Bringing My Children Home

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Disclaimer: I am only borrowing the Bat family to practice my art.

Chapter Sixteen

Jason

When any one member of the Wayne family entered a social event, they drew eyes.

Upon the arrival of Bruce Wayne, and all six of his adopted, fostered, and biological children, they nearly shut the Kane's October Autumn Gala down. It was not often that Bruce brought everyone, though he rarely went without one or another of his children. This was the first event where Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne, were present as well. Naturally every gossip, journalist, blogger, and socialite turned to drink in the magnificence of the Waynes.

The blonde-haired, slender girl, who had been taken in for her protection from her criminal father, stood out among the dark heads. She had accompanied Cassandra Wayne and Timothy Drake to events on occasion, so she was not completely unknown, but her appearance among the Waynes was startling. Bruce had never shied away from presenting his adopted and fostered children into his rich world. Many thought he took it too far, but a few sharper-eyed observers noted that the family all tended to look alike. Stephanie broke that mold.

Jason had not wanted to come, but the Kane's yearly Gala must be attended by any offshoot of the Kane family. Since Bruce called them all his family, he forced his stuffy relatives to let his children in. It could be amusing on occasion. Stephanie was certainly causing consternation.

She was too confident and lively, to be daunted by the severe looks of the rich, old women. She would never have the exotic beauty of Cass, or the flaming draw of Babs, but the contradiction of her circumstances and her confidence, to say nothing of the brilliant personality, drew more than a few male eyes. The big brother in Jason wanted to glare at them, but Steph and Cass were good at crushing male pretensions.

"Todd, what is Grayson doing?" The Brat demanded.

Jason glanced down at the smallest of their family, recently turned twelve years old, wondering why he had to be asked the question. A glance, around the crowded ballroom, informed him that Bruce and Tim were in conversation with Lucius Fox, Steph and Cass were against the back wall with some children, who had looked bored prior to having the Wayne girls come over, and Dick… Ah yes. Dick was in his natural habitat, standing tall, talking to a crowd of young, charmed women.

"Dick is being himself," Jason said.

"He's letting those vapid females all over him!"

Well, that was an exaggeration. Certainly, Dick had received one or two touches to the arms or shoulders, but anything more would be met with the agile, elusive acrobat. He was however, enjoying smiles and titters, as he spoke to his captivated audience. Jason had to grin.

"He likes the attention."

Damian

Todd was no help at all in understanding what Grayson was doing.

Damian would have preferred to ask Brown about it, but she and Cain were 'making friends' with a few bored looking children. Since this was meant for Damian's so-called benefit, he dared not go near. The children were as stupid and useless as this meeting, where nothing happened, but inept rich peopled showed off their wealth. Why Father insisted this was important, was beyond Damian's understanding.

Unfortunately, that meant Damian was going to have to go to Father and Drake for an explanation.

With a glare for the intensely amused street rat, Damian stalked through the crowd towards his parent. It was hard work, since he had to avoid the old women who wanted to marvel at his resemblance to his father, or the tittering social climbers who wanted to dig his maternity out of him, or even the booming rich men who wanted to mine information to use against father's company. He had to do this without stabbing or punching anyone!

"Do you remember my daughter, Tamara?" Wayne Enterprises CEO was saying, when Damian finally made it to Father's elbow.

"Yes, how are you, Miss Fox? Lucius tells me Wayne Enterprises has gained you as an intern," Father said.

"Yes, sir," the dark-skinned girl said. "There is still some question to what division I will intern for, but I am very grateful for the opportunity."

"I am excited to see promise in Lucius's family. He has been a huge asset to Wayne Enterprises, and I would love to see that stay in the family. As for what division, Tim, you were looking at my papers this afternoon. What do you think?"

"I think Miss Pennell, the Manager of the Wayne Medical branch, would be a good place to start. She is hard working and has helped me to understand a lot about the division," Drake said smoothly. He turned a bright, warm smile on the girl. "Drake Industries had a Medical Division, primarily in home-health supplies, and Bruce let me work with it this summer."

Heat flared in Damian's ears, as Drake spoke. It was not the playful banter of Grayson, but it was confident and powerful, and the young woman looked intrigued. Damian had forgotten that Drake had been hanging around Wayne Enterprises with Father most of the summer. Even when school had taken up more of the teenager's time, he had still visited once or twice a week. So, not only was Drake putting on a new mask with the girl, but he was also appearing as Father's Heir.

