Halloween fic, part 2
Title: A Haunted Knight No More
Characters/Pairing: Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Tim Drake, Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne/Selina Kyle, and ??
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1495
Disclaimer: DC owns.
Wanings: mild SPOILERS for Bruce Wayne: The Road Home
AN: for shardsofblu and bradygirl_12's Halloween Challenge.
Bruce came up behind her. Selina didn’t even hear him approach. It was good to see some things never changed.
“You should have told me I looked beyond ridiculous,” he whispered.
Like the others, she expected Bruce to be out of his costume once he returned, but the white sequined bell-bottoms and the chest revealing sequined jacket with the turned up neck were still there. She smiled. “You don’t.” She thought he actually looked good, more like the young Elvis and not like the old one whose jumpsuit he was wearing, but trying to convince The Dark Knight that he didn’t look silly dressed as The King would be nearly impossible, so she didn’t bother. “Anyone else coming?” she asked instead, trying to keep from sounding too eager. Casually, she looked over at the kids on the couch.
Bruce watched them, too. Dick was making everyone laugh. Even Damian had a ghost of a smile.
“I’m not sure I got a hold of Jason and if he received the message, he never replied,” Bruce said, suddenly he sounded tired. “The other two are on their way.”
And right on cue, the doorbell rang a third time. Alfred was there before anyone had a chance to move.
“Who else is coming?” Tim asked out loud.
Dick turned to Babs, maybe the Commissioner had been invited?
“Don’t look at me,” Barbara told him. If her dad had been invited he would have called her for costume advice, but the guest list seemed to consist of masks only.
Tim moved towards the door. He was the first to see her, but Steph was the first to react.
“Cass!!” she yelled, running towards her friend and smothering her in a giant hug. “Oh my god, you’re here! Are you a fairy?!” she laughed, “How have you been? Where have you been? And since when do you have a kid?!” Steph stepped back and stared at the little person dressed as a princess hiding behind Cass’ legs.
“It’s okay,” Cass said to the little girl, “Don’t be afraid.” She picked her up, but the girl buried her face in Cass’ shoulder.
Everyone was staring at them when a man wearing a bloodied Friday the 13th hockey mask walked in behind Cass and the little girl. Everyone was on high alert.
“Is he with you, Cass?” Tim asked.
“What, no,” Cass shook her head, “We bumped into each other outside. And she’s not mine.” She walked over to Bruce, “She’s his. And hers,” Cass smiled at Selina.
“What?!” Damian yelled, “Impossible.”
Cass turned to her friends, “I just brought Helena home.”
“Thank you,” Selina whispered. She removed her Trinity shades and took her daughter in her arms, she could hardly contain her tears. She and Bruce had decided to get their daughter back, but actually having her back was unlike anything she could have imagined. The family caring for Helena must have been devastated, but Selina was glad they understood and agreed to let her go.
Damian stepped up to Bruce, “What is the meaning of this, father?”
…
“Who’s your friend?” Tim asked Cass. He had not seen her in months, but since he had been in constant contact with her and was the only one to know her whereabouts, he felt slightly overprotective all of a sudden.
“You know him,” she replied.
“Don’t tell me it’s that hard to guess.” The hockey mask came off and there stood Jason Todd, grinning.
“Master Jason. Please, come in.”
“Thanks,” he replied. It had been years since he’d last seen Alfred and there was a tiny part of him that wanted to hug the older man. He ignored it.
“Uh, yeah, come in.” Of course, Dickie bird in his stupid costume would be the next to greet him. “Hope you’re hungry. As usual Alfred made enough food for half of Gotham.”
“Jason.” It was Bruce. “You came.”
“As you can see. I owed your girl,” Jason said, looking at Cass, “She called in her favor.”
“I’m glad either way,” Bruce stepped closer, placing his hand on Jason’s shoulder. He took a deep breath, then said, “Whatever happened before… is done.”
“Is that right?” Jason sniffed.
“Yes.”
“Just so you know, Bruce, I can’t take you seriously in that get up.”
