Chapter Text
Jack Fenton had many secrets. Some aren’t much more secret than others. Some are partially discovered. For a man who looked like the type to have his heart on his sleeve, he had a lot of things that even his wife, his closest confidant, would never know.
The First secret, which was partially realized, was not only his attraction to the cute, badass, red-haired woman who later became his beloved wife, but also to his mature, reliable best friend/roommate. Something that at his time was looked down upon due to many ludicrous reasons. Alas, he had to bury that attraction when Vlad fell ill and cut off contact with him after the accident involving the prototype ghost portal. However, that is coming with a vengeance when the silver-haired man comes back into their lives.
The second secret was how Danny became part of their family. Everyone in town simply assumed he was theirs, and only Jazz knew the truth—that he had been adopted. However, the real story was far stranger than anyone could have imagined. They had stumbled upon a badly injured nine-year-old boy, thrown out of a natural ghost portal. Explaining how he appeared there would have been impossible, especially since they were supposed to be nowhere near that restricted area while running ecto-readings. Luckily, Maddie’s sister had the right connections to forge the papers, and Jack was more than happy to brush off the sharp jabs from the older Walker sister in exchange. To their relief, Jazz instantly adored her new little brother, practically raising him herself. In time, that bond would shape her interest in psychology.
The third secret was that he was smarter than others were led to believe. Sure, he was what kids these days call a "himbo," but he was aware of others' intentions, secrets, and even their moods. Though he lived by the ideal of ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys,’ keeping what he learn for himself. So it wasn’t a surprise that he pinged Danny as Phantom by the fifth meeting. Yup, he knew that the ghost vigilante that he and his wife were chasing was their adopted son. Years of raising the now-teen made the man know the boy's tells. He could recognize the hazard suit anywhere. Jack decided it was important to figure out the how before telling Maddie, since between the two, she was the one who acted without thinking. Easing her into the information was for the best for everyone’s safety. So when Danny, with Jazz by his side, revealed his identity, it was an easy acceptance.
With that, it became easy for him and Maddie to join Team Phantom. They were able to act as insiders, thanks to their good rapport with G.I.W. They provided vital information about locations, assisted in sabotaging inventions, and even created distractions to help the teens escape.
Jack had many secrets, ranging from the mundane to those he would take to his grave and beyond. Now, he feels it’s time to bring one of those secrets to light.
Jack grips the wheel as he speeds off from one of the secret government bases. The building that exploded five minutes before, but he couldn’t hear due to the pounding of his heart. He could slightly hear Maddiekins softly cooing as she stitched up Danny. They HURT him, his boy, they caught him and cut him up as if he were a lab experiment. It was a good thing that the guys in white called them for assistance since Tucker didn’t have luck with tracking Danny after the Halfa didn’t report back after his patrol three days ago.
They played along to lull them before Jack “accidentally” used a USB that had a very nasty virus that triggered the self-destruct sequence, and in the chaos, they were able to clamp the vivsection, and quickly take their son to the G.A.V., where they had enough ecto-dejecto to kick start the healing while Maddie dextress hands use the ecto line to stitch.
Jack seemed to space out since by the time he snapped out, he stopped at Fentoworks with a distressed daughter and team waiting to help if needed. He carried Danny in, bringing him to the basement so that his wife could provide better medical care, ignoring the panicked questions from the team. Then he stumbled back up to the bathroom, trying hard not to see the sploshes of green and red blood as well as the hunted look in his eyes as he changed out of his orange hazard suit for another one he had as a backup.
Once he was dressed, Jack could no longer hold back his anger. He slammed his fist against the wall, causing it to crack. A growl of frustration threatened to escape him as thoughts of revenge against the scientists, agents, and government officials who had harmed his son flashed through his mind. He took deep breaths, trying to remember advice from one of Jazz's books on how to calm down and think clearly. They had managed to save Danny this time, but Jack could sense that these people would never stop after just one success. He and Maddie were like that.
It was fortunate that it was summer vacation; there was no need to explain Danny's prolonged absence or the Y-incision scar on his abdomen. Jack sat down on the toilet, contemplating a solution, when suddenly, he remembered a secret he had never shared with Maddie or the rest of his family. If he needed assistance in dealing with an organization that had already crossed the line, there was one person who could help him. He knew this person well enough that they would be willing to take Danny and ensure his safety without hesitation. After all, what were they known for besides their wealth?
