~.: De's POV :.~
"I can't believe Mommy would lie to me..." Isabella was whimpering softly against my chest as Nightwing sat between me and Aria in her room. Something had gone on evidently during the brief period of time that Dick had asked why Jared had missed the mandatory meeting to discuss a plan to rescue our missing teammates. Evidently Acacia had said something to upset Dick and Bella.
"It's okay, Bells," Dick's voice threw off my thoughts and I glanced at him worriedly as Bella crawled into his arms, "That's not ever going to happen again. I won't let her hurt you with anymore lies, I promise. Shh, it's okay, daddy's got you." He reassured her, catching my confused and concerned gaze as he hugged Bella close to him. She returned his hug shakily, wiping at her tearful eyes with a long sleeved arm before looking up at him pitifully.
"I'm- I'm sorry I didn't believe you, daddy," she whined, burying her face in his chest. He frowned, taking her chin gently and tilting it up so that she was looking at him. I smiled tenderly at the gesture.
"Bells, it's not your fault," Dick reassured his daughter earnestly, kissing her forehead gently, "I promise, I'll take care of you. You and your sister. I'll be a better parent than Acacia was," At the mention of a sister that I wasn't aware of, I gave him an incredulous look which he spotted and gave a subtle nod to as if to say 'Give me a sec and I'll explain' before locking eyes with Bella once more.
"Listen to me, Bella," he continued again, his masked gaze serious for a moment, "I want you to stay with Aria in this room while De and I talk in the hallway. Can you do that for me, Bells?" She nodded shakily, her big blue eyes wide and bloodshot from crying so much, "Good, now, stay here and behave for your aunt," he reaches out a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately before taking his hand away and slipping it into my own, standing alongside me.
"Wait- what? I've already got one kid to watch after, ughhhh," Aria whined in complaint, but she didn't protest anymore as Bella sidled up to her while giving her the innocent puppy dog eyes.
"I won't be bad, I promise, auntie Aria! Daddy told me to be good, so I can be good!" She chirped softly, peering into her arms to get a good look at a sleeping Amelia. Aria gives Dick and I a stressed look and we both laugh softly at the scene before leaving the room.
As soon as we're out of Aria's room and in the hallway away from Bella so as not to further upset her, I turn to Dick, hugging him close which he doesn't hesitate to return, squeezing me gently before leaning against the wall. He runs his gloved hands over his face with a stressful groan, his gaze distraught. I frowned worriedly at him, reaching out and pulling his hands from his face.
"Baby, what's with this talk about another daughter?" I asked gently, my voice was soft and quiet so that nobody would overhear us. He leans into my touch as I press a hand to his cheek comfortingly.
"It's... its Acacia- she hid another child from me," he murmured, narrowing his gaze as he looked down the hall toward Acacia's shut bedroom door, "I know things have changed and she's hid Bella from me, but not only did she hide her but she hid my other little girl- My other child is out there god knows with who, and I just- I can't believe she'd do this to me!" His voice is strained and low, trying not to raise his tone as he gripped his gloved hands into fists, "I never hid anything like this from her all those years ago!"
I frowned, processing this as calmly as possible while also trying to restrain myself from storming down the hall to Acacia's room to demand a thorough explaination and apology.
"She was probably only doing what she though was be-"
"Don't," Dick moaned softly in despair, "Please.. please don't say that. She gave that excuse already. She gave that excuse when she shot Bella too because she didn't want her to come to the cave with me. I can't stand her excuses anymore and she's just- she's not the same person I used to know, De..." his strained voice tugged at my heart and I slipped into his embrace once more, nestling my head against his chest.
"Then let's not talk about her right now," I murmured softly, looking up into his masked gaze, "You've got a rescue mission you need to lead soon and you can't have your head clouded with all this pent up frustration and anger or you won't be able to concentrate on saving our teammates," Dick seemed to agree, because he relaxed against my embrace and rested his head in the crook of my neck as I rubbed his back reassuringly.
"Thank you, baby," He sighed against my skin, making me shiver slightly, "I don't know what I would do without you... Once I find Allysa, I know you'll be able to help me make sure she feels welcomed here... I don't want her around Acacia once I find her again..."
I looked up at him, pursing my lips slightly, "Babe, don't talk about that right now. It'll only upset you even worse..." I murmured softly, kissing his cheek gently, "Let's go find something else to do together before you go on the mission," I offered, pulling out of the embrace and tugging on his hand to lead him to our bedroom. Aria wouldn't mind watching over Bella while I helped to de-stress Dick, surely. Seeming to force away the heavy news of having yet another child hidden from him, Dick followed after me with a sideways smile.
"You're just wanting to snag some alone time with me before the mission because you're scared, aren't you?" He chuckled lightly as we entered our room, closing the door behind us while I sat patiently on our mattress. I gave him a pout, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Am not," I attempted to sound convincing enough, but apparently failed because Dick chuckles in amusement, "Okay, I'm scared, but don't I have a right to be? The team is dropping like flies as of late... I just- I don't want you to go on the mission and then not come back..." I trailed off, glancing at my belly as I placed a worried hand on it. Dick crossed the room to me, sitting beside me on the mattress after removing his mask.
"Didn't you tell me not to worry just a second ago on the hallway?" He chuckled under his breath, his dark blue gaze playful as it met my dark brown, "I'll be alright, De, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself, and I promise, I won't disappear on you. I'm never leaving your side." He pulled me into a gentle and affectionate kiss, his arms wrapping around me carefully. I smile gently into the kiss and scooted over for him to snuggle into bed with me.
"I'm so lucky to have you," I murmured as he laid beside me, his dark blue eyes trained on my face as I leaned down and kissed his cheek tenderly. He smirked softly at me, pulling me onto his lap before looking over at the bedside clock carefully.
"I've got at least an hour and a half before I head out," he stated, looking up at me expectantly, "What in the world are we going to do?" his voice is rich with his usual smug tone as he smirked mischievously at me. I blushed profusely, giggling as I chewed my bottom lip thoughtfully.
"Mmm, I could think of a few things," I said finally, nodding toward the cuffs on the table. He followed my gaze and shook his head, laughing amusedly.
"Not enough time for that kind of fun, baby," he chuckled, taking my right hand and kissing my inner wrist which makes another giggle escape my lips.
"Ohh, would you prefer something quicker then?" I laughed, giving him an impish grin as he returns my smile. He shrugged, closing his eyes and taking his arms away from my waist so he could cross them underneath his head in a leisurely patient manner.
"Maybe~" he simply replied as I teasingly rolled my hips against his, evoking a slight hiss from him.
"Alright, then I'll improvise~" I smirked, maneuvering so that I had better access to him, "I'll be as fast as I can, but I'm not your best friend," Dick lets out an amused husky chuckle as I unzipped his tights and removed my shorts as well as my underwear.
"Didn't say you were, babygirl," he replied smugly, his gaze was trained on me again with a mischievous glint as he watched, "Thats why I'm usually the one on top, remember?~" I scoffed at that, sticking my tongue out at him before descending on him and evoking another long and drawn out hiss from him.
"Well, this time, I'm on top because you put me here," I giggled, kissing his lips gently, "Now, just relax and I'll get you taken care of before you leave so we can cuddle~" He chuckled softly as I pulled away from him and rolled my hips once more, getting a loud moan out of him this time around.
