TITLE: Christmas Play

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Nicholas has his first Christmas program at preschool. BMWW

Christmas Play

Diana couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat, her anxious gaze locked on the stage as she continued to play with the program in her hands. She hoped she survived this night…or better yet she hoped that Nicholas didn't have a meltdown on stage in front of everyone.

This was going to be his first school program, his first time on stage in front so many people. She had no idea how he was going to react up there. Her motherly instincts to protect her son were in overdrive at that moment. While excited to see him in his program, she wanted to protect him.

While Kaia was their outgoing performer in the family, Nicholas was a little more lowkey and logical like his father, making her worried about how he was going to do. She didn't who was more nervous tonight—her or her son.

A large hand abruptly covered hers to stop her fiddling with her program, his fingers lacing with hers as he pulled their joined hands into his lap. She looked over to notice an amused expression on Bruce's face. "What?" she asked, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked. "You act like you're the one that's going to be on stage."

"It's Nicholas's first program," she reminded him. "We have no idea how he's going to respond to being up on stage. What if he gets stage fright or has a meltdown? What if he forgets his part or doesn't remember the words to his songs?"

"He'll be perfectly fine, princess," he reassured her, leaning in and kissing her. "You've been practicing his songs with him and Alfred has been helping him with his part."

Diana frowned as she tightened her hold on his hand, somewhat annoyed that her husband didn't share her worry for their son. "I'm beginning to think this is a mistake. He's too little to be expected to remember to do so much."

"He's old enough to be in a Christmas program, Diana," he reminded her. "Not to mention, he's very smart for his age."

"He's only four, Bruce."

"And what exactly were you doing when you were four years old, princess?" Bruce asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't remember," she maintained, her chin lifted in defiance.

"You're not a very good liar, Diana," he said. "Your mother told me you were getting into all sorts of trouble including running around with a dagger in your hand pretending it was sword."

Diana felt her cheeks grow warm with the reminder, averting her eyes under her husband's scrutinizing gaze. "That was different," she evenly claimed.

"How so?"

"I grew up on an island full of warrior women," she replied. "We all carried weapons."

Bruce shook his head, a skeptical expression gracing his face. "That makes no sense," he told her as the curtain parted and Nicholas's school teacher walked to the center of the stage.

Bruce winced as he attempted to pull his hand free from the death-grip his wife had on it. "I'd like to leave here with my hand in piece," he reminded her.

"Sorry," she murmured, frowning as she tightly wrapped her fingers around her program.

"I think we'll keep my program for Nicholas's scrapbook instead of yours," Bruce noted with a smirk.

Diana glanced down at the wadded-up mess that her program had become from her nervous anticipation. She released a frustrated breath as she scowled at her husband, not as amused with it as he clearly appeared to be. How could he be so calm at a time like this?

"He'll be fine," he whispered, taking her hand in his again, knowing that he was risking multiple fractures, but it was worth it in the end.

"We want to thank all the friends and family who have come here tonight," the teacher greeted everyone. "We hope that you will enjoy this year's preschool Christmas program."

Everyone clapped as the teacher made her way to a rocking chair situated on the side of the stage. Picking up a large book, she settled into the chair, clearing her throat before she began to read the well-known Christmas poem.

"'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature of stirring not even a mouse."

Three little four-year-old boys in gray mouse costumes ran out onto stage, one of them Nicholas. The three boys laid down on the floor, huddling together and pretending to be asleep. The audience chuckled in response to the boys making loud snoring noises as the teacher continued to read, Kaia yelling at the sight of her brother.

"Shhh, Miss Kaia," Alfred chided her as he held her in his lap.

"It's Ni-Ni," Kaia babbled, pointing at the stage.

"The children were nestled all snug in their beds," the teacher read as three of Nicholas's classmates ran out onto stage in their pajamas, crawling into the three twin beds already on stage.

"While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads," she continued to read.

Three little girls danced onto the stage dressed in purple ballet costumes and tutus, prancing across the stage as they twirled and skipped. They danced around the three beds, waving their hands in the air.

