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A/N 1: I do not own Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Unfortunately. That belongs to J. K. Rowling.

The Graysons

It's going to be a long day.

As Zee wrestles the now six-year-old Ella into her school uniform, Dick reminds her that he's going to be late tonight. He's got an all-day shift at the police department and then plans on some intense detective work as his costumed counterpart. Crime has been on the rise again in Blüdhaven, and at the center of it is a string of kidnappings.

The police department has been under a lot of pressure from the media about this. The police chief has ordered all hands on deck as long as needed. Zee has seen the way all the extra hours have been affecting her husband. For the last month or so, there have been dark circles etched under Dick's bright blue irises. He's been more short tempered with her and the children.

This behavior is why Zatanna has been avoiding having a much needed conversation with her husband. The last thing she wants is to put any more pressure on him.

Ella, now dressed in her neat plaid skirt and white blouse, breaks away from her mother and launches herself at Dick. Nightwing picks her up and gives her an extra tight squeeze. "Be a good girl for Mom," the acrobat says. Ella bobs her head. Dick manages a smile for their first born and adds, "I love you very much, Ella."

The trio of Graysons make their way down to the kitchen. Gio has finished his cereal and is watching a cartoon. Dick walks over to where their son is plopped on the couch. He ruffles Gio's messy black hair and the little boy beams. Zatanna watches Dick lean down to hug the boy and kiss him good-bye.

As always, Dick saves her for last. "If I'm later than midnight, send someone to look for me," he mutters low in her ear so the kids don't hear.

"I'll look for you myself," the magician promises. "Be safe. I love you."

Zatanna feels his lips on hers for a brief moment. "I love you, too." And then he gives her a brave smile before collecting his travel mug of coffee and heading to the door.

When her husband has left, Zee's attention reverts to Ella. She manages to coax some cereal into the girl and then hurriedly helps both children into their shoes and coats. Zatanna is silently thankful that the private school she teaches at and Ella attends also has a preschool classroom on-site.

The Graysons arrive with a full fifteen minutes to spare, which is a true rarity. Zatanna delivers Gio to the preschool classroom and then walks Ella to the door of the other first grade class. Zee informs her daughter that tonight they'll have a fun night.

This is what they always do whenever they know they're going to have a long night. Whichever Grayson parent is left at home plans activities for the children. It works pretty well. Zee knows she always needs a good distraction in times like these. A "fun night" is just what the doctor ordered.

Zatanna manages to check her personal problems at the door of her classroom. She greets her class, and a chorus of little voices answer her. The rest of the day passes in a blur of spelling words, addition and subtraction, and art projects.

By the time she collects Ella and Gio at the end of the day, Zee has a game plan. On the way home, they stop for burgers. The magician treats her children to kids' meals that come with toys and then allows them to play in the play area for nearly half an hour.

Seeing both children beaming and hearing them compare their new toys on the way home makes Zatanna smile. Somehow, Ella and Gio's joy at the simple things make her yearn for her own youth. And then she thinks of everything she's only gotten once she'd become an adult and the longing is gone.

The dark haired woman lets her family into the house. She turns on all the lights, which makes the house feel a little less lonely. Ella takes her homework folder out of her backpack and settles in at the table. She completes the day's assignment, occasionally asking for help with spelling. Gio sits next to his sister and colors in a Justice League coloring book.

So far, so good. Zatanna has made it through the day without fretting over Dick. But now it's getting dark and a wave of worry washes over the teacher. Dick has usually checked in at least once by now, if only to tell her he's alright. Nightwing has yet to do this today.

'Don't start panicking now,' Zatanna chides herself. Both of her children are pretty good at picking up clues and will know right away if she appears upset. Zatanna and Dick always try very hard not to worry the children unnecessarily. She doesn't want to scare the kids and then have to answer a million questions about where their father is.

She pushes gory mental images of her husband away. Her cerulean gaze falls on her kids once more. Ella has finished her homework and is now sharing Gio's coloring book with him. Zee watches as Ella selects a blue crayon to color in Superman's uniform. Gio is working on a Green Lantern picture. Zatanna is glad to see the kids sharing and getting along. It makes life so much easier.

The magician continues to watch them color for awhile. But by the time they've each finished three pictures, she can see that they're starting to get bored.

Zatanna steps in smoothly to keep the Grayson children from mutinying. She tells them to go upstairs and get their blankets. Both sets of blue eyes look at her curiously, but Zee only tells them to hurry or they won't be able to do what she's planning for them.

That certainly lights a fire under Ella and Gio. Both children dash up the stairs as fast as their little legs will carry them. The teacher allows a smile to grace her face before she begins her next task. The heroine prepares mugs of hot chocolate for the children and makes a cup of tea for herself.

Zatanna sips her drinks a little guiltily as she waits for Gio and Ella to come back. But, she reasons, tea helps calm her down. The best thing for her to be right now is calm. One little cup of tea isn't going to do any long-term harm.

Finally, Gio and Ella reenter the kitchen. Both dark haired children have changed into their pajamas in addition to bringing down their soft, cuddly blankets.

