"He's getting too good at crawling," Adriana laughed at she spoke to Harri and she watched Arsenio crawling across the colorful rug in his room. She was sitting on the floor beside him. "He's very fast."
"He's going to be so big when I see him next," Harri said. "I bet he won't even remember me."
"Harri, stop," Adriana said. "He'll remember you. I show him pictures of you and mom and dad every night."
"Still, I should come visit soon," Harri said. "Maybe also for some emotional support..you know...after tonight.."
"Yeah," Adriana agreed. "I'm sure I will be fine though. I'll be like everyone else and everyone else is fine."
"Well, if you're not then you know I'll be on my way," Harri said.
"I know," Adriana said and reached forward to touch Arsenio's back as he crawled by her.
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"I'm so sorry," the woman apologized to Shade as her baby began to whimper as he held his arms out to her. "He wants you to hold him."
They were on the train and she was in a rush, and out of breath. Two more stops before she would have to get off of the train, run up several steps and begin sprinting again.
"Hi sweetheart," Shade said to the boy who looked to be a month or so older than Arsenio.
She reached out and picked him up with a smile. His older sister who looked to be around four years old smiled at Shade and began to bounce in her seat with excitement.
"My brother's name is Brandon," the little girl said to Shade as she held the boy who was no longer on the verge of tears.
"And what's your name sweetie?" Shade asked the girl.
"I'm Kiely and I'm four!" she replied happily.
"Nice to meet you, Kiely," she said and looked at the baby who was touching the black hair falling over her shoulders. "And you too Brandon."
"Thank you so much, she loves you," the children's mother said and took the baby back into her arms. "She even drew a picture of you."
"Wow, Kiely I'd love to see it some day," Shade said and touched the girl's cheek. "This is my stop guys, enjoy your day!"
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"So..do we...ow..." Adriana said as she massaged her ankle. "Need to bring anything or..?"
"No, just bring yourself," Sidi said to Adriana on the phone.
"Okay, well, Bruce wants to be there as well," Adriana said. "We'll be there around 7:30 ish."
'Mhm," Sidi said as if she didn't believe her.
"We will, we already talked about it," Adriana said.
"Right then, bye bye," Sidi said abruptly and hung up the phone.
Adriana shrugged off Sidi's attitude and looked at her slightly swollen ankle that she had twisted while running through the streets of Gotham. Being a vigilante had it's downsides but it was worth it. She rotated her ankle in small circles as her phone rang again. It was 5:15 p.m. and Bruce was still out but he had promised to be home at 6. It was Dr. Kapoor calling.
"Hello?" Adriana said into the phone.
"We...have a situation.." Dr. Kapoor said immediately.
"What's wrong?" Adriana asked. Adriana hadn't gotten a chance to visit the medical facility at all that day. Doctor and taking care of everything.
"He..isn't here," Dr. Kapoor said. "He is gone."
"What are you talking about? Where is he?" Adriana asked, beginning to panic.
"I don't know. I went out for about 45 minutes and came back..he is not here."
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"Okay...let's not panic," Adriana said to Dr. Kapoor who was standing by the door to his office speaking quickly.
"He did not say he was going anywhere and I have already checked the roof twice, and he has taken my jacket and hat-" Dr. Kapoor said breathlessly.
"It's okay just relax," Adriana said, trying to calm herself at the same time.
"He did not seem agitated or-"
"It's okay Dr. Kapoor I know everything," she said to him as she reviewed his thoughts and memories. "It's alright..we'll just go and look for him."
"Okay, yes...good plan..I agree," Dr. Kapoor said.
Adriana took a deep breath. She was beginning to panic as she thought of Bruce..he would be home soon and it was almost 5:30. She took another breath and tried to think even though her ankle was incredibly sore.
"We'll check the security footage," Adriana said. "Let's go upstairs, we can look at it in Bruce's office."
They went up in the elevator to the penthouse apartment and went to Bruce's office to watch the security video of the hotel. Adriana went through the footage from the last hour, her mind unable to focus. What if he was really gone? Had he finally realize he didn't want to accept their offer of being sent away? Was he gone forever? What if someone had recognized him and what if he was arrested?
"There," Dr. Kapoor said recognizing his jacket and hat on a man crossing the lobby and leaving through the front door.
