Chapter 4: The First Christmas
I know this is a little late, but Merry Christmas! Enjoy!
Just like any other place of city in America, Gotham was buzzing and filled with people preparing for the Christmas season. Many found themselves at the Grand Plaza mall, Gotham's biggest and most popular place for shopping, even Bruce Wayne. At the moment the famous business man was sitting on a bench crossing off the items on a long list, Dick sitting on his lap as he drank a little cup of hot cocoa, as Alfred finished buying their last items for that day.
After a few minutes Alfred came out, tens of bags in his gloved hands, and walked over to Bruce and Dick. They then all left the mall together, Bruce taking a few bags off Alfred's hands and Dicks tiny hand in his one free hand. With much effort, and a tight grip on both of Dick's hands by Bruce and Alfred, they pushed through the bustling crowds of people and escaped to the freezing outside.
Once out in the cold, snow falling delicately on the streets, Bruce took the time to insure Dick was warmly wrapped in his scarf, placed his mittens on, and adorable little Mr. Rogers beanie. Once sure his little boy was protected from the bitter cold, Bruce took his son's hand again and headed for the car. However as they walked through the snow something or should I say someone made Dick stop in his tracks.
There standing near the entrance was the one and only keeper of all child hearts during the holidays, Santa Clause. He stood there with a jolly smile next to a small red bucket all as he shook a little but sharp bell. Dick squealed with pure delight as he saw the magical and red suited man, causing him to jump up and down excitedly.
"Daddy look look! It's Santa!" Dick squealed as he pulled his fathers arms like one would while climbing a rope.
Bruce stopped and turned his head immediately smiling as his son bounced excitedly over the Salvation Army Santa.
"You're right little bird it is Santa!" Bruce said with an over exaggerated amount of excitement only a parent or a loved one would show.
"But daddy why's he here? Santa lives at da North Pole." Dick asked, curious why Santa was so far from home.
Bruce chuckled a little bit, remembering asking the exact question to his father when he was Dick's age and provided his exact answer.
"Well you see Dick not all families have a lot, and some need more than just toys and goodies. So Santa will sometimes use his magic to travel to random places and kindly ask people to donate a little money to help them with."
Dick took in what his father said and looked at Santa then back to his father. As he did so an idea popped in his head, one that couldn't have come from a better place than his big heart.
"Daddy, can I hab some monies to gib ta Santa?" Dick asked eagerly, wanting to help the less fortunate.
Immediately Bruce's heart swelled with pride, impressed by his son's generous and warm heart. So Bruce pulled out his wallet and grabbed the biggest wad of cash he could get out of it .
"Here you go baby, now go see Santa!" Bruce said encouragingly as he placed the wad in Dick mittened hand.
Dick squealed thankfully and sprinted as fast as his little legs could carry him. As he did so the Salvation Army Santa stood there with a plastered smile, unaware of the gift he was about to receive. The poor man tried his best to look happy and jolly but it was very hard. For hours he would stand there outside the mall and he would hardly receive as much as a hello, let alone a donation to his bucket. He loved his work but the lack of charity in people was very disheartening. He prayed for a miracle or even just a kind interaction, but little did he know his wish was about to be granted.
As he stood there he soon felt a small but strong tug on his coat causing him to look down. A smile immediately spread across his lips as he then saw a tiny little boy standing with an even larger smile on his little face. The man absolutely loved small children, they always greeted him like he was their favorite person. And when they gave him money, even though it was usually only a few cents or max a dollar, it came from their hearts.
"Hi Santa it's me Dick!" Dick squealed excitedly.
"Oh hello Dick, I see you came to visit me today!" The man greeted warmly as he kneeled down to the little boy's height.
"Mhm I waned ta gib you some monies for da people who don't hab a lot." Dick declared happily and excitedly.
"Oh that's very generous of you little one, here, why don't you give it to Santa and I'll put it in my little bucket for you." The man offered sweetly as he held out his big gloves hand to the little boy.
Dick smiled even wider and dispensed his large wad of cash to Santa's hand. The man's eyes immediately grew big as saucers, for he saw before him a giant wad of cash, it looked to be worth at least $15,000 dollars. With tears leaking from his eyes the man looked up at Dick, who looked at him with sparkling and innocent blue eyes waiting for Santa to respond. With unexpected happiness the man dressed as Santa drew Dick into a tight hug and lifted him into his arms.
