This chapter was edited for grammar, typos, and plot/timeline issues as of 7/20/2020
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"You're really gonna do it?" Anslee stared back at Alfred as the two sat at a small table next to a window in the kitchen. They were sharing a quiet breakfast while Bruce was still in bed.
Granted it was about 9 am and Bruce seemed beat from the night before.
"I don't see what other option I have to get him to understand, Miss Wayne," Alfred looked back at the girl sadly.
Anslee looked down at her cup of coffee and sighed, "It's okay, Al, I understand…"
The two sat in silence once more, for neither of them could think of something to say to the other. But a question that burned in Anslee's mind for five years finally surfaced and if Alfred really was walking away from Wayne Manor, then now was the best time to ask if Alfred truly was considering leaving his position as Butler at Wayne Manor.
"Alfred…" she began, taking a breath before continuing, "The day that my mom and I left to go to the precinct after Harvey turned himself in...she gave you an envelope. I saw her hand it to you as I came back from my room in the penthouse...what did she give you?"
Alfred looked down at his own cup of tea with a look of guilt scribed on his aged face.
"Miss Wayne, I can only hope you won't be upset with me over what I am about to tell you, but in the sense, you have every right to be," he looked back up at her, "Your mother gave me a note that was meant for your father, and rudely, I had read it...the note said she chose Harvey Dent over your father and that she couldn't wait anymore."
Anslee frowned, "Why would I be upset with you over a note she wrote? That isn't your fault.."
"Except I never gave it to your father. I was close, but I took it back after I saw how torn he was over her death and over everything you had been through during that short span of time… I burned the letter so your father could never find it," the older man explained in a solemn tone.
The twenty-three year old that sat across from him leaned back in her chair. She wasn't upset with Alfred. Why would she be considering he was sparing the feelings of one of the only people he cared about on this Earth.
"Your heart was in the right place, Alfred, but I think my dad needs to know...I can tell he's still hung up over her, he's still got that look in his eyes."
"That look in his eyes only returned once he saw you," Alfred quickly retorted.
Anslee looked back at him and quirked a brow, wanting the man to elaborate further.
"He did mourn over the last five years, there probably wasn't a day that went by he didn't think about her. But you look like her, your mother, when she was your age. You two could have been twins. It hurts him to look at you because all he sees is Rachel Dawes."
Anslee reached forward to grab her cup so she could take another sip of her coffee, hoping she could hide the tears that had gathered in her eyes from the way Alfred spoke about her mother and her father's hurt. Once she took a sip, she set the cup down and sighed, her breath hot from her beverage. Ans stood up and wiped her eyes before Bruce walked into the kitchen, having obviously just woken up.
"Good morning," he groaned out as he reached for a mug on one of the shelves in the cupboard.
Neither Alfred nor Anslee said anything in return.
Bruce paused and looked over at the two, "Still mad at me for last night, huh?"
Ans took a short breath and looked back at Alfred, "Would you mind letting my dad and I have a word in private?"
"Of course not, Miss Wayne," Alfred stood up from his seat and headed for the nearest exit from the kitchen.
Anslee turned back to her father, who was now pouring himself a large cup of coffee. He filled the mug to the brim with pure black coffee, something he'd been drinking since Anslee was a kid. It always disgusted her and still did.
"I'm not mad at you," Anslee began, "And we're both adults now, so I'd like to have a civilized adult conversation with you if you're still up for that sort of thing."
Bruce eyed the girl, "Of course I am."
"What happened last night?" Anslee frowned back at him as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Bruce took a sip of his coffee before answering, "I chased down Bane after the stock exchange and led the police on a wild goose chase, you already knew that."
"After the police chase," she quickly corrected him.
"I came ho-"
"No, you didn't," she cut him off, "The tracker on The Bat, real original name by the way, says you went somewhere before you came here last night. Where did you go?"
The father took another nice and long sip of the steaming black liquid whilst the two had a stare off.
Once he had swallowed and dramatically lowered his coffee cup from his lips, he caved.
"I tracked down Selina Kyle...she was visiting Daggett again. When I found her she was on the rooftop of the building his penthouse is in and she was surrounded. Surrounded by Bane and his men."
"You had an encounter with Bane last night?" her frown deepened, "why would he have just randomly showed up at Daggett's?"
"I told you yesterday I knew that Bane was working with Daggett and his construction business," Bruce remindedher, "But obviously he was there for a reason last night, I think Daggett knows more about the Stock Market incident yesterday than he's admitting."
