Bruce saw it coming from a mile away.

He didn't know why he even considered that Selina wouldn't be a coconspirator of his children.

The screams from around the corner were enough to tell him that Damian had led Bella in to trouble with Selina marching along.

"THEYRE LOOOOOOOOSE!"

The animals or my kids?

Bruce ignored the shouts. He ignored the surging sea of panicking humans. He ignored Dick frantically asking, "WHERE'S DAMIAN?". He ignored it all and pinched the bridge of his nose, practising regulating his breathing.

If these enclosures were still shut and no animals were charging towards him, everything was fine. It was fine...totally...completely...fine.

He opened his eyes and saw the tiger.

Fuck.

It's not like the elephants were out, able to trample people- oh no, wait, there it is.

Bruce didn't bother stepping out of the way, gladly embracing death by elephant...until Cassandra quietly pulled him out of the way- his feet dragging against the floor. "It's okay.", she said. "Look.", and pointed at the zookeepers closing in on the loose tiger.  Phew, one less problem to- oh no, wait, it's running right at us. Moving out of the way would be a good idea right now. But do I want to though?

Cassandra pulled Bruce out of the tiger's way. "We should find Belladonna and Damian." Bruce nodded along to the idea, letting her lead the way in the direction that the tiger (who four zookeepers were dashing after) had come from.

Fast forward a frantic search in every inclosure and inch of the zoo's grounds, and the other three members of the party had yet to be found. With half of the zoo out and about, it was impossible to tell if the culprits had stolen any creatures. And so, after Timothy's suggestion that, "Maybe they went home?", the group headed back to the Manor, travelling in signature Wayne style: three sports cars yet to be released that year, glossy, fabulous, and rich.

***

Raven looked at the seven of them expectantly.

"I got you out of there, so explain."

Belladonna rubbed the tip of her little boots in to the floor, "I really wanted to see the jaguars so Damian and aunty Selina took me and-"

"And you decided to bring them back with you.", Raven finished, raising her eyebrows at the little girl. She turned her attention to the mother jAGuAR and her three cubs currently sitting in her room: the cubs nosing around their mother, who had seen fit to start licking the back of her paw, apparently unalarmed by the complete change of environment. Raven turned to Damian then Selina, waiting for some further explanation,

Selina scratched her nose, sighed, and shrugged, "There's nothing more to it if I'm honest." Damian tilted his head and looked up, thinking, before he looked at Raven and nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much."

'Incredulous' didn't describe Raven well enough.

"To clarify: there are three jaguars in my bedroom just because.", Raven took a moment to herself, just to breathe. Azarath metrion zinth- fuck it. There are jaguars in my bedroom. THREE OF THEM. Damian called and you just HAD to help him. You could have ignored him, but noOo you HAD to help. Now look, JAGUARS.

Damian nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Three. Jaguars. In my bedroom."

Damian nodded, "Yeah, pretty much."

"Jaguars Damian, actual, real, jaguars."

"Yeah, pretty much."

She could've slapped him. "I hate you."

"No you don't.", he brushed her off with a smirk. "Quit your complaints and come see."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the big-cat and smaller-big-cats at the foot of her bed. With the apparent permission of their mother, the cubs bounced around Bella as Selina, sensing one of her own in the Catwoman. The child held back her squeals as her hands brushed over the fur of the cubs, blacker than midnight and softer than clouds.

Feelings no hostility whatsoever coming from the mother, Raven sat down by her, watching with a growing smile as one of her bumbling children approached. Eyes as vivid as Damian and his sister's, keen as Catwoman's and adventurous as every child's, the cub placed its paw on Raven's knee and looked in to her soul.

Raven melted.

Five minutes later, the mother's sleeping head lay in Selina's lap and the cubs (still brimming with energy) scampered after one of Raven's hairbands: thrown by Belladonna. The door was cautiously opened, "Miss Raven? Are you-", and the prim voice of Alfred Pennyworth cut off. Recovering, an apron around his waist and hands firmly on his hips, Alfred commanded the attention of everyone in the room, even waking the mother jaguar, "There had better be a damn good explanation for this. Master Damian you can't just bring home dangerous animals like this. First Goliath, then half the zoo, now this!"

