Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long been super busy lately but I managed to finish this next section. As
always a shout out to everyone that has reviewed and a thank you. Hopefully I'll be able to post the next
section sooner than I did this one. Thank you all once again.
P.S. Sorry A whole section got left out when I posted this! Here's the updated version
0/0/0/0/0/0/00/0/0/0/0/0/0/0/00
Castle Wyvern
Manhattan
Still midday
The door finally opened, and Elisa turned her head slightly in the direction of the approaching footsteps. "Nurse Mayweather said you requested to see me?" Owen Burnett asked, his voice actually puzzled.
"Thought you'd never make it here," she mumbled out, slowly losing to the drag of the morphine.
"I was in a meeting with Mr. Xanatos, but she insisted that it was important. Is there something that you require Detective?"
"Wh…what's goin' on with Dinah?"
She could almost hear the blonde man frown. She wished she had use of her eyes so she could actually witness his confusion. "The young woman from New Gotham? It appears she was injured gravely during the fight and has been in a coma ever since. I have not been told the nature of her injuries, but Hudson did tell me of her powers. Before you left, did you see how she was injured?" he inquired, clearly intrigued.
Elisa began to shake her head and then stopped abruptly as pain once again lanced through her head. "No," she hissed out through clenched teeth. When the throbbing abated some, she licked dry lips and continued. "I was on the yacht, away from the docks at that point. But it looked…and sounded like a bomb had gone off. It had…to have been her. She took everyone out….just like that," Elisa answered, panting slightly with the effort.
Owen was silent for a minute, waiting. "They call themselves meta-humans…but they're like Alex…aren't they?" she asked.
Owen nodded, looking down at the sightless woman laying before him, struggling to stay awake. "They are," he acknowledged. "Each halfling, or meta as they call themselves, bears the distinct signature of the Fae that lies in their heritage."
"So…Dinah is a…relative of yours….?" Her question trailed off as a grimace tightened her lips. There was a soft click of a button, and then the grimace slowly left with a sigh of relief.
"Yes she is."
"So then…you could heal her….without it really being interferring."
Owen Burnett allowed a puckish smirk to lift his lips since there was no one to witness it. "True I could. But you forget I still have limits on my powers."
"Oh c'me on," she mumbled. There was a long pause and he watched in fascination as she seemed to jerk herself awake, fighting the drugs as stubbornly as she did everything else. "Kid should get outta castle s'more 'nyway," she whispered. There was another minute long silence, she jerked again, and this time the sharp breath she sucked in was from a different kind of pain.
She began to mumble incoherently and Owen was only able to pick out a few words as she finally succumbed to the medication. "….lost too much….no more death….please…." A few stray tears leaked out from under the bandages again, and then the nurse was entering the room.
"I'm sorry Mr. Burnett but I'm going to have to ask you to leave now and let her rest," she requested as she moved to quiet Elisa's restlessness.
Owen took off his glasses and cleaned them with his tie as his alter ego briefly scanned the detective's surface thoughts. It made him shudder inside, and the Puck half of him wanted to cringe. Her memories of that night were far worse than Alex's visions. Thank goodness the boy hadn't been strong enough to see all of the details yet.
"Sadly, I doubt she will be receiving rest any time soon," he said in a flat voice as he replaced his glasses. "Please see to it that some one is physically with her at all times Nurse Mayweather. I believe Detective Maza is far more gravely wounded than any of us anticipated, and it would be unwise to leave her unattended."
With that cryptic comment he left to find Alex and his parents.
/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o
Batcave
New Gotham
Evening
Barbara guided her chair out of the elevator and glanced towards the training room as she made her way over to where Leslie sat next to Dinah. "They're still in there?" she asked a tiny bit surprised.
"And what's even more amazing is that there have been no further sounds of violence either," Leslie answered dryly.
"I guess I'm just surprised because it has always been a fight to ever get either of them to open up about even the tiniest emotional issue. Helena may wear her emotions on her sleeve, but she would never talk about them."
Leslie shrugged. "A person can only pretend to be emotionally closed off for so long Barbara. A fact I think you have learned the hard way this past year as well," she reminded gently.
Barbara sighed, and looked away slightly ashamed. "God we're a screwed up bunch," she muttered tiredly as she rubbed absently at her broken arm.
"Is it bothering you much?" Leslie asked slipping into her professional role as she leaned forward to inspect the injured limb.
"I've had worse," Barbara answered, her expression more pained from the sight of Dinah still lying pale and unmoving, than from her own countless injuries. "How is she?"
Leslie sat back, giving up on trying to distract the redhead, and turned to her young patient. "There's been little change. I've run batteries of tests on her Barbara, and there is nothing physical to cause her condition."
"It's frustrating when you can't even see what your fighting against," Barbara said quietly as she reached out with her good hand and brushed some of the blonde's long hair back. "She's brought so much light into my world Leslie. She was as determined as Hel to prove herself to me…to us. It took Hel months to admit that she actually enjoyed having Dinah around, but I think both of us realized just how much we needed her the moment she insisted on staying."
Leslie simply listened as her friend got a distant look in her eyes as she opened up about the depth of her love for her youngest charge. "She was the first breath of fresh air either of us had had since that night. We had rebuilt our lives, we had made new identities for ourselves, and we had moved on…but the darkness never seemed to have left. And then one day Dinah showed up on our doorstep…literally…and suddenly it's like we have a family again."
Barbara was silent for a minute as she continued running her fingers through Dinah's hair, praying that the gifted teen could somehow sense her love. "Hel calls her Sunny D, and she hates it," Barbara told Leslie with a slightly amused expression. "But that's because she doesn't really understand just how much of a compliment it is."
Leslie smiled warmly at her long time friend. "You've done an amazing job guiding these two young women through some difficult periods in their lives Barbara. Both Selina and Carolyn would have been proud….but then I think they knew that you could do it or else they wouldn't have entrusted their care to you."
"But Carolyn-," Barbara began confused.
"Shhhh. She may not have left Dinah with you to begin with. Of course you were just cutting your teeth on a batarang back then yourself anyway," the older woman chuckled. "You were hardly an appropriate choice as a guardian. But you've told me in detail about what happened when Carolyn finally did come back. And Dinah told me a bit more when I talked with her about it after I helped tend to that nasty concussion she got a few months back," she admitted. Barbara raised an eyebrow, but Leslie merely fixed her with a firm gaze. "In the end, Carolyn was proud of what Dinah had become. And she knew it was all because of you, and that she could leave this life because you would be there to continue looking after her."
Barbara's green eyes watered, and she looked down at the body laying before her. But before she could say anything else, there was a clapping from overhead and a melodramatic sigh. Two pairs of eyes snapped upwards, and Leslie was out of her chair as she and Barbara gaped at the….people floating above them.
"Who the hell are you!" she demanded angrily as she rolled back to have a better view- and shot- at the elven-looking man that floated next to a familiar looking human child.
She had pitched her voice loud enough that Helena's hearing had obviously picked up her demand and both she and Bruce came running out of the training room. The brunette was by Barbara's side instantly, but Bruce hung back a bit sizing up the situation.
