Son
Part 5
"Master Wayne." Alfred approached him, still wearing his apron and his hands covered with some kind of sauce. If Bruce was a betting man, he'd say his butler was relearning bolognaise. "You should see this."
He followed the older man to the kitchen and saw the breaking news. Earlier in the day, in the outskirts of Gotham, a warehouse had burned down after a rather impressive explosion. It had been a storage place, regrouping objects supposed to be shipped all over the world. The footage pre-explosion showed people walking around the building. Amongst them, dressed in a stylish long dark coat, Diana Prince was speaking to one of the employees. He showed her something in the direction of the warehouse. Bruce watched with a sense of horror as she disappeared inside the building, seconds before it busted into flames.
Bruce's eyes immediately darted to the living-room, where he had just laid the little boy to sleep.
"What now?" Alfred wondered out loud, following his gaze.
"There is no formal identification of the bodies yet," Bruce slowly declared, his heartbeat slamming in his ribcage. "And there were many injured."
The butler's attention snapped back at him.
"For heaven's sake, Bruce! You have seen the footage! The probability for her to survive is-"
"I know," he snapped back. Think, he ordered himself. Think with your head. "Hippolyte sleeps here for now; don't tell him a thing yet." He decided eventually. "I'll go on site and see what I find."
Son
"It's okay," Hip assured him as he slipped on the oversized undershirt Bruce had lent him for nightwear. "Mother works overtime sometimes. I stay with Ethan and Nadia or Ralf or Mattie or Mrs. Pepper." He grinned. "One time, I could sleep in a big tree in Africa! Mister Loop stayed so I didn't fall and the sky was very bright with stars!"
"You've been to Africa?" Alfred inquired gently. The little boy nodded eagerly.
"Yes! And Japan, and Spain, and –and England and Chile and Brazil too! Mother has friends everywhere! She says it's nice to…" he frowned, searching for his words. "Keep contact with people." His smile grew and he added in a quiet, mischievous whisper: "I have lots of friends too. Even mother doesn't know of them." He put a finger over his mouth and winked. "It's a secret!"
"I see," Bruce said, noting in a corner of his mind that he hadn't found so many travels in Diana's history account.
"Do you have a belt, mister Bruce? I don't want to step on your shirt," he suddenly asked. His arms flapped helplessly in the sleeves, the collar slipped off his shoulder and the bottom actually touched the ground.
"Why don't I carry you to bed?" he suggested instead and, once again, lifted the boy by his waist.
Hippolyte giggled and 'weeeeee-ed' happily, pretending to fly as Bruce held him flat. The boy was a lightweight compared to what he lifted when he trained. Alfred undid the bed, let him settle comfortably and covered him properly. As expected, Hip demanded a story, which Alfred graciously offered. It was another story 'no-one-knew', one Bruce highly suspected being the embellishment of one of his childhood stunts. Once over, Hippolyte promptly fell asleep again. Master and butler agreed that Alfred should only partially monitor him from the house, in case Hip awoke in the middle of the night and demanded attention. The older man settled comfortably on the couch with a very high-tech laptop and Bruce descended to the cave. If the Batmobile drove slightly faster than regular patrol, it wasn't pointed out.
He arrived on site within an hour. The remains of the building were still smoking but the area was deserted, safe for two officers keeping guard. Batman knocked them out and began his own touring of the sight. The police had begun investigating and yellow ribbons and plastic tags still floored the ground. He checked the same perimeters, sampled dust, compared what he saw and what Gordon's men had deduced. From what he had hacked earlier, the source of the explosion was suspected to be accidental. The faulty gas pipe seemed a decent theory to hold onto. The warehouse wasn't up to norms and maintenance a nightmare. No less than a hundred people worked in the area, and if one of them had lightened a cigarette at the wrong moment… worse luck had caused a violent boom that ended up taking away half the warehouse, its staff and clients and Diana Prince.
In spite of his own investigations, Bruce couldn't find a fault in their reasoning. No matter how much he wanted the explosion to be caused by a villain, the first clues indicated it was indeed accidental. The thought made him clench his teeth in anger; he didn't want Diana to have been burned to crisp because of an accident. He didn't want Hip to become an orphan because his mom was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He wanted –needed someone to blame, someone to focus his anger on. Someone Hip could focus his anger on. Bruce knew all too well that the loss of a loved parent would take a tool on anyone's psyche. And he had no desire to announce to that little boy that he would never see his mother again. He didn't want to become the bearer of bad news –and feel Hippolyte's resulting resentment upon him. Diana had accused him of never growing past his parents' death. Perhaps she wasn't far off, he thought grimly.
He won't be an orphan, a little voice whispered in the back of his mind. He has you now.
You and a dozen more people to watch over him, another voice whispered.
