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~The Next Day~
The next day ran much like the previous-me scheming to kill Earle and dump the body somewhere remote, him trying to convince me to hand over the shares, me running to Fox to complain and threaten to quit, etc. By the middle of the day, all I wanted to do was curl up, watch a movie, and pig out on whatever ice cream Alfred had bought from the store before he left. I was depressed without Alfred's company and hoped he would be back within the day.
For some reason, my thoughts were becoming more and more trained on Bruce. Every free moment I had, I would find myself reminiscing in the past. It did nothing to help my already pissy mood and I began to take it out on Jessica.
"Okay, Ice queen. What's the deal?" she demanded, after I'd stalked away from her when she'd brought the wrong file to me on accident. It was an honest mistake that could be fixed in two seconds, but I'd bitched her out for five minutes. I rubbed at my eyes, no doubt smearing my makeup, and sighed.
"I'm sorry, Jess. It's just- it's February and…" I trailed off, defeated. She made a noise of understanding, but didn't try to comfort me.
I'd told Jessica about my past with Bruce Wayne when we'd first become friends. She was there for me when Earle had him officially declared dead and was more than happy to delight in my fantasies about having him-taken care of. The more elaborate schemes we indulged over a bottle of red wine or two, always falling asleep giggling or passing out from too much alcohol. Those were the good days.
"I think you should leave for the day. Lord knows you have enough over time stored to do it and old man Earle would just foul you up even more if you stayed," she said, patting my shoulder. I shrugged.
"But then you would be left alone with him. I couldn't do that to you," I explained. Before she could answer, the intercom on my desk buzzed.
"Miss Martin? I need a large coffee, black, and a protein bar. ASAP," came the squawking voice of our boss. I stared at it for a moment, before picking up my bag.
"On second thought, see you tomorrow!" I chirped, almost running out the door. I could hear Jessica's laugh behind me as I stepped into the elevator.
The day was slightly chilly, and I pulled my black peacoat closer around me and fixed the purple scarf around my neck as I stepped out onto the streets of Gotham. There were people everywhere; visiting street vendors, going into the shops nearby, catching up over coffee and a scone. The other reason I'd stayed in Gotham besides the obvious was because it was the perfect people-watching place. The public did all different things and if you had the time and patience to watch, you'd see some interesting things.
I made my way down the sidewalk to a little Italian restaurant- a family owned place called Boccelli's. Walking in, I requested a table for one and perused the wine list.
"What can I get you?" asked the pretty waitress after I'd figured out what I wanted. I ordered a regular coke and the lasagna and she left to place the order. Once again, my thoughts turned to the first time I'd been here-with Bruce.
It was my sixteenth birthday and Bruce had come home from college to surprise me. We'd spent the whole day together, shopping and taking in the sights before our stomachs reminded us that we needed to refuel. We'd stumbled upon the place and Bruce insisted on treating me.
Thinking of that day made me remember the promise I'd made Lucius the day before. Leaving Gotham seemed to be the only option to finding Bruce. If I could just find something to clue me in on where he'd gone…
But that was stupid. They call it "without a trace" for a reason. Lucius' words echoed through my head. "If he wanted to be found, he would be…" Still, I had to try, didn't I?
I shook myself out of my thoughts. I couldn't think about Bruce now. I just wanted to enjoy a peaceful lunch by myself, no one coming up and disturbing me-
"Delaney? Delaney Martin?"
So much for that idea, I thought bitterly, turning to see who was calling for me. My eyes widened as I took in the figure waving at me.
"Christian Mays!" I exclaimed in disbelief, rising from my seat and enveloping him in a hug.
Christian Mays was the reason I'd graduated college. He'd also studied business and began to tutor me when I'd given up hope of keeping my grades up. We'd parted ways after graduation and last I'd heard he'd started his own company in Chicago.
"Wow, Chris. I can't believe it's you!" I cried out, breaking our hug and grinning madly. He held the same expression.
"Me either. I haven't seen you since we left school. You look… great," he blushed, running a hand through his hair.
"So do you. What happened to my little nerdy tutor? You're all grown up now!" I laughed, examining him.
His brown hair was slightly long and tousled from his playing with it. His wide smile showed off pearly white teeth and his dark brown eyes seemed to shine from his excitement. It was a nice change from having to peer at them through his thick, black framed glasses he used to wear in college. His body was what surprised me the most.
Before, he used to be small and wiry. His scrawny body was the source of many jokes in class. Now, he was built! His forearms weren't overly muscled, but were subtly large. His torso was impressive, even through his nicely tailored suit.
All in all: he was hot!
"Well, I didn't think the whole 'book worm nerdy twerp' look was very popular with the ladies," he teased, "So I started working out, and I even went back to swimming!" His eyes lit up.
He'd been on U of G's swim team back in the day. He'd always said he was more comfortable in the pool than in the classroom.
"It's the only place where I feel myself. Where I don't have to worry about people making fun of me," he'd confided to me one night when we'd been up late studying.
"That's great, Chris!" I cheered, as my food arrived. I invited him to sit and we began to talk.
It was great. Not once did I think about Bruce Wayne, or work, or anything else but the fun times we'd had in school and our lives afterwards. He'd explained that he was in Gotham on a business call, trying to start up a branch of his company here. I in turn told him about my job at Wayne Enterprises and the life I'd crafted after college.
