When the Past Becomes the Future

Bonding Over Batman

The hearts of all three adults stopped the second the dark haired boy entered the kitchen. Brian finally cleared his throat and knelt down in front of the boy. Being even closer to him than before, Brian had a chance to really examine his face. His dark eyes were identical to his own and the way the boy's wavy hair fell just short of his eyes made Brian remember his mother pestering him to get a haircut so many times growing up. Even the shape of his little face looked like his own.

"I was at the library, you have a good memory." Brian said kindly to the little boy.

"Why are you here?" Levi asked.

"Well I um...I was friends with your mom a long time ago and she invited me over to catch up a little bit." Brian answered.

David and Juliette were exchanging looks. She could tell by her boyfriend's face that he wasn't happy about this. In her defense she was always honest with him when it came to the identity of Levi's dad. David knew who he was and also that Juliette never told him he had a son; she also meant what she said earlier, Brian had every right to get to know him.

"Hey!" Levi exclaimed, "That's a cool shirt!" He announced happily when he noticed the shirt Brian was wearing. It was his Superman vs. Batman limited edition T-shirt that Walt had to track down for him.

"You like this?" He asked smiling at the young boy.

"Yeah! Superheroes are the best. I have a bunch of toys in the living room, wanna see?!" He asked jumping up and down. Levi had never met an adult that liked superheroes before.

Brian smiled. Juliette was right, their son was absolutely obsessed and he loved it. As Brian followed him into the living room, David and Juliette stayed back and observed what was happening.

"This doesn't feel right, it's gonna crush him if he ever finds out." David whispered to his girlfriend.

"Honey, I don't know what else to do. He has every right to know his son. I was in the wrong, not Brian." Juliette sighed. She always knew deep down her choices would come back and bite her one day.

"So what happens now? Huh, he just slips in and plays father of the year? He knows nothing about him." David argued.

"It's up to Brian to decide what kind of dad he wants to be." Juliette answered. "That's why I don't want Levi finding out right away, Brian's life isn't like ours. He travels all the time and works non stop, he's not gonna be able to see Levi everyday like you and I."

"Exactly..." David said, "He's not gonna be able to give him the attention he should.

Back in the living room, Brian was being dragged around. The little boy sure did have a lot of toys. It seemed like he favored Batman to any other and Brian was mentally trying to think of cool stuff at his house that perhaps Levi had never seen before.

Before long Brian had his son in tears from laughing so hard. He was doing all the different voices from the Joker, to the Penguin, and even attempted a girly voice for Catwoman. David had retreated to his office to take a phone call for work so Juliette stood in the doorway of the living room and looked on. "Mommy, He is so funny! He knows even more about Batman than me." Levi shouted.

"Holy cow!" Juliette exclaimed lovingly to her son. As they continued to play, Juliette and Brian exchanged a glance and with that look she could tell he was all in. He wanted to be as big of a piece of their son's life as he could.

After spending close to an hour on the floor reliving his childhood through the eyes of a boy that belonged to him, Brian decided to call it a night. "Do you have to go?" Levi asked.