I am SO sorry this took so long to finish. I didn't know how to end it, so I put it on the back burner. I hope you find this ending to be satisfying. Thank you!
Arella smiled as she watched Bruce coo at their 4-month-old daughter. Batman was cooing at a baby. Arella held back laughter as she returned to her textbook. She had always been a good student; learning had always come easy. College wasn't supposed to be a breeze, but Arella found the work rudimentary compared to the things she learned on Azarath.
She looked back at Bruce and smiled as he shifted on their bed. It was incredibly domestic, and more than Arella ever hoped for her life. She loved Raven. Loved Raven. But she missed so much of Raven's early years…Arella was thankful for this second chance. "Hey," a voice brought her out of her musings, "you okay?"
Arella turned. Bruce was staring at her with his intense blue eyes, and Arella felt her heart race. "Yeah," she breathed out as tears of joy welled in her eyes. "I – I'm fine. I'm just…happy. I never thought my life would lead me here. I never thought I'd get the chance to be a true mother." Bruce handed their daughter, Ajita, to Arella. Rocking her always helped Arella stay present. "I love Raven. Raven will always be my daughter…but…" Arella looked down at the gurgling baby in her arms.
"You don't have to explain yourself, Arella," Bruce smiled, "I understand."
"I can't help but think that everything I went through, all the horrible things I survived, all of it led to this moment right here," she looked down at her daughter. "And, as terrible as it all was, I wouldn't change a single thing if it meant I would end up here."
"You really are amazing, you know that?" Bruce asked after a moment of silence. Arella stared at him. "I'm serious," he said. "You never stopped moving. Raven is a fighter, there's no doubt about it; but so are you, Arella. Most would let the past dictate their present and future, yet here you are. With me. With Ajita," Bruce looked at the bundle in Arella's arms. "It is commendable, Arella, and I really need you to know and believe that."
"The past dictating your future," Arella smirked. " 'And by that destiny to perform an act – Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come – In yours and my discharge'," she quoted.
"The Tempest."
Arella's eyes shot up to Bruce. "You know The Tempest?" she asked in disbelief.
"Contrary to popular belief," Bruce gathered both Arella and Ajita in his arms, "I earned every A in school."
Arella smiled, leaned against Bruce's chest before adjusting Hope in her arms. "I'll take your word for it," she sighed.
Bruce kissed the top of her head. "Once Ajita falls asleep, you and I can discuss giving her a sibling."
Arella elbowed him, blushing when all she hit was rock-hard abs. "Unless you're planning on carrying for 9 months and surviving 16 hours of labor, I don't think so." Arella cocked her head as she watched Hope's eyes slowly close. "Maybe in 2 years," she relented.
Bruce laughed, and the sound reverberated in his chest. "Okay. Two years."
The past is prologue, Arella thought. Her life hadn't ended at 16; it had just begun. The circumstances weren't ideal; but Arella refused to let fear run the rest of her life.
Arella snuggled deeper into her husband's chest while holding their daughter close. She couldn't change the past, but her future was still being written. Each day was a new chapter, and she intended to write as many chapters as possible.
