TITLE: Family Matters

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: R/M

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Sequel to Raising Nicholas, Bruce and Diana have their hands full with two toddlers, but matters only grow worse when Sienna plots to get revenge on the Wayne's.

Chapter 1

Gotham; May 1st, 23:06 EST

She stood in the dark shadows in the far corner of the room with her arms folded against her chest, her back pressed up against the wall. She was a silent observer, watching as the man being held by his arms pleaded for his life, promising anything and everything he could possibly think of if they would just let him live.

She appeared completely impassive, clearly unimpressed by his woeful pleading. Her expression could be described as bored at best as a large fist connected with the pleading man's gut with a sickening thud.

"I told you already! I don't know nothin'!" the man yelled as he sagged against the hold the two men had on his arms, struggling to regain the breath that had just been knocked out of his lungs.

"Come on," the large man standing in front of him said with a thick accent. "You work with the Penguin and you're telling me that you know nothing about what he's up to?"

"I'm nobody important! I…I swear!"

"You make deliveries for the Penguin," the man standing before him reminded him. "That makes you very important to us."

"But…but…he doesn't tell me nothin'" he tried to explain only to receive another fist to the gut.

"You have to have been told something or how else could you make your deliveries? What is it that you're delivering?"

"I…I'm never told!" he claimed with gasping breaths, growing more hysterical by the second. "I just drive the delivery truck! That's all!"

"What are you delivering?" the large man towering over him demanded to know as he tightly gripped his chin.

"I don't know…I don't know…" he began to sob the words over and over again, tears streaming down his face. "Please…let me go. I don't know…I swear on my life I don't know."

The Columbian man looked up from the pitiful henchman groveling at his feet to the woman he knew was standing in the corner observing the whole interrogation. He watched as she slowly nodded her head at him before turning to leave, the distinct sound of her stiletto heels clicking steadily along the cement floor and echoing down the long, dark hallway.

While she wouldn't have minded sticking around to watch, she had some place she needed to be right then. It was time to put the rest of her plans into motion, plans that Batman wouldn't see coming before it was far too late to stop it.

Wayne Manor; May 2nd, 18:52 EST

Nicholas sat on the floor of the game room playing with his Lego's, his stuffed bunny lying right beside him and well within reach. He looked up curiously at the sound of his brother's voice, waiting to see if he was going to come and play with him.

"Has anyone seen my phone?" Tim hollered.

"Have you lost that thing again, Master Timothy?" Alfred asked with annoyance.

"I thought it was in my back pocket, but it's not there," he claimed.

"Is Bruce down in that blasted cave again?" Diana demanded to know, her voice conveying her exasperation. "We're going to be late…again!"

Nicholas got up, toddling over to the doorway to peek around the corner and finding no one in the hallway, his diaper crinkling with every step he took. Turning, he went back to his Lego's, the sound of Tim's voice filtering into the game room once more.

"Please!" Tim yelled. "Someone around here has to have seen my phone!"

"I'm looking for my husband," Diana called, anger filling her voice. "If we're late, I swear to Hera that I will—"

"I'm here…I'm right here," Bruce said as he rushed into the kitchen. "Diana…wow. You look gorgeous."

"And you're not even dressed yet!" she shrieked, mortified to find him in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Give me five minutes," he told her. "I'll be ready to go before you know it."

Nicholas frowned as he picked up a Lego, trying to decide where to put it as chaos continued to erupt in the kitchen. His attention was quickly captured by the sound of his sister whimpering. Looking up, he spotted her pacifier on the floor, tears beginning to well up in her big blue eyes that were beseeching him for help.

Getting up to his feet, he quickly padded over to her, picking up her pacifier and putting it back into her mouth. "There, Kai-Kai," he cooed, gently patting her cheek. "Better?"

Kaia kicked her legs frantically as she sucked furiously on her pacifier, reaching out to touch her brother from her baby swing. She jabbered something, but her words were muffled by her pacifier as she stared at him with an adoring smile.

Leaning over, Nicholas kissed her on the forehead. "Are you ungry, Kai-Kai?" he asked.

She waved her arms and legs, making grunting noises in response. Her pacifier popped out of her mouth again, drool dripping down her chin as she grinned at him, displaying two tiny teeth that had already come in. She jabbered at her brother, reaching out to touch his mouth as she squealed in excitement.

