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The Shadows We Cast

This is my contribution to this years @batfam-big-bang Big Bang! I’ve never been apart of anything like this and it was incredible. I have never met such kind and talented people and I can’t wait to do more with all of them in the future. The mods are all amazing and wonderful people and I can’t thank them enough for existing.

Special thanks to @shelbychild, @kuraness, and @xvivon for betaing this chapter, and @houser-of-stories for the art for this chapter, and @coravao and @dreamer-247 for the artwork for later chapters. You were all so incredibly helpful and I’m sorry I made you work so hard.

Chapter: 1/6

Length: 4,300 words

Fandom: Batman

Ratings: General Audiences

Trigger Warnings: Food Mention, Fire Mention,

Relationships: Dick Grayson/Barbra Gordon

Characters: Dick Grayson, Barbra Gordon, Jason Todd, Tim Drake-Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth

Summary:

Just another ordinary day in Gotham city and Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Duke are enjoying the calm in different ways. But in the sunlight everyone casts shadows, and some are harder to avoid than others.

Chapter 1: Dick

The morning light shines through Dicks window, casting his small bedroom in a golden hue. He quickly glances at the clock on his bedside table, 8:00am faintly glowing on its screen. Dejectedly, he resigns to his fate; he has to get up.

After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he carefully turns to the other side of the bed to see the beautiful redhead sleeping next to him. Barbara Gordon - sometimes he still can’t believe it. How did he ever get a girl like her? She’s smart, kind, and brave... not to mention the most beautiful girl he has ever seen.

He takes a minute just to let it sink in, then carefully kisses her forehead, and, though her eyes flutter, she doesn’t wake. Silently, he sneaks out of bed and creeps out of their room. Normally Babs would cook breakfast, but she was up late solving a cold case with Tim, and Dick wants to do something nice for her.

He slowly makes his way to the kitchen, stretching his sore muscles as he walks. Each step feels as though his own body is against him, fighting with everything it has to convince him to go back to his warm bed, but he persists. There was a time in his life when he could jump out of bed and run all the way to breakfast, but that time has long since passed.

He pauses for a moment, taken aback. When did his childhood begin to feel like a lifetime ago? He swears it was only yesterday he was running through the manor halls. Glancing around him, he takes in his surroundings; the short hallway from his bedroom to the kitchen is dark, getting lighter with each passing second. He could just see their couch, with Barbara’s favorite blanket strewn across the top and the kitchen table still covered in case files from last night.

Finally, he looks to the wall in front of him, filled with pictures of his family. The single picture of his parents surrounded by the family he has found, the family he has watched grow. There are pictures of all of them, though his favorite is the newest: a group photo of him and his brothers; even Jason is there. He can’t help but smile at the memory; it was right after Duke's first solo patrol and they all had dinner at the manor to celebrate.

Dick remembers starting out, all the pressure and the fear, but he can’t be happier with how it all turned out, with what he started. He knows it was hard on them following in his footsteps, but he can’t be prouder of what they’ve accomplished. He only hopes they know that.

After another moment, and a few deep breaths, he walks the rest of the way to his kitchen. After turning on the light, the first thing he does is start the coffee machine, the smell of the roasting beans waking him up properly. As that brews, Dick carefully clears the table, making sure to keep Barbara’s work in order.

Then he walks over to the fridge and opens it slowly, taking stock of what’s inside. His usual go-to is a nice big bowl of cereal, but Barbara deserves better. After a minute, he decides his best bet is just some simple scrambled eggs and toast; even he couldn’t mess that up, again.

A few more minutes pass and just as Dick is finishing the eggs, Barbara comes into view.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Dick says when he spots her. He always has to see her to know she’s there. So many years of training ingrained stealth into her bones, even silent in her wheelchair.

“Morning. Is that breakfast?”

“Yep! Scrambled eggs with extra cheese, just how you like it.” Dick places her coffee and plate of food on the dining room table just as she wheels into her spot, their motions fluid around each other, practiced a hundred times.

“Thanks babe,” she says, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. He got the coffee just right too. Dick kisses her quickly on the forehead in response, then turns to retrieve his own breakfast.

Though just as he is about to sit down, smoke fills the room.

“The toast!” He remembers too late. He promptly jumps to his feet as Babs begins to laugh. Acting quickly, he pulls out the toast and opens a window, just in time to stop the fire alarm from going off, again. After a few minutes of frantically waving his arms back and forth to clear the smoke, he finally sits down, now with the burnt toast in hand.

