Friday, February 11, 2000; 12:05pm – The Palms Cliff House Inn; Honomu, Hawaii

"Master Wayne, you have a guest."

Confused, Bruce glanced up from the book he had been reading to examine Alfred's pleased expression. He was too pleased. He stood, setting down the book on the chair he had been sitting in before following Alfred into the other room. He had thought he'd heard a knock at the door, but he doubted the paparazzi trailing him would try for an interview—pictures were much better, anything could be taken from them—and it was a little too late for room service. So he really shouldn't have been surprised to see Ana standing just inside the door, rocking on her heels like an excited child.

"Ana—?"

"You wanted to see Mauna Kea, right? Well, I thought about it and the best view is from the top, which is where you can't get to with that fancy car of yours. So I'd be glad to offer you a ride in my 4-wheel-drive truck."

He chuckled lightly. "You came all the way up here to offer me a ride?"

She shrugged as she glanced around, slightly embarrassed. "Well, yeah. I really don't have anything to do today, and I figured you didn't either."

Bruce easily spotted Alfred out of the corner of his eye, a smug smile on his face. "I think it's an excellent idea, sir," Alfred said. "I'll save your novel for you for when you return."

Both Bruce and Ana glanced to the elder man, Bruce looking more incredulous than anything. "Alright, I suppose I don't have much of a choice." He reached for his jacket that was hung on the coat hanger conveniently next to where Alfred was patiently waiting. The butler offered another one of his cocky, smug smiles, to which Bruce just shook his head before turning back towards Ana. Somehow, some way, Alfred would get it for being so amused about this.

Before she, too, turned to leave, she looked him over. But she appeared satisfied and turned towards the door as Bruce followed, deciding to ignore the look.

Moments later, they reached the parking lot and Bruce spotted the old blue and white Ford, the same he had seen last night. He got into the passenger seat of the two-door, two-seater truck and was surprised to find that the inside was clean. Well, as clean as the old truck could be. A black blanket covered the single seat that spread across the cab, with holes where the seatbelts came through, and the steering wheel had a black leather cover. Everything else looked used and worn, but nothing else was in the cab that wasn't a part of the truck. The cab also smelled like fresh laundry washed with a flowery soap instead of old cigarette smoke or musty old seats. That, and he could smell the faint smell of her perfume through it. Nothing strong, not like he was used to, but subtle. It almost matched the smell of the cab.

"It smells nice in here," he commented, causing her to smile slightly.

"Thanks. I'm paranoid about bad smells. Nobody likes them, but nobody ever says anything about them either. So I try to keep everything smelling good."

Bruce nodded slightly, amazed at her outlook on something so simple. He'd surely never thought about smells.

She started up the truck, which began to rumble without any difficulties. And in no time at all they were on the highway, heading south towards Hilo.

"It'll be about a two hour drive from here, so do you need anything before we leave Hilo?" she suddenly asked.

"No, I think I'm good."

She cast a sideways glance at him with one of her slender eyebrows lifted. "You do realize that we'll be going up 1300 feet and into about 30 degree weather."

Now he glanced at her. "In Gotham right now, it's probably about 20 degrees. And I'm as healthy and fit as can be," he added with a smile.

She smiled as she looked back to the road. "Whatever you say, Sparky. But if you change your mind, let me know. I've got a duffle bag and a backpack filled with enough stuff to live up there comfortably for a week. Well, aside from the food part."

Human nature obligated him to glance over his shoulder out of curiosity and confirm the bags in the truck bed, bags he had failed to spot earlier. She stifled a giggle.

He glanced back to her with a curious expression, which she seemed to interpret as the need to explain herself. "Human curiosity. It gets the best of everyone."

"Except for you, I assume."

"Ha. No. I get curious, too. I just show it more discretely than most people."

"Oh, right," Bruce replied playfully, earning a full glance with an equally playfully hurt expression from her.

"Seriously. Next time, use the mirrors and it won't be so obvious." She paused, her attention back on the road. "Besides, I'm very curious about you, but you obviously don't know it."

