Chapter Text
[The Watchtower - 2:47 PM - Two Weeks After the Family Dinner]
The main hall had been prepared with meticulous care.
Not the sterile conference rooms or tactical briefing spaces, but something sacred. Candles arranged in careful patterns, magical sigils drawn in silver and gold, the air thick with incense and ancient power.
Zatanna stood at the center, Dick's hand tight in hers, both of them dressed formally for what was essentially a coronation.
Around them, witnesses had gathered: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman (Bruce had insisted on being present), Constantine (looking uncomfortable in actual clean clothes), and several League members who understood the weight of this moment.
And there, in the center of it all, stood two figures.
Khalid Nassour, twenty-three years old, dressed in ceremonial robes that had belonged to Kent Nelson, expression calm but eyes betraying nervousness.
And Doctor Fate, golden and imposing, Giovanni Zatara's consciousness trapped within for nine long years, about to be freed.
Clark (stepping forward as the designated officiant): "We gather today to witness a transfer of power and responsibility. To honour a debt long overdue, and to celebrate new beginnings."
His voice carried weight, compassion, and the full authority of Superman.
Clark: "Khalid Nassour has completed his training. He understands the burden he accepts. He knows the sacrifice required."
Diana (also stepping forward): "And he accepts it willingly, with full knowledge, on terms that honor both the mantle and the man."
Khalid (voice steady): "I do. I accept the responsibility of being Doctor Fate's guardian. To wear the Helmet when the world needs it, and to live my own life when it doesn't."
Doctor Fate (both Nabu's ancient power and Giovanni's warmth in the dual-toned voice): "Then we shall complete the transfer."
The Helmet began to glow, golden light so bright it was almost painful to look at directly.
Dick felt Zatanna's hand tighten to near-painful levels, her entire body trembling.
Dick (quiet, just for her): "I've got you. Whatever happens, I've got you."
Zatanna (voice breaking): "What if something goes wrong? What if Nabu changes his mind? What if—"
Dick (turning to face her, cupping her face): "He won't. He can't. There’s too many witnesses, and too much at stake. Your father's getting free, Zee. Right now."
The light intensified.
Doctor Fate raised his hands, and the Helmet began to separate.
Slowly, agonizingly, the golden artifact lifted from Giovanni Zatara's head.
For nine years, Giovanni had been trapped. For nine years, he'd existed as a consciousness imprisoned in cosmic servitude.
And now, finally, he was being released.
The Helmet floated in the air between Doctor Fate and Khalid, suspended by Nabu's power.
And beneath it, Giovanni Zatara stood free.
He looked older than Zatanna remembered from their monthly weekends. Gray at the temples that hadn't been there before. Lines around his eyes that spoke of cosmic awareness and stolen time. But his eyes? His eyes were clear, present, and human.
Giovanni (voice hoarse, no longer dual-toned, just his): "Mia piccola."
Zatanna broke.
She launched herself at her father, Dick releasing her hand, and they collided in the middle of the chamber with the force of nine years of separation finally ending.
Giovanni (catching her, holding tight): "Zatanna. Mia bambina. Mia figlia."
They sank to their knees together, both sobbing, both clinging like they'd never let go.
Around them, witnesses watched with various degrees of emotion. Clark's eyes were suspiciously bright. Diana looked like she was actively fighting tears. Even Bruce's jaw was tight with suppressed feeling.
Constantine (pulling out a flask, voice rough): "Well fuck me. That's... that's something."
The Helmet continued floating, patient, waiting.
Khalid (stepping forward when it became clear the Zatara reunion wasn't ending anytime soon): "I'm ready."
Nabu's voice emerged from the Helmet, no longer filtered through Giovanni, just pure ancient power.
Nabu: "Khalid Nassour. Do you accept this burden willingly?"
Khalid (no hesitation): "I do."
Nabu: "And you understand the terms? That you will have your life, your freedom, your existence, and only don the Helmet when the world requires Doctor Fate's intervention?"
Khalid: "I understand."
Nabu: "Then approach."
Khalid moved forward, and the Helmet descended slowly, carefully, until it rested in his hands.
He held it for a moment, feeling the weight.
Not just physical weight but cosmic weight.
Then he placed it on his head.
Golden light exploded.
When it faded, Doctor Fate stood where Khalid had been. But different. The armor was similar but distinct. More modern. The golden glow being less oppressive and more... balanced.
