Chapter 10. Damian: Expected and Unexpected

Be on the lookout for * because the next chapter is from Cass's perspective. * Where it starts for her in the next chapter.

Damian.

I predicted most of the reactions that occurred. Like Drake choking on his coffee monstrosity. Richard spilling his taco all over his shirt. Brown falling out of her seat, that action was only a matter of time. Cain, of course, only let her eyes go wide. Gordan's face was visibly in shock. Thomas was pinching himself, as if he thought it, was a dream.

What I did not predict was Father's reaction. Jumping to his feet, and shouting. "Talia!"

Abigail flinched hard at mother's name. She curled into Resp- Daniel's side even more. She hasn't even opened her eyes yet.

"No. This is Abigail, B. Not Talia." Todd gritted through his teeth.

Father is not in the mood to see reason. "The girl is a clone. Obviously meant to –"

This time I cut father off. "Tt. I came to the same conclusion at first, but it's not true. Abigail. Please open your eyes." I attempted to soften my voice when I addressed her, though I do not believe I fully accomplished that.

Abigail still heeded my words. She slowly let her eyes open, revealing father's blue eyes. I didn't realize it at first but having the two of them together in the same room, it finally clicked. Res- Daniel called her his 'little sister'. Abigail was no clone of my mother. Her hair was too dark, though some of it may be due to the amount of dirt still left in her hair. Skin too light to be a replica of mother. Besides her personality was about as different from mother as one could be. Her eyes, however, told me that she is my true sister.

Though Abigail's eyes were filled with fear at the moment, they matched Father's eyes. The only other person in this family who has eyes like father's own is Todd. After the dip in the pit, a green tint remained, making his eyes appear teal. Father was in shock, though I doubt Abigail and Res- Daniel picked it up. Before the silence became too uncomfortable, I rose from my chair. Alfred the cat is still in my arms. I walked over to the pair of them.

"Father, these two adolescents were going to be jumped by thugs last night. Resp- Daniel was already stabbed. Once the thugs ran, Abigail began to treat him the best she could with limited supplies. Once I recognized Res- Daniel, I processed to take them to the closest safe house, occupied by Todd. Grandfather treated both of them harshly. Though I am sure that doesn't cover it. Abigail and Todd have an history, which can be explained later-"

"No, it will be explained Now Damian!"

I glared at father, "Grandfather made Abigail blind, then injected her with something to become a human bat. Abigail sees through echolocation. She is hearing all of our heartbeats, and you demanding answers is not helping the situation." I tried to keep my voice as even as possible, so the situation wouldn't escalate further.

A whimper. I glanced behind me; Abigail was extremely tense. Clutching at Res- Daniel's arm for dear life, though he did not seem to be bothered by the pain, he was just concerned for her. *

I put Alfred the cat on the floor, my back facing father, slightly muttering, "You can leave Abigail, when you see an opening." As I stood, she nodded. Starting to squeeze Re- Daniel's arm in a particular way to get the message across.

I turned around and caught Cain's eye. She understood what I told Abigail, and what I hoped Cain would do for her. A slight smile confirmed my plan.

Now all I needed to provide is a sufficient distraction. Thankfully, Drake supplied one. "So, you're telling us that she is B's blood daughter is a human bat in a way that not even Man Bat could manage, and my worst nightmare is right in front of me. Two demon spawns?"

"Tt, Drake. Langstrum (aka Man Bat), can hear through echolocation. Just when he is transformed."

"Also, why is Damian your worst nightmare? I can think up some worse nightmares than Damian." Res- Daniel commented. I glanced behind me once again, noticing Abigail had just slipped out the door, and he was providing more cover for her escape.

Todd laughed at Re- Daniel's words. "He's got a point replacement. I mean come on 'Little D' wouldn't harm a fly." I let him get me in a headlock, and he began to rub his knuckles into my head. Tt, Cain better get through to Abigail. I am letting myself suffer at Todd's hands, for the sake of her escape.

"I will have your head, Todd!" I proceeded to elbow him in his abdomen, making him release me at once. I was about to kick too, to prove my point, when strong hands stopped me. "Richard, release me at once!"

Richard gave me a look. He knew what I had just done, and it was mostly for show. His posture and eyes said, 'You did what you planned to do, now stop.'

"TT." Was my response. However, I ceased my attack on Todd for the moment. Todd glared at me, but I knew he saw what I muttered. And he just played along to help her.

I turned around to face the rest of the family, noticing that Cain had gone too, along with her meal. At some point Brown moved back onto the couch. Sitting in a more respectable manner than before.

