Archive of Our Own ^beta

Margie had thought she'd seen it all when she took the position of Executive Assistant to the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. She had come highly recommended, highly qualified, and highly divorced so she was game to work an all hours position with what was arguably the most needy boss on the planet. At least, that was how she had perceived Bruce Wayne based on the copious amounts of Internet searches she'd done and the fact that he'd almost fallen asleep in her fifth round of interviews. She'd made him a cup of coffee as she answered the HR representative's question regarding the ethics of corporate whistleblowing.

He'd mumbled a thank you and she had an official offer of employment in her email before she'd even made it to the train.

She started that next Monday and what a Monday it had been.

After reorganizing the horrendous filing system she inherited from the last assistant, she'd set about familiarizing herself with Bruce Wayne's corporate calendar, which he apparently also treated like a personal one. Whereas her past employers would put personal appointments as vague out-of-office holds, Bruce Wayne was perfectly blunt about what he was doing. She was the only one in the entire company who could see the full details and what she saw brought a genuine smile to her lips and a wave of affection for this man she wasn't quite sold on.

Monday - 9 am - Kent-Lane wedding RSVP due, book flight path with pilot, (Hal Jordan emailed asking to fly plane to wedding, DO NOT ANSWER)

Tuesday - 11 am - Don't schedule anything, I have to call Oliver, could take awhile

Tuesday - 3pm - Coffee with that Daily Planet guy (Ugh)

Wednesday - 9 am - Foster Care appointment with the kid (what is a house inspection?)

Wednesday - 11 am - Birthday gift for Alfred

Wednesday - 12 pm -Lex Luthor wants this spot, don't give it to him

Thursday - 2 pm - Send Diana money for that thing I owe her for

Thursday - 3 pm - Interview with Cat Grant, buy flowers (dinner?)

Friday - 9 pm - Date with that model (what's her NAME?)

It was quirkiest calendar she’d ever seen.

These were reminders that overlapped with budget meetings, security consultations, conference calls, and other important business. His schedule was filled from morning to night and booked months in advance so it was no wonder that he used his calendar as an electronic post it note. He had everything in one place.

The concept gave her an idea of how to effectively keep this new boss on track. Going through the assistant account's emails, she was able to complete many of the tasks on his list putting the word Completed in front of the description he'd already typed in. And since the electronic calendar system they used had a notes section she was able to give him details about each event.

Coffee with the 'Daily Planet guy' had the details of where and when the driver would pick him up, where he was meeting Clark Kent, and an attached copy of his interview notes. The money transfer Diana Prince had requested for his portion of a split birthday gift was finally accomplished (the last assistant had been quite horrible and the poor woman had been waiting for months). She had ordered flowers for Cat Grant and reserved a table at an Italian restaurant the Internet said was the media mogul's favorite in Gotham. The model was named Carla.

"Thanks for all the notes," he'd said the following Monday. "I've never had an assistant do something that helpful."

"You're very welcome Mr. Wayne," she replied.

"Call me Bruce," he said, his smile bright and genuine. He looked awake this morning.

"Happy to," she replied.

"Marketing wants a meeting about some press release happening on Thursday," he told her. "Can you squeeze them in today?"

"How long do they need?" she asked, already wondering if she could squeeze them in between the phone call with Kord Industries and 'Send Lois Lane anonymous roses (make sure they deliver in front of Clark)'. The second one wasn't a meeting but she was hoping he would make that phone call himself so she could find out why he was trolling Clark Kent. Perhaps the reporter had been too aggressive at the interview.

"It's just a thirty minute debrief," he replied, already scrolling on his phone.

"Done!" she replied and he smiled a thank you.

By the end of the week she was being copied on all emails pertaining to Bruce Wayne's schedule including those he received from the butler, Alfred. The two of them quickly arranged standing high teas once a month to prioritize.

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Nearly six months went by before she met Dick Grayson for the first time. The tabloids and office gossip mill had been going mad about him. He was technically just Bruce's foster child but the Wayne Enterprises employees were convinced that this tiny, nine-year-old circus orphan would one day inherit the company and be their boss.