"Tim's very smart," Father beamed, as he tugged the teenager under one of his arms. "I'm glad we're partners, since he has a good head on his shoulders. He's the one to talk to, Tamara."

"If you would like, we can find a seat and discuss it in more depth, unless you don't want to talk about it here, at a Gala," Drake offered Miss Fox.

"I would like that," The girl replied.

Drake offered his arm, and led her off, while finally, Father turned to Damian.

"Do we have to stay long?" Damian mumbled, desperate to escape the stuffy room where Dick was so strange, and Drake proved his superiority again.

"I would prefer you all stayed until after the meal, but if you and Jason find yourselves desperate, you may head home."

"With Todd?" Damian blurted. "Can't Grayson take me?"

That would be a good way to get Grayson out of the horde. It was a neat little plan. Play the bored little brother, and the big brother would take him away, leaving behind those ogling girls!

"Dick loves these things," Father answered. "Jason hates them. It wouldn't be fair to make Jason stay and Dick leave."

There was amusement in Father's eyes, as he glanced from Damian, to where Grayson's voice was rising and falling energetically. With a glare at his Father, Damian marched back into the gauntlet. Father was playing his ridiculous social role, Grayson was flirting, and Drake had put on a new face. Damian wished Brown was not eager for him to make friends with his peers, because that left Todd as his only haven.

Considering that Todd still threatened to kill Damian, if he even looked at Drake wrong, this was a disturbing thought.

"Father is being stupid," Damian informed Todd, after he survived the eager hands and voices of Gotham's elite. "Why does everyone act so different?"

Todd raised a sardonic eyebrow and looked around the room for the various members of Father's Family of Strays. "I don't think Steph and Dick are playing parts, so much as living out their social dreams. Dick was a Circus Performer, brat. He loves the limelight."

"Brown didn't have that," Damian argued.

"She wanted it though. She wants attention, because her dad ignored her."

Arthur Brown was a foolish man, Damian thought. Brown was certainly not the most skilled person, but she was more intelligent than any of the fancy debutants present. He glanced nervously around for her. He dared not speak his grudging admiration of her audacity, since she had not acknowledged his superiority of birth. If she saw him grimacing at the mention of her father, she might guess he had grown to respect her.

"What about Drake? He's almost as bad as Grayson. He was smiling and charming Fox's daughter, but he protested having to come as much as you did."

The large pair of shoulders on Todd shook with restrained laughter. Damian scowled, angry at the laughter and his own slip up in revealing his frustration at Drake's ability to switch faces. He clenched his fists fiercely, reminding himself that he could not punch people for laughing at him.

"Come on, Brat. Bruce gave me the nod. We've paid our hour of dues to Gotham's society. Let's go home."

Jason

Damian was wary enough of Jason to hesitate before agreeing to leave, but a scathing look towards Dick made up the boy's mind.

"Mother is very different in society. She would use something like this to show how superior she is. Why can't Father do something the same? People were smiling condescendingly at him," Damian groused as they got into Jason's car.

"It's part of the lie of the Wayne Family," Jason pointed out, sharply eyeing the kid until he buckled up. "Brucie Wayne is a somewhat idle, somewhat foolish man because that's what society expects of the tragic rich man. He makes everyone think he can be walked all over, and only Lucius and Tim keep him safe from making bad deals.

"Dick can flirt, and laugh, and play here. Society is strange enough to think he must be a little empty headed, as well. Cass is considered disabled, which excuses a lot from her. Steph may throw everyone for a while, but she'll probably end up like Dick, just with less flirting and more materialism."

The kid thought this through with a frown. "Then what about Drake? What is he?"

"Tim is the frail genius of the family. Everyone knows he's intelligent and sharp, but they think he's weak physically. He dresses to enhance his teenage thinness."

"I don't understand why," Damian snorted. "I would show off my strength, and force people to respect me."

"That would give away your secrets. Showing your full strengths let's someone like Tim see it's weak points. Certainly, you don't have to play the role of fragile nerd, but instead of boasting about your intelligence, make the world see something else. They can't connect you to Batman, and it gives you a place in the glittering world of high society, where a good deal of crime and corruption exists."