As this happened Bruce almost ran over to rescue his son, but after a second Bruce watched as the Santa held his son tightly and light rocked him in his arms, tears leaking from his closed eyes. For a good five minutes the man took in the embrace of the little boy, filled with so much hope and happiness from his kindness, but then he felt a tiny soft hand touch his face. He opened his eyes and saw the little boy looking at him with great concern.
"Santa why yous cryin are you sad?"
"No little one, I'm not sad at all. These are happy tears, never have I met a little boy like you, one who gives so much to those who have so little. So as a reward, I want you to sit here on Santa's lap and tell me what you would like for Christmas." The man said as he crouched down, sat the boy on his shockingly strong and sturdy knees, and waited for his response.
He was willing to sap anything for this child even play Santa and grant any Christmas wish this little angel had. Dick sat and thought for a mommy, not sure what to tell Santa. However then his greatest wish entered his mind, so he motioned for Santa to bring his ear closer to his mouth. The older man gladly did so and leaned in close as Dick cupped his tiny hands around his ear. Intently the older man listened to Dicks words, desperate to know how he could repay his kindness. But as he listened Dicks answer surprised him and caused him to love the little boy even more. After he finished the older man put Dick back on his feet and gave him a little candy cane from his furry pocket.
"Santa will see what he can do about that little one, now go on I'm sure your daddy misses you and wants you back." The older man said as he patted Dick's little head.
It was then Dick gave the older man a kiss on the cheek and then ran off. The older man was taken back, not expecting such affection from Dick, but then as he watched the little boy return to his father who was standing nearby. He then experienced another big shock as he saw the little boy's father was none other than Bruce Wayne. He watched as the little ray of sunshine was proudly scooped up and snuggled, and then they turned to him. Both waved at him with a smile, so he returned it and watched as his givers walked off into the snow as he then said a prayer of gratitude for receiving such a gift of generosity.
9:00 Christmas Eve
All was peaceful and all was calm in the Wayne household as the lights shined brightly and the fire place roared. At the moment Bruce sat down in his large comfy chair reading The Night Before Christmas to Dick, who was snuggly wrapped up in a blanket as he snuggled Bruce's chest. They were nearing the end of the book, which Bruce hoped would knock out his baby and get him to sleep.
"He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, and away they all flew, like the down of a thistle: But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight. Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night."
As Bruce finished the book he looked down to see Dick barely able to keep his eyes open.
"I think it's time for someone to get to bed, especially since Santa could be here any moment." Bruce said with a wide smile as he put aside the book and scooped up his son into his arms.
"By daddy...wa bout *yawn* Sana's cookies?" Dick asked as he tried to fight his sleepiness.
"Don't worry baby, daddy made sure to take care of all of it. Now come on let's get you all tucked into the nest little bird." Bruce chuckled as he carried Dick up the stairs.
As they walked up Alfred watched and smiled, reminded of the times Bruce's father repeated such actions in Christmas's past. In fact the whole house was like Christmas's of old, happy, full of light, and joyful beyond belief. And to think it was all because of one little boy who brought back the long list traditions and celebration of Christmas. Alfred couldn't help but feel relieved, happy to know that all was as it should be during the holiday season in the Wayne household.
Meanwhile upstairs Bruce just finished tucking in Dick, now silently closing the door. Once successfully done Bruce tiptoed away and went to work setting up the rest of Christmas. He set out presents, made sure to leave evidence of Santa and his reindeer, and did all the typical actions of a parent at Christmas time. He was very inexperienced, this being his first Christmas celebrated in years, but luckily a lot of the members of the Justice League had kids and told him exactly what to do.
Bruce was finishing up the last few details when he then remembered the all too important milk and cookies! He quickly went over to the plate and made sure to drink the milk and eat a few cookies, but as he did so Bruce noticed a small red envelope under the cookie plate. After wiping off his hands, Bruce removed the envelope only to have heart swell as he saw Dick's name on it and it was written by the little boy himself.
Bruce felt himself fill with pride, proud his baby managed to write his first letter, noting he would treasure the little letter forever. So he delicately opened the letter and to the best of his ability read his little ones rather messy letter.
