Chapter 10

Summary:

The mystery behind the white-suited men deepens.

In Wayne Manor, Danny starts to settle in, and he quickly wins the heart of one of his Uncles.

***This chapter was originally posted (mistakenly) as chapter 9. To read the new material, you'll need to go back one. I'm really sorry for the confusion! If you are reading this after May 31, 2023, then everything is already fixed. Thank you for understanding!***

Notes:

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I read every one, and your comments inspire my work. You are appreciated! I hope this slice-of-life chapter is to your liking! Deeper stuff will be later. See you guys on the next chapter!

👻

Chapter Text

The trio eventually returned home in time to put Danny to bed before Patrol. That evening, the Bat-signal lit up the Gotham night sky. A weary Batman landed silently on the GCPD roof and found Commissioner Gordon pacing in front of the light. Jim started in surprise, but quickly got to business. "Batman, there have been some complications in the case from the other night."

Batman stared at Gordon silently, waiting for the man to continue. The police Commissioner frowned. "All of the prisoners that we arrested were found dead this afternoon. We are currently awaiting results on cause of death." He pulled a folder from the inside of his coat and handed it over. "This is all of the information we have. If you would help us look in to this, I'd be grateful."

Bruce had expected that something like this would happen. Red Robin had noted the strange behavior of the prisoners, and Robin had commented on their unusual similarities. Bruce looked up from the paperwork and nodded to his old friend. "I'll get back with you as soon as I investigate…and Gordon, be careful. If my suspicions are correct, this case is bigger than the both of us."

"Thank you, Batman." Gordon shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Take your own advice and stay safe." He turned towards the door and walked away. The Bat never said "goodbye" anyway.

Bruce decided to send Robin out with Nightwing, who was still in town visiting. Instead of patrolling, he went over the case files provided by Gordon. They were disturbing. None of the men had said a word the entire time they were in custody. They did not have any form of identification, other than wallet "badges" with names like "Agent E" and "Agent P". The most disturbing thing out of all of it was the fact that they all apparently died within minutes of each other, with no visible trauma or cause of death.

Secret organizations, mysterious deaths—none of it looked good for Danny. And if the League of Assassins was after him and using these quasi-governmental thugs as troops, well, it was going to get very messy. Bruce hated messes. With a heavy sigh, Batman dove back into the files. Perhaps he missed a clue…

Upstairs, Danny was vibrating with energy. He had been to space. He got to see an unobstructed view of the stars, and Cujo found him! Danny carried the glowing green puppy all over Wayne Manor, introducing him to the boy's favorite places—the game room and the kitchen—and showing him off to the family.

Damian was the most interested in Cujo. He had never met a canine ghost before. The thought that animals could also have afterlives intrigued him. He grabbed a plate full of celery and a bowl full of dip, along with one of Titus' chew bones, and invited Danny to the family room to talk.

"So," the Wayne progeny started. "You have managed to befriend and tame a spirit. One of a dog, no less."

Nodding heartily, Danny replied. "Yep."

"In what ways is he like a living dog? How is he different?" Damian wasn't considering trying to find his own ghost puppy—this was just necessary information for meeting the dog's needs in the household. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

Danny grinned at his uncle.

Were those teeth always that sharp? Damian wondered.

Cujo rolled over on the couch to get more belly scratches. Danny plopped his head down on the dog's stomach instead. He finally answered his uncle. "Well, Cujo is a living dog—he just lives a different kind of life than we do. He loves to play like mortal dogs do, and he's real protective of me, too. And yeah, he does have ghost powers, but that just makes him cooler. I mean, I don't have to feed him, and he doesn't make messes on the floor!"

"Hm. Those do sound like excellent benefits—especially his powers and protectiveness. I approve. He can stay."

Danny blinked at Damian. "Uh, thank you? I guess…"

"Perhaps I will help you train him. He obviously needs to learn some manners, and training him will make him a better protector as well. Would you agree to that?"

"You'll help me train Cujo?! That would be great! I could never get him to listen to me, well, before. Thank you, Uncle Damian! Thank you so much!!!"

The teen suddenly found himself wrapped in a slightly glowing hug. For one so little, he carries such strength…Todd should be proud. Damian carefully disengaged from Danny, and turned his gaze to the green puppy. "When would you like to start?"

Danny squealed, and his face lit up. His freckles started glowing on his face "Can we start soon?"

"Let me get Titus so that the two can meet. Having a well-trained dog around will help keep your puppy better behaved during his instruction. I will meet you in your room shortly." Damian nodded to Danny and left the den.