Margie wasn't so sure about such things but she did honestly enjoy having the boy's company. It was soon the norm that he would come to the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work on his homework on the edge of her too large desk. She would make him some tea and give him some of the cookies she kept hidden in the top drawer of her desk. If he didn't have any homework, he would read comic books.

She quickly got in the habit of buying him a new one every Tuesday and Thursday morning on her way to work.

"Margie, are you always going to work here?" he asked her one day.

"Well, Dick, I might decide to retire some thirty years from now but it's not quite time to worry about that yet," she told him, still typing away at a memo regarding that very child's security clearance.

"Oh good," he replied happily, going back to his comic book.

Margie rather liked the boy and as he grew older, she began to think to herself that if he did so choose to one day run the company, he wouldn't be so bad.

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Monday - 10 am - Oliver phone call, need info on rehab places

Monday - 12 pm - Find out if Dick got into college

Tuesday - 3 pm - GCPD meeting about warehouse fire

Tuesday - 11 pm - meet that singer from the awards show at the club ????, might be in my text messages

Wednesday - 10 am - phone call with Clark (I think Lois is pregnant; start college fund, gift four years tuition, Ivy League price point, kid'll take after Lois)

Thursday - 9 am - Interview w/ Vicki Vale, breakfast?

Friday - 8 pm - Wayne Foundation Board of Directors meeting, need birthday card for cousin Kate, she promised she'd come this time

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Monday - 9 am - Phone call with Clark, send to voicemail, Lois past due date (college fund file needed for review)

Saturday - 12:35 pm (yearly recurring) - Jonathan Samuel Kent born, 8 lbs, 3 oz, blue eyes, photo attached

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Margie took an immediate liking to Bruce's second child, Jason. He was a little bundle of anger straight from Crime Alley and she couldn't help but try and give him everything he asked for when he was at the office. He was remarkably polite though in that uncouth Gotham City kind of way and his foul mouth may have offended the high level executives but she thought it was hilarious.

"I'm really sorry about his language," Bruce had said to her one Friday morning. He looked a little worse for wear that day, sporting a black eye he claimed he'd gotten in a boxing lesson. Margie had been having an ongoing conversation with Jason about his own boxing lessons and knew for a fact that Jason had been the one to land that punch. He'd been very proud of himself. "We're working on it."

"It's alright, Bruce," she told him. "When I talk to him I feel like I'm home."

"What do you mean?"

"I grew up in Crime Alley too," she said. He looked a little surprised but not by much. She had found over the years that he was actually quite difficult to catch off guard, though he pretended otherwise. He didn't say anything else though and she never bothered to tell him that Jason's swear jar was never going to help the situation. Jason would pilfer a few dollars here and there to buy them ice cream cones at the stand outside.

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Thursday - All Day - Jason's Funeral

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There were a good seven or eight months when the look in Bruce's eyes nearly broke her heart every time she spoke to him. She had been to the company memorial for Jason held in the main atrium of Wayne Enterprises headquarters and it had been one of the hardest days of her career. The boss hadn't attended. Even she wasn't entirely sure where he was but Alfred had approved the cancellation of all his meetings for the next two weeks. She handled the rest.

The story had been heartbreaking. Jason had run off to Africa to find his birth mother who had been working as a relief aid worker. There were rumors-horrible rumors-about whether he'd been beaten to death or caught in an explosion. It had been a closed casket funeral with only family members being permitted access. The media had been insane and the conversations in the break room had been even worse.

They said he wasn't recognizable when he'd been found.

They said he'd been murdered by his own mother.

They said he had to be identified by his dental records.

They said there wasn't even a body to bury and the casket was empty.

They said a lot of things.

She made sure they didn't say them around Bruce.

