Thank you all for the great reviews! You guys definitely keep me writing. Don't forget to vote for the next BMWW fic I write. Just go to my profile page and cast your vote!

Now, how about a long-awaited appearance by Batwoman? :)

Chapter 10

Gotham; May 31st, 14:38 EST

Diana smiled to herself as she peered over the lip of her cup at the family and close friends that had gathered together to celebrate Tim's graduation. It had been a weekend filed with so much pride, starting yesterday as she had watched him walk across that platform to receive his diploma.

It brought with it a mixture of emotions—sadness to see him growing up and yet proud of what he'd become so far. It was a bittersweet experience for sure. He was no longer a boy in need of a mother, but a young man starting his life and going wherever it might lead him in the world.

From her spot hidden in the shadows of a small alcove near the drink table, she watched with amusement as Wally pretended to chase the kids, her daughter Kaia squealing when he tickled her before picking her up and tossing her into the air. Nicholas, Rex, and Lara all tried to save Kaia from Uncle Wally, grabbing at his legs and holding on to him as he tried to walk with kids clinging to him for dear life.

It warmed her heart to see the people she cared about most all together and having a good time without worries about missions and villains or trying to stop the rampant evils of the world even for just a little while. What was the best, though, was the fact that her mother could be here with them.

She felt an arm slip around her waist from behind, warm lips affectionately kissing her temple. "I know that look," he whispered in her ear before lightly nibbling on her earlobe.

"What look?" she asked, glancing at her husband.

"The look that says I want my husband to come to my rescue…to save me from all this happiness," he murmured low in her ear, his warm breath causing a shiver to race up her spine.

"Is that the look I have?" she asked with amusement in her voice as she turned to face him.

"Definitely," he confirmed, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It says 'rescue me from all this sickeningly sweet family time'."

She chuckled with his response, her arms snaking around his neck. "Maybe I was thinking about someone else."

Bruce growled low in his throat, his eyes narrowing dangerously with the dark flame of jealousy. "There had better be no one else on your mind, but me, Princess," he huskily stated in no uncertain terms.

"There is no one else but you," she reassured him, kissing him softly.

"Because if I find out that Andres Rojas is trying to steal my wife—"

"Bruce," Diana interrupted him, placing her forefinger on his lips to silence him. "You have my heart. You always have and you always will. Stop worrying about something that isn't happening and never will. Trust me on this. Even if Rojas is up to something, I can handle myself."

Staring at her intently, he took the tip of her finger into his mouth, sucking gently as he teased it with his tongue. She sucked in a sharp breath with his suggestive gesture, wishing now that they were alone. He always managed to do that to her at the most inopportune times, arousing her when they could do absolutely nothing about it.

"You are a very, very bad boy," she murmured, her blue eyes darkening.

"Hopefully, you'll punish me later tonight," he teased, chuckling when her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "I think I'm overdue for a spanking."

He kissed her deeply before she could respond to his flirty comment, his tongue repeatedly stroking hers. They were forced apart, however, by the sound of someone clearing his throat. "What do you want, Clark?" Bruce growled in annoyance with the intrusion, not even bothering to see who it was.

"Do you have any more wet wipes," Clark asked with a goofy grin at catching his friends like this. It was definitely better than the thick tension he'd noticed during the founders' meeting. "Lara needs changed and Lois just realized she ran out."

"Just have Lois take her up to Kaia's room," Diana suggested. "She can change her up there."

Clark stood there for a moment, grinning at them. "Anything else?" Bruce asked with a glare.

"No," Clark replied. "You two are just so cute together. It's great that you're both still so in love with each other after all this time."

Bruce scowled with his friend's comment. "Did you honestly think that Diana and I wouldn't last?" he demanded to know, his irritation growing.

Clark's expression turned into mortification, realizing how he had just sounded. "No!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that it's great to see you guys so in love…you know…that the honeymoon phase hasn't worn off yet."

"What honeymoon phase?" Diana asked, looking from Bruce to Clark and back again, confusion clearly written on her face. "What does that mean?"

"Never mind," Bruce told her, keeping a possessive hold on her. "Just ignore him."

"I think I'll go get Lara now," Clark decided, rubbing the back of his neck at the sudden awkwardness of the moment.

