Title: Man on the Bench-part two
Author: Simon
Characters: Dick Grayson and Manor crew, plus OC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Dick meets the family
Warnings: none
Disclaimers: These guys aren't mine, they don't belong to me, worst luck, so don't bother me.
Archive: Fine, but if you want it, please ask first.
Feedback: Hell, yes.
Okay, okay. I know that ski lifts are better constructed and have more safeties now, but work with me here so Dick can show off a little.
Thanks, Lisa.
The Man on the Bench
Part TwoThey arrived at the Lloyd family condo on the slopes of Butternut around twelve-thirty in the afternoon and as soon as Bruce's relatively understated BMW pulled into the parking area the door to number seven opened and a woman stepped out wrapping Dick in a strong hug. A man—presumably her husband, trailed behind and patted Dick's shoulder while he was caught in his aunt's arms. When he could extricate himself enough to pull back a few inches he stared at the woman who looked almost exactly like the picture of his mother he'd carried in his mind for the last six years, the only difference being that this woman was blonder and a little heavier. His Mom had been small and as slender as…well, there was no point in going there.
"I'd know you anywhere, honey—you look just like your mom, just like her with those eyes of hers—oh, and that straight black hair…I swear, you could have been cloned from her. Oh, sweetie, you don't know how long I've wanted to meet you—much too long—but we're going to make it all right from now on, aren't we?" She looked towards the open doorway where three boys ranging from maybe ten to fifteen were hanging back. "You three get over here and help with this stuff."
"These are your cousins, Dick—Chip, Steve and Peter. Oh, listen to me—and I'm your Aunt Pat and this is your Uncle James. Alright, now that we all know who's who, have you had your lunch yet?"
"No, but I had a big breakfast and…"
"None of that. If you four are going to make some runs this afternoon, you need some food in you."
The cousins came out and looked him over, just like he was doing to them and the first thing he noticed was that they didn't look like what Dick thought of as 'Grayson', not even a little. They all had sandy or dirty blond hair and not blue eyes, but seemed willing enough to be friendly.
Tom sort of coughed. "Dick? I'll be back to pick you up Monday—what time would be good for you, M'am?"
"Oh, you needn't bother, we'll take him home when we go back after lunch, don't trouble about it."
"But I thought you all lived in Connecticut—that's like an hour and a half from where I live—Tom can come get me, it's really not a problem."
"Son, you're family. We're not about to just ship you off like a package. Now, no argument—we'll make sure you get home and that's final."
"But Bruce is expecting Tom to drive me."
"Well, we'll just let him know, that's all."
Dick glanced at Tom. "You better call tomorrow or something and ask Bruce what's going on."
Nodding, Tom got back in the Beamer and left, wondering if he'd be making the drive back in two days or not.
His aunt had her arm around his shoulders as they walked inside. "I'm sorry that your grandparents aren't here yet, but they're still on the road and they tend to go a little slower than we do."
This was apparently a family joke since the cousins all started laughing. "Right, Mom, if Gram's driving they'll get here like on Thursday."
"Chip—you behave yourself!"
Inside, the cousins took Dick's bag to what looked like a dorm room with three sets of bunks, "Mom and dad got these so we'd all be able to bring friends, but we didn't this trip, so you can have your choice."
"How come we've never met you if you're supposed to be our cousin?"
"Because my Mom married someone they thought was scum."
"So that makes you the son of scum?" If Steve hadn't been smiling, Dick would have clocked him.
"Pretty much."
"Welcome to the pond, scum." Steve was okay.
"Boys? Lunch is ready."
"C'mon—Mom really gets her panties in a knot if we miss a meal. I think it has something to do with starving children in India or something."
"I should call home and let them know I'm here, first—is that okay?"
"Sure, no problem. The phone's in the kitchen, c'mon."
"Hey, Alfred? I'm here…I'm fine…Yes, they all met me and everyone seems very nice…Well, we were just about to have lunch then hit the mountain…You may want to talk to Tom about how I'm getting home; the Lloyd's say they'll drop me off, but if Bruce would rather…I know…I will…'K…Bye."
"Dick, honey? It's not a big deal, but my dad is a Lloyd and so was until she married John, and I'm a Simpson since I got married."
Of course, that would make sense. "I guess I should have known you have a different name—sorry." Duh, Grayson.
His aunt gave him another small hug. "Don't you worry about it. Now hurry up and eat so you can get out on the hill."
Lunch, grilled cheese and soup were basic enough, and Dick was just as happy to have something to take the immediate attention away from him, truth be told. He may have been better than most at fitting in when he wanted to, but this was weird, even for him and it was awkward to know that these people were his family and he was just now meeting them for the first time in his life. Finishing his food quickly, he went back to what he had mentally named the dorm room to change into his gear.
He pulled on his ski pants and had the windbreaker on when one of the cousins—he wasn't completely sure which was which yet, came in and saw the old lift pass on the zipper pull.
"Innsbruck? You skied Innsbruck?"
"Christmas. We went over for a week. Hey, does Grandpa ski with us? Is he here?"
