Checking up on the kids

His apartment. His little bundle of joy. A place he retreated to after all the sex and battle. The evening arrived and darkness fell over the city. He came to the door seeing the light humming underneath. He smiled.

His knuckles gave a rapt knock.

He heard rapid footsteps. Somebody ran, unlocked the door, and tackled him into a hug. Black-hair underneath him, cheeks rubbing his chest, then looking up with thrill.

"Hey, Cass."

"Hello." Cassandra grinned. "You're back early!"

His hands on his waist, looking into her eyes, he remembered just how delightful his home life was. The excitement from the nude island seemed almost trivial in comparison. "Things came up, again," he said, smiling without meaning to. "I'm here though!"

"Hey, not fair! Wait for me!"

Pushing Cassandra aside was a tiny blonde. The eleven year old Chloe jumped and he scooped her in his arms

She hugged his head tight, then broke apart with a pout. "Where did you go, Dad? Everyone missed you!"

Aaron wore a measured smile. "Sorry, sorry. I'm here now."

"Cass is so bad at teaching math. I almost failed my quiz!"

"Ah, but did you?"

"...no."

A pout. Aaron laughed and poked her on the forehead. "Then it looks like you're a smart one. Smarter than Cass, at least."

Chloe stuck her tongue out. Cassandra stuck a tongue back. Laughing, he carried Chloe inside and into the living. The two continued to make faces.

In the living room, there were his crawling toddlers: Emma, Ethan, Olivia. Watching over them was a lovely spectacled redhead in a green turtleneck and a blonde in a purple hoodie: Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown. Soft giggles filled the air as Barbara orchestrated a playful scene with stuffed animals.

At the sight of him, his kids clapped their hands and crawled over to him in excitement.

"Hello, Aaron! Good to see you!" Stephanie wore a grin and yelped slightly as Olivia jumped from her arms.

"Hey, Stephanie. Hey, Barbara," Aaron greeted, putting Chloe down, smiling as he played with the little ones. "You're here."

"Where did you go? Cassandra was tight-lipped about it," Barbara said, a brow raised. "I'm not complaining since I get to babysit. I am still curious though."

"Haha." Ethan was particularly attached to him. Aaron laughed and said offhandedly, "Couldn't you just hack your way and know?"

"That's a breach of privacy, Aaron."

Aaron shrugged. "Meh."

Barbara put her hands on her sides. "It is."

"Meh," Cassandra agreed, head on his shoulder.

"Seriously, I only hack for good." Then Barbara muttered, "Unbelievable, you two…"

Without looking at her, playing with Ethan's hand, Aaron said, "We're good influences, aren't we, Cass?"

"Mhm!"

Again, without looking, the couple high-fived each other. Meanwhile, Barbara rolled her eyes and Chloe burst into laughter. The ambience was relaxed.

"Alright, does anybody want dinner?" Aaron asked.

All hands went up, even the toddlers, who did out of instinctual imitation. Aaron smiled, carefully gave Ethan to Cassandra, and got up.

"Seven for seven. Perfect. I'll make everyone's favourite," Aaron said, rolling his sleeves.

"I want ice cream too," Chloe said.

"We already got you ice cream," Stephanie said.

"But Moooom." Chloe activated her puppy-dogs eyes. "Pweeease!"

"Ugh, fine, fine!" Stephanie turned away, unable to handle her daughter. That was the weakness of a young parent—sometimes, they gave up too easily.

Aaron stepped in and said, "Only two scoops, Chloe."

"Two!? Only two!?" Chloe repeated, puppy-dog eyes on full blast. Nothing.

"Just two. We can't have you go and get a sugar rush."

"Actually, I watched a video on that recently," Barbara said. "Sugar rushes don't exist—"

"Okay, nerd," Stephanie interrupted. "I agree with Aaron. Two scoops only."

Chloe hung her head. "Okaaay."

Aaron glanced at Barbara, who sat with her legs loosely to her side. "Hm. Help up Aunt Barbara and I might give you an extra scoop."

Immediately, she became a little lightbulb and rose with newfound energy and enthusiasm. "Okay!"

"Oh, why, thank you, Chloe," Barbara said, giggling as the younger girl helped her to her wheelchair. It was closeby, so Chloe didn't need to kill herself trying.

Barbara looked better. She always looked better when she was with the kids. He was glad she now had something to focus on other than her relationships.

Coming to the kitchen and opening up the fridge, he saw options. He saw the future, calculating what he could make and what he could do.

'Should I just…heal her?'

He stood there, simply contemplating.