"I'll get Pappoús," he told her, gently rubbing the top of her head.

Nicholas gave Kaia her pacifier back again before turning and running from the game room, his Green Lantern pajamas that covered his feet shuffling against the hard floor. He ran into the kitchen to find his Pappoús Alfred making supper, his mother anxiously pacing as Tim continued to search for his phone.

"Mama…Pappoús, Kai-Kai ungry," he told her.

Diana smiled affectionately as she bent down and picked up her son, kissing him on the cheek. "Pappoús is making you both something to eat right now, little warrior."

"I'm making your favorite—macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets," Alfred announced with a grin as he glanced down at his grandson.

"Great; I'm starving! I'll go get Kaia," Tim volunteered, more than little hungry himself as his phone was suddenly forgotten.

Diana took Nicholas to his highchair, getting him settled before going to the fridge to get his and Kaia's sippy cups. "Are you sure you don't mind staying with Nicholas and Kaia tonight, Alfred?" she asked.

"Of course not, Miss Diana," he told her. "I look forward to doting on my grandchildren. Besides, they're absolutely no trouble at all."

"Yah, they're both in bed by seven-thirty anyways," Tim chimed in as he left the kitchen to retrieve his sister.

Diana leaned over, kissing Nicholas's temple as she stroked his hair. "You be a good boy for Pappoús. Help him take care of Kaia."

"Yes, mama," he replied, already grabbing his spoon to dig into his macaroni and cheese that Alfred had set in front of him as Tim entered the kitchen with Kaia in tow.

"I love you, my little warrior," Diana told him. "I'll come in and kiss you both goodnight when we get home."

"Love ye, mama," he mumbled between taking a bite of a chicken nugget he had thoroughly doused in ranch.

Diana moved to Kaia as Tim set her in her highchair, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "You be a good little girl for Alfred, Kaia. You go right to sleep tonight with no fussing this time."

Kaia hummed, puckering up her lips towards Diana. "Mum-mum," she jabbered.

"All right," Bruce said as he entered the kitchen, fixing his cufflinks. "I'm ready to go."

"It's about time," Diana groused. "This is a big night for Jim. We can't be late to the ceremony honoring him."

"I was working on a new case," he tried to explain to which Diana just rolled her eyes.

"When aren't you working on a new case?"

"When I'm working on an old case," he teased with a smirk, coming to a stop before her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply for several long moments before reluctantly releasing her. "You look positively stunning in that dress, Princess."

She couldn't help but smile in response, his kiss soothing a measure of her annoyance with him. "Thank you," she replied. "Now, we better go or we're going to be really late."

"Jim would be shocked if I did show up on time," he told her, going over to Nicholas and kissing him on the top of the head. "Bye, Nicholas. Behave for Alfred."

"Dada…dada…" Kaia babbled, holding up her hand to him, not wanting to be left out of the kisses.

Bruce kissed the tips of her fingers before kissing her on the forehead. "You be good too, baby girl."

"Don't I get a kiss too?" Tim joked with mock hurt in his voice, perching his lips out at his surrogate father.

"You really want one?" Bruce challenged him, a single eyebrow cocked in disbelief.

"Naw, just feeling a little left out," Tim said with a shrug as he dug into his supper. Nicholas blew Tim a slobbery kiss, giggling as Tim made a kissy face back at him. "Thanks, Nick…I think."

"I don't need to tell you to behave yourself while we're gone," Bruce said to Tim, giving him a stern look. "I'll be back in time for patrol so be ready to go just as soon as I get back. We've got a lot of work to do tonight."

"Aye, aye, captain," Tim muttered with a half-hearted salute with his fork.

"I thought you were going out with Stephanie tonight?" Diana asked.

"She couldn't go out," Tim informed her. "She's sick with the flu."

"That's too bad," Diana replied with a frown.

"You play Lego's wif me?" Nicholas asked.

"Sure thing, little bro," Tim decided with a smile, ruffling his little brother's hair. "We'll build a huge fort for your stuffed bunny rabbit to play in."

"Okay, we'll see you all later," Bruce said. "Call if you run into any trouble."

"We'll be fine," Alfred reassured them as he sat down at the table to eat with his family. "Don't worry about us."

"Mum-mum…dada…bub-bye," Kaia babbled as they turned to leave, her fingers going for her macaroni and cheese.

