Should auld acquaintance be forgot…

All stories end. The Joker's did, on Christmas Day, hardly a week ago. New Years is a time for fresh starts, for hopes, dreams, and ideas; a time to reflect on the past, and choose whether to let it define you- or shape you. It's a new lease on life, this time, borne of death, thus setting the Wayne family- and Gotham City- free from the chains that the man called the Joker forged to hold it prisoner in fear. Now there is only the Batman, and the family he leads to protect his city from threat- both in the past- and the unforeseeable future.

...and never brought to mind.

"Ten minutes until the ball drops!" Selina called. She was curled up on the couch beside Bruce. Everyone was gathered in the parlor, talking quietly.

"Jason!" Bruce snapped. "Stop messing with Tim!" Jason only smirked at him as he ran by, pushing Tim's wheelchair in front of him with Steph chasing after him. Damian stuck a leg out casually and tripped Jason, nearly grinning as Jason barely missed hitting his face on the back of the wheelchair, falling forward as Tim rolled away. Steph let out a laugh and jumped over Jason, kissing Tim's cheek.

"Stop playing with my cripple," she stuck her tongue out at Jason, still laying on the floor.

"I'm not a cripple!" Tim protested. "I can get up anytime I want!"

"You won't," Alfred told him as he offered Selina and Bruce champagne; Jason swiped two off the tray. He brought them over to where Ivy was teasing Allie with some catnip on the floor. Cass snuck one as well while Alfred was glaring at Jason.

"Happy New Year everyone!" Dick called cheerily as he walked into the parlor. He held Haly in her carrier, and Harley had the diaper bag slung over her shoulder as she followed him through the doorway.

"Seven minutes until the ball drops," Damian informed them, not even looking up from his sketchbook. He was sitting by the fire and using Titus for a pillow. "Nearly late. I expected nothing less from you, Richard."

"It wasn't Dick's fault, it was Haly's," Harley told him. "And we aren't late."

"Seven minutes to spare," Dick smiled, putting Haly's carrier down on the table. She was quiet as she slept, and he smiled broader. "Are we too late for champagne?" He ran a hand through his hair as he took his stocking cap off, and beamed when Alfred handed him a glass.

"Hi Alfred!" Harley gave him a hug before grabbing some champagne for herself. She almost spilled it when Barbara jolted her as she hugged her.

"Oh my gosh look at the three of you!" she squealed.

"Is she drunk?" Harley mouthed at Jason. He nodded as he smiled into his drink.

"Jesus, Babs, cool it on the champagne, alright?" Dick laughed. "And lower your voice. She's still sleeping. Hopefully," he added, taking away Barbara's glass. Harley laughed as she untangled herself from Barbara.

"I'm sorry." Sam came up and helped her, and Barbara immediately draped herself over him. Dick put a finger to his lips, his eyebrows raised as he smiled at Barbara.

"Shh," he urged, sitting down on the couch beside Bruce. Haly slept in her baby carrier on the coffee table in front of him, and he yawned. "Be glad you missed the baby years with us, Bruce," Dick elbowed him, and then immediately regretted what he'd said. "I… I'm sorry, Bruce, I didn't mean-"

"-It's okay, Dick." Selina smiled a little, resting a hand on Bruce's chest. "We're going to be trying again."

"Well Haly will need her…" Harley paused. "Oh my God, you're her grandmother. You're a grandmother."

"I'm a grandma," Selina whined. Bruce smiled at her.

"You're pretty good looking for a grandma," he commented and kissed her cheek.

"I am not calling you mom," Jason added.

"We don't even call Bruce dad," Tim pointed out.

"I do," Damian interjected.

"Demon aside," Tim waved a hand. "Why would we call Selina mom?"

"I don't expect you to," she shrugged. Dick stood up and stretched.

"Aw, but we don't want you to be left out, Ma," Dick kissed her cheek and hugged her over the back of the couch. Selina laughed.

"Five minutes!" Steph cried happily. Tim's wheelchair was parked near the couch, and she was sitting in his lap sipping champagne. She'd put a Happy New Years hat on Tim's head, and there was a torn up one beside Damian.

"I can't believe a year has gone by," Dick sighed, wrapping his arm around Harley. Barbara stared at him.

