Well, I managed to finally get another chapter out (and it was yet another challenge to write). This story is almost finished I think, and I'm excited to have my first completed story. Hopefully I can then turn my attention to my other one.

Chapter 10: Discovered Secrets

It hadn't hit me just how well school was going until fall break when I actually realized I missed going to school for those few days. I hadn't even realized how everyone didn't seem to hate me anymore, and for the most part the bullies of the school were now ignoring me.

I attributed the difference to making myself open up a little more and showing more emotions like Bruce had been telling me to. But also it helped just to be clean and healthy looking and not be absent from school most of the time like I had been when I lived with my parents. The school I went to now was a better school then the one I used to know.

I would laugh now when something funny happened, and a huge thing was starting that year I would contribute answers when teachers asked questions. It made it more fun to participate in this way. I had never been able to before but becoming comfortable with talking to those I cared about made it possible for me to speak a little in public. It helped also that my parents weren't a threat about being against me opening myself up and potentially giving away all the secretes we had to keep. My entire life was filled with secrets then, and my life was still filled with secrets, but it was very different.

I was also easily the best gymnast of the school, and the sport was almost getting a little boring. The coach for the gymnastics practices was lazy, and never worked on finding me more challenges. That was why I was finding myself skipping practices once a week to instead spend a few hours on the school rooftop with Nightwing. He was still my only friend, and I enjoyed the time I spent with him.

"You've never told me just how you came to live with Bruce," he said one day after he told me the story of his parents' death and his first time out as Robin.

"It's not something I'm really proud of," I mumbled, glaring intently at my feet. "But he actually stopped me from doing something terrible one day when I was nine. I could have killed a lot of people following my parents' instructions."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. Who your parents were isn't who you are," he said softly after I'd been silent for a long time. "But that still doesn't tell me how you are living with Bruce now," he urged me to continue.

I looked at his face and could tell he didn't think any less of me just because my parents were evil. "My father was taken to Arkham that night," I continued. "As Batman turned to leave I begged him to help me. I was confused and had been told different things by different people. But it seemed he had turned his back on me and left me on my own."

"Only he hadn't," Nightwing said.

"No, he hadn't," I said with a smile. "I found out he had been watching me all the time. He was always following me as I ran away from each foster home in attempts to escape my parents. I knew my father was going to escape and they would both be after me. The day they found me, and I was sure they were going to kill me, he came and saved me."

"And then he just brought you to his mansion? No wonder you figured out his identity."

"No, not yet. Instead he appeared in front of me the next day as Bruce Wayne and took me to his mansion. I was very confused why a man like that would bring me to his home so suddenly, but I was still able to figure it out that night."

"Bruce really has gotten soft after raising so many Robins," Nightwing muttered. "The Batman I worked with would have never adopted a young girl, no matter how much she begged him for help. Maybe he wouldn't be so bad to visit again one day. He is practically my father, I can't resent him forever."

My eyes lit up, and a true smile spread across my face. "That would be great," I said excitedly. "You and Bruce are the only true family I've ever known. I would love it if I didn't feel I had to sneak around to get a chance to talk to you."

"You know you shouldn't have to sneak around now," Nightwing said suddenly. "I'd feel really guilty if you got in trouble with Bruce because of me."

I felt some color drain from my face. It just hit me how thin the ice was that I was standing on. I would probably be in huge trouble if Bruce found out I had been sneaking around and skipping gymnastics without his knowledge. "Maybe I'll try talking to him tonight," I said.

"Just be careful. You're smart so I'm sure you'll handle it well. But it's time for you to go," he pointed to the dark car heading toward the school.

I gasped and jumped up, not realizing just how late it had been getting. "See ya," I called over my shoulder as I jumped down from the building.

"Bye little nightmare," I heard him call back. I gave a snort of annoyance and ran to the school parking lot, just as Bruce pulled up.

"Did you come just come out of practice, or were you waiting a while?" Bruce asked as I got in the car. "You're not usually already outside the school when I come."

"Practice got out a few minutes early," I lied easily. I was getting better at lying undetectably around Bruce. "I was only waiting outside a couple minutes."

"Alright, but I'd rather you wait for me inside if you get done early again." He sounded somewhat distracted.

I held back the complaint about how overprotective he was being once again and didn't say anything. It wasn't worth it to start an argument where the horrible night in that library basement could be brought up again.

