AUTHOR'S NOTE: Whew, okay, so I know it's been a LONG while since I've updated. I owe you guys an explanation. Well, to make a long story short I had to make some very big life changing decisions. Then found several opportunities that presented themselves to me and pretty much they just blew my mind because I never expected them. But, all in all, this new year is off to a good start already. I'm now working on getting back to updating my fics (all of them I'm still working on another chapter for Carcajou by the way) and hope to be finishing a few of them up in a few months. So, enjoy.
Chapter 37
Logan found himself put under the microscope, figuratively and literally, after his quick exchange with his great grandson. Despite his protests Bruce strongly insisted he had to run tests on the Canadian. Explaining they had to be sure no lingering effects of the control Hugo Strange had on Logan's mind. Muttering angrily Logan submitted, reluctantly, to the tests. Watching as Bruce moved from forensic table, to computer, and then to a small lab area where he analyzed evidence. Tapping his fingers Logan made it clear he was impatient with the entire process. Rather than tell him to stop Bruce acted as if his relative was completely invisible.
After being ignored for thirty minutes Logan stood up and stretched. Bruce glanced at him wearily, but said nothing as the Canadian began to walk around the hideout. Studying his descendant's collection of oddities from over the years. In particular Logan studied the giant penny for a long time.
"How the hell did you get this in here?" Logan asked tilting his head back in order to see the top of the giant coin.
"No method you need to be concerned about." Bruce answered calmly as he bent over his microscope. Focusing in on a sample of blood he was gazing at. For all the world the blood looked completely normal. Even at the highest magnification he could find no oddities in it. He would have to wait a full day for the rest of the tests to finish to see if any drugs lingered in Patch's system. By the way the man moved about though and communicated clearly his displeasure at being kept underground Bruce could detect no real problems with the man himself.
"When can I see Rims? Is he awake yet?" Logan asked after two hours. He was growing restless wondering where the Cajun had got himself too. Bruce gazed at him grimly from bloodshot eyes yet still retained his commanding presence.
"Uncle Patch, I'm going to have to ask you to wait on your reunion. At least for the next forty-eight hours." Bruce said. Logan stopped staring at his descendant as if he had gone mad. Before he could say anything the billionaire continued on with his explanation.
"You've been missing in action for the past couple of week. You were under heavy manipulation by Dr. Hugo Strange. As we know it he could still have a hold on you. The man has a history for using hypnotism on his victims."
"Now you listen here, Bruce. You can't expect me to sit with my thumb up my ass just because-"
"I'm not asking you, Uncle Patch. I'm telling you." Bruce said harshly his voice taking on a commanding tone.
"You told me once you cared about me. And you turned your back and walked out that door. The least you can do to repay me is to stay down here and trust my judgment. I gurantee you that if you walk out of here looking for Strange you'll be strapped down to his table again like a lab rat so he can shove another microchip into your skull. Then a few days later there will be a ten second news broadcast about a man with unusual eyes who was stabbed to death multiple times."
Logan went completely silent at Bruce's words. The Canadian's eyes blazed as he glared at his great grandson. Unmoved, the man known as Batman met his gaze. Matching pairs of sky blue eyes sparking with electricity as one tried to stare the other down. After a few minutes Logan swore running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Fine. FINE! I'll rot down here in the damn dark until you're satisfied I ain't a psychotic maniac. What about Rims? You just gonna tell him you haven't found me yet?"
"Gambit is on a strictly need to know basis at the moment. I don't fully trust him, nor you." Bruce stated bluntly. When his former guardian frowned opening his mouth to speak the younger man shook his head.
"I'll have some food brought down for you in just a while. For now just be patient." Bruce assured him. Logan said a few choice expletives as the billionaire left but stayed put.
When he came into the study Bruce made sure the door was locked behind him. While he doubted the door could withstand Logan's claws he had set up several booby traps should the man attempt to break out. An early alarm system would also allow him to know if his uncle attempted to leave through one of the tunnels connected to the Batcave.
A few hours of sleep, breakfast, and then a rare visit to his office in the company. It took up most of the day. A board meeting, a lunch date, and then Bruce Wayne headed back home. Caught another few hours of sleep, had dinner, and then sought out Gambit.
To his amusement he found Gambit in the kitchen with Alfred. The Cajun was sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee in front of him. Last night's drinking all but gone from him. While the butler cooked the thief talked to him. They're conversation going back and forth in a steady flow. When Bruce came in Remy glanced in his direction raising an eyebrow knowingly. Bruce felt Uncle Patch was no doubt right. The thief must have figured it out by now, but he would hardly make it easier for him by making an open declaration about it.
