Author's Note: This is probably the last Wayne Brothers fic for a while anyway. I'm going to be working on an AU which starts of at the beginning of "Red Hood: The Lost Days" and quickly spins into its own direction. Still plotting that one. I used pretty much all the characters I could on this one, but it turned out somewhat surprisingly Dick and Jason centric. I've been a long time Dick/Babs fan, but this one also has quite a bit of Jason/Donna who I fell in love with since the Countdown series and found totally adorable reading the old Teen Titans issues that Jason makes an appearance in. I realize it's not everyone's pairing, but I like it, so don't hate, m'kay? Just enjoy and please review!
Old Friends, New Beginnings
By: Silver Spider
Despite all the clashes he'd had with Bruce over the years, the only thing Dick ever truly hated were formal occasions. Even as a boy he'd fairly quickly come to the conclusion that everything about high society was fake, but there were two kinds of fake: there was the superficial plastic kind, when people smiled politely and donated a lot of money more in competition with each other than to see who could spend more. And then there was the Bruce kind – that was a whole different level of fake – who were genuinely good people and did care about the causes at the charity functions but also knew that they had to play the game of their peers.
Dick was not good at fake. He tried and apparently passed enough to constantly be dragged here, but he was not good at it. Of all of them Tim probably knew how to work the crowd best. Damian did alright, but a ten-year-old going on forty was usually dismissed as cute but never taken seriously. He would have been more than happy to let Bruce and Tim handle every event, but he was the eldest. Such things were expected of him, so he went.
Getting ready was another matter entirely. Dick stood in front of the full length mirror and cursed. He couldn't believe he still didn't know how to tie a bow tie.
"Oh, man." Came the voice from the doorway and he turned to see Jason leaning on the frame. "It hurts just to look at you."
"I'm sure," Dick replied dryly.
"You'd fit right in at the Iceburg Lounge, maybe even fill in for the Penguin."
"At least there's a chance for some action there. This is just a Wayne Foundation charity event. Not that I mind a good cause, but I wouldn't even touch the kind of action some of the girls there are offering."
"That's saying something coming from you. The word is you spent the last few years doing your best to live up to the rich playboy stereotype." Dick gave him a dirty look, and Jason raised his hands. "Hey, I said 'stereotype'. Are you at least bringing Babs along? You know, to save what's left of your sanity and step in before you say something stupid."
He ignored his brother's last comment. Jason often said things just to get under people's skins, but Dick was good at weeding those out. He'd had plenty of practice. Dick knew that, like Damian, Jason didn't mean half the obnoxious things that came out of his mouth, but he said them anyway out of habit and just to see if he could get a rise out of people.
"No, this one's stag. I've learned to keep my mouth shut and smile a lot. And what's your excuse, exactly? If you feel so sorry for me, why don't you offer to go instead? Technically speaking you are the oldest with the last name Wayne now. For that matter, I'm the only one without it. Doesn't that automatically exclude me?"
"You wish! You're still the heir apparent, Dickie boy."
"Ah, I'm pretty sure that would be Tim."
"Okay, I'm good with that," Jason shrugged. "He can run the company better than most people, so he's welcome to it. I'm sure I can get at least one of the Batmobiles out of him. Timmy likes me, right?"
Dick laughed, shaking his head, and went back to struggling with the bow tie. Jason was, as always, putting on a brave face. Not that he wasn't. His brother was one of the bravest people Dick knew, but despite recent improvements, he still had a lot of insecurities. One of those, apparently, was being Bruce Wayne's son in the public eye. When the story that the long-lost Wayne brother returned after years of globetrotting had hit, the media went a little crazy. Jason, who'd faced super-powerd villains, aliens, and crossed universes, literally hid. He hadn't left the house without a domino mask – field name was still an in-progress thing – and Bruce didn't seem inclined to push the matter yet.
"You're going to have to get out there sooner or later," Dick told him reasonably.
"Maybe." The younger man agreed. "But there's nothing short of your wedding that'll get me into one of those."
The car was already waiting for him when Dick jogged down the stairs, still fumbling with the tie which Alfred dutifully helped him with before he got in the back seat.
"I hate this stuff," he grumbled.
"Yes, sir." If it was anyone else, Dick would have sworn he heard a smirk.
"I'd rather be fighting the Scarecrow or Croc or Two-Face..."
"Yes, sir."
"...or the Joker... Okay, maybe not the Joker."
