Hey everyone. This new story is a sister story to another Justice League fanfic (currently up) I'm writing called Matriarch of the Wayne. The two stories are from different point of views – this one stars Bruce's children (Dick, Damien, Tim, Jason, and Cassandra), but focuses primarily on Dick and Damien while the other story focuses more on Bruce and Diana (Wonder Woman). It seemed easier to separate the fanfics because the Justice League (animated series; original seven) as a whole was more involved than this story where the bat family has more say. This is a story of how Dick, Damien, and the other children handle Bruce's relationship with Wonder Woman (and vice-versa with Matriarch).

I do want to say this right away with anyone who is a fan of Jason Todd; I'm not particularly a fan in most fanfics on how he is portrayed. I just think that the relationship between him the bat family is so strained it's not as easy for them to reconcile and forget all the conflict and emotions they've gone through (especially with the New 52; that really bothers me how things changed so much; read the recent Batman Inc. chapter and you'll see what I mean). So he'll not be around half of the time in the story nor will Cassandra. I love Cassandra Cain and I really wanted to put her in the story because I feel she's not getting the love she deserves. With that being said, I do not own Batman, Wonder Woman, or any characters from the DC Universe.

1/9/13 Update: So after being out of the game for a month, I came back to update the story and rework some things after I wasn't too proud on how I was handling it. I'm keeping this and Matriach of the Wayne two separate stories. So some grammatical fixes and slight changes in this chapter to set up (and align some things) going on in the future.

Prelude

Damien looked out the window of Dick's loft glaring at the rain pouring down in Bludhaven. He didn't expect to spend the night here; it was supposed to be like any other day and patrol on the streets with his father, but instead, he told him to take some time off and that he was going to spend some time with his brother at his place while he was out on "league business." Obviously that was a lie, but Damien didn't press on. He accepted it and hoped it was code for something more serious like, "the mansion is compromised," or "Alfred is an imposter!" If he was on league business, it'd be strange he was leaving him out of the mansion unless it involved their presence there. Even so, he should've been allowed to stay and sleep in his own bed.

Dick had always left an extra room open to Damien when he came by. Sometimes Tim used it, but mostly it was for his youngest brother because of how close they were. He watched the youngest Wayne from a distance and pondered what was upsetting him. It worried him it was him, but if that were true, Damien would've said something a long time ago. He was a very blunt kid. Every time he looked at Bruce's only legitimate child it always brought concern to him as well as Bruce. His upbringing with his mother, Talia, his penchant for violence, acting like an adult when he was really a kid, but for Dick personally, he reminded him a little of Jason and how easily Damien could fall in that path if he wasn't properly guided. The eldest son wished he could've been there more for Jason when he needed it, and as he watched Damien, he wanted to make sure nothing bad would happen to him either.

"Little D, you still hungry?" Dick walked up to Damien.

"I'm fine."

Dick tilted his to the right. "You don't look it. Want to talk about it, or you just want to stare at rain and hope light shines down and doves fly from the streets like in…"

"What are you babbling about, Grayson?" Damien leered at Dick as the eldest brother smiled.

"Oh c'mon, it's a sick scene. See, what happens in…"

"I don't care…"

"… then after he's shot, these doves come flying…"

"… Stop talking…"

"… it was just, awesome! You should watch it with me sometime; I know Bruce might not approve, but I think you're grown enough to…"

"What is father up to?" Dick became silent when Damien asked that. "Why aren't we on patrol?"

Dick calmly replied, "Bruce needs sometime for himself. He's… preoccupied."

"With League business? Pfft, I doubt it. Explain," Damien crossed his arms as continued to press Dick on the matter. The later frowned.

"Look, we all need some down time, even Batman…"

"Bullshit…"

"Damien, don't cuss. You know what happens to little kids who cuss? They don't get ice cream." Damien looked in disbelief after that statement. "What? They don't! Bruce snatched an ice cream cone from me one time when I said damn. It was the saddest day of my life… when I was 10."

"That's pathetic, Grayson. I'm not going to cry over ice cream, and stop distracting me and answer me. What's. Father. Up. To?"