A couple more weeks went by like that, but not much changed. My training stayed at a standstill and I still couldn't lift more than one hundred and fifteen pounds. Sparring was still decent but I hadn't improved any in that either. Even my endurance stopped getting any better. Bruce told me it was because I was getting lazy, but I thought I was still pushing myself really hard.

Nightwing still hadn't talked to Bruce like he told me he would. When I asked him, he said it was because he wanted to be careful about approaching Bruce, because he didn't want to get me in trouble. It would be too easy for Bruce to figure out we had known each other secretly for a while.

During the first week in December the city became cold and even duller than usual. It was now getting dark fast, and the sun would set only an hour after school ended. For that reason it was even easier to spend time secretly on the roof, hidden by the darkness. On the Tuesday of that week, I found it a very good pick-me-up to talk with Nightwing.

"Don't you ever wish you could just live a normal life?" I asked him suddenly. "I mean, do you really want to be doing all the crazy costume and hero stuff for your entire life?"

"Maybe not the very last couple years of my old life," he said with a smirk.

"Seriously? You don't want to settle down and get married or something? I think you should forget all this," I said gesturing to him to indicate his costume, "and become a business man. It would be the ideal job for someone like you," I was struggling to keep my face serious.

"Okay, now I need payback just for getting that horrible image into my head," he said disbelievingly. He jumped to his feet and began to approach me in a mock threatening sort of way.

I jumped up too and smirked, "I'm pretty quick though, you probably couldn't catch me."

"Wanna bet?" he grinned.

Suddenly we were both laughing and jumping around the top of the building. I was only trying half-heatedly to not be caught, so eventually he tackled me and started mercilessly tickling me.

"Okay, okay, you win!" I gasped.

He stopped, but continued crouching near me with a triumphant smirk on his face. "Good to know you are ticklish," he said happily. "It will make a good weapon against you for the future."

"Don't do that again," I said sitting up. I had never been tickled like that before, and it surprised me just how powerful the sensation was. I had no choice but to become powerless against it. "I swear, it should be considered evil."

Nightwing started to grin, but his mood suddenly switched, and he stood up. A few seconds after this I noticed it too and jumped up beside him. I felt a bit nervous, hoping the presence wasn't somehow my parents again.

"Are you stalking us now?" Nightwing asked, somewhat angrily to the darkness.

His tone and words cued me in to who was spying on us immediately. My heart sank even before Batman emerged from the shadows. It looked like my problem of being unsure of how to tell Bruce about meeting Nightwing was going to be solved sooner than I had thought.

Batman glared for a second at me, and I felt the sudden desire to become invisible. Then he turned to Nightwing. "I never thought I would see you here," he said in true surprise. "But this answers so many questions I've been wondering about for a while."

"Honestly, you had to come sneaking around in full costume?" Was all Nightwing said in reply. His glare still hadn't left his face.

Batman sighed and softened slightly, suddenly looking old. "Are you always going to hold the past against me?"

There was a long moment of silence, and I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. I knew Nightwing was very annoyed at the sudden dramatic entrance. I wasn't sure if he would relax and forgive Bruce yet, since the atmosphere for that didn't quite seem right. I shifted my posture slightly at the tension on both sides of me.

Eventually I noticed Nightwing relax a bit. "No, I'm not," he said softly. "I have been hoping to come see you again for a while now. I haven't yet only because-" his voice faded a bit, obviously not wanting to finish the sentence.

Batman's eyes narrowed. "Because you didn't want her to get in trouble," he said smoothly. He turned his focus to me, and I cringed internally. "Don't worry. She and I will be having a long discussion tonight about this."

Nightwing stepped to the side so he was slightly in front of me. I gaped at him, very glad to have someone on my side, but a little worried about how Bruce would take the motion. "This is my fault too, Bruce. I could have let you know I was back in Gotham a long time ago," he said calmly.

"Trust me, Richard," the use of his formal name made Nightwing scowl, "if you were her age, she wouldn't be the only one getting a lecture tonight. You certainly didn't help her do the right thing, and at the moment I want to get her home."

I stayed behind Nightwing. "Bruce, I'm not actually in trouble for this am I?" I asked very quietly. I wasn't even sure if he could hear me.

He moved his focus to glare at me. "I have asked you several times to be honest with me and keep yourself safe, and I also recall you made me a promise that you would. I knew a few weeks ago that you lied to me about gymnastics, because I could see it was still going through the windows. You tell me if you think you're in trouble," he said in a low firm voice.