"Bye, sweetheart," Bruce called over his shoulder. "I'm leaving you in charge, Kaia. Keep an eye on Nicholas and Tim for me."

Taking Diana's hand, Bruce led her out to the garage, having a difficult time keeping his eyes off her in that midnight blue dress that revealed a generous amount of leg and cleavage. "So what's this new case that you're working on?" Diana asked as he opened the car door for his wife.

"A body turned up last night in an alley," he replied as he got into the driver's seat.

"And that's different from any other Thursday night in Gotham?"

"I'm not sure yet," he murmured with a frown as they drove away. "There's something odd about this murder."

Diana glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, noticing the way his brow was furrowed in thought. He obviously hadn't left the case in the cave where it belonged. It was rattling around in his brain. "In what way?"

He drew a deep breath as he thought about it before finally responding. "He was beaten to death," he grimly explained.

"I'm still not seeing how that's unusual," she replied. "There are a lot of fights in Gotham, especially between gangs."

"His body was dumped in an alley outside of the Iceberg Lounge," he continued. "It was one of the Penguin's henchmen."

"Another one?" she muttered as she considered the information.

"That makes four of Penguin's men who have come up dead in the last two months and three unidentified men who I'm assuming work for Sienna Conti," he told her.

"I thought you told her to behave herself last year after the attack at the museum?"

"I did, but it obviously didn't work," he said, the frown on his face deepening. "I've got a turf war on my hands between Sienna and Penguin and the prize is Gotham."

"Maybe I can tag along with you and Tim tonight on patrol and help you guys out."

Bruce's head snapped to his right with her offer, the words "no way" already dancing on his tongue. "Princess, I—"

"Bruce, we've talked about it before and I decided it was best to wait until the children were older," she interrupted him, knowing the negative response she was going to receive. "Kaia is fifteen months and Nicholas is two and half years old. I think it's a good time to come out and help you for a few hours."

He turned his attention back to the road before him, his reluctance growing stronger the more he considered it. "Let me think about it."

"We've been married for almost three years now," she pointed out. "I believe you've had more than enough time to think about it. You've known all along that I've wanted to join you on your patrol of Gotham."

"You know I don't adjust to change very well," he grumbled, his forehead creased in annoyance. "It's going to take some time to get used to the idea of you coming out on patrol with me."

"How is it any different than the missions we go on together for the League?" she asked, her voice rising and revealing her growing exasperation. "I'm not a rookie for Hera's sake. I was training as a warrior long before your grandparents were even born. I was learning to wield a sword when I was five years old."

"It's not you that I'm worried about, Diana," he tried to explain as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "It's Gotham that frightens me. You have no idea what you're asking to get involved in."

"I've lived in Gotham for nearly three and a half years," she countered. "I have a pretty good idea what happens here and I'm not afraid of it. It's my home too, Bruce. I want to help protect it."

"I know, but it's just…it's hard to explain," he responded with his own growing frustration. "It's not like anything you've ever experienced before with the League."

"I know Gotham is a den of iniquity and depravity," she told him, folding her arms against her chest with a huff. "I have seen it firsthand, especially when you come home injured and bleeding all over. Remember when I went into labor with Kaia?"

"Don't remind me," he angrily bit out with a sneer as he checked his side mirror.

What was supposed to have been one of the most exciting moments of their lives had turned into a living nightmare, Diana nearly dying that night after being shot. It had rattled him to his core, visiting him in his sleep for weeks after.

"I know it didn't quite happen the way that we had imagined, but we have our Kaia and everything turned out all right," she reassured him. "I healed and was cleared for duty in a week."

He knew she was right, but it didn't help to settle his panic with the reminder. "It's instances like that I want to avoid you being involved in ever again at all cost."

"So you aren't going to let me come with you on patrol, are you?"

"No, not now…not yet," he objected, turning to look out his car door window.

He didn't want to see the anger that was no doubt burning in her eyes or the disappointment that was veiling her face. He hated saying no to her about anything, but this was something that he just couldn't afford to agree to. Losing her meant losing his life.

"You're never going to truly trust me…are you?" she softly asked, hurt pervading her voice where anger had just been a moment ago.

He sighed heavily, forcing himself to risk a glance at her, knowing her expression would cut him deeply. Her face was turned towards her passenger door window, keeping him from seeing the hurt that he knew he had just created.

