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Baby on the Ceiling!
Bruce looked into the rented cabin's kitchen at the chaos that was unfurling before him. Alfred and Jason were cooking breakfast, Dick was wrangling the toddlers as Terry, Helena and Mar'i ran around his ankles squealed with laughter between everyone's feet, Duke seemed to be engrossed in whatever he was listening to in his headsets as he hummed along, Tim was reading on his tablet with a coffee mug before him, Stephanie, Cass and Kori were at the table talking with Selina and Damian sulking at the counter. Selina smiled as she got up and handed him coffee as she kissed him lightly, he hadn't found out what she had robbed, only knew she had done it as he caught her waist.
"Morning lover boy," she chuckled as she stood on her tip toes to kiss him.
"Cat," he greeted her.
"Ew! Daddy has cooties!" Terry shrieked as he ran for Jason, who yelped when the three year old nimbly clambered up him.
"What the fuck!?"
"No swearing!" Bruce snapped. Jason glared at him as Terry glared over his brother's bedhead.
"Jay, daddy have de cooties!" Terry whispered.
"EW!" Helena shrieked.
"Hey B, I'm thinking if we cut the contract with the Twilight Project and focus on our plastic clean up we will increase our revenue to open up the Clean World Project, I talked to Arthur last night and he said Atlantis is welling to help participate in the Clean World Project so long as WE and QC are leads for it," Tim said.
"We will discuss that later," Bruce said catching his daughter who was trying to sneak over to Damian.
"You are being boring Timmy!" Stephanie said.
"Hm?" he hummed as he yanked the purple scrunchy from Stephanie's hair and pulled his own up. "Did you say something!?"
"Even Drake ignores you fatgirl!" Damian stated smugly.
"You little troglodyte!" Stephanie growled as Cass caught her and dragged her back to the table.
"Be nice to your sisters, Damian," Selina stated as she walked around him. Bruce watched his snort then glare at Selina.
"Fatgirl is not my sister, and why is she ven here!?" he growled.
"I was invited, unlike some who have to come," Stephanie stated hotly. Damian made an angry sound.
"That sound just ain't right," Duke announced. Bruce resisted chuckling at the way Duke was molding into the family as himself.
"B! We've decided we're having a hike today!" Dick shouted as he finally caught Mar'i and smiled in triumph.
"We are?" Bruce asked.
"No, Duaa has dress fittings for us women!" Kori shouted.
"So sad," Cass mocked looking disappointed about getting out of the hike. Bruce decided that some father son bonding time with them might not be a bad thing.
"It will be like old times Master Thomas will be proud to have the family tradition continued."
"What tradition?" Julia asked walking in with a massive yawn. Bruce was still a bit shocked to see the younger woman around from time to time, but Julia was a lot like her father, and they were actually off to a good start. She was bluntly refusing employment he didn't remember offering though, which annoyed him a bit. He wasn't looking for another damn butler.
"That stupid hike?" Kate groaned out as she walked in with booty shorts and a tank top. Bruce frowned at his cousin as she walked in to the kitchen and grabbed a mug of coffee.
"It was never stupid, Kate," he stated coldly. "Your… grandfather," he said. For the first time he had ever addressed his father as a grandfather and it felt weird as he stared around the kitchen at his various children. How life had passed him by to get here was beyond him. "Your grandfather, my father, and I would go for a hike, every year, and take a stone to the peak of the mountain, one for him, one for me, and we would hike back down. I haven't done it… since…" he frowned and tried to remember the last time he did it. "Before I was married."
"That's not saying much B, you and Cat got hitched a year and a half ago," Dick grinned.
"My marriage to Talia," Bruce clarified, and he saw Damian freeze at that.
"You were married to my mother?" Damian sputtered.
"Yes, about twenty-four, twenty-five years ago," Bruce said. Damian tilted his head as he stared at him curiously. "It was a long time ago, Damian, a lot has happened," Bruce stated.
"I thought that was something Talia made up," Dick said.
"No, we were married, by the League of Assassins," he stated. That was when he was young and stupid and thought the League of Assassins was the League of Shadows and was there to train. It was both the best and worst four years of his life before he discovered what Ra's really was and left to train in Japan.
"Can…" Damian started and bit his lip as he gave a nervous glance at Selina who was now draped around him. "Can you tell me about that time?"
