By the time Damian had enough fun and had been enjoying his time going against his Father and now over five hours later, hungry, Damian realized that he hadn't told the older two of his brothers that they had left.
For a moment Damian ponder this before watching as his Father scored another point on basketball court. Still he was getting hungry and wanted something to eat and his Father seemed to since this right away and somehow stole that ball.
"I'm hungry." Bruce said with a grin. "Come on, let's go in town to eat."
"And how do we do that? We are too young to drive and Pennyworth is not here."
"Who said anything about driving?"
"What?"
Damian frowned as he sat in the back of the black sleek car as it drove around the city with a strange driver. He frowned before looking over at his Father who was trying to call someone from the car phone which Damian was surprised still existed.
"Who are you calling?"
"A good friend of mine. He's not answering… I best check up on him before we go."
"Go where exactly?"
"To have fun of course." Bruce grinned before picking up the phone again quickly punching in a number before holding up the thing to his ear. "Come on… answer…"
"Who are you friends by the way?" Damian asked curious to know of the secret friends the great hero had and why the other kept it such a secret. "Family perhaps?"
"They basically are." Bruce confirmed before looking at the time. "Like little brothers to me."
"Is one of them older than you?"
"Yes." Bruce looked at him sideways. "How did you know that?"
"I assumed." Damian quickly covered. "It is time for most others to be in school. Perhaps their there?"
"In summer?" Bruce gave him an odd look before he hung up and dialed a knew number and he blinked when an unknown voice answered. "Uh, yes I would like to speak with Edward please."
Damian watched as his father looked confused before he sat back waiting. He head the Riddler's voice confirmed that he was indeed Edward and his father obviously didn't believe him and it seemed his Father was stubborn and suddenly there was nothing.
"He hung up?" Damian asked as casually as he could.
"Yes." Bruce frowned at the phone. "Diver, I need to you to drive me to an apartment."
Oh hell his Father was going to seek out his criminal friends.
Edward Nigma was not happy that he had been woken up from his nap since he had been up for three days straight and then a kid calls wanting to know where Edward was and then starts a fight that he was certainly not how he wanted to spend the day. He just wanted to sleep until his could see straight again.
Knocking was heard.
Eyes snapping open Edward slowly sat up looking at the door. This apartment was abandoned or rather he went through a lot of trouble to make sure it looked this way. This place that Edward had lived most his life was a place where he could disappear and had kept the same number for years having easily changed it from the landline to his cell phone so the kid, he had assumed, had a friend with the same name as him.
The knock came again and Edward slid to the floor carefully hiding in case it was the police. He heard muttering from the other side of the door so carefully and fearly Edward crawled to the kitchen holding his breath when a voice called out.
"Edward? Edward, are you in there?" That voice sounded familiar. "Edward, open this door and come out and see me."
Strangely familiar almost like Bru- No. Not going to the past again. That life was over. Closing his eyes Edward decided to wait until the kid left when there was a window opening and a creak. What the hell?! He bolted those windows closed. It must be someone working for the police or The Bat himself! Unless that Bat found him.
"Ed? Edward, are you in here?"
God,t hat voice sounded like…
"Edward." The voice commanded with that firm like a leader he used to follow and with that seriousness that meant who he was talking too better obey. "Edward. Answer me. Now."
Peeking out Edward's mouth fell open and he was suddenly pressed up against the wall. "Bru… Bruce?"
A young Bruce Wayne looked at him in surprise.
(Half hour later.)
"Yes, Doctor Drawers, it's me Edward Nigma? I'm having something very strong happening to me and remember that childhood fried I told you about? Yes, well I'm seeing him here in my apartment but he's ten years old and sitting right across me with a twin. Yes. Yes, I would like to come in please." Edward was staring at the two across form him in shock and sure he had lost whatever of little sanity he had left as one smiled at him kindly and the other glared daggers at him. "No, I can see them right now and it's making me feel really, really, really, sad and mostly like I've walking through a dream…"
"It's not a dream Edward. Sit up straight."
"Actually, Doctor can I come in right now? Please?" The poor redhead almost broke into tears. "I having can't live with this delusion."
"Damian, I have a feeling that you owe me an explanation on why my dear friend is so much older than I."
It was a question asked and suddenly Damian felt very small with how his Father was looking at him. How in the world did he look calm, anger and his voice was steady but it held firm on that fact people better answer him when he talked.
"I don't know." Damian answered with skilled lying. "I just met you today."
"I do not appreciate you lying to me, Damian."
Edward whined looking this way and that before grabbing a piece of paper and pen to start scribbling down some riddles to distract himself all while mumbling that everything that was going on wasn't really happening.
"I am not lying."
"I can smell if off you." Bruce glared at him. "Now explain it to me."
"Not here." Damian hissed glaring at the redhead who was purely ignoring them. "In the car."
"Fine." Standing up Bruce looked at the Riddler. "Stay here. Don't leave."
"I'm not really here." Edward mumbled with a fake nervous smile. "I'm not really here, I'm not really here…"
Tim tried really hard not to look like a child as he left the building and got into his car. Once in he dropped the act of temporty CEO Tim Drake and rubbed his eyes and yawned. It had been really long night and an even long day.
