Disclaimer: I don't own "Batman Begins"


There wasn't any pain.

There wasn't any confusion.

No anger. No aches. No tears. No sadness. No amount of suffering at all.

There was just peace.

It was all I felt when I slowly regained consciousness that afternoon. Peacefulness was accompanied with my head resting on something comfortable and fluffy. No doubt a pillow. I pulled the covers up to my shoulders as I turned on my side to get a better position to sleep in. A small twinge of pain kicked in my side, but I don't think I noticed it at the time. The only thing that was on my mind was the desire to go back to a good sleep. Exhaling in relaxation, I was prepared to go back to sleep. I couldn't remember what happened before I fell asleep, and I didn't care. Recollection of any discomfort or pain would cause me to stay awake and I didn't want that. A good, deep and dreamless sleep was enough to satisfy me.

I felt movement beside me, but I didn't let that distract me. An exhausted sigh sounded close to me, or at least close enough so that I could feel the tiniest bit of warm breath touch my cheek. That kind of made me feel a bit uncomfortable and a bit disappointed because it ruined my concentration on trying to get back to sleep.

It was silent for a while, which pleased me. But do you know that place where you go in your sleep? That place where you know in the darkness that you're awake, but you are just beginning to dream? I was in that place when I was snapped back into reality. Just when I was about to return to a heavy sleep, a hand was gently placed on my forehead. It was only on there for a split second when I bolted upright on the bed I rested on to a sitting position, letting out a short surprised and panicked scream. Apparently, I was not prepared for that. It was almost as if I had woken up from a horrible nightmare. My eyes flew open, wide with fear, as my chest heaved in and out to catch my breath, while my head tried to clear itself in order to remember where I was, what I was doing there, and how I had gotten there in the first place.

Whoever had been sitting at my side got up from their seat so that they could put their hands on my shoulders to look at me in the face. At first, I couldn't recognize the face of the person who sat himself in front of me on the bed during my confusion. It scared me even more.

"No-no-no," he tried to calm my sudden panic down. "It's okay. You're okay. You're okay,"

As soon as I had come to my senses, I realized that it was only Bruce. I took a sigh of relief...

But then I remembered all the details of the previous night.

I looked up to face my godfather, cautious of what would happen next. I knew nothing too serious would happen but...he was Batman. And I felt totally confused.

Bruce looked wary too. The way his eyes took in my face made him look like the sound of my voice would make him cringe. I composed myself, took a deep breath, and tried to stay as calm as best as I could.

"Can you tell me something?" I asked, managing to get the words out of my mouth. "...That--um--Whatever happened last night was just a dream, right? I mean, you really can't be--I mean...Was it just a dream?"

Bruce's face was still as he pondered to answer that question. It seemed to be hours of nothing but awkward silence between us. Still, I patiently waited for an answer. Finally, Bruce slowly closed his eyes and sighed.

"I wish it was," he replied softly. "...But I'm afraid it's true,"

Still puzzled, I shook my head.

"No," I was still in a small state of denial. "I--It can't be. I mean...Don't you hate bats?"

To this response, Bruce lightly smiled.

"It's hard to explain," he replied again.

I sighed, a small part of me frustrated at all this. How was it hard to explain? I had just found out that my godfather has been secretly sneaking out at night in a cape and mask to fight Gotham City's most dangerous criminals. I think the hard part was pretty much explained.

Bruce probably noticed my irritation for being even more confused, so he changed the subject.

"Listen," he started. "I know that this is all very strange, but if you listen to me, maybe we can start over,"

The room was still while I thought of my answer to his suggestion. At this point, I was really confused, and I had a whole of questions that needed to be answered.

I sighed. This was going to be a long afternoon.

"All right," I exhaled a breath that I held in. "Two things though: 1- I ask questions first and then you explain. And 2-..." I looked down, a bit embarrassed. "I get to eat something. I'm really hungry,"

To this, Bruce lighly smiled. I remembered that smile now. It was always very understanding and always seemed very amused in a way.

"Fair enough," he softly said, nodding.

Letting out a breath, I slowly sat up, preparing to get myself out. Here we go: Another day of confusion explained to be caused by some reason that would either be or, more than likely, not be normal. Unlike last night, it was less painful to move. My side wasn't hurting that much as well as my had. However, there was still a bit of fuzziness on my mind, but I hoped to myself that it would only last to the end of the day...Or at least until I knew the answers to my dark, mind-boggling questions.

I planted my feet on the ground as Bruce stood up from his chair. His presence gave off the vibe that he was preparing to act if I was still a bit woozy in my movements. But he allowed me to take my time to fully stand up.

When we started to walk out of the room, Bruce seemed hesitant to put his hand on my shoulder, like he always did. He ended up putting his hands in his pockets and walked beside me down the hallway to the top of the stairs.

I thought to myself: What would feel more strange to me? The fact that it would feel awkward for him putting a hand on my shoulder after what happened last night? Or how awkward it was even more because he didn't? I couldn't decide on which. The situation and the silence between us alone was awkward enough.

As I walked behind him down the stairs, I looked around the huge living room area that laid before us and a flood of memories came rushing back to me. When I looked at the windows overlooking the city, I would see Batman. With every step I took down the stairs, I thought of how I hid under this very winding black staircase. I remembered everything.

The next thing I knew, my legs gave out and I started to crumple. I didn't make any noise of surprise or anything, but Bruce acted quickly. He was able to wrap his arms around me when he turned around to see if I was all right. I had instinctively grabbed the cool and smooth metal stair railing in an attempt to slow down or break my fall.

