Legendary

I shriveled a little inside. He might have been terrified of me once, but he sure wasn't anymore. A slow moving knot of returnees walked between us and by the time they passed, he was gone. My first inclination was to hide, but I conquered that. I don't hide from anybody, and I taught the Joker respect once. I could do it again. He had no idea what I'd become.

But that worked both ways, I realized as I helped another person. I had no idea what he'd become, either. Obviously more nuts, because he'd ceased to fear me.

Damian waited until I'd finished before stepping up and putting his arm around my waist. "Dad's taking his parents home," he said. "Daniel, Martha, and I are going back to work. I'll see you at home, Sweet pea," he said, and with a kiss, we parted. I waved as Mr and Mrs Wayne left with Bruce, then the smile dropped off my face and I hunted up Loki.

"Grand," he said, sighing. "So in addition to all the harmless people, we have to look for the evil ones as well."

"I feel like I should have anticipated that," I said, "but I didn't. I guess I went along with either some fundamental misconceptions of the Christian afterlife or Hell has opened up too."

Loki cursed. "We should have. Look what happened to Hela." I shook my head. "I will alert the Chief of Police myself," he told me.

"Just what we need," I said grimly and he agreed. I went back outside.

I went home a little reluctantly; I'd have to tell my family about what I'd seen, and I didn't want to kill the mood that had bubbled up from the Waynes' reappearance. But it would have to be done. Damian was mixing drinks when I walked in, Alfred being busy in the kitchen with a welcome home dinner. "How's it going?" I asked quietly. He grinned.

"Dad's playing it safe," he murmured. "Hasn't gotten around to telling them about Batman yet. That's going to take some time." I nodded and we joined the group. Mr Wayne pounced on me.

"So how did you meet my grandson?" he asked. You could tell how much pleasure he got from being able to say that he had a grandson. "He just laughed when I asked."

I laughed too. "It was on a blind date in high school. But we didn't really connect until we had come back to the city after finishing grad school."

"What did you think of him?" Mr Wayne asked, smiling.

"He was really cute, not yet handsome," I said, stalling. He pressed me for more of an opinion. "I thought he was just a spoiled rich kid who couldn't dance," I admitted. "I didn't see beneath the outward appearance for awhile." Mrs Wayne looked a little shocked but Damian laughed.

"She's being kind," he told his grandparents. "I was insufferable. And I was a terrible dancer. Alex danced ballet for years, she's wonderful. One of her friends was dating one of mine, so we were thrown together a lot for awhile. Then I ran into her in college again, she was at MIT but her friend went to Harvard with me, and we were friendly again." I almost choked on my drink, thinking about the coffeehouse. "But things had really changed when we ran into each other at a New Years Eve party at the St Regis and I went on a charm offensive. It paid off, and I was able to convince her to marry me." He stroked my cheek.

"He's irresistible," I said, grinning at him. He snorted.

"I'm quite resistible to everyone except to you, Sweet pea," he said. I held his hand as we smiled at each other. Mr Wayne sighed at the story.

"Alex worked at Wayne Enterprises during high school, but she never traded on her connections," Bruce told his parents. "She's always had grit. Reins Damian in when he gets too rambunctious."

"And then there was Xander and me," my daughter put in. "We were a test even for her." I smiled as her great-grandmother smiled at her and patted her hand. At that point, the second group arrived home. Great timing, it prevented more questions than we were prepared to answer at this time. I introduced my uncle and Emma, Steve, and Tony. Bruce had moved to the embassy, I think to be able to retreat into himself as much as he could. Mr and Mrs Wayne were familiar with the story of Captain America and the Howling Commandos and were delighted to meet them all. Alfred called us in to dinner. I was pleased to see that Daniel offered Mrs Wayne his arm and Mr Wayne took Martha. Conversation over the dinner table was more general and turned to current events. Event, really--there was only one that anybody was talking about.

"Dinner was spectacular," I said to Alfred as dinner ended and he rose. "I have no idea how you do it." He smiled.

"It is easy to rise to an occasion, Miss Alex," he said.

"Yeah, but you do it all the time. I really respect that," I said, and he shooed me off. But I did. Valhalla had been very enlightening, and while I'd never had to make my own meals there, having to help with the creation of everything that we needed had opened my eyes. Alfred's craftmanship in so many areas was something to be seriously appreciated, not just noticed as I had before. It is hard enough to learn new skills, let alone to the extent of Alfred's mastery.

