Batman The Animated Series-Annie Come Home
A/N: NO FLAMING OR CRITICISM! It will not be justified or accepted. This is an Alternate Universe, character development beyond what the mainstream Batman can do is allowed because its another world. So if I see even one smack talk review about this chapter and the characterizations of Bruce Wayne, the one(s) responsible will receive a very mean spirited reply from me. Enjoy my latest chapter, sincerely, the author.
Chapter 11: Of Birds And Clay
Annie
The ride home with Tim was the best I'd ever had, I could feel my heart pounding, even though I didn't have one. Holding him now was like nothing else. But his lips…oh he was so unique, no food could compare to how he felt and tasted when we kissed. After kissing him virtually the whole ride home, Tim managed to get me to stop for the time being, so we could just sit together. Rolling up to the mansion entrance, Tim got out and opened my door all gentlemanly like. "(Giggle) Thank you, you're too kind" I laugh as I take his hand. As we walked up the stairs and entered the front door, we saw someone sitting in the chair by the fireplace. "Uh oh, this can't be good" Tim says quietly, as we stare at Batman. I felt nervous, I knew from copies of memories belonging to Matt Hagen that Batman could be incredibly scary and intimidating.
"Tim…we need to talk" Batman states with a solemn tone. With a gulp, we began the trek across the room toward him. "You sit in that chair young lady" Batman says, pointing to the chair sitting across from the one he sat in. I let go of Tim's hand and did as he commanded, worried of what he might do if I refused. Tim however was beckoned closer, until he stood right in front of the dark knight; how I hoped he wouldn't be upset with us.
Tim Drake/Robin
Now I knew I was in trouble, it was one thing when Bruce wanted to talk to me, but this tone was the one Batman uses; Batman wanting to talk was another thing entirely. "Sure, is there something you feel the need to discuss?" I begin, hoping I he hadn't found out about the date yet. Annie looked over at me, her face showing she was also thinking of the same fear as well.
"Yes, we need to talk about you and Annie dating" he states flatly.
Nearly choking on my own air, I began to cough, as I hadn't expected him to find out this so soo…wait a minute! Who was I kidding? Now it made sense; the jerk spied on us most, if not the whole day, and probably heard every word! I felt violated, and very angry, and this time I wasn't gonna take it quietly.
"BATMAN! HOW COULD YOU?" I scream, surprising my mentor, as his normally stern face actually showed worry and shock. "So you know…" Bruce replies, his face showing a small amount of guilt. "YEAH, PRETTY OBVIOUS, HOW ELSE COULD YOU HAVE FOUND OUT! I asked you about the date idea earlier this morning cause I figured you'd still be half-asleep and not really paying attention. But noooo, I forgot, you're Batman, world's greatest detective, AND WORLD'S NOSIEST DAMN SNOOP AS WELL!" I scream, causing Annie to gasp, as she realized why I was so mad.
"He doesn't trust me…I knew it, I guess I couldn't expect to be trusted since my father is one of your greatest adversaries" she says quietly, as she began to sniffle. This really upset me; apart from probably being embarrassed deep down that Batman had seen us kiss on the Ferris wheel, she now truly felt ostracized from everyone else, and that made me furious. "SEE WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU ASS? THANKS TO YOUR DISTRUST AND PARANOIA, ANNIE IS CRYING, AND SHE HAD JUST STARTED TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT HERSELF!" I rage, venting all my fury on the guy who needed to understand boundaries most on this entire planet, my boss.
Sighing deeply, he hung his head, as if in defeat, but I knew better than that, he was probably thinking of a good comeback. "Tim, you would have every right to be upset with me…if I had said you're not allowed to be around Annie by yourself ever again" Bruce say calmly. This took me by surprise.
"Wait…you mean you weren't about to ban me from spending time with Annie?" I ask hesitantly, unsure if I'd heard correctly. "Yes, I wanted to talk with you because I had something very different to say" Bruce says as he gets out of the chair. Annie and I both exchanged a quick glance at each other, and found ourselves feeling very baffled. "Annie, come here" Bruce says, beckoning my girlfriend over to him. Tentatively shuffling over to the dark knight, Annie bit her lip and began to shake. "Y-yes Batman?" she asks quietly as she stands before the stalwart and imposing figure. What happened next, seemed to defy all logic; in a move I never would expect my mentor to do even if a gun was pointed to his head, he knelt down and hugged Annie!
