Absinthe Pt. 2
Chelsea hated occasions like this. No matter how she dressed or how proper she acted, there were always glances from snobby rich people turning up their noses. She was the head of a branch of Wayne Enterprises: Wayne Designs. What everyone else in the company considered: professional coloring club.
Still it would get her mind off of all the events that had been circulating in her life. Even as a tom boy, the idea of getting dolled up and holding her head up seemed almost empowering at this moment. In this hall she was practically a no name face in the crowd. She would take full advantage of that.
As the door attendant opened the door for her and allowed entry she scanned the room for familiar faces. As one entered, they were greeted with a large staircase that descended into a large oval-shaped room. The place was elegant with floral arrangements and decoration. She stood at the top of the stairs and a few reporters that had snuck in snapped a few photos of her.
Her hair was in a half up, half down do. There were ringlets washing over her typically straight hair. The locks fell down her back like a strawberry waterfall. She had on a pale teal gown that parted at her knees and flowed longer in the back, draping the floor. As an added touch, Chelsea was using her ability to manipulate light to make it appear as if the gown was shimmering. The starlight sparkles carried down her arms and through the radiance of her hair. For the first time in a long time, she was wearing open toed heels. The thought crossed her mind that if Chase and Jasmine were here, they might faint from the sight.
Head's turned upon her entrance.
In short, she was breathtaking.
She took her time coming down the steps. The last thing one wanted to do in front of all of these rich people was take a spill. Her glimmering green eyes took in her surroundings. She retreated to the refreshment table with haste just to have something to do with her hands. Wally warned her he would be late so until he showed up it was merely a waiting game.
As she poured herself some water, a man with an accent approached her, "Excuse me, miss." her eyes went up defensively, but instantly softened. Her lips curled up into a smile, exposing her white teeth.
"Alfred," she had to resist the urge to throw her arms around the old butler and squeeze him oh so tight, "What are you doing here?" she realized this was the first time they had seen each other since the split and hoped he wouldn't be angry with her.
"You know Master Bruce." he quipped, "I need to make sure his tie is straight." She stared at him for a moment, as if taking him in, fearful it may be a while when she would see him again, "You are doing well, I hope?"
It was just like him to check up on her, "It's been a rough couple weeks." she admitted, "But I'm alright."
His old gentle eyes smiled with approval, "I'd love to catch up sometime if you find yourself with free time. I could make lunch. I know Master Timothy would love your company."
She nodded, "Of course. I can always make time for that." she told him.
"Unfortunate that some of us can't do the same." he admitted. Alfred loved Bruce, but he knew his stubbornness well and at times found it much too extreme. He didn't wish to make a scene, for the public didn't know of the relationship Bruce had with Chelsea. It was to protect them both, or that's what Bruce used to say. He leaned forward a bit and lowered his voice, "It's so nice to see you. We miss you dearly." he said sincerely, trying to fight off a pained expression, "All of us." he stressed, "Don't be a stranger."
She nodded, offering him the most genuine of smiles before he reflected her expression and turned to find other things that needed his attention.
When leaving Bruce, it wasn't just him that she lost, but family in Alfred and Tim. To some degree, she wondered at times if they were part of the reason she held on as long as she did. They had become family to her, and she feared in turning away from Bruce, they would inevitably turn away from her as well. The impression she got from Alfred seemed quite the opposite. To feel important to the people that are important to you, that was a form of love that couldn't be broken.
"Oh my God," a dramatic voice came out of nowhere. Chelsea turned to see both Jasmine and Chase standing there gawking at her.
"I owe you money." Chase muttered to Jasmine, still in disbelief, "She does have feet after all."
"Ha, ha…" Chelsea grimaced, "Why are you two here?"
"For the kids of course," Chase teased.
"Anyone working under Wayne Enterprises got an invitation. It's a benefit. The more people, the more donations." Jasmine explained.
"Plus," Chase added, "there are handsome men here with sizable wallets." he high fived Jasmine with a wink.
Chelsea shook her head at them, "You two are going to embarrass yourselves."
