Chapter 21

"Where did he go?"

"I don't know! I lost him again!"

"Over here!"

"No, he's over here!"

"Damn it!"

"Crap! He was here just a minute ago," Tim grumbled, his hands on his hips as he stared at the toilet paper that now lay in a huge white pile on the floor of the bathroom, the empty cardboard tube slowly coming to a rest on its holder.

"He's in the laundry room!" Bruce hollered as he began tossing piles of clean towels aside only to find nothing there.

"We have to find him!" Diana yelled back.

Alfred's voice suddenly cut through the frantic search of the Manor. "I do believe he's in the kitchen now."

"Grab him, Alfred!" Bruce ordered as he raced towards the kitchen with the new tracer Lucius had created for him firmly in his hand.

"Be careful!" Diana warned as she raced down the stairs. "Don't scare him!"

"If his constant giggling is any indication, I think it's safe to say that he's not scared," Tim said as he made a mad dash for the kitchen as well.

"He's still just a baby even if he does have special gifts," Diana frowned.

"He thinks it's a game," Bruce snapped, swiftly scanning the area as he entered the kitchen only to find Alfred all alone.

"You just missed him," Alfred calmly replied to Bruce's growl of frustration as the butler fought back his amusement with the situation. "Might I suggest bribery, Master Bruce?"

"Here!" Tim suddenly yelled as he took off for the game room.

"No, he's over here!" Diana called. "He's in the study!"

Bruce's hands clenched tightly as he stalked towards the study, cursing every single Greek god that sprang to mind whether they might have had a hand in this or not. Whoever had given him the gift of transporting himself from room to room at lightning speed was going to feel the wrath of Batman rein down on them.

"Come here, Nicholas," Diana sweetly called as she began to crawl across the floor of the study on her hands and knees in her dress. She could hear him giggling and chattering to himself, but couldn't find him anywhere as her frustration swiftly reached new levels. "Nicholas Alfred Wayne! You come here this minute, young man!"

Tim broke out into a fit of laughter as he entered the study to find Diana on all fours and an irritated expression on her face. "Way to go at trying not to scare him, Mom."

Diana glared at the teenager despite her heart melting every time Tim called her mom. She didn't think she could possibly love him more if she'd actually given birth to him herself. She huffed under her breath, trying to blow a stray raven curl out of her line of sight as she stood to her feet.

"Well, we're going to be late for the meeting this afternoon and I'm not about to leave until I find him," she told him as she smoothed out her dress after not finding him under the couch like she'd hoped.

Bruce walked in just then with a cookie in his hand and a devious smirk on his lips. "Nicholas!" he called. "Daddy's got a cookie for you."

All of the sudden, a little boy with black hair and a small stuffed rabbit gripped firmly in his small hand poked his head out from around the corner of his father's desk, a wide toothy grin on his face. "Dada…num…num…" he cried as he quickly crawled towards Bruce.

Bruce immediately reached down for his son, grabbing hold of him with one hand and swinging him up into his arms. He broke off a piece of the large chocolate chip cookie before giving it to his son who greedily began to devour it.

"The leash idea is not sounding so bad anymore is it, Princess?" Bruce smugly told his wife.

Diana looked beyond exasperated, her hands finding her hips as she glared daggers at him. "There has to be a better way of keeping him grounded without tying him up like a dog," she said as she made her way to her husband and son, her fingers stroking Nicholas's short black hair as he nibbled on his cookie.

"I don't know…it might be nice," Tim said, amusement dancing in his eyes. "I've always wanted a dog, but Bruce won't let me have one."

"No pets in the Manor," Bruce scowled as if they'd had this conversation a hundred times before. "There are plenty of bats down in the cave if you are that desperate for an animal to play with."

Tim rolled his eyes with a snort of disagreement. "Heck, I don't need a dog now," he told him. "I've got Nick. I won't have to teach him anything. He already knows how to perform tricks."

"Funny," Bruce glared hotly at him.

"Hurry up and put the tracer on him so we can leave," Diana said as she took Nicholas into her arms, holding him up for Bruce. "We're going to be late for our meeting with Darren."

Bruce's scowl deepened further if that was even possible. "I still don't think you should come with me, Princess," he grumbled as he placed the tiny tracer behind Nicholas's ear just underneath his hairline.

"We've already talked about it, Bruce," Diana replied with obvious frustration. "I'm going along to distract Darren and give you a chance to find out what he's up to. This tracer isn't going to hurt him, is it?"

"No, it's so tiny he won't even know it's there," he informed her. "Its flesh colored so as not to be noticed and completely water proof so it won't get ruined during his bath."

"Cool," Tim smiled, obviously impressed. "You thought of everything, didn't you?"

"Actually, Lucius did," Bruce corrected his son. "I've made it so all of the information from the tracer is delivered to our cell phones so we each won't have to carry a separate device to keep track of him."

