~*~
The female doctor feint surprise, "'You' have 'friends'?"
"Very funny, Leslie." Bruce growled frowning slightly as watched the woman laugh lightly, "Will you just look him over, please?"
Darrian eyed the doctor warily, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Bruce..." he said, in a warning but anxious tone.
"What?" Bruce asked innocently, if that were possible.
Darrian turned to the doctor. "You're not coming anywhere near me." He said bluntly.
Leslie glanced back at Bruce who rolled his eyes.
"Don't be childish, Darrian." Bruce frowned scolding the older man.
Darrian made a face. "But Bruce.. I don't wanna see a doctor, I'm FINE." He protested.
"You're burning up." Bruce stated simply.
Leslie approached Darrian and pressed a hand to his forehead, "My God, you are burning up." She gasped pulling back.
Darrian flinched back when the strange woman touched him, but her hand felt so cool against his head that he leaned back in... Unfortunately she pulled away again. Darrian just rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, have at me." he said, looking extremely put -upon. "But I don't want you in here..." He said, shooting a glare at Bruce.
Bruce smirked, "Alright fine." He said turning and exiting the room.
Leslie watched Bruce leave then shook her head slowly, "My name is Doctor Leslie." She introduce herself having not done so earlier.
"Darrian." he said. "Look... what exactly are you gonna do to me?" He asked, shifting nervously.
"Probe you." Leslie replied seriously.
Darrian went pale...well... he would've done if he wasn't so flushed from the fever. "Probe me and die." He spat.
Leslie shook her head laughing, "I was just kidding!" She picked her bag up off the floor and searched through it, "I'm just going to take your temperature, look at you ears, eyes, and throat, then prescribe something for you. Sound painful enough?" She asked smiling.
Darrian glared, but was feeling nasty, so it turned into a look of long-suffering. "Lets get it over with then..." He sighed.
Bruce waited outside in the foyer staring out the window. Leslie walked out smiling when he turned to her.
"He'll live. He has a touch of pneumonia, but I gave him something that should clear it up within a couple of days."
Bruce nodded, "Thanks." He said walking her to the door and opened it for her.
"No problem. I'll see you around." She said walking out the door.
Bruce watched her get in to her car and leave before going back into the other room.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He grinned approaching Darrian.
Darrian whimpered, curled in a little ball. "Ow." Was all he said miserably.
"Well I need to go do some work... I'll have Alfred look in on you in a while." Bruce's smile vanished as he left the room.
~*~
The sky turned a dark bluish black and it began to rain. Bruce, eight years old, ran down the street, now slick with rain, and slipped falling straight into a puddle of mud. Slowly he lifted himself out of the puddle, blood mingled with tears and dirty water as he sobbed. Slowly he climbed to his feet and continued on his way down the street when a voice called out to him. Slowing to a stop he turned fearfully finding a boy around the age of eleven watching him.
Bruce shook his head ridding himself of the memory. That had been the night he met Darrian, he had kept him out of trouble for the few years he was out on the streets and... well, he didn't like to think about that. Pressing a button on the keyboard, he saved his process and climbed to his feet surveying the cave.
"Master Bruce?" It was Alfred, "Darrian has been asking for you, sir."
Bruce nodded and started for the stairs.
Darrian was looking out the window when Bruce came in. He grinned from ear to ear. "Bruce! Hey, guess what?" He replied before Bruce had the chance to say anything. "I'm feeling MUCH better. Cough's gone, everything..." He grinned brightly.
"That's great," Bruce smiled slightly, "Now maybe you'll tell me why you're here?"
Darrian sighed, his smile disappearing, and he turned back around to the window, arms wrapped around himself. "Already told you man.. I was feeling like death and I had no where else to go." He turned round. "I'm really grateful for you taking me in and looking after me and all... but it'll probably be safer, for both of us, if I leave here before trouble follows..." He said, looking unusually serious.
