Okay, I am back in the game and am determined to finish this story no matter what, and I shall wreak vengeance for all of my readers. I had my first-ever job interview, and because of possible hours IF I get it, reality is gonna officially crash down.

No matter how many chapters are left, the story will naturally come to a conclusion. :D I'll be confident in the end despite the hardship and stress ahead for me.

"Enemy at the Gates" and "Heart of Shadows" by Phil Rey Gibbons.

Chapter Twelve

Enemy at the Gates, Heart of Shadows

"And so the old lovers reunite," Garfield whispered to her, shrinking momentarily before straightening his posture. Kristine just hummed, not risking words she could not take back.

Lian was busy combing her hair over one side of her shoulder with her fingers, a habit she did when she was nervous. "Nice to have a family," she said softly, "but I've never seen one so fractured..." And she meant not the Waynes themselves, but this accursed war and all they'd seen. Roy looked down at her and placed his palm on the small of her back comfortingly, grumbling under his breath for their ears only.

"Can't say I'm entirely excited to see him after the last time."

Kristine wholeheartedly agreed with him, but at the same time, Bruce Wayne was the last -

No, what's done is done. We have too much at stake to worry about grudges. This is going nowhere.

She watched the exchange. The lord warmly embraced Dick, then gave Jason the largest ever to be seen, lifting him off the ground in the process! If that wasn't worth a chortle, she didn't know what was. Wayne loved his boys, but it wasn't like he showed it to the world, and it wasn't like she spent much time with him behind closed doors, only for employment.

He gave his attention to his youngest he finally met for the first time. There was immense pride and guilt. The former for seeing how far he'd come, but also wishing he could have been in his boy's life, and they'd be a complete family had things gone differently. Wayne knelt on one knee so that he was eye-level with Damian, lowering his voice, so Kristine could only guess what he was saying. "I wish I was in your life, so my family would have been completed." He put a large palm atop the boy's head after saying this, warm and fatherly, standing powerfully as if he wasn't of the world.

That left him coming face to face with the woman who was the mother of the boy still beside him.

Wayne and Talia stood there for a long moment, just gazing into each other's eyes. A young, inexperienced person would mix infatuation and real love with each other, and at one time, those two had a single night which resulted in the prickly, skilled, yet kitten-soft young boy in between them, seeing his parents together again for the first time.

It had been over a decade since they'd seen each other, her father having been his main enemy and the great obstacle between them, custom roaring against their only night together, resulting in sacrilege that existed in Ra's al Ghul's fanatical mind. But now...

Protocol was broken without words. Lord Bruce Wayne took Lady Talia al Ghul into his arms, spinning her around and kissing her with the longest, utmost blazing fire.

Poor Damian! He had to turn his face away, his skin turning much darker than it was. Dick chuckled and put his hand on the youngest's shoulder while Jason simply shook his head and folded his arms across his chest, muttering something like "About damned time" from what Kristine could read off his lips.

"That's love," Lian said with a sigh, leaning into the nearest man of her life, and it turned out to be Garfield who jolted a little in surprise. He then broke out into a manure-eating grin. Roy muttered something under his breath while smirking and shaking his head.

~o~

"You did well, Kristine."

The Belt of Gotham lay on the lady's desk where Jason and his family gathered, along with the creator herself. Bruce beheld it with tremendous pride, relief, and conviction. He took every stone in with the wonder of a child even though he was knowledgeable about every single one of them by now. "You never find labradorite anywhere else, so it amazes me," Bruce told Kristine, keeping his attention on the gem itself. "With this, we'll connect safely to the spirit world and back to ours, but it doesn't mean we use it lightly," he added warningly, not just to her but the rest of them. "And to dispel spells which bring about deception in appearances, bring forth forgotten memories the mind automatically suppresses, and banish all fears. It'll benefit those with new ideas for a better, brighter future.

"Petrified wood...we need it for those who wish to heal from the pain and suffering of the past." Wayne chuckled. "We need all the new beginnings we can get." He then moved his attention to the ethereal rosy majesty. "We live in a world of horror and death, so we need all the compassion we can get from the Tamaranean's love treasure - and this one goes without saying."

He was speaking of the fiery green which started it all. And that left...

"Beloved, I gifted this to Jason when he went on his merry way," Talia explained now that the lapis was all that remained. "It's helped empower him in his quest, but it was truly all up to him. I'm proud of our boys, Bruce. They've grown stronger and wiser in spite of many challenges." Then her attention warmly landed on Kristine. "Your little enchantress has done all of us and her father proud. There's no doubt about it."