"Who knew you knew words like foundation and open toed heel." Jasmine replied dryly.
Chase took Chelsea's hand in his to examine her arm, "Your skin is radiant. What did you use?"
Chelsea quickly retracted her arm, "Nothing." she quipped.
Jasmine hip checked her boss gently and flipped her hair over her shoulder, "Who's the lucky fella?" she raised an eyebrow, "Come on, I know you wouldn't dress like this just for the occasion."
Over the fashion police's shoulders Chelsea saw him coming down the steps. His hair was parted to the side and falling in gentle wisps. He wore a white button up shirt, half tucked in with a black suit jacket and matching pants. Red converse were neatly tied on his feet. He ran his fingers nervously through his hair, scanning the crowd before he finally laid eyes on her.
Only she had the power to make the fastest man alive freeze in his footsteps.
A big smile spread across his face.
Chelsea mirrored his grin as she stepped between her coworkers, gliding past them as if in that moment her and Wally were the only two in the room. As she closed the distance between them, she was a glimmering star, shining brightly amongst a dull crowd, "Thanks for coming, Wal."
He blinked at her, still mesmerized, "You-" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I mean you're-"
"Thanks," she repeated, "you look great too." she pursed her lips, one corner turning upward in a smirk. She leaned forward and his breath escaped his lungs. Her lips pressed gently to his cheek before she retracted and took his hand in hers, "I'm glad you're here."
He swallowed, trying to formulate words. The only ones that came to mind were I love you and be my wife.
She saw some couples dancing together to the slow music and turned back to him, "Dance with me?"
Could he? Would his usual steady feet reveal him as clumsy? He had seen her in a dress before. He had seen her with makeup on. This time it was different.
This time it was for all for him.
He guided her to the dancefloor without a word. She rested her arms around his shoulders and he held her around he waist. They began to sway.
"You're unusually quiet. Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, trying to snap out of it. This was new. It was like seeing her with fresh eyes. He drew closer to her and rested his forehead to hers, taking in the scent of her perfume, "I'm very okay." he said softly. The tempo of the song picked up a bit and she stretched away from him before twisting her body into his arms and resting her back to his front. One hand rested against his that were clasped together at her waist, while the other put his head against hers and enjoyed the softness of his hair. For the moment she could relax while still keeping up the with the bubbly tempo of the song. Their faces turned toward each other and simultaneously they started to laugh.
A balcony-like upper floor surrounded the oval shape room, overlooking it. A pair of powerful hands gripped the hand railing, watching the room like a guardian to a child. His deep blue eyes rested on the pair that seemed to be actually having fun at such a stuffy affair. Bruce rubbed his eyes before turning to the woman who approached him. She held out a drink for him and he took it, holding it in his hand, with his other in his pocket.
Selina caught onto his staring before, "Let me guess," she mused, "that should be you down there?"
Bruce's jaw flexed, not answering her question. He did his best to shake off the icy exterior and granted her a smile, though it was forced, "I appreciate you coming, Selina. Always nice to catch up with an old friend."
Selina wasn't aware that Bruce and Batman were one in the same. She really harbored no feelings for the man beneath the cowl, only the dark brooding knight. Friends were the perfect word for it. In all their years, she only had eyes for Batman, "Come now. You're Bruce Wayne. You may be able to fool most girls," she leaned against the railing to look him in the eye better, her back to the hand rail.
He raised an eyebrow, "Like you've ever been just any girl."
She gave him a knowing stare, "We've known each other a long time, Bruce. I can tell when you're faking." she slid her hand across the railing to land on top of his, "The question is, why did you really invite me here tonight?" she nodded her head to the dancefloor. He didn't react so she pressed some more, "Could it be that playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne has experienced unrequited love?"
Selina was so stubborn. Ridiculously so. She'd poke and prod like a cat until she got what she wanted. Too bad that Bruce was more stubborn than anyone. He tipped his glass to his mouth nonchalantly, "You're mistaken." he told her, "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think." he winked.
