Some lockdown huh? Fortunately being stuck at home has allowed me to uncover all my old fanfic journals and the time on my hands has allowed me to rewrite their contents into something a little more legible than my 15 year old self was capable of. I hope.
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, WonderWoman or any DC character
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He didn't have a contingency plan for this.
A fact that was only slightly less disturbing than the infant currently lying on the Batcave floor.
They were tightly swaddled in something red and asleep, so thank heaven for small mercies.
"And they just appeared?" The Batman; he hadn't had time to don the suit but it was all in the demeanour turned to his butler, who was hovering nervously. Obviously loath to leave a baby on the floor of a cave but also well aware that anything that appeared from seemingly nowhere shouldn't be picked up.
"Yes exactly as I said Sir there was a wall of black and yellow light and then they were just there. I've reviewed the incident on the computer yet I still can't make heads or tails of it"
Alfred had obviously had to find something to do in the time it took Bruce to receive his emergency message and make his excuses at Wayne Enterprises; in the Batmobile he could make it from Gotham to the Manor in minutes, in civilian traffic he was lucky to make it within an hour. That was a long time to leave a baby on a cave floor. Which Alfred proved handing Bruce a tablet littered with various stats.
"I ran as many tests as I could Sir, no doubt you'll wish to run them again but they seem to be an ordinary infant"
He would run the tests again, not that he didn't trust Alfred. But first; Bruce approached the Bat computer. The relevant security footage was queued up ready to be played. It was exactly as Alfred said; a wall of black interspersed with a repeating band of yellow light blunk into existence in the middle of the cave, the child came through it and then it vanished as though it had never been there.
Not a Boom Tube but certainly a portal of some kind. Where had he seen a portal of black and yellow light before? Bruce's brain slammed to an abrupt halt as he remembered.
Them.
He plucked the infant from the floor in as close to a panic as he ever allowed himself to be; they didn't so much as stir and he knew they'd been drugged.
Knew because if he were going to send a baby to another dimension he would knock them out for the goodbyes too.
It wasn't a blanket they'd been swaddled in but something thicker and woollen; a coat he realised as he began hastily unwrapping them.
"Master Bruce, what...?" He tossed the coat to Alfred, who expertly caught it.
"This is; this was your Mother's. Chanel if I remember, it's packed away upstairs, how...?"
Out of the coat the baby was still well bundled but he could make out more now. A round face; unremarkable at first glance but he could see hints of the structure it would come to have with age and it was familiar, as was the nose. And neither was his. A sprinkling of freckles like the ones he'd grown out of interrupted porcelain skin; he'd always been fair, long before his lifestyle kept him away from the sunlight. Hair was little more than dark tufts with noticeable curls but then it would be wouldn't it? And though the eyes remained closed he knew that when they finally did open they would be blue.
After four layers of random clothing and other remnants of fabric Bruce came upon two things; a final layer of a tattered pink onesie and resting on top of that a small hard-drive. Still not allowing himself to panic Bruce placed the, if the onesie was anything to go by girl, in an evidence bin and set about connecting the hard-drive.
"I really must protest..." Alfred began, he stopped when Bruce's image came up on the main screen.
However many years it had been for his interdimensional counterpart they hadn't been kind. His face was gaunt and scarred where the cowl had been unable to protect it; the wrinkles Bruce had begun to notice on his own face were pronounced and harsh. He was in the cave, or the cave were it ever to cave in. Shafts of light shone down upon rubble and butchered electronics. Snow appeared to be drifting down from somewhere above.
"Bet you didn't think you'd be hearing from me again" Lord Batman said; then pleasantries over, "Her name is Martha, she responds only to 'Essie'. Age nine months, two weeks, three days. In case our timelines don't quite add up, birthday April 18. I've included her medical records and the results to every test you'll think to run. There's a video for her when she's older, if she remembers us. Show it to her, or don't." He broke off with a heavy defeated sigh.
"When she asks, if she asks tell her we made a mistake and we paid for it but children shouldn't pay for their parents sins. If you can't raise her yourself give her to the Amazons, perhaps in your dimension they'll accept her. I've destroyed the portal at this end. It was the hardest thing I've ever done but there's nothing for her here. She's all we had left and she deserves better. You'd do the same"
"My word was that...?"
Bruce didn't wait for his butler to finish he put a finger to his ear and activated his comm link on two specific channels.
"Come to the cave. Now"
He hung up and had only just transferred what were looking to be the results to every test he could think to run to the tablet Alfred had handed him with it's own list of results when Superman touched down.
