And now it starts. Just remember, this chapter was originally the first of a series of one-shots so it's structured a little differently.

14 – Ties That Bind

Christmas break at last. Everyone was home getting ready for the quickly coming holiday. Snow stopped falling outside the manor, giving the grounds and the house a peaceful feeling if someone looked at it from the outside. But if anyone bothered to look within for the past few months, they'd know differently. An uneasy truce currently hung over the Wayne family. Had for nearly the entire season, minus a few fights.

Maybe it was a truce. Maybe it was just someone giving another the cold shoulder. It was hard for Alfred and the rest to tell. All those who could tell something was wrong at least.

"Dick…" Damian tried, knocking on his big brother's door for probably the tenth time that afternoon. "You home?"

There was some shifting around of heavy objects before the actual wooden structure shifted at all. The oldest child in the building finally opened his door, trying to fix his hair and stuff his cellphone away at the same time. "Hey Dami. Your daddy around?"

He looked over and around the toddler, seeing if the coast was clear. The youngest shook his head emphatically. "No. Daddy an' Awfred in kitchen. Wanna pway wif me?"

Dick gave a half smirk, wanting to do just that. But… "Sorry Dami. I've gotta go out and get Christmas presents."

"Wah?"

He pulled on his jacket before leaving his bedroom, looking it over briefly before nodding. "I gotta go out and be Santa for a few hours."

"Santa?!" At this the kid's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. He'd been excited for this time of year ever since they started playing holiday music. Damian really liked the holidays, which wasn't surprising since he was just three. "You Santa?!"

Dick laughed, crouching down and ruffling his little brother's hair affectionately. "Nah, I just work for him sometimes. Uncle Clark does too. And I think so does Barry and Alfred."

"Reawy?!" He was getting really excited now.

"Think so." The teen gave his younger brother a strong hug, sensing the kid's earlier loneliness. It was hard to be mad at anyone when this cute little face was looking up at him like that. But the fact that it was also Bruce's face as a child still caused him a little pain. That guy just wouldn't… "You know I love you right?"

"I wove you too." Damian hugged him back, best his little arms could at least.

"Good." He looked into his brother's eyes, some sadness in his eyes. "Never forget that. No matter what I say or do or what happens between me and your daddy, I'll always love you. You and Tim and Jason and Cass. And Alfred. I'll always love you guys."

"I know." The toddler smiled merrily. It was hard to believe a year and a half ago this kid would hide in his dad's arms over smiling and laughing at them. "You wove Daddy too."

This stung the young man a bit. He looked away for a moment before standing and admitting anything. "Sometimes. It's... complicated."

He shook his head. He was still mad at him for what happened over Halloween and the arguments since then. They hadn't talked much lately, so the arguments had stopped, but with the holiday season coming to its peak, it was becoming harder to enjoy himself and avoid him. He really didn't want to argue with Bruce again. He didn't like hiding in his room and not playing with the others either. He really had to face the man again, and soon. This uneasy standstill between them was hurting their family bit by bit.

Selina sensed the tension and took off for the Hawaii or something after he ditched their Thanksgiving meal. She was the lucky one who could stay out of the crossfire. The League hadn't caught much of it either because they only dealt with Bruce unless it was some kind of family emergency. His other siblings and Alfred though, they were feeling like they had to be on eggshells around them. Everyone kept their mouths shut when both were in the room, or in Jason's case he'd change the subject to something everyone could possibly agree on. Each of them tried to get the two to reconcile separately, but so far nothing stuck.

What were they fighting over again? Oh yeah, how Bruce was being an overprotective, mother hen who wouldn't cut the umbilical cord already and let Dick live his own life!

Looking back to Halloween though, then the war between them really started, he had to admit he was a bit reckless. Guns were fired at him, and he could have gotten Jason and Cass shot because of their involvement, but no one was hurt. Instead they had saved people's lives, including Bruce and Selina's second identities. They brought down about a dozen gunmen and saved near a hundred lives! But did that matter to Bruce? Was he proud of their efforts? No, not really. All he saw was reckless endangerment and it scared him to the point that he was furious at Dick. Not Jason or Cass, the responsibility fell straight on to Dick's shoulders.

