The Joy of Cross Dimensional Travel

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Jason has a dirty mouth

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Jason woke up with pit in his stomach. He recognized the feeling immediately. It was the same feeling he had when he had traveled the multiverse. It was the same damn feeling. Which meant he was in a different universe. Jason did not believe in coincidences. And even if he did, this was too big of one for him to not to be suspicious at the very least.

Looking around, Jason noted that he was wearing his Red Hood uniform and that he had no idea where he was. The uniform would be useful if he was in fact in another dimension. Taking off his helmet, he slipped a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. Sliding them on his face, he allowed himself to take a moment to feel grateful that his costume made him look like a biker. With his helmet tucked under his arm, people would assume that Jason was a motorcyclist and not some vigilante.

Frowning, Jason headed in a random direction. First things first, he had to figure out where he was. What city. What year. What Earth. Then, he had to figure out whether or not his brothers joined him on this impromptu trip. Knowing his luck, they did. He had to find them before they got themselves killed or worse. He was the multiverse expert in the family, his brothers were likely to screw something up. Especially Damian. He needed to find the kid first. And he had to figure out how he got here in the first place. Wherever here was.

###

The first thing Jason did was swipe a police radio. That way, if one of his brothers got in trouble, he'd be the first to know. He used one of Tim's gizmo thingies to modify the scanner so that he would only get an alert if it matched the description of Nightwing, Red Robin, or Robin. If he was in costume, than so were his brothers. On second thought, he added the descriptions of Dick, Tim, and Damian. He couldn't remember how he ended up here, and there was always the possibility that they swiped clothes to appear normal.

The second thing Jason did was go to a bar. People always seemed more loose lipped there, and Jason might be able to gleam some information without raising any suspicions. For an hour, Jason sipped casually at a beer, pretending to be buzzed and allowing the people around him to relax. He learned that he was in Gotham and that it was the same year as his Gotham. He also learned that while there was a Batman, there had never been a Robin. Meaning that Bruce never adopted any of them and never conceived a child with Talia al Ghul.

Jason leaned back in his chair. If Dick never became a child hero, that meant that there would be no other sidekicks in this dimension. Dick had been the first, and he had been the trend setter. Without him, Ollie would have never adopted Roy, and Barry wouldn't have taken Wally to his lab.

A darker thought entered Jason's mind and he fingered one of his guns in contemplation. Without child heroes, there would be nothing holding the Justice League back from being more vicious and brutal. Dick had once told him that Batman had been considerably more violent, and that had stopped once Robin had started making a nightly appearance. They would have to be weary of this Justice League. If they were to be perceived as a threat, they wouldn't be kind because they were young. A fact that made it all the more imperative that he find his brothers before they found trouble or the Justice League.

As if magically summoned, the police radio crackled to life. Jason quickly threw down some cash on the bar and ran into the cold night. "Dispatch we got at 10-10. That is a fight in progress. Looks to be a group of thugs fighting a kid."

"Does the kid need medical assistance?"

"No, but the thugs do."

"Wait for backup. The kid could be armed and dangerous."

"10-4."

Jason used his grappling gun to launch himself to the roof. Taking his sunglasses off, he put his helmet back on. The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize Jason Todd. Granted, who knew if this world's Jason Todd was still alive let alone recognizable to the cops.

He couldn't think about that now. He had to rescue the kid. Who was most definitely Damian. He didn't know any other kid who could take down thugs. Especially, in a world with no Robins.

###

Jason cursed his bad luck. Of course he was too late to get Damian at the scene of the crime. So he was forced to go and try to kidnap the kid from the police station. From what he could tell from the outside of the building, it was the same as the Police Station in his Gotham. The only problem would be getting past all the police officers. If Tim were here, he'd make most of the officers disappear on a fake emergency so that they could slip in undetected during the mayhem. But Tim wasn't here, and Jason didn't have his talent for hacking. But he did have a talent for explosives.

Finding where to place them was the tricky part. It had to be close enough to the station, where a majority of the police officers would leave, but it had to be far enough that neither Batman nor the Commissioner would grow suspicious. It also had to be far enough away that Jason could grab Damian and leave long before any cops came back. Then there was the fact that he had to make the explosives do damage without civilian deaths. And finally, there were his two missing brothers. Jason really hoped that they were smart enough not to investigate the explosion and get themselves caught by this dimension's Batman. That was the last thing he needed.

Deciding that the placement of the explosives was as good as it was going to get on short notice, Jason returned to the roof across from the police department. Lying down so that nobody would see him, Jason flipped the switch and watched as five explosions went off in a row around ten blocks from their current location at an abandoned warehouse.

Jason watched in tense silence as cops steamed out of the building and jumped into their awaiting cars. When he was sure that no more cops were going to leave, Jason rappelled himself down into the alley. From there, he casually walked across the street and into the building, helmet once again tucked under his arm and sunglasses in place.

Nobody noticed him as he strolled on back to where the holding cells were. Jason almost felt the need to draw attention to himself to prove a point. He was armed and dangerous, and literally able to walk to where they held their prisoners with no hassle.

As he rounded the corner, Jason froze. There was a cop standing in front of the cell holding Damian. On closer inspection, Damian was actually acting as a lookout as the cop picked the lock. What the hell?

Jason strode purposely forward. The kid's eyes widened and he hissed at the cop. The cop turned around to reveal...Dick?

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Jaybird! I'm so glad you're okay!"

Dick barely turned to greet him, his focus completely on the lock in front of him. With an audible click, the heavy cell door swung open and Damian stepped out. "Not bad Grayson. Though I could've done it in half the time."

"That's nice Lil D, but we really gotta get outa here."

