Author's Note: No second chapter today, I'm afraid, but this one's nice and long. Happy reading!
"…Hey, Bruce?"
The murmur was sleepy, but it got his attention. "Hmm?" he replied without opening his eyes.
"…I think we're almost there."
Listening, he had to agree. The boat was no longer rolling dangerously from side to side, but the engine still hummed beneath their feet, propelling the craft forward. Gallagher must have brought us back to the island, he realized. If one of the guards we left here has woken up… He sat up. "Let's get on deck. There could be resistance when we get to the lagoon."
"Okay," Dick yawned back, sliding out of the seat. Standing, he stumbled and nearly fell, only remaining upright because Bruce grabbed his arm.
"Maybe you should stay down here," he frowned. Maybe I should re-check those bumps on your head, he mused privately.
"I'm fine," came back insistently. "I'm still just tired, really. Plus, this smooth ride is kind of messing with me. We've been dancing with the ocean for the last couple of hours, so I wasn't expecting to be able to just stay in place without fighting for it."
"…Fine. If you're sure, then lead the way." That way if you fall off of the ladder I can catch you.
There was no need for the extra precaution, however, and upon discovering that they were still traversing the rock corridor that led into the underground port they headed for the wheelhouse. "Hey," Dick greeted, moving to sit next to where Gina was slumped, eyes half-closed, against the wall. As soon as he was seated she leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder, mumbling something that made him laugh.
"How much further?" Bruce queried, leaning over Marty's shoulder to peer at the instrument panel.
"About five minutes. We haven't called anyone yet; Gina said you'd need some time to get away first."
"Yeah. We will. Thanks."
"Least we can do," the fisherman shrugged. "The two of you saved our lives."
"In more ways than one," Denny added. "I don't know if the town's ever going to come back together after all of this, but…I'd rather starve on assistance than eat well on blood money. I'm just glad I realized that before it went any further."
"You're all right, Denny," Gallagher commented. "Everybody makes mistakes. Myself included," he joked. "My wife's gonna smack me upside the head with a frying pan for coming out here after Gina and not bringing her." His eyes narrowed. "I hope she didn't already call the Coast Guard on account of me not coming home."
"If she did, I don't think Hawthorne Island would be the first place they'd look," the police chief opined. "And we haven't heard anyone calling for you on the radio, so…"
"She said earlier she thought you were mad at her for an argument you guys had this morning," Dick pitched in.
"Oh. Well, maybe she figures I decided to sleep in the boat tonight."
"Listen," Bruce interjected, knowing that time was short. "There were a couple of guards left on the island. They were both unconscious when we left, and one was tied up, but that doesn't mean that they haven't regrouped, or called in reinforcements. We need to be extremely careful going in."
"What did you have in mind?" Marty asked.
"You keep driving. I'll take care of any threats. Denny, you and the kids go downstairs and wait."
"Hey, I'm a police officer," Denny frowned. "I should be up here, screwed up arm and all."
"You've lost your mind if you think I'm going to go twiddle my thumbs while you're up here having all the fun," Dick crossed his arms petulantly.
"And there's no way I'm going to be the only one left out," Gina added. "I mean, if people are going to shoot at my boat, I need to be a witness so that I can give the insurance company all the details. The damage to the hull from the crash will be difficult enough to explain."
"…That's awesome," the teen beside her grinned. "That's like…business badass, right there."
Bruce just sighed. "So everyone is staying up here, regardless of what I say?"
"Yup," came three voices.
Oh, Christ. "There's not much cover outside," he pointed out. "Where will everyone go if someone starts shooting?"
"We might as well just stay in here," Dick suggested. "At least until we see if we're going to run into anyone. I don't really see how we can be safely deployed otherwise," he shrugged.
The billionaire gave him a considering look, then glanced out the window at the open deck. He's not wrong, he determined. The only place the offers any cover at all is the far side of the wheelhouse, and we can get there from here quickly and easily if the need arises. Besides, he's done so well this far… "We'll go with that, then," he agreed.
