The Court of Owls – Family of the Cowl – Silent Night

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Chapter 5: A Phantasm in our Midst, Or a Friend in High Places

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Timmy looked up with his baggy eyes to see that he'd been bound back-to-back with Jason; Red Hood, and Cass was on the other side, packed over the kidnapper's shoulder as a screaming child. Cass however, did not scream. She cussed and huffed when nothing could be done. The goliath was six foot or so and heavy back armor and a trench covered him from head to foot. His mask was almost as classic as Red Robin's and here, Jay wondered if Timmy had an evil twin in some other universe.

"Who are you…?" Tim heard himself say it even with an echo from a small injury to his skull and vision; the lights came on as the three were cast aside, shoved to the ground as the ones looking up stood and sat with gasps all around the study of one Wayne.

"THIS??" Bruce shot after Deathstroke who was giving a growl by Selina over how her hero's family was being care for.

"Who is this hunk of metal and…. a mask?" She sneered up at the false prophet, curiously hoping he' pull back the hood and show them his true eyes

"You needed at least an army to stop the Talons. This is who you signed us up with, DS? Are you shittin' me?"

"Language, please." Kori spoke down to the adult as Ava's eyes stayed shut on her mama's lap.

"Who brought the kid? Was it you, ah." The masked vigilante by reputation walked over to Dick as he placed out a hand to shake in a truce. His sly eyes did narrow as his lips curved up in to a grin. The family couldn't see even a slight twitch of the man's visage. He hoped it wasn't too forwards to be so open like a book. "Nice seeing you again, blue blood. You remember me from Blud?"

Dick looked over the trench coated male; his eyes searched up and down slowly. "I don't know, do you?" Dick suddenly said, while the male in front of him only chuckled and lowered his wrist. "Ahah, Grayson. We go way back, don't we? You want me to jog that "happy" memory for ya, for old time's sake?" He offered.

"He'd rather you not." Of all the faces in the room, Bruce's was the stiffest. He saw that Dick's mind was silently recounting so much so quickly, thanks to Deathstroke's unwanted reappearance.

Slade grunted in his seat softly. This had to cease to be so complicated, for a truce.

"Sure thing, chief." The cowled creep pulled away and leaned up against the same sofa as Slade. "Wanna do the honors, old man?"

"You are asking my permission? Really…" Slade sighed, putting a gloved hand through his white hair with a weary way about him.

"I'd introduce you, but we're no strangers to the Bat clan. Midnighter; this is Bruce Wayne. Or as you'd like to call him –

" Bats." Grinned the cowled creeper. "Not a first for me and Goldie." He stated to the man of the home. "We used to bump elbows in his city before this "copper" took on with becoming father of the year. He skipped town; was starting to wonder if I'd miss seein' your pretty- boy face in Blud since then. Or…Was I not invited to the wedding cause a' something I did to you, personally?"

"It was small. And private." Dick looked not at the catty red – hood copy cat, but at Slade. "What else did you tell him?" Dick sharpened his tongue. "Slade; this a War coming to our city and we can't just let you make up the rules as YOU see fit. Batman? What are you in for? Is this all worth –

"I know that you and I haven't been at the best of odds as of late –

"I don't care about whatever you came to do, it's a bad time." Dick side stepped the apology. Half- hearted like it always was with the merc. "The Talons…are still after me. And Cobb could still be alive – waiting for us to fall out of line." Dick bit his lip and looked to the side. Even if he had any of that crappy sympathy for William Cobb left, he wasn't about to put his real family in harm's way – not as Robin might have in his youth.

"Then get onboard, Grayson." Slade snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "Unless, you'd rather forget your training as Nightwing; shut all of that out to abandon your family, like before –

" Shut up!"

" Very mature, boys." Cass shook her head and grumbled. "Tim? What do you think? I think we can cut the two of them out once the city is saved. We got them to quit harassing us last time."

"And we only buried the evidence then, Cass." Tim frowned and cut away his binds, moving over to Jay's still unconscious form. Cass did the same, knowing that no Bat clan kid went out without a weapon on them for self defense from any eager kidnappers. "Bruce ruined their only way out. He never stopped them at the source. But… it's not enough…" Tim reminded her of the city being up in flames. Cobb's promise to Dick that he'd one day join in their legacy as a full – fledged Talon. Dick had kicked and screamed and had even frozen Cobb with liquid nitrogen. Thanks to Gotham City's newly renovated subway system, he'd used that moment to escape from his enemy for a bit and regroup with his team. They'd been lucky, yet Slade could read the room and nothing would go like before. They had to fight harder. They had to kill this time, with blood being spilt. Yet, not frozen in time.