Jason followed behind Dick as the man led them out the door. They weren't lucky. A balding cop stopped them right in front of the door. "What are you doing? Who gave you permission to let the kid out? And who the hell is that!"

For the first time in a long time, Jason didn't have a lie ready on his tongue. Dick, fortunately did. Pointing in Jason's direction, Dick gave the cop his most charismatic smile and used his most agreeable tone. "That's Detective Jay Peters of the Bludhaven Police Department, and his son Davie. Peters has had Davie in all the martial arts he could afford because Bludhaven is so nasty. As for permission, here's the transfer papers. They just got faxed over. I was gonna walk them to their car, but I'd be more than happy to do something else if you need me to, Sir."

The cop seemed to like the respect that Dick was giving him and nodded authoritatively. "No. Walk them to their car. Repost to me when you get back."

"10-4 Sir."

Jason sighed so loudly the second that they were out of the building and once again traveling through the shadows, that he thought he might deflate like a balloon. He couldn't believe that Dick had managed to talk his way out of that one. He would never again doubt his brother.

Speaking of which, Jason checked Dick and Damian out from head to toe to make sure that they weren't sporting any injuries. He was turning into such a fucking mother hen. To his relief, neither had any noteworthy wounds.

Dick broke the silence. "Is it safe to assume that you were responsible for the explosions tonight?"

Jason sniffed. "Is it safe to assume you stole a police uniform?"

Duck blinked in shock. "Well more like I borrowed it from a friend of Matches Malone. Apparently he's a corrupt cop."

"No fucking way. You stole from Batman!"

Dick wrinkled his nose and started the take off the uniform, revealing the Nightwing costume underneath. Folding the uniform expertly, Dick tapped a pattern into the side of the trash bin. A small section of the alley wall slid open and Jason watched with his jaw hanging open as Dick shoved the uniform inside right before the wall slammed shut.

"I prefer the term 'borrow'. Besides, what he doesn't know won't hurt him, and it was for a good cause."

Damian scoffed, but did not make a move to disagree. He was that good cause after all. "Grayson? Where did you get the transfer paperwork?"

"Well I was in the process of making it for myself when I heard the explosions. I assumed it was Jason and that he was making a distraction. You being Jason's son, and from another police department made a better cover story. I didn't want to get caught sneaking my own kid out, as it would seem suspicious. And if they caught me they might of looked closer into me, and since neither Tim nor Babs made the background, it wouldn't hold up."

Jason blinked in surprise. That was insightful. Way more thought went into that than into Dick's usual plans. "Good thinking. Now we just need to find Tim. I managed to get some info, but I assume by now Tim has managed to get more."

Dick nodded seriously. "I know where he'd go. Follow me."

###

"We're at the fucking library. Seriously?"

Dick rolled his eyes at Jason before sending a grappling line to the roof. His brothers followed his example, and found Dick already opening a skylight. From there, each brother dropped down to the ground floor. Dick jerked his head to the side, indicating for the other two boys to follow him.

Jason cleared his throat softly. "Why are you so certain that he'll be here?"

"We did 'what if' scenarios once when we were on a stake out. Being tossed into an alternate dimension came up. Tim said that he would break into the library because he could use their computers to hack into the Justice League or its equivalent. Also, he said that there might be some texts that would indicate what Earth he was on."

Jason nodded. From a tactical standpoint it made sense to gather as much information as possible before engaging the enemy. They rounded the corner, and a faint glow from a computer became visible. Approaching with slightly more caution, Jason walked up to the raven haired boy at the computer. Dick spun the boy around, and when they registered that it was in fact Tim, Dick tackled him for a hug.

"I'm so glad that you're okay Timmy! I was worried that you might deviate from your original plan when you figured out that we were here too!"

For the first time, Jason noticed how much stress Dick seemed to be under. He had hid it well, but there was no mistaking that he lost a huge weight off of his shoulders when they found Tim.

"Dick, you said the first thing you'd do was check if the three of us managed to come with you. I knew that you would be looking for us, and the best place I could be was the place we had once talked about."

Tim patted Dick's head awkwardly when the man squeezed him tighter. "Dick if you could get off of me, I could tell you what I found."

Jason straightened the smirk falling of his face. For a moment, he had been so caught up in everything that he had forgotten where they were. Or more accurately, where they weren't. "I found some stuff out from the locals too. It seems like the date's the same, but on this Earth, Dick never became a junior hero. None of us did. And without Dick setting the trend, the League never got partners."

Tim nodded sagely. "From what I can tell, the League's more violent and influential here too. It's also way bigger."

Damian's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? The League is the League, how can it be bigger?"

Tim ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, it just is. There's more members and even part-time members. Batman seems to be a part-time member, though he is one of the founders. He's different in this world."

Dick leaned against a bookcase, a haunted look on his face. "Let me guess, he's more violent, toes the line between hero and villain a little too much for the League to feel comfortable around him. He brutally beats even the pettiest of criminals."

Tim stifled a gasp. "How'd you know? It's like Jason's death all over again!"

"Because that's how he used to be, before I came along. Before Robin."

###

It was five a.m. and Jason really wanted to go to bed. They hadn't had much luck figuring out what Earth they were from and what Earth they were on currently. And with daylight coming soon, they really had to leave and find a place to crash.

"Guys...I think I got it."

Jason's head snapped over to where Tim was blinking owlishly at his computer screen. Jason couldn't read the barrage of random symbols, but if Tim did, then their day was saved. "Tell us what you got Timbo."

Tim started talking in gibberish and by the looks of it, Damian was just as ready to hit him as Jason was. Dick however, ruined it by placing both hands on Tim's shoulders and saying, "Breathe Timmy. Take a deep breath and start again. This time, in English. And make it for dummies. I couldn't understand a single word you were saying."

