Chapter 7

4 July 2013

Dick entered the kitchen, one hand tracing the wall just in case. It was early morning. There was a happy, excited quiver in the air, and he wasn't entirely sure what it was. He was excited because today was the day he was going to prove he was perfectly capable of getting stuff done. He was going to prove this by making early morning pancakes. He pushed a chair in front of the stove and readied a skillet, spatula, batter scooper, plate and mixing bowl. He hummed to himself softly as he got out flour, milk, honey, eggs, butter, and some chocolate chips and berries. He melted the butter in a measuring cup. He figured Damian probably hadn't had decent pancakes before, so he would need to try several types to get his favorite.

Dick brought all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips and berries, over to the table inside the bowl along with the whisk so that he wouldn't have to make too many trips, making sure not to spill the hot melted butter on himself. He sat down to make the mixture. No need to push it too much. He hoped he had the recipe right. Once seated, he realized he forgot measuring spoons. He looked over at the counter, and then decided it wasn't worth the trip and decided to guesstimate how much he need of each ingredient. He cracked two eggs and mixed them with the melted butter and sugar. Then, he added the milk by refilling the measuring cup, cursing softly as his hands shook and he almost spilled the entire jug. He winced it some of the spilt milk dripped off the table onto his pajama pants. Finally, he poured in flour in small amounts and mixed it together until it looked like a good consistency.

By the time Dick was finished making the batter, forty-five minutes had passed and he could hear some movement on the floor above him. Quietly praying his grandfather didn't go to check on him and find him missing, Dick shakily pushed himself up from the table, and slowly walked over to the counter with the bowl. He set it down next to the stove. He turned the heat on beneath the skillet, spread some butter around so that the pancakes wouldn't stick, and sat down to wait for it to heat up. A couple minutes later, he poured some batter on the skillet and got to work.

By the time that Thomas essentially ran into the kitchen, he had a solid first few pancakes down and was taking a break before starting on a few more. "Richard?" Thomas asked, looking over the myriad of ingredients and pancakes. Dick poked his head up above the counter from his seat. "What are you doing, kid?" He asked gently.

"Making pancakes," Dick replied. Thomas winced, and Dick screwed his eyes up and slowly and clearly said, "Making pancakes."

Thomas sighed, and ran a hand over his face. "Alright, I'll finish them."

"Non."

"Si." (Yes.)

"Nyet." (No.)

"I don't know that one, but I'm going to assume you said no. Richard, you're not strong enough."

"I'm strong enough!" Dick put on his best bat glare. "I can do it."

"Richard—"

"Ie! (No.) I. Have. To Do. This." The world blurred slightly. "Bitte." (Please.)

Thomas gave a big sigh. "Alright, but I'm standing nearby, and you need to take a break if I tell you to." A smile crossed Dick's face. He wiped his eyes, and stood up to put the next few pancakes on.

"Jason, stay close." Bruce barked, as his eleven-year-old son started to drift a bit farther from him. They were in the park for an event that Bruce Wayne had been invited to. It was a family charity event for Independence Day, and both Lucius and Alfred had insisted he get out of the house… for Jason's sake. Bruce didn't know how it was supposed to be for Jason's sake, but it was probably good for Jason to get out of the manor during the day. Bruce was reluctant to go because the park was a public place and he did not want to lose his only remaining child.

"Jason!" He called again, fighting the urge to physically pull his son towards him. Jason scowled and muttered something under his breath, peeking in a different direction. Bruce raised an eyebrow. "I can hold your hand, if you don't think you can manage."

"I'll stay close, Dad." Jason put an emphasis on the Dad. Bruce felt his lips turn up slightly. Jason had hesitantly started to call him Dad a few months ago. Bruce had neither actively discouraged nor encouraged the term, and Jason had taken the lack of reprimand as permission. The preteen now switched between Dad and Bruce depending on his mood and if he wanted something from Bruce. Bruce followed Jason's furtive glances to an ice cream stand about 20 feet away. He shook his head, exasperated, and allowed a smile to pull at his lips.

"Dinner first, Jason." He said. Jason slumped a bit. "They're not going to run out of ice cream, and even if they did, we could grab some on the way home."

"JASON!" Jason jolted, and he and Bruce both looked around. "JASON!" Jason saw her first. A small 12-year-old from Jason's school ran up to them, hugging three sodas to her chest.

