Life Unexpected
Chapter 9
Gotham Morning Madness
The relationship between Steve and Diana became strained, yet at work they were nothing but professional.
Still, Diana desired that the two of them try and salvage their relationship, but Steve didn't even want to be in the same room as her, so couples counseling was an impossibility.
She could have become despondent by his refusal, curl up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream and start weeping. But she refused to do such a thing, she was a proud woman and was the one that wanted to be on a break.
She respected Steve's decision and he did the same. Their relationship at work was extremely awkward but they kept their professionalism. They had to or one of them would lose their job.
The Grecian woman held a manila folder in her hands, Maria, Elissa's case worker had recently faxed over her child's file to her and Bruce in the hopes that they could get a better understanding of their daughter.
She didn't get a chance to look at the file last night, so she brought it to work with her, with the hopes of getting a glimpse of what Elissa was like before she was reunited with her parents'.
The woman had already gotten a sense of what Elissa's rough life was like when the two had an in-depth discussion about it some time ago.
She sat a table in the waiting area of the station, Etta joined her, having been called over by her friend. She wanted to share it with her best friend as well as having an unbiased opinion.
Diana looked through Elissa's medical records, "Strep throat," she muttered reading along. She turned the page and saw a smiling Elissa at age six. The photograph brought a warm smile to the raven-haired woman's lips, she was glad that Elissa had something to smile about at that age, happy that everything in her young life wasn't terrible.
She showed Etta the photo, provoking a gleeful squeal, "Oh, Diana she's adorable," the blonde gushed.
Steve just happened to be walking by when he heard Etta squeal. He glanced at the women, meeting Diana's blue eyes, only to immediately turn away and continue on his way.
A pang of sadness went through her, but swiftly brushed it aside and returned to the file.
"Ventricular septal defect?" Diana read the file.
"What's that?" Etta asked, putting the photo down.
"It's something Elissa had when she was a baby," the woman answered, eyes buried in the file. "It's a small hole in the heart. She had to have multiple surgeries to have it fixed," Diana elaborated.
"Poor thing," Etta couldn't help but feel sympathetic for the teenager.
"Aw," Diana gushed as she plucked out a Thanksgiving turkey hand from the file. The hand was so tiny, she could only speculate it was made when Elissa was little.
Immediately, she shared it with the blonde, who gushed at how cute it was. With its googly eyes, and multi-colored feathers made from her young fingers, a mundane piece of artwork from most elementary schools, yet greatly adorable to the women.
Wayne Enterprises
Within Bruce's office he too was examining Elissa's case file, faxed over by Marie. He was positive Diana was doing the same thing.
Their relationship had improved recently and have recently been spending time together with Elissa as a family. He found it all… foreign to him.
It's been a long time since he had a family. Not since that night all those years ago.
Silently, he looked through the file, noticing pictures of his daughter when she was little. Perhaps it was the proud father in him, but she looked positively adorable at that age.
He noticed her medical records, nothing stood out to him aside from the heart condition she had as a baby.
Everything was fine, until he came across some of her school art projects. It made him feel depressed. He shouldn't be seeing these projects now; he should have seen them when she had made them years ago.
Depression and self-loathing intensified once he came across a letter to Santa Claus.
The letter was aged and wrinkled. The letter was most likely around the time she was in the youth center.
She wrote to Santa, stating that some kids wanted toys or art supplies or clothes. But all she wanted was a mom and a dad. She talked about how good she was that year and just wanted a family that wanted her and liked. She even promised she would never ask for anything again.
A lump formed in his throat that almost suffocated him. He shut the file, unable to look through it any further. He managed to swallow the lump; his heart ached almost to the point of tears.
He shut his eyes, his head bowed, "I'm sorry," he whispered at all the suffering his daughter had gone through because of him. "I'm so sorry."
Diana's House
Since Diana's relationship with Steve fell apart, Bruce spent a decent amount of time at the Greek woman's place. All under the idea of spending time together with Elissa.
Both desired to give her as much as a normal childhood as they could, regardless of how much time she had left as a child.
She was growing up, in four short years she would be in college, so they made the most of it and swore they would never leave her side again.
The three of them had fun together. Playing all sorts of games together, such as board games like Monopoly, or card games such as Poker and Blackjack, Elissa surprised both adults that she was very good at the latter.
Good thing they didn't play with any money.
Other times they watched movies together, Dick sometimes joined them when it was movie night. Bruce wanted to make sure Dick was included, wanting to make sure Elissa and Dick got along.
That night, however, was game night.
"Twenty-one!" Elissa proudly exclaimed, slapping the cards on the dining room table.
Bruce dumped his cards on the table in resignation, huffing.
Diana doing the same but in a much more dignified manner.
"Next time I'm shuffling," Bruce fumed, having lost a third time in a row against his daughter.
A boisterous laugh erupted from the teenager as she gathered the cards and handing them to the man. "See if it helps," she challenged.
Amused, Diana silently observed taking a sip of her tea. It was a pleasant feeling watching the two banter together. Bruce made it so easy to bond with their daughter. Diana tried and Elissa never showed any resistance to spending time together. But aside from shopping, watching movies and other activities it merely seemed that Bruce had an easier time with the teenager than she.
Silently shooting daggers at the teenager, Bruce shuffled the cards and then dealt, the way he was acting made Elissa laugh at his antics, which slowly brought a smile to the man's face.