"I trust you with my life, Diana," he heatedly replied. "It's Gotham that I don't trust. It's the likes of Joker who is so psychotic that the term 'moral compass' has absolutely no meaning that scares the life out of me. If he ever got his hands on you, I—"

Bruce's voice abruptly broke off as the horror of such a notion suddenly wrapped its icy fingers around his throat, momentarily cutting off his air. He attempted to calm his hammering heart, refusing to talk about it any further right now.

Diana's eyes fell closed as she fought back the heartache that filled her, wondering when her husband would truly trust her and her ability to take care of herself. She knew that he trusted to her some extent, probably more than he trusted most people. That in and of itself was huge for him with all of his trust issues, but it didn't feel like it was nearly enough after being together for this long.

Pulling up to the hotel, Bruce parked the car, handing his keys to the valet before going to the other side of the car to open the door for Diana. She allowed him to take her hand to help her out of her seat, but abruptly pulled it back as soon as she was out of the car. She wasn't exactly feeling like an open display of affection right now, not with the hurt and anger that was teeming inside of her.

Bruce's hand came to rest on the small of her back as he guided her past photographers and reporters to the entrance of the hotel. He could tell that he had upset her, but now was definitely not the time or place for this discussion, especially with cameras flashing in their faces. They both forced smiles that they were certainly not feeling at that moment.

He knew with everything that was within him that he trusted Diana with his very life, trusting her to have his back in more battles than he could begin to count. He had even trusted her with his heart, marrying her and having a family with her. Why couldn't that be evidence enough for her?

Entering the room, they were immediately escorted to their table at the front of the ballroom. She was relieved to see they had been seated with Jim and Barbara. She definitely didn't feel like talking to Bruce at that moment. She quickly went to her chair, sitting down before Bruce had a chance to pull her chair out for her. She wasn't in the mood for his chivalry right now either. She didn't need him to protect her or take care of her. She could take care of herself.

Bruce frowned as he sat down in the seat next to her, receiving a curious look from Barbara seated across the table from them. She had obviously sensed there was some tension between him and Diana, but, thankfully, she didn't seem inclined to question it, at least for now.

"Diana, you look positively beautiful," Barbara said. "I love that dress. Is it new?"

"Yes, I bought it especially for tonight," she replied with a forced smile as she reached for her glass of ice water.

"Doesn't she look beautiful tonight, Bruce?" Barbara asked in hopes of easing the tension she could sense between them.

"Yes," he curtly agreed, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, his jaw clenched with anger. "Where is your father?"

Barbara gave him a stern look before responding, silently telling him to straighten up. "He's around here somewhere. You know him. He's probably talking someone's leg off."

Diana folded her arms across her chest, her stormy emotions more than palpable. "It's wonderful that he's being honored tonight for his many years of service. It must make you proud knowing that the citizens of Gotham love and trust him so much to protect them."

Bruce frowned at his wife with her subtle insinuation. He knew this fight was far from over. "It's not always just about trust, Princess. It takes time to develop the perfect working relationship," he softly hissed. "It's not something that just happens overnight."

"Am I missing something here?" Barbara asked, staring at the couple in front of her.

"Trust is the foundation for a relationship, Bruce," she bit out. "If you feel you can't trust someone, then there's nothing to build on. What's the point of being together if there's no trust?"

"There is plenty to build on," he nearly growled, near panic settling over him with her hint that maybe they shouldn't be together. "Love is also vital to any relationship, respecting each other and the boundaries that he might feel are critical in order to keep the one he loves most safe. How's he supposed to do that if she's out there where he can't get to her?"

"But what if she is more than capable of handling herself and has proven that over and over again?"

"Um, does this have something to do with Gotham?" Barbara tentatively ventured, her gaze shifting from one Wayne to the other and back again.

"I never said you weren't capable," he ground out. "You may be a meta, but you're not indestructible, Princess. You've also proven that many times over the years."

"Neither are you," she shot back.

"Bruce…Diana," Jim greeted them with a broad smile, coming over to shake their hands. "I'm so glad you were able to come tonight. It means a lot to have you here."

Diana smiled brightly, fully turning her back to Bruce. "We wouldn't have missed this for anything, Jim," she told him. "It's about time Gotham recognizes you for all that you've done for the city."

