Chapter 54

Mass chaos.

There was no other way to describe what taking place all around him as if hell itself had just opened up inside of the museum. It was as if everything was moving in slow motion as people ran for cover, the screams of Gotham's socialites echoing in his ears.

The lights suddenly flickered before finally going out as the thunderstorm outside intensified to its full fury, lightning providing the only illumination and helping to add to the confusion as everyone tried to escape the gunmen.

Bruce froze as men dressed in black swarmed around them, his blood turning to ice water in his veins as he spotted six of them going straight for his wife…his very pregnant wife who appeared to be in labor now.

He swore to himself as Diana suddenly leaned over the back of a chair, her face contorted in pain. "This cannot be happening now," he silently seethed as he carefully pushed a small button on his watch.

"Bruce!" Sienna cried, grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him the opposite direction of Diana. "We need to get out of here!"

"Let go of me," he growled at her, his ice-blue eyes flashing dangerously, almost causing Sienna to shrink back.

"We have to try to escape," she told him, attempting to pull him towards a fire exit with little success as gunmen started corralling people towards the far end of the room.

"I have to get to Diana," he ground out. "She's in trouble."

"She's a Meta," she snapped, a sneer on her lips and disdain dripping in her voice. "She can take care of herself."

"She's in labor!" he hissed, jerking his arm free from the hold she had on him. "I have to get to her right away."

Turning, Bruce was brought to a sudden stop by two masked men with guns…the exact same type of weapons that they'd confiscated just a couple of weeks ago. Some of the men had regular assault rifles and guns, but some of them had the deadly weapons that Sienna had been building with the Penguin, causing his fear to skyrocket.

Past the men that were trying to force him back, he could see four of them attempting to restrain Diana. Everything inside of him wanted to physically rip these men apart with his bare hands in order to get to his wife, but he couldn't risk anyone associating him with Batman. He needed to pretend that he was helpless and yet he couldn't risk Diana's life in order to protect his identity.

"Get over there with the others," the man before him ordered with a surly growl, shoving him in the chest with his large weapon.

Bruce's heart was hammering wildly, desperation nearly choking him as Diana broke free of the men trying to take her, disposing of them with true Amazonian skill despite being in labor. She suddenly turned, throwing up her arms just in time to block a spray of bullets with her bracers before doubling over with a contraction a few moments later.

"My wife is in labor!" Bruce growled, trying to shove past the man blocking his path.

"Congratulations," the man snarled, slamming the butt of his gun into Bruce's face and knocking him to the ground. "Over there with the others, rich boy."

Bruce clenched his teeth as he fought to remain conscious, ignoring the feel of blood trickling down his cheek as well as the sound of Sienna yelling his name. He had to get to Diana before they hurt her or their baby.

Sienna bent down, grabbing hold of his arm and helping him up to his feet. "Don't fight them!" she snapped at him. "You're going to get yourself killed. You're not a Meta like Diana is. You can't take these men on."

The man before him pointed his gun right in his face, memories of that dark alley so many years ago roaring to the surface of his mind and clawing at him with a vengeance. He refused to lose his wife and daughter tonight, would not allow his life to be taken away from him all over again.

Sienna grabbed him by the arm again, her voice so distant and hollow to him as she urged him to come with her before he got shot. Fury rose like a deadly tidal wave inside of him as Diana struggled to remain on her feet, fighting off one attacker after another.

She was in trouble…she needed him. He had to get to her, his secret alter-ego be damned. He would give up Batman in order to save her if that's what it took.

Sienna suddenly moved between him and the gunman as he stared at his wife, grabbing his arms and forcing him to look at her. "We have to do what they say, Bruce," she insisted. "Diana can fend for herself. Right now you have to think of yourself."

Staring down into her green eyes, Bruce could hardly believe what he was hearing, his suspicions of her involvement in this attack confirmed in that moment. "I'm going after my wife," he spat out, shoving her aside before throwing a punch at the man before him, his fist connecting with his jaw and knocking him out.

