Chapter 21

Wayne Towers; August 16th, 06:36 EST

Tim unlocked the door to Bruce's penthouse suite on the top floor of Wayne Towers. He could barely contain his excitement as he pushed the door open, walking inside with his backpack slung over his shoulder and a duffel bag clutched in his hand.

He took a moment to drink in his surroundings before finally entering, kicking the door closed behind him. He'd been here only once or twice before, mostly just stopping by with Bruce to pick up something. He'd never stayed here before and certainly not by himself.

Setting his duffle bag down, he wandered around the suite. He could hardly believe that he had the whole place all to himself. He was almost giddy knowing that he was here all alone, able to do what he wanted without anyone interrupting him.

At the same time, he felt guilty for leaving Donna and Dick with four sick kids. He wanted to be there with them, but he knew that he couldn't. If he got sick, that would be it for his project and his class. He'd get a flunking grade and that wasn't something he could afford to happen.

Dick had met him in the Batcave with a duffle bag he'd packed for him and his backpack, telling him to run before he got sick too. He'd told Dick to call him if they needed anything. He hoped that he and Cassie would be able to finish their project soon. It was due in two days.

He planned on getting a few hours of sleep before Cassie arrived in time for lunch. They were going to spend the rest of the day and evening finishing their project. He had high hopes that their project would be chosen to be built by Wayne Tech. He wanted their device to really make a difference and help the Justice League in their fight to keep the world safe.

Tim made his way to the couch, pausing to pick up a silver-framed picture of Bruce and Diana. He smiled to himself as he stared at the picture. He found that he greatly missed them. It felt as if they'd been gone for months with Alfred. He hoped that they would all be returning home soon.

Replacing the picture on the end table, he flopped down on the leather couch. He found the silence somewhat odd. He wasn't something that he was used to. In the manor, there was always something going on, someone coming and going or Nicholas and Kaia up to something or other.

This was going to be a great opportunity to see if he wanted to stay at the manor or if it was time to move out. He knew that he needed to talk to Bruce and Diana when they returned, but he also knew that they would support him no matter what he decided to do.

Tim was surprised by a knock at the door, causing him to jump to his feet. He couldn't figure out who could be here. Going to the door, he was surprised to find Cassie at the door. She greeted him with a kiss before walking inside the suite.

"Good morning," she said with a smile, her backpack on her shoulder and a bag of food in her hand.

"I thought you weren't coming until lunch," he replied, closing and locking the door behind her.

"I changed my mind," she told him, going to the kitchen.

He watched as she began to search through the cupboards before finding a couple of plates. He sat down on one of the barstools watching her, surprised but pleased by her presence. "What did you bring?"

"I didn't know how much food you would have here, so I picked us up some bagels and danishes," she revealed. "There's also a bottle of orange juice."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" Tim asked as he took the offered plate from her.

Cassie looked up and to the side, her lips quirking in amusement. "Maybe, but I always love to hear it," she said.

"You're amazing and I love you," he confessed, taking the container of cream cheese from her.

"I love you too," she replied, leaning across the counter to steal another kiss.

"I wish I could stay up with you, but I'm going to have to get a few hours of sleep before we can work on our project."

"Don't worry about me," she assured him. "I'm going to work on some projects for a couple of other classes while you get some sleep."

"I hope I don't get sick with the flu," Tim admitted. "That's something we can't afford to happen right now."

"How are Dick and Donna holding up with four sick kids?"

"They're actually handling it better than I'd thought," he confessed. "Bruce and Diana feel horrible for not being there, but there's not really anything for them to do. Dick and Donna have it all under control."

"I'm sure the kids will be up and running around before they know it."

"Do you think our project has a chance to win?"

"I think we have a great shot," she told him.

"I was thinking about this Legionnaire that the Justice League is worried about coming to Earth," he replied. "It would be awesome if our device could help deter the alien and keep it from destroying the world."

"Let's go to the Titan's headquarters this afternoon to see what information the Justice League has accumulated so far on it," she suggested.

"That's a good idea," he agreed with a nod. "Maybe we can make some adjustments to our design to benefit the League."

"And hopefully save the world."

