To no one's surprise, the one that opened the door when they rung the doorbell was Stephanie. She had been brimming with excitement ever since Damian and the others had been identified on the facial recognition program. "We need to have a welcome back party for them!" she had insisted.
Dick wasn't quite sure a party was what they needed. Certainly, some kind of celebration, because it would be the first time in forever that so much of their family would be together again, for many of them. But a full-blown party was a bit too much; after all, from their perspective, it wouldn't have been too long ago they were at Wayne Manor, at home. Or maybe it was Dick that just couldn't empathize, because he had been the second one to die while everyone else had been stuck mourning his death and trying to move on with their lives. His death, and Tim's death, and Damian's death…
He didn't blame Jason. Or Cass. He knew from Stephanie and Babs that they had done everything they could, that their siblings' fates were completely out of their hands. Neither of them would've never accepted anything less. But it still hurt to learn that despite his sacrifice, his two youngest brothers had still ended up dying so soon after him. Just the mere thought of it filled him with immeasurable pain and grief. He could've only imagined how Jason and Cass had dealt with it.
(Or maybe Dick didn't have to. Barbara did, after all, say that for a time, that after those two deaths, they had been scared they would lose Jason too. And really, didn't that say it all?)
Anyway, Stephanie had been talked down from a full-blown party to a special dinner instead (which Jason would probably try to hijack the preparations of the moment he found out about it, Barbara had noted to him with no small amount of amusement). She had gone out with Alfred and Tim to buy all the food they needed, included special vegetarian substitutes for Damian. Dick had opted not to go with them, instead volunteering to be the one to pick them up from the airport instead. The past two weeks just waiting for them to come back had been a little stressful, with the abrupt move back to the Manor and Bruce's brooding and everyone else running around, torn between angsting over their situation and trying to put out as many past, current, and future fires as they could in their current states. He needed to get away.
And, well, he wanted to see them. He wanted to see Jason, see how the weight of carrying the mantle of Batman for far longer than Dick had ever intended for him had changed him. He wanted to see Cass, see how caring for the city that Dick had once called his own allowed her to bloom. And above all else, he wanted to see Damian, young and alive and grown, if not in stature anymore, then in mind. He wanted to see, and he needed to see, because it would reinforce, once more, that this, all of this, was real.
Dick was in the past, with a family who had lived in a world that had gone on without him. It was like coming back from the dead, except not quite, because as far as this world knew, he had never been dead. The only people who knew he had been were the Family. The rest of the world didn't know they had to mourn him, or rejoice in his return. He supposed he should be grateful for that much at least; he remembered the media circus that came about in the wake of Jason's "official" return from the dead. No doubt his little brother was dreading have to go through that particular brand of nonsense again.
Predictably, Stephanie threw herself at Cass first with a squeal, squeezing her lifelong best friend with everything she had. Cass squeezed back just as hard, having outlived Stephanie by, from what Dick had calculated, several months. After Cass was Jason, who accepted her embrace with no protest, instead running a hand through Stephanie's long blonde hair in deep, if subdued, affection. The two always had something of an affinity with each other once they'd gotten to properly meet, being two poor kids from the most dangerous neighborhoods in Gotham. It seemed that the years of working together had only brought them closer together.
And then there was Damian.
Stephanie, much like Dick and probably Jason and Cass as well, couldn't seem to get enough of Damian once he was in reach. She had tears in her eyes as she crouched down so she could be eye-level with him, cupping his face and brushing back invisible bangs just so she could feel every inch of his head, confirming that yes, he was there and he was very much alive. Damian found himself in another bone-crushing hug, similar to the one Dick had given him, and gave some half-hearted protest but didn't even bother to try pulling away. Dick was not surprised about that either; Stephanie had always been the one closest to Damian after himself, one of the few that had pierced and ripped away the hardened shell to reveal the child beneath. She must've taken Damian's death just as hard as Jason and Cass did.
Once the trio's reunions with Stephanie were over, all of them were allowed into the Manor, which was where Barbara waiting for them. Jason and Cass had both stopped when they saw her, while Damian plunged forward and crawled up her lap for another hug. Dick thought it perhaps had to do with the fact that she was back in a wheelchair. Babs had been low-key complaining about being stuck in one again after decades of being able to walk thanks to advanced medical technology. It's not like she couldn't manage, she had admitted, having done so for well over a decade before that technology had been developed, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.
