Author's notes: Hey, guys. So I have been writing this story over the course of several weeks. In that time, I've graduated high school (YAY!) and am done with IB exams (DOUBLE YAY!). But my boyfriend broke up with me so I am a little raw towards the end of the story. I needed something to work on, you know distract from the pain, and I remember that I've mentioned a night that sort of tore the bat family apart. I decided that I should tell that story. Plus Daddy Nightwing with his baby girl was too cute to pass up, and cuteness always helps.
Warnings: Torture, trauma, violence, the normal swearing that comes with my stories
Dick Grayson watches the city pass around the speeding train, his mind wandering back to the buildings he's jumped from or the alley ways where he's fought. How many times he's gone on patrol through these streets, with the moonlight catching on his dark hair. It all seemed so normal when he was 10 years old. When the only people in his life that he truly cared about were dead.
"Daddy, look at that building!" Mar'i points a finger at a tall skyscraper with the name WAYNE written across it," It's just like Grandpa Bruce's last name."
Dick smiles at the little girl, her green eyes looking at wonder at the city," That's because it's Grandpa Bruce's building. It's his company."
"Really? Do you think he'd let us go there and look around?" She asks, tearing her gaze from the window. She stands tiptoe on one of the train benches, her hands tightly gripping the back of it to balance herself.
"Maybe, we'll ask him." He tells her. She looks up at the other buildings, her green eyes wide. Dick smiles as she studies the city. His young daughter's mouth forms a thin line as she takes in Gotham's afternoon glow. Somehow, at 3 years old, Mar'i Grayson has already developed her father's serious manner. But her eyes give her away as they dart around in awe. This is her first trip out of Jump City to visit her grandfather and uncles, and she's been so excited he and Kor'i had had a hard time keeping her on the ground. He chuckles, imagining the look on his brothers' faces when Mar'i starts floating mid laugh.
"Do you think he'll like me?"
"Who?"
"Grandpa Bruce."
"Of course he will," Dick says, shocked by her question," He loves you already."
"Because I'm your baby?" She asks. Dick moves over to her, kissing her black curls.
"Because you're the best little girl in the whole universe." He looks down at Mar'i. Her tiny forehead crinkles as she looks up at him," No worrying. Besides your uncles will be there too."
"Even Uncle Jason?" Her face brightens. He laughs. Despite all the shit that Jason has done in the past, he's trying to be good again. Mar'i had instantly stolen his heart the first time he met her, about a week after she was born. He affectionately calls her Baby Grayson and Baby Bird.
"Yes even Uncle Jason." Mar'i seems to have forgotten all about her worries as she goes back to looking out the window. He kisses her again and pulls out his phone. Tim had texted him, asking how far they were from the house. While Dick texts him back, Mar'i slides off the bench and moves down the train. There are only a few other people in the car so he doesn't worry too much. Mar'i walks to the door connecting the train cars. The three year old suddenly calls out.
"Daddy, do you hear that?"
"Hear what, Star?"
"That beeping noise. It's getting louder." Dick shoots up.
"Mar'i, get away from the door!" He barks. She backs away as the door explodes. The other patrons scream moving away from the door. Dick runs to it, yelling," MAR'I! MAR'I!"
"DADDY!" Mar'i screams. Three men in masks enter through the new opening. Dick reaches into his jacket, pulling out a knife. One of the men grabs Mar'i's hair. She flails her arms around, smacking him in the chest. CRACK!
"FUCK!" The man yells. Mar'i grabs his hand and squeezes hard. He yells as she breaks his hand. Falling to the ground, Mar'i scrambles towards her father. Dick throws his knife at one of the others. The third charges at Mar'i. She screams and throws her arms up. As her hands raise, light purple energy fires at him. He flies back. Mar'i races over to her father, grabbing his pants leg. Dick pulls out a retractable bow staff from his jacket. The first guy fires his gun at them. Dick spins the staff, the metal barely blocking bullets.
The other two join the first shooter. Dick looks down at his daughter. Her face is buried in his jeans, shaking like a leaf. He grits his teeth as he turns back to the gunmen. One of them now lunges forward. Dick ducks down, sweeping with the staff. As the man falls, Dick rams his shoulder into the man's stomach. The man stumbles back into the other men. Dick grabs Mar'i's arm, almost painfully, making her look at him," Mar'i, you listen to me very carefully. You need to run. Go as far as you can, NOW!"
Mar'i, terrified, runs. As Dick straightens up, one of the men slams his gun into Dick's skull. Dick falls to the ground, ears ringing. Mar'i screams," DADDY!"
Vision blurring, Dick looks towards his daughter. One of the men grabs her hair again, this time yanking her head back so another man can attach a metallic collar to her neck. She throws her limbs around, shrieking in pain and terror. Dick rises to his feet, head spinning, but goddamn it no one touches his daughter. Mar'i manages to sink her teeth into the second man's hand as her comes at her with a handkerchief. He yells, slapping her hard across the face. Dick lunges forward, bring his knee up. The man doubles over, grabbing his crotch, and Dick punches down. The man falls to the ground, nose gushing blood. Dick turns to the man holding Mar'i. The man presses a gun right against her skull.
