Silence

2) Dick - ...In With the New

I looked at the kid, Damian, sitting next to me now. He was small, kinda scrawny, like he hadn't eaten enough food in years. His eyes would occasionally dart around the room while he was eating, like he was expecting an attack any second. I can definitely tell that he is Bruce and Talia's son, he has Talia's jade green eyes, her sharply angled features, but he is still a carbon copy of Bruce's pre-teen self.

I put my shoulder on Damian's shoulder, waiting until he looked at me to ask, "So, how old are you, Damian?"

He looked at me for a good thirty seconds before answering, "I am 12 years old. And you?"

"22," I replied, pleasantly surprised that Damian had responded, "Have you seen the rest of the house yet?"

Damian shook his head, "I came down to the kitchen shortly after arriving at Wayne Manor," he said by way of explanation.

"Cool, now you get the grand tour from me," I grinned brightly at Damian, "C'mon! And you can bring your sandwich with you, Alfred totally won't mind," he added, as Damian was about to put it down on the plate.

I had obviously noticed how Damian looked at the sandwich in his hands rather warily, as if it should not be there, and how he always spoke formally, like a prince, and yet was so quick to apologize when Bruce ganged up on him; but I decided not to comment, walking over to the Batcave instead. Behind him, Damian looked around with shock.

"This is almost as large as the League's main compound," he marveled, walking over to Jay's Robin uniform in the glass case. "Richard," he called, "Who did this belong to?"

"Dick," I corrected as his heart dropped. I wasn't ready to let Damian know so soon about how I had failed Jason.

Damian narrowed his eyes, "I'm... sorry?"

I flushed, "I prefer to be called Dick, not Richard. And the uniform is- sorry, was, the 2nd Robin's, a.k.a. Jason Todd. About 5 years ago, he was beat severely by the Joker, then blown up in a warehouse. Bruce likes to keep his uniform here as a reminder of his greatest failure, so that he never loses someone like that again."

I was surprised my voice was as steady as it was, considering that I felt like breaking down right then and there. Damian was already studying me with those intense green eyes, how would he react if he found out the whole truth, that it was my fault Jason was dead? But Damian only gave a short nod, and then turned to another costume.

"And this one? Is this Timothy's?" Damian asked.

"No," I laughed, thankful for the change in topic, "That used to be mine. Thank goodness none of the other Robins have to wear shorts anymore."

"You shouldn't be touching that, it's vintage," a voice warned jokingly, and we both turned around to look at who just walked in the door.

"Babs!" I grinned with surprise and giving her a giant bear hug. Then, remembering Damian, I introduced the two, "Damian, this is my girlfriend Barbara Gordon. Babs, this is the newest addition to the Batfamily. He only showed up earlier today."

I watched as Damian stared steadily at my girlfriend - God, it felt so good to call her that - and then proceeded to introduce himself, "I am Damian al Ghul, heir to the League of Assassins and son of Batman. What is your relation to the world of vigilantes, Barbara?"

I grinned as Babs gave him an amused glance and said, "I'm Batgirl, Damian. So I guess you're the one with no connection to the vigilante world right now."

For the first time since I saw the kid, Damian grinned, "Touche, Gordon."

Babs grinned back, amused at the kid's attitude, then asked me, "You giving him the grand tour? Make sure to leave the best for last."

"You got it, babe." I winked at her, then walked Damian to bedrooms on the 4th floor.

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I walked quickly, excited to show Damian mine and Timmy's rooms when I heard a small "Oomph" behind me. I quickly turned around to see a red-faced Damian muttering apologies to Tim, who seemed to be getting more and more annoyed.

"What is wrong with you? Just stay outta my way, you brat," Tim warned, shoving past Damian, who looked like he was trying not to cry.

"Timothy! Be nice!" I chided, putting an arm around Damian. Holy crap, what was up with Tim? I had never seen him like this before. He's probably just jealous, I better have a talk with him later.

"Just ignore him, he's probably just cranky," I assured the poor kid, throwing Tim one last warning glare. "C'mon, let me show you the best part of this house."

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I brought Damian into the training room, and grinned as the kid looked around in wonder. The training room had one area specifically for me to practice my acrobatics, and another with various simulations that can be used to train. Hung on the wall across were every possible type of weapon, from my personal favorite, escrima sticks, to even a bow and arrow! Damian quickly looked at me, a strange look crossing his face.

"Go ahead, you can do whatever you want," I said, seeing Damian's hesitation. 

The kid immediately ran to the katanas and began practicing using the simulations. I laughed at the obvious joy in his face, but I was also a little surprised. Was this what passed for fun in the League of Shadows?

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After he was done, Damian quickly wiped the sweat off his face and walked over to me, grinning. 

"Nice job, Dami!" I held out my hand for a high-five.

Damian looked from my face to my hand, confused. Then he narrowed his eyes, looking once more at the outstretched hand.

"What are you trying to do? Is this supposed to be some kind of trick?" he asked, voice low with hurt. 

Confused, I asked, "What do you mean Dami? I just laid out my hand for a high-five."

"My name is Damian." the kid coldly said.

"I know, kid," I said, still confused, "I just called you Dami because it's short for Damian. But if you don't like that..."

Damian stared at me angrily for a little longer, then looked down, embarrassed.

"No, I have no qualms with...that nickname," said Damian reluctantly. "I thought you were attempting to insult me, but I see now that you were not. I apologize for my behaviour. You will not receive such a reaction from me again."

This response only made me more curious to learn more about Damian's background, and soon, with or without Bruce and Tim's help.