A/N: Sorry again for the late update. I've been really busy with classes.


"You took in children?" Damian looked furious.

"I did." Bruce kept his face emotionless. He had already had this talk with Damian. He wasn't going to fight about it again.

"And we have been de-aged by seven years, making me the only one that actually knows you."

"That is correct." Bruce nodded. "I'm going to need your help. They all come from...unique backgrounds. Cassandra's is at least somewhat close to yours. She's been trained as an assassin, but she has not been taught to speak."

"And all these children fight as your partners?"

"Stephanie is actually supposed to be eighteen, so she's not a child anymore, but yes. Along with you."

Damian eyed the baby in Bruce's arms, who was playing with the buttons on the man's shirt. "I will not care for the infant."

"I won't ask you to unless I really need you to." Bruce adjusted the baby. "I've got four kids and a baby who have no idea who I am or what's going on. I can't tell them the truth of why they're here because they definitely wouldn't believe me, except maybe Stephanie. She's always been open-minded."

"I'm not good with children, Father." Anyone who didn't know Damian would say he looked angry, but Bruce had learned his son's tells, and he knew that Damian was actually somewhat nervous.

"I know, Damian. I promise you though, you get a lot better at it when you're older. You just need to try."

"I will do my best, as I always do." Damian glanced away.

"I couldn't ask for anything more." Bruce smiled.


"So Mr. Wayne says you don't talk." Stephanie had gathered all the children into a circle, trying to keep everyone calm. She still wasn't sure why she or the other children were here, but it definitely beat being at home with her crappy dad. She was kind of worried about Cass, who scared everyone with her attack, so Stephanie tried to befriend the girl. Maybe she could keep the girl from attacking anyone else. She could maybe even get the girl to lighten up.

Cass simply nodded, eyes flitting around the room. She always seemed to be doing that, as if she was calculating potential weapons and escape routes.

"Hm…" Stephanie frowned before brightening. "Hey, do you want me to teach you? That could be fun, right? And you gotta know how to talk in the real world." She looked at the other two children in the circle.

Tim was content to read the books he was provided, but he would look at Stephanie in awe every so often. The girl was so outgoing and social and everything else that Tim wasn't. When she addressed him and Jason, Tim froze.

"Sounds kinda boring but okay." Jason pouted.

All eyes turned to Tim, who slowly nodded. "Okay."

"Cool!" Stephanie beamed. Before they could get started, though, Bruce and Damian walked in with the baby. Bruce crouched down to get eye-level with his kids while Damian just scowled.

"I have to go to work, so Damian is going to watch all of you. He is in charge, so you all need to listen to him. Understand?" Bruce made sure to look every child in the eye, especially Cass and Jason. They all nodded. Bruce stood up and handed Dick to Damian, whose face twisted in disgust.

"Father—"

"I know, Damian. I'm sorry. I have to go to work, though, and Alfred has to come with me. I promise to be back as soon as I can."

"Make it quick." The children watched Bruce leave. Stephanie smiled up at Damian.

"Hi! We're gonna teach Cass how to talk! Wanna help?"

Damian narrowed his eyes at Stephanie. According to Father, this was the future first Batgirl. He didn't see what was so special about her. However, Father said he needed to be 'nice' to the children. Besides, maybe he could dump the infant on the girl. She seemed proficient enough to take care of it. He looked down at said infant, who gurgled at him. Damian scowled at it.

"Fine." Damian sat down and shoved the baby into Stephanie's arms. "Take this."

"Hey!" Stephanie glared. "That's not nice! And he's not a 'this'! He's a him!"

Dick's lip wobbled, and he began to sob.

"Way to go, stupid!" Stephanie tried to rock the baby while Damian fumed.

"It was not my fault. You were the one who shouted." Damian sniffed as he turned his head away from her.

"You're mean…" Jason pouted at Damian.

"I am not here to play House." Damian sneered. "I am here because my father believes you all need to be watched and kept from leaving.

"And someone needs to watch the baby." Stephanie glared at Damian. "I don't think you're the right person though. Do you even know how to take care of a baby?"

"Of course." No, he did not. His mother did not see the need to teach him. He had been training to be a warrior, not a caretaker. "But I will not stoop so low to care for one. That is your job."

Stephanie stared at him. "I'm eleven. I don't know how to take care of a baby!"