"Oh no..so he's left the building," Adriana said, suddenly feeling frantic.
"How will we find him? Where can we look?" Dr. Kapoor asked her.
Adriana swallowed, looking at the paused video. Perhaps he didn't want to be found. But something in her could not let him just go this easily. She at least needed to know why he would leave like this.
"I'll do it.." she said and stood. "I'll find him."
"But how?" he asked.
"My gift.." she said. Her gift would be gone that evening..perhaps this was he last opportunity to use it. "I don't know where he's gone..he is too far for me to find him but..I have something to help me. I'll be back soon."
She shut off the security footage program on Bruce's computer.
"Should I do anything?" Dr. Kapoor asked her.
"Go back downstairs and wait for me to come back," she said. "Hopefully..it won't be long, unless he's caught a flight or something..then I won't be able to find him."
"Ok..I understand."
Dr. Kapoor left promptly and Adriana looked at the grandfather clock in Bruce's office. There wasn't enough time, but she knew she had to find him. As she considered what she felt she had to do, she wondered if he happened to come across a TV..the news. It was so unlikely but what if he had learned that she was a mother? She opened up the safe in Bruce's office, there were no small bills. She took a single $100 bill and shut the safe and went downstairs in the elevator to the lobby. Typically she and Bruce used a private entrance and never were in the hotel lobby. She caught the attention of most of the people in the lobby as she went over to the front desk.
"Mrs. Wayne," the woman standing there said. "How may I help you?"
"I just need change," she said and handed the bill to the woman.
"Any preference?" she asked.
"Twenties are okay, I just need a roll of quarters," Adriana said. "And five one's."
"Got it," the woman said and returned promptly with the change.
Adriana left the hotel and looked up at the sky. It wasn't dark yet but the color of the sky was deepened by the clouds. A usual damp overcast day in Gotham. She walked a couple of blocks to the subway. She got onto the train, it would be the fastest way to get around. She stood on the train by the door as it shut beside her. She closed her eyes before looking up at the ceiling. The moment was so stressful and she felt a bit helpless but there was nothing she could do about it right now.
The feeling of someone watching her caused her to look around. Everyone in the train car was looking at her. She was used to it..but they were looking at her differently than she was used to. She had ridden the train countless times, but she was realizing that she had never taken a ride on the train as Mrs. Bruce Wayne.
They weren't looking at her with joy, pride, or excitement. They looked surprised, wondering what she was doing and where she was going. The wife of a billionaire, riding public transportation.
"Excuse me," a man carrying a large guitar case said as he pushed past her entering the train as the doors opened at one of the stops. "Oh...oh shit..I didn't recognize...sorry-" he began to apologize for bumping into her once he realized who she was.
"It's okay," she said with a smile.
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Adriana walked quickly as a light rain began to come down. She was at her house. She felt like she hadn't been there in ages. She walked up to the front door and unlocked it before stepping inside. There was an umbrella by the door, which she mentally planned to take with her when she left. She went into the kitchen and knelt by the sink, opening the cabinet beneath it. There was something that she thought she would never use again.
A bottle of blue liquid.
She stored a small amount of it in a mini water bottle. It was there just in case she ever needed it, even though she never wanted to have to drink it. She had come close to throwing it out so many times. It was a risk..her gift was unpredictable. But she was willing to take the risk to find him.
Before she could think too much into she swallowed the contents of the bottle.
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She woke up on the floor, holding her neck. Her voice box felt like it was bloody. Raw from screaming. Her body was in physical pain and she did not understand why. She was covered in sweat and then she began to remember. She was in hell again, flames surrounding her, burning her from the inside out, just like her nightmares.
She pulled herself to her feet and felt a pain on her abdomen. The fabric from her shirt touching her skin was excruciating. Strength was what she needed. Her old car was still in the driveway, she would have to drive. She knew where he was, she could see him clearly. She put everything else aside and grabbed her car keys from the hook on the front door. She felt like adrenaline was the only think keeping her moving. Recollections of why she almost never drove before Sidi had altered her gift were realized again. It was incredibly difficult to concentrate and she was sure that she had gone thought all red lights and stop signs while she was on the road. She heard angry honks and yelling but they weren't louder than the thoughts of the city which she could see and feel all at once.
