Chapter 37

Bruce scrolled through one screen after another on his computer as he reviewed every shred of information he could glean on the infamous Falcone crime family. He had thought after Carmine and his three children had died it would be the end of the crime family once and for all, but evidently not.

There was something that he had to have missed over the years of being forced to deal with them. When Carmine had died, he had hoped that would be the last of it, but he knew he could never be that lucky. Carmine's three children had been a living nightmare to deal with and now there was the possibility that there was another Falcone player in town who had partnered with the Penguin.

The nightmare had just gotten much worse.

Leaning forward, Bruce rested his elbows on his desk and closed his eyes as he rubbed his temples. He could feel the beginning of a migraine forming behind his eyes. The battle in Gotham was a never ending game, one that he felt he was losing badly at.

For all the good he tried to do, it felt like a solitary drop of rain in a vast inky ocean of utter chaos and wickedness. He didn't feel as though he was even making the slightest wave among all of the crime that saturated the city that he loved.

Would it ever become the bright shining city that he dreamed it could be someday for his children?

He hoped to make Gotham safe for not only its citizens, but especially for his own children. The thought of Nicholas…their daughter…being forced to carry on the deadly fight to rid the city of the horrors that he had been forced to witness as an eight year old boy made his stomach twist painfully.

The unexpected feel of familiar hands so gentle and yet so very deadly began to knead the tight muscles of his neck. She had actually managed to sneak up on him this time though he would never admit it to her. She'd never let him live it down if she knew.

"Why aren't you resting, Princess?" he gruffly asked though the words turned into a muffled groan as her fingers suddenly dug a little deeper, a little harder into the knotted up muscles across his shoulders. She had made her point without uttering a single word.

Her warm breath skating across his ear was his only warning before her sultry words assaulted not only his hearing, but his groin as well. It never ceased to amaze him how much she could truly affect him by doing so little.

"I came to find my handsome husband," she murmured. "Your son's birthday party is in an hour."

Bruce's head snapped up as he glared at the corner of the computer screen that revealed the time, silently willing it to be different. Where had the day gone? He could have sworn that he'd only been down here in the batcave for a couple of hours…not six.

"Why didn't you come get me sooner?" he asked with a frowned as he stood from his chair, turning around to face her.

"I knew that you needed time to sort through your investigation," she replied. "Were you able to come up with any more from what you learned at the docks the other night?"

"Not yet, but I have Barbara helping me work on finding anything about the Falcone family that she can scare up," he told her.

"I'm sure you'll come across something that will crack this whole thing wide open for you," she reassured him.

Bruce's hands fell to either side of her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw. "You should have come to get me sooner. We have a lot of work to do before the party starts."

"Alfred and Tim helped me get everything ready," she responded with a quick kiss.

He frowned despite her sweet kiss, not only wanting more but wishing she hadn't done all the work without him. "I should've been helping set up, not you."

"Bruce, I'm fine. The accident was over a week ago," she reminded him. "You're not going to stop worrying until after this baby is born, are you?"

"No and even after the baby is born, I'll still be worrying about you so you better get used to it, Princess," he told her with a self-satisfied smirk.

"What am I going to do with you, Bruce Wayne?" she said with a sigh, an affectionate smile tugging at her lips.

"I can think of quite a few things off the top of my head," he huskily replied as he kissed her. "Of course, we would definitely need a lot more than just an hour for what I have in mind."

"Hmmm…well then, I guess you better hold onto that thought of yours for later tonight because the guests will be arriving soon."

Taking his hand in hers, she began to pull him towards the stairs of the batcave. His focus fell to the sexy sway of her hips, the gorgeous view of her long legs that taunted and teased him, beckoning him to touch her.

"It's going to be difficult keeping my hands off of you when you're dressed like that."

Diana turned to look at him over her shoulder, a confused expression lighting her face as she led up the steps. "Bruce, I'm wearing a maternity sundress and sandals," she pointed out to him. "Not to mention, I'm six months pregnant. I'm quite sure I'm not that attractive right now."

"Diana, you could make a burlap sack and orthopedic shoes look sexy as hell," he said with a leering grin as they passed by the grandfather clock into the library. "Besides, you have no idea how sexy it is to see you carrying my baby."