The unknown cousin seemed alright. "He skis with my parents and so does Gram—right, I guess you haven't met her yet, but she's pretty much okay—just don't belch or swear in front of her and you should be fine. Oh, and watch your grammar in front of her, too. Anyway, they say they can't keep up with us so they go off by themselves and usually meet us up on the hill for lunch—except today, and then after skiing we get cleaned up and we go out for dinner." The cousin put on a turtleneck over his tee. "So, how are you on the hill? Can you stay on your feet?" It was a challenge, no doubt about it.
"I'm okay."
"You're on. You manage Lucifer's Leap first try without falling, I'll believe you."
Whatever. Obviously that was the killer trail around here. He wasn't worried—Dick's father had started him on skis when he was two years old and he'd been boarding since he was ten. He shouldn't have any problems, especially at a place that billed itself as a 'family ski resort'. Now Kitzbuhl—that was a big hill.
The mountain was decent in an east coast sort of way. It wasn't any Deer Valley or Sun Valley and wasn't anywhere near the Alps, but it was doable.
Dick and the cousins spent the afternoon boarding the advanced slopes and though Dick could have run circles around them, he was tactful and held himself in check—though he did throw a couple of flips off the jumps and a full double layout on the last run.
They were suitably impressed.
With the sun disappearing behind the hill, not wanting to deal with the lights and knowing that if they were late back they'd get in trouble, the four of them took one last run. Boarding, having more fun than he thought he would under the circumstances, it suddenly struck Dick that he liked these guys—they were family, they were cousins he hadn't known existed and he actually liked them—he was having a good time and, damn, it felt really great.
Ever since his parents had died, as terrific as Bruce and Alfred were and no matter how cool it was to fly as Robin—damn—these people were family.
The word was almost magic to Dick and he was having trouble keeping the grin off his face. He had an aunt and uncle, three cousins and a full set of grandparents.
God, this was incredible.
Amazing.
Fantastic.
Okay, not meeting them till now was sucky, but that was yesterday's news and—damn—he had family!
Slaloming down to the slope door to the chalet, the boys unbuckled their bindings and, boards over their shoulders, clumped their way up to their condo, calling dibs on the shower as they went.
Dick was in heaven.
"Hey, you okay?" It was one of the cousins, probably Peter. They had both showered and were sitting around the dorm, relaxing, semi-sprawled on the bunks. The other two were watching TV in the other room and the parents weren't back yet.
"I was just wondering when I get to meet our grandmother, that's all."
"Yeah, well, you might as well know; she's sort of freaked about you showing up—no, it's nothing you did. I heard them all talking last night and when Grandpa told her that you look exactly like your mother she got pretty upset. She made some comment to Grandpa that your Mom wouldn't have gone off and gotten killed if he hadn't been so stubborn and pig headed, so she might seem a little weird tonight at dinner…just thought you should know."
Great. "…Yeah, thanks."
"Don't let it get you down or anything—they're practically shitting that you're here. Mom and Dad were even saying how they'd really like it if you moved in with us and all."
"But you barely know me and I already live with…"
"Yeah, we know; Bruce Wayne, the richest man in the universe or whatever. They still think you should be with us."
"Yeah, well, we like just met, y'know? I have a life—school, friends and all of that. I don't know if I really want to just pick up and shift gears again. I've been through it once already and it wasn't exactly what I'd call fun."
"I wouldn't think." Peter stretched out on his back "You really grew up as a trapeze flyer in a traveling circus?"
"Until my parents were killed, that was when I was eight."
"That sounds pretty cool." Peter looked almost jealous before he caught what he'd just said. "I mean, you know, the circus part."
"…It's okay." Dick managed a semi-smile. "Yeah, it was."
An hour later they were in one of the usual steak places that seem to sprout up around ski areas complete with the typical décor of stuffed bears and antique skis crossed over the bar. Dick was trying to be cool about the whole thing but it was starting to slip while he waited to meet his grandmother for the first time.
Finally, finally he saw them approach the table.
"Dick?" She stood there staring at him as hard as he was staring at her. She was gray-haired and slender to the point of almost looking frail but with that aura about her some older women have; the look that lets you know that they spend all day either riding a bike around the neighborhood or out in a prize winning garden when they weren't running the State-wide Planned Parenthood organization or raising Christ knew how much money for some incredibly good cause then going out to swim their daily forty laps or play a couple sets of tennis. And she would probably still be skiing when she was ninety.
"My God, you were right, Philip—Dick—you could be your mother's twin. Oh, my Lord." Then she had him in a hug he though would break ribs, murmuring things he didn't quite hear but knew what they meant anyway. "It's almost like having Mary back—oh, you have no idea…"
Insisting that he sit next to her during the meal, she kept touching him—stroking his arm, putting her hand on his or cupping his cheek as though she was afraid he'd disappear if she let go. Thank God at least she was sensitive enough to not pepper him with unnecessary questions and bristled when Pat tried to ask him too many things about how his life had been the last five or so years—and how he had lived before that.