"Are you all right?" Bruce's voice was calm, yet worried.

"Yeah," I took a gulp of breath. "I just--I don't know what happened--"

"OK. It's all right. Come here,"

After loosening my frozen grip on the stairs, Bruce lifted me up in his arms and carried me downstairs. I rested my head on his shoulder, trying to relax. I guess my body was still trying to gain back its full, potential energy. Bruce walked across the living room area to a modern black leather couch in front of the television.

"All right," he exhaled a breath as he laid me down. "I want you to rest here and take it easy while I get you something to eat. I'll be right back,"

Staying quiet in response, Bruce left the room for a bit while I rested on the couch. I laid there for a few seconds, taking a few deep breaths before I eyed the remote control to the television set. Whenever I would get sick when my parents were still alive, Mom would make a makeshift bed for me on the couch and Dad would go out and get me something to eat. Sighing to myself at these memories, I reached for the TV remote and turned on the television.

"Moving onto our next story, the body of CEO for Mason Industries, Edgar Mason, was found dead in the Gotham City River around midnight last night. Authorities say that while trying to escape police force by threatening his 12-year-old niece, Sarah Chante, the goddaughter of Bruce Wayne--"

I immedietly changed the channel. Obviously, I had turned on the Gotham City News Channel, or GCN as it's called, right at the exact moment they started a story on me. Not wanting to handle the stress of reliving the past 48 hours through constant reminders, I though changing the channel would be helpful.

Boy, was I dead wrong. The other channel was another news-broadcast about me.

"--Police have not given away any information on Miss Chante's condition--"

I changed the channel again, hoping to find something peaceful to watch...Peaceful here, meaning anything but a newscast.

This was how it went.

"--Two nights ago. They had no leads as to who was the kidnapper--"

Click.

"--Minor witnesses claim to have seen the masked vigilante known as the Batman on the scene--"

Click.

"--Bruce Wayne has not given any comments on his goddaughter's condition--"

Click. Power Off.

I tossed the remote to the other end of the couch and sighed as I turned on my side, facing the back cushions. My face felt red and my throat hurt a bit. Was I crying? I knew I was upset from all the countless news channels covering stories about my kidnap and near-death experience. but I think I was more upset with the memories it brought back. My body was slightly trembling from trying to contain my emotions. I could hear footsteps coming back to the lounge area. Bruce was coming back. The footsteps stopped and I could hear a plate and a glass being set on the side table next to my head. The remote that rested at my feet was picked up and I heard the TV being turned back on. I groaned a little bit and buried my still slightly aching body deeper into the leather couch.

"--12 year old Sarah Chante was said to have been rescued late last night by the masked vigilante known as Batman--"

The TV turned off, of which I was thankful for. Bruce sat down on the couch, gently pulling my shoulder toward him so that my back was fully resting on itself. I quickly wiped stray tears away from my cheeks. Bruce gave a comforting smile to me.

"Come on," he encouraged softly."Sit up,"

I obeyed, pushing myself slowly up, making my back rest on the arm rest of the couch. Bruce handed me the plate that held a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes on it for me to eat. I just looked at it, the starvation that I had minutes before suddenly disappearing.

"I'm not hungry," I said softly, handing Bruce back the plate.

But Bruce shook his head, not letting me protest anymore on the matter as he pushed the plate back in my hands gently.

"Sarah," he softly gave his rebuttal. "You haven't eaten anything with food value in the past 36 hours or so. You need to eat something or else you'll get sick again,"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Again?" I asked, taking the sandwich into my hands.

"...After I got you to go to sleep," Bruce started to explain. "You started acting very strange and your fever spiked a small bit. Lucius Fox was here earlier. We called him to come check on you and he gave you a sedative to calm you down. There's nothing to worry about. All it was was just a bad case of fever dreams because of not sleeping and not eating,"

I took the hint in his low voice, taking a bite off the sandwich and chewing it slowly.

"He did take a sample of your blood, though, just to be safe,"

Looking down on my arm, I now noticed the bandage on my forearm where Lucius had tad taken my blood. I swallowed my bit of sandwich and asked my next question.

"How did you find me?" I asked softly.

Bruce gently smiled.

"It wasn't easy at first," he explained. "You helped a great deal by calling me on Edgar's phone. If you hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to trace the call...But why did you call me instead of the police?"

I forced myself to look at him instead of my hands, or my plates, or even the floor.

"You were the first person that came to mind," I said. "Whenever Batman wasn't there for me, you always were...Why didn't you tell me you were Batman?"

Total silence.

For the longest time, or what felt like it, Bruce stared at me. There wasn't any emotion on his outside appearance as he thought about how to answer me. Sometimes, his face would be still and absent of feeling, now that I noticed. It is a bit hard to tell what Bruce was thinking.

"I wanted to protect you," he finally said.

"From what?" I asked, my voice sounding a little edgy.

Bruce sighed.

"I don't know Sarah," he admitted, a bit exasperated. "Falcone, Crane, Ra's Al Ghul, Edgar--"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," I interrupted, getting louder and saying my words at lightening speed. "...Who's Ra's Al Ghul?"

Ra's Al Ghul. What kind of a name was that? The first time I said it, the name rolled off my tongue gracefully, but with a dark feeling behind it. It almost sounded like whispering an evil name, that when said, the thing itself would appear out of nowhere and create nightmares that would take a good while to forget. Bruce looked down a bit and sighed.