Selina decided to let it go for now, "To ask a girl on a date and not take her dancing," she waved her finger, as if scolding him, "Is that anyway to treat a lady?"
He offered out his arm for her to take, "You're right. Let's correct that, shall we?" he started down the steps and a lot of eyes fell on him and Selina. They were quite the pair. Both were dressed in black with black hair. It was almost strange in the sea of color around them. As if they were both attending a funeral or something.
Wally saw Bruce before Chelsea did, then his eyes fell on his date. Weren't they a match? Noticing his attention being pulled elsewhere, Chelsea followed his gaze. She seemed surprised only momentarily, "Selina Kyle," Chelsea mouthed.
"What?" Wally's eyebrows scrunched, "The cat lady? Does she know-?"
"No." Chelsea answered, "At least I don't think so." she continued to dance with Wally, trying not to get distracted.
Selina was up to her usual antics. Once she had her sights on Chelsea she made sure to slowly dance closer to her, gently bumping Bruce into her. The blonde turned around to see them. Bruce was about to apologize when he laid eyes on her.
Breath-taking.
Chelsea was getting better at this ritual, "Mister Wayne," she nodded, "it's nice to see you. Who's your friend?"
Selina extended out her hand, "Selina Kyle."
Chelsea shook it firmly, keeping her expression neutral, "Chelsea." she said simply, "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Selina purred.
"Master Bruce," Alfred spoke into Bruce's com-link, "an update on the Absinthe case."
Bruce cleared his throat, "Do excuse me." he turned to the nearest door and exited quickly through a quiet hall, "What is it?" he was relieved to hear Alfred's voice. If he got to duck out maybe Chelsea could watch over Selina while he figured out what was going on.
Bruce had picked Selina up at her apartment earlier to escort her to the benefit. It was his way of scouting out her place to see if the stone turned up, but there was no luck. She must have either disposed of it, or the more likely scenario, given it to the someone who wanted it.
"There has been an untraceable communication line found that is being transmitted from Arkham. The computer is trying to find the location of where its been sending its messages, but it may take some time yet. I will update you when it pinpoints our destination." the butler informed.
"What's the plan?" Bruce turned around abruptly to see Chelsea standing there, leaning against the wall with an expectant look on her face. He squinted at her and she pointed to her ear, "I have two com-links remember?" one was connected to the league, the other was capable of accessing Batman's communications, "I was surprised it was still accessible after no longer being in the loop." she made quotations with her fingers.
"I need you to watch over Selina. I've been keeping her close-" he started to say, but she cut him off.
"I can see that." she said with underlying tones, not referring to their date tonight.
He grimaced, "I need you to watch her." he repeated sternly, "If she takes off, follow her."
"Call it tuition," she told him, approaching him now, "but Selina doesn't recognize me and she should."
His forehead creased. Would this headache ever let up on him? "What do you mean?"
"I'm no detective," she quipped, "but I expected a reaction out of her when she introduced herself a bit ago. There wasn't one. Selina is good, but she's not that good. Which tells me she doesn't remember our confrontation the other night. And trust me, she should." she crossed her arms.
Bruce's eyes started to move across the floor as if an answer was being spelled out there somehow, "She's not aware she's stealing…"
"She's not in control." Chelsea nodded, "Looks like someone found his Cheshire Cat."
Mad Hatter.
Bruce's face scrunched in pain briefly, before slowly turning his gaze to Chelsea.
"Yo, Chels." Wally called into her com-link, "Cat Lady is on the move."
"Follow her Wally. Stay back, but don't lose sight of her." she told him.
"You got it." he replied.
"Bruce, this is bigger than Hatter. What would he need a hallucinogen for? That's not in his M.O." Her face scrunched, "Hey are you, okay?" that's when she caught sight of it. His eyes. There was something off about his eyes, "Bruce?" she asked again, before he took a swing at her. She narrowly dodged. A couple more quick jabs came from him. It was increasingly hard to move in a dress and heels.
She narrowly stumbled back, steadied herself and countered one of his moves to drive him in a nearby wall. She swallowed, "Wally, forget Selina. I need you back here. Right. Now."