Tim took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I think I have it. I'm pretty sure that this is Earth Prime, or Earth 1. From what I can gather, we are from Earth 2. The difference between these worlds is just one event. Batman goes to the circus. From there he gains Robin. Robin balances him out and makes him more of a team player allowing him to be a full fledged member of the Justice League. With Batman as a member, they don't take in as many heroes because Batman is so suspicious of everyone. Robin starts the trend of child heroes, which leads to all the various teams that were built. Point being, Dick here, he changed everything."

###

They were sitting in a crappy motel room trying to figure out their next move. They had been lucky that Damian had just replenished his emergency cash supply and had a little over one thousand dollars so that they were able to get a room and still have plenty of leftover cash. Dick had insisted that they take a nap first so that they wouldn't be tired and therefore could perform at maximum capacity. Jason could see that his mother henning was going to be thing, and made a mental note to make sure that they took care of Dick too. Otherwise, his brother would take the brunt of everything for them.

So after a grand total of six hours of sleep (multiverse travel takes it out of you), the brothers were eating snacks from a vending machine and debating their next move. Of course, there was only one real choice of action that they could take.

"We need to get the Justice League on board. I can't create a machine without their supplies or their computer system."

Jason hated the fact that Tim had a point. The problem would definitely be making the Justice League think that they weren't a threat.

Dick bit his lower lip. "You think if you hack the zeta beams and get us up there, that they would notice us? I mean, you said that there were a lot more heroes than in our world."

"I can get us up there, but Batman will notice the hack. And he'll most likely come up to check it out. That or lock down the Watchtower."

Jason's mind whirred. What could they do? There was no way that the Justice League would help them, there were too many holes in their story. They could probably tell them the whole truth because they were on a different Earth and therefore would not mess up the time stream, but who would believe them? And he was not going to let a martian in his head. Not after the last time. "If we get up there, what do you think our chances of going unnoticed are?"

Tim shook his head. "Dick might be able to get away with it, but he'd still be considered extremely young. You might be able to get away with it with your helmet on, but there would be no way that they wouldn't notice me and Damian."

Dick ran a hand through his hair. "And we need Tim up there at the very least. He's the only one of us who can make the machine let alone read the information that he needs."

Damian sniffed. "Why don't we go to Father? If we have him do a paternity test, at the very least he will know that I am his blood son. I will verify our story."

Dick offered the boy a sad smile. "That's true Lil D, but he would also see where the other half of your DNA comes from. No doubt his computer will tell him that you are the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. That will be detrimental in our case. Our Bruce might know that you switched sides, but this one doesn't."

Jason eyed the boy. He looked lost before a mask of indifference slipped firmly in place. Sometimes, Jason forgot that Damian was just a kid. Despite all the grown-up words and death threats, he was a lost little boy just like the rest of them had been when Bruce took them in.

Tim cleared his throat hesitantly. "By now, our Bruce is looking for us. Can't we just wait for him to figure it out?"

Dick paused for a moment before shaking his head. "No. We don't know what kind of evidence we left behind. Hell, we don't even remember how we got here. For all we know, Bruce thinks we're dead."

Jason frowned. Could their Bruce handle thinking all four of his sons were dead? From what Tim had told him, Bruce had barely handled it when he thought Jason was dead. If all four of his sons were to die at once, what would he do? He wasn't going to wait around and find out. "Why don't we just walk in like we own the place? The founders have a weekly meeting tonight. We walk in and demand help. They don't give it, we work together and kick their asses before escaping. We can hide in Gotham. The League's too arrogant to think that we're hiding in one of their cities."

Dick nodded grimly. "I think that may be our only option."

There was something unsettling about the look on Dick's face. Like he was planning the best way to take down the whole Justice League on his own. Like he was preparing to take down his father to protect his brothers. And then it hit Jason like a freight train. They might actually have to take down Bruce, immobilize him, so that they can escape. It wasn't going to be a friendly sparring match, it was going to be an all out battle. And Dick was planning to do it on his own.

Jason steeled himself. He would prevent anyone from interfering with Dick's fight. He would watch his brother's back. And he would make sure that his younger brothers would not watch Dick take down Bruce. And later, if Dick actually did have to take down Bruce, he would offer his shoulder to cry on without judgement. Because there was no way that Dick would come out of that battle emotionally sound. And while Jason would gladly take the responsibility away from Dick, Dick was their best shot at winning.

Jason pulled himself away from the exchange with Dick to refocus on Tim who had never stopped talking. "We should use the time we have to restock our belts and get some better food in us. We should also get some more rest. We're going to have a long night."

Jason nodded his head. "Tim, you should get the food. Nobody will recognize you. I'll go to where my old suppliers are in our world. Maybe we'll get lucky. The two D's can start making fake ID's for us in case this goes south."

Tim nodded before shaking his head. "Wait. I'm still in uniform. Am I supposed to walk around town like this?"

Dick sighed noisily. "I would never ever usually recommend this, but go steal something from the next room over. You can give it back later."

Tim nodded, and all four brothers set off to do their respective tasks. They had a deadline to meet, and they needed to be prepared for the worst possible scenario. They had a home to get back to. And nothing was going to get in their way.

###

Jason strapped the extra magazines he had bought to his to the inside of his jacket. Then he added his new gun to the holster on his thigh. Looking up, he watched as Damian experimentally swung his new katana before placing it back in its sheath strapped across his back. Tim meanwhile, was repacking his utility belts and fingering the shard of kryptonite that Jason had managed to acquire despite the short notice. Dick was checking out the battery packs for his escrima sticks and had a grim look on his face as he strapped throwing knives and a bo staff to his body.