"Bruce, do you really have to be mad at her?" Nightwing asked. "I personally don't think she deserves to be in trouble, and then I could come back with you tonight, and see you again. Without the costumes."

I looked hopefully between the two. I was holding my breath, daring to believe I might get out of this unpunished.

"Dick, I would love nothing more than to see you in Wayne manor again. But I did mean what I said. If any other child skipped sport practice to see a friend once in a while, obviously it wouldn't be a big deal. Unfortunately for Jayden, she is not a normal girl, and never can be from the moment she came to live with me and the dangers that are inherited with that. The rules are in place to not only keep her safe, but to keep her alive. If she is going to break them, there are strict consequences while she is living with me. Even if she broke those rules because of you," Batman put a hand on Nightwing's shoulder. "Please, don't make this into a battle, and let me take her home. I then encourage you to come see her tomorrow."

Even though he had relaxed, I could see Nightwing was still standing his ground, and I knew one way or the other Bruce was going to get his way. I really didn't want things to turn into a fight between the two people I loved, and I knew I had to be brave and keep the peace. I sadly stepped out from behind Nightwing and stood in front of Batman. "I'll be alright," I told Nightwing from where he stood looking regretfully at me. "Just promise me I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I promise, little Nightmare," he said gently.

"I will be looking forward to it," Batman said calmly as he approached me.

I stood rigidly as he came closer. Then he scooped me up under one arm, so I hung helplessly. "Are you really going to carry me all the way back?" I moaned softly, squirming uncomfortably under his iron hold.

"We just need to get to the batmobile, which is parked in that alley," he replied, stepping to the edge of the building. He jumped as he shot a batarange to the opposite building, and used that to lower us both down gently. He put me down, and with a sigh I moved to get in the batmobile Batman was opening the doors to.

The ride back was unpleasant and uncomfortable. Neither of us said a word. I quietly stared at my shoes as my mind raced for possible solutions to help the situation I had gotten myself into.

Even as Bruce was changing out of his costume, I remained still and quiet. All too quickly, Bruce was motioning for me to follow him. I knew there was no point in resisting, but I hesitated a few moments longer. "Bruce, I really don't feel like what I did was that wrong. I don't think I deserve to be in trouble," I said very quietly while still staring at my shoes.

"I would like to talk to you about this then, so maybe we can come to an understanding," he replied firmly. He motioned me to follow again.

I knew there was no choice, and I really wanted to move under my own power, so I wordlessly followed him to my room. Bruce crossed my room in three strides and sat on my bed. "Come over here," he said gently. "We really do need to talk about this." He patted the bed next to him.

Bruce seemed calm enough, but I didn't want to have the shock and surprise of being unceremoniously thrown over his lap. "If I came to sit down to talk to you, will you not punish me?" I asked cautiously, standing at the opposite end of the room from my bed.

"I won't punish you before you get a chance to fully understand why you're in trouble," Bruce said calmly.

I trusted him to keep his word and calmly crossed the room to my bed. I sat next to him and remained silent. I really wasn't sure what to say in this moment.

"Jayden, can you try to understand why I think you should be punished?" Bruce looked closely into my eyes. His expression was serious, gentle, firm, and disappointed all at the same time. "Think of everything that has happened since you've been living here, and try to put yourself in my position."

I looked away and made myself really think about the question. I thought about that horrible day when my parents managed to take me and hurt me. I tried to imagine what it must have been like for him to be told I was missing and then find me injured with my father standing over me. Then I did think about the promise I made to him to be honest. Finally I realized how stupid I had been to just not tell Bruce about Nightwing sooner. I had made a lot of dumb mistakes, and Batman did have a lot of enemies. There was even the dumb decision I had made to secretly sneak around the city in costume, which I had already gotten in trouble for as well.

Tears almost fell from my eyes from the guilt and regret of how many mistakes I had made. "I really don't want to be spanked," I sniffed miserably, not wanting to answer his question. "It's been really nice to spend some time with Nightwing." I did not want to start crying so I let myself become emotionally empty. Bruce would see to it that I didn't remain uncaring and empty for long. I just stared blankly at my knees, trying not to think about that thought or anything anymore.