"One step and I'll blow her fucking brains out," He growls. Mar'i cries, holding her arms out for her father. It takes the gun against her temple to keep him from grabbing the man and ripping him to pieces. The doors open, still speeding over the city. The three men back up, Mar'i cries.
"Daddy! Daddy!" One of the men clamps his hand over her face, pressing a handkerchief to her mouth and nose. Her body goes limp and her eyes roll back.
"You got two hours. Boss said he'd wait that long til he cut up another Baby Bird." The men jump out of the train. Dick runs forward, watching as a truck drives away with Mar'i.
/Line Break/
He doesn't know how he gets to Wayne Manor, just that he's full of wrath right now. He hears Mar'i crying for him, the ringing in his ears long since faded. He slams the door open, startling Tim and Damian as they walk down the stairs.
"Grayson?" Damian notes his older brother's aggravated stance," What's-"
"Where the hell is Bruce?" Dick demands.
"He just left. There was a train attack ten minutes ago." Tim explains.
"I know. I was on the goddamn train. With-"
Jason Todd jumps down from a second floor banister, grinning," Where's my favorite niece?"
Dick yells, grabbing the closest thing- a side table- and throwing it across the room. It shatters into splinters. He yanks at his dark hair, panic and reason fighting for the first time in years. He lets panic win. He shouts," I don't know! I don't KNOW! MY DAUGHTER WAS JUST FUCKING KIDNAPPED!"
Instantly his adopted brothers focus in on him. Dick had been working with Bruce longer than any of them, years before any of them really, and it showed. He has always struggled with failing the people he loves, especially his family. Before Mar'i and Kor'i, Dick had been able to keep himself at arm's length with almost anyone and that's how he liked it. He liked not feeling as though a hot dagger was twisting in his head, or feeling so useless. Once he had left Bruce and the league, once he joined the Titans, once he met Kor'i, he thought that maybe the walls he had put up were for Bruce's benefit, not his own. Tim grabs Dick's arm, making his older brother look him in the eyes.
"Dick, take a breathe and tell us exactly what happened." Tim commands gently. Doing so, Dick explains the men that arrived on the train, and their fixation on Mar'i. Each of the men twitch with pride as Dick tells them how she broke one's ribs and hand by the sound of it.
"Chances are she won't be doing that again." Damian points out," If the collar you said they put on her is the one that we've seen before-"
Dick finishes his sentence," Then her powers aren't going to be working."
"She's vulnerable," Jason rephrases," Did these bastards say anything before they left?"
"Just that we had two hours," Dick tells them," That's all their boss could stand to give before…"
Dick can't bring himself to say the words. He can't say it because then the danger she's in will be real.
"Before…" Jason prods.
"Before he cuts up another Baby Bird." Dick can't meet any of their eyes. Mar'i, not thirty minutes ago, was singing a song in two languages, English and Tamaranian. Now she's missing.
"Joker," Jason growls.
"Not possible," Damian scoffs," He wouldn't know she's his." Nodding at their brother.
"No, but a few years ago, it was leaked that The Wayne Family had welcomed another member. As much of a psychopath as Joker is, he ain't stupid." Jason is already heading out the door, grabbing his jacket from the closet. The familiar weight reminds him of all the weapons hidden inside.
"Where the hell are you going?" Damian asks. Jason turns, blue eyes burning with a rage that terrifies Tim, concerns Damian, and matches Dick's.
"I'm going to find a son of a bitch who knows where the fuck Baby Grayson is," With that, he leaves, letting the door hang open.
/Line Break/
Mar'i wakes up and immediately vomits. Stomach acid burns her throat as she coughs up what little remains in her stomach. After she's finished, she sits up. The room she's in is metallic and very small. The chill from the steel floor burns her legs. She tries to pull her skirt down with no avail. She looks around, softly calling out," Hello? Daddy? Uncle Jason? Uncle Tim? Damian? Grandpa?"
"None of them are here I'm afraid," a man steps into the room through a plastic sheet. Mar'i shrinks back at the sight of him. His face is ghostly white, with thick scars across his mouth painted red into an unnatural smile. His green hair is sticks up at weird angles, like he sticks his fingers into electrical sockets for fun. He looks like a demented clown. Mar'i knows him. She heard her mommy and daddy talk about him before. Joker.
"I wanna go home." She whimpers. The clown laughs and Mar'i notices the crowbar in his hand.
"I know, but we are going to play a game first. One of your uncles has played this game before." He kneels down in front of her, tapping the metallic collar on her neck," See, baby bird, this little trinket stops all your powers, except for that invincibility."
"I don't ha-"
"How else could you be right next to an explosion and not have a scratch on you? See, the game is simple. Your daddy has," He looks down at his watch," an hour and ten minutes to find you. But I told him that's when the fun intensifies. I didn't tell him about this."
His hand goes back and he brings it down in a fast arch. Mar'i's shoulder burns as the metal collides. She brings her arms up to protect her face. The crown bar hits her head, making her fall to the side. Joker slams the crowbar into her back and legs. Every second her body is assaulted. She prays to X'hal that Daddy finds her soon. Joker kicks her in the stomach so hard her arms automatically cover it. As he brings the crowbar down to her face, Mar'i starts to scream and cry, but there's no one around to save her.
