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Gotham

Zatanna stood outside the gate in front of Wayne manor. She was glad she wore a jacket cause she was sure she was totally pitting out her blouse. She was really nervous. She hadn't made up her mind, but Bruce did make sense. She's known him for years. They were friends, well as much as you could be friends with Bruce. It wasn't like she wanted a commitment from him, just a favor. Yes, that's it, I'm just asking him to do me a favor, she thought.

She hoped it sounded that good when she said it out loud.

Taking a deep breath, she straightened her jacket, adjusted her hair and then started for the front door. She was about five feet away when she heard it. Little feet were running towards her. As Zatanna started to turn, a small figure launched itself at her, tackling and knocking her to the ground.

"Trespasser!"

Zee fell awkwardly on the cobblestones and her jeans rip. She skinned her knee and was sure it was bleeding.

"You're trying to break into the wrong house, tramp!"

She managed to turn just enough to see what looked like a ten year old boy trying to hold her down.

"Why you little basta.."

"Master Damian, get off her immediately!'

"But she's trespassing! I caught her!"

"She's a friend."

Zee looked up to see it was Alfred speaking. The young boy climbed off her but groused about it as Alfred moved over to help her up.

"I'm so sorry Miss Zatara, young Master Damian is over exuberant sometimes."

"Is that what you're calling it these days?"

She dusted herself off and checked her knee, which was bleeding. Her jeans were ruined. She glanced over at the boy and he gave her a wicked smile as he looked at the damage he caused.

"You know a swift kick in the ass might do him some good,' Zee muttered under her breath. "Maybe a couple of swift kicks."

"I assume you're here to see Master Bruce,' Alfred asked.

"Um, ah, yes."

"He's in the den,' Alfred stated. "I'll show you the way."

"Thank you, Alfred,' Zee replied. She gave the young boy another look and he gave her an evil glare in return. Definitely needs a good kick in the ass, she thought.

Alfred ushered her inside and showed her to the den. Bruce was sitting behind his desk going over some papers when they entered.

"Zatanna, I wasn't expecting you,' he said at seeing her. He stood and came around the desk, his eyes immediately noticing her torn jeans and bleeding knee.

"Did you fall," he asked.

"I was tackled by that little gnome outside."

He looked at her in confusion and then turned towards Alfred for an explanation.

"Damian."

"Oh, sorry about that, Zee,' Bruce offered. "He's a little over exuberant at times."

"Yes, I heard that before,' she replied, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Alfred, could you get the first aid kit, please?"

"Right away, sir."

Alfred turned and went back out of the room, while Bruce ushered Zatanna over to a chair. She sat down and checked out the hole in her pants. They were ruined.

"Oh, these are my favorite jeans,' she lamented.

"I'll buy you a new pair,' he offered.

"You don't understand these are my thin jeans! I love these!"

"What is that a brand name? All right, I'll buy you two pair."

"Just forget it,' she unhappily said.

He had moved back behind his desk and sat down. He shook his head, not quite getting what the issue was, but finally decided to move on.

"So what brings you here today?'

Zatanna looked up from her ruined jeans and felt a rush of nervousness. Definitely a wise move wearing a jacket, as the Arrid Extra Dry just wasn't cutting it today. While Bruce was the leading candidate, she still wasn't completely sure he was right for what she needed. There was also the possibility he might freak out like Constantine had, so she wanted a pretext for the visit. She wanted to feel him out about the subject first, before she made any final decision. The pretext she came up with was a photo. She slipped it out from the inside pocket of her jacket and handed it to him.

"What's this,' he asked, taking it from her.

"I was cleaning out some stuff in my apartment,' she began. He gave her a look. "Yes, Bruce, I do clean it once and awhile. Anyway, I found some old photos, including that one. It's of you and my dad when you were training with him. I thought you might like to have it."

Bruce sat back looking at the photo and a smile came to his face. He looked so much younger in the photo, so grim, he thought.

"Thank you, Zee, I appreciate it,' he said to her.

"You're welcome,' she replied. "I know you're something of a collector, what with all that goofy stuff you have down in the cave and all."

"It's not goofy stuff,' he bristled. "Those are valuable mementos of past cases."

"Sorry,' she said, raising her hands in surrender. "I just thought a giant dinosaur and penny were a little goofy, is all."

"There not."

"Got it."

The door to the den came bursting open and Damian came rushing in.

"I need to use the computer,' he demanded. He turned his head and glared at Zatanna. "If you can pull yourself away from this tramp, could you give me access?"

"Punk,' Zee said under her breath. Damian heard this and whirled around to face her.

"I have a knife you know,' he whispered. "I know how to use it too."

"How would you like it if I shove it up your little…" Zee started to reply, but Bruce's booming voice cut her off.

"Damian! Enough!"

It was so forceful, even Zee jumped a little bit. The young boy immediately turned and looked at his father. Geez, she thought, where did that come from? Sure, the kid's a brat, but that was like you'd scream a the Joker or something.

"Sorry,' Damian said meekly.

"Why do you need access?"

"Red Hood and Scarlet are planning something and I want to check their movements against their past history,' Damien explained.

"Okay, does Dick know you're here?"

"Yes."

"I'll give you access, you can use the computer in the cave,' Bruce told him. Damien smiled and then turned.

"Bitch,' he whispered as he walked by Zatanna. She willed herself not to responded and waited until he slammed the door closed behind him.

