Tabular Rasa

Shayera moaned as she slowly got up from her bed. She didn't want to get up at all, this was the best sleep she has ever had in a long time since getting sick. As she got up, she realized she wasn't alone and that she wasn't at her bedroom apartment in Midway.

Diana and Bruce were at her bedside, one smiling at her and the other a grim frown. Shayera wanted to roll her eyes at Bruce's mask but instead smiled at Diana and asked, "How was bodyguard duties?"

"Stressing. Vandal Savage has returned."

"What?!" Shayera leapt from her bed but almost collapsed on her knees had it not been for Bruce's quick catch. Turning to face him, Shayera noticed a grim aura surround him. Thinking that it had to do with Vandal Savage's return, Shayera faced Diana again and asked, "What happened?"

Diana began to retell her adventure of protecting the Princess of Kasnia and how Savage nearly mounted an orbital weapon using the country's defenses.

"I'm going to scan you for anymore abnormalities. You're battle with John Dee left you in a sleep coma for a week." said Bruce.
"A WEEK! I'm missing work! Emmett is going to kill me!" Shayera bounded off the bed again before she was restrained by both Amazon and Dark Knight.

"What are you doing? I feel fine!"

"Shayera! Stop! You might hurt the baby!" yelled Diana. Bruce wanted to slap duct tape over the Amazon's mouth for her forwardness but it at least shocked Shayera into holding still long enough to be placed back on the bed.

"..."

"Shayera?" Diana worriedly looked into her shocked friend's face. Shayera had a look of disbelief and confusion on her face that Diana turned to Bruce to see if he could help. He nodded and walked towards them, Diana leaving the room in order to give the couple their privacy. It truly was a head turner when Superman informed her of Batman and Shayera's relationship reveal.

Shayera remained sitting on the bed as Bruce approached her, removing his cowl as he sat next to her. His appearance next to her triggered her paralyzed mind to finally function with the new information. How far along is she? How is it even possible for a human and a Thanagarian to conceive? How is the child going to be raised? What is she going to name it? Why the fuck is Bruce so calm about this?

"Shayera, what do you know about Thanagarian pregnancies?" His eyes were hard but comforting, needing information in order to help her and their baby. Shayera shook her head and tried to remember her mother's pregnancy when her brother was born.

"I… I don't know." Her admittance made everything seem all the more dangerous to Bruce, who immediately went to the medical computers and began to diagnose Shayera's condition. Shayera watched him work, her hands unconsciously rubbing her stomach as she began to think about her work. How can she fight crime pregnant?

"You're to stay in the Watchtower or the Batcave until this is over." ordered Bruce. It wasn't that what he said didn't make sense, but how he said it that struck a nerve in Shayera.
"Don't dictate me in what I should do."

"It's not just you now that I worry about. There is a child-our child-that is growing inside of you, this is no time for you to start thinking that you can get back into battle."

"That's where I'm going to have to stop you," sniped Shayera, jumping from the bed, "I don't know much about Thanagarian pregnancies, but I do recall my mother never having to stay at home while pregnant with my brother as she was out excavating in dangerous ruins."

"That is completely different Shayera, your mother is an archeologist not an officer and crime fighter who constantly puts her life on the line."

"Thanagar is an unforgiving world! It doesn't matter what your career, it only matters if you are strong enough to survive outside your own home!"

"This is not Thanagar! This is Earth!"

"There is no difference!"

Both looked at each other, angry at how this was panning out. Bruce knew that Shayera didn't like being treated as delicate but he cannot believe she is being this stubborn about the safety of their child. Shayera was angry plain and simple. Whether it be the hormones or just how she is being treated, Shayera will not let Bruce tell her how to be with the pregnancy.

"I have already made it clear to the League that you will not be sent out on any missions." Shayera's eyes flashed in anger while Bruce remained firm in his stance.

"Fine." Shayera walked out of the medical wing, intending to walk out when Bruce called out again, "I have also informed Commissioner Emmett about your pregnancy."