"Hey Diana," Jason said as she got within normal speaking distance. She bent down to catch her breath. Diana Nicholson. May birthday. She had been in Jason's math, science, and Spanish classes, and was one of Jason's closer friends. Her father worked for a prosperous law firm and her mother worked as an outreach agent at Wayne Tech. One younger brother.

"Hello Diana." Bruce greeted her. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh. Hi Mr. Wayne! They're thataways, a bit." She said, then turned towards her friend. "Jason! I'm so glad to see you. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay, considering. You?"

"Right." Diana looked momentarily chastised. "I'm good. Are you guys staying for the fireworks?"

"Umm." Jason looked to Bruce for an answer.

"We'll see." Bruce told both of them.

"Well, we are. You should come sit by us! Nick, Carlos, and Jenny are here too. Nick and Carlos are sitting by me, but Jenny has to go sit with her family soon. Come on."

Jason checked with Bruce for permission. "I'll be right behind you." Bruce said.

"Yes!" Diana squealed. She shifted the sodas to one arm.

"Here, let me take those." Bruce offered, divesting her of the sodas.

"Thanks, Mr. Wayne." She grabbed Jason's hand and started dragging him in the direction of her parents. Jason sent Bruce a 'help me' look, but Bruce just gave a quick shake of his head with an amused smirk. He followed the two preteens through the crowd at a slightly more sedate pace, keeping Jason in his line of sight.

"Are you going to rejoin Stage Crew in the Fall?" Diana asked as she dragged her friend along. "We missed you."

Jason frowned. "Maybe. I want to, but I don't know. Bruce doesn't really like me being away from home for too long, and, well," He checked that Bruce wasn't right on top of them, and lowered his voice so that only Diana could hear. "I don't know that he finds school that safe anymore. Ever since… you know… He's just gotten worse with the protection. He… well… Bruce doesn't want to risk it."

Diana winced. "You will be at school in the Fall, right?"

"God, I hope so."

They broke free of the crowd and onto the grass, weaving around picnic blankets. "There they are!" Diana pointed towards her family's claimed area. They were in the shade of some trees, but would still have a good view of the fireworks from the spot. Three of Jason's friends were in a semicircle on one of the blankets next to Diana's mother. "Hey! Guys! Carlos! Jenny! Nick! Look who I found!" She called. They looked up, and perked up noticeably when they spotted Jason.

"Jason!" Nick called, clambering to his feet. He darted out, and met them halfway. "It's great to see you, man." He held his hand out for a fist bump and Jason obliged. He slung an arm around Jason's shoulder and led him over to the blanket. Jason looked back to check that, yep, Bruce was following behind him, giving a respectable distance. He settled down in his circle of friends.

"Hi." He said, giving them a nervous smile.

"Hi." Jenny and Carlos echoed.

"Pfft. Enough of that, I got…" Diana looked down at her arms, furrowing her eyebrow in confusion, and then remembered. "Oh yeah!" She scrambled back up and ran back to Bruce who handed her the sodas. She handed them out to Jenny and Nick.

"I'd open them slowly, if I were you." Jason said. "She's been shaking them like crazy."

"Have not!" Diana objected.

Jason just smiled until Diana plunked down with a huff.

Bruce walked over to Diana's mother. "I hope we're not intruding, Mrs. Nicholson." He said, taking a seat on the blanket.

"Mr. Wayne," Sarah Nicholson, Diana's mother, said. She looked around and spotted Jason sitting between Carlos and Jenny. "No, of course not. We have plenty of room. Carlos' dads are sitting with us as well. They went to get food along with my husband and son. Nick's parents couldn't make it." She informed him. Bruce nodded his understanding. "Please. Call me Sarah." She requested.

"Only if you call me Bruce." Bruce retorted. Sarah swatted at him amused, before sobering.

"How are you holding up?" She asked, softly.

Bruce bit down his annoyance. He really didn't want to answer that. "Some days are better than others." He sighed. There. Social obligation complete. Sarah seemed to catch his reluctance and changed the subject. "I'm sending Diana to a Winchester Theatre Arts Camp in a couple weeks. They have an entire section just for the tech crew. Jason might enjoy it, too."

Bruce considered it. He didn't really want to let Jason out of his sight, but maybe if it was a day camp and secure enough… It would get him out of the house. "What do they cover?"

"I know they have a couple days dedicated to different light and sound boards and they definitely cover special effects. I heard they had a knot tying day too. I imagine they have to practice recognizing and untying and retying knots in the dark." She said.

"Where is it? Is it a day camp? Is it safe?"

