Bruce: 46

Dick:29

Lilly: 25

Conner: 24

Jason:22

Tim: 19

Damian: 13

Crisis pt 2

"A baby Miss Wayne! How thrilling!" Alfred cooed as He, Damian, and I sat in the kitchen.

"What's so great about a baby?" Damian huffed. He sat at his usual barstool, circling a finger around the rim of his cocoa mug.

"Babies represent many new beginnings Master Damian." Alfred told him before sipping from his tea cup.

"Aren't you the least bit excited that in nine months, you'll be an Uncle?" I questioned my brother, holding a cocoa mug of my own between my hands. I was leaning with my back against the breakfast counter so that I could face both Damian on the stool and Alfred, who was seated at the small kitchen table.

"Why should I be?" The boy continued to sulk.

"Well, you're always telling Bruce and Alfred that you want more responsibilities." I reminded him. "Being an uncle is a lot of responsibility."

"It is?" He asked perking his head up a little bit.

"Oh yeah." I nodded. "Uncles get to show their nieces and nephews all the cool stuff."

"Like fighting techniques?" Damian grew more excited.

"Maybe once they're a bit older little bird."

"I won't be the little bird anymore will I?" The excitement faded from his face.

"I thought you hated that nickname." I raised my eyebrows.

"I do!" He snapped back. "I detest it, but you're baby won't be a Robin anyway."

"And what makes you so certain of that?" I laughed.

"By the time they're old enough, I will have become Batman. And I won't have an alien for a Robin."

"My baby's not going to be an alien Damian!" I laughed.

"Tt. It will be one quarter Kryptonian." He insisted. "You're husband is half Kryptionian, half human and you are fully human. Therefore, you're baby will be three quarters human and one quarter Kryptonian. Technically it would be one quarter alien, assuming of course that it is your husband's baby..."

"Master Damian!" Alfred scolded the young boy. "I think you've tortured your sister quite enough tonight. Perhaps you should consider retiring to your room for the night." The words were a suggestion, but judging by Alfred's tone Damian had been in a bad mood all day and the suggestion was more of a banishment.

"Whatever." Damian mumbled as he slinked off towards his bedroom.

"Have you considered any names yet Miss Lily?" Alfred asked once Damian vanished.

"Oh Al, it's too soon for all of that." I paused to sip from my mug. "We really did just find out today. That phone call I took during dinner was from Dr. T with the results. We haven't even told everyone yet. We'll have to tell Lois and Clark, I'll have to call Tim and Steph, Barb...For now I just want some time to process the news."

"My, look at the time!" Alfred exclaimed when he caught sight of the kitchen clock. Two hours had passed since we'd sent Damian to bed. Three had passed since Dick, Bruce and Conner had left for the watchtower. Alfred and I had stayed up in the kitchen waiting for the three men to return. At some point we'd both switched to drinking coffee, and I'd joined the butler at the small kitchen table.

"They've been gone an awfully long time. Shouldn't we have heard something from them by now?" I asked worriedly.

"Welcome to the other side of Crime Fighting Miss Lilly. The hours go by slower the emptier the house is."

"You do this every night?" I groaned sympathetically. "My god, this must be like torture for you."

"It is not something I find particularly enjoyable," He admitted. "But it is slightly more bearable with pleasant company. However, if Master Wayne and the others do not return soon, I must insist that you turn in for the night Miss. Your body is going to require much more rest than usual, and after the baby comes those restful nights will be hard to come by."

"As usual Alfred, I think you're right." I said, rising to my feet . "I think I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." I kissed Alfred on the forehead and sleepily climbed up the stairs. I entered my childhood bedroom where everything sat exactly as Conner and I'd left it during our last visit. Not bothering to change my clothes, I crawled into bed and wrapped myself in the warm, inviting blankets.

I was jolted awake hours later as someone, rather several someones, were shouting my name.

"Lillian! Damian!"

"Lil, Dami!

"Lilly!"

"Master Damian, Miss Lilly!" I groggily jumped to my feet, vaguely aware that Conner wasn't in the bedroom with me. Shuffling out of my room, I past a sleepy-looking Damian in the hall. He was rubbing his eyes and trying to wake himself.

"Whasss goinnng on?" I mumbled incoherently as I walked down the stairs. Dick, Conner, Stephanie, Tim and Alfred were all standing in the Entrance Hall calling for Dami and I. The shouting stopped as Damian and I joined the others at the bottom of the stairs.

I was vaguely aware of someone, Tim maybe, saying there had been an accident. Someone else, Dick I was pretty sure, mention Bruce's name and some other information. Then Stephanie's eyes filled with tears as she whispered something. Apparently Damian and Alfred hadn't heard either because they asked her to repeat it. Whatever it was, she wouldn't say it again. Steph just buried her face in Tim's chest and sobbed loudly. It was her crying that dragged me out of my sleepy dazed. Why was Stephanie crying? She hardly ever cried. I looked around to see that ugly sobs were now coming from Tim as well. Conner's face was red an blotchy, but he wasn't crying yet. Dick on the other hand was crying so hard his mask was peeling off. That was when I realized that Dick, Steph, Timmy and Conner were all still suited up. Damian was still not quite awake, and Alfred was glancing around at everyone in confusion.

"Why are you all still dressed like that?" I demanded. "You're not supposed to be in the house like that, and why, is everyone crying? Where's Bruce?" Bruce. I repeated. Dick had said something about Bruce earlier but what? I hadn't been awake enough to really hear him before. Dick had said something about Bruce, and then Stephanie had said something and that was when everyone had started crying. Bruce? Bruce what? Bruce was sick? Bruce was hurt? Bruce was lost? Bruce was d...no. No. "No!" I shouted with sudden realization. "No, no, NO!" I insisted backing up the stairs, willing myself to wake up from the nightmare. "NO!" I was shrieking, now halfway up the stairs. Damian was staring at me like I was crazy, obviously not understanding what I had just grasped. Alfred on the other hand looked horrified. "No." I repeated as I brought a shaking hand to cover my mouth. Conner brushed past Damian, and raced up the stairs towards me. my husband wrapped his arms around me protectively as he held me close.

My heart broke as I watched my family over Conner's shoulder. Sitting on the stairs next to Damian, Dick leaned down and whispered something into Damian's ear. Damian shoved Dick away from him, hard. He then jumped to his feet and ran down the hall. Dick rubbed a hand along a spot on his head that had just connected with the marble railing of the staircase. When he pulled his hand away, it was covered in blood.

"This is fair!" I yelled, struggling against Conner's grip. "It's not fair!" Conner released his hold on me as I started pounding on him. I was punching him as hard as I could. I punched him until my knuckles started to bleed, the harder he tried to stop me, the harder I would punch. Eventually he was able to capture my bleeding hands inside of his own.

"Lil, Stop. You're hurting yourself." I looked down at my hands, a finger or two were worn down to the bone, but somehow I couldn't feel them. They were numb. Blood was dripping onto the steps but I didn't feel anything. Nothing except a sharp pain in my chest. I stood there staring at my hands, watching the crimson stain the wooden slats of the staircase, and then, everything went black.