"You stay out of my affairs!"

"You are carrying my child as well Shayera! If you don't think practically then I'll do it for you!"

Shayera marched over to the warp pad and typed in the coordinates to Midway City. Before teleporting away, the last she saw was Bruce's eyes narrowed at her.

Bruce stood at the entrance of the Monitor Womb, angry that Shayera wasn't going to be thinking straight. Debating whether or not he should follow her, he almost didn't hear J'onn walk up from behind him. His footsteps loud and clear on purpose as the usually silent Martian stood next to Bruce, eyes questioning.
"She's a stubborn bird." Bruce walked towards the computer, intending to follow after Shayera.
"Perhaps it would be best if I went instead. If I know Shayera well, she'll only close up further if you attempted to continue your argument."

"Can you make her see reason?" asked Bruce, wondering how the Martian could try to get through Shayera.

"She's just angry, she'll eventually calm down."

"So how does you going be different from me going?"

"You going will only remind her why she was angry in the first place."

Bruce nodded in agreement and teleported J'onn towards Midway City. It would only be moments later that he would receive a call from Superman, informing him of Luthor's escape. Quickly calling in Diana from her day off, he teleported away, leaving Lantern in charge of the Watchtower.

J'onn J'onzz never spent enough time among humans that weren't his friends so when he appeared in an alleyway in the heart of Midway City, he quickly morphed himself into a human and walked amongst the crowd, unnoticed. So many voices entered his head as he tried to locate where Shayera might've gone. Thoughts of lust, love, crime, and hate entered his head, shocking him as he mixed among the human race. Trying to identify one source of crime would lead him to more crimes being thought by the humans. Stricken with shock, he quickly attempted to block out their thoughts when he finally came across the mind of one George Emmett.

Damn it Shayera just listen to me!

Quickly making his way towards the police station, he heard the thoughts of George Emmett and another, Kendra Grubbs.

Oh my God, just let her talk Tio.

J'onn entered the police station and quickly made himself transparent before he walked through the walls, invisible to the police as he made his way towards the Commissioner's office. As he neared the office, he didn't need his mind reading abilities to hear the conversation.

"Don't you dare tell me what I can or can't do!"

"I'm your boss! You think I allowed Kendra out and about when she had Junior?"

"She's human! My body is made to fight even while pregnant!"

"Gee what a distinction." said Kendra wryly as she leaned against the wall. It was Andrew's day off so he was over with her Tia Alice and Junior, which left her alone with her partner and Uncle.

"Shayera, you have to understand that here on Earth, pregnant women run the risk of miscarriages and difficult birth if they are placed in extreme and stressful situations! I cannot in good feeling allow you to continue with the police work until you're no longer pregnant and until your baby is of a decent age to be without its mother."

Shayera growled and stormed out of the office, irritated at the world and needing space. Ignoring Kendra's calls, Shayera marched out of the Police Station and flew towards the National Park, intending to find some solace.

J'onn followed her and morphed into a hawk, flying above her as he gladly left the city behind where he can no longer read the hidden disturbing minds of the masses. Despite not being able to hear Shayera's mind, he can still sense her distress. As she landed in the forest an hour later, he stayed behind and watched as she sat down in the middle of a clearing. Wondering why, he couldn't think about how best to approach her when a wild hawk attacked him.

The loud screeching brought Shayera's attention as she watched her hawk friend attack an intruder and try to chase him away from his territory. Imagine her surprise when J'onn phased out of his form.

"Friend, he means no harm." called out Shayera.

J'onn watched in amazement as the wild hawk finally left him alone before flying back up to his perch, another hawk sitting in a nest.

"She's on her final days of incubation. They both hunted earlier today to be ready for their chick to hatch." Shayera walked over to J'onn and helped him up. Curiously, he glanced over towards the nest. The female was sitting on the nest while the male stood by protectively, ready for any type of danger. Looking at Shayera, he could see that she was exhausted and that her left hand was settling on her stomach, obviously still thinking about her pregnancy.

