Legendary

I gave Serena some time the next day to settle in, then went and knocked on her door with a bribe of coffee and apple strudel. "What do you want?" she asked, a trifle warily.

I sighed. "I need a design for a stable. Damian wants horses." She started to laugh. "I also thought that perhaps a guesthouse, on the other side of the garden. With twins, we don't have nearly the space for guests that I thought we'd have."

"What's brought this on?" she asked curiously.

"Alfred is seeing a woman who uses horses in therapy, so Damian wants one. Horse, not additional woman. And horses are social, so we need more than one. I took a riding class at MIT and liked it. And there could come a day when Alfred would prefer his own house. So..."

"Gotcha." She nodded, and she asked about particulars. "I'll have to research this one, Alex. I've never been in a stable before."

"Take your time," I said. My eye twitched. "I'm just glad he didn't pull up with a couple of horses in a trailer." She laughed, and we discussed the guesthouse; Damian and I wanted something that would harmonize with our house but not look identical and that would allow our butler and his family scope to put their own stamp on it. The only requirements were that it had to be roomy, high ceilinged, with great bathrooms and the best possible kitchen. I went back to work feeling pretty good.

That afternoon, I got a call from Daniel. Damian had gotten to him, and he was enthusiastic about the idea, offering to build the stable on his land and expand it. I asked him some hard questions about this enthusiasm, worried that the interest would wear off over time and what this would mean for the poor horses. Turned out that it isn't just little girls who dream about having horses. I just shot Serena an email about that. I had lost complete control over the horse issue, not that I'd had a lot to begin with. Daniel and Damian could take charge of this project. I was looking forward to riding again, but I had other projects too.

I knocked off work and went to see Bucky late that afternoon, bringing the kids with me. Damian met us there as we were chatting, brightening as he heard us discussing the plan for horses. "Would you like to come out and ride once we get the horses, Bucky?" he asked eagerly. That's my Damian, enthusiastically spreading the gospel of Animals. "There are a few horse rescue operations around that Daniel and I are planning to adopt from, and horses need their own kind. We'll have several, so that guests can come ride too. And if you want to adopt your own, you could stable it with us."

Years of experience with Damian and his pets should have prepared me, but somehow it hadn't.

Bucky was cautiously optimistic and as Miles started to get twitchy, Damian hastily swapped him for his sister, handing Miles to Bucky. His hands and arms were strong enough to cuddle the kids, who were developing excellent taste and adored him. Nessa came in and I turned over the chair to her. She settled in and Miles grabbed her finger.

"He's got quite a grip," she said, a little startled. He did; he had a bit of a strength mutation. One thing that the doctors were noting in the reproduction of Returned enhanced and supers was that mutations were passed from parent to offspring, but they weren't breeding true. Miles was showing more of a superhuman strength enhancement. Iris had something, but they weren't sure what it was. I just hoped it wasn't going to be something that would make it difficult to parent her, like invisibility, or some mental or psychic power. The people I knew with the mental powers tended to be unstable.

I watched Bucky and Nessa together with Iris and smiled. They stole little glances at each other while playing with the baby, and Nessa volunteered to change Iris. This looked promising for their future.

Equally important, Bucky was healing rapidly and the doctors felt safe in discharging him the next day. Alfred's date had gone well, so things were looking up for everybody. Serena, after doing some research, referred Damian and Daniel to a specialty architect who specialized in building extravagant barns, and they flew down to Virginia to meet with the creative team and get the ball rolling. I worked with Serena in developing the plans for the guesthouse, which were much less technical. We brought Dagny in to design the gardens, and in a month had enough to start with. I wanted construction to start as soon as possible, so my friends were able to get equipment out to grade the parcel in a little over a month from my initial request. We were having a warm fall, and Serena and I wanted to take advantage of that to get the concrete poured. Alfred and I walked over one night to survey the process before the forms were set up. There would be a basement, too, which could be used for storage or any number of activities.

"It seems like this project is happening faster than the house itself," Alfred observed. The smell of asphalt was much fainter today, the road having gone in two days ago so that the heavy equipment would have an easier time getting to the site.

I nodded. "Well, with the babies, now we're down a guest room since each will get his or her own room when they get larger, and Daniel could still use some help hosting League members from time to time. But primarily, we want it for you."

"For me?" Alfred was startled. Ha. I didn't manage to do that much.

"Yep. You may want to have space for yourself as the kids get bigger, kind of a retreat. And if things work out with you and Fiona, there will still be a place for you to live on the estate if you wish, with the privacy that you should have."