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It wasn't until nearly ten months later that Bruce was ready to try and face a normal day. He'd been working mostly by email, only coming in for a major crisis, his temper short and his heart clearly broken. She had weathered him with as much compassion as she could but he wasn't in the office long enough for her to be affected by his attitude too much.

He was grieving and the anger would pass. Of that, she was certain.

He was never quite the same man again but eventually it all mostly went back to normal.

They never talked about those few times he had screamed at her for no reason; they didn't have to. And besides, Alfred had already used Bruce's credit card to buy her an all expenses paid apology vacation to the Bahamas.

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Monday - 9 am - Need security background check on Drake family; they live next door, very weird situation over there

Monday - 10 am - Phone call with Drake Industries Director of Programs (partnership possible?)

Monday - 12 pm - Clark wants lunch, might avoid

Tuesday - 9 am - Barbara Gordon birthday card

Tuesday - 10 am - Interview w/ Lois Lane

Tuesday - 12 pm - Phone call with Barry Allen and detective I don't know regarding Central City warehouse robbery

Tuesday - 4 pm - Meeting with lawyers & finance regarding closing of Jason's trust fund

Wednesday - 9 am - pay parking tickets (Dick's & mine) & his rent & cut off his cable

Wednesday - 11 am - sign paperwork for purchase of Daily Planet (approve salary raises)

Thursday - 12 pm - Meeting regarding shares in Queen Consolidated w/ Oliver

Friday - 11 am - Wayne Foundation meeting regarding donation to Leslie's Crime Alley clinic - need project file for review (were zoning permits ever approved???)

Friday - 3 pm - Meeting with Wayne Foundation Hospital regarding doctor misuse of prescribing powers, need investigation files for review

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She had learned over the years that he prioritized what he thought was most important on Monday mornings. Margie always kept a close eye on those appointments and notes, sometimes working a few hours on Sunday afternoon in order to have everything fully ready to hit the ground running Monday when he walked off his private elevator.

She had also learned that he was beginning to give marching orders in his calendar whereas he had once sent an email instead. She didn't mind; whatever kept the wayward man on track worked for her.

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Monday - 8 am - Drop off the Drake kid at school (need to locate his parents, start at Drake Industries)

Monday - 10 am - Call broker, drop Queen Consolidated

Monday - 12 pm - phone call with Oliver scheduled, send to voicemail

Monday - 5 pm - Intern interview, Timothy Jackson Drake, student at Gotham Academy, transcript in email

Tuesday - 9 am - Phone call with Clark, send to voicemail, Lois has appointment at Wayne hospital (do we have access to records? She might be investigating the doctor problem)

Tuesday - 10 am - Budget meeting - Media Department

Tuesday - 5 pm - Email Tim acceptance letter for internship (R & D department???)

Wednesday - 9 am - Interview w/ Vicki Vale, cancel if press packet not sent in on time; Gotham Gazette going downhill

Wednesday - 11 am - Budget meeting - R&D Department

Thursday - 9 am - Phone call w/ Hal Jordan; something about 'cool ass plane'; ask Carol to terminate employment

Thursday - 12 pm - Dick's wisdom tooth surgery, need afternoon, doesn't react well to new meds

Friday - 9 am - Phone call with Jack Drake, potential partnership w/ Drake Industries

Friday - 10 am - Wally West (Dick's friend) 21st birthday gift (I think he likes money and the color red?)

Friday - 11 am - Interview with Clark Kent (reschedule; he's annoying me)

Friday - 1 pm - Lunch with Lucius Fox (R & D overhaul)

Friday - 7 pm - Drinks with Vicki Vale (need a haircut!)

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Tim Drake had been a fine intern for a summer. Margie could tell that Bruce had a strong personal connection to the boy but didn't know how deep that connection went. After all, Bruce kept calling him ‘the neighbor boy’ and didn't seem particularly interested in Drake Industries beyond the initial introduction.

He'd taken one look at the financials and declared that the company wasn't even worth a hostile takeover.

"That House of Cards will blow over in a few years," he'd said.

