In a perfect world, all these kids would have the happy ending they deserve
Sleep, sleep, beauty bright,
Dreaming in the joys of night;
Sleep, sleep; in thy sleep
Little sorrows sit and weep
Sweet babe, in thy face
Soft desires I can trace,
Secret joys and secret smiles,
Little pretty infant wiles
Somewhere over the Caribbean Sea
March 20, 05:37 UTC
"You are just the cutest little thing! Yes you are!" Miss Martian exclaimed as she gently pinched the baby's fat cheeks. The rest of the Team was gathered around the infant while Aqualad piloted the ship.
"I know, he's a lot more pleasant than this one." Artemis teased, nodding over to Thomas. She winced slightly as Robin finished bandaging up her injured shoulder. The Boy Wonder smirked in agreement, turning to face his little brother.
Damian had a stunned look on his face as he peeked over the Martian's shoulder to get a better look at the baby. They had really done it, they'd actually saved him; everything was going to change from here on out. The thought of a completely new life was enough to overwhelm the ten year old and he fell back into his chair as exhaustion finally began to set in.
"Hey Meg, pass him over here. I'm invoking big brother privileges." Robin said once Artemis' bandage was secure. M'Gann smiled as she gently deposited the baby into her teammate's arms.
Dick cooed as the infant yawned. "Hey there little bro, nice to finally meet you. You are the best birthday present I could've gotten." Robin pulled at the blanket covering the baby, only to squint at some lettering on the hem. "What's this?" He asked himself as he carefully tugged at the blanket to reveal a hand stitched name in the fabric. "Damian?" He questioned softly.
"Leave me alone Grayson, I'm trying to sleep." Came a sleepy reply from the back of the ship and everyone turned to see Thomas or well, Damian, trying to get comfortable in the Martian chair. It was only after he felt everyone's stares did he realize that he'd just answered to his birth name.
"Well hello Damian." Dick grinned as he turned his attention back the baby. "Damian Wayne, it has a nice ring to it, don'tcha think?"
"Robin," Batman warned from one of the other chairs. His injured arm was wrapped in a sling but he was still working at the computer as he updated the League on the mission. He also needed to ensure there were supplies for the baby upon their return. At some point, he needed to inform Alfred of the latest addition to the family, that was going to be interesting.
Dick shrugged as he ignored his mentor's stern tone. "Hey, you're the one who pulled off your cowl in a moment of beautiful paternal affection. I'm pretty sure everyone knows who we are now." He perked up, "hey does that mean they can come to my party tomorrow?"
"Yeah!" Artemis shouted. "If you weren't holding a baby right now, I'd beat you all the way to Star City, Grayson." She said through gritted teeth as her teammate grinned sheepishly. "We'll laugh about this someday" She said mockingly, "I cannot believe you, you little troll! You came up and took my picture, chatted with me in the halls and I just thought you were some creepy freshman!"
Dick laughed while Artemis continued to complain to him. Kid occasionally commented on their discussion only to become the focus of Artemis' wrath when she realized that her boyfriend had known all along. Kaldur rolled his eyes fondly as he flew the ship back to Mount Justice. Tim had fallen asleep almost immediately once he got over the fact that his stiff-lipped neighbor was Batman. M'Gann had settled in a seat next to Conner and the two of them held hands and spoke quietly. Batman continued his typing while Damian had fallen asleep in the back. In Dick's arms, another boy who was and wasn't Damian slipped into a peaceful sleep himself, unaware that his entire future had just changed.
The Watchtower
March 20, 07:05 EST
"I bet you didn't get any sleep last night even with your injury." Superman sighed as he walked into the monitor womb where Batman was hard at work on the computer. Bruce didn't even look up as he continued scanning the data so Clark instead made silly faces at little Damian who was lying in a bassinet next to his father. The Justice League had awaited word from Batman and the Team all night and had been surprised when their first contact had been a request to get baby supplies.
"Not like I can get any rest with all these interruptions." Batman grumbled. Various members of the Justice League had been in and out all morning to visit the littlest bat which left the usually solitary vigilante tense and aggravated.
"Bruce, come on, they just want to see your baby and you're avoiding the issue question, again."
