So, my darlings, we are nearing the end. Sniff sniff. The chapters will likely be a bit shorter. That's all.

***

Raven and Damian were woken at the sound of a shout. The demoness searched for the cause of the commotion, scanning the Manor in a matter of seconds. With wide eyes, she turned to her boyfriend and ushered him, "Its Kori, her water broke!"

They scrambled out of the room, rushing to where the shouts were coming from. Kori sat on the bed in the medical bay, breathing heavily, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself. In front of her, Dick was in a state of utmost panic, waving his hands and shouting, sweating an awful mess, "TOWELS-towels- do we need towels- gave you got towels- WHERE IN THE JesusMaryLordhelpme ARE THE TOWELS?!"

Koriand'r was handed a mask to breathe in to by Alfred. She pulled it away from her face and groaned, "Shut UP Dick!"

"Right-yes-sorry of course. I'll be quiet now- quiet quiet quiet, that's me- Mr Quiet Man-"

"SHUT UP!", chorused half of the room.

The entire household stood in the medical bay, offering reassurance, fussing, and generally not being that helpful. Bruce was a pale wreck, squeezing Selina's hand so tightly she was sure he'd broken something. It was just their luck that Dick and Kori had decided to have a home birth. Alfred had accepted the duty of delivering the baby- his expertise in childbirth was just one of the many mysterious features of the butler. Now, with the whole family looking in, it seemed like he would have to play marshal as well.

"That's it- out!", he commanded. "Now."They began shuffling out of the medical bay. Alfred had to glare particularly harshly at Dick to get him to leave. He did, however, call back Raven.

They had spoken in length with Kori priorly about the ineffectiveness of human pain relievers and numbing agents on her Tamarinian physiology. Raven had the powers to sufficiently elevate the pain of childbirth, and so would be present at her side, holding her hand from which the soothing empathic waves would transfer from the demoness to Kori.

What felt like years later, after waiting in silence in the hallway, pacing a hole through the floor (and needing a supporting shoulder to hug -the unfortunate victim was Jason-), the sound of a baby crying sounded through the door and Dick laughed a strangled sort of laugh.

There and then, Bruce hugged his son, "Welcome to fatherhood.", he said, crushing the air out of Dick's lungs.

Selina pinched her boyfriend's cheek, "Oh yeah, grandpa?"

Bruce staggered, eyes wide. Grandfather. He was a grandfather. It was all fine to say a few months ago 'Bruce, you're going to be a granddad' but now....this was real. There was a crying, new born baby in the other room. Every bit his grandchild as Dick was his son -his crying, sheet-white son.

There was a round of hugs from everyone in the corridor, all rejoicing at the new addition to their increasingly growing family. Even Damian didn't protest when squashed by Jason of all people- and he barely protested when Timothy somehow ended up near him.

The door creaked open slowly, Alfred's weary face came through, followed by a disheveled frame with ruffled clothing. A smile on his face, Alfred announced to them, "You can come in- quietly. Not all at once."

There was a silent understanding- Dick first. That was his baby.

Unsure, heart hammering, Dick stepped past Alfred and in to the medical bay. Kori looked up at him with her vibrant eyes glowing brighter than ever. She sat on the bed with a bundle of fabric in her arms. Raven was at her side, her hand in a purple shower of magic as she held it above her pelvis: healing magic seeped in to Koriand'r body, instilling strength in it as well as repairing her. The demoness lost the glow in her hand and sat on the chair besides the bed, a little fatigued.

Dick looked at the demoness with nothing but gratitude, "Thank you Raven."

Kori lifted the bundle towards Dick. His hands very nearly shaking, Dick took it in his arms and sat down on the medical bed. It was so unbelievably light- the baby- and so fragile, Dick didn't know what to do with himself. He looked at the closed eyes of the tiny being in front of him, and tears welled.

"It's a girl.", Kori said, as words failed him.

They'd both discussed what they would call their baby if it were a boy or girl: Thomas, for a boy, for a girl...

"Mar'i...", Dick whispered, "hello..."

Kori giggled, "Our little Mar'i,", the baby curled its finger reflexively around her father's finger, "she likes you."

Another tiny fist fought its way through the blanket and waved in the air- like it was angry at entering the world. The baby writhed and her face grew red: that was the telltale sign. The crying began again and her little gummy mouth opened. She refused to let Dick's finger go, even stronger than the grip of a regular baby- she'd gotten that from her mother no doubt. Her hair was surprisingly thick for a newborn baby, another trait from her mother, and pure black (almost unnaturally so).

