Masks

It was a cool, windy late October night. Rain pattered against the windows of Wayne Manor.

Alfred Pennyworth sat in the hall that led to Bruce's bedroom, pretending to be absorbed by his cup of tea and a book that rested in his lap. The door was closed, but thankfully, not soundproof. He'd used to wish it were, but tonight he wanted to hear what was happening.

In the king-sized bed, the dark-haired young man bit back a gasp of pain. The towels under him were damp with sweat and blood. It would have been easier to go to a hospital, but not safer. A doctor and two nurses hovered over him, doing their best to make their patient comfortable. He'd refused anesthetic. He hated feeling drugged or out of control, and he wanted to remember this--all of it.

"It's almost over, Bruce. You're doing great..." Tony took his husband's hand in his own. He didn't let himself wince as Bruce's grip tightened painfully. "Breathe, breathe with me--okay, now push--"

Tony didn't know how anyone could do this more than once. If he were the one in labor, he'd be screaming bloody murder about now. And people thought Omegas were the weaker sex? HA!

"I can see the head," the doctor said, "once more, Bruce--"

The sound of a baby's cry broke the tense silence. Tony glanced toward the foot of the bed to see the nurse holding their newborn baby... "Is it..."

"Congratulations," the man said, smiling kindly. "It's a girl. "

A moment later, Tony Stark laid a blanket-wrapped bundle in his husband's arms. "She's beautiful. Look..." the Alpha was grinning from ear to ear.

The newborn looked up at them gravely, with hazel eyes that were the same color as her Omega parent's. Bruce touched her cheek with an expression of wonder.

"Hello, Catrin," he whispered.

Tony and Bruce cuddled up in bed together, the baby in a basket between them. Tony slept only lightly, a protective Alpha's instincts telling him to guard his mate and their child.

Of course Bruce didn't normally need much in the way of protection. He wasn't a 'stereotypical' Omega. Tony pitied any fool who started a fight with Bruce Wayne, most of the time. They were usually outclassed.

He stroked their daughter's soft, dark hair; tried not to think about the future.

Days passed. They remained in seclusion as long as possible, but that wasn't long enough. Tony bit his tongue, wanting desperately to turn back the calendar. He saw the same heartache flicker sometimes in Bruce's eyes. If fame, money and influence could guarantee a child a safe, happy life growing up, they'd have been all set.

Twice in the last year, Tony had received death threats and once, an attempt on his life. He couldn't imagine how much worse it might have gotten if anyone knew that he was expecting his first child. Bruce had to deal with the same issues, he knew. Their...extracurricular activities didn't help in that regard, either. Iron Man and the Bat of Gotham had made nearly as many enemies as 'playboy Bruce Wayne' or 'eccentric Tony Stark'.

They didn't want their child to have to live in an armed fortress with bodyguards every time she left the house; to have to wonder if other children were really her friends or only hoped for a bonus from being pally with a billionaire's child. Catrin shouldn't have to live looking over her shoulder.

They could and would watch over her, but at a distance. It was the only answer that they thought might work, for her sake.

A month later, they put Catrin into the arms of a Beta woman who had no children of her own. She and her husband were overjoyed at the chance to adopt a healthy baby girl, even before they knew who the birth parents were.

"You can come see her whenever you want," Jim O'Keefe assured them. "Twice the family to love her? How's that a bad thing?"

Beside him, his wife, Alexandra, nodded vehemently.

Bruce and Tony watched as they drove away. Tony tried to put his arms around Bruce, to offer comfort, but Bruce couldn't sit still for it. He pulled away, scrubbing roughly at his face.

"Sir," Alfred chided him, putting a gentle hand on Bruce's shoulder. "You're not the only one who's in pain."

Bruce turned back to Tony, whose eyes were also suspiciously bright. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"For better or worse. Always," Tony said, letting Bruce draw him close as they clung to each other.