"...All right," he said. "...If I want you to clearly understand the situation you're in, then I'm going to have to tell you everything that caused it since I left Gotham,"

Nodding in understanding, I sat up, preparing myself to hear my godfather's tale about his mysterious disappearance.

When I asked who Ra's Al Ghul was, there was a look in Bruce's eyes that showed me he wasn't planning on telling me who that man was. Even after explaining the Batman situation or not, I'll never know.

As soon as he had my undivided attention, Bruce told me his side of my story, his disappearance...

Everything.

"About seven years ago," he started. "I came back to Gotham from Princeton for a couple of days for a--"

"For a parole hearing," I interrupted. "...Alfred told me,"

After being confused at first, Bruce's face from being appalled of the fact that I interrupted him to the same old amused look he would give me. As both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Of course. He should've known Alfred would tell me.

"When did Alfred tell you that?" he still kept that same amused look.

I looked down a bit.

"The day Josh and I skipped school to run away to Smallville," I said guiltily. "...I came over to say goodbye, I mean...What I meant was that I wanted to see you guys again...I was kind of disappointed when you weren't there,"

Nodding to himself, the amused face fading into a humble on, Bruce asked me:

"Did he tell you what I almost did?"

Thinking to myself a bit, I tried to remember if there was anything else about Bruce that Alfred told me. Discovering nothing, I shook my head.

"No," I said softly. "Why?"

Bruce hesitated before he answered me.

"...Sarah, I almost shot the man who murdered my parents,'

I stared at my godfather while the internal shock of what I had heard sunk in. At first, I almost couldn't speak. I mean, I knew Bruce would never forgive the man who killed his parents, but I never thought he would be angry enough to try and kill him. I shook my head.

"No, you wouldn't," I said softly. "There's no way you would--"

All of a sudden, a memory that was hidden somewhere in the depths of my mind resurfaced from out of nowhere. For a few quiet moments I sat still with a blank look on my face...I remembered what happened at the courthouse when I was five.

Slowly, I looked at my godfather, who had his usual concerned look on his face. I pointed at him, almost accusingly.

"I saw you that day," I started as the memory became more clear by the second. "You were standing off to the side of the hallway loading that gun. Y-You--You didn't shoot him but...you wanted to...You left Gotham that day...Why did you leave?"

Bruce was silent for a bit as he looked at me, pondering to himself on how to answer me.

"...I was really frustrated that day," he explained softly. "Gotham was practically operated by the mob, Sarah. Falcone was in control of the city for a good while. Back then, good people were being crushed by bad people who should've been locked up for what they've done in their lives. People like Joe Chill...Everyone was scared back then, Sarah. Very few people were willing to go up against Falcone because the cost was their life. Before I left, I went to Falcone's restaurant and spoke to him myself,"

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Why?" I asked softly.

"Because I wanted to show him that not everyone in Gotham was afraid of him...But Falcone got me back. He showed me that I still had everything to lose, even though I had already lost my parents. He threatened to kill Rachel, Alfred,...your parents...and you, just to prove that I still had so much to lose,'

"...Why would he threaten to kill me and my parents?"

"Sarah, remember, your parents were just beginning their journey to try and stop Falcone, and back then, the mob knew everyone's weakness...With one word, they can take it all away and that was always the way things were,"

"...Until Batman came," I understood.

Bruce lightly smiled.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Until Batman came,"

I smiled a bit in return, getting more comfortable with our strange discussion.

"So..." I started another question. "What about this Ra's Al Ghul guy? How does he fit into all this?"

There was a look on Bruce's face that I will never forget. It was pensive, humble, almost as if he was trying to describe this Ra's Al Ghul character in the best possible way. Finally, he spoke.

"Ra's Al Ghul's real name was Henri Ducard," he explained. "I met him in China a little over a year ago,"

China?...Well, that sounded too interesting a fact to pass up a question.

"What were you doing in China?" I asked.

"...I was in jail," Bruce calmly replied.

My eyes widened at this.

"You were in jail?!" I asked, bewildered. "Wha--What'd you do?"

"Sarah," Bruce still spoke in a calm voice. "I spent the last seven years trying to figure out why criminals think the way and do the things they do...I didn't understand why people would do such bad things. So I helped a group of men steal very expensive equipment from my own company...But I never became one of them,"

Quietly, I just stared at Bruce, trying to understand why he did the things he did in his seven years of absense. A part of me couldn't believe that he would do something like that. When the other part of me did understand why, I slowly nodded, therefore telling Bruce that I did understand why he did what he had to do in order for things that have already happened to come to pass.

"OK," I said slowly. "So you met Ra's Al Ghul when you were in jail..."

Yeah, that made perfect sense so far.

"...What happened next?"

"Ra's Al Ghul already knew who I was, so he straight away told me about this group...The League of Shadows,"

I raised an eyebrow.

"The League of Shadows?" I asked in a sort of skeptical voice.

Bruce smiled a bit.

"That's what I thought," he said to me.

So far, this all sounded like it should come out of some sort of storybook. But I said nothing about it and listened to Bruce as he continued his story.

"The next day, I was released from prison and I had nowhere to go," he continued. "Ducard told me that if I was interested in joining the League of Shadows, I had to bring a rare blue flower to the monastery where I would be taught. It grew on the eastern slopes of the mountain and I had to take it all the way to the top,"

"Why?" I asked, puzzled still.