Watchtower; August 16th, 08:00 EST

J'onn and Flash entered the conference room to find Superman, John, Shayera, Cyborg, and Mister Terrific already present. Bruce and Diana were going to remote in from London to join the important meeting. Hopefully, they would be getting some good news.

"Hey, I thought someone was going to have breakfast for us this morning?" Flash asked as he took his usual seat.

"I'll treat you to a donut later," GL told him. "Right now, Cyborg and Mister Terrific have news for us."

"Please tell me it's good news this time," Flash said. "Hearing that Legionnaire wants to destroy our sun was enough bad news to last me a lifetime."

"We're here," Diana announced as she and Bruce appeared on the big screen.

"How are things in London?" Superman asked.

"Looking up," Bruce replied. "We hope to return home tonight."

"That's great!" Flash exclaimed. "I'm going to propose to Linda this weekend. You'll have to come to our engagement party."

"You've already planned an engagement party?" John asked him. "What if she says no?"

"Dude…don't crush my hopes," Flash grumbled. "I'm nervous enough as it is."

"Let's get to the situation at hand," Bruce said with a frown. "We have things we need to clean up here before we can return home."

"I'm going to let Cyborg and Mister Terrific take over the meeting," Superman relayed. "They've been working tirelessly to find a way to intercept Legionnaire and keep it from destroying our sun."

"We are so screwed," Flash bemoaned, slumping in his seat. "If Legionnaire destroys our sun, Supes will lose his powers, and we all die. It's a no-win situation."

"Well, there's good news and bad news," Mister Terrific interjected.

"Good news first…please," Shayera begged.

"Good news is that there might be a way to stop it if we can figure out how to disperse it," Cyborg revealed. "We just have to create a device and find the right frequency that will cause it to break apart."

"And then what?" Diana asked. "Won't it just regroup into its original form?"

"Then, we'll be right back where we were in the beginning," J'onn agreed.

"That's the part we're still working on," Mister Terrific confessed. "We need to deter it or keep it from regrouping without destroying it."

"That has to be our last resort," Bruce stated in no uncertain terms.

"But what then?" Shayera posed the question that was on all of their minds. "What do we do with an alien being that is bent on destroying whole worlds in order to survive? Is it morally right to save our skins, but let it continue destroying other planets?"

"We must come up with a solution for it to continue to live without it wiping out other planets," Superman stated.

"Like I said…a no-win situation," Flash groused.

"There might be a way," Bruce announced. "Nightwing was telling me that Red Robin is working on a project for a physics class. He has to create a device that will benefit the world, making it a safer place. It might be something that could end up helping us."

"That would be awesome," Mister Terrific responded, looking at Cyborg with hope in his voice. "Have him contact us with his design. If it's something that could help even a little, it's worth looking into."

"I don't know much about it yet, but I'll talk to him as soon as we're finished here," Bruce told them. "All I know is that it's a device that breaks up matter."

"That could prove to be very beneficial," Cyborg agreed.

"What's the bad news?" Flash asked, wanting to get that part over with as quickly as possible.

"Legionnaire is getting close," Mister Terrific revealed. "If it stays on its current course and speed, it'll be here in less than a week."

"So, we have very little time left," Diana murmured with a sigh, her throat constricting with the thought.

Her hand subconsciously fell to her abdomen, wondering if she was pregnant yet. If she were, their unborn baby wouldn't even have the chance to be born. They'd never get to meet the precious life that they'd created, their family would be no more. Everything they knew would be wiped out.

There would be no chance to see Nicholas and Kaia grow up, no possibility of seeing Jason and Artemis get married. There would be no future for any of them to look forward to, no opportunity to see Claire and Conner learn to walk or talk or what they would become when they were adults.

She could feel tears gathering behind her eyes with the thought. She felt a familiar hand cover hers resting on her thigh, lacing his fingers with hers. She drew a breath to calm her storming emotions, taking comfort and strength from her husband.

They would find a way through this one way or another.

"We have less than a week to figure out how to stop this thing and build a device to do it?" Flash piped up.

"That pretty much sums it up," Cyborg said.

"What do you need from us?" J'onn inquired.

"Once we talk to Red Robin, we're going to need all hands on deck to build this thing as quickly as possible," Mister Terrific replied.

