A/N:  What the boys pray for before bedtime, and their before bedtime rituals...  this is before the reboot and Bruce is dead, or presumed dead :)

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Dick put his toothbrush down and yawned, fanning himself with his hand.  He picked up his hairbrush and sloppily combed his hair, knowing it would be knotty in the morning if he didn't.

He slowly picked up his pajamas, Robin ones of course, and slipped them on, then turned and listened to hear the sounds of Cass stumbling down the hall to shout at Tim to turn his math radio(there is now such thing) off, like she did every night.  It was like a tradition.

He walked out of his bathroom, and stepped to the side to let Jason barge in, yelling, as he did every night, "Move it or lose it Dickie bird!"

Dick had no idea what he meant by that, but he loved hearing the words, because every time Jason yelled it, Dick would respond, "I love you too Jay bird."

After Dick would say goodnight to his older/younger brother, he would walk down the hall to meet Alfred, who stood in the same spot every night.  Ever since Dick was 8.  Dick would kiss him on the cheek every night, and say, "Goodnight Alfie, luv ya."

And the butler would reply each night, "I love you too Master Richard, have a lovely sleep."

Dick would then walk into Tim's room, and pry Cass off of Tim, like he did every night, and tiredly plop Cass outside the door, who would in turn tell him, "Hands off, or I'll kick you where it hurts."

And Dick would respond every night with a tired evil smirk, "You love me to much to."

And she would respond, "Wanna bet?"

Dick would turn to Tim and say, "Don't stay up to late Timmy..."

And like every night, Tim would turn around and shut his math/history/english/french/spanish/latin/greek/manderin/science book and say with a smile, "You know I won't!"

Dick would shut the door and say through it, "Love you...."  and the muffled reply would be "I love you too Dick"

After that, Dick would walk down the hall and sneak into Damian's room, and pull the covers over the already 'sleeping' form and whisper in the child's ear, "You love me.... :)"

And then, with his ritual over, he would go to his room.

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Jason would wait outside the bathroom impatiently, tapping his foot to the beat of Cass's heavy footsteps as she stomped her way to Tim's room.  Every night he would watch he turn the corner of the hall and he'd yell, "Be quiet Cass!"

And she'd just pause a moment and take it to glare at him, then she would return to stomping to Tim's room.   Around the time she turned the corner, Damian would be walking by in his Nightwing pj's, which you couldn't seem to pry from him, and he'd glare at Jason and say, "Go to hell in your sleep Todd."

Which he would say back, "Already been there, and I don't fancy returning.... so I hope you go to hell in your sleep demon spawn!"

"Already been there too, slave!" Damian would spit out as he walked the rest of the hall.

Jason would have time to tap his foot three more times and the door to the bathroom would swing open and a tired/happy Dick would walk out, and Jason would yell, "Move it or lose it Dickie bird!"  Just because he loved to hear Dick respond with his, "I love you too Jay bird."

Jason would go into the bathroom, and pick his toothbrush up from the orderly line that Dick had put their toothbrushes in, and he would quickly brush his teeth.  Not bothering with his hair, he slapped on his Red Robin pajama's... and he would leave the bathroom quickly.

He would walk up to Alfred and say, "Hiya Alf!"

And every night, Alfred would raise one eyebrow and stare and Jason, "I hope that your sleep is peaceful Master Jason."

Jason would give Alfred a small wink and pop into Tim's bedroom to announce, "I'm here smartie!"  Tim would walk up to the door and punch Jason lightly in the stomach with the words, "Get out deadman!"

Jason would smirk at Tim and turn to go into his bedroom, his ritual done.

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Tim had already slipped on his Batman pj's and put Jason's sweater on top of it, because it was so unavoidably comfy.   He would turn on his radio to the listen to all the things going on with math in the world, and quietly sneak out of the room for a few seconds to hug Alfred and kiss him on the cheek, then share a wink with him and go back into his room, nearly avoiding Damian, who would, every night yell, "Get outta my way Drake!"

