This chapter uses ideas from Detective Comics Rebirth Vol 1, 5, 6, 7. As well as Heroes in Crisis, it had such potential, what a waste and character assassination.
I also have started a poll on which wonderbat story I should do next. Check it out, summaries of stories are on my profile. Also, I will be adding further stories to the poll soon and enabling multiple choices. The top choice will be done.
Making the Best of It
Chapter 17
Wayne Manor
Elissa had just turned five-months old and Diana, being the eager new mother had not missed a beat in filling up that baby book or binder if you asked Bruce, with photos of her baby as she progressed. The size of the thing astounded him, he almost laughed or his equivalent to a laugh. Diana had already filled up the book to the fifth month point, marking Elissa's life with a photo of her since she was born.
Their little one started to babble up a storm. Diana was always so excited to hear Elissa start to communicate with them. When ever she had free time, the Amazon continued to coax some words out of the infant.
The closest thing Diana had gotten out of the little one was 'ba'.
It was a start. And the raven-haired woman was excited that Elissa was meeting all the milestones in her development.
Bruce was just as proud as the mother was. Every time he spoke with his baby girl, she paid attention to him and seem to understand him, he hoped. He chatted with her as she reciprocated. It was always a delight for him when his little girl spoke with him. He had been trying to get her to say 'dada', but no luck so far.
His little princess always brought out the feeling of peace and hope when ever he spent time with her. Her laughter brought a smile out of the man, that sweet laughter that was bursting with innocence.
He swore to guard that laughter with his dying breath.
Bruce was quick to note that Diana had already started planning Elissa's first birthday, rattling off ideas for the party. The man was dumbfounded that she was already pondering ideas. The baby was only five months old! They had plenty of time to think it over. Besides, it wasn't like Elissa would remember any of it anyway. No need to go overboard.
Diana rebuked him, stating she would remember, and photos and videos would ensure Elissa would learn about her first birthday. She wanted it to be special and she would not be deterred. The man didn't seem to have a leg to stand on after she said that, so he merely reminded her that Elissa was born in November, so the party would have to be indoors.
Diana sarcastically reminded him that she would never forget that day. She was there and she was the one who did all the work. Her icy stare made the billionaire back off and walk away before she said anything too scathing or she saved all that displeasure for the bedroom when ever the mood struck the other.
They kept their friends with benefits ideology going and it seemed to work for the both of them. Neither was ready for a committed relationship, not after how their previous relationships ended. Although Diana and Steve seemed to reconcile from what the Amazon had told him. Selina on the other hand…
Last Bruce heard about her; she was in Villa Hermosa in California. Causing some sort of trouble. He… didn't have the heart to reach out. Not after what he did to her. They did not have the same kind of relationship that Diana and Steve had.
Not anymore.
He left her alone. If she returned to Gotham then maybe they would talk, if not, well closure was not something he was ever use to.
After what seemed like years, Tim Drake had returned to Gotham—to Wayne Manor following his self imposed exile to find himself with Stephanie Brown as company.
When Bruce greeted the teen, with Elissa in his arms, he was shocked to see the Robin.
"Hey, Bruce," the dark-haired teen greeted, shyly. His feet shuffled along the carpet as he had difficulty meeting the man's eyes.
"Tim," the billionaire returned, nonchalantly.
The teen didn't seem encumbered by the man's cold greeting, he was never very warm welcoming. "I know, it's been a while but I… uh, I'm sorry I haven't called. I know you did," he uncomfortably stated.
A large hand landed onto the young man's shoulder, flinching the teen looked up at the man. "Welcome home," Bruce said a faint smile on his lips.
Tim smiled, "Thanks." It was then that he noticed the dosing infant in the man's arms. "Is that…?" he trailed off, pointing at the little one.
"Tim, this is Elissa, my daughter," Bruce smiled as he introduced his little one to the teen.
"Hey," he said softly. Reaching out to silently hold her, Bruce handed her over slowly, precautious whenever it came to her.
The dark-haired infant whimpered as she was bothered as she was about to fall asleep.
"She's beautiful," he commented.
"Thank you," Bruce responded, beaming with fatherly pride. It was always his intention to introduce his daughter to the rest of the family but given how he isolated himself from everyone previously he was uncertain when that was going to happen.