"What's going on here?" Helena growled, her eyes flickering gold.
"Now, now," the little man sighed rolling his eyes. "There's no need for hostility. And I really wish you would stop that growling you're scaring the kid."
"No she's not Uncle Puck," the boy huffed indignantly.
Helena's growling stopped instantly, and both she and Barbara looked at each other before looking back at the Fae with dawning understanding. "Did he just say Puck?"
"I thought you were the one with the keen hearing and all that," Puck answered sarcastically.
"So Elisa wasn't just pulling our leg about Avalon and you guys?" Helena asked uncertainly.
The Fae floated down in front of her, grinning. "Nope. I'm the real deal sister…well actually it would be cousin…distant that is. Alex can you tell me which one of our relatives helped produce this little wildcat?"
The child focused intently on Helena for a second and she shivered as she felt a…presence…seem to brush inside her. "Whoa, what the hell was that!" she demanded.
"Sekhmet?" the child answered.
"Clooossseee…who was Sekhmet's mommy?" Puck coached, ignoring Helena's mounting irritation.
Alex frowned, his tiny brow furrowing as he thought hard. Puck began whistling the Jeopardy theme song, Alex pursed his lips, and Helena finally snapped. "Ok what the hell did the kid just do to me, and why are you even here!" she shouted, advancing on the floating trickster.
"Bast!" the boy suddenly exclaimed.
Puck beamed at his student, and then hastily backed away from Helena waving a hand at her. "Down kitty!" he commanded, and Helena was instantly reduced to the meowing form of a kitten.
Alex clapped in amusement, floated down to the floor where he could pet the kitten, and giggled. "Careful Alex you don't know if she's had all her shots no-urk!"
"That would be my daughter you're referring to, and if you don't turn her back to normal immediately, this iron pipe is going to be doing more than cutting off your air circulation got it?" a steely voice threatened quietly.
"Got it!" Puck squawked hoarsely. Bruce released the struggling Fae who zipped away from him quickly and glowered at him while rubbing his throat where the iron had begun to burn. "You people are no fun. But don't you dare try and threaten the kid, because I won't be the only one you'll have to deal with."
Bruce took a step forward, pipe raising and Puck sighed. "Fine, fine. Alex play time is over, obviously Hudson was mistaken as to the hospitality of these people. Change Helena back and then we'll get down to business so we can leave."
"But-," the child began to protest, looking up from his spot on the floor where he had been petting the kitten form of Helena.
Barbara, who had been mostly silent the whole time as she tried to process what was going on, stared at the child intently. His face was extremely familiar. Then she gasped and every one looked over at her. "Oh my god, you're Alexander Xanatos!" she exclaimed softly. "But…how…?" she trailed off staring at the boy in wonder. Off to one side, even Bruce blinked, taken aback by that revelation.
Alex gave Helena one last good scratch along her back from neck to tail and then stood and approached Barbara. He held out a tiny hand, gave her a smile full of innocence, but with just enough mischief in his eyes to keep her alert and introduced himself formally. "Hi! I guess you already know my name, what's yours?"
"I'm Barbara Gordon, pleased to meet you Alexander. This is Doctor Leslie Thompkins, that is Mr. Wayne, and I think you've already met Helena," she told the boy with an amused smile. He had obviously made a quick impression on the cat-form of Helena because the kitten was curling around the boy's legs, purring loudly and demanding more attention.
The child giggled and reached down to pet Helena once more. Puck hovered several feet away, and cleared his throat. Alex crouched down and looked Helena in the eye. "I gotta change you back now 'cause I don't want your daddy to hurt Uncle Puck," he whispered. The kitten meowed, butted her head against Alex face and then he whispered something quietly in Latin as his eyes glowed green.
A moment later, Helena was back to her own self, and Alex stood and looked up expectantly. The room was still for a few seconds, waiting to see Helena's reaction. She stared down at the toddler, a mixture of emotions running across her face. Finally she chuckled, shook her head, and ruffled his hair before she moved to stand next to Barbara.
Barbara glanced up at her in surprise. "What?" Helena asked defensively. When Barbara said nothing, Helena shrugged. "What can I say? The kid knows all the right places to scratch."
Leslie chuckled softly, Barbara smirked, but Bruce continued looking stern. "So why the visit?" Helena asked into the ensuing silence. "What's all this about a lesson?"
"Long story short, I'm Alexander's teacher. Due to some…restrictions placed upon me by Lord Oberon a few years ago, I can only give up my human guise when I am either teaching or protecting Alexander."
"So the kid's meta too?" Helena asked.
"That's one way to put it. What you call meta-human, we call halflings. You are all descendants of some member of the Third Race. Magic is a very powerful thing, and carries through even the most diluted bloodlines. Now normally we aren't supposed to interfere with lives of humans, but Elisa helped to point out the loophole when it came to you and your young friend there," he answered with a gesture to Dinah.
"Elisa? Is she awake?" Barbara asked.
A troubled look crossed Puck's face, one that caused an uneasy feeling to settle in Barbara's stomach. "For a brief time she was. When she found out that Dinah was in a coma she asked me to come here and give you a hand. Of course the only way I can actually do that is by using the healing as a training exercise for Alex."
"Wait, you know what's wrong with her?" Leslie asked sitting up interested.
Puck eyed Bruce warily, and then cautiously moved over towards Alex. "Lesson time Alex. Now all I want you to do is focus on her life force just like you did with Elisa. Tell me what you find."
"Ok Uncle Puck," the boy said obediently, and his whole demeanor seemed to age decades as he crawled onto the bed and stared intently at Dinah's still figure. Several seconds later he gasped and looked over at Puck with shining eyes.
"She's….it's almost all gone!" he gasped in horror.
Puck nodded, his expression grim and sober. "Indeed. I want this to be a lesson to you Alex," he told them boy gravely as he floated down next to the child. "Dinah has a very powerful gift, not quite as strong as yours, but she could give you a run for your money. You remember how I'm always warning you about controlling your powers? That you should never let your emotions grow out of control while wielding your power? This is the reason why," the Fae told the boy, and everyone else there for that matter, sternly.
"Your gifts feed off your emotions, and make no mistake that they will destroy you as quickly as they can destroy an enemy if. Her gift went rogue on her because she lost control, and this is the result. She's lucky she didn't kill anyone, including herself, the other night. On her own, it would take her months, perhaps even years to recover enough strength to wake up. And when she did, she wouldn't even be able to pick up a feather with her mind."
Helena's sharp hearing picked up Barbara's breath catching as Puck announced that ugly bit of information. She reached down, and placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder, lacing her fingers in Barbara's when the older woman sought further comfort. It was just as Leslie had feared, and more.
"Can we heal her?" the child whispered- almost fearfully. Obviously Puck's warning was not going unheeded.
Puck gave him a comforting smile, and nodded. "Of course we can my dear boy. All she needs a jump start, and her body will handle the rest. Now, she will be by far the strongest mind you have touched yet, so I'm going to guide this lesson, but I'm going to have to draw the power from you. So get comfortable, and then we'll go in ok?"
