Kel nodded with a smile, "I hoping that I not tripping over my feet...I remembering Martha-mate's memories of dancing...", taking Thomas' hand as seeing that she's taller than him, stepping into the dance, biting her lip as she took the lead.
"If you have her memories then, you'll know what to do... don't worry about stepping on my feet, by the way.", Thomas chuckled as Kel quickly took the lead since there was now almost few seconds to waste.
Martha smiled sadly as she held Poppy, watching Kel and Thomas dance and sway, with Bruce nearby, smiling while trying to hide a yawn.
Kel spoke quietly, "Martha-mate calling me Kel Wayne...You don't mind?", and Thomas chuckled, "Kel, I'd love for you to be a Wayne, and technically, you're married to me as well since you're part of Martha and Martha is part of you...".
Kel's eyes teared up a bit, "T-thank you...I remember something Bruce-pup taught me...all kinds of colors..He said my shade of green is deep emerald. Is it being okay if I have Emerald as middle name?".
"Of course.", Thomas smiled. "I love you, Kel Emerald Wayne...", he told her as he leaned up for a kiss before Kel leaned down to give it to him; almost perfectly natural like she had done this for years.
After the tender, loving kiss, Kel pulled away, replying, "I love you too, Thomas Dorian Wayne.", before Leslie's voice replied, "Three minutes left...".
Thomas exhaled, glancing at Martha and Bruce with a sad smile, "I definitely missed having those infamous Wayne family hugs.", and Bruce sprinted forward, and Kel picked him up as Martha walked on, holding the slumbering Poppy in one arm as she went to hug and touch Thomas with her other arm as Kel held her in her one arm, while Bruce clung to her, with her other arm hugging around Thomas, with Bruce's little arm around Thomas' neck.
Thomas kissed Bruce first on the forehead with tears, "I will always love you, my brave son, and I'll be in your heart whenever you'll think of me, and I'll watch over everything you succeed for...Bruce Thomas Wayne.".
Bruce kissed Thomas on the cheek, sniffling with tears in his eyes, "I love you, Daddy, and I won't forget to be my own person for you, Daddy.", and Thomas smiled before looking over to Martha.
"Martha, I wish I had forever to spend with you and Kel and our beautiful, amazing children, but you will do that all for me, would you?", Thomas spoke warmly. Martha sobbed softly with a watery sniffle, "You know I will...".
Thomas then kissed her on the lips lovingly, "I will always love you, Martha Rosalyn Wayne. I won't leave that wonderful spot in your heart, and I will keep being proud of you anytime I see you protect, fight, and care for this family, this pack.".
Martha sniffled, nodding, "I love you, Thomas Dorian Wayne...", as Thomas smiled, and caressed Poppy's head with a kiss to her forehead once more, whispering, "Dream of the stars, my Poppy-flower.".
Thomas then looked at Kel, "Kel, I never thought I'd have another love to have, yet having Martha and our pups' support and encouragement, and the rest of our pack, I'm more than relieved that this family will be protected by you. You promise to be the alpha female together with Martha, to watch this family for me?".
Kel nodded determinedly, "I am being the She-Hulk, and I am being Kel Emerald Wayne, and I'd not dare any threat to touch our mate and our children if I can being helping it!", as Martha agreed, "Same for me. I believe I will take martial arts as human to help Kel.".
Thomas smiled proudly, "Good.", and exhaled as he can feel now of the pull as the last minute approached, and he wrapped his arms tighter around his family, gently minding Bruce and Poppy, with tears falling, "You are the best, amazing family I would and always will have, living or dead, and that will never change. And Martha, Kel, you have my blessing to move on to love each other or someone else out there, or just be single without social pressure by old farts or anyone else as you deserve to be happy, please don't be miserable, okay?", with an understanding, loving look.
Martha and Kel exchanged a look, nodding determinedly to keep this family, their pack safe together, barely noticing that Kel's soul mark became more darker, with another soul mark on Martha's wrist, linking Martha and Kel to be apart easier with turns, and with tears, they went to kiss Thomas one last time together on part of the cheeks and his lips.
And in less than a few more seconds... Thomas began to fade away once more as the clock struck midnight in a figurative sense. The same was happening to Martha as well as she was once more going back to the way things were with her and Kel while Kel actually started to shrink and revert back to Martha.
Thomas whispered in an echoing way, "This isn't going to be goodbye forever as we will meet again, but hopefully after long, wonderful lives from all of you...I love you all...".
Martha's tears fell as she held Poppy and Bruce close, back to normal after the whoosh of her astral form went back into Kel, and then reverted down to Martha, hearing Kel's sobs in the back of her head, feeling strangely more...inclined to send comforting kisses and caresses mentally to Kel who was surprised for a moment before giving grateful and loving feelings mentally back to Martha who widened her eyes for a second.