"I've told you not to use-"
"The whole Team knows, Bruce. Even little Timmy Drake knows. There's no point in secrecy anymore, not when you've got such a big family to care for. At least you've got some willing babysitters when you need to get out." The Kryptonian teased as he gave the Batman themed mobile above the bassinet a spin, eliciting a delighted gurgle from the baby.
"I slept a little on the plane, but there's too much that needs to be done." Bruce groaned. "In addition to breaking down Epoch's technology and working to get Thom- Damian back to his own time. I need to get this Damian in the system and leave the proper paper trail so I legally claim him as my child. I also need to work on Jason's adoption and deal with the Drake family."
It turns out the Drake's had been unable to catch a plane home from Rio until tomorrow morning meaning that Tim would also be staying at Mount Justice in the meantime. Batman was going to keep him here just long enough so Gordon and the GCPD can assume Batman had tracked down the kidnapper as normal.
"I know things have changed quite a bit for you in the last few days, but I believe that when the dust finally settles, everything will be for the better." Clark responded with a shrug.
Bruce smiled a bit, pulling off one of his gloves and softly played with Damian's dark hair. "I don't say this often Kent, but I think you might be right."
Mount Justice
March 20, 10:32 EST
"Oh man, oh man!" Wally muttered as he hurriedly searched through the fridge. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he ran over to the cupboards, opening them one after another and coming up empty-handed. "Oh man where is it?" he whined as he grew desperate and began riffling under the sink.
"Wally come on! I'm dying over here!" Artemis yelled from the other room.
"I'm looking babe!" He shouted back anxiously as he jumped to his feet. "Okay West, calm down, you can just run into town and pick some up. It won't take long, now I just need to find my wallet." He muttered to himself as he began looking for his thin leather wallet.
"Bro, what are you doing? The baby's crying in there and you're totally losing it." Dick asked, coming into the kitchen dressed in his civilian clothes minus his sunglasses. It felt weird being so exposed, but in a good way. Dick raised an eyebrow at his friend's panicked behavior as he picked up the baby formula.
Wally's eyes went wide as he sputtered and pointed to the formula Dick was pouring. "Where did you get that? I have been looking everywhere for that!" The speedster demanded, taking in Dick's amused face as he finished mixing the formula.
"Dude, it was sitting on the counter." Wally moaned, his whole body deflating. "Come on, we've got a hungry baby out there and your girlfriend isn't getting any happier about it." Dick said chuckling as he exited the kitchen and shook the bottle enthusiastically.
"Hey Dami, look what I got." Dick sung as he made his way over to the couch where the baby was howling. The baby had slept through most of the plane ride back and Batman said he'd quiet the rest of the morning but apparently he'd used up all his good will as he'd been screaming for nearly 20 minutes.
M'Gann was trying to calm the baby by rocking him, Artemis had been attempting to sing earlier but had stopped when it only made Damian cry louder. Superboy was trying to get the older Damian to do something while the tiny assassin was defending that he had no idea how to deal with children. Jason and Timmy sat on the far couch with their hands covering their ears. Dick swooped in, gently taking the thrashing baby from M'Gann and guiding the bottle into Dami's mouth. Soon, the child was contentedly sucking on his bottle with a dreamy look in his eyes. The others sighed in relief.
"I didn't know babies were so loud," Timmy said, removing his hands from his ears. Jason sighed and fell back against the couch cushions.
"Yeah, one of my neighbors had a baby and that kid cried all the time." Jay put one of his arms over his eyes, "So much for getting a good night's sleep from now on, huh Dickie?" Dick smiled at Jason's comment. He'd informed Jason of the development at breakfast and he was glad at how well his soon-to-be adopted brother had taken the news. Jay was handling the idea of a new brother a lot better than Dick initially did.
"What do you expect for some kid named after the Anti-Christ?" Wally muttered under his breath.
"For your information West, my name comes from the Greek word Damianos which means 'to tame or to conquer' and I expect-"
"According to the records Talia gave us, Dami here should be about 5 months so he should be sleeping through the night soon if he isn't already." Dick interrupted before war broke out. "Of course, he is a Bat and we work best at night." He teased and was happy to see Jason smile back. Maybe they could make this work after all.
"Why are we stuck with the baby? I'd have thought everyone would want to see Batman's newest kid." Conner said, crossing his arms.