When Elissa started to cry, the teen tensed looking to Bruce for help. Wordlessly, he took his child back and rocked soothingly, which boggled the younger man. He never saw Bruce perform such an act.
"It's not you, she was just about to go down for a nap," he informed him. He turned away and brought the little one upstairs to her crib.
When he came back downstairs, he was relieved to see Tim hadn't gone anywhere yet.
The moody suddenly turned serious.
"I heard about Dick. How bad?" he inquired, sounding analytical and concerned. He also sounded fearful of the facts to be learned.
Swallowing, Bruce replied, "Amnesia. He doesn't remember anything from his time before I took him in," sounding grim.
"That's… years," his mind slowly processing the information. Seeing the man nod didn't inspire any hope that Dick was coming back.
"Yes," the man confirmed. "He seems content with where he is. He met someone named Bea. She seems like an honest woman," he offered a small comfort. Hinting that Bruce kept an eye on Dick following his injury and subsequent retirement from the mission and family.
"How's Barbara taking that?" Tim said with a knowing look.
"She's not speaking to me," he numbly answered. She was angry about the whole situation. Everyone knew her feelings toward Dick and she was having difficulty processing. But Bruce did not have the time to address it with her. He honestly had his own things going on.
"No loss right now," he shrugged.
"I guess," the teen uttered.
The two walked downstairs to the cave. Usually in silence, but Tim was acting impish. "So, Wonder Woman?" he smirked.
"Hmm," the man grunted.
"I mean I never imagined you and her having a kid together," he teased. Suddenly, a thought struck the teen. "Where is she anyway?" he uttered looking around the cave.
"With the league," the man supplied bluntly. Recently, the billionaire had been pulling back from the league and his duties to the organization. He had already spoke with J'onn about his reasons for stepping back from the league.
The Martian understood and was contemplating delegating some of Batman's duties to others. So, the green skinned man had separated Bruce and Diana when they were working together.
"And you're not with the league because…?"
"One of us has to watch the baby," he plainly answered, arriving at the computer.
Tim nodded in understanding. When he was about to press further Bruce interjected.
"You make a decision yet?"
It was obvious what the man was speaking of. An Ivy League school had accepted him. The teen was uncertain on what to do. He 'died' before he made his decision. And when he returned from the 'dead' he put off going which led to complications with his relationship with Stephanie and caused all kinds of disruptions with the Gotham Knights program and eventually the whole thing broke apart following Tim's erratic behavior following a run in with his possible future self.
"Uh, not yet," he admitted reluctantly. "I 've been busy with Young Justice. And got into some trouble along the way."
The man gave a brief glance to the teen as he listened.
"Tim," Bruce gently started, "let's talk." He took a seat at his computer, turning to the younger man. "I think you should go and stop putting it off," he offered his opinion.
The teen was surprised by Bruce's input. "Hey, I'm still thinking it over," he defended.
"It's been a year already," the man deadpanned.
Tim flinched at the fact. "Like I said, I've been busy," he stubbornly retorted.
With a sigh, the dark-haired man responded, "Tim, if your spot has been taken already, I would be happy to make a few calls for you," he recommended.
"No," the teen firmly refused. "I still have the spot, but I need to make a choice soon or they will be moving on," he informed the man. Tim was conflicted on what to do. Between the family and himself, he had no idea where his future lied.
"Tim," Bruce sternly spoke, insuring the teen had his undivided attention. "You need to get the wonder out of your eyes."
"What?" an insulted Tim snapped.
"Tim Drake can do a lot more good than Red Robin or Batman," the dark-haired man explained. "Batman was my way of making sense of the world. You don't owe me anything. I can handle myself and balance out my life if you're worried Batman will be darker without a Robin. I don't want anymore partners. I have responsibilities that can't been diverted because someone wants to be in the family," he said removing any excuse the third Robin could find if he still refused to go on with his life.
Bruce managed to get through to the younger man as he saw realization in his eyes. But the boy was stubborn. Too enthralled in the ideal of Batman.
So, Bruce pushed further. "Just look at your Gotham Knights project. While it was faulty from the ground up it had such promise," he sounded intrigued by the teen's promise. "Just think about what you could do without all the capes and masks. You could actually change the world without Batman's enchantment."
