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A/N: One of the things I wanted to do more in The Wests was have the other couples show up and just hang out and be friends. In The Wests, people like the Graysons and the Kents usually show up when there's some kind of crisis. So I remedied that a little bit here.
Also, I don't think Bruce and the "Bat siblings" will be showing up a whole lot. One of the things I didn't do with The Wests was have Uncle Barry, Aunt Iris, Jay Garrick, etc. make appearances, and I don't think I'll do that with The Graysons, either. But this did seem like a good opportunity for Bruce to turn up. The Bat Family may be mentioned from time to time, though.
What Dick says about loving the baby more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea was inspired by something I read in a Nicholas Sparks novel.
Dick loves Wally and Artemis. They're his best friends. But I can totally see him teasing them about the amount of kids they have, which is something I never got around to mentioning in The Wests. I remember a couple of people suggesting that they'd probably have some jokes made about it.
The last thing is a quick shout out and credit to my favorite ninja for her idea that Bruce could lean on Dr. Fate a little so that Zatara could see his daughter. Thank you for putting up with my crazy person ramblings.
The Graysons
As soon as the initial shock of discovering he's going to be a father wears off, Dick Grayson starts making plans. Just like he told Zatanna, Dick is happy about the baby. Family is important to him because he doesn't have much of it. Zatanna is in the same boat. So this baby is definitely among the best things that have ever happened to him.
But just because he's looking forward to becoming a dad doesn't mean Dick is going to abandon his habits. Living and training under Batman for as long as he did means there are certain customs ingrained in his nature. Planning ahead is one of them.
On the laptop in Dick and Zatanna's home office, Nightwing has started a file titled "Baby Preparations." In it is a list of all the things Dick thinks they need to do to prepare for the new arrival. Some things have already been checked off, such as "Confirm there is a baby." The doctor had verified the baby a few weeks back and assured them that so far, everything looks normal.
One of the other things Dick has already taken care of is telling his adoptive father. Bruce congratulated him and sent him all of the documentation for a trust fund for the baby. In Dick's opinion, this is entirely too much, especially because the house he and Zatanna live in was a wedding present from Bruce. But as Zatanna has wisely pointed out, extravagant gifts are how Bruce shows his emotions. Dick privately thinks Bruce doesn'thaveany emotions but doesn't mention this to his wife.
The next thing on his list is to find out the baby's sex. It's the next logical step. He wants to have a name picked out for the child and to have the nursery decorated in an appropriate color scheme. These things can only be done once they discover if they're having a son or a daughter.
Of course, they could decorate the baby's room in gender neutral colors and pick out a name for a girl and one for a boy. But Dick really doesn't want to do those things. He wants to know one way or the other. He needs to know.
The acrobat isn't sure how to broach the subject with his magician wife. Zatanna was raised with traditional values and went to a private Catholic school until coming to live at Mt. Justice. Though she doesn't really practice currently, he's not sure if it's one of those things that's frowned upon.
Nightwing has his case completely prepared when he comes home one evening. It goes completely out of the window, however, when he finds Zatanna sitting at their dining room table. Laid out in front of her are an ancient spell book and a plain white onesie. It's a pretty strange combination.
Zee has an excited look on her face. Dick crosses the room to her and gives her a hello kiss. Then he makes a face once he catches a whiff of the nasty old book. It smells like mildew. He knows Zatanna has to have seen the expression he made, but she chooses to ignore it. She says, "Look what I found!"
The magician cracks open the old text to a page she has bookmarked. He stares down at it blankly. None of her spells have ever made any sense to him. Zatanna heaves an impatient sigh and explains, "It's a really obscure charm to tell the sex of the baby. All you need is something intended for the child to wear. Then I say the charm and it will turn blue for a boy and pink for a girl."
Dick has seen his wife do some truly amazing things with her magic. Nightwing has no doubts that the spell will work and that it will be completely accurate. He feels a grin split his face. "Let's do it," he says.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to know," Zee admits. "But if you're positive…" Dick bobs his head in affirmation. Then Zatanna takes one of his hands in hers and begins to murmur the incantation.
Once she's done, both Graysons look expectantly at the onesie. At first, nothing happens. Zatanna looks crestfallen at the lack of change. But then, ever so slowly, the article of clothing begins to turn a delicate shade of pink.
Pink means a girl. A daughter. Dick knows he would have been just as happy to have a son, but he knows in his heart of hearts that he really wants a girl. A tiny little girl to call him daddy and to giggle at his jokes and to protect. He pictures inky black hair tied into pigtails and bright blue eyes that twinkle mischievously like his do.
And with that vision comes a name. "Ella," Dick says to Zatanna, who is now clutching the pink onesie and looking ecstatic. "I think we should name the baby Ella. It's part your mom's name, but different enough to be unique."