"Because the monastery was on top of the mountain...As I traveled up there, people from the small villages told me to turn back, but I didn't listen...There was no where else for me to go but up the mountain. By the time I had reached the monastery, I was exhausted. I climbed up razor-sharp rocks in the middle of a snowstorm,"

Maybe that was why the people in the small villages told Bruce to go back...That, or the more reasonable explanation--They knew about this League of Shadows.

"OK," I said, piecing the information in my head. "Let me see if I can get the rest of this...Obviously, they let you into the League of Shadows...You were taught all these...martial arts and ninja-like stuff, whatever it's called...and then...you came back?"

"...Well..." Bruce chuckled again. "You got most of it,"

Again, more confusion. Bruce filled me in on the details that I missed.

"Over the past year," he said. "Ducard taught me everything I know enough to become the best of the rest of his students there. I had conquered my fears and I was ready to lead the League of Shadows to wherever we had to go. But they wanted me to...demonstrate..."Bruce rolled his eyes at the word. "My commitment to their definition of justice first...I didn't do it,"

"What did they ask you to do?"

"...During my stay at Ra's Al Ghul's monastery, there was a man who was once a farmer. He tried to take his neighbor's land, but instead, ended up murdering him. So, he was being held prisoner there...When I refused to execute him, Ducard told me that my compassion, as he put it, was a weakness that my enemies will not share...But I told him that that was why it was so important--It separates us from them,"

There was another silence between us. Bruce's words chanted in my head as I tried to understand. In a few short seconds, I did, and a small part of my once troubled head was clearing. I didn't want Bruce to stop telling me what I needed to know so I encourage him.

"Go on," I said softly. "What happened next?"

"I then found out what they wanted me to do after I would execute the prisoner--Ra's Al Ghul wanted me to lead the men back here to Gotham. As Gotham's favored son, I was to be ideally placed to strike at the heart of criminality,"

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"But," I started. "Isn't that what you're doing right now?"

"...They wanted all of Gotham destroyed, Sarah,"

"...Oh..."

Oh? Oh?! That's all I can say is "Oh"?! Bruce was almost forced into destroying the whole city!

"Wh--What else happened?" I asked.

Bruce hesitated, looking at me to make sure if what he was telling me wasn't too much, but it wasn't. Everything he said to me so far was making the confusion go away in my head. When he saw that I was fine as I took another bite of my sandwich, he continued.

"I fought the man who pretended to be Ra's Al Ghul at the time--I had to set the monastery on fire and knocked out Ducard to protect him and cause a bit of distraction. Whoever pretended to be Ra's Al Ghul was killed when part of the roof collapsed on him. I never knew who he really was...Anyway, the fire was spreading and I was getting Ducard out of there as fast as I could. He was still unconscious, which made it harder on me. Then, all of a sudden, there was an explosion, which sent Ducard and I out the window and into the snow. We landed on a slope of the mountain and I saved him from falling off the cliff, which was a close one. Another inch, and Ducard would've been gone forever...and you never would've seen me again,"

I looked at Bruce, the realization of him almost killed hitting me like a ton of bricks. He was almost killed!...And it was in that moment that I also realized that his near-death experience may have occurred the same day Edgar killed my parents...

Everything would have been very much different if Bruce fell off that cliff with Ducard.

Sipping my water quietly, I listened to Bruce more.

"I got Ducard safe to a village and left him there, still unconscious," he went on. "I asked where the nearest telephone was or where a village with power was, and a few hours later..."Bruce began to smile. "I was talking with Alfred, telling him where I was so that I could come home,"

The memories of my first day of living at Wayne manor came flooding back to me. The same day I found out my parents were murdered. Slowly, I nodded.

"I remember that day," I said softly. "I was only at Wayne Manor for 5 minutes when you called,"

Bruce nodded, understanding that the day he called was my first day of a new, adventurous, and scary life.

"D--Did Alfred tell you what happened over the phone?" I asked, a part of me wondering if he did nor not.

But, to my surprise, Bruce shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I suppose that the shock that I was alive overwhelmed him,"

Another part of my head was growing clear again as I understood what Bruce meant. I couldn't blame Alfred for not telling Bruce that I had come to live with him immediately after my parents death. I still remember the way he looked when he told me that Bruce was still alive.

When I looked back at Bruce, he was smiling a little. Puzzled, I smiled a bit too.

"What?" I asked lightly.

"Nothing," Bruce's smile widened as he shook his head. "It's just...I thought I was looking at your mother when I got on the jet plane,"

Small flashes of heat made my cheeks red as I looked down in embarrassment. I waited a few seconds before I allowed myself to look back up at Bruce as he continued.

"When Alfred told me it was you," he said. "...I grew worried,"

Bruce's face softened into a look of sadness.

"I knew something must have happened to your mother and father. Otherwise you wouldn't have been on that plane, or they would have been with you," he said to me quietly.

Nodding, I looked down a bit, trying to figure out what to say next.

"...Um..." I thought out loud to myself. "How long have you had this Batman idea anyway?"

Bruce leaned forward in his seat a bit, using his knees to rest his arms on. As he let out a breath, he looked to be in some sort of deep thought until he looked at me.