"Now you behave yourself and be good for Tim while we're gone, Nicholas," Diana told him as she hugged him. "No more disappearing games, little warrior. You're going to give your mother a heart attack before you're even a year old."

Kissing him on the forehead, she handed him over to Tim. "Call us if you run into any trouble," she instructed him.

"Hey, why are you here?" Bruce asked, suddenly realizing his middle son was home instead of in school where he should be at this hour of the day.

"Parent-teacher conferences," Tim looked at him as if it was obvious.

"Remember…we have an appointment tomorrow afternoon to meet with Tim's teachers?" Diana reminded him.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me now before I meet with your teachers tomorrow?" Bruce asked Tim, his eyebrows narrowing in suspicion.

Fortunately, the young prodigy was unfazed by the Batman's severe looks. He'd seen them all before. Multiple times. "Nope, not at all," Tim replied with an innocent smile. "And whatever they say I did, it's not true."

"Remember, your mother has a magic lasso that forces people to tell the truth," Bruce smirked. "I'm not above using it on you if I have to."

"Bruce, leave the poor boy alone," Diana came to Tim's rescue, flashing him a conspiratorial grin as she grabbed hold of her husband's arm and began to drag him out of the room. "Come on; let's go before we're late."

"You know I'm still not quite sure how you talked your way into coming with me on this tour of Darren's company," Bruce bitterly complained as he followed his wife outside to the limo waiting for them. "I thought I had been abundantly clear that you were to stay out of this."

"And I believe I made it very clear you're not doing this alone," she replied, pausing by the open car door to kiss him. "Whether you like it or not, you need me, Bruce Wayne."

Bruce turned to look at Alfred for some sort of help as Diana climbed inside, but only received a broad smile of agreement with the Amazon Princess from his lifelong friend and surrogate father. "Why is everyone against me in this family? Do I no longer instill fear in anyone anymore?"

"You are still just as terrifying as ever, Sir," Alfred patronizingly replied as Bruce began to climb inside. The billionaire paused to give Alfred a dark bat glare to which the butler only shook his head in amusement. "Shaking in my shoes, Master Bruce."

Settling inside the back of the limo beside his beautiful wife, Bruce quickly captured Diana's hand as Alfred drove away from the Manor. "You know, Princess," he huskily said. "We have yet to properly make up from our spat the other night in the cave. It's never good for a husband and wife to go to bed angry."

"You haven't exactly been around the last couple of days to make up with," Diana reminded him, crossing her long legs and adjusting her short skirt in order to torment him. She could tell by the sudden flare of heated lust in his eyes that it had worked.

Bruce quickly hit the button that closed the private divider between them and Alfred before turning towards his wife. "I guess I had better 'make up' for lost time now while I have you all to myself."

Diana put a firm hand against his muscular chest as he leaned in to kiss her, his hands already going to her waist in order to pull her into his lap. "Who says that I'm even ready to make up?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Maybe I'm still angry with you."

Bruce took hold of her free hand, bringing it to his lips. "You know it's only because I love you so much that I don't want you involved in this," he told her as he brushed his lips softly against each fingertip before working his way along each knuckle. "Besides, I let you come today, didn't I? Doesn't that count for something?"

Bruce suddenly realized his enormous mistake the instant her cobalt blue eyes shifted from playful mischief to white hot anger. "You 'let me' come with you?" she repeated as she yanked her hand from his grasp.

"That…that came out wrong," he quickly attempted to amend, suddenly somewhat concerned for his well-being. "What I meant was that I'm trying to compromise and allow you…"

"Allow me?" Diana hissed, her tone rising as she sat up a little straighter.

"Wait…that's not the right word I wanted," Bruce huffed with growing frustration as Diana shifted further away from him, her arms crossed and her eyes practically daring him to try and touch her again.

"Care to try again?" she ground out, her dark glower somehow only serving to heighten his desire.

She was just so damn passionate and fiery, her blue eyes flashing with such intensity. It was one of the things that he loved about her, one of the things that always managed to turn him on. Momentarily closing his eyes, he paused to draw a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before speaking again; silently praying he'd still be able to walk under his own power when they finally arrived at their destination.

Bruce tentatively placed a hand on her bare knee, his thumb gently caressing her skin. "You are the most important person in my life, Princess," he told her, speaking from the heart. "You and our family mean everything to me. The thought of anything ever happening to you terrifies me to the core. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I ever lost you."

Diana sighed, unfolding her arms with his words and physically opening herself up to him. "Bruce…"

"Diana, you're the most beautiful, most powerful woman I have ever met," he continued, his hand moving to cup her cheek. "You are amazing in every single way and I have no doubt that you can handle yourself against any foe.