/Line Break/
Jason Todd has absolutely no tolerance right now for bullshit. Mar'i has been missing for one hour and forty six minutes. That's an hour and forty six minutes too long. He looks at the fourth drug dealing gangbanger that has connections with the Joker. Some junkie buys a gram of coke before scampering off. The gangbanger, D-dog, counts his loot when Jason grabs him.
"HEY!" Jason clamps his hand over the asshole's mouth. The red mask he wears makes it impossible for anyone to know what he's feeling, just how he likes it.
"I am going to make this very, very clear. You are going to tell me where the Joker's currently at or where he would take someone to hurt them, and I will not break any bones. Lie to me, and I will find out," Keeping D-dog pinned against the wall, Jason removes his hand.
"Man, I dunno nothing. Joker's crazy as balls," D-dog tells him. Jason grabs the gangbanger's pinky and rips it to the side. D-Dog yells profanities against Jason's replaced hand.
"Let me be more clear. Joker currently has a three year old little girl. You know how I feel about kids being in any sort of danger. Now if anything should happen to this little girl, I will do the same to you. Understand?" D-Dog nods," Now one more time. Where. Is. Joker?"
"Okay, okay. Look that motherfucker freaks me the fuck out can you blame me for lying?" Jason twitches his hand," Ok, So word on the street is that Joker is hitting up in this meat packaging factory that shut down last month."
"What's the address?" Jason grabs D-dog's index finger.
"It's on the corner of 149th and Bedard Avenue! I swear!" D-Dog's shit colored eyes widen with terror.
Jason keeps his grip on the asshole's throat, pressing the radio button on his mask.
"Todd, where the hell are you?" Damian demands.
"Getting an address. Are you near a computer?"
"Yes. Why the hell-"
"149th and Bedard Avenue. Tell me what's there." Jason stays silent, terrifying the shit out of D-Dog.
"An old meat factory. Todd-"
"That's where she is. According to a source who does not want to lie to me, Nightstar is in that factory. Tell Nightwing and Red Robin to suit up. We meet there as soon as possible."
"Grayson already left." Damian grunts.
"Then use the damn communicator." He turns off the radio. He releases D-dog's throat," Let me make one thing clear. If that little girl is not 100% ok, I will find you and hurt you."
The man runs off, piss practically running down his leg. Jason catches his reflection in the mirror. The mask he wears is essentially a titanium motorcycle helmet. Once upon a time when he put it on, he did so with anger and hatred. Revenge had been the only thing on his mind and nothing would stop him from achieving it. It had taken him years of work to get to this point. To be honest, most of it wasn't even for himself. When Dick told them that Kor'i was pregnant, he thought that child would be fucked up for sure. An alien and a human having a kid had to end in some sort of weirdness. Jason climbs up a fire escape, remembering the first time he had seen Mar'i.
She had been only a week old, visiting with her parents. Kor'i was paler than normal and tired easier, but she seemed to be doing ok. Dick was beaming the whole time, looking at them as if to say look what we made. Mar'i had been so tiny, fitting in the crook of Dick's arm like she was meant to be there. Her head was covered in thick black curls. She was napping but Jason instantly fell in love with her. He remembers Dick letting him hold her. How warm her little body had been. How chubby her little cheeks were. How she opened those emerald eyes and looked up at him. How she reached a little hand up at him. She didn't know any of the bad that he had done. All the people he had killed. The shit he had put their family through, and he made a promise then and there never to let her find out.
"We're coming for you, Baby Bird." He swears," We're going to save you. I promise."
/Line Break/
Mar'i lays in a heap on the ground, tears flowing down her cheeks. Blood, vomit, and urine stain her clothes. Every single part of her body hurt. Joker giggles, making her curl up even tighter. He kneels down, his sour breath burning her nose.
"Well, Baby Bird. It's been two hours and no one's found you. You know what that means for you?"
"I wanna go home," Mar'i sobs. Everything hurts. She wants Mommy to kiss her and make all the hurt go away. She wants Daddy to beat up the Joker. She wants to go home to her family. She wants to be safe. Joker grabs a fistful of her hair, yanking her to her feet. He drags her to a raised platform, tossing her onto the table. Her skin burns against the freezing table top. Joker takes two of the straps on the table and, before she realizes what's happening, she's flat on her back with one arm straight out. Joker ties that wrist with a length of rope attached to the table. He picks up a knife," No! No! Please!"
"Now what did you say your name was?"
"Please! I want my daddy!"
"No, that wasn't it." He leans down, whispering in her ear," if you don't tell me, it'll hurt more."
Mar'i hiccups a sob," Mommy and Daddy call me Star, but my name's Mar'i."
"Spell that for me." She does so, stumbling over the pronunciation of apostrophe," Excellent. Now, I should tell you. I lied. I'm gonna hurt you anyway, but now I'll get your name right."
"NO! MOMMY! DADDY!" Mar'i struggles against the restraints. Joker presses a button on her collar, and her pain intensifies. He grabs her left arm and hold it down tightly.