Bruce suddenly paused in mid-step, pulling her to a stop and kissing her breathless. After several long moments, she finally retreated for air, resting her forehead against his as she struggled to catch the breath that he had just stolen.

"You make it more than difficult to think straight when you kiss me like that," she breathily chided him, her tongue peeking out to run across her bottom lip.

"And you make it damn near impossible not to kiss you when you do that with your tongue, Princess," he murmured.

"Oh, you mean this?" she grinned, running her tongue over her bottom lip again in a slow seductive taunt.

"Yes…that," he growled, his mouth roughly claiming hers with a vengeance, his tongue in a sudden duel with hers for ultimate control.

They were soon interrupted by a reprimanding throat clearing cough that was all too familiar. "What is it, Alfred?" Bruce finally asked, annoyed by the interruption.

"As much as it thrills my very soul to see the two of you so happy and in love, I'm afraid that you have a call, Master Bruce," the British butler informed him.

"Who is it?"

"Mr. Darren Strong," he replied. "He seemed quite perplexed on the phone and most anxious to speak with you."

"You better see what he needs," Diana suggested. "It might be important. Besides, I need to get Nicholas for his big party."

Bruce's frown deepened as he picked up the phone, wondering what Darren wanted. He hadn't heard from him since finalizing the research deal between their two companies. He hoped that everything was alright.

"This is Bruce."

"Hi, Bruce," Darren greeted him, his voice solemn and missing the glib confident tone that it usually carried. "I'm sorry to bother you on a Saturday like this."

"It's no trouble at all," he insisted, his instincts on high alert. "What can I do for you?"

"I…uh…" Darren began only to suddenly pause in his explanation for the unexpected phone call, searching for the words that he needed to say. "I…I just wanted to let you know that my sister Allison passed away early this morning."

Bruce was speechless with what Darren had just told him, fighting to find his own voice at that moment with the unexpected news. "Darren, I'm so very sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, but because of you Allison ended up having a little more time than she probably wouldn't have had without Dr. Lance's help," he informed him. "I just wanted to call and thank you for that."

"You have no need to thank me," Bruce responded, his heart heavy for this man's loss. Darren had told him that Allison was all that he had left in the world and now she was gone. He had known that intense loneliness all too well at one time. "I was more than happy to help you. I just wish I could have done more."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but I just wanted you to know," Darren continued.

"Thank you for calling," Bruce softly said. "Please let us know if there's anything else we can do for you."

"I will…thanks, Bruce."

He laid the phone down, pinching the bridge of his nose as Diana entered with Nicholas in her arms. "Bruce, what is it?" she asked, suddenly concerned. "What did Darren want?"

"He called to let us know that his sister Allison passed away this morning," he informed her.

Tears instantly welled in the Amazon's eyes as she pressed a kiss to Nicholas's temple, her eyes momentarily falling closed as she lifted silent prayers for the woman. "Dear Hera," she softly gasped. "I'll arrange to have some flowers sent next week."

Bruce nodded his head in agreement as he thought about Darren's loss, suddenly reminding him of his own and at the same time, reminding him of all that he had gained over the last year and a half. He couldn't begin to imagine losing his family now.

Diana took his hand in hers, squeezing it tenderly as if reading his mind and feeling his loss. He looked up to find her cobalt blue eyes shining with unshed tears, the corners of her red lips gently curved into an understanding smile filled with reassurance that suddenly lifted the heaviness in his heart.

"Come, let's enjoy this day celebrating our son's birth," she gently suggested. "We can be there for Darren and mourn his loss tomorrow."

A reluctant smile slowly spread across his face as he leaned in to kiss her cheek in unspoken gratitude. "Flash isn't coming this afternoon, is he?"

Diana chuckled softly with his question as she led him to the kitchen. "Of course he is," she said, handing Nicholas over to his father. "We can't invite the Founders and their families without inviting Wally."

"We could try," he teased, his tone gruff but his eyes were filled with mischief.

"Wally would be positively crushed if he weren't invited to Nicholas's first birthday party," Diana reminded him. "He loves Nicholas as if he were his own, considers himself to be Nicholas's uncle."

"He's not, though," Bruce pointed out. "Nicholas is all ours."

Her husband's possessive tone did not go unnoticed by the Amazon. "Mother should be arriving any minute now."