"Come on. You can sit kid." Todd motioned for Drake to move. "Move over Timbo. Barbie can't move too easily for the sec."

Grumbling Drake moved to the couch occupied by Thomas at the moment. I sat back in my armchair, Titus still by my side. Todd sat next to Gordan; Res- Daniel cautiously sat next to Todd hugging the end of the couch. Putting his rucksack by his legs. Todd pushed some tacos, and a water bottle his way. "Eat, kid."

He looked warily at the food. "Thanks."

Richard was attempting to clean his shirt with some paper napkins. Father glared at me. He knows what I just did, and he was furious that I did so. However, since Cain is with her, Father is not attempting to find her. Even father knows that Cain will have no mercy if he decides to follow.

As Re- Daniel grabbed the water bottle in front of him, Titus growled slightly. I scratched behind his ear to quiet him. Daniel glared at Titus, then he looked at me. "What is your dog's name?"

"Titus." I replied.

"You mind telling Titus to mind his own business." Re- Daniel remarked.

I was about to retort when I saw his posture. He was trying to change the subject. To get the attention off of him. I might not be as proficient as Cain when it comes to reading body language, but his actions are mine. 'I want to protect Abigail. But this needs to happen. I don't know anything about these people, however. They know more about me than they should.'

I spared Richard a glance, to see if he picked up on what I had. Other than Cain, and father on better days, Richard is the most proficient at reading my body language. Undoubtably, he also understood the message his body sent.

He caught my eye, glanced at Re-Daniel, back to me, and nodded. "So, Daniel have you ever been to the circus?"

Daniel frowned in response. "No? Why?"

Richard grinned. "You are missing out."

Thankfully Gordan caught on. "Considering you were the entire show, Dick, you could just show him the trapeze if you are that eager to fly again."

"You were in the circus?" Re- Daniel asked. His voice made it seem like he was uninterested in such a topic. His posture, however, told me he was slightly curious.

"Yeah, where do you think the golden boy got all his moves from? B? Until B met Dickhead here, he could barely get around with the grappling lines." Todd explained.

Drake scoffed. "Says the man who was caught stealing Batman's tires when he was eleven."

Re- Daniel turned to face Todd. "Seriously?" Res- Daniel seems to be gaining some respect for Todd. An ill-advised choice.

"None of the rest of you have even tried to do that. I managed to take off three tires before the old Bat caught me. Then he decided to have pity on me and took me out to McDonalds." Todd explained proudly.

"Why were you stealing his tires in the first place?" Thomas asked, his brown eyes caught mine. Apparently, Cain or Richard has been teaching everyone my body language. Typically, I would be furious at the thought, however it is useful for this particular situation.

Todd snorted indecently. "I grew up in Gotham's gutter. Figured I could sell them. Anything for a meal, right?"

"B's tires would have gone for a lot. Plus, B would have been shamed by the entire villain community if you actually got away with it." Brown cackled.

"Please Steph, considering you caught B's attention by "spoiling" your father's plans." Richard put air quotes around her vigilante's name.

"That's how I got the Robin mantel. Unlike mister stalker over there." Brown stuck her tongue out like a naive child towards Drake.

"Hey, did you figure out Batman's and Robin's identities? No. Besides I wasn't stalking, I was following them and taking photos of them." Drake defended, while he glared at his mug. Probably trying to determine if I had managed to slip something in it. I didn't on this occasion, but if I wanted to, I could have.

Todd snorted again. "Hate to break it to you Timbo, but that's pretty much the definition of a stalker."

Re- Daniel was beginning to relax just slightly. Much like when Abigail had received the names of the people in the room. Just having a little information to build trust, possibly a relationship, puts the pair at ease.

Brown was about to comment, when Father intervened. "Enough." His tone of voice brought down the atmosphere within milliseconds.

Immediately Re- Daniel tensed. Father was not going to be holding out an olive branch today.

"Damian, why exactly did you think it would be a good idea to bring two adolescents into our home? Putting our lives, and the lives of everyone in Gotham in jeopardy?"

Res- Daniel gritted his teeth, undoubtedly a nasty retort was on the tip of his tongue, perhaps deserved. I interfered before any words were spoken that would be regretted. "Father, give Re- Daniel a chance to explain his side of the story. There are enough detectives in the room to determine if he is lying. Perhaps then you'll see why I thought it best to bring them here."

R- Daniel was eyeing me, trying to figure out my angle. He glanced at Father, failing to get a read on him. Father was still enraged about the entire situation. However, he knew the option I suggested was the best course of action. I nodded to Res- Daniel, affirming that he should speak.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. When he opened his eyes again, he had a look of determination. He laced his hands together, sitting on the edge of the couch, prepared to flee if needed. Boring holes in the center of the mahogany table.