He was through most of their villains and was about to start on those shared with the Justice League by the time they arrived. The party was the same as always, save for a different banner indicating which charity the benefit was for. He talked to investors, carefully diverting all questions to Bruce or Lucius Fox, and a few people he actually knew and liked. Not ever being one to drink much, Dick nonetheless took a glass of champagne as he made his rounds, partially for the look and partially because some alcohol in this case might not be totally bad.
"Dick?" came a woman's voice behind him.
He turned and the widest grin spread over his face. "Donna!"
He couldn't have been happier to see her if they were out on the battle field and she'd just saved him from impending disaster. It wasn't too far off anyway. The woman returned the smile and gave him a friendly hug.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling back and guiding her to one of the empty balconies where they could talk in more privacy.
"Oh, you know," she tucked a strand of midnight black hair behind one ear. "Needed to get out. I feel like the last time I made use of a civilian identity was a few lifetimes ago."
"Ha!" Dick couldn't help but laugh. "Another one."
Donna cocked her head to the side slightly and raised a brow. "Another one?"
"Oh, right!" He all but hit his forehead with the heel of his palm. "You haven't heard, have you? Jason's back home."
The look on the amazon's face shifted from confusion to surprise to clear excitement in the span of a heartbeat. The grin on her face was even wider than when they realized there was going to be another sane person at this party.
"As in my Jason?"
"Your Jason?" Dick laughed. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be very interested to hear that!"
"Stop!" His friend swatted at his arm playfully, but Dick could have sworn she was blushing. "You know what I meant. How is he? Where is he?"
"He's... better," Dick chose his words carefully. 'Fine' was the wrong word to describe his brother's state, and he wondered if it ever would be. "He's home at the manor. In hiding."
The space between Donna's brows formed a small crease. "I've never known him to hide from anything. He's no coward."
"To be fair it's the media he's hiding from."
This brought on another giggle. "Well, tell him I said 'hi'. And if he does decide to get out of that cave – don't tell me he's not in the cave – I'd love to see him."
They continued talking for the rest of the evening, and by the time he headed home, Dick was armed with a sure fire plan to get his brother out of the damn house. Or as Donna correctly guessed, the cave. There was just one other person he needed to make it all happen.
Bruce was less than keen on the idea. He found his mentor down in the cave in question working digitally. After an abbreviated report of the evening's events limited to his talks with investors and Donna, he relayed his and his friend's desire to get Jason out of the house.
Having known the man for most of his life, Dick knew that if he had a chance in hell of getting anything out of Bruce he had to be very calm, very patient, and very logical. Especially when it came to Jason who the original Batman was understandably a little overprotective over. He took a deep breath and held up his hands.
"Look," he tried again. "He's gotta get out there, before he all but gives up on having a civilian identity. Remember those? They're good for us. Help keep us sane." Bruce gave him a look. "Okay, that was low, but seriously, I'm ready to play the 'big brother' card on this one."
"And what, exactly, does the 'big brother' card entail?" Was that amusement he saw in the older man's eyes even as he crossed his arms and assumed a more menacing pose.
"It means I know better than you." Oh, God, he really had a death wish tonight? "In this case. I know better than you in this case. Okay, look, how about a compromise? Throw a party in the manor. We're overdue one of those, right?"
"He'll just claim to need to go on patrol." But he could tell Bruce was considering this.
"He won't go without one of us, preferably Tim. You can say it's a mandatory family event."
Bruce snorted, shaking his head. "I don't know if this is a good idea, Dick. He's going to fight you tooth an nail on this one, and I'm sorry, I'm not taking sides."
Victory!
"Don't worry, Mama Bats. Luckily, thanks to you, I got a whole team of birds to back me up!"
The next day said team was deployed around mid-day. Tim came by Jason's room to talk to him about some mission-related things. This was followed by Damian's arrival a few minutes later with the claim of boredom. By the time Dick himself came in and closed the door, the look on his brother's face told him very clearly that Jason knew something was up. He cleared his throat.
"So Bruce is throwing this party..."
"Oh, is it that time again to show his face to the world?" Jason wondered.
"Actually, he... we," Dick amended, not wanting to draw all the fire on Bruce, "think it's time we all showed ourselves to the world and got out a little."
His brother sent him a menacing glare that he might not have been prepared for had he not interacted with Damian on a daily basis.
"No way! No way in fucking hell am I putting up with this shit!"
The string of curses was a better reaction than Dick had expected, but still he mocked shock.
"Such language around children."
From the other side of the room, Tim and Damian exchanged a slightly confused look. Dick rolled his eyes. They were supposed to back him up. Instead, Jason smirked triumphantly and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Which one would that be, Grayson? The seventeen-going-on-thirty-year-old or the little assassin kid?"