Now that everyone had their cards, Diana went first. Asking for another card, she contemplated her next move. Her brow scrunched up in concentration, a long silence formed putting both father and daughter on edge. Eventually, Diana chose to stay after a hard minute, evaporating the tense around the table.
Bruce looked to Elissa next, "Hit me," she requested another card. Bruce gave her one, her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration. It was a long while before Elissa said anything else. "I'll stay."
Bruce glanced at his cards next, seeing he could use another card, he drew one. He chose to stay at that.
The family glanced at one another suspiciously, exchanging looks with one another like they were in a high stacks game.
Diana started off, "Nineteen," she announced.
"Twenty," Elissa announced with victory in her voice.
Scowling, Bruce tossed his cards, "Eighteen," he grumbled.
Elissa shot her arms up in the air," Yes!" she cheered for herself, proud of, yet again another victory for the night.
"Bah," Bruce slammed the deck of cards onto the table.
The Grecian woman giggled at the billionaire's behavior, greatly amused by him, as was Elissa.
"'Nother round?" the foster child proposed, exhilarated by her winning streak.
"One more," Diana answered before Bruce could decline. The man shot an annoyed look towards Diana, who merely smiled back at his unfortunate losing streak.
"Diana's turn to shuffle and deal," Elissa announced getting up from her chair, walking to the kitchen for something to drink.
Padding her way to the refrigerator, her thoughts swirled with this family time both her parents were holding for her. It made her insides tingle at their effort. She always wanted what this was and now that she has it, she couldn't even consider losing it.
She… liked them. Her wish was granted, but it's taken so long for her to have this, the idea had lost some of its sparkle.
But she still cherished what they were trying to do for her.
Bruce pouted in his seat as Diana shuffled the cards, her eyes never leaving his form. She was very much entertained by his antics this evening. She didn't know he was capable of such behavior.
Although, since he was the only one that hadn't won a single game this evening probably contributed to his behavior.
A small smile tugged at her lips; she closed her eyes turning away from the man. She dealt out the cards then set the deck on the table in front of her awaiting Elissa's return.
Antsy, Bruce checked his cards but didn't show any emotion concerning what he's got.
Suddenly, something caught Diana's eyes. She noticed the callouses on Bruce's hands. The roughness, the scraps.
Unwittingly, she reached over placing her gentle hand atop of his. The appendage flinched under the woman's, a confused expression appeared on Bruce's face as he glanced to Diana, a curious brow raised.
However, the woman didn't meet his gaze, her eyes focused on the hand. Eventually, Diana found her voice, "I never noticed how rough your hands were," she told him softly. "Like a boxer's," she couldn't help but comment to herself.
She felt the roughness of his skin, his calloused knuckles scrapped her smooth palm.
Instinctively, he pulled his hand away, just as Elissa joined them, soda in hand. Her eyes witnessed the scene between her parents.
The fact that they were getting along brought a relieved smile to her face.
Bruce on the other hand didn't like it. Not that Bruce found Diana repulsive, quite the opposite actually, but seeing as how the woman was just recently on the market again, the billionaire found it distasteful to make a move on her.
Besides, he wasn't sure they had a future anymore. A lot of time had passed between them and Bruce had a lot going on. He had buried his feelings for Diana years ago to the point of decay.
He thought it best not to bring up old memories.
Wayne Enterprises
Bruce typed on his desktop as he went over reports Lucius sent over. Elissa's file secured in his briefcase, so focused on his work he didn't hear the phone until the third or fourth ring.
Pausing his work, he picked up and answered, "Bruce Wayne?"
"Hello, this is Gotham City High School calling. Are you the legal guardian of Elissa Prince?" the woman's voice inquired.
His heart sank to his shoes, "I am," he answered, concern filling up inside.
"This is the principal; I have Elissa in my office. For fighting on school grounds," the principal explained, her voice coated in disappointment.
"Fighting? Who?" he pressed.
"Another girl," the principal answered. "It will be best if you came to school so we could discuss this in person."
"Right now?" the businessman was mildly antsy staring back at his computer.
"It would be best, sir," the principal replied sounding agitated by Bruce's reluctance.
Sighing, "I'll be right there," Bruce hung up, gathering his belongings. He left his office, informing his secretary that he'll be out for a while.
He left a message for Lucius if he was wondering where he was going.
Gotham City High School
Bruce entered the school, briefcase in hand, he was directed to the main office by an employee. Once he entered the office, he saw Elissa sitting in a chair with a scowl on her face. Another girl sharing the same scowl sat a good distance apart.
"Elissa?" Bruce called, approaching her.
Elissa jolted up as soon as he called her name, "Bruce," she said back standing up.
Not even the least bit happy with getting a call like this, Bruce spoke to her, "What happened?" he said very disappointed that she was fighting at school.
She visibly gulped at his tone, "I… I uh, got into a fight," she confessed.
"I got that part."
Ashamed, she lowered her gaze to the floor, finding her shoes much more interesting.
"Look at me when I'm speaking to you," his tone completely authoritative.
Her head shot up, looking him in the eyes, although that was difficult. She never seen him this disappointed-this angry with her.
"Mr. Wayne," she principal greeted the billionaire, exiting her office. "Glad you could come on such short notice," she commended. She gestured for the two to enter her office.
Absently, forgetting his briefcase on Elissa's chair, the latch to the briefcase broken, Elissa's file slightly revealed.
Bruce and Elissa sat in front of the principal; the teenager ashamed enough to display remorse for her actions.