"I actually started thinking about it seriously the day I came back," he explained. "After you fell asleep on the flight back home, I asked Alfred what happened to your mother and father, and when he told me, I realized that Gotham had grown worse than it had when I was younger than you were. Gotham needed some sort of dramatic example to inspire them to believe in good. But as what? I couldn't figure it out. All I knew was that it had to be something...elemental. Something terrifying,"

My mind was picturing the first day Bruce came back, reliving the moment in my head. The moment he answered and started to explain, I could see him and Alfred on the private jet plane talking to each other in low voices as I slept on the other side. When Bruce said that he didn't know at the time what would be his dramatic example, the day in my head fast forwarded to that night, and a light bulb went out in my head.

"The bat that was by the study," I said in awe, as if I had discovered buried treasure.

As if he understood my train of thought, Bruce smiled a little.

"That's right," he said softly.

I was beginning to understand all of this. Everything was starting to make sense. Sitting up more on the couch and taking another sip of water, I asked another question.

"Did--Did you ever think of telling me about all of this?" I asked. "...I mean, before last night?"

There was another silence before Bruce answered me.

"That," he pointed out slowly. "...That was a really hard decision to make. I was indecisive,"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, Sarah, when I realized that you were placed in my care, I also realized the responsibility I had to keep you safe and the promise I made to your mother and father to take care of you. Everything that I have see you been put through the past few weeks made it so much harder to decide whether or not to tell you about Batman,"

OK, I might as well stop talking and asking questions for right now and let him explain. Besides...I think the look on my face was enough to ask Bruce for an example.

"At first," he started. "I was going to tell you a week after your parents died. I wanted to give you some time to get settled in, but...when you were attacked at school, I reconsidered. I didn't want to tell you my secret until you were adjusted and, hopefully, would start to talk again,"

So Bruce did want to tell me. Things just got in the way. That's all. I looked down a bit.

"Were you mad that I snuck out to try and get some leverage on Falcone?" I asked.

"...I already knew you were planning on sneaking out, Sarah," Bruce declared.

Well this was a confusing surprise. I looked up at my godfather, wide-eyed.

"Wh--How?" I asked.

"I saw you run out of Falcone's restaurant the day Josh attacked you with a knife at school,"

"But how? What were you doing at the restaurant?"

Bruce merely grinned.

"When I was trying to figure out Falcone's nest move, I spent a day or two dressed up as a homeless man. I would sit in the alleyways and listen to conversations..." Bruce's grin faded. "...Then I saw you running out of there and I knew something was wrong. So I hurried home and made it looked like I was home all day so that you wouldn't be suspicious,"

I was still in a state of awe, but somehow I managed to find my voice.

"...You were there all this time," I pointed out. "All this time, and...and I didn't even notice..." I then scoffed at a sudden thought. "I wouldn't be surprised if that cave you took me and Rachel to was right under the manor,"

Bruce was a bit quiet when I said that but the growing smile on his face completely gave him away. I just stared at him, still wide-eyed, but I could've sworn my eyes were growing bigger at this sudden realization.

"Wait, are you telling me--?"

I couldn't finish. It seemed unreal to me to even ask that question.

But Bruce nodded, telling me in silence that I was right on target on where the cave was located. I shook my head.

"I can't believe this," I said softly. "...How often did you watch me when I didn't know?"

Bruce thought for a small moment.

"The only time I can think of right now was the restaurant," he confessed.

I was quiet for a moment before I asked another question.

"When you saved me at the docks," I started. "...Did I scare you?"

First, Bruce looked a bit confused, wondering what I was talking about, before he chuckled a bit. I kept a blank look, waiting for him to speak.

"Scare me?" his chuckle started to fade. "What are you talking about?"

"Did I scare you when I started to talk?" I asked again, a bit more specific with my question.

Bruce was quiet. His face was blank, but his light green eyes kept searching in his head for an answer as he started at me. I took a silent gulp, a quiet deep breath, and explained why I asked in hopes of helping him answer.

"I remember the way you looked at me when I asked you why you saved me," I started. "I didn't show it, but I could tell there was something you felt. The way you looked at me--You just stared at me, just like now...I couldn't understand why I started talking to Batman. It just came out...I guess you can say I spoke my mind,"

After he listened to me, Bruce nodded. and answered my question.

"You're right," he said softly. "I did feel something...A part of me was in shock, another was glad that you were talking...but I guess what got me more was how much you sounded like your mother,"

I immedietly understood what he said. I remember the next night after that when he told me the exact same thing.

I took the last bite of my sandwich and drank the last bit of water in my glass after Bruce told me all this. My stomach felt satisfied and my head didn't hurt as much. Bruce seemed content too after knowing that I had some food in me now.

"How are you feeling now?" he asked.

"Better," I replied.

"Good," Bruce smiled. "Do you need anything else?"

I thought for a moment.

"...What were you sick with?" I asked.

Immediately, Bruce knew exactly what I was talking about. I could tell because his smile once again faded. He hesitated before he answered me.

"Crane's toxin," he replied grimly.

I was completely shocked when he said this.

"Crane got to you?!" I exclaimed. "How? When?"

"Do you remember the stuffed bears and rabbits that was in the truck at the docks?"

"Yes,"

"And the night I interrogated Flass?"

"...Yes,"

I slowly realized what happened as Bruce explained.

"After I brought you back to the Manor," he started. "I went to the Narrows and searched the apartments until I found what I was looking for. The rabbits were hiding the drugs Falcone was shipping to Crane..."