"This little assassin kid isn't the one scared to face the Gotham media," Damian shot back.
Dick intervened before Jason could explode at the boy. When he'd asked for his youngest brothers' help, he should have pointed out to tread carefully. He knew he didn't have to tell Tim, but Damian was another matter. He couldn't think of two people that were more temperamental.
"Hey, they scare me sometimes," Tim volunteered quickly, diffusing the situation. He turned to Jason. "These parties seriously suck. If I could avoid them I would, too."
"Great!" Jason jumped on it. "So come patrol with me instead. Dicky boy can handle things."
Dick wondered where Tim was going with this but said nothing. His little brother always had a plan, and by this point he probably had a better insight into Jason's head than he or Damian. The teen seemed to think about that for a minute, then shook his head.
"Babs already asked the birds to cover for us today, and Bruce really wants all of us for this one. I guess you could just stay upstairs... but... if you came, I'd have the excuse to hang out with you instead of talking to all the business people."
Jason's face fell. "Don't..."
"Well..." It took all of Dick's acting abilities not to laugh at the expression that was short of a pout on Tim's face.
"Timmy!"
"It would make it a lot more... tolerable for me."
Well, that's that. Dick thought cheerfully. Jason would fight with him – even Damian – till he was blue in the face, but he let Tim get away with the kinds of things no one save maybe Bruce ever dreamed off. That wasn't to say he was happy about it.
"You," the young man said darkly glaring daggers at Tim who still looked perfectly innocent, "are a manipulative little prick."
"Yeah, but I'm your brother and you love me." The teen grinned. "And to show you just how much I appreciate it, I'll even go to the tux fitting with you."
"Pfft," Jason made a face, but he knew he was defeated. "You just wanna watch me suffer."
"No," Damian chimed in. "That's not why he's going; it's why I'm going."
The first thing he was going to do, Jason decided as he stood on a platform in front of the multi-angled full length mirror in some ridiculously expensive tuxedo store, was murder Dick. Then he was going to find himself a Lazarus pit, being him back to life, and murder him again. Maybe by the third go-round he might be satisfied enough to let his brother remain in the world of the living... for a time anyway.
"Do you also maybe want to measure me for my coffin?" he snapped at the tailor. Tim, who was sitting on the bench to the side with Damian, looked up with raised brows. The man took a few more measurements off the suit and made a hasty retreat. Jason turned on his brothers. "I think we might still have that info on file down in the cave. No need to torture me."
"Tt," Damian rolled his eyes. "Stop whining. I'm ten and I don't complain nearly as much."
Again, Tim came to the rescue.
"You do realize he's going to kill you, right?" he told the boy.
Damian just scowled. "What happened to 'I'm your brother and you love me'?"
"Limited to Tim," Jason retorted. "Since he's the only one here to have the good grace to at least pretend to feel sorry for me."
Said brother laughed and gave Damian a gentle push off the bench. "Ties. Go."
"Red ones," Jason added helpfully.
Damian glared but made a hasty retreat out of the fitting room, leaving him alone with Tim. His annoyance ebbed a little, which was funny considering when he'd first come back, he couldn't imagine ever not wanting to strangle the teen. Then again he wasn't his brother then. He wasn't even 'Tim', just the 'Replacement'. Jason never wanted to go back to that, with Tim or any of them.
"Alright," he took a deep breath before the melancholy could take over. "What do I really need to know about this shindig?"
"Umm... smile and nod and be polite?" Tim suggested.
"Helpful," Jason said sarcastically.
"Hey, I'd say 'be yourself', but that tends to be reserved for family only."
"Because I'm a homicidal psychopath."
Tim didn't miss a beat. "So's Damian. You should see him at these things. He's sweet and charming... and I can't believe I just said that. You get the picture."
"Aha." Jason pulled at the sleeves in annoyance, then his tone got a little more serious. "Who's coming, anyway? Aside from most of Gotham's media."
"A few board members, investors, regulars that donate to the Wayne Foundation..."
"Anyone I should actually care about?" He rephrased.
"Commissioner Gordon is probably going to be there. Babs too. And I know Dick's bringing someone..." The look on his brother's face shifted suddenly, as if he'd said too much. Jason frowned, turning that over in his head.
"Wait? Dick's has a date... and it's... not Babs?"
"I didn't say it was a date," Tim amended hastily. "Just someone he knows..."
"He knows half the women in the JLA!" Jason threw his hands up. "In the biblical sense!"
"I never knew you were such a romantic," his brother teased. Jason blanched.