"Ok!" the boy chirped excitedly, now relieved that they could help Dinah. He settled himself more comfortably on the bed, and Puck floated down next to him making himself comfortable as well.
The Fae looked over at the three humans staring at him and pointed a finger at them. "What you are about to witness can only be attempted by trained professionals so don't try this at home ladies and gentlemen. Please fasten your seatbelts, place your seats in their upright and locked positions, and don't bother the captain or his co-pilot while they navigate the friendly skies of Dinah's mind ok?"
They blinked, he turned to Alex, and with a nod the two closed their eyes and slipped into a combined trance as they dove into Dinah's sub-conscious.
Uncle Puck?
Right here next to you my boy.
This place is scary.
Hmmmmm. A lot scarier than I thought it would be.
Who are those people? Why would they hurt her like that?
These are Dinah's memories Alex. I believe those people were her parents at one time.
But why would they do all those bad things to her?
Because some people are just bad Alex. Don't ask me why because I can't explain it, but there are people out there that are so messed up in their heads that they would do things like that even to a child, Puck answered sadly.
Can we make her forgets so she doesn't have bad dreams?
No, it's who she is Alex. I doubt very much she would appreciate us erasing a large part of her memory. Now let's get on with the healing ok?
Ok.
First we find her core- or at least what's left of it. Follow me…there now you see that small shimmer of light?
Yeah.
See how it's surrounded by a large area of nothingness? Imagine her core as a basketball. Ok now normally that whole area would be filled with the light, but because she's so weak, all that's left is that little itty-bitty pebble of light. The rest of the area is dark. What we need to do is to start filling that ball back up. Once we give her enough, her own body will start replenishing that energy on its own with some time and rest.
How much do we gotta give her?
Not much. Now remember how I taught you to channel your strength to me?
Uh-huh.
Ok, I want you to do the same thing to her. Now remember, when you do this you will be in direct contact with her consciousness. Given her abilities, she may try to kick you out so you need to establish trust right away ok?
What happens if she kicks me out?
We'll try again, but if she refuses to let you in then I'll take over. Sometimes a little forcefulness is needed. But I don't think that will happen here…she's really too weak to fight much. Think you can handle this?
No problem Uncle Puck.
Lead the way then!
Alex focused on drawing his own energy to his surface and then he moved forward, into that dark ball where only a tiny flicker of life remained. He was suddenly hit with a wave of fear and hesitation. Puck? he whispered, frightened.
It's ok Alex I'm just outside if you need me, the trickster answered back reassuringly.
Alex hated this dark place, but he suddenly realized that it wasn't just his fear he was feeling. She's afraid of the dark too Uncle Puck.
Given some of her memories I can see why, his mentor commented dryly. Now don't dally around in there too long, remember we do have a time schedule to keep.
Ok. The child moved towards the flicker of light, and reached out mentally to brush against it. The light sudden flared a tiny bit and he felt the fear double
No it's okay! He cried out as he tried to soothe the agitated light. 'Lisa's my friend and I'm here to help. You don't hafta be scared now.
He felt Dinah's consciousness relax slightly and he smiled. She's gonna let me help her Uncle Puck!
Very good Alex. Now remember, slow and steady. You don't want to overtax yourself, nor do you want to send her own system into shock.
I know, I know, the boy sighed, having heard the same warning with nearly every lesson. He brushed his mind against Dinah's and opened a small rift in the protective barrier around his own power.
It had been dark for so long. She hated the dark, and yet she knew that this was only the beginning. That realization had frightened her more than anything she had ever faced in her life. The only thing that kept her mind anchored to her body, was the familiar and comforting presence of her family, just beyond the fringes of her consciousness. It wasn't much, but it was enough.
Then the darkness and silence was invaded by the presence of two strangers. She immediately recoiled as one of them tried to 'touch' her, fearing who they were and what they wanted. But when a child's voice echoed through the darkness, she paused in her retreat. Once more the child called to her, and she heard him use a name accompanied by familiar face…one that she had come to trust over the past couple of weeks.
Elisa? Had she sent these two strangers? Were they here to bring her out of the darkness?
Her questions were answered as the child brushed his mind against hers again, this time inviting her to lower her guard completely to take in the warm and brilliant energy he was offering.
Like a drowning woman, she stopped resisting immediately and latched on to the lifeline he was throwing her. Easy now, a second voice guided. Don't get greedy now girl, or you'll wind up in a worse predicament than you are in now.
Dinah forced herself to listen to the second voice, and relaxed her mind's desperate grip on the child. Once the boy had re-asserted himself in the link, the flow of energy grew a little stronger and steadier, and she let out a mental sigh as she slowly began to feel her strength return.
The room had been absolutely silent for five minutes, as everyone watched and waited for some sign that Dinah was going to come out of her coma. Suddenly Helena's head tilted to one side, and Leslie leaned forward, eyes glued to the monitor.
"Heart rate is picking up," she whispered, almost reverently.
"Her breathing has changed too," Helena confirmed, as she cast a hopeful look down at her friend and mentor.
Barbara, who had been holding her breath for who knew how long, dropped her forehead onto clasped hands and released a shaky breath. "Please," she whispered so softly only Hel heard it. "Please let her be ok," she asked, tears beginning to cloud her vision and tighten her throat.
Who are you?
Forming questions and thoughts. Definitely a good sign. You can start to ease up now my boy, the second older sounding voice instructed. As for introductions, I am Puck and my young assistant here is Alex.
Dinah examined Alex, since his contact with her allowed an open mental link. His energy aura was almost blinding it was so brilliant. Whoever he was, she quickly realized just how powerful he was. Even though he was feeding some of his own life force into her, his aura had barely dimmed. She gasped however when she realized he was just a child.
How? She wondered.
Good genes, Puck chuckled. The mental IV of energy began to fade slowly, and she looked around. But….it's still very dark.
Yes, but Alex cannot give you too much of his power. Mixing magics is always a bad thing, and mixing auras can be even worse. Alex is giving you enough energy to wake up. Once you do that, your body will take over from there and re-supply itself. But that means at least a month of rest young lady! Puck told her sternly.
A month? Dinah gasped mentally.
The silence in the cave was broken by Dinah's audible gasp, and everyone jumped slightly.
At least. And when I say rest, I mean absolutely NO using your powers. Not even a little bit. You nearly killed yourself and everyone else back at the docks with that little uncontrolled stunt of yours. The fact that you're obviously just starting to grow in your powers is what saved you then and now. Had you lost control at full strength, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.
Dinah mentally bowed her head, knowing she fully deserved the chastisement. I never meant to hurt anyone...I just wanted it to stop.
Well thankfully, only you ended up as the worst casualty of your overload, and you are the one we could fix. Are you finished Alex?
Yeap, the boy answered as Dinah felt him move back from her.
Dinah shivered as his warmth disappeared from her mind, but she felt him smile at her. It'll only be cold for a little while, he told her.
She chuckled a little. You sound like you're speaking from experience.
He is. When he was a couple of years old, he decided to throw a temper tantrum and burned himself out pretty good one night. I don't know who was the bigger wreck, him or his parents.
