Archive of Our Own ^beta

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          Neverland was a magical place and in that magical place, no one ever grew up. You could be who you were as a child forever. Since every child was different, every child’s Neverland was different.

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                Leaving the children to their beds, Clark moved quietly through the manor, moving down the stairs to where Bruce’s office was located.

“Hey, Bruce?” Clark asked, walking into his office. He was sitting on the couch by the fire, enjoying the warmth as he read a book.

                Bruce looked over at his husband as he took a seat next to him on the sofa. “What is it?” he asked, lacing their fingers together.

                Clark leaned into his warmth and hummed. “I was going through the kids’ dream journals and the strangest thing came up.”

                “Strange? How so?” he asked, setting his book aside to give Clark his full attention.

                “Barbara, Tim and Damian all wrote about this place called Neverland and a boy named Dick Grayson. There entries called it all the same thing, but their descriptions and experiences were vastly different.”

                Bruce furrowed his brow. “Neverland?”

                “Yeah. And what’s even stranger is it reminded me of when I used to dream about that as a kid. I actually forgot about it until tonight, but I used to draw comfort from it when I felt out of place on some of my worse days. Did you have a Neverland?”

                Bruce frowned and leaned his head back into the cushion, thinking over his childhood. You see, dear reader, Bruce was one of those grown-up children. He didn’t believe in magic long enough to meet Dick Grayson. He had to grow up before he was supposed to and lost his sense of magic.

“No. I don’t suppose I did. I don’t remember anything about a Neverland or a boy named Dick having appeared in my dreams. I suppose I was far more preoccupied with learning about Wayne Enterprises and what I would need to do since I owned it at such a young age.”

“Do you think it’s real?” Clark asked, closing his eyes.

Bruce kissed the side of his head and rubbed his thumb over the back of Clark’s hand. “I think it can be as real as anyone needs it to be,” he murmured. “It may be just a childhood story that’s resurfaced, but there’s nothing childish about finding comfort in something, no matter how impossible it may seem.”

Clark chuckled breathily, his body relaxing and growing heavier under the warmth that was spreading through him from both the fire and the presence of the man whom he loved. “You sound as though you’ve been reading some stories about Wonderland.”

Bruce peppered more kisses across the side of Clark’s face. “Hmm…maybe I have. ‘I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!’” he quoted, quietly.

“A date? With who?”

“A date with you, of course. In our bed, wrapped up in my arms.”

“We best get going then.” Clark stood from his place on the couch, tugging Bruce up by his arm. Bruce set his book to the side and together they extinguished the fire in his office and turned up the staircase to the master bedroom, steps quiet on the wooden stairs. They passed by the children’s room, not hearing a sound from within suggesting all was well.

The two fell into bed together as they had for so many nights and would continue to do so for many more nights to come. They wrapped themselves in each other and found contentment and happiness in warm skin and gentle kisses and soft blankets. They were all they needed in life and everything else, along with their kids, was a wonderful treasure that they cherished each day.

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Titus growled at the first tap on the window.

“Titus down,” Damian muttered as he rolled over onto his side.

Titus calmed for a moment, black eyes fixed on the window where a small speck of light was darting around the pane, shining some light on the young features of the boy outside.

Now, reader, as I’m sure you’re aware, the three Kent-Wayne siblings were not sleeping in a room on the first floor of Wayne Manor. No, in fact they were on the second floor around the back of the house and yet here was a boy’s face at the window in the middle of the night.

The boy pressed his face against the glass, his features framed by the flat of his palms against the window. He turned his head and spoke to the speck of light darting around him but the words were unable to be heard inside the room, if anyone other than Titus had been awake to hear them, or in this case, not hear them.

The boy gripped the bottom of the window and tried to push it up but it held fast. He frowned and braced his feet against the sill, using his hold to try and force the window open.

Titus barked and his grip slipped, leaving him to fall backwards away from the window. Titus jumped to his feet and raced for the window, growling in the back of his throat as he checked on the state of the boy.

Where a normal boy would’ve fallen to the ground below, this one was floating gently in midair, looking at the window and the dog within curiously.

“Titus,” Barbara groaned. “Go back to sleep.”

The boy knocked on the window and Titus whined, turning to gaze forlornly at Barbara.

Both Damian and Barbara shot up in bed at the noise. Damian grabbed the book resting on his nightstand, ready to throw it at whatever intruder was trying to break into their room.

“Dick!” Barbara cried, jumping from her bed. She rushed to the window and shoved Titus to the side.

Tim groaned where he was curled under his blankets, only now roused from the deep dredges of sleep to learn of the activity around him.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Barbara didn’t bother answering, busying herself with unlocking the latch on the window to shove it open and let Dick and the bright speck inside.

“Grayson’s returned,” Damian answered, tossing his book to the side.

Dick flew inside, doing a backflip before he came to rest on his feet. He braced his fists against his hips and grinned.

“Hello Barbara,” he greeted. The speck of light came to land on his shoulder. “And Damian and Tim.”

“Are you taking us back to Neverland?” Barbara asked excitedly, rushing over to him as her nightgown brushed against her legs.

“Of course I am!” he said. “Neverland isn’t the same without you. The Lost Boys have been asking about you, too. And The Joker and his crew are up to their old tricks again.”

“How has he recovered from the last time we crippled his plans?” Damian grumbled, finally pushing himself from the warmth of his covers.

Dick shrugged. “His crew has resources and might have magic, too. But it’s up to us to stop him from making it to the cave filled with treasure.”

“So we’re not going to get to sleep?” Tim grumbled from where he was still buried under his blankets.

Dick rolled his eyes and shared a look with the light flitting around his head. “Steph do you mind?” he asked.

She nodded and zipped over to Tim before shaking herself above his form to cover him in gold dust.

Tim sneezed. “Not this again, please.” Before he could complain much more, he rose from his bed and started to float towards the ceiling, shoulders sagging as his hip rose to the highest point of the room.

“Me next!” Barbara said.

Steph circled around her, letting a cloud of dust drift down through the air. Damian waved her over and dutifully sat through the dispense of dust on his form.

“Ready to go?” Dick asked now that they were all floating in the air.

“Of course!” Barbara said.

Tim finally righted himself, mourning his lost sleep even as excitement filled him to see the Lost Boys again.

“Let’s go!” Dick cried, shooting out of the window with the Kent-Wayne siblings in tow.

The Manor disappeared below them in the blink of an eye as they shot towards the sky at a speed no one ever considered possible. Their only goal was the second star to the right: the one that would take them to a world of adventure and wonder. A world called Neverland.

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Bruce straightened Clark’s tie as they huddled in the corner of the fancy parlor room. Clark pressed a quick kiss to Bruce’s cheek in thanks and they linked fingers as they accepted the drinks from the tray that slipped past them while they waited for the announcement to be made to head for the dining room.

Clark had stayed silent most of the night, his mind on their children tucked into their beds under the watch of Titus. He was still a little unsettled from the records in their dream journals and the sudden remembrance of his own experiences with a magical boy named Dick Grayson, but Bruce had still convinced him to leave the house for the night for the important dinner party they’d been invited to.

Normally, under any pain of suspicion, Clark would have eagerly stayed at home even if it left his husband without a companion at whatever dinner or party he was going to, but he was certain he was merely overreacting, and as we all know, confirmations of overreactions certainly do make people feel most foolish.

“They’re doing just fine, love,” Bruce whispered into his ear as they strolled around the small parlor and Bruce was in between conversations with important and prominent businessmen.

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “Something just doesn’t feel right and I know that I won’t be comfortable until I see them tucked up in their beds.”

“Do you think you can relax if I promise that we’ll leave early? I can’t pull myself away right this moment and we should stay for the main course at least but I can make my excuses about one of the children being sick and I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“Are you sure?” Clark asked, biting gently on his lip to worry the pink skin.

Bruce offered the kindest smile he had, the one that was reserved for his husband and his children in special moments. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” he breathed.

Bruce paused when he heard the distant sounds of barking. He turned to look out the window.

“Who could possibly be having such problems with a dog at this late hour?” he muttered.

A shout rose form the entry hall of the house and Bruce shared an alarmed look with Clark at the sound of breaking glass. The barking grew louder when a dog sprinted around the corner, but it wasn’t just any dog. It was their dear Titus who was tasked with watching their children as they slept.

“Bruce?” Clark asked, his breath tight in his chest as he gripped Bruce’s hand tightly in his own.

“We need to go,” Bruce said, tugging him towards the door.

Titus barked at them and turned to lead them back to the house, pausing to look over his shoulder to ensure they were following. Bruce wasted no time in explaining the reason for their departure as they darted from the house.

