CHAPTER THREE
Diana slid into the large bed she shared with her husband, exhausted.
"How is he?" Bruce whispered sleepily, sliding over and wrapping one muscular arm around Diana's waist.
"His fever finally broke." Diana whispered, snuggling back into Bruce's chest.
"Hmm." Bruce murmured, his lips touching her ear. Thomas has been sick for the last week, but if his fever had broken then he was on his way to recovery. Diana was relived. Thomas's sickness had her worried sick. She turned around and buried her face in Bruce's chest, smiling as he stroked her stomach, making her giggle slightly at the tickling sensation it produced. There was a movement and Bruce's bright blue eyes shot wide open.
"She kicked." He whispered, a huge grin spreading over his face.
"'She'? What makes you think it's a girl?" Diana teased.
"Fatherly instinct." Bruce said with a grin. Diana laughed and kissed him.
They were laying in silence for a moment, then Diana spoke again. "Bruce?"
"Yeah?" He whispered sleepily. Diana felt bad about keeping him from his sleep. He had had a hard patrol, the huge bruises on his chest and left arm evidence of that, but she had to tell him. So she took a deep breath.
"I say Shayera today." She told him.
"Really." The tone of the voice was disinterested, but Diana felt the muscles in his arm stiffen and tighten almost painfully around her waist.
"Yes." She paused again, unsure of how to continue.
"What's wrong Diana?" Bruce's voice was now concerned at his lovers silence, his touch soft and gentle.
"She had children with her." Diana whispered.
"So?"
"Really Bruce!" Diana exclaimed, sitting up and pushing away from him. "And you call yourself the world's greatest detective!"
"They were her children?" Bruce asked, also sitting up but snapping on his bedside lamp so that he could clearly see his wife's face and expression. Diana nodded.
"Yes, they were hers. Two, twins, a boy and a girl." She paused again before continuing. "Bruce, their four years old."
"Their Johns." It wasn't a question, her husband's voice was detached and analytical, like it always was when he was thinking out loud.
"Yes." Diana confirmed.
"And he doesn't know. Did she say why?"
"Oh Bruce." Diana felt the tears falling down her face again, and her husband instantly took her into his arms, stroking her hair and rocking her gently.
"Bruce, it's horrible. She thinks he hates her. She's afraid that if he knew about the twins that he would hate them." Although she was upset, Diana made sure to keep her voice down. It would do no good to wake up Thomas. Or John.
The Green Lantern and former Marine was currently sleeping in their guest bedroom after reluctantly going on patrol with Batman and becoming injured. He had broken Batman's fall from a building and had earned bruised ribs and a sprained shoulder in the process. Diana had to literally tie him up so she could tape his injuries, and the bullied him into the guest room and demanded that he stay or she would track him down and drag him back, because even at five months pregnant she could still take him, ring or no ring. John had gone to bed, after throwing pleading looks at Bruce, who simply grinned and shook his head.
Bruce kissed the top of Diana's head and held her tighter, comforting her. "John would never do that."
"I know that and you know that, but Shayera is really gun shy right now, every since we turned on backs on her. Ever since I turned my back on her." Diana's whisper was heartbreakingly sad, and the only thing Bruce could do was hold her tighter and try to comfort her with his love. Diana closed her eyes and relaxed back against him, taking comfort in his warmth and strength. And it worked for a while.
Until both jumped at the sound of someone pounding on the front door of the mansion.
Diana and Bruce both jumped out of bed and rushed to the front door, beating Alfred by just minutes. Neither could explain how they knew that something was wrong, but they both had known. Diana reached the door first and yanked it open, only to have Shayera, in her Hawkgirl mask and costume, fall into her arms.
"Shayera! Oh Hera, Bruce! It's Shayera!" Diana yelled, gently lowering Shayera onto the ground, resting the heroine's head in her lap and removing her mask.
While Bruce rushed to contact J'onn and get the first aid kit, Diana examined the winged female laying unconscious in her lap. Shayera looked horrible. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and so was her nose, the dried blood under it covering Shayera's chin. A horrible gash on her left arm was still leaking blood, while blood continued to stream from a cut on her calf and a gash on her forehead. Her right hand was twisted at a horrible angle and Diana knew without J'onn that her wrist was broken. Then Diana realized that Shayera's wings didn't feel. . . right. With a sinking heart, Diana gently turned Shayera on her side. What she saw made her gasp and blink back tears.
