Chapter Four
Bruce turned and buried his head in his pillow, groaning at the sudden burst of sunlight that entered the room when his butler threw open the curtains with a flourish.
"I do believe it's time for you to get up Master Bruce."
"What time is it?"
"Almost half past ten in the morning."
Bruce paused. That was kind of late, even for him. In all fairness, though, he hadn't been able to fall asleep until sometime around midnight, his thoughts too consumed with Diana. He grumbled again at the reflection, but sat up and tossed the covers aside.
"What's the agenda for today?" He asked, standing up.
"Well, Master Timothy is coming home today at noon, and Master Damian should be arriving shortly afterward."
"Anything else, Alfred?"
"Not unless you have something planned, Master Bruce."
"You know Damian will want to do something." He pointed out, stretching as he made his way over to the large walk-in closet that was next to the bed. "Maybe we should surprise him."
Alfred paused for a moment, thinking, before responding with, "I'll see what I can do Master Bruce."
The sound of the butler's receding footsteps stopped abruptly and a shout of "Ace, no!" could be heard echo down the hallway and into the bedroom before claws scrabbling on the hard wooden floor signaled that Ace was running down the stairs with Alfred in pursuit.
XXX
"I'm home!" Tim called, throwing his arms open wide as he burst through the front door of the manor. He was greeted by Ace, all slobbery kisses and wagging tail as he jumped on the young boy.
"Shoes off, Master Timothy!' Alfred called from somewhere in the manor, probably the kitchen.
Tim calmly kicked off his sneakers, leaving them wherever they landed on the floor, not even noticing when Ace picked one of them up before following him to the kitchen.
"What's for lunch?" He asked, setting his bag on a stool.
"You're going to be eating at the plaza with Master Bruce and Master Damian."
"Oh, right." Tim sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "When is Damian getting here, anyway?"
"Any moment now." Bruce answered for Alfred as he entered the kitchen. He immediately noticed Ace chewing on Tim's shoe and calmly reached down and plucked it from the puppy's mouth before handing it to Tim. "Will you be ready to leave by the time we are?" He asked, knowing that Tim wasn't very good at being ready to do anything on time but always said he would be.
"Of course." Tim said. "I just need to put my bag in my room. We're taking Ace with us, right?"
"Do you think Damian would let us leave him behind if there was any chance we could take him with us?"
"Not at all." Tim said.
"Then yes, we're taking Ace with us."
"I'll get the leash." Tim offered, sliding off the stool and running toward the door only to be stopped by Alfred's surprisingly strong grip on his arm.
"Put your bag away first, Master Timothy."
"Okay…" Tim relented, changing course so he was running out of the room, this time with his bag, in the direction of his bedroom, once again leaving his sneaker behind.
The melodious chime of the doorbell carried from the foyer to the kitchen, signaling to Bruce and Alfred that someone was at the front door.
"That's probably Master Damian." Alfred said, nearly tripping over Ace as he left the room. Ace's frantic barking accompanied the scrabbling of his claws on the slippery wooden floor as he tried to keep a grip on it as to not fall in his mad dash to beat the Englishman to the door.
The puppy had easily taken to the young boy and a strong bond had quickly formed between them. Ace obeyed Damian when he wouldn't listen to anyone else, and Damian could get Ace to do things he wouldn't do for any other person. It was amazing yet infuriating at the same time.
"Master Damian, you know you can just- oh. Hello, Miss Talia." Alfred was surprised to find Talia as well as Damian on the other side of the door, but quickly recovered. "Come on in."
Talia's heels clicked on the hard wooden floor of the foyer, the noise that was once so alluring to Bruce now just loud and annoying. He had to force his feet to carry the rest of his body towards the foyer, desperately hoping Tim wouldn't decide to come back downstairs just yet.
He found Talia, Alfred, and Damian standing in an awkward little semi-circle waiting for him to arrive.
"Beloved, I need to talk to you."
"Don't call me that." Bruce said tiredly, coming to a stop before the small group. "What do you need?"
"Can we speak in private?" Talia asked, tilting her head up slightly to look at him.
"Yes."
"Good." Talia said curtly, turning on her heel and leading him through his own house, making him feel oddly out-of-place as he followed her into the same sitting room he'd been in with Diana before.
"What do you need?" Bruce asked curtly, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
"It's about Damian… I need you to take full custody of him."
"Why?"
"I… can't take care of him anymore."
"You don't want to."
"No! Look, either you take him or let me."
"Does he know about this?"
"Yes."
They locked gazes for a moment, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with a knife. One wrong word, and this could turn into a fight.
"Okay."
Talia seemed surprised at his easy acceptance, but quickly masked it with her usual regal air and a curt nod.
"I'll have everything sent to you." She said before walking away. He almost hoped it was the last time he'd ever see her. He'd hoped that before, too, but then she'd come back with his son.
By the time he got back to the foyer, Talia was gone and Tim had taken her place, with Ace's leash in hand.
