And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, because I am so generous, I present to you the moment that you've all been waiting for: the wedding of Daniel Wayne to the Vixen Carmelita. Oh the fun I had with this chapter. It is fluffy to be sure, but there are some darker tones towards the end. Also, it's time to play our favorite game: Spot the Reference. I want to see if any of you can deduce just who the mother of the new Dark Knight is. Leave me your guess in a review, but rest assured, the answer will be revealed in time. Oh, and patattack, just a shout out to you, you're right, this is essentially the calm before the storm. Right now, I'm trying to establish the characters and their situations before I really plunge them into the plot. Anyway, enough of me blurbing, enjoy.

Two months had breezed by like nothing, and Carmelita was eighteen years old in what seemed like a blink of an eye. They had set their wedding date for a few weeks after high school graduations. During the days Daniel planned the ceremony's particulars with Carmelita, and during the nights he worked to keep Gotham safe. Shortly after that first night atop Gotham Police station, Batman had gotten back in the press. Newspapers were throwing around different theories about why the Dark Knight had left and suddenly returned, there was even rumors about books that would attempt to explain the psychology behind Gotham's Guardian.

Between his nightly patrols and his days with Carmelita, Daniel was still able to work on the strange strain of tuberculosis that now claimed seven victims. It was obviously the work of a serial killer, but Daniel couldn't find any evidence on the bodies that might lead to an arrest. Somehow, this UnSub had managed to create a strain of tuberculosis that affected Vixens.

If that was the case though, why hadn't he released it by and large into a concentrated area of Vixens? Maybe he couldn't. It was entirely possible that the strain that the UnSub had created wasn't airborne. That would give Daniel an advantage, for sure. Maybe he could find the killer before he had the chance to wipe out Gotham's Vixen population. Thankfully, the press hadn't leaked anything on the killings. The police had kept a tight lid on it to keep from Vixen riots, and Batman's return coupled with the announcement of the engagement of Daniel Wayne to Carmelita kept them busy enough.

But he couldn't worry about that now. Now, he was about to marry Carmelita. He couldn't believe how nervous he was. Despite his best efforts, Daniel's body wouldn't obey his commands. His heart was beating fast, his palms were sweating, and he couldn't stop straightening his bow tie or running his hands through his brown hair. Bruce seemed to notice from his seat in the audience and gave his son a knowing smile.

Finally, after an eternity of waiting, the wedding march sounded and Carmelita started to walk down the aisle. She wore a traditional wedding dress, but it had been modified like her blue dress for her tail. Beneath the veil she wore on her head, Carmelita beamed. She looked like an angel.

When she finally stood across from him, his heart started to beat even faster. The preacher started to go through the traditional ceremony, talking about how marriage is a sacred institution, even going so far as to touch upon how humans and Vixens could love as well. That comment made Daniel think about the press that no doubt was vying for a chance to be there. Thank goodness, the Wayne Estate grounds were private property, and the police even left a couple of patrol cars by the front gate.

Finally, the couple exchanged rings and vows, promising to be true to each other, that nothing would come between them, and that they would stick together through thick and thin. "Now, you may kiss the bride," the preacher said. Daniel certainly wanted to, but there was the Vixen part of the ceremony to perform. Lifting her veil, Daniel reached up and cupped the back of Carmelita's neck, bringing her face forward to nuzzle their cheeks together. It was nothing really new, they had nuzzled their cheeks together before, but Daniel could almost feel how Carmelita was marking him, declaring to all other Vixens that he was taken, just as their rings had declared.

Quickly, Daniel shifted his face to bring their lips together. His heart pounded in his chest, threatening to burst right out. Carmelita's lips tasted like strawberries from the lip balm she wore, and they felt like silk against his.

Now he really understood why he had saved this kiss for now. Knowing that it sealed a deal with finality, that it was special in every way, made it that much better. Their lips parted, and Daniel smiled at her.

Offering her his arm, Daniel led her down the grassy aisle to the reception area that had been prepared. Congratulations were given, toasts were made, food and laughter was found in plentiful supply. It didn't seem that the day had any poor qualities to it, not with the sun shining and the friends and family that had come to celebrate. That was when Daniel saw someone standing at the top of a hill on the estate. It was a woman, and she wore a long black dress, the same color as her hair. She stood there, waiting.

Daniel excused himself from his bride and walked over to her, assured that they were out of earshot, even for Carmelita's hearing. "What are you doing here," he demanded of the woman. "I don't remember sending you an invitation."

"I'm not even welcome to my own son's wedding?" the woman calmly replied.

"When you abandon your son when he's only six years old and never talk to him again, I'd say that you forfeit your right to be there when he gets married," he growled.

"I've told you over and over that I had no choice but to return home. My mother stepped down, I had to take the throne."

"You can keep telling yourself that, but I think we both know that you could have found another way to stay with me if you had really tried. Now what do you want?"

The woman brought her hands from behind her back, presenting a folded piece of parchment. "I've come with a peace offering."

Daniel took the parchment from her hands and opened it, reading the Ancient Greek text as easily as he read english. "Is this a joke? You seriously want me to believe that after twelve years of no contact except that blasted cave, you want me to bring my wife to your island for our honeymoon? How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're stupid. I honestly want this."

"If you did, you would have tried to apologize earlier, but you didn't. You're asking me to forget twelve years worth of abandonment to come to an island for two weeks that happens to be populated with aunts that hate me for the fact that I can beat them in a fight, and a grandmother who hates me for my heritage, just so I can subject my wife to a prejudice even worse than she faces here, all because you want to 'make amends'? How stupid do you have to be to think I can even begin to consider that?"

"Daniel, please," the woman reached out to touch her son's arm, but Daniel pulled away.

"No," he said forcefully, dropping the parchment at her feet. "You weren't interested in being my mother twelve years ago, and I've accepted that, but don't try to pretend you're interested now. But," he said, a bit calmer as he straightened the sleeves of his jacket, "since you are my mother, I won't tell my kids that you abandoned me, and as a result them. I'll just tell them you died in a boating accident."

"Why would you tell them I'm dead?" the woman asked, shocked.

Daniel leaned forward until his face was an inch from hers. "Because you're dead to me," he growled. Turning, Daniel walked down the hill, calling upon every ounce of strength he had to put a smile back on his face before he returned to his seat next to Carmelita.