Nightwing finished making Jinx's and Shirley's teas before taking his coffee to the roof.
A minute later, Shirley arrived and saw Raven meditating. She smiled and made Rita a cup of coffee before getting to work on breakfast. Rita and Jinx walked in, quietly laughing and all three spoke.
Rita began telling them a story about Changeling when he was younger as Shirley made biscuits and Jinx fixed Cyborg's coffee.
Jinx finished and took her tea to go, snickering about her grass green gaming friend on the way.
"Okay, Nana." Rita set her coffee mug aside. "What are you making with your famous biscuits?"
"I'm frying up eggs and country ham (tofu bacon for our Gar)." Shirley said smugly. "Lola told me they have a bunch of jam from canning this harvest so there's sweet and savory."
"I cannot wait to eat." Rita was dead serious.
"Me either." Cyborg yawned as he stepped into the room, flipping through the newspaper.
"Good morning, Bugs." Shirley held her face out so he'd kiss her cheek. "How'd you sleep?"
"Mornin, Nana. Your grandson kept me up."
"Did he now?"
"Yeah, Marco screamed every three hours."
"I'm sorry to hear that, baby. Is something going on?"
"Hey, Ms. Rita." He grabbed his coffee and took a sip. "I don't know what his problem is. He reminds me of his brother. He just wants to be held."
"Good morning, Cyborg." Rita murmured. "I'm sorry to hear about your son. I thought things were going well with you. When Clark was complaining about Conner last night, you didn't say anything."
"There's not much to complain about. He wakes up screaming for food then screams for about half an hour then goes to sleep. Wakes up two and a half hours later to do it all over again."
"That's odd."
"Do you and Lola hold him while he's doing all this screaming?" Shirley asked.
"She won't let us." Cyborg began fixing Starfire's tea and Christopher's orange juice. "She's determined to break him like she did Cal."
"He's not a wild stallion. She didn't break him."
"He can't get away with nothin."
"I had your mother trained from an early age." She washed her hands before putting the biscuits in the oven.
"And she married a corpse..."
"Stop that. Your mother was a good person and a good woman. I didn't have to approve of her choice but it was her choice. I don't know what she saw in your biological father but there wouldn't be a you without him so I'm grateful."
He smiled warmly. "Thanks, Nana. I guess I can be grateful, too. I happen to like living."
"I know that's right!"
#happyholidays
The doorbell rang after training so a still sweaty Changeling went to answer it. It was Melvin, Timmy and Teether. "Hey, guys!"
"You stink." Timmy said straightaway.
"I smell like a man." Changeling's voice dropped as he flexed.
Teether laughed. "I wanna smell like a man!"
"Well come on up and I'll put you to work!"
Melvin wrinkled her nose as her brothers cheered. "Where's Raven and the kids?"
"You don't want to smell like a man, Melvin?" Changeling teased.
"I'm a girl."
He smirked. "Need help bringing your stuff in?"
"Are you trying to say I'm not a girl?!"
"You definitely have girl brain."
"And what is that supposed to mean?!"
"Stop being so upset. Nana made biscuits for breakfast and there's plenty left over. You won't get any if you keep up that."
Melvin wanted to argue further but she did want biscuits. "Nana made them?"
"Yup. She made sandwiches with them but we ate all the savory ones."
"Changeling!" All three whined.
"She made sweet ones with jam and fresh cream."
Teether drooled. "I want that."
"Then I suggest you get in."
The kids grabbed their bags and Changeling helped with the gifts. They went up to the bedrooms and settled in before going up to the top floor.
"Nana!" The trio yelled.
"How are my children?!" Shirley was just as loud.
They ran to give her hugs. "How are you?!"
"I'm great now that I've gotten to see my love bugs!" She rocked with each hug.
"Nana, you're going to love my present." Teether told her.
"And you're going to love my present." She tapped his nose.
He grinned.
Melvin went over to the playpen. "Hi, Bas! Hi, Marco! Where's Cal?"
"Probably in the bath." Changeling was in the kitchen, looking for food.
"Why's he taking a bath in the morning?"
"He worked up a sweat, training."
"Training?! He's two!"
"Yeah but he needs to strengthen his powers. He's not doing too much though." He brought out the leftover whipped cream and jam.
"That's insane."
"Everyone should know how to control their powers."
"I guess. Is that the biscuits?"
