ASV: Prepare for boatloads of fluff. Keep in mind, Damian is four years old

Inky(Beta): And has been raised by assassins to idolize Batman.

ASV: That too. Without further ado.

Chapter 16

Alternate Chapter Title: You keep on using that word 'Secret,' I do not think it means what you think it means.

"When will Dick be back?" Damian asked softly. Alex looked up from where he knelt on Dick's bed, painting a new design on the wall.

"I imagine soon. He normally shows up for class on the day after he got shots, so, given that it's Saturday, at least I think it is, they might be keeping him a bit longer than normal to sleep in before bringing him back." He aimed a smile at the small boy, and then turned back to his painting. There was some shifting behind him, and Damian climbed up onto the bed and plopped down beside him. After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Damian piped up.

"Why are you painting my father?" Alex looked at the painting, and then looked at him in confusion.

"Your father? I'm not painting your father. I'm painting Batman. See. That's his cowl."

"Batman is my father." He said it so casually that it took a second for Alex to process.

"That's nice…" Alex muttered. Then, he paused. "Wait, what?"

"Batman is my father." Damian enunciated each word, like he'd been taught by his mother, giving Alex his 'are you stupid' look.

"Batman… is your father?!"

"Yes, according to Mother, anyways."

"And your mother would be?"

"Talia al Ghul."

Alex snorted. "Yeah, right." He'd heard rumors of the al Ghuls, and none of them clicked with his picture of parents.

"She is! And she says my father is Batman and that one day I'll get to meet him."

"Wait, so, how do you know, for sure, that Batman is your father if you've never met him?"

"Mother says so."

"Right, Talia al Ghul says that Batman is your father."

"She does!"

"Tell you what, if—WHEN—we get out of here, Dick can talk to his father, Bruce Wayne, and maybe he could introduce you to Batman and you could find out for sure."

Damian was silent, absorbing the new information, and then, "So, you're saying Father would introduce me to himself?"

"No, I'm saying, Bruce Wayne might be able to introduce you to Batman."

"But… Bruce Wayne is Batman. He can't be in two places at once! That's stupid. He doesn't have superpowers! Doesn't need them like that Superman! Batman's super powerful without them."

Alex stared at the boy, flabbergasted. "… Damian, what's your full name?"

"Damian al Ghul Wayne… Why?"

"And… Batman is your father?"

"Yes."

"Bruce Wayne is Batman?"

"Yes." Alex grappled to find the words to express this new revelation. Damian said, "Is Dick's father really my father?"

"Well… If what you say is true, then… yes. Dick's adopted father is Bruce Wayne and if you're…. if you're Bruce Wayne's son, then that would mean you share a father and are actually, really, truly brothers."

"Really?" Alex nodded. "Wait, were we not brothers before? Dick said we were brothers…"

"No, you were still brothers. Just of a different sort. Now, you're brothers under the law."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that they can't separate you as easily, and lots of other stuff, I'll let Dick explain it… when he gets back."

"Hmm." Damian lay down on the bed and reached forward to poke the new Batman design. Alex grabbed his hand.

"Don't touch. It's still wet." Alex said, prompting a pout from the finally acting normal-ish four-year-old. They sat together quietly for a while as Alex processed the new information and filed it into his mental 'do not tell ANYONE of this' box. Eventually, he realized, "Wait, if Bruce Wayne is Batman, does that mean that Dick is… Mio Dio! I can't… If they find out… Mio Dio, this is not good."

"What does Me-oo Dee-oo mean?"

"It's… Don't repeat it!"

"Why? Is it bad?"

"Yes! Very Bad!"

"Me-uh Dee-o's. Me-o Diooooo. Mio Dioo! Mio Dio! Am I saying it right?"

"Ugh. Just don't say it around your brother, and if you do and he asks where you learned it, say your mother said it."

"Naturally. It is only right that I should inform him of the origins of a new word."

"Ugh. Dick, you better be back soon." Alex muttered. And teach this kid the meaning of secrecy while you're at it.

(A/N Because I couldn't let this chapter be toooooo happy End A/N)

The brat fought as hard as he could as he was carried back into the room from which he had escaped. The nurse ignored him and continued walking, followed closely by the man, the trench coat billowing around his ankles in a satisfactory manner. The man had to give the boy props; he certainly did make it pretty far. The Special Processing Section was quite a distance away from the ongoing experiments. His delinquency would offset the schedule for the day, but not too badly, unless he took the whole day to calm down.

"It will be worse for you if you continue to struggle." He whispered in the boy's ear leaning close before the nurses lifted the boy into the contraption. With some effort, they clicked the cuffs on his wrists firmly shut and tightened them, and then adjusted the height of the ankle cuffs appropriately. Finally, the nurses locked the chest and back plates into place and stepped away. The boy was still panicking, but he would be secure for the time being. Once the collar registered a pulse decrease to normal functioning, they would remove the collar and begin. The man turned and marched away, making sure to lock the door behind him as he exited.

Inky: I'm pretty sure A Small Voice is incapable of ending a chapter on a fluffy note…

ASV: Not always...

Inky: so Alex is just going oh. that explains some things...

ASV: But not really. Short chapter, but lots of fluff. This won over nightmares.

Inky: which you should be thankful for. Very very thankful.

ASV: Phase two coming soon on dvd and bluray. Inkblackfingers (Inky) just popped in for this chapter. She wouldn't stop "AWWW"ing... This is our compromise. Please read, review, favorite, follow. Also, if I don't respond to your review within a week and a half to two weeks, please PM me. I try to respond to all of them, but sometimes the internet eats them, or it looks like it's a guest review for some reason, or I thought I responded already (most common occurrence).

Inky: First of all, that's a pretty rare occurrence that I can "AWWW" (almost) all the way through a chapter. And readers, you're in for a ride. Buckle up. ;)

ASV: ^She knows the whole plot.