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"Midnighter is too unpredictable, Bruce." The other assassin tried not to eavesdrop but he'd been kept in the room with Richard, Tim, Slade, Selina and Bruce to watch out for their own skin. Slade was not as concerned; while getting into Wayne's petty council room had been a breeze, Midnighter had promised to be no trouble at all as long as he'd been allowed to stay in the room also…though, on one condition.

Only if he stood in the corner, by the fireplace mantle. Like a statue.

Gag*

Slade's own belief was that Dick was hiding something from his, former mentor. As if Nightwing had something juicy to share with the class. Wilson still was outnumbered and Jason wasn't a fan of Slade, while Selina could claw both men's eyes out in one swipe of her paw. She didn't take sides, yet her thorn in that delicate paw was from "Bruce" all along.

"We could get even though, with the Talons." Tim interjected hopefully. "We could have a way to detect their lair before the war starts in this city." He looked up at Bruce while Jay tried not to kick the door from the outside.

"And, what then?" Dick sniffed at the plan, sticking up his nose to the idea that anyone Slade worked with was worth it to negotiate with to save Gotham. "We let two loose canon killers kill even more to make a point? I don't want to work on his team if he's going to twist that logic."

Slade licked his lips, finding this talk to be patronizing to his cause. "Kid."

"Shut up." Dick's tone was harsh like a backhand to the skull as Slade had the male to be let be, giving him some space. Bruce made a discontented sound through his nose. Slade was on his shit list, always. Dick had a history, yet so did any other anti – hero in cities around the globe. He couldn't ignore than the Court wanted a war and that Slade could get them into the owls' lair to shut it down before something big took the acrobat from his team. Or worse. It was always the worst case with Slade. A real bag of tricks unlike the Joker's unpredictability. Slade was a tactician and so was Wayne, yet he had reasons too to keep Slade from their circle. Right now, Slade was a bystander; a simple mind soaking up the information long enough to want to do something about this city's owl infestation. They'd never had a Bat problem before quite like Wayne mucking up the Court's fun.

He looked to Slade, as Slade looked up at the bat and his oldest ward, making sure to show just how disconcerting this reaction from the men would be if the city fell. If they decided to axe the merc and company's assistance just when this city was ready to go up in flames. That was why he was permitted to stay. Bruce wanted his help, but he was worried also about Dick's history in Bludhaven. His run ins with bigger bads' who knew how to put a pin in their enemies. Straight through the skull. Slade and Red Hood…at least Red was somewhat loyal, despite being another of Deathstroke's secondary targets on his "to kill" list.

What did Slade want to know about the Court? He had a partner who'd gone under cover to scope them out? Was he a former recruited member? Wayne interlaced his fingers and went silent a moment.

"I'm going to allow it. This once. He kicked away that sympathy for Dick as his face slightly fell from grace. The protection from Jason meant nothing if the man who'd ruined him to begin with was now allowed to extract information without batting an eye. The Bat again eyed Slade and nodded to Midnighter this time who stepped forward with a carefree expression. "See? I knew it would all work out, Dick!" The merc in black clapped the startled ward on the back casually, jokingly, as if Jay could stand to not drag a blade through the study door's wooden frame, not even if he tried.

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"You stay the fuck as far away from him as I want ya' to." Jay snarled and pulled Midnighter to the side once the group had left the study with all matters addressed, for now.

"I don't see the big issue here, Jay – boy –

Jason wrangled the measly moronic merc to turn him round, then hold him in a lock with a pistol now to the killer's skull.

"Call me that only once an' I'll pop this thing straight through your eyeholes without blinking…"

" Ohh, I'd like to see you do that. But remember! Daddy bats is watching…." Midnighter jerked his head and lilted in a mocking voice, to direct his sights at the tall billionaire right behind that excuse for an outlaw. Jay's eyes softened a bit, but he still didn't let go of the merc. Bruce crossed his arms over his chest. "Let him go, Jason." The man's voice commanded a great respect, so Jason did what he had to. He shoved the unworthy ally to the tile and spat in disgust. "If you let this go to far again Bruce, I get free dibs." He snipped at his former parent in annoyance, pointing the gun in Bruce's face. He waved it there as if to make his point clearer than the crappy merc's. Mostly since Slade was more likely to use Midnighter to spy on Dick for him. That's how it was, with Slade still keeping to his part of their earlier arrangement.

"I'm handling it. You just need to watch Dick like I asked. If, you want that big check by December."

Jason frowned. "Is that a joke, Batman? Really??" He whined and finally threw up his hands in defeat. "Gonna get something to nosh while you losers get the "talk." He snorted and left Midnighter to Batman. As if the merc could go toe to toe with another Slade right about now. At least Dick was with his family. They couldn't go home, not yet. Not until the heroes and vigilante had this whole mess sorted out for the better.

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