"M." The knife digs into her arm. From her throat an unnatural noise fills the room. The knife isn't as sharp as it should be, so it both cuts and tears her flesh. He moves on to the next letter and the next, making sure each is large and pointed. For the apostrophe in her name, he digs it into her skin, blood gushing from the wound. She screams and screams and screams, unable to think that anyone can hear her.
/Line Break/
They're out of time. Dick knows it as he stares at the factory that Mar'i is supposedly in. He has to believe that Joker would give them more time. He has to believe that she's ok. Damian peers through his binoculars at the disguised guards around the factory- homeless people who Jason immediately was able to see the hidden weapons on, a street vendor that Tim noted wasn't selling anything. He holds up a hand, waiting for the last guard to turn his back.
"Now," He tells his brothers. The four men each shoot a grappling hook to the other building. They swing over undetected. On the roof of the factory, Dick pick the lock of the roof access. If we get out of this ok he thinks to himself I'll teach her how to pick locks. He chids himself. They were going to get out of this. All of them. Once the lock falls off, the four slip inside. It hits them that the factory must be sound proof from the outside because there is no other way to mask the pure agony of the scream that fills the factory.
"DADDY!" The scream echoes through the factory," MOMMY!"
"Mar'i!" Dick jumps down to the factory floor. Several half asleep guards look up in surprise. Dick uses one of his escrima sticks to slam one of the guards into another. He recognizes their voices from the train. Tim, Damian, and Jason all join him, each with their weapons in hand.
"Find Mar'i," Tim shouts," We got them."
Dick pushes off one of the guards, gaining air and kicking guards in the head as he walks on top of them. He runs straight for the fading screams. He kicks a guard in the face as he runs by. Dick's heart pounds in his throat. He throws open the door to one of the freezers. Through the plastic hanging from the door frame, he sees a familiar purple skirt. Mar'i is strapped down to one of the cutting tables, her left arm oozing blood. Her eyes are painfully squeezed shut. He puts a hand on her cheek, making her scream.
"It's ok, Star," He shushes her. Her eyes snap open, half focused on him.
"Daddy?" Her voice cracks.
"I'm here, baby, Daddy's here now." He pulls a knife from his belt, slicing the straps and the rope holding her down. She flings her arms around him, gripping the back of his suit like letting go means he'll disappear. He kisses the top of her head over and over. She's alive. She's alive. She's alive. The words repeat themselves with every beat of his heart.
"Daddy, my arm," He releases her just enough to see the cuts to her little arm. MAR'I covers her little arm, the I crooked. Pulling gauze from his belt, he wraps her arm up tightly.
"There," He kisses it, knowing that it won't really help, but it's a familiar gesture for both of them. He cups her cheeks," Starshine, we're going to get out of here. I need you to hold onto me. No matter what happens, no matter what you hear, you are to keep your eyes shut. Do you understand?"
Mar'i nods, climbing onto his back. Dick supports her bottom with one arm, moving back to the main building. Tim, Damian, and Jason had done a great job kicking the ass of all the guards. Damian ties up some of the last ones, while Jason holds the Joker by the throat against a wall.
"This scumbag tried to escape. I caught him going through the back door." Jason tosses the Joker down, his hands and feet tied tightly.
"Well, well. If it isn't Daddy Bird here to save his baby." Joker taunts.
"You tortured my daughter," He growls. His brothers notice the growing anger hiding behind his eye. Tim comes over, taking Mar'i from Dick's back. He wraps her in his cape, cradling the little girl. Her breathing is getting harsher and harsher. Blood seeps from the bandaged arm.
"I wouldn't say torture as much as test her limits. After all the only other person who could withstand a beating like that was him," Joker nods at Jason," Not that he actually survived much longer than the beating. But now I guess you're just like big ol' Batman. Too late to save someone you care about."
Dick snaps. He grabs Joker by the collar, yanking him up. He slams his fist into the clown's face. His knee finds it's way into Joker's stomach. Dick unleashes all his fear and rage on Joker. He slams Joker into the ground, stomping on his face. Dick yells as he kicks Joker and throws him into the wall. Joker laughs.
"Ohhhh, Daddy Nightwing is angry. Did his little star lose her light?" Dick punches Joker in the stomach so hard that he can feel ribs break. Joker cackles," Is this all you have? Damn do you even give a fuck about her?"
Dick pulls a knife out, pressing it against Joker's throat. A thin line of blood trickles from the cut," Give me a reason why I shouldn't slit your throat. One reason."
"I don't have to. Because you won't do it."
"You seem to doubt what I'm willing to do when my daughter is taken away." Dick presses down on the knife.
Damian, surprisingly, speaks up," Nightwing, I know you're angry, but this isn't the answer."
"That's not much coming from you."
"Justice before vengeance." Damian reminds his big brother.
"This is justice."
"Nightwing," A new voice joins them.
Joker giggles," Batman, we were just talking about you."
"Nightwing, put him down now." Batman commands.
"No."
Batman grabs his oldest son's shoulder, yanking him away from the Joker. He holds the twenty-seven year old back," You can get your vengeance or you can help your daughter."
The two face off for a solid minute before Dick turns away," If you're going to lock him up, you need to make damn sure to destroy the key."
