"Merry Christmas, Master Damian," said Alfred cheerfully, as Damian headed downstairs the next morning.
"Merry Christmas, Alfred," said Damian, glancing over at the living room. Alfred was responsible for bringing holiday cheer to the manor, and he performed this duty, as all his duties, in an exemplary fashion. The tree, which sparkled and shone, was surrounded by stacks of presents, and the stockings over the fireplace had been stuffed full to bursting.
"Did you buy yourself something nice?" asked Damian, as he headed half-heartedly into the room.
"I daresay Father Christmas will have brought me something nice," corrected Alfred. "As I don't think I've been particularly naughty this year."
"Or any year," retorted Damian.
"Now Master Damian, the best people are always a little bit naughty," replied Alfred with a smile. "But sadly we must wait to see what Father Christmas brought until your father rises and shines. How did things go last night?"
"Not great," sighed Damian. "But it wasn't entirely Dad's fault. He did try to walk away. He just…couldn't. And I'm afraid…neither can I. I mean, even if I did give up the whole Robin thing forever, my Dad being who he is would always come between me and any…relationship I might want to have with the Joker family. And Dad can't change, so I'm just kinda stuck in this unpleasant situation. You can't choose your family, I guess, but you also can't just abandon them."
"Indeed you cannot," agreed Alfred. "But there's always hope, Master Damian. Especially at Christmas."
"Hope for what?" asked Damian. "You should have seen the look Arleen gave me last night – she hates Robin. They both do. I could never tell them the truth about who I am, or who my Dad is. They wouldn't want to be my friend anymore if they knew. And I can't change who I am, even if I give up the Robin thing - I'll always be Batman's son. So I guess I better start distancing myself from their friendship. That's the sensible thing to do."
"As you say, Master Damian," said Alfred, nodding. "I'm sure you know best."
"Merry Christmas, Damian," said Bruce, entering the room. "Merry Christmas, Alfred. Wow, Santa has been very generous, I see," he added, studying the tree. "Although after last night, I gotta say, I'm a little put off by Christmas trees. What about you, Damian?"
"Yeah, I'm not as much a fan as I once was," agreed Damian.
"I can't wait to hear all about your exploits, but first, let me make you Christmas breakfast, and then we'll open presents," said Alfred. "My instincts are that Father Christmas really outdid himself this year, but don't take my word for it."
"We won't," said Bruce, managing a smile. Alfred left, and his smile fell. "I didn't ask, but…are you ok after last night?" he asked, turning to his son.
"Sure," said Damian, shrugging. "I mean, you were right, Dad. I can't be friends with those kids. We're from two completely different worlds. Better that I learn that now than later."
"I'm glad you're seeing sense," said Bruce. "But I am sorry life had to disappoint you like that. The truth is hard to bear sometimes, but we have to bear it, rather than living in a dreamworld like poor Rose. She believes the best in people, and believes that the world is at heart a good place. But she was basically born yesterday. The reality is that sometimes people are just evil, and the world is a dark, evil place. We have to fight against that darkness in ourselves, and in others, and it's hard. But it's worth it, trust me, Damian," he said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "The fight is worth it."
Damian nodded, tears in his eyes. A knock suddenly came on the door. "Who could that be at Christmas?" asked Bruce, surprised. "Alfred, can you get that?"
"Yes, sir," said Alfred, opening the door.
"Hello, Alfred, is Bruce here?" asked a familiar voice.
"Indeed he is, Miss Ivy," said Alfred, holding the door open for Rose. "Do come in, along with your…friends," he stammered, seeing Arleen and J.J. behind her.
"Thank you, and Merry Christmas," said Rose, entering. "I apologize for showing up uninvited like this, especially today, but Mother grew me back for Christmas, and I thought it was a shame I hadn't seen Bruce since my return, he and I being so close the last time I was alive."
"Rose," said Bruce, going over to embrace her as she entered the living room. "This is a wonderful surprise."
"I hope so," she said, beaming at him. "I missed you, and I wanted to bring you a Christmas present," she added, handing him a wrapped package. "Mother and Father would have come too, but they're…indisposed after a rather frightful incident last night," she continued.
"Oh? Nothing too serious, I hope?" asked Bruce, trying to sound sincere.
"No, not too serious, but it was a rather unpleasant Christmas Eve," said Rose, frowning. "I take some blame for it – I understand I was too naïve and trusting in certain people. Thankfully I have a wonderful family who are there to support me when things go wrong," she added, smiling at the twins. "These are my honorary cousins, Arleen and J.J. Joker. I believe they are friends of your son, and when they found out that I wanted to see you this morning, they insisted on joining me to pass on their Christmas greetings to him."
"That and to keep an eye on things," agreed J.J., gazing suspiciously at Bruce. "Rose tells me the two of you have been…close."
"I also told you that I don't believe in jealousy," retorted Rose. "Love is not something that should be hoarded away selfishly – it should be shared by all who deserve it. Don't you agree, J.J.?"
"Nope," retorted J.J. "And frankly, you should be careful about taking me for granted. I'm sure I can do a lot better than you for a girlfriend."
"You're so silly, J.J.," sighed Rose, rolling her eyes. "I do wish you'd stop talking like that though – I know you probably think it's funny, but it's really starting to grate."
"Really?" asked J.J., concerned. "But Dad assured me it worked every time."