The ride was short, fortunately, and she parked by the gates of the cemetery. He was here. She wished she had water with her, she was feeling dehydrated and as though she had been inhaling smoke for hours. The clock in her car said that it was 6:12 p.m. Bruce was likely already home..she had no idea what she would do. Her skin still felt like it was on fire and the drops of rain on the windshield were calling to her. She stepped out of the car onto the street, and leaned against the car savoring the feeling of each drop of cool rain on her skin.
As her body became soothed by the rain and soft wind she began to walk through the grass. The cemetery was quiet and she could hear the sound of the grass crunching beneath her shoes. She was quiet, still feeling like she needed to center herself. Her skin was feeling hot again. She was beginning to regret having ingested the blue tonic and she closed her eyes.
She walked for about fifteen minutes before she saw him. He was sitting on the stoop of a large tomb looking across the rolling hills of grave sites. Her regrets were forgotten.
He heard footsteps approaching and turned his head to see her. Once he realized that it was her, he began to rise to his feet.
"So..." he said. "How did you find me?"
She wanted to answer him but her throat felt so dry that she couldn't speak. After attempting to say something and having no sound come from her lips, she went quiet.
"Let me guess," he said. "A tracking device? Maybe in one of my fake teeth?"
"Tracking.." she finally was able to speak after swallowing. "Something like that."
"Were you worried?" he asked.
"Of course," she answered him and walked closer. The day was dreary and grey, deep green trees behind him became a blur. He was holding Dr. Kapoor's hat in his right hand.
"Well, that wasn't my intention," he said.
"Okay," she said, waiting for him to say more. "Why are you here? Do you know Mr. Wallace?" She was asking him the question but she already knew the answers.
"Who?" he asked but then realized the name on the tomb where he had been sitting. "No."
"Oh.." she said.
"I was here because," he said, feeling that the reason was incredibly stupid. "I wonder how many people are here."
"Well..thousands," she answered.
"Sure," he said. "I also wonder...how many of them I put here."
"That's...that's not really a good thing to dwell on," she said.
"Here...there...everywhere," he said. "Some of them..their bodies will never be found."
For the first time since she had approached, he looked her directly in the eyes. He had become a ridiculously attractive man. So much that she had a hard time looking him in the eyes. She looked down.
"This was really risky," she said. "You coming out like this."
"Yes," he said. "I walked by the police precinct. No one said anything. One cop even smiled at me." He spoke as if he was disgusted.
"If they would have recognized you.." she said.
"Then I would have gotten what I deserve," he said, almost angrily.
"I don't understand. You want to go to prison? Or Arkham? Be punished?" she asked.
He inhaled sharply through his nose and looked back out over the field.
"Maybe I knew Mr. Wallace," he said. "Perhaps I killed him."
"You didn't," she replied.
"You don't know that," he said. "And neither do I."
"I don't know what you want me to say," she said.
"I should turn myself in," he told her.
"You..." she said. "You think that's the right thing to do?"
"Well, I don't exactly believe in the justice system," he said. "But what else can I do."
"You can be a good person," she said. "Give to others...do for others...obviously it can't make up for everything that you've done but...it makes more sense to me than you rotting in Arkham."
"Like you?" he asked.
"Me?"
"You...Shade..." he said. "Taking care of others who don't deserve it. Taking care of this hellhole...Gotham City."
"I'm definitely not saying you should become a vigilante..I'm just saying," she said. "Being a decent person is a lot. Being considerate..caring...giving..all of these things are valuable to others."
"I don't know how to do any of that," he said.
"It's easy.." she said. "Just think of others and what they need."
"Right.." he said blankly. "So. Have I ruined everything? Is it too risky to go back?"
"Well.." Adriana said. Bruce was likely home and it would be an incredible risk. The potion was fading quickly. She looked over the sky and saw it..the bat signal in the clouds. He would likely be out. The Joker turned to see what she was looking at. " We have a private entrance that we can use..This can't ever happen again."
"Yeah."
"Let's just hurry back," she said and turned to walked back to the car.
"You're limping," he noticed.
"Yeah...twisted my-" she began to speak but he had swept her off her feet and was carrying her.
The motion had surprised her enough to make her forget what she was saying. Once her senses were back she used her gift to make sure no one was watching them. All clear. She was quiet as he approached the car a few minutes later and sat her down.
