Life Unexpected
Chapter 10
There were two things Bruce realized following his hallucination fueled dream.
One: he's gotten shot way too many times in recent weeks.
And two: He's still in love with Diana.
While his feverish what if scenario for the road not taken was nice, he's come to the evitable conclusion that Batman was the best path to take in eradicating crime in Gotham.
Two-Face was still out there. Having escaped from the Bank of Gotham with the cash. While Robin chose to save his mentor, rather than stop the former DA. He should thank the boy for saving his life, but he remained silent, having considered that the boy didn't need such encouragement. The billionaire had taught him enough to realize the futility of such sentiments.
Once he's healed up, he and Robin will track him down. No one was safe with Dent running around.
For now, under Alfred's explicit orders, he's under house arrest until further notice. And if Bruce thought he could sneak out and get back to work before he was fully recovered, Alfred had incredible sedatives waiting in the wings for the eventuality of Bruce disobeying medical instructions.
The billionaire's last conversation with his daughter still stung, but some time apart could do everyone some good.
Let her calm down, hopefully the whole thing at school will blow over and Elissa will forget all about it.
Strange, he's never been an optimist.
Perhaps, Elissa's presence in his life was changing his sense of the world.
So, Bruce decided to let the matter sit for a few weeks, giving him plenty of time to recover from his wounds.
Eventually, Alfred gave the dark-haired man permission to move about, to say Bruce abused his freedom was an understatement.
He pushed his body to the limits performing his physical therapy. He pushed so hard that he almost wound up back in a hospital bed.
Cursing his human limitations, he begrudgingly slowed down.
Finally, once he was fully recovered, he did what he usually did.
He went back to work.
His cover story explaining his absence was a flat tire that caused his favorite Ferrari to crash, injuring himself in the process.
To sell it, Dick crashed said car, tears in his eyes as he mourned the destruction of such an incredible piece of machinery. Dick had been pestering Bruce to let him take it for a spin the minute he got his driver's license.
Bruce had dragged his feet on the matter. And now, Dick will never get the chance.
They played it as nothing too serious, but he would be incapacitated for an extended period of time.
The paparazzi speculated Bruce Wayne, the party boy, was driving drunk and crashed his car.
Diana had heard of Bruce's 'crash' and called the minute she heard.
Alfred had answered and gave her the roundabout of excuses, stating Bruce was fine and was recovering nicely. His injuries weren't too serious, but it was best if he remained isolated from the populace.
The woman shakily accepted the butler's assurances and told him Elissa felt terrible about how things were left between her and her father.
Alfred responded that Bruce would make a full recovery and was moving around.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Bruce was doing well.
They ended the call and promised to call to check in at another time.
It wasn't long after that phone call, that Bruce was fully recovered. He returned to the streets with a vengeance.
Two-Face had been busy while Bruce was indisposed, hitting the banks all over the city. He had accumulated 2.2 million dollars so far.
The police put up a valiant effort in trying to thwart the disfigured man, but he seemed one step ahead of them at every turn.
It wasn't difficult to deduce that Two-Face had an inside man.
Ten minutes of work showed that only one police officer had an offshore bank account.
A visit from Batman had loosened the tongue on the dirty cop's lips.
Dent was planning on hitting Gotham Merchant's Bank in a few days, he wouldn't be successful.
Dent was tracked to a warehouse that doubled as a boat shack. A few nights of surveillance had uncovered all his plans.
Robin had snuck into the warehouse and switched out their ammunition for dummy glue rounds, jamming their weapons as soon as they pull the trigger.
On the night of the heist, Two-Face's plan went off without a hitch, he was a little suspicious that the guards at the bank were unaccounted for.
He chalked it all up to the bank being overconfident in their security system. A man on the inside gave the gangster the means to bypass security. Those banker parasites have plenty of money already, so what if they lose some more.
Explosive charges blew the locking mechanisms to the bank vault. Two of the former DA's men open the vault, it's been a cake walk so far.
What happened next left Two-Face and his crew speechless.
Inside the vault, Batman sat on top of a mountain of cash bills, legs crossed and his chin in his hands.
A smirk formed on the vigilante's face, "Hello, Harvey," he greeted his former friend. "You're late. I was expecting you two minutes ago," he bluntly commented.
Gawking at the dark clad man, before Two-Face regained his senses, "Kill him!" he bellowed, pulling his weapon out.