Dick crossed his arms and contemplated whether or not to tell the truth to him. He was a child (as much as Damien didn't like the title) and he may not be able to comprehend his father's circumstance. Bruce told Dick why he didn't want Damien over when he had to invite a young lady back to his place to keep up a playboy appearance. He frowned upon that, but Dick accepted it none the less. It wasn't until when Bruce mentioned who it was is when Dick squealed in delight and bombarded him in fanboyism. Damien didn't understand why he continued to play the role of a fool when he was anything but. This time though, Bruce had more of an (honest) upbeat attitude over this woman. He'd be happy for Bruce if this really was him falling in love, but to explain that another woman was entering Bruce's life to Damien would confused the kid, especially one he was genuinely interested in.

Putting an arm over Damien, Dick cheerfully said, "Let's go watch Adventure Time!"

Damien scowled as he was pulled over to the couch and sat down as Dick turned on his big screen and they watched Adventure Time. Robin mumbled something in Arabic as Dick elbowed the younger sibling to enjoy the show. He was trying not to watch, but he was getting amerced in the show. Nightwing smiled as his younger brother enjoyed the program. No matter how much he resisted, his brother was still a kid and acted like one.

After the episode ended, Dick yelled, "that was great wasn't it?"

"It was… adequate," Damien grinded his teeth in shame of that admission. "Can we now talk about father…"

"… Oh look! Another episode is coming…"

"GRAYSON!" he stood up from the couch and hovered over his brother. "What is father doing, and who is he doing it with… or to…"

"I thought you said 'slang is for the lost cretins of this world?' Doing it too?" Dick smirked as Damien's eye twitched.

"Don't patronize me and answer the question!"

Richard exhaled. "Fine, I'll bite. Bruce is on a date…"

"I knew it. Father once again wastes his night on tramp just for the cameras. It's shameful."

"Actually… I think he might genuinely like this woman. He was rather cheerful about the having her over. Not like he usually does when he treats this like something he has to get over with…"

Damien frowned. It was the first time he had dealt with a woman possible becoming further involved with his father in a… romantic sense. Did he find her adequate enough to court for a chance of becoming one of the family? Was she genuinely interested in him or his money? Did she know Bruce Wayne was Batman? Only time could tell, and he'd hope his father knew what he was doing.

"Have you done a background check on this woman yet? Has father done one?"

Dick was surprised by this question. "There's no need."

Damien sighed at his brother's naivety. This guy was Batman, and he was his ward. It continued to baffle him that he did the job as well as he did. "What do you know of this woman? What's her name?"

"Uh… I don't…know?" the young man failed at lying. He turned away from Damien making a crooked smile. Part of him wanted to brag in his fanboy mode over his father's love interest, but couldn't with Damien because he never like this aspect of him.

Damien growled. "Explain!" he pounced on his brother as they wrestled on the ground.

"I don't know, I swear!" he kept blocking Damien's jabs until he got the upper hand and pinned Damien on the ground.

"Let me go, Grayson!"

"Not until you say, 'I'm Damien, a perfectly normal ten year old who loves his brothers and sister, especially Tim. He's the bestest in the world.'"

The youngest Wayne growled and yelled, "Never!" thunder came down and stopped the boys struggle.

As the rain continued to pour heavily in the streets of Bludhaven, Dick got up and helped his brother to his feet; Damien reluctantly took his hand and stared at his brother. "Why won't you tell me? Who is she? Is it… is it… mother?" he slightly shook and his lips quivered at the thought.

Dick looked wide-eyed at Damien as he didn't expect that question. His reaction, however, sent the wrong message to Damien as he ran to his room looking for his Robin suit. "Damien, wait!"

"Wait!? My mother is at Wayne Manor! Who knows what she'll do to him!"

"It's not Talia, Damien! It's Wonder… uh… " Dick became quiet as Damien was halfway into his suit.

"Wonder…" he eyed his brother suspiciously.

Dick sighed. He approached the youngest Wayne and whispered in his ear, "It's Wonder Woman."

