Hi everyone, I'm back!
So here is the sequel to 'Son'. It won't be regular updates, as this one is far from finished, but I hope you'll be interested enough to hang till the end :)
Please read and enjoy.
(the story happens a few months after the ending of Son)
Sons and daughters
Marriage of the century kept under wraps?
By Vicky Vale
The event went largely unnoticed but still happened under our unsuspecting eyes. In the past few months, we have learned quite a few things: we are not alone in this universe, and earth is sheltering an alien. Well, the controversy of his presence if not the subject here. I would rather like to focus on something that had occurred under our nose, rather uncharacteristically sneaky coming from that person. He might not be a rock star, but he is well-known and well-loved amongst our city.
To those who are unfamiliar with the man, this handsome billionaire is well-known for his various good deeps, starting from charity to reacting faster than the government to send useful protection tools on an invasion site and helping out first-hand in the aftermath. I speak of No-Longer-Most-Eligible-Bachelor Bruce Wayne.
Yes, your eyes have not deceived you. The Prince of Gotham has gotten hitched shortly after the terrible events of Metropolis. After forty years of swearing off marriage, our favorite socialite has settled down with a woman and her child.
The lucky lady comes from Paris, a curator in Antiquities from the Louvre. Diana Prince, now officially known as Diana Prince-Wayne, has disregarded the dangers of aliens and Gotham's reputation to settle in the city with her new husband. She is the proud mother of a five-year-old boy that Bruce Wayne adopted as his own. When first Richard Grayson, Mr. Wayne's first legally adopted son, was contacted about the potential division of his inheritance, he declined any conflict.
'They [AN: Mrs. Prince-Wayne and her son] are a good influence on Bruce. I haven't seen him this happy in years. Diana is a kind and patient woman, but she won't let him have his way with everything and that's exactly what he needed. I'm glad to call them family.'
Our main couple declined to answer any questions, quoting the need for privacy.
Gotham, Lake House
Bruce put down the newspaper and grunted in annoyance. The panic surrounding the alien invasion had slowly died down. The news was still mentioning the invasion, though more in smaller articles. But now, people were starting to tire of hearing of the threats from outer space. In their mind, the invasion was old news. Their attention had shifted onto the very mediatized Superman. They scrutinized his every move and discussed his existence with awe and fear. And now, even Superman was not enough to distract the journalists.
He should have expected Vicky to be the first on his trail. His brief dalliance with the journalist had convinced him he should stay well-away from women working in that profession in the future. She could have been great for Bruce Wayne, but not so great for his secret identity. Granted, it had been three months since their marriage; but he would have rather hidden Diana and Hippolyte from the front scene a while longer. Not that they needed hiding or anything, but his protective instincts could not be reasoned with. And what on earth had Dick been telling the media?
"Is there something wrong?"
He glanced up and was met with Diana's watchful eyes. This morning, she had dressed with a thick white top that elegantly molded her breasts but spread loosely over her stomach. One could barely guess she was six-months pregnant. He immediately felt himself softening. Ever since their hasty marriage, both were slowly growing to learn about each other. The lasso incident had brought them closer and given them perspective, but some things still needed to be said. Still, he loved being able to share his life with someone who understood, someone he didn't need to hide from –and someone he genuinely respected and cared for.
Diana took the seat next to him, the same inquiring light in her eyes. He wordlessly handed her the newspaper. The article itself wasn't big –a fourth page notice at best –without even a picture, but others might soon follow. Diana hummed noncommittally, a small frown on her face as she read it.
"Well, I suppose it was meant to happen," she declared. She did not look upset, which reassured him. Her eye trailed towards the thicker paper craft envelope laying open on the table. "And this is…?"
"Blueprints for Wayne Manor," he replied. "The architect sent them back this morning with drawings of the rooms. He took in account the last alterations we demanded." He paused and added softly, feeling the blush creeping up his cheeks: "Hip's bedroom will be moved further down the hall."
The same smile of embarrassment came upon Diana's face. While Hippolyte had learned to stay away from his parents' bedroom for their 'alone time', he was still incredibly curious about their activities. And being caught in the act once was the kind of embarrassment he did not want to repeat.
Diana suddenly 'ah-ed' and instinctively reached for her stomach. Bruce felt the same rush of adrenaline ran up and down his spine whenever her pregnancy was involved. Sometimes it felt like worry. Sometimes, he desperately envied Diana for being so close to the life they had created.
"Is she moving again?" he asked.
Instead of answering, she took his hand and spread it over her belly. Not for the first time, he felt the flutter underneath his hand and his heartbeat rushed even faster. A huge smile split his face. The adrenaline was replaced by unaltered joy mixed with fear. He still remembered the day Diana had returned to that little apartment back in Paris, the strangest expression on her face. Alfred had been near tears upon hearing the new and Dick had looked odd but his congratulations had sounded genuine nonetheless. Bruce had made his peace with the situation faster than he expected. Now, he wanted nothing more but to welcome their daughter into this world.
