Dee slept for hours, oblivious to the fact that her lover had left the room. Immediately after he had gone through the box, Eddie had turned the baby monitor off and went to sit with his son. He needed time to think. Now he sat, settled in the rocking chair, as he cradled Edward. Directly across, on the changing table, was the box. Eddie stared at it as he rocked back and forth.

The entire night was planned around this gift; he realized that now. Hindsight was 20/20, wasn’t it? Dee always had had a natural knack for being a walking riddle. Over the last year, he had simply forgotten that fact. Eddie chided himself for not catching all the clues she had dropped earlier.

Chu Hua had invited her for dinner; nothing out of the ordinary there. Dee was leaving him home to care for Edward. She had often left him to take care of their son when she ran errands, except that this would be for a bit longer. Her anger at Batman upon her return was even understandable. It was her tears that should have alerted him. Actually, they had, but he chose to chalk it up to stress.

Now it was those same tears and her care of him that stood out like so many red flags. One of the first things he had ever come to realize about her was that she was extremely protective of him. Should he be injured, she would immediately put everything else aside to nurse him back to health, and woe to the person who had injured him in the first place! The overabundant apologies should have told him that she felt responsible for Batman’s attack. At the time he hadn’t given it much thought, for to attack Edward Nigma was a personal attack and affront to Dee Lemma.

“Nigma,” he mumbled, reminding himself that she had legally changed her last name, even without marriage.

She had asked – no, Dee had begged him to stay home tonight, not to go out to the Iceberg Lounge. That was the one place he would assuredly get information on the robbery that had taken place using his modus operandi.

And then there was tonight. Dee had plied him with food, drink, and sex. She had brought him the gift, only to ask him to make love to her once more. When they had, she asked him to wait until she slept to open it. Upon that agreement, she had taken him again, like a cat in heat. He couldn’t deny her even if he had wanted. Dee might find it to be a black mark on her honor if she let someone hurt him, but she was not against giving him nicks or bites if he displeased her. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen.

It was all too clear now that she had been afraid, petrified even. Before the gift, it had all been easy. Only when she brought it out did her fear kick in. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the tall back of the chair. That was why she had asked him for more. It had been for her, not him. Sex was the one thing that could always bring her comfort.

“Eddie?” came her whisper soft voice, a trembling note of fear in it.

Not now. You’ll disappear; vanish in a puff of smoke if I look. So I won’t. I’ll just sit here with my eyes closed. Why? Why did you do it? he thought, knowing the answer even as he asked.

The baby fussed in Eddie’s arms at the sound of his mother’s voice, but Eddie refused to move.

“Hush, Edward. Your father is sleeping,” Dee said, starting to lift the baby from his encircling arms.

Reflexively he moved, arms tightening around the child. His eyes opened, fixing on her. He said nothing.

“I… I didn’t want him to fall. You know how squirmy he gets sometimes. I didn’t want him to wiggle out of your arms. I thought you were asleep,” she said nervously, wringing her hands together.

Slipping a finger into the baby’s mouth to calm his fussing, he looked at the round face that nuzzled his shirtsleeve. “I’m not that irresponsible a parent,” he replied without inflection.

Dee nodded. “I deserve that.” She knelt next to him, placing her hands on his thighs. “I didn’t think he would come here, or that he would do what he did if he got here before me. I never wanted you involved.”

“You used riddles.”

“Yes. The ones you came up with the night we were talking about the exhibit.” She kissed the hand that held the finger in the baby’s mouth, and then she kissed the baby’s soft cheek. Stroking the child’s fine hair, she asked, “How mad are you?”

“That depends on when I can expect him to come back for you.”

“Hopefully he won’t, since he knows I was at the Fu’s. He couldn’t know it was me who did it.”

“You went yourself? Not a Tiger?”

A smile curved her lips. “I went. Chu helped me bind myself. I could scarcely breathe. But that and a partial shift helped hide my shape.”

“It wouldn’t have hid it all. He chased you, didn’t he?”

Yes. I got far enough ahead and changed into an alley cat. He saw me in that form, but thought nothing of it. Not enough to watch me, anyway.”

There was silence between them for a moment. The soft sucking of Edward filled the room, and as the two watched, the boy pushed the finger from his mouth to yawn. Snuggling into Eddie’s cotton shirt, Edward closed his eyes and went to sleep.

“Eddie, you have to believe that I intended only to get you a gift that you should have. I made no plans to take this any further. Just that one job.”

He cupped her face so she had to look at him. “How did it feel?”

