"Lucy"
I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to be conscious. Please, I thought, don't wake up. Let me rest forever.
"Lucy…"
"Leave me alone" I whispered in a raspy, dry voice.
I felt an unfamiliar, delicate hand on my shoulder.
Opening my eyes slowly, I stared up in shock.
"Mom?"
Her face was exactly as I remembered it; slender and pale with almond shaped eyes, sparkling like gold. Her long curly hair cascaded in locks down her back.
Tears formed behind my eyes.
"Am I dead?"
"No, sweetheart, you're not." she said, pushing a lock of my sweaty hair behind my ear.
"Why didn't you tell me… about my father?"
She didn't break eye contact with me, but her brow furrowed.
"There is a lot that I kept secret from you. Things that no one knew… not even Carmine. Things that I never wanted to tell you" She wiped a few tears away from my cheek. "I needed to keep you safe."
"But I deserve to know-" I said, forcing the words out before they were swallowed by sobs.
"Yes, you do baby, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
She leaned in to kiss my forehead, whispering something into my ear.
"I miss you mom" I sobbed.
She vanished as quickly as she had appeared as I fell backwards into a bed.
Back into my body.
. . . .
I sat up quickly, startling everyone in the room.
Alfred had barely managed to save a tray of food he had been carrying to my bedside table. Lucious, who had dozed off in the corner of the room, immediately shot up. Beams of light were streaming into my guest room at Wayne Manor.
"Ms…Ms. Falcone!" Alfred said, placing the tray down quickly. John burst into the room as soon as he heard my name.
"Lucy!" He ran towards me, wrapping his arms around me. I almost wanted to tell him it was too tight, but he quickly released me.
"Lucy, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for all of this. Everything I've put you through-"
He looked tired, aged. Despite a minor heachache and some dizziness, I felt relatively sane. I felt clear headed and grounded… something I hadn't felt in quite some time.
"It's ok John. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead."
Staring intensely into my eyes, a sense of relief spread over his face as he embraced me again. Behind Alfred and Lucious, I noticed Bruce Wayne standing idly in the doorway.
. . . . . . . . .
The physical and mental strain of the past two weeks had taken a toll on my body, mind and spirit. I had been out for a good 48 hours.
After a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs and hashbrowns, John filled me in. I hadn't had real food since Chinatown and even then, it hadn't been as good as Alfred's cooking.
The bombing successfuly destroyed the old chapter of the mob, and since then, the Penguin had been a busy bird. The Joker, however, had gone back into hiding.
Carmine Falcone was readmitted to Arkham, now renovated and reinforced by an advanced security system, compliments of Wayne Enterprises. I would never forgive him for murdering my mother. However, now that I was sane and recovering, I also weighed the consequences of extracting revenge. John had been right. There was no coming back from murder- it would have destryoed me from the inside out.
Finally, Bruce Wayne, alive and well, was back from hiding. After hearing the news about the Joker's return, Bruce was adamant John needed more training… and promised to do so under the pretense that John would strictly follow the rules and regulations required of him. John gladly obliged.
Bruce made it crystal clear that his Batman would not be returning as Gotham's vigilante- John would in fact be the next generation.
. . . . . .
So after a few weeks back in the manor, I made the decision to leave Gotham. I knew in my heart that John's attachment to me was holding him back from his training. I loved him, in a way, but my path took me out of Gotham's city limits.
Whether it was a dream or an out of body experience, my mother had whispered very important words into my ear; the location of her diary:
Santa Monica, California- PO box 444.
I knew it sounded crazy, but every bone in my body told me to follow my gut. Whatever was in that mailbox, if it existed, was going to tell me more about my mother.
So on the first day of December, I made my way to the airport. I said my goodbyes to John, Bruce, Alfred and Lucious at the manor. Airport goodbyes weren't really my thing and I insisted on taking a taxi to the airport. It was my first step towards drawing boundaries for myself.
I packed lightly, as I had gratefully taken a credit card belonging to Wayne Enterprises. Although John promised to call me often, I knew the card was another way of keeping track of my whereabouts. However, I wasn't too concerned. Bruce back in the picture and John would be preoccupied. Besides, I was very grateful for the financial support.
As I made my way past security, I took my suitcase from the belt of the scanner.
"Excuse me, miss, this fell out of your bag."
The man at the checkpoint handed me an unfamiliar envelope.
"Your name is Lucy, right?"
I nodded, taking the envelope that was addressed to me.
Walking down the terminal, I stared blankly down at the letter. Written in red ink across the top of it was my first name.
The writing was rigid, violent and trailed by three dots. It looked as if it was deliberately stabbed onto the paper.
As I turned back around to look at the checkpoint guard, he had disappeared. My heart dropped. I knew instantly this hadn't fallen out of my bag. This was a warning.
Making sure I was close enough to my terminal and was by myself before I carefully opened the letter. Out slipped a polaroid photograph.
The camera flash had eliminated any detail from the background, as if taken in a very dim room. There was a gloved purple hand holding my mother's Tiger's Eye necklace. My eyes widened.
Instantly the hairs stood on my arms. I was trying not to panic. Looking around, I didn't sense anyone had been watching me.
Flipping the polaroid over, there was more red writing on the back.
"Miss you already. Come home soon. -J"
He knew where I was, where I was going. He wanted me to know that he still had a part of me. I should have thrown out the envelope and picture… but it was the only thing I had left of my mother… and unfortunately of the Joker.
Boarding the plane to Los Angeles, I promised myself I wouldn't come back to Gotham until I had answers.
I felt like the Fool in a deck of Tarot cards… a game my mother had taught me when I was younger. The Fool was about new beginnings…walking into the unknown. I had to stay vigilant. Despite the opportunity and excitement, I had to make sure my head wasn't held too high or too low.
Of course, the flip side of the card represented chaos and folly… chaos.
I took one more look at the photo, not sure whether I was looking at my mother's necklace or the gloved hand.
Tucking it in my suitcase, I took one last look around the terminal and boarded the plane.
.
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Thank you everyone for reading 3
Stay tuned for the next installment... R.K.
