Amika Dietrich was nervous, starting her first day at Gotham Academy. She was excited, too, of course, but her family had only just come to Gotham and there was so much she'd had shoved on her by her neighbour, Kayla Grissom. Like the fact that the younger generation of the Batclan's civilian identities attended either Gotham Academy or the attached university, the prestigious Alfred Pennyworth Institute.
So, as she milled around the green with Kayla, she was flabbergasted to see six- she counted 'em, six!- motorcycles whip into the lot, followed by a hulking luxury SUV. The riders dismounted from their bikes at the same time, releasing their hair, while the handsomest man she'd ever seen got out of the SUV. Four kids piled out, fashionable bags slung over shoulders as they chatted. The man who'd driven the SUV wore aviators over his eyes, while the similarly bulky lead rider had stretched out before they hurried the younger ones out of the area, into the school zone.
"They're the latest generation of Waynes." Someone said in her ear as she watched another woman hop out of the SUV to rearrange the back storage area. Amika turned to see Kayla, ready to demand an explanation, but she spoke anyway.
"The oldest one is Damian Wayne- he's the youngest of Bruce Wayne's boys, but the woman who's rearranging the car is his younger sister Andromeda. The oldest of Bruce Wayne's grandchildren is Euripides Todd, then there's Elizabeth Grayson, Thomas and Terrence Cain-Drake- they're identical twin boys- Victoria Grayson, Aristotle Todd, Cassidy Cain-Drake, James Grayson and Sophocles Todd."
The bell rang then, and Amika had to head to class. Where, wonder of wonders, she was with Elizabeth and Euripides Wayne. Or was that Grayson and Todd?
When he introduced himself to her, she blurted out
"What's with that name?" Before cringing. He shrugged, an effortless, almost feline movement, before replying
"Mama and Dad were named for a princess and a hero. So they named me and my brothers after philosophers of the same nationality." Seeing her blank look, he huffed and added
"My parents are Helena Wayne and Jason Todd." With a nod, she moved through the rest of the day like a zombie. Because obviously, being born into old money came with ridiculous names.
PERSPECTUS
Diana of Themyscira had returned to the post of Wonder Woman not long after Cassie Sandsmark retired. And she was… glad, that she had not entered into a romantic entanglement with Bruce. It already hurt her heart to sit across the table from his successor- third successor- how much more would it have hurt to sit across from that successor if she'd been in a relationship with the original?
Unlike his father, Damian Wayne preferred his patrol partner, the current Robin, to be in the Watchtower when he sat at the roundtable, and for at least one of his seconds to be stationed on the wall behind him. Tonight, it was Flamebird. Last time it had been the Hunter. Thankfully, Damian's sister Andromeda, alias Catskill, almost never attended these meetings, as the highest ranked of the Gotham vigilantes under the current Batman.
Batman was watching the meeting proceed with blank disinterest. Flamebird had come forward to poke his ribs when he wasn't paying attention. If you looked, Diana mused, you could see from who each Gotham vigilante sprang. Flamebird, to those who knew the legend, was a deliberate play on Nightwing, and Elizabeth Mary Grayson- named for a queen as her father was for a king- also had the same black-cowled fall of red hair the first Batgirl had worn for years.
Gunslinger, or Orion the Hunter, was obviously the son of the Red Hawk and the Huntress, his red domino mask and rifle as obvious as the crossbow he carried on his back. Euripides Alfred Todd was everything his parents were- calm, instinctive, and yet he was volatile when enraged. His younger brother, Aristotle Bruce and Sophocles Richard were much like him, and wore their father's former titles as Red Hawk and Robin with pride.
Those were the ones she had the most intel on, but she was aware the other children had been named similarly. The Todds had named their sons for philosophers and family members, the Graysons after royals and family members, the Cain-Drakes sort of after themselves, And Bruce and Selina had named their younger daughter in the same vein as the elder.
PERSPECTUS
Percival Freightag had only become Headmaster of Gotham Academy recently. Although he had met the elder Wayne children, he more clearly remembered meeting the younger ones. Twins Thomas and Terrence Cain-Drake, who kept together, whispering until someone who wasn't family tried to intrude. Then out came the glares. Victoria Grayson and Aristotle Todd were their cousins and yearmates, always welcomed with smiles and small waves. But the four of them were insanely protective of the three youngest Wayne cousins. Yearmates Cassidy Cain-Drake and James Grayson, who were also protective of the very youngest Wayne, Sophocles Todd.
Although they were close, the counsellors had told him they were just hyper-conscious of the worst that could happen and preferred to look out for each other rather than be stupid about their family's security.
Percival approved of that. He had lost his own brother as a child, and had blamed his own negligence for it. Bruce, the patriarch and doting grandfather, had sympathized with him about his desire to implement self defense classes for the students, only for most of the parents to dismiss it in favour of bodyguards.
The Wayne, as Bruce was often referred to as, had been vocal about the children needing to be able to protect themselves in a town like Gotham. His children had taken up a collection within the family to start a self defense clinic, aptly named the 'Bat-school' because they'd somehow gotten the older vigilantes to teach there while the younger ones did the more brutal streetwork.
And, well, after the Gotham Scandal all those years ago where the Family's identities had been compromised, the entirety of Gotham had banded together to prevent the names from getting out, even to the rehabilitated criminals.
Like any other city, Gotham wasn't perfect. But with such jewels in their crown as the Catskill, Flamebird and Batgirl, and the strong men that were Gunslinger, Black Bat and Red Robin, and, of course, Batman, they were growing, stronger and purer every day.
PERSPECTUS
Damian Wayne was crouched on what had become the Bat-outlook in Town Square years ago. Robin was at his side. His seconds were coming in from all quarters of the city, trying to beat the dawn. Catskill, Flamebird and Gunslinger, their team members in their wakes, hurried toward him even as Silas Brown, the current Spoiler, dropped onto his other side.
Capes and cloaks were flaring as they dropped in, obeying the raised fist that told them to leave the area. He was headed home to the Manor, finally, and that was all that really mattered.
PERSPECTUS
James Gordon, former police commissioner of Gotham, and current resident of Wayne Manor, was awake and eating breakfast at the table when the grandchildren trooped in. His grandson and youngest grandchild groaned as he slumped down next to him
"Gramps, do I gotta go to school?" Jamie's mother Barbara and Grandma Selina shot him identical looks of reproach even as Uncle Damian said tersely
"If I had to, so do you."
Chuckling, James mused about how nice it was to live with the grandchildren and watch them grow up. Elizabeth and Victoria were so confident but warm and loving, and Jamie's arrogance had been tempered by the fact that his elder cousins didn't mind rough housing or really sparring with him, and Uncle Jason never passed up an opportunity to outshoot him on the range.
Maybe he didn't agree, even now, with their evening activities, but they were doing it because they loved this town as much as their parents did. Because they believed a fully peaceful Gotham was possible.
He might be old, but he'd never been prouder.
Damian Thomas Wayne- current Batman as of Perspectus, 29
Andromeda Kyle Wayne- current Catwoman as of Perspectus, is 19, ten years younger than Damian
Euripides Alfred Todd- Orion the Hunter/Gunslinger, 18.
Elizabeth Mary Grayson- Flamebird, 18
Thomas Alfred and Terrence Bruce Cain Drake- Black Bat and Red Robin, 17
Victoria Barbara Grayson- Batgirl, 17
Aristotle Bruce Todd- Red Hawk, 16
Cassidy Martha Cain-Drake- Shadowfax, 16
James Gordon Grayson- Nightwing, 16
Sophocles Richard Todd- Robin, 15