Title: Time Will Tell

Author: DC Luder

Summary: After a tragic injury, Bruce must make the long road to recovery with the help of family and friends.

Rating: T

Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.

Author's Note: This chapter has been modified to make it more awesome-er.

^V^

Awkward would have been the understatement of the century.

Coming down the stairs as fast as my pregnant feet would carry me, I had expected to reach the bottom to find Superman in all his regal glory. Instead, there stood a man, slightly taller and bigger than Bruce in an ill-fitted suit and glasses that would have been out of style fifteen years ago. The square jaw bore a perfect dimple and his coal black hair was slightly mused, somehow befitting the rest of his appearance.

I had seen Superman a number of times and couldn't help but stand in awe before him.

This guy looked like he just ran after a Metro Bus for four blocks and still missed it.

As I stared at the man, Bruce turned around and spoke, "Ready?"

"Are you?" I asked, nodding to our unexpected guest.

Alfred stepped forward, "You best be on your way, Master Bruce. Traffic will be monstrous if you don't." When Bruce opened his mouth to speak, Alfred cut him off, "Please, it would be my pleasure to see your guest out, don't feel obliged to stay, after all, we shall all have an… entertaining dinner this evening."

"You're acting like your kicking me out, Alfred."

I hooked my arm with Bruce's as a last resort, "Bruce… I really don't want to spend all in bumper to bumper on St. James Parkway."

"Okay… Sorry about rushing out like this…" he turned to the gentleman.

With a smile, he replied, "Please, don't worry about it… we'll catch up at dinner."

Reaching the garage, I let Bruce pick car keys from the locked case and waited for his lead as to what vehicle we were taking. Once seated in glossy, dolphin gray Mercedes S550, I took a deep breath, "So much for a quiet day."

Bruce started the car after hitting the garage door remote, "What do you mean?"

I reached over and touched his bicep, "Never mind. Just drive."

As he navigated the fourteen mile route to Gotham, Barbara called my cell phone and I was surprised when she asked if she could join the day's efforts. After running it over with Bruce, he agreed and altered his mental navigation to take us to Tri-Corner. When he had first started driving back in July, Dick had been his only co-pilot. After mastering the grounds of Wayne Manor, the Bristol countryside and the parkways around Gotham, he had finally been fit for city driving. At first, he had always kept a GPS navigation device on but after a few weeks he was able to find practically anywhere in Gotham all on his own.

I wondered how much of it had been learned as opposed to recalled.

By the time we had made it to the Clocktower, it was nearly noon and I voiced that we eat first in order to prepare for an afternoon of shopping. Again, Bruce readily agreed and did his best to make good time in midday traffic. While Barbara and I chatted about where we should take our quest for all things baby, I kept one eye on Bruce who apparently was completely zoned out.

I reached over and set a hand on his as he gripped the shift stick and he finally relaxed.

We ate quickly at a nice Italian place across from the Langier Theatre on Trade Avenue. Between bites of divine spinach ravioli, miniature stuffed manicotti and stole from Bruce's apricot chicken and asparagus, Barbara and I small talked about anything we could think of that was appropriate in public. And in front of Bruce. The whole time, Bruce appeared to still be in his self-induced daze.

I wasn't sure what was bothering him more, the random visit of his former ally or the fact that he had another flashback episode.

Bruce finally spoke up towards the end of lunch, "Barbara, do you know who Clark Kent is?"

I watched as she nearly spat out a fork full of ravioli, "He writes for the Daily Planet. Why do you ask?"

Bruce shrugged as he broke up his garlic bread into tiny cubes, "He was at the Manor this morning, before we came to get you."

Her eyes darted to mine and I turned and studied my sweating water glass. Alfred had hinted that the man was Superman, indicating that an ally from Metropolis was in the foyer. Through my relationship with Bruce, I had learned the identities of his closest allies but had no need or desire to discover those of other heroes. Those of his colleagues across the nation and the globe had thankfully had not been made known to me. It was bad enough to know the face of the world's greatest detective let alone the titans he rallied alongside.