Jason noted that they all had yellow paint packs secured to their bodies and that they each had some sort of flaming explosive that he had managed to make. They needed every advantage they could take. And Jason for one, wasn't sorry that they might be 'cheating'.

"You guys ready?"

Dick nodded, the frown on his face leaving no traces of his usual grin. "Let's do this."

They all followed Tim quietly to the zeta beam. As Tim hacked, Dick seemed to be debating something. "Guys. If this goes south. And I mean really south. I'll cause a distraction. You guys run to the hangar and get out of there."

Damian scoffed. "We're not leaving you behind Grayson. You are the one that forced me to watch Disney movies in order to establish morals. If I remember correctly, Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind."

Dick sniffled before straightening. "That might be, but sometimes you need to leave someone behind momentarily so that you can regroup. I fully expect you to retrieve me later, but I'm the eldest, and that means it's my responsibility to make sure you guys are safe."

Before Tim and Damian could argue further, Jason grunted. "We got it. But I won't stand in as eldest forever. You'll have to come back and take the mantle."

"I'll always come back Jaybird. As long as I'm breathing, you can bet your inheritance that I'll be fighting as hard as possible to come back to you guys."

Tim wiped at his masked eyes. "The zeta beam is ready. No more names, it's time to be heroes."

Dick, Nightwing, nodded before pulling them all into a group hug. For the first time since he came back from the dead, Red Hood went into the embrace willingly. Whatever happened next, would probably be far from pleasant.

###

Nightwing forced himself to exhibit an air of confidence and casualness as they walked down the halls of the Watchtower. Heroes kept stopping to stare at them, presumably because they were so young. Nightwing really hoped it wasn't because of some other reason that they had yet to discover. They were already going in blind, he hoped they weren't going in deaf too.

When they arrived at the door that they knew housed the weekly meetings that Batman was undoubtedly attending, they paused. Nightwing stared at the door that held their fate. "You guys ready for this?"

Red Robin drew in a sharp breath. "Not really."

Red Hood cracked his neck and jumped on the balls of his feet, fingering his weapons. "Too bad. Let's get the fucking show on the road."

Nightwing nodded his head once and Red Robin entered the key code. The door swung open and the four brothers walked in. It was time to meet their fate head on.

###

When the brothers walked in, Superman was just in the middle of saying, "For our next order of business–"

"That would be us. Anything else can wait." Nightwing really wanted to facepalm. Way to make a good first impression Red Hood! It wasn't like they were in a room full of the most powerful people on the planet whose help they needed to get back home. Oh wait, they were.

Giving each of his brothers a glare that clearly said, I'll do the talking, Nightwing stepped forward, aware of how each of the heroes in the room tensed at his movements. Even more aware of his brothers tensing behind him. He needed to diffuse the situation fast.

Drawing all the skills that he had learned at his tenure at Wayne Corp, Nightwing gave a charming smile. "What my brother meant to say was that we would greatly appreciate it if you gave us your time to help resolve an issue."

Batman glared fiercely. If Nightwing hadn't been on the receiving end of it more times than he'd like to admit, he might of (definitely) cowered. Or wet his pants. Fifty-fifty chance really. Point being, he was immune, which irked Batman, if the deepening of his frown was anything to go on. "There are plenty of heroes outside if you need help. Leave. We're busy."

Nightwing ignored the dismissal and the pain it brought to his heart. "I never said we needed heroes. We need the Justice League. Or more accurately, their resources. And you're the only ones we trust with something so big."

Superman cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. "I can't see your faces. Your masks are lined with lead."

Robin sniffed. "We are not imbeciles or amateurs. Of that, I can assure you."

Nightwing really wanted to send Robin a reprimanding look, but Batman would pounce on any sign of weakness, of disunity. Batman stood up slowly. "You are not in the League's database of known members or allies. Who the hell are you, and how did you get up here?"

Shit. Nightwing knew he was forgetting something. He opened his mouth to talk, but Wonder Woman beat him to the punch, literally. Nightwing panicked and threw her over his shoulder and to Damian, who already had his sword out. Great.

"I suppose there's no way for us to talk this out?" Batman's punch aimed at his face told him the answer to that question.

"Nightwing! You focus on the Old Man! We got everyone else! Don't worry, we got your back!"

Nightwing yelled a thank you out to Red Hood as he backflipped out of the way of Batman's attack. Drawing out his escrima sticks, he twirled them around his hands as he circled Batman. His brothers could handle the rest of the founding members, his focus needed to be on defeating his father.

At the same time, both men launched at each other and began an intricate dance. Nightwing managed to get in more hits as he was used to Batman's fighting style, whereas the man was not used to his. That wasn't to say they weren't evenly matched. The few hits Batman did get in managed to break his ribs, and he was pretty sure that he had torn something in his shoulder.

Springing back, they circled each other again. "You're wondering who I am. Who taught me."

"Yes."

"I'm looking at him."

Batman lunged forward experimentally, and watched as Nightwing flipped out of the way gracefully. "I think I would remember having an apprentice."

Nightwing wiped away the trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Funny. I thought you would remember having four sons. Guess we're both wrong."

Nightwing lunged forward at his shocked father. It was time to finish this.

###

Red Hood surveyed the battle as he fought Wonder Woman. She had been trying to lunge at Nightwing when he had tackled her, bringing her undivided attention onto him. Good. She wouldn't be tempted to beat on his younger brothers then. Not that they couldn't handle themselves. Red Robin had already used the kryptonite to bring down Superman and Robin had used the yellow paint pack to neutralize Green Lantern's power. Now they were fighting off Aquaman, Flash, and Martian Manhunter. He wished the older heroes luck. Red Robin and Robin might be physically young and small but they were vicious little fuckers. Not to mention lethal and brilliant. A bad combination for whoever was on their bad side.