"It's the evil in this world that I don't trust, the unknown factors that lie hidden in the shadows or around every corner ready and waiting to steal what I love most. That's what haunts my sleep, and rattles my soul. It's what makes me want to keep you safe from everything."

"Bruce, it's alright. I probably overreacted a little," Diana sighed, her eyes softening with the love she felt for him. She found that she treasured these moments the most with him when he showed her his heart, bared his soul to her and allowed her to see him so vulnerable. "I love you and I just want us to be partners in every way, in everything."

Bruce leaned in to kiss her, pausing just before his lips met hers. "Diana, as much as you want us to be equals, I'm afraid it's impossible," he said with a soft smile. "You're so far above us all, shining that blinding brilliant light of yours that no one could ever reach you…especially not me."

His lips met hers with such a slow sweet passion that she could barely breathe let alone form a coherent thought. Her fingers instinctively slid up into his black hair, drawing him closer as she parted her lips for him. He happily complied, his desire matching hers as he pressed himself into her, his hand finding her backside and gripping it firmly as he pulled her hips into him.

Diana released a throaty moan as he broke away to kiss and nip along her throat, grinding his hips into hers as he held her firmly against him. She tilted her head, offering every part of herself to him and silently pleading for more.

She suddenly shifted her position, pushing him back into the seat as she straddled him, her hands holding his face. Her long curly locks fell like an ebony curtain around their faces, shielding them from the outside world.

She gasped as his hands snaked up her thighs, pushing her short skirt up to grip her backside again, slowly kneading her flesh. Their mouths devoured one another as tongues tangled and warred for dominance, neither about to back down as he began to unbutton her shirt.

Releasing her hold on him, Diana began tugging on his shirt, desperate to get at him, to feel him filling and stretching her so completely. A strangled growl rose up in his throat as she deftly unhooked his belt buckle and began to unbutton his dress pants.

"Princess…" he panted as he broke the kiss. "I…I think we're going…to have to wait until after our meeting…"

Before he could finish, her lips were on his again and driving him to the point of not even caring where they were or who could hear them as her fingers began to dance just beneath the waist band of his boxers, teasing him with what they both so desperately wanted.

He tilted his head back against the headrest, knowing he needed to stop this now, but every fiber of his being protested against such a foolish idea. He had a very hot, very insatiable Amazon Princess on his lap. Why would he want to stop this?

Alfred's voice suddenly came over the intercom system in the limo. "Master Bruce, we will be arriving in approximately ten minutes."

It was Alfred's polite way of saying wrap it up quick because the party was almost over. "Sorry, Princess," Bruce frowned with mutual disappointment as he extracted her hand from his pants. "We will definitely be picking this up where we left off when we're done with this tour."

"I'm holding you to it," she seductively purred against his ear, raking her teeth over the lobe before shifting off of him.

Bruce closed his eyes for a few moments, trying to rein in his arousal before putting himself back together again. He didn't know how he was going to be able to make it through this meeting without imploding or pulling Diana into the nearest closet.

Thoughts of cancelling and rescheduling drifted through his mind, but he quickly banished them. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, hoping to uncover something that would help him discover what Darren Strong was up to and get him out of his city.

Collecting himself, Bruce leaned over and refastened the buttons on Diana's shirt while his insides were screaming at him to tear it off of her. It also wasn't helping that she was staring at him with pure hunger still lingering in her eyes.

Diana leaned over and began kissing along his jaw as he finished putting her back together; the light rake of her teeth and seductive suck of her lips was pure torture of the best kind. "Princess," he breathlessly chided her as he roughly gripped her upper arms before kissing her hard. "You're making it difficult to stop."

"That's the point, Detective," she playfully grinned.

"I think we need to discuss our game plan before we go in," he told her as he put a little distance between them.

"Well, I'll just distract him while you pretend to get lost," she suggested.

"Diana, you won't have to work very hard at distracting anyone with that skirt you're wearing," he frowned. "You're already distracting me."

"Keep your focus off of my legs and on the mission, Dark Knight," she warned him.

Bruce grinned in response. "That's easier said than done. It's going to be harder to keep from hitting Darren especially when he sees you in that skirt. Couldn't you have worn something a little less sexy?"

"I can't distract him if I've covered from head to toe," she reminded him.

"Princess, you could be wearing a burlap sack and you'd still make it look gorgeous," he informed her. "Just be careful and keep your eyes and ears open. I have no idea what we're getting ourselves into."

The limo pulled to a stop before a large building that appeared to be made of black glass. It shined brightly in the afternoon sun like an onyx jewel, the construction of it appearing absolutely seamless. Darren had obviously spent a great deal of money having it built to impress the citizens of Gotham.

Alfred opened the car door, allowing Bruce to exit first who turned to extend a hand to his wife. Making their way towards the front entrance, the doors suddenly opened and Darren Strong himself exited. He was dressed casually in khakis and a navy blue button down shirt, a huge smile plastered on his face. His gaze was fixed solely on Diana as he approached which immediately set Bruce off.