They broke into a full sprint once they hit the sidewalk, dress shoes pounding against the concrete as they hurried home. Titus kept just ahead of them, marking their progress once they finally turned the corner onto their street.

The first relief was to find their house was still standing but the street was quiet apart from the disturbance the concerned parents and their dear dog were creating for the other children already tucked into their beds.

The front door was slightly ajar from Titus’s escape and the dog easily burst through it and into the house, the wooden frame crashing against the wall of the house and adding to the large disturbance the group had caused.

Bruce was far beyond chastising the concerned dog when they were all worried about the children upstairs.

Clark reached the stairs first, taking them quickly as Bruce followed behind.

“Barbara? Damian? Tim?” he cried, voice high and shrill in his panic.

There was no response from above which was more concerning than not despite the parents having left the children asleep in their beds.

The trio rounded the final corner to the bedroom, finding the door closed. Clark reached forward and gripped the knob, giving it a harsh twist to push open the door and dart inside.

Bruce followed quickly behind him but the sight they found was one that left their hearts aching in their chests.

The three beds their children favored were all empty. The window was thrown open and a gentle evening breeze ruffled the curtains. Their children were nowhere to be seen and the stars seemed to shine brighter on them from their place in the sky.

Clark walked on shaky legs to the window and peered out, almost wondering where his children had gone when he remembered the dream journals.

“Bruce?” he asked.

He was at Clark’s side in an instant, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders as they looked at the sky outside. Titus pressed against Clark’s other side, fighting to comfort him too.

“I think Dick took them,” he whispered.

Bruce pressed a kiss to the side of Clark’s head. “We’ll get them back. No matter what, we’ll get them back.”

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Barbara and Tim circled around the church spires as they flew through the city of Gotham. Damian trailed his fingers over the head of a gargoyle. Dick cackled as he swooped and dipped and did backward flips in the air. Other times he would halt abruptly at the edge of the building, balancing gracefully on his toes before he let himself fall forward and flip again.

Barbara grinned at his antics and sometimes clapped. Such reactions would often encourage Dick to do more. Or he would halt his progress in the air and place his hands on his hips and puff out his chest.

Damian would always give Dick a strange look, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Tim was a different story entirely.

“Show-off,” he grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes.

“Be nice, Tim,” Barbara hissed, pulling him back out of earshot as Dick and Steph spun around each other in the air.

“Well he is,” Tim protested, waving in his direction.

“Maybe he is, but he’s taking us on an adventure. You should be nice to our tour guide. Without him we’d be lost and wouldn’t be able to make it to Neverland or back home to our beds.”

Although Tim was often dissatisfied with Dick’s frolicking and how he often disappeared to go on his own mini adventures, he did try to be more genial around him.

What concerned Barbara the most, for she had an excellent memory and often remembered most of what she encountered during the day and certainly everything she read, was that often when Dick returned from his adventures with mermaids or stars, he wouldn’t always remember who the trio of children were that he’d brought along with him and simply thought they were on their own way.

Barbara never hesitated to remind him who they were and Dick’s responsibility to make sure they got where they were going, but she did grow irritated the second time she had to introduce herself to force Dick to remember them.

“So not only is he a show-off, he’s an idiot, too,” Tim said when he was hanging back behind Damian who was struggling to master his form while flying.

Barbara shot him a nasty look over her shoulder and he pursed his lips and looked away, finding interest in the clouds around him and their shapes he was much more easily able to discern now that he was next to them and not staring at them from the ground below.

The night around them turned to day and a speck appeared in the distance. The speck morphed into an island that had been looking for them and awaiting Dick’s return.

“We’re here! We’re here!” Dick crowed, flipping and circling in the air.

Barbara, Tim, and Damian strained to make out the island as they drew closer. The sight was strangely familiar and it was almost as though a piece of themselves they hadn’t realized was missing was sliding into place once again.

“Barbara there’s your favorite lagoon,” Tim cried, pointing as they drew closer.

Barbara blinked, remembering that it was her favorite lagoon and she’d gone swimming there many times. “And Tim there’s your favorite field with the wild-flowers. I do say it looks as though a family of foxes is there now.”

Tim framed his eyes with his hand. “I do say you’re right. And if you look farther back you can see the cave Damian’s explored.”

“Smoke is coming from the Natives’ camp,” Damian said, pointing to the curls of white coming through the trees. “It seems they are preparing for battle.”

“I wonder who they’re going to be fighting today,” Barbara mused as they drew closer.

Dick hung back and pursed his lips, his own excitement waning in the knowledge of Neverland his three companions seemed to have.

A canon fired in the distance and at once the trio dove, finding solace in the thicket of the trees. 

“What was that?” Barbara asked as they slowed their progress through the thick foliage.

“That was the pirate ship,” Dick said, voice filled with a darker kind of glee as his eyes sparkled in the dim light of the trees.

Barbara shared a look with Tim and Damian. “We know of pirates. Fearsome people who rule the seas and search for treasure. Who is the captain of that ship and why has he fired so casually?”

Dick clasped his hands behind his back and halted, straightening in the air as he walked back and forth in front of them like a solider.

“He fired because he saw us. You see, he’s always got an eye out for me and the Lost Boys. We’re a bit of a sore spot for him.”

“And who is he?” Tim asked, growing impatient.

Dick leveled him with a serious stare. “The Joker.”

The trio stilled for even in their dreams they heard the tales of The Joker and the madness that overtook him. He killed his original captain and took over the crew. Everyone who didn’t conform to what he wanted was killed and he gathered a few more crewmates along the way that shared his particular mindset.

Memories of their own encounters with the Joker they hadn’t realized they’d forgotten came back to them and a new sense of unease crept up their spines.

“What are we going to do?” Tim asked.

“Keep to the trees of course,” Damian scoffed. “There’s no way for them to spot us in here.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong,” Peter said, eyes sparkling dangerously. “They have their ways and we’re not completely hidden here, not when they know we’ve arrived.”

Tim opened his mouth to demand an explanation when another shot cracked through the air. A cannonball whizzed through the trees, breaking branches with it.

Dick was pushed backwards by the force of the attack and was quickly lost to distance. Damian and Tim were nearly blown in opposite directions but Tim snagged Damian’s pant leg before they could be separated.

What happened to Barbara was most unfortunate, for she was pushed upwards out of the trees and into the sky with Steph who was more than a little annoyed at being separated from Dick and tossed about.

And thus began their newest adventure in Neverland.

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With the news that Dick had finally made his return to the island after leaving to fetch the Kent-Waynes, the island was once again teeming with life. Of course, our little group who had just flew in were already known to the pirates who’d fired at them in an effort to knock them from the sky.

But much in comparison to them, the most excited group of people were certainly the Lost Boys. They’d so dearly missed the leader of their band of misfits and were eager to show him the spoils they’d gathered in his absence.

They filed through the trees, dressed in the animal skins from their hunts and the leaves and twigs they’d gathered from the forest. None of them wore a large amount of foliage as that was what Dick preferred to adorn himself with. Whenever they could, they stole bits of fabric and the smaller shirts from the pirates’ ship during their fights.

The first in line was the one who is most often in charge when Dick was away. He had the most sway with the boys and often boasted of being the oldest kid, but growing old is often unfortunate since if they get too old, they can no longer stay in Neverland as part of Dick’s family. His name was Jason Todd and he was covered in patches of cloth. Mud was coated on the underside of his fingernails from the number of fights and scraps he would get into, but he was indeed the quickest to fight of them all.

Behind Jason walked his two closest friends of the Boys: Roy and Kori. They stuck close together. Roy made his own bow and arrow from a tree. Dick had been jealous of his skill with shots but he wasn’t mean enough to take the weapon from him. Kori was the lone girl of the group but fit in just as well with the rest of them. She was the second best fighter and had a quick enough temper that she’d eagerly jump after Jason into the fray.

Next were the youngest three of the group. Kon didn’t talk much but he was as fiercely loyal as the rest of them and often put his focus into hunting for food and building fires and shelter. Drawing up the rear, and the loudest of the group, and who he proclaimed to be his best friend were Bart and Jaime. Bart talked enough for them to hold a never ending conversation and Jaime returned the favor by keeping close and watching his back whenever they came in contact with The Joker’s crew.

Behind the Lost Boys and slinking through the trees and branches, but not close enough to spot the group they strive to call their prey, were the pirates who were first spotted in the lagoon. Their crew was dark and villainous, willing to kill for sport as The Joker so enjoyed doing.