"I will drive," he said and she did not protest.
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The Joker apologized to Dr. Kapoor after Adriana explained where he had gone.
"All is well," Dr. Kapoor said. "Just..let us know next time."
"There won't be a next time," Adriana assured him.
"We will discuss this tomorrow," the doctor said to the Joker who nodded. "I am going to go home for the evening if that's alright."
"Of course," Adriana said to the doctor who she could tell was drained from worrying. She handed him his jacked and hat before he left.
"Where does he live?" the Joker asked her once he was gone.
"Just a couple buildings away," she said. "There's a high rise of luxury apartments, he lives there with his wife."
"Okay," the Joker said, satisfied with the answer.
Adriana winced as a pain shot through her ankle. "I should go," she said. "Hope you don't mind having a frozen microwave dinner."
He frowned looking at her and then pushed open the door behind him to an exam room. "Go sit."
"Why?" she asked but he didn't answer. He simply stood holding the door open.
She walked past him into the room and he released to door so that it shut.
"Here," he said and pointed to the exam table. She limped over to it and sat.
She watched him cross the room and go to gather medical equipment. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror behind the sink for less than a second as he took a roll of elastic bandages. Once he had everything he placed the items on the exam table beside her. He looked at her seriously before pulling up a chair in front of her.
He gently lifted her leg and placed her shoe onto his knee. He removed it gently as she flinched in pain. He pulled off her sock and rolled the leg up on her jeans a few inches. She looked down at him examining the swelling and felt a sweet chill run through her body. His fingertips on her ankle were electrifying. He was entirely calm and composed as he reached for and unwrapped disinfecting wipes and began to clean her foot and ankle as gently as he could. Her body hunched over deeply, and involuntarily as he began to pat the foot dry. It felt like she could not take any more. Every fiber of her being wanted to embrace him, wanted full skin on skin contact with him, and she hated it. It was wrong.
"Sorry," he apologized, assuming her reaction was because he was hurting her.
"It's fine," she said and he moved on to begin wrapping the bandage around the ball of her foot below her toes. "So...how was it...walking through the city?"
He paused, holding the tape in mid air and then looked up into her eyes. "I think a few of them recognized me."
Adriana examined his memories...people staring at him. This was how he remembered it. Stares. But she looked closer. They were all women..and two men who she could immediately tell were gay.
"I don't think they recognized you," she said. "They would have notified someone."
"Ahh, probably right," he said. "Now I'm another type of strange."
"What do you mean?" she asked. "You think you look strange?"
"Don't I?" he asked and began rolling the bandage again
She was quiet as his hands moved the roll around and around, compressing her ankle.
"No," she said finally. "I think...if anyone was looking at you, it wasn't because you look strange."
"Why then?" he asked as if he didn't really care to know her theory.
"Maybe...I mean I wouldn't know but..if you think about who was looking," she said. "It could have been because they thought than you are a handsome man."
He kept wrapping up her foot quietly. He gave no response or indication that he had even heard what she just said. When he was done he leaned forward to take the scissors to trim the bandage.
"You were right," he said. "It is easy to do things for others. Finished."
He sealed the bandage and sat the scissors down. Still not mentioning what she had said. It was as though it had never happened.
"Ok..thanks," she said and moved to stand but as she did she felt pain on the skin of her stomach.
The Joker looked at her with his eyebrows raised, waiting for an explanation as she stood holding her abdomen. When she didn't reply and looked away with a grimace he walked in front of her and pushed her hand out of the way and began to lift her shirt.
"Wait-" she said, too late in stopping him.
As he looked she froze in panic. Her first thought was that it was over..he knew everything. Although she had been fortunate enough to not have any stretch marks or loose skin from her pregnancy and she was still very physically fit, she felt that her body still looked different and maybe he would be able to tell. He was looking at her as if he was trying to figure something out. As though her stomach was confusing him.
"Blisters?" he asked. "You got burned?"
"What?" she asked and looked down. He was right. There was a small burn on her stomach above her belly button with two small blisters in the center. "Oh...right.."
She was hiding her hysteria. Physical burn on her body? She needed to go to get Bruce and see Sidi immediately.
"I have to go," she said and pulled her shirt from his fingertips.
She reached for her shoe and sock and left the room holding them in her hand.