"Thank you Annie" he says, continuing to embrace her. Annie seemed surprised as well, unable to process the events happening, I couldn't blame her, this kind of behavior is so…out of character, even for Bruce, he'd never been this open emotionally before, even me. "I want you to stay here, with Tim" Bruce says calmly. "But…but I thought that…you don't trust me Batman, why do you want me to stay now?" Annie inquires quietly. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he looked her in the eyes and smiled. "You're a good influence for Tim, he needs you" my mentor says quietly. "I wish I'd given someone like you a chance back when I was young, maybe then…I wouldn't be such a bitter and withdrawn man" Bruce replies, causing my jaw to drop. "By the way, I do trust you now, and my real name…is Bruce Wayne" he says with a genuine smile, holding his arms open to accept a hug.
Annie
So much had happened tonight, but surprisingly, this was harder to believe than kissing Tim. Here I was, connecting with Batman's young ward, falling in love with him, and out of the blue, he suddenly goes from hating and distrusting me, to out right accepting me as a member of his family. However, I realized that this was indeed something special, so I couldn't possibly resist hugging him. Abandoning all worries, I flung myself onto Bruce and began to cry. "Thank you…you don't know how much it means to me to have a family, to be truly loved" I choke as my face begins to run. Bruce kept hugging me, showing a side of the Dark Knight I didn't even know existed. "You may find it hard to believe, but I do know how you feel. Its taken me decades, but I finally have been able to break the hard shell that coated my heart since my parents died" Bruce says calmly.
"Bruce…you're crying" Tim blurts, causing me to break the hug so I can see this for myself. Surely enough, the man I once feared would turn me into a puddle with some chemical concoction, was indeed silently leaking tears. "I' am?" he says, almost as if he hadn't realized it. "Indeed sir, it's the first time I've seen you cry in years" Alfred says as he suddenly walks in, still adorned in his chauffer outfit. "Alfred, you won't believe what Bruce just did" Tim says ecstatically. "Not hard to guess Master Timothy; he completely ignored our talk from earlier, forbid you and Annie from seeing each other ever again, and secretly hates himself for being so hard and heartless" Alfred drones as he picks up a pot of tea from the nearby table and begins to pour himself a cup. "No…actually, something far different; he just said he approves of my relationship with Annie" Tim replies happily.
With a loud yelp Alfred dropped the cup and tea pot and fell over backwards. This made me wonder what was going through Alfred's mind to make him become so shocked by the recent events. "Goodness Gracious! Are you serious? I was certain Master Bruce would ignore my latest emotional advice as he always does" Alfred says as he clambers to his feet hurriedly. "Are you serious? You both really believed he was never going to-"
"Absolutely" Tim and Alfred says in unison.
"Bruce, were you seriously considering forbidding us from seeing each other?" I ask in disbelief, feeling upset upon learning of this information. Sighing, Bruce looked me in the eyes and said, "Yes"
"I was indeed thinking of doing that…until I saw how happy you make him" Bruce says solemnly. I was about to voice my pain over his harsh and thoughtless plan he'd considered, but his reply broke that apart like glass. "You…you saw the happiness?" I ask tentatively. Alfred and Tim had leaned in with anticipation. "Yes, even before you realized exactly how happy you make him, before the kiss" Bruce says with a smile. "Seeing you do that to Tim, making a child with a past like his, smile the way I saw him smile…it just, made me realize how lucky he is to have someone like you. The fact that you're a meta human or the spawned detachment of Clayface means nothing now, I know the truth, no one evil could ever make Tim as happy as you do" Bruce explains with a smile as he takes my hand and gives it a soft squeeze.
Overwhelmed by this sudden change of character and heart, I hugged Bruce once again. "Thank you-" I begin, pausing to prepare myself for my next move. Then, reorganizing my semi-liquid form, I mirror flipped myself and ran to Tim, hugging him too. "-And thank you most of all Tim, for giving me a reason to live" I say as I kiss his cheek lovingly. Tim instantly blushed heavily at this treatment. "Thanks Annie, I'm glad I mean so much to you" Tim says softly as we hug each other.
