A New Beginning

Chapter 30

Three weeks later

"Danny please stop." Bruce sighed to the child that was currently resting on his hip. Said Halfa was squirming and nearly vibrating with restless energy and the man was trying to keep his patience as well as his grip on the moving child.

"But we need to see Dick!" The boy said quietly, raising a sweatshirt clad arm to point towards the school. The two Bats were currently leaning against a sleek, expensive car out front of Dick's school as they were waiting for said teen to exit the building.

"I know, but we need to wait for him to come to us. And what have I said about talking? Your voice is still healing, so you need to whisper unless it's an emergency." The boy pouted but nodded. He was almost fully healed due to his accelerated healing, but his voice was nearly destroyed so it was taking far longer than the rest of his injuries.

The gates to the school opened and students began filing out. Danny began to squirm more when he spotted his brother and his best friend. Bruce, sighing again, set the kid down on his feet. Danny immediately took off towards the teens, weaving gracefully through the crowd before colliding forcefully with Dick.

"Woah, Danny, careful." The boy looked up at his brother with an innocent look. Just then, a dark blur flew down and landed in the youngest's hair.

"Oh is this the Phil I've been hearing so much about?" Wally asked from where he was watching the brotherly interaction with a small smile. Danny looked over at the other and smiled widely. He released his brother to reach up and gently pick up Phil and hold him out to Wally. The little bat watched the redhead with wide black eyes and Wally used one finger to carefully stroke the bat's head.

"Come on Danny, I'm sure is waiting for us." Dick said, nudging the boy towards their guardian. The boy let himself be directed back to Bruce and climbed in the backseat of the car.

There was silence before Dick finally spoke, his words directed to Bruce.

"Are you ever going to look into it?" He didn't need to specify what 'it' was. They were talking about the fight, about Danny being dead for five minutes before suddenly coming back to life, about what really happened to Pariah Dark and what really happened in the mountain during the fight.

Bruce's face pinched slightly, hands tightening on the steering wheel before relaxing.

"Yes. But not now. Not so soon. Let's give him time to heal, to live a life he deserves, to adjust to life where he isn't mistreated. Then we can look into the consequences. Later." They both looked in the mirror at the oblivious boy who was playing with his bat in the backseat and ignoring the conversation occurring in the front seat. Dick nodded.

"Yeah. Okay." The teen smiled at the quiet giggles emitting from his baby brother and the responding squeaks from the rodent.

"Later."