"And just in time," Marty said, pointing out the front windshield to where the gravel beach was just coming into sight.
"Everybody down," the masked man hissed. They all obeyed, dropping so that their heads were below the bottom of the windows. The only person who couldn't hide was Gallagher, who had to see in order to steer. "How's it look?" Bruce asked up at him.
"I don't see anyone…Wait!" he peered forward as everyone tensed. "…There's someone on the deck of the other boat, but I think he's tied up. Yeah. He's stuck in place."
"He's awake, though?"
"Yeah, he's struggling. Looks like he's not having much luck."
"Thank god for zip ties," Dick whispered fervently. Bruce shot him a smirk.
"No one else around?"
"Nope. Not that I can see." There was a gentle thunk as they bumped into land. "…I think it's all clear."
"Stay down," Bruce ordered sharply when he noticed Dick preparing to peek outside. You've already been shot once today. Waiting until he was back on the floor, the man stood slowly, told everyone to wait for his all clear, and then walked cautiously out onto the deck. Surveying the strand, he had to agree that they'd gotten lucky; no one was waiting for them. Just as he was about to duck back inside and tell everyone they could come out, a muffled scream reached his ears.
"What was that?" his partner asked, appearing suddenly at his side.
"…I thought I told you to wait?" Bruce arched an eyebrow down at him.
"When there was no gunfire after the first five seconds, I knew we were clear," the teen shrugged. "Baddies love taking potshots at you. I figure it's something chemical, so the lack of your, um, usual headgear wouldn't matter. But seriously, what was that noise?"
The masked man gave a slightly evil little grin. "That would be Lise Burnham-Dunaway," he informed him.
"…What'd you do to her?" he asked as another miserable wail cut the quiet of the cave.
He glanced back to make sure they were still alone on deck. Seeing that they were, he dropped his voice to a whisper, not wanting Gina to overhear if it could be avoided. Although she probably wouldn't mind, he thought. Still, it is technically her mother. "She and Matt were in bed together when she shot him. I tied her up and left her beside him after we were done talking. She didn't seem fazed by it when I left, but…" he shrugged as a third cry lashed the air. "I guess it's started to get to her."
"Whoa…That's kind of harsh, don't you think?"
"I had more important things on my mind than the comfort of a murderer," Bruce countered.
"…Yeah, okay," he nodded finally. "So…nice job, I guess? It was certainly…Batsy."
"Couldn't help myself," the billionaire said in a tone of self-pardoning.
"Meh. We all have those moments. Hey!" he protested when Bruce reached over and ruffled his hair suddenly. "What was that for?"
"Nothing in particular. Just felt like doing it." No telling how much longer you'll let me get away with it, he sighed. Have to get things like that in while I still can.
"What's with-"
"Is it clear?" Gina asked, leaning out carefully from the doorway. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You can come out," the billionaire nodded to her. "We weren't talking about anything important."
"Just your creeping dementia," Dick muttered under his breath. "Uh…hey," he managed to grin lopsidedly when there were suddenly feminine fingers on his scalp.
She giggled a little, her lips inches from his. "Your hair's all messed up," she advised, pushing it back into place. "…This piece won't cooperate. Is it always like that?"
"Uh…" It's so weird, I've kissed her like a half dozen times now but she gets all close and snuggly like this and it throws me totally off kilter…
"Yup. You should see how much he spends on product," Bruce contributed, unable to pass up a chance to play the parental embarrassment card.
"Hey! Family secrets, you jerk!"
"Aw, leave him be. I think it's cute," she said feistily.
"Oh, god, you two are teaming up against me already. This is just wrong," the boy groaned. The words were barely out of his mouth when his guardian grasped both his and Gina's wrists and pulled them down.
"What-" the girl started.