The small boy quickly scooped up his pet, changed into his ghost form, and flew directly to his bedroom to wait on his uncle.

Neither of the two were aware that their entire exchange had been observed by Alfred. The elderly man smiled once he found himself alone. He had been concerned that the youngest Wayne would not be accepting of the newest family member. He was glad to see that his concerns were not valid. Damian was already offering to mentor Danny. That was one of the best outcomes the "butler" could have hoped for.

Early the next morning, as Alfred was making breakfast, he heard footsteps in the hallway. He turned toward the mudroom and saw Damian getting ready to take Titus for his walk. He wasn't expecting to see a rather sleepy Danny holding the leash of his puppy as well.

"Good morning, young sirs. I trust that you slept well?"

"I had an excellent night's rest; thank you, Alfred."

"I slept good too!" Danny piped up. "I dreamed about the place with the strange sky full of purple doors."

"That sounds very interesting, Master Danny. Perhaps you can tell us more when you return from your morning walk."

Danny bounced on his toes. Cujo started making quick circles around Danny until they were both wrapped up together in the leash.

"Tt. That's what I meant about manners. Do not fret, though. Training does wonders for a dog's disposition."

Danny giggled. "You use the big words. I bet you get good grades in school!" He did not appear to be bothered by being bound up in his dog's leash.

"I do get excellent marks in all of my classes. Would you like some assistance in extricating yourself from your dog's leash?"

"Nah. I got it!" Danny briefly went intangible and the leash fell off through him onto the floor. He stood triumphantly. "See!"

"Hm. That certainly is one technique to extract yourself from entanglement."

Alfred turned to hide the smirk on his lips. He faced the cabinets by the stovetop. "Breakfast will be served in half an hour. May I suggest that you begin your morning walk, so that you will be back in time for the meal?"

"Of course, Alfred. We will see you shortly." Damian looked at his tiny companion and kept his satisfaction to himself. He would be the one to help train the newest member of the family. This child would help Damian show off his ability to be a mentor and leader. The boy was already looking at him with admiration. It was time to play that up. "Come now, Daniel. We must make our lap around the grounds before the food is ready or the ravenous horde will eat all of our food." So, it was a little exaggeration. Damian thought.

"Um, Uncle Damian, my name is Danny, not Daniel…" The boy was blushing. "But…if you want to call me Daniel, I guess you can. But ONLY you, OK?"

Damian felt honored that the boy held him in high enough esteem to allow him the right to use his proper name. He decided to safeguard his relationship with the boy. With the correct training and support, Daniel could turn out to be the relation Damian had always wanted. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone get in the way of that.

Danny broke into his thoughts with a blinding smile. "Ready, Uncle Damian?" The bright look on Danny's face showed his eagerness to begin.

Damian nodded sharply and started towards the door. "Leash training is the perfect first step…" His voice disappeared when the mudroom door closed.

Later:

"So, Titus and Cujo both saw a squirrel, and Titus sat down, but Cujo pulled me all across the yard chasing it! I had so much fun this morning with Uncle Damian!"

"That's great Danny. I'm really glad that you are adjusting well to being in the family." Bruce smiled over his newspaper.

Jason looked up with narrowed eyes at Damian. He wasn't sure what game the teen was playing—if it was a game—and he didn't want to see Danny hurt. He watched for several minutes as everyone dug into their food, and he paid special attention to Damian and Danny. He couldn't miss the wide looks of fondness that Danny got when he looked at his new uncle. He also noted the small affectionate glances that Damian sent the boy's way. Jason wasn't sure what to think about that. He'd watch them closely, though. Just to be safe.

After breakfast, the elder Bat-children went about their daily tasks, and Bruce went to a corporate meeting in town. That left Jason and Danny in the Manor in the care of Alfred for the day. "Master Jason, Master Danny, lunch will be served at 11:45am. I expect to see both of you there."

Jason was used to keeping his own hours and schedule, but he understood that some things would have to be sacrificed in the name of parenthood. He looked at his child's content face, eyes glued to the coloring book in front of the boy, and decided that Danny was worth whatever sacrifices it took to keep him. He laughed quietly to himself. He had never even considered becoming a parent, but he was grateful that the universe had chosen to gift him with a child. He was going to do his best to not be like his own birth-father.

Danny stretched. "Uh, Dad? Can we play some video games now? I still remember some of my favorite ones. I wanna play Mario Cart."

"Is that a challenge, kiddo?" Jason grinned.

Danny's response was a sharper grin. Were his teeth always that sharp?? The boy floated in the air until he was eye-to-eye with Jason. "Yep." He popped the "p" sound.