Der Santa,
This Dick an I wana thanx u for comin too my hose. I wana remin uoos abot yor promiss u mad. Plese mak it so my dady will be happi this krismas. He gibs me so much an lovs me too.
Lov,
Dick
As Bruce read the last sentence of the letter Bruce was leaking tears with a wide smile. How did he receive such a selfless and loving son, one who thought of others before himself. As he put the letter away Bruce was all the more determined to make his son's first Christmas with him perfect and one he'd never forget.
The Next Morning
It was about 7:30 and Bruce slept peacefully in his warm bed, but then his door cracked a little. Through the little crack a tiny shadow padded it's way to the large bed and pulled itself up onto it. Then with great excitement the little shadow started to bounce up and down on Bruce and squeal at the top of its lungs.
"Daddy it's Christmas! It's Christmas!" Dick squealed like all five year olds did on a kid's favorite holiday of the year.
Bruce slowly and tiredly opened his eyes, only to see Dick with the widest smile on his face.
"It is, why I thought we were skipping it this year?" Bruce joked as he sat up.
"No daddy, it's Christmas come on Santa came!" Dick insisted as he pulled his fathers arm.
"Ok ok, settle down little bird we will be there soon!" Bruce chuckled as he got out of bed and scooped up his hyper son.
From there he carried his little boy downstairs and almost immediately he seemed to still in his arms. Bruce turned his head and smiled as he saw his son's look of absolute awe on his face. Before then was their ginormous and highly decorated tree absolutely surrounded by bright colored gifts galore. Dick was speechless, never in his short life had he seen so many presents before. His family grew up rather poor and their Christmas's were rather small but happy of course.
"Daddy wha..what is all this?"
"These are your presents baby."
"What? These are all for me?" Dick asked in astonishment.
"You must have been a really good boy I guess, now go on open them." Bruce said excitedly as he set Dick down.
Dick walked slowly towards the presents, unable to break the feeling he was dreaming, and went up to a big red box labeled, from Santa. He carefully peeled the paper and opened the box to reveal an adorable red tricycle. Dick gasped and knew he wasn't dreaming and immediately lost all his inhibitions, proceeding to go nuts on the presents. Inside all the boxes he found all the toys he could ever want, all of which he treated with great care and gratitude, from toy trucks to action figures.
As Dick continued to open his presents Bruce watched with great joy and happiness, this was his big opportunity to shamelessly spoil his son. Without any interference from Alfred or Dick insisting he didn't need anything more, he got to give his baby all that he deserved to have as an angel on earth and son of a billionaire. Not to mention the satisfaction and awe inducing reactions his son gave made every last penny spent on Christmas utterly worth it. Eventually Dick got through all the Santa gifts and was left with only Daddy gifts, which were intentionally put in the middle of the tree.
"Baby can you bring me those last few gifts? Daddy wants to give you those in a certain way!" Bruce requested.
"Ok daddy!" Dick said excitedly as he picked up the large gifts with his tiny arms.
With assistance from Alfred, Dick brought the last five gifts one by one to the coffee table. However as he did so he noticed that there were no gifts for his precious daddy.
"Daddy whewes your presens?" Dick asked concerned as he went up to his daddy and put his little hands on his knees.
"Oh don't worry baby, I just opened them while you opened your presents from Santa. See they're right here!" Bruce said truthfully as he motioned to a small amount of gifts right next to him.
"Oh, ok." Dick said though he felt sad that his daddy didn't have as much as he did.
"Hey now it's ok, daddy's a grown up and doesn't need a lot of presents from Santa anymore. Now let's open your gifts from daddy, start with that flat red one with the sparkly candy canes." Bruce quickly changed the subject.
Dick was luckily swayed out of worry and went over to the gift his daddy instructed to open. With great haste he ripped it open only to squeal with pure delight. Right before him was an adorable and fuzzy Red Robin sleeper. It was cherry red with a Robin head hood, wings in the arm sleeves, and bird feet like feeties.
"Daddy I love it!" Dick squealed excitedly.
"I'm glad to hear that, Alfred made that just for you little bird."
Without a single word Dick ran to Alfred and hugged his legs tightly. Alfred smiled and hugged the little boy back, happy to know his work was appreciated.