In the library with coffee, the Waynes plied their son with questions about his youth, education, taking over the company. It got a little stickier when it came to Damian. "You didn't marry the mother of your child?" Mr Wayne said, disapproval shading his tone.

"Grandfather, Father didn't know about me for a decade," Damian came to the rescue of his dad. But I noticed the formality in his address; when he used that method of address, he was getting ready for a fight. Apparently, spoiling for a fight had been his default mode for about fifteen years, up to just past the point where he'd died the first time. Huh. I'd forgotten he'd died before. I should ask how the first and second time compared.

"She tricked Bruce about the conception," I said, taking Damian's hand. "She wanted to use Damian as a lever against him. She was... not a nice person. She'd never win any Mother of the Year awards."

"That's an understatement, Petal," Damian muttered.

"Did you meet her, Alex?" Mr Wayne said, looking at me intently.

"A few times." I decided not to go into my history of beating up my beloved's mother. "Wow. She was a rampaging--- she was a real piece of work."

"What were you thinking, Bruce?" his mother scolded. Beside her, Mr Wayne snorted back a laugh. Damian was a blend of his parents in looks, and Talia had been quite beautiful. Rotten to the core, but the outside had been spectacular. And now was not the time to discuss Bruce's attraction to the bad girls. I didn't think his parents would really approve.

"The important thing is that Bruce stepped up when he found out about Damian," I said, earning a covertly grateful glance from Bruce. "It couldn't have been easy, but he committed himself to being the best father he could be."

"It was a learning curve for both of us," Damian said. "But he was a model for me when I became a father."

"And, of course, it was much easier with Alfred," Bruce said, squeezing Alfred's hand as he refilled his coffee cup. The two men shared a lifetime of experiences in once glance between them.

"Where did you meet Alfred?" Martha asked. Ooh. Good question.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to tell now," Thomas said, looking at Alfred.

"I doubt it, sir," Alfred said, moving back to the desk to get Damian's teapot.

"I did some work for the CIA," Thomas said, sipping his coffee. "Observations, conversations in passing. I traveled quite a bit for business, you see, establishing overseas markets, and it was easy to report what I saw and heard. I never passed documents or information directly. I might be instructed to pass along code words to an individual on a few occasions."

"Wow, Dad," Bruce said. I echoed the word in my mind. It might be easier than we'd apparently thought to explain Batman.

"I'd gone to an occasion in London one night where veterans were being honored," Thomas went on. "There was something of a kerfuffle and I noticed a veteran who had intervened to protect a member of Parliament who was also in attendance. Afterward, I introduced myself, and one thing led to another. Pretty soon I had a butler/driver/bodyguard for my wife and baby." I suspected that there was a lot being left out of that explanation, but it was a good summary.

"A decision I have never regretted, sir," Alfred said, circulating with a plate of cookies.

The conversation became more general and Martha Sr wanted to know more about her namesake. Martha is clever and witty in addition to smart and devious, and she charmed her great-grandparents quite thoroughly.

The next morning after breakfast, I excused myself to go visit my weapons stand before we left. Yesterday I'd just carried two knives, but that was no longer sufficient. I quickly stowed a variety of knives and shuriken on me; the reason I liked the tough cargo pants I was wearing so much was because the fabric didn't betray the presence of a knife unless it was a darn big one. I finished by tucking a tiny stiletto into the underwire of my bra and ran face first into Alfred.

"Is there something amiss, Miss Alex?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question. So I told him.

He nodded. "I see. I will take the necessary precautions," he promised, and I walked out to where the others were waiting, checking to make sure I didn't clank anywhere.

Mr and Mrs Wayne were staying at the manor, so it was just my family in the pod. I waited until we were headed in before telling them that I'd seen the Joker the day before. Nobody wasted time asking why I hadn't said anything earlier; the questions were focused on what he'd looked like and acted, and the obvious conclusions were drawn. "The interesting thing," I said slowly, "was that he's not frightened of me anymore. Things have changed for him too. So keep in mind that we can't predict much based on prior actions. And I don't know if he's still up to no good. I don't think he's on the side of the light by any means, but I don't know. He didn't do anything illegal. We've got to be careful in how we approach this." There wasn't much time for discussion; the pod touched down on the embassy grounds to let me out.

"Careful out there, Tiger," Tony said soberly, and I nodded. Damian followed me out.

"I don't care if the Joker is now a candidate for sainthood," he said to me. "He looks at you funny, you drop him. The family has lawyers." I assured him I wasn't taking the potential threat lightly, and he kissed me and returned to the pod. Bucky and Steve didn't say anything until it had lifted off.

