So sorry for the long delay in updating. RL keeps trying to wreak havoc and keep me from writing. Hope you enjoy the update. Much more with Nicholas coming up soon! :)

Chapter 9

Wonder Woman made her way to the daycare on the Watchtower, in dire need of some advice from her friend. John had told her that Shayera was there feeding Rex, asking if there was anything he could help her with, but she had kindly refused his offer.

Her fingers absentmindedly traced the edge of the golden lasso that hung at her hip as she entered the daycare, her thoughts still occupied with the things that her mother had told her. In fact, it was almost all she could think about now.

Her blue-eyed gaze immediately swept around the large room, searching for her winged friend as she took in the handful of children playing while their parents fought to keep the world safe. She made her way around miniature tables and chairs, a large plastic jungle gym and hundreds of toys that Bruce had made sure the daycare had been stocked with.

Bruce had personally handpicked the daycare staff after running complete background checks and extensive interviews that Diana had thought had been more like an interrogation worthy of a hardened criminal like the Joker. Her husband on the other hand had been adamant about making sure they only had the very best staff taking care of the League's children.

Diana had whole-heartedly agreed, but had feared that Batman interviewing a poor grandmother in her seventies as if she were moonlighting as Poison Ivy had been a little on the extreme side. She had been surprised by the number of staff that had not only survived the in-depth interrogations but had actually accepted the job. She thought for sure Bruce had terrified them all away, keeping them from ever returning.

She finally found the room in the back of the daycare meant for nursing mothers, allowing for discretion as well as solitude away from the other children as well as the daycare workers. Opening the door, Diana poked her head in, finding the object of her search sitting in one of the rocking chairs nursing her infant son.

The scene before her made her momentarily take pause. She had never seen the Thanagarian so happy. She was thrilled that her friend had found the love and the life that she had longed for. She truly deserved this after everything that had happened since she'd first come to Earth.

Shayera suddenly looked up to see her friend standing awkwardly in the doorway not wanting to interfere in the mother-son bonding moment. "Diana, come in," she greeted her with a genuine smile. "I didn't know that you were coming in today."

"Actually, neither did I," she replied as she made her way to her friend, settling down in one of the rocking chairs next to her. "Kal had a work emergency and needed someone to cover his monitor duty shift this morning."

"Well, I'm glad you're here," she said. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

Shayera conspiratorially leaned her head a little closer to Diana before speaking again, keeping her voice low. "Dinah and Ollie are having a baby."

"Oh, Hera," Diana groaned with mixed emotions.

Shayera's brow furrowed with the Amazon's unexpected response. "Aren't you happy for them?"

"Yes, I'm very happy for them," the Princess explained, leaning her head against the back of the rocking chair. "Bruce won't be thrilled, though. He already thinks the League's become the 'Dating League' and the Watchtower a floating nursery."

Hawkgirl couldn't contain the snicker that rose to her lips. "I guess it kind of has," she shrugged a shoulder. "Bruce does realize that the whole idea of a daycare on the Tower was his, right?"

"Yes, but I doubt you'll ever get him to admit it," she nodded her head. "But beneath the grumbling gruff exterior, there beats a very soft heart."

"We're seeing it more and more every day because of you, though, he won't like to hear that."

"Well, it's about to get much worse up here," Diana drew a deep tenative breath.

"In what way?" Shayera frowned.

Ignoring her question, Diana delved into the real reason for her coming to see her friend. "Shay, I'm in desperate need of some advice."

"Sure, what's up?" she asked as she leaned her son against her shoulder and began patting his back. "Is Nicholas alright?"

"He's teething again, but other than that he's great," she told her, her voice full of motherly pride. "J'onn's tests all came back perfectly fine. He's slightly advanced for his age, but no sign of any gifted abilities yet. He's crawling all over the place and attempting to talk like mad."

"I can't wait for Rex to do more than just eat, sleep, and cry," Shayera sighed as she stroked her fine son's hair. "At the same time, I wouldn't trade moments like these for anything."

