#robbinsville apartments

[cloakedsparrow]

Tim & Ace Join the Bat Family Early AU #1

This is one of those AUs where Jason (pre-death or Jason!Lives AU) emotionally adopts Tim shortly after meeting him, but wherein the Drakes are not relocated to Bristol. They live in an expensive intercity apartment in Gotham. Perhaps it's in one of the last remaining wealthy areas approaching Park Row, or the Upper East Side, or it's in Robbinsville.

Wherever Tim lives is close enough that Jason used to see him around town and was concerned about him but had too much going on himself to try to help before Bruce adopted him. When Jason sees Tim now, he decides to figure out what this lonely child's deal is and find a way to help him. Maybe he first sees him again as Robin, out too late because he was taking photos in the park or a W&W campaign he's been playing at the local game shop ran late. Then later, he sees him as Jason at the library, skate-park, park, or a diner. Maybe they attend the same school somehow.

In any case, he decides this kid is on his own way too much, nice apartment or no.

After laying out the foundation to reel in his new baby brother build a friendship upon, Jason uses the distance between their places to his advantage. The intercity buses run practically all night, but there's a fairly early final bus at the Bristol stop. Alfred and Janet would never permit for Tim to ride his bike or skateboard all the way across the R. Kane Memorial Bridge and into Park Row to catch a nighttime bus home. So Jason just has to make sure Tim misses that final bus and then insist he spend the night.

After a couple successes, he also starts suggesting activities for multiple days where it wouldn't make any sense for Tim to head all the way back to an empty apartment and then return to Wayne Manor the next day. So naturally, he should just sleep over.

Jason also buys a spare school uniform in Tim's size to keep at the Manor. Then a couple pairs of jeans and some t-shirt and hoodies. Then there's a small pack of socks, some briefs, and sneakers. Then some 'spare' W&W manuals and detective novels. Basically, Jason turns the spare room that shares a bathroom with his bedroom into Tim's room under everyone's nose (except for Alfred, most likely, but we all know he's a enabler in this).

Dick absolutely notices that he practically has a new baby brother now whenever he comes to spend time with his little brother, but he just rolls with it. Jason has obviously decided they're keeping the kid and that's good enough for him. He checks in with his little bro to make sure they don't need to extract Tim from a bad situation asap and once he realizes there isn't an immediate danger, he just jumps in wherever Jason leaves an opening.

Despite Jason's efforts to be subtle, Bruce notices all this. He initially reaches the conclusion that Jason is lonely and so brings home Ace (dealer's choice which breed and background). Jason (and Tim) loves the dog, but naturally he still works on keeping his little brother dear friend safe at the Manor. Bruce also starts spending more time at home (actually home, not the Cave or his home office) to be with Jason more. This results in Bruce seeing Tim more and then he finally figures out what Jason (and possibly Dick and Alfred) have been up to.

At first, Bruce wants to talk Jason out of trying to adopt this child who has living, wealthy parents. Then he starts to notice the signs of neglect (and perhaps Jack's temper/selfishness) and can't help but join the cause.

Either Janet agrees to let Tim stay with the Waynes while she and Jack are out of town (which is often) and he does so until she dies (then Bruce goes for full custody), or Janet dies early and thingsbtake a turn for the worse with Jack, so Bruce goes for custody. (or this could tie in with my 'Alfred is Tim's biological granfather AU' idea and Alfred takes custody of Tim).

Jason doesn't understand at first why Tim seems so reluctant to stay overnight (but seems delighted to visit during the day). After all is said and done, Tim will inform him that he knows he's Robin and hadn't wanted to keep him from patrol just because he missed a bus or had a long commute from his parents' apartment. Tim never worried about Jason or the others figuring out that he knew their identities; he also thought Jason was lonely and a little pushy. He just enjoyed his company and quickly came to love him enough to be cool with all that.

[eversonskarateinrobbinsvillenj]

😀 Good morning my name is Master Dusty Everson, i just want to take a few minutes to tell my parents and students how blessed i am to have the privilege to be apart of your lives. 😀 I love seeing the smiles of the students when they achieve their goals, that why i do what i do every day. 👍 I have been teaching the Martial Arts in Robbinsville for over 30 years. I can not thank the parents and students enough for the privilege of being their Karate Instructor. 👏

I may be your Karate Instructor but i have learned just as much from you.

My heartfelt thank,

Master Dusty Everson

[retirementneighborhoodinnarberth]

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[octalove]

IV: The Dinner

(Batgirl/Red Hood)

Brief note; per demand, this little trilogy will now be an ongoing series🥺thank u all for the support! i was not expecting it at all. ur comments make my day!! i hope u enjoy this chapter bearing in mind that i wasn’t intending on a full length fic, so i hope u can put up with any missteps in the plot or writing. i’m making it up as i go. kiss kiss

Description: Reader makes an ally, and attends a tense dinner. part one, two, and three.

A mild blue dawn was just beginning to flit through the blinds, and I sighed heavily, stretching a little, and running a hand across my face. My skin was cold to the touch. Rolling over stiffly, I glanced at the clock on my nightstand.

5:26a.m.

Nineteen minutes before my alarm. I was too cold to go back to sleep, I knew, as much as Alfred had requested I try and get more of it. Pulling myself up, the sheets slipped off my bare shoulders and folded onto themselves. Once in a blue moon, I would forego making it up again, usually accompanied by an excuse. Today, I didn’t have one. I put my feet on the floor, mind buzzing.

I was done tossing and turning, and decided to get up and shower. Afterward, I threw on my uniform, and got to work on my face. A little bronzy eyeshadow, some mascara and lip balm. I could’ve turned my face into a work of art, but I was tired from my sleepless night and doing much else seemed like a strain.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” I was expecting Bruce or Alfred, but I caught Tim’s reflection in my vanity mirror.

“Hey.” He said.

“Good morning.” I replied tensely. He sat on my bed. Okay. Weird. Tim was a year younger than me- but always ordained himself something of an older brother. His brainpower made learned helplessness and easy state to slip into when he was around- always fixing my PS4, or recovering lost files from my laptop. When we first met, I used to use those things as a crutch to interact with him, as neither of us were particularly forthcoming. These days, we were as close as any pair of siblings.

“What’s up?” I asked, tucking away my mascara wand.

“Oh, I just thought I’d… check up on you. Before school started.”

I was the only one of the Waynes attending Gotham Academy at the moment. Damian was still at Gotham Prep, but by the time he would attend next year, I’d be graduated. I wondered if Tim ever missed it. He garnered his fair share of attention; mostly because of his attractive status and predisposition of agreeability. Before he dropped out, I used the be the subject of mediation for every eligible teenage girl that wanted to get to know my brother- no, the other one. With the soft hair. The chem tutor.

I laughed a little. “Do I seem like I need it?” Tim shrugged. I got up and plopped on the duvet beside him. My window was open a crack, filling the room with a chilly breeze and the scent of moisture and petrichor.

“Did Bruce make you get up for this?” I tried again, keeping my playful tone. He sighed and shook his head.

“Bruce isn’t the only one who’s noticed you lately.” He said, with contrasting seriousness that made my smile fall.

“What’s there to notice? Seriously.” I questioned.

He sighed again and twisted his lip. I knew what that meant. He was about to list everything different I’d been doing for the past three weeks, either alphabetically or by severity. “You look tired. You get home and go straight to your room. You keep fidgeting during briefings. You look distracted. You’re avoiding Damian- which, I get it- but like, more than usual. Dick said you haven’t texted him all week. You usually have something to say about your day at dinner, but-“

“Okay. I get it.”

A brief moment passed, where I watched him pull a looser string from the duvet.

“I know you went somewhere. On the 21st, when we were patrolling in Otisburg. You went somewhere for forty-two minutes.”

I blinked. “Oh.”

“I’m not accusing you of anything-“ He added quickly, looking at me. “Really, I have know idea why you left. I’m sure it was nothing, I just… you’ve been acting weird ever since. Where did you go?”

I swallowed, and my intestines felt like lead. Really, I was relieved. Here I was, in my room I’d decorated with Wayne money, with my brother who evidently cared enough about me to notice my typical word count at dinner, asking me what was wrong. And a lot was wrong.

So, I smoothed my plaid skirt and told him about the night of the 21st- and only that. From Red Hood, to Hoffman, to the warehouse. Every vivid detail I could remember. I decided to leave out my little truancy adventure, along with meeting him in the alley. Lifting up his mask. Having his exposed skin close enough to touch. His gunpowder smell. By the end, Tim was frowning. The following silence could’ve crushed a coke can.

“Shit.” He muttered.

“Yeah.” I echoed. “Shit.”

He didn’t asked why I didn’t tell Bruce. Or Anyone. He didn’t ask why it was so important to me to do this by myself. All he did was take in the information and start putting it together.

“Jesus- you could’ve died. But all that Hoffman stuff. Why you?”

“Exactly!” I breathed.

Another knock on the door, and Alfred’s voice carried through, telling me it was time to go. I got up. Tim nodded and followed suit, no doubt carrying my every last recounting in his piggy-bank memory.

“Please don’t tell Bruce.” I said, some amount of fear slipping into my voice. “I know it was a stupid thing to do and it was stupid not to tell anyone. But he’ll never trust me again.” Tim hesitated at the door.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

I climbed into the backseat of the car, and stared at the cityscape running past the windows. The anxiety had lifted. One of my growing number of secrets revealed. In its wake, the sudden absence left a sense of clarity. I remembered why I had kept it to begin with.

Dick was gifted. The first. The talented boy who could fly. Babs and Tim were brilliant; genius far beyond the confines of academia. Damian was skilled. Trained from birth, the blood son. It nestled here him neatly, right where he belonged. What was I? I wasn’t born with athletic ability beyond my years, or genius intellect. Without that information- without my secrets- I had nothing else to give.

*

Thursday night was dinner. The whole family. It was Bruce’s excuse to drag Dick out of his apartment in Blüdhaven, and for Alfred to exercise a new recipe, since everyone was on a strict lean-means and superfoods regimen every other waking day. Babs attended occasionally, when work didn’t keep her busy, and Tim was only allowed to pass if he promised to rest instead.

