Dani's To-Do List

- breakfast

- tour WE

- meet a supervillain

- FROSTIES

Dani wakes up around nine-thirty to a disapproving but fond shake of Alfred's head and the smell of eggs and bacon. Tim is out cold beside her, drooling onto the pillow. The tablet was face down on the bed from where it was probably knocked over by one of them in the night.

"Did you sleep well?" Alfred asks, amusement glittering in his eyes.

Dani nods with a mischievous grin. "We went right to bed, honest!"

Alfred rolls his eyes. "Young Master Damian has already been escorted to school, and Master Dick is in meetings for the rest of the day. I came to wake Master Tim, who has a lunch engagement with some of the board members."

"You're all so busy," Dani comments, looking at Tim, who's still dead to the world. "What about Cass?"

"She stayed the night at Miss Stephanie's and went to ballet from there."

"That's too bad. I wanted to meet her," Dani says, finally shuffling to get out of bed.

"The feeling is quite mutual, I assure you. She has informed me that tomorrow's practice ends at four in the afternoon, and she would like to spend the rest of the day with you."

"I'd love that!"

To punctuate this statement, Dani shoves Tim off the bed. He wakes up with a yelp, disentangling himself from his blanket quite gracefully for waking up out of a dead sleep.

"There are more humane ways to wake someone, Miss Dani," Alfred comments drily.

"Ugh," Tim offers helpfully. "We didn't even get to finish the World trilogy."

"Your priorities, Master Tim, continue to surprise."

Tim grins a bit wildly at Alfred. Dani opts for a more innocent look.

Alfred sighs. "There's breakfast in the sunroom. I insist the two of you have some sun to properly rouse yourselves."

With that, the old butler leaves, and Tim follows after to get ready for the day. Dani gets herself into a new set of clothes – today's shirt is a dark green with shadow outlines of pine trees and mountains with gold script reading "the mountains are calling" – and finds her way to the sunroom, dodging the cat twice as he tries to ambush her on two separate floors.

Stupid cat.

She joins Tim for breakfast, which is indeed eggs and bacon, along with fresh orange juice and oatmeal with fresh berries (not boysenberries, thankfully). Tim was typing at light speed on his laptop when she arrived, but when he looks up to see her he closes it and gives her his full attention.

"We need a plan," Tim informs her, lacing his fingers together. "We need to watch so many movies."

Dani mimics his mock-seriousness. "Yes, we do."

"And TV shows."

"And those are like mini-movies, right?" She mostly says this just to watch Tim's eyebrow twitch. Dani watched a glass blowing show with Dick in Blüdhaven, so she knows what they are.

"Twenty to forty minute-long episodes that are all part of the same story."

"Understood."

"And video games."

"I like those."

He looks mildly surprised. "You play video games, but have only watched two movies?"

Dani smirks. "I am a woman of many mysteries," she reveals, all mysteriously, but then she breaks into a more genuine smile as she explains, "Video games are something I do with some friends. I always play with them when I visit, since it's a group activity thing."

Tim has a manic look in his eye at the information. He's a bit like a vulture when it comes to sniffing out secrets, Dani has noticed. She's noticed the look he gets when she mentions anything about herself — like he's cataloging all the information as some kind of file on her in his head.

Surprisingly, Dani doesn't mind. Must be the genuine delight that keeps rolling off of him whenever she asks a geeky question or agrees with him on the good parts of Dune (correct answer: all of it). Or maybe, she just likes the attention. Or, more likely, she likes stringing him along with little bread crumbs of information. It's kinda funny to see him snatch up every personal information in that steel trap of a mind he's sporting.

"Your friends?" It's a mild question, but the anticipation behind it sets Dani's teeth on edge.

"I have some," she replies. "Why do you think I'll like video games?"

Tim recognizes the topic change and, begrudgingly, lets it happen. "You mentioned you like stories, right? Well, there are some video games that have fantastic stories in these really elaborate worlds, and you get to manipulate your own character in that world, and sometimes change the outcome of the story."

Dani nods along. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like something I'd like."

