbers and emails?"

"I do. If I need anything, I'll go to the Martha Wayne Foundation staff. Thank you, Bruce. For giving me this opportunity."

A smile broke on his face. "You're the only one among them all who's shown a genuine interest in dealing with this kind of thing. Afraid you're stuck with it now. Maybe I'll hand over the reins for that to you in a few years. It seems as if Damian's going to be taking over the company itself."

"Still far too early to discuss that," Odile laughed. "I'm sure you've still got at least a couple decades in you, Bruce, so we can talk about all that later. And who knows? Maybe I'll decide to strike out on my own. I'm a rich woman."

"That you are." He nodded. "Are you planning on doing anything with it other than giving it all away to charity? It'll run out eventually."

"I don't know the smallest thing about investing my money wisely," Odile laughed. "I'm afraid you'll have to lead me through that one, Bruce."

"Hmm. I'll see what you can do about it. I'll talk to my financial advisors about it. They're used to dealing with obscene amounts of money." He gave a nod. "You'll have to find a way to make the money seem logical, though."

"Inherited my family's company, don't know jackshit how to deal with it, sold it, now I'm ridiculously rich with not a clue how to spend it all. I won't be the first kid like that in the world, I think."

"Concentrate on the sponsorship programme for now," Bruce instructed. "I'll handle the financial side of things. Well, really, I'll have to talk to both you and Remiel about it, since the cover story states you're sisters. But that can wait."

Odile nodded, her head turning back to where Damian laid, Alfred fussing over him and checking his wounds. "Thank you, Bruce."

"I trust you'll take good care of Damian." He cocked his head. "And you'll probably have an easier time with him than the rest of us anyways."

Her mind jumped fleetingly back to her last conversation with Dick. If you want something to happen, do something about it. Dragging it on forever will end with regret. His voice rang through her head, but she blinked and shut it away.

He was right, of course. Dick was right about that. She would regret it. But it would be even worse if she ruined their friendship because of this. Their friendship had already been on rough territory, but now they were back to normal. She was not going to watch it dash to pieces again.

He was her anchor. Damian was what held her down, kept her going, gave her a purpose, a goal to chase after in life now that her revenge was... complete. Of course everything else mattered too. Charity, fighting crime, helping people, but at the very core of her existence was a Damian Wayne-shaped silhouette.

She knew it sounded pathetic. Knew it was ridiculous to build her own existence on one boy. Knew that she was setting herself up for disaster, and that this would all blow up in her face one day when he inevitably started dating someone. When he inevitably fell in love, got married, had a life and moved on without her. That she'd be left standing in the dust, lost and confused, and he wouldn't even know it. That he'd think she was okay.

But that was still better than the alternative.

they're living under the same roof :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD  but we have to!!!! handle the mystery of what happened three years ago first!!!!!!!!!!!!

i return to the uk tmr so :( unfortunately tmr's probably the last daily update. i might disappear for a week or so since it's going to take a minute for me to adjust + unpack, but i'll try to keep updates at least semi-regular :D