“A lot of help you were,” he says teasingly to his girlfriend, who has continued to eat her breakfast without him.

“You had it under control, you always do. Please tell me you aren’t going to eat that?” she asks when she notices Dick begin to butter the black toast.

“What? I like it burnt.” He grins. Babs just shakes her head, a fond smile appearing at her lips.

Once breakfast is finished and the plates cleaned and put away, Barbara opens her laptop and checks her messages.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Dick asks, leaning on the back of her wheelchair to see the screen.

“I don’t know. It looks like Duke is already out on patrol and he seems to have the city under control for now,” she says without looking up.

“Well then, it looks like we can have a quiet Saturday for once.”

“That sounds nice,” Barbara says longingly.

“It does. I just need to call Bruce real quick. Then I’m all yours.” Dick kisses her cheek then grabs his phone and dials.

He puts his phone next to his ear as he walks towards the window. Outside his apartment, Gotham City is slowly waking up: cars making their way to jobs, kids enjoying their day off from school. After a few more rings, he hears Bruce’s answering machine, not unexpected this early in the morning. Though by now he knows B doesn’t ever bother listening to his voicemails, so he doesn’t leave one.

Dialing a new number, he raises his phone back up to his ear. It takes less than one ring for a voice to come through.

“Grayson.”

“Morning, Damian,” Dick says cheerfully.

“Of that I am aware. What is the reason for this phone call?” Damian asks in his ever-emotionless tone.

“What? A guy can’t just call his little brother?” Dick asks playfully.

“Is that a rhetorical question?” Damian retorts dryly.

“Well now that you mention it. I called Bruce, but he didn’t pick up. Did he make it back from Star City ok?”

“Father has yet to return, he must have gotten caught up in the case, goodness knows Queen probably needs the help. He will undoubtedly make contact later when he remembers to look up from the computer screen,” Damian replies, though more curtly than usual.

“Is everything ok over there?” Dick asks. Most people couldn’t tell, but Dick could hear the odd tone in his little brother’s voice.

“Everything is fine. Brown was finally able to get Drake to sleep and I am under orders not to disturb him,” Damian responds.

“That’s good. How long was he awake this time?” asks Dick, as he turns to lean against his window.

“3 days. I don’t understand how he could even function… Not that I care. If that is what it takes for him to be of use then so be it. The mission is all that matters,” he adds quickly.

“Of course, the mission, but you know he’s family too. It’s okay to worry about him,” Dick says carefully.

“I am not worried. It would be a waste of my time to feel such emotions for anyone, let alone that imbecile,” Damian snaps, though Dick ignores the tone.

“Well I’m glad you’re not worried because Tim can handle himself,”

“If that will be all?” Damian asks haughtily.

“But if Tim isn’t bothering you what is?” Dick probes.

“Nothing.”

“Damian?” he questions.

“Really, Grayson, I am fine.”

“Ok, if you say so. Hey, since Bruce is still gone, do you want to patrol together tonight? Or are you going with Jon?” Dick asks, changing the subject.

“Kent and I have no plans. If you require my assistance, I can accompany you,” Damian replies.

“Awesome, 7 sound good?” Dick offers.

“Perfectly acceptable. I will meet you in the cave then.”

“Cool, see you then,” Dick replies happily.

Damian hangs up the phone without another word.

Dick takes a deep breath. Concern for his little brother is still fresh in his mind, but he knows if something were really wrong Damian would have told him. Shaking his head, he moves from his spot at the window back to where Babs is sitting, still looking at her laptop.

“Everything ok?” she asks without looking up from the screen.

“Yah. Bruce isn’t back yet so I spoke to Damian. Apparently, Stephanie finally got Tim to sleep.”

“Ooh, how long was he awake this time?” Babs questions, finally looking up.

“3 days. Did he seem alright while you were working together last night?” Dick asks while settling on the sofa next to her wheelchair.

“No more sleep deprived than usual. I have no idea how he does that, but I’ll admit I’m kind of jealous.”

“I’m not. I can’t imagine trying to deal with both of you while you're hyped up on caffeine.” Dick shuddered at the thought. He still had a bruise from the last time it was his turn to get Tim to sleep.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance.” Barbara smirks. “So did Damian know when Bruce is going to be back?”