"Tell me what to do and I'll do it," Flash volunteered. "I'll give you all I've got to make sure that weapon is ready by the time Legionnaire gets here."

"I'll help you too, buddy," John agreed, clapping the scarlet speedster on the back.

"We'll all do whatever is necessary to stop Legionnaire," Bruce stated, his voice carrying a razor-sharp edge.

"Are you saying that if it comes down to us or Legionnaire, you're willing to destroy it?" Superman pressed.

"Absolute last resort," Bruce rasped with steely resolve. "There has to be no other option available to us."

Diana tightened her grip on Bruce's hand, knowing how difficult a decision this was for him. She knew if it meant the lives of the entire world…the lives of their family…he would choose to save the world. She found her love for this principled man deepening.

"Keep us posted on any changes," Bruce said. "We should be home this evening."

"We will," Superman replied, the screen going black.

England; August 16th, 08:46 EST

Diana turned to give Bruce a gentle smile, seizing his lips in a sweet yet passionate kiss. "Thank you," she murmured against his lips.

"For what?" he asked, surprised.

"I know how precious life is to you," she replied. "Destroying a life, even one that is a threat goes against everything that you believe in. I appreciate you because we may have to eliminate Legionnaire to preserve life on Earth."

"I still believe that, but at the same time, we can't let the world be destroyed," he thoughtfully told her. "We can't let over seven and a half billion people be killed because of this alien being."

"Do you believe that we can find a way to stop it without having to annihilate it?"

"I honestly don't know, but I'm going to do everything in my power to find a way," he said. "As soon as we return home tonight, I'm going to throw myself into figuring out a way to stopping it without having to kill it."

"We're also going to have to see what we can do to help Cassandra," she reminded him.

"If the League of Assassins is still in Gotham, we're going to have a fight on our hands," he told her. "They're not going to go quietly and if they do, they'll be back with more assassins."

"Not after they've met me," she stated. "They're not going to lay a single finger on that girl while I'm there."

Bruce's lips curled into a partial smirk, loving it when his wife was riled. The fire of indignation that always burned in her eyes at those moments was exciting to him, sexy and inspiring. It always stirred a deep passion inside of him.

"Come on, mama bear," he said as he stood to his feet and offered her his hand. "Let's get some lunch so we can wrap things up here and get home. If everything goes well, we might be home by supper tonight."

"I would love that," she confessed as she took his hand. "I miss our children."

"I do too," he admitted, pulling her to her feet before exiting their guest room.

Heading downstairs, they were greeted by Alfred and his team gathered in the living room, minus Katrine and Charlie. "It's Wonder Woman," Peter gasped as he leaped to his feet before rushing over to take her hand in his. "It's an honor to meet you. I'm Peter LaFollette."

Diana smiled in response as Peter kissed the back of her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied. "I'm glad that I'm finally getting a chance to meet Alfred's team."

"Peter, you can stop drooling now," Griffin said. "She's married with children."

"I can still appreciate the charm of a stunningly beautiful woman," Peter responded, refusing to release her hand as he gazed at her. "Wouldn't you agree, mon cheri?"

"Oui," Diana said with a laugh. "As long as you don't make my husband jealous."

Bruce just shook his head with a chuckle as he took a seat on the loveseat. "I don't get jealous," he insisted.

Alfred snorted in disagreement as he reached for his cup of tea. "I'm afraid I beg to differ."

"Alfred, any word on Callum?" Diana asked, taking a seat beside Bruce.

"He's still in surgery, but so far it appears that he's paralyzed," Alfred revealed.

Everyone could clearly see that Alfred was struggling with all that had happened with Callum's appearance and the ensuing fight that had occurred. Malcolm placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, careful of his wound that the medics had bandaged up.

"Alfred, you did the right thing," he assured him. "He had to be stopped. We couldn't afford to let him continue to take any more lives."

"I know," he confessed. "At least if he's paralyzed, then he can't hurt anyone ever again."

"I wish you'd cut his bloody head off for what he did to Charlie," Griffin groused.

"He's going to be punished for what he did to Charlie," Alfred told them. "Being paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life is going to be a death sentence for him in and of itself."

"He's going to be agonizing over the fact that Alfred got the upper hand on him and there's nothing he can do about it," Malcolm added. "It'll drive him crazy."

