As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

A Simple Prayer of Thanks

Jason Todd-Wayne looked up from his video games at the knocking at his door and rolled his eyes knowingly; only one person knocked like that. He grinned as he stood up. Well, that and the fact only one person ever sought him out while he was moping. He threw open the door with a flourish and grinned cheekily at the intruder.

"Hey."

"Hey." Dick Grayson shifted from one foot to another as he attempted to warm himself in the cool autumn afternoon. "C'n I come in?"

Jason hesitated for a moment; he was always loath to let anyone in his sanctuary. When Bruce had offered the old barn as Jason's own clubhouse type building he had jumped at the opportunity. It had been a wise move; the young man needed his own space, a place to deal with his anger and emotions on his own. It was also working; the boy was more open, he was beginning to belong. Still, it had surprised Bruce when Jason had started letting Dick into the place they were now calling his 'lair'. But only for a moment, Dick always had possessed an ability to get behind people's defenses.

"Eh." He shrugged and let the older boy in. Shivering slightly, Dick watched Jason put away his games.

"It's cold…why don't you turn the heat up?"

"Didn't notice." Jason grinned at his brother. "Cold never really bothered me."

"No kidding…" Dick perched on the back of the overstuffed couch as he watched the younger boy tidy up. "Dinner'll be ready soon…you should wash up."

Jason watched him slowly shift up into a crouch on the back, then begin to shift from his feet to his hands, trying to bring himself into a handstand. Jason had never understood the acrobat's obsession with heights or inability to stay on the ground for more than five minutes. "You sound chipper…"

Dick shrugged. "Whatever. You coming or do I gotta sic Alfred on you?"

"I'm comin'…"

"Good boy, mon cher petit frère."

"Knock it off."

"Sería mejor si hablaba en español?"

"Dick."

"Vy dolzhny izuchat' drugoy yazyk."

"That's really annoying."

"That's why I do it."

Jason made a face. Teaching Dick to smart-mouth may not have been a wise move… "Come on, dude, do you honestly think I'd be late for a meal? Al would murder me in my bed…"

The circus boy frowned. "Well… I dunno. I guess, 'cuz you've been kinda moody…"

"Me, moody?" Hauling on a coat the younger boy snorted. "Why on earth would I ever be moody? It's not like it's the anniversary of my dad's death, or I keep remembering how crap my life used to be. Or that everyone's been walking on eggshells around me all week."

He walked slightly ahead of his older adoptive brother, avoiding looking at the spasm of pity and hurt that was sure to be on the young man's dark features. Dick knew that growing up with a father like Jay's must have been hard. Growing up in a circus hadn't meant there was ever really enough money or food…but Dick had never based his fortune on those sorts of material things. Jason was a whole other story and sometimes he wished-

"Di-i-ick!"

Snapped out of his thoughts by the slightly high-pitched yell, he gritted his teeth and bit back a world-weary sigh. "Yeah, Tim?"

Tim Drake-Wayne stood in the doorway, face flushed and large blue-green eyes sparking. "Jason was messing with him and now he won't come down! I told him not to but he wouldn't listen and then Alfred yelled at him and he ran off and he still won't get down and Bruce'll be home any minute and-"

Jason's eyes hardened, and a look of anger spread across Dick's face. The older boy turned slowly to glare at the former street kid. "What. Have. I. Told. You. About. Him?"

Jason snapped. "The little freak won't stay outta my face! And why the hell won't he talk? He just stares at people and I'm so sick of you taking his side-"

"You're older! You should know better!" Dick was already half way down the hall.

Tim glared. "Told ya' so."

"Shaddup tattle tale." Jason kicked the ground bad temperedly.

"Damian, 'ant hunak?"

Dick walked over to the bookshelf to the left of the grandfather clock and looked up. "Hey buddy, want to come on down? Min fadlik?"

Damian Wayne stared down at the older boy with a blank expression as Dick reached up. "Dami, come-"

He gasped in pain as a fork was slammed into his palm and wrenched back, grabbing at his bleeding limb as the smaller child shifted to the edge of the shelf and began to plan his escape. Biting back tears and his frustration Dick snatched the little boy and hauled him down before he could get away, wresting the utensil from his little brother. "How did you get this? You know you can't play with this stuff—hey!"

Yelping as the child bit his hand, he let go and the little boy made a break for it. As he ran, Damian looked over his shoulder and, not looking where he was going, slammed into what felt like a brick wall. He looked up slowly to gaze at his father's stern face as Bruce Wayne looked from the impassive child in front of him to where Dick was trying to hide his wounds.

