They arrived at Selina's apartment in a beautiful morning, chilly and bright, she carrying the baby, and Bruce bringing the suitcase and Henry's car seat in his hands, a diperbag on his shoulder.

"Here we are, baby boy…", Selina was speaking softly to a very attentive infant, "your home."

Bruce groaned.

"Your father might not like it, but this is it… yes, it is…" She rocked the child gently in her arms.

"I just don't get it… why can't you stay at my place? Alfred could help you when I'm not around, and Henry's room is ready… I've bought everything you could possible need…"

"And that's great, Bruce; really. Pretty soon you're gonna need it, when he goes to your place to spend the night, or even a couple days…"

"That's just it", he said, interrupting her. "I don't want just a night here and there, or weekends, or any other arrangements… I want to be with him every day." He approached Selina, hands in his pockets, an intense expression in his features. "To be with the both of you, actually."

Selina sighed, shaking her head in denial. "C'mon, Bruce… This is not the right moment…"

"It's the perfect moment", he insisted.

She looked from the baby to him, staring at Bruce austerely. "Remember when you used to tell me that this, us, it would never work…"

"That was before, Selina. Before Henry, before…"

"Yes", she vehemently agreed. "Before we had one of our chance encounters and I got pregnant by accident."

"Don't say that."

"Don't get me wrong, Bruce…" She gazed at her child, allowing the baby to take hold of her finger and pull it to his mouth, munching on her knuckle. "I love this little guy more than anything in the world… There's nothing I wouldn't do for him. That's why…"

Words seemed to have escaped her for a moment, silence between them.

"Don't you think", Bruce risked a thought, "that have us both all the time, together, would be the best for him?"

"Maybe", she immediately answered him. "But I was never one to settle for less than I deserve, and I honestly don't think I would be satisfied with the crumbles of your love for your son."

He frowned. "No. No, that's not…"

"Bruce", she stopped him mid-sentence. "You don't know. You can't. Whatever you think you feel about me right now… it's all because of him."

"Selina… listen, please."

"Bruce, no. We should wait. We are going to wait."

In her arms, the baby fussed and whimpered.

"I have to feed him… he hasn't eaten in a while."

Bruce offered:

"Here, let me hold him while…"

"I'm okay", she said, quite bluntly. "I can handle it."

He watched in silence while she sat on the sofa and opened her blouse, Henry immediately latching to her breast.

"That's a good boy", she tenderly whispered. "You're such a good boy, Henry…"

Don't do that, he wanted to say. Don't isolate yourself, don't cut me off. He wanted to find the right words, he wanted to find a way to show her, prove to her that he meant what he said. That he actually believed they belonged together, and not just because of Henry. Yes, their son had been the one thing that brought them together at that time, months ago… but it was more than that. It had taken not just her pregnancy, but also many other things: Clark and Diana, Damian's death, him realizing he was actually feeling that there was something missing in his life.

In truth, he had always had feelings for her. Somehow, even though she was a criminal - technically, an enemy - they had worked out a clandestine and occasional relationship through the years. He had been attracted to her from the beginning; it was almost like it was meant to be. Everything about her was appealing to him, seductive, disconcerting. And that was why, in many ways, he had kept his distance: the safe distance that allowed him to keep himself from connecting to her in an emotional way. They had sexual adventures, brief, tense encounters that were quickly over and oddly managed. He never asked, never answered, and hoped that he wouldn't feel anything. That he would never actually need more than those short-lived moments of sexual release and stress relief.

Perhaps he shouldn't blame her: before the baby, before her pregnancy, he had never given her any signs that he cared for her in any way that was beyond the pure and simple physical attraction and a great amount of badly directed desire. He had never intended to make her feel used, unworthy, but he might have done that anyway. And now, he was dealing with the consequences of his inconsequential and narrow sighted behavior.

It didn't help that he had been extremely secretive about her pregnancy, telling just a few people about it. As Dick had accurately put it: "You're telling me because you want me to know", he asked, "or is it because you think you couldn't hide it from me forever?"

He had answered Dick with the truth, and that was: both.

Selina obviously knew he had to be discreet, for Henry's sake; she had done the same. The longer they could keep their son away from prying eyes, the better – and even friends can talk too much. But still… he sometimes wondered if Selina didn't resent that. Maybe she did, perhaps feeling like he actually felt ashamed, considered their child the unexpected blessing that came from a mistake. And it was hard to denial this, he recognized. Henry wasn't planned. And as much as he now wished he and Selina could be together, he had to admit that it would be awfully hard for his fellow justice leaguers, for instance, to accept that relationship. It was hard already – he had heard a few jokes that weren't funny about how he was "kind of soft on that cat-burglar that pounces around Gotham". And when the unofficial news that Catwoman had also joined the JLA had hit the Watchtower, Diana said that it was "shameful" for Trevor to work besides someone like Selina. Shameful, she had said. For Trevor.

No wonder Clark had agreed with him that he shouldn't tell Diana about the baby just yet.

