Skyler loved his Uncle Bruce's house. It was huge, so huge that he hadn't even seen all of it. It was like an enormous playground. You could play hide and seek with somebody all day and they wouldn't even come into the room where you were hiding. Only the house got a little creepy at night.

The room he wanted to see most, and hadn't, was the Batcave. Bruce was a nice uncle and he could go anywhere else but there. Skyler had a feeling that his uncle was afraid he would touch buttons and drive off in the Batmobile, and get away with it because of his super speed. He thought about that room every time they visited. The more off limits something was, the more magical it became, and how many people could say they had seen the Batcave? He was tempted to sneak in and see it anyway. He knew there was a wall somewhere that opened up to it, but he didn't like disobeying people if he could help it. If it was his parents' house, he'd probably do it but not his uncle's. Then it hit him.

Chloe was Uncle Bruce's wife now and she would let him see it, if he played his cards right. When they arrived that weekend, the adults did their ritual, boring, adult conversation. He would have to wait until they were done. He left the room to find something to do. He was the only kid there, besides Noel, so he had to find something to amuse himself. Uncle Bruce always gave him a present. This time he had gotten a new DS 3 game, but he had forgotten to bring his DS 3 with him. He decided to go up to the library and find an interesting book to look at. His uncle had the biggest selection of comic books he'd ever seen, even in a comic book store.

"Would you like to play a game of hide and seek, Master Skyler?" Alfred asked.

Skyler wrinkled his nose. He didn't like being called Master Skyler, but Alfred insisted. He was still a great playmate, but right now he would rather look at comics. "How about later? I want to read right now."

"Very well," he said with a smile. "How about I prepare you some milk and cookies to have while you read?"

Skyler smiled as his answer. Alfred began to head for the kitchen and he began to head for the library. His mom let out a shriek of joy. Skyler rubbed his ears. His mom was loud. There was a sudden yammering of voices, but Skyler continued to the library.

Alfred came with the snack and he read until he got tired of it, which didn't take long. He went back to the living room the adults were in. He peered in and motioned for Chloe to come out. She excused herself from the other adults and said she would be back shortly. Skyler took her hand and dragged her further away from the living room.

"Aunt Chloe," he whispered, "can I ask you something?"

She bent down, "Sure, Skyler. What is it?"

"Can you show me Uncle Bruce's Batcave?"

She looked hesitant for a moment and then smiled, "Why not, but you have to promise to keep it a secret between us and not touch anything while we're down there."

Skyler nodded eagerly. He'd do anything to look at it. He tiptoed after Chloe, who was paying careful attention to make sure no one spotted them. She pushed a hidden button just like in the movies and a wall opened up. It lead into a dark area. Skyler suddenly wasn't very sure this was a good idea, but Chloe gave him a reassuring smile and urged him on.

Skyler was glad he'd gone after all. It was a really amazing place. There were fancy gadgets, the famous car, and his uncle's actual Batman costume. He forgot to breathe for a few seconds, it was so overwhelming. "Wow," he said at last.

"It is pretty cool down here," Chloe said. "You want to hear some good news?"

"Sure," Skyler said, half-listening. It was no wonder Uncle Bruce never took him down here. There were so many colorful buttons that would do so much. It was tempting to push them, but he'd made a promise not to and he was going to stick to it, no matter how bad it hurt.

"You're going to have a baby cousin," she said.

"Is it going to be a boy or a girl?" he asked.

"We don't know that yet," she answered.

"It's going to be a girl," he said confidently.

"What makes you think so?" she laughed.

"Because I'm cursed to have girl family to play with like Susie and Noel. I'm unlucky."

"Well, you never know. You just have to wait and see."

"I know," Skyler said. "What are you going to name her?"

"If we have a girl and I'm not saying we are, we're going to name her Martha."

"Martha? Isn't that my grandma's name?"

"Yes, but it's also the name of Bruce's mother."

Skyler nodded and started looking around the Batcave again. Pretty soon he was going to have a cousin Martha to play with. He wasn't going to get his hopes up to the contrary.

Chloe's eyes suddenly got big. "We have to hide!"

Before Skyler could ask why, Chloe had whisked him behind one of the giant computers. His uncle came in with Alfred at his heels. Skyler watched and it took him mere seconds to get in his costume, even without super speed. He almost giggled. Bruce's costume always made him laugh because he went around dressed like a bat. Chloe covered his mouth before the giggle could be heard. He and Alfred talked very briefly about what was going on. It seemed to be a small problem that wouldn't take long to fix and didn't require his dad's presence.

Bruce opened the door to his car and said, "Don't stay down here too long. It's kind of chilly."

Aunt Chloe stood up with a frown, which Skyler couldn't understand because Uncle Bruce wasn't mad at them. It was probably because she wanted to be good at hiding and sneaking. Skyler didn't feel cold but then he never did. Chloe and the baby probably did though, so he said he was done and they followed Alfred back up the stairs. He looked back at the empty space where the bat mobile had been. He wanted to drive a car just like it when he grew up. Maybe his uncle would give him one when he turned 16.

TBC