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Chapter Text

"With a blue question mark."

"The questions marks have to be green, you savage."

The married couple addressed each other a traditional bat-glare, the two others laughed at this years-long teasing between Question and Riddler. As the adage says, some things never change...

"What's up?", a ever-joyous feminine voice inquired while she arrived with Witchboy levitating by her side and Teekl perched on her shoulder like an orange owl.

"Y'know, the usual.", Jason grinned at Steph. "Mulder and Scully fight over their question marks colors."

They laughed while Edward maturely stuck out his tongue at Jason. Teekl jumped from Nightwing's shoulder to land on the table covered of a plastic protection. She walked elegantly between the tubes of paint, eggs, paintbrushes, tubes of glue, pearls, ribbons and sequins.

As ever when her favorite humans engage in an activity, they play the all thing. Taylor pushed the large bowl of pearls for her to have a decent space on the tabletop against the auburn wood of the red maple.

"This joke is getting lame.", Edward objected, still focused on the nicknames and showing a false offended expression.

"Nope it isn't, Ginger.", Jason winked. "It won't stop being fun."

They shared a smile, proving that indeed, this belongs to the forever-comical elements forming their daily lives.

Steph renamed Vic and him 'Mulder and Scully' when it began to... get serious between them, after Ed's reform. They met again, this time no longer as Riddler and Question like they did in the past and have been adversaries occasionally, but as... Detective Nygma and journalist Vic Sage. Whom, just like Jason, hasn't changed his anti-hero self, by the way. His friend Renee Montoya kept the mantle a few years when he stepped out of the business, before she picked a brand new name. He went back at being the Question when Edward and him grew closer.

Until they grew close enough to activate Batgirl's legendary sass, so alike with Edward's: Stephanie found these lovely titles. It was over eight years ago, from then nonetheless, everybody designated their duo under the X-Files heroes' names. To Vic, being called 'Mulder' is incredibly flattering. Edward heavily complained against his Scully tag, like the child he is: always whining over everything even when it's sympathetic. He eventually got used to it. Even if he protested from time to time, Eddie loves the nicknames his daughter / sister / buddy-girl added to his friendly list of appellations.

As for him, Jason's all-time favorite way to refer to him, since his Robin years, is without a doubt 'Ginger'.

"Look, mommy!", Taylor announced proudly. "I've done another one for you!"

"Aww, thank you kitten! This is beautiful."

Stephanie put a kiss on the side of her daughter's blond hair and sat between her and Eddie around the large table in the garden. The little girl showed her a purple and golden egg freshly painted.

"You aren't looking at mine, Blondie 1?", Jason jeered.

Although the nicknames for Taylor are numerous, Jay kept Steph's 'Blondie' name. Since they are now two blonde blue-eyed girls in the house however, he called her 'Blondie the First', 'B-1' and (kinda ridiculous yet hilarous) variants of those.

"Congrats.", she jested upon eying the egg Jason decorated. "Every time you attempt an artistic activity, you prove how any kindergarten child does a better job than you, Jaybird."

He cursed, what triggered Edward's immediate correction of: "Language, Jason.". This made him curse some more, amusing everyone and causing Ed to have recourse to the mom voice to scold him.

They prepared the incoming Easter weekend. Four years old Taylor Brown painted eggs at kindergarten a few days ago, she came back with a basket filled with one egg for each her family members.

As she attested at school and in the houses of their friends plus her uncles and aunties, other children live with their parents, like Chloe and Jimmy who live with Barbara and Dick. Sometimes children live with both their parents and their grandparents, like Bruce Jr. who lives with his mother and father Cassandra and Kon-El and  his grandfather Bruce at his family mansion.

As for her she... lives with mom, Eddie, Jay and Vic. Klari and Teekl come and go, though they are more often to be seen at their place than anywhere else. There's also Pammy and Harl, who live in a similar farm close to theirs and are her favorite aunties. Kitrina and Lonnie stop by regularly, they practically count among Ed's adopted kids. The Second Spoiler and Anarky weren't around for now, they fulfill a mission together, they won't come back before next month.

One of their roosters burbled; he jumped on the bench on Taylor's side. She giggled.

"What's up, Potato? You want to draw on an egg too?", she proposed with this typical, adorable childish concern.

Taylor stroked his feathers and the chicken jabbered of contentment. Then she patted the plastic-covered (safety precaution during the painting occupation...) wooden surface of the table to invite him. The rooster initiated a movement, whereas he... failed at performing the small jump required to land on the tabletop: he fell back on the grass of the ground.

