Heart pounding with trepidation, little street rat Billy Batson sat beside Bruce Wayne, trillionaire businessman from Gotham, at the back of a ridiculously long limousine.
“Welcome to my ancestral home,” Bruce’s voice was a far cry from Batman’s gravelly growl. He used the higher end of his register as Bruce. In media interviews, he came across as a flippant airhead.
The massive iron gate creaked open revealing a ornate garden along one side of the road and a majestic waterfall and a mountain range along the other.
“Holy Moley!” Billy’s jaw dropped. “You live here?” His stomach clenched while his chest tightened.
“Relax, son.” The edges of Bruce’s eyes crinkled with his smile as his large hand covered Billy’s. His warm demeanor, a stark contrast from the grim façade that was the Dark Knight, eased the butterflies in Billy’s stomach.
“B-batman?” Billy stared at the fatherly man.
“Call me B. It’s easier,” he ruffled Billy’s hair affectionately.
“Okay, B,” Billy let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
After a fifteen minute drive, they arrived at the heavy mahogany door.
It creaked open revealing an elderly man dressed like a penguin, a beautiful woman with short black hair and cat-like eyes carrying a little girl, a preteen boy with black hair and blue eyes and an older teen, also with black hair and blue eyes.
The teen had his arm wrapped around a pretty redhead.
“Billy, meet my family,” B’s intimidating face broke into an affectionate smile. “Selena’s my wife, your new mom.”
A chill ran down Billy’s spine. That’s Batman? That’s my new mom? She looks a lot like the Gotham villainess Catwoman.
Selena and the little girl wore matching whips around their waists.
“Here honey,” the feline woman put her little girl down and hugged Billy.
“Momma!” the child tugged the woman’s skirt.
“Hush Helena, be nice to your new brother Billy,” Mommy Selena ruffled the little girl’s hair.
“But I don’t want a new brother,” Helena stomped her foot. “I already have to share you and Daddy with Dick, Babs and Tim!”
Selena’s face turned as red as Captain Marvel’s uniform. “Sorry dearie, she doesn’t mean it.” She scooped Helena in her arms, purring as she spirited off the feisty child.
“I. Mean. It!” Little Helena scowled at Billy, vanishing behind a pillar.
“I’m Dick,” the older teen gave Billy a side hug, his warm smile, sincere. He reminded Billy of Nightwing.
“I’m Babs,” the red haired girl bent over to shake Billy’s hand. Billy liked both of them. They seemed genuine.
“I’m Tim,” the preteen, closest to Billy’s age, eyed him with suspicion as he shook Billy’s hand. He looked a lot like Robin.
“I’ll show you your room,” Dick volunteered. “Where’s your luggage?”
Billy carried everything he owned in his little backpack.
“Ah, no worries. Alfred will get you whatever you need,” Dick picked Billy and placed him on his shoulders. “Hang on tight.”
Leaping, Dick caught onto a chandelier like the bars of a circus trapeze act.
Clinging onto Dick for dear life, Billy’s stomach flip-flopped.
It was one thing flying by his own power as Cap. Hitching a piggyback ride as Billy, on the shoulders a flying trapeze artist, was a different matter altogether. It was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying.
“I used to be in the circus.” He swung up to the second floor and landed neatly on his feet. “My family. The Flying Graysons.”
The jovial voice belied the underlying sadness Billy sensed exuding from the older teen. Dick’s eyes shimmered with tears.
“Bruce took me in when they were murdered. He’s my father and mentor.” Dick landed with Billy outside the door of his new room and handed him a key. “It’s yours now. Open it.”
His heart thumping with excitement, Billy turned the key. The room was bigger than the entire floor of the abandoned building he had been squatting in.
He thought Captain Marvel’s quarters in the Watchtower was grand, but Billy's room in Wayne Manor was a whole new level. Plush carpet covered the floor. There was a wardrobe so big, Captain Marvel would take a few steps to reach the back of it. The wardrobe even had a chair in it.
T-shirts, sweaters, shirts, jeans and a few tuxedos hung on the racks, all of which were in shades of grey, blue or black. Very Batman. Very Gotham. Drab and dull, so different from Fawcett’s bright colours. Billy preferred red though the outfits looked really cool.
“These should fit you.” Smiling broadly, Dick gently pushed Billy’s jaw up, closing the shocked boy’s gaping mouth. “We’ll take you shopping tomorrow to choose what you’d like.”
After a quick tour around Billy’s new room, Dick ruffled his hair. “Lunch’s in the family room at twelve, buddy. See you then.”
The room had its own open air balcony with a hard stone floor. Part of his adoption deal was that Captain Marvel continues to patrol and operate in Fawcett. Nothing changes in eyes of Fawcettites. He’s still their local hero.
He threw back his head. “Shazam!”
Thunder roared. Lightning coursed through his veins, transforming him into Captain Marvel.
Lifting into the air, he took a second to appreciate the sights and sounds of Gotham, before flying at invisible speed to Fawcett. Captain Marvel’s not to be seen in Gotham as per his agreement with the Bat.
Other than his morning and evening patrols in Fawcett as Captain Marvel, Billy spent his day hanging out with Dick and Babs in the Manor. The redhead’s a bona fide genius. She could take on Sivana and win, in Billy’s books at least. She’s the police commissioner Gordon’s daughter, but as Dick’s girlfriend, she’s considered Bruce’s daughter too.
Leaving the pair to their couple time, Billy explored the never-ending expanse of the Wayne estate on his own.
Crack!
A whip wrapped around his neck.
The stinging pain, followed by the tightening of its grip made it hard to breathe.
“Leave now, if you want to live,” a high pitched voice growled like an angry kitten.
Billy could transform to save himself, but how could he use his power to fight off a tiny little girl?
Seven year old Helena’s as deadly as a mini supervillain. Her eyes glistened with tears. “Daddy loves you more than he loves me,” she sniffled. “You get to join the family activities. I don’t.”
Tugging the rope around his neck so that he could breathe, his eyes fell on the teary eyed child. “Your daddy has a no killing rule.”
The whip fell away. “I know,” the little girl sniffled. “But if I can beat you in a fight, he’ll let me join in.”
The girl’s foot slammed into his stomach, taking the breath out of him. He might have broken something. For a little tyke, she hit hard.
Her hands swiped at him, her nails as sharp as claws. Billy ducked.
“Helena,” Selena hissed. “What did I say about being nice?” She picked up her feral kitten.
“But Momma,” Helena’s voice dripped honey, her eyes wide and innocent. “I was only training him.”
As Selena carried Helena away, Bat-Bruce walked in. The dark knight in full armour, but with his cowl down, was a curious sight.
“Come with me, Billy. It’s time to show you the Batcave,” his affectionate smile looked out of place on Batman’s face.
Bat-Bruce turned the hands of the grandfather clock. A wall panel slid open, revealing a stairwell, the spiral staircase seemed endless. Bats shrieked, flying past Batman and Batson as they made their way to the cave beneath.
The Batcave was everything Billy imagined it would be… and more. A massive dinosaur stood at its entrance, so lifelike, Billy thought it would pounce on him.
In all those years working with Batman, he’d never have guessed the Bat’s sentimental heart. He kept mementoes of past adventures. A giant penny, old Robin costumes and more stood on display as he walked through the cave.
Dick, Babs and Tim – Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin were glued to a gigantic supercomputer that would dwarf Sivana’s equipment.
“You’re joining us for patrol tonight.” Bruce pulled down his cowl.
“I thought Captain Marvel cannot be seen in Gotham?” Billy’s confused.
“You are not going as Captain Marvel,” growled the Bat.