I met his eyes as everyone was rounded into the dining room by Alfred like a herd of sheep; he gave me some imperceptible knowing look that promised to keep my secret.

We sat down and sipped water from crystal glasses as the table was set with food, muttering amongst ourselves about our days. Dick was given a coffee with the wrong name (‘Nick’), Babs met up with her friend from high school (Olivia something or other), and Damian completed a group project with some incompetent classmates (they all were- even the professors). Vigilante talk wasn’t forbidden, but generally skirted around so as to offer a small reprieve of normalcy during the week.

There was an exception to this unspoken rule when there was a particularly exciting case on the table. Unfortunately for me and my anxiety, the case of the Red Hood was a very exciting one.

“Any new breaks with Red Hood?” Dick asked through miso soup. Bruce sighed.

“He made some movements in Robbinsville. Gone before we could get there. He’s got his men on a tight leash- we couldn’t get any of them to talk.”

“Course not. There’s rumors flying all over the department. One of the Ioveanu family branches payed out a huge security detail for their private mansion.”

“He hasn’t hunted anyone in their home, has he?” I asked. I pictured him standing in front of me- maskless, in my academy uniform.

“No, it’s not his MO.” Barbara answered.

“Not yet. It’s only been six months, and he’s progressing rapidly.” Bruce diagnosed grimly.

“Are you scared he’s gonna join us for dinner?” Dick joked, throwing a wink my way.

“Haha.” I muttered. Actually, I hadn’t slept because of the very idea.

“If you’re nervous, you could always stay home next patrol.” Damian suggested pointedly. To him, existing in the realm of crimefighting was a competition, and he was always looking for others to drop out of the race. I resisted the urge to fling a pea at him.

“I’m not nervous.” I said coolly.

“You’ve been practically trembling since we fought his pathetic lackeys.”

“Damian.” Bruce warned, from the head of the table. I flipped the smallest Wayne the middle finger. He resigned, but I swore I saw amusement on his lips.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Red Hood is very skilled and very prolific. It’s a daunting case.” Bruce continued.

“Thanks, but I’m okay. Really.” I said, trying not to sound annoyed, and feeling like a spotlight was over my head, operated by the ghost of Hoffman. I almost laughed as I pictured it.

“That’s good to hear. We’ve been concerned.” Alfred added.

“Wow. I’m the star of the show around here.” I remarked dryly.

“We can’t help it, Miss Independent.” Dick said teasingly. “You’re just a good mystery.”

“Reminds me of Talia.” Tim said casually. The silverware stopped clanging.

It was a shameless subject change. Damian’s mother was an inflammatory topic for all parties. Bruce’s moral contempt didn’t reach the likes of Talia Al Ghul and Selena Kyle, immoral though they were. Beauty makes anything charming- and when paired with an impeccable taste in dress, even murder and thievery can be minimized into something of a quirk. Bruce thought so, anyway.

As for Damian, he had grappled with his dismissal from Talia’s side for what was now a majority of his life, and still possessed this deep-rooted, inextinguishable attachment to his mother. It was the hollow soreness any young boy would have in his position. Tim called him mama’s boy until he finally displayed a frightening amount of disdain for the title and actually begged him to stop. Tim agreed to, and I agreed to pretend I never heard a thing.

Dick disagreed with both of those sentiments and viewed Talia as someone who wasn’t worth the trouble. His dismissal embarrassed Bruce and offended Damian, so I knew the dinner table had been sufficiently turned into a powder keg. Tim and I shared a look as I expressed silent gratefulness, and he resigned to inspecting a dumpling, while I picked around my haka noodles.

The rest of dinner was quiet. Somehow, somewhere in the silence all had been decidedly forgiven. First by Babs who asked me to pass the pepper. Then by Dick who said the vegetables were good. Thank you, Alfred. Damian still looked pissed, and Bruce kept stealing glances at the clock.

I texted Tim under the table.

Thanks for taking one for the team.

The reply: You owe me one. I think Damian’s gonna poison my food.

We both glanced at the youngest, who was darkly mesmerized by what appeared to be Tim’s soup bowl.

He quickly added, Wait, actually tho? And we both fought laughter like two kids in the back of the class. It felt good to have an ally. Even if he still didn’t know the whole truth.

[schoenhomes-blog]

Only a Few Townhomes Remain at Robbinsville NJ

Abrupt sale of homes in Robbinsville, NJ makes this hottest place to buy home. Due to immense popularity only few townhomes remain to choose from. For the potential home buyers there is still time to discover the style, quality and luxury found throughout the homes in Robbinsville. Provide easy access to everyday necessities and facilities, the neighborhood is a quick stroll to shopping and dining. Don’t waste your time anymore! Buy one of this beautiful, luxurious and spectacular townhouse in NJ’s most desirable place to live in.

21 Stanwyck Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

You can buy this lovely home featuring 1,553 square ft. with 3 beds and 2.5 baths in $345,000. This lovely home is located in the Miry Crossing section of Foxmoor. This beautiful home includes laminate floors throughout the first floor that features stainless appliance package, recessed lighting and island. The open kitchen and dining area is rather ideal and streams into the family room. Pavered-patio bordered by a tall row of arborvitaes for privacy is accessible from sliding doors. A large master suite encompassing laminate flooring, cathedral ceiling, a ceiling fan, walk0in closet, private bath with dual sinks, soaking tub and separate shower are the features of the 2nd floor. In spite of this, it has a full bath and two additional bedrooms. This level completes with all these furnishings. Finished basement offers additional recreation area with a spacious unfinished area for storage. 1 year roof and a hot water heater is less than a year old. Other amenities offered by Foxmoor for the occupants’ leisure include pool, tennis courts and club house. It is situated near to major commuter lines, by road, rail and bus. Buy the lodging that lies close to medical center, shopping, excellent Robbinsville schools and fitness facilities.

17 Tynemouth Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

$274,950 is not an immense cost to buy a luxurious home with 3 beds and 2.5 baths that covers an area of 1,408 square ft.. Wholly renovated townhome in the Nottinghill section of Foxmoor. It offers elegant new kitchen with granite top counters and stainless steel appliance package. All the refurbishments made throughout the home gives it a chic look. The home is painted recently in addition to new carpet and flooring throughout. It has central cooling and other heating. 2 parking spaces are included in the offer. Another facility of newer HVAC system is also available over here. It is situated near to major highways like Route 130, NJ Turnpike, I-95, I-295, I-195 and major shopping areas. Hamilton Train Station to NY City or Trenton to Philadelphia is just on a walking distance from your lovely home. Nothing waits so long for you so don’t miss a chance. Come to visit and be the owner of this beautiful home.

204 Bromley Pl, Trenton, NJ  08691:

An updated townhome with 3 beds, 2.5 baths and 1,621 square ft. in $377,988 is situated on a cozy cul de sac. It has capacious first floor with beautiful hardwood floors, two story family room, nine foot ceilings, updated half bath, utility room featuring extra refrigerator counter space, cabinets and is opening towards the one car garage with additional storage. A updated kitchen include granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, deep pantry, stunning backsplash, wide counter/ breakfast bar leading to the family room, new door ending on the backyard with patio, pergola and its striking flowering plants. Bedroom 2 has walk0in closet, bedroom 3 has built in area for dresser and the common thing both have the Closet Maid Brand custom shelving. An updated full hall bath. Basement with laundry area, office space and lots of built in shelving offering large space is partially completed.it lies near to tennis court, pool, club house, Robbinsville High and Middle Schools. It is god regarding security matters as it is situated within walking distance to shopping and restaurants and major roads are also close to it.

17 Stratton Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

This 1,408 square ft. lodging with 2 beds and 1.5 baths is Chelsea Townhome having a Treed Backyard, an eat-in kitchen, wood burning fireplace in the living room with newer sliding glass doors to the backyard. It costs $224,777. It also has brand new windows throughout the home and a new dishwasher. It has central cooling. Neighborhood is quite quiet and comfy. Live near excellent schools and fabulous restaurants. It is located close to shopping, Railroad and Bus Transportation to New York and Philadelphia.

43 Tynemouth Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

Beautiful neutral townhome featuring 2 beds, 2 baths and 1,192 square ft. in $217,875 is a beautiful place to live with impressive floor plan. It features a wood burning fireplace new stainless Whirlpool kitchen appliances and a full bath including tub, shower and sky lite. It has new in 2018- roof, furnace, water heater and sky lit. Dining room ends at a well-kept backyard with storage closet. Maintenance free vinyl fencing and d attic storage is also provided to the habitant. 4 year old central air and fast closing is possible. Be hurry to be the first to own this lovely home.

4 Ashford Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths on 1,220 square ft. Bancroft model in desirable Foxmoor costs $209,900. Remolded bathrooms just1.5 years ago. 4-5 years old central air and furnace. The hot water heater is replaced 2-3 years ago. The living room offers a picture window with sitting bench, updated kitchen flooring and dining area. It has main level utility room. The master bedroom has a wide space with closet. Fenced-in yard with paver patio ad storage closet are the features of its exterior. It’s a great location with a walking distance to Robbinsville High School and Pond Road Middle School. It’s close to highways and train stations. Hamilton Marketplace, restaurants and shopping markets lies near to it.

3 Chippin Ct, Trenton, NJ 08691:

A comfy place full of privacy and glory where you find yourself rather comfortable. It offers 2 beds and 2 baths in $250,000. It has a kitchen with altogether renovated and comfortable cork flooring, a higher end stainless steel appliance package with beautiful venting hood. Further the kitchen features Corain style counter tops, dark wood cabinets with under lighting and beautiful stone tile backsplash. This level completes with a laundry area and a powder room. Upstairs, there are two bedroom ach with their private baths featuring skylight and marble topped dual vanity. A gorgeous window seat flanked by custom built-in shelving and cabinetry is a part of master bedroom. A newer HVAC, windows and roof are also provided. Community amenities encompass tennis courts, pool, club house, playground and a wide range of walking trails. It adjoins to Pond Rd Middle School and is close to Robbinsville Town Center. Hamilton Train Station and commuter routes are easy to reach-in from here. Must see and make up your mind to buy this. A good lodging in a rather reasonable amount

Continue: new townhomes in robbinsville nj | affordable housing Burlington nj

[fyeahwonderbat]

In the Middle of a Broken Constellation - PT. 4

Pairing: WonderBat (Wonder Woman x Batman) Rating: T / 14A Universe: N/A - Reader's Choice Previous Chapter: <- Chapter 3

The once determined woman who was leaping across Gotham City had suddenly become still, panic seizing her limbs. The call that Aquaman made was indeed something to be concerned about - the toxic, transformative sludge that was at the root of all of the Justice Leagues problems lately grown into a monster of its own - and truly, she was. Whatever this hazardous waste was, it was designed and spread throughout the United States as a means to cause utter chaos, meaning a battle with a humanized version of it could pose as a genuine challenge.

