A/N: Just something I started in my spare time...
I awoke early one normal, dreary morning to the bright sunlight when Alfred pulled back the curtains. I grabbed the pillow nearest to me and shoved it over my face in an attempt to block out the sunlight.
"Can't this wait?" I groaned, the pillow muffling my words. "I was up all last night dealing with that damn case with Mister Crane, I think I deserve a couple extra hours of sleep."
"That may hold true Miss Jamie," Alfred replied, ripping the pillow off of my face. "But you've got another meeting today and a bunch of papers that need your signing."
"Ughh...what time's the meeting?" I grumbled, snatching the pillow back.
"4 o'clock."
"What time is it now?"
"3."
With an angry groan I threw the pillow to the side and sat up in bed, running a hand through my frizzy hair. I cracked half an eye open to look at Alfred, and then took the drink from his hand along with the two asprin.
"I swear, if I have to hear about how one more person needs to be taken to his crazy house, I'm going to take a gun to my head and blow my brains out." I vowed, pushing back the covers and getting down on the ground to do my daily push-ups.
"Well now that wouldn't be good Miss Jamie, because then who would run this company? They need you here."
"Yeah right, the company thinks they would do better without me in charge."
"You can't let those newspaper articles get you down. There are plenty of people who believe you've been doing a great job with Wayne Enterprises." Alfred debated as he made my bed.
"Well I'd sure like to meet some of them." I answered, getting up off the floor and starting toward the shower.
The doorbell suddenly rang, echoing throughout the entire mansion. Alfred looked up at me, as if to ask what I wanted him to do.
"Go ahead and answer." I said. "But if it's another damn reporter tell them to piss off."
"Will do, Miss."
I walked into the bathroom and closed the door tightly behind me. I stripped out of my pajamas and stepped into the hot shower, trying to scrub all of the grease out of my hair that had built up overnight. After I had finished I stepped out and pulled on the basics, bra, panties, and dress pants before I blow dried my mass of brown hair. Once it was completely dry I brushed it so it laid flat in soft curls on my back before I pulled on the dress shirt Alfred had laid out for me. I looked suitable at least for the meeting after all the makeup was put on and everything. By the time I was completely ready, it was 3:45. I stepped out of the bathroom, grabbing my purse and car keys as I exited the bedroom. As I proceeded down the steps, Alfred caught up with me halfway.
"Miss Jamie, the person at the door..."
"Was it really a reporter?" I cut him off bitterly. "I wish those bastards would just leave me the-"
"It wasn't a reporter."
"Oh? Then who was it?"
Alfred seemed awfully pale, or at least paler then he usually looked. Without waiting for another explanation I made my way down the steps a bit faster. Alfred caught up with me a moment later and led the way through all the confusing corridors to one of the main rooms. The door was closed, and there was no sound coming from the other end. Alfred opened the door for me and stepped inside right after me. The man turned slowly to face me, and all I could do was stare in shock and awe at who it was. He looked fairly similar to me, except his eyes were blue where mine were green. His body build had remained the same from the last time I had seen him....which was god only knows how many years ago. I dropped my purse and my car keys on the ground and fixiated my eyes on him, a wave of emotions crashing down on top of my head. He half smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Hey Jamie."
I took two steps toward him and was just then standing just inches away from his face. I raised my hand and smacked him as hard as I possibly could across his face, reeling back from the pain that pulsated through my hand from the blow. A giant red mark in the shape of my hand was forming on his face, but other then that he seemed completely unfazed.
"I guess I deserved that." He said with a sigh, rubbing his cheek.
"You better have a good excuse for why the hell you disappeared on me for all these years. God damn it Bruce! Do you have any idea the shit you've put me through you selfish son of a bitch?"
"Look, Jamie..."
"Miss Jamie." Alfred interrupted, pointing to his wrist. "Meeting."
"Oh shit." I cursed, running over and taking my purse and car keys from Alfred's hands.
I spun around to face Bruce again, who had not moved an inch.
"I'll deal with you when I get done with this meeting."
"Why don't I come with you?" He offered calmly, finally moving from his spot by the nightstand.
"Because I don't know what to make of how I feel right now, and I don't think anybody else will be able to either."
Bruce nodded only once before I stormed out of the room. I got into the Mercedes and pealed off down the road toward Wayne Enterprises, muttering several profanities under my breath. Where the hell had he gone, and why the hell did he suddenly come back? I didn't know if I should be pissed off that he was here, or happy that he came back. When I finally reached the building, I was about five or so minutes late. I took the elevator to the main meeting room and tried to gather myself while I walked in. All heads swung around to face me as I murmured an apology and took my seat.