"Dad might not be the best person to take advice from in terms of relationships, J.J.," retorted Arleen, rolling her own eyes. "Anyway, we got you a present, Damian," she continued, reaching into her bag. "It's not much, but I hope you like it."
"Oh…yeah, thanks," stammered Damian, taking the wrapped gift from her. He unwrapped it, to reveal a picture frame with the letters BFFS written on it, and a photo of him, Arleen, and J.J. making funny faces at the camera. "Oh my God, I remember that day!" he laughed. "Mr. Sanders said if we kept making faces at each other in math class, they'd freeze like that, so we made the worst faces we could and took a picture so they would freeze like that! Gosh, this is great, but...I didn't get anything for you..."
"That's ok – we don't need anything," said Arleen, smiling. "We opened our presents before we left, and Santa was very good to us, as usual. But that's only natural when we're such good kids."
Bruce tried to refrain from rolling his eyes as Damian said, "Just…wait there for a second," racing out of the room and up the stairs.
"I'm so happy for you, Bruce," said Rose, turning to smile at him. "Congratulations."
"Oh…why?" asked Bruce, slowly.
"On your son," said Rose, nodding at where he had disappeared. "That must be such a blessing and a joy to you, to have a child, and to raise him over the years into the fine young man he's turned into. Or so Arleen and J.J. tell me," she added. "Obviously I don't know him very well, but they told me the most wonderful story about their first day at school. With their parents being who they are, nobody at their school dared even say hello to them for fear of accidentally offending them. Except Damian, who just walked up to them and started talking – they said he was so open and friendly and sincere that he made them feel very welcome. Of course I wasn't surprised to hear that – I know Bruce Wayne, and I know he's a wonderful man, who genuinely sees the good in everybody. Mother tells me there are so few decent people out there, so I'm always heartened when those decent people are able to raise more decent people. I think that's the only way to really improve the world, and make it into a place where all people can be kind and generous without fear of getting hurt. After all, we can't change the whole world on our own, but we can change our little worlds, our own little spheres of influence, like our family. And if we're lucky, if enough people focus on making their own little worlds as pleasant as they can possibly be, then maybe that will be able to change the big world someday. Or maybe I'm still naïve," she added with a smile. "I haven't lived very long, after all. But I think I'm right."
"I think you have a wisdom far beyond your years," said Bruce with a smile. "Will you stay for breakfast?"
"Oh no, thank you, we have to get back," said Rose. "We have plans on Christmas Day – sledding and snowball fights and all sorts of games. Mother insists that I make the most of this Christmas, since I might not have another one for a while. We'll be going as soon as Damian returns…"
"Here," said Damian, racing back into the room with his flour baby. "You said Batman destroyed yours, Leenie. So I wanted you to…have mine. You can just cross off my name and write yours, and I'll fail in your place."
"Oh no, Damian, I couldn't let you do that," said Arleen. "It wasn't your fault Batman destroyed Titan…"
"All the same, I'd like you to have little Ra's," said Damian. "Anyway, I think he likes you. You wanna go home with Leenie, don't you, Ra's?" he asked, holding up the bag. "Yes, please," he said in a squeaky voice.
Arleen smiled. "Thanks, Damian," she said, taking the bag from him. "I owe you one, really. And I won't forget this. Merry Christmas," she added, hugging him.
The Joker twins and Rose left, and there was silence in Wayne Manor. Bruce watched as his son picked up the photo they had given him, beaming at it. "Well, they seem…nice," said Bruce at last.
"They are nice, Dad," murmured Damian. "Once you get to know them."
Bruce cleared his throat. "You know, Damian, maybe I have been a little hard on you lately," he said. "I…understand what it's like, to be a lonely child. I understand how hard it is to make friends, when you feel like nobody understands you. And I understand how…once you've made friends, you don't want to have to give them up."
Damian looked at him. "Are you saying it's…ok if I keep hanging out with Arleen and J.J.?"
"It's not up to me," retorted Bruce. "But I do agree that I shouldn't judge the children by the sins of the father. Who knows – maybe you can influence them for the better? They say peer pressure is so much more effective than parental influence, at least during the teenage years. And those are coming up. Maybe you can help them become better people. Of the two of us, you have a better chance than I do anyway. My influence always tends to end badly, as you've seen with not only the supercriminals, but with Dick and Tim and you."
"Dad, that's not true," said Damian. "I admire you very much. You're just an intimidating role model to live up to – being the son of Batman is a tough act to follow. And I think Dick and Tim feel the same. We're always going to fall short of you and your expectations."
"And that's fine, Damian," said Bruce, gently. "That's fine. I still…love you. And I always will, whether or not you live up to my expectations. You know that, don't you?"
Damian managed a smile. "You don't say it much," he agreed. "But I do know that."
"I'll try and be better about saying it," said Bruce, smiling back. "It'll be my New Year's resolution, how about that?"
"And mine will be to be more enthusiastic about Robin," said Damian. "I haven't really given him or Batman a chance. But I will try, Dad."
Bruce smiled, embracing him. "Merry Christmas, son," he murmured.
"Merry Christmas, Dad," said Damian, returning the hug.
"Now I'm starved, and it smells like breakfast is ready," said Bruce. "Let's eat, and then we can see what Father Alfred Christmas brought us."
Damian followed his father into the dining room, holding the photo frame of his friends. Of course the sensible thing to do was to distance himself from Arleen and J.J. as soon as possible. But then when had a member of the Wayne family ever been sensible?