Bruce ran towards Diana amidst all of the chaos swirling around him, his focus solely on her, determined to get to her no matter what. He watched in horror as two men grabbed hold of her again, trying to force her to go with them while another man tried to tie her wrists together.

This whole attack was focused on getting to Diana, to take her away from him.

With a cry of rage, she broke free, breaking the arms of the men trying to hold her down before kicking the man in front of her in the jaw. She suddenly dropped to her knees, holding her swollen belly. Two more men attempted to grab her from behind, failing miserably as her fist connected with one man's face before throwing the other one clear across the room.

It tore Bruce's heart in two to see her in labor, helpless to stop the madness surrounding her. This was definitely not how he had pictured their daughter's birth.

He could hear Sienna yelling at him from behind trying to get him to come with her before it was too late. Despite the frenzied chaos that had enveloped them, she was a little too calm in the middle of all this, far too insistent that he come with her. She was doing everything she could to keep him from getting to Diana.

It suddenly felt as if icy fingers were snaking around his heart, holding it in a vice as Diana fought one of the gunmen while another pointed one of Sienna's weapons directly at her. He knew in that moment that he wasn't going to get to her in time, wasn't going to be able to stop the gunman. The thought made his legs feel boneless, nearly taking him to the floor as he fought his way to her.

"Diana!" he yelled her name, but it was impossible to hear him over the shouting and screaming that had enveloped the room. "Diana! NO!"

An array of batarangs unexpectedly sliced through the air, knocking the weapon from the man's hand and saving Diana. Nightwing suddenly landed on the floor next to her, helping her fight off the remaining attackers bent on capturing her.

Two masked men suddenly stepped in Bruce's way, one raising the butt of his weapon to strike him in the head. Bruce swiftly ducked, punching him in the gut, turning to take out the other one only to find him already on the ground, Robin standing where the man had just been.

"Get these people out of here…now," Bruce growled, keeping his voice low.

"Got it," Robin replied before turning towards the crowds of people cowering on the other side of the room.

Bruce raced to where Diana was, her breathing ragged, her beautiful face filled with such pain as she knelt on the ground. Finishing off the last of the men, Nightwing turned his attention to Diana. "Nightwing to Watchtower," he said into his commlink, breathing heavily himself as he laid a reassuring hand on her back.

"This is Watchtower," J'onn responded. "What do you need, Nightwing?"

"Diana's in labor," he informed him. "We need an immediate transport to the Watchtower."

"Transporters are still offline," J'onn informed him. "Mr. Terrific is finishing repairs now."

"Damn it," Nightwing cursed. "Okay, Nightwing out."

"We need to get you back to the manor right away," Nightwing told her, crouching down and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Do you think you can walk?"

"No…time…" Diana panted, gripping her stomach. "She's coming…now!"

"I'll call Leslie," he replied.

Diana cried out as another wave of pain crashed over her. "Where's…Bruce?"

Nightwing looked up to find Bruce coming towards them, his eyes filled with panic and fear. It was so unlike the usual in control Batman, unnerving to say the least. Of course, his wife has almost been killed and his daughter was about to be born in a very inconvenient place.

Bruce dropped to his knees in front of her, pulling her into his arms and holding her close. "Diana," he murmured her name. "I'm here."

"Bruce," she softly cried, her hand coming to rest against his already bruised cheek, trying to stop the bleeding. "Are you alright?"

Bruce chuckled, shaking his head in amazement despite the chokehold fear had on his throat. "Don't worry about me…I'm fine," he reassured her, kissing her gently.

"She…she's coming…now," she managed to get out between gasps, gritting her teeth as another contraction took over her body.

"I called Leslie," Nightwing informed him. "She's coming, but it'll take her at least thirty minutes to get here."

Sitting back on his heels, Bruce quickly removed his tux jacket and rolled up his sleeves. "I guess it's going to be just you and me this time, Princess," he told with a soft smile.

