Chapter 38

Diana watched in horror as her mother's expression morphed from pure happiness to one of outright anger and disbelief. Her eyes became like blue flaming daggers as she stared at Donna and Dick who had stopped dead in their tracks at the unexpected sight of the Amazon Queen.

Diana quickly made her way to her mother, hoping to head off a possible explosion at her son's first birthday party…or a homicide depending on how this actually went. "Mother, you remember Bruce's son Dick," she pleasantly inquired, taking Hippolyta's hand in hers and squeezing it in an effort to break the mounting tension.

"Yes, I believe I do," she tightly responded, her grip on her cup of punch tightening as she glared at the pair.

Bruce made a beeline for Dick in hopes of protecting his son in some sort of fashion, but wasn't entirely certain how at the moment. It seemed preservation of life was first and foremost on the agenda for the birthday party that had taken a sudden turn for the worse before it had even really gotten started.

And Flash had yet to make an appearance yet.

Bruce glared at his son, his heated gaze falling to Dick and Donna's joined hands. Catching the hint, Dick quickly released Donna's hand, wiping his suddenly sweaty palm casually on his jeans before stuffing both hands into his pockets with a look of pure innocence on his face.

There was no need to divulge more than was absolutely necessary at that moment, especially the fact that they had just spent their first night together last night or the juicy detail that she had completely rocked his world as well as broke his bed frame.

Bruce drew a deep breath, having already figured it out for himself. The goofy grin that had adorned his son's face when they had first arrived as well as the slightly dazed look of euphoria that still clouded his eyes had been a dead giveaway that something had changed between the two young lovebirds.

This could not have come at a worse time.

"Couldn't you have waited until tonight?" Bruce hissed under his breath, keeping his voice low so only Dick and Donna could hear.

"What?" Dick practically squeaked, his voice coming out much higher than he had anticipated. He quickly cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "It wasn't like it was planned or anything."

Bruce just rolled his eyes as he shook his head. This was unbelievable. "Couldn't you have guessed that her mother would be here for Nicholas's birthday party? I think you could have kept it zipped for a little while longer."

"Actually, I had much better things on my mind last night than Nick's birthday party," Dick replied with that silly grin gracing his face again, his eyes falling dreamily on the beautiful Amazon to his left.

Donna blushed furiously, dipping her head and shyly brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. It only seemed to light Dick's fire even more as he leaned over to whisper something mischievous in her ear, causing her to giggle in response.

"Do I need to turn a hose on you two?" Bruce ground out through clenched teeth, his hands curled into fists. He was doing his best to keep his back to Hippolyta, trying to block her view of the couple, knowing that Diana was trying to placate her mother.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Donna answered with a shrug. "Mother totally loves you Bruce. She's completely cool with you and Diana so what's the big deal about me and Dick?"

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to fight down the overwhelming urge to crack their heads together. "First of all, you're her youngest daughter," he began, rubbing the back of his neck that was suddenly tight again. "Second of all, you're dating my son…who is also Diana's son. Third, you never warned her about any of this. Fourth, you…"

"Alright…alright, we get it," Dick responded, holding his hands up in front of himself in defense. "I'll just go over there and explain to Hippolyta that I'm in love with her daughter and beg for her forgiveness and approval."

"You're in love with me?" Donna whispered in stunned disbelief, her eyes softening and growing moist.

"Yah…totally," Dick said, nodding his head as he leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you too, Dick," Donna murmured as she returned his kiss, her hand resting against his cheek as she caressed his face.

"You two are so pathetic," Bruce muttered under his breath.

"Wow, this coming from the man who can't keep his hands off of his wife day or night," Dick stated, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to Donna. "Did you know Bruce had to sound-proof their bedroom so the rest of the house could actually get some sleep? All night long. They're insatiable."

Bruce leveled Dick with a patented bat glare that would have made any other person shrivel up in abject terror. Dick just grinned at him as he folded his arms across his chest as if saying "is that the best you've got".

"When did I lose my edge?" Bruce grumbled in annoyance. "Doesn't anyone fear me anymore around here?"

"Who is ready to party like its 1999?" Wally suddenly hollered as he entered the festively decorated garden of Wayne Manor, a life-sized stuffed Flash doll in his arms.

"I think I've just been dropped into a new level of hell," Bruce groaned, his frustration escalating as he rubbed his face with his hands. His migraine had suddenly returned with a fierce vengeance.

"Where's the birthday boy?" Flash yelled. "Uncle Wally is here! It's time to get this party started right!"

