Yes Virginia, Mr. Harper Will Survive
by Vicki Napier (VNapier@aol.com)

***

"Harper! You got some splanin' ta do!" A loud voice bellowed across the conference 
room in the new Titan's lair. Dick's impersonation of Ricky Ricardo left a lot to 
be desired, but it was good enough to get the point across.

"Dick!" Roy gulped, staring wide-eyed at the man who had just entered. "Dick, I 
can explain. Really." Kory had informed Roy that she was unable to get any 
information from Dick at their recent lunch date. She did say, however, that Dick 
was looking forward to answering Roy's question in person.

Roy ran for the nearest exit, but hit the floor with a thud as he was tackled from 
behind. Deciding to try a different tactic, Roy looked over his shoulder at Dick, 
smiling coyly

"So, Grayson, how's the love life?"

Dick rolled his eyes and shook his head. Only Roy Harper would have the audacity 
to ask him that, knowing full well that Dick was there to kick his butt over 
precisely the same topic. With a heavy sigh, Dick climbed to his feet and held out
his hand.

Roy eyed him suspiciously, then very hesitantly took Dick's hand and pulled 
himself to his feet. 

"Aw, come on, Dick." Wally West complained from the doorway. "I was really looking 
forward to watching you kick his butt. Won't you reconsider? I mean, at least mess
up his hair. Break an arrow or two. A black eye would be simply stunning."

"West, don't you have something else to do?" Roy asked his teammate, shooting him 
an irked look.

"Sure, I got all sorts of things I could be doing, but nothing as exciting as 
this." Looking back at Dick, he smiled brightly at his best friend. "So, are you 
gonna hit him, or what?"

"No, I'm not gonna hit him." Dick replied, walking toward Wally. He put his hand 
out and when Wally took it, Dick pulled him close for a quick embrace. "It's good 
to see you, Wally. You're taking good care of Robin for me, aren't you?"

"Sure, pal, you know it. Couldn't let anything happen to the squirt." Wally winked 
at Roy. "After all, I might get pushed down. And you might not even help me back 
up."

Dick sighed again. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stay mad at these two 
guys. They were his best buddies. His pals. His comrades. His biggest annoyances.

Raising an eyebrow, he turned back to Roy. "Now, what is this that I hear about 
you turning the lair into a gambling parlor? I leave you guys unchaperoned for two 
minutes, and this is what happens?"

"Well, Dick, you see it goes this way." Roy tried to think of a way to explain the 
betting pool without it sounding like they were betting on Dick's love life and 
his future happiness as though it were a football game. Of course, that was
in fact what they were doing, but that didn't mean it had to sound that
way. "We were all sitting around talking, and somehow the subject of your
romantic interests came up."

"Somehow?" Dick asked, his arms folded across his chest.

"Yeah, it just came up, ya know. I think Donna mentioned it." Roy knew Dick would 
never hurt Donna. "Anyway, it seemed we all agreed that you and Oracle got the 
hots for each other. Heck, you two verbally 'pull two tables together' every time 
you talk to each other." Roy rolled his eyes condescendingly at Dick. "I mean,
I've heard of phone sex before, but cyber sex? Sometimes I feel like we should 
hose you down afterwards. Or at least offer you a cigarette." The scowl on Dick's 
face made Roy realize his point was more than adequately made and that it was time 
to move on. Quickly.

"So we just *naturally* started speculating on when you two would realize what was 
right in front of your noses. And for the record, this one has got to be driving 
Bats nutty. He trained you to be the hyper-observant perfectionist we all know
and love, yet you can't see something so totally obvious? It's a wonder he ain't 
blown a 'bat gasket' or two." Roy realized he was straying off topic and quickly 
corrected himself. "Anyway, that just naturally brought out the competitive nature 
in all us hero types...and before ya could say 'pucker up, babe', we had a full-
fledged wager going on."

During his whole dissertation, Roy had nonchalantly been working his way toward 
the exit. Things could still go either way, and Roy wanted at least a plausible 
chance of making a hasty escape, should Dick decide to listen to Wally after all.

But Roy's retreat suddenly halted as a more intriguing thought crossed his mind. 
Confidently moving back toward Dick and Wally, he quickly took up offense. 
"Besides, I'm trying to raise and impressionable young girl here. How am supposed 
to explain your erotic behavior to her? Huh? Tell me that, Mr. Grayson." Now 
standing eye to eye with Dick, Roy poked his finger into Dick's chest, "And let
me make this *perfectly* clear. The first time I catch her making 'lovey-dovey' 
voices at some guy on the phone, *you* are dead meat."