It was near 3 o'clock when we'd finally paid our bill and exited the place. Before we parted, he offered me a ride home. That was when I hesitated for the first time since we'd started talking.
Did I want him to see the Manor? What would he think? I'd never told him about my relationship with Bruce Wayne, only that every February I'd take a break from school to go home and be with my family.
"I-I-I'm fine with just taking a cab…" I started, tentatively.
"Yeah right!" he scoffed, "No friend of mine is taking a disgusting cab home! C'mon, my car is right over there. I'm not taking no for an answer!"
He ignored my protests the whole time and towed me towards a nice Mercedes before opening my door and depositing me in the front seat.
We made our way out of the business district and towards the palisades, me chewing on my nails the entire time. Christian didn't seem to notice my anxious expression, only furrowing his brow when we drove farther and farther out without me telling him to stop.
"Wow, you live far! If we go any more we might end up at…" he trailed off as the looming manor came into view.
"Turn here," I directed quietly, refusing to meet his stunned gaze that was immediately trained on me at my voice.
We pulled into the driveway and he shut off the car, sitting back and waiting for me to make a move. I blinked, brushing a stray hair out of my face and took a deep breath.
"Our families were good friends. I grew up with him and moved in after college to take care of his old butler," I explained shortly. Chris knew who 'he' was and nodded understandingly.
With just that nod, my mouth took off. I told my whole history with Bruce to Chris, right up until today. It felt good to tell someone else how I felt instead of bottling it up inside like I had been. Christian just listened, taking my hand at the harder parts and giving it a squeeze when I told him about the day Bruce disappeared. When I was done, he only asked a few clarifying questions and I answered them gratefully. After that, he walked me to the door and we exchanged phone numbers with the promise to "do this again." Just before I entered the house, I reached up and brushed my lips against the corner of his mouth.
"Bye Christian," I said, before disappearing inside and closing the door on his taken aback face.
The next few hours I spent tidying up my room and anywhere else that needed cleaning up. I refused to make Alfred have to lift a finger until he was refreshed from his journey. After that was finished, I sat down to a movie that I'd been waiting to watch for a while and promptly fell asleep.
When I woke up, the house was dark and the movie was finished, playing the main menu over and over again. I rubbed my eyes and stretched, reaching for my phone to check the time: 3:29 A.M.
Damn, I'll never fall asleep now, I groaned internally. I sat up; realizing that a blanket I hadn't grabbed before I fell asleep fell off my lap and onto the floor.
Alfred's home! I thought excitedly. It was too early to go and greet him, so I grabbed my things, shut off the T.V. and made my way to my bedroom. Before I reached my door, the sounds of someone moving around in another room reached my ears. I froze.
Alfred surely wouldn't be up at a time like this and his room was in another part of the house. Which meant only one thing-someone else was in the house.
Silently, I dashed to my room and grabbed the first weapon I could find- my old economics textbook.
It roughly weighed about 7 pounds and could do some serious damage. I'd thrown it at an old boyfriend once and almost gave him a concussion.
That was a good day. Showed him to cheat on me with my roommate, I thought smugly. Slowly, I made my way to the door I'd first heard the noise from- the master bedroom.
Oh HELL no! Not Thomas and Martha's old room! Over my dead body! My anger flared and I slowly opened the door, wielding the book menacingly.
A dark figure was standing thankfully with their back towards me, glancing out the window. I shrank against the wall, trying to stay out of the reflection in the windowpane and keep the element of surprise. They were tall with broad shoulders. Against my small frame, my odds were hilarious. Still I walked as silently as I could, raising the textbook over my head and bringing it down with a grunt.
Fast as lightning, the figure dodged the blow and grabbed my arm, sweeping my legs out from under me and dropping me. I hit the floor with a thud, before trying to scramble back on my feet. My arm was caught again and I let out the most ear shattering scream I could muster, hoping and praying for Alfred to hear me. I wrenched my arm out of their grip and bolted for the door, only to be cut off by the impossibly fast intruder. Still screaming, I dove for the textbook, only to have it smacked out of my hand and across the room.
"Stay away from me!" I shrieked, trying to find a way to escape. I tried to put distance between us, taking a defensive stance. It was nothing short of pathetic, but it was all I had. The figure came at me and I swung as hard as I could, feeling satisfied when I hit flesh. That feeling was short lived as I swung again and my hand was caught mid blow. The person's other hand snaked over my mouth to cut off my scream.
Oh God, I'm going to die! I'll be raped and murdered and who knows what else, my mind screamed. I thrashed around, trying to break free again.
"Delaney! Delaney, it's me!" the figure hissed urgently. Suddenly, the lights flicked on and I turned my head to see Alfred, his bathrobe hanging half off his body and his eyes wide with fright, staring at us in shock. I turned to see who my captor was when my eyes met a pair of familiar chocolate ones. The hand slid off my mouth and I gasped in astonishment, my heart freezing inside my chest.
"Bruce?!" I yelped, feeling faint.
"Hi princess," Bruce said weakly, a smile spreading across his face.
A/N: *Dodges flying shoes* STOP IT! Don't hate on the cliffy! It's my favorite! *grins evilly* Okay guys, I won't be able to update next week because I will be on vacation without internet. So... if you want another update, you must review your little hearts out and I MIGHT update before I leave. Am I pumping for more reviews? Heck yes! I got over two hundred views on this story last week and only 5 reviews. I know you're out there! I can see you! Hahaha, jk. See you...? ;) ~Brooke