Bruce turned around to check on Diana, hoping she was fairing between than he was at that moment. She was caught up in a rather heated argument with Hippolyta, Greek words flying back and forth at a speed too fast for even Bruce to catch what was being said.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it was bad and quickly growing worse, though. Diana rubbed her forehead in frustration as she tried to calm her mother, but it didn't seem to be working at the moment.

With a frown on his face, Bruce turned back to the lovers who were nuzzling noses and gazing deeply into each other's eyes, completely oblivious to everyone around them. "You…over there," Bruce ordered, grabbing Dick by the arm and shoving him over towards Wally West. "You…come with me."

Taking Donna by the hand, he led her straight to Hippolyta whose cheeks were turning a rather bright shade of pink with the heated argument she was having with her eldest daughter. Releasing Donna's hand, he positioned her directly in front of Hippolyta, much to the Queen's surprise, before taking Diana's hand firmly in his.

"Bruce, what are you doing?" Diana asked with a scowl.

"You are not to supposed to be getting upset," Bruce reminded her. "It's not good for you or the baby. Besides, this is between Donna and your mother. You and I are staying out of it. If Dick loses his head…or something else vitally important to a man…then its own damn fault."

"What is wrong with my little sun and stars?" Hippolyta demanded to know, fear veiling her face as she stared at Bruce and Diana.

"Your 'little sun and stars' has pre-eclampsia," Bruce bit out as he began to lead Diana away from them, growing more annoyed with the whole situation by the minute.

"Shouldn't we at least try to help them?" Diana asked as she glanced back over her shoulder at her sister and mother who were quickly becoming lost in a very impassioned disagreement.

"Hell no," he stated as he led her to a nearby chaise lounge to sit down with him. "No one came to my rescue when Hippolyta practically knocked down my front door and tried to take you away from me. I had to fight for you then; Dick can fight for Donna now. Besides, my only concern right now is you."

Sitting on the chaise with her husband, Diana couldn't help but feel as though Nicholas's birthday party was a complete disaster. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes as she watched Donna and her mother arguing, Wally standing there talking to Dick with a larger than life stuffed Flash doll, and Tim was struggling to keep an overactive Nicholas from tearing down some of the decorations.

What had happened to the wonderful party that she had envisioned?

"Hey," Bruce softly said, his finger beneath her chin forcing her to look at him. "It'll be alright, Princess."

"Everything just seems like such a mess," she whispered as she fought back tears, her bottom lip trembling as she looked into his piercing blue eyes full of such love and concern.

"It's perfect," he reassured her, leaning in and kissing her softly. "And so are you."

She returned his kiss, a tear slipping free. He quickly captured it with his lips as he gently rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured.

"Lucky for you, you'll never have to find out," Bruce teased her as he kissed her again.

"Ok you two," Flash loudly said. "Get a room!"

Bruce growled under his breath, useful methods for throwing an annoying guest out of a party flitting through his mind as Diana took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. "Just ignore him," she gently instructed him. "It'll be over soon and then you can have me all to yourself tonight."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to wait that long," Bruce admitted.

"Sorry we're late," Clark announced as he arrived with his newborn daughter in his arms, Lois following close behind. "Lara had an accident just before we left that we had to take care of."

"Dude!" Flash cried, his face screwing up with pure disgust. "I think she just had another one! She reeks!"

"Wally!" Lois scolded him. "That's my daughter you're talking about!"

"No, he's right, Lois," Clark interjected as he turned his head away from his daughter, his eyes beginning to water. "She smells pretty ripe again."

"Fine," Lois stated with a frown. "Give her here and I'll change her."

Clark happily handed his daughter over to his wife. "Thank goodness," he happily replied. "I had to take care of the last one. I'm still trying to get that smell out of my nose."

"You can use Nicholas's room to change her," Diana offered.

"Thanks, Diana," Lois visibly winced as she took the infant, holding the baby away from her body as she headed back inside.

"Hey, wouldn't it be super cool if Nick and Lara get married some day?" Flash suddenly announced to the group. "Bruce, you and Clark would be in-laws!"

Clark grinned, making his way to Bruce and clapping him on the back. "That would be so awesome," Clark agreed. "We could spend all of our holidays and vacations together."

Bruce growled as Diana's eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of her little boy all grown up. "Someone please just shoot me now," Bruce pleaded with a groan as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands. He was definitely going to have to take something for this migraine that just kept getting worse.

Wiping her eyes, Diana leaned over and kissed him on his cheek, wrapping her arm securely around his. "No way," she whispered in his ear. "There's no way that I'm living without you, Bruce Wayne. I'm not giving up my immortality just to have you leave me."