"I thought bats were nocturnal, what's going o...is that a baby?"
"What does it look like?"
When his host didn't so much as glance away from the screen he held Clark turned to Alfred who merely blinked and decided now would be the best time to fetch some tea and see about digging Master Bruce's baby things out of storage.
Diana materialised moments later.
"I came as soon as I could what's the emergency?"
"Shhh you'll wake the baby" Clark told her
"No you won't she's been sedated" Bruce said
Diana wasn't sure what she should be more confused over; the fact that there was a baby or that it was sedated. In the end she settled on the sedation. Many people had babies, very few sedated them.
"You drugged a baby?"
"Not me per se"
She opened her mouth to ask then who per se when Clark held up a hand to stop her.
"Maybe you should tell us everything from the beginning Bruce"
So he did. Starting with the emergency call from Alfred, the man himself appeared at this point to distribute refreshments and inform his employer he was not lugging an antique crib down into a cave so if he would please be the first to know when the child was clear to leave the evidence bin. He'd vanished by the time Lord Batman's image once again filled the main screen. Clark and Diana remained silent throughout his message only speaking once the video had ended.
"The Amazons, why the Amazons?" Diana asked
"Because according to this she's your daughter too Princess" Bruce indicated the results of the DNA test his counterpart had provided on the tablet.
"That's impossible"
"It's unlikely. I'll run the test again"
"Don't bother, she's a match" Clark interrupted looking intently at the baby; Essie Bruce supposed he'd better get used to calling her.
"Congratulations I guess?" The Kryptonian offered with a shrug of his massive shoulders.
"That's impossible" Diana repeated
"She's a match Diana, I'm looking at her DNA right now. She's on the right frequency for their universe" Clark turned to Bruce
"Frequency?"
"It's hard to explain. All things vibrate; have a rhythm of sorts. Different dimensions have different rhythms. I can see it when I know what to look for. She matches the frequency of the Lords dimension"
"That's impossible" Diana said yet again
"It's true Wally can see it too, well in his case I guess it's more of a feeling thing"
"No you don't understand she can't be my daughter"
"The results don't lie Princess. She's your child, our child. Their child."
"She can't be"
"Why not?"
"Because I can't have children!" Diana cried.
She flinched at the looks Bruce and Clark threw at her outburst. Concern featured on each of their faces. Clark's held a touch of pity while Bruce seemed annoyed he didn't already know that. Perhaps of he had allowed their flirtation to go anywhere he would.
"My Mother sculpted me from clay" She said when she couldn't stand it any more.
"That doesn't mean..."
"All of me Bruce, down to my bones. She never bothered sculpting me a womb, she never expected me to need one"
"Well?"Bruce turned to Clark
"Well what?"
"Is she telling the truth?"
"I'm not going to use my X-ray vision to..."
"You doubt me!" Diana was before Bruce in what barely qualified as the blink of an eye fists clenched. It was at this inopportune moment Essie decided to rouse.
She didn't cry and flail so much as struggle to move her limbs and when they clumsily met with the plastic of the evidence bin a low whine began in the back of her throat. Eyes, blue as Bruce had predicted but closer to Diana's sky like shade than his own icy one opened. They drifted shut moments later as she wasn't quite up to full consciousness yet. But the whine continued punctured now with little hiccupy gasps as she kept trying to get her arms and legs to work.
Clark, boyscout that he was cracked first. Plucking Essie from the evidence bin and cradling her expertly.
"Hey now, hey now. You're safe here" He all but cooed.
Whatever the desired effect it wasn't achieved as upon hearing his voice Essie began to struggle as much as she was able to. Her whine likewise escalated to a piercing cry. Clark tried rocking, bouncing and shushing all to no avail. In the end he stood there holding Essie like a bewildered statue until Diana took pity on him. Surprisingly her cries died down the moment she was in the Amazons considerably less than expert arms, returning to a gurgling whine as she overcame her sedation.
"I don't understand that always quietened Van down..." Clark stopped speaking abruptly and closed his eyes like he was trying to shut something unpleasant out. Bruce decided not to pry. Instead he called Alfred to inform him Essie was clear to leave the evidence bin. Her whine had turned into displeased huffs by the time the manservant made it back down.
"I've yet to finish airing out the nursery but I've set the crib up in Master Dick's room, should he come to stay I'm afraid he'll have to make do with the guest suite" He explained. Diana didn't need to ask why Essie couldn't simply sleep in the guest suite herself; that was where she had stayed after the watchtower was destroyed in the Thanagarian invasion, she knew it was in a completely different wing to the families rooms. Instead she held the child she was desperately trying to tell herself did not have her nose to Alfred who took her primly.
