A/N Hope you wanted a second chapter. Because here it is. XD
Disclaimer: DC owns Batman. Bungie 343 owns what comes later.
Danni sat in the hospital bed, curled into a tight ball. She could barely fathom what had happened. One second, they were there, and the next...
"Gone." She whispered. Tears began to well in her eyes when a nurse came in.
"How's your hand doing today?" The nurse was a young African American women with a nice smile. Danni would of liked her and complimented her pink and yellow scrubs if she wasn't in her own grief-stricken world.
"Fine. It only hurts a little now." Danni looked down at the cast on her hand and wrist. When she punched the stone floor, she had fractured a few knuckles and two of her fingers.
The nurse smiled. "Good. Anyway, you have a very special visitor. He would like to see you. Can he?" The nurse saw Danni nodd slightly. "Great. I'll go get him."
Danni wondered who it could be. Her parents were only children, so she had no Aunts or Uncles and her grandparents had all passed away when she was small. She had no family left. Who could it be?
A voice cut through the silence. "Hello Danni, I'm Bruce Wayne."
A moment earlier, Bruce was sitting in the waiting room, trying to imagine what he could say to this Danni Warnock. He had comforted Dick, and then Tim when his parents passed, but he never had to comfort a girl; much less one who's parents had died in something he had been a part of. The nurse called him over and gave him the room number. Bruce thanked her and walked to the listed room. As he peered into the room, he saw a young girl, curled up into a fetal position and bearing the same expression he had made when his parents were taken from him. "Hello Danni," He said with a sincere smile. "I'm Bruce Wayne." Bruce watched Danni wearily lift her head and make eye contact.
"I know who you are. My...well, he worked for a construction crew that Wayne Enterprises owned. What do you want?" Danni asked in a heartbroken tone.
Bruce's smile vanished. "I wanted to see how you were doing. I was told what happened. You know, I know what your going through. I know it hurts Danni."
Danni let a tiny smile tug at her lip for an instant. "Thanks." She said meakly.
Bruce looked down at her cast. 'Huh. She punched the tile much harder than I had assumed.' He smiled. "Light Blue. Nice color. Is it your favorite?"
"Yeah, but I almost went with green. I don't like girly colors; Pink especially." Danni replied.
There was a long pause until Bruce cleared his throat. "Listen, Danni, I've gone ahead and paid your medical bills and with your approval, I'd like to pay for the expenses of you parents' memorial service. Is that alright?"
Danni turned her head to look out the window. Her eyes showed she was zoning to someplace distant, and tears pooled around her lower eyelids. "Yes, that's fine. Thank you Mr. Wayne. I'm kinda tired, would you mind-?"
Bruce understood. She wanted to be left alone again. "Of course Danni. If you need anything, let a nurse know and I'll handle the expense." Bruce only got a nod as a response. He left the room and went to the floor's main desk. "Pardon me Miss. Can you tell me who Danni Warnock in room 381 next of kin is?" Bruce had intention of seeing to it that Danni's next caregiver was financially stable.
The nurse looked at the computer and looked back with remorse. "I'm sorry Mr. Wayne, but Danni Warnock has no family left whatsoever. In fact, it's showing that child services will be stopping by later today to put her in the system."
Bruce winced internally. Still, he put on a smile. "Thank you." As Bruce entered the elevator and the doors shut, his preferred frown took over as he furrowed his brow in thought. As he exited the lobby and went to the parking garage, he pulled out his cell phone and hit the second speed dial.
"Alfred?...Yes, I went to see her...As well as can be expected...That's just it. She has none...Do we have room? Alfred...She doesn't need to know...Yes, I'm positive...Bye." Bruce got into his car and drove away from the hospital to Wayne Manor; But not without making a stop.
Three days later, the funeral services were held. Danni's parents were cremated and the ashes scattered on a small knoll outside of Gotham.
"This-this is where they got married." Danni had mumbled to Bruce.
Danni was clad in a short sleeved, plain black dress that went to her knees. Bruce had paid for it as well as the pair of black Mary-Jane shoes. She looked very innocent with her hair swept back with a black hair band and curled at the ends.
After the service, most people left. When it was just the Priest and Danni, Bruce approached.
"Are you going to be alright?" He asked softly.
Danni stood in front of him, looking over the knoll towards Gotham. "To be honest, I'm not so sure. I don't know where I'll go from here." She uttered barely above a whisper.
Bruce hesitated for a second before telling himself to just say it. "That's what I was about to ask. I'd like to extend my home to you. As a foster parent; that is-if you want."
