I could feel my heart pound as I stared at the familiar lakeside penthouse. I could feel the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. It has been a long eighteen months since I've last seen this place. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath through my nose. It was now or never.
I slowly took my first step then another and then another. My pace slowly increased until I was now standing in front of the door. I raised my hand up to knock and stopped for a moment. I technically live here. I can just walk in…right?
I placed my hand on the door handle and grip it tightly in my hand. I closed my eyes as I pulled down the handle. It wasn't locked which meant someone was home.
I pushed open the door and stepped inside. The entryway still looked the same as did the rest of the penthouse. I closed the door behind me with a soft click. I didn't see anybody.
"Master Grayson? Is that you? Did you cut school aga-" I let out a small smile seeing Alfred turn the corner. He dropped the papers in his hands and his jaw dropped seeing me.
"Hey Alfred." I said softly. Alfred quickly walked over to me and I felt myself get pulled into a hug. I returned the hug with a smile on my face.
Alfred pulled back and did a double look, "You're here…you're actually here. How did you do it?" He asked, completely dumbfounded.
"I had a lot of help. I'd rather explain when all of us are here. Which by the way. Did you say Grayson earlier? I remember that last name." Alfred gave a fond smile.
"You've missed a lot, madam. Your memory is correct. Richard Grayson or he goes by Dick Grayson now. Madam, Master Wayne adopted the young boy in your absence." Now it was my turn to be blown away.
"What? What happened to his mom?" I asked. I remember saving him as a little boy. I remember the way his mother clung to him when I handed him back to her.
Alfred grew a solemn look, "I'm afraid she was murdered and in front of Master Grayson when he was only eight years old. I don't think I have to tell you the reason why Master Wayne looked at him to be adopted." A lump grew in my throat hearing that. He was only eight? That was two years older than Bruce but still. No child should have to witness that.
"How old is he now?" I asked curiously.
"He just turned twelve on March 20th. He's a bright boy, madam. He knows about Master Wayne's late night excursions. Master Grayson is even being taught how to fight." I nodded my head slowly.
"Yeah, I should have seen that coming. I take it that Dick is in school right now?" Alfred nodded.
"Yes, although he finds school boring. He's intelligent and the school isn't challenging enough for him. He's cut school a multitude of times. Master Wayne has been trying to stop that habit." Yeah, that's not a good habit to have. I got where he was coming from though. I had graduated highschool by the time I was sixteen. College was much more challenging to me than high school. I say that but I graduated with two masters in four years.
"I can see where he's coming from. I was the same way." Alfred smiled.
"Well then, maybe you can finally solve that problem madam. Now, I believe I already know the answer to this. Would you like me to take you to where Master Wayne is?" The old man gave me a coy smirk. He already knew the answer. He just wanted me to say it.
"It's been eighteen months, Alfred. I'd like to finally see my husband again." I said with a smirk.
"Allow me to fetch the keys then." Alfred said with a wink.
Alfred led me into an aerial hanger after a security check. My eyes widened seeing the massive cargo plane in the middle. Alfred stopped and made a gesture for me to stay where I was. I gave a smirk and nodded. He wanted to surprise Bruce. I was okay with that. Alfred walked out and I backed up more to the wall.
"Master Wayne?" Alfred called out.
"Alfred? What are you doing here?" I could feel my heart pound against my chest hearing his voice. God have I missed his voice.
"I was coming to inform you we have a visitor." Alfred started out.
"If you're talking about Diana, she's already here." Diana's here?
"Ah, Miss Prince. My apologies. I didn't know you were here." Alfred greeted.
"Hello again, Alfred." I heard Diana's voice greet. I wonder why she was here?
I heard Bruce huff, "If it's not Diana you were talking about Alfred, then please tell me it's not Dick. Did he cut school again?" He exasperated.
I haven't even met my adopted son yet and he already sounded like a handful. Adopted son. I still couldn't believe Bruce actually adopted him while I was gone. I wasn't complaining though. That's what we wanted.
"No, sir. It's not Master Grayson. Thankfully." Alfred stated.
"Then who are you talking about? Who else could you possibly bring here?" Bruce sounded completely miffed.
I could see the smirk form on Alfred's face, "A meta-human, sir." Oh you sneaky old man. He's playing this up good…and I like it. Alfred and I had always teamed up against Bruce for the fun of it sometimes.
