The Kidnapping before Christmas

Bruce thought it couldn't get any worse as he held the shattered body of his son, his small body traumatized and broken. But that was before the roof decided to collapse, snow, and wood coursing down on them. Batman quickly leaped atop Robin, covering the small child's body with his own, protecting him from the onslaught of rubble.

Knocking rubble off his back, Batman looked up, thankful that most of the roof above his head had remained intact, but it was only a matter of time before it gave in. With a new sense of urgency be began to gather Dick more securely in his arms.  

"B-B-Bruce?" Teeth chattering, Dick looked questioningly up at his Guardian, the weeks of torture at the hands of his abductors, showing on his young face,

"Yeah it's me, chum, hold on, I'll get you out here. You're safe now." Bruce reassured the exhausted child, holding the boy closer to his chest, rubbing Dick's arms in attempt to keep hypothermia at bay.

Staring around angrily at what was left of the living situation the kidnappers had Dick living in. Bruce had finally found the abductors after weeks of relentless searching, in a small condemned house in the outskirts of Gotham.

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"You told me this would be easy, kidnap some snobby rich kid, squeeze a few million out of his loaded daddy, then off the kid, simple, right? WRONG! It's bad enough that the kid almost managed to escape TWICE! But now the Bat is involved!" Dragging his shaking hands through his dirty blond hair, the panicking man looked up at his brother.

"Calm down, Lance, it'll be fine." The grungy man responded, taking one last inhale of his cigarette before stomping it with the heel of his shoe"Brock's taking care of the kid, and if the f****** police can't find us then I highly doubt a freak in a shitty Halloween costume can."

"But Travis, Batm-"

"No buts lil bro, we are getting our money then we're getting the f*** of out this hellhole they call a city." Travis concluded, folding his arms across his chest, daring Lance to challenge him.

A loud crack followed by a strangled cry coming from the closed door across the room, interrupted the two brothers "Try to run now!" a loud voice bellowed over the cries of pain.
Lance flinched at the heart wrenching  howls of pain coming from the small bedroom, the distinct sound of flesh pounding on flesh filled the room, the cries increasing before finally dying down to quiet whimpers.

Finally the sound of chains and hushed threats could be heard through the thin walls signaling the end of the beating, a large man emerged from the room and walked over to join his two partners in crime, smiling proudly "I don't think we have to worry about him anymore," Brock chuckled amused "unless of course he can run with a broken leg"

"Good work, Brock, see Lance we've got this under control" Clapping his younger brother on the shoulder, Travis walked over to the window looking out into the darkness, snow coating the ground "Looks like it'll be a white Christmas this year, boys."

And that was how Bruce found them, all but one of them sleeping, it was easy enough to take down the two brothers,  the big one Brock gave a little fight but didn't even come close to taking down the angry Bat, how had these morons evaded him so long.

Securing the unconscious kidnappers, Batman rushed to the bedroom, swinging the door open, his breath knocked out him of at the sight of his battered son. Lying beneath an open window atop a blood stained mattress in nothing but pants torn off at the knees, leaving him fully exposed to the harsh winds above him, a thin layer of frost and snow blanketing his body.

Kneeling beside Dick, he gently inspected and prodded the darkening bruises on his face and body, checking for broken bones and internal injuries. Still unconscious Dick wasn't talking but the injuries were all Batman needed to piece together what had transpired…Needing better access to check his back , Bruce pulled Dick into a sitting position and brought his body forward until his small body was leaning on his chest, face buried in the crook of Bruce's neck. Newly arranged Bruce continued his exam, abruptly pausing in anger at what he saw, a footprint, the vivid purple treads of the bootprint, telling him that someone stomped on his son; He'd fallen, hard,  judging by the lack of skin on his hands and knees. At least eight swollen boot shaped bruises covered his back.

Tears of anger sprung to Bruce's eyes, bringing his hand up to stroke Dick hair, wet from melted snow, "I've got you, Dick." He gently reassured the unconscious boy. Hearing the roof of the clearly unstable house creak above his head, Bruce stifled the fast rising anger and concentrated solely on getting Dick to safety before the snow covered roof caved in.

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"Wha's  goin on?" Dick slurred, shivering violently.

"Roof caved in." Bruce relied, noting the signs of Hypothermia, he gently put Dick down, despite Dick's whimper of protest at the loss of body warmth, he then quickly removed his cape and draped it around Dicks shivering frame, wrapping it securely before gathering him up in his arms, careful not to irritate his injuries.

"You good?" Batman asked looking down at Dick, curled like an infant in his arms.

"C-c-cold n' tired.." Dick tiredly responded. Tightening his already death grip on Bruce's neck and burying his face deeper in the crook of his neck.

"I know chum, but you can't sleep. We'll be home soon." Hoping to reassure the boy, as he used his legs to sift through the rubble and snow, careful not to jostle Dick's broken leg."Dick, you still with me?"  Bruce asked shaking the exhausted boy.