"I love it," Zatanna says softly. She pulls him down to her. Dick can hear tears in her voice when she whispers, "Thank you." He kisses the top of her head in response.
Then he realizes he can cross not one but two things off of the to-do list. And then he really smiles.
0o0o0o0
"Why are we doing this again?" Wally asks as he pops the top off of a can of pink paint.
It's a nice Saturday in March and all of the original team as well as Roy are over at the house. They're putting Ella's room together. The men are painting and Artemis and Raquel are assembling the crib. Zee and Megan, both looking very pregnant, are "supervising."
"Wally," Artemis pipes up in a reprimanding sort of tone, "we are doing this because Zatanna and Dick are our friends. This is what friends do." The archer glances at the instructions and then selects a screw from the neat pile of supplies. Together, she and Raquel tighten it in the right slot.
The Flash still looks less than convinced. "I don't remember anyone else helping me paint the boys' room," he gripes. He dips the roller into the tray of Ballerina Pink and then paints a thick stripe across the wall. Then he makes a face. "It's so pink."
Dick sees Roy shake his head. "You have boys," he says sagely. "Us guys with daughters have to get used to pink."
Everyone laughs, even Wally. Then Nightwing's gaze falls on his wife. She's still perched beside M'gann and Cal West is snuggled into her arms. The magician is tickling the young boy, who laughs. He can tell by the look on her face that the simple pleasure of a child's laugh delights her. Dick imagines her doing the same thing with their daughter and smiles at the mental image.
Zee catches his eye and winks. She's always been able to read him so well. Dick allows the grin to slide off of his face and turns back to work.
Between Dick and the other four men, they manage to get the room painted. There's even an elegant "E" painted in lilac on the wall by where Artemis and Raquel put the crib. Dick had carried up the pristine white rocking chair while Conner brought up the matching dresser. All in all the soon-to-be Grayson parents are very pleased with the results.
He finds Zatanna in their room. She's sitting on the bed with her back turned to him, studying something on her lap. As the acrobat draws closer to his wife, he sees that it's a photo album. It's turned to a page that has a picture of a young Zatanna sitting on her mother's lap. Giovanni is next to them, smiling happily. It's a very old photograph; Zatanna lost her mom when she was only three years old. The colors are faded, muted.
A single tear drips onto the page.
Nightwing sits down next to her and holds her tight. "Hormones," she says against his chest. He makes a noise of agreement.
"You're going to be an amazing mother, Zee," he tells her. He means it. "And we are going to love this baby more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea."
Zatanna pulls away and looks at him. She's clearly confused. "What?"
Dick feels one corner of his mouth turn up in a half smile. "My mom used to say that to me when I was a kid."
And despite the tears, Zatanna beams at him. She looks as gorgeous as ever in that moment. "That's beautiful," she gushes. "Will you say it to Ella?"
"Every day," Dick promises. "Every day."
0o0o0o0
Ella Mary Grayson makes her way into the world on June 12th, 2023. Zatanna threatens him with physical harm all throughout her nearly sixteen hours of labor. She forgets all about it, however, as soon as the nurse places the baby in her arms.
He knows it's cheesy, but Dick thinks his daughter is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. She's tiny, despite weighing an average seven pounds. There's a downy-soft layer of raven colored fuzz on the top of her head. Ella has a delicate little nose and full lips. Her eyes are closed, but Nightwing knows they're a brilliant shade of blue not unlike his own.
Zee looks up at him, exhausted but proud. Dick leans down to kiss her. "I just can't believe it," she says softly once they've parted. "We're so lucky."
"We are," the acrobat agrees. "We are."
The bossy nurse tells him to let his wife rest. He gives in to the demand and leaves the hospital room. When Dick glances at his wife through the window, he sees that she's already had her pillow fluffed and readjusted her blankets. She's well on her way to sleep.
Nightwing finds his way to the nursery. The same bossy nurse is just placing Ella in one of the little beds. He states at her for a long moment before he hears the familiar little voices of the West sons.
Wally and Artemis are all smiles as they join him. As they hoist their sons up so they can see the new Grayson baby, Dick points her out. "Third row back. She's second from the right." The West boys look at the baby with open mouths, clearly enthralled.
"Congratulations," Artemis tells him. Then the archer starts to look slightly green. She hands Cal off to Wally and darts off towards the closest restroom.
Nightwing is puzzled for a moment before he puts the clues together. "Again?" he asks the redhead. Wally nods and looks very smug. Dick shakes his head. "Rabbits," he mutters.
When Artemis comes back, the little group continues to look at the baby. Dick watches Wally and Artemis interacting with their children and hopes he can be that way with Ella. He will be that way with Ella. It's a promise he's going to keep.