"Why didn't you start with that, Alfred? Where is the meta-human?" I could hear the sound of shoes walking down a metal ramp.
Alfred turned his head to me, "You can come out now." I took a deep breath and built up the courage. Here goes.
I slowly stepped out from behind the wall until I was fully visible. Diana's jaw dropped slightly in shock. Bruce took a step back as he stared at me. I could hear him hold his breath as a look of surprise and disbelief spread on his face.
"I told you I'd find my way back." I said gently and with a smile.
Hearing me speak must have made him register that he wasn't dreaming. He immediately broke into a run. I could barely take two steps before he was already at me. I felt his arms wrap around my waist. The scent of his cologne invaded my nostrils. He spun us around slightly with my feet off the ground.
I felt my feet touch the floor again and I couldn't get a single word out. His lips immediately covered mine in an urgent kiss. The sparks I hadn't felt in over a year came back. I completely melted in his arms from the kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with the same amount of urgency as he did. We eventually broke the kiss and Bruce held me tight to him. He rested his forehead on mine.
"You're back. You're really back." He whispered as he nuzzled his face to mine.
"I'm here, Bruce. I'm not leaving like that again." I promised him. I softly gripped the hair at the nape of his neck with my fingers. I could feel his body physically shiver from the action.
"I think it's best if we give them some time alone, Miss Prince." I heard Alfred mention to Diana.
"Agreed. I can get Mel up to speed later." Up to speed? What was going on? I heard their footsteps walk by us followed by the sound of the door closing.
I pulled my head back and opened my eyes, "What's she talking about?" I asked curiously.
Bruce smiled and cupped my face in his hands. He shook his head slightly, "Later. Right now, I just want to take this in." He said softly. He leaned down and captured me in another kiss. This one was less urgent and more longing.
We slowly broke the kiss and kept eye contact. The smile never faded from either of our faces. I grabbed his hands away from my cheeks and he immediately grasped my fingers with his.
"So, are you going to tell me what's the deal with the plane?" I asked and gestured to the plane.
Bruce looked behind him before back to me, "It's a prototype troop carrier. It's grounded currently. The best minds at Wayne Aerospace couldn't make it fly." I raised an eyebrow.
"Really? I could take a look at it." Bruce grinned wider. He placed a hand on my lower back and urged me to follow him.
"I was hoping you'd say that." I followed him up the ramp of the carrier. The plane was massive inside. I could see panels were removed, tools, bolts and screws laid everywhere. I frowned seeing the mess.
"You're sure it's a hardware issue? Have you even checked the software of the computers?" I asked as I looked around the plane.
"Alfred's taken a look at the software but it's hard to understand." Bruce stated.
I turned to him, "Computer's outside?" I asked as I was already halfway down the ramp. I heard Bruce's heavy footsteps follow me as I walked to the computer sitting on a desk.
I took a seat on the office chair and sent a quick spark to the computer.
"Athena, pull up the code for me." In an instant the programming code for the carrier plane scrolled through the screen.
"Would you like me to analyze the program?" Athena's voice came from my bracelet.
"Analyze everything. The plane looks physically fine. It has to be a software error. Find the snag and tell me once you do." I instructed. I watched the screen as Athena began filtering through the multiple software programs.
I stared at the screen with my brows slightly furrowed and a look of concentration on my face. My eyes eventually glanced up at Bruce who stood on the other side of the desk. I raised my brows seeing the loving look he was giving me.
"What?" I asked slightly confused.
Bruce shook his head but with a smile on his face, "Nothing." He walked around the desk and leaned back on it. He placed either hand beside himself as he held onto the desk.
"I've missed this. I've missed you." He said gently.
"I've missed you too. We have a lot to catch up on." Bruce nodded his head in agreement.
"I assume Alfred already told you about Dick?" I nodded my head.
"Yeah, I was surprised to know he's the kid I saved years ago. Although, I wasn't expecting you to outright adopt while I was gone." I said in a teasing tone. I crossed my arms as I leaned back in the chair.
Bruce shrugged, "It was our plan originally. That and," He gave a sigh, "it helped me having him around. Knowing that there was someone else that needed me, helped me through the tough times." I knew that feeling all too well. I gave a slight chuckle which made Bruce frown slightly.