Damian bit his lip, a smidgen ashamed at Alfred's tone; Raven was confused.

"Who's Goliath?"

Damian's mouth dropped and he knew he fucked up. Standing up, Damian held out his hands and, completely baffled himself, began, "Now Raven, I can't believe that it totally and honestly did not even occur to me that you don't know- how can I possibly explain this- ...look, it completely skipped my mind and I didn't even realise-"

"Damian.", his girlfriend stood up, eyes slits. "Spit it out."

"I have a hellhound."

*Another five minutes later*

"I mean really! A HELLHOUND Damian! An actual, living, breathing, HELLHOUND!", Raven paced in the same square metre of the Batcave, where Damian had told her to stand and 'do nothing else...but breathe'.

From a few metres away, staring in to the deep cavern, up and down at the stalagmites and stalactites, Damian tuned his head around and called back at her, "Yeah, pretty much."

He whistled twice, sharply, between two fingers and waited for a moment before doing so again.

A great gust of wind and a beating, swooping sound told of the arrival of his darling Goliath. Damian heard Raven's intake of breath as she stopped her ranting. In all his red, fearsome, furry might, Goliath towered over his boy, taking in the scent of him. In a moment, Damian was a slobbery mess, coated in Goliath's saliva.

"Aw boy I love you too.", he nuzzled his head in to Goliath's. "You didn't have to make a mess though, Tt.", he smiled, pulling away.

Hands to her mouth Raven took a deep calming breath. In...Ouuuut. She looked up at the creature of her homelands, huge, fierce and...so...fluffy.

Goliath looked behind Damian at the female. His nostrils flared and his pupils dilated. Demon. Like his boy but...more. The hellhound pushed past Damian and towards the purple demoness, sniffing and training keen eyes on her.

Raven watched him approach, all inquisitive. He perched a few centimetres from her, his eyes not leaving her, and slowly leaned forwards until he touched the tip of his big, round nose to hers.

She looked up at his big, soulful eyes and couldn't hold it in, "Ohmyholyazarathdearmotherofthenetherrealm I think I'm in love.", Raven gushed, unblinking.

Damian popped his head around Goliath's shoulder, "Should I be jealous?"

***

Alfred heard the sound of cars approaching and- setting one of the cubs down in Belladonna's lap- he announced, "That should be the returning residents.", his wispy brows drew together as he considered the jaguar family lounging in the demoness' room with Catwoman and Bruce's son (thats not something you say every day) and Alfred conceded, "I do believe I've grown too attached to surrender them to Master Bruce. I'll retrieve master Damian and miss Raven to find a place for them- God knows how many secret strays that boy's brought home.", rolling his eyes in good faith, Alfred left the room.

Having peeped his head in to the cave to call Damian and his girlfriend upstairs, Alfred made his way to the front door- and just in time too. Pulling a perfected mask of utter innocence over his widened face, Mr Pennyworth greeted his not-son, "Good afternoon Master Wayne. You'll be pleased to know Master Damian, Miss Belladonna and Miss Kyle are safely returned not too long before yourself."

Instantly the lines between Bruce's eyebrows disappeared...and reappeared a second later as he prepared to grill his children like they were kebabs. As Timothy shoved past him, Jason chasing after him, Bruce prepared himself to wrangle with his son. Stepping inside, he dodged a blonde bullet (known as Stephanie) who decided to join in killing Tim. Knowing that she's wanted it recorded, Casandra pulled out her phone while Dick half-successfully stopped their fight. Duke and Jaime took the comfortable roles of spectators. Only half successfully, because they were only quiet after Timothy was climbing on top of the fridge to escape Jason and Stephanie fell, cutting her knee: meaning Dick could shout 'TIME OUT!' and play nurse.

Meanwhile, Bruce faced off against Damian, who'd chosen a completely original tactic. "I didn't do anythinggg!"

The boy sat there, on his bed, arms folded, mouth glued shut, refusing to speak. Outside the room, Damian knew Raven stood, helping to explain the situation to Kori, with Selina. Surprisingly, neither Bruce, nor Starfire, pushed the issue after another seven minutes trying to get a confession.

