Who: Cassandra Wayne, Bruce Wayne When: 5/31/12 (backdated) Where: Batcave, Gotham, NJ What: Bruce returns from his vacation with Selina and is greeted with more than one surprise. (Yet another episode in the soap opera known as Days of Wayne Manor) Rating: PG-13 for The Talk (also, extremely - blink and you'll miss it - oblique reference to rape. Just throwing that out there.)
The very moment Bruce Wayne had stepped through the front door of his manor, Cassandra was there, dressed in an oversized dark blue t-shirt, black sweatpants, and the pair of necklaces that had become a part of her off-duty wardrobe – the locket given to her by Selina Kyle, and the sun-shaped necklace given to her by Doug Ramsey.
She greeted Bruce with the warmest daughterly hug she could manage. But the hug began to grow awkward after a minute or two when Cass didn’t let go. Instead, she was deep in thought, trying to decide how to phrase the very important news she had to tell him.
Finally, she went with, "Met brother. Looks like you."
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Bruce grinned to see Cassandra and accepted her hug without complaint, wondering what was on her mind as she lingered over it. But he was in a better mood than he had been in ages, thanks to his rare vacation with Selina, so he was more inclined to wait her out than question.
Her first words though, confused him and froze him in his tracks, sending all thoughts of the gifts he’d brought home for her from Italy straight out of his mind. ’Brother’? She’d already met Dick, so clearly she was talking about someone else – someone she assumed who resembled him so greatly that she’d assumed he was his son. It was such a drastic leap though, he couldn’t imagine how or where she might have met such a person or formed such an opinion. His shock must have shown on his face.
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She looked up at him with a questioning tilt of her head. “Don’t know?” She’d become convinced he knew everything, even on vacation. “Small boy. Damian. Carries sword. Trained by League."
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“No.” He didn’t know, but even with only eight words, it didn’t take him long to figure out. Damian: originally of the Greek Damianos, meaning ‘to tame’, though having garnered a good deal of association with the devil over the centuries. Cassandra would recognize someone trained by the League of Assassins, and swords were their weapon of choice. Such a powerful name in someone young enough to be his child, trained by the League, meant only one thing: “…Talia.”
He thought again. “What happened?”
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She watched his face and body as realization sank in. She let go and took a step back. "Talia? Oh. Al Ghul daughter." She knew of Talia and her father Ra’s from the Batcave’s files. They led the League of Shadows and its Assassins branch; if she’d understood correctly, they had some connection to David Cain.
But the part about Talia was what she focused on more at this particular moment. "You and her?" Her brows furrowed as she pondered the implications of this. She supposed whatever had happened had been years ago, judging by the boy’s age.
Cass looked up at him, returning to the subject of Damian himself. She mentally searched for the words to use. "He ... showed up in Cave. Tripped silent alarm. Found him. Fought. He used ... knives and sword." She couldn’t help pantomiming the movements that comprised her scuffle with the boy. Her catching of his knives. Her evading of his sword slashes. Her joint-lock takedown. Matter-of-factly, she shrugged. "Sat on him."
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Bruce hesitated moment before nodding. He tried to make a point of never lying to his kids – at least about the things he didn’t lie to everyone about. “Yes,” he said. “She and I… it’s complicated. They wanted me to provide an heir for the League; I refused. She drugged me.”
Thinking rapidly, he felt something tighten inside of him as she described the fight. That he knew where the Cave was at all was a good indication that he was more than an ordinary boy, let alone that he was able to break into it. Bruce scrutinized her performance, nodding thoughtfully at the familiarity of the movements.
He had to grin though at her creative hold. “Good job.” Unable to resist asking, he said, “What made you think he was my son? Besides the fact that he was able to break in.”
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Cass nodded in understanding at being drugged. Villains tended to do that. That was a part of the backstory Damian had left out. “Looks like you. Keeps -- kept calling you Father. I show you.” With a gesture, she beckoned for him to follow her to the Cave, where there were monitors that could show him the bigger picture. Even her skills at mimicking body language could only go so far.
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He had to admit, that was a fairly good reason. “Father’ would certainly be a clue,” he muttered as he followed her to the computer and waited as she pulled up the footage.
