HFrain9: The scratch scene was my attempt at humor between the two. My bad if you didn't find it funny.

Riccardo: Sure thing. I was taking a break from it and focusing on their relationship.

Jacob: After this chapter I will take a little break and get back to The Dark Knight of Tomorrow. When that is finished maybe work on a new story or get the series going. Not sure yet. I can only juggle a couple of stories at a time. Wish I knew that before I started multiple stories at once.

Making the Best of It

Chapter 30

Wayne Manor

Bruce sat on the rugged floor in the playroom with Elissa. He had some free time and decided to spend some time with his daughter before he had to go out on patrol. They were playing with her treasured blocks. She loved those wooden things. She had since the day she was born.

They were stacking a few of the pale blocks into a box, intending for it to be a house. Just as Bruce placed the last block on top of the house's roof, Elissa's little arm struck the house leaving it a crumbled mess.

Her laughter only grew as she saw the faux gawking from her father. Her little white teeth revealed, growing more and more every day.

Playfully, he grabbed the laughing child holding her tight in his arms. "Oh, you get a lot more joy out of wrecking what we build rather than building, demolition girl," he teased, his fingers darting for her sensitive belly tickling her.

Her laughter grew as she flailed her limbs as she struggled to escape her father's grip.

He started kissing her chubby cheek, nibbling at the flesh as he continued his tickling assault.

Eventually he conceded and released her. She was sitting in his lap, her upper body hanging on the edge as his forearm supported her.

She squirmed a bit before she rolled out of Bruce's lap and crawled back onto the floor.

He watched her silently as she went back to her blocks and started to stack them once again. He was at a loss for words. She was getting so big. Her teeth were coming in if not they already were. Her inky hair was growing to her shoulders now. They had to start using a hairclip to keep it out of her eyes. She was talking more, making more sounds. Crawling like a speedster. She had been seen standing up but seemed to hesitate to take her first steps and went right back down on all fours.

Recalling what Diana wanted him to do with their daughter he stood. "Come on," he beckoned to Elissa, who didn't spare him a glance, so entranced by her blocks. He picked her and got her onto her feet.

"It's leg day, princess," he told her as the two went for a little walk as Bruce held his daughter's arms as they 'walked' together getting some strength in her legs. He helped her take a step forward as he navigated his own legs around her.

They strolled around the room for a bit until Elissa appeared to be enjoying their walk.

Eventually, Bruce let her go back to playing as he was watching her from his position on the floor, his back against the wall. He was content with merely watching her from afar. He watched as she played. The fact that she was innocent brought a small smile to his face. He was glad she was having a normal life. It was the best he could offer her.

Belle Reve, Louisiana

Wonder Woman was aboard a transport vehicle carrying several prisoners off to the metahuman prison known as Belle Reve.

The transport carried several dangerous metahumans and ARGUS requested a Justice League escort to assist in the safe transfer of the prisoners until they awaited trial.

Within the convoy was Diana who sat next to Steve. It was not uncommon for the two to be working together as they had managed to patch up their damaged relationship and settled for friendship instead. It took some work, but both were comfortable with their new dynamic. Neither wanted the other out of their life completely so this was their new normal now.

"So, how are things?" Steve innocently inquired, his eyes focused on the road before him.

"Good. And you?" the Amazon pleasantly returned.

"Fine. Been keeping busy," he answered. He chuckled a bit before he admitted, "Etta got me to try speed dating."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it was… something," he stumbled to find a correct way to describe that experience. He was just grateful that there was alcohol available.

"I'm happy to hear you are trying to date again," a hint of remorse washed over her as they had once dated. And that spectacularly blew up in her face.

"Ah, it wasn't really a date. Small talk with maybe one truthful statement out of them."

"Sorry to hear that," Diana replied.

The blonde man merely shrugged as he started to take a turn that led into swampland. "Enough about me," he decided. He turned his eyes to the raven-haired woman sitting next to him before his eyes returned to the road. "What's going on with you? How's motherhood?" he inquired with intrigue.