"Well now that we're all here." Crane said with a glare at me. "I'm sure we can get down to busniess. This meeting is a complete waste of time."
"It is NOT a waste of time Doctor Crane." I spat his name. "You're talking about moving all of these people to your own private care center on MY company's dime. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but the patients who were admitted, by you I might add, showed no symptoms of any pyschological harm whatsoever before being admitted."
"Actually Miss Wayne," Spoke up one of Crane's companions. "All of the patient's admitted by Doctor Crane were specifically examined by him before being admitted and before his idea to transfer them over to his own private care center."
"And these men have not been viewed by anybody else except Doctor Crane himself?"
"That's right." Crane replied with a malevolent smile that only I could see.
"Well then how do we know that he isn't lying?"
"Miss Wayne," Began one of the heads of my department. "Surely you're not suggesting that Doctor Crane here has something to do with the mental state of each of the patients he examines?"
"Of course not, but doesn't anybody else find it slightly odd that these patients being admitted showed no previous signs of pyschological harm before being viewed by Doctor Crane?"
"But they were showing signs of mental unstability." Crane cut in. "I wouldn't be allowed to even examine people who weren't showing some signs of mental distruption."
"But why do they all need to be moved to your own private care center, and on MY company's dime?"
"The Wayne Enterprise has the most annual income in the entire city and would be able to afford to send these people to my care center, where I can give them all of the private care and health benefits they need to regain their mental capacity." Crane replied with anger tracing his voice. "If you haven't noticed, Miss Wayne, they are all claimed to be the city's trash, but they are still people. People who need my help."
I could tell the other people at the table were just eating up Crane's logic, and I was the only one who could see through his bullshit lying. He was up to something, and I sure as hell wasn't going to risk the safety of my parent's company be used for whatever vulgar idea that was crossing through his mind.
"No." I answered adminteldy. "You can't have our funding."
There was a roar of outrage from everyone around the table, and Crane simply smiled at me. It sent chills down my spine. I refocused on trying to settle everybody down.
"Until I've seen this private mental hospital myself and had a full examination of what will be taking place process wise, you cannot have my company's funding. Since I own Wayne Enterprises, I guess you'll just have to impress me, won't you Doctor Crane?"
"Of course." He replied with that same, evil smile. "Just name the date and we'll schedule a ferry to come and take you over."
"Three days from today, this coming Monday."
I packed up all of my papers and shoved them into a folder, glaring over at Crane.
"That is all."
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When I made it back home, Bruce was sitting in one of the lounge chairs, as though he were expecting me to come home any second. Alfred was busy in the kitchen, so it was just the two of us left alone.
"How'd the meeting go?" He asked, creating light banter.
"Fine. I'm going to see Doctor Johnathan Crane's private care center this Monday."
Bruce nodded and rose from his chair, putting his hands in his pockets again. He looked at the ground as though he was completely fascinated with his shoes.
"Why did you come back Bruce?" I demanded. "First off, why the hell did you leave?"
"I had to leave. I just couldn't take it anymore, and I needed to find myself."
"'Find yourself'?" I retorted. "That sounds like a bad joke. Don't lie to me Bruce. I think I deserve a lot more then that."
"It's the honest truth." He argued. "And I came back because I knew that this company needed me, and that you needed me."
"I didn't need you!" I snapped. "I don't need you! I've handled the company well enough on my own before you showed up. I can't believe you!"
"Jamie...please." He was begging, pulled his hands out of his pockets and took a few steps forward. "I'm trying to set things right again."
"You can set things right again by pissing off!" I yelled.
Quickly with my sleeve, I wiped away the hot tear that had managed to squeeze out of my eye and roll down my cheek. I had hoped Bruce wouldn't notice it, but he did. He took another step forward but I was way past logic now.
"Stop it!" I shouted, backing up. "Stay the hell away from me!"
He suddenly wrapped his arms tightly around me and without warning I buried my head in his shirt, hot tears pooling out of my eyes while I cursed at him for making me into a wreck like this.
"I'm really sorry Jamie," He said quietly, putting his hand on top of my head. "I know it was a really bad time to leave, and I'm sorry for dropping all this on top of you all at once."
I murmured another curse into his shirt while my hands locked around his back. When he finally drew me to the side, I wiped my eyes with my sleeves again, ending up with mascara all over them.
"You should probably go see Rachel and let her know that you're back." I said without looking at him.
"I will, tomorrow maybe. But today, I just want to catch up with you. And take care of a few other things."
We spent the rest of the day/evening in the kitchen, discussing what had been going on while we weren't together.
A/N: That's it for now I guess. Review or don't, doesn't make much of a difference to me.
-Jackie-