Danni pondered it for a second. "I-I don't want to be a burden to you. You've done more than-"
Bruce cut her off. "You won't be a burden. Trust me." He held out his hand. Danni looked reluctant before timidly placing her hand in his.
Bruce smiled. "Let's get you home." Bruce motioned for Danni to follow him to his car. Alfred had remained at the manor to ready a room for the new arrival.
Danni gawked. "This is your car?" The car in question was a red and black Lotus.
Bruce chuckled. "Yep. Normally, Alfred would be around with the Rolls, but I thought you'd enjoy this."
Indeed, Danni did enjoy the ride. Bruce took notice that a smirk formed on her face when he drove ninety on the highway.
Soon, Bruce turned up the driveway to Wayne Manor. Danni was struck dumb at the view in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and blinked to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. "Is this really your home? !" Danni asked.
Bruce chuckled. "Don't worry. It feels a bit more homely after awhile."
The Lotus rolled to a stop in front of the steps to the front door. On the steps stood an elderly butler and a boy of maybe fourteen with jet black hair and a mischievous grin. The Butler walked to the car and opened up Danni's door.
"Welcome Miss Warnock. My name is Alfred, and that," He motioned to the boy. "is Master Drake."
"You can call me Tim." Tim called. As Danni got out of the car, he came over. "What's your name?"
It took a second for the surrealness to wear off and to process the question. "Danni. My name is Danni." She finally forced out.
"Well nice to meet you Danni. Come on in." Tim ran up the stairs two at a time and into the manor.
Danni looked up to Bruce. "Is he-?"
"Tim lost his parents nine months ago. I was a friend of his Father and knew Tim before hand."
"How many have-?"
"Three before you. Your the fourth." He walked into the mansion. Danni followed. "I might as well show you around." Bruce showed Danni every room on the ground floor and then walked up the stairs, turned right, and then left to another corridor. He stopped at the third door on the right and opened it.
Danni was ushered into a spacious bedroom by Bruce. It was a light yellow with cream trim. A four poster canopy bed with a white and red bed-spread was on the right; a comfy looking chair was on the left with three full bookshelves and a desk next to it. On the other wall was a daybed under three windows looking out over the side gardens and beyond that, Gotham City's skyline in the distance.
"This is your room Danni. If you want it."
Danni walked around and stared out the window. Her eyes locked onto the skyline. Bruce took her silence into account and realized maybe staring at Gotham would be painful. "Is the room not what you wanted? I can move you into another."
Danni turned around. "No, no, it's-it's wonderful. I really can't thank you enough Mr. Wayne." She gave a small smile.
Bruce returned the smile. "Your very welcome, and please, you can call me Bruce." He watched Danni give an acknowledging nod. "Settle in and make yourself at home. Dinner is at seven, and I'll have your belongings taken up afterwards."
Bruce left Danni and walked to the end of the corridor where Tim was waiting. "She seems nice." Tim commented.
Bruce nodded, his normal facial expression returning. "Yes, she seems to be very well-mannered."
Tim suddenly thought of something important. "Are we ever gonna tell her?"
Bruce shook his head. "Considering the trauma she's suffered, she doesn't need to know this second." His gaze fell to her door. "She appears intelligent. Sooner or later, she'll probably figure it out."
Meanwhile, aboard the Justice League's satellite, Superman, Flash, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman were watching the News and making light conversation.
"Did anyone catch the game last night?" Flash asked.
Hawkgirl looked over. "Yeah. Double over time, no hits 'till the last three minutes. Good game."
"Yeah it was. The Gotham Goliaths were very close to continuing the winning streak." Clark added his two cents.
Diana thought of something. "Speaking of Gotham, has anybody heard from Bruce?"
The others shook there heads thoughtfully.
"No. Not in two weeks. He usually doesn't check in everyday, but not for this long." Hawkgirl stated.
"I'm sure Bat's fine." Flash added confidently. "Oh! Last segment of news is on!"
The four turned attention to the National reporter.
"And in final News, Gotham Billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne has adopted another child." Scenes of the bank robbery from the outside flashed on the screen. "Twelve year old Danni Warnock and her parents were caught up in the armed robbery of Gotham Central Bank last month. Although Batman did intervene, Mr and Mrs Warnock were fatally shot during a gunman's struggle with the Dark Knight-"
Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Hawkgirl gaped.
"I guess that answers that." Hawkgirl commented.
Superman looked thoughtful for a second. "Are you guys doing anything this Saturday?"
Wonder Woman looked slightly baffled. "What do you have in mind?"
"I think we should meet Danni."