"So I'm thinking we start with Star Trek or Doctor Who for TV shows, and then let's get you into some Legend of Zelda. There's this game, Breath of the Wild, that has a whole exploration aspect you'd really like…"

They spend the rest of breakfast like that. Tim compiles a list in an Excel spreadsheet with levels of priority. He's taking this very seriously. He says that he loves introducing people to the best of sci-fi and fantasy, and loves talking with them about it even more.

"I also like mystery movies, if you ever want to watch those," he mentions. "But only because I like to either guess the killer first or pick apart the script for terrible investigation scenes."

Tim is an interesting person. Dani loves him.

Brother, her core supplies.

Dani's cool with that.

"You can either take me or I'll walk there," Dani repeats stubbornly, folding her arms over the seatbelt over her chest.

Dani is hijaking Tim's ride into the city. She had stayed glued to his side until he was ready to leave, then she got in the passenger seat and is refusing to let him leave without her.

"Can't you wait to explore when one of us can give you a tour?" Tim tries.

"Nope," Dani says, "unless any of you can give a tour right this minute."

Tim exhales, half in frustration, half in the natural exhaustion he always seems to have with him. "Okay, but can we not let Dick know I agreed? I'd like to keep my head where it is, thanks."

"I'll say I snuck into your car," Dani agrees, "he doesn't have to know I was caught immediately."

Another soul-weary sigh. "You know that Gotham is the most dangerous city in America, right?"

Dani nods with a grin.

"No, stop being happy about that."

"But there's so much to explore!"

"Will you at least carry a phone with you?"

"No." It wouldn't work anyway.

"How about a panic button?"

"Huh?"

Tim leans over the center console and opens his glove compartment. He pulls out a little black box and flips it open, revealing two rows of what looks like key fobs with two little buttons.

"You just carry those around?" Dani wonders.

Tim casts a side-long glance at her. "Did I mention Gotham is the most dangerous city in America?" He pulls out one of the buttons and powers it on. "Here. Carry this."

"I'm going to lose it," Dani protests. In response, Tim pops out the foam that was holding the buttons and pulls out a chain from behind it. He loops the chain through the button and then hands it over. "Why do you just have that?"

"Just wear it, please?" Tim snaps the box shut and tucks it into the glove compartment. He isn't looking at her, but Dani can faintly sense the worry underneath Tim's ever present weariness.

Dani groans and then puts it on. She feels more than hears the sigh of relief, masked by the sound of the engine turning over.

Tim taps on the console screen and the garage door smoothly rises without the characteristic grinding noise Dani has come to associate with all garage doors.

"Who gets this alert?" Dani asks as Tim pulls out of the garage and speeds down the driveway, the outer gate automatically swinging open well before they approach.

"The police," Tim says, then hesitates before adding, "Vigilantes, too."

"Sweet." Dani has more appreciation for it now. Tim has effectively invested Dani in trying to keep this thing safe and in her possession. "Who will come if I press it right now?"

"Please don't," Tim groans. "They're for emergencies."

"Yes, well, I want to meet them," Dani states stubbornly, "I think that's pretty emergent."

"No, Dani."

Dani grins. "Okay~"

"Dani, no."

Dani keeps that same smile on her face, and Tim looks concerned.

"I'm sure you'll meet them eventually," he promises, "They're always patrolling around here, please chill. It's a huge privilege to have something that can directly contact one of the Bats. They're insanely busy."

"Batman," Dani rasps, fidgeting with the button.

"Daniiiiii~" Tim whines.

"Fine," she concedes. "But I want a map of Arrakis." There have to be some maps of the Dune worlds, right? Well, Dani wants them.

"Yes, Dani," Tim sighs. Really, though, he should've expected this. He can't just show her a movie like Dune and not give her a map of the desert world. L moment on his part. Dani hums happily at her victory as Tim whips through the streets of Gotham. "Do you know where you're going today?"

"Nope! That's the fun of it."

"Ugh, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Do you need us to pick you up?"

"I can find my way back," Dani answers.

"Do you have a specific time when you plan on being back?"

Blegh, Dani hates planning things out. "I dunno, man. Like… midnight."

"Eleven?" Tim suggests.

"If you had a time in mind, why did you ask?" Dani groans in exasperation. "Midnight, since I have a walk ahead of me."

