Chapter 2: I've been waiting for you.
In a couple of minutes they had beat the three guys. Reese arrived along with a partner. They took the three men to the car.
Batman turned to Huntress and said,
"I don't know who you are, but thanks."
As he turned to leave, she called "Wait! Are you. Batman?"
"How do you know? I haven't been here for eight years."
"I. guessed."
"And you are?"
At that moment Reese came back "Huntress is everything OK?"
"Yeah, Reese. I'll call you later, if you don't mind" she said looking at Batman.
"Who's this guy?" Reese continued.
"Reese! Please, I need to talk to him. alone" she replied.
"Whatever you say" Reese answered turning away.
As he heard the police officer calling the young woman "Huntress", Bruce felt his heart beat fast.
When Reese left, he asked "What do you need to talk to me about?"
"I need to know if you're the real Batman" she answered.
He chuckled lightly "Interesting, because I would like to know if you're the same Huntress I've heard so much about."
"Oh, so we're even."
"I guess so. well, there's only one way for you to find out. Follow me" he said without realizing what he was about to do.
"Where?"
"Just follow me."
And they walked silently to the alley where he had left the batmobile. And just by pressing a button on his belt the armor covering the car opened revealing the most extravagant car Helena had ever seen.
"Wow! What is this supposed to be?" she asked.
"The batmobile, please step up and fasten your seatbelt" he said while opening the door for her.
Helena started examining the car moving her eyes here and there.
"In other times I would have blindfolded you so you wouldn't learn the way to the batcave. But I'm sure I can trust you."
"Thanks" she answered.
Helena was speechless at the speed and oddness of the car and before she expected they were entering the famous batcave Barbara talked so much about. She could not believe her eyes.
Somehow that place reminded her of the Clock Tower and Barbara's Delphi System. The batcave seemed well equipped with a computer system, only that they were a little old. Bruce just looked at her and smiled.
Then, Helena heard a sliding door and a familiar figure was approaching them.
"Miss Helena, it's so nice to finally see you here" said Alfred carrying a tray with two sodas.
"Alfred!" she said "you knew he was here?"
"Yes, I knew. If you'll excuse me, I believe Master Bruce wants to talk to you."
"Thanks Alfred" Bruce said as his butler disappeared into the elevator doors again.
"So, are you convinced I'm real?"
"Why don't you take off that mask?" she asked angrily.
He obediently removed the mask. "I don't know if you have seen pictures of me before. Despite the years I haven't changed much. And if you're still not convinced." he said taking out of a drawer a picture of himself and Selina.
She stared at the picture and couldn't take it any longer. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Why are you doing this? Why did you come back?"
"I felt it was time for me to return. It took me eight years to recover."
"Recover from what?! If you had really loved my mama you would have looked for her murderer. She would have done that for you. She would have even killed for you."
"You have the right to blame me, Helena. I ran away cowardly. But I didn't know what else to do. If I had stayed, I would've probably killed. And we can't do the same they do."
"I know, it makes us less. it makes us like them. But it hurts so much. That's why I somehow understand your decision. When I found out that Clayface had killed my mama, I wanted to kill him with all my strength. I could have done it, but I didn't."
"Clayface? All this time I thought it had been the Joker in revenge for what Barbara and I did to him."
"I had no idea who it was either. But it was the Joker himself who left Barbara crippled."
"I know. She told me while I was taking her to the hospital. That terrible night. I was unable to sleep well for months. The woman I loved was dead, and my best friend injured for life. That's why I ran away, it hurt so much."
"If you had learned you had a daughter, would you have left anyways?" Bruce sighed deeply.
"Helena, I would have never left you here. I would have either stayed with you or taken you with me. I know what it is to be left orphaned. My own parents were killed when I was eight. The Joker killed them too. I don't want anyone to suffer what I did. When Dick's family was killed, I brought him home with me."
"When did you learn about me?"
"About a year after I left, Alfred told me about you."
"What took you so long to come back?" Helena asked with a broken voice.
"Alfred told me you hated me. I realized you were not ready to face me."
"Oh, and I am now?"
"Listen, Helena. if you still have hard feelings for me, I understand. And if you don't want me here, I'll just go back to the same place I've been all this time."
"It's not that. It's just that I wasn't expecting you now. I'm sorry, I'm being too emotional and I'm hurting you."
"It's okay Helena. I wasn't expecting you to open your arms to me at once. Maybe I should've let you know I was coming back. I'm sorry that I'm messing up your life."
"Please don't feel bad about this. I don't want to hurt you. I just need time." she added with tears filling her eyes.
"So this means you're willing to give me a chance?" he said as he felt his heart beat faster than ever.
"Mhm" she answered nodding her head, and before she could even realize it, she ran to his arms.
"Daddy!" she said between sobs.
Bruce held her tight and stroked her hair tenderly.
"Thank you" was all he could say while tears ran on his face too.
After a few moments Helena realized what she had done.
She pulled herself apart from her father, looked into his eyes and said,
"I've been waiting for you all these years."
