Obligitory "No, I don't own Batman or other DC characters used in this story and I am not making profit from this silly work of fiction" disclaimer.
This story is rated T for implied adult situations (honestly, if you can't use your imagination to fill in the blanks after things fade to black, me spelling it out blow by blow isn't really going to help you a whole lot) and language from time to time.
And with all that out of the way, get on with your reading of the mindless drivel I've come up with here.
Life is what happens when you make plans...and it generally goes and messes up said plans. Oh, certainly things that we want happen, but it is quite often the things we do not plan that make life more interesting. Sometimes these accidents leave us empty and thinking life is not worth a whole lot, yet sometimes, it is just the opposite. Happy little events that we did not plan on, that we never expected - yet they make our lives that much richer.
And so it was for the people in our tale here. But you do not want to here me blathering on and on, You would much rather hear about them I am guessing - and so you shall.
Lenorah Sorris came home to an empty apartment. It was the same as every night before, a usual routine she did not always like, but felt no need to change. Dating had never been high on her priority list, and having just moved to a new town two months previously, she had not had time to make many friends. Not that she was actively trying to meet anyone right now, or that she had been an overly social person before - but a large empty apartment was just that - empty. Working long hours negated the option for a dog or cat, but there was that nice bare wall in the living room that might look nice with an aquarium.
"It's a Friday night, and I'm debating on getting fish or not. I need help." she muttered to herself.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, she hastened to change into her comfy lounge clothing. Her life was not totally boring in her estimation at least. A few nights ago, she had spotted something as she sat up late staring out at the view she had of most of the city. The first time she figured it for a late night, sleep deprived hallucination. Seeing it again the next night shook that idea out of her and she had spent her nights with the lights out just staring out the large picture windows that made up most of the living and dining areas. As tonight was a Friday, she allowed herself a bottle of wine as she settled in for her nightly watch.
Most people would have considered her pathetic, and just a little crazy. But Lenorah had never really cared much what other people thought. And as it was in the privacy of her own home, it was not causing any harm in the first place. Given the city she now lived in, it was actually a pretty safe hobby. Gotham City was not known for always being the safest of places to live, not that any big city really was, but things just seemed to happen more often in Gotham. She was still learning her new home, but she actually felt like this was finally the place she could stay a while. Bonus evenings of bat watching were simply icing on the cake.
She had certainly never expected to see the costumed man who guarded the city. Sure, she had heard about him, but a sketchy newspaper photo was nothing compared to seeing that glimpse for yourself. She had only caught a brief glimpse twice, but it was worth it if for no other reason than to feel special in her own mind. Her friends would never believe it - simply thinking she had finally gone completely crazy (because moving to Gotham in the first place had made her insane enough in their estimation).
"My dear, I do believe the weather is fine enough to brave the great outdoors."
She kept the thought that she was talking to an unopened bottle of wine to herself. Not having another person in the house meant she talked to inanimate objects quite often. Talking to herself caused some fun issues at work on occasion, but the other researchers in the lab were rather quick to accept her quirk right along with their own. The habit of watching for a grown man in a costume amongst the rooftops of Gotham was one she kept to herself though.
The evening was oddly clear for once, and a few stars could be seen through the lights of the city. Half a bottle later, and no bat sightings, had Lenorah considering calling it an early night. But she did not quite feel like going back inside and staring at the ceiling waiting for sleep to come. So she stayed on the rooftop balcony and let all thoughts leave her head. A flicker in the left of her peripheral vision pulled her mindless gaze away from the lights of the neighboring building. In the slight breeze that had picked up, something was flapping in an almost lazy way.
Focusing her vision, the flapping piece of fabric was joined by a body, and a head topped with a dark cowl with pointed ears. Though she was careful to show no external reactions, she was considerably surprised to see him closer than she ever had before. He could not be more than six feet away, perched on her own rooftop. She could see how people could be afraid of such a sight, darkness looming over them complete with cape. The one feature she really wished to see was not much more than a pair of glints shining in the darkness. Lenorah dearly loved to study people's eyes - the color, shape and what they may have shown in them or attempted to keep under guard. She would probably never get the chance to look the Batman in the eyes. The history behind why he did what he did had not ever really interested her. Just the fact that a man took it upon himself to do it was enough for her. Not that she had ever had any desires to be a vigilante by night and a programmer by day, but it was at least a more interesting hobby than most people had. Lenorah could not tell if he was studying her or just the general area, but a certain amount of courage came with the consumed wine and she decided to make a move.
"I'd offer you a glass, but I suppose you don't drink while on duty."
She kept her voice low and even, but still loud enough to carry across the rooftop. The only response was a slight shifting in position in her "companion". Shrugging, she pored herself another glass of wine, raising it in a slight toast towards the nearby man. Turning away, she decided to count it as a small victory he was on her roof and called it good for the evening.