Bruce wasn't stupid enough to believe Diana didn't have a contingency plan in case something happened to her. Perhaps he could offer his help for whoever ended up becoming his guardian. Perhaps he could apply to guardianship. Judges had granted him Dick and Jason's custody already, why not his own son's?
Diana isn't dead yet, the little voice reminded him. Bruce berated himself; until Diana's body was found, he would consider her missing. Alfred would be checking the names on the hospital charts and keep him informed if hers popped up somewhere in either list. So far, the butler hadn't contacted him. There was hope yet. He ran a hand over his face. Thinking of Hippolyte's cheerful face, and then imagining the twinkle in his eye vanishing upon hearing the news…he was very close to shouting in frustration. The boy didn't deserve such a fate. He almost wished he had declined babysitting Hip for the day now. If the little boy hadn't been with him, if he had stayed with Diana, perhaps she wouldn't have gone to that warehouse to do whatever business she had there. Or worse…perhaps she would have brought him there, and they'd both be…
At first, he thought he imagined the growl.
Then, his senses picked up a presence in his back, and he felt no longer alone.
Bruce slowly turned around. Something moved from behind him. At first, he wondered if a circus had arrived in Gotham and accidentally let a lion loose. And then he realized it was not a lion. Not just a lion anyway. The creature was huge, the size of a small horse, nearly as tall as he. It had the body and the head of a lion, but also a goat's head and what the hell was that a snake in guise of a tail?
Now that it had his attention, the beast roared louder. The goat head opened its mouth and Bruce barely had the time to duck before a column of real light fire hit the spot he was standing on seconds ago. He rolled away, jumped again to dodge yet another blast. This time, he squeezed a split second to throw a batarang to the creature. It hit its chest and exploded. The beast roared and came out, much to his shock, entirely unharmed. And shock was the only reason it took him a split second longer to dodge it when it came charging. Its large paw reached for his leg. One particularly sharp claw somehow managed to tear through the reinforced kelvar fabric of his uniform and scratch his leg.
He pulled back another batarang, aimed it to its head instead. The second explosion didn't do much harm, but at least, it distracted the beast long enough for him to stand more steadily. From the sharp pain in his lower leg, he had just gained a wound flesh, albeit not a deep one. That hadn't happened in years.
"Watch out!"
The creature' retaliating fire would have reached him, had a third party not jumped between them and blocked the heat. When the heat and smoke died out, he blinked to clear his vision and get a good view of who had 'saved' him.
He gasped and goggled as he recognized none other than Diana Prince dressed like a gladiator with metallic bustier and boots, short leather skirt and a shield and sword of all things. The beast growled as it paced nervously at a distance, hesitating now. The woman took advantage of its distraction to spare him a glance.
"Aren't you a little far from your customary hunting grounds?" she asked.
Her armor only covered her vital areas and she moved like she was used to it. He hadn't seen her arrive or sensed her presence beforehand. Very rare people ever got the drop on him.
"Who are you?" he breathed, stunned. She looked ethereal with her loose hair flying around her face, lethal in spite of that out-of-time armory. A tiny part of his brain pointed out he had never seen such a beautifully dangerous woman before.
"Someone interested putting this creature down," she retorted sharply, her eyes drifting from him to focus on the more immediate danger.
"What is this?"
The woman snorted.
"And I thought the Bat was the greatest detective of the world," she jabbed. "This, my friend, is a chimera."
So he wasn't dreaming. The beast paused in its pacing, still growling, and eyed them like a piece of meat –which was what they probably were in its eyes.
"How do stop it?"
Diana shifted on her feet into a more combative pose.
"This is my fight and my duty to contain it. Stay out of the way."
And then she jumped at the beast. Or flew towards it. Bruce still wasn't sure his eyes were tricking him or not. He could only watch as the woman dodged the columns of fire and moved fast enough to stand inches away from the beast. The sword first slew the goat head. It made an awful scream before she sliced the snake tail in turn. And then her blade found its target in its chest. The chimera roared –as only the lion head remained –and staggered, only to fall with a heavy 'huff' on the ground. Bruce approached it cautiously. As Diana didn't send him away, he figured it was relatively safe.
Now that it was vanquished, he took the time to give it a real look. Its hair was thick, the muscle strong and hard. The body was definitively close to a lion's, but a heck of a monstrous healthy lion. Diana pulled out a tissue out of nowhere and started wiping the blood off her weapon.
"Why did the sword work?" he wondered out loud. Explosions –a small one yes, but still an explosion, would not. The woman kept cleaning her blade.
"This sword is not ordinary," she replied. "It was blessed by the gods and forged a long time ago." Once the blade was sufficiently cleaned, she sheltered it back. "A simple Chimera didn't stand a chance."
