Getting Justine, or Justin as Tim called her, to talk had been a happy day for Kim, but the worst day of Jason's life.
He sat on the couch, shaking his head, "She said Tim… TIM!"
"I know Jason." Kim said, sighing, "He is her uncle, and you got her all riled up."
"Grayson got her all riled up!" Jason snapped. "He hung her upside down, by her feet!"
"He was playing with her." Kim defended.
"That was torture!" Jason said. "A medieval torture strategy, she was screaming!"
"Until then, that's the only way she ever knew how to communicate Jason." Kim explained. "She was laughing, she liked it."
"No, she hates him! She has to hate him!" Jason said desperately. "They are not going to be friends, I forbid it!"
"Trust me Jason, when she gets older, she'll hate him and Bruce." Kim promised. "But you have to let her know them first, or else there's nothing to hate about them."
Jason paused, "Okay fine."
"Good, cause we're going on a date tonight, and Tim's babysitting." Kim said.
"No!" Jason said, jumping up, "No, no, no, no, no! For the love of God noooooooo!"
"Jason, my entire life has started to revolve around Justine, and although I love her, it's not healthy for me or her. I am going on a date with you tonight, and that is that."
"She's to young for a babysitter!"
"She's almost two!" Kim snapped. "My mother had the teenage girl next door babysitting me before I was one."
"Well that's your problem." Jason mumbled.
Kim gave him a look, "I will wear a dress, which will come above my knees, and will be low cut a the neck."
Jason hesitated. "Sleeveless."
"Deal." Kim said.
"And, it has to be blue." He said.
Kim nodded, "Fine. But no sparkles or feathers, or rhinestones."
Jason nodded, "Okay… get me a beer?"
Kim rolled her eyes, "Uh huh."
LATER THAT NIGHT:
"Emergency numbers are on the counter- oh who am I kidding, you know what to do if a guy tries to kill Justine right?" Kim asked.
"Beat him to a pulp and call the cops after giving him a death threat that makes him pee his pants." Tim said.
"No you idiot!" Jason said, rushing into the room, dressed in black slacks, a red button up shirt, and a black tie, "You knock out the scum bag, leave him in the shed out back, and when I get home, you don't tell Bruce about the un-Godly screams or the gun shot you heard."
Kim sighed, "Tim, just don't let anything happen to her."
She grabbed Jason, pulling him out of the house.
Tim turned to Justine, who was sitting on the floor, wearing a black t-shirt and red overalls with a black bat symbol on the front pocket.
He smiled down at her, "What's up?"
She smiled, "Timmy!"
Tim chuckled, scooping her up and carrying her to the living room. "How about a movie? Barney or Barbie?"
He looked through the movies, but didn't find anything kid appropriate. He turned to Justine, "Where are you movies Justin?"
Justin pointed to the bottom shelf, idly sucking on her dark blue pacifier. Tim looked down there, seeing several seasons of The Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy. Tim's eyes widened, "You watch this stuff?"
Justine grabbed a Simpsons case, holding it up. Tim shook his head, "Uh… lets just play with your toys…"
Tim took out Justine's blocks, and showed her how to stack them. Justine grabbed one, and held it in her hand for a moment, before chucking it at Tim's head.
Tim grabbed it in midair, narrowing his eyes into the Bat glare, but Justin just laughed, kicking her feet. Tim growled, "You're his daughter all right. Pretty soon you're gonna be defying Batman, and running around with guns, and beating me with a crowbar-"
"Which is exactly why I'm here." Came a deep voice Tim would know anywhere.
Tim stood up, turning around, "Bruce?"
Bruce stood there in a dark black sweater and kaki slacks. "I'm not going to let her gro up with him Tim."
Tim's eyes widened, "You're… kidnapping Justine?"
Bruce paused, "It's more complicated than that, but when you get right down to it… yes."
"But… this is her family." Tim said slowly. He had never really known Bruce to make a wrong decision, to cross a line that just shouldn't be crossed.
"Tim, do you really want her to be her father?" Bruce asked.
Tim hesitated, "Well… no, but just because she lives with him-"
"Think about it Tim, every girl idolizes her father, if she grows up with Jason as a father, what's going to happen when she adapts his morals by watching him live with his?"
Tim couldn't deny the numbers once he ran them, but he wished he could, "She'll… well, she'll be him."
