Author's note: I'm kind of in a superhero mood. This is my first BB story. I really loved this show before it was canceled. Please read and review. Thanks. Don't own anything but the story.
Missing You
He groaned in pain as the opposing fist crashed into his jaw.
"McGinnis!" The old man's gravely voice rang into his ear.
"Kind of busy, right now." He shot back as he held his arms over his head to block more punches from the Jokerz.
"You're not focusing, tonight. Finish these clowns off."
"Easy for you to say." The com-link went dead.
"You're going to get it now, Bat-fake." He turned and ducked to avoid a large crowbar being swung by a Jokerz. He ducked and hit the man with a flurry of punches aimed carefully at his ribs, bringing him to his knees. He spun to his left and delivered a swift side kick to the gut of a female Jokerz. Finally, he finished the last one off with a quick elbow to the jaw.
"Took you long enough." The old man's voice had a small hint of sarcasm.
"I appreciate all your support." He was hunched over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily.
"Why don't you call it a night? Come back to the cave."
"You're too generous." The com-link went dead again. He sighed and flew off.
"So what's the problem, McGinnis?" The old man asked as Terry changed out of the suit.
"You're interested in my problems?"
"Only when it affects your work."
"Just the usual stuff. Grades not as good as I'd like. Not getting enough sleep. Mom's worrying. Dana."
"Let me guess, it's Dana that's bothering you the most?" Terry sighed.
"We had a date tonight. It was going great until, well, your call." The old man held a hand up.
"I've been with my fair share of women. I know how it works."
"Yeah, look at you now."
"I'll just pretend you didn't say that." Terry laughed and put on his coat.
"Well, I better get what little sleep I have left." He turned around and started walking up the long flight of stairs.
"Do you want some advice?" He turned around.
"Sure, I guess it can't get any worse than it is." The old man stared thoughtfully at the ground before speaking.
"You can still be with her." He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure I'm getting what you're saying." Wayne sighed.
"I'm just saying that maybe Batman could pay a visit to her at night. And only after he finishes his rounds."
"Do women like the suit?" The old man smiled slyly.
"Worked for me a few times." Terry grinned.
"Didn't you give me a lecture on how I wasn't supposed to use the suit for recreational purposes?"
"I'm just offering you another chance to see Dana. It's your choice." The old man sat down and focused on the computer screen. Terry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I guess it's better than nothing. I'll see you later, Wayne."
"Terry! Terry, it's time to get up. You're going to be late for school!" His mother called from downstairs. His alarm clock went off at the same time. He groaned and slammed the snooze button. 4 hours of sleep per night was not going to cut it.
He stumbled into the bathroom, threw some cold water on his face and brushed his teeth. He changed into a new black t-shirt and pants, grabbed his backpack and ran downstairs.
His little brother and his mother were eating breakfast at the table. He opened the refrigerator and poured himself some orange juice and grabbed two pieces of toast.
"You came in pretty late last night." His mother said in a concerned tone.
"Yeah, that's just part of the job description." He replied between gulps of juice.
"Terry, you need to get more sleep. You need to take better care of yourself."
"I'm trying." Matt looked up from his comics.
"Daaaaana called last night." He said in a fake cutesy voice. Terry shot him a hard glance.
"She did? What about?"
"She said to tell you that she wasn't going to speak to you today. And that you were the worst boyfriend. And that…" Terry held his hand out.
"Ok, can it squirt. I get the drift." Matt snickered. Mrs. McGinnis looked at the clock.
"You boys better get going." She ruffled Matt's hair and gave Terry a quick hug.
"All right, squirt, let's get going." He grabbed his brother and they raced out of their apartment.
"And that's the whole point of Hemingway. Grace under pressure. Ordinary men and women who manage to perform their duties in the face of extraordinary odds amidst the chaos and violence that surrounds them. The Hemingway heroes have an unspoken understanding of what needs to be done." Mr. Adams paused and scanned the class. "What do you think about that Mr. McGinnis?" Terry had propped his head on hand and dozed off during the lecture.
"Mr. McGinnis?" He walked over to his desk and tapped it with his two fingers. Terry shook himself awake at the sound.
"Hmm, you were saying Mr. Adams?" He shook his head disapprovingly, Terry.
"Mr. McGinnis, did you even do last night's reading?" Terry scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous smile.
"Well, um, I was really busy with my job last night and…" Mr. Adams cut him off.
"I don't want to hear any excuses, Mr. McGinnis. Perhaps I should assign you an extra paper in addition to the one coming up for A Farwell to Arms?"
"But, Mr. Adams…"
"I don't want to hear anymore excuses. You have obviously shown the class that you have no understanding of heroism whatsoever."
The bell rang to signal the end of the class.
"All right, class. Remember, papers due Thursday." The students filed out of class quickly. Terry followed suit until someone touched him on his arm.