Doctor Fate (voice resonating but with Khalid's warmth still present): "I am Doctor Fate. The Lord of Order. Protector of Balance."
He paused, and when he spoke again, it was clearly Khalid.
Khalid: "And I am Khalid Nassour. Medical student. Orphan. Human being."
The Helmet lifted, and Khalid's face emerged, grinning.
Khalid: "This is going to take some getting used to."
Clark (relieved): "It is done. Khalid Nassour is now the new official guardian of the Helmet of Fate."
Diana: "And Giovanni Zatara is free."
All eyes turned to where Zatanna and Giovanni still knelt, holding each other, both crying too hard to speak.
Dick moved forward, kneeling beside them, one hand on Zatanna's shoulder.
Dick (voice gentle): "Zee. Your dad's free. Really free."
Zatanna (lifting her head, face streaked with tears): "I know. I can feel it. He's just... he's just mine now. No more Helmet. No more cosmic duty. Just my dad."
Giovanni (also crying, looking at Dick): "Grazie. Thank you, Richard. For being here. For supporting my daughter. For being what she needed when I couldn't be."
Dick (throat tight): "You don't have to thank me, sir. She's everything to me."
Giovanni (pulling Dick into the embrace): "I know. I've seen it. Even trapped in that Helmet, I saw how you loved her."
The three of them held each other.
Father, daughter, and the man who'd become family.
Constantine (wiping his eyes, trying to look unbothered): "Right. Well. This is all very touching but I need about seventeen drinks. Who's joining me?"
The tension broke and people were laughing, moving forward to congratulate Khalid, to celebrate Giovanni's freedom.
Bruce approached slowly, Selina beside him.
Bruce (to Giovanni): "Welcome back. Giovanni."
Giovanni (standing, helping Zatanna up): "Thank you, Bruce. For witnessing this. For honouring the moment."
Bruce: "Dick asked me to be here. I couldn't refuse."
Giovanni (studying him): "You've changed. Since I was trapped. Become more... human."
Bruce (slight smile): "I've had good influences."
Selina (extending her hand): "Selina Kyle. It's an honor to meet you properly, Mr. Zatara."
Giovanni (taking it, that old Italian charm emerging): "Please, Giovanni. And the honour is mine. Anyone who can make Batman smile is remarkable."
Zatanna (wiping her tears): "Dad. I need to tell you something. Something important."
Giovanni (turning to her, concerned): "What is it, piccola?"
Zatanna (taking Dick's hand, pulling him close): "Dick finally proposed. Two weeks ago. And I said yes."
For a moment, Giovanni just stared.
Then his face transformed.
Joy so pure and bright it was almost painful to witness.
Giovanni: "COSA?!", grabbing Dick and pulling him into a crushing hug, "You did it! You finally asked! Oh, mio figlio, this is wonderful! Meraviglioso!"
Dick (laughing, being crushed): "Can't... breathe... Giovanni..."
Giovanni (releasing him, grabbing Zatanna): "Show me the ring! Show me immediately!"
Zatanna (holding up her hand): "Do you like it?"
Giovanni (studying it, tears forming again): "It's perfetto! Blue for him, purple for you, diamonds for forever.", he looked at Dick, "You chose well."
Dick: "Alfred helped."
Giovanni: "I must thank him. This is... this is splendid!", His voice broke, "I'm free. My daughter is happy. She's found a man who loves her. And I get to walk her down the aisle."
He pulled them both into another hug, all three crying again.
Constantine (definitely on his second flask now): "Christ, they're setting off another round. My heart can't take this."
Diana (wiping her eyes): "It's beautiful, John."
Constantine (gruff): "Yeah, well. Beauty's bloody exhausting."
Clark (also emotional): "This is what we fight for. Moments like this."
Khalid (approaching the Zatara-Grayson group hug, Helmet tucked under his arm): "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to say thank you. For trusting me with this. For believing I could handle the responsibility."
Giovanni (releasing his death grip to face Khalid): "You gave me my freedom, my boy. My life. I should be thanking you."
Khalid (shaking his head): "You served for nine years. That's nine years you can never get back. I'm just trying to make sure no one else has to make that sacrifice."
Giovanni (putting a hand on Khalid's shoulder): "You're a good man, Khalid Nassour. Better than Kent and I ever were at your age. You'll do well."