Bruce's playfulness diminished slightly at that. He had reached a point where he didn't care what people thought of him. It just annoyed him when human curiosity got the better of people when it concerned him. But with her, he realized with an inward start, he did care what she thought. He'd only seen the surface of her seemingly complex outlook of things. What did she think of him? How did he fit into her outlook? What was going on in that head of hers? "Well, how I about I help satisfy your curiosity. What's bothering you?"

She hesitated, biting her bottom lip as her hands shifted on the steering wheel. "Nothing's bothering me…" The truck suddenly slowed as she pulled into a gas station. "Gas," she said as a way of explanation when she pulled alongside a pump and quickly got out, leaving Bruce hanging in the silence of the truck. He shed a small smile in reflection as he remained inside the cab. He would find out what he wanted to know in due time.

In the mean time, he took her advice and used the side mirror to watch her. She quickly fished her wallet out of her back pocket to insert a card into the pump. Then, as an old habit, she selected the correct nozzle and hooked it in the gas tank. And then she was leaning back against the side of the truck, her thumbs hooked in her front pockets and one ankle crossed over the other. She was thinking. He could easily see that far-away look, even from his side view of her and the breeze occasionally making her long, loose hair block his view.

They both lost track of the couple of minutes that passed. She jumped when the nozzle suddenly stopped, making him smile. Quickly, she returned the nozzle to the pump and rounded the truck to get in the driver's seat. By then, he was gazing at the distant, snow capped mountain.

"Last call," she announced once she was inside, her leg hanging out the partially open door.

He glanced at her with an amused expression.

"Alrighty then."

Friday, February 11, 2000; 12:38pm – West State Highway 200/Saddle Road; Hilo Forest Reserve, Hawaii

The first few miles were mostly silent. She had asked about the radio, but he said he didn't care. So it remained off and the only sound was the roar of the truck's engine and the wind rushing past them.

"Are you sure you're Bruce Wayne? Like the Bruce Wayne?"

He looked at her slowly, making her laugh in embarrassment.

"I mean, you don't seem like someone who's worth billions."

"What is someone who's worth billions supposed to be like?"

She frowned in frustration as she glanced at him. "Well, for starters, they don't always turn my questions around on me."

He chuckled. "I figured it added more to the mystery."

"Adds to the annoyance," he heard her mutter under her breath.

More silence.

"So…" she began, but seemed to think better of it as she grew quiet again.

"I take it you don't like silence."

She shrugged, her eyes still never leaving the road. "I'm fine with silence. It's just that it'll be a long drive if we spend all of our time just staring at the boring scenery."

He paused, shrugged, and continued to gaze out the window. She released a quiet, resigned sigh, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. And that was all they did for an hour and a half. Every now and then, she'd shift her weight as if uncomfortable or ask if it was too hot or cold in the cab. He even noticed her unconsciously tap her finger on the rim of the steering wheel to music in her head. But he allowed her to be uncomfortable while he thought of other things. Things that refused to leave him alone.

His memories of Yale weren't pleasant ones. He had told Alfred the truth when he said he wasn't going back, and why. It had started out just as his time at Gotham U had. Normal, aside from the trail of press that followed him around for a week. But as the paparazzi left, students found that their shot at being seen with the famous Bruce Wayne had diminished and they quickly left him alone. Now that he wasn't complaining about. But what had bothered him were the ones who hadn't left him in peace. If only Rachel had been there, to calm him down like she always did. Told him to brush them off like flies, or even learn to live with them. Maybe it would've made a difference.

Nah. That was doubtful. What had resulted was inevitable.

Every now and then his thoughts would switch topics, to worse and worse scenarios. He tried to stay away from thinking of Rachel at all. He hadn't seen her in years, and she'd be ashamed of what he was doing with his life—nothing. But in between, he'd glace to the woman next to him out of the corner of his eye. She was always focused on the road. Not a stern focus that held all of her attention. But her eyes were there, and she was unconsciously paying attention. He could tell that her thoughts were drifting far beyond whatever music playlist was going through her head. The way her jaw twitched every now and then, her hands adjusted position on the steering wheel, even the halt of her tapping fingers altogether.

And every time he watched her, he wanted to know what she was thinking about. What was bothering her so much. She lived in Hawaii, went surfing, and seemed like she didn't have a care in the world. Whatever she was thinking about now disproved that point.

