Random Wren 2
Author here: Continuation of the story last post. I'm separating it to keep it from being too long and because this is told from a less the Bruce voice and more of a Batfam voice.
Tim had moved back in the manor when Wren did. He hated it, hated being near Damian and said it was too crowded. But he couldn't stop helping with Wren. Couldn't stop making sure she was OK and not pushing herself, to let her be a kid. He was the only one who was pulling back, trying to keep her from being a super hero, from becoming another 'bat clone,' as he said. Tim took every excuse to take her to the zoo or to the video arcade or even to the Kent farm for a week or to the library for story hour. During one outing, it was almost a family outing with Tim and Steph (his on-again, off-again girl friend.). Their arms linked as they strolled in the park. When asked about it, Steph had declared it a great date. Tim had stuttered but she'd punched him in the arm and said, "Boyfriend, that was a date. Though I had thought we'd actually get to the wedding part before we started adopting kids."
Tim had blushed nuclear red at that. Bruce just threw back his head and laughed. When everyone took a frighted step back, wondering if he'd been somehow gassed by Joker when they weren't looking, he couldn't help but laugh harder. He was pretty sure that it had frighted and traumatized his youngest son, Damian. (Author: Damian is 15 in the fic and has mellowed out some.)
When Dick had heard about the exchange, he went into near hysterics, chuckling. "You're a Batman. You're a freaky, alternate time-line, dimensional Batman. Oh my god." It took a while for him to calm down enough to explain. Tim Drake, rich boy who lost his parents to crime and malice, becomes deadly determined masked vigilante that adopts a young gymnast (Olympic side, not circus) that is named for a small bird and training said bird to be a masked vigilante while having a tumultuous dating relationship with co-worker from the cape community (Good Batgirl rather then neutral Catwoman.)
Of course, that had been the wrong thing to say and not just because Steph beat him up for it.
"Damn it, Dick! Now he's going to be all closed off and broody and oh my gosh, I am dating Batman. Asshat! I could have gone my whole life without knowing that. I will get you for this." And Knightwing did.
Dick was kind of mad about giving the Nightwing mantel to Steph. Tim had the Knightwing costume made up for her 25th birthday, half for joke and half for "remember when." Of course he had given it to her before then, since Dick had come out with a big announcement about retiring Nightwing for a while, as he concentrated on his civilian life and being a Dad. Apparently Barbara Gordon had cornered the man and made a deal for him to inseminate her so she could have children. They wouldn't be married, more like formally married with a kid. Out of wed lock.
It was strange but with their life it was normal, not conventional but normal.
After the announcement, Steph had made a joke about dusting off her old Batgirl costume to cover for Babs during her pregnancy. Tim had blushed and given her the black leotard-like Knightwing uniform with even the eggplant purple bat and finger-stripes.
So Wren was Bruce Wayne's granddaughter and Tim Drake-Wayne's daughter, but just not on paper. They tried hard to keep Wren involved with her family, not just because of her ill mother. It was painful to watch the silver eyed little girl be Annabelle Smith for her father and siblings. It was hard for her because she had grown up on the island, in the tunnels of Arkham. It wasn't just the autistic savant side of her. Her whole life had changed and now there seemed like no link to her biological family any more.
But Annabelle Smith was going to remember her family, if Tim had anything to say about it. He personally made sure she went to church with her family every Sunday (and apparently her biological great-uncle was the pastor.)
One time Wren ran away from the academy they enrolled her at, when they were trying to get her to acclimate to her new life early on. They'd found her in the park talking with a homeless man. Who was apparently another uncle. And played chess for money and spoke in Russian with her. So now the count was 1 abusive father, 1 uncle a criminal, 1 uncle not interested in having kids-at all- even if she was family, 1 homeless uncle, 1 uncle too close to the problem, and 1 uncle who wasn't interested in raising another kid with special needs.
But in her new Bat family uncles, every one was eager to help. "Tt. Smith is an excellent resource. I want to ensure she is properly trained for when I am Batman and need her services."
Uncle Jason and Uncle Demi (they were still working on getting Wren to call him that. Though it amused them to call the 15 year old Robin Uncle Demi in the meantime.) worked on her training. Damian performing the moves exactly and precisely, holding them as Wren studied his posture. It was important to get it right and proper the first time you showed Wren. She learned through memorization and mimicry. It was too easy for her to learn and pick up a bad habit while in a form. Improvisation was great but first, you needed to learn the basics solid. So Damian (and Black Bat when she could) would show her the basics exactly and precisely. And when she had them down, Uncle Jason just messed them all up.
Improvisation was Uncle Jason's specialty. He was always about pushing the envelope, seeing where he could take things. He was all instinct and rage and passion and reaction. Sometimes those sessions would end in tears or confusion or long talks with Alfred to figure things out. But Wren adored her Uncle Jason who was always patient with her and kind and made her laugh and read her poetry and brought her presents and exotic things and tried so hard.
Tim wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to be a sneaky bastard and plan. He got Jason a collection of books on Origami and gave him a million different papers in different size, colors, designs, and types of paper. Convinced the troubled young man that concentrating on the complex folds and beauty of creation, it could help Red Hood to calm down and focus. "Look at it as training exercise, keeping up your dexterity rather then a form of art therapy." Which punched Jason's reform nerve as well as "I'm not going to be Bruce, consumed by the mission so I'm going to do this not as training but because I can" recalcitrant tendencies. So soon Uncle Jason was good at origami and teaching his twitchy niece.
