As promised, the part featuring the ever-dysfunctional Batfam's reaction to Espera | R. Grayson is here.

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Bruce should have known that any bonding time with his dysfunctional family was bound to end up in chaos. And that was exactly what happened then too.

Jason had taken the lead in starting the summary of the first fanfic, giving a brief background on what changes occurred due to the elder Waynes not getting murdered. 

"Luckily, we got a summary from the author that she had posted when entering her story into a contest so we might just start from there."

Tim had linked his phone to the screen and pulled up the summary right there.

This is an Alternate Universe DC fanfic in which Bruce Wayne's parents do not get murdered and as a result, he does not become Batman, changing the entire canon DC universe that we read about. The main characters in this story are Richard Grayson (protagonist), Barbara Gordon (female lead), Helena Bartinelli and Jason Todd (protagonist's accomplices) and Timothy Drake (protagonist's friend).

In an alternate universe where Thomas and Martha Wayne were not murdered brutally in front of young Bruce at Crime Alley, the life of the Dark Knight evolved much differently from what we know now. Thomas Wayne succeeded in becoming Mayor of Gotham and Bruce had always lived a life of privilege and luxury. Along with all that privilege and luxury came a shelter from what actually was going on in the city streets hence Bruce had never known what being a common man in the dreary city of crime would be like.

On the other hand, Richard Grayson went through the tragic death of his parents and suffered life's hardships firsthand. He was not adopted by a loving foster family, survived on the streets regularly fluctuating to the juvie, and then mysteriously vanished. Years later, he returned to the city of crime as a burning soul of vengeance. Known as Grayson to the common citizens and Batman to those who dared to hurt the innocent, that spirit of vengeance became the only savior Gotham could count on. He had always wanted to find out the reason for his survival although his parents had died in the trapeze accident and after taking the decision of becoming Batman, he felt he had finally found his purpose.

"Burning soul of vengeance?" Damian mumbled, "sounds familiar, doesn't it, Todd?"

"No one asked."

But Richard was being targeted by the Court of Owls as well as an enigmatic woman Lavina Vikander who he had worked for in the past. Both these factors become a major hindrance in his mission to protect Gotham. The story revolves around Richard's battle against the two while also trying to keep the city safe. He suffered as the people around him got targeted as well and he had to overcome a lot of obstacles to stay on the path he had chosen. In the midst of all the havoc created by the Court of Owls, the people of Gotham start suspecting Batman's motives. Therefore he has to reveal his identity to them in the end and vows to keep shielding Gotham with his life.

"Looks like the author really wanted to give you all the spotlight," Barbara remarked while Richard merely shrugged in reply.

Getting all the spotlight also meant being the center of all the suffering.

And deep down he was very glad that his life didn't evolve like the version depicted on the fanfic. It might seem heartless but Richard was very relieved that it was Bruce who had taken up the mantle of Batman and not him.

This fanfic is part of a series so the story hasn't ended in the first book and continues further in the succeeding two books. But as it is an Alternate Universe story, it explores DC and Batman's character origin very differently from the original.

Bruce had read through the entire text, processing it as the story did evolve differently from reality. But that was precisely why the author had mentioned it was AU fanfic. Though the alarming aspect was how could someone from another world know such a lot about them to weave all that info into stories.

"So for those of you who didn't understand, I will summarize it further in a sentence," Jason cracked his knuckles as if he was about to do some heavy task, "the Court of Owls is a bitch and Richard is the damsel always in distress."

"Hey! I was Batman in the fic not some damsel in distress!" He defended fictional Richard, "you're forgetting all the times I kicked ass and saved Gotham."

"Though you were always in distress," Tim pointed it out, "you can't deny that."

"And you were dead," Damian added.

"Oh now you shut up," Tim retorted, "you're making me want to die in real life too."

Steph's suicide helpline mode got activated at that and she looked about ready to pin Tim down, "what did you just say?"

"Nothing, nothing whatsoever."

"By the way, Bruce, you wanna know who you end up falling for?" 

"The Court," he replied nonchalantly, "I remember you saying that."

"Oh no no no, not the Court but the woman who controlled the Court," Jason laughed, "and my oh my, didn't she have a complex history?"

Timothy however was quick to shut him up, "hush, don't give spoilers for the next book."

"Guys, where's the Bruce dissing?" Unexpectedly Barbara was the one who placed forward that question, "the summary is surprisingly very free of any of it."

Jason rubbed his hands as a manacing smirk played upon his lips, "ooooh, we're getting to that. This summary was just to familiarize you with the plot. The points we will be discussing in detail are actually the Bruce dissing."

"No offense meant though," Richard added immediately, stealing a glance at Bruce who still appeared rather unfazed by the proceedings.

"Go ahead," the eldest shrugged, waiting for them to hit him with something that could actually be referred to as a genuine diss.

Of course, he dealt with a lot of crap thrown at him by the press either way. Some amateur fanfic writer couldn't possibly come up with anything worse than what he had to face daily.