And every night, Tim would glare at him and respond, "Get outta my way you peasant!"

Then he would enter his room again and brace himself for Cass to come into the room and silently grab him off his bed and glare him in the eyes and say, "Turn it off, now."

And then Tim would smile insolently and hold his math radio up and say, "But, I love it to much!"

And then Cass would smile with a look full of mischief and respond sweetly, "But you love me more don't you brother?"

And then Tim would get a scared look on his face and back up as Cass attacked him, trying to pry her off as he scrambled to save his radio.

Then Dick would enter the scene and silently pry Cass away and plop her outside the door, then share a few words with her, then turn back to Tim to say, "Don't stay up too late Timmy."

And then Tim would go up to his desk and shut whatever book he was studying and smile at Dick, "You know I won't!"  Then Dick would smile happily and shut the door and say, "Love you...."

And Tim would smile uselessly at the door and say, "I love you too..."

Then he would brace himself as Jason opened the door to yell, "I'm here smartie!"  And Tim would yell back at him, "Get out deadman!"

Then he'd smile as Jason smirked, knowing his brother was planning something evil and he'd wait for Jason to shut the door again and leave.  Then his ritual would be over.

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Damian would finish cleaning himself up and then put his Nightwing pajamas on really quickly in order to finish his ritual with precise timing.

He would first walk through the hall, and see Jason waiting outside the bathroom for Dick to get out, and then he'd shout, "Go to hell in your sleep Todd!"

And Jason would just smirk and respond sassily, "I already been there..... and I don't fancy going there again, so I hope you go to hell in your sleep demon spawn..."

"Already have been there too slave!"  Damian would yell, then turn the hall to pass Cass, who every night would pause a second to let Damian ahead of her.  He would look backwards and pause also to say, "I'm a much better assassin then you Cain."

Which she would respond with every night, "Good, because I'm not an assassin."

Then Damian would nearly run into Tim, and every night he would yell the same endearing thing at him, "Get outta my way Drake!"  Which would be responded by the also endearing, "Get outta my way you peasant!"

Then he would nod to Alfred and curtly say, "Don't abandon your duties at night Pennyworth.  I have security cameras around here watching you."

And Alfred would stare at him sourly before breaking out into a knowing loving smile and he would say, "Of course I won't Master Damian... would you like me to bring you black tea with two sugar lumps in a china teacup tomorrow morning?"

"Please Pennyworth." Damian would respond, then run to his room and quickly jump in his bed and pretend he was asleep.  Then he would wait, and his door would open and Dick would walk through and tuck his covers up to his chin, kiss him on the cheek, and say "You love me.... :)"

And with that, Damian's ritual would be over.

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Dick sat down on his bed and opened his hands in prayer, "Dear God..."

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Jason walked up to the window seat and looked to the sky, "Dear God...."

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Tim folded his hands together and closed his eyes, "Dear God...."

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Damian opened his eyes and turned over so his back was on the bed, "Dear God...."

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"Dear God, I know you're out there, and I hope you'll answer my prayer." Dick continued, "I love you so much, and you already know that I have all my trust in you.  And I want you to trust me.  All I ask from you is help.  I really need it.   Please help me to protect Gotham as well as Bruce used to, and to be maybe half as good as a Batman as he was.  And please please help me to take care of my family.  I want to be a good father to Damian, but he just won't let me in.  I really try God, you know I do.  Please help me to be a loving father or brother or something to him.  Please help me to keep Jason in check, he should be old enough to live on his own, but he just won't leave.  And he won't listen to my rules.  Please help him stop smoking, he deserves a better death than lung cancer.  And please help me with Tim, he's always sneaking out at night and I don't know what to do.  Cass is a good kid, and please keep her that way.  Please help me to keep guardianship of them, and please help me not to lose it.  Also help me with Wayne foundation.... they tell me I'm not a good enough leader.  And God, please help Alfred, he's working so hard and needs a break.  Please help him.  And Bruce, if you can hear me out there... I just want you to know, I love you... and I needed you... why did you leave me?"

