A/N—This chapter was written by DaisyJane. A little more information on the past.
Disclaimer—All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 3—A History Lesson
Terry was confused when the Batmobile landed at Gotham Cemetery.
"What am I doing here?" he questioned Bruce.
"I need you to get out and scout around, I'll let you know when I see it," Bruce replied.
"It would help if you tell me what we are looking for," Terry said as he exited the car.
"Just do as I say," Bruce growled.
Terry took to the air as ordered an quickly scanned the cemetery. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It was dusk so the place was pretty much deserted. He saw a tall dark-haired woman standing by some graves. He started at her a moment, for some reason she seemed familiar. When he looked at the names on the graves he suddenly knew why. And he knew why the old man had sent him here. God, sometimes he really was a bastard. He could have just come with her but no he had to be sneaky. Terry flew forward and landed next to her.
"McGinnis what do you think you are doing, I never said for you to go near that woman. I want you to leave now," Bruce barked in his ear.
Terry just reached up and turned off the communicator and camera in the suit. He wasn't going to aid Bruce in being an asshole.
Cold blue eyes turned toward him. Yes this was definitely Athena Wayne. Her eyes might be shaped differently but they were the exact same gray-blue as Bruce's and he had been on the receiving of that glare from Bruce many a time.
"Batman what are you doing here?" she asked. She really looked different than she had in the cave. She was still attractive but not ridiculously beautiful. She looked older like a woman in her mid to late thirties. Gone was the long curly raven hair and instead she had a chestnut brown page boy. She wore a black suit and rectangular black framed glasses. She looked kind of ordinary and Terry was amazed.
"The old man sent me and I'm sorry. I will leave you alone," he said and turned to leave only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.
"It's okay, I am kind of glad to have some company otherwise I might start brooding." She gave him a wan smile at turned back to the graves.
"So Thomas was your brother and he as his wife were murdered?" Terry asked.
"Yes, sixteen years ago. They were shot with a poison that made them laugh while paralyzing their nervous system. They couldn't breathe and they died before we could get them the antitoxin. It was the strongest and fastest working poison I have ever seen. I have been trying to find their killer ever since but all I find are dead ends," she explained and Terry watched as she surreptitiously wiped away a tear.
"It sounds like Batman's old enemy the Joker," Terry said. Barbara Gordon had told him about the Joker who inspired the Jokerz. She was trying to scare him into quiting but it didn't work.
Athena gave him a steely look and said harshly, "It wasn't the Joker."
She really reminded him of Bruce in that moment. In the cave he had seen nothing of Bruce in her but now she seemed the spiting image of her sire. He was really having a hard time believing that the woman standing in front of him was Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman glowed with hope and vitality while this woman seemed so sad and angry.
"I can't believe you are Wonder Woman," he said softly without thinking as he stared at her.
"Right now I'm Athena Wayne, a thirty-eight-year-old ordinary mortal and not Athena the immortal Amazon warrior princess. My armor is magical and allows me to change into whatever disguise I want," she explained.
"Wow. So you can change into Wonder Woman instantly if you want?" Terry asked then blushed though she couldn't see it. "I'm sorry I'm asking a lot of questions."
Athena gave him a half smile and said, "It's okay but if you want to talk I think we should go somewhere away from possible prying ears and eyes. Excuse me a moment."
She when behind a large mausoleum and a few seconds later Wonder Woman emerged and gave him a large smile. "Follow me." She took off into the air.
Terry followed and in a few minutes they arrived at a building with a clock tower. She flew to a ledge by the large clock face and opened a door and disappeared inside. Terry followed and walked into a large and spacious flat. It was an open layout and furnished with comfortable but very nice furniture.
"Is this your apartment?" Terry asked as her removed his mask.
"Yes though I don't spend much time here. I live mostly at the Metrotower in Metropolis or on Themyscira," she said as she opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. "Want some," she offered.
"Sure," he said as he took the offered bottle. "So Batman and Wonder Woman are your parents? Who would've thought."
Athena laughed. "Yeah nobody outside the League ever knew. The rest of the world never knew that Wonder Woman had a relationship with Batman and that they had two children."
"How did it happen? I mean how did they get together?" Terry asked overcome with curiosity.
Athena smirked at him. "I guess Bruce is less than forthcoming about his past."
"That's an understatement. Trying to get him to admit anything is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Most of what I know the Commissioner has told me."
"I'm sure Barbara was trying to make you see sense regarding pursuing a career as Batman. She was always a sensible woman, well except when it came to my father," Athena said.
"Wait so did your parents get together after he and Commissioner Gordon broke up?" he asked.
"No, before and then after," Athena said cryptically and added, "It's a long story."
Terry stared at her in a bit of shock then asked, "Would you mind telling it to me? I can understand if the answer is no. It would probably piss of Bruce already with what you have told me."
"Now you're just giving me incentive to talk. Okay pull up a seat and I'll tell you," she said with an almost wistful voice.
Terry sat in a comfortable armchair and opened his water and took a sip as Athena began. "They met when the League was formed to stop the Imperium from taking over the Earth. It wasn't love at first sight, though my father once told me that when he first saw her protecting Hawkgirl she took his breath away.
Terry snorted. "I can imagine."
Athena smiled softly. "Well they formed the League and worked together on many missions. They grew to respect each other and became friends. Then my mother figured out his secret identity and the flirting began. They danced around each other for years and my father tried his best to not fall in love with her but he fell anyway and so did she. They started a relationship and they were very happy until something devastating happened to my father and he withdrew from the League and broke it off with my mother."
"What happened?" he asked.
"That is a whole other story and not mine to tell, not that this one is either, but let's just say it was horrible. Bruce doesn't handle loss well and he took it out on my mother. He blamed her and the League for distracting him from him mission to protect Gotham. He told her that he didn't love her anymore," Athena said and her voice caught at the painful words. "It wasn't true but she left. A week later she discovered she was pregnant with my brother."
"Shit," Terry said.
"Yeah well she decided to go back to Themyscira and not tell anyone about the pregnancy. My father devoted himself to Gotham and Barbara devoted herself to helping him. Their relationship soon became more than friends and partners. Barbara was so in love with him but after several months she realized that Bruce didn't feel the same way."
"What happened?" he asked.
"She woke up very early one morning alone in bed. She went down to the Cave to check on Bruce and found him looking at pictures of my mother."
"Ouch. That explains some of her anger toward him."
"I guess though by the time she married Sam she seemed to be over it, but I'm jumping ahead. So she left him and he continued his mission alone. Meanwhile my mother gave birth on Themyscira. Unfortunately she had a boy. The Amazons were not happy having a male on the island even if he was only a baby, so after a few months she returned to Man's World with Thomas and her sister Donna. My Grandmother gave her some of the great wealth of gold kept on the island and my mother invested it wisely in Man's World. She set up a secret identity as Diana Prince and lived in New York with Donna and Thomas. She and Donna took turns being Wonder Woman so that Diana could spend time with Thomas. Donna was great with children and I think that is why my grandmother let her leave with my mother. The League founders, with the exception of my father, soon learned from my mother about Thomas and her reasons for leaving. They welcomed her back and welcomed Donna into the League."
"I'm not sure what my father knew about her return or her circumstances but he never came to see her though he had to have known she was back as she and Donna were all over the news. So the three of them were living in New York for just over a year when fate stepped in and started my parents on the road back to each other."
"What happened?" Terry asked kind of stunned by Athena's story. It was hard to imagine Bruce in love.
"Well in all started with a charity ball..."