"So, it's part of Father's work to end crime."

"Yes," Jason answered, vaguely. It was certain that they had done investigations using the various Wayne roles, but playing the fool and hunting through the ranks for crime was not all it was good for, at least for the others of the family. Jason disliked it too much, and had built up his own persona of uneasy, resentful street rat. Even that had its place. Bruce used all their public roles in investigations, and more. He made business connections, powerful acquaintances, and even befriended some good men and women, whom he could manipulate into working on charities and economic growth where he thought best.

"Then, if I am to show Father I can be what he wants, I must make a role, too," Damian announced.

"As a spoiled, whiny Brat?" Jason suggested resentfully.

"I do not whine! That is a terrible idea. Father's inane act is used to explain his philanthropy, Dick's flirting helps make friends, and Drake's… intelligence gives the Family an excuse to be the best business. I will have to find something."

The comment about Tim was growled out, and Jason glanced at the Brat, catching the jealousy, but also something a little deeper. Tim had surprised Damian, who did not take that well at all, but the boy was smart enough to respect Tim's abilities now that he had seen them in more depth. Despite the fury Jason still had on Tim's behalf, he had to admit Bruce had made the right choice. He wanted to throttle the Brat, but he did not want to send him back to Talia.

If the kid could just see past his 'superior' blood, and realize he had the same opportunity the rest of them had, Jason might even grow to like him.

Damian

Todd offered a few more foolish ideas for Damian to use as his 'secret identity' before they reached home.

"I know! Why don't you become loud and clown around?"

"Father might agree with me that you are reaching the attacking stage and I can stab you," Damian growled, shoving past Todd.

"Was that a joke, short bat? I think you made a joke, since we both know you'd never have a chance against me."

"I am not short!"

The look in Todd's eyes was horrifyingly like what he looked at Brown and Cain like, before calling them Blondie and Silent Ninja. Damian cringed. Todd would beat this to death. He might get away with attacking Todd, since even Grayson got annoyed with the never ending disco wing jokes. Damian had even witnessed Drake throw a book at Todd after too many 'Timmers' were said.

"As the tallest of the Family, I regret to inform you that you are the short bat," Todd smirked.

"Father's taller than you!"

"Bruce doesn't count because he's the Dad. Besides, I might pass him up any day now. You, on the other hand, have several years before you shoot up, and even then, Talia and Ra's aren't the tallest. You might be short bat forever."

"No, I won't! Grayson isn't even six feet, so I'll be taller than him. Drake is too scrawny to grow tall. I bet I'll even be taller than you when I'm grown up. Then I'll be the tallest in the Family!"

Todd's mouth dropped open and he stared at Damian.

"What is your problem, idiot? Are you conceding I'm right?"

"You just called us Family, brat."

"No, I didn't!" Damian yelled, but horror washed over him as he realized he had. How had that happened? They were not supposed to be his family. They were supposed to be his rivals.

"Love you, too, Brat," Todd crooned, then had horror fall over his face. "Never thought I'd say that."

"Argh!" Damian threw a punch. Todd dodged easily, and began to laugh.

"That was pitiful. If you must be Family, you should know how to punch."

"I know how to punch!" Damian swung again. Todd caught his fist.

"You know something, but punching wildly like that only puts you off balance."

"If you weren't so infuriating…" Damian trailed off, before he admitted he had lost his temper, and with it, any careful skill.

"I can't believe I'm falling for this, but come on, short bat. I'm going to show you how to punch while you're angry."

Todd grabbed Damian by the back of his shirt, easily dodging the next punch. He swung them both around towards Father's study. Damian kicked out, although he was too off balance to swing hard enough. It surprised him when the kick connected with Todd's shin. The man did not even flinch, becoming still as stone. His face had gone pale and Damian stilled. He followed Todd's sight towards the study door.

Pennyworth stood there, graver than Damian had ever seen him.

"Cluemaster and a gang have taken the Gala hostage. Master Timothy got a signal to the cave, but has since gone dark. There are reports of shots fired.".

After a crazy weekend I get to work just a half day, so I am home and will post two chapters today since I ended up missing yesterday as well.

Thanks for reading! Use the awesome review/comment section to let me know what you think. I welcome constructive critiques, and it is so encouraging to hear that you enjoyed my story.