His question had slightly taken the woman off guard as Steve rarely asked about her daughter or her motherhood. But she was pleased that he wanted to know. He was important to her, and she did not want to lose him again.

"Oh, well," she stumbled wondering where even to begin. She laughed recalling that morning with how out of sorts Elissa's hair was. And when she greeted her mother, she was energetically bouncing in her crib, her hands tightly holding onto the railing, babbling for her mother. "She is certainly getting to be a handful," she answered with laugh.

A faint smile appeared on the man's lips as he imagined what she was saying.

"She is growing up so fast," she uttered with a hint of regret. She wished she would stay little forever. But that was impossible. The pleasantness faded as fear engulfed her. "I hope I'm a good mother to her."

"Aren't you already?"

She shook her head, "I fear with how much time that I am away she will come to resent me." Her hands were folded in her lap began to tighten against the other as she feared her shortcomings.

While Steve listened intently, he could not stomach this any further. "Diana, knock it off," he regretted that he sounded a bit too harshly as soon as the words left his mouth. He wasn't angry. He just found her self-doubt to be ludicrous.

Diana's head whipped to him in surprise at his tone. Honestly surprised by his tone and wondered what had changed.

"You're a good mother," he assured her. "You work. Big deal. All parents must put food on the table. You can't exactly disappear for the next eighteen years and then come back after your daughter goes to college. The world needs you. Without you, I doubt the world could survive."

Diana was stunned by his assertion. His utter belief in her place in the world while flattering made her feel like the world was on her shoulders. She found that she disliked such a burden now that she was a parent.

"Thank you, Steven,' she said gratefully.

The prisoner transport went off without a hitch as the pair watched the prisoners exchange custody they got to talking.

And somehow Diana had promised to introduce Steve and Etta to Elissa.

She had no idea how she was going to break it to Bruce.

Wayne Manor

When she returned home it was already dark. She had missed dinner with her daughter. Something she already regretted.

She entered the living room in search of her daughter and her father. She was greeted to the sight of her freshly bathed daughter with Bruce holding her hands as he tried to coax her into taking her first steps.

"Hello," she greeted them getting further into the room.

"Hey," the man greeted turning his head to her before focusing on Elissa.

Elissa, on the other hand, went crazy. She shrieked excitedly at the sight of her mother. "Mama," she babbled repeatedly.

Her father had released his hold on her as she instantly went on all fours and crawled with gusto to her mother.

The Amazon immediately scooped the little girl up into her arms. An excited giggle escaped her little girl from the gesture.

She bombarded her daughter's cheeks with kisses, provoking a fit of laughter. Elissa's little arms pushing her mother's face away.

"Did you have a good day?" the woman said sweetly. Elissa babbled answering her in her own way. They spoke to one another for some time until she finally turned to Bruce, whom was patiently watching from a few feet away giving the mother some time with their daughter.

"You gave her a bath already?" she questioned. It was still a bit early for Elissa to be bathed.

"She threw up earlier," he answered. He gazed at Elissa, "We got a little excited, didn't we, princess?" he uttered sweetly, kissing her forehead.

Diana stared worriedly at her daughter. The news that Elissa had thrown up concerned her, but Bruce gave her the feeling that it was nothing. Still, she was a bit worried.

"I'm going on patrol," he told her. "Can you put her to bed?"

"Sure," she answered readily. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"Uh, Bruce?"

He looked at her curiously. "Hmm?"

"I… We need to have a talk tomorrow," she told him. "It's not anything bad," she was quick to say as she noticed his facial expressions change.

"Okay," he said after a few seconds.

He kissed Elissa goodnight and then Diana and went down to the cave.

Diana watched as he left and then turned to her daughter in her arms. She was quick to notice that Elissa was playing with her breastplate. Her little fingers tugging on the gold plate. The woman pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "What book should we read tonight, my starbeam?"

She started her jaunt up to her baby's bedroom idly chatting with Elissa as her legs moved.