"Now, Mr. Wayne, this is the first time Elissa has been called to my office and I am aware of her history," the woman playing the part of the stereotypical principal, old and old fashioned.
Elissa's fine eyebrows twitched at the unintentional remark, yet she held her tongue, not wanting to be in more trouble than she already was.
Bruce was more concerned about the incident in question. "What happened? I was told my daughter was in a fight at school?"
The old woman nodded, "She was indeed. Seeing as how it was her first offense, I will not be punishing her too harshly," she assured.
Elissa breathe a sigh of relief.
"Although," the principal started up again.
Maybe she spoke too soon.
"She will still be punished," the old woman glared at the teenager, who lowered her head under the look.
"Of course," the billionaire agreed. "What will be her punishment?"
"In school suspension. She'll be in the library until three o'clock for the rest of the week. I'll have her teachers give her the assignments she will be preoccupied with in the library," she explained, meting out the girl's punishment.
The Wayne heir sulked in her chair but remained silent, knowing both adults would reprimand her sharply if she voiced the slightest protest.
"Completely acceptable," Bruce agreed with the principal of the school, this kind of behavior was unacceptable at a high school. Hopefully, Elissa will be deterred from doing this again.
The subject of the meeting stared out of the corner of her eye, finding the decaying wall far more fascinating.
"What caused this?" Bruce probed. "Elissa's not the type to get violent," he described.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Elissa resurfaced into the conversation, eyes bulging out of her skull.
Pursing her lips, the principal responded, "Another girl was taunting her, and Elissa obviously wasn't taught to ignore hurtful comments," the woman prickled both across her desk.
Bruce bit down on his retort, "Well, I'll be certain to discuss with her the necessity of controlling her emotions," he replied. "Thank you for taking it easy on Elissa," he appreciated her leniency.
The principal nodded, accepting his appreciation.
He stood up with Elissa following suit. A pointed look from Bruce got the young lady in gear. She stiffened, "Thank you for going easy on me. I won't do it again. And I'm sorry," she apologized to the principal
The old woman doubted she meant any word of it, but years of being principal reminded her to pick her battles with teenagers.
"You're welcome," she rose from her seat and walked the two out.
Bruce paused outside the door and picked up his briefcase, absently losing track of it.
Father and daughter left the school oblivious of what the other girl was planning for the teenaged heir of the Wayne family.
The car doors to Bruce car slammed shut, neither saying a word to one another. The tension was so thick it was stifling. The dark-haired man stared out the windshield, his expression stoic.
Elissa sank back into the chair and tried to go even further. Her behavior at school truly appalled her. Ashamed, she couldn't even look the man in the eye. Sure, she could have done something other than what she did, but the other girl had it coming.
"Elissa," Bruce's stern yet chirper voice vanished, turning into something rougher. She flinched at the sound of her own name. Hesitantly, she turned her head to face the man.
"Yes?" she was sheepish.
"Explain."
She gulped, "Uh, well," she stammered to answer, panicked.
"I'm waiting," he was stern, but it was clear his patience with her was waning.
Not wanting him to be angry with her any further she began to explain what had happened, "Well, this girl, Ashley, has been messing with me since I got to school. Even more when the papers came out and told the world I'm in foster care and I'm your kid," her tone reflected uneasiness.
As she was speaking the dark-haired man wondered why this was the first time learning about this.
"I ignored her at first," she defended herself, "but then she started messing with me. Calling me names and all that," her throat felt tight, as all the things that nasty girl called her came to the surface. "I tried to," she repeated making it clear she's not a violent person. "I just couldn't stand it anymore and I lashed out at her," she admitted, appearing extremely guilty.
Her young eyes welled up with tears, but she refused to let them fall, not in front of Bruce. She turned her head away from him, sniffling quietly.
Sympathy covered the man's face, he wished she didn't have to experience any of that. But it was part of life where bullies tormented you, but it's how you react to the confrontation that puts a stop to it.
He quietly gave her a moment to collect herself. Once she composed herself, he spoke to her, "I'm sorry, you had to go through that," he sympathized with her blight. "But you can't go around hitting people that make you angry," he explained to her calmly, reaching over to wipe away a stray tear.
His hypocrisy not lost on him.
He does the same thing every night.
She nodded her head, understanding where he was coming from, but she still didn't like it. It was just one of those things she had to accept and move on.
"Can you not tell Diana about this?" she beseeched of him.
From the panicked expression on her face, Diana's reaction to her suspension worried her more than his.
"I have to," he told her, who looked defeated.
Eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why did you call me exactly?" he pressed, already having ideas of his own. Judging by her reaction he already knew.
"I see," he uttered more to himself. "I'm the fun parent and Diana's the one who won't let you do some of the things you want to do, yes?" he said succinctly.
The teenager slouched in her seat, depressed by the turn of events.
"Diana needs to know," it was a moment later he spoke again, "and then you will be punished as well," he promised the inevitable.
"I'm sorry," she uttered sadly as the car drove away.
Diana's House
It went without saying that Diana was pissed finding out Elissa got into a fight at school, found out she's been suspended, and Elissa's was being bullied for so long without the slightest idea that it was going on.
Diana grounded her for two weeks, but part of her was proud she stood up for herself. Except, this was the wrong way to go about it.
The raven-haired woman thanked Bruce for meeting with the principal, only for the man to reply that it wasn't a problem.
The two discussed this bullying situation and Diana reassured Bruce she would get Elissa to discuss it with her.