“I’d be lying if I said it was horrible.” Her face seemed to glow as her eyes unfocused for a moment, going back to that night. “It was exhilarating to be out again. You know I never intended this life for you, Tiger. Should you want to go out, I won’t stop you. Just be careful. I’ll stay and take care of Edward. And should you get caught, I swear I will get you out.”

Eddie chuckled at that. As she had spoken, he realized it would be wrong for him to be angry at her for what she had done. Wasn’t he the one who had left her here, pregnant, in order to pull a job? Unlike her, he couldn’t morph into a feline in order to hide or blend in anywhere. With all she had gone through, all that she had sacrificed for their child’s sake, she deserved the night she had taken. He could see how happy that had made her.

“So you’re not mad?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head and smiling at her. “I’m more jealous that you went without me. I went without you, though, didn’t I?”

She nodded, tears sliding from her eyes.

“Take him,” Eddie said, offering the baby. She did, and he pulled her into his lap. “It’s a good gift with a good story behind it. Thank you.”

Curled against him, Dee closed her eyes. She smoothed her hand over his chest and arm, taking in the contours of his muscles. As she did this, she also took in the weight of her son in her lap, along with the distinct scents of each of her males. This moment was forever locked in her memory now.

Pressing his hand over her heart, he pondered aloud, “What if we did go back into business?”

In his lap, Dee stiffened, lifting her nose from his chest. “Eddie, you’re not serious, are you?”

Before answering, he kissed her. “If we plan this correctly, we can probably keep any and all blame away from ourselves.”

The smile on his face and sparkle in his eye told her that he was serious.

“Except the riddles. You saw how fast he came here after the robbery,” she said, gripping his hand with worry, even though she was excited at the prospect of returning to the night.

Smiling a sly smile that she hadn’t seen since… Well, since the night Edward had been conceived, he said, “We’ll have foolproof alibis.”

~ ~ ~

Over the next few days, legal documents were made and signed. The first stated that if anything were to happen to either of them, Edward Nigma Jr. was to be placed in the custody of Manchu and Chu Hua Wong. The second placed the business and any legal bank accounts in a binding trust for Edward Jr. His parents were determined that, no matter what, their son would get what they had worked so hard to legally obtain.

Upon hearing of the fluster of legal work, Batman paid a visit to Eddie one night as the man worked late on a stack of contracts. A silent alarm alerted him to Batman’s presence even before the Dark Knight appeared in his office. It was an expected visit, and Batman was right on time.

“Come to take another swing at me, Batman?” he finally asked without looking up from his paperwork.

“What are you up to Nigma?”

“Trying to get my paperwork done so I can go home to my girlfriend and son.”

“You know what I mean.”

“On the contrary. In order to have a conversation, one must first state a subject.”

The vigilante glared. “The lawyer.”

Eddie responded coolly, putting his pen down, and folding his hands on the stack of papers in front of him. “Yes, I have one. A very good one. Would you like me to call him and have him come over so we may work out terms of my restraining order against you?”

Batman scowled. “With the break in at the museum, followed up with you and Lemma…”

“Nigma. Her name is Dee Nigma.”

“So she finally told you.”

It was Edward’s turn to scowl. He should have known before Batman. But it was just his style, wasn’t it, to snoop around in other people’s affairs.

“What do you want?” he finally asked.

“I want to know what you’re up to. Why suddenly put everything in your son’s name? And those Triad friends of hers as guardians? I don’t see the improvement.”

“I should think a ‘great’ detective such as you would figure out the obvious, hm?” He reached for the tumbler on his desk and took a sip of the scotch. “You threatened us, Batman. Dee spent enough time in an orphanage to know she wouldn’t want that for her child when she has a better option. At least with Manchu and Chu Hua, Edward won’t be treated as a leper.

”We’re just protecting our son from the likes of you and your skewed sense of justice. Dee will stop at nothing to prevent her child from being put into an orphanage like she was.” His voice sounded bitterer than he wanted it to. Yet it was exactly what he felt: bitter and resentful at what Dee had put up with before running away from the orphanage.

“And signing everything into your son’s name?” prompted Batman.

“What do you think?” Eddie snapped, patience spent. “The boy has a right to an inheritance, same as any! You think I’m going to let what I have worked so hard to build up be taken away? You think that if you take his parents away, we want to leave him with nothing?” A furious snarl exploded from him as he pounded his desk. The scotch in the tumbler jumped, sloshing some of the contents onto the desk. “Go on, Batman! Take us in for a crime we didn’t commit! Tear apart the family we’ve become! Show me the type of justice I’ve come to expect from you!”

Batman stood impassive at the verbal onslaught. For a moment, neither man said anything. The sound of Eddie’s irate breathing filled the room. He glared at the white lenses of the Dark Knight’s cowl, hands clenched in fists on the desk using every ounce of control not to grab the gun under the desk. Whether the man stared back, he didn’t know, nor did he care.