Diana reached over and rubbed Rex's back, remembering her own son right after he had been born. "I'd forgotten how small Nicholas once was," she said, reminiscing over that incredible moment when she had heard her son's first cry, held him for the first time, saw him so small in Bruce's arms. "It's definitely been an exciting adventure watching him as he grows, but it's also exhausting."

"You really do look tired, Di," Shayera suddenly noted with concern. "Maybe you should see J'onn just to make sure there's not something else going on. It's not like you to get tired."

Diana couldn't contain the excited grin that slowly curled the corners of her lips, lighting her blue eyes. "Oh, it's definitely more than being up with Nicholas for two nights straight," she said. "I'm pregnant again."

"That's wonderful, Di!" Shayera exclaimed with excitement. "How far along are you?"

"Not quite two months yet," she told her, her hand unconsciously falling to her abdomen as she thought about the little girl growing inside of her that she and Bruce had made.

"So what's the problem?" Shayera shook her head in confusion. "Is everything alright with you and the baby?"

"Yes, we're both completely fine," she quickly reassured her. "Everything's perfect so far. It's just trying to decide how best to tell Bruce about it."

"Why? Doesn't he want another baby?"

"Yes, I know he does and I know he'll be absolutely thrilled to know that we're having a little girl," Diana told her.

Shayera's frown of confusion turned into a smile of surprise as realization sunk in. "You already know it's a girl?"

"Yes, Aphrodite visited my mother during her prayers and told her I was having a little girl and that my daughter would be personally blessed by her."

"That's amazing, but I still don't see what the problem is."

"Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, desire and…sex," Diana informed her, her head falling back against the head rest of the rocking chair with a groan. "Bruce is going to have a heart attack, Shay. He's not going to take this well at all. He's already very nervous about what gifts Nicholas might have been blessed with, worried about the gods interfering in our lives. This could push him right over the edge."

"You really think so?" Shayera asked, her forehead creased in thought.

"Shay, this is Bruce Wayne we're talking about," Diana exclaimed, leaping to her feet to pace back and forth before the Thanagarian as worry began to take over once again.

"I see your point," Shayera murmured as she got to her feet as well, making her way to the changing station.

"He's already freaking out about Nicholas crawling," Diana told her. "We went out yesterday and bought just about every imaginable baby gadget known to man in order to baby-proof the Manor. When he finds out that our baby is going to be girl blessed by the goddess of love and beauty, he's going to implode. He'll keep our poor daughter locked up in her room for the rest of her life."

"I don't know, Di," Shay thoughtfully replied, unconvinced. "Bruce has really changed since he let his walls down enough to allow you into his life. I have never seen him so happy or at peace as he is with you. You've really helped him to open up and allow people to see the man that you knew he was on the inside, the one the rest of us never if rarely got to see."

Diana couldn't help but smile with Shayera's words, unexpected tears suddenly stinging her eyes. "I love him with all my heart," she softly admitted. "He's truly the other half of my soul."

Shayera giggled at her, not laughing at her confession of love for her husband. "Well, you're definitely going to have to figure out how to tell him soon or those tears of yours will be a dead give-away that something's up."

"I afraid that he already suspects something," Diana guiltily bit her bottom lip, quickly brushing the salty droplets from her eyes. "He keeps looking at me with this worried look on his face, asking me if I'm alright."

"Well, you better tell him soon before you really freak him out," Shayera advised her friend. "You know how paranoid Bruce can get."

"I know…I know," Diana sighed heavily, leaning her back against the wall with a scowl on her face, crossing her arms against her chest as Shayera finished changing Rex's diaper. "I was thinking of telling him this weekend, but I don't want to ruin our first wedding anniversary by having an upset husband all weekend.

"Besides, I have a feeling that he's up to something special, but I just don't know what yet. He's being very secretive. I don't want to ruin whatever plans he may have."