It was late at night in Wayne Manor. Bruce Wayne was in the cave doing research for a solved case, adding some final additions. Everyone besides him and Alfred was awake, Tim was tranquilized by Alfred since they were awake for three days straight when said butler came down.
“Master Bruce, a call came in on your phone,” Alfred said, handing him his civilian device. Bruce checked the screen and saw a name he hadn’t encountered since he began his training to become Batman. It was a name known only to him and Alfred, a remnant of a family secret that his grandfather had ensured was erased from their history. This person was the son of James Wayne, the younger brother of Thomas Wayne. James had left the family after a disagreement over wanting to marry someone deemed below the Wayne station.
To maintain their connection, Thomas prioritized keeping tabs on his brother and offering assistance whenever needed, even bringing Bruce to meet James in secret. Bruce fondly remembered the first time he met his cousin, Jack Fenton. Jack was loud and straightforward, and he seemed to possess a unique ability to sense Bruce's emotions, often speaking on his behalf with his booming, bright voice. Bruce found inspiration in Jack's personality while developing his "Brucie" persona after returning from training.
Although years had passed since they last spoke, Alfred had managed to keep their phone numbers up to date, just in case, and he continued to send the occasional Christmas card every December 1st, though that stopped seven years ago. Bruce recalled that Jack got married after college and had a daughter who was expected to graduate from college this year. Bruce had already set up a trust fund in the guise of a scholarship, similar to what his father did for Jack.
“Hello, Jack, it’s been a while.” Bruce casually started with his Brucie persona, already mentally hearing Jack’s booming voice talking a mile a minute about everything that had happened since their last talk.
“Bruce… I need your help.” Bruce froze at the tone of the always cheerful older cousin. This tone was tired, slightly scared, but ending with conviction as if Jack thought this through enough. It reminded him of 12-year-old Jack that day at his parents’ burial, standing tall while his father wept openly. Becoming a silent supporter for the older man and Bruce.
“What happened?” Bruce dropped his persona and invoked Batman by accident. Alfred didn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but tense as well. He also started to quickly start to type in on the bat computer, blocking any signal in case the call was being monitored, but it seemed that Jack had someone on his end who was covering him. He knew full well that Jack was a civilian, so that nipped something in his mind.
“A lot of things happen, Bruce. Things that I wi- wanted to tell you, cousin.” And with that, Bruce received the most concerning information that he had ever heard in his life. A law that was passed down that went against the Meta Protection Acts, a government branch that had held an entire town hostage, warring with a sentient species, which explains why Jack had someone encrypt his call, and events that should have attracted the attention of the JL, or at least their magic branch. He will have to bring this up to the group, have Tim make a PowerPoint after he wakes up from his mandatory rest time. He will have to do this, but for now, he can assure his older cousin.
“Wow, Jack, that must be hard. Did you try to call the Justice League Hotline? I think I have it somewhere around here.” He pretended to shuffle some papers around.
“I did try, but G.I.W. cut us off from calling them or any form of organizations associated. It was a miracle that I could call you with this encryption system. Besides, I know you can reach them further than I could.” Jack said with conviction. It almost sounded like he was probing, but Bruce ignored that.
“Oh, you heard the rumors of me funding the Justice League. Yeah, it's getting a little exaggerated after the rumors about me funding Batman, but that because he saves me or the kids most of the time. They do save other people, but the reporters mostly focus on the times the Dark Knight saves a Wayne in a gala or something.” Those rumors helped with keeping his civilian and vigilante identities separate, but it doesn’t stop his kids from teasing him about being his own Sugar Daddy.
“If you’re sure, Brucie… anyway, there is also another thing I want your help with.” Jack sounded unconvincing, but seemed to accept his explanation. There was a moment of silence.
“Take my son Danny away from this, Bruce.” Bruce was thrown off by the request. This was out of the field, and this screamed of something going on.
“Oh, you have another kid, Jack.”
