This Chapter is a lot longer and more interesting, sorry if the prior chapters weren't that interesting but they were to build you, and just kinda give you background info on what's happened in the past years.

The Family Business

Chapter 4

Who's The Boss?

Her head was throbbing. She placed her fingers on her temples and applied pressure. She could fell her pulse in the vain under her skin. She moaned as she sat up on the side of the bed, pushing the covers off her.

Apparently Gotham was in a heat wave; she had read something of the sort in the newspaper. But that was yesterday and this was now, and her head was going to literally kill her.

She stood up and groaned, as the pain grew more immense, she felt her way down the hall, and hoped she could find the bathroom rather quickly. With one hand on her head and the other against the wall she walked down the narrow hallway and into the living room, her stunning taupe wings dragging on the ground.

She walked into the bathroom and opened the mirror cupboard above the sink. Sighing aggravatingly she fumbled through the various medications, finally to pull out a bottle of Tylenol.

She popped off the cap while making her way to the kitchen for a bottle of water. Swallowing six tablets, which was normal for a Thanagarian, she made her way back to her bed.

The late night had given her a migraine. She had arrived home at quarter to two in the morning and spent the next 3 hours afterward brushing up on her facts about Gotham. It's criminal hideouts and suspicious characters.

It was now ten o'clock the morning light through her window was so bright, Ira thought her eyes were going to explode inside her skull.

She closed her eyes, "I can only sleep until two, I've got a lot to finish before I patrol the city," she sighed as darkness overtook her body.

('.')

She stirred slightly and mumbled lightly. Turning and lying on her stomach, Ira let her beautiful wings relax and fall on top of her like a blanket. She smiled and opened one green eye to view the clock.

"Eight o'clock," she smiled, "I still have twelve hours before I have to go on patrol."

Then a thought hit her like a pail of cold water, didn't she get Tylenol at ten in the morning? Then how could it be eight?

She sat up in bed and looked out the window, the sun had made its jaunt through the sky, it was now settling down for it's well deserved rest. The sky began to turn various shades of pink.

"OH CRAP!" she yelled and jumped out of bed, she had exactly fifteen minutes before Ethanial was supposed to pick her up. She literally jumped over the bed, and flew to the bathroom.

She turned on the shower with a slam of the handle.

"Okay, okay, okay," she told herself, trying to calm herself, "In and out of the shower and then into my costume in fifteen, I can do it," she built her self esteem, "Yeah I can...." Her voice trailed as the tepid water hit her back, and rolled gently across her wings.

She closed her eyes as the mist rose from the shower and coated the mirror. She could've stayed in this nirvana forever but her thoughts were rudely interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Ira? It's me Ethanial! Ira?" the yelling came through mute because of the objects interfering, but Ira could make out what he was saying.

"OH CRAP!" she cried out and quickly washed her hair.

"Ira?" there was a knock at her bathroom door this time, "You okay?"

She jumped out of the shower and flapped her wings as she dried her hair as best she could with a towel. Wrapping a towel around her, she raised her head and let one of her auburn locks fall into her face.

"Umm yeah, I'm just running a little late is all, I needed a shower and lost track of time," she replied almost out of breathe.

"No problem, I'm five minutes early anyway," Ethanial replied through the door.

"Good that's all I need, feel free to make yourself at home."

"Okay," she heard him reply and footsteps leading away.

Good, she said to herself, now all I need to do is get dressed. She looked around for her costume, but remembered she'd left it in her room, OH CRAP!

She had to get to her room to get her costume, which meant going through the living room were Ethanial was. She cursed the fact that her bedroom was on the other side of her apartment

She slowly slid the door open, and walked out quietly. She was almost positive that she was blushing already.

Everything was fine Ethanial was watching TV. Until, she hit that squeaky crack in the hardwood floor

"Hey, I hope you don't mind but I grabbed an apple and...and..." His voice trailed off when he saw what Ira was wearing, or there the lack of.

She smiled quickly and pulled the towel closer around her chest and wrapped her wings somewhat around her, "Sorry, I...um left my costume in my room," she said moving on hand away from the gathered towel by her chest and using it to point to her room.

"No problem," Ethanial replied, and cleared his throat, "No problem at all."

She rolled her eyes and giggled a bit as she walked to her room. She changed and through the towel onto her bed, she'd deal with everything when she came home.

Ira walked over to the dresser mirror and looked at herself in costume. This was the beginning sentence in a new chapter of her life and the only thing she could say was, "At least he didn't make me feel weird."

('.')

Ira and Ethanial sat on top the Wayne Tech building in Gotham. It was about ten to six in the morning and the sun was going to rise, as their first patrol ended. It had been a fairly easy night, only a couple of kid thugs, who broke into a department store. Then some drunken teenage graffiti artists who felt the city hall 'needed more color.'