"I just do my job," he humbly responded as he took his seat next to Barbara.

"It's more than that and you know it," Bruce insisted.

"Bruce, I didn't know you would be here tonight."

Bruce internally cringed at the sound of the sultry voice that he wished he hadn't come to recognize so easily. He looked up to find Sienna Conti sauntering towards him, a warm smile on her face. "Sienna," he greeted her, fighting back the hatred that he felt for her. She had tried to kill Diana. That was not something that he could ever forget or forgive. "We're close friends of Jim and Barbara. We wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"Yes, he definitely deserves to be recognized tonight," she agreed, her gaze flickering to Diana and growing hard with obvious aversion. "Diana…good to see you too, dear. I see having a baby has done nothing to alter your figure."

"Nice to see you too, Sienna," Diana replied with a smile, her hands curling into fists beneath the table. It was taking every ounce of self-control she possessed to keep from beating this woman. If Sienna thought she was going to get her hands on her husband, she had a rather rude awakening coming in the form of an Amazonian fist.

Sienna's hand came to rest on Bruce's shoulder, stroking and squeezing it and further kindling Diana's ire as she caressed him. "I've been meaning to call you, Bruce," she sweetly said, ignoring Diana. "I have some ideas about a possible project between our two companies that I think you might be interested in."

"What kind of project?" he asked, doing his best to keep his voice even.

"Oh, let's not talk about work on Jim's special night," she decided. "How about I stop by Wayne Enterprises on Monday so we can talk…in private?"

Bruce could feel Diana bristle next to him, her jealousy barely restrained. He had to admit he was a breath away from breaking Sienna's hand right now as it was without her suggesting they meet in private. "I'll have to see what my schedule looks like on Monday. It would be better if you called to schedule an appointment with my secretary Carol."

"I'll do that," she finally agreed, obviously unhappy with the suggestion. "I look forward to meeting with you. Have an enjoyable evening."

Diana watched her as she walked away, knowing that she was up to something again regardless of Batman's visit last year, warning her to stay away from them. She felt Bruce's hand move to her thigh in an effort to soothe her worries, but he wasn't exactly on her favorite person list right now either.

"Just ignore her," he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"She's definitely up to something and it involves you," she whispered back, fighting the feelings he was beginning to stir in her with the feel of his hand caressing the length of her thigh.

She wanted to stay mad at him right now. She was deeply hurt by his refusal to allow her to go on patrol with him, the glaring truth that he didn't trust her as much as she had hoped. It wasn't something that she was going to let go of so easily, but she needed to push those feelings aside for now. It was Jim Gordon's special night and she didn't want to ruin it for him.

Gotham; May 3rd, 02:03 EST

"Batman to Robin."

"What have you got, Robin?"

"Got another body in the alley off Stanton Street."

Tim could hear the huff of anger that filled his ear before Batman spoke again. "I'm on my way. Start the investigation."

"You got it. Robin out."

Batman rubbed his forehead in a futile attempt to banish the headache that had settled behind his eyes tonight before firing his grappling gun to meet up with Robin. After returning home from Jim's ceremony, he had gone straight down to the cave to work on identifying the body they'd found last night in the alley, Diana going up to check on the children before going to bed.

Before their night out had begun, he had hoped to spend some time alone with his wife before settling into his pre-patrol routine. Unfortunately, she wasn't talking to him right now. The car ride home had been silent and fraught with crushing tension, each refusing to change their minds.

He knew they were going to have to talk about it eventually, but it was a conversation that he was not relishing having with her. He needed to find a way to make her understand why he didn't want her out on patrol in Gotham with him.

Trust was definitely not the issue despite what she believed.

He had never trusted another woman the way that he trusted her, loved her the way that he loved her. She was his life, his breath, his world. Just the thought alone of losing her nearly crippled him. How would he ever be expected to go on if that happened? How would he even begin to raise their children without her by his side? "Single parent" was definitely not a title he ever wanted to carry.

Entering the alley, Bruce found Tim crouching down by a body, a pair of tweezers in one hand and an evidence bag in the other. He looked up as Batman approached, noticing the dark expression on his face. "It's not one of Penguin's men," he informed him, standing to his feet.

"Could be one of Sienna's," Batman grimly surmised as he crouched down to inspect the body.

