Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story. I only own my OCs.
Damian had always viewed his blood as superior to his older "adopted" siblings. It was probably why he fought so much with Drake. The boy was nineteen, nine years his senior, and head of the Titans, but that hadn't stopped him from taking what was truly his. In Damian's eyes, while he didn't particularly care for Grayson or Todd, Dick and Jason were not threats to him. Dick had left Gotham and gone to Bludhaven. Now, twenty five, Dick was a cop and a vigilante. Grayson had taken up the mantle of Nightwing, becoming his own hero clad in black and blue, long gone the fish scale shorts of yester years. Dick was his own hero now, and he doubted the man would come after the cowl in the future, leaving his view of Dick to be that of a respected colleague rather than competition. The same held true for Jason. He had long ago abandoned the Dark Knight's way of fighting crime, settling for a much darker and more violent way of solving conflict, and having grown up in the League of Shadows, Damian could see the benefits to this approach, although his father was slowly converting him to follow his path. Regardless, Red Hood was highly unlikely to claim the title of Batman. The twenty two year old had too much pride for that.
Of course, there were also the Batwomen to worry about. Normally, Damian would not concede a woman was his superior, but he was well aware it would not be Ra's son, but his mother who would in all likelihood inherit the position of head of the League of Shadows if Ra's ever gave it up. Still, Barbara was happy taking time off from being Batgirl for a while, so Cassandra had filled in before taking on her own name of Black Bat. The girl had moved to Hong Kong after finishing high school somewhat late at age nineteen due to her inability to read for so long, so as far as Damian was concerned she was out of sight out of mind. Barbara took back the title of Batgirl for a while until Stephanie came around, having been Robin for a brief period. Stephanie held the title for a while until the nineteen year old went to college. Now, Barbara was holding it once more, but Damian could tell Barbara would never want the cowl to be her whole life. She was thirty one now, and he was sure she was hoping to settle down with Grayson, who was still so torn between her and Starfire. Idiot, not that Damian cared. He just always preferred Barbara. Then there was Helena, she had come into his father's life before he had, although only by a few months. Helena was the daughter of a common thief, Catwoman, and with the death of her mother she had come to live with her father, as a rather sarcastic and rebellious sixteen year old. The girl lacked no discipline, and tended to lose her temper. Helena was strong though, but she was not built to be a leader, so it was probably good she worked with Barbara, along with Black Canary.
Drake had been the first real test to his legacy and inheritance, but he quickly stripped the older boy of the title of Robin. Tim was far too involved with the Titans now anyway. He had found his destiny with them, and Damian felt assured. Even the young boy across the hall from his room didn't frighten him. Bruce took Thomas in as his own, but Damian figured out the truth quickly despite all the lies the family told. The blonde headed twelve-year-old was not his father's son. He was the Joker's son, and after much pestering, he had gotten the truth from Babs. Thomas was found in an alley way, a baby left for dead in a dumpster, and Diana took him in. When she and Bruce married, Thomas was made part of the family as if they were his biological parents, so the boy would never learn of his dark origins.
No, his only real threat was now standing at his door. He looked up from To Kill a Mockingbird that he had been reading in the alcove of his room to see the small girl standing at his door. She stood before him in her purple pajamas. Her long black hair fell to her mid-back, and her blue baby blanket was clutched tight in her hands. Her baby blue eyes were watery as if she had been crying. He felt sure from the sniffles she had been. She shifted from foot to foot. He felt sure her bare feet were cold on the hard wood floor. Beside her was the small Siamese kitten she had found by the dumpster at Gotham Academy and snuck home in her backpack. The small cat took a liking to him right away. He hated that cat. He had found it sleeping on his school uniform many a time…or far worse in the hood of his costume. He groaned, "What do you want twerp?"
Damian normally wouldn't feel such regret, but he couldn't help but feel bad as she started crying harder. He didn't understand it, but he was now on his knees at eye level with his rival, the one legitimate heir to all the Wayne fortune, "What is wrong? Tell me. Father will be rather displeased if he comes home and finds you upset whilst in my care."
"Mommy and Daddy said they would be here to tuck me in, and they weren't. They haven't the past four nights in a row, and they haven't had dinner with us the past three nights. Even Jacob at school whose Daddy has the bad temper tucks him in. Why are they always gone?" Damian bit his lip as his half-sister continued to cry before she switched to sign language, having lost a lot of her hearing at age three, 'I had a bad dream Dami. What if they don't come home? Maybe they won't come home on purpose.'
Damian barely heard her whisper that she was sure they didn't love her anymore. It broke his heart to hear her say that. He sighed, taking his book with him, "I have to get this read for school. Tell you what. I'll finish reading with you, and I'll tuck you in. Father and Diana will be back in the morning, and you will have nothing to worry about. They are just busy, but you aren't forgotten. Don't be stupid, twerp."
Damian looked at the book, considering getting something else, "You okay with To Kill a Mockingbird."
"Daddy read it to me before. I like it," he gave the six year old an incredulous look. Although, he wasn't surprised since she was blessed by Athena, not that she needed it being the child of Batman and Wonder Woman. Still, he eyed her skeptically, until she spoke from the book, "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mocking bird."
Damian shook his head, tossing the young girl over his shoulder as he carried her to bed. He sighed as the six-year-old, finally seemed to be dozing off to the last pages of the book. Damian felt something around his ankles and cursed, "Damn cat."
He noted the smile on his sister's face, and he found himself wondering. When did she become his baby sister and not his half-sister? When did he become so happy to see her happy? When did he finally find family outside his father that he cared for? When did he stop caring about the legacy and his inheritance? Damian held such power. He could convince the girl to do whatever he asked. If he told her he wanted the inheritance, she would give it to him, but he didn't ask. In the League, he had been taught to show no mercy to those in the way of your goal. His grandfather and mother would have told him to kill the bastard child sleeping below him, but he could never harm her. She was no longer competition. She was his baby sister. He couldn't help but wonder, when she became his mockingbird.
Author's Note: Please review if you like it. I know I haven't posted a story in a long time, but that is because of the new universe and character set I have been creating. I hope to write more on Thomas soon. As for Bruce and Diana's daughter, I have not given her a name yet. I have heard so many of the same name over and over again such as Alex, Sarah, Athena, etc. I considered Elena because it means light, but it sounds too much like Helena. So I am still working on the name. Any suggestions are welcomed.