He left soon after that, part of him wishing to stay and comfort Elissa but he felt that Diana had the better tools to approach the matter.
Diana wished he stayed a bit longer too, however, didn't broach the subject.
Wayne Manor
Three days later, Bruce slept in. Exhausting days and nights have left the man half dead. His blissful coma was interrupted by Alfred, who delivered his cell phone to him.
Through half shut eyes he managed to see they were from Dick. After rubbing his eyes awake to give the messages a prolonged glance.
B, you better prepare yourself
What? He thought to himself. What are you talking about?
Elissa's file is all over the school. People are laughing at her. I think she ran to the nurse's office.
Her file?!
Wide awake now, he jumped out of bed and ran to his office pulling out his briefcase. Frantically, he dumped the content onto his desk. He desperately navigated through his files searching for Elissa's.
When he didn't find it, he repeated his search again and again until understanding and despair rooted itself deep inside him.
He lost her file; he abandoned his briefcase at the principal's office, that's where it must have been taken.
Angry at his incompetence, he bashed his fist into the desk, pushing it back slightly.
Diana's House
That afternoon was one of the worst days of his life.
Diana had picked Elissa up from school following a frantic phone call and Bruce was the next call made.
Devastated by his foolish actions, the billionaire tried to apologize for his mistake.
But Elissa wouldn't have it, shooting off the couch, she screamed at him for his stupidity. "How could you do this?!" she bellowed angrily, rivers of tears running down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Elissa," he tried to apologize, the situation the teenager was currently experiencing deeply distressing.
"Sorry?!" she repeated, tone rising in anger. "Why would you even have that?" she demanded fiery.
Diana chose to interject at that moment, "Maria thought it was the best way to understand you," Diana tried to deescalate the argument. It wasn't working apparently.
Elissa gave her mother a brief glance before her angry eyes fixed onto her father. Her indignation escalating.
"There's nothing wrong with what was in the file," the radio host reasoned. "They were from when you were a child, Elissa. Everyone makes art projects or writes letters to Santa Claus."
Stomping her foot, "It's pathetic!" she bellowed startling both adults. Hot tears continued to spill out," Do you have any idea how pathetic it was to ask Santa Claus for parents? Year after year asking for the one thing that almost every kid has?" a suffocating lump began to form in the teenager's throat.
"It's embarrassing!" she yelled at the man. "Every year, families would come to the youth center picking kids out behind a chain linked fence like they were animals in a pet store and yet no one chose me," she whimpered, sniffling quietly.
Both adults gazed at her with hurt and sympathy. How they hated themselves for all the traumas the young girl had faced.
Bruce reached for her attempting to comfort her, only for her to see him try and slapped his hand away.
Taking a step back from the man, "And now everyone knows how pathetic I am!" she exclaimed, her anger and unhappiness overwhelming her.
"I… I hate you," Elissa said to him, running upstairs to her room slamming the door shut.
"Elissa!" Diana called to her but was ignored.
Bruce stood there frozen; 'I hate you' echoed inside his head. He felt hollow inside, it was one thing to be self-loathing for his lack of accountability when Elissa was baby. But to hear her say the words to his face hurt more than anything.
Even more than his parents' murder.
Empathetic, Diana tried to dissuade Bruce that Elissa meant any of it. "Bruce, she's upset right now. I'm sure she didn't mean it."
Her assurances fell on deaf ears, numbly nodding, "I'm gonna go," he muttered, crestfallen and hurt by the entire situation.
A situation created by him.
"Bruce…"
"I'll… call you later," he said softly, defeated.
Chinatown
He shouldn't even be out. He's told Robin time and again, lack of focus could cost you your life. But he needed to go out and clear his head. Let the cold air beat across his exposed face as he swung from rooftop to rooftop. The time he was in freefall was serendipitous. Nothing mattered in that instance. Just him. The air. And gravity. It was relaxing.
His daughter's words resounded in his head with an overwhelming echo.
I hate you.
I hate you.
I hate you.
The words sliced his heart like a scalding hot knife. The bleeding coagulated and then oozed out again. His guilt all consuming.
He failed her. He screwed up and now she was suffering once more because of his incompetence.
He tried to ignore it for now, but the memory returned with a thunderous roar.
If this continued, he might go crazy. He needed to hit something. Anything.
Subsequently, an alarm blared into the night.
Just what Batman was looking for. Firing his grapple gun, he took off into the night air, in pursuit of the source of the alarm.
The Bank of Gotham
"Move quickly," the disfigured man ordered.
"Got it, boss," his henchmen resounded together. Each carrying semi-automatic weapons, the bank's alarms blasting in the background.
Each henchman performed their assigned task, pilfering the bank's vault, surprisingly this was one of the few banks in the city that still had paper money in their vault.
The henchmen scampered from the vault to their escape vehicle, a garbage truck, dumping their cash into the back of the vehicle, that plugged one of the entrances to the bank, before darting back for more.
Meanwhile, Two-Face scanned the bank. They had two minutes left before they needed to escape. He had already blocked off two of the three escape routes from the bank.
The blockades extending the police's response by an extra two minutes, a decoy vehicle already waiting in the wings to cover his escape.
Everything was proceeding as planned, unless the Bat showed up.
Batman used an outside ventilation grate built into the bank's structure. He used his hands and feet to slow his descent until he came to a stop. He crawled until he peered through the floor grate's seeing hired henchmen run carrying semi-automatic weapons.