"It still could have worked. It just needed different members and—"
"Tim," Bruce interjected firmly, "it wasn't going to work. I didn't have any intention of keeping it operational after Colony was defeated, but it just took on a life of its own after you 'died'," he confessed, startling the other man.
He stood approaching the teen, laying a hand on his shoulder he said, "Go to school, Tim. And change the world on a larger platform than Batman ever could."
The teen bowed his head, like a thoroughly scolded child. "I guess I have a call to make," he sounded downtrodden rather than excited, but the billionaire would take what he could get.
"You're always welcome here. Never doubt that," he expressed as genuinely and as strongly as he could.
Nebraska
A piece of farmland located in Nebraska there was a house. Isolated for miles with long grass fields shock in the wind. The house resided on the land of humble construction that made no one take a longer look at the home.
While it seemed like ordinary farmland to the ignorant eye. It was actually the secret facility for superheroes to process their trauma.
Sanctuary.
Inside the home it was far more spacious than previously thought. The mental health facility was constructed by the Trinity. It was built using kryptonian technology, the staff consisting of an artificial intelligence machines that assisted in caring for the residents.
What was supposed to be a place of healing turned into a nightmare when Batman received an alert.
A crime had been committed at Sanctuary.
A mass murder.
The last time the vigilante was here he had confessed to pondering suicide following an awful bout with Scarecrow's latest fear toxin. He left renewed and would never deprive his daughter of his presence. He swore he would do better for her sake.
Batman arrived on scene to discover Wally West, Arsenal, Blue Jay, Hot Spot, Commander Steel, Red Devil, Lagoon Boy, Gunfire, Gnarrk, Protector, Nemesis, Tattooed Man, and Solstice all dead.
No signs of a struggle or any bullet wounds, his mind already working the scene.
He made a couple calls when he was alerted.
Superman and Wonder Woman soon arrived on scene as the three of them were integral to the construction of the facility.
"Anything?" Superman inquired as he arrived. He briefly recalled when he was last here, he had been battling PTSD following his death at the hands of Doomsday. He had been doing better after his session and slowly returned to revitalized.
"Working," Batman grunted, not wishing to be disturbed right now. He recorded the placement of the bodies and took samples. "I just checked the servers and it was somehow corrupted."
"That's impossible," the Amazon protested. "I thought the computers were hackproof."
"They are," Batman confirmed. "Someone managed to hack the system before the protection protocols were enabled."
"I did a sweep of the area for the last three miles," Superman addressed. "No sign of anyone."
Batman was already working on the computers when Diana sympathetically scanned the dead. Most of the victims were barely adults.
"Booster Gold and Harley Quinn were the last ones here. I've already searched the facility and seeing as how they are not among the dead, that means they are the prime suspects. Whether they are the killer or are witnesses they need to be questioned."
Batman turned to the red and blue wearing duo, "Find them," he ordered as the two took to the skies. Superman using his super hearing to track down the suspects.
Batman remained behind to further examine the scene, downloading everything for the system. All patient sessions were deleted immediately after the session.
His eyes narrowed when he noticed that some data was copied. How was that possible?
Batcave
The three reconvened at Batman's dark sanctuary to compare notes. Harley Quinn and Booster Gold were in the wind. And they were no closer to solving the crime.
Diana stood behind the two men as she was content with letting them discuss the case while she fleetingly recalled her time at the mental health facility.
She had brought up a time from her childhood about her mother and how useless little Diana was when her mother struggled with whatever plight had plagued her.
She resurfaced from her thoughts back to the present and to the matter at hand. She was truly disappointed with how things had turned out at Sanctuary. She had genuine hopes when the three of them constructed the facility, wanting to aid their fellow heroes with dealing with the traumatic sights they witness on the job.
Her blue eyes briefly glanced to the entrance leading to the manor, her thoughts concerned with her daughter. She originally had plans to take Elissa out and enjoy the April weather. Some time in the spring weather would have been a delight. Unfortunately, the killings took priority. She swore to make it up to her baby when everything had settled down.
She saw Clark leave and Bruce stayed, his eyes glued to the computer screens.
Clark had to return to Metropolis and Bruce chose to continue investigating.
It was only a day later that everything escalated to epic proportions.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Batman snarled at the Man of Steel. His anger high after he learned what the red and blue clad man and his wife did.
