August 8th, 1991
The Red Hood crouched on a rooftop staring through his scope at the mobsters in the building across the street. His crosshairs centered perfectly on the back of Anthony Caratini Junior's head.
"Come on, hand him the dough," Hood grumbled to himself, "make the damn pass."
The Cuban facing Caratini extracted a wad of green bills from his coat and put them into the lieutenant crime lord's hand. On cue two men brought cases from the black Escalades parked there. That was all Hood needed to see—BANG!
Caratini dropped with a fifty-caliber hole through his skull.
BANG! BANG!
The two men with the cases were down.
BANG!
The crook who had paid Caratini and the thug behind him both fell as they reached for the fallen cases. The other thugs scattered as quick as the Cadillac's would take them, leaving nothing but exhaust and the smell of burning rubber in the urban twilight.
Red Hood sighed as he waited to be sure they were all gone. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he repelled himself down to the street. Picking up the cases, he smiled to himself beneath his helmet, "Who knew the Caratinis were dealing with the Commies? So much for patriotism." Just as he prepared to grapple back onto the rooftops, his com beeped in his earpiece.
"Red Hood," He answered.
"Nightwing wants you at the Birds' Nest," Batgirl said on the other line.
"Isn't that nice. Fortunately, I'm busy so I'll have to decline the invitation."
"He says it's important."
"It's always important to him. He'll gather all the birds like the apocalypse is happening just to tell everybody that he found a new mocha-latte flavor."
"Don't exaggerate, if he says it's important, it's important." The irritation in Batgirl's voice sounding through the microphone. "Just come, please? Don't give him another reason to be mad at you."
"Hmph."
"Come and then get ice cream with me tonight?"
Hood paused, his smile grew, "You always do know ways to convince me."
"Just ice cream, Jason!"
Dick sighed as he looked around the big open room that was the Birds' Nest, nostalgia filling his senses. He first discovered this room in an old condemned building in his Robin days. He determined to make it his own hideout for those times he needed to get away from Bruce. He first showed it to Barbara when they started dating, it was where they shared their first kiss, and more. He lived here for the first week after he left Wayne Manor, before embarking on his travels. The interior decorations had changed since he first began to inhabit the room, but each piece brought with it its own memories. The couch, radio, and circus poster were the only original pieces. The table and chairs came when he and Babs started having takeout dinner dates here. The beanbag chairs were added when Tim was introduced along with the TV, video cassette player, and Atari game consul. The old refrigerator was the most recent addition to the Nest. As much as Dick resented Barbara sharing the secret with Jason behind his back, he did appreciate the fridge and beer supply that he brought, although moving that thing up the rickety stairway was not something he wanted to do again. On the west wall hung a dart board with numerous holes surrounding it from missed throws. The left arm of the couch had a giant gash in the upholstery from where Damian attacked Tim in rage with a katana.
The smell of Pizza brought Dick out of his reminiscences. Tim stood behind him, with messy hair, bags under his eyes, and a pizza box in his hands.
"Is there any coffee left up here?" the teen asked groggily.
Dick shook his head, "I drank up the last of it yesterday—"
"—and as usual, you didn't replace what you used up," Barbra interrupted from the doorway. She set down the grocery sacks she brought with her, produced a coffee can from one of them and limped over to Tim. She handed the red can to the teen as she opened the pizza box, "Mmm, Peperoni. Awesome!"
The Redheaded woman smiled at Dick as she took a bite and walked tenderly over to sit on the couch, propping her sprained ankle on the coffee table.
Tim shuffled over to the coffee machine and began brewing a pot. Dick helped himself to the pizza and took a seat next to Barbra. Shortly thereafter, Damian swung through the window in his full Robin regalia.
"This better be quick, Grayson, father and I are busy," the young teen condescended.
Dick did not dignify him with a response, so Damian stomped over and sat in a beanbag. They all waited in silence listening to the urban ambiance.
"Can we just start now?" asked Tim after several moments, "it's not like he's going to actually show up."
Dick looked at Barbra questioningly.
"He said he was coming," she defended.
"And he always does what he says," Damian said sarcastically.
"Five bucks says he skips out," said Tim.
"Make it fifty and I'll take that bet, Replacement."
All heads spun as Jason stomped across the creaking floor and sat down on the other side of Barbra from Dick, flicking the white streak of hair from his face. "So, Dicky boy," he said helping himself to pizza, "what was oh so important that you had to call your dear little brothers together?"
Dick stood up and looked at the assembly, "It's about Harry."
Damian scoffed.
"Ah," said Tim.
Barbra raised her eyebrows in mild alarm.
"What about him?" asked Jason through a mouthful.
Dick shook his head, as if he just remembered, "that's right, you wouldn't know because as usual you haven't been around to hear the news."
"What news?" Jason pushed.
"It's not our secret to share, Dick," spoke Tim, "let him be in the dark until Harry tells him."
"Then why the hell invite me to this damn thing?" Jason growled, "Screw all this, I'll just leave."
"Jason, wait!" yelled Dick as the younger man stood up, "Tim's right, it's not my secret, so don't let on that you know until Harry tells you, but Harry is—"
"Harry's a wizard. Right, is that what you're gonna tell me? Yeah, I know."
"Who told you?" Dick said alarmed.
"Who the hell else tells me anything in this family?" Jason snarled.
All eyes turned to Barbra who sat on the couch with eyes wide.
"You told him?"
"He deserved to know, Dick. He's as much Harry's brother as all of you are," she glared at the boys in the room. "And don't act like I did anything wrong, Richard. You're the one who told me after all." The young woman's eyes blazed as she stared down the eldest of Bruce Wayne's wards.
Jason sat back down with a smug look. The silence now hung heavy over the room. Everyone's own thoughts smoldering. "So now that the big secret is out, Golden Boy," said Jason after the tension began to loosen, "what did you call us all together for?"
It took Dick a moment to process Jason's question. Once the words registered in his ears, he saw the expectant looks on the faces around him.
"Right. Um, as we're all aware of I guess, Harry is a wizard and will be going to Scotland soon. I just felt like we should do something special for him. I mean, when he told me, it felt like he was expecting me to ostracize him or something." Dick paused here as he tried to wrap up his spiel, "I just want to make sure he doesn't think that we're shunning him or something because of this. Like Babs just said, he is our little brother we need to make sure we still treat him as such."
"Well that'll sure make him feel loved," Jason said sarcastically.
Barbra jumped in quickly, "I agree with you, Dick, we should make sure he knows he is still loved and apart of the family."
Dick smiled at Barbra thankful she kept someone from replying to Jason's snark, "Even Bruce said that him being a wizard doesn't change his status. If Bruce is willing to overlook that, I think we can all do it."
Another pause fell between them.
"I already told Harry it doesn't matter to me if he's a wizard," said Tim, "and I stand by that. He's not the first wizard any of us have encountered, and he probably won't be the last. He's certainly not the most dangerous we've faced."
"Potter has no training in the magical arts yet," Damian added, "but he will. I believe we should cautiously keep him as an ally."
Jason coughed at Damian's remark, and received a quick smack in the shoulder from Barbra.
Dick looked pointedly at Jason, "Do or you have an issue with Harry's magical status?"
"No," came the deadpan reply.
Dick nodded.
"So, what're you planning for the kid?"
The eldest Wayne ward looked around him, "I'm open to suggestions."
"I have an idea," spoke Tim after a brief hesitation, "and I'm pretty sure he'll like it."
Ye Ol' Author's Note:
Sorry for the delay in updates. Hopefully will have more time this winter.
-A.R. Templar