"Who's making 'lovey-dovey' voices?" Donna asked as she entered the conference 
room. When she saw Dick standing next to Wally with Roy's finger jabbed in his 
chest, the subject of the men's conversation quickly dawned on her. "Oh, hi Dick. 
Been talking to Oracle, I take it?"

Wally and Roy both snickered. Donna ignored Dick's scowl and gave him a big 
welcome hug. "How are things in Bludhaven? And Gotham?" Donna's smile was 
innocently sweet. "How's Oracle?"

Roy and Wally turned their backs, trying to maintain control. But Dick's helpless 
expression was almost more than they could stand.

"Hear you two have quite a thing for each other." Donna continued. "You two plan 
on ever getting together, or is cyber space the newest version of safe sex?"

Donna put her arm around Dick's shoulder, continuing to ignore his pained 
expression. Taking on the air of the loving sister, she began her sisterly advice. 
"And I do want you to be careful, Dick. There are so many temptations out there.
You should make sure you are fully prepared in the event you lose control of your 
'male urges'." Remembering Dick's previous revelation concerning his one-night 
stand with Huntress, she added. "But then you already know that, don't you."

"Donna! I think I'm quite capable...." Dick stopped mid sentence. Since they were 
all fully aware of his recent 'inability to control himself', arguing the issue 
was simply beyond pointless. And, besides that, anything he said would definitely
be held against him in this 'court of law.' "Okay, so I screwed up once,
but that doesn't mean I'm going to be making that mistake again anytime soon."

"I know, dear." Donna replied, patronizingly patting Dick's arm. She was not yet 
willing to relinquish the subject matter. "It's just that we all care so much 
about you. We don't want to see anything terrible happen. Isn't that right guys?" 
Donna grinned at Roy and Wally.

"Yeah, sure," Roy piped up. "Like Donna said, we worry about you Dick. Its been 
several months since your little indiscretion with Huntress and, well, when you 
let 'things' back up in your system for long periods of time, sometimes they tend 
to...erupt when you least expect them. Could lead to more 'accidents', if you know
what I mean." Roy elbowed Wally, and the three men fought back the laughter.

"But, since you don't look too...'congested', can we assume the you and Oracle 
have...disarmed your eruption potential?" Wally asked, admirably maintaining his 
composure.

But this was more that Roy could take. He doubled over with laughter and Wally 
joined in almost immediately. Even Donna couldn't keep a straight face. Although 
she did succeed in maintaining some semblance of decorum.

"Well, it's almost nice to know that the maturity level around here hasn't 
increased any over the years." Dick said as he took a seat at the conference 
table. Looking at Wally and Roy, he shook his head and muttered, "Beavis and 
Butthead take Manhattan." Shifting his stare to Donna, he added, "I wouldn't have 
believed they could drag you into this too. I guess I should start coming around
more often. You people are getting completely out of hand."

Donna knew from experience that Dick had had enough. She also noticed something 
else. Something in his eyes. She couldn't be sure what it was, but it was 
definitely something she had never seen there before. Also, knowing from 
experience that the others would follow her lead, she took a seat next to Dick.

"What is it, Dick?" she asked. "You know we're just giving you a hard time." She 
took Dick's hand and gave him an encouraging smile. "Kory said you seemed very 
happy with your life when she had lunch with you. It’s been so long since we've 
seen you happy. Are you really happy, Dick?"

True to form, Wally and Roy calmed down and took their seats at the table along 
with Donna and Dick. They could rib each other mercilessly, but if there was 
something serious going on, they could be the best support system around.

"Yeah, Dick." Wally spoke up. "And what's with the incommunicado routine lately. 
You got a problem, you know you can count on us."

"I know, guys," Dick said almost sadly. "Its not that I don't want to. But between 
Bludhaven and Gotham, lately I just don't seem to have time to think. Much less 
keep in touch with my old friends."

"What about new friends?" Donna asked very sincerely. The time for joking was 
over. "I know we've given you a pretty hard time about Oracle, but Dick, you need 
to have some diversions. Even if she is just a friend."

"Well," Dick mumbled, somewhat embarrassed "she's actually more than just a 
friend."

