Daddy's Bed

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Bruce dragged himself upstairs after a long night of patrol. Clayface and Joker had gone on separate rampages, and he had had to handle them by himself. He didn't like his protégés out so late and flat out refused to have them on the streets with The Joker.

It was nights like this that made him grateful to have such an extensive crime-fighting family.

As he trudged down the hall, he noticed a beam of light coming from Damian's room. That was odd. He should've been asleep hours ago. "Damian?" He called quietly as he eased the door open.

Damian was on the floor shining a flashlight under his bed. "What are you doing up so late?" He asked his son. "Checking for Clayface." Damian replied, not even bothering to look up. "Damian, Clayface is in custody. I made sure of it myself." Bruce assured.

"And while I do not doubt your skills Father the Gotham City Police Department has proven their incompetence time and time again." Damian explained. "For all we know, Clayface has already escaped, and the police are none the wiser. Therefore I find it prudent to ensure the security of my room."

"You know you are absolutely right." Bruce said as he sat beside his son. Damian was admittedly surprised at this response. "Don't patronize me Father. It's unbecoming." The boy pouted. "I'm being serious." Bruce promised. "Why don't I help you look?" The corners of Damian's mouth twitched as he handed his Father his second flashlight.

A thorough search of the room confirmed the space was secure, although Damian still seemed unconvinced. Bruce could see his son's discomfort.

As much as he tried to deny it, Damian was still a child. The boy was barely nine. Practically still a baby and completely justified in his concern for monsters under his bed and bogeymen in his closet.

"Just because he wasn't in here doesn't mean Clayface couldn't hiding somewhere else." Bruce pointed out. "Maybe we should check my room."

"It seems rather late for another full search." Damian contemplated. "Still, I'd feel better if you came with me." Bruce told him, and Damian smiled. Who was he to deny his Father protection?

As Bruce pushed back the sheets, he was surprised to find his bed already occupied. "Dick?" He whispered, nudging his son. "Bruce?" Dick mumbled. "What are you doing here, Chum?" Bruce asked gently as he lifted Damian onto the bed. Although, in all fairness, he should have expected this.

Dick couldn't sleep soundly without the knowledge that his whole family was safe. What better way to know if his Dad had come home in one piece than to be there waiting for him? "You're late." Dick told him. "We were worried."

"We?" Bruce asked, and Dick sleepily pointed over to the corner of the room. Cassandra was curled up in an armchair in a nest of blankets. Bruce went over and lifted the girl from her makeshift bed.

"Baba?" She asked softly at his touch. Bruce smiled at the sound of her voice. The boys all called him variations of Dad or Bruce, but 'Baba' was Cassandra's special term of endearment for him, and he loved to hear her say it. "Go back to sleep." He told her. "I'm here now. Everything is fine."

Cass nodded and snuggled close as Bruce lay down. Dick and Damian were already fast asleep on his left. He wrapped an arm around his oldest and youngest to pull them close as he dozed off.

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The sound of tentative footsteps roused Bruce from his sleep. For a moment, he thought one of the kids had gotten up to use the bathroom, but the three of them were still wrapped up in his arms. "Bruce?" He heard Tim ask.

"Timmy? Is everything alright?" His Father asked. "I heard something, someone moving around." The boy whispered. "You see Father? Even Drake is aware of our inadequate security." Damian mumbled sleepily.

Bruce shushed the youngest back to sleep before turning back to Tim. "Timmy, you set up that secretary system yourself. Nothing and nobody is getting through." Bruce assured him. "Besides, would I let anything hurt you?" Tim shook his head no.

"C-c-could I sleep here anyway?" Tim asked nervously. He wanted nothing more than to crawl under the covers where it was safe and warm. But he was twelve now. Too old to be crying to his Daddy for every little bump in the night.

Bruce patted the open space. Tim curled up beside Cass using Bruce's arm as a pillow. "Love you Timmy." Bruce whispered, and Tim smiled into the darkness. "Love you too Dad."

III

Jason was not afraid of thunderstorms... anymore. He knew there was nothing to be scared of. Water falling from the sky. Electricity crackling across the clouds. Loud booming noises that had woken him up from a rare peaceful sleep. Nothing to be afraid of.

Jason closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He was old enough to self-soothe. He tried to go back to sleep, but horrible images filled his mind all with one central thought — the Joker. Of course, that white-faced bastard had to have broken out of Arkham on a night like this.

'He can't hurt you.' Jason told himself. 'He doesn't even know who you are.' Yet somehow, with every thunderclap, he felt the crowbar coming down on his ribs and skull. Every lightning bolt seemed to carry The Clown Prince's laughter. Even the rain seemed to be closing in on him until it was hard to breathe.

He had to get out of here. He just needed Bruce to talk him down so he could get back to sleep.

Jason didn't bother knocking. It was optional at this late hour. He inched closer to the bed, not wanting to wake Bruce until he had to, which was when he realized Bruce wasn't alone.

All his siblings were piled around Bruce, all cuddly and sound asleep. Jason wasn't upset or even jealous. The others had just as much right to the old man as he did. Still, he'd been hoping for some privacy. He was about to turn and head back to his room when there was a whisper in the dark.

"Glad you could join us Bluejay." He heard Bruce say softly. "Is the storm bothering you?" He asked as if he could make it stop. "Please." Jason scoffed. "I got over that a long time ago."

"He has bad sleep." Cass whispered, and Jason jumped a bit. It was scary when she read him like that but she was always right. "Nightmares." He told her. Cass nodded, adding the new word to her ever-growing vocabulary. "You can stay if you want?" Bruce offered, but Jay shook his head. "The kiddies need you more than I do." He shrugged. "Besides looks like you're full."

"We make room." Cass whispered, scooting as close to Bruce as humanly possible. Bruce followed her lead, shifting his other children as gently as he could without waking any of them.

Jason grinned as he made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed. Somehow the storm seemed much farther away as he drifted off to sleep.

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Alfred made sure to take a picture of the sweet scene before waking his charges the next morning. Between school and work and crime-fighting, it was nice to see them all together and at ease.

Bruce let out a low grown as Alfred cracked the curtains, and the morning sun streamed in. "Quiet Master Bruce." The old butler warned. "They'll be quite cranky if you were to wake them. None of you are morning people." Bruce grinned and tried to keep still and silent.

He couldn't remember the last time all his kids had come to him on the same night, or if they ever had. They were all growing up so fast. Part of him wished he could freeze this moment in time.

"They will always need you, Master Bruce," Alfred said as if reading his thoughts. "Maybe not in this capacity. But these children will always need their Father."

Dick began to squirm and turn over as he woke up. They'd all be up soon. "Enjoy this time with your children. Breakfast will be waiting when you are all ready." Alfred promised as he slipped out the door.

Bruce lay back as he waited for the children to stir. Such were the wonders of Daddy's bed.

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A/N Hope you guys liked this bit of fluff. One of the requests is going up next week so keep an eye out. =D

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