Disclaimer: Don't own

Chapter 1

Bruce glanced at his calendar, seeing he had a meeting with one of Wayne Enterprises newest hires, one Jack Nightingale. The man had been with them for a few months now and while his ideas were…unorthodox, they worked. He looked up and smiled as Tim walked in, a tray of coffee cups in hand and his tie half undone. "Busy morning?" he asked, and Tim groaned, setting the tray down.

"The busiest," his son groaned, collapsing into the chair beside him. Looking at him, it was hard to believe he'd just turned twenty-three, he still had something of a baby face, looking younger than he was.

Then again, in a few months Damian would be eighteen. Where had the years gone? It was hard to believe it had been eight years since Damian had appeared on the doorstep, dropped off by his mother. He'd only seen Talia a handful of times since then and in the last few years she'd been busy locked in a war with her father. He suspected Tim had helped her a few times but had never asked, he didn't know what had happened between Tim and Ra's while he was lost in time and he doubted either would ever tell him the full story. But Tim had enraged him enough to be literally kicked out a window and have the occasional ninja show up, Bruce had assumed in warning but that didn't seem right. Some of them seemed…almost deferential to Tim…had his son managed to steal away some of Ra's loyal men?

"Tie," he murmured, and Tim grimaced but did it back up.

And was that…no, he wasn't asking, his son was an adult, Bruce didn't know what he got up to with his boyfriend. Though he was kind of hoping for news of an engagement soon, they'd been dating since they were eighteen after all. Then again, Babs and Dick had been on and off again since they were Robin and Batgirl. Were none of his children ever going to marry? Not that he was old enough to be a grandfather, not for many years yet.

"What do you think of Nightingale's work?" he asked, and Tim opened his laptop, checking some files.

"Very innovative, especially the ideas on green energy alternatives."

"But?" Bruce looked at him, and Tim leant back in chair.

"I don't think it's all his ideas. Some things seem as if someone else is behind them," Tim admitted, and Bruce nodded. Hence todays meeting.

He hadn't actually met the man so finding himself facing someone even taller and more broadly built was a shock. But there was a jovial air to the man, nothing threatening at all, despite the grief buried in his eyes. Right, a recent widower and he'd lost his daughter at the same time. Had his wife been an inventor too, maybe that was why his work was the way it was?

"Good afternoon, Mr Wayne…s?" the man greeted and Bruce saw Tim blink at the greeting. Well, it was confusing with the two of them there.

"Please, take a seat Mr Nightingale, coffee?" Bruce indicated the remaining cup, almost blinded by the man's grin.

"Thank you." He took the cup and sat. "And Jack's fine."

"Jack then, call me Bruce," he gave a Brucie smile, enjoying the slight grimace Tim gave in response.

"Tim," his son offered, waving a hand tiredly.

"Are you alright?" Jack asked, looking at Tim in concern.

"Late night call with the Hong Kong office," he admitted, covering a yawn. Not to mention several hours of patrol. Sometimes his children seemed to forget that they were human.

"Ah, glad I don't run a company then," Jack shook his head.

"It has its good points," Bruce stepped in. "So, Jack. You've been working here for four months now; how do you like it?"

"The labs are incredible!" the man gushed about the labs, equipment, even the safety measures!

"If I can ask," Tim spoke up when he paused, "some of your ideas seem as if they are a collaboration?"

"Ah, yes," Jack paused, taking a deep breath. "My son, Danny, is rather brilliant himself. He likes to help out when he can," he explained, a soft yet sad smile on his face.

"How old is he? Would he be interested in an internship?" Bruce asked.

"He'll be eighteen soon," the proud smile faded a little. "Danny…he was in the accident that killed his mother and sister," he whispered, and Bruce hid a wince. "It left him permanently injured, getting around is very hard for him now. He does school online and is catching back up. He can't even manage leaving the apartment so thank you for the kind offer, but it wouldn't be possible."

"Is your building handicapped accessible?" Tim asked in concern.

Jack shook his head. "No, we couldn't afford one."

Bruce scowled. "Well, we can fix that."

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Jack didn't like lying, but it was the best explanation and one he had practiced a lot so that no one would question it. It's what their records said after all. Danny had arranged it all through some Ghosts! They had been so wrong about everything. If only…but no, they had to continue on with their lives. He had a son to care for and protect. They still had too many enemies searching for them, but despite the high ectoplasm levels, Gotham had very few Ghosts. It did have a lot of vigilantes though, and they would not like it if things happened in Gotham like they had in Amity.

