TWO: The Unexpected Should Be Expected
I fed everyone a decent meal. Wayne Manor was still pretty well-stocked, and I'd learned to cook by watching Alfred over the years, so I was able to pull something together. It was obvious Gar hadn't eaten any proper meals in a long time, and he wolfed his food down eagerly. I gave him a second serving without waiting for him to ask.
Kara ate cautiously, like she was testing out each type of food. She seemed to decided she liked it all after a couple of minutes, but she continued to eat slowly as if she was trying to savor the taste.
Harley seemed delighted to break into Bruce's impressive collection of wine. I wasn't old enough to drink yet, so I hadn't touched it, which was probably ridiculous. It's not like anyone was around to stop me... I just didn't think drinking would help me feel any better. Maybe it would have helped me forget...
Stop it, I scolded myself. Focus on the present, and don't go doing anything stupid.
I didn't really care if Harley helped herself to Bruce's collection. It was just going to waste now that Bruce was dead, and I doubted that Drunk Harley was much different from Sober Harley, so I didn't waste any energy trying to stop her.
After everyone finished eating, Harley passed out from exhaustion, or maybe because she drank too much. Either way, I decided the only decent thing to do would be to put her in a guest room in Wayne Manor. I always slept in the Bat Cave now, unwilling to stay up in the main house and be constantly reminded that Bruce and Alfred were gone, but that didn't mean that everyone else had to.
Beast Boy changed form into a gorilla and easily carried Harley upstairs to a bedroom. He made himself at home in one of the others.
"You should pick a room, too," I told Kara. "There are plenty to go around."
"You shouldn't be alone, Dick," Kara replied.
"I've been alone for three months now, Kara. I think I can handle a few more hours."
"You shouldn't have to," she insisted. "Besides, I'm not tired."
"Suit yourself," I told her. I headed back down to the Bat Cave. Kara followed me, sticking close like she was afraid I'd vanish if I got too far ahead of her.
I started using some of the tech that still worked to scan the city. Most of the cameras were down, or only gave off sporadic signals at best. A few were more reliable. I checked them all, just in case one happened to catch anything interesting. It wasn't much, but it made me feel like I was doing something. If I didn't do that daily, I'd have lost my mind by now.
Suddenly, I heard a pretentious laugh mocking me. A voice came from the darkest corner of the Bat Cave. "You call that security? I could do a better job in my sleep!" He said.
I looked toward the sound. A shadow loomed in the corner. The figure had his arms crossed over his chest. As I moved closer, he shifted and drew his sword.
"Kara, get the others and run!" I said.
"That won't be necessary. I am here to see Batman," the intruder replied.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"Bring him here. I don't socialize with the help."
"Excuse me?" I glared at the shadow, wondering if he could see the anger in my eyes. Punching him in the face might get my point across clearly.
The person who stepped out of the shadows was not what I expected. He was about two feet shorter than his shadow, and he was a hell of a lot younger than I'd imagined he would be.
"How old areyou? Five?" I asked.
"I'm eight, and I do not appreciate your mocking tone," he replied. Considering everything that was going on, I didn't completely dismiss the possibility that he might be a threat... A very small threat, but still a threat.
"What's your name, and how the hell did you get in here?" I demanded. I had never seen a kid so young look quite so furious before. He would have been cute if he didn't look so arrogant and homicidal.
"I told you, the security is pathetic compared to what I'm used to. And my name is Damian Wayne."
Wayne? I thought. I stared at his features and suddenly understood. The resemblance was uncanny. I couldn't deny what this must mean. "You're Bruce's son," I realized in shock.
"Yes. Shortly before Lex Luthor's abomination destroyed my home, my mother told me to find my father in Gotham City. She was killed in the battle."
Damian remained toneless and stoic, but I sensed that he was hiding his real feelings deep inside of himself. Very deep.
"Damian, I'm sorry to tell you this, but..." I hesitated. This kid had lost his mother, and now I had to tell him his father was dead, too. I really didn't want that job. I shook my head and sighed. I knew how it felt to go through this. I looked at him sadly, unable to say the words aloud again.
Bruce is dead, I recited silently. I'd had to do this before, when the trauma overwhelmed me and I couldn't process reality enough to function. Bruce is dead, Alfred is dead, my family is dead, everyone is dead... But I'm still here. I'm still here.
He seemed to understand without me saying it aloud. "I see," he said. "Very well. I will return to the League of Assassins and rebuild it, as is my birthright."
"The League of... Wait a second!" I said, finally fully snapping out of that dark place that lurked in my mind waiting to swallow me whole. "Damian, you're Bruce's son. You have two birthrights, and one isn't evil. You can choose."
"It's not a choice. I've been raised all of my life to one day lead the League of Assassins. It's always been my destiny. I came here because it was my mother's last request. I have honored that, and now it is time to return home."
All of his life, I thought. All eight years of it. Yeah, kid, that's such a long time.
I scolded myself mentally. The kid might come across as a little demon child with a sword, but he had lost his mother, and he'd come seeking sanctuary just to learn that his father was dead, too. I needed to be more patient with him.
"This could be your home," I insisted aloud. I had just found a piece of Bruce, and I wasn't willing to lose him already, even if he was acting as obnoxious as he possibly could.
"It appears to already be occupied," Damian replied dryly.
"I'm Robin... Dick, really. You're Bruce's son. You can know my real name."
"How generous of you." Damian rolled his eyes. He started to walk away.
"Don't go!" Kara said. "You should stay with us."
"No thanks. I'm fine," Damian replied.
"Look, Damian... I was Bruce's sidekick. He'd want me to take care of you," I said.
"I can take care of myself."
"I believe that, but you're eight. I was barely older than you are when I lost my parents. I know how much it sucks. Please stay... Even if it's only for a little while."
"Please?" Kara added with wide, hopeful eyes.
"I suppose I should spend a bit of time here. After all, this house is rightfully mine," Damian replied.
He was right, technically, but considering Bruce hadn't known the kid existed, he'd left everything he had to me. I wasn't going to have that debate with the eight-year-old, so I let it go.
"Why don't we go upstairs, Damian?" Kara asked sweetly. "Dick cooked. There's still some food left."
"What is your last name?" Damian asked me.
"Grayson," I replied.
"I always address my servants by their surnames, Grayson."
"Listen, Kid, I'm not your servant. Bruce was my guardian. I'm more like... Like your brother."
"I don't have a brother, Grayson. Apparently, I have no family at all."
"We both lost our parents, too, Damian," Kara said. "Maybe we can be your family."
"I never said I wanted a family," Damian snapped.
"Well too bad. You're stuck with us," I said. I was starting to understand this was no ordinary kid, so I tried a different approach. "The world basically ended, and the five people currently in this house seem to be the only ones who aren't dead or evil. We're going to save the people Lex turned, and we're going to avenge the ones he killed. Are you in or not?"
Damian considered this. "Lex Luthor killed my father, my mother, my grandfather, and everyone else I ever knew. It is my duty to avenge them," he said in a tone that was far too serious for a kid. "I'm in. For now."
"Great!" Kara replied cheerfully. "Let's go upstairs and get some food in you." She led the way. Damian followed her.
"Great kid you've got there, Bruce," I mumbled. I had a feeling I was in way over my head.