"What did you do today? I talked with an old friend and helped some people," she spoke softly as Elissa looked up at her with her innocent blue eyes.

When they entered the room, Diana the light on and went straight for the bookcase. Scanning the books that littered the shelves. She grabbed an alphabet book and took a seat in the rocking chair in the corner.

"A is for ant," she began, cradling her daughter close. She turned the page, "B is for bear." Another page flipped, "C is for cat" One more page was turned, "D is for dog."

She looked down to Elissa, whom, was looking intently at the book, listening to her mother speak to her. Her eyes darted to her mother when she had stopped speaking.

"How about when your father and I have some time we go to the zoo?" she suggested. "Or maybe the aquarium? What do you think?"

Elissa didn't verbally respond. But she did pat the book with her hand telling her mother she wanted to finish the book.

"Okay, okay," Diana chuckled and began to resume reading to her daughter.

With a brief story completed, Elissa went down easily. Nevertheless, Diana remained in the room, standing over the crib looking down at her peacefully sleeping daughter. The Amazon came to the conclusion that Elissa was worth all the horror and pain Diana was subjected to on a daily basis. She came to Man's World to teach peace and knew there would be times where she had to fight for that peace. If she could fight for a better world that Elissa could live in than it was all worth it.

Her red lips tugged into a faint smile as she watched Elissa stir before she went back to sleep. Wordlessly, she left with a gentle shut of the door.

She made a beeline for her bedroom. As soon as she entered, she stripped off her armor leaving it discarded on the floor and made for the bathroom for a nice relaxing bath.

She sighed in delight as she stepped into the warm water. The tub containing frothing bubbles that towered above the tub. The Amazon leaned back, arms resting on the edge of the tub. The bubbles concealing her breasts from view.

She shut her eyes as the warm water did its job and soothed her aching body as she could finally relax. The scented bubbles permeated her senses that made her drift in and out of consciousness.

It was the next day when Diana had managed to have a conversation with Bruce regarding Elissa meeting Steve and Etta. She expected Bruce to outright refuse her request, citing security regarding his identity. But to her surprise, he had no argument. He said he had a contingency in place. But the woman had the feeling he was barely paying attention, his mind elsewhere.

When she inquired in everything was alright, he responded with, "I just have a lot on my mind. Do what you want," he told her and left the woman dumbfounded. Slightly worried about his behavior.

While she wanted to press him on it, sensing there was more to what he was saying, Elissa had demanded her mother's attention by throwing her bowl of yogurt on the floor. Diana scowled, annoyed by Elissa's behavior. Shaking her head, she cleaned up the mess just as her baby started to cry.

"Throwing things will not make you get your way," she scolded. "Especially, not with myself and your father as your parents, young lady."

Elissa just continued to cry until her mother had finished cleaning up and started to soothe her.

Washington D.C.

Diana arranged a meet with her friends in an isolated section of the park. The had made arrangements with Cyborg to disrupt all communications and other electronic devices rendering them useless in a ten-yard vicinity.

Just because she teased Bruce about his paranoia doesn't mean he did not have a point in ensuring Elissa safety from organizations that would just love to learn the Amazon's weakness.

"Oh, aren't you precious," Etta gushed as she held Elissa. Said child merely stared at the woman, not the least bit bothered or interested. Her eyes glanced at her mother who was close by as she had just handed her off to this strange new person.

They were all dressed casually as Diana had her magic bracelet to conceal herself as Diana Prince.

The raven-haired woman smiled as she watched Etta with her daughter. She was pleased that Elissa wasn't fussing. She wasn't good around strangers.

Steve was next to her awaiting his turn to hold the precious little girl. The man had to admit, he wished the child was his. But that wasn't in the cards yet. He confessed Diana made a cute kid. Elissa was adorable. Like a mini, chubby little Diana. He guessed. He assumed it would be more apparent when she was older.

