Disclaimer: I don't own it.
You know when you complete a story, are about to post it, it suddenly deletes everything, and you nearly throw your computer out of a window? That's what happened. Sorry for the wait.
"He's a wonderful child." Hypolita began.
Diana smiled in relief, obviously happy at Richard's quick acceptance, but Bruce was a different story. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. If it took two years for Hypolita to see her family, there was an ulterior motive.
"What are you doing here Mother?" Diana asked, delighted at her mother's unexpected presence.
The Queen embraced her daughter as regally as possible. "Do I need a reason to visit my daughter and grandchild?" she asked, after extracting herself from her daughter's grasp.
"After two years?" Bruce growled, stepping into the conversation. "Yes." Both women glared at him, and he returned it with ferocity.
"I am not here to take him away from you." Hypolita reassured, "Though if I was, I doubt you could stop me." Bruce couldn't help but smirk at her ignorance. Pausing at his expression, she continued to try and reassure him. "I truly only wished to see my grandson."
"What was that blessing?" Bruce asked, still suspicious.
This shocked Hypolita. Apparently no one had told her about the modern invention of security cameras, or his extreme paranoia.
Trying, and failing, to stare the man down, Hypolita answered as vaguely as possible. "I was asking for the God's to accept him."
"Mother!" Diana exclaimed, "You asked for the God's blessing?"
"Do not raise your voice with me," Hypolita scolded, "But, yes, I did."
"Mother, you know the risks! Giving me that blessing when I was that young was dangerous! But him?"
"You have Royal blood in your veins, you were never truly in danger."
"He is a boy!"
"Boy or no, he is an Amazon, and one with Royal heritage. The Gods must judge him."
Sick of not understanding what was happening, Bruce interrupted them. "What exactly do you mean, judge him?" He questioned, crossing his arms.
"There is no need to fear," Hypolita began, " if the Gods do not accept him, nothing will happen. They try to curse him,and they will validate his heritage. The Gods will either accept him, or continue to ignore his existence."
Bruce scowled deepened, "And if they accept him?"
"If the God's accept him, they could grant him the same abilities they gave to Diana."
"What?" "Mother!" The simultaneous shouts of anger was not what Hypolita was expecting, and she took a step back.
"How dare you?" Bruce snapped.
"Excuse me?" Hypolita gasped. "Some have died for this gift, and I have given it to you freely! You should be grateful!"
"Grateful?" Bruce nearly roared, but was cut off by Diana.
"Bruce, wait! let her explain herself."
"I think I've heard everything I need to hear, Princess." He growled, looking at the shocked Queen. "She could have just turned Richard into a metahuman, And you expect me to be grateful?"
"You say that like being a Metahuman is bad." Diana turned to her friend, slightly hurt.
"No, but I don't exactly want to chase a flying child around my house."
Diana shifted closer to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Bruce, don't worry, I wasn't able to access my blessings until I left Paradise Island. But that's not what's bothering you, is it?" Diana asked.
The Dark knight smirked, some of the anger leaving his face. "No, Princess, that's not the only reason."
"I thought so." She mirrored his smirk. "Let me take this one Bruce." Bruce hesitated, but eventually nodded. He had complete faith in her for this argument. She, after all, was the diplomat. Diana then turned back to her mother.
"Why did you bless him Mother?" Diana asked, completely calm.
Hypolita answered in the same calm tone. "So that when the time comes, he can prove himself to our sisters."
"You should have asked us before. You did not have the right to bless him without our permission."
"I had every right!" Hypolita snapped. "As both his Grandmother and as Queen of the Amazons."
"No! Mother, you should have asked!" Diana said with obvious annoyance. "By blessing him so early you've exposed him up to the world of Gods and war and monsters! No one wants that for their child!"
Hypolita paused. "I suppose you are correct Diana. But had I visited later, in two years or ten, the outcome would have been the same."
"Mother!"
"No, Diana, let me finish. If he ever wants to return to the place he was born, he will be in grave danger. Most, if not all of the Amazons are insulted by his mere existence. However, if the Gods accept him, It is very likely that they will too. And if they don't bless him, our sisters will assume that I never gave it to him. Do you not see daughter? I am giving Richard the best chance at survival I can give without deliberately putting him in harm's way."
Diana contemplated her mother's words. Bruce stood slightly behind her, face a blank mask. Diana sighed before speaking again.
"I do not agree with your actions, but I understand your reasons. Your plan is smart, but flawed. The Amazons will not accept him if he is not a warrior. Blessing of the Gods or no."
Hypolita grinned, glad her daughter was catching on to her plan. "Which is why he'll need to be trained."
"No." Bruce snapped, standing next to Diana.
"Don't be foolish." Hypolita scoffed. "It is the best option."
"No." He repeated, stepping closer to the Amazonian Queen.
Diana stepped between her mother and best friend before they did something they would regret. "Thank you, mother, you've given us quite a lot to talk about."
