A/N: This is a crossover AU I've had bouncing around in my head for a while. What do you think? If this gets enough good attention, I may expand on this AU some more.


Many stories and tales of the noble and heroic Jedi had permeated the Republic during its twilight years, including those of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne and the apprentices he would take under his tutelage.

Wayne had always been a promising Youngling, and matured into one of the most formidable Knights to serve in the Order. Bruce's sheer power and speed were not easily matched, and he was a cunning tactician on the battlefield. He struck down his adversaries with little effort, always one step ahead of their plans. Bruce's morals were ironclad, and despite his brutal fighting style, he would not slay his opponents if he could avoid it. While the martial authority thrust onto the Jedi was intoxicating, Wayne's strong sense of justice proved incorruptible by the time he became a noble and disciplined Jedi Master.

Richard Grayson would be chosen to become Wayne's first Padawan learner. The Knight had been apprehensive at first; the young one radiated exuberance and gaiety that would certainly be undermined by the hardships of civil war. This did not faze Dick, and his cheery disposition would prove a valuable asset in the face of conflict. Despite their differences, the bond forged between the Padawan and his Master was an unbreakable chain of trust and affection. Under Bruce's guidance, Dick honed his natural acrobatic skills and dexterity to become a talented fighter. His twin lightsabers would become little more than blue blurs as he spun and flipped, disorientating his opponents. Inheriting his Master's teachings and strong resolve, Grayson took his Jedi Trials in stride and emerged as a brave Jedi Knight. Master Wayne could not have been prouder of his first Padawan.

Following Dick's advent into Knighthood, Wayne would take a new Padawan, Jason Todd, under his wing. He quickly realized that this student would not respond to his training in the way his first had. Bruce sensed a troubling darkness and anger in the boy, bred by the harshness of Coruscant's streets. Jason was always looking for trouble during his time at the Temple, picking more than a few fights with his fellow Younglings and earning more punishments than Master Wayne could keep track of. As such, the Master took a different approach to teaching his second Padawan. He took advantage of Jason's strength and rage, forming him into a warrior rivaling his own might. Todd was a force to be feared on the battlefield, savagely mowing down his enemies with little regard to his own safety or his Master's orders. This would result in a strained relationship between the two, and although Wayne grew to care deeply for his student, he feared Jason would be unable to control his inner lust for blood and vengeance. It was on one fateful mission that Jason was captured by Separatist forces after refusing to heed Master Wayne and Knight Grayson's warnings. The Padawan was presumed dead, sending Bruce on a downward spiral of regret and depression. He had failed his precious student.

Disturbed by Master Wayne's increasingly violent and choleric behavior, the Jedi Council saw it fit to pair Wayne with a third Padawan, Timothy Drake. They hoped he would be able to calm the grieving Master and save him from the darkness growing inside of him. Tim was not as deft as Grayson, nor did he possess Todd's brawn, but was just as talented in his own right. Like his Master, Drake was a cold and calculating fighter. In the heat of battle, he calmly analyzed his opponents, observing their weaknesses and only exploiting them when the time was right. He worked wonders in the field of technology, even constructing a double-bladed lightsaber to enhance his offensive and defensive capacities on the field. Master Wayne was impressed by his third Padawan's craftyness, but struggled to build a strong connection with the boy. Despite Bruce's aloof and detached attitude, Tim worked hard to please him, knowing of his inner suffering caused by Jason's demise, but soon began longing for a more meaningful bond with his Master.

Everything changed when the two were hunted down and confronted by a menacing new Sith apprentice dispatched by the Separatists. During the arduous clash of sabers which ensued, the man's identity was revealed. Wayne was emotionally crushed at the sight of the angry Jason Todd wielding a blood-red lightsaber. His former Padawan had survived his capture, but his newfound fury and hate for Bruce and Tim had consumed his being. He had fallen to the Dark Side and its promises of vengeance and power. Blinded by misery and guilt, Master Wayne had nearly fallen to his second protege, but Drake intervened. The boy knew he was no match for the enraged Todd, but managed to protect his Master until help arrived. It was after this painful encounter that Wayne resolved to better nurture Tim's growth, lest he stray down the dark path Jason took. The bond between Master and Padawan had finally flourished.

It wasn't long after that a Force-sensitive boy, Damian Al-Ghul, was unceremoniously dropped off by his mother at the Jedi Temple's front entrance. The Council, seeing that the boy was proficient in basic Force techniques, elected for him to join and train with the other Younglings. Damian immediately sought a private audience with Master Wayne, where he confided in the man that he was actually his blood son, birthed by an assassin from Bruce's past. The boy demanded his father take him on as his Padawan when he came of age, but was rejected. Bruce was still in the process of training Tim for Knighthood, and even if he hadn't already had a Padawan, working with his son would only arouse suspicion of their relation. Infuriated, Damian came to harbor a vendetta against Drake, using every opportunity he could to undermine and disparage him in hopes of taking his place. This only succeeded in estranging him from his father even more.

During his time as a Youngling, Damian was convinced he was far superior to his peers. He detested cooperating with the other children and had difficulty accepting the authority of his Jedi teachers. He found reason to antagonize everyone he came across, and some even went as far as label him a lost cause, destined to travel down the road to the Dark Side. Truthfully, Damian had only behaved in that manner to attract his father's attention and, perhaps, his approval. The boy had been tempted many a time to reveal his true lineage to the Council, but realized that he would only land his father in a great deal of trouble and vanquish any chance of learning under him. He found an unlikely mentor in the jovial Dick Grayson, who took the time to listen to his troubles and guide him through his first years at the Jedi Temple. Damian had to admit that, despite their stark differences, Knight Grayson had led him down the right path to becoming a Padawan of great potential. After earning his Kyber crystal and constructing his own lightsaber, Dick officially took him under his wing as his first student. Their unlikely bond would become unbreakable, with Grayson bestowing more kindness and support on the boy than he thought he deserved. The pain of rejection by his father would always haunt Damian, but he wouldn't trade the moments with his Master and the lessons he learned for anything in the galaxy.

These stories, and many more, chronicled the exploits and adventures of Jedi Master Bruce Wayne and the young men he would come to call his family through the Clone Wars and the inevitable fall of the Galactic Republic.