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The footage in question was soon brought up on the Batcomputer, with full audio. The boy in the hood was seen skulking around the cave. Then Batgirl showed up on her motorcycle, and the fight ensued. Or rather, the one-sided humiliation of an easily-riled Damian ensued, which her earlier pantomime hinted at. The footage ended with her sitting on him and applying pressure point pain whenever he gave her lip. Alfred Pennyworth was seen trying to pacify the situation.
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Bruce watched quietly for awhile, absorbing the images. “Definitely League training,” he said finally. The boy’s attitude was jarringly familiar, and not because he’d met him before. “He has Ra’s’ arrogance.” There was more than a little of Talia in there, too. It was unsettling.
Cassandra pulled back the boy’s hood, revealing his face, and Bruce stared in macabre fascination. As much as he wanted to deny what Cassandra had told him, there was no denying what he was seeing – the boy looked exactly like he had at that age. He did the math and it added up exactly. It was more than conceivable that he – that Damian - really was his son. It was a terrifying… and exhilarating… thought.
“I’ll… speak with Alfred,” he said. “The boy is likely still in Gotham. I’ll start looking for him.”
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Cass nodded, then fidgeted with the sunshine necklace slightly, looking as if there were more she would like to ask.
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Seeing that there was something more she wanted, he raised a questioning eyebrow.
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Recovering quickly, Cass pointed to the empty display case where Jason Todd's Robin costume used to be. It was a bit of a misdirect, but not by much: it was the next important detail that needed to be said. She certainly knew how important the display case was to the Batfamily in general, and to Bruce in particular.
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Bruce had been so distracted by everything else that he hadn’t noticed Jason’s tunic missing until Cassandra directed his attention to the empty case. Realizing the implication, he felt the anger rising in him and struggled to control it. Anger was quickly building to rage - to him it was the same as if a grave had been desecrated, and he had never been very rational when it came to the subject of Jason’s murder. Knowing who had taken it, even having a suspicion why didn’t make it any easier for him to deal with.
“Thank you, Cassandra,” he said tightly. “I’ll take care of it. You’ve done well.”
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She watched the emotion building inside him. Concern rose inside her, and she placed a gentle hand on his arm. "Can he ... be saved?"
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Closing his eyes, Bruce took a deep breath, trying once more to reign in his emotions. He wasn’t very good with them but anger had always been one of the ones that came easier. Cassandra’s soft touch and sweeter question reminded him even more of his failings with Jason, of his failures as a father, and what it would mean if this boy actually was his. “Everyone has the potential to be saved,” he told her quietly, remembering Jason’s rage, remembering his own. “Some just won’t let themselves.”
Smiling faintly, he put his arm around her. “We can only try. And, if it’s all true – you know I’ll try all the harder.” He had to; Bruce refused to fail with yet another child, especially one of his own flesh and blood.
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Cass smiled and kissed his cheek, delighted she was having a calming effect on him. His previous adopted children had only begun to get him to open up to casual physical affection; she had made it her mission to finish what they’d started.
"Good. He can be in family. Bratty little brother. I keep him in line." Smiling, she held up the fingers she was using on Damian's pressure points in the footage. She had certainly warmed to the idea of being an older sister. She looked forward to no longer being the youngest official member of the Batfamily.
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Chuckling as she held up her fingers, Bruce told her, “You may need to.”
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Delighted with his response, she grinned from ear to ear and scampered off to change into her Batsuit. "Gonna patrol! Was busy when you gone. Held it down.”
She continued to talk as she changed clothes in the locker room, her voice carrying out to the Cave proper. "Superman ... did okay. Body language ... funny." She wrinkled her nose at that. She’d found it both adorable and slightly off-putting how much Superman had tried to act like Batman.
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Bruce had to smile, though he was glad she couldn’t see him do it. He tried to remain mostly gruff when it came to Clark because that was what he needed – someone who didn’t treat him with awe, or deference all the time. Everyone liked Clark, so Bruce’s attitude generally came off as surly, even if the man was actually one of his favorite people.