"Crazier than he already is," Peter agreed.

"Alfred, how did you know that Callum was coming back?" Griffin questioned him.

"I didn't at first," he admitted, his forehead creasing in thought. "I had gone to bed in the guest room across from Margaret's bedroom, but I couldn't sleep. Something was niggling in the back of my mind telling me that Callum wasn't done tonight.

"I immediately went to Bruce and Diana's room only meet Bruce in the hallway coming to see me. He had come to the same conclusion as I had. I told Margaret, making her switch bedrooms with me. Bruce kept watch over Margaret for me while Diana stayed in their bedroom, waiting to intervene if necessary."

"I wanted to pick him up by his throat, but I knew it was a battle that you needed to fight and finish," she confessed. "It was hard knowing that he'd stabbed you."

"It wasn't as deep of a wound as it seemed," Alfred reassured her.

"I still think you should go to the hospital to have it checked out," Margaret interjected as she entered the living room with a platter laden with various sandwiches and vegetables to snack on.

"I'm fine, Mags," Alfred attempted to reassure her for the hundredth time. "It doesn't even hurt that much."

"There could be internal damage that you don't even know about," she insisted as she turned on her heel and walked away, not bothering to wait for him to argue with her.

"Mags…" Alfred said with a groan.

Diana bit her lip to stifle a chuckle. "We're all just worried about you," she reassured him.

"How long are you all staying in London?" Malcolm asked.

"Diana and I are hopefully heading back to the States tonight," Bruce replied. "We have sick kids at home right now."

"How about you, Alfred?" Peter inquired, trying to tamp down on the need for a Gauloises. After the stress of everything that had happened, he was in dire need of a pack of cigarettes.

"I would like to stay here for a few more days if that's alright with you," Alfred said to Bruce and Diana. "I want to see how Katrine recovers and finish things up with my team. I'm sure they'll be having the funeral for Charlie in the next few days as well."

"I talked to Laurel this morning," Malcolm revealed. "Katrine spoke with Charlie's wife this morning. She's on her way to London now to plan the funeral arrangements."

"How did Margo take it?" Griff asked.

"Not very well," Mal told them with a despondent shake of his head. "She's quite upset despite being separated from Charlie. Laurel thinks that she only filed for separation in an effort to force Charlie to get help for his gambling, not because she didn't love him anymore."

"What a shame," Griffin murmured with a frown. "Charlie was working so hard to get his life back together again so he could win her back."

"I still wish it had been me instead of him," Peter said more to himself than to the others. "I already have a death sentence. It would have been better for me to be Callum's last victim than Charlie. He didn't deserve it."

"Neither do you," Griffin adamantly stated with anger lacing his voice. "No one deserves the things that Callum did to any of them. The Son of Ripper deserves far worse than just being paralyzed."

A knock at the door caused everyone to freeze even though Callum, his daughter, and son-in-law were all in custody or in the hospital. "Coming," Margaret called as she went to the door, opening it and allowing Laurel entrance into her home.

Malcolm immediately went to greet her with a kiss and an embrace. "I was beginning to get worried," he told her. "I thought you would've been here an hour ago."

"I was trying to comfort Katrine," she confessed. "She was pretty distraught after speaking with Margo."

"It's a nasty business all around," Mal agreed.

Alfred was anxious to go to the hospital to see Katrine. He knew she would take Charlie's death especially hard with being the leader of their team. "Have they said when she'll be discharged from the hospital?" he asked.

Laurel took a seat with Malcolm, trying not to get overly excited by the fact that Wonder Woman was sitting here in Margaret's living room with them. "The doctor is hoping she can go home tomorrow."

"Poppycock," Margaret interjected. "Katrine will come here to my house to recuperate."

"Margaret, are you sure?" Alfred asked.

"Absolutely," she insisted. "Katrine lives alone. She needs someone to help her and look after her. I'd be more than happy to do it."

"That's very kind of you, Margaret," Laurel commented, touched by the woman's generosity.

"It's just like old times having you all here again," Margaret replied. "You're like extended family. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'll stay here with you to help," Alfred offered.

"You need looking after too," Margaret told him in uncertain terms, patting his arm. "I'll just start my own medical ward with you two here."