Uncle Puck! The child protested, embarrassed.
Well enough stories, you father was very insistent about you getting to bed on time tonight young man and we still have to give you a bath. Our lesson is done here.
Wait just one last thing, Alex said he knew Elisa, but I couldn't make out how.
Let's just say we're family friends, and I'm sure we'll be meeting soon enough.
How is she? Did everything go okay? Dinah inquired before they could leave. As an immense wave of sadness washed over her, she suddenly wished she hadn't.
Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. The war was won, but not without cost. But you have enough to worry about right now young lady, so rest and heal.
With that she was left alone, and she mentally blinked as she was once again surrounded by silence. That was, until she slowly became aware of voices for the first time since the abyss had swallowed her.
"Wh- where'd they go?" Helena snapped as she jumped to her feet when the Fae and the child disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
"What about Dinah?" Barbara was asking as she stared at Dinah's still unmoving body.
Leslie was bent over her monitors, but she straightened and gave Barbara a hopeful smile. "All her vitals have stabilized, and her brain activity has resumed normal functions."
Bruce stepped forward, and stared intently at the blonde. "Talk to her Barbara," he encouraged quietly, much to everyone's surprise. "Look at her eyes, she's fighting to come out of it."
Everyone looked back over, and watched as Dinah's eyes moved rapidly under closed lids. Barbara rolled closer to Dinah and took one slim hand into her own. "That's right Dinah," she encouraged gently. "You can fight this sweetheart. Just listen to my voice, and let it bring you back to us. I know how much you hate the dark….God I can only image how afraid you've been, but I'm here for you now and so is Hel. We'll always be here for you sweetie, so don't give up now when you're so close."
Tears began to trickle from emerald eyes and everyone held their breath while Dinah struggled to join the waking world. Finally, her lids began to flutter, and the whites of her eyes could be seen rolling slightly through the slim opening.
"Come on kid," Hel said taking Dinah's other hand in hers and squeezing. "Come back to us, or so help me god I'll find a way to kick your ass back to the land of the living."
There was another moment of silence, and then Dinah's lips moved ever so slightly. "You…wish…." She whispered so faintly that even Helena barely heard it.
But from the tears that suddenly sprang to her eyes and the relieved- almost delirious- laugh that bubbled from her chest, she did. Barbara leaned forward, hugging Dinah fervently, unable to speak around the lump that had formed in her throat.
Bruce withdrew from the room, leaving the two women to welcome back a young woman that had become a sister and a daughter to them. Leslie hung back for a little while as well, allowing them a crucial bonding moment, before she moved in to check on Dinah and then encouraged her to rest once she was certain the girl was out of critical condition.
Barbara and Helena both refused to move from her side, so the elderly woman followed Bruce's example and allowed herself to head upstairs for her first night of decent sleep in days. As she exited the elevator in Bruce's office she was surprised to see him on the phone, with someone other than Barbara's father. And she slowed her exit from the office, curiosity getting the better of her, as she tried to discreetly listen in on the conversation long enough to decipher who he would be calling as Bruce Wayne.
/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/ooo
Castle Wyvern
Manhattan
Late Evening
David Xanatos looked at his cell phone slightly irritated. He had forgotten to turn it off, but the number was vaguely familiar, and his gut told him he shouldn't ignore the call. So, despite his wife's protests, he answered it.
"Xanatos."
"Mr. Xanatos I hope I'm not catching you at an inconvenient time," the caller said, his voice a stirring from the past.
"Actually I'm just about to sit down to dinner with my wife. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I believe you already have, and I wished to express my gratitude. I don't know exactly how it came about that your son obtained his abilities, but his gift was greatly appreciated tonight."
"Ah, his field trip to heal Dinah," Xanatos deduced. "I must admit that I had some rather persuasive pressure to allow him to travel out tonight with his tutor to practice. I'm glad the lesson was a success. May I ask to whom I'm speaking with though? The voice is familiar, but I haven't been able to place it."
There was a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "It has been awhile Xanatos, and we only met twice when you were first cutting your teeth in the cutthroat world of building your own multi-billion dollar corporation."
David Xanatos sat back in his chair in shock, and then chuckled as the voice finally clicked into place with a face. One he had neither seen, nor heard anything about for the last decade or so. "Bruce Wayne."
"Very good David."
"I wasn't aware that you were back."
"Officially, I'm not. There are only a few close friends that know I'm back in New Gotham. I must congratulate you Xanatos – you gave my company a run for it's money in my absence. Every day I expected to hear the news that Xanatos Enterprises had done a hostile take-over of Wayne Industries."
"The thought had crossed my mind a few times," Xanatos admitted. His wife was now listening to the conversation, intrigued and she raised an eyebrow. "So tell me Mr. Wayne, am I to understand that the timing of your return is not just by coincidence?"
There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "I think we both know the answer to that David. As for whether I will stay or not, that still remains to be seen."
"I would like to extend an invitation to you for a quiet lunch or dinner at my home to discuss some….personal business. If you do decide to leave, I hope you will still consider my invitation."
"I will David. I'll be in touch within the next couple of days."
Xanatos powered off his phone and looked over at his wife. "Well that was certainly unexpected."
"Indeed. So what did the richest bachelor recluse have to say?"
"He called to thank us for letting Alex go and heal Dinah, which leads me to believe that there is a great deal more to Mr. Bruce Wayne than meets the eye."
Fox thought about that as she sipped on the wine that was set before her. "I never got the opportunity to meet him when I was younger, though I did see him at a few of the party's my father actually did drag us too. It will be very interesting to see what really lies beneath that playboy exterior."
/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/oo
Infirmary
Late evening
"What do you mean we can't see her?"
Angela's keen hearing picked up the angry voice of Peter Maza from several corridors away, and fearing the worst she practically ran towards the infirmary where Elisa was recovering.
"I'm sorry Mr. Maza, but when she woke up today, she said she didn't want any visitors just yet and I have to abide by those wishes," the nurse was trying to explain gently.
Angela skidded to a halt, drawing in a hopeful breath. "Elisa's awake?"
"Yes but they won't let us in to see her!" Derek grumbled angrily.
"But…why?"
"Look we're her family-," Peter began angrily.
"Please…can't we see her for just a few minutes?" Diane begged.
The nurse looked at the stones sadly and shook her head. "I would like nothing more than to let you folks in that room. God only knows what the poor dear is going through right now, but obviously it's bad enough that she can't even bear to have the people she loves the most around her yet."
The nurse looked around the hallway and then lowered her voice. "Look, I've heard the rumors, and I've heard her cry out for him in her sleep all afternoon," she told them dismally. The others stiffened, fear creeping into their eyes, but she waved a reassuring hand at them. "Don't worry, it doesn't make any difference to me whether or not she fell in love with a gargoyle. The point is she loved him a great deal, and right now she's having a hard time trying to cope with that loss. She blames herself for his death, and it's going to be a long and difficult road for her to travel until she can accept the fact that there was nothing more she could have done. Until then, what she needs most is your patience and understanding. The doctor has us keeping a close eye on her day and night, and we're going to do our best to encourage her to let you in to visit."