The matter wasn't brought up again, surprisingly, even at dinner. Apparently, besides banning Damian and Belladonna from Alfred's cookies for a month, no further disciple was taken. As for Selina...well, Bruce resolved that situation in private.

That night, Batman was in action, draining the web of all possible information about potential items that the reptilian alien's bounty could be after. Even the Batcomputer couldn't narrow the list down to less than a thousand. Bruce considered taking a rest and seeing if Babs was up to the task, but snapped out of the mentality in an instant. Batman in the cowl...dad in the crocs. He wouldn't let his anarchist children get in the way of work- he hadn't so far, not with Dick or Jason or Tim or Stephanie or Cassandra or Duke or...Damian...?...but with Belladonna on top...

Bruce pulled his cowl back and ran his fingers through his short hair, eyes tired not from a lack of sleep, but from emotional exhaustion. Facing the glaring screen of the Batcomputer, Bruce sighed.

Ancient Aztec jewelery.....pendant... Arthurian keys...sword...etcetera etcetera . Historical items. Irrlelevant.

Recovered alien tech, on the other hand? That was of interest. This Yeiso of Yan could be after something alien fallen -or landed- on Earth. Refocusing, Batman studied the listed alien artefacts and technologies that a supposedly powerful being- almost as powerful as Darkseid- could use to possibly end the world. If he'd been searching for it in France, that meant it would have had to be moving countries: Cyborg had fount a glimpse of footage in Hong Kong of Yeiso, the apparent last survivor of a war against being able to control one itself. To even be able to battle such powerful beings, it made Bruce shudder. So much supposed strength, in a supposed madman.

It was safe to say, Batman had some experience with madmen.

Returning to the screen, scrolling through the fourth page of objects, Bruce considered abandoning the task and jumping in to the Batmobile and busting in a few jaws classic Batman-style. Alas, he couldn't. Dick and Starfire were patrolling: at her insistance because "I'm pregnant Dick, not helpless. My powers are stronger than ever with this little one."

That reminded him of his own worries. Like if, or when, Poison Ivy returned. She could take Belladonna away from him...or she could never come back and enjoy her life peaceful in exile in a forest. She was half-plant, her babies were the flowers and trees she grew at will. Could she not let Bruce have this one child. With her dark hair, winning smile and signature Wayne forehead (111 between the eyebrows at the slightest sign of confusion or trouble). Belladonna was his daughter, he couldn't imagine that being taken.

No, he could.

He'd felt that pain. That terrible, ripping, crushing pain. Like your heart is being wrenched out of your chest and steamrolled at the same time. The reminder was there every time he looked in to Damian's eyes and couldn't meet Jason's. He'd gotten them back, eventually. If Pamela came out of the blue and stole Bella away to her forests, Bruce wouldn't be able to barter with Satan for her soul or chase her to the heavens and back. She would just be gone.

Bruce shook his head. Late night depressing thoughts were counter productive. Yeiso of Yan wasn't going to make Posion Ivy take his daughter.

Back on task.

A.N:

First week of school.

Fuck this. I'm two days in and I already want to drop off a cliff. I didn't get out in inclusion for no blazer, but I will likely be next week. Coming back just reminded me how much I hate people.

Anyway that my beeswax.

I got tagged again by Demonfox3452 who is a darling, so...

1)I don't know....I once got chased by a sheep.

2)My naana's mahshi. Syrians+ Lebos will relate.

3)Ohkayy....that takes me back...either Percy Jackson or Harry Potter. Speaking of, I'm rereading PJO for the billionth time and i love it so mucchhh.

5) that's my business sis

6) DAMIRAEEEE

7)13 December

8)Failure, bees, wasps, bees, wasps

9) that's my business sis😉

10)I don't know okayyyyy! Let's just say it's Waiting for Superman by Daughtry (to piss of Batman😂). Seriously though, currently anything from NFR by the queen Lana.

11)To read fanfics...yeah...pretty much... then I decided to write

12)DONT fücking do that to me. Go away.

13)I'm not like that so here's a random tag

AMultiFandom_hoe
dcdweeb
JamesDyson123
devilinyoureye
annwesha_paith

I'm not going to do 20, and I'm sorry if I tagged you or didn't. I just pressed random letters and went with that. Don't feel obliged to do anything.

-Bats :)