18. Threat
"I gave birth to a baby girl during my stay in Themiscyra."
Shayera was dumbstruck at Diana's revelation. "You…had….a…baby….a girl"
"Yes" said Diana lowering her head.
"When? How?" "Don't you need a man for that?" accused Shayera.
Diana wiped the tears in her eyes, took a deep breath and started narrating her story.
----
"It all started about six weeks after I returned to Themiscyra. I had recovered physically but I still had emotional wounds. For that, I decided to move to a small single room house in a corner of the island to meditate and train myself. One morning I got up feeling nauseated and sick. And then I vomited. Initially I attributed it to the effects of my wounds. But soon I sensed a life growing within me. I immediately returned to my mother. I asked her how this was possible as I didn't remember ever being with a man, sexually."
Something in Diana's last line struck Shayera. 'She didn't remember. Just like she doesn't remember….'
Diana continued with her story. "My pregnancy progressed without any problem. But then something went wrong."
"What?" asked Shayera.
"I started to get these dreams. Most of them were set at night and I could see myself in those dreams. It was as if I was looking at me through someone's eyes. Usually I was somewhere high and could see myself. Initially they were just your common everyday dreams. I would see myself standing, flying or crouching. But as the months progressed the dreams got more…….."
"Got more…What?" urged Shayera impatiently. "Scary, Horrifying, Intense"
"Intense….erotic" answered Diana blushing.
"Oh," was all Shayera could say.
"Soon I would see myself in bed. I would be calling out a name over and over."
"What name?' asked Shayera, hoping for a hint about Diana's mystery dream lover.
"I don't remember. It would be clear in the dream, but as soon as I got up, everything would go away."
"And then one night I saw myself standing in front of a mirror. I approached myself and stood behind me, running my hand around my waist and pulling me closer. Looking up I saw myself and….."
"And…..what else did you see."
"I saw a tall dark form, standing behind me smiling at me."
"What?" cried out Shayera. "Then what happened?"
"My water broke"
----
Shayera was silent. She was thinking, 'It has to be him. She doesn't remember him or the father of her child. And her dreams….night time….high places….and finally the tall dark form.'
Diana didn't notice Shayera's silence. "My labor lasted for a long time and in the end I lost consciousness."
"So where is the baby now? Is she still in Themiscyra?" asked Hawkgirl.
Diana had a pained look on her face. "Yes, she is still in Themiscyra….she is buried there."
"Oh Diana" "I'm so sorry" Shayera offered her apologies.
"When I regained consciousness, my mother told me that I was by unconscious for almost two days and that…..my baby girl had died and they had buried her" Diana began to cry. "I didn't even get to see her. You know what; I think the goddess punished me for my sins. I was allowed to carry a child but then she was taken away from me, so that I would learn to value life"
Shayera silently hugged and soothed Diana as she cried her pain out. Sometime later her cries ceased and soon she was sleeping. Laying her down, Shayera tip-toed out of the room. She had a lot to tell to Superman and J'onn.
----
By the time the Superheroes woke next morning, Bruce Wayne had already left. Alfred was serving them breakfast when Thomas walked in rubbing his eyes.
"Alfed….Alfed" he called out as he entered the room. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Good Morning Master Thomas."
"Good Moning Alfed…Where is Daddy?" the sleepy child inquired. Looking around he saw the guests from the previous evening. "Good Moning" he wished them.
"Good Morning" they replied in unison.
"Your father had to leave early, young sir," informed Alfred, before picking him and placing him on his high-chair.
"Office?"
"Yes sir. He had an early meeting?"
"Would like me to help you?" asked Diana, hopefully.
"No thank you. Daddy says I am big boy now and should do these things by my own" he informed her.
Superman looked at Lois and shook his head. "Typical Bruce…..always training. Even his young son," he said to her. Lois merely smiled at him.
"But daddy cuts the fuit for me. He says I should stay away from all sharp objects. If you want you can do that." Thomas said to Diana.
Diana jumped at his words and practically snatched the knife from Alfred.
----
Once breakfast was over, everyone got ready to leave. Diana hurriedly changed clothes and spent the rest of the time with Thomas. She hadn't been able to see her daughter, so she tried to give all her pent up love to the young boy. When they finally left she had tears in her eyes and was silent for the entire flight back. Once at the watchtower, she immediately retreated to her room.
----
Sometime later,
Superman, J'onn and Hawkgirl were meeting to discuss their recent findings.
"Do I have some news for you or what" exclaimed Shayera.
"Us too," Superman answered. "Thomas is Bruce and Diana's son."
"What! No No….Diana told me. She did give birth, but to a girl and the baby died at birth."
"WHAT"
"Yes, Diana told me herself, yesterday night."
-----
Superman and Hawkgirl told each other what they knew. In the end they concluded that Diana gave birth to twins and the girl died while the boy was sent to Bruce Wayne. However, J'onn suggested that maybe there had been only one child and he was sent to Bruce, while Diana was told that it had been a girl and that she had died soon after birth.
"We need to tell Batman about this" suggested J'onn.
"He should be here anytime now. We'll tell him then" answered Superman.
Superman reminded Hawkgirl that she couldn't tell anyone else, especially Diana what he had told her. It would void Batman's sacrifice.
----
An hour later, Batman arrived for the meeting. They were discussing the resurgence of the injustice league, when Batman's personal commlink beeped. It was Alfred.
"Go ahead"
Alfred sounded nervous. "Sir, something has gone terribly wrong. Master Thomas has been kidnapped."
"What," shouted Batman, startling the others. "When?" he asked in a low voice.
"An hour ago. I was knocked out and when I came to, he was missing and a video disk was left for Bruce Wayne. Whoever it was, managed to get past the mansion security undetected and leave the same way."
----
Batman was fearing that one of his enemies had finally got to his family. But Alfred's words calmed him a bit. The disk was for Bruce Wayne and not Batman.
"Transmit the video to the watchtower" he ordered Alfred.
Batman got up and walked to the computer. He punched in the codes to access the Bat-computer. A few seconds later the video started playing.
"No……" was all Batman could whisper at the person on the screen.
"Brucie…."