First in line was Bane who was always willing to pick a fight or hunt for sport. If the crew ever did need firewood, he would be the most helpful as he could pull branches as big as his body right off the trees. Following him were an array of figures: Clayface who was always covered in leaves by the end of the day.

Then there was Killer Croc who could lurk under the waters of the lagoon and spy on the Lost Boys by swimming upriver; Penguin who was greedy and ached for the treasure they still had not managed to find; Poison Ivy who spoke with the plants of the island and guided their way in pursuit of the Lost Boys and watched for the Natives behind them, and her partner of destruction and chaos Harley Quinn; Two-Face had a level of greed to rival Penguin and Mr. Freeze was always eager to force a cold front over the inhabitants of the island to swing the battle to their advantage.

And the last two bringing up the rear before the most fearsome of them all were the Riddler and Scarecrow, a master of puzzles and tricks and a purveyor of fear.

The lone pirate and captain of this crew and band of evildoers was the ever nasty and unpredictable Joker. His crew was always wary of his moods, intent on making sure they wouldn’t be the next to be thrown overboard and left to drown in the shallows if The Joker didn’t get what he wanted or the confrontation with Dick and the Lost Boys that he desired.

And so they slunk on through the trees, their bickering covering the sounds of the Natives stalking them in turn. They moved as quiet as the Sun’s path across the sky, led by their fearsome chief in their hunt, but the most dangerous of the group lingered at the back of the pack.

Cassandra Cain was the most fearsome fighter, gathering more skins and meat and kills than any other person in their camp. She was revered and honored among the people but rarely accepted anything offered in her honor, preferring to fight and work with Dick if only to see the small figure of Steph who stayed close by his side.

In keeping ahead of the band of pirates, the Lost Boys stumbled upon a small clearing near the trees that led to their underground home.

An incessant tinkling reached their ears and the Lost Boys gave each other curious looks.

“Doesn’t that sound like Steph?” Kori asked, straining to make out what she could be saying.

“I think you’re right,” Jason agreed. “She seems unsettled and I think I see something floating through the trees making a curious sound.”

“I’ll run ahead and check!” Bart volunteered, darting towards the opposite edge of the clearing and disappearing into the brush. He returned moments later, looking shocked and nervous.

“There’s a large bird coming this way!” he cried. “Steph is attacking it and saying we should shoot it. It must be evil! I wonder if The Joker sent it this way?”

“Roy go grab your bow,” Jason said, pushing him towards the nearest tree that concealed a large hole.

Roy nodded and slipped into the tree. The rest of the Lost Boys gathered behind Jason, watching and waiting for the strange bird to break through the trees.

Steph appeared first, her light shining through the green leaves of the tree. She was indeed flitting around the bird and cried to Jason to shoot the bird down.

“Get out of the way, Steph!” Roy cried, bursting into the clearing. He readied an arrow and drew back, firing a second later with deadly accuracy as the arrow pierced Barbara in her shoulder, causing her to crumple to the ground.

Chapter Text

Roy stood proudly over Barbara’s body that lay in a crumpled heap in the dirt. Steph had darted off into the trees and the other Lost Boys peeked around Jason’s shoulders to try and get a look at the figure.

“That’s not a bird,” Kori said, finally breaking the silence.

Roy tensed and gripped his bow tightly in his hand. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said,” Kori said, stepping around Jason to walk closer to the body to get a look. “It’s a lady. See? She looks like me.”

“You’ve killed a lady!” Bart blurted.

All the blood drained from Roy’s face and he looked rather frightened. “I can’t have killed a lady!” he protested.

“Dick brought her. This is Barbara, remember?” Jason said, looking around at the kids around him. “He must be with Damian and Tim, too. I guess they got separated.”

“I didn’t mean to kill her,” Roy said, stepping back from Babs. “I thought she was a bird. I didn’t mean to hurt her. Dick’s never going to forgive me for this. He’s going to cast me out and I’ll be all alone.”

“Calm down, Roy,” Jason said, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep him in place. “It was an accident. If you’d known it was Babs, you wouldn’t have shot her with your bow. Dick will understand that if we explain it to him.”

“Lost Boys where are you?” a voice rang through the trees.

“Oh no,” Roy said, blanching again. “Dick’s back. I’m not ready to tell him what happened. What are we to do?”

“Gather around Barbara,” Jason said, ushering them all around. “Hide her from Dick and we can get him to leave while we think of something to do.”

“Lost Boys!” Dick cried. “Ah, there you are!” he greeted with a grin as he landed deftly in front of them.

They shared a look but made no move to greet him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frown pulling his lips down heavily. “Why are you all quiet? I thought you would be happy that I’m back and when I brought such a great surprise for you, too.”

More worried looks were exchanged and Dick stepped forward.

“What’s happened? You haven’t seen Barbara have you? I brought her with me.”

Roy stepped forward and threw his bow at Dick’s feet. “I’m so sorry, Dick,” he apologized. “It’s all my fault.”

“What’s your fault? What’s happened?” He glanced at each drawn face in turn. “Jason?” he prodded.

Jason sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Roy didn’t mean to hurt her. He was tricked by Steph, thinking she was a large bird flying in the sky,” he said, voice soft as he directed the rest of the Lost Boys to step away from Barbara’s body.

Dick stared at her body, looking a little sick. He forced his legs to move and stepped towards her body. He knelt at her side and flattened her mussed hair.

“She can’t die,” he murmured. “She can’t be allowed to die. Not when she’s here to care for us all and tell us stories.” He gripped the shaft of the arrow with thin fingers and gave a little tug, pulling it free from her prone form.

He was ready to turn away and hide his face. He would mourn the lost life of his friend and he knew the Lost Boys would do the same. A short sound came from Barbara’s lips and they stilled. She shifted in place before stilling again.

“I say,” Jaime said, staring at her with wide eyes. “She’s alive. Barbara lives!”

“Get better soon, Barbara,” Dick whispered. “Get better soon so we may visit the mermaids.”

A shrill tinkling met their ears and Steph darted from the trees, mourning the loss of her wonderfully crafted prank against Barbara.

“Steph, you wretched fairy!” he cried. “You can’t hurt Barbara in such a way! I won’t be friends with you for the rest of the week for what you’ve done.”

Steph cried and darted to land on his shoulder in a puff of fairy dust.

“No, I don’t want to hear it,” Dick said, crossing his arms and turning his head away. “You should know better than to harm Babs.”

Steph’s jingle took on a melancholy quality and she slunk away, off to hide in a hollowed out opening of a tree trunk.

“Now, we must help Barbara to make sure she doesn’t die,” Dick continued.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Bart asked, darting around Barbara’s body but not reaching out to touch.

“We should build a house around her. Quick, grab the best supplies from the house and we’ll get to work,” Dick instructed.

The Lost Boys broke into a flurry of activity. There was never such a storm as that of the Lost Boys on a mission and building a house was an important mission for them all.

Amidst the flurry of measuring and building and preparing everything that would be needed for a lady’s house, Damian and Tim managed to wander into the small clearing where they’d set themselves.

By some miracle, the two of them had avoided all danger on the island and the rampaging wild animals and the pirates scouring the forest.

“What’s happened to Barbara?” Tim asked, staring at his sister’s limp body on the ground.

“What did you do?” Damian snarled.

Dick looked up and fought to smile even as his mind was focused on the task at hand. “Oh, she’s fine,” he said easily.

“She doesn’t look fine,” Damian said, snatching up Roy’s bow that had been abandoned on the ground and the arrow that was tossed aside once Dick pulled it from Barbara. “Now explain before I put an arrow through your chest.”

Chapter Text

“Do yourself a favor and put the bow down,” Jason snarled, stepping between Damian and Dick.

“He hurt our sister,” Damian spat. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t return the favor and put an arrow in his chest.”

“It was an accident,” Jason said, holding up his hands to plead with Damian. “And she’s okay. She’s just fainted, that’s all. We’re building a house for her to keep her safe.”

“Why should I believe you?”

“It’s okay, Dami,” Tim murmured, placing a hand on his tense shoulder. “Babs is going to be okay.”

“Don’t let your feelings for Todd cloud your judgement,” Dami said, throwing a glare over his shoulder.

Tim flushed and narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on Damian’s shoulder. “I’m not,” he hissed. “But if you’d calm down, you’d realize that Babs is breathing and just rolled onto her side.”

Damian stilled and glanced at Barbara who had indeed just rolled onto her side to pillow her arm under her head.

“Fine,” he grumbled, releasing the tension on the bow.

“How can we help?” Tim asked once Damian had calmed down.