Khalid: "I hope so. And if I need advice? On magic, on the Helmet, on balancing duty and life?"
Zatanna (stepping forward): "We're here. All of us. Whatever you need."
Dick (nodding): "You're not alone in this, Khalid."
Khalid (visibly relieved): "Thank you. That… means a lot to me."
[Later - Watchtower Observation Deck - 5:34 PM]
After the ceremony, after the congratulations and tears and Constantine getting properly drunk, the group had dispersed to various corners of the Watchtower.
Zatanna and Giovanni stood on the observation deck, looking down at Earth spinning below, father and daughter finally, truly together.
Giovanni (voice soft): "Nine years. Dio mio, nine years I've lost."
Zatanna (taking his hand): "But you're free now and we have time. All the time in the world."
Giovanni (turning to face her): "Tell me everything. I've seen glimpses through the Helmet, caught fragments during our monthly weekends. But I want to hear it from you. Everything."
Zatanna (laughing through tears): "Where do I even start?"
Giovanni: "The beginning. After I was trapped. What happened?"
So Zatanna told him.
About the pain of losing him. About throwing herself into Team missions to avoid feeling. About the darkness that had crept in, the helplessness, the rage.
About being inducted into the League with Raquel, about Kaldur’s undercover operation with the Light and faking Artemis’ death.
About the Reach’s invasion, and losing Wally before they could pull him back with the Speed Force Canon.
About Dick and Slade, how they started, and how Slade had offered an apprenticeship for years that Dick kept declining until he finally accepted one day.
About meeting Constantine, banishing and expelling demons, learning magic that terrified her, embracing power she'd been taught to fear.
About Dick leaving, choosing exile, and her choice to go with him.
About Slade's training, the operations they'd run, the lives they'd saved.
About finding herself in the gray areas the League wouldn't touch.
About becoming Sorceress, powerful and confident and free.
Giovanni listened, never interrupting, just present in a way he hadn't been able to be for nine years.
When she finished, he was quiet for a long moment.
Giovanni: "You've become extraordinary. Even more than I imagined."
Zatanna: "I've done things that would horrify you. Dark magic. Forbidden spells. Things the League would call corruption—"
Giovanni (cutting her off): "You've done what was necessary. What I couldn't teach you because I was trapped. You found your own path, your own power, your own strength."
He cupped her face.
Giovanni: "I am proud of you, mia figlia. Not despite your choices, but because of them. You chose yourself. You chose to be powerful. You chose love."
Zatanna (crying again): "Even the dark magic? Even working with Constantine?"
Giovanni (smiling): "Especially those things. John is a bastard and a drunk, but he's become a good teacher to you. And the dark arts are only corrupt if you let them consume you. You haven't. You've mastered them."
Zatanna: "How can you be so sure of that?"
Giovanni: "Because you're standing here. Happy. In love. Planning a wedding. If the darkness had taken you, you wouldn't have any of that."
He pulled her close.
Giovanni: "You're my daughter. Mia piccola. And I love you. All of you. The light and the dark."
They held each other as Earth spun below, nine years of separation finally, blessedly over.
Dick (appearing in the doorway, having given them privacy): "I hate to interrupt, but we should probably head out soon. Zatanna has that thing with Constantine tomorrow."
Giovanni (not releasing Zatanna): "What thing?"
Zatanna: "Demon hunting. Standard exorcism. Nothing major."
Giovanni (alarmed): "Nothing major? Zatanna—"
Dick (quickly): "I'm going with her. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Mr. Zatara."
Giovanni (studying Dick): "You protect her."
Dick: "We protect each other. That's how we work."
Giovanni (slowly releasing Zatanna): "Good. That's... good."
He moved toward Dick, and his expression shifted to something more serious.
Giovanni: "Richard. Walk with me."
Dick (glancing at Zatanna, who nodded): "Of course."
[Watchtower Corridor - 5:47 PM]
They walked in silence, Giovanni processing his freedom, Dick waiting patiently.
Finally, Giovanni spoke.
Giovanni: "You're good for her. Better than I dared hope."
Dick: "She's good for me. Made me better than I knew I could be."
Giovanni: "I've watched you, through the Helmet. Seen how you fight together. How you love each other. How you choose each other, every day."
He stopped walking, turning to face Dick fully.
Giovanni: "But I need to know. This life you've built? Your operations, working with criminals, living in gray areas… Is it sustainable? Can you maintain it? Or will it eventually consume you both?"