A question came up in my head at this time. I can't believe I never thought of this before. If Falcone was shipping the drugs to Crane, then where did Falcone get the drugs in the first place? Before I asked that question, I let Bruce finish first.

"Before I had a chance to investigate some more, Crane came in to set fire to the place so he could get rid of evidence. I was able to take out the two men he had with him, but before I could get to Crane, I was already poisoned. It made me disoriented and the next thing I remember was lying on top of a catwalk in the middle of the storm waiting for Alfred to come get me...I was out for two days Sarah...I'm sorry I hurt you, as well. I--I didn't know--"

I waved him off before he finished.

"It's OK," I said. "...Bruce...If Falcone was shipping the drugs to Crane, where did Falcone get the drugs in the first place? Did you ever find out?"

Bruce nodded.

"I did," he said. "The drugs came to be from someone I didn't expect to run into,"

I looked at him puzzled until he went on.

"The night the Manor was burned down," he continued softly. "I was on my way upstairs to tell you that you were staying with me after Edgar said he was going to take you away, but I got stopped by one of the guests. I tried to get away...but as soon as I heard the words 'Ra's Al Ghul', I couldn't even move,"

I looked at Bruce cautiously.

"D--Ducard was there?" I asked in a small voice.

Even though I didn't know much about this Ra's Al Ghul, or Ducard, whatever alias we're calling him, I couldn't help but feel a chill up my spine whenever Bruce mentioned his name. It was amazing how one name can make a person feel fearful and small. Bruce calmly nodded and continued.

"He knew that I was spending my nights as Batman and he was holding the party hostage to get to me..." Bruce looked down, an ashamed expression taking residence on his face. "I'm not proud of what I did, but I did it to save you and the guests. I had no choice but to completely destroy my family's good name in Gotham to get everyone to leave,"

"...So you were faking it," I said softly.

Bruce turned his head back at me, and started at me, almost surprised. I didn't say it in the form of a question--I merely stated it.

"I think a part of me knew that you were faking it," I explained myself. "I knew you would never do a thing like that unless it was against your will...It had to be something wrong,"

Bruce nodded.

"If you stayed with me," he said softly. "They would have hurt you. They would have taken you away to get to me...Or try to kill you like they almost did to me,"

"...What?..." I asked in a choked voice.

"They set fire to the Manor and left me unconscious and trapped to...Sarah? What's wrong?"

Why were tears coming down my cheeks? Why was it hard to answer him? My throat was sore and my head was pounding with the memories of that night playing over and over again. When I didn't answer him, Bruce moved forward and wrapped his arms around me as he tried to calm me down.

"Sarah, what is it?" he asked softly. "Why are you crying?"

"...I could've done something about it," I managed to speak up.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"...I knew something was wrong, but Edgar wouldn't turn the car around. So I jumped out and started heading back to the Manor--"

Bruce's arms tightened when I mentioned the part of me jumping out of a moving vehicle. I could feel him look down at me in concern as I cried in his chest, but he let me finish what I had to say.

"But then I thought that if anything happened to you, you'd be all right," I continued. "But I needed to get away from Edgar and I knew people in the Narrows would be in danger and that you would rather have me stay with a complete stranger than with someone who hated me,"

Bruce was silent at this for a moment.

"...You thought that if you went to the Narrows during the attack," he said softly, but slowly. "That you would find Batman...and maybe ask him to help you figure out if Alfred and I were all right because you didn't know what happened after you left...and if anything bad happened to us, you would ask if you could stay with him...Am I right?"

"...Sort of..." I mumbled a bit.

I only heard a chuckle come from Bruce when I replied.

"So that's why you went there that night," he pondered out loud. "...For a second there, I thought you lost your mind when I saw you skating down the street and dodging exploding water main lids with the Tumbler right behind you,"

This time, it was my turn to chuckle. I sat up from Bruce's arms wiping the tears from my eyes as a small smile on my face grew.

"Says the guy dressed up as a bat and flys around Gotham at night," I teased back.

Bruce chuckled more, a bit intrigued at my quickness to come up with that kind of comeback. That made me smile more.

"...Um..." I looked down a bit. "...Do you think that he would've if I asked?"

Then, Bruce sadly shook his head.

"I don't think he would have," he said softly. "...My number one priority at the time was to make sure you were safe, and I didn't want you to have anymore publicity. If you just disappeared with Batman instead of going to live with Edgar, like you were supposed to, everyone, especially Edgar would be looking for you,"

I looked at the blank TV screen as I listened to Bruce explain why the Batman wouldn't take me away if I asked, remembering all the news reports on my accident and Edgar's death. When he was finished, there was silence. I could feel Bruce look at me, wondering what I was staring at until he followed my gaze. In an instant, we were both experiencing flashbacks and memories of the previous night's events. Still staring at the TV as if it was still on, showing the news reports, I spoke softly.

"Bruce," I started. "Edgar said something...about my mother?"

"...What did he say?" Bruce asked.

"Well...he said that she was adopted and it really didn't make any sense to me, because--"

"She was,"

I whipped my head to look at Bruce, bug-eyed, and, once again, in complete awe.

"Wh--I--How come she didn't tell me?" I asked. "And how did you find out?"

"Rachel and I found out the day you and Josh tried to run away," Bruce explained. "We were trying to find out if there was anything that we could use to get you back,"

I shook my head.

"But why didn't she tell me?" I asked, still in shock.

Bruce calmly shrugged.