“We’re working on building the frame of the house,” Jason said. He held out a hand to Tim who took it with a small smile and let himself be led away.

The other Lost Boys were hard at work erecting branches to frame Barbara within. Bart ran in and out of the trees around the clearing, gathering moss and leaves to cover the roof and walls with.

Damian grumbled something under his breath and propped the bow against a nearby tree, reluctantly joining the rest of the group to help cover Barbara from the sun and wind blowing through the trees.

The house was finished quickly much to Steph’s disdain. She peered from her shelter in the trunk of the tree and hated that so much attention was given to Barbara and she was so easily forgotten.

“Now, now,” Dick said once the door had been secured and shut firmly. “We must all look our best. We’re presenting ourselves to a lady and Barbara expects the best from us.”

The Lost Boys straightened their clothes and pulled their fur-skin hats from their heads, standing tall as through they were going to face the scrutiny of a military inspection. If they knew what such a thing entailed, that is.

Tim and Damian straightened their sleep clothes and Jason pulled a crumpled leaf from Tim’s hair, making him blush.

Dick leaned forward and knocked on the small door that guarded the house. Several moments passed, the Lost Boys waiting in tense silence as they waited for it to be opened.

Jaime wondered if a butler or servant might answer the door, for surely someone of such high caliber to have a lovely house must have a servant at their beck and call to help with all of the cooking and cleaning around the house.

The door squeaked on its hinges as it was pulled open and Barbara stepped through, looking rested and refreshed and surprised by the group standing in front of her.

“Where am I?” she asked, looking around the clearing and at the house behind her. “Where did this come from?”

“We built it for you!” Bart blurted. “Please say you like it!”

Barbara grinned. “Why it’s absolutely lovely,” she said with a smile. “It’s amazing and I love it.”

“And we’re your children,” Dick added with a grin.

“Please be our mother, Wendy,” Bart said, holding his hands in a prayer position.

“Shall I?” she asked, smirk pulling at her lips. She tapped her chin in thought. “I would like to, but I say I haven’t had much experience when it comes to mothering and I am simply a little girl.”

“That doesn’t matter to us,” Jason huffed, placing his hands on his hips. “We just need someone who is nice and kind.”

Barbara laughed, joy catching on the breeze blowing through the clearing. “Well I must say I think that’s exactly what I am.”

The Lost Boys cheered, tossing their hats over their heads as they jumped up and down.

“Well, I will do my best at being your mother,” Barbara said, stepping to the side. “Now come inside and I will tell you the tale of Cinderella.”

The group rushed inside, eager to hear how the story ended. They’d often been left without a proper ending for the story.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Dick took the time to measure Barbara, Tim, and Damian to carve out tree trunks just the right size so they might slide down into the Lost Boys’ underground home.

Learning how to go up and down the trees was quite the task indeed. It involved complex breathing techniques that were not often mastered on the first try and required much practice to do it correctly and without thinking. For reader, if you’re being chased by a band of pirates, you must be able to slide down your tree without hesitation to reach safety before they can catch you with the sharp tips of their blades.

The Kent-Waynes managed well enough in the mastering of their techniques and after a few days of practice, they were able to go up and down the trunks of the trees with the same ease as the rest of the Lost Boys.

Barbara found the house underground to be magnificent. It offered plenty of room for all of the boys to eat and play and they sat around on large mushrooms that grew from the floor. They’d built a large bed they all slept in at night, except for Damian who wasn’t keen on sharing a bed with so many people, so he was given his own hammock suspended from the tree roots that twisted and poked through the dirt ceiling of the room.

Steph had her own little recess in the wall that was set apart thanks to a small curtain she could draw as she pleased. It was furnished to her tastes and an eggplant-purple couch took up most of the space. It was large enough for her to lie on and she often covered herself with the petals of whichever flower was in season.

Barbara was kept busy by the Lost Boys. When they had food to eat, she was stationed at the stove to cook or she was tasked with cleaning up the messes of the boys, after properly chastising them for not keeping things nice as they ought to of course. The group was most subdued after a good chastising because no one liked disappointing Barbara and if they went too far, they were often sent to bed without a bedtime story.

Babs loved the time she had to herself when they all went to bed. She took the time to sew and mend clothes, the rhythmic activity letting her mind rest and wander to whatever topic she desired to think about. Sometimes she thought through her favorite stories but more often than not she thought of the wonderful adventures they had on the island of Neverland and what might be awaiting them the next day.

She didn’t often give thought to her fathers who were waiting at home. She never worried of them and wasn’t concerned that they might possibly be missing her and her brothers and expected they kept the window of their bedroom open for them once they returned from their adventures.

What did concern her with regards to her parents was that sometimes, Tim only vaguely remembered them and only thought of them as people he once knew rather than someone dear to him. Damian was even worse, often forgetting them entirely even as he vividly remembered Titus. When that happened, he would strive to get closer to Barbara in the hopes of receiving her motherly comforts the other Lost Boys went to her for.

Barbara, in an effort to help them all remember what their fathers were like, set up a little school that the other Lost Boys quickly joined in on. She had a list of questions regarding both their fathers asking their eye colors and favorite colors and who was taller. There was even one about the name of their butler and what he always made on Sunday evenings.

But what Barbara didn’t notice was that even as Tim and Damian were unclear on some answers and were beginning to forget more and more, was that she was forgetting too.

Dick didn’t appreciate such time spent on what he considered to be frivolous activities and often tried to pull them away so they may go exploring or hunting or swimming. He even tried to tempt them with a fight with the pirates if it meant leaving the little teachings behind.

But they liked to stay with Barbara and vied for her attention since she was sweet to them when they did something right. And Dick would go off on his own adventures, unable to stay in one spot and sit still since it went against his very nature to do so.

And so he’d return after hours away, sometimes telling tales of the trouble he found himself in and other times going on about his business and unable to remember what he’d gotten up to but insisting it must’ve been exciting whatever it was.

However, the Lost Boys loved the adventures they were part of best because it gave them a chance to have some fun and once they returned to their home under the ground, they could go on talking of their adventures for hours and hours, reminiscing and aggrandizing their adventures until they were nothing short of spectacular.

Chapter Text

If you’re one of the poor souls who’s never experienced the joy of Neverland, you’ve only heard tales that capture a fraction of the beauty and mystery of the lagoon that is nestled in the island. Although it may appear to be innocent and empty at first glance when only gentle rolling waves cover the surface, a depth of beauty lurks underneath.

A world of fascinating colors and creatures lived in the lagoon. And among them were the mermaids that people were so often fascinated with. But these mermaids didn’t enjoy being disturbed by others and preferred their own company when they could have it. And as such, whenever Barbara came close to them, they would splash her with their tales or fling nasty words since most of the other Lost Boys preferred to keep their distance even when Barbara was desperate to be friends with them.

The only one lucky enough to get close and who was gifted with calm conversations with them was of course, Dick. He seemed to have the best luck with all the creatures on the island and the mermaids were no exception.

One afternoon, while the group was lazing on the rock near the lake, Damian was trying to draw on a large leaf he’d found and Tim was giggling with Jason in hushed voices. A dark change came over the water that silenced them all. They shifted close together and huddled against the chill that stole down their spines.

A soft noise reached their ears that was not easy to discern at first but soon it grew louder and the sensations tingling in their ears separated themselves so they could make out the soft splash of water against boat oars as they entered and exited the water, pulling the boat along the smooth surface.

“Pirates!” Dick cried springing to his feet. “Everyone dive! Quickly now!”

None of them dared to hesitate or go against Dick’s wishes or commands. They dove from the water, plunging underneath as the boat drew closer. Damian mourned the loss of his leaf as it crumpled from the force of the water and Jason pulled Tim close, keeping him at his side as they dove under the waves.

A small dingy broke through the darkness and approached the rock that now look properly abandoned. Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy were in the boat with none other than a bound and gagged Cassandra Cain.

She knew they had every intention of leaving her to perish on the rock, suffering from the sweep of the ocean currents once the tide rose enough to wash her from the sanctuary of the rock. But she had no intention of going easily to her death.

Ivy hoisted Cass onto the rock, but rather than having her land in a heap, she sank gracefully to her knees.

“This is what you get for trying to hurt our dear old Captain Joker,” Harley said, voice high and sweet. “And if you weren’t going to be dead I’d say you should warn the rest of your tribe not to try such things again.”

In the dark several feet from the rock lurked Dick and Barbara. Babs was distraught over the possible death of Cass who was so beautiful and skilled but Dick wasn’t willing to let anyone die. And he certainly wasn’t going to let the opportunity for a fight with the pirates pass him by.