"Don't worry, Princess," he said with a sigh, looking up just in time to see Alfred pushing a cart loaded with trays of food.

Alfred did a double take at the sight of the gigantic red Flash doll that Wally had his arm around as if it was a real person. The British butler rolled his eyes and shook his head in obvious disapproval before resuming his journey.

J'onn, Shayera, and John arrived at that moment with Rex and their birthday presents in hand. "Nice doll, Flash," Jon said with an incredulous shake of his head.

"Hey, I had this made especially for Nick," Wally spouted in indignation. "Nothing but the absolute best for my favorite godson."

"You are not Nicholas's godfather," Bruce snapped as he got up to retrieve his son who had currently found great fascination in a worm that he'd found on the ground. Tim was too enthralled with texting on his phone to notice his little brother was about to eat an earthworm.

"Why don't we find something better to eat," Bruce told him as he picked him up, taking the worm from his son's hand and pitching it into the grass.

"Eating a worm or two won't hurt him," Wally stated. "I've eaten worms before and look how I turned out."

"That's not a good example, Wally," John pointed out as Bruce stared at the Speedster as if he'd just grown another head.

"Master Bruce," Alfred interrupted, deciding now was a good time. "Leslie called to say that she's running late. She said to start without her and she'll come just as soon as she can."

"All clean and ready to party," Lois happily announced as she returned with baby Lara.

"I'll hold her," Diana quickly volunteered. "You guys start eating."

Taking the infant into her arms, Diana settled into a lawn chair to watch their friends and family as they made their way to the table laden with food. She released a relieved breath when her mother hugged Donna, a truce finally reached. Although her eyes still shot daggers at Dick, at least her mother wasn't plotting an assassination attempt at the moment.

Diana couldn't contain the chuckle that rose up in her throat as Bruce tried to help Nicholas with his plate of food. Her stubborn one year old was more than determined to do it by himself, wanting to carry his plate without his father's help much to Bruce's dismay.

Looking down at the bundle of pink that slept contentedly in her arms, she couldn't help the tears the suddenly pooled in her eyes again, silently cursing her hormones. She could hardly wait until their daughter was finally here.

She was so anxious to see her, hoping that she would look just like Bruce. Each night when he crawled into bed after patrol, he would always kiss her forehead before leaning over to kiss her expanding belly. It never ceased to melt her heart, knowing how thrilled about the baby that he was despite Aphrodite's blessing.

She felt so guilty for not telling Bruce sooner about their daughter, but she'd feared how he'd react to the blessing by the goddess of love. To her surprise, he had handled it far better than she would've imagined.

The sudden feel of familiar fingers erasing her tears tore her from her thoughts. Looking up, she found her handsome husband kneeling down before her, a tender smile on his face. "Having a rough day?" he softly asked.

"Just a lot going on," she admitted as she leaned into his hand that had come to rest against her cheek.

His smile turned into a worried frown. "Do you want to lay down for a little bit?" he offered. "I can come get you when Nicholas is ready to open his presents."

"No…no, I'm fine," she reassured him, tilting her head to kiss the palm of his hand still on her cheek. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Bruce suddenly got a very mischeivious look on his face, his smile returning. "Want me to send everyone home…kick Wally out?"

"Definitely not," she insisted, doing her best to keep an annoyed look on her face but it was next to impossible with how absolutely adorable he looked at that moment. He was so playful, so happy…so free from the countless burdens that had weighed down his heart for so very long.

"Do you know how sexy you look holding that baby?" he murmured something husky causing Diana's eyebrow to quirk in amusement.

"You mean more sexy than this?" she teased, holding the baby away from her body to show off her swollen belly.

"Princess, you can be sexy as hell doing absolutely nothing at all," he replied with a smirk.

"Alright you two," Hippolyta said as she approached with her plate in hand, settling into a chair next to her daughter. "You've already impregnated my daughter for a second time now. Let's wait for number three until after this one is born."

"I think that is my cue to leave," Bruce said as he got to his feet, noting the blush that rose to his wife's cheeks. "I'll go get you something to eat, Princess."

Hippolyta and Diana watched as Bruce walked away, one heart full of a love that was written about in fairy tales and movies, the other heart filled with growing respect and admiration that she never would have expected.

The Queen of the Amazons watched the billionaire as he paused to check on Nicholas who was currently sitting on Superman's lap eating his supper. It was obvious how much her grandson loved the Kryptonian, but it was even more obvious how much he absolutely idolized his father.