/Line Break/
The ride back to Wayne Manor is quiet except for Mar'i's hiccuping sobs. Dick holds her tightly, kissing her and rubbing her back. Tim looks at the painful expression on the little girl's face each time she moves her left arm. She clings to her father, like the thought of letting go terrified her to her very core. Damian and Jason sit in silence, watching Dick. Despite the fact his daughter was in his arms, they see the anger building up inside him. The need to kill the man who hurt his Nightstar.
Alfred, now in his mid-80's, meets them in the Batcave. His expression changes to horror when he sees the bruises on Mar'i's arms and legs. Even though her powers had saved her from being killed, her skin was still blotted black and blue. Her neck is bruised from where the metallic collar had once been. Dick tries to set her down in a chair so Alfred can sew up her arm. She screams," No, Daddy! No, please, I don't wanna! I don't wanna!"
"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Star. Daddy promises." She holds on tighter, still crying.
"Master Dick, perhaps you could hold her in your lap," Alfred suggests. Dick nods sitting down with her facing him. Alfred picks up a shot to numb her arm.
"Hey, Baby Grayson," Jason kneels beside her right side, making her face away from her hurt arm," I missed you. Your daddy, Uncle Tim, Damian, and I were going crazy to find you."
"Really?" She hiccups. Dick wipes away tears from her cheeks.
"Really."
"I was scared," Tears well up in her eyes," I wanted to be brave like you but I was scared."
"That's ok." Dick soothes his daughter," It's okay that you were scared."
"But you don't get scared. Neither does Grandpa." Mar'i looks towards Bruce. Bruce sighs, pulling his hood back.
"Mar'i, We were all scared today," He admits," Your father was scared he wouldn't see you again, your uncles as well. I was afraid that I would lose people that I love."
"I'm sorry," Mar'i squeezes her eyes shut as Alfred begins to sew up her arm.
"Baby, do you remember the song Mommy made up for you?" Dick brushes a curl from her face. She nods,"Can you sing it for me? Please."
She wipes her eyes. Her tiny voice is watery as she sings," Starshine, fly away. The moon is here, to take you with her. Don't let the dark scare you. You were born to bring light to our lives. Fly away, but remember to come back to me. The sun will rise and it will be time for bed. Rest here in my arms, my starshine."
The song is slow and tuneless, making it easy for Kor'i to sing it in both English and Tamaranian. Mar'i winches as Damian wraps gauze around her arm. Alfred could no longer wrap it as tightly as it needed to be. She switches to Tamaranian, her father joining her, even though he stumbles over the words more than her," Mar'ida, jequa. Hela sa, sheapa ran. Ne tique rogna. Imn den shemekas. Jequa, mede seskenda je. Mela trompa se qit ne quenat. Reganada, Reganada, unm Mar'ida."
Tameranian always reminded Dick of this weird mixture of Earth languages. Despite some of the works looking like French or Spanish, they were pronounced more like German or Russian. Hearing Mar'i sing in both her native tongues made him proud and sad. No matter what she would always be a hybrid, and one day she's going to snap because of it.
"Dear," Alfred soothingly speaks to Mar'i," I'm going to give you a little shot. It's going to make you very sleepy. Is that ok?"
"NO!" Mar'i jumps away from her father for the first time. She tumbles to the ground, scrambling away from them," No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Don't wanna sleep! NO!"
"Mar'i," Dick reaches for her.
"NO! I want Mommy! I want Mommy!" She cries. Jason grabs her arm, making her shriek as Alfred administers the medicine. In less than a minute, Dick picks her up, her breathing finally normal and her body relaxed for the first time in hours.
"I don't say this lightly," Tim begins," But Joker has crossed a line."
"I agree," Bruce puts a hand on his shoulder," But right now, Mar'i needs to be our main focus. We can discuss what happened later tonight."
"Bruce," Dick pulls him aside as the others begin to wander off," I would have done it if you hadn't stopped me."
"I know, Dick. But I don't want you to become a murderer for your daughter." His adopted father pats him on the shoulder, mindful of Mar'i's sleeping head," If you want you can put her in your old room. It's still the way you left it."
/Line Break/
His old room was indeed just as he had left it. Old trophies from his basketball days. Academic awards. Posters from old bands that he hasn't thought about in years. Even some of his old clothes are still there. He rests Mar'i on the queen sized bed. He had wiped off what grime he could with a damp cloth, but some blood sticks to the underside of her ears. Dick turns as the door opens softly.
"Apologizes, Master Dick," Alfred struggles to carry a large box.
"Here, let me help." He takes the box setting it on the dresser," Why are you lugging this around anyway?"
"It's some of your old things that Master Bruce insisted I not throw away. I believe there should be a few shirts in here that Mar'i can sleep in. Masters Damian and Tim left for the police station. They should return with your luggage. The police seemed to have to taken it in as evidence, but I highly doubt they will find anything incriminating in young Mar'i's bag."
Dick feels his lips twitch, but can't bring himself to smile out right," Unless they're interested in a book of nursery rhymes and a mess of clothes so brightly colored that Kor'i thinks they're too much."
"Have you called Koriand'r?"
"No, I've been busy trying to find her. I'll call her once I tuck her in." Dick pushes her dark from her face. Mar'i wrinkles her little button nose, like Kor'i does when she's having a bad dream.