"I'll start with my story. Many of the clones, exact duplicates, of Damian were flawed. So, Ras took Slade's DNA, because of the super soldier factor, and combined it with Talia's DNA. Talia never knew about me. I inherited Slade's healing ability, not quite to his degree, but still. I became a human guinea pig, and Damian's replacement parts."

Drake stopped Re- Daniel. "What do you mean by replacement parts?"

R- Daniel looked Drake in his eyes. "When Damian would lose an organ, or needed some treatment from that sense, I was Damian's exact match. The doctors didn't even knock me out when they did it. I think Ras wanted me to feel the pain." He turned his head towards me. "Ras couldn't touch you because you were Talia's pride and joy. I was able to leave the dungeon he tortured me in on occasion and often I would see you sparring. I memorized your moves, style, everything that I could see. I also saw how you took everything for granted. You were raised as a prince, believed the whole world revolved around you. You even took your family, specifically Talia, for granted. I hated you for it."

I could feel Drake's glare. He knew exactly what Res- Daniel was talking about. Having been on the receiving end of my… attitude and pride for years. Only after a time since Pennyworth passed were we able to come to an unsteady truce.

Re- Daniel breathed heavily, turning his gaze back on the table. "I wanted revenge on you. I planned to murder you, to get even. That's what I planned at the Lazarus tournament. But you beat me, then I saw you in a different light. You were abused as well, just in a different way. My anger began to lessen. After the demon was defeated, and everything, we were on the mainland. I told Rose who I was, and she brought me to see my father. The best way to describe it, Slade rekindled my hatred. Rose wanted me to leave, but he pushed her away. We had about two days of father son time, before Talia's assassins killed me."

He closed his eyes again, attempting to rein in his thoughts. Gordan spoke up. "Wait, Daniel, you said you memorized Damian's fighting style. But were able to observe him only on a number of occasions. How do you remember all of Damian's moves?"

A valid point. Re- Daniel smiled slightly, studying his hands. "I don't know if I got this from Slade or not, but I have perfect recall and photographic memory."

"Prove it." Drake demanded.

Respawn, no Daniel, frowned at Drake. "How?"

Brown spoke up for the first time in a while, "What was Jason wearing last night when you crashed at his place?"

"I wouldn't know, I was knocked out at that point."

"That's true." Todd affirmed.

Thomas suggested, "Describe Cass to the best of your ability."

Res- Daniel smiled. "Cass has short black hair, about chin length. Light skin, she's oriental mixed with something else. Cobalt blue eyes, that move too much to be considered normal. She's probably in her late teens, early twenties at the most, same age range as Stephanie and Tim. She was wearing a light gray sweater, with baggy blue jeans. Wearing Batgirl socks, no shoes. It also seemed like she could read my mind. Also, it is quite possible that she is selectively mute as she differed to sign language." He rattled off at top speed. "She was also eating refried beans, rice, and two tacos."

Most of the room, including me, were impressed by the amount of description he gave. Father was still glaring, though he was a little impressed.

"How did you meet Abigail?" Richard asked. 'Why dose his story reminds me so much of Damian?' Was his unasked question. I couldn't answer it for myself yet.

Re- Daniel looked at the table again, a smile becoming evident on his face. Lost in memory. "I don't know how Abby found me, or where. I do know she brought me back by…" He trailed off. Thinking of the conversation that occurred hours ago, he was clearly unsure if the family could be trusted with such information. He looked at me for help.

"TT, Daniel explained this part of their story earlier to Todd and I. Abigail has been to the Lazarus pits on countless occasions, enough to leave some traces within her blood. Combined with Re- Daniel's DNA from Slade, it was enough to revive him. This occurred less than a year ago. Not long after the tournament. Does that about sum up the events you relayed to us earlier?"

He nodded, obviously he was grateful that I didn't go into full detail. "Yeah."

"However," I continued, "It does not explain your new name."

Re- Daniel grinned. "When I woke up the first time, Abby asked for my name. I said Respawn. She asked for my real name. I said Respawn. Let's just say she got upset at that. I told her no one had given me a real name. I thought she was going to get mad and ask the question again. But she just looked at me and offered to give me a name. I thought about it and said something like 'So long it isn't dumb like Steve or Bob.' She laughed at that. Then she me gave my name. Daniel."

"Why Daniel?" Thomas asked kindly.

Re- Daniel shrugged. "Never asked. Though I do know names are crucial for her. Well, first names are, she doesn't care about last names."

"Why not?" Gordan prodded.