"Thank you Alfred, yous da bestest!"
"Of course Master Dick you are very welcome. Now go on and try it on!" Alfred said encouragingly.
Immediately Dick ran over and gave the sleeper to Bruce to help him put it on. Bruce gladly did so, but as he unzipped the onesie Dick unzipped his own sleeper he had on. It immediately dropped to the floor leaving Dick in just his Batman undies waiting anxiously for his Robin sleeper. Soon Bruce had it ready and helped his son step into the adorable onesie. Once all fours were in Bruce zipped it up and awes at how adorable it was, though he did notice it was a little baggy on Dick. But he assumed Alfred did that intentionally so Dick could wear it for longer and grow into it.
"What do you think baby bird?" Bruce asked with a wide smile.
"I love it, is so soft!" Dick squealed excitedly as he hugged himself.
"Well there's more where that came from, now open that little tiny one over there in the shiny green paper." Bruce instructed.
Dick did exactly as he was told and opened the smallest of the boxes to reveal another small brown box with a metal clasp.
"A box?" Dick asked confused.
"Open it, there's a special surprise inside." Bruce chuckled.
Dick carefully unclamped the box to reveal a little silver heart shaped locket and next to it a bigger and rounded gold heart shaped locket. He looked at it in awe having never seen such beautiful things given to him before.
"Wow what are dees daddy?"
"Their lockets baby bird, open and see what's inside."
Dick quickly did so starting with the small flat one on a silver chain. As he opened it he gasped to see a small picture of his daddy and Alfred inside.
"Daddy it's yous an Alfred!"
"I wanted to give you something to always remember your old man by, to remind you that you're daddy's heart." Bruce said genuinely, though neglecting to state it was a tracking device as well.
It allowed Bruce to always keep track of his little one in case he was ever lost or in the case of an emergency. He had one in Dick's utility belt as well but now he could keep track of his son in civilian mode too.
"Is so bootiful, thank yous daddy." Dick said as he put on over his head.
"You're welcome baby, just remember to always keep it on. Never forget to wear it ok?" Bruce said as he crouched down and tucked the locket under Dicks sleeper.
Dick nodded then turned to the other locket, which was not on a chain, this time opening it to reveal a picture of his Mama and Tati. He was absolutely speechless, there they were his beloved parents smiling back at him lovingly. Bruce kneeled down once more by his son, putting his arm around him as he gingerly took the golden heart.
"This is a little charm to put on Ollie's collar, that way you can always remember them when you miss them." Bruce said as he picked up Ollie, who was lying on the coffee table, and slipped the charm on a little hoop on the stuffed Elephant's rainbow collar.
Dick reared you a little bit and hugged his father's neck tightly, so grateful to have his incredibly thoughtful daddy. Bruce gladly hugged him back, taking in the tender and soft love of his little boy. But then he remembered he still had three more gifts to give his little boy, each just as special and thoughtful as the next.
"Alright that big blue one with sparkly gold stars, open that one next." Bruce said as he gently nudged him forward.
Dick excitedly opened it to reveal a black mass of fabric, which with one touch, he knew exactly what it was. He ripped it out of the box to reveal a long black blanket shaped exactly like the Bat Cape even with a little hood that had adorable little bat ears on top. Dick immediately snuggled it as he felt the all too familiar and comforting softness of the blanket.
"Is Kevlaw like your cape daddy!" Dick squealed as hugged the blanket tightly to himself.
"I know you sometimes get scared when daddy's not around and especially after nightmares. So I made you this, to snuggle when daddy's gone to imitate daddy's hugs." Bruce said truthfully, actually taking the time to learn and hand stitch the blanket for his baby boy,
Dick snuggled his Kevlar blanket and took a deep whiff of it as he smelt his daddy's usual cologne. It felt as if he were nestled up in his father's warm, safe, and strong arms, though not as good or real, but real enough to bring him great comfort.
"I love it daddy!"
"I thought you would. Now go on that tall and thin one wrapped in silver snowflake paper!"
Dick ran to it, his Kevlar blanket flying behind him, and ripped off the paper as fast as he could. Once done Dick saw none other than the special painting he and his father posed for a few months ago. It was of him sitting on his father's lap, smiling widely, dressed in a nice maroon suite while Bruce, dressed in a navel suite, sat with a light but happy smile, his arms wrapped tightly and protectively around his son. It was so detailed and well done, Dick couldn't do anything but stare at it in awe.