Danny was half human, he needed access to both worlds to be healthy, otherwise Jack would have urged him to move to the Realms. Surely, he would be safer there and maybe even heal fully from what those monsters had done. His baby boy who once dreamed of Nasa now never left their apartment.

The offer to help them get an accessible one was nice, but he knew Danny would still remain inside. He didn't like the stares now and Jack understood, as much as it hurt to have him so isolated. The events around his injuries played a part in his unwillingness to leave the apartment and see others. Sam…he never would have imagined.

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Tim watched as Jack Nightingale left the room and then looked at Bruce. "There's something about the son," he murmured, and Bruce nodded.

He brought up the boy's last id and Tim snickered, making Bruce stare at him

"No empty nest adoptions B, he's Damian's age and already has a dad," he teased but yeah, he was definite Wayne adoption bait. Black hair, blue eyes, a crooked grin, he'd fit right in. though from what jack had and hadn't said…the photo was no longer accurate.

Bruce brought up the accident report and Tim read it over, feeling a mix of sadness and anger. A drunk driver had hit the Nightingale's car on their way back from a school event. Danny had been in the front passenger side and the car had hit on the driver's side, where his sister was sitting behind their mother as well. He'd been left, trapped in the car, for hours before rescuers could cut him free. It must have been horrifying…and his mother had been killed on impact so he'd been trapped next to her corpse while listening to his sister die.

And then Tim grinned as Bruce gave the man a raise, increasing his company health coverage as well to ensure that Danny was well cared for. The teen was obviously very smart, he must have fallen behind with school while recovering from the accident and then in moving to Gotham. It was always nice to help a struggling family. Hmm…Danny was the same age as Damian…

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Black Bat followed Red Robin across the rooftops, handling the small crimes that popped up, but her brother seemed to have a goal in mind. He finally stopped on a fire escape, peering into the apartment across the way. So, she signalled a question to him but he shook his head in response.

She spotted a massive man, bigger than B, moving around the apartment. He then turned towards a corner she couldn't see, two plates in hand, a soft smile on his face. They watched a little longer but the other person never moved into sight.

They left and she shot a curious look at Tim who sighed. "The man is Jack Nightingale; he works for WE. The other one would be his son, Danny, he's Damian's age. His mother and sister died in a car accident that left him disabled."

She frowned at that, saddened for the poor family.

"Seems Danny's locked away in the apartment since the building isn't accessible but his Dad said he won't leave even if it is."

"You want to help."

He nodded. "B's upped the health insurance and pay."

She smiled at that, of course he had.

"Even got to tease him a bit, Danny's pre-accident photo is what is commonly known as adoption bait."

She giggled at that as they raced across Gotham. He did have a rather interesting habit after all. Though there had been no new siblings since Duke, which meant Damian was the last baby of the family. So sad. Maybe Dick would give B grandkids? That question had Tim laughing.

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Damian wandered through the building, wondering why Father had asked him to come today. There did not seem to be anything special happening. Had there been a security threat? Doubtful. He spotted Timothy in one of the labs, working on something but he couldn't tell what from the hallway and he knew better than to enter without gear. His brother looked up and saw him, waving, and Damian nodded.

It was strange, thinking of Timothy as his brother, but it had become more natural as time passed. He had been the one in the wrong back then, but Timothy had forgiven him and they had moved on. He was actually closer to him than their other siblings, his relationship with Richard was different, complicated, due to him being the adult responsible for Damian when Father was 'dead'. They couldn't just go back to trying to be brothers after that so it had left them in a kind of limbo, with Richard fluctuating between trying to be a father-figure and an older brother.

Timothy left the lab, safety goggles shoved up into his hair, gloves removed. "Hey Dami, not like you to be here on a weekday. Everything okay?"

"Father asked me to come today but did not say why."

"Huh," Timothy frowned. "He didn't say anything to me either. It's time for lunch, anyway, want to help me annoy him into taking a break?"

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle?" he asked, keeping his face straight, getting a laugh from his brother.

"I'm not as bad as I used to be," he argued, and that was true. Bernard had done wonders for Timothy's health and sleep habits. Damian approved of the blond, even if he was a little too fond of strange conspiracy theories.

Most of his siblings had found someone…except him. Jon was his best friend but he had no romantic interest in him at all. And he was three years younger than Damian, he wanted someone close in age and maturity. Those of his class in Gotham though…well, they left a lot to be desired. He didn't want some vapid heiress or some young man who only wanted Father's money. He wanted a true partner. Like Richard and Barbara or Timothy and Bernard. Bernard was a civilian but he was not helpless, he had fought at Red Robin's side before and he was now a trained paramedic and so helped them in the medical bay when needed. And Barbara had been the first Batgirl before becoming Oracle. She had not let her disability stop her, something he admired.

