04. Decisions
Summary: What to do with her? The League decides.
"Yes…twins."
"What do say Bats? Wanna take mamma-Bats to the hang out in the cave?" Both Flash and Lantern held in their arms two bawling babies, which were in fact Plasticman who had contorted his body into two identical twin babies, one a boy with a baby-bat-mask on his head and the other a girl with two bracelets on her wrists and a tiara on her head, just like the one Wonder Woman had on hers, except for one minor change. The baby-girl's tiara didn't have a star like her mother's. Instead, she had a flying bat symbol, just like her dad.
"See, we already have the next generation of the Bats ready to fly the coop…uh, cave," Kyle offered his joke. Using his ring, he created green copies of the preferred mode of transportation for both Bat Wonder and Wonder Bat. That was what they had named the twins, Bat Wonder for the boy, was Flash's idea. It was a caricature of his old Titans buddy Dick 'Boy-Wonder nee Nightwing' Grayson, while the honor for the Wonder Bat name went to his green and black garbed teammate. Currently the babies were floating in air, the boy seated in an open bat-wing and the girl in an open invisible plane.
"Wheeee," Plasticman made a mock impression of young children enjoying themselves.
Batman glared at them as they continued their charade. His attention was not as much on them as it was on his two other teammates, Superman and Wonder Woman, both of whom had been silent for quite some time. J'onn had taken leave to allow the new Diana to get some rest while the league reached a consensus and made a decision as to where to keep her.
'What is going through your mind Diana?' He stared first at Wonder Woman and then at Superman. 'And you Clark. You look as if you are a puppy and someone has taken your favorite chew toy. Why is it affecting you so much?'
----
"Hey look, the kids are all grown up," the theatrical dup drew everyone's attention towards the fully-grown Plastic Batman and Wonder Woman. According to Flash and Kyle, as the kids step into adulthood and come into their own, they take over the mantle from their parents, allowing the oldies to getting some alone time in the superhero old-age home, which is funded by, what else, Wayne Foundation.
"I have deposited our guest in your room Wonder Woman," J'onn's voice accompanied his phasing through the floor. "Just as you instructed."
"Thank you J'onn," Diana smiled weakly, her mind still swirling from the revelations of her doppelganger. The news that in another alternate timeline, she chose to not only start a romantic relationship with Batman, but also start a family, and was already pregnant with not one, but two children, was something she still couldn't get her head around.
Remembering the time she had spent in the Martian Dream Machine, she recalled one of the possible futures she had seen. In that, she had lost in her petition to the gods. She had been refused the ability to bear children….Bruce's children. And yet, here was another Diana, who seemed to have succeeded in accomplishing the same thing.
'Alfred would give his leg to hear a child laughing in the manor. To change a diaper—' That was what Bruce had said in her dream.
'I want to see you change a diaper,' had been her reply in that sequence. What she hadn't said, even in her dream, was that she herself wanted to change a diaper…of a child of her own. A part of her. Just as she, herself, on some level, was a part of her mother.
At the same time she was remembering the dream, no the illusion…what was it? She still cannot tell. Yet, just like the dream machine, it too was there. In that, she was with Superman. She married him….she even became pregnant. But before it could reach fruition, the detective inside Bruce arose and questioned the reality they were living in.
Which one was more real, she still cannot tell. But one thing is for certain, the reality shown in her wonder-dome didn't involve petitioning the gods, or if it did, she did not see it. Maybe she petitioned and it was granted favorably. The gods would look upon Superman as almost one of them; his super-human powers made him a demigod here on earth. Yet, that dream ended sadly for her. The love of her life in that particular situation, loved another. She saw it reflected on his face, more than a few times. Even it was fleeting, it was there. Even on the day of their marriage, he looked sad when he turned towards a cheering Jimmy Olsen, only to see the heartbreaking look on her face….Lois Lane….Kent. Clark Kent, still loved Lois Lane….even in that dream reality. He loved her too, after all, they were the Wonder Duo. But his love for her wasn't like the love he had for Lois.