"Wait, what?" Wally stopped mid-step.
In that moment Bruce swung his fist and made contact. She took a good punch to the eye and it knocked her silly for a moment. This was bad, if someone saw them, Bruce's whole identity could be compromised. She wasn't even concerned about the throbbing in her eye. She just wanted to keep him safe. Clearly Hatter had somehow gotten under Bruce's skin as well, "Bruce is under mind-control. I need you to get him out of here. Ugh-" she grunted into the com-link, taking another punishing blow from the Batman.
She had to fight back or they'd never be able to get him back to the Bat Cave. Lighting up her hands she put them together and eclipsed Bruce's eyes in light, temporarily blinding him. She then swung her leg to make him fall, but he was still as strong as ever as he dodged and kicked her back against the wall.
In a flash, a blur came by and uppercutted Bruce, dropping him where he stood. Chelsea stumbled to get herself balanced, "Can't counter what you can't keep up with." she sighed with relief. A worried look clouded the Flash's face as he saw her eye already starting to bruise, "I'm fine. Get him back to Wayne Manor, right now." he wanted to protest, "I'll be right behind you, I swear."
Wally scooped Bruce up in his arms, stumbling a bit, "Jeez, Bats, you need to lay off the bat-donuts." while he had been slapped silly, there was still enough consciousness for Bruce to grunt back at him, which startled the speedster as he quickly sped off.
Chelsea escaped out of the door at the end of the private hallway, irritated she went all out for this event now. Flying with this dress on would prove irritating. Once she was in the air she flew high enough to stay out of sight, "Master Bruce?" the old butler's voice came over the com-link, "I've pinpointed a location at the other end of our ghost network."
"Alfred, I've got the Flash on his way to you with Batman. He'll explain the situation when he gets there. If you've got an address give it to me and I'll investigate. We don't have time to wait for Batman to become conscious." Chelsea explained to him.
Alfred turned to see a red blur whirling down the small roadway built for the Batmobile and stopping upon arrival, "Your name is Alfred right?" Wally recalled, "Look, it's a long story, but the short version of it is whatever had that Cat Lady under control is also controlling big ole Bats here."
"My word," Alfred raised his eyebrow. He knew that telling Chelsea the other location would upset Bruce, but the situation was dire, "take him over to the medical attention bed and…" he sighed, "to be safe, please use the restraint straps on the bed." the butler turned to the computer and told Chelsea, "There's an old warehouse at the west end of the city. It's on Maple and Fifth. Do be careful miss."
Chelsea was there within moments and landed on the roof. There was a window open, which told her Selina was possibly already here. If that were the case, this was definitely the place. Jervis Tetch was a scrawny fellow, but what he lacked in strength he did make up with in brain power. If she acted quickly she could get to the bottom of this, before whatever was going to happen with Scarecrow in fact did.
Landing inside the warehouse, she took a look around, but it was dimly lit. She had to keep her wits about her. Selina was nearby. That much she could tell. A light shined in front of her and Catwoman stood before her, "Hello, Alice." the cat purred.
"Jervis Tetch," Chelsea boomed, "I'm not here to play dress up in your twisted little pop up book. I don't know what business you have working with Scarecrow of all people, but it's over now."
"There is no Tetch." Selina cooed, "Only the Mad Hatter, awaiting his Alice." she had a strange smile on her face, "Come Alice. Soon you'll see that we're all mad here. Even you." with that a green mist began to fill the room.
Bruce stirred awake in the batcave. When he felt himself restrained, his body instantly tensed under the taunt leather straps. He lifted his head and took a look around. Why was he in the batcave? What had happened?
"Bats?" Wally noticed him awaken, "Is it you?"
Bruce furrowed his eyebrows, "Wally? What are you doing in the Batcave?"
Wally grimaced, turning to the butler, "It's him."
"Master Bruce," Alfred approached him, "it appears the Hatter has branded you so to speak. You have a tattoo on your back resembling a card with 10/6 on it."