“Will you threaten me with the death penalty, too?”

Still Batman said nothing.

“Get out,” Eddie growled, jabbing a finger at the door of his office. Get out and don’t you ever come back. How do you ever expect us to move on with our lives if you keep coming around to harass us? Leave me and mine alone. We are not your concern anymore.”

“I still think you’re up to something, Nigma. Just remember that I’m watching you. And I’m watching her as well. If either of you slip up, you’re mine.”

Without another word, the vigilante turned and left, with the rustle of his cape fading as he went down the hall. Eddie walked to the door and slammed it. Scooping the contracts from his desk and into an empty folder, he poured more scotch. Downing the liquor that filled half the glass, he then mopped up the little that had spilled, and left the office.

On the drive home, he tried to control his anger. It wouldn’t do to let Dee see how furious the Bat had made him. Gathering his things, he took a deep breath before entering the warehouse through the garage.

“Hi, Tiger,” Dee greeted, standing on tiptoe to ply him with kisses.

Though he tried to enjoy it, the worried look on Dee’s face when she pulled back told him she knew something was wrong. Forcing a smile, he gave the long braid down her back a loving tug.

“How was your day? Edward didn’t give you too much trouble, did he?”

She shook her head pouting at him. “He showed up, just as you said, didn’t he? What did he say?”

With a sigh, he told her. That she was furious and disgusted actually made him feel better. Neither said a word about the fact that Batman was correct in believing they were up to something. They hadn’t come far enough in their plans to be convicted of more than conspiring to commit a crime. Still, the idea that the Bat had entered their home once sent him scanning every room while Dee prepared dinner.

While they ate, Dee cuddled Edward to her breast to eat. Though she hated pumping her breast when she ate, feeding her son was no problem. Conversation was sparse with both finding they didn’t want to talk. Eddie was busy calculating how much he could boost the frequency of his security system before it interfered with the electronics in the house.

After dinner, Dee gave Eddie a massage to relax him while they watched TV. By the time they went to bed, their moods were much improved, and they ended the night with a game of puzzles and riddles.

It was 2:30 AM when Dee was woken by Edward’s fussing. Eddie was either asleep or faking it, seeing how he didn’t move. Shaking her head good naturedly, she went to take care of the baby. From habit, she slipped her ring on as she walked down the hall, shifting enough to cloak herself in warm fur.

Five minutes later she was nestled in the rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket with her son. Humming as she rocked, she stroked the firm, round cheek of the suckling child. As much as she could appreciate the bond breast feeding formed between mother and child, she would be glad of the day he was weaned off. Her discomfort at his feeding was growing day by day.

She had just changed him and put him back down when she heard a scrapping noise. One of the tigers, Rebus, ran into the room looking agitated. Throwing a glance at her sleeping child, she turned and ran after Rebus, shifting into a tiger herself. In the tiger room, Tangram and Rubix were pacing beneath the skylight Batman had violated a mere week earlier.

Quick instructions were growled, and the four hurried outside to search the grounds. Dee had just changed back to half-human form to climb to the roof when Rubix bounded over to her. They had caught the intruder.

At the back of the garden, Tangram and Rebus pinned the trespasser to the ground with massive paws, their razor sharp claws piercing into the flesh to keep the man in place. Beneath the paws, Dee immediately recognized the black and blue costume of Nightwing.

“So he sends you instead of coming himself. Do you enjoy spying on us? What has he got you doing?” She prodded the back of his head with a clawed foot.

There was a muffled reply that she couldn’t quite make out.

Her right knee planted into his back, and she rested most of her weight on it. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she pulled his head back at an awkward angle. The skin on his neck went taut, showing off the ropy lines of muscle and sinew. She longed to run a claw over that skin and watch as life giving crimson flowed out.

“What were you sent here for?”

“I heard there was a great rave party going on,” he quipped.

Dee slammed his head back into the dirt of the flower bed. “Pam isn’t going to be happy when I show her the damage you did to the garden she worked so hard to create.”

He said nothing.

“Fine. Have it your way. I’ll just go wake Eddie and you can have your chat with him. But I warn you, he’s already in a bad mood because of your boss! Let’s see what he has to say about your appearance.”

Taking a hold of his hair once more, Dee hauled him to his feet. Wisely the vigilante made no attempt to struggle as the three tigers formed up around their mistress, acting as guards. Dee was anything but gentle as she forced him to walk hunched over, twisting his scalp to direct him as reins would direct a beast of burden. She led him the long way around the warehouse and into the garage.
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