Bruce's POV
Waking up, I rolled over and found Bethany still in bed. She was facing me, still sleeping. I studied her for a moment, seeing how the events of last night had changed her. In this state, she looked exactly the same: her red hair spilled behind her and her face was calm. As I looked at her, I couldn't help but feel a small sense of happiness that she was here. My selfish side was also prideful that she was with me instead of with Crane for once. I watched her for a moment longer, then I carefully slid out of bed and grabbed a robe before leaving my room and heading down to the kitchen. Turning the corner, I found Alfred and Crane already there.
"How is she?" Crane asked.
I nodded, "Sleeping."
Alfred nodded in response, "I'm making her pancakes."
"I think we'll all need pancakes today."
Alfred paused in what he was doing, but he said, "I'll add strawberries I think."
"Add all the berries, Alfred. She's…. She's going to need it."
"Would you mind starting the coffee, Master Wayne?"
"No, not at all."
"Can… can I see her?" asked Crane.
Looking at him, I frowned, "I said you could come over no problem… but I think we'll need to give her some time."
"So that's a no?"
I nodded, "I just don't think visitors is the best thing for her right now."
"And you are?"
"Master Wayne is right," said Alfred turning to Crane, "The trauma that Miss Elwood has experienced needs time to heal before we go throwing in other people. I don't mean to be rude, Mister Crane, but Master Wayne and I are like family to her."
Jonathan looked angrily from Alfred to me. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself and nodded, "You're right…. I… I should wait."
"I promise I'll call you when she's feeling better," I said, "You have my word."
"At least tell her that I made her pancakes," Jonathan said, wiping his hands on a towel, "I should be going then…. No need to hang around if I can't see Bethany."
I nodded and showed Crane to the door. Coming back to the kitchen, I helped Alfred prepare breakfast and together we placed everything on a tray.
"Shall I call Mr Elwood and give him the news," Alfred asked handing me a napkin.
I was silent for a moment, then I said, "That would be much appreciated…. Let him know Bethany will be staying here with me, and if he wants to come and see his daughter he's more than welcome to."
"Will do, sir."
I gave Alfred an appreciative smile as I took the tray and made my way back up to my room. Opening the door, I found Bethany had woken up, and was sitting with her legs to her chest and tears silently slipping down her face. Closing the door, I set the tray of food down on the bedside table next to her, and I moved to her, picking her up so I could take her spot on the bed. Setting her in my lap, I held her to my chest. She gripped my shirt in her hand as she softly cried and I held her to me petting her hair.
"Alfred made pancakes," I said, "With extra berries." She didn't respond. Reaching over, I took the top off of the plate to show her. "He… he did the smiley face ones. Are you hungry?"
She shook her head, burying her nose in my shirt. I held her closer to me and my heart ached for her. There was nothing I could do to make this better. And at the rate this whole investigation was going, Batman was just as useless. I mentally punished myself for not keeping a closer eye on Margaret. I was so focused on her daughter and keeping her in Gotham, that I let my guard down and she was taken and murdered. It was my fault, and there was no way I could tell anyone.
"You should eat something," I said finally, "All this crying is taking out a lot of energy. You're gonna need to restore it somehow."
"I don't want to eat."
I frowned, "How about I keep this here for you. That way if you get hungry, it'll be right within reach."
She nodded.
I let out a small sigh as I took hold of her and moved her to my side. Rolling next to her, I pressed her back to my chest and I held her to me, leaving the next move to her. She stayed in this position for a while, but then she rolled over and burrowed into my chest. I opened my arms to let her get to the position she wanted, then I held her to me, feeling her tears soak into my undershirt. I held her to me until the energy from crying exhausted her and she fell asleep. I stayed with her for a few moments just in case she woke up, then I gently removed my arm from under her, and I left the bedroom to my closet where I got dressed. I had to make a quick stop at Wayne Enterprises today to make sure things were going smoothly.
Driving into the city, I talked with my secretary, Jessica, to gauge how things were going that day. Parking in my private spot, I got out of my car and went to the elevators, pressing the down button. Going to Applied Sciences, I exited the elevator and walked over to Lucian Fox. He was currently hunched over a table tinkering with something, and when I came to a stop next to him he asked, "How is your friend doing? Miss Elwood?"
I frowned, "She's spending the day in bed, not eating."
"Sounds about right… girl gets thrown off a bridge, her life is threatened, and her mother is murdered…. I'm surprised she hasn't spiraled into a state of permanent depression."
"I have no idea what to do to help her…. All of my research is going nowhere, I can't find the Joker in Gotham."
Turning to me Lucian frowned, "Mr Wayne… please don't take this personally…. Could you be having difficulties finding the Joker due to your… feelings about Miss Elwood?"
"You think a girl is clouding Batman's brain?"
"No… I'm saying a bit of unrequited love is clouding Batman's brain. How is her relationship with Crane?"
"I'm not sure…. She tried to leave him… but I've allowed him to come by the house to try and visit while she's here."
"Do you think it wise trusting Crane like that?"
I shrugged, "I know it sounds weird, but he seems to have genuinely changed. That doesn't mean that I'm lax around him… but he seems to really care about Bethany and he seems to be responding well to the therapy."
Lucian nodded thoughtfully, "The Arkham Rehabilitation Program is a bit of a long shot… but if the Scarecrow shows signs of real improvement, that would be a huge step for the asylum."