"You already know you're not going to get out of him what he's really up to until he's good and ready," she replied as they left the nursing room, settling Rex down in a crib.

"That's for sure," Diana agreed, looking down at the little boy lying in the crib already fast asleep. "I just want to make it extra special for him, reassure him that it'll be alright."

"Don't worry, Di," Shayera reassured her. "We'll come up with something. Let's go get some lunch in the commissary and we'll see what we can come up with to sell this whole Aphrodite business to Bruce."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Diana smiled with relief as she followed the Thanagarian out of the daycare.

XXX

Climbing into his Porsche, Bruce's mind was being pulled in about ten different directions. Between everything that was going on at home, work, Gotham, and the Justice League, he barely had a moment's rest. Fortunately, that would all change come tomorrow…or at least he hoped.

"Call home," he requested as he pulled away from Wayne Enterprises.

It only rang twice before Alfred answered the phone, his proper English accent ringing throughout the car's interior. "Wayne residence," he formally greeted the caller even though caller ID had already identified who was on the other end.

"Alfred, it's Bruce," he said.

"Master Bruce," Alfred cheerfully replied. "What may I do for you?"

"Is Diana there?"

"I'm afraid Miss Diana is sleeping at the moment," he informed him.

There was a long pause as Bruce worked to process this little bit of unexpected information, concern mounting. It was beyond unusual for his wife to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon unless she'd been sent out on a particularly demanding mission. It caused his chest to suddenly tighten.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred finally broke the silence. "Shall I wake her for you?"

Bruce shook himself from his worried thoughts about Diana to respond. "No…no, it's alright," he finally replied, disappointment in his voice. "Let her sleep. I'm sure she needs it."

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I was just calling to let her know that I have an unexpected meeting this afternoon with an entrepreneur who has recently moved to Gotham," he informed him. "I might be a little late for dinner depending on long it lasts."

"I'll keep a plate waiting for when you get home," Alfred said.

"Is Diana alright?" Bruce abruptly asked in a rush, his mind refusing to let go of the fear that was flooding it.

"I believe so, Sir," Alfred told him. "She went in this morning to cover a monitor shift and returned just a couple of hours ago."

Bruce's jaw clenched, his teeth grinding as he processed his butler's words. "Did she say if she went on a mission or anything?"

"No, I don't believe so. I believe she said it was actually fairly quiet. She had lunch with Miss Shayera after her shift before finally returning home."

Another long pause filled the air as Bruce's mind worked to figure out what was happening to his wife. "Is everything set?" he finally asked, knowing the perceptive butler would understand exactly what he was referring to.

"Yes, everything is ready and all the bags have been packed," he happily informed him.

"Good," he stated. "Let Diana know I'll check in with her later."

"Very well, Sir."

Bruce pushed a button, ending the call as he made his way through the busy traffic that filled the streets of Gotham on his way to his destination. He couldn't fight the scowl that had become fixed on his face or the way that his long fingers had a death grip on the steering wheel.

He wanted to turn the car around and head straight for home, corner Diana and find out exactly what was going on. Something was happening with his wife and he was going to find out what was wrong with her one way or another.

He could feel those long buried insecurities and fears twisting deep inside of him, desperately trying to claw its way back to the surface, telling him that he was going to lose everything that he loved all over again. He knew he couldn't allow that happen, though. He had finally found freedom from his dark past, freedom from the fierce grip of fear all because of Diana and he never wanted to become its prisoner ever again.

Bruce suddenly reached up and tapped his ear pierce. "Batman to Hawkgirl."

"This is Hawkgirl," her voice filled his ear after only a few seconds. "What can I do for you?"

"How was Diana today?" he asked in the low intimidating rasp of his alter ego.

"She was fine," Shayera told him after a long moment of hesitation. "She was tired from staying up with Nicholas again last night, but other than that she was her normal self. Is something wrong?"

Bruce thought for a moment before finally responding, trying to calm his heart. "No…just wanted to make sure. Batman out."