White eyes narrowed, he fired his grapple once again, shooting out of the grate and landing onto a gargoyle conveniently perched inside the bank, unnoticed by all.
He sat atop the gargoyle getting a better view of the criminal act. He counted seven henchman and Two-Face.
He thought he was locked up. Once again, another recipient of Gotham's revolving door policy.
His eyes zeroed in on Two-Face as he was in the manager's office disabling the deafening alarms.
"Time to go!" the scarred man exclaimed, lifting his weapon up to his shoulder.
Time to make a move. Using his grapple, he swung from one gargoyle to the next until he was perched above the vault door.
Seeing two henchmen isolated from the others taking their final pickings of the money, the vigilante dropped down silently, his ominous silhouette eclipsing the unsuspecting men.
Two large hands grasped their heads and slammed them together with a stomach-turning crack. Unfortunately, the attack wasn't quiet.
"What was that?!" one other henchman exclaimed, sprinting in the direction of the noise. "Larry and Ed are down!" the man alerted the others, discovering his two passed out friends, only for him to join his unconscious friends as a dark hand covered his mouth and nose, while the other pulled the weapon against his throat cutting off his air supply.
Darkness took him in seconds, unceremoniously falling to the marble floor. Batman left the unconscious man with a parting gift, his weapon's barrel was missing, the rest of the gun was left in pieces, effortlessly disassembled by the fabled vigilante.
"Over there!" the others gathered at the site of their fallen gang. One caught a glimpse of a black cape, flutter into the air, retreating from the area.
"It's the Bat!" another screeched in a high-pitched voice, firing his weapon into the air, hitting nothing.
The vigilante observed from the opposite direction, resting on a gargoyle.
"Stop shooting, idiot," one of the remaining henchmen told the discharging one, sounding irritated by the fool.
The cowering man stopped, offering a meek expression. The others shook their heads at the dumbass wasting bullets like that.
Two-Face, aloof to his hired men's plight, went back into the manager's office. Firing up the PA system, "You should have left us alone, old friend," the disfigured man's voice was gentle and smooth.
Batman curtly turned his head to his former friend's direction, clearly seeing the man speaking into a microphone, from atop of a gargoyle, the office having no ceiling.
"Stick together!" the seemingly in charge goon ordered the others. The four of them paired up and stuck back to back, ready for any surprises.
They started walking together patrolling the area about to make a turn behind a wall.
"Batman, you don't understand. The Bank of Gotham launders money for the mob. Or what's left of it," Dent said as an afterthought.
Suddenly, his voice turned coarse, "You remember the mob, right? The guys who burned half our face off because they couldn't get to you!"
The vigilante's jaw tightened at the mention of the past, but he ignored it. He had bank robbers to stop. He swung repeatedly between gargoyles, closer to the henchmen.
He pulled a smoke pellet from his belt, dropping it right in the middle of the henchmen, exploding as soon as it connected with the floor.
The henchmen started coughing inhaling the smoke, blindly and clumsily they tried to escape the dark cloud of smoke.
Once they stupidly put distance between them, Batman got to work. Dropping off the gargoyle, he used his cape to slow his descent landing in the middle of the henchmen. Effortlessly, he dispatched each henchman, taking their weapons before he rendered each one unconscious.
As soon as the henchmen were taken care off, he tensed sensing someone approaching. Suddenly, he turned and saw Two-Face smiling at him diabolically, well as best as he could considering he's missing a portion of his lips on his left side.
"Time to Die!"
All Batman saw was a flash of the gunshot and searing pain.
Blinding light greeted his eyes, moaning he shut them and turned away, rolling back in his bed.
"Come now, Master Bruce," Alfred chided. "You must get up or you will be late for school," he announced, pulling the curtains open further letting more sunlight into his bedroom.
School?
That woke the billionaire up. He fumbled out of bed; his hair matted from sleep. His eyes soon adjusted to the light and that's where he got a better look of the other man.
His hair was darker, not at all like the gray he was usually sporting.
Curious, he looked down at himself, his body was leaner, lacking the muscle he had. His scars from years of training and battle gone.
He jumped out of bed in a panic, racing to a mirror in his bathroom, as gasp escaped his lips.
He looked like he did in high school.
"Come now, only a few more weeks until graduation," Alfred walked in trying to coax his charge into getting ready for school.
"Graduation?"
The butler nodded proudly, "Yes, now get ready, sir," he pushed him to move faster. He left him alone to get ready with the knowledge that he would.
"What the hell?" he muttered to himself, confused by recent events.
Numbly, teenager Bruce prepared for school, silently mulling the turn of events. Last he remembered; he was an adult fighting someone.
No, that wasn't right.
He was up late looking at colleges.
No, he was at a bank, wasn't he?
If so, which bank?
He couldn't remember.
His memory was playing tricks with him. He detested his disorganized memory. The fact he couldn't remember anything jarred him.
Classes went on unimpressively. Bruce didn't even bother to pay attention, he was more interested in the trip he was planning to take as soon as graduation was over.
He sat on the bleachers of the football field staring out into space. He didn't know what he was supposed to be doing here but he felt like he should be at the bleachers.
Eventually, it became clear to him. He heard someone clear their throat clearly to garner his attention. He turned his head and saw the beautiful Diana, standing before him looking apprehensive.
She swallowed, trying to remove the lump in her throat.
"Bruce, I…" she attempted to summon the strength to tell him. He offered her a curious eyebrow, puzzled by her odd behavior.
Her jaw tensed as she found this moment the hardest thing she's ever had to do.
