I saw the review about Bruce being too strict, and have thought about it a lot. Thinking about it, I can see where the review is right, and I have made him too strict. But on the other side, when I wrote the last chapter, I see Bruce as being very serious and overly strict. But I promise for future chapters to try to be careful to not make Bruce quite so mean.

Anyway, thanks for the review. As always all constructive criticism is perfectly welcome!

Chapter 4: Vivid Nightmare

I erased all my presence perfectly, just as mother had taught me and crawled through the small vent only I could fit through. The bombs I was carrying were ready for me to prepare as I had been trained to.

The dark creature had come out of nowhere, just as I was preparing to start the countdown. He quickly deactivated the bomb and looked to me with sharp intimidating eyes. "You need to seriously consider if you think what you are doing is right, because you don't need to be a tool being used for the wrong reasons," he said quietly.

I had only stared, trying to understand these words. What I was doing was all I had ever known, could there be something else?

Then, minutes later, I watched in invisible fear as the creature fought my father and defeated him. Mother of course had already made her swift escape. Father was taken away in hand cuffs and I turned to the creature with pleading eyes. The creature made a move to leave and I ran to catch up until I had his attention. I desperately shook my head and continued to cry silently without tears as he looked at me steadily, a small hint of understanding was visible even through the cowl.

But he spoke some words to the police officer and ran away, leaving me crumpled on the cold ground and alone. I knew this probably meant a death sentence for me, and it wasn't long until father had found me and of course planned to punish me for my failure. His anger was unprecedented and he was coming at me with a knife. But the creature faded back into view suddenly and stopped him. I turned once again to him, my savior, the only hope I felt I had. If he wouldn't help me my father would hunt me forever and eventually kill me.

I looked into his eyes and silently begged once again for him to stay. My pale fingers clung to his cape, but he was already turning to leave. "Don't go," I whispered desperately.

"I'm sorry, Jayden. But you can't come with me," he spoke quietly. "You can't come with me, and you can't stay with me. I need to leave you," His voice was gradually becoming more human, and I was suddenly clutching onto Bruce's jacket rather than Batman's cape. "I need to leave you Jayden," he repeated, backing away into shadows. "You need to go back to where you came from."

"Bruce, no!" I screamed frantically, trying to find where he disappeared. "Come back, please! Bruce! Bruce!" I didn't think I was ever going to find him again, and he had left me. I felt like I couldn't breath from the panic.

"Jayden, calm down. I'm right here," the soothing voice murmured from somewhere above me.

I gasped and sat up. My bed felt cold even though my body was covered in sweat. Tears were already running down my face. With a trembling hand I grabbed Bruce's outstretched arm and pulled him closer. "You're still here. I'm still here," I whimpered with a shaky voice. Then I thoroughly shocked myself by beginning to sob uncontrollably. "I thought you'd left me."

Bruce sat on the bed and pulled me into his arms. "Calm down," he said gently. "I'm here, and I promised to never leave you again. You can trust me."

I frantically clinged to him and nodded my agreement to his words. It took several minutes for me to calm down, but I continued to hold onto him, never wanting to let go of his comfort. In a way, it had felt oddly cleansing to just let myself open up and cry real tears.

Bruce reached out and felt my forehead. "As I feared, you do have a fever. You need to go back to sleep, and you're taking the day off training tomorrow." He gently pushed me away and laid me back on my pillow and tucked me in. "I will stay here for a little while until you go back to sleep," he said gently. "Remember your emotion control before bed, you need to get these fears and memories out of your head."

"It's just so hard," I mumbled. "Sometimes the memories come back very strong."

"I understand. My own parents were murdered right in front of me. Sometimes those memories haunt me very strongly as well."

"Why?" I asked. "Why do we, and so many other people, have to deal with so much?"

"I don't know," he said sadly. "But that's why I plan to stop it."

"But that's also why I tell you I want to help," I said softly, my eyelids drooping.

"We are not discussing this now," Bruce said firmly. "Now stop talking and get some sleep, you're going to skip school tomorrow as well."

With this extra piece of comforting news, I finally allowed myself to close my eyes. I drifted off soon after. When I woke up, it was already late morning, and my entire body ached and my head hurt. At least I had been allowed to skip school. The bullies had not gotten much better for me at this school. Even though I was no longer the dirty and poorly dressed scrawny girl, I was still seen as being very different and an easy target because of my silence. I was in a grade above peers my age, and others still saw me as a freak. Kids were cruel, and I was finding myself using my skills at quick escapes more than I would ever want to.

In fact it was time I did something about it. I was confident in my training now that I could fight a bunch of preteens. I was just thinking about how to make a costume. Lots of black, with maybe some purple, and a mask to fully cover my face. Bruce had bought me more clothes than I needed, and there was some clothing that didn't fit me that I could use for material. I would call myself Nightmare and rid the school of bullies I thought smugly.