Dick (honest): "I’ll be honest, Mr. Zatara. I don't know. We're taking it one day at a time. But what I do know? It’s that we're stronger together than we are apart. We keep each other grounded. Keep each other human."
Giovanni: "And when the darkness comes? When the choices get harder?"
Dick: "Then we face it together. Make the calls together. Deal with the consequences together."
Giovanni (something like approval): "You're not afraid of her power?"
Dick: "Why would I be? She's magnificent. Watching her work is like watching art."
Giovanni (slight smile): "That's love. Real love. When your partner's strength makes you proud instead of threatened."
Dick: "Is that how it was? With Sindella?"
Giovanni's expression softened, becoming something distant and sad.
Giovanni: "Yes. Her mother—Dio, she was powerful. More powerful than me in many ways. And I never feared it. Never tried to diminish it. I just stood beside her and marveled."
Dick: "Zatanna talks about her. Says she got her strength from her."
Giovanni: "She did. And she got her heart from both of us.", he paused, "You'll take care of her, yes? After the wedding? Whenever I'm not around?"
Dick: "With everything I have. Every day. Forever."
Giovanni (extending his hand): "Then you have my blessing. Again. Officially. Permanently."
Dick (taking it, firm grip): "Thank you, Giovanni. That means everything."
Giovanni (pulling him into an unexpected hug): "Grazie, Richard. For loving my daughter. For being her home."
Dick (hugging back): "Thank you for raising someone so incredible."
[Meanwhile - Observation Deck]
Zatanna stood alone, watching Earth, processing nine years of freedom finally arriving.
Constantine (appearing with two glasses of whiskey): "Thought you might need this."
Zatanna (accepting it): "Thanks, John."
They drank in silence, two people who'd hunted demons together, who understood darkness and what it cost.
Constantine: "Your old man's free. Properly free."
Zatanna: "Yeah. He is."
Constantine: "How's it feel?"
Zatanna (considering): "Overwhelming. Terrifying. Perfect. Like I don't quite believe it's real."
Constantine: "It's real, love. Watched it happen myself. Khalid's good for the job and Nabu’s actually keeping his word."
Zatanna: "I'm going to spend so much time with him. Make up for what we lost."
Constantine: "Good. You should.", he paused, "But don't forget our work. The demon hunting. The dark arts. You've become too good at it to just stop."
Zatanna (looking at him): "I'm not stopping, John. Dad's free, but the world still needs protecting."
Constantine (satisfied): "That's my girl. Just make sure the wedding planning doesn't interfere with exorcisms."
Zatanna (laughing): "I'll do my best."
Constantine: "Speaking of which. You'll want backup for the ceremony? Someone to ward the venue against magical threats? Vengeful demons crashing receptions?"
Zatanna: "Are you offering, John?"
Constantine (gruff): "Maybe. If you ask nicely."
Zatanna (hugging him impulsively): "Thank you. For everything. The training. The support. For helping me become who I am."
Constantine (awkwardly patting her back): "Right. Well. Don't get sentimental. Bad for my reputation."
Zatanna (pulling back, grinning): "Too late. You care about me. Admit it."
Constantine (taking a drink): "Oh fuck off, Zat-Zat. I care about your potential. Big difference."
Zatanna: "Sure, John. Whatever you say, and also, you do know you’re invited, right?"
John (smirking as he takes a swig): “Bloody hell, I actually need to clean up and wear a damned suit.”
Zatanna (laughing): “‘John Constantine in a tux? It’s the end of the world!”
John (laughing): “Oh, go fuck yourself."
Zatanna: “No thanks, that's what Dick is for.”
[Gotham - Al's Diner - 11:47 PM - Same Night]
The diner was the kind of place that asked no questions.
Worn booths, harsh fluorescent lighting, coffee that tasted like regret, and a clientele that minded their own business.
Perfect for this particular meeting.
Dick sat in a corner booth, Slade beside him, both in civilian clothes. Dick in jeans and a leather jacket, Slade in tactical pants and a dark shirt that did nothing to hide the weapons he undoubtedly carried.
Dick (checking his phone): "They're five minutes out."
Slade (taking a drink of coffee): "You're sure about this? Bruce Wayne and Slade Wilson in the same room? That's asking for bloodshed."
Dick: "I think it's high time you finally talk face-to-face. Besides, I want you both at my wedding and I don't want you two to try and kill each other in front of everyone."
