The first step, Bruce decides, is to gather everyone together.
He hesitates to leave Tim, Cass, Jason, and their younger counterparts alone in the alternate Cave. However, Bruce is pretty sure that hesitancy is unfounded. This alternate Cave is clearly as secure as his own, possibly even more so, given the alternate Batman would've been the only one coming in and out.
That fact makes his blood boil and freeze at the same time. Bruce wants to seethe with anger over the treatment of Kid-Tim, stuck in the Cave for months; he wants to let himself get fully furious over the treatment of each of the alternate children. Simultaneously, Bruce feels himself withering at the idea that his alternate self was the only one protecting Gotham. He knows very well by now that the alternate Batman was (at best) "a crappy piece of work" in the words of Jason's barely-restrained mutterings.
Still.
Bruce pictures himself as Batman, but all alone, trusting no one, relying on one: no Damian, no Tim, no Jason, no Cass, no Dick. From what he knows of this universe, not even Alfred was ever involved. It claws at him. What would it be like, to feel as if you were the only one who could do anything to save your city?
On one hand, Bruce can empathize a little bit. He can picture himself going down an darker and ever-darker road of loneliness, insisting he's the only one who could fix anything.
…On the other hand, he's so horrified at that picture that his stomach churns. There is no excuse for neglect or abuse, and another look at the alternate kids affirms that feeling, from the tattered clothes hanging off of the too-skinny bodies of Small-Jason and Small-Cass to the bandages on Kid-Tim's face.
Resolve strengthened, Bruce clasps the universe-traveling device and reiterates, "I should be back very shortly."
"Go get 'em, then," Jason says, waving a too-casual hand. "We'll be fine here. We can all go up into the Manor, see what we can steal."
"I think I'll hack other-Batman's civilian computer and leak any personal information I can find," Tim says brightly. "And if I can't find any, I'll make some up."
Kid-Tim's eyes bulge in shock at those two statements, while Small-Cass and Small-Jason look a little too intrigued.
Cass snorts a laugh, looking right at Bruce.
Bruce just sighs. He repeats once again, "I'll be right back."
Then he's gone, everything black and white and both and neither.
And then he's there, in the Cave again. But it's his own Cave, with a uniform bay filled with many different people's uniforms, with much warmer and more familiar lighting, with the comforting sound of Alfred's voice echoing faintly around the walls.
Bruce follows the sound to the corner of the Cave where they keep a large table with plenty of chairs, a basic kitchen, and some assorted foods, mostly simple shelf-stable stuff, quick to make and quicker to eat.
What Dick, Damian, Talon-Dick, Other-Damian, and Alfred are all eating is clearly not from the "simple stuff," though. It would appear Alfred has brought down a full three-course meal, likely even four courses, if the number of pots placed to the side and the tray of desserts he's now placing on the table mean anything.
Bruce scuffs his feet slightly as he walks toward the table, unsure who all would be alert enough to notice him approaching otherwise, equally unsure if any would startle at him suddenly appearing (Talon-Dick and Other-Damian being his main concerns, of course).
All heads turn toward him.
Bruce continues forward, giving a small smile that he hopes looks far more relaxed than it feels.
"You've returned alone," Alfred says, more of an observation than a question as he rises from his chair.
"Cass, Jason, and Tim are in the other dimension's Cave," Bruce says, and then he goes ahead with it. "With their own counterparts."
Dick puts a fork still filled with meat down on his plate, asking, "Wait, so the other Batman didn't work alone?"
"He very much did work alone," Bruce says grimly. "I will explain, but I'd prefer to explain all at once. We're all going to the other universe."
Other-Damian leaps up from his seat. Due to his short stature, the table almost comes up to his chin as he stands there shaking.
Talon-Dick doesn't leap up. Or rather, Bruce doesn't see Talon-Dick leap up; instead, it's like one moment Talon-Dick is seated and the very next moment he's standing protectively in front of Other-Damian, his teeth bared in a warning grimace as he stares Bruce down.
"Whoa, whoa, hey there," Dick says, putting up both hands in a show of caution. "What's up? What's wrong?"
"You said," Other-Damian says, and his little voice sounds teary-eyed, though Bruce can't see his face, can't see more around Talon-Dick than one small hand clinging to Talon-Dick's side. "You wouldn't! You promised!"
"What?" Dick asks, leaning forward.
