Whether his sons liked it or not, Bruce when on dates from time to time. Some were just for appearances, while others had a genuine attraction. Some women were one-time occurrences, while others made multiple appearances.

Whatever the case, the Wayne boys were used to seeing well-dressed women waiting in the foyer for their Father. This didn't, however, offer Damian much comfort as he spotted Alfred taking her coat. "So you're the wench who Father plans to escort tonight?" He asked haughtily once Pennyworth was out of earshot.

The black-haired woman nodded sweetly, ignoring his insult. "Well, seeing as he hasn't even returned home yet, he must have determined you are not worth his time." The boy told her with an overly smug smirk. "You'd best be going before you get snowed in."

"Damian!" Dick scolded as he came in. The older boy hoisted his little brother onto his hip so that they were more or less eye to eye. "That is not how we speak to a guest, especially not a lady." Damian only pouted in response before burying his face into his brother's shoulder. "Sorry Selina. He's in one of his moods." Dick apologized.

Of all the women Bruce had gone out with, Selina Kyle was Dick's unrivaled favorite. On top of the fact that she made Bruce genuinely happy, Selina had won their respect on the streets of Gotham as Catwoman and had proven herself a trusted ally.

Damian knew all this, but he didn't care. He didn't like any woman who dared to breach their base or who thought for a second that she could become his new mother.

Damian had, however, been correct when he had said Bruce wasn't home, and figuring his Father would be a while with the quickly falling snow, Dick led Selina to the living room where the rest of the family was enjoying a quiet evening.

"Hell-lo." Jason crooned upon their entrance. "Ya know, if Bruce is standing you up, I can stand in on your date." Selina smiled at him as she took a seat on the couch.

"You're a bit young for me, sweetie. Besides," She turned to where Damian was now sitting at Dick's feet drawing and smiled. "It's not a date. We're just going to catch up over drinks." Damian just scowled at her before turning back to his sketchbook. She wouldn't dissuade his skepticisms that easily.

"Well, since you're here, why don't we find a way to pass the time till Bruce comes home?" Dick suggested. Selina redirected her smile at the oldest boy. "That sounds wonderful. What do you boys wanna do?"

"We could play video games." Jay grinned, waving a controller. "Oh please," Tim scoffed. "I'm sure Selina would rather do something tasteful." "Like what? Play chess?" Jason rolled his eyes. "Honestly, could you be more lame and boring?"

Selina stepped between the two boys as they tried to burn holes into each other with their glares. "I bet I could make both suggestions interesting."


Jason let out an aggravated groan as Selina destroyed him with a triple combo. "No fair! You never said you were any good." Selina tried not to look as smug as she felt.

"Sweetie, this was not my first rodeo. I'm a woman of many abilities." She sighed as she turned to the chessboard and accepted her checkmate. "Unfortunately, I seem to be a bit lacking in chess."

"Don't be too hard on yourself." Dick grinned. "You were dividing your attention, and Timmy here is a genius." Tim blushed at the compliment. "You lasted longer than most people do."

As the older boys began discussing ways to incorporate more games into the mix, Selina glanced across the room to where Damian was still curled up in the corner, hunched over his sketchbook.

She silently made her over to him and watched him draw for a while. Her eyes filled with awe as she marveled at the boy's skill. Damian had drawn the scene of all of them in the living room in such photographic detail. No wonder he had seemed so focused the last hour. "Did you draw this all just now?"

"Basic observation would imply as much." Damian muttered, not bothering to look up. "You're very talented." Selina complimented as she took a seat in the chair behind him. "And you are very nosy." The boy huffed as he tore out the page and set it on top of a pile of other discarded works.

Selina picked up the set of papers Damian had set aside and began thumbing through them. While a few of them just seemed to be pages of angry scribbles, some did catch her eye.

A half-finished drawing of Dick in the middle of a laughing fit. A sketch of Tim with a look of genuine surprise on his face. A doodle of Jason sticking out his tongue and scrunching up his face in concentration. And though it may have been a bit vain, Selina found her favorite to be a portrait of her.

The angle Damian had drawn her from made her smile seem to stretch past her lips and light up her entire face. The light caught her eyes in a way that made them sparkle with joy. She couldn't place the moment depicted, but she knew it would become a happy memory.

"Do you mind if I keep this one?" She asked hopefully. "If you wish." Damian replied shortly. Selina took a breath as she held out the paper, hoping the boy wouldn't act on his obvious annoyance at her next request. "Would you sign it for me?"

Damian looked up, his brow cocked. "What for?" He asked. "It's hardly my best work." Selina let out the breath she'd been holding. At least he was talking to her without insults.

"Oh, Kitten, all the best artists sign their work. That way, whoever owns it can prove it's an original masterpiece." She explained. Damian signed his name with no further questions, and Selina smiled as she caught the way the corners of his mouth pulled upwards into a little grin of his own.

III

Selina wasn't even disappointed when she realized she and Bruce would not be making it to the bar that night.

