Disclaimer

The characters used in this story are the property od DC Comics and Warner bros. I have used them in this story which is a product of my own imagination.

Chapter 9

I had questions, and I needed them to be answered. I would've wanted some private time with Bruce, but given the situation, Andrea was the best source I could get.

Frankly speaking, I wasn't very interested in the outfits. They were typical of a high society party like this one. But we had to humor Andy for she was a self-proclaimed fashion designer too, although the clothes in no way would make us stand apart, as she claimed.

"The party starts at 7 PM, sharp." Andrea said, "Although it is not imperative to you, Dad is very particular about keeping time."

"We will be ready," I assured.

"So, do you like them?" she asked, for the one hundredth time.

"Yes, we do," Hawk Girl said. She could not, or rather did not, want to suppress the hint of exasperation in her voice.

Andrea must've caught that for she seemed to be offended.
"I am very sorry. I actually am very excited to have you both here, and…well…you get the idea." She shrugged.

"Forgive my rudeness, Andrea." Hawk girl added immediately, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No problem at all!" Andrea smiled.

The conversation was not going in the direction I wanted. So, before we would have nothing else to pursue in this line and would be forced to retire, I wanted to take the lead.

"So, is Bruce all right now?" I asked, trying to sound as natural as possible.

Andrea's smile vanished. But I wasn't going to let go. I pretended to ignore her inconvenience.

"He will be fine," she said slowly. Then after a short pause, she added, "He never behaved like this before."

I simply nodded, lest anything I'd say should lead to premature drop of the subject.

"He loves dad very much," she added. I could see a small tear drop peeking out of her eye.

Silence prevailed. I wasn't sure if she was going to talk anymore. I knew that I was making her uncomfortable, but it had to be done.

"Please forgive my intrusion into your private matters, Andrea." I said, without giving an impression that I was going to drop the subject, "I couldn't help but overhear Bruce's conversation with his father in the garden."

She frowned. She wasn't aware of the content of the conversation, though she knew that there was one.

"I am sorry, again!" I said softly, "I really would've let it pass for it is none of my business, but I heard something quite distressful and hence I cannot help but bring it up."

"What happened?" Andrea asked, concerned.

Hawk Girl tightened her grip on my shoulder, asking me to back off. But I had come too far, and I needed answers.

"Bruce said excitedly that…" I wanted to quote him, but the click of the door knob caught my attention. The door wasn't locked, and there was no knock. It had to be only one man.

"Andy, I…" the voice trailed off on seeing us. It was Bruce, of course.

"I am sorry," he muttered and stepped back, closing the door.

"Oh, no, Bruce," I realized that I almost shrieked, and the impact was good enough to bring Bruce to a stunned halt.

"I mean…we were just going to leave," I said consciously. Hawk Girl seemed relieved as she led our way to the door.

"No, please, that's all right," Bruce motioned with his hand.

But we were already at the door, and Bruce was blocking the way without being aware of it.

"Never mind, Bruce," I said. I was close enough to him to read the expression on his face. He flinched each time I called him with his first name. I made it sound more natural than he'd expect to hear from a stranger. I could see the beads of perspiration form on his forehead as I politely nudged him with my shoulder as we made our way out.
Bruce closed the door behind us.

We walked through the corridor to our room. Halfway down, I couldn't move any further in the direction we were going. My mind urged me to turn around and walk back. To accomplish what – I don't know. But despite Hawk Girl's protests which got physical as she made a futile attempt to pull me along with her, I found myself back at the door of Andrea's room, or rather – Bruce's room.