An odd sensation crept up Bruce's spine. He had the oddest feeling of déjà vu. But he did something different than whatever it was that he was doing now.
Impatient by her stalling, Bruce stood from his seat and started to walk away, leaving Diana dumbfounded.
He had much better things to do than wait for some silly girl to stammer until the end of the day.
"I'm pregnant!" she shouted to him; her face scrunched up tightly, just blurting it out.
The dark-haired teen's eyes bulged out of its sockets. What did she just say?
Abruptly, he turned to her and saw tears in her eyes, the sight striking his heart painfully. Slowly, he approached her and held her closely, she offered no resistance. She needed comfort from him in this moment.
It was all out there now.
Now what do they do next?
That afternoon the young expectant couple spent hours discussing their options. Diana refused abortion, to which Bruce tensed at the notion.
He too refused to abort their child.
Although, the appearance of this child would upset both their future's. Bruce had plans to start his journey to… do something.
He couldn't remember. His memory was all fuzzy since this morning.
And Diana, was here studying abroad with a green card.
In a few years, she would have to return home. And her child would stay in America without her or she would take the child with her.
The faint memory of home sent a cold shiver down the expectant mothers' spine. How would her mother react?
Bruce said something that surprisingly eased her anxieties.
"We'll figure it out," he spoke so softly that made her stomach tingle or was that just morning sickness?
Whatever.
He held her so tightly, as if he thought she would disappear right in front of him.
And so, they decided to keep the baby. Both fully prepared to make some sacrifices for their baby.
They told Alfred, needless to say the man wasn't thrilled at first of Bruce's carelessness, but over time he warmed up to the idea of another Wayne running through the old house.
Thankfully, Diana didn't start showing until after graduation, so she still got to walk to receive her diploma.
Bruce managed to graduate with subpar grades, a poor comparison to Diana's valedictorian achievements.
Diana planned on going to Gotham University, interested in the school's archelogy department.
Bruce was going to the same school, majoring in business.
Curious, Alfred inquired on the trip the young man was intending on going once he graduated.
To which Bruce responded with, "Trip?" finding the older man's inquiry to be the first he's heard of it.
Surprised by Bruce's reaction, Alfred quickly discarded it as a matter of the young man to merely growing up.
Diana, reluctantly, moved into Wayne Manor, upon Bruce's request that Diana should be in the same place as him, preparing for the baby's arrival.
Displeased by the forcefulness of the rich boy, Diana didn't speak to him for a week. Instead she focused on preparing herself for classes.
Her first few semesters were strenuous considering her condition. But her stubbornness aided her to push forward. She even went into labor during her final exam. Thankfully, she got one of the highest grades on the exam and ran out of the room with Bruce getting her to the hospital in time.
Thirteen hours later, Diana gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, however her perfect girl had a heart defect.
Thankfully, Bruce used his influence to get some of the best doctors to treat his baby girl and correct it.
They named her Elissa.
Elissa Wayne.
They brought her home, loving and raising her with all their hearts. There were hardships, of course, between juggling school and a baby at home.
There were times the new parents had asked Alfred to babysit so they could take tests. Other times, Bruce stayed home and watched Elissa while Diana finished up.
Bruce even took a semester off devoting his time to Elissa, since Diana had started an internship at Gotham Museum of Natural History.
The young father had some hiccups caring for Elissa all but his lonesome, while Diana followed her dreams.
But Bruce had a dream of his own. A safer Gotham. For his daughter, who looked at him with trusting and innocent eyes.
She brought a smile out of him, pressing a kiss to her forehead, he swore to protect her with all that he was.
Time moved forward and Bruce and Diana felt the attraction between them reignite. They started dating simultaneously juggling school and parenthood.
Not long after Elissa turned three, Bruce proposed to Diana. To which she excitedly accepted. They were married that spring.
Diana finished school and completed her internship, with plans to get her bachelor's degree.
Bruce finished business school and succeeded in taking over his family's company, with the idea to use Wayne Enterprises and its' influence in the effort to steer crime and corruption away from Gotham City.
To which he succeeded, miraculously managing to root out corruption with a lone decent cop in the GCPD, Captain James Gordon, corruption in city hall was eradicated, crime was at an all-time low.
However, the scum of the city had to go someplace.
Crime Alley seemed like the perfect place to send them all, instead of overcrowding an already packed Blackgate Prison.
Thus, Blackgate City was created, an area of the city was walled off from the rest of the city. Keeping the malcontent at bay. It's mighty walls structurally sound to keep the unsavory rabble away from the good citizens of Gotham. Its residents were offered money to relocate or aided in finding better dwellings.
Bruce Wayne pioneered the whole project, some called it inhumane, while Bruce called it an extreme measure that was a necessity to the preservation of the good law-abiding citizens.
Gordon wasn't happy about Blackgate City, finding it afront to civil rights. That was were he and Bruce parted ways, unable to go along with it.
Saddened by Gordon's departure but still devoted to his dream, Bruce persevered. For seven years, Blackgate Prison stood as the final stop for the criminal scum of the city.
Its strong walls stood tall and unwavering.
Bruce was assured the walls wouldn't fall easily. That thought alone was enough to bring Bruce peace of mind.
All that was left was to enjoy it.
Bruce awoke from a pleasant slumber, awakened by the fresh rays of the morning sun. Groaning he turned over burying his face into the gentle wavy dark locks of his wife.
