Legend

I was on my way out to go to work when Alfred hailed me, a slight perturbation on his normally placid face. "I apologize for the interruption as you are leaving for work, Miss Alex, but Master Damian is...fractious this morning. I wondered if you'd try to speak to him?"

I can't turn Alfred down. So I hiked up to the third floor and walked in on Bruce looking like he'd like to nail his son in the head with the bottle of cough syrup. The bed was a wreck, all the sheets pulled loose and crumpled. Damian was swearing at his father, he was clutching the antibiotics bottle like he was going to throw it at his father. The gist was that he didn't like the taste of the medication.

I was tired, and when I'm tired I'm often cranky. "Damian Thomas Wayne, put that thing back where you found it, or so help me..." I said, very firmly. In my mom's Mom Voice. He glared at me but his hand inched toward the night stand. "Don't you be saying things like that to your father, who is trying to help you, idiot," I directed. Ok, it might have been more like 'bellowed.' Bruce also shut his mouth, which he'd opened to yell. I took the little cup of the medication from him, pinched Damian's nose shut, and poured the medicine in his mouth when he opened it to breathe. He choked it down and started swearing again.

"You're not my mother," he said bitterly.

"No, I am your beloved, and by God you'd better start acting like it. Your mother has a lot to answer for." I pointed at the bathroom. "Get up and go clean up," I directed forcefully. There were splashes of cough syrup on his chest. "Put on a tshirt so that you don't get a chill. Now!" Sulkily, he got up and trudged toward the bathroom. I smacked the little cup down on the nightstand and tossed the covers off the bed. There were no fitted sheets in the manor; Alfred made the beds the old-fashioned (and military way) with flat sheets. I'd learned how to do that as well from Uncle Bucky because I liked the look of the pleats on the corners of the mattress. When Damian shuffled back out, looking slightly wary, I was just finishing the bottom sheet. Bruce looked between us speculatively and Alfred stood in the doorway, watching the situation unfold. I fluffed and arranged the pillows so that he'd be slightly inclined for help with breathing, then waited until Damian stopped coughing to point to the bed. With ill grace, he pulled on an old t shirt and stretched out. I flicked the top sheet over him and tucked the sheets in, using all of Uncle Bucky's tricks to keep the sheet firm and tight. Then I shook the blanket out and spread that across the bed, then had Bruce help me shake out the comforter, fold it in half, and place it across the lower half of the bed. I inspected my work; Damian was neatly mummified under the sheet and for once he wasn't saying anything.

"Now, you listen to me, young man," I said, channeling my mom and stringing together her oldies but goodies. I'd have to tell her about this, she'd get a kick out of it. God help me, I actually shook my finger at him. "Today you will rest. You will take your medication when it is given to you without profanity of any kind, in any language, and you will be grateful that there are people who care enough to want to see to your comfort. If you cannot say something nice, you will not speak. Believe it or not, you aren't that ill or you would be in the hospital. You will survive this unless you provoke somebody to beat your head in. If you want to be treated like a grown up, you will act like one. You may not be aware, but there are people who have real troubles today, like Dick and Barbara, who were victims of the S'mores killer last night. They made it out with minor injuries, but others were not as lucky. There are 27 confirmed dead, almost 20 still in the hospital this morning, and many more were treated and released." He looked shocked. "If you can manage to behave with a semblance of manners, this afternoon you may have your phone or your tablet." I saw Alfred nod out of the corner of my eye. "Do I make myself clear? You will adjust your attitude, or I'll do it for you." Damian, looking a little cowed, managed to free one arm from the sheet and grip the top of it, nodded. I had no idea how to adjust his attitude; Mom's threats had always been sufficient to inspire the necessary degree of change in J and me. I grasped Bruce by the arm and steered him out, sweeping up Alfred in the process and closing the door behind me.

We started down the stairs. "Thank you, Miss Alex," Alfred said approvingly.

"I have turned into my mother," I sighed. Bruce laughed.

"You mother is a fine woman," he said, and I smiled.

"There are worse people to turn into," I agreed, and at the door, Alfred handed me my briefcase.

"I bought some Otter Pops on my way home yesterday," I told him thoughtfully. "Damian said once that he'd had the flu as a kid and he'd liked them then. I thought they might help soothe his throat from the irritation caused by the coughing. I'm sorry, I forgot to put them in the freezer, they're still in the bag in my room. If he's good, this afternoon maybe he can have a treat." Alfred smiled.

"I remember that," Bruce sighed. "Fortunately, he wasn't a sickly kid. This is actually not as bad in comparison."

"I get that he had a crappy childhood and he was borderline psychotic," I shook my head. "But he is no longer that little boy and this type of behavior is unacceptable."