Despite all that was happening on stage, Bruce and Diana couldn't keep their eyes off their son. Nicholas was whispering to his best friend Peter who was one of the other mice. They were supposed to be pretending to be asleep, but Nicholas and Peter were whispering and giggling and dragging their other friend Ryan into their mischief.

The teacher looked back over her shoulder at the playful mice, shushing them. "Nicholas, you're supposed to be sleeping," the teacher reminded him, holding her finger to her lips.

"Hera," Diana murmured under her breath as her eyes fell closed in embarrassment. This could not be happening.

Bruce and Alfred chuckled with Nicholas's humorous antics, Tim trying desperately not to laugh as he recorded the program, but it was more than difficult as Nicholas hid his face to try to stop his giggles. His little mouse tail vibrated as his body shook with his stifled laughter, the other two mice fairing about as well.

Diana covered her face with her hand, silently willing her son to behave himself especially knowing that there was still far more of the program to come. She suddenly wished that Tim wasn't recording Nicholas's Christmas program. It was not something that she wanted to remember.

Diana glanced over at Peter's parents, both of them laughing at the best friend's actions. Peter's mom waved at Diana, clearly finding humor in the program and how the boys were misbehaving. Unfortunately, Diana was too mortified at that moment to actually enjoy it.

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN! On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!" the teacher excitedly exclaimed.

Eight of Nicholas's classmates came out on stage dressed as reindeer, each of them with Christmas bells around their necks. By this time, the three mice were growing rather bored with the program, rolling over to lay on their backs with their arms and legs up in the air. Fits of laughter escaped the audience with the antics of the restless mice who looked more like dead mice instead of sleeping mice with their arms and legs up in the air.

The teacher shook her head as she fought back a grin, deciding to just continue with the poem in order to get it over with as quickly as possible. Finishing the poem, the audience erupted in applause, all the little actors lining up across the stage and taking a bow. The three mice giggled and poked at each other, drawing everyone's attention.

Bruce laughed as his son excitedly waved at them, yelling at his daddy and mommy. Diana groaned in mortification, wondering where they had gone wrong. They had practiced his part so hard, reviewing his songs and making sure he knew what he needed to do as a mouse.

The crowd applauded as they led the preschoolers off stage, quickly removing costumes before bringing them back out a few minutes later dressed in their nice Christmas clothes. Diana smiled with pride as she watched her son. He looked so grown up in his black dress pants, white button-down shirt, and Christmas tie. It almost brought tears to her eyes to realize just how quickly he was actually growing up. She wished she could freeze time and keep him like this forever.

They lined the children up on stage, Nicholas standing on the end of the first row next to his friend Peter. Nicholas and Peter began whispering to each other, giggling and shaking the bells in their hands. The teacher quickly went over to them, crouching in front of them before moving to the side so they could begin to sing their Christmas songs.

"This is not going to be good," Diana murmured under her breath as she shook her head in amazement. This was not at all how she had imagined this program going. At worst, she had imagined Nicholas having stage fright . She never would've guessed he'd be the class entertainer.

Bruce tightened his hold on his wife's hand, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "He'll be fine," he attempted to reassure her. "He's already doing great. He's only behaving like four-year old's usually do."

"That's what worries me," she whispered.

"At least he's not having a meltdown," Bruce pointed out.

The music for "Jingle Bells" started, each of the children holding up the bells in their hands. They began to sing, shaking their bells with the music. Nicholas began to move his hips in time to the lively music, really getting into it and causing Peter to join him.

"Who knew he had moves like that?" Tim exclaimed, trying to keep his body from shaking as he laughed.

"Now is definitely not the time to find out," Diana muttered in embarrassment.

"I think it's adorable," Alfred readily decided, Kaia clapping excitedly on his lap.

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about him having stage fright," Bruce told her, unable to contain his amusement as Nicholas continued to dance to the upbeat music.

The audience laughed as well, camera flashes snapping furiously as everyone tried to capture the scene playing out on stage as Nicholas and Peter became the focus of the program. They shook their bells as well as their hips as they moved on to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", abruptly turning and shaking their backsides at the audience.