He didn't hurt himself, he immediately stood back on his feet and ran all over as if he was possessed. They gazed at him until Jason, sitting across from Taylor, sighed.

"This chicken is the dumbest creature I ever laid my eyes on.", Red Hood stated. "And I say that while we're friends with Music Meister."

"It's because you called him 'Potato'.", Edward retorted with this synchronized 'I-told-you-so' intonation and glance. "If you gave the poor thing a normal or cute name, it would have had a direct impact on his cognitive abilities."

They laughed some more.

They began with chicks, they chose one for each, everyone gave them a name. Of course Jason had to baptize his 'Potato'. Poor thing. They owned a house but not many animals, the point has never been to become actual farmers. They stayed at chickens and quails, who evolve in liberty in their spacious garden. No other cats: Teekl refuses. No dogs allowed, everyone in the family being a cat lover and two members are literally... immortal, magical cats from another dimension.

They created an artificial lake in the one water doesn't rise farther than the waist at the 'deep' spots. The goal has been to landscape this space for it to morph into a Japanese garden. They always had a good time on the water's edge watching the Koi carps, swans, ducks, water hens, snipes and other half-wild birds who benefit of the water surface. They designed the architecture and planting around and on the lake, where a red bridge led to an open hut on stilts on the middle of the water. This shared Japanese-inspired space belongs to both properties, their family and Pamela and Harley created it together, they all enjoyed it dearly.

One of the advantages of living with a magic cat: Teekl is friendly when asked to. Therefore she doesn't eat or frighten their birds. She accepted them as part of her populace she watches over, she doesn't afraid them.

Well except Potato, but this chicken had been scared of a soap bubble once, so...

They decided to settle in a farm when Stephanie got pregnant. After ten years of run as Batgirl, the twenty nine years old expected a baby. She gave the Batgirl symbol during her pregnancy to twenty two years old Nell Little, who wore the title to this day. Everyone knew soon she will pass it to Kitrina Falcone, the current Spoiler.

For almost five years now, the family lived here with their neighbors, Pamela and Harley, long-time married and sharing their life between their farm and missions with the Justice League. Edward and Vic conserved their flat in town to keep their detective agency more accessible; their team remains vigilantes in Gotham, elsewhere and in outerspace when they accomplish galactic trips. But they wanted Taylor to grow up in a house with a garden in place of an apartment at the center of Gotham. Even if they were in town all week and their life is entirely, as ever, devoted to their beloved, rotten to the core city.

The Isley-Quinzel and their farm are located at equal distance than Wayne Manor is, except from a different side of town. Thus they are not at a fringe location, reaching the city center is rapid, both with their civilian and vigilantes vehicles. They never got to call these 'Batmobiles' –Bruce believes he owns the label...–, albeit the cars definitely look like some.

"Why eggs while Easter is pictured with a rabbit?", Taylor queried while they were very into the Easter eggs making.

This April month being surprisingly warm, they took back the summer outfits out of the closets, they were in short sleeves in the garden under the refreshing shadow provided by the tall maple tree; the sun was bright this afternoon.

"Rabbits don't lay eggs!", she insisted. "School, TV and supermarkets lie to us."

"They do!", Vic validated vigorously. "That's how the Government keeps people under control: by making us believe whatever they want."

"Perhaps rabbits lay eggs.", Klarion dithered. "I've seen weirder. Creatures looking like rabbits exist in other dimensions, they are... nothing like your rabbits. Some could be compared to what you have in this Earth, only... half-rabbits half-birds, and more demonic."

Teekl meowed in approval.

"What did she say?"

"She finds the idea of a bird-rabbit mixed with animals from strictly your Earth delicious.", he translated and the others laughed.

"I like it too!", Taylor giggled. "I love rabbits!", she repeated once more.

The older ones shared a smile. It's been weeks since their girl asked to adopt a rabbit, she wanted to add cute furry animals to their little farm.

Taylor patted the ginger cat's head, whom supervised the family activity. She slumped on the tabletop, partly leaning against the massive maple trunk. Teekl purred audibly and bumped her head onto the blonde girl's hand. She was an immortal cat, nevertheless she remained a... cat. Both Klarion and her purr when they are pleased, they react like felines to basically everything. Everyone finds it just adorable.

They were spending a rather normal, calm moment together. Thereupon Jason turned it into a game. This was predictable: one of them invariably ends up doing something like that, since everyone around this table is a child, not solely the member who is of age to be an actual child.

"See that? You have a bit on the nose!", he claimed as he leaned forward, across the table, to apply a red mark on her face.

Taylor giggled.