Damian understands it first. He stands, putting his hands palm-down on the table with a firm thump of force. "We are not sending you back. You will not be separated. Father is not returning you to the League of Assassins or to the Court of Owls."
Talon-Dick's stance loosens slightly. His gaze darts between Bruce and Damian.
"We told you it would be all right, did we not?" Damian says. The sharp tone of his voice would sound arrogant or uncaring to most people, but Bruce knew him better than that. The sharpness was Damian readying himself to protect.
"He said it'd be okay," Other-Damian says, peeking out from behind Talon-Dick to peer at Bruce.
Bruce nods. "It will be okay. We won't let either the League of Assassins or the Court of Owls get you, and you'll stay together."
Other-Damian starts to come out further from behind Talon-Dick, nodding back at Bruce.
Talon-Dick catches Other-Damian's hand, tucking Other-Damian back behind himself. Talon-Dick stares at Bruce, bright yellow eyes practically slits in his narrow face.
"You will be okay," Bruce says steadily. "You will both be okay and you will be together. All of you will be okay. I'll do anything and everything in my power to make sure of that."
Slowly, Talon-Dick tugs Other-Damian around himself. Once Other-Damian is beside him, Talon-Dick wraps his arms around Other-Damian's shoulders in a clear show of protectiveness and lifts his own chin.
Bruce nods at him too, lowering his head in almost a bow for a moment.
The tension leaks from Talon-Dick's frame as he unwraps himself from Other-Damian. But just as Bruce starts to think they're ready to go, Talon-Dick drops to his knees.
Other-Damian cries out in alarm, his hands fluttering around Talon-Dick.
"My apologies," Talon-Dick says, looking down at the ground, quivering but with his voice stronger and clearer than when Bruce had first heard it. "I'm so- I apologize. We apologize. We should not, we do not have the right to-"
"You have the right to call us out if we mess up," Dick cuts in. His voice is stronger and clearer than his Talon self's voice, but Bruce can hear the emotion Dick is trying to hide. "There's no need to apologize. You didn't hurt anybody. You were just scared you were going to be hurt."
Talon-Dick keeps looking at the ground, Other-Damian hovering worriedly next to him.
"Hey. Dick?" Dick says for a moment, glancing at Other-Damian. "I think Damian needs you. He looks scared too."
In an instant, Talon-Dick goes from quivering on his knees to sitting cross-legged, pulling Other-Damian into his lap.
"That looks better to me," Dick says, still sitting at the table even though he's the only one still seated. "What about you, Dami?"
Both Damian and Other-Damian look up at that.
"My Dami," Dick clarifies. "I mean, I'm totally up for a hug too if-"
"Don't even try it, Grayson," Damian says, looking away, which means he isn't looking as Dick rises from his chair and silently, rapidly sneaks up behind Damian.
Bruce lets his own smile show as a smiling Dick envelops Damian in a hug.
"Unhand me!" Damian grumbles, but he's barely even thrashing in the embrace.
Dick snorts and strokes a hand over Damian's spiked hair once, twice, thrice, then releases him.
Damian awkwardly swipes at his own hair with both hands, clearly trying to fix it after Dick's stroking but only making it more messy. He straightens his back and shoulders with a jerk of his head. A large spike of hair flops onto his forehead, and Damian huffs a sigh.
Other-Damian giggles at that, then he goes solemn. Tentatively, he starts, "If we're not being sent back…"
His voice trails off.
Bruce knows what he means, though, and he curses himself for not realizing ahead of time what his words might've sounded like. "We are all going to the other dimension together to plan what to do next. There are other children there, versions of my own other children, and I want everyone to be together as we discern what to do."
"Discern," Other-Damian murmurs.
"It means to figure out and understand," Damian says, trying again to fix his hair.
"Oh," Other-Damian says. "Okay then. How do we do that?"
"Are they close to finished with eating?" Bruce asks.
Alfred hums for a moment. "Not quite. However, the others may well need something to eat as well-"
"They certainly do," Bruce says, thinking of the hollow look of Small Cass and Small-Jason's cheeks.
"Then I will pack the leftovers onto a cart and we can hopefully bring that along to the alternate dimension, so we may eat as we plan," Alfred says.
"That's good thinking," Bruce says.
Alfred raises an eyebrow. "Was that ever in doubt?"
"No," Bruce says readily. "Just something I like to make sure you know I know."
Alfred sighs, but he's smiling.