Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own anything in this story except for Anna, and the few supporting characters that I have created, whether they have two legs or four. Batman, Bruce Wayne, and everything associated them belong to DC, not me. Please don't sue me, it would be a waste of time unless you want a 1991 Mazda, an ugly couch and an old TV set.

Summary: What if Bruce Wayne wasn't an only child? What would it be like growing up as a Wayne, without your parents, but without the guilt and responsibility that Bruce carries? How would that additional loved one affect Bruce's transformation?

Back story: Introducing Anna Wayne, Bruce's sister. 8 years younger than Bruce, Anna was just a baby when their parents were murdered. Both of the Wayne children were raised by Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne family's beloved butler, with the assistance of a live-in nanny who cared for Anna as a baby. That kind woman left when Anna turned 5, and it was just the two children and Alfred living in Wayne Manor, until Bruce left for college. This main part of the story picks up as Bruce is coming back for Joe Chill's hearing.

Author's Note: Yes, I realize that this story is a bit odd. But hey, so am I! Please give it a chance, though. I'm not a comic book fan, and I don't know any of the myriads of details that the comics possess. So if I traipse all over some established story lines with my writing, please be kind. This is strictly movieverse stuff, which is where my only knowledge of Bruce/Batman comes from. Any helpful tidbits of information will be gratefully accepted.

Also, this story is written to establish Anna, and kind of unobtrusively insert her into some of the back story, before I write another fic featuring her. So this one is set during the time period leading up to, and after Bruce's disappearance, but before he comes back, and before Batman. No bat action in this story I'm afraid, but that will change in the next one, I promise.

Thanks for reading, and please review!

Anna Wayne shed her lightweight wool coat as she entered the house. Alfred's note had said that he expected to be back by today, but a quick glance around the kitchen told her that Alfred hadn't returned yet. She grabbed an apple and headed up to her room.

The sound of the front door opening startled her, and she spun around to see who was there. "Alfred!" Anna exclaimed happily.

"Hello Miss Anna, how are you? I hope everything was well during my absence," Alfred returned in his comforting British accent.

"I'm fine, and yes, everything is fine. Where have you been? I got your note, but you didn't mention why you left, or where you were going. Or is it none of my business?" Anna was curious. That was very unusual behaviour for Alfred, to just up and go away with out any planning or explanation. The message he had left for her had said simply that he was going away for a few days, but expected to return by Thursday, and if that changed, he would phone.

"Well, I'm afraid that's a long, complicated story. But I'll be glad to share it with you, just as soon as we get settled," he told her.

"We? Who's with you Alfred?" Anna stepped closer to the butler, trying to see around him, into the vestibule.

Alfred glanced over his shoulder, seeming to seek permission, and then stepped aside. The younger man, who up until now had been hidden in the shadows, stepped forward. Warm sunlight, splashing down from the vaulted windows, illuminated his face.

Anna paled, her normally rosy complexion giving way to pasty white. Her dark blue eyes widened as she whispered "Bruce?" She swayed slightly as she put a trembling hand to her mouth, then without a sound, she crumpled.

Bruce moved quickly, and managed to catch her before her head hit the marble floor. He gathered her into his arms, and stood. Cradling her against his chest, Bruce headed into the family room, and gently laid Anna on the soft, green sofa.

"Shall I call a doctor?" Alfred inquired.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Bruce answered, noticing that Anna was showing signs of waking up. "She just fainted. I suppose it was quite a shock, seeing me again." He mentally berated himself for not finding a better way of breaking the news of his return. Then he heaped more guilt upon himself, thinking of what it must have been like for his sister after he disappeared. But the person that he had been then had been toxic, both to himself, and ultimately to Anna too. Would it have been worse for her if he hadn't left, if he hadn't changed? Of course, to ask those questions was to assume that his change had been for the better. At the moment there was no evidence to support that assumption.

He shook his head, breaking off that circuitous line of thinking. There was nothing to be gained from second-guessing his decision now. Whether it had been the right choice or not, it had been made, and now he would have to face some of the familial repercussions. If he knew his sister, and if she hadn't changed too much in the past 7 years, she was going to be very upset with him, and she was going to want answers. He was going to have to decide, quickly, how much of his past, and his plan for the future, to tell Anna about.

