Disclaimer: I don't own it

Gotham had been quiet.

For some cities like Metropolis, that would be a good thing. It meant that the city was safe, that the villains of the day had been defeated, and citizens could go about their lives in peace. However, Gotham was always the exception. Many of the villains of Gotham were loud, but their loudness alerted people to danger, and their loudness let people get away.

The silence gave no such comfort. Silence was the mugger in the alleyway, the escape plan brewing in the heads of the inmates at Arkham, the assassins on the rooftops. Silence was uncertainty, and uncertainty in Gotham meant death.

Above the silent city, on top of the many dark skyscrapers, Batman stood and watched.

He was on alert, constantly scanning the streets below him. Despite the complete lack of disturbance, Batman knew that something huge was about to happen. The instincts he had spent years developing told him as much, but all the criminals in Gotham seemed to have taken the week off. There had been nothing that had warranted the Batman's attention.

Despite the obvious calm before the storm, Batman jumped off the roof and allowed himself to go home. As much as he hated to admit it, he was tired. The constant missions with the Justice League, his time as his cities protector, and the hassle of maintaining Wayne Enterprises had left little time for rest.

The Batmobile screeched into the Batcave, and Batman jumped out. As he walked over to the computer to log that night of patrol, he pulled his cowl off, becoming Bruce Wayne. Once his log was completed, he walked over to the changing station and began taking off the armor that made up his bat-suit. At the moment, all he could think of was his wonderfully soft, king sized bed that waited upstairs.

Bruce looked up when he heard soft footsteps approaching.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you Master Bruce," said Alfred, "but you have a visitor upstairs."

Bruce grunted and nodded in response. If Alfred had let them into the manor so late it must have been one of the members of the league. Bruce pulled off the last parts of his armor, and walked towards the elevator.

Alfred sighed silently. There were times he wished Bruce would be a bit more talkative. However, it was difficult to hold long conversations with Bruce when he wasn't nearly dropping from exhaustion, so Alfred had little hope for tonight.

Bruce walked up the Batcave stairs and entered the manor. Closing the grandfather clock behind him, he briskly walked out of his private office and into the main sitting area. He opened the double doors of the lounge, but three steps inside he stopped. Unwillingly, his breath hitched in his throat when he saw who was waiting for him.

Diana Prince, also known as Wonder Woman, was sitting on one of the low couches.

He cleared his throat, and Diana spun around to face him.

Bruce gave her one of his rare genuine smiles, "Good to see you again Diana. It's been awhile."

And it had. Diana had not been seen by anyone in the League in nearly a year. Before she had left, she had claimed that her duties as Princess of the Amazons could no longer be ignored. When she had been asked when, or if, she would return, she would reply with a vague answer, and everyone assumed that meant she would be gone much longer than a year. But here she was. Standing in front of him was the goddess Bruce had loved all those months ago.

He noted her changes. Diana held herself differently. She seemed older, and looked like she has the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Her brown eyes met his blue "It's good to see you too, Bruce." She said softly, "I'm sorry this is so sudden, but the past few months have been... rather hectic." she ended with a low chuckle.

"I understand," he said, sitting down next to her, "But why are you here?" Diana cringed slightly, and Bruce internally cursed himself for his constant bluntness.

Diana straightened an invisible wrinkle in her skirt. She didn't look him in the eyes as she said, "Well, I haven't been straightforward with the League about my absence."

Bruce tilted his head. "Were you not on Paradise Island? Helping your people?" He asked, wondering why Diana would lie to the entire League.

"Only half right detective," she said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "I was home, but my people were helping me."

"Helping you? With what?" Bruce questioned, "Couldn't the League had helped you with-"

"No Bruce," Diana interrupted sharply, " No one on the League could have helped me, not even you."

"Diana what-" he was cut off yet again as the princess sighed.

She seemed to deflate in her seat as she glanced at Bruce. Then her eyes hardened and just as suddenly, she stood up. "Great Hera this is too much, I'll just show you."

She marched over to the window where a wicker basket was on the floor. Gently, she pulled a small bundle of blankets out of it. Keeping her back to Bruce, Diana began talking.

"I needed to find a safe and quiet place quickly, because I knew that some of our enemies will go to extreme lengths to gain leverage against us. This had to stay secret, partially because of my pride and partially because I had no idea what your reactions would be."

Bruce stood up apprehensively and walked closer to her. "Diana, I'm sure everyone would have understood any-"

Reaching her side he stopped abruptly, gaping the tiny baby that was resting peacefully in her arms. Offering the child to Bruce, Diana smirked at his dumbstruck expression. Bruce held and studied the tiny human. With a small head of ebony hair messily contrasting the child's red blanket, Bruce had no trouble guessing the child's mother.

The baby began to stir in his arms and Bruce finally remembered to breath.

"Is... is he yours?" Bruce asked.

Diana only nodded tensely. Gathering his courage for another question, he pushed further, "And the father?"

"You only need to look into his eyes to know." Diana said cryptically.

Hearing a small giggle coming from his arms, Bruce looked down. Bright cerulean eyes stared back up at him. The exact same color eyes Bruce's mother had. The same shade of blue that Bruce saw in the mirror.

Bruce stared at the boy, who began to giggle happily. Bruce didn't have to be the world's greatest detective to know that the next words Diana said would change his life.

"Bruce... he's our son."

Bruce swore he blacked out for a few seconds.

His son.

His SON.

Holy...

He remembered what had happened before Diana had left.

Both Batman and Wonder Woman had been put on more Justice League missions together, their skills complementing the other. Soon, it had become commonplace for Bruce to offer Diana a room in his manor after particularly long or tiring missions. And at first it had been strictly professional; Separate beds, Separate rooms, in Separate wings of the manor.