"The fact that you didn't become Batman and didn't adopt any of us was a diss in itself but there's much more to come," Jason felt the most eager to tell him about it all, "in fact, in this story, I happen to succeed in stealing the tires off your car and selling them at a garage because I had to pay off a debt."

"And?"

"Fictional me hates you for some reason," Richard spoke up sheepishly, "I mean I don't know whether it's the fact that in this story you did nothing when my parents died or maybe it's the very evident all rich people are assholes ideology that the Dick Grayson in this story has developed over time."

"Oh oh and you remember the scene when he was telling Barbara about the Ankh pendant?" Tim seemed to have recalled something and it made Jay double over in laughter.

"Oh that was gold," he replied, "so apparently, that Lavina woman had given him an Ankh pendant and Babara asked him whether he had gotten it from Egypt. To which he replied; Egypt? And who has the money to go there, love? I'm not Bruce Wayne."

A very faint smile threatened to tug up on Bruce's features but he kept up the emotionless facade. He could see that those were not disses per se, in fact, the story was full of such statements for humor.

"Unlike your Batman, Dickie isn't very rich in the story so there's no Batmobile, no fancy gadgets, no Batcave either. But this Batman is street smart and has his own ways of fighting crime," Tim explained then turned to Damian, "also one more good thing happened in the story other than my suicide. The gremlin doesn't exist."

"Thank heavens," he sneered back, "I would have died of shame either way if that version of Grayson was my father."

Dick almost choked on the orange juice he had brought over for them all. "Stop right there before I say something insulting."

Damian's eyes flashed as if challenging him to go ahead but Barbara had to quell the situation.

"So is Damian the only person who doesn't exist in the Talonverse?"

Jason thought for a while, "come to think of it, I never saw Steph either."

"Hey, how could there be a story without me," she protested, "I should have been included."

Tim who had read most of the books, leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "chill, Jay only read the first two books. You do exist and you show up in the fourth book."

"Oh... Okay."

"Dora is in this series too," Tim's face visibly fell at the remark, "but since I committed suicide way before she turned up in Gotham, we couldn't meet."

"Awww, poor you."

"By the way," Jason spoke up, "you guys will never guess who I'm dating in this story."

Steph spoke up, "Rose I think."

"Nope."

"Helena?" Barbara suggested.

"Not her either. She's Dickie's friend and calls Jay pipsqueak," Tim butted in at that moment.

Both Steph and Barbara burst into laughter at the prospect of Jay being called a pipsqueak.

"No she doesn't!"

"Yes she does, ask Dick if you don't believe me. And she kicks him out of his own house very often which is quite hilarious."

"Stop it, you're deviating from the topic!"

Richard looked at Jason with a slightly confused expression, "I thought you weren't dating anybody?"

Jay's eyes sparked, "why? You thought only you would get all the ladies?"

"Oh shut up."

"Kori? Roy? Both Kori and Roy?" Barbara guessed again but turned out that wasn't the answer either.

"Okay we give up, who is it?" Steph asked.

"He's dating Carrie Kelly," Tim spoke up, "though our Carrie would bash his head in a wall if she found out."

"That's like a whole new level of a very alternate universe," Barbara remarked.

Bruce really hadn't spoken much but that once he told them to stop bickering and carry on with the story.

"And the best part of the entire book was the ending," Jason spoke up, "Dick really went all I am Richard Grayson and I am Batman in front of the entire Gotham."

Steph looked surprised to hear that, "oh like Ironman but without the playboy billionaire check."

"Swap the playboy billionaire with nightclub stripper and that would be more appropriate."

Richard's face flushed in embarrassment, "shut up. And I did get a decent job in the GCPD in this story too so you better stop teasing me about it."

Damian clicked his tongue again, "tt, revealing your identity to the public was still a stupid decision really. That way you'd constantly have the police, the law and the Court on your tail."

"You're right," Richard agreed, "but that's what set this version of Batman apart from Bruce's. You know the whole ideology of the city savior being just a common man wanting to protect his city and not concealing himself behind a mask."

"Or in other words," Jay's eyes sparked in mischief, "the whole ideology of Batman not being someone with shit ton of money to help him out in his mission."

Bruce raised an eyebrow skeptically, "I see..."

"So what did you think of the story?" They all asked Bruce finally after the wrap-up of all the chapters, eagerly waiting for his reply.

"I liked it," he replied, much to their surprise, "but I won't be hearing the summary of the next book tonight because we all have to go on patrol."

Tim's eyes lit up, "see, I told you it was going to be good! You're gonna listen to the rest of it tomorrow, right?"

"Alright. Continue it tomorrow. Meet me in the cave in five minutes. All of you."

"Aye Aye Captain," Richard remarked.

***

The next part will be posted soon as I get some time on my hands. My schedule has gotten a lot more hectic and I only get time to write on weekends now so you guys might have to wait a week to get the next part. Sorry for that but if I get time before that (hopefully) then I will try and post it sooner.

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