Slade (slight smile): "Whatever you say, kid."
The diner door opened.
Bruce Wayne entered first, Selina Kyle beside him, both also in civilian clothes. Bruce looked uncomfortable, not because of danger, but because of uncertainty.
Bruce (spotting them, moving to the booth): "Dick. Wilson."
Slade (standing, extending his hand): "Wayne. Appreciate you coming."
Bruce (staring at the offered hand for a long moment): "..."
Selina (elbowing him): "Bruce. Manners."
Bruce (taking it, firm grip): "This doesn't mean I approve."
Slade (grin): "I never expected you to."
They sat, Bruce and Selina on one side, Dick and Slade on the other, the booth suddenly feeling very small and very tense.
Dick (to the approaching waitress): "Coffee, four cups. And maybe some pie?"
Waitress (barely looking up): "What kind?"
Dick: "Surprise us."
She left, and silence descended.
Dick (finally): "So. This is happening."
Bruce (to Slade): "You trained my son, for five months, without my knowledge or permission."
Slade: "Six months. And he's not just your son, he's an adult who made his own choices."
Bruce's jaw tightened.
Selina (cutting in): "Let's start with something easier. Why did you offer to train him?"
Slade (leaning back): "Because I saw potential. Way back then, all those years ago. Raw talent being wasted on Batman's rigid methodology. The kid was drowning in expectations and guilt. He needed someone to teach him there's more than one way to be effective."
Bruce: "So you took advantage of his vulnerability."
Slade: "I gave him options. Tools Bruce was too stuck-up to provide. And look at the results? He’s become the most effective operative I've ever worked with. Zero kills, saving lives left and right. That's not taking advantage, that's teaching."
The waitress returned with coffee and four slices of different pies. She left without comment.
Dick (trying to mediate): "Both of you. We're not here to argue about the past. We're here to establish... something. An understanding."
Bruce: "An understanding of what? That my former protégé works with a mercenary-assassin?"
Slade: "Former mercenary. I'm retired."
Bruce (dry): "You still work with the Light and ran an operation in Shanghai two months ago."
Slade: "That was… ‘Surveillance work’. Fully paid for by Uncle Sam and the American taxpayer. Very different."
Selina (to Bruce): "He's deflecting. Let me."
She turned to Slade, that predatory intelligence focusing fully on him.
Selina: "You care about Dick. Actually care. Not as an asset or student. As... what? A son?"
Slade (something flickering in his visible eye): "Wouldn't go that far—"
Selina: "Wouldn't you? You've protected him for three years. Kept his identity secret from the Light. Put yourself at risk. That's not professional courtesy."
Slade (after a pause): "The kid reminds me of what I could've been. If I'd made better choices. Had better people around me."
He looked at Dick.
Slade: "He's got talent, heart, and morals that won't quit. Training him? Teaching him? It's the one decent thing I've done in thirty years of being a bastard."
Bruce (studying him): "You expect me to believe that? That Deathstroke suddenly grew a conscience?"
Slade (meeting his gaze): "I don't give a shit what you believe, Wayne. I know what Dick means to me. Know what he's become. And I'll be damned if I let anyone, including you, diminish that."
The tension could be cut with a knife.
Dick (quiet): "This isn't helping."
Bruce (to Dick): "You trust him. Really trust him."
Dick: "With my life. He's kept every promise. Maintained every boundary. Never pushed me toward anything I wasn't comfortable with."
Bruce: "And when those boundaries conflict with League operations? When your work with him endangers innocent people?"
Dick (firm): "It hasn't. It won't. We have rules. Lines we don't cross. And Slade respects them."
Bruce looked at his son. Not the boy he'd trained, but the man he'd become. The tactical genius. The effective operative. The person who'd chosen his own path.
Bruce (finally): "I can't approve of this. Of you working with him. Of the methods you use."
Dick: "I'm not asking for approval—"
Bruce (continuing): "But I can accept it. Accept that you've made your choices. That you're an adult capable of determining your own path."
He turned to Slade.
Bruce: "And I can acknowledge that... whatever this is between you two... it's helped him. Made him better. Even if I don't understand how."
Slade (raising his coffee): "That's more than I expected from the great Batman."
Bruce (slight smile): "Don't push your luck, Wilson."
Selina (also raising her cup): "To complicated relationships and the people brave enough to navigate them."