The Queen recognized her dismissal. However before she left she turned to the two parents. "It was good to see you Diana, but I cannot stay in Man's world much longer. No matter your choice, you will know where to find me." She faced Bruce with obvious distain. "I have no idea how a man such as yourself managed to win my daughter's heart, but out of respect for her, I am giving you a chance. Do not fail me, Bruce Wayne, or you will face the wrath of the Amazons." With her part said, she left the manor.
"Bruce you're being ridiculous." Diana said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"No, Princess, I'm not going to teach him how to fight." Bruce said from his chair.
"He already wants to help you," She countered, crossing her arms on the couch. "and he will want to help you more the older he gets. To do that, we need to train him."
Bruce mirrored her position. "He's too young to even begin to think about becoming a vigilante."
"He's going to grow up." Diana sighed and put her head into her hands. "Yes, he's a child, but he's our child. The son of Batman and Wonder Woman." She stressed. "He's going to be a warrior, it's in his blood."
Bruce scoffed. "It's not about blood, it's about him being old enough to make his own choice."
It was Diana's turn to scoff. "Sometimes you can't avoid your destiny."
"I don't believe in destiny."
"What? After everything we've faced?"
"If I believed in destiny, I would be giving up any free will I have. Destiny is an excuse to justify someone's actions."
Diana sighed and rubbed her temples. "Look, let's not get into this debate." She asked.
"Fine." Said Bruce. "Let's finish the one we were already on." Bruce stood up and grabbed a bottle from a cabinet. "Alright. Hypothetically, If we do train him so he can prove himself to your sisters, he'll need field experience." Bruce poured two glasses of the drink. "If this blessing from your mother kicks in, he would hypothetically train with you. However, the more likely scenario is that it won't." He sat down and offered her a glass. "He'll be completely human. Then, Hypothetically, He would be patrolling with me. In Gotham."
Diana accepted the drink he handed her. "Is this about protecting your reputation as the Dark Knight?" she asked.
"No!" Bruce stood up in anger. "No! Diana, even though you and Clark are the only metahumans I allow in Gotham, you two have never fought in my city. You have never fought my city. Because that's what it is, Diana, I am fighting an entire city seeped in madness and corruption, and you can only fight it for so long until you get drowned in its darkness!"
Diana was shocked, and turned to face the pacing man. "Bruce-"
"No, wait, let me finish." He interrupted. "By asking me to train Richard, you're asking me to throw him into the middle of that. You're asking me to let my son, my only family left, to fight in a city that will do it's very best to kill him!" Bruce yelled. "You're asking me to let him fight the very thing that took his grandparents away from him!" His chest was heaving with emotion at the end of his speech. Diana had never seen him so emotional.
She shook her head vigorously and stood up to be eye level with the Dark Knight. "If Gotham is so bad, he should be able to fight."
"The farthest I will go is self defence. Nothing more."
"He'll want to know more."
"Too bad, I refuse to loose my family again."
Diana winced. Bruce was going to hate her, but if it meant keeping Richard safe, she would do anything. "Then I'll train him."
Bruce whipped around to face her, his face twisted in fury. "You'll go behind my back?" He asked in a whisper that was more terrifying than any yell. Diana couldn't bring herself to respond. Keeping eye contact, she nodded slowly.
The room was so quiet, a pin drop would have sounded like thunder. The two were at a stalemate. There had been a few arguments on how to raise their child, but the stakes were higher this time, and neither were willing to back down. They both knew that they were at a crossroads. Something was about to change forever.
Of course, this was the perfect time for Superman to show just how awful his timing could be.
"Sorry, that took a while." Clark said, looking down at his tie when he entered the room. "I put Richard to bed and I heard a... call..." His voice faltered when he saw two intense glares directed at him. "Ahhh...Um." he said intelligently.
Bruce turned back to Diana. "Princess." He said with as much malice as possible. "You should leave."
Diana nodded, but didn't make a move to the doors. "Don't try to keep him from me." She growled.
Hurt briefly flashed on Bruce's face before it turned into raw fury. "Nothing is more important to me than family. I thought you knew that." He snarled. "I'll let you know when he can visit you. Now. Get. Out."
Diana nodded again and spun on her heels. Clark was shocked to see her eyes were watering. When they heard the door slam, Bruce turned to Clark.
"How much did you hear?"
Clark faltered for a second before he could find his voice. "Uhhh... All of it?" He looked ready to bolt.
"Good, then I don't have to explain myself."
An awkward silence descended on the pair. Bruce gazed out of the window while Clark looked like a deer in the headlights. After a few minutes Bruce broke the silence.
"I knew this would happen eventually, but not so soon. He's a child, we shouldn't have to worry about him learning to fight." Clark stayed silent and Bruce turned away from the window. "You should go comfort Diana, Clark. She probably believes that she'll never see him again. Which is completely untrue. I won't let Richard grow up without a mother."
Clark understood that Diana was in pain, but she wasn't the only one. The man in front of him looked like he was on his own emotional rollercoaster. Clark had no doubt that he had been put in this situation he would be crying his eyes out.
"Bruce-"
"Go Clark. Please." The last word was spoken so quietly, no one without super hearing could have heard him. However, it was spoken with such unprecedented sincerity, that in a few minutes Superman flew after the Amazon, and left Batman alone.
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