Chapter 14 – The Butler
Bruce's eyes scanned the table. They lingered on Mar'i and Dick.
"You... know her?" he questioned curiously.
Dick shrugged and smirked at Mar'i. "Something like that. Anyway, it's not like you were grounded or anything so why the clocks?"
Mar'i shrugged. Mostly, she had done that because she was upset that her dad had once again dropped everything to run off with Bruce Wayne. She had naively believed that her being Nightstar would allow her dad to lean on her a little. At least enough to bring her in on certain missions.
"Why is a teenage girl living with you, Dickie?" Jason questioned with a smirk. "And where'd you pick her up?"
Tim gasped in realisation. "She's Nightstar, isn't she? A protégé of yours? Why?"
Dick ignored Jason's questions and answered Tim's with, "yes, no and because she asked."
"A protégé, Dick?" Bruce questioned in a disappointed tone. Obviously, he missed the 'no'. "How much did you tell her about us?"
"Everything, but she's not-"
"Everything?"
Mar'i wondered if this was what criminals felt when the Batman confronted them. The rumble of his voice and the pure fury was enough to make her heart freeze in fear. The way he glared at her was enough to make her feel like an insignificant insect.
"Bruce, calm down," Dick said, holding his hands up. "Let me expl-"
"Dick," Tim said to get him to stop, voice trembling in disbelief. He looked betrayed.
Jason was looking a little pale, like he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Damian was not impressed.
"You told her all our secrets? Without informing me? I am very disappointed in you Dick. Don't you see? You've put us all at risk and for a girl you barely know-"
"Stop arguing!" Mar'i shouted. She felt her hair flare for a moment there. It was either that or start crying. Or punch Bruce Wayne in the face. She didn't think her dad would appreciate that last one.
'Girl you barely know.' Those words hurt more than she thought they could. The implication that she was just some stranger in Dick's life, the implied dismissal of her skill and trustworthiness and the question of whether she really knew anyone here; even her own dad.
The moment of silence caused by Mar'i's outburst provided Dick with an opportunity to explain.
"She's not my protégé," he said calmly and seriously. His blue eyes were level with Bruce's. "She's my daughter."
Damian examined the surprised looks the two Graysons received. When the group realised he wasn't shocked or surprised by this news they looked to him.
He shrugged, "it's true."
"What? How? Why?" Tim stuttered out, not even able to form his questions.
"That can't be," Bruce muttered. "How could you have a child?"
"She's Kori's, isn't she?" Jason questioned. Dick nodded. "How come she never mentioned her?"
"It's complicated," Dick said to Jason.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Tim asked softly.
"The same reason it's complicated."
"A child, Dick. And you didn't tell me."
"Bruce-"
"I can do the math, Dick. You were only a teenager. Seventeen or eighteen. Nineteen at the very most. What were you thinking? Hiding a teenage pregnancy is a stupid move, it's a miracle this girl even survi-"
Then Dick bellowed. It was loud enough that Alfred ended up dropping a tray, but no one noticed. All eyes were on Dick.
"I KNOW THAT! DO YOU? DO YOU REALLY, TRULY KNOW?" Mar'i knew what was coming next. She had heard the story enough times. "Bruce, you weren't there. We didn't know. Kori didn't think she could get impregnated by me. She didn't even realise she was pregnant. To stand in a hospital and be told that my girlfriend just had a baby, do you know what it's like?
"People judge Bruce. The nurses and the doctors look at you and treat you like an idiot. They scrutinise you and scold you for every choice you make. I left Kori for a few moments to call Cyborg and tell him that we wouldn't be back for a few days and returned to be yelled at by a nurse for leaving her alone."
"Wow," Jason said, sounding impressed. "With all that fuss. I'm surprised you managed to keep her a secret."
"Mar'i, I don't regret it," Dick said to her. It was many things. An apology for hiding her. A reminder she was wanted.
She nodded in response. She knew that. But, she also knew that her birth and the stress it put her parents under was one of the reasons they ended up breaking up.
Mar'i answered Jason's question instead. "They entered the hospital under aliases."
"Good thing too, since I had to fudge the dates a little."
"What dates?" Tim asked since Bruce seemed to be frozen.
"Conception dates. Mar'i was born premature. Born early enough that… that the doctors wouldn't have bothered trying to keep her alive if they knew." He glared into the distance and Mar'i wondered if some doctors were feeling a shiver crawl down their backs. "They barely tried as it was. It was only the money I pull under the excuse of 'Tower repairs' which had them working to keep the baby alive."
"Mum thinks I survived mostly because I'm half-Tamaranean and Tamaraneans are hardier than Earthlings," Mar'i added proudly. She was a fighter and she knew it.
Dick spoke quickly, hoping to end this. He didn't want to go into depth. "Mar'i was there for months. The hospital cared for her but anytime Kori or I went in, it was an exercise in self-restraint. It seemed like everyone there was making our lives as unpleasant as they could as well as putting us down every moment they could. So, Bruce. Don't ever question my decisions regarding my daughter."
"How could you put up with that?" Tim asked. "The hospital and the staff?"
Dick just shrugged, because he didn't want to get into that, and changed the subject.
"So Mar'i recently started bugging me about getting into the family business."
"Recently?" Damian questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I remember the young miss had a very familiar enthusiasm for wanting to help," Alfred commented, "even as a child."
Bruce glared coldly at the butler.
"You knew?"
"Sir, I was introduced to the young Mar'i Grayson during one of your 'absences'. She visited her father here in Gotham. They were exciting times, sir," Alfred responded, in a dry tone.
Dick chuckled, "I remember that. I thought you were going to faint."
"As one does when one finds out about hidden love children."
Dick shifted like a scolded child.
"Okay, so she's been at it for a while."
"And you valiantly held out as long as you could," Alfred said in the same, dry tone. It was his version of polite rudeness and cheek.
Mar'i suppressed a couple of giggles while Damian hid his mouth behind his hand.
Mar'i wanted to stay at the manor and explore. Uncle Jason had offered to show her around the Batcave, while in the background Uncle Tim had looked horrified at the suggestion.
However, Mar'i had school and her dad wasn't letting her skip two days in a row. Unfortunately.
"You should be careful," her dad warned her as they drove away. "Batman will probably try and test you. At the very least, he will pay more attention to you than he did before."
"Really?" Because she thought now that he knew who she was, Batman wouldn't send the whole clan out after her like he had been the past few days.
Dick nodded with a solemn gaze locked on the road.
"What about everyone else?" she asked. She had the feeling Uncle Tim would leave her alone. Actually, she didn't think Uncle Tim cared for her presence at all. Uncle Jason would look out for her but not look for her. Damian would probably just keep doing what he had been doing before… if Bruce lets Robin out.
Her dad just confirmed her thoughts, although he added that she would probably be expected to visit the manor sometimes.
"Hopefully this takes a little of the heat off Damian," she mused. Although she doubted it.
"Bruce will want the whole story about you sometime soon, I'll try and change his mind about Damian then."
Mar'i wondered sadly if it would work. Neither she nor her father expected the reaction they had gotten from the family.
Why did they immediately jump to protégé? She hadn't been seen near him at all. It might have been the name, but she figured it would be faster to ask.
"I've still got to tell Oracle." Her dad sounded depressed about it. He didn't like his chances for coming out in once piece.
Mar'i thought about the woman she had met. "Good luck," she said, meaning it. Oracle hated being left out of the loop; especially when it came to something this personal about Dick.