The sound of footsteps interrupted their musings. Hippolyte would soon be running to the kitchen to wolf down his breakfast. Bruce removed his hand, although not before caressing the bump one last time. His smile slowly faded as another thought came forward. The baby's arrival was not the only thing on his mind. He had spent an extra hour down the cave last night, working on a hunch that had occurred to him during patrol. The gut instinct had paid off.
"I found a lead on our time-traveler last night," he announced. Diana's attention was back on him. "I may have his name."
"Really?" she sounded surprised but quickly schooled her face. She too had heard the sounds announcing their son's arrival.
"We can talk about this tonight," he added and she nodded in agreement. Confirming the man's identity could wait another day.
The little ball of energy known as Hippolyte Prince-Wayne busted into the room, fully dressed with his school uniform and his mope of dark hair. Just like every time Bruce saw him, he felt a mix of love and pride grow in his chest. The five year old boy's attitude had not changed an inch since he had moved to Gotham, something Bruce was infinitively grateful for. His greatest fear had been about his son's difficulty to acclimate to his new environment. Diana had assured him though that Hip could make his home wherever his feet landed, as long as he was surrounded by people he loved.
"Hello father!" he greeted Bruce by pulling his sleeve down so he could kiss his cheek. He turned towards Diana and gave her a healthy hug. "Morning mother!" he said next. Then he pressed his cheek to her stomach and spoke much quieter: "Hello Brianna."
Bruce and Diana exchanged a fond stare. Ever since he learned he was having a baby sister, Hippolyte had refused to change his mind about her name. Bruce was even considering giving in and keeping 'Brianna' after all. He knew Diana was fond of the idea too.
"Alfred made pancakes," Bruce announced. The poor man always made a point of honor of preparing the breakfast and seeing them off. Hip abandoned his mother's belly in favor of jumping on his chair and picking up his food.
He leaned back in his chair, watched the picturesque, almost boring, everyday-life scenario happening before him. He was sitting with his wife and child, simply having breakfast. The only missing people were Alfred and Dick. The former had left early for grocery shopping and the latter would stop by for the weekly family diner. But in overall, his family was there, was safe, and he couldn't remember a time he had ever felt happier.
Metropolis - Daily Planet
"Are you considering leaving us for the competition?"
Lois jumped and dropped her reading. Behind her, Lombard and Jenny were glancing at the article headline and the newspaper from which it came from. She groaned inwardly. Her two colleagues had grown thicker than thieves ever since the invasion, most likely because Lombard hadn't abandoned his colleague to her fate even though he was very tempted to.
"Bruce Wayne got hitched?" Lombard thought out loud. "When did that happen?"
His words caught the attention of a few more colleagues. In the past few months, the Prince of Gotham had turned into a small sensation in Metropolis. His quick actions after the invasion –providing transport for the wounded and protection for the volunteers – had not gone unnoticed. Whether they were those of a businessman promoting his image or another of his many act of philanthropy, many lives had been saved due to the reactivity of his teams. And when his presence at the site was known, when the social media started showing pictures of him digging through the debris amongst others civilians, his popularity had skyrocketed.
"Shortly after the invasion," Lois replied as she put the newspaper down. "I think he used the media coverage so that his wedding would go unnoticed."
Lombard whistled.
"Sneaky bastard –that was months ago."
Jenny approached in turn and scanned the article.
"There's nothing much on the lady. A curator from the Louvre? Sounds like a gold-digger who got her claws into his back."
"I met her," Lois retorted sharply. "She's not a gold-digger."
Various variations of 'when did that happened' echoed around her desk, but Lois was not giving up more details. Their two meetings had been brief and under awkward circumstances, and conversation hadn't lasted long, but she trusted her guts. And her guts told her that Diana Prince might have slept with Bruce Wayne, but she would not be content with a mere financial arrangement. Even so, she doubted someone like Wayne would let anyone put a ring on his finger if he didn't have a genuine interest in said lady. And from what she had deduced from the scene at the airport, Bruce Wayne had plenty good reasons to marry her.
"She's gorgeous?" one of her colleagues asked.
"Definitively his kind of gorgeous," Lois retorted with a smirk. She remembered thinking along those lines the first time she had laid eyes on Diana Prince. Bruce Wayne did have exquisite taste in women.
"And her kid? You met him too?"
Her smirk softened into a smile as she remembered the sweet child, the determined expression on his face as he firmly intending to hear a story from her –before telling one of his own.
"He's a cutie and really smart." Her smile faded slightly at the memory of his words, of how his candor had changed her approach of her hunting down Clark. The child might never know how much his remarks pushed her to pull back her online article, even though the damage was already done.
"Then you will be in charge of interviewing her."
She jumped again and this time, turned around to meet the eye of her boss.
Perry had changed since the invasion. Though he was still the sharp investigator she knew, he sometimes slipped into a disturbing quietness. She knew he still made research on that mysterious woman who killed Zod in his free time, like a self-mission. His maneuvering of the Daily Planet to support Superman was one of the few reasons why she hadn't lost faith in him yet.
"I don't interview celebrities," she shot back. Perry harrumphed and frowned in a way that meant she would not get out on top of this argument.