“He’s… he’s my adopted child. I love him as much as I love Jazz, but he isn’t safe here anymore.” Jack sounded almost desperate. Bruce’s mind raced with various scenarios of what was happening on his cousin’s end, none of which painted a pretty picture. A government organization determined to destroy a sentient species, laws that were against Meta acts—these pointed to Jack fighting against them in some way. If he was asking Bruce to take in Danny, it meant either that Jack was in danger and wanted to keep Danny away from that threat or that Danny himself was the target, and Jack wanted him as far away from anyone’s reach as possible.
“What about Jazz?”
“She’ll be fine, but what matters most is to take Danny away from here as soon as possible.” That was more of a confirmation that Danny is the target. If it were Jack in danger, he would send both his children away.
“I can start the paperwork for foste-”
“Bruce, I want Danny to be sneaked out.”
“You know that I can’t, Jack. There are rules-”
“Bruce, I need Batman.”
“Me knowing Batman is a ru-”
“I know your Batman cousin, I've known since you first debuted.” Bruce froze as the words sank in. Jack knew. Of all the people to know, it was the last person he would ever think to find out, and even earlier than Tim, who only found out after he recognized Dick’s flips, and Jack found out without context clues.
“H-how?”
“I've known you since you were a baby. Don’t worry, I’m willing to keep this secret to the grave and beyond, Brucie.” Bruce can believe that. Jack, with all his boisterous and people-person personality, wouldn’t spill. His kids would have called him a hypocrite, but he knew that he could trust Jack Fenton to keep his secret identity. After all, he isn’t using his secret identity to control him; this was so he can show Bruce that he can trust him with the safety of his son.
“I can help with that, but why are you asking for Batman?” Bruce asked seriously. There was a pause from the other end.
“Because… What do you know about ghosts?”
“I know enough, we have a resident ghost heroes or dead adjacent ones, and we even had a magical branch of the Justice League.” Bruce had interacted with Deadman, Tim had teamed up with Specter, and he had heard enough babble from Constantine that he made sure to carry a vial of holy water in his utility belt. Then there was the fact that he and members of the Batfamily had been resurrected before, and in the words of the trenchcoat-wearing Brit, “death had left its mark on you.” He believes he was ready for anything.
“He’s like you—a vigilante, but there’s more to his story,” Bruce listened intently as the details unfolded. He refrained from scolding Jack about his lack of lab safety. He learned that Danny, at just 14, had been in an accident that transformed him into a being that was half-ghost and half-human. This situation still fell under the Meta category, granting him powers and an alternative form. Jack wasn’t sure of the full extent of Danny’s abilities, but he worried that they would grow even stronger in the future. This concern troubled Bruce, as here was a child facing enemies without a proper mentor, relying solely on the support of his friends and older sister. Jack and Maddaline had only become involved after Danny had already figured things out, and even then, they were uncertain about how to guide a hero.
Then there was this.
“G.I.W. caught him three days ago during his patrol. They caught him and vivisected him without hesitation. Even if we were able to save him and remove the evidence, it would be a matter of time before they get smart and find out how to keep him longer. Matter of time before they finally end up killing him.” Bruce could hear his cousin's grief. It reflected his grief when he lost Jason. He understood that if given a chance, he would have sent Jason away from danger to someone capable of protecting him. He knew that someone wasn’t going to be happy with this, but at least this was family, even if adopted.
“I’ll brief the team and have everything set up for pick up. Send me a time and coordinates.” Bruce sighs.
“Thank you, Brucie. I’ll have someone send an encrypted file your way. It will have everything that Danny and his team collected over the last two years, along with what Mads and I learn after checking Danny's condition, so you will know what to expect for his care. I’ll let you know once Danny is stable enough for transfer.” Jack sounded more hopeful and, with a happy goodbye, hung up. Bruce leaned back on his chair, taking out his cowl. He heard a ping coming from his phone and saw an email. It had the file, but it was disguised as a business proposition for a one Fenton Works, which belongs to Jack and Maddeline.
“He is my cousin,” he chuckled as he connected his phone to the bat computer and transferred the file. He didn’t have to look for the key to unlock the encryption since there was one word that they both knew since they were kids. Before his parents' death, he and Jack were partial to the tales of Zorro and would play them as a game. They decided which role they would play.
Bruce typed “B3RN4D0,” and the system unlocked immediately. Jack had always let Bruce play as Zorro, the hero, while he took on the role of Bernando, Zorro’s friend and sidekick. They had used these names as passwords to find each other while Jack was in college, and before he left for his training and lost contact.
