Zatanna blew out some cold air as she made her way to the front door of Wayne Manor, stuffing her hands in her black coat. It was cold, very cold, but that was just how Gotham got in November. Frigid and miserable. But for what had just happened two weeks ago, the cold seemed even more miserable.
She remembered seeing the news reports that the second Robin, Jason Todd, had been murdered by that deranged clown. Her heart broke for Jason immediately upon hearing the news report. To be beaten by that psychopath with a crowbar before being blown to bits in an explosion was just…it was hard to even imagine.
Her heart also broke for Bruce. After his falling out with the first Robin, Dick Grayson, and finding a new son to raise, Bruce had that piece of light in his life ripped away by none other than his greatest enemy. She couldn't imagine the pain he was going through right now. The anger he felt. The pure rage coursing through his veins.
Zatanna knew she shouldn't have waited two weeks to go see him. She knew how much he was hurting, but he had shut everyone out. He didn't even have a funeral for the boy. The only one he couldn't keep out was Clark, who had said Bruce just buried Jason next to Thomas and Martha Wayne in the back of his property. He was closed off and doing who knows what. Batman hadn't been seen since he tracked the Joker down and beat the clown within an inch of his life. Bruce Wayne hadn't been seen since before Jason died.
Zatanna knew that she should have already been to visit Bruce immediately after it happened. She knew he was in an unimaginable amount of pain and needed someone to be there for him. Needed her to be there. To help him get through this horrible time…you're supposed to be with people you love in times of need.
But for Zatanna, her love had been part of why she hadn't come to see him yet. Selfishly, she initially didn't want to see him in the horrible shape he was in. She loved him too much to see him in all that pain. It was selfish and she hated herself for it, but that's how she had been for a while.
She had finally got her act together, though. That's why she was here. To make up for the lost time and help Bruce in whatever way she could. That was her last thought as she knocked on the door, waiting for Alfred to open the door and greet her. She waited several minutes, and the older man never came. She pressed her hand to the doorbell, pressing it and waiting. Still, nothing.
Zatanna frowned. Alfred would always answer the door in a timely manner. This was not like him at all. Maybe something had happened? The magician knew this required an investigation. She uttered a spell and transported herself into the Manor.
Well, this was not expected. The Manor was in shambles. The lights were off, the heat was off, and it was just…dirty. The floors looked like it hadn't been mopped in weeks. Alfred Pennyworth always kept the place in pristine condition, so something was off. The black-haired woman then looked down to see dried blood on the floor. She held her breath. Something was definitely wrong.
She ran straight over to the Grandfather Clock that led to the Batcave. She put in the correct time, 11:59, leading the clock to slide over and reveal the entrance to the Cave. Zatanna slowly descended down the stairs, feeling the temperature drop even more. Man, was she glad she chose to wear a coat.
"Bruce? Alfred?", she called out.
There was no response, and it was pitch black. She could barely see anything. She didn't even know if Bruce was here, yet here she was…feeling around in his frigid cave.
"Why are you here?", she heard a gruff voice say.
She knew that voice…that was her Bruce. Her heart dropped a bit at the sound of his tone. He sounded so numb and emotionless. He had never used that tone with her. Not once. She was even more worried now than she had been before.
"I came to see you", she said simply, trying to keep her tone even.
"You shouldn't have. I told you all to leave me alone", He said.
She still couldn't see him. All she could hear was his voice and with the darkness, she couldn't even tell what direction the voice was coming from.
"Well, I came anyway. Are you going to turn a light on or am I going to have wander around until I hit your ridiculously big car?"
He didn't respond, but a dim light came on throughout the cave. She let her eyes adjust, finally getting a good look at Bruce. She felt a gasp in her throat. He looked horrible. He had an overgrown beard, and his normally short hair was now both long and looking very greasy. His eyes were blood red.
She walked up closer to him, "Oh, Bruce."
"Leave", Bruce says, coldly.
Zatanna sighs, "Where's Alfred?"
"England."
Zatanna crosses her arms, "By choice?"
Bruce doesn't answer her question, which is basically all the answer she needs. She gives him a sympathetic look.
"Zatanna, I need you to leave", Bruce says, the frustration in his tone evident.
"I'm not leaving you like this", She says.
She saw Bruce look at her with an intense glance, feeling the impulse to avoid his haunting eyes. But she didn't. Zatanna learned early on that if you wanted to get anywhere with Bruce Wayne, you had to stand your ground.
Bruce closed his eyes, "Please. I can't lose you too."
It was in that moment that Zatanna felt her heart break for the first time in a while.
"Oh, honey…", she said so quietly, almost a whisper. She wasn't sure he had heard her at first, but he did look up at her. She could see his face struggling to keep it together.
She slowly walked up to him and embraced him. Bruce was hesitant at first, but slowly wrapped his arms around her, After a moment, the man known as the Dark Knight crumbles in the small black haired woman's arms. He begins to cry as she holds him.
She softly kisses his head but doesn't say a word. She knows he'd rather mourn silently; she had learned years ago that words were difficult for him in times like this. So, she held him. She had only seen Bruce cry once in his life and she hadn't done right by him that time. But she was determined to be here for him now.