"Are there any pictures of that guy?" Steve asked.

"There's got to be something online, he was notorious," Bucky said.

"Just remember that he's normal colored now," I said. "Dirty blond hair, fair skin. Same grin, though, same eyes."

"Yell if you see him again," my uncle said.

"He touches me again, I'm going to break off his finger," I said evenly.

"Don't overreact," Steve warned. "The last thing we need is for people to start violence against returnees."

"The Joker and I have a pretty bitter history," I told him. "I will deal with him appropriately when I see him again."

"Don't go out looking for him," Steve ordered me.

"Who has the time?" I asked, my words clipped. "But he'll come looking for me. I can guarantee it."

"Be safe, sweetie," my uncle said, kissing my cheek and cutting off the conversation. We exchanged a look, and I knew that Steve would be receiving a brief history lesson soon. I nodded and went in to find Loki. He gave me the diplomatic pouch and told me that he'd alerted the mayor and police chief. They'd sworn a lot; this was another dimension to add to the overworked police, but like me, they'd felt it was something they should have considered before. I poofed to Asgard, encountering Modi as he brought some documents to his grandfather. He looked harried.

"If this is command, I'd prefer to simply be one of the Guard," he muttered as we walked toward the Great Hall.

"Just remember that these are extraordinary circumstances and that your responsibilities are greater because you are a prince of Asgard," I counseled him, and he nodded after a moment.

"I think I prefer the great Odin as a legend," he said softly as we entered the hall and I smirked at him. We waited as Odin listened to the conclusion of a report on the resettlement of the first wave of returned (going smoothly, with few issues, and it was almost complete) before he turned to us. Modi placed the stack of documents on a table and Odin asked for a report. I updated him with what I'd seen on the news, omitting anything personal, then added that I knew that some very bad people were back as well, adding another element to a volatile situation.

"Remember that you are performing duties for the rulers of Asgard," Odin said. "Do what you need to do. You always have asylum here." And with that, he dismissed me. Modi walked me out of the citadel.

"Magni needs to cultivate a good relationship with Midgard's leaders, and Torunn has a responsibility to Loki," he said after we emerged into the sunlight. "But I have diplomatic immunity too. If you need help, remember that the most that can be done to me is that Midgard can refuse my presence." He patted my shoulder and went back inside. I went to practice with a lighter heart.

But Serena saw through me, although she waited until we were stretching after practice. "I thought that I was ok after all this time," I said. "But seeing him again, bold as brass and twice as crazy looking, that stirred up a lot of stuff that I thought I'd worked through, that I'd pretty much forgotten about."

"Don't seek him out but do what you have to do if he comes after you," she advised. "Given the past history between you, if you can establish that he's the one pursuing you, you'll be free and clear if you have to take action. Just remember that while he's changed if he's forgotten to be wary of you, you really haven't. You're the same good person you've been for as long as I've known you, you're just more skilled. You're as good with your weapons as you ever were with hand-to-hand, and what's most important, you're nobody's victim." She concluded her pep talk with a pat on the back, and we showered and changed before going back to Earth. We had to stop by Odin first.

"The wings of some of the valkyries have begun molting," Serena reported factually. Modi tried but failed to suppress a snicker. I rolled my eyes at him.

"How long will it take to regrow the feathers?" Odin asked, frowning.

"We'll be speaking with an expert on our return to Midgard," Serena told him. "If we truly have swans' feathers, we should have answers for you later. Of course we can still practice without the wings until they're back to normal."

I frowned, thinking about that. "But fundamentally we don't have bird wings," I reminded her. "We have bat wings. We may not need our feathers to fly. We can test that out."

Odin sighed. "Keep me posted. This was much easier when you simply used the capes."

"I've got no argument there," I agreed, and he dismissed us. We went to the Prospect Park Zoo because they had the Audubon center there. But first we detoured to see the Pallas's cats and Geoffrey's marmosets. Cute animals always make things better. We were able to speak with a zookeeper about swans.

"Swans, like all birds, need to replace feathers that wear out, because feathers are structures like our fingernails or hair," he said. "The old, worn feathers are loosened in their follicles by the growth of new feathers, which push them out. Swans are what we call 'synchronous molters' since they change all their feathers at once. It can happen as quickly as two weeks or take as long as six weeks. Some raptors, in contrast, can take up to two years or more to completely replace all their feathers. During this time, they can't fly, which is dangerous, but the relatively short period of time this molting takes does help to ameliorate the danger."

