Opening Night
The next two days were surprisingly difficult for me. Bruce did text me to let me know when he got into Hong Kong and when everything was successful. But I was still worried.
What if something went wrong?
What if he was caught?
What if he was seriously injured or killed…no! I can't allow myself to think like that!
But it was always there, gnawing on the back of my mind like a hungry dog on a bone.
To make matters worse, I couldn't tell my parents the real reason he left. They accepted the explanation that Bruce and I had come up with, of him having to take care of something very important, without question. But the fact that I didn't have anybody to confide my fears in worsened them.
At least I had Faust to practice on my violin and take my mind off of it. It worked…until the songs ended…the nights were little better. I'd lay awake on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
That was until my parents and I arrived back in Gotham. It was opening night and still no sign of Bruce. Lau had been arrested, rumors were that he was found unconscious early the next morning outside the G.C.P.D. building. I knew Bruce would be returning to the islands and take the next flight into Florida and then on to Gotham.
Unfortunately, I didn't need to be down at the opera house until six for warm up. "You appear anxious, Ms. Grace." Alfred commented when he came to take me down to the opera house.
"Tell me something I don't know." I snapped, wincing when I realized what I had said. "I'm sorry Alfred, but…"
"…you're worried about Master Wayne." He said gently.
"Yeah, I know he'll be here very soon, but I'm still anxious." I said as I twisted the ebony bracelet around my wrist. Bruce made it for me, leaving it behind when he disappeared.
"As is expected, especially considering his role as the Batman."
"How do you deal with it, Alfred?" I asked as I packed up my sheet music into the battered leather portfolio.
"I've made it a habit to read. It takes my mind off the worries for a while, long enough until he gets home."
"I about lost my sanity. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm actually capable of doing this." I felt the façade I had managed to keep up begin to crack.
"You care for Master Wayne very much, haven't you?" Alfred asked gently. I nodded, too emotional to speak. "Listen to me, Ms. Grace." He gently tipped my chin upwards. "I believe that you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. You've forgiven Master Wayne and readily accepted the Batman. If you weren't strong enough for the worry, I don't think you would've done those things."
His words made me feel better. "Thanks, Alfred."
"Of course, my dear." Alfred smiled. "You might want to dry your eyes before your makeup has a chance to run."
Things were growing chaotic the closer the clock ticked to show time. Stagehands running around, taking care of last minute details. Lights being checked and re-checked. Warm ups sounding through the music rooms.
And as usual…Hope was running late…I couldn't wait until her contract ran out. I didn't have to wait too long. Freeman and Josephs finally lost their patience. "That's it…" Josephs said to a nodding Freeman before making the announcement to everyone in the green room. "Since Her Majesty is not here, I announce Rose Miller as our Marguerite for the opera run."
Rose's blue eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped. We all applauded and congratulated her. I gave her a hug. "Congrats honey, you deserved it."
"Thanks, Grace." Rose said, emotional.
The doors to the green room opened and Hope swept in. I stood close to Rose, determined to make sure Hope wouldn't do anything foolish. "Hope, you're out." Josephs said to Hope in a cold voice.
"What do you mean, I'm out?" Hope asked, angry. "I'm the star. Your pathetic little opera company wouldn't exist if it weren't for me."
"You've broken your contract several times by being late for rehearsals." Josephs fought to keep himself from grinning. "And you've criticized several cast and crew members…you're a disgrace to this opera company. I will give you twenty minutes to clean out your dressing room and go."
Realizing he was being serious, Hope looked at me with a rage burning in her eyes. "This is your fault, Montello. First my boyfriend and now my job. Enjoy your life…while it lasts, that is."
"Hope, get out of here or I'll report your threat to the police." Josephs warned.
"Fine." Hope snapped with one last venomous glance at me.
Rose squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, she'd never really hurt anyone. She's too squeamish to kill a fly." Cold comfort, I thought as I thanked Rose, especially considering the threats from earlier.
We orchestra pit members took our spots roughly ten minutes to curtain. The nice part about being in the pit is that nobody really looks in the orchestra pit there unless they're a friend or family member. That provides ample time of people watching. I looked around for my parents. Bruce's family had a private box up in the wings and that's where my parents were going to be. At least it had a private entrance and exist so they could leave without being spotted.
I saw them along with Alfred. Mama dressed in her beaded black A-line, her graying hair twisted into a psyche knot on top of her head, a simple strand of pearls around her neck. Papa looked so stately in his suit and bow-tie. Alfred had dressed in his formal wear. Our eyes locked and we smiled, acknowledging each other.