"You leave him alone—he's just got here, give him some time to settle in, for God's sake. And you—you eat that cheesecake, you look too thin to me—don't you get enough food at that fancy mansion you've been living in? I think I'll have to call that man and see what he's been feeding you." Thank God she was laughing when she said it since Dick was starting to picture Alfred explaining his daily diet over the phone. "We'll make sure you have whatever you need from now on, don't you worry about that, Dick—you don't have anything to worry about, not as far as having a family is concerned, and that's a promise."
Dick noticed that his Grandfather was quiet during the meal, pleasant and polite, even joking a little, but still quiet—and he seemed to be watching Dick as well.
It was a little disconcerting after the way they'd been joking and talking when he'd been over to the Manor.
In fact the whole trip was strange—but when you came down to it, how could it be any different? Everyone was nice and kind and solicitous towards him and all of that but he felt like he was under a microscope. Sure, he was used to being watched—you couldn't grow up the way he had with Haley's and then being Robin—not to mention the whole 'being Bruce Wayne's ward' circus without having people single you out and stare at you, but this wasn't the same. These weren't strangers—well, okay, sure they were, but they were family too and that was what made it weird.
Later that night, when the kids were supposed to be sleeping, the oldest cousin, Peter, whispered to Dick in the next bunk. "You awake?"
"Yeah."
"Don't let them get to you; they mean well, they're just sort of weirded out about the whole thing, y'know?"
"Yeah, I guess…thanks."
"No problem…hey, tomorrow? I'm gonna so kick your ass on the hill."
"In your dreams."
"Is something troubling you beyond the obvious, sir?"
They were down in the cave, Bruce—no, at the moment he was Batman and had been working on the computer for hours. "I think I've found something, but I need to check a few more things."
"Something concerning the young master's family?"
"His grandfather."
"My understanding was that the man was above reproach, other than his unfortunate choice regarding his non-acceptance of Master Dick's parents decision to marry."
"It appears that may not be his only poor decision."
"Indeed?"
"Ahhh, shit. I can't friggin believe this."
The four cousins were on one of the quad lifts headed for the top of the hill again when they jerked to a complete and unexpected stop, just hanging in the air along with the dozens of other skiers and boarders who were as equally stuck.
"What happened this time? Man…"
They knew what had happened. It was the same kind of thing that always happened on the lift—some jerks about five chairs ahead of them had been screwing around and a ski pole had become wedged in the pulleys. They could see where the problem was; it was right in front of them. Pain in the ass—they could be stuck for a while and to make it even better, it was feeling like the storm that had been threatening all morning was finally moving in, if the look of the clouds and the wind were any indicators. And to make it even better, Chip was starting to get really cold since he'd splashed through a stream a couple of runs ago.
Shit.
They waited a while, seemingly hours, but probably really about twenty minutes with no word or anything, the temperature was dropping by the minute and the wind was picking up. Chip was starting to cry. This wasn't good—well, alright, screw it. Time to do something Bruce would kill him for if he found out.
Luckily they had stopped in a section where they were mostly hidden from the rest of the hill by a large grove of tall pines. Reaching down and releasing his binding, Dick handed his board to Peter and said, "Just don't move, okay?"
"What the fuck are you doing? Are you out of your mind?…Dude, it's like thirty feet down…Dick, hey, stop, man—you'll get killed."
Dick pulled himself up so that he was standing on the bench and made a quick job of shinnying up the hang pole to the cable, making his way hand over hand to the support post fifty feet ahead of them.
Okay. Fine. Now all he had to do was get the cable unstuck and being the good little Robin he was, he had a couple of his belt tools in one of his pockets. Always be prepared, right?
Balancing on the support he sparked the small blowtorch, hiding what he was doing with his body and managed to get cut the offending ski pole and get the thing unjammed just as the ski patrol was making their way down the slope below them.
The chair should be able to move now.
Scrambling back to the chair faster than his cousins would have thought possible, he was seated and looking completely innocent by the time the patrol had gotten to the trouble spot, now no longer a problem.
"Jesus, Dude, you're amazing!" "How the hell did you…?" "Man, you have GOT to show me how to do that!"
Dick stared his cousins into submission with a quick "Shut the fuck up, will you? I'll lose my pass if they find out what I just did."
That got them. Losing a pass was death.
They could see the patrol guys looking at the torched pole, shaking their heads in confusion. One of them climbed the pole to make sure it was a go and with a couple minutes of back and forth on the radios, the lift started up again with cheers heard up and down the lift line.
In the hilltop restaurant for lunch they were on time to meet the rest of the family for lunch.
"You should have seen what Dick did when we got stuck on the quad this morning, Grandma—he was awesome…"
"Oh, what did he do, Chippy?"
"We were stuck and…" Steve kicked him under the table.
"…He used his cell to call the ski patrol. He really saved our butts up there."
Well…alright. "…That's wonderful, dear. Quick thinking, Dick."
Peter pulled Dick aside while the others got their food. "Okay, how did you do that, really?"
Dick shrugged. "Circus rat."
TBC
1/18/05
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