Dick gently set the babe back in his bassinet after he'd finished his bottle. "Batman said people were checking in on them all the time when he was up in the Watchtower. I'm pretty sure most of them are working to get Big Dami back home." The elder Damian looked up, "Shouldn't be much longer now."
Damian hummed in acknowledgement as he gave the mobile above his younger self's head a delicate spin. The baby's green eyes were pulled upwards as he reached for the tiny little bats dancing above him. Damian smiled slightly and reached down to gently stroke the baby's cheek.
"Don't touch the baby!" Kid Flash yelled, tackling the younger boy to the ground before he could make contact with his infant self. From his bassinet, Dami began to wail again.
Mount Justice
March 20, 12:17 EST
"There you are little minnow," Aqualad said gently as he set the babe onto a blanket on the floor so he could watch the proceedings of the meeting. Lying on his stomach, little Damian reached for one of the toys put before him and began to gnaw on the handle of his Bat rattle. Kaldur's lip twitched, whoever had gotten the baby supplies the night before certainly had a sense of humor. They had all gotten Batman themed products, the little Batman onesie Damian was wearing with a tiny black cape on the back. The Atlantean smiled again before joining his team on their usual couch. The older Damian stood beside them while the Justice League stood on the other side of the room. Jason was sitting on a chair in-between and, somehow, Tim had ended up in his lap.
"First of all, I'd like to congratulate your team on a job well done." Superman began, "This was not an easy mission by any stretch of the imagination but you all performed excellently." The Team exchanged proud looks with one another before turning back to the Man of Steel. "It is unfortunate that Epoch was unable to be taken alive but, from what I hear, there wasn't much anyone could have done about that. Sometimes, no matter what you do, things don't turn out the way you intended." He nodded over to Atom who stepped forward with a yawn.
"Sorry kids, it's been a long couple of days as I'm sure you know." Atom said as he flipped through some of the papers in his hand. "I've been going over Epoch's technology and, even damaged, the intricacy and sophistication of the armor is just incredible. I could spend years..." Atom shook his head as he began to get off topic. "My point is, I was wrong earlier about how Epoch time travels. He is able to distort chronal energy to create his wormhole but he is unable to travel back along the original time stream, instead he creates an entirely new reality from the moment he arrives."
"So what you're saying is that Epoch's interference created a parallel timeline?" Black Canary asked.
Atom nodded, "yes, the future that Thomas or uh Damian comes from will never come to pass here. A whole different future will likely occur because of the events of the last 36 hours." Atom clarified noting the stunned faces of the Justice League and the Team. "However, that reality still does exist but separately. Therefore, we should be able to send Damian back to the timeline he originally came from." Damian shoulder's sagged in relief at the assurance that he would be able to return home.
"So what about baby Dami? What's going to happen to him?" Dick asked.
"He's going to grow up with his family. Genetically, the two boys are the same but this baby will have a completely different life than the boy you've come to know. They are separate people at this point, think of them as more like identical twins." Atom explained with a smile while Dick smirked.
"So there's no need to keep the two from touching? There's not going to be a world ending paradox?" Dick asked with a grin while a few members of Young Justice laughed behind their hands. Damian glared holes into Wally's head who was burning with embarrassment.
"No, it should be fine." Atom chuckled as Flash shook his head in confusion.
"Wait, hold up. If you're saying that any changes that Epoch made don't affect the original timeline, then what's the point of hiring him?" Atom pursed his lips, searching for the words.
"Because it's not as simple as that. Yes, there are separate realities but they're all interconnected and often will blend together. Events from different realities can bleed into one another and a change in one may affect another. If Jason and Tim's timelines were successfully changed, who knows what may have come to pass." Atom shrugged, "It's a gamble but most big investments are. Damian may very well return to his time and find things are slightly different than he remembers because of what happened here."
Damian frowned at that, how different would things be when he returned? He shook off his thoughts and knelt to the ground and delicately stroked the baby's head.
"I'm pretty confident that I can get you home. In fact, I brought the wormhole component with me, we could probably send you back after the meeting." Atom said quietly as he watched the ten year play with the five month old baby who was and wasn't him at the same time.
Damian nodded after a moment. "Yes, I would like that. I need to get back, Gotham needs a Robin."
"Oh we're going to miss you so much," M'Gann said, her eyes watering with emotion.