"Bruce…do you…" Diana began, pausing as her head fell back with a cry. "Do you…know what...you're doing?"

Bruce's hand came to rest against her pale cheek, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone in an effort to soothe her fears. "Of course," he replied with a cocky grin. "I know everything. I have to be prepared for every eventuality when I go out at night."

"Only you…would be that prepared…" she managed to say as she scooted back to lean against the wall behind her. She instinctively pulled her knees up, panting hard. "Just…how many babies…have you delivered?"

"My own?" he teased, receiving a deadly glare as he draped his tux jacket over her knees. "This will be my first."

"Bruce!" she growled, finding it more and more difficult to breathe.

"Six babies so far," he informed her. "Four boys and two girls."

"I'm impressed," she weakly replied, suddenly gripping her knees tightly. "You really are…an ace…of all trades."

Bruce couldn't help but laugh with her comment, covering her hands on her knees. "Its jack of all trades and if you only knew," he corrected her with a grin. "I'm going to check you now to see how dilated you are."

"It better be…time to push…because I really have to…" she told him, her body curling in as another contraction seized her.

"Not quite yet, but you're getting closer," he told her.

Diana growled low in her throat, her frustration and pain more than evident. "You know…this would be really awkward…if we weren't married."

"Fortunately, there's nothing of yours that I haven't seen, touched or explored," he reminded her, a smirk playing on his lips. "And there's not much that we haven't done together."

"Which is why…I'm here now…writhing in pain, trying to bring your daughter…into the world," she pointed out, suddenly realizing that something was very wrong. "This was supposed to be your turn, remember?"

"You're doing great, Diana," he encouraged her. "Soon, we'll have a beautiful little girl in our arms."

"Bruce…some…something isn't right," she murmured.

His gaze immediately narrowed, his heart pounding a little harder with her words. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I…I don't know…" she said with a shake of her head. "I feel so lightheaded. It…it's so hard to breathe."

His hand went to her face that was growing paler by the second, her breathing becoming more ragged and erratic as her eyes fell closed. "Diana!" he growled. "Stay with me!"

Brushing her damp raven hair off her face and behind her shoulder, he found a bullet hole a couple of inches beneath her collarbone. Blood was oozing onto her white dress and spreading quickly. One of the bullets had gotten past her bracers.

Diana looked at him through her eyelashes as she fought to stay awake. "What…what is it?" she asked, her brow furrowing with worry.

"You've been shot," he growled, white-hot rage searing through him along with cold fear.

"What?" she gasped. "No…no, I…I would've felt it."

"The contractions and the adrenaline of the fight kept you from feeling it," he replied, looking behind him to see Robin and Nightwing coming towards them. "Where's Leslie?" he demanded.

Neither knew what was more frightening at that moment as they approached – the terrified expression on Bruce's face or how terrible Diana looked. "She's stuck in traffic," Nightwing informed him. "There was a four car pile-up that has traffic backed up for a couple of miles at least."

"What happened?" Robin asked, stunned to see Diana like this.

"She's been shot," Bruce ground out. "We have to get her out of here."

"Bruce…" Diana murmured. "I…I have to…push."

"Hold on, Princess," he gently told her despite the firestorm of emotions raging within him, turning his attention back to his partners. "Did you get all of the men secured?"

"Yes," Nightwing informed him. "The police are already here taking reports and arresting the gunmen."

"Where is Sienna Conti?" he asked, using his handkerchief to dab the sweat from Diana's brow.

"We didn't see Sienna," Robin informed him. "Do you think she's behind this?"

"Yes," Bruce spat out. "Gather any towels and blankets you can find. We'll need bottled water and look for an emergency kit."

Both took off to find the requested items, leaving Bruce alone with Diana again. "We're going to get through this together," he reassured her. "I just need you to stay with me, Princess. Keep your eyes open…focus on me."

"You…you were right," she softly admitted with a faint smile, staring at his handsome face filled with such worry.

"About what?" he asked as he checked her again. "You're almost there, Princess."