Alfred soon arrived and bustled over me like a mother hen. He helped me to the bathroom so I could shower while he changed my bedding. Then he left me alone with a tray of hot tea and some soup. After I ate I felt much more energized and thought it was a good time to actually make my costume. When else was I ever going to get this chance?

I used my purple long sleeve shirt and other black clothing to make a top with a black mask. I was happy I actually still had scissors and safety pins in my room. Every time Bruce or Alfred checked on me, I'd hide it under my pillow. By the end of the day I was feeling much better, and had made a decent costume. I was quite proud of myself.

I put it on, looking into my large mirror. My short uneven hair which had always suited me, worked well pulled up into a short low pony tail. I had the black mask, a yellow and gray short cape, and black leggings. Feeling satisfied, I quickly pulled it back off and hid it in my dresser before heading downstairs to see if I could get dinner.

"You look a lot better," Bruce commented when I arrived in the kitchen.

"I feel better," I said quietly.

"Have you been sleeping this whole time? It's been quiet."

"Yeah, I was tired," I lied, letting the emotion leave my face in hopes that Bruce wouldn't read any guilt.

He looked annoyed at my removal of emotion, but let it go. "Come sit and have some food then," he said.

I took an unnoticeable sigh of relief and sat down to eat. My plan was to bring my new Nightmare costume to school tomorrow and begin using it. It was time for me to finally start doing something to stand up for myself and the other bullied kids. It was what the man I looked up to now did, only on a much larger scale.

The only problem was I never got the chance to sneak the costume out of the house. Conveniently Alfred grabbed my backpack in the morning before I could pack the costume in it. But besides that, Bruce seemed to be hanging around me more than usual. There was no way for me to sneak something out with how he was watching me.

So I ended up going to school without it.

Unfortunately by lunchtime I was wishing I had it. "Why do you have to be so stuck up," Alex Greser demanded, shoving me in the chest. "You never say anything, and you always seem so angry," he said pushing me a second time so I almost fell over.

I silently glared at him, getting ready to show my new strength and skill, suit or no suit. But instead I turned to leave.

Alex quickly grabbed my arm and prevented me from leaving. "You can leave only after you stop being so stuck up," he said. His group of followers were nodding in agreement, ready to join him if things got really exciting. "Come on, just say one thing. If you don't, I bet I can make you."

Alex was just about to grab me, and I was about to knock him over, when suddenly a silver batarang flew through the air and narrowly missed Alex. Him and his posse froze and looked up, while I scowled and stared at my feet. I didn't want him here. It was ridiculous for him to be here among a bunch of kids. He had better things to do, and I had been about to handle my own problem.

"Leave the girl alone," he growled menacingly. Even I shivered slightly at the voice that still scarred me a little.

The boys didn't say anything from fear and shock and Batman jumped down from the building he was hanging on. Every kid eating lunch outside was now watching. "Let me make one thing very clear," he snarled, grabbing Alex by the shirt. "I would have no problem teaching you a lesson if I believe you are going to contribute to the crime in this city someday. Stop bullying, or you will have me to deal with." He threw Alex to the ground, and looked around the schoolyard," And that goes for all of you," he said loudly.

Then without looking at me he was over the next building and gone.

"What was up with that entrance at school today?" I demanded once Alfred had brought me home, and I found Bruce sitting in the living room. "I could have handled myself, that's what we've been training for. There are so many bigger problems for you to worry about in this city, than to waist your time coming to my school for a bullying problem." By this time I was wringing my hands in frustration, even though my voice was calm.

"Right now, you are important for me to keep an eye on, so in my mind it was not a waist of time. I don't want you to have to handle yourself if you don't need to," Bruce said quietly. "But I want to talk to you about that too. Come with me to your room."

I froze, and my annoyance with him stopped. I suddenly began to wonder how much he knew, and then I wondered why I hadn't realized before that he probably knew more about my plans than I had thought. The man was a detective and a genius, and had continuously proven to be more clever than me. "Ok," I said emotionlessly, so I wouldn't let my nervousness show.

Bruce stood and led the way to my room. When we were inside, he shut the door behind me and neither of us sat. "I also think this is a good time to repeat myself," he said firmly in his batman voice. I stomach flip-flopped, but I remained calm on the outside. "I've said many times, you are not going to fight crime, and you are not going to help me. It is too dangerous."

"I know," I said dully, letting my eyes go blank. "Why are you telling me this?"

Bruce didn't answer, but instead his eyes found the scissors on my dresser. He bent down and picked up a black scrap of cloth that was no bigger than my pinky nail I had missed when I had cleaned up my mess. "Where is it," he growled.

I looked up at him defiantly, but Bruce's glare was stronger. I found myself looking away and opening the dresser to show the costume. "I was only going to use it around school," I mumbled, not sounding very emotionless anymore. I was just hoping beyond hope this wasn't going to end up how I feared it would.