A batarang painfully disarmed the former DA, a cry on his lips.
Clutching his injured hand, his eyes expressed anger and hate at the man. His crew aimed and fired their weapons, expecting to finally kill the Bat.
Unexpectedly, to them at least, a pink gooey discharge erupted from their weapons as soon as they pulled the trigger.
"What the hell?!"
They stumbled as their guns were now useless to them.
Playing to his fixation with duality, Two-Face pulled out his spare weapon, "Always have a backup!" he exclaimed smugly, drawing on Batman.
However, Batman's been training. Rebuilding his strength. His speed. A swift high kick shot out smashed into the gangster's jaw, tumbling backwards into an unconscious heap.
"Boss!" one his Two-Face's henchmen cried witnessing their boss be taken down easily.
Before any of the goons could make a move, backup arrived.
"Someone having a party. Where's my invite?!" Robin exclaimed jovially as he performed a double somersault, the soles of his boots smashing into two of the henchmen's faces.
Batman soared in, pulverizing the remainder.
They left Two-Face and his gang hanging from an adjacent rooftop. Not too high that the police can't get them without ease, but not too high that they could free themselves and escape prosecution.
Thwarting Harvey was just what Batman needed to get back on his feet after a long impromptu hiatus. The satisfaction rejuvenated him, spurring him into action as if he had never been wounded at all.
After apprehending Dent, the rest of the night was profoundly productive. Five attempted robberies, three muggings, attempted murder all stopped by Batman and Robin.
It was just what they needed after some time away.
Although, their productive night didn't stop Robin from keeping a cautious eye on his partner. His mentor had just recovered from gunshot wounds that pierced their protective suits, the fact that Batman's suit absorbed most of the damage was nothing short of a miracle.
He was worried that Batman wasn't ready to be back in the field. But the older man's the boss, his rules. So, they went on patrol and he had to admit, he was wrong. Batman came back better than ever before.
With Dent locked up, Bruce had one thing left to do.
Diana's House
Diana was lounging in her dining room reading a magazine, her mind distracted. Worry for Bruce had plagued her mind for weeks. But, her focus remained on her daughter, whom was facing brutal teasing from her schoolmates.
With Alfred playing intermediary, Diana had learned Bruce was doing well. In truth, the woman hadn't even spoken to Bruce since Elissa yelled at him weeks ago.
Elation overwhelmed her as she heard he was better.
Now her concerns focused on Elissa. The girl had been beside herself with guilt when she heard of Bruce's accident. Terrified that her last words to her father were 'I hate you' made the teenager sickened with herself.
The poor thing was frightened that she would never have a chance to talk to her father again. Her depression hung over her like a dreadful halo, even as she dealt with school teasing and work, her friendly personality reverted to her introvert self.
Diana prayed that her daughter would soon recover from all this. All the progress her daughter had made was now receding. The woman was worried that Elissa would start pulling away from her next if things didn't change soon.
Suddenly, her doorbell rang out, interrupting Diana's reading. Curious, she got up and answered the door. Seemingly, forgetting once again that she had that doorbell app.
She was stunned when she saw Bruce at her front door, "Bruce?!" she exclaimed, startled by the man's sudden appearance at her door.
"Hello, Diana," the billionaire greeted her, gifting her an aura of exuberance. He performed his usual charming song and dance, as always it never worked on her.
Bruce was struck dumb when Diana rushed him, embracing him tightly. Slowly, his arms wrapped around her returning the embrace.
"I'm so grateful you're okay!" she expressed to him; she, too, was profoundly distressed by the dark-haired man's accident.
A smile faintly appeared on the man's lips. "I'm alright, Diana," he assured her. "I promise," he softly said.
Slowly, she retreated from him, looking at him intensely, "You're sure?" she inquired, worry taking her over.
He put a hand on the woman's shoulder, "I'm fine," he reassured her once again. "Uh, is Elissa here?" he nervously moved on to the reason he came to her home.
"Yes," she faintly smiled at him. "She's in her room," she answered.
"Do you mind if I…?"
She shook her head, "Not at all," silently elated that Bruce was trying to repair his relationship with their daughter.
He suddenly found himself anxious in that moment. But like everything else in his life, he pushed forward.
His footsteps were silent as he walked up the staircase to the second floor. After what felt like an eternity to him, he reached Elissa's bedroom.
