A/N: OH MY GOSH. I am so sorry, this took me forever to write! I procrastinated a lot. I was also writing a lot for the later chapters. I hope you're all still interested! Haha, I really hope you enjoy this. Thank you to my cousin, Fluffyandrin for all the help! [: R&R!
The setting sun displayed an array of colors onto the manicured lawns of Wayne Manor. It was a gorgeous evening in the first place, but the light hitting the west side of the manor made it even more so.
Alice gripped the steering wheel tightly. The vastness of the grounds made her head spin. And to think that Bruce Wayne was right inside…waiting for her. She was still surprised that he would let a reporter come to his home.
Eventually she made herself get out of the car and ascend the steps to the front doors. With a deep breath, she rang the doorbell. She could hear the loud chime echo thought the house. Then, soft footsteps on marble floors. The door was quietly opened by an older man, years of wisdom showing on his lined face.
"Are you here for Master Wayne, ma'am?" He inquired with a British inflection. Alice gave him a smile.
"Yes, I am. I hope I'm not early…" she checked her watch even though she knew exactly what time it was.
"Not at all. Come in." He opened the door wider and Alice strolled inside. It was beautiful. To the right there was a tall staircase. To the left there was the main room. Above her hung a large chandelier adorned with crystals. She let a small gasp escape her lips as she shrugged off her coat. He led her to the front room.
"Master Wayne isn't here yet, but he will be shortly. Please, sit." Alice nodded and sat down. She took out her audio recorder and her notepad. She took in the large room and all its fixtures. Soon she became immersed in her thoughts, and stared off into space. The man came and lit a fire, and the flames danced before her eyes. Several more minutes passed before she heard footsteps behind her. She stood and turned.
No one had seen him in six years, but where he had been, he had grown into a man, handsome and rich.
"I'm sorry I'm late. I had some business to attend to." He announced, and held out his hand. Alice took it.
"It's not a problem. I'm Alice Huntley." He smiled and shook her hand, nodding.
"Yes. You're from the Gossip, right?" They sat on the couch and faced each other.
"Right. We're all excited to have an interview with you, Mr. Wayne. Thank you for your time." Alice couldn't wipe the smile off her face. The warm smile he gave her was almost too much.
"Well, I've been doing a lot of interviews lately. Let's get started." Alice nodded.
"Mr. Wayne, what made you want to leave?" He answered her simply.
"I wanted to see things outside of Gotham. I figured that the world was waiting for me."
"So you traveled the world?" He nodded and rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Yes. England, Ireland, Italy. Everywhere."
They went on like this for a bit, but then he called in his butler, and asked him to bring a bottle of wine. It made her head spin after a bit.
"Mr. Wayne…how did you…cope?" She asked, staring into the flames. A scarecrow danced in front of her, and she shook her head to get rid of the vision. She instead focused on Wayne. Had he been sitting that close before?
"I was lonely for a long time. In short, I was distressed."
"Mmm. Mr. Wayne-"
"Please, call me Bruce, Ms. Huntley."
"Then call me Alice." She giggled. "So…" she began. "Do you have any more butlers? Or just…him?" Bruce laughed shortly.
"No, just Alfred. He's been with my family for a long time." Alice nodded, and was silent.
"Were you…scared when they died?" She wondered if he felt fear.
"Yes." He answered, keeping a steady gaze on her.
"But…" She searched her cloudy mind for the right words. "Do you think it was your fault?" Bruce looked a little taken aback by her forwardness, but he knew it was the wine. He thought for a moment.
"I did…at first. But I know now that there's nothing I could have done." Alice giggled.
"Of course there wasn't!" She spread out her arms, hitting Bruce in the chest. He grabbed her arm, and she looked at him. She blinked a couple times. What was she doing again? She looked about the room, and spotted the wine. She reached for it, but Bruce pulled her back.
"I don't think so." He said softly. Alice leaned over to him and looked up at him. He still held her arm.
"I get scared sometimes." She whispered, staring into the fire again, and then looking at Bruce.
"Oh really?"
"Dr. Crane…helps me though." He furrowed his eyebrows a bit, as if storing this information. Alice felt the need to giggle all of a sudden and did, then looked up at Bruce.
"Do you want to kiss me now?" She asked quietly, the words tumbling from her mouth before she could stop herself. He laughed, quietly. He then leaned down and softly kissed her. He kissed her cheek first, but trailed a short line down to her lips. Alice closed her eyes to take it in, but he pulled away. She wanted to object, but he pulled her to her feet.
"I don't think you should drive home." He whispered into her ear. He brushed a few hairs out of her black face, and put an arm around her waist. He gathered her things for her, and led her into the kitchen.
"Alfred, drive Ms. Huntley home." Alice blinked and looked at him. Why hadn't he used her first name?
"Right away sir." Alfred answered. Bruce let go of her.
"Have a nice night, Alice." She giggled and stumbled away from him, looking back as she went out the door. Alfred helped her into the car, and she sat with her face glued to the window, watching her breath fog up the glass. She told him where she lived, and they were at the apartment in a short amount of time. She gave him her car key so he could drive her car back to the apartments, and stumbled up the stairs. She walked inside and tosses her purse to the side. Toby weaved around her feet, and she almost fell over him. She flopped herself down on her bed and laughed, quickly falling asleep.
A/N: Yay! I hoped you liked it, and I hope Bruce wasn't out of character or anything. Thank you for all the reviews so for, hope to get more! ;D Well thank you for reading, R&R!