When Etta started to bounce the child, Elissa started to smile. However, after a few more bounces, Elissa began to fuss. Pulling her tiny body away from the woman. Her little arms reaching out to her mother.

Diana was quick to appease her daughter and took her into her arms. "Shh," she soothed her little girl. Bouncing her daughter in her arms, the woman turned to her friend. "I'm sorry, Etta. She's fussing a lot lately. She is almost two," she reasoned.

The other woman nodded in understanding. "Oh, the terrible twos," she laughed. "I do not envy you," she joked.

The Amazon smiled before turning her gaze back to Elissa, whom had quieted down.

Her little fist clenched her mother's shirt tightly, staring at the trees curiously.

"Can you behave a little bit longer?" the mother questioned.

Elissa just looked at her mother innocently.

Steve had inched closer to Diana as he wanted to hold the little one. He just wanted to hold her once as it brought back memories of his niece and nephew. When Diana passed Elissa on to him, his heart went tight as he feared he would lose his grip on her. Or she would start crying. But she didn't react. Like at all. She just stared at him with her clear blue eyes that he was certain she got from Diana.

She didn't cry or squirm. She did nothing but stare. He wasn't hurt by her nonreaction. He chalked it up to her being young.

He looked at her with regret as he wished that Elissa was his. But she wasn't. And she would never be. He had to accepted it. But actually seeing Diana's daughter made it really sink in.

With a defeated sigh, he handed Elissa back to Diana, who noticed his expression. When she was about to ask him about it, Etta plucked her back into her arms. The Amazon gave her a look of surprise only for Etta to sheepish shrug.

"I'm sorry, but I want to hold her," she defended to her actions, holding the child close. "Who's a good girl? You are!" she uttered sweetly. The woman moved a few steps away from the other two adults to give them some privacy as she had expertly realized they needed a chat.

"Are you okay?" Diana inquired with a look of worry on her face. Her voice as she felt this was a private discussion.

"Yeah," he nodded, his eyes at the grass. He looked up into her eyes, "I'm alright," he assured once more.

"Do I need to break out the lasso?" she responded skeptically with narrowed eyes.

He laughed at how easy she could read him. "I'm still getting used to it. You have a family that isn't with me," he answered honestly. His throat tightened at how vulnerable he felt. He knew it was over between them, but Diana always made him hopeful. Speaking reality aloud just made the pain worse.

The raven-haired woman stared at him with sympathy. Guilt welled up inside her as she felt responsible for all the pain Steve was going through because of her.

She cleared her throat before she started to speak. "Steve…" she paused, gathering her strength. "I'm sorry. I truly am sorry for hurting you the way that I did."

He interrupted her by shaking his head. "Diana, it's not your fault. I get it. I get it." He understood the position she was in back then and if he was honest with himself, he did not know if he could have survived without any human contact.

"You're with a good guy, I suppose."

"He is," she was quick to reassure him.

"If he makes you happy, then that's good enough for me," he said earnestly.

Diana was pleased to hear him say that. As she was worried that Steve would come to resent Bruce for everything that had happened.

A thought came into the woman's head as they were speaking of Bruce.

"Steve…"

"Yes?"

"About him, can you- "

He interjected already knowing what she was going to ask.

"Diana don't worry. I can keep a secret," he put undoubtedly. "I am always in your corner," he promised her.

His assurances eased the woman's fears as maybe with Steve's word, Bruce wouldn't be so against bringing people into their lives. Sure, the man aimed to protect Elissa by keeping Batman from her and by doing so was to ensure that people who knew his identity were kept at the absolute minimum. However, maybe Bruce would ease up knowing Elissa had a couple of more people there to protect her.

Who knows?

Wayne Manor

Bruce was in a mood. What else was new?

For the past few days, he had been near unapproachable. Some would say it was because Diana took Elissa to meet some of her friends. Others would say it was because he was always in a grumpy mood. Or it was a case that was proving to be difficult.

No. It was none of that.