"I don't care. Just lookin' out for my girl. What about you, Teen Wonder? Who're you going with? Tam Fox? Zoanne from school? That new blond Bat chick? Conner? I won't judge if it's Conner, though as your brother I feel it's my job to tell you that you can do better."
For a moment Jason was thoroughly satisfied at having stunned him into silence.
"How do you know so much about my love life?" Tim demanded. "Past or fictional."
Jason shrugged and straightened the suit. "The little demon. I gave him a cookie. He spilled his guts. You still haven't answered my question."
Tim rolled his eyes but replied in a low voice. "Okay, fine. I am bringing someone. Not a date, though."
"Like Dick's 'not a date'?"
"He's not bringing a date!"
"Who's he bringing?"
Tim smirked and crossed his arms. On the teen's slight build, the pose looked almost comical.
"Nice try, Bruce."
"Okay, fine," Jason conceded. "So me and the kid are the only two going solo."
"Well, I think he tried to get Kara's attention without success."
"Kara as in... " Jason let out a laugh. "Awesome! Blackmail material!"
So the shopping experience itself wasn't so bad. But the tux, which had been hung in Jason's room, was now some kind of ominous specter every time he opened the closet door. The party had been planned for Friday which meant he had almost a week worth of anxiety built up by the time he had to put the damn thing on. He stared at it menacingly, then, having lost the battle, sighed and began to get dressed. He cursed, struggling with the tie.
"Need a hand?" He father's voice came from the doorway.
Jason hung his head in defeat. "Don't tell Dick."
"You know he doesn't know how to do them either," Bruce smiled. "I always mess up when I do my own. Have to try it at least three times before I get it right."
"Masks and capes are so much easier," Jason agreed. "Hey, why don't I..."
"Jason..."
"Okay, fine." He glanced past him out the door. "I can hear them out there. The vultures."
Bruce nodded and closed the door before walking over to him. Technically the sounds of chatter from the ballroom downstairs didn't magically go away, but Bruce's voice drowned out all of it until it was nothing more but the echo of white noise.
"You'll be fine," he assured him, and Jason lifted his chin so that Bruce could better reach the tie. "Just remember: if you feel you need to get away for a little bit, find me or your brothers or Barbara. Don't hide."
"I won't," he promised and blew at a loose strand of hair. "Alfred's been after me to cut it."
"But why ruin the 'bad boy' look?" Jason stared at him, but Bruce just chuckled and pulled the tie in place. "I've learned to pick my battles. Ready?"
"No, but when has that ever stopped me?"
If he was younger and could still get away with it, he might have held his father's hand. The childish instinct was certainly there. As it was Jason settled for walking beside Bruce as they descended the stairs and straight into the cesspool of cameras and microphones at the bottom. There were questions, naturally, but luckily they'd gone over every possible one and he had the answers memorized.
"How does it feel to be back in Gotham?"
"Like Dorthy coming back to Kansas."
"Where have you been all these years, Mr. Todd?"
"It's Wayne, actually. I was traveling. Extended study abroad."
"You spent many years in Gotham after your adoption." That was Vicki Vale. "Why are you only now using the Wayne name?"
"I don't know if how many of you know this, but I was a pretty atrocious teenager." That got a chuckle out of most reporters. Jason smiled as well before his expression grew serious. "I didn't always get along with my dad, but having seen what goes on in the world... it made me appreciate what I have. So out of love and respect for him and my brothers, I'm proud to carry the Wayne family name."
That gout a full minute worth of applause, most notably from Bruce himself.
"You," his father said in a low voice for them alone, "don't give yourself enough credit. You know you have them eating out of your hand now."
"Does that mean I can go?" Jason replied equally quietly.
"In a second," Bruce patted him on the back and raised his voice to the reporters again. "I think that's all the time we have for questions. Please, enjoy the party."
The reporters dispersed with some reluctance until the final few steps were clear. Commissioner Gordon was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, smiling. Jason noticed that the smile his father returned was genuine, so unlike the one he put on display for the media. Gordon was probably the only person both Bruce Wayne and Batman considered a friend.
"Bruce," the older man shook his hand.
"Jim. Good to see a friendly face."
"Likewise. And you must be Jason." The commissioner turned his bespectacled eyes on him. "Glad to be back home?"
"Very much, though this place is a little more crowded than I remember." He added jokingly.
"Your dad's a great man with a big heart," Gordon said pointedly. "You better appreciate it."
"I do." He looked at Bruce, who smiled.
"Good. You staying out of trouble, kid?"