Cass quickly got over her shock and took the next hug after Damian. Jason was a bit slower to receive his, and it took a moment for Dick to realize why. Seeing Barbara in that wheelchair probably reminded him of who, exactly, had put her there in the first place. Jason always had a hard time being in control when it came to that particular villain, and after everything that had happened, both before and undoubtedly after Dick's death, Dick could hardly blame him.
It seemed Babs realized it too. When Jason and her finally let each other go, she gave his shoulders a final squeeze. "I'm fine, Jason," she told him.
Jason gave her a tired smirk. "Of course you are," he said candidly, with no small amount of fondness. "You're the strongest of us all, Barbie."
Babs playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "And don't you ever forget it."
The trio's reunions with Tim were of an entirely different vibe, more akin to that of their reunions with Dick. Except not quite that, because when they had all seen him at the airport, their reactions had been nothing except hope and pure joy. Here, there was equal amounts of joy, but an undercurrent of sadness to it as well. He wasn't quite aware about what happened between Tim's death and his own, and the aftermath of it all. Everyone who knew was keeping their mouths shut, much to both the frustration of Bruce and himself. But Tim had alluded to leaving some sort of mission behind to make sure the Family would have closure over his fate, and whatever it was, that it was what led to the melancholy surrounding Dick's four younger siblings now.
Jason was the first of them to approach Tim, marching up to the younger boy (man?) and throwing his arms around him with so much force it nearly bowled the smaller of the two brothers over. Tim tentatively returned it, and Jason buried his face into his younger brother's hair, whispering something that was only for the two of them to hear. Whatever he said, it was enough for Tim adopt a stubborn expression of his own and whisper furiously back, only calming down when Jason gave him another response in return. Dick watched as Jason slowly extracted himself away, but not before giving Tim a gentle, affectionate headbutt as a parting gift.
Cass was next. Before Tim's death, she had been closest to him out of all their siblings. While she was probably closer to Jason now (Dick would have to be blind to see how synchronized the two of them were these days, how they seemed to have entire conversations by sharing a single look, and wasn't that a change?), it was obvious to everyone how much she missed Tim. She peppered his face with kisses the moment he was close, causing the third Robin to laugh and (half-heartedly) ask her to stop. Unlike with Jason, Cass didn't say anything to him at all, just happy to have him close again.
Once Cass finally let go, it was Damian's turn. But unlike Jason or Cass, the youngest of the Wayne brood did not immediately go to his brother to hug him. Instead, Tim and him spent a long time observing each other — and their current states.
"You look like shit, Drake," Damian finally said, crossing his arms. The bizarreness of having a seven year old Damian casually swearing like that was the only thing stopping Dick from admonishing him for his language. That, and the fact that Damian was technically twenty-two. "And yet somehow you're more presentable like this than you were when we first met. Figures your grooming skills would only decay with time, unlike everyone else's."
Tim merely smirked, and crossed his own arms in return. "Funny, coming from a man that's going to be stuck sitting in booster seats for the next two years."
The two glared at each other. And then smiled.
Damian walked forward while Tim went down to one knee, and then they were hugging, and Dick felt himself smiling. "Missed you, Tim," Damian said quietly. Tim didn't say anything back; he just hugged his little brother tighter.
By the time they were done, Bruce and Alfred had entered the foyer, rounding everyone out. There was a beat of silence, and then Damian rushed to Bruce, a happy cry of "FATHER!" trailing after him. Cass smiled at the sight before going to greet Alfred, while Jason… well, he just stared at Bruce for a moment, an indecipherable expression on his face, before following their sister.
Alfred embraced both of the older siblings at the same time, while Damian was lifted up into the air by Bruce for his own hug. It was fitting, Dick guessed; from what he understood, Jason and Cass were Alfred's primary caretakers towards the end, and the ones to discover him when his body finally gave out and he passed away. Seeing him alive again must be a much-needed salve to the wound of having to watch him deteriorate right before their very eyes, knowing they could do little more than make sure his last days were as comfortable as possible.