"Bruce?" the Greek woman groaned by her husband's movements, wakefulness interrupting her comfortable sleep.
Seeing that Diana was awake, Bruce pressed languid kisses to her nape, bringing out from her pleasant moans.
Struggling against tiredness and what her husband was starting to bring out in her, Diana reluctantly stopped him, "Bruce, I have to get up for work," she chided lightly, slowing losing the battle with him.
Smiling against her skin, the billionaire counter, "But don't you want to?"
She grunted against her pillow, she did want to go further, but she had things to do, they both did. Reluctantly, she reached behind her clutching his head in her hand. Lightly, she pushed him away from her neck and turned over to face him.
She was greeted with the sight of her husband's messy bedhead, the state his hair was in almost made her laugh.
He smiled at her pressing a kiss to her lips. She offered no resistance at the beginning, but eventually she broke the kiss.
She offered him an apologetic smile, "That will have to hold you," she said softly.
He shrugged, "I guess," he grumbled.
She laughed, amused by his reaction.
His slightly sour disposition changed into one of exuberance. His expression brought a puzzled expression to form on the woman's face.
"What?"
"I was wondering when you wanted to have another one?" he answered her with excited eagerness.
The raven-haired woman was quick to understand his meaning. Truthfully, the idea of having another child made her nervous.
They had been discussing the matter for the last few years. As Elissa got older, they wondered if perhaps she could use another sibling.
They sort of got their wish, when Elissa was eight, they took her to a traveling circus in Gotham County. She was so excited to go, she was almost hyperactive. It was there they met Dick Grayson.
A young boy around Elissa's age that was part of an aerial act for Haly's Circus. A mob boss demanding protection money sabotaged the acrobat's during their act, resulting in the deaths of the young acrobat's parents'.
Diana swiftly shielded her young daughter from witnessing the grisly scene, Bruce was frozen in place as long forgotten memories of years ago exploded to the surface.
Sympathetic to the young boy's fate, he took him in and gave him a home. Everyone warmed up to Dick quickly, even Elissa, who tried to make friends with him.
Dick, on the other hand, pulled away, hiding in a shell to protect himself.
That was at the beginning but over time he came out of his shell, expressing his outgoing personality.
They were his family. And he was theirs.
She gave him a sympathetic look, "Bruce," she began carefully. "I've spent the last fifteen years being a mom and being a curator. And while I, adore being a mother I want to focus on my career," she put as carefully as she could.
It wasn't what Bruce wanted to hear. He was downright disappointed by Diana's refusal, but while he wasn't happy about her not wanting another child, he respected her wish and won't bring it up again.
Sensing his disheartened state, she gently caressed his rugged cheek, "I'm not saying no indefinitely. I'm saying not right now," she softly explained, hoping he understand, offering a glimmer of hope for the future.
His lip twitched upward; her assurance brought confidence in their future.
She smiled back, getting out of bed. "Come on," she ushered him out of bed.
The Wayne family convened at the dining room table. The patriarch and matriarch sat eating their breakfast followed by their children.
Dick and Elissa dressed in their Gotham Academy uniforms.
"Morning," their fifteen-year-old daughter greeted them, digging into her breakfast of waffles. Dick repeated the same to the couple but with a little more enthusiasm, apparently Elissa wasn't a morning person.
"Good morning," Diana reciprocated to her children, while Bruce busied himself with a cup of coffee.
"Master Bruce," Alfred joined the family table, same man perked up from the morning paper. "I am inclined to remind you about the reception at the manor tonight regarding Blackgate City's Eighth Anniversary," the butler reminded everyone at the table.
"Oh! I completely forgot about it," Diana exclaimed, flabbergasted as the reception had slipped her mind entirely.
Her husband had forgotten about it as well.
"Aw, do we have to go?" Elissa bemoaned in teenaged angst.
A comforting look was sent her way, "It will only be a couple of hours and they you can go upstairs and to whatever you want," Diana promised her.
Her promise vaguely made her daughter perk up, still annoyed she had to have a bunch of strangers in their house.
"Fine," she grumbled, finishing her breakfast.
Once the children finished eating, they packed up their school bags and followed Alfred to the car, he would be taking them to school.
"Bye Mom. Bye Dad," Elissa cheerfully waved goodbye to her parents with Dick repeating the same only calling them Bruce and Diana.
Soon everyone went about their day, Alfred took the children to school and Bruce gave his wife a lift to work at the Gotham Museum of Natural History.
Her job as curator of Ancient Greek culture kept her busy.
With a kiss goodbye, Diana went to work, while Bruce went to Wayne Enterprises to go about his business.
Every one of the Wayne family's day was uneventful. It was just an ordinary day like any other. School was informative and boring to the children. Alfred cleaned the house, did some shopping and picked the children up from school all while he decorated for the reception.
The caterers were coming in droves while the butler hired a staff to work the reception.
Bruce closed a new business deal that would bring in more jobs to the city and make more money for other initiatives for the improvement of Gotham City.
Diana gave a few tours for a few classes on school trips. Once she had completed those, she did a little work on her new thesis.
Bruce picked her up around six o'clock, returning home almost an hour later. They were in a little rush to prepare for the reception, but they made it in time for the first couple of guests to arrive.
Eventually, the ballroom of the estate was packed with almost every influential figure in the city.
Diana was wearing a beautiful black gown that kissed the floor, her arms were bare.
Elissa wore a lovely purple dress that covered her shoulders with a transparent lighter shade of lavender. A fake smile on her face, hiding her displeasure of having to attend the party tonight.