"They're holding it in Gotham Academy, actually; Winchester had some problem with their pipes, so I'd imagine it's fairly safe. There aren't many people wandering around there in the summer. It's a two-week day camp. Monday through Friday. 9 to 5." Bruce nodded.

"Do you have the information on hand?" Jason would probably enjoy it, but Bruce would need to look at the camp more closely and come up with safety measures before deciding.

"There's a website," She pulled up the website on her phone and handed it to him. "We can carpool, if you decide to send Jason."

Bruce shook his head. "I would prefer to have myself or Alfred pick up Jason, but I would be willing to give Diana a ride home if she needs one, and if Jason attends."

"Thank you." Sarah said.

"Bruce, can we go get sparklers?" Jason asked. Bruce gave him a look. "I meant for you to come with us." The preteen huffed.

"Do you mind?" Bruce asked.

"Nah. They're safer with you than alone."

Bruce nodded, and got to his feet. "Come on then," he said to the cluster. Jason grinned. He and the rest happily started towards the sparkler stand, but before they could take more than a few steps, screams broke out on the far side of the park.

"The woods." Bruce said, and started ushering them towards the trees. Sarah quickly jumped to her feet, grabbed the picnic basket, and followed after the kids. Bruce gave Jason a significant look, and received a nod in return. People were swarming around them as others aimed for the trees, and Bruce quickly turned to find a secluded spot to change, assuming his son was right behind him.

Jason scurried after his father, glancing back to the chaos on the other side of the event. It looked like fear gas, frankly. He tripped over a tree root, and almost instantly got tripped over by a few flustered teenagers. He shrunk into a ball for a second until there was a break in the crowd, when he scurried to a relatively clear spot in the stream. Regaining his bearings, he realized Bruce had completely disappeared, and Diana and the others were far ahead of him.

"Kid, are you okay?" A rough voice asked, grabbing his arm, and helping him up.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Jason said, scowling and brushing himself off. He looked around again and fought the urge to panic. Bruce was probably at least halfway to Batman and Jason had no idea where he had gone. "I just need to catch up with my Dad."

"Are you lost?" The man asked. Jason turned to him. The man was tall, at least 6 feet and some number of inches. His skin was pale, like he spent a lot of time indoors. He wore a baseball cap, with dark brown and gray hair poking out, and sunglasses, not unusual for summer weather. He was also wearing a plain golf shirt and cargo pants, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. He was unassuming and spoke with a slight European accent, but Jason felt the hairs on the back of his neck tingling a warning. "I can help."

"No, that's okay. My Dad says not to go anywhere with strangers." He decided to head back towards the lawn. He should be able to find a place to change there.

"Don't go that way," The man said, grasping Jason's right arm, and pulling the kid towards him. Jason felt something cold run down his spine. The man was wearing gloves. "There's some crazy dude in a costume spraying gas around and people are screaming their heads off."

"… Scarecrow?" Jason asked, he pushed at the hand holding his arm. "Please let go of me. I need to find my Dad."

The man shook his head, and started pulling Jason deeper into the woods. "He probably ran the other way, kid. We'll find him in the parking lot." The crowd had died down a bit around them.

"No. That's okay. I'll just wait for him here." Jason said, continuing to push at the man's hand.

The man paused. "You got hit by the fear gas, didn't you?" He said.

"No. No, I didn't." Jason replied.

"Hang on. I've got an antidote." Jason was 99% sure the sympathy in the man's voice was false. The man shifted his backpack down off the shoulder not holding Jason, and rummaged through it for something. Jason could have sworn he heard a clank.

"No thanks! I didn't get hit. I don't need an antidote."

"You're getting hysterical. This will calm you down." The man, who Jason was increasingly wary of, said in what was probably supposed to be a soothing tone. He pulled out a syringe that had liquid in it that looked nothing like the fear toxin antidote.

"NO!" Jason shouted, yanking his arm back now, and succeeding. He tried to run away. Unfortunately, the man quickly grabbed a hold of him around his chest, and pulled him backwards.

"Hold still." The man said.

"HELP!" Jason shouted. A couple people turned towards them.

"He got hit!" The man said hurriedly, as Jason punched and kicked at him. "With the gas. I'm trying to give him the antidote." The people turned away. He managed to grasp Jason's right arm, and yank it down. He quickly emptied the syringe into Jason's body. Jason stiffened, and felt his strength fade. Whatever that was, it was strong and fast-acting. The man waited a second, and then lifted Jason up bridal style and started carrying him through the woods.

