Author's note: Well here is the second chapter, things are moving a little slowly but don't worry it will all kick off soon!
The shrill ringing of the bell called the end of school for Sofia. She sighed, it had been a long first few weeks in school. She had managed to get on the school acrobatics team, but that wasn't too hard for her and she had made friends; Terry McGinnis and Max Gibson. She stood from her desk and backed her laptop in to her bag as she was leaving she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning to look, Terry's smile greeted her.
"Hey, wanna walk out with me?" He said opening the door.
"And what do I owe this chivalry too?" Sofia teased.
"Well seeing as you just won the individual championships in the acrobatic nationals, I think I could hold a door open for you." Terry walked out behind her.
They walked towards the main entrance of the school and out in to the parking lot.
"Hey me, Max, Dana and Howard are going to play laser tag, wanna come?" Terry asked her as he stopped by the group of people.
"I love to guys but I promised Dad that I'd watch Josh for him." Sofia rolled her eyes.
Dana pointed at someone in the parking lot, "It looks like you aren't going either Ter, you're keepers here." Everyone looked around and saw Bruce Wayne, Terry's boss standing by his car.
"Oh man!" Terry said, "see you guys."
"I'll walk with you, I'm going that way anyways." Sofia said. The two walked over the to tall figure of Bruce Wayne.
"Hey boss," Terry said, "Met Sofia Drake."
Sofia extended her hand to Mr. Wayne, "Pleased to meet you."
"And you. How is your father?" Bruce asked.
Sofia remembered that Bruce adopted her Dad when his Dad was murdered by two face, she always found it strange that her never talked about Bruce nor about his childhood.
"He's very well thank you," Sofia nodded at Bruce. "Well see you tomorrow Terry, nice to meet you Mr. Wayne." Just as she turned to leave her phone rang. "Hello? Josh? Not again! Seriously? The word doesn't revolve around you as much as you'd like to think it does. Fine, see you at home."
"What's wrong?" Terry asked.
Sofia put her cell back in to her bag, "The little twip is going to his friend's house, always tells me last-minute. Ruins my plans!" She through her hands up in mock distress.
Brice shocked them both by speaking, "Well I need some help at the house and its a two-man job?"
Sofia looked from Terry to Bruce, "Sure, it beats doing homework!"
Once they were on the freeway the limo glided along the road out of the city. Sofia breathed a sigh of relief, she liked Gotham but she preferred open space like out in the Palisades where Wayne Manor was. Soon the great black gates appeared before then, "Welcome," Bruce said to her.
She looked up slightly open-mouthed at the mansion that unfolded before her. She wished her Dad had talked about it more, how could you leave out this place, Sofia thought. Bruce opened the door he and Terry went in and Sofia flowed. The entrance hall was as grand as the outside of the house, rooms went off in different direction and a large stair case took up the back of the hall.
"I need you to move the old book-case in the living room. Think you can manage?" Bruce's voice broke Sofia's thoughts.
"Yeah no problem. You coming Sof?" Terry asked. Sofia nodded and let him lead the way. She followed Terry down a corridor that opened in to a large room that was walled with books. A piano sat in the corner and a grandfather clock in the other.
"I think it's this couch we have to move," He pointed to a large couch that was against the wall. Terry stood on one end and Sofia on the other. "Ok, one, two, three, lift!" They lifted together, my lord this is heavy! Sofia thought. They went a few paces and set it down.
"Not there, over there," Bruce's voice came out of nowhere causing Sofia to jump. They both groaned and heaved the couch up again to its destination. Once it was to Bruce's liking Terry turned to Sofia, "Want a glass of water?"
"Yeah please!" Sofia wiped her brow with her sleeve. Terry left in search of water and Sofia was left alone. She wandered around the room looking at the books and the art on the walls, she pasted the Grandfather Clock and a floor board made a loud groaning noise. Sofia looked down at her feet, that's odd, she thought, then put her foot back on the loose board, the noise happened again. She made her foot follow the creak up to the wall on the right side of the clock. She put her hands against the wall, one side was dry, but the side nearer the clock was cold and slightly damp. She touched it again, damp and cold, she was about to give up when something caught her eye, a light, there was a light in coming from behind the clock. She wiggled her fingers in to the gap between the clock and the wall, she pulled back and the clock swung on outwards on hinges. Before her was a tunnel going downwards. She looked behind her and there was no sign of Bruce or of Terry, so she took a step on to the stone steps, well it there isn't a trap, Sofia thought so she followed the stairs downwards. It was dark but the light was getting brighter at towards the end of the tunnel. What came next Sofia never expected to see what she saw. A cave opened up before her, there was a massive computer at the far wall, it looked like you could track the world from that thing. But what made Sofia's jaw drop was what she saw when she got to the bottom of the stairs. "He's Batman," She breathed. She walked along a row of cases, there was the Batman suit from the old days, the Nightwing suit, the Batgirl costume and the Robin suit. There was also trophies from villains past; Scarface, the Riddler's costume, a jack in the box.
