Author's Note:
IMPORTANT: Readers, please remember I need your help. I have two possible outcomes in mind for this story and one must be decided before the TDK part of this story can be concluded and it all depends on whether or not Harvey Dent dies and the story continues on into The Dark Knight Rises. There is a poll on my profile so please vote.
Anyway thank you all for your great reviews, but please remember to review and check out my profile for other stories, outfits and pictures.So here is the twenty-sixth chapter of The Light In The Dark. Enjoy!
Chapter XXVI
ELENA POV
The screams seemed to pour out of my throat as I hit the inclined roof, sliding against the cold glass surface, falling to my death as I frantically slapped my hands against the surface, hoping in vain to slow myself down just enough as Bruce swiftly dove after me, his hand out stretch, desperately trying to get hold of me, but it was too late as I came to the end.
The ground seemed so far away, yet so close as the wind blew harshly against my skin, the screams never ceasing from my throat, completely hysterical and frightened, I reached out to Bruce as he fell beside me, hoping for my hero to save me as he always has…and just as we were a few feet from the ground, waiting for the pavement to strike, his strong arms wrapped around my waist and just like that, I was safe again.
We crash-landed onto a parked vehicle, Bruce hitting the car first, his armor absorbing most of the impact, protecting me as he always did, glass exploding around us as I locked eyes with my Batman, my rescuer as he lay beside me, his body close to mine, his very presence filling my heart with a relief and joy.
"Are you okay?" He asked softly, our breathing ragged and our hearts racing as I nodded in reply, not trusting my voice at the moment as I kept my eyes locked on his, those dark pools once again filling me with strength as I finally found my voice. "Are you okay?" I whispered softly, my heart finally slowing down to a natural pace as he nodded slowly in reply, his face showing no emotion but his eyes telling me all that I need to know, he was happy I was safe.
"Thank you." I whispered, rolling out from under his cape and down onto the hood of the car. "You don't have to thank me. You never have to thank me…I will always be there." He whispered softly in reply as I looked back into his eyes, seeing nothing but pure, raw emotion that I could not decipher as I gave him a small smile, wanting badly to throw myself into his arms and once again feel that sense of security, but knew this was neither the time nor the place.
"You better go." I whispered, sliding off the car, my heels touching the asphalt with an audible click, my eyes once again locking with his as he gave me a brief nod, before I turned and walked away from him, heading back into the penthouse, never once looking back, knowing he was already gone; but always watching.
The elevator was thankfully empty, so the ride was filled with a peaceful silence, which apparently was the only peace I was going get for the rest of the night, for as soon as I arrived back at the penthouse, it was absolute pandemonium. The Joker and his henchmen were thankfully gone, but people were still filled with panic as they pilled into elevator, some evening taking the stairs, all wanting to be in safety of their homes.
"Miss Elena." The unusual loud sound of Alfred's voice came to my ears, filled with concern as people roughly pushed passed me, almost knocking me over numerous of times as I tried to locate the elder man, until thankfully I finally found myself standing in front of the British native as he pulled me away the frightened horde and into a vacant hallway.
"Miss Elena, are you alright?" Alfred asked, looking at me with what could only be described as fatherly concern. "I'm fine Alfred." I replied softly, giving him a small smile, but I could tell he wasn't really convinced…and that would probably be because I wasn't being 100% honest. "My back is a little sore, but really I'm fine." I assured him as he nodded in acceptance as he left the hallway to deal with the chaos that continued to rage just a few feet away from us.
I followed after him shortly, wanting to be of help…and if I detested Gotham's elite before, I absolutely loathed them now. I have never met such a petty group of people…and I work in fashion and that's saying something. You would think that they would happy that they are alive and unharmed, but no, their clothes are ruined, they're missing a few diamonds, I mean seriously, can materialistic things really be more important than their own lives? Apparently to them, it can.
"Miss Gilbert." A male voice said softly behind me, his voice laced with concern as I finished listening to another petty complaint, before turning to see Bill Sanders standing behind me causing me to immediately to go rigid with fear. "Do not worry…Ella isn't here, she waiting in the car, I just wanted to make sure you are okay." Bill explained with an effortless smile, his eyes shining in amusement, clearly understanding my reaction to his presence as I allowed to myself to relax.
