Secrets shall be revealed

Part 27

The patrol case took longer than expected, so they were the last ones back to the cave. Everyone else was back and out of their suits. Damian went to the changing rooms with Drake so they could change as well.

When they came out, Pennyworth was waiting for them with tea and sandwiches. Damian didn't think his stomach could handle it, so he decided to get to it. He wasn't sure if signing would be the easiest way to do this, so he sat at the bat computer to type everything so others could see it easily on the monitor.

'I have something to tell everyone.' Damian typed. 'I've been hiding a truth from everyone, and I believe it's time I come clean about it.' Everyone stayed silent for him to continue.

'For the time I've been in the manor, you've known me as Damian. But that is the identity I was ordered to take by Grandfather and the league. I will explain everything, so please hold off on your questions until after I'm done.' Damian typed.

He took a deep breath and continued. It all started fourteen years ago. Mother was pregnant and she was on a mission. She was cut by a poison blade. While she was immune to the poison, the child she was carrying was not.'

'She lost her baby. Her son. That child was Damian. Three years after that incident, She met Father by accident on a mission. They had a one-night stand but realized things could not work between them, so they left on their way. Mother soon noticed that she was pregnant again.'

'She didn't inform Father, fearing to hope and lose her baby once again. She also didn't want to seem desperate to get back with Father. So she didn't tell him. Everything went perfectly this time, until the birth.'

'Grandfather was mad at mother for losing his heir. So when the child born turned out to be a girl instead of a boy, he was furious. What was even worse was that due to all the trauma mother's body has gone through during the years and some birth complications, it was deemed that she could not have any more children.'

'Grandfather made an attempt to get rid of me. He had no use for another girl. Mother did her best to save me. She begged Grandfather to spare me. Some confrontations happened, and he relented. Under the condition that as soon as I was of age, I would provide him with the heir he wanted.'

'For my time in the league, I was trained and raised to be an assassin. To be able to survive under any conditions. When mother decided to send me here, she promised Grandfather that I would return as soon as I was of age to complete my duty.'

'Grandfather ordered me to come here as Damian. To hide the circumstances of my birth, and he also believed that Father had no use for a girl. An heir was more worthy than a girl.'

'So I was trained to act as Damian. I was told that if I was ever found out, I would get kicked out, and also, Grandfather would come for me to take me. So I was afraid.'

'I tried to keep everyone at a distance, fearing that my secret would be discovered. I knew what would happen if I went back, and I didn't want that. It took me so long to understand that I would not be kicked out because of my gender, but by then, I was more afraid about the reaction I would get when I revealed the truth.' Damian typed.

She knew she had to turn his chair and face her family. To face their reaction. But she was afraid. She had to do this. She turned her chair only to be pulled into a tight embrace. It was Grayson. She didn't struggle and let the warmth take over her. Feeling his steady heartbeat and calming her own racing one.

"Oh, Dami. It must have been so hard. I'm sorry you couldn't trust us with this sooner." Grayson said. His voice trembled. He was crying. Damian let himself hug him back. Putting aside the fear of getting rejected.

Soon, others joined them as well. Jason gently patted her head, and Drake rubbed her back. Brown and Cain were to her sides, and Pennyworth took her hand in his own.

She let the moment last for as long as possible. She answered all the questions she could. Jason confessed that he knew, but it wasn't his secret to tell others, so he didn't. Others had their own questions and suspicions. Cain admitted that she knew, but she thought it was Damian's choice to present herself as a male, so she didn't push for answers.

"So wait. Now that we know who you actually are, do you still want us to call you Damian?" Grayson asked.

'No. Damian was going to be my brother's name. Mother wasn't allowed to name me. Grandfather deemed me unworthy of a name. But someone I care for gave me the name Jade. You can call me Jade as well.' Jade signed. Now that everyone was back to their places lounging around the cave, it was easier to sign again.

"Great. Nice to officially meet you Jade. But if they changed your name, does this mean that they also changed your birthday?" Brown asked as she grabbed a sandwich from the tray.

'Not by much. My birthday is 9 days after what Damian's could be. Of course, since he died before birth, they just chose a close enough date for it to be believable. My real birthday could work, too, but I think Grandfather didn't want me to use it out of spite. So I guess I turned 10 recently.' Jade signed. She still was unsure of the acceptance she got from her family and didn't want to upset them.

"You just turned double digits? No wonder you are so tiny." Drake said. Jade wanted to punch him. She was by no means tiny. Both her parents were tall. While she was underweight, she was by no means short or small.

She pointedly glared at him, but there was not much heat behind it. Grayson used the opportunity to sweep her off the ground. He was very touchy recently, but Jade enjoyed it.

Grayson spun her around as if she weighed nothing. "I always wanted a baby sister. No offense to Steph and Cass, but I only met you guys when you were already well into your teenage years." He said happily. This finally made Jade bite him.

Grayson let go, and Jade ran to Jason's side. 'I am not a baby. Stop treating me differently.' She signed. She craved affection but not being treated like a baby.

"I believe Miss Jade to be right. While we may have learned something new about her, she is still the same person she was, and it would not be fair to treat her differently when she was afraid of getting different treatment if her gender was revealed." Pennyworth said. Everyone seemed to calm down a bit.

"Yeah. That is true. But if you don't mind me asking why you decided to reveal things now, I'm happy you are comfortable enough to do so, but I want to know why now?" Drake asked. Jade knew he probably had suspicions, but he was looking for truth.

'We need to get Grandfather out of hiding. If he finds out that you know the truth, he will try to come for me.' Jade signed.

"How do you plan to spread the news to him?" Jason asked.

'That's easy. I plan to go out as a female in Robin custom.' Jade signed.