-this special halloween part was meant to be the finale but school happened and I thought I'd put it out a day early (for me) so my pals in the southern hemisphere can read it in time!-
"PLEASE?"
"No, Master Dick. We've made it very clear that you aren't in any state to go out."
"But Alfred Please! I've been so ready!" He pleaded. Dick had spent all week getting ready to go trick or treating, it was supposed to be his first time trick or treating with the other kids, so he'd been so excited.
But, blame it on his luck, he'd gone and gotten a cold, so Alfred said no and Bruce backed him up.
"He's right, Chum, you're still sick." Bruce said, looking over his phone.
"But I don't even feel sick!"
"I know, Dick, but you are sick, you need a lot of rest, and running around all night in the cold isn't going to help much." Bruce's phone buzzed again, he angled it up out of the view of any children to answer.
"Oooh, texting your girlfriend?" Jason asked, skipping downstairs. He tried to lean over to read off Bruce's phone, but gave up and got to the bottom of the foyer, strutting his awesome pirate costume like a catwalk.
"Jason! They won't let me go out!" Dick whined.
"Aw C'mon B, it's his first year! So not fair!" Jason frowned.
"It's okay, Dick, We'll bring you back some candy." Tim promised, fixing his Vampire teeth in the mirror.
"But I wanted to go myself..." He muttered.
"Don't be upset, you could help halp hand out candy, or watch movies with Cass."
"No, Cass is watching horrors." Tim said. "But you can hand out candy with Alfred?"
"No!" Dick whined. He didn't want to hand out candy to other kids, he wanted to go out and trick or treat with the others!
"It's alright, You can sit with Titus in the cave if you want? I have to go out, but you could watch Cartoons?"
Dick was unimpressed, but nodded.
"Have you seen my bag?" Barbara asked, staggering in. She located it and grabbed her little Claire's makeup kit she got for her last birthday, fixing herself up. "Don't I look cute?"
"Nope." Jason replied
"Jay, you snot!"
"You're a snot."
"Jason." Bruce interrupted. "Do you have something to tell Barbara?"
Jason rolled his eyes. "Sorry I said your physio would make you walk like a Zombie Bride."
"Thank you!" She said, a little smugly. Her and Jason had a relationship like that, Bruce was constantly forcing them to apologize. Though even she could admit, using her mobility issue was a slightly lower blow than normal. "I can't be mad, Jay. You can't even afford a costume!"
"Barbara..."
"Sorry."
Jason grinned. "That was just mean."
She joined in. "You too."
There was a knock on the door. Alfred grabbed their bowl of candy, Tim opened the door before the butler could get to it.
"Trick or treat."
Tim smiled and made room for the boy to enter. "Right on time, ten minutes late."
Duke tipped his cowboy hat, awkwardly. "I, uhh, I missed the bus."
"You're ten, a boy your age shouldn't be on the bus alone anyways..." Bruce muttered, getting up off the stairs. "Well, I should get ready to go out myself. I hope you kids have fun."
"Hi Dick."
"Hi Duke." Dick called, sadly, heading up to his room.
"Howdy." Barbara tipped her torn-up vail.
"Howdy." He replied, raising his hat to the lady. "Hey Jay. I thought you were gonna have a pirate sword?"
"Demon said no." He replied, disappointed.
"It's definitely for the best." Alfred murmured.
"Let me do your makeup and we can leave." Barbara ordered.
Duke frowned. "Cowboys didn't wear makeup?"
"How do you know?"
He admitted that he didn't, and sat on the steps to get his face done.
"Everyone got their candy bags?" Tim asked. "I've got the backpack, water, flashlights, all that stuff."
The Waynes didn't play around with Halloween; they mapped out the neighborhood, they brought a huge bag to empty their bags into when they got full, they had Clif bars and water to keep them going, they brought emergency weapons, belts, and jackets (But that's because Alfred wouldn't let them leave without winter coats, even though it covered their costumes).
"Isn't Dick coming?" Duke asked, not immune as Alfred insisted on bundling him up.
"No. Dick has a cold." Tim said, checking his phone, before adding. "Don't worry Alf, its at 98% and I have my portable charger."
Duke leaned up the bottom of the stairs. "I'll bring ya back some chicolate, Dick!"
"Come on!" Jason threw open the door. "Tim, get out the mission plan!"
And with that, they were off.
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"I thought you were taking them out?" Cas asked, sitting criss crossed on the sofa, raising a lazy hand of popcorn to her mouth. She, like Damian, had donned skelaton makeup, but with the addission of a pair of tinted sun glasses. She was like that.
Damian shook his head. "I would go out with Father, but the alleged crime is Cat themed." He flopped on the sofa next to her. "I didn't want to be caught in that. What are you watching?"
"Child's Play."