"Tonight," she replied, gasping as she clutched her knees again. "You were right."

"Can I record you saying that so I can use it in the future to remind you of this the next time you disagree with me?"

"I'm pretty sure I'll never…forget this…" she told him, sagging against the wall, her eyes falling closed.

"Open your eyes, Diana!" he sharply ordered her, his hands covering hers on her knees again. "You're not allowed to leave me, remember? You promised me, Princess. Don't you dare break that promise you made to me."

Diana smiled softly at him, fighting for each breath she drew. "Never," she whispered before releasing a cry of pain. "We have forever together."

"It's time to push, Diana," he told her.

Diana fought to remain conscious, knowing that she had to bring their daughter into the world before she could finally close her eyes and sleep. The feel of warm lips moving against hers forced her to open her eyes again.

"You can do this," he murmured against her lips. "I'll be right here the whole time."

Leaning forward, Diana began to push, gritting her teeth as she gripped her knees. Every breath she drew was not nearly enough, creating sharp pains in her chest, but she was determined to safely bring her daughter into their family.

"Okay…good, Princess," Bruce encouraged her as she sank back against the wall. "The head is crowning. Just a few more pushes and she'll be here."

Diana panted heavily, her chin falling to her chest as her eyes fell closed. She just wanted to sleep now, finding it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. She just wanted to lay down, for the pain to stop and to be able to finally hold her daughter.

"Diana!" Bruce yelled her name. "Don't you dare leave me, Princess! You are an Amazon damn it…a warrior! Now, fight like one!"

His chest was clenched so tightly he could hardly draw a breath. He was gaining a daughter and losing his wife at the same time. He knew that targeting the fierce warrior spirit that lived within her was the only way to get her through this until he could get her the medical treatment that she so desperately needed right now.

"Bruce…" she weakly said his name, her strength waning.

The fight with those men on top of being in labor had drained her considerably. Her mind was spinning…swimming, Bruce's voice beginning to grow distant as she clenched her teeth. She pushed again, her heart pounding and her head throbbing. Her limbs felt like jelly, her body reacting on pure instinct now with the natural process of childbirth.

Bruce's heart swelled with utter joy as his baby girl finally entered the world, the beautiful little life that he and Diana had created together finally in his arms. He never knew such pure happiness until Diana…their children.

"You did it!" he cried, holding up their wailing daughter who was very unhappy at that moment. "She's here, Princess."

Diana gazed at him through her eyelashes, barely able to keep her eyes open. A faint smile graced her face as sweat trickled down her cheek mingling with her tears. "She…she's so…beautiful."

Robin and Nightwing returned with the requested items just then only to be greeted by the angry wailing cry of their sister. "Here," Dick said, handing Bruce a batarang to cut the cord.

Cutting the umbilical cord, Bruce handed his daughter over to Robin who was standing ready with a blanket. Tim took the baby into his arms, instantly falling in love with his sister. Dick looked into the bundle, a smile on his face as he stared at the beautiful little girl. He finally had a sister.

"She's so cute," Tim cooed, lightly bouncing the crying baby in his arms.

Bruce turned his attention back to his wife, his heart sinking like a rock with how ghostly pale shade she'd become. "Diana, stay with me!" he ordered her, his hand finding her cheek. He was surprised at how cool and clammy to the touch she was despite the sweat trickling down her face. "We need to get her back to the Watchtower now."

"Nightwing to J'onn. We need an immediate transport to the med bay. Diana's in trouble."

"We're just getting the transporters back on line now," J'onn responded.

"We need it now, J'onn," Bruce angrily barked, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders and holding her against his chest. "Diana's been shot. She's not going to last much longer."

"Coming online in thirty seconds," he informed them.

"Transport Diana and me straight to the infirmary and meet us there," Bruce said, taking the baby from Robin. "She needs emergency medical treatment."

"We'll take care of everything here," Nightwing reassured him just before Bruce and Diana disappeared from view.