Shayera's wings were horribly mangled and bloody, hanging at angles that Diana knew were horribly, horribly wrong. Just then, a groan from Shayera made Diana roll her back over.
"Shayera? Shayera, wake up, please." Diana whispered, patting Shayera's cheeks. "Please Shayera, wake up." Shayera groaned again and moved her head slightly, her eyelids fluttering. "That's it, Shayera, open your eyes, please open your eyes."
Shayera's eyes fluttered open, the bright green meeting Diana's blue. "Diana. . . help. . .my. . . babies." Shayera muttered, her eyes clouded and unfocused. Then she moaned once again, her eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped against Diana.
"Shayera!" Diana yelled again, catching the winged female just before she slid out of her lap. She felt rather than heard the step behind her and turned to see John standing in the hallway, dressed simply in a pair of black sleep pants, his eyes wide and his jaw scrapping the ground.
"Shayera?" He whispered, stepping forward, staring at Shayera like he was afraid she would disappear if he blinked. "Shayera." He fell to his knees next to Diana and reached out a shaking hand to touch Shayera's cheek. "It's really her." He looked up and Diana knew he had finally realized she was there. "My God, Diana, it's really her!"
"I know John." Diana said softly, smiling despite her worry for Shayera. John's obvious joy faded when he finally took in Shayera's appearance.
"What happened Diana?"
"I don't know John. She just showed up here, pounding on the door. I opened it and she just feel into my arms. She opened her eyes a second ago, then passed out."
"My God Shy." John whispered. He moved to take Diana's place and she let him, moving Shayera's head very gently into John's lap. He didn't look at her, his gaze focused on Shayera's battered, bruised and bloody face.
"Shayera, sweetheart, what happened?" He whispered, touching Shayera's forehead and cheeks, brushing strands of hair back from her face, gently freeing them from the blood.
Shayera moaned again, arching her back in pain, then settling down once again when John touched her cheek. He slipped his hand under her back, and Diana knew by the look of horror on his face that his hand had discovered what her eyes had seen only moments before. John gently rolled her onto her side and gasped when he saw the shape of Shayera's wings.
"Oh my God." He whispered, reaching out with on hand and just barely brushing the tips of his fingers over her wings, stopping when Shayera whimpered in pain.
"Shy." John whispered in a hoarse voice full of pain. Diana retreated to wait for J'onn and Bruce, giving John some time alone with the woman he loved so deeply. She needed him right now, and he needed this time with her. She turned and hurried back when she heard a gasp from Shayera and heard her voice scream "Diana!"
"Shayera!" Diana yelled back to let her know she was there. She hurried back to find Shayera sitting up, despite John trying to keep her still.
"Diana!" Shayera cried out, throwing herself into the woman's arms as Diana fell to her knees at the Thanagarian's side.
"What is it Shayera? What happened?"
"They took them! They took them!" Shayera wailed, her heartbreaking sobs making Diana want to cry along with her.
"Who? What are you talking about Shayera?" John asked gently, touching Shayera's shoulder. Shayera jumped when she heard his voice and felt his touch and Diana realized that in her anguish, Shayera hadn't realized who had been with her. She turned his tear streaked face towards him and burst into tears all over again. John reacted purely on instinct and pulled Shayera into his arms, trying to comfort her, even though he didn't understand the source of her pain.
"Their gone John. Their both gone." Shayera whispered.
"Who's gone?" John whispered back.
"Our children." Shayera said, pulling away from him, afraid of his reaction. Instead she turned to Diana.
"Diana, my children are gone! They took my children!" Suddenly, Shayera cried out and clutched at her stomach. She pulled her hand away, covered in blood, and Diana suddenly saw that there was a large wound on her stomach. Dried blood had held Shayera's shirt to it and stopped the bleeding. Shayera's movement had ripped the shirt away and made the wound start bleeding again. She looked up at Diana, her eyes wide and terrified.
"Diana, you have to help my children." She whispered, the voice filled with pain, both physical and mental. Then her eyes rolled up in her head, and John had to dive to stop her head from hitting the floor.
"Diana, what is she talking about?" John asked as he stroked Shayera's face gently, trying to comfort her. Diana took a deep breath and decided to just tell him.
"John, she's talking about her children, your children. You're a father John."
"I'm a what?!"