"Master Dick, I know you have always been rather stubborn on, well, everything, but I know your wife has been one of the best influences in your life. As much as you might not want to admit it, both you and Master Bruce were greatly affected by the murder of your parents. However Master Bruce began to live once again when you entered his life. And Jason and Tim and even young Damian. You, however, seem to grow once you moved away from Batman's apprentice. After all," He gestures to Mar'i," Only you and Koriand'r could make a child like Mar'i."
"Thanks Alfred." Dick manages a half smile. Alfred nods. Once he's alone, he looks through the box. Most of it's from his early days. Fresh from the circus. Fresh from his parents' deaths. He finds an old faded band t-shirt that looks to be about her size. Mar'i is surprisingly easier to dress when she's asleep. She curls up on the pillow, snoring softly. He slides into his old reading chair. He pulls up Kor'i's name on his laptop, requesting a video chat, mind reeling with a thousand different ways to tell her what happened.
"Richard," His beautiful wife beams at him," I was wondering when you were going to call. How is Gotham? Is Nightstar enjoying herself?"
"Uh, Mar'i is-" He closes his eyes," Kor'i, something awful happened."
Her smile drops instantly," What happened? Is Mar'i alright? Are you alright?"
"We're both safe now. We got to the city earlier this afternoon and she wanted to ride on the train through the city. I didn't see any harm in it." He begins to describe everything that happened. He usually kept his stories short and to the point. No bullshitting or beating around the bush. But with Kor'i, he wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her everything and so he did. Kor'i watches her husband's face, taking note of everything he wasn't saying.
"So Joker took our Star and cut her name into her arm after beating her with bar of crows," Kor'i summarizes.
"Basically," Dick rubs his face," You should have hear her, babe. She was screaming for you, for me. It sounded… Awful, just-just awful."
Kor'i's eyes flick over Dick's face. In the years that they have been together- as friends, as lovers, as husband and wife- she has never been able to fully understand how he handles pain. She allows everything to show, her joy, her anger, her fear, her sadness. He simply hides it away, as if it is an inconvenience. The only times that he fails is with their Nightstar. From the day she was born, Dick had never been able to hide his feelings towards her. He once started crying because she toddled towards him and said her first word in English- Dada. So even though he tries to hide it, she sees the anger in his eyes. The pain. The fear.
"Richard," Her voice is calm as she says his full name," Where is Mar'i now?"
"She's asleep behind me. Why?"
"I'd like to see her." Dick obliges, picking up the laptop and positioning the camera to where Kor'i can see her daughter. Aside from the bandage wrapped tightly around her arm and the bruises on her skin, her Nightstar looks almost at peace," She is alive. She is here and she is bright and she is alive. I wish to tear the Joker to pieces for daring to lay a hand on my child, but she is safe with us. With you, Richard."
"Being our daughter is what made her a target," Dick argues, turning the screen back," I love her. So much that it scares me."
"Good," Kor'i tells him," I know love has been seen as a weakness for so many years for you, but today, you saved Mar'i. You saved her because your love for her outweighed the fear of the situation."
He shrugs," I guess. But she still got hurt. She needs you."
There's an unspoken standard in their family. Kor'i handles the tears and pain that no one can see while he handles the bruises and skinned knees. Right now, Mar'i would need her mother more than ever. Thunder cracks on Kor'i's end as she speaks," I am sorry, my love. But because of the storm it is not safe to travel to the mainland. I will attempt a try in the morning but I do not think I can be there tonight, as much as I may want to be. Tonight, Mar'i needs her father."
"She's not going to be the same," He tells her.
"Neither are we. Did you ever think when you were growing up in the circus that you would lose your parents?"
Her bluntness has the impact it needs to. He swallows hard," No."
"And, despite my sister's cruelty, I never thought she would sell me to slavery. We are both made of tragedies that happened to us, but we are better because of it. I want to believe that Mar'i will be ok. I have to believe that."
"How do you know? How do we know she'll be ok?"
"Because she's our daughter."
"So she'll be strong like her mother?" Dick asks, with a hint of a smile.
"No," Kor'i touches the screen," Because she will be resilient. Just like her father."
"I love you," He tells her simply.
"I love you as well. Call me when she awakens. I want to talk to her."
"I will, call me when you leave."
They say goodbye and hang up. Dick studies Mar'i for a while. Her facial features were her mother's without a doubt. Her hair color is like his, but there is no logic to the texture. Some days it curls like fire, others it's pin straight. There are days when half is straight and half is curlled. Her gestures are wide and exaggerated, exactly what someone would expect from a toddler. But as she sleeps, her little is body is coiled tightly. Her legs pulled in close to her chest. Making her as small a target as possible. Dick leans over, pressing his lips to her forehead. He has to believe Kor'i. He has to believe Mar'i is going to be ok. He doesn't know what would happen if she's wrong. He can't imagine his life without his daughter in it.