“What’s taking you so long?” Dick cried, imitating the dark and slimy nature of The Joker’s voice.

“It’s the captain!” Harley cried. “Captain! We’re putting the Native on the rock, just like you asked.”

“You misunderstand,” Dick sneered. “I don’t want her on the rock, I want you to set her free.”

“Free?” Poison Ivy scoffed. “Why would we do that when we went to all this trouble?”

“Don’t question me,” he snarled. “Do as I say and I won’t burn your precious plants.”

Ivy glowered but pulled a knife from the strap around her thigh and cut the bindings holding Cass tightly.

Cass slipped from the rock and disappeared in the water.

“We best get back then,” Harley said, swinging her hands at her sides.

“Boat ahoy!” a voice cried.

Dick sucked in a breath, eyes filling with glee once again as the voice repeated its call.

“Boat ahoy! What keeps you quiet you deckhands?”

Barbara stilled, for she understood the newcomer’s voice belonged to none other than The Joker.

Chapter Text

“What was taking you so long?” The Joker said as he swam to the small dingy that was moored at the side of the rock. He gripped the edge of the boat and pulled himself over the side, landing with a wet slosh in the bottom of the boat.

Dick trembled with energy beside Barbara and she hoped that he wouldn’t do anything rash and would give them time to observe the pirates and let them leave without getting into any trouble, but of course her hopes meant nothing in the face of danger and adventure.

“Captain, what’s brought you here?” Harley asked, draping herself on Ivy’s shoulder.

The Joker let out a long put-upon sigh but it didn’t hold much weight.

“Surely it’s not something bad?” Harley added.

“Oh not at all. The Boys…they’ve found a mother,” he answered, eyes glimmering in the dim light as his teeth shone their evil glow.

“What are you planning on doing to her?” Ivy asked.

“To her? Nothing,” The Joker said, pacing across the rock. “To Dick and the Lost Boys?” His white face stood out in stark contrast to the mist and fog that had rolled in. “I’m going to capture them and make them walk the plank while this mother of theirs watches. And once she is without her children forevermore, she’s going to join our crew and we’ll see how much of a mother she can be.”

Barbara scoffed. “Like I’d ever be your mother!”

“Who goes there?” The Joker cried, whirling around. He didn’t seem frightened and instead looked excited and pleased at the prospect of a confrontation. You see, dear reader, he always liked when people who shouldn’t be about were eavesdropping or skirting around his conversations. Because then he had every opportunity to cut someone open or give them the unsettling smile he was cursed with wearing always.

Barbara stayed silent and The Joker squinted against the mists, trying to see through their thick depths but unable to catch sight of Barbara or Dick.

He shook his head and turned back to Harley and Ivy. “Do you agree with this plan?” he asked.

Harley and Ivy nodded, unwilling to add anything to the conversation in case it happened to be the very wrong thing to say to The Joker that day. He nodded and looked around the rock.

“Where’s that Native?” he asked, frowning. “I thought I instructed you to bring her here so that she might suffer at the hands of the tide.”

Ivy and Harley shared a look and paled, realizing they might have erred even when they hadn’t intended to.

“She’s gone,” Harley whispered.

Ivy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against her side.

“You what?” The Joker asked, turning on them both. He stalked towards them and pulled the knife from his belt.

“You told us to let her go,” Ivy said, trying to push Harley behind her. “You called across the water and told us to free her.”

The Joker paused for a moment and thought over what he’d been told.

An unnatural grin pulled at his lips and something dark gleamed in his eyes as he turned away from the pair.

“I did no such thing,” he said, voice holding an excited and dangerous tone. “And if I didn’t tell you to release her then there must be someone close who is on the good side of the Natives. And the only person we know to be on their good side is Dick Grayson. Where have you gone, little boy?” he asked, stalking to the edge of the rock.

Dick grinned but made no move to show himself. “Why I’m over here!” he called, voice echoing off the waves.

“But where is here?” he asked, peering into the fog.

“Why, here is here!” Dick said.

The Joker grinned when Dick’s voice came clearly from the left. He pointed his dagger in his direction. 

“After him!” he cried, leaping from the rock.

“Now Boys!” Dick cried, rising from the waves.

The Lost Boys answered his war cry and burst from the water. The Lost Boys converged on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Their fight was sharp and fierce. Damian was the first to draw blood which urged Jason on to an even grater challenge so as not to be outdone.

Tim hung back and flung rocks at the pair and was careful of his aim so as not to hit the others in the head, but often in their frantic movements they got in the path of the rock and suffered a small bump to the noggin.

Dick was the only one to draw close to The Joker. He flitted and twirled as The Joker tried to swipe at him with his dagger but he was always just out of reach. The Joker found the highest point on the rock which wasn’t very high at all.

The Joker landed two strikes across Dick’s chest and he staggered back, shocked at the wounds dotting his skin. The Joker raised his hand for another blow when a strange voice spoke up in the mist.

“Jack,” a musical voice called. ‘Oh Jaaaaackkkkk.”

The Joker froze, his white face going impossibly whiter before he abandoned his attack on Dick and dove into the water, swimming like mad for his pirate ship.

Harley and Ivy chased after him, more than happy to abandon the fight and return to their quarters for the evening.

The Lost Boys cheered and bounced up and down at their disappearance, taking to the highest point of the rock. They watched as a gorgeous, spectral form floated past them, giving them no attention since its eyes were locked on The Joker’s path.

The Lost Boys took up a victory song and climbed into the abandoned dingy, rowing away from the rock and back to the mainland as they celebrated their victory over the pirates.

Chapter Text

Once the Lost Boys had returned to their underground home after the incident at the lagoon, they were very excited and reluctant to go to bed. Damian curled up in a corner and was the most subdued of the lot, but he was content with using his stash of paper and charcoal to draw pictures of what happened on the rock and their victory.

Jason and Tim sat close to each other against one of the walls and talked animatedly, the rest of the Lost Boys finding it difficult to pull Tim’s and Jason’s eyes away from each other.

Barbara smiled at the sight, happy to see Tim growing close to someone since he didn’t really have anyone other than their family back home in Gotham.

But what was most important from the encounter with the pirates was that it solidified a pact between Dick and the Lost Boys and the Natives. They no longer had small skirmishes and the Natives would even offer themselves up for a watch over the underground home to keep any pestering pirates away.

The Natives were grateful for what Dick did for Cass and they felt the need to repay the debt a hundredfold and Cass was more than willing to help for she was taken by how nice and friendly the Lost Boys were. And Steph who took long to warm up to any newcomer, was instantly drawn to her and offered a fey’s friendship.

“Dance for us, Mother! Dance for us, Father!” Bart cried, twirling around in the center of the floor.

“Oh we certainly shouldn’t,” Barbara started, sounding lofty and huffy as so many older mothers do.

“Please, oh please,” Bart insisted. “It would be so beautiful and it is Saturday night, of course!”

“It would be beautiful,” Kori agreed. “And you’re so pretty, Mother. You have the best movements of us all.”

“Well we certainly can’t say no to that,” Dick said with a smile, placing his hands on his hips. He did always enjoy putting on a show for everyone. “May I have this dance?” he asked, bowing to Barbara.

“Why of course, good sir,” Babs said, curtsying to him before she took his hand. They gently twirled around the open space, the eyes of all the Lost Boys locked on them as they moved about.

“Say Barbara,” Dick started as they continued to move.

“What is it?” she whispered, keeping her voice low so as not to attract attention to their conversation.

“I’m not actually their father am I?”

Barbara frowned. “No, of course not. Not unless you wish to be.”

“I don’t,” he admitted. “It makes me feel so old. I don’t like the thought of it.”

“Then you needn’t worry,” Barbara said, smiling easily.

“Good,” Dick said with a relieved sigh.

Barbara glanced over his shoulder and found the other Lost Boys had joined the dance, pairing themselves off. Jason was holding Tim close and they swayed gently, not willing to try anything more elaborate. Their gazes were locked together as they held their own conversation in hushed whispers.

Barbara smiled when she saw Tim laugh, his eyes squeezing up in happiness as Jason bit his lip and tried to fight down a grin. She hoped that they could be together forever considering how happy it made them.

“Hey Dick?” she asked, not willing to pull her eyes away from Tim and Jason.

“What is it, Babs?” he asked, spinning her so Jason and Tim left her sight.

“What am I to you?” she asked.

“What do you mean? You’re my friend and like a mother, of course!” he said like anything else was unthinkable.

Barbara’s good feeling sank like a rock in her stomach. “Is that all?”