Once the computer was unlocked, Bruce instructed the AI to separate the information before checking the details about Danny Fenton. He saw a boy with black hair and blue eyes and sighed, already anticipating his kids cracking jokes about "serial adopter Brucie Wayne" and his type of adoptees. At least this time, the billionaire knew that the boy already had a hero identity and wouldn’t be taking on the Robin mantle.
Noticing that Alfred was away, Bruce figured he was likely setting up a room for the new arrival. This gave Bruce more time to prepare for the meeting with the kids and the inevitable chaos that would follow.
Next night…
Bruce waited and watched as everyone made their way to the table.
“Wow, everyone is here,” he could hear Duke Thomas, his recent charge, stage whisper to Stephenie Brown.
“Yeah, usually it means that there is a mission that needs all hands on deck. Something like a Man Bat situation kind of dealio.”
“I hope not, since I have finals, and that would suck if classes are prolonged because of this.” Bruce mentally assured the daylight hero that this wouldn’t affect his education.
The last one to enter was Jason.
“Jeez, old man, why did you call me to this meeting? I got a Mexican Cartel encroaching on my territory, and they need a reminder of why not to enter Crime Alley.” Jason growled lightly and sat down in the only available seat, which was next to Damian. Bruce ignores him in favor of starting the meeting.
“To start, I have a confession to make,” which perked everyone’s attention as everyone stared. Bruce could tell they were going down the list of possible scenarios, and even felt Damian’s stare at him heavily. Decided to continue before someone said something to create chaos, like him having a love child, which was something he didn’t want another repeat since it took him weeks to assure Damian that there was no other potential rival for the Robin mantle. Tim was benched for that and for the broken arm and leg he got from the younger Wayne.
“You know how the Wayne family tree looks, right?” He signaled Tim, letting him know it was a yes and no question. The others nodded since it was something that Alfred made sure to teach every single one of them once they entered the manor’s doors. In Damian’s case, the League had done its research about it. Unfortunately for them, they missed something. “In actuality, my father wasn’t the only son; he was more like the oldest one,” he let that sink in before the expected chaos started. Having a surprise expression, Damian was a rare treat, especially when it came from the fact that Ra was wrong or not informed. Dick was already yelling at him, betrayed by how he didn’t know he had an Uncle, and Bruce mentally made it his priority to correct that when everything was over. He managed to quite the chaos after a while.
“My uncle, James Wayne, was cut off from the family when he refused to break up with his partner, since she was below the Wayne wealth. My father didn’t want to lose his baby brother, so he kept tabs on him and met him in secret when he could. Even have me meet James and his son Jack from a very young age. Yes, my mother was told not to tell anyone about this.” He knew that Kate would ask since she was from his mother's side of the family.
“I didn’t talk to him often after I started my training, but he kept sending Alfred Christmas cards until seven years ago. But yesterday I received a call on my personal number.” Everyone sat upright in focus. He could tell that they were mentally making a reason why they should be there to meet their uncle.
“Jack called me for help,” and with that, he explained everything about what Jack had first told him.
“Wait, that has to be against the Meta acts,” Tim said, obviously worried for Greta since she fell into the category. Dick stared back at Jason worriedly since the anti-ecto laws targeted him as well, since Jason died and came back. Barbara, who was not able to come but was tabbed into the comms, was already looking at the organized files, noting what they needed for the meeting with JL, and Bruce could sense her impression on whoever was able to get those classified reports, since they were at Red Robin and Oracle levels of hacker skill. He will have to meet them since they were part of Danny’s team, maybe even get him a job in Wayne Industries. The others in the room were already discussing ideas on how to deal with the organization.
Now for the hard part.
“There was another thing he asked me to do for him… he wanted me to take in his son.” That quieted down the room for five seconds, then chaos again.
“Goddamit, old man, not another one.”
“Tt Father, I refuse to have a new brother even if he is blood related through my uncle.”
“Alfred made his room already, didn’t he?”
“New Baby brother…”
Bruce tried to say something on the tune of “he is an adopted child,” which made it worse. So he thought it best to continue by showing the picture of Danny on the screen.