"He hurt you again?" Dick's expression was all the answer Bruce needed; he glared at his oldest. "What have I told you about trying to handle him on your own?"

"Maybe if everyone would stop treating him like he's a rabid dog-"

"I'm not going to argue the point with you. Go get that cleaned up. Not just water; antiseptic."

Dick's eyes narrowed but he nodded and headed for the bathroom, leaving Bruce with his small son.

Bruce sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. "Damian… How many times do I have to do this?" The man knelt in front of the small boy and put his broad hands on his shoulders. "You cannot hurt people like this…Dick is your brother and you have to learn t-"

The little ball of anger wriggled away and dashed out of the room before Bruce could even get up to follow. As Damian left, Tim's tousled head poked around the doorframe. "What happened?"

Bruce blew out along weary sigh. "Nothing… It's nothing…"

Jason ran the warm water over his hands and watched the soap foam around his calloused fingers. Suddenly fighting the urge to start screaming, he shoved his face into the sink and stayed under for almost a minute before jerking up with a gulp of air and a spray of water. As he was rubbing his hands over his face, Dick wandered in and reached for the first-aid kit. Jason's eyes widened and he swore loudly. "Demon brat do that to you?"

"Watch your mouth." Dick muttered automatically, spreading the medicine over his wounds, taking special care with the marks left by his little brother's teeth.

Jason whistled. "Seriously, Dick! You have got to stop trying to befriend him; at this rate he's gonna break your arm or something…"

"He's a little kid." Dick shook his head. "He doesn't know better… and you're all just encouraging him by treating him like a monster."

Jason was about to retort when Alfred Pennyworth's voice rang from the foyer.

"Richard, Jason! Come down, we have a guest!"

The boys looked at each other quizzically before shrugging in unison and trooping through the hallway and downstairs.

The stately butler stood in the massive entryway to the manor, normally stiff shoulders slightly more relaxed than normal as he spoke to a young woman with long auburn hair and a splattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose. Jason looked her frame over appreciatively; she wasn't model thin but she did look as though she had walked out of a magazine in her deep red sweater and jeans and her smile caused her eyes to crinkle a little in a cute way. Before he could question why this hot girl was in his house Dick was stepping forward.

"Julie?"

The bright-eyed woman looked over at Dick for a moment, her pretty face confused, and then a small glimmer of recognition spread across her face. "Dickie? No! Look at you, you've grown so much!" She threw her arms around the young man who hugged back, smiling. "Oh, Dick, look at you, you were just a little kid when I last saw you. Oh sweetie, look at how tall you are!"

Jason snorted. "Tall? Kid's a shrimp."

Flushing madly, Dick pulled away from the woman and cleared his throat. "Um, Julie, this is Jason, by brother. Jay, this is Julie Madison."

"I'm Tim!" The younger brother wandered in. "Nice to meet you, Miss Madison. I've never heard of you before…"

Julie smiled at the child's frankness. "I'm not surprised. I suppose Bruce doesn't talk too much about his old friends."

Jason frowned. "Bruce has friends?"

"Boys, what are-?"

Bruce stopped in shock as he entered the room, followed by Damian who peered around suspiciously. As Bruce and Julie stared at one another, the man swallowed. "Julie…"

"Still..." The young woman smiled slightly, unable to look away from the piercing eyes. "You'd think that someone he was once engaged to might be mentioned once and a while."

"What?" Tim and Jason yelped in unison but the others ignored them as Dick clung to her arm, beaming up at her.

"She's staying for dinner right?"

"What is going on here?"

Julie shook her head quickly. "I was in town and wanted to say hello, I didn't mean to impose…"

"GUYS?"

Bruce stepped forward. "No, Julie-It's not a problem; in fact I'm so glad you…"

Julie smiled. "Me too."

"What the *#%! is going on?!"

Everyone jumped at Jason's outburst and Bruce and Alfred's looks could have melted steel. The young millionaire gritted his teeth. "Jason…"

"I know, I know, watch my language, but what is going on?"

"Later." Bruce managed, walking toward the dining room.

"But-"

"LATER."