"Sure," Selina smiled. "B will tell you whatever you want to know about your mom, and that smells delicious!" Selina arched and turned away to talk with Alfred, Julia and Jason.
"Father?" Damian said hesitantly.
"I will take a day, for just you and I and I will tell you everything," Bruce said softly. He had never spoken of the desert to anyone, not even Alfred. But Selina was right, Damian deserved to know, but he felt it was truly just a talk for him and Damian.
"Hands off the Bacon!" Jason snapped.
"Can't be helped, I'm starved and a thief!" Selina chuckled.
"You're worse than Roy and Rae combined!" Jason grumbled.
"Is that anyway to talk to your mother?" Selina demanded, her bemused expression had Bruce shaking his head as he walked for the kitchen island, he gently, and hesitantly ran his fingers through Damian's hair as he ruffled it before sitting by Tim.
Tim sipped his black coffee as his eyes scanned over this quarter. There was room for improvement, severing ties with the Chinese though was proving more difficult than he thought. Tim felt that it was time to bring work back home domestically and was slowly moving the work as such, he was still heavily involved with Japan and South Korea. Looking over the stocks he was pleased to see they were up this morning.
Now he opened his email, his eyes skimmed over the proposals as he sipped the coffee. There was the Clean Ocean Initiative which he was proposing and he had gotten a reply back from Arthur, who was sounding impressed with it. But it was also proposing a wind farm off the coast, which would be used to help power Maine, if this went well. Tim was actually pleased with his green planet plan, it was working well so far. Most of New York City was solar powered, thanks to Solar Glass, which had been thoroughly developed and tested in Arizona. Hell, most of the southwest was now powering the northwest by solar power; their never ending sun year round was a good energy source. Thanks to the Kents Tim had taken a heavy interest in farming, and most of his midwestern projects were flourishing, though he was thinking to expand into the Sahara and exploring alternative farming there. He had most the backing for that project, now he just needed to gain a favorable influence in the UN and figure out a way to stabilize the African regions, while not washing out culture or doing a full scale military invasion. Thanks to the access of the Bat data though Tim was confident he could create a stable, lasting government in the region and offering farming as a way of life he might even ease some of the conflicts over there.
Then there were his other interests, reforestry projects which were stating in South America, though the cartels were becoming a massive problem. Tim had the information though and was actually impressed that Jason had offered to go handle the problem. Which also had Tim enrolling Jason Todd as the security manager at WE, for foreign affairs just in case anyone bothered to look into his brother and what it was that his brother was doing. Tim was also working with the Canadians on a reforestry project, which was turning out well, and now he was also collaborating with Japan, America, Australia Thailand to get the clean ocean initiative started. He just needed to secure Malaysia and Atlantis before moving on that. There was also the domestic projects he had.
The research on long term space flight was actually possible, and he had green lit his S&R departments for that research; using human tech, though there were aliens who had come to the table now and wanted to help and improve a space program. Honestly, Tim was thinking to start an Academy for this Star Fleet; and as a gag he was wondering if he could buy the rights to Star Trek to do just that. There was also a new tech plan lay out for hydro cars and a proposal for healthy fish farms so the world could let the ocean have a reprieve from human fishing activities; but it'd only work if he could get Asia on board. Double clicking he opened the latest proposal for a new design on hydro engines for cars, and then there was a new jet engine design. There would be tests.
Opening another email he frown at the lawyers, and decided to read the legal jargon later.
Now he opened up the other emails and looked at the projections for next presidential candidates. Backing would have to come from WE early, he knew this. Heather Walters was out, the woman was a colossal bitch, also a traitor of America and murderer; how she wasn't in jail was beyond Tim. Luthor was recently liquidating his company and throwing his hand wholeheartedly into charity work to show how reformed he was; which Tim didn't buy. Tim couldn't prove it but there was this nagging feeling that Luthor was syphoning off money for some nefarious scheme of his, but Tim for the life of him couldn't find the trace or where millions of dollars were disappearing from Lex's bank account. Then there was the third candidate, who seemed a bit too good to be true, but Tim was going to push B to back him; Jefferson Pierce. Jefferson was upper middle class, working collar, straight shooter, successful Black man who was active in movements, taking a stand, charities and was truly making a difference on social reforms. He was also pro-vigilantes; which was probably because he was Black Lightning; though the public didn't know that correlation, and he had a successful family. Anissa was a JL doctor specializing in xenobiology, and she was Thunder. Lynn Stewart was a successful doctor in her own field of neurology. And Jennifer Pierce was a successful business woman; who, with the help of Dick and Kori, was a skyrocketing wedding planner, and she was Lightning.
