Hey Brother

Chapter Four

Jason walked into the library, eyes wide as he looked at the hundreds - no, thousands - of books with in its walls. He had a small smile on his face, giddy excitement filling him up.

Damian walked up to his older brother, jabbing him in the side. "Your inner nerd is showing."

"Shut up." Jason mumbled, eyes still wandering the library. "This place is amazing."

"It is quite the spectacle." Damian agreed as the rest of the family trickled in, spreading out through out the library. Damian subconsciously took a step closer to Jason, seeking comfort in his familiarity.

Jason decided to wander the library, Damian hot on his heels as he strolled through the beautiful room. He wanted to read every single one of the books, he just didn't know where to start.

Jason was about to pull a book off a shelf when he heard talking coming from the other side. He paused, listening for a minute as he recognized the voice of his brother Dick.

"-I know, I know. I'm just not ready yet, babe." Jason's eyes widened when he realized his brother was on the phone and this was not a conversation he should be listening to. "They're my family, I know, and I hope they would understand but...well, I'll explain tomorrow when I see you. I've got to go. I love you too. Bye."

Jason and Damian scampered around the shelf, hiding from Dick as he walked around the corner, their hearts beating out of their chests.

"What are you two doing?" They jumped when they heard their oldest sister, Barbara's, voice above them. Looking up from the floor, they saw Barbara with her hands on her hips and her lips pursed. "Well?"

"We thought we saw a spider so we are hiding from it." Damian supplied lamely, standing up and helping Jason to his feet. "Silly, I know."

Barbara softened, ruffling Damian's hair. "Nah, I hate spiders too. Come on, I think mom is waiting for us by the fire place."

The three siblings made their way to the fire place in the library where Selina and the rest of the family were spread out on the couches and the floor, a game of Clue set up on the coffee table.

Jason and Damian took a seat on the couch next to Helena, who smiled at her younger brothers. "Enjoying the library?"

Jason smiled softly. "Its amazing."

"Good, I'm glad you like it."

Selina stood up from her wing back chair and walked up to the fire place, starting a fire before turning around to address her family. "I figured we could have a nice, calm, relaxing day playing board games, getting to know our newest members and each other a bit more. Any objections?" Nobody said a word. "Okay, do you want to start with Clue or a game of cards?"

"Well, seeing as it is already set up..." Tim drawled, gesturing to the board with his phone. "Dibs on Ms. Peacock!"

"Damnit, Timothy!" Helena and Dick called out at the same time, turning to glare at each other. "Jinx! Jinx again!"

"Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation!" Stephanie cried out, jumping up to stand on the couch. "You and I were just born twins!"

"That doesn't work, Stephanie." Cassandra scolded, chuckling anyways. Steph stuck her tongue out at her sister, sitting back down on the couch.

"Whatever, you're just jealous, Cass."

"Of what? Your awful singing voice?" She teased and Steph threw a pillow at her.

Bruce smiled at his daughters' antics, looking over his family as they choice their game pieces and got ready to play the game. He glanced over at Jason and Damian, noticing they were a bit confused. But he wasn't the only one to have noticed their confusion.

"Do you guys not know how to play Clue?" Tim asked his brothers. Jason bit back a snarky remark, opting to shake his head in the negative. Tim grinned at them, kneeling on the floor in front of them as he launched into an explanation of the game.

Bruce released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, glad another fight was avoided. He snuck a peak at Stephanie, watching as she joked around with Cassandra and Barbara. Steph caught his eye and mouthed an 'I'm fine', easing his nerves a bit more.

As long as his family was happy and healthy and getting along, Bruce was content.

"Jason, Damian, did you know your father once wanted to be a detective?" Selina smiled at her fiancé when he groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

Damian smirked, leaning forward on his elbows. "Do tell more."

"Well, this was a long time ago, so the details are bit fuzzy but your father was obsessed with crime. He would watch all the documentaries, read all the books and articles, you name it. He even signed up for a few classes at the university." Selina grinned teasingly. "But eventually he realized it was more of a hobby than a calling, hence all the Sherlock Holmes books."

"I was noticing that." Jason nodded along. "Classics."

"At least one of my children agrees with me." Bruce chuckled, earning a chorus of bickering from his other children, minus Damian of course. "Settle down, settle down. I was kidding."

"Shall we play the game?" Damian suggested, feeling confident he got the gist of it from Tim's explanation.

"Yeah, then you'll see the real reason dad didn't pursue being a detective." Helena snorted as everyone took their positions around the board.

As the game got well under way, Alfred trickled in to watch and laugh with the family, glad to see his newest charges finally warming up to the rest of the crew.

By the end of the day, the family had played an absurd amount of games and laughed so much that their stomachs were cramping. Jason and Damian could not recall having so much fun and that made them feel a bit guilty, as if they were betraying their mother. But Jason just reminded himself that his mother betrayed them when she decided to continue her life of crime despite her children and their needs.

So Jason pushed the thoughts of his mother to the back of his mind as he continued to laugh with his family, content to be with them and Damian.