"How do you feel?"

"You mean how I am carrying a child and just found out the minute I woke up? I'm… still processing."

"You know we only have the best interest for you when we agreed not to put you through any missions."

Shayera only sighed and walked away, her wings sagging a bit. J'onn followed her and heard the hawk follow them from behind, perhaps to make sure the Martian doesn't harm the Thanagarian.

"I never knew you could communicate well with hawks." J'onn lifted his arm up and allowed the hawk to perch on it. Its piercing eyes looked into his as J'onn tried to read its mind. Nothing.

"It's not just hawks. I am able to talk with all of the avian species. It helps out plenty when Kendra and I are sent into investigations. The birds tell me everything they see." Shayera watched as the hawk flew back to his nest, not wanting to waste more time away from his family. She rubbed her stomach again as she thought about her child. If only she could make them see that she can still fight. She's not invalid.

"They only worry for you." sad J'onn.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind?"

"It doesn't take a mind reader to understand where your thoughts are."

"It's just… on Thanagar, women are not invalids. We can still fight, research, work. Pregnancies don't last long anyways. We have a 6 month clock before the baby is due."

"You must keep in mind that you aren't carrying a full-bred Thanagarian. Your child is a hybrid."

"It's… I can't think about it." Shayera's feathers were unconsciously poofing out, a sign of distress. She sat down on a fallen tree and hunched over, appearing like a feathered-ball as her wings wrapped around her. J'onn sat beside her to see fear in her eyes.

"Why not?"

"What if… what if it doesn't live?" Her hushed voice cracked and she wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. "What if, even after being so careful, it won't survive?"

J'onn could feel the fear radiate off her mind and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, or at least tried to with her wings in the way.

"You have us, Shayera. It may seem like you want to be in action but you must think about the child. Why do you want to rejoin missions despite having a child? You obviously already know that risks."

"It's… I don't like people telling me what to do and how to deal with the situation. Batman means well but I know how this is going to go. I've seen him work where he believes he is doing the right thing but he's just going to keep me on tab and not even give me space. I know how he is but gods above I love him."

"So what will you do?"

"I… I don't know. When I thought about having a family… I honestly didn't think it would happen so soon. I… am not ready. I don't know what to do." Shayera shivered and tried to stop thinking about it. Unfortunately, the truth of situation is more glaring than she could handle.

"You have us. You have your family in Midway City. You have your bird friends even. You are not alone Shayera. You will not do this alone. Batman may seem like he may react over the top but I am sure that he respects your privacy and understands that you will be doing things your way as well."

Shayera thought about it. Bruce is incredibly protective over his friends and family. She was unfortunate in witnessing an argument between Dick and Bruce one time in the cave. Dick was furious over Bruce's involvement with a case Dick had taken upon himself to solve. He threw accusations at Bruce about being overbearing and untrusting towards his team and family. Later that night after Dick stormed off back to Bludhaven, Shayera witnessed Bruce sitting in his armchair by the fire, sullen and a bit depressed. His expression was one full of parental care. She knew that Dick was in the right of calling Bruce out on not giving him the chance to do things on his own but if he could've seen Bruce's face later that night: perhaps he might've apologized for the harsh language.

Shayera thought long and hard as she laid out her options. For one, she didn't want to give up her fight for justice. She didn't want to be a stay at home mother but there were higher risks that came with being a mother who fights crime. How does Kendra go about her day knowing that any day could be her last day. That she could potentially leave Junior without a mother? Shayera rubbed her tummy, a bit in shock still that there is life growing inside her. As Shayera pondered over her decisions, unbeknownst to her, she was beginning to lose herself.

J'onn couldn't have known, unable to read her mind, but he would later on berate himself for not reacting fast enough. The low inhuman growl is what tipped him off that something had gone wrong. Looking over at Shayera, he noticed her dilated eyes and and the snarl on her face. Quickly backing up, J'onn noticed her posture was more wild-like than ever. Her wings were spread out to make herself look big and menacing. Her talon-hand was poised and ready for attack while her other hand gripper her mace. J'onn slowly backed away with his hands raised to show he meant no threat. Recognizing her feral state, J'onn wondered what might have triggered it. From the reports of the others and from what he has seen himself, she only ever came into this state when angry or under extreme stress.