“My father is giving you a second chance, boy. Take it. It will not be offered again.”
Jason laughed. He turned to Cass, “Did that tiny pirate just call me boy?”
“Tiny!?”
“Just ignore him, it’s what we do,” Steph shrugged.
“I’ll teach you to ignore me!”
“Maybe another time,” Jason turned to leave. He knew it was a mistake to show up. Bruce was back, but it didn’t mean anything had changed.
Cass followed him and stopped him before he reached the door.
Tim tried to listen in on their conversation.
“What’s up with those two?” Steph came up beside him.
Shaking his head, Tim replied, “I don’t know. She never told me she’d been in contact with him.”
“What?” Steph paused mid-bite, the bat-shaped rice crispy treat all but forgotten, “You’ve been in contact with Cass this whole time?”
“What?” Tim turned to Steph, realizing his mistake a moment too late. “I… We haven’t been especially close lately,” he said by way of defense.
“Close or not, I was worried about her! You had to know that much!”
“Cass asked me not to say anything. She had instructions from Bruce and-”
“And you suck.”
Barbara and Dick sat off to the side.
“Out of those four who do you think-?”
“Twenty bucks says Tim and Steph hook up again.”
Barbara laughed, “That’s not what I was going to ask.”
“No?”
“No.” Though now that Dick mentioned it… She looked from Tim to Steph to Jason to Cass and back to Tim. “Fifty on Tim and Cass.”
“You’re on!”
…
Bruce returned to Selina and Helena, taking Damian with him.
“A sibling?” Damian was visibly upset. Anger and annoyance were the prevailing emotions, but there was also confusion. Where did the new kid leave him?
“Is she…” The rest of the words refused to leave his lips. He grew angrier and cursed his momentary display of weakness. Cowardice was not befitting the Son of the Bat. Quickly, he composed himself. “Is she going to replace me as Robin?” he asked and swore that regardless of the answer, he would not give them - that woman or the little girl smiling at him - the satisfaction of seeing his true reaction.
“No!” both his father and the woman replied.
Good.
Damian tried to reel in his emotions, but a satisfied smile managed to escape. “Then, I have no problem with the child,” he said walking away. “For now.”
…
Cass stopped Jason before he got too far.
“I didn’t think they’d scare you off so easily.”
“I never said I’d stay long.”
“Today,” she said, “It’s like starting over. Whatever mistakes we've made, it’s like they never happened.”
It was the second chance she'd been waiting for and even if he couldn’t see it yet, it was probably the one he'd been waiting for, too. She wasn't about to let him waste it.
When he snickered, she crossed her arms and gave him ‘the glare.’ Funny how she could look so intimidating without a cowl and while wearing fairy wings. Jason rolled his eyes. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Cass (because he wasn’t) or that he actually wanted to stay (because he didn’t), but he had nothing else planned, so… Fuck it, he’d stay. But after this, she was going to owe him.
“Fine, just keep Johnny and Keanu away from me.”
Cass caught Dick and Tim pretending not to listen. “Deal.”
“’Sides, I think I’ll stick with the Sexy Nurse and what’s the blonde supposed to be?”
“I don’t know,” Cass smiled, “Let’s ask her.”
…
As Alfred cleared the black-and-orange plates and cups scattered around the living room, Helena was with him. That was only a problem because it was past midnight and she was still wide-awake. Alfred swore that next time Richard insisted on giving the toddler so many pieces of candy corn, Batman or not, he would be the one chasing after her.
Still, Alfred would be the first to admit, the party had been a great success. Only a few hours ago, the Manor had been bustling with laughter and more happy voices than he could remember until the signal lit up the sky and the festivities came to a close. But throughout the evening, Bruce remained true to his word and made a solid effort to embrace his family. Not once did he complain about that horrid costume, not even after Jason called for an Elvis and Lady Gaga duet.
The Manor grew quiet again once the sugar high finally wore down. As Alfred carried Helena up to bed, he couldn’t help but think it was good to have everyone home again.