He raised his hand to knock on the door but stopped himself. Second guessing himself, he thought maybe he had screwed up with her so badly that there was a chance their relationship was unfixable.
Swallowing that lump of anxiety in his throat he pressed forward and knocked. He heard a muffled 'Come in' and entered the bedroom.
He found Elissa on her bed, lying on her stomach, schoolbooks in front of her, pen in hand, and her legs kicking back and forth.
She turned from her books, with her face blank until she put her eyes on Bruce. Immediately, she shot off her bed and crashed into the man, her arms wrapping around him so tightly, feeling he would drift away if she let him go.
"Thank God you're okay!" she exclaimed in relief. Tears built up in her blue eyes as everything she's been feeling since the night she last saw her father came pouring out of her.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Bruce. I didn't mean any of what of I said! I don't hate you!" she blathered on, guilt overwhelming her.
Bruce was unaware at how difficult it had been for Elissa. She was still a child, guilt easily eating away at her for behaving like she had been.
Bruce wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. Warmth engulfing his daughter as he held her tightly. He pressed his lips to the top of her head, bestowing a comforting kiss attempting to ease her pain.
"It's okay," he whispered softly to her. "You have nothing to be sorry about."
She jolted backwards, her eyes staring at him in surprise. "I didn't mean any of it," she blubbered, burying her face into his chest again.
Tears silently flowed down her face. Bruce didn't say anything, he's never been very good with expressing himself.
But sometimes, silence was the best option.
He hugged her tighter, staying together like that for the next few minutes.
Eventually, he pulled back from her, the pleasantness of holding his only daughter had distracted him from the reason of his visit.
He offered a reassuring smile as she looked up at him, silently sniffling. He pressed his thumb to her face whipping away her tears, the act made Elissa feel like a little girl.
"Can we sit for a few minutes?" he asked.
Silently, they both sat on her bed, side by side, although shame had preoccupied the dark-haired teenager, she refused to look his way, busying herself with her comforter.
He sighed, but then proceeded to address the matter he was here for. "How's school?" he suddenly spoke up, startling his daughter.
"Oh! Uh, it's okay. No one's teasing me anymore. Dick's helped with that. He sits with me sometimes at lunch," she revealed to him. From the sound of it, she was ecstatic by the boy's compassion and friendliness.
"Good. Dick's a good young man," Bruce commented, his voice reserved, contrary to internally.
Elissa could only nod in agreement. Dick's good people.
An uncomfortable silence engulfed the room, with the only noise being the teenager sniffing back a runny nose from crying so much.
Bruce took the time to collect his thoughts, conveniently giving her the time to collect herself.
Eventually, Bruce spoke up again after what seemed like too long for his daughter's liking. "I'm sorry," he confessed, expressing his deepest regret for his carelessness.
He turned his head to look at her, "It's my fault for what's been happening at school. I'm sorry you've gone through that because of my actions," he attested his fault in the matter.
His apology made Elissa appear sympathetic as well as equally at fault.
"Do you remember what I told you?"
His question earned him a curious look from the teenager.
Deducing she was at a lost regarding his meaning, he proceeded to elaborate. "I told you I'm going to fail with you at times. But I'm never going to stop trying to be your father," he reiterated his promise to her all those weeks ago.
He smiled at her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "So, even if you say, 'you hate me' I'm not going anyway, okay?" he uttered gently to her, his voice was coated in serenity.
Her mind slowly processed what her father was saying, when it had, she beamed up at him brightly as she wrapped her arms around him once more.
The action didn't surprise him, he's gotten used to her hugging him. He's come to understand that she was quite affectionate to a select few.
While Bruce was upstairs having a well overdue discussion with their daughter, Diana received a phone call.
"Hello?"
"Diana Prince?" a familiar voice of a woman inquired over the line.
"This is she. May I ask who is speaking?" the Greek woman politely returned.
"This Marie Vargas, Elissa's case worker," the woman identified herself.
"Oh! Marie, hi!" Diana exclaimed in surprise. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice," she offered up her apologizes.
"It's not a problem," Marie returned. "I'm calling to inform you of my evaluation into Elissa's home placement. "
"Evaluation? But I thought that wasn't for another month?" Diana doubted the statement.
"That was when it was originally scheduled but the school calls my office when one of our wards gets into a fight at school," Marie answered, displeasure veiled her voice, eliciting a wince from Diana.