“He didn’t know, if he’s not back by tonight Damian and I are going to head out for patrol around 7,” Dick responds.

“Hmm, it's not like Bruce not to call in. Maybe I should check up on him…”

“I’m sure he’s fine. Oliver would have called if something were wrong. Now come on, we have the whole day to ourselves. What do you want to do?” Dick says confidently.

“Well, there is some shopping I’ve wanted to do, and we could probably use a new toaster, one that’s a little harder to set on fire,” Barbara remarks with a grin.

“Hey!” Though just as Dick is about to protest, one look from Babs has him thinking twice. He puts his hands up in defeat. “You know what, that’s fair. And we can grab lunch while we're out, my treat.”

“Old Chuck’s Sandwich Truck?”

“You got it! I’ll grab our coats.” Dick smiles, kissing Barbara’s cheek.

The shops aren’t far from their apartment and the autumn weather hasn’t turned on them yet. The pair decide to take the opportunity and enjoy the cool day, walking leisurely to the shops.

The errands don’t take too long, just some essentials and a new toaster. Though they take their time simply enjoying each other’s company. Finally, arms full of bags, they start to make their way home.

The streets are busy but not yet filled with holiday shopping madness. Everyone is still in light jackets and shorts, no need to hide away from the cold yet. On the last turn to their apartment, they take a left instead of a right, heading toward a small nearby park. This particular park has all the best food trucks, though that has nothing to do with why he picked an apartment nearby, definitely.

Their walks were never dull, conversation always flowing easily between Dick and Barbara; from new movies to old memories, the topics never stayed the same for long. Though right now they walk in comfortable silence, no words are needed. At a crosswalk Dick glances down at Barbara with a smile, simply content to see her face, though she doesn’t notice. Her attention is taken by a bus unloading across the street; she can’t help but grin and stifle a laugh.

Across the entire left side of the bus is an ad for Wayne Enterprises, with a giant picture to Tim Drake-Wayne’s face. Dick follows her eyes and they almost miss the sign to cross, they are laughing so much. Tears in their eyes, they finish the walk to the park, still giggling to themselves.

“Please tell me you got a photo of that,” Dick asks once they reach the park.

“Of course. Who do you think I am, Bruce?” Babs replies sarcastically.

“Can you…”

“Already sent to your phone,” Barbara answers before he can even finish his question.

“I’m gonna send it to Tim, he’ll love this.” Dick takes out his phone and sends his little brother a quick text with the photo.

Following one last laughing fit, the pair head to a small food truck tucked in the back corner of the park, the aroma hitting them twenty feet away, and by the time they order both their stomachs are rumbling.

After placing their order, they sit down on a nearby table. It’s covered in graffiti, like everything in Gotham, but at least it looks clean and isn’t mysteriously wet. Dick doesn’t really notice though; his mind has traveled back to the bus ad with Tim’s face. He looked so grown up.

“So, Tim must be doing well at Wayne Enterprises huh?” Barbara asks, noticing the distracted look on her boyfriend’s face.

“Huh? Oh, yeah he is. It's only been a few months and productivity is up 10%,” he says, turning his full attention back to his girlfriend.

“You must be proud of him.”

“The whole family is.” And he means it: Tim is doing a great job.

“But?”

“I just hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard. There’s a reason I didn’t go into business at W.E. Our lives are busy enough with, well, you know. I couldn’t handle that kind of pressure on top of it.”

The words came out before he could stop them, but it was nice to finally air his worries out into the world.

“But that’s what makes you two different: stress like that is where Tim shines,” Barbara says, trying to ease his concern.

“I guess, but he still shouldn’t stay awake for days on end.”

“That’s just what he does, I don’t think anyone can change that,” Barbara points out. “Though maybe I should have tried to get him to rest last night.”

“He wouldn’t have listened; you’re right about no one being able to change him,” Dick says, and offers up a small smile.

“Except Stephanie apparently,” Barbara corrects.

“Except Steph. At this point she may be our only hope.” He smiles for real now. He’s so glad Tim has someone like her in his life.

After a few moments of content silence, the cook shouts that their order is ready. Dick gets up and retrieves their food and brings it back to the table. As the pair eats, their conversation returns to lighter things: the meal, the weather, the rules about their new toaster. The worries from their previous conversation melt away.