Then, after one particularly gruesome mission, they had sat together offering words of comfort and understanding. That night, the strict lines that they had both drawn were broken.

Their relationship had stayed secret for nearly a month. Both of them were blissfully happy, Drunk on love.

But all good things had to end, and word of their relationship had gotten out. Many people thought it was only a rumor, with no idea that it was based on fact, but the media ate it up, and soon the world was in uproar. Both of them were now under constant scrutiny from the League, as well as dealing with new pressure from their enemies. Their respective rogues continually tried to use one of them against the other.

With more pressure mounting, they both realized that a relationship in their line of work could not function, and they had broken it off on good terms. Diana slowly stopped staying at the manor, and Bruce grudgingly accepted that it was necessary.

What he had not wanted to accept was her leaving for Paradise Island. It had taken months for him to truly get over her sudden departure.

To think that all this time that instead of fighting and training beside her sisters on Paradise Island, she had been pregnant...

"Bruce?"

He was shocked out of his stupor by the very subject of his thoughts. Dianna was looking at him with a worried expression.

"You've turned very pale, would you like to sit down?" Diana said, concern lacing her voice. She had a sudden urge to laugh as she realized that she had never seen Batman, or Bruce, truly surprised. His pale face and slight shaking was enough to tip her of his vulnerable state.

"No," Bruce said, immediately straightening, and holding the baby closer to his chest. "I want to hear this story standing up."

Diana crossed her arms and looked at the child fondly. "When I first found that I was pregnant, I knew that if our enemies discovered this, they would never stop trying to get to either of us through our child."

Bruce interrupted, "You thought our enemies would try to use our child against us."

"Yes, and I couldn't allow that."Diana agreed, "So I kept it a secret from everyone, going to the one place I knew was safe from the world."

"Paradise Island" He finished.

"Yes. Bruce you have to understand, It broke my heart to leave with such little warning, but I had to. Our child would never be safe if his existence was public knowledge."

Bruce nodded, thoughtfully, some color returning to his face, "How did your people react?"

Unexpectedly, Diana laughed "Oh, they were furious! Many of their faces turned purple from rage!"

Bruce was puzzled, "And how is that funny?"

"Because of how I earned their respect again." Diana snickered, "My mother simply told them that I should be heralded as a great warrior, for braving ALL the dangers of man." Seeing Bruce blush slightly and run his hand through his hair only made her laugh harder. "After that, most of my sisters were glad to help, and I was quickly accepted back to the island. However after our child was born, more problems arose."

"Problems?" Bruce questioned, looking down at the baby in his arms.

"He's a boy." Diana stated.

"Oh... right. "Bruce murmured, suddenly realizing her dilemma.

"And the great detective has figured it out." Diana said dejectedly, her eyes on the floor. "Once his gender was discovered, many of my once kind sisters became hostile, and my mother and I realized that my home had suddenly become one of the most dangerous places in the world for our child. So I left."

"And now you're here."

"Yes. Now I'm here."

Bruce gently sat down on the couch, "Diana, I understand why you came, but you have to understand that what you're asking me to do... With my life, both nighttime and day, how can I be a good father?"

Sitting down next to him Diana softly teased and nudged his shoulder, "What, is this the great Batman running from a child?"

A sharp look quickly quieted her joking, and she continued, "Bruce, I know this is big, but I can't raise him. In a few years I may be able to convince my sisters to accept him, maybe let him visit the island, but he needs a home."

"Diana, I-" Bruce was cut off by a small cough by the door. Both heads turned to the butler, suddenly realizing that they weren't alone.

"Have you been standing there the whole time?" Bruce asked incredulously.

"Long enough Master Bruce. "said Alfred. His stiff upper lip had been replaced with a soft smile, and for Alfred, that meant he was basically jumping for joy. "Now if I may, I would like to add my thoughts on this matter."

"Of course Alfred," said Bruce.

"Well," Alfred began, "Since it is obvious he is going to be staying here, Master Bruce, I will prepare a room."

Bruce could only gape as his father figure continued to talk.

"Now, raising a child is no easy task, and this child needs both of his mother and his father in his life. I expect both of you to take time out of your days, as civilians and as superheroes, to properly care for him. And although I am a butler, I will not let the responsibility of raising him fall to me alone."

Taking both of the young adults stunned silences as acceptance, Alfred continued. "Very well. Seeing how that one particular matter is settled, I shall be upstairs. I do believe that you have much to discuss." At this, Alfred promptly left the room, silently closing the door behind him.

The sudden departure left the room in an uncomfortable silence, and both adults in awe of the butler. After placing the tiny boy in the wicker basket, Bruce had yet another realization. Looking up to Diana, he asked, "What's his name?"

Diana nelt down to wrap the boy in blankets again. "On my island, to name a new child we offer them up to the gods. The Gods will then bestow the child with a name that suits them. The name they are given is a gift, and supposedly reveals parts of the child's identity." She placed the baby back into his basket. "However, he is no normal child, being born only half Amazon, so they gave him half of a full name." She said reluctantly. "His first name is Richard."

Bruce nodded and kept his eyes on the newly named child, "It suits him."

"He does not have a last name" Diana began, "I assumed you would have wanted to discuss-"

"Of course he has a last name, "Bruce scoffed and gently caressed the small child's head. "He is my son."

Diana's heart soared. She had worried for hours over Bruce's reaction. Seeing his quick acceptance lifted her spirits higher than flying ever could.

"Richard Wayne," she said softly. "It sounds... right"

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