Second-last chapter, people! Wait for the grand finale of this story~!
Thanks for supporting it! - (12/7/2016)

Chapter 35:

"Mommy!" a five-year-old boy called as he ran up to a woman in front of him.

The woman was wearing a purple wrap dress and a pair of ankle strap heels. She had light make up on. Her orange short hair was tied into a ponytail. That night, she looked younger than twenty-five years old. She picked the boy up and fixed his black hair.

"Dylan, have you been good?" she asked.

"Of course! Uncle Dick took good care of me!" the boy replied, chuckling.

The woman kissed her son's forehead. Dick came out, looking as muscular as ever. He was with Starfire that day, babysitting the little Wayne. The orange-haired flashed a smile to them. A man stood beside her, a lot like Bruce in that age. He ruffled the boy's hair. The boy muttered a complaint.

"He's a handful," Dick remarked.

"Just like me when I was this age," the young man replied.

"How was your dinner, Daphne?" Starfire asked.

"It was memorable. He gave me another gift," Daphne replied, smiling at her husband.

"What can I say? I love my wife," her husband said, turning to the couple, "Thanks again for taking care of Dylan for us."

"It was our pleasure. It is your anniversary after all," Dick replied, patting Daphne's head.

"Take good care of her, Damian," Starfire reminded the man.

Damian nodded. "I won't let you down."

They exited the apartment. Dylan was happily telling his mother his adventures with Dick and Starfire.

"Uncle Dick took me to a carnival! Then, we played video games!" the boy chirped.

"My, my, he spoils you a lot," Daphne giggled.

Dylan grinned and giggled happily. She glanced up at Damian who was busy thinking hard about something. They were married for seven years and he still had that straight face on him. She gazed at their son. Dylan was exactly like Damian when he was that age, but he had Daphne's innocent brown eyes. It was a mix combination of the two because the boy could be a handful at one time and an innocent, obedient boy the next. She kissed her son's forehead.

"Mommy!" the boy groaned.

"Oh, I forgot you didn't like that…" she chuckled.

Dylan puffed his cheeks angrily. "Daddy, look what Mommy did!" he complained.

"Hmm?" Damian replied, startled.

His wife blinked at him, confused about his behavior. She turned to Dylan and rubbed her nose with his to distract him from what he just saw. She put Dylan in the back seat. The boy lied down and immediately fell asleep. Damian looked a bit tensed and she was worried. She placed her left hand on his right one. The man glanced up at her with his sharp eyes. She smiled gently at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

The man nodded. "Yeah, I'm good," he replied rather coldly.

Daphne intertwined her hand with his and said, "You look a bit troubled."

He sighed. He pulled her head to rest on his shoulder. He planted a kiss on her forehead to ease her worries. He knew how much she doesn't like seeing him troubled. He, of course, doesn't like seeing his wife that way.

"I'll be fine…" he soothed her.

"Okay," she whispered.

They arrived at the manor. Bruce was in his study, reading a book he had just bought from his favorite store. It was Damian's turn to tuck Dylan into bed. He greeted his father with a nod when he passed by. Daphne entered the study and took a seat opposite of her father-in-law.

"How was dinner?" he asked her.

"It was great. Thank you for making a reservation for us," she replied with a smile.

"It was an anniversary gift from me," Bruce said.

She stared at her wedding ring, a simple ring with a princess cut emerald on it. The emerald matched Damian's eyes and she loved it. Her lips formed a small smile as she remembered how he had proposed to her. It was awkward and sweet at the same time. She knew that Dick, Bruce, Alfred, Shirley, Max, Luke, and Katherine were spying on them. It was one of the reasons why Damian was so nervous. She remembered what he had said.

The cold autumn breeze hit Daphne and she shivered. They were right outside of the Batcave. She was only wearing her maid uniform, so she didn't look that happy. She turned to look at Damian. He was busy scratching the back of his head. He paced around for a while, looking more troubled than usual.

"What's the matter, Master Damian?" she asked, concerned.

Damian turned to look at her. He flinched and blushed when he saw her wide eyes staring at him. He almost toppled backward. The two could hear stifled laughter coming from the entrance of the Batcave. They knew that they were being spied on.

"Are you okay?" she asked again.