“Why of course! What else would you be to me?”

Barbara kept her gaze away from Dick and looked around the room as they all continued to dance.

“Nothing,” Babs murmured even though Dick had probably forgotten what question she was answering. She felt rather silly for wanting anything more. And foolish that Dick would have any understanding of a deeper meaning between them that she might think was possible.

Chapter Text

“Gather round everyone,” Barbara said as she prepared to tell her story. “It’s time for you to hear the story of the Kent-Waynes.”

The Lost Boys settled in on the bed, huddled together as they eagerly awaited Barbara’s story. Dick leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, not particularly fond of this story as often as the Lost Boys requested to hear it.

“There was once a man named Mr. Kent and there was another man named Mr. Wayne,” she started.

“I knew them,” Tim said confidently, straightening as he flashed a self-important smile at Jason who returned his smile, eyes lingering on his face despite the attention everyone else was giving Babs.

“And I think I knew them,” Damian said, sounding less certain than his brother.

Babs hushed them. “Mr. Kent and Mr. Wayne were married and became the Kent-Waynes. They had three descendants or children as they might prefer to be called. And so these three children had a faithful dog who always watched out for them.”

“What was the dog’s name?” Bart asked.

“I was getting to that,” Barbara chastised.

“I know, I know,” Damian said, turning his nose up at everyone. “His name was Titus.”

“Yes that’s right, Damian. The dog’s name was Titus. But one night while Titus was on his faithful watch in the bedroom, the three children rose from their beds and flew up, up, and away. They flew away to Neverland where the Lost Boys and Dick Grayson lived.”

“What a wonderful story!” Kori gushed. “And such a happy ending, too.”

“Hush now,” Barbara continued. “Now you must think of the feelings the poor parents of these three children must’ve had after finding them missing from their beds. Think of the empty beds which broke their hearts at seeing them empty.”

The Lost Boys cried out in despair.

“Why would you tell us a story with such an unhappy ending?” Jason asked.

“But that’s still not the end. For, the strength of a parent’s love never dies and the children knew that they would leave the window of the bedroom open for them once they decided to return home and fly in again.”

“Did they ever go home?” Jaime asked.

“Why don’t we take a peep into the future?” Babs asked, standing from her stool. She made as though she was gazing into the distance of something that wasn’t there. “Why, I think I see a figure standing on a train platform,” she said, awe filling her voice. “And I do believe it’s beautiful Barbara dressed in elegant traveling clothes!

“And who is standing beside her?” Barbara squinted as though she were trying to make out a figure through a mist. “There are two figures and I do say that they’re Tim and Damian all grown up and filled out like men are wont to do. And so, in order to reach such a lovely future, the three children flew home and through the open window, reunited with their fathers once again!”

The Lost Boys cheered at the ending of the story and the good feelings it exuded, even if they couldn’t entirely grasp the meaning of the story as Dick did the first time Barbara chose to tell it.

Dick groaned form his spot leaning against the wall and the wounded sound threw Barbara into a worry.

“What’s wrong, Dick?” she asked, rushing to his side. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not,” he said, batting her hands away. “It’s just that you’re wrong about parents,” he said, voice dark.

“Why, what do you mean?” she asked.

“Because my mother didn’t remember to leave the window open for me. I thought she would remember me and miss me but when I returned home, the window was closed and barred and there was another little boy sleeping in my bed so I could not return and had no mother left for me.”

Fear struck Barbara, Tim, and Damian to their cores and Tim and Damian rushed to her, abandoning their warm places on the bed.

“Babs we must go home at once,” Tim said, clutching Damian close.

“Not tonight?” Jason asked, scrambling off the bed, the panic evident in his eyes as he silently pleaded with Tim to stay longer.

Barbara felt her heart break at the thought. “We must go. We can’t let our fathers forget us in our absence. Please Dick, allow us to go home.”

Dick stared at them. “Fine,” he said, voice cool. “I will make the arrangements and let you go home.”

“Steph,” he cried, hurrying to rouse her from her sleep. “You’re going to take Barbara and her brothers on a journey.”

Steph, who’d been listening in during the entire conversation, was ecstatic that Barbara was leaving and she’d have Dick and the Lost Boys all to herself once again, but she didn’t want to be the one to take them across the seas and sky back to Gotham.

As Dick convinced Steph to take them home, the Lost Boys looked at Barbara, Tim and Damian with heartbroken and forlorn expressions.

“Tim,” Jason said desperately, stepping towards him. “Tim, please.”

Barbara’s heart broke at the sight and the tears starting to form in the corner’s of Tim’s eyes. 

“Everyone,” she said, stepping forward. “If you come with us, I’m sure I can convince our fathers’ to adopt you, too.”

They all paused and cheered.

“They won’t think us a handful will they?” Connor asked, looking small.

“Not at all!” Barbara said. “We have quite a large house and plenty of room for all of you. And Alfred is always making more food than we can eat so he won’t have any trouble feeding you.”

“Can we go Dick?” Jason asked, whirling on him. “We must go.”

Dick’s smile was fragile and thin. “You may go, but I’m not coming with you.”

They stared at him in shock.

“But you must come with us,” Jason said. “Don’t you want to have a home with parents?”

“You can still be our family,” Roy added. “We all belong together.”

“No, I musn’t. Neverland is my home and I intend to stay here.”

Before they could say anything else or plead with him, a shout sounded from above ground as the pirates attacked the Natives guarding their home. Dick immediately jumped for his sword, intent on joining the battle as he always did.

Chapter Text

“Dick wait,” Barbara hissed, grabbing hold of his arm. He stilled as they listened to the sounds above and the fighting that ensued.

Screams of pain and defeat arose from both sides and they waited anxiously to determine the outcome. What the Lost Boys didn’t know was that the pirates had gotten the drop on the Natives. Although the Natives easily took down many pirates with them, they were still mostly killed.

Cass  was able to slip off in the fray with the other survivors once the battle was lost and they couldn’t go on any longer or risk dying and leaving the rest of their tribe ignorant of their fate.

The Joker paced back and forth, staring at the trees with crazed glee as he worked out how to get through the trees and down to the underground home to get who he was after.

Many people didn’t understand why the Joker hated Dick so much but the answer is simple when one really thinks about it. The Joker does love chaos and madness and acting without reason, but he also hated how cocky Dick was and the confidence he had in his own actions. He’d strut across the island like he owned the place and as long as he continued to live, the Joker could never turn his attentions to anything else.

He stopped next to one of the trees when he heard voices echoing up through the opening.

“Have they won? Is the victory for the Natives or the pirates?” Tim asked.

“Whenever it’s a victory for the Natives, they always beat their drum,” Dick answered easily.

The Joker grinned and turned to face his pirates. He signaled for The Riddler to beat on the drum. He did it once and repeated the rhythm, signaling a Native victory again.

“The Natives have won!” Dick cheered in their home.

He frowned when he heard the Lost Boys giving Dick their goodbyes and was curious as to what that was about. He moved the pirates into position, one at every tree while the others took up positions nearby. They waited with held breath.

The Lost Boys were plucked from their trees as they reached the surface and tossed from pirate to pirate until they landed in a heap on the dirt and were bound with rope. Many of them struggled, Jason, Roy, and Damian the most.

Barbara was not treated in such a manner which might have been shocking to anyone who didn’t know the Joker that well, but he extended his arm to her and walked her over to the Lost Boys, leaving her to have her hands tied behind her back next to the rest of them.

They were tossed with little finesse into the home that had been built for Barbara which was hoisted onto the shoulders of the strongest of the pirates to be carried off through the forest to where their ship was bobbing in the shallows of the ocean, waiting for their return.

The Joker looked through the many trees that had been carved for the Lost Boys and found one was wider than the others and big enough to fit his grown form. He wiggled his way inside and managed to make his way down to the underground home without crashing to the ground.

He found Dick asleep on the bed. He’d made a valiant effort to keep his mood up and put on that he didn’t care that Barbara and the Lost Boys were leaving, but something ached in his chest.

The Joker spotted a glass resting on the table next to the bed and a brilliant idea came to him. He pulled the bottle of poison he kept on his person from his coat pocket and pulled out the stopper. He let a short stream of the poison fall into the glass and watched as it mixed in, its sinister color disappearing once it settled into the drink.

He grinned at Dick and turned on his heel, climbing back up the tree to make his way back to his ship, no doubt arriving shortly after the Lost Boys had been brought on board.

A knock sounded on the door to Dick’s underground home and he jolted, popping up in bed.

“Who’s there?” he cried.

