Hello lovelies! SO this is a real shortie, but I didn't want to add onto this because the transition with the moods all within the same chapter would have been really wonky and wouldn't have fit in my opinion. I'm 100% already working on the next chapter!

I also survived my first week of college classes, get fucked, I'm an adult for real now even though I've been 18 since January

Enjoyyyyyy this shortie chapter and we'll be back with more here soon!

Rewiew, like, follow, you know the whole shebang!

THIS CHAPTER WAS UPDATED AND PROOFREAD FOR TYPOS, GRAMMAR, AND PLOT/TIMELINE ISSUES AS OF 7/18/2020

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"I'm The Batman."

The words echoed in her ears. It all seemed to be some surreal sick mind trick. Anslee wanted to pinch herself to wake herself up from this bad dream she was having, but she couldn't even find the strength in her shocked state to reach up and do so. This couldn't be real. It had to be fake. The emotions coursing through her body were indescribable. She wanted to scream and cry and throw a temper tantrum like she were three years old again. She wanted to be relieved and feel like she was safe. She wanted to be mad at Bruce. She wanted to be upset with Bruce. She wanted to be secure with Bruce.

Anslee stayed silent as her eyes rapidly scanned the cave in front of her. Bruce watched her face for a sign of any sort of reaction- mostly trying to read an emotion on her face.

"You...you're...him," she muttered before turning to Bruce, her bottom lip quivering.

"You were there the night that I got mugged...You were there when Joker held me at gunpoint and threw me out that window," she continued as her brown eyes filled with hot tears.

"You were there that night.." Anslee's voice cracked and she blinked, letting the tears that were brimming her eyes fall down her cheeks, "And you never told me?"

The hurt in his daughter's voice made Bruce's heart fill with a sense of guilt. He wanted to explain to her how many times he wanted to tell her and why he couldn't. But how could he explain himself without pinning the blame on Rachel? That was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"I did want to tell you, Ans...so many times," he began, "There just never seemed like a good time to do that."

"Never seemed like a good time?" she snapped, "How about the night I was mugged on my way home and you swooped in and played superhero?" she cried.

"Or what about the time I was thrown out of a building and you just so happened to be there again to save me?" she started to gain on him in an accusatory fashion.

"How about the night I was zip tied to a chair and wired to oil drums?" she glared up at him through tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded angrily through gritted teeth as she hit him in the chest.

"Why?!" she hit his chest again. "Tell me!" she hit his chest once more.

Her demands continued as the blows to his chest became faster, though less aggressive. Her cries of demand turning to mumbling sobs as she persisted.

Bruce stood and took the blows to his chest. He knew he deserved it. He knew he hurt his own daughter by keeping such a secret from her. As her hits became weaker and her words turned to sobs, he reached out to grab her arms to stop her before she went completely weak.

"Why?" Anslee sobbed as she fell into Bruce's chest.

The father wrapped his arms around his daughter possessively and connected his lips to her head to let her know things were going to be okay. He needed to give her some form of reassurance even though he couldn't even feel it.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled into her hair, "I'm so sorry, Anslee, I'm sorry."

XXX

Did the time really read three o'clock in the afternoon? Wow. That means that Anslee had slept for almost another twelve hours since she had been discharged from the hospital. Then again. The amount of emotional distress she had been enduring the past few weeks was really taking its toll on her body. She swore there were permanent dark circles and bags under her eyes. She'd maybe lost a few pounds too due to her lack of appetite as of recent. All in all she really wasn't doing too hot.

After Bruce had taken her to the manor, Alfred brought them back to the penthouse. Ans had gone straight to her room and to bed while Bruce and Alfred did whatever they pleased. She wished she could say the sleep she was in was peaceful. But unfortunately her slumber was littered with nightmares and visions. The teen was surprised that she stayed asleep for as long as she did.

Anslee managed to drag herself out of her bed and down the penthouse stairs. In the small living area sat Bruce. Alfred must have been attending to something else at that moment. The girl hesitantly made her way down the stairs and towards the couch across from where Bruce was sitting in one of the comfy chairs. When the man noticed her presence, he sat up a little straighter without a word.

Ans took a seat on the couch and looked down at the floor. She really didn't know what to say to him. But after about a minute, she broke it.

"I'm..I'm sorry about hitting you earlier...I shouldn't have done that.." she spoke guiltily.

Bruce looked at Anslee and still saw that look of hurt and pain on her face.

"Don't be sorry," he interjected whilst shaking his head, "I really deserved that one."

Ans shook her head in return, "No you didn't."

"But I did," he persisted, "I have put you through so much, Ans. Years of not being there. Years of barely being there. Years of keeping secrets from you and sneaking around. In my mind I thought I was compensating by being there in your most vulnerable moments. But behind a cape and cowl. I thought that by distancing myself I would be able to keep you out of the line of danger...but obviously I was wrong and I'm paying the price for it."

"Except that wasn't what you needed. It's not what you deserved. You deserved the world. You still do. But I was too immersed and blindsided by my work that I didn't even see that."

It went silent again between the two. Neither of them could find any other words to speak to each other.

"I understand that you had to do what you had to do," Anslee looked up at him.

"It still wasn't enough to give you what you deserve. And from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry," Bruce looked back at her, though he knew that no amount of apologies could ever make up for the hurt he'd put her through.

Anslee stood up from her seat and walked over to where her father sat. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.

"I forgive you," she whispered.