The only thing he wanted to do was to go home and get something to eat and for once sleep and not get back to work on cases. If he managed to get in four hours of the week catching up with him and then with baby Bruce Tim was thinking about getting a sitter but who?
Shaking his head Tim yawned again before pulling out. Once he turned onto the street Tim took the long ride home. Taking the path that lead to the Manor. After parking Tim sighed and got out hoping that his brothers had killed their dad while was away.
Walking into the kitchen Tim set his stuff down before heading out to call for the others when some random kid ran by him. Blinking Tim looked as the redhead climbed onto the counter, opened the cabinet, took out a box of snacks before closing it and jumped off before scurrying away.
"Who is that?" Tim asked no one but he heard arguing so he walked into the living room and stopped short seeing a thirteen year old Bruce Wayne. "What happened?! What did you three do?!"
Dick, Jason and Damian, who had been arguing with each other and pointing the blame on each other all snapped their angry faces at Tim before Jason used some colorful language all while smacking Damian upside the head.
"This dumbass snuck out with Bruce this morning, who was ten! And somehow, some f**king way the brat turned into a thirteen year old and hunted down some magic item and used it on the freaking Riddler and now we have two brats and Damian here have no idea where the hell Daddy bats went to get it because he LOST them!"
"Wait, that's Edward?!" Tim pointed to the little redhead who was munching on the snacks as he sat next to a teen Bruce. "But… but…"
"We have no idea," Dick offered. "I called someone to come but they won't be here until tomorrow evening."
"Hey, we're trying to watch a movie." Bruce said suddenly and they were taken aback by the bat glare and the deadly warning in his voice. "I would appriate it if you wouldn't talk through the movie or if you would leave the room."
Jason glared at him. "We don't have to leave."
"My house, my rules." Bruce glared at him. "Do not make me get up and make you leave."
"Bruce, want some?" Edward asked offering the box. "Their good."
"No, thank you."
Tim blinked. "Wait. He remembers who Riddler is?"
"No." Dick hissed before dragging Tim and Jason out of the room. "Tim you need to see this…"
Flipping through the book slowly and studying each picture Tim face was unreadable as his brothers watched as the kids grown into a adults with Bruce the obvious leader of the group. He was the leader, the boss and from the pictures he could tell that the others did whatever young Bruce told them too.
"Bruce is the Alpha of the back. Others must be Beta."
"They're not animals, Tim." Dick sighed. "They're just… I don't even know."
"Look at the pictures, Dick. In all of them Bruce is the middle or the closes to the camera. He's the top boss." Tim pointed to some of the pictures. "In the background by the mirrors Alfred is also recording so their might be some films as well. If so than we shouldn't look for them since- And their gone…"
The noise of his older brothers running off to search for said files when he saw Bruce walk right passed him, Edward at his heels and a whole head smaller, and was heading right for the garage. Getting up Tim went to follow when Damian appeared out of nowhere grabbing his arm.
"Drake! Arkham break out!"
Before Tim could answer Bruce came back with the redhead still following him holding a bag with more snacks. They had gotten it by the pantry closet. Frowning he followed them to see that they had just started a movie marathon.
"I guess we can leave them for a little while."
"Yes, come on." Damian growled already heading towards the cave. "Besides I have something to do tomorrow."
"Like what?"
"I'm going go play with a friend."
"Colin?"
"No."
"Irey?"
"No."
"Kona?"
"No."
"Match?"
"No."
"You have other friends?!"
In the living room Edward jumped hearing a yelp and Bruce just turned the volume up telling his friend just to ignore them.
Dick shoved the VHS into the VCR Who knew Alfred kept them?! They both sat back and watched as the camera focused a bit before it the view stated to walk on and opening a door and Alfred's voice.
"Happy Birthday, Master Bruce."
"Thank you, Alfred." Young Bruce and next to him was four boys all looking excited. "We're ready to leave to the fair now."
Once everything was silence Bruce stood up. "Come on, Edward. Let's go get the others."
"Yay!"
Bruce pulled out the magical items. "We're going to make those guys lives a living hell."
"Yay!"
Bruce hated sharing his home when he wasn't the one in charge of it and these people, Dick and Jason, was it? Thought that they could tell him what to do? Him?! Bruce Wayne? No one told him what to do and no one told him what friends he could bring home with him.
They were going to wish they had never been born.
To PrettyKitty-Luvs-U: Yes, and soon Damian gets to meet a new side of his Father and the boys get to see what a rebellious against the law teenager he was! Also their going to have to deal with Bruce when he have ends up eight and dealing with he lost of his parents.
To grandshadowseal: He never let them know for a reason and I will have Alfred explain it to the boys soon but for know there is a good reason he kept it from them.
To GabxLuci027: Here's there the next one please enjoy it.
To Renx27: A wheal sounds cool to have in a dream playhouse. Mine was go have a giant cat that I could ride on and it could fly. Lol childhood dreams are awesome. They boys are going to be upset that they never got to play it in for sure but who knows they can still have fun 8D
To Sapphire-Roz: Ta-da the Riddler! 8D