"She never told me and Rachel," he gave a small rebuttal. "And we told each other everything when we were kids...I guess she never knew,"

"Then why didn't her parents tell her?" I asked, still confused by all this.

"...Maybe the same reason I never told you about Batman,"

...Just like that...Everything was perfectly clear.


Despite the awkward morning, or afternoon in my case, things between Bruce and I ran pretty smoothly. I was amazed at how quick I was to get used to the fact that my godfather was Batman. I guess it was all because of the encounters that I had. Lucius Fox came by to check on me a while after Bruce and I were done talking. He said that everything checked out normal, but advised that I should stay in bed for a day or two. You know, just until I was well enough or looked rested. Although, I spent the afternoon trying to get out, already sick with the idea of staying in bed when I felt fine. But Bruce would always catch me trying to get out.

When night came, I sat in my new bed under the covers looking at my new room. It wasn't at all like the one I had at Wayne Manor. The tile floor was practically clean enough to see my face stare back at me when I looked at it. Everything was in a modern style of some sort, being either silver, black, or white.

My room was an exception--It was either silver, black, white, or, my favorite color, green.

Apparently, Alfred spent most of the day shopping for new furniture for my new room.

There was a few love seats in one area of the large room, a computer desk with a black flat screen iMac already hooked up with the essentials, a few bookcases that were yet to be filled, and a stereo with a couple of CD's already stored and stacked, just waiting to be listened to.

I have to say, Alfred thought of everything when it came to buying stuff for a teenager's bedroom.

Everything I had in there would even make Haley Kingston jealous.

Outside my window, I could see the whole City of Gotham laid out before me. In quiet reverence, I looked out that window, thinking about how much I was going to miss flying over those buildings...The window blowing in my face and hair...The exhilaration of freedom rush through me.

Of course, I was already free from everything that was holding me prisoner, but...I don't know. Flying seems to make a lot of people feel free.

The sky was, literally, the limit.

But, for my case, there was a limit.

You see, after Bruce and I worked things out, he told me that now that I was safe, knew everything, and our everyday lives were as they should be, there had to be a few ground rules. One was that I had to keep the curfew set by him on the school-nights, and keep the curfew set by the city on weekends.

I always had to have a cell phone with me. If the last time I used a cell phone saved my life, the it probably will do it again, if anything should happen.

I have to let either Bruce, Alfred, Rachel, or even Lucius Fox, know if I'm going somewhere.

Anything bad going on in the city and I'm in the middle of it, I shouldn't do anything. I can't go and save the day.

No more keeping secrets.

No more sneaking out at night.

All these rules, I understand and I'll keep them of course, but...

I don't know if I like the idea of not being able to see Batman anymore.

For my own safety, Bruce said that I cannot be hanging around him too much when he's Batman.

So that means no more night-time visits.

No more dark, mysterious friends to confide in.

Just...no more Batman.

Well, for me anyway.

But for the rest of Gotham, their fill of the Dark Knight was just beginning.

I smiled sadly at this thought. Maybe just hearing about the Batman would be enough for me rather than seeing him. Nevertheless, even though Bruce is disguised as the Winged Avenger at night, a part of me will always think of Bruce Wayne and the Batman as two very different people.

I was sick of being in bed, so I casually stepped out of the covers, walked out of my room, and wandered around the penthouse for a while. You have no idea how good it felt to be able to stretch out my legs after a full day of resting. When I made it past the doorway, I felt triumphant having made it that much out so far.

Unfortunately, Bruce's room happened to be next to mine, which made my plan of escape a little more difficult. He said he was going to turn in early for the night an hour or so ago, but his light was still on, his bedroom door was wide open, and the TV was turned on to a news broadcast. I rolled my eyes as I neared his room when I noticed it was another report about me. But before I could try and make it past the door, I heard Bruce talking on the phone.

"Rachel," I heard him. "Is there anyway you can get one of your contacts at GCN to stop reporting on the accident?...Good. Thank you. I'm sure Sarah will appreciate that a lot,"

I grinned a little bit, nodding to myself in approval. Looks like my prayers were being answered as soon as they were said.

"Actually, she should be in bed right now, sleeping..." Bruce continued talking to Rachel on the phone. "Heh, yeah, she's been trying to get out all afternoon, but Lucius said that she had to stay in bed for at least 48 hours, so...Yeah, I'll go see if she's still awake. Hang on,"

Uh-oh. Any smart person would know that that would be the time to officially run for it. Quickly, I rushed back to my room as quietly as possible, jumped into the bed, pulled the covers over me, and made it look like I was sleeping the whole time. It seemed like the perfect plan to cover things up...But then I heard Bruce come in my room and stop at the doorway.

"Nice try," I heard the smile grow in his voice,

I groaned in defeat as I sat up and made myself comfortable against the headboard. My side wound twitched a bit as a shifted my body, making me wince at the sudden discomfort. Bruce got a little concerned as he sat down on the bed next to me.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "It just hurts every now and then. That's all,"

"...OK," Bruce nodded and continued on. "Speaking of which--"

He put down the phone he used to catch me in my attempt to escape bed rest, and leaned forward to my bandaged head wound.

"--Let's take a look at this and see how its doing,"

Gently pulling away the bandage off my forehead, Bruce looked pensive as he concentrated on the condition of what used to be a horrible gash. Now I just hope its a really big scab or something like that. Bruce nodded to himself in approval.

"It looks like its doing fine," he concluded. "Just needs a little more disinfectant. Come here,"

I made a face as Bruce reached in his back pocket for that yellow-tinted stuff and a washcloth.