Damien didn't believe what he was saying at first. He looked at the man in disbelief at first until he saw how serious Richard had been. Confused, he sat down on his bed trying to absorb the information he'd taken in. She was a meta; father didn't trust metas. He was very hesitant about being in a group with nothing but metas and aliens, and yet, he was becoming intimate with one.

"I don't understand. Why? What does he see in this woman? Isn't she a meta? Aren't we not to get involved with them?"

"How could you say that, little D? You were in the Titans…"

"WERE, until Drake came and made it crappy as he usually does with everything else in life. Besides, being there allowed me to assess future threats."

Dick frowned at his brother's ignorance. "I was going to marry a meta, Damien. What would you have said if I had and she was a part of this family? I'm sure she would've loved you."

Given his frequent encounters with many of the non-Gotham bat family members, Damien replied, "pfft, I doubt it."

"What about Superman? Dad's best friends with him."

"I think they're only close because father believes he's too much of a threat leave to his own devices," Damien smugly remarked.

Dick uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. "Seriously, that's rather paranoid of you." "Not to mention too accurate to what Bruce would say."

"Paranoid? Anyone strong enough to lift tank, create constructs with their mind, cast a spell that can turn a mere man into a pig," Dick flinched at that, regretting of telling the boy of the incident, "or emit heat rays from their eyes should DEFINITELY be monitored. That's the real reason father is a part of the league."

Dick walked over and sat himself and his brother down on the bed. "Stop overthinking things, Damien. It's true that Bruce has had some… issues with metas and aliens in the past, but I like to think that's soften over time with being in the League. Dating Diana…"

"Who?"

"Wonder Woman. That's her government name, Diana. Anyway, dating Diana might've loosened him up with that. I bet if you met her you might feel the same."

"Have you met her?" Damien skeptically looked at Dick.

"I did when I was younger. She's wonderful, and beautiful I mean those legs…" Dick whistled at the thought. As he reminisced about those shapely, fine toned legs, he had forgotten that Damien happened to be in the same room with him in the present.

Batman's only legitimate child was disgusted at his brother's incompetence. "Well, until this woman's intentions are clear, I refuse not to let my guard down, and you shouldn't either. I'm surprised you lasted this long being so trustworthy."

"Me too. Come on, let's watch Adventure Time!" Dick jumped up hoping Damien joined.

"Yeah! I-I mean no, no!" he crossed his arms. "I refuse to watch something so juvenile. I'm going to retire. Hopefully you'll come to your senses and assist me with surveiance on father's… houseguest tomorrow."

Dick chuckled, "oh ho ho, I don't think she'll be there when we get back, or maybe you'll be here a bit longer. We'll see."

Damien scowled as he pushed Dick out the room. "She better not."

Richard frowned on hearing that as he held a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Damien, you really need to give this woman a chance. If Bruce was to get serious with her, you're going to have to interact with her, and I bet the two of you have more in common than you think. I doubt she's a danger to us, otherwise Bruce would've went bat shit crazy just letting her into Gotham. I promise that it's going to be okay," as he let go he left one last remark, "just because he's seeing her doesn't mean he's going to forget you or love you any less."

As Richard shut the door, Damien lays on the bed and contemplated his words, but in the back of his mind he continued to believe this woman was trouble and that the further they saw each other, the more likely he would've been forgotten. He was the son of one of Batman's greatest adversaries, and this woman may want to disconnect all ties with her, including him. He didn't want to go back, and he didn't want to be discarded like trash (unlike some other people in the family whom he believed deserved it – Tim). It was one of the few times in his life he was scared. Change was coming, and he wasn't ready for it.

So previously I wrote it out in both stories that the Justice League (mostly founders) haven't really met the family, but I wanted to rewrite that because after I reread it several times it stopped making sense as I was coming up with future storylines thus the necessary changes. No other League members (except Diana) will be in this story for the time being. They'll all stay in Matriach of the Wayne. Anyway, reviews would be appreciated and hopefully I'll have the new chapter up before the day is over. One love.