The minute she left Diana's arms however Essie once again began crying and her attempts at flailing were getting better. Frowning Bruce approached.
"Give her to me" He ordered. Alfred obliged and just as she had for Diana Essie calmed down
."Fussy little thing isn't she? Gets that from you I'm afraid" He commented.
"I think she did. Diana take her" Bruce handed the once more snuffling with displeasure infant to her 'mother' and noted that she remained at her sedation induced level of discomfort.
"Now give her to Clark" He instructed
"Oh I really don't think that's..."
"Take the baby Kent"
He did and as predicted the instant she was in his arms she began screaming blue murder. Fortunately Clark being Superman meant none of her now actual flailing did any damage.
"I told you!" Clark yelled over the noise. But Bruce just watched calculating and probably would have remained that way for a further few minutes if Essie hadn't regained the ability to keep her eyes open.
"Da!" She cried spotting him stretching her arms out desperately.
"Da! Da! Da!" Fat tears rolled down chubby cheeks from terrified blue eyes and just like his teammates before him Bruce reached his breaking point. He scooped Essie out of Clark's arms.
"I don't think she likes you" Diana said mildly once Essie had quietened down again.
"I'm just out of practise. I haven't held any babies in a while" Clark's tone was almost light but it didn't fool Bruce or Diana. Whatever he was thinking about had nothing to do with the many children parents would thrust into Superman's arms for photo's.
"It's more likely she hasn't been exposed to anyone other than myself and Diana" Bruce said. Essie was still crying but her tears were somehow an altogether more heartbreaking silent. Despite being in her 'father's' arms she was scared.
"No one else? Not even the other Lords or Alfred?" Diana asked
"I believe our counterparts found themselves alone, possibly even hunted by the others; he did betray them after all" Bruce took a deep breath "And I believe he disposed of Alfred long before they ever made contact with us"
"Well I should bloody well hope so" All eyes snapped to the Butler
"Allow me to assure you Master Bruce that should you desire to go down the path of your interdimensional self you would do so over my dead body"
Neither Diana nor Clark could quite decipher the smile servant and master shared at that.
"In any case it leaves us with a problem" Bruce glanced down at the no longer crying but clearly no less afraid in the presence of strangers child he held. Wordlessly he held her out to Diana who merely raised a regal eyebrow at him.
"Why should I take her?"
"We're the only ones she feels safe with and I have to go over her files. You didn't have any issues mothering Etrigan"
"We were seven and Etrigan wasn't my alleged daughter. Why don't you hold her and I'll go over the files"
"I'll get through it quicker" Bruce gave a smirk and adjusted Essie so he could bring the list of test results up on the main screen. Not that Diana or Clark would be able to tell that's what they were, only members of the Batclan would be able to decipher the shorthand they were written in. Rolling her eyes and muttering something about paranoid bats Diana took Essie and held her awkwardly. Aware all of a sudden of just how hard and sharp several parts of her armour were and how they all seemed to be exactly where a baby would be most comfortable being held. Alfred seemed to realise this dilemma too.
"Do follow me Your Highness I believe I can find something upstairs for you to change into" He offered.
Diana followed him upstairs leaving Bruce and Clark in the cave. The former had begun making, as promised short work of the files his counterpart had provided; the latter watched him for several moments before saying;
"Now what?"
Bruce paused his reading to regard the Man of Steel blankly.
"What do you mean now what?"
"Well what's in the protocols for this?"
"There are no protocols for this. Why would I have protocols for this?"
"I thought you had protocols for everything"
"Why would I even dream of an alternate version of myself having a child with Diana, rebuilding the portal that connects our dimensions and sending her through it? Please enlighten me as to the steps I could have possibly taken to prepare for this!"
Realising he was witnessing what amounted to a breakdown Clark took a deep breath
"It's going to be OK Bruce"
"Oh it is, is it? You finally add future sight to your collection? Well thanks for the heads up Clark. Can you tell me where Poison Ivy's going to strike next while you're at it? Or is this newfound ability of yours only good for vague reassurance?" Bruce snapped.
"You need to calm down"
Bruce laughed, not his careless playboy giggle or the low chuckle he would sometimes employ as Batman but a strung out, eerie and disjointed sound.
"Well thank you Dr Kent for that grand insight I'll be sure to get right on that. Right after I get done drafting the protocols for having interdimensional daughters dumped on me. You want me to draw up a set for you while I'm at it? Maybe your other self finally let Lois out of that apartment." Bruce's tone was acid and Clark wasn't as immune to it as he was the real thing. Still he drew on his years of experience dealing with the Dark Knights thornier side before he spoke again.