Apparently, they gained a sense of knowing each other better, and they knew they needed to discover this more, but right now, as the last bell of midnight stroked, Thomas' fading spirit gave one last smile at the trio before them, and then silence before Bruce's little voice spoke, "Daddy's back now to his angel friends, isn't he?", with a sad smile and a sniffle as he looked at his mother.
"Yep...", Martha sniffled. She was glad to have gotten what little time there was and hated that she couldn't get more, but just the fact that she had gotten it... "He'll be alright, Bruce... he's got nothing to worry about, like he said... peace and happiness, forever more.".
After all, a bit over four hours with helping Kel through the labor and birth of Poppy and being with Thomas, seeing his smile, hearing his encouragement, and everything, and then just recently, holding Poppy and having a last talk with Bruce...It's meager compared to forever in the heavens.
Martha got down on her knees to hold Bruce closer, while keeping Poppy who is still incredibly sleeping through her mother's sniffles, hugging Bruce with her good arm as he whispered, "Please don't cry, Mommy...It's going to be okay...", as he was trying to hold back his own tears.
"I know...I just am not going to forget this special Halloween night, that's for sure...", Martha spoke quietly, and Bruce replied, "Me either, Mom...", before yawning again, and Martha gave a watery chuckle, "Now it's really past your bedtime, young man...Let's get back up to the manor...", getting up with a smile.
She glanced at Alfred and Leslie with a sad, grateful look, "Thank you, my friends...my family...Thomas was right...You two are part of this...Alfred, would you see to take Leslie to her guest bedroom? It certainly has been a long night with Kel and Poppy and Thomas...And I wouldn't want Leslie to drive at such a late hour in her car especially if Halloween is officially over, the city is still dangerous...And no arguing, Leslie.", with a serious nod.
"Oh, I know better than to do that with this sort of situation. Especially near where I am at... certain times... best not to be out.", Leslie admitted as she lived in a bit of a rougher part of the city.
"Some days I wonder with all this trouble why more people don't simply leave...", Alfred muttered under his breath as he was thinking a bit out loud.
And after shutting down the lights in Kel's den, through the family knew that Kel is immediate to use it to keep Poppy warm and safe, it's seeming like with the staff gone, it's less urgent to use the den to Kel's mama wolf instincts, but needing to see how the situation goes, Martha told the others that Kel is feeling fine to use Martha's bedroom and the new bassinet nearby for Poppy, just until something changes.
So, they left the caverns, shutting off the other lights used for the caverns, and headed up to the manor, where Martha kissed and tucked Bruce into his bed, with Bruce kissing his mother and his new baby sister on the cheek, knowing that he can spend time with Poppy after sleeping in the morning and the rest of the future, with Martha heading to her bedroom, dressing Poppy quietly in her diapers and a onesie smoothly on her with her still asleep, remarkably.
Martha, still awake, somehow not sleepy yet, noticed her soul mark, the same as Kel, and took a deep breath, wanting to discover this anomaly further, she spoke clearly, "Kel Emerald Wayne.", and like before, but the opposite now, is a white whoosh of astral energy giving Kel the chance to appear somehow more solid yet faintly astral, probably thanks to their soul marks.
Kel was in awe, taking a real good look at the bedroom for the first time, "I...I can actually be fitting here...High ceilings, big bed...Did Kanes make manor really big on purpose because they were being rich?". Being seven ft is a breeze strangely to her, but realizing that Thomas was six feet, and he never, ever had any problems, and she doesn't either...
"I'm not truly certain with things since most of the decisions were made long ago. Probably just a social thing; bigger the room, the upstanding prestige amongst the upper class or something.", Martha said. "How are you feeling right now?".
"Still sad...", Kel admitted. "I... I miss Thomas-mate... saying goodbye... it hurts so much... hurts worse than bullet, even if it actually didn't hurt that much.".
Martha shuffled to sit on the side of the bed, holding Kel's hand, "Like a hole in your heart?", with a gentle look, and Kel nodded, "Feeling like that...", with a sob, and Martha opened her other arm, "I'm here, Kel...", as Kel had comforted her so much all those months, and now it's her turn to comfort Kel.
Kel looked at her for a moment before collapsing into her knees on the very soft and fluffy rug, her height helping her a bit as she sobbed almost quietly as much as she could without waking up their daughter in the bassinet at the footrest of the bed, wrapping her arms around Martha's waist as she shook in her frame, burying her face into Martha's chest and neck, while Martha wrapped her arms around her increasingly best friend, her new love, closing her eyes as tears fell, yet she focused on Kel.
"It'll be alright, Kel... you'll see... We just take it one day at a time and live our lives like Thomas would've wanted.", Martha knew it would be difficult, but the past few months were a start after all. And perhaps with this little bit of closure, it could help more.