“It’s me Dick!” Steph called, voice high and piercing.

He jumped from bed and let her in. She was covered in dirt and mud and had several pine needles sticking out of her hair.

“What is it?” he asked.

Steph told of the capture of Barbara and the lost boys.

“I must rescue them!” he cried, gathering his weapons. “But first I must drink this since Barbara left it out for me.”

“No!” Steph cried, diving between his lips and the drink. She drunk it dry and her light immediately dimmed as her wings failed her.

“Steph, what’s wrong?” Dick asked.

“It was poisoned,” she croaked. “The Joker was down here. He poisoned it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked. “Now, you’re going to die!”

“I don’t think I will if you help the children believe,” she said, landing heavily on the table.

“Please,” he cried, eyes turned towards the heavens. “Any children who are dreaming of Neverland and can hear me, say you believe in fairies! Steph needs you!”

Skies away, children in a range of homes murmured their belief in fairies in their dreams. They rolled onto their sides, the words muffled in their pillows, but it still came through loud and clear in Steph’s heart.

She gasped and sat up, running her hands over her chest and stomach as the ill feeling drained out of her and her strength returned.

Dick grinned and crowed his thanks. “Now Steph,” he said, springing to his feet. “We must rescue our friends.”

Steph sounded her agreement as they rushed for the tree and made their way back to the surface.

Chapter Text

The Joker’s ship was crude and imposing. “The Asylum” dotted the side in scraggly and unsteady paint, striking fear into any who catch sight of the sails that are encapsulated in frightful stories of sea voyages and massacres on the water.

The pirates lounged on the deck, resting, or chatting, or sharing in games of cards where they kept keen eyes out for any sleight of hand that signaled cheating, especially when there was money or rations on the table.

The Lost Boys and Barbara had been thrown into the brig under the deck, left tied up until they decided to make them walk the plank. The Joker paced across the deck, laughing maniacally and talking under his breath about his success in finally ridding himself of Dick Grayson. He was free from him and could now fully terrorize Neverland just how he liked.

“Have all the prisoners been tied?” The Joker cried, finally pulled from his own thoughts by the task he’d been waiting for.

“Ay, ay,” the pirates shouted back.

“Then bring them up. It’s time to send them to the watery depths below.”

All of the Lost Boys were brought up in their ropes, stumbling as they fought to keep their balance. Barbara was left on her own as they had different plans for her. The Lost Boys were arranged in a line and the Joker hardly gave them any attention as he hummed under his breath and spoke indistinguishable words, holding a conversation only he was privy to.

“Now,” the Joker said, finally pulled from his thoughts. “Six of you are going into the ocean from the plank tonight but I have room for two to join my ship as cabin boys. Who is it going to be?”

They shared a look, remembering Barbara’s warning not to anger them if they could help it.

Jason stepped forward, an idea springing to his mind. “You see, I don’t think my mother would like me to be a pirate. Do you think your mother would like you to be a pirate, Roy?” he asked, turning his head to hide the wink he gave Roy from the watchful eyes of the pirates around them.

“No,” he agreed. “My mother wouldn’t like me to be a pirate. Would yours Kori?”

“Stop this,” the Joker roared and those who’d spoken took a step back. The Joker’s eyes landed on Tim and he waved his knife in his face. “You boy, did you ever want to be a pirate?”

Tim stared at the knife, feigning indifference. “I once thought of calling myself Red-handed Tom.”

“A good name,” the Joker agreed. “We’ll call you that if you join.”

“What do you think, Dami?” he asked, turning to his brother.

“What would you call me if I join?” he scoffed.

“Blackbeard Joe.”

Dami wrinkled his nose. “What do you think Tim?”

“Done with this nonsense,” the Joker roared. “Decide.”

“I refuse!” Tim cried. Dami repeated the denial and they were pulled backward, cuffed over the head. Tim winced from the blow and Jason tried to shift closer to him, wanting to snarl at Penguin for harming him.

“Bring up their mother and get the plank ready,” the Joker instructed.

Barbara despised the pirates for everything they were trying to do. The ship was frightfully dirty and the pirates themselves were hardly presentable.

“Here we are,” the Joker drawled. “My dear you’re going to watch your children walk the plank.”

Barbara stared at him, expression cool and imposing. “Are they to die?”

“They are,” he snarled. “Mother’s last words to her children?”

“My last words to them are that I feel their real mothers would want the Lost Boys to die like true gentlemen,” she said.

The Joker’s lips turned down and he straightened. “Tie her to the mast!” he roared.

Harley Quinn tied Barbara to the unforgiving wood and even as it happened, none of the Lost Boys had eyes for her, they were only looking at the plank that would lead to their doom.

Jason had pressed against Tim’s side and tried to offer comfort even if he couldn’t wrap him in a tight hug and keep him close.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered.

Tim swallowed and shook his head. “I don’t know how.”

“Trust me,” Jason insisted.

“Okay,” Tim said. “Okay.”

But, dear reader, as somber as these events do seem and the only resolution thought to be is sure death for the Lost Boys, there was a small figure that had flitted from the trees at the edge of the lagoon.

Rescue was near and the end of the Joker’s crew was nigh, for a certain perpetually young boy had a fight to fight and a foe to fall.

Chapter Text

The Joker’s attention was soon pulled away from the Lost Boys by his own musings and they weren’t in immediate danger of being forced off the plank of wood to fall to their doom.

One pirate lurked behind the group of kids to guard them. But Penguin wasn’t the brightest of the lot so he didn’t hear the muffled cackle over the side of the boat behind him.

Within one second and the next as a cloud passed over the moon and darkened the visible light, Penguin had been pulled over the side of the ship and had his throat slit before he body fell with a splash into the lagoon.

“That’s one,” Bart counted under his breath to the other Lost Boys.

They hushed him, not wanting to draw the attention of the pirates just yet. Dick could use as much of an advantage as he could get on them for he’d never survive an assault by all the pirates at once without the help of the Lost Boys.

The Riddler turned to look at them and cocked his head, obviously finding interest in the absence of Penguin. He sauntered over, giving the Lost Boys a quizzical look who all fought to plaster looks of innocence and ignorance on their faces and make it seem as though they were terribly frightened of being forced to walk to their deaths.

The Riddler passed around them and approached the edge of the boat. Within seconds of approaching the side of the boat, a hand shot out and stabbed a sword into his side.

He released a hideous screech that drew the attention of the other pirates in time to see him get pulled over the side of the boat thanks to the sword lodged in his side. They were silent except for the splash that sounded from below.

“Two,” Bart added, louder this time.

A cackle echoed over the side of the boat and the Joker’s features twisted into something furious.

“Go see what it is,” he hissed, shoving Two-Face towards the edge of the boat.

Again, the sword appeared over the side and stabbed Two-Face, pulling him over the edge and into the shallows below. The cackle was heard again.

“Three,” Bart said, adrenaline making his limbs tremble.

“The boat’s cursed!” Clayface cried.

“I do say you volunteered next,” the Joker said, turning his glasgow smile on him.

“No, I didn’t,” he said, taking a step back.

“Oh you didn’t, do you? I think my dagger thinks differently.”

Clayface looked behind him and didn’t hesitate before he threw himself upon the plank and rushed overboard, dissolved in the water once he hit the waves.

“Now let’s find out what’s over the side of my boat,” The Joker said, walking around the Lost Boys to see what was hiding beyond.

He peered over the edge and frowned when he saw nothing in the darkness. The rest of the Joker’s crew huddled together and watched him, waiting to see if the same fate would befall him.

While they were distracted, Dick stole onto the opposite side of the boat and cut Barbara’s bonds, setting her free from her captivity so she might hide behind the barrels on deck while he dealt with the rest.

Dick nodded to Jason as he leaned against the mast where Barbara had been tied. Jason slipped the dagger he always carried with him from his sleeve and began to slice through the ropes that kept them all tied together.

They made quick work of them and crept off, leaving nothing between Dick and the Joker’s crew as they sought weapons to aid in the fight.

“I don’t understand,” The Joker snarled.

“Looking for something?” Dick asked, cackling high and bright.

The Joker whirled around, something new and dangerous and dark filling his gaze. “I thought I left you for dead.”

“Not this time. I can’t be killed so easily.”

The Joker laughed and twirled his dagger. “But after this I can guarantee you won’t come back.”

“Now Boys!”

The fray began with a clash of swords. The Lost Boys quickly broke through the ranks of the pirates and sent them panicking across the deck as metal bit metal. Even Barbara found a weapon and joined the fray, attacking where she could.

Most of the crew fell with little issue but the Joker parried every slash the Lost Boys aimed at him.