Jason was freaking out. He was getting kidnapped, and there were people there, but the guy was just telling anyone who looked concerned, and there hadn't been many, that he got hit by the gas and had already been administered an antidote. And Jason couldn't refute it. Jason felt numb, more and more numb by the second. And the world was blurring and the noise was quieting down. Shit, he was going to pass out.

"HEY!" A voice broke through the fog, sounding slightly muted. "Let him go!" Jason felt the world tilt a bit. And then it felt like he was flying through air. There were voices, but he could only make out bits and pieces of what they were saying.

"Jason." A voice whispered. "St-ake." Steak? "Jas-st-ake." Jay-steak? No, thanks. He wasn't hungry. Hmm. Did they say something? The fog closed in, and Jason couldn't stay awake any longer.

"I don't have time for this." The man who was trying to kidnap Jason sneered, as he stared at the preteens who had gotten between him and the kid. Diana glared at him, from her protective spot in front of Jason, but next to her mother. Nick stood on her other side while Carlos and Jenny were trying to get Jason to wake up. He reached into one of the pockets of his cargo pants and pulled out a gun. Sarah Nicholson quickly swept her daughter behind her and tried to reach Nick, but the villain was faster. He pulled Nick back into a choke hold and held the gun against his head. "Hand over the brat or this one gets hurt." Jenny and Carlos startled and looked over.

Sarah took a deep breath in and let it out. "I saw you in the news," she said, stalling for time until hopefully some authorities showed up. "You're that monster from the Andoxly Prison, Logan Burton." She heard Diana suck in a deep breath behind her, recognizing the name. Nick started trembling harder. Jenny and Carlos stood up, defiance mixing with fear in their eyes. Neither of them recognized the man's name, but they knew about Andoxly. It came with having a close friend who was directly impacted. The man scowled. "What do you want with Jason?" Sarah asked. "Didn't you do enough by killing his brothers?"

Burton clicked the safety off rather than answer. "Hand the brat over now, or this one loses his brains." Sarah shifted slightly, eyeing the gun and its proximity to Nick. She couldn't just let Nick die, but she couldn't hand Jason over either. They might never get Jason back. And Bruce couldn't lose his last child. "Now!" Burton shouted, gesturing with the gun. Diana and Nick both saw the chance at the same time. Nick slammed his head back and slid free of the choke hold while Diana lunged around her mother and shoved the gun up so that it wasn't pointing towards any of them. A shot rang out, spinning through the trees. Diana managed to rip the gun from the man's hand and threw it on the other side of the clearing behind her mother.

Burton lunged forward and grabbed both children by the arms, but Diana quickly spun to face him and scrapped her nails across his face. He yelled and the hand that had been holding Nick flew to his face. Nick kneed him in the balls, causing him to let go of Diana. Sarah spun around and whacked the man in the head with the heavy basket, sending him to the ground. Jenny grabbed the gun and emptied all the ammo out before tossing the gun away and jumping on the ammo so that it was dented slightly.

Sarah kicked the man in the stomach while he was down. She turned and flew across the distance to Jason. "Come on." Sarah shouted to the children, as she bundled Jason up into her arms, along with the picnic basket, which swung from one shoulder. "Quickly."

They rushed away from Burton and back into the main crowd, which was thankfully no longer panicking. Sarah did a quick headcount, and headed towards where she hoped the paramedics would be stationed. The four children behind her made a chain with Diana gripping the back of her shirt. That's the procedure she had insisted on when Bruce and Jason had disappeared from sight. Rushing slightly, but being careful not to lose another child, she weaved to the paramedics. She didn't know what that man had given to Jason, but the child was out cold, and she prayed that it wasn't lethal.

Alex looked up from his book as Wally plopped down next to him, still in his Kid Flash uniform but with the goggles pushed up on his forehead. Only the heroes that lived there had been comfortable in their normal identities around the kids that were staying at the Mountain, and Kid Flash had been warned to keep a low profile. Robin almost never visited except for missions on Batman's orders.

"G'day." Alex greeted Kid Flash.

"I wish," Kid Flash replied.

"One of those days?" Alex asked.