"What did she want?" Tim asked, twisting the end of Ace's rope leash around his hands nervously.
Bruce sighed, glancing down to meet Damian's expectant gaze.
"Can we… talk about this later?" He asked.
"Of course." Alfred responded, him, Damian, and Tim all knowing that later could very well be never.
After a beat, Tim spoke up. "Are we still going to the plaza?"
"Of course." Bruce said, snapping back into focus. "Are you all ready?"
After a chorus of yes's and a clamor to the door, they were finally on their way. The car ride was filled with an awkward tension, everyone lost in their own individual thoughts. The tension was finally broken when Bruce's phone rang and he picked it up.
"Hello?... Oh hey…. Yes…. No, we're all on our way to the plaza…. Yeah we have Ace, too… Oh, alright, see you there then…. Bye."
Tim and Damian turned away from Bruce, not really expecting him to say anything, but happy when he decided to.
"Dick and Barbara are going to meet us at the plaza." He said nonchalantly.
Damien's eyes immediately lit up at the thought of meeting his older brother, having not seen him in a long time, but he stayed quiet.
"Cool!" Tim said, a little too loudly.
The remainder of the ride was in a much lighter atmosphere, everyone's mood lifted by the thought of seeing the happy duo of Dick and Babs.
"Wait, where and when exactly are they meeting us?" Tim asked as he struggled to drag the wriggling puppy out of the car.
"The café, in a few minutes if they aren't there already." Bruce responded.
"Come on, Ace." Damian said as he started leading the way to said café, the dog following obediently, much to Tim's frustration.
Bruce quickly noticed that Dick and Barbara were indeed already there, Barbara's wheelchair being hard to miss, especially for him. Damien's pace quickened when he saw them, causing Ace to bound forward suddenly, pulling Tim, who still held the other end of his leash, along with him.
Bruce had to smile when Dick jumped up and wrapped Damian in his arms, lifting the much smaller boy clean off the ground, Ace happily jumping around from person to person while Tim tried desperately not to trip anyone with the leash. He was relieved when Barbara picked Ace up and set him in her lap, ruffling his fur.
"Hey, Bruce, how have you been?" Dick said, setting Damian back down on the cobblestone.
"Good." Bruce said. "What about you, Dick, you look tired."
"I've been better." Dick shrugged. "But I've been worse too."
"Have any of you ate lunch yet?" Barbara asked.
"No." Was everyone's response, save for Bruce's mumbled, "I haven't even ate breakfast."
"Then let's eat." Dick said, sitting back down and waving a waitress over.
XXX
"Babs, you don't need a new pair of shoes." Dick said for the millionth time.
"Neither did you." Babs said, pointedly looking at the bag Dick was holding in his left hand. "Be patient."
"It didn't take me an hour to pick them out!"
Everyone else watched with amusement as Dick tried to pull his stubborn girlfriend away from the display rack. Everyone except Damian and Tim, who were playing with Ace. Damian was making the puppy do tricks some adult dogs didn't know how to do, and Tim was watching, and getting slightly frustrated when Ace wouldn't even sit for him. Just when it looked like Ace was going to obey Tim, he was distracted by Barbara's sudden cry of resistance.
They turned around to find Dick pushing her wheelchair, with her in it, towards them. Babs was trying to stop him, and calling him not-so-nice-names in the process.
"Can we go back to the manor?" Tim asked suddenly.
"So desperate to get away from us?" Dick teased.
"Yes." Damian deadpanned, in that way were people couldn't tell if he was being serious or sarcastic.
"You're definitely your father's son." Babs said, ignoring the death glare she received from Bruce in response.
"Alfred's here." Bruce said. "Are you two coming for dinner or not?"
"What do you think?" Dick said, exited by the prospect of one of Alfred's home-cooked meals.
"Let's go then." Babs said, her earlier irritation at Dick forgotten. "We'll see you guys there."
"I think I see Alfred." Tim said, not even bothering to look behind him as he began walking across the plaza.
"See you in a little while then." Bruce said before starting a little jog to catch up with his two sons, who were already almost at the car.
Dick and Babs watched them go with small smiles on their faces.
"He looks happier, don't you think?" Babs asked as Dick turned and pushed her towards their own car.
"Who?"
"Bruce, of course! He's not quite as dark and broody anymore. I wonder why."
"It could be anything, Babs, we haven't seen him in months."
"That's true, but, I dunno, I just have this feeling…"
"Maybe we'll ask him."
Barbara scoffed. "Then he definitely won't tell you anything. Honestly, Dick, have you met the man?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Dick joked.
XXX
"I take it Master Richard and Miss Barbara will be coming here for dinner?" Alfred asked as he pulled plates from one of the many cupboards in the kitchen.
"You would take it correctly then, Alfred." Bruce said, taking the plates and utensils from the older man and handing them to Tim, who went into the dining room to set the table. Ace suddenly bolted through the kitchen, claws once again scrabbling for purchase on the slick floor as he raced toward the front door just as it opened.
