Chapter 5

A/N: Apologies for the lack of updates, I've been travelling a lot over the past few months and haven't been home enough to really write anything.

Anyway hopefully this chapter will be enjoyed and as always feel free to leave suggestions and what not in a review and I'll see if I can fit it in to the story.

Would you guys prefer lots of fluff or more of a story arc? There will be both but is there a preference for one over the other?

Bruce couldn't bring himself to pull Dick away from the older man but he knew the little boy must be getting cold.

"Come on you, time to get changed" He scooped him from Alfred's grasp and placed him on his hip. He shot Alfred an apologetic look and made a mental note to let him have some time later with the little bird.

They walked to the storage room where all of Dick's things had been kept, they would probably have to go shopping to update them but not today. He felt both a rush of panic and a rush of excitement at the thought that Dick wouldn't change back to his normal age for long enough that they needed new clothes.

He knew he should feel guilty but the first time Dick was this age he had just been trying to make it through every day, he didn't have thoughts of taking photos, or living in the moment, he just focused on being Batman.

When he had first adopted Dick it was out of what felt like panic and looking back he can't quite fathom why he did. Bruce would change so much if he could, but that is one thing he would never change. He had made many mistakes when raising Dick, he hadn't been there enough, he shouldn't have let him train to be Robin, he should have made sure Dick never lost the memories and love he had for his parents, he should have been open with him about his life and past, he should have done so much more and it felt like now was a slight chance for him to rectify that, even if only a little bit, even if Dick wouldn't remember it when he returned to his own age.

Bruce had always wanted Dick to know that he wasn't trying to replace his parents, and it was a precarious balance of making Dick know how loved and cared for he was and how much his birth parents loved and cared for him too. Bruce hadn't had that as a child, Alfred had tried his hardest but after the trauma of what he witnessed it was a losing battle, Dick on the other hand was old enough to have vague memories of his parents but young enough not to remember the trauma of their deaths, something he was grateful for.

He had been so scared in those first few months, years really, but they both had. Dick was in a new place with new people and a new life and Bruce was just beginning a journey he had no real understanding of. He was becoming a parent with no plan and no preparation, everything was new and scary and like he did when he was younger he shied away from what he was afraid of. He hoped that when Dick returned to his own age he would remember this time, it would give him a chance to show the boy everything he had missed out on when he was this age originally.

He found the room and by that time Dick was asleep again, Bruce figured he would sleep for most of the day, not only was his body transformed to a toddler, but Jokers concoctions usually took a large physically toll on the body and even he couldn't handle too much of one without losing every ounce of energy in his body. If Dick was anything like he was at 3 originally Bruce imagined him and Alfred would be getting very little sleep. The boy may have been cautious but he was also inquisitive and energetic and Bruce could only imagine what the toddler would be like now that the fear seemed to have disapated.

He opened the door and peered in the room he tended to avoid, it wouldn't do well to dwell on the past but he was happy for the excuse to do it now. The room held everything that Alfred had kept over the years that had belonged to Dick, the toys, clothes and books stacked high in labelled boxes which lay all over the room. He had argued that Dick may want it in the future, especially since he had very little from his time before he had joined there family. And like he did with everything else Bruce had allowed Alfred to take control of anything related to the little boy, he had been much too busy with Gotham to worry about whether or not Dick was eating his carrot sticks.

This time around he wanted to change that.