After Bruce let Damian go, he was quickly bombarded with a hug from Cass, while Damian was gently guided to Alfred by Jason. And when that particular reunion was over, that just left Jason and Bruce. Dick could feel a blanket of tension enveloping the entire room when they made eye contact. This was one meeting that had been in the back of all their minds, and now it was finally here.
Father and son just stared at each other for a long moment.
And then Jason walked over, and gave Bruce a hug. Bruce froze at the contact, before relaxing and returning the embrace. "Jaylad…"
"I missed you."
A smile. "I missed you too, son."
Dick exhaled deeply, only now realizing how much he had been holding his breath. This… this was good.
Now, he knew for sure that no matter what happened from here on out, everything was going to be alright.
Once the reunions were all over, everyone split up again. It was about two hours before the established dinner time, and true to Barbara's words, the moment Jason found out about the dinner, he booked it directly to the dining room's kitchen to help Alfred. Cass loudly declared she was overdue for a bath and hightailed it towards her personal bathroom (where Alfred had indeed left a bottle of her favorite bubble bath soap in because he knew them all so well), while Damian headed to his room for a nap, finally giving in to the biological needs of his current body.
Dick himself, after several hours of driving to and from Bludhaven, decided a much needed break was in order and decided to follow Damian's example by taking a quick nap of his own. The moment his back hit the mattress, he was out like a light, and didn't wake up again until Bruce started knocking on his door, telling him dinner was about to begin. He rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes before getting up and heading back downstairs to eat.
When he got to the dining room with Bruce, he saw that just about everyone was already there, milling about. Barbara, Cass and Stephanie were talking about something, and judging by the giggling it was either about some secret conspiracy only known to Batgirls or something stupid that either one of his brothers or him or even Bruce had done. The women in this family had always been wiser than the men, and had no issues rubbing it in time and again.
Damian was glaring up at the booster seat Tim was fitting into his designated chair. Dick's youngest brother clearly resented being stuck in the body of a child again and all the expectations thereof. Whereas, judging by the mischievous grin Tim was wearing, his second-youngest brother was happily milking their younger brother's new circumstances for all they were worth. Apparently, sibling rivalries were forever, even in the face of death and alternate timelines. Hopefully, they still remembered which lines not to cross.
Bruce was heading to his own seat at the head of table. And unconsciously, Dick followed him. The only people missing in the room were Jason and Alfred, but Dick already knew where they were. The sounds of dishes being placed on the dining cart and the faint sounds of 'please, Master Jason, go sit down, I can handle it' and 'no way Alfie, let me help' made it all too clear what was going on there. Alfred was already much less… energetic (for lack of a better word) than he used to be by the time of Dick's death, but judging by his comments and the comments fo Steph and Babs, he was practically bedridden for the last few years of his life, with the Family all taking turns taking care of him before he finally passed. It figured that Jason (who was always a touch more thoughtful than people gave him credit for) would want to lift more of the burden from him now that they were in the past.
Dick sat to Bruce's right, and that's when the dining cart was rolled in. Alfred announced every dish that was made for dinner tonight, including a stack of waffles (much to Stephanie's delight) and a large vegetarian meatloaf (much to Damian's satisfaction). After all the dishes were placed on the table, everyone else seated themselves, Jason to Bruce's left and across from Dick, Cass beside him and next to Damian. Barbara rolled her wheelchair up next to Dick, and Tim sat himself next to her, Stephanie on the other side of him. Alfred directed the dining cart back into the dining kitchen but didn't join them; even death hadn't quite shaken the need to adhere to proper propriety out of him.
Bruce stood up and made a small speech about how he didn't know why they were here in the past like this, but how he was grateful they could be together again. Dick didn't really pay attention to it, as heartfelt as it was, as much as it warmed him, because his curiosity got the better of him. Instead, he tried to (discreetly) observe everyone else's reactions to the speech. Babs, Stephanie, Cass, and Jason were all watching Bruce with some amused, proud fondness, as if he were their teenage grandson making a speech after being named high school valedictorian. Dick supposed that tracked; the former three had died as grandmothers (or as a grand-aunt, in the case of Cass), and Jason likely would've been a grandfather had he managed to live just a few years more, as much as he had yet to officially confirm to Dick that he had children.