"Would you just let me explain?" Superman carefully countered.
"Explain." The dark clad man rudely demanded.
Diana stood by observing the two men, prepared did intervene before things got too heated. Patiently, she listened to the man's reasoning as she too, had concerns of Superman's performance.
"Lois received an email containing patient videos from Sanctuary," he revealed. "And she posted the story."
Batman's scowl deepened. "And you didn't stop her? You didn't even tell me she was receiving them? You just let her post her story like we are not in the middle of a murder investigation," he pressed. He found the kryptonian's behavior unacceptable.
"It was her story, Bruce. To quote her, "This is news," he replied defending himself.
"It is not a story. Not yet," he firmly denied. "Those sessions were confidential just as it's confidential between doctor and patient!" he retorted sharply.
The dark-haired man's defense faltered as Batman made sense.
"It's a miracle no one's identity was compromised. She couldn't have sat on the story for a while before she went ahead and told the whole world?!"
The vigilante could not believe how unprofessional the man was being.
"She wouldn't compromise anyone's identity," the red and blue man denied. "All the emails were anonymous. No doubt from the killer," he pointed out. The vigilante noted the other man had not answered his other question.
"You should have called me as soon as she got the emails! Now I can't trust you or your wife regarding this investigation. What? Was she hurting for a story?!"
"You want to talk about trust?" the dark-haired man sardonically countered. "How about all those contingency plans to neutralize the league if we went rogue? Or all that kryptonite you stockpile?" the man got defensive as the masked man targeted his wife.
"Can we track the emails?" Diana joined the conversation, her posture guarded as she shared the billionaire concerns on how this was mishandled. Gently, deescalating the situation and back on topic.
The dark-haired man shook his head, "No. I had Victor check it out. He said it was impossible to trace even by him," the man sounded astounded as Cyborg was when he informed the alien, he could do nothing.
Batman turned to the Amazon, "Deal with the media fallout, Diana. I'll continue investigating. I will call Barry in to assist me," the man's voice sounded stoic as his demeanor returned to his indifferent attitude. His eyes were on his computer as he reviewed the case files. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the media coverage of the Sanctuary leaked to the media.
Thank you, Lois Lane.
Superman addressed the two, "I'll—"
"You'll do nothing!" Batman snapped at the man. Superman visibly recoiled from the tone in the dark clad man's voice. "You and your wife have done more than enough," he growled. "Diana will be around to ensure you don't screw up this investigation any further," he readily decided. "I will also have Cyborg intercept any further anonymous emails sent to Lois."
Superman's brow furrowed, "Now, hold on a minute, Bruce. Lois would never do anything to jeopardize anyone in our community's secret identity. I'm sorry you feel betrayed, but I had to support my wife. And yes, people should know about us needing psychiatric help after everything we have had to deal with on the job," he explained.
"We don't work with Clark Kent. We work with Superman. And when a matter such as Sanctuary is involved its Superman we need. I don't give a damn what Lois thinks when it comes to something that the three of us built," Batman scoffed.
"I'm trying to track done the source. I'm an investigative journalist," he maintained.
"Murders, kidnappings, robberies. That's my area of expertise. If I need an asteroid stopped from crashing into the Earth, I'll call you." The man curtly rebuffed the other man's poor excuses.
"Bruce, easy," the raven-haired woman warned, attempting to play peacemaker between the two. Although, she felt equally angry and betrayed as Bruce was. This was a serious breach of professionalism and trust. She wasn't sure how the reporter could have the gall to defend his actions. "You should have consulted us, Clark. If this was Bruce, you would be justified in your ire with him for keeping something from us," she suggested, attempting to not take any sides or seem to be ganging up on the red and blue clad man.
As soon as the words left her mouth the man immediately felt guilty.
"I'm sorry," he sighed acceptingly.
"Get out," Batman uttered, never taking his eyes off the monitor. "Diana will make sure you don't jeopardize the investigation any further. Tell Lois, 'thanks for the extra work'," he muttered bitterly.
Chastised, the man started to leave, only to stop when Batman called out. "Oh, and Clark. I'll be sure to tell the rest of the league when Superman was there to bat for them, he ducked," he indignantly told him.