"Hippolyta is coming?" The frown on his face was obvious.

"Yes, she's coming," Diana exclaimed in exasperation. "You know she wouldn't miss her own grandson's first birthday. You don't have a problem with it do you? I thought you liked my mother now."

"No, I do…its fine," he said with a shake of his head as he patted Nicholas's back. "It's just that I forgot that's all. I've just had a lot on my mind with your accident and investigating the explosion as well as the murder spree in Gotham."

"You still think they're connected in some way, don't you?" she asked as she got Nicholas's sippy cup from the refrigerator, momentarily distracted by the unexpected new picture of her and Bruce kissing that was now adorning the stainless steel door along with all the other family pictures that Alfred had collected and put up there on display.

"I don't think so…I know so, Princess," he grimly informed her, his voice all Batman. "I tested the black gritty residue that I obtained from the explosion site in the Javelin bay to the residue from the murders in Gotham. It's a perfect match."

Diana couldn't help the shudder of dread that trembled through her with the realization that the League itself was possibly being targeted now. Her hand automatically fell to her belly, caressing their baby as if to make sure she was still safe, still growing inside of her.

Noticing her fear, Bruce immediately went to her, his hand covering hers that rested over their daughter. "I promise you…I will get to the bottom of this, Diana," he swore to her, leaning in close and pressing his lips to her forehead where a lingering faint reminder of the accident still marred her skin.

A soft smile graced her face as the baby suddenly kicked as if adding her own reassurance. Looking up from their joined hands on her abdomen, Diana lost herself in Bruce's piercing blue eyes that always caused the very air to disappear from her lungs.

A look of pure wonder and excitement lit his entire face. He quickly crouched down before her, holding Nicholas on his knee and putting his son's small hand on Diana's abdomen for him to feel the baby growing inside.

"Can you feel the baby, Nick?" Bruce asked him.

The baby kicked again at that moment causing Nicholas to giggle excitedly in response, stunned by what he felt. He quickly looked up at Diana as if wanting her to do it again causing the Amazon Princess to giggle at his reaction to feeling his sister for the first time.

"Mama," Nicholas jabbered with a giggle as he repeatedly patted her tummy, wanting her to do it again.

"He thinks I'm doing it on my own," Diana chuckled as she lovingly stared down at her son.

Bruce couldn't help but laugh as well. "Great," he replied. "He's going to be bugging you to make the baby kick all the time now."

Confused as to why nothing was happening when he patted his mother's belly, he looked back at Bruce with an expression of pure bewilderment. "That's your baby sister, Nicholas," he tried to explain to him; placing his hand over Nicholas's still resting on Diana's abdomen. "Say hi to your sister. We'll get to meet her in three more months."

A sudden flash caused all three to look up in surprise, finding a grinning Alfred suspiciously slipping his camera back into his jacket pocket. "What?" he nonchalantly said.

"That camera is going to come up missing one day," Bruce threatened with a dark glower as he straightened up, taking Nicholas's sippy cup from Diana and giving it to his son.

Alfred just chuckled in response to the empty threat. "I'd love to see you try, Master Bruce."

Diana covered her mouth, biting her bottom lip to stifle her laughter, but failed miserably, receiving a glare from her husband. "What?" she responded with a shrug. "It's something I wouldn't mind seeing. I think Alfred just might be able to take you."

"You would bet against your own husband?" he asked in amazement.

A glint of amusement reflected in the butler's eyes. "Master Bruce didn't learn all of his tricks overseas," Alfred informed her with a wink at Diana. "There are some things that even Lady Shiva couldn't teach him."

Bruce rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to provide an appropriate retort in his defense only to be interrupted by Tim entering the kitchen. "Look who I found wandering outside."

"Mother!" Diana exclaimed in excitement, making her way to her and pulling her into her arms.

Hippolyta pulled back to look at her daughter as well as her expanding belly, pride blossoming on her face. "You look positively radiant, my little sun and stars," the Queen said as her hands fell to her daughter's abdomen.

The baby kicked as if on cue, causing the Queen's eyes to light up even further before unexpectedly growing moist with tears. She was so happy for the wonderful life that her daughter was building for herself in Man's World and yet she missed her so very much.