(Dick wasn't an idiot. He could read between the lines, and Jason had all but admitted it to him. And he had a very, very good idea why Jason hadn't outright told him yet, and he still didn't know what to make of it.)
In addition to that, Jason and Cass had their hands lightly interlaced. It wasn't consciously done, by the looks of it. Just automatic, and instinctual. Such an intimate gesture, but not an inch of physical attraction or romantic intent to be found in it. Years of co-dependence, of having to rely on each other because, in some ways, there wasn't anyone else to rely on. Dick's heart broke a little at the thought of that.
Quickly, he turned his attentions elsewhere. Alfred was watching Bruce much like the first four were, unsurprisingly. Damian, however, was much more contemplative. He was looking at Bruce while biting the corner of his lip, like he didn't quite know what to make of his father, saying all these words that had never left his mouth before. Damian had loved his father towards the end, but his idolization of the man had ended long before Bruce's actual death. He was more than well-aware of his sire's faults, and it seemed he was trying to reconcile with how he should treat him now that the euphoria of their reunion had passed. Bruce was trying harder, had been trying harder long before they found themselves in the situation they were in, but well… some things were hard to forget.
He turned from Damian to the last member of their family present. Tim was watching Bruce much like Damian, but there was a cooler, analytical touch to his expression. That was something that ached Dick too. Tim was brilliant and amazing, but the life of a vigilante had sapped something away from him. He still loved and he still cared, but it seemed like his wide-eyed idealism and optimism had been traded for cold, pragmatic reality. A loss of innocence that Dick would always hate himself for playing a part of, and a reason why he was glad he chose Jason instead of Tim. One less burden his little brother would have felt the need to carry, for as little good it ended up doing in the end.
The speech ended. Bruce sat down. And they dug in.
Dinner was almost like it used to be. Lots of chattering and jockeying over food. Damian grew frustrated at his short little arms leaving him unable to cut a piece of the meatloaf for himself, but Cass had gotten to him before he got too frustrated, taking his plate and cutting the piece herself, along with filling it with a good helping of the bowl of carrots and lentils. He gave her thanks before digging in, his youth and excessive amounts of activity (even for a child, like he currently was) meaning his appetite was substantially large. Not quite to the levels of adulthood yet, but reasonably close.
After the main courses were over, Alfred brought in dessert. It's a cake he's been making all day, but the way it's decorated — the flourishing icing, the small little figurines, the carving of the actual cake itself — all screamed Jason. Alfred had always been a fantastic baker, but Jason had been his best student, and time, it seemed, had made sure he had surpassed the master. This was the kind of cake that Dick saw on television whenever he wanted to be mean to himself and watch silly little baking shows while having only filled up on cereal and ramen.
Dick was practically salivating when they cut his piece, which was noticeably larger than the rest. He didn't even bother to wait for everyone else before taking a bite, moaning as the rich cream melted on his tongue. Next to him, Barbara shook her head.
"Sugar fiend," she said with far too much affection.
The first Robin shrugged, smirking. "I just have an appreciation for good food."
That made her chuckle, which made him grin, and they're both laughing together. As it subsided, he caught her eye and they're both smiling, before they realize what they're doing and looked away. That undercurrent of what could've been was still between them, even after all this time, even after he had died with Kori's name on his lips and Babs had been happily married to Luke for oh so many years and with a horde of children and grandchildren to follow. It always would be, he knew now; there was only two women in his life that could be called the love of his life, and one of them was Babs. That was never going to change, even if the relationship hadn't worked out in the end.
It was bittersweet. But a lot of this was bittersweet. And as much as he lamented the bitter, he loved the sweet.
Dick didn't know what would come after Brainiac, when he made his choice. But if this was it, then he didn't mind where he ended up in the end. Not in the least.
After dinner the family piled into the movie theater and watched Mulan. Actually, most of them wanted to watch Frozen, until they realized it was 2011 and Frozen hadn't come out yet. There was a lot of voting involved before they decided on Mulan, and all the singing to the catchy songs led to The Lion King, which led to Tangled, and then Aladdin, and then, well, an entire Disney marathon that morphed into an impromptu sleepover.