"Shh!" the two flanking her hissed in unison under their breaths. Dick had snapped into Robin mode the instant he felt the yank on his arm, knowing that Bruce wouldn't be so rough unless it was important. His eyes swept the beach, looking for whatever it was that had set the man off. There, he breathed silently, catching a moving shadow on the wall outside the entrance to the hallway. But who…?
"The guard you knocked out," Bruce whispered as the man came into sight. I should have bound him when I found him earlier, he kicked himself. I was so worried about finding Dick, though…
"He looks dazed. Should be an easy takedown, he's barely on his feet," the teen replied.
"Well, you hit him hard."
"Flying kick to the back of the head. Love that move. Wish he'd stayed down longer, though."
"Three hours is nothing to scoff at." He paused. "…He doesn't realize we're here."
As if to verify that claim, the guard called out, sounding pained. "Hello? Anyone here?" The noise was apparently too much for him, as he grabbed his temples and dug his knees into the gravel. "Ah, my fucking head…where did everyone go?"
"…He didn't see you earlier, right?" Bruce queried, looking over at his partner.
"No. I don't think so."
"He couldn't have," Gina verified. "You came out of nowhere. I don't even think he felt you hit him. I saw his eyes roll back before he hit the ground."
"Really?!" the teen beamed. "Sweet."
"Stay here," the masked man growled. "And I mean that this time." If neither he nor Lise have seen you, maybe we can get two witnesses to say they only saw one masked person. That should help throw the trail off of our civilian selves.
"But-" He turned to argue, but it was too late. Bruce had already leapt down to the beach, just clearing the edge of the water, and was halfway to the enemy. "Hmph."
The guard looked up just in time to gasp before he was rendered unconscious again.
All right, Bruce considered as he tied him up. Both of the guards we left on the island are bound. Lise is stuck, too, and seemingly starting to regret her actions. Unless someone else arrived in the interim, which I highly doubt in this storm, we should be all clear. Standing up, he waved to the boat, signaling that it was okay for them to come down.
Fifteen feet was nothing to Dick, who jumped, flipped in mid-air, and then rolled to his feet, tripping slightly on his first step. I hope Bruce didn't see that, he thought, turning back towards the boat. "I'll get you a ladder or something," he called back up to Gina, who had watched delightedly from overhead.
"Thanks. I'll get Denny and Marty."
He snatched the ramp away from the yacht and was about to start dragging it back when Bruce took it from him. "What, you want me to get the other end?" he asked, puzzled.
"You stumbled," he grimaced as he lifted the long, narrow wooden assemblage onto one shoulder.
"…Huh?" he asked, feigning ignorance as he followed him back to the Coeur de Lise.
"Don't play like that. I know you were hoping I hadn't seen you almost fall after you landed."
"I needed a minute to get my land legs back," the teen parried, trying to help lift the path into place. He backed off when a warning look was sent in his direction. "Bruce, I'm fine," he insisted, low.
"Funny, my legs adapted without any problems. Of course, I haven't had my head smashed into three or four different things today, either." His glare slackened into a sternly concerned request. "Just take it easy until Alfred can look at you, okay?"
…My head does hurt, he had to admit to himself if not out loud. Of course, everything else does, too, but…he's right. I don't trip. "Okay, fine," he agreed grudgingly.
"Thank you."
"...Did you call him?"
"No. I meant to try again…" As Gallagher, Denny, and Gina made their way down to the ground, Bruce took a few steps away and turned his head into his radio. "Alfred?"
"…ter Way-" The static was terrible, eating half of the response.
"Can you hear me?"
"Ve…zy."
Vezy? What the hell… "Come again?"
"…Ery fuz…"
Oh. Very fuzzy. Got it. Keep it short, then. "We're safe. Repeat, both safe. On our way." He waited to see if there was a response, but all he got was white noise. "…Alfred?" Nothing. "Forget it," he gave up, shutting the radio off. So long as he caught the part about us being safe, he'll be fine until we can make it back to the car, he told himself.