"We should get back to our hotel suite so we can pack our things to return home," Diana reminded her husband as she stood to her feet. While she hated to leave Alfred and Margaret behind, she was anxious to see her family.

"I'm going to miss you dearly," Margaret said, embracing Diana and then Bruce. "You absolutely must promise to come back for a visit soon."

"Only if you promise to visit us in Gotham," Diana countered.

"Deal," she agreed. "Maybe there will be a new bundle of joy when I come."

"I hope so," Diana agreed with a grin.

Wayne Manor; August 16th, 10:40 EST

"I want to know how I got conned into this," Jason demanded to know, walking out of Nicholas's room.

"Let's see," Artemis said as she passed him in the hallway with a tray of sippy cups and bottles. "They're your brother, sister, niece, and nephew. That makes you qualified."

"Yeah, but they're not my kids," he pointed out.

"Diana called and said they were coming home this evening," Donna revealed as she walked out into the hallway with Claire in her arms.

"Hopefully, the kids will all be well by then," Dick said as he took the sippy cups from Artemis's tray before disappearing into Nicholas's room.

"If this lasts till tonight, I'm moving out," Jason readily decided.

"You aren't going anywhere, mister," Donna stated, handing Claire over to him as Conner began wailing. "You weren't here when it was at its worse. What's going on now is nothing compared to how bad it was."

"Hey," he grumbled, taking Claire into his arms.

She looked up at him with her blue eyes and her flushed cheeks, reaching up at him. He shifted her to his shoulder, praying that she didn't throw up on him. He'd heard what happened to Donna with Conner. Vomiting was not his thing by any stretch.

"Please, don't throw up on Uncle Jason," he told her as he gently bounced her in his arms. "I'll start throwing up and then who will clean that up? I can tell you that it won't be me."

Artemis grinned as she walked past with her empty tray and a puke bucket. "You look good with a baby in your arms."

"It's still not right," Jason yelled over his shoulder. "Dick and I are highly susceptible for getting sick while you two never get sick. I think Dick and I should move in with Tim at the penthouse."

"I highly doubt Tim would want you two at the penthouse," Donna told him. "I'm sure he's enjoying some quiet time with Cassie."

"They had better be working on their class project and not each other or I'm going to be ticked," Dick grumbled as he raced for the stairs.

"I think Dick and I should go over there just to be sure," Jason announced.

"You two aren't going anywhere," Donna insisted, handing Conner over to Jason who still had Claire. "I'm taking another shower."

"What the—?" Jason began. "Hey! I can't take both kids!"

Donna poked her head back out of the bedroom, her blue eyes narrowed into a fierce glare that almost made Jason take a life-preserving step back. "I have puke in my hair again and in my shoe," she snapped. "Either let me take a quick shower or so help me I will dump a puke bucket on your head."

"Go take a shower," Jason wisely decided, bouncing both kids in his arms. "I've got this covered…for now…I think."

"Jason!" Nicholas yelled, followed by the sound of gagging.

Jason's eyes fell closed as Claire was grabbing his ear and Conner was patting his cheek with his slobbery wet hand. "Don't puke, don't puke, don't puke," he muttered over and over again.

"I've got it," Artemis told him as she raced past him, disappearing into Nicholas's room.

Jason followed her into the bedroom to find both Nicholas and Kaia dry heaving. Thank goodness it was gagging and spit and not actual vomit. How there could possibly be anything left in their stomachs after throwing up all night was beyond him.

Kaia immediately crawled into Artemis's lap, laying her head against her chest. "I want my momma," she cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Artemis tentatively wrapped her arms around the little girl, feeling unsure of herself at that moment. "It's okay, Kaia," she attempted to assure her. "Your mom and dad are coming home tonight so you'll get to see them soon."

"They are?" she whimpered.

"Yeah, Kai," Jason said. "I bet your mom and dad will be home by dinner tonight."

"I hope so," she murmured with a sniffle.

Artemis looked up helplessly at Jason, silently asking him if she was doing it right. He nodded his head with a proud smile, silently telling her she was doing great. Dick walked in at that moment with a tray of toast and some chicken noodle soup.