A message flicked on the second screen he had opened for the chess game app as his opponent logged on.
TH3 GH0ST: your move.
Tim smirked as he made his move.
c4ff1n4t3dR3: prepare to lose.
TH3 GH0ST: it is not my time to lose, yet.
He blinked when the screen was shut off.
"It's breakfast, and if I'm stuck in family hell you should be too," Jason stated firmly as he put a plate of waffles before him.
"These are Alfred waffles are they!?" Tim asked as he looked at Jason.
"And What Is Wrong With My Waffles Master Timothy?" a frigid voice demanded as he shrunk in his seat.
"I said that out loud?" he winced.
"Your waffles are paste," Julia primly said. Tim silently thanked her for saving his ass. "Don't know what wanker taught you how to cook but he didn't teach you waffles."
Not to be dramatic but Dick could barely contain his excitement about his wedding; not just because he was marrying the love of his life, but also because this would be the first time ever that he had all his family in one place. Ever. Dick couldn't remember a single moment they were all gathered together for something that wasn't an end of the world threat. And as a bonus! There was no threat, here, just two weeks of family time prepping for the wedding!
He grinned as he caught Mar'i who was starting to float as she chased Helena.
"Why are you smiling like that?" Duke demanded.
"Huh?"
"You look like you have a diabolical scheme in motion," Duke stated.
"Sweetie, you look like you are up to something," Kori said.
"I'm not!" Dick protested.
"That's his up to something face," Tim grinned, his hair crazily pulled up by Stephanie's scrunchie.
"I am up to nothing!" Dick avowed. "Scout's honor." He held up his hand as he made the Scout's salute.
"You were never a Scout," B stated.
"Ah-ha! He is up to something!" Stephanie shouted gleefully.
"But what?" Duke pondered.
"I swear I'm feeding him to a bear if we see one on the hike," Jason stated flatly.
"I'll help," Tim decided.
"You guys would never!" Dick balked.
"I would," Jason stated.
"Jay cooks so I side with him and Tim," Duke stated.
"Sorry Dick," Damian said.
"My sisters love me!" he turned to the girls to see Cass giving him a mock pondering look. "I can't believe that not even my own darling sisters love me!" he mocked a sob as he threw himself at his fiery fiancée. "Kori! No one loves me!"
"Outrageous!" his fiancée giggled as he kissed her loudly and sloppily on the mouth.
"Disgusting Dick," Tim announced.
"Dickhead's always been overly, openly affectionate with people, it's disgusting," Jason stated.
"Oh I so cannot wait for you to fall in love!" Dick stated menacingly as he glared at his little brother.
"That'll never happen." Jason smiled smugly.
"Why not!?" Damian sputtered.
"Cause Cupid ain't suicidal, shorty!" Jason declared.
"That is so going to bite you in the ass one day," Stephanie stated.
"No swearing," Bruce and Alfred said. Everyone pointed accusingly at Jason as they glared at B, and Jason preened; rather arrogant about it. Oh Dick was looking forward to the days he could rub Jason's face in these words; for real, not the wanna be love connection that Damian insisted was there between Raven and Jason. Also, he just couldn't wait for all his younger siblings to be whipped and in love, so in love they didn't know up from down and right from left, cause it was a good feeling. Especially now as he smiled at Kori and Mar'i who was in his arms. It was now that he noticed that he was floating as he hung onto his kid.
The super strength was here!
"Unhand the baby!" Kori hissed, which had him dropping onto her lap as Mar'i giggled and floated up to the ceiling, her green eyes were bright with excitement.
"So the super strength is in…" he said looking nervously at his girl.
"She is doing marvelously."
"I never thought I'd say this, but, baby on the ceiling," Kate said.
"We know," he and Kori responded, they were both watching their daughter. Dick kind of envied her for being able to fly on her own, he had always wanted to fly.