Which meant having to help Alfred clean up the theater when morning came. Jason was the first out the door, practiced with cleaning up after himself and because he wanted to help with breakfast, and the earlier he got there the more likely Alfred would have to concede to his wishes. Stephanie, Cass and Tim were next, the former urging the latter to hurry because she wanted to hog all the waffles. Damian was a step after them, because he hated losing to any of them.
(Some things really did never change.)
Dick and Babs were last, because Bruce had absconded earlier to handle some emergency Wayne Enterprises business and everyone pretended they didn't notice. Bruce had been focusing more on WE, had refused to be Batman ever since he had woken up. He had been content let Dick and the Birds watch over the city, let Tim (whose body was still acclimating to being so much younger and smaller and shorter and couldn't really fight without looking like a clumsy bear) run comms and do casework. Bruce wasn't ready to go back to being the Bat, might never be ready again, and Dick was proud of him for recognizing him as much as he was resigned to what it meant for himself.
Once the theater was completely tidied up, they set the folded covers down next to the door for Alfred to pick up later and head to the breakfast nook. They arrived to a rather dramatic scene of everyone trying to do everything they could to snatch away Tim's coffee, because he's already had three and it was long-decided that would be his limit. Dick, very much in agreement with everyone else's prerogative, swooped in and took the cup for himself, draining it into his body while Tim stared at him betrayal.
"Why?" he cried in great horror, and if there was any proof that Dick had done the right thing, that would be it.
"Tim, you've already had three, and your body doesn't have its caffeine addiction yet. We are not going to let you develop it again and have you stay up three days in the row just because you found the latest break in a million different cases and say 'no, Steph, I need to write this down, I've almost got it!'—"
Oh, wow. Stephanie was on a roll, and she was so totally a mom, because Dick once had a mother too, and while she was all soft hands and quiet words, she had that harsh knife edge to her too whenever he did something that needed a reprimand.
"—so, no more coffee than three cups a day. And no mixing energy drinks with them either!" Stephanie added with a flourish, hands on her hips, refusing to be defied. Tim stared up at her wide-eyed, while Cass nodded in solidarity and Jason walked over and placed the waffles in the center of the table. He ruffled Tim's hair while Damian sniffed haughtily.
"Better listen to Stephanie, Timothy," the younger male taunted his brother. "She is the adult, after all."
That seemed to break Tim out of his trance, and snapped out at the younger boy out of instinct. "Oh, screw you demon brat."
"Why do you even need that much caffeine in the morning?" Barbara asked, rolling up to the table. "I know for a fact you actually slept last night instead of trying to secretly do casework like you usually do, because we all slept on you to make it happen."
Tim sighed dramatically. "Because I've got a project at school that's due on Monday that I haven't started yet."
"It's Saturday, Tim, and it's a middle school project," Stephanie pointed out. She flopped down into her chair and had one arm crossing her chest, her free hand being used to rub one of her temples. "It's not like they're asking you to write a ten-page, twelve point, single-spaced report on an overly narrow and obscure topic like in college. They're just asking you to make a power point presentation on the history of the Gotham River. You can literally do that in your sleep."
"Yeah, but there's also the rest of my homework too. I've been slacking off." The two-time teen slumped onto the breakfast table face first. "I hate being in middle school again."
Damian snorted. "Why not just ask Father to pull you out and get a GED?"
"Can't. Jack's still alive. Not officially a Wayne yet. Plus you need to be at least sixteen to get a GED in New Jersey. I'd have to do homeschooling instead, and with Jack in physical therapy once he wakes up, there's no way he'll let that happen."
"It's the same reason I'm still in middle school," Stephanie noted. "Mom has no time to homeschool me, so there's no way she'll consent to pulling me out." She then adopted a mischievous look. "And why are you so smug, munchkin? There's no way your dad is going to be home enough to justify homeschooling for you without hiring tutors you don't need, so chances are you'll have to go to grade school yourself."
The fourth Robin opened his mouth to retort, only to suddenly pale in realization. "Crap. You're right!"
Tim lifted his head in bitter satisfaction. "Yes. Suffer with us."