“This is Danny Fenton. He is 16 years old and was adopted at the age of 9. Due to uncertainty about his origins, his adoptive parents had to create falsified documents. He is currently in danger, and Jack is requesting a covert extraction.”
When Bruce examined the adoption papers, he immediately recognized them as skillful forgeries. The documents were vague about Danny's country of origin, likely based on his appearance. Previous photos suggested he had features reflecting a mixed Arabic and American heritage, despite his pale complexion. Bruce chose to ignore the whispers of "Prime Wayne adoption bait" and continued reviewing the next piece of information.
Suddenly, Damian stood up from his chair and walked to the front. What surprised Bruce was the expression on Damian's face; over the years since Damian had come to live with them, Bruce had rarely seen him exhibit such a strained look. Damian stared at Danny's image as if he were searching for something. Understanding the unspoken message, Bruce zooms in on the face and sees a verly visible scar that he failed to see at the first viewing. He heard a choke, and he looked back to see Jason with his helmet off and looking at the image as if he saw a ghost.
“Holy shit, he’s alive,” Jason exclaimed. That made Bruce alert, since it was odd that two of his children knew his cousin's adopted son. Even more so since the only connection between them besides him was LoA, and that made him think of some bad theories.
“Father, where is he?” It snapped him out of the spiral when Damian asked him. His son sounded desperate, hopeful, and impatient, as if Danny would disappear if they were a second late. It removes some doubts, but it brought a theory to the forefront that he had shot down when he first saw the teen’s picture.
“Safe with your uncle, we just have to wait for the coordinates and time for the pick-up. Why, you ask chum?” Bruce places his hands on his shoulders to make Damian face him. Damian looked nervous for the first time, his eyes filled with conflict as if debating whether or not to tell.
“I… I also have something to be honest about Father. Something that I should have told you a long time ago.” Damian looked in Jason's direction. There was a second of silence between them before the ex-crimelord let a defeated sigh and nodded. This was permission for the youngest to drop a bomb onto Bruce’s world.
“I wasn’t always an only child… I was part of a set, as others can say,” Damian looked at the picture with a sad smile. “His name is Danyal al Ghul Wayne, my twin brother, who until now I thought died when we were 9 years old, and disappeared when he was dropped on the Lazarus Waters for revival.”
A twin. Another son, Bruce, had failed to save. He barely registered the voices around him, his focus locked on the picture on the screen. The resemblance was undeniable—Danny’s eyes reflected his own, framed by Thomas Wayne’s brows, his hair the same dark shade. And then there were traces of Talia, the same subtle traits Damian carried. Her smile, not the practiced mask she showed the world, but the rare, genuine one Bruce remembered from their time together in the League of Assassins. The same kind of smile he now caught glimpses of when Damian was fully at ease, surrounded by his animals.
It felt like some strange blessing that Danyal had survived the waters at all, let alone been raised quietly by his uncle, far from the shadows of Bruce’s world. In the past, he might have demanded answers—why he hadn’t been told, why Talia hid this from him. But thanks to his years of experience and a little help from a hammer-wielding former rogue, he understood that he didn’t always need to know everything, even if it hurt him.
He only patted Damian on the shoulder. Taking a deep breath as he calmed down the others to get back to the task at hand.
“Red Robin, you and Oracle will sift through the files and create a presentation for the watchtower. I also want to see if you can get through the media blackout of Aminity Park. I’ll be heading to Chicago to wait for Jack’s call.” Bruce started to make the plans.
“I’ll be going, Father,” Damian stated, looking at him to try to deny him. The only response was a grunt that neither confirmed nor denied, but Damian took it as a yes. “I’ll take off a night, Pennyworth is going to need help with Danyal’s room,” the youngest Wayne then ran up back to the mansion to hunt down their grandparent figure. Nobody stopped him, only mentally rearranged the area of patrol. They were about to head out when one of them realized something and called out to Bruce.
“Hey, Batman, why are you picking up Danny as Batman and not as Bruce Wayne?” Duke asked. The older man paused and smiled, which wasn’t a good sign.
“Oh, I forgot to mention it, huh? Jack knew I was Batman after my debut.” He walked away as another chorus of shouts followed.
“Wait a second, old man-”
“I wasn’t first…”
“Holy shit, he is your cousin after all!”