Chapter 5: Home

"Well I think I'm all set," I told Bruce a week later. I only had a backpack with some clothes and mostly homework. I was only going to be gone 3 days. I was a light traveler.

"Alright." Bruce headed towards the garage with me following.

"Call me when you arrive." Bruce told me at the station.

"That almost sounded like you cared." I teased.

"We don't need a repeat of last Friday."

"Yeah. Well I'll see you Sunday" I waved and got on the train.

"JAMIE!" I turned at the sound of my name. Then I was pulled into a bear hug before I could understand what was going on.

"Hi guys!" I laughed as Anni and Ko released me.

"Its been FOREVER since we've seen you!" Ko exaggerated. Anni rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so dramatic. Its only been about 2 months." I reminded her.

"It's good to see you Jay." Anni smiled at me.

"Excuse me ladies, but I haven't seen my daughter in 48 days and I would like a hug."

"Dad!" I shouted and hugged him. "I missed you!"

"Missed you too Little Bird." He hugged back. "Not that Central Station isn't fun, but I think there's better places to be," He ushered us out of the station.

I didn't realize how much I missed Manhattan. All the people, sights, smells, and sounds. You can't beat it. Talk to any New Yorker and they'll tell you that their neighborhood is the best. I agree. The city is great. Has been for centuries. Me and Anni used to go to a different neighborhood each Saturday and people watch. Some of my best memories are from those days. I took everything in as we walked to the apartment.

"Jamie, I'm sorry I can't stay. They need me at the station. But I promise I'm all your's tomorrow." Dad told me once we got back to the apartment. "Can I trust you two to keep her out of trouble?" He asked Anni and Ko.

"Us get into trouble? Ha!" Ko laughed. "Don't worry Detective G. We'll make sure Jay doesn't break any more arms." Ko said, throwing her arm around my shoulder. We both gave him an unconvincing smile. Dad turned to Anni.

"I trust you to keep them out of trouble." He told her.

"I'll keep them in line Dad. I promise." Anni put her hand over her heart for emphasis. Dad laughed, gave me a hug and left.

"So now what? Wait. Don't you two have school?" I asked finally realizing it was a Friday.

"Don't you?" Anni pointed out.

"Good point. Your Sobo let you skip?" I asked Ko. Her grandmother was super strict when it came to school. Even more so than Dad. I knew Anni's mom let her skip today.

"Ha! She thinks I'm at school right now." Ko said.

"Nice to know you haven't stopped skipping." I told her.

"Yeah, this is the first time this year, because Ms. Goody Goody over here won't skip with me. It's not as fun without you." Ko pointed to Anni.

"In case you forgot, I'm there on someone else's money. I get caught misbehaving and I get put in public school. Then I can say good-bye to my nursing program." Anni shuddered.

"There's nothing wrong with public school." I defended.

"I'm didn't mean that. I meant that no public school has a good pre-nursing course. I'd have to wait till college, which would be more money that I don't have." Anni explained.

That made perfect sense. Her dad had a good job before he went to prison, so Mrs. Michelson didn't have to work much. After he was sentenced, Mrs. Michelson had a hard time finding a job The state helped a bit, but not enough for Anni and her brother Jake to keep going to our school. Then someone gave them a grant or something so they could stay. Only rules were that they can't have any behavioral incidents and maintain a B average. That was easier rules than what Nakamura gave me.

"Not that I don't love arguing public verses privet school, but can we go get food? I'm starving!" Ko called from the fridge. "And it looks like your dad doesn't grocery shop anymore now that you're gone Jay. All I can find is cereal and milk."

"I'm not surprised. He would live off of that if he could. Can we go to Angie's? I've been dying for a quesadilla since I got off the train." I said.

"Then let's go!"Ko shouted, pulling me and Anni out the door.

"Wait! I have to call Bruce to tell him I made it." I remembered.

"I thought you said he didn't like you?" Anni asked.

"So did I. I guess he's warming up to me." I smiled.

"So tell me about Batman." Anni demanded later that night. Ko had to leave when school got out so her Sobo didn't suspect she was skipping and Dad hadn't come home yet. Me and her were sitting on the roof taking in the skyline. I had raided Dad's alcohol stash and we were drinking some of his cheaper scotch. Hey, I already told you I wasn't a good kid, and drinking was as rebellious as Anni ever got.

"There's not much to tell. He seemed pretty schway. I think he's our age. He's isn't the first Batman. That's all I know."

"That's it? You met a superhero! Why aren't you more excited?" Anni exclaimed.

"He just seemed like a normal guy. He just happens to wear a super suit and beat up criminals." I told her. She rolled her eyes. For someone so sweet, she could have such an attitude.

"I swear you're the only one not fascinated with superheroes. Do you even have a favorite?" She asked.

"No. I just don't see the point of randomly fighting crime all the time. You put one person in prison, three more criminals pop up on the street. I understand why Green Lantern is here, but all the others make no sense to me."

"You have no imagination Jay. They give us hope. For a better future. I mean the Justice League fights things no one else on earth could. And Batman never kills, so that means he must have hope that those criminals can change. Right?" Anni asked me with hope. I knew the conversation wasn't about superheroes anymore. She wanted me to reassure her that her Dad wasn't the evil man everyone said he was. She needed to believe that he was the man she remembered him as.

"Anni, when did you see him last?" I asked her.

"Last week. Jay, he's changed. Something happened. I've seen him every visiting hour since I was eight and we spend the whole time talking. This time it was barely 5 minutes. That place didn't change him. He was still my father, even after eight years in there. I know something or someone did something to him. That man wasn't my father." Anni cried. I hugged her.

"I don't know, Anni. Maybe he finally snapped. Eight years is a long time to be in prison. It would change anybody." I know those weren't the most comforting words, but I wasn't one to sugar coat things.

"I'm sorry. This is your special weekend and I'm ruining it by crying about my jail-bird dad." Anni apologized. She always did that. She would always listen to your problems and be there for you, but the minute she realized she was dumping her problems on you, she would stop talking. I hated that but I didn't like pressuring her to talk.

"No, don't be sorry. That's what best friends are for. I'm always here for you. No matter what. You could be stuck in Mexico and I'd come to get you." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I missed this. Hanging out with you, sitting up here. I also miss you in math. Ko explains things so fast, I've started asking Jonah Raymond."

"What?" I welcomed her obvious subject change. "That cute guy you've like forever?!"

"Yeah. And I have a date with him next week!" She said excitedly.

"Why didn't you tell me! When did he ask you?"

"Actually I asked him." I almost choked on my scotch.

"YOU? I don't believe it."

"Ko helped. She pretended to cancel plans with me right in front of him. So then I asked if he want to come instead. And he said yes!" She squealed.

"Wow. I leave for two months and you become bold. What is happening to the world?" I teased. She laughed.

"I have no clue. Come on. Let's go find some of your dad's old vids to make fun of." She stood up and headed back inside. I picked up our glasses and the scotch and followed. I was so happy to be home.

I'm sorry that this is a week late. I had it all written then I reread it and decided I didn't like it. So I ended up rewriting this chapter 5 or 6 times.

Fun Fact: Anni started calling Dick "Dad" after her's was thrown in prison. Jamie was jealous at first but eventually liked the idea of sharing her dad with Anni.