Even through her gauntlets, Kate could feel the pointed edge of the batarang. Despite the theme of her costumed identity, Batwoman was not actually associated with Batman and his ever-expanding Bat Family. Nor the original Batwoman, for that matter. Kate Kane had simply taken the theme due to her being based out of Gotham City, and the now eight-month-long absence of the Batman from the city's rooftops and alleyways. The Dark Knight's original protégé, Nightwing, still operated in the city, watching over it until his mentor's eventual return, which was beginning to look more and more like a pipedream.
Kate had been working with Nightwing on a case recently, and he had now tracked her down to a rooftop in Cathedral Square to deliver a Christmas present: a 'real batarang', as he put it. Kate had been making her own at home, but this thing was the real deal. Nightwing read off a list of ways in which Kate's bat-shaped projectiles paled in comparison. It wasn't that he was trying to insult her own work, merely highlight the advantages of fifteen years of innovation. This really was like comparing a length of rope to Wonder Woman's mystically enchanted lasso, or a set of body armour to Superman's impenetrable skin. She was humbled.
"Merry Christmas," the young hero said with a smile as Kate balanced her gift on her fingers, having just been shown how the thing would return to her if thrown, like a boomerang.
She'd have preferred he not make assumptions about her holiday of choice, but she wouldn't reject his gesture on just those grounds. She appreciated the thought and found herself wondering if other superheroes gave each other gifts like this. Or maybe it was just a Titans thing, as it seemed unlikely Nightwing would have been taught gift-giving by Batman.
"It would've been a Hanukkah present, but I'm still not entirely sure when that finishes, so I figured it'd be better to go for an on-time Christmas present, instead of a poorly-timed Hanukkah one."
Kate stared at him. "How did-?" (you know I'm Jewish?) she began, but he interrupted her with a grin, as if he'd anticipated this response. Of course he had. He was-
"Batman's protégé. Come on, Aunt Kate, you should know better."
Kate was about to speak in response, but that shit-eating grin on his face made her feel like she'd be admitting to being a step behind if she did. "So, Bruce is Batman," she said, acknowledging Nightwing as Dick Grayson, while pretending the old theory she'd never put much stock in had been far more believable to her than it really had.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that," Dick said, nimbly dodging the question like the lifelong acrobat he was. Kate didn't know Dick all that well. She'd been invited to a number of Bruce's events, due to her status as one of Gotham's elite, as well as being his cousin, so she had met Dick on the few occasions she actually chose to attend. But she wasn't exactly close with Bruce since his multi-year-long sabbatical, so she wasn't particularly close to his adopted son, either.
"Does Bruce know?" Kate asked.
"Probably," he shrugged. "He tends to know these things. If you're wondering if he told me, then no. I worked it out all by myself, like a big boy." Dick's sense of humour was in stark contrast to Bruce, even in what Kate now concluded to be a mere mask known as Bruce Wayne.
"Dick, I'm serious. I don't want Bruce-"
"He wouldn't. Even if you weren't family, he's not the kinda guy who'd expose a secret identity like that. He respects the mask too much. Hell, he didn't even tell me who Superman was until I met him myself. Even Supes was surprised by that."
"And if he thought I was a threat?"
"Hmm... maybe. But I don't think you have to worry about that. I can vouch for your intentions. And I'm pretty sure no one else's word holds more weight for Bruce than mine, aside from maybe Superman's. Or Alfred's. You gotta trust Alfred."
Kate smirked. "True. But somehow, knowing who he is makes me feel a lot more self-conscious about stealing his brand for myself."
"Eh, it should be fine. I think, at worst, he'd probably tell you to pick a different nocturnal flying creature. Like an owl. Owlwoman."
"Now, there's a scary thought: having to redesign this costume after spending so much time designing the thing. And I'm not sure how well I'd be able to strike fear into the hearts of criminals if I had feathers."
"Well, Raven doesn't actually have a raven theme for her costume and no one's complained yet. Actually, I hope she doesn't start adding feathers to her outfit. Could you imagine?"
Kate chuckled. "Sounds about as bad as the first Batwoman's costume."
Dick grew strangely quiet at the mention of the old Batwoman. Had Kate hit a nerve without realising it?
"A-Anyway, I should probably get back to looking for leads on Mannheim."
"Oh, sure. Don't let me keep you, Dick."
"Alright, I'll keep you posted." He stepped onto the ledge of the building, turning back as Kate called his name over the carollers below.
"Hanukkah finishes tomorrow. Bruce would be disappointed if he knew you'd skimped on your researched."
Dick grinned. "Welcome to the family, Kate," he said before saluting and diving off the edge.
Kate had first met Dick shortly after Bruce adopted the twelve-year-old, and she had made a point of attending the next function so she could meet him. She'd heard the story about how his parents had been killed in an 'unfortunate accident' during one of their performances as the Flying Graysons. Bruce had been in attendance and, no doubt seeing a lot of himself in a young boy who was orphaned by crime, had taken him in. Kate herself could sympathise, having lost her mother and sister in a similar incident. It was fitting, in a way, that Dick should be adopted into their cursed lineage.