"Shayera, I mean you no harm." No answer from her as she menacingly walked towards him. J'onn didn't want to harm her, possibilities of harming the baby running through his head. He instead phased past the trees as he flew up and away from her, keeping an eye on her.

She quickly flew away from him, her speed catching J'onn by surprise. Flying to catch up with her, J'onn attempted to restrain her. He was promptly electrocuted when she blasted her mace to half power. Crying out in pain, J'onn fell from the sky. He was saved by the branches, clinging onto a large one as he tried to quickly recover. His skin was burning in pain, almost like an invisible fire was clinging to him. J'onn glanced up at the sky to see nothing. Shayera had promptly vanished.

A Week Later

Bruce tiredly scanned the computer for reports about Shayera. Anything really would have sufficed. A rumor, a sighting, anything. When J'onn returned to the Watchtower to inform him about Shayera's ferality taking over, he could only assume it was her inner self protecting the child. Bruce had sent Barbara and Harper to scour the Midway National Park, forced to reveal about Shayera's pregnancy and about her feral side. While annoyed at how cold Bruce was when he explained to Shayera her condition and the plans were, Barbara worked extra hard when Harper needed to return to school during the day, often employing the help of Kara Kent to search for the missing Leaguer.

While they searched in the park, Bruce was able to cut the search for Shayera back a bit as he also searched for Luthor and his new friend, AMAZO. The deadly android is the last legacy of mad scientist Dr. Ivo, who died only two weeks ago. With AMAZO, Luthor was able to make off with several experimental medical equipments, no doubt still trying to cure his cancer.

"Any news yet?" asked Clark as he flew in behind Bruce.

"None." Whether it was about Luthor or Shayera, Clark didn't know and didn't want to ask Bruce to clarify. Shayera's disappearance has put all of them on edge, Flash and J'onn volunteering their services in Midway City to help cover for her shifts. As the League tried to help in their attempt to find Shayera, Clark is only happy to let Kara help Barbara comb through the park in search of Shayera. It really brought morale down to have her missing in the League.

"Diana and I have been searching through all areas surrounding Metropolis. There's a new breakthrough in the radiology labs that could help eliminate the prime cancer cell but it's still in its early phase." They hoped that Luthor would reveal himself soon after word got around.

"Where's Diana?"

"Still in Metropolis. She employed the help of Trevor and several of his men to guard the tech while she patrols around the city. It's only a matter of time until Luthor makes his move."

"Or the android makes the move for him."

"Speaking of which, any luck in figuring out how to disarm it?"

"No," said Bruce as he turned the computer off and rubbed his eyes to ease the burning. Clark felt a bit guilty for putting a lot of expectations on Bruce and said, "Here, I'll search for a bit too. Go rest, I actually got a call from Alfred asking to march you home or he'll make his way up here himself."

Bruce snorted in mirth, imagining his aging friend in a Javelin on his way to the tower. Getting up, Bruce made his way to the warp pad. As he teleported into the Batcave, he was met with a sleeping Tim, head resting over the computer keyboard. A blanket draped over his shoulders as his snores echoed in the cave. Had it been any other night, he would have allowed Tim to stay over the computer. Unfortunately he needed to call Barbara back so she could get her rest.

Shaking Tim, he backed up when the young hero snapped up and began to scramble to reorient himself. Quickly turning around to see who woke him up, Tim snapped to attention when he saw Bruce standing over him.

"Bruce! How's the search going?"

His silent glare answered his question and Tim awkwardly stepped off to the side in order to let him use the computer. Sitting down, Bruce typed in Barbara's line and waited for her to answer.

"Bruce? Bruce! Listen now is not a good time!"

"Barbara, what is wrong?"