"We are the strangest people around, I swear we're all bloody mad," Julia stated.
"How so?"
"There is a baby on the ceiling, and we are acting like it's normal!" she sputtered.
"Well, it is. Mar'i is a late bloomer compared to my people," Kori giggled. "All Tameraneans know the joys of flight before we even understand walking. It is wonderous!"
"You do realize how insane you sound, right?" Tim asked.
"I will not speak of insanity with a Bat."
"That's fair," Jason decided.
"Little wing, you're a Bat," Dick stated.
"Blasphemy!"
"You can be a Cat, darling, a lot more fun anyways," Selina offered.
"I can accept that," Jason decided.
Dick rolled his eyes as he moved to catch Mar'i when her flight gave out a bit. His baby girl landed with laughter in his arms and he smiled. "An Authentic Flying Grayson!" he laughed as he spun around with Mar'i up in the air.
"The world should cower in fear," Duke decided.
"Never! Mar'i is an angel!"
"Who has blasted the mansion to smithereans!" Duke sputtered.
"I broke the chandelier!"
"I knocked over the bust of one of B's great-great somethings, worth a million dollars, and broke it, and the stairs," Tim omitted.
"I wrecked the Aston Martin that was used in the Bond film," Jason stated.
"I broke library," Cass preened.
"I'm pretty sure I glitter bombed B's office and destroyed on of those rare vintage paintings," Stephanie stated thoughtfully.
"I broke sun room," Damian admitted.
"And Luthor blew up the west wing once, that was fun," Selina sighed.
"The mansion just gets repaired and rebuilt, it's not a big deal," Bruce shrugged.
"You are all redefining crazy white people," Duke stated.
"I'm half Japanese! And Cass is half Chinese! And Dami's Arabian!" Tim sputtered.
"Egyptian you nitwit!" Damian roared.
"You're not helping your case here, dude." Duke stated.
"We're Bats, we're born crazy!" Dick decided.
"I thought the insanity was a latent affect of living in Gotham all our lives," Kate shrugged.
"I, as a Brit, am here to say it'd most assuredly because you are from Gotham," Julia stated.
"And you have irrefutable evidence of this!? Miss MI6?"
"It's Bond, James Bond," Julia corrected. "And yes, I do. Also, because a majority of the villains in Gotham are Doctors, by degree, it shows how smart Gotham's educational system is."
"I think you mean Riddler's Riddle Wars that push us not to fail so he doesn't kill us," Duke corrected.
"Point is, Gotham is the smartest city in the U.S.," Julia stated.
Kori chuckled at her in-laws-to-be's antics as she stood up and grabbed a plate of pancakes from Alfred, smiling at the kinder older man. This past weekend for her had been a disaster, what with the dimension hopping baby, demons, and other Damian and Raven; who were very sweet and endearing. Kori was insanely happy though, so happy that if she wasn't focusing on not blowing her civilian identity.
These next two weeks were only about her and Dick, and she was so excited!
III Ovals was run by her good friend Duaa Bashagha. She and Duaa had bonded over being outsiders in America, though Kori lied about being from the Congo, she had been mostly honest with the Libyan woman. Duaa, like herself, was in America on Asylee, which made it easier to talk to the civilian. Aside from Raven, Kori would omit that Duaa was her dearest friend, but the civilian was happily living a quiet life, building her name up in the fashion and jewelry world. Which was why, after all the arguing and fighting with Jennifer about who her designer should be came to a near firing of the young wedding planner. A big name did not mean she would be getting what she wanted in a gown, asking Duaa to come design her gown had been what she wanted. Duaa was good at getting to the heart of what Kori wanted, and was also mindfully respectful of what Kori said was about culture and design.
Kori caught Mar'i as Mar'i's flight gave our yet again and smiled at her daughter as she pushed Mar'i into a highchair to eat her pancake and syrup.
"NO!" Mar'i screamed.
"You must sit to eat!" Kori argued with her baby.
"NO!"
"Yes!"
Dick was roaring with laughter in the background.
"Mar'i Grayson! You will get in this chair!" Kori swore.
"NO!" Mar'i shouted.
"I've got her," Bruce said gently, Kori was ever so grateful when Bruce managed to wrangle Mar'i into her seat.
"Thank you," she sighed.