/Line Break/
Dick leaves his daughter so she can sleep in peace. He finds him down in the Batcave, watching Damian and Jason spar. Jason has about ten years of age on Damian, but Damian had more training. Damian's sword jabs at Jason's ribs. Jason jumps away, kicking Damian square in the chest. Every thud between them reminds Dick of the first time he sparred with Bruce. He must have been nine years old, only five weeks since his parents had died. He remembers the first thing Bruce told him after getting punched in the nose," The bad guys aren't going to give you any slack because you're a kid. If anything, they are going to hit you harder. You have to be ready for that. You have to be ready to be hit over and over, without mercy, without warning, and get back up. You have to learn how to get hit and get back up."
Right now he wishes he had been prepared for this hit. He wishes he had been ready to feel like his lungs had been ripped out of his chest and replaced with ice. He keeps seeing his daughter on that table, her arm oozing. Her face covered in bruises, dark curls sticking to her forehead with sweat and blood. He closes his eyes and a new image comes to mind. A tall butch man and a lovely slim woman, both smiling at him, pulling him close into their arms. He doesn't remember being this small, but God he remembers this hug. He remembers the sound of metal breaking free. That thump. That thump. That thump. Blood pooling around his parents as they lay on the floor of the circus, the flying Graysons grounded at last. He opens his eyes as Damian and Jason stop fighting.
"Dick," Tim had snuck up on him," Bruce wants us all in the library."
"Why you all?" Dick asks numbly. Tim shrugs, then motions to their brothers to join them.
The library had been all four of the boys favorite place at one point or another. Jason had found books on anger and war and vengeance, all of which helped with his own issues (to an extent, beating the shit out of things helped too.) Tim found it calming to be around books, where he knew how the story would end. Damian felt like who he was wasn't defined by his lineage but the path he forged. Dick had spent hours in here, rereading the few books he and his parents had read together, staring at their picture on the desk next to him. Bruce stands near the fire, looking out the window.
"Where's Joker?" Dick asks as the others sit in the overstuffed chairs near the fire.
"In Arkham, with strict instructions no one is to talk to him. He gets food and water and nothing else." Bruce turns to his oldest son," You almost killed him."
"Good, he deserved it. He deserved worse," Dick crosses his arms.
"Dick-"
"I know what you're going to say."
"No you don't."
"We're heroes. We seek justice not vengeance. If we only go for vengeance, we're no better than the criminals we throw in jail," Dick narrows his blue eyes," Did I miss anything? Aside from the personal anecdote about something you experienced that made you learn this lesson?"
"This isn't a joke."
"Does it look like I'm laughing? The only thing you did was stop me from getting revenge on the-the monster that hurt Mar'i." Dick growls. He will not apologize for attacking that scum. He will not be bullied into a corner, or shamed like a little kid who's done something wrong.
"That's my point. You almost killed a man-"
"Bruce, to be fair, Joker isn't much of a man," Jason points out.
"Yeah, if anything, it seems kinda overdue."
"The minute we start thinking like that is the minute we're no better than the Joker." Bruce glances at Tim and Jason, a challenge for them to argue with him.
"Right because you never had anyone taken away from you," Dick stares at his adopted father, shoulders squared," No one you ever wanted to avenge. None of us have ever lost anyone we love, anyone who was always there for us. None of us have ever wanted revenge for them."
"You've made your point," Bruce squeezes the bridge of his nose," You know I love Mar'i. When I figured out she was taken, I was terrified. I knew you all would be looking for her and you all would be too emotional-"
"Yes, we were actually feeling something for once. Maybe you'd like to try it instead of barging into our lives and dictating what happens. You tried to take Mar'i from us. You tried to take my niece and nephew."
"What?" Jason looks at Bruce, eyes narrowing.
"He didn't tell you? The League decided that superhero children were dangerous when together. Mar'i had friends, Matthew and Jania West. They're the kids of my friends Wally and Artemis. Mar'i, Matthew, Jania, Lukas, and Delilah were best friends. All of them. Then four months ago, we were all told we had a choice. We could let them be friends but they had to go to a school for gifted children, or we could keep the children with us but they could never know about each other."
"We wanted to protect you all." Bruce argues.
"By taking away our children? Do you have any idea what it was like? Watching my daughter and her friends having their memories ripped from their minds? The screams are second to today. Today was worse because I couldn't prevent her from getting hurt."
"We were wrong, and we acknowledge it, but you have to understand that we want the children safe as well. We want to make sure they can protect themselves-"
"YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT CHILDREN!" Dick shouts," MY NIECE AND NEPHEW, WHO AREN'T EVEN THREE! MY DAUGHTER! MATTHEW AND JANIA! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH HELL YOU PUT US THROUGH?! HOW MUCH WE HAD TO CONSIDER BEFORE WE COULD EVEN THINK ABOUT LETTING M'GANN ERASE THEIR MEMORIES?!"
The room is filled with silence as the men stare each other down.
"You got into a situation that you weren't ready for."
"MY DAUGHTER IS NOT A SITUATION!" He catches himself," Mar'i is not a situation."
"I never said she was. The situation was you letting your love for Mar'i cloud your judgement. You nearly sliced his throat open with your daughter in the room."
"Bruce," Tim quietly tries to interrupt.
"Mar'i is the only reason that I haven't fallen off the deep end! She and her mother are my lifelines. The only reason I can get out of bed some days."