"Kara and I were searching for Shayera when a flock of birds attacked us!"
"Mark your location Barbara and grab hold of Kara."

Pulling up a map of the Midway National Park, he waited until a red beacon appeared near the coastal cliffs. Quickly inputting Barbara's signal, Bruce teleported them away from the birds. Barbara and Kara appeared on the warp pad, their hair disheveled and Barbara sporting a few cuts on her arms.

"Birds?" asked Tim, wondering just how Barbara and Kara were beaten by birds.

"Hey! They're endangered! You try to convince a bunch birds not to attack you! You try not to accidentally swap at them and get in trouble for killing one!" cried out Kara in anger.

"Chill!" Hands raised in surrender, Tim backed off. Barbara walked up to Bruce and pointed at the map.

"Kara and I found an abandoned mine near the cliffsides. It's a lead depository."

"A perfect hiding place from Superman and Supergirl."

"Exactly. I'll pull some connections from some librarian friends of mine at the Midway Public Library. They should have the old maps from the 1800s still tucked away."

"Barbara… thank you." Barbara smiled at the praise from Bruce when Kara immediately zoomed next to her and waited.

"Kara, thank you as well."

Kara smiled in glee, happy to get a compliment from one of the greatest heroes on Earth. Waving goodbye at Barbara and Tim, Kara flew home to Kansas in order to get more work done to help Barbara again. It's always fun being out and participating in missions with Barbara. Barbara bid Bruce and Tim goodnight as well as she made her way home, needing to keep appearances with her father.

"So Shayera's expecting?" asked Tim, wanting the silence to be filled. "I call honorary uncle to the kid."

"This is assuming that you can even care for a baby." said Bruce as he made his way upstairs to catch up on sleep as well.

"What? I'm a great caretaker! Just ask my teammates!"

"I'd rather have the knowledge of her pregnancy be kept a secret. How many people know?"

"Just us, the League, and Shayera's family in Midway. They're keeping tight-lipped about her disappearance, saying that she's currently offworld on mission."

"Good. You can return back to the Titans Tim, we have everything covered here."

"Unlikely," argued Tim, "I left Starfire in charge while I'm gone."

"I'm sure Dick will appreciate you halting his plans for date night tonight."

"He needs to get used to it, what with the life we lead."

"If you insist on staying, do you think you can take over the watch in the computers. Keep an eye out for anything involving Luthor or an android on the rampage. Keep an eye out for Metropolis news sites and Gotham as well in the event Luthor decides to target the the Wayne Medical Labs."

"Roger."

Bruce tiredly went up to his bed and tried to get some sleep. His stress levels were going to kill him if he didn't at least get an hour to sleep. It wouldn't be a restful night however. Images of a stillborn and Shayera dying in childbirth haunted him. He would wake up in a start, making Alfred jump back in surprise.

"Sir, Master Tim has discovered Luthor's location. He is holed up in the mansion that once belonged to Dr. Ivo. Miss Barbara has also acquired the maps of the abandoned mine. She has informed me to relay the message that she and Kara will go back to the mines and use the maps."

Alfred made to leave the room but noticed that Bruce had not even made a single move. Looking at his ward's face, Alfred saw the worry and frustration in his face.
"Master Bruce?"

"Alfred? I… I want to know how my father was when my mother was pregnant with me."

"Oh Master Bruce," sighed Alfred wistfully, looking back at fond memories, "Your father nearly drove your mother up the wall with all his preparation. Did you know he had ordered a large amount of padding in order to cover the mansion with it so you wouldn't harm yourself?"

"Did he?"

"Your father was a very cautious man Master Bruce. He took whatever precaution was necessary and compromised with your mother after almost sanding down every corner in this home."

"Will Shayera listen to me if she understood how much risks there are when giving birth to human babies?"

"I'm sure Miss Shayera already knows that dangers Master Bruce, I find that she relies much on the child's half Thanagarian genes to help battle any form of harm."
"She needs to stop being stubborn and listen."
"She has listened Master Bruce, I no doubt believe that she is taking this time to think through her options. This isn't her world after all and she is going about this as the only one of her species on this planet."

