Book One: Fear

Chapter 5

Thanks for reading this story. Thanks to loveshona93, to DarkDust27, to LennyBoy54, to Summertimefun34, to Zimmer12, to Dattebasa1, to Pacman112, to Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967 and to highlander348 for their review. Thanks to all the followers and the one who favourited this story.

New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.

What can I say about Wayne Manor? Apart from the fact that it was ridiculously gigantic. Immensely huge and well decorated. I felt out of place, dripping on the carpet, standing in the middle of the parlor. "Miss Sanders, perhaps you would like to changer into drier clothes?" Alfred said appearing behind me.

I turned around to face him and immediately took the towels he was holding. "Thanks. But I won't be staying." I smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, about dripping on your carpet."

"That would be Master Wayne's." Alfred smiled warmly. "And I don't think he would mind."

"How is he doing?" I asked drying myself up with the towel.

"He has calmed down, his breathing has regulated and he has stopped mumbling." Alfred replied. "But he hasn't regained consciousness. He seemed to be dreaming."

"What will you do if he gets worse? I don't wish that but just in case." I added quickly.

"I shall call Mr. Fox. He will know what to do." Alfred told me patiently.

"Good."

"How did you know?" Alfred questioned me. I looked up at him.

"I heard him call you on his phone." I answered truthfully. What? It's the truth. I've seen him do it in the movie. Alright, it's half the truth.

"That's not enough reason for you to come to such conclusion." Alfred retorted pointedly.

"Maybe. But I don't think there's a lot of people that are called Alfred in Gotham City." I said smoothly. "And you're the only one that I've heard of. That was enough reason for me to come to such conclusion."

Alfred and I stared at each other for a moment before the Butler smiled warmly. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

I blinked at the sudden change of attitude from Alfred. "Yeah, I'd very much like that." I stuttered.

He was a strange man. One moment is gauging me, trying to figure out who I am. Making it clear by his question that he doesn't trust me. And the next he's offering a cup of tea and smiling at me as if I haven't just seen his little protégé disguised as a bat. I mean totally normal reaction, right?

He led me to the kitchen and sat me down at the small rounded table that was there. I watched him fuss around, grabbing the kettle, setting the cups on the table. They don't show those things in the movies. You know the normal things that normal people do. Like drinking a cup of tea or watching TV. Maybe because it's boring and people don't want that. I mean the only time we saw those characters drink tea, well, it's only when they're having an important conversation that would get things moving a bit. Even TV is used as a props to get the plot moving. But here it's different, it seemed almost…No, not almost. It seemed ordinary.

"Can I use the phone to call a cab?" I asked after several minutes of sipping tea quietly.

"Of course, Miss Sanders." Alfred smiled.

"Thanks." I got up and went to the phone that was fixed to the wall in the kitchen.

I wished I could stay here with Alfred and helped with Mr. Wayne but I couldn't. You see, ordinary people like has jobs to do. And the day after that I needed to get to work. I knew that Bruce would be fine but there's that weird irrational part of your brain that just kept asking what if he won't? And yet, I've seen it. Batman would be fine. Bruce Wayne would get through this.

Seeing him being so weak, so vulnerable was harder than watching be like that in the movie. Some people, when they watch a movie, can get so into it that they actually forgot that it's just a movie. This isn't a movie. This is reality. And if I hadn't realized that before, well, I knew it now. Even then, when you know that someone will be fine because you saw it. There's that probability that things can go wrong for some obscure reason that escape any human control. Because time can be rewritten. And sometimes not for the best.

"Miss Sanders?" Alfred called before I could get out of the Manor.

"Yes, Alfred." I stopped my hand on the handle.

"What you witnessed tonight is to be…" He started.

"It goes without saying, Alfred." I cut him off. "His secrets are safe with me."

"Thank you."

"Alfred?" I called in my turn.

"Yes, Miss Sanders."

"Don't wait too long before calling, Mr. Fox." I advised him. "Better be safe than sorry."

I was back at work the day after that. My application form was forgotten for the time being. I wondered if Alfred have followed my advice to call Fox as soon as possible. In the movie he said he did once Bruce has gotten worse. I wondered if he waited or if he actually called Fox. But Batman being poisoned wasn't the only thing that occurred this last day.

The District Attorney Finch has disappeared. It was too soon to confirm it but we knew. And more importantly I knew. You know that bullshit I keep saying that I shouldn't get involved. Remember that? I'm starting to regret it. I could have stopped Finch from being killed and thrown in the bottom of the river. Instead I'm just deciding on whether or not I should attend the exams to be a detective.

That knowledge is going to waste but if I had stopped Finch from being killed. Harvey Dent would never be the new DA of Gotham. Or maybe, he would have been anyway. And if he hadn't, well, it probably would have been for the best. Because Harvey Dent would have never become Two-Face. I don't know. This is all very confusing and frustrating.

"Wayne Manor." Alfred answered.

"This is Miss Sanders." I informed him.

"Hello, Miss Sanders."

"I just wanted to know if Mister Wayne was doing better, today." I stirred the coffee in my cup keeping my voice down.

"I called Mr. Fox, this morning." Alfred retorted. "He is making an antidote as we are speaking. But Mr. Wayne has gotten worse, I'm afraid."

"You called Fox. Fortunately, he won't be like that for long." I said thoughtfully. "If you need anything, Alfred. Anything. Just call me."

"Thank you for offer, Miss Sanders but I don't think we shall need something."

"But if you do."

"I will."

"I gotta go, Alfred. I'll call you later."

"Goodbye, Miss Sanders."