Continue to Chapter 3.
In a couple of minutes they had beat the three guys. Reese arrived along with a partner. They took the three men to the car.
Batman turned to Huntress and said,
"I don't know who you are, but thanks."
As he turned to leave, she called "Wait! Are you. Batman?"
"How do you know? I haven't been here for eight years."
"I. guessed."
"And you are?"
At that moment Reese came back "Huntress is everything OK?"
"Yeah, Reese. I'll call you later, if you don't mind" she said looking at Batman.
"Who's this guy?" Reese continued.
"Reese! Please, I need to talk to him. alone" she replied.
"Whatever you say" Reese answered turning away.
As he heard the police officer calling the young woman "Huntress", Bruce felt his heart beat fast.
When Reese left, he asked "What do you need to talk to me about?"
"I need to know if you're the real Batman" she answered.
He chuckled lightly "Interesting, because I would like to know if you're the same Huntress I've heard so much about."
"Oh, so we're even."
"I guess so. well, there's only one way for you to find out. Follow me" he said without realizing what he was about to do.
"Where?"
"Just follow me."
And they walked silently to the alley where he had left the batmobile. And just by pressing a button on his belt the armor covering the car opened revealing the most extravagant car Helena had ever seen.
"Wow! What is this supposed to be?" she asked.
"The batmobile, please step up and fasten your seatbelt" he said while opening the door for her.
Helena started examining the car moving her eyes here and there.
"In other times I would have blindfolded you so you wouldn't learn the way to the batcave. But I'm sure I can trust you."
"Thanks" she answered.
Helena was speechless at the speed and oddness of the car and before she expected they were entering the famous batcave Barbara talked so much about. She could not believe her eyes.
Somehow that place reminded her of the Clock Tower and Barbara's Delphi System. The batcave seemed well equipped with a computer system, only that they were a little old. Bruce just looked at her and smiled.
Then, Helena heard a sliding door and a familiar figure was approaching them.
"Miss Helena, it's so nice to finally see you here" said Alfred carrying a tray with two sodas.
"Alfred!" she said "you knew he was here?"
"Yes, I knew. If you'll excuse me, I believe Master Bruce wants to talk to you."
"Thanks Alfred" Bruce said as his butler disappeared into the elevator doors again.
"So, are you convinced I'm real?"
"Why don't you take off that mask?" she asked angrily.
He obediently removed the mask. "I don't know if you have seen pictures of me before. Despite the years I haven't changed much. And if you're still not convinced." he said taking out of a drawer a picture of himself and Selina.
She stared at the picture and couldn't take it any longer. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Why are you doing this? Why did you come back?"
"I felt it was time for me to return. It took me eight years to recover."
"Recover from what?! If you had really loved my mama you would have looked for her murderer. She would have done that for you. She would have even killed for you."
"You have the right to blame me, Helena. I ran away cowardly. But I didn't know what else to do. If I had stayed, I would've probably killed. And we can't do the same they do."
"I know, it makes us less. it makes us like them. But it hurts so much. That's why I somehow understand your decision. When I found out that Clayface had killed my mama, I wanted to kill him with all my strength. I could have done it, but I didn't."
"Clayface? All this time I thought it had been the Joker in revenge for what Barbara and I did to him."
"I had no idea who it was either. But it was the Joker himself who left Barbara crippled."
"I know. She told me while I was taking her to the hospital. That terrible night. I was unable to sleep well for months. The woman I loved was dead, and my best friend injured for life. That's why I ran away, it hurt so much."
"If you had learned you had a daughter, would you have left anyways?" Bruce sighed deeply.
"Helena, I would have never left you here. I would have either stayed with you or taken you with me. I know what it is to be left orphaned. My own parents were killed when I was eight. The Joker killed them too. I don't want anyone to suffer what I did. When Dick's family was killed, I brought him home with me."
"When did you learn about me?"
"About a year after I left, Alfred told me about you."
"What took you so long to come back?" Helena asked with a broken voice.
"Alfred told me you hated me. I realized you were not ready to face me."
"Oh, and I am now?"
"Listen, Helena. if you still have hard feelings for me, I understand. And if you don't want me here, I'll just go back to the same place I've been all this time."
"It's not that. It's just that I wasn't expecting you now. I'm sorry, I'm being too emotional and I'm hurting you."
"It's okay Helena. I wasn't expecting you to open your arms to me at once. Maybe I should've let you know I was coming back. I'm sorry that I'm messing up your life."
"Please don't feel bad about this. I don't want to hurt you. I just need time." she added with tears filling her eyes.
"So this means you're willing to give me a chance?" he said as he felt his heart beat faster than ever.
"Mhm" she answered nodding her head, and before she could even realize it, she ran to his arms.
"Daddy!" she said between sobs.
Bruce held her tight and stroked her hair tenderly.
"Thank you" was all he could say while tears ran on his face too.
After a few moments Helena realized what she had done.
She pulled herself apart from her father, looked into his eyes and said,
"I've been waiting for you all these years."
Continue to Chapter 3.