The question caught Jason somewhat by surprise, but he answered quickly before he could over-analyze it. "Yes, sir."
"Glad to hear it."
"Speaking of your newly acquired brothers," Bruce interrupted and pointed across the large room at a table where the youngest was reaching for a drink the ten-year-old was definitely not supposed to be having.
"I'm on it," Jason assured them and took off, skillfully weaving his way through the crowded ballroom. He scooped up the boy who let out a yelp of protest and pried the campaign glass from his hand. "Nope, not today."
Damian pouted. "Dick would've let me."
"Ha!"
He glanced up and was met with several dozen faces. The men in the audience were chuckling and the women all but cooed as if it was the most adorable thing they'd ever seen. Jason gave them his most charming smile and set Damian back on his feet. He put a hand on his little brother's shoulder.
"Say 'hi' to the nice people, Damian." For some reason his 'hello' sounded an awful lot like 'I'm going to kill you' to Jason's ears, but the crowed was thoroughly satisfied. Before they could ambush either of them, he said, "Let's go find Dick and Tim, shall we?"
Apparently his other brothers had not yet arrived. Jason wandered around for a little bit, keeping Damian in his peripheral vision at all times. Just as Tim had predicted, the boy was completely at ease among the high society guests. If he cared about such things at all, Jason might have been a little jealous. As it was, he was perfectly content to sip the champagne in his hand and simply observe.
"I knew there was something I forgot to tell you." He looked up at the sound of Tim's voice. His brother was smiling as he walked up to him. "Not to look like you're at a funeral."
"Well, you know I am an expert at those," Jason grinned, glancing past him at the petite Asian girl who gave a small smile. "Who's your date, Timmy?"
"Not date," Tim put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is why I was in China last week. Jason, meet Cassandra Cain. Cass, this is Jason."
"Pleased to finally meet you," the girl bowed her head polity. "Bruce spoke of you often."
"Umm... hi," Jason blinked, a little startled. He knew of the girl – was she really their sister? - from what the others had told him, but he'd never actually met her. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I kind of thought you'd be a red-head."
"That's 'Cain' with a 'C' not 'Kane' with a 'K'," Tim rolled his eyes. "I didn't want to tell anyone she was coming in case she couldn't make it out of Hong Kong in time. Where's Bruce? And Damian? He's been dying to meet you," he told the girl.
"They're working the crowed," Jason waved his hang in the direction of the masses. "With various degrees of success."
"Okay," Tim nodded and pulled on Cassandra's hand. "Let's go find them."
"Alright," the girl smiled at Jason again. "It was nice to meet you. I hope we might speak again before I need to go back to China."
"Sure thing," Jason gave her a thumbs up before Tim pulled her into the crowd.
Jason wandered for a while, avoiding actually talking to most people and exchanging short, frivolous words with those he couldn't. Mostly it was about his travels abroad, and Jason was regaling them with stories of the kinds of 'adventures' a billionaire's son might be expected to have in foreign lands. He left out the parts about seven-hundred-year-old immortals, gangs, mercenaries, child slavers, and all the other interesting people he'd encountered on said trips and made sure to keep everything vague enough that no one could actually check the details if they wanted to. Finally getting somewhat of a break, he plucked an appetizer from the buffet table and chewed thoughtfully looking around.
"I'm impressed," came a woman's voice and he glanced down to see Barbara smiling at him. "You haven't tried to make a break for it yet."
"I haven't been ambushed by Vicki Vale yet," Jason grinned and bent to give her a hug. "How are you? You look gorgeous, by the way. Where the hell is Dick and why hasn't he swept you away to one of the many convenient rooms we have in this place?"
Barbara blushed in the way that only red-heads could. "He's picking up his friend."
"Uch, why do you let him get away with this shit?" Jason made a face. "Who is this person? I don't think I like her. Not one bit."
"You sure about that?" Barbara tried to hide a smile and pointed at the door.
Jason had not expected to see anything that would change his mind on the matter, but he looked anyway. What he saw was his older brother closing the door behind a woman in a stunning black dress which sparkled as if it held a map to the stars, matching the long cascades of her midnight hair. His jaw must have been hanging a little because Barbara gently tapped his chin, and he closed his mouth.
"Let's go say hi," she suggested, pulling on his arm.
The two couples met at the entrance to the ballroom. Donna was radiant, smiling widely at him, and suddenly Jason was at a loss. He didn't know if he was supposed to say something in greeting or hug her or... She took the choice out of his hands when she took a few steps forward and hugged him instead. For the first time in the evening, Jason was actually oddly grateful for the vicious amount of starch his suit must have been sprayed with.