Changeling looked up, having forgotten he enticed them with bread. "No."
"Changeling!"
"Fine! Yes, it's biscuits."
"What are you doing, Gar?!" Shirley raised her voice.
Changeling stilled but Melvin smirked. "He's trying to keep me away from the biscuits!"
"Don't have me come in there and knock some sense into you! Share those biscuits with that baby!"
Melvin stuck her tongue out at the green shapeshifter as he sulked. "Yes, Nana."
#happyholidays
Nightwing picked up his communicator with one hand while still trying to smash buttons with his other. "Nightwing here."
"What are you doing?"
His concentration broke and he looked at his device. A loud screeching was heard and he looked back at the TV screen. His car was careening wildly away from the finish line. "Aww man."
"Are you not paying attention to me?!" Bruce Wayne (Batman) demanded.
Nightwing made a sound before giving him his attention. "What?"
"There's been a... situation with Damien."
"What'd you do to him?"
"Why do you automatically assume it was something I did?! Selina, Alfred and Tim are all here!"
"Who said I meant you as in you singularly?"
Bruce narrowed his eyes.
"What happened?" Nightwing smirked.
"He has a rash that won't go away and his idiot pediatrician refuses to answer our calls."
"Is it because you call every two minutes?"
"Richard!"
Nightwing chuckled. "Your best bet is to talk to Bumble Bee. I think she was a doctor in another life."
Bruce just looked at him.
"I'll get her." Nightwing rolled his eyes before lifting his voice. "Hey, Bumble Bee?! Are you still in here?!"
"Yeah, I'm here." She floated behind him.
"I forget how fast you are." He held out his communicator. "He has a problem."
"A?" She took the device.
Nightwing burst out laughing. So did everyone listening.
Bruce cleared his throat.
"Alright, what's going on?" Bumble Bee went back to her seat at the kitchen table.
"Damien has a rash."
"Where?"
"On his bottom." Bruce's color rose.
"Where specifically? The cheeks, the crack, near the crotch, where?"
Bruce would never admit to being embarrassed but he'd never spoken to someone like this. Well his doctor but that was embarrassing, too. "The cheeks."
"Okay, it could be nothing or it could be a diaper rash."
"A diaper rash? What is that?"
"A diaper rash is where the baby gets a rash from the diaper it's in not being changed often enough. A baby can't sit in its own mess for too long."
"You mean we're not changing his diaper enough?"
"Yes. There's a diaper brand that boasts that the baby will sleep through defecation and urine but that's not the best idea during the night. You need to change your baby often. It's easy to do during the day but at night, you're trying to sleep. A baby shouldn't be soiled for eight hours."
He grimaced. "So what do I do?"
"There's diaper rash cream at any drugstore. Put it on the area and keep it clean. Keep changing his diaper and applying the cream. It'll go away on its own."
Bruce took a breath. "You're a lot easier to talk to than Dr. Morret."
"He might just be burnt out on other patients. Or it might be you. Some of this stuff is common sense but people act brand new when they have a newborn. It can drive a person to drink."
"We're calling him too much, aren't we?"
"Probably."
"Then what should we do? Isn't that the point of a doctor? To ask questions about your health?"
"Whenever you get the urge to call him, take a minute to breathe. Then go through a mental checklist. Is Damien fed, is he wet, is he tired, is he gassy? Make sure that you go through that checklist to see if there isn't anything you can fix on your own. Then you call your doctor."
Bruce frowned. "You're very skilled at this."
"Came from a big family." She lifted a shoulder.
"I never thanked you for feeding him on Thanksgiving."
"No problem. Though he gnawed on me."
Jinx, Terra and Starfire giggled.
"Nonetheless, I thank you." Bruce ignored them. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yeah, adopt me." Bumble Bee joked.
Bruce shrugged. "Done."
Everything in the room stopped. They all turned to look at Bumble Bee, who looked shocked herself. "What?!"
"I can adopt you."
Bumble Bee's brain kept misfiring like a Packard from the 1950s. "You want to adopt me?"
"It'll be easy enough." He bobbed his head. "Both of your parents are deceased and you're an adult so I won't need to jump through as many hoops. Plus I'm rich so that'll definitely grease the wheels. I got the boys very easily. Even Tim and his father is alive."
Nightwing sped over. "What are you up to? Why do you want to adopt her?"
