After finding out about Kevin, Bruce wasted no time introducing him to the rest of his extended family. Everyone was quite surprised to know that Bruce had another biological son, and Damian was also surprised to know he had a half-brother, especially one who was raised in a rather normal upbringing. And Kevin had to say, Damian was quite the character. Bruce also offered Kevin an internship at the science division of Wayne Enterprises, a position Kevin gladly accepted. Kevin was always hungry for more scientific knowledge and ate up new scientific knowledge like pancakes, so to be working at the science division was quite an exciting change for Kevin. When he wasn't working at the Wayne Enterprises lab, Kevin was spending time with his father and the rest of his extended family whom he befriended. A lot of them welcomed Kevin with open arms, especially Alfred and Barbara.
It took Kevin a while to realize that the wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon was once Batgirl, which was ironic because back when Kevin grew up living in Bellevue, he used to collect Gotham Gazette Newspapers and read up on what was going on in the city. He would always collect the newspapers that showed photos of Batman and his allies. But the most amount of photos he had were of Batgirl, including one hilariously embarrassing photo where Batgirl was barefoot after losing her yellow boots. If anything, Batgirl was the first superhero Kevin ever developed a crush on. So Kevin felt silly for not realizing that Barbara and Batgirl were one and the same. It was another typical afternoon in Gotham City, and Kevin was having lunch with Bruce at Wayne Manor. As Kevin was eating lunch, a thought popped into his mind. He wasn't sure if it would be appropriate to ask, but he decided anyway. "Hey Dad… Is Barbara no longer Batgirl because of the wheelchair?" Kevin asked. Bruce looked at Kevin with hints of regrets and guilt and said, "yes. Barbara had become Batgirl when she was 15, and she remained Batgirl until she was 19."
"I was in 7th grade when she was Batgirl," said Kevin, "how did Barbara end up in a wheelchair?" Bruce sighed, "when you're finished with your meal, come with me to the Batcave. I'll show you and explain." After finishing their respective meals, Bruce guided Kevin to the grandfather clock and adjusted it to 10:47 p.m., which caused the clock to open and reveal the secret passageway to the Batcave downstairs. Kevin followed his father all the way to the Batcave, and Bruce then sat on the chair to his Batcomputer. "You must have been a junior in high school when this happened," said Bruce, "how well do you know the Joker, son?" Kevin shrugged and replied, "I know he's one of your biggest arch enemies. Always looks like a circus clown due to some chemicals that disfigured his face and body, and he uses clown gimmicks with a deadly twist. And he used to be a hitman who my mom tried to kill, unsuccessfully due to debris destruction separating her from the clown before she could do it. You and her both don't like talking about him."
"For good reasons," said Bruce, "The Joker is a monster of pure evil. The kind of evil that cannot be reasoned with. So far, Dick is the only one he hasn't traumatized. Nearly seven years ago, I went to Arkham Asylum because I wanted to talk to Joker about our fatal relationship. Our animosity is very much like Superman and Lex Luthor's. I fear that the two of us are in a battle that will only end in death. Perhaps he might kill me, or I might kill him, maybe sooner, maybe later. On that fateful night, I wanted to make a genuine attempt to talk it over and avert that inevitable outcome, just once. What I didn't know was that talking with the Joker would be for nothing as he had escaped weeks ago, much to everyone's surprise. Several hours later, Barbara was at her home with her father Jim, when suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Barbara assumed it was her friend Colleen, who was ready to go to her usual yoga class with her. Barbara opened it up and instead found Joker outside with some hired goons. Before Barbara even had a chance to react, The Joker shot Barbara in the hip, the bullet tearing through her spine and permanently paralyzing her from the waist down. It only got worse after that. After his goons kidnapped Jim, The Joker stripped Barbara naked and took pictures of her bleeding body."
Kevin's eyes widened with more and more horror the more his father explained what Joker did to Barbara. Tears welled in his eyes and Kevin asked while choked up, "why would he do something so horrible to her?" Bruce said with a mix of anger and guilt, "because The Joker has a sick and twisted belief that one bad day is all it takes for an ordinary person to be driven into lunacy just like him. Maybe the trauma of specific circumstances can impact a person to change for better or for worse, depending on how they choose to react. Joker showed Jim those photos of Barbara in agony in a vain attempt to drive him mad. He failed in that endeavor, but Barbara still had to suffer for it. That's why she's in a wheelchair and why she's no longer Batgirl." Kevin fought back tears and asked, "did… did he rape her?" Bruce shook his head and said "the scariest thing is, I don't know…" He typed on the computer and explained, "I keep some of the photos as a reminder of my failure." The computer screen then showed one of the photos of Barbara that Joker took. It looked to be a picture of her screaming in terror, Kevin could practically imagine her screaming, begging Joker to stop. Kevin could feel a mixture of emotions, horror, disgust, anger, but most of all, sadness. He felt great sadness because he couldn't believe that any monster would do something so despicable and disgusting to someone as brilliant and beautiful as Barbara. It was something he would never wish on anyone.