And just like every other time he had glanced at her and wondered about the mysterious Ana, his dark hues returned to the road ahead of them as his thoughts drifted to other times.

Friday, February 11, 2000; 1:42pm – Mauna Kea Access Road; Mauna Kea, Hawaii

The last few miles were filled of twisting, winding roads up the side of the looming mountain. They passed a couple of raised mounds, as well as a couple of craters, hinting at the once mighty volcano they were driving up.

Now both of their attention was on the road. Well, Ana's was, but Bruce was still curious to their surroundings. Every now and then he'd glance at the review mirror and see miles upon miles of forest stretched out beyond the desert of the mountain they were climbing into.

Her death grip on the steering wheel, her slow turns, and her eyes constantly darting back and forth between her speed, her review mirror, and the road told Bruce that she must be uncomfortable with driving these windy roads.

About halfway up, or what he judged to be halfway, he dared to ask, "Would you like me to drive?"

She glanced fully at him, her driving never slowing. "What?"

He hesitated, "You seem like—"

"No, I'm fine," she replied bluntly. But as her bright, focused hues returned to the road, she spoke again a little less sharply. "I'm just used to driving up here alone, taking the corners at faster speeds."

Bruce blinked. That was why she had seemed so paranoid about her driving? "Pretend I'm not here, then. A few sharp turns won't kill me."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips and just dying to be unleashed. And without another word, her speed increased and she relaxed. No more glancing at the mirror, no more glancing at the speedometer. She was only concerned about the road in front of her.

And they flew up the mountain.

As Bruce gripped the door to keep himself steady, her duffle bag in the back slid all over the bed without restraint. She didn't seem to care at all. Bruce even went so far to wonder that if he spoke up now, changing his mind, if she would slow down.

He couldn't quite answer that question yet.

Once they reached their destination, which apparently was only about halfway up the mountain, the old truck seemed to heave a sigh of relief as it pulled into the level parking lot. The compound seemed mostly empty. No one strolled the sidewalks between the buildings that littered the desert scenery. The only hint that anyone else was up here were the buildings themselves and the cars in the parking lot alongside them.

They both emerged slowly from the truck, Ana immediately darting around the truck to grab her duffle bag in the back. She quickly removed a large jacket—or what Bruce thought looked like a jacket, and slipped it on before taking the time to stretch out her legs and back. Meanwhile, Bruce, instead, eyed the buildings of the compound, ignoring the bitter cold and the rough wind that threw his hair around while his jacket remained in the front seat of the truck. It didn't seem as tourist friendly as other tourist attraction sites. Some places didn't have any pavement. None of the buildings looked like they had signs. But apparently Ana knew what she was doing as she strode out in front of her truck with a glance to Bruce, her long hair whipping around her face as she refused to pull up her hood. "Are you coming?"

He gave her a curt nod before following her towards one of the blank buildings. But sure enough, once they were facing the front of the building, large letters announced what it was. Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station. She opened the door for him, but he hung back and held it open for her instead. She twisted her face in hesitation and muttered a "thanks" before striding through the door. Bruce smiled in response, but his smile quickly diminished as he got a good look at the room they had just entered.

The inside looked far more visitor friendly than the outside. Colorful photographs lined the walls, each equipped with its own description. Tables with pamphlets and activities were scattered about. A sign indicated a bookstore off to the right. And an empty desk was on the other side of the room, the chair behind it abandoned and a binder on top the desk left open. Bruce wandered further in, his eyes taking in the pictures of the breathtaking view from the summit as well as the images captured by telescopes. Mauna Kea was the tallest mountain in the world, from base to summit. Its summit was perfect for telescopic observation because of its equatorial location, the summit was above cloud level and water vapors, and the night sky was dark with no major cities nearby. Not one, but several telescopes were atop the summit, each one owned and operated by a different benefactor, be it Japan, the University of Hawaii, and everything in between.

It wasn't until he had nearly reached the empty desk that he paused to wonder where Ana was. He glanced around, failing to spot her anywhere in the room. She'd been here several times before, clearly. She probably had something she needed to do.