Funny that now that Henry was actually there Bruce didn't seem to care as much about what Diana or anyone else thought about Selina and himself getting together. He wanted that. It felt right. It didn't matter what other people could think or would say.

But maybe it was already too late.

Months, years of unmeasured carefulness and selfishness had done their damage. It had even led Selina to think she should abort their child, at one point – why was he surprised that she didn't believe he was sincere in his wish to be with her? Just months ago she had assumed he wouldn't even want that child. Least of all her. Hell, maybe she even thought the only reason he had wanted her to keep the baby was because he had lost Damian…

And she wasn't the only one.

The Martian had said, that night, when he went to the cave and told him about Selina's pregnancy:

"This is not my secret to share, but you've lost a son. I want to give you at least a choice, this time."

A choice – did the Martian believe he was cold to the point that he would abandon Selina to take care of their child alone? Or not at all? Did the alien believe he would be glad if Selina had gone through with the abortion? Sure, he would respect, accept Selina's decision…

"Something wrong?"

She was the one asking, watching him in an expression that denounced her curiosity. Henry was still on her breast, giving no signs he was about to get satisfied.

"No", he quickly answered. "I'm fine. Just… thinking."

Selina returned her attention to the baby, lightly kissing the fingers in his tiny, restless hand. She seemed truly comfortable like that: just her and their son, she bravely enduring the natural discomfort of the first days of breastfeeding, a smile as she watched the little boy's peaceful, content features.

"I'll make you lunch", Bruce announced, needing to feel useful again.

Again she stared at him in an intrigued glance:

"It's okay, Bruce, you don't have to. I can handle…"

"Selina, if you don't want to go to my place… I'm sorry, but you'll have to put up with me here instead."

She didn't say anything to that; she was probably trying to decide if that was a good or a bad thing.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Colonel Trevor was sat just ahead of Amanda Waller, a dozen pictures in his hands.

"How did you manage to have his picture taken?", he asked. He was holding several images of a newborn in an incubator, different poses and angles of the same sleeping infant. Funny, weird little thing: a handful of dark hair covering the top part of his bald little head, swollen eyes, reddish cheeks, long limbs. How someone could find those things beautiful was a mystery to him.

"I had an agent infiltrated as a nurse for months, now", Waller calmly explained.

"And how did you know they would go to that specific hospital?"

"I didn't", she admitted. "Had at least one agent in basically all the hospitals in Gotham."

Trevor nodded, not a bit surprised. He now knew Waller enough to know there were no limits to her eager ambition, no lines she wouldn't cross to get where she wanted. Oh, well, he used to tell himself, maybe she actually is the right person for this job. Steve had to recognize he perhaps was too much of a "by the book" kind of guy – clearly, not what A.R.G.U.S. needed right now.

"They named him Henry Kyle", Waller told him. "Thank God. I feared Selina would want one of those strange names people use today."

Steve chuckled.

"Never thought Wayne would settle for that, not giving the kid his surname, giving up all that 'Wayne family tradition' nonsense."

"It's not nonsense", she said, acting as slightly offended. "They did the smart thing, trying to hide the child's connection to him… but a family name is not nonsense. It's history. Identity. Connections."

"Okay…" He wasn't convinced, he didn't even agree to that, but desperately wanted to change subjects. He hated when Waller got sentimental – it usually also made her meaner afterwards. "Anyway, it doesn't seem like we can do much right now. What's our next step? Surveillance?"

"Yes." Amanda was rubbing her chin with the back of her hand. "Surveillance, of course, and perhaps we could try contact with Selina. She doesn't hate all of us, at least."

"It's not about hate. She's smart. If you go too far, too soon, she will read us in a second."

"Maybe you're right", she pondered. "Still, we've got long arms. We'll find a way."

Steve frowned: like often happened, he had no idea what the heck Waller was talking about.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the day gave in for the night, he kept standing by the window of Selina's living room, his gaze randomly wondering outside from time to time.

She had just put Henry down for a nap, knowing he would be up again in just a few short hours to eat. Bruce was waiting for her:

"Did he sleep?"

"Oh, yeah. Profoundly asleep… for now." She shook the baby monitor in her hands. "Let's see how long it lasts."

"Go to bed. I can keep an eye on him while you rest", he offered, hand stretched as he took the monitor from her.

She gave him the device, although inquisitively staring at him:

"You're not…?" She began, though never finishing the question.

"I'm not… what?"

She shrugged, in pretense indifference. "Going out. You know, as your other self…"

He didn't answer that, merely glaring out the window again.

"It's just that it has been three nights already… I just assumed…"

"Not tonight", he quickly stated. "Not yet."

"Doesn't Gotham need you?"

"You need me more. I mean, Henry does." He looked over his shoulder to see her. "Unless you don't want me to stay?"

Again she moved her shoulders, unconcerned. "It's up to you."

"I'll stay, then", he declared.

