The twins gave her the puppy eyes, and Poppy chuckled, "I think they are going to be peas in a pod with Jane. Oh, alright, you deserve it anyway...", as they squealed happily, with Waylon discreetly moving her shirt for her to adjust the twins underneath and latched into their mother's nipples hungrily.
Thomas chuckled, "One thing hasn't changed, they got still hearty appetites.", as Jane pouted, whining and stretching out to Caroline, who replied, "Did you finish your baby food, young lady?".
Jane nodded, "Mama, peas!", and Alfred chuckled, "She knows how to be polite too, if impatient. And yes, she finished her baby food, if a bit messy herself.", taking out some baby wipes to clean her face as Jane momentarily behaved for her daddy, "There, all clean. Go ahead, Caroline.".
Caroline took Jane from her booster seat as she cheered, routinely sliding underneath Caroline's maternity nursing shirt, and latched eagerly into her mama's nipple.
Selina chuckled, glancing at Bruce, "I rather missed this, strangely enough...", as breakfast and conversation picked back up, and Bruce smiled, "It may be strangely chaotic, but hey, it's family. Welcome to the family, Selina.", kissing her hand.
Selina felt warm all over, realizing that this amazing family accepted her in so quickly, and gladly tucked in her breakfast, to join into the family chatter contentedly.
The criminal underworld soon saw a horrifying change when they were exposed or discovered by the cops, by venture of Catwoman's delightful steals and Batman's investigations with her tips and info, and the press saw more money into depressing the crime families into struggling, desperate crime families, with more innocent people finding their way out of their hard places as weeks and months passed.
She-Hulk took care of the most troubling and dangerous ones, with Batman taking out the pyramid circles of the crime families, and Catwoman rescuing dogs and cats if some of the crime families were dogfighting or abusing stray cats.
Chess and Bandit became accepting of Selina's most beloved and well-domesticated cats as they moved in, with the staff being known of Selina Kyle, one of the well-known animal activists being taken with Bruce but forbidden to tell the press beyond basic facts and all, through Penelope Wayne's shocking appearance of having twins at late 17 years old, almost 18, with the father being the son of butler Alfred Pennyworth and chef Caroline Pennyworth was more vocal in the news when they went to have family days inside the city.
Poppy knew thanks to her advanced learning program, she is now acing 12th grade, looking to graduate before the end of December, but the idea from her young friends of being a tutor was almost dashed when she saw that many of Bonnie and Michelle's referred comrades refused to be taught by a teenage mother, probably thanks to pressure from their parents, with that stereotype, "Rich people are lazy!", probably figuring that Poppy would rather hire a nursemaid than being a mother.
But hope remained with Bonnie, Michelle, and a new friend of theirs into freshman grade, Barbara Gordon who came over to be tutored by Poppy.
The red-haired, dark green-eyed freshman smiled, "You know, I never believed in jerks and idiots...Dad told me that you clearly care for each other, and work hard to prove all kinds of things, like Dr. Wayne returning to be a doctor with Dr. Thompkins at her clinic sometimes, accompanying Mrs. Wayne at charities and balls, your brother in charge of Wayne Entreprises, with technology even better than ever in phones and all, and you really deserve to be a tutor, and occasionally, a gymnastics athlete, Poppy, between being an incredible mother...Heck, those idiots complained that they would be smelly and crying at the top of their mouths, but they are so cute and quiet...", gazing distantly at the twins who is resting in their baby rockers, sleeping, while the girls are at a table with homework all around them.
"It's fine, Barbara.", Poppy smiled. "I don't really pay any of that in mind; I'm enjoying my life and I'm eternally thankful that I have a wonderful family that's able to give me support despite everything.".
"Can't say being a real young mother would've been as easy if you were, say, part of my family...", Bonnie admitted. "Really would have to be stretching dollars and trying to find a place to save a bunch here and there.".
"How does it feel, by the way?", Michelle asked. "Was it a bit worrying to have gotten pregnant there not too long after... well, your spurt?".
Poppy sighed, "To be honest, I never thought that I was pregnant since I was keeping fit and all, but after that scary experience at that competition meet, Dad checked me out, and out of a miracle, a joyful yet horrifying one, I admit, to see them on the sonogram, needing prenatal help and such to lower their stress levels, to rest and recover, which we technically lied of the summer cold, but you didn't hear this from me, but Dad was insistent that I need quiet and none of all that fussing crap from the staff, and thankfully, they got bigger and stronger than we imagined, probably because I let myself go, eating more and more...June was the most scariest month...I had nightmares of miscarriages and giving birth to stillborn twins because of my fault...But Wally...he was there for everything, and I mean, everything from the tiniest thing to the biggest thing. And the movies were wrong...He didn't faint or nothing, and the pain...it was much more than collapsing from pain of my whole body from gymnastics those first days when I signed up, remember?", glancing at Bonnie who nodded, remembering those first days of gymnastics at signup when they were first starting out.
