Guess who forgot she had a to post a chapter but then remembered and is still is technically on time? That's right it's me, your favorite stressed out, procrastinating college student. Anyways, here's the last of what I already had pre-typed so we're gonna see what if looks like with me trying to integrate writing a new chapter into my week before I post the next one.
I do have a busy week coming up, however, with midterms and I have like three performances for dance team plus a shit ton of homework. Please bear with me loves.
Read, Review, Favorite, and all that jazz. Love you guys!
This chapter was edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020
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Anslee had sped the majority of the way back to the manor as best she could even with backed up traffic during the chase for the Batman. She had managed to get back to the manor in a little over an hour. She pulled up to the top of the arched driveway like the cab had the night before, shutting off her car and getting out. Ans ran up the manor steps and busted through the front door. She ran up the stairs towards her grandfather's study. Once entering she pressed the keys on the piano, making the secret passage to the elevator open. She quickly entered and pulled the lever so it would send her down under the manor. Once it hit the ground she opened the safety gate and stormed in, seeing Alfred looking at security footage from the presumably Bane at the Stock Exchange.
"Miss Wayne, I was wondering when you'd be returning," Alfred spoke as he turned to her, seeing she was fuming as she entered.
"What was he thinking?" she asked in a dumbfounded tone, looking around to see if Bruce had already made it back to the cave yet or not.
"I tried to tell him," Alfred spoke. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, a roar began to build inside the cave. Both Ans and Alfred looked at the waterfall not far from them as it began to glow. Seconds later the newest piece of equipment added to the collection, nicknamed The Bat by Lucius Fox stormed from the waterfall with a crash, spraying Alfred and Ans with the water. The craft landed and out came Bruce as Alfred brushed water off his suit.
"Very inconspicuous. Shall I tell the neighbors you got yourself a new leaf blower?" Alfred asked with a snicker.
"We bought all the neighbors, Alfred," Bruce spoke, removing his cowl and cape, the older man taking them gingerly. Anslee death glared her father as he walked further in, "What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded.
"Glad to see you too, Ans," he frowned in her direction.
"Don't play that bullshit with me, you could have been killed out there tonight, that whole fiasco with the cop chase. Do you remember that from about an hour and a half ago? Bane or whoever got away because you drew them away!" she exclaimed.
"I didn't drive them away, the cops were more interested and concerned with the fact that I was there more than they were Bane," he groaned, pulling out a USB drive, "I retrieved this," he spoke, turning to Alfred.
"Shouldn't the police be gathering the evidence?" Alfred asked in a matter of fact tone.
"Exactly, you should've left it to the police," Ans added in.
"If it hadn't been for me going out there I wouldn't have gotten another lead on Daggett. Selina Kyle sold him my fingerprints for something that apparently didn't exist called the "Clean Slate". But it seemed he was very interested in what went down in the Stock Market today. And the police don't have the tools to analyze it, anyways." Bruce explained.
"They would if you gave it to them," Alfred chimed in.
"One man's tool is another man's weapon," Bruce turned to look at the two.
"In your mind," Anslee commented, "Perhaps. But there aren't many things you couldn't turn into a weapon."
"Enough, both of you. the police weren't getting it done-"
"Perhaps they would have if you hadn't made a sideshow of yourself," Alfred cut him off.
"Perhaps you're upset you were both wrong," Bruce turned to the computer screen that had finished loading whatever was on the USB.
"Wrong?" Anslee raised an eyebrow.
"You thought I didn't have it in me," Bruce kept his gaze at the screen,
"You don't. You lead a bloated police force on a merry chase with some fancy new toys from Fox. What about when you come up against him? What then?" Alfred asks in a serious tone. as he points to the monitor showcasing Bane killing people at the Stock Exchange on a loop.
"I'll fight harder, I always have." Bruce answered nonchalantly.
"When you had something to fight for. What are you fighting for now?" Anslee asked in a pleading tone as she approached her father, "Not your life," She spoke in a quiet tone as Bruce began to reach over to turn off the monitor with the security footage, but Ans reached over and grabbed his hand, "Look at him. Take a good long look at that man. At his speed. His training."
"I see the power of belief. Of the fanatic. I see the League of Shadows resurgent," Alfred finished.
Bruce looked over at Alfred, "You said he was excommunicated."
"By Ras Al Ghul, who led them." Alfred answered.
"Ras Al Ghul was the League of Shadows. And I beat it. Bane is just a mercenary, and we have to find out what he's up to," Bruce spoke as he took his hand from his daughter's and began to type a few keys before text began to scroll across the screen, he narrowed his eyes at the screen, "Trades of some kind. Coded," he spoke before the screen blanked and a thumb print appeared.
"Is that...?" Alfred asked in near disbelief.
"Mine, courtesy of Selina Kyle," Bruce sighed before pulling out the drive from the computer and turning to Alfred, holding it out to him, "Get this to Fox, he can crack the code and tell us what trades they were executing."
Alfred looked at Bruce before taking the USB and turning from him to head to the elevator.
Anslee had kept her arms crossed over her chest, "So this is what it feels like," she sighed before following after Alfred.
Upon making it back upstairs, Ans had changed out of her day clothes and made her way back down to the kitchen. The herbal scent from the kitchen could be smelled in the air again before she entered, seeing Alfred. She took a seat on her usual bar stool and sighed.
"I suspect your visit with Officer Blake was successful?" Alfred asked as he turned to her, solemn look still on his face.
"What makes you say that?" she quirked an eyebrow at the man.
"Officer Blake called the manor about ten minutes ago while you were up in your room, wanted to talk to you," Alfred gave her a smirk.
Anslee frowned and sighed again, "Not exactly how I had wanted things to go. I just wanted to find the man who told my dad it was a good idea to go back out there and just really give him a piece of my mind, but that idea crumbled as soon as I started talking. Like i wussed out at the last second and almost poured my heart out to him," she groaned.
"That was something you've had built up for five years, Miss Wayne, sometimes it's harder to stop the words you aren't particularly keen on from coming out when they've been bottled up for prolonged periods of time," Alfred spoke in a cool tone, "Then again you always had a soft spot for gentlemen with dark hair," He spoke, walking around the island and placing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.
"Don't remind me," Anslee rolled her eyes, thinking back at that huge crush she had on that jerk Nico Gargano, who stood her up at prom, "I don't know why I almost told everything to a man I just met," she sighed.
"Perhaps it isn't such a bad thing you felt so comfortable to tell him those things, Miss Wayne," Alfred looked down at her defeated face, "Never be embarrassed or ashamed to let your emotions show, for you're only human."
Anslee let those words sink in before nodding, "I'm going to head to bed, Alfred. Thank you for those words," she looked up at the old man again with a small smile.
The man placed a kiss on her head before she stood up and walked towards the door out of the kitchen before Alfred's voice chimed in, "In my opinion, Miss Wayne, he was a very handsome gentleman," Alfred smiled at her.
Ans breathed a laugh out, "Yeah I guess so," she blushed slightly enough that Alfred could see before she turned to leave to head back up to her room for sleep.