"I have to find her and talk about this. She can't be doing things on her own just because she believes that as the only Thanagarian on this planet that she knows what to do. There's too much at risk."

"I agree sir, but allow her this time to think things through. This 'feral' nature of hers is probably a defense mechanism that is trying to protect her."

Bruce only grunted and got up. This is another issue he needed to discuss with her. Her feral personality often pops up unexpected and Shayera has confided in them that she cannot remember her actions most of the time. While it has helped in many battles, this time it's gone too far. He needed to find out what this feral personality is and help her control it.

Suiting up, he went quickly down to the Batcave to see Tim hacking into several satellites and keeping the Metropolis News Report open. Glancing at the television, Snapper Carr was reporting a live coverage of the Android's fight against the League. J'onn wasn't involved in the fight after the League had figured out that the Android was able to copy their abilities and powers. Giving the Android access to J'onn will only cause more problems. Bruce can only be glad that Shayera is gone, otherwise access to Nth Metal and her abilities would have been tedious.

"Warp me to the fight, Tim."

"Right."

As he was warped from the Batcave to the fight, he immediately stopped himself from jumping into battle as he heard the Android cry out, "All of you. Villains! Stopping an innocent man from seeking treatment to his disease. All of you would dare hide behind your facade as heroes."

He thought them as villains and Luthor a hero? He noticed Diana telling the Android the truth but it seemed the Android is very set on his view of what was true or lie. On the corner of his eye, he noticed Luthor in his mecha-suit as he carefully moved a machine out onto the Metropolis Medical Lab roof. It seems that the Android is very set on his loyalty but if he were to know the truth? Would he still want to protect Luthor?

Pressing on his comm-link, he called J'onn to the battlefield in order to pull a massive gamble.

Superman kept the Android down, trading blows as he attempted to take its attention while the others stopped Luthor but the Android was proving to be too much. It was the sudden appearance of J'onn behind the Android that made Superman balk in flight. The Android turned quickly to assess its new opponent. Its eyes glowing orange in order to scan the Martian, the ability to read all minds came to him. So many thoughts of death, lust, crime… these humans were disgusting but there were a few. The ones he was fighting… their thoughts were full of justice, protection, and compassion.

Luthor…. His thoughts…. HE LIED!

Turning his attention to the human he once thought was good, he flew towards him and stood in front of him, blocking his escape.

"What are you doing?" demanded Luthor, "Get back and fight them!"

"You lied!" Amazo walked towards Luthor menacingly, the League behind him at a distance. Bruce watched as Luthor froze in shock at being called out but quickly regained his composure and tried to lie again.

"They're tricking you!"

"I can read your mind."

"..."

Amazo and Luthor had a stare down and it was almost shocking to see Luthor attempt to blast it with his blaster. Amazo merely absorbed the power, before reaching out at Luthor. The League watched in shock as it dismantled Luthor's armor and stepped away from him. Facing the League, Amazo apologized.

"I was in the wrong. I'll be taking my leave, learning. Do not attempt to stop me."

Bruce's eyes widened at seeing wings sprout from Amazo's back and stopped him.

"Wait! Who did you meet with wings like the ones you have?"

Reading the human's mind, Amazo could see the connection the human has with the winged human he met in the forest.

"She is residing in a mine close to Midway, she seemed a bit… preoccupied. She was carrying large equipments of technology."

"What is she doing?"

"She seemed to be growing in the abdomen, a sign of a growing child."

"Already?" asked Flash, "Shouldn't she be showing like after three months?"

"It's a hybrid child, it might be developing at a quicker rate and with her ferality personality in control she could be creating a nest of sorts." said J'onn. No sooner had he said it, Bruce got a call from Barbara.

"Batman! We found her and… well she's fine, Kara has her pinned but could you maybe get here quick? This is something that you have to see to believe."

"We're on our way."

