After the mad clown had effectively ruined the night, Dee and I went home. She took care of my wounds, kissing my face and apologizing for something that was not her fault. The Joker had been getting worse and worse each time he saw us. Still, Dee had wanted to go to the party. With the way she was apologizing, I had a feeling that she had done it more for me than for her. I ran her a hot bath to soothe the ache of her body from the Joker's rough handling. As she soaked, I massaged her back and neck. When she was done, I took a shower to ease my own aching muscles.

Christmas Day was far better. After spending the morning alone and exchanging gifts, we headed over to Manchu's. I appreciated Dee's "family" more than anything now. We had been invited to have Christmas dinner with them. Even if Manchu and Jiaoshu insisted on trying to get me drunk nearly every time I was left alone with them, they never tried to kill me. Sure, there had been the threats against me long ago should I ever hurt Dee, but now I had been accepted as a member of the family.

The near strangulation from my tie the night before had left a bruise around my neck. Dee pulled out the Chinese suit I had been given, insisting I wear it. The Mandarin collar hid the contusion and the cool softness of the silk actually made it feel better. As we were staying the night, Dee graciously told me that she would allow me to have whatever I wanted to drink, even saying that I could get myself drunk if I pleased.

Most of the night I watched as the women doted on Manchu and Chu's children. Yin Tao was the youngest at only ten months old. Jun was the oldest at two. Dee had warmed up to the babies and I felt my heart swell with pride at the way she looked holding them. However, I had to protest when Chu came over and plunked the youngest down in my arm.

"Oh, no. Chu, take her back!" I said, standing to hand the baby back to her. Giggling, she danced away from me and back to her husband. "Manchu, take your daughter back before I do something stupid and drop her!"

"That's about what Dee looked like when she first held a baby. You need to panic a little more and it'll be perfect!" he laughed.

Dee held Jun balanced on her hip. She smiled at me as she bounced the boy who went into a fit of giggles. As if that were her cue, Yin broke into a squall, stretching her little body out in my hands.

"Yes! That's more like it, Eddie! That is exactly how she looked when she first had a baby in her arms!"

Handing Jun over to Chu, Dee came to me and adjusted my hold on the child. "Hold her to your chest. Let her hear your heartbeat." She watched my face as I did what she said.

Yin Tao pulled her limbs in as I pressed her to my chest. She took a moment, but she stopped in mid cry and settled down. Dee's arm went under my jacket and across the bare skin of my back, stroking it in approval. Amazed, I caressed the soft cheek of the little girl. A flash went off and the two of us looked up, surprised looks on our face as the flash went off again. Jiaoshu laughed heartily as he lowered the camera and quickly hobbled out of the room. Wiley old man! I loved him.

Before we went to bed, Dee told me she was going to the bathing pool to float around while no one else was using it. Letting her go down alone, I quickly gathered my towel and pulled my own robe on. The rest of the house was silent since most everyone had gone to bed already. Wasting little time I hurried to the women's bathing pool only to run smack into Li Mei.

"Where do you think you are going, young man?" she asked sternly.

"I was just..."

"I'm certain you were. The men's bathing pool is around the other side." Her index finger jabbed me hard in the chest as she grinned slyly up at me. "But she is alone and waiting for you, foolish boy. If you don't hurry and go to her I will call the guards and force you to be with her."

The woman was as mad as Jiaoshu. And both could pull the wool over my eyes like no one else. "Go to your man, old woman," I laughed shaking my head. "If you don't hurry to him, you two might forget one another in your old age."

"Smartass," she smirked as she headed up the stairs.

As it was winter, the bathing pools had been covered with a pavilion tenting to keep the snow off. The benefit was that the steamy waters heated the now enclosed area to a comfortable temperature.

"About time you showed up," Dee said, floating at the edge of the pool on her stomach. Not being able to see her stomach, I was surprised at how her face had rounded out from what it had been. Her petite frame looked much the same as before the pregnancy the way she floated now, only softer and rounder.

"How did you know I was coming?"

"Oh please! Why do you think I told you that no one else would be down here?" She bit down on the tip of her finger, smiling as she watched me disrobe. "Li Mei was just on her way up from the kitchen and I told her to stop you," she giggled as I joined her in the warm water.

"You damn woman! She nearly gave me a heart attack."

Dee pushed herself over to me in what would have been a pounce on dry land. Her lips went immediately to mine, kissing me passionately. My lip was still sore from the night before, but at that moment I couldn't feel the pain of the cut. All I felt was the electricity of her kiss. The water made her as agile as she had been before she was pregnant and she was using it to her full advantage.

Best Christmas, ever, I thought to myself as I held her low in the shallow water.

The calamitous events at the Iceberg dimmed and faded that night. We went to bed happy and looking forward to the rest of the year. We didn't even have to talk to each other to know that the Iceberg's New Year's party was out of the question. I had no want or need to go and be around any of my own friends and let what had happened happen again. Dee didn't need the stress and I didn't need to come that close to being killed again.

New Year's Eve was quiet and spent on the roof of the warehouse. There we watched the stars and fireworks that exploded over the city. We toasted in the New Year with sparkling apple cider and chocolate covered strawberries, laughing as we talked about some of the things we had done at this time last year. The fact that we were blowing open a bank vault and fighting a losing battle to Batman seemed a million years away. That whole life seemed like a dream.
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