As soon as the man left the pair, a suffocating silence filled the cavern below the stately manor.
Carefully, the woman stood behind the man, his eyes still glued to the monitor as he found something that didn't track.
"Bruce," she spoke so softly. "Do you have a contingency for me?" she sounded hurt by the possibility of such a strategy, especially after how their lives had been irrefutably changed recently. She sounded so hurt by his paranoia.
"Don't ask me that," his reply was just over a whisper. He sounded pained by her question. "Because I don't want to lie to you," he said softly, his eyes illustrated guilt.
She turned away from him and went to perform her duties. They could deal with their issues another time.
Batman heard her leave; his body lost the tense feeling as she no longer occupied his space. He felt guilty about his contingency plans, but his reasoning remained unchanged. Anyone in the league could be turned to the other side. Mind control, magic, and all other subjects that could make good people commit horrible acts. Regardless of what the others might feel for his plans concerning them, they needed to stop being naïve that they were incorruptible.
If he had a week, he would not have enough time to compile all the reasons why the plans needed to exist in a world full of magic and technology that most days went over everyone's heads.
Whatever. Let them feel what they feel.
He doesn't need nor want to be liked. He had a job to do and he would do everything in his power to perform it admirably.
His eyes narrowed as he viewed the autopsy reports of some of the victims. Why did he feel like something was wrong with the bodies?
It was four days later when everyone learned the truth. Wally West lost control of his powers and killed all the people present at the facility. Then he used his powers to bring a Wally West from five days after the murders to conceal himself among the victims. Who would even think to look for a dead man when you were looking at the same corpse?
"Speedsters, of course," Batman thought aloud. "Who else would be fast enough to override the systems before it could respond," he sounded vaguely impressed.
Barry was taking Wally into custody where he would be imprisoned for his crimes and hopefully get some help for his PTSD.
Following Lois' exclusive into Sanctuary, Wonder Woman and Superman addressed the press. Telling them that they too were human and were not immune to the horror and trauma people face.
It was an attempt to humanize the league, hopefully that dealt with the media debacle.
Everything seemed to be put to rest. Of course, some people were shaken by the illusion that the Justice League were invincible gods. Immune to all the negative of the world, but they would have to get used to it.
Only a few matters were left before the whole matter was settled. People would mourn their losses and move forward.
Batman sighed wearily and took a pen to paper. It was time. He had put this off for far too long. He had to make some changes.
Hall of Justice
The general meeting had ended with the core members of the league slowly dispersing. Superman, who had just recently returned from a mission in space noted an absence of Batman and the fact that other people who knew he was Clark Kent were giving him dirty looks.
For answers, he addressed Wonder Woman. "So, I guess Bruce made good on his promise," he feigned humor, only for Diana to give him a pointed look.
He sighed, "I know, I deserve it. And you were right. I should have taken it to you and Bruce before Lois published," he admitted, deeply ashamed by his betrayal. He knew it was going to take time, but he would have to earn everyone's trust back.
The Amazon was delighted to see the man was realizing his error and she hoped this all was forgiven and forgotten soon enough.
"He didn't say a word, Clark," she surprised him. "He didn't tell anyone," she swore to him.
"But I thought…" he trailed off, stunned by the billionaire's inaction.
"I can't explain it. Perhaps a change of heart?" she suggested, shrugging her shoulders.
"I guess," he agreed. "Where is he anyway?" Curiosity took him as he wondered on the masked man's whereabouts.
He immediately noticed the uneasy look on the woman's face. He rarely saw her look like that. "Diana, what is it?" he asked concerned.
"Bruce resigned a few days ago," she notified the fellow red and blue wearing man.
Immediately, guilt radiated off him as he never imagined Bruce would take such a drastic approach. Frantically, "Let me talk with him. Maybe I can convince him to come back to the league. Diana, I never thought my mistake would cause him to do such a thing as quitting the league," he babbled racked with guilt.
Comfortingly, Diana gently put her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head, "Clark, his decision had nothing to do with you," she assured. "The truth is, he had been contemplating this for some time. Ever since Elissa was born," she informed the man. "He thought it best if one of us stayed behind so we didn't orphan her. He informed J'onn while you were in space."
