Alfred hummed to himself as he set the present outside in the garden. It didn't really fit in with the manor's décor, but he wasn't about to object to something Dr. Leslie Tompkins had given him, especially since he was just telling her the other day about how his mother had once had a very similar item in her garden when he was a child. He set the little garden gnome into the ground to keep Titus from easily knocking it over when he was running around, and then made sure that the lawn ornament was secure before heading back inside. It was a lovely gesture, and Alfred appreciated the thought.
XYZXYZ
Damian stood in the doorway watching Alfred's activities, trying not to let the distaste show on his face. He didn't understand the point in the small statue with the odd pointy hat, but its beady little eyes offended him. He turned quickly, walking back into the manor before Alfred could catch him scowling and scold him for it once again. Besides, he had better things to do with his time than worry about the oddities of such simple minded people.
XYZXYZ
Tim had seen Damian's reaction to the banal lawn decoration while finishing his morning run around the grounds, and he couldn't quite figure out why Damian had such an adverse reaction to the thing. It was just a harmless little gnome, and Damian had sneered at it much the same way that he would at Tim. Tim tried to ignore the obvious revulsion Damian felt for the tiny garden decoration; however, he couldn't help but think it might be fun to mess with the kid.
XYZXYZ
When Damian let Titus out a few hours later, the gnome was no longer where Alfred had placed it, and Damian was relieved to see that the abomination was nowhere in sight. He didn't know what had happened to the eerie object, but he was beyond pleased that he no longer had to look at the disturbing figurine. Damian walked around the garden while Titus ran around, completely content with how his day was turning out-that was, until Titus found the stupid gnome for him in the bushes on the other side of the lawn. Damian glared down at his dog as he pushed the creepy little ornament further into the bushes with a flick of his foot. He then walked away, hoping that would be the last time that he'd ever need to see the evil thing.
XYZXYZ
Tim watched from a tree as Damian meandered around the grounds, silently smirking to himself. Maybe it was a little mean to place dog treats near the gnome's new place in the bushes, but he had to make sure that Titus found it while Damian wasn't paying attention. The look on the kid's face when Titus nosed at the little statue was completely worth the hour-long wait sitting on an uncomfortable branch. Tim waited for a few moments after Damian went inside, and then made his next move.
XYZXYZ
Pennyworth was out in the garden pruning the roses and Damian, unfortunately, needed to speak with the butler. He needed to know what the man had done with the things he had left out and wanted to work on in his room, which was the only reason he entered the area so soon after letting Titus out. Damian stormed into the garden, ready to demand Pennyworth tell him where his belongings were, when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glance of an object that made him want to smash something. "I'm not surprised that you found it."
Alfred paused momentarily in his work. "Pardon me, Master Damian, but found what?"
Damian rolled his eyes as he pointed at the gnome. "That."
Alfred stared at him impassively for a moment. "I would certainly hope so. Dr. Thompkins did deliver the package directly into my very hands, young sir."
Damian snarled at that. "No, I mean, it was in the bushes."
Alfred looked mildly concerned at that. "I assure you, Master Damian, that particular lawn ornament hasn't moved from where I placed it earlier."
Damian glared at the older man, but didn't say anything before turning on his heel and heading back inside.
XYZXYZ
The next day Tim was in his room, running figures for Wayne Enterprises when he suddenly heard what sounded like a strange combination of a scream and a growl from outside. He kept his grin internal upon seeing Damian staring straight at the gnome Tim had placed in the tree earlier in the day before coming inside. Minutes later, Tim went outside onto the balcony to retrieve the gnome before Alfred came out to tend to the lilacs. He had to lean out, and practically climb into the tree, but it was worth it. He quickly and quietly made his way down to the garden to replace the gnome where Alfred had deemed its home.
XYZXYZ
Damian couldn't take anymore of this. He was going to put an end to it once and for all. The damn bringer of destruction would finally meet its end at Damian's own hand. "Young sir!" Damian could tell that Pennyworth was trying his best not to sound angry with him. After all, the man probably knew that it wouldn't do any good. "What do you think you're doing?"
Damian glared up at Pennyworth for interrupting. The gnome was mere yards away, and he had a batarang in hand. He glanced at Pennyworth and then back to the gnome before he tutted and sauntered away. After all, Pennyworth had to sleep sometime. He would get his revenge, and then those beady little eyes would stop following him all around the grounds.
XYZXYZ
Alfred had noticed Damian's behavior becoming increasingly more peculiar, especially around a certain garden decoration, but he was shocked to see him standing over the lawn embellishment with a batarang. He wasn't exactly sure what the young master's particular aversion to the little gnome was, but he figured that the boy would eventually deal with it. After all, it was just a simple garden gnome. It certainly couldn't harm him. Alfred considered having a talk with Master Bruce later, not that he was sure how productive it would be. Still, it never hurt to try.
XYZXYZ
Damian was becoming more and more agitated as the week wore on. Every time he entered the garden, he found that ridiculous gnome in a different place. He had even returned home from a late patrol to find the thing in the tree outside of his window, just staring at him. He had half a mind to just smash the thing and have it be over with, but Pennyworth seemed to be keeping an eye on him ever since the batarang incident.
He wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but Damian was becoming downright desperate. He had even considered enlisting Drake's help, which was utterly ridiculous. In addition to being completely useless, Drake hadn't even been around lately. At least, not since the gnome incident had started. It didn't matter, though, because Damian had to figure out something before he lost his mind. He was sure the malevolent statue was trying to find any weaknesses within the manor's defenses, but Damian felt confident that it wouldn't find its way inside. Not when he was constantly watching for it.
XYZXYZ
Tim tried not to laugh every time he saw Damian storming in after taking Titus out. He figured that he should probably stop soon, before Alfred figured out what was going on-because there was no punishment worse than an Alfred punishment-but it was just too enjoyable. He had finally found a way to get back at Damian, and it was, surprisingly, so very simple that it made Tim downright giddy. He planned out just a few more places to move the gnome, and then he would be done with this little prank, and the family go could back to their 'regularly' scheduled lives.
XYZXYZ
Jason found it odd that there was a lawn gnome in the showers when he came to the cave, but he figured that whatever made Dickie-bird feel like this was still the circus was usually just ignored by everyone else. It wasn't as though the bat family wasn't its own very special kind of circus anyway. The Replacement was sitting at the computer, typing away, as always, researching and synthesizing…who knew what. The two of them had come to an unspoken agreement of 'ignorance', and so Jason went on with his business while Tim went on with his. That was until Jason caught the smirk on Tim's face when Damian came back and squawked at finding the gnome inside the shower.
Jason stood by silently as Damian stomped out of the shower, grumbling to himself about evil lawn ornaments and how they all deserved to die in a fire. It only took one glance at Tim to know that this certainly had not been the first time that he had done this, and Jason couldn't help but think of the possibilities. This was going to be amazing, and the best part was no one could even blame him when this went south, because all evidence would be pointing at the Replacement.
Jason sauntered into the cave two days later, looking around casually to see if anyone was around. He knew that they wouldn't be...or at least shouldn't be, given it was mid afternoon, but he also knew better than to expect everything to go as planned. After one final scan of the surrounding area, Jason went over to the computers and carefully placed his 'gift' behind the monitors. He made sure that only its eyes and pointy hat showed, and then backed away from it to check the placement one last time. He was a little sad that there was no guarantee that he'd be here for the fall out, but the cumulative effect would be worth it, and he could always check the feed later.
The End