There was a collective sigh of frustration, but Angela stared at the nurse, tears welling up in her large dark eyes. "Why would she blame herself?"
"Because she should have been the one to die that night instead of him," a slightly accented voice answered, and Derek growled as he turned to see Demona walking up to join the group.
"Shut up!" he shouted at her angrily, taking a menacing step forward.
Demona held her ground and simply looked at the bristling mutate with a tired calmness. "I'm not making any accusations, simply stating the facts."
"The facts? Here's a fact…maybe you shouldn't have even been there. Maybe they would have both been alive if you hadn't been there to distract them!"
Mother and daughter's eyes flared blood red and this time it was Angela who stepped forward. "Take that back Derek!"
"They would have all been killed and Canmore would have escaped if I hadn't been there!" Demona snarled.
"Whoa, whoa, let's all just calm down here," the nurse called out as she tried to wedge herself in between the two parties.
"Angela how can you take her side after everything she's done to Elisa?" Peter shouted joining the growing argument.
"Why can't you people see she's changing?" Angela yelled in despair.
The argument grew in volume and intensity until the door to the infirmary opened slowly and a hoarse "Enough!" broke through the brewing fight.
Every one spun around and stared at Elisa who was clinging to her portable IV stand like a lifeline. Sweat was plastering her dark hair to her head, she was visibly trembling, and the nurse rushed to catch her as she nearly collapsed.
"Elisa! Damnit girl, what are you doing out of bed? The Doc'll keep you sedated if he finds out about this," she exclaimed with a dark look towards the others.
Elisa slowly turned her bandaged head towards her family, and her panted statement made them bow their heads in shame. "This….is exactly why I don't want to see….any of you right now," she rasped out angrily. "And…no one…is to ….blame Demona for what happened," the injured detective added obstinately.
Then her strength failed her completely, and the nurse was forced to lower her gently to the floor under the dead weight. Derek stepped forward to help, but he hesitated when Elisa called for Angela. The young woman pushed past Derek, and crouched down next to where the nurse was trying to support Elisa.
"We need to get her back to bed quickly before the doctor shows up," the nurse told Angela quietly. The gargoyle nodded and then gently slipped her arms under Elisa's body and lifted her. Elisa hissed once in pain, the noise echoing like a gunshot in the now silent hallway, and then Angela was following the nurse inside with her precious burden.
As the door swung shut, the Maza family glanced uneasily over at Demona. Derek continued to glare at the immortal but made no further comments. "Fools," she spat at them. Then she turned and stomped away, swearing steadily under her breath.
"Damnit Derek, you're always shooting your mouth off like that and now look!" Beth snapped irritably.
"What did you expect me to do? Be happy about what she said?" he shot back.
"That's is enough!" Diane said firmly, cutting off both siblings. "None of this is helping matters, it's only going to make them worse. None of us has gotten much sleep these past few days, and we're focusing what little energy we have on arguing with each other. Elisa's awake and right now that's all that matters. I'm going to get a decent meal, and then sleep."
With that, the Maza matriarch turned and left, leaving the remaining three family members staring after her. Peter finally sighed. "She's right. We're not doing Elisa any good by standing out here picking fights and arguing. I'll see you kids in the morning."
Derek and Beth mumbled goodnights, but continued to eye each other for a minute longer in typical sibling fashion before walking away in opposite directions muttering unpleasant comments about the other.
(space)
Angela gently lay Elisa down on the bed, and brushed back some of her sweat drenched raven hair. Elisa's breathing had gone from panting, to harsh sobs of pain. "I'm sorry we woke you Elisa," Angela told her, tears leaking down her own face as she watched her best friend and mentor suffer in a way she couldn't possibly understand.
The nurse checked Elisa over carefully and then sighed heavily. "Damn…I was hoping to keep this little adventure of yours under wraps but the doc is gonna have to take a look at you. You are in no condition to be moving around detective," she scolded gently as she moved over to the cabinets and began gathering supplies.
Angela watched as the human came back over with a syringe, and gently pushed up Elisa's sleeve. "No…please no…" Elisa begged as she felt the pinprick on her flesh.
"Elisa, the morphine isn't going to cut it in another few more minutes. You've pulled the stitches in your leg, and your bandages around your head are beginning to soak through again. You're risking your own recovery by pushing too hard too quickly."
"Doesn't matter…at this point…"
"Don't say that!" Angela gasped, anger creeping into her voice. The nurse gave a stern shake of her head, and Angela forced herself to calm down.
"I'm sorry Elisa, but your injuries need time to begin healing," Annabelle informed her regretfully. "If I let the doc do this he'll keep you down for days, I'm only giving you enough to keep you out for a little while."
"The dreams….no….no more dreams….." Elisa cried, tears and blood leaking out from under the bandages.
Angela swallowed around the huge lump that had formed in her throat and she glanced over at the nurse, a look of dismay crossing her beautiful features. The woman sighed sympathetically. "She has bad dreams while under the drugs...probably of what happened that night. But I can't risk letting her remain awake. Doctor Majors is already going to have a fit when he finds out she has been awake most of the day and then she pulled this little stunt."
"Elisa, I'll stay with you," Angela told her quietly. "I'll stay and help keep the dreams away," she promised as she began stroking her talons through her friend's hair.
Elisa began to quiet down after a minute, both the drugs and Angela's presence calming her some. Another few minutes passed with Angela whispering words of reassurance to Elisa before her breathing finally evened out. Angela thought the suffering woman was finally unconscious, but Elisa's hand slowly moved over to weakly grip her own. Her mouth moved slightly, and Angela had to lean forward to hear the barely whispered words.
"…sorry…..I'm sorry……didn't protect….failed…..'m so sorry….." and then her words faded away as she once again succumbed to the pull of the drugs.
Angela felt tears trickle down her face as she continued stroking Elisa's hair. Annabelle came over with a tray and looked at the younger woman. "I have to redress her head sweetie, but it isn't pretty," she warned somberly.
"I'm not going to leave her," Angela said bravely as she nodded for the nurse to continue. Annable smiled encouragingly at her then began to deftly remove the bandages. It took every ounce of control Angela possessed to not look away, but she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips. Annabelle had been right- the injuries were horrifying.
"Th-the doctor says she will have little scarring?" she whispered in disbelief.
The nurse nodded as she dabbed at the oozing wounds and applied a fresh coat of antiseptic ointment before she placed a fresh set of bandages over the injured eye and began re-wrapping her face and head. "I know it looks pretty bad right now, but she'll heal nicely as long as she gives her body the time and rest it needs. Now I'm going to go and get Dr. Majors because her leg is going to need re-stitching and he'll need to re-examine her to make sure she didn't do any serious damage moving around so soon. I'll be back in a few minutes, but if something happens just hit the panic button right there on the wall ok?"
"If you see my mother can you tell her I'm going to stay here tonight?"
"If I can't find her I'll make sure she gets the message."
/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o
Police Headquarters
Manhattan
Late evening
The Chief looked up as the small group of gargoyles were escorted into his office and he stood to greet them as he would any visitor. It took some effort, but he managed to shake the crimson gargoyle's hand without flinching, and was mildly surprised when his hand rested back at his side unscathed. Mentally shaking himself, he forced his tired mind to take stock of the group.