For Tim it was a win-win-win. It really was a good hobby for Red Hood, it gave him another connection to Wren (and consequently the whole bat family), and Wren had a hobby she learned from her uncle that she could practice to keep her hands busy. It was all part of his plan to keep Jason good, to keep him from sinking down into the bat-shit craziness of Red Hood. And if he did slip, they were there to catch him quickly, before he went too far. He wasn't loosing his brother again. He's got checkers and a juggling kit already set aside to send Jason next.
Uncle Dick... or Tante Dick and Wren got along as a house on fire. As much passion as with Jason but Dick didn't understand Wren. He kept treating her like a regular kid that just decided to be a super hero like him one day. Which wasn't Wren *at all*. She worked on the physical aspects because they challenged her, because they pushed her limits and it was fascinating to experience the world outside her head. The mental aspects were as easy to her as breathing, soaking it all up like a sponge. Emotional aspects left her confused and reeling and overwhelmed.
They had worried that Dick's hugging addiction would negatively affect her. Until she'd out-cuddled him.
That's right, out-cuddled Dick 'touch-therapy' Grayson.
Apparently her biological family had prepared her for the showdown by the fact that the Smith's were a rather large family. Wren's father was one of 6 children and his father one of 12. Wren's mother was one of 5 children and her mother and father one of 7 and 9. So Annabelle Smith had 42 cousins, which she met with at various times of the year. So touching and personal space and hugs weren't a problem for her. She'd already been inoculated.
So when it came time for Uncle Dick to watch Wren while Batman and Red Robin and Robin did some great big threat stuff for a couple days, Wren sprung her trap. She followed Dick *everywhere,* always touching and always there and always trying to get a hug. After a few days of this Dick had yelled at her "Just give me a minute of peace and space! Not everyone needs to hug all the time!"
The ever watching eye of the Oracle had recorded this. It was now her screen saver. And her ring-tone. And the door bell chime. And she used it to bribe various members of the Bat Family. It was too good to keep to herself but it didn't mean she had to give it away, when it was something that precious.
They knew never to underestimate Wren but she just kept on proving it. During a party, when she was still Annabelle Smith and at the hospital, long before she became Bruce Wayne's ward, when he was still only displaying a professional interest in the child. During the Wayne gala he'd flipped on the Batman switch from Brucie and watched the silver eyed elf of a girl slip through the crowd. She was in attendance partially as a media curiosity, partially as an example of the children the Martha Wayne Foundation was helping. Annabelle Smith had blended into the shadows where there were none. In the middle of a large ball room, filled with witnesses, she slipped between the people like a magical, invisible creature only Batman saw. Acquiring pretty things that caught her interest. Pens, name cards, bracelets, wallets, keys, gum, cufflinks, rings, watches, purses, cell phones, planners, and even a pair of shoes. Leave something alone or unattended for a moment and Annabelle Smith was there to snatch it up. Or if something got close enough to catch her eye, whisper quick and she was taking it away before you noticed she was there.
Selina Kyle had been down right gleeful and had made an attempt at 'plaing a game of fetch' with the child. Brucie had to pull out the Batman growl. Which didn't please Brucie at all. And Catwoman had been soundly spanked for it. (Author: At the library, they have a book that features the comic where Catwoman is first introduced. The first thing Batman says about the thief is "Daddy like" and something about spanking her. I just love that. Just love it. So its absolutely in my head cannon.)
The Smith family had accused Annabelle of being a sneak and even in the Bat family, she was always appearing and disappearing with a swiftness that astounded. While Batman worked at his mysterious air, to disappear and reappear with ninja quickness, Wren was a natural.
Batman was (reluctantly) working with Green Arrow in the Batcave when Wren had just appeared out of the dark and sat at Green Arrow's side. Batman had seen her as she sat down and he had no idea which direction she had come from but he was good enough not to startle when she appeared. It had taken almost 5 minutes for Green Arrow to turn around and realize she was sitting right there!
"Damn it. Where did you come from? You can't do that, they only just got you!"
Wren pointed off to the book case. Batman could see the partially cleared shelf she had probably curled up on to take a nap or she read. (it was too simple to use a chair to read in, no, she had to curl up on the shelves, like she could absorb the books as she read.) He couldn't help but chuckle, wondering if Green Arrow was thinking she moved through the shelves like a ghost or did some secret ninja move to mess with him.
"I'm going to get you a bell. Or some type of clothing that makes noise. Or belly dancing uniform," Green Arrow said.
"But Mister Queen, she already has a bell," Alfred had said before he started humming "We Three Kings" Christmas song.
Bruce ground his teeth as he replied, "Thank you, Alfred. That will be all." It was Wren's favorite song and she'd been humming it for *days.* But once Alfred had pointed it out, he realized how useful it could be. He would randomly sing a few lyrics of a song to see if Wren had some how snuck up on him. He must be slipping if the child could sneak up on him. Or sneak past him into his tub. With his favorite business suit. And all his socks. And the nicely conformed pillow from his reading chair. And was that the missing case file he'd been looking for?