"Miss Alex," he said quietly. I held his hand a moment as we observed the bustle as the workers wound up their activities for the day.

"Yeah, so Jackson Cooper, Serena's associate, is going to be calling you in the next few days to get your input on the kitchen, specifically, but if you want to discuss other parts of the design, feel free. This is going to be his first real project; he worked with Serena on the design, but he'll be managing it from here on out. I think you'll find him innovative and easy to work with. Even if you don't anticipate moving in at some point, your input into design elements is welcome. You have a superb eye for detail."

After a moment he cleared his throat. "I appreciate the faith you show in me, Miss Alex."

"Always, Alfred." We turned back to the house and went in. The nights were getting chilly.

We had a Halloween party that year for our friends and family, and the babies all got a chance to interact together, inasmuch as toddlers and infants can. Eira, Sigurd, and Torburn took it in turns to be kid shepherds, switching out as their nerves frayed from all the activity from so many kids, but all the kids loved the dogs. Charlie, getting bigger and steady from Eria's good example, also suffered himself to be loved. The cats did not. They retreated to the second story, where none of the offspring could get yet, and watched the gathering from there. The parents got a break, actually, as there were enough people around who did not have kids that the kids were played with and cuddled by quite a range of adults. Aquaman came early and presented me with an exquisite pearl on a delicate gold chain and a smaller one for Iris, thanks for having hosted him at the earlier conferences. He explained that his people never opened the oysters until they died, which is why the pearls were so beautiful; the layers of nacre built up in such thickness that no cultured pearls can compare. They weren't perfect, but the imperfections in symmetry were beautiful in themselves.

Alfred also brought Fiona. Finally. She came early enough so that we could meet her and chat, getting to know her. She was calm but enthusiastic, and her personality reminded me for all the world like Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine. She was an interesting woman, and had some suggestions for Damian about the design of the stable and other buildings. The horse complex seemed to be growing larger and more feature-stuffed each day.

When Diana arrived, she brought me a spear as a gift. We went downstairs to add it to my stand (I had to clear some space, my armor and weaponry having been FINALLY returned by the government a week before). It deserved a place of honor; she had returned briefly to Themyscira to visit her mother and homeland. Her mother had authorized the gift, a genuine Amazon spear from their armory. "It has no special skill or power," she said almost apologetically.

It was quite beautiful, the shaft straight and smooth to the touch, the end capped with bronze, the spearhead engraved with a folate pattern and chased in gold. "It's wonderful," I said, setting it in place by my armor. "It's an honor to have a gift like this."

"Do not hesitate to use it," Diana said. "It is a weapon for a warrior, and my mother the queen was intrigued by the valkyries and your history. It is a way of extending a hand in friendship and acknowledging our fundamental joint commitment to love, equality, and virtue. Perhaps one day you will be able to come with me," she said. "I would enjoy showing you the beauty of the islands and my mother would enjoy speaking with you, I believe."

"That would be wonderful," I said hastily, and she smiled.

"Perhaps when Iris is a little older," she suggested. "Martha as well as Iris, the namesake of the goddess, would also be welcomed there. We rarely have infants or small children among us." We rejoined the party, but I was a little staggered by the offer.

Not so stunned, though, that I didn't notice a little delicate flirtation with Daniel, though.

"Danny could do a lot worse," Martha pointed out. Then she poked me. "How would you like to have a legendary superhero for your granddaughter?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I said peacefully. "They have yet to even have a first date." We watched them covertly a little while longer. Yep, he leaned into her as they spoke and her fingers brushed his.

"I wonder how she keeps her bustier in place all the time," Martha wondered. "She always looks perfect."

"It's an enchantment, she said once," I murmured. "It wouldn't be dignified to have a wardrobe malfunction, and she's one of the most dignified people I know."

Martha went off to find her date (rescue him from her twin, actually) and I circulated among our guests, stopping by Serena, Margaret, and Aslyn, who were snickering. Aslyn handed me a little figure of an old-fashioned gray alien, with the big head, nose slits, tiny mouth, big eyes. "The latest rumor about the vigilante Valkyrie is that she's an alien," she reported merrily. "Congratulations." They burst out laughing, and I just shook my head and moved on, but I did place the little figurine on my desk.

It was a fun party, and people left at a reasonable hour, since the next day was a work day for us all. The house was strangely quiet, and we helped transport dishes to the kitchen before Alfred shooed us off.

It was a really good night. When we left for work the next day, we noticed that Fiona's transportation was still parked by the end of the house. Damian and I exchanged a high five.