"Good idea, boy scout," Bruce growled, watching as Clark quickly retreated from the shadowy alcove to get his daughter.

"Bruce," Diana chided him. "You didn't have to be so hard on Kal."

"Well, he made it sound as though he was surprised that we were even still together," he complained, pulling her even closer. "Do you think there's actually a wager on the Watchtower on how long we'll last?"

"Why would there be?" she asked with a sudden frown of her own. "Only a handful knows your true identity."

"Well, there was a wager on how long it would take for us to get together," he reminded her. "Then there was a bet on whether Nicholas was going to be a boy or a girl before he was born. After that was the wager on names we would pick for Kaia."

"Nah, there's just a running bet on how long it'll take before Diana puts you in a body cast."

The couple turned to look at Wally standing at the table getting a glass of punch. "Why would I hurt, Bruce?" Diana questioned him as she pulled free from her husband's hold on her, her hands finding her hips in irritation.

"Oh, there's a whole variety of theories running rampant," Wally revealed before downing his punch in one gulp before refilling his glass. It was at that moment he finally turned to look at them, noticing the Amazon's angry stance. "But I'm sure it's all wrong. I mean why would Bruce ever tick anyone off? He's a big teddy bear, right? Gotta go play with the kiddos. Bye!"

Flash was gone before either could form any sort of response or cause physical harm to the speedster. "I am not a teddy bear," Bruce ground out through clenched teeth.

Diana patted his chest in consolation. "I know," she reassured him.

"When did I lose my edge?" he asked with a huff. "Was it when I got married? When we started having kids?"

"You're still intimidating, Bruce," she told him.

"And I'm still a very bad boy in need of punishing tonight, right?" he reminded her with a seductive smirk. "Don't forget that part."

"I won't," she promised him, kissing him deeply.

"There you two are," Hippolyta said as she approached. "I should have known you two would be hiding in the alcove making out."

"Mother!" Diana exclaimed in shock. "How do you even know the term 'making out'?"

"I'm not completely ignorant about the ways of the world, my sun and stars," she reminded her. "Besides, Dick told me you were probably over here hiding out together. I think it's rather sweet."

"At least she doesn't think you and I are destined for disaster," Bruce grumbled.

"Why would I?" Hippolyta asked, confused. "If I had thought that for even one moment, I wouldn't have passed my immortality on to my son-in-law."

"I still don't know how I'm ever going to be able to repay you for that," he said with a frown, hating the idea of owing on a debt that he could never begin to pay.

"By taking care of Diana and my grandchildren," Hippolyta replied. "Keep them safe and happy. That's all the compensation that I need."

"I'm trying to protect your daughter, but I'm afraid she doesn't want me to," he revealed, folding his arms against his chest as he shot his wife a glare. "She insists that she can handle herself."

"That's because I can!" Diana heatedly stated, clearly exasperated.

"Nonsense, my sun and stars," Hippolyta responded. "You may be powerful and immortal, but you are not indestructible."

"Thank you!" Bruce cried, throwing his hands up in the air and feeling vindicated. "I've been telling her that for years."

Diana shot him a glare that warned him to behave himself or else. "I am fully capable of taking care of myself."

"I agree that you are, Diana. I should know because I helped to train you myself, but everyone needs someone to watch their back," Hippolyta countered, caressing her daughter's cheek affectionately. "She's extremely hard-headed and independent, Bruce. You just keep doing what you're doing, knowing you have my full approval and backing."

"I will," Bruce replied with a triumphant smirk.

"Did I ever tell you about the time Diana threw a fit right in front of the council when she was ten years old because I wouldn't let her voice her opinion on a matter?" Hippolyta asked, turning her attention to her son-in-law.

"Mother," Diana groaned, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment.

Bruce chuckled as he glanced at his wife. "No, you didn't," he said, "but I'd love to hear all about it."

"Well, I had let her sit in on her first council meeting and…" Hippolyta began, lacing her arm through Bruce's as they began to walk away.

"I'm going to check on the children," Diana snapped, stalking away from her husband and mother who were already lost in conversation with one another.

"Hey, mom," Tim called, falling into step beside her.

Diana forced a smile to her face despite her annoyance with her mother and her stories. "Are you having a good time?" she asked as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders, amazed by how tall he'd gotten in the last few months. She swore he'd grown a foot or more.