A hand clapped down on his shoulder unexpectedly, and he barely stopped himself from flattening Denny's nose as he whirled around. "Whoa!" the police chief stepped back. "Sorry to startle you. Just, uh…well, we figured you were about to head out, and…thanks."
"…You're welcome," he replied after a short pause. "You ready?" he called to Dick, who was standing close beside Gina at the bottom of the ramp.
"One sec," he answered. "We leave tomorrow," he reminded her.
"…Got time for a walk on the beach?"
"When?"
"Noon? Sunrise would be better, but I'll probably be here for a few more hours, at least, and I'd kind of like a little sleep."
"What if it's still raining?"
"Who cares?" she shrugged.
He grinned. "By the big boulder?"
"Sounds good."
"See you there." They both started to lean in, then realized simultaneously that three pairs of adult eyes were watching them.
"Yeah," she confirmed, blushing slightly as she pulled back. "See you there." They had just broken apart when Lise gave her loudest plea yet. "…Who is that?" the girl asked, her narrowed gaze flying to Bruce.
His lips tightened. As nice as it is to know that that woman is having to face her crime, I was hoping she'd keep it quiet enough that you wouldn't have to hear her do it. "…That's Lise," he admitted.
"Huh," Gina said after a moment's thought. "Is Uncle Matt in there with her?"
"I…yes. What's left of him."
"…Good. They deserve each other." Glancing disdainfully towards the Irish Mogul, she caught sight of the calligraphy marking her own vessel. "You know, I think there's some white paint downstairs," she announced, starting back up the ramp.
"Gina? Where are you going?" Marty called after her worriedly.
"I need something to occupy myself with until the Coast Guard gets here," she told him. "Getting that banshee's name off of my boat seems like a productive use of time." She paused and turned back. "Denny, Marty? You guys want to help me? One of you can call us in while I look for the brushes. I'm sure there's at least a couple around." Looking amused and stunned respectively, the two local men cast farewell nods to the masked duo and followed her back up onto the deck.
"That's one strong girl you picked, chum," Bruce admired when they were in the corridor and headed towards the ladder up to the lighthouse. He didn't want to try and lead Dick through the black cave system with only one pair of night vision goggles, so they would have to face another soaking in the storm.
"Yeah," he said happily. "She sure is." He fell silent, not speaking again until just before he prepared to ascend, going first at Bruce's insistence. "…Do you think it's safe to leave them alone here?"
"No one will come out in this storm other than the Coast Guard," the man answered. "And if there were supposed to be other people arriving tonight, I think Denny would have said something."
"If he knew. He told me they didn't really tell him much."
"Dick, they're fine," the billionaire coaxed gently.
"All that work…I just don't want it to have been for nothing, you know?"
"It wasn't. Do you think I'd leave if I believed there was any chance of them not being safe until the authorities arrived?"
"…No. I don't think that."
"Then what's the problem?"
"Just…I dunno. Nervous, or something."
"Maybe a little addled?" he asked, gripping his son's chin lightly and tilting his face upwards.
"…Do I seem off to you?"
"Mm. Maybe a little. Your pupils are normal, though."
"I could just be tired?"
"Yeah. Could be." His mouth twitched, and Dick couldn't tell if it was a smile or a frown that he bit back. "Get up there, Alfred's probably cursing the day I was born already."
"I seriously doubt that," the teen rolled his eyes and began to climb. He hesitated at the top, peeked over carefully out of habit, then rolled out of the way so Bruce could emerge. "Now for the fun part," he drolled as they reached the door. "Another freezing shower."
"Every time I get stuck out in the rain, I wish I could make a decent umbrella that would fit in the belt," the man shared as they stepped outside.
"Why can't you?" the boy asked, wrapping his arms around himself as they headed for the trees and the path that led back to the collapsed bridge.
"It's too much of a time waster. You'd have to fold it back up before you could chase after anyone, or fly off. I've never managed to get one that was small enough to re-pack itself with one touch. They always tangle."