"When Dick told me you were back, I almost didn't believe him," the woman was grinning.
"Her exact words were, 'My Jason?'" Dick offered helpfully in a higher pitch, and to Jason's amazement Donna actually blushed.
"Ignore him," she waved her hand.
Jason's face brightened a little at this. "I usually do."
"Ha ha," Dick laughed dryly. "My little brother, the comedian. Come on, funny guy. Let's go get a drinks for these lovely ladies."
Oh, he's pulling out all the Grayson charm tonight. Jason could see both of the women smile approvingly and couldn't help but roll his eyes a little. This just came far too easy for him. Dick lead him away to the table with the extra glasses and snacks.
"She wouldn't stop talking about it, you know," his brother said in a low voice. "Ever since I mentioned it, all she did was reminisce about your... travels together."
"You mean she talked about Kyle Rayner," Jason cynically corrected.
"Idiot," Dick chastised. "It was you she was talking about."
"I find that hard to believe since all I heard from her on that trip was how immature I am."
"Because you haven't changed one bit in the last year or so," his brother said sarcastically. "Listen, she's one of my oldest friends and your my brother, and not that I'm encouraging anything, but I'm tired of listening to you mope about each other."
"Look who's talking! When was the last time you really talked to Babs?" Jason accused. "Who has the ring nowaday? You or her?"
"We agreed that now is not the time... She has the Birds and Stephanie, and I have Damian."
"You also have excuses," Jason rolled his eyes again. Are they really this stupid? He didn't know about Dick, but he'd always considered Barbara one of the smartest people in the world. "And despite what you think, Damian does have a father. And Alfred. And Tim. And... oh, yeah, me! He doesn't lack for babysitters."
Dick gave him a look. "We're not talking about that right now. Donna came here pretty much exclusively to see you. So don't be an ass. Don't disappear. Go dance with her or at least talk to her or something."
"Hypocrite."
"Jerk."
"You know," they both looked up to see Barbara rolling their way, "if I were Bruce and you were my sons, I'd bash your heads together to see if it would knock some sense into you both."
Dick paled, no doubt wondering just how much of their conversation she'd heard, but apparently he had nothing to worry about because she turned her attention to Jason. "It's not like you don't know her. Why are you so nervous all of a sudden? Where's the trademark Jason wit?"
"You mean wise-ass snark." He threw up one free hand. "Face it: no matter how many suits you put me in, I'm still a kid from the streets of Gotham, and she's an amazon princess. There's a freakin' Disney movie in there somewhere."
"Tt," Damian, somehow having escaped the crowds, planted himself in front of Jason and crossed his arms. "You're Bruce Wayne's son. Have a little more pride than that!"
Dick laughed. "Come on, Jay, he's got a point."
"I'll even prove it to you," the boy asserted and, with all the aristocratic attitude he could muster, turned on his heel and walked back into the crowd.
Jason watched with a mixture of amazement and mild horror as the boy boldly walked up to Donna who had been talking to a few of the locals. He couldn't hear what Damian had said, but whatever it was it made the others disperse and gave him Donna's undivided attention. Like most amazons, she was tall and had to bend quite a bit to talk to him. Damian was the picture of charm and innocence, hands clasped behind his back and rocking a little on his toes. Whatever he was talking about was making Donna smile.
Next to Jason, Dick coughed pointedly .
"Someone," his brother said, "should really inform her that little birds tend to have a thing for older women."
Jason shot him an annoyed glare. "Was that a shot at me?"
"That was a shot at all of us," Dick laughed, winking at Barbara before handing her the other champagne glass in his hand. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
Her back was turned to him as he approached, but when Jason tapped her bare shoulder, Donna turned her attention from the youngest Wayne. Her face practically beamed when she saw that it was him.
"Your little brother's been keeping me company," she smiled warmly. "He's adorable."
Damian's face fell, and Jason could see that he was about to launch into a self-defensive speech about how he wasn't 'cute' or 'adorable' or any of the adjectives that might be perfectly appropriate for any other child. He put a hand on Damian's shoulder and squeezed slightly which was a silent indicator for him to be quiet. Then he turned a smiling face to Donna.
"He is, isn't he? Hey, Damian, guess who Tim brought with him? Cassandra. Why don't you go say 'hi' to our sister. I know you've been dying to meet her."
That seemed to cheer the boy up. He waved good-bye to Donna and ran off to find their other siblings. The amazon laughed a little. Jason cleared his throat.