Robin and Nightwing stood there for a long moment, both silently trying to process what had just happened. Elation over the birth of their sister warred with fear over Diana's dire condition. They had just gained a sister into their family, but had possibly lost the woman who had become like a mother to them.

XXX

Bruce Wayne sat by his wife's bed in the infirmary on the Watchtower, his daughter sleeping peacefully in his arms. She was so beautiful, so perfect in every way imaginable from her black hair and bright blue eyes to her button nose. It was next to impossible to take his eyes off of her, but he did every couple of minutes in order to check on Diana.

After bringing her to the Watchtower last night, J'onn had performed emergency surgery to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding. Now, it was just a waiting game until she opened those beautiful blue eyes that he loved so much.

Looking back down at his newborn daughter, he could hardly believe that she was finally here. She was already a day old and Diana had yet to even meet or hold her yet. He ran a finger lightly over her perfect nose, amazed at how much like Diana his little girl looked. He imagined this was just how Diana had looked when she had been a baby in her mother's arms.

Despite the excitement and thrill of finally meeting his daughter, his heart was heavy as a rock in his chest. Her birth had not been anything like he had hoped or imagined, the joy of his little girl's arrival being dampened by the attack that was no doubt orchestrated by Sienna Conti.

He was beyond livid by Sienna's attempt to kill Diana and his daughter. It was obvious her infatuation with him and his family had become a deadly obsession, one that he was going to have to deal carefully with. He couldn't let on that he knew what she was up to. It was painfully clear how far she was willing to go to get what she wanted.

"Bruce?" Diana murmured groggily as she began to wake.

"Welcome back, Princess," he said as he leaned forward to caress her cheek.

She opened her eyes to find her husband sitting in a chair by her bed, their daughter wrapped in a pink blanket in his arms. "Where'd you get the baby?" she asked, groaning as she tried to sit forward, forced back into her pillow by the pain.

"Found her at the museum," he lightly teased back; more than relieved that she was finally awake. "She looked like you so I thought I'd bring her home. Can I keep her?"

"I guess if we have to," she replied with a faint smile.

Bruce's face grew serious as he stared at his wife, the fear lingering in his heart suddenly mirroring in his eyes. "You really gave me a scare, Princess," he softly said. "This is becoming a regular occurrence. They're going to start naming the infirmary after you."

"I'm sorry," she murmured, reaching out and taking hold of his hand and gripping it tightly in reassurance. "I'll do my best not to get shot next time I'm pregnant."

"I'd appreciate that," he said with a nod of his head. "Would you like to meet our daughter?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she responded, tears already beginning to brim in her eyes.

Standing up, Bruce gently handed her their daughter before settling into the bed to lie next to her. "Meet Kaia Alexandrea Wayne."

"Hi there, my sweet Kaia," Diana cooed as she held her daughter, her finger lightly tracing the curve of her chubby cheek. "Bruce, she's so beautiful."

"I know," he admitted, carefully wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he leaned back against the pillows with her. "She looks just like you."

Diana snuggled into his hold on her, feeling as though life was so very complete once more. "I've dreamed about how she would look for so long now. She's absolutely perfect, Bruce."

"Of course she is," he replied, kissing her on the temple. "We made her."

Diana chuckled softly, her amusement turning into a low groan of regret. "It almost makes me want to have another one. Do you want any more?"

"Honestly, I don't know," he thoughtfully said with a sigh. "Don't get me wrong. I'm beyond thrilled that we have Nicholas and Kaia, but I don't know if I can handle watching you go through all of this again. I hate being forced to watch you suffer so much – not just with labor, but the morning sickness, fatigue, the high blood pressure.

"It's almost as if your gods are punishing you a little more every time you get pregnant. What if something worse happens with the next one? I'm too afraid to risk losing you or our unborn child, Princess."

Diana thought about it for a long moment before finally responding. "I'm fine with two," she agreed. "I'm not sure I would want any more with the lives we lead. It's just so dangerous."