"Bruce…Diana," he greeted them, making a beeline for the Amazon Princess. "I'm so glad that you could come today."

"Darren," Bruce tightly returned the greeting.

He came to a stop before the Amazon, his eyes never leaving her face as he took her hands in his, bowing slightly to kiss them. "Diana, you look incredible. I'm so pleased that you were able to find time in your busy schedule to join us today for the tour."

Bruce gritted his teeth as Darren kissed Diana's hand, doing his best to tamp down on his jealous anger. He needed answers and this was going to be his best chance at that. And as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that Diana's presence was going to prove very useless especially with her enhanced sight and hearing. She would be able to pick up on things that he might not even with his own highly skilled abilities.

"Please, come with me," Darren said, guiding Diana's hand to his elbow as he escorted them inside.

Bruce followed close behind them, fighting to keep his eyes off of his wife's long legs. His groin twitched with just the thought of them, loving the feel of them wrapped so firmly around his waist, holding him to her when they made love.

Although highly effective, Diana's short skirt had not only attracted Darren's attention, but the attention of every red-blooded male in the entire building. Every single person they walked by, male or female, stopped whatever it was they were doing to gawk at the leggy Amazon.

Dressed in a white dress shirt and short navy blue skirt and high heels, her legs appeared to go on for miles. Her curly hair was an ebony waterfall down her back, bouncing slightly with every step she took. She was the epitome of sexy in every single way imaginable.

Getting into an elevator, Bruce immediately snatched up Diana's other hand, keeping a protective hold on it. She cast a sidelong glance at him as she laced her fingers with his, barely able to keep her smirk at bay. He was just so sexy when he was jealous.

She squeezed his hand in silent reassurance as she turned her attention towards their host. "This place is incredible, Darren. You seemed to have put a lot of thought and detail into this."

"Thank you," he beamed proudly. "It's not as big as I had hoped, but it'll do for now. Bruce tells me that you're feeling better. I was glad to hear that. A baby is a very blessed event without having to suffer with morning sickness."

"Yes, I'm glad as well."

"I was stunned to find out that you are susceptible to the same maladies that affect normal humans," he continued as the elevator came to a stop. He held the elevator door open for her, allowing her to exit first. "I was under the impression that Meta's were immune to illnesses."

"We normally are, but unfortunately, Amazons are just as susceptible to everything that comes along with pregnancies just like any other woman," she replied.

Diana could practically feel Bruce's eyes burning through her as she walked with Darren, her husband following behind. She could feel his eyes on her ass as well. It caused her to flush inside with renewed desire for her husband.

Besides morning sickness, pregnancy did have some great perks. She couldn't seem to get enough of her sexy husband. Of course, she was always like that, but it was definitely enhanced with carrying their child.

Deciding to torment him a little and to get a little revenge for giving her the cold shoulder for a whole week, Diana swayed her hips a little more, wiggling her backside of him. She smiled to herself as she heard him stutter in his step, a low moan morphing into a throat clearing cough to cover his reaction.

"So, how soon will you begin with your research?" Bruce asked, his voice huskier than before.

"Research has been going on already, but I'm most anxious to expand and develop it with our partnership, bringing it to a whole other level," Darren replied, glancing back over his shoulder at the billionaire.

"What kind of research have you begun?" Diana asked with great curiosity as she began to make her way towards a couple of women in crisp white lab coats bent over microscopes.

"Cellular research," Darren informed her as he followed her.

"What kind of cellular research?" Bruce pressed as he stopped by a man working on a computer.

Darren looked over to where the Prince of Gotham was standing looking over the shoulder of a man inputting data into the computer. He quickly walked over to Bruce, his gaze narrowing as he tried to pull his guest away from the researchers.

"It's quite delicate work requiring great attention to detail," Darren said as he gently tugged on Bruce's elbow to draw his attention away. "It involves genetic coding, what makes each of us different…what causes one person to be completely healthy and someone else to be bedridden with a debilitating disease."

"Sounds fascinating," Diana said as she continued to wander on ahead of them in an attempt to lure Darren away from Bruce so her husband could gather information. "And what is this?"

Darren swiftly moved to follow the curious Amazon, momentarily forgetting all about the billionaire. "These researchers are working on developing ways to cure various diseases and cancers."

"What kind of diseases?" Diana asked as she turned her attention to him, her blue eyes drawing him in.

"Many kinds," he softly said, mesmerized by her. "Would like to see some more?"

"I'd love to," she sweetly replied, lacing her arm through his and leading him deeper into the enormous research lab that he'd set up. "Tell me more about these ideas of yours."

As Darren began to talk, Diana cast a glance back over her shoulder at her husband who was already beginning to blend himself into the shadows.