"You almost killed someone-"
"A murdering psychopath who has killed one of us," Dick motions wildly at Jason," He's tortured all of us. There are scars on my back so thick and deep that no amount of time will ever heal them. Tim still can't hear properly in his right ear. Where do I even start on what he did to Jason?"
"Dick," Tim presses.
"No, but you have to know when to draw the line."
"I would do anything for my family. Something that you obviously won't do for us."
"Don't you dare question what I would do for my sons."
"GUYS!" Jason shouts. They turn towards him. Jason and Tim both look at the doorway.
Mar'i had woken up a few minutes before, startled by her father's shouting. She had stood in the doorway, watching her father and grandfather fight. Her mouth crumples as her eyes well with tears.
"Mar'i?" She runs off, sobs echoing down the hall. Dick runs to the doorway," Mar'i, honey, come back."
"Dick-" Bruce starts.
"You've done enough." He snaps. Dick runs after his daughter, calling her name. Despite her small size, she's incredibly fast. He stops, trying to figure out where she could have gone in the entirety of Wayne Manor. Then he remembers one rule Mar'i always follows. He goes to the nearest bathroom and sure enough the door is locked. He knocks softly," Star? Are you in there?"
"Go away, Daddy," He pulls his lock picking tools from his jeans.
"Honey, whatever you heard, it wasn't- it doesn't matter." The door opens with a soft click. He pushes inside. Mar'i sits in an enormous bath tub, her face buried in her knees. The t-shirt he had put on her fit more loosely than he realized. She looks up, her eyes tinted red around the edges. Dick reaches over and picks her up.
"No, no, no. Don't, I'll hurt you," He pulls her close anyway, wiping her nose with some toilet paper," I don't belong here, Daddy."
"Shhh, yes you do. You do belong here." He sits with his back to the tub. Mar'i shakes her head and tries to push away from him. It's jarring for him to feel her strength. He grunts in pain.
"See?" She sobs," I hurt you!"
"No, baby. You didn't hurt me." He lies," Mar'i, anything you heard-"
"Is it true?"
"What?"
"Am I a situation? Was I an accident? Did you and Mommy want me?" He cups his daughter's face, holding it like she might break if he squeezes too hard. Her eyes search her father's face, for a sign of love, for a sign of acceptance, for a sign that she was wanted.
"You are my daughter," He speaks firmly, even though he doesn't know what to say," You have always been my daughter. Mommy and I wanted kids and we got you. When your mommy found out you were in her belly, I cried. I cried because I was so happy. Mommy and I would tease each other about names and genders, but you were always ours. You were always wanted. You will always be wanted by us. You will always be ours. You will always be loved and cared for and wanted."
"Grandpa-"
"He's hurt right now. Whatever you heard him say, I want you to forget ok." He wipes tears away from her eyes with his thumbs," You belong here. You belong here with our family. I love you so so so much, Nightstar."
"I love you too." She finally embraces her father, sobbing into his shoulder. He holds her close, kissing her, telling her that it's okay, she's okay, he's here. Mar'i inhales her fathers scent with each shaky breath. He smells like mint and sweat, but she feels safe. She can hear his heartbeating. When Daddy is sad at home, Mar'i has seen Mommy take his hand and place it on his chest. She tells him to focus on his heart beat. As long as he has that, as long as he can feel his heart beating, he is alive and here and visible. Mar'i puts her hand on her little chest, where she can find the steady beating of her heart.
Dick smiles at his daughter," I know what you're doing. I do that too, even when Mommy isn't around to remind me. It makes me remember what's important."
Mar'i puts her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. He covers her hand with his.
"My heart is faster than yours," she tells him sadly.
"But slower than Mommy's." He kisses her forehead," You're perfect. You're a perfect mix of me and Mommy. You are perfect."
Mar'i ends up crying herself to sleep, but she knows. She knows she is loved. She knows that her family will help her. Even when she has to face her nightmares alone, she has someone who cares about her. They want her to be okay. She knows because her daddy holds her tight as she sleeps.
Dick can't imagine being the kid he was and thinking about being older. Maybe that's because he never let himself think he would make it to this point. When he was 10 years old, he was still raw with grief, no matter how well he hid it from everyone. Maybe he wanted to die because it meant seeing his parents again. Being with his family again. Now he has a new family. He has brother he loves, friends he cares for, an incredible wife, and a resilient daughter. As he looks out at Gotham city that night, he can't imagine himself being that Boy Wonder. He can't imagine the stupid risks he made because he wanted to see his parents again. He can't imagine it because now he has something worth fighting for. He has something worth living for. He has people he loves once again.
Author's note: This was a bitch to write because I felt like it was way to short then it jumped up a shit ton. Obviously the heroes are not always gifted on what's the right thing to say *cough* Don't you think I've tried *cough* but it does show that they have grown up since being teens. I love writing these parent child relationships with my OCs and heroes that I've admired since I was a kid because I feel like these people would want their kids to stay kids for as long as possible. Anyway, now that I am graduated, I am going to rewrite The Faults in Our Lives. I will be changing POV in the chapters so you get a more cohesive idea about what everyone is feeling. Aside from that I have other projects I am working on. Please leave a comment. I want to know what you think of my stories. Love you all, my darlings.