Chapter Text
“Welcome back Miss (Y/n),” Alfred greets me as I walk in the door.
“It’s good to be home, I tell you two day flights are relentless.”
“That they are,” he takes my coat. “Would you like for me to take your bags?”
“Oh no Alfred, I got it. I thought you would be in the Bat Cave at this hour.”
“Master Bruce is still patrolling, not too much of a fuss tonight so I decided to make some tea. Would you care for some Madam?”
“You know a cup of tea sounds really nice. But how about I make it and I’ll meet you in the cave? I’ve been crunched in a seat for too long and I need to walk around.”
Alfred smiles, “As you wish.”
I grab my suitcase and make my way to mine and Bruce’s shared bedroom. Everything is as I left it a month ago. Being a photographer sometimes I get pulled onto jobs that take a long time, especially when I take one multiple projects at once. I just came back from Africa with amazing pictures of vast wildlife to help promote conservation and bring greater support for laws against poachers.
After I put my suitcase in the closet I place my camera on the nightstand then stretch hearing the wonderful pops in my spine. It feels so good after a long travel. Turning around I make my way down to the kitchen where I make a pot of Earl Grey tea with a hint of cream just like Alfred likes it. I pour two cups then make my descent from behind the grandfather clock to the cave below.
“Here you are Alfred.”
“Thank you kindly Madam.”
“Alfred, I’ve only been gone a month, you don’t have to call me Madam.”
“Old habits die hard.”
“Indeed they do,” I take a sip. “Anything exciting happen while I’ve been gone?”
“Besides the usual bank robberies, muggings, and attempted murders, not much.”
“Seems like it’s only trouble when I suit up huh?” I joke.
“It does seem like that sometimes, doesn’t it?”
I love these small talks with Alfred; I mean my husband is the Batman, but you know he really wouldn’t be where he is now if it wasn’t for his beloved butler. Hell Alfred was family not a butler.
“I forgot to ask Alfred, did the doctor call when I was away.”
“As a matter of fact she did,” he places his cup down. “And I regret to say that your test results came back negative. However, you are healthy all around and you shouldn’t have anymore problems conceiving.”
“That’s uh, bit of relief.”
I felt a hand grasp mine.
“(Y/n) fret not, you will be blessed with a child of your own. These things just need time to heal, and if you speak with Master Bruce I’m sure he will tell you the same. He too felt the pain you did.”
“I know, it’s just hard after all the planning and then losing the baby suddenly. But I do have three sons that still keep me on my toes.”
“Ah yes, Master Dick called a few days ago wanting to talk to you but I had to inform him you were still away.”
“I will make sure to call him tomorrow morning. Need to check in on him once in a while. Is Tim still in school?”
“Yes he is doing quite well in his studies.”
I swirl the tea in my cup, “And Jason?”
“No news.”
“I suppose that’s better than bad news,” I smile.
“Indeed.”
“Alfred,” Bruce’s voice came through on the computer.
“Yes sir?”
“ We are going to have company .”
“A sleepover, oh goodie.”
I could hear the sarcasm in Alfred’s voice. Company? Who is Bruce bringing home?
“Worry not Miss (Y/n), I doubt it’s another woman he’s bringing less he want to feel your wrath.”
“That is true, thank you Alfred.”
“I better arrange for a room for our guest before they arrive.”
“Okay,” I nod, “I’ll wait for them.”
Alfred leaves to go prepare a room for our new guest and I take a seat at the computer to run surveillance. I debated whether I should call Bruce back and inform him that I’m back, but I decide against it to observe who he’s bringing home. With his track record probably another troubled child that he would take under his wing.
It wasn’t long before Alfred returned to the Batcave and the roar of the Batmobile’s engine came in through the entrance of the cave. I don’t turn the chair around but I listen in on the upcoming conversation.
“Welcome back sir,” Alfred greets. “I assume that this is the young man of whom you spoke of.”
“Hello Pennyworth, I’ve heard about you,” a young man’s voice spoke in a smug proper manner.
“At your service, Master Damian.”
Damian? I didn’t hear Bruce mention his name when he called in, maybe Alfred called him from upstairs wondering how he should arrange the room. I’ll find out later.
“Where are the rest of the servants?”
“I am the sum total,” Alfred quips.