"That's just childish." Damian said. "Are you going to watch something scary?"
"I'm just warming up." She held the popcorn bucket at him and Damian reluctantly took some. "Friday the 13th or Pet Cemetary?"
"You know I hate pet cemetary."
"Then we're watching that." She grabbed the remote.
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Dick was so excited. Tim let him stay up past bedtime when Bruce was out just so that they could watch halloween movies.
And now he couldn't go.
He even had his Robin costume all ready. Alfred and the others had helped him make it.
The other kids couldn't be far away... and his costume was right there. Maybe they would let him trick or treat if he was already out?
It was worth a try. He really wanted to go out.
Quietly as he could, he slipped on the leotard, the tunic, and cape and even the mask and booties. The five year old thought he looked just like the real deal.
He grabbed a pillowcase and snuck down the servents stairs. Alfred wouldn't see him and he could find the others. Fool proof!
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"Okay! Listen up team! Me and Barbara will take 13th and 14th. Jason, you and Duke are going 12th and 11th. Write down the good houses and randevoux at the cal-de-sac playground by 7:45. We'll exchange and then meet up and head to the next street." Tim looked around at the crew. "Everyone get that?"
The three younger kids nodded.
"Aye aye, Timmy Boy" Jason Saluted.
"Okay, SEPERATE!"
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What Dick hadn't expected was how many trick or treaters there would be. Not all made the trek up to Wayne Manor, most little kids Dick's age were too scared of the haunted-looking mansion.
Dick shuffled into a group of older kids and followed them, sure he would find his team.
Then, at the corner, he saw a pirate across the street; Jason!
Carefully looking both ways, Dick crossed the street, but by the time he was there, there was no pirate in sight.
A cowboy hat appeared breifly; Duke?
He hurried after the hat, getting knocked between the big kids, doing his best not to look at the scary costumes and decorations forcing themselves on him.
He lost the cowboy hat in the crowd. He looked around, lost in a sea of monsters and ghosts and cartoon characters.
Dick worked up all his bravery, he was Robin, he could do this, He found the least scary big kid he could and tugged on her costume.
"Uh, 'xcuse me?" He asked in his biggest voice.
She turned around, confused. She was a BIG kid, she might even be older than Tim, and Tim was twelve!
"What"
"Uh, I'm lost." He muttered.
The big kid looked over at her friends that her urging her to hurry. "One sec. He's lost." She turned back. "Where did you last see your mom?"
"No, my brother. He's twelve. He's a vampire." Dick said, trying to sould like the ghouls looking down at him weren't scary.
"Oh, I think I saw a vampire on that side." She pointed across the street.
"Thankyew!" Dick ran away from her as fast as he could, almost forgetting to look both ways. He ran down the block, tripping on pumpkins and decorations, and getting shoved by candy sacks on the crowded side walk.
Still, he didn't see Tim.
Maybe he went down the block?
Worry was starting to fester, and he felt a little sick to his tummy but he kept going. He would find them, right?
After walking for a bit, sxanning both sides of the street, he stoped and actually looked around.
There was just concrete here and a thin road with no cars and some litter.
He didn't know this place...
"Whatcha doin' here, kid?"
He looked up and saw a grown up lady. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers, but the ghost girl had been nice enough.
"No trick or treat houses in the ally, champ, you lost?"
He nodded a little, feeling the hurt in his tummy move up to his neck, and his eyes got blurry.
"Hey, it's okay. Stop-- don't cry. Maybe we can find your mommy. I like your costume?"
Dick sniffed, rubbing his mask as he attempted to dry his eyes. "Y'do?"
"Yeah, I'm a big fan of Robin." She said, crouching to inspect him for injury.
"Really?" He asked. "My broth--" he smacked his hands over his mouth. He wanted to tell the nice lady but Bruce said time out forever if he told the secret.
"I do like Robin..." she remarked. "Have you ever met him?"
Dick nodded, feeling a little less scared. "Uh huh. I like your costume." He murmured.
"Why thank you. Now lets fine where your supposed to be."
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"That blood's the wrong colour." Damian remarked, unwrapping yet another pack of sweadish fish.
"Corn syrup, food colouring and cocoa powder." Cas said, chowing down on some more popcorn. "One of the best types of blood I've had..."
They both winced as the overhead light turned on.
"What is it?" Damian asked furiously.
"Have either of you seen Master Dick?" Alfred asked urgently.
"In his bedroom?" Damian asked. "The cave?"
"Did he go trick or treating? Cas asked.
"He wasn't allowes to."
"I know. But could he be out trick or treating?"
There was a seconds silence. Damian turned the movie off and they wordlessly seperated like worker ants.
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"What?" Tim asked loudly, trying to speak over the fireworks. "No, Dick's at home! WHAT?! OKAY!"
He put his phone down.
