So I'm a bit early with an update, and might I say I'm impressed that this got as many faves and follows as it has in the two days that it's been up. I'm not complaining, I'm just a little surprised that's all. This chapter will reiterate/establish Dick's memory (as I mentioned in the previous chapters Author's Notes he does have all of his memories). This chapter also sets up how Bruce wants approach the situation. And because of that, this chapter is a bit dialogue heavy. Obviously not all of the chapters following this one will, but what he wants to do had to be addressed and since Alfred is going to be assisting, it has to be relayed to him as well. As such, Damian doesn't have as big a role in this chapter because of the fact that the other stuff had to be dealt with.
"No." Dick gasped. "No. No. No."
He started to back up while trying to let the shock sink in.
"Careful." Bruce cautioned, grabbing Dick's arm and yanking him before he fell over the ledge.
Kneeling down to his level, Bruce gently kept a hold on both of Dick's arms. A shutter erupted as the eight year old anxiously processed the change. His breathing pace had heightened, and it wasn't helping the situation.
"I'm going to need you to calm down Dick." Bruce calmly persuaded as his thumb circled his shoulder. "We don't need you passing out."
A few deep breaths slowly took their course as Dick followed Bruce's instructions. Frantic blue eyes focused on Bruce, craving some form of explanation.
"There you go. Feel better?"
Dick nodded.
"Good. Now, I want to assess your memory. I want to know what we have to work with. Are you Robin or Nightwing?"
"Nightwing." Dick recalled.
Waving Damian over, Bruce would keep a finger pointing at him as he approached them.
"Jason, Tim, or Damian?"
"Damian."
"And as you've already confirmed, you remember being hit by the Joker's latest creation while on patrol with us."
Dick nodded once more. A sigh of relief escaped Bruce. Dick's memories were the least he could ask for.
"Good." He praised, opting to ruffle the ebony hair in front of him. "That's something."
"But Bruce, I don't want to be a kid." Dick whined.
"I know, but we can't exactly stop it since it's already happened. We will find out how to fix this. That much I promise."
An understanding yet disappointed glare was Dick's response. He knew that there probably wasn't much he could do about the situation, nor was there anything else that needed to be added.
"Now I think someone needs to get some sleep."
"I don't want to." Dick immediately refused.
A chuckle escaped Bruce at Dick nostalgic rebellion as a pout graced Dick's face.
"I didn't ask. Besides, it's been a long night and we can settle the rest of this in the morning."
Another protest was ready to emerge, but Bruce's stern demeanor shot it down.
"Oh, alright." Dick bitterly accepted.
"Good."
Standing back up, Bruce would lightly tap his back, prompting Dick's movement.
"I can't believe you have all of his old clothes." Bruce admitted, as he and Alfred brought several boxes to Dick's room.
"Of course I did." Alfred blatantly replied. "I thought I'd save them in the event you finally decided to settle down, get married, and have kids. Looking back on it, I realize that I set my hopes too high for such a notion."
"It was a nice thought Alfred and it did come in handy. Just not in the way you expected."
Dick shuffled his way out of his bathroom, dressed in Batman pajamas that he had gotten for his ninth birthday. With an ever present frown, he tried to suppress the urge to yawn. Amused by his display, Bruce chuckled as the withheld response finally slipped through the cracks.
"Alright cranky bridges, let's get to bed." Bruce persuaded, guiding Dick to bed.
Pulling back the comforter, Bruce watched the child crawl onto the bed. Once situated, he pulled the blanket over Dick, letting rest just below his chin.
"This won't last forever, will it?" Dick tiredly exaggerated as Bruce sat at the edge of the bed.
"Of course not." Bruce replied, running a hand through Dick's hair. "Once I find his weapon and figure out the contents of the gas that hit you, I'll stop at nothing until I find a way to reverse it. Until then, we'll just have to adjust."
"Alright."
Another yawn would escape Dick as he subconsciously curled up a little more.
"Well good night."
"Good night Dick."
Bruce reached over for the lamp, twisting the knob to turn it off.
A quiet click would confirm that the door closed. Stepping away from the door, Alfred and Bruce left the slumbering child alone.
"He's going to have to stay housebound for the time being." Bruce stated.
"Is that really wise?" Alfred questioned.
"He may not like it, but considering the situation, it has to be done. The last thing we need is the unwanted attention of trying to explain why Bruce Wayne took in a child who bears a striking resemblance to Dick at that age. Not to mention I can't have two Robin's running rampant."
A hand would stop Bruce as Alfred grabbed his arm. Restrained annoyance met impatient curiosity.
"Master Bruce, you can't honestly expect to confined Master Richard to the house. We both know how much he loves his independence."
"I know. He will be allowed to step out of the house Alfred, just not off the property. What he needs supervision. You'll be here to keep an eye on him while I'm gone, and should it become necessary, I will have at least one person to watch over him."
There was a brief pause as Bruce's plan started to sink in. Alfred's disagreement was still present, and it wasn't going to go unnoticed.
"We can argue about this until were both blue in the face, but we have to remember that he's just a child. There needs to be structure, and as I've said, this will take some adjusting to."
Alfred chose not to respond to the information that he was presented with. As much as he disagreed with it, he understood that Bruce was trying to process the current state of affairs.
"If that's how you want to handle it, then I guess we shall agree to disagree. It's not like I have much say in the matter, now do I?"
"It's not that Alfred." Bruce tried to explain. "You know I always appreciate you're input. It's just that this happened so spontaneously that I'm forced to immediately plan for how this is going to work out."
An exhausted sigh left Alfred.
"Understood." Alfred concluded, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now, if you don't mind me saying, I think we should both take your advice and call it a night."
Bruce released a worn out smirk.
"Agreed."
Yes we've got the title in here. Though to be honest, I came up with the title because Bruce will be using that a few times through out the story. Mostly when addressing Damian about how he will be handling Dick and the personality that he had at that age (because even though Dick remembers everything, he can only process everything mentally like he would have at that age) as compared to Damian.
Also, I want to let you guys know that I currently have a poll open. It's been open since I completed Breaking You (one week ago exactly). It's really to give me some ideas of fics that I could write (there all ideas that I want to do, but I'd like to see what would stick and I'll decide how I'll go about it once it's closed). I'll keep it open until Wednesday if you're interested.