But if she herself took on that challenge, what was she leaving Jason to deal with all on his own?

She was only in the East End and still so far away from him. In the mid-afternoon on such a rambunctious Wednesday, looking out over Gotham from her perch upon one of its many rooftops, all Diana could see were stepping stones that were meant to take her to Wayne Manor. Leaving her quest now to help wrestle their mystery monster into submission would mean that she’d be abandoning the ‘reigning member’ of Batman’s crime-fighting family and perhaps risking losing connection with him for a long while.

But that possibility wasn’t high enough to ignore the call of her fellow Founder.

“Wonder Woman here,” she felt an ach inside when she answered. Diana dared to carry on as she jumped to her next apartment building, gazing out over the skyline with a twinkle in her bright eyes. “Superman and I are out on a mission. Where are you located?”

“Off--...oast of --aine!” Arthur shouted into his comms, only for the disaster that he was facing to disrupt the connection. Diana could only assume what he was trying to say, given that he mostly supplied her with vowels and not too many hard sounds.

Luckily, there was a member of the League who excelled with managing dysfunctional technology. “Cyborg here. He’s about one hundred fifty miles into the Gulf of Maine, veering towards Portsmouth, Nova Scotia.”

“Thanks for the heads up! Flash here. I can be there in a minute, tops!” Declared the fastest man alive, with a slightly distorted audio on his line that implied he was already in motion.

The more people who chimed in on the matter, the more guilty Wonder Woman felt. Internally, she cursed herself and forced her voice to rejoin the call. “I’m outside of New York.” A divergent truth if she ever heard one. It would take the same amount of time to cross nearly the same length of distance--

Until her empathetic heart managed to create a plan that only elevated her warrior mind’s strategy.

Clearing her throat, she added on. “But I can join you in roughly twenty minutes.” Which was true, when she recalled that inside the BatCave was Bruce’s teleportation pad. If she could reach Jason, help him sort through the situation with Alfred while filling him in on Bruce, then create a communication link between them, she could confidently race off to Arthur’s side and help him handle the monster!

It was a hectic plan, no doubt.

Nevertheless, if she could execute it properly, wouldn’t require her to choose one disaster over the other.

“I can be there to help call shots from the air, but I can’t risk being knocked into the water.” Victor tried to offer his presence despite the damage that could happen to his electrical body if he fell into the gulf, and Diana wouldn’t want him to take the risk either.

Apparently, despite his currently combative position, Arthur concurred as well. “--en keep y-ur--… ass home! --et’s go, --lash!”

“Let’s get this party started!” Barry nearly cheered into the main League channel before they were switched into their own private one.

Mumbling into her ear digitally, Victor remarked, “I really don’t want to know what was clipped out in the last thing Arthur said.”

“Neither do I,” Diana agreed while trying not to laugh. Then, she tapped her ear piece to end the call.

With her disheveled plan in mind, she utilized the restlessness rattling inside of her to make her leaps longer, help her jump higher. After crossing the Sparrng River, she merely had Robbinsville and Crest Hill to work her way through before she would at least find herself in the same part of the city as Wayne Manor! She really missed her Mercedes in a moment such as this, though she doubted it was any easier to drive through such a commercial city during a post-lunch rush.

From fishermen bait shops to department stores to insurance offices, she bolted through Robbinsville with relative ease. She purposely stayed along the metaphysical border to Crime Alley, just in case she heard of any actual criminals acting out while passing by. Suddenly, Clark’s comment about her extensive knowledge of the city replayed itself inside her mind and it made Diana pause thoughtfully.

She didn’t see her geographical awareness of the city to be all that strange. Given their line of work as superheroes, despite Bruce’s resistance, it was only a matter of time before some threat called them into Gotham. Once the argument had happened at the Founders’ Meeting all those weeks ago, it seemed inevitably necessary to be prepared. She had enough time worrying about her friend to channel that energy into studying a simple map.

After all, as Diana, she only knew of the districts that entertained the rich and the famous.

The socialites, including the other Bruce.

The one she had only seen glimpses of, but never truly knew.

Her intuition had served her well and so she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Even generals in ancient times would try to map out enemy terrain before charging into battle - what was so odd about her taking the time to understand the layout of Gotham City?

Knowing the districts by name helped her to feel relief when she finally reached Crest Hill, as she understood just how close she was was to Bristol County, where Wayne Manor was located. There were many different manors scattered throughout her last stretch of the journey, which meant that she had to be much more careful about leaping over homes. Scenic, affluent, the area seemed like a wonderful area to have a home for a family.

Though perhaps the closeness of neighbours is why Bruce maintained his manor in the middle of nowhere.

Or perhaps it wasn’t as peaceful as the design of the complexes would have her assume.

There was a large crash that tore her away from her perceptions, followed by a guttural cry. Inside one of the many mansions on the street in the Bristol Township, there was a major disturbance taking place. Based on the raw emotion she heard in that muffled cry of a man inside his home, it could have been abusive. It sounded personal and pained, before another hefty boom reached her ears.

For fear of some young victim at the hands of such a wild person, Diana let her emotions take over as she threw herself through the front doors of the home in question.

There were no lights on as the wind swept through the front hall, giving the drapery an eerie look as the floated lifelessly on the breeze. It was cold, dark and chillingly empty, but it made little difference as she spied a leather chair sprawled out in the entryway of what looked to be a living room. In no time at all, she leapt over the cushioned blockade and entered the room.

Only for a gun to be cocked next to her head.

Then, after a small pause, a sigh of relief. “Wonder Woman!?” That emotional voice rang in her ears with a twisted sense of relief.

“Jason!?” she sounded pleased to see him, given the lengths she had literally traveled in order to reach him. However, that relief transformed into angered confusion when she motioned to the tattered living room they stood in. “What is all this? Why are you tearing up someone’s home!?”

Putting his firearm back in its holster, he ever so casually walked around the damaged space and plopped down on the only seat that wasn’t ruined - a floral love seat. “Don’t worry, this house was blocked off years ago for a murder and no one’s been back since. Well, I had hoped I’d find someone squatting here, but I guess I was GIVING HIM TOO MUCH CREDIT!” His shout was an obvious attempt to lure someone out of hiding if there was in fat another person in the house.

But after a few moments of an awkward silence between them, it was clear they were alone.

“You’re lucky no one has called the police to this house,” Diana chastised the young man, who looked like he was resting up after a hard day’s work now that she had arrived. “I heard you when I was a few streets away.”

Being cheeky, he decided to point to his ear and ask her point blank. “Metahuman hearing?”

The gaul he possessed was almost impressive. “Who are you looking for, here?”

It was almost rewarding that her question stalled him, stealing away the quick wit pace he seemed to thrive on. After racing through Gotham, being accosted by Huntress and contemplating abandoning Arthur and Barry so that she could save this young, rowdy, cocky man, Diana felt that she deserved some answers.

She arched a brow and crossed her arms, implying that she refused to move until she learned the reason why they both ended up in a warded off home.

Begrudgingly, he chose to behave and answered, “This is Drake Manor, the old home of the current Robin. At least, I think he is. Who the hell knows how many ‘wards’ Bruce has now, am I right?”

“And you thought he’d be here?” she interrogated him while looking around the space. There were feathers on the floor from the torn throw pillows, glass sectioning off the middle of the room due to a shattered table that once rested there, and even a massive vacancy on the wall where a large television must have been. Suspiciously, she looked to Jason.

His heavy shrug was much less enthusiastic than his earlier behaviour would have led her to believe. “He’s not anywhere. I don’t understand how Dick isn’t at the manor, or how Tim is just MIA. Or what the hell is wrong with Alfred! I feel like I’ve stepped into an alternate reality where everything I knew here has been turned upside down on me!” His distress was palpable as he used his hands to indicate the directions he assumed his loved ones to be in; witnessing the intense display of loss and anger that stemmed from fear and sadness, Diana knew that Jason was just as mixed up in all of this as she was.

She felt she could empathize with him more so than she ever thought she could. “Jason, Superman and I went to visit Bruce.”

His spine shot up straight, but for once, he didn’t say anything.

So, she simply carried on. Diana moved to stand in front of him and dropped her arms so as to appear more welcoming than she had before. “When Superman used his X-Ray Vision on him, he said that he noticed… some type of damage done to Bruce’s brain. At this point, we don’t know what or who caused it, but we think that it might explain his behaviour for the last few weeks. I’m sorry.”

It felt necessary to apologize to his next of kin, if Jason could be called that. From the way he spoke of Bruce’s crime-fighting organization in Gotham, there was a large number of Robins and Batgirls and allies alike that assisted one another in times of crisis. As the seemingly black sheep of the bat-family - the one who was out of town, and therefore, possibly spared the same treatment of Bruce and Alfred - he returned to find everything he knew to be unlike what he remembered.

Diana could only imagine what it would be like to return to Themyscira, only to find her sisters or even her own mother treating her as though they had never met.

His blue eyes glossed over, and yet, they appeared lifeless. He stared at her without blinking, without moving, and she remained still as he digested her words. “So… is he in a hospital? Gotham General?”

Shaking her head, Diana tried to explain things to him without making everything sound just as confusing as it actually was. “No, he’s at work today. It seems he’s behaving normally as Bruce Wayne, but we don’t know what this brain trauma has to do with him ignoring his responsibilities as Batman or neglecting the Justice League. It’s too out of character for him, and we aren’t sure how to proceed.”

“Then why are you still here?” The question posed was rather confusing given the circumstances, but it was more a surprise when Diana realized that it hadn’t come from Jason.