"Sorry. Bill, I like you, I really do; it's just that…" I replied with a sheepish smile, trying desperately not to disrespect him or his wife, but seriously that woman drove me crazy. "I know…trust me, you're not the first." Bill replied with a dismissive wave, smiling as he gave me a comforting hug, before following the mob out of the penthouse and I was once again greeted with a familiar face.
"Elena!" A female voice called frantically as I turned to the source of the voice to see the Russian ballerina walking swiftly towards me, her face filled with relief. "Господи, are you alright?" Natasha asked; her words almost incomprehensible behind her accent as they came out rushed…and not to mention half of it was in Russian.
"I'm fine, Nat." I replied softly as the blond wrapped her arms around me, hugging me close. "You better be…you almost make me regret helping you." She replied in mocked anger as she pulled back, smiling at me. "Well thank you anyway for keeping Rachel at bay." I replied smiling, truly grateful for her help.
"No problem, that girl is stubborn to a fault." Natasha replied, amusement…and annoyance clear in her voice, causing a light chuckle to pass my lips at the thought of Rachel being stubborn. Bruce had told me Rachel could be irritatingly stubborn when she wanted to be, so I certainly was thankful that I didn't have to suffer through her wrath.
"Speaking of the stubborn ADA, where is she?" I asked, my eyes scanning over the dwindling crowd trying to find a certain brunette. "Well once the Joker left and I let her go, she went in search of Harvey." Natasha replied, my eyes meeting hers once more as I spoke, nodding in understanding. "Well I better go find her and make sure she and Harvey are okay…but we should get together have lunch sometime." I suggested with hopeful smile, the Russian returning it full force as she nodded in agreement.
"Well I have shows every night until the day I have to return to Russia, but my flight is not until evening, so why don't we get together then." Natasha replied smiling as we exchanged contact information and with a parting hug, I watched her as she exited the penthouse, before I went to find Harvey and Rachel, which wasn't hard considering there was only about twenty people left before our home would petty people free.
"Harvey!" I called spotting the Gotham's DA, but strangely no Rachel. "Elena!" He said rushing over to me, his face with relief as he gathered me into his arms and hugged me close, sighing in relief before he let me go. "Are you okay…where's Rachel?" I asked, looking into his bright blue eyes. "Rachel's on the phone with our office…but never mind that, she's fine, I should be asking you if you're okay?" He retorted, clearly not happy with what happened tonight.
"There is no need, I'm fine." I replied, placing a comforting hand on his arm, which seemed to work as he relaxed slightly under my touch, but still remained tense nonetheless as he spoke. "The Joker could have killed you." He protested, clearly not liking my nonchalant attitude in all of this, but then again, being almost killed so many times in my lifetime, tends to become less and less traumatizing each time, which is probably not a good thing, but its better that than having a mental breakdown.
"Better me than you, I'm just a civilian." I retorted calmly, but Harvey clearly didn't like my answer as his eyes became alight with anger. "You're not just a civilian, you're a friend." Harvey objected, causing a small smile to grace my lips as I spoke once more. "As you are to me, but you're also the DA…and what happened just proved how much that maniac needs to be put behind bars and you are the one who can do it."
"Not the Batman?" Harvey asked, an eyebrow raised in question, clearly not understanding the faith I had him, but then again I saw something he didn't. "No…and yes. The way I see it, you both want the same thing, but you both have to go different ways to get it…and you would surprised to see, although your methods are different, you're the perfect pair." I replied smiling as Harvey remained silent, not saying anything, but the smile on his face was enough to let me know he was finally appeased.
"Thank you, Elena…I wish I could stay, but I'm afraid I have to go. The media vultures are bound to begin circling soon and Rachel and I need to get out of here." He said, kissing my cheek softly as I nodded in understanding, watching as he began to walk towards the elevator, before stopping suddenly as he turned to face me once more.
"Where's Wayne?" He asked, genuinely curious, but I could tell there was another reason behind his question than mere curiosity, what I didn't know, but regardless I answered him. "Damage control." I replied effortlessly, Harvey nodding in acceptance and with a small smile in my direction, he turned to leave, spotting Rachel waiting patiently by the elevator with Alfred and with nod to both of us, Rachel and Harvey departed.