They drank, the tension easing slightly.
Dick: "So. The wedding. Both of you will be there?"
Bruce: "Obviously. I'm walking Zatanna down the aisle with Giovanni—"
Dick: "What?"
Bruce: "Giovanni asked. Said it would mean something to have both father figures present. I agreed."
Dick (throat tight): "That's... that's really good. Thank you."
Slade: "I'll be there. In the back, quietly, I'll try to not cause any problems."
Selina: "You're invited properly. You can sit with the guests."
Slade: "A Wayne Family wedding with the Justice League and Deathstroke in attendance? That's just asking for chaos."
Dick: "We're keeping it small. Private. Just family and close friends. You qualify as... well, something."
Slade (something like emotion): "Appreciate that, kid. But I’d rather not sit next to Superman or Wonder Woman. It’ll be more awkward than it already is.
Dick: “That can be arranged, or we can just call you ‘Long Lost Uncle Wade?’”
Slade: “Say that again one more time and I’m shooting you through the kneecaps.”
Dick: “There’s the Slade I tolerate!”
Light laughter broke out across the table, then.
Bruce (changing subject): "The Light. Dick mentioned you're the one who’s been feeding us the intel."
Slade (nodding): "For three years, yeah. They're planning something big. I haven't figured out what yet, but they’ve tightened security. It’s been harder for me to gather information."
Bruce: "We've noticed their activity shifting. Fewer public operations. More underground movement."
Slade: "They're consolidating. Preparing. My guess? A major move in a couple of months."
Bruce: "And you're at risk, if they discover your leaks?"
Slade (grim): "Dead man walking. But I've got contingencies. Dead man's switches. Information set to go public if I'm killed."
Dick (concerned): "Slade—"
Slade: "Relax. I'm careful, well, as careful as I can be as a double-agent. Wintergreen's watching my back. We'll be fine."
Selina: "You have a handler you trust. Jason Todd."
Slade (surprised): "How did you—"
Bruce: "I'm Batman. I know everything that happens in my city."
Slade (to Dick): "You told him?"
Dick (shrugging): "I didn't have to, he figured it out."
Bruce: "Jason's been too well-informed for months. Cross-referenced his intel drops with known Deathstroke operations. The pattern was clear."
Slade (impressed): "And you're okay with it?"
Bruce: "Jason's an adult making his own choices. If he trusts you enough to handle intelligence? That's his call."
He paused.
Bruce: "But if you compromise him, Dick, or Zatanna. If you put any of them at risk. If you betray that trust—"
Slade: "You'll come for me, I know. I wouldn't expect anything less."
They stared at each other, two apex predators acknowledging the other's threat.
Finally, Bruce nodded.
Bruce: "We understand each other."
Slade: "We do."
[Meanwhile - Across the Diner - In Another Booth…]
Two elderly British men sat in a booth with clear sightlines to the Wayne-Wilson meeting.
Alfred Pennyworth, impeccably dressed even in "casual" attire, sipped tea he'd brought from home because diner tea was unacceptable.
William Wintergreen, also well-dressed in his usual fashion, drank the diner's coffee without complaint, years of field work making him less precious about beverages.
Alfred (watching Bruce): "Master Bruce is handling this better than expected."
Wintergreen (watching Slade): "Slade's being almost diplomatic. It's disconcerting."
Alfred: "You trained him well. The boy, I mean. Master Dick."
Wintergreen: "We did our best. He came to us already extraordinary. We just... refined him."
Alfred: "He was broken when he left. Guilt-ridden. Drowning in the expectations."
Wintergreen: "And now?"
Alfred (slight smile): "Now he's whole. Happy. Engaged to a remarkable woman. Doing good work despite the unconventional methods."
Wintergreen: "Does the dark magic bother you?"
Alfred: "The dark magic would have bothered me. But Miss Zatanna wields it with control and conscience. That's what matters."
They drank in comfortable silence, two men who'd spent decades serving emotionally constipated masters.
Wintergreen: "MI6, correct?"
Alfred: "Former. Many years ago. And you're SAS?"
Wintergreen: "Also former. Thought civilian life would be quieter."
Alfred (dry): "How's that working out?"
Wintergreen: "Terribly. Hence why I still kick around with that bastard.”, he nudged to where Slade sat, “You?"