She watched the black sheep raise his firearm once again as she turned around to face whomever so dared to enter the Drake Manor, eavesdropping on their private conversation. As she spun around, she worried that it was in fact the police, or quite possibly a disturbed neighbour.

But never in her estimations would she have expected to see Cyborg shove the leather seat out of the living room doorway and join their unsettling talk.

At once, Diana wanted to question him, despite the reprimand she knew was coming. It seemed more imperative to ask Jason to lower his gun though, given the circumstances. “Jason, it’s all right. Cyborg is a member of the League.”

“Who has the power of tracking people down, it seems.” Mocked Batman’s ward, speaking just like his mentor in a way that would have made the old Bruce proud.

Realizing he’d lower his gun when he felt comfortable to do so, Diana reengaged with Victor as she turned back around to face him. Responding to his question, she replied, “I needed to check on Jason. Both Bruce and Alfred are behaving unlike themselves, and we left Jason alone with Alfred to go after Bruce. I couldn’t leave him until I knew he was safe.”

His sympathy didn’t seem to commute at all. “Then why lie to us about it? How can we function as a team when one of us lies, let alone you?”

Despite knowing that she should simply back down and apologize, Wonder Woman felt it was vital that she stand her ground. “Superman was following his own lead, and then we were going to return to headquarters and approach you all with our findings. We wanted to see what information we could gather instead of coming back to you all with only our interpretation of the situation.”

“That doesn’t make it okay, and you know that.” Was Cyborg’s final evaluation of her explanation.

It took all she had not to sigh with frustration. He wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t seeing it from her point of view either. She avoided mentioning Gotham City earlier to avoid a conversation such as this, as Bruce’s ban on League members would surely make them all sensitive to those who took it upon themselves to visit.

If only Kal were here, since it was his idea too.

Thankfully, unexpectedly, Jason put his pistol away once again and chose to come to her defence. “Whether it’s okay or not, we wouldn’t have the information about Bruce’s health if Superman and Wonder Woman hadn’t come here. So maybe we can take the hostility down a notch.”

Victor’s mouth shot open, but Diana had had enough bickering for one day. “All that matters is we officially know there is a problem with Bruce.”

“Cognitively,” Victor stated even though it still sounded as though he wanted clarification. “If something has happened to alter Batman’s mind, it could explain why he’s been ghosting not only us, but the people who need that antidote. If I could take a look at where the trauma was, it’d be easier to determine what’s been going on.”

Jason snorted and walked over to stand at Diana’s side. “I think he’d notice if a robot showed up at work and started scanning him for damaged parts” - they all could agree on that much - “but maybe you could squeeze Alfred into whatever plan you’re trying to come up with? The guy’s old and whoever went after Bruce clearly went after him too.”

That remark startled so much, as human eye shot open wide, the red circle inside his robotic one shrunk as if surprised. “Do you think that someone infiltrated the manor? Wouldn’t Bruce have a security system that would help protect him from this?”

“That’s what you can do!” Jason cheered, seemingly steering the conversation in another direction. As Diana and Victor looked at him, he seemed renewed with a new idea. “Cyborg, was it? You can hack into the security system inside the Manor and see if you can find any sort of video to explain what happened. That’s one of your robot powers, right?”

Victor eyed Diana as if to indicate that he was feeling exhausted due to the sporadic conversation they were having, but all she could do was concur with the young man. “It’s definitely something that would help us make sense of this.”

“I agree it’s something we need to do,” Cyborg concurred, sounding as though he was still strategizing while he spoke. “But given that we are talking about actual brain trauma in this situation, I don’t think we can leave Bruce alone while we are trying to figure out who did this to him.”

It was a thought that had crossed her mind as well, and so Diana immediately turned to Jason. “Would you be able to stick by him while we work on this? It might take--”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” it wasn’t his intention to be rude, but Cyborg’s blunt interruption stifled Wonder Woman’s battle plan effectively. Once he had regained the attention of the room, he elaborated on a scheme of his own. “I think we need someone to get inside Wayne Enterprises and remain at his side. We don’t know who did this to him or why, meaning we can’t guarantee they won’t strike again. It has to be someone that he trusts, so they can keep a watchful eye on him.”

The room went silent as Diana assumed that the three of them began to ponder how this proposal was possible. Kal had revealed himself as a reporter to an amnesiac Bruce, and Cyborg would stand out if he approached Wayne Tower. Jason could try to get into the building, but now that Alfred had seen his face and treated him like a burglar rather than a friend, he wouldn’t be allowed into the manor…

As her curious eyes moved from one face to another, she realized that both of the men were staring at her with some sort of expectation in their eyes. She didn’t quite understand - were they expecting her to come up with the answer on her own?

Or… were they expecting her to be the answer?

More unrefined than she had ever been in her life, all Diana could do was spit out a rather noisey, “Me?”

((Sorry I am one day late this week! I had a job opportunity and it messed with yesterday’s schedule. But I couldn’t deny my readers this juicy chapter, as things are clearly about to be amped up! I hope you enjoyed, and that you look forward to where this story is headed! ~ Maiden))

[camsthisky]

The Ache for Home

ao3 | ff.net

Summary: Dick goes missing, and Jason looks for him. He wonders, though, why he's the only one looking.

Happy Birthday to @laquilasse! Thanks for being a wonderful friend <3 (Also, this is only part one. Part two will come along sometime soon)

“Let me go!” Dick cries into the emptiness, straining against his restraints.

His gloves and boots are halfway across the room, and that’s the only reason that Dick hasn’t managed to break out of the leather straps holding him to this table. If his gear hadn’t been taken he’d probably be halfway out of the joint by now. But he’s trapped. He can’t do anything except wriggle uselessly and yell obscenities into the darkness.

He doesn’t even know where he is, right now. Somewhere under the city, maybe in the sewers by the feel of the air and smell of the place. He doesn’t remember how he got here, or even why he’s here. He doesn’t know who has him, or for what reason they’re keeping him here.

The only thing that he really knows for sure is that his mask hasn’t been taken off. The spirit gum is still holding strong, and he knows he’d feel it if the mask had been peeled off and the replaced. It doesn’t make any sense, but Dick’s not an expert on criminals—okay. Well, so he is a little bit. But he doesn’t even know who snatched him this time. The Joker’s never been interested in identities, so maybe this guy isn’t, either.

Still, he needs to get out of here. He doesn’t know how long he’s been here or if anybody’s on their way because he didn’t check in, but even if someone’s coming for him, he needs to at least try to meet them halfway.

Dick pulls against the restraints again, desperate to find a weak spot, but it’s useless. Dick can’t maneuver his wrists far enough either way to find something sharp to cut them with. All he can do is pull, and all that’s doing is rubbing his wrists raw.

Dick yells incoherently, and the sound echoes around him. He lets himself slump back against the table he’s strapped to and wonders what he’s supposed to do now.

“Well, well,” a voice says, and the sound of it sends a chill up Dick’s spine. He strains to see the person in the shadows, but they’re hiding too well. All he hears is a voice. A hoarse, creepy voice that reminds Dick of the nights he used to spend under the covers recovering from fear toxin. “You’re awake.”

“What do you want from me?” Dick demands, pulling at the leather straps again.

“Information,” the voice says, echoing around the dark cavern-sewer place they’re in. “You see, Bat Brat, you’ve got something in that brain of yours that I need. And you’re going to give it to me.”

“Like hell I will,” Dick snarls.

“I didn’t plan for the information to come voluntarily,” the voice tells him, and Dick’s blood runs cold at the implications. Torture. Dick’s going to get tortured for information. Good thing he’s had so much practice, that little voice in his head chimes in

He politely tells it to shut the hell up.

“Even if you could get it from me,” Dick says, “Batman knows I’m missing. You won’t have enough time to find whatever you’re looking for before somebody comes for me.”

“Except,” the voice whispers into his ear, and Dick tenses. He hadn’t even heard them move, and yet they’re so close. Close and fast enough to rival Wally, and silent enough to rival Batman. That’s more terrifying than Dick is willing to admit. “Except, I’ve got a little trick up my sleeve, Bat Brat.”

Dick shivers. “What trick?”

There’s a definite in the voice’s tone as they sing-song, “No one is coming for you. No one even knows you’re missing.” And then the voice is gone, their cackle the only thing that’s left behind as it echoes around him.

Dick tries to stay calm, but whatever cool he’d had before—which, it really hadn’t been much—has left him, and he thinks he’s this close to a panic attack. He doesn’t know what the voice had meant by any of that “trick” stuff, but Dick thinks that he should be preparing himself to escape on his own, because it really hadn’t sounded like the voice had been lying.

Jason’s pissed off. Incredibly pissed off. He wants to hit something, and he’d prefer it if it were Dick’s face.

The bastard was supposed to meet up with him to drop off some information he needed for a case last night, but Dick had never showed. Dick won’t even answer his phone or his comm. And since Jason actually needs the information and can’t do anything without it, he’s been hunting the Dick-headed moron down all day, to no avail.

Seriously. The guy hadn’t been at his apartment, the penthouse, or any of the safehouses. Roy and Wally haven’t heard from him, and Jason had even had to try Clark. No, the last possible place that Jason can try is the one place he absolutely does not want to be. But it’s the only option.

Maybe he’d been hurt or something. Or maybe there’d been an emergency. Jason doesn’t know. Tim, the only person Jason even has a number for besides Dick, isn’t answering his phone, either, so it’s possible. But still, whatever the case, it doesn’t change the fact that Jason’s fucking pissed.

So when Jason pulls up on his motorcycle in the Cave to see Bruce and Tim and Alfred not in the middle of any emergency, it’s understandable why his mood darkens even further.

“Where is he?” Jason demands the moment the engine cute, and he throws his helmet aside because he’s really fucking angry. And Bruce can look at him all disapproving as much as he wants, but it’s not going to change that Jason’s regretting letting Dick help him this one time instead of gathering the info himself like he should have done.

“Where is who?” Tim asks, looking kind of annoyed. “And why did you call me twelve billion times?”

“Because I can’t get a hold of that fucking Dickhead!” Jason seethes, doing the stupid thing and ignoring the look Alfred throw his way. Whatever. Jason’ll make it up to the butler later, when he’s not pissed ten ways to hell. “He was supposed to have info for me last night, and he didn’t show up.”