He cut the communication with Shayera before she could say anything more, feeling slightly ashamed for checking up on his wife like that, but only slightly. If she wasn't going to be forthcoming with whatever was going on with her then he'd do whatever it took to get to the bottom of it.

Bruce turned down another street, pulling his car up in front of one of the most elite restaurants in Gotham. A man in a dark blue coat and hat immediately came to the door to park the famous billionaire's car for him as Bruce exited with a curt nod of his head.

Bruce took the steps two at a time, knowing that he was running a couple of minutes late, but his meeting with Lucius had gone later than he'd planned. Straightening his tie, Bruce paused as he waited for the maitre d' to notice his presence, making sure that he had his trademark Bruce Wayne smile on his face instead of the Batman scowl that had just been there a moment ago.

The maitre d' finally looked up at the guest standing before him, blushing furiously at having kept Bruce Wayne waiting. "Please forgive, Mr. Wayne," he gushed, quickly stepping out from behind his podium. "Please follow me. Mr. Strong is right this way."

"Thank you, Philippe," Bruce smiled, following the short balding man to a table in the back that afforded them the privacy that they would require for business, ignoring the gawking stares of some of the patrons.

Glancing past Philippe, Bruce spotted a man sitting alone at Bruce Wayne's usual table. The man was frowning as he tapped furiously on his smart phone, his eyes suddenly lifting to the two men approaching him.

Darren Strong quickly stood to his feet, slipping his phone into his suit coat pocket. He was a tall man, but not quite as tall as Bruce and at least ten years younger. His green eyes hinted at the intelligence that he obviously possessed. His brown hair was slightly longer than Bruce would've guessed after talking to him on the phone this morning, but it seemed to fit his age somehow.

His goatee was neatly trimmed, his wire-rim glasses completing the formal look. "Hello, I'm Darren Strong," he politely introduced himself as he offered his hand to the famous billionaire before him. "You must be Bruce Wayne."

"I am," Bruce nodded his head, shaking the man's hand and immediately noticing his strong sure grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Darren."

"I must say the honor is all mine," Darren smiled as he took his seat again as Bruce settled in the chair across from him. "You're numerous accomplishments are quite impressive and recognized around the world."

"What can I get for you, Mr. Wayne," Philippe politely asked.

"Just ice water, please," Bruce requested, leaning his arms on the table and clasping his hands before him.

"I will bring it at once," Philippe nodded.

"I'm glad that you could find some time in your busy schedule for me," Darren said, reaching for his glass of scotch he'd been sipping on since he'd arrived a few minutes earlier.

"I had heard of your recent move to Gotham a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to call you," Bruce admitted, nodding to Philippe as he set his glass of ice water on the table before him. "I'm very interested in what sort of business ventures that you are currently involved in."

"Most of my business involves electronics, but I have recently begun to expand some of my interests into other markets."

Bruce leaned a little further forward, curious about this potential business partner. He thought it quite odd that he had never met or heard of the man who obviously should have been running in some of the same circles as him, rubbing elbows with other well-known philanthropists and tycoons. He had meant to do some research on Darren Strong when he had first learned about this man moving his business to Gotham, but had been preoccupied with other things like keeping his city safe.

But then Darren himself had personally called him this morning at Wayne Enterprises, requesting to meet this afternoon to discuss business. It was an opportunity that he knew that he just couldn't pass up.

"I would like to hear more about your company and these new ventures of yours," Bruce told him as he took a sip of his water. "We might be able to work something out between our two companies. I could be interested in investing in your electronics division."

"I would like that very much," Darren agreed, his eyes falling to the platinum wedding band on the famous billionaire's left hand. "I'm also interested in knowing more about the real Bruce Wayne."

Bruce flashed him his patented billionaire smile as he sat back in his chair. "Don't the tabloids and newspapers provide enough fodder to tell you everything you need to know about me?"

