12Eileithyia - Part I
"For love may come and tuck it on the shoulder
Some starless nights
A just in case you feel you wanna hold her
You'll have a pocket full of starlight"
- Catch a Falling Star by Perry Como
There was so many people touching Selina's belly. And to make it worse they were all talking over each other.
"Shut up! She won't move again because she's scared about all the noise you are making. Geez"
"Actually, Selina, the mother's uterus is a very noisy place." Lectured Bruce, he was reading tons of books about pregnancy lately, sometimes waking Selina in the middle of her nap to talk about this SUPER NEW EXCITING THING he just found out that was usually disgusting and not exciting at all when you are the person growing a wholeass baby inside your guts. "She can hear your heart for example, and your breath-"
"She'll hear me killing her father too if you don't shut up about the noises inside my body."
Bruce made a huge show of being offended.
"Alfred, why did you let me marry someone so mean?"
Alfred who was Selina's favourite person now because he was the only one that actually asked if she wanted him to feel her belly instead of just assuming like the rest of her family and some complete strangers, gave Bruce an amused scoff.
"It's very bold or very naïve of you to assume I have a say in any of your life choices, Master Bruce."
The children laughed.
Bruce gave them a mock glare.
"I'm taking both of you off my will."
"Oh! She moved! Dick did you feel it?" Asked Selina covering Dick's hand with her own.
Dick frowned. He was still shorter than most of boys his age, but nowadays he was towering over Selina and Helena, all gangly and shaggy hair.
"Kinda? I don't know? Did you, Lena?"
"No... Nothing. She never moves when I'm trying to feel her. I resent that!"
"She is a quiet baby." Mused Selina rubbing Dick's hand absently, then she looked up to Helena. "You were not like that at all. People could actually see you moving."
"When did she move last, Mistress?"
Selina winced.
"Don't call me that. Urgh. But I think it was this morning. When I was brushing my teeth..."
"Maybe she likes when you brush your teeth." Pondered Helena.
"I like when you brush your teeth."
Selina tried to kick Bruce's shin for that commentary, and mumbled something about him being the one kissing her after she threw up and not being her fault if he was disgusting, he just gave her a shit-eating grin. Helena rolled her eyes, her parent's flirting was so silly.
"What else?"
"I don't know... Bruce was murdering some ancient song in the shower-"
"Yes! Didn't I tell you? The father's voice!" Said Bruce with triumph.
Selina and the children groaned.
"Oh no..." Lamented Helena.
Bruce took a deep breath. Selina put her hands on her ears and the children started booing even before he stated singing badly.
"Caaaaatch a falling star and put it in your pocket-"
"Sir, your phone is ringing."
"Oh thank god!" Deadpanned Selina.
"But did she move?" Asked Dick.
"Nah, she has a decent tas- Oh my god." Selina's whole face changed from contempt to joyful horror. "She moved! Come!" She snatched her husband's hand and put it on her belly. "Feel it! Bruce, keep murdering the song!"
That was all he needed to hear.
The phone call was completely forgotten.
oOo
Selina was brought up from her nap on the library's couch by shouting.
"You were careless, civils could have been hurt."
From the grandfather clock first came Helena, she was silent, but with an anxious look on her face, she was followed by her father who usually dropped his vigilante persona in the cave and was fully just Bruce Wayne, husband and father when he reached upstairs. Today was different. Batman was in the library, Selina could almost swear the room got a little darker and colder thanks to his presence.
Dick was the last to arrive, his face was red and blotchy, even from distance Selina could see he was holding his tears. He was almost sixteen now, the sweetness of his boyhood mixing with all the hard edges of the man he was becoming. A man that Bruce was having trouble to welcome.
"I was not! I didn't even have the chance to be. Because even after almost for years you don't trust me. I can handle myself, Bruce!"
"What is happening?" She asking standing up with a little trouble.
"Nothing." Answered Bruce quickly. "What are you doing here? You should be in bed."
Selina glared at her husband.
"I'm not one of your children." She snapped. "I asked, what is happening?" And then she turned her eyes to Dick. "Well?"
He clenched his fists and jaw, avoiding her gaze.
"Why do I even try? I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Sel, Lena."
And he left.
Selina tried to call Dick back, but he was gone fast. She turned to her husband angrily.
"What the hell, Bruce?!"
"Helena, go to bed." He ordered without looking at the girl.
"Dad…"
Bruce took a deep breath and tried to make a softer expression as he turned to her.
"Princess, please."
"Okay." She walked shyly to his father, stepping on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "He'll come around." Then she turned to her mother, reaching for her hand and kissing it too. "Goodnight mommy."
"Goodnight, kitten."
Selina waited until her daughter was gone to turn back to Bruce, wordlessly waiting.