"And then what?" he demanded. "You were going to keep it in the school forever? I don't think so."

I looked away, knowing he was right. After I had finished in the school I had been planning on finding the small time criminals on my free time by skipping some gymnastics. Bruce sat down on my bed, and gave me his sternest glare. "Come here," he growled.

"No, Bruce, this isn't fair. I haven't even done anything wrong," I whined.

"You knew very well making that costume was wrong," he snapped. "Or else why would you try so hard to hide it from me. I knew you were going to try using it today, and that's why I came to the school to prevent that. Those kids won't cause you any trouble anymore. Now come here."

I didn't move from my spot, "You can't do this to me again," I said quietly. There was nothing worse to me than the way Bruce's punishments really got to me and always broke me down. I knew he would never decide a punishment was over until I was sobbing and crying like a baby, and I hated that fact. There had to be some way to avoid it, and I would somehow find that way.

"You know very well I will catch you if I have to, and if it comes to that your punishment will be increased. I won't tell you again, come here."

Without a word I made a mad dash for the door. I knew Bruce was directly behind me. I managed to open it and jump towards the stairs before Bruce grabbed for me. Before he had a tight hold on me I made a quick escape and dashed down the stairs. I jumped down the bottom step and crashed right into Bruce. The surprise actually almost made me yell out in fear.

"We are not turning this into a training exercise today," Bruce growled. "You are in trouble." Then he proceeded to throw me over his shoulder and carry me upstairs. I didn't know what came over me, but I resorted to the only thing I could. I thrashed, kicked and struggled, but of course with no avail.

"Let me go Bruce. You don't have to do this. I didn't do anything wrong!"

Without a word Bruce sat on my bed, threw me over his lap, pinned me down and proceeded to spank. He was certainly spanking hard too. The pain quickly made me incoherent and I was reduced to crying loudly. I tried to tell myself it wasn't hurting as much as it seemed, and that it was somehow all in my head, but coherent thought wasn't very possible. I did my best to continuously try to escape, but Bruce countered each one before I had made it off more than a few inches, his right hand never stopping it's assault on my bottom.

After what must have been at least twenty swats I covered with my hands to try to stop the pain that way. Bruce simply held both my wrists in his large hand and continued calmly and rhythmically. As always there was absolutely nothing I could do, not even fight back with my emotionless blank face, and that was what made my situation so horrible.

It was a very hard and long spanking, and I was sobbing hard and lying limply when he finally finished. This had been a lot worse than the one he had given me during the training session. It took a long time for me to catch my breath after he had finished. When I was crying softly he gently picked me up and held me.

"I still do want to help you," I said quietly between sniffles when I had calmed down a little more.

"I am not going to allow you to. You're too young, and it's too likely for you to get hurt. All my Robins disobeyed orders by helping me when I told them not to, and horrible things happened to all of them at one time or another. I can't be responsible for allowing you to get away with disobeying as well. Besides, you're only ten years old."

"I can handle a beating," I said softly. "I'm just not good at handling you sp-spanking me." I was already quickly noticing that once again the pain actually hadn't been close to the things I'd been through from my parents. Then again they had never punished me before for something I had truly felt I did wrong.

"I know you can," he said gently. "But that doesn't change my mind. That suit is going in the garbage right away. And if I ever notice you trying to fight crime in a way other than self defense I will take out a hairbrush."

My stomach clenched at the thought of a heavier and harder implement, and I nodded glumly in acknowledgement. "Can't you punish me some other way," I whined suddenly breaking the long silence.

"There are frankly too many benefits to spanking you," he said smugly. "It's quick, it was my method of punishment for all my adopted sons, and it actually truly brings out your emotions like I finally just saw a few minutes ago. The form of discipline in this house remains, and you have no power to change that."

"You are such a control freak," I muttered very quietly.

"What was that," Bruce asked, sounding stern but almost amused as well.

"Nothing Bruce," I said cheekily.

"Good, now it's time to see what Alfred has planned for dinner."

"Ok, I'll meet you downstairs," I said jumping off his lap. "I just want to change my clothes, so I need some privacy."

Bruce stood too, and went to the door, but suddenly stopped. "You almost had me," he said sternly. "First give me that costume." He held out his hand.

"Bruce," I whined.

"Now, or you can go right back over me knee for some more of what you just got."

Without another word I grabbed my costume and threw it into his hand.

"You better watch the attitude," Bruce warned in his lowest growl. "I will see you at dinner in a couple minutes."

The door closed with a gentle snap, and I sighed. My first victory on Bruce had just been won. I pulled out the second costume from under my mattress just to make sure it was still there. I had been hoping I wouldn't have to go through all that and not get caught at all, but my precautions had paid off. I would just have to be very cautious and slow about how I used this one. I had been underestimating Bruce too much lately.