"The Mad Hatter's calling card." Bruce grunted.
Alfred continued, "It seems the mark is fading, and I took a blood sample to work on an antidote, but you know how these things take time."
"You attacked Chels back at the benefit. She wanted to protect your identity so she told me to bring you here. If you're still infected or whatever, I'm not sure whether you could become a zombie again." Wally told him.
"Where is Chelsea?" Bruce's tone was cold.
Just then the bat computer's alarm tripped. Tim Drake was sitting at the computer now, his eyes wide, "Uh, guys…"
"What's that?" Wally asked hesitantly.
"My God…" Alfred put his hand over his mouth, "Fear toxin… four inflicted areas in all corners of the city. Enough to inflict every resident…"
Wally pressed in on his com-link, "Chels, we have a situation." no response, "Chels?"
"Where is she?" Bruce repeated, fighting against his restraints.
"She went to go take care of that wack job Hatter… but something's wrong. She's not responding…" Wally started to pace.
"I need you to listen to me very carefully, Wally." Bruce told him, "Your speed can disperse the fear toxin into the atmosphere. If it's being released in certain areas, then you can find the sources and remove them from the city. It's only harmful in a gaseous state. Dump them in the ocean and the effects are lost."
Chelsea's body twisted and locked up uncontrollably. Every movement like a thousand needles puncturing the skin and rattling her bones. If she held still, tremors shook her and nausea had a death grip on any thoughts. This new fear gas, the one that contained crushed Absinthe stone, was stronger than anything Crane had previously concocted. To open her eyes was to drown in fear, but to keep them closed was facing the ones from within.
"Have you missed me?" she heard a voice off in the distance. She felt herself back pedaling into nothingness. She wanted to escape that terrible voice. He simply laughed at her, "It's unfortunate for you that I always have a backup plan." Her eyes felt like they were forced open and standing over her was her darkest fear of all: her father.
He clicked his tongue at her, "You see, when you absorbed your powers back in the realm I created in your head," he tapped her on the skull and it felt like her brain was rotting, "You absorbed my powers as well. The ability to create dimensions, as well as unlocking a whole new arsenal of possibility. Powers that you are not even aware of. Not yet." he smiled at her wickedly, "I can hear what you're thinking, child. It isn't the fear toxin talking to you. I'm here. I never left. I just needed to bide my time, but I think I've waited long enough, don't you?"
She attempted to move her mouth, but from her lips only black tar seemed to seep out, "The rogue gallery of Gotham is set to rise above the city. I left parting gifts. Things to enhance their crimes. Why do you think the Scarecrow and the Hatter would have anything to do with each other if they weren't benefitting from the alliance. Scarecrow gets a stronger fear toxin and Hatter gets his own Wonderland." he jerked her up onto her feet, "You're going to create that Wonderland." he inched closer and closer, "Find what awaits you down the rabbit hole… I'll be waiting."
It felt like a dagger had been thrust into her back. She shuttered, falling forward. It felt like she was falling forever.
"Alfred," Batman spoke into his com-link, "I've arrived at the warehouse-" his voice trailed off seeing the building slowly being encased in a blue light.
"Sir?" Alfred wondered.
"Something's wrong." Batman grunted, jumping from his plane he landed on the roof of the building, "Flash, as soon as that antidote is ready, bring it here."
Wally was finishing up disposing the fear canisters, "What are you going to? What if you start to lose control again?"
"I'm going to have a chat with Mad Hatter." he blasted a hole into the roof, but before his eyes it started to mend itself. Before it could completely close he jumped in. When he landed he was surrounded by what looked like an enormous forest. Flowers were large and colorful. There was a path ahead that led to a labyrinth of playing cards. Touching the nearest tree, Bruce tensed. This wasn't a bunch of props like usual with Tetch. Everything seemed authentic.
Real.
"Alfred, can you hear me?" he asked into the com-link, but there was no answer. It was like he was in a completely different world.
"Welcome to Wonderland, Batman." purred a seductive voice. Selina fell from one of the tree limbs and landed in front of him.