Jason knew Dick was grinning, but he paid attention to his beloved. Her cheeks flushed to the shade of a ruby ignited to its core.

~o~

Lord Wayne's retinue was staying here in Nanda Parbat until the final battle for the fate of the world would begin.

And that meant she and Lian would have their work in their hands more than with the men of their gang. They were responsible for healing minor injuries from sparring between the soldiers, the boys with them as well as each other, and any illnesses contracted here in Nanda Parbat. It gave the women a purpose during these wartimes.

Scouts and spies were out to bring any news on the enemy, bringing back this: Oswald Cobblepot was now dead, and everything he had was "mysteriously" absorbed. The rest of the world had no idea, except those who deeply investigated. "Outlived his usefulness," Lord Wayne grumbled when he had all of them together to avoid miscommunication. "That leaves Empress Komand'r and Granny Goodness, but that makes them both even more dangerous. We have intel that their forces have ceased production; this comes from our best infiltrators who have disguised themselves as Parademons or made themselves invisible and untraceable and relayed through moldavite communication in case any of them never made it back alive."

"What of my father?" Kristine had to ask, because if that old monster finally killed him before she saw him again...

"...nothing yet, but we do know he's alive."

Nothing was worse than not knowing the full details - just as nothing worse was something completely unexpected within the walls of the al Ghul palace.

Lian came to her privately, experiencing horrendous pains below her waist. "My monthly curse," she whispered. "I'd ask Kori, but she's occupied..."

Occupied, as in she's preparing to be a mother while handling the soldiers of Gotham who didn't take her as seriously as those of the League of Shadows. The enchantress whistled to herself as she could envision the Tamaranean doing her best to physically not lose her temper if any of the sexist bastards opened their mouths.

"What you need is soothing labradorite and the usual herbs and tea, and take some rest," Kristine reassured her. She'd been there and done that, but as stated in the past, labradorite was hard to come by outside where she found this one.

That will change once we establish good relations after the war.

She wasn't there, but she heard the Wayne men and young Damian went out to the forest - one of the few bountiful places in this great desert landscape - and came back with kills for a great feast tonight. Lark, quail, and gazelle. They were all going to eat well tonight, and that was exactly what happened later that evening for the meal. Kristine took in Lord Wayne being allowed to sit beside Lady Talia, and they shamelessly showed occasional signs of affection as if they were young lovers - as they'd been back before Damian was conceived.

Poor Jason and Dick. They had to keep averting their eyes so much, but thankfully, Kristine vouched. As did Kori. Black eyes meeting green, the red-haired ladies intended to -

Their shared thoughts were interrupted when the fine evening was intruded upon in the most spectacular, violating way possible.

It seemed the walls around them began to tremble as though threatened with an earthquake; man and woman alike shouted and screamed over the likelihood it was precisely that, but for magic users like Kristine and Lian, and some of them who knew better based on the darkening of the skies outside the windows, followed by lightning and thunder cracking enough to temporarily blow out the senses...

Oh, no.

When the white from the lightning cleared, there was a faint spark of the same color in the center of the hall, growing larger and larger until it resembled a portal that showed none other than -

"Granny," Jason roared out, being the one to stand up and leave his place at one of the long tables. He didn't draw his sword because there was no point. "Are you ready to fight us all now that we are gathered?"

She cackled as if he'd told a good joke, waving him off through the silvery white waves of the thin, mystical barrier between them. If Jason or any of them chose to go through, they'd reach the demoness in her domain. "No, you silly, impudent boy. I merely show my face to deliver a message." Then her attention shifted towards Talia and Bruce, thin lips stretching into a broader grin. "The time is approaching. Very soon, this world belongs to me, and once I take what I need, there will be nothing left. But soon, I will have what I need, and now I no longer need this...which isn't doing too well from my latest lesson in my Ghost Pit."

Kristine's horror screeched in everyone's ears.

"No, Papa!"

Labradorite is beneficial to the lungs and assists with respiratory problems, bronchitis, colds, digestion, regulation, and metabolism; uses also include eye treatment, brain disorders, stimulating mental acuity, and reducing stress and anxiety. It lowers blood pressure, reduces sensitivity to cold, and alleviates rheumatism and gout. And also key to what happened with Kristine and Lian, is soothing during menstruation, for PMS symptoms, and pain relief.

Oh, God, what did the old C-word do to poor Jonathan? How does he look and will he make it? Stay tuned!