Once they finish, they throw away their trash and begin walking home. As they make their way back onto the street, a light rain begins to fall from above. Some passers by raise their umbrellas while others hurry indoors, but Dick and Barbara don’t even flinch. This was Gotham after all; rain was nothing. Though they both hope it stops before patrol, as rain and spandex don’t mix well.

On the final block of their walk they pass by a newsstand, still a common sight in Gotham. It’s almost like some parts of the city are frozen in time. Shifting her bags to one arm, Babs grabs a now slightly soggy paper and pays. It may be old fashioned, but some habits are harder to break. She blames her Dad for this one.

A few more feet and Dick steps up and unlocks the complex door, holding it open for Barbara to pass through. She smiles gratefully and rolls up to the elevator doors, hitting the button with her newspaper.

While waiting for the elevator she begins scanning the cover, a proud smile quickly appearing on her face. The front page headline was from last night: Batman and Robin had busted a local gang, and though some got away, most were now safely behind bars.

A moment later the elevator arrives, and they begin the slow ascent to their apartment floor.

“How’s it feel being a hero?” Barbara asks him coyly, holding up the newspaper for her boyfriend to see.

“You did all the hard work finding them,” he responds.

“Really though, how are you doing filling in for the big bad bat?” Barbara asks, becoming serious.

“It's fine. He needed my help, so I helped.” Dick shrugs.

“Really? No mixed feelings? I know you don’t want to become Batman, but you’ve really started to get good at it,” she probes.

“…Honestly? At first, I hated it, you know that. But after Bruce came back and it became a once in a while thing, it's not so bad. It’s just no matter what I do, I know I’ll never be as good as Bruce. Like last night, it should have been a piece of cake, but some of them still got away.” He looked down, guilt evident on his face.

“But you’re not Bruce and that’s ok,” Barbara reassures him.

“Is it? Part of the reason I didn’t want the cowl was because I didn’t want to know just how much better he is than me.” He sighs, shifting his bags to run a hand over his face.

“And?”

“And maybe I didn’t want him to know either, but now we both do. I just know how much I’ve already let him down, by not joining the company, by becoming a cop. I didn’t want to disappoint him in this too.”

“You aren’t. You’re doing a great job, and if I recall he didn’t start out perfectly either. You’re putting too much pressure on yourself,” she insists.

“Maybe.”

“Hey, there has to be some upside to it?” she asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“I mean, it is nice to patrol with Damian again,” he says.

“Oh yeah?”

“His fighting skills have come so far, and he actually listens to orders now and…” He can’t help the wave of pride washing over him as he talks about all of Damian’s achievements.

The elevator doors open to their floor. Realizing they could be heard, he shifts the conversation.

“…and his grades are great! All A’s. And he’s finally making friends, he and Jon have been hanging out a ton lately, I’m actually surprised he was free tonight,” he continues, careful of saying anything suspicious.

Reaching their apartment door, they make their way inside and begin putting away their groceries.

“He did sound a little odd earlier, though he may just have been worried about Tim,” Dick remembers.

“Really, I thought they still weren’t getting along?” Barbara asks, a bit surprised.

“They aren’t really, but I know Damian cares. I should probably bring it up on patrol tonight just to be safe. I need to make sure he knows he can tell me stuff too, especially if Tim isn’t,” Dick answers, his tone going serious again.

“I’m sure Tim will come around.”

“Hopefully. Maybe I should speak to him tonight too, though I doubt Alfred will let him out on patrol.”

“If you want to stay there tonight that’s ok with me. I can do my work from here. You spend some time with your brothers,” she offers with a reassuring smile.

“Thanks babe. I think I will,” Dick kisses Barbara’s forehead in thanks. He’s so grateful for her sometimes; she always knows what to say.

“Well, we’ve got a little time before you have to head out, want to watch a movie?” she asks, hoping to distract him for a little bit.

“Sure. Why don’t you pick while I finish putting the groceries away,” he responds as he picks up another bag and begins to put its contents away.

“Perfect.” She begins turning toward the couch half way there when she adds, “And don’t even think of touching the new toaster.”

He glances to the kitchen counter where it still sits in a plastic bag, deciding that’s probably a good idea and leaves it where it is.

Once he’s done putting away the rest of the groceries, Dick walks over to the couch, shrugging off his jacket as he goes. On the TV screen the first Avengers movie is just starting to play.

“Oh Avengers, you know I love me some good Steve Rogers,” Dick says. Barbara playfully punches his arm when he comes into range, then loops hers around his neck.