"You too, Jaybird.", Edward commented as he threw a green squirt which collided with the side of Jason's nose and his entire left cheek under everyone's laughter.

"Oh, so you take it like that..."

They engaged into a paint battle.

Once more, Eddie and Steph congratulated themselves to live with a magic user: when they were done playing like kiddos, Klarion made the colors stains disappear from their mid-long hair in a simple wave of his fingers instead of them having to spend thirty minutes in each their bathroom fighting with a bottle of shampoo.

(())

"It's the Gemini!", Taylor indicated with pride.

They enjoyed the evening in the spacious living room, she climbed on Edward's knees to show him one of her now dry painted eggs. Entirely covered of dark blue, she applied glittery white spots on one face of the egg, and bound the dots with a thin white line, drawing the exact Gemini constellation. Taylor's birthday being in May, she has the same zodiac sign as her mother born the 5 of June. Among other anecdotes what enchanted them, it thrilled everyone during the pregnancy when they understood the dates will match: Stephie's baby will be the same sign as her.

"It's impeccable, sweetheart.", Eddie complimented as he hugged her fondly.

Taylor was just like her mother, she was interested in everything. So like to her mom, he taught her about astronomy and an extended range of topics. He got along with her as perfectly as he always did with her mom from the instant he met her, when Stephanie was nine and him a nineteen years old who became the Riddler for nearly five years already.

The evening went on with them playing and chatting. Stephanie, Edward, Jason, Vic, Klarion and Teekl and the member of their group of close friends they all considered as their daughter, Taylor Brown.

How precious it is, to share cute moments together.

With the whole family.

Chapter Text

"Your name almost sounds like this holiday."

"Are you gonna repeat it every year?"

"At least this year again.", Tim affirmed. "You knew what you signed for: I am not skilled at humor, so when I find something funny, it's not  to use it as a one time shot."

They shared a smile.

"I guess we have our specific holidays.", Esther shrugged as she terminated another small bomb. "Jon's is Halloween, so why not Easter for me?"

The two of them were finalizing their personal version of easter eggs.

Tim taught her how to make bombs, this belongs to the useful knowledge in their line of work. She had been cheerful to discover new tricks.

Esther learned how to fight, her all-time favorite weapon is a crowbar: Joker killed a Robin with this once, it means fighting with the object corresponds to a strong symbol of their crusade against the bats. She already acquired special talents when it comes to torture before she joined Tim and Jonathan. The two formed a feared duo when she reached Gotham, encountered her birther and had been... appalled, to attest what he became.

Mockingjay arrived in Gotham City under the name Enigma to meet her father. When she failed to have him going back at being the Riddler, she turned to the other side.

The... rising side.

Timothy Drake, formerly known as Red Robin, turned tables when he helped Jonathan Crane escape from Arkham and vanished with him. Only to reappear as a powerful duo, with Tim as a leader who nurtured the firm desire to become the new emblematic villain, in Gotham and outside town. To do so, he found a matching name he wore to this day: Phoenix.

She wanted to join him. With her friend Duela Dent, they tried. They pushed their luck. Nearly got themselves killed in the process (what made the so-called Joker's daughter laugh...). Then Crane realized what was happening: this girl is Edward Nygma's daughter he had as a teen at Arkham, after a 'psychiatrist' took a session too far.

The two of them made researches at the time, they discovered the reason why this woman everyone hated with their guts among the inmates momentary disappeared from the asylum: she got pregnant from one of her 'patients', without... initially identifying which one. Ed and Jon investigated, they uncovered the full picture: the doctor Bethanie Ravencroft, one of the most detested members of the Arkham staff alongside with Lyle Bolton, Hugo Strange, Penelope Young and Aaron Cash to mention only them (that is to say, the staff members who led unethical experiences akin to torture on the patients or have been irremediably violent and abusive) put the baby up to adoption the minute of her birth.

Ed and Jon knew it's a girl, there was a probability she shares their genetics. They didn't search for more though: allowing this baby to be adopted outside Gotham and growing far from the madness in town is the sole responsible thing Ravencroft ever did. Mad Hatter had been the one to eliminate her, after Scarecrow let her agonize in front of her worst fears for long, long hours alone with her nightmares. The other rogues saluted this deserved ending.

They never evoked the episode after her death, never tried to localize the offspring. As it seemed... it's from Edward she got the baby. Baby who arrived in town as a grown-up who learned her kinship with the former Riddler, thanks to a complete file her biological mother built, which Ed and Jonathan hadn't been aware of. Ravencroft made sure the documents will arrive to her child when she'll be a teen, no matter what happened to her. Knowing that nut job, it probably made her laugh in advance to imagine the awkward as Hell drama this could provoke if a teenager showed up one day at Edward Nygma's to reveal she is his biological offspring he had out of rape sessions when locked at Arkham when he was just past seventeen.