Kevin then burst into tears, sobbing. Bruce understood why Kevin would be so saddened by all this. What Joker did was horrible, and he secretly blamed himself for what Joker had done. He hugged Kevin, comforting him. To show compassion for Bruce was rare, but he understood Kevin's empathy for Barbara.
Several hours later, Kevin was in the kitchen making chocolate chip cookie dough. He was burying Oreo cookies to stuff inside the cookie dough, putting each stuffed cookie into a baking tray. Alfred came into the kitchen and said, "Master Kevin, are you making cookies?" Kevin looked at the butler and said, "oh hey Alfred. Yeah, I'm just doing a recipe that is one of my favorites." Alfred looked at the unusual hybrid combination and said, "you're stuffing Oreos into chocolate chip cookie dough. Sounds unusual, but I'm certain anyone would like a recipe like that. I was often fond of Oreos myself when I was younger." Kevin smiled and said, "that makes sense, given the product's longevity." After all, Oreo cookies have been around since 1912. "Is there a particular occasion that you're making cookies?" Alfred asked, "not that I will complain of course. I understand you love to cook, and it's great to see you do something that makes you happy." As Alfred, Bruce, and Damian had observed, Kevin loved to cook. When Kevin was a child he would often assist his mother in cooking, and she taught him all that she knew, and it was a great way for them to bond as mother and son. Cooking was practically a mixture of chemical reactions in a way from a scientist's point of view.
"I'm making these cookies for Barbara," explained Kevin, "I, uh, heard about why she can't be Batgirl anymore… do you think she misses it, Alfred?" The butler thought for a moment and said, "Miss Gordon certainly turned into a different person after that fateful encounter with The Joker. She's been a valuable ally as Oracle, but I suppose she does miss the feeling of being Batgirl and walking in general." As Kevin put the rest of the unbaked cookies into a baking tray, Kevin asked, "can I admit something to you, Alfred? Do you promise not to tell Dad or Barbara?" Alfred placed his hand on Kevin's shoulder and said, "you have my word that I will keep it a secret." Kevin breathed in and said, "I think I have a crush on Barbara." Alfred's eyebrows raised a little and he said, "I see. Well this is surprising. Is there a reason you have a romantic attraction to Miss Gordon?" Kevin hesitated and said, "I just, whenever I'm around Barbara, I feel normal, and happy. She has a personal connection to Dad and she knows what it's like to be raised by a single parent. I really feel the connection with her whenever I talk with her. It's more than just a physical attraction. You know what I mean, right?" Alfred listened to what Kevin had to say, and he replied, "of course I do. Miss Gordon is a brilliant woman who does a lot for everyone. She's earned the respect of your father, and I can understand why you would be attracted to such a strong and independent woman. I think you have brilliant taste in women, Master Kevin."
Kevin put the trays of cookies into the oven and asked, "when do you think I should tell her my feelings for her?" Alfred looked at Kevin and replied, "only when you feel the time is right." The next day, Kevin came over to The Gotham Clocktower to see Barbara. The redhead was doing some computer work when she saw Kevin coming over with a plate that had aluminum foil on top. What the plate was, she didn't know. "Hey Babs," said Kevin. "Hey Kevin," replied Barbara, "I gotta say, I'm surprised to see you." Kevin shrugged and replied, "I, uh, spoke to Dad recently and I asked about how you, uh, ended up in the wheelchair…" Barbara frowned a little and asked, "did he tell you the gory details?" Kevin nodded and said, "he did. I'm really sorry you went through that. What you went through was horrible, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. If you ever need someone to talk to about anything, I'm always here. And I made cookies for you." He then revealed the cookies to Barbara. Normally Babs would be annoyed whenever people tried to bring up her paralysis and say "oh I'm sorry that happened," as she felt she didn't need their pity, it always felt like they were half-assing it. But Kevin was showing compassion and genuine sympathy for her, and the fact that he made cookies for her said a lot. "What kind of cookies are these?" Barbara asked curiously, "and you bake?"
"Oh yeah, I bake, cook, fry, and grill. I just love to cook," said Kevin, "I used to cook a lot with my mom, it's how we bonded. These are Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies." Barbara took one of the cookies and ate it. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tried. "Oh yeah, this guy's a keeper," thought Barbara as she smiled at the delicious taste. "Y'know Kevin, I'm thinking of rewatching a couple of episodes of Doctor Who," said Barbara, "would you be interested in watching those episodes with me?" Kevin brightened up and said, "I love Doctor Who! I'd like that a lot, Barbara." Babs smiled, starting to wonder whether she liked Kevin as more than a friend.