Returning all his focus to Wonder Woman, he exchanged his guns for a hunting knife. Guns would get nowhere with those stupid bracers. Now, if he could get her to use her lasso on him, he could tie her up.

When she brought out her lasso, he waited till the last second to dive out of the way before flipping back on his feet, simultaneously taking one of his guns out of its holster and grabbing the lasso. From there, he yanked on the lasso hard while shooting at her. Wonder Woman had no choice but let go of the lasso if she wanted to protect herself from the bullets.

Smirking at the lasso, Red Hood muttered 'sweet' before he caught Wonder Woman with it and tied her up like a wild hog. There was no way that she was going to be able to escape the knots that he tied, even if the lasso wasn't magic.

Red Hood didn't take time to revel in his victory. He started shooting at Martian Manhunter to draw his attention away from Red Robin who was having a hard time taking down both Flash and and the green alien at the same time. The Demon Brat seemed to be holding his own against Aquaman, and Red Hood got the distinct feeling that the boy was toying with the hero, like a perverse version of cat and mouse.

Red Hood really hated that his bullets did no damage on the Martian, it only seemed to make him angry. At least his attention was on him though. He could feel the Martian trying to get into his head, and Jason tried to push him out, knowing that it would make Martian Manhunter more curious. When he could feel the telepathic touch deep in his mind, Red Hood let go. All the pain, the suffering, the agony, the rage, the madness, the heart-wrenching feeling of being replaced, all the feelings that the Lazarus Pit had created or amplified were released. The Martian promptly passed out, and Red Hood took a moment to try and collect his feelings.

A moment that he did not have on the battlefield. Aquaman was apparently tired of being toyed with, and launched his attack on the unsuspecting Red Hood. He was sent flying across the room, and was caught by a foam pellet that Red Robin had managed to throw down just in time. Red Hood watched as the hazy figures moved across the room. Maybe, it was a good time for a nap. He closed his eyes, and promptly entered a void of nothingness.

###

Robin's eyes snapped back to Aquaman and a feral look took over his face. He would pay for harming Red Hood. A second rate hero should have bowed down at the feet of Red Hood's skill, not launch an attack on an unaware combatant. There was no honor in that.

Robin circled Aquaman, his katana well balanced in his hand. Twisting it experimentally, Robin waited for the perfect opening. As soon as Aquaman moved his trident slightly to the side, Robin launched. He used all the skills that his brothers had taught him. He fought dirty, like Todd. He fought smart, like Drake. And when he had Aquaman disarmed and at his feet, he showed mercy like Grayson, and only knocked the man out.

Turning, he watched as Red Robin pulled hard at an invisible string and immediately Flash was trapped in a delicate cage of wires that Robin knew were razor sharp. Before they had been activated, they were like the wispy strands of silk from a spider. Inconsequential. Red Robin then proceeded to throw a foam pellet at Flash's feet so that he would not be able to vibrate his way free.

Robin watched as his father fell before Nightwing's feet. The man tried to stand, but Nightwing knocked him out with a brutal roundhouse kick to the head. Nightwing gave them each a nod before walking over to Red Hood. Robin couldn't help but notice the slight shake in Nightwing's hands as he reached out to pull of Red Hood's helmet. Was he injured? Or was it something else that he couldn't understand?

Red Hood groaned from his position in the foam before trying to sit up. Seeing that his brother was okay, Robin turned around to help Red Robin tie up the rest of the League. There would be no surprises when they woke up. And if they were foolish enough to try, Robin would demonstrate why there was nobody foolish enough to mess with the Bat Clan on their Earth. He would make Nightwing proud of him. He could guarantee it.

###

When the heroes began waking up from their naps, Nightwing had just finished inspecting Red Hood for signs of a concussion. His younger brother was more than a little annoyed with him at that point, so Nightwing promised to leave him alone as long as Red Hood kept an ice pack on his head.

Red Hood had grudgingly agreed, so Nightwing turned to where Red Robin was plugged into the main computer system and searching for information on getting them home. Drawing a blank on what all the symbols dancing across the screen meant, Nightwing gave Red Robin a quick hair ruffle before checking on Robin who was staring out the large windows.

They stood in companionable silence for a moment before Superman ruined it. "What do you want? You kept all of us alive, and you're keeping the kryptonite far enough away to immobilize me but not kill me."

Nightwing sniffed. His ribs and shoulder hurt, and he was not in the mood to discuss things with the League anymore. Not since they hurt his brothers. "I would've told you what we wanted, but somebody got all punch happy. I'm not in the mood anymore, we'll figure it out ourselves."

There was a small part of him that felt glee when they all turned to glare at Wonder Woman. The rest of him was just tired. And sad. And in pain. Really, he was feeling everything. He needed a vacation. Or some snuggle time with Bruce. His Bruce. Not this fake Earth 1 Bruce.

Nightwing shook his head and tried to dispel the thoughts of cuddles and hugs and soothing words. Maybe he had a bit of a concussion. It would certainly seem so with the way he couldn't get himself to focus.

Red Robin walked up to him before he could do the mental 'Do I have a concussion or not' checklist. "Uh Nightwing? I know you said that we'd do this on our own, but I need B's help at the very least. Barry's help wouldn't hurt either."

The words were whispered, but he could feel Batman's penetrative stare. Somehow the man knew that he was needed. Nightwing ran a hand through his messy hair. Guess he really did have to explain things.

"My name is Nightwing, and these are my brothers Red Hood, Red Robin, and Robin. We're from a different version of Earth where from we can tell, there's only one difference. Me."

Barry nodded his head, the only thing that he could move from his foamy prison. "I'll bite. But what does your existence on the other Earth change?"