"Y-Yeah. Just be quiet for a while," he said, shoving his palm in front of her.

She blinked in confusion, but then, nodded to his request. He paced around again. She waited patiently for what he wanted to say. His back was facing her. She noticed how toned his body was. She didn't realize that he had gotten stronger. He suddenly spun around to face her, startling her.

"Will you legally be mine?" he suddenly blurted.

"What?" she drawled, confused.

Damian slapped his forehead. He felt stupid, as if he was blubbering things he couldn't understand too. The girl blinked again. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He was mesmerized again.

"Daphne…" he started.

"Yes, Master Damian?" she tilted her head to the side.

"Will you be mine forever?" he said in one breath.

Daphne backed away as he stepped closer to her. His eyes were fixed on hers.

"M-Master Damian?" her voice cracked, looking away, "I don't think I deserve you. You should find someone suitable of your status."

"I don't care about that. I love you and only you. You're my life, my happiness, my sadness, my strength. Daphne, you're my everything," he vowed, kissing her on the forehead, "Will you marry me?"

Daphne burst into tears, touched by what he had said. "Yes…" she whispered.

The others came out and cheered for the couple. They clapped their hands and sang happy songs. Daphne smiled at her fiancé. He wasn't looking at her, but his face was beat red. He was embarrassed when everyone started to tease him. She chuckled to herself.

Daphne took a deep breath. Bruce gazed at his daughter-in-law's face. He knew something was troubling her.

"I know that face…" he muttered.

Daphne chuckled. "I know you do…" she replied in the same tone as him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Same old, same old. You son is depressed. It almost affected Dylan tonight…" she replied, sighing.

"Did he tell you why?" Bruce asked in a serious tone.

Shaking her head, she replied, "No. He said I shouldn't worry… Please, don't ever mention this to him."

Bruce nodded. He patted her head and kissed her cheek as comfort. Daphne forced a weak smile. She couldn't bear seeing her father-in-law worrying about their marriage. She excused herself to change her clothes. Damian was already in bed, reading a book. It was his routine before going to bed. Daphne changed into a nightdress. She lied down beside him, observing his face.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I'll handle it myself," he replied.

"Are you sure?" she muttered.

Damian threw his book and glared at his wife. "Look, I said I'll handle it myself! So, could you please just stop meddling into my business?!" he shouted.

Daphne was taken aback by his words. She bit her lower lip, holding in her tears. She slowly nodded, turned around and went to bed. Damian took a deep breath. He was disappointed at himself for shouting at her. It has been a while since he did that to her.

Daphne didn't see Damian off at the door that day. Alfred noticed her change of mood. After sending Dylan to his preschool, Alfred served her a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. She ate them quietly.

"You don't look well, Madam," he remarked.

"Yeah. I don't feel so good," she muttered weakly.

"Would you like me to call the doctor?" Bruce asked.

She nodded slowly, saying, "That would be nice."

The two men noticed her swollen eyes. Alfred went ahead to call the family doctor. Daphne rested her head on the sofa. Her stomach felt weird and her head was spinning. She felt nauseous.

"You should get some rest…"

Meanwhile, Damian was greeted by Max and Shirley at the office. They had something to discuss with him. They entered his office. He sat down, switching his computer on.

"Are you sure it's okay to let us handle the Aldrin building?" Shirley asked.

"You two are my trusted friends and Daphne co-signed the contract after all…" Damian explained.

"So she's okay with it?" Max asked.

"Yes. She wanted you two to have a strong connection with us. I guess being best friends is not enough," the young Wayne replied.

"We don't mind if she's okay with it. We'll settle the debts and the companies' withdrawal. You don't have to worry about it," Shirley said professionally.

Max nodded, agreeing with his wife. Damian sank in his chair, sighing. He hoped that his wife would be okay with his decision. He wanted her to focus on her health. She may not notice it but her body was frail and weak. She was getting thinner by day. Damian couldn't really find the reason behind it all.

"You're worried about your wife, huh?" Max asked.

"Yeah… She looks weak these few days. I'm worried about her…" he muttered and sighed.

"Is she okay?" Shirley asked.

He shook his head. "I can't say for sure."

"Congratulations, Mrs. Wayne! The baby is already two months old," the doctor said.

"Really?" Daphne asked.