"I was actuallly very happy to see what you have been doing lately. I'm so happy to see Dick again, and it's nice that you have gotten to know him," Bruce said calmly. "I don't really understand why he didn't just let me know he was in Gotham again, or that he was the one to see you kidnapped. But I want you to have the opportunity to see him often."

This news almost perked me up, but I was careful to remain emotionless. I didn't want to feel more guilt and shame of my own stupidity.

"I'm just not happy with how you've been seeing him," Bruce continued. I have talked to you about being more honest. I had to track your parents down and hope you would still be alive when I found them. I do not ever want to go through that again." I could hear true anxiety in his voice at the memory, and I carefully stared at my knees. "I'm just hoping I can get you to remember to keep yourself safe one way or another," he said very firmly. "Part of that is for me to always know where you are, including skipping practice and sitting on a dark rooftop."

His tone was enough to get me to look up for a second, and I regretted it instantly. The disappointment was very clear on his face, and I slid my body further away from him on my bed. I could see where this conversation was heading very quickly.

"It's time I broke through to you again. Hopefully this time after you've been punished the rule I have stressed to keep yourself safe will finally sink in." Suddenly his voice became even more stern, "And you can stop trying to act like you don't care. You know you made some very poor decisions."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bruce's hand reach for me. I began to jump up and try to move away out of impulse, but he was faster. With a quick motion he caught my arm and roughly dragged me over his lap. I knew there was nothing I could do, so I laid limply and tried to remain as empty as I could. This still didn't stop a couple silent tears from falling to the carpet.

The first few swats landed, and I did well with staying calm and composed. However, Bruce's arm was so well trained and so strong it was hard to ignore for a long time. And something Bruce was good at was giving a long hard spanking. After a while he began to break through my defenses.

I squirmed and strained against his solid arm, wishing I could move off his lap. "It hurts. I've had enough," I whined. I wasn't crying hard yet, but I was soon going to be. I hated how Bruce's punishments always broke me down, since I prided myself on my ability to hide my emotions and withstand beatings from my parents and bullies. But with Bruce he only punished when I had truly done something wrong. I had recently learned it was the guilt, mixed with Bruce's disappointment and anger, mixed with the pain and my inability to move or do anything about it that made me break down.

"You've only had enough when I say you've had enough," Bruce said calmly, not missing a beat. "I'm not even close to being finished with you. I want to get through to you that you need to make better decisions."

That's when I finally broke down completely, and I wanted to be free more than ever. I was done laying calmly and taking it. I began trying some of my escapes, but as expected Bruce foresaw each of them and prevented them before I even managed to move more than an inch. I was desperate, and I remembered what had stopped him the last time he had punished me.

"Dad, I'm sorry!" I yelled, crying harder.

Somehow he stopped, and everything was still and quiet except for my soft cries. "Jayden-" he said softly, lifting me up so I was sitting on his lap.

I ignored the discomfort of the different position and leaned into his strong chest. I hadn't known the use of the word would work so effectively. But I had been thinking of him as a dad for a while. I had realized over the summer that while he truly was not my father, he was a dad to me. This had just been the first time I had said what he meant to me out loud. I had been too afraid to make such a deep and dramatic change in what I referred to him as.

"Just promise me you will be more careful to keep yourself safe," he said very gently as he held me. "That includes making sure I know where you are going to be. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

"I promise," I said softly. Silent tears were still streaming down my face. I was now fully realizing how much I was betraying his trust. Bruce had done so much for me, and I was doing a horrible job returning the favor.

After a while I had calmed myself down enough that I pushed myself away slightly. "I really was pretty dumb," I said softly and regretfully. "I promise I won't keep secrets anymore."

"I know," Bruce said gently, still holding me tight. "Like I said, I know you are very capable of making smart and safe decisions."

We were both silent for a few more moments before Bruce lifted me up and set me gently on my feet. "Why don't we go downstairs now, have some dinner, and plan for tomorrow. You know we have a guest coming to visit," Bruce said with a small smile.

I allowed myself to smile as well, truly feeling relieved it was over. Somehow I felt I had won. I had managed to get Bruce to stop before I was turned into a complete sobbing emotional mess, which was the part I hated most about a spanking. I happily followed him down for dinner feeling very hungry all of a sudden. I couldn't wait to see Nightwing tomorrow without the worry of keeping it a secrete.

I felt I had more than enough secrets to keep for one lifetime as it was.