Nightwing looked each of them in the eye, a grim frown on his face. "Everything. I change everything."

###

"So on your Earth, there are child heroes, all because of you? And the League is smaller because Batman has a bigger role in it? And everyone is less brutal? I don't buy it."

Red Hood rubbed his face as Hal Jordan talked. Seriously, this guy was driving him nuts. Couldn't he be all agreeable instead of making their lives more difficult? "Listen up you fucking Flashlight. I'm an expert in multiverse travel, and the only thing that is consistent, is that things don't make fucking sense. I saw a world where you guys were evil and your villains were heroes." Pointing at Batman for emphasis, he said, "I was in a world where he died, instead of his parents. You wanna know what happened there? Because it wasn't fucking pretty. His mother became the fucking Joker and his father became the gun toting version of Batman that had a serious alcohol problem. Point is, the multiverse is seriously fucked up and nothing is going to make sense."

Nightwing banged his head softly against the wall. "Thank you Hood for that lovely explanation. But this isn't that jacked up. Everyone in this room saw the connection I had with my father and wanted that for themselves. We're heroes. Most of us don't have real connections in our lives. You guys all wanted something real. You wanted a companion in your loneliness. Someone who would make the darkness you deal with on a daily basis a little bit brighter."

When he saw all of the room's occupants staring at him, Nightwing blushed slightly and shrugged. "That's what Dad said anyways."

Green Lantern stared at him. "With a speech like that, you gotta be Supey's kid."

Nightwing grinned and shook his head. "Actually, Superman's the only one of you who never had a kid partner."

Robin scoffed. "I wish that Kent and that harlot Lane would have children already so that he can stop pestering Father when his 'Bring your child to work day' comes around."

All three of his brothers burst out laughing and Damian preened. He was glad that Nightwing had lost the serious expression. It didn't suit him.

Nightwing wiped a tear from the corner of his mask. "Don't worry Robin. After the last time, Clark requested that either Red Robin or I attend. You and Hood are too much for him to handle."

Barry cocked his head. "So if you guys aren't Superman's kids, whose kids are you? Please don't say you're mine."

Batman growled from his position tied to a chair. "Isn't it obvious? They're mine."

Nightwing grinned at all the shocked expressions. "Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner! Can you guys believe that Bats was the first to have kids? Well if you know his civilian identity it's not really a shock. But he did adopt three out of four, so that has to count for something."

Superman groaned. "That explains so much. Why they knew each of our weaknesses. Why they were able to defeat arguably the most powerful individuals in the world. Why the kid hasn't stopped glaring at me since we started talking."

Nightwing nodded. "Now that we have explained ourselves, think we can let you go without signing up for round two?"

Seeing the nods from the trussed up heroes Nightwing sighed in relief. "Good. Cause Batman broke a few of my ribs and I'm pretty sure that I have a concussion. And I really wanna go home and have post 'you were sent to an alternate dimension' cuddles with Bruce."

Nightwing didn't even notice the shocked look on the League's face, and the slightly nauseated look on on Earth 1 Bruce's face when he mentioned cuddles. Probably because he took that moment to pass out right on top of an unsuspecting Robin.

###

Robin grunted as he took on all of Nightwing's dead weight. He managed to protect his brother's head right before he collapsed under the weight. For a slim man, Nightwing was heavy. Maybe Robin should tell Pennyworth to put him on a diet.

Red Robin came to check for injuries as Red Hood released the heroes from their bonds. When Martian Manhunter made a move to go over to Nightwing, Red Hood grabbed his arm and shook his head. "Don't go into his head. Wingnut might seem all put together and, well, mentally sound, but he's just as messed up as the rest of us. He's just better at hiding it."

Batman looked over from where he stood observing Red Robin. "What made me adopt you boys?"

Red Hood shrugged. "I was stealing the tires off of the Batmobile in Crime Alley. You asked where my parents were, and I told you they were dead. You took me home with you."

Red Robin didn't look up from where he was flashing a light in Nightwing's eyes. The man was still unconscious, so Red Robin had to peel back the eyelid so that he could work. "Things happened, and you were being violent again. Nightwing was the hero of Bludhaven, and Red Hood wasn't available. I figured out your secret identity and went to you. Told you I wanted to be Robin. You agreed, knowing that I would go out on my own without you. You wanted to keep me safe. Later, my mom was murdered and my dad ended up in a coma. You took me in, no questions asked. I was already pretty much living with you at that point anyways."

Red Hood closed his eyes. Red Robin may have tried to sound indifferent about his parents, but he could hear the pain behind the words. If there was one thing that all members of the Bat Clan had in common, it was that their parents were a sore spot.

Robin cleared his throat. "The others are adopted, but I am your blood son. However, I only came to live with you within the last few years. Before that, I was raised by my mother and grandfather. I have come to realize that their methods of parenting were not conventional or correct. You and Nightwing have both worked tirelessly to correct my moral code and make up for my lack of childhood."

Nightwing groaned from his position. "Lil D, I thought you didn't like our Sunday morning cartoon marathons?"

"I don't! However, I can appreciate the gesture."

Giving Batman a loopy smile (Yup. He was definitely concussed), Nightwing admitted, "I watched as my parents were murdered. You were there as a civilian, and even if you had wanted to, there was nothing you could've done. But you comforted me when nobody else knew what to say. And when you found out that my racist social worker had stuck me in Juvie instead of an orphanage, you marched in with an army of lawyers and Agent A. You were my hero long before I figured out that you were Batman."

When Batman looked away, Dick tried not to feel hurt. This wasn't his Batman. He wasn't being rejected. But it sure felt like it. Shaking his head, Dick sat up. "So, will you guys help us get home or not? If our Batman thinks we died, there's no telling what he might do. Not to mention, I have a hot date with Starfire tomorrow, and I really would hate it if I missed that. Mostly because I'd have a stunningly beautiful yet extremely dangerous alien mad at me."