Darren snorted in response, his smile growing and revealing a set of perfect white teeth. "You know you can't believe everything in the tabloids. Reporters only write whatever will sell their papers. So tell me, Mr. Wayne, what's it like being married to a beautiful super heroine like Wonder Woman?"

Bruce instantly bristled with his question, not liking for one moment the flicker of lust that suddenly flashed through Darren Strong's green eyes when he brought up Diana, but he quickly tamped down on it. "It's a constant adventure," he smiled tightly, his blue eyes narrowing with suspicious jealousy.

"She's quite the catch," Darren lifted his glass in a sort of congratulations to Bruce for nabbing the Amazon Princess, his leering smile growing even further. "Gorgeous, intelligent, powerful. I can only begin to imagine how amazing being married to something like that must be."

If drool had begun to escape from Darren Strong's mouth and run down his chin, he wouldn't have been the least bit surprised. Bruce's jaw muscles tightened, his anger flaring with the direction this man was choosing to go with this conversation. It had been completely unexpected and most unwelcomed…and he didn't like it one bit.

"Diana is an amazing woman," he tightly said, his smile now gone.

Sensing his anger, Darren quickly held up a hand. "Hey, I didn't mean to cross any lines," he apologized, his wolfish grin saying otherwise. "Just wondering how you managed to capture a tiger like that, pursuing and winning the hand of an immortal woman from an island of man haters. You must be pretty incredible in your own right to have attracted a woman like that."

Bruce found himself about two seconds away from planting his fist in Darren's jaw. "Is this what you wanted to meet with me about…my wife?" he snapped.

Bruce's voice was suddenly low and threatening as he bit out the last two words, his tone warning the man to back down or he would regret it. Darren broke into a soft chuckle as he motioned for the waiter to refill his glass of scotch.

"Not exactly, although I admit I would love to hear more about the stunning Diana Wayne," Darren told him, wiggling his eyebrows at the billionaire. "Actually, I wanted to meet the famous Bruce Wayne, find out what made the billionaire playboy of Gotham tick, what drives and motives you."

"That title was quickly retired after I began seeing Diana," Bruce coldly stated, the corners of his mouth curling into a derisive smirk. "And if you want to find out what makes me tick, keep traveling down the path you're on and you'll find out the hard way, my friend."

"Again, I apologize if I offended you," Darren sat back in his chair as well, taking the fresh glass of scotch from the waiter. "It seems that we've gotten off on the wrong foot."

"Maybe we should reschedule this to another time then, one where you're more prepared to discuss business instead of my personal life," Bruce said with a steely edge to his voice. "As you know, I have a wife and two sons waiting for me at home."

"No, please, Mr. Wayne," Darren quickly beseeched him, sitting up straighter in his chair once more. "I do want to discuss business. I have been such a fan of yours for so long that I allowed my curiosity and excitement to get the better of me."

Bruce glared at him for a long moment before finally responding. "What exactly did you want to meet with me about then?"

Darren shrugged his shoulders, settling back in his chair again as he took a long sip of his scotch. "I wanted to invite you to come visit my company, allow me to give you a tour and see if you would be interested in possibly investing in an exciting new venture I'm considering developing."

"I will definitely take it into consideration," Bruce tightly replied, his muscles remaining coiled tight and prepared for anything. "Send me the information about the new venture you wish to develop and I'll review it."

"Actually, I brought the information with me," he told him, leaning over to his left and digging into his briefcase, producing a manila folder. Darren slowly slid the folder across the table to him, his hand lingering on the document, his green eyes hardening as he stared down the billionaire. "I trust that this information will remain confidential between the two of us. I would be greatly disappointed if I found out that you took this idea and made it your own."

Bruce watched as the roguish persona of the philanderer suddenly disappeared like a flick of switch, a hardened cunning businessman in his place. It was disturbing to witness such a rapid change in personality making him wonder how much of this was real and how much was for show. He was going to have to be very careful with this one.

"You have my word," Bruce said with deadly calm as they stared each other down, knowing that he was going to have to find out everything he could on Mr. Darren Strong.