"What?"
"I kind of did the same thing." I reached for my phone in my back pocket. I unlocked the screen and pulled up my picture gallery.
"This is Morgan Stark. Tony's daughter." I handed my phone to Bruce. He reached out and took the phone. His brows slightly furrowed as he swiped through the pictures of me and Morgan.
"Tony had a kid?" He asked but kept his attention on the photos.
"I'm her godmother, Bruce." Bruce looked at me in slight shock.
"This is your goddaughter?" I nodded, "That means if something happened to her parents then she'd-"
"-She'd go to me." I finished his sentence, "And…something already happened to one of her parents. Tony he…he's gone." I said with grief and sorrow in my voice.
"Mel," Bruce kneeled down to be at eye level, "I'm so sorry. What happened?" He asked softly. He grabbed my hand that wasn't currently holding my phone.
"He sacrificed himself in order to beat Thanos. That's why I left the way I did. Tony and the others were able to go back in time and recover the stones. They used them to undo what Thanos did, but a Thanos from an earlier time followed them. I went from fighting that monster to straight into a warzone against Thanos and his army. We would have lost if it wasn't for Tony." I placed my other hand on top of Bruce's and squeezed.
"I lost everything again. First you and then Tony. Morgan is the reason why I kept my head above water. I love that little girl like she's my own." Bruce gave a sympathetic smile and I felt his thumb softly stroke the top of my hand.
"I can tell." He said and held up my phone in a gesture. The current picture was the one where I took Morgan to the Bronx Zoo last summer. I had a hat and sunglasses on and Morgan sat on my shoulders. We each had a grin on our faces from the photo that Pepper had taken of us.
"Mel, I've found the problem." Athena's voice spoke up from the bracelet.
"What is it?" I asked.
"There's several lines of code that weren't entered correctly. The lines of code are intertwined with several programs." I frowned as I looked at the code Athena was pulling up.
"What the hell were these idiots thinking?" I mumbled as I looked at the code, "Whoever you had program this thing needs to be fired." I commented to Bruce.
Bruce chuckled and stood back up as I rolled the chair to the computer, "I'll look into that. Can you fix it?" He asked as he set my phone back down on the desk.
I gave a frustrated sigh as I looked at the screen, "I'll have to start from scratch. It'll take me a while but yeah. I can fix it." Bruce nodded and looked down at his watch.
"School's going to be out soon. I'm going to have Alfred bring Dick here. I need to warn you before he's here." I stopped typing on the keyboard and looked at Bruce.
I gave a sigh, "Let me guess. I'm not exactly Dick's favorite person?" Alfred had told me a little bit on the ride here. Dick was extremely bitter about me being gone. He had an attitude every time Bruce had mentioned me. I hadn't even met my adopted son yet and he already hated me.
Bruce sighed, "Alfred told you?" I nodded my head.
"I'm not expecting a warm welcome from him. He hates me, Bruce, and I haven't even met him yet." I stated.
"He doesn't hate you." Bruce immediately corrected, "Just bitter. Mel, he has been to several families before I got him. Each of the other families gave him back because he was too much to handle. He's bitter in general about families. It took me a long time to build the relationship I have with him now. Just be patient with him. He'll come around eventually." Bruce advised.
I leaned back in the chair, "Yeah. I know. I'll have to take baby steps with him." Bruce smiled and leaned down. He captured me in a brief kiss before pulling away.
"You'll do fine. I know you will. I'll let Alfred now and have Diana come back in. You're gonna want to hear what she has to say. The end of the world depends on it." I was taken aback by that phrasing.
"That's kind of pertinent information that I need to know about. I just got back to this world. I don't need it to end." My hand subconsciously shifted over to the device in my pocket Stephen had given me earlier. I could easily call for America and get help. This sounded like an Avengers level crisis.
"I don't plan on it." Bruce suddenly smirked, "I'm trying to form a team, Mel." I looked at my husband in awe.
"That's why you were so interested about a meta-human being mentioned before. You're trying to form your own version of the Avengers." I said with a smile ghosting on my face.
Bruce nodded, "It hasn't been easy. I've found another meta-human before you and Diana showed back up. He refused but there are others out there."