"Not exactly. It's a big holiday, and at least half the country is out at barbecues and picnics. The villains are taking advantage and targeting the crowds. This morning, we had to break up a hostage situation with Trickster, and two attempted bank robberies... AT THE SAME BANK! And after that, we barely had time to eat before The Top was running around kidnapping people from the park. As a speedster, barely having time to eat is not a long time. We've been running ragged trying to stop opportunists taking advantage of the day off. I have a short break now while Flash checks with the League, and then Flash and I are going to the Central City Fireworks. Hopefully, we'll actually get to see them."

"Fireworks?" Alex asked, intrigued.

"Yeah. You've seen fireworks before, right?"

"Yeah, but not in a while."

"Hmm. Maybe you and the other kids can watch the nearby ones from the beach. I'll mention it to Black Canary. They only allow them up here around today and New Year's."

"What holiday is it?"

"Independence Day, also called the 4th of July. Fireworks should be good around here. I'm sure Black Canary or someone will take you to see them."

"Thanks, KF." Wally winced at the nickname.

"Please don't call me that, Alex." He said. He debated for a moment whether or not to get up, and found his decision taking away when Flash called for him. "And that's my cue. See you later or tomorrow." Wally disappeared. A shout for Black Canary echoing slightly in the cave.

"Ciao." (Bye) Alex muttered.

Ricardo, one of the other street kid escapees, entered the room. "Buenos dias." (Good Morning.) He said, stretching out with a yawn. "Why's everyone coming and going?" He asked. "I passed like half the team on my way out here."

"It's afternoon." Alex said. "14:1, actually. And apparently it's a big holiday here, so the villains are seizing the opportunity." Artemis passed with a scowl on her face. She was in full costume with a loaded quiver slung across her back and a bow dangling from one hand. Ricardo watched her pass.

"Batman told me he managed to find an uncle of mine on my mother's side. He asked if I wanted him to talk to my uncle first and assured me that he would be doing a thorough background check either way." Ricardo said.

"Well, that's good, right? You're not alone. Do you think he'll take you in?"

"Maybe. He might not want someone with 'issues'. My mother sure didn't."

"He might be cool. Does he have a family?"

"Si." Ricardo said. He sighed. "He has a wife and three kids. One older than me by a few years, one about my age, and one a couple years younger."

"Sounds like a good situation."

"I didn't even know they existed! I could have gone to them years ago. And then maybe…" Alex nodded his understanding. If Ricardo had been with his family instead of on the streets, he probably would not have been snatched by the Bluemen. "But I'm not… I'm… I've changed since my parents died, and they might not want someone with so many issues. It would take away from their real kids."

"Don't say that. If they can handle three kids, they can handle four. And maybe your cousins will help you out. Especially the older one. It will be like getting a big brother? Sister? And you'll know someone when you go back to school in the fall." Ricardo grimaced, and sighed again. "It will work out. You'll see, Ricardo. And if they're not a good fit, Batman will find you somewhere better. He's good at that."

"I suppose so. What about you? Has Batman found your sister yet?"

Alex scowled. "No. He thinks she might have changed her last name. Last I checked, he was talking to the police in Rome to see if he could find where she went."

"Batman really seems to be going above and beyond for us."

"Yeah…" Alex said. He thought it was probably therapeutic for the man. After losing Dick and Damian, Bruce probably want to feel like he managed to save someone. Searching for their families and safe places for them and the other Andoxly kids, as they were now called, was his way of mourning. He probably felt like helping them was a way to make his son proud, to make up for failing him. Alex secretly dreaded the day that he ran out of kids to help, and had to confront the loss directly. "I think he's a big softie. He wants to be a big scary bat, but can't quite manage it."

Ricardo laughed. "Yesss. He's hiding behind that tough exterior." Ricardo made muscle arm motions to demonstrate Batman's toughness. Then flopped back.

"Of course, he can't show it. That would ruin his image." Alex said. "But a wise man once said, 'Actions speak louder than words.'" Ricardo laughed again, and got up from the couch.

"I'm going to go get something to eat. Do you want food?"

"No thanks, although some water would be nice."

"Water it is. Ciao."

Alex snorted. "Ciao." He replied. He turned back to his book. Harry was about to go down into the chamber, and Alex looked forward to reading about the Basilisk.

A/N

You'll be happy to know that there's not one, not two, but THREE Fourth of July Chapters so far. The third is a little short currently, but I haven't gotten to the Fireworks yet, so that will change. I don't really know how that happened considering I originally accidentally skipped it. This is Part One. Part Two will probably be posted next week because I have a couple summer session finals on Wednesday and then a class swap.

Fluff Nuggets are in progress and I will be sending them via PM to people who requested them hopefully sometime soon.