A simple chimera she says, he thought humorlessly. Bruce wondered if he could have come out alive of a confrontation against that thing at all –or how long it would have taken him to put it down.
"Did you know of its existence before the explosions?"
Diana did not reply right away, but the pain on her face was suggestion enough.
"She was trapped in a magical artifact and awakened by mistake," Diana said bitterly. "I arrived too late, thinking I had enough time to take her away. Those who accidentally summoned her had no control over her. Those lost lives are my fault." She stepped closer to the beast, knelt, and hoisted it over her shoulder like it weighted a feather. Blood began dripping down her skin and armor. She stared at his injured leg briefly. "Though she is a myth, your wound will not hinder you should you treat it carefully." She then met his eye. "I wish you best luck, and may our paths never cross again."
Bruce stared at the chimera's dead body.
"What will you do with that?"
She gave him a pained smile.
"Burn it to crisp. I cannot let mankind study the remains. Only the gods know what they would be capable of again."
And upon these words, she flew away.
Son
The leg injury stung a little during the drive back, but as Bruce examined it a little later, it really was just a flesh wound, so he cleaned and bandaged it before returning to the manor.
Hippolyte was curled on the couch when he entered the house, covered by a warm blanket. Alfred was sitting next to him and petting his hair fondly while the laptop's screen was carefully inching away from him. Bruce watched the peaceful scene. The butler used to do the same gesture when he was but a small boy too; he remembered how relaxing it felt. When he regretfully stepped in the room, the older man gave him an inquiring glance.
"She's alive."
The relief on Alfred's face was instantaneous, so was his incredulity.
"How?"
"Later," he said, not wanting to risk Hippolyte overhearing and repeating his suspicions. "Why is he here?"
"Master Hippolyte asked after you, and when I informed him you were out, he wanted to welcome you home," the older man replied quietly.
Bruce felt his throat constrict and nodded. He had only spent a day in his company, and knew he couldn't let him out of his sight for too long. He stepped closer, bent over the child and picked him up. Hippolyte didn't wake up, only shifted more comfortably in his arms.
"I'll put him to bed," he said quietly. His voice was quavering. The small weight warmed his chest in ways he hadn't felt in years. The buffing breath in his neck tickled his skin. One hand of his was enough to cover half of the child's back. Hip appeared so fragile. Would he be, one day, invulnerable like Diana?
If he ever figured out what Diana was.
He carried his son to his room –limping slightly, but still steady -laid him down and covered him. Hippolyte mumbled something and rolled on his side, hogging the covers as he did, wrapping himself in a cocoon. Bruce couldn't help smiling –he had no idea if Diana was a blanket-thief, but he certainly was. When he returned to the living-room, Alfred was still there. He looked tired but alert, staring at Bruce expectantly.
"I don't think Diana is fully human," he blurted bluntly.
The butler blinked again.
"How so?" Bruce then described what he had witnessed. It was a testimony of Alfred's trust in him and how weird their lives had been the past twenty years that he didn't question his word. He only huffed and shook his head. "Why couldn't you find a simple, honest girl, Master Wayne?"
The sound of a car approaching interrupted the meaningless answer he was about to give. A quick glance at the clock –three a.m. –told him she must have rushed from getting rid of the chimera's corpse and parked not too far away from here.
"I'll handle this," he said quietly. "You should get some sleep."
Alfred looked like he wanted to protest, but one stubborn stare later –it was Bruce's responsibility to confront the woman, not his. If a fight ensued, well Bruce was better armed to take her down and the older man would only be in the way. He eventually gave in and left through the back door. Bruce knew Diana shouldn't be suspicious of his secret yet, especially since he went out covered entirely and with a voice distorter. She, on the other hand, didn't even cover her face.
Way to protect your identity, Diana, he thought. What will happen if they tie Hip to you?
He stepped out of the house, walked down the few steps leading to the yard as the grey car came to a stop. Diana stepped out of her fancy rental car, looking a little tired, though in one piece. She had her white suit on, hiding the armor god-knew-where. A faint smell of burn mixed with her custodian jasmine, but he might have been imagining that too.
"Sorry, I'm late," she said, perfectly composed. "I had a massive setback and my phone got smashed. Is Hip alright?"
"He's asleep," Bruce replied curtly, doing his best to project annoyance in his stance. Batman knew she had a long day. Bruce Wayne was not supposed to. Diana nodded.
"Did he behave tonight?"
"We exchanged stories." Let her believe whatever she wanted. "He's a sweetheart. No wonder why you kept him for yourself."
She took the comment in stride and stared back, unabashed.
"I won't go over the reasons why, I've already said my part," she replied dryly. Bruce wanted to call her on her hypocrisy. From what he had seen a few hours earlier, her life was a lot more dangerous for a four year old than his so-called debauchery lifestyle. "Would you mind if I borrowed your couch for the night? It's late enough and I'm not moving Hip if I can help it."