"Why do they molt that way?" I asked, puzzled.

"We don't know for sure, but swans, like geese, ducks, and pelicans, tend to be heavy relative to their wing surfaces, having what we call high wing loadings. The loss of a few feathers seriously compromise their flying ability, so we think that evolution favors a quick overhaul rather than prolonged replacement."

We thanked him, and he smiled. "That's not a question I get a lot, so points for novelty. I've just been imping feathers on a hawk that damaged a couple of its primaries and it was nice to do something that required less concentration. I like swans; they're beautiful but they can be touchy, and they seem to have their own personalities."

"What's imping?" Serena wanted to know.

"It's short for 'implanting.' It lets the bird fly after damage to a feather and molt normally, prevents damage to blood feathers, which are developing feathers that bleed, sometimes a lot, if they're damaged. You use a feather from the same side of the wing, the same type of feather, lay the undamaged feather on top of the damaged feather so you're not adding or subtracting length or changing the angle, and cut both feathers in the same place, about an inch and a half from the base. Then I insert a splint into the shaft--they're hollow--and use a fast-drying epoxy to glue the pieces together."

"What do you use as splints?" I asked. "And why epoxy over something like superglue?"

"We use bamboo for splints; they have to fit snugly into the shaft and bamboo's easy to cut and work for this purpose. Half of the splint goes into the damaged feather and half into the replacement. The longer the feathers, the more support from the splint that they need, but they can't be too long. Superglue sets too fast; you usually need a longer open time in order to make sure the match is as perfect as you can get. I use plastic wrap under the broken feather to prevent getting epoxy on any surrounding feathers."

We thanked him and stopped at a couple of stores before going back to the embassy. Serena said that she'd take things back to Asgard and prepare kits for the valkyries tonight.

I went straight out to work, pausing for a moment for the app to open on my communicator. Hearing my name, I saw Carol grinning at me, then my mom as she turned toward me. She was with my dad. And J. I struggled hard to keep my wings tucked away; it was hard to control them when I was emotional.

"Another reunion," I heard Loki say with satisfaction, and I released my brother long enough to smile at Loki. Beside him was Torunn; she didn't pay attention to her protectee or the people he was talking to; all her attention was in scanning the crowd for threats. "Of course I remember your parents and your brother, Alex. Why don't you come inside the embassy for a moment?"

"Thank you, that would be lovely," my mother said. She still had her accent, even after a good chunk of afterlife. She looked a little wilted, and as I followed them inside, I quickly called my daughter for a pickup, teasing her by not identifying who'd shown up.

"Transport's on its way," I said once we'd stepped through the gates.

"Wonderful," Loki said, guiding us off to one side, out of view from the gate. I sighed in relief and let the wings out for a good shake before tucking them away again. Loki knew about my control issues.

"Alixzandrya," my mother said sternly. "What have you gotten yourself into? I love you dearly, but you're no angel." Loki and Torunn started to laugh.

"I'll explain it later," I promised. "But no, I'm not an angel."

"You are to me, dear girl," my dad said, putting his arm around my shoulders and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm with Mom on this one," J said to me, smirking. I curled my lip at him amiably. I smiled as the pod dropped down and Martha popped out.

"Grandma! Grandpa! Uncle J!" she said excitedly, throwing herself into her grandparents' arms for a proper greeting. J watched in amusement as we stood with our arm around each other.

"Some things never change," he said to me. "Where's Xander?"

My smile dropped. "Hasn't shown up yet. But you know him, he likes to study the situation before getting involved. It would be nice of him to consider that his mother would like to see him." J squeezed my shoulder before hugging his niece.

"I'm going to take them to the house, Mom," Martha mumbled.

"Bruce is home too," I said, and my folks brightened. They had a great relationship with Bruce. "And his parents registered yesterday." My mother looked especially interested. I mentally kicked myself. I hadn't even thought about seeing if Britain had any sort of registry. My grandma would be showing up there. Something to add to the list. "They gave Bruce kind of a hard time about being an unwed father, so maybe..." My dad nodded and I knew that they had a mission. I saw them into the pod and as it lifted away, I called Alfred.

"It will be lovely to see your parents and brother again," he said with pleasure. "I'll put the kettle on for your mother." Alfred is priceless.

Then it was back to work. I helped to register more people and facilitated a few reunions, which was nice. Through the rest of the afternoon, I kept an eye out for my missing son, my grandchildren, J's kids, and the odd supervillain.

I saw none of them.