Raven explained, "She's hungry."

It was an empath thing, no one questioned it.

Alfred advised, "You had best feed her ma'am, a mother's milk is always best."

Dick handed his daughter over to his wife, he turned to Raven and Alfred, "Thank you two- so much- again, I can't express-"

"Don't,", Alfred brushed him off, "we're are a family, Master Dick."

"Yeah!", Jason shouted from the doorway. Cassandra did the honours of slapping him.

***

It was easy adjusting to life with the baby.

That was a lie. It was difficult. At least none of the Batfamily slept regularly- they weren't jolted out of sleep by night feeding calls. But the cries still echoed through the Manor, and Timothy had taken to staying over at Jason's flat: the others had a tendency to do the same, it was a space to get away from the family...now that family included a newborn, half-alien baby.

It was safe to say, Mar'i was the apple of Bruce's eye. He doted on the baby like there was no tomorrow. Tim couldn't count the amount of meetings he'd missed just because he wanted to spend more time with his granddaughter. It was almost concerning. Besides Kori and Dick, Bruce was the most territorial around her. Every person who met her, however, still swore they would kill a bitch if she were harmed (Jason and Damian swore they would kill many a bitch).

As a new member of the hero community, Mar'i had been exposed to the whole lot of them- eventually. First, two days after she was born, Kori and Dick brought her to the Titans Tower (courtesy of one of Raven's portals). Garfield was staying over for a week or so, and had joined Jaime and Donna in their 'aw'ing. Jaime had promised that he (who had recently decided to take up knitting- of all things!) would make something cute for her, possibly -most likely- a blanket. Donna was certain Mar'i would grow to be a fierce warrior and make her parents proud. For Garfield, it was proof of the prosperity to be found at the end of hardship, and the perfect end result of a loving relationship. That's what he was looking for- he had hope to one day find that, he was still so young after all.

The next in the community to meet the little bundle of human-Tamarinian adorableness, were the Supers. Clark, Jonathan, Connor, Kara and Lois (Krypto too had tagged along to meet Titus once again, and challenge him properly this time). Bruce had been reluctant, wanting to keep Mar'i away from them- he still had a his own notions about Superman...they were mostly in jest but still....

Jonathan though the baby was 'about the darnedest most cutest little thing he ever did see' but did have his own sneaking suspicions when his parents gave each other lovey-dovey eyes.

Let's say, the reaction when Mar'i was brought to the HoJ was pretty much the same. Diana swore to aid in raising the child to be a noble woman and a formidable combatant, by Athena's name she would do so. The others were less intense, cooing and wishing the best for her.

None in the Manor could deny that having the demoness there was an absolute blessing. She could tell exactly what Mar'i wanted the moment she started crying and could quieten the baby in a way only Kori could.

That is, they thought so, until the day Raven was off -volunteering at a children's event in the town hall- and Kori's magical mother's touch didn't work. She had Mar'i on her shoulder, trying to 'shshsh' her to sleep, with no success. The baby was passed over to Bruce- no change. Then Dick- if anything, she screamed louder. Let's not every mention the racket when Stephanie gave it a try.

Completely and utterly fed up at the racked disturbing his reading (this time, Moby Dick) Damian snapped, "Walek- Just give her here!"

He stood up from the sofa, set his book down, and took the screaming baby surprisingly tenderly from Stephanie's hands. Damian leant her against his shoulder, a said in a firm, quiet voice, "Now, that's enough of that."

He rubbed her back and moved in that weird bobbing, twisting way that people do when they try to calm a baby. He began to hum a tune foreign to all of their ears- no English nursery-rhyme for sure. And miraculously, Mar'i calmed right down, her small lungs taking in air and wheezing it out through a toothless mouth with only a little pink tongue that poked out when she yawned. Kori watched on in amazement as Damian lulled his niece in to a peaceful sleep in a few minutes. Those minutes past without any reaction from Damian at the looks he was getting. Bruce almost had tears in his eyes: that was his little angry Damian, all grown up and acting responsible. Damian, when her breaths had become regular and heavy, even insister that he take Mar'i to her room, and Kori shouldn't overwork herself so soon after childbirth (no matter how well Raven had healed her).

And that, ladies and gents, is called character development.

A.N:

Gah! We're so so so close to end I'm actually teary- FÜCK! Well, that was cute and fluffy- there's nothing really left but cute and fluffy. So just...enjoy my darlings!

Thank you my dears

-Bats :D