"I mean it. You're no good to anyone like this and you know it"
Bruce glared and Clark swore he could see a thousand acerbic remarks flying like bats through his mind ready to be unleashed.
But they weren't; Bruce kept his mouth firmly closed and Clark heard his heartbeat forcibly return to it's usual rhythm. Though he suspected if he were to take a close enough peek at his bloodstream he'd see the adrenaline running through it.
"So now what?" He asked again
"I have no idea" Bruce said all the bite had trickled out of the bat leaving him sounding tired.
"I don't have a single plan for this. Would you believe I don't even have a plan regarding any non interdimensional children?"
"Not after reading what your playboy act gets up to"
Bruce gave a shaky though not entirely un sardonic smile at that
"Says something about our lives that this happened before that doesn't it?"
"I think the fact we're discussing this like it's sane says more"
Bruce allowed himself a proper smile at that and then just when Clark thought they had finally reached their daily quota of unexpected for the day Bruce asked a question
"What do you think I should do?"
"You're asking me for my advice?"
"Well you're the one with experience here"
"Experience? How do you figure?"
"Supergirl"
The name bought back memories; happy but poignant of a time when Superman hadn't been alone in the universe, when Krypton had had a last daughter as well as son. It wasn't that Clark tried to avoid remembering the years he had been able to spend with his cousin, he just found that memories tended to lead into thinking about where Kara was now and that was the hard part. The knowledge that whatever happened in her life he would never know. He liked to think she was happy in the future even if it was with a version of Brainiac. Maybe they even had children of their own by now. That wasn't such a bad thought; the idea that there were Kryptonians somewhere in the future instead of just the past. He snuck a glance at the evidence bin that had held Essie with just a touch of superspeed to ensure Bruce wouldn't be able to notice before he spoke again.
"It wasn't the same with Kara, she was already a teenager when I found her. It was easy for her to fit into Clark Kent's life; a crash course in English and Ma and Pa telling everyone they'd been looking into becoming foster parents and that was that. And Smallville folks aren't nearly as nosy as the gossip writers who tail Bruce Wayne. I should know"
"Not as bloodthirsty either"
"All I know is you can't decide anything by yourself here Bruce, she's Diana's daughter too"
"She's neither of ours daughter. She's the child of tyrants" The iron was back in Bruce's voice
"That's not her fault."
Bruce was silent at that. His own gaze drifted to the empty evidence bin, then to the discarded clothing he had unwrapped Essie from. It was designer, he could tell that without having to check labels; off the rack though, no Alfred to tailor his mind supplied without prompting and absolutely ragged. Shirts, tuxedo jackets, dresses. Bruce recognised one scrap that wasn't clothing at all but instead matched his bedroom curtains. He remembered the snow in the video drifting down to cover the remains of the cave and knew the only way the cave would ever be open to the elements like that was if there were no manor above it. His and Diana's other selves had gone to whatever lengths they could to keep their daughter warm. They had gone even further to keep her safe.
And now he was forced to consider if he really would do the same.
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Story Notes
What's in a name: Now some of you may be wondering just how you get the nickname 'Essie' from Martha. It's no secret that members of the Batclan refer to eachother with codenames even beyond their alter ego's their most common one is to call eachother by their initials so Batman becomes 'B'. Essie is derived from the initials 'S.C' which in turn stand for 'Sara Crewe' who the more literary minded among you will recognise as the main character from Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel 'A little Princess'
Never forgetting: In the episode 'For the Man who has Everything' Superman spends a day in his own ideal world where he has a son 'Van El' and is forced to give it all up to return to reality but I imagine that's the sort of thing that stays with a person and he still remembers being a father.
Home is where the heart is: When Batman used the Watchtower to destroy the Thanagarian generator in 'Starcrossed' he rendered both Diana and J'onn homeless, where they actually stayed until a new Watchtower was built we may never know and while I personally like to believe J'onn got to spend more time with the Kents I know us Wonderbat shippers like to think Diana stayed at Wayne Manor.
All around to the Kents: In the Superman episode 'Little girl Lost' Clark finds his cousin Kara in stasis on the Kryptonian colony of Argo and takes her to Earth where she proceeds to become Supergirl and get sick of all the time she's forced to spend down on the farm. In another episode 'Unity' Martha and Jonathan are referred to as her foster parents
That's all for now. Please let me know what you thought, I accept criticism of my work but ask that it be constructive
Ari out!