"This is awesome," he replied. "When do I get to open all the cards and presents?"

"Not until everyone goes home," she told him.

"When do I get my gift from you and Bruce?"

"Later," she reassured him. "Just enjoy your party with your friends right now."

"Okay," he muttered with a frown before taking off to find Dick and Wally who were attempting to organize a touch football game with Donna, John, and Wally's girlfriend, Linda.

Diana made her way to Kaia, Nicholas, Rex, and Lara who were playing with Tim's balloons. Alfred had blown several up without any helium for the kids to play with. It had turned out to be a big hit. It had been keeping them occupied for most of the afternoon, chasing after them and trying to catch them all, but she could tell Kaia was valiantly fighting sleep at that moment.

Diana bent down and scooped her daughter up into her arms, kissing her on the cheek. "How's my baby girl?" she asked. "Do you need a nap?"

"No-no, mum-mum," Kaia said, shaking her head with a glare. She jabbered her case for needing to stay and play, but it made no sense to her mother. Her glare, however, spoke volumes of her opinion on the matter.

"All right," Diana relented with a sigh. "Since it's Tim's special day, you don't have to take a nap. Do you want to sit with me for a little while?"

"No, mum-mum," she adamantly stated, shaking her head again, her small pigtails bouncing with the movement. She pointed to her brother and her friends, indicating she wanted to play with them. "Ni-Ni…pay."

"Okay, you can play with Nicholas and the others," she decided, setting her little girl back down in the grass. "Nicholas, do you want some cake and ice cream?"

"Yah!" he cheered along with Kaia, Rex, and Lara.

"Come," she said. "Let's get some."

"I'll help you," Shayera volunteered as she struggled to stand to her feet from her chair.

"Shay, you're seven months pregnant," Diana pointed out. "Just rest and talk to Lois."

"I'm fine, Di," she claimed. "I'm pregnant, not disabled."

"Sit, Shayera," Lois ordered her with a stern look. "I'll help Diana with the kids."

They led the children to the table where the cake and ice cream awaited them. Diana began preparing plates, handing them off to Lois who got each child settled in the grass. Lois turned to take the plate Diana was preparing for Kaia when a football flew like a bullet past her head, landing right in Kaia's plate, sending ice cream and cake flying all over.

"Wally!" Bruce angrily barked.

"Whoops!" Wally yelled. "I think I put a little too much spin on that one."

Wally was at Diana's side in a blink of an eye, taking the football off the plate and holding it up with his fingertips. Ice cream dripped from the football as Wally rushed to clean up the mess that he'd just made before Bruce could cause him any physical harm.

"Go play further away from the patio," Bruce snapped, grabbing some napkins to clean up his wife.

"It's okay, Bruce," she reassured him. "It was just an accident."

"I'm really sorry, Di," Wally said, trying to help clean the cake and ice cream off the front of her dress.

"I've got this, Wally," Bruce stated with a heated glare, not the least bit happy about Wally trying to wipe ice cream off Diana's chest. "Go away."

Flash took off, too afraid to stick around a moment longer. Alfred appeared with towels, cleaning up the table as Bruce tried to clean up his messy wife. "I'm just going to run upstairs and change," Diana replied.

"Need some help?" Bruce softly teased her.

"I think I can handle it," she assured him. "Just help Kaia with her cake and ice cream."

"Come on, baby girl," Bruce said, turning and picking up his daughter. "Let's get you a new plate."

"Dada," she chattered, touching his face with her small hands. She leaned in and kissed his cheek as if telling him not to be mad at Uncle Wally. It caused Bruce's heart to melt all over again, no longer angry with the scarlet speedster.

Putting a piece of cake and some ice cream on a plate, he carried her to a chair next to J'onn who was watching the football game. "So, who's winning?" he asked as he began to feed Kaia.

"I'm not actually certain," J'onn thoughtfully responded. "I am not sure how closely the rules are actually being followed."

They watched as John tackled Dick to the ground, pinning him there while Tim made a touchdown. "I believe I should have my medical supplies on hand," Alfred muttered under his breath.

"Daddy," Nicholas called as he approached with empty plate in hand. "More pease."

Bruce just shook his head, amazed at how much his youngest son could eat. His appetite could rival Tim and Dick's. "I'll get it for you, Master Nicholas," Alfred offered, taking the little boy by the hand.

