Thomas exhaled deeply as he had watched over Poppy in her rants to Waylon and her talks with Martha and Kel about everything, about feeling stuck as a girl when she's an old soul and having a brilliant mind, and went to squeeze Martha's hand as she looked at him, with him speaking, "I know it hurts to hear, Martha, but she's right...She's still our daughter, but she isn't that little girl anymore, stuck and tired of people out there seeing her as a kid, even if they know that she's scarily smart, and we promised that we'd guide our future children when we were still newlyweds, remember?", with a soft look.
"I know.", Martha nodded. "Just... maybe call me old fashioned or traditionalist, but maybe I just admired the idea of our children waiting until their marriages before doing... that; like we did.".
"Just more of the times, I suppose.", Thomas said. "That and this family is anything but traditional...", Poppy added. "You all saw it when we were prisoners after I first grew... Waylon was practically killing himself trying to fight off those instincts of his...". Waylon blushed by hearing that.
"Probably wouldn't have been the case due to his infection and condition along with the overall treatment. If it was, say prior... he would've probably just been like any other man.", Alfred said.
Caroline nodded, "Indeed. And besides, it isn't even that bad. For goodness's sake, it was in Poppy and Waylon's right, for the age of consent here in New Jersey is 17, so, and sure, Waylon is 18, going to be 19 next year, but it's not like they got a big span of age apart when Poppy will be 18 next year.".
Waylon exhaled deeply, seeing his mama's point, for if Poppy hadn't gotten her spurt of growth like that, he would have a big span of age, but it happened nonetheless, much to his relief with his instincts and all, and replied, "It will take some time to get used to this, I admit, but it's not worse or anything, and Poppy's safe and home.".
Bruce replied, "I hate to agree with him, but he's right...And who cares anybody thinks out there as long as this family got love, happiness, and support all around, right?", and they smiled, nodding in agreement.
Martha looked at Poppy, "You have a plan for your schooling, then?", and Poppy smiled softly, "Yeah...I know it will hurt to leave Bonnie and Michelle behind, but they would understand the best as they could as they knew that I am more smart and different even if I had fun with them, socializing and all, but I'm hoping you and Dad wouldn't mind if I do an accelerated learning program with school and tutors as you all know that I practically read so much out of the library here and all, to prove them that I am a brilliant genius. I don't want to hold back, and besides, with the explanation of that medicinal condition into Fate's Gotham spell about me, it shouldn't be too much trouble with teachers, I just hope they wouldn't be too annoying or stubborn to hold me back because I will truly be upset if they do!", nearly ranting at the end with a pant, and Waylon squeezed her hand softly, caressing her skin to calm her down as she gave him a grateful smile.
"Whatever it is you want to do, we'll do all we can, Poppy.", Martha told her as Poppy nodded. "Still, I feel like you should perhaps let your friends know of your condition early. Not like we're going to be able to hide this and at least we do have a reasonable out with it.", as she looked to Thomas.
"Like I said, it's rare but not out of the realm of impossibility in terms of the general public. That or we have to get Fate again to make yet another massive memory alter, and I already feel like that's really starting to push him after everything. He's done more than enough, and he clearly is someone I would not like to get on the bad side of.", Thomas said.
"Yeah; honestly, I think we may have found someone who would be a perfect counter to the She-Hulk. Pretty sure insane strength and durability don't mean much against a guy tossing Lord knows what spells he has.", Bruce said.
The family agreed with Bruce's theory, and so, they kept eating breakfast, and indeed, about a half hour later, by portal, Fate came by.
"Okay, now I need a room not far from your family wing nor the medical center of this Manor to put Thomas under his coma spell.", Fate politely asked.
"Right to the point.", Thomas chuckled. "Sorry, did you wish for me to ask how you slept or something similar first?", Fate asked as Thomas shook his head.
"No, it's fine, I understand, we're in a bit of a time crunch with a manner of things.", Thomas said as the rest of the family was getting some final preparations done in terms of how they were going to pull off their kidnapping escape and making sure their stories were straight.
Martha replied, "There's a perfect room for Thomas...Still private yet accessible for Leslie and the trained staff to check on Thomas periodically, with a view of the back courtyard not too bright nor too dark.", taking a break from the preparations.
Fate nodded, "Lead the way, then.", and Martha smiled, taking Thomas' hand, leading the way, heading upstairs to another private section of the manor not far from the family wing or the medical stockage/room, rather around the corner, to a guest bedroom with plenty of room for the machines and such to keep up for real within Thomas' coma spell.