After Halloween, the foundation for the stable complex was poured. There would be a huge barn-like structure in two parts, stone outside, wood inside, a two-story roof with ample natural lights through windows and strategically-placed skylights, plus a system of lights; chandeliers as well as sconces made from unbreakable glass to eliminate dark space. The floor was an advanced rubber system that looked like stone but was easy to clean and comfortable for the horses to stand on and walk over, non-slip. Each box was four meters by five meters, lined with wood finished with an impervious coating, had individual French drains, and the dividers between the boxes was high enough that the horses couldn't jump over them, but they would be able to see each other, provided they were tall enough, and they could poke their heads over the doors as well. There was ample ventilation and a hayloft and quarters for a live-in groom on one end of one building. At the end of the other was a generously sized tack room, a big feed room, and an office for the manager of the operation, with a small bathroom. There was a stone arch linking the two parts elegantly and providing a memorable entrance. There was a fountain in the grassy courtyard for looks as well as troughs for water for the horses, and this all opened up to an extensive pasture where the horses could be turned out that also had a shelter where the horses could retreat if they didn't want to go into the barn. There was also an area for the horses to be worked on days no one rode them and a ring for dressage, which was Damian's passion. And finally, off to the side was a building where two trucks and trailers could be parked. Feeling a little guilty, Damian and Daniel had contributed a considerable sum to charities helping the Returnees who were still in the last tent city and providing food and assistance for struggling city dwellers. They boys huddled frequently, discussing what kind of personnel they needed and researching area instructors. Daniel, like Damian, was starting to step back from crimefighting. Bruce and Xander were still fully invested in Batman and he wasn't really needed. I suspect it was a relief to him.

The serious snow was considerate enough not to start until the structures for the guesthouse and stables were framed. Then the snow began in earnest. Eira and Charlie loved going out for romps in the snow, then coming in and using the dog-grooming station (Eira had trained Charlie how to use it although he still needed her mental nudging to remember to use it when he was wet and/or dirty). Signe also enjoyed the snow; it was hilarious to see this big floofy cat playing in the snow, burrowing when it got deep enough, catching snowflakes, then coming in, shaking off her luxurious coat, and demanding that a fireplace be turned on so she could soak in the heat. She refused to use the grooming station.

We had Thanksgiving up at the main house with the rest of the family, which was lovely, and not long after that was the twins' first birthday. Babies not being picky about their presents, there was no uproar about the functional gifts of clothes that they received, and Bucky's gift was a sleepover at his place. I was thrilled, both that Damian and I would have a whole night off, and also because this might mean something significant in the development of his relationship with Nessa. Sure enough, he proposed on New Years Day, when they had just woken up and were cuddling together. He asked her with a glorious diamond in a solitaire setting, intending to go shopping with her and get something fancier, but she loved the austerity of the setting and refused to exchange it. We met them later that day for a late lunch, and if she glowed, Bucky was incandescent. They were talking about a summer wedding, and Damian immediately offered our garden if they wanted an outdoor wedding.

"It's a little overwhelming," Nessa said, holding Bucky's hand. He put his free hand gently over hers as she talked. "Steve offered to design the dress."

"Get binders," Damian and I said in unison, and laughed at each other before explaining why they were helpful. Nessa smiled.

"I think that it should be overwhelming," I said thoughtfully. "Marriage is a big commitment, and planning the wedding is a good indicator of how well you listen to each other and work together." At the end of the lunch, I hugged her and welcomed her to the family.

We had lunch again the next week, just the two of us, and although she didn't know about the Wayne family's ties to the superhero community other than the superficial, public ones, we talked about what it was like to have someone you love go out heroing and how to cope with the uncertainties of missions and what to do when they returned battered and beat up. In February, she asked me to be a bridesmaid. Bucky asked Damian to be a groomsman. Steve would be his best man, and Tony and my grandpa were the other groomsmen.

In early March, the first horses arrived. Damian liked the look of Friesian horses, and he had four of the large, lovely animals. They were rescue animals, and they needed rehabilitation. They had to put on weight and lose their fear of humans, and it would be our family project. We went down almost every day to spend time with them. We frequently saw Daniel working with his choices, a dark brown Belgian Warmblood and an almost black Selle Francais, who had been similarly abused. I'd never heard of these breeds before and I was learning a lot.

Later in the month, we hosted a summit for the senior members of the Avengers/Justice League who were on the hunt for HYDRA. I was invited as well. We hosted Aquaman and Flash again, but this time we had Superman as well. Diana was welcomed up at the main house. I asked Daniel about the change and enjoyed his blush.

But finally, it was time to learn what had been done, what intelligence had been collected, and what the next step was.