"Not to mention with how mischeivious Nicholas already is. I think we're going to have our hands more than full these two without adding any more to the family," he affectionately added, running his fingers over the soft tuft of black hair on the top of his infant daughter's head.

"So which one of us is going to make sure that we don't have any unexpected surprises in the future?" she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, the corners of her lips quirked into a smile.

"I'll talk to J'onn about getting it taken care of in a couple of days," he decided. "After all you've been through bringing our children into the world, I think it's the least that I can do."

Diana grinned at him, kissing him deeply. "Good because abstinence is definitely not a good answer for us."

"Hell no," Bruce readily agreed, internally cringing at the thought of never being able to touch her again. "That is definitely not an option."

Just then the infirmary doors open, Superman walking in with Nicholas in his arms. "Dada!" Nicholas yelled excitedly, waving his bunny at them. "Mama!"

Bruce smiled broadly as they approached, more than happy to see his son. "Hey, little man," he said as he stood to his feet, taking his son into his arms.

"I hope you don't mind, but Dick called me and told me that there was a little boy at home who was growing very anxious to see his mom and dad."

"Thanks, Clark," Bruce said. "I was going to come get him once Diana woke up."

"How are you feeling, Di?" Clark asked, concern swimming in his eyes.

"Much better now that she's finally here," she replied with a bright smile.

"Kaia is so beautiful," he told her, leaning over to look at his goddaughter with a proud grin on his face. "You two did good. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Kal," Diana beamed with her own sense of pride.

"I'll let you guys have some time alone," Clark said. "Call me if you need anything."

Diana hooked a raven curl behind her ear, her eyes glistening with such happiness. "We will."

Nicholas snuggled into his father's hold on him, tilting his head to rest in the crook of Bruce's neck. Bruce kissed him on the top of the head as he rubbed his back. "Did you miss us, Nick?"

Nicholas babbled something in reply, hugging his stuffed bunny tightly to him. "Mama…bebe?" he asked.

"Yes, you have a little sister," Bruce told him, sitting down on the edge of the bed with Nicholas in his lap. "This is Kaia."

Nicholas stood up on his father's thighs, looking down at the little pink bundle in his mother's arms. "Bebe," he jabbered excitedly, pointing at her as he turned to look back at Bruce. "Bebe."

Bruce chuckled at his son's excitement. "Yes, that's baby Kaia."

"Mama," Nicholas greeted her, touching her cheek as if sensing that something had been very wrong.

"Hi, my little warrior," she cooed, turning her head to kiss his little hand. "I missed you, sweetheart. Have you been a good boy for Alfred?"

Nicholas babbled away, showing his stuffed bunny to his sister before trying to crawl into Diana's lap along with the baby. "Okay, I think that's enough for now," Bruce interjected as he grabbed his son. "I think we should let mama get some rest."

"Can I go home now?" she asked, hope lacing her voice.

"No way, Princess," he told her as he set Nicholas down to stand beside him. "J'onn said not until tomorrow at the earliest."

"Bruce, I'm fine," she insisted. "I'm just a little sore. Hera knows I've had much worse."

"Don't remind me," he said with a frown, leaning down and kissing her on the forehead before taking his daughter into his arms and placing her in the bassinet next to Diana's bed. "Nicholas and I are going to go to the commissary to get you some supper. We'll be back in a little bit to eat with you."

"Fine," she relented with a frown, knowing arguing with him wasn't going to get her home any sooner.

"I love you, Princess," he softly told her, kissing her deeply as his fingers threaded through her hair.

"I love you too," she murmured as Bruce picked up Nicholas again before leaving her alone with her daughter.

Diana looked over at her angel sleeping in her bassinet, still amazed at how perfect she was. She had been blessed beyond imagine with the most amazing husband and two beautiful children as well as two sons that she loved as if they were her own.

Life couldn't be more perfect at that moment. Unfortunately, she knew with the lives that they led that it wasn't going to stay that way.