‘Servants? Who does this kid think he is?’
“You only have one servant?”
Just before I was about to speak up, Bruce speaks.
“He’s not a servant, he’s a friend.”
“Hmph,” the kid huffs. “So this is the fabled Batcave. Grandfather told me all about it.”
I could hear footsteps approaching me so I decide to stand from my seat and face this situation with a skepticism. I was met with striking green eyes from a child who looks no more than ten and has a striking resemblance of Bruce when he was that age.
“(Y/n),” Bruce mutters in almost shock.
“And who, pray tell, is your grandfather?” I ask the boy.
“My grandfather is Ra’s al Ghul.”
My eyes widen in shock as I snap my head up at Bruce. Ra’s al Ghul? That means he’s had contact with him and Talia. What the hell is going on here?
“And who are you?” Damian asks.
“My name is (Y/n).”
“And your purpose here is?”
“Excuse me?” I quip.
“Damian,” Bruce warns. “Don’t press her.”
“Hmph,” again he scoffs then walks up to the catwalk. “This cave is smaller than I imagined. Very efficient though.”
As the child goes towards the suits I hone in on the conversation between Bruce and Alfred.
“He is the spitting image of you at that age,” Alfred mentions, “it’s a bit chilling.”
“Tell me about it. Look, you’re going to have to get him settled. I don’t know how long he’ll be here but, for the time being, this will be his home.”
“What the hell is going on Bruce?” I question sternly while approaching him.
“I’ll leave you both to your discussion while I see to our guest.”
Alfred steps away to see to Damian while I cross my arms across my chest and glare at Bruce, my expression demanding answers. The tension in the cave was so thick you could cut it with a knife. No one says another word until we are certain that Alfred and Damian are gone.
“You’re home early,” Bruce starts while removing his cowl and walking towards the computer.
“That’s all you have to say to me is ‘you’re home early!’ How about hi honey, glad your home, guess what I brought home another kid whom of which happens to look a lot like me and it involves Ra’s and Talia!”
“I was hoping I had time to think about how to explain this but I didn’t get that chance.”
“Start talking Bruce.”
He sighs heavily before turning back around to face me with his tired eyes.
“(Y/n), Damian is my son.”
My heart skips a beat in shock. His son? W-what?!
“What do you mean he’s your son? You—? You’ve hidden this from me for how long Bruce?!” my voice climbs in volume.
“I didn’t hide anything, I didn’t even know he existed. This is just as a shock to you as it is to me.”
“Well you’re not acting as shocked as you say! S-so…Talia is his mother; how old is he?”
“(Y/n)—”
“How old is he Bruce?”
He pauses before sighing, “He’s nine.”
“Nine.”
Thinking back he must’ve been conceived when Bruce and I had a huge fight to the point that I actually said that I wanted to end our engagement and I left on the three month project. We reconciled after I returned but I didn’t think that this is what would come of it.
“So, how long was I gone before you jumped into bed with her?”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Who do you think you’re talking to?” I sneer. “I’ve always known how you felt about her. She always…always seems to meddle her way back into your life. But why now?!”
“Ra’s is dead, murdered.”
My eyes widen, dead?
“That’s hard to believe, he’s died all the time and come back to life. Are you sure that this isn’t a scam?”
“I’ve got samples to confirm, but I mean look at him (Y/n).”
I hang my head as I turn away to wipe away the stray tears that began to fall. Not only did Talia get a forever connection to Bruce, but she gave him what I couldn’t.
“(Y/n), I’m sorry about Damian.”
“Don’t,” I halt him. “This is no fault of Damian's, and I will never blame him or treat him any different than I treat the other boys while he’s here. He didn’t ask to be born, now he’s here and I have no choice but to accept it.”
Suddenly, two strong arms wrap around my waist from behind.
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault,” he buries his face in my shoulder. “I didn’t mean for this to happen, but please believe me, I love you not Talia. You’re my wife, always and forever.”
My tears began to flow full force and I couldn’t help it. It still hurt to know how this situation came about; I’ve always known about his playboy ways, even growing up with him I knew about his habits. But I saw past all that and saw the man behind to suit and cowl. When our relationship took a turn from best friends to lovers after taking it slow for years, I saw how devoted he could be to me even if his nightly endeavors took most of his time. After nearly a decade of marriage, I still can’t think of leaving him, even if he has a child with Talia.