"Thank you for the offer, but you are correct."
The voice was pitched deep and rather scratchy - not his normal tone of voice she figured.
"A rain check then, for an evening when you won't be on the clock - so to speak." Lenorah offered.
"You've been watching me for a while now."
"Gives a girl something to do on a Friday night. Apparently you've been watching me watch you." Lenorah paused. "I should feel flattered probably...this is the closest thing I've had to a date in...well...a long time. How pathetic was that. I should probably put a cork in it."
"If you think the bottle needs to be closed, then by all means."
"You have nothing better to do than talk to some crazy woman on a rooftop on a Friday night? No bad guys to take down?"
"Not tonight."
"Oh...well...I have things to drink that don't have alcohol in them, can I get you something?"
"Thank you, but no."
"I'm Lenorah by the way, if you needed a name to go with the face." She turned back to face him again, noting that he'd moved a little closer. "Is it just Batman, or with 'the' out in front?"
It was faint, but she was pretty sure she heard him chuckle.
"Just Batman."
"You've been in the neighborhood quite a bit lately, something going on or just routine patrolling of the city?"
He could not quite keep the slight smile off his face. No one had ever taken the time to make small talk with "The Batman" before. Not that many people got the chance really, but as much of a distraction as it was, he had to admit it was a refreshing change. It was especially nice that she was not treating him any differently than she probably would if he was out of his costume. She did not appear to be afraid of him, and he did not think it was related to the wine she was drinking. Not when she took pains to keep the lights in her apartment off when she sat up nights watching him.
"There was something, but they've moved out of the area now."
"Is that good or bad?"
"Good that they've moved on, except I haven't been able to track them."
"Left the city then?"
"Perhaps."
"And the extra hours spent watching me?"
He paused at this one. He was not all that sure as to why he had spent a little extra time those evenings watching her in her darkened apartment. At first it was just to see who was now living in the apartment that had been empty for so long. From there it had simply progressed into something different to do - even if her habits seemed to be rather boring. He felt it was a little strange that an attractive woman would choose to spend so much time alone, talking to the inanimate objects in her apartment rather than people. He remembered only a small handful of phone calls having occurred during his watches - and the majority of them had been work related. It had been something nice to look at, for lack of a better thought.
"Ah...caught you in the act did I? Indulging in a little guilty pleasure...seems we're both guilty then."
"You're surprisingly blase about this."
"It's not like you can see into my shower." Lenorah replied with a shrug. "And if you can, you've got your surveillance equipment setup in the wrong location. Nothing illegal going on in my shower...that takes more than one person. And as you can tell, it's just me."
If that surprised him as much as it did her, Lenorah was not quite sure where the rest of the evening was going to end up. She had just mentioned shower sex in an odd casual conversation with a man in a bat suit. Perhaps she should stop drinking for the rest of the evening...it was only serving to make a rather embarrassing mess of things.
"I uh...I can't believe I just said all that. I either need to get laid or stop drinking." she muttered to herself.
Unfortunately, her mutterings went overheard. But he made no outward sign that he had heard. Perhaps it was time to go...he did not need to complicate things by sticking around. Though it was a rather interesting turn in the conversation.
"While it has been a pleasure, I should be moving on."
"Uh, yeah...sure. Well, you know my schedule here, so drop by any time. Except next Friday. I was the lucky winner from our department at work to go to some charity ball. I love going dateless to overdressed dance parties where people don't dance well and the food isn't all that great."
A nod was all she got in reply as he launched himself off the roof, and she ran to the edge to watch him glide to the streets below. It had turned out to be a most interesting evening...even if she had ended up making a slightly drunken ass out of herself.
"Next time, no wine." Lenorah muttered as she went back into her apartment.
AN:
Welcome to my little story here. This came about after an evening of putzing around the house with the movies playing and a "What if" popped into my brain (after doing the happy dance when a certain woman is blown to little itty bits...but that's a rant for another day). This story is completed already, and I will be posting probably once a week until all 28 parts are up.
This story is rather lacking in crime fighting action if that's what you're looking for...and is probably borderline cheesy ass romance without me intending it to be that way (I honestly did not set out to make a romance novella). It was mainly an exercise in playing around with characters - sticking them in a box with some props and seeing what they decided to do. The focus was on Mr. Wayne and what he might do with a woman in his life who didn't have a problem with his other half. And Robin too after a while...taken from the original Dick Grayson model.
Mostly just mindless drivel I suppose (this whole author note is at least), but hopefully written alright for an enjoyable read for those of you interested. Mostly movieverse, with some comic elements tossed in here and there. I was more of a Spawn fan during my comic collecting days....so I'm not the most knowledgeable Batman writer here, but I did do as much research as I felt was needed for certain backgrounds on some characters. Everything else I just pulled out of my ass and slapped down on a page.