"I knew it!" Roy slapped his hand down on the table. "I told ya'll that was 
genuine, unadulterated lust permeating through that man's voice." Roy sat up in 
his chair with his chest prominently puffed with pride.

"Can it, Roy," Wally interrupted. "Dick obviously needs to talk about something 
and he doesn't need any unsolicited comments from the ‘Playboy Channel’." Wally 
smiled and nodded affirmatively for Dick to continue. "As you were saying?"

"Well, Oracle and I have decided to try dating for a while," Dick explained 
hesitantly. This wasn't going to be like telling Tim, who knew Barbara was Oracle. 
He still hadn't been able to make Barbara fully realize that by dating him, her 
identity would become known to some.

That definitely included the present company, Garth, Kory, Superman and Wonder 
Woman, and some of the old Titan members, as well. There were also perhaps a dozen 
more who could figure it out, as Dick Grayson was known to them to be Nightwing,
too. He didn't feel it was his place to tell them her name, but at the same time, 
he had no earthly idea how to keep it from them. This guilt driven dilemma had 
cost him a lot of sleep in the last few weeks.

"Try dating?" Donna inquired. 

"Yeah, well it's kind of complicated." Dick still wasn't sure of what to say or 
where to begin.

"One of *your* relationships complicated? Buddy, have you ever had one that 
wasn't?" Wally asked rhetorically.

"They do all seem to turn out that way, don't they," Dick said with a slight 
chuckle. "And even though I've never been more sure that she is the *right* woman, 
the complications in this one make the others pale in comparison."

"Well, Dick my man, the doctors are in," Roy interjected with a big grin. "Now, 
where exactly does it hurt?"

"Roy!!" Donna and Wally snapped in unison.

"Lighten up, will ya?" Roy responded, sounding sincerely hurt. "Sure Dick's had 
some, shall we say, less than stable relationships, but come on. How bad could 
this be?" Roy gave Dick a questioning glance. "Dick, just *how* complicated
is this?"

"It would take a full hour-long episode of ‘Oprah Winfry’ to even put a dent in 
it." Dick answered somewhat sarcastically. "Sometimes, I’m just not sure how I’m 
going to deal with it all, and maintain any sense of sanity."

Donna took command of the situation. "Dick, if you want to talk about it, you know 
we are here for you. But if this is something that you're not ready to share, then
just remember we are still here if you change your mind later." She shot
Roy a look that dared him to make any comment whatsoever.

"No, I want to talk to you guys," Dick began. "That's why I came here today. But 
it's just that very few people know who Oracle really is, and if..."

"And if you start dating her, we will know her real identity. Is that the 
problem?" Donna inquired.

"One of them." Dick nodded solemnly. He was beginning to regret coming here. He 
wanted to share with his friends, his family, the events that were bringing such 
joy to his life, but how could he?

Wally looked at Donna and when he didn't get a threatening scowl, he proceeded to 
solve Dick's problem. "Well, it seems like you must be the real thing for her, 
too. You've been worrying about this for nothing, Dick."

Wally looked questioningly at Roy and then at Donna. "Am I right?"

"If you mean, did I get a rather informative email message this morning, then yep, 
she's got a bad case of the 'Dickyitis'." Roy was always full of wise-ass 
comments, but his eyes revealed his true thoughts. He knew how guarded Dick was 
with his identity and obviously so was she. It was beginning to dawn on him
the true importance of the message he had received. It took a lot of love and 
trust for Oracle to do what she had done.

Dick looked confused.

"Dick, evidently Oracle knows how much this has been tearing you apart, so she 
took matters into her own hands." Donna smiled that big sister smile that always 
made Dick realize she would forever be his dearest friend. "Barbara told us who 
she is. She knew you never could, and you would continue letting it eat away
at you. She obviously loves you too much to see that happen."

Dick's head shot up when Donna said Barbara's name. They knew! Barbara had told 
them? What was she thinking? Her very life depended on her anonymity. She...she 
loved him enough to trust his faith in them! He knew at that moment that he loved
her more than he ever thought possible. He was going to find a way to break 
through that last wall. He would marry her if it was the last thing he ever did.

"She really is amazing, Dick." Roy's voice was full of wonder and awe, mixed with 
a little jealousy. "I hope you realize just how very lucky you are."

Dick smiled at his long time friend. At times, he and Roy's relationship had been 
tenuous, at best. Dick knew Roy sometimes felt overshadowed by Dick, but he always 
remained a loyal and trusted friend.