Seeing him now - cocky, strong, self-assured - one would be stunned to see Dick the way he had been when Kate had first met him. He was fit, certainly, but in a slim way, not with the well-toned musculature his black and blue super suit was designed to show off. He was also very shy and timid, which made him look the spitting image of young Bruce after his own parents' deaths. After being pointed his way by Alfred upon her arrival, the elderly butler having seen right through to her reason for showing up the second she crossed the threshold, she quickly crossed the large room to greet them.
"Kate," Bruce said, surprised to see her, but managing to (mostly) keep that fact concealed. In retrospect, this was early in his career as Batman, so his emotional mask was not nearly as solid as it was now.
"Hello, Bruce," Kate said in a measured tone, trying to keep her happiness at seeing him out of her voice so as not to seem insensitive towards the young man standing quietly by his new father's side. "You must be Richard," she said turning to face him, leaning forward a little to lower her eyeline. "I'm Kate, Bruce's cousin." She held out a hand for the boy, but he stood stock still, like a deer in headlights. She recalled Bruce being much the same at his parents' funeral, suddenly surrounded by family he barely knew. Seeing that she wasn't getting a handshake any time soon, she withdrew her hand, but flashed an understanding smile his way to show she wasn't upset.
"Thanks for being here, Kate," Bruce said suddenly. Even before his disappearance from Gotham, which she now concluded was for an intense training excursion, it was a rare thing for Bruce to display... really, most human emotions. Thomas and Martha's murder had left him emotionally distant from all but Alfred. In retrospect, she was glad to know he had managed to turn his trauma into strength as the Batman, but at the time, it was simply shocking for Bruce to speak so casually. People often said that Robin made Batman less brooding and angry, and it was now clear to Kate that, yes, he did.
"Of course," she replied. "I couldn't miss a chance to meet my new nephew, could I?" Again, she flashed a smile at Dick, but he still didn't seem to respond. "Hmm..." Kate leaned in to Bruce and asked if she had introduced Dick to their younger cousin, Bette.
"No, not yet. I'm trying to take it slow with him," he whispered back.
"I'll be right back." Kate quickly crossed the hall to where her Aunt Kathy was standing with her niece, Bette, who was around the same age as Dick. She borrowed Bette, who seemed relieved for an excuse to leave the boring adults and follow her cool older cousin, Kate. By the time the two returned to Bruce and Dick, Kate had asked a little favour of Bette. "Richard? This is your new cousin, Bette."
Still, he seemed nervous, but Bette was having none of it. "Hi!" she said, enthusiastically holding out a hand for him to take. Reluctantly, he did so. Once she had his hand, she asked, "Hey, do ya wanna see some of the..." She leaned in closer to whisper, "...secret rooms of the mansion?"
"Uh... s-sure," Dick replied, unsure. Before he or Bruce could say another word, Bette was dragging Dick away to explore another part of the manor.
"That was... surprisingly easy," Bruce said, again with poorly-restrained surprise.
Kate sighed. "Bruce, do you remember when your parents died? Who was it that most easily helped take your mind off of it?"
"Well... you and Beth."
"And when my mom and Beth died, who was that did the same for me?" Bruce gave her a gormless look. "You, you big doof. Adults are... how do I put this? Adults can't really relate to a kid going through such grief. Adults are better equipped to handle it and either don't know, or don't remember, what it's like for a kid to go through that. Let Bette open him up a little, then you can swoop in and be his dad, okay?"
"Right. Okay. You're surprisingly knowledgeable about kids, Kate."
"Well, I am the most well-adjusted of our family, Bruce. Now, where's the booze?" Looking back, that smile Bruce displayed in response to her own was the first time Kate had seen him genuinely do so since returning from his pilgrimage. The rest of the few times he did came later, when he was with his sons.
Later that night, Kate offered to take Bette home so Kathy could stay longer. Both Kathy and Bruce saw through her offer as a cover for her inability to stay at such functions for long, before feeling the need to leave, get wasted, and find a cute girl to sleep with. Even so, they had no reason to stop her, so Bruce sent Alfred to retrieve Bette and Dick. Alfred probably knew the massive Wayne Manor better than any living person, as he miraculously found the two within a few minutes.
"Come on, Bette, it's way past your bedtime," Kate mocked with a grin.
"Ka~ate!" the younger Kane whined. "Not in front of Dick!"
"Oh, it's Dick now, is it?"
"Yeah, that's what his friends call him," Bette replied, sticking her tongue out at the redhead.
"Can I call you 'Dick' as well, Richard?" Kate asked.
"Y-Yeah. Sure."
Kate beamed. "Okay then." She leaned in and pulled him in for an embrace. "Welcome to the family, Dick."
The inspiration for this story (and its name) was a scene from Issue #33 of 52, where Dick gives Kate a batarang for Christmas. It was specifically the Graphic Audio adaptation of the Greg Cox novelisation, which had Kate specifically not point out that she's Jewish, so as not to spoil the mood. It led to the idea of Dick revealing that he already knows she's Jewish, and it was supposed to be a short story, but that rarely ever works out for me.
I spent way longer than I probably should have, researching the Hanukkah dates for 2006 when the issue released (Fri 15 Dec - Sat 23 Dec), matching it up to the date the issue released (20th December) and the day of the week the scene in question takes place (Day 5; Friday). Was this information necessary? Nope.