Zee drains the rest of her drink and then helps the kids settle in on the couch. She brings over their hot chocolate once they're both comfortable.

"Did you remember to put in marshmallows, Mommy?" Gio questions hopefully as his mother presses the mug into his little hands.

"I did," the heroine assures. She crosses the room to the bookshelf and pulls down her worn copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She's been reading the series to the kids for awhile now, though Zatanna is always careful to edit the scarier parts so that they're appropriate for a six-year-old and a four-year-old to hear. Gio absolutely adores Harry Potter and frequently states that he's going to be just like the fictional boy wizard someday.

Zatanna finishes three chapters by the time the children have to go to bed. Gio and Ella both protest, but the teacher can see sleepiness on their faces. She sends them upstairs and supervises them as they brush their teeth and wash their faces.

Her son climbs into bed with his teddy bear. Zee kneels beside the bed and tucks the Nightwing blanket over him securely. "Goodnight, Gio," Zee says quietly. "I love you more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea."

"Love you too, Mommy," Gio's little voice says sweetly. He closes his eyes. As Zatanna crosses her son's bedroom, she knows he's already well on his way to dreamland.

Ella is waiting for Zatanna in her room. The six-year-old has her hairbrush and a hair tie ready. As Zatanna brushes out Ella's dark hair, the girl chatters excitedly about the class art project they'll be doing in school tomorrow. Zatanna listens attentively as she weaves her daughter's ebony locks into a braid. Then she tucks Ella in with her stuffed robin and tells her she loves her.

As Zatanna makes her way downstairs, she hears that is has begun to rain. Heavy rain is undeniably cozy, but that's just one more thing to go wrong. The magician hates to think that her husband is out somewhere trying to save lives in this awful weather. And now that the Grayson children are in bed, she has nothing else to occupy her time.

In an effort to keep busy, Zee sets about tidying up the kitchen. She puts away all of the clean dishes and wipes down the table and counters. She puts water in the coffee pot and measures out the grounds so that it will be ready to go in the morning.

When every surface in the kitchen gleams, the magician turns her attention to the laundry. Zatanna folds the clothes as neatly as possible, sometimes folding the same thing three or four times before she deems it acceptable. She separates the clothes into piles that she then carries upstairs.

Zatanna knows it's silly to try to distract herself with these things. Eventually, she's going to hit a point where there will be nothing else to clean. Then she will have to think about how afraid she is for Dick. She wishes she had arranged for their friends to take the children for the night so that she could have gone with him. She wishes she had at least thought to cast a protection spell over him.

She wishes a lot of things.

But for now, she can focus on doing the laundry. Zee pushes open the door to her son's bedroom. She piles his clothes neatly in the dresser drawers and then pauses to look down at her son. The toddler is still sound asleep, despite the heavy rain.

The teacher kneels beside her son's bed once more. She pushes dark locks out of Gio's face. Zatanna smiles to herself. She can see a lot of Dick in their son's features. Obviously, both Grayson children have black hair and blue eyes, but Gio definitely looks more like his father. Zatanna always sees Dick in their son's smile.

Rain continues to patter on the windowpanes. The raven haired heroine sighs, thinking about her husband again. Knowing there's nothing she can do for the moment, Zee murmurs a warming spell to keep Gio nice and cozy. Then she presses a kiss to his forehead ad leaves the room once more.

Ella's room is the next stop. Zatanna hangs up Ella's clean school uniforms and puts the play clothes in the dresser drawers. Then she scoops up the stuffed animal that has fallen onto the floor and pulls the blankets up to Ella's chin. The magician repeats the same little charm that she has cast in Gio's room.

The first born Grayson child stirs. She opens her crystal blue eyes and looks up at her mother sleepily. "Is Daddy home yet?" she asks.

Zatanna smoothes her hand over the top of Ella's head. "Not yet."

She watches Ella frown and quickly adds, "You'll see him in the morning, honey." And Zatanna stays put, murmuring to Ella and stroking her hair, until the girl has gone back to sleep.

Once she's done putting away the laundry, the magician heads back downstairs. She decides to give reading a book a try. She selects one from the bookshelf and settles in on the couch under the banana yellow blanket Ella has left behind.

It's no use. She reads only a few paragraphs before her mind wanders back to her husband. Zee then sneaks a peek at the clock on the wall to see if it's past midnight yet. It's not. She sighs.

Then she starts wondering if she'll ever get the opportunity to have the discussion she's been avoiding having. There may be no one to have the talk with. Who knows what kind of trouble Dick's gotten himself into.

And how is she going to care for the children on her own? She needs them to have their father. They need to have their father.

Zatanna wonders why they chose this life. It comes with so many worries and close calls.

And then the heroine is mad at herself. They chose this life because they love it. The things they do as heroes help everyone. They make a difference. Zatanna knows this.

She's just wondering if it's too late to call Artemis in Central City for some additional perspective when she hears a noise. Zatanna heads towards the door warily. There's a disarming spell on the tip of her tongue. The magician almost feels sorry for whoever has decided to mess with her.