The League left Luthor to the authorities after Amazo had flown away. They each flew or ran to Midway National Forest, Bruce hitching a ride with Diana as they made their way to Midway. The night sky was cloudy, no light aiding them but Superman led the way, his vision allowing him to spot Batgirl outside a cave. Leading them down, Superman greeted Batgirl with a smile, one which she returned.

"Where is she?" asked Bruce, worried.

"Follow me." Batgirl lead them into the mines, a map on hand so they wouldn't get lost. Bruce held up a glow stick in order to help light the mines as they got deeper and deeper into the mines. As they neared their location, they heard a grunt and a voice say, "Please stop. You're going to hurt yourself."

They entered a large space, lit up by several firepits. As they looked around they noticed a large incubator in the middle of the space. Inside the incubator was the largest egg they had ever seen resting comfortably in the middle surrounded by blankets. Off to the side, Kara had Shayera pinned down in a bear hug. She snarled at the invaders, attempting to break free from the Kryptonian's grasp.

"Shay... you laid an egg?" asked Flash weakly, amused and shock at the sight.

"Everybody out of the cave, now." commanded Bruce. Flash looked ready to argue but Batgirl quickly signaled him to remain quiet. Kara released Shayera who immediately flew in front of her incubator, talons out and mace ready. Everybody left the cave until it was only Bruce and Shayera left in the cave. She stood guard in front of their egg, not recognizing Bruce.

"You know who I am," said Bruce, removing his cowl and his belt. Shayera's eyes remained primal but her stance softened a bit at seeing him unarmed.

"You know that this is our child, you need to remember." pushed Bruce. Shayera's nose flared, taking in his scent until she relaxed fully: recognizing her mate.

"Shayera, talk to me." Bruce walked up to her, taking her hands into his. Her eyes slowly returned back to normal, taking in his scent and soothing presence. Burying her face into his chest, Shayera only hugged him and remained silent. Bruce rubbed her back, waiting until she was ready to talk. He glanced over at the incubator, their child being made inside an egg. How… interesting.

"Bruce… I'm sorry."

"It's ok. It made sense that your feral side would get to work right away. I didn't know your people gave birth to eggs."

"We… don't." whispered Shayera. Surprised, Bruce stepped back away from her to see her eyes. She looked anxious and worried as she wrung her hands.

"We give live births like humans… nothing about this makes sense. I wish I could ask my mother, she studied ancient civilizations and society back in my homeworld but… I don't know what to think about this."

"We'll figure it out. First we need to move the incubator somewhere safe."

"Could we place it in the cave? I can't rely on Mavis or David to look after it since they're constantly abroad for their jobs and Kendra and her family have Junior to look after."

"I'm sure Alfred will be thrilled to have another Wayne baby on the way."

Smiling softly, Shayera hugged Bruce. Her fears about what giving birth to an egg could mean for them. This is the first time she's ever heard of a live egg birth. She wished she had her mother but for now, she's happy that Bruce is with her. They seem to be over their initial problem of crime fighting, so for now things seemed to be good.

Bruce was thinking about this entire problem. If Shayera is right, then this child is a born anomaly. He needed to run tests and Shayera's desire to have their child moved to the cave will make things easier. He didn't like to think about their child having possible difficulties the day it comes to hatch. Looking at Shayera, he thought about the cameras and security he set up in her museum apartment and the tracking nanochip he place on the back of her armor when he hugged her. His father took every precaution necessary to protect his mother when she was pregnant. He'll be the same way. He'll ensure that no child of his will be left parentless, even if he has to make sure Shayera never again disappeared the way she did.

Hey readers, sorry for the long hiatus. I was in a very terrible spot in my life. I couldn't even leave my own room without being anxious and afraid. I'm doing a lot better now though, after I worked my way to get past it. Hopefully you guys liked the new chapter. I tried to take in all the recommendations you guys sent in making the story better, I'll be introducing more stuff later in the next chapters. Hopefully you guys liked it and can't wait to hear from you :) have a good night :)