"Brooklyn is it?"
"Yes sir. Thank you for being able to push this meeting back a couple of days. I'd like to introduce to you our Clan Elder Hudson, and these are my rookery brothers Lexington and Broadway. And that's Bronx," he said as the dog-like beast perked up at the mention of his name.
"The young woman that was with you the other night…" he began, noticing her absence.
"Goliath was her father," Brooklyn said quietly.
"Oh," the Chief said nodding in understanding. He looked the weary group over and sighed. "Before we get down to business I just want to say that I'm sorry for your loss. I know it sounds canned, but I've been hearing a great deal these past few days about Goliath from a surprising number of my men and women…and well I regret not being able to meet him. From what Captain Chavez and Detective Bluestone have told me, you guys have been through a lot since your arrival here in Manhattan…and now to lose your leader.." the Chief broke off shaking his head, seeing the sadness and pain in their eyes. In that moment he truly realized that they were as sentient and caring as any human being.
He gestured for them to sit, as he did so and once they were all comfortable he focused on Brooklyn. "Brooklyn I am to understand that you are the leader of this clan now?"
"Yes sir."
"Well as you can imagine I have quite a dilemma on my hands right now. Vigilantism is not something we condone. While it has come to my attention over the past couple of days that your clan is the reason why crime has fallen so drastically over the past few years, I cannot just sit back and knowingly allow you to continue with your nightly patrols. I have turned a blind eye to your activities far too long."
The group tensed and Brooklyn shifted uneasily. "As Hudson would tell you Chief, protecting is in our very nature- as much as breathing is. Telling us that we can no longer help protect this city is like signing a death sentence for our Clan," Brooklyn told him quietly.
"Well it's a good thing for you that I'm a man who can look past the surface and see the potential and opportunity here," the Chief told him with a reassuring chuckle. "I have been in one meeting after another with the Commissioner, the Mayor, the Governor, and too many other politicians to keep track of. Here's the bottom line. I am asking you and your Clan to suspend all nightly patrols of Manhattan and any of our neighboring boroughs, until such time that the legal paperwork is processed for all members of your Clan to be enrolled as official affiliates with the NYPD."
Stunned silence met his words and he allowed himself a smug grin. Broadway found his tongue first. "You- you mean we'll be real officers? With badges and everything?"
"For the time being you will be civilian aides to the police department," the Chief answered. "However once you have been granted legal citizenship, you will all be eligible to go through the normal hiring procedures if you so wish."
The next stretch of silence was finally broken by Lex's excited yelp. "Awesome!" he laughed looking over at his brothers. "We're finally gonna be citizens!"
Brooklyn snorted, shaking his head in disbelief and the Chief watched as he gave Hudson a sad smile. "It's everything Goliath has been fighting for all these years. He never gave up hope…and now it's finally starting to happen," he said softly, his voice rough with emotion.
"I'm sure you're aware that there is a lot of red tape I'm trying to cut through to make this happen. But I'm not the only one who is pushing to get this through. You guys have helped a lot of people over the years….some of them very powerful and very influential. That's why I am asking, instead of ordering you to halt your patrols for the time being. I promise it will only be for a short while, and it will give you all the time you're going to need to heal and recover from the losses you have suffered."
"Aye, 'twould be wise for all of us to take some time off tae grieve properly," Hudson admitted knowingly. "But this request….are ye asking us to be confined to our home?"
There was a heavy sigh. "I won't say you can't leave your home….but I would like to strongly urge you to stay out of the public's eye as much as possible over the next few weeks. If you happen upon a crime in progress…well there's no law against being a good Samaritan. But please don't be out there looking for trouble."
"I think we can manage that for a little while," Brooklyn nodded. He was still in shock over what he had just heard, and couldn't stop the next question that sprang from his mouth.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked, looking the gift horse in the mouth.
The Chief's lips quirked upwards. "Because the numbers tell me I should. Sure elections are coming up, and this will make for an interesting race, but my primary duty is to the citizens of this city. Their safety, and the safety of every person that comes to visit this city rise above every other petty thing that people fight and criticize about. Your clan has helped to make this city as safe as it has ever been in over five decades. You guys help make any politician look good," he smiled. Then the smile grew a little more genuine. "Besides you have earned it, and I believe this is long overdue in coming."
Brooklyn stood and walked over to stand in front of him. The look of genuine gratitude in his eyes as he held out his hand had made every headache over the last couple of days worth it. "Thank you Chief. You have no idea what this truly means to us."
"Don't thank me yet Brooklyn," the Chief chuckled, clasping hands with the gargoyle once more, this time without any hesitation. "Wait until you have to start signing a thousand papers and then see if you'll be thanking me."
Brooklyn chuckled. "Everyone of us would be willing to sign them in blood if it truly means the beginning of a truce between our races."
"It's gonna be more than a truce Brooklyn. We plan on making it a damn alliance," the Chief told him determinedly.
/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/oo
December 28
Wayne Manor
Midday
Leslie came down the stairs, not surprised to see Barbara and Helena where she'd last seen them the previous night. Both women were still healing and really needed more rest than they were allowing themselves. Helena was still suffering headaches and dizziness, which indicated that her concussion had been more severe than the young woman was letting on to. Since she had refused to let either herself or Barbara look over her injuries, Leslie could only image what other injuries here meta healing was trying to repair.
Knowing she was about to have a fight on her hands however, the older woman had brought reinforcements. Dick, Tim, Reese and Alfred all accompanied her as she moved up next to the three sleeping woman and gently woke Helena and Barbara.
"Alright you two, up to bed with you."
"Nu-uh," Helena mumbled sleepily as she tried to stretch out a kink in her neck from where it had been resting awkwardly on a nearby console.
"No arguing," Reese chuckled as he reached down to pull her up. "The kid's gonna be fine and the next watch is here to make sure she stays that way."
"Besides, you two look like hell and if I were Dinah I would probably be scared back into a coma if I woke up and the first thing I saw was you," Dick added bluntly.
Barbara and Helena glared at him. "Did anyone ever tell you your bedside manner sucks?" Helena grumbled.
"And yours is any better right now, sunshine?" he shot back sweetly.
"Not to mention Young Master Drake here has been rapidly running out of excuses to dodge helping me with chores around the Manor," Alfred put in, a teasing smile on his face as the young man reddened.
"See Alfred has a much better bedside manner. After living with him so long I can't believe you never picked up on it," Barbara told her lover with a massive yawn.
"Which is exactly why he and Tim should be keeping Dinah company right now instead of you. But if you let me take you upstairs I promise to shut up," he said with a boyish grin at Dinah.
"I'll take you upstairs myself if it means shutting him up," Helena spoke up as she stood up quickly and then reeled slightly as the room spun a bit.
"Easy there tiger," Reese said as he shot Leslie a concerned glance.
"Scanner. Now." Leslie ordered firmly, as she watched Helena's eyes roll back for a second as she nearly lost consciousness.