There was a moment of silence as she observed him, standing with his back to her, hands in his pockets, eyes outside.

"You look anxious", she noted.

He finally turned completely to her, seeming distracted:

"What did you say?"

"You look concerned", she said, now realizing she was feeling a bit restless herself. "Something wrong?"

"No. No, don't worry."

"'Don't worry…'", she repeated. "Easy to say, hard to accomplish."

He took a few steps towards her, suddenly reaching a hand to touch her face. She didn't move away from his touch.

"Bruce", she said in a whisper, "do you think we're going to be okay? Us, I mean. You and I."

He offered her instant reassurance: pulling her to him, he embraced her in a protective, tender gesture. "We are. We're fine."

"Even if we are not meant to be together", she proceeded, "we have to parent this kid together."

She could feel his warm, gentle breath on her hair, his chin grazing her forehead. "You're not going to lose me", he was telling her. "I'll be here for you, I promise. Always."

Taking a step back, she looked up to him. "You stay, tonight. Tomorrow night… you go back to your cave."

He frowned. "Are you sure?"

She smiled. "You're suffering already."

"I'm not. I'm not, I'm just…"

"Looking out through the window every five minutes? Yeah, I noticed."

He didn't answer her, an enigmatic expression in his features.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night, Bruce walked around the apartment, checking windows and doors. Selina had no idea, but while they were at the hospital, he had made a few improvements in the apartment's security system. Although she had placed alarms and cameras herself when she moved in, he had asked Tim and Barbara to help him with a couple upgrades while they were away – one of them, of course, connecting the whole system to his private security network. Now, not an insect would be able to enter or move in that place without his knowledge.

Or so he hoped.

He went to her bedroom, where Selina was soundly asleep on her bed. Before, when she was pregnant, he didn't have to worry much about waking her up. Now, every second of rest was precious, and he wouldn't want to disturb her already light sleep. Still, he approached the bed and lowered himself close to it, one knee on the floor, eyes examining her face in the darkness. She looked so peaceful and young, he could hardly believe that she was now the mother of a child. Of their child.

Not far from there, in a bassinet placed near the bed, Henry briefly protested, then falling asleep again. Selina moved at the sounds of the baby, thought not disturbed enough to actually awake; she merely turned under the sheets, mumbling unintelligible things and then returning to her dreams.

It was almost painful, Bruce thought, to look at Selina and their son like that, together, safely lying on their beds, vulnerable and serene. It made him utterly aware that the world outside that bedroom was big and dangerous, full of people that had their own agendas and desires, people that had no scrupulous when it came to the point of hurting a woman or a child. And, to make things worse, he had no way of protecting the both of them as he wanted, and how he had planned.

If things had gone his way, Selina and Henry would be at Wayne Manor, under his most vigilant care. Not only the manor was safely guarded by the most advanced and effective devices, he also had extra hands there: Alfred, at least, sometimes Dick, Tim, even Jason. If something happened, and he couldn't be there himself, he knew he could count on them. No doubt the boys would eagerly want to help if the situation presented itself that way.

And, the most pressing matter: he would be sure that Selina and Henry would be safe from the prying eyes that now seemed to be at work.

He had first noticed it at the hospital: a nurse that had changed shifts twice to be in the NICU team that would handle Henry's feeding and bath. He had also noticed her skills – or lack of, actually. While most of the nurses in the NICU were very familiar with babies, and seemed to have genuine care for the children, that woman handled the babies with less concern and ability, her level of proficiency way below when compared to her peers. That had bothered him so much that he had specifically asked for other nurses to treat his son, and hadn't been able to leave the child alone in his incubator during their entire stay there, staying away from him only for minutes, when he was summoned to sign a few papers regarding the payment of the medical expenses.

Then, of course, it was the couple that had just moved to the building on the other side of the street, occupying the apartment that was directly in front of Selina's place. The first time he saw them, carrying boxes upstairs while he had gone to the café on the corner of the street to buy Selina a muffin, he had immediately thought that they look like cops, not husband and wife. It was the way they behaved, and spoke to each other; how they touched each other. Not to mention, the concealed gun on the woman's calf.

Every now and then he would go to the window. They would be there, doing something perfectly normal and ordinary: fixing a lamp, cooking dinner, cleaning a closet. There was nothing strange or particularly unusual about them – and that in itself was pretty remarkable. People always have something. A bad habit, an odd behavior, a curious hobby. And, so far, nothing had come up for that couple.

Not to mention, they never looked through their windows.

He didn't want to scare Selina. Perhaps he was just being paranoid, and she would probably think so. But he had that gut feeling… that they were being watched. Truth was, too many people knew about Selina's pregnancy, and to be Catwoman's child was already a dangerous thing… how about Batman's child on top of that?

His heart skipped a beat just at that thought… that someone might be already planning to hurt his child.

It would be hard, but he had to go back to the cave. Back to his uniform, back to be Batman. Selina was right: it was about time. Because if someone was after Batman's son, guess what?

Batman is what they would get.