"I guess it's because of Jason."

Many frowns were tossed around. "What exactly does that mean?" Father asked coldly.

"TT, I brought up this point before, Todd and Abigail have a history."

Father glared at me. "You never explained the history, Damian."

"It's probably best if I explain what I do remember, as I was there." Todd interrupted. A glaring contest occurred between Todd and Father. Eventually Todd won.

"You need to know; I didn't remember anything about this until Abigail explained her story last night. Well, until I saw her face. From what Abigail said last night, Ras took her when she was young, he hurt her?"

"Hurt is her word for torcher. She struggles with complicated words. At least in English." Re- Daniel supplied.

Todd winched at the word's true meaning. "Yeah well, I was still in the league at this point. Bound to serve the Al Ghul's, and Damian's personal bodyguard. Damian was about seven, I was probably 17, 18. For years I didn't remember anything about my past, until Dick came on a rescue mission for that Halo girl, the Markovian Prince, and their other friend."

Richard frowned. "How come you never told me this before?" He looked offended that Todd didn't trust him.

"I told you; I didn't remember before last night. I could never really tell anyone what I did in the league because I couldn't remember. Seeing her face, jump started my memories."

"Continue with the actual story Jason." Drake said. Wanting the details of the case file he was undoubtably beginning to form within his mind.

"Yeah. At some point I noticed Ras going down to a secluded part of the Lazarus pits, where only Ras had authorization to go. Not even Talia. For at least six months, I saw him going down there. About every third night, he would bring water with him. One night I was in the right place at the right time and was able to follow him down to the pits. I hid behind a bolder and saw…" Todd trailed off. He closed his eyes, his face contorted in pain, just like when he describes the night when he was killed.

"Yes?!" Father prompted.

Todd shook his head. "I can't describe what I saw."

"DESCRIBE IT!" Father demanded.

Todd got to his feet. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I SAW?!" His hands curled into fists by his sides. His eyes ignited with green fury. "I SAW A LITTLE GIRL IN CHAINS! BEING BEATEN TILL SHE WAS DEAD THEN THROWN IN THE PIT! HER SCREAMS ECHOING AROUND THE CAVE SHE WAS IN! HE DID IT AGAIN AND AGAIN EACH TIME WITH A DIFFERENT WEAPON. SWORD, WHIP, H$LL EVEN A NIGHTSTICK!"

Todd breathed heavily, his voice finally under some control. "She was only three or four. When he left, I went up to her. She was so scared. You could tell she knew nothing but pain, the pit, and Ras Al Guhl. She hadn't met anyone else before. When I asked her name, she didn't understand me. I asked her what she was called, and you know what she said? 'Child.' F king Child! She didn't have a name!!"

A heavy silence filled the room. The weight of his words hit all of us. Eventually Thomas worked up his nerve to ask, "Jason can you please continue?"

Todd nodded, taking several deep breaths before speaking. "I couldn't leave her like that. Frightened, alone, just waiting to be hurt again. I also couldn't just leave her without a name. I gave her the first name that popped into my head. Abigail. I told her my name was Jason and I wasn't going to hurt her. I don't know if she understood me or not. I undid her chains, took her in my arms. She was so tiny, less than thirty pounds. When we reached the courtyard, that's where the entrance connected to, alarms were blaring. I ran as fast as I could. Then several things hit my back. I'm not sure-"

"Did Abby describe them as metal or death stars?" Res- Daniel inquired. Todd nodded. "Then its shuriken. The throwing stars."

Todd flinched, "Well, that now makes sense. I still ran, even with the shuriken in my back. Ras came out of nowhere, stabbed me. I collapsed; Abigail was still clinging to me. People were surrounding us; Ras was about to take my head off. Then Talia came out of the shadows, Damian by her side. Talia told her father that she would deal with me. She had me dragged off, Abigail was screaming. Begging for me."

"Abby thought you were killed. She knew how Ras worked; she told me you were dead. Unless a miracle happened." Re- Daniel shrugged. "I guess the miracle was Talia."

Thomas rose from his seat, on edge.

Brown asked. "Duke, you alright?"

"I just need to breathe. Unlike the rest of this family, I just can't sit here and listen for hours. Being completely emotionally detached." He moved towards the door which Abigail had previously exited from. Stopping before he left the room. "I'm not leaving the manor. I'm going to see if Cass needs some help."

After Thomas left, Re- Daniel spoke, basically ending this part of the conversation for the day. "I always knew she hated being called child. She doesn't mind being called kid, little sis, baby sis, kiddo. But never child. She could never get the words out. To explain why." In a flat voice, glaring at the hardwood below his bare feet.