“Well you’re in luck, there’s a whole marathon on.”

In an instant he picks her up and settles them both down on the couch. Raising one arm behind his head he grabs Barbara’s blanket and throws it over them both, content to spend the next few hours by her side.

Towards the end of the movie, right as Tony flies into the wormhole to save the day, a news briefing flashes interrupts the scene.

“Good evening Gotham my name is Vicky Vale here with breaking news. This just in Gotham’s newest hero The Signal has stopped a bank robbery at Gotham National. Video shows him handing over several would be thieves to GCPD officers waiting outside. More at 6 on WWTN!”

The screen cuts back to the movie just as the Avengers decide to go out for shawarma.

“Wow look at Duke! Looks like Damian isn’t the only one finding his place,” Barbara comments.

“He’s a natural alright. He’s been here less than a year and he’s already going solo,” Dick replies.

“Well his powers can’t hurt,” she adds.

“He doesn’t need them, he does it all on his own,” Dick says confidently.

“You sound impressed,” Babs says.

“I am, no way I was doing that stuff year 1.”

“You were only 10 at the time,” she recalls.

“Still, he’s caught on so fast. I’m just glad he took the daytime route, or I might be out of a job. But in all seriousness, he really is doing great, even Bruce is surprised. And not just on the streets, he’s found his place in the family too. Even Damian likes him.”

“Wow, that’s high praise from him,” Babs says, surprised.

“It is, and I’ll admit, I wasn’t too sure at first. I didn’t see what Bruce did, but I’m glad I was wrong. He’s just the change this family needed after the past few years,” Dick says with a smile.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Barbara concurs. “Well we may have missed the end of the movie, but another is on after this. While we wait, can I trust you to make popcorn?”

“Hey, popcorn is my specialty,” he says sarcastically, and kisses her head as he gets up.

While walking to the kitchen, an alert on his phone grabs his attention. Looking down, a message from Jason fills the screen.

“I’m heading out early, got a tip about an arms deal down by the docks. Anybody else want in?”

Wow, Jason really has come a long way if he’s asking for backup. Well, not so much asking, but it's probably as close as they’ll ever get from him. He hasn’t exactly needed them lately, which is fine. Jason is his own man now, but that doesn’t mean Dick doesn’t miss spending time with him.

Jason’s death had really changed Dick, made him reevaluate what mattered to him, and now that’s Jason’s back he hopes his little brother knows he’s on that list. Though he’s sure Jason definitely has other priorities; he has his own mission now after all.

A lot of other heroes in the community think of Jason as a black sheep, but Dick never has. If anything, it's always impressed him how dedicated he is to his cause. At first, he was jealous of this new kid taking over his spot, but as time went on, he saw how much the boy had earned it.

Ever since Jason joined the family, he’s had a plan, and even now, after everything, he still knows what he needs to do. In some ways, he may even be more dedicated than Tim, giving up everything he had to fight his own way.

Dick can admit there was a time, a long time, when that was all he wanted. Now look at him, playing Batman while Bruce is off saving the world or whatever he’s doing this week. Maybe somewhere deep-down, Dick still is jealous of Jason.

“Dick, are you burning the popcorn?” Babs shouts from the living room.

“What? No, of course not.” Barbara’s call snaps Dick back to reality just in time to salvage their food.

He quickly grabs a bowl from a cabinet and pours the only slightly black popcorn inside. After adding enough butter to make Alfred wince, he heads back to the living room.

“Everything ok?” she asks, seeing his face.

“Jason texted, he’s heading out early to a bust, and wanted to know if anyone would like to join him.”

“Why don’t you join him? You probably have just enough time to go get Damian and meet him there.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“Yes, I do. You’ve been feeling like your brothers aren’t confiding in you anymore, maybe spending some time with them will help. All of them.”

“You’re right, I just don’t want to make things worse.”

“You won’t. He wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t want you there.”

“Alright I’ll go. Sorry it looks like you’re going to have to eat all this popcorn without me.”

Barbara looks down at the slightly burned kernels. “That’s too bad,” she says sarcastically.

Dick turns around and begins making his may to their hidden compartment filled with gear. He reaches for his phone to respond when it beeps again.

“Oh, maybe he changed his mind,” Dick mumbles to himself, as he looks at the device, but spread across the screen is a message he never wants to see.

Emergency: Code Red!

“Oh no…”

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