"Considering what I've been hearing of Mr. Wayne's accident, I decided to hold off under he was well again," the case worker explained.
"He is," Diana jumped in.
"Well I'm glad to hear it, but that doesn't change anything. This Friday I want the three of you in my office," she informed, her voice displaying a no-nonsense tone. "Keep this in mind," she warned. "Depending on how the interview goes will affect Elissa's placement with you and Mr. Wayne."
"What?!" Diana exclaimed in disbelief; her heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard the news.
"Friday. Four o'clock. My office. I will be informing Mr. Wayne of the appointment as well."
"He's here now. I'll let him know," she promised, holding her head with her hand.
"Thank you," Marie replied before ending the phone call.
Concern overflowed within the woman as she stared at her phone once Marie had hung up.
Things just took a dreadful turn.
Marie's Office
Friday seemed to come faster when Diana last spoke to the case worker. After explaining the details of the call to Bruce and Elissa, they all came up with a strategy to succeed at the interview.
Honesty.
Elissa found herself in between her parents on a couch in Marie's office, who sat in front of them with a clipboard in her lap. She fidgeted between the dark-haired couple, playing with the hem of her navy colored dress. Bruce wore one of his expensive suits, while Diana chose a dark pantsuit.
Marie had just finished interviewing each of them separately. The case worker had made it apparent that she noted several key points of information regarding each member of the family.
Elissa was notably worried about Bruce. She knew that Marie didn't like her father very much. And considering that the billionaire failed his home inspection, Elissa was concerned that Marie would sever his temporary joint custody of her.
Bruce, however, showed no sign of fear or distress regarding the possibility of losing his only daughter. Such a state would solve nothing.
Diana on the other hand, was a bundle of apprehension inside. Although, she gave off a convincing façade of confidence. That was not the case internally, her stomach was in knots. The fear of losing Elissa was stifling.
But she stood strong and awaited Marie's recommendation. The Greek woman was fairly confident in her answers towards the case worker, but a small part of her still feared Marie's judgment.
The woman in question flipped through her papers in her lap. Turning page after page going over her notes, to Elissa it appeared that Marie was building the suspense.
"Now," Marie suddenly spoke, earning the attention of the family, shutting the file in her lap, her gaze piercing through them. "I have reviewed my notes regarding each of you, but now I have to interview the three of you together," she stated, her brown eyes expressing strength and diligence.
"Elissa," said girl stiffened in her seat at the mentioning of her name, "how do you feel about Bruce and Diana?" she inquired.
The question startled the girl, "Wha-? Um," she stammered, sheepishly glancing at her parents on each of her sides, they didn't give her any inkling of suggestiveness.
"Do you feel as if they are incapable of offering you a good home?" Marie pressed harder. "Are you aware that they care for you? You've seen them do so? Are you fearful that they would ever hurt you again? Especially, considering what's been happening at school since you were placed in their care?" Marie bombarded her with question after question.
"No, I…" Elissa tried to answer but couldn't form the words, shaking her head as the questions twirled around in her head.
Diana wanted to interject in order to spare Elissa the onslaught of this inquiry but chose not to. This was Elissa's fight—her life and her happiness were at stack.
She needed to decide what she wanted.
"Do you truly believe that Bruce and Diana are worthy—capable of providing you with a good and stable home?" Marie continued to press her questions.
"Yes," the teenager uttered weakly, as memories from the past were dredged up. Painful experiences from previous foster homes came boiling to the surface.
The lousy foster moms. The creepy foster dads leering at her as she matured. The pervy foster brothers who tried spying on her in the shower.
It all came rushing back to her, even though she tried to bury them deep inside so that the memories would never resurface. She failed.
Marie's digging them up purposely, she wants Elissa's true feelings laid bare. So, Bruce and Diana truly know Elissa for who she was.
Deep down, Marie wanted Elissa's placement with her birth parents to succeed more than anyone. The case worker's been removing Elissa from disappointing foster home to the next. While her heart ached for the young girl, Marie still had a job to do.
She needed to ensure Elissa was safe and nurtured with her biological parents. If she couldn't flourish with them, then she had to be sent to where she would.
The barrage of questions combined with her painful past came to the surface in an explosive way.