"You seem to be doing fine on your own." He nodded to Dick, who was slowly calming down.

"Yeah, I can comfort him, but I don't know how to feed him or—or change him!" Stephanie shoved the baby back into Damian's arms. "You take care of him! You're the oldest here!"

"That does not mean I have to take care of him." Damian pushed the baby back into Stephanie's arms.

"Mr. Wayne said that you're in charge, so you have to take charge of him!" Stephanie dropped the baby into Damian's arms again.

"...While your logic is objectively sound, that does not mean I will lower myself to caring for an infant. That is your job." Damian shoved the baby back into Stephanie's arms, except Stephanie's arms were beginning to get tired, and the baby slipped. Dick hit the floor with a thump. There was a beat of horrified and tense silence, and then the baby began to wail.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! We dropped the baby!" Stephanie burst into tears.

"You dropped him." Damian glared at her, then glared at the baby. Dick only cried harder.

"Make it stop!" Jason had his hands over his ears while Tim's lip wobbled. Tim didn't like it when people yelled, and the wailing from the baby wasn't helping. While no one was looking, Tim crawled away to go hide.

Cass, meanwhile, was staring at the baby in fascination. She had no idea a person, especially someone so small, could make so much noise. She walked over to the baby and peered down at it, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Dick's cries subsided as he noticed the girl. He copied her head tilt.

Jason, not hearing the terrible noise anymore, took his hands off his ears and looked up. Noticing the two children staring at each other, he giggled, finding the image hilarious. This caused Stephanie and Damian to stop arguing. When they saw the pair, Stephanie began to giggle as well while Damian frowned.

"Thanks, Cass." Stephanie smiled at the girl. She picked up Dick and rocked him. "I'm so sorry that Damian and I dropped you. I promise we'll never do it again." Damian snorted, causing Stephanie to glare at him. Suddenly, she frowned and looked around.

"Hey, where's Tim?"


Tim was lost.

He had been trying to find a hiding spot, but somehow he had gotten turned around, and now he had no idea where he was. Tears filled his eyes as he wandered the halls. Thoughts of being lost forever—never being found—plagued his mind. He was never going to go home. Tim stopped and curled up into a ball on the floor. He cried.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. He whipped his head back and saw Cass staring down at him. He was slightly unnerved by her silence and piercing gaze. He held his breath, waiting to see what she would do.

Cass simply removed her hand from his shoulder and held it out to him. Tim eyed her hand warily. He knew what she was capable of and wasn't sure what she was going to do with him. He decided to take her hand and let her lead him, thinking that it was better to risk whatever Cass might do to him than to stay lost forever.

Cass ended up leading him back to the living room, where Stephanie was panicking. When she saw Tim, she handed the baby to Damian and launched herself at Tim, wrapping her arms around him.

"There you are! Why'd you leave? I was so worried!"

Stephanie's words confused Tim. She was...worried about him?

"Why?" Tim asked softly—Stephanie almost didn't hear it.

She looked at him, confused. "'Cause you're my friend."

Tim stared at her, unsure what to think. He had never really had any friends before. Sure, there were some kids he sat with at lunch, but that was just to keep each other from sitting alone. They weren't actually friends. But now, this girl says that he was her friend. He didn't understand why.

"Why?"

Stephanie's confusion grew. "Well, I think you're nice. You're kinda shy, but that's not bad." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Maybe we should teach you to talk more too!"

Now it was Tim's turn to be confused. "But I know how to talk."

"But we can teach you to talk more. Maybe." Stephanie beamed. "Please?"

Tim bit his lip. "O-Okay."

"Yes! Come on!"


When Bruce came home, he heard talking going on in the living room. He smiled, happy that the children were finally getting along. He walked slowly to the living room. He couldn't quite hear what was being said, but it sounded like Stephanie was talking the most. He found his children all sitting in a circle in front of the TV. Stephanie saw him and gasped, shouting excitedly.

"Mr. Wayne! Look! Look! We're teaching Cass to talk!" She nudged Cass. "Say something!"

Bruce couldn't help but smile, finding the whole thing sweet. Having them get along like this was more than he could hope for—

"Fuck."

...

"Damian!"


A/N: If you have any requests or prompts, feel free to send them to my tumblr, browniesarethebest!