"Hm, if you get to Wayne Enterprises at eleven, I can give you a ride home."

Dani considers this offer. "Okay. But if I'm not there by 11:10 you can just go. I might already be on my way back."

"And if you're not back by 12:10 Dick will freak out."

Ugh. Having people waiting for you is kind of a pain.

(It makes her feel warm inside.)

"Deal."

A few minutes of driving and chatting about the current civil unrest in Haiti, they approach what has to be the Wayne Enterprises building. It's pretty obvious with the giant WE sign.

Tim drives into a parking garage, tapping in a code on his center console screen when he approaches the gate barrier. He also rolls down his window to wave at the security officer, who smiles and waves back.

"Hey, Jerry, would you send a request for a guest badge ahead? Thanks!" The guy nods, but Tim is already driving away. He circles the parking garage before parking in a wide spot marked off for the CEO. Tim being CEO is wild, by the way. Dani only knows one other CEO, and he's like 50. And also crazy. Well, Tim's also crazy but, like, in a fun way.

"I get a guest badge?" Dani wonders aloud as they climb out of the car and start walking towards the elevator. "Do I get to keep it?"

"No," Tim replies. "They're reused." He calls the elevator and the two climb in.

Dani is silent for a moment before she requests, "But can I keep it though?"

Tim glances at her, and for the first time there's a thread of suspicion in his eyes. "Why?"

Huh, this is unexpected. He must think she's trying to steal secrets or tech or something. "I like souvenirs," Dani explains. "I figured it would be deactivated or something."

Tim nods, not entirely convinced. "We can find something else for you to keep?"

Dani shrugs, "As long as it's cool."

Tim rolls his eyes, shifting his gaze to the climbing numbers that designate the floor. He's quiet for a beat, before he hesitantly asks, "Where do you even keep your souvenirs?"

Dani taps her foot, considering. Ah, well, she already told Dick, so Tim might as well know. "I have a room at my brother's place."

"Your brother?" Tim asks, eyes gleaming with the information.

Oh, right. Dani hadn't mentioned her brother before. "Brother, cousin, whatever," Dani mutters, glaring at her feet. "I have a bunch of stuff there. Maps, souvenirs, scrapbooks, stuff like that."

Tim seems smug that she said more than she meant. He hoards information like ghost dragons hoard ghost gold. "You scrapbook?"

Now this is a safer topic. "Yeah. I get postcards and keep them in this huge binder, but I have another that I put any souvenir that can be taped down. Like museum tickets or pictures."

"Pictures?"

Something about that particular question rankles her. It feels too pointed. "Like the ones of my son," she deflects. "Gregory the starfish."

Tim barks out a surprised laugh as the elevator opens. The time for Tim's interrogation is over. Dani escapes by chatting up the lady giving her a badge and running her through the rules. Tim did promise her a tour, and after that, Dani has all of Gotham to explore.

Listen, this wasn't her fault. What was she supposed to do, not smell the exotic looking flower?

She's now dangling a few meters off the ground with a vine wrapped around her ankle. Her other leg is kinda just flopping around uncomfortably. Dani kinda wishes she'd been dangled by both feet. Maybe she could ask?

"Where are your parents, darling?" asks who Dani assumes is her captor. Dani cranes her neck around, but she can't get the angle she needs to see the owner of the sultry voice.

"Don't got any," Dani answers, wiggling a bit.

"Your caretaker, then," is the smooth reply.

"I caretake myself, thank you very much!"

"Hmm. You know, this flower you were about to smell is deadly. If you were to inhale any of its pollen, you could be paralyzed."

Dani looks at the flower she had, indeed, been about to smell. It's gorgeous; white with reds, oranges, and yellows that almost makes it look like a sunset. It looked like it would smell like sunshine. "It's pretty," she gives in response.

"Ah, well. You must be cautious of beautiful things. They are often the most dangerous." The vine holding Dani aloft lowers her to the ground and slithers away from her ankle like a snake. Dani sits up, pawing at the hair covering her face so she can see her conversation partner.

Like the apparently deadly flower, she's beautiful. The body of a French model, with deep red hair that's pulled up into a messy bun held in place by what looks like a pencil. She's wearing a green blouse and white jeans, a gardening belt around her hips. She's also wearing tall high heels, for some reason.