"I've let Jason do this to himself and to Kim, but I won't let her get caught up in this, she's a child, and I'm not going to let her be robbed of that."
Justin staggered to her feet, wobbling a bit, before standing straight, and looking at Bruce's left leg. She toddled over to his leg, reaching it and grabbing onto it with a surprisingly strong grip. Her eyes traveled from his knee to his thigh, to his stomach, shoulders, then face.
Her head tilted to the side, staring up at him with an unreadable expression. Tim bit his lower lip. No Bruce, this isn't right. She's a baby, and you're wrong.
Justin suddenly bit down on Bruce's knee cap, not just a nibble, but she really chomped down, she was practically trying to dig his knee cap out with her four little teeth. Bruce didn't even wince, but Tim could see the pain in his eyes. He reached down, prying Justin's mouth off of his knee. He picked her up carefully, making her look him in the eye.
She smiled a big toothy grin, revealing red streaks dancing across her teeth. Bruce's blood. "Bruce!" She exclaimed.
Normally, a baby can't pronounce the 'r' for a long time, but Justine had nailed it the first try.
Tim's eyes widened, now Kim was gonna have to deal with an even angrier Jason. He knew that Jason was going to hear her say Bruce's name, because Tim's decided not to let Bruce take her.
Justin grabs Bruce's front bangs, yanking and giggling while she did it. Bruce just ran his thumb over the front of her overall pocket, tracing the bat symbol, lost in thought.
Tim stepped forward, "Bruce, just put her down."
Bruce raised his eyebrow at Tim, who slowly wrapped his hands around Justine also, gently pulling her out of Bruce's hold. "You're not taking her away Bruce, she's happy here."
Bruce shook his head, "She's to young to make that decision."
"She loves her father!" Tim said, exasperated. "Tell you what, if she grows up and starts acting against your code, then we'll consider taking her, but I don't think it's necessary to go that extreme yet."
"I can't risk that even beginning to happen." Bruce said, and stepped forward to take Justine from Tim, who was at such a loss at what to do. He didn't know if he should try to fight Bruce, of just let him take Justin and then go squeal to Jason immediately.
Bruce grabbed Justine's shoulders, about to pull her from Tim's hold, suddenly, a shot rang out, and a bullet imbedded itself in the wall right next to Bruce's head.
They both turned to see Jason, a glare on his face that was about ten times worse then the bat-glare. Tim had only seen that expression on Bruce's face twice before, once when Dick had been beaten to a bloody pulp by a group of thugs, and when Tim himself had nearly died at Jason's hands. Tim nearly peed his pants right there, because even his experience with the bat-glare could never prepare him for the daddy-bats-glare.
"You put my daughter down right now or this time I'll aim for the wall and hit you." Jason said, grinding out the threat with every intention of carrying it out. This time he was serious, father or not, he would kill Bruce.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the three of them, Bruce was not going to be swayed with threats, Jason would die before he let his daughter be kidnapped, and Tim just wanted to go crawl under Justin's bed for a week or so.
Suddenly, there was a squeal of pure childhood delight, Justine reached her tiny little hands out for Jason, kicking her feet and a beaming smile on her face. "Daddy!"
Jason's eyes widened, his hand releasing his tight grip on the gun. Tim beamed right along with Justin, setting her down on the floor as she rushed over to her daddy, wrapping her arms around his knee.
"Daddy!" She squealed again.
Tim shook his head, realizing this to Justin, this was a very fun night. She had gotten to abuse his forehead, bite Batman, and expanded her vocabulary. Jason click on his gun's safety, scooping up Justine.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, putting her face into his shoulder, babbling something unintelligible. Little by little, Tim saw Jason's stony glare melt, and vanish.
Jason tucked Justin more securely under his arm, then looked Bruce square in the eye. "I'll forgive you this once, but if you ever try to take my daughter away from me, I will kill you. I have no guilt about her growing up with only one grandfather."
Jason turned around to walk out of the front door, but Tim stopped him. "Where are you going?"
Jason whirled around, eyes trying to snap Tim's skull in two. "TO DICK'S! GET JUSTY A BABYSITTER WHO CAN ACTUALLY DO HIS JOB! GROW A PAIR REPLACEMENT!"
Jason turned around, and Justin called over his shoulder, "Grow a pair Timmy!"
Tim glared after them. "I hate my life."