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"Dear God, if there even is one because I feel so ridiculous standing here talking to the sky," Jason spoke, "But I trust there is one, because you have answered my prayers more than once.  I just wanted to thank you so much.  I know it's weird, because I'm thanking you.  I don't do thank you's.  They're so sentimental, you know?  And I'm not sentimental, well I used to be... but, I just wanted to thank you for giving me this second chance at life.  Thank you for making me a hero in some peoples eyes.  I want to especially thank you for my family though.  I love them so much, and it's weird because I'll never admit it to them, but I want you to make them know that I love them and would do anything for them.  Thank you for Alfred, who works hard to feed us, clean our facilities, and always give us amazing advice.  Thank you for Dick, who works his a-- off trying to keep Wayne foundation, and to keep us all under his guardianship, even as hard as we make it.  Thank you for Tim, who is super smart, and will always let me shoot at him after he finishes his homework.  Thank you for Demon spawn, who is exactly what his name suggests, but is really actually fine if he softens up to you.... so thank you God, and if Bruce is up there with you, can you tell him.... I did love him?"

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"Dear God, or whatever higher power is ruling down from above," Tim said, "I just want to ask you for one thing.  And I've been good!  So I think I can just you know, ask for something as a favor back?  If you want proof I was good, look at all the villains in Arkham!  Look at all the people I've saved!  Just think of that... now I want to ask you for something.  And it's nothing really.  It's just, I want happiness for my family.  With Bruce Wayne, the mighty Batman, dead, we haven't been as happy.  He was our father.  I know Barbara and Steph, and Charlie, and Jean-Paul, and maybe Helena, and Talia, and maybe even Ra's might be sad, but it can't compare to the sadness my immediate family is feeling now.  He was our father, he took us in even when no one else wanted us.  Circus freak.  Street rat.  Geekish nerd.  Mute assassin.  Blood son.  He took us all in, and he accepted us when no one else wanted to.  He was our father, and some gut instinct of mine tells me he's still alive.  Just God, I want you to make my family a little more happy.  I want there to be more smile on Alfred's face as he makes us pancakes and as he stitches our wounds.  I want the overly peppy Dick back, not the sad tired one, not the one who's trying to head a worldwide company and take care of 4 other children at age 18.  I want Jason to be a little more smirky and sassy, he's seem to have lost that and no matter what I do he won't glare at me.  I want the mean Damian back, not the sad one that looks pathetic when he wakes up.  Please God, bring Bruce back to us..."

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"Dear God, or is that really you?" Damian started off like only Damian would start off, "I'm not sure if you're real, but Grayson says you are, so I believe him.  I'm not sure why I pray to you, but I guess my ragtag 'family' needs all the help it can get.  So I'm going to pray for healing.  It's weird, I guess to pray for healing, but Grayson says he prays for help, and Todd hints he prays for thanks, and I once heard Drake pray for a want.  I pray that you heal my 'family', and I guess I should drop the quotations, because, they are my family.  I don't even know why I call them that, but I guess they are pretty special.  I pray that you heal our wounds.  I know Pennyworth pretty much lost a son, and I hope that you heal him, because he is no longer as snarky with me as usual.  I pray that you heal Grayson, because he just seems so stressed with his fathers(no quotations God!) death, having to lead a company, having to be Batman, and having to take care of 4 kids who are incredibly rebellious all at age 18.  I hope you heal Todd, because he seems sad and will not be mean to me, and he's smoking more than usual which worries me deeply, because he may die again.  I pray you heal... Drake that peasant, because he isn't yelling at me and pushing me and insulting me, and it really is unnerving me, so please heal him quick!  Oh, and if you see my father up there with you, please tell him I love him, and I really did need him?"

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Dick sighed and laid down on his bed, "Amen."

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Jason turned away from the window and looked to his bed, "Amen."

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Tim unfolded his hands and sat on his bed, "Amen."

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Damian closed his eyes and replaced his covers, "Amen."