It started a few days ago. Bruce had made a few rounds at the country club to brush up on his persona. His playboy cover had to be adapted into something else. A more business savvy billionaire seemed to be the best sort as it was believable that fatherhood to an infant made him grow up.

It was at the country club where Bruce was chatting amongst fellow businessmen and billionaires where he heard the news. Well, rumor to be more precise.

An acquaintance of Bruce's had a scandal going on within their family. Rumors that his wife had an affair around the time their child was conceived. The man had only recently learned about the affair and things were spiraling out of control within the family.

The man was a wreck, evident by his disheveled appearance. Bags under his eyes, unshaven and sloppy appearance. The man was going crazy as he was plagued by the idea that his child wasn't his.

Only a few days later, Bruce had heard that the acquittance's child was not his. And he was devastated. Divorce seemed to be on the horizon.

Something that Bruce could understand. And while he felt for the man, he could not help but be plagued by the same idea.

Was Elissa truly his?

He almost dismissed it immediately. But his mind could not let it go. His detective mind would not allow him to just accept something without proof. And he hated himself for it.

He languished over it as his circumstances played in his mind like an endless loop. Their time in Gehenna was almost half a lifetime. All sorts of magics at play. Gehenna. Diana's gods. Who knows for sure?

It ate at him until he couldn't stand it anymore. The not knowing. His parents' killer ate at him for most of his life until he finally confronted Joe Chill as a grown man. It felt gratifying in the beginning but in the end the pain and anger never went anywhere, it just festered like it had since that night in Crime Alley.

He went into the kitchen and grabbed the used baby bottle from the counter from Elissa's latest feeding. He took the bottle nipple and went down to the cave intending on running paternity.

It was not that he doubted Diana's word when she told him that she was having his child. But she could have been mistaken about conception. Was he raising another man's child?

He had to know.

He had to know.

Like an obsession. He needed to be certain.

It didn't need to be a thorough analysis. Just a quick scan just to get enough markers to match to his DNA.

He swabbed the nipple and intended to have it analyzed. But… he hesitated to do so. In fact, his hand shook as held the cotton swab in his hand. He felt torn by doing this. He felt like he was betraying two of the most important people in his life.

Images of Elissa flashed in his head. From the moment Diana told him she was pregnant, to the first ultrasound, to the moment Elissa was born. Pink, small and chubby at the same time, a healthy set of lungs. The first time he held her in his arms, close to his chest so that his heartbeat could be a soothing lullaby for her. Even more moments flooded him as his daughter grew. The excited scream when she saw him in the morning. A smile plastered on her face as he tried to tend to her messy hair.

His heart tore and a lump formed in his throat making it difficult to breathe.

How she crawled to him when he could play with her. His favorite time with Elissa was when he was putting her to bed. Reading her bedtime stories, just enjoying the quality time. Elissa wrapped up in her blanket, fresh from a bath, sitting in his lap with a book in his hand.

The sheer adoration in her blue eyes as she stared at him before he started in on the book.

He stared at the swab in his hand, a pained expression on his face as he struggled with his decision. Soon, he did something that went against everything the detective in him believed in. He shoved the swab into a test tube and threw the tube over a nearby cliff and plopped into the water at the bottom, sinking like a stone.

He marched away from his equipment intent on returning up to the manor.

He didn't need to run the test. He already knew.

Elissa was his. His daughter. No matter what anyone said. She had been since the day she was born. Since he held her in his arms for the first time.

Diana told him he was the father. He trusted her. He felt no need to challenge it out of some sense of inferiority.

He was the only father Elissa had ever known. And that was enough for him. He swore to be a worthy father to her.

And damn anyone to Hell for challenging his right to be her father.

NEXT: I don't have a confirmed title for the next chapter. It's like a four-way tie at the moment.

Also, on a sad note. This story will be taking a temporary hiatus so I can work on The Dark Knight of Tomorrow. I know, some are upset. Others happy. As soon as I get some headway on TDKT I will return to MBI.

Thank you all for your continuted support!

Please remember to review, fav and follow!