Bruce nodded as he caught Terry who decided to jump off of Jason then as Jason came over with platters of food.
"Duck Dodgers to the rescue!" Terry shrieked.
"Not on the table," Bruce stated as he dropped Terry into his own high chair then. The toddler scowled, Kori giggled at his reaction to being caught. The three toddlers hated their high chairs, Cat struggled to keep Helena in the chair too.
"You do realize how weird it is that you have a grandkid and two kids the same age group, right cous?" Kate asked.
"It was not Dick and I's intention to ever reproduce," Kori said as she looked up at the human.
"I am aware that it is not common, but I did adopt Dick when I was 26," Bruce said primly.
"Woa…" Dick muttered. "WAIT! I'M TWENTY-SIX!" Dick shrieked.
"We know dickhead," Jason said blandly.
"The implications were that B had you as a teen," Kate said smugly.
"B is so not my dad, and Mar'i you're not getting married until your fifty," he informed their toddler.
"Richard! You are being ridiculous," Kori giggled as she swatted at her fiancé.
"Well, not entirely." Dick said. "B is my dad, but no way am I related to the genetic broodiness of Waynes and Kanes," he stated.
"You're just jealous cause you can't look fabulous while you brood," Kate retorted dryly.
"I look fabulous doing everything!" Dick stated smugly.
"It's true," Kori sighed blissfully because her lover looked amazing, regardless of whatever happened to him.
"Tammy just texted, she said that they'd be here this evening," Tim said.
"Oh, that will be nice," she smiled tentatively. She adored the Fox family, but with them would be Barbara Gordon, who was Luke's plus one for the wedding. They had RSVP'd together. which Kori had thought odd, but Dick seemed very relieved about that, he had been worried that Barbara wouldn't come. Personally Kori had hoped she wouldn't, she didn't want to deal with whatever Barbara would bring to the table. Kori didn't hate Barbara, but whenever she was involved, whatever had happened between her and Dick, it was complicated and it was messy and it spilled over everywhere. Because they both somehow were still friends with strong emotions for one another, and Kori dreaded that Dick might think her a mistake and run for Barbara instead. It was a personal, deep fear of hers.
"It'll be nice to see Luke and Babs," Dick said leaning over to kiss her temple then and smiled brightly. Kori offered him a weak smile. She absolutely refused to give him the ultimatum of her or Barbara, but oh how her heart ached in fear that he'd run for Barbara.
"Hey, Kori, why are we doing dress fittings?" Stephanie asked her around a mouthful of waffles.
"Because Duaa asked, and Jennifer is arranging us to have a few spa days while we are here," Kori said as she fed Mar'i.
"Really!?" Cass asked excitedly.
"Yes," Kori giggled. "Even Barbara is invited," Kori informed Dick.
"That'll be nice! But not as awesome as our brother bonding time!"
"Jason please make sure he does not get broken before the wedding," she sighed as she looked at Dick's younger brother who looked balefully from his waffles.
"I make no promises as I will totally pitch his ass to a bear to be mauled if we find a bear," Jason stated.
"Jason," she warned.
"Fine! I will keep Dickhead's pretty face in working order!" Jason surrendered.
"Better."
"Why is it I'm surrounded by bossy women!?" Jason groused.
"Because, you adore us," Selina chimed up.
"You brought this on yourself son," Bruce chuckled.
"Fuck my life," he muttered.
Kori snorted, she actually was growing rather fond of Jason, of all the Bat brothers her lover had, Jason was easily her favorite.
"Sire, we are approaching the solar system of Earth," his navigator announced.
"Keep our course," he said as he walked off the bridge of the ship and headed for the makeshift nursery where his lover and son were Kgosas was nestled against his mother's bosom, Taryia looked up when he walked into the room.
"I'm here my sun," he murmured as he kissed her flaming hair and Taryia sighed as she leaned back into his touch. Their suckling son was oblivious to them so he tipped her head back as she kissed her thoroughly. He had known she would bear him a son and heir, which was why he was uninterested in forming this alliance with Koriand'r but he would.
"He is hungry today," she murmured, then a low moan tore from her throat as she purred in reaction to their son's suckling. Though her reaction was nonsexual in nature, Karras found it arousing as Tar's body sought to return to it's former state after months of travel. She was so much more sensitive as a bed partner now, he loved it.