Bruce unclipped his cape, took off his gloves, and his cowl slowly. As pieces of Batman were scraped, bit by bit he became more human.
"The boy is reckless."
"What happened exactly?"
"There was a hostage situation. A robbery at a small clinic next to the docks. Three civils could've been hurt or killed."
"Did they?"
"No. But could've happened. I told Dick to wait for my signal and he didn't. He disobeyed me. If I wasn't fast enough someone could have been harmed. They had guns, Selina. He could have been harmed."
"I think you assumed that risk when you gave him a mask and a birdarang."
"That's not the point."
"No, that's exactly the point. Look, Bruce. I never liked this Robin thing, you know that. But you can't do it both ways. You can tell him that he can put his life on line to fight crime and at the same time be angry when he does so."
"He wouldn't need to put his life on the line if he just obeyed."
She gave a mirthless laugh.
"Just obey and never question. That's it?"
"When we're on the field, yes!"
"You are stupid. I mean, people say you're a genius and all, but boy you are stupid. You didn't raise him to blindly follow orders, dumbass. You raised him to think with his own head and follow his instincts. That's what he's doing."
"He's still too young-"
"Bruce he is almost sixteen. At that age, I've already died twice. Dick haven't done that once. And you? You were so fucking reckless I don't even know what to begin with. Give him some credit." He didn't answer anything. She offered her hand to him. "Come, let's go to bed." He took her hand, giving her an attempt of a smile. "But you are showering first. You are not going anywhere next to me with all that sweat and grim."
He hugged her from behind lifting her from the floor and carrying her like a bride, Selina let out a string of curses and half-baked complaints as he walked both of them upstairs.
oOo
Dick cleaned his face on his pillow and answered a throaty "come on in" when he heard Helena knock their secret code on his door.
"Hey." She said walking in and sitting at the end of his bed.
"What do you want, Lena?"
"Just ask if you're okay…"
"I'm great."
"Clearly."
They exchanged a look, Dick made a face, and Helena giggled.
"Don't be so mad at dad, you know he means well."
"He still don't trust me, Lena! After all these years!"
"That's not true… He just… get scared."
"B? Scared?"
"He lost his whole family once, Dick."
"I know. I lost my whole family too!"
"Then you should get it, don't you?"
"He completely undermanned me in front of the damn Riddler. That bastard laughed at me. I was mortified."
It looked like she was about laugh, but studying his face, Helena could see that he was really upset.
"I'm sorry, Dick." She managed, trying hard to not be insensible.
"Yeah, I'm too."
"At least you get to go in the field. He makes me train and train, but whenever I ask about my debut it's always next time."
"You are his little girl. And he's afraid of your mom."
"And Alfred."
She gave him a smile coaching one in retribution.
"And Alfred!"
Dick wasn't one for half smiles, not even when he was deeply upset, it was like there was a switch behind his back, he's go from anger to joy in a second. And there it was, the thousand watt grin he was so adored for.
"Will you be okay?"
He took a deep breath.
"Yeah."
"You and dad should still talk, later, when you're less mad at each other."
"He won't apologise, Lena. You know how he is."
"I know he loves you. And you him." She hugged him. "I know I do."
"I love you too, Lena."
She kissed his cheek.
"Goodnight, D."
"Goodnight."
oOo
On the other side of the town a boy was disgruntled. Angry and sad, that's what disgruntled meant according to his dictionary. He had three. None of them whole. One began on "f" and another went just until the word "yonder". And one was so old that still had the n-word. But it had amazing pictures that he sometime, with mediocre success, tried to copy when he managed to find pens. Most of what he found were just fillers crackheads discarded on alleyways, they were too thin and hard to grasp. So it wasn't his fault that the drawings were shitty. Well, the reason why he was disgruntled – and cold, and hungry, and dirty, and tired – was that the book he found the day before that the thought was whole it was actually missing the pages in which he'd find out what happed to Mr. Rochester's estate.
It appeared that Jane ended up married to him, and that he was blinded somehow, but Jason would never find how that happened and that was really a bummer. Most books had very obvious endings, the villain died, the good people got married and all was well. But knowing what happened had never been what attracted Jason to reading, knowing how it would happen and when were all the fun.
And now he wouldn't get even that.
The rain started to fall harder, he curled into himself to avoid the water and tried to keep warm. He didn't know if he was shaking of cold or anger, he settled for a mix of both.
Hey, so... I'm really doing it 8D
This story will be more plot packed than Four Names. I will follow canon plot points but not all of them and I will make changes.
I don't know if I'll update as frequently as I did with Four Names, well see. I do have the whole story planned so don't worry about it.
This will be really angsty sometimes so heads up.
Thank you all for the validation you give me, I'm really so happy I find such a nice community of people.
Take care.