Jason growled bad-temperedly. Looking over his shoulder he watched Dick and Julie walking after the man, hand-in-hand and talking animatedly as Tim flitted around them with a curious look. That was annoying. Really freaking annoying. He and Dick had always had a pact about 'Bruce's girls'. The rules were simple; they never allowed themselves to get close to any girlfriend and even made bets about how long they'd last. It was…tradition. Hell, Dick had even kept a journal before Jason had been adopted, naming and rating every girl Bruce went through and cataloguing the similarities and differences. And yet… Julie Madison had never come up. Jason wondered why that could be…

Alfred smiled around the table as they began to be seated. It was rare for the whole family to be gathered for a meal and the dining room filled with chatter as everyone took their seats. The butler nodded approvingly as Bruce pulled out Julie's chair and seated her; apparently some of his lessons had rubbed off after all. The seating choice was something Alfred had predicted perfectly. As Bruce took his place at the end of the large table, with Julie on his left, Tim scooted his chair so he could be slightly closer to the man on his right. Dick settled down on Tim's right and pulled Damian into the chair next to him, settling the small boy down. Jason sat across from Damian, avoiding Julie, and shot glares at his younger brothers for hogging their oldest. Alfred settled next to Julie and, after grace, they chatted happily as huge portions of warm, rich food was dished up by all.

Bruce noticed it first. He frowned at the name cards placed in front of each cup and shot a look at his butler; this was unusual.

"Alfred…?"

"I thought I might try something rather out of the ordinary. As a few of you are aware, it's been roughly twenty years since I first started working here at the manor." Jason blinked in surprise. "If you would look under the card…?"

Bruce sank into his chair and picked up the paper, noticing writing on the underside. As the boys and Julie paused in their meals, they watched Bruce mouth some of the words before he finally looked up and smiled the kind of smile he seemed to so rarely give; it was genuine and his eyes were slightly misted.

Julie picked up hers, amazed at how quickly the man had put it together, and looked at the neat script on the underside.

"I am thankful for the joy and beauty that you brought to this home. Although your relationship with Master Bruce did not last, I hope you know that you are always welcome here and that you have had a lasting effect on all our lives."

The young woman smiled and leaned over to peck Alfred on the cheek. "You silver tongued flatterer."

By now the boys were picking up their cards as well. Alfred gazed at each child, feeling warmth and fondness for the boys he considered his grandchildren. To be honest, none of them had entered his life in a way that pleased him… But, oh, how he loved them all. Dick had flipped open his card and was silently staring at the card. As the others spoke softly and looked at their own messages, Dick was watched by Alfred, Jason and Bruce; all of whom were waiting for a reaction.

"Richard, I can say with no hesitation that you are one of the most wonderful things to happen to this home in many, many years. Bruce owes you so much, and as such, so do I. You never have understood your own worth or how much you mean to those around you. Ever since your arrival into our home, it has been full of laughter and light in a way that it hasn't been since the death of Master Bruce's parents. I know for a fact that they would have loved you like a grandchild, as I have…"

Alfred had a bad feeling about Bruce's decision. He could understand Bruce's reasoning; the thought of a child without family was ghastly. But he could not understand why Bruce would go so far as to invite the child to live with them.

"Just until they've caught the man responsible…"

Of course. Alfred sighed and made his way to the door at the sound of the doorbell. It wasn't that he didn't want the poor lad there, but Bruce was hardly parental material. He bowed and smiled at the police commissioner as he opened the heavy oak door. "Commissioner Gordon, what a surprise to see you…"

Gordon smiled. "I suppose I've taken a bit of a personal interest in this case. I have a son about the boy's age and my daughter isn't much older. I suppose it's a parent thing." The man ushered a small figure forward, "Come on Richard…"

The minute Alfred had seen the terrified nine-year-old, he had understood.

It had been a slow process to get the child to open up but slowly he began to change; he smiled, even laughed and brought a brightness and levity that had been missing for so long in their lives. When Bruce had come into the kitchen one night, a strange look in his eyes and said he wanted to permanently take the boy in, Alfred had fully agreed. The thought of Dick being involved in the master's nightlife was frightening but upon seeing the smile that had broken out on the child's face when he realized that he had a home again and the way Bruce laughed as Dick hugged him, Alfred knew that the boy had completely won both of them over.

Jason watched Dick duck his head and try to wipe at his eyes unnoticed. 'Wuss', he thought as he picked up his own card and looked inside, yes, there was the writing…

"Jason. I am aware that the events that lead to your living with us were difficult. Had I the ability, I would do whatever I could to stop you from going through it all. I do not wish to coddle you, merely to let you know that for all the difficulty over the years, there has not been a day that you have not been loved here. We're all out of place at times, lad."

The teen sat silently for a long moment before stiffly nodding at Alfred. The man smiled fondly; message received…

Jason came into their lives like a hurricane. When Bruce had told them about the young punk who had stolen the batmobile's tires, Alfred had frowned; both at the rather strange news and at Dick's completely unsuitable response of laughter. The fifteen year old had been greatly amused by the story and asked if he could meet the child.