Dick stirred making a few grunts of pain, "sleep."

Bruce stared down at his son huddled in his arms, heart breaking as he was forced to wake the slumbering child."Hey guess what day it is?" Bruce asked, eliciting a small grunt from the sleeping bundle "Give up? Okay I'll tell you. Christmas eve!"

Dick slowly opened his eyes at the mention of his favorite holiday. "Getting kidnapped better get me a lot of sympathy gifts." Dick teased looking tiredly up at Bruce.

Bruce smilied down at Dick," Let's just say your pile of presents under the tree could trump Mount Everest. Mine on the other hand is definitely lacking." Bruce teased back, tying to him awake long enough for him to get him out of the collapsing house and back into the safety of Wayne Manor.

"I'm t-t-terrible son." Dick joked, managing a small smile, still shivering violently.

Bruce held Dick tight as the shivers rocked through his body, thankful that the shaking had not ceased. Knowing that if they did, it would mean his hypothermia had gone from moderate to severe.

"The worst." Bruce smirked, trying to keep the conversation light as they passed the unconscious bodies of the kidnappers unfortunately completely unharmed by the collapsed roof.

"You get a t-t-tree?" Dick asked, face still buried in Bruce's neck completely oblivious to the bound bodies of his tormentors.

"Yeah," Bruce sighed, feigning disappointment "But someone was slacking in there star placing duties, so unfortunately are tree is one star short of perfect." Bruce felt Dick smile against his neck, happy to be able keep the five year tradition of Dick placing the star atop the tree.

Finally making his way through the rubble and over the front door still laying where earlier Batman had angrily kicked it in. Batman took a deep breath of the night air as they passed through the threshold thankful to have his son alive and out of that deathtrap, Dick arms clenching tighter as the cold wind and snow hit his bare legs.

Waking over to where he had left the Batmobile parked, he gently placed Dick in the passenger side, wrapping his cape securely around his small shaking shoulders, smoothing the hair out of Dick's tired eyes, "Stay awake." He ordered, before running back into the destroyed building and dragging the kidnappers roughly out of the house.
Throwing them still bound into the snow.

Wanting nothing more than to give them the same treatment they gave his son, to beat and break their bones, leave them half naked in the snow, but instead he alerted the police and walked back towards the Batmobile, getting Dick home more important.

Climbing into the Batmobile, checking on Dick huddled beside him in the passenger seat "Are you a butterfly yet?" Batman asked smirking at the small bundle curled in his cape.

Peeking his head out of the makeshift cocoon, Dick looked tiredly at Bruce. "Very funny."
  
Bruce chuckled, pointing all the heater s in Dick's direction on full blast, before shifting the gears into drive.

Batman looked away from the road to check on his protégé, cape falling from Dick's shoulders to reveal his bare chest dark purple bruises visible against his pale skin, thin arms clutching his broken leg to his chest; Bruce's hands clutched the steering wheel angrily as he noticed Dick's significant weight loss for the first time.

Drawing his eyes back towards the road, hearing Dick's intake of air as the car took a hard left, "How's the leg?" Bruce asked taking the steadier route back to the manor as to make the boy's journey as painless as possible.

"Throbbing now that its regaining some feeling."Dick responded, managing a smile through his clenched teeth, in attempts to reassure Bruce, jaw squared, eyes forward, concentrating fully on the winding road ahead.

Dick's short lived plan of easing his father's anxiety failing. When his heavy eyelids slid shut, Dick tried his hardest to stay awake but lost the battle. Weeks of torture and sleepless nights causing his body to shut down.

"Dick!"

The sounds Bruce of calling out his name and the rev of the engine, the last things Dick heard before darkness enveloped him.

          
                                     Alfred leaned down over the couch careful not to wake father or son. Brushing away dark bangs and pressing his hand to Dick forehead, fever down but not quite gone, his injuries freshly bandaged and cleaned, a pillow tucked underneath his broken leg. Remembering how hours before Bruce had sat beside the child, threading his hands through Dick's hair and whispering reassuring words as Alfred reset and bandaged the leg.

Alfred stepped back and smiled proudly at the heartwarming scene illuminated by the giant Christmas tree. Bruce's right arm wrapped protectively around his son, Dick cuddling into his side, safe and warm, a handful of Bruce's shirt clenched tightly in his bandaged fist, snoring softly.

Alfred bent down and picked the blankets off the floor where Dick had kicked them off in a fevered nightmare, he gently wrapped them around the sleeping figures, tucking them in snugly. Knowing both Dick and Bruce were alive and well the old man finally allowed himself to relax. Sitting down Alfred rested his worn feet and watched father and son sleep peacefully. Thankful to have the boy he had come to think of as a grandson home for Christmas.

                                                                         The End.