Or rather had rallied alongside.

Apparently I had taken the stairs too slowly at the Manor as I had missed the exchange of civilian nomenclature…

"Well," Barbara finally started to speak, "That is a surprise…"

"Alfred said we were friends. But… we couldn't have been that close if this is the first time he's come to see me."

We both looked to her for further explanation of which she timidly offered, "You weren't really close… more like acquaintances… but…" she lowered her voice, "You know how hard things were in the beginning Bruce, after the accident."

I glanced to him just as he began to nod, "I know… but you were here, the both of you, to support me… I figured a friend should be there for someone, when things are difficult. Right?"

Hearing such a socially acceptable line of thought pass through his lips had been surprising. He was right, friends should be there for one another and certainly Clark had made the attempt but had been rebutted in order to protect Bruce. Thinking of the horrible stories I had learned of from both Alfred and Barbara about Bruce troubled friendship with the man of steel suddenly killed my appetite.

Before either of us could attempt to change the subject, Bruce glanced over at an adjacent table at a couple sharing a slice of chocolate mousse cake. He then looked back to us and smirked, "That dark marble mocha cake looks good."

^V^

After Master Bruce and Ms. Selina had departed for their afternoon of shopping, Mr. Kent had turned to me as finally let the shock wash over his features. After looking back in the direction they had disappeared, he gasped, "Alfred… he didn't even…"

"As I said, Mr. Kent, it has been a long six months for this Family… Master Bruce has surpassed all of our expectations in his recovery and will no doubt continue to do so."

When his piercing blue eyes found me, he proceeded, "Why wasn't I told about his condition, why was I kept in the dark?"

I had faced of with a number of powerful figures while standing at Master Bruce's side, and although the man before me could have turned me to ash with a blink, I stood taller and responded, "It was in Master Bruce's best interest to inform only the necessary individuals to aide in his rehabilitation. Regrettably, it was decided that allies and colleagues not be included in order to protect not only Master Bruce but to preserve the identity of the Batman."

"I could have---."

"If I may be so bold, what's done is done, sir. Now that you have taken the initiative to penetrate our defenses, you will no doubt be welcomed into this circle… although I caution you to tread lightly. For your own sake as well as his."

He remained silent for a moment, the intensity in his face finally ebbing as he spoke, "I'm sorry Alfred, I just… I thought I was close enough to be trusted with something like this."

"My apologies for being so blunt, but Family comes first in this house, now and always."

Mr. Kent, having been raised in the heartland of the nation, nodded. He then allowed a smirk to grace his lips, "Guess that even if he's not the Bruce I knew… he's still keeping secrets from me."

"And he would have it no other way, sir."

He left shortly after, promising to return for dinner no matter what the day brought him. Relieved of entertaining the unexpected visitor, I quickly made my way to the den in order to telephone Master Dick. He had laughed, despite the hectic situation I described to him, and then admitted, "Barbara said eh called her this morning… I was going to get in touch with him… invite him over and talk things over… apparently he beat me to it."

"I must admit… Master Bruce seemed rather… accepting of Mr. Kent's visit…"

"That's a first," Master Dick sighed, "I'm sorry, Al, I should have taken care of this sooner, hell, even from the beginning---."

"Ahem."

"Sorry… heck. At any rate, it should make for an interesting dinner… might have to tap the wine cellar to get through it."

He promised to arrive before Master Kent so that he would have a moment alone with him prior to dinner.

Dinner…

With the afternoon to myself, I completed my duties around the Manor before taking to the town of Bristol. While perusing the produce market, organic butcher and specialty grocery store, I collected the necessary ingredients for the evening's hero laden feast. While stepping through the service entrance, arms full of brown paper bags, I was greeted with the ring of the kitchen's telephone. Setting the bags down on the counter, I answered on the fourth ring, "May I help you?"

"Alfred, it's Selina… We're going to be a little late getting back, probably not until seven."

Glancing at my pocket watch, I found that the time had somehow gotten to be nearly five, "Very well, Ms. Selina, I will inform Master Dick when he arrives."