"You don't think it's like some sort of League of Shadows thing with Jonathan Crane and Ras Al Ghul, do you?" Anslee quirked a brow.
Bruce shook his head, "He was excommunicated, remember? I don't know what he was doing with Daggett, but I'm going to find out. What I also know is that Daggett is trying to take control of Wayne Enterprise, absorb it into his own company"
"Why?"
"Another thing I have yet to come to a conclusion on, Anslee Grace," Bruce spoke before taking another sip of his coffee.
The brunette looked back at her father and pursed her lips, "Alfred mentioned Batman visited Jim Gordon in the hospital. What went down with that?"
"He said the same thing John Blake said, the city needs Batman back," he admitted, knowing that's not what she wanted to hear at all. Before she could utter a word to fight back with him, Bruce picked up his coffee cup and stalked out of the kitchen.
Ans took a seat back in the chair she sat in before and groaned as she sulked. The brunette reached out to grab her coffee cup so she could take a drink of the medium brown colored liquid.
XXX
Anslee had been up in her room again, looking through her police file archives along with security footage from the stock exchange incident from the night before. Currently, she had an enlarged picture of Bane on her screen, The brunette stared back at the image of the large man as she tried to figure him out. But as much of a facade he was, she found it difficult. Anslee narrowed her eyes at the picture of the bulky man as she tried to analyze the mask he wore on his face to get some kind of lead on where he might have gotten it. Or even perhaps what its function was. The mask seemed like it was attached to his face.
In her immense state of focus, Anslee jumped when she heard her cell phone ring next to her. The girl groaned as she looked down at her caller ID. It was an unknown number..that was odd. Nonetheless, she picked up the device and hit answer before putting the phone to her ear.
"Anslee Wayne?" A male voice spoke.
"This is she, but if you're calling me to sell some bogus insurance discount or tell me I owe the IRS ten million dollars, I'm not interested and take me off your call list," she spoke in an attitude ridden tone.
She heard a chuckle from the other line, "Actually, it's John Blake. I don't know if you remember me from your fit of rage yesterday."
Anslee frowned, "Yeah, I remember you, how did you get my cell number?"
"I called again earlier asking to speak with you, but Alfred, I believe his name was, told me you were busy and gave me your personal number instead. He told me I'd have a better chance of getting ahold of you here," the man explained.
Ans mentally reminded herself to personally thank Alfred for this one later, "Yeah, he told me you called last night and I hadn't gotten the chance to return your call, is there something you wanted to speak with me about, Officer?"
"Yes, actually, but I'd rather speak in person if that's okay with you," he spoke back into the phone, "Can you meet me at the GCPD at noon?"
Anslee glanced at her clock seeing it was 10:30 AM at this point, "Yes, I can meet you then."
"I'll see you then, Miss Wayne," he confirmed.
"See you then, goodbye, Officer," Anslee replied before taking the phone away from her ear and hanging up.
She sat back in her desk chair and pursed her lips with a slight smile. What was Alfred playing at? Last time she checked, he wasn't getting paid to play matchmaker. Then again, she supposed that the man needed a little humor in his life after the last few years he's had.
XXX
Anslee paced outside the GCPD front steps as she eyed the cops that walked past her and into the precinct. Many of them she recognized as the same ones from five years ago when her and Rachel had shown up thinking it would be a good safe haven until Joker had at least been apprehended. She still wondered which ones were crooked and which ones she could trust.
One of the squad cars pulled up to the front of the precinct and a window rolled down. Anslee stopped pacing and looked at the car.
A face peaked out the passenger side window at her, it was Blake.
"Need a ride?" he smirked playfully.
Anslee paced towards the car with an equal smirk on her face, "I thought I wasn't supposed to get into cars with strange men."
Blake looked around at the inside of the car and then back at her, "You realize this is a cop car right?"
"You obviously don't know what happened to me the last time I willingly got in a cop car, Officer," Anslee reached down to open the car door and get in.
As she settled and put on her seatbelt, Blake spoke again, "It's actually Detective now."
Ans looked over at him, "Detective hm?"
"Gordon promoted me this morning," he nodded as he began to drive away from the precinct.
"Congrats," Anslee looked over at him, "Mind telling me where we're headed?"
John looked back at her for a second, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna hand you over to some psychopath serial killer, I'm on your side here," he assured her, "You'll see when we get there."
Anslee gave the dark haired man an amused smile.