Oh, and the man wouldn't let him date Barbara Gordon, the Commissioner's daughter, even though she had a clean background and he was sixteen. Sheesh… Even uptight Mormon kids were allowed to date then. He wasn't allowed to date anybody!

The teen kneed his forehead for the oncoming headache that accompanied his many thoughts about those fights. He had to get Bruce to listen to him. He wasn't eight years old anymore! He didn't need saving every second of the day and his nightmares were bearable now. He didn't need protection anymore. Bruce had four others to worry about. Couldn't he give the senior a break? How was he expected to go to prom without a date anyway? He'd done everything right by Bruce up until then. And what he did was exactly what Batman used to do all the time.

Maybe that was it. The man was so focused on making sure his family didn't get hurt from the criminal community he forgot what it was like to actually be part of the one fighting crime. Forgot what it was like to be in the thick of it. When was the last time he wore the cowl again? He knew he wore it when he took Damian away from his ex-demon-princess-fiancé. And he hadn't fought much, had he?

"Dick?" Damian's small curious voice brought him out of his thoughts. Even though the three year old hadn't quite picked up what was happening around him, he was still aware of how different people felt. Kids that age were like that.

So his brother just smiled at him, trying to push everything back. "I'm okay. Hey, how about we find the others? I'm sure we can get them to play with you."

"Okay!" The toddler dashed forward, heading to where he last saw the other three. His big brother followed, smiling to himself. That kid was just too cute.

They found Jason and Tim busy playing on the Wii. Tim had hacked the system and combined it with a game making program to make a more realistic baseball game for them to play. The two of them were absorbed in the game that they barely heard the duo coming in.

"Dude, that's a foul."

"No, that's a bad pitch!"

Jason grinned at Tim next to him. "My pitch was perfect. You just royally suck at this."

The little genius glared daggers at the white locked trouble maker next to him. "You want to see my batting? Let's take this to the field!"

"Uh, guys?" Dick inclined his head over to Damian at his knees. "Mind playing with him? I've gotta get some Christmas presents."

"Seriously?" Tim whined. His brother knew the nine year old hated babysitting Damian, but the two really needed to learn to get along. It had to be a combination of jealousy and just being brothers that made them act that way, but then again Dami did bite him. A lot.

"Why now?" Jason asked curiously. "I mean, Christmas is in four days. What's taken you so long?"

"Finals." He grinned at himself. Dick was nearly done with his senior year, just one semester left! Then he could go anywhere! Sure he'd be a minor for another year or so, but really, being out of high school was a huge accomplishment. Even Bruce would have to acknowledge he wasn't a kid after next term. "Plus a few of them were special orders. Just have to pick them up and now's the best time."

"You'll be back for dinner though right?" Tim asked, coming closer. He clearly missed having Dick at dinner with them. No one liked how much Jason tried to fill in the silence at the table when he wasn't there. Including Jason.

The oldest looked away awkwardly for a moment. He really did have to stop hiding from Bruce. He had to talk to him. Christmas was about family after all. He should make it a good one, for the others if no one else. So that meant fixing, or at least trying to fix, what was wrong between the two of them. "Yeah," he murmured. "I'll be back for Alfred's cooking. Just play with Dami for a bit okay?"

"Alright alright." Jason came up to the little guy and picked him up, making the kid laughed loudly. Really, the tyke was so quiet last year and now he hardly shut up. The younger teen looked at the elder, smirking. "My present better be good Dickybird."

"Pft. Of course it is Jaybird!" Dick grinned. "This is me we're talking about!"

The boys all laughed at the comment before saying bye to him and letting him move on. Dick kept going through the house, careful not to make any noise as he made it past the kitchen and towards the garage. Cass spotted him from her favorite reading spot in the parlor but merely nodded before going back to her book. Every once in a while, Dick loved how quiet she was. Once in the garage of used cars (the collector cars were in the one further from the road), he spotted the vehicle he wanted: his motorcycle.

"Hello Shirley." He knelt next to his bike, making sure all the chains and tractions were right. Couldn't risk too much with this weather; it'd only put Bruce in a more foul mood towards him. Paranoid, overprotective, helicopter, mother hen. Well the plus side was Bruce taking care of the winter tires on the bike, along with his car. That'd make this a lot easier. He double checked the saddle bags and his helmet before being satisfied with it and getting mentally prepared to go.