"Tank-tu, Pappoús," Nicholas said.

"I cannot believe how much little Nicholas has grown," J'onn affectionately commented as he watched Alfred help Nicholas and now Rex who had just run up to the table for seconds.

"He's so much like Diana—always happy for the most part…unless of course he can't find his beloved stuffed bunny," Bruce said.

J'onn chuckled softly, fighting back the sudden wave of emotions rising inside of him as thoughts of his own family that he'd lost rose to the surface. It was difficult sometimes being around his friends and their families like this, but this family that he'd made here on earth helped him though it.

Clark sat down in a chair next to Bruce, a loaded plate of food in hand. "Alfred certainly outdid himself this time," he said, turning his attention to the little girl in Bruce's lap and noticing her shoes. "Kaia, I love your rain boots."

Kaia grinned, lifting a boot and pointing at it as she jabbered excitedly. "I'm in so much trouble," Bruce declared with a groan, giving her another bit of ice cream. "She's not even sixteen months old and she's already picking shoes over toys."

Lara toddled over towards her dad with her empty plate and chocolate on her face. "Dada," Lara said with a wide grin. "More?"

"Oh, Lara," Clark groaned her name. "Why do you always come to your dad when you're a complete mess?"

"I've got her," Lois said, coming up behind her and scooping their daughter up into her arms before kissing her on the cheek.

"Thank you, honey," Clark sweetly replied with a grin.

"Save it, Smallville," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "You can give Lara her bath tonight."

"Gladly," Clark said with a firm nod of agreement. "I love bath time."

"So when are you and Lois going to have another one?" Bruce asked.

Clark nearly choked on his hamburger with the unexpected question. "Already?" he nearly cried. "Lara is only nineteen months old."

"So," Bruce said. "Nicholas wasn't even a year old when Diana got pregnant with Kaia."

"Yah, but you and Diana can't keep your hands off each other," Clark teased.

Bruce rolled his eyes as he set Kaia's empty plate on the ground next to his chair, his daughter snuggling into his arms and quickly falling fast asleep. "Like you and Lois are any better," he said. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with having an active, healthy marriage."

"I believe that's my cue to go play with the children," J'onn readily decided, making his way to the grass where Rex and Nicholas played.

Clark just grinned at Bruce, wiggling his eyebrows at him. "I couldn't agree more," he replied, deciding it was best to change the subject. "How are things in Gotham?"

"Not good," Bruce confessed, his expression darkening.

"Why?" Clark asked. "What's going on?"

"Turf war," Bruce cryptically revealed. "It's getting uglier every week."

Bruce watched as Diana returned in a new outfit, settling in the grass to play with the kids and J'onn. She never ceased to steal his breath, stirring his emotions like none other. He loved her so much it almost hurt. Knowing that he was dragging her into the middle of this powder keg Gotham was sitting on made him ill to his core.

Clark noticed the way that he was staring at Diana, the fear mingled with love that clouded his eyes. "What is it, Bruce?" he softly asked, hoping that his best friend would actually open up and talk to him.

Bruce shook his head, trying to find a way to explain the horror that had been haunting him the last few months. "This turf war between the Penguin and Sienna Conti scares me and I don't know why. Five years ago I would have taken it all in stride, but now—"

"Now, you have a wife…a real family," Clark finished for him.

"I'm terrified that I'm going to lose them…lose her," Bruce quietly admitted.

"There's always been that risk, especially with our jobs," Clark agreed.

"Diana's going to start joining me on patrol," he revealed, his heart nearly stopping all together with the decision that he'd made.

He had been second guessing himself ever since he'd told Diana that she was coming out with him on patrol. Saying it out loud to Clark hadn't made him feel any better about it. In fact, it made him feel even more uncertain about his decision.

"Good," Clark replied, stunning Bruce.

"How is that good?" he snapped. "I'm putting my wife in more danger."

"Bruce, she lives smack dab in the heart of it every single day with every mission she goes on," Clark patiently pointed out to him. "This is no different."

"It is different," Bruce ground out.

"How is this any different?"

"Because it's Gotham," Bruce spat out. "You don't understand Gotham like I do. It's taken so much from me over the years. I can't let it take her too."