“Jason—” Bruce says, but unless it’s a damn good excuse, Jason doesn’t want to hear it.

So he cuts in, “Did Damian scrape his elbow and the bastard come running like the overprotective mother hen he is? Or does he actually have a good reason for narrowing my window of opportunity on this case?”

Throughout his rant, though, all three faces before him only grow more and more confused, and Jason’s honestly about to say screw it and start searching the manor himself. Except—

“Jason,” Bruce says again, brow furrowed. “Who are you talking about?”

“Who am I—You’re kidding, right?”

Jason seriously can’t believe this is happening right now. Tim and Alfred might play dumb sometimes, but Bruce never does. It’s against whatever code he runs on, or whatever. The same code that orders him to brood all the damn time. But all he’s getting right now are blank looks from all three of them.

“No?” Tim says, leaning forward. “But if you needed info for a case, you should have just texted me or something. You didn’t have to—”

“Dick,” Jason yells, throwing his hands up in the air, and the room goes silent. “I’m talking about Dick Grayson. Nightwing? Wears ridiculous crap and pretends it’s fashion? The same guy that was supposed to meet me in Robbinsville last night?”

Bruce’s face hardens, and he swivels his chair around so that the back is facing Jason. Tim winces and sucks down into whatever the hell he’s working on. And Alfred—Alfred looks at Jason just like he had when Jason had first shown up back at the manor for the first time since coming back from the dead. Like he sometimes still does when he sees that damn case and thinks no one is watching.

Only, this time it’s not for Jason.

“The fuck is wrong with all of you?” Jason asks. “Did Dick—Did something happen to Dick last night or something?”

“Get out, Jason,” Bruce says, and his voice, it’s—it’s full of grief.

“The hell I will!” Jason cries, getting angry again. There’s something tight in his chest, and he can’t help but glance towards the cases—but there’s no memorial. Not like Jason’s. Nightwing’s costume isn’t even there. Jason turns back to Bruce. “If something happened, I deserve to know just as much as everyone else!”

“For god’s sake, Jason,” Tim says, shooting him a wild look. “What are you even—”

“Enough,” Bruce hisses, standing up from his chair. “That’s enough. We’re not talking about this anymore.”

“Newsflash, Bruce,” Jason sneers. “We haven’t talked about it. It’s just been you pushing me to the side. Again. Whatever happened, I’m not going to take being sidelined like this.”

Alfred even looks troubled now. “Master Jason, really—”

“Did you have Dick fake his death again? Or is Dick actually dead?” Jason asks, his heart beating a mile a minute. He’s going to pay for cutting Alfred off later, but he can’t focus on it right now. “And why won’t you look me in the dam eye?! What happened?!”

Jason’s hands are trembling. He knows he’s automatically jumping to the worst-case scenario, but all of them are acting like Dick’s name is taboo or something, and with Bruce being so evasive, Jason doesn’t have any choice but to guess or search the manor himself.

And if Dick is dead, well. Jason doesn’t want to think about that. Last time Dick had been dead, Damian was dead, too, and Bruce hadn’t been able to look anyone in the eyes, and Tim had been crushed. And Jason? Jason had had two choices. Stay and take Dick’s place as big brother, or run.

He’d chosen the cowardly option. He’d run. He wonders if this time will be the same.

“Jason, why are you—” Tim says, his face twisting up weirdly, but Bruce cuts him off again.

“Dick is dead,” Bruce tells him, and Jason’s breath catches in his throat. But before Jason can say anything, Bruce is talking again. “He’s been dead for years. I know you two didn’t get along very well, but that’s no excuse for you to play game like these again. We’re done. Get out.” And with that, Bruce storms out of the Cave and up into the manor, and Jason can only watch him go.

Years? Dick’s been dead for years? That doesn’t—That makes absolutely no sense. Jason had just talked to Dick a few days ago to make sure Dick was getting that info. Wally and Roy hadn’t acted like Jason was crazy for asking. Not, it was just—just Bruce, Tim, and Alfred.

And a part of him, the part that watched that movie with Dick a few days ago and actually had a good time, breathes a sigh of relief against whatever grief had built up during that conversation. Jason’s not wrong, but he is missing something, and if he can get answers, he can prove that whatever grief is left is completely unfounded.

He turns a sharp gaze to Tim. “Do you want to explain what that—” he gestures towards the stairs leading to the manor, “—was about?”

Tim shoots him a glare. “Just give it up, Jason. I don’t know if you’re trying to get back at Bruce or whatever, but—”

“What in the hell,” Jason says. “What the actual fuck are you talking about? Get Bruce back for what? And if Dick were dead for the past couple years do you really think that I’d pull something like this?”

“Maybe you—”

Jason ruffles his hair with one hand. “For fuck’s sake, I literally talked to Dick on Wednesday. And Wally talked to him like Saturday or something. The hell are you all on?”

“Dick’s dead,” Tim says. “He died before you did. Did you finally snap or something?”

Jason drops his head into his hands and tries just to breathe. Whatever’s going on, something’s not adding up. Drugs? Big elaborate prank? Fake death? Fear Toxin? None of those seem plausible for the kind of reaction Tim and Bruce are giving him, and Alfred had looked so sad. They genuinely seem to think that Dick has been dead for years.

But Jason spoke to him a few days ago. He remembers punching Dick in his stupid face for daring to fake his death however long ago it was. He knows Dick’s still alive—or he’d been alive recently, at least. Jason has to dig. He’s a detective. He’s going to figure this out, with or without Tim’s help.

Marginally calmer, Jason looks back up, looks Tim dead in the eye and says, “I snapped a long time ago. But this time, I think it’s you guys that need to seriously evaluate what’s going on in those heads of yours. Dick’s alive, and I don’t care what I have to do to prove it.”

And with that, he picks up his helmet, slings a leg over his bike, and leaves crazy town to continue life without him.

Alfred’s spent years in the manor, cleaning, cooking, and raising unruly children.

It had started with Bruce, a child so deeply caught up in his own trauma he’d shut himself off to the point nothing seemed to get through that wall of his. Not until he’d become Batman and brought home a young child one night, and Alfred suddenly had another charge to look after.

Not that he minded. In fact, he’d been more than happy to help Bruce raise the ray of sunshine that had been Richard Grayson. He’d been almost Bruce’s opposite. Open, bright, and determined to be happy, no matter how much of his own trauma he had on his own shoulders. Sometimes Alfred was afraid that that determination would turn into something deadly. Something that would get him or Bruce killed at some point.

He had only been a boy, after all, and boys aren’t known for their caution.

And of course, Alfred had been right.

The details are fuzzy all these years later, especially after Jason’s untimely passing and subsequent resurrection took the forefront of worry in his mind.

However, Alfred knows that he can never forget someone like Richard Grayson.

Bruce, he knows, will never forget Richard, either, though perhaps different reasons. Where Alfred will remember a hyperactive child running through the halls of the manor, sliding down the banisters, swinging from the chandeliers, Bruce will remember the first Robin, the soldier he’d help create, Nightwing, the fights.

Bruce will remember what he thinks is his own failings.

The odd thing, though, is the way Bruce is acting. Alfred notices the moment they enter the study that it’s not grief sitting heavy upon Bruce’s shoulders, it’s anger. And while that’s not an emotion Alfred is unfamiliar with when it comes to Bruce, it’s odd that whenever Richard is mentioned in his memories, Bruce reacts the same way as he does when Jason’s death is mentioned.

And yet, it’s different now.

And Alfred himself, he feels sad, but not impossibly sad. He remembers what it feels like, to have a weight sitting on his chest, crushing his lungs and making it hard to breathe. But when Alfred thinks of Richard’s grinning face, all he has is the urge to bake a batch of chocolate cookies and wait in the kitchen for a boy who will never come home again.

“I’m going out,” Bruce announces, and Alfred follows him to the door, helping Bruce into a coat. There’s no need to ask where Bruce is going on such short notice, seeing as he goes up to the top of the hill to stare at a grave every time he grieves, but Bruce is agitated, and this isn’t a normal visit.

Alfred hopes, as Bruce walks out the door without a word over his shoulder, that whatever it is that’s happening, it is resolved sooner rather than later.

And something is happening, of that he has no doubt. But for now, he’ll stay here, in the manor, and wait for his children to come home. And he barely dares to think it, but he’ll even wait for all of them, no matter how much heartbreak he’s setting himself up for.

Something’s wrong, Tim thinks.

At first, he’d written off Jason’s ramblings as getting dosed with fear toxin or trying to get back at Bruce or something. Jason’s tried to kill all of them before, so it’s not like it’s hard to imagine Jason doing something horrible.

But it’s also been months since Jason had finally stopped all of that, and for the life of him, Tim can’t remember why. He also can’t get, did Dick fake his death again? out of his head, because there’s something in his chest, and it twists every single time he thinks of those words.

So Tim does what he always does when he’s looking at a particularly hard case: fills a thermos with freshly made coffee and starts breaking things down.

It’s hours later that Damian comes down to the Cave and immediately zeroes in on him. Which is perfect, because despite wanting literally nothing to do with the brat, he’s just what Tim needs right now.

“What are you working on now, Drake?” Damian drawls, seemingly uninterested. But there’s that glimmer of curiosity in his eyes that Tim is actually glad to see for once. But he doesn’t speak, knowing that if he answers now, Damian will refuse to even stay in the room. Damian’s eyebrows scrunch up as he watches Tim type. “Why are you looking into old case files from fifteen years ago?”

Tim spins his chair around and looks Damian in the eye. “This is top secret.”

Damian scoffs. “Everything we do is top secret, Drake. I’d have thought that you’d have known that by now.”

“I mean secret from Bruce.”

Damian straightens, his shoulders tense up. “What warrants the secrecy?”

Tim leans back and rubs a hand over his face. He’s been staring at the screen too long. “Lots of things. The biggest being that I think Jason’s right and Bruce isn’t, no matter how sure he seems.”

“What are you going on about?” Damian asks. “And what does Todd have to do with it?”

“Who made you Robin?” Tim decides to throw out.

“Father,” Damian tells him automatically, looking irritated. And then his expression turns vicious. “If you think you’re taking back the position—”

“Shut up for a second and just answer my questions, okay?” Tim snaps. “This is actually important, and I only have a little bit of time before Bruce realizes I hacked the cameras.”