"I can hardly believe that is the same man you married over a year ago," Hippolyta thoughtfully commented. "He has changed greatly."

"It's the same man that I saw brief glimpses of hidden beneath years of heartbreaking pain and countless fears," Diana replied. "I just get to see him much more frequently now."

"He's a very good man, Diana," she told her. "You did well. It's quite apparent how deeply he loves you."

"I don't think I could possibly love him more," Diana wistfully said with a smile.

Hippolyta's gaze shifted to her other daughter who was sitting extremely close to the Grayson boy. "Now, about the other one," she coolly stated with a frown.

Diana watched as Dick fed Donna a strawberry, the juice from the fruit trickling down her chin. He lovingly wiped it off for her with his napkin, Donna practically radiating happiness as she tilted her head to kiss him.

It was clear that the two were madly in love and Diana had to admit that she was very happy for them. "Dick really is a good guy, Mother," she informed her, amazed at how much the pair reminded her of her and Bruce. "He truly cares about Donna."

"I hope so," Hippolyta responded as she took a bite of her fruit. "She does seem very happy though. It was what I had wanted most for my daughters so I guess I can't complain."

Diana smiled at her mother, sadness unexpectedly welling in her chest. "I wish you could stay longer."

"I know, but Themyscira needs me," she sighed as her gaze fell on her grandson who was currently trying to feed the Kryptonian a part of his sandwich.

Superman pretended to nibble on Nicholas's fingers causing him to quickly pull his hand back, squealing and giggling. It caused Hippolyta to laugh at the scene playing out before her. Man's World was definitely not what she had remembered it to be.

"You have made some very dear friends here in Man's World, my sun and stars," the Queen observed. "I must admit, though, that the one with the large red doll is a bit strange."

Diana chuckled as she watched Flash talking to Alfred between stuffing large bites of food into his mouth, the poor butler's face was a mixture of bewilderment and thinning patience. "I believe that I had better go rescue poor Alfred."

"May I hold the baby?" Hippolyta asked, holding out her hands.

Diana passed Lara on to the queen, kissing her mother on the cheek in the process. "I love you, Mother."

"I love you too, my sun and stars," she softly said, touched by the act.

She watched as Diana went to sit with Alfred and Wally much to the British butler's great relief. Bruce took her a plate of food, taking her hand and squeezing it before heading towards his mother-in-law much to Hippolyta's surprise.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked before settling into the chair that his wife had just vacated.

"No, I'm fine…thank you," she responded with a smile.

"I'm glad that you've chosen to let my son live for now," Bruce told her. "Dick really is a good man. I promise that I will make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or hurt Donna."

"That's good to know because if he does, I'll be coming after you first."

Bruce's head snapped to the side, a stunned expression on his face. To his amazement, the queen was actually smirking, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. If he hadn't seen it himself, he never would've believed it. He could easily see where Diana got her mischievousness from.

He actually chuckled at her threat, Hippolyta sharing in his amusement. "There's something you want to talk to me about," she suddenly stated. "What is on your mind, Bruce?"

"You are direct," Bruce replied, somewhat taken aback by her abrupt question. "I admire that greatly in people. It's probably one of the first things that drew me to Diana."

The Amazon Queen nodded her head with a knowing smile. "She is one of the most direct people that I have ever known."

Bruce snorted in response. "You're telling me," he agreed, his face suddenly growing serious. "I wanted to talk to you about Diana's wish to have her immortality removed."

"Ah," Hippolyta said, her own expression growing somber. "I had a feeling you and I would be have this discussion at some point. She's very determined to make sure she ends her existence with you."

Bruce's heart tightened painfully in his chest, his throat constricting and nearly taking his breath away. The thought was too heartbreaking to dwell on and yet he knew he was going to have to face this issue head-on whether he liked it or not.

"You must know that I'm completely against this," he began, searching for the right words but having difficulty finding them. How do you find the words to talk about your wife's eventual death? "I want Diana to keep her immortality…to live forever, but I have come to better understand her desire despite my opposition to it. I will honor her wishes though I don't agree with it."

"Yes, I'm afraid she is quite determined for me to petition the gods to have it removed," Hippolyta admitted with a heavy sigh of regret. "I am relieved to hear you share my opinion, but we both know that trying to change Diana's mind is going to be next to impossible."

A sad smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched his wife as she stood talking to Shayera and Lois, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her belly. She was breathtaking beyond belief, a wonderful mystery to him that he was still trying to unravel. She never ceased to amaze and surprise him, fascinate and charm him and he loved her more than anything in this whole world.