"Oh, and Barbara said she wanted to come up," she added, feminine laughter sounding in the background.

"It would be an honor to have her," I replied, growing concerned when I heard Master Bruce's laughter as well.

A sound that brought a smile to my face.

At half past six, the formal dining room table had been set and the hors d'oeuvres, entrée and remaining courses had been prepared. Given the occasion, I had decided on whetting appetites with prosciutto and gruyere pastry pinwheels along with grilled parmigiano reggiano cheese tarts. The second course, a personal favorite of Ms. Barbara, was none other than a simple mixed greens salad, dressed with a vanilla-pear-walnut vinaigrette.

To sate the hunger of such noble warriors and expectant mothers alike, I had selected flavorful cremini mushrooms and cuts of chicken breast at the market as well as freshly made whole grain linguini. Combined, they formed a divine dish, once topped with a marsala marscapone sauce. To conclude the meal, I had selected a favorite of Master Dick's: the infamous raspberry-lime Napoleon, served with a scoop of raspberry sorbet.

The effort put into the meal was regrettably not matched with the effort put into its attendance.

Ms. Barbara had called to inform that she was going to pass given a possible sighting of the currently at large criminal Maxie Zeus. Although he had been incarcerated in the maximum security wing of Arkham Asylum for several years, he had made an escape during a transfer to a rehabilitation center in Virginia two months earlier. Although not exactly one of the more violent offenders, he was certainly a risk to the public. More specifically, to those residing in a private community upstate, woefully named Mount Olympus that was three hours upstate.

Master Dick called nine minutes later, telling me that he would also no longer be in attendance as he was going to head directly to the Cave in order to take the jet for his search. At the time of his call, Maxie Zeus's presence had been confirmed by local authorities and that he was trying to expel the humans from his "rightful throne".

Therefore the first guest of the evening was none other than Clark Kent.

Although I had greeted him formally at the front door, explained the whereabouts of the others, offered for him to wait in the den, he had followed me back to the kitchen, the first words out of his mouth had been, "I think we should have a talk, Alfred."

"But of course… However… in the absence of Master Dick, I can only offer what little I know…"

"You know everything, Alfred… you always do."

I was wiping down a spotless countertop, doing anything I could to bide time until the others arrived. Keeping my eyes on the pointless task, I remained silent.

"I know who Selina is… who she really is… I just… I don't understand what she's doing in his life… in her condition."

When I finally looked up, I realized how confused and uncomfortable the last son of Krypton appeared to be. No doubt he was conflicted over discovering the truth behind Master Bruce's absence, in addition to the visceral pain of being kept in the dark about so many other changes in his friend's life. Setting the washcloth aside, I offered, "Master Bruce and Ms. Kyle were in an intimate relationship long before the… accident."

"Doesn't sound like the Bruce I know… knew."

"It is not my duty to dwell on Master Bruce's affairs, Mr. Kent… but… throughout his career as Batman… he and Ms. Kyle have grown to trust one another, striving against the odds and their differences in order to come together… their child represents their accomplishments… solitary beings that have come to depend on one another."

He nodded slowly before inquiring, "Six months… she was only pregnant weeks before he was shot… did he know?"

I shook my head, opting to not inform him of Ms. Selina taking to Europe in order to escape the false ghost of her lover, "None of us did… not until she was nearly two months along… However, if he had known prior to the shooting, no doubt he would have been thrilled."

"Thrilled?"

A flash of light appeared in the darkness outside the kitchen windows and we both looked to see a car pulling up the drive. With a small smirk, I explained, "Master Bruce, in his former life and the one he lives know, loves her. Very much."