Margie had thought the Tim Drake situation was an interesting puzzle but never crossed the line by asking. Besides, the news effectively covered the murder of his mother and comatose father well enough that she didn't even have to consider it.

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Monday - 9 am - Foster care appointment for Tim Drake (house inspection)

Monday - 11 am - Queen Consolidated stock share review, might buy back in

Monday - 3 pm - Coffee w/ Margie (do you want a new title with raise???)

Monday - 4 pm - Phone call with Clark (they got the college fund paperwork; might need full hour; he's emotional)

Tuesday - 9 am - Queen Consolidated potential merger review

Tuesday - 10 am - Open credit card for Stephanie, limit $200,000

Tuesday - 7 pm - Tim's science fair

Wednesday - 9 am - Pay Bludhaven speeding ticket (Dick pulled me over; cut off his credit card!)

Wednesday - 4 pm - Take Alfred to airport (1 month in England)

Wednesday - 7 pm - Feed Tim

Thursday - 7 pm - Feed Tim

Friday - 7 pm - Feed Tim

Saturday - 7 pm - Feed Tim

Sunday - 7 pm - Feed Tim

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Margie had enjoyed, truly enjoyed, watching Bruce Wayne change through the years. Where some people may have called him an irresponsible playboy, she knew him to be a very capable and well loved boss. He loved the kids he took care of and even though he seemed to avoid Clark Kent at every opportunity, she could tell there was a genuine fondness there.

She had known it the second she'd seen the reminder to set up a college fund for a child that had not yet even been confirmed as existing. So she had been quite put off on his behalf when the upper crust rumor mill started to churn that not only had Jack Drake started walking again and hooked up with his physical therapist, he was bad mouthing Bruce as an irresponsible womanizer to any of his old friends that would listen. But the charity gala circuit knew Jack Drake well and they knew it was only a matter of time before he folded under the pressure of Bruce Wayne.

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To Margie Chang
From Bruce Wayne
CC Alfred Pennyworth

Sunday 12/25 3:56 pm

URGENT: Need Confidential Lawyer Meeting

Margie,

I need you to set up a meeting with Mark in legal for ASAP tomorrow morning. I want him to look into custody law. I filed an emergency child services complaint and police report against Jack Drake this morning. He'd forgotten to tell Tim that he and Dana were going to the mountains for the month of December and had turned off the power to the house. Found Tim sleeping in a tent in the living room to stay warm.

Text me to confirm appointment.

Bruce Wayne
CEO
Wayne Enterprises

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Monday - 9 am - Lawyer meeting regarding custody of Tim Drake

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The fight had been bitter from what she understood and her heart broke for Tim being caught in the middle. Bruce had told her, in a rare moment of personal confidence, that Tim was deeply struggling with the custody issue. He wanted to live with Bruce for the stability but he also wanted to be with his father. Margie didn't have any advice to give so she simply listened.

Within a couple of months it hadn't even mattered. Jack Drake had been killed in a botched home invasion and though the cold hearted conspiracy theorists believed Bruce Wayne had hired a hitman, she knew that her boss was deeply disturbed by the whole matter. The resulting investigation cleared him of all wrong doing.

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Monday - 9 am - File adoption papers for Tim & Dick

Monday - 12 pm - Finalize yearly trust fund approval

Monday - 3 pm - HR meeting; high level termination

Tuesday - 8 am - Meeting with Gotham Academy Headmaster regarding Tim's enrollment (might need to make a donation)

Tuesday - 12 pm - Lunch with Oliver (He'll have Lian with him, need a gift, she's 2 I think)

Wednesday - 9 am - Birthday coffee with Clark

Wednesday - 3 pm - photoshoot with Vogue

Wednesday - 11 pm - Night club opening down town, confirm driver

Thursday - 9 am - Leave morning open, I'm sleeping in

Thursday - 2 pm - Prep Hal for military contractor’s meeting (bring spare razor, I want to make sure he shaved)

Thursday - 4 pm - Meeting with Diana regarding military contracts

Thursday - 7 pm - Dinner w/ Hal & Diana

Friday - All Day - Anniversary of Jason's death

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Things had been going fairly smoothly minus one or two world calamities. Scandals came and went; Tim Drake did a few internships, Dick finally quit being a cop, and, then, Damian Wayne came to Gotham for the first time.