"Yeah, I *know* how lucky I am." Dick felt like a weight had been lifted off his 
shoulders. He was much more at ease with the situation and felt like he would be 
able to tell the rest of the story. Besides, if they could drop a bombshell
like that on him, he still had a round or two of his own left. "And you don't even 
know the half of it yet. If you think she's amazing because she's got  
unconditional faith in my choice of friends, wait till you hear how understanding 
she is about my impending fatherhood."

"Fatherhood?" three stunned voices exclaimed in unison. Three pairs of eyes stared 
wildly at Dick, demanding an explanation.

"Yeah, I'm going to be a father." Dick blushed slightly as he studied each of his 
friends faces for some kind of response. Would they understand? Would they think 
him weak and irresponsible? Sure, Roy had Lian out of wedlock, but that was Roy. 
And Garth just got married and she was already pregnant, too. But Dick always felt 
the others held him to a higher standard, expected more from him.

"But...but you and...you two just started...damn, you work fast." Roy was the 
first one to recover his senses enough to speak. "Maybe you should change your 
name from 'Nightwing' to 'The Incredible Thumper.' Talk about the Engerizer 
bunny."

"Roy," Donna scolded once again. "Would you be quiet so Dick can explain." Giving 
Dick a hesitant and questioning look, she asked. "You are going to explain, aren't 
you?"

Dick nodded.

"First off, Barbara isn't pregnant." Dick figured there was no point in beating 
around the bush. He might as well just get all the cards on the table.

Donna wasn't normally the master sleuth of the group, that naturally being Dick's 
department, but she was no slouch either. Her eyes bugged out again before she 
asked Dick the question that suddenly popped into her mind.

"Huntress?"

Dick again blushed, giving her an affirmative nod. Embarrassed, he continued. "It 
was only once, but as they say, once was enough."

Wally and Roy just sat there looking completely dumb founded. Throwing confused 
glances at Dick and Donna, they each tried to absorb the extraordinary facts that 
were being thrown at them. Finally, Wally regained his composure.

"You and Huntress...only did it once...and she's pregnant? Didn't you...use 
protection? And Barbara is okay with this?" Wally wasn't sure which fact amazed 
him more. That a one-night stand had culminated in a pregnancy, or that Barbara 
would actually forgive Dick. Dick definitely hadn't been understating things when 
he said this had to be his most complicated relationship yet. "You sure lead a 
charmed life, Grayson. I wouldn’t have the balls to even try and pull that one 
off."

"Well, Barbara's not jumping for joy by any means, but yes, I have her full 
support in every way." Dick replied meekly. "And for the record, yes there was 
protection, but nothing is foolproof. Obviously. We got nailed by the odds." Dick 
nervously fiddled with his hands.

"This is definitely not the way I would have planned it, but I am going to be a 
father." Dick looked at his friends, his eyes pleading for understanding. "I'm 
sorry if I let you guys down. I know I don't deserve..." Dick hesitated as Donna 
stood to move next to him.

"Let us down?" Donna bent down and hugged Dick. "Dick, we love you. You're not 
just our friend, you're family. You're human. You're entitled to the same mistakes 
we all are. We never expected you to be perfect." Donna pulled away and looked
into Dick's eyes, smiling understandingly, "You're the only one who always
demanded that you be perfect. We love you just the way you are and we couldn't
be more happy for you." She hugged him again. "Congratulations, Dick, you
are going to be the best father ever."

"Ahem," Roy cleared his throat. "I have more experience in the fatherhood 
department, Donna. If he's going to be a good father, it's only because he's 
gotten to watch the master at work." Roy ceremoniously blew on his knuckles before 
rubbing them against his chest.

Roy easily dodge the training manuals that were thrown at him by Donna and Wally. 
True he was the first in the group to become a parent, but except on rare 
occasions, he was still the most immature, by far.

"Yes, Roy, you are a really good father, too." Donna grew up with these guys, but 
it never ceased to amaze her how much ego stroking she had to do when there was 
more than one present at a time. "I didn't mean to imply that you weren't, really,
honey."

"Honey?" Dick asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's the other little rumor I wanted 
to check out while I was here." Dick glanced at Roy with a semi-threatening look. 
"And don't think I've forgotten the other little thing I came here to take care
of, Mr. Pit Boss."

Ignoring the haunted expression on Roy’s face, Dick turned back to Donna, pulling 
her down so she was sitting on his knee. "So you and Roy gonna give it another 
whirl?"