"Oh my God look how much we've grown!" She wailed, sniffling as her eyes filled with tears. Bruce glanced up at Barbara as she voiced what they all were thinking, and then he looked around the room. A calm feeling had settled over the gathered party. They all felt it. The nostalgia and melancholy happiness that came with the holiday season. Barbara squeezed her cheeks and looked at Sam. "I've never seen the Himalayas," she cried, and then grabbed his face. "We have to go before I die!"

"Okay, Babs, you're not gonna die," Dick laughed.

"This year went so fast," she whimpered.

"Besides," Harley shrugged, "even if you die, who in this family has actually stayed dead?"

"True," Damian shrugged.

"What?" Sam looked around, and Jason cleared his throat awkwardly.

"It is miraculous that we somehow all survived the Joker's attack," Damian said quietly. For a brief moment, they all fell silent again. The events of Christmas Day, barely even a week ago, had haunted their nightmares, but that's all they were- dreams. It felt as if, though it was only a few days ago, the death of the Joker had all been some illusion. A nightmare, forgotten in waking but always remembered in the dark.

"A miracle," Steph agreed, stroking Tim's cheek as she broke the silence.

Dick shook his head. "No, it was Alfred," he laughed.

"Oh no," Harley mock cried, "whatever shall we do without all the excitement of chasing the Joker down?"

"I can do without," Dick scoffed.

"And I can do without you offering to be shot in the head." Harley glared at him.

"I knew it was empty," he said quietly, smiling a little. Harley rolled her eyes and Dick laughed. "How many times do I have to say it? It was a policeman's gun- twelve shots, and his habit is to pull the trigger twice, at least- two for Carrie, two at Tim, two to Jason, two shots to Ivy-" Dick ticked off on his fingers. "Then three to Bruce, and one to Selina. All I had to bet on was that he wasn't bluffing about Carrie." Dick glanced at Damian, who pretended to shrug indifferently. Jason narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, wow, you can count," he yawned sarcastically. Tim kicked him.

"Shut up. Even I'm a little bit impressed. Though it was still a risk, what if he hadn't shot Carrie twice?" Tim glanced at Dick. He shrugged.

"Then I would have ducked."

"Good because I would have kicked your ass if you died," Harley warned.

"Two minutes to go," Damian commented, looking up at them.

"Aw, Damian and Cass have no one to kiss when the ball drops," Jason taunted. "Looks like they'll have to kiss each other."

"Sorry, Todd, you're the only one who takes someone's second helpings," Damian sneered. "Your girlfriend does know about Cass… and the others, right?" Jason's eyes narrowed.

"I could just rip your-" He cut off when Ivy smacked him on the back of the head.

"You don't get to yell at him because you're an ass."

"I like her," Damian smirked.

"Ok this is how it works," Barbara raised a hand. "I kiss Sam and then y'all figure yourselves out. I think Harley gets to kiss Dick and then Dick kisses Jay-"

"-what!?" Dick cried, choking on his champagne.

"-and then Bruce kisses Selina, and I kiss Sam. Oh yeah Tim and Steph."

"Barbara," Harley laughed, "you can't kiss Sam twice. And how about I kiss my own fiance without sharing him?"

"But then who will Jason kiss?" She slapped a palm against her forehead. "Duh. Oh wait, Ivy's here too. Huh. Would ya look at that," Barbara shrugged.

"How about we stop worrying about the kissing?" Tim begged. Haly began to cry as she woke up, and Dick sighed slowly.

"I didn't do it!" Tim and Jason cried in unison.

"Neither of you did." Harley picked her up out of the carrier. "She just wants attention."

"And I'll certainly give it to her," Dick beamed, standing and moving to Harley. He wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her cheek.

"Shhh!" Stephanie hissed, grabbing the remote control. "The countdown's on!"

Haly quieted as the newscaster began to count the seconds down to the new year, beaming. "Ten!"

"Nine!" Stephanie cried, and Cassandra smiled. She felt relaxed. A word she had only ever used around this family. Her family. It was a feeling she'd never known she'd been missing out on until she'd met these people. That and happiness. Even watching them happy with someone else, was better than being alone. She knew what being alone was, and this wasn't it. This was being surrounded by family. By people she loved.

Eight.