"I believe that he is learning that lesson," Alfred murmured, holding the door for me. "We shall follow your lead, Miss Alex." I said goodbye and trotted down to my car. I was going to be a little late.

Today I had the younger Avengers as well as Quicksilver, Sif, and Hogun. Little Magni sat in on his mother's lessons and I always made a little time to speak to the boy. Asgardians developed slower than human kids, so while he was in his teens, he was developmentally and physically about five years old. A very large five, but still very young. I knew better than to teach a kid to punch, but I'd taught him a couple of blocks. He was happy to be included, and Thor had said that a warrior's training should start early.

"I have no idea how warrior's training proceeds on Asgard," I said to Sif, "but perhaps you could start him on that path yourself. He's Thor's heir, he'll be getting into his share of fights."

"Boys do begin training about Magni's age," she said thoughtfully. "We spend so much time here on Midgard that I believe it has slipped Thor's mind. I do not know if I am the best teacher for him, however. Women are traditionally not weaponsmasters."

"As you pointed out, you're on Midgard," I said briskly. "And Lady Sif is a noted warrior. If you want to do it, there shouldn't be any problems. Although I'd start him on wooden practice weapons, liability and all. You train him in traditional Asgardian methods, since he'll be commanding Asgardian troops in the future, and as he grows, we'll teach him Midgardian hand-to-hand methods." I smiled and looked at her. "Mothers have much to teach their kids. As Magni learns from his, he will also learn not to underestimate women and to value their contributions. Your impact on the future of Asgard can also be subtle and wide ranging." She smiled.

After training, I gave Bruce's paperwork to Tony and Bucky at the beginning of my time in the simulator and let them review it while I tackled a fiendishly difficult test. I ended up having to ditch my car in the river. Shit. It was actually the best outcome, but it didn't mean I liked having to trash my car, even in a simulator. Bucky just nodded and brought up a different challenge. After practice was over, they'd decided to behave as if this was in fact the first indication of an impending incursion and to start preparing the Avengers. Bucky was going to review what was known about the Kree and Skrulls and we'd develop a training program to attack their vulnerabilities.

"The Skrulls are pretty much as easy to fight as another human," Bucky said. "The trick is to identify them when they're all dressed up as humans. The Kree are a different matter. They're very tough, and difficult to bring down."

"I could take a look if you have reports on their physiology," I volunteered. "I can probably provide a different perspective." Bucky smiled and said he'd dig up the work done on them after the first and second invasion attempts.

"I'll reach out to the Justice League, other groups of heroes, the street heroes, our government contacts," Tony said on a sigh. "With more warning we can plan more effectively. Evacuation, deployment of the National Guard, revise our tactics and strategy. Ugh. Groups. I prefer to set things up myself." Bucky and I smiled.

"No reason you can't make the first proposals, send them out prior to your meetings, let everybody think it over and come up with their own ideas," Bucky said practically. "Cut down the time that's needed for meetings."

"There might be a few refinements they can come up with," Tony agreed, and we went upstairs. Bucky went to talk to Emma about the problem and Tony and I went on to the lab. We were ready to test Emma's new gold electrodes, and since data would take awhile to collect, we wanted to get to it. We spent the afternoon fussing and tweaking here and there, then were ready to let the experiment run overnight.

"Fingers crossed," I said as we finished. He grinned at me.

"Science before superstition," he said mockingly. I leaned over and tapped his head with my knuckles.

"Knock wood," I said lightly, and he rolled his eyes.

As I pulled up to the mansion, I wondered how Damian was doing. I hadn't gotten any texts, emails, or phone calls, so maybe, just maybe he'd stopped swearing. Alfred met me at the door and took my briefcase. "Master Damian has spent a fairly silent day," he told me. "Almost meek, one might say. As a consequence, he was allowed his tablet this afternoon and rewarded with two Otter Pops." I smiled. "Master Bruce will be delayed at work and will not be here for supper. Master Dick and Miss Barbara have indicated an interest in an earlier supper so they can take a nap before going out to investigate this evening. If that's not convenient for you--"

"Oh no, Alfred, that'll be fine. I just want to go up and check on Damian first."

He nodded. "Dinner will be served in forty minutes, Miss Alex."

I stopped off in my temporary quarters, changing quickly, then ghosting up to the third floor. I slipped through the slightly opened door to behold Damian asleep, looking surprisingly angelic. I smiled, a little unwillingly. What a brat he could be. Winston was curled around his head benignly; it was difficult to tell in this light where his fur ended and Damian's hair began. It was an odd look, what with Winston's bright copper eyes gleaming at me. Damian's tablet was resting against his chest, as if he'd fallen asleep while reading it, and an empty Otter Pop plastic sleeve was clutched in his other hand. I smiled slightly and delicately removed it from his grip. Winston meeped serenely at me and I took a moment to pet. His rumbling purr woke Damian, who looked around groggily and lifted his hand to explore what was going on on top of his head. He smiled slightly when he touched Winston, then his face turned anxious when he saw me. He inhaled deeper than he wanted, which set off a coughing fit. Winston sat up and withdrew a little to my side of the bed.