As the two started one of their infamous arguments, Jason simply shook his head and went over to pour himself a glass of orange juice. "Makes me grateful I'm already sixteen. I can just stay out of school and get a GED."
"Lucky you!" The three chorused back at him, with Stephanie going as far to stick her tongue out at him. That only caused Jason to burst out into laughter.
Midway through breakfast, Bruce returned from Wayne Enterprises. By the time his children saw him, he already had his blazer off and was halfway through the process of removing his tie. "There was a security breach, along with a report of corporate espionage," he explained to everyone as he sat down, gratefully taking the plate of pancakes and sausages Alfred offered him.
Both Jason and Tim frowned. "Was it handled?" the former asked, gently setting down his orange juice.
"It was, for a given amount of 'handled'. The culprit was an agent of Luthor's, through one of his intermediate shell companies. He'll probably try again with another agent in a month or so."
There was a collective groan at that. "I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with Luthor bullshit when I was CEO of WE," Jason said.
Tim blinked. "You didn't? I mean, I know sent you guys on that posthumous mission to take down his backup body drives, but…"
Cass raised an eyebrow at him. "You did not know, Tim? Luthor died in the same incident that killed you. When you had us take down his cloning facilities afterward, you ensured he stayed dead for real."
"Huh." It seemed Tim did not know that. "Well, that's… good, I guess?"
Very good, Dick noted to himself. While he would've preferred Tim not dying in process, taking down one of the worst supervillains of all time was no small accomplishment. Who knows how many lives Tim saved by finally taking Luthor down, even if it was fatally — the man had never been one to shy away from destroying innocent lives for the sake of his own agenda, which was usually some variation of 'fuck Superman'. By the time Dick died, everyone had long since given up trying to redeem him because his crimes had becomes so great.
"Moving on from that," Bruce started, more than likely trying to move on from the subject of Luthor's death, because nobody was queasier about the morality of supervillain deaths than Bruce Wayne, "I've invited over Clark and Diana today for a visit so we can inform them of our current… situation."
Damian blinked. "You mean all of you have not done that yet, Father? I thought informing the rest of the Justice League would be your first priority, considering you are not currently operating as Batman."
Bruce winced. "All I told the Justice League was that I was currently dealing with a personal issue and would not be available until further notice," he said. "I also told them that if they feel they needed someone with my expertise, they could ask for Nightwing's help instead. Thus far, they haven't, but that wouldn't have sustained for long. The reason we held off on informing them anyway is because we were waiting for Jason, Cass, and yourself to return home so we would have a full picture of the situation."
"Plus, it would've been a pain to invite Diana over twice just confirm everyone was who they said they were," Babs added.
"That as well."
"Where's the meeting going to take place?" Stephanie asked, absentmindedly drizzling more syrup on her fifth waffle. "The Cave?"
"The main library. More comfortable, and more writing space." Nobody made mention of the fact that Bruce was doing everything he could to avoid the Cave now that he knew he wasn't the only time traveler present. "Now, Tim?"
"I'll write down the questions Diana should ask once she has under the lasso."
"Thank you, son."
Dick remained silent throughout the entire exchange. Clark and Diana were coming to visit. He swept his gaze across the room, watching as Jason started picking out fruit from the bowl, the way Cass helped Damian get his second serving of yogurt, the way Stephanie mowed down on her waffles. At this point in the timeline, as far as Clark and Diana went, Jason was dead and they had no idea who Cass, Stephanie, or Damian were. They barely knew Tim, were completely unaware of Barbara's current occupation as Oracle, and thought the relationship between Bruce and himself was still on shaky ground.
He leaned back into his chair and sighed. It was going to be an interesting visit, that was for sure.
It's interesting seeing things from Dick's perspective here, because in many ways, much like Bruce, he's an odd man out. For years he was the one everyone relied on, the rock they leaned on, the person they looked up to. And here, well, he's not. Everyone in the Family, one way or the other, had to move on without him and learn how to rely on both themselves and others. They love him and they missed him, but they don't look to him for direction or approval anymore. And you see that here, where Dick rarely has to take the initiative because everyone else is so much more sure of themselves and ready to make their own choices, leaving him in a position to just observe them and see how much they've changed.
Next chapter: Stephanie meets Superman and Wonder Woman, edition one, take two.