"I don't know, okay!" the girl said explosively, shooting forward in her seat, startling her parents. A took a moment to collect herself, before she spoke up again with a sigh. "I can't promise this will work. That I won't get upset or angry and won't take it out on one or both of them," she explained to her case worker.
All the adults were silent, believing she needed to explain what she wanted.
"I seem like I'm okay, but I'm not. Not really," she confessed, tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. "I'm messed up inside. More than anyone realizes," she confessed, as tears fall down her face.
Her parents give her sympathetic looks that made her hate herself for being so pathetic.
Elissa turned facing Diana, a look of distress in her eyes. "The truth is," she sniffed, "I really don't forgive you. I don't think I ever will," the Greek woman's eyes misted up upon hearing her daughter's confession. The woman's guilt rose within her, her actions toward Elissa resurfacing upon seeing at how she had single-handedly damaged this beautiful and sweet young woman.
"You don't have to," Diana responded. "I won't forgive me. I just want to right my wrong with you," she stated, she too was crying. "I don't want to live another day without you in my life."
Elissa wiped her face, as she listened to her mother. Her hard gaze returned to Marie, adamant about wanting to stay with Bruce and Diana, she exclaimed, "So what if I don't know if I can forgive them. You moving me somewhere else isn't going to change anything. I don't want to live with anyone else. I want to work it out with Diana and Bruce. I just…" she stopped in her defense, slightly glaring at Marie silently.
Marie, participated in the discussion once again, "That's what being a family is about, Elissa," the case worker gently put, a fond look on her face at Elissa's determination in desiring to stay with her biological parents. "Ultimately, it is up to you, Elissa," the woman clarified. "If you're not straight with me, you'll never be straight with Diana and Bruce. And then you'll be on my couch six months from now, trying to find you a new placement," she advised. "Now, tell us what you mean?" she prompted.
Almost like she was under a spell, Elissa just blabbered out all that she has ever felt. "Where were you?" her voice on the border of cracking.
The question was directed to Diana, although she wasn't aware of it. "What?"
"I was out there my whole life, where were you all that time?!" she repeated louder, tears running down her cheeks once again. "You never even checked on me! Never wondering what happened or okay!"
Diana was slow to respond, "I didn't think I had to worry. I was told you would be adopted. I honestly thought I was doing the best thing for you," Diana maintained her stance on her past actions. "When you were born, I was a high school graduate," she reminded the teenager. "I was here on a student visa, I didn't know how long I would stay in America. At the time, the last I heard, Bruce had left the country. I didn't thing you were safe with him," she defended herself. However, her insides were being tied up in anxiety knots. She felt she was about to vomit.
Bruce inwardly winced at the prick to his past self. Yet, he remained silent. Preferring to observe the scene between mother and daughter.
"It wasn't for me!" she rebuked. "If it was, you would have checked on me. You gave me up for you!"
Bruce decided to interject, "Elissa, it's not all on Diana. I wasn't there either," he tried to defend the woman, his voice surprisingly comforting.
"You didn't know," the teen countered. "I doubt you would have been expected to even be there," she scoffed, unintentionally stung him.
The young girl had been told about how her father was when he was younger.
Diana interrupted, "I was eighteen, I didn't exactly have a normal childhood. My mother was always busy with her career. If I told her I was pregnant she'd have killed me. I had no one to turn to," she plead her case.
"What about later?" the dark-haired girl, obstinately remained determined to discover the truth. "When I was three and stuck in the hospital, with no visitors or a few years after that?" her voice cracking at the memory or at least the story, seeing as how she was very young at said time.
Diana was at a loss for words, the truth was she hadn't felt she had to worry for someone to adopt Elissa. The fact that she wasn't and suffered for it, agonized her to no end.
Elissa delivered a scoffing laugh, offering a story from her past, "We use to make up stories about why we were given up at the center. We didn't want to accept that our mothers—our parents could just hand us off," a lump in her throat paused in reciting her troubled past.
Diana was silently sobbing as Elissa had already past judgment on her. And she couldn't fault her on it.
"You gave me away like I didn't even matter," Elissa sobbed.
"You did matter. You do matter," Diana was quick to dissuade the mere thought. "I didn't have the tools to raise you, that's why I put you up for adoption," she explained, attempting to destroy such negative thoughts the girl had about herself.