"Yeah," Donna blushed. "We're doing that 'try dating' thing, too. It's been awhile 
for both of us, so we are taking it slow and we'll just see how things work out. 
And, again Dick, I couldn't be more happy about your news?"

Wally came over and offered Dick his hand. "Congratulations, Dick. We're real 
proud for you, man." Wally beamed with pride. Dick was his best friend and he 
couldn't be happier for him.

"Congratulations, Dick." Roy added his warm wishes as well. "So when is the big 
event?" 

"Four months," Dick's tenuous spirits couldn't dampen the pride in his voice. 
"Actually, my little girl is due the end of December. Maybe even on Christmas 
Day."

"Girl!" Donna squealed with delight. "She and Lian will be best friends. I can 
just feel it."

"Boy, you did luck out, Grayson," Roy winked at Donna. "I would have hated to have 
to kick your butt if your son ever tried to make the moves on my little girl." Roy 
put his arm around Dick's shoulder. "Now we can keep each other company when they 
start dating. Providing there are any worthy candidates out there for our little 
princesses."

"Roy, why don't we wait till she's at least born before we start talking about her 
dating." Dick replied. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he slowly sank 
into the chair behind him. "Dating? Boys?" Dick leaned on the table with his head 
in his hands. Certain aspects of his impending fatherhood were just hitting him.

"I don't know *anything* about little girls. I haven't thought past the diapers 
and nap times and...and baby things. Adolescence? Dating? Oh, God, what am I going 
to do?" Dick was speaking to no one in particular. He was simply voicing the 
thoughts that were overloading his brain.

"Dick," Donna couldn't help laughing just a little. She placed her hand 
comfortingly on his shoulder. "Dick, like you said, let her get here first before 
you start worrying about things that are years and years away. You'll do fine." 
Donna's voice took on a waning air as she cautiously proceeded. "Besides, she has 
a mother, too. Don't forget you're not the only parent that will have a say in all
these things."

Donna felt Dick's body tense beneath her hand. She knew Dick better than anyone 
and she knew she just struck a nerve he had been trying to ignore. "Guys, why 
don't you go see if there's anything in the kitchen we can use to celebrate Dick's
news. I think I saw a bottle of wine in the fridge." Donna's tone and the nod of 
her head in the direction of the door let the others know that she wanted to talk 
to Dick alone. Roy looked a little uneasy, but followed Wally, closing the door 
behind them.

Donna pulled her chair over and sat next to Dick. "I know when something's 
bothering you, Dick. What is it? Talking it over can sometimes help."

"I just...just don't know...how..." Dick choked as his tears began to fall. Even 
with his relationship with Bruce on a much firmer footing, Dick didn't dare try to 
talk to him about this. Bruce just wouldn’t understand. Tim was too young. 
Barbara...well he had asked more than enough from her already.

And Alfred...he never had trouble talking to Alfred before, but he couldn't seem 
to find the courage to face him since he found out about the baby. He felt like he
had let Alfred down, more so than Bruce. Alfred was the one who was always his 
emotional and moral center at Wayne Manor. Alfred was the one who spent so much 
time trying to make sure Dick understood all the implications of the life Bruce 
offered him.

Alfred was the one he was still too ashamed to face alone in the tainted light of 
his present predicament. No, he couldn't turn to Alfred with this, either.

But, Donna. Donna was his 'sister'. Donna, having been the non-custodial parent 
after her divorce from Terry, would understand as no one else could. She would 
understand his fears and his regrets.

"Donna, how do I handle it?" Dick asked in a trembling voice. "How do I see my 
daughter every other weekend, or every other evening, or...? Donna, how do I leave 
her behind when it's time for me to go? How do I live with myself for not being 
there to comfort her when she has a bad dream, or encourage her when she takes
her first step, or ....?" Dick again choked. He looked up at Donna, this time his 
eyes pleading for answers. Pleading for something to end his suffering. "How do I 
handle being a part-time father? I just don’t know if I’ll be able to handle 
that."

Donna fought to hold back her own tears. She knew how it felt to be the 'absentee' 
parent. Terry had never denied her anything when it came to spending time with 
Bobby, but it just wasn't the same as being there all the time. She had missed
so much. The little things that most parents take for granted. She knew exactly 
what Dick was feeling and she hated more than anything that she would not be able 
to make it any easier for him.