“Yes,” he agreed. “He’s not me, but he gets the job done. His voice is good though. He’s helpful.” The fact that Bruce let him in the suit at all said a lot about his esteem and faith in Clark’s ability. There were a small handful of people Bruce let drive his cars, but he only let two or three wear his suit, and most of them were or had been Robins.
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"Yes. Good voice." Superman had seemed to have that part down, at the very least.
Once she was out of her civilian clothing, she slipped into her Batsuit. She spotted her pair of necklaces lying on the bench. In particular, she gazed at Doug’s necklace, shaped like his nickname for her – ‘Sunshine’. Emotions warring within her, she finished changing in silence.
"Babs. When she ... coming back?" she asked, walking out of the locker room in full costume. She realized it was probably still clear in her body language that there was something else she wanted to say.
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“I believe she’ll be gone for the summer,” he said, watching her closely. “But she’ll be back when she’s ready, I suppose.” Waiting, he nodded, inviting her to speak.
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Cass hung her head, visibly disappointed. "Miss her."
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Bruce smiled a bit. “She’ll be back.” Still, he waited.
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Glancing up, she saw that Bruce was expecting her to say what she was holding back. There didn’t seem to be another way around it. "Miss her girl talk," she clarified.
She took a deep breath. "Saw Doug. Got ... carried away. On his bed. Bad idea. Stopped. Didn't have pro ... pro..." Her brow furrowed as she tried to think of the word Doug used. Didn't want babies. Ran scared."
She watched his face and body to see his reaction. She prepared herself to vanish at the first sign of parental meltdown.
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Both of Bruce’s eyebrows lifted, not at what she said, but at her honesty. Sitting down, he beckoned for her to come closer, thinking very carefully before speaking a word. “Protection,” he said, providing the word she was searching for. “He's smart. Sex... is a wonderful thing, but it has very serious consequences.”
No matter what he thought about the boy, or about them having sex, trying to tell them not to would only lead to them trying to hide it from him. Looking to make sure she was understanding him, he continued, “Not just pregnancy - babies - if the person you're with has certain diseases, you can get them, too. I think you're probably safe with Doug, but it's smart to always get tested, just in case.” He paused to think again. “Can I explain it to you in terms of science?”
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Cass stepped closer and removed her mask, relieved that he didn’t react by hunting down Doug and dishing out Bat-Justice. In fact, he surprised her by complimenting Doug instead.
She sat in his lap and listened to the best of her ability. "Dis ... eases. Diseases." She understood the concept well, having seen many afflicted people all over the world and in Gotham. She nodded. "Sex ... does that too?"
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Bruce nodded. “It can. There are some diseases that are you can catch almost solely though sexual activity.” Putting an arm around her, he tried to think of the simplest words to use that she would understand. “People... are like animals. The men need to create more humans, so they feel the urge to have sex with many women. Women are the child bearers - they make sure the children survive infancy. They bond.”
He looked at her. “Not all, but a lot of men will have sex with women without thinking about the emotional connection she might feel. Often, she gets hurt because of that. Of course, this can happen in reverse, too...” Frowning, he took a breath, trying not to get frustrated. “I know it's complicated. What I mean is, you have to be careful and protect yourself. Not just your body, but here.” He pointed to her heart.
“And if you're not absolutely sure you're ready, or that you want to do it - don't.”
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Cass nodded at various points throughout the lecture. It reminded her of some things Babs had said months ago in an attempt to give her the customary Talk. At the time, she'd had zero interest in boys, and the odds of it actually happening to her had seemed incredibly remote. That, and she hadn't understood as much verbal language as she did now. As a result, Babs' lecture had practically gone in one ear and out the other, but now it was making sense. She now had the necessary context for it.
She looked down at her body, as if trying to listen to what her own body was telling her on the subject. “Want to do it. Body wants. Heart wants. But ... not sure I'm ready. Don't want babies. Or disease. So ... won't.” She frowned at this. "Suck."
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Bruce smiled. “You'll know when you're ready. Just be safe. And talk if you need to.” As an afterthought, he added, in a darker voice, “And tell him if he hurts you, I'll hurt him back. Harder.”