Before he could reply, we both heard laughter coming towards the service entrance from the garage. With the rustle of paper shopping bags, jumbled footfalls and growing laughter, the end of a story came from Bruce's baritone voice, "To be fair, underwear is underwear. I told that to the clerk but he just said, 'Sir, underwear is not just underwear… this is the unmentionables counter. You'll have to take that to the men's undergarment and nightwear counter.' It was ridiculous…"

The returning party passed through the open archway leading into the kitchen, pausing as they saw Mr. Kent. He was indeed a good man; everyone knew that every single intention within him was of pure in heart and only in the interests of others and their well-being. He simply wanted to reach to the friend he once had, even if it required starting anew.

After a brief pause, Master Bruce stepped forward, putting the bags he carried in one hand in order to shake that of his guest. Mr. Kent nodded, the confusion and frustration fading from his face. Glancing back to Ms. Selina, Master Bruce announced, "Sorry about being late… Not too gifted at this shopping thing…"

"Neither am I," Mr. Kent admitted.

Master Bruce smirked, "Next time, you ladies are on your own… I'll stay here and hang out with Clark."

Whether it seeing such amiability in a man who had once been so dark or the genuine smile on Master Bruce's face, something had caused Mr. Kent to relax enough to offer up a trademark grin.

^V^

As we finished out divine dessert and glasses of Beaumes de Venise, Bruce looked up at me and asked, "So, Barbara said earlier today that you and your wife both work for the Daily Planet."

Throughout dinner, I had tried to convince myself that I was going to have to come to terms that Bruce was a changed man, and seemingly for the better. He laughed, he smiled, he teased, he seemed genuinely interested in the people around him. Although I was the reporter, I was taking dozens of questions from him, may of which I had to doctor answers. Alfred had warned me prior to dinner that Bruce had no knowledge of his former life as Batman, which cut out a large portion of our past together, a past he wanted to know everything about.

I looked up at Bruce, still uneasy by the calm, friendly look on his face. "Yeah, it certainly keeps us busy… Interviews, attending press conferences… although Lois seems to travel the world for stories and I get stuck with the local stuff."

Bruce smiled, "Sounds great… I mean, when I do go to work, it's just sitting in my office or going to meetings and lunches… boring compared to what you do."

It was nearly nine-thirty in the evening, and although there were dozens of reasons to leave, I found myself unable to get up from the table. Lois was waiting at home, dozens of emergencies had lapsed and yet I was motionless, mesmerized. Sitting not two feet away was a man I had known for half of my adult life, a man who had saved the world ten times over and yet he didn't even know it. He didn't know who he was…

As Alfred made a final attempt to refill after dinner coffee cups, I heard a the distinct sound of thrust vectoring MiG 29M engines, quickly drawing my attention outside. Letting my glasses dip down my nose, I focused through the walls of Wayne Manor and smirked to see the fast approaching aircraft. Wally always joked that someday he would be brave enough to take a joyride in Batman's jet. I mused sadly that he would have a better chance taking it from Dick rather than Bruce…

The others should no indication that Dick had returned from his evening's adventure save for Barbara coincidentally checking her Blackberry just as Dick landed in the Cave. Knowing her and her electronic prowess, no doubt it was mini-Bat Computer for work on the go. I kept an eye on Dick after he quickly changed out of the suit and raced upstairs, walking to the kitchen to fake an entrance into the Manor.

Selina yawned and patted Bruce's shoulder, "I think it's time for bed."

Bruce glanced at his watch, "Oh… I didn't realize how late it had gotten… Clark… I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I replied, trying to hide the awe over the fact that it was the first time he had said the words to me and meant them.

"Well, it's a long way back to Metropolis," Bruce said as he rose to his feet, "I'll have Alfred prepare a room for you if you'd like to stay."

Barbara and Selina both looked up at me knowing that Clark Kent would have a good three hour drive ahead of him although Superman would have a three and half minute flight.

I rose to my feet as well and declined, "Oh, no that's okay, Bruce. Really, I actually prefer traveling at night, less traffic… That and If I'm not there to get coffee for Lois in the morning…"

Bruce nodded, and then offered, "You'll have to visit more often… with Lois. She sounds great."

I had to force the haunting images of Bruce kissing her years earlier from my mind before responding, "Of course."