"Yes. Now remember, you have to watch diet and do not stress yourself out, okay?" the doctor reminded her.

She nodded. "Thank you very much."

She couldn't wait to tell Damian. When afternoon came, Damian would always come back to eat his wife's cooking instead of the cafeteria's cooking. As he entered the manor, he was greeted by a smiling Daphne.

"How was your day?" she asked like she would always do.

"A bit bad…" he muttered, sighing.

Her smile turned into a frown when she heard him. His tone was cold. She hid what she was holding into her pocket: a letter from the doctor. Bruce was waiting to eat with his son. He was expecting that Daphne had told Damian the good news, but when he saw his son's serious face, he knew something was off. He glanced up at Daphne. The young woman shook her head slowly. Alfred helped Daphne serve lunch. She would take a seat beside her husband and eat with them, but that day, she didn't feel like doing so. She excused herself to head to rest.

"Is she alright, father?" Damian asked.

"You should check up on her before going back to the office," Bruce replied.

Damian nodded. After lunch, he went upstairs to check up on his wife. He even brought her lunch with him. Daphne was sleeping. He entered the room quietly. He saw a folded paper on the desk. He read it, surprised by the news.

"Honey…is that you?" Daphne stirred and woke up.

"I didn't mean to wake you up…" he muttered.

"You've read the letter?" she asked, smiling weakly.

"Y-Yeah. I didn't know you're pregnant," he replied, smiling.

He sat beside his wife. She nodded to his words. He kissed her forehead, pulling her into a hug. She wondered what was written in the letter. His hands were holding onto it so tightly. His expression wasn't giving any clue to her as well. Daphne kissed his cheek before saying that she wanted to rest.

"I'll come home early tonight. You don't have to cook. I'll do that with Pennyworth's help," he said.

"Thanks…" she replied.

Damian nodded. He ripped the piece of paper and threw it away before heading back to the office.

"Madam, please sit down. Let me do the work," Alfred insisted when he saw Daphne taking out the ingredients for dinner.

"But, I missed cooking…" she complained, frowning.

"Mommy, listen to Alfred," Dylan muttered, pulling at her dress.

She flashed a smile at her son. Alfred urged her to sit down at the counter as he started on dinner. Dylan helped by washing some vegetables and chicken. Alfred told him to sit with his mother. Daphne caressed the boy's head. He rubbed his mother's belly lovingly.

"I can't wait!" he cooed.

"I can't wait too, Master Dylan," Alfred remarked, chuckling, "After all, there are only two weeks left before the due."

"Yes, I'm to be admitted this Monday. I hope he didn't forget," Daphne sighed.

"He won't, Madam," the butler reassured her.

Damian had been busy with work. Whenever he comes home, there was a look on his face that made Daphne not to bother him. She went on her weekly check up with Alfred or Bruce. He never asked about the baby and she never said a word. She wasn't stressed out by it because she knows her husband all too well.

"I heard Master Dick is coming for dinner tonight," Alfred changed the subject.

"Oh…yeah. He texted me about it," Daphne replied.

Dylan was humming a tune to the belly, hoping that the baby would hear it. He wasn't listening to what his mother and Alfred were talking about. Bruce entered the kitchen. He nodded to Daphne and she nodded back.

"Dylan seems so excited," he remarked.

"He just can't wait to be a brother," Daphne smiled.

Bruce nodded, sitting down beside her, "Did you remind him?"

The woman looked away, shaking her head. "No. He's too occupied with work. I don't want to bother him."

The father-in-law took her hands into his. He caressed it so lovingly. She gave out a gentle smile. Dylan tilted his head to the side at what his grandfather was doing. He suddenly slapped his hands away from his mother's.

"Dylan, that's not nice," she said sternly.

"Mommy's hands only for Daddy!" Dylan shouted angrily.

Bruce laughed. "He has a point."

"I'm really sorry," the mother apologized.

Shaking his head, he replied, "No need. He's very protective of you…just like a certain someone who admit it at all…"

Daphne smiled. She knew he was talking about Damian. As they were happily talking about the old days, Daphne felt nauseous. She rushed to the toilet. When she came back, she didn't speak at all. Alfred and Bruce noticed that her lips were pale. They were worried, but she kept on wearing a smile and trying to ensure them that she was okay.