Kel shakily replied, "I...I never thinking that he would have been coming until tonight...I mean, knowing your memories, I getting to knowing Thomas-mate all those months, and then...to feeling his comfort, his encouragement by him holding my hand, giving me those incredible kisses on the face, just not being lips too, to hearing his voice...it felt weird not to smelling him entirely, but like knowing he was being there...to tasting nothing yet able to tasting sad and happy tears, to seeing him in color like he was being of life, yet there was something being off...To dancing and hearing his assurances...It feeling like I am being still wrapping my mind that he loving both of us, and that I and you being loving him, and that I being loving you, and you be loving me, and that he was not caring as long as we were being happy and feeling right.".
"Honestly... some days I don't know how I got so lucky to have Thomas in my life... or for him to be who he is... I'm pretty sure most other men probably wouldn't have been as accepting to all this...", Martha rubbed her arm.
Kel gave a sad smile at Martha, "I thinking he knew that...I was being glad that I got the chance to knowing his sweet, compassionate, and wonderful self yet being sad that it was first and last time I met him officially...Were you being really okay that we kissing him together? I mean, I know you never being possessive or jealous, but that was sharing...".
"Why would I be jealous of you? Kel, we both share the same body... all this is... at least the way I've rationalized things up to this point is sort of a split personality situation even though technically, we sort of possess separate bodies.", Martha said as Kel gave a small nod. A bit confusion there but it did make a bit of sense.
Kel whispered, "Promise to hold me? I knowing you say that pain gets smaller over time, but...would it ever go away?", and Martha kissed her on the temple, "It really never goes away, but it will be far less painful, with only sadness in the future, but it must hurt so much for you as that is grief...".
Kel nodded, sniffling, "It really hurting so much...", and Martha replied, "I promise to hold you, Kel...Come on, it's...it's really late...", tugging her hand as she got further into the bed, and Kel widened her eyes, "Are you sure? That...I...not wanting to replace Thomas-mate's spot...".
Martha smiled sadly and reassuringly, "I think he wouldn't mind since he would want us to be both comfortable, and he loved us...Bruce slept in his spot sometimes, and I eventually got used to it...It's okay, Kel...".
Kel exhaled, "Okay...", before joining her mate, and Martha caressed her back as she held Kel, "Let as much as you need...Cry on my shoulder...I'm here...", and Kel gave out a sob, crying as she grieved, lasting for a while before falling asleep with drying tears that Martha was there to just hold and kiss her head, and fell asleep with her.
A few hours later, it was to change a dirty diaper and some breastfeeding by Martha this time when Poppy woke them up, and so, within the weekend, the duo discovered that either of their astral forms lasted for four hours before turns or later on into the days, bonding them even stronger and realizing that they can be there for Poppy together at times.
Alfred and Bruce became a fixture in Poppy's beginning life, with Alfred occasionally taking care of Poppy when Martha was in her study on the phone about Wayne Entreprises with Mr. Fox, and Bruce checking on Poppy after his tutor days.
The staff was informed that Poppy was in personal care, and that the family wing can't be touched by the staff in their cleaning, only Alfred, as he was deeply devoted to Poppy as she had stolen his heart as much as she did with Bruce and Leslie when she came by very often to keep up the pretense of Poppy being premature, when Poppy, to her often tumultuous emotions in being a baby, was prone to changing color, and of course, her size of looking like 2-3 months old instead of a normal newborn.
It was gratefully a couple of calm months, with Martha and Kel learning mediation, and as Christmas neared, since the city was too dangerous yet for Poppy, Bruce volunteered to watch over her in the manor where it's safe, while with Alfred at the wheel, Martha headed out to do Christmas shopping, to find special gifts for her children, Leslie, and Alfred when he wasn't looking, and that's where something happened to give Martha and Kel a perspective into the rough life of Gotham, even if Martha did go to the soup kitchens every year with Thomas and made sure that her charities were doing well.
Martha was finishing up much of what she had gotten, planning on having it delivered to the manor just so Alfred or Bruce wouldn't see what she got them. Sure, it cost a bit more rather than just walking out with the stuff but the surprised looks on Christmas was well worth the extra price. Martha was walking along the sidewalk with other people before a loud ringing roared nearby as well as the sounds of gunshots.
Martha turned to see the nearby bank a few buildings down was being robbed, especially when a five-man crew ran out, firing back inside. Martha's eyes widened as she turned back to see where Alfred was parked somewhere nearby and made a sprint towards it. As it turned out though, she obviously picked the wrong day to wear heels before she found someone grabbing her by the waist quite a distance away from Alfred still.
"The hell are you doing, man!?", one man shouted. "Taking a hostage! We might need her to keep the cops off us because you tripped the alarm!", another man said as she found herself being abducted by the robbers and carried towards an alleyway.