"He's still working on his social skill,' Bruce explained.

"Yes, charming,' Zee replied. "So he's the new Robin, right?"

"Yes, he's also my son,' Bruce informed her.

"Wh-What? That little prick is your son,' Zee gasped.

"Nice, Zee, real nice,' Bruce said. "I said we're working on his social skills."

"Keep working,' she offered. "So when did you have a kid? And with who?"

"It's rather a long story, but I've done the tests and he is mine,' Bruce explained. "His aggressive behavior is his mother's influence."

"Right, cause you're such a calm guy,' she said mockingly. "Who's his mother, Cruella de Vil?'

"Talia."

"Talia? Talia al Ghul, as in Ra's al Ghul daughter,' Zee gasped. "So I was close."

"Funny. Yes, that Talia."

'Well, no wonder she calls you her beloved,' Zatanna idly said, still trying to process the information.

"I'm not her beloved, I wish you'd let that go,' Bruce said in irritation. "It happened and Damian is the result. He can be a little territorial, I'll admit. He attacked Tim Drake when he first arrived and injured him, because he wanted to be Robin. Like I said, he's a little aggressive, but we've been working on it."

"More like homicidal,' Zee muttered.

"He's getting better,' Bruce said in the boy's defense.

"Okay, if you say so,' she replied. "So he's living here with you?"

"No, he's with Dick for now."

"Dick's raising your son?"

"Dick's a good influence on him, besides I have this whole Batman Inc. Project that I'm working on,' Bruce explained.

"So Dick's Batman and the kid is Robin, right?"

"Yes."

"How many Robins does that make?"

"Five."

"So any of the others as 'aggressive' as this one,' she asked.

"Well, Jason Todd, but there are mitigating circumstances,' Bruce reluctantly offered. "He was killed by the Joker and came back."

"I guess that would make you a little edgy,' Zee mused. "And the other one, the one the Omen child attacked, Tim? Is he here too?"

"No."

"And if memory serves me right, there's a couple of Batgirls too, isn't there?"

"Yes."

"Counting Huntress, you've got a whole sort of family of anti-social people around you,' Zee said, realizing the extent of it all.

"Is there a point to this," Bruce asked in irritation.

She suddenly realized what asking Bruce might entail. He already had a whole world of offspring of a sort around him. She didn't know them that well, but from everything she'd heard; they all seemed to have issues. Not to mention if the Omen boy, Damian was territorial and Talia's son, that could be a nightmare as well. Zatanna had met Talia before and knew what her reaction would be to the idea of Bruce fathering a child with anyone else. That didn't even cover Selina and probably so many others.

It suddenly hit Zatanna that as much as she admired Bruce, she didn't want a child of hers to be any part of this world. It wasn't how she was raised and wasn't how she wanted to raise her own child. She also realized that as much as they might try to get away from Bruce, none of them ever did. He was the dark sun in all their universes.

He wasn't the man to be the father of her child.

"Zee?"

"What? Oh, um, ah, no, no, Bruce, I just wanted to give you that photo,' she finally said. "I can see you're busy, so I'll be leaving. Maybe I can get out of here without running into knife-boy again."

"He really is getting better,' Bruce offered. He got up and came around the desk. They hugged and she said her good byes. As she was walking towards the front door, Alfred was coming out of the kitchen.

"Miss Zatara, you're leaving already,' he asked. "I'm sorry it took so long to find the first aid kit, apparently someone had moved it."

Out of the corner of her eye, Zatanna saw Damian hiding in the shadows. There was a wicked little smile on his face.

"It's okay, Alfred, I'll take care of it myself,' she replied. "Ssa eht ni naimaD kciK!"

"Ow!" Damian yelped and jumped out of the shadows. Alfred turned and looked at him, then back at Zatanna.

"I'm feeling better already, Alfred,' she said with a smile. "Good bye!"

New York

Zatanna and Madame Xanadu were sitting together having a cup of tea. Nimue picked up a legal notepad that was laying on the table with names on it.

"So this is your list?"

"Yeah."

"So cross out Batman,' she asked.

"Yes,' Zee glumly replied. "I only want someone to help me get pregnant, but Bruce isn't the one."

Nimue had been scanning down the list and stopped on one name.

"The Stranger? You put the Phantom Stranger's name on this list,' she shouted. "You know I hate that man! No, absolutely not, I will not allow anyone I helped raise to even consider the Stranger! I don't believe you Zatanna. You put him on the list but shoot down my suggestion of …"

"Don't even say that name, Nimue!" Zee shouted back. "We've been over this, absolutely not! If you've got a thing for him that's fine, but don't push him on me!"

"He's ten times better than the Stranger,' Nimue protested.

"I was just covering every possibility, okay,' Zatanna explained. "You can't even find the Stranger most times. I'm not even sure he could father a child, to be truthful."

"Why isn't that lovely young man you dated a while ago on here,' Xanadu asked. "What was his name, Tim something? Oh, yes, Tim Thirteen, or Dr. 13.'

"Um, ah, he kind of got incinerated,' Zee reluctantly admitted. "It was an accident. We were exploring the mystical plane with several others and they all sort of got burn up by a demon named Gwydion."

Nimue sat back and looked at Zatanna for a moment. Zee blushed and shrugged her shoulders. Xanadu picked up the pencil and touched it to her tongue before pressing it against the paper.

"We'll just add, you know who, as an alternative, just in case."