"Is it acceptable, Doctor Fate?", Martha asked, and Fate nodded, "More than acceptable, and I can see that the staff do a cleaning routine and such for all of this Manor, very good. Thomas, you go have a minute with your wife while I conjure up the machines and such.", with his hands glowing gold, doing motions and complicated gestures, seeming to intentionally make the guest bedroom into a long-time homemade hospital room with the best updated hospital machines.
"Any place in particular you're picking all this up from?", Thomas asked. "Practically fresh off the lines; a quick little juggling of figures to have 'extras' produced so no one will suspect or miss them. It pays to be fairly thorough with this sort of deception.", Fate said.
Thomas chuckled with a smile, "When you say it like that, no arguments there.", before tenderly and lovingly taking his wife's hands, kissing her fingers, "You can do this...You and our family will make acting look good with your escape and your stories straight, eh?".
Martha smiled with a blush, "Years of practice between Gotham and being the She-Hulk...I hope Kel will be proud of our work soon as we get this ball rolling...It'd be strange seeing you in that bed, but at least you're sleeping, just in a coma, alive and breathing with all my love, my money, and such into it...with Gotham thinking of it, with only this family knowing the actual truth.".
Thomas chuckled, "And that's why you're my amazing and clever wife...I love you, Martha Rosalyn Wayne...", and Martha smiled, "I love you too, Thomas Dorian Wayne.", leaning in to kiss him warmly and lovingly for a minute, and then pulled back as Fate's voice politely interrupted, "Okay, all set. Are you ready? Alfred said that the staff doesn't come in until 8 for their shifts and such, with Leslie coming soon after that, as her added memories will contain of checking on Thomas for Martha and the family, it's best to get on the ball rolling before all of that, otherwise it wouldn't be believable.".
"And of course, we need to make ourselves fairly scarce and look like we've been through quite an ordeal... I mean, it is true, but we did clean up and such last night.", Martha chuckled.
Thomas replied, "Indeed. But we can't blame ourselves for that as we needed familiarity for the night at least. Right, no more wasting time...", before giving his wife a reassuring smile, "It's going to be okay.", as he squeezed her hand, and then left her, walking up to Fate, taking a deep breath, "I'm ready.".
Fate nodded, "Good. Rest on the bed like you're sleeping.", and Thomas nodded, taking his place into the bed, as he had put on thin, breathable, very clean, machine-accessible clothes earlier as a hospital gown only existed in hospitals per sec these days.
Thomas closed his eyes, breathing slowly and deeply as Fate started to do the coma spell, with Martha biting her lip, watching as she wanted to see how through Fate will be with the coma spell.
Before her eyes, Thomas was slowly and magically all set up to IV tubes and machines; while his body suddenly started to shift a bit; losing weight and atrophying a bit; looking more like a person who hadn't been moving for years. It pained her to see that since it reminded her of when she was getting very sick before Leslie's treatment but at least she knew that Thomas would be alright in a few weeks for sure.
It took a few moments before Thomas went very still as Martha walked over to gently brush a hand on Thomas' hair. "Thomas... Thomas, are you still awake?", she asked.
"No matter how hard you try, he'll stay asleep like he's in a coma; he'll only wake when the spell eventually passes as I intended... or if need be, sooner which would still require me.", Fate told her.
Martha exhaled, "He will wake up next Monday?", as Fate said that it's a week of the coma to help Thomas stay low and have the story believable, especially after Fate did the Gotham spell last night, informing Bruce during the night, and in turn, Bruce telling them of the news at the table for breakfast.
Fate nodded, "That's right, Mrs. Wayne. I made it timed to the exact moment he came under the coma spell just now, and to on next Monday, to wake up at the same time. Don't worry, he's perfectly fine, even if it's strange to see him differently like this, and oh, I made the dyed streaks of gray into real hair, so no questions there if the staff saw them fading or looking off.".
"Feels so weird yet, we always knew this... him being quite a few years older than me... but I guess I was suspecting that I was starting to show my age along the same time... yet... I still don't look a day over 30. Face, body... Fate, I swear, I'm a bit fearful about a side effect of my treatment... that these gamma cells practically are freezing my aging. Will I still look like a young woman even when I'm almost 80, 90... 100?", Martha said.
"Do you need me to work some magic on you as well?", Fate asked her. "Maybe sometime soon... certainly when necessary. Call me a little bit vain; aside from my fears, I kinda like still looking a bit young. I'd be lying to myself if there wasn't a part of me that enjoyed this.", Martha replied.
Fate chuckled, "Especially when you intend to be the next She-Hulk yourself, and of course, keeping up with Jane as this family is practically involved in everything, yes?".
