The tigers became aware of the intrusion first. They made regular patrols of the warehouse, as they usually did, checking each room they could. For a short while, they dozed in the living room, near their master and his cub. An odd clicking noise drew their attention, and grumbling softly to one another, they got up to investigate. They made their way to the tiger room, where the noise was coming from.

The moment they entered, the noises stopped, and a hissing sound took its place. The room began to fill with gas. Only too late did the tigers realize they were being drugged. Sinking to the floor, the three massive cats passed into sleep.

A line descended from the skylight, quickly followed by Batman. He released and retracted the line at the bottom, stepping carefully around the beasts. Following the sound of the television, the Dark Knight found himself in what he guessed was the living room. On the couch, Nigma slept. There was no sign of Dee Lemma.

“Nice night for a riddle,” Batman said gruffly.

The voice of his nightmares woke Nigma with a jolt. “You! What are you doing here?!” he growled as he shot up off the couch.

Instead of answering, Batman grabbed him by the throat. Edward Nigma hissed in pain as he was swung around and slammed against the wall. Desperate for air, he clawed at the gauntlet-clad wrist that held him, trying to push it away.

“Let… Go… Of… Me!” he croaked hoarsely.

“Why did you do it, Nigma?” Batman asked, slamming the back of the man’s head against the wall.

Wincing, Nigma tried to focus on the blurry shape in front of him. “Do what?”

Batman released his throat and punched him in the stomach. Now Nigma doubled over, coughing and clutching his abdomen. He would have slunk away if it weren’t for the wall, which was also the only thing keeping him upright.

“The riddles, Nigma. Why, after all this time, and with so much on the line?”

“I don’t…” He paused as a coughing fit took him, and then he looked up at the Dark Knight. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nigma quickly found himself on the floor, holding his jaw and bleeding cheek, which had split open. Batman towered overhead. Gingerly, Nigma poked his tongue along his teeth, making certain not teeth were loose, and then at his cheek, checking the damage there.

“I don’t have time for your games, Nigma! Tell me who you hired, and where I can find them!”

Glaring at the vigilante, Nigma pulled himself to his feet, panting in pain as he leaned against the wall for support. He shook his head firmly, saying, “I have no idea what you’re talking about! What gives you the right to come charging into my home, accusing me of things I know nothing of?! I have not left my house all day!”

Calmly Batman spoke. “I could have you taken in on any number of charges right now. The only reason you remained free is because Gordon managed to convince the mayor that you were no longer a threat to society. That you had reformed with Lemma having the baby. Perhaps you still need a few sessions with Matthiessen to straighten you out.”

With the threat, Nigma lost control, lunging at Batman, swinging a fist. The vigilante easily countered the move, savagely twisting Nigma’s arm behind his back, smashing the man back against the wall. Gritting his teeth in pain, Nigma calculated that it would take only a small move from Batman to snap his arm.

“Let go of me!” he hissed once more.

He was saved the brutal response when two things happened. The first was Edward Jr. bursting into a lusty cry. As if the other man were a hot piece of coal, Batman released him, taking a step back.

“Your child is here.” It was a statement, not a question.

Nigma was only allowed a split second to contemplate how long his son had been crying before being heard.

“And so is his mother!” a feral voice snarled as a blur of humanoid tiger slammed into the vigilante. “How dare you come into my home and harm my family!”

Batman didn’t answer - too busy fending off the slashing claws of a very angry mother. Kicking out with her clawed foot, Dee managed to rip a jagged line through the Kevlar leggings he wore. She felt her claws pop into his skin like needles, and wished she had coated her claws with poison as she sometimes had in the past.

Edward Nigma hurried over to his son, scooping the boy up in his good arm. Putting the couch between himself and the fight, Nigma pressed the child’s head to his chest, and bellowed, “Enough!”

The command came a moment too late as Batman threw Dee against the wall. Her breath knocked from her, she landed in a crumpled heap, unable to stand. Now Nigma was even more furious. It was one thing for Batman to come and beat him up, but Dee was a mother now, and the vigilante would not get away with treating her that way! He wished he had a gun in his hand to shoot Batman in the back of the head!

Standing there, Batman watched Dee Lemma as she slowly moved, groaning in pain. Nigma knelt at her side, holding the baby, and attempting to help her with his injured arm. She finally lifted her head, and held her arms out for the child. He placed the still crying baby in her arms, brushing her hair back from her face with his fingers.

Tears flowed down her face as she cradled the child to her, sparing her right hand to gently touch Nigma’s swelling face. As quickly as they had started, her tears stopped when she turned her eyes to the Dark Knight. The vigilante stood stock-still. With Nigma’s help, Lemma now stood. She placed a finger in the baby’s mouth to calm the child until she could feed him in private.

“Get out. Now!” ordered Nigma through an ever swelling jaw.

“If you were here all night, where were you, Lemma?”

Eyes narrowed, she spat, “What does it matter to you?”

“Because someone is sending out riddles and committing crimes. If Nigma was here watching the child, then where were you?”

“A friend invited me to dinner. I meant to be home an hour ago, but I fell asleep. Now I come home to find you beating Eddie up! In front of our child, no less! Some brave and noble vigilante you are!” Her voice was filled with venom, and she longed to rip his throat out for hurting her lover.

“Where?”

He wasn’t going to leave until he got the information he wanted. She sighed, irritably.

“The Fu’s, in Chinatown. Ask the! But if you go barging in there and harm even one hair on their heads, so help me, I will kill you!”

Batman did not respond to the threat. Instead, he turned and walked toward the door without a sign of a limp. “I’ll be watching both of you. One wrong step, and I will see to it that you both end up in Arkham, and your child gets put up for adoption. He would be better off with real parents at any rate.”

Nigma quickly wrapped his arms around Lemma, holding her back. Even with the baby in her arms, she wanted to attack the masked man. However, Nigma knew those words were said just to provoke such an attack.

“Get out of my house, Batman! I should get a restraining order against you!” yelled Nigma, forcing himself not to do exactly what Lemma wanted to do. His rage was so great right now, he figured he could get a couple of good swings in before Batman put him out.

Without another word, Batman left. As he walked to the Batmobile, he radioed Oracle. “Send Robin over to the Fu Bakery in Chinatown. There’s an apartment over the bakery where the owners live. Tell him to find out if Lemma was there, and if she was, for how long.”

“You think she was lying?”

He grunted as he tied a bandage off to stem the flow of blood from his leg. “Possible. She might have been able to get one of her Triad friends to pull the job.”

“What about Nigma?”

“That’s the puzzle. He was home all night, babysitting, and insists he knows nothing about any riddles.”

Oracle laughed at the image of Edward Nigma babysitting, even if it was his own son. “But?” she prompted, calming herself.

“He once tried to go straight, and sent out riddles without knowing he did so. The only problem is, he wasn’t the one at the museum. Last time he committed the crime himself.”

“Robin is on his way. Where are you headed next?”

“One of the auxiliary caves. I had a run-in with a very angry mother.”

Oracle chuckled. “Got between her and her cub, did you?”

“And her mate.”

“Ouch,” she replied, remembering how protective Dee Lemma was of Nigma. “I’ll let you know what Robin has to report.”

“Send the findings to the main Cray. I have a couple more stops to make before I head back to the cave.”

“Gotcha. Oracle out.”
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