Damian, amazingly, shuts up.

“Okay, Bruce was lost in time when you became Robin,” Tim tells him seriously. “So that means it couldn’t have been Bruce that gave you the uniform, because as soon as it was given to you, I left Gotham to go find Bruce.”

Damian opens his mouth, and then shuts it, staring at the floor in some cross of contemplation, confusion, and realization.

“So someone else gave it to you,” Tim says, feeling breathless as that thing in his chest twists again. “Do you know who it was?”

Damian shakes his head, and when he speaks, his voice is quiet. “No. I can’t remember.”

“You mean you have gaps in your memory,” Tim confirms his hypothesis. “Someone looked out for Gotham with you while I was looking for Bruce and Cass was in Hong Kong and Jason was still having his identity crisis. Someone else was there, and we’re missing him.”

“Who?”

Tim licks his lips and stares at the ground, barely daring to believe that he’s about to say this aloud. “Jason came in here earlier screaming his head off about—well. About the first Robin. Richard Grayson. I thought he was having a mental breakdown or something, but now—"

“He died,” Damian says, his eyes on the cases in the corner when Tim looks back up. His brows are furrowed and there’s a quiet horror in his voice. “Richard Grayson is dead, but there’s no memorial for him. But there’s one for Todd. Todd has been revived and Father still won’t take it down.”

“Yeah,” Tim says, his heart fluttering in his chest as he thinks about it and the pieces start to come together. There’s something in him that hurts, and it shouldn’t, and he thinks that’s what solidifies this. It’s not supposed to hurt like this when he’s never even met the guy “Combine all of it together, it points to one thing.”

Damian looks him in the eye, and Tim can barely breathe anymore.

“It means Jason’s right,” Tim whispers. “Dick Grayson is alive.”

“Are you sure?” Wally asks from the other end of the line for the fifth damn time. “I mean, why would they forget and not us?”

Jason makes an irritated noise into his phone, cradling it between his shoulder and his cheek as he looks through his case files for clues. For something he might have missed. “They didn’t forget. They think he’s dead. Two different things here, West.”

“But still,” Wally says, and Jason can hear the frown in his voice, “that doesn’t make any sense. Especially if they’re saying he died before even you did.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Jason snaps. He grabs the phone with one hand and straightens up, the other hand ruffling his own hair in his irritation. “Dick’s not showing up anywhere and suddenly the whole damn family thinks he’s dead? You think I don’t know that’s weird?!”

“Calm down, Jason. I’m just saying—”

“It’s insane!” Jason yells, pushing himself to his feet. “And for some reason it’s only them! If I hadn’t gone over there, no one would even…be….”

Jason freezes, the gears in his head turning over and over as he tries to think through this. If Jason hadn’t needed Dick last night, it might have been days before someone had realized that the Waynes thought Dick was dead. Meaning no one would be out looking for him until it was too late.

“Oh god,” Jason says, horror twisting his stomach painfully. “Someone took him.”

“What?” Wally asks, his voice actually quiet for once in his life. “What are you talking about?”

“Think about it,” Jason tells him. “Someone went through the trouble of altering the memories of the people that Dick are publicly connected to, and only the people he’s publicly connected to. You, me, Roy, Clark. We weren’t affected by whatever it was, but we’re not in constant contact with him, either. Bruce and Tim are.”

“So what are you saying?” Wally wonders. There’s some kind of murmuring and rustling in the background, but Jason is barley paying attention.

“I’m saying that Tim and Bruce and Alfred didn’t just happen to think Dick was dead, and they’re the ones that Dick has constant public contact with,” Jason tells him. “Which means that someone did this, and they’re probably just buying time to get something from Dick. They took him.”

Wally’s silent for almost a moment, and Jason feels a flutter of irritation rise up in his gut again. If he’s right, if someone’s just trying to stall for time, that means that they don’t have much of it to find Dick. From the way this is set up, this isn’t supposed to be a permanent situation. Not everyone was brain-washed into thinking Dick’s dead, which probably can mean two things.

One, it’s like Jason told Wally. Whoever took Dick is stalling for time, which would suggest that they want information and Dick isn’t giving it up easily. It’d make sense, given the circumstances and who Dick was trained by.

Two, the person didn’t have the juice. Whatever mind melding powers they have might not be powerful enough to affect the entire world.

Jason’s money is on both.

“Okay,” Wally says, and Jason startles back to the present. “Okay, I’m on my way over.”

“You’re what?” Jason asks, but before he can really even blink, Wally’s there. In the middle of his apartment. Making half the papers on his table fly up into the air from the force of his speed. Jason jams the end call button on his phone harder than necessary. “How the hell do you even know where I live?!”

“Dick,” Wally says, pulling out his own phone. He scrolls through his contacts, settles on a name, and puts it on speaker.

“Who are you calling?” Jason asks, his brow crumpling, making a mental note to chew Dick out later for giving Wally his address if they find him.

When, he chastises himself. When they find him.

But Wally doesn’t answer. Instead, the person on the other end picks up, and it’s Barbara who says a in a soft and somewhat confused voice, “Hello?”

“Hey, Barbara,” Wally says easily.

But his shoulders are tense and his eyes are troubled, and he kind of looks like Dick does sometimes, when he wants to make it seem like nothing’s bothering him because he’s a giant masochist. Wally’s doesn’t seem to be doing it for that, though. Jason thinks that Wally doesn’t want to give away just how much shit they’re actually in. At least, that’s what Jason would do.

“Wally. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Wally says, setting the phone down on the table and leaning on the back of a chair. “He was in Gotham last night, and he was wearing a Nightwing suit.”

There’s silence for a moment, and Babs says, “Is this some kind of sick joke? Because if it is—”

“It’s not,” Jason cuts in. “Honest, Barbara. We’re telling the truth.”

“Jason?”

“Yeah,” Jason says. “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Come on, Babs,” Wally says, his voice soft. “You know what the suit means to me. To all of us. Will you please help us?”

“Fine,” Barbara tells them, her voice steely. “I’ll look. But if this turns into some prank, I’m setting Cass on the both of you and you can forget about any support from me for an entire year.”

The three of them fall quiet, and for a long time, almost two or three minutes, Jason thinks, there’s absolutely no noise beside the small clicks of the keyboard on Barbara’s end of the line. A sharp intake of breath breaks the silence, though, and Jason finds himself leaning over the phone.

“What?” he demands. “What is it?”

“You guys were right,” Barbara says. “Corner of Fourth and Main, 2:17 am.”

“Is he doing anything weird?”

“He’s just…sitting on the roof.” Jason ignores the quiet waver to Barbara’s voice, but he appreciates when she takes a deep breath and seems to find her calm. Good. Jason’s not sure he can handle anything like a break down from her, right now. He’s already so close to the edge himself, being one of the only people to believe that Dick is even alive.

Barbara takes another breath, and then there’s more typing.

Jason’s fists clench. “What’s going on now?”

“Do you have your laptop open?” Barbara asks. “And on?”

Jason swivels around, looking over at his coffee table, where his laptop’s plugged in and open to his desktop screen. He doesn’t use it for much since it’s a cheap old thing he got for a couple hundred bucks and sucks at running more than three programs at once. “Yes? Why?”

“I’m sending you the video footage from last night,” Barbara says. “I’ll help you take this guy down, but I need you two to figure this out where he is by yourself. I can’t—that uniform is—”

“Got it,” Wally says. “Thanks, Barbara.”

“Just figure this out, West,” Barbara says, and then there’s a click, and the line goes dead. She hung up.

At the same time, Jason’s email pings annoyingly, and he plops down on the couch, opens his browser up to access his account, and clicks on the new email from Babs. It’s a few videos, different angles of Dick sitting on a rooftop last night, the same rooftop that he and Jason were supposed to meet at. Dick was almost an hour early, though, and Jason thinks that maybe that had been his downfall.

It’s as they’re watching the first video, though, that something weird happens. One minute, Dick is sitting on the ledge of the roof, and the next, he’s crumpling backwards, like a puppet with his strings cut.

“What the—” Jason starts to say, but Wally leans over his shoulder from the back of the couch, and when Jason turns to look at him, his green eyes are wide.

“Play it back.”

Jason raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I thought I saw something.”

Jason plays it back, and they watch Dick crumple again, and this time, even though Jason knows it’s coming, he barley holds back a wince as he watches Dick fall unconscious seemingly unprompted. He pauses it afterwards, and turns to Wally.

“Well?” he asks.

Wally shakes his head. “Never mind.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah,” Wally breathes. “I thought I saw a person, but it’s not there anymore.”

Jason unpauses the video, and they keep watching.

Nothing else happens for a few minutes, just Dick unconscious on the rooftop, and then the camera goes black for almost ten seconds, and when it cuts back in, Dick’s gone. Checking the other videos reveal the exact same thing, and Jason shuts his laptop in frustration, scrubbing at his hair.

“That was absolutely no help,” Jason snaps.

Wally sighs, forearms resting on the back of the couch. “I mean, it gives us a place to look, right?”

“I guess,” Jason says, but he feels sort of sick. He’d told Tim that he was going to prove that Dick was alive, and all he has to go on are a couple of tampered videos and the fact that only the people closest to him seem to think he’s dead. “God, this is so messed up.”

“Yeah,” Wally agrees, and he looks as tired as Jason feels. “So what do we do now? Do we go out and look for him?”

“It’s like three in the afternoon,” Jason snorts. “I don’t know how it works in Keystone, but we don’t go in the daytime, West.”

“I know that but—”

Jason’s phone rings, then, and Wally cuts off. One glance at his caller ID, though, has Jason furrowing his brow in confusion. He answers with a hesitant, “Tim?”

“I believe you,” Tim says immediately. “Dick’s alive. I believe you.”

Jason sags back into the couch. “What made you change your mind.”

“Things aren’t adding up.” Tim pauses, and there’s some murmuring on Tim’s side. Sounds kind of like arguing, and Jason thinks that Tim might be there with Damian of all people, calling Jason. Geez, when Dick disappears, the Bats go to crazy town, don’t they? Tim blows out a breath. “Okay, meet me and Damian on that rooftop where Dick disappeared in an hour.”