----
Diana was still lost in her thoughts, when a light hand was rested on her shoulder. Feeling bare skin against bare skin, she instinctively knew who it was.
"Yes Kal," she plastered on a surprised look, just for the benefit of her best friend, and true to his position as that, he gave her a supportive smile.
Turning to the others, she saw that Wally, Kyle and Eel had ended their little charade and were seated in their respective chairs. J'onn was working on the computer, while Bruce….Bruce had all but disappeared from the room. His cape was snuggly drawn across his shoulders, shrouding his whole body in a black that melded with the shadows that always seemed to surround him.
Diana had expected such a reaction from him. After all, he was just as involved as hers. Even though it was her counterpart that had come over the dimension rift, it was his counterpart's life-seeds that were germinating inside the body of her duplicate.
'What are you thinking Bruce?' the thought crossed her mind, its vocalization prevented as much because of her own reluctance to voice it, as because of J'onn's timely interruption.
----
"We have to discuss Wonder Woman's request to stay off the watchtower and at Wayne Manor for the duration of her stay in our dimension," stated J'onn evenly.
"So, we have already assumed that she is from another dimension?" Questioned Batman bluntly, his voice completely bereft of any sarcasm.
"You suspect otherwise?" Superman asked frankly. "We did test her out. Both with J'onn's telepathy and with Diana's lasso. What else can we do?"
"For starters, run a DNA test," came an instant answer from the caped crusader. "Although, if she is a clone, she will have the same DNA structure."
"I can do it this very instant," Superman offered. "I just need a drop of blood from both of them."
"That won't be necessary," J'onn pressed a button, which opened up the file he had been working on. "As you can see, we have already accomplished the required physical testing. Except for a slight weight variation, both of them are identical. As for the weight, that can be easily accounted for by the pregnancy. And, she IS pregnant," J'onn added as an afterthought for Batman. "Is possible we can do tests to confirm Batman as the father."
"You mean the other Batman," Diana corrected him. "The one from her dimension."
"Yes," J'onn's answer held no emotions, no sarcasm.
-----
"What about our efforts to get her back to her world?" Superman asked as he finished reading the comparative readings for their Diana and the new one. "If she is indeed who she says she is, then I am sure she would like to get back home as soon as possible, and so would her friends and teammates."
"Not to mention, her Batty-dad….dy," Plasticman's words were lost at a cold glare from the present Batman. "I mean hers….not you, not at all. Her Batman."
"Why cannot she stay here at the watchtower?" Batman still wasn't sold on the idea of bringing in a stranger into his house, especially a meta-powered stranger, not to mention one who might have…uh, contacts with his other world self. "It would be more safer her than in Gotham."
"You mean, safer for you," Diana's biting remark didn't phase him the least bit.
"There are two reasons for that," J'onn had covered all possible bases, and still he was having a hard time convincing the meta-wary Batman. "One, she doesn't seem to favor the surface of the moon, or every deep space too much. She prefers the rose garden or the cliff-side view of Wayne Manor. Secondly, according to her, her doctors forbid her from living in such…artificial conditions. According to them, the fresh, clean, natural environment is necessary for the child's development."
"Let me guess," Batman responded almost dryly. "The other doctor in the doctors is your counterpart."
Instead of giving a verbal answer, the Martian allowed himself a small smirk.
"If it is fresh air and a natural atmosphere she needs, why not send her to Themiscyra. That place has more freshness than she will ever get in Gotham." Batman came up with yet another argument. It seemed that the talk had been limited to between him and J'onn with Diana adding something once every few questions. So far, the three uncles as Flash, Green Lantern and Plasticman were calling themselves, had made one comment between the three of them, and that too was shot down by Daddy-WarBats.
"I had asked her the same question," J'onn had an answer for that too. He seemed to have an answer for every question that Batman put up, and that was something that was infuriating to Batman. "She says, she is forbidden to set foot on Themiscyra."