There were few within their community of his age, he fell into an odd gap, it was why he had joined Timothy's generation of Titan's. A new group looked to be coming up but they were all in their early teens. He would rather mix with those older than him if he had to than so many years younger. But it meant he was unlikely to find someone who had the same night life as them, the only one there who had yet to pair off was Bart Allen…and he would drive Damian insane within hours should he even contemplate trying to court the speedster. Kon-El and Cassandra Sandsmark were together again and it seemed this time they would last. There were few others even in that age range and most were retired fully or were not interested, or vice versa.

He did not wish to be like Father with a different woman on his arm at every gala. The very idea made him shudder. But he wanted companionship beyond friendship as well.

He followed Timothy up to Father's office only to find him working away at something. He was glad Father had come back to WE eventually, it had been far too much stress for Timothy to run it at seventeen and without even finishing high school. It was much better for the two of them to work together and share the load. And Damian hoped to join them within a few years.

"Father, we have come to collect you for lunch. You will join us," he stated firmly, ignoring Timothy's amusement when Father started slightly. It was always amusing to sneak up on him. Timothy and Cassandra were the best to work with when trying though, the three of them were the quietest of their siblings.

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Bruce smiled at the sight of his sons standing together in the doorway and not a weapon or any blood in sight. He'd once thought that an impossible dream but then one day, the hatchet had been buried and neither boy would speak of it. He saved the document he was working on and stood.

"Alright boys where are we going?" he asked, he'd never say no to lunch with any of his children if he had a choice.

"How about that Mediterranean place down the road, they have some good vegan options."

"That would be agreeable."

And one day, maybe Damian would learn to speak like a teenager and not an old man. Thankfully, no one really took offence at it anymore. They entered the elevator, the boys discussing meal options, and Jack Nightingale got on as well on the lab level, grinning at them in greeting.

"Jack, this is my youngest, Damian. He's the same age as your Danny."

"Nice to meet you Damian," Jack sounded genuinely happy to meet the teen who simply nodded where once he would have scoffed at the greeting.

They were on the second floor when the elevator stopped, alarms blaring, the building going into lock down. And with a civilian witness there was nothing the three of them could do, wonderful.

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He watched as the news cut to the Wayne Enterprises building where the Scarecrow had attacked with a bunch of goons…no, he couldn't lose another…

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Tim moved to the control panel, hacking in to bring up the security cameras on the small screen. "Scarecrow," he announced once he spotted the man. "Good sized crew too. We're between floors so relatively safe from the gas, unless they throw some down the shaft."

"They likely to do that?" Jack's question was a reminder that he wasn't a native.

"It's possible," B admitted, even as he opened the panel that held emergency gas masks. "Attacks during the day in the middle of the business district are rare though."

"He must be after something specific then," Damian pointed out.

"That new delivery system?" Tim murmured. It wasn't really meant for gassing people but with a little alteration…he'd be able to gas half a building in one go. Had they added the features to keep it from being altered that way yet?

"So do we try and get out or sit and wait?" Jack asked, leaning against the wall.

For someone so new to Gotham he was pretty calm, which was good for them. Between him and Bruce, the elevator wasn't feeling all that spacious at the moment either. Bruce realised that and leant against another wall, giving him and Damian as much space as possible. Good thing Jason wasn't with them, he was still claustrophobic, not that anyone could blame him.

"For now, we wait. If things change then we reevaluate. But the alarms will alert the police and Signal, the daytime Batclan member. He can deal with the Scarecrow pretty easily while the cops handle the goons," Bruce explained. "You've been through the evacuation briefings?"

"First day, but they had different instructions depending on how the attack was going?"

Looked like they might need to overhaul them again, they had to every couple of years at most.

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Jack didn't like being stuck in an elevator with the two Co-CEO's and the likely heir. They were way too tempting a target. What Fenton…Nightingale tech did he have on…Spectre deflector altered to ignore Danny, no use…fifth gen thermos which wasn't really a thermos anymore but they kept the name for the memories… the wrist laser hidden in his watch likely wouldn't help much, unless they ended up needing to cut their way out of the elevator. He missed his old goggles and hazmat suit sometimes. He could hide so much tech in that.

And then his other wrist beeped and he frowned. A ghost…oh no. Danny…

TBC….