I place a hand on my empty womb, it hurt to know I couldn’t give him a child like Damian, but I’ll embrace this change. His hand covers mine that’s over my womb, maybe he understood how I felt after losing the baby and now he has a child of his own.
“We’ll get through this,” he says. “I’ll do whatever it takes to show you that I’m sorry.”
“Bruce, I’ll forgive you eventually,” I sniff. “But right now, I need some time to process this; also I hope that you can prove to me that you won’t fall back with Talia. I know her ways, she’s always had some kind of hold over you because of Ra’s.”
“I promise,” he leans over to kiss my cheek. “Besides, I know what you would do to me.”
“Damn straight. Oh, and Bruce.”
“Hm?”
“I know he’s your son and all, but I’m going to put that little entitled attitude of his in check. He won’t treat Alfred like he’s nothing but a servant in this house.”
“I understand.”
“You need to be there because I don’t have a right to tell him anything because he’s your son. You need to support me.”
“Okay.”
I pull away from his hold and make my way back upstairs to the kitchen where I clean my cup and set it in the dish drainer.
“Are you alright Miss (Y/n)?”
“Yes I’m fine Alfred,” I give him a weak smile. “Is Damian settled in?”
“For now. He is quite brash for a child his age.”
“Might be due to his upbringing; I’m sure that the League of Assassins trained him to only be an assassin. Poor kid probably never had a regular childhood. I think I’m going to turn in, goodnight Alfred.”
“Goodnight Miss (Y/n).”
I head upstairs towards our shared bedroom when I heard muffled cries down the hall. Pausing I go towards the sound realizing that this must be Damian’s room. I knock on the door before I hear a muffled answer.
“Come in.”
I open the door to see Damian sitting indian style on the bed and staring at his sword that lay in front of him. He hides his face by keeping his eyes glued to that sword.
“Are you alright?” I ask.
“I’m fine. It’s none of your concern.”
I sigh to calm myself, “Look Damian, I understand that things are changing so fast and you’re in a new place you’ve never been with people you don’t know. However, you should not treat us with disrespect.”
“Who are you to tell me what to do?”
“I’m your father’s wife, also I’ll be your other guardian when your father is out. I don’t appreciate how you treated Alfred earlier, but I will let these things go for now.”
“So what? You’re my stepmother now?”
“I didn’t say you had to consider me your mother or even call me that. I’m just saying that you should show us some respect and we will give you respect.”
“Hm, reasonable.”
“But I came in here because I know you’re not alright. You’re upset about something and I’m assuming that it’s due to your grandfather’s death.”
“I owe my grandfather a death. There’s no use in talking to you about my grandfather since you obviously don’t care about my family.”
“Damian,” I place a hand on his shoulder, “it’s okay to feel sad. I know what it’s like to lose someone you care about.”
“Like you said, I shouldn’t be rude so, could you leave me alone?”
I sigh before taking my hand back. “Alright, I’ll leave you alone. If you need anything I’m down the hall. Have a good night.”
I leave out of his room and go back to my room the take a quick shower then climb into bed.
*~Time Skip~*
I open my eyes to see the clock near the bed and it’s only three in the morning. Bruce’s arm is wrapped around my waist pulling me into his warm chest. Now that I’m awake it’s hard for me to go back to sleep. I gently move Bruce’s arm away from me so I could get up without disturbing him knowing how much he needs his rest. Maybe getting a late night snack will help me go back to sleep.
I go into the kitchen and pull out some ice cream with some chocolate syrup. I make a small sundae then sit at the island eating my delicious ice cream. While eating I begin to hear some footsteps coming down the stairs; from around the corner I see Damian rubbing his eyes as he walks in the kitchen.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Not really? What are you eating?”
“Some ice cream, would you like some?”
“What’s ice cream?”
I felt a shock go through me, he doesn’t know about ice cream.
“Take a seat I’ll get you some.”
He sits down at the island across from where I was sitting and I proceed to make him a sundae.
“Could you not sleep either?” he asks.
“Probably the time change. I was out in Africa for a month on a project so it’ll take me a bit to get my bearings.”