After he got his breath back, he issued a very contrite apology for his bratty behavior. I smiled and sat down next to him, taking his (slightly sticky from the Otter Pop) hand. "Did you apologize to Alfred too?" He nodded.

"I'll get Dad the next time that I see him." We talked for a bit until it was time for me to go down for dinner and his eyes started to close again. Winston curled up by his side as I left. Down at dinner, Dick congratulated me for forcing humanity on his brother.

"You didn't know him then, Alex," Barbara said, shuddering as she tucked into shepherd's pie. "So arrogant, acting so superior. Not a shred of humility, the demon spawn. It's a miracle none of us killed him. It was only Bruce's insistence and the fact that he really was pretty good at a lot of things that saved him."

"What was he good at?" I asked, spooning my share onto my plate. Yum. And Alfred didn't skimp on the fluffy mashed potato topping, I was glad to see.

"He's a legitimate business genius," Dick said between mouthfuls. "He got full training from the League of Assassins so he could take over Wayne Enterprises, one way or another. He could actually run Wayne Enterprises better than Bruce does, if he wanted. I don't think he actually needed to get his MBA because it doesn't seem like he learned much new stuff, but credentials and honors are reassuring. He has the board of directors wrapped around his little finger, has since before he was a teenager." He shook his head. "And he was a really good Robin, when I was acting as Batman. Knew a lot about criminology and criminalistics, other topics, a highly skilled fighter. And of course, he's never lacked for self-confidence." He sighed.

"He used to be able to mimic voices perfectly," Barbara added. "Fooled even the bat cave computer. Not as well since he hit puberty, though. But his grandfather wanted a worth heir to his criminal empire, and Talia was responsible for that. Ra's accepted her as his second in business, both legal and illegal, but he's always thought that her sex was a defect, so Talia needed a son. Bruce was thought to be the one man worthy of the 'honor' of a dynastic alliance with the house of al Ghul. Well, we all know how THAT turned out. He had a very hard life under the League of Assassins, nature took a hell of a beating by nurture. And later, she tried to use Damian against Bruce, get him on her side, help her win Ra's's good graces, and then put a bounty on Damian when he didn't comply." She scowled.

"How much?" I asked, taking another bite.

"Half a billion dollars," she said factually, and I accidentally inhaled a pea. "It was a bid to get Damian back, but it just pissed him off and he repudiated her. But she's never given up on the thought of regaining his cooperation, and if you guys have kids, that'll be another handle for her to try to grasp," she warned me.

"Something to think about," I mumbled around my mouthful. And it was. I'd never considered the ramifications of kids vis a vis the entirety of Damian's family.

"Although on that note, have you guys thought about kids yet? Barb and I will babysit," Dick assured me.

"We've only been together a few months," I said, swatting at him. "Geeze. If you want kids, why don't you guys look into that?" I asked, as we batted at each other like Winston and Grayson did.

"Yeah, but you've been friends for a long time and you tolerated him in high school, so seriously, little kids cannot possibly be worse," he said, and Barbara laughed, but it sounded a little forced. "It's obvious that you're a team and that you're around for the long haul."

I gave him a special look. "Dick, you have also described you and Barbara. Perfectly." He flushed red.

"And how was work today, Miss Alex?" Alfred inquired blandly, and I told them more than they could possibly want to know about algae. God. I can't help myself sometimes. Somebody shows an interest in my work and I make them regret it. Sorry. So sorry.

"So you could use algae to power electrical equipment?" Dick asked, his flush fading.

"Small things, small lights, maybe some sensors, the more energy efficient the better," I agreed. "But it would take a really big box of algae right now, and it's not even to the demonstration phase yet. And there's a power storage problem; the activity that we use is photosynthesis, which takes place during the day. Can't generate it at night." I pondered that a moment. "I wonder if you could use bioluminescent plants or jellyfish?" I fell silent and contemplated that. I wished for once that Alfred didn't have a "no cell phones" policy at the table. I wanted to text Tony about that. "Vibrio fischeri? Photobacterium leiognathi? What has luciferase?"

"What's that?" Barbara asked.

"An enzyme that catalyzes light emitting reactions. Can we use that artificially? But the point is to use the whole organism, make a self-replicating system..." I ate mechanically. I couldn't wrap my head around it all. I needed to toss it to Tony, get him thinking about it, then we'd brainstorm after I had enough time to mash ideas around in my head. I managed to put it aside long enough to enjoy the cookies for dessert and pay attention to my tablemates, hearing about their day, having some advice about being burned out for Barbara and Dick. Alfred was contemplating a kitchen garden, but the one he'd planted before had been overrun by bugs and he hadn't wanted to use chemical pest control.