Jason's response was to laugh and head towards the family room. He didn't realize, until after his fourth loss, just how competitive his boy was. He would be able to use that strength as a motivation for training the young Batling. After all, he only responded to the Justice League's holographic testing once he was told it was a game. Jason could fit martial arts and self-defense into the framework of gaming… Who would he compete against, though? Jason didn't have an answer to that—yet—but he would figure it out.

Time flew by as Jason and Danny explored the various game titles that were available—and appropriate—for the boy to play. Soon enough, Alfred was announcing lunch. "Would the young Masters care to dine in the kitchen or in the breakfast nook?"

Jason hadn't been a "young Master" for quite some time, but he supposed the title was a term of endearment from the household manager/grandfather of many. "Yeah, Alfie, we're finishing up. We'll be eating in the kitchen, since we're the only ones home right now."

"Very well, sir. I expect your presence shortly."

The gaming duo put up all the equipment that they had been using and made their way to the kitchen. Alfred served them grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and fresh squeezed lemonade. The three males chatted while Danny and Jason ate their fill. Both of the adults noticed that Danny ate three times as much food as his dad. Alfred filed that information away for future meals.

After lunch, Danny talked Jason into giving him a tour of the mansion. Danny's curiosity was relentless. He studied cabinets and doors and spaces underneath furniture. Jason was halfway convinced that the boy was planning hiding places and escape routes. He wasn't wrong. Danny's instincts might be muted, but three years of ghost hunting still made its mark on the boy.

Alfred left and went to pick up Damian from school. Danny was excited that his uncle was on his way home. He really liked his Uncle Damian. His dad seemed a little wary of the sword-wielding teen's interactions with Danny, but there was something in Damian that called to him—just like there was something in Jason and Cass—and even Bruce that called to him too.

Danny wasn't entirely sure yet, but he was beginning to think that he was feeling the bonds of family forming. In the entirety of his memories, he had never felt as much at home as he did in Wayne Manor. That's not to say that his seven years with the Fentons counted for nothing—it was more that he could feel a connection to this, his birth family, whereas he had only had light bonds with the Fentons.

Danny frowned at the thought of his lost home in Amity Park. He had been so busy that he really hadn't had a chance to unpack all that had happened. It didn't help that his memories were fuzzy, and that his mind ran a hundred miles a minute. It was extremely hard for the young boy to focus. The only memories that remained clear were the ones where he was being hunted. It made for some bad dreams.

The young boy thought of his old friends, Sam and Tucker. A wave of sadness washed over him when he remembered that he left them thinking he was dead. He felt bad about that, but he comforted himself with the knowledge that they were much safer this way. Danny took a deep, calming breath and let it out. His life in Amity Park was over. His new life as Daniel Todd-Wayne was just beginning.

That thought hit the limit of Danny's short attention span. He decided to go and find Cujo, so that he would be ready to go on his "training walk" with Uncle Damian. Danny loved all the members of his new family—well, maybe not the girl in purple, she was loud—but some of them were already standing out as his favorite people. His dad was on the top of that list; so was Uncle Damian and his grandpas. Tim kind of reminded him of Tucker—no, he wasn't going to think about them! And…he was becoming fond of his other aunts and uncles.

It wasn't long until Alfred returned with Damian, and the teen was pleased to see Danny and Cujo waiting in the foyer. The puppy was sitting quietly beside the boy who was scratching behind the dog's ears. "Are you ready, Uncle Damian?!"

Damian sent a look Danny's way. It was an odd mix of annoyance and fondness. "Daniel, I need to put my school things away and get changed. Then, we can do our afternoon walk and training sessions with our pets."

Danny smiled brightly. "Cool! Thank you, Uncle Damian!"

Jason stood watching, hidden in the shadows by the den. He wasn't sure how he felt about Damian and Danny's budding friendship. There are worse people he could have on his side…With a deep sigh, Jason realized that he was probably experiencing the same thing Bruce did when his kids grew overly fond of other heroes. I'm not Bruce. I'm not Bruce. He wished he could believe himself.

He slapped on a smile for his boy and made his entrance into the foyer, where Danny was waiting on Damian. "Hey kiddo! Going for a walk?"

Danny bounced on his seat. "Uncle Damian and Titus are going to take us for our walk! We're teaching Cujo some commands too! He's the best uncle!"

Jason smothered his snort. He wondered what the others were going to think when they found out the "demon brat" was Danny's favorite uncle. "I'm glad that you're getting along so well with him." A soft smile graced Jason's lips. "I'm really glad you're here, kiddo."

"Me too, Dad. Me too!"