Prologue
A Normal Morning
Perhaps the story is told another way.
Even so, some things never change.
Bruce Wayne awoke at 9:00 a.m. that day. The sun was already in the sky, and there was no real need to turn on a light since the room was illuminated enough by the outdoor light coming in through the window. The bedroom was an absurdly large area to live in, the bed itself was probably bigger than what monarchs slept on, and was a whole 2 ½ stories tall. A piano, assorted paintings, a weapons display case, and pool table occupied the parts of the room that weren't taken up by the bed which had a small side-table on either side of it. The one on Bruce's side was simple, functional, and bought at a discount furniture store. The one on the other side though, was made of the most extravagant (and expensive) pieces of wood on the planet. Imported from Africa or something. Personally, Bruce didn't see the point in ordering such an extravagant furnishing from AFRICA of all places, but his wife was someone who obsessed over such things. He didn't really question it, though. She was his wife after all, and she did have her quirks, but he still loved her.
Getting up, Bruce put on his morning robe and went to the bathroom down the hall brushed his teeth. Staring at the reflection before him he almost thought he had two black eyes. Then he realized they were simply rings caused by sleep deprivation as a result of working until 3:00 a.m. last night. Bruce was many things, a night person was not one of those things. Nope, for him it was always up at the crack of dawn to get to work and early to bed at night to do the same thing the next morning. 9:00 a.m. was a bit later than what he was used to as far as waking up was concerned, but it wasn't a bad thing to shake things up a bit every now and then.
Setting the tooth brush down, he returned to his room and entered his walk-in closet, changing into a T-Shirt and Jeans. Today was Saturday, which meant it was a day off of work, and family time for him. Picking up his phone and putting it in his pocket, he headed down to the Kitchen to find Alfred almost finished with cooking breakfast. Bruce took a seat at the table and picked up the latest copy of the Gotham Gazette on the counter. "Morning Alfred," Bruce said.
"Good morning, Master Bruce," Alfred politely replied, setting the food out on the table and taking his seat at the table. At around that time, Damian entered the room.
"Morning, son," Bruce said cheerfully, flipping to the next page.
"Good Morning, Father," Damian said politely, "Good Morning, Pennyworth." Alfred acknowledge the greeting and placed a napkin in his lap.
The clacking of heels could be heard as the next member of the Wayne Household entered.
"Morning, Talia," Bruce said as Talia bent down and kissed him on the cheek.
"Good Morning, Beloved," Talia said, taking her seat between her husband and son.
"A Good Morrow to you, Bruce," a fifth person said.
"Oh, I didn't know you'd come to visit, Ra's," Bruce said, slightly surprised. Finished with the newspaper for now he folded it up and placed it on the middle of the table.
"Well, I was in Gotham on unexpected business and thought I'd drop by for a bit," Ra's explained, "You're up late."
"Long night at the office," Bruce replied. Ra's al Ghul nodded in understanding.
"Ah, it appears we're the last ones here," said a voice Bruce had known all his life.
"We'll win the next race for sure!" said another, jokingly.
Bruce merely chuckled and greeted them, "Morning Mom, Morning Dad."