"No," the teenager shot up from her seat, standing over her mother. "Now doesn't count. I don't forgive you, Diana. I don't," she shook her head taking off before either of her parents could prevent her from leaving.
Elissa's acknowledgement of never being capable of forgiving Diana struck her fiercely.
Both Bruce and Diana sat in Marie's office, despondent as a result of Elissa's confession. She truly was incapable of forgiving them.
But the truth was, they couldn't forgive themselves. It was all their fault. They weren't strong even all those years ago to be there for their daughter and now they were witnessing the aftermath of the actions. And there was nothing they could do to change their minds on who deserves the blame.
A silence filled the room as Bruce and Diana, let Elissa's feelings sink in. Until Marie, interjected their depressing musings.
"I know it doesn't seem like it at the moment, but what just happened was a breakthrough," the case worker announced earning the pair's curious attention.
The case worker offered a comforting smile, "I have seen this exact same outburst occur in my office time and again and usually, it's where things get better," she offered her opinion, attempting to comfort them. She had seen how much the girl in question meant to them and tried to offer up some hope.
The billionaire and radio host perked up slightly upon hearing this new piece of information.
Marie exhaled, "The walls Elissa has built up around her have crumbled down," she explained. "She's used to being the adult, making sure that she's alright and safe. But with you two, she's the child and she's not used to the role."
The woman shut the file in her lap, leaning forward, "And the fact she would risk it all just to truly reveal how she has always felt, speaks loudly," Marie imparted them with her knowledge from a career of working with children.
While it eased the pair, it didn't do much for them, Elissa's words still rang in their heads.
"I am not removing Elissa from your care," the case worker revealed. Both dark-haired couple breath caught in their throats upon Marie's revelation. Relief and joy brimming inside them.
"I see clearly, that the three of you are a family, with burdens and joys just like any other. Honestly, I think the two of you should consider formally adopting Elissa and having your parental rights restored," Marie recommended leaving the radio host flabbergasted.
Bruce, too, was speechless regarding Marie's recommendation. He honestly thought he would fail this interview. He never expected to pass let alone have Marie recommend himself and Diana to adopt Elissa.
Marie smiled directing it towards the billionaire, "Now, Mr. Wayne, let's revisit your home inspection," the case worker disclosed with a knowing look.
The man heart skipped a beat once he heard those words, hope washing over him at the chance to have Elissa stay over.
Diana thrilled concerning the turn of events during the interview, smiled at the father of her only child, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder, in support of the chance to have Elissa live with him.
Diana's House
That night following the disastrous evaluation at least according to Elissa, the girl rested on her bed. She felt disembodied, a hollowness unlike any she's felt before stirred within her. She mentally prepared herself to be shipped off to her next foster home.
She was certain, Bruce and Diana were troubled profoundly since she told them she may never forgive them for abandoning her.
The memory of the earlier that day brought tears to her young eyes. Remorse for her words filled her form. They have been nothing but welcoming and warm to her. They were eager to take care of her and love her, but the past always comes back to haunt you.
There was a knock on her bedroom door, "Yes?" she answered, sitting up from her bed.
"Elissa, it's Bruce," her father called to her through the door. The teenager was stunned that her father was here. She'd have thought he wouldn't come around after that horrid interview.
"Can you come downstairs for a minute?" he kindly requested of her.
"Why?"
"Please come downstairs. Diana and I would like to discuss something with you," the billionaire evaded her question, stirring an uneasiness inside her. She was hesitant to see her mother after what she said to her during the interview.
Was she angry with her?
Was it time to start packing?
She couldn't blame the woman for considering the options. Not after how she reacted to Diana. Finally revealing how she truly felt about her birth parents for abandoning her and sentencing her to survive in the foster care system.
"Yeah, sure," she half-heartedly responded, walking to the door.
Tentatively, she stepped out of her room and down the stairs. She noticed her parents sitting in her mother's living room. Both had an indescribable expression of their faces.
The teen didn't utter a word, she wasn't sure what words of kindness she could offer. She witnessed Diana offer her a kind smile and beckoned her to take a seat near the adults.
Wordlessly, she acceded and sat next to her birth parents, thought she offered no words. She merely awaited her inevitable banishment.
Diana sighed breathlessly, she was abundantly aware on how Elissa truly felt about her—about them, but none of that mattered. The Greek woman was resolute in her desire to never part with her only daughter.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Diana began, "So, I understand we aren't doing as well as I believed," she tried to lighten the mood; however, it was found in poor taste.