I hand him his bowl of ice cream then take my seat again across from him. He stares at his ice cream suspiciously before he takes a bite.
“How do you like it?”
“It’s…satisfactory,” he takes a big bite this time.
“Damian,” I catch his attention. “it’s okay to express yourself. You don’t have to be so reserved, you’re a kid express yourself.”
“That’s not allowed at home, I was taught to just follow orders.”
“Well,” I pat his hand, “though you may have to follow some house rules you’re not going to be treated like a soldier.”
“Hm, so uh, what kind of project were you working on in Africa?”
I was taken aback, is he actually trying to strike up a conversation? Good, we are making progress.
“I’m a photographer, and I was taking photos for a wildlife conservation project.”
“I’m surprised it’s not something in business like Father.”
“Nah, I don’t enjoy all the stress of a desk job. I enjoy the freedom of being creative rather than doing something repetitive.”
Damian falls silent as he continues eating his ice cream. He’s starting to slow down I’m not sure if it’s from brain freeze or he has something on his mind.
“Honey what’s wrong?”
He doesn’t snap at me for using a nickname, instead his hand starts to tremble.
“You mentioned earlier that you knew what it was like to lose someone. So is it normal to have thoughts of…”
I reach out and cover his hand; shockingly, he doesn’t pull away.
“Damian, it’s okay to mourn the loss of a loved one. I won’t tell anyone.”
Damian jumps out of his chair then rushes over to practically collide into my stomach as his arms cling to me. He nearly knocks the wind out of me but I recover quickly and wrap my own arms back around him.
“T-this doesn’t mean I trust you yet.”
“It’s alright honey,” I rub his unruly hair. “Just let it out, I’ve got you.”
His shoulders tremble as he silently cries. I doubt he will admit that this ever happened, but it doesn’t matter. I just sit still as he lets out his sorrow and I just hold him close while rubbing his head. I remember how I would do this with my other sons when they were upset about something. It’s a nice feeling to know that I could possibly bring some comfort to them.
Damian’s shaking stops, and I pull away slightly to look at him. His eyes were slightly puffy but still held that stern gaze. Just like his father. Smiling I wipe away a few stray tears then reach to give him a napkin for his nose. While he’s doing that I clean up the bowls of ice cream then I place an arm around his shoulders.
“Come on, it’s time to go back to bed.”
I walk him back to his room and he let me tuck him in. Strange, I barely know this child but it seems so natural to try and take care of him; well, I did raise three other boys. What also is strange is how quickly he’s starting to trust me, I mean I’m sitting on the side of his bed and tucking him in.
“(Y/n).”
“Yes Damian?”
“The ice cream was delicious.”
I lean down and place a kiss on his forehead. What great progress, he may be a little bit of a stinker, but I think this is going to work out.
“Get some rest, you need it for the day I have planned later.”
“Oh joy, shopping with my new mother?” he grumbles.
“Damian I’m—”
“Don’t worry about it, I know what you’re going to say. We’ll discuss names later, I’m tired. Please leave,” he turns over.
“Ah, back to the real you I see,” I smirk. “Night kid.”
Quietly, I leave his room then go back into ours to see Bruce still fast asleep. I think about our current situation, and somehow my depression about not having a baby right now is slowly going away. With Damian here, he’s going to prove to be a challenge due to his prior upbringing, but if he decides to stay then it’s okay with me; another addition to the ever growing Bat Family.
“Are you coming back to bed?” Bruce grumbles without opening his eyes.
Snorting softly I walk back over to my side of the bed then climb back in next to him and he wraps me back in his arms holding me to his chest.
“Sundae?” he asks.
“Can’t get anything passed you can I?”
“Sometimes, but I can smell the chocolate syrup.”
Chuckling to myself I begin drawing circles on his chest.
“Damian is a good kid,” I say. “Just needs a little guidance.”
A kiss is placed on my temple and Bruce hugs me tighter to him.
“You’re a wonderful mother (Y/n). What would I do without you?”
“Probably have twenty kids with twenty women by now,” I joke.
“Oh God,” he chuckles while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I don’t even want to think about that.”
“Don’t, just get some rest. We can talk about you being a parent in a few hours.”
He hums in agreement then just holds me to him as he drifts back to sleep and not much longer I follow him.