It was a tone that not even her father had been able to compete with in the past, and she meekly obeyed as Dick wheeled Barbara away. Tim and Alfred settled down next to Dinah and Tim pulled out a deck of cards to pass the time. Reese stayed next to her as she shuffled over to the table and made herself comfortable on the cushioned surface.
Moments later, her breathing evened out once more in sleep and Reese stared at her amazed. "Wow, that was fast," he commented to Leslie as she walked up and sighed.
"She's fighting her meta healing. Normally she would be asleep for a couple of days solid, after the injuries she received. Her body will heal quickly, but it takes a tremendous amount of energy to do that. I'm worried that she might suffer permanent damage if she doesn't allow her body to heal properly. Now let's see what's going on inside."
Reese stepped back as the older woman slid the table along its track into a large machine that looked similar to a CAT scanner. She shut the door, and moved over to a console where she typed in several commands and then hit the ENTER button. The large machine hummed to life, and Reese sat in a nearby chair as he watched a light rotate around inside the chamber, making several passes over Helena's body. After about five minutes, the lights shut off and the machine quieted.
"That's it?"
"Perks of owning your own billion dollar company," Leslie merely chuckled as she walked over to slide Helena back out while the computer processed the data. A couple of minutes later, there was a soft chime and Leslie began scrutinizing the readings. Her frown turned into a scowl and her pursed lips finally grumbled an oath.
"What?" Reese asked worriedly.
"Damn girl is as stubborn as her father," Leslie muttered darkly. "She's a mess and I'm amazed she's been able to walk let alone go off on her father like she did yesterday. She's got two healing ribs, that concussion isn't much better, and she has some bruises that are a bit more than bruises."
"Anything life threatening?"
"No, but if she doesn't rest, they will get worse, and then they could become life threatening. So, I'm going to do what I usually have to do to keep her down long enough to heal when she's in a mood like this," Leslie said as she uncapped a prepared syringe and plunged it into Helena's arm. The young woman didn't even stir.
"Sedating her?" Reese chuckled as he raised an eyebrow. There had been a couple of times he would have liked to have done the same thing to her. Maybe he could talk Leslie out of a couple of those syringes.
"I've learned a great deal over the years treating super-heroes," Leslie chuckled as she pulled an IV bag out of a drawer and began to prepare Helena's arm for the line. "The first is that they're always hurt worse than they let on. The second is that they'll last far longer than humanly possible before they actually collapse and when they do, it's a very, very bad thing. The third is that they'll never let you touch them when they need it the most, so always carry a back-up. Knock-em out and keep 'em that way until they're completely healed."
Reese laughed, and shook his head. "Sounds about right. How long are you going to keep her down for?"
Leslie finished the IV line, opened the stopper on the bag and watched as the fluids began to drip steadily into the tube. "Two days at least. I need to touch base with New Gotham General, because there are two of our friends recovering there that could use some attention from me. Now that Dinah's awake and recovering, Helena's out for a couple of days, and I have Dick to keep Barbara in bed, I need to get caught up on my other work."
"Tell me about it," Reese sighed. "I've got a mound of paperwork waiting for me back at the station, and there's a lot of questions that need to be answered."
"Sounds like it's a good time for you to get some stuff taken care of as well then detective. Besides, she's not going to wake up for quite some time and Alfred will be here to make sure that she stays put."
"I should at least make an appearance," Reese said. "My partner is about ready to go postal, and I'm sure he could use a hand with all the paperwork he's been trying to handle with the Clock Tower incident."
"Just remember to get some sleep yourself detective," Leslie admonished as she gather up a few things into an old fashioned medical bag and closed it.
"You too Doc, I think you've been up more than most of us."
"Trust me, I 'm going to sleep good tonight."
/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/oo/o/oo/o
Castle Wyvern
Manhattan
Evening
Angela walked quietly along the corridors with her mother when she suddenly turned to push through the massive doors that led into the library. She stood in the large room, drinking in the rich scents and the peace that this room had always brought her. "This was his favorite room," she told her mother quietly, her voice catching slightly.
Demona glanced around the room, the barest hint of a smile quirking her lips up. "The library had always been his favorite. There were only four of us in the Clan that could read, but he and I were the only two who actually enjoyed it. When we were young, we used to steal away to the rafters in the old library, to read the various scrolls that were collecting dust. The humans didn't like that we could read- especially at so young an age- and more than once we received rookery duty for having been caught by the humans in the library."
The crimson haired gargoyle looked around at the wealth of knowledge and entertainment before her. "Of course we weren't always there to read," she admitted with a small genuine chuckle. And then she remembered herself and it died instantly as she began to scowl.
"Do you miss him?" Angela asked softly after a minute.
Complete silence met her statement, and Angela looked over to see her mother gazing at nothing, a sad and distant look in her eyes. "I lost your father a long time ago Angela," she said finally, visibly shaking herself from her reverie. "For a time, I thought I had regained him, but then it became clear to me that we were far too different, and his interests lay…elsewhere." It took a great deal of will power to not say that statement with any malice in her voice, but she managed admirably.
"What did you mean last night…in the hallway."
Demona sighed. "Let it go daughter," she requested.
But Angela was not so easily deterred. She moved until she was facing her mother, and forced the older gargess to meet her gaze. "No mother. I stood up to Elisa's family for you. I think I've earned the right to know what you meant."
"Angela are you ready to hear everything that happened the other night?"
"I need to know mother," Angela pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. "I need to know why Elisa….why Elisa doesn't care if she lives or dies. Why she blames herself for fathers death."
Demona regarded the girl hesitantly, unsure if she should tell her so soon of the events that had transpired. But last night had seemed to bolster the girl's strength back up. Sitting with Elisa, when the detective would see no others, had given her some sense of stability back into her life. Of course it irked Demona to no end that even half dead the human could have so much influence over the girl, and that she Angela cared so much for her well-being, but at least she wasn't wandering aimlessly around the castle weeping uncontrollably. When she awoke this evening, she had not burst into a fit of tears as she had every other night since Goliath's death. And just a few short moments ago she had found the strength to actually confront her.
Waving the young woman over to a large couch, Demona wrapped a wing around her as she told her daughter everything that had transpired once she had joined the battle. She only held back some of the more gruesome details of Goliath's injuries, knowing that the girl didn't need any further explanation in that respect.
She finished the retelling of those horrible events nearly an hour later, and when silence finally settled over the room once more, Demona found the whole experience strangely cathartic. A weight seemed to lift a bit from her shoulders, and as she glanced over at her daughter, she was surprised to see Angela in deep thought for a while.
"Elisa was going to sacrifice herself…first for father and then for you," she whispered, amazed by her human friend's self-sacrificing spirit. "That's what you meant when you told Derek that she should have been the one to die."
Demona's wings lifted in a slight shrug. She had been trying to avoid thinking to deeply upon the fact that Elisa had taken the bullets meant for her. "In her mind, she was ready to die…she should have died. She fought with everything she had, to see to it that she was the only one who went down with the Hunter. But your father couldn't stand by and let her do that."
"But…you stopped her from killing the Hunter," Angela continued her brow furrowed. "Why?"