Batman's eyes narrowed, "Where's the Mad Hatter?"
She rubbed herself against Bruce, running her fingers along his arms, "He's with Alice."
Batman pulled her in, deceiving her one final time. While she let her guard down to kiss him, he injected her with a sedative to make her sleep for a while. If she wasn't conscious, she couldn't be controlled. He took off in a dead sprint toward the labyrinth of cards, using his grappling hook to get on top of them and hop over them, one by one. It felt like it kept changing, but it was all an illusion of this dimension.
Dimension.
Bruce couldn't shake the feeling. Was Dr. XYZ behind this? How was that possible?
Beyond the labyrinth was a throne that housed a table set for a tea party before it. There the Hatter sat and sipped his tea happily, as if there was not a care in the world. Without even turning his head he sighed, "Ah, Batman, I knew it was only a matter of time. You're so very late."
"Enough with the antics, Hatter." Batman approached him, ready to ring his little neck.
"Tell me, have you met… Alice?" a smile spread across Jervis' face as he held up his hand. Standing on top of the throne was Chelsea. Her eyes were glowing white and with her blonde hair and teal dress, she did in fact look like an enchanted Alice, "Alice, be a dear and show Batman some Wonderland hospitality."
That's all it took. Chelsea sprang to life instantly and charged toward Batman mid flight, crashing into him and delivering a bolt of light that knocked him onto his back. She didn't give him time to recover as she slammed her fist, punching the ground, and narrowly missing Batman's head every time as he rolled to safety. He used his grappling hook to grab her ankle and jerk her off her feet, but she grabbed the line and steadied it around her wrist, dragging him across the floor, closer to her. He let go of his device, but she continued to pull until it was in her hand where she crushed it so it would no longer be of use to him.
She spun her legs and was quickly back on her feet. Leaping into the air she wrapped her legs around his neck and flipped him once again. Bruce was quick to recover and tossed some exploding batarangs her way, when they neared her they burst, but it didn't throw her off for long. She began shooting more bolts of light narrowly missing him every time before finally one hit.
Bruce decided to stay still on the ground this time. If he could draw her in close he could sedate her too. She landed on top of him, standing over him, she started to swing her fists. Executing blow after blow, each becoming more ferocious, she headbutted him and quickly let go. Now Batman was disoriented. His head pounding. He attempted to stab her with the sedative, but she shot it out of his hand and it shattered to pieces on the floor.
Hatter clapped gleefully, "Yes, Alice. Good show! Bravo my dear!"
Bruce stared at her thoughtfully through squinted eyes. He saw the swelling on her face from the mighty blow he struck on her earlier when the roles were reversed. He had forgotten just how strong she truly was.
"How about an encore?" Jervis told her, placing his hands in his lap.
Suddenly, a red blur whipped around the crazed little man and appeared behind Chelsea, thrusting an antidote into her shoulder she froze and started to fall to her knees.
"What?" barked the villain, jumping to his feet and knocking his chair over. Slowly the world around them began to crumble, "This cannot be! No! My Wonderland!" he cried in agony.
As Chelsea trembled on the ground, the dimension began to disappear. The old warehouse had returned to its natural state.
"About time you showed up." Bruce told Wally.
"We lost contact with you when you entered the warehouse. The old man came through." The Flash explained, helping Batman to his feet.
Chelsea began to convulse on the floor. Her body whipped violently and she started to scream, "I'm glad we'll be seeing more of each other, my child." she heard her father's voice ring in her ears as she continued to writhe on the floor.
"What's going on?" Wally was thrown into a panic, trying to keep Chelsea still.
All at once she was bolting upright on her couch, drenched in sweat. She ran her fingers through her hair, looking around to find Bruce and Wally waiting for her to wake up, "Chels?" Wally reached his hand out to her, "Hey, hey it's me." her teeth chattered as she gripped his hand.
"You were dosed with an incredible amount of fear toxin. You're still feeling the effects, but I gave you the antidote and you should be feeling normal tomorrow." Bruce explained.