With an inward shrug, he glanced back to the desk and more specifically the open binder on top. It was a guest book. The currently open page had been filled about halfway, all of the names listing today's date next to them. Most of them had left comments, but some just had a name and hometown. None of the names were from Hawaii.

Not signing it, he turned away again and headed towards the bookstore, now in search of Ana. It would be his luck that she drove him all the way up here to abandon him. But as soon as he entered the next room, he quickly spotted her strolling through the aisles of books with a water bottle in hand, absently scanning the book titles as she unknowingly headed towards him. As if feeling his eyes on her, she glanced up, startled, before hurrying towards him at a quicker pace. "Hey, sorry. I just needed to get some water," she apologized as she slowed.

He looked her over with an amused expression before shaking his head and moving to look through the books much like she had been doing before. He felt her eyes follow him as he heard her exclaim incredulously behind him, "What?"

He refrained from audibly chuckling. "Nothing," he replied over his shoulder, pretending that his attention was on the books in front of him.

She muttered an "Uhuh" before following him down the aisle. They wandered through the astronomy books silently, but by the time they'd reached the end of the first aisle, even Bruce was bored. It wasn't like he didn't like astronomy, but it wasn't exactly thrilling to be looking through the titles of books he had no idea about.

He had a pretty decent outlook on the subject, actually. The books in his father's study contained several on the stars and the universe, and he had read every book in that room at least once. His father had books about the mythology involving the stars, the astronomical patterns, the dynamics of the planets, and things such as that. When he found the books in the study, he had gone on an astronomy kick for about a week, spending the nights out in the garden with Alfred, trying to match the barely visible stars in the sky to the patterns in the books. Gotham's bright lights in the distance always prevented him from seeing everything, so Alfred had promised that they would take a trip to some place where all the stars were visible. But the bonding reminded Bruce of earlier times with his father, so the trip was never scheduled.

"So is this all there is to this? Just some pretty pictures and a bookstore?" Bruce jested, startling Ana from whatever reverie she was in this time.

"Alright, smartass. We can go up to the summit," she said, turning to head back into the room they had just come from. "But you did sign the guestbook, right?" She paused to look at him.

He shrugged sheepishly.

"The guestbook is the most important part, Bruce! Here, come 'ere," she motioned as she approached the table.

Bruce obediently followed, taking the pen that was handed to him. In his elegant penmanship, he wrote the date, his name, and Gotham. Leaving the comment space blank, he set the pen down on the page, only for the book to be snatched up by Ana. "Ha! Now I've got your autograph," she laughed.

He even chuckled a little, amused. "You could've just asked. No need to drive me all the way up here for it."

She smiled, setting the book back down. "You know, I think you'll give the next person who reads this a heart attack. I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually did steal this page, auctioned it off on eBay."

They both locked eyes, laughing quietly.

Friday, February 11, 2000; 6:37pm – Mauna Kea Access Road; Mauna Kea, Hawaii

He wasn't the sentimental type, but even he had to appreciate the view.

From their lounging position in the back of Ana's truck, they could see the sunset perfectly, reflecting on the Pacific and Hilo far below. Scattered clouds dotted the skyline below them as lights flickered on the roads and in the town.

Ana sighed heavily, as if releasing the entire weight of the day. They'd spent the rest of the afternoon hiking around the visitor center and exploring what little they could of the observatories on the summit.

Bruce glanced over at her, but she simply smiled before continuing to watch the sunset.

She was a complete mystery to him. Rachel was too, but if it was possible, Ana was more of one.

"Well, I think those guys are on their way to kick us out," Ana said, drawing his attention to the couple of security guards who had just emerged from one of the observatories.

As soon as she said it, they both glanced in their direction. Quickly, both Bruce and Ana climbed out of the truck and hopped back into the cab, causing the guards to slow to a stop and watch with wary gazes.

"Well now what, Miss Adventurer?" once they were back on the steep dirt road that the old truck had clambered up only hours before.

She shrugged, failing to be amused by the nickname. "That was all I had in mind. Why, do you want to do something else?"

Bruce smiled to himself. Though he hadn't the faintest idea why, he wanted to spend more time with her.