Alfred: "Honestly, same. Do you know how hard it was to raise an eight-year-old whose parents just died and wanted to become a Bat-themed vigilante when he reached his twenties?"
A quiet laugh, shared between eloquent men of their calibre, followed by shared looks of mutual understanding.
Alfred: "Master Bruce is... difficult. Brilliant. Dedicated. Completely incapable of expressing emotion without extensive coaching."
Wintergreen: "Slade's worse. Genius tactician. Lethal operative. Emotional range of a fucking brick."
Alfred: "Do you think they'll kill each other?"
Wintergreen (studying the other booth): "Not tonight. Miss Selina's presence helps. And young Richard's mediation seems… effective."
Alfred: "Master Dick has always been the bridge. Between Bruce and Jason. Between Batman and humanity. Between Bruce and the rest of the family. And between who Bruce was and who he's becoming."
Wintergreen: "And now he's the bridge between Slade and redemption. Curious how that works."
Alfred: "Not so curious. Good men inspire goodness. Even in the darkest of souls."
They watched as, across the diner, Bruce extended his hand to Slade again. Not for a handshake, but offering something.
Bruce (quiet): "For what it's worth. Thank you. For being there when I couldn't be. For teaching him what I was too rigid to teach. For... caring."
Slade (accepting the handshake): "Don't make it weird, Wayne."
Bruce (slight smile): "Too late."
Wintergreen (to Alfred): "Did that just happen?"
Alfred: "I believe it did. Character development is indeed contagious."
Wintergreen: "Should we approach? Introduce ourselves properly?"
Alfred (considering): "Perhaps. Though I suspect they're aware of our presence already."
As if on cue, both Dick and Slade turned to look directly at them.
Dick (grinning, waving them over): "You two aren't subtle. Come sit with us!"
Alfred (standing): "It appears we've been made."
Wintergreen (also standing): "Occupational hazard."
They approached, the booth becoming impossibly crowded as Alfred squeezed in beside Bruce and Selina, Wintergreen beside Slade.
Alfred (to Wintergreen): "Alfred Pennyworth, a pleasure."
Wintergreen (shaking hands): "William Wintergreen, likewise."
Bruce (to Wintergreen): "I’m guessing you're 'Bishop'?"
Wintergreen: "In the flesh, and you're Batman. I’m not one to judge."
Selina (delighted): "This is the most emotionally functional this family has ever been. I'm so proud."
Dick (laughing): "We're all sitting in a diner at midnight discussing my wedding and the Light's movements. This is insane."
Alfred: "Yet perfectly normal for this family."
Slade: "Your family is fucking weird, kid."
Dick: "You're in the fold now too."
Slade (something like warmth): "Maybe, we'll see."
They talked for another hour. Wedding planning, security concerns, the Light's movements, family drama, and the impossible bridges being built between former enemies.
When they finally dispersed, Bruce and Slade shook hands one more time.
Bruce: "See you at the wedding."
Slade: "Wouldn't miss it."
Dick watched them leave separately, Wintergreen and Slade in one direction, Bruce, Selina, and Alfred in another.
Dick (to himself): "I guess we're really doing this. Building something new."
[The “Richardson” Apartment - 2:34 AM]
Dick returned home to find Zatanna already there, curled on the couch with her father, both of them talking animatedly about something.
Dick (entering): "Room for one more?"
Zatanna (lighting up): "Always! Dad was just telling me about the time he and mom fought a demon in Venice."
Giovanni (standing to hug Dick): "Richard! How did it go? The meeting?"
Dick (hugging back): "Better than expected. Bruce and Slade actually talked. Without trying to kill each other."
Zatanna: "That's progress!"
Dick (sitting beside her): "And your evening?"
Giovanni (also sitting): "Perfect. We talked. Caught up. Celebrated freedom. It's been... it's been everything."
Dick: "Good. That's really good."
They sat together, the three of them, processing impossible days and the bridges being built.
Giovanni (finally): "The wedding, I'll be walking my daughter down the aisle with Bruce. After nine years of missing everything, I get to give her away."
His voice broke.
Giovanni: "It's more than I deserve."
Zatanna (taking his hand): "It's exactly what you deserve, Papa. All of it."
Dick (patting Giovanni by his shoulder): "You're free. We're engaged. We're all together. That's more than we could have asked for a decade ago."
They held hands, three people bound by love and choice and the impossible miracles of second chances.
As they all looked forward to what comes next...