I grimaced, "Forming a team isn't easy. The Avengers Initiative took years to get off the ground. Even when it did and we were together, we did not get along at first. Tony and Cap couldn't stand each other. I could barely tolerate Tony. I couldn't outright stand Thor. Thor thought the rest of the team was beneath him. We were all terrified of Banner's alter ego. Clint was being mind controlled by the enemy so he was actually trying to kill us at the time. We were a mess. It took somebody dying to whip us into shape and finally become a team." I told him.
Bruce looked at me slightly perplexed, "It took somebody to die in order for the team to come together?"
"Yeah, it was bad at the moment. He later got resurrected…that's a whole other story." Now it was Bruce's turn to be taken back.
Bruce shook his head before heading around the desk, "I'm hoping it doesn't come down to that." He said as he headed for the door of the hanger.
"Let's hope not." I muttered under my breath. I continued where I left off with the code.
"Let's go over the plan one more time. Diana, you're finding this cyborg." I said and pointed to Diana. She nodded in response.
"And I'll get Barry Allen." Bruce answered for me. I nodded and pointed to him.
"And I'll stay here to try and get this carrier's program re-coded." I said and pointed to the computer screen.
"And if all else fails…" Diana trailed off and looked at me. I held up the device in my hands.
"I'm calling the Avengers." I finished her sentence.
We had a failsafe plan with the device Stephen gave me. If we couldn't get a team up and running in time here then we'd be resorting to calling a team that's already established.
"Let's hope we don't have to fall back on our failsafe plan." Bruce stated with his arms crossed.
"It's called a failsafe for a reason." I replied back with a smirk. Bruce rolled his eyes but had the hints of a smile on his face. I knew he missed this.
The sound of the door to the hanger opening echoed. "Dad?" I felt my body freeze hearing a child's voice. Dick's here.
"I'll give you guys some space. Good luck, Mel." Diana said in a quiet tone. She patted my shoulder before walking past me to the door. She walked by Alfred and Dick and gave them a slight wave.
Bruce gave me a reassuring smile. I slowly stood up so I was now in full view of Dick without the monitor in the way. Dick froze seeing me. I could feel the immediate tension in the air.
"You…" Dick managed to say.
I gave a tight lip smile, "Hi." That was all my brain could think of to say.
Dick immediately frowned, "Hi? That's it? That's all you can think of saying?!" Dick lashed out at me. Anger was clear on his face and in his voice.
"Dick." Bruce warned with a frown directed at the boy.
"No! She's been gone for eighteen months and she can't even say anything more than just a single word! She at least owes us an apology!" Dick shouted.
"Enough! She does not need to apologize for anything! It was not your mother's choice to leave." Bruce said, raising his voice slightly.
"She's not my mother!" Dick yelled and bolted for the door.
Bruce let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his face with his hand. I kept my gaze on the door that Dick had just run through. I felt hurt hearing Dick lash out like that but he was hurting more.
Alfred sighed, "I'll go see if I can settle him down." He turned around to leave.
"No." Alfred stopped hearing me, "I'll go." I said and walked around the desk.
"Madam, are you sure? He might not want to talk with you much less see you at this moment." I nodded my head.
"He's hurting. If I can help him just by letting him scream at me then so be it." I turned my head to Bruce.
"Leave for Central City now. I need to handle this alone." Bruce gave me an apologetic look before approaching me.
"I'm sorry, Mel. I wasn't expecting an outburst like that from him." He placed his hands on my hips.
I shook my head, "I expected it. He's hurt and the only way he knows how to express that is by anger. I was the same way myself after my dad died and I know you were too. This is why you chose him to adopt, right? Because we might be the only two people that could understand where he's coming from. Am I wrong?" Bruce gave a small grin.
"No, you're right. That's exactly why. I'll be back with Barry as soon as I can. I love you." My heart fluttered hearing those three words come from him again. It had been so long since I've heard them.
"I love you too." I leaned up and met Bruce in a loving kiss. We broke the kiss and Bruce gave me one last look before he headed for the door.
"Athena, keep working on that code while I'm gone." I instructed the AI.
"You got it, Mel." I turned my heel and headed for the door myself.
"Madam," I stopped and turned to Alfred, "Good luck." I gave a smile.
"Thanks." I turned back and walked through the door.