"Either that or Penguin had to hire some new henchmen to replace the ones he's already lost," Robin pointed out.

"Did you fingerprint him?"

"Got it and sent it to Oracle to check out."

Tim studied his partner for a moment, noticing the telltale clench of his jaw and the sneer that twisted his lips. "Are you ticked because we've got another dead body or because you and your wife are fighting?"

"I don't want to discuss it," he growled. "Let's focus on the case."

Tim smiled to himself, knowing that it was the latter. "She was pretty steamed when you guys got home," he told him, keeping his voice low. "What did you do this time?"

Batman stood up, his anger simmering hotly beneath his skin. "I don't want to talk about it," he ground out. "Either focus on the case or go home. Take your pick."

"Okay…okay," Robin conceded, holding his hands up in defense. "Just trying to help you two out. Whatever you did, I'm sure she'll forgive you if you just apologize. Give her some roses or something. That will cheer her up."

"I don't think that will do the trick this time," he muttered, noticing something on the dead guy's shoulder.

"Man, you must have stepped in it good this time," Robin observed.

"You have no idea," he grumbled as he knelt on the ground, his gaze narrowing as he held his hand up to Robin. "Give me your tweezers."

Handing him his tweezers, Robin bent down on the other side of the body to see what Bruce had found that he had missed. "What did you find?"

"I'm not sure," Batman murmured as he used the tweezers to pick up a couple of stray fibers that didn't appear to belong to the deceased.

Robin automatically handed him another evidence bag. "Do you really think this one belongs to Sienna?"

"No," he ultimately decided as he straightened up.

"What makes you say that?" Robin asked with a frown. "It's like the other bodies we've found—beaten to death and left in an alley."

Batman picked up the dead man's hand, showing Robin his knuckles. "This man fought back," he pointed out. "These aren't defensive wounds as if he was trying to protect himself. He was in a fight, most likely to the death. See this blood splatter pattern here? This isn't his blood. It's whoever he was fighting against."

Robin sighed heavily, angry with himself for having missed that part. "I should have seen that," he grumbled.

"It's easy to miss, Robin," Batman reassured him. "Let's get these fibers and the blood splatter on his shirt to Oracle to process."

"He sure took quite a beating," Robin murmured, more to himself.

"It looks like he probably gave one as well," Batman said, still inspecting the man's hands. "There might be DNA we can get off his hands if he was dishing it out as much as he was getting it."

"I'd hate to see the other guy."

"We'll have to keep a look out for anyone showing up in the ER or any of the other medical centers seeking treatment for injuries sustained in a fight," Batman instructed his partner.

"Oracle to Batman."

"Batman here."

"A body has been discovered outside of a warehouse belonging to none other than one Oswald Cobblepot," Oracle revealed.

"Send the coordinates to the Batmobile," he told her. "I'm on my way now. Batman out."

Robin shook his head. "Another body?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "This one appears to be related to the turf war going on between the Penguin and Sienna since it was found on Penguin's property."

"So she's trying to revive her father's old business?"

"Appears to be that way," he agreed with a nod. "I'll go see the body at the warehouse. You finish up here and alert the police. I'll meet you back at the cave after I'm done."

"And don't forget to pick up some roses," Robin replied. "She'll really love them."

Batman just shook his head as he turned to leave, heading towards the Batmobile waiting for him in an alley a few streets over. Flowers were not going to fix what was going on between him and Diana at present. This wasn't a simple misunderstanding or a forgotten anniversary.

This ran far deeper, touching on issues and fears that he had locked away deep inside of him, things that he didn't want to ever be forced to face, but he was afraid that she was going to force him to whether he liked it or not.

Right now, though, he had another dead body to worry about, an escalating turf war that he had to get a handle on before it exploded out of control and consumed his city. The thought of Diana going out on patrol and getting caught in the middle of a firestorm like that made him ill to his core.

A/N: Well, this is the beginning of a mess not only for Bruce Wayne, but for Batman as well. Lots of exciting things to come in this fic. It's going to be darker at times than Raising Nicholas, but I promise lots of fluffy family times as well. I probably won't be able to update every week like I did with Lazaretto, but I promise to update as soon as possible. Working hard on the murder fic at the same time I'm working on this one so I've got lots on my plate, but it means another fic will start to be posted soon along with this one. Thanks again, readers! :)