"You'll get to know him quite well." Bruce had answered. "He's going to be living with us."

The twelve year old hadn't been the easiest to warm up to. Alfred had been run to the bone the first day, just trying to keep him still. There was to be a dinner meeting that night and he wanted everything to be perfect. Jason, however, needed constant supervising and very little got done that morning until Dick returned from school. He had burst through the door and thrown his backpack on the counter of the kitchen, babbling excitedly; Dick, at the time, was still excited at learning his father's family's mother tongue and getting the boy to speak English was an uphill battle.

"Alfred! Alfred, el este încă aici? Vreau sa ma intalnesc meu inteligent fratelui mai mic-hoţ!"

Jason had stared at the teen and, for the first time all morning, managed to speak. "Who the #%! is that?!"

The days following were a strange blur for all involved; Jason slowly began to settle into his new life and Dick was the ideal older brother. When Bruce finally let Jason in on the 'family secret' the child had jumped at the chance and immediately began training.

Jason brought a level of honesty and frankness that only a street-kid could posses. Through his actions he both ran people ragged and made them think; although the child was young, his astuteness astonished Alfred.

One morning, while fixing breakfast, Jason had asked Alfred why Bruce had adopted him.

"I believe Master Bruce saw some of himself in you. To be perfectly frank, he can be a bit of a bleeding heart. When he sees suffering, he feels he must help."

"But why me?" Jason had leaned against the counter. "I mean, there's lots of kids out there that need help. Why'd he choose me? And don't give me that 'cuz I was ripping off his car' crap, I know he doesn't believe in fate."

"Well…perhaps fate believes in him."

The child had been quiet after that, but the honesty and burning desire to understand had touched the butler. Jason was a very extraordinary child.

Tim opened his place card curiously and smiled at the message;

"Timothy, I cannot properly explain the joy that your presence brings me. Out of you all, you remind me the most of Master Bruce as a child. Your intelligence, compassion and patience while dealing with this old man have brightened my days. I shall always look forward to our talks and watching our programs together."

Tim's eyes sparkled and he beamed over the table at the butler, who felt his heart warm.

When Alfred had first seen Tim, the boy had been only an infant, cradled in his mother's arms. When Alfred really met him was a few years later, as the child sat in front of him in the study. It had been a long day of preparing for one of Bruce's dinner parties and now he had been left to child sit; the whole situation was absurd. With relief, he heard the sound of his other young charges returning home from school. The eight year old had watched with weary eyes as the older boys trooped in, Dick babbling and Jason begging him to at least take a breath before he punched his lights out; their usual repartee, unfortunately. Jason had shot him a questioning look but Dick had beamed, having met the small child at a few parties.

"Hiya Tim."

Alfred introduced the younger boys, and put them in Dick's control before retreating into the kitchen. Such a shame about Tim; the idea of such a small lad left with a housekeeper so often while his parents were off doing who knows what was tragic. The boy was very introverted and seemed to prefer to be on his own…it was so sad.

Then Jason had barreled into the room, followed closely by Tim. They had leapt behind the counter before Alfred could even open his mouth to protest and as Dick ran in, Tim ran out, shrieking and laughing as the teen chased him. Jason grinned at the butler's sour face.

"Sorry… It was Dick's idea. We're playing Robin Hood. I still can't believe how quickly he got that kid to agree to it. And man, for a twerp, he's got a great vocabulary."

It became a regular event for Tim to join his parents at social events; he played with his new friends as Alfred looked on with a smile. For boys of twelve and fifteen to be willing to play make-believe was a heartening sight, but this dimmed in comparison to Tim's dazzling smile. The boy brought a light and sparkle to every room he entered; even impressing Jason with his thoughtful questions and intelligent answers.

Then came the news; the child's parents had been killed in a plane crash while on one of their frequent trips. Dick and Jason pleaded non-stop with Bruce, but their efforts were unnecessary; for once, Alfred and Bruce were in complete agreement on the matter of a lost little boy.

Looking over at Dick, Alfred saw the young man showing Damian his card, reading softly for the small boy. Finding the right words to say to the newcomer, a bratty and solitary child, was difficult but Alfred had finally found the truth of the matter. It was of no importance that he barely knew the child…

"I am thankful for the completion you bring to our family. You have three excellent brothers for role models and a father who, while he doesn't always show it, loves you very much."

Edited on March 3rd 2016

All other language translations done with Google Translate so if there are mistakes I apologize.