"I'll be around, I'm sure Father and the others will be wanting your help watching the baby. I'm trusting you all to make sure he doesn't become soft like the rest of you. I am a Robin and I wish to remain as such even here." Damian said even as his older brother laughed.
"Potty training is going to take precedence over combat training," Dick teased. "But don't worry, we won't let him become a rich sponge. He'll be just fine." Dick said, smiling warmly at the baby and it made Damian ache for his own world. These people were nice, but he didn't belong here. He missed his real family, the ones he was connected to through something stronger than blood.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I guess we can say our goodbyes and send Damian back home." Superman announced.
"Wait!" Jason said, pushing off Tim so he could address the heroes. He ducked his head in embarrassment as the whole room turned to face him but he carried on anyway. "Thomas, I mean Damian asked me to look up some people last night and to keep an eye on them." He responded as he looked down at the list he'd printed out.
"Miss Barbara was doing gymnastics most of the night at her local gym but the Commissioner was there watching her so she was safe. Miss Stephanie went to a movie with some friends and I couldn't find anything on Miss Cain. I don't think she even exists, there wasn't any records on her." Jason concluded, handing the list over to Damian who skimmed it over.
"Good work Todd, I wasn't expecting the Batgirls to be in any danger but it was good to check up on them." Damian turned the paper over, "I need to make a few notes, someone get me a pen."
"Batgirls?" Green Lantern choked from the other side of the room, he turned to Batman. "Don't you have enough as it is?"
"Wait Babs? What's she have to do with this?" Dick said, straightening up as his friend was suddenly brought into the conversation.
"Oh don't worry Grayson, Gordon's not involved." Damian said innocently as he began scrawling on the back of Jason's paper with a borrowed pen, "yet." He tacked on cheekily while Green Arrow cleared his throat.
"Alright, everyone say your goodbyes and leave the Bats to themselves." As soon as Arrow finished, all of Young Justice had enveloped Damian in a large group hug.
The younger boy sputtered from within the circle. "Stop this at once! This is childish behavior and I will not stand for it." But the others didn't listen merely hugging him tighter, each of them saying their own goodbyes and well wishes. They all pulled back, giving the huffy young Robin some space.
"Do me a favor," M'Gann said quietly, giving him a kiss on his forehead. She was reminded again of her vision from Epoch. Of Damian's small, broken body dying at his mother's hand. "Please take care of yourself." She whispered as she stepped away and followed her teammates and the League out of the lounge.
"I'll be waiting outside when you're done," Atom said before stepping out and closing the door leaving only the Bat family.
Timmy ran forward and hugged Damian tightly, staring up reverently. "I'll miss you a lot. Don't worry, I'll be sure to take care of Dickie, Jay and Mr. Wayne for you." The young boy grinned, "We're going to be such good friends when we're older."
Damian huffed but gingerly patted the Tim's head. "Yes, I imagine in this world we will be Drake. Take care." Timmy beamed as he stepped back while Jason awkwardly shuffled forward.
"So thanks for saving me from the bad guy, and avenging my mom. I guess it's not good he died and all, but, yeah, thanks." Jason said, staring harshly into the ground as he kicked his feet. "I know you got to go home, but it's gonna be weird without you."
Damian roughly punched Jason's shoulder causing the to older boy to glare at the Robin. "Whining doesn't suit you Todd," Damian sneered as he crossed his arms. "You're stubborn and intelligent and you get things done. You're going to change the world; you won't need me around."
Jason snorted as he punched Damian back. "Yeah, I guess not. See ya short stack, good luck in the future." Jason looked over to Dick as he stepped forward and pulled his littlest brother in a tight hug.
"Do you forgive me for being a total jerk earlier?"
For once, Damian allowed the contact and returned the hug as he leaned into his brother's shoulder. "I suppose I can forgive you since you're still so immature."
Dick scoffed at that, rocking the boy back and forth. "I'm going to remember all these insults the next time lil D wants something." He teased, pulling back and grinning while Damian rolled his eyes.
"No you won't, you're going to hopelessly spoil the child to the point of decadence. He'll be foolish and chatty just like you, but at least he'll know he's loved by his big brother." Damian looked down, "I suppose it's the only thing we'll have in common now." Dick smiled and stepped back as Batman cleared his throat.