Martha smiled, "Yes...It's nice to have an ally in you, Fate, especially when we didn't know about you in the first place...", and Fate nodded, "Thank you...And it's alright...I have never been flashy or such with my powers since magic isn't quite well-known yet secret at the same time, but I have known of your Kel's patrols, along with Batman, and I must admit that the city is slowly changing with good inspiration and hope which they do need these days.".
"I'm glad to hear that...Kel would have been jumping over the moon to know that she was indeed a good heroine...Well, let's get out of here...The bedrooms have been straightened out to make look like we haven't been here last night, and good thing that we still have the prison clothes, though they will be burned at the end of the day soon enough...", Martha replied with a glance at Thomas.
Fate replied, "He can still hear you and the others.", and Martha nodded, whispering into Thomas' ear, "We will see you in a few hours or this afternoon, my love. Wish us luck in your dreams, okay?", stroking his cheek with her knuckle gently, and then left the room, closing the door almost all the way, with Poppy ordering Chess and Bandit to guard the door to keep up the act for the soon coming staff and Leslie in an hour.
The next couple of hours would turn into a whirlwind of events as the family pulled off their grand deception upon the people of Gotham; all for their safety and the greater good. Thankfully, they were able to pull it off pretty well; there were a ton of questions from the authorities and media but their coordinated efforts, kept things tight and was able to pretty much get most of the heat off them. There would obviously be some skeptics and more than likely, a number of follow ups but they certainly hoped they kept their secrets safe for another day.
Alfred, Caroline, and Waylon had the least trouble, and almost all the heat was off them, since Alfred was kidnapped, along with his pregnant fiancée and son because they were close to the Wayne family, so no suspicions with the clincher, 'The butler did it'.
Bruce, being the heir of the Wayne company and all, had the most trouble, but considering that he was kidnapped too, along with Poppy in the middle of the night, with the dogs knocked out from sleeping duratives in their food, it made sense that he would have been the most ransomed one out of the family, next to Poppy, the daughter, and Martha, the still in love 'widow' of a comatose Thomas Wayne who had been practically unknowing of his family's kidnapping, through there had been a couple of times where his heart rate seemed to race, sensing that something was wrong, thanks to Leslie and the staff's accounts.
Still, the job was done and hopefully they would never have to go through another issue like that again. For now, they could truly relax once as they returned home.
"Guess it was a good thing you only aged a few years…", Waylon said to Poppy. "You look fairly similar as opposed to being much younger, so it was easier to tell.".
"Yeah, that was some awkward questions, but at least no one thinks that I'm dead and you all kidnapped and brainwashed some slightly older girl.", Poppy gave a small laugh.
Waylon nodded, "Yeah...And it was good that the cops and such took you seriously, not that they did not take you seriously with the Mad Hatter thing, but they're looking at you as an actual person instead of a child...You must be happy with that, huh?".
Poppy smiled, "Oh, more than happy...Good thing that medicinal condition worked very well into the spell over Gotham with my often occurrence to look a year older than what I actually was, and now I can say that it all caught up with me now...I'm going to give a couple of days to pretend some recovery and such before getting back to normalcy...Sure, going back to school on Thursday would be strange, but Mom would straighten the school out with my request for accelerated learning in the program...Bonnie and Michelle deserve to hear me out...They must have been worried all last week and all, and now with my picture in the papers and media...Perhaps they would want to come here sooner than I would plan, but it would give us a moment to talk without the school seeing us and all, since Michelle and Bonnie are practically a few months apart of being 13, almost 14 next year and all, and I now being 17...".
"It'll probably take a while to adjust... at least you can also make some friends with some folks now more your age though; not like you're forced to stick with making ones that were your earlier age.", Waylon chuckled.
"And not to mention, probably being the catch of the eye to a few boys...", Poppy could feel Waylon tensing up a bit. "Pity you're already a graduate in many ways or I know you'd be attending right away and practically being my shadow.". She kissed his cheek, "Don't worry, you're the only one for me, Wally.".
Waylon smiled at her, "And you're my mate, Poppy.", and Poppy blushed, smiling as she replied, "Indeed.", and so, the couple happily settled into much of the old routine, with a more advanced change to it, with their relationship, and of course, occasionally looking in on Thomas's room.
That night, the criminal world was terrified when they realized that Batman and She-Hulk was back, with Commissioner Gordon given the excuse from Fate during the Gotham spell that the duo was sent undercover to do some work elsewhere in another city.
Bruce went back to Wayne Entreprises with Martha to work with Lucius Fox and to catch up the next day, with the Pennyworth family-to-be, learning on the job to be another chef and a security guard respectively for Caroline and Waylon.