"I think you two might feel better if you had a little something in your stomach," he decided. "At least I hope so. We're going to try it and see how it goes."

Artemis tilted her head down to gaze at Kaia as she rubbed the little girl's back. "Do you want to try to eat something?"

"No, I'll throw up," she cried.

"Try it, Kaia," Nicholas encouraged her as Dick opened up the legs beneath the tray to set across Nicholas's lap.

Sniffling, Kaia wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hands before crawling over to sit opposite her brother. She reached over and picked up a spoon. "I am hungry," she admitted.

"Take little bites," Dick instructed them.

Kaia tilted her head as she looked up at her brother. "It's soup," she reminded him. "How do you bite soup?"

"She has you there, bro," Jason told him, handing Conner over to him. "Here, you can take at least one of your kids."

"Where's Donna?" he asked, taking Conner.

"Getting a shower," he replied, holding Claire's back against his chest. "Something about puke in her shoe."

Dick held up a hand. "Say no more," he uttered with a look of pure disgust. "Enough said."

"Is Cassandra staying with Barbara?" Jason asked.

"Yes, at least until the kids are better," Dick revealed. "She's going to come to the manor in a couple of days as long as the rest of us don't get sick."

"I'm glad we were able to talk her into staying in Gotham," Artemis added. "I hate the idea of her out there all alone in the world with the League chasing her."

"You realize this is going to bring the League of Assassins down on Gotham and us," Jason reminded them. "They're going to rein down terror until they get what they want."

"Who are they?" Kaia asked, looking up from her soup.

"Uh, no one you need to worry about, Kai," Jason told her. "Just eat your soup and don't throw up."

"I can't help it," she said with a scowl. "It just comes up when it wants to."

"Don't try to hold it in or it'll come out your nose," Nick warned her.

"Ewww," Kaia said with a giggle. "That's gross."

"What if you threw up and a noodle came out of your nose?" Nick asked her.

That made Kaia giggle even more, making it harder for her to eat her soup especially with Nicholas laughing too. "Alright you two," Dick interjected. "Don't laugh too hard or you might throw up again."

"Finish your soup and you can go downstairs to watch a movie…as long as you aren't throwing up," Jason suggested.

"Will you watch a movie with us?" Kaia asked.

"Sure," Jason told her, lighting bouncing Claire who was babbling to herself. "Do I get to pick the movie?"

"No," Nicholas readily decided. "It'll be a scary movie and we don't like those kinds."

"Don't pick a cartoon movie," he told them as Dick and the kids shuffled past him. "Pick something we can all watch."

Artemis smirked as she watched her fiancé, impressed by how well he was handling all of this. While he had wanted to run to the penthouse to join Tim, he had taken responsibility and taken care of his family. It made her almost anxious for them to start a family someday.

Where in Ra had that come from?

There was no way that she was anywhere near ready to have a baby with Jason right now. She was just getting used to the idea of them being engaged. A baby was too life-altering to deal with for her. She was a warrior, not a mother.

Jason seemed to believe that she would make a good mother someday. She hoped that he was right. She wasn't against the idea of having a baby with Jason. It was just not something that she had pictured happening to her.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Artemis looked up to find Donna standing in the doorway of Nicholas's bedroom. "I was just thinking about the possibility of a baby someday."

"Is it something you want?" she asked.

"I don't know," Artemis tentatively replied. "It's not something that I ever really considered. Of course, I never thought I'd get married either."

"Don't rule out the possibility," Donna told her. "I think you'd make a great mother."

"Really?" she asked, giving her a skeptical look.

"Why not?" Donna questioned her.

"I'm a warrior at heart."

"So is Diana…so am I," Donna reminded her. "Don't sell yourself short. There's just something that happens inside of you when you have a baby. It changes you in the best possible ways."

"Maybe…" she murmured more to herself than to Donna.

"Come on," Donna encouraged her. "Let's go downstairs and watch a movie with the others. It's better than being stuck up here in the sick ward."

Artemis followed Donna out, her mind racing with thoughts that she never expected to be wrestling with.

A/N: One storyline begins to draw to a close while another one begins to ramp up!

UP NEXT: Alfred and Peter head to the hospital, Bruce and Diana reunite with their family, and Tim and Cassie meet with the League about their device. :)