Tim hangs up, then, and knowing Tim, Jason thinks he probably hacked his way into the cameras, too. From what Jason knows about him, Tim’s almost as good as Barbara is when it comes to technology.

So Jason saves the question for later, looks up at Wally, and says, “Suit up,”

It looks like they’ve got a stray bird to rescue.

Dick’s been here for a while. Long enough that someone should have noticed by now that he’s been gone too long and come looking for him.

During his stay down here in Sewerville, Dick’s pretty sure the voice has managed to half kill him without even letting Dick seem them. There’s blood pouring from every part of his body, he’s bruised and beaten, and his voice is wrecked from constantly screaming. He feels like he’s about to die, and he thinks that the only two reasons he’s even still alive is because one, his captor hasn’t gotten their information, and two, he still has that little bit of faith that someone will find him. That Bruce will find him. No matter what the voice keeps telling him.

But after the first few hours of mouthing off, Dick’s wrist gets crushed and he’s half-strangled to death, and his words become few and far apart, until he finally stops talking altogether. After that time passes by in bits and pieces. One minute he’s alone, the next he’s getting electrocuted. One minute he’s getting stabbed with a knife, the next he’s by himself again. It skips and pauses, like an old record, and Dick can’t seem to hold onto it for more than maybe an hour at a time.

That’s bad, he thinks, but he can’t remember why.

Right now, though, there’s a bigger problem to worry about. Namely, the syringe being plunged into his arm. Dick cries out as it breaks the needle breaks the skin and the contents injected into his veins.

“What was that?” Dick calls out hoarsely. “What did you just give me?”

“Tell me what you know,” the voice demands for the millionth time. “Tell me what you know and I’ll let you go. This will all be over with.”

Dick chest heaves for precious, precious air as he stares up at the ceiling, and he’s not going to cry, but he can’t help it when his voice cracks a little when he says, “I already told you, I don’t know.”

“You must know something.”

“I. Don’t. Know.”

“I don’t believe that the first Robin doesn’t know where the Justice League Headquarters are. You must know.” The syringe clatters to the ground. “And that serum will help you waggle your tongue.”

Dick shivers. “I don’t know where it is. I don’t know.”

“You’re lying,” the voice hisses, and Dick flinches away from the voice. “You’re lying. Because I’ve seen you in it. I just need to know how to access it. That’s all you have to tell me and you’ll be free.”

“Even if I did know,” Dick says, trying his best to keep his voice calm and steady, “I would never tell you.”

“We’ll see how you feel after the serum runs its course,” the voice cackles. “Have a nice sleep, Bat Brat.”

Dick’s vision wavers, and his last thought before everything goes dark is, Please let Bruce find me. Please.

[theprophet359]

HAMILTON, NJ --  Following on from a string of Legionnaires' Disease cases that broke out among senior residents at the Alvin E. Gershen Apartments, the Hamilton Board of Health met Tuesday night...

[scienceblr]

Power Washing Robbinsville NJ Surfaces

Power washing is one of the best ways to upkeep the appearance and health of a wide range of surfaces around your home or business property. Finding a qualified company with the right equipment should be a top maintenance priority for any property owner or business.

Pressure washing services hamilton NJ are some of the most common surfaces that can be effectively pressure cleaned.

-Concrete, Tarmac and Pavement

Power washing can make a huge difference to the driveway of your home or the parking lot of your business. In some instances, parking lots have to be kept up to code with the proper markings and handicapped spaces. For businesses that get a lot of traffic, over the years these markings can fade and wear away, or be covered with oil and other fluids. At the residential level, many homes have patios and concrete surfaces that can become soiled and stained from runoff or rust from irrigation. Adequate pressure cleaning on a regular schedule can keep all of these surfaces clear and attractive for years to come.

-Vinyl Siding and Exterior Brick/Concrete Walls

Power washing can also be very effective for the cleaning of the walls of your residential building (houses, condominiums and apartment buildings) or commercial properties. Dirt, grime and mildew are constantly gathering on the exterior of buildings. If left uncleaned, these contaminants can lead to costly repairs and the degradation of the value of a building. The beauty of pressure cleaning is that the pressure can be adjusted to suit certain surfaces. High pressure can be used for brick and concrete walls, and lower pressures can be used to adequately clean vinyl siding and gutters without causing damage.

-Roof Washing

Roofs receive more natural elements and weather than any other part of your house. With all of this moisture and debris constantly gathering on the roof, mildew, mold and stains build up over time without proper cleaning. On asphalt shingles, we also see something called roof algae that accumulates and appears as unsightly black streaks. These algae and other molds can be very damaging to the structure and can end up costing you a lot of money in repairs or full roof replacement over the years.

-Decks and Wood Restoration

Power washing is also very effective for decks and other exterior wood surfaces, but requires a special attention to detail. Because wood ages and grows soft and porous, too much pressure - even on treated wood - can cause deterioration and damage. There are special cleansers and can adjust our equipment to the right pressure in order to get it adequately clean.

-Gutter Cleaning

Home power washing is also very effective with gutters and drainage systems. Gutters require at least two thorough cleanings every year (spring and fall) in order to keep them free of clogs, mold and drainage problems. Some people only clean the exterior of their gutters, cleaning out the leaves and debris from the roof, but this really isn't enough. Using high pressure cleaning attachments for the interior of gutters is the best method available for keeping them free and clear of molds and mildews that can quickly spread to other areas of your home or business property if they are not removed.

[haneenradwan-blog]

Reflection #2

Occupation #1: Family trips!

The first trip I went to this summer was actually a city in the mountains called Robbinsville, NC. It was a family trip and during this trip I went white water rafting for the first time. It was super fun and now I can’t wait till I can go again. This occupation relates to the past and the future. We do not usually have family trips because it’s so hard for everyone’s schedule to align, so it reminded me of when my siblings and I were younger. It relates to the future because one day when I have my own family, I would love to have family trips at least a couple times a year.  This occupation also fulfills the goal that I have is to constantly be close to my family. My worst nightmare is not being able to talk to my family because we drifted apart. Being able to be close to them, visit them, and spend time with them is something that I strive to have for the rest of my life. 

Occupation #2: Cooking

Cooking has been one of my favorite occupations throughout my life, but recently when I moved to Winston-Salem I started getting back into it. It relates to my future because I can see myself cooking for my future family, since I just got engaged. It makes me super excited because cooking is one of my favorite pastimes and doing it for people that mean everything to me. 

Occupation #3: Unpacking and Moving into a new Apartment from my Childhood House

This occupation was something I had to do because of graduate school, so my life is moving forward. This would be under the home establishment and management occupation. It relates to the past and the future. It was quite sad leaving my childhood home that I’ve lived in since 2003, but it relates to the future as well because I moved due to graduate school. Going to graduate school is pursuing my career and that is hopefully going to be in my future. 

[ericchasko]

Sandball Loading - Strongman Saturday. / Men@100lbs, Women@60lbs x 60sec. / Strength, Power, and the ability to sustain both over time without falling apart are virtues that are valuable regardless of the arena. Building a High Performance Body should be top priority. #redemptionstrength #club #oldschool #strength #conditioning #gym #strongman #fitness #training #strongbody #strongmind #choosestrength #builttolast #reclaimlife #robbinsville #nj (at Redemption)

[eversonskarateinrobbinsvillenj]

🥋 What an amazing day. 😀 Everson's Karate students, parents and John Finnegan of Robbinsville Clean Team spent the morning going around Robbinsville picking up trash. 👍 Look at that big pile of trash. 👀 I am so proud of the parents and students of EKI. 👏 This is what the Martial Arts is all about. 👍 I'm a blessed man to be apart of such great community. Thank you John for putting this together. 😀 After a day of cleaning up Robbinsville we all sat down and enjoyed each others company with a slice of pizza. We had a total of 90 Students, Parents and Friends. Feeling Blessed, Master Dusty Everson Mrs. Diane Everson https://www.instagram.com/p/ChyG2AErFHF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[cbutler1961]

North Carolina Vacation 2017-Day 6 & 7

We moved the date of our backcountry camp up by one day because it looked like their might be rain on Thursday. We called the Ranger office on Tuesday and they emailed us a revised permit. We had made a list and gathered our gear Tuesday night. We got up on Wednesday morning and loaded up the truck. We got to Fontana Marina about 9:30. We unloaded and I parked the truck in the lot they set aside for backcountry campers. We paid the launch fee and set out. I estimated it would be a little over a mile from launch to our campsite. It seemed longer than that. We eased out of the harbor and past more of the ubiquitous houseboats and then we were in the river. There was no boat traffic at all and it really didn’t seem that windy but the water was fairly choppy nonetheless. I think we had been in worse but at full pool Fontana lake is pretty deep. Our boats kinda drifted apart and I let Wanda get away from me which probably made her more uncomfortable still. I had thought about what we would do if one of us spilled over. About the only thing we could do is hang on and swim our boat to safety. Fortunately it didn’t come to that. Once we got across the river channel we were in the mouth of eagle creek and the island campsite was right there. The island is sort of shaped like a triangle. We landed on the east side and even though there was a campsite right there on the water we decided to climb up to the top of the island (several hundred feet). Once we got up there the breeze and the privacy made us decide it was worth hauling our stuff up there. It took a couple trips but we made it. We ate lunch and then we put up our hammocks. We had learned a few things from our first attempt at this. One of which is that it can get very cold in a hammock even on a late spring night. We invested in a couple hammock pads which tie directly under your hammock. They provide an extra thermal barrier. We broke those out and tied them up underneath our hammocks. Then we stretched out and dozed for about 30 minutes. It was about 230 by this time so we put our kayaks back in the water and went further up the creek. The creek was very wide but the water was pretty smooth. We stayed close to the shoreline and paddled for about an hour and a half. We encountered an otter and we followed it for a pretty good ways. It kept going under and reappearing farther up the shore. It was really cool. When we finally turned around and made it back to the campsite it was past 6. I had bought a small bag of charcoal so we lit it and cooked some sausages we had bought. We had a can of baked beans and we stuck them down in the coals but they never did get really warm. Everything was pretty good. After we ate we lit a big fire and we listened to a ghost story podcast and sat in my hammock. The breeze kept up just right and we never were bothered by bugs. About 10 we went back down to get a look at the sky over the lack. It was perfect. No light pollution from streetlights and the stars were actually reflected in the water. We sat there for a long while and looked up at the sky and listened to the night sounds. We climbed back up the hill and got into our hammocks. We both went to sleep pretty quickly. I woke up about 2 hours later and although the hammock pad we strung underneath was doing its job I was getting a little cold in shorts and tee shirt. I got up and pulled on a pair of long pants and a long sleeve pullover. Wanda got up and did the same. We got back in our hammocks but I got cold again a little while later. Eventually I put a blanket over Wanda and I got a tarp and put it up over me. That kept me fairly comfortable for the rest of the night. I rolled out of my hammock about 6 and got our fire restarted. Wanda got up shortly after and we had a cliff bar for breakfast. We kinda underestimated how much water we should bring. We had five bottles apiece but we were down to about a half bottle each by then. We packed everything up and hauled it down to the shore. We loaded up the kayaks and headed back. The wind and the water were a lot calmer so the crossing going back was uneventful. We got back to the truck about 9am. We made a side trip into Fontana Village and then headed home. We had noticed a water leak in the camper a couple days before so we had shut off the water when we left. I made a couple fruitless trips into Robbinsville trying to get stuff to fix it. I finally got a patch job applied that left us without cold water to the kitchen sink. I had some help from John the co-propiriter of the campground. We spent the rest of the day hanging around the campground. I was very tired by the time we finally hit the bed