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Monday - 9 am- PATERNITY TEST NEEDED

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Monday - 9 am - Enroll Damian in Gotham Academy

Monday - 11 am - Trust fund meeting

Monday - 12 pm - Legal meeting regarding sole custody, Damian Wayne

Tuesday - 9 am - Coffee with the Kents

Tuesday - 3 pm - Tim’s college interview

Wednesday - 9 am - Breakfast with Dick

Thursday - 10 am - Write college recommendation letters for high school interns; need files for review

Friday - 9 am - End of year budget review (can you put an extra bottle of aspirin in the board room?)

Friday - 11 pm - Iceberg Lounge reopening (can you find me a valid excuse not to go???)

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Margie was entirely uncertain about Damian Wayne. He had been there for five minutes and already he had been acting as if he was the Prince of the Kingdom come to grace them all with his presence. It offended her Crime Alley sensibilities in all the wrong ways. She had been raised to scrounge and scrape what she could out of this world. He had clearly been raised differently.

“Listen to me young man,” she had snapped at him, her boss not even bothering to look at her in surprise. He simply glared at the boy too. “I am not your servant. I am an employee of Wayne Enterprises and an adult. I expect you to be either talk to me with respect or you can wait for your dad in the car downstairs.”

Damian ended up waiting in the car in the garage.

But he wasn’t all bad and she could tell that his father was starting to rub off on him quickly enough. When he got the dog was the real turning point. He would always keep that slightly haughty nature about him but once they’d instilled some manners in him, he was just as sweet as could be.

The biggest change happened when Bruce was declared missing, having been caught up in an alien attack. That had broken Damian and, in the end, he was whole new person.

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To Margie Chang
From Alfred Pennyworth
CC Richard Grayson; Timothy Wayne

Monday 4/18 7:29 am

URGENT: Need Custody Paperwork

Hello Ms. Chang,

We are in need of an urgent meeting with the family lawyers. Please have papers drawn up to transfer temporary custody of Damian Wayne to the care of Richard Grayson, until such time Bruce Wayne is found.
We will also need legal documentation of the emancipation of Timothy Wayne.

Please text to confirm meeting is set.

Sincerely,

Alfred Pennyworth
Wayne Family Estate

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Tuesday - 3 pm - Signing of custody paperwork for Damian Wayne and emancipation of Timothy Wayne

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Tim Drake-Wayne’s first day as CEO of Wayne Enterprises was met with an absolute panic as to how a seventeen year old boy with nothing on his resume but a couple of internships and adoption papers, could lead a multinational, billion dollar company. It clear by the end of his first day that Tim would be just fine.

His first meeting Monday morning had been to fire the Vice President of International Relations for abuse of power of his subordinates and insubordination. It had ended up being a brilliant power move. That had been one of the most powerful yet despised men in the entire company. His successor was far more amiable and far less likely to be sued for sexual harassment in the workplace.

Her first real meeting with him had been to discuss what had been outstanding on Bruce Wayne’s calendar. He sat at her desk, laptop open, eating a peanut butter sandwich, and roasting his father for an hour straight.

“What kind of system is this?” he asked around a huge bite of peanut butter. Margie tried her best not to burst into giggles. Bruce had been using this system for as long as he’d been CEO which was quite possibly longer than Tim had been alive. Margie had streamlined it so that it was at least efficient but she could still recognize it as quirky. “Hasn’t he ever heard of email?”

“He used to email some of these things,” she told him, watching as he scowled at Bruce’s digital notes cluttering his calendar.

“My god, what a weirdo,” he mumbled.