As he just looked at it, Bruce unexpectedly scooped up his son and carried him over to their large fireplace. He then pointed to a vacant space just above it and directly next to one of his parents and him when Bruce was just eight year old.
"I made that painting so we can have a picture of our current family, right next to grandma and grandpa Wayne. That way anyone who comes to our house can come in and know this is our family and our home." Bruce said as he peeled back Dick's robin hood and tenderly stroked his soft coal black hair.
Dick was silent for a moment taking in the fact that he and his daddy, as tiny of a family as they were, were in fact a bonafide family. While not by blood, he was his daddy's son and always would be no matter what.
"Now I've got one more present for you and I want to open this one together." Bruce said as he carried Dock to the couch, sat him on his lap, and grabbed the last present.
It was wrapped in gold paper and together the two opened it to reveal a large black book engraved with gold letters, Dick's Memories. Bruce opened it to reveal pictures of Dick as a little baby just hours old being held by his mother in the hospital. He continued to turn pages to show Dick throughout his various stages and his greatest and happiest moments. They eventually got to when Dick was adopted up until the present.
"This is a little scrapbook I started just for you, thanks to some help from your old pal Hayley and your circus family. It's so you never forget where you've come from or all the people who have ever loved you." Bruce said extremely proud of this last gift.
But Dick made not a sound as he saw all his family, his friends from the circus, his friends and family from the league, and all the happy memories he had in one place. Without a single word Dick got on his knees and wrapped his arms around his father's neck. He hugged it tighter than ever before, so full of gratitude and love for the man who gave him everything and more. Bruce knowing no words were enough to explain his own feelings did just the same. Embracing his son, his baby, his one and only truly valuable treasure and saying nothing else.
For awhile nothing was said as the two held tightly into each other, Alfred getting video of all of this, till they both loosened their grips a little. They then, both with tears in their eyes, looked deeply into one another's glistening eyes.
"Merry Christmas daddy, I lov yous." Dick said as he kissed his father's cheek.
"Merry Christmas baby, I love you too." Bruce said as he returned the kiss.
The two then silently, Dick carried in his father's arms, went to their dining room table to continue with the rest of the Christmas festivities. And boy were there festivities, everything from a special lunch and dinner, playtime in the snow, carol singing, gingerbread house making, snuggling, drinking hot cocoa, and to top it all off a special viewing of A Wonderful Life.
By the time it was all said and done it was almost ten o'clock and Dick laid asleep on the couch cuddling Ollie. Bruce looked at this adoringly, happy to know his son had a good first Christmas with him. But as he watched his baby lay asleep, he felt a selfish desire come over him, one he decided to indulge. As quietly and gingerly as possible Bruce picked up Dick and laid him on his blanket, making sure his head was in the hood, and started to swaddle him in the soft blanket. Within a minute Bruce succeeded, left with his son looking like the baby Jesus in the manger.
With great care he scooped up the black bundle, and cradled him in his arms like one would a newborn baby. He then carried him over to a large window that overlooked all of Gotham. In that moment all was peaceful and calm as Bruce gently rocked his baby boy in his arms. There were no criminals to capture, no evils to worry about, and no dangers in sight. For just that speck of time, as the Christmas lights twinkled and fireplace roared, Bruce could protect and care for his baby.
He didn't have to worry about him getting injured in a fight or being treated unkindly by those who didn't love him. Bruce could just hold his son close and keep him safe and warm like he wanted. Many times he wished for such a reality, where Dick was no more than a tiny baby he could hold and protect from all harm. One that he could completely take care of and was free from the struggles of real life.
But it wasn't so and he knew Dick had to grow up and learn to handle the challenges of life. His son often took care of Bruce in unexpected ways and helped him be a better father to him. He didn't know what he'd do without his special little guy, but he didn't have to because here he was wrapped up safe in his arms. So with one look at Dicks sleeping and peaceful face, Bruce kissed his little forehead and whispered.
"Thank you Dick, you taught me how to love again and be happy again. I'll protect you till the day I die, and I'll make sure you grow up strong. Never forget I love you, no matter what happens, you are my baby...my son."