"Knowing Bruce Wayne, he will not let any journalist approach his family within a ten feet pole. Now, you are already familiar with her and they will have to confront the press one day. Metropolis craves news about their new favorite billionaire and a Clooney marriage always sells." He looked slightly satisfied with himself. "Imagine that, Metropolis beating Gotham in a Bruce Wayne matter."
Ah, the old city rivalry, she though with a small smile. His professional face returned as he went on:
"Jimmy's still out of the picture with his broken leg. You're taking Stacy with you," he added. Lois lost her smile. The young woman had integrated the Daily Planet thanks to the unique pictures she had taken during the invasion. Perry had declared she had guts to immortalize such scenes while the world was falling apart around her. A little research had shown she had also participated in the rescue actions aftermath. Lois had no personal issue with the new recruit, but she did not like being imposed a coworker whose work ethic she hadn't tested yet. "She's still an intern, but she'll do- Stacy!"
At the sound of her name, the young woman who had been merely walking through the room, paused and turned towards her boss.
"Yes Perry?"
"You and Lois are out for an interview. I want pretty pictures –a family picture too if you can catch one. Follow Lois's lead and you'll be fine."
The young recruit smile, looking slightly amused.
"Will do boss," she replied lightly. "When are we going?"
"The moment Lois secures an interview, you're up. If she calls in the middle of the night, you drop everything you're doing and you're going."
"I don't even have a phone to call on them! It's not like Wayne will let anyone walk through the front door and ask for an interview; I won't even get past his secretary," Lois protested, although weakly. Perry sent her an unimpressive stare; they both knew that had never stopped her before.
"Then do your job and find a way."
Lois groaned dramatically. She heard a few snickers from her colleagues, ignored them all. Stacy stood by her side, an understanding look in her eyes.
"I'll ask around," she offered. "If Mrs. Wayne was a curator, she might still be working for a museum or something. I have contacts in the art world. If she's working in the area, I'll know in a few hours."
Either the girl was trying to be helpful, or she was trying to get on Perry's good side.
"I'll look it up too," Lois replied and sat back straight. "First to find her calls the other?"
Stacy smiled, her eyes glinting lightly. She was pretty, Lois thought absentmindedly, almost too pretty for her job. She looked more like a photograph for fashion models than a photojournalist, but whatever. Lois was not bad looking either and she was good at her job.
"I have your number, I'll call you," Stacy said in the same amused tone, before marching away.
Lois huffed, halfway affronted, halfway annoyed. Rookies, she thought uncharitably. Good for her if she had contacts in the art world. Her articles had a different kind of orientation, but Perry had given her a task and she would go through it. And she wouldn't mind seeing Diana again.
She instinctively looked around, sought for traces of another recent dark-haired colleague. Clark was nowhere in the room, though she didn't doubt he must have heard every bit of conversation. She stood from her desk, decided a coffee would be welcomed and headed towards the machine. She found him in the corridor, his eyes glued to his phone. Whatever he was reading must have been catching, as he did not seem to hear her approach.
"That man of all people?" she heard him mutter under his breath. "Seriously, what were you thinking?"
He suddenly realized she was standing near him and immediately focused his attention on her. Interestingly, Lois noted in the back of her mind that he had lowered his phone before she could take a proper look at the screen. Said phone immediately disappeared in his back pocket. To anyone else, the gesture was normal. To her, he seemed uncomfortable, as if she had caught him with a hand in the cookie jar.
"Hey, you're alright?" she asked worriedly.
"Yeah," he said, though his smile felt tight. "I heard Perry. Interviewing the former playboy billionaire? Congratulations."
Was it her, or did he sound a little bitter? She narrowed her eyes, put her fists on her hips.
"You're not jealous are you?"
Their relationship was still growing at slow pace, though he could show himself a little overprotective. She didn't mind when it was just the two of them. However, the workplace was a different matter. Superman or not, he would not impede on her work.
Clark huffed and shook his head.
"Of course not. I hope you'll get in contact with her quickly and be over with it. I know you're interested in other stories." He paused briefly, hesitated before asking: "You want me to come with you when you find her?"
Lois's frown deepened even more. What was going on with him?
"I think I can handle Bruce Wayne and his new wife. I've met them, they didn't scare me." When he said nothing, she knew something was up. "Clark, are you sure is everything alright?"
He opened his mouth, paused, and angled his head sideways. Lois knew what it meant and sighed in frustration. He had heard another cry for help.
"We'll talk later, promise," he said apologetically. She rolled her eyes but made a shoo motion with her hand. Sometimes she wished she could actually be angry at him for dumping her in the middle of conversations. If only he didn't actually have a very good damn reason to do so!
"Tonight," she countered. "Thai. And you're paying."
Clark smiled in agreement, his acceptance of her olive branch. The slight show of his white teeth did something to her heart and her frustration melted. He left his desk, headed out the door, but not before brushing her hand on the way. Lois couldn't help the small grin and watched him leave. She would have her answers, but in the meantime, she had an ex-curator to hunt down.