"Dick, hon," Donna tried to be reassuring, but honest as well. "I'm not saying 
it's ever going to be easy. And, yes, there are going to be times when her mother 
tells you of some cute thing she did or said, and your heart will ache because you
missed it." Donna cupped Dick's cheek in her hand and smiled her best smile.

"But you can't let that destroy what you *will* have with her. There will be just 
as many things that happen when she is with you that her mother will miss out on,
too. Those are the realities of your situation." Donna sighed with remembrance.
"Those are the pitfalls of unmarried parenthood."

"And there are advantages, as well." Donna gently stroked Dick’s hair. "You won’t 
have the problems Roy has with finding someone reliable and responsible to keep 
Lian. I know he comes off as an irresponsible ass sometimes, but he is a really 
good father. He learned a lot from his experiences with Ollie."

"And, Dick, you are not alone." Donna said firmly. "Barbara loves you so much she 
is willing to accept you as you are, family package and all. She loves you enough 
to tell us her secret just to keep you from suffering any more."

"Wally mentioned that Bruce has lightened up a lot in the past few weeks. I can't 
help but think, if he's that way with the JL, that things have got to be going 
better between you two as well." Donna paused long enough for Dick to give an 
affirming nod.

"You have me and Roy and Wally and Garth. And, despite all the things that have 
happened, Kory will always be here for you as well." Donna's face blossomed with 
surprise as she made yet another deduction.

"You told Kory about the baby at lunch the other day, didn't you? That's why she 
was so closed mouthed about what you two talked about. All she would say is that 
you seemed very happy." Donna playfully slapped his shoulder, "You little rascal!"

Dick grinned. He was beginning to feel better already. He knew that in actuality 
nothing had been change, nor had anything been resolved. He just felt better 
knowing he could talk about this part of his life with someone. Someone who would
understand and not think him selfish and shallow. And, Donna was right. He was 
surrounded by wonderfully understanding friends and family. He was actually quite 
lucky, all things considered. Maybe he should be concentrating on the benefits of 
his relationship with Helena, instead of worrying about things that could not be 
changed.

"Have you two picked out a name yet?" Donna inquired enthusiastically. She loved 
talking ‘babies’ and more than anything wanted to have more of her own.

"No, she said that was my decision." Dick said less enthusiastically. "But its 
hard, it really is. I want to name her after my mother so bad, but she mentioned 
something about the baby having her last name, so I...I just don’t know. Mary 
Elizabeth does sound good though, even if it’s not followed by ‘Grayson.’ Dick 
smiled softly. "Or I could save ‘Mary’ for if Barbara and I have a girl. I’ve
given a lot of thought to ‘Martha Louise’. I know that would make Bruce ecstatic."

Donna chuckled. "Bruce ecstatic? Now there’s a sight I want to see. He doesn’t 
seem to let anything get to him, good or bad."

Dick smiled and put his arm around Donna’s shoulder. "I know he seems that way, 
but he really does have feelings. Plenty of them. You just have to believe they 
are there and then you can see them."

"You two have mended some fences, haven’t you?" Donna smiled. She had cried 
herself to sleep may times over the years on account of the pain Dick experienced 
in his relationship with his ‘father.’ Sure she knew that Bruce loved Dick, but
sometimes it was really hard to swallow his treatment of Dick. She was glad things 
were better now. He and Bruce needed a healthy relationship now that there would 
soon be a new member in the family.

"How did Bruce take the news?" Donna asked. "Is he looking forward to being a 
grandfather?"

"He’s been great, Donna. Really." Dick smiled again. "And, yeah, I think in his 
own way he really is looking forward to it. I think that’s why I keep coming back 
to ‘Martha’ for a name. I don’t know if Bruce will ever have the opportunity on 
his own, and I know it would mean an awful lot to him to have a child named
after his mother."

"You’re very special, you know that Dick. And don’t worry so much about being a 
good father. You care. That’s what’s really important. You couldn’t be anything 
but a good father."

"Thanks, Donna," Dick turned, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Thanks for 
understanding. I think keeping it bottled up because I didn't know who to talk to, 
let it get all blown out of proportion. I love you, Donna."

"I love you, too, Dick. And if you ever need to talk again, please call me. I 
understand, I really do." They held each other for a long minute. Friends beyond 
just friendship. Family beyond just family.

"Whoa there, Grayson," Roy haughtily said in mock anger as he and Wally returned 
with the wine and glasses. "You keep you hands off my woman or I might have to 
invite you outside to settle this like gentlemen."