"What is it?" Jason asked, sucking on a tootsie pop.
"Okay guys," Tim stood on at the top of the play ground slide to get their attention. "don't worry, but they can't find Dick.
"What?!"
"He's probably just pouting somewhere but they say to keep an eye open and have our phones on hand.
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Dick jumped, clutching the Lady's hand and looking around.
"Hey, don't worry li'l Robin. Its just fireworks." She winced as a few more went off. "They are loud, aren't they? Most animals hate them."
"Cats and dogs hate them?"
"Yep. They hurt their ears."
Dick scrunched his nose. Thay hurt my ears too!"
"Maybe that means your a kitten, huh? Are you a kitty in disguise?"
Dick giggled and nodding, letting the woman guide him along the street.
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Damian, despite his instincts to arm himself and run onto the streets, instead just armed himself and ran to the cave.
Every pair of the children's shoes had a tracker in them.
He tuned the Batcomputers radar for specifically Dick's trackers and watched the screen.
Almost all of the blips appeared in the manor, except one.
It wasn't far away, a few streets, but He couldn't help but notice it didn't line up with any of the others' trackers.
"He's moving quick, as if walking with someone." Damian stated.
"Prevent Kidnpping and return child." Cas was already suited up, preparing a wireless radar monitor.
"We'll take the bikes."
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"We haven't found your friends yet. Do you know your mama's phone number? I bet she's worried?"
Dick shook his head, direction all his focus on the lollypop she'd grabbed from a take-one buxket to calm him down.
"Do you know your adress?" She asked. "I do have something to go to tonight, so we should get you home as quickly as we can"
"Can't tell strangers." He replied.
"But I'm trying to keep you safe from strangers." She sighed. "Is there anywhere we can take you for now?"
Dick shook his head
"Okay, how about you go sit on the slide across the street and U'll make some calls, okay Kitty-boy?"
"Okay." Dick agreed. He was quite cold but she'd agreed to carry him for a bit to warm him up.
They crossed the street to the small play structure and she placed him on the cold metal slide. Noticing how he reacted, she sat down and pulled him onto her lap, taking out her phone and dialling someone.
"Hey, its's me, listen, I'll be a few minutes late but I have to deal with something. --Well stall for me then, I'll only be like ten minutes late..."
Dick flinched and covered his ears at the sound of another deafening firework, but this one wasn't short like the others, it kept on roaring and getting closer.
It ended witha shreik as two right lights shot down the ally, stopping only feet from the play structure.
Dick watched curiously, hand s over his ears.
"...oh SHII-- OOT. Brat alert. I gotta go." The lady hung up, gently brushing Dick off her lap and standing up. "I haven't even done it yet! Come back in half an hour!"
On of the lights went off and and a cyclist shot to their side, pushing off their helmet.
Dick gasped. "CA--" she covered his mouth before he vould sat anything else and swept him off the woodchips protectively.
"Kidnepping should be below you. "The other cyclist-- who Dick eagerly recodnised as his big brother shouted, darting off his bike.
"Christ! I was gaurding him." The nice lady in the costume said. "Maybe you can babysit the rest of the night! I have a heist to attend." She effortlessly dodged a batarang. "Bye bye Kitty. Happy halloween."
And she was gone.
Damian stormed the playground but could find his target.
Meanwhile Cass was checking Dick for injury. "What happened?"
Dick did his best to explain, telling them over and over again that the nice lady with the cat ears tried to help him find his family, gave him a candy when he was upset, and even carried him when he got cold and tired.
"She was a good lady."
"We're going home." Damian said. "Do we have an extra helmet?"
"DICK!" Tim ran across the patch of wet, green grass, Barbara on his heels, and pulled his brother out of Cass's loose grip. "You had us worried there. Why are you out?"
"I just wanted to trick-and-treat." He sniffled, wiping his nose on his wrist.
"Dick! Did you come out to hell us?" Duke asked eagerly as he and Jason caught up with the other two.
"We're taking him home." Damian said.
This was met by a chorus of "come on"s and "please"s.
"But DamIANN! He's already out!" Barbara pleaded.
"Yeah! We'll keep him on a leash! He can help us get more CANDY!" Jason added.
"I can watch him! Look how well I've done with the others." Tim wrapped his jacket around Dick's shoulders.
Cas turned to the oldest sibling. "It might loosen the trauma."
"You're supposed to be on my side!" Damian scolded.
The fifteen year old looked him up and down. "Since when?"
"That's six against one! Oldest sibling privilages overridden!" Tim announced.
"That's not how this-"
"The council has voted that Dick go trick-or-treating!"
"YES! C'mon Dick! There's a house on that block with FUN DIP!" Duke called, taking Dick's hand to show him.
Dick turned and waved at Damian. "I'll bring you back some Candy Dami! Promise!"
-HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!-