Tim Wayne’s calendar was far more traditional. He used the corporate email to ask Margie to complete tasks. He was also more prone to sending gifs and memes. Despite his youth, Tim Wayne had done a remarkable job as CEO succeeding in some areas Bruce Wayne hadn’t. But the tenure was short lived and when Bruce returned from his ‘missing’ status, he didn’t come back alone. He came back with a presumed dead Jason Todd, no longer dead.

The Gotham City media had never had a better day.

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Monday - 9 am - Transfer of CEO powers finalized

Monday - 10 am - Bring Jason back from the dead (Margie please ignore his zombie jokes, he’ll stop eventually)

Monday - 2 pm - Yearly review of last will & testament

Tuesday - 9 am - Reinstate Jason’s trust fund, annual review of other funds

Tuesday - 3 pm - Transfer custody of Damian back to me

Tuesday - 4 pm - Open credit card for Damian; limit $500,000

Wednesday - 9 am - Can you explain Tim’s notes system to me?

Wednesday - 12 pm - Lunch with Lucius Fox, R & D review

Thursday - 1 pm - Government contracts review w/ Diana

Friday - 9 am - Open credit card for Cass Cain; limit $500,000

Friday - 3 pm - Company Christmas party, need new flask, Jason stole mine

Friday - 7 pm - Dinner with Clark & Diana

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Margie had never heard of Cassandra Cain when Bruce had asked for a credit card for her. She had also never been able to confirm if Stephanie was Tim’s ex-girlfriend, turned family friend, or another person all together. Nobody knew where Cain came from or how she had even met Bruce. There were rumors that she was another biological child he hadn’t known about. She was already eighteen when Bruce started to bring her around the galas and other foundation events though it was clear to Margie that they had known each other for years prior.

Those adoption papers went through entirely too easily. The lawyers were used to it by now.

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Monday - 9 am - Interview w/ Lois Lane

Monday - 2 pm - Meeting with Leslie regarding Crime Alley clinic donation

Tuesday - 4 pm - Wayne Gala planning committee

Wednesday - 9 am - Wayne Gala planning committee

Thursday - 10 am - Wayne Gala planning committee

Friday - 3 pm - Hair cut

Saturday - 7 pm - Annual Wayne Foundation Gala

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Margie had sat at her usual table with other high level employees during the Annual Wayne Foundation Gala. Their’s were comped seats, done to fill tables, pad the crowd, and encourage employees to donate what they could. This year’s cause was rebuilding low income neighborhoods that had been destroyed in the last few disasters and left to fester.

It was being spearheaded by Jason Todd who had made such a moving speech about his tough Crime Alley childhood and the beauty of the people there, that guests were actually crying. Margie had been surprised how much his childhood experience mimicked her own. She shouldn’t have been but she had been.

However, the hot gossip of the night had been the new boy at the Wayne Family table. Apparently his name was Duke Thomas and, no, he was not there as anyone’s date. Margie knew the drill by then and familiarized herself with Duke’s face for when he inevitably came to pick up that credit card Bruce would order for him.

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Monday - 9 am - Open credit card for Duke Thomas; credit limit $500,000; review credit limits for Dick, Tim, & Jason (more?)

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Duke Thomas was the last child Bruce Wayne would ever file custody papers for. There would be a few more credit cards here and there, mostly for his children’s spouses. By the time Margie was ready to retire, Bruce was a grandfather. She had met him when he was so young, having just taken in his first foster child and she watched the family photos multiply, the trust funds increase, and the hair on his head go gray from the stress.

She had watched those crazy kids blow in and out of the office with comics and milkshakes, hidden flasks of whiskey and cigarettes, cell phones and portable video games, and even a knife or too. There had been broken bones from jumping out of trees and swinging on chandeliers. There had been tears and stony silences and arguments. And there had been plenty of hugs and teasing. Really, there had been a lot of teasing. The amount of times those kids roasted Bruce on social media had been a longstanding Gotham City joke.

She thought them a beautiful family and she wished him the very best with that gaggle of grand kids he could barely keep up with. At least Alfred had little ones around again.