Bruce and Dick were decked out in tuxedos.
The party was in full swing after an hour. When Bruce was about to deliver a toast, commemorating the anniversary of Blackgate City and all the benefits it delivered to the people of Gotham.
Suddenly, a mighty and deafening rumble resounded the city. Even on the outskirts of the city, people within the estate stumbled from the earthquake. Others fell to the marble floor, some held onto the walls to steady themselves.
Bruce stumbled to the windows to discover what was happening. What he saw left him frozen in place. A fiery explosion destroyed the walls of Blackgate City. Its concrete and impenetrable walls crushed the surrounding land.
His mouth parted as years of work, collapsed in a matter of moments.
If things weren't bad enough, he heard gunshots erupt inside his home. He whipped his head in the direction of the shots and saw a gang of criminals had breached the security of the manor.
With crazed looks they fired their guns, hitting multiple guests, killing them instantly, while others suffered slowly as they bleed to death gargling on their own blood.
Fearful for her family, Diana grabbed her children and dragged them out of the ballroom with her through the south exit. "Quickly!" she beseeched the children to run faster.
Fearfully, they obediently followed her without any retort.
"Diana!" Bruce yelled to her, reaching her quickly, after he fought his way through his stunned state when the walls fell and through the crowd to rendezvous with his family.
"Get to the panic room! I'll be right behind you," he directed her. While she would have implored him to come with them, she knew she had to protect the kids. As well as Bruce would never leave Alfred behind.
The dark-haired man broke from his family and raced back to the ballroom to find the closest thing he had to a father.
"Alfred!" he shouted as he laid eyes on the older man narrowly making his way out of the ballroom, clumsily dodging gunfire.
Wayne Manor was a symphony of death and gunfire as screams echoed throughout the halls.
Just as Bruce reached the other man, the night turned into a nightmare. Bullets flew tearing through both men.
Searing pain surged through him as both men fell to the floor. Crimson leaked from their wounds. His eyes were blurry as his body burned and felt heavy. Weakly, he turned his head to Alfred inches from him, moving his head was a struggle. All hope faded from the billionaire as he saw his friend's lifeless body lay in front of him.
"Alfred," he whispered in horror, his brain struggling to register the fact.
"Yo, I tagged the rich boy!" one of the gunmen exclaimed, pride in his voice.
Survival instincts taking over, Bruce stumbled to his feet as he tried to run, but the pain in his side impeded his movements.
A few gunmen taunted him as he escaped them, saying that he could run but couldn't hide. His blood leaving plenty of breadcrumbs to follow.
He pressed his hand into his wounds, stemming the bleeding, a hiss escaping him as contact was made.
Putting some distance between him and the intruders, he somehow ended up in his fathers' study.
His legs felt like weights as he collapsed to the floor with a grunt.
Blood loss sapping his strength. Weakly, he rolled over coming face to face with a bust of his father. An immaterial thought crossed his mind as he remembered he hasn't been in this room in over a decade.
Whimsy, seemed to take him, perhaps due to blood loss or that fact that the inevitability that death was upon him and slowly sinking its claws into him.
He started to talk to the bust of his father, "Father, I've failed," he admitted. "I tried to make your death mean something. So, no one ever had to live with the tragedy that happened to our family," he stated, his eyes growing heavy as his blood loss increased.
"Alfred's gone," his voice was hollow, as if that fact still didn't seem real. "I don't even know if Diana and the kids are okay. It's all my fault," he berated himself.
"I've failed."
Swallowing his suddenly parched mouth, "Tell me father, how did it all go so wrong!" he demanded, his voice rising as frustration and anger grew.
"What could I have done differently?"
Like an omen, his answer came with a crash through the window and a screech. Shards of glass danced into the room.
Wonderous eyes locked on to the object that exploded through the window, a wounded bat landed atop the bust of Thomas Wayne.
Red eyes stared through the man, as its blood leaked from its body, dripping along the statue.
Mystified by the creature, Bruce had his answer.
A weak expression transformed into one of determination and strength. "Yes, Father," he said, eyes locked onto the bats'.
"I shall become a bat," he vowed.
"SSSKKKKKRRRRRIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!"
His eyes slammed open as he found himself in the batcave's infirmary. His face was drenched in sweat, his upper body felt numb.
Lethargic, he glanced downward inspecting his body. He saw that the upper portion of his suit was missing, his left pectoral and the surrounding area dressed in gaze and bandages.
He stiffly tried to sit up, only for Alfred to suddenly appear at his side. "Easy, Master Bruce," the older man advised, lightly pressing him back down.
"Alfred?" Bruce uttered, the anesthesia clouding his mind.
"I am here, sir," the man responded gently easing him.
"What… happened?" he struggled to say.
"You were shot, sir. Master Dick managed to arrive at the scene just in time. It was Mister Dent who shot you," he explained what had transpired. "It appears he used armor piercing rounds, judging by the state your suit was in," he speculated.
The dark-haired man was silent, dissecting the information the older man had offered.
Draping a blanket over the wounded man, "You should thank Master Dick when you get a chance," he commented.
"What about Two-Face?" Bruce ignored the man's comment.
"Regretfully, he managed to escape," Alfred answered. "The young man could only save you."
"Get some rest, sir," he recommended, dimming the lights in the infirmary.
"Hmm," the billionaire grunted, as fatigue overcame him and returned to slumber.
Next: Evaluation.
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