Swallowing, "I see," the man numbly said. "I understand," he nodded his head. The billionaire had a little one at home with Wonder Woman of all people. They both had to make certain decisions when it came to their daughter. Naturally, one of them had to take a step back so the little girl had at least one constant parent in her life.
"Don't worry," she said softly, earning an eager look from the dark-haired man. "He is willing to consult on occasion," she smiled. The silent promise of Batman returning to the fold offered little solace.
She patted his shoulder, "I have to go. I'm late for a meeting," she said before darting off.
His head hung low as he wished he had a chance to rectify his mistake and healed this rift between him and his friend.
Wayne Manor
Since the fallout of Sanctuary, it was decided to dismantle the facility. No one trusted the place anymore, nor were comfortable being in a place where so many were killed at one time. Too big of a bad omen.
Bruce could understand that. Although he was gravely disappointed that the whole project failed. He had such hopes for Sanctuary. He was depressed by the failure. He tried his damnedest to make it work for everyone, but it just didn't pan out. He hoped it would help him be better, but he was unsure now. If Sanctuary could not work what hope did he have?
He sat in the sitting room going over some reports that Lucius told him he needed to look at. Occasionally, his eyes darted to the baby monitor checking in on his sleeping daughter. She was the light in his life right now. Everything seemed to be getting darker and darker every day. He ascertained that resigning from the league was the best for him. He was in Gotham more—home more. Missed time with Elissa had diminished. He was there for her whenever she needed him. Whenever Diana wasn't around, Elissa's father was there to take care of her.
She smiled at him, which made his heart lurch in his chest. He had no doubts that she would smile at him for the rest of his life.
He heard footsteps behind him, turning he witnessed Diana just getting in, dressed in her armor. She saw him and smiled at him, "How was she?" she immediately asked about her daughter.
"Good," the dark-haired man returned, eyes turning back to reports, putting them on the coffee table. "She's napping."
She nodded, "Good, I need to relax," she said breathlessly, plopping down onto the couch next to the man. She sighed, finally off her feet.
"Everything alright?" Bruce inquired with curiosity. His mind completely unconcerned with the league any further.
"Yes," she removed her tiara, fixing her hair. Playing with the headpiece, "I told Clark about your resignation. He didn't take it well."
"Oh?" the man replied with vague interest. He was still a little annoyed with the kryptonian's mishandling of the Sanctuary incident.
"I would appreciate it if you two patched things up," the woman told him sharply.
He sighed, reluctantly, "I'll call him," he spoke with displeasure.
She brightened up, pleased with herself. Suddenly, her brightness faltered. "I have to meet with Donna later today." Her new plans earned the man's attention. "With everything going on I had completely forgotten about her losing three of her closest friends in such a short time," she explained, greatly disappointed in her neglect of her sister.
"Of course," the man nodded in understanding.
"Can you watch Elissa a little longer?" she asked guiltily. She had no idea how long she would be gone, and Bruce had patrol. She wanted at least one of Elissa's parents to put her to bed at night.
"Diana, I am fully capable of looking after Elissa. Go," he urged. "Be with your sister."
"Thank you," she smiled at him. Her head slowly resting against his strong shoulder.
"It should have worked," the man stated depressingly.
"I know," she whispered to him, immediately knowing what he was talking about.
She felt him exhale in some way of purging his melancholy. She wished she could do the same, but her heart ached for everyone involved in the tragedy.
"I was thinking of taking Elissa to the park," the man thoughtfully said. "It's getting nice out and she's older now. I don't have any concerns about germs being around her. Do you want to come along?"
She smiled, delighted by the idea. "That would be nice."
"Yeah," he smiled softly, leaning his head against hers.
NEXT: Family Drama!
This was more a drama chapter than anything else and for Bruce to leave the league. Again, I wanted to see how things would happen if Bruce and Diana had some form of relationship.
Next chapter will have Damian in it with him spending time with his sister.
AND Warning! It's happening people! In the next few chapters everyone will be getting what you've all been hoping for! Please remember to review, fav and foll, thanks!
Oh, and just out of curiosity, I thinking of moving my more explicit stories to Archive of Our Own and noticed some people on fanfiction are there. Is asking for an invitation the only way to sign up? And if so, how long do you usually wait on the waiting list? Also, do you trust the website with your email and personal info? I just want to be certain before I sign up on a new writing website. Thank you!