"Hi," Dani says.

The woman tilts her head in amusement. "Hello."

Dani senses deep hatred and deeper love in her. She feels so much pain and wishes others would feel it too. She feels violent, determined, crazy and passionate.

But there's kindness, too. Dani could have sniffed the flower. Sure, she would've been fine, but this lady couldn't have known that. But that lady ripped her out of harm's way. Yeah, it wasn't the most gentle, but the roughness of it makes it seem more genuine, not less.

"My name is Dani," Dani introduces herself. "With an i."

The lady blinks, obviously thrown, before giving Dani a smile. "Pamela, little one. What are you doing in my garden?"

Dani looks around her. "I thought this was a park."

"You're not from around here, are you?"

"First day exploring," Dani confirms.

"Gotham is dangerous."

"I know."

Pamela studies her for a moment. "Well, then." She glances at Dani, then at the garden around her. "Shall I show you around?"

Dani is quick to nod and jump up to follow the red-haired lady. Dani had wandered into the area wondering if it was a park, but fully aware it was probably a dangerous one. Like, look at the size of those leaves! Dani had only seen that in the depths of the jungle; they definitely shouldn't be growing in New Jersey. So yeah, she willingly walked into a dangerous area, because she had to see. Why were there exotic plants just out in the open like that?

Well, now she knows. If this lady doesn't have plant powers, Dani will eat her own hand. The plants are literally following her like sunflowers do the sun.

Dani is quick to endear herself to the gardener with curious questions and by mimicking the gentle reverence the older woman has towards the plants. Dani is exceedingly careful not to step on any, and when Pamela prompts her to feel a leaf or petal, she does so with a featherlight touch.

Dani asks if she can take a flower home for a souvenir. Pamela gets irritated by this question and goes on a rant about how plucking flowers kills the plants. She quickly calms herself for her little guest and tries to explain it more gently. Dani's confused, though, and brings up the falling cherry blossoms in Japan as an example for the plant to shed its own flowers.

"Those are fruit trees, darling," Pamela explains patiently. "When the tree is ready to produce fruit, it drops the flowers to make room."

Dani considers this, then asks if there are any shedding flowers right now.

"I want to press it into a scrapbook to remember today," she explains. Pamela, who'd already softened at Dani's genuine curiosity towards her plant-babies, smiles softly and helps her find some petals and leaves that she can keep without hurting the plants.

Pamela shares some apples with her from one of her fruit trees, explaining that fruit is the plant's gift to animals so they can spread the seeds over the world. The apple is the best Dani's ever tasted.

By the time Dani has to go to meet Tim, she and Pamela are best friends. The gardener insists she stop by again, mentioning that she hopes to introduce the little girl to her wonderful girlfriend. Apparently her girlfriend has dogs, if Dani needed any extra convincing.

"Are you sure you'll be safe heading back?" Pamela worries, glancing at the smoggy sky. "Gotham only grows more dangerous as the night wears on."

"I'll be fine," Dani insists. Honestly, maybe that's what her shirt should say. I'm fine, I'll be safe, leave me be. "I have a panic button on me."

"Hm." Pamela appraises her, then sighs. "I suppose I don't know you well enough to stop you. But if you ever need sanctuary, you are always welcome in my garden." Then a glitter of mischief shines in her eyes. "Provided you don't try to smell any more toxic flowers."

Dani grins sheepishly and refrains from telling her she definitely would be smelling that toxic flower later. What's a ghostly constitution good for if not sticking your nose in things normal humans can't? (Pun absolutely intended.)

"I'll stop by soon," Dani promises, and waves goodbye.

On her way back to WE, some guy tries to rob Dani. Without breaking stride, Dani decks him in the face hard enough to send him to the ground, steals his dagger, and continues on her merry way.

Tim is waiting for her right outside the building, leaning on his car with all attention on his phone. When she draws closer, Tim glances up to smile at her, shutting off his phone and stuffing it in his pocket.

"Hey! How was your day?"

"It was very fun," Dani replies, letting Tim open the door for her like a proper gentleman. "Thanks for waiting."