As we shook hands, he offered to show me to the door just as Dick walked into the dining room, "Whew, what a day… Hey, Clark, didn't think you'd still be here."

Smiling, I shrugged, "Either did I… time flies, I suppose."

"I'll walk you out, catch up a little…" Dick offered, and when Bruce went to interject, he asked, "Hey, did you leave me any Napoleons?"

"Don't look at me, Selina had thre---."

A napkin in the hands of his impregnated significant other had turned lethal as she used it to rat tail him in the behind.

Bruce corrected himself, "Yes, I left you some."

After spending the evening observing their interactions, I realized just how blind I had been before. Their banter reflected what I endured with Lois, along with the knowing and telling looks and silent questions and warnings. Alfred had been right, he loved her and for Bruce to be happy and in love… maybe it was the silver lining to the condition he was stricken with?

Upon bidding farewell to Barbara and Selina, I turned to Bruce and offered my hand, "I can't tell you how good it was to see you again, Bruce… to see that everything is okay."

"It is now," he replied as he shook my hand, "Once the baby is born, I keep hearing that my life is going to flip upside down."

"Well… I think you can handle it."

He let go and turned to look at Selina, "We can."

Promising to return soon with Lois, I stepped out of the dining room and followed Dick down the corridor. To my surprise, he did not escort me to the door but rather lead the way to the study, to the secret entrance. On the way down, I apologized, trying to explain my hasty and unannounced visit. I also defended myself, saying I had a right to know the truth, not only as his former colleague but as his friend.

Bruce would have been proud for how long Dick was able to ignore me.

It was he reached the platform of the computer bay that he finally spoke, not as the young man whom I had helped following his leaving Batman's side. There was something dark in his eyes, his face too stoic… He'd been wearing the cowl for six months and may very well wear it for the rest of his life. A fact that caused Alfred's fine meal to churn in my stomach.

"Clark… I should have told you sooner… but since he came out of the coma, I've done nothing but try to protect him. From people who have become strangers to him, from the truth about his own life… even from himself… I'll allow you to keep visiting him if you agree to protect him as well."

"Meaning?"

"You can't bring Lois here."

"What? She cares about Bruce, she---."

Dick shook his head, silencing me, "Yes, she does. But she's a reporter first, Bruce's friend second."

"You know that's not true," I countered, taking a few steps to stand in front of him. Looking down at him, I added. "I can explain it to her, she'll understand, Dick."

Again, Bruce would have been proud as Dick stood his ground, "I said no. You don't like it, you don't have to come here either."

I should have been angered by his arrogance, but I found myself nodding. After all, he was doing his job, protecting Bruce. "Fine… no Lois… not until he gets better."

"Clark, he may not---."

"Since when are you the pessimist?" I smirked before setting a hand on his shoulder, "He'll get better, Dick… It's Bruce, he never lets anything get the best of him."

Finally, a crack formed in Dick's armor as he smiled sadly.

^V^

"How did it go?" I asked as I perched on the rusty fire escape. For what the Grand hotel charged for a room each night, you'd think they would have the money to replace something as vital as an emergency exit for people on floors two through twenty.

"Zeus was in the process of evicting the residents in the largest house of the community by the time I got there. Fortunately, no one was hurt."

"Except the god of lightning."

I heard a siren through the comm. link before Batman's reply came, "He tried to hug me. Welcoming his brother Hades to his new home, suggested we form an alliance to show the humans they needed to respect the gods once more, to bring them to their knees in prayer."

"Clash of the Titans was on TBS last weekend… apparently he caught it."

Dick would have laughed at that had he not been overseeing the police paddy wagon rounding up thirteen men who had tried to smuggle nearly a two million dollars worth of weapons into Gotham. He had been tracking their activities since August, their big shipment arriving the first of November at eleven. Unfortunately, when they opened the large cargo box, the only weapon inside had been Batman. It had been a great idea we had come up with, one that had nearly been ruined when Maxi Zeus had starting causing trouble upstate. Dick had returned to the Manor briefly before heading into the city, barely making it to the boat at the docks in time to switch cargo boxes.