The Joker
"The esteemed estate of Wayne Manor, home to Playboy Millionaire Bruce Wayne; seems an odd place for the Bat to visit, the two are completely different people" I say as I approach the twelve foot fence. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out one of my Electric Joy Buzzers and put it near the fence, nothing happened. But I knew that didn't mean squat. Flipping a button on the underside of the buzzer, I switched the charge from negative to positive. This time when the buzzer neared the surface, a miniature bolt of lightning zapped between the surfaces. "AHA! Electric fences, just as I suspected; Mr. Wayne has something to hide, I bet he's in cahoots with Batman, probably gives him all his gadgets or something. Harleykins, the acid if you please?" I ask my spandex spun partner.
"Sure thing Mr. J!" she chirps happily. Plunging into the bag of tricks, she pulled out one of my squirting flowers and handed it to me. "Now we'll find out the truth about this mysterious connection between Batman and Bruce Wayne" I say with a chuckle as I spray a squirt and melt a hole big enough for me and Harley to crawl through. Immediately after squeezing through, we made a mad dash for the side of the house, away from any doors. "Alrighty then, time for team work; Harley, give me a boost please" I ask her with a toothy grin. "Ok, do you want me to give you the spring shoes or the pogo stick?" she asks cheerfully. "Wha…NO! I said give me a boost, not a toy! They make too much noise, use your hands and help give me a lift up to the windowsill with your muscles" I explain, causing her smile to flip to a frown.
"Mr. J I'm a gymnastic type figure, not Ms. Universe! You're not exactly all that light, can't we use a rope or something else besides-"
"HARLEY! Lift me now!" I scream in a hushed whisper. She stopped arguing upon seeing my scowl. "Yessir Mr. J sir!" she replies rapidly. After several minutes of struggling, she managed to get me high enough that I could reach the partially open window. Pushing it up all the way, I climbed in. "Finally, now give me your hand" I say to the now panting Harley Quinn. With a few twists of my arms, I yanked her inside as well.
"I've always wanted to rob Mr. Wayne, but knowing he keeps most of his greens in vaults overseas somehow deterred my interest, I'd forgotten most rich folks have valuable art and decorative baubles" I say as I notice all the tasteful portraits, sculptures, vases, and animal skin rugs. "But that will have to wait, for now we must learn what connection Bruce Wayne has with Batman" I say with a wicked smirk. Artfully dodging cameras, we managed to find Bruce Wayne and his friends in the main room. I heard their mindless prattle, something about love and friendship and trust. I decided I'd go over the whole conversation later, as I had actually remembered my Joker Recorder this time, and I was capturing every word on its tape. However what really intrigued me, was the constant mention of Batman when the girl and boy talked to Bruce Wayne. It was almost as if…
"No" I mutter, nearly blurting out as the realization of the possible truth hit me. "Mr. J, what's wrong?" Harley asks worriedly. "Harley, we must follow them, I'm hoping I'm wrong, but I have a sinking feeling I'm not" I whisper with a rushed voice. "Wrong about what?" she asks as we stealthily but recklessly sneak around and follow Bruce Wayne and his friends as they strode down the halls. After several minutes, they reached an ordinary Grandfather Clock on the wall. Then, they pulled the pendulum like a handle and the wall slide open revealing a hidden doorway; this did not bode well, my suspicions were getting stronger with each passing second. As quietly as we could, we followed them down a winding case of stone stairs, until we reached…
"It-it can't be…we're in-"
"That's right Harley…the Bat Cave" I say with a combination of shock, awe, and dread, as I realized this was another indicator that Bruce Wayne could possibly be.
"I'm surprised that you keep this secret so well hidden Bruce, who'd actually think that you're the Dark Knight?" the girl says cheerfully.
At that moment, I felt my heart break into a trillion pieces and I slumped to the floor.
"Mr. J! What's wrong?" Harley whisper-yells.
"It's all been a lie…the mighty Batman, my fiercest rival, my greatest adversary, my whole reason for living…is nothing but the fancy costume and fabricated persona of a rich millionaire playboy who has too much free time on his hands" I weep, feeling my world crashing down around me. As I felt myself begin to black out from the soul crushing misery, Harley somehow managed to grab me and begin dragging me out of the Bat Cave. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard her whisper, "Mr. J, you need serious help"