"Alright boys, out, we'll be heading back to the Manor after this and Alfred will pinch your ears if you're not presentable. We've got my birthday and a couple adoptions to celebrate." Dick announced while Tim and Jason whined as the oldest Robin dragged them out of the room.
"Don't be too long, you'll need to clean yourself up as well." Dick announced to Bruce as he shut the door. It was silent except for the baby's soft gurgling as the father and son stared each other down.
"Does Dick treat you well in your future? Are you being taken care of without me?" Batman asked softly as Damian reeled back. He'd done his best to keep his biggest secret hidden, the future death of Batman during the battle with Darkseid. He was about to argue when Batman pulled off his cowl and knelt down to show Damian how serious he was. "It's alright, I knew it was going to happen someday. I just want to ensure I am sending you back to a place where you're receiving the care you deserve."
Damian looked down and clenched his fists."Grayson and Pennyworth are fine, we've been living out of Wayne Tower as the Manor had become so... The days seem long sometimes, I catch Grayson looking wearied more often than I'd like but we are settling into a routine that works. We are Batman and Robin and we have done well with what you taught us." Bruce nodded, settling his hand on his boy's shoulder.
So Dick was Batman, of course he was. Dick would never let Gotham be without her hero, but the thought of his bright child wearing his dismal colors made him ache. But that wasn't for a long while and he needed to take care of this child first.
Damian held out the paper he'd been scribbling on earlier. "Just some notes about the future, in case you're interested. Since everything's changing, I thought you might like some warning on certain events to come. You don't have to look at it, I don't care." Damian said with a self-conscious shrug. Bruce tucked the note into one of his pockets and pulled the young boy close, giving him the affection he was unable to in the future.
"I'm sorry I left you Damian," Bruce began slowly. "I knew Batman would be the death of me when I began this crusade, but I never imagined I'd leave so many people behind when that day finally came." He continued, staying strong despite the quiet sniffling as Damian gripped the back of his cape. "And even though I don't know what comes to pass in your future, I do know that I am so proud of you Damian Wayne." Bruce reluctantly pulled the boy back, and gently peeled off the mask so that he could look at him in the eye. Damian's eyes were moist with unshed tears but still so full of love and potential.
"I don't care where you came from or what you've done in the past. Your actions here and now have proven to me that you are more than the tool your Grandfather intended. You are Robin, you are my son and having this time with you has been a privilege. I'm going to do my best to raise the baby right and I will be proud indeed if he's half as honorable as you." Damian threw himself back into his father's arms and allowed himself to be held for a little while longer and Bruce couldn't bring himself to deny his child such a simple comfort.
He could have stayed there for hours until there was a hesitant knock on the door. "Are you two almost done? We have the machine all ready to go." Came Atom's quiet voice from the other side. Damian pulled back and roughly rubbed at his eyes before hastily placing his mask back on. Batman nodded and pulled on his own cowl.
"Yes, of course, our business is concluded." Damian said, clearing his throat. Batman walked over and picked up the baby as they moved to the edges of the room.
Atom entered with Epoch's belt and glove on. "Alright kid, we have one shot at this but I've triple checked the numbers and I'm pretty sure I can send you back to the moment you left, give or take a few minutes." He stepped forward and placed a modified version of Epoch's helmet on the boy's head. "This should prevent you from passing out again as you go through the portal. Here's a drive with all the data on Epoch we gathered for your Batman to go over." Atom said handing him a flash drive and pulling back. "That should be it, you ready?"
Damian adjusted the helmet until it sat more comfortably, tucking away the drive and readying his grappling gun just in case he came out mid-air like he did last time.
"I am ready," he said, turning his gaze once more to his father and younger self as Atom fired off the beam resulting in a swirling wormhole opening up slowly in the middle of Mount Justice. "Take care of them." Damian said resolutely as the wormhole grew until it was big enough for Damian. He gave one last nod to his father before he stepped through the portal and out of that existence entirely.
So the third and final time I cried was during Bruce and Damian's scene at the end. If only our Bruce could be that warm and acknowledging. So there we have it! The main story is concluded and everything is as it should be. Sorry for those who wanted to see other future Bats appear but this story was mainly about Damian learning to appreciate his family through their past selves and using that sense of caring to create a better world. Next week is the epilogue if you want more batfam feels, please drop by for one more week.