She had never really spent time with any of the Robins outside of patrol, and she found herself enjoying their games and challenges. Damian even dragged himself out of his corner and joined in the fun. She could see why Bruce loved them so much.


Selina heard what sounded like a hoard of yowling cats as she made her way back from the ladies' room. The boys had all been fine when she left. What kind of fight could they have gotten into in the span of five minutes?

As it turned out, there was no fight. At least not in the traditional sense.

Damian was sprawled on the floor, kicking and screaming. Jason stood over him, yelling taunts and calling him names. Dick was trying to shout over both of them to defuse the situation. And Tim sat on the far side of the room, holding his hands over his ears. Selina grabbed Dick by the arm, pulled him just out of the room, and pressed him for an explanation.

"Bruce still isn't home." Dick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He's really late and hasn't called. Damian wanted to go out and search for him, but Alfred said its too dangerous with the blizzard. And now Little D is losing it because Alfred revoked his access to The Cave until tomorrow morning."

"Is there anything I can do?" Selina asked worriedly, glancing past Dick and to where Damian seemed to be on the verge of a total meltdown. "I don't know. Bruce is the one who usually deals with his tantrums." Dick groaned.

Dick considered himself an expert big brother, but even he was finding himself at a loss at this moment. Luckily Selina was ready to take charge.

"Jason, you leave your brother alone." She ordered, her hands on her hips. "In fact, it's late. Go get ready for bed, all three of you." The older boys all gave her questioning looks before scurrying out of the room and upstairs.

Selina sighed as she sat on the floor next to Damian, just out of kicking range but still close enough to rub calming circles into his back. "Damian, Kitten, do you wanna talk about it?" She asked when he finally stopped screaming.

"Father always contacts us if he is running late." The boy sniffed. "The fact that he hasn't means he must be in trouble. How dare Pennyworth bar me from going to his aid?" He sat up, moving closer to Selina, and leaned into her touch just slightly.

"Your Father does know how to worry us, doesn't he?" She sighed. Honestly, even if the man couldn't call to say he'd be missing their night together, the least he could do is let his children know he was alright.

"How about this? You go upstairs, get ready for bed and then come back down so we can all watch a movie together. If your Father isn't home by the time it's over, I'll sneak you into The Cave, and we'll go look for him ourselves."

Damian contemplated this proposal for a moment before deeming it fair and heading up to his room. "Quite tactful, Miss Selina." Alfred complimented once his youngest charge was gone. "We may need to have you on full time to deal with such matters."

Selina smiled at his jovial remark. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to pacify sour moods every time she came around the manor.


Bruce dropped his briefcase, coat, and shoes all at the door as he came inside. Sure, Alfred would scold him later but he was just too tired to care right now.

This sudden blizzard had had him in traffic for countless hours, and the snow had knocked out the cell towers preventing him from calling home. And if that wasn't bad enough, Selina probably thought he'd stood her up for their date.

As he ran through how he was going to apologize to her, Bruce heard something playing in the screening room. Thinking his boys must've fallen asleep watching a movie Bruce slipped in as softly as he could. He smiled at the adorable scene. The boys were in the room.

Dick and Jason were sprawled on the floor, Jason's head in Dick's lap. Tim was curled up on one end of the couch using the armrest as a pillow. But what surprised Bruce was the sight of Selina sitting up on the other side of the sofa with Damian curled up sound asleep in her lap.

Bruce gently nudged his two oldest awake. "Dickie, Jay, go on up to bed." "Carry me Daddy." Jason joked sleepily as he slung his arm around his older brother's shoulder and allowed himself to be dragged upstairs.

Bruce scooped Tim up in his arms and was about to collect Damian off of Selina when she held out a hand to stop him. "I can put him to bed if you don't mind." She offered. Bruce nodded and lead the way up to their rooms.

III

"Father?" Damian asked groggily as Selina lay him down in his bed. "Just me Kitten. But he's home safe now." She whispered and handed him the stuffed kitty that had been on his pillow.

"I'm sorry you did not get your evening out." Damian told her as he settled under his sheets. "Perhaps Father could make it up to you with dinner. Pennyworth is a phenomenal cook."

Selina couldn't help but smile at his invitation. "I'd like that very much." She said softly as she moved away from his bed. "Sweet dreams Kitten." "Good night Selina." Damian mumbled into the darkness as she disappeared through the door.

III

Bruce took Selina's hand and kissed it as they met in the hallway. "You didn't have to stay tonight." He said softly. "I know my boys can be a bit… much."

"I was glad to." She blushed. "They really are sweet. Damian's even invited me to have dinner here some time." Bruce chuckled at that. They must have had some fun for Damian to grant her an open invitation.

"You know it would be far too dangerous for you to drive home tonight. Shall I have Alfred prepare a guest room?" Bruce asked coyly. "No need to bother him." Selina grinned back and allowed Bruce to lead the way to the master bedroom.

It seemed she be taking Damian up on his offer of a meal at the manor very soon.