Except that his daughter therefore, met him years after his reform, after he definitely moved on from his rogue life. After the Lazarus pit cured his cancer and when he established an entire new life for him and his team.

After the Riddler was gone.

"Disappointed?", Jonathan had asked right away when the redhead revealed her kinship to the two of them; to Tim's surprise, he never heard Riddler had a child.

"... Yes.", she confessed, a lump in her throat. "I wanted... to become one of you. A real villain. A real someone. But Edward Nygma is..."

"He is no longer who he used to be. And he won't ever be the man you looked for again. What is your civilian name, child?"

"Esther Castle."

"And your stage name?"

"Enigma."

Jonathan smiled.

"Let's start by the beginning, then, Esther.", he nodded, showing an unexpected patience akin to a gentleness rare are the persons he addressed to with. "You must change this outfit and this persona if you want to be reborn anew."

It had been Jonathan's decision, not Tim's.

The young adult muttered they had no time or willingness to play mentors and they don't need  two sidekicks looking for adventures. He didn't protest further nonetheless, he let Jon take care of the problem.

Their encounter happened years ago now and not once, Esther regretted Scarecrow, who became a Yellow Lantern four years ago, let Duela and her in. From indifferent Tim gradually grew interested in the girls and their skills, even taught Esther what he knew. And then... the two of them became partners. Lovers.

This was not how her best friend Duela and her saw their career in the powerful side when they arrived to Gotham. Yet... they were more than happy with what they found.

They found a team. Almost a... family.

(())

The explosions. Deadly games. Complicated tricks. Everything that made their charms.

Jonathan smiled. Easter used to be one of Harley Quinn's favorite holidays, he participated to schemes with her. Edward liked it too, he organized hunts under the form of giant puzzles across the town for the bats-and-birds to solve. Everything seemed... strangely easy, when he looked back at this dominant portion of his life.

Two arms appeared out of the blue from behind and hanged loosely around his neck in some friendly hug.

"Let me guess.", Esther taunted. "You are thinking about Nygma and your buddies from the old Rogues Gallery."

"See?", the professor jested. "In the end, you are not that bad at deductions."

This had been one of the... kinda shocking facts about this girl: she is nothing like her father. Truly. Nothing at all. The single ground they share is physical appearance, she has the same shade of pumpkin orange hair, cute, small freckles, milky skin, soft features. Her hazelnut iris alone change from Edward's light green eyes.

For the rest? She is not a detective, not a scientist, she hadn't inherited of Ed's smug attitudes and boastful smirks, neither of his peculiarity to take life as a game. She has not the cleverness, no similar tastes, not the curiosity, not the brain. Not the... genius. As she self-proclaimed shortly after they met: "I suck at riddles." This had been a sentence highly disturbing to hear for Jon from Edward's biological child.

Another proof genetics are not responsible of everything, moreover not what makes links between persons. Esther Castle, former Enigma current Mockingjay and Edward Nygma, former Riddler current Oracle and the unique man Jonathan ever loved, have nothing in common.

No wonder they ended up enemies fighting on opposite sides...

"I wished I could ruin his full weekend, not only the Easter Sunday.", Scarecrow disclosed with a sigh.

Esther removed her arms when he turned then stood up from his desk chair.

"Isn't Sunday enough? Besides.", she added before he responded. "It's not like they say 'no' to a bit of action."

"True point.", he conceded.

"Come in.", she belabored, taking him by the arm. "Tim and Duela are in the relaxing room, let's spend a cool moment together before we switch to serious mode."

Jonathan laughed and followed this young woman he sincerely appreciates the company of, in their expertly furnished secret H.Q.

This is something the Yellow Lantern discovered with Tim and concretized when living with these three youngsters: they need absolute breaks, either by travelling to Vegas under disguises, renting a boat, going to the beach, doing massages or using many others cliché relaxing times. Somehow, that's how the new generation of villains deals with preparation. Once they finalize their plans, they take a few days before getting to business, during which they enjoy a break pre-show time.

"Hey kids.", he greeted the other two whom waved back in the room.

Said kids are now between their mid-twenties and mid-thirties, but Jon will always call everyone 'child'.

"So what's the plan?"

"Getting Spooky to relax, as ever.", Duela said.