"Where is this all coming from?" Clark questioned him, his forehead creased with concern for his friend.

"Sienna shot Diana while she was in labor with Kaia, Clark," Bruce practically growled, keeping his voice low so as not to wake his sleeping daughter. "Watching her slowly slipping away from me…it…it did something to me."

Clark watched him, waiting for him to continue. He didn't say a word, wanting his friend to get his hurt and fears out in hopes of helping him. For as long as he had known him, Bruce had always been neurotic and obsessive, paranoid to the point of questioning his mental state at times, but he'd always managed to find his way through it, remaining grounded through sheer will alone.

Letting Diana into his life had been a miracle in and of itself. She had steadily changed Bruce in so many ways, helping him to accept that he can have happiness in his life despite being the Dark Knight of Gotham. He seemed to have done battle with some of his demons since marrying her, defeating them and finding a sense of peace that he'd lost the night his parents had been taken from him.

He'd had no idea, though, how deeply Diana being shot last year had truly affected Bruce. He wondered now if any of them had. He could see that some of those demons from his past were coming back to haunt him now, threatening to steal the solace and happiness that he had found in the princess.

When it seemed as though Bruce wasn't going to open up any further, Clark decided to press the issue a little further. "Have you talked to Diana about any of this?"

Bruce sat there for several long moments, watching his wife as she played with their son. "Not really," he finally confessed. "Diana thinks I'm just being over-protective. She feels as though I don't trust her."

Clark smirked with his friend's response, shaking his head in amazement. "I wouldn't have expected any less from her."

Bruce grunted his agreement as he glanced down at his sleeping daughter. "She's so blasted stubborn," he muttered under his breath.

"Wow," Clark said with a chuckle. "That's funny coming from you."

"I'm just trying to keep her safe," Bruce tersely stated. "Why can't anyone understand that?"

"You do remember that you're married to the most powerful woman in the world, right?"

"That doesn't mean she can't die," he coldly spat out. "I witnessed that possibility first-hand, Clark. It still haunts my sleep…even now."

"Yes, she can die, but so can any one of us. She can withstand far more than most, Bruce," Clark pointed out. "If there's anyone who could handle being out in Gotham to help you make a difference, it would definitely be her."

"I know it in my heart…trust with her my very life, but my head keeps telling me something else," Bruce confessed.

"Bruce, your head has gotten in your way far too many times in the past," Clark reminded him. "It's what initially kept you from even starting a relationship with her. Don't let your head get in the way this time. You don't want it end up costing you Diana or your family in the end."

Bruce knew that Clark was right, but he was having a very hard time accepting it. Letting go of his paranoia and fear made him feel as though he was in a freefall in a bottomless abyss…clawing and fighting to grab hold of something…anything in order to save him.

And it scared the life out of him.

Batcave; June 2nd, 21:43 EST

Bruce paced back and forth as he waited, his uniform on and his cowl and gauntlets fisted tightly in his hand. He still couldn't believe that he had agreed to this. He'd made a snap decision at the worst possible time, allowing his emotions to control him and now he couldn't take it back.

If he said no now, Diana would be crushed, would probably physically break him. He couldn't do that to her. Instead, he was going to have to keep her close to him, a constant eye on her to make sure that she didn't give away her identity or put herself in needless danger.

"I'm heading out," Tim announced as he came around the corner from the changing area. "Are you sure I can't be the one to teach mom the ropes?"

"I'm positive," Bruce adamantly stated, his voice broking no argument. "She's staying with me until further notice."

Tim just shook his head as he put his mask on. "You know mom could break you in two with just her fingernail if she wanted to, right?"

"Strength does not equal invulnerability," he snapped, his anger simmering just beneath the surface.

"Whatever you say," he muttered with a sigh, noticing as well how his father-figure's neurosis had been steadily building again.

"So, can I take my new black Corvette out on patrol?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No way," Bruce growled. "You can thank your mother for that car. I was fine with getting you a Toyota Camry."

Tim groaned, shaking his head at the thought, but noticing the slight smirk that played on the corner of Bruce's lips. "You have got to be joking," he replied. "I wouldn't be caught dead in a Camry."

"You wreck that Vet and you will be in a Camry," he warns him.

"Uh, yah…see you out there," Tim muttered, audibly gulping as he made a quick escape.