Apparently, three of the men had wet themselves.

Another two had screamed like seven-year-old girls.

When he had replayed the event over the link to me, I had complained, "Man, I wish I had been there."

The reason I hadn't was that with Batman off to capture Zeus, Batgirl and I had been left the reins to the city, doing our best to maintain regular patrols while making sure things in the harbor were still on schedule. Thankfully, the scum of the city weren't too motivated with the cold, windy weather, but then again, neither had I. I stopped twice at the Clocktower to warm up, and then the third time Barbara had threatened to activate countermeasures if I snuck into her living room and tracked boot prints one more time.

Fair enough.

Since I had been far too occupied with the gun dealers, I had yet to ask him about Maxie Zeus, on of Batman's more interesting foes. Interesting as in he believed himself to be the Greek king of the gods. He had once been a history teacher of the classical ages but after losing his wife, his life had taken a downward turn and he ended up landing in the criminal world. Far more intelligent than his associates, he had quickly risen the ranks to a crime lord, gaining power and wealth seemingly without effort. Combined with his in depth knowledge of Greek mythology, a themed criminal was born.

I had read his file a number of times, recounting his criminal efforts over the years, Anything from kidnapping Olympians to trying to claim Gotham as his kingdom and everything in between. He always had referred to Batman as Hades, his brother who ruled the underworld. As tacky as he had sounded, he was a formidable force in his prime, but after years of rehabilitation, he had seemed to become somewhat functional again.

Although my personal favorite would always be when Bane let the inmates of Arkham Asylum free, Zeus had ran through the woods in his straight jacket directly into one of his loyal subjects: a tree.

Batman's voice was in my ear again, "He didn't put up much of a fight… then again, he's nearly fifty years old."

"Does he have a big gray beard?" I asked, fighting back smile.

"Yes. It smelled really bad."

I waited a beat before asking, "So… when Alfred called me earlier, he said they had company. Who was it?"

He didn't answer me.

Not until twenty minutes later when I had been sitting on top of a heating air duct on the Grand Hotel, sneaking up behind me, "It was Clark."

I did my best to hide my surprise, from both his appearance and the name of the guest. Rising to my feet, I faced Batman, "Really? What happened?"

"He's been trying to figure out what we were hiding from him for some time," he walked away from me, pausing near the edge of the twenty story drop. The wind had finally died down, or else he would have been blown away while saying, "He had called Barbara this morning and after being rebuked one more time, he had decided to take matters into his own hands."

"He just showed up?"

"Yes… Alfred had tried to diffused the situation but Bruce had come downstairs and when he met Clark, he ended up inviting him over for dinner."

"Dinner." I whispered, feeling my stomach growl.

"I had intended on talking with Clark before everyone sat down but ended up having to upstate. Didn't get back until he was getting ready to leave."

"What did you tell him?"

He finally turned to face me, "I told him he could visit… Bruce seemed… so happy to see him, to spend time with him… to have a friend."

Thinking back, I hadn't seen or spoken with Bruce in nearly a week. It wasn't that I had no time, just not the inspiration. For months I had been trying to convince myself that one of these days, everything would go back to normal and everything would be as it once was. Every day, it hadn't everyone in the Family had kept going, looking ahead while I looked behind me.

I had wasted so much time avoiding Bruce, when I should have been there for him, as his friend.

I suddenly had an urge to see Bruce but knew he was fast asleep in bed.

^V^

After a long day on my feet, the bath tub was calling my name.

While Bruce had stayed down to talk with Dick over dessert, I had made the trek upstairs to start settling in for the night. As the bath tub filled with hot, soapy water, I pinned up my hair, fought back yawns and replayed the night's entertainment.

Namely, Bruce and Clark acting like long lost friends.

I knew of the tension that had existed between them before the shooting. I remember teasing Bruce that for being a loner, he had a number of allies in Gotham and around the world. We had been lying on the floor in front of the fireplace of my penthouse, sharing a platter of sushi and sashimi along with a carafe of hot sake. Not the ideal meal at six in the morning, but he had been late getting donw He had been quick to explain, "In Gotham, yes… elsewhere, not so much?"