"Roy," Donna looked only slightly exasperated. "You don't have anything to worry 
about."

Dick looked at Donna, a warm smile forming on his lips. She really did care for 
Roy. It was evident in her eyes, in her smile, even in her voice. They had tried 
to have a relationship once before, but it hadn't worked out too well. Maybe now
that they were both older and, at least Donna was more mature, they might
be able to make a go of it. It would be great if they could. Donna would
be a wonderful step-mom to Lian and she couldn't be anything but a stabilizing
influence on Roy.

"Spill it Dick, what's got you grinning like that?" Roy asked.

"Just thinking about how good it is to be with you guys. I know we all had to grow 
up and find our own paths in life, but it's really good to know we are all still 
family, too." Dick slapped Roy on the back and pulled Donna closer.

Wally passed around the glasses and lifted his for a toast. "To family. Past, 
present and future."

"To family," the others repeated in unison, raising their glasses to meet Wally's.

"And on that subject, Uncle Dick." Roy said in a tone that made Dick cringe in 
wonder over what his over active imagination had come up with this time. "Wally 
and I were talking and decided that what you need now is experience.

"What kind of ‘experience’," Dick asked suspiciously.

"Kid experience, of course." Roy grinned. "Since you've got a daughter on the way, 
you need to know what to expect when she gets here. So, being the wonderfully 
supportive friend that I am, I'm going to make the ultimate sacrifice for my best
buddy."

Donna and Dick held their breathes as they waited for the bombshell that had been 
cooked up in the kitchen to be dropped.

"Donna and I were talking about maybe taking off for a weekend. Going somewhere, 
you know, the mountains, the Amish country, a weekend in New England. Just for 
some time to be alone. But the hitch is I won't leave Lian with just anybody." Roy 
put his arm around Dick's shoulder, his manner reminiscent of a used car salesman 
going in for the kill. "So why don't Uncle Dick and Aunt Barbara baby-sit for
the weekend? Consider it a practice run for when your little princess arrives.
Lian loves you, ya know. She thinks Uncle Dick is just so funny."

Dick gave Roy a pained look that said he must be crazy.

"You know, Dick, it's not really such a bad idea," Donna said thoughtfully. "Lian 
is a doll. I never have any trouble with her, and it could be a good experience. 
Even if you give Barbara a break and just take her yourself."

"Donna?" Dick couldn't believe she was actually endorsing Roy's insane idea.

"Oh, Dick, I know Roy came up with this as a way to harass you. But I really do 
think the idea has merit." Donna was extremely serious. "And Roy is right, Lian 
does think the world of you. For a three-year old, anyway."

"Tell you what, buddy, you just think on it for a while. Maybe run the idea past 
Barbara, and let us know. I think we were looking at, what," Roy looked at Donna 
questioningly, "six weeks from Saturday, hon?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. We wanted to wait till the leaves were turning for 
fall." Donna explained.

"Turning leaves?" Wally asked Roy, somewhat surprised. This was a side of Roy that 
he had never imagined existed.

"Hey, don't go getting any funny ideas." Roy snapped defensively. "I just want to 
get away for the weekend. I personally don't care what color the leaves are, or 
even if there are any for that matter."

"Roy Harper," Donna snapped back, somewhat hurt. "You said you thought it was a 
great idea. That it would be romantic."

Roy found himself caught between maintaining his image with the guys and 
jeopardizing his relationship with Donna. It took him a few moments of careful 
consideration before he decided which way he was going to go.

"Of, course it will be romantic, Donna," Roy went into 'kiss-up' mode. "I just 
meant that being with you was the most important part of the weekend." Roy hugged 
Donna and gave her a quick kiss. "And it is a great idea."

"Well, wonders may never cease. Roy, I think you are finally beginning to grow 
up." Dick smiled at his two friends. He was happy for them and hoped that this 
time things would work out. They both deserved it.

"So, do we have a baby sitter?" Roy eyed Dick hopefully. ""Just remember, you 
might need us to return the favor some day."

"Okay, you've got yourselves a baby sitter," Dick conceded somewhat reluctantly. 
"I'm not sure I'll include Barbara in your little experiment, but I'll take Lian 
for a weekend. It's not like it's a really big deal. How much trouble could she 
be?"

The laughter that erupted left Dick wondering how much trouble he had gotten 
himself into.

-To Be Continued-

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