Bruce frowned slipping into 'Batman mode', "Look," His voice had deepened slightly, "If you're in trouble I can help. But I can't unless you tell me what kind of trouble you're in."
Darrian raised an eyebrow at Bruce's change in voice, but laughed humorously. "I appreciate it Brucie, I really do. But this REALLY isn't something you wanna get yourself involved in. Besides, I've caused you enough trouble already just turning up."
"I'm already involved." Bruce grunted noting the black car pulling up in the driveway, ""Friends of yours?" He asked tilting his head towards the window.
Darrian's eyes widened and he backed up. "Oh FUCK!" He exclaimed. He turned to Bruce. "Dude, I'm SO sorry bringing this all down on you." He gave Bruce a quick glomp and then started out the bedroom door. "There's a back way out of here right?"
"Darrian," Bruce stopped the older man and making a quick decision pulled him out of the room and down the hallway, "You have to promise with your LIFE to keep this a secret." He hissed pulling him into another room.
Darrian grinned nervously. "Bruce, my life may not be too much longer if you don't let me find some way out of your scarily big house."
The doorbell rang and Alfred passed by the room. Bruce dove out of the room stopping his butler.
"No one's home." He said narrowing his eyes.
Alfred nodded, "Understood sir." He replied walking down to the door.
Bruce walked back into the study and to a clock, moving the hands just right it slid open.
"Ever heard of Batman?"
Darrian gnawed on his lip. "Uh... Bruce... these guys might not care if you're butler tells them no one's in... and no... I haven't... I HAVE been hiding in fear for my life for the past... few... years.." He pointed out, calculating the end.
Bruce pushed Darrian into the opening and followed behind making sure the clock closed. As they climbed down the dark stairs the familiar sound of dripping water met their ears. Bruce ran his hand along the wall finding a light switch and flipped it on lighting up the whole cave.
Darrian looked round in shock. "Whoa!" He blinked, then turned to Bruce. "Okay... they caught me didn't they. I fell down and hit my head and this is all some kind of weird dream... "
Stepping into a darkened room, Bruce vanished from Darrian's sight for a few minutes before reemerging in a black costume minus the cowl.
"Let's go." He said heading for a sporty black car, the 'Bat-mobile.'
Darrian's face, when Bruce stepped out as Batman, was hilarious, but his shock was forgotten when he saw the car. "Wow." He said flatly. "Is this yours... I mean... wow... he said again. He was in love.
"You understand that this must stay strictly between you and me." Bruce eyed Darrian as he pulled on his cowl becoming Batman.
Darrian nodded mutely, eyes wide. He suddenly remembered who was upstairs and turned his head up. "Will Alfred be okay?" He asked, concerned.
Batman smirked, "Alfred can handle himself," He said unlocking the car, "Get in." He ordered climbing in behind the wheel.
Darrian grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. He practically jumped in and sat, running his hand over the dashboard. "Bruce, this car is SO cool." He looked quizzically at his friend. "What exactly did you do to get it? And what's with the costume?"
"Buckle up." Batman instructed starting up the ignition, "Oh and another thing, when I'm in this costume I'm Batman." He glanced at Darrian and smirked pulling out a newspaper from the glove box, "Here." He grunted handing it to him then turned back to the wheel and sped out of the cave like a bat out of hell.
Darrian buckled in and took the paper. "Okay then... so, what, you got some kinda split personality thing going on?" He asked absently as he read through the paper. "...superhero...blah,blah,blah...caped crusader?" He looked at Bruce skeptically. "Br... I mean.. BATMAN... are you having me on?"
Batman didn't care to dignify his question with an answer; instead he sped down a deserted road slowing to a stop out side of Gotham city's boundaries.
"What did they want?" He asked, his voice deeper than usual.
Darrian sighed, looking away from Bruce, down at his hands, which twined themselves together. "I guess I should tell you after dragging them into your house and all." he said, trying humor but failing. "I owe some guy money. Those dudes have been tailing me for a few years now, ever since I skipped the country owing their boss. I'd hoped they'd lost me after I ended up at yours, cause they usually find me within a week... but I guess not."