"You should take the car."

Dick froze at the voice. He'd been trying to avoid it for nearly two months. Really, he didn't want another argument. They had enough of those and what conversations they did have were snippy short, hot tempered ones. Both knew they were sick of them. He looked over to Bruce at the garage's doorway, watching him expressionlessly. "Better traction and stability."

"It's just gonna be me and the presents are small." The teen zipped up his jacket tight before working on his gloves. Were they always this small and slippery? "Besides, it's easier to park and with gas prices being the way they are, this'll save a lot of money."

The man nodded, grunting slightly. It made the boy blink. Did he just agree with him? Even though both of them knew the risks? Dick fought to hide his shock as he put his helmet on. It was a Christmas miracle. "I'll be back before dinner."

"We really need to talk." Bruce seemed a little nervous, anxious even. His hands were fiddling with his coat's lining, a sign to the teenager there was something he really wanted to talk to him about but was unsure how to start.

Dick watched him for a good minute in silence. He hadn't seen Bruce like this since he was his ward and the man was trying to bring up adoption. It was just after Jason joined them and he could still remember that day perfectly. One of the best days of his life. Seeing that look now, some hope and relief started to come to his chest. Maybe they could work things out at last. Bruce had given him space lately. Maybe... Maybe now they were really ready to talk.

Just not at that precise moment. "After dinner. I promise." He gave the man a weak smile, slightly apologetic. "I've got a few errands to run now or I'll miss my golden opportunity."

"Understood." Bruce pressed the button opening the garage door, letting him continue on his own. There was some worry in his eyes as Dick revved up the motor. "Be careful on the turns. No unnecessary risks."

"Where's the fun in that?" He gave the exasperated man a quick grin before escaping his presence entirely. Yeah, he'd be careful, but there was no way he'd confirm that with the old man. He deserved to sweat a little more. And there wasn't a blizzard scheduled in Gotham for another couple weeks. He'd be fine.

Bruce watched him drive off until he was no longer in sight, still worried for the teen. Before that Halloween night, he was far more compliant, but even before then the teen's rebellious phase started, and it worried him. Always worried him. Bruce worried. It was just how he was, regardless of how careful he knew the kids could be. Parents worried.

'You're not my father Bruce! Stop telling me what to do!'

Those words still ate at him. Ate away at every cheery memory he had of Dick. He wasn't his father, physically. But for about half the kid's life, he felt like he was. In his heart, Dick was his first born, the spark that brought warmth back into his life. The others would have had a nearly impossible time if he hadn't come around first. They may not even be with him right then. He may not be John Grayson, but Dick turned Bruce into a father.

And as a father, he had to make it up to him.

Slowly he took out an envelope from his coat pocket containing Dick's Christmas present. It was the best he could come up with and it took a couple weeks to get it together. He was thinking of giving it to him early, let him chose when to use it. Maybe it'd make things easier between them. He was hoping it would. He missed the hyper, affectionate eight year old he first took in.

Dick felt he could breathe a little easier once he was outside view of the manor, but his stomach still twisted in knots. It wasn't the Christmas presents he was thinking about right then. Heck, it wasn't even the talk he promised Bruce they'd finally have that night.

It was that text. The one that woke him from his nap before Damian's knocking.

I know your family's secret. Unless you want the underworld to know the truth, come to warehouse S14D3 on the southwest side of Gotham. Come alone. Tell no one. 4pm. Your sister's reading 'Great Expectations'. Fulfill mine.

Dick gripped the handles tighter as he thought about it. He gave Cass that book and she started it just yesterday. Whoever sent him that text had eyes in the manor. It was likely they knew about the League. About Batman. Maybe even about Cass and Damian's origins. If the criminal community had even a little bit of that information…

"Okay ugly," he murmured in his helmet. "Who are you?"

A/N: Just when you think things are going to get better, they start going south. Dick puts his desk in front of his door to make sure no one can get in. in a family where you learn to pick locks, this tends to be necessary. Damian still has his biting Timmy fetish (it's a fun joke) and Jason and Timbo love to compete against each other while I made Cass a bookworm. That's a small review of what's happened so far.

The thing in Bruce's pocket will be talked about more near the end. And anyone catch the l33t? It's the small jokes that make the story so much fun. Tomorrow the boot drops.