"You must hide," he said as he rose above her. Kgrosas' green eyes were open and burning bright with interest as he suckled harder on his mother, which had her gasping. Karras ignored the yearning and desires he felt stirring within him as he reached over to trace his son's cheek.
"I know."
"Princess Koriand'r will not be pleased if I have a lover and bastard child," he whispered. "You and the ship will remain here, hidden in the rings of this planet, where magnetic fields will not detect you," he said as he pulled up the hologram image of the solar system they had entered. Taryia looked interested as he slid his fingers into her hair. "I might have to challenge her to combat but when I am victor we will wed on Earth, and return to the ship, I will name Kgrosas as my heir, you as my second wife after I have consummated the marriage to Koriand'r."
"Must you!?" she started.
"I will seal the bond between us, cementing her bond to me," he stated. It was complicated, but at base being king gave him some power and the Tamaranean mating bond was a melding of wills which would help aid them in as King and Queen. But his true mate, and love, and life was Taryia, though he would never be able to properly bond with her after bonding with Koriand'r. But for the good of the people he would ignore the throbbing of his heart.
A King did what was best for his people, not what his heart yearned to do. And though they were peoples of passions and emotions, there was a duty to what he would be doing.
"The Corps…" she gasped.
"The Green Lanterns will not interfere, this is a Tamaran matter, not that of us invading the Earth. For the good of our people we need a strong monarch," he stated.
"I will take the fag ship and we will continue to Earth without you, my sun," he murmured as he kissed her again.
"One last night together, Karras," she whined.
"Of course, my sun," he smiled.
Raven sat on the lake's dock, the wind ruffled the stray wisps of her hair as she floated and focused on her breathing and meditation. It had been a long spell since the start of this year when she could just be her and focus on her inner world.
Constantine had taken to teaching her everything he could, and with school it wasn't an easy balance for her, as it wasn't coming as naturally as she had hoped it could come. But that was not something she had control over even as she sat here breathing and focusing inward.
You're in a white out blizzard, love, and there a white dove, find the dove, Constantine's voice whispered in her ear and Raven focused as she reached into the white noise of her psyche seeking a bond with her physic abilities; a power Raven had never been able to properly harness that was infrequent. The concentration as she stood in the white out of her mind had her reaching forward as she felt a whisper of movement in the twinings of magic around her.
Her eyes snapped open as she was standing in the center of fire and screaming people as Kori stood there, her chest heaving in a tattered gown and her flaming hair bright as her hands pulsed with her energy. A larger form stood before Raven though, a bulking man who stood well over nine feet tall, his eyes were bright green and his hair afire as he stood there in a gold glow.
"I will never return!" Kori snapped.
"You will be my wife," the man snarled.
"No."
Raven gasped as green energy was thrown at Kori and then her connection broke as she fell onto the dock she'd been hovering over and groaned. The sweat on her body cooled under the lake's breeze, and her breathing leveled out as she pushed herself.
Well…
That was both obvious and enigmatic, she groaned as her head fall back and she rolled to her stomach.
She hated focusing her precognitive powers, they never worked, and they were so freaking elusive and bluntly vague when she did harness them. Pushing herself up to her feet as she looked at the cabins on the mountain she sighed.
This wedding would be perfect, and she did not care, she wouldn't allow Kori's and Dick's wedding to be interrupted by the mysterious gold man. He had looked rather Tamaranean, but she didn't care what Kori's people wanted, she wouldn't allow anything to interrupt her friends happiness. They had fought too long and hard for that.
She winced as a flash of a dagger at her came hurtling for her chest, she wanted to dive out of the way but it felt like her body was already moving between the dagger and something and then reality snapped into her which had her looking around.
What the hell was that about? She wondered, she couldn't sense her brothers now, but the vision was ominous and she could almost feel it like reality. She wondered if it was her father's doing, a trick on his part, he had done that before. But her mind was calm, quiet, and as still as an early morning lake.
She frowned but then moved forward for the cabins and breakfast with the girls.
A Shout Out To My Friend, Duaa, who is an amazing designer of jewelry and clothes! III Ovals is her brand, and check her out on Instagram at iiiovals! Her work is amazing!
That's all for now folks!
Enjoy Written in the Stars!