Bruce resumed his pacing once more, the roar of Tim's cycle filling the cave only to diminish as he raced down the hidden tunnel. He ran through a few quick meditation exercises to help settle and focus his mind, knowing that he was overreacting, but he feared the consequences if he didn't. The one moment he allowed him to relax would be the moment he lost everything.

"So how do I look?"

The sound of her voice caused him to freeze in his tracks. Drawing a deep breath, he forced himself to turn around to see the costume that he'd designed for her and that Alfred had made. His breath caught in his throat as his gaze settled on her dressed in black from head to toe, a form fitting design that perfectly accentuated her god-given curves that he adored.

It was similar to his uniform in many ways, but definitely made specifically for her feminine form. Instead of a cowl, she wore a domino mask with wings, her long raven hair pulled up into a tight ponytail. A golden Bat emblem similar to his adorned her chest as well as her utility belt, the edges of her gauntlets tipped in gold. A black cape and matching high-heeled boots completed the look.

"Bruce?" she finally said after several long moments of being stared at with no response from her husband.

"You look fine," he snapped, turning his back to her.

"Okay," she replied, disappointed by his reaction to her new uniform. She had hoped that he would have loved it, but he seemed so disinterested…so unaffected by her.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" he gruffly asked as they made their way to the Batmobile, hoping she'd change her mind, but knowing she never would. "You really don't have to go out on patrol with me."

"I want to, Bruce," she maintained. "I've wanted to be your partner in every way possible for a long time now."

"Fine, Princess," he practically growled.

"It's Batwoman," she corrected him.

She slid into the passenger seat of the Batmobile, a grin on her face that didn't go unnoticed by her formidable husband. "Diana, you can't smile if you're going to go out on patrol with me."

"Sorry," she apologized, doing her best to conceal her excitement. "So when do I get my own Batcycle?"

He looked over sharply at her, stunned by her question. He hadn't even had a chance to grow comfortable with her joining him on patrol and she was already asking for her own vehicle. At least she hadn't asked him to drive the Batmobile yet.

"Do you even know how to ride a motorcycle?" he asked her.

"No, but I'm sure you can teach me," she replied with a sweet smile.

Damn. He was so dead when she gave him that seductive grin, but coupled now with that sexy uniform and he was beyond helpless against her feminine charms. He could already feel his pants growing tighter and they'd only been out of the cave for five minutes. The thought of her on a motorcycle with that outfit wasn't helping him any either. It suddenly felt twenty degrees hotter in the car.

This was going to be a very long night.

"We'll see," he grumbled, angry with himself for not having better self-control. They had too much going on in Gotham right now for him to be panting like a dog every time she looked his way.

Diana smiled to herself, knowing she was getting to him. The time for flirting and teasing was over. It was time to get down to business and focus. "All right," she began with all seriousness. "Where are we starting first tonight?"

"We're going to start with tracking down the bookies I had you look into," he replied. "If we have time, we're paying Penguin another visit for burning Conti's business to the ground."

"I'd start with Sam Ramirez first if I was you," she told him.

Bruce was taken aback by her suggestion. It was the exact bookie that he was planning to start with first. "What makes you think that we should start with him?"

"First, Sam is supposedly located in the same part of Gotham that Mark Jacobson and Seth Mathis lived," she began. "Second, Sam has been around for years, meaning that he's probably very well known, especially down at the docks. Seth Mathis just moved to Gotham a few months ago so he'd more than likely start with someone who's been doing it for a long time and is well known in the area."

Bruce nodded his head, keeping his face emotionless despite the pride he could feel welling inside of him. "Good," he muttered. "Anything else?"

"He likes to hang out at a sleazy strip bar called 'Kinks'," she revealed with obvious disdain. "He has a favorite girl there that he likes to visit by the name of Kitt-Katt. He's also obsessed with his red, 1968 Shelby Mustang, Cuban cigars, and imported beer."

Stunned, Bruce kept his focus on the road as he processed what she had just told him, trying his best to keep a cold expression firmly in place, but it was next to impossible when his jaw wanted to drop open in shock. "You really have done your homework."

"Well, you gave me a job to do and I wanted to do my best," she simply said. "You can trust me, Bruce. I've always got your back."

"I know," he murmured, glancing out the driver's side window as they entered the city.