Bruce broke off his reverie, noticing a troubled pair of sapphire eyes that were regarding him seriously.

Anna cautiously pushed herself into a sitting position, never taking her eyes off of her brother. Her emotions whirled as she fought to absorb this revelation. She had spent the last 7 years gradually burying Bruce, adjusting to his absence. It had been a long, hard road, and the fact that it had evidently been for nothing angered her. Anna thought back to the last time that she had seen her brother, when he came home for Joe Chill's hearing.

7 years previously

"Bruce!" Anna shrieked as she ran to hug her older brother. She had missed him terribly. He and Alfred were all the family that she had, and with Bruce away at college, a chunk had been taken out of her life. But he was home now, even if it was only for a few days, and under very somber circumstances. It didn't matter why he was there or for how long, Anna would take what she could get.

Bruce smiled at his sister's exuberance as she threw her arms around him and squeezed him, hard. "Breathing, Anna, it's something I like to do," he joked.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said as she released him. "You're early too, so now you can come watch me ride!"

"Ride?" Bruce asked in confusion.

"Yes ride, silly. As in on a horse, in a saddle. Ringing any bells for you?" Anna teased.

"Oh you're so funny," Bruce countered, reaching over to ruffle her dark hair. Had he been a bit younger, he probably would have stuck out his tongue.

Alfred chuckled quietly, watching the two siblings from the doorway where he still stood, holding Bruce's bags. In Alfred's opinion, Master Bruce needed more silliness in his life. Before Master Bruce had left for college, Anna's sunny disposition had kept much of the darkness in her brother at bay. Away from that cheerful influence, the angst and brooding had returned, as had been all too evident today at the train station. On a usual visit, it would only take Master Bruce a few hours to relax and lighten up once he got home.

But Alfred suspected that this time would be different. Even with Anna's optimistic, merry personality at full force, the hearing would keep any of them from relaxing too much. If only Master Bruce wasn't insisting on going. Alfred had tried to talk the young man out of attending the proceeding, but it had been in vain. Perhaps Miss Dawes would be more successful. Too, for some reason, Master Bruce had mentioned in the car that he didn't want Anna to go with him to the hearing. That was going to go over like a lead balloon. Anna didn't even remember her parents; she had only been a baby when they were murdered. Even so, she wasn't going to want to sit at home while Master Bruce went alone. She would want to go along, to offer moral support to her brother, and make a show of solidarity to the press that would inevitably be there.

Anna stopped in the middle of the verbal sparring and looked up at Bruce, her blue eyes suddenly grave. "I mean it Bruce, I'm really glad you're here," she said sincerely.

"I know you are kid," Bruce gruffly returned, pulling her into a half hug. He had missed Anna and Alfred, more than he had admitted. Did he really want to go through with this? If he did it, he would be caught, no doubt about it. That would be a much more permanent, painful separation than just being away at college, and yet again the suffering would be his fault. Maybe he should rethink this plan.

No. This was the only way he had of atoning for his role in his parents' murder. No matter what Alfred, and others, had said all these years, it was still his fault that they had died. If he hadn't been scared, they never would have left through that door, at that time, when Chill was out there. End of story. There was a price to be paid, and he was going to have to pay it, regardless of the personal costs. He couldn't live with himself if he didn't make things as right as he could.

Unwilling to continue with his heavy thinking, he asked "So when are you supposed to ride?"

Anna's face lit up as she replied. "At 3 o'clock. I'm going to do the whole course at speed, on my new horse, Poseidon. I've done this course several times, but not on him. You'll come and watch, won't you?"

"Of course," Bruce answered. A glance at his watch revealed that it was already after 2. "Let me go change my shoes, and I'll meet you down at the stable," he said.

Anna grinned happily and ran out the front door.

Bruce shook his head, a smile lingering on his face as he headed up to his room. He had always been amazed at Anna's vivacious, optimistic outlook on things. What Bruce didn't realize, though Alfred could have told him, was that Bruce himself had been very much like that before his parents died. Maybe a bit more serious than Anna, but there had been in him that same light and joy that she still possessed.

Alfred followed Bruce up the stairs, carrying the suitcase. After a brief argument over what room Bruce would be staying in, Alfred deposited the bag in Bruce's old bedroom.