"Forbidden? Why?" Diana's interest perked up.
"She is under an exile order from her mother, Queen Hippolyta," J'onn answered evenly, adding the reason before anyone could even ask for it. "She had committed one of the gravest sins possible for an Amazon…."
"She brought a man to Themiscyra," Diana completed the sentence, her eyes automatically going to Batman, whose face was hidden in shadows, but the white slits of his eyes were challenging her to say anything to incriminate him or his counterpart.
"Not 'a' man, but men," J'onn corrected her, explaining how the League had tried to stop Felix Faust and then later stopped Hades himself. For their bravery, they were lauded as champions of Themiscyra, and for her sins, Diana had been exiled from her homeland.
-----
After about ten seconds of silence, J'onn spoke once again. "Any more queries or objections? Batman?"
Batman's silence gave his answer. None of the other league members had any questions to ask.
"Is it acceptable to you to host our guest for the duration of her stay in our dimension?" J'onn worded his question carefully, not wanting to leave any details out.
Everyone present's eyes turned to Batman, who seemed to weighing all the possibilities arising from such a deal.
"I have four conditions," he spoke finally.
"Hera," Wonder Woman exclaimed in exasperation. "Why not have five and round it up nicely."
"I have four conditions," Batman repeated himself.
"Lets hear them," Superman sighed as he shook his head in resigned amusement. 'At least he is agreeing to it.'
"One, she can stay at the manor, but no interference in my work," J'onn gave a confirmatory nod.
"I don't think that given her condition, she will interfere in your work."
If the he answer convinced or not, there was no verbal intimation from Batman. Instead, he moved on to his second condition. "Two. This stays between us. Green Arrow and Steel know about her. You will need to talk to them, especially Arrow. He had a tendency to mouth off. I don't want this news getting out."
"That can be arranged and it is beneficial too. The less people know the better for both you and her," Superman agreed. "I'll talk to Steel."
"I will talk with Oliver," Diana seconded the motion.
"I can help with that," Flash offered Diana. Green Arrow had a soft spot for the Scarlet Speedster.
"Three," Batman started with his next condition. "She doesn't come alone. I want someone else to be with her at all times."
"You don't trust her?" Superman's question got a well-duh look from Batman.
"I'll go," Diana offered instantly. At Batman's reluctance, she decided to press her point. "If she does turn out to be a clone or a rogue Amazon or even an evil twin, I will be able to match her powers and skills. The only other person who can do that will be Kal, and I am sure you wouldn't agree on having him as a guest."
"You'll suffice," Batman kept his answer as short as possible. Diana's answer seem acceptable enough. If the need arose, Diana could keep the other Diana occupied, giving him the opportunity to step in and tilt the scale in his favor.
"Fourth," Batman last condition was similar to his first one. "Whoever accompanies her, in this case, you," his gesture was towards the present Diana. "They will also refrain from being active in Gotham."
"Agreed," Diana answered in affirmation. "But I won't leave my costume, armor and lasso. They come with me. Additionally, I will need space to store them."
"You two can have a whole wing to yourselves. Just stay out of Gotham," Batman ended that line of that.
-----
"Batman, you will need the Batwing to transport Diana to earth," J'onn spoke once everything else had been taken care off.
"Why can't she just teleport like she did earlier," Wonder Woman asked in confusion.
"That time was an emergency." J'onn answered evenly. "In her state, it is not an advisable practice."
"I'll take her," Batman stepped out of the shadows.
"You want to leave now?" Wonder Woman asked surprised at the sudden jump to action.
"Yes," Batman turned towards the door.
"You have an hour to get ready."
Note: Hope you liked this chapter. If some of the facts are out of line, excuse me. Not a doctor here.
Also, as you might have got by now. This is a crossover of sorts, between the JLU animated and JLA comicverses. However, the sequence of events may be...moved a bit. Will try to keep that to a minimum.
An' don't forget to review!