I had inquired, "You don't play well with the other kids?"

"Some better than others.," he had explained softly, "I've never come to trust them, or their abilities."

"Not even Superman?" I had teased.

Something had flashed in his eyes before he answered, "We have… an understanding of one another." when I had asked what that meant, he had said, "He believes we are friends, but I have no friends."

"You have me," I had smiled at him before crawling over top of him.

The good old days…

Seeing them at dinner had been short of mind altering, and given the text messages Barbara had sent me all night long, it had been for her as well. They had chatted like they had been college roommates who had finally found one another and were trying to play catch up on each others' lives. Batman and Superman… chatty Cathy's.

I had just settled into the tub when I heard Bruce enter the bedroom followed by his watch clanking on the dresser after being removed. There were a few minutes where the only sound I heard was that of bubble popping before he appeared in the open doorway, "Enjoying yourself?"

"Indeed. You should join me, then it would be very enjoyable."

"To sit in a tub of boiling water and raspberry soap bubbles?"

I grinned, "Don't forget the naked woman carrying your child, Bruce."

"Touché," he replied before reaching for his belt. I smiled as he disrobed in front of me before carefully stepping into the water, sitting across from me at the other end of the tub. His legs went to the outside of mine and his toes just reached my rear. After sitting back and closing his eyes, he mumbled, "Very enjoyable."

I closed my eyes as well but at the sound of water moving, I opened them just in time to see him tracing scars over his torso. Given that the water barely reached the base of his sternum, he had quite a few to look at. To distract him, I rested my feet in his lap, tracing my toes over the length of him.

Eyes wide, he looked to me and said, "Well then."

"Rub a dub dub," I said with a smile as I moved towards him.

Perhaps, I had filled the tub too much. Or at least for aquatic acrobatics.

With water soaking the floor and bath mats, bubbles on the tiled walls and ceiling, not to mention the missing hot water handle I had broken off, I leaned forward into Bruce's chest as I knelt above him, letting my breaths come in heavy pants.

Letting his head fall back, Bruce asked, "I thought we couldn't do that… any more."

"We can… just not… too crazy," I kissed his exposed throat.

He looked up again and I lifted my head as well. After surveying the damage, he sighed, "Alfred's never going to let me have a bath again…"

In an attempt to salvage our bathing privileges, he mopped up the mess with towels, leaving me one to dry myself with. Being the gentleman that he was, Bruce left himself with a hand towel to dry with. He managed to get the bubble wiped down from the walls but those on the ceiling would have to make their own fall from grace.

I changed into a pair of pink cotton pajama pants and a tank top that barely covered the swell of my abdomen while Bruce dug around for his own pajamas. I had yet to unpack the shopping bags from our day's efforts but had no motivation to do so. Morning, I told myself, After breakfast.

Spent, I settled into bed before Bruce, not wanting to wait for him to change. Settling deep into the pillows, I sighed and set a hand on my stomach, waiting for the little one to relax as well. Once he emerged from the walk-in closet, he walked around, shutting off lights before joining me.

Even though he had no reason to, Bruce often had trouble falling asleep. Alfred suggested it was a result of the years he had spent living off mere hours of rest, rarely going to bed before five in the morning. When I had first moved into the Manor, he had spent many nights laying awake at night, staring at me while I slept. I had asked him about it once and he had replied, "I don't know… I can't help it."

As he laid beside me, his eyes were straight up at the ceiling, a dead giveaway that his mind was still running on all cylinders. I took my hand off of my body in order to retrieve his, placing it beneath mine as it pressed to a sleepy in-utero baby.

With practically no light in the room, I barely made out his eyes as they fell to my face.

"Good night, Bruce."

"Good night… Selina… Good night, baby… Good night, moon, good night, stars… Good ni---."

"Shut up," I growled in the darkness."

"Yes, dear."

^V^