"Ocho!" Barbara shouted, clinging to Sam. He chuckled, sweeping her onto his lap so she wouldn't fall. She kissed his cheek. Her ginger hair was tousled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. "My hero," she hiccuped. "What would I do without you?" Barbara stroked his face. Sam smiled lovingly and rested his forehead against hers. Barbara kissed him sloppily, and Sam laughed as she looked around drunkenly, beaming proudly at the gathered group sitting around the dimly lit parlor. He'd graduated from law school and had a promising future in the DA's office before he'd switched tracks to become a police officer. He'd been looking for something, and he'd found it. He hadn't talked to Barbara about it yet, but he'd been considering starting backup at the DA's office. He knew Gotham's streets were safe. A fire crackled in the hearth and music played softly in the background, and Barbara felt Sam's hand tighten in hers. He was there. They were all there.

Seven.

Tim set his and Steph's empty glasses aside. She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her. Steph hadn't stopped checking on him; she couldn't. She'd been so close to losing him that she had to keep making sure he was really there. Everything about him still ached, and the wheelchair was a nuisance- only Dick sympathized with him- but he didn't dare complain. When he'd regained consciousness, the look on Steph's face had stopped him from being able to make any comment as she'd hugged him. He'd realized how close it'd actually been; how close he'd been to leaving behind everything. He looked down at her and knew he didn't want the possibility of never telling her.

Six.

Damian watched Tim and Stephanie with mild curiosity. His brothers were everything to him. These people were his everything. He never thought he'd have a family, and he would have had no problem admitting it- if Alfred hadn't killed the Joker, he would have. Enough was enough. And… Carrie. His eyes watered a bit and he looked around the room, smiling a little. Everything we've lost… we've gained twofold. His old life, he finally felt, could be forgotten. If not completely dismissed, then he was at least at peace with it. He could live this life now, this life surrounded by these people just like him; his father, his brothers, his friends- his family.

Five.

Jason's fingers tapped a beat on Ivy's leg as they listened to the countdown. For once, he was at ease with his family. He didn't want to taunt one of them, or hurt one of them, or leave. He only gave Damian a hard time because he didn't want him to end up like Bruce or himself. They all could use a little more Grayson in them, and that was why he resented Dick. But not tonight. Dick had fought long enough for the happiness he finally held, and even Tim had manned up enough to be with Stephanie. The Joker was finally gone; Bruce was even smiling. Jason almost felt like he was a part of everything, not the screw up. Ivy rested her hand over his as she looked around the room. She'd expected it, and was always still waiting for it a little: the disapproval. No one in the room had judged her for who she was when Jason had started bringing her around. She never would have guessed the place she'd truly be accepted would be the Batfamily. The people just as broken as her, yet they'd all found each other. She never imagined she'd find someone as equally messed up as her, or that she'd want to stay with him.

Four.

The tension in the room heightened with each number, and Alfred stood by the door with a fresh bottle of champagne just as he always had, waiting for the New Year. He was ready to part with the old one, of course, but he couldn't help looking back on years past; he'd watched Bruce in this very parlor with his parents, with girlfriends, with Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian- each year the family growing and each year the boy he'd raised aging as Alfred himself grew wearier, always fading into the background. This year had seen new love, new life, and new friends the likes of which he'd never expected, but Alfred allowed himself a small smile, watching the family that had grown from Bruce's loss.

Three.

Bruce turned his head, his light, crystalline eyes sweeping over the group. All different walks of life, and all a family of his own. Of each others. He smiled. Genuinely, sincerely, smiled. No matter what was thrown at them, no matter what could possibly happen, they always had each other. Selina rested a hand on his leg, and he felt the gentle, rose-petal softness of her lips against his cheek; Bruce sighed deeply and turned his head to look at the painting over the fireplace. We're a family. A lot's happened, mother, he thought calmly, his mind at ease. We all found each other. I got married, Damian fell in love, Jason came home, and who could have imagined- Dick started his own.

Two.

Dick whispered softly to Haly, stroking one pink cheek with his finger. She looked so much like Harley. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder as he smiled that same, stupid, beautiful grin that she'd fallen in love with the first time he'd walked into her office. She'd tried so hard not to fall for him, but fall she did, literally and figuratively. She leaned her head against his, grinning. He was looking at her the way that always made her feel like she was flying, and as their lips met, her heart soared.

One.