"Bruce!" Diana exclaimed. "Go get him off the stage."

Bruce couldn't stop laughing at his son, never guessing that he would turn out to be such a comedian. "Not going to happen," he told her. "He's the star of the entire show."

"Who knew our little Nicholas was such a great performer," Tim agreed. "He's usually quieter and more reserved like Bruce. Who knew there was a little Wally West inside of him."

"There is absolutely no Wally West inside of him," Bruce adamantly stated with a scowl.

The preschoolers finished with "Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer", ending the school program. Nicholas and Peter bowed dramatically, straightening up only to bow a couple more times. "Thank Hera that's over with," Diana murmured as she stood to her feet.

Bruce took her hand in his before leading her away from their seats. "It wasn't that bad, princess," he reassured her. "Everyone loved him."

"He wasn't supposed to be the star of the show," she groaned.

"Bruce! Diana!"

The couple turned around to see Peter's parents coming towards them, tears of laughter in their eyes. "I think Peter and Nicholas stole the entire show," Peter's dad Jacob Watson told them. "They were a hit."

"It was definitely not what I had expected," Diana replied with a sigh.

"Oh, it was so adorable, Diana," Samantha Watson reassured her, squeezing her forearm. "I'm actually surprised they didn't do something far more embarrassing. A couple of years ago our daughter Abby pulled her dress up over her head during the program."

"I shudder to think," Diana said with a shake of her head.

"It's what little kids do, Diana," Jacob assured her. "You should have seen some of the things that I did in my school programs as a kid. I bet Bruce has some stories he could tell too."

Bruce chuckled as he squeezed his wife's hand. "That's a story for another time," he agreed.

"Bruce…Diana, it's so good to see you," Missus Brooks said as she approached them.

"Missus Brooks," Diana greeted her, shaking her hand. Missus Brooks had been Bruce's first grade teacher when he was a child but had recently become the principle of the school. "I'm sorry Nicholas was such a distraction during the program."

"Nonsense," Missus Brooks said with a chuckle. "Your Nicholas was so charming. I had a feeling he was going to be just like his father."

Bruce groaned as his eyes fell closed. "You weren't supposed to remember that, Missus Brooks."

She giggled at Bruce's embarrassment. "Who knew that Bruce had such good rhythm," she told Diana. "He wiggled and shook his hips to the Christmas songs much like Nicholas did tonight."

"Oh, really?" Diana said, turning a mischievous grin on her husband. "I'd love to hear more."

"Okay, I think that's plenty for now," Bruce readily decided, Missus Brooks laughing as she moved on to speak to another family.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Nicholas yelled as he ran ahead of Tim towards his parents.

Bruce bent down and swept his son up into his arms. "You did a wonderful job, Nicholas."

"Did you see me?" Nicholas asked with a grin.

"We saw you," Diana told him with a chuckle. "You were a little hard to miss, son."

"Me and Peter decided to dance," he said.

"It was great, Nicholas," Tim added. "You and Peter were definitely the stars of the show."

"Are you ready to go home?" Bruce asked. "I think Alfred has something special at home waiting for us to celebrate your first program."

"Ice cream?" Nicholas asked.

"Me love ice cream too," Kaia agreed, clapping her hands.

"We better go home and find out," Alfred teased, knowing how much his grandchildren loved ice cream.

Setting Nicholas down, Bruce turned to his wife as they began to leave the auditorium. "Well, we survived his first Christmas program," he told her.

"Yah," she agreed with a sigh of acceptance. "I guess it wasn't so bad after all. It probably could have been worse."

"Nicholas is a performer in the making," Bruce replied as they followed their family out to the car.

"I always thought that Kaia was going to be our little firecracker," she admitted with a chuckle. "I never would have thought that Nicholas would be as well. I guess it's something else that he takes after his father."

Bruce groaned as he thought about what lay in store for them when Kaia hit the stage for her first preschool program. They were definitely going to be in a lot of trouble when that day arrived. It was no doubt going to make tonight's performance look boring.

"We are in so much trouble, princess," he muttered as he kissed his wife.