But the door opens and it's Dick. Relief floods her. And then she sees the dark stain on his uniform, right where his ribs are. Zatanna claps a hand to her mouth and a strangled gasp escapes her throat.

She's at his side in an instant. She closes the door and immediately beings to strip her husband of his uniform. He has the gall to look at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I missed you too, Zee," Dick says, "but can we get upstairs first?"

Zatanna just glares at him as she examines his wound. It's deep and she guesses he's lost a ton of blood. Really, it's a miracle that Nightwing has managed to drag himself home.

"Hsinelper eht doolb dna laeh siht yrujni."

Dick makes a contented sound. "That's a lot better," he tells her, peering at the faint pink line that remains. "Thanks." And he tries to pull her in for a kiss, but Zatanna resists. She steps back from him. Her cerulean eyes are still narrowed at the acrobat.

"Upstairs. Now."

"Yes, ma'am," he replies with a cheeky grin.

Zatanna knows that Dick knows he's in a lot of trouble. He only ever makes stupid jokes when he's had a near death experience and is trying to lighten the mood. The other members of the League call this "Doing a Wally," but it's the last thing Zee wants right now.

When the adult Graysons reach their bedroom, Zee marches past her husband to his dresser. She takes out a clean white T-shirt and a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms and thrusts them at him. Nightwing changes into them without a word. Then the gymnast pads into the adjoining bathroom to dry his rain-soaked hair. While he does this, the heroine gets ready for bed as well.

Dick apparently thinks he's going to get away without telling her anything. He turns off the overhead light and then slides into bed next to her. She feels his lips brush against her cheek and hears a whispered, "Goodnight."

But Zee is not about to her let husband get away with this. She reaches over to the lamp on her bedside table and switches it on. Dick groans but sits up again anyway. He looks tired.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Zee questions. "I think you owe me at least that."

"I found the kidnapped children. Only the kidnapper didn't like me freeing them, so he stabbed me. But trust me, Zee, he looks a lot worse," Dick replies.

She can certainly believe that. But the magician still isn't satisfied with Nightwing's answer. She can think of a lot of ways Dick could have handled the situation better. "So when you found the kidnapped kids, why didn't you call me? Or Bruce, or Wally, or any of the other 40-odd members of the League who would have helped you and prevented you from getting a knife in your ribs!"

A part of Zatanna tells her to keep her voice down so she won't wake Ella and Gio. But the image of her husband coming home bleeding has shaken something in the ebony haired woman. Dick knows better than to be so reckless. He should have called.

Dick continues to look at her tiredly. "I think that I was looking at things from my perspective as a father and not as Nightwing," the gymnast says slowly. "I kept trying to think like it was one of our children who had been taken from us. I would want someone to do everything in their power to bring them home as soon as possible. So I couldn't wait." This time when Dick pulls her close, Zee doesn't resist.

"So noble," she mumbles against his chest, "but such a bad call."

Zatanna feels Dick's hand push through her shiny dark locks. "I don't know," he says. "A bad man is going to jail, six children are going to be reunited with their parents, and I have a nifty new scar."

"That's not funny," she insists. There's a long pause. Zatanna knows that she has to come clean and tell him what she's been avoiding telling him. Now's probably as good a time as any. It's not like their hectic lives will be giving her a better opportunity than this one anytime soon. "Maybe tonight was harder than usual because I kept wondering if I'd ever the chance to tell you…"

Dick stops playing with her hair. He tilts her chin up so he can see her better. "Tell me what, Zee?"

She briefly thinks back to the two other times she's had to tell him what she's about to say. She muses that simply blurting it out has always served her well. "You're going to be a daddy again."

Zatanna sees surprise register on her husband's face. Then he faces her face in both of his hands and kisses her deeply. When he's done, the acrobat gently pushes some hair behind her ear, his gaze locked on hers. "Really?" Dick questions. His tone is unmistakably happy.

The magician nods. "I found out last week. I just kept it quiet because I know you've had a lot on your plate lately. I didn't want to add to it. And I know we agreed to stop having children after Gio was born because we already had the best combination, but…well, it happened."

Dick chuckles lightly, his face amused. "Zee," he says, "this is the best news I've gotten in weeks. And that includes what happened earlier tonight. Did you think I'd be mad or something?"

"No," Zatanna replies. But then she adds in a more hesitant voice, "It was nice being done, though. No more crying babies in the middle of the night, no more diapers. I liked being done."

There's a pause. Dick says thoughtfully, "We have two great kids. I know they've both taught me a lot. And I think one more is going to make our family that much better."

Zatanna nods. "It's not that I don't want the baby. It's not that at all. I am excited. I just…thought we were done. But I know that we are going to love this baby more than all the stars in the sky-"

"-and deeper than the sea," Dick finishes. He smiles and then glances over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The glowing green numbers show that it's almost one in the morning. "Let's get some sleep."

She agrees and turns off the lamp. Zatanna settles down in bed, suddenly feeling very tired from the long day she's had. Zee is almost asleep when Dick whispers, "This is really going to be the last one, right? I don't want to end up like the Wests."

A/N 2: Hsinelper eht doolb dna laeh siht yrujni = Replenish the blood and heal this injury.