"Goodbye, Alfred."

"Where were you last night?" Sue asked me.

"Out. Like you." I replied to her serving her a cup of coffee.

"I saw that but where?" She asked again.

"I got out to take a breather. I needed to clear up my head." I retorted.

"You're still hesitating about that detective thing?" Sue smiled.

"Yep." I sighed. "Sue, I took the day off but I won't be going to the birthday party with you."

"What? Why?" Sue exclaimed.

"I'll be working." I replied.

"You're off duty." She reminded me.

I shook my head. "Something big is going to happen. And I need to be there. And I need you to be safe that night."

"What's going on?" She asked her voice dripping with worries.

"Nothing. Yet." I exhaled deeply. "Just promise me, that you'll be okay tomorrow night."

"Yes, I will be." She agreed to do frowning at me. "But you're scaring me. I've never seen you that serious, before. What's really going on?"

"I don't really know but I know some things are going to happen. And I have to do everything I can to help." I looked down. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded still frowning up at me. "As long as you're safe too."

"I'll try."

I wish I could tell more than that. I wish I could tell her the truth but I couldn't and I wouldn't. Bruce Wayne has a double identity, has a double life. And I realized now that in some way, I had a double life too. There was my life as a cop of GCPD and my life as someone who knew about Batman before Batman even existed. I have a double life.

I zipped up my leather brown jacket, slipped my wallet into the back pocket of my jeans. Grabbed my keys and my helmet and left my flat. Sue was in the corridor about to knock on my door. "You're that worried?" I quirked up one of my eyebrows.

"What do you mean?"

"You never knock." I said.

She hugged me tightly. "I don't know what's going on and I don't know how you know that something is going to happen but please. Don't die."

I encircled her back with my arms. "I won't. I promise." She just hold me tighter. "Er…I really need to go now."

"Okay." She pulled away and smoothed her clothes. "See you."

"See you."

I drove to the Wayne Manor. I really hoped that things won't be too bad tonight. Because there was so much going on tonight. Rachel is going to be drugged. Ra's al Ghul is in town and the hallucinogen was going to be released in the air. Don't worry, I won't be telling anything to Bruce Wayne. But I won't wait until it's over. I will try to limit the damage.

I rang the doorbell. I unzipped my jacket waiting for someone to open the door for me. In broad daylight, the mansion seemed bigger than two days ago. The park was beautiful and I wouldn't mind having a picnic there. I heard the door opened behind me. I turned around to be welcomed by the sight of a smiling Alfred.

"Hello, Miss Sanders." Alfred opened the door wider and stepped aside to let me in.

"Good morning, Alfred." I greeted back. "Is he awake?"

"No but the fever broke. Mr. Fox had been able to create an antidote." Alfred explained to me taking my helmet to put it away. "The antidote had been administered last night. Now, we are waiting."

"Do you mind if I wait with you?" I asked him.

"Not at all." Alfred smiled gently.

He led me upstairs and into Bruce Wayne's bedroom. Bruce was lying on his side, still unconscious. He seemed to be fine. He was certainly doing better than two days ago. I sat on one of the chair by his bed, facing the prince of Gotham. Alfred left the room a moment to fetch a cup of tea. Christian Bale is handsome and he's the actor who's portraying Bruce Wayne. We all agree on that. But Bruce Wayne is somehow much more handsome.

"You have no idea how famous you are, Bruce Wayne." I said quietly. "You are a hero for a lot of people." I got up from the chair, moved closer to the bed and reached out to his hair. I brushed his hair out of his face. "Sue is right. You are handsome but I knew that already." I pulled my hand away quickly as the door open and another man than Alfred stepped in.

"Miss Sanders, this is Mr. Lucius Fox." Alfred introduced the man to me, once he was in the room.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Fox." I said shaking his hand. "Officer Emma Sanders."

"Nice to meet you, Officer." Lucius smiled at me. "How is our patient doing?"

"Better it seemed." I answered. "Mr. Fox that antidote you made for Mr. Wayne. Can you do more of it and some?"

"Why? Are you planning on trying that gas, Miss Sanders?"

"It's not my intention at all." I replied. "Let's just say that someone created that gas and they probably already find a use for it. I just want to get ready just in case someone decides to use it."

"I'll bring what I have."

"It'll be enough for now but we're gonna need more of it." I shook my head. "Much more."

"Manufacturing this antidote on a large scale will take us weeks." Lucius told me pointedly.

"Just make as much antidote as you can." I retorted. "The police is gonna need every doses you have."

"I'll see what I can do." Lucius promised me. "Alfred, always a pleasure."

"Lucius." Alfred said back. And Lucius Fox was gone.

"Mr. Fox, the few antidotes you already have, can you drop it here at the Wayne Manor?" I asked him before he left.

"Of course." He nodded before leaving.

"Miss Sanders, you seem to know more than you let on." Alfred remarked.

"I'm just planning on ahead, Alfred." I told him.

"How long was I out?" Bruce Wayne asked as soon as he woke up.

"Two days." Alfred replied. "It's your birthday. Many happy returns."

"I've felt these effects before, but this was so much more potent." Bruce started to describe. "It was some kind of hallucinogen, weaponized, in aerosol form."

"Thanks to Lucius Fox you are well again." I said turning away from the window and walking closer to the bed. "He synthesized an antidote. I already asked him to make more of it and to send the few he already have to you." He looked at me stunned to see me here.

"Miss Sanders helped me to transport you here at the manor after you've been poisoned." Alfred explained.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." I assured him.

So, what did you think of this chapter?