"We have a problem," Sofia spun around, Terry and Bruce stood at the top of the stairs. She gulped, she was in big trouble.
"So you've found our little secret?" Bruce said coming down the stairs.
"Oh, em, yeah, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to, I was just looking around and well I found it, em." Sofia spoke quickly with nerves.
Terry looked at Bruce, "What do we do?"
"There is nothing that we can do, but." He walked up to Sofia and looked her straight in the eye, "This secret must be kept as one? If you tell anyone it will put a lot of people in danger, not only just Terry and myself, but your father as well."
Sofia looked up at Bruce, "My father?" Bruce looked towards the cases with the old costumes, "Wait. My Dad was Robin?" She was stunned.
Bruce nodded, "And that is why you cannot say a word."
"Yeah, of course! Wow, so that means that you're Batman." Sofia said to Bruce.
"I was Batman," He said. "There is a new one now." Terry smiled at Sofia.
"Terry! So that's why you just disappear! It all makes sense now!" Sofia put her hand on her head. "Does anyone else know?"
Terry nodded, "Yeah Max knows too, but just her." Sofia thought it was strange that Dana didn't know, but it wasn't her place to say.
Sofia looked at the ground for a minute, she looked over at the cases where the costumes where. Turning away from Bruce and Terry she walked towards the suits. Her Dad was Robin, Robin the Boy Wonder. The suit was lit from the top and the beam of the light coursed down through the suit. It looked small, how did her Dad fit in it? The mask looked down at her and her eye followed the lies of the cape and the red torso. She shook her head and looked back at Bruce and Terry who were silently watching her.
"What happened to my Dad?" She asked quietly, still not meeting their eyes. "He never talks about you Bruce, or his childhood and then over the last month he went missing a lot and Mom was worried, and then The Joker showed up…" She trailed off as she made the connection in her head, "Was he The Joker?"
Bruce twitched an eye brow, "Well you certainly have his deduction skills. But yes - No Terry I'm not going to sugar coat it for her - he was. But not anymore you must understand. When he was Robin, The Joker and HarleyQuinn took him, they tortured him to insanity. We brought him back to sanity over the course of a year and we though the was fine and he was. But The Joker had one more trick up his sleeve, he put a chip in your father with so that he could come back like he did. But he is gone now, Terry got rid of him."
Sofia gulped, so that's why her Dad was the way he was, she felt sick and faint. "I - I don't… " She felt the world spin slightly, Terry ran over and grabbed her arm.
"Whoa, you ok?" He looked down at her.
She shook her head trying to get rid of the images that were taking over, "I'll be fine. Poor Dad," She looked back at the Robin suit. Terry let go of her arm, and let her stand.
"Come, lets get you home." Bruce motioned to the door. Sofia nodded following the old man and Terry back up the stairs.
Bruce said that he would stay home and Terry said that her would drive her back. She got in the front beside him dropping heavy on to the seat. "A lot to take in huh?" Terry said starting the engine.
"Yeah totally, I mean wow." She said looking back at the Manor as the left the drive way.
A few minutes past in silence, when Sofia decided to speak, "Terry, you know you're secrets safe with me. I won't say anything, and if you need anyone to talk to you can talk to me."
Terry smiled at her, "Thanks Sof."
They drove back in to the city talking about the criminals that Terry had managed to catch, the story's he had fascinated her. All too soon they pulled up to her apartment block.
"Well see you tomorrow Ter," She smiled at him and gave him a hug, "But be careful tonight." She whispered in his ear.
"Always am." He grinned as she got out of the car.
Sofia waved as Terry pulled away in the car then turned to go in the door. From up in Sofia's building Tim observed his daughter getting out of Bruce Wayne's car with Terry McGinnis, his jaw tightened, this cannot happen again.