This time Demona had no answer, and there was a fleeting moment of panic that raced across her features. Angela rested a taloned hand on her own, and the immortal was slow to meet the girl's gaze. "It's okay," she whispered softly, her large brown eyes filled with so much love and acceptance. It was something Demona had not been shown or felt in a long time, and it broke off another large chunk of stone around her heart.
"No matter why you did it….thank you," Angela whispered as she hugged her mother, fiercely. All the older gargoyle could do was hug her back, emotions closing her throat and misting her eyes. Suddenly the castle walls seem to close in on her and she slowly extricated herself from her daughter.
"I have some business that I have been putting off," she told Angela as she pushed herself to her feet, her mind reeling. "If you will be well on your own for just this one evening I should go home to take care of it."
Angela nodded. "I'll be fine now mother. I'm sorry I've kept you here so long."
Demona reached out and rubbed her knuckles along Angela's brow. "Nonsense child. I just need to take care of some things and then I will be free to stay with you for as long as you need."
"Go. I'll be okay," Angela reassured her.
With a grateful hug, the older gargess managed to leave the room at a respectable speed and walked casually down the corridors. Outside however, she raced across the courtyard and threw herself off the wall as she sped as quickly as possible away from the source of her inner turmoil.
/o/o/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/oo/o/o/o/o/o/
January 2nd
Wayne Manor
New Gotham
Helena knocked on the slightly ajar door and peered into her father's plush office. He was sitting behind his massive cherry wood desk, a blazing fire keeping the winter chill at bay. His eyes glanced over in her direction and he nodded when she entered hesitantly at first. They hadn't hardly spoken since their hours long talk in the training room a almost a week ago.
But she wasn't about to ruin her reputation, so the confidence kicked in and her back straightened as she swaggered into the room and slid into one of the expensive chairs and settled her feet on his desk. "You beckoned?" she asked casually, trying not to smirk too much as he glared at the booted feet on his expensive furniture.
Bruce curbed his strong desire to make a digging remark about her irritating habits, realizing that was exactly what she wanted. She didn't realize that he had practiced playing this game for years with her mother. So after a moment of studying her challenging features, he leaned back in his own chair and mirrored her actions. He almost allowed himself a smile when he saw the slight flash of disappointment in her eyes. It was quickly followed with an almost predatory look.
Let the games begin, he thought to himself wryly.
"We haven't talked in a few days and I was just wondering how you were doing?" he began with a shrug.
Her eyebrow crept into her hairline. "What Alfred or one of the others couldn't tell you?"
Long years of practice kept his face blank and his eyes unreadable. "Actually, most of them say very little to me right now."
She gave him a mock pout. "Poor Bruce," she sighed dramatically "Not used to not getting the red carpet treatment while you're at home are you?"
"And I thought we were beyond this Helena," he said flatly.
"Let's just get something straight here," she told him as her feet dropped to the floor and she leaned towards him, her eyes glinting gold in the firelight. "You seriously hurt those people, and from what I understand you have YET to say sorry to them. Sure we had our little chat the other night, but all that means jack to me until you apologize to them for what you did."
"Fine, I'll take care of that before I leave, but first we have some business to discuss," he said bluntly as he too placed his feet on the floor and sat back up.
"Whoa, wait a minute here," she said pushing her chair back as she stood. "Don't tell me you're gonna do the disappearing act again?" she shouted.
"Helena sit down," he told her calmly.
"No!" she told him defiantly, her voice raising as her eyes grew more feral with her emotions. "Are you going to ditch us again?"
"Helena sit down and I will be happy to discuss with you what's going on," he ordered in a steel tone that had normal people quaking instantly. She didn't wither in fear, but at least she calmed down enough to obey- even if it did include glowering – and to his slight surprise, some growling -in his direction.
"I've been gone too long Helena," he explained. "There's nothing left for me to do here, and everyone has made it quite clear that they can get along just fine without me. Old Gotham was mine to protect, New Gotham is your legacy now. I'm not going to disappear like I did last time, but I can't stay here. I think you can understand why."
She stared at him, unsure of what to say as he stood to pace in front of the fire. "You have yet to touch any of your inheritance, and that's your choice. But Wayne Industries cannot continue to function for much longer without someone to take control. I want you to take the reins Helena."
"Wh-what?" she breathed shocked.
"I know you aren't ready by any means to handle what I'm asking of you. And I wouldn't expect you to jump into things with out guidance first. Dick is more than capable of showing you the ropes, and I can trust him to help you manage the corporation until your ready to do it on your own. I have also spoken with a former business acquaintance of mine- someone I respect and I believe I can trust- and he and his wife said they would be willing to help out as well.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Helena, everything in this house and what lies beneath it, is my life. I haven't been there to give you anything, and now this is all I can offer you. I'm handing you the key to everything that I was…everything that I am… to do as you see fit with it."
Silence encompassed the room, save the soft crackling of the fire, and Helena stared blankly at the floor in complete and utter shock. Bruce allowed her time to comprehend what he was offering, seeing the wheels finally turning in her head. Finally she shook it, and lifted her gaze. "I have to think about this," was all she said as she stood and began to exit the room. "In the meantime you need to make a few apologies, or there will be no deal" she told him firmly before she slipped out.
Bruce sighed, and brooded for the next hour until Alfred quietly approached him with some coffee. Bruce gratefully accepted the caffeine. "Alfred," he said quietly, halting the aging butler before he could retreat from the room.
"Yes Master Bruce?" he asked politely.
"Sit down for a minute…please," he added.
Alfred sat, and waited, his normally warm features guarded. "Alfred….I'm sorry," he forced himself to say. He winced at how uncaring it sounded and he sighed in frustration at himself. "Damnit, I'm not any good at this," he muttered.
There was a moment's pause and then he heard the older man shift slightly. "Then perhaps it is a good thing you're practicing on me first instead of Miss Barbara or Master Dick."
Bruce lifted his eyes to see his life long friend give him a patient smile- the first smile he had been bestowed with since his arrival. He sighed in relief, and the rest just came out naturally. "You've always been there for me old friend, but this time…."
"I understood more than they did sir. You were re-living what had happened with your parents…an event you had strived so hard to keep from re-occurring. But did you really think so little of us- of me- that you couldn't even tell me of your whereabouts? Surely you knew I would have kept it a secret if you wished it. You have been like a son to me Master Bruce, and it pained me to not know how you fared."
Bruce sighed heavily as he hung his head and closed his tired eyes. Alfred was right…he shared a closer bond with the older man than he even had with Dick. He had had no right to shut out so completely the man that had been there for him through every thing.
"I'm sorry Alfred…I never meant to hurt you…to hurt anyone."
"I know" Alfred sighed. But after a moment of silence he straightened and his tone lightened into his normal pleasant tenor. "Now go straighten things out with Master Dick and Miss Barbara so that we can put all this unpleasantness behind us."
"You sound like you've been talking with my daughter."
"Miss Helena is a very vocal person- whether one wants to hear or not."
Bruce chuckled as the butler stood and took his leave so his employer could begin his search for his two former protégé's.