"Well that's the last of them. The caters will take care of clean up, I'll make sure they do not stray from their tasks, why don't go up and get some rest, Miss Elena." Alfred said, walking towards me, concern still written on his face. "Are you sure, Alfred?" I asked as he came to stand in front of me, a stern look in his eyes, silently telling me this wasn't up for discussion.
"Go, Miss Elena. I will manage just fine." Alfred instructed as I nodded in understanding, deciding to do as I was told and with a small smile in the elder man's direction, I headed upstairs to our bedroom and couldn't help the burst of joy that I felt in that a moment as a sigh of relief passed my lips, seeing the comfortable haven that was our bed.
However, to my confusion as well, I noticed that our bed looked a complete mess; which was weird considering when Bruce and I left here earlier, it was immaculate. Deciding not to think too much on it, my brain already on overload from tonight's events, I kicked the heels from off my feet, my bare feet touching the cold marble as I headed into the bathroom, the city lights illuminating the porcelain tiles through the bathroom window, allowing me to find the light switch with ease.
Once the room was properly lit, I proceed to take of my dress off, when I felt a slight discomfort in my stomach as I brought my hand to my stomach in an effort to calm the storm brewing within me when the urge suddenly hit and I immediately ran to the toilet and once again emptied the contents of my stomach into the white porcelain bowl. "What the hell is wrong with me?" I asked myself out loud, not really expecting an answer as I flushed the contents of my stomach down the toilet before going over to the sink and washing my mouth out with mouthwash.
Spitting out the last of the mouthwash, I straightened up, preparing to take off my dress again, when a scream suddenly left my throat as I saw Bruce standing behind me in the mirror's reflection, still dressed in his bat suit, but without his mask. "Bruce you sacred me." I said turning to face him, placing a hand over my raging heart, trying to calm it.
"Sorry." He whispered, a sheepish smile on his face as he stepped closer, heat radiating off of him by his close proximity, providing me with warmth as my heart began to slow down once more to a normal speed. "Its okay…where were you?" I replied turning back around and proceed to finally take my dress off without any more interruptions.
"I went after the Joker, but I lost him." Bruce growled out in reply, the aggravation clear in his voice. "You'll get him." I assured him, pulling the dress over my head, the cold air hitting my bare skin, causing my hair to stand on end as the sound a sharp intake of breath came to my ears. "What?" I asked, placing the dress onto the sink's marble counter, looking at the Bruce through the mirror's reflection seeing his gaze fixated on my back, with a look of remorse and anger.
"What is it?" I asked worriedly, turning back around to face him, looking over my shoulder to see a bruise forming on my back, below my right shoulder blade in the mirror's reflection. "Bruce…" I began, finally understanding his expression, before he suddenly cut me off. "Don't say it. Don't try to make everything alright…it's not alright." He protested, his voice cracking slightly, filled with guilt, clearly imagining the worst if he hadn't got to me in time.
"Hey!" I exclaimed; causing his eyes to met mine as I stepped closer, my body pressed directly against his as I continued to speak."I know it's not okay, but it happened anyway…and all you can do is catch me when I fall, like you always do." I said calmly, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling his muscles relax under my touch at my words as he leaned towards, his lips meeting mine as we kissed, his built muscles wrapping around my waist, holding me tight, holding me secure.
"Is Batman going back out tonight?" I asked once we broke apart, finally needing air. "No, his girl needs him." Bruce replied smiling. "Girl?" I teased smiling as the mood was effectively lightened. "Woman." He corrected, a smirk present on his lips as slight chuckle passed mine. "Well…I'm certain that will make his woman very, very…very happy." I commented as smiling Bruce began to lead me back into our bedroom when he suddenly stopped.
"Wait! We'll have to sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight." He said, turning to face, a wave of confusion washing over me as I spoke. "What? Why?" I asked, clearly not happy about being denied the comfort of our bed. "Let's just say, we need to burn our duvet and mattress." Bruce replied reluctantly, my eyes widening, realizing not only are Gotham's elite petty, but they have no respect for people's home, just great, note to self, screw appearances and never let those people back into our home.
Господи – Russian | English Translation: Oh my God.
CLIFFHANGER!
What will happen next? Elena is safe, but for how long? Will Bruce be able to always save her? So many questions.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I will try to update as soon as possible.
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- Dark Alana.