With his power he could do it. And he could do it in such a way that no one would notice. But would that be right? 'I mean, at that point, I could wipe out all disabilities. But…look at Barbara. She might sometimes be frustrated about it but now she's accepted it. So have many others, I imagine.'

Progress. What did it mean to have progress in the world? Did results matter more? Or just the simple motion of progress?

Aaron didn't have the answer to that question.

"By the way…" Stephanie entered the kitchen. She was the closest thing to an assistant he had and he turned to her with a degree of anticipation. "Emma, Ethan, and Olivia," Stephanie muttered. "Couldn't you guys have come up with better names?"

"Huh?" Aaron blinked. "They're fine names."

"Personally?" Stephanie shrugged. "Generic."

"You did not just call my kids generic."

"Their names are," Stephanie said. She nudged her head towards Barbara. "I bet she'd agree too."

"What? They're wonderful names," Aaron replied. "Barbara, would you come over?"

Ten seconds later, the redhead wheeled over, puzzled. "Uhh, is there a reason I'm here? Sorry, I can't really cook properly. Your counters are too high."

"No, no, nothing like that. We want you to settle a question: are the names I gave generic?"

"You gave them?" Barbara said, as if that answered everything. She exchanged looks with Stephanie, then answered honestly, "Okay, yeah, they are a little boring," Barbara admitted.

"What?" Aaron tried not to be offended but he was. "It's not like any of us have unique names," Aaron argued.

"I mean…" Stephanie stretched an arm in the air and said, "Cassandra is cool."

"Aaron isn't?" he shot back.

"I mean, the Reigner part is cool," Stephanie said. "Everything else? Eh."

"Everything else means the Aaron part. Wow. I see how it is, Steph."

Stephanie gave him a salute. "As your assistant in the kitchen, expect me to be brutally honest in all matters of life."

"Even my kids' names?"

"Even," Stephanie said. "Expect the same criticism for future kids."

Aaron sighed. 'Well, at least I have someone to keep me grounded?'

***

Aromatic scents wafted from the dishes arranged across the table—an array of delicacies comprising a flavorful vegetable risotto, grilled salmon with a tangy citrus glaze, and a colourful salad brimming with fresh greens and vibrant vegetables. Glasses of sparkling water and a selection of wines adorned the table.

There were baby stools for the three toddlers. Aaron and Cassandra tended to them, feeding them.

"So, Chloe, tell me about your day at school," Aaron prompted, eyes focused on Ethan. He was not very picky. Lucky, because Olivia was and Cassandra was having trouble with her.

Chloe took a thoughtful sip of water before sharing. "Well, we had a discussion about environmental sustainability today," she began, her eyes lighting up with passion. "I suggested starting a recycling initiative, and my classmates were really enthusiastic about it."

Barbara chimed in with a grin, "What, did all my speeches finally knock some sense in you?"

Ever the joking mother, Stephanie playfully added, "Watch out, Chloe's going to save the planet before she finishes middle school!"

Aaron laughed while Chloe smiled proudly and crossed her arms.

As dinner progressed, Aaron couldn't help but tease Barbara about her culinary skills. She was quite skilled in her own kitchen where everything was within reach. However, whether she was standing or sitting, she was very consistent in her meals. Too consistent.

"...like seriously, frozen pizzas for two weeks in the row? I thought maybe Tim's deductions were wrong but nope. I remember seeing the recycling bag and one box of frozen pizza at the bottom and the other at the top," Stephanie said, snickering.

"So the old lady has no skill," Chloe said jokingly.

Barbara retorted with mock indignation, "Hey, my microwave dinners are a delicacy in their own right!"

The evening unfolded with an abundance of warmth, good food, and affectionate jests, leaving the dining room filled not only with the aroma of the delicious meal but also with the shared bonds of friendship and family.

Then it happened. While Aaron was smiling, his phone buzzed. Not a big deal, it happened to Barbara too. He took out his phone, still smiling, then read his messages.

Harley: Harley Quinn here! Just wanna say we miss your dick xoxoxo

Harley: PLS COME BACK WE NEED DICK

Harley: WE NEED COCK

Harley: COCK

Harley: PLSSSS

He blinked five times. He would sighed if not for the company around him. Cassandra was especially sharp.

Without thinking too much, he shut his phone off and put it back in his pocket.

"Who was that?" Cassandra asked, non-accusatory. She was simply curious.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Aaron replied. "Say, does anybody want that ice cream now?"

Chloe threw her hand up. "Me, me, me! I do!"

That was that. This evening would be the time to focus on his ordinary life.

A year. One year from now…

He closed his eyes, remembered what Elaine said, and drew in a breath. 'One at a time,' he told himself.

Tonight, he would be with his family and friends.