"I'm not "up to" anything. I've been thinking about this for a while. Adopting more children. Preferably a female. I thought I could start over with Damien but he's proving to be difficult and you three refuse to let go of the past. I need a child that'll see me in a better light. Besides, every man should have a daughter to spoil."
"I do." Clark and Changeling said in unison.
"See? If a backwoods Kentucky country boy can father a daughter, I can."
"You know what?!" Clark's eyes glowed.
"Calm down. It's nothing personal."
That surprisingly didn't calm Clark down.
Nightwing gave a heavy sigh. "Clark aside, she had a father. A human father."
"What are you trying to say?" Bruce demanded.
"That she doesn't want a reptile for a daddy!" Clark steamed.
"I'm not a reptile, you country bumpkin!"
"Stop calling me a bumpkin, you over privileged spoiled brat!"
"What is happening here?" Changeling was confused.
"Are you two done flirting or can I talk?" Bumble Bee raised a brow.
Both "mature" men flushed. "I am not flirting with him!"
"Your verbal foreplay is revealing but nobody wants to hear it."
Clark's jaw dropped before he snapped it closed. He pointed at her and moved his finger. "You're bad."
Nightwing peeked at his communicator in Bumble Bee's hand. Bruce's face made him light up internally. He wrapped an arm around Bumble Bee. "Please be my sister. I need you."
"Are you going to be Grandfather's daughter?" Christopher asked.
Bumble Bee cupped his chin. "We'll see."
"Aside from your defamation of character,-"
"I didn't say anything about your character but I could." She interrupted Bruce.
He huffed. "I like to surround myself with honest, intelligent people-"
"Honest?" Nightwing piped up.
"Yes!"
"You taught us to lie."
"Can I talk to her?!"
Nightwing raised his hands and walked away.
Bruce huffed again and started again. "I like to surround myself with honest, intelligent people. The boys are bright (mostly)-"
Nightwing turned sharply.
"And I would like very much for you to be my daughter. I'm very aware of your situation and I know you've been fatherless for quite some time. I haven't perfected being a father-"
Clark snorted.
Bruce's eye twitched. "But I will be the best I can be. I make it a mission to keep my word. I give you my word that I will be a better father to you than I was to the boys. What do you say?"
Bumble Bee was quiet and everyone leaned in to hear what she'd say when she opened her mouth. "As long as you adopt Jinx, too."
"Jinx?"
"Jinx?!" The others looked at the pink haired heroine.
"Me?!" Jinx was surprised.
"Yes, you." Bumble Bee nodded.
Bruce thought it over quickly. "Alright. Two for the price of one."
"What?!"
"That came out wrong." He said immediately.
Nightwing brightened at hearing a fearful, humble tone from the man.
"What do you say, Jaybird?" Bumble Bee looked at her.
"A chance to be Batman's daughter?!" Jinx scoffed. "Of course I say yeah!"
"Then I accept your proposal." Bumble Bee told Bruce.
Who nodded. "My lawyer will get on that."
"Wait!" Jinx threw out a hand. "Since you're doing this and I totally won't ask for any more favors but can you give us a recommendation for Social Services?"
"Social Services? For whom?"
"Kid and I are trying to adopt."
Bruce thought it over. "It wouldn't be a hardship. I fear I don't know too much about women so your presents will be late and generic."
"Presents? What presents?" Bumble Bee was confused.
"Your Christmas presents."
"What?"
"I do provide for those under my protection. Ask Dick. If he wasn't so proud, he'd get more but I fully intend to treat you as if you'd come from my own DNA. You will receive Christmas presents."
"Oh my goodness!" Jinx was super happy and Sebastian's powers fed off her energy.
"No." Bumble Bee put a pin in that. "We don't need your money."
Jinx could have cried.
"Mommy!" Calvin pulled on her jeans. "Presents!"
"Stop that." Bumble Bee tapped his nose. "If we do this, I'm looking for an emotional connection; not a sugar daddy."
"What's a sugar daddy?" Charlotte wanted to know.
"A man that gives you money and buys you things but isn't your father or family member."
"Oh. But he's going to be your daddy now, right? Can't you take presents from your daddy?"
"Ha!" Jinx threw herself on Bumble Bee, nearly sending both of them to the floor. "She's got you there! Stop blocking! I want presents!"