"I need to know everything you can tell me about this process," he stated, his voice all business as if he was discussing a case and yet his heart was a tangled mess of warring emotions. "I need to know that she won't be harmed in any way or that there aren't any unanticipated factors that we need to be aware of."

Hippolyta slowly nodded her head as she thought over his request for information. It warmed her heart to know how much this man truly cared about her daughter, loved her so immensely. She found herself seeing him in an even brighter light, an even greater level of respect for him taking root in her heart.

"I will see what I can find out for you," Hippolyta responded. "I'll need to consult the books back on Themyscira as well as some of our scribes, but I will send word to you."

She could see a small measure of the tension ease from his shoulders and yet the full weight of his worry seemed even more crushing to her. It broke her heart to see Bruce and her daughter so in love and yet not being able to share that love for an eternity like they so deserved. Petitioning the gods to have her daughter's immortality removed would be the hardest thing that she'd ever have to do.

"I would appreciate that," Bruce softly said. "Please, don't tell Diana I talked to you about this. I'm not trying to hide anything from her, but she's get can't upset right now with this pregnancy. I just need to know for my own peace of mind."

"I will…under one condition."

Bruce turned to look at her, surprised by her proposition. "Anything," he warily replied, his body suddenly tensing in anticipation of the worst.

"Do me a favor and burn that enormous red doll," the queen stated, the corners of her lips curving slightly. "That is about the most hideous thing I've ever seen."

Bruce's face broke into a wide grin, relief washing over his face that he had found a new ally. "Deal."

XXX

Diana watched as Nicholas opened the last of his presents, a toy batmobile large enough for him to sit in and peddle around the yard. The gift had elicited the loudest and longest squeal of delight from the one year old boy who couldn't stop touching it and patting it with his hands, completely in awe over it.

She didn't think that his smile could get any bigger than it was at that moment. "Can you give Grandpa Alfred a hug and a kiss for the birthday gift he gave you?" she asked him, Nicholas toddling over to him to hug him.

"I think Alfred should be grounded for a month for spoiling him," Bruce grunted, his bright blue eyes betraying his chiding tone.

"That is what grandfathers are supposed to do," Alfred proudly proclaimed in mock indignation. "Spoil them rotten and then unleash them on their parents to deal with."

"You're exactly right, Alfred," Leslie agreed with a nod.

"You weren't much better, Leslie," Bruce pointed out. "A whole toy medical kit?"

"Just showing him his options for his future," Leslie said with a proud grin.

"Hey, nobody said anything about my gift," Wally pouted.

"I'm sure your gift will keep Nicholas up all night with nightmares," Bruce told him with a smirk.

"That's not true!" Flash maintained. "It's a great gift."

"Yes, it is, Wally," Diana placated the young man, patting his knee. "I'm sure Nicholas adores it."

Wally grinned smugly, pleased with the attention he was finally receiving. "Anything for the little bat."

"Who is ready for birthday cake?" Alfred announced as he returned with a large black and silver cake in hand.

Nicholas's face lit up at the sight of the cake, instantly abandoning his new car for the sweet treat that Alfred had just brought out. "Alf!" Nicholas babbled, reaching up his hands towards Alfred and the cake. "Alf!"

Alfred laughed as he looked down at the little boy. "This one is for everyone else, Master Nicholas," he informed him. "I have a very special cake set aside especially for you."

Nicholas's eyes got wide as Leslie came out with a smaller cake, one that was Batman's face. "Dada!" he excitedly cried at the sight of his cake.

Picking him up, Bruce sat him down on his lap as Leslie set the cake down on a table in front of him. Before she could light the single candle on the cake, Alfred was snapping pictures much to Bruce's exasperation as Nicholas's hands immediately went for the cake.

Small fingers dug eagerly into the black cowled face of his favorite superhero, revealing chocolate cake hidden beneath the thick cover of icing. He quickly put his fingers into his mouth, sucking the sweet frosting off.

"Well that lasted a whole two seconds," Bruce frowned as Nicholas turned around and patted his father's face with his sticky hands. "Great. Thanks, Nicholas."

Diana couldn't hide her amusement at seeing Nicholas and now Bruce covered in cake and frosting as Nicholas continued to eat his cake with his fingers, sharing it with his father. She could barely contain her tears of happiness as she watched Bruce trying to avoid being attacked by anymore cake and failing miserably.

She could only imagine how Nicholas's second birthday was going to turn out.