Phoenix (Nightwing X OC) #3

Chapter 54

Maria pov
I was taking a shower in our new apartment. Dick and I had been unpacking boxes all day. It was hard work with three small children.

I dried off and got dressed. Dick was setting up our home "cave," where we'd keep our suits and weapons. There were two walk in closets in the master bedroom. We were taking the smaller one and using it as our stash. I opened the door and Dick was unpacking our stuff.
"Mama?" I turned and saw Justice and Wally come Into our room.
"Hey boys." I said As Sage started crying so I went and got her. She just wanted to join in on our family time.
"Hey boys can you help me unpack these boxes?"
"Dick I don't know.  We use a lot of dangerous things, I don't really want them to be using handling them." Dick Said.
"Hey boys actually let's go finish setting your room up." I said.

I got Sage in a sling and then took both my boys and took them back to their room on the other side of the apartment. And helped Wally and Justice organize all their toys.
"Mama, can we keep this picture in here?" Justice held a small frame with a picture of Jamie, Justice and Wally all sitting in the garden. It had been taken literally days before she died.
"Yes sweetie." I said as I kissed Justice's head.

Justice was the most traumatized by Jamie's dead and he'd have to live with it for the rest of his life. Wally was still really young, he'd probably never remember Jamie, Sage definitely never would.

Justice put the frame on his and Wally's night stand. Dick came in and helped finish set up their room.

We then worked on finishing the living room and kitchen. The boys were really big help. But we eventually had to put them to bed because it was bedtime.

Dick and I then went to work on finishing our bedroom. I got the cradle and sat it on the floor next to the walk in closet Dick and I would share. And hey if we didn't have enough room we could use Sage's closet. I put Sage in the crib then dumped the box of our mixed cloths on the floor. I got the hangers and I started putting the cloths on hangers before handing them to Dick. He then hung the cloths up.

"Hey Nightwing, Phoenix need any help moving in?" Wally radioed us. Dick looked at me for approval.
"Sure we'd love a helping hand but be as quiet as you can, our kids just went to bed." I radioed.

Not even three minutes later someone knocked on our door. I got up and went and answered it. Artemis and Wally were standing in the doorway.
"Hey how are you two?" I asked as I hugged them.
"We're well. How about yourself?" Artemis asked.
"Um," I looked at the boxes that we had yet to unpack.
"We're okay." I said.
"We brought you a house warming gift." Wally ran out and returned with a laundry basket full of cleaning things.
"Thank you this will be so helpful since I don't know we're anything is." I Said As I set it in the kitchen. Dick came out of our bedroom.
"Hey," he said as he hugged our friends.
"We just put the boys down, so be as quiet as you can." I said.
"Where's Sage?" Artemis asked.
"She's asleep, but she's actually gonna be fed soon. So she'll make an appearance." I said.
"I really wanna see her." Artemis said then Sage started crying.
"I'll get her bottle," Dick said as he grabbed it from the fridge as I went and got her.

I picked Sage up and bounced her.
"Don't worry Daddy's getting your bottle." I said to her as I brought her into the kitchen. Dick slid the bottle across the counter to Artemis.
"Do you want to feed her?" Dick asked.
"I'd love to," she said. I gave her Sage and showed her how to hold her and the bottle correctly.

"She really is hungry," Artemis said.
"Yet she won't take any of my milk." I said.
"Didn't you give Jamie and Justice formula?" Artemis asked.
"I did, because their mother had gone off the deep end." Dick Said.
"I only went off the deep end after Justice was born. And it wasn't my fault. Ivy brain washed me." I said.
"I haven't heard this story." Wally said.
"So after I was freed from Belle Reve, Ivy got inside my head and let me stay with me family for about a week or so, till She made me leave and join her. Where she finished the process of making me think I was a villain." I said.
"And during that time I also got all my tattoos." I said motioning to my arms since I didn't have my amulet on.
"Are you gonna add to your tattoos?" Dick asked.
"I think so, so I may make a trip to Metropolis soon." I said.

•••

I walked down the alley towards the busy Metropolis sidewalk, I had Sage in a sling, she was chewing on my hair.

I found my way to Sugar's Tattoo parlor. I went in and Sugar was behind the counter.
"How can I help you?" He asked. I took my sunglasses off.
"Hey Sugar." I smiled.
"Let me guess another robin?" He asked.
"And a halo. And maybe one for the memory of my daughter." I said.
"Come on back." Sugar said. He did the robin first.
"What happened?" He asked.
"We were shot by assassins. We both died but I got sent back." I said.
"Wow, you beat death." Sugar said as he tattooed the halo over Jamie's robin.
"Ya I did. the day we died, Sage was born. My father in law literally had to preform a c-section on my dead body to save her." I said as I smiled at the other artist who was holding Sage.
"Wow I'm so sorry." Sugar said.
"Can I get angel wings on my ribs and under it, can it say, 'our White Angel flew home." I said.
"I can do that." Sugar said. I lifted my shirt and Sugar tattooed the angel wings and phrase on my ribs under my breast.
"Sugar,"
"hm,"
"what is your real name?" I asked.
"Most people just call me Sugar, I mean you started it and it stuck. But my birth name is James Long." He said.
"Alright James, thank you for all the tattoos." I smiled.
"You are welcome, and thank you for not killing me." He smiled.

When he finished, I left with Sage and went back to Blüdhaven.

"Hey where did you two go?" Dick asked.
"Metropolis," I said.
"Were you getting Tattoos?" He asked.
"Yes, do you wanna see?" I asked as he took Sage.
"Sure," he said.

I pulled my shirt down so he could see the new robin and halo.
"For Jamie," he asked touching the halo.
"Yes that, and this," I pulled my shirt up so he could see the angel wings. Dick studied it before giving me a hug.
"I miss her," he sobbed.
"I do too, I didn't get enough time with her." I said As I rubbed circles on his back. I had never seen Dick like this.
"Neither did I," he said.

We stood hugging each other for what felt like hours, until Sage started crying. Dick fed her as our boys came out of their room.

"Hello my babies." I said as I hugged them.
"Hi mommy," they said. I played with them for a while till I had to start on dinner.

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A/n: hope you enjoyed this chapter and the reprise of Sugar.
-Zodiac