Bruce wasn't in the box with them. I felt my face fall but continued people watching to pass the time.
I was really surprised to see in the front row of the second floor, Harvey and Rachel. She was wearing the soft red dress she wore on her date with Harvey. Like my parents, they smiled and gave a short wave. I returned it.
"I see you've spotted Harvey." Freeman said to me as he worked his way through the pit. "He and Rachel wanted it to be a surprise."
"Well, it was a very pleasant surprise." I said, getting my sheet music ready. I was still disappointed that I hadn't seen Bruce.
"Looking for someone?" Kevin asked, putting rosin on his bow.
"I was hoping to see Bruce, he had something come up and planned on getting here in time." I said. Josephs came out from behind the curtain and addressed the crowd, welcoming them to the show and informing them about Rose playing Marguerite.
Then I spotted a flick of a shadow in the rafters, by the stage lights. A shadow with pointed ears like a bat. It lasted for maybe a second but then it disappeared.
I smiled to myself. He had come after all. Just not in the way I was expecting.
Batman took his spot up in the lights. He was going to go to Grace's performance as Bruce Wayne. But Lucius alerted him to an anonymous package that had been mailed to him. Inside was a photograph of Grace's face. Three large hash-marks were scratched into the glossy photographic paper.
The assassin was going to attack tonight. He could just feel it.
He wasn't going to allow it.
He wasn't let anything happen to Grace if it was the last thing he ever did.
Batman also kept an eye on Victor and Rebecca, hiding in the shadows of the Wayne family box. Alfred, the ever-protective Special Air Services veteran, sat behind them, keeping his eyes and ears open for trouble.
The opera progressed without a hitch. Randy was charismatic as Mephistopheles. Ian played a passionate Faust. And Rose played an innocent Marguerite.
As usual, I got swept up in the music I had listened to and played countless times. The passion. The love. The redemption. So much so that it felt like minutes had passed by when we got to intermission. That's when I realized that I needed to move around. Stiffly, I got up to walk around and get feeling back in my legs.
The green room was abuzz with people congratulating a glowing Rose. "Lovely job, Rose." Randy said. "I think you've given Hope O'Malley a run for her money."
"Thank you, and you guys are doing a wonderful job, all of you."
Just then I caught Harvey and Rachel sneaking into the green room, followed closely behind by Freeman, carrying a bouquet of roses. "Surprise!" Rachel hugged me. "The opera is wonderful so far!"
"Thank you guys for coming." I said as Harvey hugged me. "It means so much to me."
At that moment, Josephs brought in a very large bouquet of red roses. "Wow…looks like somebody's got an admirer." Harvey gently teased.
"It's probably from Bruce. His flight got delayed." I said as I opened the attached card. Oh no…
"What is it?" Harvey asked.
My heart began pounding. On the card were three hash-marks, circled in red.
Oh no…I felt like I was suffocating. The walls felt like they were closing in around me.
Fight it Grace.
Stay calm.
I looked around. Where is the assassin now?! Is he coming to kill me?!
"Grace, are you ok?" Rachel asked me, concerned.
Air…I need air! "Excuse me for a minute." I calmly walked out of the green room before running up the stairs and out the side door.
The sky was dark, I couldn't see the stars through the light pollution. Gotham was still a noisy city even at night. The humid air smelled of gasoline and salt water. Keeping my foot in the doorway, I began taking deep breaths. Each breath was soothing, calming.
What was I going to do? I knew Batman was watching over me, but I didn't know how to get ahold of him. God…
Then there was a new feeling.
I wasn't alone…
It had been a little difficult navigating through the opera house. But Batman managed to find a duct leading outside. The night was broken by the sound of her screaming. Grace! Not caring about being quiet anymore, he kicked the grate open.
Grace was huddled in the corner of the alley, trying to make herself as small as she could. The deep green eyes were wide in fright. Someone was standing over her. A tall lanky figure, dressed in a blue and white pinstripe suit, the right elbow of the jacket was torn. His head covered with a burlap sack…
Scarecrow…
He lunged at Scarecrow. Batman wasn't going to allow anything to happen to Grace. The skinny and lanky doctor tried to douse Batman with his fear toxin but failed. Instead, he got punched in the face, falling unconscious to the ground.
Batman walked over to his wife. "Grace, are you hurt?" She screamed and tried getting herself deeper into the corner. Fear toxin…taking out the antidote he always carried on him, he injected it into her neck. Grace jerked and writhed before losing consciousness. "I'm sorry, Grace."
He heard the side door opening. "Grace?" Rachel came out. "Are you…Grace!" Her heels clicked on the asphalt. There was the additional sound of footsteps.