"You're not even late," Tim responds, shutting the door and rounding the car to the driver's side. He climbs in and buckles up, subtly glancing at Dani's seatbelt too. Dani rolls her eyes and buckles herself in. "Anyway, do you want to get some food?"

"What kind?" Dani asks.

"Fast food," he suggests, "the kind that would cause Alfred to have a coronary."

"Something greasy and tasteless?" Dani adds.

"With flat soda to wash it down."

"Let's do it. McDonald's?"

"Please, I have better standards than that."

Dani giggles. "Okay, then Wendy's. For the frosties."

"I knew you'd come to the right conclusion." He starts the car and pulls out onto the street, joining the late night traffic through the center of the city. "So, what where did you go?"

Dani gives him a brief rundown of the first couple of hours of today's adventure, which was mostly just wandering until she reached Pamela's garden. She tells him about the terrible hotdog she got, and how she's sure that stand also sells shrunken heads, and that she didn't really trust the food enough to finish it after that. Hotdogs are not to be trusted. Tim agrees whole-heartedly with her, seemingly worried about the shrunken head thing.

"Please tell me you spent the rest of the day in, like, a library or something." He doesn't look like he believes his own words.

"Nah, a garden." Dani pulls out her leaves and flower petals to show him. "Look how cool! Some of these are super rare, apparently. I'm going to preserve them forever."

Tim glances at her leaves, then does a double take. "Those aren't… Dani, please tell me you didn't pick flowers from Robinson Park?"

"I dunno," Dani replies, "I didn't see a sign. But the gardener lady there helped me pick these out so I wouldn't damage the plants."

"What was this lady's name?" Tim's hands are tight on the steering wheel.

"Pamela."

She swears Tim is just going to wither away. He slumps his shoulders and bows his head – luckily, they're at a stop light – and just… groans. "Dani, Pamela Isley is the supervillain Poison Ivy."

"Really?! That's so cool!"

Tim just shakes his head in defeat. "I see what Dick was saying now. It's like you're a magnet for trouble." He grumbles to himself as they start driving again. "Not even worried that she met a supervillain. Just 'coolio', I met a mass murderer."

"I didn't say coolio," Dani defends herself, pointedly ignoring the whole 'mass murder' thing. She didn't get the vibe from Pamela, so she'll reserve judgement until the lady kills someone in front of her or something equally incriminating. "Also, should I mention I also almost got mugged?"

"You did? Are you okay?!" Tim looks her over as if he expected to find injuries he missed in his first once over when he opened the door for her. "Where did this happen?" They pull into the Wendy's parking lot and Tim gets in the drive-thru lane.

Dani shrugs, trying not to grin. "On my way to meet you. But it was fineee, I decked him."

"You.. you punched the mugger?" Tim is getting that look Dick has a lot. The one where you can feel yourself physically aging.

Dani nods solemnly. "And stole his dagger."

"You didn't." He looks at her, almost pleading, and Dani just grins and holds up the dagger. "No! Why?!"

Dani puts the dagger away and points past Tim at the Wendy's menu. "So anyway, I want chicken nuggies, fries, and a chocolate frosty to dip them in."

Tim pulled up Dani's file on the Batcomputer later that night. It's annoyingly empty, at least for Tim's standards.

Dani

Age: 13 (unconfirmed)

Sex: F

Hair: black, long

Eyes: blue

Height: 4'11"

Weight: approx 85 lbs

DOB: ?

POB: ? Possibly American

Previous locations: Bludhaven (mid-August to mid-September), Belgium (previous to mid August), Egypt (unknown), Jordan (unknown)

Current location: Gotham

Relations:

Mother: ?

Father: ?

Friends: mentioned, no location or names

Siblings: mentioned brother

Tim drums his fingers on the table, looking at the slight addition he'd made: the note about her brother. Biological, maybe? But he's not going to put guesses in the file, so he goes on to the Observations section. Along with her list of languages, skills, habits, and peculiarities (where the electronic warping stuff is listed), there's a miscellaneous page. Dick already added in that she'd only watched two movies – probably while Tim was at WE – but Tim adds that she likes to scrapbook, collect souvenirs in the form of postcards and visitor's badges, and that she can apparently punch out a mugger.