Someone clears their throat and Dick snaps to attention. He sees Giovanni Zatara standing in the corridor holding a bouquet of lilies and a soft pink teddy bear. Dick is surprised but happy to see his father-in-law, if only because his wife will be ecstatic at her father's presence.
The Wests step aside as Zatara gives Dick a very stiff, almost formal hug. Dick then points out Ella in her bassinet. "My granddaughter," Zatara says, marveling. "And my daughter is well?"
"Perfect," Dick promises. "I'll take you to her." He nods at the Wests and adds, "I'll catch up with you later. Thanks for coming."
He leads the older man down the hall to Zatanna's room. Dick gently shakes his wife awake without hesitation. Zatanna wouldn't miss this for anything. "Zee, wake up. Your dad's here."
The magician stirs and then looks up at him sleepily. "I must be dreaming," she says. There's just a slight touch of bitterness in Zee's tone.
Dick lets out a low chuckle and steps aside. "See for yourself," he tells her. As Zatara moves closer to the other magician she lets out a quiet gasp.
"Daddy," she says simply, reaching for him. Zatara returns the embrace. Dick takes this as his cue to leave again. Still, he watches his wife and father-in-law through the window for a long time. Dick wishes he could say he had something to do with Dr. Fate relinquishing control so that Zatara could see his daughter and granddaughter, but he can't.
But, the acrobat realizes as he continues to ruminate on the subject, he knows exactly who arranged for it.
Bruce is standing next to the nursery looking down at Ella's sleeping figure. If Dick didn't know any better, he could have sworn that his former mentor was smiling. "It's a nice name," Batman tells Dick.
This is as close to a compliment as Bruce ever gets. "Well, we just couldn't do that whole celebrities giving their child the name of an inanimate object thing that's so popular," he quips. There's silence for a moment before Dick says quietly, "Thanks. It means a lot that you'd find a way to let Zatara be here for this."
The older man nods once. "This is important." Then he clears his throat. "I'll have the trust fund documents edited to include Ella's name. I'll send you a copy of the paperwork."
This is, of course, a subject Bruce is most comfortable discussing. At the moment, Dick is more than willing to humor the Dark Knight. "I appreciate that," he says sincerely.
Bruce nods and continues down whatever checklist he's been working on. "When you get the baby settled at home, I'll come by for a visit. I'll make whatever time is good for you work. You'll have to remind me of Zatanna's favorite flowers and candies so I have an appropriate gift."
Again, Dick thinks this is too much. He keeps it to himself. "I will," the acrobat assures.
Batman checks his watch. "I have to get back to Gotham. I have a shareholder's meeting. Congratulations again." As Bruce passes, he puts a hand on Dick's shoulder. Then he disappears just as quickly as he appeared.
Dick is exhausted. It's been a long day or so. But he can't go home and leave his wife and daughter, so he sets off in search of a coffee machine. He finds one on the third floor that spits out decent coffee. Not great, but decent. Then Dick decides to cruise by the nursery again. When he does this, Ella is gone.
Dick is not alarmed by this. He figures that the Grayson baby has been brought back to Zatanna's hospital room so that Giovanni can see her. Nightwing heads back and sees that his hunch is correct. Ella is tucked into the crook of her grandfather's arms.
Nightwing lets himself into the room quietly. Giovanni is handing the baby back to Zatanna. Then the senior magician kisses Zee's forehead before making his way across the room. He eyes Dick and says firmly, "Take good care of them." Dick nods.
Zatara leaves without another word. There's not even a "good-bye" uttered from his mouth. Dick understands that, to be honest. Good-byes are too hard.
Zatanna's blue gaze is focused only on their daughter. "At least I got to see him. And at least he got to hold Ella. That's more than I hoped for." The acrobat makes a noise of agreement as he crosses to Zee's side. He sits down next to the bed. Zatanna finally looks up at him. "Thanks," she says, "for bringing him here."
"I didn't," Nightwing admits, "it was Bruce."
A look of surprise crosses the magician's face. Then she smiles. "That's Bruce, I guess. He does better with gestures than with words. We'll have to thank him again. That was the nicest thing he could have done for us."
"I'll send a card." The acrobat reaches for his daughter and cradles her carefully against him. Zatanna leans back into the pillows, clearly ready for a nap. But Dick just can't pass up an opportunity to share the latest gossip about their friends. "Hey," he says quietly. "Wally and Artemis were here earlier. Guess who's having another kid?"
"No way," Zatanna mumbles sleepily. "Someone needs to tell them it's not a race."
Dick chuckles quietly and watches his wife drift off to sleep. He readjusts his hold on Ella, checking that she's nice and snug in his arms. It doesn't take too much longer for him to join his wife and daughter in dreamland.
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