"Oh. Yeah, I can see that. Even normal size umbrellas are a bitch to put back down."
"They're a what, now?"
"Really, Bruce? We're walking through a storm of epic proportions, the result of which is likely to be our butler smothering us in blankets and sitting us both down on top of a heat register for the next week, and you're concerned about my language?"
"He will be."
"He didn't watch a shark practically bite a person in half five feet from his face tonight. I did. I think I deserve a couple days of curse-word leeway for that, don't you?"
"…Just try to keep it minimal, okay?" Great. Now Markowitz will be haunting his dreams. That's wonderful. I wish I'd hit that deranged fucker a little harder…
"Well yeah, around Alfred. He's going to be ticked enough as it is, I don't want to add to that. You're different, though."
They walked without words for another fifteen minutes, arms brushing as they drew together, trying to feed off of each other's body heat in the downpour. The cold wind was less violent under the trees, but it still cut through to the bone. After what felt to them both like an interminable journey, they found themselves beneath the shattered causeway that had once led back to the mainland.
"Hey, Bruce? About my grappling gun…"
"Yeah?" he asked, pausing as he removed his own copy of the tool from his belt.
"…It's AWOL," the teen admitted abashedly. "I think it went overboard when I dove for crazy. Sorry."
"We've got spares at home for a reason, chum. Don't worry about it." He stepped up to him and wrapped an arm securely around his waist. Thank god you're so light. This would be dangerous if you weighed the same as I do. "Hold on." He fired and pushed off, feeling licks of water hit his boots as they skimmed just over the roiling channel. Landing safely on the far side, he retracted the hook and tucked the gun away.
As they turned their backs, a huge gust of wind, accelerated by the deep, narrow cleft between the island and the mainland, swept by. With a demonic whine, what remained of the Hawthorne side of the bridge collapsed, spraying seawater in all directions.
For a moment, the pair merely gaped. Then Dick began to laugh, falling into disbelieving guffaws that forced him to sit weakly down on the rocks. After a second, Bruce began to chuckle as well. This place is cursed, he snorted, joining the boy on the ground. We are never coming to this island again. Ever.
Their amusement waned slowly as they leaned against each other in the torrent, recovering from their spate of hilarity. "…Bruce."
"Mm-hm?"
"I so don't want to walk back up that hill to the car. Aren't we, like, a mile away still?"
"Don't remind me."
"…You could call Alfred? There's no one around to see him drive down here. And this stupid vest weighs a billion pounds."
"Don't knock it," he warned. It may have saved your life tonight.
"I know, but it's freaking heavy." He pouted, widening his eyes. "…Please?"
"Oohhh," Bruce moaned. He looked away quickly, but he could never manage to get that face out of his mind once Dick had flashed it. The fact that his hair is soaked and makes him look like a wet puppy doesn't help, either, he thought defeatedly. "All right, all right. What the hell, your girlfriend knows who we are anyway."
"…She's not my girlfriend," he blushed, biting his lip.
"Give it five more minutes," the billionaire muttered before he turned his head. "Alfred?"
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Where are you? And it had better be the pair of you!"
"…So you didn't get my message a little while ago," he surmised.
"All I managed to catch was static and something about an ear. Has one of you been injured?"
Oh, hell. "Well, not in the ear," he tried. There was a second of stony silence. "Uh…Alfred?"
"I sincerely hope you don't find this amusing, Master Wayne. You've given me every reason thus far to believe that it is quite the opposite."
"Of course I don't-"
"Good," he cut him off sharply. "Now then," he breathed, his effort to calm himself audible even over the radio. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Could…could you just drive down to the bridge and pick us up, please?"
"I will do so immediately, sir." The connection ended without Bruce moving. He turned with a wary look on his face to find Dick watching him intently.
"…He's totally going to murder us both, isn't he?"
"Oh, yeah."