Although not happy about her decision to marry the dark brooding Batman, she couldn't have hand-picked a better, more worthy man for her daughter to marry and have children with. She'd never seen Diana happier or more beautiful in all her life, but the real change had been evident in Bruce Wayne.

It was as if the dark foreboding cloud that had shadowed him everywhere he went for so long had simply vanished, revealing a genuinely compassionate, noble man at heart. It must have been what Diana had seen in him all along, something that almost everyone else had not bothered to notice.

Looking past her daughter, Hippolyta gazed at the man who had stolen her daughter's heart. His attention had been fully captured by Diana, nothing but absolute love and adoration shining in his eyes. It touched her heart to see the way that a man could truly look at a woman in such an intensely passionate way. It was as if Diana was his whole world in every way imaginable.

She suddenly found herself longing for a man to look at her the way that Bruce looked at Diana.

Quickly banishing such a foolish thought, she greeted her son-in-law. "Bruce, you're looking well."

"Thank you," he said with a smile, coming over to kiss her on the cheek. "It's good to see you too. I'm glad you could come today."

Over time, Bruce was gradually growing to like his mother-in-law. He was still struggling with the fact that she had so coldly banished her own daughter from her home knowing it had been Diana's only option. Then there was the whole incident with Hippolyta's unexpected appearance at the manor the night that he had proposed to Diana. He was still angry that the queen had come to take Diana away from him, demanding that she leave and return to Themyscira forever.

Fortunately, things had settled down considerably since then, Hippolyta coming to accept him as a permanent part of Diana's life. He just couldn't help wondering if or when she might try something again.

He also wanted to talk to her about what was involved in removing Diana's immortality, what it would cost her or if it would harm her in any way. As much as he understood his wife's desire to grow old and die with him someday, it was still something that he was struggling to come to terms with.

"And how is my handsome little Nicholas?" Hippolyta cooed, taking her grandson into her arms. "My, my…you're getting to be a big boy, my little warrior."

Nicholas quickly reached out to touch the beautiful ancient Greek necklace that adorned his grandmother's neck, babbling at break-neck speed about something of great importance to him, pausing long enough to turn and point at Diana's belly.

"Are you excited to meet your baby sister, little one?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm worried about how he'll react to having a sister," Diana admitted.

Bruce came to stand beside his wife, taking her hand in his. "I'm sure he'll love her," he reassured her.

"I know, but I've heard horror stories about first born children not accepting a new baby in the house," she told him as she rubbed her belly, worry creasing her brow.

"You've been reading pregnancy books again haven't you?" he asked with a frown.

"They contain a lot of good information," Diana pointed out. "Besides, I have to do something to keep myself occupied since you banned me from going on League missions."

"If you'll all make your way to the garden, I'll bring you some ice tea," Alfred suggested. "The rest of our guests should be arriving any time now."

"That's Alfred's way of politely saying 'get out of my kitchen so I can work'," Bruce interpreted for everyone, casting a knowing look at the butler.

"I was merely trying to make sure our guests are more comfortable," Alfred maintained with a snort. "I'm sure that the Queen is accustomed to a more proper welcome than standing in a kitchen."

"I assure you I'm quite fine, Alfred," Hippolyta replied with a smile. "Things on Themyscira aren't always so refined and proper."

"She's right, Alfred," Diana interjected. "There were times when mother would let her hair down and actually join us in an occasional mud wrestling contest."

Bruce turned a sharp look at his Amazon wife. "Mud wrestling?" he questioned her with a smirk, a lustful gleam suddenly lighting his azure eyes. "Do you have pictures of this event?"

Diana huffed in exasperation, squeezing his hand in response. "And where would we have gotten a camera on an ancient island hidden from the world and protected by magic for thousands of years?"

"You know Diana was the best mud wrestler among all the Amazons," Hippolyta commented as she followed them outside with Nicholas in her arms, completely oblivious to the fact that she was making it rather embarrassing for her daughter. "Mud wrestling in the nude is not as easy as it might sound."

"Really? Maybe you can reenact it for me some time," he leaned in to whisper in her ear as they stepped out into the bright afternoon sunlight.

A rosy tint suffused the Amazon Princess's face as she dipped her head, tucking a raven lock behind her ear. "Better yet, maybe I'll just wrestle with you instead," she murmured under breath.

"I'd love nothing more, Princess," he muttered.