"Why do I feel like there is a b-side to that statement?"
"Excitement over success can often rush future results if not treated carefully."
I nodded and looked down at what he was tinkering with, "What's that?"
"A new prototype of a retractable grappling hook. Interested?"
"Maybe. I like the one I have."
"Honestly, this isn't that much better. It's a bit slimmer, but that means the wire is slimmer as well."
I frowned, "Meaning it's not as strong."
"Exactly. We could find a more powerful wire that would fit, but why run the risk?"
I smiled in agreement, "Any progress on the blast materials I sent you?"
"No. It's all made from standard level explosive materials you can find in any hardware store and the like."
"The Joker is shopping at home improvement stores for explosives?"
"Yes and no…. There's some evidence of a chemical compound, but the samples were too small to identify completely."
"What would you say they could be?"
"It's too early to say, Mister Wayne."
I nodded, "Thank you, Lucian."
"You'll be the first person I come to when I find out. But in the meantime, if the Joker sets off another bomb, have Batman take more samples."
I smiled as I turned to the elevator and went up to the higher floors. I met with Jessica and prepared myself for a series of very uninteresting investment meetings. I kept my phone out on the table in case Alfred or Bethany called, and I found that even with the ringer on, I continued to check it from time to time to make sure it was still operable. By the time the meetings were over, it was late in the evening and I was more than happy to go home.
Entering my house, I went upstairs to my room and found Bethany still in my bed, her back to the door. I looked at the tray of food and saw that none of it was eaten. I gave a sigh, and took the tray with me as I left the room. Going to the kitchens, I found Alfred setting up food onto plates.
"Welcome home, Master Wayne," he said, "Eventful day?"
"No."
"Same here, I'm afraid."
I nodded, "Is that dinner?"
"Yes, Master Wayne. Salisbury Steak… one of her favorites from childhood if I remember correctly."
I nodded, "Well. she didn't eat breakfast, so let's hope that will get her to eat."
"Lets."
Setting the tray with the new food, I carried it back up to my bedroom, and sat it down on the bedside table again. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I gently nudged her awake and waited for her to roll over. She sat up and looked from me to the new food and she hugged her knees to her chest, "I'm not hungry."
I shook my head, "You haven't eaten all day… you have to eat something."
She looked at me, and after a moment nodded. I smiled and helped her with a plate. She looked down and a small smile formed on her lips, and she took a bite. She ravaged the plate, quickly eating her portion and sides, before moving onto the dessert that Alfred also provided. When she was finished, she sat back against the headboard and watched as I finished my dinner and started on my dessert. She examined herself and her surroundings, and then waited patiently for me to finish eating. Setting the plate down on the tray, I gave her a small smile, "How are you doing?"
"I stink."
I let out a small laugh, "Do you want to shower?"
"A bath."
I nodded, "Okay."
Getting up, I entered my bathroom and started running water making sure it was just hot enough. I added some bubble soap I had and let it foam up under the spout and spread through the water. I also added a few drops of lavender oil, and I went back to collect Bethany. I helped her out of bed and held onto her as we walked to the bathroom, and I helped her with her shirt. She pulled down on her underwear and let it fall to the floor, then stood with her arms across her breasts. Without touching her, I gestured to the bath and offered her my hand to help her in. She stepped down into the bath and then turned to me, "Aren't you getting in?"
I stood there for a moment, then said, "I didn't know you wanted me to."
She nodded, "I want you to."
I took my hand back and removed my clothes, throwing them into the corner of the room. Stepping into the bath with her, I sat down and helped her sit with her back to me. We sat in the tub and I let her do all of the moving. She picked up the sponge and began to wash herself, and I sat still, letting her do her thing. When she was done, she turned and sat on her knees facing me. Holding out the sponge, she said, "Do… you need to use it?"
I shook my head, "I'll rinse off in the shower."
"Why do you have bubble bath and lavender oil if you only shower?"
I shrugged, "An ex-girlfriend left them here years ago, and… I'm just happy they still work."
She let a small smile get the better of her as she said, "So you just break these out for your other girlfriends?"
I let out a soft laugh, "Guilty as charged."
Moving closer, she widened her stance and straddled my waist. Dipping the sponge in the water she pressed it to my exposed chest and moved it around. Looking up at me, she watched my reaction for a moment, then leaned in and kissed me. I pulled away and gripped her arms pushing her back. Frowning she asked, "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm… trying to be intimate with you."
"Why?"
She shied away, "I… I don't know." Tears lined her eyes, "I just need to be distracted."
"And you thought sleeping with me would be a distraction?"
She shrugged, "I don't know."
"Wow, Bethy… way to make a guy feel used." I added a soft laugh to let her know I wasn't hurt.
A tear slipped down her face, "I'm sorry."
"Bethany… I wasn't being serious. Don't be sorry."
Cupping her cheek in my hand, I wiped away the tear, and pulled her in for a soft kiss. Pulling away, I said "I don't think this is a good idea… I just want you to know that."
She nodded, "That's good…. Because I don't think this is a good idea either."
Pulling her back in for a kiss, She pressed herself into me and ground her hips into mine. I gasped into the kiss and she did the same. Moving my hands to her back, I pressed her harder into me, and I moved my hips up slightly into her. She let out a soft moan, and that small sound of approval was all I need to continue.