As I trudged up the stairs, I phoned Tony and left a message about my new enthusiasm. By the time I got to our suite, I'd moved on. I drew Damian a nice hot bath with lots of steam to help the congestion in his chest and put some eucalyptus and menthol bath salts in too. I teased him about the posters in his old room and he blushed. I was glad that he'd shed his brat and was back to the Damian I knew and loved. He snorted when I told him that we had babysitters already for our nonexistent kids.

"They were engaged once, but they called it off when he helped Bruce get his memories back after being killed. Don't know why they haven't gotten engaged again. He's never loved anybody they way he loves her, and both of them have been engaged to other people."

"Oh, really?" I asked, interested.

"Yeah, he was actually at the altar with Kory, you might know her as the alien hero Starfire, but that was ruined and Dick realized that he didn't love her enough. He does love his redheads," Damian said, diverted, and smiled at me. "Good thing you're a brunette, I'd hate to have to kill him. Barbara was engaged to a detective, but they broke it off, never knew why." He coughed. "But if they want kids, they'd better get started. Dick's in his 30's and Barbara is a little older. And before I forget, not to change the subject, Dad told me that your brother's going to be in the city between semesters. Is he going to stay in the tower? Because I thought it would be a good chance to spend some time with him, get to know him a little better if he stayed here." He smiled at me. "Plus you're still upset with him and it might be good to have some time with him to work it out." We talked about that as he got out of the tub and I went to get him some fresh jammies. He was weaker than usual, so I let him lean on me as we walked back to the bed. This time I just covered him with the sheet rather than aggressively tucking him in.

"Whew. I thought I'd never get out this morning," he joked. "You're very creative with your punishments for bad behavior, Sweet Pea."

"You might want to remember that," I said, fluffing his pillows some more. We held hands as we talked, but I could see he was fading again, and he coughed dispiritedly. I gave him his last dose of medication for the night and took his temperature. It was still up, but not as much as before. Coming back from the bathroom where I'd refilled his water pitcher, the door opened and Bruce and Alfred entered. Alfred spied me and took the pitcher, setting it down on the nightstand and fussing over things a bit. Bruce was looking at his son askance, but it soon melted as Damian apologized for his conduct. I smiled. Bruce smiled. Alfred looked around benevolently. Damian coughed and told his dad that J ought to stay here during his visit. Bruce turned to me immediately.

"Of course he's welcome here, Alex. This is your home now and your family is always welcome." Alfred concurred, adding that he was curious to meet my brother, although this being Alfred, he was more circumspect about admitting that. So I texted J right there and got an enthusiastic text back accepting the offer. All three men looked pleased, then I gently urged Bruce and Alfred out the door so Damian could rest. I left the door open a crack so that the pets could go in and out. Maybe his dog would hog the bigger bed. As we went down the stairs, Hestia and Grayson were headed up. Hestia seemed to have adopted the smaller cat.

In the library, Alfred served nightcaps as Bruce urged his adopted son and Barbara to stay as long as they wanted. It struck me that just like Damian wanted to hoard animals, Bruce wanted family close. I half-listened to them talk; both Barbara and Dick were shaken by the experience, understandably. I got an email back from Tony that made me smile. He said it sounded interesting and that I should get to work on it. So much for collaboration, I thought, appreciating his confidence in me. At first I thought it was going to be a huge big problem, but I was going to approach it similarly to the way we'd approached the algae and take it from there. I'd need to start the research tomorrow. After some additional socialization, I went to bed a little early.

The next afternoon, I was staring at the ceiling as I worked through part of my problem, but put my feet down and sat up as Tony came in. "I've got a kid for you," he said impatiently when I looked at him, and hovering by the door was indeed a teenager. "We need somebody down here to maintain the tanks, do the cleaning, make the solutions, feed the things. So we have a lab assistant. She's from your old high school and is going to work around eight-ten hours a week. Have you seen the data from last night?" I had, and I'd set up another test quickly so we could compare the results from artificial versus natural light. He beelined out, and I introduced myself to the girl, who informed me that her name was Madison. She seemed quiet and reserved, which would make her a good fit in my estimation, and I showed her around the lab. I'd have to get her a little desk or something. We didn't have a break room up her for her to store her stuff. I got her started washing some glassware that we'd let pile a bit and fired off a request for the desk, a computer, and a nice desk chair to the appropriate departments before returning to work. Madison left a little before I did, and I stopped by the library on the way home and picked up a few holds I'd placed. I thought that Damian and I could discuss our first project in the conservatory, an herb garden for Alfred.