"Hatter?" she asked, covering her face with her hands, trying to get her thoughts in order.
"Arkham." Bruce confirmed, "Along with Scarecrow who attempted to make his escape while the city was wrapped in a veil of fear toxin."
"Which I took care of." Wally said proudly.
"Which brings me to my next point." Bruce stood up, crossing his arms, "This is my city. I have said many times that I do not want the league in Gotham. That hasn't changed."
"Are you kidding me right now?" Wally stood up defensively, "If it wasn't for me the whole city would be one giant haunted house right now. You included."
Chelsea began to rub her temples, "I saw my father." she said into the open air.
"What?" Wally almost lost his ability to breathe.
"What you saw was an illusion your mind made up. You harbor a great amount of fear for him and in your time of vulnerability-"
"No," Chelsea cut him off, "He was there, Bruce. I saw him. He's still here. He's still inside my head. He created a back door or something."
Bruce lowered himself into a kneeling position, looking her deep in the eyes. He could see that no amount of convincing would work. She truly believed he was back.
And she could see his skepticism, "It wasn't the fear gas." she said through gritted teeth. She was tired, felt more nauseous than before, and crippled by anxiety, "How else could I have created that dimension?"
"When you fought your father in the dimension he created inside your head you took his powers from him to subdue him… and when you did you must have gained his powers outside, in the real world." he explained, "Not knowing this you probably would have continued life not knowing you were capable of such things, but the fear gas reached a point in your subconscious that made you aware of it."
She ran her fingers through her hair and covered her face with her hands. She quickly stood up and went to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Bruce turned to Wally expectantly, "What if she's right?" Wally asked, playing devil's advocate.
"Crane's poison is one of the strongest toxins I've ever faced. It convinces you fiction is reality." Bruce explained, standing to his feet, "I've seen my share of ghosts. It's so convincing. So real… but it's not. Once she completely comes down from it, she'll realize that. It will just take some time." Bruce rolled his shoulders back. His body was aching. She had beaten the snot out of him. He hadn't run a diagnosis yet, but he guessed at least a couple broken and bruised ribs. He was lucky there wasn't more damage, "I meant what I said." he gave the ginger haired speedster a hard look.
"Look, while you were playing Bat the Cat with that hot Cat Lady, Chelsea's number one priority was keeping your secret safe. I know appreciation isn't your strong suit, but she deserves a thank you at the very least." Wally told him, watching him head for the apartment door. He let himself out and Wally followed behind him, "Oh and you're welcome by the way!" he yelled, slamming the door behind the grumpy billionaire.
Chelsea threw some cold water in her face. She massaged her temples with her hands. When she looked into the mirror she saw her father standing there briefly, before he disappeared. She came out of the bathroom when she heard the door slam.
Their eyes connected, "Are you okay?" he wondered. She looked like hell. He could only see externally the nightmares she had been put through, but deep inside the war still waged.
She leaned against the back of the couch, "I'm tired." she told him, "My head is killing me…" she kneaded at her forehead once more, "Don't worry about Bruce's whole speal regarding Gotham City being his territory. Clearly you came through tonight. If nothing else, I appreciate it."
He managed a small smile, "Thanks, Chels." he came closer to her, cupping her cheek with his hand, "Are you okay?" he repeated.
Her lip started to quiver. Tears sprang from her eyes as she started to slowly shake her head, "Something terrible is coming. I can feel it. I'm so scared."
He pulled her in and held her close, "I'm so sorry." he apologized in her ear. She had been through a terrible experience, and regardless of whether Bruce was right or wrong, the fact remained: to Chelsea it was real. So he needed to treat it as if it was, "I'm not going anywhere. Anything you need, I'm here. Alright? We'll figure this out."
Author's Notes: Woo! Man that felt like a long adventure. A lot of unanswered questions. A whirlwind of emotion in one chapter. Now that things have gotten a bit more serious, I'm hoping to dial it back a bit in the next chapter. I appreciate everyone reading. Can't wait for the next chapter.