"Thank you," she said the Joker before going to the elevator.
Once the doors was closed she went to look at her stomach again, her hands were shaking. The doors opened at the next floor up and she walked out. After a few steps, she leaned against the wall. She didn't realize at first why she had to lean. Her ankle was sore but she felt like she could make it to the door to the penthouse. The skin on her stomach was sore but not enough to stop her from being able to walk. She was thinking about him.
"No," she told herself before the full extent of her thoughts and feelings could surface. She shook her head and walked towards the front door.
There was a manila envelope leaning against it and she picked it up. Bruce's name was hand written across the front. She went in to the penthouse and limped to Bruce's office and sat the envelope on his desk as Alfred came in.
"Everything alright?" Alfred asked, seeing her with a bandaged foot and wearing one show.
"Yes, was just putting this in here for Bruce. Someone left it by the door, maybe something from work," she said.
Alfred nodded. "Can I get you anything?"
"Slippers? Please," Adriana asked him and sat in Bruce's chair.
"Of course," he said and left.
"Hope your day was good," she said to Alfred when he came back with the slippers.
"Just fine," he smiled and took her shoes. 'Never a dull moment with that little one around."
"That's true," Adriana said and stood up. "So I guess Bruce isn't back yet..it's almost 8."
"Not yet," Alfred said. "Oh..that may be him now."
He was right. As they walked through to the living room Bruce was coming in. As soon as he came through the door Adriana could see it in his face that something was very wrong.
His thoughts were running through his head at the speed of light but she could still see each and every one clearly. She could see where he had just been in the conversation that he had just had.
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The bat signal was reflecting off of the grey clouds above as the Batman went on to the roof. Commissioner Gordon was there and he looked like he had bad news. Whatever it was, the Batman was not worried. He knew that he could handle any situation thrown at him, because he had done so countless times in the past. Gordon walk up to him and handed him an envelope in clear plastic.
"This was sent to our office earlier today," Gordon said. " I've had it inspected but nothing is coming up but the prints from the mail clerk in our office."
The Batman removed the envelope from the plastic and took out a photograph. It was a photograph of him with a timestamp in the bottom corner. It appeared to be a simple picture of the Batman on the streets of Gotham. It appeared to be a still shot from a video.
"There is a date written on the back," Gordon informed him.
The Batman looked at the date.
"They have it on video?" He asked Gordon.
" I have to assume they did, look at the location."
The Batman looked Gordon was right.
"It appears they have video footage of you killing Harvey Dent. They want to expose..that maybe his death wasn't an unintentional accident like I tried my best to make it seem. Gotham had pardoned you...eventually..because there was no physical evidence tying you to the incident and you were needed again. The bat signal is back..Gotham had accepted you again...but if there is video evidence..if the citizens see you killing their hero...I'm sure this time there will be no coming back.."
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"How bad is this?" Adriana asked Bruce.
"I'm sorry but what is going on?" Alfred asked.
"Someone has footage of me killing Harvey Dent. They sent it in to the police. "
"But why?" Adriana asked.
"Gordon says it's possible they have it in for me. Maybe they want the police to issue a warrant for my arrest, to humiliate me or to expose my identity. It went straight to Gordon who is on my side so he has not notified anyone. I'm thinking that this is just a first warning."
"But what do they want?" Adriana asked. "Money? "
"No demands. Not yet. I've been analyzing the material, the envelope, the photo. Nothing, all clean. "
Bruce sounded incredibly tense and was speaking as though he was speaking to himself reflecting on his own thoughts. He almost didn't seem to notice that either Adriana or Alfred were in the room. He pulled out the envelope and slapped it down went to the table so hard that both she and Alfred flinched. Adriana look at the envelope, it looked like the one that has been left at the door..
"Bruce, there was an envelope like this left at the door earlier," she said. This one did not have his name written on it, but it seemed like a strange coincidence.
"Left at what door?" he asked.
"The door here," she answered. "Right outside."
"Where is it?" he demanded.
"In your office-"
He was already gone. Adriana and Alfred follow him to his office where he was opening up the envelope. There was another picture inside. Bruce was staring at it and had not yet shown it to either of them but Adriana could see the reflection in his thoughts. An image of the Batman standing beside the body of Harvey Dent. Bruce looked down at his name written very clearly on the front of the envelope..