The girl scowled partially yet she remained silent.
"I want you to know that Marie won't remove you from our custody," Diana revealed to her daughter, who's head whipped to her mother.
She was utterly shocked that Marie wasn't taking her away following Elissa's ruinous outburst. She was certain that was about to be shipped off to the next foster home.
Diana's face was overcome with sympathy, one she directed towards her daughter. "Marie was very understanding regarding our family," she informed the teenager, while Bruce was silent, he was content with Diana taking the lead on this for the moment.
The woman reached over clasping her daughter's hands in her own, "I want to reiterate to you how sorry I am for what I did to you," she expressed with remorse coating her words, her heart had broken during the interview upon hearing Elissa's true feelings.
Elissa tightened her grip on her mother's hands, apologizes didn't console her. Too much had happened, yet the girl couldn't help but desire to remain with her parents.
She bit her lip, hesitant to utter a reply, however, Diana beat her to it, "I do not want to lose you again. And neither does Bruce," she maintained strongly. The mere mention of her father made the dark-haired girl glance in his direction and saw him staring at her intently.
The look in his blue-eyes made the girl return to her mother's face, eyes expressing concern and love.
"I'm messed up inside," Elissa struggled to say, trying to find some excuse to dissuade the older woman.
"I'm sure you are," Diana whispered to her, reaching over running her hand through her daughter's locks. "But I—we still want you. Messed up and all," she smiled encouragingly.
Bruce decided to interject the women, finding an appropriate moment to bring up the matter at hand, "Marie said that Diana and I should consider formally adopting you," he revealed, simultaneously pulling out a thick envelope filled with the proper documentation.
He handed it to the girl, smiling softly to her, offering minor encouragement.
Gingerly, Elissa accepted the packet, opening it up, she examined the contents, her face unreadable to the adults.
Although Bruce was able to gleam something from her, given his occupation.
Slowly, the daughter of Bruce and Diana, looked up to her parents, both anxiously awaiting a response from their daughter.
"Is this real?" her voiced croaked, as tears silently fell from her eyes. The fact that her parents wanted to adopt her, made her sob, overjoyed by their gesture. But the skeptic in her made her doubt them.
She saw them nod slowly and reassuringly that made her weep.
Diana reached over engulfing her in a comforting embrace. She ran her hands down her daughter's dark hair, that she no doubt inherited from her. Her daughter immediately returned the embrace, holding onto her mother tightly, afraid that she might slip away.
Minutes passed, and Elissa's cries died down into a tiny sniffle, the raven-haired paired patiently gave her time to settle down.
The adoption papers laid abandoned on the couch. "We'll have some work to do, but we want to adopt you," Bruce voiced his and Diana's combined decision.
Elissa broke from her mother to stare at the billionaire, silently sniffing, wiping her tears away. "But," he paused, gazing at the Greek woman, whom gave him a reassuring smile, giving him permission to proceed, "we wanted you to give us permission before we started the process," he revealed to his daughter.
She was dumbfounded by the statement from her father. She turned to her mother, hoping she could explain and confirm Bruce's words.
Her mother only nodded her head, placing a comforting hand on her young shoulder, "It's your decision. When you're ready for us to be your parents we will file the paperwork, but only when you are ready for that," Diana made the girl's choice known to her. She didn't want her daughter to think she had no say in the matter.
This was a step they wanted Elissa to take alone.
Subsequently, Elissa teared up once more, her heart skipping a beat.
"I'm ready!" she exclaimed as she embraced her mother once more. Her heart truly desiring to be with her parents forever. And with the news that they were considering adopting her, made her choice all the easier for her to make.
"I'm ready," she said softer, speaking into her mother's hair. "I love you guys and I'm ready."
Bruce smiled, excited by the prospect of finally adopting his daughter. Gently, he reached over and rested his hand atop his daughter's head, giving it an affectionate rub.
"Pain and all," he uttered, fondly.
This was what she wanted. A family. And soon, she would have it.
They would be a family, that faced every struggle, every heartbreak, and every joyous occasion together.
They would all have it.
NEXT: A Special Day!
A used the scene for the interview from the show Life Unexpected because I felt it was truly powerful, and that it perfectly conveyed Elissa's past and true feelings about being abandoned, regardless of Diana's good intentions.
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