The decision had been made far before she had arrived, at least in his mind. Bruce nodded and motioned to her to step inside.
"We'll have to share the couch," he warned. "I didn't build a guest room here." She raised a questioning eyebrow. "My guests usually sleep in my bed."
She caught the drift.
"Keep in mind, I am not one of your guests," she warned. He raised his two hands in understanding and let her step in.
Son
"Mothermothermothermother!"
The sound of an overexcited child roused him from his sleep. Bruce had to blink himself awake, his neck stiff from his seated position in the one-place couch. He had gained enough consciousness to witness a tiny figure lost inside a far too big shirt flinging himself upon Diana as if he hadn't seen her in weeks. In return, the woman hoisted the little boy in her arms while he gave her a bone-crushing hug. The sight drew a smile out of him. To think he had believed her dead, that he had already been making plans on how to work around Hip's presence at home…This, no matter how he felt about gaining custody of the boy, was a much better ending.
"You're back," Hip said, his voice muffled in her collar.
Diana had changed outfit since she had arrived; her white suit had been traded for a pair of black tight jeans and a red-collared sweater. Her hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, her make-up done. He briefly wondered how long she had been up. And what time it actually was. The sun barely seemed to be up. Had she slept at all, in spite of occupying the two-seat couch?
"Of course I am. Did I say I wouldn't return?"
Bruce lost his smile, wondering if the little boy hadn't been as indifferent to his mother's absence as he had let it show. Hip released her from his hug and pouted.
"You should have called," he chided. Diana smiled apologetically.
"I will try not to forget next time." His small face brightened and he resumed hugging her. Only then, he seemed to notice Bruce sitting on the couch.
"Oh, good morning Mister Bruce. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes," Bruce lied cheerfully. "Did you?"
Hippolyte released Diana for the second time in favor of throwing his arms around. Bruce was nearly certain that had she not been strong, she would have dropped him.
"It was great! When I woke up, there was cloudy muck on the water-"
"Do you mean mist, my love?" Diana corrected.
"Yeah-mist on the water and the lights were blue and yellow like fairies dancing around the lake –and yesterday we played in the water and Mister Bruce even got his socks wet-"
And had to throw away a very expensive pair of shoes to the garbage, Bruce added mentally.
"-and then we walked in the woods and I didn't find injured animals. Oh, and I told him the story of the man with no home –him and Alfred –and then we built a tortoise with Legos and the bridge from that English town with bricks and we ate lasagna and then I slept in the biggest bed ever!"
"Wow, really?" Diana cooed. "That sounds like some adventure. Who is Alfred?"
Bruce winced slightly at the too-sharp smile and subtle glare she shot him.
"Mister Bruce's caretaker and hand-man."
"Handyman," Diana corrected again.
"Handyman," Hippolyte obediently repeated. "He knows everything about the house and the manor." His voice lowered a smidge, as if he was whispering a secret: "He told me a lot of stories on Mister Bruce last night."
"Oh really?" Diana repeated and the glare shifted into amusement. He had the vague feeling Hip would be reporting a very detailed summary of their previous day. He just hoped he'd keep the Dark Knight story actually secret; he wanted to confront Diana first. After the past night, he doubted she could claim his nighttime activity more dangerous than her own adventures.
"I can keep him a little longer, if you need a babysitter again," he offered a little too quickly.
"I do not need a babysitter, but I assumed you would want to spend some time with him," she replied coolly. "I brought him back a change of clothes."
Hippolyte caught on quickly.
"I can stay another day? Please mother?"
"Only if Mister Bruce is alright with that."
Hippolyte shot him his 'puppy eyes'. Bruce almost swooned, but would have agreed regardless.
"I don't mind at all, Hip. I'm glad you want to stay."
"Water is fun," the little boy said enthusiastically. "Will you play with us mother?"
"Of course my love," she replied and kissed his cheek. "You need to dress up first and get some breakfast."
The little boy immediately wriggled out of her embrace and hurried back to the bedroom, holding the front of the T-shirt up so he wouldn't trip over the extra fabric. The two adults were left alone. Bruce stared at the woman, a bit at loss at what to do. Diana ran a hand over her face, as if willing to rub the tiredness away.
"I should probably bring him clean clothes," she muttered. She had dropped the suitcase by the entrance.
"Bedroom is second door on the left," he offered. She gave him a short nod and promptly walked away. As she vanished, he wondered if he made her nervous. She sure as hell made him uneasy. Bruce sighed and decided he would have to play it by ear. Something told him that Diana Prince was the one kind of woman he'd never expect to meet in a lifetime. A small part of him couldn't wait to see how the situation would unfold.