[berniesbicycleshop]

Bernie's has been around for over 60 years and counting!!! Stop in a be apart of a little #Hamilton and New Jersey #history .. #nj #njmom #bikestagram #probikeshop #bikeshop #hamiltonnj #robbinsville #princeton #lambertville #newhope #hopewell #trenton #centealjersey #over50years #cycling #cyclinglife #raleighbikes #jamisbikes #fujibikes #scottbikes (at Bernies Bicycle)

[feelix99]

WHAT’S IN A NAME? - Crossover of County and Town names in NC

Ever wonder why Beaufort NC is not in Beaufort County? Or why Waynesville and Wayne County are over 150 miles apart? There is no easy explanation, but here are some of the more puzzling mix ups in this State. The best research I could find shows some hearsay accounts of local feuds, geographical mistakes, family dust ups, similar last names, pioneering westward, political battles in the State legislature and just plain “ I had the name first” rights…

This is my favorite. So, Graham is the county seat of Alamance County.

Alamance County was named for either the Great Alamance Creek or the Battle of Alamance (16 May 1771), the decisive battle in the War of the Regulation. Early inhabitants of the area included the Saxapahaw and Sissipahaw Indians, followed by English, Scotch-Irish, German, Welsh, and Pennsylvania Quaker settlers. And yet Graham is the county seat.  It was incorporated in 1851 and named for William A. Graham, a former North Carolina governor, NOT from Alamance County.

And yet the town of Alamance, NC lies just south Graham….

Surprisingly, Graham County lies hundreds of miles to the west near the Tennessee border.

Graham County was named for William A. Graham, U.S. senator and governor of North Carolina, NOT from Graham County, but he is described as follows: “in addition to serving as governor, U.S. Senator, and Secretary of the Navy, William Alexander Graham (1804-1875) was the Whig nominee for Vice-President in 1852.  The son of Gen. Joseph and Isabella Davidson Graham, he was born on September 5, 1804, at “Vesuvius,” the family home in Lincoln County?

The county seat of Graham County is Robbinsville. 

Robbinsville  is named for… Robbinsville….

And yet the town of Robbins is in Moore County in the center of the State.

Robbins, NC:  The Town, now known as Robbins, actually began in 1795 when gunsmith Alexander Kennedy and his family left Philadelphia to settle along Bear Creek. Kennedy set up a factory, which produced long rifles for American soldiers, near the site of the present day Robbins Water Plant. The Kennedy rifle works continued in operation until 1838 and the place became known as Mechanics Hill. Hmmmmmm. 

Moore County: named for Alfred Moore, a Revolutionary War captain who later served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. Early inhabitants of the area included the Saura (Cheraw) and other Siouan Indians, followed by Highland Scot, German, English, and Scotch-Irish settlers. Carthage, the county seat, was incorporated in 1796 and named after the ancient North African city.

You would think that Moore County would name its county seat after its namesake, but Mooresville is located west in Iredell County….

Mooresville, NC:   Named for John F. Moore, first mayor and donor of land for railroad depot in 1857. Construction of the railroad began in 1860. Alt. 910. Produces apparel, textiles, and milling products. Born near Warsaw NC in DUPLIN County.  That’s near the Coast!

And the quiet town of Mooresboro is located in Cleveland County to the Southwest, not even close to Moore County.

Mooresboro, NC:  community in western Cleveland County. Alt. 970. Settled in 1780s; inc. 1885. Charter was repealed 1943. Named for Lem Moore, an early settler. Birthplace unknown. 

Cleveland County:  named for Col. Benjamin Cleveland, a hero at the Revolutionary War battle of King’s Mountain (7 Oct. 1780). Cleveland County partially borders the state of South Carolina.

Why should Cleveland County have a town or county seat seat named Cleveland? Well, it does not. Cleveland NC lies to the Northwest in Rowan County.

Cleveland, NC:  Strangely, it is named after Cleveland, England, but it is rumored that the town is actually named after Grover Cleveland after he visited the town during his presidential campaign. Go figure.

Confused? Well so am I.  The best explanation for these tangled webs of names and places as described above. I would welcome all suggestions and comments!

Oh, and there are many more mash ups of county and town names. See Part 2 to come….

[schoenhomes-blog]

Making an investment in rental properties can bring a good return on the initial investment paid. Your success becomes guarantee if real estate investor finds a certain winning investment strategy to follow. A well-defined investment strategy helps to set the tone for future as far as the investor is concerned.  Real estate investors generally tend to diverse once they have gained enough experience. The most common real estate investment strategy that people pursue are Single family Homes and Multi-family homes.

Prior to investing it is better to understand the difference between both strategies. Firstly one has to understand what each one is as an investment opportunity. Single family homes are properties that consist of one property unit that is suitable for one family. Single family home category includes condo, a house or a townhouse. While Multi-family homes are defined as real estate properties that have more than one unit, unlike single family home, here you can ultimately house more than one family at a time. Multi-family homes include an apartment building, a duplex or triplex. Once you understand what single family home and multi-family home is, next you have to move on to more important question. What is the difference between the single family home and multi-family home in terms of real estate investing and which one should investors go for? To know the difference between the two we first need to understand the similarities between two as investment properties.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND MULTI-FAMILY HOMES:

Both single family and multi-family homes have a good return on investment in the long term. If you are planning to secure future both of them can be beneficial as both types of income properties are usually able to generate more than 1 % of the cost of the property per month. This will eventually lead to a positive cash flow.  Taking a mortgage loan to fund the purchase of either single family or multi-family rental property can be beneficial for investors through rental income. Moreover, with this real estate investors can easily pay off their mortgage expenses.

To invest in single family or multi-family home will require an investor to pay high interest rates as well as down payment of at least 20 %, which could be a hefty price for some real estate investors. However, if the purpose of buying this property is for residential purpose it can be change for the owner and not as a real estate investment. Investment properties are more risky that’s why banks are stricter in this matter.

Making an investment in either single family home or multi-family home income property will give the owner tax benefits. You can get tax benefit in the form of tax deductions related to mortgage and property tax, which can be very helpful to reduce expenses.

After understanding the similarities, understanding the differences between the two can be more helpful.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND MULTI-FAMILY HOMES:

MULTI-FAMILY HOMES:

Higher Rental Income: Higher rental income is the major reason that makes investors goes for this type of investing property as a real estate investment. What makes this property a desirable investment is the fact that an investor can purchase a rental property that has multiple units with each one of them generating a monthly rental income. In contrast to this single family home has only one source of rental income from one tenant. In this regard multi-family homes are much safer investment in terms of constant cash flow from various sources.

Less Chance of Vacant Units: In multi-family homes possibility of vacancies is not absent however; it is definitely less costly and less frequent than vacancies in single family homes. If one unit is not on rent for month or two the landlord of multi-family unit still making rent from other units in building. Single family home owners don’t have this luxury if their home is vacant it means their rental income goes to zero.

Controlling The Value: Landlord of multi-family unit have a chance to have the fate of his income property in his own hands. Multi-family homes are value based rental properties on the rental income and make real estate investors more motivated to get the maximum income from their property. The future value of real estate property rests solely on the hard work and creativity of the investor while single family homes are subject to economic factors in their valuation process.

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES:

Affordability: Easy affordability is one the main reason people go for single family homes. it has lower cost for investment than multi-family home which makes it more affordable to more investors. The total cost affected by the other factors as well, along with the price of the property. Since most rental agreements require tenants to pay all of the utility bills that’s why utility expenses are usually non-existent in single family homes.

Higher Appreciation: Single family homes tend to appreciate more than multi-family homes due to more demand and focus on single family homes. While valuing them lenders usually see the difference between both. As we already mention that multi-family properties are value based on the conditions of the real estate property and the rental income they make. On the other hand single family properties are purely based on supply and demand factors.

Renters Takes Care Of Homes Like Their Own: Residents of single family homes usually view rental property as their own homes and tend to take care of its condition by constantly communicating with the landlord. Managing only one property is easier for the first time investors. With little real estate experience performing the intimidating task to manage a multi-family home can be a bit tricky to navigate through.

More Exit Strategies: If owner of single family property want to sell it, there are more chances of selling it quickly on better price than multi-family property. This creates better exit strategies for investors, families purchasing a home and as a lease-to-own option. Multi-family homes are limited to investors in real estate.

Both single family homes and multi-family properties can be profitable real estate investment. It depends on the investors to which strategy or type they want to invest. Investing money in more stable long-term investment of a single family home or choosing a risky yet more profitable investment like multi-family home. it depends on the owners preferences, budget that each investor chooses and involvement level expected. Continue Reading-->>  New homes in robbinsville nj |  Homes for sale monroe township nj | New Homes Mercer County NJ