“Fall back, Boys,” Dick said. “This man is mine.”

He leveled his sword at the Joker who watched him with interest.

“So this is all your doing, is it Grayson?” the Joker asked.

“It is, Joker.”

They fell together with a clash of steel, matching each other blow for blow. For long, the fight was practically a stalemate as Dick weaved and ducked and evaded his blows and swings. Dick got under his defenses many times and caused his jacket to be coated in his blood.

But the Joker would not give up, even when he was forced to the edge of the boat towards the plank. His rear leg landed on the wood and Dick saw an opportunity. He stabbed forward and the Joker reared back, his foot slipping on a spot of clay that had been left behind by Clayface’s departure.

His eyes went wide and even with possible death on the horizon, he didn’t look frightened, only gleeful at the prospect of chaos and death even if it was his own.

He landed in the water with a heavy splash and the Lost Boys rushed to the side to witness his fate. He would’ve been able to swim to shore if given the chance but the water was so thick with dissolved clay that it weighed down his clothes and pulled him under the surface.

The Lost Boys cheered and danced, reveling in their victory that night and the defeat of the pirates. The Lost Boys danced and Jason swung Tim around the deck, holding him close now that they were both safe and out of harm’s way.

Chapter Text

Once the Lost Boys and Dick and Barbara had gotten some sleep after their fight with the pirates. They readied the ship and took off across the ocean for it would save their energy if they didn’t try and fly the whole way back to the Kent-Wayne home.

They were joyous and excited, happy to play the part of the pirates and everything was all fun and games even as they threatened each other with fighting with their swords or making each other walk the plank. Damian so enjoyed sitting up in the crow’s nest since it offered the best view of the endless ocean around them and he saw other islands and land masses before everyone else.

Now, reader, aside from the make-believe adventures the Lost Boys conducted during their trip, the journey was quite boring as they made their way back to Gotham. So we are going to part from them for a moment and check in on someone who has long been neglected in the telling of the Kent-Wayne adventures and that is the Kent-Wayne parents themselves.

Clark and Bruce mourned the loss of their children. They wept and felt broken-hearted, trying to find comfort in each other even as the Manor seemed darker and joyless thanks to the absence of their children.

Bruce continued to go to work at his office every day and kept things in order, but his mind often wandered to his children and where they might have got to. Clark spent most of his time in the children’s bedroom, staring forlornly at the beds and out the window. He missed his children dearly and always left the window open, hoping they would one day return to them.

Titus burrowed under Damian’s bed for most of the day. The first day after Damian, Tim, and Barbara had left, he hadn’t pulled himself from the bedroom unless he needed to relieve himself outside. He was desperate to have his children back and couldn’t even bring himself to slink to his food bowl in the kitchen.

After those first few days, Alfred took to bringing Titus’s food and water to him. It didn’t always convince him to eat, especially if he was feeling particularly guilty, but it offered him more food than he would’ve had otherwise.

Now, reader, it just so happens that on one of these nights where Clark had fallen asleep in the bedroom with the window open, a distant cackle could be heard in the distance.

Bruce had holed himself up in his office, trying to occupy himself with some business accounts or reading and had no idea what was about to transpire in his home.

The cackle grew closer but didn’t draw close enough to the window. Instead, Barbara, Tim, and Damian landed inside the open window and took in their empty beds and their father asleep in the chair.

“We should wake Papa and let him know we’re back,” Tim said, stepping towards him.

“No, I have a better idea,” Barbara said. “Crawl into your bed and he’ll see we’ve returned when he wakes.”

The flung themselves into their beds and Titus whined when he was forced from sleep. His discomfort didn’t last long when he realized his long missing occupant had returned to his bed.

He barked happily and jumped on top of Damian, licking his face excitedly.

“Titus!”

Clark jolted away at the noise, staring as he fought to believe the sight in front of him and that his children were back.

“Bruce! Bruce!” he called, rushing from his bed. “Barbara, Tim, Damian. My children.”

He pulled them each from their beds and into a crushing hug, breathing them in and the strange smell of Neverland that clung to your clothes.

“I missed you so much,” he murmured.

The door burst open and Bruce froze, one foot raised in the air as he meant to take another step. He didn’t hesitate for a second longer before he rushed over and joined the hug, pressing kisses to the tops of his children’s heads.

“We have something to ask you, Father and Papa,” Barbara said, pulling out of the hug.

“What is it?” Bruce asked.

Before Babs could get her question out, Alfred ushered the Lost Boys into the room as they’d gone to the front door to be let in.

“These poor kids don’t have any parents. Do you think we could take them in?” Babs asked.

They looked sheepish and nervous and Tim wiggled out of the hug to rush to Jason and fling his arms around his neck.

Bruce smiled at the sight and shared a look with Clark who nodded back at him.

“Of course we can take care of them, Barbara. Everyone deserves a loving home.”

“I’ll prepare the beds,” Alfred said, ducking from the room.

Barbara looked to the window and saw Dick peering inside. She rushed over to him and Clark quickly followed, worried she was going to leave so soon after returning.

“Dick, you’ll stay with us too, won’t you?” she pleaded.

He narrowed his eyes at Bruce and Clark. “No, I shall not. I have to return to Neverland.”

“You can stay with us Dick,” Clark said gently. “Our home is large enough for one more.”

Dick stuck his tongue out at Clark. “My place is in Neverland,” he said, trying to hide his bitterness at not being able to have something Barbara had. “And that’s where I shall be.”

He flipped backwards and disappeared into the night, intent on making his return to Neverland while the Lost Boys settled into their new home.

Chapter Text

Barbara missed Dick after he left and each night she fought to dream of him and think of Neverland in her sleep in the hopes of seeing him again, but growing up had a funny effect on her dreams where Neverland didn’t come to her quite so clearly and she wasn’t always able to make out where Dick flitted through the trees with Steph and the Natives.

A year and a day after the anniversary of the Kent-Waynes’ return from Neverland brought a soft knock on the window to their bedroom once again. Titus barked at the noise and growled low in his throat.

“Hush, Titus,” Barbara chastised as she climbed from bed. Once she caught sight of Dick’s familiar face she flew to the window and shoved it open, letting him inside to land gently on his feet.

“Dick! What are you doing here?” she cried, throwing her arms around him.

Tim groaned and rolled over in his bed, annoyed by the disturbance to his sleep.

“I missed you. Neverland just isn’t the same and I thought a lot about what you were saying.”

“What I was saying?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“About having a place in your family.”

“Does this mean you want to stay?” she asked excitedly.

Dick nodded. “If you’ll have me.”

Barbara nodded and took his hand, pulling him from the room and to her fathers’ room. “Father! Papa!” she cried.

Bruce had the door open before they could get within knocking distance. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Dick’s come back and he wants to stay with us. Will you let him?”

Bruce rubbed his eyes, trying to get his brain to process the situation in front of him when he was still half-asleep.

“Of course he can,” Clark said, stepping up behind Bruce. “We’ll get him settled in a bed and can talk more about this in the morning. Back to bed now with you.”

Barbara nodded and pressed a quick kiss to Dick’s cheek before she skipped back to her shared room with Tim and Damian.

And so their lives continued now that Dick was among them again. They went to school and grew up and slowly forgot more and more about Neverland. Even Dick who loved it so, suffered from the slow memory loss that came with the mainland and the looming responsibilities of adulthood.

Titus aged and passed as all dogs must do. It hurt Damian to lose his dear pet, but he got another in his place and soon moved on to his own life. He focused on art and became a famous painter, and some of his paintings when he wasn’t really paying attention, and let his mind wander back to his childhood, held shadows and wisps of his time in Neverland and the beauty the island encapsulated.

Barbara and Dick both grew and found their own careers, but it wasn’t long before they chose to be married and happy. It was something Dick never thought would happen to him when his only goal was to stay a child forever, but now that things were different he couldn’t be happier at having Babs at his side always.

Jason and Tim of course got married as well. Their strong bond only continued to grow through the years and Bruce and Clark supported them wholeheartedly, especially when they saw how much joy Jason brought to Tim’s life. They bought their own house and got a small dog and Jason always helped Tim put his work away and enjoy the joys in life.

Bruce and Clark aged with the years and eventually had a nurse care for them when they couldn’t watch out for themselves any longer. But they were happy to stay together and their love never died. Even when Clark passed first, Bruce’s heart was still filled with love for his husband.

But for all of the Kent-Waynes, even if they didn’t remember Neverland, the place still had a home in their hearts and gave their lives so much more joy and happiness because of its existence.