"We're here!" Dick announced, pushing the heavy wooden door shut behind him.
"In here!" Bruce yelled back.
Barbara came in first, followed closely by Dick, who was trying not to trip over Ace as he jumped around his legs.
"There are far too many people in this kitchen." Alfred announced suddenly. "Why don't you all go to the dining room and wait until dinner is ready?"
"That's Alfred's way of saying get out of my way." Dick whispered to Barbara, who snorted and lightly slapped his shoulder.
Bruce, ignoring Dick's translation, silently motioned for Dick, Barbara, and Damian to follow him. They ran into Tim, who directed a questioning glance at the four.
"Alfred wants us out of the kitchen." Damian explained.
"Oh." Tim replied, turning on his heel to follow the group. "Okay."
That's not really what was bothering the young boy, though. Dick, Barbara, Damian, and Bruce all looked soft of… worried, and lost in their own thoughts. He knew better than to ask though. Bruce would deny anything was bothering him, Dick and Babs would both brush it off, saying it's nothing, and try to act happier for the rest of the night. Damian would just glare at him, not saying anything, silently willing him to shut up.
Tim couldn't help but feel as if he was being left out of something, even when Dick suddenly brightened up when they entered the elegant dining room.
"I'm sitting here!" He announced, bringing everyone's attention back to the moment as he over-dramatically flopped down in the chair at the head of the table.
"Oh, no you're not." Bruce and Barbara said in unison. Both of them shared a slightly creeped-out glance with the other until Dick burst out laughing at the sight, infecting everyone else in the room with his giggles.
"What on earth is going on in here?" Alfred questioned, carrying a platter of food into the room. Dick had fallen off the chair and was laying on the floor, gasping for air, a guffaw occasionally escaping his throat.
"That... wasn't even that funny." Tim gasped, his hands on his stomach.
The corner of Bruce's lips twitched upwards as he watched Damian struggle to hold in his laughter, strangled giggles escaping the young boy as watched Dick roll over onto his face.
Barbara looked as if she would be on the floor as well, if not for her wheelchair. She was so out of breath she wasn't even laughing, just gasping for air as her shoulders shook with silent giggles.
"Master Richard, please get off the floor." Alfred said calmly as he set the platter down on the table.
"Right... sorry." Dick said, sitting back on his heels before getting to his feet. "I'll sit over here."
Dick sat in the chair to Bruce's right, with Barbara next to him, and Tim and Damian across from them.
The meal was filled with small talk, of work and casual things. When Alfred returned to collect the dishes, Dick stopped him.
"Actually Alfred… could you sit down? I have an announcement to make."
"Master Richard-"
This time it was Bruce that interrupted. 'I have to tell you all something too, including you, Alfred."
Alfred pulled out the chair to Damian's left and sat down. "Go ahead then, Master Richard."
"Well, um, you see…" Dick stopped, fidgeting in his seat. Next to him, Barbara rolled her eyes and took over for him. She took his right hand in her left one and lifted their conjoined hands up above the surface of the table. The ring on her finger caught the light in the room, lighting up the diamond brightly.
"We're getting married."
A silence fell as everyone just simply stared at the couple for a moment, too surprised to say anything.
"Congratulations!" Damian shouted suddenly, scaring the life out of everyone as he stood up, nearly knocking his chair over backwards in the process. Bruce suddenly laughed, reaching forward and trapping his adopted son in a crushing bear hug.
"Oh, um, thank you." Dick stuttered, his face heating up as Damian, Tim, and Alfred joined the hug. Ace barked happily, influenced by the positive energy of the others in the room.
Barbara cleared her throat, and opened her arms wide when the five others in the room turned toward the noise. "Can I join in?"
"Of course." The group moved the surround Barbara with even more congratulations.
"Bruce, didn't you want to say something?" Dick interrupted, changing the subject.
"Oh, yeah..." Bruce was suddenly the uncomfortable, fidgeting one as everyone's attention turned to him.
"Is it about Talia being here earlier?" Tim asked when Bruce stayed silent.
"Talia was here earlier?" Dick asked, his voice accusatory. "What did she want?"
"Yes." Bruce cut in. "She was here earlier. She wanted me to take full custody of Damian, or let her."
Damian stared down at his feet, ignoring the glances directed his way.
"You didn't let her, did you?" Dick spat, upset with just the thought.
"No."
Everyone visibly relaxed, and Damian looked as if he was about to cry from the stress of it all.
This time, the group hug was formed around the youngest member of the family.
A/N: I'm actually not very happy with this chapter, but it's been done for a while (totally didn't forget to post it before leaving for four days) and I'm kinda just too lazy to rewrite it so here it is. Although, it is getting a bit easier to write as I think I know where the story is going a bit better now.
Also I'm working on two new oneshots at the moment, and StormCloud11 and I wrote a oneshot together that she should be posting soon.
~Uni