"Rough night, eh?" Max gave him an understanding smile.
"You might say that." They walked slowly out of the hallway.
"You're kind of caught between a rock and a hard place, aren't you?" Terry smirked.
"Dana and Mr. Wayne? You're right about that; I had to cut my date short last night because of him, and when I arrived at the cave, he chewed me out about being late." She patted his arm sympathetically.
"Hey, that's Dana over there, by Chelsea's locker. You should go talk to her."
"Wish me luck." He walked over towards the two girls.
"Hey." He said quietly. Dana looked at him and promptly turned her head up and stormed off. Chelsea held up her hands and stepped aside.
"Dana, wait!" He walked quickly to catch up to her. She continued walking and he grabbed her hand.
"Let me explain." She wrenched her hand away from his grip.
"There's nothing to explain, McGinnis. I've just had it with your excuses about work. I'm tired of always being so far down on your list of priorities." Terry sighed.
"I know, but Mr. Wayne always keeps a tight leash and…"
"I don't care about what Mr. Wayne does! Is it too much for us to spend some time together?"
"I know how you feel but my work is ..."
"You do not know how I feel, Terry. You do not know what it's like to be treated like something disposable."
"Let me make it up to you." She shook her head.
"I'm sorry Terry, but I can't do this anymore."
"Dana." She turned to leave, but he pulled her towards him and kissed her gently on the lips. She gave in slightly before quickly pulled away.
"I'm sorry, Terry." She replied quietly and walked away. He sighed heavily and stared blankly after her.
"You're early." Wayne turned around from the computer screen.
"Yeah, well I figured I might get started early so I could get some more sleep."
"Sleep is overrated."
"Maybe for you." Terry replied as he pulled on his mask. He took a deep breath.
"I'm going out."
"Stay focused."
"Yeah, I will." He walked up the stairs.
"McGinnis." He turned towards the old man who was now wearing a small smile.
"Good luck."
Dana stared at her laptop screen in frustration. Writing the ending always the hardest part of an essay. She massaged her temples and sighed. There didn't seem to be any reason to write about heroes especially in crime infested Gotham.
"I need a break." She pushed her chair away from the desk and got up to stretch.
The phone rang, and she grabbed it after three rings.
"Hello? Oh, hey Chels. Yeah, I'm still all right. I told him that it was over between us. No, it wasn't very harsh; I think it might have been a long time coming. I've put up with too much from Terry. Besides, now you can help me find someone else. Yeah. No I'm not finished with the essay; I can't seem to find a good ending. Adams is so stupid; him and his imaginary heroes."
At that moment, she heard a soft knocking outside her window. She glanced quickly and saw a black silhouette with noticeable pointy ears crouched outside her window. She caught her breath in her throat.
"I'll call you back." She hung up the phone and looked again towards the window, but the shadow was gone. She walked cautiously towards the window and silently opened the French doors leading towards the balcony. He was standing quietly; arms folded together, silently gazing at the Gotham night sky.
"Batman?" She asked nervously taking small steps onto the balcony. He gave her a brief glance and then returned to the city view.
She was always beautiful to him. Seeing her with her shoulder-length black hair and her slim figure clad in a blue nightgown made him wonder for a moment why he didn't spend more time with her.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out saving people?"
"Just taking a break. The air's nice tonight." She walked over and stood beside him.
"Don't you notice it? You're out there all the time."
"Kind of hard to when you're being attacked from every direction." She laughed quietly
"I guess my English essay doesn't quite compare to that." A comfortable silence fell between them.
"So what's the essay on?" She rolled her eyes.
"Hemingway's heroes and how they perform with grace under pressure. My teacher is so obsessed with heroes. That's all he talks about." He smiled grimly.
"You should write that heroes are overrated. That they suffer from the same problems everyone else does. They save the lives of complete strangers while at the same time neglecting the ones close to them."
"I guess you would know." He stared at her intently before looking back down at the city. Silence fell between them. She decided to lighten up the mood.
"You know, I always thought you would be taller." She said with a small smile. He smiled back.
"There's a lot you don't know about me."
"No one really knows anything about you. I mean, you're Batman. Always surrounded by mystery."
"Do you find that attractive, the mystery?" He walked towards her until they were only inches apart. She felt a shiver run down her spine.
"I'd have to see what was under the mask before I can make that decision." He stared deeply into her eyes, full of longing and sadness. He raised his right hand and gently brushed back a strand of black hair that had strayed onto her face.
"If you'll be here tomorrow night, I'll be here." She nodded quietly. He flew off, leaving a rather shaken Dana Tan. She touched the side of her face where he had pushed back her hair.
"Who are you?" She asked quietly.
Several buildings away, a tall figure standing on the roof dressed in a dark cloak put down his binoculars.
"Excellent. Two birds with one stone."