Red Hood's neck snapped up. "Dude. You have a date with Kori? How'd you manage that one?"

Nightwing shrugged playfully. "It might have to do with the fact that I'm over twenty-one."

Red Hood sniffed. "Or because you have the, and I quote, 'Hottest ass in the Justice League.'"

Nightwing blushed a deep red as his brothers laughed at him. What was wrong with them? What was wrong with his Justice League that they actually talked about things like that? He wasn't some prude, but he wasn't really a fan of being objectified either. "Just help Red Robin figure out how we can get home."

His brothers continued to laugh but did as he asked. That brought the League out of their stupor, as they moved around Red Robin and awaited directions. Nightwing sighed. At least they weren't talking about his ass anymore.

###

Nightwing watched as Red Robin built a machine of some sort with Batman and Flash. He wasn't smart enough to keep up, or strong enough to bring the supplies, so he was stuck being bored and watching everyone else. Red Hood was teaching Martian Manhunter the art of Beer Pong, and Robin had somehow managed to procure a sketch pad and was sitting quietly in the corner of the room drawing.

Nightwing's head snapped up when he heard Batman's growl. He watched in a mixture of horror and anger as his father's alternate self slapped Red Robin's hand away from something. He rose on his feet, the anger surrounding him making the temperature of the room lower. Red Hood and Robin both immediately looked up and glanced around uneasily.

"You. Don't. Get. To. Touch. Them." Nightwing knew that he should calm down. That Batman had never responded well to anger. That this wouldn't help them get home. But he couldn't bring himself to care. "You can talk to me however you want. Dismiss me. Yell. For fuck's sake, you could hit me! I don't care. But you don't get to treat them like that. I know that you aren't our Batman. I know I won't get gentle words and caring hugs when I'm upset. I can live with that. But I won't have you make Timmy feel inadequate or replaceable again! I won't allow you to make Jay feel unloved or that his death meant nothing! And I sure as hell will not allow you to make Dami doubt that the other you loves him, or that raising a hand to hit a member of your family is ever okay! I won't allow you to do that to them! They've been through hell, and deserve a whole lot better than that! I'm their brother, and I will protect them. Even if it is from you."

Batman stared at him as his brothers moved to stand next to him. They were a united front, and he could either get on board, or get out of their way. Finally the man nodded, a frown marring his face.

Nightwing sat back down, frowning at the brother's shocked expressions. What did they think? That he was a loyal son that would never point out the faults of his father? Because he would. He would question Bruce time and time again when it came to his brothers. He just never had to.

Superman started floating and looked between the two groups of heroes. Trying to break the frosty silence, he said, "Timmy? Jay? Dami? Are those your names?"

The three boys looked at him for guidance. Nightwing shrugged before taking off his mask. The three boys proceeded to rip off their masks once again allowing them to be the Wayne brothers.

Dick gave a soft smile and held out his hand. "Hi. My name is Richard Grayson, but you can call me Dick." Pointing to each of his brothers individually, he continued. "And as you know these are my brothers Jason, Tim, and Damian. Don't call them by their nicknames, those are only tolerated by family members. Anyone else is likely to get gutted."

Dick had been studying Bruce as he said that. He watched as recognition flashed across the man's face when he heard Dick's name before it reverted back to an unreadable mask. But Dick had always been able to read Bruce. And suddenly, he knew why Bruce had never taken him in. "I died, didn't I? That's why there are no child heroes on this Earth. I died with my parents."

Bruce's stoic face was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. Damian must have sensed his distress, because the boy patted his hand a few times in an awkward attempt to comfort him. Jason swore loudly beside him, and Tim gasped and moved to hug him. Dick didn't know what to think. Before Bruce, he had wished that he had died with his parents. But after Bruce? After his brothers? All he wanted to do was to live. He wanted to continue to make life messy, and to make his brothers laugh, and to keep making everyone's lives one giant circus. He wanted it all.

Dick wiped his face, not really sure why he was crying. He was still alive. What did it matter if this Earth's version of him had died fifteen years prior? It didn't affect him, or his brothers. So why did he feel like he had caught a glimpse of this amazing life, and then realized that he was actually falling in that circus tent. That that was the life he could have had if he had just lived.

He was snapped out of it when Jason whacked him upside the head. "Grow the fuck up Dickhead! So you died in this world? Big fucking deal. I was dead in our world. I woke up in my coffin and had to scratch my way out. You're always telling me to let go of the past. Of the fact that I died, and my brother's psycho mother dropped me in a magical pit of glowing green liquid, that kind of drove me insane. If I can move past that and actually talk and live with Bruce without the urge to rip out his intestines and use them to hang him, then you can fucking move past the fact that you died on a Earth we don't live on."

Dick gave Jason a dry smile, unshed tears still shining in his eyes. "You have such a way with words Jaybird. Truly poetic. Have you ever considered a carrier in writing?"

Jason rolled his eyes good naturally. "Shut the fuck up Golden Boy."

Superman coughed, and suddenly Dick was aware of all the gaping stares that he was receiving. "Uh. Let's continue to work. I really wanna go home."

###

Dick stared at the machine. It didn't look like much. Kinda like a zeta platform, but considerably more bulky. Like the prototype. Or the unattractive cousin. Either way, it was hard to believe that that thing was going to zap them to Earth 2. In fact it seemed downright impossible. And by the way Jason was staring at it, he agreed. "Fuck no. Don't you guys have someone who can operate Boomtubes?"

The raised eyebrows he got in return, answered his question. Jason started mumbling about shithead brothers and assdults and a whole lot more that Dick couldn't understand.