"In my typical carelessness, I forgot your drink," he apologized. "Maybe I can make it up to you with a dance?"
She raised one elegant brow, then tilted her head graciously and took his offered arm. "Manners as well. Who, may I ask, does the multi-verse have to thank for this?"
"My dad," Jason indicated where Bruce was standing in the middle of a small crowd.
Donna smiled approvingly and allowed him to lead her away to the dance floor. There weren't many other couples there, but enough so that Jason didn't feel like he was the center of attention. His dancing skills were a little rusty, but he remembered enough that when she placed her left on his shoulder, he rested his on the small of her back and took her right with his.
"Manners are one thing, but don't expect any miraculous dancing skills," he warned her.
"It's okay," the woman smiled. "I'm just glad to see you."
"Really?" He couldn't help but let a little cynicism creep into his voice.
"Really." She lowered hers so that only he could hear. "I always hoped that somewhere under that tough obnoxious exterior was that boy who was so excited about going on a... trip with the... older kids."
"And such a trip it was," Jason grinned. "As I recall, you offered to spank me at the end."
"You were a very assertive, what, twelve?"
"Fourteen. And I hate to be the first to tell you, but that sounds way too appealing to a kid that age. Hell, coming from you, I bet it sounds appealing at that age." He nodded his head in the direction where Damian was talking to Tim and Cassandra. Donna gave him a look.
"Jason, he's ten." But she was trying to hide a laugh.
"He's a bird. And a grade A con artist, in case you put any stock into whatever he told you."
She looked puzzled. "He is really a very sweat boy. I don't know why you and Dick complain all the time."
Jason chuckled. "Yeah, that would be the con. See, I don't know if you know this, but..." They continued to dance through two more songs in silence before he spoke again. "Tell me about you. Dick says you're both in the big leagues now."
Donna nodded but she didn't look happy. "Our old team... we thought we could make it work again, but so much had happened. Star City... and Lian... and Roy..."
"I'm sorry." The mention of Roy Harper's name ignited a spark of anger in his gut, but Jason suppressed it. "I'm not going to pretend I was ever his biggest fan, but I'm sorry on your behalf and about his kid. She didn't deserve any of this shit."
"Thank you." She bowed her head for a moment. "What are you planning on doing? Any chance we'll see you out in the field?"
Was that hope in her voice? He hated to shatter it. "Not any time soon," Jason admitted. "I'll be sticking close to home for the foreseeable future at least. Not that anyone in our line of work will be glad to see me anyway."
"I'm glad to see you," Donna reminded him. "If it comes to that, you know Dick and I will back you up."
"Thanks, but I don't see it happening for a while." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's not just me, though I'm not going to pretend my... anger management issues aren't a part of it. I don't want to leave Tim without backup. I know he can handle himself..."
He was very pleasantly surprised when Donna leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You're a good brother, Jason, and a good man. Whenever you come around, we'll be glad to have you. Until then, that doesn't mean I can't see you out of uniform."
He couldn't help but raise a single brow, conveying all the interpreted double meaning of her words without actually saying anything. It was Donna's turn to role her eyes. "I should stop talking all together around the Wayne boys, shouldn't I?"
"Oh, sweetheart, it ain't us. It's just men in general. And since you didn't run back to Paradise Island yet, there's gotta be something about us you find appealing."
"I can think of a few things," she smiled coyly and rested her head against his shoulder.
Jason also couldn't help but smile and inhaled a lungful of her scent. Her hair smelled like the stars that adorned it, though he couldn't begin to describe exactly what that scent was. She was so very beautiful and strong and gracious, that he was glad Dick had all but kicked his butt to the dance floor. As corny as it sounded in his head, even if all he got to do was dance with the warrior woman, Jason was happy.
He lifted his head for a moment and looked across the room. Dick and Barbara were both watching them. His brother gave him a two thumbs up, and Barbara smiled in his direction as well, but he could tell the smile was mostly for his benefit. There was something profoundly sad about her mannerism, and a moment later she turned her chair to move out of the ballroom. Dick looked in her direction but to Jason's annoyance, didn't follow. The middle brother sighed, and taking Donna's hand, pulled back a little.
"I hate to cut this short," he said apologetically. "But I think I need to go play cupid for my big brother who happens to be an idiot on the topic. Save me another spot on your dance card?"
"Sure. Go be a hero."
He strode across the room, barely slowing down as he passed Dick but doing so long enough to say, "You're a moron, Grayson. You better remember where that ring is and come find her in ten minutes."