"Hey, when can we all take a family vacation to Themyscira?" Tim suddenly asked as he followed everyone out, leaving Alfred to his kitchen and his final preparations for the party.

Alfred smiled to himself with Tim's question, images of an all female island suddenly being invaded by the Wayne family. He was more than positive that the island would never be the same again after they had left, Dick and Tim creating quite the mayhem among the Amazon women.

He suddenly wondered how Hippolyta was going to react to the news that her other Amazonian daughter was dating Bruce Wayne's son now. He decided that it was best to let Master Dick handle that little quandary on his own.

XXX

"You decorated for the party in Batman?" Bruce exclaimed as he came to an abrupt stop, stunned by what he saw.

Everywhere he looked, his alter ego hung from anything and everything that could possibly support streamers, cardboard, paper lanterns, lights and balloons of varying shapes and sizes. It was like walking into an outdoor shrine to himself, one that could induce terror in the most fearless.

It was creepy and at the same time touching in a way.

"Bruce, you're Nicholas's favorite superhero," Diana reminded him, kissing him on the cheek. "Would you have preferred he had a Flash birthday party instead?"

The Dark Knight visibly grimaced with the very thought of his own son having that comic relief of a superhero for his first birthday party. Images of his backyard awash in nothing but red with yellow lightning bolts made him internally shudder in horror.

"Hell no," he growled. "It's perfect just the way it is."

"I thought you might agree," Diana grinned.

Looking to his left, Bruce froze, his frown suddenly reappearing with a vengeance. "Really?" he asked in disbelief, a little annoyed. "A Batman piñata?"

"I think that was Dick's idea," Diana thoughtfully replied, unaware of the significance of it.

Bruce harrumphed with the revelation. "You do realize that you're supposed to beat the crap out of a piñata with a stick in order to get the candy inside, right?"

"Yes…and?"

Staring at the confusion etched in her beautiful face, he couldn't fight the smile that pulled at the corners of his lips. She was just so damn innocent and utterly adorable. "Never mind," he sighed heavily. "I still owe him and Tim for Father's Day."

"I thought the shirt was so cute," Diana told him. "You should wear it more. I never see you wear it."

"There's a good reason for that," he muttered.

From behind them, they could hear Nicholas squeal loudly with delight at the sight of all the decorations, the black and silver balloons, the streamers and lights, the large piñata dangling from a tree limb.

Bruce couldn't contain the smirk of pride or the sudden flood of warmth that inundated his heart knowing how much Nicholas truly adored him. It brought about a sense of pure elation that was beyond imagination or description.

If there was a cloud beyond nine, he'd definitely found it because of Diana and the unique family they were building together.

"Dada!" Nicholas continued to cry excitedly, his bright blue eyes wide in absolute wonder as he tried to take it all in, pointing and yelling his father's name over and over.

Hippolyta chuckled at her grandson's reaction to the decorations, setting him down in the grass so he could explore it all. "I think he likes his party already," she said, amused by him.

Nicholas toddled around the yard and patio, pointing and jabbering endlessly to everyone and no one. Tim knelt down and picked up his little brother, taking him around to the various decorations as well as the large table already filled with presents. The little boy swiftly leaned forward in an effort to reach his presents, almost toppling out of his brother's arms in a desperate need to get to them.

"Whoa there, little bat," Tim laughed, pulling him more firmly into his arms. "Hope the others arrive soon. Nick's getting anxious to open his presents."

"Speaking of guests," Bruce began with a growing smirk. "Is Stephanie coming?"

Bruce watched with satisfaction as Tim's face went crimson with embarrassment. He quickly ducked his head and averted his eyes, suddenly finding his tennis shoes more than a little fascinating at that particular moment.

"She couldn't make it," Tim mumbled, disheartened by the reminder. "Family vacation."

"Aww, poor Timmy misses his girlfriend," Dick teased his brother as he entered the elaborately decorated veranda, walking hand in hand with Donna Troy.

Dick and Donna both stopped dead in their tracks, their mouths falling open as the Queen of the Amazons suddenly turned around, revealing her presence. All three sets of eyes met in that uncomfortable moment, Dick's stomach instantly plummeting into his boots as a curse formed on his lips.

"Um…hello, Mother," Donna greeted her with a nervous smile.