Rita and the girls snickered.
"Fine." Bumble Bee rolled her eyes. "If you still want her for a reason I can't fathom, you can buy her presents but not us."
"Mommy?" Calvin's bottom lip trembled and his eyes watered.
"Who do you get this from?!" She huffed. "If you want to get Cal and Marco things, I guess that's a grandparent's prerogative but I don't need anything."
Bruce was completely amused, even if he didn't show it. "You sound like Dick."
"That's not so bad. I've always wanted a big brother."
Nightwing rubbed the back of his head. "I've always wanted a sister. I thought Raven would be it but she had to get another father-"
"Richard!" Raven glared at him.
"But you're pretty awesome, Bee. I have to warn you though, you're getting him. And Jason and Tim. And now Damien and Selina. But you get Alfred."
"Alfred is amazing." Bruce agreed.
"Alright." Bumble Bee smiled. "I don't know how to go about getting adopted so I'll leave everything up to you. Make sure Damien gets the cream. And ask someone at a toy store what's appropriate for a two year old and a ten week old. I'm not trying to have my children die."
Bruce nodded. "I can contact my lawyer today but proceedings probably won't start until Monday. I'll contact you tomorrow to wish you a Merry Christmas then I'll call you then to let you know what steps we're taking."
"Okay."
"Bye, new Daddy!" Jinx teased.
Bruce turned an interesting shade of prune as he couldn't quite wrap his mind around that. "Batman signing off."
Bumble Bee waved before closing the communicator and giving it back to Nightwing. "Your dad's weird."
"He's going to be your dad soon." Nightwing took it and put it away. "I'm sorry now."
"I'm not!" Jinx got up to dance. "I got a rich new daddy! I got a rich new daddy!"
Everyone chuckled at her antics before Clark stroked his chin. "I know I may be late but adopting is much more legal than surrogate."
"What do you mean?" Alan asked.
"I mean I have three children but if something happened to me today, only Conner will get anything from my estate. I don't have much but I'd like all of my children cared for and my grandchildren, too."
Alan nodded. "I understand."
"What does that mean?" Changeling wondered.
"It means that I want to look into adopting you and Kori." Clark said lightly.
"Really? Can you do that? Steve is my adoptive father."
"He'd just have to sign his rights away."
Rita sighed. "He'd probably do it."
"Really?!" Changeling grew excited. "Alright!"
Starfire clapped gaily. "I am very much happy with this news! Brother and I will truly be yours?"
"Yes, you will." Clark smiled.
"What do you say, Stone?" Alan elbowed him. "Want to make this official?"
Cyborg laughed. "I don't know. My dad might not sign."
"I can convince him." Alan was sure. "I'm very persuasive."
"If you think you can." Cyborg held his hand out.
Alan slapped it before using it to come in for a hug. "This is great!"
Rita pouted before brightening. "Starfire...?"
"Yes, Brother's mother?" Starfire looked over from hugging Clark happily.
"If you haven't found a mother you really like, I'm available." Rita traced a shape onto the table.
Starfire frowned in confusion. "I do not understand. You are available?"
"To be your mother." Rita tried to play it cool.
It was quiet exactly three seconds before Starfire let out a superhuman scream and torpedoed into Rita. "Yes! Yes! I have always wished for a closeness between my mother and myself! We can go to the mall of shopping and paint our nails and practice hair styling rituals and-!"
"Yes, Starfire!" Rita laughed and patted her back. "We can do all of that but you have to let me breath so I can live to."
Starfire backed away before hugging her again. "Christopher and this new bumgorf will have a grandmother!"
Bumble Bee made a considering face. "Well I can ask my mom if she wants to adopt Nightwing and Jinx. I mean if we all have the same father, we might as well have the same mother."
"Really?" Nightwing was a bit blown away. He could have a mother again?
Jinx hugged Bumble Bee. "Thanks, Bee."
"No problem." Bumble Bee rubbed her back.
Alan slung an arm around Terra. "What do you say, little lady? Bruce was right. Every man needs a little girl."
Terra burst into tears and hugged him. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"I feel a little left out." Kid Flash told Raven.
"You already have someone and I have two parents already." She reminded him. "I think they need this."
He lifted his shoulders. "I'm happy for Slowpoke. For all of them."
Raven watched her husband converse with his parents and sister. "Me too."