"Master Bruce, good evening sir. Mr. LeBeau was just thrilling me with the misadventures of his youth." Alfred said glancing at the guest in question disapprovingly. Gambit grinned mischievously laughing at the butler's expression. Shrugging his shoulders as he took another sip of coffee.
"Sorry, cher, we're not all born wise and talented as you are. Some of us just end up finding out the hard way no matter what we do."
"By making the same mistake five times?"
"Some people are more hard headed than others. What can I say? And some other people just enjoy the mistake regardless of circumstances." Gambit answered. Bruce sighed shaking his head at the Cajun's comment. He thanked Alfred for bringing him a cup of coffee but rather than sit he leaned on the table to gaze down at the other man.
"You don't seem the type of man to make mistakes, Remy. At least not on a regular basis. What types of misadventures' were you telling Alfred about?" Bruce asked. Alfred made a disproving sound in the back of his throat covering it up by pretending to cough politely into his handkerchief.
"Ah, how in my youth I used to get my hands smacked on a daily basis for flirting with the younger nuns. It's not my fault they had eyes like jewels and swayed their hips whenever they walked down the aisle. One time me and a few friends managed to actually sneak a peek at them while they were bathing."
"Did you get caught?"
"Certainly. Scrubbed the floors of the kitchen for a month on my hands and knees. The punishment was worth the crime though."
"I take it you learned your lesson about sneaking into other people's quarters?" Alfred asked. Remy's grin only widened becoming wicked as he leaned back in his chair giving both men a teasing glare.
"As a matter of fact I did, cher. Two, in fact. Never get caught and always use the same route twice."
Alfred huffed walking away as he said something about fetching more sugar. Bruce chuckled for the Cajun's benefit his mind turning back to his Uncle Patch. He really should start referring to him as Logan, he supposed, but old habits die hard. It still felt surreal to know he had living family. Glancing at the Cajun he wondered how much Gambit knew, and how much he didn't know.
"Just so you know, I know about it. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it though. A secret like that isn't something you share lightly with others. Especially with a thief like me." Gambit said suddenly. Bruce adopted an innocent expression giving the Cajun a confused look. He meant to say he had no idea what the other man meant but the thief held up his hand to stop him.
"C'mon, cher. Just look at me. If any normal person saw me they would either run away or shoot me on sight."
"Well, I wouldn't call you handsome but you're certainly not ugly. It must be your breath." Gambit laughed surprised at the easy way Bruce said it. Shaking his head Remy became serious again as he spoke looking the other man directly in the eye.
"You're right, I'm downright gorgeous. Anyway, cher, I just wanted to tell you thank you. I appreciate you opening your home up to me. Not a lot of people would do that if they knew what I was." Remy said meaning it sincerely.
"You're a good man, Remy. In a perfect world that is all that should count. I'm sure there are others who have accepted you for who you are rather than just focus on what's on the outside."
"There are, Bruce, I'll give you that. The unfortunate part is they either hate me for a mistake I made, think I'm insane, or it's just too dangerous to risk being around them."
Remy shook his head at the injustice of the world. Finishing off his coffee and rising from his seat to go put in the sink. The man wore nothing but faded jeans and a white undershirt. The scars along his arms and across his shoulders standing out in stark contrast to his skin. Bruce felt a wave of fury wash over him which he made sure to bury deep down. Not only did he have to take down Strange, but he had to take out Sabretooth as well. Those two could not be allowed to roam the streets of Gotham any longer. Their reign of terror had to end somewhere.
"I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to take care of personal business. If you need anything just ask Alfred." Bruce said told his guest. Gambit frowned, but nodded his head to show he understood. Not bothering to state he knew exactly what kind of business he knew the other man had to take care of.
As he walked out Bruce went in the opposite direction he usually took from his study. Going the long way his senses were on high alert to see if Gambit followed him. After twenty minutes he spotted the Cajun in the living room. Stretched on the couch flicking through channels on the giant flat screen TV mounted on the wall. His eyes distant showing the Cajun to be wrapped up in his own thoughts. No doubt his mind on Logan who, unbeknownst to the thief, was directly beneath his feet.
It could not be helped. Bruce wanted to make sure that no control lingered over the Canadian before he let the two men reunite. After another hour the CEO finally headed down into the dark abyss of the Batcave. Deactivating his early alarm system and the traps he had set as he descended into his hideout.
When he came down Bruce was surprised to see Logan had fallen asleep. The man's arms were folded over his stomach as he slept. His breath whistling each time he inhaled only to be followed by a loud snore when he exhaled. Leaving the man Bruce went to his workstation to analyze some of the blood tests which had come back. They all tested negative which he was pleased to see.