"Golly...", Michelle whispered, and Poppy replied, "Mom was there to deliver them as I felt kind of strange about asking Dad, even if I got used to having him back in my life, but he understood very much...I was exhausted at the end of it, but managed to hold them for the first time...The feeling when I saw them breathing with life and hungry after a whole night, it...it was indescribable...best I can say is it's like complete elation mixed with tears, pain, and complete awe and love. Wally was practically enraptured by them at first sight.".
"Couldn't blame him; they're his as well.", Barbara chuckled. "I guess you're also very lucky to have a guy that's so in love with you. Maybe it's just hearing from Dad's work about a lot of domestic issues that kinda gives one a more... cautious look on things.".
Poppy smiled gently, "With the family helping out at times, it is wonderful to grab chances with him to stay in love with Wally, but I don't blame you...But from what Mom told me, your dad practically is proud of you, Barbara. I mean, it was nice that he kept in touch occasionally over the years to check up on Dad in his coma and trying to close the case, but he never fails to talk about you.".
Barbara blushes, "He's a protective dad, but I gotta love him, anyway...With mom leaving with my baby brother like that, it...it hurt him really a lot, but he got better with work, and me...I felt like he needed me, and you might not believe me here, but I had a funny feeling that he would've destroyed his career, himself, if I wasn't there...".
"I do believe you, Barbara...There's a time to follow your heart, and a time to follow your mind, and times where they agree as one. It's one of the lessons in my family, and we learn from it, but not obsessively because that would get you in trouble, you know?", Poppy said.
Barbara frowned softly, "I...I never thought of it like that...Dad said something like that, but never like what you said. Something about listening.", and Poppy nodded, "There's a difference between listening and following.".
Barbara nodded, and Michelle replied, "Let's get back to tutoring, ladies. I don't know about you, but I'd rather want this homework to be done before dinner.", and smiles came all around, with Poppy showing and tutoring her friends including her newest friend Barbara.
That night, after her shift as Oracle, she glanced at Waylon who's changing into his pajamas as she nursed the twins, "I couldn't help thinking of Gordon's daughter, Wally...Barbara, she got a good head on her shoulders, but I kept feeling like she's almost like a combo of Mom and Selina...".
"Are you concerned about her?", Waylon asked. "I mean, forgive me for saying this but I'm not really sure where you're going with this. Are you worried that she's getting perhaps too close?".
Poppy shook her head, "No, that's not it. I'm just saying that she'd be a possible ally if she's taking after her father in some fashion for the police department when Mom or Bruce retires later from being She-Hulk and Batman or as a lawyer on the public fact to defend situations where we might be caught in as the family.".
Waylon nods, "Ah. I see your point...Commissioner Gordon still got several years left, but yeah, that makes sense in case if you're taking the job as She-Hulk later once the twins are, well, more independent...And with the technology rising and getting better and the press getting tips from idiots or greedy people about us as the family...I mean, it's good that we're in the countryside outside of Gotham, but some reporters would be persistent sooner or later if news are slow.", as he finishes putting on his pajamas, and joins Poppy and the nursing twins.
"Exactly...And Barbara hates jerks and idiots, which is a notch in my book. Tutoring her will help me get to know her more, and I'd have to wait and see her opportunities, but it will be good to have another ally on the police side next to the Commissioner.", Poppy replied.
Waylon chuckles, "No matter what, I still couldn't get used to your brilliance in thinking ahead, my beautiful angel. And oh, I have to compliment again about your ingenuity of making that story on the spot with switching around the events to make it look like an actual pregnancy and all when you told us around the table at dinner. That was simply incredible.".
Poppy blushes with a smile, "Wally! Thank goodness that the twins remained human throughout their visit...They are still going at it...", with a sigh, realizing that the twins were more comfortable with their birth forms than their human forms, often switching, and even if it has been almost three months, which was the total time Poppy was the same, but it seemed that the gamma genes were slightly more powerful, thanks to having Waylon as a second recipient of it, since Poppy is the second generation.
Waylon kisses her on the lips, "Don't worry, I am sure they will stop finally before Christmas, if they are still stubborn...I can't blame them honestly as perhaps deep down, with my Croc instincts, they must be still feeling majorly defensive to protect themselves like how croc hatchlings do.".