She abandoned her bright clownish colors when she joined Phoenix, she entirely changed of aspect. She kept her love for symbolic duality: she wears black and white, and dyed her hair, formerly colored in fuchsia, two colors: black and white as well. Unlike most heroes or villains, she hadn't had a previous identity. She named herself Joker's daughter despite her absence of kinship with the former Prince of Crime. Furthermore she changed  this appellation too, calling herself the child of various famous villains depending on the mood.

Until this rebirth years ago. When joining Tim and Jonathan's team, she found herself a proper character. She picked the opportunity: Margaret Pye, the previous Magpie, retired years ago. She liked the aesthetic, thus Duela took the identity as her own, she created her version of a magpie costume.

Phoenix, Mockingjay, Magpie and the eternal Scarecrow, who kept this name albeit he became a Yellow Lantern. As Brown, Nygma and Todd regularly mock them: "someone to add in the birds band?" They even suggested names for eventual future members, saying they would love to fight villains called 'Chicken' or 'Pigeon'.

But well. The team will focus on their main enemies / nemesis during this Sunday, for Easter. In the mean time, they'll enjoy a nice activity like good friends would.

"If I screw another drink up, the girls are going to blame me.", Tim exposed in a deadpan intonation at some point later, while Jon came with him behind the bar. "So there.", the leader of their group declared. "Help me with these mojitos, so that we'll avoid an incident."

Jonathan rolled his eyes, more for the show than out of despair.

"If it's important for you...", he concluded.

The two men shared a complicit glance.

Jon esteemed the plans Phoenix and his team made up together.

Even though... this was no longer 'just a game' as it used to be. The rules changed. They took an irremediable path from the day Tim Drake went from threat  to... an adversary for the bats.

From the day he killed the Joker to claim the title of biggest menace of Gotham as his own. This happened years after Edward reformed, for real and without taking a look back, to follow the girl who is like his daughter and his sister, Stephanie Brown. He supported her via the official way and procedures from the day she had been given the Robin mantle. Her and Jason Todd, they became the persons he loved more than his life. More than anything.

The persons he would choose in place of anyone else. The persons he chose in place of anyone else. In place of the Riddler, the Rogues Gallery... in place of Jonathan.

So sure thing, there will forever have a nest of bats-and-birds and rogues fighting, however... Jon had time to see how much things have changed. Rogues becoming part of the Batfamily. Batfamily members becoming rogues. Plus an extended array of in-between categories.

As Jonathan saw it, the only thing taken for granted is that, given the way things are for everyone: there is no going back to yesterday.

Chapter Text

Taylor woke up on Saturday morning.

They reserved Sunday for a giant chocolate eggs hunt at Wayne Manor. The old Alfred, the Batfamily's eternal grandfather, insisted to organize a hunt for the kids to come here, he wanted to see everyone. So they will celebrate at first in their farm and at the Manor with their friends tomorrow.

Teekl yawned in a disapproving manner when she moved in her large bed. Taylor chuckled.

"Hi Teekl.", she greeted, then gave pets to the ginger cat, whom invariably slept in someone's bed, she alternates depending on who she elects to offer her gracious company.

The cat resolutely turned to the other side, showing her back to the little girl in order to protest against having to wake up, what made her giggle some more.

She put her bare feet on the wooden floor of her bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror nearby, meeting her bright blue eyes and energetic smile. Today as ever, she was going to have fun.

(())

"Riddle me this.", Stephanie smirked. "What's used as a symbol of the celebrated date introducing a legal hunt performed by children, you longed to welcome in our world?"

Edward smiled with pride, as whenever his team used his catch phrase. He considered Stephanie and Jason his kids although he was under ten years older than Steph and seven years older than Jay. So there, always delighted when his kiddos talk and behave like him.

"Consider it's the first of a group.", Vic complemented, because a farm implies having a few of the animals.

No rush though, this new comer will have the time to adapt.

Taylor let out a literal scream of joy when her family introduced their version of a Easter celebration this Saturday, via a gift: a Thrianta rabbit. His brown-golden fur is shiny and so smooth under her touch, his big almond eyes watching the unknown surroundings with curiosity are plainly adorable.

"What's his name?", she inquired after she hugged everyone, so happy to meet the new resident of their home.

"You get to choose.", Jason assured. "You'll do a better job than me at naming this little guy."

Everyone laughed.

A bit later today, once she befriended the cuddly baby bunny, she announced how she intended to baptize him:

"Tobias! So that we'll also call him Tobi!"

The others approved of this pretty appellation and its cute attached nickname. Taylor looked at her Easter bunny sitting on her knees, she stroked his soft ears and solemnly declared:

"Tobias Brown, welcome to the family!"

As he will find out soon, Tobi couldn't dream of a better place to land.