Bruce put the suitcase on the bed, opened it, and removed the pistol he had brought from it. He weighed it in his hands, contemplating the actions he was going to carry out tomorrow. Replacing the gun in the bag, he pulled out a pair of trainers, put them on, and went back downstairs.

As Bruce walked across the lush grass, he could see the stable and covered ring ahead of him. A small figure, dressed in a sweater, breeches and black velvet helmet, sat astride a large, grey horse. Anna caught sight of him just as he reached the small set of bleachers alongside the ring. A huge smile appeared on her face, and she cantered over to him.

In a serious tone, she introduced him to Poseidon. Bruce was no great horseman, though he could ride fairly well, he had never loved it the way Anna did. But even he could see the obvious quality of Poseidon's bloodlines. A sleek, beautiful animal, with huge, liquid brown eyes, Poseidon was actually quite friendly. Once Bruce allowed the horse to study him, and sniff his outstretched hand, the animal extended its elegant neck and gently head butted Bruce's shoulder.

"He likes you!" Anna cried, delightedly. She reached down and gave the horse a loving pat on its neck.

"Anna, let's give this course a try." Heidi Atcheson, Anna's riding coach called from the other side of the ring. "Remember, he's bigger than Esperanza, so you'll have to adjust your timing on the jumps."

Anna and Poseidon trotted off, circling the ring a couple of times, then she increased their speed to a canter and lined up the first jump. It was a relatively easy cross rail, and horse and rider sailed gracefully over it. The large, complicated course fell away under Poseidon's long legs, and it was no time at all before Anna was lining up for the next to the last jump.

This one was a little more difficult, an in-and-out, two jumps placed a short distance apart, leaving just enough room for the horse to gather itself in between. Anna confidently cantered toward it, judged their distance and signalled Poseidon to jump. They made it safely over the first jump, and were gathered for the second, when disaster struck.

Just as they landed in between the two fences, Anna heard a loud bang. Poseidon snorted, and with a wrenching twist, bolted to the right. She tried desperately to hang on, but she lost her balance and fell, slamming into the second fence and knocking it over as she went down. Pain blossomed in her left arm as she hit the ground, and she lay there, stunned.

Bruce saw Anna fall, saw her crash into the jump, then the ground and she wasn't getting up. He leapt off of the bleachers, scaled the fence and ran to his sister. He could hear Heidi calling for Damon, the stable boy, to call 911 as she tried to quiet Poseidon down. He skidded to halt, and knelt beside Anna.

"Hey kiddo, you okay?" Bruce asked softly. She was conscious, that was good, and her large, blue eyes seemed clear and alert.

Anna didn't answer right away; she was still trying to work some air back into her lungs. The force of the fall had knocked the wind out of her, and with a grimace of pain, she finally got her breath back.

Bruce saw her flinch as she inhaled. "What hurts?" he asked.

Hoarsely, she answered, "My arm, and it hurts when I breathe. Is Poseidon okay?" She drew another breath, more cautiously, and felt the same burning pinch in her side.

Heidi, having handed Poseidon off to Damon, hurried over to her pupil's side. "Is she okay?"

"She said her arm hurts, and her side when she breathes," Bruce replied.

"Um, yes, hello? Never to fear, my question answering abilities have survived this less than graceful moment completely intact," Anna quipped breathlessly. "What about Poseidon, is he hurt?"

Bruce and Heidi chuckled. "Well, her sense of humor is undamaged, she can't be too bad off." Heidi remarked, dryly. "Poseidon's fine, Anna. Damon is putting him in his stall right now." The distant wail of sirens reached their ears, heralding the arrival of the paramedics. They had made excellent time, considering how far out from the city Wayne Manor was.

When the paramedics reached them, Bruce stepped back to get out of their way. Pulling out his cell phone, he called Alfred and told the butler about the accident. Alfred said that he would bring the car down to the hospital, and call Dr. Tompkins to see if she could meet them at the emergency room.

Bruce hung up the phone, and climbed into the back of the ambulance. The EMT shut the doors behind him, got into the driver's seat, and they pulled off.

A/N: That's it for this chapter, and the second, and possibly third are ready to be put up. But I want to know what you think first. Love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Please review! Praise (if it's deserved) and constructive criticism are heartily welcomed! Thanks for reading.