"She is quite the mystery," Tim murmurs, resting his chin on interlaced fingers.

"I told you to stop," Dick whines from behind him. Tim doesn't even bother turning to look at his older brother. "She'll tell us stuff when she's ready." When Tim still makes no move to look away, Dick sighs and pulls up a chair. "Do you not like her?"

"I love her," Tim corrects immediately. "She's funny, and sweet, and bright where the rest of us are dark. But I still want to know where she came from."

"Does it matter? Would you kick her out if she had villain parents or something?"

Tim looks over at his brother. "Of course not, Dick. It matters because I have to know. Not because whatever I'll find will make me like her less." To punctuate this point, he adds, "She said she'd watch Star Wars with me."

"What about you Damian? Do you think she's a League member or something?"

Tim turns to find his younger, stabbier brother behind him, as silent as always. The boy sniffs and folds his arms.

"As if. That imbecile could never be a killer."

From Damian, that's incredibly high praise. Curious, Tim asks, "Do you like her?"

"Absolutely not. She's done nothing but irritate me since she got here."

Oh, he does like her. Being irritated without active violence is practically Damian's love language. Maybe she's what he needs to finally act his age. Actually, Tim has a couple of ideas about that…

"But I do wish to know her past," Damian continues. "I do not believe she is a trained fighter or spy, but she certainly did not have a good upbringing."

"What do you mean?" Dick demands, instantly going all mother hen. Tim would roll his eyes if he wasn't worried too.

"She is fairly adept at masking it, but she remains vigilant at all times. She notes every entrance, and I have noticed she prefers areas with more windows where there is a clear route of escape."

"You do that," Tim points out.

Damian's eyes flash. "And as you all constantly remind me, I have not had the most nurturing upbringing either." He exhales sharply and looks away. "Besides. My vigilance is borne of years of training. Hers is borne of fear."

"How can you tell?" Dick asks, his voice strained with concern.

Damian shrugs, but Tim can sense he has an answer. Like he suspected, Damian is only quiet a moment longer before revealing, "She flinched when I called her Danielle."

Dick and Tim exchange glances. Of course they'd assumed Dani was short for Danielle, but Tim had no reason to call her anything other than what she introduced herself as. Dick was very considerate about things like that, too, at least when he's not teasing them with increasingly ridiculous nicknames. But Damian was raised in an Eastern culture. Addressing people informally is unnatural to him. He still calls almost everyone by their last names, and only Dick, Alfred, and Jon had reached the level where they're addressed by their first names. Tim has no dillusion he'll ever reach that level.

"And I'll remind you," Damian adds idly, studying his sleeve to avoid meeting their eyes directly. "I had not seen a movie before coming to Gotham either."

Now that is an interesting connection. As far as Tim could tell, Dani wasn't lying when she revealed she's only watched two movies. In her whole life? Tim places her origins in America, despite all her traveling, so it's incredible that she managed to go her whole life watching only two movies. And why those two? Ghostbusters? A classic, yes, but if anything, a newer movie would make more sense. Corpse Bride, too. Somebody introducing her to their favorites, perhaps? And Tim knew she watched documentaries while she was staying with Dick. Has she watched many of those? He has so many questions.

Damian grows uncomfortable with their silence and aims for a distraction. Unfortunately, it's a really, really good one. "She was mugged in the city today?"

"WHAT?!" Dick shouts, whirling to the Batcomputer to read what Tim had just put in. "TIM!"

Tim glares at Damian as the younger boy makes his retreat. What a brat.

Hey guys! I hope this chapter has a bit more substance for y'all. I'll be doing a bit of time skips in the next couple of chapters, just a couple of weeks at a time (juwst to get closer to the end of the year story-wise, where some of my favorite scenes are). Next chapter I plan for Cass, and more Damian bonding, and possibly plot... y'know, as a little treat. Anyway, I love your comments. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And your ideas are great! I'm loving the ideas I get with them.

Let me know if there's too much fluff and not enough substance. I do have some pretty good scenes planned, but I like the fluff too, so just lmk. Oh, and there WILL be angst. I can't just... not have angst. There will be so much hurt/comfort later

Thank you!

~Starr