"So am I gonna die, doc?" Logan said from the table. Bruce didn't turn around hardly surprised the other man had woken up. If he had ever been asleep at all.
"From what I can see here you have a clean bill of health. Tomorrow if the news stay good you can even have visitors." Bruce answered shuffling the papers until they settled down into a neat pile. Logan snorted as he sat up rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he watched his descendant move around.
"You going out again tonight?" Logan asked. Bruce held a beaker up to the light shaking it slightly before making a note on a file. Setting it back down before he answered the question.
"Later, I am. I have a friend covering for me at the moment."
"Ah, well, that's good. I suppose." Logan said stiffly. He rubbed the back of his neck the moment suddenly feeling awkward. He got off the table he had been sleeping on staring at the back of his great grandson.
"You busy?" Logan asked again. Bruce still hardly looked his way as he answered again.
"I'm going through the results of a few tests from other cases. So yes, I have my work cut out for me. It never quite ends no matter how much time I dedicate to it."
"Look, kiddo, you and I-"
"I'm not a child anymore, Uncle Patch."
"And my name isn't really Patch, now is it? Can you spare me a few minutes, Bruce? I mean come on, we don't see each other for fifteen years and you go gallivanting during the day. Soon as he get back you start doing even more work."
"I'm trying to track down the men who did this to you."
"Not to burst your bubble, but I've had a lot of shit done to me. I ain't losing no sleep over it and neither should you."
"That hardly makes it right."
"I know it doesn't, but you and I got shit to talk about. A lot of it is in the air right now. This is a good time to clear that all up."
"Another time, Uncle Patch."
"Bruce, c'mon. I don't know what you think of me, but we are family. And when will be a good time? After all this is done you'll just have another criminal pop-up to cause even more trouble. I know what it is you face each night. Putting your life on the line for those people out there." Logan said coming closer.
Bruce closed his eyes and braced himself on the table. Closing his eyes to he bowed his head to consider his options. He could already tell his former guardian was not going to let the matter rest until they had discussed it to his satisfaction. If he continued to ignore Logan and give him evasive answers the older man would only continue to pester him.
"Give me a few minutes to finish this up then we can talk." Bruce said.
Once he had cleaned his work area and made sure everything was in its place Bruce pulled up a chair to sit down at the batcomputer. Logan came over and sat down only a few feet away from him in the spare chair. The silence between them was painfully obvious. Looking to his Bruce saw the cowboy hat he had kept. Picking it up he handed it over to the Canadian who accepted it with a look of surprise.
"I meant to give this back to you at some point. I found it the night you disappeared and brought it with me. Somehow I kept forgetting it was here." Bruce explained. Logan stared down at his old hat rubbing the soft leather between his fingers.
"Thanks." He said not knowing what else to say. Mentally he berated himself for not saying more. He had bugged Bruce to talk to him and now he was unsure of how to put what he felt into words.
"You know, um, Bruce…" Logan forced himself to say. Well, to hell with all of it. He might as well say what was on his mind and be blunt about the entire deal.
"This whole Batman gig of yours…did you ever consider giving it up?" Logan asked. Bruce gazed at him his eyes becoming glaciers at the words.
"I took an oath, Uncle Patch. I intend to keep it for as long as I can."
"An oath, huh?" Logan said his eyes narrowing as he studied the man sitting across from him. Even now he found it hard to connect the man he saw now with the baby he had held in his arms decades ago. It was a mixture of pride and disappointment when he looked at Bruce. Whether he was disappointed with himself or the choice his descendant had made Logan could not say.
"Took a couple of those myself. Managed to keep some of them, broke the rest." Logan said his tone growing calmer as he spoke. The words coming easier now as he got the flow of thought to orient itself into sentences.
"You were right before. You're not a kid anymore. Never will be, I see that. I respect your choice as a man, Bruce. Rather than runaway, or forget what happened, you constantly drive yourself to the breaking point." Logan swallowed gazing at Bruce. Still his great grandson said nothing his face an impassive mask the feral could not see past. Even his scent gave away nothing of his true emotions at what was being told to him.
"You took a darker path men twice your age have gone down. A few end up as murderers, most go insane, but you've stuck to it. Pretty damn stubborn about it too. Set your moral bar at a certain height and refused to let it move."
"For the most part, I wish you hadn't made this choice. I never wanted it for you. This type of life I wanted to be kept far away. I always imagined you'd grow up, marry a nice girl, and have a bunch of brats to drive Alfred insane." Bruce's eyes flickered at the words but still he said nothing. Folding his hands in front of him as he gave the man his undivided attention. Absorbing the words as they were given to him.