"I really hate that stuff," I complained.

Bruce smirked a bit.

"So did your mother," he said as he put disinfectant on the washcloth. "But she wasn't nearly as good as you were when it came to medical treatment. Put your head back,"

Puzzled, I obeyed and looked at Bruce in a quizzical manner as he put the disinfectant bottle on the bed side table.

"She used the same stuff too?" I asked.

"Yeah," Bruce chuckled. "Against her will though. There were times when I thought she used it more than I did,"

"Like when?"

"...Well..." Bruce sighed as he thought, running his free fingers through his dark hair. "I remember one time when she was staying with Alfred and I one summer while the rest of her family was in Europe. She'd already been there and didn't want to go, so she thought it'd be nice to spend a summer with her friends. Anyway, Rachel, your mother, and I were in the woods behind the Manor, walking by this waterfall and all of a sudden, Jennifer tripped and hurt her leg badly on one of the sharp rocks beside it. I remember there being a lot of blood and she nearly passed out on us, but Rachel and I managed to get her back to the Manor to Alfred..." Bruce then grinned. "Alfred said that that would be the last day he would treat her. She was acting so childish, Rachel and I had to hold her down so that she wouldn't accidentally kick Alfred in the stomach again,"

Bruce was laughing at the end now, and I was giggling as I pictured the story in my head. I liked it when Bruce told me stories about my mothers adventures. It told me more about the kind of person she was...It almost made me feel like that she was still alive. But I casted out emotions of discomfort as Bruce moved a little more forward, the washcloth in his hand.

"Just don't try to think about it," he advised, his hand inches away from my head. "It hurts less if you think about something else,"

I beg to differ.

"Ow," I winced as I felt the painful sting on my head. "Easy for you to say,"

Bruce only chuckled as I sat up more, knowing that he was finished cleaning the head wound. A small smile in response lit up my face for a moment, but then, as I looked out the window, it faded. The city looked so beautiful. Lights from the distant buildings became stars, twinkling in the night. It only took Bruce a moment to see what I was looking at and to know what I was thinking. He turned to look at me again, but I kept looking out the window. It was as if nothing else in the world around me existed, except for the City of Gotham.

"...I'll miss it," I confessed what I was thinking. "...I don't know why, but I'll miss it,"

There was silence from Bruce as I felt him lower his eyes. The atmosphere around us somehow told me that he was thinking of an answer.

"I know how much he meant to you," he started. "...I know that he was the first real friend you made since your parents died,"

Looking away from the beautiful and quiet night that watched over Gotham, I now stared at my hands in my lap, feeling a bit depressed.

"Bruce," I said cautiously, afraid of what I was asking. "Do--Do you think that I'll ever see him again?"

It was hard to decipher Bruce's face most of the time. But at that moment, I could tell after I asked that question, that his answer would not be the one I wanted at all.

It would be one of those rare moment where I would tell what my godfather was thinking.

"If I want to keep you safe, Sarah," he said, his voice hoping that I would understand. "I think the chances of ever seeing Batman like the last few times are very small ones,"

I knew it. Nodding in understanding, I looked up at Bruce finally, taking a deep breath. I didn't want to cry. Not like this. If I wanted to be alive and well, I had to obey Bruce.

"OK," I said in a tiny voice

There was no denying the disappointment in my voice. Bruce showed a small smile to try and cheer me up, but I looked back down at my hands in my lap. Hearing he let out a breath in a sigh, he tucked a stray hair behind my ear, and held the back of my head, gently forcing me to look at him. I allowed this, and waited to hear what he had to say.

"I promised you that things were going to get better," he reminded me gently. "Now I'm going to keep that promise to you, no matter what. But I'm going to need your help in keeping it...I'm only thinking about what's best for you,"

...I guess that was okay to live with. I nodded again, showing that I understood what he was trying to do. Seeing that I was willing to go through with this and help him in his fight against Gotham's criminals by obeying the rules this time comforted Bruce as he smiled a bit.

"Good," he said as his hand left my head and let out a breath as he stood up. "You should probably get some sleep. You need it,"

"OK," I replied as I snuggled under the covers.

As I rested my head on the pillows, Bruce made his way to my bedroom door and moved a hand to turn off the light, but something stopped him. When I noticed this, I sat up a bit, a concerned look on my face.

"What is it?" I asked, curiously.

Turning around to look at me with the same amused smile he always gave me, Bruce put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the door.

"It's nothing," he said.

Somehow, I doubted that, considering Bruce's honesty to me in the past. I know that he told me everything, but like I said:

It's hard to tell what Bruce was thinking.

But that doesn't mean that Bruce couldn't tell what I was thinking. When he realized that I doubted his answer, he smirked a little.

"It's the truth," he reassured me.

His face then softened...and he told me what was on his mind with a small smile.

"He's going to miss you too,"


(A/N: My dear readers, this is the second to last chapter of "Friend of the Knight". Next week on the 17th, which will be my 18th birthday, I hope to update the last chapter and begin posting "The Dark Knight's Companion" as well. I have a few good ideas on how the story will fit in with "The Dark Knight" plot, but I would like some last minute opinions on how you think the story should go. We all know that the movie itself was very intense, and that has made the creation of the sequel a little more challenging than I had expected. I would like your help. It will be very much appreciated. Thank you

Much gratitude~

HarrysMagicSpell)