Poppy replied, "That's what I thought too...", glancing at Sean and Daphne who is now smacking their lips and yawning, and Waylon chuckled, "Alright, bedtime, you two.", taking Sean out to pat his back to burp him as Poppy followed him with Daphne, tucking them into their bassinets at the end of the bed, and they fell asleep happily and cozily, with their parents smiling and heading back to their own blankets, holding each other contentedly.
It was almost two weeks later in the middle of September, and Bruce is heading to Thomas' office after having a day at Wayne Entreprises, with a side trip to donate some money to Selina's charity of the day. In two days, it will be Selina's birthday, and after thinking a long time himself, he knew he wanted to surprise her, and he realized after waking up to her face every day and going with her on dates and patrol, he's ready for a big step.
He knocked on the door, "Dad, are you in there?", and Thomas' voice replied, "Yes, come in, son.", and he walked in, opening and closing the door, seeing Thomas smiling at him, "Hello, son. Was just checking the details for your mother's charity ball next month...How was the company today?".
"Doing rather well. Lucius showed me the latest line for laptop computers, and after some testing to get the bugs out throughout next week, they will head for the shelves in our partner stores and all.", Bruce smiled as he sat down.
Thomas nodded, "Good to hear. So, what can I do for you?", and Bruce took a deep breath, "As you know, Selina's birthday is in two days...I...I want to know if you did the monthly check yet.", with a blush, knowing that Thomas checked over Selina only one time per month the last two months by blood draws from the well-healed area around her scar and in her stomach lining to make sure that she hadn't gotten blood cancer or anything in case if the bullet was infected, and so far, she was clean.
"I have.", Thomas nodded. "So far, no issues still so she's healed very well.", with an assuring smile. "No side effects either?", Bruce asked. "Like everything is back to normal for her?".
"Is there something specific you're worried about?", Thomas raised an eyebrow as Bruce sighed. "Kind of, relating to what said back when Poppy had her miscarriages.", he finally confessed.
Thomas replied, "First of all, Poppy is intact, it was just bad luck even if she told me that she increased her skin indestructibility slightly to be less impacted by the fall instinctively in the few seconds, it was just that the eggs was damaged, not her womb. There's a difference of accidental miscarriage from the outside, and womb failure miscarriage from infection.".
Bruce exhaled, nodding, not going to argue with his father there, and Thomas then raised an eyebrow, "It was part of the stomach that got hit, not Selina's womb, otherwise I'd have told you earlier if she was infected there, and she would have known as well.".
"I get that, but what about the blood system or such? Even some parts are connected in an overlap...", Bruce replied, and Thomas exhaled, "Ah...I see. No, as far as I can see, there's no blood infection or anything to affect any chance of a fetus in her future, she's completely fertile, and able to conceive with you. And as for you, you are completely healthy thanks to Leslie's check-ups over the years while I was...ah, 'indisposed', and of course, I checked on you for the company checkup last month through this upcoming cold and flu season.", referring to his long departure in Heaven aka 'the coma'.
Bruce exhaled in relief, "Thanks, Dad.", and Thomas smiled, "You're very welcome...Bruce, I do not know if Selina wants to be a mother yet, but you have to tell her the truth about the fifth soul wanting to be part of the Wayne family, and it's only a thought here, but perhaps you can start with Kel's story...and the picture of her and us at the wedding...I am sure she saw Kel's memorial a few times, and well, she asked Martha, and your mother...well, she may have moved on, but it's still fresh, even after a year which I couldn't blame her...", lowering his eyes in weary pain as he felt the same too.
"You want me to tell her about Mama? The whole truth?", Bruce replied, and Thomas replied, "Not the whole thing as the gamma treatment can't be revealed, or she was in Martha's mind all this time as that would be seen as a...well, something that only insane people has in asylums, if you get my gist, but at least show how she was like, how she cared and loved this family, and that she was very sensitive with the spirit world at times, having spirit friends assist us which was kind of true, considering with me, Caroline, and Dorji's spirit, and sacrificing herself in the explosion to save us all.".
"I'm afraid keeping her in the dark longer might cause her to resent me... us, more down the road.", Bruce admitted. "I mean, after everything, Selina's probably locked in with this family now.".
"Perhaps, but obviously we still have to be careful.", Thomas warned. "No one, especially you, wants to end up getting hurt from this...", with a frown. "Do you not trust her?", Bruce asked. "Do you?", Thomas raised an eyebrow.
Bruce looked at him sharply and defensively, "Of course I do!", and Thomas gently held up a hand, looking at him silently, and Bruce took a deep breath, "I'm...I'm just terrified...This is huge, all our secrets into one...Sure, she knows about Poppy, Waylon and the twins, and Mom being the She-Hulk, but not truly the first She-Hulk, and with the sickness for Caroline and all, but some of them are made up into edited lies...".