"But since you've already made that choice I doubt there's anything I can say or do to make you give it up. To me you've always just been the baby of the family. Take that any way you want too, Bruce, but it just means you were loved a lot. Not just me but your parents too."
"How do you mean?"
"You never thought it was strange your parents bought such a huge house for just three people? Originally Martha and Thomas wanted a bunch of kids. They wanted to fill the mansion with the sounds of laughter and just have one big family. Your parents are both from broken homes and wanted to start over." Logan shook his head sadly as he remembered the young couple he had met so long ago.
His pride at seeing one of his bloodline finally find happiness. For a while the world had been perfect. It seemed as if nothing to touch the two young people that day. A young man fresh from boyhood who grew up to fast, and a smart young woman who had seen far to much pain at her age. Yet they had both managed to come through it unscathed. Able to heal from their wounds and stand up once again in the brightness of the sun. Refusing to be cowed by the darkness of the world and their only vow to live happily and help those in need.
"I shouln't be telling you this, but you're the youngest of seven. Martha…there was something wrong with your mom, Bruce. Thomas did the best he could, but it wasn't her fault nor his. Just things kept going wrong. Getting pregnant made your mom sick. Real sick." Bruce's gaze began to soften as this new information was revealed to him.
He had never known this about his parents. Nowhere was it mentioned in his parents journals about miscarriages. Even in his mother's medical records there had only been a smattering about difficulty with a pregnancy, but considering Thomas Wayne was the doctor it was no surprise. Thomas must have felt he had failed his wife in being unable to help her.
"So when you were born it was kind of a miracle. Actually, a specialist even told your mother a few months before she knew about you that she could never get pregnant again. Then one morning Martha wasn't feeling to good so she took a pregnancy test. At the time she just started crying when it came up positive. Thomas later told me he actually seriously considered doing an abortion to just spare her the pain." Logan knew he had his descendant's full attention now. Bruce's eyes were locked on him with an intense concentration. As if by will he meant to extract the information from the Canadian.
"They didn't, as you obviously know. Martha convinced him it would be better to wait. Maybe this time it would work. Perhaps they should pray a bit harder, move a bit less, and above all hope. So they did. They were braced for disaster to strike at any moment. Yet her belly just kept growing bigger and bigger." Logan smiled as he said the next part unable to help himself.
"Thomas told me whenever he would take Martha to the opera while she was carrying you, you kicked a lot. No matter if you were sleeping or what soon as the music started she said it felt like you were trying to dance. I think that's why Thomas always took you to the opera after that. Before he only ever went because he was required too due to a colleague."
"And when you were born, well, that's about the whole of it. They loved you above anything else. Heck, I cried when I first saw you. And I ain't one of those 'sensitive' guys neither." Logan added hurriedly. He sighed when Bruce said nothing more not even to ask a question.
"I guess…in a lot of words I really wish you hadn't made the choice you did. On the whole, though, I'm proud of you. And though they're not here anymore I believe Thomas and Martha would have been proud of you too."
Finished, Logan took out a stogie and lit it up. More to have something to do rather than actually enjoying the cigar. Bruce nodded his head slowly giving away none of his inner thoughts. After a few minutes he got up from his chair.
"Is that all you wished to say, Uncle Patch?" Bruce said his voice devoid of emotion. Logan blinked up at him feeling as if he had been stabbed in the chest. He had put all that out on the table, and nothing? Not even a thank you for coming back after all these years to tell him the truth?
"Yeah. That's about it." Logan grunted covering up his disappointment.
Bruce nodded again then walked away towards the other side of the cave. Within a few minutes he came back adjusting his gloves. His black cape snapping around him as it hung off his shoulders. Logan frowned when he saw it. He had taken off his own uniform earlier in favor a set of clothes that had been laid out for him.
"I'll be back later, Uncle Patch. Don't wait up for me." Bruce said coolly as he reached up and drew his mask over his face.
When he looked at his uncle again Logan fought back the urge to draw his claws. He could have sworn Batman read his mind as he stood there gazing at him. Then abruptly the dark knight turned his back on the other man and walked away. His hand reaching up to press a button as he talked into his mike. His voice commanding yet calm as he spoke.
"Robin, meet me outside in an hour." Batman said.
He got into the Batmobile like he did every night. As the top slid up he stole once last glance at Logan. The older man watched him his face suddenly that of a stranger's. Guilt written there as if he had been betrayed. Unable to accept the fact of what he had just seen. Yet unable to deny the evidence of what the man in front of him had become.
Revving the engine, Batman took off into the night. He had a lead.