"What happened?!" Harvey asked, frightened. "How the hell did Crane escape Arkham?!"
"She's been poisoned with Crane's fear toxin." Batman explained as he grabbed Crane. "Get her to the penthouse on Wayne Tower." Rachel nodded as Harvey scooped up Grace. He had some interrogating to do. "Tell no one about Scarecrow, at least until I find out how the good doctor got out." Batman warned as he fired his grapple gun to the roof and went up, taking Crane with him.
"How's this possible?" I heard Papa's voice as I came to. My head felt like somebody was pounding on it with a sledgehammer. "Maybe she's dehydrated or hungry and fainted?"
"I've performed a thorough exam and I find no logical medical explanation, Your Highness. When the patient is under a great deal of stress, it can bring on panic attacks." There was another voice. Dr. Strange's? "Something small must've pushed your daughter over the edge. The proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. The mind can only handle so much. Grace has endured more in a few years than most people do in a lifetime." Strange's voice echoed through my head. "It was only a matter of time before she snapped."
My vision finally cleared, but my body was paralyzed. I couldn't move my arms and legs as much as I wanted them to. Where am I? What happened?
I was tucked into my bed at Wayne Tower. A cool damp cloth was resting on my forehead. How'd I get here? Why wasn't I at the premiere of Faust? Mama and Papa were standing just outside the door, talking to a familiar man in a tweed jacket. Dr. Strange…
"What happened?" I asked as I tried to sit up.
"Grace, honey." Mama came back, touching my forehead. Her makeup looked mussed, had she been crying?
"What happened? How'd I get here?" I was able to wriggle my toes and fingers but not much else.
"Harvey and Rachel found you unconscious during intermission, out in the side alley. We took you home. Fortunately, Dr. Strange was in the audience and offered his help. This was about thirty minutes ago."
"Thirty minutes?" I asked. It felt like I had been out for longer though.
"Do you remember what happened?" Papa asked.
"No…" I shook my head. "I remember stepping outside for some fresh air…" That's when I remembered the feeling of not being alone. Of the man in the burlap mask and the white mist he sprayed in my face…But Strange was at the foot of my bed, looking at me in an odd way. His eyes were cold, the attempted smile callous. I knew right away to not say anymore and talk to Bruce alone. "Where's my husband? Where's Bruce?"
"He'll be here soon." Mama soothed me.
"Of course," Strange put a hand on my shoulder. For some reason, it repulsed me and I shied away. "High time he became a good husband, especially considering the way he's treated your daughter in the past."
"He is a good husband." I argued. "He has been this whole time."
"Of course…" Dr. Strange said. "A classic sign of spousal abuse, of the victim protecting the abusive party. But now that we have saved you, we can help you learn how to gain your independence and I can help you do that."
I was about to protest, but I felt Strange squeeze my shoulder in warning. My skin prickled as there was something repulsive about his cold hand. He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes, there was something so cruel about his dark eyes…frightened of what he could do, I said nothing.
"This is the only time I'll ask nicely. How did you escape Arkham?" Batman hissed, holding Crane by his shirt collar over the edge of a building.
The man's intense blue eyes looked at Batman, afraid. "I didn't escape, Dark Knight." He said, innocently. But Batman could see the raging insanity behind Scarecrow's eyes. "I was released."
"I don't believe you." The Dark Knight growled before dropping Crane. The man screamed before Batman fired his grapple line and hoisted him up.
"I was! I was!"
He was telling the truth. Even lunatics will tell you anything if they are given taste death. "By whom?!" Batman yelled.
"The courts on a technicality! It was a closed hearing!"
"What technicality?" Batman pretended to loosen his grip on the line.
"I was apprehended by you instead of an officer of the law!" Crane screamed. Batman threw Crane onto the roof, disgusted. "Does it scare you, Batman? To know that for every two steps you take, you have to take one back?"
Batman felt unnerved but dared not show it. "Why did you attack Grace Wayne and make threats on her life?"
"To test my new fear drug. She's been through hell yet shown no signs of breaking. I was going to make her face her darkest fears. One way or the other…" Crane said, a crazed smile crossed his face.
Batman grabbed his shirt collar. Crane yelped. "If you so much as touch another person…I'll be in very bad mood. And I'm not nice to people when I'm in a bad mood." The Dark Knight warned.
"Point taken." Crane began laughing nervously. He was't going to get more information out of him tonight. Batman knocked him out.
There was more to this than Crane knew. Batman could just feel it…
A/N: Not too satisfied with this chapter, especially about the part with Batman interrogating Crane. Any ideas or suggestions will be welcome.