Jason found Barbara in one of the powder rooms which was clearly marked for women with a sign put up temporarily for the party. He ignored it, unceremoniously striding inside. The few women that were there touching up their makeup looked momentarily shocked before making a hasty retreat. Jason idly wondered if this was going to somehow contribute to his image before he spotted Barbara at the far corner.
"This is the ladies room, Jason." Her tone was only mildly disapproving.
"Yeah, well, it's my house. My dad's house," he amended, kneeling by the chair.
"Why aren't you dancing with Donna?" she wondered, looking past him as if expecting to see the woman a few steps away. "I thought everything was going well."
"It is. We're just taking a break, so I decided I'd come and hang out with you."
"In the ladies room?"
"Must you put labels on everything?"
She smiled, but he could see tears in the corners of her eyes. Silently Jason reached over and handed her a tissue. "You know, I'd probably be the first to call him an idiot, but that idiot really does love you. I heard his excuses already, but I know he'd be down on one knee in a heartbeat if he thought there was a chance you'd say 'yes.' So what's keeping you?"
"This." She angrily hit a fist against the arm of her chair. "We can make everything else work, all our insane schedules... everything but this..."
"So," Jason's tone was grim. "It's his fault. Him again." He wiped his face and tried again. "Let me ask you something: What do you want? Don't think too much. Just answer. What is it you want?"
"To dance," Barbara answered without hesitation. "To dance with the man I love on our wedding day. To have my dad walk me down the aisle and look ahead and see Dick."
Jason nodded sympathetically. "I spent every second of every day since my return from the dead wanting to go home. Wanting to see Bruce, wanting to tell him how sorry I was that I didn't listen, how much I love him. You know what kept me from that? Not the Joker," he had to force the name from his mouth. "Me. My anger, my guilt, my pain. And then I realized that he didn't care about any of that, not how badly I'd screwed up in the past or how much we disagreed on certain things. He just wanted me back, as much as I wanted to be back. The day that I let Bruce be my dad was the day I beat the Joker. So don't let him win, okay? Do what you want. Be with Dick... even if I think he's a total moron and I'm a far better choice."
Barbara laughed and wiped the corners of her eyes. "You're a good guy, Jason."
"I've been getting that a lot lately." He complained. "Gotta watch it or all my hard work on that 'bad boy' image will go down the drain. Seriously, though, just consider trying. I want you to be happy."
"I know. Thanks, Jay."
He patted her hand that still rested on the arm of the chair and got up to go. Meeting Dick just outside the doors on his way out, Jason paused, gave his brother a pointed look, then continued on to the party. If Dick had any sense at all, the evening would end on a very high note. Jason had certainly done all he could on the matter.
Donna was talking to his remaining brothers and new sister in one of the far corners so he made his way over to them. Throwing one arm around her and the other around Tim, he gave them his best Cheshire cat grin.
"Princess." He nodded to Donna and the rest in turn. "Siblings."
"Jason." Tim raised a brow. "What're you up to?"
"Ensuring the universe continues sailing on its rightful course. Who's up for some after-party clubbing? Must be eleven or older," he added which earned him a scowl from Damian.
"You're going all out on this image of yours," Donna noted, not so much disapproving but amused. Jason grinned.
"I'm hoping we might have something to celebrate later. Dick and Babs can come, too... if they're not otherwise occupied." He wagged his eyebrows suggestively.
"You are vulgar," Damian complained.
"You shouldn't know what he's talking about," Tim pointed out reasonably, then turned to Jason. "I think Bruce wants us to stick around for a little longer."
"Damn. Well, as long as we're stuck here," Jason held out his hand to Donna. "I think I owe you another dance."
Author's End Note: Hehe so as a parting gift, here's a little outtake from an extended scene I wanted to add at the end of this but decided not to. The speech was entertaining though so I didn't want to throw it out. Enjoy!
"Hey, can I get everyone's attention for a minute?" He tapped the microphone and waited for the crowd to settle down. "I know this was supposed to be a sort of 'Welcome Back' party, and not that I don't appreciate it, but something more interesting than my return from... everywhere's come up. So last week, when my big brother was trying to convince me to show my face to the world, I told him that there was no way in hell I was wearing one of these monkey suits for anything less than his wedding."
The guests chuckled. From across the room his father raised an inquisitive brow, but Jason waved for him not to worry about it. Next to him, Barbara had one hand to her face. Dick was just shaking his head, but he didn't look like he was going to try to stop him, so Jason continued.
"Well, we had to compromise. As you can see, I'm in the suit, and Mr. Grayson other there is still enjoying bachelorhood... but not for long!"