"How much?" Batman grunted narrowing his eyes.
"More than I can afford." Darrian said mournfully. "With added interest over the years, plus expenses from sending those guys after me... see, this guy isn't as worried about the money as he is about the fact that I managed to get away without paying. So, basically, he kinda just wants me dead. Or suitably tortured at least." He winced at the thought.
"How much?" Batman repeated.
Darrian ran a hand through his hair. "Plus interest... and if he still wants it... my nearest guess would be.. lemme see... around 8 thousand... maybe more."
Batman put the car into reverse and spun around driving back the way they came.
"Where does it have to be paid?" He asked after a minute.
"Into his hands. In bills." Darrian said miserably. "But you know if I go back there, he'll kill me anyway. Its the principle of the thing." He said sourly.
"So paying is out of the question?" Batman asked glancing over at Darrian.
Darrian nodded. "I'm in too far to dig myself back out." he said with a emotionless smile. "What a surprise!" He said sarcastically.
"So we play this their way," Batman smirked slightly, "Know where their point of operation is?" He asked slowing to a stop.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait." Darrian said. "We? Who said anything about we?"
"You're right," Batman nodded climbing out of the Bat-mobile, the black car was still parked in his driveway and the door was wide open, "You stay here."
"WHAT! Bru.. Batman!" He hissed, scrambling out of the car after him. "This isn't your fight. I'm sorry for forcing them on you.. just.,, lend me a bike or something, I'll lead them away."
Stepping into the foyer, Batman frowned finding the place in shambles and Alfred laying on the floor out cold. He quickly glanced around and disappeared around one of the corners having heard a man's deep gravely voice from the other room.
Darrian, following behind him, knelt down by Alfred and held his head in his lap. "Sorry Alfred." he whispered. "This is all my fault." He looked up to watch Bruce move off round a corner. "Crazy caped guy..." He muttered, then pulled Alfred into a safe corner.
"Not here." Batman heard one of the men grunt.
He counted three of them and was about to make his move when another walked into the room.
He crouched waiting for a moment then pulled out a vile from a pouch in his utility belt and threw it down by the men's feet. A large white cloud exploded from the vile and Batman dove out of his hiding place attacking the men.
Darrian left Alfred, and walked quietly to see what had happened to Bruce. He was shocked to see him attacking the men, and worried for his younger friends safety, but he didn't have time to think as one of the guys, staggering and coughing, wiping his tearing eyes on his sleeve, caught sight of him. "Oi! It's Him." He called out, and then leapt for Darrian. Darrian ducked and the guy shot over his head. He pulled out his boot knife and brought it up, thrusting it underneath his attackers ribcage with a hard thrust. The man stared back at him, gurgling while blood bubbled up fro his mouth, and then collapsed over Darrian's hand. Darrian pulled his bloody knife out and wiped it on the guy's clothing, a little pale in the face. "Shit." He kept his knife up and tried to see Bruce through the fog.
Batman knocked the third guy out and turned around just in time to see Darrian attack and kill the last guy. He waited a moment before stepping out of the fog.
"You alright?"
Darrian, panting hard, nodded, swallowing. "You?"
"Fine," Batman nodded then started for the door, "You call the police and I'll take the Bat-mobile back to the cave. Tell them that you're a friend of Bruce Wayne's and are staying here."
"I can't." Darrian said, panicky. "The police can't get involved here."
"You have no choice." Batman growled, "I'll be back in a minute." He then climbed into the car and sped off.
"Damn." Darrian did so then made sure the guys were tied up. He moved Alfred to the sofa and got an ice pack for the old man's head, sitting next to him with his head in his hands. "Bruce, you just chucked me into shit creek and I don't even have a boat."
~*~*~
A/N: PLEASE REVIEW!