She sighed looking over the city, it looked so peaceful during the day. She turned to look at Ethanial, but found he was staring at her instead.

"What?" she asked. She was squatted on the concrete lip on the top of the building.

"When you think your nose crinkles," he said casually, "What's up?"

"I was just thinking how we got lucky tonight," he nodded in agreement.

"Well, we should turn in..." he was interrupted by gunshots a few blocks away. Immediately he jumped over the side and Ira followed suit.

"Were did it come from?" she asked, her wings gliding over the warm morning currents.

"Right there," he said pointing to three large husky men standing over a body in an alleyway.

They landed a top the roof above the alley; they sat in silence listening to the conversation.

"That'll teach that sucka," one of the large men said as he sucked on a cigar, "Squealing on da boss like that, he shoulda known betta"

"Yeah," another added looking down at his once 'companion', "I never figured Murray as a pig, butcha never know."

"Eh, he chose 'is path," the man with the cigar spoke last, and through the cigar by the body, "Seeya Murray."

They went to exit the alley but it was blocked by two would be superheroes.

"Look at what we got here boys," one of the men said, "Firecracker and Chicken Hood."

"Obviously you realize what you've just done is a crime, and now we have to take you in, so you can either come quietly, or I can kick your ass and you can come quietly," Ethanial spoke his arms over his chest, Ira stood beside him not saying a word.

"You? Twiggy and Wimp Boy are going to kick our ass?" He laughed deeply, the other joined in, "See kid, that's where you're wrong, because we have the advantage, see?" He pulled back his jacket to reveal a gun, the other did the same and they were armed with mediocre sized knives, "It's called 'being smart'."

"Now, we have the advantage, because we know what you're armed with," Ethanial began, "Whose being smart now?"

"You smart mouthed..." The thug reached into his coat to get his gun, but he never got the chance.

Immediately Ethanial tackled him, pushing him into the brick wall, stunning him momentarily.

Ira flew behind him and started a brawl with the two other thugs. She instantly knocked out one on impact; a heel to the nose will do that to a person.

Quickly before the thug got his senses back, Ethanial grabbed the gun out of his jacket and knocked him out. He turned to Ira who was tying up the other assailants with rope from her belt.

Police sirens rang in the distance, "Time to leave," Ethanial suggested after he tied up the remaining attacker.

Ira didn't say anything but took to the air, flying to her home. He shot up in the air and watched her as she flew away quickly, "Yeah goodbye to you to," he said quietly.

('.')

"Welcome home son," Bruce greeted his eldest child as he landed on the balcony, "How was the first night on the job?" he asked handing him a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee.

"It was pretty calm until the sun came up," he chuckled. His father raised an eyebrow, which he took as a signal to continue, "Well there was a gunshot a couple block away from where me and Ira were, so we went to investigate. Turns out there was three thugs that shot one of there own, we had to take them out. The only bad thing out of it was we couldn't get who they were working for."

"Not to shabby at all for your first night," Bruce congratulated his son as he walked over to the banister and leaned against it, mimicking his son's actions.

"Yeah," Ethanial turned to look over the edge, "Ira was kinda weird about it though," he revealed.

"Weird? How?"

"Well she just flew home after the fight and didn't say a word."

"Was she hurt or stunned at all? Did you ask her if she was all right?" Bruce asked.

"No," he replied back.

"Well did she get appalled by what she was doing?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know," he replied back not looking at his father.

"Well, if I were you I'd better get my ass over there and check on her," he warned, then added in a lower voice, "If she's not talking to you, you've pissed her off, or something's pissed her off. I don't know I'm fifty three years old and I still haven't figured your mother out yet."

"Yeah, it's weird I thought I knew her, she's always sort of been my best friend," he responded quietly.

"You know," his father stopped.

"What?" he asked raising his head.

"She's not your real cousin," Bruce explained quietly.

"I know," his son replied back quickly.

"Then you know it's okay to feel the way you feel about her."

"I don't feel anything about her, she'd my oldest friend. Nothing else," He said strictly.

"Okay," Bruce said casually.

"I'd better go now," he said flying away.

Bruce stood on the balcony and watched his son fly away to the early morning sunlight. Diana walked out on to the terrace and hugged her husband from behind.

"What was that all about?" she asked as she snuggled into his back.

"Ethanial's in denial again, I just wish he'd stop being so pig headed like..."

"Like you were?" Diana finished his sentence.

Bruce sighed as an agreement, and pulled his wife around to the front of him. Holding her close he divulged, "I just hope he doesn't wait until it's to late."

Expect the next chapter either tomorrow, or later today...