Staring at the League, he offered a small smile. "Thank you guys for your help. I'm sorry about the fight we had earlier. I should have tried harder to end it before the fighting broke out. Either way, it has been a pleasure."

Superman shook his hand seriously. "We shouldn't have thrown the first punch. As for helping you, I can only hope that you would help us if the situations were reversed."

Dick nodded but didn't comment. Grabbing each of his brothers he went to stand on the zeta platform before placing his mask over his eyes and encouraging them to do the same. He watched as the waving visage of Superman slowly disappeared and his vision faded to black.

###

Dick woke up on the roof of Wayne Corp with Superman desperately shaking his shoulder. Clutching his ribs, Nightwing sat up slowly and looked around. League members were scattered along the roof, each crouched over the unconscious forms of his brothers.

"Nightwing's awake!" Superman called.

Dick winced. He had a raging headache and that certainly didn't help. A shadow lurked over him, and he blinked before recognizing the concerned visage of his father. "I'm okay. Mostly. I few broken ribs and I think I tore something in my shoulder. Then there's the concussion, and major headache, but otherwise I'm injury free. Jason will probably have a concussion too when he wakes up. Aquaman hit him pretty hard."

Seeing the shocked looks on everyone's faces, Dick backtracked. "I mean we were on a different Earth. Earth Prime I think. Although I don't really remember how we got there. Point being that after we all located each other, we decided to hack our way into the Watchtower because we needed the supplies and the knowledge that the League has. Problem is, we don't exist there. Or rather, there are no child heroes there. Because I died with my parents. Point being, they thought we were villains, and then I threw Wonder Woman. And then I engaged Batman while Jason fought Wonder Woman. Oh and Tim and Damian did great against Flash and Aquaman. But Aquaman managed to hit Jason after he took out Martian Manhunter. And then there Batman was really mean, so I yelled at him. But this was after we defeated the League and untied them. Did I mention that their League is so much bigger? We only fought the founding members though. Jason managed to get Kryptonite so at least Superman was down for the count. I said that I was dead in that world, right? Oh. And Damian was in jail so I dressed up like a cop but Jason caused an explosion but Tim was in the library so–"

Jason groaned and sat up before yelling, "Shut the fuck up Dickhead! My brain is mush and even I can tell that your story telling skills suck ass."

Tim snorted. "I hate to agree with Jason, but I couldn't follow that and not only was I there, I'm a genius!"

Damian sniffed loudly. "Grayson, while I find you to be my only tolerable sibling, you are currently disgracing our adventure with your rambling."

Dick's eyes laser focused on Damian. "Did I just hear you call us all siblings?"

Bruce watched with amusement as Damian vehemently denied claiming any relation to Jason and Tim while the other boys laughed. He had been scared out of his wits when all four boys had been hit by some sort of laser and disappeared. He had feared the worst, but Alfred had calmed him down and made him call in the rest of the League for support in the search for clues. They had managed to find traces of particles that were similar in nature to what the zeta beams left behind. The information had given Bruce hope, and he was in the middle of researching multiverse travel, when Superman had called him on the comm to let him know that the boys had suddenly appeared on the roof of Wayne Corp. Bruce didn't think he had ever driven as fast as he had in that moment.

When he had arrived, Dick was in the process of sitting up, and his other sons were showing signs of slowly returning to consciousness. A huge weight lifted off of his chest, and for the first time since they disappeared, he felt like he could breathe.

As Bruce continued to watch them, Bruce knew that there was more to this story than he thought. Dick had more demons displayed on his face than he had since Jason's death, and Jason was swearing more than usual, a sure sign that something was bothering him. Tim kept looking up at him as if he wanted confirmation to keep doing what he was doing, and Damian had edged closer to Dick for physical contact. In short, they weren't acting completely like themselves. But he knew, that given time, they would return to their usual selves. They just needed to go home and go back to their normal schedules. They needed Bruce to reassure their fears, and to hold them tight for a while. They needed to feel loved.

Nodding to himself, Bruce straightened his shoulders and steeled his resolve. He would do everything in his power to make his birds whole and healed again. And when they were, he would let them fly out of the nest again and into the world. As long as they knew that they could always return home at the end of the night and that there would always be a bat waiting in the shadows to shelter them when the world became too much. They were his Robins. And nothing would ever change that. Multiverse be damned.

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A/N: Holy mother of pearl! That was 21 pages long and around 10,000 words. I have never written a chapter that long, and I don't think I ever will again. The ideas just kept pouring out of me though! It was amazing.

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First of all...I wanted to tell you about this amazing thing that Thegirlytomboy told me about. It's a new website that's being released in December for all us creative types. Fanfic, art, poetry, music, whatever you can think of, you can put it on this website. What makes it so special is that viewers (like you) can tip the creators, kinda like when you hear somebody playing the guitar on a street corner. Basically, it allows people who might not otherwise be able to showcase their art show it to the world and make tips. I personally, can't wait for it to come out.

The name of the website will be Writscrib so please go and check it out!

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Also, I love fanart, so if anyone's been posting anything on deviantart, tumblr, or some other website please let me know through a PM or a review. I would especially love it if it was inspired by one of my stories.

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Last thing, I really wanted to recommend the story May We Meet Again by gtgrandom. It is Young Justice, but it focuses on Dick and Bruce. I recently found it and fell in love, so I hope that you check it out. If anyone has any fanfics they would like me to read or that they recommend, please tell me! I love discovering new stories!

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Okay, so that was a very long author's note. Congrats to the people who actually read it. I know that I skip over it more often than I'd like to admit (though I usually read the A/N when I reread the chapter for the second time :P).

Have a great day everyone, and I hope that you enjoyed my story!